Home Run sat at the bleachers, doing what work he could finish before the baseball team came. Mr. Discord had given them some questions about Fleming's left hand and right hand rules. Home Run wasn't really good at Science, but he persevered through the textbook, getting a rough understanding of the rules at last. Oddly, Heavy Wind had been of great help during class. That guy had an excellent knowledge of the left hand rule.
"The main point is the direction of the motor," the Neighgagger had specified. "If you understand that, the left hand rule's all yours."
After finishing his Science questions, he thought about what had been going on in the last two days he'd been here. At first, he'd only seen one suit fighting back the Grineer. Then yesterday, he saw at least seven more. Did the princess manage to get another key? Or did she find another way?
That's when Home Run thought back to what Princess Celestia had told him. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you again..."
Home Run felt that finding out about this secret battle, he had to do something to help. He decided that if the baseball team didn't show up soon, he'd find a way through the statue. As he pondered his decisions, another unbelievable thing happened before his eyes. Three pods crashed down into the baseball field, throwing up enough dirt to dirty the bleachers with, Home Run included.
"Seriously?" he said for himself to hear, just to know how crazy it sounded. It seemed to him like the Grineer always knew where he was. "Wrong place... wrong time... again."
He quickly packed his things and made his way under the bleachers. He decided that since he couldn't get rid of them, he might as well spy on them. The pods opened simultaneously, releasing at least ten Grineer soldiers this time. Besides the normal green ones he'd been seeing, this time, there were a few darker green ones with knives, and orange ones with bigger guns. And as he predicted, gunfire erupted from beyond his vision, taking down some Grineer before he could see the attackers. Some of the Grineer pointed at the other corner, aiming their guns up and fired back.
Then Home Run saw them. The suits, pointing their guns to the Grineer. A bluish one with small wings took up into the air with a gust of wind, spraying bullets down on the Grineer below with two small guns. Unlike the last battle he witnessed, the bullets were actually hitting them this time. Then another one came in. One with two armored gauntlets over its bronze plated hands. It suddenly charged forward, stomping along the ground and arriving at one of the Grineer in a blink, giving it a punch under its jaw. Home Run could hear the crack of its helmet as the bigger suit launched it off the ground.
They've been training, huh? Or were they just not having a good time the last time?
He saw another one, arming a fireball before throwing it at a small group of Grineer. A few of them went up in flames, while others jumped to the sides to avoid the fires. The other Warframes joined in, throwing everything they had from green energy, bullets, punches, and even clones.
Soon, all the Grineer lay dead on the field. Home Run wanted to run out there and cheer for them, but decided against it. The suits gathered around the field, checking the bodies, probably for signs of life. Seeing as it was over, Home Run got up to leave, but stopped when he heard more impacts on the ground. He turned to see more pods crashed into the field, damaging the flat ground even more.
They better fix that ground in time for the tryouts. Don't want someone to get injured while running..."
“Not more!” he heard the one in blue complain. By the sound of the voice, it was female, and quite familiar. She had long flowing rainbow coloured hair sticking out the back of her helmet, but Home Run just couldn’t place it.
More Grineer emerged from the pods. There were more of the orange ones again, but this time, a white armored one with an even bigger gun walked out, pointing it at the Warframes.
“Looks bad…” Home Run muttered as the first gun fired a rocket out, sending it sparkling straight for the group of Warframes. The missile thudded into the earth, blasting up dirt and flame, forcing the other side to scatter.
A green-grey one with purple hair quickly recovered, dodging the blast with an almost perfect roll and coming up firing. It would have been impressive if the gun recoil hadn’t sent almost every bullet right over the Grineer’s heads.
The other Warframes were in trouble, trying to defend themselves against the brute force of the latest Grineer wave. Home Run saw his chance to leave, heading straight for the front of the school. If he could find a way through the statue, perhaps he could find a way to help the other Frames in the coming battles. Walking past the others, he noticed one hiding further away, holding what looked like a staff in her hands. She wore a suit of red and black and had light pink hair coming out the top of her head. Home Run decided he would find out who they were one day and headed for the statue while the others were focused on the Grineer.
Arriving at the base of the statue, Home Run tried sticking a hand through, taking a step back when it disappeared into the reflective surface.
Here goes nothing…
With a few steps back, Home Run jumped forward, throwing his arms forward as he flew through the mirror. He fell through the same rainbow tunnel, taking him to the other world once again. He prepared himself for the worst, expecting to walk out the portal on four hooves again, but this time, it didn’t happen. He emerged from the portal, appearing in Princess Twilight's palace again, looking exactly the same as he did normally.
“That’s weird…” he muttered to himself as he made sure he was completely human.
“Welcome back, Home Run.”
He looked up to see Princess Celestia, standing close by, still in the form of what Twilight said, an alicorn, giving him a big smile.
“Princess Celestia?” he asked. “Why am I still a human? Aren’t I supposed to be a pony? Not that I’m complaining or anything. I’d rather be a human… wait. Were you expecting me?”
“Yes, Home Run. I knew you’d be back at some point. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that you were special. Someone who’d be willing to help save his school. It has come under attack from the Grineer.”
Home Run swallowed before nodding his head, already knowing it was the same aliens as before. “Yeah. They are. That’s why I’m here. I've been seeing too much of these aliens since the day I arrived. I think I was meant to come here. I want to help. Is there any way I can do that?”
“Glad you asked,” the alicorn smiled. She directed his attention to the many pods lined along the walls. "You already know what's inside. Now's your chance. Pick one. The single void key doesn't allow them to assume direct control of their own Frames, but it will allow one to move in the suit. The Tenno within will be like a mentor. It will teach you and train you, to make you as great as they once were."
Home Run headed over and investigated the pods, wiping away the fog on the glass to reveal what each Warframe looked like.
"Home Run. There are buttons on each pod that will give you a description of each Warframe's abilities."
"Thanks, princess. Good to know."
The baseball player pressed the first one, listening to the playback description. "Loki, Warframe master of deception. It has the ability to create a decoy of itself to fool its enemies."
Home Run made his way to a few different pods, checking out each one.
"Volt, a Warframe with control of electricity. It has the ability to send a bolt of electricity through its enemies."
"Vauban, a tactical Warframe. It has the ability to throw a tesla grenade to shock its enemies."
"Oberon, a versatile Warframe. It has the ability to inflict radiation damage among multiple targets."
Home Run remembered the other Warframes, fighting to protect the school. He didn't have the leisure to slowly find a good Warframe for himself. He decided to take the one that interested him the most, from the few he looked at. Vauban. If anything, grenades were like baseballs. The Warframe was grey and orange, with plates over its body.
With the push of a bigger button, Home Run opened the pod, releasing the air as it flooded into the room and slowly dissolved as it flowed away. As he tried to figure out how to get in the suit, it opened up on its own, pulling him into its grasp before closing in around him. It felt like a second skin, somehow fitting over his form like clothing, but more flexible.
Initializing...
HUD loading...
Shields and armor at hundred percent...
Standby...
With a flash, his screen started up, allowing him to see out through his helmet. What looked like a radar and a meter appeared in his view.
"So... You are the one to be my pilot?" A new voice said inside his helmet.
"Umm... hello," Home Run decided to say. "You must be the Tenno in the suit. Vauban right? I'm Home Run."
“Correct. We will be working together from now on. now let’s cut to the chase; what’s your weapon? I will adapt accordingly.”
"My weapon?" Home Run repeated. He looked to the princess as she pointed to a stack of weapons on the table.
He headed over to the table to have a look. Before him lay all kinds of guns, knives, swords, even hammers. He tried lifting the hammer, only for it to weigh him down. "Not taking this one..."
“My Warframe’s sensors show you have good hand-eye coordination. In that case, throwing weapons like the hikou or kunai would be ideal. Failing that, a sniper rifle.”
Home Run picked up the satchel of throwing stars, taking one out of the pouch. He held it in his hands, learning the feel and the weight of the deadly projectile. He turned to a deserted corner of the room and tried out the hikou, sending it spiraling clumsily into the floor.
"These feel different from baseballs..." Home Run admitted, putting the satchel back on the table. "I don't think I can throw them very well."
“Try the vectis. Your steady hands should make operating that weapon trivial.”
Home Run picked the sniper rifle up. He managed to aim down its sights steady enough, but when he fired off a shot, the gun almost threw him backwards with its powerful recoil. “Woah. Maybe not this gun…”
“Clearly the standard of the Solar guards has declined. Before I went into cryosleep, any guard would have been able to handle that weapon.”
"Solar guard? What's a Solar guard? I'm just a student at Canterlot High."
Vauban was silent for a moment. “Canterlot High? Is that a new training facility?”
Home Run remembered his new partner wouldn't know anything about the modern world. It's been a long time since he was active after all. "Umm... it's a school. You... go there to gain knowledge. They don't exactly teach you how to hold a gun."
“A place of learning that does not teach you how to properly handle a basic firearm?” The Tenno was incredulous. “Clearly the world has changed since I went into dormancy. How long have I been in shutdown?”
"Uhhh..." Home Run looked to the princess for help.
She pulled out her special helmet and put in on, syncing herself with the Warframe. "Vauban, you have been asleep for a thousand years. It is good to have you back. The Grineer have returned, and it is up to you and your new han partner, Home Run, to aid the others in making sure they never set foot in Equestria."
“...I see. And this mission is of utmost importance, I take it? Very well then. Home Run, you and I are going to get very well acquainted then. You may not be a soldier now but when this is over, I’ll make sure you will be able to be counted among the Lotus’ best and brightest.”
"Great! Well, I still have to find a good weapon..." Something caught the batter's eyes. It was a sleek hammer, sporting a thin handle and rockets on its head. He picked it up and gave it a swing, finding it lighter than it looked. "This is perfect! It's just like baseball!"
Vauban was skeptical. “A jat kittag. Grineer design. Close quarters, wide swings and impact damage. Are you sure? This weapon’s tactical advantages are far below those of others, like the kestrel or cernos.”
Home Run nodded to his unseen friend. "I think I can handle this. I mean, if I have to take anyone down at range, I have your grenades, right?"
“We will see. So long as you can wield it effectively, I don’t care what you use. Some Tenno might not agree with me, but that is my decision. As for my grenades, if your throwing arm is as good as my suit’s sensors indicate, mid to short ranged enemies will pose little threat.”
"Then let's get to work! We've got to help the others!"
"Good luck, Home Run," the white alicorn told him. “I know that you’ll do me, and everyone else proud.”
He turned around to return through the portal, ready to get into the fight. "Let's do this, Vauban."
Rainbow Dash had tried to get the better of the Grineer, flying up above them, but one of the white ones caught on and fired a rocket, hitting her directly. The explosion was deafening, but Rainbow remained in one piece, falling from the sky.
"Rainbow!" Applejack called, running under her friend to catch her.
The others covered her while she caught the rainbow girl. There were scorch marks all over the front of her Warframe and her hair was singed. Applejack and Rhino ran her to the back of the battlefield, looking for her timid friend.
"Fluttershy! We need some healin' here!"
"Alright..." she slowly said, walking towards them. "But... it doesn't work like how you think. Rainbow'll have to shoot the enemy I tag, and she will regain her strength."
Applejack looked to her downed friend. She had a small hole in her armor, likely where the rocket had hit. Some blood flowed from a wound underneath, but luckily, it wasn't serious. "Rainbow? Can you hear me? You need to get up."
"I'm good. I'm good," Rainbow gasped as she sat up. She clutched at the hole, her muscles straining against the wound. "Ouch."
"Still good to go Rainbow Dash?" Zephyr asked. "You took a good hit there."
"I'll... be fine. Just give me some time."
"I'll patch that armor for you, but as for the wound you have there, your friend can fix that."
"Rainbow, I need you to shoot one of the Grineer I tagged. If you hit it, you'll be able to heal."
"Worth a shot." Rainbow watched the armor breach repair itself as Applejack picked her up. She could still feel the burns on her skin, but she pushed the pain aside as much as she could.
"I'll give you a ride, Rainbow."
She ran back to the firefight, Rainbow shooting one of her guns from Applejack's back. Fluttershy had tagged one of the orange armored ones, firing its shotgun towards Sunset's location. The pellets slammed into Ember’s shields like a freight train, but the barrier held. Rainbow saw her chance and fired at the Grineer, emptying her gun into him. She felt her strength returning after each successful hit.
"It's working, Fluttershy!" Rainbow shouted back to the girl hiding behind the wall.
Sunset looked up and fired back with her glaxion, freezing the orange Grineer's feet to the floor, giving Rainbow an easier target. Fluttershy deactivated her ability, allowing Rainbow to deal the final blow to the Grineer.
"Alright!" she cheered. "Feeling much better already!"
The white armored one was still a problem, firing more rockets at Twilight and Applejack. Twilight dodged hers, but Applejack was too slow. The rocket missed her, but the impact still knocked her and Rainbow to the ground.
“Twilight Sparkle. Use my ability on that bombard. It could be a valuable asset, but for the Lotus’ sake and your friends, don’t miss.”
“Got it!” Twilight readied her energy, preparing to dominate the white armored foe, but just as she was about to cast, a lightly armored creature lunged at her from behind, striking Twilight’s Warframe with a cleaver-like blade and breaking her shields. "Ow! What?"
"It's a Grineer butcher. Shake it off, Twilight Sparkle. Your shields are gone. It'll damage my Warframe!"
Twilight scooted away as the butcher reared up for another swing and fired her sybaris. At point blank range, both bullets tore through its deformed face, sending splatters of red gunk over her body. She lay there panting, the gun falling from her hands as the blood ran down her vision. "I can't believe I just... did that..."
"Get over it, Twilight Sparkle," Nyx reprimanded. "Remember. It's them or you. Besides, they're not even worthy to be called humans. They're just flesh, given form. If you're going to be traumatized by this, then you're not worth my time."
“It was alive, Nyx! How can you just kill people and not even care? Couldn’t you have just knocked it out, or something?”
“You shot it, not me. Besides, I don't consider Grineer alive. Corpus are a different matter, but clones are fake! And this is war, Twilight Sparkless. Get it in your head!"
Twilight felt her lunch rise as she looked at the headless corpse, but dutifully picked up her rifle. If Princess Celestia had really created these Tenno, serious words would be had once this was over. If not in this life, then the next.
Home Run exited the portal, heading right back to the baseball field. He saw the same girl, hiding behind one of the shrubs, watching her friends combat the Grineer.
"Hey!" he called to her, startling her. The girl jumped as she turned around. The action seemed familiar, but he decided to think about it later. The other Frames needed his help. "I'm here to help. Is everything alright?"
“Oh! Did Princess Celestia send you?” Without waiting for an answer, the armored girl unfolded a long staff and pointed over the bushes. “We’re not doing so good, and I think everyone’s almost out of b-bullets. That thing’s too strong!”
Home Run peeked out from the bush, remembering the white armored alien. It was still standing firing more rockets at a heavy armored Frame and the fast blue one. "Is it resistant to bullets or something? Because I brought a bat."
He lifted his weapon, showing it to the girl.
"Home Run," Vauban spoke. "Once again, it's a hammer."
"I know, I know," he told his partner. "I just like calling it that." There was another blast. “Can’t we just wait until it runs out of rockets?”
“Impractical. The ogris fires detonite-infused casings, and a bombard like that will be carrying enough reserve ammunition to level your entire team three times over. You will have to stop it, preferably before that happens.”
Home Run pulled out three of his tesla grenades and looked at them. “What if I use these things? Will that get me enough time to make a home run with him?”
“I am unfamiliar with your language, Home Run. But with successful application of those tesla grenades, you should be able to stun it long enough to do some damage with your jat kittag. The only problem is getting near enough to make contact with it.”
“Alright, I’ll see what I can do,” Home Run nodded. He turned back to the frightened girl. “I’m going in. If I play this out right, we might just rid ourselves of that pesky rocketeer.”
Fluttershy whimpered, but gave him a shaky nod. “Be careful.”
Home Run nodded and headed to the field, looking for multiple pieces of cover to get closer to the bombard without getting blown to bits.
A jester-looking Warframe shot one of the bombard’s rockets out of the air, the explosion ruffling her hair. “You know, I don’t think this is working too well. Mirage, why isn’t this gun working?”
He joined her, getting behind the same piece of cover. “Hi, I’m here to help, but I’ll need your help.”
“Sure!” she nodded. “Who are you? Are you one of the new kids in school? Do you know who we are? You’re not supposed to. Did the princess send you? Ooh, are you like that Excalibur, and you’re here to save the day with a flash and a bang?”
Home Run didn’t have to guess this time, immediately recognizing the jester as Pinkie Pie. No one else in the school could talk like her. “Pinkie Pie? How…? You can… fight?”
The Warframe stood frozen for a second before resuming her action. A second voice spoke in Home Run’s head. “Vauban. I didn’t think I would see you again. Yes, I have been teaching Pinkie Pie the fun that is mass dismemberment. This is your pilot?”
“I have established a neural link between Mirage and my Warframe. It will allow us to talk freely while in close proximity. No ogris, Mirage?”
“My pilot’s allies didn’t want her with an explosive weapon,” Mirage shrugged internally. “And after our first battle, I can see why. Her aim needs work. They all do.”
“Duh! That’s why I chose the cannon, silly!” Pinkie chimed in.
“Does anyone refer to their weapons by their actual names?” Vauban wondered aloud.
"None of them," Mirage replied. "I think it's fine. I couldn't care what they call their weapons. I'm happy as long as I get my fill of the party!"
“All right, I get it. Vauban, how long will these grenades stop that guy from moving?”
“You will have one to two seconds before the shock wears off. How long it takes the bombard to recover is impossible to guess. It depends on how well it was cloned.”
"Guess we'll just have to find out." Home Run turned to the pink girl next to him. "Pinkie, can you lay down some cover fire for me? I've got something I want to try."
"Okie-dokie!" Pinkie said happily. "Wait... How do you know me? Do I know you?"
Home Run was about to say his name when he saw something that made his mouth go dry on the bottom of his HUD. Warning, incoming missile. Evasive action recommended.
“Don't you know-Look ou-!” he shouted, pushing Pinkie out of the way just as a massive explosion threw him into the air and broke the neural link.
“Lookow?” Pinkie asked her Tenno. “What kind of a name is that?”
“It’s a pretty stupid one,” she agreed.
Home Run landed with a thud a few meters away. His shields were down to zero, and he had landed on one of his bruises, but otherwise, he was unscathed.
“Are you alright, Home Run? Your shields are down. I suggest taking cover until they recover.”
“I want to go home...” he groaned into the helmet.
“Stop that,” commanded Vauban. “You said you would help Mirage stop the bombard, and that is what you will do, not run on home. Even if it’s what your name says you’re good at.”
Home Run pushed himself off the ground and looked at the bombard. “Yeah, you’re right. I asked to get in on this. I shouldn’t back off so fast.” He turned back to Pinkie Pie. “Cover me.”
“You got it, Lookow! Let’s party, Mirage!”
“Oh yes,” Mirage smirked. “Now you’re f-”
Pinkie cloned herself twice and fired her shotgun at the Grineer, blanketing the skies with the roar of her boar. Home Run saw his chance and made a dash towards the group of Grineer. He held one of the grenades in his left hand, and when he was close enough, he tossed the first one at the nearest Grineer. It attached to him when it hit, sending electricity coursing through his body.
“Gaaah!” the Grineer spasmed, falling down in an electrical heap.
A second one with a knife moved towards Home Run, but he tossed his second grenade, hitting the Grineer in the face, shocking him as well. Then he arrived at the bombard. The white armored Grineer raised his rocket launcher at Home Run, but before he could pull the trigger, Home Run had tossed his third grenade at him. It latched on to his face, sending arcing lightning across his body. He didn’t go down like the first two Grineer, but the shock gave Home Run enough time to pull out his jat kittag and swing up upwards like a baseball bat. The jets at the back of the hammer head activated, increasing the speed of his swing. The Grineer was lifted clean off his feet as the weapon threw it into the sky, where the blue flying Warframe kicked its face in.
“Nice one!” its pilot crowed.
Home Run picked up the Grineer’s fallen weapon. As its owner came crashing back down to earth, he took aim with it and pulled the trigger. There was a click and the recoil threw him back onto the ground, but his aim was true. A rocket streaked out of the gun and struck the bombard head on, engulfing it in an orange ball of flame and filling the air with the smell of charred meat. He looked up as the smoke started to clear. The bombard was the last of the second wave. They had won.
“Great job, whoever you are!” The blue one congratulated.
“He says his name is Lookow!” Pinkie jumped in.
“Lookow?” the fire Warframe joined them, stowing its gun. “What kind of name is that? Are you sure you heard him right?”
“Uhh… that’s not my name,” Home Run decided to mention.
“Really? Then what’s your name? Mine’s Twilight Sparkless- I mean Sparkle.” The green and grey one said, lowering its helmet to reveal the same girl from before. “Shut up, Nyx.”
“Princess Twilight!” Home Run realized. “It’s me. Home Run.”
“Wait, did you say Home Run?” the fire one asked, stepping towards him.
“Yes…?” Home Run dragged.
The orange Warframe lowered her helmet, revealing red and yellow hair that Home Run knew.
“Sunset?” he said in disbelief.
She skipped straight to the point. “So you did know more than you were letting on!”
“So have you, it seems,” Home Run replied. “I didn’t know you were part of all this.”
The two felt embarrassed, both lying to each other about the same thing the whole time.
"So all those times you said you didn’t know anything…” Sunset began, but a tap on the shoulder from Applejack stopped her.
Striding toward them and covered with blood were Excalibur and Rarity, the latter with her helmet down and desperately trying to wipe off the mess.
"Rarity? You too?" Home Run said. Then he thought about it. He turned to the other Frames and pointed them out. "Applejack? Rainbow Dash? And the one back there must be Fluttershy? Am I right?" He looked at the other one. The Warframe that saved him the last time. "And... who are you?"
“The Warframe is called Excalibur,” Vauban filled in. “But I cannot ascertain the identity of the pilot. He will have to tell us himself.”
Home Run turned to the Rainbooms. "So, who's this? Another friend? And please... No more lying."
The girls all shrugged, looking at the Excalibur uneasily. He was tall, they noticed. Taller than any of them. He carried a single sword attached to his back, which he drew while surveying the area for surviving Grineer.
"Rarity," Home Run asked. "You walked here with him. Do you know him? And I thought you were home sick?"
“No,” Rarity replied thickly. “And I was home sick. Just this man contacted Mag and I while I was in the bathroom, telling me the Grineer were about. So here I am. Achoo!”
“Ugh...” Mag exclaimed. “Stay home next time. Getting your fluids on the inside of my helmet is disgusting.”
Without warning, the Excalibur headed for Twilight and knelt before her. After getting up, he blinded all of them with a flash of light.
"Gah!" Home Run shouted as he put his hands up in front of his face, but to no effect. "What is that?"
He looked around, but couldn't see anything but white light. It took a little over a minute for the flash to wear off and when it did, Excalibur was nowhere in sight.
“That’s really getting annoying,” Sunset remarked.