"How far is the objective point, Timber?"

"Hard to say, Sir. The thunderstorm out here is messing with my compass, is yours working?"

On the screen was a vast expanse of dried, red dirt. Above, just in view from the camera, was a deep void of dark clouds. A thin, lethal looking, red lightning bolt emerged from the bleak, curtained sky and curved back upwards like a surreal form of sea monster lurking in the clouds.

"I doubt it," came a voice from off screen, clearly in awe of the unnatural event occurring above him.

The one known as "Timber" from which the perspective was coming from appeared to ignore the reply as he kept focused, looking at the accurately drawn map strapped to his foreleg. Upon it featured many different lines and symbols. The most prevalent of which was a large, heavily drawn, red ring that encompassed one of many little cogs printed upon its crusty surface, their 'objective point'.

"Well? What do we have to go on here? We have the co-ordinates from Paladin Crane, but we can't even use them because of this weather? And I don't trust that piece of crap to lead us anywhere, I'm more comfortable with my E.F.S!" complained the voice off-screen
.
Timber remained silent as he concentrated on the map in front of him.

"I mean what the hell are we supposed to be looking for out here! I'm supposed to be leading this damn mission, and I don't have a fucking clue!" he ranted on.

Timber appeared to focus on what appeared to be a wrinkle in the paper. He looked up to see a rather large crevice in front of him. He took a double take between the map and the crevice, seemingly getting his bearings as he connected the landmarks.

"Are you even listening to me?!" he shouted, heightening in aggravation

It took him another five seconds to answer

"I think I..."

A loud clatter of metal and the sounds of a struggle were heard

"YOU DARE IGNORE YOUR SUPERIOR, DO YOU HAVE ANY RESPECT!"

"No... Ah... Sir" His voice quiet as he was taken by surprise

"BULLSHIT! WE HAVE LOST SEVEN KNIGHTS TO THIS HELLHOLE AND WE ARE THE ONLY ONES LEFT!" he raged

"You don't think I knowAAHHHHH!" he attempted to respond before a loud whine of bending metal was heard

"OF COURSE YOU FUCKING KNOW THAT, YOU KILLED ONE OF THEM CARELESSLY! BY REGULATION, YOU SHOULD SHARE THE SAME FATE FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE YOU BASTARD!"

The whining carried on, getting quieter as it met more resistance. But it was cut short by a much larger sound, so loud the microphone could not record it accurately. Instead all that was heard was a hideous, ear raping amount of static and microphone crackle. But it ended as sharply as it came in a deathly silence.

Suddenly the sound of heavy breathing was heard and the heavy galloping of steel clad hooves. The breathing was irregular, taking short raspy breaths, but after every few, a large painful one followed by an unhealthy cough. This carried on for the next few minutes before a loud crumbling sound emerged followed by a yelp and the loud clatter of steel, and a final grunt.

On screen was a viscous darknes, revealing no detail of where Timber was except for the plume of light coming from the hole above, occasionally emitting a glow of red from the lightning. As the camera feed adjusts to the lower brightness, a mess of dirt and strewn rocks was all that could be seen. The quality of the camera lacked much more than what it had done before, showing small fractures and coloured lines across the screen. Small coughs were heard as he bagan to shuffle but the familiar loud screech returned and he remained still and looked up ever so slowly. All went silent until suddenly a large form poked through the hole above, plugging the light and obscuring it from further observation. Fifthteen seconds passed with complete silence and darkness until finally the form withdrew from the hole slowly, unable to identify what it was.

Timber let out a large wheasy breath and took another few back in. He struggled as he lifted his foreleg revealing most of the map had been torn off leaving only a symbol. A circle with the words "Project 17" embedded arround it. Within the ring was the metal face of a pony with pupiless, green, glowing eyes. He dropped his foreleg heavily with a large clank and his head did the same, looking toward the darkness beyond the pillar of light coming from the hole above. He coughed 3 times more before he said…

“What has this all been for. An entire squad including the Crusader. And for what?”

He sighed staring into the nothingness, admitting defeat as more stones crumbled from the hole emitting more light upon the refuse in front of him. He carried on watching this when he noticed something besides stone and dust. Metal. Steel to be more exact. And printed upon the part of it which was visible, was what he and his lost squad had been looking for all along. The symbol from the map. Project 17.

He began to move slowly, attempting to dislodge the stones that covered his armour. He struggled releasing more coughs and splutters when a large creaking sound of metal was heard behind him. He carried on struggling, appearing to ignore the sound, seemingly filled with adrenaline to finish his goal.

I stood there analysing the footage I received from the dead, armoured, equine I had exterminated in front of me. It left me more and more confused as I walked back through the corridoors which I have come to know as my home. It was silent, all I could hear was the sound of my trotting through the narrow underground corridors. I advanced through the interconnected network of tunnels holding the source of the footage in my anti-gravity field. While I did, I further surmised what I had learned from the footage. I had seen these creatures before. A shape similar to that of an Equus ferus caballus but covered in steel based armour, reinforced with many strengthening properties, as well as bearing an Arcane Matrix, allowing me to see their final moments. They follow a strict military code with a ranking system as well as carrying a high level of honour. Their main goals being to hunt down technological artifacts, which adds up why they are searching here. Most of the creatures that had made it down here into the facility, such as this 'Steel Ranger' as I have come to know them as, did not live long afterwards. Many complications, such as the security system, levels of radiation and chemical poisoning (nicknamed by some of them as 'taint'), and that creatures above have lead to their definate or near demise. It is only I that stood between them and death. And that is where my protocol takes over.

1. You are not to harm another living being unless it means breaking Protocols 2 & 3
2. If on the brink of death, you are to exterminate any living being's on site.
3. If under threat from another living being, you are permitted to defend your self or other by any means

I emerged into the cubical central atrium of the facility. Within was the same steel panneled walls with a large operating computer at each of the four corners. I placed the black box I received from the deceased creature on the desk of the closest computer in the room. I then moved in front of one of the six large tubes that occupied the center of the room. The tube that encased me only 5 years ago, and stared upon myself.
In the reflection coming from the tempered glass, I saw the face of a being with bright green glowing eyes and a metal face. But it was nowhere near the same as the one I killed only moments ago, but something entirely different. And it leaves the same unanswered question I am forced to bear every operating minute since my initiation…