//------------------------------// // Titans of Steel // Story: Dirty Birds // by TheFlyingHippogriff //------------------------------// I understand why the ponies came. This project started with ponies, it is fitting that it should end with ponies. Yet I am not about to give in to a bunch of ponies who gave up when the going got tough. We pushed forward, and stood strong to the challenge, "I don't have a Fat Face, do I?" Gabby sniffled drying her tears, and looking into my eyes. "Of course not, you have your puffy cheeks," I responded truthfully as my talons lightly pushed up said cheeks as I helped dry her tears, "you're one of us, Gabby, and we are going to see this through," I said to her stroking her top feathers as she hugged me, "something about this does not quite add up, this is not like Princess Celestia or Luna," "Billie's right, what about our wages and the contract we all signed?" Gilda said, "they can't just throw us out like that!" "We gotta to do something, I suggest we talk to the princesses," requested Gabby, We began to pack our things, and go to Cantorlot, "I'm going with you," said Garrett, head of the Iron Talon Earthworks, he's not the type to just sit around on the sidelines. I smiled to him, and nodded, "I really think Gabby should go with us too, she's reasonable and enthusiastic, unlike over ninety percent of the griffons in Griffonstone," he joked. "True," I replied, slinging my satchel bag over my back. Through voting among the workers and families, and even the machines, we assembled a group to go talk to the princesses. It's me, Garrett, Gabby, and Rail Rider. I wanted Gilda and Greta to come too, but they elected to stay back, "let me know if anything happens while we're gone," "You got it," said Gilda, putting her left talon my left shoulder. I put my right talon on her right shoulder to show a sisterly bond. "Be safe out there, Honey, something tells me these ponies are up to no good," said Ma Deuce, my always faithful Northwest 100DH, Things were getting tense even among our machines. Our excavators, front shovels, and other machines were in a field outside Kingstown while the ponies new machines were coming in. It was a shame. Garrett was bringing in his two Caterpillar 769-C dump trucks today named Clarisse and Katerina. Now they sit on the sidelines. It's not fair. Sledgehammer was bringing in his excavator to the site, a Liebherr R9150 named Leona. The two of them seemed to be a perfect pair as she turned her swing drive to face Ma Deuce, "You best leave the real work to the real machines, you broken down old dinosaur!" Leona taunted to Ma Deuce, and my excavator is not one to back down either. "Yeah, keep on running your mouth, rookie, we got more experience in one of the shoes of our tracks than you can fit in your bucket!" Ma Deuce fought back, The machines on our side cheered, lifted their buckets and blades, "This coming from a buncha idiots that still use cable shovels, get back to the scrap heap," Leona taunted, "Doesn't she know that she wouldn't be around if it weren't for cable shovels like Blossom and Belle or Lana and Laura, kids these days, no respect what so ever," said Kaiser, watching as the prideful new Liebherr went to work on the site, this gave an idea. Clarisse and Katerina had just arrived, and they want to work as much as anyone else here. Garnet and Gina, our two Liebherr bulldozers, watched the mining excavator leave, "It's a shame we're related, I think our family tree needs some trimming," said Gina, "And we just got here," said Clarisse sadly, "now we'll never get to work on the canal as long as those blasted ponies keep running the show, it really grinds my gears," I patted her on the tire to let her know these ponies are not going to get away with this. Yet it was Holly, one of our Aveling-Barford RD-40s, that beat me to saying the idea. "I got it! We need a wager, a challenge to a duel of sorts, not with swords and flare, but between operators and machines," Holly suggested, "I like your thinking, Holly," said Gilda, "I wouldn't trade Kaiser for all the bits in the world, and he's better than any of those new machines, I think we should run this by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and let them decide what machines we will be allowed to have in the challenge," with that, we bided our machines and friends goodbye. When we arrived at the Palace, Princess Celestia was not very pleased, "What is going on? I have heard from my overseers that construction on the canal has stopped, explain yourselves!" Princess Celestia demanded of us, Gabby looked so frightened that she was ready to lay an egg. I put a hand on her shoulder to relax her, and stepped forward. "Your majesty, we apologize for the delay, but we ran into some trouble, the ponies that started the work pushed in and are taking over the work," I explained, Gabby stepped forward with a copy of their contract, "They said that you signed this contract which allowed them to replace us," Gabby added, not trying to offend her. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna looked over the document, and Celestia was outraged, "I did not sign this contract, I specifically asked your companies to see to the construction!" Princess Celestia said, stamping down a hoof in anger, we further explained the situation, "so...they came with newer machines with the intent to kick you out?" "Exactly, we weren't going to stand for it, so we decided to challenge them to a duel, and we came to you to come up with the rules for this challenge," said Garrett, Princess Luna nodded in agreement, "A duel, you say? We're all for it! We request that you wait at the site, and give us a day to lay down the rules,"