The following chapter is a violent and grimdark. If you're not a fan of this type of stuff, skip to another chapter.
"Whoops! Sorry..." Derpy said to the tiny she had almost spilled out of her right hoof. ...for the tenth time.
"Haha, it's alright." Ezekiel said, being very forgiving and understanding for the giant pegasus' slip ups. "Gotta keep things interesting, right?"
"You know, I can just knock on Twilight's door. I'm sure she'll answer, and there's less of a chance you'll be dropped from--" Derpy stopped herself before she could complete the sentence. "...sorry, try not to think about it."
"It's fine, really." Ezekiel reassured her. "But that said, I don't think knocking will work. I saw Rainbow Dash fly inside in a hurry earlier, and... something tells me Twilight'll be busy. No, I'll stick with my plan of waiting 'til she's done, then knocking on her window. ...speaking of..."
As they arrived at the prism glass window, Derpy carefully set the tiny on the edge so he wouldn't fall. "Is that OK?"
"Yes." Ezekiel replied. "Sorry I kept you from your postal route."
"Oh, these letters and packages would've been late no matter what. Knowing me, anyway... Some days I think it'd be better if all this delivered itse--"
"Stop. You do good work Derpy, don't deny that. I believe in you, now do you wanna insult me by saying you're not worth it?"
"...I guess not. I hope you enjoy your meeting with Twilight!" Derpy said with a smile and wave as she flew back to her route.
Ezekiel returned her smile and wave, turned to look into Twilight's window... and then the unthinkable happened.
As Twilight swallowed a tiny whole and talked about how "everypony needed to know about this", a look of pure horror struck Ezekiel's face, which stayed with him as he was suddenly witnessing a horrific scene all around him of ponies chasing down and swallowing humans without a concern for the fear in their eyes.
"And just like that, everything changed."
Slowly, the fear left his face...
"At that terrible moment, in our hearts, we knew."
...his hands were balled up into fists...
"Home was a pen."
...and at last, the fear gave way for determined anger.
"Humanity? Cattle."
Suddenly, he woke up with a start, breathing heavily while leaning to his side in his sleeping bag and stroking his black, bushy beard that he's grown since that day to remind him how long it's been since the "first tasting", and to reconnect himself to reality. That dream... no, that day again. I'm gonna have to take matters into my own hands from the psychological standpoint if the experts can't produce proper medication for the nightmares. If she finds my nightmare and decides to investigate, she'll find out all about us and we'll all be finished. That can't happen. We're all humanity's got.
"Commander!" The Cadet outside his tent exclaimed as he rushed in. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, it's fine. But turn around until I get some pants on, soldier." Commander Zimmerman ordered. The Cadet obliged, not wanting the awkward situation of seeing his Commander in the buff, or the discipline that would surely follow. Once the young soldier was blind to his actions, Zimmerman left his sleeping bag, and went to grab the pair of loose white slacks that were standard issue to his uniform. "I appreciate your concern, really. But in case you haven't noticed, I can handle myself in a fight."
"We're all well aware of that, sir. It's just... we've all heard of the moon princess by this point. And we know she likes to invade other's dreams to try and play shrink. You were the one that started and organized this whole thing, Commander. There's just too much she can learn if she were to step into your mind."
Zimmerman remained silent as he put on his clothes.
"Uh... what I mean sir, is--"
"You can turn around now."
The Cadet obliged, coming face to face with his commander, and feeling an instinctive twitch of nervousness as he did so. Conversations with your boss were always awkward, but Zimmerman also happened to be not only the commander and founder of this army, but its strongest soldier as well. Fear born of a feeling of inadequacy was to be expected, which certainly wasn't made any better upon seeing Zimmerman's shirtless, muscular form.
Zimmerman grasped the Cadet's shoulder, trying to ease his discomfort. Though in truth, he only made things worse, but the Cadet still held himself together in order to at least appear a proper soldier. "Listen, uh... what's your name, Cadet?"
"Sanada, sir. Kiyoshi Sanada."
"Hm. Alright, Yoshi... I know where you were going with that line of thought..."
"Sir, please, I meant no--"
"And you were right to."
"...sir?"
"Not every work we do here is completely noble, I'm the first to admit it. But it all has to be done. Regardless, the bad we do is enough to where the princesses would never tolerate our existence as a group. So for the sake of those we vow to protect, especially humanity, we can't let our secrets fall into their knowledge. Even if it means... well, you know."
"Commander..."
Zimmerman then let go of the Cadet's shoulder, having felt it relax a bit. "Still, our experts are saying the meds should be ready soon enough, so it doesn't look like we'll have to go that way. But if it does... well, just remember. If things look bad, it's not me you owe your loyalty to. Now, we've got a long journey ahead of us, and I expect everyone to be ready."
"Sir!" Sanada exclaimed before giving him their army's salute, a right fist clenched above the heart with the left arm held behind the lower back (reversed for the left-handed), and marching out. He was still reeling inside from his Commander's own orders to kill him rather than let the secrets of their group fall into the princess' hooves, but though he had only been a soldier for a month, he knew such deeds were necessary. That said, that didn't stop him from feeling that small horror as it all became real...
Meanwhile, Zimmerman was reaching into his things for the rest of his uniform. That's right, Zimmerman. Big day. First real mission for this little army you've gathered. Try not to screw it up...
He got on his white button up T-shirt and knee high brown boots quickly enough. Now it's time for the most important and difficult part. His standard issue weapon...
When Zimmerman first proposed the idea of bringing a method of fighting from anime to life, he knew there would be doubters. But he watched a lot of YouTube videos on the matter before his arrival in Equestria, and did his own homework. Not only was the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear from Attack on Titan possible, it was the best way to combat much... larger enemies. As if the ability to fly and swing through the air via grappling/reeling wires and powerful bursts of compressed gas wasn't enough, the swords could do things to giants that guns just couldn't. All he needed was to get some real experts behind him. Metallurgists, physicists, engineers, natural gas miners, people who could help him build the prototype. And, of course, when he did first propose the idea, some did start walking out. Said there was no way to fight the ponies, and that things had to be accepted as they are for mankind to survive.
But Zimmerman knew better. He told them that humanity's new position wasn't a new life, it was hiding in fear while they waited for death. And he knew, better than anyone, that wasn't life. It slowed them down, but what stopped them was a quote from the anime that started it all.
"If we can't beat them, then we die. But if we win, we live. And the only way to win is to fight."
They begrudgingly agreed to help. Not too long after, the first working prototype for real life ODM gear was completed.
Meanwhile, back in the present, Zimmerman had securely fastened his harness and was working on the components of the gear itself. First, an engine located over the backside which expels focused gas bursts powerful enough to provide thrust, as well as spins the fans inside so that launched wires could be reeled in. Next were two large metal rectangles on each side of the hip, meant to house the gas canisters, the launching mechanisms for the wires, spare blades, and the handheld mechanism controls which also served as the hilts for the dual swords. Finally, he was armed.
Next, there was the rest of his uniform. A small brown leather jacket with long sleeves, and a green poncho to cover it all. Emblazoned on the backs of each and the sleeves of the jacket, the symbol for his resistance movement: a simple shield with two wings made of sword blades stretched across it. One white, one blue, and the white on top of the blue. With everything on, he stepped outside his tent and into the camp.
After the first successful test of the prototype, Zimmerman and his experts had proposed the idea of his rebellion to human village after human village to gain more recruits. But the fear of the ponies was strong, and willing volunteers that weren't too young or too frail were scarce. To make matters worse, when Zimmerman first tried to get this movement started, yes, he was motivated by pride and vengeance. But during the field test, he saw something. Something that showed him the ponies could be better, and they would be better if only they were reminded that all life was to be respected. So he refused to accept anyone that was only motivated by anger. He's only accept those that would follow not only his orders, but his ideals. Ideals that weren't exactly popular on Earth, let alone after humanity had a bone to pick with the ponies.
But the volunteers did come, and the group was becoming more and more of a small army in more ways than one. Currently, the resistance known as the Wings of Freedom, named for the symbol they wear, is composed of 52 members. Not counting the smiths that make the gear, the experts that helped design the prototype who now assist Zimmerman in developing strategies, or... one other.
Their nomadic camp was situated on the edge of the Everfree Forest nearest Canterlot, and Zimmerman was looking around to make sure beasts hadn't made things more complicated by wandering too close. When he saw there was no damage, he walked toward the mouse stables and saw two of his Lieutenants and personal elite squad members, Teresa Cortez and Adio Oderasak, making sure the steeds were ready for the coming journey.
"Have they been well fed?" he asked. "Let me remind you, those things are harder to steer from the inside. Not to mention infinitely more cramped than our normal predator."
"Sir!" Cortez shouted as she and Oderasak spun around and performed the Wings' salute. "They're ready to roll, Commander! We're just waiting on the others to get their squads together. Speaking of..."
"We'll have our fifth soon, Cortez..." Zimmerman said with a hint of annoyance.
"In time for our first real operation?" Cortez pressed. When she was met with silence, she continued while freeing her arms from the salute. Oderasak soon followed. "Commander, with all due respect, if there's one thing I've learned from living with a massive family, it's that if you don't nag, nothing gets done. This is a big step for humanity, and we need to be a fully functioning squa--"
"Cortez." Oderasak said as he walked up to his fellow Lieutenant, his tall, wide, and muscular frame making for an imposing presence, even compared to the average height of Zimmerman. "It's the Commander's decision. And we have to honor it..." At this point he had averted his gaze from Cortez to Zimmerman. "...and trust that he will lead us to victory and safety."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Oderasak..." Zimmerman said, picking up on the thinly veiled warning. "Cortez, I understand your concerns, but we're the elites. We don't need to have as many members to keep up. Right now, we just need to focus on getting ready to move out for today's mission."
"Which means you're gonna have to talk to a certain individual." Oderasak said, warranting a sigh from Zimmerman. That talk was the part of preparations he was dreading the most.
"Fine, but that means you have to pull Scheinwitz out of whatever cloud she's got her head stuck in."
When Zimmerman mentioned their fourth squad member, the two Lieutenants exchanged glances before Cortez spoke up. "Are you sure? About... her, I mean?"
"Not trusting her until she proves herself is your job." Zimmerman said before turning around to leave. "Her creativity is a strong asset, and even if she's not all there, she's still proven that she has the vision needed by someone in this rebellion, despite her disposition. Now, once you two finish with the mounts, while Oderasak gets Scheinwitz, you can get the rest of the men, Cortez. Meanwhile, I'll go... break the bad news."
As Zimmerman left, Cortez looked to Oderasak again, as if looking for the answer to a question.
"We all made the choice to follow him, and for a better world." Oderasak said before returning to the mounts. Soon after, Cortez joined him.
When Zimmerman initially thought up the idea for the Wings of Freedom, it was as a means of revenge. But then he saw a reason to hope. A reason to believe peace was possible.
Right now, he was walking toward that reason, sitting in the center of camp, towering high above everyone like a common Earth skyscraper.
Not every member of the Wings of Freedom was human. Thanks to the selection process, every member was of the mindset where they could be open to the idea of members native to Equestria, and coexistence between the races. This new direction was all thanks to their first and currently only pony member.
Ivory Charm. A natural born alicorn, 12 years old. She used to live with her parents, who hid her from the rest of Equestria because of their distrust of the royal sisters. Relatively recently, she was orphaned. That is, until she was taken in by the founder and Commander of the Wings of Freedom. After that, she was made a critical part of the recruitment process for potential soldiers.
Once their physical ability was deemed fit for training for the use of ODM gear, recruits were brought to her by Zimmerman. Those that fled were prevented from doing so by the smiths normally tasked with constructing the gear, while those that tried to charge and attack were disqualified for their spite and stupidity. But the real test was their reaction after Zimmerman's speech.
"There's something you need to know about the Wings of Freedom. If you were looking to join because you wanted revenge on the ponies or anything else for treating you as a plaything for their stomachs, I admit, I was like you once. But sad to say, this group is not for you. Our goal, now and forever, is to make sure all creatures of Equestria can live freely and without fear. We fight for peace, not death. And we will only accept those that will do the same.
"This is Ivory Charm. Through unusual circumstances, she has become my adopted daughter. And if you join the Wings of Freedom, she will be your family too. This means that like family, you will protect her, help to take care of her, and even work alongside her.
"Now, she has never swallowed a human and has shown no desire to. But ponies are at their most dangerous around humans after their first tasting, which is a recipe for trouble should she taste one accidentally. So rest assured, it will happen eventually, even if I have to leap in there myself. After that, I can't say for sure what she'll want, but I don't expect her to just treat her family like the lower class. But yes, if taking care of her needs means offering yourself to her, you'll be expected to do that as well. And sometimes, she may scoop you up to take care of your needs. If you cannot accept that... then you may return to your village. We're sorry to lose you, but we cannot have you."
This was the final test for potential recruits. Those that remained immediately began training their bodies, minds, and skills for use of ODM gear. They were the true Wings of Freedom.
As for Ivory, often nicknamed "Ivy" by the soldiers, she only ever minded the parts where humans would run away from her or try to attack her, but the chance to help and the new recruits made up for it. She really did consider the humans her friends and the Wings her family, though none more so than her "dad", and loved to help them whenever possible.
Which made what comes next even more difficult for Zimmerman...
"Ivy?" he asked when he arrived. "You gonna be OK?"
"Yeah..." The filly replied, disappointment made plain in her voice.
Zimmerman sighed, knowing that it was time to have that conversation again... "Ivy, we talked abo--"
"About this, yeah, I get it." she said before turning to look down at him with pleading eyes. "I'm not saying I wanna fight, but just let me help! If you used me as transport, you wouldn't have to bother with the mice!"
"Yeah, and it would also be a cramped ride trying to fit all of us on different parts of you. Or are you saying you think it's time for your first taste?"
Ivy's ears sunk at the mention of her first time swallowing a human. She agreed that it had to be done eventually, but she wasn't looking forward to it. They were friends, family! She didn't wanna start treating them the same as everypony else did.
"...I mean, I'm not looking forward to swallowing a tin-- ...human..." In the Wings of Freedom, "Tiny" was a racial slur. It meant small, yes. It also meant easily cast aside, inconsequential, and irrelevant. "...but you keep saying it has to be done eventually!"
"All the same, I don't want you seen with us. At least not right now. If you are, not only will the royal sisters know about you, but for the rest of your life you'll be associated with, in the eyes of Equestria, a terrorist group. Best case scenario, you'll face a lot of social stigma as 'the princess of the tinies' or 'the pony who worked with those murderers'. Worst case, you'll spend the rest of your life imprisoned. I don't want that for you, Ivy. Do you?"
Ivory turned around, dejected. Meanwhile, Zimmerman let out another sigh, and stepped forward to stroke her white coat.
"It's frustrating, I know. But we're not doing this to you because you're worthless, we're doing it because you're too important to risk."
"Because I'm an alicorn? Because I'll speak up for you when nopony else will?"
"Because you're family. And not just to me. I hear the other soldiers, you're quite popular. And we all wanna see you be happy with your life because you have the freedom to make your own choices."
This prompted Ivory to turn back around and look down at Zimmerman. "But I've made my choice! You really think I'm gonna turn my back on the Wings after all you've done for me?"
"Shh shh shh..." Zimmerman said as he looked up at the huge child, trying to soothe her. He always hated to see her this upset, but there was also the incentive of him not wanting to get washed by one of Ivory's tears. "You don't owe us anything. We're not taking care of you because you can be useful one day, we're taking care of you because you're one of--"
"Stop." Ivory's tone had turned bitter. She had looked off to the side, too angry to look at him. "I'm not one of you. You know that."
"...we're different species, yes. But that's not what I'm talking about."
Ivory turned her attention to Zimmerman again, a bit more ready to listen.
"You've lost your home, and found yourself stuck in a world bigger and crueller than you thought it would be. The same goes for each and every human in Equestria. So yes, you are one of us. We are your family, and don't you deny it for a second."
"...I hear what you're saying, but... you don't have to feel guilty about taking advantage of me. I want to be useful."
Zimmerman let out another sigh and rubbed the back of his head. She wasn't gonna let this go, that much is clear. And then it came to him. "And who says you won't be useful staying here?"
Ivory's ears perked up and faced her 3-inch adoptive father, as if he were about to say something incredibly important.
"You see, all the Wings are gonna be moving out to Canterlot for this mission. So who does that leave to make sure the camp stays safe while we're gone? There's those egghead experts that helped me design the gear, not much use in a fight. Then there's the smiths, bit more useful but not by much..."
"Are you saying... I'm in charge until you get back?"
"Cop out, I know, but it really is a job that needs doing, and I do trust you to do it well. Filly or not, alicorn magic is alicorn magic."
"But you know I haven't had much practice with it yet. All I can do is levitate stuff."
That reminds me, I'll have to tell Baker to copy the text of some other scrolls while we're in Canterlot... Zimmerman thought before continuing. "Well, there's still your sick kung-fu skills."
Ivory shot him a skeptical look as a response.
"Don't act like I don't see you watching me during martial arts practice, you know I know..."
This time, Ivory responded with a surprised look, followed by an embarrassed one accompanied with her rubbing the back of her head.
"Well, regardless of how good you actually are at fighting off beasts at this point, making you responsible for the camp also means trusting you to know when it's not time to fight. If you see a pony or a monster you can't handle, I'm counting on you to lead the others in uprooting the camp and relocating. If that happens, listen for the mice and have the others shoot off a signal flare to let us know where you are. Can I count on you for all that?"
With every word he spoke, Ivory's eyes and smile widened. When he was finished, she shot up on two legs in an attempt to give the salute of the Wings with a "Sir, yes sir!" ...followed by her falling on her back, thankfully too far from the tents to do any actual damage. Though she did earn a collective chuckle from the family that surrounded her. She rubbed the back of her head, once again embarrassed, but she still chuckled with them.
Satisfied that all ended well, Zimmerman let out a smile himself, and turned around to return to his squadmates, saying "at ease, soldier" as he left.
But as he walked, he could hear Ivory say as she returned to her hooves, "Oh, uh... thanks, dad."
Zimmerman lowered his head after hearing that. He loved that she cared for him that much, truly. But it also felt like he was replacing two ponies he had no right to replace...
As he thought that, he looked ahead to where he was walking and saw Cortez and Oderasak trying to steady one of his other soldiers on their mount. Mice didn't always make for the most obedient mounts, and they were just as capable of swallowing humans as any other creature (just with more effort), but their surprising speed, maneuverability, and ability to climb vertical surfaces made them indispensable.
Except here, it looked like the rider was trying to buck the mount, rather than the other way around.
"You know, we really should try riding these to Canterlot from the inside!" The soldier exclaimed as she insisted on mounting her mouse backwards. "Maximum protection, and I bet it's twice as fun as one of those bull riding machines they always had at those American bars!"
"I take it things went well with Scheinwitz?" Zimmerman asked Oderasak as he approached.
"Relatively speaking. And Ivy?" Oderasak replied as he went to talk with his Commander, leaving Cortez to deal with Scheinwitz.
"She took it well. ...after I put her in charge of the camp."
"...Commander, I hope you know I trust you despite what I said earlier. I just think we shouldn't take so much risks with this rebellion."
"I'll note your concerns Lieutenant, but this rebellion is one big risk in and of itself."
"Still, Ivy in charge of the camp? She means a lot to me too, Commander, but there's a simple fact I think you're forgetting. She's still a child."
"Yes, but a responsible one. At the very least, she'll recognize any incoming threats and have the camp relocate. With all of us heading to Canterlot, she's the only one of us left that can really fight."
"...well, like I said, I trust you. I just hope I won't regret it."
"Commander!" Cortez called out. "Your assistance is required!"
"Step away, Cortez! I'll deal with the situation!" Zimmerman replied before relaying a closing statement to Oderasak. "From my experience, Lieutenant, it's better to regret fighting when you're being oppressed than regret taking oppression when you could fight."
Leaving those words to sink in, Zimmerman passed an exasperated Cortez as he walked toward the young blonde woman riding a mouse backwards.
Seraphine Scheinwitz. The 4th and currently latest member of Commander Zimmerman's personal elite squad. A capable fighter, with a creative and intelligent mind despite the current scene. She'd be the ideal soldier... if she wasn't certifiably insane.
According to her own accounts, she was taking heavy medication and intense treatment in a mental hospital before she was dragged to Equestria by whatever magic was relocating humanity. Initially thinking it was all a big hallucination, and still half believing it is to this day, her only initial goal was to get as much of a thrill out of it as possible. And on a day when that meant escaping from the pony slavers known as "tiny snatchers", that caught Zimmerman's attention when he happened upon them by chance.
Currently, the two have an understanding, at least enough for her to follow his orders. Unfortunately, she doesn't have the same respect for the other Wings of Freedom, even if they deliver his orders by proxy.
"Scheinwitz." Zimmerman said, getting her attention as she was lazily swinging by the ankle on her saddle straps.
"Zekey!" Scheinwitz exclaimed as she freed her ankle, dropping herself onto the floor. She immediately got back up though, wobbling to Zimmerman on unsteady legs. "Glad you're here! Listen, I think all this business with the saddles is completely unnecessary. What we should really do, is--"
"I overheard your suggestion while I was talking with Oderasak." Zimmerman interrupted. "You can have a full-on internal rodeo after the mission if you want, but until we return to base camp afterwards, we have to be able to fight. That means riding on the outside."
Scheinwitz responded with a mock pouty lip, betrayed by the corners of her mouth turning up as she delivered it. "Should've guessed." she said as she let her lips return to normal. "Next time I should have Ivy ask it. It's not like daddy can ever say no to his little girl."
"That's enough, Schein--"
"Which reminds me, are you sure about leaving her in charge? ...you're not the only one that can overhear things."
Zimmerman's eyes widened out of initial surprise, but then he just let out a slightly tired sigh. "Amazing that you can do that over an argument you were a part of. I knew I brought you on for a reason... Anyway, like I already explained to Oderasa--"
"She's our most capable fighter left, and responsible for a child. What can I say, I like to keep an ear to the ground. Helps me know where the fun is."
"Well, regardless, these are my orders, and I expect them to be followed. I trust that won't be a problem?"
Scheinwitz let out a sigh, but responded with "No, sir..."
"Good. Now, climb aboard. You and I are the only ones not mounted."
And soon enough, the Wings of Freedom were ready to ride, all facing forward and awaiting their commander's order to move out. With a green smoke signal fired from a flare gun, they had their order.
A stampede of mice with green-cloaked riders thundered forward, moving at an incredible speed thanks to the full gallop they were trained to run at by the Wings as opposed to their normal scurry. Once Zimmerman signaled to the others via an arm gesture, all the soldiers immediately behind him started entering the forward facing semi-circle formation (borrowed from Attack on Titan, like so many elements of their organization), with the ones behind them taking the hint, and so on.
As soon as Sanada took his place, he became acutely aware of his surroundings. As per the formation, all soldiers were spaced apart until barely visible to each other. The only exception was Commander Zimmerman himself, situated at the center with his elite squad.
In other words, Sanada was alone. And he was certainly beginning to feel like it.
Stay calm. You just need to be aware, not panicked.
The purpose of the formation was to turn all the soldiers into a human radar, much like the anime. Each soldier was to keep an eye open, looking out for...
"There's one..." Sanada whispered after an initial gasp, followed by a sigh when he noticed that the pony in the distance was looking elsewhere. "Red flare, right?" In a careful rush, he attached a red flare to his flare gun, and fired up a red smoke signal. Soon after, his fellow comrades did the same. It was after the third wave of flares that a green smoke signal launched from the center of the formation, pointed to the right. Sanada changed course away from the pony with the rest of the soldiers. The pony didn't even know they were there.
While there were other flares specific to the Wings' needs as opposed to the Scouts', the basic colors used were the same. Green was used by command for course correction, and red flares were used to notify command from a distance of potential threats on sight. And black smoke was used for...
"Surprise!" shouted a pale yellow earth pony as he tried to pounce on Sanada. The soldier was caught off guard, but able to avoid capture with frantic evasive maneuvering around his hooves and jaws. The little bugs are moving faster than usual this time. Maybe special tinies will demand a special price...
Sanada desperately tried fitting the black smoke signal onto his flare gun, until he saw another soldier fire his own flare... right into the pony's nostril, giving him a cough and demanding his attention.
"I got this man, go!" The soldier exclaimed, signalling for Sanada to veer right as he himself turned left. "Hey!" he shouted up at the snatcher above him. "Aren't you guys supposed to catch us for a living!? 'Cause if so, you're pretty crap at your job! Would it make you feel better if I slowed down so I could get behind you and shove another flare up your ass!?"
Provoked by the human's words and the earlier flare, the snatcher changed targets and chased the aggressive human.
The Samurai Spider-Man gizmo's worthless on the plains... the soldier planned to himself. There's gotta be somewhere nearby with some good grapple holds. He looked around as the world zoomed past him and the pony gained ground on him, until he saw a lone tree. I'd prefer a forest, bu-- ...on second thought, maybe I can save gas... "Come on bastard, fresh meat!"
Sick of the human's boasts, the pony went into a full gallop, determined to swallow the human whole, not even caring if he caught the mouse by mistake. His maw was inches away from the pest, until...
CRASH!!!
The pony was now stuck under the high root of the tree, the soldier galloping away while raising his hand and sticking a sole finger up in what the pony could only presume was a victory taunt. As if to remind the pony of just how big of a score he missed out on, the soldier then started riding alongside the criminal's original target.
"Sorry, he kinda caught me off guard..." Sanada explained, firing off a white smoke flare, which meant to the Wings that the incident was taken care of.
"It's alright, just get back in formation." The other soldier ordered, firing off his own white flare, signifying that there were no casualties. White followed by green would've meant the Wings lost a member to either death, injury, or snatching, and were unavailable for service until seen to (if alive). White followed by red would've meant a pony death or injury, which Zimmerman explained beforehand that he wanted to avoid if possible until the mission in Canterlot. Said that he wanted the first one to be one that the princesses would see…
After following protocol according to their more complicated version of the smoke flare signal system borrowed from a certain anime, the soldiers got back in formation. The previous incident was the closest call the Wings had to face. Soon, dusk fell, and the soldiers were gathered around a corner of a building on the edge of Canterlot, ready to listen to Zimmerman, who was standing in front of all of them while flanked by Oderasak, Cortez, and Scheinwitz. He had yet to share the goal, details, and method of execution for this plan. Some soldiers were patient and faithful to listen, others were anxious to strike out. But all knew there had to be some organization to their efforts if they were to truly make progress for humanity and/or get out of Canterlot unsnatched, so they waited.
"Attention!" Zimmerman addressed the crowd. "Thanks to the efforts of our well placed spies, the Baker brothers, we learned that a couple of wealthy aristocrats are planning to make a deal for a group of humans somewhere in this city. Unfortunately, they couldn't learn where, so we're gonna have to look around. We'll divide up into our squads, and fan out from here, investigating the buildings to see where this is taking place, and keeping out of the general populace's sight until then. Sanada, since you don't have a squad yet, you'll be working with the Baker brothers."
Sanada wasn't pleased to hear this. The Baker brothers never seemed like the most trustworthy soldiers. He knew that should be expected from spies, but it didn't make them the most pleasant people for him to hang out with. Still, he kept his opinions to himself. Which is more than can be said for other soldiers...
"You mean to tell us we rode all this way just to stop one deal in Canterlot!? I thought we were gonna make progress!"
Sanada began to speak up, until Zimmerman cleared his throat, silencing the crowd. "You had something to say, Yoshi?"
Sanada was caught off guard, but answered his Commander as calmly as he could. "I, uh... just wanted to explain your thought process behind this mission, sir."
"And what is my thought process?" His tone by itself would suggest Sanada was about to be disciplined, but there was something else in his Commander's gaze. He was being studied. He had to be careful, but honest.
"Uh... you're focusing on the symbolism of the moment, sir. This is humanity's first victory in Equestria, and you want it to pave the way for something more."
Sanada thought he was failing, focusing so much on the sentiment, but Zimmerman's changing expression told a different story.
"Good guess." he said with a small smile, confirming Sanada's theory, but also with a tone that suggested a theory of his own had been confirmed.
"Deals like this have been stopped before." Zimmerman further explained to the crowd. "But only with the humans being rescued from ponies by ponies, simply due to the good fortune that they had some goodness in their hearts. Usually it's the moon princess, or this new Nightmare Moon we've been hearing about. But if we're the ones to stop this deal, it'll be the first time in this overgrown stable we call our new home that humans rescue humans. We're not just saving these humans, we're inspiring other humans with hope, and inspiring ponies with something else. They've been told we have a voice, and they didn't listen. Now it's time to show them we have teeth! So, are you ready to take humanity's first step!?"
"Sir!" the soldiers all exclaimed, giving the Wings' salute.
"Leave it to the Commander to actually get people behind this harebrained scheme with only a couple of words..." Scheinwitz whispered to her fellow Lieutenants in a tone that was half surprised, half expectant.
"He managed to get all these soldiers behind him for a reason..." Cortez replied.
"Remember, hoods up at all times." Zimmerman continued as he threw his own hood up. "If this rebellion fails, so long as you're not recognized, you can discard your uniform and find a village to lead a normal life, nobody the wiser. Squad Redfield, you're watching the mounts until we get back. The rest of you, meet me on the roof so we can discuss who heads where."
Soon enough, the squads had their orders and started moving out, flying and swinging among the rooftops to stay out of the sights of any ponies or humans on the street. But before Sanada's group got much farther...
"Why's your brother going that way?" Sanada asked his only remaining comrade. "Squad Herbert's already got that area covered."
"Eh. Let him go." the spy responded coldly with a hint of amusement at his own words. "Maybe he'll meet an attractive pegasus, I hear the flights make those rides on the inside fun."
Sanada rolled his eyes as he flew forward. The only thing I can't figure out is why not have one of us ride with the elites? It would give the Commander a full squad, and make the spy group smaller. In fact, how did these two even get into the Wings with that kind of attitude? Commander's strict about only letting in members that will uphold his ideals, but these two seem more likely to uphold whichever side is most convenient...
The search went on for a while, with no results. Until eventually, Sanada spotted a pair of unicorns while his group was scouting outside a warehouse building in the slums. Both had white coats like Ivy, but the male had a well groomed blue mane and mustache and was wearing a tuxedo and monocle, while the female had a pink mane with white highlights and though undressed, looked just as "upper class" as her companion.
That kind of money in this neighbourhood? I think we found our buyers. Sanada thought as he signalled for his own companion to join him. "Take a look at those two." Sanada said, pointing the unicorns out. "Kinda seem like the odd ones out here don't you think? Something tells me if we follow them, there's at least a chance we'll find our snatchers and our hostages."
"Maybe..." The spy replied. "Or we may have already found our snatchers. Illegal businesses have a way of raking in dough. Maybe they wanna look respectable for their clients. We could probably take them now..." he said, readying his flare gun until Sanada stopped him.
"But usually they wanna look poor to fit in with seedier crowds. As in, their usual clients. Not to mention, engaging them isn't the mission. We don't make our move until we see the hostages, and we most definitely don't fight alone. ODM gear has been used on the monsters of Everfree before, but never any ponies. They'll fight smarter than we're used to, so let's try not to engage until we have all the Wings backing us up."
The spy stowed his gun, though a bit less begrudgingly than Sanada expected. "Good work. You're starting to think a bit more like me and my bro." He then grappled into the warehouse building across the road via a broken window, and zoomed forward to follow the aristocrat ponies.
Now there's an unsettling thought... Sanada thought as he did the same.
On the inside of the warehouse, the two soldiers found their missing spy in the rafters, and decided to join him.
"Glad you decided to make it." said the brother that stayed. He would've said more, but Sanada stormed forward furiously.
"Where were you!?" he whispered so that the ponies couldn't hear him. "We were supposed to stick together!"
"I was operating under different orders. Now hush, we're finally getting down to business..."
Whose orders, I wonder... Sanada thought as he watched.
On the ground level, the two rich ponies were greeted by a seedy looking unicorn, and a just-as-seedy looking pegasus. Probably brothers judging by facial structure, despite the difference in race.
"Well, glad you could join us, esteemed guests..." The unicorn said in a somewhat mocking tone.
"Let's just get this over with..." The male aristocrat unicorn said as if he didn't wanna be here. "Do you have the goods?"
"Storm?" The unicorn snatcher said to his companion, who went off to fetch something.
"Acoustic flares at the ready..." one of the spies said, getting his own flare gun out.
"Wait." Sanada said. "You two get some black smoke signals ready. I have an idea, and if it works, we can get the hostages out of danger before we need to engage, if we even need to engage at all..."
Meanwhile, the pegasus snatcher had brought a square animal cage covered by a tarp. Every pony and human there knew what it was, but the Wings didn't move just yet.
"You were supposed to have them ready ahead of time..." The male buyer said.
"Best not to have these little guys out in the open for too long..." The unicorn snatcher said as he removed the tarp, revealing a large packed-in group of humans pleading and begging for freedom.
"NOW!" all the humans and ponies there suddenly heard, followed by the light sound of two pops, and black smoke seemingly flying into the faces of the snatchers. An incredibly loud sound soon followed, and suddenly, the two buyers each found a human grappled onto their necks with some strange device, and a pair of swords at each of their throats.
"Go ahead, try something." One of them said.
"We've been waiting all night for something fun to happen..." Said the other.
Meanwhile, Sanada had approached the door to the human cage. "Today's the luckiest day of your lives..." he said as he sliced at the gap between door and bar where the locking mechanism for the cage was, allowing the door to swing open and the hostages to come pouring out. "Come on!" he shouted as he directed the crowd to follow him, only for the snatchers to pin the humans between them, having cleared the smoke out of their eyes sooner than expected.
"Well look at this, Comet!" the pegasus said to his unicorn partner. "Seems like some of the insects wanna play hero!"
While he was talking, the two spies had each positioned themselves between the crowd and the snatchers, blades drawn as if to protect them. Sanada was surprised, to say the least.
"Real shame..." Comet said with a chuckle. "We gotta break that sort of spirit before we make any sales."
Sanada was getting ready to fight himself, until he saw something in the clouded windows of the building...
"Didn't anyone tell you?" Storm said tauntingly. "You guys are at the bottom of the food chain here!"
"That's because we haven't started climbing yet!" Sanada exclaimed, slightly surprising the two spies.
Suddenly, a swarm of humans came crashing through the building's windows, spreading out through the immediate area propelled by gas and pulled by wires, ready to engage the snatchers.
The two would-be buyers tried making a run for it, only to find their exit blocked by a group of five humans hanging from the door frame, swords drawn.
Meanwhile, Sanada had gone airborne himself, looking for a place to strike. Surrounded by soldiers slicing at the joint muscles and ligaments in the pony's legs deep enough to cripple but not amputate, and other soldiers breaking free of magical and feathery grasps with wires, gas bursts, and if necessary sword strikes, he eventually had a clear view of the back of the pony's neck. Zimmerman wasn't the only one that saw Attack on Titan. Seeing an opportunity to make history, he grappled onto the nape, rushed forward, and swung... only for his blades to be stopped as if he just struck a metal pole.
Though ineffective, the blow was still painful enough to get the unicorn's attention. Fortunately though, Zimmerman saw this and pulled Sanada off the back of the pony and away from either battle.
"You saw the show too, I take it?" Zimmerman asked his subordinate before turning to the unicorn. "Ponies aren't Titans. The spine's too thick. You can't take them down by going after the same weak spots."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Sanada asked.
"Simple." Zimmerman said before grappling onto the neck of the unicorn, and zooming past while leaving a geyser of arterial spray, shocking and horrifying everyone of both species. "Ponies aren't Titans. They don't heal fast, and they bleed the same as the rest of us. An inch and a half incision in the right place should be enough to take them down."
"That actually would've worked!?" One of the spies exclaimed at his brother earlier. "I thought we were only intimidating them earlier!"
"So did I!" the other spy responded.
"COMET!!!" Storm exclaimed as he rushed the humans, grief stricken over his brother. He wound up crashing through a portion of a glass window in the ceiling, and was followed by Zimmerman, running on shards of falling glass and grappling upwards through the ceiling until the only thing he could grapple onto was the pegasus. The criminal tried taking a bite out of him, only for Zimmerman to evade with a gas burst and start spinning along the underside of the pegasus' chin as if he were a wheel and his blades were his tire. Until eventually, he reached the neck, and boosted off as the pony's body fell down, leaving it, the blood, and the first human to kill a pony in Equestria silhouetted against the moon barely hovering over the city skyline.
The dead pegasus came crashing through the unshattered portion of the same window, while Zimmerman fell through the open portion, grappling onto the ceiling to swing down and land on his feet. As the Wings of Freedom and rescued hostages cheered him on for his feats, the two potential buyers came to a full realization of the predicament they were in.
"Please!" The male one said. "You have to understand! We--"
"Will never let us see you partake in this business again." Zimmerman said in an angry tone, though he signalled his soldiers to get out of their way and let them go.
As soon as the way was unbarred, the two unicorns went rushing out the door, revealing a different figure racing towards the building. A black coated alicorn, with a dark blue flowing mane, shark-like teeth, and slitted pupils. Nightmare Moon.
"Shit..." Zimmerman let slip among the concerned gasps of the hostages and the murmurs and annoyed groans of his soldiers. She's done good work for humanity's sake. I don't want us to fight her, but I can't let us get caught! Well, if it has to be do--
Suddenly, a stampede of rodents came rushing into the warehouse, led by five riders in green hoods. As the soldiers all breathed a sigh of relief, they grappled and boosted themselves into the air, each hostage in the arms of a soldier, and landed on a mouse mid-gallop. Zimmerman was the last in the air, and at the top of his arc, he heard the door burst open, and turned around to see Nightmare Moon staring right at him.
"This could've ended in paradise..." was all he said before turning back around and grappling and boosting towards his mouse. The impact caused them both to bounce and swerve a bit, but soon he was riding as stably as he was on his way to Canterlot. Not long after, the Wings slipped through a crack in the back wall and were riding along the alley behind the warehouse, followed not long after by Nightmare Moon crashing through the weak wall.
"Stop!" she ordered. "Freeze!"
But Zimmerman saw a way out, and fired off a green smoke signal in its direction to order his soldiers there.
Many groans and gasps were heard, but they all made their way into the sewer drain, with Nightmare Moon's teeth barely missing Zimmerman at the back of the pack. The Wings had escaped, and were making their way out of Canterlot and back to the Everfree Forest.
Later at the warehouse, Princess Luna arrived per Nightmare Moon's summons, but hadn't mentioned her companion...
"P-Princess Celestia!" Nightmare Moon exclaimed, humbly bowing before the land's ruler. "I had no idea you were co--"
Celestia raised a hoof to stop Nightmare Moon from having a heart attack. "My sister explained everything already, Glitter Dust. No need to be afraid. And anyway, a welcoming committee complete with fanfare would be hardly fitting for a crime scene."
"Your message had such insistence upon my learning what happened here that I felt it necessary for my sister to know as well.” Luna explained. “So tell us, what exactly happened here that makes this particular tiny snatcher arrest more important than usual?"
"For starters, your highnesses..." Nightmare Moon explained. "It wasn't an arrest, it was a murder." With that, she opened the doors to reveal the scene being processed by multiple members of the royal guard, both day and night divisions. There was shattered glass everywhere, a hole in the middle of the wall on the opposite side, and... the two dead bodies of ponies.
"I'm not sure this qualifies as murder, actually." One of the guards spoke up. "The victims were both tiny snatchers and it was done in the middle of a deal, so at worst this would count as vigilante justice."
"So there's another pony looking out for tinies?" Celestia asked.
"The methods are a bit extreme..." Luna said thoughtfully. "But a protector of the tinies is a protector of the tinies. Excellent work on their discovery, Nightmare Moon. Now, your next mission is to find them and recruit them. We'll handle the reformation so they don't kill everypo--"
"With all due respect, your highnesses..." Nightmare Moon interrupted. "The situation is more complicated and more grim than that. Follow me. I have two allies that can better explain the situation."
And so the princesses followed Nightmare Moon to two aristocrat ponies that appeared to be giving witness statements, though they also caught some dirty looks from some of the guards.
"These are Fancypants and Fleur Dis Lee." Nightmare Moon said loud enough to make sure the guards could hear too. "They're part of an ongoing sting operation I use to get tinies out of snatcher's hooves, and put tiny snatchers behind bars."
"You regularly put them in these dangerous situations?" Celestia asked with concern.
"We volunteered, your highness." Fancypants spoke up. "Others could've as well, but our wealth makes us the ideal candidates. Our money is always returned to us after the snatchers are caught, but because we have so much to begin with, we can afford higher prices and rescue more tinies. Not to mention lure in greedier criminals."
"It often puts us in the most miserable places..." Fleur Dis Lee followed. "But the good that comes out of it is well worth it."
"I see..." Celestia said. "You're both very brave and selfless to volunteer for this."
"Your highness, it is simply the noble thing to do." Fancypants respectfully replied.
"Now, what is it about this situation that makes it so special?" Luna asked.
"It's as one of your guardsman said." Fancypants continued. "There were vigilantes there, and they did kill the ruffians, but they weren't ponies acting out of the goodness of their hearts. ...they were other tinies."
The royal sisters' eyes widened in shock upon hearing this. "Tinies did this!?" Luna asked as she pointed to the corpses.
"They used special devices that were worn on their bodies." Fleur Dis Lee responded. "The devices used bursts of gas and wire harnesses to move through the air at incredibly high speeds, and used two swords per tiny as weapons. They didn't know about our operation, and... well... we feared for our lives."
The sisters looked between the bodies and the aristocrats before Celestia told them to explain in full detail what exactly happened. After the story, they were told to go home and rest while Nightmare Moon and the guards cleaned up. Afterwards, the two headed back to their castle via chariot.
"It's as you said, sister." Luna said. "They've raised an army against us. And so close to the ceremony honoring the hero Jonah..."
"Not necessarily." Celestia responded. "They were mainly concerned with saving their own kind, and spared Fancypants and Fleur Dis Lee despite not only having the opportunity to kill them, but every reason to do so from their perspective. I believe that if we find them, we may be able to talk them into working with us."
"I hope you're right." Luna said, looking out the side as she pondered all the tiny children she befriended and the fragile "peace" between ponies and tinies. "I really do..."
Meanwhile, in the Everfree Forest, the hostages were being processed by the Wings of Freedom. Most were to be delivered to either their families or the nearest village, but some volunteered for service. As usual, most were turned down for either physical shortcomings or a lack of Zimmerman's ideals, but a few new soldiers were found. Among the soldiers, the whispers about Zimmerman were extremely positive. He had proven that humanity could fight back. He had won his soldier's undying and unwavering loyalty.
At some point, the Baker brothers had approached Zimmerman, and Sanada watched on expecting to hear tales about their heroics from their perspective, whether the tales were true or not.
"Did you find the documents?" Zimmerman asked.
When asked, the brother that left produced various papers from his cloak. "All the information you requested about our next targets and then some. And per your last minute orders, a list of spells for Ivy to practice. It'll be good to see that girl do more than lift stuff."
It'll be good to see her smile when she realizes she can... Zimmerman thought before continuing. "And the mission itself? How did that go?"
Here it comes... Sanada thought.
"The boy exceeded your expectations."
...what!?
"He's shown great aptitude for strategy, and a low tolerance for breaking orders and the rules, but not to where it would interfere with the mission. It's ultimately your call, but personally, we give him our passing grade."
The words of praise by themselves were shock enough, but Sanada was more in shock by the way they were praising him. It sounded more like analysis. My entire part in this mission... was a test!? No... I'm not that surprised by this. The Commander was sizing me up since before the mission began. The question is, why? Do all members go through this before being assigned to a squad? We don't even have any spare members. Maybe I'm meant to become a Squad Capt--
"Yoshi!"
Sanada whirled around out of shock. He didn't even notice Zimmerman approaching, let alone the rest of the elites at his side.
"According to the Baker brothers, you did well this mission."
"Just... following orders, sir."
"Yeah, I heard that too... Let me be direct. They were extremely pleased with their analysis of you. You still don't have a squad, and as it happens, mine is one short of being full."
Sanada couldn't believe his ears. Is... is this wh--
"Lieutenant Kiyoshi Sanada, you've been officially assigned to Squad Zimmerman. Welcome to the elites."
Sanada could only stand there dumbfounded at this news. Which only made it easier for his new squadmates to sneak up on him again.
"You made it, squirt!" Scheinwitz said as she slapped Sanada's back. "Not bad! But if you really wanna impress us, make it out of this alive with us!"
"Don't worry, kid." Cortez said as she put an arm around Sanada. "I'll protect you from the ponies. ...and the crazies."
While the inevitable playful argument raged on around him, Sanada trained his gaze on Zimmerman as he made for his tent. As he did, a question had just occurred to him. What was that about 'our next targets'?
In his tent, Zimmerman looked over the documents, separating the spells for Ivory from... the next mission. He sighed to himself briefly before returning to separating the papers.
Innocent or not, they're the best message we can send to the ponies to tell them "things are not okay as they are". No matter what you feel, this has to be done. ...and you will have to tell all of the Wings eventually, not just the Baker brothers and your personal squadmates. ...it's not like you're evil for planning this anyway. You can't keep calling them innocent. After all, they're the ones that started all this...
After that thought, he picked up the papers meant for Ivy, and went to deliver them. Leaving behind maps for a small town just outside of Everfree Forest, and two profiles with information on the Wings' next assassination targets.
Two young mares. A purple alicorn, and a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane...