//------------------------------// // One wild party // Story: Of War and Friendship // by DocDelray //------------------------------// Waiting, he hated waiting. There was a battle out there just on the horizon, he could smell it but instead of being out there bracing for the coming storm he was here watching over crates of ammo and supplies. It ate away at Traycn ‘till it slowly began to twist him up inside. The massive warrior had passed the time thus far tending to the weapons and equipment that had survived the crash. But there are only so many times you can field strip a stack of blaster rifles and double check the parts. A large stone in his metallic hand and his beloved vibro-axe in the other, he ran the course stone across the blade again and again methodically tendering the edge of his precious weapon. The screech of metal scrapping rock echoed off the ancient walls filling him with a growing urge in his gut. Traycn was Taung, a Mandalorian warrior to the core, he needed blood. Strapping the axe to his side, Traycn began gathering the gear he needed and made his way to the main hall. Torb was still busy working on yet another circuit board. The Taung regarded him with a grunt, “Stepping out, need to hunt.” “Hoping to find some of those Deathwatch soldiers Kad reported finding?” The Chiss inquired in a bored tone. With a predatory grin Traycn looked over his shoulder at his comrade, “If the dead gods are smiling on me then I will find many worthy opponents for my blade.” Finally free from the confines of the ruins, Traycn gladly bounded through the brush and overgrowth. The untamed wilds always made him feel more at home, even at peace in a strange way. No rules of engagement, no superior officers, just the axe in his hand and the burning drive that pushed what muscles were left in his body to move. With no direction in mind he quickly found himself in a small gap in the trees with thick bushes corralling him on either side. Something about the air around him hung heavily around the warrior like a warning. Gripping his weapon tightly he moved to the center of the clearing in defiance of this warning. Glancing about he quickly noticed that everything was silent around him, no birds, no small animals. Looking to one of the trees he found a number of tiny stone figures in the shapes of the local animals he’d seen thus far. He had to admit these things were extremely life like. As he examined the statuettes closely Traycn would appear not to notice the slight rustling of the bushes behind him. From the brush the strangest creature as of yet rose up slowly behind him, topped off with an avian head the creature had a long reptilian body with stubby wings and claws. The awkward beast reeled itself up behind Traycn as it prepared to strike only to be caught unawares by a flash of cortosis-woven metal. With a satisfied smirk Traycn looked over his kill. His axe having split the beast’s head along the beak leaving it lying in a lump on the forest floor, “I eat well tonight!” He proudly declared as he lifted the body into the air. In no time a small fire was made to cook the “Lizard Bird” as Traycn had chosen to call it. The body of his kill hung on a makeshift spit over the fire roasting the carcass and filling the air with the fragrant smell of meat. His stomach snapping at him in eager anticipation for the meal before him, but the warrior would be denied his meal. As he took the carcass from the fire a small insect like creature landed upon his arm, its almost perfectly circular body and bright pink color and rather large bulbous eyes gave him the creeps. Trying to ignore the tiny thing Traycn lifted the Lizard Bird to his mouth only to find nothing but the spit and bones. Glaring daggers at the small insect as it stripped his meal to the bone within seconds. With a snarl, Traycn was more than ready to squash the pest when it suddenly took on a sickly demeanor and hacked up a brightly colored orb which suddenly sprouted wings and eyes of its own. Moments later Traycn had a number of smaller spits, with four to five of the pesky insects stabbed onto them, leaning into the fire. With a happy sneer the Taung took one of the spits and pried one of the bugs from the stick and chewed it with a satisfying crunch. The insects oddly enough had a rather nice taste to them. Before returning to the ruins he at least would have something with flavor to eat. Kad, Zex and Kell stood shoulder to shoulder as they stared ahead at what they saw as one of their harshest challenges since landing the ship. A trial that would test these three senior members of Epsilon squad to their limits, one in which they would be forced to stand tall in the name of the Mandalorians as a whole. They knew it would take every ounce of courage they had, all of their guile, subtlety and cunning to survive the long night ahead of them. Not once since leaving port did Kad even venture to think he and his men would face something like this. A welcome party, or as Pinkie had so happily declared it, a “Welcome to our planet!” party. The building before them, they had been told was called Sugar Cube Corner, was quite the oddity even compared to the rest of the town. It was elaborately decorated to the point it looked more like it was made out of confections and candy treats. A large banner hung over the front door reading “Welcome Mandalorians” in what might have been crayon. The sounds of music and laughter spilled into the streets from the door way. Kell glanced over at his comrades with a playful girn, “So, sure we got the right place?” Kad looked to his brother, then the surrounding area, “Vod, where’s the rookie?” Kell gave a casual shrug before heading towards the door, “Not sure, must have gotten lost. I’m sure he’ll turn up eventually.” Kad shook his head with a sigh before following after him, “Can I ever give you a simple task?” “What? I’m not his babysitter.” Kell retorted, “’Sides, he’s a big boy. I’m sure he’ll be fine amongst the dangerously peaceful natives.” Before any of them reach the door an all-too-familiar pink blur burst through and began excitedly encircling them, “Finally, you’re here! Come on come on, get in there and mingle! The party’s already started!” “Alright, alright Ms. Pie, we’re movin’,” Kad relented as she rammed her head into the small of his back pushing him forward through the door. As the three of them stepped inside every eye was on them with nervous curiosity. Silence gripped the room until Kell fearlessly strode into the middle of the room, “What up my party people, who’s got my hooch!?” A few snickers rose up from the crowd as the tension began to waver. It certainly helped matters that Pinkie Pie gladly vouched for them and practically demanded that the party continue. The amassed locals seemed to slowly warm up to the warriors in their midst, it was rather surprising to them how welcoming these pony creatures were. As the sun sank into the distance, an unassuming-looking carriage rolled its way into the outskirts of Ponyville pulled by a pair of earth ponies in Canterlot armor. At the reigns was a figure hidden behind a dark brown cloak. The occupants of the carriage made this arrival truly unique. Crammed into the close quarters of the metal box were four Deathwatch troopers and three more of the royal guards, one a unicorn and the other two pegasi. A knock on the roof gave the troopers their signal as they began giving their weapons and gear a final once-over and checking their ammo stores. The dull red unicorn amongst them took notice of this, “How much trouble are we expecting, Sergeant Tolik?” The trooper with a Sergeant’s insignia emblazoned on his pauldron regarded him with a glance from his visor, “Sergeant Gallant, my men and I always expect the worst of whatever we walk into.” He gave the guard ponies a quick once over as he loaded a fresh power pack into his rifle, “If anything, you and your boys are taking this situation far too lightly.” With little warning the carriage came to a sudden stop, jerking the occupants a bit and causing the troopers to quickly ready their weapons, the pair of pegasi preparing for a quick dash forward. The pair of Sergeants had been the only ones that seemed to keep their heads about them during this unexpected change of events. Switching on his helmet’s com Tolik would have words for the driver, “Report.” “Sir, I think you might want to have a look at this.” Was the answer that came over the com in a confused tone. As the occupants piled out, they were greeted with the awkward sight of a large happy-looking banner hanging over the bakery proudly reading “Welcome Mandalorians”. The entire group gave each other confused looks, “No one told them we were coming, did they?” Arkanna had done his best to try and explain his people and their culture to Fluttershy, a long process that seemed to stretch into the evening. He never had been much of a history buff and it didn’t help much that it was his worst subject during his days in the academy on Concordia. She had surprised him though with how receptive she was, though there had been more than one moment where a hint of shock and possibly disgust was evident. For her part in the experience the timid pegasus had kept such feelings to herself till Arkanna’s lecture had concluded. “So that’s about the best I can explain what it means to be Mando’ade.” Arkanna stated leaning back against the tree with a tired sigh. Her head tilted to the side staring at him curiously, “Mando… ah… day?” She asked trying to sound out the word. “It’s from our language, Mando’a.” He said with smile, “Means child of Mandalore.” Fluttershy nodded as she took in this new information, “And, what does that word you called me back in the forest mean, ahrooty?” Arkanna chuckled at her attempts to struggle with the phonetics of the language, “Aruetii,” He corrected her with a grin, “Ah-roo-ay-tee, aruetii; it means a few things but in the context it meant outsider.” A small smile came to her face as she started to absorb this knowledge, pointing a hoof towards him, “Mando’ade,” Then motioning to herself, “Aruetii.” Arkanna was surprised how quickly she’d picked up the pronunciations, “Kandosii mesh’la, jate bora.” The sound of praise in his voice brought a blush to her cheeks as she stared at the ground, “Uhm, I was also wondering, if you don’t mind teaching me a bit more that is, what does that other word you keep calling me mean; maysla?” Much to her own surprise a bright red tint came into the human’s cheeks as he glanced off to the side, “Oh that, uh… Ya know what? I think that’s enough lessons for today, okay Fluttershy?” Out of an old habit when feeling uncomfortable he began to rub the back of his neck. As part of his underlay beneath the armor moved from his neck the edges of a ragged mark became apparent. Her curiosity piqued, the pegasus drew closer to examine him, “Oh my, Arkanna, what happened to your neck? Are you alright?” At the sound of this question the Private’s attitude quickly shifted and became more defensive, “Not a damn thing.” Pulling the underlay material back up to cover his neck he got to his feet and collected his gear. Glancing over at her it was clear the harshness in his tone had been like a sudden slap in the face, “Sorry, but it’s getting late so we should go find your friends.” Before a response could be given the sound of blaster fire in the distance drew their attention to the center of town. Out of reflex Arkanna quickly took his helmet from its place on his belt and slipped it back onto his head as he brought his weapon around from its slung position. A shaking beside his leg drew his attention to the ground finding the mare huddled behind him cowering and staring wide eyed up at him. “Stay close to me, just like in the forest, okay?” Arkanna said in a calm voice. As he’d hoped, it looked to give her a bit more confidence as her wings began to work again and levitate her a few inches from the ground while staying pressed to his back. Bringing the weapon up to his shoulder he headed off with Fluttershy in tow towards the sound of the ruckus. The party had been going quite well at Sugar-Cube Corner. Mandalorian and Pony alike had managed to break the ice and enjoy themselves. The warriors of Epsilon did what they could to prove they weren’t a threat to them even going so far as to leave their rifles and helmets on a table towards the back of the room. Kell had wasted little time in gathering a small crowd of mares around him as he started retelling the adventures he and his brother had been on, “So as Kad takes the ship between these really tight pillars I look up and notice a loose outcrop of rocks and stuff. Taking aim, I fire into it and suddenly we got an avalanche raining behind us and on top of those fighters chasing us!” Zex, after being questioned by Pinkie Pie about what types of food and sweets they liked, found himself giving a lecture on the varying diets of sapient life forms across the galaxy, “When you think about it, the fact is that most dietary intakes fall into the category of omnivoric. Most species and races evolve over the centuries finding nourishment from whatever sources are on hand. Those able to survive and gain dominance were usually the ones that became more flexible…” Kad had never been a big fan of parties himself, usually sending Torb in his place to put up with the whole social appearances to deal with the higher ups and nobles. This however was different, the feeling of comradery and friendship that permeated the area through the force put him at ease. A smile crept across the weathered Captain’s features as he sipped on a glass of punch. “Enjoying the party, Captain Skirata?” The all-too-familiar voice of a certain violet unicorn chimed in to break his drifting thoughts. “Aye, you an’ your girls put together a fine party, ma’am.” Kad replied giving Twilight a smile, “Right friendly of you lot; wish we got a decent welcome like this more often.” The majority of the crowd being far too busy enjoying themselves to notice the late arrivals: a pair of armed troopers in black and blue armor flanking a red coated unicorn in royal armor entered the bakery, taking a moment to scan the crowded room. Tolik aimed the muzzle of his rifle to the ceiling and let several blaster bolts loose, granting him a sudden dominance over the assembled townsfolk. Behind his visor he couldn’t help but smirk at the angry glare Gallant gave him for his actions, “Don’t worry, just a bit of crowd control.” He reassured his would-be partner. With no hesitation, the members of Epsilon quickly moved to the front of the crowd between the soldiers and townsfolk as a tense standoff began to set in, “Steady boys…” Kad muttered to his teammates. “Kad Skirata,” Tolik addressed him, “You and your men are hereby placed under arrest on the charges of piracy and murder. Surrender yourselves quietly please, we don’t want a scene.” Kad glanced between Zex and Kell whom both gave him a nod, “Under whose authority?” “Under the joint authority of her royal highness Princess Celestia and the Mandalorian Neo Protectors.” Gallant quickly chimed in. This bit of information seeded confusion and panic in the collective voices of the room. “Haaranovor ti jehaat hut'uun!” Kell snarled before spitting on Tolik’s visor, a collective gasp rose up from the crowd. With a grumble Tolik wiped the offending saliva from his mask and spoke softly, “Taylir naak burc'ya, nayc copaanir kih burc'yas kadala.” He motioned to the packed room. From the back of the shop yet another trooper appeared with a pair of pegasi in the same regal armor as the unicorn in tow. Frightened muttering began to rise among the assembled ponies as the confusion became a heavy pitch. “Val liser slanar, nayc jaon'yc.” Kad replied as he placed a hand on his brother’s chest plate to hold him in check, “Mhi liser vaabir ibic sa Mando'ade.” Kad’s eyes burning through Tolik’s visor as he goaded him on. A small application of will through the force has been known to bend minds and motivate with great ease. However Kad had guessed his enemy well. With a nod an open path was given to the front door which almost every pony present gratefully used to exit the building. In moments the bakery was quickly cleared, save for those in armor and five mares in particular. Outside the bakery Arkanna and Fluttershy rounded the alleyway to find the carriage and armed guards outside of Sugar-Cube Corner. He cursed under his breath as he took in the situation. Staying to the shadows of the alley, the Private weighed his options, knowing none of them look all that great. “Ohmygoodnessohmygoodnessohmygoodness…” Fluttershy muttered to herself in a panicked tone. “It doesn’t look that bad… I mean, just outnumbered, out gunned…” Arkanna attempted to convince her things weren’t that bad and failing, “Okay, maybe it is.” This only made things worse, her voice cracking with terror, “But my friends are in there and the rest of the townsponies, you have to do something!” Arkanna covered her mouth and pulled her closer to the wall beside him, “Fluttershy, listen to me, the Captain and the others are in there with them. We still have a chance at this.” Her trembling began to subside a bit as a shine of confidence returned to her eyes. He glanced back at the building and saw a stream of ponies leaving in a hurry, “You see that mesh’la, that’s gotta be the Captain’s handy work. Now I just need an opening…” Kad had hoped to get every noncombatant out of the building by taking a jab at his would be captor’s pride. The plan was to deal with this without any civilians getting in the way. As usual the best laid plans never seem to work that well, “Ms. Sparkle, why don’t you and your girls get some air?” “Not until we get to the bottom of this.” The unicorn barked back. “Yeah, you guardsponies’ve got the wrong guys!” A rainbow maned pegasus with a bandaged midsection chimed in. “I agree, these fine gentlecolts are practically heroes.” Was the defense from the posh unicorn. Gallant narrowed his eyes on Twilight, “I have the utmost respect for the Elements of Harmony, but I must ask you to let us handle this.” The energy in the room began to shift and change slightly. A shift that most wouldn’t notice save for a small majority, those being the three unicorns present and one particular human towards whom this shift seemed to center upon. Tolik began to raise his weapon to his shoulder, “You should listen to him ma’am, you and your friends step outside and let us take it from here.” Time seemed to become a crawl as Kad made a quick motion towards the three at the front door. Unseen forces slammed into them, sending Tolik and the trooper he had entered with into the air and through the front windows behind them. The slam of force energy propelled the pair into the broad side of the carriage outside with an audible smashing sound, sending the four left outside into a panic. This had been the opening Arkanna had hoped for. Leaving the golden pegasus in the alley he sprang forward, pulling a pair of stun grenades from his belt and hitting their safeties to arm them. Coming to a stop, he rolled both of them ahead of him through the worn streets. One came to a stop between the pair of earth pony guards that been hauling the carriage and were currently in a rush to unlatch themselves. The other rolled under the carriage and under the legs of the pair of troopers that had been standing at the ready outside. Gallant had felt the odd shift and readied a barrier to defend himself from this alien feeling. Unfortunately he had not counted on the metal tray that caught him in the side of the head. In the ensuing chaos the royal guard Sergeant tumbled to the side and into a display stand of various sweets, leaving him sprawled on the floor, Zex standing over him with the offending metal tray. Kell’s arm moved on a mix of instinct and reflex as his hand quickly drew his side arm and brought it up to level with the chest plate of the trooper at the rear. The familiar burn of ozone began to drown out the sugary sweets in the air as the two traded shots. The Deathwatch peon let loose a few bolts of energy that only found themselves burning into the wall behind Kell. The Epsilon sniper however only needed one shot which slammed into center breast plate of his target sending him crashing into the display case in front of the counter. The pair of pegasus guards quickly took to the air in hopes of at least taking the leader of their targets, making a beeline for Kad. Turning on his heel and making a quick motion in their direction the pair found themselves frozen in mid air for a split second. Their confusion was compounded as they suddenly slammed into one another with a loud crack before they fell to the center of the room in an unconscious pile. Behind them all Gallant was just barely pulling himself to his feet when a pair of loud pops came from just beyond the saloon style double doors. An armor clad figure quickly stormed into the building his weapon at the ready, as he did the swinging door cracked the unicorn Sergeant across the face sending him hurtling into unconsciousness. Arkanna looked about the chaos of the room before stopping on his Captain, “Did I miss the party?”