//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Friendship and a 120mm Machine Gun // by FreedomRiders //------------------------------// - a few hours later - It was around noontime, easily three or four hours after they'd started walking again in the morning. The two mobile suits were now sitting a dozen or so meters away from a large river bank near the edge of the forest. Monroe lay on the rocks, focused only on the clouds in the sky and his slow breathing. Nearby was some light splashing - with Rosa bathing naked in the water. Monroe continued to lie back and watch the skies as Rosa climbed out of the water, the man respecting her privacy as he heard her light footsteps tapping the rocks. "Are you sure you don't want to bathe?" Rosa asked from nearby, with the sound of rustling clothes being heard. "It's refreshing." "Nah," Monroe said as he sighed, quickly closing his eyes to avoid any sort of temptation. One arm lay behind his head while the other rested atop the bullpup he brought from inside his mobile suit. "How're you going to dry yourself? Water's probably not good for the inside of a mobile suit." "I'll just wait," Rosa said as she stepped back. Monroe opened his eyes and barely spotted her from the edge of his peripheral vision. She seemed to be checking her M71A1 service pistol, judging by the metallic clacks he heard. "It's getting pretty hot so I shouldn't be soaked for too long." "Hm. What about your hair?" Monroe asked. Rosa let out a huff as her gun let out another click, the signature sound of the pistol's external hammer. "You know my hair's pretty short. It's not like it'll puff up when it gets dry," she said. She sat at on a large rock away from the shade, near where her clothes at. With a sigh, she lay down, the sun beginning to warm her body. "This is nice. Is this what exhibitionists feel like?" "Please don't start getting ideas," Monroe sighed, with Rosa giggling afterwards. That giggle died down seconds later, and Rosa quickly gasped - a sound that worried the Hizack pilot greatly. "Huh? What's wrong-" His words were cut off the moment a rustle was heard across the river. Monroe's eyes shot open and he sat up in an instant - his bullpup gripped in both hands and aimed at the trees without hesitation. Near him, Rosa had sat up as well, her hand over her chest as she aimed her own service pistol across the river. "What the hell was that?" she whispered. "What did you see?" "I saw...something. Eyes, maybe?" There was more silence for a few moments before the sound came again. This time, it was directly followed by the sight of several birds fleeing from the treetops. "...I don't like this," Rosa said as another rustle was heard. "Think it might be guerillas?" "I hope not. Back to our suits, now. I'll cover you," Monroe ordered. Rosa gathered up her clothes and helmet in a big bundle as Monroe stood up slowly, bullpup steadily aimed at the trees. There was no more rustling, but he couldn't be sure. The sound of whirring caught his brief attention, and his eyed flickered back to barely see the naked form of Rosa being pulled up to her cockpit hatch. The second he heard the Hizack Custom's hatch slam shut, he turned and made a run for his own mobile suit. Grabbing the wire and kicking the side of the handle with his foot - he was quickly hoisted back up to his cockpit, gripping the wire with one hand while the other hand was tightly wrapped around the carry handle of his weapon. He shut the cockpit hatch the second he clambered into his seat - powering the mobile suit on and quickly buckling his seatbelt. "Rosa, status!" he quickly called into his mouthpiece the moment he got his helmet on. As the Minovsky Fusion Reactor hummed to life, so did the mono-eye. The screens of the panoramic cockpit flickered on, and crystal clear images of the surroundings was revealed - including behind, above, and below the pilot thanks to the use of a linear seat. "Systems optimal. No issues here," Rosa answered over the radio. "Cameras on." "You see anything?" Monroe asked, quickly zooming in on the forest with his own Hizack’s mono-eye. "Movement in the trees. I can't figure out what it is but..." Rosa said. Her Hizack Custom's mono-eye had dilated as well, zoomed in on the trees where they'd been aiming at a minute ago. "Wait, something's coming out..." The treetops shuddered, leaves being shaken off of the tips of branches. The 120mm machine gun came up, the weapon aimed at what could be a Zeon or AEUG infantry group armed with anti-MS weaponry - or worse, a tank. What slithered out of the trees was nothing either pilot had been expecting. An orange reptilian head of unnatural size poked out of the tree line, its mouth easily big enough to swallow a human whole without any effort. It was clearly snake-like in nature, with wide and green slitted eyes underneath a pair of oddly human-like eyebrows. It sported red frills on either side of its head, and its scales were huge - looking akin to ancient armor more than actual reptilian. "What the...actual fuck?" Monroe said, his eyes unable to look away. He only did so after another another head stuck itself out of the trees, hissing loudly. The Hizack Custom stepped back, away from the river as a third head popped out, followed by a fourth and final one. "What the hell is this, a family of snakes?" Monroe muttered incredulously. "I don't think so," Rosa whispered. The four heads hissed before they began to rise simultaneously, almost as if they were all one creature. It would turn out to be the case. The four necks of all the heads literally joined into one creature as it rose out of the trees before stepping forward, its large foot splashing hard in the river as all four of its heads hissed, glaring at the two mobile suits in front of it. The four headed monster was huge - easily as tall as a mobile suit with its necks positioned straight. It stood on two massive legs and the body was wide, with bright yellow belly and large spines on its tail and back. "...what the actual fuck?" Rose whispered, repeating the sergeant's earlier words. Monroe didn't have the nerve to say anything after her - not when he was in awe of the near mythical beast standing in front of his mobile suit. His awe turned into shock in mere seconds as the monster attacked him. Its four heads lunged at the Hizack with such surprising speed that Monroe didn't even have enough time to widen his eyes, much less maneuver his Hizack. His head slammed violently into the back of his headrest as the monster smashed into the mobile suit - toppling it over and sending it crashing on its back with a thunderous crash. "Agh, shit!! What the-" Monroe yelped as he gripped the controls. Ignoring the shakiness and the headache he felt, he pushed hard - forcing his mobile suit to try and get up. The monster wouldn't let him, however - its long necks coiling around the Hizack's arms and midsection. The servos whirred loudly as alarms blared in the mobile suit's cockpit. The machine was completely immobilized, its arm unable to bring the 120mm machine gun close to smack against the creature, much less shoot at it. "Get this thing off of me!!" Monroe yelled into the comms. "I can't get a shot!" Rosa's voice cried. Her Hizack Custom had dropped the beam sniper rifle in favor of grabbing the BR-87A beam rifle - ideal for close to mid range but notorious for its immense power output. “Don’t shoot! Fucking pull!!” Monroe growled. His mobile suit was was still pinned by the multi headed monster. The suit’s armor of Titanium ceramic composite alloy was very strong - but the servos within the suit’s joints were significantly more fragile. And Monroe was not willing to stress test them against a hostile monster. The Hizack Custom dropped its beam rifle and hurried over - grabbing two of the monster’s necks around the midsection and pulling as hard as its servos would allow. The monster’s heads all screeched, and it began to flail - struggling and threatening to topple the Hizack Custom over as well. "It's coiled up...tight!" Rosa growled as she pulled back on the controls, forcing the Hizack Custom to step back as it attempted to free its ally. One of the heads let go of Monroe's mobile suit and lashed out at the green machine attempting to yank it away from its prey. The head slammed into the chest, likely hoping to force it away. It did the exact opposite. The Hizack Custom's armor was much stronger than the standard Hizack - consisting not only standard issue alloys of Titanium Ceramic Composite, but mixes of Gundarium γ, further increasing the suit's durability. The head cracked against the mobile suit's chest before falling limp, either completely unconscious or dead from such a violent impact. Either way, the loss of this particular head clearly had an effect on the other three, as the creature as a whole screamed and hissed wildly. It provided just the opening Rosa needed. Shaking herself out of her surprise, she pulled hard - and another head came loose. "Get off of him...you freaky bastard!!" she snarled as the Hizack Custom stepped back once more and leaned away hard. The other two heads uncoiled at once and lashed at Rosa's mobile suit before Monroe acted. With his mobile suit's arms free - he yanked hard on the controls. The 120mm machine gun still in the Hizack's hands slammed into the creature with enough force to make it topple away. "I'll kill it!" Rosa quickly shouted. The Hizack Custom reached into the curved aperture of the shoulder shield, and pulled out a large cylindrical object, as green as the suit itself. At first, nothing happened, with the monster still hissing as it attempted to recover from such a violent counterattack. Then everything went bright. The end of the object exploded in a massive blast of yellow energy, with such a blast of heat and power that many nearby rocks were sent flying. Even the creature backed off, hissing in response to this unknown threat. Ultra dense concentrations of invisible Minovsky Particles flowed out - molding the wild beam that shot out into the shape of a jagged and fluctuating twelve meter long sword of pure energy, the sound of fizzling particles and screaming beam energy being all that could be heard from miles away. Thus is the power of the beam saber. The rocks near the energy weapons melted almost immediately - the gray solids turning into gooey and molten red sludge that boiled and bubbled. The water in the river boiled at once, a massive explosion of steam erupting just from being near the energy. The forest across the water wasn't spared either, with the tree line exploding in flame in an instant. Birds and animals scattered away from the flames as they began to spread, blackened smoke joining the steam as the billowing clouds of hot vapor rose in the air. The entire area glowed yellow from just how bright and powerful the saber was. However, neither Rosa or Monroe flinched. Only the monster panicked - turning and fleeing on its two massive feet. "Oh no you don't!!" Rosa yelled - and the Hizack Custom took off running after the fleeing creature, the saber still hovering over the rocks and the water. More of the river got evaporated in an instant, and more of the rocks were turned into popping puddles and thick streams of lava. And the fires in the trees only continued to spread. Despite the few seconds of head start the large multi headed reptile had, the mobile suit was faster - taking larger strides. Plus, it helped to have a melee weapon with reach. The Hizack Custom lunged forwards, swinging the beam saber across its right. The monster stopped screaming an immediate millisecond the saber slashed across its neck. All four heads were sent crashing to the ground, their necks smoldering and sizzling from the contact with raw shaped plasma. Its main body crumpled to the ground, its scales glowing from the heat. Wisps of smoke billowed out from between the scales, the flesh underneath cooking from being within proximity of the beam saber. Rosa panted as she powered off the saber, with the energy flickering and fizzling out as the mobile suit's unlimited supply of Minovsky Particles was cut from the weapon. As the pilot found herself calming down, she looked to her right to find the Hizack catching up - carrying its own weapon alongside the beam sniper launcher and the BR-87A beam rifle she'd left behind. The view of a burning forest greeted her from behind her sergeant's mobile suit. "W-what happened?" Rosa asked, her voice quaking at all the fire spreading quickly through the densely packed trees. "Your beam saber happened," Monroe said. He was quiet through the comm, not at all admonishing her for her actions but not exactly reassuring her. "It's why beam weapons aren't supposed to be used in colonies or near cities, remember?" Rosa hadn't remembered. In the fear over Monroe's safety and the pure anger over the seemingly random attack that some animal would attempt on an ally, she'd forgotten basic discipline when it came to handling mobile suits. Even if nobody was hurt or if any animals escaped, a forest fire was a pretty big damn deal. "I..." she whispered, quickly getting her mobile suit to put the beam saber back into the storage rack in the spiked shoulder shield. "We should get moving," Monroe said, cutting her off. The blue mobile suit handed both of the Hizack Custom's weapons to its rightful owner before turning to the edge of the forest. "We need to leave the vicinity of the forest, before we gather any attention. That fire will probably engulf everything in the next few hours. Not much we can do for now except skedaddle." Despite the conflicting emotions, Rosa simply replied with a "Yes, sir." before she followed along - the strides of both mobile suits considerably greater than before. The forest continued to burn, the steam from the decimated river being drowned out by the ever growing presence of black smoke rising into the sky. There was no telling just how large the forest was, or if the fire showed any signs of stopping. "And Rosa?" Monroe finally said after a few minutes of silence. Rosa was broken out of her thoughts as she looked back to the Hizack in front of her. "Mobile suits are nothing but weapons. Collateral damage comes with the job and responsibility of piloting one, never forget that." - an hour later: at Ponyville - Panic had ensued in Ponyville. As of twenty to thirty minutes ago, the ponies that lived in the small and humble town were preparing for the worst. It'd all started with an alarm from a Pagasus conducting a long distance weather patrol, warning them of a massive fire spreading from the Everfree Forest at an unprecedented rate. The weather team of Ponyville was quick to respond, with as many Pegasi as possible gathering rainclouds to fight off the fires approaching the village. Rainbow Dash was the first to act, rallying the others to gather clouds in order to fight the blaze. Many Earth ponies and unicorns began to prepare for the worst as well, quickly digging up moats near the edge of the forest in order to stem the fires should the Pegasi fail to halt their advance. Fillies and colts were seen getting rushed to the center of town by their parents as Twilight Sparkle flew over the many rooftops of the area. Fluttershy had rushed to her cottage to get all of her animals out, while Rarity and Applejack had quickly joined the other ponies in digging the large moat. Pinkie Pie had taken to cheering up the panicked ponies - setting up a party and a stage in record time to distract the others. However, she had limited success - given that nopony could miss the smoke rising distantly in the sky. The princess was quick to join Rainbow Dash as she double checked her cloud alongside many others. The weather factory in Cloudsdale was working overtime: producing storm clouds to be used against the incoming blaze. "Rainbow Dash, the moat's underway," Twilight quickly said. "I told the others that I'll be joining you." "How're the others doing with that moat?" Rainbow Dash quickly asked. She was dead serious - her tone meaning business as she focused on fighting the fires that continued to swallow the forest. "They're making good progress," Twilight said as she continued to hover next to the Element of Loyalty. "I can help too, I have a few spells that can-" "Twilight, you were passed out not too long ago! We can handle this - you should be resting right now!" Rainbow Dash warned. "Rainbow Dash, I promise I'm alright!" the Princess of Friendship insisted. "My magic went back to normal since I woke up and I don't have my headaches, fatigue, or any kind of long lasting effects after that failed spell. I promise you, I can help!" "I...alright," Rainbow Dash conceded. "But you stay far away from the fire, got it?" "Got it. So what's the plan?" Twilight asked. "Fires spread in all directions. So we need to attack it in every angle we can. The Pegasus that came back said it was heading West, North, and East," Rainbow Dash explained. Nearby, other Pegasi had flown over to listen in on the plan. "There's swamps and rivers all over the forest. We look for anywhere the fires may have stopped and search for the areas that continue to grow. It's our best bet at dousing as much of the more dangerous areas around." "What if it isn't enough?" one Pegasus mare asked nervously. "I've already contacted Princess Celestia via a letter before making my way over here. An emergency as big as this doesn't come out of nowhere. This was no accident," Twilight said, speaking up loudly. "We just need to hold out long enough for the Princess to send additional help with containing the fires." "Right! We won't need to deal with the fires altogether, just keep it from spreading any further. Some might get through, but we can keep pouring water. We're Pegasi, it's what we do best!" Rainbow Dash shouted. Some of the Pegasi cheered, and Rainbow Dash pointed towards the flames. "Split into teams of four or five! Spread out and stay well above the fire! Start raining down on the very edges of where that fire is spreading!" The now morale boosted Pegasi obeyed at once, zipping towards the flames as they slowly but menacingly approached. Twilight and Rainbow Dash veered West, towards the flanks of the fires. It was also where they were spreading the fastest - and several other Pegasi teams had joined them. They didn't need to fly very long - the fires were spreading quicker along the West, and the Pegasi wasted little time in combating the flames. The ponies jumped atop their clouds, squeezing out collected rainwater at the inferno. The group relentlessly hurled a violent downpour from their clouds, creating a bombardment that threatened to halt the advance of the fires. Twilight wasn't idle either - landing at a nearby swamp and acting quickly. With a burst of magic from her horn and a grunt of considerable effort, the alicorn quickly lifted up several spheres of murky water before spreading them out along the lines of clouds. With a bit of concentration and determination, Twilight attacked - quickly hurling the large water balls at the incoming flames. The explosions of water splashed against the trees and doused some of the flames long enough for the downpour to gain the upper hoof. The fires were being doused, but there was a problem. Rainbow Dash was easily the first to notice, followed by Twilight after she'd thrown another few salvos of water balls from the swamp. "The temperatures are too high!!" she yelled up at Rainbow Dash, barely being heard over the roar of the inferno. She was already sweating - and she wasn't even that close to the fire. Nearby trees had dried up from what had to feel like a heat wave - making it easy for all of them to catch fire. "Yeah, it shouldn't be this crazy hot!" Rainbow Dash called, wiping sweat off of her brow before she continued to jump, continuing to direct the angled rainfall. "The rain isn't slowing them down quickly enough!" "It'll only get worse if the winds get worse!" another Pegasus called, already struggling to hold back the flames near him and his partner. Twilight was quick to assist, hurling more water balls at the fires near them. "The wind! I can shift it back the other direction!" Twilight realized before flying up and landing on the Element of Loyalty's cloud. "Rainbow Dash, I'm going to form my own gust that can push the fires back! If we keep it stuck over areas it already burned, would that help?!" "It might! But the heat might be too much!" Rainbow Dash called out. Twilight looked back at the fires with a glint of determination. "I won't need to get close," she reassured. "A wall of wind should be ideal. Just enough to push the fires back and pull any water over them. If we're lucky, the fires will burn itself out f given enough time." "Will you have enough time?" Rainbow Dash asked. "We'll find out!" Twilight said, quickly spreading her hooves and closing her eyes. With a blast of magic, a huge gust of wind similar to a stationary tidal wave began to form. Any flames that attempted to lick and catch onto more trees were immediately thrown back. On the other side of the wall of wind, the downpour of rain was getting sucked hard into the wind, thrown into the cowed flames. Twilight Sparkle didn't dare back down - even as she felt the strain of her magic beginning to weaken her body. Despite the hours of rest she'd received - she clearly wasn't completely at one hundred percent - not enough to keep the winds up. The fires weren't getting more violent at the very least- but they were still raging beyond the barrier and not showing any signs of stopping. The Pegasi continued to stomp away at their clouds, throwing as much water as they could to keep the fires away. Twilight growled for a moment, intent on keeping her concentration up for as long as possible. She was starting to feel the aftereffects of using too much magic, and the familiar feeling of aching muscles and pulsing headaches was slowly starting to seep in. The circulating wall of wind was very wide, and it was difficult to maintain its shape and spread to this extent. Thankfully, she wouldn't need to do so for long. Shadows flew overhead, and Twilight nearly lost concentration before the flames were blasted back - much too quickly to be the result of her magic or the efforts of the Pegasi. Looking up, she saw several large chariots flying by. Golden chariots. Flown by small but strong rows of Pegasi in golden armor. "The Princess!" somepony called. The group began to cheer as huge amounts of water poured over the largest concentrations of fire, all of it coming from large tanks on the chariot. Following them were more Royal Guards likely flying as escort. The Princess herself appeared as well, flying majestically over Twilight' slowly diminishing wall of wind and hovering in place above the fire. Her mane flowed and her wings spread wide with every flap as her horn glowed brightly in a spectacle of multiple colors. With a swing of the head, Princess Celestia sent a spell so large and powerful that it blanketed over several hundred square meters in an instant. The effect was as immediate as the spell itself. The fires in the area were all gone, leaving husks of blackened trees and incinerated natural landscape. Not only was the wind much stronger than Twilight's spell - but it was much colder. The heat wave was gone, replaced by a chill not too dissimilar from a winter breeze. The goddess-like alicorn turned to see Twilight struggling to stand on the cloud, next to Rainbow Dash. Flying over and gently landing next to her, the princess gently helped Twilight stand up. "I regret for not arriving sooner. Our own Canterlot Fire Brigade needed to assist our guards in collecting water from the lake," she said apologetically, her tone as gentle as the concerned expression on her face. "Twilight, what happened here?" It was quiet for a moment, with the Pegasi all bowing their heads in respect to their ruler - not that she was concerned with any sort of bowing. She was focused on Twilight, who slowly found the breath to speak, despite of how tired she felt. "A...a fire from the Everfree. We don't know how it started, only that it was spreading from the other side of the forest. It wasn't any kind of ordinary fire, princess!" Twilight began before getting cut off by Celestia. "Twilight, breathe. The danger is over," Celestia calmed soothingly. "Slowly." Twilight took a deep breath before exhaling. She did so again, and repeated things a few more times before she spoke up again - her breath much more composed. "The fire was much hotter than any natural fire could have been, princess. And something this big doesn't come out of nowhere. It had to be caused by a pony or an accident." Princess Celestia digested this information thoughtfully before nodding. "I understand. I'll conduct my own investigation of the events. It appears the fires started to the south," she said, looking accordingly in the aforementioned direction. "There's a river there as well, along the edge of this part of the forest, no?" "Y-yes, princess!" Rainbow Dash said as she eyed where the white alicorn was looking. Most of the fires were already put out - the Royal Guards worked fast. "Do you think we might find something there?" Whatever Princess Celestia would have said in response was cut off as she spotted a few Pegasi in white and golden armor flying towards them at full speed. "I believe they already have," she said. The two guards slowed to a halt, hovering in place as they flew at attention. "Report," Celestia said. "Your Highness, we investigated the other side of where the fires have likely started and..." one of the guards said. "You need to see this for yourself." Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow, and Twilight exchanged nervous looks with Rainbow Dash. Whatever this was, it could not be good. A few minutes later, the three of them hovered over an oddly dry river and the grisly corpse of a massive Hydra. Twilight fought the urge to vomit, while Rainbow Dash couldn't manage to pull her eyes away from the dark sight. Princess Celestia landed near the beast, inspecting the remains with the grace and experience of a pony who's had to deal with violent situations before. "This kind of Hydra is fireproof," she said, eyeing one of the four heads lying on the rocks. "But whatever or whoever did this somehow burned through its scales and flesh." "Could it be magic? The bisection looks relatively clean. For a cauterized area," a guard suggested. "Perhaps," Celestia said. "But the kind of magic capable of such power is difficult to master. This could be a group of dissidents intent on sowing chaos, or-" "Princess. Hoofsteps," another royal guard quickly called. Princess Celestia turned to see dozens of massive indentations in the rock, resembling oval shapes that went deep into the ground, having shattered the rocks in each step into smithereens or pebbles. The trail didn't go far - the hoofsteps entering fields with thick grass that could easily hide such heavy hooffalls regardless of size or weight "...or this could be something else," Princess Celestia said. Her eyes narrowed as the realization began to settle in her mind. "There is a grave threat somewhere in Equestria, and there's no way to pinpoint where it could be."