//------------------------------// // Preparing to Send a Message.. // Story: Chronicles of Bon Bon // by Anonimoose //------------------------------// The Multi-Axel Truck arrived at the gates of the small shanty town, Lyra shook Bon Bon, who was snuggled up against her heavily armored body, "Bonnie, Wake up." She said with a nudge, "Five more minutes," Bon Bon drowsily replied, pulling herself even closer to Lyra and going back to sleep. Lyra looked up Sifty was asleep holding Backfire in his hooves, Backfire was fast asleep snoring, her breathing making her horn poke Sifty's jaw waking him up. "Where are we?" He asked with a quiet yawn as not to wake Backfire. "New Paradiso, it's one of the few towns in the Badlands that can hide our activity and provide adequate defensive purposes against Changelings or Syndicate PMC's." "Who are you with?" Sifty inquired "We are the Patriots, a team of the best of the best from all of the nations, Changelings, Griffons, Ponies." "Griffons? What do they want in the war?" "When the Griffon Sovereignty fell to the ultra-nationalists nine months ago, the ones who remained loyal fled to the badlands and found us, after making a deal we joined forces and became the patriots, the engineering skills from the Griffons are remarkable, most of the inventions of Flim and Flam Mechatronics are poor copies of theirs." Lyra explained "So who's paying for all this?" Sifty curiously asked, "Even though the Chrystal Empire is remaining a neutral 'refugee sheltering' nation, Shining Armor sent some of his best men from the empire to help and a bottomless bit purse to end this war." "That seems like a hard thing to cover up." "It is, that's why we don't, most ponies hear stories about the Chrystal Tower and its 'unique' abilities." as she finished up the truck came to a stop and cut it's engine in the center of the large town, various tents and camouflage netting covered various buildings, suddenly the hatch swung open and out popped the battered looking Changeling and Tatau. "Yo, the names Ritz," looking at Backfire then Sifty, "Nice gal!" he said with a wink visibly angering Sifty causing him to jump back into the cab and seal the hatch with a 'you can't get me' snicker. "Don't worry, he will not try anything funny," Tatau said "You got him on a short leash or something?" Sifty assumed "No, He's just lazy." Tatau said with a shrug as he jumped off of the trailer he motioned for the ponies to follow him, as the group gathered their things Lyra picked up the still sleeping Bon Bon and carried her over her shoulder, Sifty waking Backfire and the rest of the ponies in the back of the trailer. After everypony had everything together Tatau opened the peephole and told Ritz to take the truck to the motor pool, the truck came to life and putted along out of sight. Tatau guided the ponies to a tent with just enough cots set up for everypony. "Here we are, your home away from home!" Lyra said setting Bon Bon on a cot, "Now we can get some actual rest and some real food for once!" as she said that a messenger pony walked into the tent. "Ma'am!" he said saluting "At ease, what do you have?" "We found a syndicate HVT, Intel says Jet Set and Upper Crust are in a Villa in a town not too far from here." "No rest for the wicked.." rubbing her eyes, "Everypony get their rest, I have to plan for tomorrow." Lyra said walking out of the tent, Bon Bon still fast asleep, exausted from the days events, soon after everypony else did the same and the tent was silent. In the makeshift command center Lyra stood over a model of the town, "Jet Set and Upper Crust have the entire town in their coin-purse, and most of the civilians that disagree have left or are already dead. So I think we should just meet them head on." A Griffon with a large scar on one of his wings swiveled his chair around to look at the model as well, in an accent that gave away that equestrian common was not his primary language, "Dah! we give these ponies, how you say, a show of force!" he said with a smirk. "Glad to see we're on the same page." Lyra said with a smirk as she drew a large red line pointing straight for the gate. "Let's send a message."