//------------------------------// // Ch. 15 // Story: Equestrian Anti-Heat Forces // by Navras97 //------------------------------// It’s 8:00 AM; Flash Sentry has already begun the rescue missions of stallions with the help of Whooves mapping out the squads and maneuvers. Flash caught wind of their little rescue mission when he overheard them. He decided it’s best to let it slide since there was no talking Big Mac out of rescuing Incognito from impending doom. Flash can’t deny chain of command, but he can’t deny what friendship can accomplish. Deep down Flash respected Big Mac, he fought for the right thing. Flash observes from the top of the decimated Town Hall with binoculars to see Doctor Whoove’s strategy coming into play. Fire teams have balanced assets of 2 recon pegasi, 2 specialist unicorns, and 6 breach and clear earth ponies entering homes and businesses successfully evacuating every single stallion and married couple out of the establishments, then later to be escorted back to the bunker out of harm’s way. What puzzles Flash Sentry though was the lack of colts and fillies in the rescued civilians, significantly smaller ratio compared to the estimated population. Wherever they are, he’s sure the fire teams will locate them. Queen Chrysalis’ abducted female forces diverted to smaller groups only to be taken down quickly by his skilled troopers. Flash is feeling a tinge of guilt for treating the mares like this in realization that it wasn’t their fault. Flash doesn’t care about the heat season anymore, all he sees now are innocent civilians being brainwashed to fight, and with no other option but to fight back. All the more reason to get the non-abducted to safety so they can take on the full extent of this operation. No casualties whatsoever, the combing fashion of the fireteam’s approach is not only thorough but reassuring that their operation out here will go smoothly. Whooves plan was an ingenious strategy, only a few holes in it like of Queen Chrysalis or the Mane 6. In order to get the Mane 6 to cooperate they’ll need to take down Chrysalis, whoch will be no easy feat. Now if only Whooves and his friends will rescue that poor soldier he’s forsaken in time… he’ll need some of that fearless tenacity. *Meanwhile in front of the school house* “Can we get out of here already?!” requested Braeburn as he reloaded his weapon with his slightly trembling left hoof. The gang just went through with their bold rescue mission of saving their apparent friend they spent so little time with. The only problem was that they were utterly surrounded by hissing mares with a green glow in their eyes. This wasn’t something Ironsword and Redshot were expecting, they scolded each other for not expecting it. “We’re working on it, damn!” The pyro unicorn Redshot hefted his self-appointed partner Incognito on his back, casting gouts of smoke on the pegasi above. “Well work faster, Celestia damn it, I’m having so much fun right now!” sarcastically cursed Ironsword as he sky-brawled with charging pegasi. His foes merely bit his shedding feathers from the power of his scatter-shot. The rifle was like the average bronze hoof-gun that was fixated on their right hoof like Metroid and Megaman (I’m not saying Megacolt, horse puns are really hard to make up and don’t sound right). The scatter-shot in every way looked like a masterkey under mount except the trigger was on the interior of the firearm. Every mare that closed in 2 inches of Ironsword were blown back with force of charging bulls on steroids. “Eeyup!!” yelled Big Mac as he let loose with his brand new hoof gun, spraying blunt fire from the hip. “Ya got a plan Doc?!” Doc pauses for a long second to see Big Mac with a hoof-gun, it so weird seeing him like that. It’s obvious to Whooves that Big Mac will go to extremes to help his friends, even if that means being he has to be something he’s not. Either that or Big Mac has learned the true meaning of excitement, since he’s shows little of that most of the time. Whooves brushed off this thought, “It’s quite simple really, keep blasting!” retorted Whooves, sending bouts of sonic waves through his general direction, a vibrating torrent travelling through the air and picking up any mare in its path . Whooves didn’t anything in mind to break them out of this, just hoping something will arise to save their flanks from their most impeccably happiest demise. Their battle wages on for 2 minutes, mares closed in from all directions but west forcing the gang off there. They manage to push to the front of the school house with the earth and unicorn mares approaching the group like zombies and their prey. Whooves approaches the door with Sonic Screwdriver in hoof, doing what his Sonic Screwdriver is best at: opening doors. “Agh bloody hell, low on power… cover me this’ll take a while”, orders Whooves as he slowly works his screwdriver along the door hinges. The mares were only 10 meters apart from the group, the first line not breaking an inch from the force of shallow explosions and draconic fire peppering their faces. The gang’s exhausted efforts weren’t showing any relieving results, they couldn’t hold themselves any longer. Big Mac and his hip-firing hoof gun were down to 1 mag, Spike needed a Gatorade (no, I’m done making horse puns, it’s just ridiculous), Whooves couldn’t focus well from the smell of estrus getting stronger as he tried to lock-pick a door with hooves, Ironsword retreated back to the ground with no ammo, and Braeburn was chucking anything he could get his hooves on. “EVERYPONY HIT THE DECK!” railed Redshot, casting a heavy fire blast over the Braeburn, nearly vaporizing his hat off. The ball of neon blue flames seared the air with the high-pitch screech of fireworks resonating from it. The horde of mares in front of deck-hitting ponies are sent in all directions like a pile of marshmallows and a stick of TNT. This gives the gang an ample 10 seconds to help break the door open. But the School’s front door was surprisingly sturdy as it held from the force of Apple family hindlegs. Redshot legs were beginning to give out from the weight of him and the unconscious ninja pony on his back, his magic and literal stamina almost depleted. Big Mac takes the icy-cold Incognito off of his back. “Thanks bro, let’s get this door open already Doc!” “It’s not working! Cheerliee must have a very impenetrable security system implemented that’s laced with magic seals. It’s not budging!” “Didn’t your sonic doohickey take down Twilight’s barrier, why isn’t it working now?!” asked Braeburn, tearing off one of the wooden pillars from the railing and chucking it at the horny horde. “I don’t know, I absolutely abhor how magic can’t be explained! How about you try?!” responded Whooves. Whooves has always been to scientifically explain everything in his lifetime, magic is one of the few physical properties he can’t. Suddenly there was voice on the other side of the door, “who’s trying to break into the classroom?” said what sounded like a colt’s voice. That was weird to everybody since its summer vacation and children aren’t supposed to be here. It doesn’t matter; he came to school at the perfect time. “Kid let us in, right now!” demanded Ironsword. “Why?” “Cause I SAID SO!” “Who’s the loud guy Snips?” came another voice from the side of the door. The voice sounded really dopey, like the pony clogged his nose with two corks. “I don’t know Snails, but he really wants to get in”. “Huhuh, no kidding, what’s the password?” “W-wha… p-password…” stammered Redshot, throwing the last bits of fireballs he can conjure up. The females are only 5 meters away, being held back by wooden planks torn off the railing. “It’s an emergency; just let us in, please!” “Pretty please?” responded Snails. “Pretty pl-… Y-YES PRETTY PLEASE!” yelled back Redshot. “Pretty please with pie on top”? “Goddamn it… and I don’t even care that what I said is irrelevant in this world” said Whooves, still fruitlessly trying to unhinge the door. “With pie on top- that’s not even the right phrase…” commented Braeburn; he can’t believe he’s going to die just because some kid can’t stop being retarded for one second. “Dang-nabbit kids just LET US IN!” hollered Big Mac as he head-charged the estrus-reeking ponies away from the group with no more stuff left to throw. “Oh hey! Mr. Big Mac, sure come in” responded Snips, casually unlocking the impenetrable hinge. Redshot swung the door open, almost hitting the tiny colt’s centimeters away. The colts just noticed the entire horde of females behind them hissing and screaming for fun times. “WHOA!” yelled Snips and Snails in unison. They quickly backed away, hiding behind their desks. The gang dug in what was available and looked for the nearest objects to throw. The horde was pushed back with books, textbooks, pencils, the flagpole, some poor pony’s lunch and saddle packs enough for Whooves to slam the door shut, locking the bolt and sturdy hinge with it. The gang fell to the floor again, believing they were really safe for the moment. Incognito manages to regain his consciousness, waking up with his neck between the prongs of Big Mac’s work horse collar. He looks around with partially open eyes, the majority of his vision consumed in the color light gamboge (Big Mac’s mane color). “Well, this is a drastic turn of events”, commented Incognito, lifting his head out of Big Mac’s sweaty mane. The gang looked around; Snips and Snails weren’t the only ones here, staring at them, confused. There were a lot of fillies and colts here, as if school didn’t end a month ago. Among the fillies and colts were Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Rumble, Featherweight, and whole mess of kindergarten kids looking at them. “Big Mac? Spike? Doctor Whooves? And is that… cousin Braeburn?!” commented Applebloom, rushing to her family's side. Other colts and fillies rushed to the gang’s side, helping them up. “My… how polite are all of you?” said Doctor Whooves, nuzzling Sweetie Belle’s head as she got him back on his hooves. Sweetie Belle giggled in innocent adorableness, “no problem Doctor”. “Who was that outside the door anyway Doc?” asked Scootaloo, handing Spike a water canteen. As she said that a unicorn filly went to unbolt the door. “DON’T OPEN THAT!” yelled the gang in unison, frightening the filly away from it. “Why not?” asked Snips, politely handing Redshot his bottle of water. Redshot courteously accepts the offer. One part of him was grateful to him; the other wanted to smack him over the head with the water bottle in his magic grasp.“By the way thanks kid, you saved our flanks back there. Let’s just say the single ladies of Ponyville are feeling a little too overzealous to see us, and they were uh… giving us too much attention” said Redshot, dipping his horn into the bottle. “Wow” commented the earth and pegasi ponies looking at the tan coated, red-eyed unicorn with his horn in the bottle. The children just learned that unicorn horns “overheat” when overused based off of the loud sizzling sound and steam building up in the bottle. The gang spends their break trying to recuperate again, talking with the children that aren’t even supposed to be here. Applebloom tells them they’re here because they were planning on holding a surprise birthday party for Ms. Cheerilee. The CMC told Cheerilee to be at the schoolhouse today but she’s several hours late. The mare horde for no particular reason disbanded despite the Queen’s prize being in there. Whooves probably thought they’re planning something, which means he shouldn’t be sitting on his flank fixing his hair and get strategizing. Afraid he was going to have to break it to Applebloom and her friends; Big Mac told every pony what has been happening for the past week, with the massive heat wave but left out the part with Queen Chrysalis. The children took it… rather casually; even Sweetie Belle was pretty composed. Equestrian society can be very cruel when it comes to the range of knowledge the children know in… some areas. “It’s weird really,” commented Whooves, “in my old world if a child saw their parents having sex, they would usually be scarred for life. But in EQUESTRIA… ohoho myyyyy…” “I just want to know when I’LL score!” announced Snails, Spike could’ve sworn he saw the fillies back away an inch or two. “You really don’t want to kid, especially not now” responded Ironsword, primed and ready to kick some feminine, voluptuous flanks again. Spike yoinks the bottle from Redshot’s horn, guzzling it down to the last molecule. Redshot let the tiny dragon refuel up to light up some mares too. “Why does this taste so… magical?” he commented, examining the empty bottle. “What I said there doesn’t seem right”. “How are you holding up dude?” Redshot asked to self-appointed his partner Incognito. He turned around to see him in his bare overalls, his ninja cloak in a torn, muddy mess in a trash bin. For a cloak that’s apparently made out of steel-strong spider web it sure gets damaged and ripped apart often. Incognito was sitting in the corner of the classroom, observing for any hostility. He didn’t talk to any pony, just blankly stared through the window. “What… oh, I’ll be fine, just get some rest”. The stallion boldly swings the window open overlooking Ponyville, taking in the distant sounds and colored shapes buzzing around the town. “They already started making evacuations?” “Flash didn’t want to sit around and wait for Chrysalis to over our home”, responded Big Mac, taking off his collar. “If he didn’t send troops in now, this rescue mission would end with us in a sex dungeon”, added Braeburn, Applebloom could feel her cousin shiver as she sat on his back. All the children in the classroom were either conversations with each other or were listening to the gang’s banter. “But … WHY did you save me?” Incognito finally put out. He was willing to sacrifice his own free will to be her-giver and boy-toy of a tyrannical queen for the sake of Equestria. But if he’s rescued, Chrysalis must be going nuts by now, only escalating their problems by a whole scale. “You’re our friend Incognito, we know you’re the Shadow Colt who saved our home years ago” confessed Big Mac, approaching the light brown stallion. “You do…?” he said, his eyebrows slightly scrunched to be noticeable. He didn’t look back at the draft horse’s green eyes, just continued to stare out at the war-zone that is Ponyville. Big Mac walked to the window to stare outside with the conflicted equine. “You’ve done so much for us, for this town. I remember when you single-handedly saved the farm’s orchard from a teenage dragon raid. Me and ma’ family watched from our ranch house as you took down those fire-breathing demons- no offense Spike, in 2 minutes flat. I only knew that colt was you until now. Now that I do, you deserve to have a friend.” Big Mac puts his hoof on the hero’s shoulder. “You shouldn’t have saved me…” “Why in Equestria would you say that, do you want to be Chrysalis’ personal slave?” “I’m not saying I want to, trust me I don’t, I hope to Celestia I will never be that witches’ boy toy” Incognito turned his head to look at Big Mac, “but in this world we live in… not every pony can have the happy ending”. Everyone was silent, taking in what Incognito just said, especially the children. Incognito continued to enlighten the pony on his shoulder, “Not every hero gets a song about them. Princesses lead in the light, I lead in the shadows. Few ponies like me, and even some in the EIA have sacrificed so much… too much… just so every pony else don’t have to sacrifice anything. Royal guards get free tuition, good pay grade, and commemoration for the actions they’ve done. Me? I get a life of loneliness, to guard a sleeping town where I will never know the residents of and what lives they live under the sunlight.” He turns back to stare at the town, “and you know what…? I’m happy, because of the actions of me and a few others, you’ll never go through the horrors I’ve been through” “What kind of horrors?” The melancholy horse closed his eyes, absorbing the sounds of civil war. “It’s best if it stays… unknown…” "Oh... well, eeyup then".