//------------------------------// // The Treading Behemoth // Story: SIEG EQUESTRIA! // by Macross84 //------------------------------// Within the arid Badlands, down in his semi secret hideout, Dr. Shard eagerly awaited the news of his Golem successful slaying of the green giant. In his mind, the victory was guaranteed even before he sicced his creation upon that heinous abomination that would sow fear, and panic into the ponies of Equestria. He saw himself as the Savior of these lands, and believed that soon, the Ponies of Equestria would see him as such as well. In his Lab, Dr. Shard was holding a private meeting with a very important visitor. "Oh Doctor Shard, How could I be so short sighted? Your genius far outstrips any other pony in Equestria. Not even my personal student can come close to your brilliance. Can you ever forgive me?" A high pitched nasally female voice asked. "Why yes, Princess Celestia. I more than welcome your apology. I am a humble super genius after all!" Doctor Shard stated with great flourish. "I can understand that ponies of common intellect, such as you, and your sister, would have great difficulties comprehending my grand visions, and ideals. So do not feel too bad." He continued to gloat. "Your Golem is so strong, and powerful. It so easily trounced a Dragon, and that green giant. How could I have ever doubted you!?" That same nasally voice asked. "It is quite easy, my dear Princess Celestia. Visionaries, and Geniuses, such as myself, often are misunderstood in their own times. I'm just happy to see that you, and your Sister, Luna, have wised up enough to recognize the true Genius that I am." Dr. Shard laughed haughtily as he manipulated a couple crudely carved figures in his hooves. One bore a resemblance to himself, although the horn was longer than his actual horn. The other was a misshapened figure of Princess Celestia. The Figure's rump was noticeably larger than its real life counterpart. There was a couple of other figures strewn about the work area as well. "Oh Dr, I have not noticed this before, but your horn..." The Celestia figure spoke lowly as he moved it a bit closer to the other figure. "Yes? What about my horn?" He asked, moving the Shard figure closer. A knowing smirk spreading across his lips as he brought the two together. "It is so...Long, and the spiral is so Tight. The figured cooed as Shard brought them together. "Kiss kiss kiss" He said with a mischievous smile as he made the two figures lock lips. His excitement quickly making him lose focus of the area around him. Suddenly he threw his hooves into the air in triumph. "YES! It'll be just like that! That cake sucking princess will grovel at my hooves, crawling across the dirt, begging for my forgiveness." Shard declared. "And will I forgive her? Yes, Yes I will cause I'm magnanimous like that! My Compassion is only matched by my intellect." He laughed out loud. His voice echoing down the halls of the old mine to the point even the enslaved workers heard him and mumbled curses under their breath. Another laugh would join Shard's. A jolly, happy laugh. Much like the tinkling of a bell. Shard quickly cut his laughter off as he spun around to see who invaded his inner sanctum. It was that gray and blonde mail mare, Ditsy Doo. She was laughing happily even after he had stopped. Shard growled at the interruption, and intrusion. So angry was he, that he had not realized he was still holding his figures. "What's so funny!?" He snapped at the innocent mare. Ditsy's laughter instantly stopped a she looked at the doctor. Or, at the very least, her head was pointed in his direction while her eyes were elsewhere. "Um, I don't know. You were laughing so much when I came in, and it was so infectious, and couldn't help myself but laugh along with you." The young mare explained bashfully. Crystal Shard was about to shout something when he finally noticed that he was still holding his figures. His quickly spun around and set them on the table before addressing the mail mare once more. "Did you see anything!?" He demanded to know, the lower lid on his left eye twitching as he glared at the small Pegasus. "See anything?" Ditsy asked in confusion. Her head tilting to the side, one ear flopping down as she blinked. "Right, of course you didn't. With your eyes, you could sit on Wednesday, and see both Sundays." Shard stated with a deep laugh. Not caring how hurtful his insults could have been to the friendly mare. However, it would appear either his words were not heard, not understood, or simply ignored as Ditsy fluttered into the air, and approached Dr. Shard's desk. "Oooo, are you playing with your dolls again? Dinky loves playing with her dolls. I can sit and watch her all day, and listen to all the stories she comes up with. I really ought to thank Wood Cutter for making her those dolls all the time. He really is so nice." Ditsy said, making friendly conversation, and showing the pride she had as a mother. Shard's eyes grew wide as he looked at the Pegasus that was now just hovering over his left shoulder. His cheeks flared red in embarrassment. "Wha!? How?...." He stammered as he tried to hide the evidence by opening a drawer, and quickly depositing the dolls in before slamming it shut. "Is there a reason you're here, or are you trying to waste my precious time?" Shard growled. Ditsy's eyes widened as she remembered why she was there to begin with. She quickly reached around, and pulled her mail sack to the fore. She started to rummage around in the contents, shuffling the letters, and packages around while she was looking. The rustling quickly starting to get on Shard's nerves as he ground his teeth. Though before he could snap at the mare again, Ditsy once more displayed impeccable timing as she produced a couple of envelopes addressed from his parents, and a news paper. "Your Mail, and paper Mr. Shard sir." She announced as she saluted the unicorn. "It's Doctor, dammit! How many times do I have to tell you, you derpy pegasus!?" He shouted at her right before snatching the mail from her with his magic, and throwing it on his desk. He would then grab Derpy's tail with his magic, and fling her out of his hide out with all of his might. "NOW GET OUT OF HERE!" He shouted to the quickly retreating form of the grey pegasus. Ditsy would careen through the air, and out of the old mine to land on her butt in the hot arid sands of the Badlands. However, instead of the harsh, and painful thud of landing on solid ground. What she felt was something soft, and comfortable that she landed on with a dull fwump. Looking down, she saw a large pillow had been situated exactly where she was going to fall. It was thanks to this mysterious pillow that she was able to come away from this delivery unhurt. Ditsy stood up, and dusted herself off before readjusting her mail bag. Giving her wings a few test flaps, she rose up into the air a few feet before dropping down onto the ground once more with renewed confidence. With a soft smile she flapped her wings once more, and rose into the sky. "Thank you, Doctor." She said to no pony in particular as she continues along her route. From behind a nearby boulder, a brown earth pony stallion steps out. His dark brown mane arrayed in a wild fashion. Around his neck a teal colored tie, and an hour glass upon his flank. His blue eyes watch as the warm Mail mare slowly disappears into the distance. "You're welcome, Ditsy." He stated with a warm smile before walking off in his own direction and disappearing. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Back in his lab, Shard grumble furiously to himself about how no one respected a pony's privacy anymore. He picked up the stack of letters, and rolled his eyes. Once again, his parents, and some of his distant family were pleading that he give up on his dream, and come home. They didn't understand, they never did. No pony understood his genius, and his visions. Sure, some ponies got injured, and killed before Celestia banished him, but how were they going to grow, and advance in the realms of Magic and Science without some sacrifices? Their Civilization was built upon sacrifice! So he was simply a super genius that will help elevate his fellow ponies in the generations to come. Shard discarded the unopened letters into a rather large pile that was big enough for him to jump in. Getting up, he made himself some coffee. Watching as the dark brown, almost black liquid dripped into his mug. A deep scowl slowly grew upon his face. It had been sometime already and he had not heard anything about his Golem. It should have destroyed that giant, and returned by now. He began to think of reasons why his Golem could be late, maybe the Unicorn finally gave out, and died. It was a worrisome notion, but only insofar as he'll have to figure out how to recover the Golem without attracting attention to it. It was maddening. Is this what fathers with daughters dating feel like? Taking his mug of coffee, he brought it back over to the Desk with the still folded paper on it. He takes a sip as the bitter concoction slowly burns down his throat. The caffeine quickly taking effect as Shard felt his mind getting a bit more peppy. Setting his coffee down, he used his magic to open the paper where there was a huge front page spread. He smirked, believing that it was a glorious story about how his Creation chased off, or destroyed that strange green Giant. However, as his eyes read the large bold print, they started to widen as the paper started to tremble in his magical grasp. ZAKU SAVES PONYVILLE FROM ENORMOUS ROCK MONSTER! Shard quickly scanned the article, and found that his creation attacked three young fillies. The newspaper speculated as to why, but that didn't matter. Those fillies were simply in the way, and his creature was right in dealing with them. The more he read, the more enraged he became. He became so angry that he began tearing apart the paper with his bare hooves and even his mouth. "No! Nonononono. NO!" He shrieked as he raised up, and stomped upon the remnants of the paper. His hoof smashing into the large picture of the Zaku with the pony that was once captured in the crystal in its hand. "I, the only super genius of our age, failed!?" He asked himself as his eyes dart here, and there in a panic. "No! That can not be. I can not have failed. My creation was perfect! Not even a dragon could defeat it!" Crystal Shard roared as he kicked the side of his desk with his hoof. However, he misjudge, and bashed the fleshy part just above his hoof. A bolt of pain shot through his leg, and exploded in his mind as a yelp of pain burst from his maw. "GUARDS!" He bellowed. From the door, two large Diamond Dogs peeked in and looked at their "Employer". It was not a secret that Crystal Shard had no regard for any of the Diamond Dogs in his employ, if you can call it that. They were merely a means to an end. With the use of his first Golem Crystal Shard actually enslaved an entire pack of Diamond Dogs. Using other Dogs whose loyalty he bought with gems to take the weapons from the others and kept the ones enslaved compliant by holding their families hostage. Any that stepped out of line were ruthlessly dealt with. The Offender rarely took the punishment. Instead, Crystal Shard would take the punishment out on the family members. For those that did not have family, they were kept in line by the other slaves cause their families would pay double against their offenses. "Um, you called Dr. Shard?" One asked as the two lumbered into the room. "Yes, you dolt! I've injured my leg. Carry me to my Chambers at once." Shard stated with a flourish that would have made a certain purple maned unicorn jealous. The two dogs looked at each other before approaching the Unicorn, and picking him up rather gruffly before carrying him down the hall towards his room. At least they were getting paid for their humiliating work. Shard was set down gently onto his bed, and dismissed the two with a wave of his hoof. His anger of the loss of not only his creation, but the large crystal he made to confine the Golem's power source as well, was at a boiling point. It'll take weeks to farm more of the crystals needed to make another. He would likely have to"motivate" the workers again to get the results he wanted, threatening to crush their pups usually did the job though. 'At least..' he thought to himself. 'I put a spell over the mare so she won't remember anything once free of her crystal prison.' Shard tried to plan ahead for everything, it was how he had remained undetected for so long, except by his few friends, family and the mail mare. As he stewed in his own grumpy attitude, he would soon fall asleep before he even realized he was tired. His eyes growing heavy as his mumbling and cursing continued long past his eyes closing. Magic can be an incredibly unpredictable mistress sometimes. Particularly when dealing with Chaos Magic from the God of Chaos himself. As he slept, and cursed, Crystal Shard's horn started to glow. His anger causing his Magic to become a bit erratic. The stubby horn flickering like a candle's flame. More mumbling and cursing passed his maw in between snores, and groans. Though Just as quickly as his magic started to manifest, the glow disappeared, and once more the room was plunged into the dim light of the few candles that were burning. His anger channeling into the other gems all around his hideout. Suddenly, a loud crash was heard. The vibrations from the impact were felt all throughout the hideout and even knocked a few stones loose from the ceiling. Shard was instantly awake, his horn glowing as he readied a defensive spell to unleash against any hapless intruder that dared to disturb him. A growl rumbled in his chest as his grey eyes slowly shifted around the room. Taking in everything, and searching for anything, no matter how small, out of the ordinary. His eyes narrowed as he focused to find any trace of intrusion. Though a soft pulsing yellow glow would catch his attention. Drawing him from his bed. Slowly, he slid from the bed. Ignoring the pain in his leg as he stalked towards the entrance to his chambers. he couldn't hear anything. What were his guards doing if such a glow was going unnoticed? That thought infuriated him, and made him reconsider finding some better "Guards". Griffons were fairly easy to bribe. Shard pushed that thought away as he started down the tunnel, quickly realizing that he was being led to his Lab. "By Celestia's wide plot, what is going on here?" he muttered as he continued down the meandering halls. Shard would peek into his lab as he was not sure what to expect. His horn continued to glow with his spell prepared. However, what he saw had his brow furrowing. There, in the middle of his lab, one of the larger Crystals he had been holding onto was floating in mid air and pulsing softly like a heartbeat. Shard was cautious, still fearful of an intruder hidden. He would let out a magical pulse that would disrupt any cloaked Ponies, or other creatures, in his Lab. However, the pulse returned with nothing. Tentatively, Shard entered the room and approached the pulsing crystal that was about the size of a Half-dollar. Though its jagged uncut shape made it easier to grasp with his hoof. Shard came to stand just beneath the floating crystal. His grey eyes focused intently upon it as he tried to decipher what it was doing. Slowly, he reached out with his hoof to touch the crystal. Though before his hoof could make contact, the crystal suddenly sped off down the corridor. "COME BACK! YOU'RE MINE!" He bellowed before giving chase. Shard galloped at full speed in pursuit of the crystal. It was only his familiarity with the tunnels that he forced the Diamond Dogs to dig for him that he didn't stumble, nor run into any walls while he gave chase. He passed several guards that watched the Dr. rush past in confusion. Though they would not say anything about it as Dr. Shard was not known to suffer questions that he deemed beneath him to answer. They would simply return to their duties as if nothing ever happened, especially since chasing strange magical things wasn't in their job description. No matter how hard he galloped, the Crystal was always just out of reach. Though if he slowed down, the Crystal slowed as well. Keeping its exact distance. Letting the Unicorn know that the Crystal's intent was to have the Unicorn follow it. Shard's curiosity was piqued, and he continued to follow the Crystal. Though his almost single minded determination to follow the crystal nearly led to his undoing. As they came out of the latest tunnel, Shard had to come to a skidding halt otherwise he would have barreled right through the wooden railing, and tumbled the nearly four stories to the hard rocky floor of the Mine's grand chamber that once housed the Golem. "Are you trying to Kill me!?" Shard shouted at the Crystal, but got no response. The crystal started to pulse, and shine faster, and brighter. Throwing long eerie shadows around the enormous chamber. Shard watched as the light from the crystal grew to such intensity that it was actually physically painful, and he had to shield his eyes with a hoof. Squinting, he tried to see what was going on. However, the light was too bright. A sharp defiant growl escaped his lips as he used his magic to help see. Slowly shapes, and shadows started to congeal into an enormous shape. As more, and more details stated to appear, Shard's hoof lowered as his jaw slowly fell into a small "o" shape. large bulbous limbs attached to a blocky, thick torso. From the shoulders, two very long protrusions jutted out at slightly off angles. Though it did not carry itself on legs. What Shard saw only reminded him of a carriage with many small wheels. More, and more details started to form as the seconds ticked by. Shard's eyes fell upon the nearly completed creature, and he couldn't help the maniacal laugh that erupted from him. He reared up on his hind legs, and raised his forehooves in the air. His laugh reaching fever pitch as it echoed all throughout the hideout. "Yes, YES!" He shouted in triumph as he continued to laugh. -------------------------------------------------------------- In the void where all left socks that are lost in the Dryer, and spare pocket change found in the couch, reside together with that one DVD you can never find, Discord lounged reclined upon a recliner made of Electric eels. The Eels constantly zapping and writhing against his long slender body which solicited soft coos, and jerky spasms from the God's body. "Oo, Oo yeah. Itch those scratches." he stated with a chuckle. As Discord relished in his delightful madness, something struck him, literally. A pint sized teddy bear that had the mass of a cinder block collided with his head, making an the sound of an old mechanical car horn that caused the Chaos God to shout in a mix of shock and pain at the sudden impact. Discord rubbed the growing knot on the side of his head as he looked around. Though soon, a realization dawned on him, and a sly smile spread across his lips. "It would appear that my magic is up to its old tricks, and the fun is just getting started." he narrated in a theatrical voice before summoning a massive 400" Plasma Flatscreen, 5D Glasses, and a large Tub of Popcorn. "Don't want to miss the Fire works." He stated as he set his DVR to record. ------------------------------------------------------------- August 0079. The fighting with the Terrestrial Zeon forces in Southeast Asia has become a long drawn out slugging match between the two forces, with neither one gaining any true ground. Federation Suits would tromp off into the thick jungles, and rice patties in search of Zeon forces. Small skirmishes would explode here or there, but mostly the encounters were small ones that at most would last fifteen minutes. It was a probing action on the part of Commander Kojima. Trying to find weak spots in the defensive lines of the Zeons. Adding to this was the constant irritation of small bands of guerrillas scattered through out the many small villages of the region. The guerrillas would harass, and steal from both sides of the conflict. They held loyalties to none and made the job harder for both factions. On the eastern Defense perimeter, a lone Guntank stood stalwart in its watch over a large expanse of Jungle. The RX-75 Guntank was the Mass Produced variant of the RX-75-4 Guntank Prototype that was constructed out of the Federation "V" project, and is currently in Service on board the White Base. Its design intent was a mobile suit used for Artillery, and Fire support missions. Sitting at 15.6 meters tall, the Guntank is shorter than the average Humanoid type Mobile suit that was fielded by both the Federation, and Zeon forces. Yet at 80 tons fully laden, it was one of the Heaviest mobile suits. Armed with twin "Backpack" mounted 120mm Cannons that incorporate a "Universal" Mounting system. Thus allowing the Guntank to replace one, or both cannons with other auxiliary Weapons, or Equipment such as Heavy Lift Crane arms for Armored recovery. Thus expanding the versatility of the Mobile suit. The Guntank was also equipped with two 4 barreled machine guns upon its arms. Replacing the 40mm Rocket Launchers from the RX-75-4 Prototype and more suitable to the environment it was deployed in. The main difference of the Mass Production type over the Prototype was the removal of the "Core Block" system. While this did diminish the overall survival rate of the Pilot/Driver of the MS, it did allow for the ability for the Torso Unit to perform a "Torso Twist". Thus being able to turn to engage multiple targets while the Drive Unit can remain in its singular direction of travel. The morning had been quiet, sunny, and relatively uneventful for the crew of this lone Guntank. Though the heat and unending humidity made their watch almost unbearable. The Climate control on the Guntank was on the fritz, for what felt like the tenth time in so many months, and made its occupants feel like they were in an sauna with the temperature set too high. Sweat dripping off of the two, and soaking into their uniforms. The Driver, a giant of a man at nearly 6'7" tall was used to this kind of heat as he was born and raised upon the island of Oahu, and was of Samoan descent. Sargent Aleki Vaaulu was a muscular man with deep soulful dark eyes. His dark hair was slicked back into a short pony tail. Just underneath his left eye was dark tattoos done in the Polynesian style. A proud display of his cultural heritage. Formerly a member of the Anti-Mobile suit corps. The large man bore tattoos on each arm baring the name of a squad mate he had lost. "Gah! Damn it is fucking hot!" A young female voice groused rather loudly. Aleki turned from looking at the picture of his wife, and new born baby girl, and turned his attention up. Several meters above his cockpit was the Gunner/Co-Pilot's Station. "It'll only get hotter if you complain about it, Hardeen." Alekia called up with his deep voice. Staff Sargent Lilith Reynold Hardeen was the Guntank's Gunner, and commander. A shorter woman who was currently removing her blouse to try and use it as a way to fan herself. At 5'7" tall, she was about average height, and build for a woman. Short blond hair lay matted against her scalp cause of the sweat, and headset she was wearing. Her piercing emerald green eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark aviator sunglasses to keep the sun out of her eyes. The Gunner's station had a "Greenhouse" type canopy design which afforded excellent view during combat, and patrols. However, right now, Hardeen had nowhere to hide from the Sun that was slowly climbing just in front of them. The solar rays were making her compartment several degrees warmer than Aleki's. The two crew members took to the lax uniform standards that being out in the field provided. While both wore their pants, and blouses. Usually the blouse was unbuttoned, the sleeves rolled up, and a tank top was worn underneath giving them a somewhat less than professional look. "Oh, did you hear? The 08th Team is getting a new commander! How long do you think this one will last before Joshua runs him or her off?" Hardeen chuckled. It had come to be a bit of a joke around the battalion about Chief Warrant Officer Karen Joshua chasing off Commanders from her squad. "I don't know. I wonder if she does it to keep from having to go out." Aleki mused before he pulled out a damp handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his face, and neck. The Driver's compartment was getting positively steamy. "Maybe, but that is her problem. Not ours. We won't run from a fight, right AV?" Hardeen declared with determination. Though after a moment of absolute silence from the Samoan Hardeen let out a huff and threw her arms up in the air. "Fuck this! I'm opening a window!" She stated as she flipped a switch and opened a couple of the side panels on the Canopy. In his own compartment, Aleki opened his hatch as well, unable to take the heat either. Soon a cool breeze was blowing through the twin compartments and felt miraculous. Normally this action was the equivalent to asking to have someone lob a grenade into your cockpit, or that lucky bullet to find its way in. Yet, the cool breeze was a much needed relief in the sweltering humidity of the mid-morning heat. Along with the cool breeze, the soft rustling of the forest around the Guntank could be heard as well as the birds singing. Helping to take the slight edge off from simply sitting, waiting to be called upon. The occasional radio traffic was not as grating as it was before either. "Now, this is so much better." Hardeen stated with relief as she leaned back in her seat. Though the dampness was making her skin feel a bit clammy. It almost made her miss living in a home with expensive AC cooling. Soon, however, a new noise could be heard. It wasn't something natural, since most of the other animals went quiet in response, and it piqued Hardeen's interest as she grabbed her binoculars and climbed out of her cockpit. Quickly and carefully taking a seat upon one of the 120mm cannons that was set on the Guntank's Shoulder, she raised the binoculars and peered through, scanning the area up a nearby road. The noise was getting louder as a dust trail could be seen raising up from farther down the road. Hardeen would focus her binoculars at the bend, and waited a moment. Her body was poised to leap back into the Cockpit should it be enemy troops and get ready to rain down hell fire upon the Zeon bastards that dared to tread on Earth soil. 'Come on, this baby could use a real workout.' She thought as she waited for the vehicles to come into better view. However, she would quickly relax when she saw it was just a column of Federation Type 61 main battle tanks. A smile spread across her lips as she remembered her time as a Type 61 Gunner/Commander, however short it was. "Hey! We got little friends coming up the road!" She called over the microphone. "Roger that. Probably that transfer of tanks we heard about last week." Aleki stated as he relaxed against his chair and watched a local insect land on a tiny Hula Girl he had glued to the top of the console in front of him. A small piece of home that helped reminded him what he was fighting for. Hardeen would wave to the Tanks as they pass just under the shadow of the tall Guntank. Some of the Tankers waved back, some didn't, it did not bother Hardeen one way or another, at the very least it gave her something to do other than constantly tapping her feet till Aleki yelled at her to knock it off. Though aside from their arrival the tanks did little else of entertaining value,simply continued on towards the base that was further up the road. Hardeen watched them go by as she let her mind wander a bit, almost feeling sleepy as she counted them the way a person counts sheep to go bed. How long will this war continue on? How many more innocent people will those monster Zekes kill before they're satisfied, or realize that they could never defeat the Federation? All these questions and more rattled around the woman's mind for the umpteenth time that week alone. Hardeen hated the Zeon with a passion. To her, they were the epitome of Evil in the modern age. Believing in their spacenoid superiority and all that bullshit to justify their slaughter of Federation citizens. She just wanted to stomp the balls of any and all Zekes she came across till they were singing falsetto for life. They were all lying worthless scum in her book. No one could so easily murder the population of an entire colony, and then drop it on a heavily populated city on the Earth, and still be considered Human. As far as she was concerned, she was a modern day monster hunter, and the Zeon were her prey. 'Zekes have got no humanity, so that means they need to be destroyed.' she thought with a grin as she saluted one of the Tankers. The Tanks would continue on with their business past the Guntank and disappear into the dust they were kicking up while Hardeen's mind was reliving simpler, and more peaceful days. Days she hoped would come back sooner rather than later. When the last of the dust settled, she let out her breath and stood up to return to her station. As soon as she reached the cockpit entrance, a shrill whistle pricked at her ears. Her mind instantly registered what the sound meant. Her Heart rate instantly skyrocketed as she dove into the cockpit. Hitting the canopy button with the heel of her hand. "INCOMING!" She shouted over the mic as she tore at her harness to get herself buckled in. Aleki did just the same as the armored panel slid shut a millisecond before the first couple of rounds slammed into the ground around the Guntank. Large plumes of earth, foliage, and shredded animal life erupted from the ground, splattering the mecha in mud, and vegetation. Both Aleki and Hardeen growled, and held on as they endured the first barrage. The vibrations and blastwaves from the rounds landing around them nearly gave them whiplash but their safety harnesses ensured they remained safe throughout the attack. "Where is it coming from!?" Hardeen demanded as the shelling stopped for the moment. She took this chance to get the weapons online while Aleki searched. "There! Three Zaku Cannons!" Aleki called as he used his computer to highlight the area for Hardeen to see. "How the fuck did they get this close!? What are those idiots MS teams doing Letting the Zekes this close?" Hardeen growled as she started to prep for the Guntank to fire. The torso twisting slightly as the dozer unit around the drive chassis flipped up, and out to steady the large firing platform. In the forest, a couple of klicks North East of Hardeen, and Aleki's position, a team of three MS-06K Zaku Cannons were set up. They managed to get within range without being spotted, and took their time to figure the range, and azimuth for their shots. Allowing them to score some very close shots, but nothing close enough to destory, or at the very least disable the Enemy Mecha. With the corrections made, they quickly worked to reload their cannons, and hopefully score direct hits upon the enemy mecha in the next salvo. They were under the gun, literally, this time as the previous Salvo alerted the crew to their presence, and managed no direct hits. Undoubtedly, they were making preparations to fire their large cannons as well. It would become a race against time to see who can get the shot off first. "Come on...Come on." Hardeen whispered to her Mecha, encouraging it to turn, and get the bearing on the enemy. The Guntank's backpack opened up as two mechanical arms loaded a pair of 120mm cannon shells from the Guntank's Internal Magazine, and into the two cannons before closing up once more. A green light flashed upon Hardeen's console, signifying that she was ready to fire. Though as she was about to pull the trigger, she saw the flashes of light in the distance that caused her to hesitate. The Zaku Cannons were just that much faster. Her eyes grew wide as it appeared Time slowed to the crawl. Her heart beat sounding like a drum in her ears as she swore she could see one of those large shells coming right towards her canopy. If it was to strike, there would be no way for her to survive. For Hardeen, her life flashed before her eyes in that one brief millisecond as that shell slowly started to plummet down upon her position. She brought up her arms in a vain attempt to shield herself from the inevitable. Jamming her eyes shut, she started to whisper a prayer for her, and Aleki as a blinding flash of light washed over the entire canopy. Her final thought was that her friend would forgive her for getting them both killed. 'I should have been faster.' --------------------------------------------------------------- Aleki, and Hardeen waited for the ear splitting sound of metal tearing, glass shattering, and bone crushing destruction of their unit. The searing pain of the fiery demise that both were confident would be their fate seemed so close that they could taste it. Yet, nothing came to them. No Pain, no heat, not even a single vibration. Were they dead? Did they die instantly? If that was the case, Lilith, and Aleki both had to admit that it was far more pleasant than they expected. Rather anti-climatic really. Not that they would complain. There was an infinite amount of far worse ways to go. It would be Hardeen that would risk opening her eyes first after a full minute had passed. She slowly lowered her arms from where they were feebly attempting to shield her face and cracked her right eye just enough to get a peek. What greeted her was blackness at first. She couldn't see anything outside her canopy. The dull green glow of her instrument panel being the only illumination she would get. Hesitantly she opened both her eyes, and looked out. She still couldn't see anything at first, but slowly more, and more details started to appear as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. "You see anything, Aleki?" She called down with a cracking voice, afraid she was all alone. "No, my screens are dead." He called back up and took off an immense weight form the woman's shoulders. As the details of a subterranean landscape started to be discerned in the darkness, a fear started to creep up in the back of Hardeen's mind. It seemed impossible at first, but she failed to see any other conclusion. It began to appear that she and Aleki had died, and what was destined for them was not the bright pearly gates of ever lasting peace. She swallowed hard as she tried to remain calm, but the panic was quickly starting to seep into the fore front of her mind. She gripped the armrests of her chair as tightly as she could and felt her chest start rising and falling faster and faster. Were the walls closing in on her? Why was it suddenly so hard to breathe!? She wanted to scream, till either the canopy glass shattered or her throat bled, and plead for forgiveness for all her sins, and those sins that Aleki may have committed by extension. They were good people, they didn't deserve to rot in Hell. Especially not with all the Zeon bastards probably looking for vengeance for her sending them there! Fearful as she may have been, the fact that Hardeen was still in her Guntank emboldened her a bit. With a trembling hand, she took hold of the yoke before her, and slowly started to twist the Guntank's Torso to get a look around. Her mouth felt as dry as a desert she stared intently at what lay just beyond her canopy. Though soon, something caught her eye, and she stopped. She would sit there for a few moments, and simply stare. There, standing on what looked like a wooden cat walk was a small creature. It didn't look like the hellish Imps, Demons, or zombie swarm of evil Zeon she had expected, but the sight was still quite disconcerting to say the least. "Is that a...unicorn?" She asked in disbelief as she stared at the small unicorn pony that was looking up at her Guntank.