"Tell me again why we're doing this?"
Inside the spawn room of Target, Chronicle was looking at Tasic, who was positioning a videocam on a tripod. The spawn room was small, had windows showing the training area, two computer-like machines, a door with a frosted window that had the words "Top Secret", a trash bin close to it, a steel door with a "barring entry" sign on it, and an off blue light that read "Exit".
The former (who wasn't wearing his Heavy uniform at the moment) was reading a script while asking the latter why he was making a video. A few other people have joined Tasic, all with the Story Crew insignia (or as Pinkie Pie calls it, "Chronicle's cutie mark") on their clothes.
One of them wore the lab coat and gloves the RED and BLU Medics wore (why they looked the same nobody knows) and even his appearance was similar, but he looked like a nicer fellow, was younger and shorter, and had amber eyes in comparison to the Medic's blue. His name was Jothicu and he's the medical researcher who'll be assisting Chronicle and the Equestria natives.
The second wore clothes similar to the Engineers', down to the hard hat and welding glove, and could very well have been him if he were a foot taller and had green eyes (the Engineer's were blue). His name was Thenam and he was in charge of managing the simulations and all things technological.
Tasic was in charge of two things. One was choreography, which he was doing right now with Chronicle. The other was training supervision, which he has the gear for thanks to Thenam.
"Well, as we'll be joining in the fight soon, I thought I'd make some videos featuring you guys of EqU.", Tasic explained to Chronicle.
"EqU?"
"Equestria Union." Tasic took out an illustration board that was one quarter the size of a flag one would hoist up a flagpole. The left half was colored dark blue and showed a white crescent moon at the right edge, although its edges were cut off by the right half. This half was colored white and showed a shining sun at the left edge, but was cut off by the left half. In the middle were the letters 'E', 'q', and 'U'. Upon a second look, Chronicle realized the shining sun looked like Princess Celestia's cutie mark, and the moon was supposed to represent Princess Luna. "Sorry if it doesn't look good. It's stiil in the works."
"It doesn't really make much sense." Chronicle turned to two illustration boards that lay leaning on a wall, depicting the logos of RED and BLU.
"Well, my first idea was PONY and a backronym for it, but I felt that wouldn't be fair to Spike."
"Oh, I see what you mean."
In addition to their training, Chronicle and the eight Equestria natives have learned a bit more about the rivaling companies RED and BLU. RED stood for Reliable Excavation and Demolition while BLU stood for Builder's League United. Both are companies that secretly control the entire world and are headed by the Mann brothers, who are bitter rivals and fight over everything. Why they have continued fighting for so long is because of a will left by their father, but he doesn't know much of it yet.
And what's worse? Someone called the Administrator is secretly in control of both RED and BLU and wishes for the battles to continue for some purpose unknown to Tasic. He promised to find out more while Chronicle and the others practiced. But for now…
"Let's get this video over with, shall we?"
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At the training area in Target, the others were practicing with their new gear. Currently, Derpy Hooves was at the wooden booth, alternating between her rocket launcher, shotgun, and shovel as she attacked the wooden practice targets that popped out from under the floor. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie were in other sections of the training area, practicing on other targets and sticking to the sides in case Derpy ends up shooting a stray rocket at them, (although given that this was Derpy, barriers were set up just in case). As for Spike, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity, the latter three were standing idly by next to the chain-link fence while the baby dragon was leaning on it.
"Man, this training is hard work.", he said as he took out his stick with a crystal on it. Now that he's got a closer look, it seemed to have a familiar appearance in his eyes. "Hmm…this reminds me of…of…" He was drooling as he continued to look. Then he decided to lick it. "A fire ruby!" He then proceeded to lick away at it like it was hard candy. He could just eat it up, but this was also his weapon, and he knew that gems were pretty tough. This earned him various stares from the others, then they ignored him. "Hmm…not quite like it, but no use being picky."
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Once the camera was ready to record, Chronicle tapped on the 'card' strapped to him and, in a flash, he was now in his Heavy uniform. Moving from where Tasic told him to be in, he trotted forward, carrying his minigun with telekinesis. While he's certainly capable of carrying it manually, it was quite…well, heavy and the script he was given said that he carry it this way.
As he walked towards the camera, he reached a cardboard box ahead of him and set it down on it. He then stopped close to the box.
"Okay. Now introduce yourself.", said Tasic as he stood behind the camera.
"My name is Chronicle.", he said. "I serve as EqU's Heavy Weapons Pony, the Heavy for short." He then lay a hoof on the minigun. "This is the weapon Heavies use. Now, I'm not gonna go about the complicated mathematics behind this bad boy, but I'll tell you that it's heavy, it shoots plenty of bullets, and it shoots them fast."
"Okay. Now tell us your difference between the Heavies RED and BLU employed."
"While I may be weaker than those big guys, I'm faster than them. This gun of mine isn't gonna weigh me down that much, given what you've just seen me do earlier. No, I'm not gonna name it; that's just silly, my friend Pinkie Pie would say. I think I'm smarter than the RED and BLU Heavies, but that won't help me stop them or their bullets."
"Cut.", Tasic said as he stopped recording. "Damn, I think I found some flaws in the script."
"Tell me about it. I sounded like an idiot." Just then, there was an explosion, then a collision. The two of them turned to see the chain-link fence destroyed. Derpy was holding her rocket launcher the wrong way, and the others were huddled in fright.
"Oops.", Derpy apologized. "My bad."
Then they saw Spike plastered to the window they were looking out from. "Now how didn't we notice him sooner?"
"I know, right?" As Spike slid down the window, Chronicle raised a hoof and not-so-gently kicked Tasic in the shin with it. "Oww."
"Say that one more time and I'll smack you again. It's getting irritating."
"Sorry."
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Later, Tasic used his portal device to take the newly formed EqU Team (who had their gear turned 'off' for the moment) to a place called Dustbowl. Together with his crew, they were taken to what was called the 'spawn room'. It was very dusty, and it reminded Rarity a bit of the mines where she was ponynapped to by the Diamond Dogs, although the lighting was yellow. There was a metal cabinet similar to the one back when they first came into this world. There were rails for a mine cart and the only visible exit was up a wooden staircase, but it was blocked by a 'chain-link door'.
"All right.", said Thenam. "Let's review. Your mission here is to take the control point of the opposing team on the other side of this area. You take a control point by standing on it. The more of you there are, the faster it will take. All control points must be captured to achieve victory."
"I know it's still difficult to get used to, but as long as your panels are active and thus in your fighting gear, you cannot die.", added Jothicu. "When you get…taken out, you will be transported to a limbo room where you'll see how the rest of your team is doing. You can also communicate with them like to warn about something that sent you here. If you weren't taken down in one hit like from a Sniper's headshot or a Spy's backstab, you'll also be patched up by healing energy similar to those from the Medi Guns all Medics wield. After a couple of seconds, you'll be transported back to the spawn room, weapons fully loaded."
"Any questions?", asked Tasic. One hoof was raised; Twilight Sparkle's. "Yes, Twilight?"
"About this Respawn system, how does it work?"
"Good question.", said Thenam. "Ours doesn't operate like the system the RED and BLU Engineers designed, but it works like theirs. Each of your panels detect your life signs as well as immediate threats that can end it upon impact. When the latter is detected in the form of a projectile, fire, a bludgeon, or a backstab, it activates its self-preservation mechanism, and takes you to the limbo room. If you want to know more about ours or theirs, ask me after the mission, okay?"
"Okay."
"Well, mission begins in sixty seconds, so you better get ready." With that, Thenam, Jothicu, and Tasic walked down the rails and were gone, leaving the EqU team alone.
Twilight turned to her teammates as they all approached the staircase and tapped their cards, changing into their gear.
"Well, anypony got a plan?"
"I say we just wing it.", proposed Rainbow Dash.
"Wing it?"
"I think she means we should just improvise.", guessed Applejack. "Go without a plan."
Twilight seemed offended at this, then turned to Chronicle, who usually has a plan whenever she doesn't. He noticed and said, "I'm sorry to say this, Twilight, but I'll have to agree with Rainbow. None of us have any experience in battle. Well, I do, but not in this kind or with this gear. Other than the basics, winging it is all we can do. Besides, Tasic will evaluate us on our progress and point out our mistakes. And after enough of that, then we can make a plan."
"Mission begins in thirty seconds.", called out Tasic from the speakers.
"Do you think we can make it through this?", asked Fluttershy.
Chronicle took a deep breath and paused for a few seconds. "We have to.", he answered. "If we can't, then we've got no chance against BLU or RED, and we can't get you back home."
"Mission begins in ten seconds.", came Tasic.
"So let's give it our all, and show them that just because we look cute to them doesn't mean we can't kick ass!"
"Cute?!" Rainbow Dash gave him a stern look.
"Five." Tasic.
"Chronicle—"
"Four."
"Who're you calling cute?"
"Three."
"Shut it, Dash.", snapped Applejack.
"Two."
"It's starting."
"One."
"Let's do this.", declared Spike.
And with that, the door opened and the nine ran/flew into the fray, Rainbow Dash and Chronicle screaming their heads off, and the latter gunning down a BLU simulation Soldier that happened to be already in range of his minigun.
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And that's it for now.
"What?! Ending it that way?!"
Yeah. Sorry. I don't actually play Team Fortress 2.
"But you never really played Kingdom Hearts either."
I played Birth by Sleep. And Chain of Memories.
"But you've written your Kingdom Hearts Remake series long before the former, while the latter is played differently."
Well, I couldn't find other sources of inspiration for Team Fortress 2 apart from videos.
Chronicle gives a sigh. "I'm not gonna argue any longer."
Good to hear. I will not be interacting with Pinkie Pie in this fic. See ya on Third!