"And so...it's over." Master Zed remarked as he and the other mercenaries of Squadron Omega watched the Summerstar race closer and closer towards the forest below.
The airship was hurdling faster and faster, when a flash of red and gold light flash all over it as it disappeared into the trees.
"What is that?" asked one of the mercenaries.
"It must be the unicorns trying to stop the airship from crashing." said Master Zed. "Pointless, really. Even if they do land safely, we'll be there to finish them off."
Another pegasus in armor similar to that worn by the mercenaries flew towards the group.
"Sir, we have a new message from our employer." said the newcomer.
He gave Master Zed a package with an attached note. Zed read it:
Z, Your mission parameters have been updated; Once you have concluded your sabotage and assault of E.O.H.'s airship, your next mission will require you to scope out Ponyville and spy on the other E.O.H.. Contained in this package are files on the members in question. Like the previous group, your objective is not to kill the targets, but to weaken or cripple them. You may do as you wish, as long as it doesn't prove lethal. These are maximum-priority targets and are considered very important to Equestria as a whole. Good luck.
Master Zed opened the package, and read the files: it was none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle and her five Ponyville friends.
"Boys, these are our new targets." said Master Zed to his comrades, showing them the files. "We're staging another attack. Once this group is dealt with, the Princesses will be more than happy to wipe out the Neo-Equestrians."
"But they bear the Elements of Harmony." said one of the mercenaries. "How could we possibly--"
"Do not speak out of turn, soldier." said Master Zed. "Besides, the Elements of Harmony no longer exist, and all six of them are undoubtedly exhausted from their recent battle with Tirek."
"Of course, sir." said the mercenary.
Master Zed perused the files, before stopping on the file of the light-blue Pegasus with the multi-colored mane: Rainbow Dash. He took a moment to scrutinize the picture in her file. He started to breath more audibly under his mask.
"Of course, even I would be a fool to fight an Alicorn just yet." said Master Zed. "But this one, Rainbow Dash, is mine. Do what you will to the others, but leave this one to me. I've wanted to test myself against her for some time now."
"Yes, sir."
"And leave someone to keep an eye on this group." Master Zed pointed at the crash site. "I'm not going to let them get away that easily."
"Wake up!" said a voice into Sunset Shimmer's ear. "Please wake up!"
Sunset slowly opened her eyes, and slowly got back up. Her vision was slightly blurry, there was a ringing in her ears, and a part of her head was throbbing with pain.
"Ow..." she groaned. "What happened? Where are the others?"
After a moment, she realized she was laying in bed in a room she was unfamiliar with. She tried to get up.
"Take it easy, ma'am." said a stallion's voice. "We're at the Baltimare Medical College. You and your friends were brought here just in time."
The stallion was clearly a doctor. A Pegasus doctor, too.
"Thanks, but who are you?" asked Sunset. "And how did I get here?"
"Red Alarm." said the stallion. "Some guards from our town's garrison told me they saw your zeppelin crash not too far from town, so they rushed the whole lot of you over here."
"Thank you." said Sunset. "But I'd still like to know where my family and friends are."
"Hey, Sunny!" Radiant Dawn rushed into the room. "How ya doing, sis?"
He grabbed Sunset by the chest, and hugged her tight.
"Ahhh..." Sunset winced. "Red, you're...kinda squeezing my ribs!"
"Oh, sorry." Radiant said, letting go of his sister.
"Captain Dawn, I told you not to try grabbing her like that!" said Red Alarm, frowning.
"I said I was sorry." Radiant frowned in return.
"Radiant, are mom and dad okay?" Susnet asked quickly. "What about grandpa, and--"
"They're fine, Sunny." said Radiant, coolly.
"Thank Celestia..." sighed Sunset.
"But it looks like the Summerstar's down for good this time." said Golden Sun, who went inside to check on his children. "I just checked with some of the town guards. They said the airship's engines and ballast systems were destroyed, and most of the other parts were ripped to pieces when it landed in the forest."
"Frosty and Nose Nip won't be too happy." Sunset commented.
"Let's just hope Lionel Summerset doesn't find out about it." said Golden Sun. "He sure won't be too happy."
"Which reminds me..." said Radiant Dawn. "Who were those mercenaries? Where did they come from? And why did they attack us?"
"Squadron Omega." said a stallion's voice in the doorway. "That's who they were!"
Sunset, Radiant, Golden Sun, and Dr. Alarm all turned to see a familiar grayish-white pegasus with red-brown eyes and a shaggy brown-and-green mane. It was none other than the disguised King Craw.
Sunset gasped ecstatically, galloping forward and throwing her hooves around her boyfriend's neck.
"I just knew you would've made it!" she said.
"When did you get here?" asked Radiant.
"He was disguised as one of the mercenaries that boarded the Summerstar." Sunset let go to talk to the others.
"He was the turncoat that helped us, then?" asked Golden Sun.
"Yep." nodded Craw, putting a hoof around Sunset's neck. "Always a pleasure, to help my precious golden gal."
Suddenly, there was a squeak, announcing that Bathilda was flying overhead. She landed on Sunset's muzzle, and hugged it.
"Good to see you too, Bathilda." Sunset smiled.
Bathilda crawled off, and hung on the wall.
"A fruit bat, huh?" said Craw.
"Mm-hmm." said Sunset. "She's my little Bathilda."
Craw stared at the fruit bat curiously. The bat stared back, twitching her nose cautiously. She narrowed her eyes, and made a quiet hiss.
"What's wrong?" asked Sunset.
Bathilda just kept looking at Craw, cocking her head to the side with a scowl.
"You can trust him, sweetie." said Sunset. "He's mommy's boyfriend!"
Bathilda looked at her with a confused stare, then looked back at Craw. She shrugged, and then wrapped herself in her wings.
"It doesn't look like your bat likes me too much." Craw pointed out.
"Nah, it's okay." said Sunset. "She just needs some time to know you better."
"Speaking of knowing." said Golden Sun, turning to speak to Craw. "I'm glad that I got the chance to meet you. You're my daughter's boyfriend, huh?"
"That's right." said Craw. "We've been seeing each other for...quite a while now. Wish I coulda met y'all sooner, though."
Bathilda secretly peeked through her wings as she watched Sunset's boyfriend talk to Radiant Dawn.
"Something about that guy seems very weird." Bathilda thought. "He looks weird, he talks weird...ugh! And he even smells weird! Like a roadkilled stinkbug! Something's up with him, or I'm just a mouse with paper wings!"
Then she looked at Sunset.
"What does she see in him, anyway?" Bathilda thought some more. "Is it a pony thing that I don't get cuz I'm a bat? Or am I just being jealous for no reason? After all, I'm just a bat! A pet bat."
She frowned.
"Still, Sunset has always been nice to me. I guess I could trust her boyfriend if she says he's alright."
Frosty slowly tried to open his eyes.
"Wake up, hun'!" said the Bronx-accented voice of Sunflower Seed, who was leaning against Frosty's bed with her front hooves stretched out.
"Wut time'zit?" said Frosty, who was still dizzy.
"We're at the...uhh, Baltimare Medical...somethin'." said Sunflower. "The doctuh said'ja we got he'e just in time! Nuthuh minute, and it woulda been too late."
Frosty saw that there were bandages around Sunflower's torso, and a splint was cast around one of her hind legs.
"Busted up one'na my ribs when we crash-landed." Sunflower explained.
"Aw..." Frosty said softly. "Nopony should hurt yo' body like dat, baby..."
He tried to get up, but he felt intense pain in his spinal column, so he stayed where he was.
"Musta been da kirahpractah..." chuckled Sunflower.
"Chiropractor?" repeated Frosty.
"Yeah." said Sunflower. "He said the crash did a real numbah on yo' back! So you might have to stick around here a couple days."
"Welp." said Frosty. "At least it can't get worse..."
Suddenly, there were heavy hooffalls, announcing that somepony was hurrying rapidly towards the door, which swung open. Standing in the doorway was a unicorn mare with a graying azure mane and a silver coat.
"Oh...hi, ma." said Frosty.
"Thank Celestia that you're all right, son." said Mrs. Flake. "When I heard you were in Baltimare, I was exciting. But do you have any idea how scared silly I was when I found out you were in the hospital? I've wanted you to come visit me, not make me have to visit you!"
"Ma, don't worry 'bout it!" chuckled Frosty. "Heh, heh...I've been through worse. This is nothin' compared'ta last Spring."
"So, yo' his momma, huh?" Sunflower approached Mrs. Flake.
"That's right." said Frosty's mother. "And uh...who might you be?"
"She's my girlfriend." said Frosty.
"Sunflower Seed, at yo' soiviss!" smiled Sunflower. "We've been together almost two months!"
"Frosty, I'm impressed." said Mrs. Flake, turning to her son with a neutral expression on her face. "You managed to go steady with somepony that long without moving on to someone else, huh?"
"Yeh..." muttered Frosty.
"Good for you, dear." Mrs. Flake turned to Sunflower. "If you're lucky, he'll stick around almost as much as my husband did. I hope you know how to keep him in his place. Anypony gives him an inch, he trots all over them..."
"Oh, ma..." scoffed Frosty.
Then they heard Pressure Point's voice rambling in the hall:
"For the love of Celestia, what does it take for a stallion to get a decent rest around here?"
He went into the room, cradling an icebag along his head.
"I could hear you all babbling like idiots from next..." Pressure paused, and looked at Mrs. Flake. "Mo...Mom?!"
He dropped his icebag in shock.
"Son?!" Mrs. Flake replied after a pause, equally as surprised.
Sunflower was wide-eyed, her jaw dropping.
"Uh...what?!" Frosty jumped as he laid on the bed so fast, he ended up pulling too hard on his back, and fell over.