"So did you do it? Did you mess him up, I mean?"
"Patience, you old hag. This kind of magic takes time to work effectively..."
"Fine, fine! As long as it happens before they TRICK ME into coming out of hiding again!"
"That's your own fault."
"FOOL."
The shadowy mare sighed and leaned against the cave wall. How could she have gotten stuck working for such an idiot?
~~~
"Heavy, quit yer bangin' over there, some of us are tryin' tah sleep..."
"Heavy is not banging. Thought it was you."
This caused engineer to sit up and rub his eyes, looking around the barn cautiously. As he did so, the banging stopped. Engie and Heavy both remained silent for a good ten minutes, desperate to hear the sound again. Engineer broke the silence by asking, "Do ya think it's one of them Apples? They might be out doin'... somethin'..."
"In middle of night?"
"...That is odd. Hang on." Engie reached into his bad to find his construction PDA, and let out a low whine when he realized that he didn't have enough material for a mini sentry. "Dagnabbit... Heavy, do ya think ya can find me some spare metal around this massive ol' barn? I can put up a little sentry just in case somethin' IS wanderin' around out there..."
Heavy grunted and slowly heaved himself up from the hay bed, shaking off extra pieces of the scratchy material. Engineer decided on a different approach, and lifted his destruction PDA. He took out the teleporter, and waited patiently for Heavy to return with metal. Once he did, Engineer rebuilt the teleporter in a secure corner of the barn. "I'm gonna go back and get the big sentry and dispenser. Can y'all help grab the weapons we got stored there?"
Heavy grunted again, and stood on top of the teleporter. The two of them worked for a good hour or so before finally setting up a secure nest in the barn. Engineer yawned and stared at the sky, which was still dark. "I give it about three hours until sunrise. What do you think, Heavy?"
"Two hours and thirty minutes."
"That works too. Say, do y-" Engineer was immediately cut off by the sound of more banging. Heavy wanted to grab Sasha, but lifted his Tomislav instead because of the silent barrel spin. Engineer jumped and hid behind his sentry, wrench secured tightly in his tail. "Somethin' sounds angry out there..."
Heavy snorted, and moved towards the barn door with his minigun, stepping as lightly as he could. The two stallions were ready to attack with full force... After more banging, Engineer pulled out his Wrangler and started aiming it at corners of the barn. The thuds continued to get louder and louder, until Engineer was sure that something was behind him. For the next three hours, Engineer and Heavy stood there in dead silence, watching and waiting. Whatever it was either got bored and left, or simply decided not to attack. For another ten minutes, Heavy and Engineer waited to see if the sound would return. When they heard nothing, Engie dropped his wrangler and fell forward onto the ground, utterly exhausted. Heavy let out some mixture of a sigh and a groan, and finally set down the Tomislav.
"Heavy... do you suppose that whatever's been sneakin' 'round here is gone...?"
"Do not know. Though I suspect. Apple ponies are waking up."
Engineer strapped his goggles back on and tugged his hard hat over his head, letting out a massive yawn. "We gotta... help them out today..."
Heavy grunted and pushed his gun back to the stockpile of weapons. "Engineer must rest. Has gotten no sleep."
"Well neither did you, partner... If ahm sleeping then you're sleepin'!"
Heavy shakes his head, and slowly moves to the barn doors. "Heavy is used to little sleep. Has also seen what Engineer is like without sleep. None of us want that." He closed the barn doors slightly, but still wide enough for him to move in and out of. "Heavy will close these doors when he leaves. Engineer will sleep in corner with sentry. If whatever attacks returns to the barn, Heavy will be back."
Before Engie could protest, the doors were closed. He sighed and laid down on the cold floor, almost immediately drifting off to sleep.
"Mornin' Heavy! You and the Engineer have a good sleep?"
"Net. We did not sleep at all."
The Apples stopped and stared at him, noticing how tired he was.
"Gosh... why not? Did somethin' happen?"
"Apple ponies will not worry about it. We are fine. Do not wake up Engineer. He is asleep. We are fine."
The Apples didn't seem too convinced, but they obliged, and went about their business. Big Mackintosh brought Heavy over to the plows, and he gladly did three rows at once. Meanwhile in the barn, Engineer was once again wide awake. He continuously heard that terrible knocking sound, and it was slowling grinding a hole of annoyance in his brain. Engie tore down a support in the barn, and used the parts to build two more sentry guns as well as three more minis. He also set up a small camera system, connected to the dispenser. The barn was now his base of operations, guarded by three large sentries, two dispensers, and four mini sentries. He set up lights inside, although dim ones. His better mind was telling him not to get this defensive, but while sleep deprived, the Engineer is known for having exaggerated emotions.
He remained in the corner, huddled behind a dispenser and a sentry gun. Suddenly, two of the smaller guns went off, rapidly shooting at something in the corner. Engie snapped his head up, and hissed at whatever was there. He shut down the sentries, grabbed a flashlight, and aimed it at the dark corner. He dropped the flashlight in horor, and stepped away, tripping over the light as he went.
~~~
"Good morning boys! I've made waffles, toast, hay strips, we have cereal, juice, and oranges. Come down as soon as you're ready!" Rarity bounced away from their doors, as both Sniper and Spy groaned. They were both VERY uneager to get up. Sniper tossed his akubra on, and opened his door just as Spy did. The two of them locked eyes for a second, smirked at the appearance of the other as a pony, and walked downstairs.
"Ya know, you look better as a colorful horse."
"I can say ze same for you, bushman."
~~~
"THANK YOU FOR BREAKFAST, SHUTTERFLY!"
"U-Um... it's... Fluttershy..."
"Och, tha's right Solly, learn the lass' name will ye? She's bein' so kinda as ta let us stay here, ye might as well call 'er the right thing! I dunnae know how ye haven't gone mad yet lass, Solly's a lotta work."
"O-Oh it's really not a problem... I'm used to a lot of craziness because of all my animals...."
"Good, because we can really get a LOT crazier than this!"