Two figures walked side-by-side through underground corridors, attracting many gazes. Twilight wasn't sure if the primary culprit was her, or her companion. Walking along on two thin legs, his small, slim form could have easily been mistaken for a toy. Especially with the short tail and other draconic features.
He had always liked those.
The little dragon spoke to her in his standard, monotone voice. Only she seemed to be able to read his emotions properly:
"We seem to attract a fair deal of attention."
"Aw, come on, Spike! You always wanted to have fans."
"Perhaps, but now I find myself thrust into this position far too quickly for my liking. Further, some of them seem," he turned his elongated head to glance at the onlookers, then back to her, "unsure. On the precipice between positive and negative emotion."
"Well, we do have pretty big boots to fill around here," she sighed, "pretty big boots."
"Don't worry. If my memory data is correct, we can exceed expectations."
"Heh, that's the spirit!"
Before long, they entered the lowest parts of Canterlot's hangar bay. There, the mechs of the resistance were tended to by teams of mechanics after missions. It was also where the salvaged remains of the fallen were repurposed for future combat. Three were currently in the middle of such a process.
Unicorn and draconite headed towards the giant that stood out among the rest. Relatively short and robust, the mech was painted in a creamy yellow, dotted with pink butterflies, of all things. Where there was still any paint left, anyway. Scrapes, burns and other marks of battle damage dotted the metal. Strange devices rested on its shoulders and arms, and Spike most certainly noticed:
"Peculiar. I've never seen armaments like those before."
"You can ask her all about them, don't you worry."
Some of the plating on the mech's leg had been removed and a lone figure was performing maintenance on an elevated platform. Her creamy yellow coat, pink hair and simple work clothes were stained from a mixture of oil and grease, but even so, Twilight could tell she was quite the beauty. A small, orb-like drone hovered next to her, two large antennas clicking through the air.
As they got closer, a humming could be heard. It was a simple tune, but the voice that created it was positively lovely. They got closer and stood at the foot of the platform. The drone noticed them almost immediately, but the mechanic seemed lost in her own little world. It tilted its entire body from left to right, its green lens flashing for a moment, then it nudged her shoulder with a small extendable arm.
"Oh," she spoke out, her voice like a breeze tickling the ears, "what is it, Angel?"
He emitted a series of beeps, then turned to the newcomers once more. Fluttershy looked down and gasped, while Twilight waved awkwardly:
"Umm, hello!"
"O-oh, goodness, lady Sparkle! Sorry, I didn't see you! Be right there," with the pull of a lever, the platform descended back down to ground level, "t-terribly sorry, I-I always just lose myself when I'm," she suddenly froze when her gaze drifted to Twilight's own robotic companion, "oh, my!"
With uncanny swiftness, she hopped off the platform and knelt down to the little dragon's level. The little robot exclaimed:
"Greetings. I am Spike."
"You must the little robot I've been hearing about! You're with Lady Sparkle, then?"
"Yes. The two of us are partners."
"Darn right we are," Twilight joined in on the conversation, "we've been together ever since I was a filly."
"Your customised chassis is so well-made!"
"Thank you."
"Sorry if I'm a bit forward, but this is so exciting! Oh, gosh, if you were made back then... are you outfitted with a Mark Three Personality Core?"
"Mark Three-point-Two, actually. Technically experimental, but stable."
"That's amazing! I never thought I'd," Angel nudged her again, emitting another series of beeps, "oh, come off it, you dummy! No one could ever replace you!"
She grabbed hold of the orb-bot and hugged him to her chest. It wiggled its antennas a little, its beeps more relaxed and drawn out. The unicorn said:
"Heh, your little friend seems to have some personality to him, as well."
"Uhuh. Mark Two. Managed to salvage it from a scrapheap when I was little. Took me months to get it into a workable state. Then I built Angel around it," an excited beep sounded and Fluttershy giggled, "yes, you are. I don't know what I'd do without him, he keeps me organised," her smile faded as she looked at Twilight, "and keeps me company. I've never been good around people, I'm sure you could tell. Always been better with machines and tech."
"That explains a lot, actually. I came here to thank you. The work you performed on my combat armour is marvellous."
"O-oh! I'm so glad it fit you! You're lucky Rarity is a perfectionist. Her measurements made the design part almost too easy. Good thing, too. Your neural implants are the most extensive I've ever seen."
"Heh, let me tell you, getting used to them wasn't easy."
"I can't even imagine!"
Twilight still could, though. Vividly.
Being forced to wait in terror, strapped to the operating table, constantly being reminded that she needed to calm down. She had been fighting through the sedatives with sheer fear and doubts. Reading about all the ways such implantation could go wrong the previous night turned out to be a horrible idea. That was when a concerned visage entered her cone of view.
Her mane shone with a plethora of colours, at odds with the snow-white shade of her coat. One hand reached out and caressed Twilight's cheek, even as the barely-adult girl shivered. She would never forget that soothing voice:
"Do not worry, Twilight. You're strong. One little surgery can't possibly stop you."
A dragon-like construct danced at the edge of her vision, but she continued looking into the princess' purple eyes. With a sigh, she asked:
"D-do you mean it?"
"Of course. I'd never lie to the best student I've ever had."
"Then I will see you after the surgery."
"I will be there."
And Celestia kept her promise. The first thing Twilight could discern after waking up, other than excruciating pain, was a long sigh of relief.
"Lady Sparkle?"
She blinked and was back among the living:
"Oh, sorry. You were saying?"
"A short tangent on your implants. Sorry, I sometimes just gush over these things, Lady Sparkle."
"Just Twilight."
"Twilight, right. I would love to talk some more, but I really should get back to repairs," Fluttershy glanced at the opened-up leg, "need to make sure the servos are right after the scruff we had."
"Anything we can do to help?"
"Hmmm, actually, yes! Come with me," they got onto the platform and slowly rose back to its maximum height, "I need to do a little stress test. The shield array on this leg failed during the last fight. If you could just fuel a few systems with your magic, I think I should be able to isolate the issue."
The unicorn nodded:
"Got it. Just tell me when... and what to power, actually."
"The generator is the orange cylinder there in the middle," she pointed, "just a teency bit should do. I just need to study the readings while the system is online."
Twilight concentrated and let the magic flow. Despite her previous experiences, there was always something mesmerising about watching the inner workings of such machines. Following the flow of power and all that. The shield system was powered, though remained inactive. Fluttershy grabbed a small, blocky device and said:
"Alright. Increase potency, please," as she said that, the array came to life, emitting a see-through barrier of energy around the mech's leg, "just a little longer," the shield suddenly crackled with small jolts of energy, "you can stop now."
She withdrew her hand and the array returned to a dormant state in a few moments. Twilight smiled at the mechanic:
"Found the culprit?"
"Mmmhmm," she nodded enthusiastically, "thank you. Fixing it shouldn't take long. The others are working fine, thankfully."
Spike's draconid form waddled closer as he asked:
"So the other devices are shield projectors, as well?"
"Some of them are amplified deflectors."
"Arrays of such size must drain large amounts of energy. How do you have enough for weapon systems?"
Fluttershy giggled:
"Simple. I don't have any weapon systems."
"Does not compute."
She walked over to the titan and ran her hand against its plating:
"I... I could never do it. Fight, I mean. I'm a lousy shot, for one. More importantly, I could never bring myself to break something. Especially not something as wonderful as a frame or mech. As a dedicated defender, I still get to help out."
"Wonderful, huh," Twilight cocked an eyebrow, "I could understand that connected to the mechs, but the frames? The merciless killing machines of the Empire?"
"Oh, I know, what they do is awful," she smiled sheepishly, "but they're amazing otherwise! Form factor aside, their design is supremely efficient and streamlined! Precise construction to fulfil their function."
"I can't help but agree," Spike chimed in, which prompted Angel to beep, as well.
The student glanced at her friends, old and new, and just sighed:
"As I am outnumbered, I tactically withdraw from this argument."
The two ponies shared a laugh, while the robots emitted a whole plethora of sounds to express their delight. A shout suddenly echoed through the hangar:
"Hey, Fluttershy," they all turned to see the semi-mechanized form of Rainbow Dash walking towards them, "I just got back from a patrol and one of my thrusters was acting funky. Could you take a look at it?"
"As soon as I'm done here," the engineer's volume was much less impressive overall.
"Thanks, you're awesome!"
Before Rainbow turned to leave, she made a strange gesture with her fingers. It looked like a heart, though some of the fingers kept moving, akin to a set of wings. Fluttershy returned the gesture, which only made Twilight more curious:
"What was that?"
"Pegasus at heart. We were born off-world, on Cloudsdale, it's a custom there. I've known Rainbow ever since I was a filly, so it comes naturally."
"That's so sweet," she smiled, "you know what's strange, Fluttershy? For someone who says she has trouble with people, you seem to have found the best friends around."
"I know, right? I'm so lucky."
They shared one last giggle before parting ways.
The mess hall was quaint. The decorations, while still sparse, gave it a very homely atmosphere. Amazing what a few pictures and assorted balloons could do to an otherwise drab place. The Cakes, as the ones in charge, knew their stuff, apparently. The food was fairly appetizing, as well. Still clearly a product of a lack of resources, but by golly they had done their best.
As she toyed with the substance on her plate absent-mindedly, a friendly voice reached her:
"Ya' better eat up before it gets cold, sugarcube."
Applejack had a wide grin on her face as she sat down. The clothes she wore had to have been made just for her. Twilight couldn't imagine her in clothes of a size similar to what most others wore. Yet, even though Honesty towered over her even in a sitting position, Twilight did not feel the least bit nervous or intimidated. The gentle giant's smile was simply disarming.
Finally, she replied:
"Oh, hey, Applejack. Came for some grub?"
"Ya' bet," she took a nice, big bite out of her quasi-sandwich, then spoke while chewing, "ya' seemed a bit lost in thought there. Somethin' troublin' ya'?"
"No, well... only a bit. Just a bit under pressure, afraid I won't live up to expectations."
"Heh, we've all been there, Ah reckon," she finished chewing and swallowed, "listen, don't worry about it none. Ah've seen what ya' can do first-hoof. As long as ya' keep givin' it yer all, all's gonna' be fine, ya' hear?"
"Heh, thanks."
As the gentle giant smiled, a new, high-pitched voice spread through the mess hall:
"Applejack!"
Faster than a speeding bullet, three new forms sat down next to them. Even from a brief glance, Twilight somehow got the vibe that they were inseparable. All three were young, somewhere in their late teens, and energetic.
One sat down right next to Applejack, and while her yellow coat and red mane did not indicate as much, a closer look revealed several similarities between the two. Similar muzzle structure and other common facial features. Family, perhaps? The pink bow that kept her hair from overwhelming her face was definitely cute, though.
The second was more reserved than the other two. Her coat was of a familiar, snow-white colour, her mane showed signs of both violet and pink. And it was all rather stylishly done, too! A tiny horn was just large enough to peek out from among the hair.
Finally, there was the orange, obvious adventurer of the trio. Her purple mane was short and brushed into an extravagant mohawk. Scratches, bruises and even a few scars could be seen here and there, but no sign of any other serious injury.
Honesty immediately chuckled and said:
"Well, hey there! You look hungry!"
"That's cuz we are," that same accent, too, "we spent the whole day trainin', ya' know?"
"Heheh," Applejack turned back to the student, "Twilight, this here is mah sister, Apple Bloom."
"Heya'!" the smaller Apple smiled
"Then there's Rarity's sis, Sweetie Belle."
"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Sparkle," complete with a small bow.
"And finally, the lil' daredevil here is Scootaloo."
"Great to meet someone so rad!" Twilight couldn't help but feel a hint of another daredevil somewhere in there.
"And it's great to meet all of you," she chuckled, "by the looks of it, you three are quite the friends."
"Heh, now that there is an understatement. These lil' buggers do everythin' together."
"We sure do!" they spoke in unison, shared a look, then giggled.
"Even have their own fancy codename."
"Oh, what is it?"
They shared another look and Scootaloo took the lead:
"The Crusaders!"
Apple Bloom continued:
"We ride out fer scrap collectin', mostly."
Sweetie Belle finished:
"Or when people need evacuating, though, that is rare."
"Heh, well, I'm sure you do a great job. You seem to have the teamwork part of it figured out."
The group chatted for a while more, though only she and Sweetie Belle seemed to speak without their mouths full. Time passed quickly and they soon exited the mess hall and parted ways. At least, that was what Twilight had thought. A suddenly very timid voice called out from behind her:
"Lady Sparkle?"
She turned around to see the younger Apple sister, not flanked by her fellows, and commented:
"Oh, Apple Bloom. Did you need something?"
"Ah j-just wanted to thank ya'. AJ told me how ya' used yer magic when they went ta' wake ya' up. How ya' saved all of 'em."
"I wouldn't go that far, but I helped."
"Sis also said ya' never give yerself credit. Listen, Ah... sis is everythin' to me. She's the only family Ah still have," without warning, she flung herself around Twilight, "so thank ya'. Thank ya' so much," Twilight was caught off-guard, but returned the gesture before long, "and could I ask one more thing?"
"Of course."
"Please, look after mah sis. Same way she looks after me."
"I promise."
They broke the embrace. Apple Bloom smiled at her one last time, before darting to catch up to her fellow Crusaders. Twilight stood in the hallway for a few more seconds, then cracked a smile herself.
She would do her best.
The alarm had sounded and what had to be all of the base's combat-ready personnel rushed to the briefing room. The place was positively packed, yet she still didn't have trouble picking out any familiar places. Spitfire stood above it all, a holographic map hovering in the air next to her as she spoke:
"Roughly two hours ago, we lost contact with Delta-Phi, one of our forward monitoring stations. Twenty-five minutes ago, we started receiving a distress signal from the location. Needless to say, the trap is as obvious as they get. Ordinarily, we would simply mourn those lost, but Delta-Phi was assigned several crucial mission and holds information vital to the rebellion at large," an uneasy murmur spread through the assembled personnel, "the retrieval of the information should be relatively simple. The problem is getting a team in unnoticed. They would require a distraction. This may very well be a suicide mission for anyone involved as we're effectively going in blind. I will not order a sortie, even with said information at stake. We have few enough forces as is. But I will ask one thing. Are there any volunteers for this mission among you?"
Twilight glanced throughout the crowd, even as they did the same. Then, she found that group of familiar faces. Rainbow, arms crossed, looked at the team assembled around her. One by one, the others around her nodded, though Fluttershy only with extreme trepidation. Afterwards, she raised her mechanical arm and said:
"The Rainbooms volunteer for the mission."
The area devolved into more murmurs and surprised gasps. There was no doubt in the student's mind that they would intensify as soon as she raised her own hand:
"I would wish to join them, as well."
She spotted the very hint of a smile form on Spitfire's muzzle. What she also spotted was Applejack and Apple Bloom, their gazes locked for what seemed like an eternity. Two immovable objects locked in a staring contest. Finally, the older sister took a deep breath, sighed, then nodded her head.
The trio raised their arms in unison, though only the Apple spoke:
"The Crusaders volunteer for the retrieval."
Spitfire nodded and sighed herself.
"I totally knew you would say yes! I mean, I had my lingering doubts fostered by years of bad things, but those weren't even a consideration in my head at the time!"
"C-can't... breathe..."
"Oh, sorry."
As soon as Pinkie released her from a vice-like grip, Twilight took a series of deep, blissful breaths. The squad was gathered in the hangar bay, around one of the four armoured legs of Rarity's monstrous mech. Fluttershy still had work to do, after all. The tailor was the first to comment once Twilight caught her breath:
"It is wonderful to have you on board, darling."
"Heh, sure is. A bit a' magic never hurts."
Twilight looked at them with a nervous smile:
"Really, it's the least I could do. And besides," she shot a playful smile in the daredevil's direction, "I still need to teach Rainbow those tricks."
"Oh, I see how it is," the group devolved into laughter as she rubbed the bottom of her muzzle, "I think you need a callsign, Twilight."
"Well, what should it be?"
"If you haven't noticed, our 'theme' is extremely corny, but descriptive. So, we just need to find what describes you best and sounds like something from a B movie."
"I think I can get behind that, heheh."
They thought about it for a little while, going through such masterpieces as 'Egghead', 'Horny' and 'Deus ex Machina' without too much success. Then, however, a fair voice sounded from an elevated platform above them, between sounds of intense welding:
"Magic."
The Rainbooms shared looks, then enthusiastic nods. Rainbow smirked:
"Then it's settled! I hereby declare your callsign to be Magic!"
"It's great to have it!"
They all chuckled and raised their hands into the air, curled into fists. Angel descended from above to step in for his creator. The others shouted in unison, even Fluttershy was audible:
"Rainbooms, now and forever!"
They glanced at Twilight and she joined in with a smile:
"Rainbooms, now and forever!"
And while the others laughed, Twilight gasped. Without warning, a jolt of raw energy ran through her body, overwhelming her senses. Her knees buckled and only Applejack's swift response kept her from falling onto the ground. Rarity gasped dramatically, while Pinkie screamed:
"Twilight," she latched onto the unicorn like a gentle leech, "oh my gosh, did I crush your lungs, I didn't mean to!"
"No, no, I'm fine, just," her world finally stopped spinning, "got dizzy there all of a sudden."
"Geez, Twilight," Rainbow was trying to hide worry with a stupid grin, unsuccessfully, "when you said tricks, I didn't assume you meant 'play dead'."
Twilight couldn't help it. In that moment, she simply burst out laughing and the others joined in with gusto.
The Rainbooms were ready for action.