• Published 30th Nov 2013
  • 1,368 Views, 127 Comments

Twilight's Experiments: The War of Mann Co. 2 - MIKEANTHONY321



Our favorite cast of hoofed mercenaries have returned in the sequel to Team Fortress 2's biggest bloodbath!

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Attack/Defend Mode

Battle Arena #6: Mountain Lab (Attack/Defend)

Luckily, teleporters existed from Hightower to Mountain Lab. No one would have to walk. This was great news, since Mountain Lab was in a boreal forest, and Hightower was in an arid desert.

Rainbow Dash was just stepping off the teleporter when Red Scout suddenly appeared through it without warning. Rainbow Dash gasped sharply, and toppled to the ground.

“Hey, watch it! You almost tele-fragged me!” She scolded. “Wait a minute before you go flying through the porter after someone else!”

“Hey, my bad, Skittles. Is something wrong?” Red Scout asked.

Rainbow Dash looked at the ground, and sighed thoughtfully. Red Scout urged her to spill the beans.

“It’s your team BLU counterpart. He’s been real selfish towards me and my friend Fluttershy lately.” She responded. “…I…kind of liked him before that though.”

For the first time since her arrival, Red Scout actually saw his companion’s face turn a little pink. She looked toward the ground.

He smiled. “Ah, forget about ‘im! Ya still got me, right? We’re cool; we’re cool.”

Rainbow Dash smiled lightly. Red Scout patted her on the back, and handed her a Crit-a-Cola.

………………………………………

Red Sniper appeared through the teleporter behind them, shaking his head and sighing. An exasperated face of confusion dominated his face.

“What? What did I do wrong? Aye, this bloody troubling. Could use a shot right about now. Or two.” He grumbled.

“Vhat is your problem, schveinhund?” Red Medic hissed.

“It’s Twily, mate! I’ve never in my natural-born life seen her in such a state! I…I don’t know what I did to hurt her so bloody much!” Red Sniper replied.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. She picked up her pace a little bit, trying to stay away so she wouldn’t cause suspicion of her knowledge.

Red Scout jogged to keep up with her. “Whoa man, Crit-a-Cola isn’t supposed to speed you up! Wait…maybe it does…” He muttered.

“That’s not why I’m walking faster! Just come on, and stay quiet!” Rainbow Dash rasped in a menacing whisper.

Red Scout held his hands up, smiling. “Relax, Skittles! It’s not like you’re a Spy trying to keep his cover or anything.”

The duo could hear Red Sniper and Red Medic arguing behind them. Rainbow Dash kept speed-walking to keep her distance. Her wings fluttered anxiously.

“What’s ailing ya, Skittles? You look you just got asked out on a date by the high school’s football star.” Red Scout commented.

“I…” She stopped; glancing to make sure Red Sniper wasn’t looking at her. “I’ll tell you later.”

Red Scout scoffed. “You are quite a puzzle, Skittles!” He laughed.

……………………………………………

Twilight’s team BLU uniform was being stained a darker shade by tears. Her rifle dragged on the ground behind her, rustling up small clouds of dirt. Blue Medic and Blue Sniper walked by her side, trying inefficiently to cheer her up.

“Aw shucks, sugarcube. Isn’t there anything we can do?” Applejack asked her. Twilight gave no response.

Blue Spy covered his face with his right hand. He walked at the back of the pack where no one would pay him any mind. His breathing was heavy and slow.

Pinkie Pie turned around. “Hey Spy, what’s got ya down? It pains me to see such an upside-down smile!” She asked.

“Oh, uh…nothing. Just feeling a little sick is all, madam.” He replied casually.

“Well, okey dokey! Hope you get better soon!” Pinkie shrugged.

She turned back around, and continued to talk to Blue Pyro. Lord knows how she could understand his inaudible, masked mumbling.

Blue Spy sighed heavily. Something nasty was eating him on the inside. Something more vile and cruel than even his recent behavior. He felt…guilt.

The strength of a team was certainly not worth a strong and genuine relationship. Blue Spy began to realize that he had made a horrible mistake.

Just as he was stepping forward to speak to Twilight, Blue Scout stopped him in his tracks.

“I know what you’re thinking. Make one more move, and I’ll hurl you over that fence to the wild bears. No one is going to screw this up. Team RED is WEAK! We’re going to take advantage of this, and you’re not going to screw it up for us!” He whispered threateningly.

“Hey! Vhat is going on back zhere?” Blue Medic called.

Blue Spy hesitated. Blue Scout gave him the evil eye.

“Uh…nothing. Just discussing some little side plans.” Blue Spy lied. It was his specialty.

Blue Medic rolled his eyes, and returned to Twilight. Blue Spy sighed.

“Good job. Now you’re getting it!” Blue Scout smiled evilly.

………………………………………

As the countdown began to loom closer, team RED fighters began to leak into their resupply room. Even though they had a minute of prep before the battle, they weren’t allowed to be outside their resupply when the countdown ended.

As the thirty second mark was announced, Rarity proceeded to brush dust off of her suit. She then checked her pockets to make sure everything was in order. Wait a minute…where was her disguise kit?

She hummed in confusion. Lifting her head up, she scanned the room for any sign of her mysterious PDA.

“Spy, darling?” She asked.

“Yes, madam?” Red Spy responded.

“Would you be a dear and tell me where I left my disguise kit? I can’t run around without looking like an enemy!”

“I haven’t any clue where your kit is. Did you try asking your other teammates?”

“Not to be rude, dear, but no other teammates have a reason to be running around with my disguise kit. They haven’t any use for it. I think I left it back at Hightower.”

“Hmm…” Red Spy thought. “Well, maybe I can make it up to you.”

Red Spy walked away from Rarity for a moment. Seconds later, he returned with a familiar-looking knife. He held it out for Rarity to take.

“The Eternal Reward? Being that it doesn’t utilize a disguise kit, I can see why you used it as a replacement.” She remarked.

“For your information, madam, that is actually the Strange Eternal Reward.” He replied.

“Strange?” She studied it closely. “I don’t see anything strange about it.”

“No, not that kind of strange. It’s considered Strange because it’ll keep track and rank up on the kills you make with it. That way, you can record all of the backstabs you made with it.” Red Spy explained.

Rarity chuckled evilly. Her wide grin was contagious to Red Spy.

………………………………………….

“5…4…3…2…1…PREP!” The announcer yelled.

Team RED burst out of their resupply locker. With only a minute until the confrontation, they had to move quickly to set up their defenses. Fluttershy and Red Medic were already a quarter full with their Ubercharge.

Rainbow Dash scoffed. “That chick will always trip me up with the whole ‘prep’ thing.” She commented.

Red Scout chuckled heartily.

Red Engineer and Red Heavy, upon reaching the location of BLU’s spawn point, headed off to the side near the fence. Red Engineer immediately constructed a dispenser to aid his Russian comrade with ammunition. Red Medic hung around nearby, continuing to build his Uber.

Red Sniper jogged away from the battlefront, and got down on the ground behind the first Control Point. He pointed his rifle in a comfortable position through a small rail opening.

Red Spy uncloaked next to him, grinning cheekily.

“What is it, Spy?” Red Sniper sighed.

“Bet you can’t shoot your first shot with your eyes closed.” Red Spy dared.

“Are you crazy? Of course I can do that. Anyone could do that.” Red Sniper jeered.

“You have to actually kill someone, though.” Red Spy mentioned.

Red Sniper thought deeply for a second. He rubbed his chin. He glanced over at Red Spy, whose grin had widened.

“Ugh, FINE. If it would please your ‘bloody majesty’.” Red Sniper groaned.

………………………………………
Music: Playing with Danger (Repeat if needed)
………………………………………

“5…4…3…2…1…FIGHT!” The announcer cried.

BLU’s doors swung open, and the battle began. Right upon leaving spawn, Blue Soldier and Blue Pyro were eliminated by Red Heavy.

“Ready?” Red Spy coached.

“Shut up.” Red Sniper responded.

Red Sniper put his right hand over his eyes, obscuring his view. He positioned his left hand over the trigger on his rifle. Red Spy began to count down from five.

……………………………………

Twilight, trying with all of her might to forget about her beloved partner, jogged lightly out of the resupply. Her aim was to reach one of the two-story buildings near the enemy lines so she could safely take control.

No sooner did she turn the corner when a bullet launched through her skull. She yelped, and toppled backwards onto her back. What was left of her vision slowly faded away from her.

……………………………………

Red Sniper, after firing his shot, took his hand off of his eyeballs. He gasped when he saw Twilight dead on the ground outside of resupply.

“Aw, bloody fucking hell!” He screamed.

Half of his team turned toward him in shock. Red Spy fell over backwards laughing. Red Sniper stood up, picked up his rifle, and threw it as far as he could.

“Ah…ah hah…please stop raging! It’s so funny…I…I can’t breathe!” Red Spy choked out. He rolled around on the ground with his hands over his stomach.

Red Heavy continued to protect his team with his infinitely-supplied rain of bullets. Team BLU was starting to push at their bonds, however. Red Medic walked solemnly over to where Red Sniper’s rifle had landed, and picked it up.

A little drawing of Twilight’s cutie mark was etched on the side of the wooden shoulder pad. Next to it was a “+” symbol, and then Red Sniper’s class emblem. Red Medic gasped sadly.

He turned around to where Red Sniper was standing, and found that he wasn’t there anymore. Only Red Spy was there, laughing hysterically on the ground.

Just then, Red Medic heard an uncloaking noise behind him. Blue Spy appeared behind him with a devilish grin on his face. He raised his knife, preparing to make the kill.

Red Medic stopped him, putting a hand on the assassin’s chest. Blue Spy looked up at him, confused that he wasn’t trying to saw him to death.

“Did you do zis?” Red Medic asked assertively.

“Do what, per say?” Blue Spy replied.

Red Medic turned around, and showed his adversary Red Sniper’s rifle. Blue Spy looked at it.

“You see zis right here? Zis is a sign of a broken heart. Vee know our Sniper vould never abandon zee unicorn, Tvilight, unless it vas zee vork of someone else.”

Blue Spy was torn between spilling the beans and facing Blue Scout’s wrath, or concealing his secret. Red Medic stared at him like an angry mother would stare at her child after stealing a cookie.

Blue Spy stood awkwardly and stuttered for a few seconds. Then, without warning, he stabbed Red Medic in the back, and made a run for it.

………………………………………….

As this had happened, Blue Scout’s quick reflexes and speed had outwitted Red Heavy. He finished the heavy gunman off with his Scattergun, destroyed the dispenser, and moved on for his team. BLU fighters began to spill out of control.

“Retreat, retreat! We are being overpowered!” Red Soldier commanded.

Panicked, team RED began to run away with their lives. Blue Medic deployed an Ubercharge on Spike with his well-hidden Kritzkrieg, granting critical hits to the dragon warrior.

“C’mon, move up! Leave no fighter behind!” Spike cried out.

Spike spammed deadly rockets at the retreating RED team, causing multiple bloody fatalities with the crit power. BLU fighters cheered inhumanely with each messy death.

Any fighter who was left alive decided wholeheartedly to forget about the first Control Point. Without any means of obstruction, team BLU effortlessly captured it. Spike’s crits had run out, but had not diminished his power. Letting out battle cries, he led his team fearlessly into the domain of the second Control Point.

Applejack and Blue Engineer stayed behind as the rest of their team marched forward. Getting metal from nearby ammo boxes, they began to mark their territory. No REDs were getting back there anymore.

………………………………………

Red Scout and Rainbow Dash burst onto the scene from around the far corner where the enemies resided. Team RED looked at them in anticipation for their report.

Red Scout breathed heavily. “BLUs…BLUs everywhere…sentries are being set up and everything…”

“Yeah…there’s no way any of us are going back there… Let’s just make sure we can secure the second Point with all of our might.” Rainbow Dash added.

“Good God, partner, look at your wing!” Red Engineer gasped from behind his sentry.

Confused, Rainbow Dash turned around to look at her backside. To her surprise, her right wing was completely gone. Blood poured down her side, dripping onto the ground and staining her uniform.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” Red Scout asked.

“Not really. Didn’t even notice it until Hard-Hat pointed it out. Guess I don’t feel pain much anymore.” Rainbow Dash casually replied.

Fluttershy, startled, rushed forward to patch up the wound. Upon contact with the Quick-Fix smoke, Rainbow’s wing literally grew back into place. Rarity gagged.

………………………………………

Big Mac and Blue Heavy were the first two to arrive around the corner. Blue Medic was close behind, healing them both in short turns. The two gunmen spun up their powerful weapons in preparation for another massacre.

Most of the RED defenders ignored them for a few seconds. They waited patiently for the next phase of this redundant procedure to take place. Usually, at this time, one of their heads would be blown off by either Twilight or Red Sniper. Instead, Red Engineer got HIS head blown off by Twilight, who was hiding expertly at the edge of the enemy lines.

“Damn it, where’s Red Sniper?” Red Soldier asked.

Red Medic was also nowhere to be seen. As the barrage of BLU attackers began to thicken, team RED realized that they were extraordinarily outnumbered.

Fluttershy’s heart-rate sped up once again as she suddenly became fully responsible for the survival of her team’s second defensive line. The rest of the match was hanging in the balance.

……………………………………………
Music: Nayru's Wisdom (Repeat if needed)
……………………………………………

“Come on, vhy von’t you go?” Red Medic asked impatiently.

“I’m done with snipin’. I just…can’t stand the pain it’s causing me anymore.” Red Sniper replied.

“Our team is in PERIL right now! You’re zee best von vee know for zee job!”

“I’ve had it with this team, I’ve had it with sniping, and I’ve had with this war! Why are we still fighting after all this time?”

“It’s just…us. Zere is no vorld outside of vhat vee know. I don’t see vhat outside influence could’ve change vhat you’ve vorked for.”

“It’s Twily, okay? I said it!” Red Sniper exclaimed.

Red Medic was not at all surprised by this response. He saw his comrade’s weapon. He saw into his comrade’s emotions. He knew what it really was that gave his comrade closure in a world at war. He remained silent.

Red Sniper continued. “You’re right and all about this world, but…I just never viewed it in the same way until Twily came along. I just had this attraction to her ever since I first headshot Blue Sniper back at the Arena Well battle. It never really occurred to me how empty I felt before I first saw her. Now, I…I just can’t return to the old world.”

Red Medic stood silently. He looked down at the ground for what seemed like the longest time. “……I know exactly how you feel.”

“What? You do?”

“Certainly. I’ve had zis growing attraction to my pegasus friend Ms. Fluttershy ever since she kissed me back at Badvater Basin. Now zat I’ve spent so much time vith her, I don’t know how to go on vithout her.”

Red Medic paused. Red Sniper continued to look at him with a solemn and understanding look on his face. After a few more seconds of silence, the master of medicine continued.

“I get so much pleasure from being zere to help her. I enjoy nurturing her and comforting her in times of need. Vithout me, I don’t know how she’d survive.” He paused again for a second or two. “You see…your relationship is mutual. You and zee unicorn Tvilight love each ozer one and zee same. Ms. Fluttershy, she……she’s so dependent on me. She looks up to me so much. My job gets difficult sometimes ven I’m carrying zee responsibilities of a beautiful pegasus and zee survival of my vonderful team. However, I keep pushing at it. After all, I’m still in von piece!”

Red Sniper smiled warmly. He wiped a tear from his eye. Then, he nodded slowly.

“Okay… Thank you so much for that. Are going to do this or what?” He exclaimed with a smile on his face.

Almost right on cue, an urgent call streamed in on the mercenaries’ headsets. It was from Fluttershy.

“Red Medic? Where are you? P…please…I really need your help! Please hurry!” She pleaded over the headset. The comrades could hear tears and rapid breathing through the context of the message.

……………………………………………

One close call after another poured down upon the collapsing RED team as team BLU pushed relentlessly onto their territory. Fluttershy was under complete and total stress as dozens of Medic calls rang through the air.

Injuries ranging from missing limbs to spilling guts were evident throughout her team. In a desperate strategy to keep her team functioning, Fluttershy deployed her safely-built Ubercharge.

Godly healing power shot down onto Fluttershy’s weapon, giving her insane efficiency. She aimed the divine Quick-Fix at one teammate after another, eliminating their wounds at the blink of an eye. By doing this, her team was back on their feet once again for a little bit longer.

Once her Ubercharge had run out, she was at a 188 overheal. Almost immediately after the Uber had ceased, she took a bullet right through the forehead. Blood sprayed out of the exit wound.

Blue Sniper laughed hysterically as he blew the smoke from his rifle. Upon reentering the scope, however, he gasped in exasperation.

Fluttershy was still alive. She was in full-fledged panic-mode now, but she was still alive. How could that be?

……………………………………………
Music: Dreams of Cruelty (Repeat if needed)
……………………………………………

Fluttershy dove behind a ledge for cover. She put a hoof over her forehead, wincing heavily at the pain it produced. More Medic calls rang through her eardrums, pushing her over the edge.

She suddenly began to choke and gag uncontrollably. She dropped her Quick-Fix as she put both hooves on her chest. Her vision fogged and her hearing blurred as she began feeling an immense pressure on her heart.

The first one to notice her was Rainbow Dash. She gasped, and rushed over to her friend’s aid.

“Someone help! I think Fluttershy’s having a heart attack!” She yelled.

Red Scout, along with a few other teammates, ran over to see what was going on. Rainbow Dash shook her friend a few times, yelling her name in desperation.

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy, say something! What’s happening? Tell us!” She yelled.

Fluttershy was unresponsive. The teammates noticed only the whites of her eyes, and a stream of saliva coming out of her mouth. Her breathing was short, ragged, and irregular.

Suddenly, Red Medic and Red Sniper ran through the doors of the base. Red Medic was stunned when he saw his companion’s condition.

“Hurry up, doc, do it! She probably only has seconds left!” Rainbow Dash ordered.

“But…wouldn’t she just respawn?” Red Spy asked.

“Shut up! This is not the way ANYONE should die! Besides, you don’t know her like I do! I don’t want to see her die like this at all, even if it’s only temporary!” Rainbow Dash scolded.

Red Medic immediately focused his healing down onto Fluttershy’s convulsing body. Slowly and steadily, her consciousness began to return to her. Her breathing regulated, her eyes returned to their normal position, and her heartbeat steadied.

She leaned upward a bit, and looked around to see three quarters of her team staring down at her. Her facial expression displayed fear and confusion.

“Oh gosh…did I…?”

“You had a stress-induced heart attack, my dear. But you are better now.” Red Medic explained.

Fluttershy turned around to look at Red Medic, who was smiling down on her. She gasped.

“Medic!” She exclaimed. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

She leapt up off the ground and enveloped Red Medic in a passionate hug. Red Sniper, remembering the Medic’s speech, smiled at the heart-warming sight.

…………………………………………
Music: Playing with Danger (Repeat if needed)
…………………………………………

A bullet and a rocket flew by his face, causing his smile to suddenly fade. After surviving for an impressively long time, Red Engineer’s sentry gun was destroyed by a sticky-bomb. Team RED was suddenly kicked back into gear as the BLUs’ onslaught resumed.

Blue Scout was already on the second Control Point, causing it to turn over at a rapid rate. Red Sniper turned around startled, and squeezed out a lucky shot into Blue Scout’s neck.

As Fluttershy retreated into the base to relax, the remaining team RED fighters began to fight back. More BLU attackers were pouring into the area, causing defense to be difficult.

Blue Medic latched onto Big Mac, using the overheal to carry him into enemy lines.

“I’m at 90 percent! Raus, raus!” Blue Medic ordered.

Big Mac spun up his weapon, and began to fire. Overwhelmed by the bullet force, Red Scout and Red Pyro were quickly eliminated.

“Come on, pick it up! We came too far to lose here!” Rainbow Dash ordered.

“Cover me, gents!” Red Engineer called.

Red Heavy stepped aside to provide support to the Engineer while Zecora rigged the Point with explosives. Red Sniper climbed onto the roof of the Point shack, and prepared to provide additional support.

“Ya ready, lad?” Red Demoman asked.

“Always ready! Just need to be steady.” Zecora responded.

The two of them waited carefully for Blue Medic and Big Mac to step onto the Control Point. Once they entered the bombers’ view, Zecora detonated the stickies.

Blue Medic suddenly deployed his Ubercharge. He and Big Mac were now in total invincibility. The stickies blew up around them, but caused absolutely no damage.

………………………………………

Expressions on the RED team’s faces turned grim and degraded as additional BLU fighters began to leak onto the Point. At this point, their defense was being brutally punctured.

Red Engineer picked up his level 1 sentry, and proceeded to retreat with the rest of his team. Team RED officially initiated in a second retreat, giving yet another precious Control Point to the opposing team.

Upon entering the room with the final Control Point deep within their base, Red Engineer placed his sentry down. Hitting it with his wrench, he tried furiously to at least get it to level 2 before the barrage entered the base.

“C’mon Hard-Hat, move that hammer! We ain’t got much time!” Red Scout coached.

“It’s called a wrench! And I’m goin’ as fast as I can!” Red Engineer snapped.

………………………………………

Upon entering the base, Spike and Blue Soldier were caught off guard when they spotted the sentry. Before they could retreat, they were shot down by its bullet rain.

Soon after, other offensive classes followed suit. Before they knew it, Blue Scout, Pinkie Pie, and Blue Pyro were flooding into the base from both doors.

Blue Scout quickly drank a can of Bonk, and became hyperactive. He jittered forward so that he was two inches away from Red Engineer’s sentry gun, and began to dance.

Red Engineer groaned in exasperation as his sentry targeted the most useless adversary for the current moment. Pinkie Pie and Blue Pyro flanked the sentry from the opposite side, burning it down with Red Engineer before the automated weapon was able to turn around.

Red Soldier leapt into the battle from the resupply doors along with Rarity. Red Soldier shot out a rocket, which was quickly airblasted back to him by Blue Pyro.

Rarity and Red Soldier screamed as the mini-crit rocket flew back at them. In a blinding flash of a second, they were reduced to nothing.

The three offensive teammates stepped onto the Control Point as the rest of their team began to enter the base from all sides. Team RED was rendered helpless.

In no time at all, the last Point was turned over to BLU. They had won the battle. Immediately, they were granted crits.

All stray RED defenders dropped their weapons, and threw their hands into the air. Team BLU attackers burst into the resupply locker to waste away any more survivors.

Rather than surrender, Red Medic shielded Fluttershy with his arms. He snarled at any BLU fighter that approached him.

“I’d sooner get sent to hell zan let you kill Ms. Fluttershy!” He exclaimed.

The BLU victors, having seen the events from earlier in the battle, left the couple alone. Blue Scout mumbled under his breath.

……………………………………………

Once all of the killed RED fighters had respawned, the two teams met for discussion. Everyone could agree that this was one of the most brutal, yet unanimous battles they ever had.

During the team scramble, the thought never crossed anyone’s mind to take Fluttershy away from Red Medic. By the time the scramble had completed, the teams were arranged like so. Fluttershy, Spike, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were on team RED. Zecora, Big Mac, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Twilight were on team BLU.

Just as the teams were beginning to walk off, Blue Spy stopped everyone. Confused, they turned around to look at him.

“Wait! I don’t think Twilight Sparkle should remain on our team.” He started.

Everyone looked at him in a funny way, confused. Blue Scout’s nostrils flared.

“The incident that had occurred at Hightower was not the doing of Red Sniper. It was my fault. I killed him, disguised as him, and used his voice to reprimand Twilight. It was a plan to weaken your team so that we could win. It was wrong of me, and I deeply apologize.” He explained.

After a few seconds of awkward and astonished silence, Twilight began to get emotional. To everyone’s surprise, she began to cry deeply. Blue Soldier stepped forward.

“So…would anyone on the RED team like to come back to the BLU team?” He asked casually.

Applejack raised her hoof. “I’ll go. If it’ll reunite Twilight with the one she loves, I’d be happy to.”

As Applejack began to walk back to Blue Engineer’s side, Twilight ran forward to team RED’s side. Still crying, she threw her hooves around Red Sniper’s shoulders.

“I love you, mate.” He whispered in her ear.

Twilight sniffled. “I love you too.”

…………………………………………

Once this was done, the teams walked off in their separate directions. Their next objective was to head back to the arid lands of Doomsday for a Special Delivery battle.

Without question, Red Medic proceeded to carry Fluttershy in his arms out of the Mountain Lab facility. Fluttershy nuzzled up against his chest, and fell asleep. This time, she wasn’t high.

To be Continued…

Author's Note:

It's finally done! I can't believe it took me this long! I haven't had one free weekend in the last month and a half. -_-
Anyways, chapters like this usually result from me having a long day. Writing stuff like this just makes me feel much better inside. :)
I've been straying from the battles and focusing more on the love stuff, haven't I? Hope I'm not disappointing any of you action-lovers out there!
Sure hope it was worth the wait!