PonySide

by Puzzle Piece

Chapter Ten: Regroup

Both TR soldiers were silent all the way back to Fluttershy’s cottage. Gadrik didn’t seem to have anything to say about what had just happened and seemed equally unwilling to share with the Corporal whatever plan they were following now. Anthony, for his part, was content to leave the silence where it was. It gave him time to think over his place in recent events. Twilight’s words were still ringing in his ears.

You just shot at guests in my home, she’d yelled. They didn’t do anything to you!

There was no way around it. They’d fired first. No, he’d fired first. Anthony winced as he corrected himself. Twilight had yelled at the Major but Anthony was the only one who actually pulled the trigger. He felt hot guilt churning in his stomach. The Princess was probably the only one who even had an idea of how to help them and she’d just kicked them out of town. He’d put as many holes in their chances of getting back to Auraxis as he had in the walls of her home.

You might think it’s the only choice. But it will still be you that starts the fighting.

Fluttershy’s words came back to him hauntingly. It was almost prophetic. What would have happened if they’d followed her advice? Would the Vanu soldiers have put aside the war and worked with them to get home? The NC had been determined to fight them. But, then again, hadn’t he and the Major ambushed them too? No matter how he looked at it, all of this trouble seemed to his fault. Fluttershy’s cottage came into view and Anthony made his decision.

“Sir?”

The Major looked up, seemingly startled that the Corporal had broken the silence.

“Yeah?” Gadrik grumbled, going back to staring at the path in front of his boots. “What do you want?”

“Permission to disarm? Once we’re at Fluttershy’s?”

“I don’t care.”

The Major’s sullen tone would have worried him if he weren’t dealing with his own internal conflicts. Anthony moved ahead, outpacing the Major by a half step. The loud thud of his footfalls summoned Fluttershy from inside her cottage and she watched with a mixture of worry and curiosity as he approached. He walked into the yard and stopped facing the cottage. His armor hissed and swung away. Fluttershy saw the look on his face as he stepped out of the suit and chose to let him speak first, waiting expectantly. Anthony tried several times to form the words but every time he took a breath to begin, he let it out again as a sigh and started over. He didn’t get the chance to finish because the Major caught up to him.

“We screwed up,” Gadrik said with no preamble, addressing Fluttershy bluntly. “Do you mind if I grab a chair inside? I need a minute to think.”

She opened the door for him and he stepped inside with a gruff nod of appreciation. She turned back to Anthony.

“Do you want to sit down while we talk?” she asked, gesturing to a shady corner of the yard.

He nodded and joined her at the base of a tree.

“The Major said it,” Anthony said when he finally found his voice. “We made a huge mistake. A bunch of them.”

Fluttershy put a hoof on his shoulder.

“But you’re both alright. You both made it back.” She paused as she approached a subject she did not feel enthusiasm for. “Did you win?” she asked tentatively.

“No. We fought, but nobody won.” Anthony let his head fall back against the trunk and stared up through the leaves with a sigh. “But we all managed to do serious damage in town.”

Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hooves. “Was anypony hurt?”

“Probably. The Major and I didn’t wait around to see. And it didn’t even pay off since I don’t think we took out any of the enemy.” Anthony shook his head. “You were right. Going on the offence was a bad idea. I mean, we even promised the Princess that we wouldn’t start anything and we ended up shooting up her home!”

“Is Twilight okay?!” Fluttershy gasped.

“She is, but she’s angry with us. Angry enough that she kicked us out of town.” Anthony groaned and put his head in his hands. “I just wish I could fix this.”

“Oh dear. If there’s anything you need, just ask.”

“That’s why I’m asking if you can forgive me,” he said, looking up at her.

“Of course I forgive you. I know you would never try to do something like that.”

Anthony held his tongue, knowing that he hadn’t been thinking enough to stop himself from doing anything.

Just following orders, he thought bitterly. As long as it’s coming from higher up the command chain, it’s the right thing to do.

“Twilight was our only hope of getting home,” he said instead. “If I could just talk with her and apologize for all of this, do you think she could forgive us too?”

“I do. Twilight is a good friend of mine and very understanding. If I explain that you only want to apologize, I’m sure she won’t be angry at you for coming back into town after she kicked you out.”

“Really?” he asked skeptically.

“Really,” Fluttershy replied with a reassuring smile.

“I’m glad to have you as a friend, Fluttershy. I feel like I’ve been missing someone like you my whole life.”

She smiled sympathetically and offered him a hug. He accepted it gratefully. They held each other that way for long minutes.

“Anthony?” Fluttershy asked. “You don’t mind scratching my ears like you did before, do you? It…it felt kinda nice.”

Anthony looked down at her in mild surprise and smiled. She leaned against him while he worked his hand through her mane and around behind her ears as they both relaxed in the peaceful moment.

~*~*~

“Looks like the TR and NC went a few rounds out here,” Nathan observed as they passed the city hall.

The rubble was being cleared from the streets but the damage to the houses and the hall itself remained silent testament to the battle. Katie saw a dark stain in the dirt to one side of the ruined house and hoped that it wasn’t the blood she feared it was. Eyes watched from windows as they passed, fearful and suspicious. Nathan strode through the street, alert but untroubled. He shifted his Phantom in his hands as he checked down each side street and alley they passed.

Rarity took in the destruction with open-mouthed shock. She ran ahead to speak with an official looking mare near the city hall. When she returned to the two soldiers, she wore a look of resolve.

“It was those others you spoke of that did this, that much is sure,” she said, marching into the lead and forcing them to hurry to keep pace. “Those NC and TR, shooting their way through town!” she said with an aggressive huff. “It makes me so angry that they could have this kind of disregard for the safety of others. If they’re going to fight, they should at least have the common courtesy to take it somewhere else.”

“You won’t have to worry about them being in town much longer,” Nathan said. “We’ll see to that.”

“Oh, will we?” Katie asked sarcastically. “And just how do you intend to go about that? Send them the bill for the damage?”

“That might scare off the NC,” Nathan mused.

Katie didn’t laugh.

“Do you want to just let them have their way with this town?” Nathan countered.

“No,” Katie admitted. “But we’re not equipped to deal with the kind of firepower they have.”

“We have everything we need,” Nathan replied. “We simply need to implement a plan that complements our means.”

“There’s nothing simple about that! For Vanu’s sake, we’re dealing with a MAX!”

“And we’ve been able to handle similar situations in the past,” Nathan argued. “We will do so here.”

“What makes you so sure, so confident, that you’re willing to go charging off into nearly certain death like this?” Katie asked with a huff of exasperation.

“We will be victorious here because we must,” Nathan said, his voice ringing with conviction. “It is as simple as having faith in Vanu. We have been provided with all of the knowledge and skill to win this battle. I trust in that with my entire being. You should have faith in us as well.”

“I have faith in us,” Katie said, subdued. “But do we really need to go out looking for a fight? Why can’t we let them fight amongst themselves and busy ourselves with getting home?”

“Because their presence is a threat to everything this place represents. They will inevitably despoil the magic of this land and if left unchecked, could destroy our opportunity to learn what secrets these ponies can offer. And this town will suffer the longer we wait. You can see what they did in just one afternoon.” he said, gesturing behind them.

Katie looked back involuntarily. That was when she noticed that Rarity had fallen behind them, picking at a bit of rubble that had been blown clear down the block from the city hall.

“You know, Nathan,” she said, feeling the need to break up the argument. “It might be a good idea for you to go on ahead and make sure it’s clear all the way back to Twilight’s. I’ll catch up.”

Nathan nodded and engaged his cloak. She watched the HUD indicator slip ahead and disappear down the street. A wave of relief swept over her when Nathan was out of sight. She nearly teared up with guilt for feeling that way.

“I didn’t mean to hold you up,” Rarity said, trotting up beside Katie. “I thought that, as long as I was passing through I could lend a hoof and tidy up a bit.”

“That’s sweet of you,” Katie said. “But now might not be the best time for charitable sidetracking.”

“Truthfully,” Rarity said after a hesitant pause, giving Katie a guilty glance. “I was trying to give the two of you some space. I wouldn’t want to intrude on…” She stopped before she said something that might be hurtful.

Katie let out a silent ‘oh’ and started walking again. Rarity followed a step behind, studying the other with a small sympathetic frown. Katie stared sullenly at the ground in front of her as she walked, not noticing the Unicorn’s gaze.

“Is everything alright?” Rarity asked at last.

“What is alright?!’Katie snapped, throwing her hands up and beginning to gesture animatedly to emphasize her words. “I’m walking through the blasted streets of a peaceful town that we’ve brought our war down on. Enemy soldiers are kicking down doors to try to kill us! We’re hopelessly outgunned. I’m scared, tired, and angry at just about everything! And to top it all off, I’m stranded in a place I didn’t believe was possible with no reason to think I’ll live long enough to find a way home, all the while discovering that the man that I love might not be who I thought he was at all!”

Katie took in gulps of air as her outburst came to an end and the reality of her words sank in. Her legs gave out and she fell to her knees as she was overcome with sobs. Rarity gently put a hoof around her and let Katie slump against her shoulder. Katie buried her face in the Unicorn’s royal purple mane and wept. Rarity fought back the urge to move her mane to avoid it being ruined. Katie needed this moment and her mane would just have to be sacrificed for her sake.

It took a long time, but when Katie finally calmed down enough to release her near-stranglehold on the Unicorn, Rarity helped her back to her feet and guided her back on course to the library once more.

~*~*~

“I am so tired of being jumped by these bastards!” Trevor growled as he and Mat applied healing kits to the injuries they’d received from the Vanu soldiers.

They had retreated to the very edge of town and hidden themselves in an unoccupied house. Once they were sure they weren’t being pursued, they had set about treating their wounds. Mat’s hadn’t been serious but Trevor was only alive because his armor had stopped the plasma bolts from tearing straight through his chest.

“At least we got one of them,” Mat said.

“Yeah,” Trevor said, suddenly enthusiastic. “You know what, you’re right! We got one. I think we should push that advantage. I mean, they jumped us and we smoked ‘em.”

“One down isn’t even half the battle,” Mat pointed out.

“I know that. But that’s not the point.” Trevor got to his feet and made sure his Brawler was fully loaded. “Now we know we can take them.

There don’t seem to be many of them around, TR or VS. If we can get rid of them, we’ll have all the time in the world to put that relay beacon together.”

“There’s still the matter of actually taking them. I’m not so sure we can do it.”

“Oh, we can do it alright,” Trevor said, grinning like a demon. “That Vanu soldier is on their own. You could get the drop on them and wipe the floor with them before they know to look up.”

“Maybe, maybe. But what about the TR’s MAX?” Mat countered after considering Trevor’s words. “We tried rockets and C4, man. What more are we going to be able to do to it?

“Leave that to me,” Trevor said confidently.

“Wait,” Mat said, getting to his feet as well and holding up his hands to slow his comrade down. “You sound like you’re suggesting we split up and take on both groups at once, but by ourselves.”

“I’m saying exactly that.”

“I don’t know,” Mat said slowly, remaining skeptical. “Splitting up could get us both killed. We work best together.”

“We can do this Mat. It’ll be fun.” That old sparkle was in his eyes, like he was talking about the next drop again.

“I don’t know about that.” Mat grinned. “But that doesn’t mean I dislike the idea of not needing to keep looking over my shoulder while we’re here. Alright, I’ll go with it. We’ll find these buggers and squash ‘em.”

“That’s the spirit!” Trevor clapped him on the back. “You should keep an eye out in town for the VS. Try to find a spot to ambush them from and wait them out. I know the TR have a base outside town somewhere. They have to if they keep running off and vanishing for hours at a time. I’ll track that MAX back to it and jump them while they think they’re safe.”

“This plan suddenly sounds much more doable,” Mat observed. He picked up his weapon and strapped his pack on again. “Let’s get to it.”

“We’ll meet back at the farm when we’re done with it,” Trevor said. “If I’m not back right away, just start working on that beacon. It might take me some time to actually find their base.”

They shook hands, wished each other luck one more time and started off toward their goals. Mat kept to the back alleys this time. He backtracked to where the VS had ambushed them. He found the spot but noticed that the body was gone. He frowned at the possibilities.

He’d just started walking again when he noticed he wasn’t alone. A pony he hadn’t seen or heard approach was walking along beside him, not five feet away. He flinched horribly but managed to resist the impulse to swing his gun up.

“Hiya there!” the pink pony said brightly. “Sorry to startle you like that, but you look like you’re looking for something. And someone that looks like you, looking so busy looking for things is just too interesting to ignore.”

“Um, hi?” Mat said, barely able to form a response in the face of the avalanche of words that had just assaulted him.

“You’re a human aren’t you?” the pony went on. “You look like a human. Or at least you look like what I thought a human would look like based on what I was told humans looked like.”

“Yeah, I am a human.” Mat replied, finally able to get traction in the conversation. He paused and considered her suspiciously. “How did you know that?”

“My friend Twilight told me about an adventure she had in a magic mirror. She met humans there and she described them looking just like you do.”

“Okay,” Mat said slowly.

“So, you’re looking for something?” the pony asked, bouncing in place as her excitement bubbled over. “Is it like a scavenger hunt? I love those! Please let me play too! I’m really good at finding things!”

“I’m not playing games. I’m actually trying to fi-“ Mat stopped himself, getting a sudden idea. “You know what? I’d love some help with this scavenger hunt. If I tell you what I need to find, can you bring it all someplace for me?”

“Sure! Just tell me what and where and I’ll have it in a few thousand jiffies!”

“A few thousand?” Mat raised an eyebrow curiously.

“Most ponies don’t know that a jiffy actually represents a measure of time equaling a teeny tiny itty bitty fraction of a second,” she said earnestly. “So really, when I say a few thousand jiffies, I mean I’ll have it in a really short time but longer than a single jiffy.”

Mat shook his head at her wide and completely sincere smile. He told her what he needed and then told her to bring it to the farm in the southwest. She said she knew the place and that she was confident that she could find the items in question.

“Pinkie Pie is on the job!” the pony said with an exaggeratedly serious expression and a sharp salute.

She took off so fast that Mat would have sworn she’d simply vanished if he hadn’t seen her poofy pink tail zipping around the corner down the street.

“Help sure is easy to come by around here,” he mused to himself.

He started off again. He couldn’t find any sign of the VS so he decided to check out the source of the fighting he and Trevor had assumed were the TR encountering them earlier. He found it after a little more than a half hour. He wouldn’t have known it was the right spot if he hadn’t seen the shattered glass of one of the windows. The dwelling was built inside a massive oak tree. Mat stared at it briefly, finding it mildly amusing. He decided to have a look inside on the off chance any ponies he found could point him in the direction of the VS. After all, asking politely was working wonders for him thus far.