Resistance of steel

by Valsion

Race against time

Resistance of steel

Chapter 12 Race against time

It has been a day, since Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy joined the crew of the Freeden. In the short time, they got along pretty well with everyone else. For now they were still kept a secret from their other guest, Oulba Frost, as they did not yet know if he could be trusted.

One thing that annoyed Rainbow Dash however, was that she couldn't go out for a fly. „I swear Fluttershy, I can actually feel my wings degrading.“ She complained, flapping in place in their room. Fluttershy listened to her friends woes. She herself would have liked to get some fresh air too but was more patient than Rainbow Dash.

„I know how you feel but we shouldn't draw unnecessary attention. It's difficult but since pegasi are apparently very unusual in this world, we would be a big deal." She tried to mediate. She knew how all of Equestria would react to a completely unknown animal, suddenly being spotted. A slight shiver went down her spine, as she imagined being put in the spotlight like this.

"Still, sitting in this room all day is so boring." The aggravated athlete said, slumping midair. Finally resigned, she dropped down on her bed and slammed her face into the pillow, sighing loudly.

Fluttershy really hated seeing her friend like this. Now she really wished Pinkie Pie was here. The party mare knew better how to cheer other ponies up. But then an idea hit her. "Say Rainbow, how about we visit Tiffa? I'm sure she would be happy." It was the best thing she could think of right now, even though it won't help too much. But she also wanted to help the comatose girl.

Rainbow Dash turned and thought about this idea. "Yeah I guess. We did promise and it's better than doing nothing." She got up and stretched a little, before they made their way to the medical bay.

On the way, the athletic pegasus started another conversation. "Say, is it just me or did that guy we picked up yesterday seem fishy?" Rainbow was a little mistrusting in general but something about this Frost guy seemed... off. It was as if he planned something.

"He seems a little scary but I hope he's a nice guy. But remember what we thought about Zecora, before getting to know her better?" Fluttershy reminded. It was still a little shameful for them and the rest of Ponyville, how afraid they were of the zebra. Zecora turned out to be not only nice but also a very talented herbalist. Many ponies would seek her, if they got sick.

Prejudice seemed to be an awkward topic in this world too. When they talked to some of the crewmembers and told them the story, many of them seemed to be genuinely surprised. They even said, that they can hardly imagine such nice and adorable ponies to be like that.

This was a little thing that aggravated Rainbow Dash too. She was cool, she was awesome, not adorable. When Toniya from the bridge wanted to hug her again, she tried to assert herself as cool by telling her the story about her sonic rainboom. This attempt backfired horribly, as Toniya imagined it and only found it more adorable. Other crewmembers of the Freeden almost had to get a crowbar to pry her off of the pegasus.

Finally they arrived at the med bay, where they could already hear the doctor, talking to captain Jamil. As they entered, before getting a chance to greet, they saw that all present were visibly distressed. Garrod Ran, who was also present, seemed to be the most upset. "Captain, is something wrong?" Asked Fluttershy, worried for Tiffa.

"We do not know how why but Tiffa's condition is getting worse." The doctor answered. "It is treatable but I just don't have the medical supplies here." The ponies eyes went wide. The life of the girl was in danger and the doctor did not have the means to help her. Also, they talked with other crewmembers enough to know, that they should not expect a hospital with advanced equipment and supplies anywhere nearby.

"What are we going to do?" Rainbow Dash asked, while Fluttershy went to Tiffa's side, softly stroking the girls hair.

"Let's gather all pilots for a mission briefing." Captain Jamil answered. "The Alternative Company has the supplies we need. We will get some of them for Tiffa." A grim determination was in his voice. It was clear that he would do anything to keep Tiffa safe.

---

On the bridge of the Freeden, all pilots were gathered for the briefing. Captain Jamil explained the situation, as well as their plan. Rainbow Dash and Jamil had talked about Garrod already and decided to let him use the Gundam X. It was clear that he cared a lot about Tiffa, so he won't try anything stupid while she was in danger.

Witz and Roybea however, seemed to be not so thrilled about this. "So you are telling us we should risk our lives, attacking the Alternative Company, so we can save the life of this girl?" Asked Witz.

"Well, of course, we can't just let her die." Answered Garrod. He could clearly hear that those two did not want to partake in this. Their attitude really pissed him off.

"Our contract was to get her on the Freeden, we did that." Added Roybea, already getting ready to leave. "Our work is done here, there is not more we will do." With that, he and Witz turned to leave, only to be blocked by Fluttershy.

"Please reconsider, this little girl needs our help." She pleaded. "We can't just abandon her."

Roybea shook his head. "People die every day. Even if she is a Newtype, that's not much of a difference." He ranted. Those ponies were way too naive. When they attack, there's a chance of more of them dying. Just letting it go was the best option. "In your little fairy tale land such line of thinking might be heroic but this world is much harsher. If you don't watch after yourself, no one will. Just get used to it." He finished, shaking his head lightly.

As he faced Fluttershy again however, he saw what was probably the last thing he expected of her. The eyes. Her eyes had this cold, icy stare in them. Both he and Witz recoiled, as they saw the meanest glare they've ever witnessed. Despite all they went through before, this filled them with more fear than anything before.

And then she started speaking, an angry rant of her own. "Yes, so much I've learned. This world is very harsh. But you know what? It won't get any better as long as people stay selfish and don't even try to change a thing. If you want to go, fine but I will stay here and help. Because that's how the world becomes a better place, by taking risks to help others."

Roybean and Witz practically felt every word rattling through their bones, as she finally stopped that stare. The rest of the bridge crew, minus Rainbow Dash, looked at them dumbstruck. They were not entirely sure, what they just witnessed.

"J-just this one mission. Then we're gone." Said Witz, unable to put up any more resistance. How did she do that? He's met people that had a pretty intimidating look about them but nothing nearly as intimidating as this.

Also a little surprised but quick to recover, Jamil explained the next part of the plan. "In one regard the two of them are right. Attacking by ourselves will only get us killed. Luckily, I know a few Vulture Captains nearby, who still owe me a favor. I think now is as good a time as any to call upon those favours." He said. "For now, let's just rest for a bit and gather our strenght."

The pilots present nodded, before retreating to their rooms.

---

The wait for the others was the worst. As Jamil thought about the upcoming battle he felt a wave of nostalgia. The Gundam X, together with the Leopard and Airmaster. This was not the first time he saw such a lineup.

The war with the colonies had just reached their decisive point, as they intended to use their trump card, the colony drop. Jamil remembered piloting one of the first models of the Gundam X, charging the anti-colony weapon as the Airmaster and Leopard pilots protected them from the enemy.

Back then, the Britannian Empire was a welcome help for a change. Together with their OZ allies, they managed to up the production of mobile suits against the colonies, so that only few actually did manage to enter earths atmosphere. Still, the tragedy of it all was firmly burned into the captains mind.

Looking at the Gundam X alone made him feel uncomfortable. In a way he was thankful for Garrod, as he himself could never manage to pilot this machine again.

Back in those days, Newtypes became nothing but weapons, now he would make sure that Tiffa never experienced the same.

She was peacefully sleeping right now and without a doubt, Garrod was with her. The kid was really determined to protect Tiffa, so maybe he and Jamil were not so different. The captain only hoped, that they would not share the tragedy, that befell them in the past.

Finally, the ships of his comrades arrived. There were three in total, all people that Jamil knew too well. Jamil greeted his friends and invited them onto the ship, where he explained his plan. They will fake a pincer attack from the sides, while a frontal assault will commence as soon as the moon is up. Against the enemy forces, they would need the power of the moon.

They even let Oulba Frost tag along after he expressed interest in the operation. It seems that he hoped for good pay in exchange for his help. Right now he was making some adjustments to his mobile armor, something he insisted to do himself. Kid almost saw that as a personal insult.

Just as he was leading Garrod to the hangar however, an explosion rocked the Freeden. Jamil and Garrod were almost knocked off their feet but managed to recover and ran for the hangar.

As they arrived at the scene, the mobile armor of Oulba Frost was operating and a large hole was shot into the side of the hangar. Oulba left the hangar and Jamil went down to the hole, looking outside. By now he realized that Oulba must have been a spy. And that means... "Tiffa!"

Outside of the Freeden, the mobile armor shifted its form. Arms and legs revealed themselves and slowly it was upright in the air. The mobile suit form of this Gundam then flew up to where the medical wing was. Claw-like appendages reached out from a compartment on the back of the mobile suit and rammed right into the wall, tearing it open.

The Freedens doctor quickly entered the room, only to see Tiffas bed in the hands of the mobile suit. "Wait, she is not supposed to be moved." In the face of a kidnapping, that attempt was futile though, as the mobile suit cradled Tiffa in it's hands, before flying off.

As Jamil then looked to the direction the mobile suit flew to, he noticed several other suits on top of a cliff. One of them especially stood out amongst the rest. A large, red mobile suit with wing-like appendaged on it's back. Suddenly though it practically buried its arms into the ground and the belly expanded, revealing a new weapon. Recognizing the cannon, Jamil sounded the alarms and headed for the bridge, as fast as he could.

---

It was pure chaos. The mobile suits of the Vultures have met the assailant of the Alternative corporation. Many were quickly destroyed due to the high ground advantage and the red mobile suit. After the initial attacks, it turned back from its cannon mode, to mobile mode again to join the battle. The pilot must be amazingly skilled, as no one seemed to be able to even scratch him.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy barely managed to keep up with the others. Even telling the difference between friend and foe became difficult for the two of them, having no combat experience. The cyan pegasus peered back at her friend. Fluttershy was near a panic attack and took to focusing solely on the control panels, just following Rainbow Dash's orders. It was painful to see her friend like this, they needed to end this fight quickly.

Then a target appeared. The leader of the enemies was right before them, claws deployed. They looked freakish, longer than they should be and very thin compared to the legs. A flash of anger went through Rainbow Dash, as she saw him strike down another ally. "Fluttershy, we'll take down the leader, then this is going to be over." She said, only earning a squeak in response.

Taking both the shot launchers, Rainbow Dash decided for a guiding shot, followed by another shot into the direction he'll evade to. This was surely a foolproof plan. As she lined up the shots, the enemy turned in her direction, almost as if he felt that she was planning an attack.

No longer having any time to think, Rainbow Dash fired. To her shock however, instead of dodgin to the anticipated side, the enemy mobile suit jumped high in the air towards her. Rainbow Dash wanted to jump away as the overly long claws came down on her from above, slashing the Bellzelute across the chest and sending it to the ground.

Both mares screamed, as they were shaken in their cockpit and they were fearful as they saw the clawed mobile suit looming over them. Rainbow Dash wanted to stand up quickly, to get away but a red foot was planted firmly on the Bellzelutes chest, pinning them down. He raised his claw again and both ponies closed their eyes, anticipating the final slash.

Instead a howling sound was heard and they opened their eyes again to see what it was. More howling sounds could be heard and energy beams flew past them, forcing the enemy leader to back off. From the direction the beams came from, they saw the Gundam X, Garrod came to save them.

The enemy was forced to back off, so Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy managed to get away. A vulcan gun, attached to the shoulders of the Gundam X fired a barrage at the enemy leader. His claws were retracted again. He reached his arm out to the Gundam X and he revealed his own beam gun, attached between the claws. Garrod managed to avoid a direct hit but his vulcan gun was gone.

Now the Bellzelute and the Gundam X stood up against this mobile suit.

---

It was crazy. Despite fighting with two against one, neither the Bellzelute nor the Gundam X managed to get a good hit against their enemy. It was almost like he could anticipate their every move. "R-Rainbow, we're almost out of ammo." Warned Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash muttered a curse.

Garrod himself faced the same problem. After two more shots, his beam rifle only sputtered, not managing to produce any more beams. With his vulcan gun gone too, he had to go into close combat range. He drew the beam saber and charged at the enemy.

"We have to help him but the Bellzelute doesn't have a single close combat weapon." Up until this point, neither mare believed this would even be an issue but now they really wished they had some option now. And with the skills of the enemy, they were sure that the chances of them hitting Garrod by accident were higher, than the chances of hitting the enemy.

"Alright, we'll have to improvise. Let's tackle this guy to the ground and let Garrod finish him off." Rainbow Dash suggested. Fluttershy did not like this plan at all but didn't want to argue with her friend right now. In this kind of situation she felt useless. Now she didn't want to hinder her friend.

The Gundam X and the red mobile suit had their beam sabers crossed and it was a struggle, which machine was stronger. Rainbow Dash moved to the side behind the enemy and prepared to charge.

The target came closer, Garrod holding him in place. Rainbow Dash was already sure of victory, as her target came closer. This little push and he would be defenseless. Maybe they can even avoid any more deaths by getting him to surrender. With this in mind, she did not notice the shadow on the ground, growing larger as she charged on.

Before she was able to reach the enemy, the mobile suit of Oulba Frost reappeared, landing on the ground right in front of her. Rainbow Dash did not have the time to react, as the fist of the mobile suit crashed right into the Bellzelutes head, sending it flying again. The force of the impact made it slide across the ground for several dozen meters, before coming to a halt.

"That guy again?" Asked Rainbow Dash, clearly dismayed. One of those was bad enough, there was no way they could beat both of them at the same time. But as Oulba was about to attack, someone shot at him. All eyes turned to the direction the shots came from. The Airmaster and Leopard Gundams were finished with all the low-level grunts and now came to their aid.

"Sorry it took so long, those flies were annoying to swat." Said Roybea over the radio, as both of them opened fire again on the two enemy leaders. Finally the odds were in their favor. With new hope, both mares brought the Bellzelute back to its feet.

What followed was a bizarre dance, as the pilots of the Freeden and the enemy leaders fought. The Bellzelute swiftly circled Oulba Frosts machine, together with the Leopard Gundam, unceasingly keeping up their fire. In the air above, the Gundam X and the Airmaster chased the red unit, as it tried to get its claws on them. Even with their cooperative effort, the battle was still even.

On the bridge of the Freeden, Jamil ordered the time until moonrise to be calculated. When the moon is up, the Gundam X could win this fight. "Captain, ten minutes and thirty seconds to moonrise." That was it, only a little longer. But ten minutes were hours on the battlefield.

Suddenly though, there was this strange feeling of dread. Something was coming.

A bright ball of energy flew at the battlefield and caused a large explosion, as it landed close to the Freeden. A photon torpedo. Only a large mobile armor could fire something as strong as this. There was no doubt that the Alternative Corporation was behind this. The fight broke off and the mechs scattered. Everyone was now just focusing on avoiding the shots.

---

At the Alternative Corporation, the CEO stood by, as the four-legged mobile armor fired one shot after another into the direction of the Vultures. Cables connected the mobile armor, standing almost as tall as the building itself, with their main reactor. There was no doubt that they could completely obliterate all of their enemies. "Keep firing until you are absolutely sure they are all dead. After this, we can unlock the secrets of the Newtypes, thanks to Tiffa." He ordered.

His men complied and performed an artillery carpet bombing. None of them could possibly get close now and even if they had long range weaponry, they wouldn't risk killing Tiffa. Victory was assured.

His mind wandered to the one weapon that could still be a danger to them. The Gundam X. The satellite cannon could soon be used, the moon was going to rise soon. It did not matter though, he couldn't stand still long enough to fire at them, as long as their mobile fortress continued the assault.

Just before the moon rose tough, a howling sound was heard, coming closer. The CEO looked in the direction the howling came from, only to see a barrage of missiles hitting the mobile armor, reducing it to scrap metal. "What, who is this?" He screamed in panic, as something else came into view.

The mobile suits guarding the corporation were being cut down by the long, curved swords of another mech. The security forces shot back but were quickly shut down, as more missiles were fired, destroying all of them. The CEO of the Alternative Corporation looked back where the shots were coming from, expecting an entire army.

Instead of an army though, a lone mobile suit stood there. Red in color and boxy in design. Shoulders, legs and torso sported compartments, holding the missiles. All of them seemed to have been fired from this lone Gundam. In one hand it also sported a large gatling gun and the chest compartment held two machine guns. The entire machine was practically made out of weapons.

"No... this cannot be... I was so close..." the CEO stuttered, as the two machines finished off all of his men.

---

Confusion ran through the ranks of the Freedens crew. Why did the assault suddenly stop? Garrod already got the Gundam X into position, in order to fire at the Alternative Corporation.

Jamil, sensing that Tiffa wanted to help them direct the satellite cannon, quickly went to Garrod, in order to relay Tiffas help to him. But just before the barrage stopped, Tiffa ordered them to stop.

Roybea, Witz, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stood by, after managing to chase off the two enemy leaders off for good. While Fluttershy was glad that the fighting finally stopped, the tension kept her nervous.

Then, two figures were approaching them. Everyone got ready in case these were enemy reinforcements but Jamil felt something. "Everyone hold your fire." He ordered over the radio. "These are not our enemies and they have Tiffa with them."

Whoever these people were, as long as they brought Tiffa back it didn't matter for now. Garrod greeted the pilots, who handed over Tiffa as a peace offering and asked for permission to come aboard the Freeden. Even with what happened with Oulba Frost, it was highly unlikely that this was another trick. If it was, they wouldn't have brought Tiffa here.

Back in the hangar, which was being repaired after Oulba's escape, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stayed in the cockpit again, while the others greeted the new pilots. Both of them were fairly young. The taller one had brown hair and bangs covering one of his eyes. He had a very stoic expression.

There was also a shorter boy, with short, blond hair. He on the other hand cheerfully greeted the crew of the Freeden. "Hello, my name is Quatre and this is Trowa. I am glad that you allowed us to come aboard, nice to meet you."

Comments

[Kamen rider yokai]

Well that happened.... anyway good chapter and you really need to show a map pic to show the positions of the ponies and their allies. Because I think Luna and spike will meet up with twilight and rarity first. If I remember right the group Luna is with is going to meet up with twilight's group as they are nearby. They did arrive in the same battle field just at different times.

[Uzume Tennouboshi]

I'm sure all bad guys hate that feeling when they're so close to victory, only for the Desert Prince and the Walking Powder Magazine to show up out of nowhere and blow away their chances of victory.

[BlasterDark210]

Ladies and gentlemen, our first victims of "the Stare" in the form of Roybea and Witz... quite the hoot to see two grown men have their Mental defences go to sticks around Fluttershy... now I wonder who's the next victim...

[DarkCrusader28]

Well, looks like the cast is coming together finally, now we only need Rainbow Dash fangirling over Sanger Zonvolt and I will be a happy fan.

[Tythen]

This is a really good up to here! When will the Banpresto characters come? Masaki? Shu? The SRX and ATX teams? On second thought... Everyone in OG?