Once I finish making the last necklace for all of the Spartans, as well as a few extra, I leave my shop to meet everyone. Yesterday was too much. I tried to convince Storm to let me talk to Twilight, but she didn't want to see anyone. Miscarriage, this early, it doesn't make sense. I wish I had Eximius here. He would know what to do about this. He could fix almost anything. I make my way inside where I see a group of random people walking towards my home, being lead by True Will. This should be interesting.

"Long time no see." I say as I step outside to greet them. "What brings you here?"

"We received a notice from Luna that you were going to the next city. Here we are." True Will says as the rest of them line up in front of my porch. "Let me introduce you to our group..."

"There's no need for that..."

"You remember our recon expert, Dust Devil."

"Hey Miles!" She says as she waves to me.

"Hey. True Will..."

"Then there's our explosives expert, Aere." He says as a light red earth stallion steps forward. He has a brass gear for a mark and seems to be covered in soot. His left foreleg has been replaced with what looks like a steam powered prosthetic; wonder how that happened. He has a saddle filled to the brim with who knows what on his back.

"Hello, look. You guys aren't..."

"Next is Theirmara, our two handed expert. And I know you don't know what anything is, so I'll just tell you. She's an earth elemental in bear form." He says as the massive stone skeleton steps forward. There isn't much to her. Just a skeletal form of... whatever a bear is. She stands well over me and even though she lacks a face, I can feel her eyes judging me.

"Greetings." She says in a voice that sounds like its being forced through sand paper.

"I'm Hamm Strung, the ranged expert and company blacksmith." A Minotaur says as he steps forward and violently shakes my hand. He stands about as tall as Theirmara, going a bit over due to the massive horns on his head. He has furry brown legs with his body being covered in low white fur. He carries several throwing axes on his back as well around his waist.

"Ow... OK, this has..."

"And finally there's Matrix, our one hoofed expert."

"Hi there!" He says joyfully as he steps forward. He's a pegasus stallion with a body that's black with a few yellow strips and hair that's yellow with some red stripes. He carries a simple sword on his waist as well as what look like small metal bowls... da fuck...

"When do we move out?" True will asks as they all stand there, waiting for me to answer.

"You don't. I never agreed to you all coming along." I say, getting looks from all of them.

"Well no duh you didn't agree to this." Dust Devil says with a chuckle. "Your wife did."

"My wife did..."

"Yeah, she hired us to assist you and help keep the bearers safe. She even payed in advance." Matrix says, getting smug looks from all of them.

"Wait here real quick, I need to make a phone call." I say as I step back inside and pull out my phone.

"So... welcome aboard then." I say bitterly as I step back outside. After talking with Luna for awhile I finally decided to allow them to come along. Why do I call Luna every night...

"So, where's the rest of your group?" Hamm Strung asks as he continues to sharpen his axes. I ignore him and continue to walk out until I'm underneath Rainbows house.

"RAINBOW! WAKE UP!" I yell, getting confused looks from most of the others.

"Whoa, whoa whoa. Did you say Rainbow... as in Rainbow Dash?" Matrix asks as he walks up beside me and looks up.

"Yeah, know her?"

"Uh... I'll be right back." He says as he runs out of sight behind my house.

"What was that about?" Rainbow asks as she lands in front of me. "Who are all of these ponies?"

"I don't know. Luna hired a mercenary group to assist us when we go to each city. Want to meet them?"

"Naw. I need to get Scootaloo over to Twilight's real quick. See ya..."

"Hold on!" I yell, stopping her from flying off. "Did you know... about Twilight?"

"About her being pregnant? Yeah, it should be the end of her first month now. Why?" She asks as she raises an eyebrow to me.

"Month? How do you know that?"

"Well... a nurse at the hospital happens to be a friend of mine and told me about when she went for her first check up. It was right after their honeymoon, so it makes sense. I'll be back asap." She says before she jumps into the air back to her house. I was about to walk off when I stopped and looked down the path. Standing in the middle was Twilight, staring wide eyed at me.

"Twilight..."

"I don't want to talk about it." She says as she walks past me.

"Twilight wait!" I yell, getting her to stop and look back to me with an irritated look. "I just want to make sure that you're OK..."

"I'm fine. I'm just not meant to be a mother." She says spitefully before continuing on. I just stand there and shake my head. Twilight, what am I going to do...

After about an hour, everyone finally makes it here, and we go through the same routine. They see the mercs out front and question there being there. Then they see Twilight inside and really question her being here. She tells them all the same thing: Not to worry because there isn't going to be a baby. After that, there are lots of hugs and reassuring words. She just sits there and nods along, putting up a strong face to hide the hurt. I don't know what to do. I don't want her to come, but I know there's no way I could convince her to stay behind. That and she needs to be around people that care about her, even if they are going somewhere potentially dangerous.

"Hey, come inside for debriefing." I tell the mercs as I stick my head out of the door. I step inside and wait for everyone to get situated before I point to the map behind me. "The next city is Amethyst, and I calculate it's location to be underneath Detrot on the southern section. We can expect to see: Bots, possibly more spore creatures, and maybe people. That all depends on how they fared against the Unfamiliar. Since we have to have the mercs with us, I want everyone to pair up..."

"I CALL RAINBOW!" Matrix yells, immediately blushing from his sudden outburst.

"Right... anyway, Theirmara, I want you with Big Mac and Pinkie. Fluttershy and Rainbow, you're with Dust Devil and Matrix. Work that out however you want. Twilight, I want you with True Will. Hamm Strung and I will be together along with Easy. Aere, you will be with Rarity and Applejack. Try to stay together, at least in your groups, and work together..."

"Whose Easy?" Hamm Strung asks.

"May I have your autograph?" Easy, as if on queue, asks him. They all jump a bit from his sudden appearance and gawk.

"Miles, I brought all of the weapon you requested, further details?" He asks as he walks over to me, having six rifles slung to his back.

"Are they operable?" I ask as I take one and look it over.

"Yes, all weapons in your locker are now one hundred percent operable."

"Good. Let's take a quick lunch while I get these ready before we head out. Big Mac, I need you to go get a cart and bring it to my backyard."

"Eeyup." He replies as he walks out.

I take all of the rifles to the table and get to work. I start by removing the finger guards and extending the triggers. Next I rework the grips to be larger and more accommodating for ponies. I takes awhile; having to work the super condensed metal and all, but once I finish the last rifle up I call Big Mac over to try it out.

"How does it feel?" I ask as he stands there and fiddles around with it.

"A little clunky, but good." He says as he aims out the window. "Is there a way to make it shorter?"

"Not really. This is how it's going to have to be." I say as I take the remaining rifles and head over to the living room. "Alright. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy, come take one."

"Wh-what? Do I have to take a weapon?" Fluttershy asks as she steps away.

"Don't worry. I don't expect you to use it often. But I would feel better if you had one. Just a... last second protection thing." I reassure her. I still get uneasy looks from her as she takes one.

"Why doesn't Rarity get one?" Rainbow Dash asks as she takes one.

"Because dear, I already have one." Rarity says as she pulls it.... what the fuck. "Isn't it fabulous!?" She asks as she levitates it out. She coated it with a pink and purple camouflage and studded her mark into the stock, using the gem that was there already for the center gem.

"Rarity... what the fuck?" I ask as I look it over. "Camo is suppose to hide you, not make you more obvious."

"Now how would making my weapon dark and grimy help in any way?" She asks as she put the gun back into her saddle.

"Your weapon?"

"Why of course darling. It almost seems destined for me to have this gun. Nopony else can use it the way I do. It only seems fitting that I carry it." She says as she walks off, strutting a bit as she does.

"Right... anyway, everyone with a gun step outside for a quick shooting lesson. After that, we'll get going." I say as I start leading them out back. "Alright. Just line up here and we'll get started."

"Is this like some Spartan training?" Rainbow Dash asks as she rears up with the rifle in her hooves.

"No. Spartan training would be too intense for some of you. This is Terradisia basic training. It will cover proper use, fire control, and commands. Any questions before we start?" I ask, getting Fluttershy to raise a hoof.

"Do I have to. I'd prefer not to harm anypony..."

"I would still like you to. I don't expect you to fight unless our lives are in danger. If something were to happen and we got separated, I wouldn't want to see you get hurt. If you really don't feel you can handle this, then say so right now. But just know that I believe that you can."

"Well..." She mutters as she thinks about it. "I... OK. I will try."

"Thank you. Now, these are not toys." I say as I walk in front of them, holding my rifle in front of me. "These are tools of destruction. When you pull the trigger, there is no going back. There is no do over. If you are walking around, not in immediate danger, keep off the trigger and point down." They all look to their guns and do so, trying to mimic the way I hold my rifle.

"Next is knowing your weapon. I don't expect you to know how to strip your weapon, though Big Mac will, but I do want you to know the features. On the left side, above the trigger, you'll see two switches. One goes up and down, the other goes in a circle. The first one is your safety. Push it down and you'll see a red dot. That means the weapon is ready to fire. Turn your safeties off." They all look to the side and turn the safeties off.

"OK, the next switch is your firing mode. You have three options. Single, triple burst, and constant. In single fire mode, you fire a single round for every pull of the trigger. In triple burst, you will fire three rounds for every pull of the trigger. And in constant, if you pull the trigger it will constantly fire, keeping at it's highest rate of fire. Lets go through the firing modes, raise your weapons."

We start out with the single fire mode. It seemed easy enough for them. After a couple of practice shots I started giving them targets. They all did fairly well, except for Fluttershy. Why the fuck did she not want to do this? She has an amazing shot. I gave her some targets a kilometer out and she was hitting them with total ease.

Next we move onto triple burst. Everyone here begins to have trouble keeping their guns on target. Applejack, Big Mac, and Rainbow Dash. They started off weak, but were able to hold it on target after some practice. Fluttershy completely fell apart from this area. She seems to only be able to keep on target in single fire mode, so I tell her to stay there.

Next we move onto constant. No one does well here. Big Mac does decent, but he still has some drag going on. Rarity does a bit decent as well, but using magic on a smaller weapon is a bit of cheating. Though, she does have to deal with a larger caliber shot as well....

"Miles!" True Will calls from behind. "Are we going to e leaving today or not? We still need to meet up with Camo Flash..."

"Keep your panties on, we're all done here." I say as I walk over to him. "Where's Camo Flash?"

"Don't worry about it. He knows where we'll be. Lets just get going." He says as he walks back inside.

"What was that about?" Pinkie asks.

"I don't know..."

"Cause he was frowning, and I don't like ponies that frown."

"I know Pinkie..."

"You know what will fix this!"

"What?" I ask as I look down to her.

"A.... a... um..."

"Just say it."

"A PARTY!" She yells as confetti pops out from behind. I jump back start to look around frantically.

"Where the fuck did the confetti come from?!" I ask in a panic.

"Duh, my party poppers." She says simply as she hops back inside.

"Come on Pinkie..." I say as I try to calm my nerves...

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

I come to a stop in front of one of the shops in Detrot. Daisy's Daisies. This is the place. I step inside and take a look around. Just your average flower shop, nothing out of the ordinary...

"Hello there." Greets the mare at the counter. "Can I help you find something?"

"I'm looking for a black orchid." I say as I walk up to her. She looks around the store before leaning forward.

"There's only one place to get something like that...."

"In the Ursa's cave." I say, getting a nod from her as she pulls a lever. The wall behind her slides to the side, revealing a dark passageway.

"Welcome home brother." She says as I walk past her. I take the tunnel all the way down until I find the large double doors. I take a deep breath before walking up and knocking.

"Come in." Says a deep voice from behind. I push the door open and step in. The room is completely dark, with six beams of light coming down from the ceiling. Five of them are going around the room while the last one is in the center. I walk to the middle of the room and wait.

"Lieutenant." Says a feminine voice. "Lets begin. Do you know why we brought you here?"

"Is it about True Will?" I ask.

"Partially." Says another male voice. "It's also about the Human."

"Miles? What about him? We've already told you everything about him..."

"Yes, but there is one thing that intrigues us. We need you to prove yourself to gain Spartan training. We've read the reports on how his troops performed, and we need skills like that. Prove yourself and gain his training to train us..."

"Why not True Will? He's the captain for a reason. His skills are far superior then mine, he would be a much better candidate."

"True Will has... been proven to be problematic. The details of his joining the Ursa's mercenaries company are still under wraps. Can we count on you staying loyal?" Says a different feminine voice.

"You can count on me." I say as a smile starts to grow on my face.

"Excellent. When you leave we will bestow a gift upon you. Take it, and with it, you will be the greatest fighter possible.

Joining will be no problem. Now go." The five other lights fade out, telling me it's time to leave. As I walk out, I can't help but smile.

"Your flowers sir." The mare out front says as she gives me a box of 'roses'. "Take care." She says with a smile.

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

I hit the brakes and come to a stop just outside the small city.

"Easy?" I call back to the cart attached to my jeep.

"Applecore City. Ten kilometers outside of Detrot and twenty three from our objective." He replies. I nod and start to drive around the town. I feel bad for everyone in the cart, but they'll just have to deal with it for now. We're too close to stop for every worried towns person freaking out about us driving through.

"What part of Detrot do we have to go to?" I ask Twilight as she looks over a map.

"If your math is right, the southern part. Just wrap around Applecore and go straight towards Detrot." She says simply.

"Twilight..."

"We should get there soon. You ready for this?" She asks to change the subject.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I'm. Fine." She growls as she looks away from me. I just shake my head as I continue on our way.

Once we're close enough to walk I stop and let everyone out, much to the delight of those in the cart. Once we have our gear I hide the jeep and we walk the rest of the way. Once we get to the edge of Detrot, we send a few in to buy some supplies. Once they go in I call Twilight aside to talk to her.

"Twilight..."

"Miles, just... don't. OK. I've already heard it from everypony else, I don't want to hear it from you."

"I know you don't. So I won't. But, if you ever want to talk about it. I'm here. You don't have to come you know..."

"I can still do this, I want to go..."

"Why?" I ask, getting a bewildered look from her.

"What do you mean why?! I..."

"Twilight, I know what you're doing. And I won't let you do it. You want to come because you want something to take your anger out on..."

"Maybe because I need something to vent on! What right do you have to say whether or not I can..."

"Because I'm you friend." I say, getting her to stop and stare at me. "I'm you're friend Twilight. And I won't let you walk this path. It only leads to destruction and anguish. Trust me. I know."

"How could you possibly know my pain?" Twilight asks as she starts to sob. "I was going to be a mother, and my magic destroyed that."

"Wait, what?" She wipes her eyes a couple of times before continuing.

"My magic saw the embryo and attacked it. As if it was a virus. It's why unicorns don't get as sick as easily as other ponies..."

"Twilight..."

"How could you possibly understand my pain." She says before walking off. I don't try to stop her. I have nothing to say to that.

"Hey, they're back!" Pinkie cheers. I walk back over to the group and watch as the others approach us, carrying bags of food. Camo Flash is with them as well, looking confident with a large sword strapped to his back. Once we're all back together I flare my hands and start sending us below. I glance over to Twilight as we go for a moment before looking away. I don't know what to tell her. I'm sure she's heard it all. Trying again. These things happen. But... how do you tell them that their magic destroying their future child is alright?

Next Chapter: Chapter 133 Amethyst Estimated time remaining: 54 Hours, 46 Minutes