"You look like a hustler!" Gin laughed at Draven, who was wearing his feathered captain's hat with his brown leather coat, blue dress shirt, and tan pants.

Draven rolled his eyes and nodded; reluctantly agreeing, but keeping his hat on anyways. Gin's outfit made her look like a gangster- a white blouse with a leather jacket on top, and she sported a fancy black fedora that complemented her silver mane nicely. The appropriately dressed group gathered in the main corridor on the upper level; eyeing each other's get-ups.

"These clothes are odd..." Twilight stared down at her outfit- a red leather jacket with a peplum and black jeans. "Very odd..."

"I think they're kinda cool!" Spike chuckled as he gave the others a bow; excitedly showing off his buttoned blazer and blue jeans.

"Yeah! This jacket is awesome!" Rainbow Dash agreed as she zipped up her brown bomber jacket that had various military symbols on the shoulders and chest.

Winslow stepped out from his room into the hallway. While his clothing did change, he still kept the knight theme to his outfit. He wore a buttoned-up leather trench coat with gold colored embroidery depicting leaf patterns lining the edges. Winslow kept his metal greaves and gauntlets, and his long-sword was still strapped to his back. Although his attire was a little less obvious, it wasn't too outside his comfort zone.

"Woah, Woah! Damn, look all that skin! I can almost see your neck, Winslow!" Gin teased the stoic paladin.

"Ha." The annoyed stallion uttered in his low voice as he began walking down the grand staircase to the command center. "We best get going."

"Oh, Winslow... never change." Gin chuckled as she followed the emotionless stallion downstairs along with the others.

As they approached the living area, Liazo got off a bench in the entrance-way and joined up with them, and caught a glimpse of Draven's out of place hat; bursting out into hysteric laughter.

"Oh! Oh no! Please, take it off before I die from asphyxiation!" Liazo fell on the floor.

"Hey! It's not that bad is it?" Draven wondered as he looked back at Spike and the others, who all avoided eye contact.

"Do it for all of us honey..." Gin placed her hand on his shoulder.

As Draven took off his hat, he felt a small hand tug at his jacket, it was James. He had an eager expression on his face, and his eyes were full of curiosity.

"Mr. Draven? I can take care of your hat for you!" James jumped up and down.

"Alright lad, but keep it safe will you?" Draven gave the colt a wide smile as he patted him on the head.

"Aye, aye captain!" James saluted Draven as he rushed to the living area where Fluttershy and Eleanor were.

As the group entered the living area, they saw Fluttershy's new clothes as well. She was wearing a frilly green dress with pink floral patterns, and it gave her an innocent look that warmed your heart when you looked at her. She smiled as she saw Spike and Twilight in their new clothes, and she raced over to them to admire their odd outfits.

"I love this coat on you Spike, you look so handsome!" Fluttershy complimented Spike, who blushed as he received the positive comment. "Rarity would love this!"

"And what about me?" Rainbow Dash pushed Spike aside to flaunt her jacket.

"Not bad Kitten..." Masami purred as she entered the room and tugged on Rainbow Dash's tail, then walked ahead of her into the next room. "C'mon guys, we haven't got all day! The teleporter is up and running, let's get a move on!"

"Um... let's all just ignore what she did there, okay?" Rainbow Dash asked the others as she turned around, but she was given no verbal response, just expressions of contained laughter. "Shut the hell up!"

****

As Spike and his friends entered the control room, they were greeted by Edgar and Evelyn, who were playing chess. Evelyn sneered and moved a piece; smiling proudly as she crossed her arms- confident in her move. Edgar remained calm and moved his piece ever so slightly; causing Evelyn to turn red with anger.

"Checkmate." Edgar uttered softly as he stood up and walked over to the other side of the control room where Charles was drinking his tea; leaving Evelyn in a speechless rage.

"Every damn time! How?!" Evelyn slammed the table; knocking off a few chess pieces.

"Oh there, there Eve... do you want me to get you your pacifier?" Masami patted Eve on the back; mocking her with a sarcastic frown on her face.

"I have an IQ of three hundred and seventy-eight! How do I keep losing to Edgar?!" Evelyn rushed over to a blackboard on the other side of the command center and began furiously writing down advanced mathematical equations.

"C'mon Eve, you can't win all the time..." Butch tried soothing the furious mare, but she ignored him and continued to write down equations.

"Alright, Eve, time to get going." Masami practically grabbed Eve and dragged her over to where Spike and the others were gathering.

"Damn it all... hello everypony..." Evelyn pouted; trudging over to a capsule nearby. "Let me get my suit..."

Evelyn stepped inside the small chamber and as she did so, the capsule door closed. After a few seconds, she emerged with a strange skin-tight suit on. It was black, but it wasn't kevlar or leather. It was shiny, almost liquid. Orange lines ran across her suit, the largest being the one running up and down her spine, each gave off a faint glow- malachite in color.

"What is this suit? It's not a robotic like all the other ones..." Twilight muttered curiously as she observed the jet black armor.

"It's called the Quantum Suit V-3. I designed it myself." Evelyn explained as she checked to make sure the suit assembled properly. "The suit can generate and manipulate high energy particles, and is made up of a special material that is heatproof, bulletproof, shockproof, and lightweight. It's only a prototype, so I'm still working on it. It's powered by ultraviolet rays gathered by the black material and is fed through my artificial spine and converted."

"That's... amazing! How did you do it?" Twilight asked with childlike wonder in her expression.

"The schematics are all up here..." Evelyn smiled as she tapped on her head. "I applied the teleporter designs and used them to create a portable teleportation and particle manipulation device."

"So you can teleport?" Spike chimed in.

"Yes, in fact, I-," Evelyn disappeared in a flash of light, then reappeared right behind Spike, "can. I can move my particles to a desired spatial coordinate in a mere half-second. Unlike regular teleporters, I can move my body without the use of a circuit."

"I've never seen an earth pony teleport before." Twilight gawked at Evelyn and her astounding suit.

"Well, magic and science are two different schools of learning, and science takes much less time to master in my opinion." Evelyn boasted. "Plus, I do not have a horn..."

"Alright kiddies, that's enough show and tell. Everyone, to the teleporter!" Masami demanded as she stepped on a large platform on the opposite side of the room along with the others."Charles, get ready to hit the switch."

As Evelyn and Twilight stepped on the other platform, Fluttershy raced over to her friends and hugged each of them. "Good luck everyone."

"Stay safe everypony, I'll be in touch." Charles nodded as he pushed a button; sending them away in a burst of greenish-blue light.

****

Downtown was a lot larger from ground level. It was connected to a huge financial area with various shops, food stands, and performers. Riker's Street eventually connected to Liberty Square, which had even more shops set up for the parade. In the heart of the square were four colossal metal statues, each depicting one of the forefathers of Ausrüstung.

"Alright, guys, time to split up," Masami ordered the task force. "Just a recap. Spike, Butch- get up to Liberty Square, see what's going on. Twilight, Winslow, Edgar, Evelyn, and Gin- you go to the market on Alkali Street. Make sure Edgar stays out of sight, stick to the alleyways. Kitten, you'll reckon with Liazo like we planned, you see anything out of place, call it out. Draven and I will stay here and monitor Riker's Street, and keep tabs on your positions. Let's get going."

"C'mon fire-breath, we haven't got all day." Butch sighed as he began walking toward Liberty Square.

"Good luck, Twilight. Stay safe." Spike wished his friend luck before catching up to Butch, who was already making headway. "Hey, wait up!"

Spike ran ahead with Butch and melted into the crowd. He looked back for a moment to try and catch a glimpse of Twilight, but she had disappeared already. Spike looked all around downtown, observing all the strange-looking folk, police robots, and food stands.

Butch walked for a while before stopping at a street performer, a guitarist on a stool with his case on the ground, full of change. He was slender, old, he had a warm smile and a long beard. Butch was charmed by the stallion and sat down on the bench beside him, noticing the rank on his army jacket.

"Howdy soldier, what brings you here?" The old stallion's voice was like gravel, and he spoke in a slow drawl.

"I just was coming to see the parade, but I see your jacket there. You a captain?" Butch smiled as he pointed at the bars on the guitarist's shoulder.

"Yes' surry. Five years in the third Zhophy campaign, two years at Galloway." The old stallion boasted bashfully.

"I'll be damned... say, I know that tune. Mind if I holler a little?" Butch asked the old stallion kindly.

"I'd be honored, soldier." The stallion grinned as he started strumming a little louder.

And then, Butch began to sing. It was slow and heartfelt. Spike could hear the strain in Butch's voice, not because he had troubles hitting the higher notes, but because he could hear the painful memories pour out of his soul as he sang.

Green grow the lilacs, all sparkling with dew
I'm lonely, my darling, since parting with you;
But by our next meeting I'll hope to prove true
And change the green lilacs to the Red, White, and Blue.

Green grow the lilacs reminding me of
The ones that I brought you with all of my love,
The gates of my country will open for you
And change the green lilacs to the Red, White, and Blue.

Green grow the lilacs, Your favorite flow'r,
So sweetly perfuming - a sad parting hour.
Oh send me a message - That you love me too,
Let's change the green lilacs to the Red, White, and Blue.

Green grow the lilacs, all sparkling with dew
I'm lonely, my darling, since parting with you;
But by our next meeting I'll hope to prove true
And change the green lilacs to the Red, White, and Blue.

As the song ended, Butch shook his head to melt away the sorrow, and he stood up soon after; shaking the old stallion's hand before tossing a diamond cog into his case.

"Bless you, soldier, you're a good stallion." The old coot laughed. "The name's Wes, Wes Richards."

"Butch Stiehl, it was good meetin' ya." Butch shook the stallion then walked away, with Spike following not far behind.

"That was awesome, Butch. Where did you learn to sing like that?" Spike complimented the gruff stallion as they approached the four statues in the center of Liberty Square.

"We used to sing deep down in the trenches, my squad and me," Butch recalled as he lit a cigar.

"You served in a war?" Spike asked Butch, who nodded in response. "What was it like?"

Butch remained silent before puffing out some smoke from his snout. "Are you hungry? I could go for some grub right about now. There's a food stand over there-- sellin' hotdogs."

Butch changed the subject quickly, too quickly in fact. He zoomed over to the hot dog stand with Spike and picked up a foot-long. The young dragon saw Butch grab a small medicine capsule from his pocket, and before eating he popped a small white tablet in his mouth, sighing as he looked down at the ground for a moment.

"Masami, can you hear me?" Butch talked into his microphone.

"Yep, anything fishy going on?" Masami responded through his earpiece.

"Not yet, no. I'll keep you posted, though." Butch grunted.

****

The market on Alkali Street was less commercial than on Riker's Street. There were farmers and merchants with fresh fruits and vegetables, pottery, and silverware. Alkali Street was also more artsy than Riker's Street, as the design of buildings were less similar and more unique; usually taking on an arts and crafts kind of look. Twilight took occasional peeks into the street as she walked down the alleyway alongside Edgar, who was a little disappointed he couldn't be seen on the streets. Winslow also tagged along to keep an eye on Twilight. His spell wore off faster than he originally thought, and Gek was beginning to wear on Twilight's mind.

"Masami, do you mind telling me what we're looking for exactly?" Twilight asked as she pressed a button on her communicator.

"Anything suspicious or out of place," Masami answered.

"Could you be a little more specific?" Twilight requested although she knew it would only be a guess.

"Well, you might want to monitor heavily populated areas. If these cultists want to preach, you can bet your ass they'll wanna find the largest crowd." Masami informed Twilight.

"What kind of preaching do you speak of?" Winslow inquired.

"The explosive kind..." Masami replied in a grave tone of voice. "Also, check the back-doors in those alleyways, they lead to maintenance rooms, I bet they'll try and hide in there."

"Alright then... let's try this door over here." Twilight pointed over to the door on her left.

Twilight tried opening the door, but it wouldn't budge, there was a sturdy metal lock on it. She reached into her satchel and grabbed a lock-pick, but it didn't work on the sophisticated lock.

"Darn, do you know how to crack these locks open Ed-." Twilight trailed off when she watched Edgar snap the lock like a toothpick with his thumb and index finger. "That also works..."

The maintenance room was filled with levers and buttons, but nothing out of place. However, there was a red "X" painted on a nearby wall. Twilight inspected it by running her fingers across the paint, it was still wet.

"Masami, I think we found something," Twilight informed Masami. "Paint, still wet, it's in the shape of an X. Somepony must be marking targets."

"Good work. Liazo, Rainbow Dash, you hear that?" Masami called out on her communicator. "Where are you guys?"

Rainbow Dash and Liazo watched the market and the parade from the roof of a very tall building at the halfway point between the two events. They watched both Twilight's group and Butch's intently; waiting for any suspicious activity.

"We hear ya Masami, Rainbow Dash and I are on a building overlooking the financial district on Cook Avenue. Where is this red X?" Liazo wondered as he looked towards the marketplace.

"On Alkali Street, just a block away," Masami instructed Liazo.

"Hey Liazo, I see somepony across the street, he looks weird." Rainbow Dash crouched down at the edge of the roof and pointed down at the strange figure standing on the sidewalk.

From What Liazo could tell, the figure was a stallion. He was shrouded in an odd face mask and hood, and he moved back into the alleyway once his eyes met with Rainbow Dash's.

"He's going over to Twilight and the others, let's bag em'. Give me a lift." Liazo put his hands out to Rainbow Dash, who grabbed him and shot off like a rocket to the other side of the street; landing on a nearby roof overlooking the next alleyway. "Alright, you stay here and-."

Rainbow Dash went after the hooded stallion before Liazo could finish speaking. "I'll get em'!"

"Perfect, we got a jackass on scouting duty..." Liazo muttered to himself as he jumped down into the alleyway with Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash pursued the masked stallion down the narrow alleyway, and just as she caught up to him, The stallion pulled out a silenced pistol; aiming it right at Rainbow Dash's head, and halting her advance.

"Don't move a muscle..." The stallion uttered with a murderous glow in his eyes.

Before he had a chance to fire, Liazo snuck behind him and slit his throat with his butterfly knife; silencing him with his other hand as he placed it over his mouth. "Good riddance..."

"You killed him..." Rainbow Dash muttered in disbelief.

"Yeah, and this would've been you if you didn't have me with ya." Liazo scolded the stubborn pegasus, who crossed her arms and pouted like a foal in response to his criticisms.

"Maybe you were just too slow..." Rainbow Dash mumbled.

"Oh, really-?!" Liazo was cut off as a bullet entered his heart and dropped him.

"Liazo!" Rainbow Dash cried as she turned around, only to see another hooded stallion with a gun headed towards her.

As Rainbow Dash backed up, she tripped over Liazo's body and hit the ground. She backed up until her back was pressed against a dumpster. She was scared out of her wits, looking around frantically for a method of escape, but her thoughts were too muddled to formulate a plan. However, when she looked over to Liazo's lifeless body, she noticed something odd.

Liazo didn't exude regular blood, it was silvery, like liquid metal. As she narrowed her vision to observe the strange liquid, she noticed that Liazo's eyes were moving-- one winking at her as she looked closely. In a matter of seconds, the liquid jumped off the ground and formed into a metal spine that drove itself through the hooded stallion's brain, killing him instantly.

"What the..." Rainbow Dash gasped as Liazo got up off the dirty ground and wiped his shirt clean. "You just-, and you-, how?"

"Oh, no one told you about me? My blood is mercury, I can manipulate it at will, change its density, hardness, mass..." Liazo enlightened the flabbergasted mare, who could only gawk as she was aided to her hooves. "Sorry about scaring you like that, happens sometimes..."

"Liazo, are you okay? Your communicator cut out for a second." Masami asked Liazo.

"I'm fine, sugar. Just had a little tussle here, we're fine," Liazo informed Masami. "Listen, there's probably more going down other alleyways, give word to Eve and the others that trouble's on the way."

"Alright, good, I'll get in contact with Eve," Masami replied. "Is Kitten okay?"

"She's a little shaken-up, nothing too bad," Liazo answered as he patted Rainbow Dash on the shoulder. "C'mon, we got work to do."

Author's Notes:

As always, I hope you enjoyed! May I add that all songs in this arc are folk songs, and they are under public domain, no copyright here.