Troops gathered in the armory of Gyro. It was a reasonably sized complex constructed out of the same gold and silver colored metals the rest of the buildings were made out of. The armory sat just a few meters from the tower at the center of the glimmering city. Spike and the rest of the group noticed that the security forces of Gyro also doubled as the military of the town as well, and that was an assumption based on the fact that there was no fully fledged police officer in sight, only armed soldiers that lined the street corners.

There were tables lined with armaments, both conventional and seemingly fictional; hand-held particle rifles, magnetic pulse guns, dozens of grenades. The tables were set in long rows that reached the end of the complex, and every android soldier on duty in the building began to arm themselves, preparing for the assault that was to come. Spike and his friends stood silently at the door for a moment, unsure if they were to reequip themselves as well.

"So... what now?" Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow as she watched the androids work at a pace that was almost tiresome to look at.

"Now, you get what you need. And meet us in the briefing room once you're done." Alvin piped up as he walked past Evelyn to get to another table that had a few pistols on it. He loaded each pistol and handed it to a soldier, who tucked it into their holster as they passed by, walking through a set of double doors into the smaller room attached to the armory on the right. "Don't be shy. I'm sure you need all the ammo you can get." Alvin eyed Butch's weaponry and whistled, impressed by the threatening size of his equipment. "Damn, that's some big guns you got there. Not sure if we've got four gauge shells or sixty cals here..."

"It's alright, I came prepared," Butch assured him as he opened up a few pouches on his utility belt; they were all filled with the ammo his very specific firearms required. "I never pack light."

"No, you certainly don't..." Alvin grinned as he grabbed a shell out of Butch's pocket and marveled at it. "What do you plan on killing with this? A tank?"

"In my experience, I like to make sure the guy I'm fightin' is dead, so I feed him a big-ass shell– dead before they even hit the ground after this gets em'," Butch grunted as he brushed the barrel of his shotgun and swiped the shell from Alvin's hand, placing it gently back into his ammo pouch.

"Oooo!" Masami shook in anticipation as she eyed the assault rifles sitting next to her on a nearby table. "Hello there, ladies..."

Masami loaded one of the assault rifles that caught her eye; it was a larger one, high caliber. It's wooden grip and stock, chrome plated frame and streamlined design made it a sleek-looking piece of artistry. It was indeed a Popov assault rifle, an antique. It seemed so out of place amongst the other rifles; everything else seemed like a worthless piece of metal compared to the glimmering majesty that Masami fondled with closed eyes and a romantic grin.

"You done dry-humpin' that worthless piece of Popov garbage?" Butch scoffed at Masami as he watched her toy with the gun, popping her bubble.

"Oh, can-it you Maverick-loving jarhead!" Masami barked at him as she cradled the rifle in her arms like a sick child.

"Don't you talk shit about Maverick, princess." Butch waved his index finger at her as he drew his unloaded pistol, turning the revolving chamber slowly so that the others could hear the satisfying click that it made as the drum spun. "Maverick's got it made."

"You simpleton Maverick-lovers don't know the first thing about beauty!" Masami sighed as she attached the sling that was on the table next to where her rifle had sat, strapping it to her back and wearing it proudly along with her sword as she grabbed a few extra curved magazines for later.

"Please, guns aren't better once you start dollin' it up with all of that chrome metal and rosewood grips. That shit ain't reliable." Butch laughed as he mocked Masami's choice of guns.

"What are they yammering on about?" Draven leaned in to ask Spike, but he just stared on at the two of them as they continued to argue over their guns.

"No clue." Spike shrugged as he listened to the banter.

"They're arguing over which gun company is better... again." Evelyn rolled her eyes as she checked her watch, clearing her throat to capture their attention. "Masami, Butch, come now. We should hurry if we want to plan our attack along with these dampfriesens."

"Just a minute, Eve. I'm talking sense into this meathead!" Masami growled at Butch as their eyes locked onto one another. "I can throw this gun into an incinerator and it'll still fire after I take it out!"

"Maybe so, but you Popov-loving vodka-gurglers wouldn't want to since it'll ruin that pretty paint job!" Butch snapped at her.

"Oh yeah? Well, Maverick guns only come in one color, fuckin' black and gold!" Masami swayed her hip to the side in a sassy fashion as she shot him a comeback.

"Shouldn't we, uh..." Gin leaned backward and watched the rest of the androids enter the briefing room through the double doors. "Get going?"

"Are we really arguing about gun aesthetics at a time like this?" Liazo shook his head as he covered his face with the palm of his hand. "I'm going to the briefing room, alright? You kids can argue all day long about your fancy guns..." Liazo expressed his bias as a knife-wielder as he urged the others to follow him through the opened doors to the next room. "You guys comin' or not?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Masami shook her head and crossed her arms as she followed Liazo.

"Whatever," Butch grunted as he loaded his revolver.

"I'm not really a fan of guns to be completely honest..." Rainbow Dash whispered to Masami. "Do you guys really have to argue over guns like that?"

"If I moved faster than a bullet, I don't think there'd be any need for guns," Masami chuckled as she gave Rainbow Dash a playful nudge with her shoulder. "Butch knows a hell of a lot about guns. I think it's healthy for us to have a little heated debate once in a while– keeps us sharp, you know?"

"Yeah, I suppose..." Rainbow Dash scoffed a little as she walked alongside Masami into the large briefing room.

The briefing room looked more like a war room. There was a large, round table with a holographic grid on top of it. The grid acted like a map that could be manipulated. Three large, black leather chairs were placed at the end of the table, and this is where the three android generals sat, all dressed up in their full blue and white military regalia, ready for war. Other androids were gathered around them, possibly officers or commanders, the same ones who were preparing themselves in the armory.

"Hello, comrades." The general in between the two others greeted them. "I am General Clide, and this is General Weiss to my left and General Kruben to my right."

"A pleasure to meet you all." Fluttershy grinned as she cheerfully waved to them.

As Butch made it to the other end of the table, the three generals sat up and stood at attention before him, which confused Butch at first. "I'm sorry, did I miss somethin'?"

"No, sir." The general in the center shook his head. "Your rank as High Commander puts you ahead of us, sir."

"Fellas, you really don't have to-..." Butch trailed off as the rest of the androids saluted him.

"Hello everypony, are we ready?" A familiar voice echoed throughout the room, Lady Athena; it was coming from the overhead intercoms.

"Yes, my lady." General Clide nodded as he sat back down in his chair.

"Good. Let us begin." She said as the table lit up, generating yet another hologram of the outer regions of Kaiser's complex.

"The governmental building on top of Kaiser's complex is heavily fortified. It's guarded by bandits, cultists, and ex-mercenaries. This will be a tough battle for our stallions. " General Weiss used his hand to manipulate the projection, zooming in on the landscape of the area around the old governmental building. There were multiple high-tech cannons atop the outer walls surrounding the old building. "There will be rail-cannons, proximity mines, and various other nefarious traps and barriers placed in your way. On top of that, Kaiser's also got some kind of machine guarding the entrance. Although, Lady Athena's sensors have yet to identify this machine. We must proceed with caution."

"Machine?" Edgar's mind began to wander, worried about the mysterious 'machine'.

"So, if this place is so locked-up tight, how are we going to get in?" Spike gawked at the daunting array of defenses that the complex boasted, and he couldn't help but be pessimistic about the mission at hand. "Can we even get in?"

"A good question," General Kruben piped up as he adjusted his glasses. "You see, our frontal assault will surely crumble without adequate support. Our mortars will help, but they'll only prolong our offensive's destruction. We need a tank, something to absorb everything they throw at us. I think we've already got that covered..." General Kruben motioned towards Edgar, who snapped out of his daydream shortly after his name was said. "You tanked a direct hit from a goliath skeleton without taking a scratch. That takes some real muscle, pal. We need you to be our blockade. You think you can do that?"

"I'll give it a shot, yeah," Edgar nodded as he leaned up against a wall.

"We'll need some heavy hitters backing Ed up," Masami added as she directed her attention towards Spike and Draven. "How about it? You two lizards up for a brawl?"

"Always," Draven grinned in his usual jolly manner, looking over to Spike to hear his answer. "And you, boyo? What's your plan?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to get Twilight back..." Spike clenched his fists as a flame began to burn in his chest. "Whatever it takes, I'll kick Kaiser's ass. I'm going with you and Edgar."

"I promise you, you'll see her again." Rainbow Dash patted Spike on the shoulder as she gave him a comforting smile.

"I know I will. She's the toughest pony we know. They won't break her, no pony can..." Spike's eyes filled with determination, causing Rainbow Dash's grin to grow wider.

"We have our bruisers, so now what?" Rainbow Dash asked as she stretched her arms out, putting one behind her head.

"We need a strike team to sneak around the main defenses and take out the members of Infernalgear from within. We need infiltrators, and I think we have just the team in mind." General Clide explained as he lit a cigar and pointed at Rainbow Dash. "You there, pegasus... Lady Athena tells me you're quite the speedy one, is that right?"

"Hell yeah, I'm fast! You're looking at a future ace right here!" Rainbow Dash boasted with a prideful grin on her face.

"I can confirm that she is quite fast indeed..." Masami snickered as she made the crude remark, and Rainbow Dash's face turned bright red as a result.

"Nice..." Gin whispered to Masami as they fist-bumped.

"Yes, yes... bawdy indeed." General Clide chuckled as he puffed out a small plume of smoke from his mouth. "All innuendos aside, we need that speed to get past guards and breach defenses. Are you up for the task?"

"As long as I get to run walk away from explosions and get my name on a plaque, I'm in. I'll get Twi back if it's the last thing I do!" Rainbow Dash's pride returned as she thought of herself in glorious battle.

"Who else wishes to join the strike team?" General Clide wondered.

"If Kitten's going, I'm going with her," Masami answered as she tugged on Rainbow Dash's tail. "She'll need somepony to watch her ass from time to time..."

"I'll go too. I won't be of use if I'm going with Spike and Draven, but I want to help in any way that I can if it means I'll get to see Twilight again." Fluttershy said proudly, determined to prove her worth to the others.

"I'll join you," Winslow chimed in. "The strike team will need all the help it can get."

"I'm in." Evelyn piped up.

"Oh, what the hell? Count me in as well." Butch said as he lit his own cigar with a match.

"Then I suppose it's a triple-double-date then!" Masami joked as she gave Rainbow Dash a pinch on the cheek. "Don't worry about us once we get in, Clide. We'll split up into groups of two and take out those bastards!"

"Great. Now, that leaves only two left. How about it Liazo? What's your plan?" General Clide asked the halfling.

"I'm a spy. I won't do you guys any good if we're all on the offensive..." Liazo replied as he fiddled around with his knife. "I'm gonna go my own way. I'm takin' down Fonzi by myself, once and for all."

"You can't be serious, Liazo... he'll kill you if you go alone." Evelyn chimed in. "Take some soldiers with you. You aren't going by yourself."

"I don't want anyone to get killed. This is between Fonzi and me." Liazo insisted as he crossed his arms in a stubborn manner.

"Don't be that one edgy lone-wolf, mate..." Gin said as she moved closer to him. "I'm going with you."

"Gin, you can't-."

"Ah, ah, ah... you haven't got a choice." Gin shut Liazo up before he could protest, and she patted him on the head playfully. "You're stuck with me, lad! Us cutthroats have to stick together, right?"

"Then it's all settled." Lady Athena spoke up as troops started flooding the armory, looking for fresh weaponry. "We will begin mobilization shortly. Please, everypony get ready. And Liazo, Gin... I'll teleport you to Fonzi's hideout, but I'm afraid you'll have to walk back. I'll be far too occupied with managing our forces."

"Looks like things are about to get bloody..." Butch grit his teeth, biting down on his cigar as he thought of all that could go wrong in the battle to come. He looked down at Evelyn with a worrisome expression. "You stay with me, okay? Don't ever leave my sight, promise me that."

"Don't worry, Butch... I can take care of myself. But-...." Evelyn grabbed Butch's hand and gave him a bright smile. "I promise, Butch."

"Thanks, darlin'..." Butch's worried mug faded away as he patted Evelyn on the head.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the wait! As always, I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next chapter!