-Party Load Out and Materia-

Tifa: Human (Displaced)
Armored Knuckle- Fire, Ice, Gravity ---- Shinra Beta (Bangle) - Time + Added Effect
Other: Enemy Skill+Mime (Absorbed), Rude’s Sunglasses

Rarity: Unicorn
Silken Dream- Restore, Esuna, Ice ---- Shinra Beta (Bangle)- Barrier, Lightning
Other: An undecided rotation of outfits (currently), Earrings

Pinkie: Pony?
Sparkly Megaphone- Lightning, Earth, Fire --- Carbon Bangle- Transform, Manipulate
Other: Red Cape, "Moggy"

Spike: Sapient Dragon
Claws and Teeth (No Weapon Equipped) --- Mythril Armlet: Restore
Other: Natural Fire Magic, Hardened Scales

The rest of the party burst from opposite sides of the downed copter, weapons and magics at the ready. The woman’s anger flared, eyes flying wide as her pupils shrunk to dots at the move.

The gun steadied and her finger stiffened on the trigger.

“We’re not taking you back!”

The others froze and hesitation struck the thestral-like woman with Tifa’s shout. Her eyes locked back onto the brunette’s, a sneer forming on her lips.

“You’re with Shinra” she growled.

“No-”

“I SAW YOU!” the shout echoed through the clearing as the barrel thrust closer “YOU WERE WITH THEM AT THE TEMPLE!”

“We were with Shinra! But we left!”

“YOU’RE LYING!” she screamed, fury raising further.

“THEY EXPERIMENTED ON US!” the pegasus paused as Tifa shouted back. Her head turned as she studied the brunette's face for deception with narrowed eyes.

“Why?” she growled again before her eyes snapped at the movement over Tifa’s shoulder “I’LL KILL HER!”

“GUYS!” Tifa shouted, shooting her own glare back as she growled through a clenched grimace of a smile “Not. Helping.”

The others exchanged looks and backed their way to the copter again. Tifa released the held breath and turned back to the enraged gunwoman. She would definitely get her shots off before any of them could stop it and even with her bangle’s defensive charm and resilient new body, the martial artist very much doubted that she could tank a machine gun point blank to the face.

“How’d you find me?” the thestral like woman snarled.

“We were trying to skirt the lower islands when Spike noticed the smoke.” Tifa answered as evenly as she could manage. Red eyes snapped to search above the copter, confusion mixing with the anger.

“I smelled it” the dragon headed off the next issue, sitting patiently if ready. Then Tifa witnessed the first glimpse of something other than anger and suspicion on the woman’s face after the fiery reptile spoke; Surprise. Surprise and just the smallest hint of wonder. As quickly as it appeared though, it was shaken away and the girl was glaring at her again.

“We didn’t even know you were here” Tifa continued and sighed “Look we have no intention of letting Shinra find Us, let alone you. You think we can put the gun down and talk? …maybe we can help each other.”

The cloaked woman set her jaw, glancing at the others. The fingers on the rifle’s grip drummed as she visibly processed. A huff ruffled the cloak when its wearer stepped back, the gun’s barrel finally falling toward the ground. The brunette couldn’t help notice her finger remained resting on the trigger though.

“What do you want?” she snapped. Tifa looked back to Rarity, who cocked an eyebrow back.

“This is your show Darling” she gestured for her to take the lead. The brunette rolled her eyes and turned back.

“We need a way across the Divide” the martial artist began “We saw that you been repairing the copter-”

“It’s broken, won’t fly” she cut her off “Parts can’t be bypassed… not by me at least…”

The group slumped at the news. The pegasus shuffled in place, face buried in her cloak and hidden behind her hair. She clearly didn’t enjoy the attention, the angry rambling under her breath only compounding the observation. The lone pony not caught in the funk gave a thoughtful hum as she rubbed a hoof on her chin.

“What if we could get replacements parts?” Pinkie proposed. Spike was the first to respond.

“Where would we get them?” he looked skeptical and turned to the pegasus “Can it even be repaired if we do?”

The girl jumped slightly as the question brought her out of her grumbling trance, her one still visible eye snapping to the drake.

“Oh , um…” the eyes darted about unfocused until the gun clattered against her side as she shifted her weight and shrugged “With the right parts, I could… probably get it working… long enough.”

“Still leaves the problem of where we can find them” Tifa repeated.

“Well…” Pinkie looked away to look sideways with a shrug and a lopsided smile “There’s probably alotta spare parts at Junon.”

The suggestion set the cloaked woman pacing with more fevered muttering, very clearly with no intent on getting anywhere near a Shinra port. The other three simply returned flat looks.

“Junon?” Rarity droned to the small quadruped, less than amused. Her jaw then however sagged when the pony returned a sheepish grin “Oh goodness, you’re actually serious. Miss Sith, the whole reason we came this way was to avoid Junon.”

“Yeah but unless we plan on heading back to the plates, it’s kinda our only option isn’t it?” Pinkie countered and pressed her lips together. The former Turk sighed and looked the the other two. Tifa had her head in her hand and Spike shook his head.

“Don’t look at me. I didn’t even know Junon was a thing before I was caught, let alone where else to find helicopter parts.”

“We’re wanted by the authorities,” Tifa reminded them solemnly “And unlike a lot of AVALANCHE, they know what we look like. We wouldn’t make two steps before someone recognized us.”

A loud thud startled the group as a something heavy dropped in their midst. A pair of dead Shinra troopers now lay at their feet, several holes surrounded by dried blood adorning their uniforms.

“What is this?” Rarity gasped and looked wearily to the pegasus on the opposite side of the corpses, hand hovering over her holster.

“Your disguises” the gunwoman answered simply “There’s a few more if these don’t fit. There was also a unicorn, so you won’t have to shave that horn to wear the helmet.”

“You killed them” the unicorn delivered in a low, serious tone.

“Seriously? You broke into my home, attacked me, abducted me and then tried to drag me back to THE LAST PLACE I EVER WANTED TO SEE! APPARENTLY TO BE EXPERIMENTED ON AGAIN! SO YES! I KILLED THEM!!” she screamed before dropping back to low growl “And they were Shinra… That’s all the reason I need.”

She turned away and moved to the tree line, leaving the uneasy group behind. She returned a moment later with another pair of bodies and dropped them with the others. A small voice emerged from the silent party, prompting the imposing pegasus to turn a pony with deflated hair.

“...There are still good people in Shinra.”

“Who stand by and do nothing. They’re all guilty” she declared and left to retrieve another corpse. She returned with a former medic draped on her shoulder “also...”

The girl fixed them with a furious Stare, sending a deathly chill down four spines at once.

“If you’re lying… if you bring them back here...”

She threw the corpse down on top of the rest, eyes never wavering from her frozen new ‘allies’. Tifa gave a hard swallow.

“Got it…”

“You really think it was safe to leave Spike with her?” Tifa asked the woman fixing the uniform next her, who gave an irritated grunt as the truck hit a bump.

“He seemed to be the one she had the least disgust for, and she doesn’t have a reason to kill him. He may very well be safer than we’re going to be” she offered, snipping her thread and moving to the next hole “Despite evidence to the contrary... Plus a dragon isn’t the most inconspicuous of companions.”

“How’d you get all the blood and smell out?” the pony asked as she bounced in the vibrating back seat.

“That was the easy part, all it needed was a quick prestidigitation. The tricky part is that some of those trooper sergeants are very attentive to details, so I have to patch the holes and make the…” she glanced at the driver, or more accurately a bit below her collar bone “Fitting adjustments without leaving a trace.”

“Really?” the buxom fighter shot her a flat look. The former Turk simply smiled back innocently as a poorly stifled snort escaped the back seat.

“This is a lot more troops, a lot sooner than I was expecting” the now disguised Tifa commented anxiously as she followed the former Turk through the small fishing town. With the truck it had taken them a couple days to reach their destination, only to find it overrun with Shinra forces. There was at least a platoon’s worth of soldiers and mechanics transporting crates and guiding an notably high number of mechanical troops through the little hamlet nestled beneath the city “They expecting some kind of attack?”

“Maybe they’re having a parade” a muffled voice come from the large duffel hanging from the brunette’s shoulder.

“Don’t remember anything being planned…” Rarity commented “Then again, I suppose it has been nearly a month since we left.”

They weaved their way through the unexpected crowd toward the large freight lift looming over the area. Tifa readjusted the helmet, thankful that it hid her face but it also worried her with its slightly altered perspective. Still, it was surprisingly advanced for a mass produced, standard issue piece of equipment. The HUD identified they were surrounded by friendlies, including the woman walking next to her.

‘At least that won’t give us away’

If anything the multitude of soldiers provided excellent cover; the guards manning the gate of the lift didn’t even flinch at them waltzing right on. They took up a spot toward the back and waited for the troops to finish the last load. The pair let out relieved sighs as gates closed and a loud humming filled the enclosed space, relaxed until another pair of troopers took notice of them and marched over.

“You’re not part of the unit” the first said as he approached. Tifa froze until a very strange sounding yet familiar voice answered back.

“Nah, just got in.” Rarity spoke without her typical accent, instead sounding like some kind of Chicago mixed with Canadian “Came in from Condor.”

‘This is weird.’

“I don’t like it.’

“That shitshow?” the other trooper quipped, earning a snicker from the first “That must’ve been fun.”

“You part of the show then or you actually lucky enough to be on leave for the game?” the first asked

“Security” the unicorn returned simply.

“Seriously? You help with the whole excuse for this shindig and you don’t even get to walk?” he asked and the disguised women shrugged in return “Bummer” he gave before the lift jolted to a stop, the gates opening up to a large hanger “Well, good luck with that. Hopefully you get assigned a milk run.”

“Thanks, you take care there now” Rarity drawls out and quickly hurries along with Tifa. They quickly made their way to a side passage.

“What was that!?” Tifa and the pony popping her her out of her bag asked simultaneously as soon as they were alone , both caught somewhere between confusion and amusement.

“It‘s how my parents talk” the unicorn answered in her normal posh “Something my sister and I didn’t pick up naturally somehow but are pretty adept at mimicking. Enough of that though, we need to keep moving.”

The pony retreated back into the bag and the pair exited to a city of dancing lights and banners. Lose confetti littered the ground about the floats, warmachines and troops in dress uniform surrounding them. Even the city’s landmark, the gigantic cannon, had countless lights spiraled around it. Tifa continued following the former Turk past the waiting forces, quiet until they reached an alley.

“Well, you called it Pinkie” the brunette gave before regarding the disguised unicorn “So does this help or hurt?”

“Both…” Rarity brought a contemplative hand to her chin “It’s excellent cover considering how complicated organizing these big events can get. I doubt our presence will be at all questioned. However security will be heightened and it’ll be harder getting into the restricted areas. Either way we should try to get past all this before they begin blocking the streets.”

Tifa nodded as they continued through to the other end of the alley, emerging to a far less crowded venue. She took the moment to finally examine the signs and banners hung amongst the decorations, seeing the parade was indeed to celebrate the recent taking of the “hostile” fort. It also seemed to coincide with a big exhibition game between the Shinra “Mako Sharks” and the recent champions of the Spira league. She vaguely remembered Zest saying something now that she thought about it.

They passed through a tunnel and came out to a section of the layered city open to the sea, giving a great view of the water and the numerous ships and airships docked at the various levels. One stood out in contrast to the others, its radically different design marking it as the Spira team’s. Another with the Mako Sharks emblem emblazoned on its side rumbled overhead, passing over the massive cannon and settling above the buildings a level up.

“I don’t see the president’s airship...” Rarity brought Tifa’s attention back to the matter at hand “At least we don’t have to deal with that extra layer of security. It also means whoever they have overseeing all this probably took copters so there should be enough maintenance orders to-”

The horned woman gasped as she was wrenched forward against the rail and held facing toward the water. Her confused if hidden gaze moved from the arm holding her in place to the set jaw of the brunette, question bubbling up to her lips until a familiar voice from behind her killed it in her throat.

“So what do you think of the newbie?” Rina’s voice asked behind her. The bald man walking past next to her simply grunted “Yeah, not sure if she’ll cut it. Gonna make intimidating anyone a bitch, I mean she’s like a puppy... even without her… y’know, condition.”

“She can fight” the suited male mumbled.

“Yeah I guess…” the unkempt Turk’s voice trailed off and Tifa finally released the unicorn’s arm, as well as the breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding. Rarity sighed herself and stepped back, rubbing at the appendage with a wince.

“Oh, sorry” the martial artist frowned “I know we’re in disguise but when I saw them-”

“No no, I understand Darling” she returned and glanced after her former co-workers “They may still have recognized me even under the helmet. We did work together for a few years now after all. Let us move over a street to be safe.”

“Hold up, let’s head in there” the brunette pointed toward a neon sign above a stairwell.

“Tifa dear we already have equipment” Rarity pointed out.

“Yeah we do, but Spike’s still using our left overs…” Tifa countered “And if Shinra took our pegasus friend’s gun then they probably took the rest of her gear too. If she had any that is.”

“That’s not our problem dear” the former Turk frowned “Fair enough about Spike though, they may also have upgrades for us.”

“I wonder how he’s doing with our would-be pilot...”

“So, um…” the dragon jumped at the unexpected voice. For two whole days and a dozen attempts at conversation, Spike hadn’t gotten a word out of the girl and now she was talking to him? He turned to see the woman glancing back over her shoulder at him “Are… are you like, an actual dragon?”

“Uh, yes?”

“Not sapient because of... some experiment?” he tilted his head at the question. He couldn’t tell behind the cloak and hair but the tone did not match the avatar of fury they’d been dealing with. She almost seemed embarrassed or even scared to ask.

“Nope. Well, I mean there were experiments but I was like this before them” he answered truthfully “I’m the real deal.”

“Hm” the girl hummed gently and simply turned back to her preparations. Spike waited tentatively but it seemed like that was all he was going to get.

“Good talk…”

The pair made their way down into the multi-leveled shop, hitting the item store for more supplies and an upgraded bangle of Spike. Then after a bit of cajoling from Tifa and Pinkie, another for their trigger happy ally. A floor below they found what was unmistakably the weapon shop. Rarity’s weapon was already custom made so it’d be hard to find anything better but Tifa did find a sturdier glove for under the armored knuckles she got from Shinra. What else to get left the pair at a loss however.

“So uh… this might sound weird but you guys got anything for a quadruped? Like that doesn’t need hands?” the martial artist asked awkwardly.

“You mean like a guard hound?” the shopkeeper queried, earning rapid nods back “We got some materia collars… Not really a weapon and none of ours are enchanted. Having said that, you could always slot a strength or attack up materia or something to give them a little more punch. Think they have them down stairs.”

“That’s better than nothing” they shrugged and headed downstairs after the purchase. The unicorn behind the counter shot them a smile before returning to her current customer at the other end of the store. Rarity browsed as they waited and Tifa glanced to a TV mounted in the corner above her, seeing footage of the one blitzball teams doing interviews. She shrugged it off until a familiar green mane made her give a double take.

“Oh no way!” she exclaimed, a goofy smile forming under her helm “That’s Zest!”

“Oh so it is, and after the season already started too” Rarity mused “I guess Rina was right about her being good enough to get on a team.”

“Can’t say, never actually seen her play” Tifa tilted her head, brow slightly furrowed “I guess with everything that happened she finally decided to get out of the slums.”

“Or maybe she felt something was suddenly missing and needed the the distraction” even under the helmet the unicorn’s coy smile left little doubt in the displaced woman’s mind that the rest of her face matched.

“It wasn’t like that. We’re just friends.”

“Sure Darling, whatever you say” Rarity teased and a giggle escaped the duffel, followed by a quick ‘eep’ as the brunette bounced it higher up her shoulder.

“TROOPERS!” both jumped at the shout behind them, stiffening as they rounded to a fiery haired woman with notably large wings stalking toward them from the door. She wore a pristine dress uniform and large aviators that failed to hide the stern scowl she leveled at them “This in not standard issue equipment.”

“Ma’am!” Rarity spoke up, back straight and eyes straight ahead “We’re using our own funds Ma’am, not-”

“I’m not talking about the materia Corporal!” she snapped and leaned forward, somehow looming over Tifa despite little height difference “Your uniforms have been altered. By who?!”

“Uhh…” Tifa fumbled and triggered the woman’s wings to ruffle up slightly, making her look bigger than she was. The glimmer of her insignia pin caught the brunette’s attention, shock rearing as she recognized it from the numerous reports and shows.

‘Holy shit this chick’s a Wonderbolt!’

“SPEAK UP PRIVATE!”

“UH- A tailor from Canterlot! Uh, Ma’am!”

“DETAILS PRIVATE! NAME, NUMBER, LOCATION!”

“I- Uh-um, I don’t have it on me Ma’am” she stuttered again, the officer’s eyes narrowing dangerously in response. She opened her mouth again when muffled music blaring outside reached them, forcing the officer to straighten suddenly… straining her blouse enough to pop open a button. She glanced down to the small opening in front of her now obviously ample assets before glaring dangerously at the pair, as if daring either to speak “I… could send you the info when I get home?”

She studied the disguised human for a moment, a very slight blush on her cheeks. She quickly pulled a notebook from her pocket, scrawling something rapidly and sharply tearing the paper free.

“You do that private” she growled, snapping her head to the side in an instant “WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT CORPORAL!?”

“Nothing Ma’am!”

“Then get back to you posts!”

“Yes Ma’am!” the both snapped off as she abruptly about faced, wings ruffling and hands moving to fix her top as she strode from the room. They were still standing straight for a moment after she left, the store's only other customer rushed out while avoiding eye contact. Finally relaxing, the buxom ‘trooper’ turned and offered the slip to Rarity “Well, you got your first customer for if you ever reopen your shop”

“Ha ha Darling” she gave flatly, snatching the paper… and tucked it away when the martial artist turned. The pair quickly purchased their materia and made their way back to the street to see the barricades had begun going up. “We should hurry up dear, we’ve only got the preamble music here and probably a speech now.”

The pair made their way through the growing crowds as best they could. While they received some curious or irritated looks from some of the Shinra personnel along the way, they were either too busy or didn’t care enough to ask questions. Rarity informed the pair they were almost halfway to the warehouse when the music quieted and a voice boomed over the speakers. They looked up to one of the many screens dotted throughout the city as they walked to see a heliotrope unicorn woman dominating the screen, standing behind a podium atop a raised stage with several other Shinra representatives and aids behind her.

“Ah, the head of RnD, that would explain all the robotic troops.” the former Turk muttered then looked over her shoulder “Well that seals it. If the president was here, she’d be making the speech and security would be even tighter.”

Tifa noted the information and kept following, left with little option other than to listen as they continued on.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Both local and visiting, I am very proud to be the one addressing you today! As many of you have undoubtedly heard, our celebrations today are no longer simply the wondrous show of goodwill with our neighbors with what will undoubtedly be a thrilling game, but also now the successful reclamation of the rebel Fort Condor!” she beamed as delivered the news, though Tifa couldn’t help feel that there was something… off about the smile “Yes thanks to our brave men and women of the Shinra forces, the dissidents of the Hooffield and Mccolt families will plague these plains no more! And on top of all that, it also proved the first successful field test of Shinra’s newest development in securing the safety of its citizens.”

Rarity’s pace slowed a moment as she turned toward the screens, slight concern creasing her expression. The camera panned out to reveal a pair SOLDIER walking to stand in front of the raised podium, something strange about their movements. It took the pair another moment to realize it was too precise, and that under the signature helmet there was only more metal.

“But, their AI wasn’t close to being ready. They can’t differentiate between lethal and non-lethal force reliably yet...” the unicorn muttered before the one on screen continued.

“It is my pleasure to reveal, Synthetic SOLDIER!” the twin robots responded to the declaration by simultaneously drawing their swords with a flourish ahead of holding them point first to the ground, giving the impression of the knights of old “While still in the early stages, they are an amazing step forward in the mission for peace. With the support of mechanical fighters like these and many already aiding our Troopers, and your friends and loved ones among them, they will be at less risk and better supported…”

She paused and looked over the crowd, the fire of a zealous belief in her eyes.

“There was a time in this world where the only thing that mattered was strength… an imbalance caused by all the intrinsic gifts of the different people of this land, but no longer!” those behind her on the stage began to exchange confused looks, alternating between glances to the department head and looking around unsure “The old woman no longer needs to fear the large hoodlums on her way home, not with the surprise waiting in her purse. The rest of the species no longer have to worry that a minority controls all the magic, not with materia! The infantryman no longer has to risk certain death being the first to charge in, not when there are tools like the SS’s standing in front us to do it instead!”

“She always goes off script with these things” the disguised unicorn informed bluntly “They really should know better by now…”

“Firearms! Materia! Machines!” the horned woman shouted “These are the great Equalizers of our time! All brought to you by Shrina! And on that note, without further ado…

“Let the celebrations begin!”

The music blared back to life as the crowds cheered and closed on the barricades, awaiting the arrival of the first floats. There was little point in trying to converse, even right next to each other their shouts were drowned out by the noise. After a now much slower slog through the crowds, Rarity eventually led the uniformed martial artist into nook nestled by the mouth of the next tunnel. A heavy metal door stood ahead of them, the former Turk looking around before her horn began to glow. After a moment of concentration and a few failed attempts, the handle turned and allowed them to rush inside. A loud clang echoed with the door slamming shut behind them, muffling the overbearing din to a more tolerable level.

“FINALLY!” a poof of pink hair erupted from the duffel, its owner taking a deep breath “I’m all for cozy spaces, but that was a doozy!”

“Sorry Darling, as we agreed though, you’re not exactly hard to miss” Rarity offered, the cat-sized pony just giggling back before fishing out a small grip of papers “You sure these’ll work?”

“Assuming they use the same requisition forms they use at the tower, which I’m pretty sure they do. All I had to do was change the name of the city…” Sith hesitated as a uncertain look crossed her face “The only snag might be if they look too closely for the actual name of the warehouse. I didn’t know that.”

Rarity took the papers and shrugged, leading the way up the stairway. The music met them again once they reached the next level of the city, only slightly more muffled compared to earlier. Thankfully much later in the parade route, they could still use the streets here and quickly reached their destination. Walking through the door and into a small entry room, a single guard sat in the small booth with his back to the entrance while watching the parade on a small screen.

“Ahem” Rarity lightly cleared her throat, the guard startled at the sound. He rounded on them surprised and then confused as he rose from the chair.

“Oh, um… How can I help you Corporal?” he stuttered.

“Simple part pick up, they’re a little busy on the docks so the lieutenant sent us” the disguised unicorn handed over the forged paperwork. The troop scratched his head looking at the sheets.

“Uh sure I guess, though you’ll have to find them yourselves. I’m the only on here and y’know, can’t leave my post and all.”

“We’ll be fine” she smiled at the guard lazily tossing the forms in a small ‘In’ pile. He buzzed them through and went back to his tv without a second thought.

“Well this is a lot easier than I thought it’d be” Tifa quipped.

“Yes, I was predicting a lot more resistance” Rarity returned pensive “I suppose they’re more stressed for manpower here than I thought. Either way, quite the boon for us yes?”

“Yeppers! And you did say this was one of the smaller storages” The pony popped out of the bag again, the threstral-like woman’s list of the broken components’ part numbers in her hoof. Tifa was pretty sure the angry woman only knew them from the labels on what she ripped out of the copter, which didn’t exactly inspire a lot of faith in the pegasus’s ability to repair it. That being said, they didn’t really have a whole lot of options so she'd give her the benefit of the doubt.

It took awhile but following the numbers and letters on the aisles they eventually found all the parts they needed, storing them in Pinkie’s mog. Apparently as long as they weren’t materia or mako, they could be stored in her summoning materia all the same. The one thing they had to carry the old fashion way was the last thing they needed; the fuel. Coming to the the back wall they found shelves upon shelves of the smooth translucent orbs of wildly varying sizes. Pinkie pointed out one of the larger spheres, the martial artist grunting slightly as she picked it up.

“Here,” Rarity reached out a hand “I’ll take Pinkie’s duffel.”

“Oh sure, leave me the heavy stuff” she shot back with a small smirk.

“I’m not the one that can lift a behemoth Darling” she pointed out prior to Pinkie dismissing her mog and jumping back into the duffel “My, you’re surprisingly light!”

“Thanks!” she beamed with the simple reply. Feeling light and relaxed with how smoothly this was all going, they made their way back to the entrance. Waving to the guard as they left they emerged back into a crowd far denser now that the parade had made its way to their level.

The roar of an airship from above drew the crowd's attention skyward, the Mako Shark’s transport blowing a horn and prompting the masses to throw their hands up in response. More than a few people caught errant arms in the face and Tifa was no exception. Moving to fix her askew helmet she heard another roar from the closest float, an actual Ronzo countering the ship’s rumble with his own. The mob responded again, rushing forward to strain against the barriers and knocking the off balance brunette to the ground.

Tifa landed with her upper half hanging over the curb, her helmet flying off and bouncing into the middle of the street. She watched as the next float passed over the protective headgear before glancing up to its passengers...

And going pale as she locked eyes with a messy haired Turk, time seeming to slow as she mirrored her shocked expression.

‘There is no way I’m that unlucky’

‘And things were going so smoothly’

*BANG**BANG**BANG**BANG*

Rina flew backwards as the shots boomed over the music, sending the crowds into a panic as they ran and flooded over the blockades. Tifa felt a hand help her up, her still disguised ally shouting over the screams as she led them into the fleeing masses.

“We have to lose them in the confusion, they won’t fire into the crowd!”

“But we will apparently!” Tifa called back indignantly while fighting the chaotic, conflicting tides of bodies.

“It was above their heads and besides, they all hit Rina!” Rarity woman countered.

“And so we incenite a panic to get away?!”

“If we have to! We have to protect ourselves firs-”

*CRACK*

A lightning coated fist crashed against the disguised unicorn’s helmet, sending her flying back and parting the crowds. Before Tifa could react another fist was closing on her, forcing her to leap back to her downed comrade.

“Sorry Darling!” a mocking tone rang out in a voice it didn’t quite fit. A furious, wall-eyed glare above a crisp new suit met the rising Rarity.

“I see someone got a promotion” the well coiffed woman grumbled and regained her footing, tossing away the compromised helm. The new Turk sneered back.

“Yeah, there was an opening cause it turns out they had a traitor-GAH!” a blinding flash erupted between the fugitives and their hunters. Tifa stumbled back currently bereft of her usual protection, that protection's former owner didn’t have that problem however. He rushed at the helpless martial artist, fists raised.

“SURPRIZE!” a jubilant shout echoed as a pink mare shot out of the duffel, landing on the brunette’s shoulder with matria aglow. Rude blinked behind his glasses, all the hesitation needed before a pillar of earth shot up from beneath him. Another flash of light that preceded a wave of freezing air came from their side and a hand grabbed the martial artist’s arm again.

“KEEP MOVING!” Rarity shouted, urging them forward again. They passed the pegasus trying to free her foot from a mass of ice but unfortunately then ran right into a line of troopers spanning their only opening in the thinning crowds. Their rifles snapped up, all aimed unflinchingly at the trio.

“WE NEED THEM ALIVE!” Derpy called out, giving the troopers pause. They instead charged and dogpiled on the fleeing trio, only to find themselves launched into the air and back toward their comrades. Those that managed to avoid the falling troops quickly found themselves tossed aside by a barrier shoved ahead of an unstoppable, buxom force.

“Human cow catcher!” Pinkie laughed will glee as they forced their way past, sprinting down the street until they came to a stretch of spectator scaffolding before another tunnel. No sooner had they passed the first section when something leapt from the abandoned stands and crashed into the ground in front of them. The keen of metal sliced through the air, the barrier splitting cleanly into two as dust plumed skyward. “Uh-oh.”

A metallic figure rose from its kneeling strike within the cloud, an oversized SOLDIER blade quickly readied against them. The trio cautiously inched back until Rina’s voice reached them.

“Those were some pretty cheap shots there Priss…” the ruffled turk called as she approached with Rude, Derpy and the second mechanical SOLDIER in tow. The three ragged holes in her suit and the small gash across her temple didn't seem to have left her any worse for wear as she strutted toward them. More troopers caught up and waited as the Woman stopped, tapping her baton on her shoulder “...Stay back. You’ll only get in the way.”

Without another word the Turks and robotic SOLDIER rushed at the pincered party. The closet automaton lunged at the pugilist before a boulder of white fur slammed into it.

“GET ‘EM MOGGY! SHOW ‘EM WHO’S THE BETTER PARTY MACHINE!” the excitable pony cheered from atop her fluffy mount. Tifa spun, her suspicion of the fleeting reprieve proven by Rude’s punch colliding with her crossed gauntlets. She kicked away yet the bald agent denied the bid for space as he leapt after her, a follow up attack already in motion. Even with her recent training she just couldn’t keep up, for every blow she managed to land she received three in return. This was different than when they fought in her apartment so many months ago. He wasn’t holding back anymore.

Rarity grunted as twin bolts rebounded off her Shell spell, followed by a gasp as the two suited casters rushed forward. They were too fast for her to shift the spell, passing through the magic only defense with synchronized attacks. She managed to divert the sparking end of Rina’s stun rod yet took Derpy’s straight right to the jaw. A wall of ice solidified between them, allowing a single breath before a blur of armor streaked past.

“TIFA LOOK OUT!” The martial artist stumbled back from an elbow in her face as the warning reached her too late, the artificial warrior's sword already past her defenses. Rarity watched the brunette’s protective enchants shimmer and fail. A splash of red misted the air when a gash appeared across her collarbone and a scream echoed off the buildings.

“Priorities Priss!” the distracted former Turk heard before catching Rina’s baton to her temple. A reflexive arc of lightning flew from her horn to drive the agent back before she hit the pavement and had to quickly roll away from the grey pegasus’s heel drop. She refocused with a grimace, resigning herself to simply hope the human would be okay. She couldn’t help her right now.

As soon of the Tifa’s blood hit the ground a blur of Pink launched past her, latching onto the Synthetic SOLDIER’s face. She managed to redirect Rude’s latest punch and catch him with a knee to the gut. Grunting with his suit’s reinforcement doing little against his opponent’s strength, he shifted back and gathered a ball of flame in his grip. A surprised cry escaped his target as the spell exploded against her, sending her flying into the lowest level of the scaffolding.

Tifa groaned as she shoved the debris away and sat up, rubbing at her head until what sounded like whirling boomerang closed on her. She watched helplessly as a glowing crescent spun in a curving arc in the stands and right through the main supports. Her heart skipped a beat as several rickety creaks followed, then a brief silence.

“Aw shit.”

“TIFFY!” Sith cried at the sight of three stories of scaffolding and seating falling on the human. Ripped her off the imitation SOLDIER’s blank visage not a moment later, she bounced along the ground until she came to a stop against a prone mechanical mog. Fur and circuits hung lose off its unmoving form and one of its arms lay a few feet away. She rolled to her hooves but too fast for her to react, there was a shadow looming over her. A glint of steel shined as it raced toward downward.

The blade suddenly veered however, cutting into the asphalt when a shower of sparks erupted against the machine’s head.

“Stupid toaster!” Agent Zap shouted, her baton now pointing at the collapsed stands “What part of ‘we need them alive’ don’t you understand?!”

The pony looked past the altercation to see Rarity also flat against the black top, struggling against the suited pegasus pinning her down. She gave frightened glance up to the red-headed Turk pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Get me some cuffs” Rina called to the troops were hanging back and then to her partner “Rude go check on Lock, see if she’s still alive.”

She looked down to the pony who simply slumped. They lost, there was no point in fighting anymore.

...

‘I didn’t ask for this’

‘...You didn’t’

‘I didn’t want any of this’

‘Nope’

‘All wanted was to go to a damn con with my best friend!’

‘That seems like fun’

‘But then she gets turned into a zombie and rips my fucking throat out!’

‘And then you get sent here’

‘And even THEN I wasn’t allowed to just live my life!’

‘With a new best friend that you can’t see anymore either’

‘NO! I get forced into a grand fucking adventure because reasons!’

‘To ‘save the world!’’

‘BULLSHIT! I’m tired of having this shit FORCED on me!’

‘and?’

‘AND I’M TIRED OF FUCKING RUNNING!”

‘Aaand?’

‘AND I AM REALLY FUCKING TIRED OF GETTING MY ASS KICKED!!!’

The gathered forces all paused at what sounded like a dozen bamboo poles being snapped all at once. A low rumble brought their attention to the pile of twisted metal and chairs, Rude stopping his advance as he tentatively watched the mound begin to tremble. The next thing any of them knew the debris erupted into the sky, revealing an extremely pissed off Tifa covered in translucent blue flames standing among the raining scrap.

“WE GOT A LIMIT!” Rina called out and braced before an unearthly, flanged screamed escaped the displaced woman and countless blazing cracks erupted all across her form “I... I think?”

Faster than any could blink Tifa exploded toward the closest target, Rude’s eyes bulging behind his glasses as she was on him in an instant. The pummeling rush pounded through his defenses, even what he managed to block still hitting him like a freight train. He raised his arms in a cross against the final strike, another loud snap ringing out and he was launched straight past the others and over the street’s edge to the level below.

Incapable of concern, one of the synthetic SOLDIER charged the fractured brunette as soon as the Turk was out of the way. It didn’t even get the chance to raise its sword before her feet where planted on its chest. The others flinched as the top half of the reinforced warrior SHATTERED under the force of the subsequent somersault.

“SHE’S A COMBOER!” Rina called out again and gasped when Tifa was just suddenly there with her foot already flying at the Turk’s face. The kick contacted with the agent’s hastily raised baton, bearly stopping the momentum while the metal rod nearly snapped.

‘This is reinforced mythril!’ Rina’s mind screamed before the sharp sting of freezing water bit into her arms “What the-!?”

A geyser force torrent of cold slammed into her and drove her right into a streetlight. She grumbled a series of curses, trying to step away only to find herself stuck. She looked down to find nearly her whole body encased in ice, pinning her to the pole.

“HYA!” a young voice cried out, drawing the Turk’s attention the rookie’s attempt to counter. The flying kick struck across the buxom woman’s face earning a victorious cheer from the novice Turk. An exclamation that abruptly turned into a startled yelp as a death grip looped around her middle like a vice. She felt herself whipped in the opposite direction as her captor bent backward “NONONONONONONO-”

The protests were cut off as she met not only the asphalt but the foundation beneath it. With the bottom half of the pegasus sticking out the ground like a daisy, a shaky hand flailed up slightly.

“Iahm okayeeee…” echoed up muffled before the limbs fell slack and the enraged fighter rounded on her next target. The mechanical SOLDIER’s blade swung in a perfect arc before shattering against the the back of its target’s metal knuckles. It’s programming stuttered with the unpredicted outcome, further stressed by an uppercut sending it into the air.

“YOUR METAL DICK IS MINE MOTHER FUCKER!”

A huge splash of water surged from beneath the android, a large finned body riding it up to its prey. Rows of razor sharp teeth snapped closed as they met.

‘Wait.’

‘What.’

The blood thirsty fish landed back in the wet crater, viciously thrashing the bot back and forth before finally dragging it to whatever depths the apex predator was summoned from. Tifa stood rooted at the spot with an arm still raised, staring transfixed at the now empty space as some of the scattered oil dripped down her face.

“Thaaaaaat… wasn’t a dolphin” was all she could process as the glowing cracks faded from her body.

‘No, that was not a dolphin…’

“Don’t just stand there!” one of the ranking troopers shouted “It’s over! Get her!”

Tifa wavered when she turned to retreat, stumbling and growing dizzy as the pain of her injuries came roaring back. A deafening report of machine gun fire blared behind her followed by the rapid ping of a barrier. The freed unicorn woman rushed to the martial artist’s side, draping Tifa's arm over her shoulders to help the human along. Fractures spread across the protection until more pillars of earth rose to shield them. Pinkie dashed up and leapt atop the pair, snagging a certain material along the way.

“Switch to piggyback Rares!” the pony instructed and channeled mana to the small orb. With the now considerably lighter Tifa draped across her back and all but the troops pegasi and griffons cut off, Rarity sprinted into the tunnel with all she had “Hang in there guys! If can we can lose them and make it back to the FOREST, they’ll never find us!”

‘Forest? What?’ Tifa’s tired mind floundered at the mare practically screaming the statement, but couldn’t voice the concern.

With the occasional pot shot at the flyers behind her, mixed with Pinkie’s rapidly diminishing spells, Rarity managed to outpace the aerial troopers in the enclosed space and close on the end of the tunnel. She had no idea how they were going to get back down to the village but knew that if they managed to stay out of sight long enough, they could get lost in the mass of troops again.

With great effort Tifa raised her head as Rarity gave a relieved laugh, seeing them almost at the end of the tunnel and the redirected crowds ahead. Only a few more moments from reaching the opening, a distinct *THUMP* reached them followed by a very familiar ringing as a trooper fell out from the edge of the tunnel with a yell. Rarity skidded to a stop before a whole squad rushed out after the fallen ambusher.

“LEFT!” she heard Pinkie call and point out a door, following as she barely registered the brief flash of magic from above her. Barreling through, Rarity bolted down the corridors and numerous turns as an exhausted Pinkie called them out.

Tifa however, while hoping they could stop to heal her soon, was left wondering why that trooper fell and why that sound was so familiar. The sudden flash of a memory hit her, of when she was in gym class back in high school. More particularly, when she was hit square in the face by a speeding soccer ball.

‘Huh…’

Meanwhile the leader of the pursuing squad ran up and kicked at the tunnel’s maintenance door, failing to receive even a shudder. They kicked again and again, finally getting a small amount of give only to see a light trickle of dirt fall from the edges.

“What’s going on?!” the troops straightened as Rina caught up “Where are they?”

“They escaped into the maintenance tunnels ma’am” the squad leader reported, before shifting uneasily “We tried to pursue but they seem to have, uh… well, buried the entrance ma’am.”

“Buried?” she parroted before rolling her eyes “Get back.”

The forces retreated and Rina rose a hand to the door, a blast of red and black flame rocketing into the thin metal. As the smoke cleared she stared at the jagged, melted hole to see nothing but a stream of dirt pouring through. The Turk ran a hand down her face with an aggravated sigh.

“Fucking earth materia… Well what are you waiting for?! Get to the other entrances! Get a sweep going! MOVE!”

“Yes ma’am” Rina watched the infantry scatter and radio in support. She looked to the dirt filled hole again, shoulders slumping. The maintenance tunnels made using the radio a bitch, meaning even if they did find them they may not be able to call it in before they were taken down.

‘Not that we’ll fucking find them’ she thought bitterly. The city’s tunnels were a virtual maze, almost as bad as the plates’. They were gone.

“Shit.” she spat before pulling out a cigarette, lighting it with a small flame on her finger tips. She should go check on the rookie and Rude, they’d be fine but she should still check. She gave another sigh but couldn’t help the smallest of smiles as she looked back to the door “Catch ya’ next time Priss.”

The green haired woman in a vibrant wet-suit braced against the airship's railing, her binoculars locked on the commotion below. With a beaming smile on her face, she watched her old friend finish and flick away the butt. It may have been awhile since they hung out but she did remember that ‘Indigo’ only smoked when she lost at something. She finally pulled the vision enhancers away and drummed her hands excitedly on the rail.

“YEAH!” she threw her hands up, victorious and ecstatic in equal measure.

“That was a hell of a throw” Zest’s cheered turned ‘eep’ at the vocie, spinning to see her old classmate and new teammate standing there with a smirk. She strutted up to the rail next to the anxious girl to peer over and admire the scene.

“W-what do mean? It… fell off the rack?” a forced, nervous smile spread across the pink woman’s face. Sour simply stayed silent, returning the uneasy girl a blunt look. Her smirk returned after a moment though.

“Yeah totally, they really need to replace those latches” the freckled female played along, turning to lean back against the railing “So that was the fabled Tifa huh? Fucking scary ass limit she’s got there.”

“Yeah...” Zest’s face grew concerned in an entirely different way, a hand rubbing absently on her bicep “Actually never seen anything like that from her before.”

Sour inhaled to respond but was cut off by the ship's horn. A slight tilt of the deck and sudden breeze signalling their return to the ground.

“Well that’s that, gotta shift that mind into game mode” the freckled woman smiled and pressed a finger to the pink girl's forehead “Can’t have you so distracted you flub up your first game.”

“Oh, uh yeah” Zest didn’t look any less worried.

“Hey she’ll be fine, you just helped see to that. She wouldn’t want you freaking out right?”

“Right…” the green haired girl relented and turned to make her way to the hatch. She paused after a couple steps to look back to her stationary teammate “You coming?”

“I’ll be right there, gotta return a couple texts first” Sour held up her phone “But after the game though... we should talk.”

Lemon frowned at the odd delivery but nodded and continued with Sour sweetly smiling at her back. As soon as her friend was through the door her expression lost some of it’s humor. Selecting the contact, she lost no time getting typing.

-Tell Orchard to keep an eye on the news. That Turk she was looking into just made a biiiig mess in Junon....-

No sooner had she stowed the phone when something crashed into the deck only a couple yards away, making her nearly jump out of her skin. After her heart rate returned to normal, she carefully approached the new crater in the walkway. She blinked in surprise, looking to the sky and then down to the street before finally rounding back on the hunk of crumpled metal that was once the head of a synthetic SOLDIER.

“Holy shit…”

Tifa laid sleeping in the backseat of the truck that was somehow still where they left it. A small bump made her grumble and stir. A much bigger one bounced her up and smacked her head on the side panel. She groaned and rose to a sit, making sure to hold onto the fuzzy mare passed out on her chest so she didn’t tumble. The poor pony been out since they left the maintenance tunnels.

“Sorry Darling, spotted a checkpoint and had to go off the road” the unicorn driver said to the rearview.

“It’s okay” Tifa mumbled back while rubbing her head. She saw them moving down a slight incline before noticing the sun beginning to rise “You want me to drive again?”

“No, I’ll be okay for a while yet” she answered. A soft grumbling came between them, followed by a tired sigh “There she is.”

“You alright there Pinkie?” Tifa looked down to the pony slowly opening her eyes to a squint.

“Yeah… that was just… Alotta spells at the end there… Just need some time to... recharge” she delivered between breaths “…Do we have an ether?”

“A few broke during the fight but most of them made it” Tifa answered, digging through the duffel for one of the small bottles. Pulling out a handful, she seperated one of the green from the blue and handed it to the pony. Despite the small amount, she gradually tilted it in her hooves to take her time drinking it.

Back home, when she was still Tiffany, the displaced woman would sometimes wonder about the logistics of drinking a whole potion in the middle of a fight. She quickly learned after arriving though that they were barely more than the average shot, taking all of a second to down at best.

“Sorry about your mog” the brunette offered.

“Oh don’t worry” he mare returned after she finished the bottle, looking much better “I may not be much help with the helicopter but I’ll be able to fix Moggy up good as new.”

“You think any the parts were damaged?” the driver inquired.

“They should be okay. A little scuffed maybe but Moggy’s storage compartments are pretty tough.”

“Well at least that's something” Tifa gave somberly “Too bad we can’t say the same about the fuel…”

“It’s cracked” the sudo-thestral gave in a low tone.

“Yeah, a building fell on me” Tifa returned slightly disgruntled. She shook it off though with a apologetic shrug “It’ll still work right? It’ll run out faster but it should be enough to get us across yeah?”

“If it doesn’t explode…” the altered pegasus examined the damage. The surface was relatively unmared, the crack instead spreading inward toward the core. It’d have been pretty if it didn’t risk the whole endeavor. “Whatever… not like I’ve got anything to lose anymore...”

Tifa frowned as she couldn’t quite catch the last bit but knew better than to push it as the flyer walked back to the pile of parts, grumbling the whole time. The pugilist sighed and made her way to the others gathered around Pinkie fixing her furry mount.

“She's been doing that a lot I presume?” she asked the dragon.

“Actually she’s barely made a peep since you three left. If it weren’t for the occasional sound of her tools, I’d of thought she bailed” Spike corrected before a playful smile crossed his lips “So yeah, I’d really appreciate if we got me a phone or something if I’m left behind again. Even my cage at Shinra wasn’t that dull… though that may have just been because of Pinkie.”

“Well speaking of buying things dear...” Rarity fished for the bundle in her bag while the pony responded to the compliment with a smile “We can’t have our fine gentledrake always stuck with our leftovers now can we?”

“Oh cool, Thanks!” Spike gave as the well-coifed unicorn showed him the gear.

“Not at all dear” she bent down to help him equip it all. Spike’s foreclaws where actually pretty dexterous but he appreciated the help with more delicate things, like buckles. They hit a snag when it came to the collar and his spines (not to mention his aversion to being collared after his time at Shinra), but they eventually settled on just wrapping it around his arm. Meanwhile, Tifa had made her way back to their soon to be pilot.

“Here” the brunette held out another wrapped bundle “We got you a few things too.”

“...Why?” the pegasus eyed her suspiciously, to which Tifa just shrugged.

“Well we noticed they took that scary gun of yours and figured they took the rest. And since most of a trooper's stuff is built into their gear and uniform, I also figured you hadn’t managed to salvage much.” Tifa explained “It’s just some basics but Rarity said Pegasi are good with weather elements, so we tried to grab stuff like that.”

“I don’t need your charity” she snapped back.

“Well then consider it an investment in you not shooting us in the back later” the martial artist offered again with a glint of humor, to which the pegasus just rolled her eyes and returned to her repairs. Tifa sighed and set the bundle in the cabin before walking back to the others.

“Well, you tried Darling” Rarity consoled her “Sometimes generosity just doesn’t pay off though… learned that the hard way… more than once...”

Tifa frowned but again, didn’t push. She knew Rarity had some kind of design business prior to ending up at Shinra but then something happened. She'd been saving up to maybe reopen in Canterlot someday but the former Turk still didn’t like talking about it. It definitely seemed to Tifa that there had to have been a lot more than simply going out of business though.

The repairs went by slowly, and the fact it that they arrived just before dark it didn’t help much either. Other than trying to help Pinkie with her mog or watching Spike testing his new gear and materia, there wasn’t much to pass the time. There was however one thing that raised Tifa’s spirit when they finished preparing breakfast: the wrapping for gear she had left had been sitting empty when she brought the pegasus some food.

‘Small victories I guess…’

‘Hey, those still count.’

Eventually however, after the sun had already crossed its apex, the still nameless pegasus appeared next to them.

“It’s ready. Go do whatever you need to. We’ll be in the air for a while.” she gave simply and returned to the aircraft. With the essentials taken care of, they warily buckled themselves into the seats of the jury-rigged flying machine slowly whirring to life. After a bit of a shaky lift-off, they soon found themselves above the trees and heading out over the water. All but the pilot were bereft of the headsets Tifa and Rarity had on their more recent ride together, meaning conversation was all but impossible over the noise of the craft. Supposedly Shinra had a model that was quiet enough to actually hear someone shouting from the ground, let alone other passengers.

This was not one of those models.

To say it was an uncomfortable ride would be like saying Tifa was an a-cup. On top of the noise, there was the constant vibrations and frequent turbulence further highlighting the general rattling all around them. Several worried looks were shared whenever something clanged or popped loud enough to be heard. And true to the the yellow woman’s word, the sun was already setting by the time they saw the shore line.

A collectively held breath was finally released when the pegasus called back that they had started their decent. The exchanged smiles were quickly extinguished when a huge jolt rocked the copter and a gout of flame flashed along the side.

“Well, that’d be the fuel” the sudo-threstral said with disturbing calm despite her obvious struggle with the controls. Another jolt rocked them in their harnesses and the craft fell into a spin.

The last thing any of them saw was the crash of water and a wall of sand before everything went dark...

Author's Notes:

If this had been my other displaced story, -THIS- is the song that would have played during Tifa's limit break. Not only did it partially inspire the scene, but it also serves as a pretty good reflection of her mental state during. Particularly the chorus.

But wow, long chapter is long! (And old meme is Old! ) This is actually the longest chapter I've written for FIMfiction. Yeah maybe by only a hundred or so words but still. But hey, content right? Figured I'd make it a little longer seeing as it took a little longer to finish then I planned, hopefully it didn't drag too much for you guys

As always: Thanks for reading and have a good one