Two First Order squads of Stormtroopers were in the Forbidden Jungle, conquering one of the last few pieces of land not under control of the First Order. While the tropical first did not contain any raw materials or ancient figures, it could serve as an outpost. The jungle was a dangerous place and without an expert, it'd be hard to navigate. The 20 Stormtroopers were mapping the territory and sending the information to both the Arrestor and the Tector. The only problem the Stormtroopers faced wasn't the wildlife but the heat. If the First Order had EVO Troopers then they'd send them to do this. Not the two squads of Stormtroopers. The terrain consisted mostly of mud. Every trooper had mud on their boots and on the lower parts of their armor. Leading the two squads was TK-892 an officer in the First Order.

Every trooper was sweating due to immense heat the jungle was producing. Even if they hadn't been trained that much for this type of environment the squads pushed on. Unbenknowst to the Stormtroopers, there were 2 tigers getting ready to attack. They had been following them for a good 8 minutes since spotting them. All of the sudden the tiger jumped out of a bush followed by his friend. He landed on one of the Stormtroopers and broke the helmet. The Stormtrooper was gone. The other one wasn't as fortunate. The Heavy Assualt Stormtrooper he was aiming for had dodged the attack. The Stormtrooper got his balance back and fired without aiming or deploying the elevation gear. The other tiger that killed one of the Stormtroopers attempted to go for the one who killed his friend. However, his quest to avenge his friend would end before it began. TK-892 fired his F-11D blaster four times at the tiger. He fell down onto the ground. Blinking one last time before dying.

"Move on," TK-892 said

The 19 Stormtroopers continued again. Ignoring the fact that one of their teammates just died. The team continued for miles, it seemed like they would never stop. They were not getting tired at all.

A lodge made out of oak was the temporary home for the 'fugitives'. The fierce snowstorm that had occurred recently had turned out be an advantage for the ponies. The First Order was unable to scan the area for them. Now for possibly the first time ever, the First Order didn't know where the ponies were. The only question was for how long until they would be on the run again, from the First Order and it's elite ground forces.

The inside of the lodge was comfortable. The fire coming from the fireplace was making the resting feel better. The wooden oak logs were also relaxing to rest the head on. All of the ponies were sleeping. Except for Fluttershy. Even though she loved the heat that the fire provided and the cozy lodge she was finding it hard to shut her eyes. Something or someone was preventing her from sleeping. So much so that the pegasi mare decided to go outside. Outside into the freezing temperature that the night provided. But if it meant she'd feel more comfortable afterward it would be worth it. She opened the door carefully. She didn't wish to wake her best friends up who were having such a peaceful sleep. The yellowish colored mare closed the door behind her and approached a wooden railing. At first, she did not feel the cold, but now she could feel it. The moon was shining, the reflected light was bouncing back and hitting Equestria. It was so bright that you did not need a flashlight or torch to see.

"Is everything alright Fluttershy?" A familiar voice spoke, the voice of the most generous pony she knew. Rarity.

The pegasi turned around to face her friend. Somehow the beautiful mane that she carried was unaffected by sleeping on a carpet.
"Oh yes, everything is okay." She said.

"Are you certain? You sound a bit. Hm. Worried I'd say."

"everything is fine Rarity. I just have some trouble sleeping."

"Fluttershy, I understand you have trouble sleeping during this time but something else is affecting you," said Rarity.
"We are frien- No, best friends Fluttershy. We can trust each other."

Fluttershy sighed. She knew that she couldn't avoid this.

"something is troubling me. I don't know what it is but.."

"but it's preventing me from sleeping." She added.

"Fluttershy, whatever this thing is, don't think about it. You have loyal, funny, generous, smart, honest and caring friends. We'll be here for you. Always..."

"thank you Rarity."

Out of surprise, the pegasi approached Rarity for a hug. She accepted it and hugged her back. The hug, while not being a romantic one lasted for quite a long time. What truly made this moment something not to forget was the night sky, the constellations and everything else making it perfect. Rarity broke the hug and smiled at Fluttershy. Nothing could beat friendship or love. Not even in times of conflict.

"Do you feel better now?" Rarity asked.

"Yes. Much better." Fluttershy responded.

After this, Fluttershy was able to sleep like a baby. She probably never had a better sleep than this one. The next morning seemed perfect. But during times like this, time would rarely help them. The First Order had probably searched half the mountain range during the night. Now was the time to leave more than ever. The group was starting their walk. Their direction was the village of Rainbow Falls. The city where the qualifiers for the Equestria Games had taken place once and the famous trading location. Though, this was the home of the First Order's Equestria Starfighter Corp's home. A large airbase laid half a kilometer from the village. This airbase held about 60 TIE Fighters, 10 of them were from the Special Forces branch.
With this important asset to the First Order, it was no question that the village was heavily fortified. Trains carrying passengers rarely came in. Mostly cargo trains carrying goods for the city. Not to mention that the base was the new home for a First Order Commander going by the name of 'Edulo'. Edulo was not the best Commander in the First Order, but he wasn't the worst. His strategy often led to... High death counts for both Military Personel and Civilian.

Meanwhile, the ponies were exiting the Yaket Mountain Range. For the Twilight and her friends, it was a familiar place. A place they had been on their first adventure using the Cutie Map. Starlight's cave. They weren't that far from the place and it could indeed be used as a great hiding spot from the First Order but that wasn't their destination. No train stations were here so the ponies had to hope that no train would be coming. Especially when they would cross the thin bridge.
Falling down would be worse than getting shot. If a pegasus was to fall down then they'd be fine. But Earth Ponies or Unicorns, unfortunately not.

Princess Cadance went first. Once she stepped onto the tracks and on the thin bridge, she could feel the cold winds coming from the right. They were strong but the alicorn as able to maintain her balance. Second, went her husband. After a long 30 minutes, every one of them had made it across. They were now in Rainbow Falls after having somehow managed to pass through the security control. The town of which the ponies rarely visited seemed normal. None of the ponies living here showed signs that they were affected by the presence of a large military installation in their hometown. Meanwhile, the Snow Trooper platoon had already finished searching all of the Yaket Mountain Range. Fortunately, no hoof prints of the Main 6, Cadance or Shining Armor were found.

The group was currently in the old marketplace. Where the trading often took place. The First Order itself had built what seemed to be a bank. In truth, it was a tax collection agency for the town. Two Stormtroopers were standing guard outside of it. The building was dark colored and at the top was a flag of the First Order. It was by the looks of it two stories tall and features a tall and sharp roof. The ponies went unnoticed while walking past it. They knew that they couldn't stay here. They saw a dark spot where two roofs lapsed together to form a dark spot underneath. The two houses provided also some cover.

"We need to get out of here. Fast!" Twilight said. Following this, she saw most of her friends nod in agreement.

"But how do you suppose we can get out?" Cadance asked.

"We could uh, sneak onboard a train?" Rainbow Dash suggested.

"It could work..." Shining Armor responded to Rainbow's suggestion with a 'Let's do it!' type of voice.

"Then what are we waiting for!" Pinkie Pie yelled. Loud enough to attract attention.

Footsteps of Stormtroopers could be heard approaching their position, they weren't walking. But running. "Quick!" Twilight said as she began to ran.

Once the Stormtroopers arrived they saw nothing. The ponies had managed to escape in time. And it wouldn't be the last time that they'd escape in the nick of time. They began to trot towards the train station located right next to the entrance to the airbase. Not the ideal place for them as they are wanted by the enemy.
They were waiting by the track for the train. They could see it in the distance and the trail of smoke it was creating. The train was coming from Griffonstone. All of the sudden though.

'This is a Public Service Announcement on behalf of the First Order,' said a voice coming from a speaker.

'The following are wanted by the First Order High Command, Twilight Sparkle, Cadance, Shining Armor, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy. If you happen to spot one of them in public, report to the nearest First Order Patrol. Your reward for finding one of them is 500 Credits. Finding the whole group will result in a reward of 5000 Credits.'

Once the announcement finished several ponies began to look at the 8. Though none of them went to the base nearby or to a patrol. They just stared and eventually stopped. It seemed as if they were not supporting the First Order. Otherwise, Twilight, Cadance & Co. would have been imprisoned by now.

The train arrived, and just in time. The 8 entered the train that was the Friendship Express. The wagons were mostly empty. Just a few ponies, mostly business ones sitting and awaiting their destination. They took a place in the second class cabin, the first class one would have attracted too much attention, the attention they did not want at the moment. The train began to move. Towards the Crystal Empire.

The Departure was halted. The train stopped moving. Out of curiosity, Fluttershy looked out the window. Outside there was an officer and two Stormtroopers.

"um.," Fluttershy said in an attempt to get everyone's attention.

However, it did not work. The seven ponies kept on talking. The pegasus mare tried again to get their attention. "hello?"

This time it did work. They turned their heads towards the mare that often was shy.
"What is it Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash asked.

"um, white armor humans are coming onboard."

"Oh, no.," Twilight muttered.

The train began to move. Now with their enemy onboard. The train was going to go on the rock bridge again. A bridge so thin with strong winds and no railing that you're likely to fall off. If they were to get caught then this may be the end of Equestria's uprising. Ending it before it began.

Author's Notes:

Going on vacation tomorrow, which means no more chapters for 2017. Don't worry though. 2018 will bring lots of new chapters (that is if you want them). As I won't be releasing any new chapters for the rest of the year I would like to take this time to say Happy Christmas!(or I guess I should say Hearts Warming Eve) and a good new year to you all!

If you have any suggestions please comment them or message me them. If you did not like this story please tell me what you did not like so that I can improve for the next chapter.