The Commander stalked down the catwalk and surveyed each of the cadets. Sundance shivered as the old pony’s eyes raked over him. It was strange, as if the pony peered into their souls and plucked out the important bits. He seemed trustworthy and nicer than most of the other trueborns, but something about the atmosphere around him left Sundance with a cold feeling in his stomach.

“Alright, cadets. I know you have already been through basic training and simulations, but Cadmium and I are going to give you a brief recap,” the Commander said as he nodded towards a door at the top of the stairs. A dark blue, almost black unicorn with black eyes and a disheveled, long silver mane stepped out. He wore a frayed white lab coat and crooked rectangular wire frame glasses, and a device that was enveloped in a black aura floated in front of him.

Cadmium blinked a few times and straightened his glasses. He looked exhausted, and Sundance got the feeling he never got much sleep. “Thanks for the lovely introduction, Charcoal. Now then. I’m Cadmium, the lead scientist in this dump. I don’t wish to be here, lecturing all of you, but orders are orders.” He let out a suffering sigh as if he were about to give a spiel he had already done a million times. “This scanner is going to take measurements so that we can get cooling suits for all of you. If you recall from your classes, the temperature in the cockpit of a ‘Mech can soar well above the boiling point of water when its heat level reaches its maximum. You’ll cook long before you can be of any use without one of these suits.

“Your neurohelmets have all been linked to this training unit. Just like in the simulations, they will allow you to control the ‘Mech to a greater degree than if you were to use only physical controls. Expect a higher level of mental strain during this exercise. It shouldn’t cause any problems, but if you feel you are about to black out, please power down the ‘Mech before you do so. I don’t want to have to repair this scrapped machine any more than I will inevitably have to.” With that, Cadmium nodded to the Commander and walked over to the closest cadet, who happened to be Sundance.

“Face forward and remain still. The process will go much faster if you do,” Cadmium said. Sundance locked his muscles in place and stared straight ahead as a series of red lasers enveloped his body. After a short moment, the scanner beeped and Cadmium stepped in front of Mist to repeat the process.

“Now that all of that is out of the way, I will explain the exercise,” Commander Charcoal said. “Once inside the Shadow Cat, you are to power up the ‘Mech and remain upright. After you manage to hold your balance for a full thirty seconds, take a lap around the hangar. Try not to run into anything, or Cadmium will have a few angry words for you.”

“It’d be more than just words,” Cadmium grumbled as he moved on to the next cadet.

Commander Charcoal shook his head and was about to open his mouth to speak, but a silvery voice at the end of the line behind him interrupted him. “Um, Commander Charcoal?”

“Yes? What is it?” He asked as he turned around to face the cadet who had spoken up.

“Do we not need cooling suits for today, sir?”

The Commander shook his head. “While they do not have many heat sinks, training units do not output much heat, and they have no weapons. The cockpit temperature will remain low, so you will be fine for now. Since you seem to be so outspoken, we will start with you.” He turned and pointed to the open access hatch of the ‘Mech. “Climb in and begin the exercise.”

The sound of hooves on the steel catwalk echoed quietly through the ‘Mech Bay as a pegasus walked nervously over to the ‘Mech. She had a dark grey coat, a flowing yellow-green mane, and lively lime eyes set in a soft, round face. Something pulled faintly at the edges of Sundance’s mind when he saw her; a long forgotten memory of a dreary morning. The feeling was so fleeting he almost thought it was his imagination, but he couldn’t shake the impression that he had met her once before during an important event.

The pegasus briefly caught Sundance’s eyes before hastily putting on her neurohelmet and climbing down onto the Shadow Cat. The access hatch swung shut behind her, and Mist nudged him with an elbow. “Hey, she’s really cute, don’t you think?”

Sundance shrugged. “I guess so. I wasn’t really paying attention.”

“Come on, you’ve got as good of a chance with her as anypony. Better, actually. She stares at you all the time when you aren’t looking.”

Sundance raised an eyebrow at him. “Really?”

Mist nodded. “Yeah. She sat a few seats behind you back when we were still in that awful classroom, and I swear she paid more attention to you than the Commander who taught that class. I think her name is Chartreuse.”

“Huh.” Sundance glanced over at the Shadow Cat, which had just begun the startup sequence. Romance wasn’t something he was particularly interested in at that point. He was a bit more worried about surviving training, but maybe at some point in the future, he’d have time for such light-hearted things. “How did you notice something like that?”

Mist scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. “Well, she wasn’t the only one doing more staring than listening. Seriously, you remember what it was like there. It was impossible to listen to that monotonous idiot repeat everything.”

Sundance nodded in agreement as he thought back to Commander Seaweed, their ancient teacher from the classes that had previously occupied the time between breakfast and lunch. The dark green unicorn was the oldest pony he had ever seen, and many of the cadets had joked around by saying he was present during the Clan invasion five centuries ago.

The invasion was mostly for revenge, seeing as the Clans had been driven from their home planets by the five remaining Great Houses a few hundred years prior. Even though they didn’t achieve their goal of taking over the Inner Sphere, the Clans managed to carve out a massive swathe of planets. Most of the Clans, who formerly made up the House of Loyalty, resided in their original sector beside the rest of the Houses as a result of the invasion. Sundance snorted. It seemed Commander Seaweed’s repetition was an effective way to learn things, even if it was boring.

The crash of something massive and the vibration of the catwalk roused Sundance from his thoughts. He and the rest of the cadets moved to the railing and glanced over it to see the Shadow Cat lying face-first on the ground with its legs flailing out behind it.

“Almost, cadet. Hurry up and get back on your feet so we can continue the exercise.”

The ‘Mech used its arms to leverage itself back to its feet. It stood mostly still for the required thirty seconds, only swaying slightly every few seconds, and the Commander nodded. “Very good. Now take your lap and hop out of the ‘Mech.”

The Shadow Cat turned in a slow arc and began walking around the hangar. At one turn it lost its balance and nearly smacked into the side of one of the other ‘Mech Bays, but Chartreuse managed to keep the ‘Mech upright and continued her lap. After a few more seconds the lap was complete, and she stopped the Shadow Cat beneath the catwalk in the Bay.

“That wasn’t too bad. I’d imagine piloting a real ‘Mech for the first time isn’t easy, and going first didn’t do her any favors,” Mist said.

Sundance nodded. He was a bit worried about how different it would be from the simulations, but luckily he was at the opposite end of the line and would be going last. Hardly anypony would be paying attention by the time it got to be his turn, so he didn’t have to worry quite as much about making a fool of himself.

The access hatch on the Shadow Cat opened and Chartreuse climbed out. The Commander reached a hoof down to help her up onto the catwalk and turned back to the other cadets. “Next in line, it is your turn. If the rest of you go through the exercise that quickly, we will not have to shorten your lunch time.”

The threat of a shortened lunch break seemed to hasten the movements of the cadets, and even though quite a few had less than impressive performances, the training session progressed acceptably well. Many of them managed to only fall over one time during the initial phase, and only a hoofful misstepped during their lap. Cadmium sighed heavily every time the ‘Mech made contact with the ground or one of the Bays, and it was hard for Sundance to stifle his smiles at the pony’s reactions.

After a while, somepony Sundance recognized stepped forward on the catwalk. It was Vermilion, the pony who the drill instructor had thrown around that morning.

Vermilion’s run through of the exercise had a fairly standard start, and while his balance was better than most of the others’, what was truly impressive was the relative elegance at which he moved around the hangar during his lap. Sure the ‘Mech teetered precariously on a couple of turns, but his piloting skill was the best out of any of the cadets so far. His lap time was the shortest by a full five seconds.

“Excellent run through, cadet,” the Commander said as Vermilion stopped the ‘Mech in the Bay. Vermilion climbed out onto the catwalk and went back to his spot in line to shortly be replaced by the next cadet.

“That was pretty good. I’d be willing to bet I can do better, though,” Mist said to Sundance.

Sundance smirked at his new friend. “I guess we’ll see. Piloting a ‘Mech probably isn’t as simple as you think.”

Mist shrugged. “Come on. With my extensive knowledge of BattleMechs, there’s no way I could do poorly here.”

Over the course of the next few hours, more cadets went through the exercise, with some performing better than others. One somehow managed to trip over seemingly nothing on their lap, and neither the Commander or Cadmium was too happy as a result.

Before long it became Mist’s turn to hop in the ‘Mech. He grinned at Sundance as he walked towards the powered down machine. “My time to shine. Wish me luck!” he called over his shoulder.

Sundance sighed and watched the blue pony lower himself into the Shadow Cat. The whine of the ‘Mech’s fusion reactor shortly followed the access hatch closing. The machine pitched backward almost immediately and tumbled to the ground. A sneering giggle ran through the assembled cadets, and the Commander shook his head in disappointment.

“I did warn him,” Sundance thought to himself. The ‘Mech struggled back to its feet and shakily stayed upright. It had begun to look like Mist was going to complete the first part of the exercise when the Shadow Cat began teetering sideways on one leg. It crashed onto the concrete again, and a collective groan went through the other ponies.

“Hurry up, cadet. We do not have all day to watch you blunder about,” the Commander said, clearly displeased.

The Shadow Cat pulled itself up again in an attempt to complete the exercise. Sundance could imagine how embarrassed Mist was just then, and he felt a little sorry for his friend. Maybe the situation would at least teach him a little bit of humility if he was lucky.

Mist managed to keep the ‘Mech balanced for the full thirty seconds, and the Commander nodded to him, signaling for Mist to begin his lap.

The Shadow Cat turned sluggishly and trudged forward, almost dragging its feet along the ground as it stomped around the hangar. When he was at the far Bay the ‘Mech’s left arm collided with one of the dividing walls and ripped a small gash in the thin steel. Cadmium rubbed his temples and let out an aggravated sigh, and Sundance had to stifle another laugh at the scientist.

“Poor display, cadet. You need to improve your piloting skills,” Commander Charcoal said as Mist brought the Shadow Cat to a hesitant halt in the ‘Mech Bay. The access hatch swung open slowly and Mist shamefully pulled himself up onto the catwalk. Sundance trotted towards the ‘Mech as Mist began his own walk back to his place in line. While it was true Mist’s performance was nothing special, he at least hadn’t been the worst cadet out of the group so far.

“Don’t say anything,” Mist mumbled as the two passed each other. Sundance chuckled quietly and continued past his friend. He noticed Chartreuse looking at him out of the corner of his eye, but pretended not to notice. The faint memory from earlier came back into his mind for a short moment, and he shook his head to clear it. He needed to focus on the training exercise and not some echo of a memory.

Sundance stepped carefully onto the top of the Shadow Cat and lowered himself down into the cockpit, his neurohelmet tucked underneath one foreleg. He swung the access hatch shut behind him and sat down in the pilot’s seat.

The dull interior of the cockpit was illuminated by a dim light at the top of the small space. The usually complex layout was dumbed-down to just the essentials, but that wouldn’t make a difference for training. The pilot’s seat was fairly ergonomic, though years of wear had left the rubber padding thin in places. A seat in such condition would have been replaced on a combat unit, but since the ‘Mech was used only for training purposes, the Techs had not bothered to replace it yet as it still served its purpose acceptably well.

The neurohelmet beeped as Sundance put it on and it linked to the Shadow Cat. He slid the seat’s straps into place over his body and hovered one hoof nervously over the controls. “I guess there’s no point in delaying any longer,” he thought as he pressed a few buttons and began the startup sequence.

The fusion engine fired up and filled the cockpit with a barely audible hum. The Diagnostic Interpretation Computer, or DI Computer for short, let out a series of beeps as it ran a quick inspection of the ‘Mech’s systems. After a few short moments, the computer’s voice gave the all-clear, signaling the ‘Mech was fully operational.

Reactor: Online. All Systems Nominal.

Sundance shifted in his seat and grunted. “Huh. Short startup sequence,” he thought to himself. It made sense, considering the Shadow Cat didn’t even have a radar as far as he could tell. The cockpit felt empty compared to the simulations where screens filled all of the space that wasn’t glass or controls.

A strange sensation in the back of Sundance’s head caught his attention. It almost felt like somepony else was inside his thoughts, and it was unsettling to have something foreign invading his mind. “H-hello? Who’s there?” he called out tentatively.

Seemingly in response, a warm hum filled Sundance’s mind. It seemed like it was coming from the neurohelmet, but ‘Mechs didn’t have artificial intelligence integrated into them, so it should be impossible for it to react to anything he said or thought. Or should it?

“Are you… are you the Shadow Cat?” Sundance asked. The hum picked up in intensity briefly, as if to answer his question. “Amazing. I didn’t know ‘Mechs could communicate like that.” He glanced out of the cockpit to see the Commander signaling to him to start his lap around the hangar. “Wait, that was thirty seconds? That certainly didn’t seem like it,” he thought. He hadn’t felt the ‘Mech sway even a little bit, which was surprising given the performance of the other cadets. “Well, I guess I should finish so we can get to lunch.”

Sundance swung the legs of the Shadow Cat around and nearly overshot the turn when the ‘Mech moved much quicker than he had anticipated. Ironically, the exercise had gone almost exactly like the simulations for Sundance, barring the communication between him and the ‘Mech. He had expected the Shadow Cat to move sluggishly as it had for the past cadets, but it wasn’t even recognizable as the same machine.

“This is strange. I thought this would be harder,” he thought as he moved the ‘Mech forward. It stepped around the hanger lightly, gracefully taking the same path it had stomped along just a couple of minutes prior. The Shadow Cat buzzed in a way that almost made it sound amused, and Sundance adjusted his neurohelmet slightly. “Can you hear my thoughts, too?” The ‘Mech buzzed again in response. “Huh. I’ve never heard of that happening before.”

Sundance brought the Shadow Cat to rest carefully in the ‘Mech Bay. He hadn’t faltered once during the exercise, and his own surprise was mirrored on the faces of a few of the other cadets. “Well, that certainly was something,” Sundance thought. “I guess I’ll see you during the next training session.” The Shadow Cat beeped in what he assumed was agreement, and he powered down the machine.

The seat creaked as Sundance stood up in the cockpit and removed his neurohelmet. The light of the hangar was almost blinding after being in such a dim place, and he had to shield his eyes as he swung the access hatch open and climbed out of the machine.

“Very impressive, cadet. How did you pilot the ‘Mech so flawlessly?” the Commander asked, a faint look of awe briefly occupying his face.

Sundance scratched the back of his head after he pulled himself onto the catwalk. “I’m not sure, sir. It just kind of came naturally to me.” He glanced over his shoulder at the powered down ‘Mech, who stood perfectly still in its Bay. “Also, I know it probably sounds strange, but I think the ‘Mech talked to me. Or, at least tried to.”

The Commander frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but Cadmium rushed forward and interrupted him, his eyes wide in an expression of wonder. “Wait, wait, wait. You mean, the ‘Mech spoke to you?”

“Well, not exactly. There was a dull hum that seemed to react to my actions and what I was saying. It definitely was different than the usual static from the simulations.”

“Fascinating. Truly fascinating,” Cadmium said. “I’ve heard of pilots who shared a strong mental bond with their ‘Mechs, but this is… Completely unheard of. I’ll need to look into this more.” He turned around and walked down the catwalk towards the door he had exited at the start of training, muttering to himself the whole way.

The Commander shook his head and turned back to Sundance. “Regardless of the reason, that is quite the talent for a freeborn to have. I’ll be keeping a very close eye on your progress, so do not disappoint me.” He walked to where the other cadets were standing and called out in a loud voice that carried easily across the Bay. “Good progress today, cadets. Most of you performed acceptably well, though a few of you will need to improve quickly. Tomorrow will be a much more busy day. Now that we know you can all handle the neural load of a real ‘Mech, each of you will be assigned your own training units to use for the next week. After that point, your piloting skills should be perfected, and combat units will be assigned. You are dismissed.”

The cadets all filed down the stairs, muttering excitedly among themselves. They dropped off their neurohelmets where they had picked them up, and Sundance followed at the back, behind Chartreuse. Mist was waiting at the top of the stairs, and when Sundance arrived, he fell in beside him. “That was incredible! You almost looked like you knew what you were doing out there,” he said jokingly.

Sundance snorted and shoved his friend lightly. “More than you did. Didn’t you say earlier you were going to do better than any of the other cadets?”

Mist glanced nervously at Chartreuse then back to Sundance. “Yeah, well… it was different than I was expecting.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right about that. It definitely didn’t go how I thought it would either.” Sundance blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the dim tunnel that led out of the hangar. “We’re running more simulations after lunch, right?”

“Yep, combat simulations. I think they’re supposed to start throwing ambushes into the mix, so be prepared for that,” Mist said. He slowed his walking pace slightly so that the two of them were walking a short distance behind Chartreuse, far enough that they were out of earshot. Mist turned to Sundance with an odd expression on his face. “If Chartreuse didn’t like you enough already, now you’ve got your piloting skills to add to the pile of whatever she sees in you.”

Sundance sighed and glanced at the grey pegasus far ahead of them. “I think you’re overthinking things. It’s faint, but I think I can remember her from somewhere else. It feels like it was something important. She’s probably just in a similar situation. Besides, I’m not really interested in dating. We’ve got more urgent things to worry about, like our Trials coming up in a few years.”

“Whatever you say,” Mist said with a shrug. “If that means you aren’t going after her, can I?”

“If you think you can get her to like you.”

“Of course I can! I’m the most charming pony in the sibko. I can win over the heart of anypony I choose,” Mist said as he puffed out his chest.

Sundance chuckled and shook his head. “Go for it. Maybe learn some modesty on the way.” As he watched his new friend speed ahead of him, his own mind went back to the aforementioned “Trial.” He had referred to the Trial of Position, a sort of combat ritual that allowed a cadet to become a Warrior. While in most Clans failing at any point during training, including the Trial, meant the cadet would be relegated to a lower caste, such as Technicians, Scientists, or Merchants, that was not an option in Clan Draconequus.

As far as Sundance could tell, the outcome for the Draconequus freeborns was either death or combat. Ponies that would normally have failed their ‘Mech training instead become infantry, tank crews, or aerospace pilots. It was more theory than fact, but Sundance had a feeling the reason so many Warriors were allowed through was that Clan Draconequus was desperate. They threw ponies at the enemy like cannon fodder, a practice looked down upon by the other Clans.

Sundance glanced at Mist just as he caught up to Chartreuse. “Are we all going to survive this? It’s unlikely that we’ll die before we get put into combat, but what happens then? We won’t be as skilled as our opponents.” He sighed and glanced up at the sky. “I wish things could stay like this forever. Now that I have a friend, training is actually tolerable. I just worry about what happens when we leave for war.” Whatever was in store for them, all he knew was he needed to make the best of the next six years. It was unlikely he would survive long into adulthood, so he needed to enjoy life while he still could.

Sundance leaned back in his seat and rubbed his eyes. He had just failed one of the combat simulations; a scene taken from the Clan Invasion where he was supposed to hold a point against numerous Inner Sphere ‘Mechs and keep his own Star of ‘Mechs alive. It was a difficult mission he had never managed to pass, but to be fair, it was only the cadets’ third month of simulator training, and they couldn’t be expected to complete such a difficult situation. That didn’t stop the instructor from deducting points, however.

“Poor performance, cadet Sundance. You need to improve your combat skills,” the drill instructor said as he walked down the line of simulation cockpits. They were basically just the front half of a cockpit with display screens replacing the glass, leaving the back half open as both an entrance and to allow the instructor to observe.

“Maybe try a bit of constructive criticism next time,” Sundance muttered under his breath. He lifted the neurohelmet off of his head and stepped out of the fake cockpit. It was late in the evening, and now that it was time for dinner, the cadets were leaving for the mess hall as they completed their simulations. He looked for Mist, who had just finished his own simulation and was walking down the aisle towards him.

“How’d you do?” Mist asked.

Sundance sighed. “Not very good. Passed five simulations, came to a draw in one, and lost six.”

Mist raised an eyebrow at him. “A draw? How’d you manage something like that?”

“The last enemy got me with a Short Range Missile salvo just after I took him out with an autocannon.”

“Ah. I’d say unlucky, but the drill instructor wouldn’t see it that way,” Mist said.

“Definitely not.” Sundance rolled his still aching shoulder and grunted at the pain as they stepped out of the simulator room, which he thought used to be a common area of some sort before the camp was repurposed.

Mist gave him a concerned glance. “Are you alright? That fight earlier today was pretty intense.”

Sundance nodded. “Yeah, I’m just a bit sore.”

“Maybe you should go to the infirmary if it’s still bothering you. If nothing else, you could at least get some painkillers from the nurse.”

“I probably should.” While Sundance had been pushing through the pain all day, the adrenaline had worn off hours ago. Now that he was taking the time to actually listen to his body, he noticed just how much pain he was still in. His jaw and the cut along his flank stung sharply. “I think I might run over there now. Could you save a spot for me at our table?”

Mist nodded. “Sure thing. Want me to grab you anything before all the good stuff is gone?”

“Whatever looks the most edible today. I’m not picky.” Sundance took a separate path from Mist as they came to a fork in the road. “I’ll be there in a bit.”

“Got it. See you,” Mist said as he waved to Sundance.

“Now, I just have to remember which way it is to the infirmary,” Sundance thought. It wasn’t too hard to get lost in the network of pathways, and he had only been to the infirmary once before, when all of the cadets were examined upon entering the camp the first time.

After a few minutes of walking, a long wooden building came into view. It had a tin roof, windows that stretched along its entire length, and a sign above the double doors with a large red cross on it. “There it is. Glad I remembered correctly,” Sundance thought to himself as he walked up to it.

Sundance swung one of the doors open and glanced inside. It wasn’t the standard bright white of many other infirmaries and hospitals, and it felt more like a regular cabin. The wood-paneled walls and seemingly decorative cabinets under the windows added to the rustic look, and even the hardwood floor, which was covered in a clear protective layer, added a sense of comfort.

“Another injured cadet. They really should give me another pony to help out,” Sundance heard a voice say. He turned to see an old beige unicorn with orange eyes and a faded gray mane glance up at him from her patient, who was sitting on one of the beds. Sundance recognized her as Cornsilk, the only nurse they had at the camp. Surprisingly, he also recognized the patient, who in turn recognized him when she turned around and nearly fell off her bed in surprise.

“Easy, Chartreuse! Don’t add to your list of problems,” Cornsilk said as she reached to steady the gray pegasus before turning her attention back to Sundance. “So what seems to be the problem? Neurohelmet fry your brain, too?”

Sundance shook his head. “I got in a fight this morning and the pain hasn’t gone away yet.”

“This morning? Why’d you wait so long to come here?” Cornsilk shook her head. “Have a seat on the bed behind me. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

Sundance walked over to the bed across from Chartreuse and eased himself onto it. Again, the memory pressed faintly against the back of his mind when he looked at her. It was strange and he wanted answers, but he wasn’t really willing to risk a migraine for them.

Chartreuse squeaked quietly as Cornsilk prodded her in the stomach. The old pony jotted something down on the clipboard floating next to her and took a step back. “Yep, it looks to me like you’re just suffering from the side effects of piloting a BattleMech for the first time. The neurohelmet puts a lot of strain on first time pilots, and while most suffer discomfort from it, some form of idiotic bravery or whatever keeps them from coming to me, which causes more problems down the road. Stupid young ponies,” Cornsilk said as she shook her head.

Cornsilk opened one of the cabinets with her magic and nodded towards it. “Take one of those bottles and follow the instructions until it’s empty. And write it down for me, will you? I need to keep track of my inventory. Just use the sheet taped to the cabinet’s door.”

Sundance shifted uncomfortably as Cornsilk turned towards him. “And now for you. Next time you get injured, come see me immediately. You’ll do less damage to yourself that way. Now up,” she said as she motioned for him to stand. Sundance slid off of the bed and stepped forward to allow her to examine his body.

Sharp pain in Sundance’s flank made him flinch as Cornsilk prodded the gash on his side underneath the bandages. “Did you put these on yourself? This is why I always tell ponies to let me do the work. None of you ever do it properly.” She sighed and floated a small tray over to herself. She selected a pair of scissors and used them to cut across the bandages on the opposite side of his wound.

“Now, this is going to hurt-” Cornsilk suddenly used her magic to rip the bandages off of Sundance, and he gasped in pain as a massive scab came along with the gauze.

“Ow! Fuck, why didn’t you warn me?” Sundance asked as he turned towards Cornsilk, more than a little annoyed.

Cornsilk chuckled and dropped the soiled bandages in the trash. “It hurts less that way, trust me. That’s what happens when you don’t bandage wounds properly. The blood dries in the bandage and you have to rip it off. Well, you don’t have to, but I like to. It’s more fun that way.” She wiped down the cut with a disinfectant wipe and sprayed it with a strange liquid that stung at first, but caused the blood to clot almost immediately. She then applied a strange, cold paste over top of it and grabbed a fresh roll of gauze.

A gasp behind Sundance caught his attention, and he turned to see Chartreuse staring at his flank with her mouth open.

“Why’s she staring like that? The cut wasn’t that bad,” Sundance thought as he turned to look back at his flank again. However, when he saw what she was actually gaping at, he felt her surprise mirrored in his own mind at the sudden appearance of the new mark on his flank.

It was a BattleMech. Sundance’s cutie mark was a Timber Wolf.