Mechanon and the Space Mares 2 - Training Day

>In training.
>"Squad Five: Wave's Runners, prepare to start training exercise!"
>You stand on a platform with a bunch of horses in power armor.
>Before you is a maze simulating a possible city environment the likes of which you may have to fight through in live combat.
>Squad leader Wave Runner, stood in the center and to the front.
>A voice talks besides you, obviously one of the ponies, but you can't understand their alien tongue yet.
>The translated voice pipes into your cockpit.
>"Alright cadets, we're going to break some records today!
>Your squadmates give a collective affirmative.
>You yourself, are in a mech; a big, bipedal  war machine that was the subject of fiction until about four months ago.
>Even so, you're still only looking at her from about eye level.
>Jeez, they're tall.
>The one next to you, nicknamed "Daisy" for her obsession with Earth flowers, glances at your cockpit windshield.
>"Hey, human ally, look over here."
>She turns around slightly until she's facing away from you.
>She wiggles her rump.
>You watch the cannon barrels, as perfectly at home on a battleship as they are on her back, sway back and forth.
"What, what are you doing?"
>"Igniting the fiery carnivore within you. Hey, don't look away, I am top grade meat!"
>They figure out you’re an omnivore and now they won't stop talking about it.
>She reaches a hoof back and raps it against her flank armor.
>CLANG
>"Getting excited? Are you energized? Can you feel that blood coursing?"
>Honestly you just feel ridiculous; there's a slight delay before the translator kicks in each time and on top of that she's not even speaking a language you can understand so you're left watching her mouth pronouncing completely differently than the translated version coming from inside your pilot's chamber.
>Your thoughts are interrupted by a jolting yell.
>"DAISY!"
>Translator or not, you know what it means.
>Wave Runner has taken notice.
>Daisy stumbles at the outburst.
>"Yes, squad leader!"
>"What do you think you're doing?!"
>"Uh ah, er encouraging squadmate morale, ma'm!"
>"If you're going to seduce the alien then do it in your off time!"
>"Wh-what?! I'm, I'm not, I mean, I-"
>"We are running in ten! Herd ready?!"
>The squad straightens up and replies with a collective, "Yes ma'am!"
>The gate opens into the mock city.
>"Go!"
>In short order you find yourself stomping along down a suspiciously quiet highway.
>This may be a stand-in for a generic city, but it looks suspiciously like they had taken an Earth locale for inspiration.
>"Squad, split for the objectives! Star Chaser, Hoofprint, hu-krrshbzzzzz."
>There's a crackle from the speakers followed by static, a pop, and then babbling noises.
>What? What was she saying?
>You turn a little, swiveling until you were looking at her, the rest of the squad starting to split up into two groups.
>You were still receiving through the communications, but all that came out was a jumbled mess of syllables and chatter.
>You can't understand a word she, or anyone else was saying.
>You start to talk back but all that comes out is a crackling noise when you turn on your microphone.
>Not good.
>The squad goes into a formation and you just sort of stick towards the front as everyone moves forward in two loose groups covering each other.
>Apparently this is acceptable since despite a few of them glancing at you and gibbering their alien language, not one moved to scold or push you around.
>They were more just looking at you with worry for some reason.
>A tall building suddenly collapses into one of the branching streets and a dust cloud envelopes your squad to a choir of dismay.
>Wave barks orders over the din of stomping hooves on concrete but it's not like you can follow them.
>Wisps of tails and manes, lights from targeting lasers and power armor moves past your vision in the chaos.
>One of them jostles your mech to the side, coming to her senses with a yelp from the impact.
>You recognize her even in the dust cloud as the Earth-flower enthusiast, Daisy.
>She hastily slips besides you, pushing her side against the closest building, a hotel or apartment block, you think, to have something to anchor to in the confusion.
>Wave Runner tries to reign in the rest of the squad, an angry tone trying to call over everyone else's.
>Daisy glances nervously between you and the rest of the hazey street, dust and fluttering debris hiding everyone else.
>Lights from laser fire flash, strobing through the dust cloud from the front and a panicked shriek calls out from somewhere.
>Your squadmate ducks, hitting the pavement with a whimper in a tactic used to thwart the tendencies of enemies to shoot high to hit their tall bodies
>You hear a distinct stomping noise.
>Mechanical, heavy, but not the usual one of your companions.
>It sounds more like another mech.
>Daisy stops sniffling against the building as you realize the noises have gotten very, very close.
>She just stares numbly ahead, slowly bringing her gaze upwards.
>You follow the motion, looking up to a patch where the dust cloud has cleared enough.
>You feel your jaw drop.
>It's a mech, bigger than yours.
>It looms over the spacehorse who is cowering, pressing herself into the building further, cannons and metal armor scraping the structure.
>A malevolent cybernetic eye looks at you, then down at your squadmate.
>A huge gun arm flows out of the fog and points down at Daisy, who covers her face with her forehooves and whimpers.
>Why can't you have a huge gun like that, huh?
>Its barrel starts to glow and Daisy starts wailing.
>In the present situation, the others coming to her rescue is not likely.
>You move in a flash, charging the larger machine with a yell that echoes through your pilot chamber
>Even if they can't hear you, you're going to slam this thing like a demolition derby.
>At the last second you twist your mech's torso, slamming one of your own machine’s cannons into your prey with your mech's sizable tonnage.
>The resulting clang sends the larger machine down on its back.
>You push forward, stomping on its chest and bringing your weapons to bear even as it tries to aim its cannon arm on you.
>With a rat-tat-tat and pew-pew of your guns its eye goes dark and it stops struggling.
>You turn back around to see Daisy staring at you, jaw dropped.
>You let go of the controls for just a second and pump your fist in triumph.
>Humanity, fuck yeah!
>There's some more commotion and you realize the smoke has cleared enough to see the rest of the group.
>Squad Leader Wave Runner, looks the scene over, eyes shifting from Daisy, the defeated training bot, and finally to yourself in that same no-nonsense expression she's been wearing ever since you first met.
>Everyone is staring, waiting for something to happen.
>She nods her head, says something to you, -did you mention your translator was still busted?- and that's that.
>With a swish of her tail she's back to barking orders at everyone else.
>As the squad gets back into formation, Daisy starts talking to you excitedly, only to be shooed away by Wave.
>The squad leader pauses while everyone else is looking away and smiles, just ever so faintly at you.
>In a blink, the moment is gone and the squad presses on.