Mechanon and the Space Mares 9 - Eagles and Explosions Day

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I was supposed to post this on the fourth of July but sometime close to sundown I was distracted by these mysterious bangs and pops off in the distance. After following an exhaustive trail into the woods for days on end, I can only conclude that the entire War of the Worlds story had played out in real life from beginning to end in the span of one night. Apocalypse thus averted, I went back to the usual.
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>Thump thump thump.
>Getting sleep was hard sometimes.
>You could hear the pistons and stabilizers for one of the massive combat “suit” those ponies wear working with each step.
>Strange of someone to be up and about in her suit on this particular day, it was supposed to be a break.
>Especially after yesterday when they had you running laps outside your suit.
>Honestly, running in circles on one of their plates while the squad leader cycled between leering at you, unimpressed, and frowning at the others on the big field was not the great track and field experience you expected.
>At least Daisy kept trying to cheer you on between breaths every time she ran by.
>Speaking of, you hear the massive Equestrian in question clear her throat through the wall.
>”Et zah frayaron, human~”
>The voice called to you, still the only human on base.
>You quickly reached for the personal translator by your bedside and clip it behind your ear.
>The walls clanged with a couple of knocks before she peered at you through the, to them, little slit that was your barracks room window.
>It was not as cramped as you expected.
>A species separation policy combined with being the only member of said species around meant you had the space all to yourself.
>The word “Daisy” written across her helmet in, as she called it, “Amerikish” after she learned that Earth wasn’t one unified, global nation.
>She still hasn’t realized that every country didn’t always have it’s own language.
>It was kind of adorable the way she gets confused when you try to tell her that your translator was set to English, but that didn’t necessarily mean you were from England.
>But as the helmet gave way to a lock of frumpy mane hair sticking out from underneath it, quickly followed by the excessively large, sparkly eyes that all Equestrians seemed to have, you had to just take whatever crazy thing she had to say today.
>She pointed a forehoof to her ear and you nodded.
>Why was she in her suit?
>“It’s almost sundown, human!”
>You blinked at her and checked the clock in your room.
“No, it’s morning.”
>”On Earth! It’s almost sundown!”
“So?”
>She cocked her head to the side, uncomprehending the translated version buzzing from her helmet’s computer.
“Meaning?”
>”Oh, um, it’s screaming bald eagles and explosions day!”
“What?”
>”Fourth day of the seventh month of Summer!”
“Seventh month, fourth day, Earth calender… January, February, March, April, May, June, July… 4th.”
>Daisy watches, mystified at your recounting of the months aloud like she was getting to see a demonstration of you unlocking cosmic secrets.
“Oh, Independence Day.”
>The big pony raises an eyebrow and pops her visor down over her eyes.
>You can see her reading the heads up display screen readout's wall of text.
>She reaches and pulls the translator microphone away from her mouth and after dramatically drawing herself up, manages an Earth word.
>”Si.”
“Wrong language, Daisy.”
>As soon as her helmet relays your commentary, she groans defeatedly.
“Hey, you’re still improving.”
>Your squadmate mulls it over for a second before meekly shuffling her hooves and flipping her microphone back on.
>”A-anyway, human, I thought we could celebrate with the traditional human way.”
>Another voice suddenly interrupts as none other than Big Bounty, the only gun-obsessed pony you’ve ever met, steps into view.
>”What is it this time,” she grunts, “not another festival about eating birds and being thankful, is it?”
>”No,” Daisy replies, “I mean, well, it does have birds."
>"I knew it!" the other pony snorts, "What is it with humans and flying animals? You're obsessed!"
>"W-wait, Bounty, it’s about setting off colorful bombs and missiles and making noise; birds are just optional.”
>Big Bounty gets this wild, astonished look on his face.
>She turns towards you excitedly, eyes sparkling with sudden enthusiasm.
>”So you’re saying this is a holy day, and it’s all about explosions?!”
“No, no, holi-day.”
>”That’s what I said.”
“No, the-”
>”Daisy said there would be explosions, are there explosions?”
>You nod and her eyes continue to widen along with her smile until it looks like the two are caught in a territory dispute to try and overtake as much of her face as possible.
>”Humans are awesome!”
>She wheels around to face someone outside of your view from the window.
>”Hey, hey, Wave Runner, can we do this one?!”
>The squad leader, none other than the dashing, and almost perpetually unamused Wave Runner, leans into view of your window.
>”Explain this ceremony, human,” she commands.
>How long has she been standing there?
“Independence Day is typically celebrated with fireworks, yes.”
>Wave Runner frowns.
>"This isn't about independence from
>Her stare is more cold and foreboding than a giant, looming icicle.
"N-no, ma'am, it's uh, about one nation growing from a colony to its own sovereign entity."
>"That sounds nice."
"Er, it is, actually."
>Wait, she sounds like she might like it.
>Your two squadmates seem to have had the same thought.
>Soon, both are trying to beg your commander.
>”It’ll be so much fun!” Bounty pleaded.
>”This holiday would continue to cement our relationship-er-squad cohesion with our squad’s human,” Daisy mumbles.
>Before a definitive rejection can be announced, a series of loud and heavy, but distinctly unarmored, stomps signal the arrival of the stoic and aptly named Hoof Step, the largest member of the squad.
>The room goes quiet as she glances at your window and then towards Wave Runner.
>”Squad leader, this holiday would be a good way to emphasize on firearm safety and combined arms tactics under a fun atmosphere your squad would enjoy; command might be impressed we are taking such initiative on our day off.”
>Why is everyone here to talk about it?
>Whatever her reason, she knew how to work Wave Runner.
>It worked.
>The day was set.
>Later, your team had requisitioned various weapons and jaunted out to the field for some exercises to make sure Wave could use her helmet camera to record some footage for her “extra training day” report.
>Not to mention, you must use your towering, walking weapons platform to sweep the field with gunfire while the rest of the squad charges forward into covered positions.
>You practice a few team drills in such fashion and eventually it turns to everyone taking turns sharpshooting targets.
>Big Bounty scares you.
>Despite their insistence that Equestrians simply don’t have a killer’s instinct; constraint isn’t a thing with that pony.
>You give a little shiver as she casually walks off the firing line, her clunky suit hosting an assortment of guns, all smoking red hot and cannons whining for more action while they slowly finish powering down.
>Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Daisy mimicking your sympathies.
>The squad soon made a competition out of it and while you managed to beat out Daisy and narrowly, Bounty, it came down to Wave Runner and Hoof Step.
>As Wave came walking back with a poorly veiled air of superiority, Bounty approached her, not even waiting for the strange looking, long barrelled cannon on the champ’s back to finish retracting into its safe position.
>”Hey, squad leader, why don’t you show the human the best weapon?”
>They both looked to a red-tipped weapon muzzle sticking out slightly from the top right of the back of Wave’s mechanized suit.
>The senior officer snorted and stomped a hoof, her voice growing aggressive as if to shut down any possible chance for discussion and pointing at you before your translator kicks in.
>Did she always have a Slavic accent or was that a new “update” (read:glitch) of the translation program activating?
>”No, we do not need to tell the species with holidays about making things explode, about that cannon!”
>You’re not entirely sure why it’s such a
>Now that you think about it, you’re pretty sure she’s never actually used it before.
>Is it even loaded?
>Your squadmate knew better than to press that any further and the day seemed to be winding down as the planet’s shorter day/night cycle came to a close.
>Even so, your group remained on the field, watching the sunset, enjoying a “traditional outside human food banquet“ complete with a picnic basket the size of a large dump truck and a bedsheet the size of a gymnasium for a picnic blanket.
>Wave Runner insisted everyone continue to wear their suits while they chowed down on various strange looking foods you simply couldn’t identify.
>You were left with your corner of the blanket, situated near your parked mech.
>More customary foods were around, a few even looked like cakes.
>On the more alien side, there was a large bowl with what looked like seaweed with eyes.
>You think some of it might have been focusing on you.
>You avoided that dish as Wave Runner eagerly slurped it up like spaghetti noodles.
>You kind of lost your appetite with that one.
>You waited patiently for an opportune time to ask the squad leader, taking the time to idly look over your squad.
>You realized that Daisy had finished her meal early on and wordlessly shuffled off.
>At present, she was busy doing something you couldn’t quite identify, using a light from her helmet to fiddle with something as sunset approached.
>She had the utmost concentration on her face as she darted back to the armory and then to various places on the field.
>Sometimes you wonder how she has the time to plan this out.
>Finally, she stopped in the middle of the field, a big grin on her face.
>”Okay, it’s time for the fire sky works!”
>”Finally!” Big Bounty yells back over the communications line as she leans forward eagerly.
>As large as these Equestrians were, it wasn’t anything significant, but the display held a primal sort of wonder as a glance on either side finds them all staring curiously at the single figure out on the field.
>Daisy happily trots over to a hidden wire not far from the picnic spot and gracefully rips it from the ground.
>The giant horse suddenly looked to your mech.
>”Oh, and human, you need to be in your machine first; it’s safer and you’ll have a better view.”
>Once you had clambered into your mech and gotten situated with a bowl of some exotic food that looked vaguely like fried chicken but tasted like a buttered crab for whatever weird, alien horse reason, Daisy continued the ceremony.
>She waved and deployed a massive blowtorch-like device from her suit to happily ignite the cord.
>She lit it up, all right.
>Unfortunately, the ignition cord had not been sized up from human scale.
>Her torch was more like an industrial flame thrower, jump-starting a spark that flew down the line.
>It rushed out with abandon, the point of light diving behind some scrub bushes on the range.
>She squealed as the field erupted with light not far from her position.
>The flames couldn’t possibly do anything to her at that scale except maybe singe what parts of her coat were exposed a little.
>This fact seemed lost to her as the pops and fizzles and bangs made her yelp and flinch as she tried to traverse an exploding minefield of fireworks.
>Roman candles shot out in front of her chest plate and the mighty soldier pony veers off to the side where a row of fountains gush sparks.
>Racing to get ahead of the wall of detonating fireworks, she suddenly leaps to the side, coming down with a booming stomp.
>It lasted a second before she raced off across the field, and out into the wilderness, wailing for her life.
>The rest of the squad was all stunned, reigning themselves in from any instinct to follow while Wave Runner barked an order to you.
>”Human, follow her!”
>You surged your warmachine forward, stepping over sizzling fireworks and exploding displays with ease.
“Daisy! Daisy, stop!”
>As you approached the edge of the training field, you noticed
>Her ears rotated to focus on you and her head turned just ever so much.
>Her stride faltered for a moment.
>Just a fraction of a second.
>And in that second you could see her eye was looking back at you.
>Not at your machine.
>Right into your command chamber.
“Daisy?”
>She didn’t answer, only crying out some more in a hysterical fit as she continued to bolt.
>That was, until your mech’s lights caught sight of a large rock outcropping that she ducked behind.
>You raced around it to your squadmate, only to find her ready for you.
“Wha-”
>When you tore around the side, it all seemed like it was slow motion.
>She had pressed herself up against the massive mound of rock and dirt, likely leftovers from some construction for the training field.
>In one of her forehooves was possibly the most cartoonish detonator you had ever seen.
>It was a black rectangle with an antenna and a big, red, button.
>At the moment, her eyes were in the middle of leaving the detonator and switching to you.
>A grin, excited and rushing with adrenaline-fueled energy, sprouted across her face.
>Some alien gibberish sounded, the translation pumping into your mech’s pilot chamber a moment later.
>”Finally!”
>In an instant, she was on you, grappling your machine and taking you down with her as she lost balance on her hind legs and the two of you went down as a tangled mass of limbs and machine.
>You were jostled and thrown to the side, your safety harness diminishing any damage save for the grunt of pain as it strained to hold you in your seat.
>When you blink the pain away, you see Daisy, looking into your glass, her expression all too sane for someone who was panicking a minute ago.
>Her voice from outside your window was an apologetic whine, the same tone passing on to the translated version.
>”Human, are you okay?”
“Ow.”
>”Oh I knew this plan was stupid!”
“I’m oka-plan?”
>She clamped a hoof over her mouth.
>”N-nothing.”
>Her blush bled through her coat, though if it was from making tracks as hard as she had or something else, you still don’t know.
>”Fun holiday, right?”
“Daisy, what are you doing?”
>She stammered as you tried to get your machine back up.
>Just as your mech began to rise, she put a hoof on it.
>”No, no, please don’t.”
“Why not?”
>”I wanted to be with you tonight and watch the fireworks.”
“Daisy?”
>”Yes?”
>”Can you repeat that?”
>She squirmed nervously.
>”I want to watch the fireworks with you.”
“We already were.”
>”No, only you.”
>You didn’t say anything as she anxiously tried to explain from her position, just outside of the glass windshield.
>Her incomprehensible, natural voice carried soft tones while the translated voice was crisp in your pilot’s chamber.
>”I saw videos of pairs of humans when I researched this day; they watched it together.”
“But, Daisy, that’s-”
>The alien pony silenced you with a hoof to her lips, having picked up the meaning behind the gesture quite well.
>”I want it to be just like on Earth.”
>You take a moment to resituate yourself in your suddenly uncomfortable chair.
“Daisy, you didn’t have to do this.”
>”But I want to.”
>Her eyes were watery looking as they peered down, her hard breaths fogging the windshield.
>”Human, this day is special for Earth, and I’ll make it special for you,” she said, looking to the detonator on the ground nearby.
”Daisy, I never asked, but, how do you always get these things in time?”
>She opened her mouth to speak when the communications line chimed with the voice of Wave Runner.
>”Human, did you find Daisy?”
>You punched the broadcast button.
>You glanced to your squadmate, who shook her head at you through the glass.
“Yes ma’am.”
>”Is she injured?”
“No, Squad Leader.”
>”Good job; report back when you finish inspecting her.”
>There was a moment of silence before she finished with a snappy command.
>”Alright everyone, I expect that armor cleaned and back in the armory, tonight!”
>You heard everyone confirm shortly after.
>Satisfied, you were left alone with your alien equine.
>By now the fountains and candles and pearls of colors had all died down, leaving an eerie quiet as Daisy’s breathing calmed.
>“Oh, I have one sparkler left.”
>There was a mild temptation to ask where she kept it when she started to try and untangle herself just enough from your mech to rifle through her suit’s pockets and containers.
>”Can we light it?” your speakers buzzed with the translated voice.
“Are you sure you don’t want to… you know… untangle yourself first?”
>The pony hesitated, listening to her earpiece before looking to you for only a flustered second.
>”No, it’s okay, really.”
>She went back to delving for the sparkler, fumbling with her mouth for a while until it was sticking out between her lips like a laughably undersized straw.
>She mumbled something around it, but the translator simply couldn’t figure it out.
>When she looked up to the thing clambering from the mech hatch and onto her suit, you were there, standing on the nearest section of chest plate, elevated just close enough for your next move.
>Daisy just blinked at you.
>You reached out as far as you could and plucked the silvery sparkler from her lips.
>Suddenly comprehending, she managed to wind her way to click off the lights of her suit, leaving you in the shadow of her and your mech.
>With a few clicks of a lighter, the sparkler was lit, a spot of illumination in the darkness of an otherworldly night.
>Soon, the two of you sit out under alien stars and constellations you can't begin to recognize, watching the sparkler’s light hiss and crackle, throwing glints off of Daisy’s armor as she lays on the ground, her massive eyes hypnotically reflecting the sparks.
>You spend the night enjoying your time off, even if it was mostly spent suited up and shooting things like any other day with your squad.
>When the sparkler died out and the two of you were left in muted silence, your companion cleared her throat.
>"Hey, human."
"Yeah?"
>"Happy explosions day."
"Happy explosions day, Daisy."