PonyZ Radio Zed: Chapter 5
Heart of Darkness
Namalsk Forests, 30 Kilometers South/Southeast of the Namalsk Radio Array, stationed at Namalsk Lighthouse
DayZ +4
“We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness”
― Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
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Blitz, his USP .45 at the ready, took point, head on a swivel, watching the forest for zombies. The zombies however, seemed to be more interested in staying near cities and villages, maybe due to reminders of a past life before they died. Looking behind him, Blitz saw Lightning Dust, gripping her M14 so tightly that her opal knuckles were white, a bandage around one leg, and her head constantly turning to their six. Seeing the tree line’s edge approaching, Blitz raised his hand in a fist, the universal pointpony code for halt.
“You see that down there? There’s a village of some kind. I’m counting ten…no, twelve zombies, at least, and those are just the ones I see from up here. Are you feeling good enough to sprint?” Blitz asked Lightning, who shook her head.
“Sorry Blitz, I’m barely able to trot quickly as is, I’d collapse from sprints.” Blitz nodded his head.
“Alright, we’ll take this nice and slowly, and quietly.” Blitz decided, trying to map out routes in his head to the house that was the closest to the tree line they were crouching in.
“Slowly and quietly? That’s new for you.” Lightning joked.
“Yeah well, I could have made it into the FGC, after Operation Arrowhead.” Lightning reeled back at this bit of info.
“FGC, as in, Flight Ground Control, the Special Ops group of the Air Force,” Blitz nodded. “That only high ranking special operators and very skilled Air Force members get into?” Lightning questioned, slack jawed.
“…Close your mouth, you’ll catch flies. And yeah, the FGC. Back after Op Arrowhead, I had been promoted to a first lieutenant, and Dusk had been a Captain. Blueblood, the commanding General in the Takistan Area of operations, even gave us a recommendation for FGC. But me and Dusk, we wanted to stay with our friends. We fought with them in Takistan. We ate, slept, fought and bled together; we weren’t just going to break that apart. So, we respectfully declined. When Blueblood was wounded in action and returned to sovereign Equestria, General Steele took over for him, starting with Op Crimson Lance in Chenarus. We didn’t follow one of his orders, to shoot at civilians suspected to be insurgents working with the USSG, so we got busted down the ranks.” Blitz chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “I was particularly mouthy, so I got busted back to corporal.”
“…Dang. Never knew you had it in you. Alright, I’m ready to move when you are.” Lightning whistled.
Blitz nodded, and began to count down on his fingers. Three, two, one… He waved his hand forward, and the two began to sneak across the field, weapons at the ready. They snuck up to the house without much difficulty, and stacked up by the door. Blitz readied his USP, and nodded to Lightning, who opened the door. The entryway was clear, so the two entered the house. Almost immediately, they were hit with the stench of rotting flesh.
“Ugh, Faust that’s rank.” Blitz whispered, scrunching his nose and gagging slightly. They checked the kitchen, and saw a zombie crouching over a dead griffon bandit, tearing chunks out of its wing with its arms. Then, it began to eat the griffon. Lightning gagged, and started to puke, as Blitz coolly put two suppressed .45 ACP bullets into the undead pony’s skull. The zombie groaned, and slumped to the ground. Blitz then placed a bullet into the head of the dead bandit, so that he wouldn’t come back as a zombie.
Nearby on the table, sat two guns, a Mossberg remake of an old Whinnychester 1894 repeater rifle, with a twenty round cartridge case unopened on a cabinet, and a suppressed Ruger M1911 replica, with two full clips of ammunition. Blitz grabbed the Mossberg, and slipped ten rounds into the tube magazine. He then handed Lightning the Ruger. “Take this; it’ll be a lot quieter than your hand cannon of a revolver.” She frowned, and then slipped the Ruger into one of her chest pockets, the ammunition into the other.
Blitz lowered the lever on the bottom of the Mossberg, hearing the satisfying sound of a round being loaded into the gun’s breach. Pushing the lever back into its resting position, he flicked off the safety, making the gun ready to fire. “Rangers lead the way.” He muttered, grinning slightly.
---
Namalsk Radio Array, Top of Namalsk Lighthouse.
Karde sat at the top of the now defunct lighthouse, watching the road that led up to it for any bandits to shoot at with his ERF-7 Gauss Rifle (its unofficial designation). He was, as far as he knew, the only one at the array, and the group of survivors he had met earlier hadn’t passed by. ‘Granted,’ He thought to himself, ‘They could have bypassed the array completely by taking the right fork after the bridge, which would put them at…’ Karde quickly cut off that line of thinking. ‘When I met with Dusk, Twilight, and those two marines, that was too close… I should have taken the gloves off before they reached where I was. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid Wild Karde.’ There was a soft noise, like somebody had scuffed a boot, and Wild popped up from his prone position, swinging his ERF-7 towards the noise.
A tan earth pony with green eyes and a slightly darker mane grabbed the weapon with one hand, pointing a Desert Eagle pistol at Karde’s face with the other. Karde dropped the Gauss rifle and swung a fist at Caramel Apple, who shifted left and blocked the punch with the side of his right hand, knocking Wild to the ground. Wild quickly rolled out of the way as Caramel discharged the Desert Eagle, the fifty caliber AE bullet slamming into the ground where Karde’s head had been a moment before. Karde rolled forward, springing into a flying punch aimed at Caramel’s gut. The punch connected, knocking the breath out of Caramel’s chest. Caramel grunted, then teleported behind Karde and tried to make an open-palmed blow to one of the pressure points in Karde’s neck. Karde teleported a foot away, then teleported back and performed an open palm strike to Caramel’s chest, knocking him through the glass and out of the lighthouse.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Karde grabbed his Gauss rifle, and leaned over the side, looking for Caramel’s body. Caramel’s body was nowhere to be seen, and quick as a flash, Caramel’s fist flew up through Karde’s rifle, breaking it in half, and into Wild Karde’s face, breaking his nose. Karde stared slack-jawed at the two pieces of his rifle, as Caramel grabbed his Desert Eagle from the ground and pointed it at Karde’s face. The Epsilon began to pull back on the trigger, the sights pointed right between Karde’s eyes.
There was a click, and the pistol jammed. Caramel threw it aside, and started to draw his M107 Anti-Material rifle off of his back. Karde was quicker on the draw; dropping his two pieces of the ERF-7, and slipping a Single Action Army, an ace of spades emblazoned on its grip, into his hand, he fired the revolver from his hip, the .45-70 government center fire round hitting Caramel in the shoulder. Karde slammed his palm down on the hammer and fired again, shooting Caramel in the face, and dropping his dead body to the ground. Karde spun the revolver once in his finger, before placing it back in its holster on his hip. Grabbing the Barrett M107 Anti-Material Rifle, he took all the ammo for it he could find off of Caramel, before tossing his body off the side of the lighthouse, to the forest below. The stallion exhaled a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.
---
Two Hours later, Taviana border
“Well, welcome to Taviana everypony.” Dusk sighed out, M4 Sophmod slung across his chest. “We’re now officially in friendly territory. Rainbow, take point.” Rainbow Dash nodded, and cocked her M4 CCO assault rifle, slipping a fresh magazine into the bottom of the gun. She then trotted forward to the front of the column, and took over for Stormy, who dropped back to Hawkeye’s position.
They started walking to the Northeast, towards an area marked Object A1 on the map that General Light Speed had given them. Rainbow took out her compass, looked once at the map, and started off in another direction, a few degrees farther east of where they had been heading.
After a few minutes, there was the sound of gunfire, from what sounded like a Mark 16 assault rifle. There was the thump of a grenade, and a pony screamed out in pain, somewhere off to their left. Rainbow immediately identified the direction, and at Twilight’s approval, started to rush towards where the gunfire had come from. They rushed through the forest towards the noise, eventually reaching a small clearing with several dead zombies, a dead ranger, and a ranger that was dying, clutching a Mk17 assault rifle. The dead ranger, who Butterscotch identified as squad sergeant Harpsy Chord, had a Mark 16 assault rifle held in a death grip, with an under barrel grenade launcher mounted on his rifle.
Dusk began to ask the surviving Ranger what happened, as Butterscotch and Fluttershy worked to seal his wounds, as he had been bit in several places, and was missing a leg. “Gunny, what happened here?”
Gunnery Sergeant Babar coughed up blood, and answered Dusk. “We were heading…for…friendly territory, when we ran into a buncha dead ponies and griffons. Harpsy, he got knocked down, and his rifle went off a bunch of times, before one of the dead ponies hit the side of the gun, and… triggered the M203. I was being mauled by a bunch of ‘em, but we all got hit by the M203 grenade, and they died first. Please, I don’t wanna… wanna…” He stared off into space, as if seeing something in the distance, as his eyes began to fog over. Butterscotch checked for a pulse, before shaking his head.
“W-we lost him.” Fluttershy quietly said, as Butterscotch hung his head downwards.
“Come on, let’s get them buried. We have to get out of here before more of them show up.” Hawk reminded the survivors, as Dusk grabbed their dogtags, glaring at Hawk. The rangers grabbed their entrenching spades off of their kits, and started to dig graves, as the Airborne ponies and the marines began to provide defense, as the rangers buried their fallen brothers.
After their friends were buried, Dusk and Applejack placed the fallen soldiers’ combat helmets over the small crosses they had made out of some sticks, so that anypony or griffon that passed through knew who was buried there.
---
Night soon fell upon the motley group of survivors. Locating a good spot to make camp, Dusk began to pitch his tent. “Alright,” He called out, “Blitz, you’re on first watch.” The girls all stared at Dusk, wondering if he’d lost it.
“Dusk, pardner, Blitz…He’s gone.” Applejack placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. Dusk shrugged it off, nodding.
“Right, right. I, uh, I just don’t… Never mind. Elusive, you take first watch.” Elusive nodded, and checked his M16 assault rifle.
Needless to say, Dusk had a very long and sleepless night that night, a pit in his stomach as his blood brother, running along the other side of the mountain, felt the same way, as he and Lightning traveled towards the Namalsk Radio Array.
---
The next morning, the survivors quickly packed up camp, and got ready to continue on towards object all, wondering amongst themselves what was going to be at Object All once they reached it. They moved into their standard formation, and watched for Karde as they passed through the forest. Along the way, something was clearly wrong. Other than the ones in Harpsy’s and Babar’s clearing, there we literally no zombies. Not even the ponies’ long, sensitive ears could pick up the tell-tale shuffle of their rotting legs. There was another large clearing, but this time, there was no soft grass.
The grass simply ended at the edge of the tree line, withered away at some points where it crossed the invisible threshold to the clearing. Butterscotch started to walk forward, only to have a loud crack stop him immediately, a bullet drilling into the ground a few feet to his front.
“Hold it right zhere,” A batpony stallion, decked out in a light gray shirt and pants, a light tan bullet-resistant vest and a matching soft cap, ordered them, brandishing an M14 rifle, with a telescopic sight mounted on its top. “Move another foot forward, und you’ll be corpses.” His voice had a light, but distinct Germane accent.
“Woah, easy there, no reason to start a fight for no reason.”
“This isn’t a fight, or a holdup, it’s a restricted area, Field Webel. You are advised to turn around or I will shoot.”
“Just who are you, anyways?” Rainbow questioned, her M4 rifle flicked off of safety.
“Former Equestrian Marine Corps, Eighteenth brigade, forty company, fifth platoon, Hauptmann Blackout Sight. Now I do Contractor werk.”
“What for? I heard that Forty Coy lost a captain, but I wasn’t told the details. Stormy inquired, being a marine.
“A little somezhingk called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Saw a lot of crazy sheiße back on Utes, when we took it back from der griffs. Der whole garrison…the villagers…The griffs shot them. All of zhem. Not a single survivor. Zhe most bucked up thing about that? We’d known the Griffs wanted it back the first time we took it, during Operation Arrowhead, back when the big E&B went into Takistan. The whole thing could have been prevented, but someone messed up. Someone higher up than even General Blueblood.” The ex-marine frowned, trying to shake mental images from his mind.
He then turned towards a random spot in the tree line, and cupped his hands. “Hey, Vire, come on out, zhey’re friendlies!” From the trees, a tan unicorn stallion with a brown mane and tail, dressed similarly to Captain Blackout popped up from a small foxhole, a VSS Vintorez suppressed sniper rifle cradled in his arms.
“If you say so, Blackout. I’m wasting enough ammunition on Zombies anyways!” The unicorn called back, as he trotted towards the survivors. Reaching Twilight, he shook her hand, showing off an Engineering and Breaching Corps Tattoo on his arm of the Crossed Shovels. “Former E&B Markscolt, Live-“
“-Wire, Master Sergeant Wire. I thought I recognized your voice.” Dusk cut off, shaking the Sergeant’s hand.
“Oh, good to see ya Sarge. How’s the war going?” The younger sniper cheekily replied, before looking around the group. “…Dusk, where’s Blitz?” Wire questioned his friend, not seeing the pegasus.
“Vire, ‘meine freude, I don’t think Blitz is around anymore…” Blackout nudged his sniper friend, seeing Dusk’s jaw begin to set.
“Oh… Sorry I asked, Dusk…So…What brings you to Namalsk?” He steered the conversation away from Blitz.
Dusk grunted, and then replied. “We’re looking for answers from the Object All Facility; Stormfront answers, particularly.” Dusk began to explain. “We ran into…something at Stary base. It had Op Stormfront and Theta followed by a number stenciled on its arm. I think it used to be Snowflake.” Elusive shuddered nearby, remembering the incident with the AT-4 launcher.
Blackout grimaced. “Sheisse, that’s where he went; Snowflake broke out of Object All a couple days ago, and we’ve not seen him since. We’ve been keeping ponies and griffs alike away because we don’t anymore outbreaks…but…I don’t fancy staying here, not with the undead walking around. How about this: We find your answers, and then get the hell outta Chenarus? I’ve got a C-130 transport in the hangar at the North West Airfield, back in Chenarus, courtesy of the Forward Ground Control.”
The ponies huddled together to talk about it. “With Karde not shooting at us that could be our ticket out of here…” Rarity pondered.
“Yeah, and it’d be big enough to hold us and the Red Devils, along with anypony else we find along the way.” Dusk agreed.
“Don’t forget though, there will be Griffs around, they might have an AA battery set up, or could ambush us while we taxi.” Hawk interjected, doubtful.
“We’ll just ‘ave to chance it, Mon Ami.” Stormy replied, flicking Hawk’s nose, as he grumbled back.
“Yeah, well, let’s check out this bunker first.” Twilight reminded the disagreeing ponies.
Dusk turned to Blackout, and nodded. “Alright zhen. Get your weapons ready, I’m pretty sure one of the Epsilons got loose during Snowflake’s escape.” Blackout warned them, slipping a fresh magazine into his M14.
“Epsilon?” Twilight questioned, not sure if she really wanted to know what an Epsilon was.
“Jawol, an Epsilon got loose. Epsilons are experiments, like the Thetas, but they have different powers. Whereas the Thetas are nearly impossible to kill Juggernauts, Epsilons, zhey’re more like your sniper friends there. They have enhanced vision, copied out of a mix of Griffonic and Pegasi eye genes. Somehow, those sick freaks working on the ponies changed the inert unicorn, pegasi, and Earth pony magic values inside the test subjects’ bodies, but most of zhat stuff went over my head; you’ll have to talk to Doc Weimar, if he’s still alive.”
“What do you mean, IF he’s alive?” Twilight interjected, cautious.
“Ve locked der bunker up as tight as ve could, and he vasn’t with us, so I’ve got no clue if he’s alive or not.”
This time, AJ had a question. “Why’d y’all lock it up so tight? Epsilons can teleport, can’t they?”
“Well, ja, but not even an Epsilon can teleport through excellent Germane steel und concrete.” Blackout smirked proudly; he was Germane, after all. “Anyvays, not even ve can open it back up, und we don’t have the explosives to blow it open.”
Pinkie and Bubble grinned from ear to ear. “Did you say, ‘explosives’?”
-----
“Hey, um, Frau Sparkle?” Blackout questioned Twilight.
She turned to the batpony, whose fuzzy ears were folded back in fright, as he watched Pinkie and Bubble work. “Yes, Blackout?”
“This icht safe, ja?” He nodded towards the two demolitionists, who were coating the outside of the bunker entrance liberally with explosives.
Twilight simply shrugged, prompting a frown from the batpony. “Ficken dummkopf shweinhund soldaten” he muttered under his breath, tightening the grip on his M14.
After a few tense minutes, Bubble and Pinkie began to run back to the safety of the tree line. Live Wire observed the bunker door through his Vintorez’s scope. “Isn’t that a bit much for a door?” He asked Pinkie, who’s hand was on the detonator.
“Well yeah, but you know the saying: There’s no kill like Overkill!” She shouted out, adding extra emphasis on the last word as she hit the switch, and the explosive charges went off, literally making the door fly through the air like a rocket.
“….Meine Gott…” Blackout whispered, as he stared at the door rapidly entering orbit above the planet, slack jawed. The door then came slamming down back into the ground, wedging itself so deeply into the dirt that only the top two inches was sticking out of the ground. Synthetic and Blackout immediately raised their rifles, nervous of what might pop out of the now open bunker. They stared at the opening for a full minute, fingers tense around triggers.
“…Ok,” Blackout lowered his M14. “Let’s hurry, Ja? I don’t vant to stick around for very long.” Blackout was visibly nervous, as the group moved closer to the open door in the side of the mountain, and even Live Wire, usually very talkative and smiling, had quieted down and wore a permanent frown as they inched closer to the gaping hole.
Rainbow and Blackout were the first ones to enter the dark entrance, completely disappearing from the other survivors’ view. There was a minute’s pause, during which time the others kept lookout, the whole situation very tense, like the calm before a large firefight. Finally, Rainbow’s voice called out to them.
“It’s all good guys, you can come in!” She called out to them, as they all visibly relaxed, Applejack releasing the breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, as he wiped some sweat from his forehead. One by one, the ponies crept in, AJ being the last one to get up and enter the dark bunker.
From the tree line, two glowing, cat like amber eyes watched the ponies enter, as the mouth that belonged to the eyes licked its lips in anticipation, the hand that belonged to the body pulling back the cocking action on the rifle it held. The hunt was on.
Inside the bunker, the survivors were met with a sign, written in Germane. Blackout translated the foreign words for them. “It says that the laboratories are straight ahead, the holding cells are to our left, the exit is to our rear, obviously, und Doctor Weimar’s office is to our right. It’d probably be a good idea to check his office first. That would be the most logical place to be, ja?” Twilight nodded, and the group made their way down the hall towards Weimar’s office.
Reaching the door, Blackout stood on one side, Twilight stood on the other, and Dusk stood to the front, ready to bust it open. Blackout nodded to Dusk, and the Stallion busted the door in, the three quickly entering the room. Inside was a gray unicorn stallion, holding a small knife.
“Drop it! Drop it now!” Blackout ordered, and the old unicorn nodded, the knife clattering to the floor. “Name icht Weimar?” Blackout questioned, keeping his M14 pointed at the stallion’s head.
“Ja, Ja, meine name icht Weimar.” The stallion confirmed in Germane.
“Ja o Nein sprechen ze Equestrian?“ Twilight interjected, with one of the few phrases of Germane she knew.
“Ja…yes, I speak Equine. I am Doctor Heinrich Weimar, of Germaney. Who are you und what do you want?” He put a pair of wire frame glasses over his eyes, blinking twice.
“Captain Twilight Sparkle, Eighty-Second Airborne Division.”
“Ahhh, the protégé. I am surprised you took so long. Luna did say you’d probably come by…” He mumbled, mainly to himself. “My apologies, Frau Sparkle, I have been expecting you, but it has been too long, und I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show. Luna had informed me she would have you stop by, but it appears you got…sidetracked.”
Twilight shrugged. “Helicopter problems.” Weimar nodded in understanding.
“I see. I suppose you want my password?”
“…How’d you guess…?” Dusk questioned, suddenly wondering why Twilight knew Weimar.
“Because Dusk, you want to know what her highness is up to. Luna had sent Twilight here because I had knowledge of what she was doing, und…” He paused, ear twitching. “She is back. Quickly, the password is 114228. You must hurry out of here. Go, before-” Weimar only got that far before his head disappeared into red mist. From the other end of the hall, back at the entrance, stood Fleetfoot. The Pegasus mare grinned ferally, her eyes a sickly amber yellow, not bright and cheery like Blackout or Lightning Dust’s. Her fur was matted and filthy, and her teeth were razor sharp. Her fingers held some kind of high-powered rifle, judging by the size of the clip, which was comparable to an AS-50’s clip.
Fleetfoot slipped the bolt back with his left hand, the .50 caliber Anti-Material casing falling to the ground. The survivors hadn’t even heard the weapon go off, and for good reason – the barrel itself was designed to fire the rounds at subsonic speeds, therefore reducing the noise. “Ah. I vas afraid she had gotten out. Vell, Icht was nice knowing you, but as you Equestrian soldaten say, ve are screwed.”
Elusive harrumphed. “I can take him easily; he’s just a pony, not even one of those dreadful...things.” The unicorn stallion brought his M16 to bear, and fired a short burst. Fleetfoot nimbly sidestepped…sidestepped bullets… and raising her right arm, fired the rifle. It made a soft roar, like a muted manticore or something similar. The shot tore through the air at sub-sonic speeds, tearing itself into Elusive’s arm and completely ripping the appendage away from the Stallion’s body.
Elusive himself went flying into the other room inside the office, the missing appendage nowhere in sight. “Und zat icht why ve don’t shoot at der Epsilons.” Blackout muttered, cocking his M14.
Bubble and Pinkie nodded to each other, and leapt into action, as Fluttershy, Butterscotch, and Rarity ran to go check on Elusive. Fleetfoot grinned ferally, licking her lips. She’d never tasted pony, after all.
-----
While the events at Taviana were occurring, Blitz and Lightning were approaching the Lighthouse comms array. “Hey, Lightning, grab the heat packs before we head up; It’s bound to be cold up there.” Blitz nodded towards the barren, windswept mountain that led up to the lighthouse, which was perched on top. The Red Devils Pointmare nodded, and produced two white packages, tossing one to the Former FGC. He kneaded the pack with his hands, mixing the chemicals inside with each other to set off a heat reaction. Slipping the pack into his jacket, by his chest, he waited for Lightning to do the same, and the two continued up the mountainside. Cautiously, they approached the base of the tower. Blitz’s ear twitched, and all of a sudden he shoved Lightning to the ground, leaping into a somersault to his left, as a fifty caliber bullet buried itself into the ground where they’d been standing.
Blitz’s gears were turning. ‘I only know two ponies that shoot like that, and one of them is with Dusk and Applejack. He popped his head out of cover. “Crack Shot get your dumb ass down here!” He called up to the top of the lighthouse.
He received no reply. “That’s an order, Gunny.” He called out again. After a few tense minutes, Karde’s face peered over the edge, catching sight of Blitz and Lightning.
“My bad, Colonel! I thought you wuz a bandito.”
“Shot, get your Cajun freaking flank down here, I don’t have all day.” Blitz frowned, holstering his Mossberg.
“Yessir, I’m comin’ down de tower.” Karde aimed at the ground with his hand, and teleported down to Blitz. “Where’s de ozzers? They wuz with Dusk an’ Miz’ Twilight, right?”
Blitz shrugged. “Had a bit of trouble back at the bridge across Namalsk, and we got separated. My best bet is that they’re at object all right now.” Blitz didn’t seem to care that the Cajun Earth Pony had just teleported, while Lightning was still trying to process everything that had been going on. She started with the easiest part first.
“He called you colonel?”
“Well, um…shit…remember how I said I was a shoe-in for the FGC?” She nodded. “Well, I kinda lied. I was in the FGC, and have been since before op Crimson Lance. I’m technically a brevetted Lieutenant colonel in the Equestrian Forward Ground Control Subsection C.”
Lightning blinked once. “Wait… then why the hay did ya lie to me? Why didn’t you just tell me?”
Crack Shot chimed in. “Cos ‘e ain’t supposed te jes sling that info ‘round, dem griff batards could ‘ear it, ye know?” Lightning frowned, but otherwise nodded.
“Okay, I’ll buy that. I served in ESIG for a couple years before we went into Takistan, so I’ll buy that.” ESIG stood for Equestrian Special Intelligence Group. Basically Equestria’s version of the Griffonic KGB, but more focused on internal affairs, rather than those of international origin. “But how in Celestia’s mane did an earth pony teleport?”
Blitz bit his lip, and looked to Crack Shot, who nodded to the lighthouse. “I’ll uh, I’ll tell ya later. Crackers, those old partisan tunnels still around Chenarus?” He nodded. “Oh good; let’s go visit Object All.”
“Wait, tunnels, Object All, Partisans? Rainbow Cornelius Blitz, you have some explaining to do.”
“And I will, Lightning, but now is not the time or the place. Now keep up, we’re taking old tunnels dug by partisans after World War Two to get to Object All. We’ll talk there, when I can explain stuff to everyone? Kay? Good, now let’s go. Crack Shot, you’re pointstallion.”
“Ye got it Colonel.”
---
Fleetfoot was roaring in annoyance, the loud, feral yell reverberating through the hallway. Her rifle discharged, Live Wire barely sliding his body beneath the round, which ricocheted near Dusk’s cranium as he ducked behind a corner to help Fluttershy and Butterscotch stabilize Elusive. The feral epsilon had been firing at Bubble Berry, but the damned pink stallion seemed to know exactly where each round was going to hit. He, along with Pinkie Pie, was goading the enraged mare down the hallway, towards the exit.
They rounded a corner, Fleetfoot close behind them. She leapt around the corner, staring confusedly as the two pink ponies flew over his head. She then turned forward, and saw it. Directly to her front was an AT-4 launcher tube, covered with several composition B charges, and wired to a tripwire, which Fleetfoot’s outstretched arms triggered. It beeped, and detonated, roaring around the corner, and collapsing the exit tunnel.
Blackout peered around a corner. “Ist she gone?”
Stormy gathered up her courage, and walked over to the debris pile, kicking it once. She picked out the rifle Fleetfoot had been carrying, the weapon having been launched into the corridor. The scope was cracked, but otherwise the rifle was fine. “She’s dead.” She called out, causing the other ponies to relax, visibly.
“Hey, uh Blackout, any more of those…things?” Rainbow asked, gripping her rifle tightly.
“Probably in their test tubes, but not loose like der vild monster zhey called Fleetfoot. Ve should be at least somewhat safe, unless ze ceiling collapses from your friends’ massive explosive charge. Rather ingenious though, und a good use for AT-4s inside buildings. Come, zhere’s another exit, through der laboratory.”
Blackout lead the way through the corridor, and the group eventually reached a large door marked laboratory. He used a keycard he’d swiped off Weimar’s dead body, and the door slid open. Inside were ponies. Ponies encased in some sort of water/chemical solution, and floating in test tubes. There were a few familiar faces. Professor Time Turner, Trixie Lulamoon, Derpy Whooves, and Macintosh Apple.
“…What the hay…” Applejack and AJ removed their Stetsons, placing them over their chests. Fluttershy and Butterscotch squeaked, but otherwise kept the half-conscious Elusive stabilized.
A computer was on nearby, and Twilight checked it out, reading some logs aloud.
“From the desk of Dr. Erwin Weimar. Gained two new test subjects today, from fifth Mountain Division; my regards to General Steele. One Gunnery Sergeant Macintosh Apple, Earth Pony. Recommendation: Theta Protocol. One Sergeant Major Derpy Whooves, Pegasus. Recommendation: Epsilon Protocol. End Report.”
She opened another file. “From the desk of Dr. Erwin Weimar. Several failures in test caused by an outbreak from one of my lab assistants, Dr. Wind Whisper. He’s come down with some sort of…infection. I’m not exactly sure what it is. Anyways, I was able to salvage six of the test subjects: Four Epsilons and Two Thetas. All others are declared mentally dead. Still operational are Caramel Apple, Crack Shot…wasn’t he one of yours’, Dusk?” The Stallion nodded grimly. “Fleet Foot, Derpy Whooves, Macintosh Apple, and Snowflake… Well, that’s…four accounted for. Where’s Caramel and Crack Shot; both of them are missing.”
“I dunno. Let’s open Derpy and Mac’s tubes though, if there’s an opening protocol or executable file.” Dusk nodded to their tubes. “Get ready with the rifles though… I don’t want another Fleetfoot.” The ponies took up defensive positions throughout the laboratory, as Twilight searched for an opening program.
“…No, that’s… ah, found it. Opening Derpy’s in three…two…one…” The tube hissed, and the chemicals drained, as the cylindrical tube receded into the floor, and Derpy dropped to the floor, as she began to regain consciousness.
“Ohh, my head….” She groaned, blinking a few times. Rainbow also blinked, doing a double-take. Derpy’s eyes weren’t…well…Derpy. Or Amber; They were sapphire blue.
“Hey, Derpy, you okay?” Rainbow poked the former mailmare with her rifle.
“Ugh…Dash, izzat you?” The mare rubbed her eyes, trying to bring them into focus.
“Yeah Derpy, it’s me. You ok?” Rainbow averted her rifle, and held out a hand. Derpy grabbed it, and Rainbow pulled the sergeant to her feet. She then looked over to Twilight. “Go ahead and open Mac’s Twi, Derpy’s fine.”
Twilight nodded, and keyed Mac’s test tube. It repeated Derpy’s with AJ helping her brother to his feet. Meanwhile, A small piece of the wall clanged to the floor.
“Oh, uhm…shit. Hope no one heard that…” Blitz’s voice muttered, as he peered his head out of the missing section of wall. “Oh, look! It’s the guys!” He popped out of the hole. “C’mon Crack, Lighting, get your flanks out here!”
Applejack leaned over to Dusk. “Hey…’mano, did he say Crack? As in Crack Shot?” Dusk nodded hesitantly. Lightning popped out of the hole next, dusting off her beret, and cracking her neck. The last one out was a familiar pony, wearing plaid and a battered old black Stetson. He stared at the survivors, and dusk, Stormy, Hawk, and Twilight stared back.
“Uhh… well… this is awkward.” Crack Shot scratched the back of his neck. “Blitz…you didn’t tell me who you wuz with…”
“…Did I miss something?” Lightning blinked. She’d already left the cape of mentality, and the ESS Brain was now sailing to Crazyville, on the continent of Locosia. She just shook off the further confusion.
“Right…uh, well… Let’s go somewhere safer, ye? Like me cabin?” Crack Shot began to back into the tunnel.
“Crack Shot, get out here.” Dusk growled.
“Nope. Not gonna happen Sarge. You wanna talk we talk at my place. Where I can shoot anyone wearing a ghillie suit if he tries te shoot me.” Hawk frowned, as the thought had been along the lines of what he’d been thinking, except his thoughts were more along the lines of dismemberment by automatic shotgun. With explosive incendiary ammunition.
“Oh Faust’s sake. Fine Crack Shot. But I want the whole story when we get to your home. And I mean the whole story. Got it?”
“Yes sir, yes sir buck off, sir.” The Cajun sniper muttered.