//------------------------------//
// The Director Approaches 
// Story: Dan Vs. The Magic of Friendship(Season 1) 
// by Barrobroadcaster 
//------------------------------//

Prosperity Base- Sublevel 1, Central Command

Vice Grip watched the display, furious. "Those idiots... why haven't they launched it?!"

The Director leaned forward, a smile visible on his/her muzzle. "Looks like they're having a little trouble... or are they waiting for the right moment?" the creature asked, giggling lightly.

The scientist's metal gauntlets closed into balled fists. He slammed them on the holographic table transmitting the image of Halberd Base, causing it to flicker. "Why are you just sitting here doing nothing?! Do you know how much I invested, WE invested in Cogsdale?!! I can't get the blasted sea ponies to make more of them if I don't prove it at least works!!"

"Shhh," the Director shushed him. "I'm trying to watch. Do we have a feed of the inside of the base?"

Lightning Claw shook his head. "Negative. Damage has caused interference to Halberd Base's surveillance systems. Current hostility is to blame." The stallion was more machine than pony, at least for the moment, so his input tended to be brief and mechanical.

"Pity. We'll have to correct that with the future bases," the Director mused.

Vice pinched his forehead, fighting the urge to just haul off and smack the Director. But, knowing the creature's true identity, he knew how useful that would be. No, he needed to convince her that intervening would be to both their benefits. "Well, that's too bad... but hey, if you really wanted to see up close..."

The hooded pony turned to him, a look of curiosity on her muzzle. Vice continued to be nonchalant and clasped his hands behind his back innocently. "You could just go there. See things for yourself."

"I can't face them," the Director responded, actually considering his proposition. "I cannot lie to them. If they questioned me, I would have to tell them the truth... about everything. And if they asked me about her..."

Vice held his hands up. "But they don't- that's the idea. You could just watch. Think of it as... playing with them," he said, putting an arm around her hooded body. What was underneath the cloak felt... wrong. Beyond deformity, something warped and distorted and... wrong. It was like wrapping his foreleg around a shadow that crept out of a void... and to have the shadow hug him back.

"Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm..." the Director giggled. "I like that idea. I think I will go have fun with them." She turned abruptly, like smoke flowing around his arm and continued on. Her hoof steps against the tile sounded like talons clicking, the hungry treading of a predator.

Vice did his best to keep his smile up. "Yes, you go do that. I'll be watching once they engage the Cogsdale," he said, turning back around. The creature departed and he was alone with Lightning again. The biomechanical enforcer watched him sternly. "What?"

"Nothing," he replied.

"Of course," Vice said, rolling his eyes. Little tiny bits of Lightning Claw's personality emerged when and where they could. Even erasing his total personality, memories and identity hadn't been complete. He kept finding small ways to exert his freewill- the smallest muscle twitches, eye movements, speech patterns. Even though his mind had been erased, Lightning didn't seem to care. He continued to wait just behind the surface, watching, somewhere between the Director and Vice Grip himself.





Halberd Base

High above the fortress, the once-crowded skies were rapidly becoming clearer. More and more Enclave pegasi went down in flames, many of which were either smacked like baseballs by Derpy or unfortunate enough to land on the landmines they had planted to protect their base. Their radio signals captured most of the carnage:

"My wings are clipped! My wings are clipped-I-I'm going down!"

"Vandal-One is down, Harpy-One is down, we just lost another three, they're coming down over the base now!"

"We just lost Glint's whole squadron."

"Roger, tracking them now... yeah, they're headed right for the mines. Poor sods."

"He's on me- I can't shake this guy!"

"Brake right! Hard-brake right so I can-"

"I CAN'T HOLD IT! I CA-" *Krssssssshhhhhtt*

Captain Springer lifted her head up out of the sand. The sounds of the battle, of her comrades being slaughtered filled her right ear but not her left. "This is Hydra-One... regroup at grid..." she looked at the bottom-left corner of her HUD to get her exact location, only to find her HUD was gone. In fact, her entire helmet was gone, blasted off, save for a portion of the right side where her ear was. She removed what was left of her headgear; without the built-in mic or the HUD, it was useless.

She looked up. The last of her friends in the Enclave were being shot down by Rogue Squadron. The smoking trails of their armor drew black streaks across the sky, like angry marks on the blue canvas overhead. She was on the ground, one of many now. Hopefully, they wouldn't regard her as a threat.

What little there was of her training kicked in and told her to take stock of things. She slowly stood, felt most of the pain in her back. None of her legs felt broken, a good sign, but she couldn't feel her wings. Her heart gripped hard as she realized the possible reason why. Swallowing, she looked back over her shoulder. The jetpack that had been attached to her armor was gone, her back visible underneath it. Her wings, which had been fitted inside the wings of the jetpack, were now almost entirely black and featherless. She flexed them carefully, feeling the immense, aching pain and then clasped them at her sides. The feathers themselves may have been burned but the roots were still there. She couldn't fly any time soon but her wings would likely recover.

Springer looked around. She was near the front entrance of the base on the northern side. Behind her, the monorail led to most of their other bases but she had no way of accessing it. While Dan and the others didn't know, Vice had converted the Equestrian rail system into a monorail in order to more speedily move supplies and resources back to Prosperity Base. But she had no way to call it, so she had to scrap that option.

Her only hope was to somehow sneak back into the base, steal a Flutterbird and hightail it out without being seen. All that would be a lot easier if she could just find her-

"Waaaaahhh!!"

She squinted her eyes at something in front of the base. "Spinner?"

"It's not fair! It's not fairrrrrrrr!" Spinner cried, head thrown back, tears streaming down her face. She was sitting on a crate in front of the base's destroyed front gates, a large, blackened crater beside her. Her armor had been blasted in half but she looked no worse for ware, despite her sobbing.

"Spinner, keep it down!" Springer said sharply, sprinting towards her friend.

Her wingpony wiped her eyes on her foreleg. She clutched a power armor helmet close to her. "It's just not fair!!" she cried again.

"What's not fair?" Springer asked. "Look, if it's about Dan and those losers, we'll-"

"No!" Spinner shook her head. "Not them! This!" She held up the helmet.

Springer looked at it. The neck around it was charred and the display was blown out. The helmet could be repaired but probably would've been easier to replace. "Your armor? Yeah, mine's busted up, too. But we can get it replaced back at-"

"It's NOT MY ARMOR, YOU DOLT!!" she shook the helmet at her. "This was Steel-One's helmet."

"Steel-One?" Springer asked, remembering. "That's Gauntlet's callsign, isn't it? Wasn't he with Dread Wing?"

Spinner nodded. "He was... until Rogue Squadron blew him up!!" She started crying again. "Waaaahhh!! I finally got the courage to ask him out!!"

"Ohh," Springer realized.

"He even said yes! We were gonna decide what to do after the battle and he gave me his number... a number I'll never use now!" she yelled in despair. "WAAAAAHHH! MY BOYFRIEND EXPLODED!!"

Springer shook her head. "But... you just said you finally asked him out!"

Her friend's gaze suddenly turned furious. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Well, I'm just saying, it's uh, really early to call him your SSP if you just asked him out," Springer said, shrugging.

"Oh..." Spinner said, sniffling a little. "Yeah, good point."

"Also, he's probably around here somewhere," Springer said, looking around. 

"In how many pieces?!?!" Spinner asked her friend and the heavens above, chucking the helmet as far as she could into the sands. An explosion soon followed as the object found a live mine.

"Spin, I know you're kinda having a moment here but we gotta go."

"Where?"

"Anywhere but here," Springer replied, cautiously looking over her shoulders, keeping an eye on the sky. Not that it would do much good; she knew they were both probably screwed. But she preferred not to think about what Dan and the others would probably do to her if and when they caught her, and instead searched for a way out.

She raised her head up at last. "And how're we gonna get outta here? Even if we both could fly, we can't outrun the Rogues."

"We have to at least try!" Springer raised her voice. "I figure if we get one of the Flutterbirds from the hangar, we can at least-"

"So, you're saying we have to get to da choppa," Spinner cut her off, unamused expression her face. "And I thought I was supposed to be the comic relief. You do realize that thing'll make us an even bigger target, right?"

"Well, what other options do we have?!"

Spinner stared blankly back at her. "Surrender. Duh."

Springer shook her head. "No, no, that's not an option."

"No, it's a great option," Spinner said, looking around. "I think it's the best option. Heck, it's the ONLY OPTION WE HAVE! Look around you! My boyfriend exploded-"

"He wasn't your boyfriend."

"The entire Enclave got shot down-"

"Most of it, anyway."

"The base is on fire-"

"We got others."

"And now a train is arriving!"

Springer nodded. "Yes, yes, I know, we're screwed right now bu-wait, what?" She turned around. A small, hanging cylinder zipped down the tracks and stopped across from the base's entrance. The cylinder was connected to the tracks by two spars on both of its ends. These two spars lowered the cylinder close to the ground and the side opened up, revealing darkness.

From inside stepped a hooded figure. Immediately, the surrounding temperature of the base felt about ten degrees colder, like a cold front had just abruptly hit. There was only one pony it could've been and Springer wasn't exactly happy to see them.

The Director stepped off the train, deceptively small in the distance. The wind died as Springer watched him approach, the hooded figure moving towards them. Whatever it was, it did not leave hoof prints in the sand, at least none that could be seen and the sand seemed to dry up and crack as the Director traveled on it. Springer and Spinner both saluted when it came close.

"Um, sir! I, uh-"

"At ease, captain," the Director waved down her salute with a pale-blue, long-fingered hand. "You and your friends have fought very well. It's been very fun to watch."

"Um... thank you?"

"Thanks," Spinner added, more skeptical than her partner.

"Hmm-hmm," it giggled. "You may take the tram back to Prosperity if you're done for today."

"Cool!" Spinner didn't need a second offer; she bolted straight for the cylinder-train car.

"Uh, ye-yes, thank you, sir," Springer said. "I-I'd better go and-"

"Before you go," the Director stopped her, "where is Dan?"

"I, uh, think he's in the base."

The Director smiled, a jaw full of sharp teeth. "Thank you. You may go now."

"Thank you, sir," the mare said, and departed. She broke into a light canter, keeping her head low before going full-gallop towards the tram. Whatever happened, she would live to fight another day and that was enough.





Halberd Base- Sublevel 2, Cafeteria B

"I was eating!" Dan yelled, standing after dodging the falling banner.

General raised both armored forelegs right at him, his face imperceptible behind the armored helmet. "Don't worry; I've got plenty for you to eat right here."

Dan swallowed.

"TAKE THIS!" Twin jets of fire burst from the armor's hooves.

"Oh boy." Dan flipped the table and ducked. The flames collided with its flat surface just in time for Dan to get behind it. Fire splashed against it, washing the tables at the sides in flames. The smell of ozone and nacho cheese filled the air and the walls glowed orange from the flames.

Still hunkering down, Dan watched as the table glowed brighter under the heat from the assault. A sticky, oozing substance began trickling over the top. Melted cheese- the flamethrower apparently had a napalm residue of burning cheddar. He backed away from it and began to realize exactly how limited his options were.

The fiery onslaught stopped. The table, solid metal, was beginning to melt quickly as the cheesy after-effect clung to it. "Like our new toys?" Winter asked, tauntingly. He walked towards the scorched furniture, metal steps clanking on the floor. He stepped through the flames, protected by the armor's fireproof construction.