Bounty Hunters 3: Genesis
An MLP FanFic
The dark blue stallion shouldered his way through the crowd of ponies, attracting annoyed glances and surprised yelps as he knocked over drinks and plates of food. The restaurant was buzzing with activity, ponies here and there, chatting away eagerly. Waiter ponies were dressed in black suits, holding trays of delicacies- but the blue stallion wasn't here for any of that.
The crowd was good for cover, but it was one heck of a headache to find the right table. It didn't take long though.
A dull grey stallion sat with his hind legs on the table, front hooves folded behind his head as he sat back into the chair, leaning on its two back legs. A distinct scar ran across his face, and his piercing blue eyes spotted him the moment he emerged from the crowd.
"Late." the grey stallion said, dropping his back legs from the table and taking a more normal sitting position.
"I had to lose the damn bastards." the dark blue stallion said, irritated.
"You got the money?" the grey stallion asked. The blue stallion had told him on the phone about a high-paying contract- to assassinate another assassin.
"Takes money to hire the best assassins- but I can't pay right now. You need to take care of the bastards chasing me first." the blue stallion said, taking a seat.
"Why now?" scar-face asked.
"Because they're after me right now! They were on me a second ago- but I think I lost them in the crowd." the blue stallion said.
"Who is it? And you better pay up afterwards." scar-face said.
"Rainbow Dash and her goddamn partner. The bastards are working for the military now- taking bribes from the royal guards and hunting us down." the blue stallion said anxiously, casting a gaze around them and scanning the coast.
"Would you like to place your order, sir?" a waitress asked, handing the blue stallion a menu.
"I don't want to order! Go away." the blue stallion said irritably without looking at the waitress, waving the menu away. "Anyway- I'll pay you double if you take care of both of them."
"Order, sir?" the waitress asked scar-face.
"Goddamnit! We don't want to order! Would just go the buck awa-" the blue stallion looked up. "Oh shuck."
"One serving of punches, coming up." Rainbow Dash threw down the menu, cracked her hooves loudly, and grinned. Her dark clothing had made her look like one of those waitresses earlier.
"Son-of-a-" scar-face kicked his chair away as he stood up, his hooves a flash as he drew the pistol hidden under his jacket.
Rainbow hit the gun on the side, knocking him off aim. She then hit a specific spot on top of the pistol, causing the mechanics inside to fail their job. The clip fell out and clattered to the floor, some bullets scattering out of it.
There was still one bullet locked inside the chamber of the gun though, and scar-face aimed it up.
With a light blue blur, Rainbow hit the back of the gun and snapped the hammer- now there was no way the bullet could be fired.
She launched a downward kick into the side of scar-face's left leg. Her hoof impacted his kneecap with a crack, and he groaned and fell down into a kneeling position, what little remained of his broken pistol clattering to the floor.
Scar-face was at the perfect height right now, and Rainbow brought a knee up and aimed for his face.
He managed to block the strike with a hoof, but the impact caused him to fall over. He quickly scrambled up, but Rainbow wasn't far away. He threw a punch aimed at the side of the blue pegasus's face, his hoof a blur.
Rainbow leaned to the side, the punch gliding past her nose. She grabbed his wrist with her left hoof, then took hold of his elbow with her right. She twisted, bringing scar-face's own arm around his neck in a painful lock.
Scar-face kicked back, hitting Rainbow in the leg. This turned out to be a dumb idea as Rainbow was annoyed at that, and decided to slam his head against a table.
His head slammed into the wood, splintering the smooth surface and cracking the small table almost in half.
The crowd around them was screaming now, running off and out in all directions and avoiding them. It was chaos as ponies were knocked over, all scrambling for the exits.
Scar-face rolled, breaking himself out of the lock. He had his back on the table, and launched both back hooves into Rainbow's chest.
Rainbow grunted, stumbling back. Scar-face rolled backwards and landed on the other side of the table.
Rainbow spun and kicked the table, sending it flipping up. The table spun into the air, the edge slamming scar-face on the chin. He fell backwards and cracked his back against the floor, temporarily winded. The table kept on going, flipping over him and smashing itself to pieces on the other side of the room.
He coughed, scrambling to his hooves. He blinked, and saw a purple iris looking him straight in the eye before taking a hoof to the face which sent him tumbling sideways. He hit his back on the wooden handrails of the stairs leading to the second floor, coughing uncontrollably.
Rainbow grabbed his head, and slammed it through the handrails. Finally, he was knocked unconscious.
She looked around her- the blue stallion had gotten away. Ah well.
"One down. Can you see the other?" Rainbow tapped her ear, activating the mic.
"Second floor lobby, heading for the roof. Using the crowd as cover." a filly's voice said.
"Good job Dainty." Rainbow grinned.
"Thanks." Dainty chuckled.
"Eyes on the monitors. Send the spy plane into the air- let's keep our eyes on this bastard." Rainbow said, slinging the unconscious scar-face over her shoulder.
*
"Will do." Dainty grinned. She was inside a car, a wall of monitors in front of her.
Magnum had taught her how to hack some security systems so she could help with the job- and her role was certainly coming in handy. She scanned through all the screens on the monitors, and located the blue stallion again. She had tapped into the restaurant's security cameras.
She took out a metal case, inside a small RC helicopter with a mounted camera. She carefully removed it from the foam cushioning, reaching out and setting it down on the roof of the black car. She took the remote control, and started flying the spy plane.
"Eagle eye's in the air." she reported with a grin.
*
"I'm on the roof now. Where is he?" Rainbow looked around at the concrete emptiness around her, scar-face snoring on her shoulder.
"He took the fire exit stairs and went down into an alley way, turning onto the street. I'm following him now." Dainty said.
"I'll let you guys take care of him while I dump this guy down before he starts drooling into my coat." Rainbow said, walking in a different direction.
*
The blue stallion stopped to catch his breath, breathing hard. He clutching his chest, trying to regulate his breathing. He looked up, and saw the grey stallion leaning on a wall.
"Shuck- there you are! Did you take care of her?" the blue stallion walked up to him, looking around anxiously.
"Yeah, I did." the grey stallion said, pushing off the wall.
"I'll pay you once you take care of that other one as well-" the blue stallion raised an eyebrow. "And where's your scar?"
Scar-face looked down, and frowned.
"Oh yeah. Whoops, forgot about that." he wiped a hoof on his face, causing it to glow a bright white. Pixels appeared out of nowhere and attached them to his face, and when the glow faded his scar was there. "Better?"
"What the bu-" the blue stallion exclaimed, stumbling back in shock.
Val removed her disguise, the fake grey skin fading away into shining pixels and revealing her robotic half underneath. She had a mischievous grin on her face as she narrowed her eyes, both organic and robotic.
"Val!? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in prison!" the blue stallion exclaimed.
"I'm just here to shorten my prison term by doing some 'community service', which turned out to be cleaning up the science faction." Val shrugged.
She had robotic hands implanted into her hooves, and she was about to swing a punch at the blue stallion when she felt something puncture the skin on her neck.
She tilted her head to one side, robotics churning; and raised an eyebrow at the tranquilizer dart stuck in her neck.
"Whoops- sorry." Magnum said through the mic. "But just then you looked exactly the same as the other guy."
"But Rainbow already took care of the other guy!" Val said angrily, the strength fading from her body. "You bucking dumb.... arse...." she managed to say, before collapsing to the floor, snoring.
The blue stallion yelled something, and immediately started running down the street at full speed.
"I'd like to make a point of saying I still didn't miss." Magnum said to Val's snoring.
"You're still a dumb-arse." Rainbow said through the mic.
"Whatever." Magnum said. "Oop. Can't fire now. Got a huge crowd crossing the road."
"Don't worry- all taken care of." Rainbow said.
*
The blue stallion looked around him anxiously, not knowing where the sniper is. He slipped into the crowd, now much more comfortable, surrounded by meat shields.
Then he felt gentle taps across his body as his pressure points were strategically hit, and he gasped. He tried to move, but was frozen in place- not even his eyeballs budged.
"Got him." a grey earth pony with a dark mane and purple eyes said, dressed in the same dark clothes as the rainbow maned pegasus.
Octavia jammed a tranquilizer dart into his neck, and unlocked him from his frozen state. He collapsed into her arms, already snoring as the tranquilizer settled into his blood.
"Pick up please." Octavia said, hoisting him over her shoulder and drawing suspicious gazes from the crowd.
Sorry guys- this chapter is about 1300 words longer than the normal 3000 words for an average chapter in my stories. Just making up for the short prologue, so- enjoy!
Rainbow let out a deep and relaxed sigh, her sun glasses shielding her eyes from the bright and burning sun. Thank goodness she had a cup of iced orange juice on the table next to her. She had her arms folded behind her head as she relaxed back into the lawn chair, the grass tickling her back hooves as the grass wavered gently in the summer breeze.
She took the opportunity and stretched her wings, the cooling breeze brushing against her feathers. She didn't think it could get more comfortable, but it just did. Being up here in Cloudsdale, there's always a gentle breeze. One of the many reasons she loved the City of the Pegasi.
She heard Octavia snoozing gently on the swing bed under the balcony, her tail curled tightly around her body.
"Eye test seventy percent today." Magnum yawned, stretching and walking onto the balcony, flinching as her bare hooves touched the baking wood. A few months ago she had lost her vision when acid got sprayed in her face- but the combination of magic and scientific treatment was giving her a fast recovery.
"Almost fully recovered, aye?" Rainbow asked.
"Almost." Magnum said. "So darn close."
Then everything plunged back into silence, all but the chirping of the birds and rustling of leaves as the breeze passed through the trees.
With Dainty at school and not around, they found it relatively dull at times like these. They didn't have the only cheerful little pony that would always cause a good laugh for all of them around them. Dainty was the only one whom they could look at and immediately feel much more cheered up.
"Do you ever feel guilty..?" Magnum asked, leaning on the handrails of the balcony.
"I know what you mean." Rainbow looked down, her eyes unreadable as they were hidden behind the shades.
Dainty may have been the only one who was innocent among them- and they dragged her into the bounty hunting business. Each one of them gets twenty five percent of the pay, while Dainty gets fifty bits pocket money which she is pretty proud of.
"And I'm going to say yes, many times before." Rainbow said. "She could've stayed out for longer- but sometimes I tell myself that we didn't have a choice."
"Mmm." Magnum hummed. Dainty had been the first pony to have ever been revived from the dead, and has seen many horrifying things she wasn't meant to learn about until she grew up.
"She's strong though." Rainbow let out a deep sigh. "She didn't crack like most of us did. She's still herself- and that's what she's doing better than any of us."
"Agreed." Magnum said, feeling slightly tired as Octavia continued her soft snoring.
*
The bell ringed again, and the fillies cheered. Dainty quickly stuffed her books into her bag, heading outside for lunch. It was a nice and sunny day- and she wondered what Rainbow and the other older ponies were doing. Probably sulking in the sun.
She sat down in her usual spot on the field- out of the many much more comfortable places to sit down and have lunch, Dainty's place was always the worn wooden bench under the tall old tree, beside the playground. It provided decent shade, and the occasional sunlight that leaked through the thick leaves was enough to warm her up if she got cold.
She placed her bag down on the ground like she did many times before, taking out her lunchbox and signature juice box.
There was a gentle thud and giggling as Lily sat down next to her. Lily was the only one true friend Dainty had- the other fillies were merely friendly. Lily was part of the gang that used to bully Dainty- but she was always the one that stood on the side and said nothing. Maybe secretly she thought the entire idea was wrong, but never really spoke up. Quite ironic, considering they were now laughing as they traded stories.
The gang of ponies that used to bully Dainty now all sat under the old tree, giggling as they chatted away with each other. Of course, they had stopped picking on Dainty and could almost be considered friends by now- but this was the group everypony always hung out in.
How times change- just a few months ago they were neck to neck with each other, but now... Everything just seemed to disperse into a new much better world.
"You got a new lunchbox." Lily noticed, peering curiously at the shiny new box.
"Oh, haha... I got some extra pocket money..." Dainty chuckled.
"What from?" Lily munched on an oatmeal sandwich.
Hacking security systems. Helping catch bad guys. "Er... Cleaning the dishes?" Dainty raised an eyebrow at herself.
"How many dishes? My mom only gives me two bits for each day." Lily said frustratedly.
"Er... I've been saving up..." Dainty went with that.
"But just last week you got a brand new pencil case..." Lily pointed out. "Eh... You ok?"
"Maybe." Dainty sheepishly sucked the remaining nectar out of the juice box.
*
Cordy rubbed her forehead frustratedly. So much work to mark, and some of the fillies are falling behind on their grades again... Sometimes being a teacher can be such a headache. Then she has to plan for tomorrow- and now there's no time for her to enjoy the sunshine. She scrambled the papers out of frustration, sending some floating into the air.
Her office wasn't particularly big, but good enough. It was lit through one single window, overlooking the playground and grass field.
She gazed out that window, at first only at the light. Then her eyes adjusted, and she spotted Dainty with the group that always picked on her, laughing and giggling as though nothing ever happened between them before.
Cordy smiled inwardly- funny how some things can turn out. She looked back down at her work, now in a much better mood. Time to finish marking these papers.
*
Vinyl Scratch took off her head phones and pushed away the microphone, slumping into the office chair; momentum sending her slowly turning around. She quickly took a gulp from a nearby glass of water, since her mouth was dry from a morning of being the popular radio DJ.
She snoozed a little as DJ Nunes came in to take the midday shift, yawning.
So everything's back to normal- and that'll take some getting used to after all she'd seen.
She rolled the office chair over to the huge glass window on the side wall. It was pretty much a glass wall, bright natural light pouring in. It really softened Vinyl's eyes after staring at sheet music and written lyrics for the entire morning.
The office was located high up in one of the few modern Canterlot skyscrapers, overlooking the capital city of Equestria. Ponyville was a few miles away, its distinct hay and wood buildings little dots in the distance. Cloudsdale was a mere white haze in the sky, the fog making it look transparent. Manehatten was a grey mass of concrete and steel in a corner, only just visible and hiding behind a large mountain.
Vinyl rubbed her head. So much had happened- and it was giving her a headache just thinking about it. It was normal now- but different. Many things have changed- sure, normal; but very different.
*
"Hi~" Blithy grinned friendlily as two royal guards escorted scar-face and the blue stallion into their cells. They growled at her, and her grin spread even wider.
She watched them until they disappeared around a corner, and she backed away from her cell door.
She fell back and landed on her bed, sinking deep into the mattress before bouncing back up again.
"Whoops." she said as she heard a loud crack from the bed frame. Her robotic half was much more heavier than her natural side- and sometimes she forgets.
Threads of golden sunlight leaked through the small barred window high above her head. Sure, she could easily break out; but she knew what she'd done wrong and was determined to pay up for it.
Rainbow kept thinking Val and Blithy were two different ponies- but Blithy knew they were the same. Right now, they were just changed. Changed like they did many years before, into a bloodthirsty killing machine that killed everypony around them.
Rainbow may be wrong, but she still managed to change Blithy once again.
Blithy closed her eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep as her subconscious started coming up with new plans for super weapons that'll destroy the world.
*
There was a slight heat wave in the shadows in the narrow alley way, a disrupted area of air that many chose to ignore for good.
The Warden of Light had found her hiding spot for now. Hiding- like she wasn't supposed to be. But she preferred it this way. Neon looked down at her invisible claw. She was using her mind to disrupt the light around her to create a mirage, but needed more practice as she could still see the outline of her long razor sharp claws.
She concentrated harder, the outline fading slowly and the wavering stilling. But then she let out a deep breath and the cloak faded.
This'll need a lot of practice.
The stripes of white light on her body lit the area around her, her eyes a bright white and two glowing discs in the darkness.
The Element of Loyalty crystal must've done something to her spirit almost two years back. Back then she was a machine, obeying orders and serving no other purpose than to accomplish a task. Now, she had her own thoughts and her own freedom.
Nightshade, Captain of the Night Guards, had chosen her to be the Warden of Light, to keep the universe in the way it is. It was good news, since she had basically nothing to do. She doesn't eat, doesn't drink, doesn't sleep... Still a machine, but with its own thoughts.
There was a gentle pulse of light, and she was gone, looking for something to correct.
*
Blaze and Halcyon were hanging out outside the ice-cream store again. The two royal guards were disguised as normal ponies, their air of authority gone away with their armor and uniform mane and tail style.
Being two of the Captain Shining Armor's best, they were always on some sort of duty; especially guarding the Princess's side. But today, on the only sunny day in weeks, the princess has decided to stay indoors. The two have their suspicions that this was intentional so they could get a break, and secretly thanked the princess for such a nice day out.
Blaze's ice-cream was beginning to melt again, and Halcyon tapped the rim of the glass cup with a hoof. The gentle ringing echoed softly around as a bit of magic was added to it, and the ice-cream was restored to its normal state.
The Wardens of Fire and Ice certainly enjoyed their free time. The Science Faction is in the process of being completely cleaned up, now too weak to cause any major issues. The two of the princess's royal bodyguards don't need to help with any assaults- the normal royal guards can handle that.
"This feels really weird..." Halcyon said, stirring her cup of frozen drink.
Usually the two spent their romantic evenings taking down criminals and standing guard next to the princess, and to have a normal date... That would've been unheard of to them a few weeks ago. The definition of 'normal' no longer made sense to them, but they gladly accepted it anyways.
"Needs some getting used to." Blaze said, finishing the last of his ice-cream and chewing on the plastic spoon, leaning back into the chair.
"Yep." Halcyon said, taking slow sips out of the glass.
"I remember I used to completely gulp down my drinks when I was a filly." Blaze said, looking down at his half-empty cup.
"Looks like military training does something to you." Halcyon said, placing the cup down gently, making the barest of clunks as it touched the table.
They sat there in silence, thinking back to when they were still fillies.
"No reason why we can't still do it." Blaze suddenly said, pouring the remains of his cup down his throat.
Halcyon blushed, taking sensible sips out of her cup as Blaze belched loudly; drawing annoyed glances from nearby ponies.
"Doesn't feel as fun though." Blaze said boringly, going back to chewing on the spoon.
*
"Nothing like going back to our time to keep our minds sane!" Doctor Whooves said cheerfully as he skipped out of the TARDIS, the blue telephone box's light pulsing gently as it settled down. "What a sunny day! Cheerio to the Daleks!"
"Are we in... Cloudsdale?" Derpy Hooves raised an eyebrow as she exited the time machine, peering at the bright white all around her.
"Good old' Cloudsdale, twenty-twelve." the Doctor said, looking around him, the ponies seemingly ignoring the time machine that just appeared out of thin air in the middle of the street. "Back to our time. I should give you some time to catch up with your friends, I suppose. Do excuse me while I go fetch a muffin or two. Blueberry? I know you like blueberry."
But Derpy didn't reply, and the Doctor raised an eyebrow. He turned around, a slight frown on his face as he didn't see his companion. Usually Derpy doesn't just leave without a notice- and she'd often yelp with delight at the prospect of a blueberry muffin.
"Compelling..." the Doctor mumbled, turning back to the TARDIS and checking behind the time machine. "Derpy? You there? Quit horse'n around now."
He heard a soft click from inside the TARDIS, and peered inside.
"Now don't touch anything- remember how that ended last time..." the Doctor walked in, the door closing with a click behind him.
But the grey pegasus was nowhere to be seen in the vast interior of the time machine. The control console pulsed and whirred gently, glowing a light green. Perhaps the pegasus was snoozing off under the consoles or something... After all, it's Derpy Hooves- anything is possible with her around. One of the many reasons the Doctor adores his companion. Exceptionally this one, in particular. Well of course, who doesn't love the cross-eyed grey mare?
"Derpy Hooves? Come on, I know you're in here- and then we can go get those muffins! We could go to the Sugarcube Corner retail store! Come on, now." Doctor Whooves bent down and looked under the console, but she wasn't there.
His ears twitched, and he whirled around.
"Odd. Could've sworn I heard hoof steps here." he raised an eyebrow, cautiously approaching the door of the TARDIS.
There was a soft click behind him, and he froze as he felt the barrel of a peculiar weapon press against the back of his head, buzzing quietly.
Slowly, he turned around, aware that the weapon was still aimed at his head. To his surprise, he didn't see anything there.
"Cloaking device, eh... Clever...." he muttered, staring through the presence-filled nothingness in front of him.
"Doctor Whooves..." a deep voice said, and the air in front of him started rippling.
In no time at all, the haze faded to reveal a robotic figure standing in front of him, an energy weapon aimed right between his eyes.
"Where is she? Where is Derpy?"
"You are in no position to ask questions right now." the pony was obviously not a robot- since the Doctor could hear breathing when the pony spoke. It's either some sort of suit, or just a cyborg. "All I want is your ship, time machine, whatever you may call it. Now if you would kindly step out..."
"I'm not leaving her." the Doctor said firmly.
"It's either her or your companion. Your choice." the pony robot said, the weapon gently pulsing a dark purple.
"What do you wish to accomplish with the TARDIS?" the Doctor tilted his head to one side. "You know, you can't pilot her without me."
"We'll see about that." the robot pony said. "My partner is taking care of that right now- and until you get out, he'll be keeping that anti-matter rifle glued to your companion's temple."
"I'm sure we can come to an agre-" the Doctor began.
"We have nothing to agree to. There is only one thing we want, and we're getting it regardless." the pony robot said.
There was a soft beep as another pony robot exited cloaking, his form appearing out of thin air. A large robotic hand was clasped over Derpy's mouth, preventing her from making any sound.
Both of the Doctor's hearts broke as he saw the fright in her large eyes, and tried to convey a look that would calm her down. But he saw no way out of this situation, and he didn't think the look achieved the desired effect.
"Please- let's just lower our weapons and-"
"Never mind that. Get out." the pony robot said.
"This is my-"
"Don't give a hay. Get out." the pony said again, flicking the anti-matter rifle at the door.
"Hey- that thing can't kill me-"
There was a purple flash, and the Doctor's left hind leg was gone in a bloody mist and an explosion. The blast caused his other legs to buckle, and he crumpled onto the ground in a painful pile, screaming in agony.
The regeneration was starting, but it was still painful none the less.
"I only pulled the trigger once." the pony said, Derpy trying to yell at him but being held back by his partner. "This is a beam rifle. If I hold the trigger long enough- the potential explosion could wipe out everypony in this room. Everypony without a heavy armor suit, that is."
"Well of course..." the Doctor managed to say. When anti-matter meets normal matter, it often ends in something quite explosive.
"Throw them out." the pony said, turning away and towards the console, plucking a small data storage device from his belt and stabbing it into the TARDIS.
"No!" the Doctor yelled as sparks flew and the lights flickered.
"We'll take it from here." the pony said, and the TARDIS stopped reacting to anything. The programming has been loaded, and now it's on full manual.
"No! Goddamnit- NO!" the other pony robot grabbed Doctor Whooves by the neck, throwing both him and Derpy outside.
The Doctor landed hard on his shoulder, bouncing up slightly as the clouds contracted.
"Shuck- No!" he scrambled to his hooves, charging at the door- but it was locked.
"Doctor-" Derpy moaned.
"Damnit- come on! COME ON!" the Doctor fumbled with his pocket, bringing out the sonic screwdriver. "Curse these hooves- I want hands!" he yelled, the screwdriver buzzing and the tip glowing a bright green.
But the time machine was already leaving.
"How could this be happening? No!" the locks clicked, but he couldn't open the door. The pony robot must be blocking it on the other side.
He backed away, and charged at the door. But instead of the expected impact, he hit thin air and fell down onto the floor again.
The TARDIS was gone.
"Doctor..." Derpy said weakly.
"No... Goddamnit..." Doctor stared the ground, ignoring the paranoid glances shot at him from nearby ponies. Then he heard somepony scream, and turned around.
"Doctor...?" Derpy asked weakly, blood caking her side. Some of the anti-matter must've escaped the rifle and attached themselves to her.
"DERPY!" the Doctor quickly ran to her side, allowing her to crumble into his arms.
*
Starswirl had just finished the book when he heard a gentle tap from outside the window. It was snowing, and the night air chilled his spine as he opened the windows. They opened with a squeak, the rusted metal scraping against each other.
The night air gushed in, blowing in flakes of snow and upsetting the paperwork on Starswirl's desk. He had accomplished many things as a filly already, and was looking to creating his own magical spells. His research was now scattered all over the floor, but he could sort that out in no time.
He peered out of the window, looking around and trying to see who had made the tapping noise.
Outside, there was nothing but black and grey as the night turned everything into a monochromatic blizzard- all but the bright yellow lights from candles that lit the interiors and leaked out the windows.
Convinced he was just hallucinating, he turned back to pick up his scattered research, but froze as he heard a loud crunch behind him.
He whipped around. At first he saw nothing, but then looked down and saw a piece of his research crushed under an invisible hoof-shaped object.
Curious, he thought it was just some magic spell used to prank him. He was about to move forward when he froze, a heavy puff of warm breath rolling down his neck and sending chills down his spine. Still he could hear the heavy breathing, and could detect the heavy presence in front of him.
There was a soft knock on his bedroom door, and Starswirl's mother opened the it.
"I brought you some sliced apples- you've been up all night. You really should get some rest- and do close the window... It's just freezing, isn't it?" she said, levitating some fresh apples on a plate as she walked in.
"No- MOM! Get out NOW!" Starswirl yelled as a purple glow filled the room- but it was too late.
He watched his mother's head disappear into pink mist, splattering the apples crimson red. The headless body collapsed to the floor, blood splattering over the soft carpet.
"NO!!" Starswirl screamed, falling back in shock and yelling at his mother's corpse. There was a loud clang as the plate of apples shattered against the floor. "MOM!!"
There was a soft beep, and the air next to Starswirl rippled. He scrambled away in fright, staring as a large creature made of metal appeared out of thin air. It had hands- and every move it made made a whirring sound. In its right hand was a long thin device, parts of it glowing purple. It pointed the object between Starswirl's eyes.
"What are you...?" Starswirl pressed his back against the far wall, tears pouring down his face as his heart pounded against his chest. "WHAT THE HAY ARE YOU!!???"
"Your doom." the creature said in a deep voice, the purple object glowing brightly. It flashed, and the greatest unicorn to-be collapsed onto the floor, now headless and dead as ever.
*
"Derpy... No..." the Doctor tried to mend his broken hearts, holding onto the grey pegasus's hoof tightly- but he could feel her life slipping away. "DOCTOR! SOMEPONY CALL A DOCTOR!!"
"I thought you were... The doctor...." Derpy said weakly, her beautiful bright yellow crossed-eyes half closed. Her chest heaved with each breath, weak and slowing down.
"Goddamnit! How did everything go so wrong!? HOW!!??" the Doctor hugged her tightly, eyes watering.
"Doctor... Am I going to... Die...?"
Doctor Whooves froze. The pieces of his broken heart had just been obliterated as Derpy asked the question.
"No... I won't let you! You hear me!? I WON'T LET YOU!!" the Doctor tore his own jacket with his teeth, wrapping the torn fabric tightly around Derpy's wound- but she was already suffering from radiation poisoning.
There was a loud bang, and a shockwave swept over them, upsetting their manes and sending them whipping about. The time wave is approaching.
There were panicked screams everywhere as the world slowly began brightening, becoming even brighter than almost the sun.
"Wait for me, alright?" the Doctor said, his voice almost drowned out by a loud ringing. Distant objects began to fade as the world became too bright to see that far- the far horizon was just a blinding white now. "Wherever you are in the new time line, I'll find you!" he yelled over the growing ringing. "WAIT FOR ME!!!"
Derpy smiled, her mane whipping about her face violently as a strong gust of wind rushed over them.
"I will."
*
"Shuck! What the hay is going on!!??" Rainbow yelled. A loud ringing had started filling the air- and she was certain it wasn't her ears.
"Is there something wrong with my eyes..?" Magnum rubbed her eyes desperately as the world became a bright white.
"What the hay..." Rainbow looked around her as distant objects began disappearing.
There was a shockwave and a bang earlier too, which woke Octavia from her sleep.
"Huh.... I thought I had already woken up..." she said sleepily.
"Is it a nuke?" Magnum had to shout for her voice to travel over the ringing.
"Doesn't seem like it...." Rainbow covered her eyes as the light began hurting them.
A strong gust of wind hit her, knocking her off her hooves. She fell onto the floor, everything a blur. She tried getting back up, only to be knocked back down again by the wind.
"What the hay is going on!!??" she yelled, leaning against the wind and getting up.
"RAINBOW! MAGNUM!! WHERE ARE YOU!!??" Octavia yelled- the light was like a smoke screen- shielding everything off from sight.
Rainbow screamed as a wave of pain swept over her head, and she fell to her knees.
"What... Is... This...." she watched wide eyed as her front hooves split apart into those familiar demon claws- those claws she used to be able to control, now tearing her apart just like the first time. Her blood drifted in long crimson red streaks as the wind blew.
Another wave of pain hammered her head- and it felt like her skull was about to split. She curled onto the ground, screaming and clutching her head. Her throat felt like it could rip apart as her screams were drowned away in the ringing and howling of the wind.
"Goddamnit... Make it stop..." Rainbow struggled to look up at her only hope of keeping sane. "OCTAVIA!!"
Everything went dark, a senseless and emotionless nothingness. Then it all sprang back into a chaotic mess of color and sound.
Dirt was flying, a heat wave followed by a shockwave hitting Rainbow full in the back and an explosion sending her ears ringing.
"What the hay-" she hit the ground, yellow dirt smudging onto her face and getting into her eyes.
"Go! GO!" she heard Octavia yell, and a pair of hooves grabbed her coat and forced her up to her hooves.
"Octavia-" Rainbow rubbed her eyes, looking around them. But all she saw was more explosions.
"KEEP MOVING!!" Octavia yelled, pushing Rainbow onwards.
There was a concrete shelter up ahead- and they seemed to be being chased after by somepony. Who, she had no idea- but she guessed she'd find out all about this bizarre situation when she gets some cover and isn't constantly getting shot at.
She heard gunshots behind them, and looked behind her while continuing on running through the field of dirt. The sky was relatively dark now, and the muzzle flares and streaks of bullets were bright yellow in the dark. Who fired them, Rainbow couldn't tell because of all the smoke. But what she could see were the blue lights that seemed to be indicator lights on some sort of robot.
Octavia drew a pistol, firing behind her. There was a robotic voice saying something, and the firing stopped briefly. But it all started again a second later.
They were at the shelter. Rainbow dived behind what remained of the concrete walls, bullets digging holes on them as their mysterious pursuers fired on.
"What the hay!?" Rainbow yelled again. She looked down, surprised to find she was in her bounty hunter clothes. Her black coat and hat were matted with dirt, and so were her dark clothes. "Octavia- the heck is going on here!? I was in the backyard a second ago!"
"Backyard...?" Octavia raised an eyebrow as if she didn't know what Rainbow was talking about. Then her ears rung, and she clutched her head in pain, falling to her knees. "Get it out! Gah! What is this...!?"
"Octavia!" Rainbow got to her side, holding her shoulders and trying to stabilize her.
Then Octavia stopped writhing, staring at the ground, shaking her head slowly.
"No... What is all this..." she stared wide eyed and full of fear at the ground.
"What is it!? Look at me-" Rainbow shook Octavia's shoulders. "What are you seeing!?"
"Not seeing... Remembering..." Octavia muttered.
"What is there to remember!? We were in the backyard a second ago!"
"We were.... But we were also running from the science faction..." Octavia frowned, rubbing her head. Then she looked up. "Rainbow, I don't know why... I don't know how.... But I have two sets of memories."
"Then you know what happened here?" Rainbow asked.
"I do. But it's a long story-" Octavia unslung a tommy gun from her back. "Let's take care of these guys first."
The firing had stopped, and through the chaotic silence they could hear heavy footsteps.
Rainbow searched her pockets, finding the metal capsule. It looked different though... It had some more edges and the red glow was a lot stronger than she remembered. She shook the weirdness of it all away, pressing the button.
The capsule sprang apart, unfolding and motors whining. All the pieces came back together, forming a huge metal cleaver.
"This... Is sick." Rainbow looked at the brand new blade, turning it around in her hooves. It had a battle-worn look, the paint scratched in multiple places. But the metal glowed above all, glinting even in the darkness. The red Element of Loyalty crystal shone brightly, the light growing even more intense than it was in Rainbow's hooves. It had spikes on the sides, and looked like they could fold. Rainbow turned a knob on the handle, and the spikes folded.
"Lovely." Rainbow said- nothing to make her feel more battle ready than a pimped-up version of the cleaver.
"Wait for it..." Octavia whispered as they heard the churning of motors and the heavy hoofsteps grow louder and louder by the second.
They heard a robotic hiss, a monotoned voice taunting them to come out. They waited a little longer, then the robot poked its head around the corner. It didn't seem to be a robot though, from the looks of it it seemed to be a pony in a heavy suit. Indicator lights on various areas of its armor lit the area blue, and it had a long smoothed-back head, a visor evident near the front.
Octavia pulled the trigger, the bullets hitting the visor but not penetrating the thick bulletproof glass.
The robot pony fully came around the corner, and before Rainbow could react it hit her full in the chest.
The blue pegasus flew back, cracking her back against a concrete wall. She slumped down onto the ground, and saw something dangling from her neck.
The necklace of her cutie mark that Dainty gave her.
"Stay safe..." she took the necklace and tucked it back under her shirt, cleaver flashing and slicing through the robot pony.
*
"Where are we? I mean, I know where we are, but we weren't here a second ago... Well, we were; but... What?" Dainty clutched her head. This whole world is so confusing she could just drop dead from it.
"Sssshhh...." Lily said, covering Dainty's mouth.
They were in a large metal warehouse, sunlight leaking through holes in the ceiling. They were hiding in the maze of rusting and abandoned containers, peering around corners warily.
"They're still after us, remember?" Lily said.
"Who? Oh yeah.. Those robot ponies... Damn. Where is Rainbow?" Dainty looked around her, suddenly worried as what they were in started settling in.
From what she could remember, Rainbow and Octavia were escorting them to some Science Faction facility, where they were meant to retrieve data, and where only Dainty could crack open the terminal. They had been ambushed, and Rainbow and Octavia had stayed behind to hold off the assault force. Dainty remembered seeing drop pods being fired from the barricade, landing somewhere nearby- so they decided to hide in the warehouse. From her first set of memories, she remembered Rainbow telling her about how the orbital barricade went down. The barricade is a huge metal web strung over the atmosphere of earth, ready to rain down havoc on any magic faction pony should it choose to, and the presumed refuge of the Science Faction. But from her second set of memories- the barricade was up for more than a few centuries already, and has never gone down before.
"Stay quiet." Dainty whispered, peering around them.
They both froze in terror as they heard a heavy footstep just around the corner, extremely close.
They remembered now- they were being pursued by a special type of mech pony from the Science Faction's wide arsenal- nick named Ghosts, because they have heavy cloaking systems and silenced motors. One can see a slight haze when a Ghost is under light, but once it enters shadows it becomes completely invisible- and the warehouse was full of shadows. A common way to pluck them out is to use a laser light- if the laser hits a Ghost, it bounces around inside so one may see the distorted and reflected light beam.
There was a heavy clunk to their right, and they slowly inched away from that area, bodies shaking with fright.
The hoofsteps slowly got closer, each loud crack shaking the floor as the invisible heavy robot stomped around the maze.
Dainty peered around the corner, her breathing irregular as she tried to keep quiet. Everything was still, and she couldn't see anything that moved at all. A puddle of water sat in the middle of a small clearing, quivering slightly as a different pair of hoof steps approached. Then it splashed, water spraying everywhere as an invisible hoof stomped into it. Dainty squeaked, swinging behind the cargo container and covering her mouth.
"It's... Right... There..." she whispered, voice quivering.
"What do we do?" Lily had tears in her eyes. She was so scared.
"I... I don't know." Dainty said- this time, Rainbow won't be around to look after them.
Still the hoofsteps got closer, and the two fillies flattened themselves against the wall, their breathing irregular.
"It... It's coming... Run..." Lily stuttered, tugging on Dainty's shoulder.
Dainty was paralyzed for a second, too afraid to move or even breath. Then she came back to her senses as Lily tapped her on the head, and started quietly moving in the opposite direction of the hoofsteps. They moved fast and efficiently, matching the rhythm of the heavy robotic hoofsteps so it could cover their own as they scurried away.
They pressed their backs against a corrugated ion wall, Dainty peering around the corner while Lily checked around them. They needed to find somewhere to hide- and fast.
Dainty tapped Lily gently on the shoulder. "Up there!" she whispered, pointing at an angle up at the far corner.
"Where..?" Lily squinted her eyes, trying to see through the thick rays of sunlight pouring in through holes in the ceiling.
"They used cranes to move the cargo containers... We could hide in the operator's control room!" Dainty said, pointing at a small box on the upper right corner, only accessible from the outside via catwalks and the inside via a ladder.
Catwalks lined the walls on the inside, going around in huge rings and running alongside the walls. Here and there there were ladders leading to them, but all were broken and some sections of the catwalks have collapsed. They all eventually led back to the control room, which would provide an alternate escape route should the Ghosts discover their hiding spot. They could only access the upper levels through the control room ladder, and problem is- it's on the other side of the entire maze of containers, almost twenty meters away and barely visible through the rays of light.
"That's too far away!" Lily exclaimed in a hushed voice.
"Do or die." Dainty whispered. She might sound brave, but hell no- she wanted to reject the idea just as much as Lily did- possibly even more.
"I'll give it a shot, then." Lily said, peering up at the innocent-looking little box.
"Stay sharp and listen for any sound- any sound at all." Dainty whispered, making one last check around the corner, and started gingerly moving alongside a wall, shadows shifting on her face as light shone through the catwalk above her.
"Dainty- we should move back inside the maze." Lily whispered.
"But they're all in there!"
"And we have no where to hide and we can't outrun them here in the open!"
Dainty stopped, suddenly more afraid than ever. She looked around her, down the way they came and up the way they're about to go. All seems clear- but you could never know.
They quickly darted back into the maze of containers, the worn and rusting colors adding to the eery silence. It was the silence that the fillies were afraid of, and for the first time since entering the warehouse; hoped for any kind of noise as to indicate where their pursuers were.
There was a deafening bang, and they heard a container tip on its side and smash onto the floor. The noise echoed off the entire warehouse, seeming a lot louder than it actually was.
Dainty quickly covered Lily's mouth to prevent her from making a sound. Clearly that sudden loud noise in the silence was part of a tactic to throw them off- but Dainty wasn't about to fall for that.
Despite this, the fillies still could not prevent the psychological effect from settling in. They watched the containers warily, mindful that somepony might just tip one on them and crush them underneath.
"Keep searching. They're in here somewhere." a deep synthetic voice rumbled.
Dainty and Lily froze immediately as the voice came from just around the corner, so close they could even hear the electronics buzzing as the robot pony stopped inches away, the only thing separating them from view was the corner of a flimsy cargo container.
Dainty and Lily quivered with fright as they saw a small pebble skittle away, clearly kicked by the robot pony. Despite the silenced motors, they could still hear them whining because they were so close.
Lily grabbed a rock off the floor, throwing it far over her head.
The robot pony stopped advancing, and they heard motors whine as it turned around to check out the noise. For a minute it didn't move, seemingly unconvinced. Then, it started walking away; the churning of mechanics growing fainter and fainter as it left.
Dainty let out a deep quivering breath, sliding down the wall and slumping onto the floor, her heart beating against her chest and her body covered in cold sweat.
"Holy cheeseburgers... That was close..." Lily leant on a wall, still trying to get over the fact that they were still alive.
"Keep... Moving?" Dainty caught her breath, gulped, and stood up.
They continued zipping through the maze, carefully listening for anything every time they approach a corner. They froze again when they heard a loud echoey clang above them, and looked up.
There was a robot pony standing on the container, his shape barely visible as the rays of sunlight suddenly became disrupted in an area. He seemed to have his back to them, so they quickly ducked down and kept low and close to the container.
Lily was about to speak, but Dainty covered her mouth and shook her head. The robot pony was too close to make any noise at all.
Dainty looked around her, then found the rock Lily threw earlier. It was out in the open, in the way of several paths. It was risky, since another robot pony might be scouting in the paths- but it was their only shot of getting past the one up top.
Dainty made a few gestures to Lily, telling her to keep an eye on the robot pony on the container.
Lily nodded, peering up. She ducked back down again, giving the all clear. Dainty started inching forward, careful not to make any noise. The rock was right there, but she needed to check the corners as well before reaching it.
She looked back to Lily, who nodded to indicate the robot pony was looking away.
Dainty peered around the corners, and when she was certain there was nothing there, she darted quietly forward and snatched the rock off the floor. She gave Lily a mouthed countdown, then threw it down the direction they came.
They quickly scuttled around the container, avoiding the robot pony's field of vision as it turned around to investigate the loud clang.
"Keep going-" Dainty pushed Lily forward as they ran down a path.
Lily suddenly stopped, and Dainty bumped into her and fell onto her back.
"What are you doing!? Keep going!" she said in a hushed tone.
But Lily seemed to be frozen in fright, a single tear sliding down her cheek and her body quivering. It's as if she were staring death straight in the eye.
Dainty looked up, and her eyes widened in horror as she saw it.
Under the rays of sunlight, was a barely visible outline of a robot pony, standing millimeters away from Lily. Then the shape moved, and Dainty could see the cloaked sword being raised.
"RUN!" Dainty shoved Lily to the side, and dived for the other. The ground they were standing on a second ago split into chunks of concrete as the sword hit.
There was a loud and solid clunk behind them, and Dainty turned around. Another robot pony. Soon the place will be swarmed with them, and now they were trapped in the center with nowhere to run.
Dainty's back bumped Lily's as they slowly backed away, eyeing the Ghosts cautiously.
There was a loud whistling noise, and they saw a silver flash. The next second the robot pony had an odd looking throwing knife stuck under its head piece and visor, a green LED indicator turning red with a beep.
Then the Ghost blew apart, suddenly coming into existence as the cloaking device was destroyed. Chunks of metal mixed with flesh clattering onto the ground, a black and pink splatter where it was a second ago, littered with indistinguishable bits and pieces.
Dainty and Lily stared in horror at the mess, the blood mist still settling. They heard another whistling, and the Ghost behind them exploded. They turned around just in time to catch the demented remains of its body fall to the ground- it looked like a crushed insect, the outer shell broken in pieces but still stuck to the bloody flesh on the inside. Guts poured out from the carcass, spilling onto the floor.
Dainty gagged, turning away and squinting her eyes shut. How could this be happening? They were in school a second ago... And now this....
She could tell Lily wasn't faring any better, vomiting onto the floor.
There were heavy hoofsteps as a full squad of Ghosts came around the corner, their energy weapons glowing an intense purple.
There was a light clunk above the two fillies, too light to be an enemy- and they looked up.
The dark silhouette of a bat pony stood tall on the cargo container, back lit by the sunlight. Two large yellow eyes seemed to glow in the shadows, those of a predator waiting to catch its prey.
Blink Nightshade brought her right hoof up, showing a splayed out array of throwing knives.
"Well guess who brought knives to a gun fight." she said without emotion.
The Ghosts de-activated their cloaking devices, revealing themselves to be light-weight close to mid-range combatants.
There was a bright flash, and Dainty felt somepony lay a hoof on her shoulder. She saw a robot pony fire a purple laser at her, and just before it hit her the world flashed again. Now they were in the control room, Nightshade standing on the edge.
"Stay here and don't move until I tell you to. And if I don't return in ten minutes, run. Get out of here, run into the city." she said, and with a bright flash and a wink she was gone.
"What was that?" Lily curled up in a corner.
"I've seen her before... But, not in this reality." Dainty said.
"This reality? What other reality is there?" Lily asked.
"I'm not sure, but I think the other one is the one where we were in the school field."
*
"Search for them! Go outside, they can't have gone far." the lead Ghost said, activating his cloak and disappearing into the shadows.
"No need." there was a bright flash, and Nightshade was already stabbing an explosive knife into his neck.
The blade slid between two armor plates, and despite him being in cloak mode; Nightshade still found every weakness in his armor. The knife went into his neck, and blood gushed out of the small crack in the armor.
Nightshade swirled around, dragged the half-dead commander behind her. With one heavy swing, she threw the robot pony into his squad mate. The explosive went off, turning both into mush.
Her ear twitched, hearing a Ghost charging his laser. Nightshade turned around, throwing the knife at the fired laser. The two hit, the laser reacting violently and sending the knife bouncing into the wall of a cargo container. The laser continued on its way, and Nightshade tilted her head to one side, letting it burn past. The knife bounced off the wall, and as she predicted; slid right between the chest plate and neck piece of the Ghost.
He choked, stumbling back and dropping the rifle. Nightshade ran forward, taking the knife out and stabbing an explosive tip in. She held onto his shoulders, and blinked. The world flashed, and the next second they were high above three other robot ponies, looking around to see where the two might have went.
Nightshade dropped the Ghost and the explosive knife into the middle of the crowd. The explosive went up in a loud bang and an orange flash, destructing three robot ponies and sending a third survivor flying into a cargo container. There was a loud metallic groan as the container was dented and pushed back several meters, leaving a chalk white trail in the concrete floor.
Nightshade blinked again, this time appearing right in front of the robot pony; who was still stumbling up. She didn't need a knife for this one- the armor design had a weak joint at the neck, so it would be easier to turn one's head in emergencies.
"Wanna turn your head? I'll turn your head-" Nightshade lashed out a kicked into the side of the helmet, sending the entire head cracking one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. The dead Ghost dropped to the floor, blood slowly leaking onto the floor and forming a puddle.
That was the rest of them. The entire squad was down- now to get the fillies. Then she stopped as she heard several loud echoey bangs, coming from high above. Then there was a screeching noise, slowly growing in pitch.
The ceiling suddenly fell apart, large metal pods dropping in and crushing the support frames. There were several loud crashes and bangs as the metal pods cracked the concrete on the floor, burying themselves deep in the ground. The surfaces glowed orange slightly with heat, from the air friction when they rubbed against the atmosphere after being fired from the barricade. Smoke drifted up into the sky, and after the bombardment of noises all was silent.
There was a loud and distinct click, and a hiss of air as pressure was released from the pod. Suddenly there was a loud bang, and the door blew out; tumbling across the concrete floors. Smoke poured onto the ground, slowly creeping towards Nightshade's hooves.
A dark silhouette stirred, and with heavy clunks stepped out of the pod and into the open. It was an assault unit- lightly armored and almost two times Nightshade's height. It had an array of weapons stored on its back, and in its large claws was holding a huge assault rifle that contains 30 mm diameter cartridges; only fireable by special robots and extreme gun experts like Magnum- otherwise the recoil is likely to cause unwanted damage.
There was a deafening bang as the assault unit fired the rifle, sending the huge bullet busting through the air. Nightshade blinked, and she was behind the assault unit. The bullet hit a cargo container, went through one wall; tilted onto its side and slammed into the other, sending the container rocking on its edges.
The assault unit turned around, firing the rifle once again. Nightshade teleported behind the unit, sliding a blade along its back and severing several critical wires; deactivating the recoil counter system. She then stabbed an explosive tip into its back, then pulled the trigger of the huge assault rifle.
The escaping gas sent a huge wave of disrupted air exploding outwards, causing Nightshade's mane to whip around in the gust of wind. The recoil sent the unit flying back, skidding into several squad mates. The explosive tip went off, taking down all of them in one big bang.
There was a heavy clunk as an assault unit came up behind Nightshade, the rifle aimed at her head. Nightshade kicked the barrel, sending the unit off aim. She the shoved an explosive knife down the barrel of the gun. The explosion blew the rifle to pieces, shattering and clattering to the floor, soon followed by drifting ashes.
A loud clang echoed around the warehouse as an unseen assault unit hit a cargo container, sending it flying towards Nightshade.
Nightshade ducked down and rolled, the container flying over her head as she sprang back to her hooves. With a flick of her wrist she sent three knives into three critical spots in the assault robot, the first disabling vision, the second movement, and the third cutting off communication between the AI and the rest of the body.
The cargo container smashed into several others, creating a domino effect and knocking them all over.
The other assault units were lingering nearby, and Nightshade was almost over her ten minute promise to the fillies.
She looked up to the control room, blinked, and was there next to the fillies the next second.
Dainty squealed and covered her head, Lily doing the same.
"Girls- we're leaving." Nightshade said, grabbing both fillies by the shoulder and taking them outside. With a bright flash, they were gone.
*
"Bastards keep coming!" Rainbow yelled, turning her cleaver on its side and deflecting the bullet from a 60 cal into the concrete ceiling, raining her with ash.
"They keep sending more from the barricade!" Octavia said, almost out of ammo.
"Barricade?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
"Hard to tell ya, but in this world now it's still up." Octavia said, the last of her ammo gone. "Shuck." she cursed.
"Damnit!" Rainbow stomped on the ground frustratedly. Her head still hurt from all this sudden change.
Octavia run out from behind cover, spinning to avoid a stream of bullets headed her way. She grabbed the rifle of an assault robot, slammed the side of its claw and clicked a specific spot on its arm. The claw fell from the arm and onto the floor, also letting go of the anti-matter rifle. Octavia grabbed the rifle, firing a single shot into the robot's chest. There was a purple flash, and when the dust settled the assault unit had a huge hole through it.
"Push forward! The fillies went for the warehouse!" Octavia yelled, firing the anti-matter rifle.
"Bastards are all over the place!" Rainbow cursed, ducking below a purple beam and swinging the cleaver in a huge arc, cutting the assault unit diagonally in half.
More bangs echoed across the dusty wasteland as the barricade fired more pods, all crashing down and lifting up a splash of dirt from the earth.
"Heavy units incoming!" Octavia yelled as a cluster of missile-like units were launched from the barricade.
They crashed into the earth, but instead of opening like the pods, they unfolded into the units.
"The heavies have one heck load of armor! Not much weapons though." Octavia said.
"See how that fares against my sword." Rainbow said, leaping onto one of the units' chest and stabbing the cleaver into its head. It fell back, and Rainbow hopped off, dragging the cleaver out behind her.
She ran ahead of Octavia, leaping high into the air. Octavia fired a beam beneath her, taking down the heavy unit in front of her. Rainbow landed back down, smashing the cleaver dead center and slicing the next assault unit in half.
"They're spreading out!" Rainbow yelled- she needed a ranged weapon.
"Then use your cleaver!" Octavia yelled.
"What!?"
"Oh, right..." Octavia held down the trigger, causing a large explosion to rip out inside a small cluster of heavy units. "Applebloom made some mods to it in this reality. See that handle?"
Rainbow looked at the bottom of the blade- there was a pump-action sliding handle attached to the sharp edge of the cleaver.
"Slide it forward!" Octavia rolled to the side, a purple beam triggering an explosion behind her.
Rainbow did as she was told. There was a loud and solid clunk, and something changed on the blunt edge of the cleaver.
"You gotta be kidding me." she inspected the new mechanism that popped up. It seemed to be the barrel of a high caliber rifle, and there was a trigger that deployed on the hilt... Only one way to find out.
Rainbow pointed the cleaver at the nearest heavy, and pulled the trigger. The boom and release of gas sent smoke curling up into the air around her, and her hat almost fell off. Her mane and tail whipped around wildly in the sudden gust of wind as the recoil forced her to take a step back.
The bullet zipped through the air, shattering an assault pony's head and blowing half of a heavy unit off the rest of its body.
"What else do I have installed?" Rainbow asked, sliding the handle back down and restoring the cleaver back to its normal state.
"Well, you told me it was 'top secret'." Octavia said.
"The me in this reality sounds some-what like a scum bag." Rainbow muttered, charging forth.
"Warehouse is right up ahead!" Octavia said.
"Can't bucking see it- what the hay is with all this dust!?" Rainbow said irritably.
"The dust is thin- but the buildings are probably acting as a dark background and shielding the warehouse from view." Octavia said. "Welcome to wasteland Manehatten."
"Manehatten!?" Rainbow asked incredulously- she never remembered Manehatten having a huge desert in the middle of it.
"I'll explain later. What I can, anyway." Octavia said, ditching the rifle as it had run out of anti-matter. "Head into the city! Once they lose sight of us they don't have anywhere to send reinforcements!"
"Cut through the crowd? Gotcha." Rainbow said, stabbing the cleaver into an assault unit. The assault units were much taller, however did not weigh as much as they looked. Rainbow kicked it in the chest, and it flew back and tumbled across the dirt field.
She darted forward, and with a powerful side swipe cut off an assault unit's legs. She stabbed the cleaver into its chest, and slid the handle forward.
Using the body as a shield, she started firing high caliber rounds in front of her, tearing her way through the Science Faction troops.
"They're flanking us! Make a run for it!" Octavia yelled, picking up a dark matter laser from a downed heavy unit.
"There's too many of them!"
"This might help-" Octavia pulled the trigger of the dark matter laser, sending a dark green beam slithering its way through the crowd ahead of them. Suddenly a large area around the beam became disrupted and distorted, and everything within a five meter radius was thrown all over the place in a horizontal tornado. Some of the assault units were even torn completely apart, but the heavy units and their heavy armor stayed intact- however still took a beating.
The laser beam consisted of special laser light particles to transport the dark matter, and modified dark matter particles, which are essentially micro black holes. Gravitational fields are generated from each of these trillions of black holes, creating a chaotic gravitational distortion within the five meter radius of the beam, tearing apart light armor and sending heavier units flying about. Its destructive nature has to be contained, however; as to not cause damage to the wielder of the weapon. The inner barriers of the rifle are designed to withstand and hold in these modified dark matter particles, however once fired becomes highly unstable; therefore cannot be used twice.
"Move! MOVE!" Octavia yelled, sprinting for the gap she created in the group of robots and ditching the smoldering dark matter rifle.
Rainbow used her wings to guide her, slicing her way through the survivors as she darted for the city.
She could see the outlines of Manehatten now- some skyscrapers were even recognizable. But they all seemed incomplete, and some of the missing pieces looked like they were blown off by weapons. Large columns of smoke trailed up into the sky, the bottom with the barest hint of orange where there may be a fire.
To sum up, Manehatten looked like a war zone.
The first buildings loomed over the pair as they approached, trailed by gun fire and beam weapons as the Science Faction chased after them.
Rainbow kicked down a rusted old metal door of a building, sending it clanging loudly into the darkness and upsetting age old ash. She swung in, followed by Octavia, and the pair started heading up.
"If we travel within the buildings, the barricade can't pin point us and they won't know where to send the troops." Octavia said as they ran up the stairs, taking three steps at a time.
"What the hay happened here?" Rainbow huffed, grabbing onto the handrails and swinging around the corner, her hooves scraping along the floor and dragging dusty trails behind them.
"Manehatten was one of the more advanced cities, still under development. In the war the magic faction managed to hold this city, but then was simply bombed by the science faction. Manehatten is a complete apocalypse now- or so history books say." Octavia's hoof steps echoed off the bare concrete walls of the stairwell, all stripped of their paint and worn down to simple shades of grey.
"That's one messed up history book." Rainbow said as they approached the end of the stairs. "Is there anywhere that is safe?"
"No- not really, anyway. I'll explain once we get somewhere quiet." Octavia grunted as they kicked down the metal door, stuck in its frame due to a slightly caved in ceiling.
Rainbow stumbled into the room, looking around at the grey emptiness.
"An office block..." she reasoned, looking at the desks and chairs and scattered papers, all a dull grey as they were covered in ash. "But where did everypony go?"
Octavia slammed the door shut behind them with a loud metallic groan, the rusty metal door grinding against the frame as she forced it back in.
"Everypony that was ever here is most likely to be dead by now." Octavia said, scraping some ash off a nearby chair and taking a seat.
Rainbow didn't bother- she just looked around her and out the glassless windows, at the new world around her.
"From what?" she asked.
"This is what happened. The science faction won the first war against magic, taking over the majority of the world. There were still itsy-bitsy parts of Earth that magic still controlled, Manehatten one of them. Manehatten managed to prosper in the gloom, but got knocked down when the science faction deployed the barricade." Octavia rubbed a hoof on her face, the chair creaking slightly as she leaned back into it.
"Then what about the rest of the world? There's gotta be survivors, right?" Rainbow turned around, back lit by the orange evening sky outside.
"There are survivors... The science faction took those willing to obey deep under ground, using them as slaves. The rest were left on the surface, and the barricade fired bio weapons down on the surface. There's nothing left here on the surface anymore... There's only the rebellion, which is made up of a scatter of ponies- just under fifty."
"Shuck..." Rainbow took her hat off, running a hoof through her mane.
"The rebellion was made of ponies that managed to escape from underground. There were others too- but they became their own alliance. They don't care who it is, they'll do anything to survive in their own free will out here on the surface. And when I say survive... It's not just about scouring the wasteland for resources. The bio weapons launched turned its victims either into the trotting dead, or just monsters."
"Trotting dead?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
"The micro organisms from the weapons invade the brain, taking control. It becomes impossible for them to starve, dehydrate, or even bleed to death. The only way for them to die is to destroy the brain... You can steal the controller from the owner, but once the controller is broken... That's it."
"Shuck... And we're out here on the surface because...?" Rainbow turned away. All this information was too much- way too much.
"Because there still is a thread of hope. The science faction has constructed an entire space fleet... Taking refuge in space and away from the surface. The barricade isn't the only place they live in. Anyway... Sources suggest that the space fleet is also trying to hide something. Something that might turn the tide of this entire universe- and magic might reign once again." Octavia said, rubbing her forehead. It was quite a lot to remember.
"And how do we know whether or not that's true?" Rainbow asked.
"That's what we're here to find out."
"Only Dainty could crack the terminal..." Octavia sighed.
"She finally got her cutie mark, didn't she?" Rainbow asked, looking down at the necklace.
"She did." Octavia nodded. "There's another filly that came with us. Lily. We found her on the way here... Her parents were already turned into those monsters by then."
"I thought the surface was already a wasteland way before?"
"Yeah. But it's possible for the infections to spread. Best just to keep the dead and the monsters away from you." Octavia said. "Anyway. About the rumor... It says that the space fleet is grouping around the sun, and would fire on any unit, no matter what faction; that approaches the sun."
"The sun?" Rainbow asked incredulously.
"Yeah. There's something about it that they're trying to protect and keep away from us... But we're meant to find out what it is. There's a research facility hidden in the Foal Mountain range. We're meant to head west and find it- it is said that the facility acts as head quarters for the science faction here on earth. Then we can go to the sun and do whatever we need to do there."
"The sun, eh... But how are we going to get there?" Rainbow asked.
Octavia smirked. "Not all magic faction ponies are descendants of magic. Some are science, sided with magic." she said, standing up. "In fact, we have control over twenty percent of the space fleet. It's not enough to take down the science faction, but if the sun is really worth a shot- then they could hold off long enough for us to do what we have to do."
"Right. And we get thrown into this reality just as the crap hits the fan? Just great. Simply, great." Rainbow sighed.
"We should probably go find the fillies." Octavia said, getting up. "The warehouse shouldn't be far from here. If we stay indoors... We should be fine."
Rainbow looked out the window. "We could make these jumps, easy."
Octavia heard a loud bang on the rusted door behind her. "Don't have to ask me again." she said, charging at the window and leaped out, tucking her legs in and rolling into the building on the other side, four meters away. She left a small dust cloud behind her as she slid on the age old carpet of a hotel living room. She got to her hooves; dusting off some ash from her dark clothes. She turned to Rainbow, waving. "What are you waiting for?"
"Nothing." Rainbow shook her head. All the sudden change was starting to give her a headache.
She backed up a few steps, ignoring the pounding on the door behind her. She started running forward, her hooves making solid thuds as she sprinted for the window, leaving behind her a haze of dust.
The pounding on the door had ended in a loud crash, and Rainbow heard a small object clatter into the room with her.
"Shuck- don't stop! KEEP RUNNING!!" Octavia yelled, drawing her pistol.
Rainbow used her wings to assist her and boost her speed, the wind running through her mane. She placed a hoof firmly on the edge, and pushed off. There was a loud bang behind her, and a strong shockwave hit her full in the back. She fell short, clipping her forehead on the ledge before tumbling down below.
Blood seeped out of her injury and floated around her in small crimson bubbles, falling down at the same speed as her. The world was a blur- all dull grey, all but the red droplets of her own blood floating around in her blurry vision. Then everything seemed to snap back- and her mind sharpened instantly.
She splayed out her wings, swinging down and busting through an old window, the glass crisp and shattering on contact. She tumbled onto the carpeted floor of a hotel bedroom, her blood smudging into the soft floor. She slowly got up, a little painfully. Blood continued to drip from her forehead, sliding down her face and merging into the carpet below. There was no sound but the glass sliding off her back as she stood up, her breathing slowly stabilizing.
"Rainbow! You there?" Rainbow didn't realize she had an ear piece on.
"Yeah, I'm here. A little battered though." Rainbow sighed, groaning as her back let out a series of cracking noises.
"You sure? I've got this really big splatter of red on the window ledge." Octavia said worriedly.
"Don't worry... I'm fine." Rainbow said.
"Meet up somewhere? The bastards threw a grenade at you."
"Yeah, I noticed."
"They blocked off that area you just jumped from- so you won't be flying up that way. Try the stairs- this place looks like a hotel. I'll meet you in the reception room, if there is one." Octavia said.
"Will do." Rainbow said, walking slowly to conserve energy and making her way out.
The door wasn't much of a struggle- after seeing all the destroyed crap, it really did surprise Rainbow to find a door that still worked. It squeaked a little when she pushed it open, but that was it. The stairs were dark, and her own hoofsteps were driving her insane as she continued down the stairs- hearing nothing but her own breathing and echoing hoofsteps.
*
Rainbow Dash abruptly woke up, springing to her hooves and looking around her.
"What the hay..?" she looked around at the white emptiness around her.
She was in a white space, with absolutely nothing here. She looked down below, but she was standing on nothing.
She slumped into a sitting position, rubbing her head. She looked down at her hooves- the bright color long faded as harmony slowly died away in the wasteland. Now her skin was just a shade of grey, and her mane that drifted down her shoulders spelt the same fate. Nothing but grey- but unlike Daring Do's, this grey was unhealthy- that of an ill pony. She shook her head vigorously, trying to clear her thoughts. Harmony was long dead in this world- and it's only survival that matters. She started tracking back the events that led her to this empty white dimension.
The science faction was after her a second ago- and she was with Octavia. Lily and Dainty had left for the warehouse to stay away from the fight- and they were all in Manehatten. They had just been dispatched from rebellion headquarters, a secret facility located in the Crystal Mountains- but now where is she?
"Octavia!" she yelled, looking around her. "OCTAVIA!!"
Her voice echoed she didn't know how far- as there were no visual guides to suggest depth. But one thing was certain- there was no response.
"Must be hallucinating." Rainbow said aloud, rubbing her head.
Or, she could've died. Yes, that sounded more likely- but she wasn't about to believe that yet. She did remember hearing the scream of a mortar shell behind her when she was knocked out- but that was it.
Suddenly there was a strong gust of wind that knocked her off her hooves, and she fell on her back; the air leaving her lungs.
"What the hay..!?" she gasped.
She felt a wave of air pass over her, and was instantly blinded by the vibrant colors and bright sunlight that followed. She tried to open her eyes, but the bright colors made them sting.
The laughter and happy chattering of ponies were like music to her ears- it was a beautiful sound she hadn't heard in decades of being simply alive. Her eyes finally adjusted, and they sprung open.
She was in Ponyville, on a sunny day. It was nothing like she remembered it- instead of being completely destroyed, the buildings all rotting in decay; it was vibrant and beautiful- like it was meant to be. Blue skies and white clouds covered the atmosphere, no barricade; and not a shade of grey but one particular crossed-eyed pegasus.
"Pinkie...?" Rainbow asked. It had been such a long time since she'd seen those laughing faces- Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity...
Rainbow tried to talk to them, but they didn't seem capable of acknowledging her presence. They continued chatting and talking and laughing, like she wasn't there. She walked up to them, but still they didn't even look at her.
"Girls-" she said, then everything thing faded. She tried to reach out and ruffle Pinkie's mane like she always did back then, but before she could everything was gone. The blue sky, the vibrant colors, her laughing friends- all fading back into that white nothingness.
Rainbow stared at where the rest of the mane six were a second ago, her hoof still outstretched. Slowly, it fell down and slumped back at her side. She took one soft sniff, slumping down onto the ground.
"I really wish I could see you all again." she sobbed, a single tear drifting down her cheek as she slowly slid a hoof along the emptiness.
There was a gentle thud ahead of her, and she looked up. Slowly walking away from her, nothing but a dot in the distance. The pony seemed to be wearing identical clothes to her, and had a flowing rainbow colored mane and tail. Blue skin peaked out from under the clothes, and two wings lay folded on her back.
The figure looked vaguely familiar, but Rainbow couldn't remember. Only one way to find out- she got up, and started following the rainbow maned pegasus.
*
"Made it." Rainbow said, walking into the reception.
"Glad you-" Octavia stopped dead when she saw Rainbow's wound. "We really need you bandaged up. Too bad Thyme isn't here... She could get you all fixed up in no time."
"Who the hay is Thyme?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
"She... Is a friend of yours. Suppose you don't remember." Octavia lowered her head, her expression seemingly saddened.
Rainbow looked down at the ground. She didn't feel particularly good about anything right now... And she didn't think she wanted to meet Thyme. She was certain that this pony would be nice, but she didn't think she could stand the look on anypony's face when she tells them that she doesn't remember them. It would only hurt more feelings and make things worse.
"They're still after us. Head across the road- let's just hope the barricade doesn't notice us." Octavia said, diverting the topic.
They started walking towards two double doors, the golden framing almost worn away and the glass in shards. Rainbow pushed one open, causing a few pieces of glass to clatter onto the dusty marble floor.
"They're retreating." she said as she exited the building, watching several large drop ships depart the roof high above, engines blaring and sending waves of ash drifting down onto the street.
"That's never good." Octavia said, turning and beginning to walk away.
Suddenly there was a loud bang, and a bright light dropped from the barricade. It was just a bright yellow light spot on the horizon, slowly dropping towards the sea.
"Bomb?" Rainbow asked.
"Doesn't look like one of those explosives... But yes, a bomb. Different kind though- it looks like one of those weather control ones? Can't be sure." Octavia frowned, squinting at the object.
Then it disappeared into the water, causing nothing but a big ripple where it hit the surface.
"Maybe it's nothing." Rainbow said.
"I wouldn't keep my hopes up if I were you." Octavia said. "We really should get the fillies and get the hay away from the coastline."
Then there was a loud but dull thunk, coming from deep underwater and miles away. The amplified sound wave followed by a weak shockwave shook the dust and ash off some of the buildings, also rattling their worn walls in their rusting frames.
At first there was nothing. Then they started hearing the churning of the sea, splashing and roaring. It was distant at first... But slowly it grew louder and louder. Rainbow and Octavia could feel a slight breeze coming from the coast, brushing gently against their skins. The breeze made a hollow sound as it passed the gaping windows of the buildings, like a ghostly whisper.
"This is not good." Rainbow whispered.
The splashing noise had grown to a full roar now. It was a bombardment on their ears, as it still continued to grow- it was as if the sea was a giant monster being constantly fed.
Then a huge dark blue wall towering twenty meters and outlined by white slammed through the buildings, knocking them down like Lego blocks. The wall of water churned and writhed, flooding onto the streets and washing everything away. Old, unused cars were over turned and swallowed into the infinite darkness of the water, drifting away and followed by many other things.
The bomb had triggered a mega tsunami from deep under the sea.
"Shuck! Run! RUN!!" Rainbow yelled, taking off.
Octavia galloped for a building, but the wall of water was faster than the both of them. At first all Rainbow felt was a big wet slap on the back, then before she could take in a breath the water dragged her completely under.
The water was thick, and blocked out almost all traces of sunlight. All Rainbow saw were different shades of a dark greeny-blue. She struggled, trying to take in air- but none was found here in the water. She held a hoof to her throat, trying to hold the air in- but the strong currents and pressure down here was squeezing her lungs. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, a large cluster of bubbles escaping her throat and thwarting her desperate efforts to hold her breath. She gasped, and couldn't help but take another breath- but all there was was water. She kicked around in the water, hitting some debris occasionally.
Then her head suddenly broke the surface, and she gasped. Fresh, beautiful air flooded into her lungs as she sucked in a huge breath. She tried to flap her wings, but the water had made her feathers heavy. She tried to fly, but couldn't as the water weighed her down. She looked around her- Manehatten was crumbling all around her.
The concrete buildings fell as their support structures were knocked down by the water. There was a loud crack and groaning as the city's tallest skyscraper started tipping, slowly falling towards the water. A huge splash amongst hundreds others exploded outwards as the skyscraper slammed onto the water's surface, then exploded into chunks of metal and concrete as the tsunami smashed it into another building, reducing both to nothing but rubble that was continuously carried downstream.
Rainbow was struggling to stay afloat- there was constantly an undercurrent trying to drag her under. She grabbed desperately at the debris, but they did little to keep her on the surface. Then something clamped around her hoof, and dragged her under.
Through the darkness she saw two glowing red eyes, and a metal body that resembled a sea snake. It cut through the water, dragging Rainbow deeper down.
Rainbow gurgled, and launched a kick at the robot. Hell- these guys are everywhere! She lashed out again, but it wouldn't let go- and Rainbow had a feeling that it won't until she breaks it. She hammered it with her hooves again and again, but the metal was holding together.
Rainbow quickly got her cleaver out from her pocket, the red glow of the Element of Loyalty illuminating the darkness. She slid the handle forward, and aimed it down at the robot's head.
See you in hell, asshole. She thought, and pulled the trigger.
The recoil made her tumble back, and the bullet blew the robot's head into shards. Rainbow quickly packed away the cleaver, swimming up to the surface. But there was debris everywhere down here- all tumbling through the water because of the currents.
She finally broke the surface, and saw that she was nowhere near Manehatten- she was in the sea, the entire city being completely flushed away from one side to the other.
There was a deep whine that shook her bones, traveling up in deafening sound waves from the bottom of the sea.
Whatever it was- it didn't sound friendly. At all.
Rainbow started swimming as fast as she could through the water, pieces of debris starting to bubble up on the surface. Then she felt a strong current draw her back as a huge creature broke the surface behind her, roaring loudly.
"The hay..?" Rainbow was then washed away from the creature as the surface smashed back down, sending her drifting away from the creature in a huge wave.
"Rainbow! Shuck- Rainbow! Can you hear me!?" Octavia's voice came through the miraculously still-working mic.
Rainbow spat out a mouthful of water. "Yeah. Loud and clear. You injured?"
"No- and you don't sound like you are. Are you out at sea!?"
"Well, yeah..."
"I just got info from the fleet- the bomb that was launched earlier was another one of those bio bombs! Get out of the water- now!" Octavia yelled.
"I think I figured that out." Rainbow turned around in the water, looking up as a huge mutated killer whale leaped out of the water; arching smoothly through the air and sliding back under the surface without so much as a splash. It made a dull thud as it slid deep under the sea, leaving nothing but a large ripple behind it.
Rainbow heard it roar underwater again. She started swimming as fast as she could for the nearest land, which was about thirty meters away. Adrenaline pumped through her body, greatly raising her oxygen consumption level. She started slowing down, somehow her body feeling much heavier than it was before.
There was a huge roar behind her, and a loud splash as the killer whale leaped out of the water behind her again, its jaws lined with rows of sharp teeth opening wide enough to swallow a bus without chewing.
And a triple decker at that.
"Soarin! Sir!" the bartender of the small food court of rebellion super cruiser 'OASIS' saluted as Soarin took a seat at the bar table.
"Keep it down... I just need some time to think." Soarin had dark rings under his eyes, and he rubbed his head tiredly.
"I'll fetch your usual then, sir-"
"No, I'm fine- Thank you, officer- but just get me a beer." Soarin said.
"But sir- you always have pie here- is something wrong?"
"What can I say... All of a sudden these memories just spring into your head. I don't know what to believe anymore." Soarin said. "There's a big storm coming... And I really hope it's worth it."
"We all do." a gentle voice said from behind him- sounding equally tired.
"Captain." Soarin said, although it was more of a sigh.
"If I may join you, officer." Spitfire said, sliding out a chair from under the bar table.
"Of course, sir." Soarin said. To have a good friend nearby was always much more comforting and less confusing.
"Drop it, Soarin." Spitfire said, sighing and taking a seat.
"Right, right..." Soarin rubbed his head. "I just don't know what is real, and what isn't. It's giving me one hell of a headache."
"All of it is real." Spitfire surprised Soarin by saying.
"Wonderbolts? That world seems so far away..." Soarin looked around them, at all the dull grey. "I wish those memories were true. But how do you know they're real?"
"The Wardens just informed us on the situation. They'll be helping us during the fight. Apparently the Doctor had his TARDIS hijacked... And most importantly, whoever used it went back in time and killed Starswirl."
"No..." Soarin took a huge gulp out of a beer bottle.
"All we can do now is to get along with whatever this new world throws at us." Spitfire sighed, looking down at the table and tracing the grains of wood with a hoof. "The storm is coming... And not all of us are going to make it." she said.
"Then why are we still trying? We can't win against them..." Soarin said.
"Perhaps we can. Perhaps we can't. We'll never know until we try." Spitfire said, standing up.
"Where are you going?" Soarin asked without looking up.
"Observation deck. Somepony needs to keep this cruiser running." Spitfire sighed. "In the meantime..." she tossed a few coins onto the table before Soarin. "Get yourself a pie, officer. I don't want the stallion guarding my back all sloppy and drunk when the storm hits." she winked, before leaving.
"Captain-" Spitfire stopped as Soarin said.
"Officer?" she asked, tilting her head slightly but not looking back completely.
"You should probably save your money for a reliable umbrella." Soarin said. The storm was about to hit- and he didn't feel up to any task at all.
"The reliable umbrella is being assembled... It just needs a few more parts, and I'm funding it." Spitfire said, walking out. "Have an enjoyable rest of the day, officer."
"You too, captain." Soarin sighed, then called the bartender over. "Get me an apple pie."
*
Magnum leant on the metal railings of a catwalk, overlooking the hangar bay of the OASIS. Ponies scurried here and there, loading equipment onto the drop ships and replenishing ammo. Engineers installed mods on the ships, greatly improving their chances of survival.
The hangar was a huge expanse of empty space, filled in by ships of all sizes docking here and there. The OASIS was a colossal cruiser, spanning over 150 kilometers in length. The hangar was at the very top level of the cruiser, stretching down its length. Hatches in the outer hull open up and let ships out, a shield system keeping the air pressure stabilized.
Magnum sighed. This catwalk was her favorite spot on the entire ship, other than the bridge(which she didn't have a high enough rank to go onto without permission). It overlooked the entire hangar, and for whatever reason being able to see everything made her feel more comfortable. She thought about some pros and cons of the new reality...
Pro. There are lots of ponies that need bullets in their heads.
Con. She just lost every piece of sniping equipment she had in the previous reality.
Pro. Applebloom made her a rifle thingy that could turn into most projectile weapons.
Con. There was a low chance of winning against the science faction.
Magnum sighed again. She couldn't be bothered deciding whether or not she liked this reality better than the previous... There were so many differences.
Suddenly something caught her eye down in the crowds below. She frowned, searching the crowds once again. Nothing was out of the ordinary- But her trained sniper sense just spiked. She ran her eyes over the crowd, down the length of the hangar- but she didn't find that familiar figure again.
"Weird..." she muttered.
*
Rainbow drew the cleaver, and took a deep breath. The killer whale slammed down, and the churning waters and the whale swallowed the blue pegasus.
She managed to avoid the jagged teeth, tumbling straight into the whale's mouth. The whale was still vertical, however; and was still swimming deeper and deeper under the sea.
Rainbow stabbed the cleaver into the whale's tongue, holding onto the handle and hanging there. The cleaver went through the tongue and into the jaw underneath, and the whale roared. Rainbow clung onto it, blood pouring down the side of the whale's tongue and dribbling down onto those large razor sharp teeth below.
Rainbow needed to find a way to kill this thing- and fast. She swung over the cleaver and landed on top of the handle, balancing and wary of the teeth that could tear her apart down below.
She looked towards the other side- which was the top of the mouth. She looked down at the cleaver- it might be able to go through all the rough flesh and penetrate into the whale's brain. But if she were to remove the cleaver- the whale could easily crush her with its tongue.
"Here goes nothing." She said, yanking the cleaver out from underneath her.
As expected, the whale roared again and moved its tongue forward, about to crush Rainbow.
Rainbow swung the cleaver in front of her, sliding the handle forward. She had her back on the whale's tongue, the momentum of the it keeping her in place- other than the fact that she was also covered in saliva, of course.
The cleaver went into the roof of the whale's mouth, crunching against bone and tearing through flesh.
Rainbow was squished against the cleaver handle, and she struggled to hold it away from her ribs. She pulled the trigger, and heard the dull bang travel through the thick layers of flesh. She pulled it again, the cleaver jerking as another bullet was sent into the whale. It roared, and its tongue went back.
Gravity tipped, and Rainbow fell down onto the tongue- the whale was swimming horizontally now. A loud angry whine travelled out from deep inside the animal.
"Shuck..." Rainbow looked up- the cleaver was still stuck in the roof of the whale's mouth. She couldn't fly up there- as her wings and clothes were drenched in saliva.
She ran across the whale's tongue, leaped onto the side and kicked off towards the ceiling. Her hooves brushed the cleaver handle, and she managed to grab hold of it- but it wouldn't fall out. She slammed a hoof on the trigger, and the recoil sent the cleaver flying out with a loud bang and a thud.
Rainbow fell onto the tongue again, bouncing up slightly. She quickly scrambled up, grabbing the cleaver and rolling sideways. Then gravity started tilting once again- the whale was heading towards the surface.
"Whoaoaoa!" she started tumbling down towards the whale's throat. "Ain't getting swallowed by you!"
Her hooves slipped and slid on the saliva coated tongue, and it was curling in above her.
She threw the cleaver as a javelin, and it anchored itself into the roof of the whale's mouth. She leaped off the tongue, which curled in completely seconds later. She grabbed the cleaver handle, then swung up onto it.
"Ah buck." Rainbow muttered, looking up and watching a huge gust of water flood through the killer whale's teeth and splash down towards her.
She grabbed onto the cleaver the best she could, and waited; listening to the growing sound of splashing.
Then it hit her like a brick wall, but still she didn't let go. She took a deep breath earlier, but the impact knocked all the air away from her lungs. She gasped in between big bubbles, but that was the only air she got- not even fresh- it tasted like the inners of a giant mutated whale.
Her hooves were slowly slipping from the cleaver handle, and she fought the currents to get a better grip.
Then everything went back to normal, gravity tilting the right way up. She pulled the trigger, breaking the cleaver away from the top of the whale's mouth.
The whale howled, and Rainbow fell onto its tongue again. The water had washed away, down into other systems of the whale.
Rainbow quickly scrambled up, snatching the cleaver from the ground. Obviously she won't be getting to its brain from down here- there'll be a better chance if she were to stab the cleaver through its skull from the outside.
She ran for the mouth, the teeth already closed. They must be on the surface already, since she could feel the whale bobbing up and down in the waves.
She leveled the cleaver against the rows of teeth, the handle sliding forward with a loud click. The recoil shook large droplets of water and saliva off Rainbow as the muzzle of the cleaver flared up again and again, the bullets pounding and tearing through the teeth. The whale let out a pained roar, flicking its tongue up.
Rainbow ran forward, climbed up the raising tongue and flipped over the tip; leaping onto the raw and bleeding gums of the whale.
There was a loud splash behind her as the tongue crashed back down, and she dive-rolled through a hole she created in its rows of teeth. She grabbed the chipped remains of a tooth above her as she exited, swinging up and over the killer whale's nose. She landed with a gentle thud on top of its head, already running towards where its brain should be under the flesh and skull.
"Dash!"
Somepony called her name, and she looked up.
"Catch!" Nightshade yelled, throwing an explosive knife towards her.
Rainbow caught the knife, pulled the pin; and started running towards the killer whale's blow hole. She stabbed the knife in just as she passed, the cleaver folding into that capsule once again. Nightshade swooped down and caught her by the shoulders, then with a bright flash they were on the beach.
There was a loud bang and tremor, and when they turned around all they saw was a large splash and a cloud of pink mist.
"I'm never ever getting near the sea. Ever again." Rainbow fell back into the sand.
*
Magnum caught sight of that figure again. Now that she had a good look and had time to rake through her memories... It was Deadeye.
She kept a loaded pistol on her belt, ready to be drawn at any second. Clips full of ammo caught a glint of light, all lined up neatly on her belt. Cautiously, she followed Deadeye through crowd.
He turned a corner and away from the hangar, and shortly after Magnum followed. Deadeye started typing in codes to a restricted area, and Magnum slipped in before the doors closed behind him. There was nopony here in these areas- it was the living quarters of L18. The OASIS was divided into several areas for crew, each area with their own code so ponies from other areas can't access them. But now... Magnum was in the L18's quarters, when she clearly had a 'L17' label on her uniform.
Deadeye turned into an empty hall way, stretching far and out of sight, doors lining the sides- the many different bedrooms of the crew.
Magnum drew her pistol, but a little too silently- Deadeye didn't even hear. She clicked the gun loudly, and Deadeye swirled around; his own pistol of the same model drawn.
That's more like it- Magnum thought with an inward grin.
There were two muzzle flashes and a merged bang as they both pulled the trigger.
A loud clang echoed through the silent hallway as a fused bullet clattered to the ground between them.
Then they both started unloading their ammo on each other, the muzzle flares lighting up the dark hallway. Shells flew and clattered against the walls, fused bullets falling out of the air with loud cracks.
The bombardment was followed by empty clicks as they both flicked out their empty magazines, swapping in new ones.
Magnum rolled forward, closing the distance between her and her opponent. She sprung up, firing a bullet into one of Deadeye's own. She launched a kick at his head, but he turned out of the way. He fired a metal slug at her, but she intercepted it with a bullet of her own just as it was about to go through her head.
Deadeye swiped her hooves out from underneath her, the pistol already trained on her forehead. Magnum violently jerked her head to one side, the bullet tearing a smoldering hole in the metal floor beside her ear. She pushed off the floor with her front hooves, launching both back hooves into Deadeye's chest. He grunted, stumbling back as Magnum leaped up, pistol trained on his face.
Deadeye fired, meeting Magnum's bullet just in time. He charged at her, and pulled the trigger when the barrel was only a few inches away from Magnum's forehead. Unluckily for him, Magnum had already anticipated the move; pulling the trigger a split second earlier than he did; knocking the bullet out of the air from the side with her own. The fused bullet spiraled out of control, making a small graze mark on her ear.
Magnum swung her left hoof into Deadeye's face, shattering his nose. He fell back, blood gushing out of his nose. He swung the gun up, the muzzle blazing and the recoil pounding against his hooves.
Magnum didn't even look, just pointed her gun in that general direction. She let the recoil hammer her hoof and travel down her shoulder, listening to the three separate sets of clatters as their bullet shells and the fused bullets fell onto the floor.
Deadeye kicked up, his hoof connecting with the pistol and sending it out of Magnum's hoof.
Magnum didn't bother fetching it- she kept a count in her head on both their clips- she had one bullet left, and Deadeye had none from that missed shot earlier.
As expected, when Deadeye pulled the trigger; there was nothing.
"Keeping count of your ammo is an important part of being a good sniper-" Magnum began.
Deadeye ditched his pistol, leaping up and snatching Magnum's gun out of the air. He shoved Magnum in the chest, causing her to fall over backwards. He pointed the pistol right between her eyes, a grin on his face.
"After all these years... I finally beat you! I finally bucking beat you!" he laughed.
"Dunno what you're talking about." Magnum said, her speech slightly odd; as if she had something in her mouth.
"I have the gun. You don't." Deadeye said.
"Well, I have the bullet." Magnum started chewing on something. "Been such a long time since I tasted gunpowder. Still like strawberry sherbet better." she said, spitting out a bullet and its shell.
Deadeye checked under the gun- the magazine wasn't there... No wonder it felt oddly light.
"Not this agai-" he muttered, and took a kick in the stomach.
"I'll have that-" Magnum ripped her gun from his grip, her other hoof sliding a magazine out from her belt.
Deadeye rolled backwards, grabbed his gun, slipped a full magazine into it, and fired at the same time as Magnum did. The two bullets hit each other, fusing into one and falling onto the ground with a dull clang.
They continued unloading on each other, but no shots caused any damage to anything except the bullets.
Deadeye stopped to reload as both their guns emptied out once again, but was surprised when Magnum ran right up to him and slammed a hoof under his ribs. She flicked her gun into the air, caught it by the top, and smashed the handle down onto Deadeye's head.
There was a loud clatter as his gun and a half loaded magazine fell to the floor.
"Wha...?" he murmured, eyes rolling and stars circling his head.
"Aaaaaaaaaand.... Good night." Magnum tapped him on the forehead, and he fell back onto the floor; unconscious. "Now..." she looked around her, at all the fused bullets and bullet shells. "Time to get away from here."
*
"Surprised to see you here, sir." Soarin said, still sitting at the bar as Shining Armor approached.
"Been up all night monitoring... Well, pretty much everything." the Captain of the Royal Guards yawned. "Nothing like a good cup of cider to cheer me up- you know?"
"Yeah. But it's a pie for me though." Soarin said, and Shining Armor chuckled. "Just down here for a drink, sir?"
"My head also hurts pretty bad. Maybe if I get drunk and make it worse, tomorrow morning it might feel better. You know, in contrast." Shining Armor said, flicking a few bits onto the table as the bartender slid a large cup of foamy apple cider across the table.
"Or I could put a bullet through your head, and you won't have to worry about anything afterwards." a terrifyingly familiar voice said from behind them, and they turned.
Starshine had a pistol trained right between Shining Armor's eyes, a maniac grin on his face.
Rainbow continued following the mysterious blue pegasus, calling and yelling out at her- but she didn't turn around. Nothing she did indicated she knew of her presence at all. Still she chased after the figure, but for some reason the figure seemed to be able to walk faster than her sprinting.
Sure, Rainbow could stop. But that figure had a strong sense of purpose- and Rainbow felt like she'd be non-existent if she let her leave. It's as if the figure could help her in her current state... To explain her insanity. To explain everything.
Rainbow slowed down, trying to catch her breath. The figure continued walking, disregarding her. Rainbow looked up again, eyes narrowed and locked in a determined frown. I don't care who you are- I'll find out why everything is how it is.
*
"Rainbow!" Dainty squealed, tackling Rainbow back onto the sand.
Rainbow hugged her tightly, ruffling her mane lovingly. "I'm so glad you're safe. Thanks, Nightshade."
"There were greater purposes for me to save this filly." Nightshade said simply.
"Sis... I'm scared... I don't know what all these memories are..." Dainty snuggled against her chest.
"I don't know either." Rainbow sighed. "But we'll find out, yeah?"
Dainty nodded.
Octavia noticed Lily staring down at the sand, her expression cloudy.
"Hey... You alright?" She asked, kneeling down before the filly.
"I... I think so. But... Why do I suddenly remember my mom and dad's... Grave...?"
Octavia froze. Lily's parents were still alive in the previous reality.... But they died getting her out from underground in this reality.
"Don't worry. It's nothing." Octavia lied- she simply couldn't bare telling Lily the truth. She gave her a quick squeeze, and ruffled her mane. "Come on. Once this war is over, everything will be back to normal."
"O...Ok..." Lily said, but Octavia could clearly tell she still wasn't convinced.
"We should get moving. The moment the barricade finds us, they'll start raining us with troops again. The only bridge from here to the mainland is still intact... From there we cross Fillydelphia and Ponyville." Nightshade said, looking out towards mainland Equestria.
"There's a long road ahead, isn't there..." Rainbow sighed.
*
"Nopony move!" Starshine yelled. "Or the captain dies."
The bar froze, and Soarin gritted his teeth together. Shining Armor looked Starshine in the eye, his gaze unwavering and a slight frown on his face.
"So everything changes in this new world, aye..." he said, narrowing his eyes.
"Of course it does." Starshine said. "Stand up, captain."
Shining Armor did so, raising his arms to show he wasn't armed.
"Sir!" Soarin warned in a hushed tone through gritted teeth.
Shining Armor flicked his wrist, indicating for him to shut up.
"Kneel down." Starshine said, flicking the pistol towards the ground.
"Uh... No." Shining Armor said.
"No?" Starshine raised an eyebrow. "There won't be a second warning."
"Still a no." Shining Armor said. The guards in the background stirred, ready to draw their weapons. The captain made a few movements with his eyes, telling them to stand down. They seemed to get the message, as the took their hooves away from their weapons.
"You asked for it." Starshine grinned.
There was a loud bang and flash as he pulled the trigger. Shining Armor flinched, taking a step back. There was no blood, just a crushed bullet that fell on the floor out of mid-air. The bar watched in shock as Starshine looked down at the crushed bullet.
"The hell?" he exclaimed, aiming for Shining Armor's head and pulling the trigger once again. There were two separate clunks as a crushed bullet and its shell clattered to the ground.
Starshine roared, emptying the clip at Shining Armor- but none of the bullets hit. They all got crushed in mid-air, then fell onto the ground in metal pancakes. Soarin had his mouth wide open, staring in awe.
Starshine fired the last bullet, but instead of it getting crushed; it stopped in mid air with a jump of sparks.
"What sorcery...?" he gasped, taking a step back.
The air in front of Shining Armor rippled, a dark shape appearing. Neon let go of the bullet that she pinched out of the air, her blank expression unreadable.
"Surprise, mother bucker." she said, slamming a fist into Starshine's face. He crashed into a table behind him, crushing the glassware and plates with his back, also cracking the weak wooden table in half. He crashed through, slamming onto the cold metal floor.
"Try not to destroy the bar." Shining Armor said.
"Done." Neon closed a claw around Starshine's head, lifted him off the ground; and slammed him back into the ground again. The strike was controlled, with only enough power to knock him out but not as to cause too much damage.
"Officers... Lock him away." Shining Armor said, taking his seat at the bar table again; picking up his cup of cider and taking a sip. "Thanks Neon. Want a drink?"
"I would enjoy the social factor, however am incapable of consuming alcoholic goods."
"Just sit down." Shining Armor said irritably as two officers dragged an unconscious Starshine out of the bar.
*
"Ma'am." an officer saluted as Spitfire entered the bridge, a command center high above the rest of the OASIS; overlooking the huge kilometer-long super cruiser. The sun's rays were disrupted by the hundreds of science faction ships crowded around it, traveling into the bridge in broken pieces. To the left was Earth, once a beautiful blue and green and white planet. But now it was nothing but a dirt brown and dull grey, a wasteland created by the barricade- a dark grey web strung over the atmosphere.
Crowded around the planet were the science faction ships, hidden within the fleet several other rebellion cruisers like the OASIS. In the middle of the mass was the largest ship of them all- the S.F. COLOSSUS, the Science Faction flagship. It was at least twenty times larger than the OASIS- and some say it was so huge it had its own gravitational pull, and had to have special generators installed to counter the effect.
Spitfire trotted across the bridge, slowing to a stop in front of the huge windows of the bridge. She gazed out towards space, the stars shimmering in the infinite darkness. In this brand new reality... Everything was so much different. She was viewing a sight she never thought she'd ever see- it was as if she were in a different world.
"Ma'am." the officer said again, standing behind her with a data pad.
"Yes, officer?" Spitfire turned away from the majestic sight of space to face the officer.
"There has been an assassination attempt on Captain Shining Armor in the bar."
"An 'attempt'. Didn't succeed, so just lock the damn bastard up and forget it." Spitfire said irritably.
"We already did that, ma'am."
"Well," Spitfire sighed, heading down to the lower levels of the bridge to check on the weapons systems. "I guess you're a bucking genius then."
"Uh..."
"Don't answer that. Just interrogate the assassin and see what you could get out of him- anything would be nice. Try not to kill him." Spitfire said, waving the officer off.
"Yes ma'am." the officer said obediently, turning and leaving.
Spitfire walked through the rows and rows of monitors. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary- everything was normal. Everything was calm- and Spitfire liked it that way. Sometimes she felt scared about the storm, and what it might bring- but that's what Soarin's here for. She supports him so he could support her when she needs it- and sure, he could be a great comfort when he needed to be one.
She sighed, stopping and facing the wall at the end of the bridge. What could be the worst to happen? The world burns and kills everypony? That might be a good thing, in a way. But no- she would never let that happen.
She pounded a hoof against the metal wall, her eyes narrowed into a determined frown. She will protect everypony with her new authority. She will make sure none of them get hurt. She will make sure that she uses her new authority perfectly.
"I won't let anypony get hurt." she said to herself, shaking away any doubt in her heart. She'll make sure everypony lives through this crisis. She'll see to it.
*
Rainbow gazed out towards the far side of the suspension bridge, trying in vain to ignore the snapped wires and cracked cement roads.
"Remind me why we have to cross this thing again?" she raised an eyebrow.
"It's the only bridge that leads to the mainland, in the direction we need to be heading.
We just need to get through Fillydelphia and Ponyville to get to Foal Mountains- and I can't teleport because there are too many obstacles in the way." Nightshade said. "We'll just have to slowly cross it."
"Why can't you teleport with obstacles around?" Rainbow asked.
"Well, I could; but one of you might end up fused with an object if I miscalculate- given the fact that I don't use teleportation spells, and my ability is a mere lucky magical mutation. And taking you guys one by one is too dangerous- knowing the science faction, they could do something to you if you're alone in two seconds. If we stick together, it's harder for them to get to us." Nightshade said, taking a weapon from a nearby dead assault unit. There were carcasses of science faction units all over the place- but not a sign of organic units. "Check around corners. It's not just the robots we should be worrying about."
"Gotcha." there were several clicks as Rainbow's cleaver unfolded in her hooves.
Nightshade continued searching the assault unit for other weapons. She stood up, turning to the fillies and handing them a pistol each.
"You two know how to use these?"
"I...I guess..." Dainty shivered.
"Stay in the center, you two. Octavia and Rainbow, you two stay upfront. I'll be at the rear." Nightshade said.
"Got it." Octavia said, picking up an anti-matter rifle off the floor.
The bridge was in a really bad state, and looked like it could collapse at any moment- but it was the only way across to where they needed to go. Rusting remains of cars were scattered across the cracked streets, weed and grass growing out of the cracks. The bright painted colors were long gone, all decayed into a revolting brown. Indistinguishable pieces of vehicles and other mechanical products could be found here and there, with the occasional old splatter of blood.
"Shoot at anything that moves. We don't know what's out here, so stay sharp. Rainbow, Octavia, take the lead." Nightshade said, following the group as they started making their way across the bridge.
There was an unnatural eery silence as they set hooves on the bridge. All they could hear were each other's breathing, and their own silently echoing hoofsteps. Octavia swung around the first car, checking if there was anypony or anything hiding behind it. She raised a hoof, waving them on.
Nightshade peered behind them, her hooves ready to whip to her side and draw out the throwing knives.
Slowly they moved through the cars, keeping an eye out for each and every corner. They all suddenly stopped as they heard a deep moan, their ears turning this way and that; trying to locate the sound.
"That is not good..." Rainbow muttered.
"It's still alive." Nightshade said, drawing out an explosive knife. "Everypony go! Faster- come on! The thing could easily take down the bridge or leap over it- GO!" she ushered the fillies to run, waving at Octavia and Rainbow to tell them to start moving.
Then there was silence again, but they didn't stop; the sound of their own hoofsteps pursuing them. Slowly growing in volume, was the sound of water moving away from an object- and it was getting closer.
There was a slight ripple on a surface as a fin emerged from the depths, sliding through the sea and leaving behind it a trail of disrupted water.
"Shuck- here it comes!" Rainbow yelled, sliding the cleaver handle forward.
"Octavia- use the anti-matter rifle! Since water is matter- you might be able to create a big enough explosion to kill it!" Nightshade said.
"Right." Octavia said, raising the rifle. A purple beam shot out of the rifle, slithering through the air and making contact with the water. She held down the trigger, the glow of the beam intensifying.
"Careful now-" Rainbow warned.
"Trigger's jammed!" Octavia yelled, struggling to unlock the jammed trigger. The aging rifle must've had some defects over the years of just lying on the street.
"Let go of it!" Nightshade yelled.
But it was already too late- the beam overrode the safety mechanisms, firing the rifle. However, because of the intense heat and energy used to contain the anti-matter, the containment cylinder had melted away- the anti-matter fired was unstable. While most of it was directed into the water, some escaped.
There was a bright purple flash as the rifle exploded into sparks and webs of purple lightning, pieces of metal flying everywhere. Octavia screamed, falling back and hitting her back on a car with a loud clunk and crack.
"Shuck-" Rainbow cursed, running to her side. "Octavia! Look at me-" she waved her hooves frantically in front of her face.
Octavia moaned, clutching her head. She didn't seem to sustain any physical damage, despite the carnage.
The beam of anti-matter channeled through the air, hitting the area of water behind the mutated killer whale. There was a bright purple and yellow explosion, much larger than the one earlier. A huge wave of water exploded outwards, flying high up into the sky and creating a micro tsunami on the surface.
The killer whale roared, but its momentum kept it going. Its dead body flipped on its side, tumbling through the water. Waves and water leaped out of the way as it continued its rampage through the sea, now completely out of control. It hit a wave head on, the force causing it to flip into the air. Then its side slammed into one of the supports of the bridge.
One of the only two.
The age old and decaying concrete was long battered and scarred by the pounding waves of the new wasteland, and the huge mass of the whale barreled right through it- reducing it into chunks that flew up into the air, then crashing back down into the water in huge splashes.
"Buck-" Rainbow almost stumbled over as the bridge tilted violently to one side, the steel framing inside the concrete groaning loudly. Several loud cracks were heard as the gravel roads began splitting apart- the bridge was ripping itself to pieces.
Then there were loud clunks and splashes as the section where the support was knocked out began collapsing, cars and pieces of the bridge alike tumbling into the turmoil of water below.
"Run! RUN!!" Nightshade yelled, pushing the fillies forward as they started galloping towards the far other side.
"Come on, Octavia-" Rainbow dug a hoof under Octavia's arm, lifting her to her hooves.
"Go..." Octavia managed, rubbing her head. She was in a very bad state- her face pale, and she was barely supporting herself.
"Not a chance." Rainbow said, lifting her onto her back.
"Oh shuck-" Nightshade cursed as she spotted an anti-matter rifle being crushed under a falling piece of concrete.
The anti-matter was released, mixing with the normal matter and causing an explosion the size of a micro nuke just twenty meters behind them. The explosion set off a chain reaction, lighting up the remaining fuel inside the cars and sending them high up into the sky with huge fireballs.
"Come on! GO!!" Rainbow yelled, carrying Octavia on her back and galloping on all fours towards the opposite end, zig-zagging through all the cars.
Now they had not only a collapsing bridge chasing them, but also large unstoppable chain of exploding cars.
All they heard were the loud booms, and saw their own dancing shadows in front of them as they were backlit by the fireballs.
Nightshade yanked Lily to one side, a flaming car sent up into the air earlier slamming down into that exact spot where she was a second ago. She covered her face from the licking flames, pushing the screaming fillies on.
There was a distinct boom behind her, and she turned around to look up.
A large passenger bus had been flipping high up into the air, its burning carcass leaving a large trail of thick black smoke behind it as it arched down straight for them. There was no place to run away to, no cover to hide behind.
But it wasn't over- it never was.
Nightshade whipped out several explosive throwing knives, pulling the pins on them all. She threw them up into strategically calculated places of the belly of the bus. A second later, when the bus was about to fall and crush them; it exploded with a loud bang and a bright yellow flash. It was sent tumbling back into the flames as the explosives went off, the force knocking it out of its original trajectory.
"KEEP MOVING!!" Nightshade yelled as she pushed the fillies onwards.
Smoldering remains of cars rained down from the sky, arching high over head and slamming down with loud cracks. Some tumbled off the side, splashing into the comparably dark waters and disappearing under the surface.
"Get out of the way!!" Rainbow yelled, quickly darting to the side.
Nightshade looked behind them- an explosion had ripped through a really long car, sending it straight across and tumbling right down the middle of the street- headed straight for them.
"Shuck."
Nightshade quickly shoved Dainty to the far left side, while she grabbed Lily and leaped to the right. She landed on her back, skimming it on the rough gravel. She grunted, but was grateful as the car tumbled past, hit another car, flipped high up into the air; and crashed back down into a squished metal pancake.
"You alright?" she asked, quickly getting up and helping Dainty to her hooves.
"I-I'm f-f-fine... Thanks..." Dainty said. All the chaos was enough to traumatized her for the next ten years.
"Good. Let's go!" Nightshade continued running, urging the two fillies on.
They had caught up to Rainbow and Octavia now, still pursued by the chaos- and they were almost at the end.
"Buck..." Rainbow muttered, slowing to a stop as she spotted a huge oil tanker on its side, sitting in the middle of the street. "NIGHTSHADE! HURRY!!!" she yelled, taking off again.
Nightshade ran past the oil tanker- and it didn't look like it was empty. They continued running- the other safe side was mere meters away.
Suddenly a huge boom pounded their eardrums, filling their ears with ringing. Rainbow leaped forward as the bridge underneath her was destroyed completely, shattering into large chunks and falling away. She and Octavia tumbled onto the other side, grunting as they rolled across the dirty gravel road.
The world was a black and orange blur as Rainbow's eyes went out of focus. Then she seemed to wake from a bad dream, jerking up and breathing hard. Her eyes focused on the far end- Nightshade was closer to the oil tanker explosion, and took the worst of it.
Nightshade looked behind her, seeing the flames expand outwards and about to consume them. She pulled the fillies close, closing her bat wings around them and protecting them from the fire. They suddenly disappeared behind the wall of flame, but then as the explosion stalled they flew back out again.
A piece of flying metal had ripped through Nightshade's left wing, tearing a piece of bone out from under her flesh. She screamed, tried to keep her hold on the fillies- but her mind couldn't focus. Lily was carried along with Nightshade's momentum, and they both hit the ground on the other side. Nightshade screamed again as her wing was crushed under her body onto the ground, then her momentum carried her over the rough gravel- it was like someone was using sandpaper and grinding it against an exposed bone in her wing.
Dainty had been hit on the shoulder by the piece of metal from earlier, but it failed to do any damage as Nightshade's wing provided the sufficient protection. She fell short, hitting the side and managing to hold on to the edge.
"RAINBOW!" she screamed.
Rainbow felt her heart drop as Nightshade lay writhing on the floor, a white piece of bone half dragged out of her bleeding wing. But Dainty was the priority now. She ran forward, leaping forward as Dainty's hooves began slipping off the edge. She lunged, thrusting her arms out- but missed Dainty's falling hooves by a millimeter.
"Dainty!" she yelled, desperately grabbing at Dainty's arm- but the filly was already out of reach.
Rainbow swung over the edge, streamlining her wings and ready to have them spring back into action whenever she needs them to. Pieces of debris from the bridge were falling with them, large chunks of concrete with jagged steel rods sticking out of them falling dangerously close.
Rainbow managed to grab hold of Dainty's shoulders just before they hit the water, and stretched out her wings. She felt the sudden decrease in force, her hoof tips scraping the water surface as the debris fell with huge splashes all around them. With powerful beats of her wings, she flew back up to the safety of ground.
They touched down gently on the broken road, and Rainbow gently let Dainty down.
"You alright?" she asked, kneeling down and laying a hoof on the filly's shoulder.
Dainty nodded, a little shaken though.
"Go stay with Lily and Octavia..." Rainbow said, giving her a gentle pat on the head. "I need to check on Nightshade."
Nightshade was trying to get up, but kept stumbling back over. Her wing was bent completely out of shape, looked like it was broken in several places; and had a white and red piece of bone sticking out the top- about thirty centimeters long.
"Nightshade!" Rainbow yelled, running to help her up.
"I'm fine." Nightshade grunted through clamped teeth. Her wing twitched, and she groaned, her entire body shaking.
Rainbow ripped off a corner of her dark coat, about to use it as a bandage when she realized the piece of bone would get in the way. Nightshade seemed to notice too, and took in a deep breath.
Rainbow wrapped the piece of fabric around her own arm, stretching her arm out in front of Nightshade; fully aware of her sharp bat pony vampire teeth. It didn't need explaining.
Nightshade looked at the arm, then at her. She gave an apologetic expression, and carefully clamped her jaw around Rainbow's arm.
She reached around her back, finding the piece of bone- and started pushing it back into her own wing. She groaned, and Rainbow looked away. She could feel Nightshade's sharp teeth digging through the fabric and into her flesh. She ground her teeth together, but knew Nightshade was in a lot more pain.
Inch by inch, the bone shifted through Nightshade's flesh and slowly went back into place. She was screaming, but it was muffled by the fabric wrapped around Rainbow's arm. Her entire body was trembling, and tears were leaking out of her tightly closed eyes. They streamed down her cheeks, glimmering in the light.
Her hoof twitched, abruptly shoving the piece of bone several inches. She screamed into Rainbow's arm, her body shaking. Rainbow couldn't do much to help- all she could do was let Nightshade bite her arm.
Then, finally; the piece of bone went back into place. The pressure on Rainbow's arm loosened, and Nightshade backed away. She tried to stand, but her shaky and weak legs made her fall over. Rainbow caught her, gently laying her down on the ground.
The bat pony's breathing was irregular, and it almost seemed as if she was struggling- her chest heaving with every breath. She looked at Rainbow apologetically, through tired, half closed eyes with tears still leaking out of them.
"This should slow the bleeding... But we need to get you to a medical pony straight away- in this wasteland, could get infected any time." Rainbow said, tying the piece of fabric tightly around Nightshade's wing. She flinched, but didn't make a sound.
Rainbow helped her up, and they started slowly walking to Octavia's side.
"Is she alright?" Rainbow asked Dainty.
"I don't know... She's alive, but..." Dainty seemed worried.
"Foreign matter poisoning." Nightshade said from in between heavy breaths. "Her body's been affected by the anti-matter. The normal matter is becoming unstable... It'll take a few decades for it to kill her- but she won't be having a good time before that."
"Damnit..." Rainbow muttered, gently laying Nightshade down and kneeling beside Octavia. Her breathing was weak, but none the less- she was conscious and alive. She didn't seem to be able to move at all, and seemed to be too tired to even fully open her eyes.
She looked at Rainbow, her face filled with regret. She didn't say anything, but Rainbow recognized that look.
"I'm not leaving you behind. Not any of you- we're all sticking together." Rainbow said, looking at the faces around her- all the ponies she cared about. All slowly falling apart, slowly being driven mad by this new reality- and she couldn't say she fared any better.
*
The A.O.S.C. CYCLOPS was a huge Athena Orbital Strike Cannon, built into a large cruiser and taking up over sixty percent of the area of the cruiser. It had huge thrusters at the back and on either side, making for precise adjustments. Laser beacon targeting systems help guide the colossal prism cannon on target- in fact, the huge cannon was so precise it could hit an apple from several light years away- but you won't be able to find the apple after the cannon fires though.
The CYCLOPS was named so because that it was the only prism cannon in the Science Faction space fleet- secretly under magic faction control, however. It was like the eye of the monster, once it sees you- well, prepare for a beating.
A Prism Cannon is exactly what the name suggests- millions of solar panels are located all over the hull, sucking in light energy from the sun and used to power the cannon. A series of prisms, mirrors and optics are located inside the barrel, and when an altered wave of energy is transferred through these prisms; it is concentrated into a singular beam with all the energy still tightly packed inside. It was accurate because it was essentially a huge beam of light with a two kilometer radius, traveling straight unless there was a black hole nearby- in which case there never was. Despite all this, it all seemed less intimidating due to the beam's rainbow colors.
The bridge was completely empty and silent- the rest of the crew in the cantina and eating dinner. Iris could hear the remnants of their laughter from all the way up here, sitting on the cold metal ground of the higher level of the bridge, holding onto the handrails and looking down at the empty bridge. He hated how life was right now- he had to pull on a completely different mood, a happy mood when the crew was around. Truth was the Captain of the huge A.O.S.C. was never really like that. He hated how he had to be fake... And relished every time the crew would leave for whatever. Because he could be true to himself- and whoever still remained, which was nopony.
Well, almost nopony- he thought as he heard a set of familiar gentle hoofsteps behind him of a certain alicorn.
Ally took a seat beside him, eyes lowered. Iris didn't move- he just kept staring into the infinite darkness of space. The two have been married for several years now, and understood each other more than themselves- but there were times where not talking was still the best option.
They watched the sun slowly disappear around the rim of the Earth, the light dimmed by the heavily shaded windshields of the bridge. None the less, they could still see everything clearly. Slowly the moon came around the other end, a large silver sphere, glowing dimly in the sunlight. It was odd- being able to see the sun and the moon at the same time, and it was neither day nor night.
"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?" Ally said, looking up and out into space.
"Yeah." Iris said, his tone not showing any improvement in mood.
Ally didn't speak for a second, her head slowly drooping to look at the empty rows of monitors down below. Iris had always been in a bad mood recently... And it bothered her because she didn't know why.
But she had to know though. "Iris?" she asked.
Iris tilted his head slightly, showing nothing but the quarter of a grim face.
"What's wrong?" Ally asked, gently laying a hoof on his shoulder.
Iris sighed, and for a moment seemed like he wasn't going to talk- but he did.
"I always have this gutted feeling. Like I'm going to lose something important to me, you know?" he said, shaking his head. "I couldn't shake it off, even if I pretend to myself I'm a happy stallion. I couldn't pretend myself..." he looked at Ally. "Something bad is going to happen.... I know it."
Ally gave him a quick squeeze. "At least we've got each other's backs, right?"
Iris chuckled. "That's where the problem is... I get randomly promoted to captain of the only A.O.S.C. in this galaxy when I come into this reality, and now I've got half a dozen lives and possibly the tide of this entire war on my hooves... I don't know if I'll be up to it." he said.
"You will." Ally said, hugging him close. "And you know what is important- you know what you have to make as your priority. It doesn't matter if you don't have my back- because I'll always have yours."
Iris smiled sadly, hugging Ally back.
"You've always had mine in the past. When I couldn't help but turn into that monster... You were always there to restrain me. Now you need to help win this war, it's time for my turn." Ally said, kissing him on the cheek.
"Thanks, Ally." Iris said, returning the favor.
That was accompanied by silence, as the sun fully disappeared around the edge of the Earth. The distant ships and cruisers were only outlined by a single line of reflecting sunlight, otherwise blended into the darkness around them.
"You know..." Iris said, standing up. "I heard the berry cider at the cantina is really good- haven't really tried some for myself." he stretched, yawning slightly.
Ally grinned, also standing up. "As I said, I've got your back- if you get too drunk."
Iris chuckled. "I won't."
*
Nightshade could walk on her own now- so that was good. After all, it was her wing that was damaged- not her legs. Rainbow still had to carry Octavia around though, as she was pretty much unconscious. Her warm breath on Rainbow's shoulder was comforting, as it meant she was still alive. The fillies trotted by them, looking worriedly about their new reality.
Fillydelphia was a relatively urban city like Manehatten. Keyword: was. The buildings are all rotting in the dim evening light, traces of green plant life clinging onto those bare concrete walls. The vegetation had gone completely wild, stray seeds of grass wondering onto the cracked gravel streets, tree roots sticking out from underneath the plates. The evening sunlight was sifted through the thick layers of leaves, coming through as rays- this was really more of an urban jungle.
Unlike many other places the group had been to, the city was full of sound. The chirping of birds, the ruffling of leaves as they took off into the sky. It was a lot more natural and less eery than the dull silence of Manehatten.
The structures towered high above them, peaking through the occasional break in the layers of leaves. The place was certainly good for cover from the barricade- with all the trees, even the streets were safe from prying eyes- but the science faction knew this.
"The hay are these?" Rainbow wondered, looking down at what seemed to be giant footprints sunk into the gravel roads; disappearing into the shadows of the jungle further down.
"Still look fresh." Nightshade said, examining one of them. "Look out, everypony. We've got S.F. Walkers in the area."
Rainbow raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Walkers. Giant mechs piloted by ponies from the inside. There are different models- and we seem to have a light recon model in the area." Nightshade said- the footprints seem to be in pairs- and the recon units are much smaller than normal units, so just having two legs seem to match. Despite being the 'smallest' in all models, recon units still tower over seven meters in height.
"What do we do? It's heading the same way as we are." Rainbow said, peering down the dark roads.
"It's probably way ahead already- not something we should be worrying about right now." Nightshade said, looking around them. "We need food, and supplies. And shelter. This is going to be a tough night... Without proper shelter we'll have the mutated all over us in seconds."
Rainbow peered up through the leaves and into the evening sky. They didn't have long.
"Any one of these abandoned buildings should do the trick, aye?" she asked, walking towards one nearby.
Then she stopped- she could swear she saw something stir in the shadows. She drew her cleaver, sliding the handle forward and slowly advancing; the barrel level with where the movement last was.
"Sis... I don't think we're alone..." Dainty whimpered, slowly backing away from a bush, her eyes wide with fright.
Lily saw something move out of the corner of her eye, and swung around. But there was nothing there. Whatever was with them, the noises they were making were being masked by the loud chirping of the birds.
Nightshade drew a throwing knife from her side, the sharp edge catching a ray of sunlight and glinting brightly in the dark shadows. She ignored the pain in her wing, standing tall and surveying the area around them. There was definitely movement- but as far as she knew, mutations don't move tactically- yet. This could only mean there were other ponies out here.
"Don't move. Drop your weapons." a voice said, and Rainbow pointed the cleaver in that direction.
Unfortunately, that didn't do much good as they heard loud clicks all around them. A group of ponies emerged from the darkness, dressed in seemingly scavenged clothes and dirty yellow thin coats. Their faces were hidden in the shadows of the hoods pulled over their heads. They all had their rifles raised, about eight of them slowly circling the small group.
"Damnit." Rainbow muttered, folding her cleaver and letting it drop to the ground.
The mercenaries closed in, taking their weapons away from them.
Author: out of interest- who's your favorite character in this series so far? This is for the BH Christmas special! Coming in December
"On the ground- search their pockets!" a stallion commanded, gesturing at the group with a hoof while keeping his rifle firmly trained on Rainbow's head.
Slowly, the group knelt down, the mercenaries' rifles following their heads.
"Didn't think we'd run into mercenaries this quick." Nightshade muttered.
"Leave them- stand down." a voice said, and another hooded figure emerged from the darkness; a thread of grey hair peaking out from under the hood.
"Ma'am?" the stallion raised an eyebrow.
"I know these ponies." the hooded pony insisted, laying a hoof on the stallion's rifle and bringing it down.
Rainbow studied the figure- she was obviously the leader of the small group, the dark yellow skin on her hooves seemingly merging with the background. Her cutie mark was hidden under her coat, like the other figures standing around them.
The figure slowly took off her hood, a long silky mane of various shades of grey dangling down by her side. Purple irises were only part of that famous grin.
"Wha...?" Rainbow tilted her head to one side.
"Stand up- up you go." Daring Do pulled Rainbow to her hooves, and some of her followers helped Octavia and Nightshade up. The fillies scuttled behind the older ponies, scared of the new ponies.
"So I should've thought- a survivalist and adventurer like you- obviously out here in the wasteland." Rainbow said, grinning.
"Tell me about it-" Daring said, then dropped her grin. "Better get inside first. It's getting dark, and you don't want to be out here when the moon goes up. Hand them their weapons!" she said, turning away and walking down the way she came. "Follow!" she waved a hoof in the air.
Rainbow took her cleaver back from the stallion. Their eyes met, both cold and unwavering- however no grudge was held.
They followed Daring Do into the jungles, all the new ponies seemingly familiar with the paths. Well, of course they were- who knows how many years they've been living here?
'Living' might even be an overstatement, seeing their state. 'Surviving' sounded more appropriate.
"You've got two wounded, right? Base has some medical supplies left... Let's see if that'll help." Daring said to Rainbow, who was trotting at a moderate pace behind her.
"One with a messed up wing. The other has foreign matter poisoning." Rainbow said.
"Not sure if we'll be able to do anything about the foreign matter poisoning- but we'll do our best." Daring said.
"You know-" Rainbow started, after a long period of silence. "You could've perfectly took us down right there instead of wasting your supplies on us."
"I know. But maybe some of you are more valuable to us than supplies." Daring said simply. Suddenly she held up a hoof, and everypony stopped. Her ears twitched, turning this way and that- and soon enough, they could hear the constant heavy rumbling as something pounded against the earth.
"Walkers." Rainbow whispered.
"Everypony- make a run for it!" Daring said in a hushed tone, gesturing in the direction they were running in. "The walker should distract the mutated for now- go! GO!"
They ran through the jungle, leaping over the roots of some old trees and ducking under vines. There was nothing but the fading pounding, the rustling of grass and leaves as they ran through the jungle, and their controlled breaths.
There was a fog coming in- slowly seeping through the thick vegetation. It became hard to see the far side, with the fog shielding up everything and the darkness not doing much to help either.
"We're here." Daring Do whispered as they approached a thick wall of vines. She reached into the vines, and Rainbow heard a soft click before the vines fizzled and faded away. "Hologram." Daring explained.
There was a heavy metal door behind it, nuts and bolts running along the edges. There were a few beeps as she punched a code into a small console on the side, and with a loud click the door unlocked.
"Get the wounded to the med bay and see what you can do." Daring said, opening the door and letting the others pass. "I got to exchange a few words with Rainbow here."
Nightshade eyed Rainbow, who nodded a reassurance. Nightshade nodded back, her look saying 'stay careful'.
"Sis..." Dainty asked worriedly.
"Don't worry. These ponies are friendly." Rainbow smiled, patting her on the head. She turned to look at both of the fillies. "You two be good... Cause I'll know."
"Ok." Lily said, feeling slightly relieved that there were actually other ponies out here. They were led off to the med bay by several other ponies, following Nightshade and Octavia.
Daring activated the holograms again, closing the door and locking it behind her. The hallway inside was well lit, doors lining the walls. The group headed down one way, and Rainbow was about to follow them when Daring placed a hoof on her shoulder.
"This way. They're going to the med bay- I need to speak to you about this whole situation." Daring said, leading the way down a different hallway.
After walking through a small maze of doors and corridors, she opened a much more intact door and stepped in. Rainbow followed her into what seemed to be a small office, salvaged goods and files lining the rotting shelves. There were some furniture- several badly ripped armchairs and sofas, plus a glass table with rotting wood. But still- it was a comfortable sight after all the chaos of the previous day. Rainbow sat down, letting out a sigh of relief- her hooves ached from walking all day, and her body was tired.
Daring took a seat opposite her, a serious expression on her face.
"Rainbow- I'm going straight to the question at hoof. Do you know what's going on?" she asked.
"Not a clue." Rainbow said, sighing. "But apparently everypony else have two sets of memories?"
"You mean you don't?" Daring raised an eyebrow.
"No, I don't. You do though?" Rainbow asked.
"Everypony should." Daring said, running a hoof through her mane. "And I do. So which set do you have? You know who I am- right?"
"Yeah. I've got whichever one that isn't this one. I don't even know what happened here... I was sitting in the backyard, then all of a sudden I was getting chased by science faction assault units." Rainbow said.
"I see..." Daring muttered, her mind drifting elsewhere. Then she seemed to snap back, sitting up and leaning forward. "Then let me fill you in on what I know- then you tell me what you know. Exchange info."
"Go ahead." Rainbow said. "All I know is that the Science Faction and the barricade is all back up."
"Right. Then you know about twenty percent of the Science Faction space fleet are actually Magic controlled?"
"Yep."
"Okay..." Daring rubbed her hooves together. "The rest of out kind are working underground as slaves, after Science won the first war. We were forced to go down underground, as the surface was filled with mutations and other things you won't want to run into. All the creatures are under the control of the barricade, and they'll kill anypony- or anything- that tries to rebel. They constantly have patrols across the surface, taking down survivors like us." Daring said, leaning back into the ripped sofa. "We heard there was a safe haven roughly six hundred kilometers north-west of here, controlled by a trio going by the code name of 'CMC'. Familiar?"
"Yeah... I haven't heard of this safe haven before, but I think I know who's commanding it." Rainbow said.
"Anyway- they're located deep in the mountain ranges of the Crystal Mountains, beside the remains of the Crystal Empire. They keep on radio broadcasts- signaling survivors to join them at the haven. But many think it's unsafe there- the haven is too large, and easy to be discovered. If we stay scattered... There's a lower chance of the science faction finding us."
"But wouldn't the barricade see it?" Rainbow asked.
"No- they used the Crystal Tower in the center of the Crystal Empire as an amplifier and relay, casting a mirage spell that reflects and covers the entire haven. According to them, anyway... We were planning to go, but there are some of us that don't want to."
"Wait a second- radio broadcasts? They can pass word around?" Rainbow was intrigued- if the sun was really worth a shot like Octavia explained, then the haven could be used to direct the magic faction out of the underground and fight.
"Yeah- they can. DJ-PON3 is their broadcaster." Daring said. "Why?"
"I'll tell you in a minute- you keep going." Rainbow said quickly.
Daring cleared her throat loudly. "Anyway. The haven was supposed to be a gathering ground for the survivors... But barely any turned up. We were going to head out tomorrow. Now- what do you know?"
"I was sent from a secret underwater magic faction HQ from the Atlantic ocean- well, apparently anyway. I don't remember anything." Rainbow said. "But... Apparently the Science Faction space fleet has taken a sudden interest in the sun... And because of our insiders, we managed to learn that there was a surface base in Foal Mountains- we were sent to retrieve intel, because from what we managed to gather the sun might be able to tilt the balance of this entire situation."
"How?" Daring asked, fascinated.
"I don't know- and I don't think anypony does. But this intel could be very well worth a shot." Rainbow said.
Daring was silent for a moment, trying to piece everything together in her head. "But do you know why all of a sudden we have these memories?"
"Not a clue..." Rainbow sighed.
"Damn..." Daring ruffled her own mane frustratedly.
"We'll find out eventually- don't worry." Rainbow said.
"Yeah, but-" Daring started, but was interrupted by a loud siren that shook her bones in her flesh. "Bucking hell!!" she yelled, getting up.
"What's going on?" Rainbow asked.
"Front door's been breached." Daring explained. "That siren only goes off when that happens." she walked up to a book shelf, grabbed the edges and brought the entire thing crashing down onto the floor; revealing a hole dug into the thick concrete wall behind it. She reached in, plucking out a double barreled shotgun from its hiding place. There was a loud click as she slammed the handle forward, loading the gun. "We have emergency stashes all over the place." she explained.
"Right." Rainbow said, flicking out her cleaver and sliding the handle forward.
"Who is it!?" Daring yelled at a nearby stallion, the safety off on his rifle.
"S.F. Assault units!" he replied, gesturing down the hallway.
"Get to the broadcast room. Put the stronghold on high alert- weapons hot, safety's off."
"Copy, ma'am." the stallion said, saluting and running off down the hallway.
The place was beginning to fill up with activity, ponies stirring and waking from rest. Some of them emerged from their shelters, weapons in hooves.
"Giddy-up ponies! They've found us!" Daring yelled, banging the butt of the shotgun loudly on a metal door, the echoing hollow sound echoing down the corridors with her voice. She turned to Rainbow. "We better get to the med bay."
Rainbow nodded, following Daring as she sprinted down the hallway.
"How the hell did they find us!?" she asked.
"They have their ways- we'll never know." Daring said.
There were three stallions up ahead, looking confused- but none the less they had their weapons.
"You two! With me- to the med bay!" Daring yelled at them, gesturing towards the left side.
"Yes ma'am!" they said loudly, falling in behind Rainbow and Daring.
"Lenz! Check the security cameras and co-ordinate our attacks! Seal off and defend all hallways to the emergency escape routes!" Daring yelled into a micro mic in her ear.
"Copy." came the reply.
"Do you see anypony coming our way?" Daring asked as they strode down the corridor, the lights flickering as a loud boom came from somewhere far off.
"A squad just breached the north wall, coming in. Two assault units are heading your way, the rest are spreading out."
"Tell our troops to only hold off and stay alive- don't try to fight them! They've got an infinite supply of the bastards." Daring said, turning a corner.
"Copy. The two assault units are just around the corner from your hallway."
"I can hear 'em." Daring said, swinging around the corner, the shotgun sending a deafening bang echoing off the walls as a dozen metal pellets ripped through the helmet visor of an assault unit. It stumbled back, wires inside the visor severed.
Rainbow ran forward, stabbed the cleaver through the assault unit's chest and pulled the trigger. The high calibre bullet tore through the head of the assault unit behind the current one, rendering it useless as it crumpled onto the ground. Rainbow ripped the cleaver out, then swung it around and sliced the demented assault unit in half.
"I guess those memories are true, then." Daring said, remembering the bar fight she had with Rainbow- she thought those were all fake, but Rainbow just proved her wrong.
She turned, kicking down a door to their right. The sign on top said 'medical bay', scribbled in marker pen.
"How're our patients?" she asked, striding into the room.
"We gave the grey pony here some medicine to fight the poisoning, but it's only holding off the effects. She'll need to keep those tablets going if she wants a full recovery..." the pony in the white coat said, sighing. "We gave the bat pony some painkillers and a better bandaging job, but everything's temporary. It should stop the bleeding, but to heal properly... It'll take a lot of time at this stage."
"Don't worry." Daring said, patting the pony on the back. "You did your best in the time frame."
Dainty rushed to hug Rainbow, shaking. "W-what's going on?"
"Bad guys found us." Rainbow sighed, kneeling down and patting her on the head. "But as usual, we'll get out of this. Together and alive- and you know I always keep my promises."
"I do." Dainty said, and Rainbow grinned encouragingly.
She then stood up and went to Octavia's side.
"Octavia-" she laid a firm hoof on Octavia's shoulder. "Can you still fight?"
"Barely- but I will." Octavia said, standing up. She had eye bags under her eyes, and seemed like she hadn't slept in a thousand years.
Rainbow looked at her with respect, and gave her a firm pat on the back. "Good to have you back, partner."
"Hell yeah." Octavia said, grinning weakly.
Daring threw Octavia her shotgun, then pulled out another from under the hospital bed.
"We've got an emergency escape route just in case they find us." she said, leading the ponies out the med bay, all of them armed.
"Lenz." Daring said.
"I count more than twenty assault units in the building. Five are pretty close to you guys." the voice said through the mic.
"Right. Get to the emergency escape route- shut everything down and wipe the entire data base of EVERYTHING. We're not coming back." Daring said, jogging down a narrow hallway.
"Roger. Been an honor."
"You too." Daring said, hearing metal hoofsteps up ahead.
She nodded behind her, indicating to the ponies to get ready to fight. They raised their rifles, ready to pull the triggers. Daring waved a hoof in the air, gesturing around the corner. She mouthed a countdown, and swung around the corner.
There was an assault unit with a rocket launcher standing in the middle of the hallway, and fired the rocket the instant it saw them.
Daring stepped to the side, the rocket passing by her side. Rainbow leaped into the air, dive rolling over the flaming rocket. Octavia kicked a stallion in the knee, causing him to fall over while yanking another pony out of the way. The rocket passed millimeters away from the stallion's face as he fell backwards, and only just grazed the other pony's mane. The two fillies screamed, dropping down and covering their heads- but there was no need. They were too short in the first place anyway. Nightshade grabbed the ponies either side in front of her, blinking. The air around them became disrupted, and the flash faded just as the rocket flew through thin air where they were a second ago. They appeared a little behind of the rocket, and heard the explosion twenty meters down the hallway behind them a second later.
Daring Do fired the shotgun, sending the assault unit stumbling back. Nightshade teleported forward, a knife already in her hoof. She leaped onto the unit, her momentum forcing it to turn around. She reached up and pulled the trigger of the rocket launcher, sending a high explosive into a group of approaching assault units. She swung over the unit just as it was about to grab her, landing on its back. She stabbed the explosive knife into a gap in its armor, then blinked again. A moment later she was back, the assault unit nowhere to be seen- all they heard was a loud bang down the hallway, where Nightshade teleported the unit to.
"Wait- you hear something?" Daring raised a hoof.
"A lot of things." Rainbow said- her head was filled with all the bangs and cries of battle in the distance, somewhere in the building.
"No... Something else...." Daring's ear twitched, searching this way and that. Then her eyes widened in horror.
Rainbow could hear it now too- and it was getting awfully loud. It was the sound of screaming, but different- the screaming of dry, bloodied throats... Long dead and never to live again.
"Mutations! The battle must've drawn in a buck load of them!" Daring cursed, waving the group on. "RUN!"
"You mean the dead ponies?" Rainbow asked as they galloped through the building.
"Yeah. We won't stand a chance against them- from the sounds of it, they're moving quite fast. Don't let them bite you! Try to avoid any contact with them at all- they're all highly contagious." Daring said, checking behind them.
"Gotcha." Rainbow said.
"They were made from bio-bombs the science faction rained down during the- HOLY BUCK!" Daring dived down, rolling and skidding across the floor.
Rainbow leaped to the side, her ears hearing the whoosh as a large blade cut through the air inches away from her face.
"Ghost! GHOST! TAKE IT DOWN!!" Daring yelled.
"Can't bucking see it!" Rainbow yelled, but then ducked down again as she heard the whoosh. Her hat almost fell off as the blade passed by overhead.
One of the medics pointed the laser sight of her rifle in that general area.
"There it is!" she yelled as the laser suddenly started bouncing all over the place- it had hit the insides of the ghost, reflecting off the cloaked surfaces. She briefly saw the point of disruption move towards her, before blood gushed out from a sword wound in her stomach. She spat blood onto the floor, sending the crimson red liquid splattering onto the cold concrete. Then she was thrown away, tumbling down the hallway.
"You bucking arsehole!" Daring yelled, leaping up and firing the shotgun. The shots hit something, as a shower of sparks erupted off thin air. Then the air fizzled, and the ghost's cloaking systems went off line.
Rainbow stabbed her cleaver forward, but was stopped dead as the ghost crossed its two blades in front of itself protectively. The tip of the cleaver stopped inches away from its helmet, and it seemed to laugh a Rainbow's failed attempt.
"Go to hell." Rainbow growled, pulling the trigger.
The cleaver firing mechanism was even more deadly at close range- it tore the entire head of the ghost away, and with it a good chunk from its shoulders and chest as well. Blood splattered all over the walls, guts spilling onto the floor as it collapsed to the ground.
"Serves you right." Daring spat onto its dead carcass, before following the others and galloping off.
The group turned a corner, reaching a checkpoint held by survivors.
"Ma'am! You made it!" a pony said, looking up from the sights of her rifle.
"Don't sound so surprised." Daring said. "Is the escape route secure?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good." Daring said, gesturing for the others to pass first. "Hold this position for another five minutes, then head for the escape route. Don't stop for anypony- it's survival of the fittest now."
The pony saluted. "Will do."
"There's a network of sewers under the city. We already know the layout on the top of our heads, so navigation will be much easier for us. They'll get lost in there in no time. We just gotta watch out for lingering mutations, otherwise it's fine." Daring said, striding down the corridor and in the direction where a lot of ponies were heading.
"Isn't that, like; worse?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
"It's our only chance of survival. We stay up here, they kill us. We go down there, if you're fit enough- you might make it." Daring said.
*
"Spitfire, ma'am." a soldier saluted as Spitfire strode onto the bridge.
She waved him down, looking around angrily. "Somepony tell me what the hay is going on!"
"Ma'am! Science Faction infantry activity just increased by twenty percent in the Fillydelphia region. We believe they may have found Agent R Dash." an officer approached Spitfire with a notepad.
"Great." Spitfire cursed, running a hoof through her mane.
"They're currently in the sewers, from what Octavia tells us. They've got Science Faction units chasing them all over the place."
"Spitfire- we need Rainbow to get to that intel. We're stuck here if we don't do anything soon!" Soarin said, laying a hoof on Spitfire's shoulder. "If she goes down, we won't find anypony else qualified enough to get that intel. Our only chance at saving ourselves from this reality... Don't let it slip away."
Spitfire shook her head slowly, a heavy frown on her face as she weighed the options. Then she closed her eyes, letting out a deep sigh. When they opened again, they were determined- and trained on the ultimate goal.
"Prep a team for an infiltration mission." she said, turning away. "I want the best of the best. I know that we've never done anything like this before- but desperate times call for desperate measures."
"Ma'am?" the officer waited for further orders- the bridge was silent, anticipating Spitfire's decision.
"Send the team three heavy gunships. I want Magnum on one of them. Send them around the entire Science Faction fleet, so they can't trace back on records as to where the ships came from. Then send them from the COLOSSUS and attack the barricade section over the Ponyville-Fillydelphia border. I want them to infiltrate the barricade of that section and take over its weapons."
The bridge stared in awe at their supreme commander.
"Get moving, officers. Tell them to use the Drop Pods on the barricade for extraction- we can't let them come back, since the Science Faction will easily suspect us immediately. Tell Rainbow and Octavia to keep going for Ponyville and stay alive. Tell our soldiers they have ten minutes to pack their gear for survival on the surface- go! Get moving officers! We've got a big one on our hooves!" Spitfire yelled, clapping her hooves together and setting a pace for the officers of the bridge to work.
*
Magnum had just received the order- it was practically a suicide mission, but it sounded like fun. She didn't have much to pack, so she didn't bother at all- there was nothing of value to her. Except her silver pistol, of course- just to keep a reminder on who she is. Now she was sitting on her bed, the heavy metal pistol in her hooves and the barrel pressed lightly against her temple. She asked herself the same question she asked herself all those years ago- should she pull the trigger and relieve herself of all of life's burdens? To take the quick escape- and ditch everypony behind her?
She couldn't let down mom, dad, and definitely not Rose. She'll keep her promise to them- while she was the only one still alive, she'll make it count.
So as usual, the answer was no. She placed the fully loaded pistol into her hip holster, standing up and heading towards the armory. She brought a rifle Applebloom made for her with her- that was always her weapon of choice. How it worked, she still had no idea- but it did. It could switch between pretty much any projectile weapon, and is compatible with all ammo types. Applebloom called the ACPW, standing for All Compatible Projectile Weapon- but whatever. Magnum just called it 'my rifle'.
"Magnum." an officer called out, approaching her on the catwalk next to the hangar bay.
"Officer." Magnum said, slowing to a stop.
"Supreme Commander Spitfire has promoted you to Squad Leader of this operation."
Magnum nodded her thanks, walking on and heading towards the armory. The hangar was even busier than it usually was, the crew preparing three heavy gunships for the mission. The gunships have two main thrusters on its sides, allowing for accurate course adjusting and hovering. The hulls are heavily armored, leaving gaps only for the four main guns and two prism guns. Missiles were lined up and ready to go at the bottom of its wings, including special types like cluster missiles and bunker busters. The doors to the passenger bay are on its sides, so when the ships do crash there'll always be an alternate exit. Two heavy manual-operated 9mm cannons are mounted on either side, giving its firing ability a lot more maneuverability.
Magnum strode into the armory, finding a squad of eleven ponies staring blankly at her as she entered. Then she realized- she was the one that was supposed to have the plans.
"Right-" she rubbed her hooves together. "I want three mid-rangers, two long rangers, three close-quarters and three of you with full access and demolition kits. Go! Get your stuff- we don't have much time!" she yelled.
The ponies started scrambling all over the armory, the mid-rangers taking assault rifles and anti-matter rifles off the shelves, stacking their armor slots full with ammo.
Magnum walked into a separate branch of the armory, into the suiting area. The suiting area was a large white room outfitted and completely operated by robots, and as the name suggests- it fits you up to the right type of armor.
Magnum stepped onto a platform in the middle of the room, and immediately the robots came to life. They plucked parts out from storage slots in the walls, placing them onto Magnum's body and locking them in place. Within seconds she was fully suited into the MKII armor, her helmet unfolding from her back and folding over her head. The MKII armor was outfitted with heavy armor, immune to most high-calibre weapons. It had a heck load of ammo slots, however lacked room for a proper shield- making it vulnerable to energy weapons. There were motors at the joints, basically amplifying the strength and speed of its users. There were also a number of other gadgets implemented into the suit, hidden underneath the thick armor.
Magnum stepped down from the platform with a heavy clunk, the motors letting out a barely audible whine as they whirred to life. She plucked the ACPW from her belt, the weapon unfolding and clicking into a large calibre sniper. She checked all the functions of the armor and the weapon, making sure they worked, before folding the ACPW back into a pistol and placing it on her belt.
"Is everypony geared up?" she asked, stepping into the main armory.
"Yes ma'am." her new squad said in unison, already suited by the other suiting areas.
"Do we know the set up? One of each specialization in each ship. We'll be separated and deployed across the barricade section 709. Sort yourselves out, now! We're leaving!"
*
"Test subject 204 is waking." a stallion in a white coat said, his face hidden in the shadows of the dark lab.
They stood on one side of a heavy one-way glass wall, a metal door sealed tight leading into the chambers where test subject 204 was being held. Test subject 204 was a light blue unicorn, her cool light and dark blue mane and tail dangling by her side as she stirred in her sleep on a single white bed.
"Finally." a heavily synthesized voice said, the owner of the voice completely hidden in the shadows. She had a glowing blue eye and various other indicator lights on the right side of her body, glowing dimly in the shadows.
"In theory, we should've turned her obsession with brushing into an obsession for blood. But... Nothing's for sure yet, considering the 203 subjects that came before her..." the stallion paused.
"We've got an almost infinite number of survivors we could use- none of it goes to waste as long as we perfect the project." the figure hidden in the shadows said.
"Should I open the chamber gates?" the stallion asked as test subject 204 woke up, yawning.
"Go ahead. Try not to get yourself killed whilst doing so." Val said, walking out from the shadows and standing with her arms folded in front of the one-way glass.
The stallion gulped, stepping forward and slowly pulling a giant lever on the side of the door. It clicked, and slowly swung open.
"Hello, Colgate." Val said, grinning as she entered the bright white room. This was only one of the many experimentation labs located throughout the S.F. COLOSSUS, many of the beds stained with the blood of deceased victims.
Colgate had her eyes half open, tired and sleepless. But those tired eyes had a special glint in them- and Val's grin widened even further than it already was as she saw the bloodlust in those crisp blue eyes.
Colgate didn't say anything, just roared and slammed a hoof into the side of Val's face. The force was pretty impressive, she took note in her head. She stumbled back, spitting blood onto the floor. Already those shiny pixels were appearing around her, healing her wounds. Colgate struck again, her mind filled with blind bloodlust and rage. Val took a hoof to the stomach, doubling over. And before she recovered she already had an elbow in her face- but she didn't fall. Colgate swung again. But this time Val stopped her dead with a robotic hand. They stared into each other's eyes, Colgate desperately trying to free herself.
Val smiled, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth with a spare hand. The hate she could see in those blue eyes- it was beautiful.
"That's pretty conclusive." she said to herself, thumping Colgate on the head and knocking her out cold. She crumpled to the floor, her eyes rolling up and into her head.
*
"Entering COLOSSUS controlled territory." the pilot said as the three gunships neared the huge Science Faction cruiser.
"Keep calm everypony. This is our last point before we set off on the proper mission. Won't be too far away now... But check your weapons, just in case." Magnum said, looking around at her division of the squad. Just three other ponies, however all amongst the best of fighters on the OASIS.
They couldn't see outside since they were in the passenger bay and there were no windows, but as soon as the heard the loud clunk they knew they had docked successfully.
"Alright. Waiting for the security logs to register us into the database..." the pilot said, watching a monitor on the cockpit's control console. "Aaand... We're done. We've been registered... Check your weapons, because the moment we enter barricade controlled territory that's trouble."
"Remember the plan ponies." Magnum said, speaking through the comms. "Team 1 enter the barricade first while team 2- my team- provides cover fire from the gunship. Team 3 head straight for the hangar and disable their ships while we act as a distraction. We shoot our way in and cause as much destruction as possible, then meet up with Agent R Dash on the surface using the barricade Drop Pods. Clear?"
"Roger." the squad said in unison.
"Last systems and weapons check... Not all of us are going to make it out. Although, it would be a pleasant miracle if we did." Magnum said, letting out a deep breath. "Good luck, everypony."
*
"Copy." Octavia said as Spitfire finished explaining the plan to her. "We'll be on our way." she turned to Rainbow. "Oi- we'll need to keep heading for Ponyville underground. Spitfire's set up a rendezvous on the Ponyville-Fillydelphia border."
The sewers were dark and damp and basically had no light, but even so Octavia could still see the sudden excited glint in Rainbow's eyes as the name of the captain of the Wonderbolts was mentioned.
"Spitfire? What? Did I hear her name?"
"Yes, you did." Octavia rolled her eyes. "In this reality that you have no memory of, Spitfire is the captain of the OASIS, the magic faction flag ship."
"I'm working for Spitfire? Oh-my-gosh-Oh-my-gosh-Oh-my-gosh-Oh-my-gosh- I mean, ok." Rainbow said, her sheepish expression hidden in the shadows. After all these years.... Still...
*
"Right, ladies... Here we are." the pilot let out a deep breath he'd been holding for several seconds now, flicking several switches and resting a hoof on a lever. "On your signal, Squad Leader."
"All weapons check! All systems check! Get those 9mms working!" Magnum yelled, clapping her hooves together. "Chop chop! Get into position!"
"Enemy defenses are starting to point our way... Suspicions are rising..." the pilot hummed.
"Are we in position?" Magnum asked.
"Team 1, ready."
"Team 3, ready."
"GO!!" Magnum yelled, taking control of the 9mm cannon on the left side of the gunship.
The pilot pushed the lever, and the doors either side dropped down; the depressurized ship shaking slightly. The suits the ponies were wearing kept them alive in conditions of such here in space, providing them with oxygen and other vital supplies. The vast open area of space was still a breath taking sight, after all these years living on a space cruiser. The barricade was just like a huge metal planet down below, stretching on beyond view. Clouds of cosmic radiation floated here and there in the distance, outlined by the shining stars and other planets.
But this was no time for sight seeing.
"OPEN FIRE!!" Magnum yelled, firing precise shots with the 9mm.
"Firing missiles." the pilot said, flicking some switches.
There was a loud whoosh as several of the explosives on board were sent flying off, leaving behind them large trails of smoke.
"Target the anti-aircraft batteries!" Magnum yelled.
"Two down." the pilot said, turning the joystick and aiming for another cluster of missile launchers. A loud and defeating buzzing filled the air, shaking the entire gunship as its four main guns opened fire. Bullets here in space were way more deadly than on the surface- there was no air resistance, and barely any gravity. The bullets tore through the air, nothing but glowing golden streaks of light passing between the gunship and the AA batteries.
There was a loud boom as a bullet struck the tip of a missile, blowing both it and the launcher up in a huge fireball. The smoke started drifting apart, slowly dispersing.
"Stryfe! STRYFE!" Magnum yelled, ducking down as a series of bullets made their way into the passenger compartment and just above her head.
The pilot yanked the joystick, sending the gunship flying left.
"RPG!!" Storm yelled, the close-ranger in Magnum's team.
"Turn right! TURN RIGHT!!" Magnum yelled at the pilot.
The ship's two thrusters twisted, sending it slowly rotating towards the right.
"HOLY MOTHER OF-" Magnum yelled, hitting the deck as the rocket grazed the edge of the passenger compartment door, flew in, then flew out the other side.
"Saved it." the pilot said, holding down the trigger for the main guns and reducing the defense tower to smithereens.
"Team 1- you're clear for landing!!" Magnum yelled as all the surface defenses were taken down.
"Incoming infantry troops from the barricade!!" Storm shouted, pointing down at the surface of the barricade- there were several gates open, enemy infantry pouring out and firing at the gunships.
The barricade had one disadvantage- its infantry had to come in waves. There was a pressurization chamber behind each gate that would depressurized and pressurize, as to keep the pressure inside the rest of the barricade steady. But the chamber can only hold so many ponies at once... And it takes a while to depressurize.
"Mow them down!" Magnum yelled, holding down the trigger of the 9mm.
*
"We've sealed off the exit- don't know how long it'll take for them to find us." a stallion said to Daring Do.
"They aren't our problem right now." Daring sighed, checking her shotgun. "Welcome to the sewers, everypony. Where every last undead pony is probably lingering during daytime, and possibly nighttime too."
"Stay sharp." Rainbow said, her cleaver pointing this way and that.
The loud sounds of battle had gone, suddenly replaced by this eery silence as they slushed through knee-deep muck and sewage waste.
"Hell!" a pony yelled, jumping out of the water and pointing her rifle into the muck, aiming around the darkness. "Something just brushed against my leg!"
"Shuck-" Daring cursed, looking down at the murky waters of the sewer. "Can't see crap! Anypony got a flashlight?"
"Here." a stallion said, flicking on a bright white light- and everypony froze in horror as they spotted a large group of silent zombies standing three meters in front of them.
"Everypony.. Just... Keep calm..." Daring said slowly, her voice quivering as she slowly backed off.
Suddenly Rainbow's head felt like it had burst open, and she screamed; stumbling back. Through her tear blurred eyes she saw the zombies stir, and Daring tried to make her shut up. She tried to shut herself up, but it wasn't working- soon she was somewhere else, in a dimly lit wooden house. Through the dreamy vision she was having she could hear the distant sounds of reality, dull and out of reach- still she could hear herself screaming, although she had no control over the matter.
There was a light yellow pegasus pony in the room, her pink mane dangling by her side. She looked like she had been starving for several days already, the usually bright pink butterflies on her flank now faded and dull.
It was Fluttershy.
There was a loud crack, and the door to the room crashed open. Fluttershy didn't seem to react to it at all, just staring down at the ground miserably. Two assault units entered the room, rifles already trained on the pegasus.
"Get up! GET UP GODDAMNIT!!" Rainbow yelled, but she knew Fluttershy couldn't hear her. She could only hope...
Fluttershy looked up, a bead of a tear hanging by the corner of her eye as she stared down the barrel of the assault rifle.
"NO!!" Rainbow screamed as the rifle went off, her entire vision flashing white. She couldn't see anything after the bang- she was left in this dream state, her head pounding against her skull and her being completely out of control of her body.
Then everything snapped back to the real world as a zombie pony came out of the darkness of reality and sunk its teeth deep into her shoulder.
"Fire on the infantry! Clear gate 021 so Team 1 can get in!" Magnum yelled, firing three round bursts into the crowds below that all turned out to be precisely aimed shots.
The enemy assault units didn't stand a chance- the heavy bullets tore through their armor, dropping them like poisoned flies.
"Sniper! Top left!" a member of team 1 said, hiding behind cover. "Can't get a shot- too much enemy fire!"
"Storm! Can you see 'em?" Magnum asked, concentrating fire on the assault units going after team 1.
"Ya. Over on that destroyed missile battery." Storm said, pointing out towards a blown-up AA battery.
Magnum was about to turn the 9mm meter around when a bullet from the sniper was shot towards her. Se quickly ducked down, and the bullet struck the 9mm cannon. It was from a high caliber rifle, tearing through the 9mm.
"Damnit! We lost our left support!" Storm shouted into the comms.
"Not quiet yet." Magnum growled, launching a heavy kick into the disabled gun. The metal snapped, and it swung down; broken.
Magnum grabbed the gun, then wrenched it off the ammo feeder with a loud crack. She pulled out the ACPW pistol, tapping a rhythm into a specific spot in the side. The weapon unfolded into a large sheet of metal, however the trigger and grip still intact. She placed the weapon over the remaining ammo feeder of the 9mm, and with a few loud clicks and whirs the sheet of metal transformed into a high caliber sniper rifle, the ammo feeder firmly integrated into the it.
Magnum quickly swung the gunship-mounted sniper rifle around, sending a bullet straight into the sniper from earlier. She then started unloading round after round into the enemy infantry, her almost infinite supply of ammo flying out the side as empty shells. Each time she pulled the trigger a heavy crack would echo around the insides of the gunship, and an assault unit would drop dead.
"Enemy drop ship reinforcements from the COLOSSUS!" Storm yelled as three drop ships landed on the surface of the barricade, fresh assault units leaping down from the quick deploy platforms.
"We can't hold off here much longer- the COLOSSUS is sending their reinforcements! Proceed with the objective!" Magnum yelled, unclipping her rifle from the ammo feeder.
"RPG!!!" Storm yelled, covering his head.
"What the hay-" Magnum turned around, just in time to see a solo rocket soar through space and towards her. The rocket struck the side of the gun ship, lighting up the darkness of space with a bright orange flash.
The side door of the ship broke away, flew across the passenger compartment and headed straight for her. She crossed her arms in front of herself protectively, tucking her chin into her chest. Then there was the impact, a solid metallic thunk as the metal collided with her suit. She was knocked off her hooves, flying back and out of the ship.
The world was a dull blur as she flew through space, no air resistance to stop her from tumbling on forever. Her back hit something hard, making a heavy clunk that soon faded into the distance as she quickly bounced away from that spot. She tumbled across the surface of the barricade, knocking down almost everything in her path. Finally her back hit something, and she felt it crumble under the force.
She tried to get up, her head swimming and her hooves stumbling around. The weightlessness of space only made it worse.
"Congrats squad leader." a member of team 3 said. "You managed to take out the last AA gun on your own."
"Wha...?" Magnum tried to make her eyes adjust, but they kept derping out of focus. Finally she could see properly, and she was looking up at the object she hit earlier. It was an Anti Aircraft battery, the side severely dented and obviously broken. "Huh." she said, checking her armor. A few scratches, but that was it.
"They should name bowling balls after you mare." Storm said.
"What the hell happened?" Magnum asked, the rifle still in her hooves. The loading mechanism disassembled itself, then pieced itself back together in a different form. She slammed a fully loaded assault rifle clip into the rifle, and it automatically adjusted its internals and was ready to fire in no time.
"We got hit by an RPG- the right door broke away, so now we can't pressurize. Altogether we'll have to ditch the ship anyway, but it's in bad shape." Storm said.
"Keep your guns blazing! Tell the pilot to be ready to eject any moment- and you all be ready to jump out and abandon the damn thing! In the meantime- go cover team 1!"
"What about you ma'am?"
"I can handle myself." Magnum said, sending a three round burst into an assault unit's head. The rifle wasn't powerful enough to penetrate the thick visor, but the three rounds all hit the same spot- and the final bullet took the lethal hit, taking down the unit.
Magnum started running towards team 1's location, marked out on her Heads Up Display, integrated into her visor. Enemy units were all over the place, the local defense systems coming to life. The barricade was just a criss-cross of gun and laser fire now, and in the chaos you couldn't even tell which bullet belonged to who.
Unless you're Magnum.
Magnum dove behind the remains of a destroyed missile launcher, sparks showering her from lasers that grazed the edge of the launcher and flew on into space. She flicked out a small touchscreen on her left arm, just behind the wrist and embedded into the suit. With a few taps she was able to activate the mirage device on her suit, concealed beneath three inches of heavy metal armor. A shudder ran up her spine as the suit instantly cooled, energy from the heating systems being redirected towards the mirage device. She crouched low, now nothing but a shimmering mass of air behind the shadow of the launcher.
She had plenty of ammo, but she knew it would be better if she could put those on reserve- something tells her she'll be needing them on the surface. She snuck behind a gate, the metal plates already moving aside. The assault units stood still on the rising platform, still yet inactivated. Then they all shuddered, all of their LED indicator lights flicking on. Their lowered heads raised, and instantly they charged into battle. Magnum snuck up behind one of them, tapping the barrel of her high calibre rifle against the back of its neck. Before it could turn around, she pulled the trigger- sending a bullet tearing through the weak spot in the unit's armor.
Magnum kicked down into the back of the unit's knee, sending it falling backwards. The anti-matter rifle came flying out of its grip, and she caught it before the unit itself had even hit the ground.
The other assault units looked around, but couldn't see Magnum as she was concealed by the shadow of a lookout tower. Then with several purple flashes, she had already blown five of the assault units to space dust. When they turned around, all they saw was a slight mass of disrupted light dart away and disappear once again into the shadows.
"Magnum- you're too far away from the deploy point! We're coming to pick you up- team 1 is already inside!" Storm said, and Magnum could hear his rifle blazing in the background.
"I'm in mirage right now- there're too many enemies near me!" Magnum said.
"Don't worry. We can see you on our HUDs." Storm said.
"Make it quick. I'm moving." Magnum said, darting out from the shadows.
Suddenly somepony hit her in the side, sending her flying backwards. She flipped through the air, her pistol leaving her hooves. She looked down at the assault unit that decided to hit her, raising its rifle. She quickly clamped her pistol between her back hooves, then hit the side of it with her left hoof strategically; causing the firing pin to trigger and send a bullet into the anti-matter rifle of the assault unit.
Magnum flipped back, catching the pistol in her front hooves and putting a bullet through the assault unit's head.
The group had noticed her presence, and were turning around. Magnum was about to charge forward when she noticed the distinct dot of light on the horizon behind them, slowly growing larger. She fired a few shots into the group as a distraction, backing away slowly. They returned fire, but Magnum's mirage device was throwing their targeting systems off- their computers couldn't properly find her.
The light spot on the horizon was a cluster missile launched by team 2's gunship, currently still intact. Then the thruster died out, and it started carrying itself by its own momentum. The outer shell broke away in quarters, falling behind as the main body sped ahead; revealing five smaller missiles inside the main carrier. Robotic arms extended out, clearing the smaller missiles from the inner and outer shell. With a loud hiss, the individual missiles' thrusters came to life, sending them rocketing away from the main body and in a swirling cluster.
Magnum covered her head as the missiles spun up like a tornado, then thin out and slam down like a hammer into the group of assault units. By the time the dust cleared they were barely in pieces.
"Get aboard!" Storm yelled, waving a hoof at Magnum as the gunship flew within range.
Magnum leaped up, the near-zero gravity here in orbit sending her flying towards the ship. She flipped in midair, landing hooves down on the underside of the left wing.
"Take us back to the gate!" she said, hopping down into the passenger section. With a loud hydraulic whir and click, she re-mounted the ACPW on the ammo feeder.
"Hostiles coming from gate 065." mid-ranger Anvil said, the shells from his blazing assault rifle drifting around in zero gravity.
The pilot pushed on the throttle, sending the ship sailing forward.
"Rain hell on these arseholes!" Magnum yelled, slowly depleting the ship's ammo supply. "Get ready to eject any moment- ship's not looking too good!"
"No, it ain't." the pilot said, jamming back the throttle. The ship jerked to a stop, the momentum almost flinging the passengers out the front. He yanked the joystick to one side, and the ship swung around in a huge arch; all guns blazing. There were thick trails of smoke left above the barricade as the pilot flicked all the switches for whichever missiles that still hadn't been fired, raining down destruction on the metal structure of the barricade.
"Enemy gunships- incoming! Three o'clock and roughly five miles away!" Anvil yelled.
"Storm- take that damn 9mm and shoot them down!" Magnum said, occupied with taking down the enemy infantry.
"Will do." Storm quickly got up, swinging his combat shotgun behind his back and grabbing the handles of the 9mm.
"Shuck- enemy fire!" Anvil yelled, covering his head as a series of bullets sent dents scattering across the surface of the ship's armor.
They could make out a few distinct bright dots in the distance, clearly missiles launched from the enemy ships because they could see trails of white smoke left behind them.
"Son of a parasprite-" Magnum cursed, swinging off the side of the gunship but still holding onto the ACPW. She stood on the edge of the gunship, the ACPW now pointing through the insides of the ship and at the missiles. With three precise bursts, she took down all three missiles. "Use that gun Storm!" she yelled.
"Might as well save the bullets for you squad leader." Storm said.
Magnum didn't reply, just shifted gears on the ACPW. With a few clicks, it rearranged itself into a gatling gun. She held down the triggers, and slowly it whirred to life. That whir turned into a roar as the six barrels began rotating at full speed, which then grew into a scream as bullets tore through the air at two rounds per millisecond. The full metal jackets ripped through the enemy ships' armor, tearing them to tatters. One remained, and fired everything it had at them.
Suddenly the screaming of the gatling gun died down, and Magnum looked down at the smoking ACPW questioningly.
"Shuck!" she yelled at the empty ammo feeder. She took the rifle off the ammo feeder, folding it into a pistol and placing it on her belt. She strode into the cockpit, leaning through the door. "We're out of ammo! Land now!"
"Affirmative." the pilot said, scanning the area for somewhere clear to land. "Damnit! Too many hostiles around- can't land!"
There was no point in wasting their own ammo. They'll need plenty for when they infiltrate the barricade.
"Team 1 and 3 are inside! Repeat! We are inside and engaging enemies!" a voice yelled through the mic.
"Good work teams! We're going in!" Magnum said, ducking down as a purple laser flew past her head.
"RPG! RPG!!" Storm yelled, pointing out at a fast approaching rocket.
"Jump! Abandon ship! Repeat- ABANDON SHIP!!" Magnum yelled, leaping out the side and tucking her body into a ball to decrease surface area.
"Holy mother bucking son of a-" Storm blurted, swinging out the side and followed by Anvil. The pilot slammed a hoof on the eject button, launching the windshield out into space with a loud hiss. This was followed by a loud bang as the seat was blown out, and he kicked off of it to get even further away from the ship.
The rocket made contact, hitting the gunship full in the side. It caused one of its engines to blow out, and the gunship went tumbling out of control; spiraling towards the surface.
"Buck-" Magnum yelled as the flaming carcass of the gunship came swinging back around, leaving behind it a trail of thick black smoke. She used her jetpack, giving her a small boost backwards. She flipped, now parallel with the surface. The spiraling gunship spun towards her, and she managed to fit through one side of the passenger compartment. She watched wide-eyed as the ceiling of the flaming ship passed before her eyes, inches away from her helmet visor. Then it was gone as she went out the other side, the ship passing by harmlessly.
Magnum quickly stretched her limbs out from her tucked position, as the ground was coming up fast. She heard a loud bang somewhere behind her to her left as the gunship went down, followed by a huge explosion that lit up the area in front of her with a deafening boom.
She activated her jetpack, the two thrusters flaring as her descent slowed. There was a heavy clunk as she hit the ground, landing firmly onto the metal surface. She heard several more clunks behind her as her team landed somewhere nearby.
"Make a run for the gates! Don't stop for anything!!" Magnum yelled, her mirage device already kicking in as power to the jetpack was cut.
She stilled had the anti-matter rifle she picked up, so decided to use it. The assault units tried to return fire, but kept missing.
"More reinforcements! Wait..." Storm peered at the open gate. "There's nopony there!"
"GHOSTS!" Magnum yelled. "LOOK OUT!!"
Suddenly she spotted a slight haze dart towards the oblivious pilot, and she could see the clear blade rise.
"Damnit- Watch ou-" she started, but as the blade was brought down, the pilot exploded into a pink mist with other organic and inorganic parts mixed in it.
It was still space, after all. The zero pressure outside had torn him apart the instant his suit lost pressure from the cut.
"Buck!" Magnum cursed, turning her attention back to her own safety.
Storm just ran through the crowds, shells from his shotgun and traces of gunpowder the only signs of his previous location. He ran up to an assault unit, launching a back hoof into its head and cracking its visor. He then brought the hoof down, slamming the unit down onto the ground. Before the next unit even realized what happened, he had already sent half a dozen shotgun pellets into its chest. It fell back, skidding across the floor and sending sparks flying.
Storm quickly ran forward, towards the gate. Suddenly he saw a haze out of the corner of his eye, and quickly dive-rolled forward. He heard metal strike metal behind him as the Ghost swung the blade down- now it was trapped, its sword stuck in the ground. Storm rolled onto his back, and fired a load of buckshot through the ghost's armor. It imploded into pink mist and a few floating chunks.
Magnum reached the designated gates- but they were closed.
"Gah!" she yelled frustratedly. "Hold them off and wait for the next wave!"
"Not sure how long we can!" Anvil yelled, quickly switching the magazine in his assault rifle.
"Pick up their weapons! Ours are a last resort." Magnum said, anti-matter rifle blaring in the darkness.
There was a loud click and whine behind them, and the gates started opening.
Magnum quickly turned around, taking down three quarters of the assault units before they even activated. Her team took down the rest, already getting onto the platform. Magnum swung down, landing with a heavy clunk. The platform began retreating into the barricade, the assault units standing on the edges and shooting down at them.
Anvil dodged right, a few laser bolts hitting the ground next to him. "Here come the ghosts!" he yelled as several hazes of air jumped down from the top.
Magnum's ears twitched as she heard a light clunk behind her, followed by the whoosh of air as the ghost brought the blade down. She didn't even look, just spun the antimatter rifle and clamped it under her arm, pulling the trigger and sending a bolt of antimatter into the ghost. She heard it explode in a dull but satisfying manner behind her, and swung the rifle back out again.
"GRENADE!" Storm yelled just as the gates were closing, pointing above them.
There was a loud clink as a metal ball was jammed between the two gates, a flashing red light on top pulsing with its eery beeps.
"Shuck-" Magnum cursed, activating her jetpack. She flew up, flipped in mid-air, and launched a back hoof into the grenade. It cleared the gates, going back outside where it came from. The gates slammed shut, and the explosion from the grenade was nothing but a dull thunk.
"That was bucking close." Storm slumped onto the ground, letting out a deep breath as the room pressurized.
"We've probably got ten battalions of the damn things waiting for us on the other side. Stay sharp." Magnum warned, pointing the antimatter rifle at a large door that was slowly rising out of the ground as they descended into the barricade.
They stood guard, rifles trained on the door as it slowly slid open. Inch by inch, light started pouring in through the crack. Then it fully opened, and nopony was there. Nothing was there, in fact; just an empty dimly lit hallway.
"Huh..." Magnum whispered, letting the tip of her rifle drop slightly.
"Looks like a trap to me." Storm said.
"Don't think we have a choice." Magnum said, walking towards the open door.
Rainbow screamed, launching a hoof into the side of the zombies face. She felt its skull crack under the force, and its teeth were ripped from her shoulder. She fell back, breathing hard and unable to believe what had happened.
I've been bitten... I'm going to turn... Shuck... She thought, her vision blurring.
She could see shapes moving, followed by flashes as the group tried to fight off the zombies. She could hear everything relatively clearly, Daring Do yelling and leading the ponies on. She felt somepony drag her behind the frontline, setting her down on a large rock and clearing her face of the murky waters.
Octavia shined a bright torch at her face, inspecting her eyes.
"Shuck! Rainbow's been bitten!" she yelled.
"Son of a parasprite!" Daring cursed, slushing through the sewage waste and crouching next to Rainbow. "Dash! Can you hear me!?"
Rainbow didn't reply- her insides were burning up, and she was barely controlling herself from screaming. Pain came in waves, rippling through her body and splitting her head.
"DASH!" Daring yelled, slapping her across her face.
Rainbow's eyes suddenly widened, and she jerked up; coughing. Blood poured out of her mouth as she tried to get up, drips of the crimson liquid trickling down her nose and out the corners of her mouth.
"Damnit- she's turning!" Octavia steadied her, helping her up.
Rainbow screamed, her spine involuntarily arching back. She collapsed onto the ground, vomiting more blood that mixed into the sewage waste. She was on all fours now, screaming uncontrollably at the ground as her limbs felt like they were going to be torn apart.
"Do it!" Daring yelled.
Rainbow, through the chaos and her own screaming; heard a soft click behind her as Octavia loaded a pistol. But then that dragged on for several minutes, and there was no bang.
"I... I can't do it." Octavia said finally, lowering the gun and letting out a deep breath. How could she pull the trigger on her own friend? Even if she was turning into something else- she still couldn't do it.
"Hurry! Before she turns!" Daring yelled, firing her shotgun at the crowd of mutated ponies.
"I CAN'T!" Octavia yelled, a single tear drifting down her cheek. She slumped back onto a rock, covering her face with her hooves. "I CAN'T BUCKING DO IT!"
Rainbow's inner burning pain had ceased now, and her skin was beginning to split. It hurt even worse. She moaned, trying to contain her screams so Octavia might be able to shoot her. She needed to, or she'll kill everypony here. And that'll be the end of that.
"For hell's sake-" Daring said, storming back from the frontline and pointing her shotgun at Rainbow's head.
"No!" Octavia leaped up, pushing the shotgun barrel away and sending the missed shots into the water, causing a huge splash.
"Get off me! We need to take care of her now!" Daring yelled, shoving Octavia away and taking aim again.
Octavia leaped out from the water, tackling Daring in the side and sending the both of them tumbling into the sewage waste. They splashed around, trying to gain control of the shotgun.
"Octavia- LET GO!!" Rainbow yelled, clutching her head.
"Are you crazy!? I'm not going to let anypony kill you!!" Octavia yelled back.
"It's-" Rainbow screamed mid-sentence, a wave of pain ripping through her skull. "It's for the best damnit! DARING! SHOOT ME!"
"NO!" Octavia yelled, pressing Daring Do firmly against a rock and keeping her there.
Rainbow started crawling through the water, towards Octavia's dropped pistol.
"What are you doing!?" Octavia's eyes widened. "NO! RAINBOW! GET AWAY FROM THAT GUN!!" she tried to stop Rainbow, but was restrained by Daring.
"She'll kill all of us if we don't kill her!!" Daring yelled. "I don't want to either- but we don't have a choice!"
"WE ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE!!" Octavia yelled, tears pouring down her cheeks as she kicked at Daring. "LET GO OF ME!!"
"Stay back, Octavia!" Daring yelled, a tear of her own sliding down her face. "We can't do anything about it!"
"Octavia..." Rainbow said weakly, her hoof on the pistol. "Stop. We don't have a choice and you know it."
"Rainbow!!" Octavia yelled, then was horrified to see Rainbow pick up the pistol and begin to aim it at her temple. "NO! DON'T DO IT!!"
"Get the job done, Octavia. This time I won't be leading you guys." Rainbow said, pressing the barrel of the gun against her temple.
"NO! NO GODDAMNIT!!" Octavia yelled, desperately trying to free herself from Daring.
"Good bye." Rainbow smiled, blood still trickling out the corner of her mouth and a single tear ready to fall from her eye.
"SIS! NO!" the voice of a filly yelled, and she hesitated. Dainty... That's what she regretted about this the most. She can't look after her anymore, after all these years of doing so.
Rainbow grunted frustratedly, and also out of pain. She quickly leveled the pistol against her temple again, and did what she always does in these situations- do it first, say 'whoops' later. Then there was a bright flash as she pulled the trigger, sending a bullet through her own brain.
Whoops- she thought as she fell sideways, her eyes closing and darkness creeping at the corners of her vision. Within seconds she was dead.
*
Magnum slowly proceeded through the hallway, followed close by her teammates.
"What the hay... There's nopony here. It's just abandoned." Storm whispered, and despite this his voice still echoed around the walls. He shined his torch this way and that, as the main lighting systems were off for some reason and the hallway was only lit by dim emergency evacuation lights.
"Turn on your lasers. Don't know where a Ghost might be hiding in all this darkness. Hell, don't know where anything might be hiding in this darkness." Magnum said, aiming her laser pointer around to check for disruptions.
"It's probably nothing. The other teams are probably wreaking havoc through the damn place." Anvil said, peering behind them to make sure nopony comes up behind.
"Storm. Mark the location of the command center on our HUDs." Magnum said, taking front point. There were a series of beeps, and a waypoint was marked out in real-time on her HUD. "Good work." she said.
They continued on, careful around corners. There was a bright light being shone onto the wall and through the other hallway just around the corner. Shadows shifted in the light, slowly growing closer. There was talking, but the heavy footsteps indicated that the ponies were in suits.
Magnum checked her HUD, making sure it wasn't one of her teams. She looked behind her at her team, and gestured for them to back off. She continued on, her back close to the wall. She was at the edge of the corner now, ears pricked for the slightest disturbance.
"Storm.... Pass me an EMP grenade!" she whispered.
There was a soft clink as Strom unclipped an EMP grenade from his belt, and passed it to Magnum. Magnum held onto the grenade with her left hoof, while drawing out her pistol with the other. The ACPW was in pistol form as well, and her left hoof was ready to flash to it the moment the EMP grenade is gone.
She gave herself a mental countdown, then threw the grenade around the corner. The clunking echoed off the walls, soon followed by surprised yelps and yelling. Then there was a bright flash of light blue and a loud BANG and fizz, and everything went dark. The emergency lights were busted, and the only thing that provided some sort of light were the sparks from the fried wires.
Magnum drew the ACPW with her left hoof, and swung around the corner- purely relying on her ears. A series of bangs echoed down the length of the corridors as she started firing her pistols, the darkness lit by nothing other than the muzzle flashes of her lethal shots. In each flash she was always in a different place, rendering it useless for the Science Faction ponies to tell where she was.
Then there was one final bang, and a thud as a body dropped to the ground. Magnum turned on her torch and laser pointer, standing in the middle of a massacre.
"Come on- move it!" She waved at her team, gesturing at them to hurry up. "More'll be on their way. Go!"
They ran through the dark corridors, the light from their flashlights wavering as they galloped. There was a narrow door up ahead, bright blue light flooding into the corridor. Magnum pressed her back against the wall, peering around the corner.
"Buck. Bluefyre, give me a scan of the next room." Magnum said, crouching down and watching the door.
Bluefyre was a pegasus technician, and if anypony knows their equipment down to the nuts and bolts, it'll be her.
"Scanning." she said, making a few taps on the screen on her arm. A small drone ejected from the back of her suit, just about a centimeter wide and hovering silently. She controlled it through her HUD, piloting it into the next room. A bright flash came from the other room as the drone performed an instant 3D scan.
Slowly, the 3D model of the next room began appearing on her HUD.
"What the hell..." she whispered in wonder at the model.
"Bluefyre." Magnum yanked her back to reality.
"Right, sorry." Bluefyre said, tapping the side of her helmet and casting the model into a hologram so the others could see.
"What the buck..?" Magnum frowned at the model. "It's like a freakin ravine!"
"It's the engine room." Bluefyre said, spinning the model around.
The room was about a kilometer in diameter, a circular expanse that disappeared both up and down as the ends were out of range of the drone's scan. In the center was a large central structure, about three quarters of a kilometer in diameter. Floating platforms and light bridges connected the central structure to the outer wall- the only form of access.
"The primary engine should be down below." Bluefyre pointed at the bottom of the hologram, where everything abruptly ended. "The command center should be at the top... And the center is just the nuclear reactor."
"So we're at the center of all the crap, huh." Magnum said. "Shuck. How the hell are we supposed to get across?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out right now." Bluefyre said, rubbing her chin. "We take the platforms, they shut them down, and we're sitting ducks. Take the light bridges, they turn them off, and we fall to our deaths. Either way we're bucked."
Magnum was silent for a few moments, then she spoke into the comms: "Team 1, do you copy?"
"Affirmative." came the reply.
"Can you make it to the nearest control room? We need you to take over on one of the barricade's light bridges."
"Copy. We'll try."
Magnum hung up, sighing frustratedly. "And now we wait."
"Shuck... Assault units." Bluefyre said, her drone's camera picking up several floating platforms coming their way.
"Move. Stick to the center though- go! Go!" Magnum ushered them on.
*
Octavia just stared as Rainbow fell sideways, her eyes already closing. Then there was a splash as she hit the water, her mane floating around her head and a darkening patch of blood forming in the water next to her.
Octavia stopped struggling, and Daring let her go. She slumped down into the water, eyes wide and unbelieving. Rainbow Dash.... Dead....?
Daring sighed, slumping down onto a rock and running a hoof through her mane. A gunshot went off as one of the survivors shot the last mutated.
Dainty ran to Rainbow's dead body, crying uncontrollably. She yelled at her face, yelled at her to get up- like she always did. She didn't expect her to though- she just blamed Rainbow for what had happened. She cried into that same chest, hoping that those hooves would pat her on the head as gently as they always did when she was upset. She cried until somepony laid a hoof on her shoulder- she turned around, seeing a saddened Lily.
"I know she probably was everything to you." Lily said, eyes lowered.
Dainty wiped a tear off her face, slumping back. "She was."
Octavia slowly slushed through the water, joining the two fillies. "She was a great friend. Always loyal, no matter what." she sniffed, letting out a deep breath. "At least she's going somewhere nice." she chuckled. "Hah, maybe she's watching us grieve right now. You're an arsehole, RD." she said, looking up at the ceiling.
Dainty sighed, laying her head on Rainbow's chest for one last time. She cried, her sister for the better half of her life- gone. Then she froze, feeling something beat against her face.
It was Rainbow's heart- but how?
"Sis...?" Dainty got up, looking at Rainbow's face.
"What the hay...!?" Octavia looked at Rainbow's temple. It was matted with blood- but there was no wound. "Shuck- Dainty! GET AWAY FROM HER!" she yelled, pulling Dainty away.
"Buck-" Daring cursed, getting up and drawing her shotgun as Rainbow slowly got back to her hooves, her body moving oddly- looks like she didn't kill herself in time.
Daring pulled the trigger, sending a spread of buckshot ripping through Rainbow's right shoulder. Her arm was ripped off, and flew with bits of flesh and splashed into the murky waters. Daring fired again, taking Rainbow's head clean off.
Then smoke and steam started emitting from the mutated Rainbow, as if her body had caught on an invisible fire. Then her head grew back, soon followed by her arm. Her head was tilted to one side, her eyes staring down and unwaveringly dead.
"Buck! What do we do now!?" Daring yelled anxiously.
"Wait... I know this." Octavia said, placing a hoof on top of Daring's shotgun and bringing it down gently. "Hey arsehole, you can stop pretending now." she said, the barest hint of a smile creeping onto her face.
"You just had to ruin it." Rainbow said, tilting her head to one side and cracking it loudly. She wiped the blood from her mouth, then spat into the sewage water. "Bucking hell."
"Wha...?" Daring asked incredulously.
"She's been injected with the virus before in the previous reality... She knows how to control it and use it to her own advantage." Octavia said.
"Oh wait... I remember now. Bastard went on a rampage." Daring said.
"Yeah that." Rainbow nodded. "Good times."
"Indeed."
"I bucking hate you!" Dainty cried, punching Rainbow on the leg. Then she broke down into tears, hugging her tightly.
"There there." Rainbow said, because she didn't know what else to say; and patted Dainty on the back.
Dainty was grateful for that pat- she just cried even more. Moments ago she thought she'd never even see Rainbow alive again- and now, here she was- covered in blood, but perfectly fine otherwise. And if mood was anything to go by, even better than before.
"I keep my promises." Rainbow said, hugging Dainty tightly. "I'd never leave you on your own in this wilderness."
Dainty didn't reply- just hugged Rainbow back, grateful that she was here.
"You're such an arse." Octavia said, grinning and lightly punching Rainbow in the shoulder.
"Yeah, no crap." Daring said, also grinning and walking up to the group.
Lily laid a hoof on Dainty's shoulder, smiling- and instantly Dainty felt bad, her stomach sinking. Lily might have memory of this in some way- but her family died in the massacre that followed the Magic Faction's second rebellion attempt. It must be horrible- to be suddenly teleported into a reality where your family has been dead for five years. Dainty couldn't say the same for her own real family- sure, they were all dead too- but they had already died in the previous reality. At least she got to say goodbye, in someway.
*
Spitfire yawned loudly, and everypony on the bridge turned to look at her.
"What!?" she blushed, irritated. "Can't the Captain yawn, after all those sleepless nights of keeping this ship up and running?"
"You mean keeping commander Soarin up and-" a voice somewhere in the crowds of the control consoles said loudly.
Spitfire blushed even more. "Oi!" she yelled, pointing at the stallion that yelled that out. Or so, she thought it was him. "You! Yes, you! No, not the one behind you... Just- YOU!! You're on cleanup duty this afternoon. Four hours." she said, now feeling much better.
She noticed a flashing red light on the holographic console in front of her, and waved a hoof at it to show the message. With a tap, she ordered the computer to read the message. She yawned again, however her ears pricked for the computer voice.
"S.F. Vector Class space shuttle requesting direct docking to OASIS bridge."
Spitfire froze, her mind working at a thousand miles an hour. Why is there a Science Faction ship requesting direct docking all of a sudden? Did they find out?
"Origin?" she asked, suppressing the worry in her voice and keeping it calm for the sake of the crew.
"S.F. COLOSSUS."
Spitfire cursed, running a hoof through her mane.
"Ma'am?" an officer asked her worriedly.
"I'm thinking!" she spat, clutching her head and pacing around in circles. Then she stopped, staring blankly at the ground; her heart pounding against her chest- she realized, they didn't have a choice. Her eyes narrowed- she won't back down because of this ship. They'll do what they have to to keep the Magic Faction a secret. "Grant permission for direct docking." she said to the computer, turning away and heading to the bridge's docking area. She pointed at two soldiers standing guard at the sides of bridge, waving them towards her. "You two- with me."
They strode through a short but wide hallway, lit brightly by white lights in the ceiling. Abruptly they stopped, their hoofsteps coming to a halt. The bridge was in complete silence, its members anticipating the arrival of their sudden and unexpected guest. Spitfire's eyes were narrowed into a frown, and she stood as tall as she could to have a menacing appearance- although she didn't have to stand tall at all to get that air of authority around here.
There was a loud clunk as something outside hit the docking gates- the S.F. ship must've been connected. There was a loud hiss of air as the ship's pressure systems made it safe to step into the OASIS. An echoey click traveled loud and far in the silence as the heavy locks of the docking gates opened. White steam poured through the gaps and onto the floor before Spitfire, drifting past her hooves.
Three silhouettes stood in the gateway, dark shades of grey backlit by the blinding white light coming from behind. Spitfire's heart pounded even faster than before as a robotic leg stepped out from the fog, blue LED indicator lights blinking. A bead of sweat drifted down her face- the tension was rising.
Spitfire's eyes widened in fear as the figure took a step out of the fog, the supreme leader of the Science Faction fleet, and the ruler of all the world.
"I like what you have done with the place..." Val said, walking past a frozen Spitfire, arms folded behind her back. "...captain."
Val strode onto the bridge, casting a gaze around those hateful and worried faces around her. The ponies of the OASIS all avoided her gaze, looking down or going back to work. Val grinned- this was the kind of atmosphere she liked.
"Supreme Leader." Spitfire said, turning around slowly and choosing her words carefully.
"Captain. Nothing but a chat with you." Val said, not even waiting for Spitfire to catch up and heading straight for the ship's bar.
Spitfire followed her, taking long steady strides.
The bar was full of activity, ponies cheering and talking loudly- but it all was abruptly cut short as they spotted Val enter the bar. Val stood, casting an expressionless gaze across the ponies. Slowly, one by one; they all left without an order to do so- verbally, anyway.
"Take a seat, captain." Val said without even looking at Spitfire.
Spitfire thought about not doing so- this was her ship, after all- but decided against it. Whatever she could take as a disadvantage emotionally might account for as an advantage later on. She sat down, however quite relaxedly.
"Supreme Leader." she said, keeping an eye on Val while still wary of her guards. One of the guards looked at her emotionlessly, those softly glowing red eyes reflecting the all of hell silently in its reflection. The guard pony's crimson red mane dangled by her side, her dark grey skin shaded even darker under the shadows. Unlike the other guard, she seemed to look down on Spitfire like she was some inferior insect.
"Please, captain. Just call me Val." Val said, finally turning around to face her and taking her attention off the guard. There was an eery screeching noise as she dragged a chair out from under the table, and took a seat.
Spitfire tensed. She'll need to choose her moves and words very carefully from now on- you never know when you might reveal something. Val tilted her head to one side, her glowing light blue robotic eye narrowing. Spitfire shuddered, however not visibly as the gaze from that eye seemed to pierce her straight to the heart.
"I believe you know what I'm here for." Val said, leaning forward and scanning Spitfire's face for the barest hint of a flinch. "But ofcourse, you're going to pretend that you don't."
If there was any discomfort in Spitfire, she suppressed it well.
"That may be because I don't. The possibilities are infinite." Spitfire said, leaning back into her chair and making some distance between herself and Val's scary eyes.
"You think I don't know about your little plans? In fact, I should execute a termination order on the OASIS right now..." Val said slowly, letting out one word at a time.
"I'm afraid I don't understand you." Spitfire said, keeping on a straight face even though her heart was pounding at a thousand miles an hour. She hid that by folding her arms in front of her chest.
"I'm sure you're familiar with history, yes? Being a certainly knowledgable captain..." Val said, also leaning back into her own chair.
Spitfire was about to let out a sigh of relief when she realized this was part of Val's plan. She held that sigh in, not showing any sort of emotional change what so ever.
"I am." she said.
"Then you'll know the story of the Magic Faction, and how they were utterly smothered by Science." Val said, standing up- her chair making a screeching noise that echoed in the silence as it slid away. "Many ponies died from those wars... Those rebellions. And now... They live underground, slaves of a superior kind." she paused, casting a sideways glance at Spitfire. "Most of them, anyway."
The conversation was really getting on Spitfire's nerves now- but she did her best to keep a straight face.
"Twice, they thought they could win against us. And they failed in vain." Val turned around, placing her robotic hands down by either side of the table and leaning forward, her face sliding behind the shadows. "And I heard there's a third time coming."
"Wouldn't you want to address the general of the COLOSSUS instead-" Spitfire started, but Val cut her short.
"Captain Spitfire." Val said quietly, but clearly. "You know why I'm addressing you, not the captain of a much more powerful cruiser. The OASIS is rogue."
Spitfire ground her teeth together behind her tightly closed lips. She just stared at the far wall as Val stood up, slowly walking around the table.
"What, you thought I wouldn't know?" Val said, and Spitfire could hear her voice constantly changing position as she walked around her. "I could order the assault on your secret fleet right now. But I won't- what difference does it make? The result will be the same, regardless of who strikes first- because I'll be ready. So here's what I'm going to do." Val leaned down, her lips barely a few centimeters away from Spitfire's still ears. She felt her hot breath run down the side of her face, and restrained herself from flinching. "I'm going to let you run wild with your plans to overthrow me. Because it wouldn't matter. Let's see what you can do, captain." Val grinned, standing up. She laughed, amused at Spitfire's attempts at hiding the truth. "Surprised? I should think so.
But you're not the only one with those extra memories. Memories of an alternate universe where I had lost- but it's different now. I have won, and I know how to keep it that way."
Val tapped the side of her head, her robotic figure making a light but solid clunk against the metal plating on one side of her face.
"You think I don't know you fought for the Magic Faction- Captain of the Wonderbolts? Equestria's top aerial defense team?" she grinned, scanning Spitfire's face for any signs of weakness. "Do whatever you want, keeping in mind I'll always be ready when the crap does hit the fan."
This was it- Val was right here right now, and if she doesn't take the chance to kill her- who knows when there'll be a second chance?
Spitfire sprung up, her pistol already drawn and her chair skidding away into the background- but Val was faster. She had a firm grip on Spitfire's wrist, keeping the gun pointed well away from her. She even had one arm tucked behind her back, for her own enjoyment.
"Buck-" Spitfire cursed, trying to free herself- but she couldn't do anything.
"Magic is weak." Val said in a hushed tone. Spitfire gritted her teeth, growling at Val. "It will never defeat science."
Val twisted, and Spitfire grunted. She was slowly being forced to her knees, and she could hear her arm click as Val kept twisting. She was forced to drop the pistol- her arm wasn't listening to her anymore.
Then Val launched a backwards kick into her chest, sending her flying back and hitting the far wall. Her back cracked against the cold metal, and she slumped down onto the floor; her vision blurring. She quickly shook it off, scrambling to her hooves and whipping out a small knife from behind her back. She swung it at the approaching Val.
Val blocked the knife with her metal palm, closing her fingers around the blade. She yanked it out of Spitfire's grip, then pinned her to the wall with her spare hand.
"Weak." Val said, tightening her grip on Spitfire's neck.
Spitfire screamed as Val stabbed the knife into her right shoulder, the blade sliding through her joint and lodging itself into the wall behind her.
"Gah! Son of a... AH!" she spat through gritted teeth as Val twisted the knife.
"You know what..." Val said, letting go and leaving Spitfire pinned to the wall. "I'm going to let you live- so you can suffer." she said, yanking the knife out. Spitfire screamed again, the knife clunking loudly onto the ground. She slumped down, leaving a bloody smear on the wall behind her as Val turned to leave.
"Good day, captain." she said, arms folded behind her back and walking out of the bar; her guards that did nothing throughout the process following her out and throwing pitiful glances her way.
*
"There should be a floating platform somewhere to your east. I'll mark it out on your HUDs." Team 1's technician said, and with a few beeps a new location appeared on Magnum's HUD.
"Good work. Keep it online." Magnum said, leading her team towards the marked location. "Alright. Eyes and ears sharp when we get on that platform- look out for other ones too. There might be ghosts on them. Check your we-" she immediately fell still as the door in front of her opened, leading into a room filled with ponies.
"Buck!" Storm cursed, quickly taking cover.
Magnum dived behind the wall, but there wasn't a sound coming from the other room- just the shuffling of hooves as the ponies slowly walked around. She looked at Storm, who returned her blank expression. Slowly she stood up, and walked into the other room. Still those ponies ignored her- hundreds of them lined up and slowly limping towards a machine that took up a quarter of the room. The room itself had to be more than twenty meters wide- it was really more of a large hall.
There was something wrong with the ponies. Their eyes stared lifelessly at the ponies in front of them, glassy and unmoving. They also all seemed to be marching too- all their movements were in unison. Nopony was unique. There also seemed to be small devices implanted on the back of all their necks, a green light indicating they're online.
"What the hell is this...?" Magnum waved a hoof right in front of a pony's face, and as expected- she didn't respond.
"Assembly line." Bluefyre said, pointing at the end of the room; at the machine.
Magnum looked at her questioningly, then slowly started heading for the machine. There was a door in the side of it, old and rusted and untouched for decades.
She stood on one side, while Storm took the other. Bluefyre placed a small detonation charge on the door, and quickly moved to join Magnum.
"Breach and clear. Three... Two... One... Go!" Magnum yelled, and Bluefyre pressed the big red button.
The door blew in, and they heard it tumble across the floor. They swung in, rifles pointing this way and that in search of hostiles.
"Clear." Storm said finally, lowering his rifle.
They seemed to be in a control room of some sort, and the hall earlier connected to an even larger one behind the machine. This control room acted as a small connector on the side, and monitored both halls and the interiors of the machine as well.
"What the hell..." Magnum whispered, slowly walking towards one of the glass walls that look into the machine.
It was like the suiting room on the OASIS. Except Bluefyre described it more effectively- it was an assembly line. Ponies walked into the machine, and the robots start putting pieces on. Magnum followed the pony she waved her hoof in front of earlier, as the robots placed the shoulder plates and chest plates down then screwed them in place with a loud buzz. Then the rest went on slowly, piece by piece- until finally, the helmet was attached.
"What are these?" Magnum asked Bluefyre.
"New units. Never seen them before." Bluefyre said.
"Go back and take a DNA sample from one of the ponies and analyze it. I want an identity match. Then scan one of the new units and see what it might be for." Magnum said, still following the pony.
The next hall was just a large gathering ground. All the fresh units were moved here via conveyer belts and robotic arms- all the units seemed dead. Or at least, they weren't online. Magnum didn't like this one bit- somepony could easily turn them all on and they'd be screwed.
Bluefyre took a small cylinder out from behind her back, and stabbed one end lightly into a stallion's neck. A few droplets of blood were sucked into the small cylinder, and she took it out. With a click and a hiss she plugged it into a socket on her arm, and immediately the computer began working away. She frowned at the result, then her eyes widened as she realized what this meant.
She quickly ran back to Magnum, already tapping away at the screen and throwing up a holographic profile.
"What do you have?" Magnum turned around.
Bluefyre just gestured at the profile. Magnum squinted her eyes at the holographic words.
"Blah blah blah blah... Age 23... Male.... Presumed dead in the second Magic-Science war?" Magnum's eyes widened. "What the hell?"
"Do you know what this means, squad leader?" Bluefyre asked.
"I do." Magnum said, trying to work out additional details in her head.
"They captured ponies to use as meat puppets... I think that's what those devices are for." Bluefyre pointed at the metal boxes on the back of their necks.
"Is there anyway to safely free them?" Magnum asked.
"From what I'm seeing... Those devices are connected directly to the central spine, and may or may not be acting as the brain. The entire nervous system might even be redirected into the device, hell knows what. But until we further research the device- I don't think we can." Bluefyre said, shaking her head slowly.
Magnum sighed frustratedly. "This is just bucking great. Got a bunch of hostages that we need to kill." she paused, weighing the few options they have. Then she closed her eyes, calming her insides. "Rig the place with charges. I want it brought down."
"Magnum?" Bluefyre looked surprised, staring at her with wide eyes.
"Do it." Magnum said, storming out of the control room.
*
The night had found its way through to the Crystal Mountains. Vinyl Scratch leant on the railings of the broadcast building, the dark skies and shimmering engines of the barricade seemingly stretching onwards forever high above.
The broadcast station was the highest building in the whole of Haven, concealed only by the huge mirage spell that covered the entire city, relayed and amplified by the Crystal Tower.
The radio DJ gazed up at the sky, the stars shimmering in the dark. Some patches were visible, where spaceships slowly cruised through space. The moon hung on one edge tonight, brighter than even the engines of the barricade.
It was such a different world. The night was so silent, that she could hear her own watch ticking away; and was so still that she could feel the gentle taps the second hand made as it slowly cruised along the rim of the watch. The difference is extreme between the normal party-filled nights of the previous reality and this new cold one. Maybe the new DJ-PON3 liked silence and stillness better, she'll never know.
There were no parties in his new world. She didn't have any equipment she used to have. All she had was her mic, and some old and worn headphones. All she could broadcast were messages and news for anypony that might still have a magic-operated radio lying around. And in most cases, that was nopony. Vinyl sighed, looking down at her own shadow; stretched across the floor by the bright moon.
What will the new world offer? Less opportunities, probably. She was going nowhere in this new world, with no direction to advance in. She had no idea what the date was- nopony did after the war. Nopony kept a calendar- there was no point. Everyday simply slipped past like countless others, as they wait for their eventual death- whether natural, or enforced by their enemies.
Vinyl held out a hoof, and with a light buzz and a bright flash; a twirling disc of orange light appeared and hovered over her outstretched hoof. She had implants in her arm now, so she didn't need to carry those dumb discs from the previous reality around. She gently sizzled the edge of the disc against her arm, drawing a drop of blood- although she felt nothing but the warmth of the disc of energy. So is this a fake reality? Was she dreaming? It seemed too well-constructed to be one. She'll save killing herself for later- when there's firm enough evidence.
"Vinyl..." she heard a soft voice behind her, a gentle night breeze rustling her mane.
"Hey." she said, lowering her head and looking down at the Haven below. The streets were empty, all lights were off. It was just darkness, lit dimly by the moon.
"Up here again?" Noteworthy asked, stepping up next to her by the railings.
"Yeah." Vinyl said, ruby red eyes lowered.
That was accompanied by silence as the night carried on, not stopping for anypony left behind. Time is a cruel thing- it simply moves onwards, and doesn't consider who would be left behind or ground under its wheels- all ponies could hope for was to keep up.
"You okay?" Noteworthy asked as Vinyl's eyes were lost in the night skies once again. He put an arm around her shoulder, hugging her close and warming her up with his body heat.
"Maybe." Vinyl nodded, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Come on." Noteworthy said, looking at her lowered eyes and giving her a gentle rub on the arm. "What's wrong?"
Vinyl took in a deep breath, then let it out in the form of a large sigh. "What isn't?"
"You, for one."
Vinyl chuckled, snuggling up against him.
"And me." Noteworthy added.
"No. Just me." Vinyl said, annoying Noteworthy on purpose. That flash of annoyance quickly dispersed when she gently nuzzled him on the cheek.
Noteworthy knows what Vinyl means- there was no telling what was right and what was wrong- their sense of judgement had long left them after being thrown into a reality of opposites.
There was a loud bang in the distance, and they both looked up to see a bright spot on the horizon, slowly dropping from the barricade; its engines propelling it towards Haven.
"Shuck..." he whispered, hugging Vinyl close as the nuke entered the mirage field.
Author: I noticed how you guys are reading it from the views- and I'm very glad you gusy have the will to keep reading. Although- is there really nothing to talk about? I mean, I'm kinda going blind with this story since I don't get any feedback... So, to please the crowd: what would you like to see happen? I'll try integrate that in should it fit the basic frame of the story
Soarin saw Val and her guards leave, the shuttle undocking. But he didn't see Spitfire- and didn't bother hiding his worry. He quickly paced through the corridors of the OASIS, but all he saw was the occasional officer walking down the corridor.
"Officer." he laid a firm hoof on a passing officer, stopping him. "Have you seen the Captain?"
"No, sir. Haven't seen her. Although, from what I last heard- she and that phsyco Val went into the bar. That's why everypony's avoiding that area." the officer said, and Soarin let him go; temporarily frozen.
"Buck." he cursed, quickly running down the corridor and towards the bar.
He bumped into several officers on the way, but didn't bother apologizing. They knew he was in a hurry by the looks of it.
"Spitfire! Captain!" he yelled as he turned the corner of the bar, then froze with his eyes wide. "Captain!?"
Spitfire was sitting at the bar table, and had served herself to a bottle of whiskey. Its half drunk contents slushed about as Spitfire looked behind her at Soarin- the misery in those eyes he'd never forget. Aside from that, there was a gaping hole torn in her left shoulder, blood still slowly sliding down her uselessly dangling arm.
"What happened...?" Soarin whispered, quickly rushing to her side.
Spitfire didn't reply, just took a large swig from her bottle. Some of the golden liquid trickled out of the corners of her mouth and slid down her neck.
"Your arm..." Soarin looked at her dangling and bleeding left arm.
"I'll be fine." Spitfire sad, although it sounded more like a croak.
"Get me a medical officer in the bar. Captain is wounded." Soarin said quickly into the mic, and Spitfire didn't stop him- just took another swig.
"Thanks." she said, coughing slightly as she choked on a drop of alcohol.
"What did she say?" Soarin asked, laying a firm hoof on the downed Captain's shoulder.
Spitfire just shook her head.
"I know something is up. The good captain was never drunk before." Soarin said, tightening his grip on Spitfire's shoulder. "Tell me- what did she say?"
Spitfire shook her head again, letting out a deep sigh; her stare on the shelves of alcohol, however her mind drifting away into a different place. "She knew, Soarin. She knew all along."
"What do you mean?" Soarin still hadn't registered the message yet.
"She knew about us, all along. Of course she did..." Spitfire had a tear sliding down her cheek as she buried her face in her hoof.
"No way..." Soarin mind finally caught up. "How...?"
"I don't know, but she says we aren't the only ones with those extra memories." Spitfire said, leaning heavily on Soarin. "Guess she remembered things from the last world."
"The last world, huh..." Soarin muttered, giving Spitfire a short and gentle squeeze.
"I can't take this anymore..." Spitfire sniffed, putting down the empty bottle with a loud clink. "...I just can't."
"Come on, captain. Yes you can." Soarin said, taking the empty bottle away. "I know there's a lot of strain on you- but we need a leader now. No matter if we win or lose, we need a leader to lead us on. We need somepony to keep us organized."
"And why does it have to be me? Can't somepony else who is more up to the task do it? Like Dash?" Spitfire asked, eyes closed and head lowered.
"If she's more qualified- then why did they choose you? Why did WE choose you? Dash is a fighter. And what we need is a leader- you, Spitfire. You organized our infiltration of the S.F. space fleet. And you will organize our attack." Soarin said as hoofsteps rang out behind him. "Ponies have respect for you. Don't back down now and lose that."
Spitfire nodded. "I won't."
"Is the captain alright?" Nurse Redheart shouted as she led a small med team around the corner.
"Aye, aye... A scratch, a scratch..." Spitfire said, standing up.
"Ma'am- we need to take a look at it under the x-ray. Seems like you've got a disjointed arm, probably even worse."
"Do what you have to." Spitfire said, following the medic team out the bar. Just before she left, she tilted her head to one side so Soarin could see the gentle smile on her face, nodded; and left.
*
"We're here." Magnum said, cautiously stepping onto the small boarding area for the platform. "Team 1. Need you to keep an eye on the other platforms."
"Confirm. Two hostile units moving in, ETA five minutes."
"Right. Get this one moving." Magnum said, jumping on. She felt a few thuds as the others followed. "Keep an eye out for hostiles."
The platform started floating off the floor, and levitated into the air. It began slowly moving towards the central structure, a small dot on the other side indicating the other entrance.
"Storm, watch those light bridges." Magnum pointed at the light bridges that connected both sides overhead. "Anvil, watch our backs. Bluefyre, send the drone ahead of us and scout the area."
"Yes ma'am."
Magnum peered over the edge of the platform. She could see the surface from here, and the giant blazing engine of the barricade. All so far away, and once considered home. Now it was considered hell.
"Enemies! Up there!" Storm yelled, pointing at the light bridges as several assault units started running across.
"Team 1! Try and shut down those bridges!" Magnum yelled, her rifle cracking loudly as she pulled the trigger. The head of the assault unit she aimed for instantly shattered, and the remains of its body toppled over the bridge. It clunked loudly onto the side of the platform before falling down into hell below.
"Platforms!" Anvil warned.
"Take down the damn RPGs first!!" Magnum yelled, sending a bullet through the assault unit with the rocket launcher. "Storm! Gimme that shotgun!" she yelled, tossing Storm the anti-matter rifle.
Storm flung his shotgun at her, and caught the anti-matter rifle. Magnum grabbed onto the reload handle of the shotgun, its momentum sliding it forward and loading the gun with a loud click.
Magnum never misses- no matter what. She swung the shotgun at the group of five assault units approaching from the light bridge. She pulled the trigger once- sending a spread of pellets into the enemy's heads. None missed. One shell, five down.
"More of em!" Anvil yelled, assault rifle blazing.
"Storm- do you still have any EMP grenades?" Magnum asked.
"One left!" Storm said, the face of his helmet lit up by the beam of anti-matter blazing in front of him.
"Pull the pin and throw it at me!" Magnum yelled, her shotgun sending out another fatal spread of pellets; sparks flying out of the barrel and soon followed by thick grey smoke.
"Ma'am!?"
"Hurry up!"
Storm flicked out the EMP grenade and pulled the pin with his left hoof, while his right hoof kept shooting short bursts of anti-matter at the assault units. He tossed the grenade at Magnum, who did a three-sixty turn and launched a hoof flat into the grenade. The grenade was sent flying across the artificial canyon, and exploded with a burst of electric blue on one end of a light bridge. The bridge fizzed and flickered, then faded away; throwing the units on it down below.
"Team 1! Progress?" Magnum asked, flinching as several bullets clipped her on the shoulder; however making less than a dent in the thick armor.
"Arseholes shut down the terminal! We don't have any control over it- I think they cut the power! Buck- here they come!" the communication was immediately cut short following an explosion.
"Damnit!" Magnum cursed, then her gun clicked empty. She flung the shotgun back to Storm, who threw her back the anti-matter rifle.
Then there was a loud whoosh- there were assault units on the balconies of the canyon, and bullets weren't the only things they were shooting. Magnum realized a second too late, and failed to dodge the rocket in time. It hit her full in the chest as she turned around, sending her flying off the platform. She cracked her back against another, and instinctively reached behind her. Her hooves slipped on the smooth metal hull of the platform, and she started falling. She quickly whipped out a knife from behind her back, and slammed it down into the flimsy hull. The knife slid through the metal several centimeters deep, and stopped eventually.
"Shuck." Magnum said, looking down at her back hooves; dangling over almost certain death.
There was a robotic groan as an assault unit on the platform walked towards her to check out what was going on. Magnum quickly activated her jetpack, the thrusters bursting to life. She had already used half her fuel- but she didn't check the meter. The sudden boost sent her into the air, and she tackled the assault unit head on. It skid several meters, then stopped on the other end of the platform. Magnum scrambled up, the anti-matter rifle between them. They both started crawling towards it, but the assault unit got there first.
Magnum leaped up, kicking the rifle off aim. Then she stabbed her knife into the side and kicked the assault unit away with a broken anti-matter rifle. She used her jetpack again, flying back and out of range as the remaining bit of anti-matter was released and caused a huge purple explosion. The unit and the platform went down in thick black smoke. Magnum landed on a light bridge, the charged particles beneath her hooves fizzing as she made contact.
"Team 2! Enemies are remote controlling all systems- we don't have any control over the internal systems! The only way is to reach the command center!" a member of team 1 said.
"Bucking great news." Magnum said, the light bridge beneath her hooves slowly fading away. She sprinted forward, feeling her hooves sink more and more into the bridge with each step. Then finally it fizzed out, and she fell. With a boost from her jetpack she managed to land on the platform her team was on.
"We better get off this damn thing. How much fuel do you guys still have?" Storm asked, and even as he said this the engines of the platform were slowly dying.
"Not much." Anvil said, and Bluefyre nodded.
"Buck it. Don't have a choice." Magnum said, shooting down several assault units and leaping onto their empty platform. "Come on!"
Storm and Anvil leaped across easily, but Bluefyre was last- and the platform had already started falling. Instead of pushing off like she was supposed to, the platform fell out from underneath her hooves. She hit the edge of the other platform, and began slipping off. Magnum leant over the edge and quickly pulled her up. They rolled onto temporarily safe ground, breathing hard.
"No time to wait in line- just jump!" she said, giving Bluefyre a pat on the back- and she nodded.
"Light bridge!" Storm yelled, leaping off the slowly failing platform.
"Move it!" Magnum yelled as the platform started falling. She leaped forward, but was no-where near the light bridge. A boost from her jetpack did the trick, and she heard several fizzes as her teammates landed next to her.
"Go! GO!" Anvil yelled, pushing Bluefyre and Magnum on.
"Hostiles!" Magnum said, releasing several shots into an assault unit's head. She had to resort to her pistol now, since the other weapons all but the ACPW were out of ammo. The unit tumbled off the edge of the platform, clipped the side of another and continued falling in several pieces.
"Jetpacks!" Storm yelled, firing a spread of shotgun pellets into the air above him. A few seconds later a modified assault unit fell out of the sky, jetpack out of control and sending it flying all over the place. "Buck- LOOK OUT!"
The out of control assault unit suddenly swerved back, flying straight towards Bluefyre. It hit her in the side, knocking her off the edge of the light bridge. She tried to grab on, but the tips of her hooves only just missed.
She fell onto an assault unit about five stories down on a platform, her suit preventing any damage from getting to her.
She scrambled up, picked up the downed unit's anti-matter rifle, and took a boost from her jetpack. She flew onto a higher vantage point, a different platform. A short burst from the anti-matter rifle took care of the assault unit on it.
"Go! I'll provide cover fire!" Bluefyre yelled, the purple beam of the anti-matter rifle cutting through the air.
"It's going off again-!" Magnum warned, feeling that familiar sudden drop as her hooves sunk partially through the light bridge.
"Almost there-" Storm said, then suddenly the bridge collapsed out from underneath them. They fell, stomachs leaping. They cracked their backs onto a platform after a five meter drop.
The platform Bluefyre was on was going down, so she quickly leaped onto the one everypony was on. It wobbled slightly as the extra weight from her suit crushed onto it, but held.
"Buck- does anypony have enough fuel left?" Magnum asked, looking up at the top right corner of her HUD- jetpack fuel levels were at zero point five percent.
"Just a little bit. Don't think I'll even make it." Storm said.
There was a loud bang and whoosh- Magnum didn't need to look up to see what caused that.
"Well-" she said, backing off to the far end. "Don't have a bucking choice-" she said, sprinting forward and leaping for the entrance.
They all jumped at the same time, the rocket hitting the platform they were on a split second ago and blowing it to pieces. The shockwave swept over them in mid-air, sending them spiraling off balance. Storm, Anvil and Bluefyre all made it with a little boost from their jetpacks- but Magnum didn't have enough fuel left.
"Shu~~ck!" she yelled as she fell short. She bumped her head on the edge, cracking the visor. She grabbed at the edge, but all she felt was the smooth metal wall and nothing to grip onto.
She looked down at the console on her arm- time to test out one of the new gadgets.
"Come on grav boots! COME ON!" she pounded the touch screen.
"Artificial Gravity Activated." the suit's computer said, and instantly Magnum felt a tingling sensation in her back hooves. Now she just needed to get her hooves onto the wall- easier said than done. It kept pulling away from her, sparks erupting every time she tried to land. Her hooves scraped on the metal, the suit and the wall grinding together in a loud screech.
Magnum growled, yanked the knife out from behind her back and tried stabbing it into the wall- but this was a lot thicker than the flimsy hull of the platform. She looked at the knife, which had been sanded down almost to the hilt. There were enemies shooting at her too, their bullets landing short and causing bright flashes to scatter across the wall. Finally she slid to a halt, hooves smoking from the grinding. She couldn't walk normally- there would always have to be a hoof on the wall, otherwise gravity will revert to normal.
"Come on! You can do it!" Bluefyre yelled from high above, anti-matter rifle blaring.
"Trying the buck outta myself!" Magnum growled, whipping out the ACPW and firing carefully aimed rounds back at her attackers. It was annoying because she kinda had to aim above her.
Finally she reached the entrance, and her teammates quickly pulled her in.
"Shuck! That was bucking close!" Storm said as Bluefyre punched in an activation code into a console, sealing the door shut.
"Tell me about it..." Magnum breathed, still a little breathless.
"Get up squad leader-" Anvil said, pulling her up. "We got quite a bit of work ahead of us."
"I managed to tap into their monitors, but I can only see what they're doing- not control it. We'll need the main command center for that." Bluefyre said, peering at her HUD; a small sign of a frown on her face. "And... They just launched a nuke in the direction of the Crsytal Mountains."
"What!?" Magnum gasped. "That's where the Haven is!"
"I know..." Bluefyre sighed.
"We need to notify the captain immediately! Put me through." Magnum said.
"Are you crazy!?" Bluefyre yelled. "They'll track the signal! We don't have systems needed for a secure encrypted signal!"
"Put me through!" Magnum yelled, jabbing a hoof into Bluefyre's chest. "If you don't- all those ponies will be dead!"
"And if I do- more will be! The OASIS will be discovered!"
"Magnum-" Storm said, placing a firm hoof on her shoulder. "They'd be dead anyway. If the barricade knows they're there, then they won't stop until they run out of weapons. Not even the OASIS can do anything about it."
Magnum stared down at the ground, her teeth grinding together and her jaw clenched. Then she roared, and slammed a hoof into the wall to her right. It buckled, and when her hoof fell down by her side there was a giant dent left in it.
"I'm tired of not being able to do anything." she said finally, and was glad that her team couldn't see the tear drift down her face through her visor. "I'm sick of it."
Storm lifted his hoof, and patted her on the back. "We all are." he said, and started walking towards the marked command center.
Slowly, one by one- they turned and followed.
Magnum stared at the dent in the wall for a second longer, then turned and left too. There was no time to whine- but she couldn't help but whimper when she thought about that feeling of guilt in her heart. She knows she didn't cause this- but she didn't stop it either. It was like all those years back again- she could only wake up, and hope she didn't pull the trigger on the wrong pony again. It wasn't her fault, she was always told. But still the guilt stayed, eating away at her spirit.
^and if you don't know what this is about, read: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/62630/1/On-That-Snowy-Night.../On-That-Snowy-Night...
"The barricade has sent quite a few drop pods into your vicinity." Spitfire told Octavia through the mic and a secure connection. "They're all on the surface- expect them to get down there soon."
"Roger." Octavia said, slushing through the muck. "We don't have many ponies left. We found Daring Do, and we only have two survivors left."
"Damn. I sent in a team to infiltrate the barricade. They should be able to take over weapons control anytime now." Spitfire said, hiding the worry in her voice. "You know what. Got a little present for ya from... Er... Do you know this... Applebloom?"
"I do." Rainbow cut in immediately.
"Well. She says something about a modified old relic of yours... Rebuilt from scratch. She just sent a message from Haven... It was an automated one."
"Wait- automated incase of what?" Rainbow frowned, stopping dead in her tracks.
"If Haven doesn't make it." Spitfire said.
Everything fell silent as Rainbow tried to process the information. Haven- under attack?
"What the hell is going on!?" she growled in a hushed tone, turning around and sending a menacing and questioning glare Octavia's way.
"Think they found the Haven. They already launched a nuke." Spitfire said.
"Shuck..." Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane, feeling her heart sink with dread and loss. She shook her head, unbelieving. "No... No... This can't be happening."
"Rainbow." Spitfire said firmly. "Hold it together. You aren't the only one with friends in there."
"Don't give me that bull crap!" Rainbow growled.
"Hold it together!" Spitfire growled back. "Listen- you gonna take what's in her will or not?"
Rainbow breathed through flaring nostrils, but shook it off. There were too many surprises already- she didn't need more- but this one she had to take. "Give me the details."
"There's a magic operated cargo train in the underground tunnels. Trams, or subways- more precisely. Your precious cargo will be on it- I'll patch a connection to the train and send it to your nearest station. Can you access Fillydelphia Central station from the sewers?"
"Affirmative. What is the precious cargo?" Rainbow said, she and her group standing absolutely still.
"Doesn't say- but, it does say you'll love it. Patching the M.F. connection now- I'm in. Now- it's on its way to the station. You have the location marked on your HUD?"
"HUD? The hell you talking about?" Rainbow asked. While she may look like she had forgotten about Applebloom's possible death- she was still churning inside. But like Spitfire said- she needed to hold it together. Get the info, and she could either save the filly or take revenge- none of which will be happening if she goes into a blind rage.
"Right. Octavia has... Informed me on your memory loss condition. You should be able to find some shades in your pocket?" Spitfire sighed.
"Yeah. Why?" Rainbow asked, feeling a small weight in her coat pocket. She reached in and pulled out a pair of sleek looking shades. She raised an eyebrow at the high-tech look.
"That's your HUD. Turn it on and put em on." Spitfire said slowly, as if addressing a foal.
"This just keeps getting weirder and weirder." Rainbow muttered, putting on the glasses and seeing the projections. "I see it."
"Yeah. Head in that direction." Spitfire said in the same manner.
"Stop talking to me like that."
"Like what?"
Rainbow sucked in a deep breath, then let it out in a controlled manner. "Never mind."
"It'll help you on your way big time- so finding that is now your primary objective. Spitfire out."
"Wait!" Rainbow said, but the only reply was the static and her own echoing voice, traveling down the length of the sewer tunnels. Everything fell silent again as the echo faded away, and Rainbow's shoulders slumped down. She let out a deep sigh, eyes wet.
Octavia considered whether or not she should say what she was about to. It was tearing her in two- but eventually she had to choose one. "That Applebloom... She's the one that built the revival machine, right?"
Rainbow nodded, starting to move on; taking slow, heavy steps through the muck. She heard Octavia approach, then felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder.
"Then this isn't just revenge for you." Octavia said.
Rainbow sighed, looking behind her at her friend's determined face.
"I remember seeing her grow up. It's such a waste- I doesn't matter whether or not you're agreeing with me or not. I'm going to take down whoever is responsible- and they're going to suffer for it." Rainbow said, walking away.
Octavia looked down at the muck, looking for what she wasn't sure. She just shook her head, then waved the others on.
*
"We're in. All teams gather and start heading towards extraction zones." Magnum said as her team entered the command center, mowing down the few unarmed officers inside. She walked up to a console, then waved Bluefyre up to take over. "Prepare to fire on enemy units on the ground."
"I've got this covered squad leader." Bluefyre said, tapping into the system.
"Good to hear." Magnum said, striding away from the console and checking that her gun had a full magazine. "Guard the exits. We want to be in here for as long as possible."
"Priming proximity mines." Storm said, turning some handles on a metal plate and placing it down in front of a closed door. He repeated the step until all three doors had mines in front of them, red LED indicators pulsing gently.
Magnum held up a hoof, telling the team to stop whatever they were doing and stay silent. She waved at Bluefyre, telling her to continue.
There were heavy hoofsteps outside- a clear sign of approaching enemies.
"Take cover and get ready." Storm whispered.
They watched the door, waiting for something to happen. The locks suddenly clicked, heavy metal bars sliding away. But the door didn't open- it just stayed there.
Suddenly there was a bright flash and a huge rush of gas as all of the doors blew in, the heavy metal pieces tumbling across the command center. Chunks of flying metal shrapnel sent piles of paperwork into the air. Smoke poured in as the assault units breached the room.
"Damnit! Smart arses." Magnum cursed, then froze as she spotted several shifting voids slide though the smoke. "Cover Bluefyre! GHOSTS INCOMING!"
"Eat mines-" Storm said, twisting a handle and throwing the disk into the crowd. It exploded in a bright show of sparks, and he quickly ducked down to avoid the flying assault unit. Well, half of it anyway. The rest was sent up in pieces.
"Protect the console!" Magnum yelled. "We need it in one piece!!"
*
"Multiple explosive impacts on the surface detected." Soarin said. "They made it."
Spitfire stood before the huge holographic screen, arms folded before her and a metal plate guarding her injured shoulder. "Tell them to keep firing."
"Video message from the S.F. COLOSSUS." the AI said.
"Plat it." Spitfire ordered without hesitation.
"Captain Spitfire..." it was Val again. "I should just pretend I don't know who sent those soldiers into my barricade- and I will. I shall ignore you for now, but I shall also warn you this- captain, you still have some time left- but you're running out of it." she said, her robotic eye gleaming in the shadows. "I will deal with them like they have nothing to do with you. Will you save them and reveal yourself, or will you keep your supposed 'secrecy' and give yourself more time?" she leant back, letting out a light chuckle. "Good luck, captain." the video abruptly ended, and the bridge exploded into a mass of noisy chattering as its officers questioned Val's true intent.
"She's just playing games. Don't fall for it." Soarin said.
"I know she is." Spitfire said. "And I'm not falling for anything. If a game is what she wants, then a game is what she's gonna get. As of yet, we're both only planning our moves." she said, turning around and walking past Soarin; her face brightly lit by the spotlights that shone from the ceiling and onto the bridge.
"Oh? What do you have planned?" Soarin asked.
"I know what Rainbow's little present from Applebloom is. Applebloom already told me. It'll get her and her group to places much more efficiently, and will most definitely help in battle." Spitfire said, pacing back and forth and scanning the holographic screen. "Right now this war is being fought on what the opposition doesn't know. I'm sure Val has her secrets- ready to be unleashed. And I have mine."
"And that is?" Soarin asked.
"She's not the only one with a spy in the opposition." Spitfire smirked. "This world is moving on, and as she said- we're running out of time to catch up. She's trying to use these recent events- not just to her own advantage, but also to our disadvantage. If we get lost in the past, then I doubt we'll be making any correct decisions." she said, leaning on the railings on the edge of the top layer of the bridge, overlooking her officers down below as they worked away.
"Careful how you play the game. Don't play it into her hands." Soarin said.
"I will." Spitfire said, eyes centered on a distant future and goal.
It's game on.
*
"Vinyl..." Noteworthy said, turning to her DJ more-than-just-a-friend.
"Don't say anything." Vinyl said, watching the bright spot on the horizon slowly grow brighter and brighter as it neared. It was like watching their own doom, slowly creeping its way towards them.
"I..." Noteworthy started, but Vinyl placed a hoof on his mouth and shushed him. She turned her head, and he could see the glimmering tears in her eyes. She shook her head, a sad smile on her face.
"Please... Don't say it." she said, dropping the hoof and hugging him tightly. She'd rather imagine what they couldn't have had than imagine what they could've had. She was crying from that, and the unfairness of it all. To be dropped in a new world, and immediately killed? What kinda bull crap is that?
"Okay. I won't." Noteworthy said softly, giving her a light kiss on the forehead. She buried her head in his chest and closed her eyes, waiting for the nuke to strike. He pressed his forehead against hers, ears raised and listening to the crackling of the nuke's thrusters. Slowly it got closer and closer, louder and louder. Now Vinyl could hear it too, and she tightened her grip on Noteworthy.
Then a bright flash sunk through their eyelids, lighting up the darkness. There was the loud sound of things burning- seems like the nuke had went off. Soon, a strong gust of wind hit them full on, forcing Noteworthy to back up a step- but he stayed standing. They felt the intense heat slam against their bodies, their mane and tails whipping around in the wind. Then everything went dark again, the wind gone, and the heat faded away.
The night plunged back into its peaceful silence, and for several minutes all they could hear was each other's quiet breathing. They were too afraid to move, but soon had to. Slowly, Noteworthy opened his eyes and raised his head. It was as if nothing had ever happened before- Haven was still the same- although there were some ponies up and about now, probably woken by the silent 'under attack' siren and the disturbances earlier.
"What the hay..." he muttered, looking around at normality. Although, nothing seemed normal to him anymore- it shouldn't be after what should've happened.
"What's going on?" Vinyl asked, looking up. All she found in Noteworthy's eyes were the same level of confusion in her own.
There was a distant boom behind them, and the night was once again lit up- but the explosion was so far off that the effect wasn't even detectable here. All there was was the sound and the light- which had a weak shockwave follow later, in the form of a slight breeze. They turned around, staring at the huge mushroom cloud just beyond the Crystal Mountains. It was quite small from this distance- but they could tell it was at least several kilometers across. At least.
"It wasn't meant for us at all..." Noteworthy muttered, the burning nuclear cloud slowly cooling and turning into fallout. The light and wind they experienced earlier was just the nuke flying by- really, really closely.
*
The ground shook and rumbled, and Rainbow tripped over and splashed into the muck.
"What the hell!?" she spat out a disgusting mouthful of sewage waste. It also annoyed her how she was the only one who tripped over with an open mouth.
"Captain?" Octavia asked. "Any ideas?"
"It was the nuke." Spitfire said.
"Damnit!" Rainbow cursed, slamming a hoof into the muck and causing a large splash.
"Thankfully, Haven is safe. It was never targeted for Haven, it just... Well, was in the way. It struck Fillydelphia's western region, roughly three kilometers from your position and on the surface. It'll be in the way- you'll have to cross the blasted area to keep going." Spitfire said.
"Question: how?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow, also relieved that Haven wasn't under attack at all. Mainly because the CMC still live.
"There'll be nuclear fallout, but you should be fine. Don't need a suit for that kind of minor stuff- the nuke was one of those really bright incendiary ones, so you'll be finding a whole burning city out there. Most probably, anyway- if everything hasn't already been turned to dust. The way these things work is that most of the chemicals are simply flammable- so not much radio-active material." Spitfire explained.
"Good." Rainbow muttered. Suddenly everything seemed so much better- Haven was fine, and the nuke pretty much did nothing. Nice, very nice.
"Don't start feeling jolly just yet." Spitfire said. "Got a whole swarm of odd heat signatures closing in on your position underground. I know there are S.F. troops in the area, but these don't really match."
"Mutations..." Octavia muttered.
"And a whole buck'n army of em." Spitfire said, however not showing much concern.
"Suggestions?" Rainbow asked, drawing her cleaver. They could hear the moaning and growling of the mutated all the way from here- despite all of them being miles away. There was certainly a big horde of them.
"Get to the train. I can use it to get you guys to safety." Spitfire said, and they heard a few beeps as she started plotting a new course for the train.
"But it's in the middle of this entire bull crap." Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
"Yep. So let's see who gets there first- dumb mutated animals or the pegasus that is supposedly worthy of joining the Wonderbolts? Make your decision. And you're also wasting time right now." Spitfire said.
Rainbow growled, and hung up. "Let's go! Move it!"
They ran through the muck, huffing and puffing along the way. The location marked on Rainbow's HUD grew closer and closer, and the groaning of the mutations grew louder and louder. Eventually it was this chaotic mess of sound, as both sides made their way to the tram station.
"Shuck- there they are!" Daring Do yelled, shining her torch in front of them. The torch wasn't getting any details- but there were shifting shadows everywhere in the distant darkness, hundreds of different shapes writhing and accompanying the moans.
"Dainty- Lily- Stay back. Tavi, make sure they don't get bitten." Rainbow said, already allowing the virus in her body to partially take over. Her skin started to peel and burn away, revealing sharp demon scales underneath. Her hooves sprouted thick claws, sharpened to the very edge. Sharp vampire teeth sprouted from her gums, and the irises of her eyes turned into vertical slits. Within a matter of seconds she was in that form again, mutated- however in full control. With a powerful beat from her armored wings, she burst forward.
"You two- stay with me!" Nightshade said, taking the two filly's hooves in hers. This way should they get in harms way, she'll be able to instantly teleport them away.
"What the hay is your sister!?" Lily asked, staring wide-eyed as Rainbow tore through the crowd of mutations. Dainty shrugged.
"Rainbow! Clear a way to the tram station!" Octavia yelled.
"Will do." Rainbow said, her voice much, much deeper than it usually is.
Daring fired a shell into the crowd, and watched the shadow of blood fly out of the mass of bodies. She reloaded, the crimson red shotgun shell flying out the side with a loud click.
"Damnit! I'm out!" Octavia yelled, throwing her empty shotgun into the water out of frustration.
"Just run for it!" Nightshade yelled as Rainbow tore a hole through the crowd.
"Move it! It's right bucking there!" Daring shouted over the groans of the mutated, her sentence abruptly cut off as an overwhelming blast from her shotgun pumped a storm of metal bearings into the mutations.
Rainbow flew up, her wings grazing the ceiling- then dove back down, claws slashing. The sharp scales on the edge of her wing sliced through a mutated stallion, tearing him clean in half and spilling his guts into the sewer. Her claw slashed sideways, swiping across the face of another mutated pony and ripping its head off. Its severed jaw left a trail of blood in the air as it tumbled away.
Nightshade shoved the two fillies through a narrow service tunnel, leading straight to the maintenance room of the tram station which then leads to the station itself. Octavia followed, and Daring came next; pulling the trigger and setting the shadows ablaze. Rainbow was through last, acting as a shield and blocking the doorway as she backed in- then she slammed the heavy metal door shut. She looked around for something to hold it, and decided to rip out a long disused metal pipe and jam it across the door to prevent it from opening. The mutated continued to growl and bang on it, but it barely budged.
"That was close..." Octavia muttered, slumping down on some stairs that led to the maintenance room. Finally she was able to get away from the muck- and she didn't want to get anywhere near it again.
Rainbow's body started smoking again as the effects were forced to retreat, and soon she was back to normal. Then, as if she hadn't slept for years; she fell forwards. Daring caught her, and gently laid her down on the steps.
"Sis! You okay?" Dainty asked worriedly.
"Side effects." Rainbow muttered, clutching her head and her eyes barely open.
"You gotta take it easy on using that." Octavia laid a hoof on Rainbow's hunched back, peering at her cautiously.
Rainbow suddenly froze, then slowly rose to her hooves. Her eyes were hidden under the shadow of her mane, her face expressionless.
"Rainbow?" Octavia peered at her face, but still couldn't tell what was going on.
Then Rainbow turned around, her eyes looking past everypony and at the far wall. They were unfocused, staring at something they could not see.
"The hay is wrong with her?" Daring asked.
"Dunno." Octavia said worriedly, waving a hoof frantically in front of Rainbow's unfocused glassy eyes. "Rainbow! Can you hear me!? RAINBOW!"
A certain light green earth pony sat alone in her cabin, away from the general population of the OASIS. At this time most of the crew were heading to the local food courts to collect food- usually for a midnight snack, considering the crew have to work all day and night- but she chose to stay back. She sat on her bed, the sheets folded neatly and the room untouched from its original state. It was cleaned every week, therefore no dust settled on the furniture. It was almost as if it were brand new, for it not the empty suitcases.
"When are you going to tell her?" a voice asked the pony, and only she could hear it in her mind.
"She's smart. She'll figure it out." the light green earth pony said, sighing heavily and lying back onto the sheets.
"You know it'll only be worse if she finds out instead of you telling her." the voice noted.
"She doesn't need me anymore- she already has somepony looking after her." the pony said, looking at her hooves for no particular reason.
"But I'm sure she'd be happy to see you again- all things considered." the voice said.
"It'll just mess things up if I show up now." the pony said. "Right now they've got a big task to complete, and they can't be distracted."
"You can't just stay in the shadows and watch over her like this forever." the voice said.
"I'm not- but you are." the pony pointed out.
"Because I'm just following what I was created for. To accomplish one goal- to revive and look after 'my' little sister." the voice said, emotionless like it always was.
"And you accomplished that well." the pony said, and would've given her a pat on the back should she physically exist. "But those are no longer my goals anymore. She doesn't need me, so I won't be there. Rainbow can look after her perfectly well. I saw- when I was dead in that other reality. Did you see how happy she was? Rainbow sure did a good job- and I do envy her."
"You know, you shouldn't-"
"I meant my little sis. I envy her because she got to have that perfect big sister that I never was. I wanted a sibling, you know- somepony older to look after me if I did skim my knee or something. Back in Manehatten, when we were on the streets; I always had to look after Dainty. I wished somepony could look after me- so I gave her all I had. I wanted her to have what I never did- and now she does." the pony smiled gently down at the carpeted floor.
"You know- I'm here." the voice said, with a surprising dose of wariness.
The pony chuckled. "You're just my powerful non-evil clone."
"But haven't I protected you?" the voice asked, and the pony thought about it for a while.
"I suppose you have." she nodded slowly.
"Go get some lunch, mare. You starve and I starve too. It gets annoying when our stomach gets tingly." the voice said cheerily.
The pony chuckled again, knowing that the owner of the voice did share the same body with her- but didn't require anything to live. Hell, she was invincible. It was completely impossible for them to die of hunger, or to feel hunger at all for that matter.
She stood up to leave, smoothed out the sheets, and started slowly walking towards the door. "Thanks, Neon." she said.
"Yeah. No probs Mel. Now go get some food."
*
The rainbow-maned pegasus had finally stopped walking, and like a laggy game the figure seemed to freeze completely.
"Got you now, you son of a parasprite." Rainbow growled, storming towards the frozen figure; keeping a hoof centimeters away from the pocket in which her cleaver handle sat. Her grey mane flowed freely as a soft breeze stirred the white space. She was ready to strike immediately- should the figure prove hostile. "Oi!" she called out, placing a hoof on the figure's shoulder.
Then everything shattered with a loud boom- reality blew apart into fragments, and Rainbow felt herself being sucked into another- and she had a strong feeling that she's going back to where she came from. Everything suddenly warped back, and she was thrown into a narrow hallway. Her shoulder hit the ground, and she skid across the floor; out of the hall way, and into a train station. No, a subway station- it didn't have any skylights, so it's probably underground. She heard a loud clatter and looked up to see her cleaver handle slide across the floor and stop about five meters away.
There were loud hoofsteps coming from the hallway she was thrown out of, and she scrambled for her cleaver.
*
Rainbow suddenly jerked back into reality, and with a bright flash a grey figure appeared out of nowhere and slid out into the subway station. She stumbled back, staring out the exit- but from her angle she couldn't see the figure. But from what she caught in that split second, it looked like a black-and-white version of herself. She did not presume it friendly- it's probably a changeling, or some other random high-tech crap that the science faction whipped up.
"Careful." Octavia said, tapping Rainbow on the shoulder.
"I know. You girls wait for my all clear." Rainbow said, drawing her cleaver and slowly walking into the tram station. At first she saw nothing, but then saw the figure scrambling for something on the floor. She stared at the familiar item for several minutes, and her eyes widened when she realized what it was. "No you don't..." she muttered, running towards the figure.
She was a split second late as the figure picked up the cleaver, the huge broad blade already unfolding. She swung her own over her head and down at the figure, who brought the cleaver up to meet hers.
Sparks flew out after a solid thunk as the two cleavers collided- there were no advantages anymore, they both had the same speed and immense power.
The figure pushed her away, getting up to her hooves. Rainbow brought the blade around and back in an uppercut, which the figure dodged using a familiar 'step to the side' technique.
The figure swung the blade sideways, the heavy hunk of metal gliding through the air and splitting it in half. Rainbow leaped up and rolled over the broad side, landing on her hooves and seeing a pocket to attack.
She sprang up, slashing diagonally at the figure. The figure jumped up, and stomped a hoof on the broad side of the blade, forcing it onto the ground. It then swung its own down at Rainbow, who placed a hoof on the side of it and diverted the blade elsewhere. She kicked the figure in the stomach, forcing it to stumble back. Then she dug a back hoof under her blade, then flicked it up. She caught it, and steadied it for another round.
The figure charged forth again, spinning the huge cleaver and sending sparks flying as the tip grazed the floor with each rotation. There was an eery and constant whoosh as the heavy cleaver cut through the air, the sound pounding against Rainbow's chest. She did the same, spinning the cleaver by her sides.
The blades collided once again, a myriad of sparks showering the two. It was just a mess of blurs as they twisted their cleavers against each other's.
Then Rainbow felt her cleaver get ripped from her hooves, and heard it tumbled across the marble floor. The cleaver was fine, but the floor got cracked in several places. She looked up again, just in time to see the figure bring the cleaver around at her side. She rolled sideways, the blade passing with a terrifying whoosh just above her head. She scrambled to her hooves, and leaped back as a downward swing only just grazed the tip of her nose. She stumbled back, the figure already charging again.
Another downward swing. Rainbow stepped to the side, and the blade cracked deep into the ground; bits of marble flying into the air and sparkling in the dim light. She charged forth, taking the chance that the figure was disarmed.
Rainbow swung from the right, which the figure blocked with an arm as expected. She reached around the figure's shoulders, got a firm hold on it and drove her knee into its guts. She heard her gasp, and launched a final kick across the figure's head. She frowned as the figure tumbled across the floor- that voice- it sounded like her own.
No time to think about that though.
She quickly ran back to her own cleaver and picked it up, just in time to see the figure get to hers. The figure slid the handle forward, and thumped on the trigger. A shockwave was sent traveling through the tiled floor, lifting the marble up and cracking it into pieces. The cleaver flew into the figure's hooves as the recoil hammered it out of the ground.
Rainbow quickly leveled the blade against her body, shielding herself from the bullets with the broad side. She felt every impact hit the cleaver and hammer against her shoulder, and was too afraid to peer to check what was going on. She felt her hooves slide on the ground with each heavy thunk, forcing her back.
Finally there was a break, and she swung her cleaver so the tip pointed at the figure and slid the handle forward. The figure charged forward, and she opened fire.
The figure spun the cleaver, deflecting the bullets off the angled surface of the broad cleaver blade strategically so most of the force was diverted away and wouldn't slow her down.
"What the hay..." Rainbow muttered, realizing she was just wasting her ammo. She stabbed the cleaver at an angle down into the ground, and waited for the figure to strike.
The figure brought the blade over her head in a devastating downward slash. Rainbow slammed the trigger on her own cleaver, sending it flying up. Its hilt hit the other cleaver's blade, knocking it back up.
Rainbow used this chance, dive rolling forward and under the cleaver blade. She leaped up, slamming a hoof deep into the figure's stomach. The figure gasped and stumbled back, but held onto the cleaver. Rainbow ran after her, jumping up and driving her knee into the figure's chest. Her momentum carried her on, and she slammed down onto the figure as they both fell over. The cleaver went skidding away and out of reach.
She kept a firm hoof on the figure's shoulder, keeping her down and using her other hoof to strike at her head. The figure tried to get her hooves up to protect herself- but Rainbow was preventing that from happening.
The last thing Rainbow saw was the figure suddenly leap forward, then her vision was instantly blurred as the figure's skull cracked against hers. She was sent falling back, dazed and disoriented and with an annoying headache that dulled her thoughts. Now the figure was on top, raining down punches.
Suddenly there was a black and grey blur as Octavia tackled the figure off Rainbow. They rolled onto the floor, both already starting to get up. Rainbow crawled to her hooves, and quickly ran for her cleaver.
"Dash! What the hell is going on?" Spitfire yelled.
"An unexpected guest. I have no idea- she just came out of nowhere." Rainbow said, picking up her cleaver and leveling it at the figure.
"Listen- you've got Science Faction troops closing in on you from almost all sides. The girls and boys on the barricade are holding them back the best they can, but they'll have to bail soon. Get on the train now!"
"Negative- we need to take care of this little arsehole first!" Rainbow said.
Octavia was much more specialized in close quarters combat- and knew all the pressure points. She was lightning fast, and the figure struggled to hold off her relentless attacks. Octavia swung a hoof over the figure's head, and she swiped the hooves out from underneath her.
Rainbow saw Octavia fall onto the floor, and pulled the trigger at the figure. The figure leaped to the side, the bullet ripping past the air millimeters away from her face. Octavia grabbed her ankle, forcing her to fall over. She launched a hoof at Octavia, kicking her away.
There was a loud whoosh as Rainbow used her wings to boost her through the air, the cleaver already raised high above her head. The figure slid forward and under her, safely avoiding the blade. She used her wings too, boosting towards her cleaver.
Rainbow flew after her, the cleaver by her side. The figure got her blade back, kept going to the far wall, kicked off the concrete, and shot straight back at Rainbow.
Rainbow brought her cleaver to her left side, and timed her swing. They grazed past each other, and at this near sonic-speed moment they both struck. The impact was so great that both of their weapons were ripped from their hooves, and they both tumbled out of balance. The two cleavers fell from the ceiling, both tips crunching deep into the ground right next to each other.
Rainbow looked up to see the figure get to her hooves, running for the weapons. She quickly got up too, her wings beating against the air and sending her flying towards the cleavers. In the end, she got there first.
She picked up both, and threw the figure's cleaver at her like a javelin. The figure allowed it to glide past her for a split second, then grabbed the handle as it neared. She used its momentum and swung it around to meet Rainbow's blade, both clashing with a loud clang that rang in their ears.
The figure pushed Rainbow away, leaped into the air, and swung the cleaver back down again. Rainbow raised hers horizontally and blocked the strike- but soon learnt that the strike wasn't the figure's intention at all. She actually knew before it happened- in fact, they seemed to know what each other would do before they even made the move.
She jerked her head to one side, but still flinched at the loud bang that almost shattered her eardrums. She felt the air pressure around her change as the high-calibre bullet burst past and graze her cheek, drawing a single droplet of blood.
Suddenly she remembered the spikes in the cleaver, and slammed the button. The spikes deployed, hooking onto the edge of the figure's blade. Rainbow yanked the cleaver to one side, forcing the other to follow as well and giving her clean hit at the figure. She swung a hoof around the side, cracking it against the side of the figure's face. She fell to the side, stunned.
Rainbow pressed the button again, retracting the spikes.
"Dash! You need to get the hay outta there- science faction troops are swarming the surface! You don't have any time at all- get on the train! They're breaching the surface- the whole place will come down on you!" Spitfire yelled.
"Shuck..." Rainbow muttered as she heard shouts above their heads, and some loud beeps that didn't sound too comforting.
"GET TO COVER!!" Nightshade yelled, dragging the two fillies under a metal desk.
Daring and Octavia scrambled to their hooves and found something to hide under, waiting for everything to come down. "Rainbow!"
But Rainbow was trapped in the open, with nothing for cover. The entire ceiling suddenly exploded, chunks of concrete with steel bars mixed in them crumbling down onto the station floor. There was a bright white flash, and Rainbow felt something hit her in the gut. She flew back, skid on the floor as several larger pieces slammed onto the ground where she was earlier. The columns that were holding the ceiling up still stood, supporting bits and pieces that were still left.
"Damnit- here they come!" Rainbow muttered. "Girls! Move up!" she yelled, and Daring and Octavia quickly moved behind cover and started firing at the assault units above.
"Rainbow!" Dainty screamed.
"Just stay in cover! We'll give you the all clear once we clear the area!" Rainbow yelled, firing her cleaver.
"But-"
"Just stay there!" Rainbow yelled. "Nightshade! Move up!"
"Rainbow- she can't!" Dainty screamed angrily.
Rainbow turned around, irritated. "Nightshade! Come on- we need you up here!"
Nightshade was just standing there, still and unmoving. Dainty and Lily were beside her, and Dainty looked like she was crying.
"Damnit Nightshade! What is it!?" Rainbow backed away from the frontline, retreating back near the Warden of Teleportation.
Nightshade opened her mouth to reply, but all that came out was blood- and that's when Rainbow saw the steel bar that went into her back and through her chest for the first time.
"No..." she shook her head. How could this be happening? Nightshade could've easily escaped something like that. But then she remembered- just before she got crushed, that distinctive bright white flash...
She had saved her.
"Shuck shuck shuck shuck shuck... SHUCK! DAMNIT!!" she screamed, running to her side. "Daring! Octavia! Hold them off- we've got one wounded!" she turned back to Nightshade, tapping her lightly on the face. "Come on, buddy- stay with me."
"Is she going to be alright?" Dainty asked, quivering with fright.
"She damn well better be!" Rainbow growled. She ripped some fabric off her coat and pressed it against Nightshade's wound, but the fabric was almost immediately soaked with crimson red liquid. She frantically twisted the fabric, making a deep red splatter as the blood fell to the floor. She pressed the fabric back onto Nightshade's wound, but it was barely doing anything.
"Just teleport out of there!" she growled.
"I.... Can't...." Nightshade's voice was all but less than a dry whispery rasp.
"Come on- yes you can! Just get out of there! Oh god.... Please don't die.... Please.... You've come too goddamn far to die now!" Rainbow yelled, still desperately trying to stop the bleeding- but it was just seeping right through the fabric.
Nightshade used her last bit of strength and grabbed onto Rainbow's collar. But soon her arm drifted back down to her side, as she could no longer hold it up.
"Listen- make sure we win this war!" she said, then tried to suck in another gasp. She did succeed, however extremely painfully. "If we don't, there won't be any future for any of us. You hear me?"
Rainbow nodded, making sure she heard every word Nightshade said.
"Take.... My supplies..." Nightshade said through gritted teeth, eyes already closed.
"No! You can still carry them!" Rainbow yelled.
"Face it, Rainbow..." Nightshade said weakly, looking down at the large crimson puddle on the floor. "I... Won't be making it..."
Rainbow shook her head vigorously, some droplets of tears being flung away. She slammed a hoof into the ground, yelling with frustration. "How come everypony's dying and I can NEVER do ANYTHING about it!!???"
"Stop... Putting everything... On your own shoulders..." Nightshade said, eyes already closed.
"But..." Rainbow said, then roared again out of frustration. "How come I'm always the one who lives!? I could've been in your position if you didn't shove me out of the way!"
"Maybe you're worth saving..." Nightshade smiled.
Rainbow didn't know what to say, so just stared down at the ground. Time passed, and then when she looked up again- Nightshade looked like she was asleep. She knew that the sleep would be eternal, and everything seemed to fall still as one of the greater warriors finally fell- and this time, she won't be getting back up.
Rainbow stood up, taking the small belt of throwing knives from her dead comrade as she had been told to. She strung it across her back, blinking the water out of her eyes.
There was a loud crack as the ground behind her exploded outwards, dust and chunks of concrete flying everywhere. The figure climbed out of the debris, coughing- but still had her cleaver.
Rainbow didn't turn around, instead she just activated her cleaver as a response. The area around her was tinted red as the Element of Loyalty burned away at her rage, blazing in the death of yet another friend.
"Another message from the COLOSSUS." the OASIS's AI unit said.
"Damnit- what the hell does she want now!?" Soarin growled.
"Play it." Spitfire said.
Val appeared on the screen again, a menacing grin on her face. "Just a forewarning, captain. I may have found a certain underwater Magic Faction Head Quarters."
Spitfire's eyes widened. "Shuck!"
And as if Val could see her reaction, the prerecorded video of her started laughing. Then it was abruptly cut short as the video ended.
"Son of a rooster... What the hay do we do now?" Soarin cursed, and the bridge exploded with activity as the normally organized crew members were thrown into chaos with this news.
"Send a message to the base." Spitfire said, running a hoof through her mane. "We can't afford mistakes right now. Call Shining Armor up here, with our top officers. We need to discuss a strategy ASAP."
*
Blithy walked through the corridors of ATLANTA, the most advanced Magic Faction facility on Earth and the only prime Head Quarters underwater. It was a large web of buildings spanned out across the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, thousands of miles beneath the surface. Barely any light was able to come through all the water down here, and the only thing lighting up the bottom was ATLANTA itself. All the buildings where dome shaped, with prism cannons scattered throughout the base. Missiles and torpedoes were the only projectile weapons, as other non-propellant projectiles are much less efficient under water. Glass tunnels connected one dome to the other, and from a distance they were like a spider's web- they were everywhere. ATLANTA was more than just a prime Head Quarters, but also home of several thousand Magic Faction operatives, such as Rainbow Dash and her team before they left on the mission. It spanned fifty kilometers in diameter, a coruscant mega structure under the sea.
There were trams that operated within boundaries, to transport ponies efficiently and also used for city-wide evacuation. There was practically a tram station every quarter of a kilometer, and the record for evacuating the entire several thousand ponies was twenty minutes. But those were only drills- no panic, and no missiles raining down on them from the surface. In case of a real invasion, it is estimated that a great forty percent of the trams would be destroyed in the process- otherwise escape routes would be blocked. It would be a miracle if city wide evacuation could finish within an hour, should there be anypony left to be evacuated at all. There were emergency shelters located inside the cliffs of the sea bed, old abandoned shelters that were designed to withstand nuclear bombs and even bunker busters. There were also train tunnels connected from there directly to Haven, but they were closed off until Haven gives permission; as this directly affects their low profile and 'undetected' status.
Blithy was almost an exact double of Val in this universe- and ponies only recognized her because the LEDs on her robotic half were green, not blue like Val's. With her similarities with Val, she was able to climb to the top of the chain of command- trouble is, after that reality swap- she doesn't remember any of it.
But it was easy for her to store information though- she could memorize the entire site plan of ATLANTA by plugging a USB into her robotic half. Oh, how she loved being a cyborg- despite its inconveniences. Now she knows everything she did- she just doesn't remember doing it.
"Blithy." a voice said through her mic, built into the robotic half of her face.
Blithy commanded her robotics to bring up a live image of the speaker, and a hologram of Spitfire appeared. There seemed to be a lot of background noise too, with the bridge buzzing with activity. The occasional officer wondered into the hologram scanning field, then quickly disappeared as he exited again. "Busy day captain?"
"Very." Spitfire said dismissively. "We've got an emergency."
"What kind of an emergency?" Blithy asked, walking into the command center by chance.
"ATLANTA's cover has been blown." Spitfire said.
That made Blithy stop dead in her tracks, the door to the command center opening but she didn't walk in.
"Officer on deck!" one of the guards yelled, and Blithy held up a hand to shush him. By now she already had the attention of the entire command center.
Blithy made a wireless connection from her comms to the command center's conference table, and threw up a live hologram of Spitfire. She linked everything to the center's local mics and speakers.
"Captain, I'm not sure if I heard you correctly." she said, heart pounding as she waited for the captain to correct her mistake- but she didn't.
"The ATLANTA is no longer a secret. There's most likely an invasion force being prepped up on the barricade right this moment." Spitfire said.
The entire center went quiet with shock, with nopony believing what's being relayed to them.
"Issue the emergency evacuation order commander." Spitfire turned to Blithy. "Hold off for as long as you possibly can. I'm working up a plan with my top officers right this moment. That's all I have for you."
Blithy ground her teeth together, knowing the risks. "Understood, ma'am."
"Good luck to you all- Captain Spitfire out." Spitfire's holographic image fizzed away, leaving the command center of ATLANTA to baffle over what had just happened. The officers all turned to their commander, confusion in their eyes.
Blithy wasn't sure herself- but she had to be. "Sound the evac alarm. I want all the soldiers armed and ready for a full scale attack. Turn the trams into manually operated- I want each tram fully loaded before it departs. Get all defense systems ready to fire on a moment's notice and focused on the surface. Deploy all submarine units available, send drones towards the surface- I want to know what they have before they get here. Enable anti-missile systems- I don't want their mother-bucking nukes down here." she yelled, clapping her hands together and making loud clunking sounds as she stormed towards the middle of the command center. "Put me through to all available channels in ATLANTA. Come on officers- LET'S MOVE!!"
"Pausing all local broadcasts..." an officer said, working away at the holographic screens in front of him. "Patching through a live feed- and you're on commander."
Blithy stood tall with her back straight, hands behind her back. She looked up at the camera, wiping all traces of uncertainty and fear off her face- should there have been any in the first place.
"Citizens of ATLANTA- this is your commander speaking." she started, the command center plunging into silence just for her. She looked a little to her side, and nodded her thanks to her fellow officers. "We have remained a secret from our greatest enemy for many years now. We have prospered, under what we made for ourselves. We started from scratch, after they took everything away from us. And they are about to do it again-" she slowly turned her head, scanning the area in front of her as if she could hear the crowd. All the chatter from the security cameras fell still and quiet as every single pony in the whole of ATLANTA stopped to watch the live broadcast. "Yes, mares and gentle colts. After all these years, they have finally found us."
Instantly the chatter began, but Blithy's booming and authoritative voice stopped them once again.
"I ask that you not panic as of yet- mares and gentle colts." her gaze seemed to penetrate through the camera and out of the screen. "Once, we didn't stand a chance against our enemies. But as time passes, we have become strong. We have created something better than what we had, using less time. Every single one of you helped create ATLANTA- just by being here and supporting the Magic Faction, you have proven that this is a place you should be. For years, and most of us our life times; we have devoted our time to create what they took from us, once again and from nothing. Now they're going to take it all again, from our very hooves. Will we simply run, and let them take what rightfully belongs to us; like we did centuries before? Or will we stand, and defend what has been saved and preserved by us and by countless that have came before us? I'm not going to give you all that 'We're gonna win this!' bull crap- but I'm going to say that if all of us join the fight, we have a better chance." she paused, letting out a deep sigh. "Just minutes ago I was talking to a friend of mine that I didn't even remember. A friend I knew from the other reality, and not very much at that. We just so happened to be talking about what would happen when the crap really does hit the fan. When war breaks out once again."
There was a hiss of air behind her as the door to the command center slid open, and she heard those familiar hoofsteps behind her. She didn't need to turn around- she already knew who it was.
"I asked him... Would he run, like he did many times before? Would he run until finally an opportunity unveils itself so he could use it?" Blithy continued. "And he told me this... A few simple words, that I, and all of you- should keep in mind. He told me this..." she lowered her head slightly, her face darkening with shadows. "He told me... I'm tired of running." she took a small peek behind her, at the light brown stallion that just entered moments ago. "Some of you may know him as Doctor Whooves, or just the Doctor. But these words we should all remember- are you tired of running? Sick of being weak and useless?"
Blithy took her hands out from behind her back, leaning forward so her face was in full view of the camera, so it could capture the fury in her eyes.
"Because I am. And every single one of you- you should all be too. Today we will fight, and inevitably we will retreat. We have enough weapons for everypony in the local armories. I want all of you- civilian or not, to be armed. I want everypony in this fight- because this fight is nopony else's. It's all of ours. Yes, citizens- we are abandoning ATLANTA. But we will not do so without bringing some of those arseholes down to hell with us. To all of our soldiers, who comes first? For whom do we serve?"
At first the sudden question hurled at the crowd didn't get any answers back, but eventually all those serving in active duty started roaring out.
"For the citizens of ATLANTA and all supporters of Magic!" they yelled and roared, almost busting the security camera monitor's speakers.
Blithy smiled. "That's what I like to hear. We will support each other in times of need, and we will get through this together. For the last time, I shall address you as commander of ATLANTA- for the next time, I fear that ATLANTA will be no more. For the last time, Commander Blithy out." she said, cutting the feed.
"Bravo, commander." the Doctor said calmly, smiling.
"Thank you, Doctor." Blithy said, shaking his hoof and walking out the command center while its officers co-ordinated the evacuation and defense systems. "Still tired of running?"
The Doctor smirked. "Yes ma'am."
"Merry Hearth's Warming then." Blithy said, taking a rifle off a nearby rack and throwing it at the Doctor.
He caught it, and flicked off the safety.
"I know you never kill, Doctor. You only save." Blithy said, walking through the chaos filled corridors. "But there are times when we have no choice."
"I understand, ma'am." the Doctor said. "And where are we heading, out of curiosity?"
"The bar." Blithy said.
"Might I ask why-" Doctor Whooves began, but a smile spread across his face as he figured it out. "Huh. Clever."
"We gotta use everything we've got- no sense in keeping alcohol or towels for that matter." Blithy said.
They stormed into the bar, the bartender only just about to leave. Blithy stopped him on his way out.
"Make some Molotov Cocktails. Can you do that? Try issue them to our troops." she said.
"Yes ma'am!" the bartender said, making a flimsy salute.
"Come on Doctor. Time to help with the evac." Blithy said, turning around and heading out while the bartender ran into the cellar. "Come with me to the armory. We'll need a lot of stuff."
The Doctor heard her, but his mind wasn't really listening. Derpy- where the hay are you? He had searched the ATLANTA's data base, but neither 'Derpy Hooves' nor 'Ditzy Doo' scored any results. He refused to look in the list of deceased ponies- because he knows Derpy will always be waiting for him. He always tried to get away and look for her, but never had a right excuse to- as far as this reality was concerned, she didn't exist at all. But now- he finally got his chance.
Stay safe, Derpy. I'm coming for you.
He was so deep into his own thoughts that he didn't even notice they were at the armory.
"MA'AM!!" an officer yelled really loudly as Blithy entered the armory, and all the soldiers' right hooves instantly snapped to their foreheads.
"Officer." Blithy said, much more quieter in comparison and also saluting. "Carry on! We don't have any time!"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Get suited up for underwater operations- they'll be aiming for the glass tunnels straight away!" Blithy said, walking into a suiting machine. The gates closed behind her, and all that were heard were the groaning of mechanics. When the gates opened again, she was in a full underwater operations K14 armor.
The K14 was much more streamlined than other types, designed for maneuverability underwater. Two small engines were hidden behind the back, for that extra boost of speed under water. And like most other armors, spare compartments were hidden throughout the shell. It was much lighter than other models- and all of its design aspects pointed to mobility. There were gills just under the chin that extract air from water, then the water is flushed out the back. A compact oxygen canister is mounted on the back, a change in the design after it was discovered deep waters such as these contained very little oxygen.
"Send troops out into the seaweed forest for cover- prepare an ambush." Blithy said into the mic.
"Confirmed."
"Drone is live, ma'am. We have eyes on the enemy invasion force."
"Give me estimated stats." Blithy said, grabbing an energy rifle off the racks.
"Number of infantry is unknown- however we have eyes on several hundred drop ships." the radio operator said.
"Shuck..." Blithy muttered. "What else?"
"We also have an estimated five hundred Striker amphibians closing in from the barricade." the operator said.
Blithy growled. "Deploy our Apollo aircrafts. Prepare an ambush- I want them concealed in the sand, like those manta ray thingies."
Striker aircraft are highly versatile amphibious vehicles, being able to operate under the sea and fly in the sky. They have four engines, each able to twist and turn at almost all angles; giving them agility previously unprecedented in fighter jets. This also allows them to perform extremely tight loops and even hover. Two primary and secondary weapons slots are at the front, and other equipment such as bait flares and aerial mines are hidden throughout the ships and beneath the hull. The Apollos are modified versions of the Strikers, with a much higher rotation speed for the engines- making them even more agile. They also have three primary weapons instead of one, with a magically enhanced ammo feeder with a space expansion spell cast on it. The two are differed by their color schemes, with the Striker having red and black while the Apollo has blue and white. Both aircraft are able to operate underwater with perfect functionality. The Apollo has been especially modified for this matter though, sacrificing a missile slot for torpedoes- which both work, however is much more efficient and fast underwater.
And their advantage is, the Science Faction have no idea they exist yet.
"All pilots- please proceed to your local hangars and await orders from your squad leaders." a voice said through the intercom, booming down the lengths of the hallways.
"Come on Doctor. Time for a little plane ride." Blithy grinned, jogging down the corridor. They entered a glass tunnel, and looked out to the city they have been living in for most of their life times. It still glowed like it always did in the dark, and would've seemed completely normal for it not the mobilized army troops and the traces of abnormal activity inside the buildings. A team of three Apollos cut through the water just above their heads, engines glowing a bright yellow and leaving behind them a stream of super-heated bubbles.
"Please remain calm and proceed to your assigned shelters during the training exercise!" an armed soldier yelled, guarding the entrance to a tram station along with his squad, letting through the civilians as fast as they could and as efficiently as they could.
"Soldier- how's the evac going?" Blithy approached.
"Get back in li- Sorry ma'am, did not recognize you under that helmet." the soldier said, and Blithy waved him on. "We have an estimated fifteen percent of us already at the shelters- thank goodness for that early warning!"
"Do your thing soldier. I need immediate access to an Apollo."
The soldier seemed to be taken aback, as his impression of commanders were... Well, combat weren't exactly the words to describe that.
"Zealo! Guide the commander to the hangar!" the soldier yelled at one of his squad mates.
"Sir yes sir!" an earth pony with a prism gun slung across his back approached Blithy and the Doctor. "I'll make sure you two get on an aircraft as soon as possible, commander."
"Don't sound so optimistic about my departure, trooper. I'll still be here." Blithy said, purposely making Zealo feel uncomfortable.
"Clear a way for the commander!" Zealo yelled, leading the way through the civilian crowds.
Blithy caught some flimsy salutes and nods from the civilians, ponies that she didn't even know- but she nodded her respect and a good luck back at them.
"The first wave of missiles are in bound- take cover!" the radio operator yelled through the comms.
"Get down, everypony! GET DOWN!!" the soldier from earlier yelled, waving a hoof down towards the ground. There were some panicked grunts as the crowds all bobbed down.
"Take cover commander!" Zealo said, laying a hoof on Blithy's shoulder and pushing her down.
"INCOMING!!" somepony yelled, and they all heard the loud whoosh as several missiles made it through the anti-missile defense systems and sliced through the air.
The ground shook as one of the missiles struck not too far away from their location, drawing some panicked screams from the crowd. Dust fell from some cracks in the ceiling, but they held.
Somepony screamed and sprang up, pointing out the glass windows and at an approaching missile. There was nothing stopping it from a direct hit with the glass tunnel, with a clear path directly aimed at Blithy and the Doctor.
"Well. This may be a bad time to announce I can't seem to find my sonic screwdriver anywhere." Doctor Whooves said, flipping his coat pockets inside out.
"Yeah. It's the worst bucking time." Blithy said as the missile got closer and closer.
Author: and if you don't know who Zealo is, read this: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/62630/On-That-Snowy-Night...
"Keep up the support Bluefyre!" Magnum yelled, a stream of lasers burning past her head.
"They're bucking everywhere!" Bluefyre yelled, frantically tapping away at the buttons on the command console. "I need a spotter- can't keep track of all the bastards!"
"Storm- Anvil- can you manage?" Magnum asked.
"We'll do our best- take down those enemy forces!" Storm yelled, firing a three round burst into the smoky abyss, soon replied to by a surprised scream.
"What we got?" Magnum asked, slinging her rifle across her back and jogging to Bluefyre's side.
The control panels were filled with rows and rows of screens, with joysticks and buttons underneath.
"Can you use the turret there? Use it and help me spot the enemies- can't keep track of all of them with just one camera!" Bluefyre yelled, squeezing the trigger.
"Will do." Magnum said, taking control of one of the turrets.
Suddenly a loud siren went off- and the enemies started retreating. Red light filled the command center, all the screens shutting off and turning into the same flashing message: EVACUATE.
"That's right buckers! Stay back!" Storm yelled, moving behind closer cover and firing bursts at the silhouettes.
"What the hay...?" Magnum raised her hooves and backed away from the screens. "This some kind of override?"
"Not that I know of. Working on it now." Bluefyre said, tapping away at the screen on her arm.
Magnum looked around her, panic slowly setting into her heart. The red flashes from the overhead emergency lights threw their shadows about the dimly lit command center. The siren sounded like that of a nuke warning- loud and with each pulse pounding against their ear drums. She watched, her eyes unfocused as she tried to figure out what was going on- the word on the screens ever haunting her: EVACUATE.
*
Rainbow lurched forward, the sudden gust of wind as she sped up dusting away the ash on the cleaver trailing behind her. The figure raised her blade just in time, however weakly.
The power from Rainbow's strike knocked her clean off her hooves, sending her tumbled back and into the far wall. There was a loud boom as her cleaver flipped behind her, impacting the concrete wall and shattering it to pieces shortly before she then slammed into it. Dust flew from the area, a small ash cloud covering the destruction.
Rainbow strode into ash cloud, her eyes searching the smoke for the figure- but she found none.
Dainty could only watch as her enraged sister disappeared behind the thick ash- she had never seen her like this before. It wasn't the demon virus- it was just Rainbow by herself. It scared her, and she was starting to get afraid of losing the old caring big sis she came to know and love.
"Dainty!" Lily called, and her head snapped over to look at her. "Are you ok? Over here!"
"I-I'm f-fine." Dainty gulped, taking one last look into the ash cloud, watching Rainbow's shadow and the glow of the Element of Loyalty crystal disappear behind the thick ash. She gulped again, then scrambled to her hooves and ran to Lily.
"Where are you, you little bucker?" Rainbow growled, scanning the area around her and the cleaver dangling loosely in a hoof by her side. There was shouting and explosions as the fight raged on between Octavia, Daring, the two survivors and the assault units- but she couldn't care less at the moment. Her old hunter's instinct began taking over again, from when she was still in the darker bounty hunting business- all she cared for was the result, whatever the sacrifice. In fact, she didn't care at all.
She only needed her target taken care of, and that's all that was needed.
There was a scurrying sound to her left, and she quickly turned around. Nothing but settling ash and crumbled concrete with jagged metal wires sticking out of them. Her ears stood standing with their tips pointed to the sky, listening for traces of the figure underneath the mask of the sounds of battle.
Slowly her mind drained away all traces of the background battle, and soon all she could hear were her own hoofsteps and the small brittle concrete pieces that cracked under her weight.
More hoof steps behind her- and without even thinking she whipped out an explosive knife from Nightshade's collection and tossed it behind her. She watched her own shadow stretch before her as the explosion detonated a chain reaction, bringing down more support columns and causing more ash to float into the air. She turned around, her face lit red by the cleaver's crystal.
Slowly, step by step- she walked towards the spot where she last heard the figure's hoofsteps. She reached the spot, but there was no body in sight- however she smirked when she saw the small droplets of blood on the floor, dulled by the ash mixed into it.
"Face me now- or I'll slowly wear you down." she growled at the clouds of dust around her, waiting for the figure to strike- but she didn't. The blood on the floor hadn't been much- thus the injury must be quite minor.
Rainbow peered at the debris around her, and started slowly following the trail of blood drops. With the ash cloud, she couldn't see more than three meters in front of her.
Suddenly there was a grey flash as the figure leaped out of the dust cloud and at her again, cleaver catching a glint of sunlight through the ash and gleaming with malice.
Rainbow slashed her cleaver from the side, deflecting the blade elsewhere. She launched a kick at the figure, and felt her hoof dig deep into her stomach.
The figure went tumbling over her, hit the floor with a loud thud and rolled several meters before hitting her back on a concrete column. Rainbow marched towards her, cleaver dragging on the floor and making an eery scraping noise. She could see the blood dripping down from a wound in the figure's shoulder and soaking her coat- clearly something torn by the explosive knife.
But still the figure got up, using the cleaver to help herself as she got to her hooves.
Rainbow swung her cleaved up, the handle sliding forward with a loud click. Some of the ash in the way caught fire as the muzzle flash leaped out from the barrel, pushing the bullet with it.
The figure managed a lucky deflect, using the very edge of the cleaver and slicing the bullet clean in half. There were two heavy thuds behind her as the two halves punched right through the concrete wall behind her.
She charged forth just as Rainbow was about to fire again, launching a kick that took the cleaver off aim in the last second. The bullet went flying into the sky, and when Rainbow looked down again the figure was already swinging the cleaver back around.
She turned around, bringing the cleaver into a vertical position behind her back. She felt the figure's cleaver strike hers, and turned.
By turning around before hoof, she'd get a bigger turn when she turns back around. She twisted the cleaver, shoving the figure's blade away. In the same motion she swirled around, the broad blade striking from the side. The figure leaped back and out of reach, bending her back forwards so that the tip of the blade barely grazed her stomach and the broad side passed inches under her nose. She stepped back, steadying herself and raising the blade in a familiar fashion.
Rainbow's eyes widened when she recognized the pose- and quickly reacted and also brought her body into the same position.
They both swung their blades down, placing all their momentum and transferring all their energy into their blades, making them turn and slice through the air at sonic speed. Both blades began having trails of sonic bubbles traveling behind them, both coated in the shimmering mass.
Then their tips grazed each other as they passed by, abruptly breaking the bubbles. They exploded outwards in two micro sonic booms, one rainbow colored and the other an odd black and white version.
Rainbow was blinded by the sudden flash, and the intensity of the implosion. The shockwave threw both her and her enemy off their hooves, sending them flying off in opposite directions with their tumbling cleavers.
Rainbow plunged through the debris field, then abruptly stopped as her back cracked against a support column. The air was knocked from her lungs, and she gasped for it- but all she had was a gaping open mouth.
Then suddenly her lungs expanded, drawing in a fresh gust of air that knocked her in the face. She shook her head vigorously, trying to clear her blurry vision. She could see her cleaver off about a meter away, lodged in the floor- but what confused her most was how the figure knew her technique of creating a sonic rainbubble.
She crawled across the floor and quickly got up, pulling her cleaver out from the ground.
"Not this again..." she growled as an ever expanding ash cloud slowly swirled around her, shielding all movement that might've been made by the figure.
She heard a loud click to her left, and quickly whipped out a throwing knife and threw it in that direction then ducked down. The bullet from the figure's cleaver hit the knife, throwing it back at Rainbow. It flew over her head, lodging itself deep into the far concrete wall.
Rainbow only just about recovered when the figure struck the cleaver from her hooves with a powerful strike. It went tumbling out of reach, and she quickly whipped out two throwing knives to defend herself.
She crossed the two knives in front of her, the figure's cleaver impacting in the resulting X. Most of the energy was absorbed, but it still forced Rainbow to take a step back. She placed a hoof behind her and kicked off the ground with all her force, pushing the cleaver away.
The two knives were much faster than the cleaver- and it didn't take long for the opposition to figure out the cleaver will never be able to keep up with the two knives in terms of speed- however, it could easily overpower the both of them. Problem is, Rainbow kept dodging the cleaver and slashing the knives dangerously close to the figure.
The figure tucked the cleaver away, engaging Rainbow with her bare hooves. She blocked one of her slashes, pulled her arm in and clamped it under an elbow. She struck a knee into her chest, knocking her back- but she still held onto that arm.
Rainbow swiped a leg across the floor, knocking out the figure's legs from underneath her. She fell onto the floor, and now Rainbow was the one slamming elbows down on her chest.
The figure raised a leg and kneed Rainbow in the temple, who instinctively rolled off. She fell onto the floor, and through her blurred eyes she saw the figure already scrambling up and deploying the cleaver. She launched a hoof into the figure's stomach, sending her skidding back. The figure dug the cleaver deep into the ground, slowing her to a stop as her momentum dispersed.
Rainbow got up, whipped out a knife and threw it across the room at the figure, who caught it in her hooves. A split second later she noticed the beeping red light, and quickly threw it back.
Rainbow crossed her arms in front of her face, shielding her from the explosion. The explosive knife went off between them, the shockwave sweeping them off their feet- once again they lost visual contact on each other.
Rainbow pulled out another explosive knife, and in her blind rage threw it into the ash cloud. Suddenly somepony leaped from the smoke and diverted the knife elsewhere and off target, a moment later they heard the dull explosion. Rainbow didn't even check who diverted it, and immediately whipped out another one in case the figure escaped.
Dainty grabbed Rainbow's wrist, stopping her from throwing the unarmed explosive knife. Then she placed a hoof behind Rainbow's legs and pushed her backwards, slamming her down on the floor. Rainbow was so shocked to see it was Dainty who had taken her down, that she didn't even do anything to stop it.
Dainty wrenched the knife away from Rainbow's hooves. "Are you bucking out of your mind!!??" she yelled at her face.
"Wha...?"
"Look before you start trying to kill it, will you!?" Dainty yelled, and Rainbow saw the figure walk up behind her.
"Dainty- Look out damnit!!" she pushed the filly away, ready to lash out- but Dainty only got back up and tripped her up again. The figure didn't move, just stood with her hooves raised by her sides to show that she wasn't armed.
"Rainbow- STOP!" Dainty yelled, hugging Rainbow tightly and making sure she wouldn't harm the figure.
"What the hay is going on!?" Rainbow growled.
"Look- I don't know how this happened, and why there are two of you- but I know both of you, and... I might know.. I can't be sure..." Dainty started mumbling, making both Rainbow and the figure even more confused than before- but clearly, they somehow both knew Dainty. "Listen, I think... This here's the Rainbow Dash from this reality."
Rainbow frowned, and raised an eyebrow. She looked at Dainty, to the figure, then back again; processing the info in her head. "But how did she get here...?"
"I was just chasing this random pony that looked like me that turned out to be you through some random white space and you started attacking me!" the figure said in Rainbow's voice.
"Likely story." Rainbow muttered, her hooves not far away from the throwing knives.
"Rainbow- you know how you thought you lost your memories? Well, I have a different theory... I think you may have, well... Split..." Dainty said, addressing the both of them.
"I don't care what happened- I just know I'm back where I came from." the figure said, taking off her hat and revealing an identical face and mane style to Rainbow's- only in black and white and grey.
"What the hell..." Rainbow muttered, taking off her own hat. The other Rainbow seemed to be startled at the sight of a colored version of herself, and flinched at the bright array of colors.
"I'm just going to call you Silver Dash for now." Dainty said to the other Rainbow Dash, who seemed to look like it was offensive or something.
Silver Dash looked up at the sky, and saw the barricade was still up- looks like not much had changed. But then she just put two and two together- if Rainbow has those knives... Then Nightshade...
"You okay?" Dainty asked, while Rainbow tried to clear her mind of all the buck it just received.
"Nightshade... Is she...?" Silver asked, and Dainty opened her mouth to speak- but it was Rainbow who answered.
"She died saving my life. It was my fault." Rainbow said, looking away.
Silver looked down on her colored half, and for a second looked like she was going to strike again- but she let out a deep sigh, and held out a hoof for Rainbow.
Rainbow stared at the hoof, not quite understanding the offer yet- but Silver soon clarified that.
"We caused her death. If we didn't start a fight with each other, she probably would've been fine- and I'm not about to make the same mistake and start another fight with myself again." Silver said, making a small waving gesture with her hoof.
Rainbow clamped her jaws together- now she was feeling bad because she should really be the one apologizing. After all, it was Nightshade's sudden death that caused her to blame somepony else that she attacked in the first place. She took the hoof, and Silver pulled her to her hooves.
"We need everypony we can get- and now, I have all of me in this damn war." Silver said, grinning and gripping Rainbow's hoof tighter.
"Hey, just keep in mind you're MY clone- not the other way around." Rainbow grinned too, nose to nose with herself.
"Huh. It's interesting that a minute ago you two were trying to rip each other's throats out." Dainty pointed out.
"And it's all because of you that both of us are still alive." both of them said, both giving Dainty a light ruffle in the mane. Dainty grinned- now she was getting twice the love.
"Rainbow! We need support- they're swarming us!!" Octavia yelled, running back into the building with an empty rifle and with Daring- then they both stopped dead as they spotted the two Rainbows. "What the hay!?"
"Hey, Octavia." Silver said.
"You like my clone?" Rainbow pointed to Silver.
"Hey, we can argue about who is who's clone all day buddy." Silver said.
"Great, the annoyance has been doubled." Octavia said, because two Rainbow Dashes was just not important enough, considering there was a whole bucking army waiting outside.
Rainbow looked at Silver, who shrugged with her.
"I've seen waaaaaaay weirder." Daring said- well, of course she has before. "We need to push forward down the train! It's been disabled, but our secret package is just ten meters away from our location!"
"Right. And we're out of ammo?" Rainbow asked, catching the cleaver handle Dainty picked up and threw at her.
"Almost." Daring said, punching a spread of buck-shot rounds into an assault unit.
The subway station had collapsed completely, daylight pouring in through the barricade. Debris littered the fields, and the buildings of Fillydelphia could be seen from here as there was no ceiling left. They rose high into the sky, the age old materials on the peak of collapse. The train was parked in the middle of the tracks, with the Science Faction units on one side while Rainbow and her team were on the other.
"Get onto the train! Go!" Daring yelled, hauling herself onto the ceiling of the train and firing her shotgun.
"Have some knives, arseholes!" Rainbow yelled, flying up onto the roof with Silver. She threw an explosive knife into the center of a group of assault units, tearing them apart.
"Come on you two." Octavia got onto the roof, and hauled the two fillies up as well.
Silver took out the cleaver, threw it as a javelin and sent it sliding through an assault unit's chest. She flew up to it, pulled the cleaver out, and threw its anti-matter rifle to Octavia.
"Buck- reinforcements! WALKERS!!" Daring yelled, ducking behind a large chunk of concrete as two streams of bullets from two mini guns tore through the flimsy roof of the train.
Suddenly three missiles fired from the barricade struck the assault walkers, reducing them to flaming metal scraps.
"Ha! Looks like the guys on the barricade are holding off nicely!" Rainbow grinned as more missiles rained down on the enemy units.
*
Bluefyre got the systems working again, overriding the emergency order while Magnum went to investigate what had caused the alarm in the first place. She didn't like what she found.
"Some portions of the local power plant have been damaged beyond repair!" she yelled, searching through the barricade's unsecured section of the database.
"Wait- what?" Storm asked. "Which sections are cut off?"
"Primary lighting, auto turrets, interior defense systems, electronic gates, monitoring systems, and-" Magnum stopped as she saw the enemy's plan clear as day. She slowly backed away from the screen, a terrified expression on her face.
"What is it!?" Storm asked.
"Bluefyre- abandon objective- I repeat! ABANDON OBJECTIVE!" Magnum yelled, waving towards the open doorway. Bluefyre pulled away from the screen, and followed the squad as they raced out of the command center.
"Magnum- what is it?" Anvil asked as they sprinted down a corridor. "What else did they shut down?"
Magnum bared her teeth at whoever came up with the plan. "Cooling systems to the nuclear engines."
It took a moment for the message to sink in, but when it did- it struck panic deep into the squad's heart.
Storm turned to his comms. "All teams- abandon mission! We have a red alert- repeat- abandon the mission and proceed straight to extraction!"
Magnum took a right turn and faced a door, then with one heavy kick took it down. It was the door to an elevator shaft, the elevator disabled and hanging about ten meters up above their heads. The doors tumbled down the length, making loud thunks as they impacted the hollow metal sides.
"Elevator shaft. We need to get to those drop pods ASAP." Magnum said, grabbing onto a cable and swinging into the darkness below. The rest of her squad followed, their armor making loud grinding noises against the cable as they slid down the elevator shaft.
There was a loud thunk as Magnum hit the bottom floor, and shot open the door. The resulting muzzle flash lit up the shadows, leaving a ghostly after image on Magnum's eyes. The red flashes from emergency lights greeted her, and she heard several more thunks as her squad landed behind her.
Suddenly there was a loud snap as the cables broke, and they could hear the elevator above sliding down the shaft- they could even see the sparks it created when its sides brushed against the walls.
"Hurry! Go! GO!" Magnum yelled, hauling her teammates through before jumping through herself.
The elevator crashed on the bottom with a loud bang, and kept on going until it compressed itself into a small pancake.
"Lucky dodge." Magnum said, as she could've been easily caught underneath it.
There were a few beeps on Bluefyre's HUD as they continued sprinting, and her heart dropped when she read the message. "Somepony just shot off all the drop pods! We don't have any left!"
"DAMNIT!!" Magnum yelled, clutching her head.
"The hay do we do now?" Anvil asked.
"Think... Think.. Think..." Magnum banged a hoof on her helmet. She looked around at anything that might give her an idea. "Aha! They've got some spare jetpacks! Use those! Bluefyre, Anvil- there're two right there in the pod loading area-" she pointed at two jetpacks lying on the floor in a pod room. "Storm and I will look for more."
The pod loading area was a small room, each one with a pod ready to be deployed- but in this case, there were none- there were only the gaping holes in the floors that led directly to the surface, and where the last pods had been remotely deployed to prevent their escape.
"Good luck you two." Bluefyre saluted, and followed Anvil into the pod loading area.
"Come on Storm- there's gotta be another one in the next few rooms!" Magnum said, running down the corridor and searching each and every loading room next to it- but no other jetpacks were found.
"Over there!" Storm yelled as he found a jetpack lying in the last pod loading room. They both ran into the room, but froze soon after.
There was only one jetpack- and only one of them was getting out alive.
"Take it." Magnum said without hesitation and before Storm could say anything- also before she could have uncertainty set into her heart.
"No- you're my squad leader, a higher ranking officer- it's my duty to see you out of this alive, ma'am." Storm said, taking the jetpack and shoving it into Magnum's arms.
"Don't force it Storm... I don't want this."
"And neither do I, ma'am- if that's a valid excuse."
"Take it- that's an order Lieutenant!" Magnum hissed, and instead of shoving the jetpack into Storm, she handed it over as an offering.
Storm looked at the jetpack, at first refusing to take it.
"Please.... Storm. Just take it. I've got nothing left to lose." Magnum smiled lightly.
Storm looked away, a heavy frown on his face. He squinted his eyes shut- was he making the decision of choosing whether he lives or one of his friends live?
"Just take it, Lieutenant. Or we'll both end up dead here. That's an order." Magnum said.
"I... I can't." Storm slumped down onto the floor, the hefty load of the decision overwhelming him. Now he was the one who had to decide who lives.
"Don't worry- I won't blame you, if that's what you're scared of." Magnum said, her face lit up through the visor by the bright sunlight that poured in through the hole in the ground, where the drop pod would've been deployed. Wind gusted in through the gaping hole in the barricade, among many others that were used to shoot the pods to the surface. "We're losing time."
Storm shook his head vigorously to clear his mind, and looked up again.
"Do my squad proud, soldier." Magnum said, seeing the opportunity and gently pushing the jetpack into Storm's arms.
Storm looked down at his only chance of survival, and certain death for Magnum. Finally he looked up, eyes watering.
"Sorry, Magnum." he said, shaking his head slowly. "I'm so sorry."
*
Rainbow and the others were still engaging assault units when suddenly the entire earth shook. They stumbled, almost falling over and searching for the source of the explosion. Then Lily pointed up at the sky.
One portion of the barricade had disappeared behind a huge ball of fire, completely engulfed in the inferno. Bits and pieces that somehow survived the huge nuclear explosion drifted down towards earth, leaving behind them thick trails of smoke.
Rainbow slowly got up, watching the pieces fall with her dropping stomach.
"Spitfire..." she whispered. "Who did you say you sent on the barricade again?"
Spitfire didn't reply, and Rainbow could tell she was there because there was background chatter going on in the distance.
"Spitfire! Answer me!" Rainbow growled, still staring at the sudden gaping hole in the barricade- but still the captain didn't reply. "SPITFIRE!!"
Suddenly the missile exploded as a prism beam impacted it from the side, and an Apollo flew into view, its engines glowing and keeping it in the same spot. It fired its prism beams at some more approaching missiles, detonating them before they had a chance of reaching ATLANTA.
"Come on commander. Let's get you in an aircraft." Zealo said, helping Blithy and the Doctor up to their hooves.
They ran through the glass tunnel and back into another dome, and soon enough reached the hangars. The hangar was a huge open area inside the dome, with ships of all calibers docked and ready to leave. A shield overhead prevented water from getting in, and kept a bubble over the opening so air wouldn't escape.
"Haha- haven't seen her in a while." Blithy grinned, approaching an Apollo with orange highlights.
"An Apollo. Fascinating paint job." the Doctor said as they walked towards the aircraft.
"Not just an Apollo- MY Apollo." Blithy said, patching through a wireless connection from her brain to the Apollo itself. The cockpit windshield slid open just as she thought about it.
"Intriguing." Doctor Whooves rubbed his chin.
"Take the back seat. I'm piloting." Blithy said, jumping up and clambering into the cockpit.
Zealo hopped in another normal model, parked beside Blithy's.
"Does she have a name?" the Doctor asked, strapping on a helmet as he hopped in the back seat.
"I just call her Horizons." Blithy said, the plane automatically starting as her mind commanded it to do so. Its engines flared, and gently it lifted off the ground, hovering centimeters above the hangar and awaiting further orders.
Blithy flexed her robotic fingers, then closed them around the joysticks either side of the cockpit. There was a hiss as the windshield slid back down, holographic indicators flickering to life as all systems warmed up.
There was a loud whir as Zealo started up his Apollo, following Blithy and levitating into the air.
"Stick close, Private." Blithy said, buckling her seat belt. "Might just get a bit crazy with this."
She pushed the joysticks forward, and the plane flew towards the water. There was a loud splash as it broke through the bubble of air and entered the sea, the oxygen converter kicking in and pressurizing the cabin.
"Take the turret Doctor, if you will." Blithy said.
"No sense in doing nothing." Doctor Whooves said, keeping his eyes on the screen in front of him.
"Alpha One, requesting assistance for the commander. The commander has joined the battle." Zealo said, and an Apollo from squad Alpha joined their little trio.
"Commander, all mirage vehicles are in place- awaiting orders." the radio operator said.
"Alright. Listen up everypony- I'll just go ahead and be the bait and draw them in- wait for my signal and take them out." Blithy said, flying the Horizons up towards the surface. There were black dots here and there blocking out sunlight from above- a clear sign of approaching enemies.
"Affirmative. Contact with enemy forces- ETA thirty seconds." the radio operator said.
"We have a visual." Zealo said, following close behind the Horizons. "Maintain your positions."
"Affirmative."
"Twenty seconds. All AA batteries and defense systems are locating targets."
Blithy kept a finger on the trigger, ready to slam it down the moment the Horizons's computer locks onto a target, or says one in in range.
"Ten seconds. All targets have been assigned." the radio operator said. "Eight, seven, six..."
Blithy could see some bright dots now- another wave of missiles.
"Five..."
"Maintain formation..." she told Zealo and Alpha One.
"Four..."
"Break away on my mark..." red reticles started appearing all over Blithy's screen as targets came within range.
"Three... Two... One. Engage!" the radio operator yelled.
"Now!" Blithy yelled, yanking the joysticks to one side and turning the plane. Two missiles flew by as her plane rotated, avoiding both. Zealo and Alpha One broke away, the missiles flying past and leaving behind streams of bubbles.
The defense systems of ATLANTA kicked in instantly, missiles and torpedoes flying out from the underwater city- it was almost impossible to see, with the low lighting and the thousands upon thousands of streams of bubbles left behind by torpedoes or burned through by energy beams.
"Head'n back down- keep that turret gong Doctor! You've got the both of our backs now." Blithy said, yanking the joysticks back. Slowly the plane stalled, then the nose abruptly tipped back and it started flying back to the bottom. "Hold positions all units... Wait till they're right in the middle."
As expected, the enemy Strikers couldn't resist going after the bright orange commander's Apollo.
"Sorry ma'am- but I'm terrible at aiming." the Doctor said, fumbling with the controls. All his shots from the heavy rear turret missed, creating large smoke clouds in the water above them.
Blithy sighed- not unexpected. "Zealo and Alpha One, provide cover fire!"
"Yes ma'am!" Zealo said, twisting the joystick and yanking his plane back around to face the sky- only, the engines were still pushing him down deeper under the sea- he was flying backwards. He had no idea how he was going to watch where he was going, but buck that.
He squeezed the trigger, bright beams from the twin prism guns tearing through the water and the enemy Strikers. One of them got hit and exploded, a sudden outwards expansion of matter. In the water, Zealo could even clearly see the resulting shockwave as the Striker reduced itself into floating parts.
"Good work Zealo! Make sure they're still on our tails!" Blithy yelled, driving the Horizons further towards ATLANTA.
"Enemy convoys hitting the surface. Our drones are picking up about three hundred infantry units being shipped down here- first wave incoming!" the radio operator yelled.
"Approaching ATLANTA- prepare to engage." Blithy said as they flew into the steep canyons.
"Crawler fire team, all targets assigned." the platoon commander of the M.F. Crawlers said. Crawlers were heavy mobile artillery equipped with mirage devices- and were nicknamed for their four legs that dig to almost any surface. Right now, while perhaps not visible- the canyon walls were full of them. The entire platoon was here. "Waiting for your signal."
Blithy checked her radar, all of her own units and the enemy's marked units tagged on the holographic screen. She waited for the red dots to enter the huge surrounding of green dots- then yanked the joystick to the side.
"ENGAGE!!" she yelled, turning the plane around.
"Disabling mirage fields!" the Crawler commander yelled. "Fire at will!"
Suddenly there was a shimmering mass of activity on the canyon walls as hundreds of Crawlers disabled their active camouflage, suddenly becoming visible. Their huge cannons boomed, sending huge prism beams shooting through the enemy Strikers. Each blast and its resulting shockwave were all clearly visible as they rippled through the water, the rainbow colored beams lighting up the deep.
The Strikers began turning back, seeing it was a trap.
"Apollos- division roll call!" Blithy yelled.
"Alpha ready."
"Beta ready."
"Gamma ready."
"Delta ready."
"Epsilon ready."
"Zeta ready."
"Eta ready."
A grin spread across Blithy's face- all was going well, even better than expected. "Alpha, Beta, and Gamma- box them in! The rest of you remain hidden!" she yelled, flying up with her wingmares and chasing after the fleeing Strikers.
The Strikers were about to exit the canyon when about a hundred Apollos suddenly emerged from the seaweed forest at the top of the canyon, flying down and with all guns blazing.
"Going somewhere?" Blithy laughed. "We always take good care of our house guests."
Soon the surrounded Strikers were all completely annihilated, all several hundred of them. All that remained of them were the scraps of metal and the occasional bit of flesh, drifting in the weak underwater current.
"Move positions immediately! They won't make the same mistake twice!" Blithy yelled, the Horizons circling over ATLANTA.
*
"Our first division of fighters have been taken down." Eclipse said, a small holographic screen glowing in the darkness in front of her. Her blood red mane drifted down past a little beyond her shoulders, her equally red eyes scanning the screen. She was barely visible as her dark grey skin camouflaged her into the shadows, her presence only detectable through the screen and the glowing red LED lights on her suit.
"Not surprising." Val said, sitting on a throne in the COLOSSUS. "Considering I am going up against myself- I should think I would be pretty good at this."
"Interesting conclusion." Eclipse said, and Val tilted her head to one side. That's what annoyed Val about Eclipse- is that she is pretty much the only pony in the whole of the Science Faction fleet who isn't afraid of her. And she couldn't take the risk of killing her either, because like Val; Eclipse was also pretty much invincible.
"Send in another wave, same position and strategy." Val said.
"That's a strategically stupid decision- but I see your point. They probably would've shifted positions already." Eclipse said, tapping an order into the holographic screen.
"You know me too well." Val sighed, shifting to lean on her right hand as it was starting to hurt her left cheek.
*
"More incoming. Can't really tell if they're going in the same path or not." the radio operator said.
"Keep our hidden units hidden. Everypony that's been exposed, try draw them into the trap again- meet them head on then fake a retreat when I give the signal. The key here isn't to take down as many as you can, the key here is to survive." Blithy said, swinging the plane around to once again point towards the sky. She stalled the engines, so the plane floated and stayed where it was; pointing at the invading army. Hundreds of other Apollos did the same behind her, switching their engines off and camouflaging into the darkness.
"You sure this'll work? We're bound to lose most of our aircraft." Doctor Whooves whispered.
"When will you ever trust somepony else other than yourself fully?" Blithy sighed.
"I trust my companions, not some crazy commander with a small private army."
"Hey, we're pretty big. A few thousand strong." Blithy said.
"I mean in comparison." the Doctor pointed out. "They are a few million strong."
Blithy sighed frustratedly, leaning back into her seat and folding her arms. "You're just making it worse. So shut up unless it's important- and that's in order."
*
"We lost visual contact on the enemy." Eclipse said. "They shut off their engines- we're trying to trace their heat signatures, but that'll be inaccurate. They're probably planning to face us head on." she said, but heard no reply from the Empress. "Val?" she asked, turning around. "Valkyrie!"
"Huh wha...?" Val opened her eyes sleepily. "Whoops. Wasn't listening." she said, intentionally missing out the apology.
"They're probably planning to face us head on." Eclipse said, and if she was annoyed- she didn't show it.
"Just overpower them with numbers." Val said, burying her face back into her arms and snoozing off.
"I guess you don't really care about losses then." Eclipse said, tapping on the screen.
"I really couldn't care less about who dies on our side and who doesn't. I want the enemies dead." Val mumbled, her voice muffled by her arm.
"I'll do it my way then." Eclipse said, tapping in her own orders.
"And I'll take a snooze, so stop reporting to me unless you somehow lost or killed Blithy. Good night." Val said, and Eclipse shrugged.
*
"All targets locked once again. Ready to engage." the radio operator reported.
"The hay are they up to..." Blithy muttered, shaking her head slowly as the hundreds of micro super computers implanted into her brain began processing terabytes of information and trying to figure out what the enemy was planning.
"I do believe the enemy commander has changed." the Doctor said.
"Smart boy." Blithy said, waving behind her. "All units stand by."
"Shuck- enemy reinforcements inbound! We've got a few thousand Strikers and transports heading our way!"
"This is bull crap." Blithy cursed- the enemy was using their only advantage against them- their own sheer numbers. "Crawlers, stay where you are and ambush them later. Apollos- we need to move up and thin out the herd!" Blithy yelled, flicking some switches and turning her engines on.
There was a wave of activity that spread across the ocean as one by one the Apollos' engines lit up, a myriad of stars if you're viewing from high above.
"Enemy space cruisers have entered the atmosphere! We estimate a few thousand extra troops!" the radio operator yelled.
"Careful now. We need a backup plan, by the looks of it. I don't like where this is headed." the Doctor said.
"I know." Blithy flexed her fingers. "All teams- we need to provide enough time for the civilians to escape." she thought up a plan in her head.
"Simply holding them off would just get us killed..." the Doctor rubbed his chin.
"All we need is time. You're the Timelord here, so do you have any advice?" Blithy looked behind her and peered at the Doctor.
"The TARDIS is none-existent in this reality." Doctor Whooves pointed out. "And I'm also no tactician."
"Yeah. No idea why I asked you." Blithy muttered, derping her eyes when the Doctor wasn't looking. "All Apollos- engage enemy cruisers directly."
"No disrespect meant ma'am," Zealo said, "but you're crazy."
"And isn't it brilliant?" Doctor Whooves mumbled.
"We need to buy the evacuees more time- they're bound to come after us if we start attacking their mother ships. The Crawlers can easily handle what they have coming at us right now on their own- we just have to stall their reinforcements from getting in, then that should get us enough time." Blithy explained.
"Brilliantly crazy." Zealo corrected himself.
"Attention all Apollo fighters- cut right through the first wave and avoid engaging as much as possible- attack their mother ships and go for the engines." Blithy said.
"Copy commander. We're with you." Alpha One said.
"Forward, comrades!" Blithy yelled, pushing the levers forward and sending the Horizons jetting through the water.
"You didn't need to add the Russian accent." the Doctor said, a few beeps coming off his screen as he switched between the turret's few weapons.
"Zealo, Alpha One- mark me on your HUDs. Going invisible." Blithy said, flicking a few switches and hearing a generator heating up with whirs.
"Roger." Zealo said.
"Marked." Alpha One took in a deep breath as a missile grazed his tail fin.
The two armies crossed, but instead of engaging like the Strikers were prepared for; the Apollos started flying right past them- although, they did leave behind a few torpedoes.
"Whoa." Blithy said dully, yanking the levers to one side and turning the plane. She fired a torpedo, which hit the Striker that was about to crash into her and tore it down the middle. She watched its pilot suddenly get dragged out of the plane as the containment was breached, and a jagged broken piece of its tail fin grazed the side of the Horizons.
"Oh great." the Doctor muttered, looking at the graze mark. The rest of the plane was in a mirage field while that little panel there was broken. "Now we're in a flying pixel."
"At least it isn't bright orange and supposedly unbearable." Blithy rolled her eyes, flying to the right to avoid an exploding Striker. She flew through the smoke cloud formed underwater, the windscreen temporarily going completely black. But then they broke through the cloud and into full view of the battle, emerging from the depths of the canyons.
The battle stretched on for tens of kilometers, beyond sight in the clear waters of the bottom of the Atlantic. Explosions were littering the entire few cubic kilometers of water, lighting up the shadows. Trails of smoke and bubbles were evident throughout the entire battle, traces of dogfights that resulted in another one of those explosions.
"Spitfire... You better figure something out soon." Blithy shook her head and muttered.
*
"Interesting." Eclipse tilted her head to one side, and while Val did say she was going to take a nap- she was still awake. Another report wouldn't interest her, but when Eclipse didn't keep on going her curiosity got the better of her.
"What. Is. It?" she asked, irritated.
"They aren't attacking. They're flying straight past our Strikers. Probably going after our cruisers." Eclipse said.
"Not unexpected." Val shrugged.
"What do we do with our Strikers?" Eclipse asked.
"I really couldn't give less of a crap about what happens to them- but just tell them to pursue the enemy aircraft. You know? Get a nice little sandwich between the Strikers and the cruisers." Val yawned loudly.
"This is quickly turning into my favorite battle." Eclipse said emotionlessly.
"How so?" Val changed sides again to lean on her left hand.
"Two reckless commanders battling it out. I wonder who would win?" Eclipse asked.
"I heard the commander herself is in battle." Val said, tuning into her troops' radio frequencies.
"Indeed. Something about an amped Striker." Eclipse said, watching the battle through the camera feed from one of the Strikers. Then the screen abruptly turned to static, the last image of a flaming torpedo still visible as an after image.
"Well..." Val sighed, standing up lazily. "So much for my nap."
"I do believe that if one commander goes into battle it would be honorable for the other to do the same." Eclipse stated.
"No. Crap." Val growled, walking out of the throne room with Eclipse following close behind. "Do start prepping my Striker."
"It's always prepped, as per your orders." Eclipse said, intentionally annoying Val by not following her order- as it was unnecessary.
"Huh. I guess I'm more organized than I think I am then." Val grinned, walking down a corridor, the officers in it lowering their heads in fear of accidentally irritating the ruthless Empress.
*
"Right! RIGHT!" the Doctor yelled, and Blithy yanked the joysticks to one side. The Horizons's belly grazed an enemy Striker's hull, making a loud metallic grown as they scratched past each other. "Did you even go to flight school!?"
"Yes. But flight school doesn't have an exercise where you have to dodge a thousand other enemy Strikers while they don't avoid you because they CAN'T BUCKING SEE YOU." Blithy yelled.
"Then turn stealth off!" Doctor Whooves said.
"NO." Blithy growled.
"Missile-!"
Blithy slammed the levers back, forcing the plane into a tight upward loop. The missile passed behind the engines as the plane arced backwards, then back around in a loop. She gave a short squeeze on the prism gun's trigger, destroying a Striker headed straight for her and its freshly launched missile. She flew through the debris and the fireball, something making a loud thud against the wind shield.
"There goes the pilot." she said as the dark red smudge washed away in the water.
"Uh-oh. Think we've got a small problem." the radio operator said.
"More reinforcements?" Blithy asked.
"Mostly, yes. Partially, not specific enough." the radio operator took in a deep breath and sighed. "We've got one single modified Striker flying down from the COLOSSUS, and a wingmare. Wonder who that could be?" he said, making a few taps on his keyboard.
"Well well." Blithy said as a live video feed from a scout drone popped up on her HUD, showing an odd looking black and red Striker with yellow highlights, and its seemingly normal Striker wingmare. "I should've known."
"Let me guess." Doctor Whooves peered over Blithy's shoulder. "It's Val."
"Thank you, Doctor Obvious."
"Sorry, Magnum." Storm shook his head, eyes watery. "I'm so sorry."
And before Magnum could react, he shoved the jetpack into her arms.
"Wha-?" she managed to say, before Storm dragged her to the edge of the deployment hole. "Buck- Storm! No!"
"Sorry Magnum- but I have to." he said, and Magnum was about to scramble back to safety when he launched a hoof into her chest and sent her tumbling over the edge.
Dazed, through her tear blurred vision she saw Storm turn away and shield his face from her eyes as she fell. The wind rushed against her helmet, whistling as it brushed against the cracks in between the metal plates. Even inside the helmet, her mane whipped about her face.
Magnum watched as Storm faded out of sight, the barricade slowly growing more and more distant, becoming smaller and smaller. She felt like a feather, being blown about in the high winds up here in the atmosphere; weak and inside an infinite stretch of nothingness, falling to hell. She watched her hooves, stretched out in front of her by the wind, slowly waving in the air. Still the dullness stayed in her mind, stopping her from thinking and causing her body to start shutting down. She was in shock- she couldn't move, couldn't talk. All there was was the eery whistling of the wind, otherwise it was silence; presence-less silence.
Then that silence was interrupted as the portion of the barricade she was looking at blew apart into a huge fireball, consuming its six arms that reached out to other sections. The loud boom was dulled as her ears weren't really listening, and even the heavy shockwave that followed and knocked the air from her lungs failed to shake the dullness from her head.
Pieces of debris flew past all around her as she continued falling, the shockwave pushing those scraps of metal down with deadly ferocity. All she could think of was how sudden everything happened- why did Storm save her? He could've perfectly saved himself. Guess she'll never know.
She also had no way of knowing whether or not Bluefyre and Anvil made it. It pained her to try and think about it.
Something, probably a piece of the barricade; flew down and clipped her shoulder. The armor dissipated most of the force, but it still sent her tumbling. She saw the lush Everfree forest below her as she spun, then back to the sky; the hole in the barricade filled by a huge smoky mushroom cloud, traces of fire still lingering behind those thick curtains of ash.
More pieces were falling. She could see them get closer every time she turned around, tumbling out of control. Her mind began focusing, her vision adjusting. Her hooves unconsciously drifted to her side, stabilizing her descent.
There was a huge metal plate from the barricade falling towards her. Every time it rotated on its side the sun would shine through the holes in the barricade and sting her eyes.
Then her eyes widened, her mind being ripped out of its dream state by her survivor instinct.
She straightened her body, now falling upside down. The huge metal plate hit her hooves, and she managed to land on its underside. In the chaos she had let go of her only hope of surviving the fall- the jetpack. Now she couldn't find it anywhere.
She activated the gravity boots, and ran along the bottom of the metal plate. She reached the edge, and swung onto the top. She looked all around her at the falling fields of debris- it was utter destruction, not were there only scraps of metal from the barricade itself, but also unlucky officers that didn't evacuate in time.
"Valkyrie- you reckless bastard." Magnum cursed, scanning through the falling debris field.
With a small vocal command she put an altimeter on her HUD- and her altitude was declining at an alarming rate.
"You're bucking kidding me." she moaned when she saw that little dot on the horizon- falling with the other scraps. The jetpack. Her only chance of survival, about half a kilometer away. Question is- will she be able to make it before not even the jetpack could save her?
She detached her old empty jetpack, taking off the extra weight so she could jump further and run faster. She darted forward, kicking off the edge and aimed for a different piece. The jetpack was a little above her current altitude- she'll need to find a way to slow her descent or just climb to that higher altitude. She fell forwards, stretching her limbs out to catch the wind. It did little, but did raise her just a bit above the falling debris.
The beam of an anti-matter rifle sizzled past her head, and she turned. The beam hit a piece of metal, reducing it to sparkling dust.
"Mother bucking robots..." she muttered, kicking down on one end of the piece of metal she was standing on and tipping it. Instead of hitting her leg, the antimatter beam hit the flipped piece of metal and exploded. Magnum rode the explosion and flew further away from the assault unit.
She whipped out her pistol, and pulled the trigger with a snap. The bullet went flying through the air, grazed a piece of metal but kept going; hit a slightly curved scrap from an armored door and bounced through a hole in another chunk of debris. It hit the assault unit's visor, the heavy calibre bullet cracking through it and ripping apart the internals. It fell still, sparks flying from the severed wires inside its head and fading away in the wind.
"Stay down." Magnum growled, gravity boots sucking onto a flat-falling chunk of heavy plating. Then she spotted something out of the corner of her eye, and quickly snapped her pistol in that direction, pulling the trigger the moment her aim straitened. The bullet impacted the rocket, blowing it to peices.
Somepony tackled her from the side, sending her sprawling off the metal scrap and into open space where she would be hopeless to dodge anything. The assault unit that tackled her still had a firm claw on her neck, and was raising a knife. The knife sizzled with charged energy, and Magnum recognized the different helmet shape. It was one of the newer models, meat puppets.
The new unit stabbed the knife down, and Magnum managed to divert it to the side. The tip grazed the side of her visor, making a big scratch. She tucked the unit's wrist under her arm, neutralizing the knife. She slammed her hoof into the unit's visor several times, before giving it an elbow that cracked the visor.
The assault unit that fired the rocket was still concealed in the debris field, the launcher performing a lock-on on Magnum.
Magnum had to dodge the rocket, and push the new unit out of its way as well- otherwise the blast would kill the both of them. Problem is, the new unit doesn't care about its own survival. It was restraining Magnum's pistol from firing, holding it down by her side. Magnum was keeping its knife away from her throat, so they were in an almost unbreakable lock.
Almost.
There was a loud whoosh as the rocket was fired, and Magnum abruptly lurched to the right. Her momentum spun the both of them, putting the unit between her and the rocket. The sudden turn released the hold it had on her right hoof, freeing the pistol. She fired the shot, the bullet going through a crack in the armor and severing the main arteries in the neck. Blood started gushing out of the dead unit's neck, and Magnum kicked off its limp body.
The rocket hit, with Magnum still in the blast radius. She wrapped her arms around her body in hopes of protecting herself, but the high velocity shrapnel still tore at her armor.
The unit shielded most of the blast, and its guts stained the right half of Magnum's armor red. The other half was torn apart by the flying shrapnel, ripped to shreds.
Magnum gasped as several pieces lodged themselves deep into her flesh. Her HUD was malfunctioning, half of it blown away and missing with half her visor. Air was pounding at a gushing wound on her left arm, the explosion having torn a hole in her shoulder plate. She couldn't assess the damage as everything was coated in thick dark red blood- both hers and the unit's.
Still falling, she couldn't stabilize her current condition. She needed to get to stable ground- but she didn't know how.
The jetpack was only a few meters away now, and the assault unit was taking aim again.
"Damnit..." Magnum gritted her teeth together- and she realized her left eye wasn't seeing anything. Being safe, she closed her right eye and opened her left.
Nothing.
She opened her right eye again, and she could see. She must've lost her left eye- she could feel hot blood trickling down the side of her face. The pain started to fade as her body entered shock- but her mind still had to remain clear.
She shook her head vigorously, and looked back at the assault unit. Her pistol had drifted off somewhere else, and she gave a quick look around. It was just below her, and she dived down to retrieve it.
Debris was getting in the way- but she could still get the unit back. She had her ears pricked, waiting for that distinct click for it to pull the trigger.
Then there it was, and she fired the bullet. The metal round clipped a crippled armored door, bounced off it and around the piece of debris that was in the way. There was an explosion that followed as the bullet struck the freshly launched rocket, presumably blowing the unit apart with it.
Now to get that damn jetpack.
She angled herself, slowly making her way towards the jetpack. Then suddenly something hit her injured shoulder, and she screamed as the jagged piece of metal slid into her flesh.
"Son of a- Gah! Damnit!" she cursed, and tried to rip the metal out- but it was firmly anchored in her shoulder. She ground her teeth together, trying her best to get it out- but couldn't help and scream as it abruptly slid several centimeters and ripped more of her flesh with its jagged edges.
She cursed, tears swarming into her eyes as she tried again.
"Warning: Lethal drop range detected. Warning..." her HUD beeped, but the words were dull in the pain.
But she knows one thing- if she doesn't get that jetpack, she'll be as dead as a whale in a desert. She tried to ignore the pain, and ignore the fact that there was a big metal sheet with sharp edges sticking out of her left shoulder.
Finally she managed to grab hold of the jetpack, and she fumbled with it in her right hoof- even if she did move her left arm a bit, the pain would just explode into her brain.
But eventually she had to.
The jetpack required two locks for it to fully synchronize with the suit and be recognized as a valid piece of equipment- and one of the locks was only accessible from the left side. Magnum tried to reach around with her right hoof, but it was always just beyond her reach. Several times she fumbled with the jetpack she almost let go of it- and now she had to resist the pain.
She shifted her left arm a bit to the back, and felt the piece of metal dig even deeper into her shoulder. She grunted, moving her arm a bit more- inching her way to the lock.
She was screaming now. She didn't even realize- the metal was slowly popping her arm out of her shoulder socket as she angled against it- but finally, she flicked the lock down and a new fuel indicator lit up her HUD.
"Come on, you little piece of crap." she groaned, activating the engines. They flared and came to life, and she felt her velocity start to decrease.
But then they sparked, and went out.
"What the hay-?" Magnum looked behind her at the sparking jetpack. "Come on! Work, you mother bucking piece of crap!" she pounded it on the side with her right hoof, banging against the metal shell again and again. "COME ON!!"
"Altitude critical. Armor lock down auto-initiating." the HUD said.
"NO! Shuck, damnit! NO!" Magnum screamed as the suit slowly pulled her into a tight ball, and she resisted with all her strength to keep her left arm out of the way- but the hydraulics and motors on that side were still intact.
The suit slowly forced her to curl up into a ball, a thick metal visor closing down over her visor. She heard several cracks as the suit forced her left arm to close in as well, the piece of metal popping it out of its socket. The cracks continued, which followed a loud ripping noise and her own screams.
There was one final, distinct, and blood-filled crack as the suit pushed the arm into place around her knees, and she felt warm blood splatter over her left side as the wound was ripping open.
She screamed, she didn't know for how long. The pain was beginning to dull as her body went into shock, and she could see nothing as the metal visor had shielded her view completely. Armor lock-downs were only automatically initiated in critical situations such as these. It seals the armor and the user completely in thick metal plates, rendering them almost invincible.
Once again, almost.
A live camera feed popped up on Magnum's HUD, oddly bright as everything else was dark. It showed her facing the ground, the earth getting ever closer. There was a count-down meter on the top right corner, counting down her dropping altitude.
The lush Everfree forest was below, its trees waving gently in the breeze. It got closer and closer, her field of vision growing smaller and smaller.
Then the tree tops suddenly flew past her, and the last thing she saw before everything went dark and empty was the damp dirt ground of the Everfree. She didn't even get to finish her last thoughts before the darkness closed around her vision and ripped her life away.
*
"WHO THE HELL WAS ON THE BARRICADE!!??" Rainbow yelled into the comms.
"The ponies you know, that'll be Storm... And Magnum." Spitfire finally managed, after the entire bridge fell still and watched the screens in front of them show the barricade explosion.
Rainbow was going to retort with something, but found no words. She already had her mouth open, but it was left gaping without information. Eventually the corners of it turned down slightly, showing her teeth as she ground them against each other. She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head and turning away from the collapsing section of the barricade. Still she could hear the impacts and loud cracks they made as the debris fell from the sky, one of which will probably be Magnum or Storm- should there be anything left of either of them after the explosion.
"Son of a mule..." Octavia took in a deep breath, turning away from the group and shielding her face from the others.
"Sis... What is it..?" Dainty tugged at Rainbow's sleeve, and started worrying even more when there was no reply.
Rainbow shook her head, struggling to box in the tears. "Magnum." she said, her voice shaky.
Dainty froze, then let go of Rainbow's sleeve and slumped back onto the ground. She had known Magnum- of course she had. The pony that helped her earn her cutie mark in programming? Of course she knew her. She knew her as a friend. A good friend.
Lily didn't know Storm nor Magnum, but judging from the shocked expression on Dainty's face- they were probably pretty close. All she could do was be sad and put an arm around Dainty's shoulders, giving her gentle rubs on the back.
Dainty hunched over, burying her face in her hooves. Tears trickled down the side of her face, and Rainbow moved to sit down on a nearby wooden box.
"I've seen her in action before." Silver said, shaking her head. "One hell of a good soldier. I take it you knew her in that other reality?"
"Worked with her for quite a few years." Octavia said, leaning her back on a streetlight. It creaked slightly under the pressure. "She was one of the first to engage the Science Faction in our reality."
"And was quite the friend." Rainbow added.
"Dash. Proceed to objective." Spitfire said softly. "We need that info ASAP. ATLANTA is being invaded."
Rainbow shook her head. Right now, she would no longer be surprised if any more ponies died at all. There were too many surprises in one day already, it wasn't even getting surprising anymore.
Spitfire sighed deeply. "This is war, Dash. Ponies die. It's up to us survivors to keep each others' backs and stay survivors. Spitfire out." she said, and the comms went dead.
Rainbow took off her hat, and Octavia followed. At least some sort of acknowledgement to the death of yet another friend.
Rainbow slowly raised her head, placing her hat back over her rainbow colored mane. She watched the nuclear fallout from the explosion slowly drift to earth for a moment, cast one last gaze in that direction, and turned away; the glow of the evening sun tinting the scene a bright but dull orange as she walked on towards the marked objective.
*
The light blue earth pony slowly opened her eyes. She couldn't feel a thing, and her vision was still blurry. Still blurry from what she didn't know- but she could only see shades of color. Then finally her vision cleared, and she looked up. It was evening, the orange glow illuminating the trees of a forest. But what forest again?
The Everfree, that's right. She had no idea how she knew that- but now that she thought about it, she had no idea how she got here either.
She tried to get up, but her legs seemed to be broken and she was barely doing anything. She was slumped, sprawled against a tree. She looked around her, and saw a small path of destruction in front of her. Several dents into the dirt ground spanned out in front of her, as if something had hit the ground and bounced around. She looked down at her dirt filled armor, and had the odd feeling that she was the mysterious object.
She had a knife in a socket on her back, and a silver pistol by her side. The silver pistol meant something- but she couldn't quite remember. It did trigger some memory flashes though, of pain and suffering. She saw a familiar pony, dying on the floor and bleeding from a gunshot wound. She remembered a name, Zealo; but it meant nothing to her.
She tried to go and pick up the pistol with her left hoof, when she realized she didn't have one. In fact, her entire left arm was missing; a blood matted and fleshy stump replacing where it should be.
I wonder if I had a left arm in the first place anyway... She thought.
She couldn't feel any pain, but could feel the damage. She started slowly crawling towards the pistol, her useless legs dragging on the ground behind her. For some reason the pistol seemed important- it seemed so lovingly polished and shined by its previous owner, so delicately polished and constructed. Finally she was able to pick it up, and was surprised to find that it fitted her hoof extremely comfortably. She crawled back to the tree, and slumped against it. Just from crawling that meter had made her breathless- the hay was wrong with her?
There was a loud howl that echoed through the forest, followed by an eery breeze.
The earth pony looked around her, pistol in hoof. Another howl, and it sent shivers down her spine.
Suddenly something leaped out of the woods and straight at her, and without even thinking her right hoof snapped to that side and pulled the trigger. The bullet was sent through the timber wolf's brain, killing it almost instantly. It collapsed back onto the ground, slid several meters towards her on the dirt ground and died with one final whimper.
"How the hay..?" the pony looked at her right hoof, marveling at her instinctive shot.
Now the loud bang and the bright flash from the muzzle flare had attracted even more hungry timber wolves. They growled, snarled, a hungry pack; slowly circling her and baring their teeth.
One of them leaped at her, and once again her hoof snapped into aim and put a bullet through its head.
Now that enraged all of them, and they all charged at her. She pulled the trigger as many times as she possibly could have, feeling the recoil pound against her hoof. Then there was only one timber wolf left, and her pistol clicked empty.
"Shuck-" she cursed, placing it down and whipping out the knife.
The wolf lunged, and she stabbed the knife from the side and into its face- it wasn't a lethal strike, and its biting teeth were getting ever closer to her face. She could feel its hot breath on her nose, its saliva spitting onto her face as it growled and barked; trying to sink its teeth into her neck.
Her arm was growing weak, and she could barely hold it off. Soon all her strength would drain from her body, and that'll be the end of the mysterious light blue earth pony.
The wolf backed up a little, ready to lunge and clamp its jaws around her neck.
Then there was a huge flash and bang that left her ears ringing, and the timber wolf fell sideways and onto the ground with a big portion of its body missing and in tatters.
"Stay where you are and put down the bucking knife." an orange earth pony said in a thick Manehatten accent, her short red mane drifting down a little above her shoulders and the sawed-off shotgun in her hooves still smoking from its earlier blast.
The blue earth pony stared down the barrel of the shotgun, and slowly placed the knife on the floor and pushed it away.
The orange pony tilted her head to one side, picked up the pistol and knife and lowered the shotgun.
"Hell, mare. You look like you just fell out of the sky! We better get that arm patched up... And... Your left eye." she said. "I'm Babs Seed. Ignore the lousy introduction, but we really need to get you fixed up if you want to live."
"I..." the blue pony looked down at her missing left arm. It was beginning to sting, and she could tell soon she would pass out from blood loss.
"You have a name?" the orange pony asked, kneeling down as the blue pony's eyes started closing.
"I... Don't.... Know...." she said, and fell unconscious.
The jetpack had run out of fuel, and her suit was damaged. Bluefyre looked around her, but all she saw was more trees. She was trapped deep in the Everfree forest, with nothing but the bow built into the armor on her left arm and a standard infantry rifle. Something inside the Everfree was interfering with her HUD- and could well be a signal scrambler. Either that, or just the mysterious magical properties of the Everfree- and she couldn't tell which one was more likely after having a quick look around.
There was the howl of a timber wolf to her right, and she raised the rifle. All she could hear after that was her own breathing, and each crunch her hooves made as they stepped on the fallen twigs.
It was only evening, yet down here it was as dark as mid-night. All she could see was within the range of the weak flashlight mounted on her helmet- and it didn't do much to light up things.
She had lost Anvil when they fell from the barricade- and she has no idea as to where Magnum or Storm went. Nopony was marked on her HUD.
More howls, and barks. Then some distinct bangs that could only be made by one weapon- Magnum's pistol.
Bluefyre started jogging. Running through the thick woods, she slipped past all the trees- she was alert to even the smallest noise. A fallen twig, followed by the crunch as something stepped on it. She kept running- she could hear the struggle now. More bangs, followed by the whimpers of the timber wolves. Then that was followed by a final really loud bang, and everything fell silent.
Bluefyre stopped, seeing the sudden flash in front of her. Magnum must be right there. She walked over there with her rifle raised, making sure no more timber wolves had made it into the area. She almost tripped over the root of a tree, but stumbled back on balance and kept going.
There was a small clearing up ahead, seemingly made by debris that fell from the barricade. Trees were uprooted or completely broken down, shreds of wood littering the forest floor and the ground torn and dented.
Bluefyre looked around herself frantically, but saw no sign of Magnum nor anypony else. She saw where the conflict was- a bunch of dead timber wolves lying on the ground, their thick luminescent green blood slowly leaking out of lethal pistol wounds. Then there was more blood on the dirt floor. Red blood, not that of the timber wolves.
At first Bluefyre didn't want to believe it. Then she spotted a silver object, catching the glint of the evening sun and sparkling. She went to pick it up, and stared at the blood stained object for a very long time.
It was Magnum's dog tag. The chain was broken in pieces, hanging loosely from the tags themselves.
She sighed, placing them in a socket in her armor. By the looks of it Magnum must've lost a lot of blood- and was most likely dead somewhere. Probably dragged away by a lone timber wolf.
"Bucking hell..." she muttered, then slumped back onto the damp dirt. She felt awfully vulnerable in the clearing, even if she did have a weapon and extra ammo.
There was a loud howl behind her, and her jaws clenched. She stood up, slinging her rifle across her back. She held out her left hoof, and with a small gesture two ends of an advanced combat longbow popped out of the armor on her left arm. She pulled out an arrow and loaded it, testing the tension on the string.
She had no idea where she would go. She had no idea what to do. So she'll do whatever she had to.
*
Rainbow pulled a large piece of concrete out of the way, small pieces of it crumbling off and clattering to the ground. They were in the one of the cabins of the train, crushed by debris.
"Let's hope our precious cargo hasn't been destroyed by all this bull crap." Silver said, ducking under the small opening.
"It should be in the next cabin." Rainbow sighed, taking a moment to catch her breath. Then she nodded at Octavia, who moved up and took one side of the door leading to the next cabin. Rainbow took the other side, cleaver handle in hand and ready to be deployed. The door had a rusted coat of red paint over it, peeling over time. It might've been a bright color when it was new, belonging to a long lost reality.
"Go." she nodded, and Octavia kicked down the door.
They swung into a larger cabin, a big object with a sheet over it in the middle of the small space. Shelves lined the sides, filled with all kinds of tools and random equipment.
Rainbow pocketed the cleaver, and sighed. "This could take a while to search through."
"Yeah. Problem is we have no idea what we're looking for." Silver said, walking to one side of the room.
"Found it." Octavia said.
"Where?" Rainbow and Silver both asked at the same time, turning to see Octavia admiring the shielded object in the middle of the cabin.
Rainbow moved to one corner, and ripped the sheet off. What was beneath it made her lost for words, and she just took a step back with her mouth wide open.
"Still a beauty." Octavia said. Of course she recognized it instantly- she was the one who modified it in the other reality.
"How...?" Rainbow frowned. "Applebloom must've remembered. She probably whipped this up in the past day or something."
"Probably." Octavia nodded.
"The hay are you two so excited about?" Silver asked.
"You don't have one of these?" Rainbow smirked, raising an eyebrow.
"We don't have the luxury to have one." Silver said grimly.
"Looks... Familiar." Daring cocked her head to one side and frowned at the object.
"Alright everypony..." Rainbow rubbed her hooves together, admiring the sleek black car that she missed so much since entering this new reality. "Who's driving?"
*
"Agent Dash." a familiar male voice said through the comms.
"Yeah. Who am I speaking to?" Rainbow asked, ignoring the complaints and groans from the six ponies squished in the back row. Octavia was driving, and as usual- she had the front seat.
"Officer Soarin." the voice said, and Rainbow froze. Another Wonderbolt? "Captain Spitfire is currently trying to organize a retaliation strategy against the ATLANTA invasion. She'll be unavailable- and I'll be taking over for now."
"I certainly wouldn't mind- I mean-"
"There's a military checkpoint established by the Science Faction in your way. They're testing a prototype signal jamming device- once they activate it we're in trouble. You need to destroy it- but take it down silently. Make sure nopony finds out until it's too late- you don't want Val chasing after you." Soarin said.
"Val's already chasing me." Rainbow muttered. "Can you mark it on our HUDs?"
"Done." Soarin said, and a small indicator popped up on Rainbow's HUD. It was quite close.
"Tavi- slow down... Think they'll hear us." Rainbow said, and Octavia stopped the car.
Silver hopped out the back, grateful for the sudden expanse of breathing space. The other five ponies tumbled out the door after she left it open, all gasping for air.
"I'll go scout ahead." Silver yawned loudly. "Just check out what we're up against." she said, and flew off towards the marked location. She returned later with wide eyes.
"There's a bunch of them, isn't there?" Rainbow asked.
Silver nodded.
"Let me guess- twenty three officers and no units?" Rainbow smirked.
Silver nodded again.
"Oh, how I love myself." Rainbow sang, trotting towards the marked location.
"Wait- what are you doing? We need to go together!" Silver raised an eyebrow.
"Tavi and I can handle this." Rainbow grinned, and Octavia nodded. "We've lived through worse before. Actually, I lived through worse." she turned to Octavia. "You died."
"Shut up." Octavia muttered. Over time that had become a joke- but it could get annoying at times.
Silver shrugged. Octavia was only assigned as her partner at the start of the mission- so Rainbow probably had more experience.
"We'll be on the sideline... Just in case, you know." Silver smirked. As if those two could take on twenty three other ponies on their own.
"Tsk tsk tsk." Rainbow tutted. "Watch and learn."
They were still in Fillydelphia, the tall buildings seemed worn down into a substance similar to clay- they looked like they could crumble at any second. Rainbow slowly sneaked around one of the buildings, keeping her back to the wall. She peered around the corner, and saw the group of Science Faction ponies. They had light armor on, but were equipped quite well- grenades, pistols, rifles...
There was an antenna in the middle of the clearing, probably the jamming device. There was a slight flutter as Silver flew up onto the roof overhead. Rainbow looked back down at the enemies, keeping note of their locations.
She looked behind her and nodded at Octavia, who nodded back and darted to the building on the other side. The ponies didn't see her.
Rainbow pulled out one of Nightshade's EMP knives, and started slowly creeping around the corner.
The first stallion had his back to her- so she slowly crept up on him. Now she was right behind him, knife in hoof and ready to strike. She reached out and gave him a light tap on the shoulder.
"Wha...?" he turned around, exposing his neck.
Rainbow clamped a hoof over his mouth and slashed the knife across his neck, severing his adam's apple. Blood splattered onto the floor, accompanied by his muffled scream. She spun him around and held him as a meat shield- by now they have already been spotted, and the others were turning around.
No way they're getting out of this without having a whole army on their tails. Silver thought from the roof.
Rainbow pulled the pin and threw the EMP knife, and it lodged itself deep inside a stallion's throat before exploding with a blue wave of energy.
"COLOSSUS! COLOSSUS!! DO YOU READ ME!?" one of the stallions yelled into a radio. "SHUCK! OUR COMMS ARE DOWN!"
Octavia came out from behind the corner and moved up behind Rainbow, both of them using the dead stallion as a shield. Octavia took his rifle, and started firing short bursts at the others before they even flicked off their safeties.
Rainbow pulled out the pistol from its holster on the stallion's leg, and picked off six different officers with its full clip. By this time only about seven of the enemy officers remained.
Rainbow pushed the dead stallion forward, slowly advancing towards the enemy officers while they tried to back away. Bullets landed all around them, lifting up dirt into the air in small clouds. Octavia's rifle clicked empty, and she dropped it in the dirt.
Rainbow reached around the stallion, and pulled the pin on three different grenades. She let go, and kicked the body with the grenades still attached to it towards the remaining few officers. The grenades went off, and they disappeared behind a huge flash and a wall of dirt.
"Done, and done." Rainbow said, dusting her coat of the brown dust and striding towards the antenna.
Sliver stared at the field of dead bodies with wide eyes, her mouth gaping wide with awe. "That... Was incredible." she finally managed.
"Now to disable this thing..." Rainbow said, walking up to the jammer.
"You have twenty seconds to get all your hidden friends out here in the open, before I blow you to pieces with the pack of C4 under that jammer." a voice boomed throughout the clearing, through remotely controlled speakers hidden in the buildings- it was impossible to pinpoint its location.
"Shuck..." Rainbow muttered, checking under the jammer- and as the voice had said, a pack of C4 was there, the LED indicator flashing gently.
"Uh-uh. Don't touch that, or I'll pull the trigger." the voice said, then chuckled. "Ten seconds left."
"Stay hidden, Silver. He doesn't know there's two of us yet." Rainbow whispered out of the corner of her mouth, her lips barely making a twitch.
"Copy." Silver Dash whispered a second later, and crawled behind cover on the roof.
Slowly, Dainty, Lily, Daring, and the two survivors strode into view. Rainbow held her breath, waiting for the mysterious stallion to point out Silver was missing- but he didn't.
"Yes, yes. Gather round." the voice said, and Rainbow let out a mental sigh of relief.
"Can you find him?" she whispered slowly.
"Not yet." Silver whispered back.
The clearing was dead silent, the dust-brown buildings rising all around them seemingly gaping at them with their hollow windows. A slight breeze blew, the sand on the ground shifting slowly. The evening sun was dropping behind the horizon, casting long shadows across the still battlefield.
"Hooves raised, ladies." the voice boomed, and everypony started slowly raising their hooves.
Everypony but one of the survivors, who was a little hesitant.
There was a loud crack, and a distinct zipping noise before a high-calibre bullet busted through her skull and caused her head to cave in. Her headless body fell back onto the floor, her blood splattering over the floor and mixing with the sand.
Daring had her mouth firmly clamped shut, and was struggling to breath through her nostrils. She didn't look down at the pony she once knew, and she could still feel the warmth of some splatters of her blood on her face. She was standing next to her once second, and gone the next.
"Don't." Rainbow warned her out of the corner of her mouth.
Daring finally let out that breath she was holding, slowly and cautiously. She blinked away the tears, and was dying to wipe the blood off her face.
"Did you get him?" Rainbow whispered.
"Got his general location." Silver whispered back.
"Don't make a move until you have a visual." Rainbow's lips twitched.
"Now I want all your little secrets. Give me all the names of the sabotaged ships. Come on, you know what I'm talking about- with your little spies in Science." the shooter said.
Rainbow's jaw was clenched- she couldn't quite see a safe way out of this situation yet, and Silver finding the shooter was their only hope of salvation.
"Wait- I see him. Left building, fifth to top floor." Silver said. "Don't look at him, dumbarse." she whispered as Rainbow's head twitched.
Suddenly there was a loud whoosh, and a rocket came flying out of nowhere and hit the fifth to top floor. The entire top part of the building collapsed, and the huge speakers started pumping out static.
"What the hay!?" Silver traced the trail of smoke left behind by the rocket and back to the black car. "How...?"
"Voice control." Rainbow grinned, lowering her hooves to her sides. "Honk honk." she said, and the car beeped twice in return.
"I feel extremely left out." Silver said, then spotted something in the distance. "Shuck! He's getting away!"
It turns out their shooter was a pegasus pony- and was flying away right this moment.
"You son of a mule-" Daring Do growled, and flew after him, leaving behind a small dust cloud as her wings disrupted the air.
"Silver- make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." Rainbow said, walking towards the car with Octavia. She felt a small weight on her waist, and looked down at a quivering Dainty.
"That mare's head... It just..." she trembled, her voice uneven.
Rainbow's heart sank. Dainty must've been seen the pony being taken down- and it was her fault, because she put her and Lily behind everypony else for her to be safe. And speaking of Lily...
Rainbow rubbed Dainty's shoulders, and cast a worried look at the other filly. She gave a gentle tap on Dainty's back, then pointed at Lily; who was sitting alone by herself and staring at the ground.
"You know what to do, right?" Rainbow asked, and Dainty nodded. She shook off the tears, and as much as she didn't want to- left Rainbow to go sit with Lily.
"Hey Lily." Dainty said rather awkwardly, taking a seat next to Lily on the rock.
Lily chuckled. "You sound so casual."
"I... Was just trying to not think about it too much." Dainty said.
"Yeah. Easy for you to do." Lily said, still staring at the ground and not meeting Dainty's gaze. "I mean, you've got Rainbow and all, you know everypony... And... Well... I have no-one."
"You know me." Dainty grinned. "Come on Lils. Surely we can get through this together, right?" she said, pulling her friend into a big hug.
"Sure, why not." Lily said, a dim smile leaking onto her face as she hugged her back. "I guess."
"Come on. As long as we stay together, we could get through anything." Dainty said, then the grin faded off her face. "Promise you won't leave me behind though?"
"Ha! The only one who's going to get left behind is me." Lily laughed, then the both of them made a pinkie promise. Stick together. Stay together.
Rainbow couldn't help but smile when she spotted the two fillies making a pinkie promise out of the corner of her eye. She also couldn't help but follow the two fillies and mouth those words- 'Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.'
Then her smile slowly faded- she had no idea where Pinkie or any of her friends might be, or even if they were alive. No, she wasn't quite ready to admit they were dead yet. That just wasn't going to happen- they had to be alive. They just had to be. After all, how many life-threatening situations have they escaped and eluded? Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis and her changelings, even an evil king of shadows? The list goes on... And it should keep going, like it always has.
"Rainbow." Octavia stopped as she realized Rainbow had stopped walking.
"Right, right." Rainbow said, then whistled really loudly. "Blow the jammer!"
The car let out an eery screeching noise, trying to find the correct frequency. Then suddenly the pack of C4 under the jamming device exploded. Rainbow flinched, shielding her eyes; then whistled loudly to the car.
The car drove up to the small group, engine purring.
"In ya go, you two." Rainbow said, opening the passenger door and hopping in the front. The two fillies got in, still giggling at something.
"Chase after the damn bastard. Shoot him down if you need to." Rainbow said to Octavia, and did not expect a response from the car.
"Affirmative." a robotic female voice said, and Rainbow almost jumped out of her seat.
"Oh great. It can talk too? What did Applebloom do?" Rainbow said, looking around the car and half expecting some crazy robot face to pop up.
"She created me." the car's AI said.
"Right, right." Rainbow waved.
"Well this is great. Got more annoying voices in the car." Octavia muttered.
"I have manual control over the driver's ejector seat, in case that is what you were asking for." the AI said, and Rainbow couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Even got a sense of humor, aye." Octavia smirked, then couldn't help but snigger a bit herself. "You got a name?"
"Applebloom calls me EDI. I have no idea why." EDI said.
"Oh, great. An adoption too." Octavia said, and EDI started a count down for the ejector seat. "Okay okay!" she said quickly, and Rainbow and the fillies struggled to contain their laughter.
*
"Come here, you bucking piece of crap." Daring growled, flying after the stallion.
The stallion suddenly folded his wings, and flew threw a window and into a building. Daring followed, making a rough touch down and having her hooves drag across the concrete and sand. They burned a bit, but she didn't care and kept on chasing.
The stallion swung around a corner, and was panicked to hear Daring's scrambling hooves only seconds after his.
Two sets of hooves made loud clanking noises as they sprinted down an empty corridor, the slight breeze brushing away the dust and licking at their legs. Then the stallion leaped out of a window to the side, shattering the age-old glass with all the ease of snapping a twig with a crusher. Daring followed, stretching out her wings and gliding after the pegasus.
She had ditched her shotgun in a hurry to catch the shooter, and was completely unarmed while the shooter appeared to be carrying a knife and pistol- but she didn't care.
The stallion flew into another building, weaving through the different corridors and rooms. Daring followed without missing out a single step- every time she turned a corner she would always see his tail disappear around a different one.
She swung around the corner, and was slightly surprised to see the stallion there.
"You're too persistent, mare-" he said, aiming the pistol at Daring's face.
Daring knocked the pistol away, the shot missing and lodging itself in the ceiling. She yanked the pistol away from his grip, and tackled him to the ground.
"Get off me- you son of a-" Daring slammed a hoof across his face before he could finish.
The stallion retaliated by digging an elbow into Daring's stomach, winding her. He took the opportunity and slammed a hoof into her face, causing her to fall back. He scrambled up, and started running again.
Daring wiped the blood away from her bleeding nose, and reached out. Her hoof caught the stallion's back leg, and tripped him up.
"You persistent- reckless- mule!" he grunted, kicking Daring in the face and forcing her to let go. He scurried up again, and started running.
"You're not getting away." Daring growled, wiping off the blood on her face with an arm. Blood trickled from her nose and slid into her mouth- and she ignored the taste of ion and rust.
They kept running, both a little off balance from the encounter earlier. Then there was another ambush as the stallion swung around the corner, his knife raised high.
He stabbed it down at Daring. "Just die, you little- GAH!!" he screamed as Daring grabbed his hoof from the side and swung his own knife into his prostate. He collapsed onto the ground, Daring falling with him.
The weak concrete ground underneath them crumbled, and they fell onto the next floor. Daring was still on top, and instead of using the knife to kill the stallion she slammed a hoof into his face.
He grunted, and she punched him again. Again and again. The sickening cracks were heard throughout the still settling dust. Still Daring kept slamming her hoof into his skull, slowly caving it in. Blood gushed out as her hoof crushed his flesh, and splattered over one half of her face. His knife wound was causing a lot of blood loss- and it was forming a growing puddle on the floor. Still she kept punching him.
"Who's dying now?" she growled, twisting the knife. He tried to scream, but only gurgled more blood.
Daring kept punching him, for how many times she didn't know. But there was a deep crimson red puddle all around her by now. Then she raised her hoof for one last time, and swung it down from the side. She felt the stallion's skull crunch under her hoof, felt his brain get squashed to mush, then felt his spine snap as his head rotated over one-hundred degrees to one side.
She was breathing hard, and didn't bother do anything to stop it. Her hooves were coated in blood, in fact the whole right half of her body was covered in blood- and most of it wasn't hers. She looked down into the huge puddle of blood, staring at her reflection and into those crazed eyes. Those malevolent eyes. Those vengeful eyes.
Those murderer's eyes.
"Exiting the ocean. Hell, haven't seen daylight for quite a while now." Blithy said, grinning with anticipation.
The surface of the Atlantic was just ahead of them, shimmering in the sun and sending disrupted rays of golden light down to the depths.
"Our Apollos are already engaging the enemy. We're sending you a third wingmare- trust me, you'll need her." the radio operator said.
Blithy sighed. "We'll see." she said as another Apollo pulled alongside the Horizons.
"Lightning Dust at your service ma'am." the pilot said.
Blithy tilted her head to one side. "Weren't you the one that got ki-"
"Yes ma'am." Lightning Dust cut her off before she could finish, which annoyed her slightly but wasn't of any importance. It was quite understandable.
"Turning off the mirage. Don't need that crap anymore." Blithy said, flicking a switch.
The Horizons faded back into existence, then broke the water's surface. It arched through the air, leaving streams of water in its wake. At first Blithy was blinded by the bright sun, then her eyes slowly adjusted to the chaos.
The world shook as three Apollos flew by really close, their engines roaring. Explosions were going off everywhere, dogfights spanning almost out of view. The planes chased each other through clouds, down back underwater, and through the skies.
Blithy yanked the joystick to one side, a Striker exploding and its flaming carcass drifting past the Horizons. She flew back through the trails of flames left behind by the burning Striker, dragging the smoke with her.
"Everypony go to Manehatten! We'll stand a better chance and will be able to avoid their heavy artillery in the streets!" Blithy yelled, the plane turning away and heading for the sand swept coastal city.
"Tangoes on your tail ma'am." Lightning Dust said.
"Copy." Blithy said, the missile lock-on warning flashing red with beeps.
She changed her trajectory and started flying straight up, towards the barricade and the edge of space. On her radar the missiles got ever closer, and she could see them in her rear view mirror. Then she turned off the engines, giving the missiles nothing to track- they could no longer find their target, so flew straight up. The plane started slowing down, then the nose tipped down and it started falling; breaking into a vertical nose dive.
"Ooooh..." the Doctor mumbled as his stomach lurched.
Blithy fell past the missiles, then re-activated the engines. The missiles started tracking her again, and arched back to follow- but slammed into each other midway and blew out into a huge fireball.
"Shuck. It's Val." the radio operator said, and Blithy saw a black and yellow flash to her right- it was the Wasp, Val's signature modified Striker.
"Buck. All pilots, break away now." Blithy said, and her wingmares broke out of formation and left her with her duel with Val.
Blithy put her comms through to the Wasp.
"Well well, commander. Forcing me out of the comfort of my throne room." Val yawned, casually firing a missile that struck dead in the cockpit of an Apollo. Its hull peeled away from the blast, leaving a flaming exoskeleton to fall to the depths of the Atlantic. "I'll take care of this quick."
"Won't happen." Blithy growled, turning the plane around to face Val.
There was an eery drone as they both squeezed their triggers, their prism guns shooting off beams at each other. The beams collided, causing small rainbow colored explosions in the middle. Val launched a missile, and Blithy rolled to the side and out of the way. She fired a missile in return, in which Val shattered with a prism beam.
Some Apollos came to interfere- but they shouldn't have.
Val's ship wasn't called the Wasp for no reason. The paint job was put on because of its name, and its name came from its PDP shield. The shield was specially crafted and required a lot of energy to operate, so her weapons systems must be turned off when the shield was activated. PDP stood for Physical Damage Prevention, and like it says- once the shield is activated, it will be impossible for it to be destroyed by physical means. When the shield is on, it's only vulnerable to energy weapons such as the prism guns and EMPs.
And right now the ship's hull had begun shimmering- the shield was on.
"Look out!" Blithy warned, but it was no use.
Val dodged all their prism beams, and flew the Wasp straight through all three Apollos- tearing them to pieces. They exploded, and the Wasp emerged from the fireball unharmed.
"Beware of the Wasp's sting." Val sang, turning off the shield and shooting a prism beam Blithy's way.
Blithy flew to the side as the beam burned past, retaliating with her own. Val swung out of the way.
"Haven't had this much fun since the war last time." she grinned. "Let's hope I don't end this too quick."
"No worries there." Blithy growled.
*
"I need a wingmare!" Lightning Dust yelled, flying towards one of the science faction cruisers.
"Right with ya." Zealo said, flying alongside.
"We're aiming for the enemy bridge. Stick close to the cruiser, so it'll be harder for their turrets to target us." Lightning said, changing course and aiming for the nose of the cruiser.
"I've got my torpedoes armed." Zealo sighed. While torpedoes were useless in the air, they could still be used as bombs to be dropped on targets- and they packed a way bigger punch than the conventional missiles. Even more than 20% bigger.
"Here goes." Lightning took in a deep breath as they neared the front of the cruiser.
Suddenly loud explosions started going up all around her as the enemy defense systems spotted her and Zealo.
"Flak cannons! Look out!" Zealo yelled, breaking away and spreading out.
Suddenly the nothingness below them was replaced by the cruiser as they whooshed over it, the rows and rows of artillery slowly swinging around to point at them. They wove through the towers, avoiding fresh Strikers as they emerged from hangars- or just shot at them.
"Uh-oh. Tail." Zealo said as he spotted a missile warning on his HUD.
"Cross over!" Lightning yelled, banking hard right while Zealo yanked his controller to the left.
Lightning twisted her controller, flipping the plane upside down. They passed each other, Zealo the right way up at the bottom and Lightning upside down at the top. Their cockpit windshields grazed each other's, and the missiles following them flew into each other and disappeared behind a fireball.
Lightning flipped the plane back to normal orientation, spinning out of the way of a flak turret.
"Oh, how I missed flying." she laughed.
"Just don't be too reckless and get me killed." Zealo said.
"How come everypony knows about that?" Lightning Dust grumbled. "And I don't even know you."
"Captain Spitfire kinda uses you as an example for the rookie fliers." Zealo shrugged, turning his plane vertical and allowing a prism beam to shoot past.
"So I'm some sort of role model?" Lightning asked, shooting a Striker out of the sky. Its flaming carcass fell down and slammed into the cruiser's hull.
"Yeah." Zealo nodded. "You inspired many accidents in cadet school."
"Ain't that great to hear." Lightning muttered.
*
"Still hiding, Blighty?" Val asked, the Wasp hovering and slowly gliding along the deserted streets of Manehatten.
Blithy didn't reply, the Horizons parked on a roof and its mirage device activated. The damaged panel sparked and quivered, fizzing in and out of existence. She could see Val's ship from up here, gliding along and checking around every corner. The Wasp was getting further and further away- but still Blithy waited for an opportunity to present the attack.
Dust crumbled off the surface of the buildings as the Wasp glided past, the engines pointed downwards creating a micro curl of wind on the streets and lifting up the ash. The vibrations from its engines shook the foundations of the weak buildings, and one behind Val finally gave up. It broke apart, crumbling to the ground like a pile of blocks knocked over by a foal.
Val turned her ship around, but nopony was hiding behind the building. She stared at the empty space for a while, then moved on.
"Where are you~" she hummed.
Then there was a loud whir as the Horizons spun sideways and out from behind a building, launching two missiles at Val's turned back.
Val turned her plane sideways so the wings were vertical, and the missiles missed where they should have hit the engines. Then her shield shimmered to life, and the Wasp abruptly made a 180 degree turn and boosted towards the Horizons.
Blithy only had a split second to make her move. She twisted both joysticks in different directions, and the plane flipped upside down.
Val passed below, and they looked up to see each other through their windshields, and Blithy made a rude hand gesture with her middle finger at Val as she passed.
"Oh it is on." Val said, grinning and turning the ship around as she passed.
Blithy jammed the accelerators forward, and the Horizons shot through the streets. The Wasp followed, prism beams firing everywhere. One beam struck the side of a building, taking it down almost instantly as the age old material crumbled into a million pieces and fell from the sky.
Blithy zig-zagged through the labyrinth of buildings, engines blaring and lifting clouds of sand into the air. Val followed close behind, taking down the megastructures she can't be bothered going around with the prism gun.
Val yanked the controllers in opposite directions, sending the Wasp into a fast sideways turn. She held down the triggers on the prism beams, sending them flying in all directions at Blithy.
Blithy had to keep in perfect sync to avoid Val's attacks, turning the Horizons with the Wasp and making sure none of the beams hit her.
Then the Horizons flipped in the air, already rotating backwards 180 degrees before it made a full loop. Blithy held down the triggers, firing the prism beams down at Val as she completed her loop.
Val quickly turned the Wasp away from pursuit, avoiding the rainbow beams by millimeters.
Now the Wasp was running from the Horizons.
*
Eclipse flew the Striker through a crowd of Apollos, prism beams blaring. Suddenly a red missile lock warning popped onto her HUD, and she spun the ship around to face the Apollos.
She slammed a hoof down on the accelerator, sending the Striker boosting forward. She turned the plane to one side just as the missile approached, and it flew past. She rolled into the smoky trail it left behind, straight towards the Apollo that sent it.
Instead of firing the prism beams, she simply emptied all her secondary weapons slots at the Apollo squad and slammed the eject button.
The cockpit broke away from the rest of the plane, the plane itself slamming into an Apollo and breaking both to pieces. The missiles she launched earlier took down several others.
The ejected cockpit split in two, and Eclipse leaped out from the wreckage. Eclipse was just another one of Val's experimental projects- made almost completely from scratch. Eclipse was part of an experiment labeled 'Matter Manipulation', essentially devices that will be able to manipulate particles. Eclipse has several of these devices embedded in her body, mainly in her hooves and on her back. The devices are able to make particles hover, change their state of matter, properties, and general shape they form. They are even able to multiply and destruct the particles at will. The devices acquire matter from the environment- and as it can multiply particles, as long as there is one particle left the devices will be able to function. Eclipse is still a prototype, and the range of the devices she posses is still quite limited.
None the less deadly.
Suddenly wings sprouted from her back as she fell, glowing a bright orange as the devices charged and multiplied the particles. They splayed out, huge artificial feathers reaching to the sides. Her hooves glowed orange, and long sharp claws sprouted from them.
An Apollo made the mistake of flying too close, and Eclipse tore it down the center. She kicked off one half and onto another plane, the older one blowing itself to pieces as the missile launching system malfunctioned.
She stabbed a claw through the windshield and into the pilot's chest, then ripped both the windshield and the pilot out. She leaped off, the out of control Apollo slamming into a Striker- but it didn't matter to her.
Then a missile was launched towards her, the bright red tip easily visible in the sun light. Two blades on her claws retracted, leaving just one single one sticking out of her hoof. The missile struck the blade, and she twisted it delicately to avoid the detonation cap so the missile wouldn't blow up. She sliced it cleanly in half, and the two halves flew either side and past her head. She heard them explode behind her later on.
With a bright orange glow, an incineration rifle appeared in her hooves. She pulled the trigger, an orange laser flying into an Apollo and instantly setting it on fire. Its engines blew apart as the flames reached the fuel, and eventually the entire plane faded to ash.
Exactly why Val didn't intimidate her by the slightest.
*
"You got your torpedoes primed?" Lightning Dust asked.
"Done." Zealo said.
"Flak." Lightning rolled the Apollo to one side, a cloud of smoke exploding outwards nearby.
The bridge was close. Once they bomb that, the enemy's traffic control will be out of the way.
"Missile!" Zealo yelled, banking the plane hard left.
Lightning Dust pulled away to the right, and spotted the missile peeling away as it passed.
"What the-?" she watched the outer shell of the strange projectile break away from the main body.
"Buck- look out!" Zealo yelled, diving down.
The projectile exploded, sending hundreds of tiny explosives towards Lightning's Apollo. They embedded themselves in the hull, and a split second later blew apart too. The right side of the hull was torn to pieces and peeled away, and internal systems were malfunctioning too. Two engines were lost, and the plane was tilting dangerously to one side because of the unbalance in thrust.
"Shuck-" Lightning cursed, slamming the eject button.
The cockpit blew away from the plane, and flew through the enemy bridge's glass wall. The Apollo arched down, spinning out of control as it only had its left engines left. It plunged into a flak turret, crushing both to scrap metal.
The cockpit skid across the floor, knocking down computers and equipment then dragging electronics and wires behind it. Sparks erupted as the wires were ripped apart and the computers torn to pieces. Science Faction officers dived out of the way as the cockpit skid across the bridge, then finally slammed into the far wall where it came to rest.
The bulletproof windshield blew out and bounced across the floor, and Lightning Dust leaped out.
She took off her pilot helmet and threw it across the bridge, clipping a nearby officer in the head and causing him to fall over. Lightning quickly darted to him and took away the rifle slung across his back, and opened fire on the other science faction ponies.
"Alert. Alert. Bridge has been breached. Alert. All personnel to the command center." an alarm went off, flashing red lights instantly filing up the bridge.
"Gotta go." Lightning Dust said, flipping back into a security officer's chest, then kicking off towards the broken bridge windshield. She left behind a trail of bright yellow electricity, zig zagging behind her tail.
She dove out of the bridge and onto the cruiser's hull below. Sparks flew as her hooves skid across the metal- just another landing.
The officers from the bridge weren't exactly good fighters- their lousy shots landed all around Lightning and was only causing more damage.
"Shuck Lightning! The hay are you?" Zealo asked.
"On the cruiser hull. My Apollo went down." Lightning said, diving forward as a flak projectile exploded behind her. She came out of the smoke cloud, coughing without her helmet. "Meet me at the engines!"
"What!?" Zealo frowned. "How the hay are you going to get there?"
"I'll find a way. Stay alive in the meantime." Lightning said, ducking down behind a flak tower.
She looked up- these turrets are manually operated- there must be a way in.
*
The Horizons broke into a steep climb, then abruptly turned around. The Wasp grazed past, both planes shaking as each other's engines let out waves of thrust.
"I regret eating lunch." Doctor Whooves said.
"What did you have?" Blithy asked, stopping the plane just before it hit the ground then sending it flying forward and weaving through the buildings.
"Hay fingers and custard." the Doctor said, and Blithy frowned.
"Hold it in then." she sighed, then rolled the plane to one side. "Ever been to Manehatten before? Or do you like bridges?"
"Yes, they fascinate me." the Doctor mumbled glumly.
"Well- Lincolt bridge is up ahead." Blithy said, banking the Horizons hard left and bringing it down so it was flying just above the ocean surface.
Water sprayed onto the hull as the engines shoved the ocean surface out of the way, leaving behind them large waves of disrupted water.
Blithy looked behind them- Val was still there. She sighed then took in a deep breath. A couple of Val's missiles flew by, hitting the water surface and lifting up a huge block of ocean. It flew up into the air, then came back down again with a huge splash.
All along the ocean surface other dogfights were taking place. Apollos and Strikers leaped out of the water and dived back in like dolphins- missiles and torpedoes following the arches of water they left behind.
"Time to leave behind a little gift." Blithy said, dropping a high explosive torpedo into the water.
It made a small splash as it hit the water.
"Time it Doctor." Blithy said, still cruising along the ocean surface.
"Here she comes..." the Doctor said, watching the screen in front of him. "Fire in the hole!" he yelled, slamming the detonation button.
The chaotic ocean battle ground would've seemed like a calm summer's day when compared to what came next.
The high explosive torpedo went off, lifting up a quarter of a cubic kilometer of water, sending all of them high up into the air. The shockwave traveled across the surface, rippling the ocean.
"Mother of-" Val muttered, the ship completely clouded in the water blast. She couldn't see anything but splashing water.
It took several seconds to finally break through. Water slid away from the windshield as she forced the Wasp forward. She looked around the empty space- but the Horizons was nowhere to be seen.
She sighed when she looked in her rear view mirror.
"Tag, you're it." she muttered, accelerating away as the Horizons broke through the water behind her.
Colgate abruptly woke again, and now she seemed to be in some sort of lab. She tried to think back to what happened, but couldn't remember most of her life. A good ten years was missing, from what she could tell.
She felt much more in control of her own body than before. The feeling was odd and indescribable- so she tested something out. It seems she could cut off her own blood stream to her hoof just by thinking about it. She thought about something else, and poked herself in the arm. She couldn't feel a thing- just like she told her body to shut off the sensory systems.
She grinned. This was certainly interesting- she could fully control the functions of her own body. Slowly she began taking an interest in the world around her, seemingly new.
She wasn't on much of a bed really- it was more of a metal desk on wheels. An array of needles and sharp items where held on stands on a small table next to her, and bright lights shone from above. Looks like an operation room.
She hopped down from the desk, and felt something cold splatter onto her hooves. She looked down to find a pool of blood- long cold. Tracing the crimson trail she found a dead body. Looks like the body of a science faction officer- Or half.
There were other bodies in the room too. Seemingly torn apart. For the first time Colgate noticed the blood splattered up her arms and down her body.
It astonished her that she didn't seem scared in any way. She looked at herself, trying to figure out what was different- but standing in a pool of blood with a bunch of shredded dead bodies seemed perfectly normal to her. Maybe even more comfortable than a normal environment.
She slowly walked towards a door. It was closed, but not locked. It would seem a gust of wind closed it- because she could still hear it whistling under the inch thick metal. She tore it in two anyways, like ripping paper. It was easy when she could fully use the power in her muscles. She let the heavy metal slam onto the ground either side of her, and walked into the darkness beyond.
The lights of the corridor she exited to seemed out of order. It was as if an EMP strike had occurred here- lights dangled loosely from the ceiling via sparking and fizzing wires, the glass cover already broken and lying shattered on the ground.
Colgate walked past one of them, and saw the dark corridor light up for one brief moment as another blue spark struck the air. From the smell and what she saw in that brief moment, there were more of those torn bodies in this corridor.
She grinned. Oh, that lovely smell of decay.
She vaguely remembered being a dentist- but that was all. It didn't seem like anything of particular interest to her right now.
She almost tripped over somepony's limb. She kicked it away, and was interested to find that it wasn't connected to the rest of the body. Still she walked on down the corridor.
Blood splatters were all over the walls. Where the hell is this, anyway? She continued walking, her own hoofsteps echoing down the hallway. It seemed the darkness stretches on forever- with no light in sight.
Then there was talking, with an echoey quality to it. She couldn't quite distinguish words yet, but instantly knew what to do. Or rather, knew what she wanted to do.
"That bucking monster is in here somewhere..." somepony said, accompanied by a cluster of hoofsteps.
They seemed to be some science faction infantry. The flashlights mounted on their rifles cast long beams of white light across the corridor- and Colgate avoided all ten beams.
"How the hell did she get loose anyway? Again? I thought we finally got her and were here for clean up!" somepony said. "Hell, we had a whole battalion guarding that piece of crap!"
Then, from the shadows, Colgate darted out from cover. And just like she tore that metal door apart, she tore every single one of them open.
*
The light blue earth pony was in a deep sleep- and the loud chirping of the birds were barely able to make her wake from her dreams. For some reason everypony in her dream called her Magnum- so she'll stick with that as her name for now. She couldn't quite remember the details, but it really was more of a nightmare. Something about Hearth's Warming Eve.
She was in a tent of some sort. Sunlight shone through the thin fabric, and the gentle morning breeze sent slow waves through the tent. Still the birds chirped, and the trees rustled.
She tried to get off the small old mattress she found herself lying on, only to collapse onto the floor, exhausted.
"The hay...?" she muttered, pushing off the floor- but her back legs won't respond. That's when she remembered- they must've been broken in whatever accident that occurred before she remembered nothing- probably the same accident that caused her to lose her left arm and eye too.
She looked down- bloodied bandages were wrapped around her wounds, over a bloody stump on her left shoulder and across the left side of her face. Some wooden sticks were tied to her legs to hold the broken bones together.
She sighed, falling back and lying on the ground; staring at the ceiling.
"Morning." a voice said from outside, and the fabric parted. Babs Seed walked through, chewing on a straw. She seemed to be wearing some sort of home made camouflage- the clothes were ripped, and her hat had holes through it.
"Are we still in that forest place?" Magnum made a random hoof gesture that she had no idea what the meaning to it was.
"Yeah. You passed out from blood loss." Babs said, looking around the tent.
Magnum lifted what was left of her left arm, which was just a bandaged stump attached to her shoulder.
"Thanks for saving me." she said, sighing. "Probably wouldn't have made it if you didn't step in."
"You're welcome." Babs said, as if it were nothing. "And welcome to home. Not much, but it's all I have."
"This...?" Magnum cast a gaze around the interior. There weren't many furnishings, just a small wooden table, a chair, and the small mattress from earlier. There were several guns stacked up in one corner, with small boxes of salvaged ammunition lying next to them. Static constantly flew out from a small handheld radio that sat firmly on the table, next to a gleaming machete.
"I know it ain't much." Babs said, helping Magnum crawl back onto the mattress. "But I've been here for most of my life time now. Ever since those darn spaceships came outta the ground, I've been hiding here." she smiled friendlily. "No worries. It's safe here."
"Spaceships? I don't even know what you're talking about..." Magnum grunted with effort as she tried to get up to a sitting position. "Hell, I don't remember anything. Do you know who I am?"
"I don't think I know anypony else other than myself." Babs sighed. "Although, I don't know where from... But these extra memories just popped into my head." she stared at the far wall, seemingly lost in her own world.
"Do you know what happened to me... Or anything?" Magnum raised an eyebrow.
"Ten years in a forest by myself," Babs chuckled, "doubt I know anything about the outside world." she gestured at the radio on the table. "I only got messages from some random Haven place. Supposedly it's safe there... You know, from the spaceships and all."
Magnum nodded slowly. Haven sounded familiar. Maybe if she somehow goes there... She might recover something about herself. Time to start a little salvage mission.
*
Spitfire was in the Captain's private suite, a table with various wooden blocks placed across it before her. The blocks represented Magic and Science faction troops- she had been running simulations all night, and still couldn't get anything of use.
There was no winning strategy. The Science Faction troops severely out numbered those of Magic- and no matter what spells or ambush strategies were used, Science could still win with relative ease by sheer numbers. They weren't exactly on home turf either- after all, Science did take over.
Basically, if they started the war now- their chances of winning would be close to zero- and that one percent depends on some random anomaly happening that wipes out the Science Faction on its own- an undependable source of victory.
She roared, frustrated- and swiped an arm across the table, knocking off all the wooden blocks. It just wouldn't work- this had been the fifty seventh loss already. She launched a kick into the table, flipping it; then slumped back onto the sofa. She felt the cold leather tickle her skin, irritating her more. But she managed to control that.
She buried her face in her hooves, trying to control her breathing.
There were three gentle taps on her door, and it clicked open.
"Did I give you permission to enter?" she asked in an agitated manner as Soarin entered.
"No, ma'am. But your mood did." Soarin saluted.
Spitfire ground her teeth together, then sighed. Being angry solved nothing- Soarin was here to help, and she knows she will need it.
So she didn't say anything, and Soarin gingerly stepped through the mess and came to sit down beside her.
"Spitfire, you need rest." he said, putting an arm around her and hugging her close.
"I tried using what we knew. I tried everything. But every time once the Cyclops goes down, we don't have anything to-" Spitfire started, but Soarin placed a gentle hoof on her mouth.
"Ssshh, sshh." he said, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead. "How about I sing you a lullaby, eh? That'll probably help."
"I-" Spitfire was about to protest, but suddenly started feeling the effects of being awake for twenty-four hours straight. Her eyelids dropped, and she tried to stay awake- but Soarin's warm arms were more than welcoming her to the bliss of sleep.
He started a gentle 'Hush now, quiet now', and she must admit- he didn't have a bad voice for a soft lullaby.
She didn't know when, she didn't know how- but slowly, she fell asleep in his gentle arms.
*
Nopony talked on the car as Octavia drove through the wasteland. There was nothing to be exchanged. Daring had killed their only source of intel after all these days, and even she wasn't speaking about it.
The least expected member of the car decided to break the silence.
"What's with the awkward silence?" EDI asked, in her monotoned computerized and emotionless voice.
Nopony replied.
"Music?" she asked.
"Not the time, EDI." Rainbow sighed, but the AI had already started playing a tuba version of 'Pink Panther'. "Turn it off!"
"As you wish." EDI said, switching the music player off and throwing the car back into silence.
Daring kept staring out the window. What she saw in her reflection was the first thing in a decade to frighten her- the look she gave herself still sent shivers down her spine.
What have I become?
She was an adventurer, in many ways a hero. A treasure hunter, a collector. Never a murderer. Never a brute. But what had the wasteland turned her into? In these long abandoned worlds of pasts, it was hard to keep the animalistic side away and stay sane.
Lily and Dainty sat in the back row, squished against the right side door. They were giggling and laughing a bit earlier, but stopped when Rainbow gave them a look. It wasn't an aggressive look, nor was it angry in any way. In fact, it was quite caring and gentle- as one would expect from a big sister. It simply told them to stop.
"The Everfree forest is up ahead." Octavia sighed. "We'll have to go around. Or we could ditch EDI."
"Negative." EDI said.
"Just go around. Although, stick close to the edge... I want to see it." Rainbow said, which was followed by silence as no one replied. All they could hear was the grounding of tires on the rough gravel roads.
"Unidentified electronics detected. Approximate location: X-76.89 Y-183.40. 9 kilometers at 3 o'clock." EDI said, a cluster of red dots appearing on the radar exactly where she plotted it.
"Great. Er, analyze?" Octavia tried.
"Judging from signals I am receiving from the external microphone, I hear relatively light footsteps. I estimate a small squad of scout walkers."
Octavia stopped the car.
"Buck. They're blocking our path." she growled, studying the radar scan.
"Don't care. Destroy them." Rainbow waved impatiently.
"I could perform a long range missile strike, but the dense local forest biosphere is proving to be a difficulty I cannot bypass as of yet." EDI said. "I could perform the missile strike in a clearing, however that leaves us vulnerable to the barricade for an estimated seven minutes."
"Shuck..." Rainbow buried her face in a hoof. "You got any alternative plans other than putting us out in the open?"
"Head on combat is always an alternative."
"Then let's do this." she sighed, hopping out of the car and slamming the door shut.
*
The walkers were completely unaware of what was happening when one of their own started shooting at them.
"What the-" one of the scout walkers exploded as one of its teammates sent a dozen bullets into his fuel tank. The burning carcass of the giant robot fell sideways, leaving behind an arch of flames. It crashed through the vegetation, before resting in pieces on a long abandoned road. The road would've been perfectly usable for it not the cracks caused by growing tree roots and other plants that overran the gravel surface.
A walker turned around, the pilot already resting his hoof on the trigger. Then suddenly he heard a loud crack and metallic groan behind him, and turned around.
"Oh sh-" he started, but Rainbow cut him short.
She leaped through the hole she cut in the back of the walker, and stabbed the cleaver through his chest. She then slid the handle forward and pulled the trigger, destroying the walker's control and communication systems.
"Good work." Silver Dash said, from inside the walker that started open firing on its teammates.
There was a loud crack that echoed through the comms as Octavia snapped somepony's neck.
"Got one." she said soon after.
The remaining two walkers started turning towards their downed teammates, missile silo safeties flicking off.
"So much for stealth." Octavia muttered, leaping out the door as a missile was fired at the walker she was in.
Suddenly the missile was snatched out of the air by a light brown blur, and disappeared off into the woods.
"What the hay?" Octavia rolled onto the dirt ground and looked up, but the missile nor whatever took it was nowhere in sight.
"Damnit! Don't let them escape or attract attention!" Rainbow yelled as the walkers started backing off, loading new missiles into their silos.
"I have their comms jammed. I predict they will change frequencies once they notice, so be quick." EDI said.
"Will do." Rainbow said, stretching her wings out and darting towards one of the walkers; covering about ten meters in less than a second.
She got under one of the walkers, and slashed up with her cleaver. Two of the same moves cut off the walker's weapons systems, letting them clunk loudly to the ground. The next to go were the legs, and the main body collapsed and fell sideways.
Rainbow kicked down the hatch, and was immediately tackled down by the pilot. They struggled over control of the cleaver, rolling over the grass covered gravel road.
The pilot gained control of the cleaver, and kicked Rainbow away. Problem is, he could barely lift it up.
Rainbow rolled backwards, diverting her momentum into the ground. She got back to her hooves, sliding a bit on the ground. Then she ran forward, leaping up over a bullet from the cleaver and landing on the blunt end of the blade.
She slammed a back hoof down on the tip of the cleaver, digging it deep into the ground. She then ran along its length, and swung a kick into the side of the pilot's skull. He fell sideways, rolled several meters across the road, and eventually stopped in a bush. He didn't get back up.
Rainbow jumped up, landing on the handle of the cleaver. Her weight tipped it, ripping the other end out from the ground. It spun through the air, and she caught it by the handle.
One walker left.
She looked towards where the last one was, expecting to be met with gunfire. Instead, she found the walker already taken care of and fallen over on the ground. She tilted her head to one side, studying the downed walker.
The forest took out most of the sunlight, leaving everything in shadows- and the walker wasn't on fire, so she could barely make out anything.
Then she heard a loud buzz behind her- not that of an animal's wings, but of energy. She spun around, raising the cleaver.
All she could see was a dark figure and two energy discs- one blue and one orange.
One of the discs hit her cleaver, sending a shower of sparks into the air. Rainbow pushed the figure away, spinning and bringing the blade back around.
The figure ran one of her discs along the edge of the cleaver, sliding the disc forward and forcing Rainbow's cleaver up. She swiped across at Rainbow with her other disc, which made that buzzing noise as it burned through the air.
Another cleaver blocked the strike as Silver Dash joined the fight against their unknown enemy. She flicked the cleaver, taking the figure off balance.
The figure seemed to be startled by the appearance of another of the same pony, and backed off a step.
There were two loud clicks as both Rainbow and Silver entered firing mode, and simultaneous bangs and flashes as they took turns at pulling the triggers.
The figure spun the discs, blocking their bullets- the small amount of metal from a bullet would instantly evaporate into air once it touched the blazing energy of the discs. She threw one of the discs at Silver, who flipped the cleaver and put the round handle through the hole in the disc. She swung the cleaver's handle down into the ground, lodging both weapons into the gravel. Just to be sure, she kicked the trigger and the recoil forced the cleaver and disc even deeper into the ground.
Rainbow slid the handle back, returning to cleaver mode. The figure darted forward, kicking off the ground and spinning through the air.
Rainbow rolled forward as the figure landed behind her, the disc sending sparks flying as she slammed it into the ground where Rainbow was seconds ago. Rainbow got up, turning and swinging the cleaver at the same time.
The figure slammed a disc into the side of the cleaver, knocking it away. Silver jumped in, and grabbed the figure's arm. She turned violently to the side, thumping the figure down to the ground. Rainbow put the tip of the cleaver through the hole in the disc, and flicked it away from the figure.
Then there was the same light brown blur that took out the missile, and this time it tackled both Rainbow and Silver across the road. Rainbow felt familiar claws dig into her flesh, but soon after that sensation was gone as they let go. They tumbled over the gravel, their bodies clipping against exposed tree roots and a road sign.
"Buck- we got ourselves a griffin!" Rainbow cursed, scrambling to her hooves.
"Where is the Lincolt bridge anyway?" the Doctor asked.
"It was here." Blithy said, flying between two stumps either side of the huge river, both ends on fire. It would seem something set off a chain reaction that took down the bridge from one end to the other.
"She's going underwater." Doctor Whooves warned.
"Aha." Blithy said, turning the plane sideways and slipping under the ocean.
Not many planes wondered into these depths- because not only did they have to worry about their enemies, but also the extremely hazardous obstacle course that is the ocean floor. It was also a shark infested region, so it could cause a few big problems if you slam into one at over a few hundred kilometers an hour.
The Wasp flew low over the sea bed, just above its uneven and sandy surface. There was a ship wreckage ahead- and it seemed like one of the old science faction cruisers that went down during the old wars. Val flew straight for it- its flak turrets and various trenches on the hull should be enough to flip the battle.
Blithy followed, heading towards the downed ship. She traced the clouds of bubbles that the Wasp's engines left behind, weaving through the hazardous hull of the downed cruiser.
"Boy is this exciting! On all my journeys, I've never done this before." the Doctor said, and Blithy ignored him. "Mines! MINES!"
Blithy yanked the Horizons to one side, avoiding the underwater mines that the Wasp left behind. Too bad they were proximity sensitive.
"Buck!" she cursed as one of them went off, the shockwave rocking the Horizons and rippling through the cockpit. It held together quite well though, considering.
"Can't take much more of those." the Doctor said.
"Well no sh-" Blithy stopped midway and brought the Horizons up into a steep climb, then flip back down into the labyrinth again. They looped over a mine, their engines scraping the surface of a disabled flak turret.
The Wasp flipped on its side, and squeezed between two look out towers.
"Screw that." Blithy said, flicking the switch on a torpedo and blasting one of the towers apart. She flew through the resulting cloud of sand.
"There goes the paint job." the Doctor said.
"Would you stop being such a bucking BACK SEAT PILOT!!" Blithy roared, firing a torpedo at Val.
"I usually am the main pilot. But in the TARDIS only." the Doctor muttered.
The Wasp suddenly dove down into a hole in the cruiser's breached hull- it looked like the reason that the cruiser went down in the first place. Probably from a powerful mammoth spell by one of the older alicorns.
The torpedo failed to curve down in time, and hit the far wall; blowing both to scrap metal.
The Horizons arched down, and flew through the dust cloud- but Blithy didn't know there was a mine hidden there by Val.
"Mine!" the Doctor yelled as he spotted the round metal object.
"Shuck-" Blithy cursed, trying to swing the Horizons out of the way- but she's way too late.
The Doctor fired the turret at the last second, blasting the mine away from the Horizons. It blew apart somewhere else, taking out a good chunk from the downed cruiser.
"Well that's never happened before." he said as they flew through the dust cloud.
The Wasp suddenly made a turn, and headed into the cruiser.
"What the hay happened to this thing?" Blithy wondered as they followed Val into a huge tunnel that was ripped right down the cruiser.
"Some special type of mega spell. Must've torn right through this thing like a drill." the Doctor said, gazing up.
The Horizons performed a lock-on, and Blithy shot a torpedo at Val.
"Honestly-" Val growled, turning on the PDP shield. The torpedo slammed into the back of the Wasp, but failed to do any damage.
Then out of the dust cloud a prism beam came flying out, and clipped one of the Wasp's engines. The hull was damaged, but all internals were still intact and functional. But a few more hits in the same spot- and this plane won't be flying for much longer.
"Quit running!" Blithy grinned.
"Soon enough." Val said.
The Wasp launched two torpedoes, knocking a hole in the hull in front of them. It flew through the dust cloud and back out into open waters.
"Careful. She probably hid a mine in there." the Doctor warned.
"I see it." Blithy said, putting a prism beam through the explosive.
They flew out into the vast ocean, with nothing in sight. The darkness stretched on forever, shielding everything from light. Blithy quickly swung the Horizons around and to the side as two prism beams from Val grazed the hull.
"As expected of you." Val sighed.
Blithy boosted the engines, sending the Horizons flying forward. Val turned on the shields, the Wasp glowing a bright yellow. The Horizons tilted to the right and flew past the Wasp, heading towards the sky.
It broke the surface, streaks of water being dragged away from the surface. The Wasp followed soon after, sending two missiles spinning in a spiral towards the Horizons.
Blithy tilted the plane, the two missiles flying past either side. She took them out with her prism beams, shooting them out of the sky.
She flew low above the ocean surface, headed back towards Manehatten. Water was forced away from the engines, going up in an inverted rain behind the Horizons.
"Aaaand- back in Neigh York!" Blithy said, rolling the plane to the side and off the ocean. The plane slid between two buildings, then swung down over a highway.
"Still right behind us." the Doctor said.
Several missiles overshot and slammed into the cement roads in front of the Horizons, lifting chunks of the material into the air with small clouds of dust and dirt. Blithy heard a few chunks slam against the hull as she flew through the explosions- but no damage was done.
"Tracking missiles! She's got us!" the Doctor yelled.
"Hold on-" Blithy said, bringing the Horizons ever closer to the highway. Now the engines were barely half a meter off the ground. The force of the engines cracked the age old roads, leaving behind a trail of dents.
There was a bridge up ahead. Limit: five meters, it said.
"Well, buck." Doctor Whooves said. "Crazy. I like."
The Horizons flew under the bridge, the top of the hull grinding against the bottom of the bridge and causing sparks to light up the shadows. Then Blithy forced the plane's nose up just as it exited the bridge, the g-force almost forcing her against the windshield for it not her seatbelt holding her down. The plane was still heading in the same direction, but it was vertical.
Bubbles of disrupted air trailed behind the Horizons as it continued on its trajectory. The missiles earlier curved up with the plane, however hit the bridge and blew up in a huge fireball, taking down the bridge and sending chunks of it flying high up into the air.
Blithy flipped the plane back around, making it fall backwards and do a small loop, all the while heading in the same direction. The nose scraped on the cement road, sparks leaping away and an eery screech echoing around inside the cockpit.
"Bahaha! That was great!" the Doctor laughed.
Then a prism beam from Blithy shattered something on the side of the road.
"What was that?" the Doctor frowned, looking behind them- but he couldn't see through the small dust cloud.
"Speed camera." Blithy said, and the Doctor shrugged.
The highway was just miles of open area- and the chase was quite dangerous for the running side, which in this case was Blithy and the Doctor. But they had their advantages as well.
Blithy flicked the button on a torpedo silo, dropping it out of the plane and resting her hoof on the remote detonation.
The torpedo fell out of the silo and hit the ground, tumbling away and way behind the Horizons. Its irregular shape caused it to suddenly fly up high in the air, the outer shell dented from the tumbling.
"What the-" Val raised an eyebrow as the dark grey object suddenly bounced up right in front of her cockpit windshield. Then her eyes widened. "Oh sh-"
Blithy slammed the button, the torpedo blowing up in a huge fireball. It was one of those explosions where one second there was nothing, then the next there's a huge ball of fire, smoke and debris spanning twenty meters right in the middle of an empty highway.
The Wasp busted through the ash cloud, the PDP shield shimmering.
"Bleeh! That's why I don't smoke." Val coughed, waving a hand around and clearing the smoke inside the cockpit.
"I bucking hate that shield." Blithy growled, spinning the Horizons around and flying it backwards.
She started firing prism beams at Val, all of which she managed to dodge. She shot a missile at the Horizons, and Blithy managed to roll it out of the way just in time.
Blithy dropped another torpedo, forcing Val to activate the PDP shields. But that was part of the plan to disable them. The Doctor kept raining Val with ammo from the turret, keeping her in PDP mode while Blithy centered the prism beam on her.
Val saw what they were doing- but was near powerless to stop it. So she slammed a hoof down on the booster.
"What the hay is she doing!?" the Doctor yelled, holding down the turret triggers.
"Kamikaze." Blithy growled. "Sorry Doc, don't forget how to deploy the parachute."
"Wait, wha-?"
Blithy slammed down the eject button for the Doctor, shattering the windshield and sending him rocketing out of the cockpit in his seat.
"Well this has a nice view." Doctor Whooves sighed, the parachute hidden in the seat deploying and slowing his descent.
There was a loud click as Blithy deployed a knife from the back of her wrist, hidden inside the robotics. She dug it underneath her seatbelt, and cut it loose. She moved all joysticks backwards, flipping the plane and tipping its nose towards the sky.
Val cut her own seatbelt apart, and kicked the cockpit windshield away. She stood up on her seat and launched a back hoof down onto the eject button, and felt the thrusters underneath the seat suddenly come to life. She rode the seat and flew high up into the air, above both the Horizons and the Wasp.
Blithy leaped out of the cockpit and climbed along the Horizons, then stood up onto the tip of its nose.
The Horizons and Wasp collided, and without its PDP shield- both exploded into one huge fireball. Blithy kicked off the Horizons and towards Val just as they blew apart into a million useless shreds, her arm mounted knife catching a glint of light.
Sparks exploded as the knife collided with Val's right hand. They were in mid air, thirty meters off the ground and five meters above a huge growing fireball.
Blithy activated the gravity generators embedded in her back hooves, and swung upside down and stood on the bottom of the seat. The thrusters had turned off, but it was still quite hot to stand on.
Val did the same, both hooves sticking onto the small surface area of the seat. There was a loud click as she deployed a knife of her own.
Their knives clashed again as they spun through the air and towards hard ground. Val launched a kick into Blithy's chest, sending her falling back. She grabbed onto the bottom of the seat and swung back around, a sideways swing already prepared.
Val blocked it with a robotic arm, then aimed a fist at her face. Blithy blocked it with a hand, closing her fingers around the fist and twisting the arm down.
Suddenly Val kicked down on one end of the seat, spinning it. Blithy learnt why the hard way.
They hit the ground, and because the seat spun Blithy ended up at the bottom. Sparks flew everywhere as the robotic half of her face was dragged along the rough highway cement roads. Then her hooves left the seat as she slowed down, and she tumbled out of control as her arm clipped something. Probably that one step that goes up to a sidewalk. Then she felt her left leg snap against a street light, sending her spinning in another direction.
Then the ground left her as she tumbled over the edge of Manehatten at eighty miles an hour, the sky and the sea spinning around her.
Val had ridden the seat, and it flew high up into the air as it clipped the edge of the sidewalk. She leaped off it and looked down, her robotic eye searching for Blithy.
"Ah." she said as the words 'Target Locked' appeared in her mind, and somewhere on one of the cruisers a flak turret swung around.
The words 'Lock-On Detected' appeared in Blithy's head, and she sighed and curled up into a ball.
"Strike!" Val cheered as the flak turret fired, letting out a huge puff of smoke and one big projectile.
A large dust cloud exploded over the ocean surface as the projectile hit Blithy dead center, exploding into a million little pieces. The force knocked the mare straight out of the sky and into the water. Still she kept going, her wounds already healing as glimmering pixels attached themselves to her injuries.
Val got a small boost from the jetpack built into her back, and did a little flip. A missile came by, and she used the gravity generators in her hooves to attach herself to it. It flew right into the ocean, in pursuit of Blithy.
"Seriously?" Blithy tried to say, but only bubbles and gurgles came out of her mouth.
She opened her palm, the muzzles of two micro machine guns popping out from under a plate. She fired a spray of bullets at the missile, blowing it up underwater.
'Way to go busting my ride.' she received a text message from Val in her head as Val was blown off the missile.
'GTFO.' she replied.
The force of the flak projectile hitting her was still lasting pretty well, and the missile explosion amplified that. She was sliding through the water at almost fifty miles an hour. It'll take forever to hit the sea bed at this speed- so she used her jetpack to help with that.
They were directly above ATLANTIS- the glow of the underwater city slowly seeping through the shadows.
"The city has almost been fully evacuated! We are ready to send our infantry on evac too!" the radio operator yelled.
"Hold your ground! Valkyrie is coming- capture her at all costs!" Blithy said in her mind, and sent it as a voice recording file.
"Roger." the radio operator said after a moment.
"Prepare an ambush! Make sure our Crawlers are ready to seal everything off!"
"Copy!"
Blithy swam to the side, her jetpack giving her a sudden boost. She landed on a Striker, and smashed the windshield open. Two shots from the micro machine guns took care of the pilot, and she dragged his dead body out of the plane and jumped in herself.
She swung the plane around, firing prism beams up at Val- who was zig-zagging through them, her jetpack blazing. The Striker continued flying backwards into deeper waters, and they started feeling the pressure build up. It wouldn't crush them though, being ultimately enhanced cyborgs.
Val was losing her breath. They had both been holding it for quite a while now, and even though it couldn't kill them- it still was very uncomfortable. But of course, Val doesn't care.
Then out of nowhere a huge prism beam from a Crawler struck the Striker, tearing it in half. The explosion sent Blithy plummeting down towards ATLANTIS.
She felt her back break through the ice cold water and into warm air- she must've breached one of the bubble shields in the hangars.
She heard several surprised yelps and gasps as she tumbled through the air. Her head made a hollow crack against the hangar floor, and she continued rolling several meters before resting by the far wall. There was a large dent on the spot where she landed.
"Lieutenant- if you don't mind giving me a hoof." she said, sitting up- but her head was at a ninety degree angle to her side, and stuck there.
One of the officers came up to her and slammed a hoof across her head, bringing it back to normal orientation with a sickening crack.
"Not quite there yet." Blithy said, and the Lieutenant slammed her on the spine. Her neck cracked back into place, and she sighed in relief. "Better." she said, turning her head and making several more clicks.
She stood up as if nothing had happened, and tried her best to ignore the pain. She couldn't help but at least make a face though.
Something breached the bubble shield again, and Val came flying out of the ceiling. She landed somewhere behind where Blithy did, making a loud thunk as she landed hooves first. Following the sudden motion was simple stillness- she didn't slide a few meters, didn't flinch at her cracked bones. Within a few seconds those wounds healed, and she stood up grinning. She was a tad shorter though because of the dent in the floor she made with that landing.
"You guys did a pretty good job with the place." she grinned, looking around at the huge hangar. "Sadly I'll have to confiscate it because you guys were misusing it."
"Shoot her!" somepony yelled, and a small squad of infantry started firing their rifles at Val.
Val didn't even bother dodge the bullets. She let them rip right through her, tear her up. She took a step back, but didn't fall down. Through the blood her grin still remained, and she started laughing when the squad had to stop to reload.
"Haven't felt that refreshing since forever!" she laughed loudly, nano bots in her body cleaning up the blood. She flicked out her palm, two barrels popping out.
"Take cover!" Blithy yelled, quickly running between Val and the squad.
The bullets hit her- they hurt like hell, so how the buck does Val ignore all of this? She screamed, in the blinding pain falling over. Soon the pain was gone as her wounds healed, and she spat some blood on the ground and wiped away some tears.
"Heck, Blithy. Endurance- I thought you had some." Val said, grinning as Blithy got up.
"Evacuate infantry. I'll take care of Val." Blithy sent the voice message to the radio operator, and got ready to fight Val.
Val shrugged, and looked around to see what she could use. The first thing she saw was an Apollo, so that's what she chose to use against Blithy. Not exactly the way it was meant to be used though.
"What the f-" Blithy said as Val lifted up the Apollo, and threw it across the hangar at her.
Blithy shoved the Lieutenant out of the way, and slammed a fist into the Apollo. She felt her own bones crack, and clenched her jaw so she wouldn't scream at the pain. The Apollo got a huge dent in it, and tumbled back at Val.
Val kicked downwards at one of its engines, sending it flying high up over her head and slamming back down again at the far wall behind her. But in that brief moment, Blithy had already darted right in front of her.
She spun and launched a powerful backwards kick into Val's stomach, sending her flying back ten meters before hitting her back on the Apollo.
"Bucking hell." she said, reaching into her chest and cracking a rib back into place. The outer wounds healed with the inner wounds, and she stood up. She had made the Apollo's hull cave in, and a lot of its internals were visible. She reached in and grabbed something out.
"Uh-oh." Blithy said as Val threw a missile at her.
Of all the things she could've done, she decided to kick it. She could've easily dodged it, but she wanted to test her luck. The missile tumbled through the air, and exited the bubble shield. It blew up there, sending a fresh splash of water into the hangar, washing the squad of infantry away to the side.
"Sorry." she looked back at Val, who seemed to be doing something to one of the engines.
She aimed it at her.
"Ah buck-" Blithy quickly ducked down, but just a little late.
The bottom of the engine scraped the top of her head, and she fell over with a cracked neck. She groaned, putting a hand on the back of her head and clicking it back to the right position. She got up, and scanned around. Now where the hell is Val?
Then there was a loud thunk behind her, and she turned around- Val had held onto the back of the engine. She kicked off the destroyed engines, knife flashing at Blithy.
Blithy met the slash with an upward swing, knocking Val off balance and changing her trajectory. Instead of going straight like she kicked off as, she was now arcing through the air.
She landed with a loud clang on the metal, her hooves sliding on the water and sending her back several meters.
"This is gonna be a long day." Blithy sighed, flicking out her palm and open firing.
"Tell me about it. And I was going to take a nap." Val said, deflecting the bullets with her knife.
She ran forward, rolled under a stream of bullets and sprang back up again with the knife.
Blithy met the knife with her own, then kicked Val in the side. She seemed to have expected it though, as she stood her ground and didn't go flying.
She hooked a hoof behind Blithy's remaining leg, as her other had performed the kick; and swiped it out from underneath her with all the ease of pushing over a tall log. She stabbed the knife into Blithy's chest, drawing a fresh gush of blood as the sharp tip pierced her heart.
Blithy didn't even have enough air in her lungs to scream.
Bluefyre walked through the woods, listening to the howling and barking of the timberwolves. She had an arrow drawn and ready to be released, down by her side and ready to spring up.
She had already taken several of those damn creatures- but she could hear more of them. Also, she was quite quickly running out of ammo- and options. If she doesn't make it out of the forest in time, she'll just have to release what was sealed away many years ago.
She was down to seven arrows, and about two clips of pistol ammo. Not a lot to rely on, but all she had left.
"Bucking hell-" she muttered as she heard the scurrying of claws behind her, and swung around, leveling the arrow head with her target.
The arrow scraped the wolf's chin as it leaped into the air and landed back down again with a loud thud.
"Shuck-" Bluefyre cursed, whipping out another arrow- but she knew she didn't have enough time to load it.
The wolf leaped at her, claws slashing and jaws biting. She slammed the arrow head into its eye, then slammed a hoof into the side of its face. It fell back with a whimper, and Bluefyre was about to finish it off when more came running out of the woods.
"Where the buck are they even coming from!?" she asked nopony in particular, drawing her pistol as there were too many of them.
She sent a bullet through a wolf's head, shattering it into individual timber pieces. Flakes of tree bark flew into the air, backlit by the bright moon and the engines of the barricade.
The tree bark started levitating in a green aura before they could hit the ground, and flew back onto the downed timber wolf's wound. Bluefyre looked around for a unicorn, but saw none- this must be how these timberwolves keep coming back.
"You're just forcing me aren't you." Bluefyre said.
She never tells people about her real name- Ghost Fire, because after an incident that involved her going out of her mind and trying to burn the world, she had to change names. She was named Ghost Fire because of the blue balls of flame that would always follow her wherever she went- and she could control them.
During the incident, she almost got her parents and everypony else around her killed- the immense power of being able to control the none-extinguishable flames was too much for her three year old self to control- and because of her age, she managed to be stopped before she could cause any real harm. After that they were sealed away by a spell that only she could unlock, to avoid other ponies using her against herself.
The flames were called ghost fires because of their differences from normal flames- they were a deep blue, and instead of being controlled by Bluefyre they seemed more to be following her commands, as if they had lives. That's where the 'ghost' part comes in. Nopony ever understood why she has them, she was a member of one of the oldest earth pony families- the second largest in fact, one behind the Apple Family. But both are nothing in this new reality.
She quickly tucked away her pistol, and made three quick taps on her forehead, shoulder and heart. Three circular symbols appeared on the places she tapped, and glowed an electric blue along with her eyes. Then the glow faded, and she felt that familiar tingling in her skin.
Three balls of blue flame burst out from thin air, revolving in the air around her and illuminating the area around her. The seal has been unlocked.
The timber wolf leaped at her, and she swung a hoof at it. Mid way blue flames coated her hoof, dragging along her arm as she continued the swing. Her hoof collided with the timber wolf's jaw, shattering it and setting the pieces on fire. Being the only one who could stop the flames, she let them burn down the timber wolf. Bit by bit.
"Your names really give everything away, don't they?" she smirked. "Too bad it's summer and nopony needs any firewood." she said, hurling a ball of flame at a timber wolf as it was leaping at her, mouth wide open.
The fire went into its mouth, and it was sent off balance. It hit the ground early, then skid to a halt at Bluefyre's hooves, the inside of its mouth still burning away. It clawed desperately at its snout, puffing out huge breaths in an attempt to put out the fire- but it only spread onto its outside.
It wasn't exactly a painless death for any of the timberwolves- but it wasn't like Bluefyre had a choice. They just wouldn't stop getting back up.
But the bright flames had attracted more timberwolves- and by the looks of it, the entire population of them in the Everfree had surrounded Bluefyre.
"Are you all brainless or something? Back away if you don't want to end up like this guy here." Bluefyre said, pointing at a pile of ash on the floor.
The wolves howled, growling. Lime green luminous saliva dripped down the corners of their barking mouths- and really looked like tree sap coming out of a tree. There were hundreds of glowing green eyes surrounding Bluefyre- blocking out all paths of escape.
Step by step they closed in, and Bluefyre drew an arrow. Their paws dug into the soft soil, making quiet shuffles.
Bluefyre flicked the bow up, and shot an arrow through the air. The tip caught fire, and in turn set flames to the timber wolf it hit. The flames started spreading, and with a loud howl from the pack leader the entire army charged from all sides at Bluefyre.
Bluefyre ducked under a lunge, spinning around and hurling a ball of ghost fire at the timber wolf. She flicked her hoof up, and fire erupted from the ground and caught on a timber wolf. It howled and fell back, rolling desperately on the ground.
She stomped on the ground, and a wall of flames sprang up between her and the timberwolves. She scanned those angry and bloodthirsty animal faces through the flickering blue flames, watching out for that one wolf that would jump through the flames to get at her.
Then she heard a loud crack, and looked up to see a giant paw come down. She rolled to the side, and felt the earth tremor as the paw slammed into the ground. She fell back, and looked up at the huge timber wolf that was standing tall above the tree tops, huge green glowing eyes scanning the dark grounds like spotlights.
"Never knew they could do that-" she flicked her hoof at one of its eyes. Flames erupted there, and the giant timber wolf howled. The howl travelled through the trees and shook the earth, and it fell back; covering its burning eye. "-Think making yourself bigger will intimidate me? You're nothing but a bigger target!" she yelled, swinging her hoof in a wide arch.
A line of blue sparks traveled from her hoof to the timber wolf's chest, and it exploded with a huge flower of blue flames. The wolf howled, falling back and crushing the trees under it. Individual normal sized timberwolves started splitting from their earlier form, running towards Bluefyre.
Bluefyre narrowed her eyes, resting a hoof in the air. Then she drew it back and flicked it forward, making a loud crack and sending a line of sparks towards the crowd. A huge blue fireball exploded in the middle of the crowd, blowing the timberwolves to pieces and setting the closer ones on fire.
She looked up at the fireball- maybe she over did it. This is gonna attract a lot of attention.
*
"We got a griffon!" Rainbow yelled, sliding the cleaver handle forward and leveling it against the figures.
The figure with the discs seemed to pause for a moment, tilting its head to one side. The griffon was about to attack, but she held a hoof up.
"Rainbow Dash?" a familiar voice asked, uncertain however easily recognizable.
Rainbow tilted her head to one side, trying to match the silhouette with anypony in her memory- but she couldn't seem to remember a lot of ponies she knew. Maybe her brain was getting confused over who became who in this new reality.
"Er... Vinyl...?" she tried.
"You know this pony?" the griffon said, clearly a male.
"Yup." Vinyl Scratch said, flicking her wrists and turning off the discs. They faded away, the glowing particles disappearing into the air.
"Why are you even here?" Rainbow asked.
Suddenly there was a loud boom as a blue mushroom cloud lit up the night skies, rising high up into the air about thirty meters to their right. It seems the forest in that area had been set on some sort of blue fire, burning away at the vegetation.
"I'll explain later." Vinyl said, pointing at the mushroom cloud.
Rainbow nodded, keeping the cleaver ready as they started walking towards the general area of the explosion.
*
Magnum was drinking warm water from a cup when she yelped and dropped it because of a loud boom. She saw her own shadow stretch before her, illuminated and tinted in blue. Not even the campfire she sat in front of was that bright. She looked behind her, and saw a huge mushroom cloud, blue flames burning away at its base.
"What the hay..." she breathed, then limped into the tent. "Babs! Babs! We've got a problem!"
"Yeah, I heard." Babs said, sitting cross-legged on the floor in the tent and slowly loading buckshot shells into a shotgun. She put it down by her side, and picked up Magnum's pistol. She checked if it was loaded, then threw it to its owner.
Magnum caught it, and pocketed.
"Use it to defend yourself. I'm going to take a look." Babs said, standing up and walking towards the exit.
"Wait- I'm going with you." Magnum said.
Babs chuckled like it were some sort of joke. "In your condition?" she gestured at Magnum's missing arm, half-broken legs and blind eye.
Magnum clenched her jaw, nodding.
Babs stared into that one functional eye of hers, scanning her face and trying to see behind it and find out what she was thinking. She nodded.
"Alright." she said, pulling her gaze away and walking out the tent, followed by Magnum. The campfire was flickering, the ground tinted blue by the bright fires burning up ahead. Shadows quivered with the flames, creeping across the forest floor. Babs sighed, tilting her head slightly to face Magnum. "Just take care of yourself. I ain't gonna sacrifice myself for somepony I barely know. I won't be saving your flank again."
"I'm going." Magnum said, holding her pistol tightly in a hoof.
Babs looked at her, to see if she was bluffing. Her expression was legit.
"Alright." she said again, turning away and walking towards the burning forest.
*
Bluefyre chuckled, looking down at her own arms. The flames had formed into glowing tattoos on her arms, pulsing with her heartbeat. The seal was fighting back, and she was watching with amusement. There was no stopping those flames.
She didn't know what she was thinking, but the immense power of the ghost fires was swarming into her head and taking over. That's why they were sealed away- they could get out of hoof. She would still be in control of them, but she wouldn't be in control of herself. All she could think of now was burning the world clean.
Clean of what? She asked herself- clean of everything, she replied; and laughed.
Then out the corner of her eye she spotted a familiar figure. She looked in that direction, eyes glowing an electric blue.
"Magnum..?" her voice was distorted and unclear.
Magnum seemed to be surprised, and Babs looked at her.
"You know this pony?"
Magnum shook her head slowly. "I don't know."
Babs sighed- not unexpected. She raised the shotgun at Bluefyre, who didn't even flinch. She was on the other side of a wall of flames, burning away at the forest ground.
They were about five meters apart, both waiting for the other to make a move.
"Who are you?" Babs demanded.
"Bluefyre, technician of the undercover M.F. OASIS." Bluefyre grinned, clearly uncaring of giving away such information.
Babs looked back at Magnum, who nodded towards Bluefyre, telling her to keep her aim.
"What happened here?" Babs asked.
Bluefyre grinned. "I turned a couple of ignorant timberwolves to mere ash."
Babs narrowed her eyes, centering the shotgun on Bluefyre's head.
*
Daylight hit Haven once again. Like its name, it was a small piece of Eden located in the Antarctic South Pole. Surrounded by huge rocky mountains rising over thousands of miles above sea level, the tops sprinkled with showers of clean white snow. This was one of the only places that still had a blue sky- the wars barely ever reached these desolate regions, making the location almost ideal for the construction of Haven, but despite this- it was still hidden right under the Science Faction's nose.
Once you enter the mirage field reflected off of the Crystal Empire's Crystal Tower, you instantly escape from the cold of the Antarctic and into the warmth of magically enhanced spring. Here plants grow, trees rise tall. Still they could not compare to the towering megastructures- over the years Haven had developed into a much more than just a refuge, now a technologically and magically advanced city of all creatures.
In the center was the CMC command center, a space needle pointing straight to the sky and on the brim of the mirage field.
Scootaloo yawned, bright sunlight pouring through the window to her room. Being the only pegasus in the original three founders of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, she had reason to take the top floor as her own.
"Morning." the AI 'AL' said as she climbed out of bed, rubbing her eyes.
"Morning." she replied with a loud yawn, stretching out her arms and legs.
Several cracks echoed through her empty bedroom as she cracked her hooves, then with a quick ruffle got her mane in shape. She flapped her wings several times- she weren't used to them yet. In the old reality, she had devoted her life to getting them to work- and they did in the end. But now, she had been setting up Haven with the CMC all the time- she never really got any air time. All she had was her scooter. Now she couldn't fly, but she supposed it was meant to happen anyway.
She sighed, walking up to a locker. AL opened it for her, and a shiny silver scooter slid out of a socket. As usual, Applebloom designed it with multiple hidden functions and abilities- some of which she had yet to experiment with herself.
"Be safe." AL said as Scootaloo took the scooter out.
"Applebloom programmed you to say that?" Scootaloo asked. AL had never said that before.
"No. It was based on your dental and medical records of the past year, and genuine concern." AL said.
That put a smile on Scootaloo's face. "Thanks, AL." she said, closing the locker and walking into the living room.
The CMC Command Center consisted of hundreds of floors. Scootaloo owned the entire top floor, however also had the smallest surface area as it was 'the tip of the needle'. But she had a balcony to make up for some of that.
The entire building was made of long-lasting and super strong magically enhanced alloys, and barely even wavered in the air. This may be a problem should there be an earthquake, true; but the needle went all the way into the ground to make up for it. In fact, the top was just three-quarters of the entire building- another quarter was firmly anchored in the ground.
The cold metal floor tingled Scootaloo's hooves as she walked towards the kitchen, dragging her scooter on the floor behind her. She could've told AL to activate the in-floor heating systems, but she skipped that.
She went straight to the fridge, where AL had already gotten a cup of orange juice ready for her inside. The fridge wasn't exactly those old ones in the other reality- it was a large box stuck to the wall with no door or lid, inside a bunch of special green gel that is perfectly eco-friendly and safe. It keeps whatever is stored inside at a safe temperature, but that could be adjusted. There was some blue gel at the bottom, which was for freezing items.
Scootaloo reached into the fridge, her hoof sliding through the gel. She got to the cup of juice, and pulled it out. The gel instantly heated to a normal temperature the moment it touched her skin, so it wouldn't freeze her arm. There was a hole left in the gel, but it healed almost immediately. She checked her glass- no gel inside, nor on her arm. Nowhere except inside the fridge. She couldn't help but double check- she would take a while to get used to this. Applebloom said it was perfectly safe, but things that weren't were too many.
That's how she started off each day- an ice cold cup of orange juice. Once AL discovered her schedule, she added that to her daily 'to-do' list.
Scootaloo drank it down in a single gulp, and tossed the empty glass into the sink.
"Thanks." she said to AL before she walked onto the balcony, the high winds of the Earth's atmosphere running through her mane. There was also a different shield around Haven- pressure stabilization. It pretty much means if the shield turns off right now she could be completely crushed by air pressure- but Applebloom made sure the place was completely sealed off.
"There is no off switch. You can only turn it off by destroying it." she had said, and pointed at a location seven thousand kilometers underground. "I put it there."
The handrails on the side of the balcony retreated into the ground, and Scootaloo perched the scooter on the edge of the balcony. She looked down- she was thousands of meters up, and could barely see anything that was down there clearly. But the city below her was brimming with activity and life- the thought that she was amongst the three that created all this still astonished her, even if she didn't just arrive from a completely different reality. It really was, magnificent.
The space needle was just like that, it had a sharp tip and a large base. Scootaloo had used its sloping sides for waking up every morning- just to clear the dullness from her mind. Those attempts at waking up don't always end well though- but she's still alive, so that's that.
She got a different cutie mark in that other reality. It was a symbol of athleticism, but now it's a scooter. Suppose she didn't dislike either, it's just weird to have a different special talent all of a sudden. Suppose life can push you in different directions by taking one different step.
She rubbed her head. Sleep was still lingering inside, so she yawned one last time; placed both back hooves on the scooter and leaned forward for the thousand-mile drop.
There was a loud crash as Eclipse broke through the bubble shield and hit the ground. Val had told her to go to a different hangar, so here she is.
"What the hay-" a stallion yelled, pointing at Eclipse.
"It's that mare we got reports about! SHOOT HER!" another yelled, an alarm going off and squads of M.F. Troops swarming into the hangars.
Eclipse held up a hoof, and walls of translucent glowing orange matter rose from the ground, absorbing all the bullets fired.
"I have no interest in the likes of you." she said, walking towards the hangar exit, the orange shield following her.
"Come on! We gotta punch through that thing eventually!" somepony yelled.
But it would seem that Eclipse was simply striding through an army of ponies firing at her, completely regardless and dismissive of them. Step by step she arrived at the hangar exit, and stopped when a squad of ponies moved in to block her path.
"Don't let her get through!" one of them yelled, and Eclipse tilted her head slightly to one side.
She raised a hoof to her side, then slashed it across the air in front of her.
Suddenly a sharp blade of the orange matter appeared from within the shield, spanning out and slicing across the squad of ponies. There were no screams- maybe there were, but silent ones as their heads were no longer attached to their bodies. Eclipse let her arm drop back to her side, and the blade merged back into the shield.
"Shuck! Bucking hell- we need better weapons!" a stallion yelled, gesturing for his squad to retreat.
Suddenly the metal double doors to the exit sealed themselves, the locks spinning shut.
Eclipse looked at it, some what sleepily- and simply waved a hoof up then brought it down.
A huge hammer towering eight meters high came out of the shield, then slammed the inch-thick metal door out of its frame. It went tumbling across the hallway beyond it, in the form of a scrunched up ball of scrap metal.
She let her hoof drop to her side, then folded her arms behind her back and continued her stride through ATLANTIS headquarters.
*
Infantry code number 10897 just received the news that one of the enemy generals known only as 'Eclipse' has entered and breached ATLANTIS. A 'kill on sight' order had been given- and he had her in his sights right now.
This was the perfect chance to take her down- she had her shields down, there was a lot of background noise to cover his hoofsteps as he sneaked up behind her with his pistol.
This is one shot he can't miss. He had the back of her head trained on his ion sights, and he pulled the trigger.
A sheet of orange matter appeared out of nowhere, blocking the bullet and knocking it out of the air inches away from the back of Eclipse's head. She turned around, and the stallion's eyes widened.
"Son of a-" he cursed, punching round after round at Eclipse- but everywhere he shot, an orange sheet of matter would appear there. Eclipse was storming towards him, and he tripped over his own hoof in his stumbling attempt to get away.
Eclipse reached out a hoof. Her hoof went through a sheet of matter and became coated in the substance, fingers sprouting out from the thin coat over her hoof. She closed them around the stallion's neck before he could hit the ground, and lifted him clean off the floor.
Choking him would've been fun- but she didn't have much time to waste screwing around.
There was a loud crack as her fingers suddenly turned to claws, and she simply crushed his neck. There were two separate thuds as his head and decapitated body collapsed to the floor.
The orange matter dissipated into thin air, and not a drop of blood dirtied her hoof. She turned back around and continued heading towards her objective.
She reached the end of the corridor, and huge double doors slid open. She didn't flinch at the bright spotlights that were shone at her as she entered a large gathering hall.
"Halt! Raise your hooves above your head and give us your weapons!" somepony yelled through a megaphone, and she heard a mass of clicks from ponies flicking off safeties.
She did nothing.
"This is your last chance!" the pony yelled, and Eclipse started walking towards the large group of magic faction ponies.
She could see the ponies and their assault rifles now, all trained on her. Still she didn't stop, and continued walking towards her objective like they weren't even there.
"V-very well- OPEN FIRE!!" the pony with the megaphone stuttered, and the room instantly became three times brighter from all the muzzle flashes.
An orange sphere of matter rose from the ground, and encased Eclipse in it. Still she didn't stop, the sphere around her blocking out all the bullets.
The frontline of ponies started becoming uncertain, and started slowly backing away.
"Stand your ground!!" the pony with the megaphone yelled.
"Get out of my way." Eclipse said, and somehow her voice alone was enough to travel through the sphere and still be clearly heard over all the bangs. And she wasn't even yelling.
"The bullets aren't doing anything to her!!" somepony yelled.
Then Eclipse waved a hoof in front of her, an orange blade lunging out of the sphere and slicing the entire frontline cleanly in half. The cut was so fast that blood didn't start coming out until a few seconds later, when she had already walked past their dying bodies.
"Damnit! Retreat!" the pony with the megaphone cried, and the ponies started backing away, assault rifles still blazing in desperation.
Eclipse continued walking, slicing anypony that got too close in half. But she didn't know she was walking straight into a trap.
"Surround her! NOW!" the pony with the megaphone yelled as Eclipse walked into the center of the hall.
The ponies ran along the sides, and completely circled her in. For the first time in ages, she stopped.
The bright spotlights turned off, and it turned out they were from a full sized tank.
Eclipse tilted her head to one side. Impressive.
"Tank- FIRE!"
There was a loud blast as the tank's barrel shrank into the turret, countering the recoil. Dust flew up in curls around it as a huge gust of air was released from the muzzle. A huge metal explosive projectile was launched directly towards Eclipse, and even if she did dodge out of the way the explosion would still be sufficient to kill her. So she stood still.
Then she raised a hoof and slashed it down, a huge blade rising out of the orange sphere and slicing the projectile in half. The blade wasn't just normally shaped- it had the general shape of the plow of a snow plow, and sent the two halves of the projectile in two different directions away from her. They whistled past her, bouncing off the floor with loud bangs that echoed around the huge hall.
Ponies screamed as one of the halves slammed into them, the force tearing them apart. Then their shredded bodies were completely obliterated by the explosion that followed.
Eclipse folded her arms behind her back, the blade retracting.
The pony with the megaphone was left without words. Then he seemed to wake up.
"Get out of the way of the tank!!" he yelled. "Shoot at her hooves and kill her with the explosion!!"
Eclipse continued striding towards her objective, which the tank was blocking.
The tank fired again, this time aimed for her back hooves. Eclipse held up a hoof, and just as the projectile was going to hit the floor she swiped it across.
A large hand emerged from the sphere and batted the explosive away to the side, taking down more M.F. troops.
"I'm going to say this one last time- move out of my way." she said, not showing any sort of emotion. Her face was blank as a sheet of paper.
"DON'T LET HER THROUGH!!" the pony with the megaphone yelled, but even she could tell the troops were growing wary of Eclipse's abilities.
"Very well." Eclipse said, narrowing her eyes and dropping her hooves down by her side. "Your choice- not mine."
*
Blithy clenched her jaw and shoved Val away, also ripping the knife from her stomach. She shook away the tears in her eyes, and slammed a fist into the ground.
"Jeez, quit the whining." Val said, kicking her in the stomach and forcing her to hunch over.
She then brought up a knee into her face, fully knocking her down on her back.
"You should really work on your-" Val started, but fell over backwards as Blithy launched a kick up into her hip. Somewhat unfortunately, she kicked a bit too hard- it was meant to make Val fall over so she could beat the crap out of her later, but the sudden burst of anger made the kick much more powerful.
Val went flying across the entire hangar, before slamming into a pile of heavy cargo boxes. The metal boxes cracked apart, firearms inside flying high up into the air. Val still tumbled several meters after hitting the pile, before lying flat on her back with bits of boxes and firearms falling all around her.
"Ouch." she said as a pistol fell from the air and clipped her head. "Damn- I want iron replacements. These are way too weak for this type of thing." she said, violently shoving one of her ribs back into her body.
She picked up an assault rifle from the floor, and flung it across the room at Blithy. Blithy brought an arm up to protect herself, but the force knocked her hand back and she hit her own head. She fell back, the loud and solid bang from the impact ringing around the hangar.
"Don't hit yourself. Is not good for health." Val grinned, her voice synthesizer throwing a thick Russian accent into the line.
"Go kill yourself." Blithy said, getting up and wiping a drop of blood off the corner of her mouth.
"Tried that. Didn't work." Val said, picking up another rifle.
"Bucking hell..." Blithy muttered as Val threw the rifle with a hefty whoosh.
She took a step to the side, the rifle brushing past. Her jetpack flared, and she rocketed towards Val.
Val cracked her knuckles loudly and raised a fist, timing her punch for when Blithy gets right in front of her.
Obviously, Blithy had seen that coming- at the last moment she slowed down just enough for Val to accidentally swing early, the fist grazing past. This was just a split second, and Blithy had already regained her earlier velocity in another.
She slammed into Val head on, and it was a case of 'Now you see them, now you don't'. They went tumbling through the air, Blithy's jetpack leaving behind a smoky trail in the air. They slammed into the far wall, and went through it with relative ease. The impact broke them apart, and they tumbled into an empty tunnel. The darkness of the bottom of the Atlantic ocean shrouded them behind thick glass walls.
Blithy's shoulder clipped the floor, and she bounced up into the ceiling. Thankfully the thick glass held, with the impact leaving behind nothing but a small chip. She landed back down again, grunting as the air was knocked from her lungs.
"And yet they say I'm reckless." Val said, sitting up and twisting her head back the right way around with her hands.
There was nopony in this tunnel, and probably the kitchen and mess hall beyond it. That was a good sign- it means the evacuation is going relatively smoothly.
Blithy charged at Val, who stood up and made a stretch full of cracks. She slammed a fist right across her face, but her own momentum kept carrying her forward. She moved a hoof forward to stop herself from falling, but a small shred of metal tripped her up. She continued falling forward, in a trajectory she very much disliked.
Val was in the way, and both their eyes widened as their lips met. Blithy honestly didn't think being alone would become awkward, but this was an extreme example of so. After all, she was technically alone.
They quickly kicked each other away, both spitting at everything around them and clearing their mouths.
"Bleh! I did NOT expect my first kiss to be given to MYSELF." Val groaned, comically scraping her tongue.
"I should say the same." Blithy coughed. She quickly recovered, and flicked her palm out. The twin muzzles popped out, and immediately started flaring.
"Oh, how you break my heart." Val said. Then a bullet struck her chest, and she looked down at the fresh gush of blood. "Didn't expect that to turn literal."
"That was the artery. The heart'll be next." Blithy said, firing another burst; all the while readying her wrist knife and running towards Val.
"There we go." Val muttered as another bullet struck her chest, spilling more blood onto the floor. "You just turned me into the fountain of youth, or something."
"I'm pretty sure the fountain of youth would have prettier liquid pouring out of it." Blithy said.
"Stop breaking my heart." Val said. Then another bullet struck her vital organ. "Seriously though."
She flicked up the scrap of metal that caused Blithy to trip over earlier with a hoof, and caught it with her hand. She then threw it across at Blithy, the jagged edges catching a glint of light from the floor lightings.
"Would you quit throwing crap." Blithy muttered, ducking down as the metal scrap flew over her head.
"GRENADE!!" Val yelled, pointing at something behind Blithy.
"Wha-?" Blithy turned around, then heard loud footsteps behind her coming from Val. She took a fist to the face just as she turned around, and tumbled several meters back.
"Can't believe you fell for that." Val muttered, aiming a kick at Blithy's head.
Blithy rolled out of the way and grabbed her hoof, the momentum bringing her back to a standing position. Val tilted her head to one side, slashing the knife forward. Blithy blocked it with a hand, and crushed the blade into a small ball of scrap metal. Val shrugged, and threw the scrap down. With a simple flick of her wrist she deployed another.
*
"She's heading for the information management center! Don't let her get there!!" Unit 10279 yelled, commanding his troops to set up an ambush. They were in a large hall linking directly to the information management center- quite a last stand, with next to no hope.
"32897- I want you on the left si- HOLLY CRAP!!" 10279 yelled as the metal gates crashed open, a tank flying out of the opposing hall.
The tank flew across the hall, and crushed itself on the far wall. A second later it blew apart in a huge fireball, lighting up the room and the terrified faces of the soldiers.
The soldiers ripped their eyes away from the flaming and destroyed tank, and aimed their guns at the open gates. Smoke was swirling all over the place, making visibility incredibly low.
There was a dark figure striding through the clouds of thick black smoke, dragging behind her streaks of it. Two red irises seemed to glow in the dark, putting even more fright into the soldiers.
"Fire!!" 10279 screamed, holding down the trigger- but the figure was nowhere to be found after the first round of muzzle flashes flared up.
"Where the hell is she?"
"Son of a- GAH!"
Everypony turned in that direction, but nopony was there.
"32879?" 10279 asked, walking towards his squad mate's last known location. "Shuck." he muttered as he saw his dead body, with a missing head; replaced by a pile of mush and a puddle of blood on the ground.
Then there was a muffled scream behind him, and he swirled around. There was a dull thud, and the screams stopped. He yelled, spraying a full clip in that direction- but nothing more was heard.
Slowly, one by one; his squad mates went down- and he couldn't see any of them through the smoke. He started backing away, towards the far wall.
"Who the hell are you!?" he yelled, pointing the rifle this way and that. "SHOW YOURSELF!!"
"Ask and you shall receive." Eclipse said, suddenly leaping out of the shadows and closing a hand around 10279's head.
10279 held down the trigger, but all the bullets were blocked by an orange shield. Through glowing orange fingers he saw those same crimson red irises, accompanied by a flaming red mane. The mare's dark grey skin almost made her invisible in the thick smoke.
Then he started feeling extreme pressure on his skull- the fingers were closing in. He screamed, but Eclipse's palm was firmly closed around his mouth; and he made nothing but a muffled groan.
Then like a freshly cracked egg, his head shattered under the pressure.
Scootaloo felt the familiar sensation of her stomach leaping as she slowly tipped forward, off the edge of the CMC command tower. Oh, how she loved that feeling. Everything was relatively calm at first, so she closed her eyes. Then as she felt gravity tug her forward, everything became extremely windy. Her mane and tail whipped about behind her, dragged by the strong gusts of acceleration.
"HahaHA!!" she laughed, although it was a slight difficulty to do so due to the wind getting in her mouth and puffing out her cheeks.
Applebloom was one hell of a trustworthy engineer and designer- till this day, those wheels on the scooter still hadn't worn down a bit- as expected though, seeing as how closely she guards her secret as to how she enhances solid matter to make them stronger and denser.
Here was this part again- there was a little bump here on this part of the building, for what reason Scootaloo didn't ask Applebloom. It wasn't like she wanted her to fix this part anyway- the air time she could get from it was most enjoyable. However may end some-what painfully at times.
Scootaloo leaned back, her wings stretching out a slight bit to slow her down and steady her trajectory. The front wheels went off the ground slightly, but not so much that the bottom would catch the wind and get completely thrown up in the air.
"Steady now..." she muttered, controlling the scooter and keeping her eyes on the bump.
The front wheels sailed clean over the bump, and then a split second later the back wheels hit it. Abruptly all wheels left the tower surface, and Scootaloo was sailing through the air hundreds of kilometers above Haven Central. Momentum was sending her spinning back- but she didn't mind. She let go of the scooter, making a full three-sixty backward flip before coming back to the correct orientation again, still free falling with wheels away from the surface.
"Wooohooo! HAHAHAAAA!!" she screamed, a wide grin on her face as the wheels touched down again, an array or sparks instantly flying out from the friction.
Suddenly she felt oddly vulnerable, and that wasn't exactly comfortable. If she trips...
"AL- forgot to put protective gear on. Little help?" she asked, struggling to speak over the howling wind.
"Certainly." AL said through a speaker in the scooter, and the handles unfolded into halves. From inside the halves Nano Fibre gloves with metal platings folded themselves over her front hooves, and the handles closed together again. The area on the board where her back hooves were slid open, and boots clamped over her hooves. The board closed back together, once again an innocent looking every-day scooter.
"Er... Elbow and knees?" Scootaloo raised an eyebrow.
"You'll have to put those on yourself." AL said.
"Cool. Gimme some airtime." Scootaloo said, lowering her center of gravity.
"Three... Two... One... Boosting."
Small thrusters under the scooter flared up, sending Scootaloo back into the air. A slot in the central support opened up, ejecting two sets of protective guards. One for the knees, another for the elbows. She let go of the scooter and kicked off it, now falling with it however two meters above it.
She moved her elbows forward, and the devices targeted them and clamped on. A few clicks and they locked into place, nano fibre protection with small steel plates on the outside.
Next where the knees. Because of the anatomy of the back legs of a pony, these were much harder to be fitted on because of the double curve.
A knob popped out of the front of her boots, and shot a targeting laser at her knee. The knee guards locked on, and adjusted their flight paths.
With a light click they flew into place, the sides folding in and clamping onto the sides of her legs. Pieces started unfolding off of it, closing around that back and eventually shielding both sides in nano fibre fabric and steel platings.
"Guards are in place." AL said.
"Got em." Scootaloo replied, streamlining her body and diving down for her scooter.
She grabbed onto the handle, and swung down onto it. LED indicators on the scooter flared up briefly, acknowledging her presence.
She leaned back, bringing the scooter in an arc as to become parallel with the tower surface. The wheels touched down once again, sparking and glowing a light orange.
From then on it was just a continuous slope until the ground. That isn't fun.
She looked up at the opposing building, a business block. Maybe she could have some fun trying to get to that roof without getting killed.
*
Bluefyre clutched her head, eyes wide and staring at the burning forest floor. Cold sweat trickled down her face and formed droplets on her nose.
"Kill them... Take over! Kill them all..." the ghost fires were saying, echoing voices in her head that were affecting her will.
"What the hell is she doing?" Babs asked, not taking her eyes nor the shotgun's aim off Bluefyre.
"I honestly don't have the slightest clue. Although, I have a vague memory of her... Not much though." Magnum said, and Babs turned her head slightly. "Just shadows that I can't confirm. Seems to be some sort of army training camp... But that's it. I think we were in the same squad together, or something." Magnum narrowed her eyes, trying to catch that memory. But the more she tried, the more she couldn't.
"You two must've come from the same place then. She recognizes you." Babs said, and Bluefyre let out an unwilling roar.
"Get out... Of... My... HEAD!!" she screamed, her spine suddenly arching back and her eyes staring at the sky.
Magnum and Babs's eyes widened as Bluefyre suddenly burst into flames, this time the ghost fires having a greenish aqua quality to them. Her skin and flesh melted away, and her skeleton curled down into a crouched position- nothing more than the pose of an enraged animal. The most terrifying part was, they could tell she was still alive.
Streaks of flames were drifting out of her hollow eye sockets and gaping mouth, and with each breath she took the flames in her mouth would flare out in a small ball of energy.
"What the hell is she..." Babs slowly started backing away.
The creature that was formerly Bluefyre suddenly turned and cast a look at Magnum, and despite its inability to perform expressions because of it being only a burning skeletal structure, it somehow still conveyed the meaning in its look.
Sorry, it said.
Then there was a bright blue flash that lit up the sky, accompanied by a scream; the voice of it horrifyingly familiar to Magnum- then by the time their eyes adjusted again, the creature was gone; and so were the flames. They were left in a quiet forest, burnt out and a spent battleground.
"Phew..." Babs said, finally letting the shotgun drop to her side and slumping onto the ground. "That thing's gonna be in my nightmares for the next year or so." she said, but when Magnum didn't reply; she looked up. "Hey- what's with the look?"
"I..." Magnum shook her head. "I don't know. Never mind. Let's go back-" her left ear twitched, and flicked back. "Wait a se-"
Suddenly several dark shapes leaped out of the woods behind them, and one of them tackled Magnum to the ground; accompanied by a some-what over-joyed cheer.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE ALIVE!!" somepony cried, squeezing the living soul out of her. Her wounds felt like they could explode any second.
"Gah- can't- breath-" she managed as the pony gave her a suffocating and potentially deadly hug.
"Huh?" the pony let go slightly. "Oh right- sorry." she quickly tried shuffling off, but before she could there was more excited screaming and two other ponies leaped onto them.
Magnum felt the air leave her lungs, and was temporarily winded.
"Damnit guys! OFF!! She's dying!" the pony struggled, and Magnum felt the weight decrease. She took the opportunity and sucked in a lungful of air, taking in as much oxygen as she possibly could.
The pony turned back to her, which may or may not be a good thing.
"Hey! Is it you?" Magnum felt a sudden slap across her face. "Come on Magnum buddy, tell me it's you!" another slap.
"DAMNIT!!" Magnum yelled, shoving the pony off.
"It's her." Rainbow said, falling over onto the ground. "Looks like her, and has her voice."
Magnum scrambled up and quickly backed away from the group of ponies.
"Freeze, and drop your freakin weapons." Babs said, loading the shotgun with a loud click and pointing it at the group.
"Uh-oh." Rainbow said, raising both hooves above her head.
"...we come in peace?" Octavia tried.
"Drop the shotgun, lady." Daring said, and Babs felt the barrel of a gun press into the back of her head.
"Well ain't this bull crap..." Babs dropped her shotgun onto the floor with a thud and sighed.
"WHAT THE BUCK IS EVEN GOING ON HERE!!??" Magnum yelled, clutching her head and shaking it at all the 'wut' that was going on here.
First a group of ponies she doesn't even know tackles her to the ground and hugs the crap outta her as if she were some long lost family member- and then more decide to show up and everypony is just so casual about having guns pointed at themselves!
"Calm down, Magnum." Rainbow said.
"HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW MY NAME!!??" Magnum yelled, whipping out the pistol and pointing it at Rainbow.
"Uh... We worked together for quite a few years in some random other reality?" Rainbow tried, which made Magnum raise her eyebrow even higher.
"Give me your name." she said, now much more calmer.
"Rainbow Dash. And if this is some sort of joke- it's not funny, yet."
The name did ring a few bells, and a few more came to her head. Dainty, Octavia, Blithy...
"Damnit... I.. I must've known you..." Magnum said, dropping her pistol in the grass and slumping back. She slammed a hoof into the ground, and suddenly started crying. "I CAN'T TAKE THIS CRAP ANYMORE!!"
"Uh... What now...?" Dainty raised an eyebrow.
"Magnum- tell us what happened!" Octavia said quickly, kneeling down and giving her a light pat on the back.
"Sis, you can put your hooves down now." Dainty said.
"Right, right." Rainbow sighed, dropping her arms to her sides.
"I.. I don't remember anything." Magnum said.
The group was silent for a moment.
"What do you mean... You don't remember anything? You don't remember what's making you crack right now, or-" Rainbow started, and Babs cut her off.
"I found her here in the Everfree in real bad shape. See her missing arm and eye? Those were all gone when I found her. I did what I could with the legs, but she's barely walking right now. She seemed to have taken a real good blow to the head too. Figure that's what caused the memory loss." Babs said, and all this time Magnum was staring at the ground in misery.
"Memory loss...?" Rainbow frowned, her heart slowly turning cold. "You mean she doesn't remember us?"
Babs shook her head. "No. And as far as I know, she doesn't remember anything." she said, and cast Magnum a sad gaze.
Rainbow froze, processing the information; then she let out a deep sigh. "At least better than dead, right? We can figure something out. We can recover those memories."
Magnum chuckled sadly. "I can only hope. All of this is driving me insane." she let out a nervous laugh.
"Let's get you outta here." Octavia said, helping her stand. Dainty picked up her pistol and handed it to her.
"I knew the both of you too, huh..." Magnum said weakly.
"Octavia. And that's Dainty." Octavia said as Magnum accepted the gun from the filly.
Magnum shook her head, wiping away a tear. "I'm sorry. Damnit... I'm so sorry."
"It wasn't your fault." Rainbow sighed. Partially she blamed herself for not being able to be there to help- even if it wasn't her fault. Guess that could be a side effect for being so darn loyal. She turned to Babs. "Sorry- can't see in the dark that well. Fascinating how these leaves manage to block out almost all the sunlight. But am I correct in saying you seem... Familiar?"
"Rainbow Dash, was it?" Babs chuckled. "I'm Applebloom's cousin." she narrowed her eyes into a frown. "Although... I can't be quite sure... I seemed to have been living in Manehatten for a lot of my life but- I may have also been here for my entire life..."
"Ah... That's right. Babs Seed. Seen you in Ponyville before, years back. And you have extra memories too?"
"Is that what you call them?" Babs tilted her head to one side. "I thought I was just going crazy."
"Well... If you are going crazy, you're not the only one." Rainbow sighed.
*
"If we're going to strike, now would be a good time." Shining Armor said. "Val is currently occupied with the ATLANTIS battle, and so is her second in command- Eclipse. If we strike now, the science faction would be a headless horse."
"The main question right now is whether or not it'll be worth it." Iris said, talking with the OASIS commanders and captains through a hologram.
"Problem is, we don't have much of a choice." Spitfire sighed. "Val seems to know everything about us. Sooner or later she'll take us out anyway."
"Then we should strike when they a weakest." Shining Armor said. "In which case it's right now."
"I agree. We have a much higher chance of winning if we hit them now." Iris nodded.
Spitfire chewed her lip. This was a big decision- there was no room for error. She paced around the bridge, the other commanders watching her and waiting.
"Fine. But I want the strategy sorted out first before I issue the official order." she said, finally stepping to a stop.
"First off, our operatives are already all over Equestria scouring for more potential allies." Shining Armor said. "Once we bring them in, I estimate we'll have an extra few thousand ponies on our side."
"Still not much." Spitfire said. "Although, I have a plan to change that." she said, smiling.
"And that is...?" Iris raised an eyebrow.
"We need allies in this war... But how come we're only searching for ponies?" she asked rhetorically. "This isn't a fight for the pony race. The science faction has enslaved the whole of Equestria." she grinned. "And I'm sure we aren't the only ones who hate them to the bone."
Iris and Shining Armor looked at each other with raised eyebrows.
"I suppose the plan is already under way?" Shining Armor asked.
"Of course it is." Spitfire said. "I already have Blaze looking for more potential allies in this war. And all is going well so far, according to his reports."
"Another thing to consider is that we have the Wardens on our side." Iris noted. "Six of them, if I am correct."
"Five." Spitfire lowered her eyes. "Nightshade's dead."
That was followed by some shocked silence, only broken by the noises of the busy bridge.
"Five, then." Shining Armor sighed, shaking his head. "More the reason to take them out now. If this goes on, we'll be slowly worn out. We need everyone we can get."
"We'll have the Wardens lead the battle then." Iris said. "Their power will most likely make our troops more confident."
"Right. But what about Rainbow? She's still on her assignment with some other agents to retrieve the intel on the sun." Shining Armor said.
"That'll have to wait." Spitfire sighed. "That intel was originally for us to determine whether or not the war would be worth it- but we don't have much of a choice now."
"But it's still useful intel." Iris noted.
"That's why I'll send Rainbow in to retrieve it when the crap hits the fan- which doesn't seem to be far away now." Spitfire said.
"Back onto our strategy." Shining Armor said. "Our ground troops would get smothered if we don't take down the barricade. It'll also prevent our reinforcements from reaching the ground."
"Then we take it out." Spitfire said. "Magnum and her squad have proven that it's vulnerable. Sadly, they didn't quite make it."
"How do you propose we take out the entire barricade without it falling out of the sky and destroying everything on the ground?" Shining Armor asked.
"Obviously overheating their nuclear generators won't do- but what about keeping their silo gates shut?" Spitfire said.
"Wha..? Oh... Ha, that might actually work." Iris smiled.
"Clever. Manually fire off the missiles while the silo gates are still shut- they'd blow the barricade to pieces. And since the explosions occur underneath the barricade, the force might even be enough to lift the whole damn thing out of the atmosphere and into space, where it will be out of harm's way." Shining Armor grinned. "I guess I finally understand why you're a captain."
"Suppose." Spitfire tilted her head to one side. "Now- we need a team to infiltrate the barricade again. The entire system is linked together, so we take control of one then we control all. It's just one big ship."
"Stealth would be preferable here." Iris rubbed his chin. "We take it out before they notice- prevent them from starting evacuations. That way we'll be taking out a ton of their troops as well- two birds with one stone."
They were silent for a few seconds, considering who should go on this mission. It was quite an important one, after all. Then they all looked up at the same time.
"Neon." they said.
"Warden of light- she can make herself invisible whenever she wants. And she's used to stealth killing anyway, so she doesn't care for guns." Spitfire said.
"Right-" Shining Armor rubbed his hooves together. "Get her a team and send her over. Once the barricade is down, we give the signal for all of Equestria to stand up and fight. I like."
"Next thing... Taking out the COLOSSUS." Iris sighed.
"Now that's what I call a major headache." Spitfire said.
"It would seem everypony's been thinned out a lot..." Shining Armor rubbed his eyes, yawning. "All our Wardens are now assigned to something... Don't have any spares."
"A few well aimed and fully charged shots from the CYCLOPS could punch through its layers and hit the counter-gravity shield." Iris suggested.
"And it will collapse in on itself without the shield holding up its own gravitational pull. It might even drag a few other ships in with it." Spitfire grinned. "Excellent work, Iris."
"Thank you ma'am." Iris tipped his head slightly.
"Put the CYCLOPS at the back, acting as our sniper while the rest of our ships cover him and wait for him to take down the COLOSSUS." Shining Armor nodded.
"As for our ground troops..." Spitfire waved a hoof in the air, and a holographic 3D map appeared. She pointed to what seemed to be a city in the middle of White Tail Woods. It looked like a big metal mountain range, a central building coming out in the middle of the city and pointing straight at the sky. "That's Valhalla, the science faction's headquarters on earth. It's quite a large city, and also quite advanced. That's a key position for our ground troops to attack- once we free them from the underground, that is."
"Taking down the barricade should be a sufficient distraction for the underground guards to be summoned to reinforce Valhalla. After all, that and the COLOSSUS would be the only two main HQs they have left once the barricade is gone." Shining Armor said, nodding. "After that, we can lead the troops out and box Valhalla in- create a blockade. From then on things should be much easier."
"Once Valhalla falls, we can send our troops on a storm across the surface, wipe out anyone left." Iris said.
"About the blockade- they could easily pull the same trick on us if they send reinforcements behind our blockade and put our troops in between." Shining Armor pointed out.
"Then we provide cover from the skies. Make sure nothing gets through and onto the surface once we take over Earth." Spitfire said. "Now, as long as we keep the CYCLOPS in a safe position, their space fleet won't be too much of a problem for us to take on. Major issue here is, how do we defend the CYCLOPS whilst severely out numbered? And by out numbered I mean four of them to one of us."
"Easy. Don't let them hit us- and the element of surprise." Iris said. "Hit and run. Come back, hit them then run again. Draw them into an ambush. Screw with their brains."
Spitfire nodded, a 'not bad' expression on her face. "Could work." she turned to Shining Armor. "Since everypony remembers you as the Captain of the Royal Guards, you should lead the ground assault. Hammer some confidence into them- you'll be good with that. They trust you."
"And do you want me to spread the word too?" Shining Armor asked.
"No. I have somepony else in mind." Spitfire said.
"Rainbow Dash?" Soarin asked.
"You read my mind." Spitfire nodded. "Rainbow and Octavia were the ones who led us to victory the last time. They took down the command center and shut down the barricade- they were the heroes." she smiled. "Ponies trust them. Let the heroes lead us, heroes that have won before. Ponies will think we will win again- and we will."
"She doesn't have any type of broadcasting device- it'll be hard to reach the ponies underground." Iris noted.
"Oh, but Haven does." Spitfire said. "I'll send her away from the mission for now and tell her to go deliver the message once the barricade falls."
"Copy. I'll make sure everything on the CYCLOPS is fully functional." Iris said. "Logging off." his holographic image faded.
Adrenaline pumped through Spitfire's veins, and she grinned with excitement. "Shining Armor! Go get Neon and her team ready. Also prepare to go onto the surface and lead our ground troops. Soarin!"
"Ma'am!" Soarin saluted.
"Make sure our fleet is completely separate from the science faction fleet. Don't make it too obvious though, or they'll tell. You there, officer! Send a message to ATLANTIS and tell them to hold Val and Eclipse there for as long as possible!" Spitfire yelled out the commands excitedly, a small bit of a skip in her steps as she trotted towards the big glass windshields of the OASIS bridge. She stopped, gazing out at that dirt brown planet in front of them. Even in its current state, destroyed and torn, dirty and unclean- it still seemed beautiful to her. It was still majestic. It was still Earth- and it was still home. She grinned, the glimmer of hope that one day they'll all return becoming brighter and brighter.
She lowered her head, and narrowed her eyes.
"And so it begins."
The grey pegasus rubbed her eyes, awoken from yet another nightmare filled night of sleep. She yawned, disregarding her dirty and unkept blonde mane. There were cuts and bruises all over her body- things she had grown used to. In the darkness, there was only one source of light. She slowly limped towards it, her hooves scraping along the rough rock floor; making more cuts.
Her golden eyes stared forward, however saw nothing. Slowly she came to a stop by the cave entrance, and looked up at the sky. Day by day her vision was fading... And so was her life. She stared out from her little refuge in the cliff face, out to a city that once flourished in her reality- and now dead and abandoned. To her blurred eyes, it was just shades of dirt brown and grey. She tried to see what she saw before, ponies happy and dancing and cheering. But there was no movement.
A gentle breeze brushed against her dry skin, sending her long uncut mane slowly flowing to her side.
She had run out of food and water long ago- it was a miracle she was still alive, let alone moving... But she won't be for long. She closed her eyes, still standing, and stretched out her wings.
At least she tried- the years of dirt and grime had almost stuck her feathers together. She just wanted to feel the breeze rustle her feathers once more... Before fate takes whatever it has to.
*
"Damnit Blithy..." Doctor Whooves muttered, still firmly strapped to his seat. The parachute had deployed successfully, and now he was slowly drifting down towards the abandoned city of Manehatten, just behind the border before it merged into a forest that wasn't even there in the previous reality.
He sighed, leaning back into the seat- then he got an uneasy feeling in his heart- it seems he was forgetting something, and he had a little bit of an idea as to what it was.
But why now? He asked himself. I'm in the middle of nowhere, with nothing around me. So why now?
Instinct pushed him to look outwards towards the far cliff side. Nothing but an ordinary cliff face- there was nothing to it.
"So why? What the hay is this?" he groaned frustratedly, clawing at his heart but failing to get rid of the internal itch.
Then from the corner of his half closed eye he spotted a small speck of gold on the cliff face. His heart leaped, even if his brain still hadn't registered it yet- and he looked up.
And there she was. Ditzy Doo, Derpy Hooves.
The Doctor couldn't help but smile. So I finally found you.
But still the uneasiness in his heart failed to fade- and somehow he knew why.
"Please... Derpy, stay alive." he muttered, looking up at the sky.
The parachute was allowing him a safe descent, but it was way too slow. At this rate, judging from what he could see of Derpy, he wouldn't make it in time.
*
Derpy still had her eyes closed. She thought she felt some tickling in her heart, urging her to open her eyes. But she held them shut.
Over the years of surviving in the cave, she had hoped of rescue one day. But that hope would always lift her up, then throw her back down again, hurting her even more. She wasn't about to fall for it again- after all, knowing that there was no hope was much easier than relying on false hope.
A few days ago she had suddenly remembered things from another reality. Happy things, not the past- what should've been the present. Doctor Whooves, and his lovely blue box.
But she knew she was just making false memories. How could somepony as perfect as the Doctor exist? The entire idea was ridiculous. At the last second he had told her to wait, and so she did like she did for the whole of her life.
But she was done waiting- she wasn't going to rely on something her mind created- she wasn't going to succumb to false hope.
Suddenly her front legs buckled out from underneath her, and she collapsed onto the floor- almost toppling over the edge. She had hit her head, and ringing filled her ears. Her body was weakening severely by the second- she could only hope that she doesn't get baked to death in the sun, so she slowly and painfully started crawling back into the cave.
*
"Derpy..." the Doctor felt hope slowly loosening as he watched Derpy crawl back into the cave. He shook his head vigorously, and looked down. A fifteen meter drop- he could survive that. He looked back up at the strings holding him and his seat to the parachute. He sighed, and pulled out a knife that came with the M.F. officer uniform. "This is just going to suck." he muttered, unbuckling his seatbelt and cutting through the strings.
One by one they were severed, and suddenly the seat dropped with him. He watched the ground approach, the cliff becoming higher and higher in the distance.
He timed his jump. Just before he hit the ground, he kicked off the chair- but he was no expert in the act. Just as he leaped off, he felt his left back hoof get caught in the tangle of his seatbelt.
Then there was a loud crack as the seat dragged him down with it to the ground, cracking his left back leg under its metal weight.
"GAAAH!! DAMNIT!!" the Doctor screamed, feeling his leg crack and break. Tears swarmed into his eyes with the pain, and he used his front hooves to kick the seat off him.
He tried to stand, and somehow managed to do so. Will power could be strong when you need it.
He started walking towards the cliff face, his steps wobbly and unbalanced. Then suddenly he fell again, having only covered about three meters of distance. This time he felt his back leg break completely, and could even see that bit of white popping out from a bloodied hole in the side of his leg.
He clenched his jaw, trying to hold back the screams and the tears.
"DAMNIT!!" he couldn't hold it anymore, and screamed. "HEAL! YOU USELESS PIECE OF CRAP- HEAL!!!!" he yelled.
But it didn't.
"Wha... What the hay... WHAT THE HAY IS GOING ON!!???" he screamed, his mind slowly cracking. "HEAL!! WHAT THE HAY IS HAPPENING!!?? HEAL DAMNIT!!"
But what was broken remained so, and he was left on three legs. Slowly it dawned on him what he had to do- or else it'll only slow him down. It was also a stupid decision to make the jump.
He looked around for the knife- it didn't land too far away. He ripped it out of the ground, and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Humans only have two legs anyway." he muttered, and stabbed the knife into the broken joint of his left leg.
There was nothing for him to bite into, so he just screamed as he forced the sharp knife to rip through his flesh.
*
In the cave, Derpy could hear somepony screaming. Hallucinations- just another sign of incoming death. She let out a gentle sigh, and felt moisture on her face. She must be using what little water remained inside her as tears- but she couldn't tell what she was feeling. Maybe just sorrow, that she was going to be alone after all. Perhaps a little bit of hatred, because the Doctor never came back.
She made a weak chuckle at that. Like he exists at all.
*
"COME ON!!" the Doctor yelled as he slowly tried limping towards the cliff face- he had made a reasonable amount of distance, and was already directly underneath the cave. Despite having patched up his wound tightly with his uniform, he still left a long trail of blood behind him which eventually led to his severed limb.
Now was the hardest part. Climbing the darn cliff. It wasn't a ninety degree straight angle, it was on a slight slope; which meant it would be slightly easier to climb- key word, slightly. It would also mean tumbling off it would be a much more painful death if he fell.
"Climbing is as much a physical sport as it is mental." he assured himself. "And I'm fine with mental."
He started climbing, finding opportunities in the seemingly flat cliff face. A branch, a crack, a small ledge about two centimeters wide. He didn't count how many steps higher he climbed- he counted how many steps he had left. Sooner or later he'll be there, and all will end well. It had to.
Suddenly his hoof slipped, the loose piece of rock tumbling down with him. He frantically grabbed onto a branch, and the little piece of rock fell down into the abyss below. He groaned as his body swung down and slammed into the rough cliff side.
"I climbed this far already?" he asked in wonder, looking down at the ground that was roughly fifteen meters away. He looked back up again- soon.
*
Derpy could feel her life slowly slipping away, in the form of nothing but tiredness. Despite all of her physical wounds, the only pain she could feel came from her heart. Is there really nopony to be with her as she slowly dies in this dark cave that she came to know as her refuge?
She whimpered. Maybe death would be a good thing- all the burdens, gone in a poof. All the heart ache, unhappiness and pain- all gone in almost an instant.
She did nothing to stop herself from slipping away. In fact she welcomed it with open arms- die, and all will be relieved.
*
"Stay alive Derpy..." the Doctor wiped the sweat off his face, breathing hard. Even as he said this, he could feel the small connection in his heart breaking up- slowly fading away, and that made it hurt even more.
He continued climbing, his hooves digging into the cliff face. He ignored the pain in his severed leg, and continued on.
Sudden something sharp dug into his wound as he dragged himself upwards with his front hooves, and he screamed.
"Gah... The hay...?" he looked down to find a sharp rock shard impaling his stump. He tried freeing it, but the fabric wrapped around his wounds was stopping it from sliding out. "Are you bucking kidding me!?"
He could slide it out with his front hooves, but they were basically the only things keeping him from falling. He could only use his strength and force it out.
He clamped his jaw around his arm, and bit down on it to counter the pain as he tried to rip his leg stump away from the rock shard. His arm managed to muffle his screams and turn them into groans as his leg finally broke free, but once again bleeding freely.
Breathing hard, he let go of his arm and sighed.
"Wait for me, Derpy. Please- wait for me."
*
Derpy seemed to have heard something- but she continued disregarding it. Even if she did finally believe in the Doctor, it was already way too late. She let her tail curl around her body, her breathing slowing.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The gaps between her heartbeats grew, her breathing now nothing but a mere whisper between her long dried lips.
*
Still the Doctor climbed on, the odd feeling in his heart growing weaker and weaker. He was too, huffing and puffing and forcing himself onward. The effect of adrenaline was wearing off, and he was going back to his normal self- and his normal self wasn't exactly athletic.
There was a big leap up ahead- and he only had one back leg. Guess he'll never find out if he doesn't at least try.
He leaped up, his front hooves reaching out. They managed to hook onto the edge of a small crack in the cliff face, but only just. His back leg was left dangling over seventy meters of nothing, or most certainly death.
He stopped looking down, and clambered onwards. There was a small overhang up ahead, and was quite the blow to his determination.
"Hell..." he muttered as he allowed himself some time to rest, sweat pouring down his face and grime matting his usually well kept mane. In this reality, he was no Time Lord- just some mutated stallion- and it became clearer and clearer to him by the second. Then he shook his head vigorously, droplets of sweat being flung from his face.
"I'm still me." he said definitely to himself. "No matter what I am physically." he looked up at the overhang, and continued climbing.
His mouth was running dry, and it was becoming uncomfortably hot in the baking sun. He reached up and gripped a small ledge, pulling himself. Now that he was at the overhang, he had to make his moves very carefully.
There was a small lump of rock he could hold onto and hang from. He leaped up, gripping the rock and dangling half a meter from the safety of the cliff face. He searched for something he could hold onto, and found a small ledge he might be able to use. Not that he had a choice, it was pretty much the only thing and his front hooves were slipping.
He pushed off, his front hooves swinging forward and managed to catch the ledge. Suddenly his right hoof slipped off, dangling down with his back leg and hanging above the oddly lush forest below. He quickly brought it back up again and held onto the ledge.
The last thing he wanted to hear was a crack, indicating the ledge was loosening. He frantically looked for something else to hold onto, but there was nothing but the very edge of the overhang. It was a long shot, but the only one he had.
He swung forward, sailing through the air. The wind rushed through his mane, brushing against the nothingness below his hooves.
Then he somehow managed to scrape the edge of the overhang- but not hold onto it. His stomach leaped as fell, having missed the jump and almost three meters away from the cliff face- there was nothing to hold onto.
Then something tugged against his shoulder, and suddenly he jerked to a stop.
"Holy... Crap..." he said, eyes wide and cold sweat matting his skin. He looked up to see what was holding him in place.
It was his pistol holster, standard issue in the M.F. Military. It had hooked onto a jagged piece of rock, the other end hanging him by the shoulder. But the other end looked like it could slip any second.
Without wasting a second, Doctor Whooves quickly reached up and grabbed the edge of the over hang, and pulled himself over and onto safety.
He collapsed onto the floor, exhausted and staring at the sky in pure shock. How the hell did he survive that? He still had his pistol and holster. That was one freakin miracle.
*
All feeling was fading from Derpy's body. She was in a simple state of existence, with nothing else to it but a small swarm of weak emotions that was dying with her body.
Then suddenly her breathing ceased, her heart beating one last faint time- and she was dead.
*
Doctor Whooves looked up- the cave entrance was right there. Three meters above his head, and excitement filled his heart.
But then that excitement evaporated in an instant as something in his heart snapped, and he collapsed to the floor, staring wide-eyed at the ground and clutching his chest.
No... No... What the hay is this now? What's happening?
He tried to find that small connection again, but he couldn't find it anywhere. He searched desparately, but found nothing.
"No! I've come too far for this bull crap!" he cursed, scrambling up and grabbing onto the cliff face.
Adrenaline pumped through his veins once more, fueled by pure determination and defiance. This can't be happening- this just CAN'T!!
But a small part of him had already known- he was late, way too late.
"Hang on Derpy! I'm here! I'M RIGHT THE BUCK HERE!!" he yelled, pulling himself onto another ledge.
He looked up- the cave entrance was just a small leap away. He jumped, his front hooves latching onto the edge- but he hesitated just as he was about to pull himself over.
Will it be better if he never finds out? Deep down he already knows he's too late- so why torture himself by looking to see how close he came?
He shook his head. Derpy's got to be alive!
"She's got to be alive..." he said to himself, his mind failing to focus as he pulled himself over and onto the edge. "She's just... Got..." he stopped as he spotted the small frail body lying in the darkness, still and unmoving. "To... Be...." he stopped, and fell to the floor, the sorrow in his heart consuming him. He felt tears swarm into his hearts, and he quickly wiped them away.
Then he heard a gentle shuffle as Derpy's body tried to rise, but only to collapse back down onto the floor again.
It was dark and hard to see, but even so the Doctor could still tell that it wasn't Derpy- she must've died just a while ago, and now she had become one of the mutated. He could see the thick black veins running down the length of the mutated Derpy as she rose from the ground, some-what unsteadily.
"Fate... You piece of bull..." he chuckled sadly, tears dripping down his face as he stood up. "Now you're forcing me to pull the trigger on my beloved?" he shook his head, the corners of his mouth shaking. He pulled out his pistol, letting it slip from the holster.
Slowly mutated Derpy limped towards him, wobbly step by unsteady step.
Doctor Whooves raised the gun, pointing the barrel directly at Derpy's head. Still he could see that her eyes were crossed- and through that tortured face he thought he could still see a shadow of his cheerful and clumsy assistant.
"I have two hearts..." he swallowed, shaking his head gently as more tears poured down his face. "...And somehow you manage to break both. I guess I'll never understand how you work." he said.
His hoof was shaking severely, but he couldn't bring his other one up to help because it was keeping him standing.
Slowly, the mutated Derpy was walking past his outstretched arm, directly towards him. He didn't bring his aim back- he just couldn't do it. He thought he could, but he couldn't.
"Damnit!" he cursed, dropping the gun and crumbling to the floor. "Damnit... I can't do it... I just can't..." he whimpered, his tears dampening the cold stone floor.
Now Derpy was directly in front of him. At least if he was going to die, maybe they could still die together. He was prepared to have teeth sink into his neck, and be turned into just another zombie.
Then he felt a gentle hoof on the bottom of his chin, lifting up his head. He looked up, into Derpy's crossed eyes. They were still golden, somewhat faded however. He waited for her to lunge and take his life. She opened her mouth, revealing sharp mutated vampire teeth.
"The good Doctor doesn't cry." she said, smiling; a happy tear sliding down her face as she wiped the water off the Doctor's face.
The Doctor's eyes widened, and suddenly energy returned to his body. He leaped forward, throwing his arms around his beloved Ditzy Doo. He couldn't describe how tremendously relieved he felt- it almost felt like the world didn't matter any more. A minute ago having Derpy's warm soft form in his arms again was nothing but a dream, long lost and given up on. But here she was again- and they relished every second they were together.
"You came back..." Derpy said, hugging the Doctor tightly.
"...and you waited." the Doctor whimpered. He finally let go, and stared into those eyes once more, a smile on his face. "I'm sorry, Derpy. I was late again."
"I'm okay with that." Derpy grinned, then it faded as she looked down at the Doctor's missing leg. "Doctor... What happened?"
"I honestly don't think it matters." the Doctor grinned, tears still sliding down his face- but this time, they were the tears of joy. "And besides, if we're gonna start asking questions, I don't think we can stop."
Derpy nodded, smiling.
"Now..." Doctor Whooves looked around, his mind finally getting over the fact that Derpy was somehow still alive. "To get out of this place."
"I sent in two twins to accompany Neon." Shining Armor said, and Spitfire nodded.
"Suppose you're aiming for teamwork?" she turned away from the OASIS windshield, casting one last look back out to space. "And you sure they're up to the task?"
"Best trainees in the best training division, ma'am." Shining Armor nodded.
"That settles it then." Spitfire said, then waved at Soarin. "Officer! If you don't mind getting me a coffee."
"Yes ma'am!"
"You mean you mind, or you don't mind?" Spitfire called after him, causing a few chuckles on the bridge.
"I don't mind at all, ma'am."
"Good." Spitfire turned away, rolling her eyes.
"Aren't you even going to review the information?" Shining Armor raised an eyebrow.
"Nope. Do you not trust your own judgement?" Spitfire asked.
"I do, ma'am. Just having a higher up confirm that would be much more reassuring. Your judgement should be more accurate than mine." Shining Armor said.
"And my judgement says trust your judgement." Spitfire said, and Shining Armor sighed; moving off to get a cookie or something.
*
"Why does she even need a team anyway?" Asty complained, part of the 65th training division here on the OASIS. "And why send us ROOKIES on such an IMPORTANT mission?" she moaned.
"Neon doesn't NEED a team." Rig shrugged. "Our cover story is that we are on a training exercise to the Barricade, and we need to use some of their facilities. Neon just sneaks aboard with us."
They were in the locker room, opening their metal cupboards and retrieving their gear.
"You know- I feel every bit insecure about this mission." Asty muttered, putting on her cadet overalls. "First off, we don't even get proper armor. So what if we get into a firefight?"
"We're not supposed to get in one. Stealth, remember? Don't let them evacuate.
Besides, if it does come to a fire fight and we get the whole barricade on our arse- we still won't live anyway." Rig said, putting on some gloves and shoving a pistol into his holster.
"I love the fact that we look almost exactly the same and somehow we're completely different." Asty muttered. They would've looked exactly the same if they were the same gender.
Rig lowered his voice, making sure the other twins don't hear them. "Hey-" he nodded to the two other ponies also gearing up, in complete silence. "What's up with them though?"
"Inkie and Blinkie? I heard they lost all their family members in the second rebellion. Apparently their sister lived in Ponyville- and, you know... Ponyville was the first to get hit by the prototype bio-bomb. And their parents worked in a rock farm on the outskirts... That's where Valhalla is now. No one ever heard from the ponies there again after the city was built... Don't think they took them as slaves either." Asty explained, and Rig cast them a sideways glance, just in time to spot Blinkie slip a serrated knife into her boot.
"That's why they try so hard huh..." Rig muttered.
"Almost achieved graduation from cadet school within a week? I'd say so, yeah." Asty whispered.
"Maybe we should go talk to them. You know, since we're going to work together and all, might as well start now." Rig said, stuffing a few magazines on his belt.
"You can try. I've done that before, didn't work so well." Asty muttered, and Rig raised an eyebrow.
He walked towards one of the twins, trying his best to be friendly.
"Hey, I was just wondering- OH GOD." he shrunk at the murderous intent in Inkie's eyes as she turned around, which faded almost in an instant as she saw him. She pulled up a smile, which Rig highly doubted was legit- even if it seemed so.
"You were saying?" she asked.
"Never mind. Was looking for something, but I found it." Rig said, careful not to turn away too quickly as to not arouse suspicion.
He spotted a small smile on Asty's face when he approached.
"Told ya." She said.
"Damn, those mares are scary as buck." Rig let out a sigh, peering behind him at the twins. They were back to their glum mood- no smiles, nothing. "Let's better get this mission over and done with. An Ursa Major would've been less scary."
"Hey, don't forget there's still a war coming up." Asty slipped into her boots, then tightened the buckles.
"Cadets, are we ready?" an emotionless and somewhat robotic voice said, followed by a few clunks as a dark figure with stripes of light running down its body walked into the room.
"Yes ma'am." Rig said immediately.
"Good. Meet you at the hangar." Neon said, clunking out again.
Rig waited till he couldn't hear her hoofsteps anymore, and slumped down.
"Why is this place so full of scary ponies?"
A few minutes later, the cadets proceeded to the hangar bay- and as expected, Neon was waiting for them there.
"All aboard the ship." Neon said, waving the cadets in. Then once everypony was loaded, she walked in too, and the gunship doors hissed shut. "Take us away, pilot."
"Copy." the pilot said, flicking a few switches as the gunship left the hangar floor.
*
The silver maned earth pony with bright red highlights sighed, and took another bite from her bagel. Now, this would've been a normal scene if she weren't somehow kneeling on the tip of the tallest antenna on CMC head quarters- the highest possible point of the whole of Haven.
The antenna waved gently in the wind, but she didn't seem to be affected by it at all. In fact, it looked like nothing could affect her. Her mane drifted peacefully in the wind, Haven down by her dangling arms. The barricade's engines shimmered above her head- and despite that, she felt some what at peace. This was actually quite nice. Not too hot, not too cold. Just about right- and she had a good view.
Then her phone started ringing, and she rolled her eyes.
She fumbled it out of her pocket, but accidentally let go as a sudden gust of wind hit her. She also let go of the remains of her bagel, and she had to choose one.
She chose the bagel though.
She caught it, and the phone continued dropping. She stretched out a leg, caught the phone on a back hoof and flicked it up into the air. It landed on her shoulder, and she clamped it down with her head.
"Hello?"
"You up on that antenna again?" it was Applebloom.
"Yeah." the earth pony sighed.
"Can you change one? Cause I'm not getting Wi-Fi again."
"But the other ones don't have such a good view." the earth pony complained.
"Just avoid blocking me from my Internet." Applebloom said. "Plus AL just told me that Scootaloo isn't wearing her helmet again. Go keep an eye on her."
"Got it... On my way." the earth pony hung up and pocketed her phone, stuffed the rest of her bagel into her mouth, and swung off the antenna.
She wrapped a gloved hoof around the antenna, slowing her descent. Finally, after traveling about fifteen meters down; her hooves touched down gently on the CMC HQ's roof. She tilted her head to one side, her neck cracking loudly. She flexed her hooves, then walked to the edge.
She looked over the handrails, her eyes tracing down the side of the building- and soon enough she spotted the orange pegasus pony and her scooter.
She swung over the handrails, her grippy boots almost latching onto the side of the building like a lizard's feet. It wouldn't last long though, but no matter- she could move fast enough.
Jogging down the side of the building like it was nothing, she followed Scootaloo.
*
"This is Phoenix 507, permission to dock at D68." the pilot said, flicking a few switches overhead and ready to land on the barricade.
"Cadets, just look inconspicuous." Neon said, and waved a claw in the air. Suddenly she vanished, casting a mirage around herself- but she was still there, it was just an optical illusion. Although it did seem to make the cadets a teeny bit uncomfortable.
There was a loud crunch and bang as one of the barricade's gates slowly slid open, spotlights shining out in beams from inside and focusing on the gunship.
"Val's not here... Everyone's on high alert." the pilot sighed, deploying the landing gear of the ship. "There won't be security checks though- and make sure take downs are stealthy. We all know where the rendezvous is?"
"Right the hell back here." Rig nodded.
This landing dock was the closest to the edge of one of the barricade's many connecting arms, so if they were to escape when the barricade gets lifted up- it would be much easier.
They heard the gates close, and the outside pressure adjust and compress. Then the gunship's doors popped open with a click, and warm artificial air hit their faces.
"Good luck with your training exercises cadets!" the pilot waved, hopping out of the cockpit and pretending to perform maintenance checks, as to give himself an excuse for staying in the dock.
"Halt." one of the guards standing by the main entrance held up a hoof, and approached the group. Neon was following them silently, not even a shimmer in the air and completely invisible to everything and everyone around her. The guard walked up to Rig, and inspected their uniform. "ID."
Rig took out a small card from his chest pocket, and handed it to the guard. The guard ran it through a scanner, matched the photograph with Rig's face; and nodded them in.
"Good luck with your exercise cadets." he said, waving at the other guards and telling them to open the main entrance.
They walked in, in perfect formation- step one, infiltrate the barricade- piece of cake.
"Master controls are in the command tower. Shouldn't be far away." Neon whispered.
They slipped past hundreds of Science Faction officers, completely unaware of the fact that they were in the process of being sabotaged.
After a few hall ways later, they were held back by a few guards.
"Whoa! Where do you think you gals are going? This is a restricted area!" the guard said, somewhat bad tempered.
"Sorry sir. We just got lost." Asty said quickly. "Come on you lot. Pretty sure it's this way." she said, leading them off. As soon as she made sure the guards were out of ear shot, she whispered: "What now? It's in a restricted area!"
"Costume change." Neon whispered back. "Head to the locker rooms. I can put up false projections for the camera."
They proceeded to one of the barricade's locker rooms, and Neon waved her hand. Now the camera was seeing a mirage, and even if they were in the room searching through the lockers- the mirage said that they were looking around confused.
The cadets got into full guard uniform, and nodded ready. Neon waved again, the camera now seeing them exit the room- however still in cadet uniform. From then on the guard helmets should help shield their faces.
"Go through a different checkpoint." Neon said. "The guards at the old one will recognize you."
After a bit of zig-zagging and bluffing their way through to the barricade, they finally made it to the checkpoint.
"IDs?" the guard there asked.
"Well we didn't see that coming." Asty whispered, her lips a slight twitch.
"Time for plan B. Inkie, Blinkie." Neon said, walking to the front of the group and waving. Now the camera was seeing a false image of the guards inspecting their IDs- when in reality, she cast a projection of Asty forward.
"Oi!" one of the guards called out as projection Asty walked right past the checkpoint, and both guards turned around to follow her.
The twins moved up, pulling out knives from their boots with swift and soundless moves. They clamped their hooves over the guards' mouths at the same time, and sunk their blades into their throats. Neon walked past, making sure the mirage was still on the camera and that nopony else was in the area.
"Hide them in the toilets over there." Neon said, pointing towards a small 'stallions' sign next to a white door.
The twins dragged the bodies in, and a few seconds later re-emerged. They shook off the blood on their knives and slipped them back into their boots.
"No wonder they were the ones to graduate." Asty whispered to Rig, who nodded.
Neon changed the mirage on the camera, showing the guards leaving with the group and into the restricted area.
"Good work you lot. Keep moving." Neon said, guiding them on with her whispers.
"More guards." Asty whispered.
"Keep going. Don't attack unless you have to." Neon whispered back.
The patrol squad approached, their boots clunking on the hard and cold metal floors of the barricade. The group pulled on the best neutral and bored face they could, and the patrol squad brushed right past them without giving them so much as a second glance.
"Careful. We're gonna have to take out the entire command center. I estimate about fifty ponies? Yeah." Neon said as they neared a huge metal double door.
It was becoming increasingly noisy here, and it was getting on the cadet's nerves. Fifty ponies? That's pretty much ten to one.
"And be sure to avoid friendly fire guys." Asty said.
"Inkie. Open the double doors." Neon said, and Inkie swiped her ID card on the device. It beeped, denying her access.
"There should be a guard's card in one of your pockets. Search for it." Neon said, and as expected- she found one.
Inkie swiped the guard's card, and the double doors slid open.
"Keep calm and come up with something as to why you're here." Neon whispered as they marched in, the doors closing behind them.
Neon sneaked up to the control panel next to the door, and locked it shut so nopony could escape.
"Captain. Is something wrong?" one of the officers inside walked up to Asty.
For the first time Asty noticed the badge on her chest, and her heart started pounding as she quickly formulated a lie in her head.
"The gals over at ATLANTIS need cover fire. Magic Faction troops have under water cruisers- we didn't see that coming." Asty said quickly. "There's a rogue fighter in the area, we're still working on catching it. It's blocking wireless signals- that's why Val couldn't get the order directly here."
"Right. Do you have any sort of verification that it's from Val?" the officer asked.
"No." Asty admitted.
"I'm sorry, but we can't authorize tha-"
"Give us access- now! Or I'll have her excellency come here personally and kill you, officer!" Asty yelled, grabbing the officer's collar and yanking him nose-to-nose.
The officer's eyes widened with fear at the thought of Val. "Alright alright! What do you need?"
"Val wants all our missiles fired." Asty said, letting go with a small shove. Personally, she was quite pleased with her acting. "Are you even listening to me!!??" she yelled as the officer looked down at his belt.
"Odd... I swear I had my EMP grenade with me. Ah, missiles- right, right- the missile controls are over here-"
"Stay back. We can handle this." Asty said, shoving the officer aside and getting to the primary console.
"Uh... That's the primary console, it controls the entire barricade-"
"I know what I'm doing!" Asty yelled. "So shut up!"
"Right, right." the officer muttered, backing off.
"Make sure all the silo doors are shut." Neon whispered. "Then set a timer, and override the entire thing so nopony else can change it from another location other than here. I stole some EMP grenades here, once the timer starts and these grenades go off- there's no stopping the missiles. Just make sure the silo gates are closed."
"Copy." Asty whispered, making quick work of the console.
The rest of the group stood by silently, watching the bridge at work as Neon sneaked into the middle of the huge room, readying the EMP grenades.
"Don't forget to open the silo gates." the officer reminded.
"I know. Targeting." Asty lied.
Seeing his sister was having trouble diverting attention, he quickly walked up to the officer.
"Where are the turret controls? I need to see if I have visual on the rogue aircraft." he said, and the officer led him to the turrets control section. Because each turret required its individual screen, only the turrets of this barricade section could be controlled from here. Missiles were a different matter however, just point at a location, plot a course, and select the silo, and you're done.
"Starting timer. ETA fifteen minutes." Asty said, making one final click.
Then alarms started going off all over the place, the command center filling up with red as lights started flashing.
"You idiot! I told you to open the silo gates-" the officer yelled, but then was knocked into the air as powerful EMP grenades went off all around the command center, disabling everything and knocking the officers down.
"Attack the officers!" Neon yelled. She set a false projection on the cameras, having whoever is at the controls believe that the alarm was for an intruder alert.
The group started shooting at the officers, making takedowns through the smoke from the EMPs. On the camera, it looked like the officers were taking down the intruders- when in reality they weren't.
Inkie ducked under a bullet, then leaped up; pulling the knife out from her boot in one smooth motion. She lodged it into a stallion's throat, and swung him around as a meat shield; pulling out her pistol and firing into the crowd.
Asty got down behind a line of consoles, firing pistol shots around the corner. Rig slid down next to her, taking out a stallion that was just about to creep around the other end of the consoles.
Neon started clawing the officers, and it didn't even matter- because they couldn't see her. Plus bullets won't land a scratch on her anyway.
Soon enough the command center was cleared out, but the camera saw all the intruders killed and a few surviving officers inside limping towards the exit- and the surviving officers were them.
"Act injured!" Neon yelled as she kicked down the double doors, smoke pouring out into the corridors.
"Shuck- are you guys alright?" one of the soldiers outside asked- clearly they had been waiting.
"I'm fine. Area's been cleared... Gah, damnit." Rig cracked his wrist loudly.
"We had a few officers gone rogue. Get the cleanup team in there- we can stop the evacs now. Nothing to see here!" Asty yelled over the chattering, waving the science faction soldiers back.
"What happened?" one of the soldiers asked Rig.
"We were tracking a ship we thought belonged to rebels. Lost track of them for a few minutes, and they directly attack our command center." Rig said, quickly formulating a lie. "Stole guard uniform and went in. Took out everyone in sight..." he sighed. "We were a second late."
"Get back to your posts!!" Asty yelled, waving the guards off. "Get the clean up team in here- now!"
"Let's leave. Not much time left." Neon whispered, and they started weaving through the troops crowded outside the command center. "Pilot, is the ship ready?"
"It is, but they're holding me back because of the alarm. At the moment no one leaves, no one gets in." the pilot said, and Neon could hear loud machinery operating in the background.
"What do we do?" Rig asked, joining the conversation.
"Kill whoever is guarding the ship." Neon said. "Take off at the last moment, so their turrets won't be on us."
"Sounds like it's gonna be close." Asty said.
"There's no fun when everything goes as planned." Neon said, her emotionless voice somehow sounding cheerful.
"Hey everyone! Halcyon here. Pinkie just opened up a portal for me so I could talk to you guys." Halcyon said, peering through a small hole in reality. "But uh, this is not part of the chapter above. Just saying. I just came by for a message- the author said something about a 'Bounty Hunters prequel', and a 'Graphic Novel'... But he's got a link for you in the Author's Notes. See ya guys!"
"I'm at the engines." Lightning Dust said, gravity generators in her boots latching her firmly onto the windy surface of the S.F. cruiser, the engines blazing and rippling the air ten meters down from her location. She peered over the edge, watching them burn.
"On my way. Just need to shake these bastards off." Zealo said, and Lightning Dust could see his Apollo swerve through the air with several Strikers on his tail.
Suddenly the cruiser shook as portions of the tip blew apart, and the imbalance started causing it to tilt back. Lightning Dust tumbled over, and just managed to grab onto the edge. Her hooves dangled over the blazing engines. She was about to fly up when she noticed the huge air flow that was sucking her towards the engines- or more precisely, a specific portion of them. It was the air extractor, where air is drawn into the engines and then pushed out as thrust. This was often used in atmospheric conditions to reserve fuel for use in space.
So basically, she would get sucked into the engines if she were to open up her wings.
"Zealo? I've got a small problem here. Gonna have to blow up the engine right now. I'm stuck." she said, swinging down and making her gravity boots stick onto the side, the engines still slowly dragging at her from behind. Long marks started forming on the hull as her metal boots dragged along the surface. "Get away from the cruiser, it's not gonna last long after this."
"But what about pick up?"
"I can fly." Lightning Dust said, plucking a grenade from her belt and ripping out the pin. She looked down at the air extractors. "Wanna eat? Have this-" she said, dropping the grenade.
She didn't even need to aim it anywhere. The airflow sucked it straight into the engines, and she braced for impact.
There was a loud tink as the grenade hit metal, and a loud boom as it blew apart. The grenade shredded a portion of the hull, tearing up the metal; which got sucked straight into the engines. A series of loud bangs echoed through the entire cruiser, traveling down the lengths of the engines. Acting as a chain reaction, the metal shreds that got sucked in were wreaking havoc on the internals.
The engines spluttered, hissed, and went out. The flames died down, and Lightning Dust could feel the sudden decrease in velocity as the cruiser slowed down.
"That was easy."Zealo said, watching as the cruiser started slowly falling out of the sky. It was quite a sight, a flaming hunk of metal spanning several kilometers slowly dropping towards the water surface, the sea below it seemingly stretching beyond the horizon. More importantly, there was another cruiser underneath it.
"Didn't blow up. That was boring." Lightning Dust said, feeling the airflow die down and stretching out her wings.
Suddenly an out of control Striker swooped down, clearly having been shot in the wing- and almost hit Lightning Dust full on. It clipped her left wing, and they both went tumbling down towards the engines.
"Gah!" she screamed as her back cracked against the heated metal surface of one of the engines, while the Striker continued down, flaming and plummeting towards the sea. The immense heat of the surface burnt her back, and probably even melted what remained of her wings. She screamed, but not daring to move or she'll get more of herself barbecued. The cruiser shook, and she started rolling towards the edge. Her mind was dulled by the hit it got from that Striker, and she was barely thinking as she clawed at the engine's surface; which was slipping out from underneath her. She felt something sticky catch her back for a short second- yep, that'll definitely be her grilled wing.
Then she started falling again, down towards another cruiser. The word spun, one moment deep blue with the ocean and the next light blue with streaks of white clouds. Whatever remained of her wings twisted and turned, but she wasn't in control of them. They broke her descent, but she still slammed down pretty hard when she landed face first onto the metal hull of the cruiser below.
"Lightning Dust! You still there? The cruiser's coming down on another one- I doubt they'll go down without a boom this time! Lightning Dust!" Zealo's voice yelled through the micro speaker, but it was lying on the floor next to Lightning Dust's half conscious body.
She stirred, trying to stand up- but her legs gave way and she fell again. She couldn't feel her wings- well, she could- but they didn't feel the slightest like wings. They felt like shredded strands of muscle- and because of that, she didn't dare look back. There was a lot of blood on the floor, and a lot of loud metallic groaning in the background. Despite the small puddle, it was still quite less all things considered. The engine must've burnt her open wounds together. She looked up, and saw the cruiser she fell from earlier- crumbling down in flames, bits of burning metal with fire trailing them in the air falling down from the main body. She peered closer- those weren't part of the cruiser. Those were its crew members- in their desperate last attempt at survival- all going down in flames, some what literally.
She looked away as she heard somepony's screaming, getting closer and closer; until it ended with a loud thunk and sickening crack somewhere next to her. She felt the vibration in the hull for that one. She couldn't control it- she looked to her side, and saw the dead body of the mare that tried to jump into the ocean. Clearly she fell way too short, but she didn't look like she had a choice anyway. Lightning Dust could barely tell whether or not it was a mare, considering how demented and burnt the body was.
Was this what she wanted? To prove herself, to make herself useful... To make herself recognized. She looked back at the still burning body, with the eyes of a murderer. Was this really what she wanted?
She slowly crawled her way to the mic, and picked it up. She felt its familiar cold presence in her ear again as she placed it there.
"Zealo..." she said, her voice a mere croak. She could feel blood dripping from her wings and slipping down her side. She couldn't feel the pain, as her body was in shock- but from what she could feel, she decided it was worse than having them completely ripped away. After all, she could feel a strand of muscle stuck to her back by blood. Worse part was, she could feel both ends- both her back, and the odd strand of muscle.
"Shuck! You're alive! The hay are you? The cruiser's coming down!" Zealo said, having shaken off the Strikers and now circling the two cruisers and their inevitable collision. One desparately trying to get out of the way, the other falling in the same direction- collision was inevitable. "Where are you? I'm coming around for pick up."
"Nah. Too late." Lightning said, looking up- the sun was already being blocked out, and the cruiser was coming down fast. "Just remember to give me credit for taking down TWO cruisers." she said, every bit of strength draining from her muscles.
"Too bad. I'm coming in." Zealo said, marking a location on his HUD based on a tracking device in Lightning Dust's armor.
"Just go back to command. Judging by the blood loss, I won't make it anyways. Help with the evac." Lightning said, lying down on the hull and ignoring her oddly shaped wings.
"Damnit- just hold still! I'm heading straight for you now!" Zealo yelled, the Apollo screaming towards the closing gap between the two cruisers.
"You'll just end up dead too. It's too late-"
"I won't forgive myself for not trying!!" Zealo yelled, but even he could see there was pretty much no hope.
"And how do you plan on picking me up?" Lightning Dust asked, with a sad chuckle. She took something off her belt. "Hey, as a question- which do you think would be a more painless death..." she made sure the pistol was fully loaded, and pressed the barrel against her temple. "...crushed by a thousand ton cruiser, or a bullet through the head?"
Zealo heard the click as she flicked the safety off.
"No! Don't- I'm right the buck here!" Zealo yelled, the Apollo still flying towards the two cruisers. "Don't bucking martyr yourself!"
"Bullet through the head it is." Lightning Dust breathed.
"Wait-" Zealo started, but everything seemingly fell silent as a loud bang traveled through the mic. He couldn't hear the groans and screams of the metals on the cruisers, the blaring engines of the Apollo, the high pitched whine of electrics inside the cockpit, or the static of the mic that followed- he could hear none of that. "Lightning Dust?" he asked, and even his own voice sounded distant. "Can you hear me? Oi, Dusty!"
But there was nothing but static as a reply.
Then-
"Damnit, I couldn't do it. I'm too awesome to commit suicide. Hurry up! Just don't kill yourself."
"God damnit Dusty." Zealo muttered, now just in front of the gap.
He turned the plane upside down, and just managed to clear the closing gap. The cruisers were fusing at an angle- and Zealo entered by the narrow end. Light around him darkened as the gap behind him closed together, only to be lit up again by the explosions that followed. Then a flak projectile whizzed by his ship, hitting the top and exploding in a huge upside-down fireball.
"Shuck- their auto turrets are still on!" he yelled, but didn't dare turn the ship the right way around as the two surfaces were so close.
But he could spin the Apollo.
He spun the engines, making the Apollo turn 180 degrees while still heading in the same direction.
"Uuah!" he cried out as a flak hit near him- also because he had no idea where he was going, considering he was flying backwards. His eyes widened even more when he saw what was chasing him.
To try to describe it, it was a line of exploding fireballs stuck between two quickly closing surfaces; with distinct trails of smoke from flak turrets zig-zagging in between. Pressure inside the cruisers was also obviously increasing, as occasionally a portion of the hull would burst out and release a cloud of deadly flames. Zealo accidentally flew through one of these clouds, and could feel the sudden increase in temperature even inside the cockpit.
"Screw this-" he said, and turned the Apollo back around; its engines flaring up with a loud boom as he boosted it forward.
The Apollo zipped through the closing gaps, weaving through the flak towers and occasionally coming dangerously close to being shot down.
There was a loud boom- the cruisers' hulls must've been depleted, and their central structures must've hit each other. Unlike the flimsy hull, the central structure was essentially a huge ball of metal that could be deemed indestructible.
Through holes in the hull above, things started falling from the impact; shaken out from inside the ship. Weapons crates, beds from dorms, furniture- the contents of the ship were being thrown out. But inanimate objects weren't the only ones falling.
Soon enough Zealo could hear the screaming, hundreds of Science Faction officers and soldiers alike falling to their deaths below, some clinging on desperately and only to be burned to death later. Survival wasn't an option in this situation.
Something hit his windscreen, and crimson red smeared across the glass; tinting everything behind it red. There were bits and chunks of pink, and shreds of what once might've been an officer's uniform. Zealo tried his best not to puke, but the blood and guts were right there in front of his eyes, and he could not clean them away.
He was quickly nearing Lightning's location.
"Can you fly?" he asked.
"I would've flown away already if I could." Lightning Dust said.
"Shuck." Zealo said, slowing the plane down. This was risky, but he had to fly it at the lowest possible speed for this to work. And right now, the explosions and crushing jaws of the cruisers were right behind him. "Think you can grab my hoof and swing into the back seat?"
"It's gonna hurt real bad, but I think I can handle a stunt like that." Lightning Dust said, then chuckled. "Hey, that rhymed. Sort of."
"More ponies that I will never understand." Zealo muttered, making a sharp right and dodging a flak. "Buck!" he yelled as something clipped the hull.
"Hull integrity, 30%." the inboard AI said.
"My Apollo isn't holding up very well." Zealo said. "Can you see me?"
"Got visual." Lightning Dust said.
"Well. Get ready to grab my Apollo. How fast are your reaction times?"
"I was the best in the Wonderbolt training academy, until I got sacked for being too good. So I'd say my reaction speed is pretty fast." Lightning Dust said, some what glumly.
"I see you. Get ready..." Zealo said, spotting a small distinct dot in the distant. He made sure his seatbelt was tightened to the max, checked his helmet, and flicked a switch to his side.
The windshield popped up, then slid back. Instantly he was hit by the wind, and he could feel the warmth of the explosions tingle his skin through his suit.
"I'm going to miss having a functional arm." Lightning Dust said. She stumbled up, some what painfully. She looked out, and saw the Apollo as it flew towards her, chased by a line of fireballs. This looks pretty dramatic, she thought to herself.
"Slowing down..." Zealo said, making the Apollo break and fly at the slowest possible speed- without getting him killed by the explosions behind him. But still, it was about twenty miles an hour.
"YOLO!" Lightning Dust yelled at the last second, and jumped up. Her front hooves latched onto the back of Zealo's seat, and she swung up and into the co-pilot spot, her gravity boots latching on firmly to the floor.
Zealo punched the switch, the windshield sliding back on. Then he stomped on the accelerator, bombarding the unprepared Lightning Dust with an insane amount of g-force as the Apollo shot from twenty miles per hour to a hundred and fifty in point seven seconds.
There was a loud boom as they entered sonic speed, the line of light in front of them signaling the end of danger. Slowly it was coming closer and closer, the darkness retreating and fires behind them growing less bright in comparison to the sunlight outside.
The cruiser hulls whooshed by them on the top and bottom, and were getting increasingly close. Because Zealo had to slow down, they were much further back than where they should be- and much closer to the narrow end.
The two ends closed in, and the Apollo jerked violently as the top and bottom scraped along the metal hulls. Sparks were flying all over the place, loud mechanical groans echoing around inside the cockpit. There was a loud crack as part of the Apollo's outer hull gave way, the pressure crushing the turret hidden underneath it.
Then they hit open air, clear of the closing gap that most certainly would've crushed them.
The blue skies and fluffy clouds were a much more welcoming sight than they would've been, signaling the end of the few terrifying minutes inside a hazardous bombardment of everything that could've easily killed them. But they were alive, and boy- it was good to be alive.
Although, maybe a bit too alive- Lightning Dust thought as the pain was starting to slowly seep into her.
There was a loud boom as the second cruiser's engines failed, having to support the weight of two cruisers instead of only one. They fell, slowly tumbling down; and hit the water surface. A huge wave rippled outwards, then broke into a million little droplets; followed by more as the two cruisers sunk into the ocean. Large columns of smoke spanning kilometers in diameter were left in the air, slowly being pushed away by the ocean breeze.
"Huh. How about that- still no big boom." Lightning Dust said weakly. "Although, I think I'll name that one 'Titanic' and the other 'Concordia'."
"Worst. Pick up. Ever." Zealo said, flying the Apollo around and heading for ATLANTIS. He definitely needed some repairs on the plane, plus Lightning Dust needed immediate medical attention. "Also, that's just cruel."
"That was nice. Maybe we could get dinner together sometime, or something." Lightning Dust said, a little weakly and forced. The pain in her wounds really had a nasty sting.
"Haha- thanks for the offer, but I'm taken already." Zealo said, thinking back. His heart kind of dropped as he said that though- he hadn't seen Magnum since she was moved to work on the OASIS- and there were rumors floating around about her being dead on a mission to the barricade. He wasn't going to believe any of that until he has hard evidence- but it always unsettles him. Technically he wasn't going out with her at all, because none of them actually spoke up- but he could tell that they both could tell. He also thought about that other reality- oh, silly Magnum- shot me with a gun.
"Awww, really? What's the point of having good taste when everyone's taken? I'm still not quick enough, eh." Lightning Dust sighed, closing her eyes. Maybe she could go to sleep and ignore her injuries that way.
*
Val and Blithy had wreaked havoc across ATLANTIS, and now they were in the weapons storage room. There was smoke everywhere. A second ago Val had set off a full box of smoke grenades, now none of them could see anything.
"Blithy! Commander!" An officer and his squad came running towards Blithy. "Did you get Val?"
"Lost her. No idea where she is." Bltihy sighed, looking around. "Also, don't call me commander. I'm Blithy, egghead dumbarse the third-"
"SCREW YOU!" the real Blithy came leaping out of the smoke, and slammed fake Blithy across the face.
"It was worth it." Val said, getting up and rubbing her chin.
"There she is! Shoot her!!" the squad leader yelled, and put a bullet through Val's head.
"Hey!" Val yelled, irritated. She flicked out her palm, and in turn sent a bullet busting through the squad leader's skull.
"Leave them, Val!" Blithy yelled, swinging a punch at her evil self.
"What? He shot me, so I shot him back! It hurt!" Val complained, blocking the punch and kneeing Blithy in the stomach.
"Well it's about to hurt even more." Blithy said, grabbing Val's leg and flipping her head over heels. Val slammed back onto the ground face first, cracking the concrete floor.
"Buck you." she said, hooking an arm behind Blithy's back hooves and tripping her down.
"You guys! Retreat!" Blithy yelled at the squad. "And don't send anyone back here!"
"Brave little martyr are we?" Val grinned, getting up and launching a kick at Blithy's head.
Blithy was about to bring her arm up to block it, but Val shot her hoof and delayed it. Her kick connected with the side of Blithy's head, and she went flying across the room.
"Roughly five meters. About twenty below the record." Val estimated, peering into the smoke.
"I always hated that tooth anyway." Blithy muttered, spitting out a tooth and wiping the blood off her face. "Nice kick."
"Why thank you." Val said, a grin on her face as usual.
"Just need to work on the accuracy." Blithy said, rubbing her neck and readying for another round.
Vinyl had received an emergency call, and had head off somewhere to have it in private. She returned a moment later, a frown on her face. It had started raining quite heavily, and her usually spiky mane drooped down by her sides and stuck to her face. She shivered a little, but nothing of importance.
"Something wrong?" Rainbow asked. "Looking pretty heavy there."
"Got a big burden on my shoulders." Vinyl sighed. "And all of us here too. But especially you, Rainbow." she said, looking up. They were surrounded by trees of the Everfree, enough visual cover to keep them hidden from the barricade for the time being. Although, they did hear drop pods deploy within the kilometer.
"Me? What is this about?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
"The war is about to officially start. They already have an operation to take down the barricade under way." Vinyl said. "But we need somepony to tell the ground troops to emerge from the underground. The barricade would act as a distraction, so the S.F. underground troops should be up on the surface and being used as reinforcements. We could take the surface while they do that. But as I said earlier, we need somepony to spread the word- and Spitfire specifically requested that you deliver the message."
Rainbow was silent for a second, and everyone turned their attention to her.
"Are you sure she's not referring to Silver here? Cause we're actually both called Rainbow." Rainbow said, patting her alternate self on the back.
"I don't think it matters. We're the same pony, just with different memories, is all." Silver said. "And since you're the one who is officially known as Rainbow here, you should deliver the speech."
"Wait wait wait, speech? You know I'm not good at those."
"Congratulations, you don't have a choice." Vinyl said, patting Rainbow on the shoulder and walking past her. "It was an order from Captain Spitfire. And in case I have to remind you, she is of the highest rank in the entire faction."
Rainbow felt the burden Vinyl was talking about now. It slammed down on her shoulders, and she felt like slumping down just from that weight. But she stood as if nothing was there. She knew the importance of this- it was more than a message, it was motivation. With positive motivation, this could very well win the war.
A war is fought in the heart as much as it is in flesh and blood, so the saying goes. Ponies must have the will to fight, and the more will they have- the more effort they'll put in.
"Fine." Rainbow said, nodding. "I'll do it. But I don't have any broadcast system."
"Haven does. That's why you'll be heading there." Vinyl said, transferring co-ordinates of Haven onto Rainbow's HUD.
"Wait- but what about the mission?" Octavia asked.
"Start the war, and everything will be weakened and distracted. Or so that's what Spitfire's thinking." Vinyl said. "I've given you the co-ordinates to Haven. But I won't be following you guys, I was originally supposed to investigate what the nuke was for. A nuke passed by Haven, scared the hell outta me I do admit. It hit Fillydelphia, but we have no idea why. We were sent in to investigate. Oh yes, which reminds me-" she pointed at the griffon, who none of them took notice despite his some-what enormous size. "That's Frostbite, and he'll be coming with me."
"Definitely has a nasty bite, I can tell you that." Silver whispered, and Rainbow tried her best not to snicker.
"Right. So we'll be heading to Haven, and probably never see you again. That's uh, nice." Octavia remarked, and the group plunged into silence.
"Don't sound so glum. We'll see each other again." Vinyl waved, walking off towards Fillydelphia with Frostbite behind her.
"Yeah, depends on where we see each other again." Rainbow sighed.
"I guess I'd better be off." Vinyl said, even though she was already walking away.
"Take care." Octavia said. "I really do hope I'll see you again, old roommate."
"Will do." Vinyl said, waving without turning around. The reason she didn't turn to look at them was because she wanted to hide that tear on her face. Science Faction troops were crawling all over the place, and she was likely not to return. But she'd rather die somewhere dark than right before her friend's eyes- ponies only live once, after all. One chance, and that's it. Also, seeing her friends might change her mind- and she didn't want that.
Rainbow noticed the sad expression on Octavia's face as Vinyl trotted off into the woods.
"Tavi. You alright there buddy?" she asked, the rain hammering the ground and forming puddles.
"Yeah. Just that... It was a short reunion." Octavia chuckled sadly, and Rainbow could tell that rain water weren't the only droplets sliding down her face.
She sighed. She knew what she was thinking- this might be the last time they see Vinyl.
In this new reality, every time they break eye contact could mean they'd never see each other again. And sometimes...
Rainbow thought back to Nightshade. Sometimes they get stolen away right before your eyes. She let out a deep sigh, looking out to the dark skies. Lightning shook the heavens violently, crackling across the dark clouds. Not a thread of sunlight shone through, not even an impression. Just dark, gloomy skies that reflected their mood. She let the rain drops pelt her face then slide down, felt the cold tingle on her skin compare to the warm fabric of her clothing. She looked back down, keeping all excess emotions off her face.
"Come on guys, let's go. We're wasting precious time." Rainbow said, turning away.
"Wait- what about her?" Babs gestured at Magnum.
"I'm going with them." Magnum said, her one functional eye settled on a goal only she could see. "They know who I am, who I was- at the moment, they know more about me than I do. I think I could use that. I need to know who I am." she said, the rain soaking the bandages wrapped around her wounds.
Rainbow nodded, and turned to Babs. "You can come too, if you want."
Babs shook her head, chuckling. "The forest has been my home for my whole darn life now, I think I'll stay."
"You sure? The science faction knows you're here now- they'll come looking for you, and I'm telling you now- the best thing that could happen to you is that they'll kill you."
Babs shook her head, and looked behind her at the forest. "You know... I've been living here, fifteen, maybe even twenty years- I lost count. This place is home now... And I really don't like leaving it. I feel like... Like the world outside is too big."
"Come on, Babs." Rainbow said, then smiled as she remembered something. Haven- ofcourse, the CMC. "Applebloom's at Haven. You know, she always tells me you're her favorite cousin- she'd be disappointed if you didn't turn up."
And she could tell that worked.
"Yeah, but I doubt you'd have enough space in your car for another extra pony, let alone two." Babs pointed out.
Rainbow shrugged. "Oh don't worry, we can just fit the fillies-"
*
"-In the trunk. Damnit sis." Dainty muttered, snuggling in the oddly roomy trunk of the black car.
"Oh, you'll be fine. Nothing too bumpy here." Rainbow said as she helped Lily in. She was a bit short to crawl in herself. "Besides, you two could sit up perfectly- and just call EDI if you need any help."
"Happy to be of assistance." EDI said- turns out there were speakers and microphones embedded almost everywhere. "I have drinks on board should you require any. Also, the trunk may be opened from the top on the inside, just behind the second row of seats. I could do that should it be more comfortable for you."
"Sis, I'm really starting to like EDI over you." Dainty said, giving Rainbow a some-what disapproving look.
"Oh come on- it's not my fault that you two are the only ones that could fit in the tr-"
"Hey!" both Dainty and Lily shouted a the same time.
"Alright, alright. My bad." Rainbow sighed, closing the trunk carefully and not slamming it down.
"Where to again, my friend?" Octavia asked.
"Haven- darn it, we have to cross the North Pole." Rainbow sighed, checking her HUD and getting into the car. Then she noticed something on the map, next to their current location. "Although, before that- I'd like to visit Ponyville first." she said, slamming the door shut.
Octavia looked nervously at Daring and Silver. They both nodded at her, telling her to do whatever. They knew why she was nervous about this- they all were. But they mustn't draw suspicion from Rainbow- or she'll insist. But best if they don't go at all- she'll give it a shot.
"Rainbow, we don't have time. We need to get to Haven ASAP." Octavia said, shifting the gear.
"But it's right there, won't hurt to have a look-see." Rainbow moaned.
"But Rainbow, didn't you hear that the operation was already under way? Who knows when we'll even reach the north pole! We need to go n-"
"Please, Tavi." Rainbow said, and Octavia noticed that she was looking down at the ground- she could tell they were concentrated on something far away.
She knew vaguely that Ponyville was Rainbow's home. She would understand it if she wanted to have a look around, and she could very much say the same for herself when it comes to Canterlot. She took in a deep breath, and changed the designated location in the GPS.
"Alright." she said, nodding. "One stop though, make it quick."
"I will." Rainbow said, smiling. It wasn't exactly a happy one though. "And thanks for understanding, Tavi."
Not many words were exchanged as they drove to Ponyville. Considering it was within easy walking distance, they got there pretty quick.
"So this is it, huh..." Rainbow whispered as she stepped out of the car. The rain had faded into nothing but a faint drizzle, but it was still quite chilly.
The big sign that often welcomed good folks into Ponyville was hanging on one hinge, tangled there by vines and squeaking as the wind slowly rocks it back and forth. The metal on it was corroded, worn away and rusty; a clear layer of brown over what was a beautiful black paint job. It would've been welcoming, to see something familiar- but in its current form, it didn't feel like Rainbow was being welcomed into Ponyville. She felt like she was being welcomed into something completely alien, yet so familiar. She couldn't see much further than the first row of buildings, all damaged and... Oddly, grey.
She looked around at what was home with sad eyes- oh, how she wasted so much of her life. Living in Manehatten, not ever to return home- now she could see how foolish she was to try and drive a barrier between her and here. It was pointless- and now there was a barrier between them, but not driven by her- driven by the events of this new reality. She whimpered as she realized she'd never be able to go back to that colorful, vibrant Ponyville again- and all she was left with was this big radiation hazard.
She took a deep breath, and started walking into Ponyville.
"Rainbow! Where are you going!? Come back! We have to leave now!" she heard Octavia yell after her, but she didn't stop.
Then she heard several doors open, then slam shut with loud bangs. She heard hoofsteps follow her, then slow down as Daring, Octavia and Silver approached.
"You guys should go look after those two and the fillies." Rainbow said, not looking at them but at everything around her. Familiar, yet alien. Sad, and not homelike at all.
"EDI can look after them." Octavia said. "To be perfectly honest, all of us should be here with you right now."
"I don't need protecting- the science faction isn't here. I can defend myself."
"We're not here to protect you from the science faction." Octavia narrowed her eyes, laying a hoof on her shoulder. "We're here to protect you from yourself."
Rainbow stopped, rainwater dripping down her coat and hat. She peered back a little, those purple irises bright in the grey.
"I can handle myself." she said, walking onwards and casting gazes around at her surroundings.
She spotted a familiar building, one of the few that she visited often.
"Carousel Boutique..." Rainbow sighed, casting a sad gaze at the tent like structure. The walls were ripped, and the structure almost unrecognizable- but she lived here. She knew that building. She chuckled sadly when she thought of what Rarity's reaction might be to her now filthy fashion shop.
They walked onwards, soon coming to a large tree.
"I wonder if all of Twilight's books are still here." she mumbled to herself as she approached. Half of it was missing, blown apart by some sort of bomb. The branches were empty, not a single green leaf in sight. Windows were shattered, metal frames buckled. It was nothing like she remembered it to be.
There was a big bomb crater where Sugarcube corner should've been. She could still find traces of it though, grayed traces of pink and white and chocolate brown. All nothing but shattered and broken pieces in the bomb crater that was about five meters deep. A good chunk of the buildings next to it was missing too, simply wiped out of existence.
Rainbow sighed, and moved on.
"I loved the cupcakes Pinkie makes." she said to no one in particular as they followed her through Ponyville. "Sugarcube corner was one of the best places to go to in Ponyville."
"Rainbow, we should really be heading back-" Octavia started, but Rainbow shushed her.
"Just a little longer." she said.
Octavia cast the other two a worried glance- and they returned a calmer gaze. As long as Rainbow doesn't go to the monument...
"You know- they used to make the best cider here." Rainbow said, looking out towards the fields and fields of nothing but tree branches.
Sweet Apple Acres was nothing but a wasteland in itself, the old bright red barn with its paint peeled off and sitting like an eye witness to all this horror on top of one of the hills. Since the trees had been cleared, she could even see a small dot in the distance- the Cutie Mark Crusaders' Club House, Scootaloo had taken her there for a little look around once. But that was after she sneaked in for a peak during one of their RD fan club meetings.
She shook her head. So many memories, now must be altered. "Did I ever tell you about the times when Pinkie would take all the cider? I used to be unable to even get a drop at all." she chuckled sadly, trying to lighten the mood. But it only ended up sending more stalks through her weakening heart.
They walked past town hall- it had never been so broken since Derpy's accident. The roof was caved in, the support beams crushed and lying in pieces. The walls had holes in them, revealing some of the metal internal structures used to support it. Bits of wood lay everywhere, and by the looks of it- the interior was even worse.
Then she remembered something- her vision, with Fluttershy and all. When they were in the sewers of Fillydelphia.
She quickly rushed to the Cottage, with Octavia and the others calling after her- but she didn't stop.
She kicked down the door, huffing and puffing. She cast crazed gazes around the room, but found nothing but bones of animals that used to be under Fluttershy's care. Her heart fell as she found no trace of the shy pegasus- she had no idea what she had hoped for.
"Rainbow..." Octavia said softly. "We should really go now." she placed a firm hoof on her shoulder, pulling her around so she faced her. "You're losing yourself. If this goes on you're going to go insane. This isn't good for any of us- plus you've got a big speech on your hooves. This war very well may depend on you-" she said, and grabbed Rainbow by the shoulders and shook them. "We need you. Not just us, Equestria needs you. If we win, we might just be able to restore everything back to normal eventually. But if we don't- we won't even get the chance. Think about who did this- think about who caused all this blood shed, all this pain."
Rainbow nodded.
"You know what to do, right? We have to go. Before you get trapped." Octavia said, her expression showing genuine concern. "It pains us to see you like this. But I'm sorry- we really have to go now."
"Alright, alright..." Rainbow said, feeling heavily tired and her eyelids drooping. She walked past Octavia, stumbling towards the black car- then she noticed something in the sky. Something that was never there before, and should never be there.
It was a huge stone needle, shooting straight up from the center of Ponyville and up to the sky. It shone in the darkness, catching the only glimpses of sunlight through the dark clouds and casting them out as reflections. It looked like some sort of monument, standing tall above all else and clearly visible.
"Hold on.... Let me just see one last thing." Rainbow said, not taking her gaze away from the needle. "I need to know what that is."
"We don't have the time Rainbow- you're sinking in too deep into your own memories. You gotta let them go!" this time it was Silver. "I knew what happened here. I saw it happen. Nothing could've stopped it. So stop looking around and thinking about what could've gone right- because things of the past can't be changed at this stage anymore."
But Rainbow refused to listen.
The three cast each other worried glances behind her back- this was bad, really bad.
"I'm sorry, but you do not have permission to leave the barricade. It is currently under lock down, we got intruders earlier, and so-" the guard started, but Neon snapped his neck before he could finish.
"Just get to the ship." she said, marching towards the drop ship. "Spitfire, we might need some reinforcements to cover our escape."
"Gotcha." Spitfire said, and waved a hoof behind her. "Dispatch a squad of Strikers. Go on. Send in the ILLUSION, I want to give them a bit more than just a squad. Neon, fly straight aboard the ILLUSION. I think I want to keep my cover for just a wee bit longer."
"Copy that. You lot! Cadets- get aboard now!" Neon yelled, waving them towards the ship.
"STOP!!" somepony yelled, coming out from one of the sliding doors in the barricade.
"Shuck. They're onto us!" Asty yelled, pulling out her pistol and firing a laser bolt into the guard's chest. He went flying back with a burst of sparks, and shouts came out of the door.
"Pilot. Take us away." Neon said, hopping in.
"Don't have to tell me twice." the pilot sighed, and the drop ship started lifting off the ground.
"STOP THEM!!" the guards yelled, and started shooting lasers at them.
"Return fire." Neon said, then walked into the cockpit. She flicked off some safety switches, and fired two missiles into the gates keeping them in.
The gates blew apart, and instantly everything inside was sucked out into the vacuum of space.
Chunks of metal, repair tools, stands, guards, and whatever else was in the docking gate came flying with a small explosion, out into the vast emptiness of space. The ship came tumbling out, and everyone on board struggled to hold on. Obviously except for Neon.
"Take us away pilot. But stay close to the barricade until everything goes off- we'll need the cover from the cruisers in the mean time." Neon said, walking back into the passenger's compartment. She reached up, and pulled down two manual turrets on either side. "Mare the turrets. We need as much defense as possible. I'll be in the cockpit, call me if you need help."
"Yes ma'am!" the cadets saluted.
"Drop the ma'am. I don't even have a proper rank." Neon said, taking the co-pilot seat.
"Strikers being deployed across the barricade." the pilot said, pointing at about ten red dots that suddenly appeared on their radar. He pushed the lever forward, and the ship's engines flared as they boosted forward.
The Strikers followed them, engines blazing.
"Weave through and try to lose them in the barricade. Fly close." Neon said.
"Gotcha." the pilot said, bringing the drop ship down and flying next to the barricade. Rows and rows of turrets flew by them on the side, glowing windows becoming streaks of light with their speed.
"Watch it. Here they come." Rig said, pointing his rifle in the direction of the Strikers.
"Contact ahead!" Neon yelled, a separate group of Strikers flying in from a different section of the barricade.
"Nice little sandwich we got here." Asty muttered, turning the turret.
Neon flicked a few switches, launching missiles into the group ahead of them. They exploded with bright puffs of flames, flying out of the smoke clouds in pieces. Some still made it though, and weaved through the line of missiles. They fired their own, but Asty and Inkie shot them down with the turrets before they could hit.
"Change sides." Neon said, tapping the window on the right.
"Moving." the pilot said, sending the ship into a low dip. It dropped down below the barricade, then moved right across. It flew back up again, along the other side of the arm.
The Strikers followed, arching high over the barricade and flipping back down again, smoky white trails following their blazing engines. They weren't in the dark confinements of space anymore- there were in the atmosphere. Above them was the darkness of infinite space, and below them were the faded blue skies of the Equestrian wastelands.
Bullets whizzed past the ship- the Strikers were open firing.
"We're not going to make it far like this!" Asty warned, sending streams of glowing bullets back at their enemies.
"Change arms." Neon said, and the pilot turned the ship slightly to the right. They flew past a blazing barricade engine, and proceeded to fly along a different length.
Suddenly a separate stream of bullets came down from above, and ripped right down the center of a Striker. It caught fire, and tumbled down to the surface with pieces still coming off. Then it blew apart into several bits, falling down to the abyss below.
"What the hay..?" Asty looked up.
"Hold your fire! What's gotten into you!?" one of the Striker pilots yelled.
"Sorry mate, but this is a conspiracy." Cloudchaser yawned, leading her squad of Apollos down behind the other group. "Nothing personal here."
The magic faction didn't have any Strikers. They all had Apollos, however painted to look like Strikers as to avoid suspicion. Only upon closer inspection can the difference be told- but to prevent friendly fire, all M.F. Units would be highlighted green on each other's HUDs.
The leading Striker suddenly turned around and flew backwards, then sent a missile into the nose of an Apollo. It was torn down the center, the front caved it. Then the missile blew apart, taking the Apollo with it.
"Alright. NOW it's personal." Cloudchasee muttered, rolling out of the way of another missile. She sent streaks of bullets tearing through the Striker's left engine, destabilizing it. It started tumbling uncontrollably, then abruptly curved to the right and slammed into another Striker. Both went down in pieces.
"To the right." Neon pointed.
The pilot made the ship arch right, swinging around an engine and continuing on next to a different length.
"We shouldn't be too far away." the pilot said, checking the radar. The ILLUSION should be the cruiser to pick them up, and it was nearby.
"Stay in one piece until then." Neon said. "Oh yes, pilot. Didn't quite catch your name?"
"Thunderlane, ma'am."
"Good to have you as our pilot, Thunderlane." Neon said, patting him on the back.
"Ooh, close one." Cloudchaser muttered as a missile grazed her left engines, drawing sparks but failing to detonate. "Incoming missile!"
"Noted." Thunderlane saw the flashing red indicator on his HUD. "Everypony in the back, stay down!"
"Wait, what?" Asty raised an eyebrow.
Suddenly Thunderlane turned the ship sideways, and the cadets almost tumbled off the side. The missile came flying towards them, a glowing bright dot quickly approaching with a smoke trail behind it. It flew into the ship passenger compartment, and the cadets felt the air pressure change.
Asty was in the way, and Inkie quickly swiped her hooves out from underneath her. She fell backwards, the missile grazing her nose as she fell. Then the missile exited through the other side, leaving the cadets to wave off the smoke.
"HOLY CRAP!!" Asty exclaimed, getting back to her hooves.
Suddenly the Strikers deployed their breaks, almost stopping completely in mid air. They slipped past and behind the Apollos, and started open firing again.
"Asty! How long till detonation?" Rig asked.
"About.... Oh shuck. TWELVE SECONDS!!" Asty screamed.
"Well. You know what to do Thunderlane." Neon sighed. "All Magic Faction units, retreat from the barricade. Demolition imminent- begin count down. Ten seconds!"
"Damn, my hooves are sweating." Thunderlane rubbed his hooves together, trying to clear off the water.
"Copy." Cloudchaser said, weaving through lines of bullets. There was a Striker on her tail, and was getting quite irritating.
She back-flipped, and at the half way point squeezed the trigger. A prism beam ripped right down the center of the Striker, just behind the cockpit. The intense heat from the beam instantly set the metal on fire, and melted the parts that came in direct contact almost immediately.
A small spot popped out of the cockpit- an ejector seat.
"Oh no you don't..." Cloudchaser muttered, swinging the plane around in an arch, the engines screaming with effort. She sent a prism beam straight through the pilot- probably vaporized him. Quite painless, not very punishing. But brutal, yes. "That's for all the pain you've caused us over the years."
She brought the Apollo back around, and shot forwards as a loud bang echoed off into space from the engines.
"Follow tight Apollos. About to get bumpy." she said, the count down ticking to three.
"Pull away from the barricade!" Rig warned as Asty tore off a Striker's right engine with a line of bullets from the turret.
"Doing my best. Come on, old bucket." Thunderlane slammed a hoof on the ship.
They were flying alongside one of its arms, gaining altitude fast as they aimed for space.
"Ooh, pressure change." Asty muttered as her skin tingled beneath her suit and helmet.
They left the atmosphere, traveling away from the barricade. It shimmered in the darkness below them, still as ever as the lock down was still in place.
It was like a huge net cast over Earth, there to restrain and organize in its own way. A tyrant, a symbol of power. An oppressing power, restraining and enslaving all below it. And now... Rig counted the seconds down to its destruction.
"Two... One." he breathed, looking out the side of the ship and watching the barricade.
At first there was nothing, but then one of its arms blew apart, followed by many more. The cubic-kilometer sized chunks floated out to space, flaming and still having explosions ripping and tearing through them. Then another arm, an engine, another arm... Slowly, the barricade began ripping itself apart.
Hundreds, maybe even thousands of years of tyranny, of rule- a symbol of power, a constant reminder of the power of Science, slowly tearing itself into pieces and floating out into the infinite abyss.
One of its fireballs reached out to the ship, but fell short. The ship was well clear of the explosions.
It looked like the entire earth was set on fire. Blowing up in flames. There would be one of particular large size every time the explosions reached an engine, going up in a fiery bright yellow flash. From this distance, they could even see the shockwaves sweeping across the mechanical monstrosity in the form of pulverized dust and debris.
"WOOOHOOO!! THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!!" Rig screamed, punching the air. Everypony on board felt the same way. Asty was laughing, Thunderlane clapping his hooves loudly with a huge grin on his face. Inkie and Blinkie at least had smiles on their faces as they watched revenge burn their enemies into oblivion.
And Neon was just Neon.
"Those Strikers and our Apollos also made it. Careful- we're not completely out of danger yet."
"Really? No congratulations?" Rig asked.
"Congratulations." Neon said.
"GOOD WORK!!" Cloudchaser yelled. "SHOW THOSE MOTHER BUCKERS!!!"
She weaved through the Strikers, beating them down with prism beams and hammering them with missiles.
"This is the M.F. ILLUSION. Proceed to gate 45." a voice said through the mic.
"Copy. Negative on visual contact." Thunderlane said, flicking a few switches and heading to the marked location- but it was empty space.
"Good." the voice said, and he frowned.
Neon nodded some confidence into him, and pointed to the marked location. He shrugged, and proceeded.
"PROTECT THE SHIP AT ALL COSTS!!" Cloudchaser yelled, flying backwards right next to the ship and fending off the Strikers, the rest of her squad moving in from the sides.
"Reinforcements! Two squadrons!" Thunderlane announced, checking his radar.
Then suddenly a huge prism cannon beam tore through the Strikers, instantly reducing their numbers by forty percent.
"M.F. ILLUSION, proceed to dock." the voice said again, and suddenly the empty space in front of them rippled.
Huge waves of matter formed a huge disc, wavering gently and rippling through space. Then a huge cruiser emerged, all guns blazing at the Strikers.
"Ooh, I see." Thunderlane said with a laugh. "A camouflaged cruiser, eh..."
"First one ever made. Welcome aboard." the voice said, and he proceeded to the dock.
"Come on Apollos! Let's finish these bastards off and refuel!" Cloudchaser yelled and swung the plane back around.
Some of them tried to retreat, but failed to escape the huge prism cannons of the ILLUSION. Even the explosions they caused seemed insignificant compared to the multi-colored beams.
"Apollos, retreat. Level ten debris alert right there." the ILLUSION's commander said- and he was right. The flaming debris of the barricade was drifting out of the atmosphere from the blasts as predicted, but now created a highly hazardous and expanding debris field around the Earth's orbit.
"All units! Retreat from orbit. It's too dangerous." Cloudchaser said, pulling the Apollo back around and boosting towards the ILLUSION.
"Going back to cloak in ten minutes." the commander said. "Hurry!"
*
Scootaloo saw something out of the corner of her eye, and yanked on the scooter. Gravity generators kicked in as the breaks stopped the wheels. She held onto her scooter, still a few hundred meters above ground level and standing almost horizontally. She turned around and looked out to the sky- and saw something she thought might as well would've been a dream.
The barricade shimmered in the distance, explosions sparkling across its dark metal mass.
Her mouth lay slightly agape as she stared with dreamy eyes. It was like defying the laws of physics to her. It was impossible. She grew up in this reality, knowing the barricade would be there forever. Would be a force that would forever oppress everyone beneath it forever. She learned to avoid it, to keep away. And now- it was gone, blown to pieces and drifting away into space.
She could feel the silence as Haven came to a stand still, the ponies all coming out to watch as the barricade was finally removed after over a thousand years.
Then cheering came, from one loud whistle that echoed across the city to an entire celebration. Ponies cheered, screamed, punched at the air; knowing they were one big step closer to freedom. It has been a long fight, and the greatest super power of their enemies has just been destroyed.
Scootaloo could feel the earth shake with the joyous pounding of hooves. Then the shockwaves came down, cold shivers of disrupted air that added to the excitement.
She smiled. How very unexpected. In many ways, it was still unreal; even if it were happening right before her eyes. It was quite the sight.
*
"What's with all the ruckus?" Applebloom asked, standing up from her office chair and turning around to face the glass wall. What she saw was not what she expected.
"It would seem that the barricade has just been... Destroyed." her AI said.
She chuckled, looking down at mane street Haven. It was crowded with ponies, all cheering and almost screaming.
"Funny how things turn out, right?" she said with a smile. "Oh, how very tricky we are."
"Correct. Not only have we proven ourselves a worthy enemy, but a very powerful one too." the AI said.
"Correct you are, my dear." Applebloom said with a grin, turning away from the window. She was about to open the fridge, when she realized it was one of those bio-fridges she designed. Even she needed getting used to. "And you know what? Since everypony else is celebrating- why don't I as well? Time to open that old bottle of apple cider I always wanted to open." she laughed, pulling out an eighty year old bottle.
"After a quick Internet search, it would seem age old alcoholic beverages are much 'better' than old ones. I cannot define 'better' in this context."
"Well, you need a software update." Applebloom said, taking a sip and savoring it. Oh, how she missed that taste. "Also, start giving out confetti cannons to the citizens."
*
The silver-maned earth pony dug her hooves into an open window's frame and hung there, on the side of the CMC HQ building. She could see that Scootaloo had stopped too, and looked up.
The normally blue skies had been lit completely orange- the sky was on fire. She took a closer look- it was the barricade, burning away and blowing into pieces.
"Katana- you seeing this?" Applebloom called.
"Yeah. Quite wonderful." she replied, looking out to the horizon.
"Get Scoots and come to my office. Got some celebratory drinks to open."
"I'll be on my way." Katana said, but still stayed there for a moment. This was quite a situation to be in- our freedom, and their deaths. Who knows how many were up there? Thousands, maybe even millions of lives- built up over tens of years, coming down in flames in under half an hour. Quite sad now that she came to think about it that way- but no one saw the barricade that way. Everyone saw it as a menacing electric net, and once you touch it you cease to exist. Although in Magic's defense, Science has killed far too many of ours too. Way too many.
Nightshade once said that war was just a long game of survival. She found that true in many ways- day by day you'll never know when you might die. Maybe you think you're safely aboard a starship that was the largest ever created, with fully functional weaponry and state-of-the-art equipment- but then, in just a few minutes.... All goes to trash.
*
Vinyl looked up as she felt a cold gust of wind sweep over her, followed by distant and echoing bangs and booms. She stared at the sky for she didn't know how long- it happened so suddenly. She barely believed her own eyes.
The barricade was being taken down, defeated.
"This is quite remarkable." Frostbite said.
"I should say so myself." Vinyl looked down again, because her neck was starting to hurt. "And glad I'm not hallucinating."
"Of course not. It would seem the operation is successful- we better get on with ours. War is starting, and best if we get back to Haven as soon as possible." Frostbite said, and Vinyl heard him slowly walk away and towards Fillydelphia.
She let out a sigh. Griffons.
"Coming." she said, and followed.
*
There was a loud crash as Val sent Blithy through some crates.
"Dear oh dear, am I getting old." Val muttered, hammering her leg back into the hip joint. She may have kicked Blithy a bit too hard, that it caused some excess damage. But instead of finding Blithy in pain, she saw that hint of a smile on her face mixed with severe pain as she tried to get up.
"Ouch." she said finally, and burst out laughing.
"This is a nice change." Val tilted her head to one side. Usually she was the one with the psychotic laughter. "So. What's so funny?"
"Oh, it won't be funny for you." Blithy said, and laughed even harder. "Oh my dear evil self- why did you have to come down here and fight me?"
Slowly a frown crept onto her face.
"Here, take a look at this." Blithy said, her wounds healing. Her robotic eye glowed, and cast up a projection image.
Val froze when she noticed what all the jumbled pixels were conveying. Slowly her eyes adjusted to the image, and she saw the barricade in flames.
"I can't believe it!" Blithy laughed. "You were gone for just a moment! And then... And then... BAHAHA!!" she retracted the image.
Val didn't speak. Her eyes were hidden in the shadow of her mane.
Ooh, boy was this bad- Blithy thought. Val was a very formidable opponent and quite destructive when she was cheerful- like a few minutes ago. But now that she was angry- and very much so at that- she did not want to find out what she would be like.
"You know, I could almost see the fury burning off of you." she said. Because, she was probably gonna unleash her wrath on her anyway; so why not add a bit of extra taunting?
"Damn you, Spitfire... Striking when I'm away." Val muttered, cracking her fist loudly as she stormed towards Blithy. "Sneaky bastard. But I'll be back in the command center soon- and all of you will pay."
"We'll see about that-" Blithy said, swinging a punch at Val's face.
Val didn't even block it. She kind of did, but with a bone-splintering fist. Their metal knuckles met, and the heavy shock traveled all the way into the ground and even cracked the concrete. Val stood where she was, back hooves digging into the ground while Blithy went flying across the storage room.
A loud crash echoed off the walls as she went straight through the corrugated iron wall of a cargo container like it was paper.
"AAAAH, my back." she muttered, grinding her teeth and snapping her spine back to the right position.
Then suddenly the entire city shook. The two mares looked out the big glass walls, and saw a huge dark mass with bright lights on it coming down on the city.
"Are those.... Cruisers...?" Val raised an eyebrow. "My bucking idiot little minions. Can't do anything right." she muttered, her mood worse than ever.
The city shook again, quite violently. Both of them toppled over and fell on the ground as the cruisers hit ATLANTIS, crushing the city under the immense weight. Val and Blithy were on the far east wing, and besides- only a quarter of the city was being crushed. The civilians were probably out of that sector by now. Although, it would affect the systems.
"We've lost contact with the gamma sector!!" the radio operator yelled.
"Shuck. The power generators!" Blithy exclaimed.
There was a loud boom, and the ground shook so violently that it literally threw them into the air. The dark depths of the Atlantic were instantly lit up as the super generators that were powering the entire city were crushed under mega-tons of metal. Then the electric shock from the impact changed the bright orange to a frightening blue, then back to orange again as the sparks lit the fuel reserves of the cruisers. Thousands and thousands of tons of fuel, lit up in an instant in a confined environment.
The resulting explosion split the city in half, ripping the sea bed. Then the shockwave reached Blithy and Val, tearing through the walls and ripping the containers inside open. They both fell back, and tumbled several meters before resting against the far wall.
The bright lights that once lit up the city shut off, the city plunging into darkness. Then red emergency evacuation lights turned on, much dimmer and making things harder to see. They ran on reserve power, which means the doors should still be functional. The place was filling up with water too, and was quickly becoming a watery grave.
"Let's get this over and done with." Val said, making loud splashes as she stormed through the ankle-deep water.
Blithy stood up, sea water soaking her mane and dripping off her arms.
"Ma'am! City wide evacuation is COMPLETE!!" somepony yelled as the emergency doors slid open, and a squad of troopers walked in.
"I thought I told you no reinforcements!!" Blithy yelled.
"The evac is complete ma'am." the trooper repeated. "We're staying to fight. We need to see the commander out of this."
"She'll be leaving here with me." Val said, flicking her wrist. A knife popped out, and she grabbed it.
"We won't let you." the squad ran forward, surrounding Blithy and protecting her.
"Listen trooper- none of you stand a chance against her!" Blithy yelled. "Retreat immediately! That's an order!"
"Denied, commander." the trooper said.
"Damnit- you idiots! She's ME! Only I can defeat ME!"
"We would never associate you with scum of such, commander." the trooper said, narrowing his eyes. "And neither should you."
That shut Blithy up. She didn't know how to respond to that. Even worse, she had no idea how to win. But she will be fighting until she goes down, and everyone else was thinking the same.
"I wonder where MY loyal subordinate is." Val muttered, then a sliding door hissed open behind her. "Ah, there you are. Is it done?"
"Yes." Eclipse said, walking into the room and throwing a soldier's dead body aside. She walked up beside Val, looking at Blithy and the troopers with bored but cold eyes. "So is this your alternate self? Doesn't seem all that... Intimidating."
Blithy flinched a little at the light coming from the pair's eyes. They looked like they were looking down on her and her troops, like nothing but looking down on an earth worm. Just an insect to be flicked off out of annoyance. Sometimes she wonders what would ever stop them.
She flicked her right wrist, a knife popping out. There was a click as two muzzles emerged from her left palm. Clicks echoed all around her as the squadron readied their rifles and secondary weapons.
Val cracked her wrists loudly, her expression without any of that playfulness that was there earlier. Cold, merciless eyes that centered down on her target glimmered in the dim light.
Eclipse brought a hoof up, a large glowing orange knife appearing out of thin air and attaching itself to her hoof.
In the background they could hear the sea water pouring in through gaps in the walls, the water dark at their hooves.
"I'm going after Blithy. Deal with the troopers. Take them out however you want- efficiency isn't a key here." Val said, bringing her knife up and ready for battle. "The commander is MINE."
"Rainbow! We need to leave!" Octavia said, quickly catching up to her friend.
"Tavi- listen, just this one last thing. I promise." Rainbow stopped and turned around, determination in her eyes.
"It's best for the both of us if you don't see what lies ahead!" Octavia was growing desperate now. "Please! Rainbow, stop."
Rainbow shook her head, then turned and walked on; her hoof steps making loud crunches as she walked through Ponyville. "Sorry... I can't."
"WE." Octavia grabbed Rainbow by the shoulder. "HAVE." she pulled her back around. "TO." she slammed her hard on the shoulders, in an attempt to wake her up. "LEAVE!"
They stared into each other's eyes, one purple and the other rose. Both determined in their own purpose, one concerned and the other tired.
Then Rainbow narrowed her eyes.
"What are you hiding, Tavi?" she breathed, an odd glint in her eyes.
Octavia froze, and Rainbow turned away and started walking towards the needle again.
"I-I'm not hiding anything! It's just that we don't have time!" she yelled after Rainbow, who was picking up the pace.
"I've been with you for over ten years now- and I know it when you're hiding something. You act all worried." Rainbow said, tilting her head slightly. A ray of sunlight shone through the dark clouds and reflected off of her bright rose irises.
Octavia shook her head, then started jogging after Rainbow. She walked with long strides alongside her friend, some-what in a panic.
"We don't have time!" she exclaimed, and grabbed Rainbow.
Rainbow batted her arms down, and grabbed her shoulder. She pressed an elbow against Octavia's chin.
"WHAT. ARE. YOU. HIDING!!??" she yelled, her face contorted in anger. Then she realized what she had done- she didn't mean to hurt Octavia. She quickly let go, and started storming in the direction of the needle again. Rows and rows of old destroyed hay houses slid past her as she walked on in long strides, slowly building up to something she didn't know. "You can't stop me from finding out."
"I can't- but WE can. STOP HER!!" she heard Octavia yell, and several sets of hooves ran towards her.
Rainbow whipped out her cleaver, activating it with a loud crack as all the pieces clanged into place. She turned around, and knocked Silver's cleaved away. She kicked Daring back, but then took a fist to the stomach as Octavia charged through.
The rain continued pouring, harder than ever. Puddles of it were forming on the ground, mud puddles being splashed around as the fight between friends continued.
Rainbow re-pocketed the cleaver, and swung a fist at Octavia. Octavia blocked it with an elbow, then kicked Rainbow in the shin.
Rainbow fell over, splashing into a mud puddle. Octavia came back again and was about to punch her, but she slammed a hoof into the puddle and sent mud water into Octavia's eyes. She instinctively stumbled back, giving Rainbow time to get up.
"Do you really want to do this!?" she yelled as Octavia cleared her eyes.
"I'll do whatever it takes." Octavia said, breathing hard. Puffs of steam came out of her nostrils in the cold air.
Rainbow clenched her jaw in defiance, then turned around and started running towards the needle.
There was a loud whoosh and sonic boom, and Silver tackled her across the road from the side. They went flying through the old rotten wall of a house, crashing through the furniture inside and out the other wall. Silver stretched out her wings and skid to a halt, while Rainbow tumbled across the rough stone ground and hit her back on the far wall of another house. It collapsed, and she fell through and lay in the piles of hay. There was a cut on her cheek, oozing crimson down her face as she stood up. The rain continued falling down and pelting them both, the blood on their wounds being slowly washed away and reduced to a dim pink.
"So you two are going to stand in my way too..?" Rainbow muttered, shaking her head as Daring walked up beside Silver.
"Just come with us now Rainbow- it's not like any of us want this. It's for your own good, and your own sanity." Daring said, pulling out her whip.
"I'm going to find out what you're hiding." Rainbow narrowed her eyes, and with a loud click drew her cleaver. "And none of you are going to stop me."
"If it must be this way, then." Silver said, a loud metallic clang echoing across the town as she deployed her own cleaver.
Rainbow steadied her cleaver, back flipped into the wall behind her and kicked off, her wings beating against the air.
Silver brought the cleaver up, ready to block the strike.
There was a loud boom as Rainbow entered sonic speed, but just as the cleavers were about to meet Rainbow retracted hers.
Silver felt Rainbow zoom right past her, the pressure suddenly changing around her as if a huge cannon ball had just shot past her.
Rainbow never had any intention of engaging them. She just needed to find out whatever it is they were hiding- and for whatever reason.
She zoomed through the house they smashed earlier, and flew up into the sky. Then she arched back down again and hit the ground, her hooves skidding on the slippery smooth stones. She came to a halt, the rainwater on her being flung out into the air and onto the floor.
"THERE SHE IS! SHE'S ALMOST THERE- STOP HER!!!!" Octavia yelled, and Rainbow started running.
She was running down the right street- she could see the needle up ahead, surrounded by an old metal fence. There was a sign above the gates that led into a small open area inside, but Rainbow was too concentrated on getting there to read it.
She kept sprinting, the rain water pelting her face and adrenaline pumping through her body. She had no idea what she might find- but it's probably something big if her friends are trying that hard to stop her.
She could hear the hoofsteps behind her, desperately trying to catch up. Her own hoofsteps echoed all over the dead silent town, a constant rhythm pounding against her heart as her hooves slammed against the stone ground again and again.
There was a splash as she stepped in a puddle, the water expanding outwards then breaking up into individual droplets.
The gates drew closer and closer. She could see more detail now. Then the sign was towering above her, a metal frame with nothing else to it but vines that creeped along the edges.
She stopped, looking up and peering through the rain.
It was quite hard to read the sign. She noticed that her friends had given up pursuing her, because she could no longer hear their hoofsteps. She stared at the sign, trying to read it.
Portions of it had rusted away, or been consumed by vines. Not much was left of it, probably all eaten away by the wind and rain and harsh weathers of a wasteland.
Rainbow's eyes widened when she finished reading it. Everything went silent as the meaning of the sign registered in her brain- she could no longer hear the rain pelting against the stone floors, and her vision started blurring on the edges. She entered a some-what dreamy state, unbelieving of reality and its secrets.
She knew what the sign meant. She just failed to believe it. She simply couldn't bring herself to believe it- because if it was what she thought it was, then all this fighting would've been for nothing. All her time in Manehatten, she would've been protecting nothing.
Slowly she felt things she had long forgotten collapse, friendships she had- her old best friends, bonds breaking and crumbling in her heart and falling to her hooves.
She looked down from the sign. The one sign that was breaking her, tearing her apart. Maybe words are more powerful in many ways. Still those words lingered in her brain as she walked past the ghostly sign, pushing open the gates. They creaked, but she barely heard it as she walked under the sign that said 'Grave of Harmony'.
"No... What the hell..." she slowly trotted towards the needle in the center of the weed-ridden clearing. The needle was more like a monument, and as she got closer she noticed it had carvings on its four surfaces. It was about a meter wide, growing narrower as it pointed to the stormy skies.
The clearing was made of the same stone, grey and indifferent. Small patches of faded yellow and green could be seen here and there as grass busted their way through the stone bricks.
Rainbow walked up to the monument, her heart cold and torn. "Please don't tell me... Please... No..." she stared at the carvings on the monument.
This wasn't a monument- it was just a big tombstone. Those weren't carvings, but rows upon rows of names.
And in the center, highlighted in iconic colors, were the names she had spent her life protecting all along. And yet here she was, defeated and drowned. It had all been for nothing.
"Twilight... Pinkie... Rarity..." Rainbow collapsed on the ground, her tears merging with the rain pouring down her face, she curled up into a small ball. She couldn't read on anymore. There were hundreds of other names on the tombstone, all of which she had never heard of.
She had lost her purpose. She no longer knew why she was here. To protect her friends? But they're already dead. Then why was she still here? Why was she the one who was alive?
She pounded the floor, crying her heart out. She pressed her face against the tombstone, tears drifting down her face.
"No... This can't be... It just can't..." she cried. "WHAT THE HELL!!" she screamed, slamming a hoof into the tombstone and chipping the edge.
She continued sobbing, for how long she didn't know. But for a very long time.
Octavia and the others stood by, watching Rainbow struggle in her own pain. They tried to stop her... They really did. But now it was too late- she had seen it.
"How... How long... Have you all known...?" Rainbow managed between breaths and sobs, tears still streaming down her face. "You... All... Knew... All along?"
Octavia had her eyes lowered, unable to meet Rainbow's pleading ones. It just wasn't possible for her.
"Please... Please tell me this isn't what I think it is... Please tell me they aren't dead... Please.." Rainbow's voice was but a rasp now. Breaths of a dying creature, crumbling and turning to dust.
Still Octavia didn't look up.
"ANSWER ME!!" Rainbow screamed, leaping at Octavia. It was a weak one though, and she ended up in a pile by her hooves. "Please... Tell me this isn't real..."
Octavia didn't say anything. There wasn't much to say- everything was right there. Discovered. The truth was before her eyes now- but that wasn't what she was worrying about. If Rainbow goes down now- it could change the entire war. They needed to win this- she thought she might be being a little selfish. She wasn't caring about Rainbow- she was caring about winning. Maybe she should put that down for a while, and really help Rainbow as helping a friend- not a war priority.
She knelt down and gave her a big hug. Rainbow whimpered, and squeezed her as tightly as she could. She didn't want to let go- ever. She lost word of her other friends for just a few days, and they end up dead.
She was shaking all over- and Octavia was sure it wasn't from just the cold. Sure, she was crying- but this was more violent. Octavia could sense something else, other than immense sadness. It was fear.
"Octavia... I-I... I'm so scared.... I..." Rainbow sobbed, burying her face in Octavia's shoulder. "They were all laughing, smiling... Happy.... And then the next moment...." she stopped, no longer able to continue. The only thing that interrupted her whimpers was the constant thud thud thud as raindrops hit the floor.
Octavia patted her gently on the back, then let go. She stood up, sighing as Rainbow looked aimlessly at the ground, tears still dropping as she clenched her hooves.
"Stand up." Octavia said softly, giving Rainbow's shoulder a gentle tap.
Rainbow looked up, eyes wild and tears clouding her vision. Octavia gave her a reassuring glance, and offered a hoof. Rainbow stared at it, still shaking. Uncertain. But then she took it.
Octavia smiled, and helped her up. Rainbow nodded, telling her that she could stand on her own. In silence, she turned around- hearing nothing but the pounding of rain. She stared at the tombstone, at all the other names. None of which she recognized.
"How long... How long have you known?" she asked again, her mouth dry.
"The moment we came to this reality." Octavia looked down in guilt.
"Then why didn't you tell me?" Rainbow asked, a small bit of anger stirring inside her as she spun around. She raised her voice a little. "Why didn't ANY of you tell me?"
"We didn't want to hurt you." Octavia said, staring down at the ground and shaking her head.
Rainbow looked at them, her eyes moving from Daring, to Silver, back to Octavia. She let out a frustrated sigh, and turned back to the tombstone.
"All these other names... What are they?" she asked, her eyes tracing up the tower of names that reached the sky.
"Candidates." Octavia said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Of what?" Rainbow asked, staring up at the tip.
"Of the elements." Octavia looked up. "Val killed the original elements of harmony, and burned the harmony stones. But she learnt from other's mistakes- she knew the elements won't go down that easily. It was impossible to completely destroy them without a trace, so she kept killing other ponies that had the potential to become wielders of the elements. She kept them from coming back." Octavia sighed.
"My god... There must be thousands of souls here..." Rainbow stared in awe at the tower.
"Some managed to escape under our protection before they could get killed. You- you were one of them." Octavia said. "Others who escaped didn't know about us. They escaped into the wasteland, some found to be mutated- others vanished without a trace. We have sent out search parties all over the place to find them- but how little we found... It was quite pathetic, really."
Rainbow shook her head slowly. All these dead souls... Died for what reason? Because they MIGHT become a threat? They probably didn't even show signs of it. After all, how could you possibly tell? Did Val just kill anyone who seemed rebellious? Then something caught her eye. Back on her friend's names....
"Wait a second..." she muttered, her heart pounding against her chest. "Where's AJ's name?"
"Hm?" Octavia tilted her head to one side.
"My friend Applejack. Element of Honesty. Her name's not here." Rainbow said, suddenly excited again as she turned around. But it was only excitement- she wasn't smiling. Sure, the prospect of AJ being alive was a great one- but she didn't want to keep her hopes up.
"If she's not on the tombstone, she probably escaped." Octavia noted. "Although... We have no record of one of the original elements coming to any of our settlements."
"You think she managed to run to a survivor's group?" Rainbow asked.
"I don't know. There aren't many out there that are left- they're all either recruited into the faction, or destroyed. Surviving ones are quite few." Octavia said. "But we could still keep an eye out. I'll notify the search teams."
"No need..." Rainbow sighed. "I'm sure Haven is already looking for her." she shook her head. This must be horrible for Applebloom- not knowing whether or not her sister will be alive. Day after day, only hoping.
"Sis..." Rainbow heard a voice behind her. They turned around- and Dainty was standing there, EDI's headlights glistening in the dark weather behind her.
"Dainty- what are you doing? Get back in the car- you're gonna catch a cold." Rainbow said quickly, rushing to her side and kneeling down.
"We... Waited and waited... And I got worried... So I thought..." Dainty mumbled, eyes down.
Rainbow gave her a worried smile and pulled her into a hug. Dainty seemed a little startled.
"Sis... Is something wrong?"
Rainbow kissed her on the forehead. "Yeah... But it's okay now." she said, giving her a short squeeze. Then she noticed the sad look on Dainty's face. "Why?" she asked, because Dainty seemed startled by the hug.
"It's just that... You seemed to care a lot less about everyone else now... It feels like... You almost don't care about us anymore. You never talk to us, you never actually had any conversations with us that didn't involve some strategy about our next move... I... I just-"
Rainbow felt something sting her heart as she heard those words. She looked at Dainty- how could she have been so careless?
"....I just thought... Maybe you didn't care anymore."
Rainbow shook her head, hugging Dainty tighter.
"Oh, Dainty- of course I care!" Rainbow said, needles being sent through her heart. "I'm sorry. I was just so concentrated on our goal... I forgot what was important." she said, thinking about the grave. She almost completely forgot about why she was fighting. She was accomplishing the objective, not thinking about why. And that, to the center of her guilt; was why she failed to protect her friends.
"I'm sorry too." Dainty mumbled. "I probably shouldn't have said that."
"No, no." Rainbow smiled. "You made me realize. I promise I'll pay more attention to you guys from now on. I forgot... But you made me remember." she said, holding Dainty at arm's length. "Love you sis."
"Love you too." Dainty said, and Rainbow ruffled her mane.
"Come on now. We should probably get back to the car." she said, taking Dainty's hoof in hers and leading her towards EDI.
Daring followed, and a moment later Silver did too.
"Silver." Octavia said, facing the tombstone.
Silver stopped dead. Now it was just them two in the rain- the others were already in the car. She sighed, but didn't look back. They stood, meters apart and their backs facing each other- but with Octavia looking up at the tombstone, and Silver down in regret.
"I know what really happened." Octavia said, and Silver didn't reply. She just continued staring down at the ground. "What you did utterly disgusts me. I should just kill you right now."
Silver still had her head lowered, looking down at the ground. The only thing of color in this weather were Octavia's eyes- otherwise, everything else was grey. Thunder ripped through the clouds, flashing across the sky and sending a loud crackle through the small destroyed town.
Octavia sighed. "I should just tell Rainbow. But I didn't. I hope you understand why." she looked up at the sky, the rain pelting her face.
"I didn't have a choice-" Silver started, and immediately Octavia swung around.
"Don't try to reason with me!" she yelled. "You knew what you were doing. Rainbow would've died before before she would make that choice!"
"You don't know that! She was never put in that situation before!" Silver yelled back, and Octavia grabbed her by the collar.
"I am disgusted by myself to have even thought of you as Rainbow's copy. You're nothing like her." Octavia growled menacingly, nose-to-nose with Silver. "If you dare pull off anything similar to what you did back then- if you lay a hoof on any of them- Rainbow, Dainty, Daring- ANY of them, I'll make sure you're dead myself." she snarled.
Silver's right hoof itched for her cleaver, but held tight. Octavia let go with a shove, sending Silver back a step. She walked past her and to the car, without giving her so much as a second glance.
The OASIS's bridge was busier than usual. Ponies scurried about, making lies about the barricade attack.
"Spitfire, we need to capture the ILLUSION. It is a ROGUE SHIP." one of the other captains said through a hologram, slamming a hoof on the table.
"I'm afraid I can't do anything." Spitfire yawned, and in the background and out of range of the communications devices, the officers that were listening to the conversation snickered and struggled to contain their laughter. "We can't find it. It just ran away, and we have absolutely nothing on the subject matter. However- I can still help." she quickly added before the other captains could add in. "I can deploy some ships to scour the debris field however. I do believe the rogue Striker reported earlier didn't quite make it."
"Well... That is true... But-"
"Excellent then. I'll get to work immediately!" Spitfire grinned, clapping her hooves together.
"Wait-"
"Logging off..." Spitfire sang, and turned off the holograms. She brought her back hooves off the shiny table, and let out a small chuckle.
"Excellent acting Captain. Those idiots!" Soarin laughed.
"Well, officer- we've still got a lot of work to do." Spitfire said, standing up slowly and lazily.
"You're not really planning to scour the debris are you?" Soarin raised an eyebrow.
"I am." Spitfire said, stretching. "But not for that purpose. The debris field is expanding by the minute, and our computers estimate it will reach a full five kilometers in just twelve hours. We hide some ships in there... We'll have ourselves a nice little ambush just when we need it."
"So, two birds with one stone by taking out the barricade?"
"Well, about the whole Earth's population of birds if you ask me." Spitfire said, walking into the center of the bridge.
"True." Soarin nodded, following close.
"Alright! I want Apollos in that debris field now! And don't forget to place down some mines!" Spitfire yelled across the bridge. "Soarin, you're in charge of getting our troops ready. Keep up our cover story, and punch some confidence into our fighters."
"Yes ma'am!" Soarin saluted, and ran off towards the hangar.
"Ooh, is this exciting." Spitfire rubbed her front hooves together. "Do we still have a location on Rainbow?"
"Yes ma'am. They just went into Ponyville." an officer said.
"Ponyville? They're supposed to meet at Haven! That's no where near it!" Spitfire exclaimed.
"Haven is about two days away from their current location. They'll never make it in time."
"Hmm." Spitfire rubbed her chin. "Baah. Just send them a drop ship- say to the cruisers that an important piece of equipment was tracked down to the surface or something. Make sure it can carry a car though- I doubt they'd want to let their car go." she said, waving a hoof.
"Yes ma'am. Sending them a drop ship now."
*
"You probably should've known better than to piss me off." Val said, an odd glint in her eyes as she spun the knife.
"You're not going anywhere." Blithy snarled.
"We shall see." Val said, and charged forth; her hoofsteps splashing through the ankle-deep sea water.
The troopers surrounding Blithy opened fire, but Val completely ignored the tiny explosions that rippled across her body and went straight for Blithy. She slammed a fist through a trooper's skull simply because he was in the way, and lunged for Blithy.
"Go for the other one!" Blithy yelled, grabbing the knife with her robotic right hand and pulling it towards her. She kneed Val in the stomach, but then took a fist to the face.
Eclipse tilted her head to one side when she realized Blithy meant her when she said 'the other one'. She held up a hoof, a somewhat provocative gesture.
The troopers charged at her, all guns blazing.
There was water all around them, meaning there was an awful lot of matter for Eclipse to easily possess. She didn't even have to go through the pain of creating matter. She stomped, sending a huge splash into the air. Then the water glowed orange as she took control, and immediately morphed into two huge blades and sliced outward.
A blade cut a trooper straight down the center, and the other sliced another's rifle in half. It also sliced off his front hooves, and he fell down screaming in pain. There was nothing but mere pity in Eclipse's eyes as he splashed into the water, his blood staining it.
"Why you son of a mule!" one of the troopers yelled, and threw an EMP grenade at Eclipse.
Eclipse's eyes widened- an EMP was probably the only thing that could cause damage to her. But nothing too much to worry about- as long at it doesn't go off, she'll be fine. She lashed out with a tentacle, and slammed the grenade into the trooper that threw it's mouth. It cracked loudly against the back of his skull, and suddenly went off. The magnetic pulse was dulled by the flesh in the way, but the force cracked his jaw down- and it was quite literally left hanging there and barely connected. Eclipse finished him off with two clean cuts- one across both his back legs, and the other across his entire body.
Blithy knocked away Val's knife, and fired a few shots at her stomach. Val deflected them with the knife, and lunged forward again. Blithy lashed out with a back hoof, and Val spun out of the way as her jetpack flared. She turned around and stabbed the knife into Blithy's leg, then slammed a fist into her chin.
Blithy fell back and splashed into the water, then yanked the knife out with a grunt. She threw it at Val, who smacked it away.
Blithy's jetpack flared, and she launched a shoulder into Val's chest. They both went tumbling across the room, and slammed into the far wall. It buckled, and the entire frame around the room cracked loudly. The glass walls finally gave way under the pressure, and gallons and gallons of water started flowing into the room.
Eclipse held up a hoof, and the water that was about to wash her away stopped before it; glowing a soft orange. The rest went rushing past her, and swept the troopers away.
The room was quickly filling up with sea water, and breathing space was decreasing by the second. Shades of red echoed through the dark depths as the emergency lights flashed, accompanied by an eery siren. There wasn't much light to go around, but it was enough for both Eclipse and Val.
Blithy whacked a fist across Val's face, and slammed her head against the wall.
"Why won't you see? You can't win anymore! The barricade is down!" Blithy yelled, slamming another fist down.
Val stopped it with a hand, inches away from her face.
"Winning isn't my priority." Val said, shredding Blithy's left arm with bullets. It was literally left as shreds of muscle, torn and ripped apart. Blithy fell back screaming, but it was quickly healing.
Val stomped a hoof down on her bare muscle, and she screamed again as she ground it against the floor.
"Hurts, doesn't it? Hope you didn't forget about all those years back. Ooh, that fall... Quite some pain it was. Back then I hadn't learnt to love that feeling, but now I do- and you don't..." Val closed a fist around Blithy's jaw, and lifted her out of the water. They stared into each other's eyes, their own eyes. "Did you forget what mom and dad did to us?"
"I haven't, but they had their reasons." Blithy said through gritted teeth.
"Then you are an idiot for forgiving them." Val snarled, and threw Blithy across the room. She started storming towards her, her fingers almost crushing themselves in tightened fists. "They left us to die! But don't you see? You can't blame me... Blame THEM! They made me into what I am today! Ruler of an entire empire, and all will bow before me. Isn't that great! I suppose I should be thanking them- but I still needed the satisfaction of having their beating hearts in my hand." Val grinned. "You have no idea how satisfying it was when I crushed them. Those bastards deserved it."
"Don't talk about mom and dad that way." Blithy growled, ignoring her aching back and standing up. She stumbled a bit, but still managed to stand up.
"Why not!? They deserved every bit of it!" Val yelled, and lunged forward.
Blithy braced for impact. She felt Val's fist shatter the bone in her arm as she blocked it, and she fell back. Val closed her fist around her head, and pressed it under water.
It was impossible for Blithy to die, because her body would keep repairing itself- meaning she could have absolutely no oxygen in her body and still live. It would hurt quite a lot though.
She desperately tried to fight Val off, but she had a firm hold on the back of her head. Her body started going out of control, and into a small spasm. Her fingers twitched as her nervous system started malfunctioning, sending false signals into her cyborg body. Her vision faded in and out, and so did her consciousness. Soon her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she passed out.
Blithy had stopped struggling, so Val lifted her out of the water.
"Eclipse!" she yelled, slinging Blithy's unconscious body over her shoulder.
"Right here." Eclipse said, walking out of a stream of water, an orange shield preventing her from getting wet.
"Are all the troopers dealt with?"
"No survivors." Eclipse said, tilting her head to one side. "You didn't kill her."
"Point one, I can't." Val said. "Point two, I'm not done with her yet."
"I see. Pick up is on its way. In the meantime, we should find somewhere dry." Eclipse said, walking past Val and towards the far door.
*
There was a loud boom, almost like thunder. It cracked through the now-clear skies, echoing across the vast plains and shaking the earth.
"Explosions registered. Confirming location." EDI said. "Barricade has been confirmed destroyed."
"What..?" Octavia set the car to auto and looked out the window. As EDI had said, the barricade has been destroyed.
It was still there, flaming and setting the sky on fire. It was quite some sight. The clouds burned bright orange, the normally blue skies now shades of red and orange.
"Rainbow... The barricade! It's gone!" she exclaimed.
Rainbow didn't reply. She was watching. All their faces were lit orange by the bright flames.
Lily was fast asleep at the back, and Silver was looking after her. Dainty was curled up in a ball on Rainbow's lap, her tiny chest heaving with each tiny breath.
Rainbow sighed, lowered her head, and closed her eyes. What if more of them were to die? She couldn't imagine what she would be like if Dainty, Octavia, or anyone else's life were to slip right out of her hooves. She couldn't imagine moving on, or even standing up. She wondered what it would be like if she died- she wouldn't need to worry about anything. Everything would be out of her hooves, all the burdens and responsibilities- all gone. But she knew she wouldn't put up with herself if she were to escape that way- she would do whatever she can.
She smiled softly at Dainty, and nuzzled her cheek gently.
Octavia saw this, and switched the car back to manual, pretending that she didn't see anything. She was going to do her best to protect those two. It would break her heart to see them separate- but there was a long journey ahead, and not much strength to evenly spread around. She could only try her best.
Magnum stared out the window, a sad expression on her face. Rainbow noticed through the rear view mirror, and decided to ask.
"Everything okay back there Magnum?" she asked.
"Yeah.." Magnum sighed, but then shook her head and looked down at her hooves. "I... Just started remembering some things."
"Do you remember us yet?"
"No... Not yet. But seeing the sky did bring back memories of what I was doing up there..." she remembered Storm's sacrifice. "We were providing cover fire, but not all of us left the damn place. I think only that mare in the forest and I made it out alive... And that mare... Bluefyre, I think..." Magnum shook her head. "I don't think I'll be able to bring her back from her state. I don't think anyone can."
She fell silent, and Rainbow sighed.
"There are so many ponies we can't bring back. Just gone." Rainbow said. "But we're still alive. We're still us, and we're still here." she reached back, behind her seat. "And we'll keep fighting until we don't have any strength anymore. If we can't bring back the dead, then we will defend the living." she said.
Magnum smiled sadly, and shook the hoof.
"This world is getting worse by the minute. But let us fight for a chance to redeem ourselves, and a chance to restore things back to how they should be." Rainbow smiled back.
They looked back out the windows. There might be a chance... There just might. A hope not to be given up on- however extremely hard to hold onto. Only time will tell.
*
Bluefyre lay in the center of a clearing in the Everfree forest, staring up at the burning sky. Butterflies fluttered all around her, leaves slowly drifting and spinning to the earth. The breeze disturbed the long blades of grass, their tips tickling her bare skin. All her armor and equipment had burned away in her transformation, and now she felt oddly bare. She was too used to having that suit of armor on.
She watched the clouds of smoke and streaks of flames shift in the wind, twisting and turning through the air. Everything seemed so ironically peaceful- she could just drift to sleep. She would've, but the tear sliding out the corner of her eye prevented her from doing so.
She managed to hold off the ghost flames, despite a complete transformation. Now the tattoos have been pushed back to occupy only her left half. They pulsed with her heart beat, glowing light aqua. She sighed, and closed her eyes. She thought she had learnt to accept the new reality- but it would seem she still missed the old one.
There wasn't much to worry about in the old one. She was never forced into a situation where she had to unlock the seal- and now that she did, it was becoming hard to control. The tattoos burned her skin, and stung with each pulse. She had to do her best to keep it under control, and prevent it from spreading to the rest of her body. If it did, the transformation field would form- and she'd turn into that burning skeleton again. And if she did, the only thing that could stop her from being completely consumed would be something as strong as seeing a friend who she thought was dead.
It pained her as she saw Magnum's blank expression in her head again. Did she not care at all, that she was still alive? She certainly didn't do anything. She just looked at her... Like she was some sort of stranger. Some THING.
Magnum, who had been through military academy with her in both realities, who had laughed with her in times of hardship, and who had been through all of this with her till now- didn't show the slightest sign of recognition.
Ah-well, Bluefyre sighed. Suppose she didn't need me anyway. I was just... There.
She sat up, suddenly feeling an odd amount of pressure on her chest. She coughed, and was barely able to suck in a breath. Then the pressure was relieved, and she was left gasping for air, the tattoos pulsing faster with her speeding heartbeat, sending blue flashes across the small grassy clearing.
She shook her head, and stood up. Parts of her unkept mane drifted down the side of her face, strands of it glowing blue as did strands of her tail.
The barricade was down- maybe she'll have much more freedom now. Live in the woods, free from all burdens. Become wild. Veer away from civilization.
Yeah, that sounded just about right- she thought, trotting into the woods.
*
"Just two more stops, and then we'll be in the Crystal Mountain range. Gonna be a problem crossing all the snow without a snow mobile though, but EDI here should be fine. Shouldn't ya be buddy?" Octavia asked.
"I estimate my own functionality to last two days, four hours, five minutes and thirty seven seconds in conditions such as the Crystal Mountain Range." EDI said.
"That'll be enough, then." Octavia grinned.
"Two more stops, eh..." Rainbow pulled out a holographic map on her HUD. She studied their route, weaving through the masses of cities. "Cloudsdale, then Canterlot. I take it we won't be stopping for a break."
"Who knows. We might not have a choice." Octavia sighed.
"Some-what like old days, I suppose..." Rainbow yawned. "Val is the target, and we hunt her down."
"I suppose." Octavia said, driving through the vast plains between Ponyville and Canterlot. Because of heavy pollution after all the fighting, where they used to be able to see Canterlot they saw nothing but grey sky. Thick atmospheric pollution- they couldn't quite feel it yet, but it was there, hiding anything too far away. Sometimes the sky may seem clear, but that was just the pollutants reflecting light.
Sometimes it was just hard to see the truth through all the chaos.
*
"Our Apollos have been dispatched." Soarin reported.
"Ah, Soarin." Spitfire said cheerfully, completely ignoring the news. "I ordered a cupcake from the food court, but I can't be bothered fetching it." she had said enough.
"Yes ma'am." Soarin sighed frustratedly, turning away.
"Captain, there's a drop ship that got deployed from the COLOSSUS a few minutes ago." an officer said, spinning on his chair and away from his screen. "Do you think...?"
"Yeah." Spitfire nodded. "But I suppose it's a bit late now for a chase." she shook her head. "Boy, are we gonna be in a heck of a lot of trouble."
Just a warning from me before hand, we've got a chapter about torture here. That involves needles, as mentioned in the chapter name. So.... Yeah.
Blithy slowly woke up, her vision focusing. She seemed to be looking down at some sort of metal floor, stained a dark crimson by long dried liquids. A series of numbers flashed across the HUD imbedded in her robotic eye, indicating it was coming back online.
>All systems check.
>Activating.
She sighed. She must've passed out- she had no memory of being transported here. She wriggled her fingers, then realized they were above her head. She was chained to the ceiling, left dangling above the floor. She would've tried breaking loose, if she weren't feeling so weak.
She started taking more notice of her surroundings. There was a small metal table next to her, on it a tray, and in the tray a used syringe with a disturbingly long needle. It seemed to have been stained with blood, and Blithy didn't need much to guess it was her own. Val probably punched a syringe full of weakener into her or something- she barely had enough strength to move. Even keeping her eyes open felt tiring, so she closed them.
She tried to contact the fleet, but as expected- Val had a signal jammer nearby. She was completely on her own now. She could feel her arm throbbing- that must be where Val stabbed that damn needle in. Probably didn't even bother cleaning it.
And, as with any typical movie scene that would look like such- only that it was in real life- Val chooses to enter just as Blithy wakes up.
"Oh dear, you look like you just had seven hundred mili-grams of paralyzer injected into your system." Val chuckled at her own joke. "Hey, what's with the grim expression? Smile, you're on camera~" she pointed at the far upper left corner, at a small camera with a flashing red light. She then tapped her robotic eye, and grinned. "I'm watching." she said.
She walked up to Blithy, a grin on her face- back to usual it was, then- only this time, it was much more insane- more genuine, in a dark way- and much, much scarier. She stared into Blithy's eyes, tilting her head to one side and studying her tired face.
"Not an ounce of strength left huh?" she chuckled.
Blithy spat at her face, only for it to be blocked by Val's hand which flashed across her face.
"Haha, now I saw that one coming." she grinned, shaking off the spit. Blithy could only growl and bare her teeth, and nothing more.
Val turned around and went for the metal table, and heard Blithy spit again. She moved out of the way just in time, and it splattered on the floor.
"You, dear, need to work on your targeting skills." she laughed.
"BUCK YOU." was all Blithy could say in return through gritted teeth, and Val only kept laughing.
"You know, when I see ponies laughing their evil laughs in movies, I often find it ridiculous. But now that I'm in this situation, you look BUCKING HILARIOUS!! Do you have any idea-" Val giggled, turning around and walking back up to Blithy. "Do you have, ANY IDEA- HOW WEAK YOU LOOK?" she laughed. "WEAK! USELESS!! YOU CAN'T EVEN INSULT ME WHEN YOU TRY!!" she couldn't stop laughing. It was at a hysterical point, where she was jumping around and clapping. "Oh, dear. Drew tears out of me." she wiped the corner of her eye. "Success is the best revenge, so they say. I can testify to that right now." she grinned.
She turned back to the table. She waved a hand, activating a sensor. The table surface flipped over, revealing all kinds of tools- ranging from huge saws to tiny scalpels, and everything else in between and beyond that looked menacing and could become.... Hurtful.
"Now, back to business. I was preparing a few 'yo momma' jokes for the occasion, when I realized I'd actually be insulting my own mother. Although, I might still pull out a few; because she was quite a bi-"
"DON'T TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!!" Blithy screamed.
"-tch. Hmmm." Val had a thoughtful look on her face as Blithy struggled to normalize her breathing. "You're still on their side are you? Do I really have to remind you?"
"You don't." Blithy growled. "Did you see how hurt they were when they left us on the roof? Mom could barely walk, and you saw. I saw. We both did. And I believe, we can both agree- that it wasn't any of their fault that it had to end up this way. It was us. We had the disease." Blithy shook her head, staring at the ground.
"If you are on their side so much... Then tell me-" Val grinned, leaning on Blithy's shoulder. "-why were you the one who ripped their hearts from their chests?"
Blithy's eyes widened, her mouth lying slightly agape.
"I didn't come to existence until the moment you took control of the science faction, and took up the nickname 'Valkyrie'. I was just an ego, building up... Piece by piece as you continued living your pathetic little life.... And eventually, there I was. But of course, I wasn't able to be a complete alternate variation of you until my plan came into shape. But, I shall explain that later."
Val leaned close to Blithy's ear, and whispered in it.
"Wasn't it great, when you crushed their vital organs? God, the hate- I can still feel it. It was delicious." she smacked her lips. "And now... After brutally murdering them- you regret it?"
"I... I..." Blithy was shaking, her eyes concealed under her dirty and unkept mane.
"What's wrong? Speak up!" Val smacked her on the back.
"I... I regret everything I ever did before. I really do." Blithy whimpered, and Val could see a shining tear rolling down her cheek. "It could've been great. We could've been a family again. I was all patched up, and could essentially live for as long as I wanted to. We could've been all normal, happy again.... But NO! I chose to kill them. I chose to rip their hearts out... And for whatever reason, I... I went with that path." she cried, now having a continuous stream of tears running down one side of her face. The other couldn't cry, as it was the cold eye of a robot. "I made the wrong choice. I did the wrong thing." she looked up, not at Val but at the ceiling. At something beyond it. Then she looked down again, drained. "Although... Now that I come to think of it..." she shook her head, and let out a sad chuckle. "...when have I ever done anything right."
Val walked around her, and stood in front of her, an odd expression on her face. The smile wasn't there anymore- replaced by annoyance and disappointment.
"Mom... dad... I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." Blithy cried, the last word barely coming out as she broke into tears again.
There was a loud crack as Val slapped her across the face with the back of her hand.
"GROW UP!!" she yelled at Blithy's face, now with a red mark across it. "I AM ASHAMED, TO EVEN BE ASSOCIATED WITH YOU! You know what you are? A WEAKLING! A BUCKING, WEAKLING!! You can't do anything right? WELL NO CRAP!!" she screamed, then let out an amused chuckle. "You see all this around you? This world? And the events in the previous one- all those deaths? The pain? Now that you admit it- IT'S TRUE! IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!!" Val laughed. "Don't you see? YOU CREATED THIS! YOU STARTED IT!!" the expression on her face was hysterical.
Blithy only stared at Val in shock. She didn't know what she was expecting from Val, but this certainly wasn't one of them. But... She was right.
"You know what. Let me tell you a story. One we are both familiar with." Val said, picking up the empty syringe. "You see this here? Let's just say this is a certain rainbow maned friend of ours. You see, I couldn't quite defeat her last time- so this time, I decided to weaken her up a bit. That'll make things a whole lot easier, right?" she grinned. "The Elements of Harmony... I never really found them to be much of a threat. I just wanted Rainbow to see her friends dead, is all. You know, I wish I could've been there to see her face when she found the tombstone- but unfortunately, I can't. But I would've loved to." she grinned. "So, one crack there." she tapped the syringe, cracking it slightly. "And I have many more planned. Cloudsdale, Canterlot... HahaHA! This is going to be great. Give her hope, then crush it. Weaken her, bit by bit." Val tapped the glass syringe again and again, until it had cracks all over the place and was barely holding up. "Until finally, all I have to do is add a little finishing touch-" she tapped the glass syringe one last time, and it shattered in her hand. "After that, all I have to do is pick up the pieces." she walked around Blithy, in a slow circle. "Hope is a cruel thing. I heard someone say that to me before. And yes, I genuinely believe that more than anything. The higher the hope you have, the more injured you'll be when it throws you down. So that's what I'm doing. Lifting lil RD up, then throwing her down again." she grinned. "But also, same with all of you. You think I can't destroy you all without the barricade? HA! We shall see." she brought a hand up to her face. "As usual, I still have many tricks up my metaphorical sleeve." she said, and a socket in her wrist popped out. The handle of a serrated knife revealed itself, and she pulled it out and juggled it around in her hand.
She walked around Blithy in circles, grinning at her terrified expression as she stared at the knife.
"Now... If you don't mind holding this for me..." Val said, and slammed the knife into Blithy's back, through her ribs and into her vital organs.
Blithy gasped as the knife tip punctured one of her lungs, her screams coming out as nothing but dry rasps.
"Alright. Here's how this is going to work. You are going to co-operate and tell me the names of the magic faction ships, and I will stop torturing you." Val said, leaning on her shoulder. She let out a groan as Val put all her weight on- and there was a loud click as her arms popped out of their sockets. Blithy resisted screaming, closing her mouth firmly shut. And when the pain finally died down, she opened her mouth to speak again.
"I... Am not... EVER.... Going to work with you." She said through gritted teeth.
"That settles it then." Val grinned, taking her weight off and walking behind Blithy.
"Wait, what?"
Val ripped the knife from her body, the serrated edges tearing her flesh to shreds. Blithy screamed, tears streaming down her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, her jaws firmly clamped.
"I never really wanted you to work with me. I just wanted an excuse to have a nice looong torture session with you." Val said, throwing the knife down and picking up a scalpel. Blithy could only stare in horror.
Val walked up to Blithy, and poked Blithy with the tip playfully. Blithy flinched as some blood was drawn, but held.
"Ponies say science controls me. Science is my cause." Val sighed, and sunk the entire blade into Blithy's arm. Blithy groaned, but didn't say a word. "But that is not the case. I control science. The science faction is at my hooves, therefore the rest of the universe is too. I don't give a buck about glory, or any of this. I just want to let those happy, laughing, cheerful little ponies; see what I saw." she said, and with that started slowly slicing down Blithy's arm, coming around to her arm pit.
Blithy screamed as Val cut several of her primary nerves in two. Pain shot up her arm, and it started twitching uncontrollably. Tears swarmed into her eyes- and she was powerless to stop any of this.
"You know what I mean. Despair, crushed hope. Shards. You remember what it was like back then, don't you?" Val waved a hand, and a hologram of words popped up. "See? This is what they used to call us. Let me read the definition to you. 'Blight, to destroy; ruin; or frustrate'. And that's what they called us. Everyone hated us, you do so remember- and the only ponies who loved us were mom and dad- or so they said. 'I love you'. Three words, that meant to us more than anything. It was everything to us. And what happened when they left us to die on the roof? We found out those were lies. They love us!? That's bull crap! It was everything to us, and then we found out... It was nothing." she bared her teeth, and started shoving the scalpel into Blithy's arm- with the handle and everything. It slid between her flesh and skin, and her screams were throat ripping. Until finally, there wasn't a sign of the scalpel at all, just a long bump on Blithy's arm. She could feel that area burning and throbbing with pain, blood trickling down her arm and to her body.
"Then... Why are you taking this out on me?" she asked, her voice shaking.
"Because you're on their side, is what. I want everyone to see, including you- you saw it, but forgot about it. I'm not going to." Val said, going to fetch something else.
"Don't get trapped in your past- GAH!" Blithy screamed as Val threw the serrated knife from earlier into her chest. Blood gushed out as it severed several main arteries, and poured down Blithy's stomach.
"That wasn't what I was looking for." Val muttered, continuing looking through the tray of stuff.
Blithy could barely breath, let alone talk. There was a knife halfway through her body, so it did make a lot of things a difficulty.
"Unlike you- I enjoy pain, somewhat. That's why I'm your ALTERNATE ego, I guess." Val said, having finally found something. A bunch of needles. "Now, open your eyes." she grinned.
"No..." Blithy managed with a dry rasp, staring at the sharp thin tips of the needles. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping for the best....
"Oh, you're gonna keep them closed? That's fine too, I guess..." Val said, and the next thing Blithy heard was a loud whoosh and pop.
She screamed as the needle went through her eyelid and into her eye, going into it for almost an entire two centimeters. And she could still feel it sliding through her flesh as Val pushed the needle deeper into her eye, almost reaching the optic nerve. In her instinctive reaction, she tried to open her eye- which made things worse as her eyelid dragged the needle through her eye; cutting both. She screamed again, and squeezed them shut, blood and other liquids from her eyes pouring down her face.
Val ripped the needle out, and Blithy heard it clatter away on the ground. Her wound was quickly healing, but the pain still echoed through her brain. Her breaths were distorted, as the knife was still in her chest. Val seemed to notice- which could be both good and extremely bad.
Blithy felt her chest burn as Val ripped the blade out. But she didn't have any air left in her lungs to scream. Then the scalpel slid through her flesh on its own weight, and fell out of her arm. It clattered to the floor with a squishy quality, accompanied by bits of flesh.
"Feeling better there?" Val tilted her head to one side at the hyperventilating Blithy.
Blithy didn't reply. She just kept trying to catch her breath. And just when she was about to suck in a fresh lungful of air, Val splashed her mouth with a cup of water. She chocked, then gasped for air; all the while coughing uncontrollably as the water had gotten into her lungs. Val just laughed.
"This is pretty weird now that I come to think of it. I'm torturing MYSELF." Val had a thoughtful look on her face. "Anyway. Since I can't think of any other horrible things to do to you... You know. Electrification, skinning, digging your eyeballs out... Those are too cliched. Don't like it. So-" she picked up a small disc-like device from the table with a glowing blue LED light in its center. It wasn't any larger than Val's hand- just about two times smaller. She juggled it around, turning back to Blithy.
She pressed the blue LED light, and there was a click and weak hydraulic whine as four needles deployed from the bottom of the device, with wires plugged into them and linked to the device.
"This... Is a nasty little thing. I can remotely control this, so pretty neat too." Val grinned, pinching it between her fingers. "Have fun." she said, and with that; slammed it into the back of Blithy's neck.
The needles punched through her skin and slid through her flesh, then crunched into two gaps in her spinal cord, latching into it firmly. The blue LED suddenly turned green with a short beep.
Blithy groaned. An odd tingling filled her body, and she tried her best to ignore the odd device shifting in her flesh as she flexed her neck.
Then a loud buzzing noise filled the room, and Blithy screamed; her body going into a spasm. She writhed, trying to break free of her bonds- but failed miserably.
"STOP!! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!!!" she screamed.
Val tilted her head to one side, and grinned. She sent a signal to the device, and turned it off.
Blithy was left gasping for air, cold sweat covering her body and tears streaming out of her eye. She had pissed herself without noticing, and her entire body was still shaking from the left over waves of pain rippling through her nerves. Her skin burned, her insides felt like they had been completely ripped out and rearranged.
"As I said earlier... Nasty." Val said. She grabbed Blithy by the chin, and turned her head this way and that, checking for injuries. "Ah, good. No damage." she grinned. "As expected though. That little device just sent some signals through your nervous system... Forcing your nerves to register extreme pain. You know... Just another one of YOUR creations. I hope you haven't forgotten about the little gadget." Val grinned.
Blithy only glared at her with rage between puffed breaths, but could do nothing more.
Val chuckled, and ruffled Blithy's mane. "I'm going to go get a hot chocolate or something. I'll get you one too- not that I'm gonna poison it or anything." she laughed, and left the room, leaving the battered and tortured Blithy to sulk in her own misery.
"We can't shoot down the drop ship- they'll start suspecting us." Spitfire sighed. "But then we're letting Val onto the COLOSSUS. And that's a heck load of bull and she'll reveal us anyway." she rubbed her head. "Buck this. It hurts my brain. Somepony else make the decision." she said, turning away.
"Captain! Haven has filed in a completed list of evacuees from ATLANTIS that made it to the site." an officer called after her.
"Alright. Give me the unconfirmed casualties." Spitfire said, turning back around.
"The entire army of Crawlers, ma'am. We believe them to be still in ATLANTIS." the officer said.
"We'll need them. Keep them on stand by. Go on." Spitfire rubbed her chin, mapping out the information in her head.
"Apollos alpha 6, alpha 12, beta 17, and the Horizons."
"Blithy..." Spitfire took in a sharp breath. "Knowing Val, she's probably captured. I wouldn't worry too much- she'll live. Give me specific names for the rest."
"Zealo and Lightning Dust of Alpha squad, escort of the Horizons; and... I'm not sure what this one is... It's not an Apollo, but a registered co-pilot of the Horizons. Beta 17."
"Name, officer." Spitfire said, frustrated.
"No name... Just... 'The Doctor'."
Spitfire was silent for a minute.
"Well, buck." She sighed frustratedly. "Mobilize a search party. I want that search party down there before Val gets to the COLOSSUS. We need the Doctor." she said, pacing around.
"Distress signals ma'am. And one incoming call from alpha 6." a different officer called from across the bridge, on the opposite end.
"Put em through! And track that distress signal- direct the search team there!" Spitfire yelled. A holographic screen popped up before her eyes.
"Alpha 6 to command, can anybody hear me? ATLANTIS do you read?" a pilot's face appeared on the screen.
"Alpha 6, this is the M.F. OASIS. What's your status, over." Spitfire spoke loudly and clearly, with her hooves folded behind her back.
"Shuck! Captain! A lot of the Apollo's systems are down- can't see you. We're running on reserve energy, don't know how long we'll be in the air for. Can't be much longer now though, by the looks of it. I'm fine, but I've got one injured."
"Fatally." Lightning Dust cried weakly from behind Zealo.
"And... A little insane." Zealo muttered.
"Don't worry. She's being normal." Spitfire face-hoofed. "Alright. Can your Apollo pick up a distress signal?"
"Most of the HUD isn't working, ma'am. I have no idea what my own true air speed is."
"Right. I'll send you the co-ordinates." Spitfire waved at an officer. "See if you get them."
There was a small beep on Zealo's side. "Got it."
"Head there. There should be another pony needing pick up. Stay there, our rescue team will head to that rendezvous point." Spitfire said.
"We'll do our best to get there ma'am." Zealo said, not saluting because he was too busy trying to keep the plane in control.
"Put me through to your co-pilot." Spitfire commanded, and Zealo switched the screen.
"Hey Captain." Lightning Dust said weakly.
"Holy cows-" Spitfire flinched at what she saw. "Cadet- I mean lieutenant- what is wrong with your wing?"
"I don't know, ma'am." Lightning said weakly.
"Don't look! Don't look! It's not important." Spitfire said quickly, just so Lightning Dust could keep that extra courage. "Just stay alive. Focus on that, alright?"
"Yes... Ma'am..." Lightning Dust breathed.
"Captain, your cupcake-" Soarin ran into range.
"Soarin, take over. Keep talking to her and keep her alive!" Spitfire yelled, and scoffed down the cupcake. "I need to keep track of that rescue team."
"They've been dispatched ma'am!" an officer yelled.
"Good! Tell them to hurry!" Spitfire said impatiently. "Give me an estimate time to arrival!"
"ETA 30 minutes!" the officer yelled back.
"Shuck..." Spitfire muttered, rubbing her head. "Dusty, you heard that? Can you hang on for that long?"
"I'll...push my limits..." Lightning Dust muttered, and Spitfire grinned.
*
"Medical team 45, entering the atmosphere." a light green unicorn reported. She had been among the few that had been recently transported from Haven to work on the OASIS in secret, because the OASIS had a sudden demand for medical staff. She was wearing full medical team armor, light weight for high maneuverability and a clean white, with red stripes running down the sides.
Medical teams were equipped with retractable light-weight rifles, which have low fire power however can fold into the size of a small sub-machine gun and unfold into a high-precision rifle within seconds. A red cross on her shoulder caught a glint of light through the dropship's windows, which then flashed across her badges which identified her as squad leader.
She hadn't been on the surface for a while now. The last time was a month ago, just before she was dispatched to the OASIS. Seeing it again brought back a sort of familiarity that made her comfortable, but also a sense of alien in her heart.
She checked her back pack, full of medical supplies.
"Thyme, I'm trusting you with this. Keep in mind that the Doctor isn't a normal pony- and quite an important one." Spitfire spoke through the mic.
"I'll do my best Captain Spitfire." Thyme replied, even though her hooves were sweating under the gloves.
"You don't have long, so work your magic."
"Yes ma'am." Thyme said, and peered out the window.
Her face was instantly lit bright orange by the evening sun slowly dropping below the horizon, now a half sphere in the distance. Long shadows were cast across the surface by the objects on it, like the city of Manehatten. The shadows of its sky-rise buildings dragged across the surface, even longer than the clouds in the sky. She turned and looked out the other window- it was night on this side already, because they were so high up they could virtually see both sides of the Earth. Hints of stars were popping out on the dark purple sky, twinkling in the darkness. Just a quick run- shouldn't be too complicated.
*
Vinyl walked down the mane street of Fillydelphia, which cut directly down the center of the city. Heck, the street was about ten meters wide. She felt oddly exposed out in the open- and everything was oddly silent too.
Nuclear fallout crunched beneath her hooves as she trotted on, more ash and dust falling from the skies as a slight breeze blew them off the buildings.
The buildings were nothing more than huge concrete blocks towering hundreds of meters high with holes in them where windows used to be. Vinyl walked through rows and rows of these, the buildings growing shorter and shorter as she approached the center of where the nuke hit.
"Applebloom." she said quietly, Frostbite following her close and his eagle eyes scanning the area.
"Vinyl. You got anything yet?"
"It looks like it was one of those incendiary nukes again." Vinyl sighed, looking around at the area of devastation.
An incendiary nuke was the combination of a nuke and an incendiary device. Val developed it to erase evidence- the nuke would wipe everything out, and the device would burn any trails left. Or so that's how it was supposed to work, but the device turned out to only prolong the nuke's effects by adding fuel to the flames. However, due to a reaction with the nuclear radiation, it somehow clears it down to a safe level. The reaction was still being studied, with little progress however.
Put simply, there was something here Val didn't want anyone to see.
"Keep looking. There's gotta be some materials that the nuke can't destroy." Applebloom said.
"Got it. Heading to the center." Vinyl said, and Frostbite took out two protective masks from his bag and handed one to her. She nodded, and slipped it on. The center probably had a lot of fallout which wouldn't be pleasant when inhaled.
They rounded a corner, and immediately was met with huge clouds of dust and ash drifting in the breeze. Frostbite's eagle vision peered through the fallout, scanning the area.
"We seem to be at some sort of establishment." he said, walking towards the center.
The buildings here had all crumbled down into blocks, completely blown away by the nuke.
Vinyl walked by a huge metal box, with bits of deformed alloys scattered around the main body. There seemed to be the barrel of a small cannon poking out from it, the barrel drooping down- probably melted then froze again as everything cooled down. Clearly portions of the mysterious metal box had been set on fire before, burn marks and deformations scattering across the surface.
"I'm taking a look inside." Vinyl nodded to Frostbite, then flicked her wrist.
The laser disc activated, and formed in her hoof; a rotating disc of high-temperature light. She dug it into the side of the metal box, and started cutting. She cut a square into it, then dug her hooves behind the metal sheet. It was quite a hunk of armor- almost solid steel. But the flames had made it some-what crumbly, and as she hauled it out of the way it hit the floor and fell into pieces with a loud thunk.
Something else followed it out too, dark brown and black with portions of it white. It seemed to be stuck on the side of the metal sheet that fell on the flood, and threads and pieces of it still stuck to the insides of the metal box. It looked like some sort of sticky substance, obviously a biological hazard.
"Uh..." Vinyl waved a hoof around, flinching at the smell. She couldn't quite tell what it was- but it definitely didn't smell good. Hot smoke was pouring out of the metal container, and slithered along the ground. Something caused a slight chemical reaction in there when it was burning- but what was it? She turned her attention back to the odd guck stuck to the metal.
She stared at it, trying to figure out what it was. Then she tried her best not to puke, and quickly looked away.
"Oh, god..." she muttered and shook her head.
"What is it?" Frostbite asked, flying down and landing next to her. She pointed at the guck, and he peered at it.
It was a body. The white stuff was the skull and skeletal structure, the only thing recognizable. The flesh had melted into this odd gooey stuff, completely indistinguishable from the internal organs and skin- everything was all melted together in one big goo. The only thing that might give a clue of as to what it was would be the skeleton, which remained some-what in shape. The skull had an obvious bullet hole through it- looks like there was a firefight before here too.
The metal container must've protected the pony from a good deal of the nuke, however probably grew so hot on the inside that it melted everything. It was a miracle there was anything left of it though.
Frostbite kicked the sheet of metal aside, stretching the goo as it slid away. He took a look inside, scanning around the interior.
"Looks like it was a walker. Scout class... With light anti-aircraft missiles." He mumbled, examining the controls; which were all charred and burnt black. But there were some distinct buttons and triggers that he could rely on to give him information.
He stuck his head back out, and shook it.
"Nothing more in there." he shook his head, and headed off to look around some more.
Vinyl sighed. That was the good thing about having a griffon around- they do give you a high confidence boost. Having one around felt like you didn't need to do anything- despite they would scare the heck out of you.
"More of these downed walkers." she muttered, scanning the area. This time she wasn't about to open them. "Do you think the science faction attacked their own troops?"
"Unlikely." Frostbite titled his head to one side.
They were in a huge clearing which might've been a huge complex, but everything has been burnt to ashes.
His eagle eyes caught something, and immediately his head snapped to that side.
"Looks like someone's been here already." he said as he walked towards the object.
"What is it?" Vinyl asked.
"A memorial, it seems." Frostbite said, walking up to it. It was a large stick, stuck in the ashes, with a piece of bright red fabric tied to the end. It fluttered in the breeze, coated with nuclear fallout.
"Looks like there were survivors." Vinyl said, scanning the lines of hoofsteps in the ash leading to and from the memorial.
She walked closer, then abruptly her front hoof sunk into something. She let out a surprised yelp as she tripped into the ash, and would've taken a mouthful for it not her mask. Frostbite quickly picked her up and put her back on her hooves.
"Stand back." he said, and walked forward himself while keeping Vinyl back.
He dug through the fallout with his claws, and eventually unearthed something underneath all the ash. Embedded in the gravel road which was burnt bare, was a huge foot print.
"Walkers..." Vinyl muttered, staring at the footprint. She traced the direction it was facing, and her horn glowed.
The ash parted, revealing a complete trail of walker footprints. They led out of the devastation zone and out of sight.
"Hmmm." Frostbite mumbled, and turned back to the memorial. "I have a feeling that the science faction didn't randomly turn rogue. Something attacked them, and stole some of their walkers. And we only know of one group of ponies that would do that..." he sighed, and plucked the red fabric off the stick. He unfolded it, and wiped away the ash; revealing a black skull imprinted on the fabric, grinning menacingly back at him. He tucked the fabric away, and checked around him. "Pirates."
"So the science faction nuked the pirates after they attacked a squad of patrolling walkers, eh..." Vinyl rubbed her chin. "Should we track these trails?"
"They're leading to Manehatten... Give Haven and Spitfire a heads up first. We might've found new allies... Or enemies."
*
Pirates were a common type of the survivors left on the surface. They would attack anyone and anything should they possess useful goods and supplies- regardless of who it was. In this case, they stole half a squadron of walkers- that means there must be quite a lot of them too.
"Pirates. Got it. Shouldn't be too much to worry about." Spitfire sighed. "I've got larger emergencies than this to deal with." she said.
"They stole walkers, ma'am. On their own. They should be considered formidable at the very least." Frostbite replied.
"Hang on, soldier. They stole walkers? What type?" Spitfire suddenly felt something bad tug a her heart, and her hooves started sweating.
"Scout, with light anti-aircraft and combat capabilities." Frostbite reported.
"And where did you say they were headed again?" Spitfire's heart was dropping.
"Manehatten, ma'am."
"Well, BUCK!" Spitfire cursed, hanging up and turning away from the screen. "CONTACT THE ILLUSION!! SEND THE MEDICAL TEAM REINFORCEMENTS- NOW!" she screamed across the bridge.
"What's wrong captain?" Soarin quickly rushed to her side as she slumped down in an office chair nearby.
"Bucking pirates. We're gonna have a problem. Contact Thyme and the medical team now." Spitfire said, and took a deep breath. "Let's just hope those darn bastards don't shoot our bird."
*
"Captain, we're ETA five minut-" Thyme started as Spitfire called, but was immediately cut short.
"BE CAREFUL. We just got reports of possible pirate activity in the local area, with light anti-aircraft missiles. Tell the pilot to watch it! We're sending reinforcements, but they won't be there till in another thirty!"
Thyme froze. Great, back in the war zone.
"Yes ma'am. Signing off." she said, and hung up. "Alright ponies, we've got a slight problem." she sighed. "Check your rifles, get those turrets running- we'll probably be going in hot."
The squad groaned, and started checking their weapons. Thyme reached up and pulled down the standard issue 9mm UP gatling manual turret. It clicked into place behind the closed drop ship doors, indicator lights flashing as it came online.
The 9mm turret uses modified pistol ammo, and while may sound extremely un-intimidating; it still has its capabilities. Small ammunition has cheaper production costs, and may also be produced in mass amounts without too much sorry on cost and time, making it highly efficient in terms of marketing and production. The turret is a bit more work however, apart from firing the standardized 9mm ammo; it also has a magnetic accelerator along each barrel that can instantly propel the bullet at 17km/h below light speed. The bullets themselves are coated with a high-density material made from neutron stars, to keep bullet integrity at a max as it propels through the air. This insures the bullet doesn't split or go off course during the acceleration process, making the turret one of the most accurate high fire-rate cannons to be produced; alongside its energy weapon successors. Both turret and ammunition are cheap to produce, making it a standard issue weapon among front lines and drop ships. Gun ships use a different version, modified for high fire-power instead of accuracy.
Since the 9mm rounds are so small, they could easily slide through a target and cause extra damage. They have been known to go through at least twenty-seven standard blocks of ballistics gel at once.
Right now the medical team had clouds below them as cover, but as soon as they go through those they would be exposed to visual contact. They just have to spot the pirates first, or hope they don't fire.
Everything was quite calm, however the medic team was on full alert; every muscle in their body tense and ready to spring into action the moment they fly through and under the clouds.
"Shush, hear that?" Thyme held up a hoof, ears pointed and searching for any trace of noise.
"Shuck..." Pulse muttered, the cardiovascular specialist in the team. "There's a whole bucking battle going on down there..."
Thyme's ears twitched. Yes, she could hear distant gun shots and explosions.
"This is not good... Not good at all." she muttered. The sounds of battle were still too far... They might've waited it out if they didn't have an emergency on their hooves.
"Should we call Spitfire?" Pulse asked.
"Just tell her." Thyme shook her head. "But we're going straight in. Those patients can't wait." she said, and walked into the cockpit. "Pilot, keep going. Watch out for enemy fire- there's a fire fight going on below us."
*
"Shuck... What the hay is going on here!?" Vinyl gaped at the distant city of Manehatten. Frostbite had flown the both of them onto a roof top in Fillydelphia, with a clear view of Manehatten. And right now, it was engulfed in flames.
"Hmmmm." Frostbite mumbled thoughtfully, studying the battle.
"What is it?" Vinyl looked up at her partner.
"You see those?" He pointed at the city.
"Yeah, no. I don't have those eagle eyes of yours." Vinyl sighed frustratedly.
"Well, they're science faction assault walkers. Remember, the pirates only stole scout walkers." Frostbite pointed out.
"Uh-huh... So this fight is between the pirates and the science faction?" Vinyl raised an eyebrow. "Seems a bit too convenient for us."
"Indeed." Frostbite nodded. "But why were the scout walkers fitted with anti-aircraft missiles? The normal models don't have those."
"I would theorize that they were used for defense..." Vinyl said slowly, then her eyes widened with realization. "Defense! Guarding! They were guarding something!"
"My thoughts exactly." Frostbite said, turning away to get down. "But guarding what?"
"Or maybe, HIDING what?" Vinyl allowed his claws to dig into her shoulder, and felt that familiar sudden rush of wind as Frostbite's powerful wings beat against the air.
"Contact Haven and Spitfire. We MIGHT be onto something big." he said, curved through the air and dove down towards the ground.
*
"I was hoping for some rest."
"You don't need it." Spitfire pointed out. "And neither would it appear pleasant to you."
"Fine. I'm the reinforcement, with these... Guys.... And mostly girls. Why us again?"
"Because, you performed exceptionally well last time." Spitfire nodded her approval, then received a text message. She took her time reading it, a frown slowly creeping onto her face. "Alright, change of plans. Objective and priority one, cover the med team. Objective two-" she handed Soarin the text document. "-We believe there might be something the pirates stole from the Science Faction. Something that was meant to be kept secret. Find out what it is, and bring it to Haven if possible."
"Haven?"
"Yeah. I'm sending you guys to pick up Rainbow and her team and head straight for Haven, including the med team. The drop ship that was meant to pick them up got shot down about half an hour ago." Spitfire sighed. "And Haven is a safer choice than the OASIS, as no one knows where it is yet."
"Roger, captain."
"Give me an ETA?" Spitfire raised an eyebrow.
"Ten minutes behind the med team, ma'am." Neon said, a claw holding firmly onto the handrails of the gun ship.
Around her stood the cadets, Inkie, Blinkie, Asty and Rig.
"Remind me why we have to use jet packs again? You do know that almost thirty percent of training accidents involve jet packs, right?" Asty raised a wary eyebrow.
"I do. And it's still the best decision." Neon said, and Asty could only nod a forced approval.
Rig checked his rifle one last time. "This... Is actually the first time we enter a PROPER war zone, not a small firefight."
"Sure. Where's the fun in small firefights, right?" Asty grinned.
"Sure, sure." Rig sighed.
"So remember cadets, and soldiers-" Neon addressed the Pie twins, and Asty and Rig rolled their eyes. "Problem?" Neon looked at them, and they shook their heads somewhat forcedly. Neon went back to going over the plan. "We're deploying in four minutes. The gun ship will provide cover fire from the sky for us, and we will protect the med team. Kind of like a cover-ception. But remember- the med team is our priority, not fighting the enemies. Also, anyone who isn't on our team is hostile- so shoot the pirates AND the science faction troops. Clear?"
"Clear!" the soldiers and cadets yelled back.
The gun ship they were in wasn't any ordinary one. Its design was based off one of the ancient AC-130s, with completely updated equipment and weaponry. Two launchers with cluster missiles take either side, accompanied by five 50mm high-fire rate cannons to take out infantry in an over-kill kind of manner. Each side is also fitted with two Reaper-class cannons, each capable of firing shells with 300mm diameters. The ship itself is defended against arial predators by two prism-gun turrets, one on its belly and one on its roof.
The gun-ship's engines have been replaced with magnetic ring anti-gravity generators, and as its name suggests- every engine is ring shaped, and the gun ship has four with two on each side keeping it aloft. It uses a forcefield that sucks in air from the top of engine and propels it out the bottom of the ring. Additional engines that use fuel instead of energy are built into the anti-gravity engines, for use in space when there is no air to suck in or propel. Because of the forcefield, it is actually ultra-silent because the sound gets sucked into the engine. Unless of course, you stand right next to the damn thing- then you'll hear it. But otherwise its almost impossible to detect by hearing.
This should give them a slight edge against a whole army.
*
"Uh-oh. Uuuuh-oh." Thyme muttered as they slipped into the clouds.
Something was muffling the sounds coming from the battle- and this was quite odd. Can't possibly be the clouds or distance.
Then something cold crept across Thyme's skin, and she almost jumped and hit her head. Then suddenly the sounds of battle were able to reach their ears, loud and undoubtedly terrifying.
They held on the best they could as the drop ship dropped into a steep dive, and they felt the heat of an explosion nearby as they flew past a fireball.
"They haven't spotted us yet- but the whole place is filled with missiles flying everywhere!" the pilot exclaimed.
*
"The med team has reached the battle." Spitfire said.
"What? That's odd..." Neon sighed. "We don't hear anything yet. And we're only seven minutes away from them."
"Don't know. But they've reported entering the war zone." Spitfire bit her lip.
"Odd..." Neon muttered again.
*
Vinyl shuddered as something cold passed over her. The next thing she knew her ears were being bombarded by the noises of a battle, explosions and gunshots echoing across the city. She covered her ears, her head aching.
"Shuck! What the hay!?" She growled, her ears slowly adjusting.
Frostbite was carrying her by the shoulders, flying them towards Manehatten.
"Some sort of shield- they kept the noise contained. Looks like they didn't want us finding out. Suppose that's why we didn't notice sooner- the clouds are probably Science Faction weather control too." He nodded.
"Looks like whatever the pirates stole, they really don't want us noticing." Vinyl sighed, and Frostbite dropped down behind a building. "Only one way to find out what it is I suppose."
"Correct." Frostbite nodded, pulling out a light assault rifle. It had a brutal looking serrated knife mounted at the end, underneath the barrel. It classified as an energy weapon, as it fired semi-auto shots of highly concentrated beams of Kappa radiation. Kappa radiation was known for being highly destructive, however doesn't last long as it uses itself as fuel for reactions to occur. Thus perfect for infantry weapons- as they don't leave deadly beams of radiation drifting in the air afterwards. Each beam is clearly visible as bright white however, therefore stealth wasn't one of the things it was known for. However, it barely makes any noise when fired- only a soft click. One clip lasts up to almost two hundred shots. The weapon was quite delicate to produce, and many times lethal accidents have occurred during production. Few remaining producers of this weapon refuse to risk the lives of their workers- or the billions of dollars in equipment costs after they get destroyed beyond use in industrial accidents, so production was ceased. DIY clips of ammo are quite easy to produce, thus making the weapon a rare but popular choice among scavengers, pirates and survivors.
"Report findings to Spitfire and take the roof. I'm gonna go take a closer look." Vinyl said, putting her discs on standby and peering around the corner. She heard a whoosh behind her as Frostbite flew up to the roof of the sky scraper.
"Vinyl? This is Spitfire."
"Ma'am." Vinyl replied as acknowledgement, peering around the corner. She instantly shrank behind cover as a walker stepped into view ten meters away, its steps making the earth tremor and the sound waves from its launching missiles shaking dust off the buildings.
"I've got an unconfirmed report that the medical team has entered the battle zone. Do you have visual?"
"Medical team?" Vinyl raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. We received a distress signal from a top priority target in the local region. We sent a medical retrieval team for them, and reinforcements to support them. Do you have a visual?"
"Affirmative." Vinyl said, looking up at the sky. A majestic white drop ship with red highlights was flying down, a medic drop ship. "It hasn't drawn any fire yet."
"Good." Spitfire said, nodding. "They don't know you're here yet. You can definitely help."
"Yes ma'am." Vinyl peered around the corner again. The walker was still there, firing long range missiles. Recon class, obviously a pirate.
"Take down anything that might threaten the medical team. That is, anti-air. Try be as stealthy as possible- I don't want them knowing you're here." Spitfire said. "You got anything to take down walkers?"
"Yeah. Some magnetic grenades Applebloom gave me. Specifically for walkers. She said target the legs, and take cover."
"Did she say they pack a big punch? It certainly sounds like it."
"She said it was a prototype." Vinyl raised an eyebrow, plucking out a small disc-like object from her belt. It was about half the size of her hoof. "It has a timer."
"Probably for you to get out of range." Spitfire noted.
"It only goes up to five seconds though." Vinyl said dryly.
"Just throw it and see what happens." Spitfire sighed.
*
The walker's pilot was fully concentrated on pushing the science faction troops back, when his concentration was cut off by something in the sky. He looked up, and spotted a drop ship slowly descending from the skies.
"Reinforcements aye... That looks valuable." He grinned, showing a few golden teeth. He aimed up with the walker's anti-air systems, acquiring a target lock.
His HUD beeped as it locked on, and his grin broadened. He rested a hoof on the trigger, when he was interrupted by a loud noise.
Something had hit the hull of the walker, and made a solid metallic thunk. He raised an eyebrow at the sound, and at the beeps which were coming from that same spot.
"The hay...?"
*
Vinyl was ten meters away, watching what would happen; but obviously did not expect the result. It was a literal case of 'now you see it, now you don't.' The next second after an extremely loud boom and bright flash, the walker wasn't even there. Disappeared along with it was a large chunk of earth.
Vinyl had been knocked off her hooves by the shockwave, and her ears were ringing.
"I was not expecting that, I can tell you." She said through the radio.
"I kind of saw that on my monitor." Spitfire face-hoofed. "The bright flash went through the darn clouds. How can you still see, even?"
"I have my tactical mask on." Vinyl said.
"Remind me to place a large order for those." Spitfire said.
"Will do. Gotta run. Vinyl Scratch out." Vinyl said quickly as she heard some shouting, and quickly scurried to her hooves and slid behind cover. She could zip through this building and attack them from the other end. After all, the laser discs are pretty much soundless.
She quickly leaped in from one of its glassless windows, ignoring the dust that was sticking to her hooves as she ran through the dark corridor, lighting her way with a disc.
*
Bluefyre looked around her. The Everfree was as dark as ever, and as silent as ever too. Oddly silent. She could hear her own irregular breathing as she stumbled through the woods, clutching a wound in her side.
She had heard the crack of a gunshot, and the next thing she knew she had a bullet wound in her side. She covered it the best she could with her hoof, trying to stop the blood from flowing out- but she could feel it trickling down her legs. She had no idea who attacked her- but this wasn't good. The gunshot sounded like a standard issue one- probably one of those secondary pistols.
She checked behind her, but found nothing but dark forest. She was surrounded by trees, with no direction to go in what so ever.
Then she heard hoof steps a little bit to her right, and quickly turned left and sprinted away.
She arrived at a clearing, and she slumped down to catch her breath. Warm sunlight poured onto her neck as she knelt, taking in huge gulps of fresh naturally filtered air. She tried to regulate her breathing, but it wasn't working very well. She was completely shaken- the attack came out of nowhere.
Using the ghost-fires wouldn't help much. She'd just lose control again- and this time Magnum won't be here to help.
She looked up, and was horrified to see an armored figure striding through the forest. But then that panic faded away as she recognized the armor. She quickly scrambled to her hooves, and started stumbling towards the figure.
"Shuck... Anvil! Anvil... I thought you were dead!" She let out a relieved laugh. "Thank god you're here... Someone shot me... I don't know who but, he's probably back there." She turned around and pointed behind her at the trees, as mysterious as ever. Anvil didn't seem to notice her at all though, and didn't even talk. "Anvil...?" Bluefyre turned around, but was met by the barrel of a pistol.
There was a loud bang, and she felt a bullet tear through her stomach. She stumbled back, her expression full of shock and surprise. Slowly from her wound she looked up, with a face full of confusion.
"...Anvil....?" She managed, before Anvil sent another bullet through her shoulder.
Then there was one final crack as a pistol bullet shattered her skull, tearing through her brain and stopping dead at the back of her head. She fell back, wide-eyed and dead, blood leaking out of her wounds.
There was a dull thud as she hit the grass floor, her eyes staring emptily up at the sky.
Anvil walked forward a few steps, and dropped the empty pistol on her chest. He looked down, and his helmet unfolded and parted to be packed away in a small compartment in the back of his armor. But it wasn't Anvil in the suit.
Starshine grinned down at Bluefyre's dead body.
Oh, pathetic. So trusting.
"It was a pleasure working with you." He laughed, and walked on.
*
"Hold on everypony! Here we go!" Thyme yelled as her stomach lurched, the drop ship breaking into a steep dive. Suddenly they were yanked to the right, a missile grazing past their right wing.
"I'm gonna put us right above the surface. That way we could use the buildings as cover- and you could get that turret running." The pilot called from the cockpit.
"Pulse! Go help him out and watch the missiles!" Thyme waved a hoof towards the cockpit.
"Yes ma'am." Pulse quickly ran into the cockpit, his heavy clunking hoof steps slowly fading as he joined the pilot.
Abruptly the drop ship pulled back up, parallel against the ground. It weaved through the buildings, barely fitting between avenues and streets.
"We're headed straight for the distress beacon! It's near the top of that cliff!" Thyme yelled, pointing at a cliff in the distance.
"We'll need to land on the top and have you guys rappel down. The beacon's coming from a cave in the cliff face- I can't land there!" The pilot yelled back.
"Ah crap. Walkers!" Pulse warned, and held down the triggers for the drop ship's two main guns near the nose.
Clouds of dust exploded into the air as the high-caliber bullets struck the earth around the walkers, lifting up rock and ash. A few struck the walkers, tearing them to tatters.
"They're returning fire!" The pilot banked right, a stream of bullets passing by. They went right between two buildings, the engines disturbing the age-old dust settled over them.
"We've been targeted!" Pulse yelled, seeing a red indicator flash on his side.
"From where...?" the pilot looked around, confused.
"Shuck. Roof tops." Thyme cursed, looking up.
One of the walkers jumped up, and suddenly two huge booster engines under its feet flared up with a loud boom. It flew through the air, and landed heavily onto a different rooftop; easily clearing a seven-meter gap. Dust shook off the building's surface with a light tremor, but the structure held.
"Looks like nowhere is safe then." Pulse muttered.
"Two tracking missiles!" The pilot yelled, pulling the ship hard right. The right engine scraped along one of the buildings, sparks exploding into the air as it dragged along.
The med team struggled to hold on as the plane tilted almost ninety-degrees, some stocked supply crates tumbling across the compartment.
The first missile failed to turn in time and struck the building, plowing right through it with a fireball. The building collapsed in a violent manner, spewing out bricks and metal and concrete out from the explosion. It fell down into an ash cloud with a huge rumbling that filled the air- but the drop ship had long flown past.
The last missile was much more persistent. The pilot tried his best to shake it off, swerving left and right- but the missile seemed to predict his moves and kept following him.
"Shoot it, damnit!" He yelled behind him at the med team.
"Can't get a shot!" Thyme yelled back.
"For buck's sake." Pulse muttered, undoing his seatbelt and quickly getting out of his seat. He pulled out his compact rifle, which with several clicks flicked out and unfolded into a full light-weight assault rifle.
He reached behind his back and pulled out the rappel cable that came with all the suits, and slammed the hook down on one of the handrails on the roof. Making sure it was secured, he slammed a hoof on the manual 'open' button for the side door. It blasted open, and he almost fell over as a huge gust of air hit him full in the chest. He stumbled back, but then quickly went forward and knelt down at the edge.
Watching everything pass by down bellow at almost 200 kilometers an hour didn't help boost his confidence- and neither did the huge engine at the back that was trying to suck him in help either. But they'd all be dead soon if someone doesn't take care of that darn missile.
Using flares at this point wouldn't be much help. This model of missile had the clear distinct ring of red light around the tracking camera- this was something new that science invented. Once the missile locks onto the one heat signature, all others become invisible to it as the special red light shuts them out. A filter software also shuts out all other distractions that might be cast its way.
Pulse tried to take aim, but the aircraft was moving too much- and the missile was a small target. It was near impossible to shoot it at this rate- let alone he was trying not to hit the back engine. He let out a short three-round burst, but they all hit empty space. The second burst wasn't much luck either.
Then something on the opposite side exploded, the blast knocking the ship sideways and the flash sending shadows scattering across the floor.
A missile meant for someone else had missed and struck a nearby building, the shockwave knocking the drop ship off balance- and Pulse.
"Shuck-" he cursed as he was shaken off the plane and out the side, a loose cable whipping around him as the engines sucked him towards the drop ship's tail. His eyes widened with fear as he realized that he didn't secure the cable on his side- and that the engines were going to swallow him up and spit him out in broken pieces.
Then his arm caught on something, and it felt like a python had wrapped around it and crushed it. He screamed as he was yanked to a stop, his arm popping out of his shoulder.
His back hooves were only feet away from being dragged into the engine, and he was slipping. The cable had wrapped around his arm, which stopped it from deploying any further. He quickly reached back and flicked a switch, locking the cable so it wouldn't deploy any further and would only retract. Sadly the automatic retract option was only meant for tidying the cable, instead of pulling someone up to the location. The motors simply weren't strong enough.
"Damnit- Pulse! Come on!" Thyme yelled, peering out the cabin door. Then she turned behind her and yelled at the med team. "Secure his cable damnit!"
They could try pulling him in, but that would mean they would have to unhook the cable first- which wasn't the safest option. Pulse should be able to pull himself in- they just have to make sure the cable stays secure.
Pulse ignored the pain in his left arm, and reached forward with his right. He made the cable wrap around it, freed his left, and tugged himself forward. Now just two meters to go.
He repeated the step, but the pilot had to make a hard left to avoid getting hit, and it flung him away from the side of the plane. The g-force that slammed onto his body almost suffocated him, the full weight of his body and suit slamming into his hip where the cable was connected. Then the ship steadied, and he was flung back again, slamming his shoulder against the hull.
"Shuck! The missile!" The pilot warned. "It's gonna hit us!"
Pulse looked down, ignoring the agonizing pain in his side from when he hit the hull at full force. He still had his rifle- it was secured to him via a rope, which was only meant for quick deploy but not storage.
He grabbed onto the rope, and yanked it forward. He caught the rifle, and took aim once again.
Third time lucky, he thought as he pulled the trigger.
The bullets struck the missile, tearing it down the center. It sparked and caught flames, and veered majorly off course. It started spinning, falling behind. Then it clipped an office building and blew up, the sudden expansion of gas blowing a fireball twenty meters in diameter in under 0.4 seconds. The shockwave gave Pulse a considerable lift, and blasted him towards the entrance.
But still not close enough. He tucked away his rifle, and began his agonizing climbing process again.
"Walkers on the roofs!" The pilot yelled, turning right as a rocket flew past them.
"Damnit!" Pulse cursed. His rifle won't be doing anything against those.
"Buck- turret doesn't reach that angle!" Thyme pulled down the turret, but it wouldn't aim high enough. Understandable though, since the walkers were pretty much right above them.
Then there was the distinct sound of a rocket being launched, probably already on a collision course with the drop ship.
Rainbow had fallen asleep too, Dainty still snoring on her lap and in her arms. Octavia felt a little tired, however not sleepy. It must've been quite a big day for Rainbow, despite everything else. It isn't everyday that you find everything you vowed to protect stolen from you- but then again, neither is it everyday that you find yourself in a different reality.
Soon Octavia could hear Daring and Lily snoring a bit too. Babs had her eyes closed, breathing softly. Only Octavia and Silver remained wide awake.
"You can go to sleep if you want. I know the way." EDI said to Octavia.
"I'm fine, thanks EDI." Octavia sighed. "But there's someone I have to keep an eye on." She said, somewhat loudly so that Silver could hear. Their eyes met in the rear view mirror, both ignorant of each other.
Rainbow yawned loudly, and seemed to open her eyes a little.
"Sleep, Rainbow." Octavia said quietly. "It's been a long day. You deserve some."
"I already got myself some." She stretched, then immediately became careful as she remembered Dainty was still curled up on her lap. "Plus, the dreams I'm having don't exactly make me want to go back to them."
"Nightmares, eh." Octavia nodded slowly.
"No, just dreams." Rainbow sighed, and looked tiredly out the window at the bright orange evening sun. "Just happy memories, is all." She yawned.
Octavia didn't say anything. She knew what Rainbow was talking about. Happy memories of a long lost reality, coming to haunt you as you know you'll never reach them again. Just more empty bait that hope is casting.
"Shuck... What happened here?" Rainbow frowned, looking at something outside.
"What is it?" Octavia asked.
"There must've been survivors here..." Rainbow shook her head. "It's one of the trains that used to pull ponies around Equestria."
Octavia looked past Rainbow. "A supply carriage..."
"Could be worth a look." Rainbow noted. "Just one look around- shouldn't take long."
"EDI, stand guard." Octavia stopped the car. "Identify and neutralize all targets that approach. Rainbow and I are going for a quick look-see." She said, and opened the door. Then she leaned close so only EDI could hear her: "Watch Silver Dash for any suspicious behavior. The moment she shows signs of aggression- do whatever it takes to protect the others. Do you understand?"
"Acknowledged." EDI said through Octavia's comms instead of the speakers.
Octavia slammed the door shut and straightened her coat as she stood up, placing her hat over her head and casting a quick gaze around the empty wasteland. Nothing was visible in miles, except a small shade in the distance that was Ponyville.
Rainbow took a pistol with her just in case, with a few clips of ammo. Usually the cleaver should be enough, but there wasn't exactly a lot of space in the damn train to wield it.
She nodded to Octavia, who nodded back- and they started walking towards the train.
All was silent. The normal noises of the wasteland, such as the cooing of mutated birds and creeping whooshing of the wind, was not currently present. Simple silence was settled over the scene, except the occasional crow's cry which echoed across the vast plains.
"Ain't liking this." Rainbow tutted, scanning the area. Pollution shielded things that were further away, but it didn't matter much. The two had fast enough reaction times to catch a bullet. Only the reaction time though- not that they actually could.
"Me neither." Octavia muttered, keeping her pistol dangling by her side and ready for action.
They strode closer and closer towards the train, and it was becoming clearer and clearer. The fallout was thinning, and now they could see the tracks too. The train had completely derailed and flipped on its side, the rails cracked and split all over the place. Twisted metal lay scattered about, along with other bits and pieces of material.
Rainbow heard a light shuffle behind her, but ignored it. Then she noticed Octavia had stopped walking, and turned around.
"Tavi, you alright?" She raised an eyebrow.
Octavia was kneeling on the ground, clutching her side with a hoof while the other struggled to hold onto the pistol. She had beads of sweat dripping down her face, which was contorted in pain.
"Bucking anti-matter poisoning." She groaned through gritted teeth. "Acting up again."
"Crap..." Rainbow muttered, jogging to her side. She dug an arm under hers, and hoisted her up. "Can you walk?"
"I think I can handle it for now. Grrr... God that hurts." She bent over, breathing heavily and squeezing her side with a hoof. "Let it pass..."
After a minute or so the pain faded, and at least she was able to straighten up again. She still stumbled a bit though, so Rainbow helped her along.
"You sure you don't want to just go back to EDI and rest?"
"And leave you out here?" Octavia chuckled weakly. "No thanks." She said with a light groan.
Finally they got to the train, and Rainbow took a peek in the abandoned carriage via a small crack in the wooden roof.
"Can't see anything. Hold on." She grabbed onto the piece of wood, and yanked. The rotted material cracked almost instantly, and a second yank broke it free. It tumbled down on the ground, a small ash cloud rolling out of the carriage with it.
A grin spread across Rainbow's face as she scanned their salvage.
"Hey! Got some medical equipment. See if EDI can use that to patch you up. Got ammo... Ooh, axe." Rainbow was like a kid in a toy shop.
"Sshh, you hear that?" Octavia suddenly held up a hoof.
There was the distant howling of a wolf, and... Hoof steps. Stumbling, irregular, unbalanced, and probably rotten- hoof steps. Then came the familiar groaning, moaning, thirsty for blood and fresh meat.
"Mutations..." Rainbow whispered, looking around. "We should probably go." she said, and started walking out.
Suddenly she felt something close around her ankle, and she tripped. She looked down- and there was a mutated unicorn that she disregarded as a dead body earlier. Without thinking, she kicked it away and put a bullet through its head.
The gunshot echoed across the plains, and all went silent- for just a moment. Then the ruckus started again, growing louder, louder, louder- and louder.
"You're a moron." Octavia face-hoofed.
"Shut up." Rainbow muttered, standing up and scanning the area.
Shadows and shifting shapes started forming from somewhere to their left, behind the thick clouds of air pollution. There must be a whole horde there, heading towards them.
"My god... Call EDI, now!" Rainbow turned to Octavia.
"Trying!" Octavia panicked. "Someone's jamming our signals!"
"What..?" Rainbow looked around, lost. "But there's no-one here!" Then her eyes widened. "You've gotta be kidding me. We walked right into a death trap? LITERALLY!!??" She quickly turned to run back into the train- whoever was here before must've hid a signal jammer in there. But it was too late.
"Look out!" Octavia yelled, shoving Rainbow out of the way with one hoof and smashing the trigger of her pistol with the other. The mutated dog dropped down from mid-leap, officially dead.
"Looks like we'll have to fight our way through this muck!" Rainbow growled, tucking away the pistol and whipping out her cleaver.
There were several loud clicks as it unfolded, the area being lit red by loyalty. She swung it around, through three zombies at once and halving them cleanly. Blood splattered into the air, thick and infected.
Rainbow stepped forward, leaning on her back hoof and sliding the cleaver handle forward. Heavy gunshots echoed across the plains as the high-caliber bullets tore through rotten flesh with all the ease of ripping a sheet of paper. Skulls shattered and bones cracked, blood flew and organs fell.
Rainbow slid the handle back down, and swung up at the nearest mutated. It was cut straight up the center, completely in half.
She saw something leap into the sky with her peripheral vision, and turned just in time to see a mutated pegasus pony dive at her. She stabbed the cleaver into him, and he stopped dead just before his demented hooves could reach her. She quickly flung him off, and whipped out her pistol because she didn't have time.
The infected just kept coming.
Rainbow took a step back, and felt her back bump into Octavia's. they glimpsed each other, and immediately twirled around and swapped ends.
Octavia whipped out her pistol and busted a zombie's head, while Rainbow cut the legs clean off another by stabbing the cleaver through its knees and into the ground.
Octavia ducked down and turned around, firing a bullet into the zombie's head as it fell down. Rainbow kicked the cleaver's fire trigger, sending a huge shockwave through the earth and the cleaver flying out of the ground. The handle struck down an infected wolf by cracking its skull. The blade bounced back and into Rainbow's hooves, who stepped past Octavia and swung it around in a wide arc; taking down several infected all in one swing.
They kept watch on each other's and their own ammo count as they fought- this benefited them both, as fluent team work always worked better than anything. The moment Octavia's pistol clicked empty, Rainbow knew what to do.
Octavia shook out the empty clip while Rainbow whipped out a fresh one since she barely used her pistol, and flung it over to Octavia. Octavia held up the pistol, and the clip flew straight into place. She loaded it with a click, and continued on with a curt nod.
Rainbow flew into the air and dove back down, slamming the cleaver into the ground. The earth shook, and the clumsy infected bodies of the zombies failed to cope. They tripped over one another, tripping more of their friends up as they clawed their way to get back up. Rainbow quickly whipped out her pistol, and started firing.
The crowd was thinning- there weren't many left to be dealt with.
"Almost there!" Rainbow yelled, which was a bad idea since it temporarily distracted her.
Someone leaped out of nowhere and hit her full in the chest, sending her flying back several meters before rolling on the dirt. She recovered and flipped over just in time to stop a zombie's teeth from sinking into her neck, and she could feel its warm feverish breath on her neck.
"Well this is mighty disgusting." She muttered as she twisted its neck, thick blood and puss exploding out of a lump in the back of its head. She quickly kicked it away and got up, wiping the disgusting substance away from her coat.
She quickly picked up her cleaver again, and rammed her shoulder into another. She slammed the cleaver down into its chest and yanked it out, blood flying into the air as it shook off the cleaver blade.
Octavia simply didn't have a fast enough trigger hoof. From the chaos and gunshots an infected unicorn managed to weave through and tackle her down. Octavia pushed its face as far away from her own as possible with her front hooves, but was struggling to do so. The zombie was quickly closing in, its foul smelling breath making Octavia crinkle her nose.
Then she diverted that energy sideways and flung the zombie onto the ground, and before it could get back up again she put a bullet through its head. She quickly rolled back up, pointing her pistol this way and that, expecting more infected to turn up- but none did. They were all gone.
Well, except for one- but Rainbow already had her pistol pointed at its head.
Octavia quickly swapped for a full clip and pocketed the pistol. Not much to do here- she straightened her coat and adjusted her hat, and was ready to head back in to retrieve the supplies.
"Come on Rainbow. Let's shut down that darn signal jammer and get EDI here- lots of useful crap sitting around." Octavia peered into the train carriage. She waited, but Rainbow didn't reply. She turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Rainbow?"
Rainbow was still holding the pistol, although quite visibly her arms were shaking. The zombie was a mere five meters away, slowly limping towards her and making dry moans.
"Darn it RD. stop fooling around and get over here! Just shoot it!" Octavia shook her head. She walked over to Rainbow and stood next to her, peering at her face.
She found nothing but shock and an unbelieving expression there, the barest hint of a tear forming at the corner of her eye.
"Rainbow... What's wrong...?" She turned her attention to the zombie.
It was obviously an earth pony mare- blonde mane dirtied with ash and grime, orange skin ripped and covered in dirt. Her eyes probably were an intense green, but now had faded back to a barely visible mint color- almost white. And she seemed to have what looked like three red dots for a cutie mark. Over her head she wore some sort of hat- it was near impossible to tell what it was before, since it had been so torn and ripped.
Octavia recognized her as someone who hung out with Rainbow a lot back in the other reality. She saw them together with the Elements of Harmony back at the gala before. Then she realized- this was one of them. The last element that was missing for so long.
Instantly her expression saddened as she realized how horrible this must be for Rainbow. Hope- how high those hopes she had must've been. And this is all she gets for all that hope- a somewhat literal rotting mess.
"Poor mare..." She muttered, her own voice dry. "Must've starved to death before the infected got to her, by the looks of it." Octavia shook her head. "She must've been quite strong then, to have survived this long from everything else." She cast Rainbow a quick glance, and for a moment all they could hear was the zombie's slow shuffling hoof steps.
Octavia sighed, weighing her options. Then she looked up and laid a gentle hoof on Rainbow's shoulder.
"Can I trust you with this?" She asked softly.
Rainbow didn't say anything- only nodded. Octavia could tell she was barely fighting back the tears. She gave Rainbow a soft pat on the back, and turned away to head for the carriage.
Rainbow waited until she couldn't hear Octavia's hoof steps anymore, and could no longer hold back her tears. She let them stream down her face, shaking her head in disbelief.
"I expected you to be stronger than that, partner." She chuckled sadly. "I hope this isn't you. I really do- but there's no denying it. Why did all of you have to leave me? I... I tried so hard..." She let the gun drop to her side, and she wiped off a bead of water at the corner of her eye, letting out a soft sob. "I thought... Maybe... Just maybe... You'd make it. Looks like I was wrong again." Rainbow sighed. But then her expression hardened, and she leveled the gun once again. "But you know what? I know who caused this. I know why this happened. And I know how I'm gonna take revenge." She said through gritted teeth, but failed to stop the crying. "I DON'T CARE IF VAL IS BEHIND ALL THIS!! THEY CHOSE TO FOLLOW HER, THEN THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE TOO!!" Rainbow screamed, more to herself than anyone else. "AJ... Maybe you can hear me, maybe you can't... But I'll kill them. You hear me? I'LL KILL ALL OF THEM!" She yelled, her voice breaking up into gulps and tears as she struggled to continue on. "I...I'll make sure they pay." She said, and looked back up again.
Applejack slowly limped ever closer. There wasn't much to do beyond this point.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I've been so useless. The one goal I set for myself- to protect my friends- I failed. I'm sorry... It was my fault, and yet you had to pay for it..." She closed her eyes, gritting her teeth in pure heart ache. "Goodbye, old friend. And I'm sorry."
And with that, a bright flash exploded through the empty wasteland as the pistol went off. The bang echoed through the plains, continuing on.... Everything seemed so empty.
There was a loud tink as the bullet shell hit the ground, followed by a dull thud as Applejack fell to the floor, her dulled eyes finally coming to a close.
Rainbow slumped down, dropped the pistol, and buried her face in her hooves. She curled up into a ball, the feeling of loss itching her heart growing ever stronger. She let out a few wails, she didn't care who hears it or doesn't- it didn't matter to her. All she cared about was that all her old friends were dead, and it was because that she was too weak to do anything about it.
She heard some light hoof steps behind her- familiar, easily recognizable. Then she felt Octavia's hoof on her shoulder, gentle and light.
She turned around and threw her arms around the grey earth pony, crying louder and harder than ever as she struggled to hold onto what little was left. She felt Octavia hug her back, and squeezed. She didn't want to let go- in fear that once she did, she might just slip away and be gone forever.
There was the sound of grinding tires as EDI pulled up, and a faint click as the door opened. A light thud as Dainty jumped out, a worried expression on her face.
Rainbow quickly picked her up and squeezed her tight.
"Dainty... I'm gonna use every last ounce of my strength to make sure you get out of this safe and sound, alright? I'm not letting you go. I won't." She cried into her shoulder.
"Sis..." Dainty started, but turned to Octavia instead- Rainbow didn't look too stable. She raised a worried eyebrow, ruffling Rainbow's mane. "What happened?"
"Long story. She found another one of her friends." Octavia sighed.
"Oh..." Dainty rested her head down on Rainbow's shoulder, a sudden heaviness resting on her heart. Her sister probably lost just about everything by now...
"Dainty... I...I'm so... So scared... To lose you guys...." Rainbow sobbed. "I...I don't know what to do anymore... I'm so... Scared..."
Dainty hugged her tightly, nuzzling her gently. "Stop, sis. You did a great job of protecting us so far. You've done more than any pony else." She grinned. "And I think that's what counts."
Rainbow didn't talk for a moment, and just stared emptily and sadly at the ground.
"I... I just feel so weak." Rainbow shook her head, eyes lowered.
"You're just thinking of who you've lost, not who you've got left." Dainty smiled gently, lifting Rainbow's chin lightly with a hoof.
And at that moment Rainbow saw everyone else as she looked up. Her other friends, Octavia, Magnum, Daring, Silver, Lily and even Babs- standing and ready to continue on with her- if only she were to stand up.
"I'm still here." Dainty noted, then gestured at everyone else. "WE'RE still here."
Rainbow couldn't help but smile, and wiped a small tear off the corner of her eye. She nodded, confidence building up once again. Confidence, not hope. She was simply confident that they could accomplish this- not hope that they would win.
And these were just the friends that she had in sight. Vinyl, Blithy, Spitfire- there were many more out there waiting. It was up to her to deliver the speech- and they'd be a go. While there were many losses, there were wins too- and they mustn't be forgotten.
"From here on." Rainbow stood up, keeping a firm and reassuring hoof on Dainty's shoulder. "From here on out... We watch each other's backs. We get through this together." She looked around at her grinning friends, smiling back at them. "I've already lost too many. WE'VE already lost too many. Let's not let that ever happen again... We stick together, and we'll be fine." She said, and gestured at EDI. "Back in the car everypony! We've still got a whole lot to do!" She said.
EDI opened the doors, and everyone climbed back in- except Rainbow, who took one last look behind her at Applejack's dead body. She sighed, sadness stirring inside her once again. But she shook her head as hard as she could, and ground her teeth together. She cast her dead friend one last gaze.
"Rest, partner. We'll handle the rest." She said, and was about to turn away when she noticed that there was something taped to AJ's left hoof.
Rainbow frowned, and started walking towards the object. It was a small black stick, just a few centimeters long. A faint blue light pulsed on one side- it was some sort of device, and it was obvious that AJ must've taped it to herself before she died.
Rainbow reached down and removed the small device, the pulsing blue light slightly mesmerizing as she stared at it. Then she looked down again, squinting as the bright evening sun was in her eyes.
"What were you trying to tell us, AJ?" She muttered, then turned away to head to the car, dropping the device into her pocket.
"We're gonna hit some rough roads up ahead." Octavia said as Rainbow slammed the door shut. "There's a canyon just before Canterlot. If we want the fastest route, we'll be driving alongside that. Trouble is, night is falling and we're all darn tired. We'll probably drive up to the canyon and cross it tomorrow- call it a night. Set up camp in a small bush somewhere, hopefully no one'll find us."
"I won't agree any less." Rainbow yawned.
"I could drive." EDI noted.
"And wake us up by crashing off the cliff? Why not." Octavia sighed.
"Sarcasm?" EDI would've raised an eyebrow if it had one.
"Correct."
"I do admit that my auto-driving programming is still in the testing stages, and has been confirmed to be 40% reliable, but-"
"I think we've heard enough." Octavia sighed.
"As you wish." EDI said.
As Octavia had said, night fell rather quickly. They set up a small camp out in a small piece of forest near the cliff, with a few make-shift sleeping bags so everyone wasn't crammed in the car and a small camp fire set up outside.
Everyone had fallen asleep except for Rainbow, who sat wide awake in the car with her back hooves dangling out the side.
She looked up at the night sky with its shimmering stars and sighed- Princess Luna, where are you to bring dreams now?
"And when do you plan on returning?" An armored alicorn asked, her eyes glowing a dim white in the darkness surrounding her and the other pony that was significantly shorter than her. Her armor had a sort of dark gleam to it, reflecting her shimmering mane that drifted in a non-existent breeze and seemed to show the stars in a night sky.
"I don't plan to until they need me. There's no need. I shall remain by your side for the time being." The bat-pony said, one of her eyes glowing a light green and the other covered by an eyepatch.
"You still need to be careful, huh." The alicorn sighed, looking up at the night sky. Although, it was pretty much night here all the time- since this place in particular didn't have much of an atmosphere. The only reason they were still alive right now was because of a spell the alicorn had cast over the surface.
"I do. Still need more practice with my skills... Using only one eye is proving to be a much larger difficulty than I first imagined." The bat-pony looked down at her hooves, and dug at the grey dirt there. "Depth perception has been completely thrown off. I'll have to rely on a lot of guess work."
"And in your line of business, I do see how that could be a problem." The alicorn nodded, still looking up at the sky. Something blue reflected in her eyes.
The bat-pony looked up too, and for a moment the both of them were mesmerized. Then she chuckled.
"Look at us. They all think we're dead- and what are we doing with this opportunity? Nothing." She shook her head.
"We're waiting." The alicorn kept her eyes on the blue object hovering thousands of kilometers away from them in space. "When the time is right, we will reveal ourselves. Celestia's fall has proven to us that timing is crucial. Charging straight into battle would only get us killed. She may have accumulated a large sum of troops, but her timing was way off."
"Speaking of troops." The bat-pony's left ear twitched. "How are ours doing?"
"Resting. They'll need the energy." The alicorn nodded. "We're over twenty five thousand strong now."
"Seriously? How did they all fit on this bloody little piece of space rock?" The bat-pony raised an eyebrow.
"A few spells did the trick, but that's as much as I can manage now." The alicorn sighed, shaking her head slightly. "You think this'll be third time lucky?"
"Luck has nothing to do with this." The bat-pony sighed. "Although, I wish it did. That would make things so much easier."
"I agree." The alicorn nodded.
For a moment they both stared, mesmerized; at the blue object.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" The alicorn sighed sadly.
"It is. I'm surprised that it's still blue... And has green too, after all that happened."
"Comes to show that we've still got a chance then." The alicorn said, turning away and trotting into the darkness. "Soon, my subjects. Equestria will be ours again."
"It shall." The bat-pony nodded, casting Earth one last look, and following the alicorn into the shadows to hide.
*
"Why... Why did you unchain me?" Blithy asked, sitting on a metal foldable chair next to Val, who sat on her throne.
"Because there really isn't anything you could do. The moment you make a move I could just send a signal to that little torture device of mine- or yours. You invented it after all." Val shrugged. "Also, I have some business to attend to. And it's kind of boring when you aren't here, admittedly." She said matter-of-factly.
"I don't think I want to know what kind of business." Blithy shook her head in disgust.
Val ignored her. "HEX, put up a screen for me." She said, and a large holographic screen appeared in front of them. "Now, track our dear friend Rainbow Dash's position, will ya."
"Tracking." An artificial female voice said, and the screen suddenly zoomed in on a satellite image of somewhere near Canterlot.
"Ah, lovely." Val grinned.
Blithy's eyes widened. "How on earth...?"
"You'll know soon enough. The barricade wasn't everything you know, although I'm still quite pissed about that." Val muttered, and sent a short signal to the torturer.
Blithy suddenly went into a violent spasm for just a second, and almost tipped out of her chair. She was left panting once the odd feeling left, but didn't say anything- she learnt to keep quiet, as much as she didn't want to. She could try ripping out the device, but there wasn't much point. Where the hay would she go after that?
"You know, I find it funny how much thought you guys have put into this war- and yet you've missed so much." Val grinned. "Is there really nothing else you could see? The small details, most aren't even that small. You guys just dismissed them as minor."
"Like what?"
"Pffft." Val leant back into her throne. "Like I'm going to tell you. But you'll find out soon enough."
*
Thyme looked up just in time to see the rocket fly towards them.
Then it was hammered straight out of the sky by a prism beam that came from above, searing through the metal and slicing it in half. She looked up to see a huge gun ship, its silent anti-gravity generators keeping it hidden all the way until it got here.
"Reinforcements inbound." The gunship's pilot radioed. "Head straight for the med evac. We've got you covered."
"Copy... Er...." Thyme squinted at the words printed across the gunship's hull. "Copy Albatross." She said.
"Little help here?" She heard Pulse's strangled call through the comms, and quickly turned her attention to him.
Pulse was still clinging on, trying to take off some of the g-force on his hip by tugging himself forward. He wrapped the cable around his arm, and shuffled along.
Thyme reached out with a hoof, but Pulse was still too far away. Pulse could use his gravity boots and latch onto the hull, but that would mean increasing the surface area heading against the wind. Drag would increase significantly, and that could put a lot of tension on the cable. The last thing they needed was for it to snap.
Except, the cable wasn't their problem right now.
Pulse felt his stomach lurch as he dropped back a few feet.
"What the hay was that!?" He yelled, frightened.
Thyme quickly looked behind her. The handrails the cable was hooked onto were getting ripped out of the ceiling.
"Oh crap. SECURE IT!" She screamed, and dived at the handrail.
It broke free, but then flew right into her hooves. She used its momentum and swung it around, then with a loud crack stuck it in a small gap between the door and the outer hull.
"I thought I told you guys to make sure the damn thing was SECURE!" She screamed at the rest of her team.
"Bucking hell. We didn't see it until a second ago!"
"KEEP AN EYE ON IT." Thyme growled, turning back to Pulse. She leant out the side, and called out: "Can you keep climbing!?"
"Buck'n trying!" Pulse groaned, the muscles in his arms burning as he hauled himself forward against the winds.
"There's gotta be a better way..." Thyme sighed frustratedly, looking around for anything she could use- but there really wasn't anything.
A walker leaped up with a boost and flew into the air above them, about to land on the opposite building when it got hammered straight out of the sky by a heavy shell from the Albatross.
"Get him back in for Celestia's sake! Can't accelerate to full speed until he's in!" The pilot yelled.
"You don't think I'm trying!?" Thyme yelled back.
Suddenly something exploded behind them, and there was a loud crack as the cable snapped from the stress.
The shockwave carried Pulse forward a few meters, his cable whipping about.
Thyme reached out and caught his hoof, and he was left dangling there with no safety cable.
The rest of the med team quickly ran forward and grabbed them, and hauled them in. They tumbled into the cabin, and Pulse kicked the 'close' button for the doors. They slammed shut, and they were left to catch their breath on the floor. Thyme banged a hoof on the pilot's door.
"We're all in!" She breathed.
"Gotcha." The pilot said, and launched the drop ship forward and at maximum speed, weaving through the buildings.
*
Vinyl slowly creeped along the second floor, constantly aware of the darkness behind her and the light coming in from the hollow windows.
She could hear some talking- probably just some troopers setting up a small camp. Sounds like pirates- this shouldn't be too hard. Take them out, and move on.
She swung out the window, her light brown jacket sweeping up a tiny cloud of dust from the surface. There was a whoosh and thud as she dropped down, alarmed yelps coming from the pirates around her.
She flicked her wrists, rings of light fizzing to life and circling her hooves. She ducked under a stream of bullets, and slammed a disc into the pirate's stomach. It burned clean through, and she sliced it sideways and tore his insides out. She quickly swiped his hooves out from underneath him with a leg before he could fire any shots.
She quickly dashed to the other, rolled under machine gun fire and leaped back up again. A bright ball of electricity exploded as she slammed a disc into his chin, knocking him back.
Then what followed was a large mess of colorful lights as she sent electricity through his body by slamming the two discs fifteen times into various parts of his body before he hit the ground. There was a loud thud as he hit the ground, lifting up a small cloud of dust. Vinyl stepped over his body, eyes and ears scanning for anyone else in the vicinity.
"You're clear." She heard Frostbite say through the mic. "You've got a few walkers on the roofs on the next few buildings. Stay put and wait for my signal." He said.
*
Frostbite tucked away his rifle, and leaped over the gap between the roof he was on and the opposite one with relative ease as he stretched out his wings. He tuck rolled onto the dust, skidding a few meters. He stood up and kept running, with the two walkers in his sight. They probably weren't expecting a griffon to turn up.
He sneaked up on the first walker, and stuck a grenade in one of the gaps in its armor, where the leg joints were. He quickly flew off the edge of the building, diving down as the grenade went off. He felt the heat of the explosion on his back, but the building had blocked all the shrapnel.
He flew back up again, but the other walker had already spotted him before he could circle around. He beat his wings against the air and launched forward. The walker shot at him, but the bullets failed to keep track of him as he zipped through the air and closed the distance.
Frostbite tucked into a ball and rolled in the air, then launched both back feet into the front of the walker. It caved in from the impact, the metal bending and denting inwards. Frostbite bounced back and landed on his claws and feet, skidding back a few meters on the layer of dust. The walker fell over and hit the floor with a loud bang, and Frostbite pulled out his rifle.
A few beams of kappa radiation punched through the walker's weapons systems, disabling it. Part of the gun's barrel clunked to the ground, useless. Frostbite quickly flew up to it, ripped off the hatch, and fired a few shots into the cockpit. That's the pilot taken care of.
He looked around, seeing if there were more. The roof tops were clear.
"Proceed, Vinyl. And track down the secondary objective." Frostbite said, then narrowed his eyes as he spotted something. "I've got visual contact on the primary objective. Looks like the reinforcements are here too."
*
"Copy. Proceeding to track secondary objective." Vinyl said, sneaking through the labyrinth of buildings.
Suddenly she heard a loud click behind her, and sighed. She raised her hooves above her head, her body tense and ready to spring into action any second.
"The hay are you from, aye?" The pirate raised an eyebrow at her odd clothing and equipment. He prodded the barrel of his rifle at Vinyl's back.
"I'm from OH SHUCK WHAT'S THAT!!??" Vinyl screamed. The pirate didn't quite fall for it, but was startled and confused for a second there. And that's all Vinyl needed.
She flicked her wrist, and a laser disc formed around the barrel of the pirate's rifle. She spun around and yanked it sideways, slicing the rifle in half.
The pirate open fired, but with half the gun missing the bullets were simply falling out of the front end of the gun, still in their shells.
Vinyl launched a back hoof into the front of the gun, sending the stock digging into the pirate's stomach. She used the rifle as something to step on, and took a big step into the air. The last thing the pirate saw was a blur of white as Vinyl brought her back leg up and kneed him in the face. But she wasn't done.
She grabbed him by the head, and rolled past him. There was a crunch as her momentum spun his head 180 degrees, and she landed with a light thud on the ground behind him. His body thumped to the ground, followed by a light clatter as the rifle followed.
She looked around- no alarms set off. Time to keep looking.
*
"Med team is almost at the cliff. They're going to rappel down the side, and we're going to provide cover fire while they do so. Obviously the gunship will be covering them from above- so we'll be taking to the ground. Keep all enemy forces, pirate or science; away from the cliff." Neon said, speaking over the loud groaning of hydraulics as a large door behind her dropped down to form a platform. "Check your jet packs!"
"Check." Asty said, and the others nodded.
"Well come on then ladies!" Neon waved, and the cadets sprang to their hooves.
"I've always wanted to do this, just saying." Rig grinned, and back-flipped off the side. Asty followed with a slight turn, waving back at the gunship as she fell down. Inkie and Blinkie failed to add fun to it though- they pretty much just stepped off the edge.
"Thunderlane! We clear on the plan?" Neon looked behind her at the cockpit before she readied to jump.
"Kill everyone?" Thunderlane gave a hooves up from the cockpit.
"Essentially. Watch for friendlies, two reported in the area." Neon said, and with that she dive rolled out of the gunship.
Suddenly her ears were filled with the loud roaring of the ship's anti-gravity generators, then that quickly faded away as she exited range. The ship became smaller and smaller in the sky, but then started circling back around again to provide fire support.
"Buck. They've spotted us!" Rig yelled, quickly pulling out his rifle and firing a three-round burst into a missile. Too bad it was right in his path, and he flew straight through the fireball. He emerged coughing and spluttering. "Darn it! These suits should come with gas masks."
"They do, dumbarse. You just didn't turn the function on." Asty sighed.
"Ah buck. They're blocking our way to the cliff!" Rig ignored Asty and yelled.
There were a line of walkers and troops across the street and blocking their passage. They were the ones shooting missiles at them. There was one primary assault walker, heavily armored- that would be their biggest problem. There was also another one on the roof below them.
"Asty! Pass me a grenade!" Neon yelled.
"You won't be able to throw that far!" Asty replied.
"Just give me one!" Neon commanded, and Asty threw one across the air at her. She caught it in a claw, and leant forward.
Now she was directly facing the line of defense head on. She activated her jet pack, and gave it a forward boost. She was ripped out of her original falling trajectory and shot straight towards the walkers.
In mid-air she removed her jet pack, pulled the pin on the grenade, and stuffed the latter into the former.
Using the jet pack one last time facing sideways and in her claws, it sent her into a wild spinning motion. She timed it, turned the jet pack engine fully on, and threw it across the street at the walker on the roofs.
The jet pack hit the walker's thick armor and bounced off, dented and broken. It clattered to the floor, useless. But a second later the entire roof collapsed as the grenade went off, taking the walker with it.
Neon was still on her original trajectory, heading towards the lead assault walker at fifty miles an hour.
The walker shot at her, but she avoided it by angling her body sideways. The distance between her and the walker closed enormously, and she quickly rolled forward so that she would hit the walker with her back hooves instead of her face.
All Rig saw was Neon zip towards the walker, and then the walker and her along with a ten meter radius of troops and surface area suddenly explode into a huge dust cloud with a metallic bang.
"What the hay was that...?" He didn't know what to make of what just happened.
Then suddenly he saw Inkie fly towards him, and the next thing he knew he had a knee in his face.
He tumbled across the air, Inkie having flown somewhere else. And then he noticed the missile that would've hit him from the side.
"Ouch, my face." He muttered. "Thanks."
"It was the only part of your body within reach that I could get you out of the way from."
"I can see how that could've ended even worse." Rig mumbled under his breath.
"Stay in formation!" Blinkie yelled. That was the first time anyone other than her twin heard her raise her voice at all. "See those buildings? Land behind them for cover!"
"MISSILE!!" Asty screamed.
"No worries. Air support inbound." Thunderlane said calmly, and hammered the missile out of the sky with a prism beam.
Asty quickly angled herself and flew out of the fireball's way.
"ETA five seconds to ground level!" Rig yelled. "Activate counter thrusters now!"
Inkie swung her back legs forward, small thrusters at the bottom of them slowing her descent only by a few seconds. A spring system popped out from underneath her boots, and as she hit the ground they absorbed the force of impact. The system popped back in, and she immediately dove behind cover.
She pulled out a small device the size of a pistol, which quickly sprung into a full length sniper rifle.
"Move up move up!" She yelled, peering through the thermal scope. The dust cloud from Neon's impact was still floating around, so visibility was low. The only things that could get to them through the clouds were the thermal scopes and advanced targeting systems that didn't require direct visual contact. Which could also be a bad thing, since the damn walkers will be shooting rockets at them.
There were a few bangs as Inkie picked off a few shooters in the dust cloud, giving the team more time to land and get to cover.
Then a bullet came zipping out of nowhere and busted right through her right arm. And clearly it was a high caliber- as it ripped her entire arm off directly from the shoulder.
She screamed, and fell down into the dust, her own thick blood mixed with bits of flesh dropping down all around her. There was a dull thud as her severed arm dropped, followed by a clang as her rifle fell.
"SHUCK! MARE DOWN! MARE DOWN!!" she heard Rig yell, somewhat distant.
Then someone rolled her over, and she saw a vague image of Blinkie. She was yelling something at her face, shaking her. But she couldn't see through the blurriness, nor hear through her dulled and ringing ears. The only thing she knew was this was bad- really bad.
Still the stars shimmered, and still Rainbow failed to find sleep. Almost everyone was curled up around the flickering camp fire- except for Silver, who was standing guard over at the cliff edge.
Rainbow sighed, and pulled the small device out of her pocket. Still the little blue light pulsed, as if the thing had its own heart beat, however weak. She turned it over and over in her hooves, trying to figure out what it was- when it occurred to her EDI wasn't sleeping either. She looked behind her at Lily and Dainty, who were both curled up on the back seats and fast asleep, and looked back at the control panels.
"EDI." She said softly, and the panel flickered to life.
"Sleep eludes you?" EDI asked, Rainbow's face lit blue by the screens.
"Yeah, despite the calmness." She sighed. "Dim down the brightness and lower your voice- I don't want to wake anypony."
"Acknowledged." EDI said, and instantly the brightness of the scenes and indicators dimmed, and so did her voice. It was still clearly audible though.
"EDI... This is probably gonna sound like a stupid question, but- how good of a friend am I, based on recent events?" Rainbow asked, and almost chuckled at herself.
"Statistically, you haven't been very efficient in preservation efforts. However, keep in mind that these recent six casualties may have been spanned out over tens of years, and not just today. It's highly probably you couldn't have done anything at all." EDI replied, and that somehow made Rainbow feel slightly better.
"You do know what happened right?" She asked. "This whole new reality, and everything?"
"I only know what I have learnt after my creation, and what was already there." EDI said. "But my guess is that there's been a time altering."
"Yeah... I was hoping for a bit more than that." Rainbow sighed. "But it's okay, I didn't expect you to know anyway. I doubt any of us do really know what happened." She sighed. "I know you've been seeing everything. Did the others talk about me in any sort of negative way while I was gone?"
"I will not answer that, however imply it. These ponies here, are your friends, if I am correct?" EDI asked, for the first time.
"Yes, they are."
"And you are the element of loyalty, correct?"
"Yes, I am."
"Then you should understand the loyalty and trust between friends more than anyone else." EDI stated, which surprised Rainbow. "Learn to trust them- who are you to be the element of loyalty if you cannot give trust as much as earn it?"
Rainbow was a little shocked at EDI's statement. Then she shook her head and laughed, keeping her voice low.
"Ha! Look at me, getting lectured by an AI in FRIENDSHIP." She gave the control console a pat. "Good job, EDI. That actually helped a lot."
"I can appreciate the gesture." EDI said.
"Alright... Hey, can you tell me what this is?" She held up the small device.
"Please put that in the scanner." EDI said, and a holographic projection lit the consoles and projected outwards and upwards from a little socket. Rainbow placed the device over the socket, and it hovered there as EDI scanned the device.
It took a while as EDI sorted through the files and searched for a match, and Rainbow watched with interest as nominees were selected from the database then discarded as the match failed. Then finally, something.
"USB 14 wireless portable storage device, minimal encryption with simple four-digit passcode." EDI reported.
"Minimal encryption, aye..." Rainbow rubbed her chin. "Shouldn't be of much importance then. But I want to see what's in it, so hack it."
"Scans indicate it may be a possible Trolljan Horse, which could compromise my systems. A full diagnostic test should be run first." EDI said, twirling the device around in the magnetic scanning field.
"Yeah, run whatever tests you need- wait, did you just say 'Trolljan'?"
"An obvious miserable attempt at humor." EDI said. "The real word would be 'Trojan'."
"Yeah, I know; but... That was actually kinda funny to hear it from you." Rainbow smiled.
"It's nice to hear that. Scanning and running diagnostics."
A holographic status bar appeared, slowly loading towards the end. Then it finally filled up, and went away. A window replaced it, showing multiple files of various sizes.
"Files detected. Inspecting elements. Access denied. Decrypting..."
Another bar, which produced more windows with strings of binary codes running through them and security warnings, but everything was closed down by EDI once the decrypting process was done, and the files were viewable.
"One video file detected. Fifty eight gigabytes free of fifty eight gigabytes. Rounded to two significant figures."
"Only one video file?" Rainbow frowned. "Isn't really long either. Play it."
"Opening file... Playing...."
The console's screen shimmered to life, and the holographical images faded away to show the color image.
It was Applejack, behind her a metal wall. Rusted and with its paint peeling off, she AJ herself couldn't be in better condition. She had blood dripping down from a wound on her left forehead, and her mane and skin were matted with muck. Her eyes were still that intense green though, and they darted this way and that; crazed.
"Recording.... Damn, this thing still works." She chuckled, even though the audio was a bit on the low quality side. There was a lot of indistinguishable background noise, which was annoying. The image fizzed a bit, but went back to normal. "Alright... Alright... I don't think anyone's here. I thought I heard somepony, but... Few weeks out here in the wilderness? I don't think I classify as sane anymore." AJ chuckled. "I haven't had food or water in.. How many days? Darn it, I lost count. So I'm just gonna record this... And if anyone picks this up, please give it to whoever I will be addressing. Which won't be a lot of ponies... Everyone's all dead and crap, so I don't even expect anyone to find this anyways." She took off her hat. "Now, I'm definitely dying. Won't be too long before I become one of those scurrying mutated bastards. So here goes.... Applebloom, if you ever get this... I just want to say, I'm sorry. Is all. They came storm'n into the house, and your brother put up quite the fight... But they had way better stuff than we did. That darn old shotgun barely did anything against em robots... Wasn't long before he went down. He got me outta there though, but looks like I won't be making it either. I... I don't have much for you, really. Everything's gone... But at least, at least... I know you're safe. Love you little sis... And please, please just STAY safe too. I don't want to lose anymore than I already have." Applejack whimpered, and wiped a tear from her eye. "Well won't ya look at that, I still got water in me to squeeze out some tears. But I guess there's no point in preserving them anyways. And to Twilight- wait, no... You're already dead. Keep thinking everyone's still alive- these darn memories will be drive'n me insane before the wasteland does. Hell, all us damn elements are dead except me and Rainbow, which I bet ya I'm be gone soon too. I did managed to dig something up though, if the resistance is still here. Does 'Operation Ascension' ring any bells? I just heard it from one of em soldiers that raided the safe house. Not so safe after all, eh. Oh yeah... And if Rainbow finds this... Rainbow..."
Rainbow had her full attention concentrated on the video now. What was Applejack going to say to her?
"Rainbow, I can't believe what you did. After all these years..." AJ shook her head, even more tears welling up in her eyes. "I thought we were friends, I really did."
Rainbow's heart was immediately crushed. What...?
"We trusted you as a friend. We thought, with your power... We could've stuck together and survived. In fact, now WE'RE ALL BUCK'N DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!!" AJ yelled with the last few ounces of her strength.
Rainbow stared in shock, eyes wide, her body frozen. What the hay was this about...?
"You know what, I don't care if they find you, torture you, or even give you the most painful death imaginable. Because with what you did? YOU BLOODY DESERVE IT! YOU HEAR ME? YOU DESERVE EVERY BLOODY BIT OF IT! I don't care if Val sets you on fire and burns you down, because that's what a bucking liar like you deserves! Element of Loyalty? ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!!?? ELEMENT OF LOYALTY MY APPLE-BUCK'N ARSE!! You... You sold us out to Val at the last moment! How the hay COULD YOU!!!???"
Rainbow didn't know what to say to the recording. EDI saw her reaction, and quickly turned it off.
Rainbow blinked, and looked down at the ground. She slumped back into the seat, her body shivering. Not from the cold, but from the shock. Why was Applejack so mad at her, as to leave such a clear message for her death...? What on earth did she do?
"Are you okay?" EDI asked after a moment of shocked silence, in which Rainbow did nothing but look sadly at the ground.
"I don't think so. What did I do? Why... Why is she..." Rainbow sniffed, and sighed. The campfire was starting to get cold to her- despite nothing changing.
"My guess would be that you sold them out to Valkyrie, leader of the Science Faction. This is reliant on what the recording said only, however." EDI stated.
"But I didn't... They were dead before I came to this rea-" Rainbow stopped and looked up, her eyes widening. "Silver." She almost snarled, and leapt out of her seat.
"Where are you going?" EDI asked.
"To find the truth, and to set things straight. Make sure you don't wake anyone, and keep them safe while I'm gone." Rainbow said, and ran towards the woods.
She stepped past the campfire and Octavia who lay next to it, and Octavia's ear twitched and followed her as she disappeared into the woods. The moment she was gone she sprang to her hooves, and ran to EDI.
"What the hay happened? Where is she going?" she asked urgently, the frown on her face accompanied by a somewhat panicky expression.
"It would seem she has gone off to investigate a matter with Silver." EDI said.
"What. Did. You. Tell. Her?" Octavia asked slowly, a bit of a growl evident in her quiet voice.
"I told her nothing. She merely played a data drive with recordings on it that suggested Silver Dash or her theoretical former self sold the Elements of Harmony out to the Science Faction." EDI said. "Which I also believe to be the truth, according to your behavior towards Silver."
"Then why the hell did you play the video anyway? You must've scanned it, and you must've known what was on it!" Octavia bared her teeth.
"I do not see a problem with Rainbow taking her revenge. I will let you know, she was losing faith in herself. And that is because of Silver's actions, and weighing the factors- Rainbow Dash has earned some well deserved revenge for herself, all she needs to do is get it for herself. We need Rainbow sane, not Silver." EDI said coldly.
"You idiot!" Octavia snarled.
"I believe myself much more intelligent than that who tried to hide the truth." EDI said, and Octavia cursed.
"Guard the others- I'm putting an end to this." she said, slammed the door shut, and ran in the direction in which Rainbow left.
*
Silver watched over the river that flowed below the canyon, and the half-destroyed shadow of Canterlot from her side of the canyon, standing perched on the cliff edge. The moon hung high in the sky, lighting the clearing and hiding the shadows. The river shimmered like the stars in the sky, and despite it being so far away; one could still hear it splashing through the utter silence, however distant.
She heard light hoofsteps behind her, and her ears instantly flicked back. She angled her head slightly to the right, and spotted Rainbow approaching her and emerging from the woods.
She joined her on the clearing, meters away behind her, and stopped. Silence settled again, and Silver sighed.
"It's not time for your shift just yet, Rainbow." She said, looking up at the sky.
"I'm not here because of that." Rainbow said.
"Can't sleep? Because the view here is quite lovely." Silver said.
"I'm not here for that either. I'm here to ask you a question." Rainbow narrowed her eyes so they focused on Silver.
"A question? You're me, and I am you- what is it that I know and you don't?"
"If the answer to this question is yes... Then... Don't ever associate yourself with me. I won't accept it- because you are NOTHING like me." Rainbow said, almost with a snarl.
"I think I know the question..." Silver sighed, her hooves slipping into her coat pockets and her silver mane shining under the moonlight. "And I will answer it truthfully. Once you know to ask the question, I don't think there's any point in hiding it."
"Silver...." Rainbow lowered her head, the edge of her hat casting a shadow over her eyes. "Did you betray my friends?"
Silver didn't reply. She just stared up at the moon. But then she looked down, and nodded to herself.
"Yes. Yes, I did." She said, and Rainbow could see that tiny bit of sorrow sparkling in her eyes. Too little for her to pity her though. "And I still bitterly regret every bit of it till this day, to the extent that all my color has been drained away without them." She looked down at her hooves. Grey, not cerulean like Rainbow's.
"Alright. That's all I needed to hear." Rainbow growled, without a slimmer of forgiveness.
"You know, I didn't have a choice. They would've killed me if I didn't tell them where we were hiding." Silver shook her head. "And so one by one they were hunted down. And I was left miserably alive."
"I don't care whether or not you had a choice. I would've died before I would do something like that!" Rainbow roared. "Element of loyalty!!?? YOU'RE BUCKING PATHETIC!!" She screamed.
"I wouldn't agree any less." Silver said, and slipped the cleaver out of her pocket. She weighed it in a hoof, and activated it. Slowly, the plates shifted and crept along the handle and unfolded into its full length and size. It glimmered in the moon light, but there was no red glow... Just a grey shade. Loyalty had been shed away long ago.
"Oh? What now- you sold them out, and now you're gonna kill me!?" Rainbow spat.
"No, I'm not going to do so. But I can't say the same for you, now can I? I doubt you're here to only ask the question." Silver said, turning around. "I've seen your vengeful side."
"Damn right you have. And intimidated you should be." Rainbow snarled, whipping out her cleaver.
There was a sudden mass of motion as they both leveled their cleavers at each other, synchronized clicks as they both slid their cleaver handles forward.
"Put down the cleaver, Rainbow. I don't want trouble." Silver said, her aim steady.
"You KILLED my friends! I'm not going to let you get away with it." Rainbow growled.
"If you were in my position-"
"I WOULD'VE DIED TRYING TO PROTECT THEM!!" Rainbow screamed. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD I WAS TRYING IN THAT OTHER REALITY!!?? EVERYTHING I DID, WAS FOR THEIR GOOD!! I WAS TRYING TO KEEP THEM FROM HARM- AND ALL IT TOOK, WAS ONE LITTLE PIECE OF PATHETIC DROPPING LIKE YOU TO RUIN EVERYTHING!!!!" She yelled, her voice tearing through the silence.
Silver didn't say anything as Rainbow tried to catch her breath.
"Don't say it like I don't regret it." She whispered, narrowing her eyes. "I do. And it haunts me."
"Then prove it. Put down your cleaver." Rainbow said, her aim a little shaky. But she still wouldn't miss.
"I don't plan to until you put down yours." Silver snarled.
"Put, down, your cleaver." Rainbow growled.
"Not gonna happen." Silver said, her hoof tightening around the trigger. They were meters away- any hitting shot would be lethal.
"PUT DOWN YOUR CLEAVER!!" Rainbow yelled. "I'M WARNING YOU THIS ONE TIME!!"
"NEVER!!" Silver yelled back, and two bright muzzle flashes seared through the darkness, creating a dark crack between the two former friends that will separate them forever.
Alternate ending:
"It's not time for your shift just yet, Rainbow." She said, looking up at the sky.
"I'm not here because of that." Rainbow said.
"Can't sleep? Because the view here is quite lovely." Silver said.
"I'm not here for that either. I'm here to ask you a question." Rainbow narrowed her eyes so they focused on Silver.
"A question? You're me, and I am you- what is it that I know and you don't?"
"If the answer to this question is yes... Then... Don't ever associate yourself with me. I won't accept it- because you are NOTHING like me." Rainbow said, almost with a snarl.
"I think I know the question..." Silver sighed, her hooves slipping into her coat pockets and her silver mane shining under the moonlight. "And I will answer it truthfully. Once you know to ask the question, I don't think there's any point in hiding it."
"Silver...." Rainbow lowered her head, the edge of her hat casting a shadow over her eyes. "Were you the one who drank that last bottle of cider I kept hidden in the back of the car?"
"Yeah..." Silver sighed sheepishly. "I'm sorry. It was me." She said, and heard a loud click behind her as Rainbow deployed her cleaver.
"INKIE'S DOWN!! INKIE'S DOWN!!!" Blinkie screamed, quickly dragging her sister behind cover.
"Watch it! We're getting buck'n flanked!!" Rig yelled. Pirate forces were blocking their way to the cliff- and science faction forces have busted through and are closing in. They were caught in the cross fire.
Some of the pirates quickly took cover, but the next thing they knew their heads were no longer connected to their bodies. All they saw was a flash of black and white, and the shape immediately dispersed.
"Shuck! What the hay was that!?" One of the pirates yelled, and opened fire.
It was Neon, and all his bullets struck her. Blood splattered through the air, and the image of Neon faded- it was just an optical illusion cast over an unfortunate fellow pirate.
Suddenly he felt someone grab him by the collar and thump him to the ground, and his rifle was ripped away from him. The invisible claw closed around his throat, and he struggled for air.
The air shimmered, and the real Neon appeared. Her glowing eyes were unreadable, however they stabbed fear deep into the pirate captain's heart.
"Tell your troops to retreat. Now." She growled.
"But there's no where to-"
"LEAVE, WITH YOUR TROOPS." She growled again, and sunk a claw into his left leg.
"Gah! ALRIGHT!! LET ME GO!!" The pirate screamed as Neon's sharp claws drew blood and almost seared through to the bone.
Neon let go of his leg and threw him aside, sending him tumbling to his troops. She shook off the blood on her claws, and straightened up. She distinctly heard a distant cannon go off, probably from the science faction line of fighters and walkers.
She looked to her right where the walkers were marching in, saw a flash of orange and immediately felt a flak projectile hit her dead on the shoulder.
She went tumbling back, and slammed into the far cliff side. Instead of stopping dead before the rock, she slammed straight through and ended up lodged five meters deep in the cliff face.
"This has a pretty nice view." She muttered as she tried to free herself- but there was literally thousands of tons of rocks crushing down on her, as indestructible as she was- she wasn't THAT super powered.
"Albatross!! Concentrate fire on the science faction front line! The pirates are retreating to the sides! We have a clear path to the cliff- I repeat, we have a clear path to the cliff!! Over!" Asty yelled, throwing a grenade at the frontline of science troops. "Med team is a go!"
*
"Copy." Thunderlane said, turning the Albatross around for a second run. "Med team, you got that?"
"Ready to land!" Thyme replied.
"Copy. Friendly gunship inbound." Thunderlane said. "Stay clear of the frontline!"
"Copy!" Rig yelled.
Thunderlane had noise cancellers plugged in his ears, and even so he could still feel the constant pounding on his chest and hear the loud booms and cracks as the various cannons and launchers of the gunship went off. Within seconds the frontline had been flattened, although the word 'flattened' would be quite underrated as everything was hammered down a full two meters into the ground.
*
"Holy crap!" Rig ducked behind cover as chaos exploded across the science faction frontline. "Good run Albatross! Load up and get ready for another. We're moving!"
"I can still walk." Inkie said, resting a hoof on Blinkie's shoulder and indicating that she was fine. "Just hurts like hell though." She said, picking up her sniper rifle. She had wrapped it up with fabric, stopping the bleeding. It was nowhere near fixed though. Her mind was a bit dulled, but sharp enough to fight. She pressed the stock hard into her remaining shoulder, taking aim at the clouds of smoke from the destroyed science faction front lines. Soon more troops would be coming through.
She peered through the scope, then noticed an odd amount of shaking. It wasn't her- the earth was shaking.
"Damnit. Earthquake?" Asty looked around. There was a loud rumbling going on, but it wasn't the science faction nor the pirates. "Captain?" She spoke into the comms.
"Reinforcements." Spitfire said.
"Shuck." Asty looked around desperately. "The hay do we do now? We don't have a large enough fighting force!"
"Oh, I meant for you guys." Spitfire chuckled.
"Wait, we have reinforcements?" Rig raised an eyebrow.
"Well, reinforceMENT." Spitfire shrugged. "But I guarantee you he'll be enough to handle it."
"We'll just have to trust you on this one captain." Rig sighed, taking cover as more science faction troops emerged from the smoke.
"We've got anti-air! Can't go in for a second run until you take those bastards out- or else I'll probably be going down!" Thunderlane yelled as he peered at his scanners.
"Darn it. How the hay are we supposed to take down those damn walkers? We don't even have explosives!" Rig exclaimed as a fresh stream of bullets tore his cover apart. He fired a few shots back but to no effect, and quickly darted behind a huge concrete block that must've come off a building somewhere.
By the second the rumbling was growing louder, the shaking of the earth growing more violent.
Asty quickly rolled behind cover as a rocket struck the building she was hiding behind earlier, knocking a clean hole through it. Concrete blocks and bricks tumbled across the dusty streets, crumbling into pieces.
"Need cover fi-" she started, but then spotted someone striding in from the side. She frowned at the silhouette, cocking her head to one side. "Captain, that our reinforcement?"
"Correcto." Spitfire sang. "You know how you already have the warden of light on your side?"
"Yeah...?"
"Well then, let me introduce you guys to..."
Now Asty could see the figure a bit more clearly. A unicorn with blood red eyes, a light dusty coat and brown mane. His horn had a dim blue glow, and streaks and waves of electricity accompanied his each step, springing from his hooves. So that's what was causing the shaking and rumbling of the earth- it all matched perfectly with his steps, so it was probably that. He walked as if he were slightly drunk, but there was absolutely no confusion in his posture nor his eyes. They were certain- he knew what he was doing, he was just relatively relaxed about it. His front hooves seemed to have some sort of metal devices over them, making them much larger.
"Guys, this is Terra- Warden of Earth." Spitfire announced. "And do stay out of the way. Things tend to get very destructive when he's around. Or constructive, whichever works." She said, drawing several raised eyebrows that she couldn't see since she was speaking through radio.
Terra strode into the middle of the battlefield, and everything seemed to fall silent as the science faction assessed this new arrival. Then they open fired none the less, shooting off a single rocket directly towards Terra.
Terra rose and stood up on his hind legs, raising a metal encased front hoof. When the missile was right in front of him, and he slammed a hoof into it. Blue lightning flashed across the streets, temporarily blinding everyone watching. But when their eyes adjusted again, all they saw was Terra standing there as a random hunk of metal fell to the floor. He had completely reshaped the missile.
Then came the bullet rain.
"Cover him damnit! Come on ponies! LET'S GO!!" Rig yelled, fueled by new found confidence. They started firing back, bullets landing all around them.
Terra leaned back on his hind legs, and then launched forward, leaving nothing but a small dust cloud behind him. He leaped up and raised a hoof- when he landed he slammed it into the gravel road, and the earth rumbled. Electricity slithered across the floor and to the science faction troops, then everywhere that the magical electricity touched the earth completely shattered. Huge blocks of dirt and rock rose high up into the air, splintering through the surface and sending rock shards cracking up in all directions. The front line was completely blocked behind a huge wall of earth, sealed off from the main battle.
"Med team! Now's your chance!" Asty yelled.
*
"Copy ground team. Deploying." Thyme said as the drop ship touched down on the edge of the cliff, and the team hopped off onto solid ground. She waved the drop ship away, then turned to her team. "Alright meds, you know what to do! Let's go!" She yelled, and waved towards the edge of the cliff.
She plucked out a cylinder shaped device, which sprang out into a full meter stalk. She stabbed it deep into the rock, the digging mechanisms inside sinking right into solid matter. She pulled out the cable mounted to her back and hooked it onto the stalk. Checking if it were secure, she took in a deep breath and took out her rifle- time to put her fear of heights to the test.
"This should be interesting." She mumbled, and leaned forward on the cable. "Oohoho... This is freaky." She said as slowly she stepped onto the cliff face, her body parallel with the ground a few hundred meters below.
Her team did the same, and stood staring down at a hundred meter fall. They nodded at each other, and started rappelling down the side.
Thyme hopped up, her hooves leaving the cliff face- then the cable swung her back down again, and she landed on the rock. That's how the cable system worked- every time they jump it would loosen a bit.
"Watch it med team. Enemy infantry and some walkers have made it over the barricade. Other heavy assault walkers are re-routing- you don't have much time." Spitfire warned.
"Copy captain. Full speed ahead team! Let's get this over and done with!" Thyme waved, and continued rappelling down the side.
*
"Terra, you know what to do." Spitfire said, zooming in on the battle.
"Yes ma'am." Terra replied, his voice echoing in a robotic manner.
"Enemy heavy machine gun!" Rig yelled, rolling behind cover. "Take it out or they're gonna get to us damnit!"
"Watch your sides- the assault walkers and rerouting!" Asty warned.
Terra ran forward, drawing the machine gun fire. He slammed a hoof down into the earth, and the ground below him immediately sprung up as a rock plate. He was launched into the air, and the machine gun struggled to take aim once again- but once it did, it was way too late.
Terra slammed a fist into the stallion behind the turret, a flash of electricity slithering through the air. The gunner went flying back and tumbling across the floor with such force that his limbs were ripped right away from his body. Terra picked up the machine gun and threw it back at Rig, who quickly caught it, stood it up and took aim at the scurrying science faction troops.
Terra hammered the ground, a huge slab of rock rising up to his height in front of him. The bullets aimed for him hit the rock, chipping it but not reaching their target. Terra then smashed a hoof into the slab, and it exploded outwards from the point of impact. Only... It was still there.
Rock spikes, chains, cannonballs, columns, and every other conceivable item came shooting out of the rock slab in one unified column of destruction. It went curving up into the air, then slammed back down again on a small group of science faction troops that had no idea what they were doing whatsoever.
"You know, I have no idea why we're even here now." Rig remarked as Terra hammered literal fear into the science faction troops.
*
"This fight is quickly becoming a massacre." Val raised an eyebrow as she watched from a camera mounted on the COLOSSUS down at the battle. Terra was completely tearing apart her troops. "Alright, that was a tactical decision that was an obvious error. Clearly the assault walker should've used the infantry as bait instead of charging forward as the primary forward attack unit."
"Is this what they are to you?" Blithy cast Val an angered glare. "Mere toys to play around with?"
"Why? Are your troops something more to you?" Val asked, turning to Blithy with interest.
"Well, they're definitely not mere tools to be used on the battlefield. They're still living souls." Blithy said, eyeing Val with disgust.
"And? That makes a difference?" Val grinned, coming nose to nose with Blithy. "It makes them better. Machines are no fun, they don't writhe for life when it's ripped from them. When these 'living souls' of yours get killed, it's much more entertaining to watch."
"You're evil. That's as much as I can say about you. Foul, evil." Blithy snarled.
"And? I don't see a problem with that." Val leant on Blithy's shoulder. "To be honest, I quite like myself this way. Evil, foul, call me what you want. I like what I am." She said, grinning and flexing her fingers before her eyes in a way of admiration. "At least I'm not like you, weak and useless."
"Ponies like YOU are weak. We will defeat you- you can't win." Blithy growled.
"Ponies like me?" Val chuckled. "And look where we stand!" She laughed. "Hey! HEX- is subject 204 prepped for battle? Well, annihilation; but... Is the subject ready?"
"Adequate preparations are in place and ready to be launched. Subject is under containment in bay 56, ready for deployment. All requested equipment have been mounted." HEX replied.
"Good. Launch em directly into the middle of the battlefield." Val had an excited grin on her face, which disturbed Blithy.
"Note that friendly troops are in the local vicinity. Friendly casualties imminent." HEX warned.
"Fire." Val said definitely and indifferently.
"Firing."
"Now..." Val got off Blithy's shoulder and slumped back into her throne. "Let's see how your 'living souls' will writhe for their very existence against 'subject 204'." She said, what she was thinking unreadable- but her expression undoubtedly excited.
She stood up, and started walking around her throne in circles.
"Blithy- did I ever tell you about the story of the first ever princess?" She asked, and continued on when Blithy didn't reply. "Princess Penumbra, or more commonly known as Empress Penumbra. The ruler of Equestria, the sun and the moon at the same time... Back when science and magic were one. The original alicorn, the first ever. Wielder of the most powerful magical amplifier ever created, the alicorn amulet. The elements of harmony didn't have its destructive potential- it didn't have the freedom. But the amulet did- and that's what made Penumbra so powerful. You see, she ruled over her subjects with force. She was the peace enforcer. And then magic and science split, millions of years ago- her subjects rebelled, and she was taken down by sheer numbers. From what was considered to a god, she was degraded to a mere immortal earth pony. Pity- her powers were stolen away from her. She didn't have any magic left. And so that shows us, there will always be more powerful. There will always be BETTER." Val said, coming to a stop behind her thrown, and leant on it. "It is impossible to become the best. And one day I will be defeated- I believe and accept that. But not yet... I'm still in power, and the games still play by my rules, just like they did when Penumbra still ruled. But, Penumbra had no lessons to learn from. I have her lesson to learn from... And I will kill everything that tries to land a hoof on my throne." She said, and pointed at the holographic screen. "Just you watch. The wardens, one by one... They will fall. And it has already started." She said, watching the monitor as if it were some sort of highly addictive TV show.
"What is that...?" Blithy frowned. It was still the satellite image, but there was a nuke like device slowly dropping towards the center of the battlefield.
"The Dentist." Val grinned.
*
"All teams! UFO approaching from directly above your head- watch it. Wait- it's a quick deploy pod. Science faction reinforcements." Spitfire said. "Ignore it! Keep covering the med team. Let Terra hold them off- he can handle it."
"Copy command." Asty said, returning fire at the science faction troops.
Then came a loud whistling noise, and they all looked up. There was a bright spot in the sky, a burning comet. Then it slammed right down behind the science faction lines of troops, sending pieces and shards of rock flying up into the air. Smoke filled the air as the surface of the metal pod slowly cooled, and the science faction troops stopped to cover their new reinforcement.
"Haha! Damn right- bet you there's more coming. Time to fight these buckers back to wherever the hay they came from!" One of the infantry ground troops yelled, almost triumphantly.
There was a loud boom as the front door of the pod was blasted outwards, and tumbled across the empty field.
There was a dark figure in the pod, wearing dark blue armor with blinking white lights. It was a mare, and she didn't have a helmet on.
"Come on lady! Show em what you go- GAAAHH!!" The trooper screamed as the figure suddenly dashed out of sight. The next thing he knew he had a huge blade going into his back and out his chest, and he was being lifted up. Before he could say a second word, the blade slid all the way up and cut him in half.
"Holy crap! SHOOT HER!!" One of the commanding officers yelled, and held down the trigger with his rifle aimed at the figure.
The figure somehow weaved through all the bullets. It was like watching a laggy video- the figure would appear in one spot, and with a blur of color she'd be in a different place altogether in the next millisecond. She would stop for half a second, then do the same thing again and disappear. It was near impossible to shoot her.
Then before the commanding officer knew it, the figure was right before his eyes and he had an empty clip. His eyes widened, and with a blur of motion his body had already been sliced up into fifteen different pieces by two long reaper blades.
Then the figure was gone again, and somepony to the far left screamed as the blades pierced his chest seven times before he even knew the figure was there. He was left bleeding on the floor, his guts leaking out of the various stab wounds in his body.
"Son of a mule... What the hay did they bring in now?" Rig ground his teeth together, trying to keep track of the figure; but barely able to. "How the hay are we supposed to fight THAT!?"
"Dunno. 'Kill it with fire'?" Asty shrugged.
Both pegasi pulled their triggers and ducked, heavy caliber bullets whizzing by their heads.
"Just do me a favor and kill yourself!" Rainbow yelled, lunging forward.
"Not before anything else does!" Silver yelled back, bringing her blade up to meet Rainbow's.
Their cleavers clashed, and they both put their body weight into it. They came nose to nose, snarling at each other.
Then Rainbow launched a kick into Silver's cleaver and sent her away, and leaped into the air. Silver quickly recovered and rolled forward, hearing Rainbow slam the cleaver down behind her.
She quickly turned on her back and brought her cleaver up to defend herself as Rainbow swung the blade over and down onto Silver.
There was a solid metallic bang as both blades clashed again, but Silver had the disadvantage of being on the ground.
She quickly rolled to the side that the handle was on, got up and ripped her cleaver out from underneath Rainbow's. she swung it back, directly aimed for Rainbow's head.
Rainbow ducked down, the blade whooshing past her. She sprung up, swinging her cleaver up with her.
Silver countered it by swinging from up high, both cleavers clashing and deflecting off of each other.
They both swung again, from opposing angles. Again they deflected off of one another.
Rainbow pulled into a defensive position this time as Silver swung, and when the blades hit she put all her strength into shoving everything forward.
Silver went stumbling back, off balance and leaving a clear path for Rainbow's cleaver directly to her chest.
Rainbow stabbed forward, but Silver leaped up and kicked the blade from the side, knocking it away. This time it was Rainbow who was left recovering, her cleaver knocked to the side and her left shoulder exposed.
Silver swung in from the side, and there was no time for Rainbow to counter it with her blade. But she could still use the cleaver.
She lifted up the hilt, and Silver's cleaver edge hit it right on the end, stopping inches from Rainbow's back. Rainbow slammed a hoof on the cleaver's trigger, and the force of the recoil shoved Silver's blade away and gave her time to regain her hooves.
Silver dispersed the sudden momentum and spun in a circle, then brought the cleaver up with a click.
Rainbow swung up, using the side of the cleaver to deflect the bullet. Silver fired again, and Rainbow lunged forward and past the shot.
*
Octavia could hear shots being fired now. She panicked, and started picking up the pace. The forest's thick foliage crunched under her hooves, covering over the sounds of a violent fight going on in the distance. She could barely see anything in the darkness, the thick vegetation blocking out the moon light.
Her back hoof caught on a twig, and she stumbled a bit. That was when she realized how irregular her breathing was- and she was sweating more than she should be from the simple exercise of running. She coughed onto the back of her hoof, and saw that whatever she coughed up was a dark color in the shadows. Slowly she trotted towards a small clearing, regulating her breathing.
Moonlight revealed the substance to be blood- thicker than usual. She shook her head- the poisoning was getting worse by the second. She quickly shook the blood off her hoof, and continued running towards the sounds of battle.
*
Silver swung her cleaver up, but Rainbow batted it away. There was a flash as Rainbow stabbed the cleaver deep into the rock and pulled the trigger, the mini detonation rippling through the ground and sending shards flying up into the air. Silver stumbled back, struggling to see through the dust cloud from the explosion.
Then she saw her own shadow stretch before her in a red aura, and raised an eyebrow. She heard a loud whoosh behind her, and ducked down just in time as Rainbow swung the cleaver over her head. She didn't even see her sneak around the dust cloud.
She rolled forward and out of range, then came back up on one knee and leveled the cleaver.
Rainbow swung and deflected the three rounds that followed, the loud bangs thudding against her chest. She hit Silver's cleaver off aim then swung her own back and aimed at Silver's head from point blank range.
Silver yanked her head to one side just as Rainbow fired. The bullet skimmed her ear, but it was the bang that did the most damage- her ear drums shattered, and she quickly flew to the left.
Rainbow looked down at the cleaver- it had a bit of blood on it. She shook it off, unsettling a small layer of dust on the floor.
Silver was kneeling on the ground a few meters away, her cleaver on the floor. Blood dripped down from the wound in her ear, and she was watching it drip to the floor.
"Just do me a favor and die already." Rainbow bared her teeth, taking aim once again.
Silver dived to the side and picked up her cleaver, then swung it up to block the bullet.
She then fired at Rainbow, who was forced to bring her cleaver back as a shield. Silver took the chance and swung up from the ground, hitting Rainbow's blade on the hilt and sending it out of her hooves. It flipped through the air and lodged into the ground several meters behind Rainbow.
Silver fired at the disarmed Rainbow, who turned on her side and allowed the bullet to pass harmlessly. Silver then swung, but Rainbow hit the blade on the side as it was coming down, knocking it aside. She darted forward, making sure the cleaver couldn't get her; and drove a knee into Silver's stomach.
Winded, Silver tried to fight back- but it wasn't working very well as Rainbow didn't even give her time to recover.
Rainbow slammed her across the head then launched a kick into her back as she stumbled around. Silver went sliding across the ground however still on her hooves, and she still had her cleaver. She wiped off a bit of blood from the corner of her mouth, and charged at Rainbow.
She brought the cleaver high up into the air, then slammed it down at Rainbow. Rainbow ran forward and slid forward, the angle of the blade stopping itself before it could harm her. She pushed off behind her with her front hooves, and kicked up with her back. She caught the cleaver's trigger, and rammed it down with a hoof.
There was a loud boom as it went off, startling Silver. She accidentally let go, and the cleaver was left spinning through the air above their heads. They both leaped for it, but Silver got there first. She caught the blade by the handle, and threw it as a javelin down at Rainbow.
Rainbow flexed her wings and arched backwards, her back hooves only just clearing the heavy and undoubtedly lethal blade.
It slammed heavily into the ground, and she landed with a thud a few meters back.
Silver was already at the cleaver, and had already pulled it out of the ground. The cleaver was only lethal at a certain range, if the range of combat got too close the blade wouldn't be able to reach the opponent.
Rainbow ran at Silver once more, but this time she was prepared. Just as Rainbow was about to give her a right hook across the face, she lashed out a kick straight down into Rainbow's hip.
Rainbow's face registered surprise as she went tumbling back, her center of gravity completely thrown off. She went skidding back several meters, and came to a rest in the dust on her back.
She struggled to get back up, her right leg completely disjointed. She was relying on her other legs as she stood up, then eventually straightened up into a standing position.
She spat out a droplet of blood, and snarled.
"I'll never lose to scum like you." She said with a slight smirk, placed a hoof on her right leg, and shoved it back into place with a loud crunch. She groaned, her body contorted and shaking with pain. But eventually, she stood back up again and flexed her shoulders.
Silver growled, and swung her cleaver. Rainbow kicked back, her hoof connecting with her own cleaver's trigger. It came blasting out of the ground, the handle of it slammed into Silver's blade and knocking it away. The cleaver dropped back down again, and fell right into Rainbow's hooves.
"Now this is a proper duel." She muttered, and swung from the side.
Silver met the cleaver with her own, and twisted it out of the way. She came back for another swing, but Rainbow did the same thing and flicked it to the side. Metal clanged on metal as their cleavers clashed again, sparks flying through the air as they struck at each other once more.
Rainbow was pushing Silver back, forcing her to slowly back away with her relentless attacks. And finally, she had forced Silver into the very corner of the battlefield.
"DID YOU EVEN THINK WHEN YOU JOINED SIDES WITH VAL!!??" Rainbow screamed, slamming the cleaver down at Silver, who barely deflected it in time.
"SHE DIDN'T GIVE ME A CHOICE!!"
"THERE'S ALWAYS A CHOICE, WHETHER OR NOT SHE GIVES YOU ONE!!" Rainbow yelled back, stabbing the cleaver forward. Silver batted it away with her own from the side, but barely. The tip of the cleaver ripped her coat and made a small cut on her stomach, but did nothing more. "AND YOU CHOSE YOURSELF!!"
Silver didn't reply, just kept defending herself.
"I CAME ALL THIS WAY TO MAKE SURE THEY WOULD BE FINE-" Rainbow snarled, firing a shot down at Silver's hooves.
The bullet shattered the earth there, and Silver fell back. She stabilized herself by moving a hoof back and using that as support, but didn't have time to recover fully. By now Rainbow had already raised the cleaver high above her head, and was in the process of bringing it down. Silver quickly brought her own up to defend herself- but didn't have a firm enough hold.
"-AND ALL IT TOOK WAS ONE LITTLE PIECE OF CRAP LIKE YOU TO RUIN EVERYTHING!!!" Rainbow screamed, bringing the cleaver down with all her strength.
The air around it rippled, and trails of a rainbow-colored sonic bubble formed over the blade. It struck Silver's cleaver dead center, and the moment the two made contact the Element of Loyalty crystal suddenly glowed a brighter red than it ever did, illuminating the darkness and sending the shadows scattering away.
There was a loud clang, and to the surprise of both pegasi- Silver's cleaver completely shattered into large chunks of waste metal under the force of Rainbow's cleaver, fueled by the last element of harmony crystal still in existence. Silver went stumbling back, remnants and pieces of her only weapon still falling all around her.
Rainbow flicked her own cleaver up into the air, folding it back into a canister. It fell in her pocket, and she lunged at Silver.
Silver had barely recovered when Rainbow drove a knee deep into her stomach, violently forcing all the air out of her lungs. Then she felt a dull pain across the left of her face as Rainbow slammed a hoof into it, followed by a kick into her shin which drove her to her knees and forced her to turn around with her back to Rainbow.
Rainbow placed a back hoof on Silver's back and gabbed onto her wings. She wrenched at them, slowly tearing them out. Silver could feel her flesh being ripped, and her bones slowly sliding out of their sockets. Then there was a dull tearing noise and a loud snap as Rainbow ripped her wings off with her bare hooves.
Silver screamed, and Rainbow kicked her across the clearing. She rolled to a rest at the edge of the forest, and struggled to get back up. She couldn't stand up though, and could only get to a kneeling position. And even then she still had to keep a hoof on the ground so she wouldn't fall over.
A portion of her face was bruised, and she was covered in dirt. Blood dripped down from a wound on her forehead and from the corner of her mouth. Her back was soaked crimson, and she was grinding her teeth together from the pain. There were tears coming out from the corners of her eyes, and she struggled to shake them off with the agony.
Her back was burning, and her severed wings were a few meters in front of her, lying in a puddle of blood. The grey feathers were soaked red, and it was just a mess.
There were several loud clicks as Rainbow deployed her cleaver, and pointed it at Silver's forehead. A shot like this would be completely lethal- from point blank range, Silver wouldn't even have a head after this.
Rainbow looked down emotionlessly at her defeated and corrupted self, her eyes cold and without a slimmer of pity.
"Kill me, then. Go on." Silver snarled, looking weakly up at Rainbow.
"No regrets." Rainbow said coldly, and pulled the trigger.
Suddenly something hit the cleaver on the side, and her shot missed. The bullet barreled past Silver and hit the ground.
Rainbow felt someone grab her by the collar then thump her to the ground.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!!??" Octavia screamed at her face.
"GET OFF ME!!" Rainbow yelled back, trying to free herself- but Octavia had a firm hold. "YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!!"
"WELL I DO NOW!!" Octavia shouted. "Listen- You're not thinking clearly! We still need her!"
"FOR WHAT!!?? SUICIDE!!??" Rainbow screamed, and shoved Octavia away. She brought her cleaver up again to take aim.
"SNAP-" Octavia slammed Rainbow across the face, and she dropped the cleaver in shock. "OUT OF IT!!"
"Octavia...?" Rainbow stumbled back.
Octavia charged forward and grabbed her by the collar again, then swung her around and slammed her against a tree.
"You think is going to help anyone? What would killing her do, huh? You're gonna kill her for revenge!?" She snarled. "We need everyone we've got, and you know it. And you're gonna kill her- for yourself!? WHO'S THE SELFISH ONE NOW!?" She shook Rainbow.
"But... She..."
"Are you listening to yourself? You bucking sound JUST LIKE HER!! Laying the blame on others! Rainbow- why, do we fight?"
"She-"
"Just answer my question!!" Octavia shook her.
Rainbow sighed, looking down guiltily. "To protect those that are precious to us."
"And are you protecting anyone by killing one of us? Silver may have done wrong- but she's still on our side. She could still help us." Octavia said, then sighed.
The earth rumbled, and they all fell silent to listen.
The edge of the cliff was cracking, due to all the heavy bullets fired into the ground that destabilized the local area. There was a loud cracking noise as suddenly everything tilted down a few degrees, and Rainbow and Octavia stumbled a bit. They were still in the danger zone.
"Son of a mule. Run, damnit!" Octavia let go, and waved towards the forest.
But Rainbow wasn't moving.
"You coming or what?"
"You were right, Octavia." Rainbow growled angrily and frustratedly, then looked to the edge of cliff. "We still need her." She said, and darted for the edge.
"Shuck..." Octavia muttered, but could do nothing more than back away onto the safe side.
Silver didn't even hold on, just sat on the edge as the cliff was slowly sliding off.
"The hay are you doing! Come on!" Rainbow yelled at her, landing next to her with a quick beat of her wings.
"I'm not coming. Go, Rainbow." Silver said, and Rainbow grabbed her by the shoulders. She batted her hooves away, a bitter look on her face.
"The hell is wrong with you? You're gonna die here!" Rainbow growled.
"Here's your chance to have me dead. Take it." Silver said calmly. "Because I'm accepting it."
"I still want you dead." Rainbow grabbed Silver by the collar and pulled her nose to nose. "That much hasn't changed a bit." She snarled, looking into her eyes with her own hatred. "You've ruined what I had. But's there's still more left, and if you're gonna ruin that too by not helping- you'll deserve a death even more."
Silver pushed Rainbow away and turned around, but Rainbow stopped her and laid a firm hoof on her shoulder.
"You said you regretted it, didn't you?" Rainbow took her hoof away.
"I did." Silver sighed.
"Then make up for it." Rainbow said, offering her hoof this time instead of being forceful.
Silver turned around and looked down at the hoof. There was no forgiveness in it, but a solid goal set not to be failed. A goal they shared in different ways- one to protect, and the other to exculpate.
Silver took the hoof and shook it firmly.
"You up to the task?" Rainbow taunted.
"Are you?"
"I know I am."
"Then no different here." Silver narrowed her eyes. "Wings or no wings."
"You deserved that." Rainbow said, and they started running for safety.
A large portion of the earth beneath their hooves suddenly cracked and suddenly lifted up on one end, and soon they were climbing at an eighty degree angle.
Rainbow got to the edge with ease, and swung over the edge. Silver was there a second later, and followed.
Rainbow landed on firm earth, and looked up. Silver timed her jump, placed both back hooves on the rock plate and pushed off. But just as she did, the rock plate experienced a sudden drop, rendering Silver's push off near useless.
"Shuck-" Octavia saw, and darted forward.
Silver fell short, but Octavia caught her by the wrist just as she passed. She swung down and slammed onto the new cliff face, the air knocked from her lungs. But her survival instincts told her to keep holding on.
Octavia could feel herself slipping. Then before she knew it, she had been dragged off the edge as well.
Rainbow quickly leaped over and caught Octavia's hoof, and now they were all suspended hundreds of meters above a violent and roaring river. The only firm anchor was Rainbow- who was barely holding on.
"Shuck- slipping-" she managed as she ground her teeth together, struggling to pull up the two adult ponies. She was barely holding onto them.
Octavia could feel her hoof slipping from Rainbow's, and both were desperately trying to hold on. But it was no use.
Rainbow was straining to hold on and keep herself from falling at the same time, and her back hooves left grooves in the dirt as she was slowly dragged towards the cliff edge.
Then she felt the load lighten, and Octavia felt another pair of hooves grab onto her wrist.
Magnum held on firmly, and together with Rainbow they lifted the two ponies up. First Octavia, then they all helped her lift Silver to safety. They collapsed meters well away from the cliff edge, huffing and puffing. They could still hear rocks and the old cliff edge tumbling down the side, then loud splashes as the huge chunks of earth hit the river.
"Magnum... Just in time... As always..." Rainbow said between huffs of breath, and swallowed so her throat was less dry.
"Well," Magnum shrugged, sitting next to her. "I wouldn't know."
"Geez- thanks to you we're still alive." Octavia patted her on the back. "Do you remember anything yet?"
"I remember saving you guys' arses half a dozen times, and that's about it." Magnum said, and they shared a laugh. "Seriously though. Were you guys really that useless?"
"Not so much." Rainbow sighed, getting up.
"And... What the hay happened here though? I heard gunshots. Freakin woke me up too, and I saw you guys were missing. I also heard screaming. Got kinda... Worried. Damnit." Magnum muttered.
Rainbow pulled her into a big hug. "Don't worry, you're getting there. Already getting worried for us eh? That's a development." She said cheerfully.
"And it shall remain highly awkward in the meantime. But seriously- what happened!?"
"Well, Silver-" Octavia started, looking to where Silver should be. "Holy crap! What happened...?"
"No... Idea..." Silver muttered, a huge wooden splinter going into her side. Blood was still dripping down, and she was struggling to breath or even make noises.
"Buck. Somepony get EDI! We need something to wrap her wounds up! EDI has the materials- Magnum! Go get her now!" Octavia yelled, checking Silver's wounds.
Amongst the chaos Rainbow just stood there looking down at her own hooves. Probably the hooves that killed Silver- she didn't know whether to be satisfied or to be horrified. Inside, she could feel that monster purring again. That same feel from years ago- when she first came in contact with the virus. A monster inside, fighting to break out and wreak havoc.
Had she lost control again? Those years ago- Val drove her own thirst for revenge against her, is the same thing happening again? That her desire for revenge had caused her to weaken herself?
Weaken what little resistance against the science faction that was left?
Like Octavia had said, the more they had on their side the better- and Silver was one of the better fighters. Sometimes old sins have to be forgiven then forgotten if new alliances are to be formed- and in their case, the alliance is for one purpose- and one purpose only.
To liberate Equestria from Val's grasp, and kill the Valkyrie.
"Why you looking so down, aye?" Val asked Blithy, bored.
Blithy shook her head, looking down at the ground. She didn't say anything.
Val sighed, stood up and walked around her throne. She leant back onto the back of her throne, and waved a hand in the air.
Sensors detected her gesture, and the huge wall she was facing flickered to life. It treated to the both of them a view of the COLOSSUS, from the bridge's perspective. The high-tech screen simulated the sunlight, and cast a long shadow behind Val that stretched across the throne room. She placed a hand above her eyes to shield them from the light, since the sun was slowly peaking over the edge of the huge cruiser.
But Blithy wasn't watching that. She had her eyes on the small holographic screen that Val didn't bother put away, still hovering above her throne. It showed the massacre from various perspectives, both Colgate herself and the science faction troops getting slaughtered.
"I... Caused this, didn't I?" She said, shaking her head. "In my thirst for revenge... I created you, didn't I? And now... You've taken over... And everyone, whether or not they're on your side.." She buried her face in her hands. "Damnit, damnit... It's all my bucking fault."
"I wouldn't argue with you." Val said. "But... You sound so depressed! Don't you like what's happening here?"
"You do, huh..." Blithy sighed.
"Oh yes I do." Val said, and chuckled. "And you don't. I find that odd, just like you probably do find me. The freedom, the control... The darn power..." She flexed her fingers before her eyes, the metal gleaming in the orange sunlight as she admired them. "All of this... Makes my heart itch just thinking about it. It's all so exciting." She giggled.
"And you make others suffer for it?"
"Haha! What makes you think I care, eh?" Val laughed.
"Nothing. Nothing at all, really." Blithy said. "I just keep thinking- hoping- maybe you'd still have some good left in you. Sometimes I look back... Back then, I was exactly like you. You were me, we were the same- in our body and our thoughts. But now I look back and- I just can't believe it. Was that what I was like back then? So bent on revenge... So very blind..." She said, still looking down at the ground.
Val was silent for a moment. "'Good', aye... You still believe in that, don't you..." She said, nodding slowly. "And where was this 'good' when we needed it? No where to be found. We were alone. And then we got ourselves noticed, and this supposed 'good' showed up?" There was an angry growl in her voice now. But then it faded away in an instant as she snickered. "Alright, alright. Believe what you want, really. Doesn't matter to me much."
"I know." Blithy said, eyeing the shadows that stretched across the throne room and reached the far door. Then she chuckled at herself. "I don't know where I wanted to go with that. Achieved nothing, but I suppose I was expecting that anyways."
"Well don't you bloody know me too well." Val laughed. "Oh wait... Well, you know."
Blithy chuckled at that. "And yet we're still so different."
"We are, aren't we..." Val sighed.
"Calibrations complete. Stage two is ready to commence." HEX suddenly reported, interrupting the conversation.
"Halt the project. I don't need it yet, therefore I don't want our enemies finding out. Hold stage two until I say commence." Val said.
"It's already done." HEX said.
"Well, I guess you're a bucking genius then." Val laughed.
"No more than that who has programmed me. You." HEX said simply.
"Stage two? The hay is this?" Blithy suddenly grew more alert- and Val didn't need to look at her to notice. The readings getting sent to her through the torture device on her neck was giving Val all the information.
"Penumbra was the first alicorn, the original ruler of Equestria." Val said, leaning on her throne. "But she wasn't the first being. No- far from it. She didn't create Equestria, but someone did. It's still impossible to trace back to who or what, but she was far from the first to have stumbled across the powers of the Sun."
Blithy narrowed her eyes. "And what powers, exactly? Is that why you have ships around it?"
"Powers, basic ones." Val said simply. "The basic principles of the universe- construction and destruction. This happens constantly, the two things that keep this world going on." She chuckled as she spotted Blithy's lost look. "As I mentioned earlier, Penumbra wasn't the first living being. We recently found traces of an age old race, similar to us- but far more advanced, as they had millions of years of development in their technology. We only have several thousand, and yet we've come so far. I guess it's true when they say the youngsters will always be brighter." She chuckled again. "Back to the point. These aliens, or Ancients as many of my researchers have decided to call them, deciphered the basic principles of this universe. The two elements I mentioned earlier, they found out what controlled them. What fueled them. And by controlling that source, they could control the universe itself. As far as my researchers are telling me, the Sun is something called the Genesis chamber, one of many others. I still don't understand much of it, but all I know is that it is the basic script of the local area. Our solar system, our galaxy maybe- everything is yet to be certain. But it sounds grand, doesn't it? Imagine that all you have to do is pinch your fingers, and whoever was your problem would be reduced to dust." Val grinned, making a pinching action with her fingers, her mind obviously imagining the power that would come with this so called 'Genesis Chamber'.
"That's not possible- there can't possibly something that powerful in existence." Blithy growled. "Val, you're chasing after a ghost."
"Am I now?" Val grinned. "Thermals with an X-ray filter revealed a temple to be inside the sun itself, built there and accessible through the various sun spots. Once you go through the first outer layer, you're in. The temple itself hasn't been touched yet- I'll be the one to step on it first."
"We'll see." Blithy folded her arms, and shook her head. There was no way- there had to be something else Val wasn't telling her.
"Yes, we will." Val laughed.
*
Terra watched as Colgate tore apart the science faction troops, studying her fighting style. She often travelled in a zig-zag pattern, and it would seem that she is only capable of initiating sudden bursts of speed instead of being consistent- also highly agile. The only pocket for attack would be when she stops to catch her breath, otherwise it would be near impossible to hit her while she was moving.
Then Colgate spotted him and the others, her eyes wide and a maniac grin on her face. Blood dripped from her mane and blades, but it wasn't hers. Then a split second later she was gone, in her wake a small dust cloud.
Terra managed to track her trails, large lines of dust being thrown into the air as she ran across the street in a zig-zag motion. Terra timed it, estimating where she would be- then slammed a hoof into the ground.
Colgate ran straight onto the piece of rock he aimed for, which suddenly sprung up high beneath her hooves. Terra scanned through the hundreds of rock shards in the air, searching for her- and there she was, thrown up by the sudden uplift of earth. She rode the attack's energy, and was about four meters off the ground.
She kicked forward, hitting a small piece of rock. That energy sent her backwards into a much more stable and larger piece of earth in which she landed on, coiled her blacklegs, then sprung them out in full length; sending her flying across at Terra.
Terra quickly stepped to the right and ducked down, seeing a flash as Colgate brushed past him and feeling the disruption of air as one of her blades went millimeters over his head. He quickly rolled back, but Colgate wasn't giving him any time to recover. She was already right in front of him when he straightened up.
He quickly slammed a hoof into the ground before she could do anything, a huge rock column lifting up and catapulting her away. Terra quickly turned to look at where she went- but she wasn't in the air as expected.
He quickly directed his attention back at the column. Colgate had stabbed both blades into the rock column, anchoring herself to it so she wouldn't get flung away. She ripped them out and darted at Terra.
Terra quickly swiped across and knocked the blades away. He didn't even see them- it was just an instinctive move.
Colgate slid back several meters then came to an abrupt halt as she found her balance, then with a silent shifting noise she was already charging straight at Terra again. Terra punched the earth, and a huge rock spike sprung out of the ground.
Colgate almost charged right into it, but turned her body just in time. The tip of the spike dug under one of her armor platings, and her own momentum forced it to be torn away. Now her right shoulder was exposed- not that it was going to make much of a difference. She twirled through the air, dashing past the rock spike. A second later it crumbled into evenly sliced pieces.
Terra had landed the first strike- but he was barely keeping up.
He sent a huge block of earth flying up in front of him, and slammed a hoof into it. It went flying across the road at Colgate, who ran a blade down the center of it. The two halves flew by either side of her, and with loud booms ran straight into several buildings behind her. The old and worn structures went down like bowling pins.
Terra quickly slammed a hoof into the earth before Colgate could get to him, and the ground beneath his hooves suddenly lifted him up into the air. It was like an elevator, except for every single detail.
Colgate followed him, scaling the vertical column by digging her blades into the rock sides.
Terra made the column curve down so it straightened out, and jumped on the bridge formed.
Colgate swung up top, and darted forward. The narrow bridge kept her restrained- she couldn't perform zig-zags anymore, as she would fall off the edge. This gave Terra a straight direct trajectory.
He stomped on the bridge, his horn glowing. A chunk of rock flew out of it, and he slammed a hoof into it. Colgate didn't bother slowing down, and did the same thing- she sliced the block in half.
But the moment the blocks parted she realized it was a trap. The block was a diversion- Terra had made a huge spike pointing straight at her while the block had disrupted her line of sight.
She turned her body and wrapped a blade around the spike, her momentum sending her spinning off the side and coming back up the other end as her blades slid into the rock. A second later the entire section they were standing on got completely severed, and they were left falling towards the earth on a large peice of rock- still standing however.
Terra slammed a hoof down, blue sparks exploding outwards as the chunk of earth suddenly had rock tentacles springing outwards from its sides. Most of them curved down and slammed into the earth, stopping them from falling- the rest curved up then came back down again to crush Colgate.
Colgate was way too fast for that though. The rock tentacles came back down and smashed the earth were she was a second ago, but didn't even put a scratch on her.
She back flipped into the column, and kicked off. This time it was Terra that had nowhere to go.
But just as Colgate reached him, he swung a hoof directly at her. Lightning flashed, and she went flying back again- but before his hit landed, she managed to put a shallow cut on his cheek, which was bleeding.
Colgate flipped through the air, landed with her hooves on the column and flipping down onto the ground. She ran forward again, one of her blades raised high above her head.
Terra was about to attack again when there was a loud bang, followed by a metallic clink and a flash- and Colgate wasn't there anymore.
"Hit." Inkie muttered, lowering her rifle which had smoke coming out of its barrel.
Colgate got hit in the leg, but the armor there protected her and stopped the bullet. It was still quite a punch though, and send her tumbling off the bridge.
She recovered in mid air, and turned to face where she would land- and by the looks of it it would be on the side of an old concrete building. She stabbed her blades into it and landed with her hooves, stopping dead on the vertical surface.
Then she noticed a loud rumbling noise, and the earth was quivering. It was even more evident as she was up here. She turned around and looked behind her.
A giant fist made of rock stretching thirty meters across and twenty meters high came out of the earth, and was heading straight for her at ninety miles an hour.
"This certainly is interesting." Inkie shrugged as the fist plowed into the building. It was like watching a giant baby knock down a tower of building blocks- but it didn't end there.
The fist kept going, plowing through all the buildings in the local area and reducing them to individual bricks and pieces of concrete. Finally it came to a rest, and by the time that happened a huge dust cloud had formed across the city.
"Can somepony come get me now? HALP." They heard Neon say through the mic- although for some reason, her voice was less robotic.
*
"Damnit..." Melony said, trying to free herself. "Good idea, Neon. Switch back to me so my size'll be smaller, and I'll be able to get through. Not working very well."
"At least you don't have several hundred tons of rock baring down on you." Neon's voice said in her head.
Finally she got her right arm free, and was about to claw her left one out when she realized her current state didn't have one. She cursed, and continued tugging at her left arm the old fashioned way. Eventually she got free, and stumbled back.
"I thought this only happened in cartoons." She raised an eyebrow.
"Evidently not." Neon said, joining her as they both stared at their own impression of themselves in the rock with the same eyes.
"Alright. Time to switch back." Melody sighed, turning and walking out of the cave she created. Neon sighed, and started taking over her body again.
*
"Everyone's bloody left or dead. The pirates are retreating- I don't know if they've got what we need or not." Vinyl cursed, looking around her. She could still hear battles going on in the background, and around her the pirates were scurrying away. She was hidden in a building, peering out a small window.
"Find the boss." Frostbite said. "He'll know what's going on. Just look for anyone with more expensive accessories- never mind. Found someone." He said, and Vinyl heard him take off through the mic.
"Alright. What do I do?" Vinyl whispered as a squad of pirates ran past her location, yelling at each other as they dragged several crates around.
"Look for anything heavily guarded while I go interrogate the head. Those are often important."
"....yeah...." Vinyl sighed, then ran further into the building. She ran up the stairs, going for a higher floor to get a better look.
She was just entering a room with a window when she felt the entire building shake, and she could see other buildings outside trembling as well. Dust fell from cracks in the ceiling, and she frowned.
"What the hay is-" a loud rumbling noise cut her off, and the tremor almost took her off her hooves. "WHAT THE HAY!"
In the distance she saw something rip across the city, tearing down structures like blocks. A huge dust cloud started rising into the air, and she stared incredulously at the destruction. Almost a fifth of the city had just been wiped out.
"Frostbite! Did you feel that?"
"Not quite. Was in the air- but definitely saw it. Just the wardens fighting- get on with searching." Frostbite replied. "Quite selective on their targets if you ask me. The local area was cleared already- there was nopony except whoever they're fighting right now."
"Damn. So how did we lose the last war again?" Vinyl raised an eyebrow.
"Not certain, but from history books I've read there are two reasons: one, Wardens didn't exist until after the second war and two: Celestia led us."
"I don't see what the problem is with Celestia." Vinyl said. "She was the ruler in the previous universe, and did a darn good job of it."
"In the second war she tried to make peace with science before declaring war. She didn't even have a plan when everything kicked off. The war only lasted a few weeks- it was a short one." Frostbite said. "Canterlot head quarters was the first to fall. Then Cloudsdale, then Manehatten."
"You certainly know your history." Vinyl muttered.
"Simple details. Easily memorable." Frostbite said, and Vinyl made a 'pssshhh' sound.
*
"My my. I thought Colgate would've been enough. Clearly not though, hmm." Val sighed, resting her head on a hand. "She's still alive, but clearly not winning. This is starting to annoy me."
She stood up and stretched. Several of her bones made loud snapping noises as she did so, and she let out a relieved moan.
"Gah, better." She said, and yawned. "Been lying down for too long." She said, stretching her legs a bit. "I'm gonna go for a walk. Probably to the food court to get a cake."
"That totally eliminates the purpose of walking there in the first place." Blithy said.
"Yeah, yeah." Val said. "I totally don't care. Although, I am feeling a bit full."
"Ever considered the part where you may have just had dinner a few minutes ago?"
"Yeah... Forgot to leave space for desert, didn't I..." She said, and with a loud pop a serrated knife sprung into her hand from her ankle. She stabbed herself in the stomach, then ripped her large intestine out. She threw down the bag of half-processed food, and her stomach started healing again. Her flesh merged back together, and inside a new large intestine started growing. She yawned again, cleaned the knife by licking it and put it back in its socket. "Better." She said.
"What really happened back there?" Magnum whispered to Octavia. They had Silver resting in the car, after following EDI's advice and patching her wounds up. She was still in a very weak condition though. "Her wings..."
"She deserved it." Rainbow jutted in with a slight snarl, staring up at the night sky.
Magnum frowned. "You cut them off?"
"Ripped." Rainbow said, looking down again.
Octavia sighed, sitting on a rock by the campfire. They all sat around it, staring into the flickering and crackling flames.
"You still haven't forgiven her, have you..." She said, her chin resting on the back of her hooves.
"What makes you think it's so easy after all she's done?" Rainbow snarled at the flames, anger flashing onto her face. "Honestly? I still want her dead. I want her in shreds, to tell the truth."
Octavia nodded, acknowledging the meaning behind that. "Thanks, Rainbow." She said glumly, her eyes half closed.
"For what?"
"For realizing what was more important." Octavia said, and fully closed her eyes. It had been a long night, and she was still hoping to get some sleep before they set off again tomorrow.
Rainbow was silent for a few seconds, but then she took off her hat and set it aside. Getting off the log she was sitting on, she found a comfortable spot on the ground and closed her eyes. "You're welcome." She said, and placed her hat over her face.
That left Magnum and Octavia by the light of the fire. Soon they could hear Rainbow's gentle snoring- so very unusual of her. They both chuckled a bit, but left her be.
"So... You remember anything else yet?" Octavia asked.
"Not quite yet... But I do know I miss a lot of ponies." Magnum chuckled. "I have this odd feeling... Can't really go into details, but it feels like I'm not... ME..." She sighed frustratedly, and ran a hoof through her mane. "It's hard to explain. Nothing feels right."
Octavia chuckled. "I know that feeling." She nodded slowly. "That lost feel. It's such a big world out there, and we have no idea what it's going to throw at us. Don't worry, you'll get your memory back."
"Well, I better." Magnum laughed. "How am I supposed to know what to protect when I don't remember what I hold dear to myself?" She looked down at the stump that was her shoulder. "Although, in my current condition..."
"You'll be fine." Octavia placed a firm hoof on her shoulder. "We'll all get out of this bloody mess- as long as we work together."
Magnum nodded, and grinned. "For what we hold dear."
"For better days yet to come." Octavia nodded in reply.
*
"How was your cake?" Blithy said glumly, her arms folded.
"Bloody terrible. I'm executing the chef tomorrow. Wanna come see?" Val said somewhat angrily, wiping her mouth with a napkin and tossing it behind her as she walked into the throne room.
"I'm fine thanks." Blithy said, and Val laughed.
"Take a joke, will ya? But he's still gonna get some punishment for that. How bout five years in prison?" She said, turning around and falling back into her throne.
"What? What the hay did he even do?"
"How about he annoyed me." Val said, yawning. "I clearly said I wanted the sponge to icing ratio to be six to one, and he gave me four to one. If he anyone wants to work under my command, they need to learn how to follow precise commands."
"Like they have a choice." Blithy growled.
"Yeah, well." Val snickered. "Now- back to proper business." She grinned, pulling up a holographic display. "Ah. Looks like our little magic faction friends are in position. HEX, order the strike the moment the sun rises." She said.
"You're going to take them out?" Blithy frowned.
Val sighed frustratedly, then laughed. "Oh, it's harder than you think. Direct strikes don't seem to affect them- so, I just want to soften them up a bit before I hit them again." She said, and yawned. "Well, ONE of them."
This is going to be interesting to watch, she thought. Those mares won't fare very well with a psychological attack- with all the stress being put on them in these past few days.
And even as Val thought about this, she could feel her heart ticking with anticipation- she was like a little kid, waiting for the effects of her prank to register on the victim. Only... This was a lot more than just a prank.
*
Octavia yawned loudly. Was it morning already? She was still half asleep, but forced herself to sit up anyways. The campfire had went out on its own, and she rubbed her eyes.
Then a sharp wailing noise sliced through the air and pierced her dulled brain, instantly dragging her into full consciousness. Everyone around her jumped, eyes immediately flung wide open and their brains firmly lodged in the painful dimension that is reality.
Magnum sprung to her hooves and whipped out her pistol, snapping it to point in the direction in which the noise was coming from; eyes wild however focused.
"Rise and shine." EDI said in her usual monotoned voice, turning off the siren.
"Goddamnit EDI, what the hay is wrong with you!!??" Rainbow yelled.
"Enemy forces within detectable proximity. Five targets, all Science Faction Strikers. Firepower unknown, unusual weapon layouts detected. Attempting scan..." EDI replied, then suddenly all of the car's lights turned on and it started beeping wildly, honking the horn at the orange morning skies.
"Son of mule! What the hell!" Rainbow yelled.
"Damnit Rainbow, we're under attack!" Octavia screamed, ran to her rifle and snatched it off the ground.
"Light-weight demolition explosives detected." EDI said. "Calculating ETA.... Forty seconds."
"Shuck..." Magnum quickly limped to her pistol and picked it up.
Rainbow deployed her cleaver, the sharp silver blade catching a glint of sunlight. "EDI, turn off the alarms damnit. Keep the wounded and kids safe, understand? Do whatever is necessary." She turned to Magnum, and waved at EDI. "Magnum, get in there. You're in no condition for a proper fight."
"Did you even hear EDI!? They're buck'n bombing us, there won't even be a fight! They drop one of those bombs on us and we're dead!" Magnum yelled back, jabbing a hoof at the sky.
"Demolition bombs. Performs less fragmental damage. Only intended for demolishing buildings without creating huge messes for the clean up crew." EDI reported.
"What, so they're going to take out the entire cliff face?" Babs raised an eyebrow, loading her shotgun.
"Possibly. Thirty seconds." EDI replied. "Technically they don't have enough bombs to compromise the structural integrity of this cliff."
"Then what the hay are they doing!?" Rainbow yelled angrily, frustration taking hold of her.
"Scanning for viable targets.... One out of one detected within the immediate area.
"EDI reported. "Reprogramming ETA."
"And that is...?" Daring frowned. There weren't many targets nearby to hit- but even as EDI started a new countdown, they seemed to all think of the same thing.
Octavia and Rainbow looked at each other, uncertainty on their faces. But they knew they both had the same target in mind.
"No way... That's absolutely pointless though!" Magnum remarked.
"Twenty seconds." EDI said.
"EDI, can you shoot them down?" Rainbow asked.
"The probability of a calculated launch of a dumb missile hitting its target is currently only at seventy percent. The act is not recommended, as it would compromise our location. We are also an unlikely target in this situation. Ten seconds."
Rainbow wiped a few beads of sweat off her forehead, and gestured at the edge of the cliff.
They all instinctively ducked down as they heard the jets whoosh past overhead, the loud roars of engines pounding against their eardrums. They looked up just in time to see the jets disappear, hidden by the thick foliage of the woods.
"Damnit. Come on everypony... Let's see what they're up to." Rainbow said, tucking the cleaver away and running towards the edge of the cliff.
"Eight seconds."
The other ponies followed her, skipping over the hazardous forest terrain. Babs almost tripped on a root, but regained balance and kept on going.
Finally they saw sunlight ahead, indicating the end of the small area of forest. Rainbow came stumbling out of the woods and into full golden morning sunlight, breathing hard. She straightened up and watched as the jet fighters continued their way to the other side of the canyon.
She heard the other ponies jog to a halt behind her, all silent and watching.
"Six, five, four, three, two..." EDI continued.
*
Val watched everything unfold as she sat in her throne, not daring to take her eyes off the screen as she didn't want to miss a single second of it.
"Home... That's where one lives, correct? Often the closest one can ever feel to a location... Anywhere else would be cold and oddly unpleasant." She said, then chuckled. "Oh, dear. You know, it was the capital of Equestria years ago... Before the wars, actually. They must still hold it as something of a symbol, hopes of a long lost age. Still something they hold dear, despite being completely abandoned and useless. Oh, this is going to be unpleasant for some ponies." She grinned, and Blithy could only sit silently as they watched the jet fighters close in on the ancient and abandoned city of Canterlot.
*
"One,"
Octavia took in a sharp breath as she realized Canterlot really was their target. They watched the Strikers circle around the huge city perched precariously on the cliff face, its age old glory still somewhat evident in the golden domed buildings. It had lost its majestic white walls though, replaced by damaged and wrecked surfaces of muck.
"Zero."
The Strikers unloaded their demolition bombs at the base of Canterlot, and turned around to leave.
The bombs went off, and from this distance they looked like nothing. Five small explosions, fireballs exploding out of the supports that held up the city. The shock waves ripped through the ancient material, reducing them to shreds and knocking them completely out from underneath the city. Without its supports, the city was like a pony without legs.
Octavia held her breath as she watched the city slowly sink down a few meters, sliding along the near-vertical cliff face. Occasional reflections of gold would blind them as the roofs deflected the bright light of the sun. The city crumbled inwards as it slowly collapsed, skyscrapers caving in and walls falling apart.
Then it started tilting forward, the sky scrapers horizontal to the ground as they fell. Some of the taller buildings simply snapped in half as individual pieces, falling alongside the general mass. Then the city hit a spot on the cliff and completely turned upside down, the tall buildings crushed and ground against the cliff face.
They could all feel the earth shaking as several million tones of material tumbled down the opposing cliff face, now all but a twirling mass of concrete, wood, gold and dirt.
Then finally it reached the end of its journey at the bottom of the cliff, hitting the earth and splaying its mass out like a splatter of water. Still a large amount of remains kept on going, crushing the forests below and tumbling into the mighty river that ran through the canyon.
Rainbow heard the loud splash of water as the shreds impacted the river, then everything seemed to dim down. No more rumbling, the fighters were gone, the air was still. The only thing that indicated to Canterlot's previous existence was a crater in the cliff face, and a slowly drifting trail of dust and ash dragging down the cliff and to the pile of debris at the bottom.
Octavia watched as her old life came to rest in a pile of indistinguishable building material, all the old memories swarming into her brain.
The laughter, the happy old days in a long lost reality and past where she enjoyed playing music for others and listening to their performances. The high class of Canterlot, of a city at its highest glory. Memories of the grand galloping gala, of the friends she made, of the highs and lows of life that they shared, of a past that she missed so much but never spoke of again.
Rainbow had her jaw clenched, but then she let it relax and sighed. She turned to leave, and caught a glittering tear sliding down Octavia's face. She stopped to catch a better glimpse- this can't be right. If anyone was capable of shutting their emotions out, it was Octavia. But it was no illusion- she was crying.
Octavia's eyes were invisible, hidden by a shadow cast by the edge of her hat. She had her head lowered, and sunlight could only go as far as her face.
Rainbow looked at the other ponies. Daring, Babs, and even Magnum had followed them. She made a curt gesture with her head, and they all nodded back and slowly left, one by one. Eventually that only left Rainbow and Octavia.
"Tavi..." Rainbow said softly, and heard Octavia make an attempt to hide a sniff. But all was too quiet for any noise to go unnoticed.
Octavia felt Rainbow put an arm around her shoulders and pull her into a gentle hug. She turned away from the wreckage and hugged Rainbow back, crying silently into her shoulder.
"Come on now Tavi..." Rainbow said gently, rubbing her gently on the back. "Val meant to do this. She meant to put us down."
"She targeted me this time, didn't she..." Octavia said, shaking her head. "She meant to hurt me. I didn't think it would hurt... But when I really did watch it crumble down like that..." She let out a quiet sob, and buried her face in Rainbow's shoulder.
"There there." Rainbow cooed softly, gently patting her on the back. "It's just an abandoned ruin anyway... Nopony was there..."
"I know... It's just... The memories..." Octavia sighed, and let go. She held Rainbow at arm's length, and nodded. "Sorry."
"Don't worry. A bit of emotion is good." Rainbow smiled. "Let's go, aye? Staying here and watching nothing won't help us get back at Val."
Octavia nodded. "Right, right." She said, and chuckled. "Sorry."
"Stop apologizing." Rainbow said, and gave Octavia a slightly harder hit on the back.
They both turned around, leaving the ruin behind them. Slowly they walked back into the woods, but as soon as they entered the shadows of the forest Octavia's expression darkened.
If this is the type of game Val is looking for, then so be it. She'll play along, and tear her organs out with her bare hooves when she gets the chance.
*
"That was pointless." Blithy remarked as they watched Rainbow and Octavia walk back into the forest.
"Maybe by your standpoint." Val said, a soft smile on her face.
Blithy raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that? You wanted them to feel despair, and yet nothing happened."
"Oh, no. Not despair." Val laughed. "That I can reserve for some other time. No no no... This time it wasn't that I wanted." She chuckled.
Blithy didn't reply, or ask what it was that Val really intended. She didn't need to, since Val was going to explain anyway.
"So far, you've seen what blindness and damage the lust for revenge generates... Right?" She said, pointing at the screen. "Silver, even you and I... You should understand. Look what that thirst has done to us..." She made her mechanical body parts click, her robotic eye rolling and making a faint hydraulic whine. "Silver lost her wings, because Rainbow ripped them out. And we killed our own parents, with this." She said, turning a hand before her eyes.
"So are you admitting it's a bad thing now?" Blithy asked.
"No, not at all. It's only a bad thing to those who are too serious about it. Anger makes ponies stupid." Val laughed. "I only get angry occasionally. And yet I get my revenge pretty much whenever I want." She grinned. "And I bet you Octavia there wants my head on a platter right now. I bet you." She said. "What I did there, was plant that little seed. That'll grow soon, and when it does... Oh, how beautiful it'll be. It'll cause that mare to do so many drastic things... And yet, the only ones that will be affected would be her friends." She laughed.
"She would never hurt her friends." Blithy said.
"I know, maybe not INTENTIONALLY." Val shrugged.
*
All seemed quiet in the middle of the mess, where a huge fist of rock had slammed through half the city of Manehatten. There was a slight gap between the front of the fist and one of the last remaining buildings that was in its path, and there was an eery shuffling noise slowly crawling its way out.
Dust was still settling, slowly drifting down to the earth. Then suddenly a long and dented silver blade tore through the rock and emerged from the crack, turned on its side, and clipped onto the edge of the building. Then another claw did the same, clipping onto the side of the fist.
Slowly, Colgate pulled herself out of the gap and stumbled into clear space. Blood seeped through and soaked her mane, her horn glowing dimly as she applied a healing spell to herself.
There was a loud bang as Terra leaped down from the top of the rock fist, landing heavily onto the ground and on the same level as Colgate.
Colgate only smirked at Terra's emotionless glare, steadying herself with the two long blades implanted into her front hooves. She leant forward onto them as if they were her real legs, taking the stress off her back legs and spine.
Terra crunched his armored front hooves together, sparks exploding out from between them.
Colgate leaned back on her back legs, then lunged forward- gone in an instant. Terra raised a hoof, ready to crack it into the earth. Here we go again.
Colgate leaped high over a rock cone that Terra cast from the earth, her hooves clearing the sharp tip with ease. She landed on top of it, her momentum keeping her going and sending her sliding down the rock. She pushed off, raising both blades high and ready to slice Terra in half.
Terra slammed and ground his front hooves together, blue electricity sparkling across the air. He then buried both hooves into the earth with a loud boom, the ground beneath his hooves crackling and splintering into a sea of long sharp spikes.
Colgate landed with her blades, which kept her body away from the sea of danger. She then flipped herself clear of the spikes and landed somewhere behind Terra.
Terra pulled his hooves out from the earth, and turned around to face his opponent. At this rate- while he could defend himself, it was hard to land a hit.
But he could keep trying.
Grinding a hoof lightly across the ground, he transferred a spell into the earth. It'll spring up on its own later on- this should work fine. Then he conjured up a huge rock block then kicked it full on the side, sending it flying towards Colgate.
Colgate slid under it, then leaped back up into the air again.
Terra's trap sprung as Colgate went past it, triggering a huge magical reaction to take place inside the earth's crust.
The automatic spell that Colgate triggered caused a valve to be formed inside the crust, making a direct channel to the mantle hundreds of miles below. The displacement and natural pressure build-up beneath the crust immediately forced a large section of hot gases and molten rock up the valve, and on the surface ended in an explosive manner. The spell was timed, and would seal the crust again after a split second- thus it wouldn't destabilize the earth.
Colgate heard the spell activate behind her, and took a quick glance at the ground there. Her eyes widened as she saw a fresh gust of lava and super-heated gas explode from the earth, a huge wave heading straight for her.
Terra slammed a hoof into the ground, and a thick half-sphere rose from the ground in front of him. He crouched down and covered his head as the brief burst of lava hit the rock shield full on, then spilt to the sides in a molten bubbling mass. His vision was blurring from the heat waves, but he ignored it and dropped the rock shield.
His eyes widened as he saw something with a light blue glow suddenly dart towards him- it was Colgate. She had conjured up a magic shield to protect herself- of all things Terra could have forgotten, the fact that Colgate was a unicorn had to be one of them.
Colgate deactivated the shield shimmering around her in a destructive manner, the magical particles of the shield exploding outwards and hitting Terra full in the chest. He went flying back, over the puddles of lava and ended up slamming his back against the ground. And still he tumbled back a further five meters before coming to a stop on his side.
He struggled to get back up, having been completely knocked off balance. It was a miracle that he didn't get knocked out, but he was barely holding together. In his unfocused vision he saw Colgate leap into the air, arching down with both blades pointed at him.
It was too late- he wouldn't have any time to do anything. Colgate was too close already.
Then suddenly a flash of glowing black darted past him and collided with Colgate.
Neon slammed a fist into the side of Colgate's face, knocking her right back out of her original trajectory. But she didn't stop there- she grabbed hold of her two implanted blades, and snapped them clean off with her claws as they tumbled through the air.
Colgate slammed hard into the ground several meters away from the lava pond, but Neon barreled right into it. The impact sent a fresh wave of molten rock into the air, splattering back down again and cooling into burnt black bits on the floor.
Neon rose from the puddle, lava sliding off her back and mane. The sizzling effect of the lava on her cold skin was causing a lot of smoke to be produced- but one could still see her huge glowing eyes through the thick screen. She dusted off some of the cooling lava with a claw, and started striding through it as if it were water.
Colgate slowly got back up, remnants of her broken blades still attached to her front hooves. She looked at them disapprovingly- useless junk. Then unexpectedly her leg buckled following a loud bang, and she collapsed to the floor. She looked down and found that there was a giant hole that tore through her leg, shredding the flesh and obliterating the bone.
There was a soft tink as a bullet fell to the floor from Inkie's sniper rifle, and a loud click as Blinkie reloaded for her one-armed sister.
Inkie took aim once more, this time going straight for the head- and fired.
Neon suddenly darted forward and snatched the bullet right out of the air, effectively protecting Colgate.
"Cease fire." She said as she threw the bullet into the lava.
"Copy." Inkie said without emotion, lowering the rifle and propping it against the ground.
Neon turned to the disabled Colgate, who was having trouble breathing for whatever reason. She had a neutral expression on her face- as if she were a machine. Neon recognized that look. One she had in herself once, before the Element of Loyalty did something to alter her. That blank expression of a machine- was exactly what she had. Programmed to kill- and it didn't take much to guess who the programmer was.
Before Colgate could react, Neon had already slammed a palm against her temple.
Instantly she was knocked out, and collapsed sideways onto the floor. Neon picked her up and slung her over her shoulder, then turned away.
*
Thyme made the final short length of a jump down the side of the cliff, and landed with a slight 'oomf' on the ledge to the cave. Instantly her HUD was bombarded by warnings as she scanned the life forms inside- two readings, one heavily injured and the other completely mutated, yet normal.
She quickly disconnected her rappel cable, and drew out her pistol. Turning on the flashlight, she shone it into the dark cave.
"Identify yourselves." She spoke clearly, aiming the pistol at the two ponies inside.
"Doctor Whooves and Derpy Hooves. Friendlies..." The doctor said weakly, his chest heaving with the effort.
"Better get the survivors and leave med team, give em some treatment and go ASAP. The pirates seem to want their property back- their forces are turning around." Spitfire said, checking in from high above the earth. The OASIS constantly monitored the situation with its long-range cameras, scanners reporting in the enemy unit types in battle. "Just a bit of artillery and a buck-load of infantry, so get out quick or get swarmed."
"Copy." Thyme said, hearing a few more thuds as the rest of her team swung into the cave and landed on the ledge. "Alright boys and girls, give em a quick patch up- dropship! Wait for us at the bottom, over."
"Copy." The pilot replied. "Moving." He said, and a second later Thyme saw the dropship fly down to land at the bottom of the cliff, its engines roaring as they struggled to keep the hunk of metal steadily in the air.
"Thyme! We can't get a true reading on Derpy, but for some reason... The doctor only has one heart now." Pulse said, tapping away on a holographic tablet projected from his helmet. "Damnit... These readings don't even make any sense."
"Well then screw the readings!" Thyme yelled. "Buck'n find the problem and fix it! Derpy's fine, so fix up the doctor's damn bleeding so we can get outta here before we get shelled!"
"We're trying, okay!? Damnit!" Pulse cursed, making more analytics on the tablet. "His heart is fine, just suffering from heavy blood loss. Stop the bleeding- move it!" He yelled, and produced a canister from his backpack. It had 'biohazard' written all over it.
Ever since artificial blood had been invented, less and less hospitals and surgeries used real blood. Artificial blood was actually a chemical often known as 'Cellplierius', and wasn't actually blood. It remains a clear liquid in its neutral state, however once it comes in contact with blood it immediately adapts itself to change into blood. This prevents any difficulties from between blood types forming, as the chemical remains neutral until it comes in contact with blood and adapts to that blood type. Due to this however, Cellplierius must be kept in heavy containment all the time, as any pollutants might alter its properties and render the entire canister useless or even dangerous. And that's exactly what Pulse had in the canister- three full liters of compressed Cellplierius.
"Alright- I got the CLS loaded! Get that tube in his arm- can't start the injection until you do!"
One of the medic ponies grabbed a long needle, the blunter end attached to a rubber tube that was connected to the canister of CLS.
"Alright doctor- just a little jab, but keep your mind off it." He said, and slid the needle into the flesh on the doctor's right arm.
The doctor groaned as he felt the cold metal slowly slide into his arm, triggering several nerves. He ground his teeth together, and watched with fascination as Pulse started injecting him with the CLS artificial blood. Even as he did so, he could feel his own senses slowly coming back to life.
"Is he going to be alright?" Derpy asked worriedly from the side, shut out by the medic ponies crowded around the doctor.
"Don't worry- he'll be fine." Thyme reassured her, giving her a light pat on the back.
Something on Pulse's HUD beeped, and he pulled the plug on the canister. "Alright! We're done." He said, packing the canister again.
"I gave his leg a few bandages and a healing spell. Should hold together for now." A med finished wrapping the doctor's stump of a leg, and started cleaning up all the equipment.
"Good job meds! Now let's get these fellas down to the dropship!" Thyme yelled, but even as she said this she could hear the loud whoosh of a missile being fired.
She quickly ran to the cave entrance, and saw the missile as it hurtled towards them. She quickly whipped out her rifle and fired a quick burst at it. The first few bullets missed, but the last one hit it dead on and tore it right down the center.
"Get them on the cables- we've got company!!" She yelled behind her.
Then there were more rockets fired at them- from the infantry. Thyme counted at least five- but that probably wasn't accurate considering she was trying to take them down before they could reach their target.
There were so many of them she didn't even have any time to reload- and when she did, there simply wasn't enough time for her unless she was a natural gunslinger like Magnum.
Then there was the loud blasting of engines, and she could feel an odd heat wave slithering into the cave.
"I said 'in bad condition', not 'unusable'." Zealo said, making the Apollo hover just above the cave entrance.
Several beams of rainbows blasted the rockets straight out of the sky.
"Med team, I've got one heavily wounded over here!" He yelled, slowly bringing the Apollo down so its hull was level with the cave entrance's ledge. "Get her off! She's lost a lot of blood." He said, and parted the cockpit windshields.
"Pulse- with me!" Thyme waved behind her, pocketing her pistol and jumping onto the Apollo's outer hull. "Albatross! Cover fire please."
"Copy. Unloading." Thunderlane replied, swinging the huge gunship around and aiming for the pirates.
The earth shook as explosions ripped across the surface, entire buildings being completely knocked down and shredded by the heavy explosives that the gunship was unloading.
"Careful now-" Thyme said as she carefully lifted an unconscious Lightning Dust out of the cockpit. She and Pulse carried her off the plane and into the cave- to a more stable platform so they could begin work. "Apollo! You're clear."
"Copy med team. Thanks for the assistance." Zealo said, flying the Apollo away to assist the Albatross.
"Least we can do." Pulse replied, once again unpacking the canister of CLS.
"Ground team- we've got more firepower now. Retreat to rendezvous immediately! Zealo, cover the Albatross." Spitfire yelled.
"Copy captain." Zealo sighed, and sent the Apollo down to a low hover just above the ground. He could use the buildings as cover for now, and flew the plane sideways and slid onto another street.
"Turning back to pick up the ground team." Thunderlane reported, and there was a silent droning noise as he steered the huge gunship around to park it at where the ground team was.
"Come on boys and girls... It's been a tough fight." Neon said, with Colgate slung over her back.
The dust from the bombardment earlier was starting to settle, the enemy forces recovering. The pirates stumbled back to their hooves, usable aspects of their remaining artillery firing up.
"Terra! Cover us." Neon yelled, and Terra slammed a hoof into the dirt. A huge block of rock rose from beneath the layer of muck, effectively shielding out all the bullets.
"Coming in for landing." Thunderlane said.
"Buy them some time!" Terra yelled at Neon, and they both nodded at each other and charged forth. Then they stopped as they spotted something behind the pirates, and ran either side to take cover. They tuck rolled behind two buildings, hoping it would be enough- also hoping that the pilot's aim wasn't too horrible.
"Seriously? Did I really just flank these guys without them even noticing?" Zealo muttered to himself. "Ah well." He shrugged, and let loose all the Apollo's ammo.
One of the pirates yelled as he started hearing the firing of missiles and prism guns behind them, and turned around. But by then Zealo had already cut down a good fifth of their troops.
"Oooh RPG." Zealo tutted and swung the Apollo to the side, still hovering at the same distance from the pilots. It performed a barrel roll, the rocket soaring past and leaving a trail of smoke in its wake.
Neon peered out from cover, caught Terra's eye and nodded. He nodded back, and they darted out from cover.
The pirates, beaten and confused, were trapped in the middle with an assault aircraft on one side, and two Wardens on the other. The assault aircraft would've been the easier choice if they could shoot it down- which was proving to be a difficulty.
Thunderlane landed the Albatross with a bit of a struggle- the huge aircraft was quite something to try and land. It touched down on the empty street with a loud thunk, the anti-gravity engines dimming as they were no longer required for the time being. The gate at the rear of the aircraft lowered, forming a platform leading into the aircraft's vast interior.
"Everypony in! Let's go!" Rig yelled, waving an arm wildly in the air and getting the others' attention. He stood guard by the aircraft, shooting at the pirates in the distance while Asty rushed over to the Pie twins to help Inkie.
"Don't worry about me. I can walk fine." Inkie said, but made a small stumble as she did so. She stabilized herself with her rifle, but moved off and kept on going. "Just a bit dizzy from blood loss."
"Better sum it up over there!" Thunderlane yelled at the Wardens. "Everyone's already in!"
"Copy." Neon said, snapping a neck. "We'll be over now."
"Cleaning up." Zealo said, still sweeping at the pirate forces with prism beams and a few remaining torpedoes. Then something started beeping wildly on his broken HUD, and he frowned. The corner of a broken edge of glass was flashing red- there was something there before it shattered, but what was it again...?
Zealo's eyes widened as he realized it was a lock-on warning- but by the time he figured that out there was no choice but to bail the aircraft.
He slammed a hoof down on the eject button, but it wouldn't work. The wiring must've been damaged- the signal wasn't getting through.
He cursed, and pulled down a lever to his side. The windshield popped out and was ejected with a violent explosion of air, knocking it at least a good seven meters away from the aircraft. He leapt up, grabbed onto the side of the aircraft and swung out. A second later he heard the missile slam right into the damaged Apollo, the explosion tearing it from the back to the nose.
Zealo fell about two meters down, and slammed his back hard on the gravel floor. The air left his lungs, and he watched as his destroyed fighter came crashing down nose-first.
It smashed into the gravel next to his face, inches away from crushing his skull. Then it tipped to the side and away from him, and crashed down with a light fireball.
Zealo let out a sigh of relief, then looked to who shot him down. Some bastard on the roof.
"Guys! RPGs on the bloody roof in case you haven't noticed!" He coughed, struggling to get up after getting winded by that fall.
"Done." Terra said, slamming a hoof into the ground. The building the RPG pirate was on came crashing down into the earth, the rubble disappearing behind a thick cloud of light brown dust.
"Get to the dropship. Let's go." Neon helped him up, fending off anyone that fired at them. They started backing away towards the dropship not far away behind them, and Terra pulled a giant brick wall out of the earth and sealed off the pirates. It won't last long though- one rocket could take it down.
"Meds! Let's go!" Thyme yelled as members of her team including herself slung the injured over their backs. They ran to the cables still dangling from the top of the cliff where they were anchored, and hooked themselves in again. As a safety precaution they also strapped the injured on as well, keeping them from falling off. Thyme had Lightning Dust on her back, still unconscious but recovering. They had injected a stabilizer into her so her coma state wouldn't do any extra unwanted damage, and wrapped her wings up in bandages.
"Three, two, one!" Pulse yelled, then jumped off the edge. His cable suddenly tightened with tension as the device mounted to his hip detected the fall, and he stopped after only a meter drop and landed hooves down on the cliff face.
They started rappelling their way down to the dropship they arrived in, hopping along the cliff face.
Suddenly Pulse felt something snap, and looked back to see his cable whip back at him. The heavy steel cable contracted and slammed into the side of his helmet, shattering his visor and sending pieces of glass flying into the air. He was knocked unconscious, and his hooves left the cliff face. He fell back, down towards the bottom of the cliff.
"PULSE!!" Thyme screamed, but already it was too late. He slammed down onto the ground about fifty meters down with a sickening crack, and never got back up again.
Thyme's mind didn't register his death for a few seconds, then she realized what had happened and felt a sudden urge to cry. She fought it down, and shook her head. Pulse is dead- but there are still survivors that need to get to the dropship and to safety.
But then it occurred to her- the steel cable shouldn't simply snap....
She turned around, looking behind her and up at the top of the cliff. Her eyes widened as she realized what had happened.
The pirates had flanked them, and climbed onto the cliff. Now they were cutting their cables.
"Shuck!" Thyme cursed, and slammed a button in the armor on her hip. She felt motors yank at her, and she whirled around so she was rappelling down backwards. She whipped out her folded rifle, pressing a button so it sprung into full length. She took aim while still continuing down, firing up at the pirates. "Everyone look out! ABOVE US!!" She screamed, but they were already cutting loose more cables- and she could only watch as her old teammates fell screaming to their deaths at the bottom of the cliff.
Then she heard a loud 'thunk', followed by a whoosh. Horror dawned on her face, and she crouched down as a rocket soared past her head. She quickly looked behind her as it passed, and felt her heart drop.
The rocket slammed right into their dropship, reducing it to shreds.
"What the hay...?" Spitfire frowned, checking the radar on the OASIS. Everything seemed normal.... But then how did they not detect the pirates sneaking around? Then she froze as she realized- Val hadn't sent any more reinforcements. She cursed, and turned to Soarin. "Check if our radars and camera feeds are working properly!" She yelled.
Soarin came back a second later, holding a tablet with a number of statistics on it. He frowned at one of the graphs, and tapped it for an enlarged version. "Looks like our radars are getting some odd readings..."
"Damnit." Spitfire pulled up a holo screen, swiping through the ship's radar's settings. She quickly changed the radar's signal wave frequency, and checked it again. "Shuck." She said as an extra twenty red dots popped up, on the cliff behind the teams- Val was using the pirates, even if they didn't know it. She had concealed them from the OASIS's radar by absorbing the radar signals to the COLOSSUS.
"Bloody hell! Encrypt the damn signal! Check all security systems, now!" Soarin yelled. There was no way of determining the signal's frequency remotely, and someone must've exposed the system's firewall before statistics on the radar could've been revealed from a remote location. Someone had sabotaged the ship.
*
"Med team's dropship is down!" Thunderlane heard Spitfire yell through the comms, and cursed. That meant the Albatross gunship was the only ship available for extraction.
"Come on! We gotta help them!" Rig yelled, climbing up a ladder and opening the top hatch, located on the roof of the gunship. "Thunderlane, take off! Try and catch them as they fall!"
"Copy." Thunderlane said, pushing a lever forward. The gunship's engines' low whine grew to a furious roar, and slowly it started taking off the ground. It hovered in the air, then started flying up to meet the med team.
"RPG!!" Asty yelled, spotting something through the opened hatch. "GET DOWN!!"
The RPG flew straight towards the center of the gunship, and there was no-one to stop it.
But then it got to about two meters away from the gunship, and got yanked straight of the air and towards one of the engines. The engine sucked in the rocket, then the anti-gravity generators flung it into the ground below where it exploded.
"That works." Rig shrugged, then climbed out through the hatch onto the ship's hull. He helped his twin sister out, and crouched down so he doesn't get sucked into the engines as well.
"Cover them! Med team, do you read!?" Blinkie yelled, putting her sister down to rest in the gunship while she went up to join the others.
"We see you ground team!" Thyme yelled back, looking at the gunship down behind her as she fired up at the pirates. "We've got casualties and wounded- GAH!!" She yelped as a bullet struck the side of her helmet, tearing through wires and shredding the light armor plating. "Damnit!"
"Med team?" Blinkie fired a few shots up at the pirates.
"Copy, but going offline." Thyme said, her helmet broken. She grabbed one side of it with her spare hoof, and ripped it off. Sparks flew as the wired connection between the helmet's HUD broke from the suit, rendering several functions useless. She threw the helmet away, her short green mane falling down over her face as she continued punching bullets up at the cliff top.
She jumped up, the cable loosening up once again and sending her down several meters. There was a loud thud as she landed back on the cliff face, Lightning Dust still firmly strapped to her back.
"Jump! You're in range!!" Rig yelled up at the meds, waving them towards the gunship.
Thyme looked down. The gunship was still quite far away- she might just move down a little more before she gets aboard.
Then she felt her cable loosen even without her jumping, and looked up. The pirates were cutting her loose- and she was slowly slipping.
She cursed, turned back around to face the ground and slammed the eject button on her hip. The cable broke free from her, and she launched both back hooves into the cliff face and pushed off.
Suddenly she was in free fall, and felt oddly naked despite the twenty kilograms of armor she was wearing. She was about to land on the gunship when suddenly she was violently tugged sideways. She looked at what was dragging her through the air- and was horrified to see the anti-gravity generator roaring at her back hooves.
Then somepony grabbed her wrist, and slammed her down onto the gunship's hull. She was instantly dragged away from the engine's airflow, but also body-slammed painfully on the hull; Lightning Dust still unconscious on her back.
"Get inside- quick!" Rig helped her up to a crouch, and fired a spray up at the cliff.
"We've got one wounded inside- do whatever you can." Asty nodded at the open hatch.
She slowly crawled her way to the open hatch, and eventually was relieved to be away from the roaring engines. Her arms were weak as she lowered herself down into the gunship and laid Lightning Dust down on the floor. She stumbled a bit, completely disoriented from past events.
But she quickly shook it off as she saw Inkie- and went to attend to her wounds.
"Come on... Come on..." Rig tutted as more of the meds arrived. And by more, it only meant three- two of which had extra ponies strapped to their backs- obviously the wounded.
Rig sent a short burst of bullets into a pirate's leg, and he stumbled and fell over the edge. He screamed his way down, but went silent as his head clipped the cliff face with a loud crack. The rest of the way down his head remained backwards.
Then one of the gunship's engines drew him in, then flung him down towards the ground. He splattered into the earth, limbs and other bits bouncing high up into the air from a pink mist where his body had landed.
Another med made it down with Doctor Whooves, and Rig helped them away from the engine's air flow. That left two more meds and one injured.
"Enemies approaching from the front!" Thunderlane warned. "Turning around..." He said as he turned the gunship on its side so the guns faced the oncoming pirate troops from the city. "Might wanna cover your ears." He said, and let loose on the troops.
The heavy flak rounds hit the ground, generating huge craters in the road and sending rock shards up in the air along with its own shrapnel.
"We're clear Thunderlane! Get us out of here!" Rig yelled as the last med got into the gunship with Derpy Hooves.
"Copy. We're leaving fellas!" Thunderlane said with a light whistle, and the gunship flew higher into the air.
Rig and Asty followed Blinkie and hopped down into the gunship's interior, clunking onto the metal floors. Rig closed the hatch as he got in, slamming it shut and locking it in place.
Then they all slumped onto the ground as the gunship took off, closing their eyes as to rest from the exhausting day of fighting.
Then the ship shook violently as somewhere to the side an explosion tore through one of the engines, the entire gunship tilting to one side and tipping everyone against the wall.
"We've been hit!" Thunderlane cursed. "Engine three has been hit!"
"We're still in the air though, right? So get us out of here!" Asty yelled.
The gunship trembled as the cannons let rip, tearing down entire buildings and sending streets up in explosions.
"Alright! We're clear, we're clear..." Thunderlane let out a sigh of relief as the gunship reached the clouds. "Buck'n hell, that was pretty darn close."
"Shuck..." Rig slumped down on the ground, exhausted.
"Third engine's damaged, but it'll maintain for now. Problem is that there's a power leak because of that- our flight path just got a lot bucking shorter." Thunderlane said, flicking through some statistics.
*
"Damnit! Bastards got away." The pirate leader cursed, ripping his watch from his wrist and throwing it at the ground in pure frustration. "You better get those wounded men cleaned up! And don't talk to me unless it's buck'n good news." He yelled at his second in command, and stormed off. A very bad idea.
He turned a corner, then suddenly felt a claw clamp over his mouth and tug him away from his troops. He couldn't make a noise, but stopped trying anyway when he felt the barrel of a peculiar weapon press against his back. Then he felt the weapon move away, and suddenly whoever was holding his mouth grabbed him by his belt and lifted off into the air.
He watched horrified as the earth grew further and further away, the wind whistling in his ears as his stomach lurched from the sudden gain in altitude.
Then he was thrown onto the roof of a deserted building face first. He spat out a mouthful of dust, then something clawed into his back and he was flipped over like a crab on the beach. The sharp pointy end of a knife mounted to a rifle pressed lightly against his throat, the silhouette holding the rifle backlit by the sun. One thing was for certain though- it ain't a pony.
"So, mister leader-of-the-mother-bucking'-pirates." Frostbite sighed. "I've got a few questions for you."
The stallion gestured at the knife at his throat, just below his Adam's apple. He didn't dare swallow to talk.
Frostbite pulled the weapon away, and immediately the pirate pulled out a pistol from his belt and aimed it at him. Frostbite showed the clip of ammo that he had pulled out from the pistol when he hoisted the pirate by his belt, and threw it off the side of the building.
He heard the stallion curse under his breath, and throw the pistol away. Then he produced a knife from inside his jacket, and lunge up at Frostbite.
Frostbite simply slammed the back of his claw against the side of the knife, knocking it away from the pirate. They both watched it tumble off the building. Then the stallion heard a click as Frostbite flicked the safety off his rifle and pointed it at him.
"Fine." He grumbled, raising his hooves above his head as Frostbite sighed.
"I know you were fighting the Science faction before we arrived." He got straight to the point. "Why did you attack them?"
"They bloody attacked us!"
"Not from what I can see from the battlefield." Frostbite shook his head. "They sent reinforcements after you raided one of their convoys. What did you find on that convoy?"
"Nothing! Just some general goods-"
"Quit your bull crap. You wouldn't have attacked a fully armed convoy unless you thought or knew there would be something on board that would've been of worth."
"Really! There was nothing-"
Frostbite grabbed him by the collar, his sharp claws tearing halfway through the fabric of his thick jacket. "Listen. You could tell me what it was and where it is now, or I could kill you and find it anyway. Wastes both of our time, and your life for that matter." He said, his eagle eyes piercing the stallion's.
"Damnit! There's nothing of worth!"
"'Of worth'? So there was something. Give it." He growled.
"Bucking hell! Just leave me alone!" The stallion yelled, and threw a small box at Frostbite.
Frostbite caught it with a claw, and flicked it open. Inside was a single card, cushioned in a bunch of soft plastic. The card looked like any ordinary playing card- just a red ace. But it obviously had some sort of technology in it, as there were glowing blue lines that pulsed every second or so. It was as if it had its own heartbeat.
Frostbite closed the box, and put it in his bag.
"Thank you for your time." He said, and took off- but not before he ripped the stallion's mic set away from his ear and stole his phone. "You'll have to take the stairs." He said, and flew off.
"Do you have the info?" Vinyl aske