//------------------------------// // Chapter 9- The Cost of War pt. 2 // Story: Equestrian Psycho // by BlakeCorman //------------------------------// Chapter 9- The Cost of War pt 2 Nightmare stood at her station in central command. “Do we have a lock on our ponies’ locations?” She called out across the room. “Coming up on screen now, ma’am,” a mare replied from her station below. The viewing screen blinked and when it came back, a map of the area surrounding the hanger appeared. Green dots littered the screen, signifying every Resistance fighter in the area. They stood unmoving, waiting to ambush their opponents “Do we have a visual on the enemy?” Nightmare questioned. “Locating enemy signature now,” reported a male thestal from another part of the room. A large group of red dots appeared on screen, constantly moving towards the hanger. Nightmare’s eyes widened in surprise at the number. “Battle Cry, send out a message to our support teams,” she called to the unicorn, who turned his attention to her. “I want them deployed now.” The unicorn nodded and typed out a message on his console. Confident that the stallion would get his job done correctly, Nightmare turned her attention back to the large screen at the front of the room. There was a beep and the door to the room slid open once more. This time Nightmare turned to find Chris walking into the room. He made his way toward her, the look on his face telling her all she needed to know. As he stopped and opened his mouth to speak, she stopped him. “It’s not my decision to make,” she told him flatly. Chris closed his mouth and stared in surprise for a moment before his anger came back to his face. “But I need to be out there!” He argued. “Then take it up with Sunset,” she replied, turning back to the screen. Chris just stared in anger. Chris, you need to cool it, Sam told him. I’m angry too, but now is not the time to let it cloud our judgment. Chris thought about ignoring his brother’s advice, then he remembered all his lessons with Trixie. He took a few deep breaths and got himself under control. Once his anger was simply boiling rather than the full inferno from earlier, he turned and looked at the screen. “What’s the plan?” He asked. “Despite their position when they… captured… Heavy and Scratch’s patrol, the machines are moving rather slow. Either they’re trying to avoid being caught or they’re arrogant. Whichever it is, they’ve given us enough time to set some of our own forces up for an ambush.” She finished and looked at the young man. “What can you tell us about our mystery Machine Captain?” “His name is Mean Screen,” he answered, “and if he’s heading to the hanger, there’s only one thing he could be after. He’s going to try and apply a virus to the Delta Megaship.” He looked away from the screen to Nightmare. “How did they even get the location of the hanger?” “We don’t know… yet.” Chris blinked at Nightmare’s ferocity. He looked down and saw that Nightmare was clenching her fists until her knuckles showed white through her fur. “Nightmare…,” Chris murmured, worried for the mare. She trembled in her anger for a moment before letting out a breath of air. “They killed two of my ponies, Chris,” she stated in a voice barely above a whisper. “Worse. That bastard tortured them!” She smashed her fist against the console. Chris just stared for a while before placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder and leaning in so only she could hear him. “Don’t worry, Artemus. We’ll make sure he gets his.” Nightmare looked up into Chris’ eyes and saw a fire burning behind them. “I promise.” Nightmare looked over Chris’ features. She finally let his words reach her and she released her fists. “You’re right. Thank you.” She straightened up just in time for Sunset to walk into the control room. “What’s the situation?” She asked as she joined Nightmare and Chris. “Our ponies are in position and are getting ready to attack,” Nightmare replied, giving the alicorn a nod as she approached. As the group of machines made their way slowly towards the target area of the ambush, Chris became uneasy. “Something’s not right,” he muttered. Sunset threw a look at him. “What do you mean?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Something’s just… off.” He leaned forward and stared hard at the screen. Suddenly, his eyes shot open. “Scheisse!” He exclaimed, vaulting over the console to the floor below. “Who’s locked on to the enemies signature!?!” He asked quickly, panic filling his voice. “Th-that’s me,” answered the surprised thestral. Chris rushed over and took a single look at his console before beginning to type furiously. “What are you doing!?!” The thestral exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. “Widening the search parameters,” Chris replied simply, his hands flying over the keyboard. “There!” He lurched his head back up to look at the screen just in time to see several red dots appear behind most of the green, slowly closing in. Everyone’s eyes widened in realization and Nightmare jumped into action. “Get them a warning, NOW!!!” She ordered. Everyone sped to work, doing all they could to get the message out to their fighters. “It’s done, ma’am,” a female griffon called out after a few seconds. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to the screen, holding their breath. For a few moments, it almost looked like nothing happened. Then all hell broke out. Cobalt Steel crouched behind an overgrown bush in his armor, his eyes glued to the battalion in front of him, the Machine Captain in front in particular. “Come on,” he muttered under his breath. “Just a little further….” Suddenly, his communicator vibrated and a message played out in his ear piece. “It’s a trap! Enemies to the rear and closing in!” A female voice rang out. Cobalt turned wide-eyed to Garion. They both knew what this meant. “We’ve been made!” Cobalt called out, drawing his greatsword and standing to face the new enemies. Garion extended the claws on his weaponized gauntlets and put his back to his partner just as machines rushed in from both sides. “Alright,” Cobalt muttered as the first wave reached him. “Let’s get crackin’!” He let out a battle cry and rushed towards his opponents, swinging his sword towards their necks. For a moment, it looked like the Resistance fighters stood a chance. Everyone in the control room began to let out breaths they had been holding in. Chris was especially relieved and began to make his way back up to Sunset and Nightmare. He was halfway up the steps when the operation went south. “No!” He heard Sunset cry out. Chris whipped around to look at the screen, his hands clutching the railing. Green and red dots clashed on screen, the red dots blinking out at a rapid rate. However, the Resistance combatants were outnumbered, three to one, and the flow of cogs didn’t seem to be slowing down. But something else was wrong. Chris looked again, and his fists tightened on the railing. The number of green allies was beginning to drop. Chris cursed under his breath and quickly made his way up the rest of the steps. “We need to deploy reinforcements, now,” Chris stated as he came to a stop next to the two alicorns. “We deployed them before you got here,” Nightmare replied, her eyes scanning frantically over the screen. “I thought the main force was going to be too much to handle. Now though….” “Even with reinforcements, they may not be able to handle this,” Sunset finished. “Tch,” Chris said his jaw clenching in anger. “They played us for fools.” Nightmare and Sunset turned to look in his direction. “W-what do you mean?” Sunset asked. “All of this,” Chris growled out as his head dropped and fists clenched. “Was just a setup!” Sunset still looked confused, but Nightmare’s eyes widened in horrid understanding. “They weren’t getting information…,” she said slowly. “They were feeding us false info,” Chris finished, his voice full of rage. Sunset gasped and raised her hand in realization. “You mean they….” “They tortured and killed Heavy Weather and Rose Scratch,” Nightmare murmured, beginning to tremble. “Just to make us.” Chris slammed his hand on the console and turned to the door, a dark look on his features. “Where are going?” Sunset asked turning to follow his movements. “Where do you think?” He replied snidely. “You’re not cleared for combat,” Sunset called after him. “And, like it or not, you’re still a part of Special Operations!” Chris stopped dead in his tracks, and his head fell. His fists had been clenched as he was walking away, but now the knuckles practically glowed white. He turned around slowly and walked back towards Sunset, his head still lowered. He stopped in front of her and raised his eyes. Sunset flinched away from the pure rage contained in them. “Then I quit.” With that final message, he turned and made his way back towards the door. “Chris.” He stopped just before exiting the room, the door open in front of him. He turned his head to look back at Nightmare. “When you get back,” she continued, “we need to have a talk.” Chris simply nodded and continued on his way, the door sliding shut behind him. Sunset stared after him. “He just… walked out on me.” “You should have made your decision sooner.” Sunset looked up to the older alicorn and found no sympathy in her eyes. “Now he’s made his own choice.” She looked back up to the screen where red and green blips continued to fade in and out of existence. “I just hope he made it in time.” Cobalt swung his sword in a horizontal slash, causing sparks to explode from the chests of two cogs. Sweat dripped down his face, and his breathing was heavy. His ears swiveled behind him and he swung his sword to block the blow coming towards his back. He spun around and hefted his blade with both hands and brought it down. The cog stood no chance as it was split in two. Not sensing any immediate danger, Cobalt slumped down, stabbing his blade into the ground to steady himself. “Damn it…,” he breathed out. He and Garion had gotten separated early on in the fight. Cobalt had cut down machine after machine, watching his comrades fall around him. When the reinforcements had shown up, his hopes had come back, but it proved to be too little too late. Even with fresh fighters they had continued to be pushed back. Cobalt looked up and saw another group of cogs rushing towards him. He took another deep breath and hefted his blade. “And back to the grind….” As the automatons reached him, he fainted another neck sweep. The cogs fell for the bluff, bringing their spears up to block the attack. Cobalt smirked as he immediately dropped down, sweeping the legs out from underneath them, literally. He spun with the swing, straightening up and bringing the blade down on top of the middle cog, splitting its head in two. He twisted the blade and shadows shot down the blade and out, decapitating the other two. “I hate doing that,” he grumbled as he pulled his blade from the ground. There was a shout behind him and he turned quickly to find Garion and two other fighters, a diamond dog and pegasus, going toe-to-toe with the Machine Captain just in front of the hangar doors. Cobalt grit his teeth. “Damn it, Garion, you fool.” He rushed forward to help his comrades, who were slowly running out of steam. The diamond dog was the first to go down. He overstepped his spear thrust and missed his mark. Mean Screen darted in and slashed his blade across the overextended limb. Blood shot from the dog’s leg, and he let out a howl before the Machine Captain drove the blade up into his throat. The pegasus let out a yell of rage and rushed forward, his twin hatchets raised. Mean Screen blocked the assault with his wrist blades, blocking strike after strike. The pegasus got hasty and slipped up. The pegasus brought one of his hatchets further back than most of his strikes and brought it down. Mean Screen took advantage of the extra swing time and dodged out of the way, causing the pegasus to lose his balance. Mean Screen took his opportunity and swung his blade in a back swing. The pegasus roared in pain as his arm was severed from his body which changed into a gurgle as Mean Screen brought his other blade up into his stomach. As the pegasus slumped to the ground, Garion hesitated. The sudden death of his comrades shook him and gave Mean Screen the time he needed to turn to him and charge. “Garion, MOVE!” The griffon leaped into the air, just in time for Cobalt and the Machine Captain to clash. The ringing of blade against blade rang through the area as the combatants swung their blades to find purchase. Garion, meanwhile, flew into the air, performed a loop and rocketed back towards the ground, the claws of his gauntlets fully extended. Cobalt swung his sword in an overhead strike, a blow that Mean Screen caught easily on his shorter blades. The pony struggled against the machine for a while before suddenly jumping backward. Mean Screen was jerked off balance by the sudden absence of opposing force and his blades fell forward, exposing his chest. Garion swept in and slashed his claws across the exposed area, causing sparks to explode from the automaton. Mean Screen stumbled back as the griffon came to a landing next to his partner. The Machine Captain looked up at his opponents and let out a growl. “You’re fast little bugs, aren’t you?” He snarled. He lifted his arms. “Let’s change that,” he called out as electricity danced around his blades before he thrust them into the ground. Seeing this Cobalt and Garion dodged to either side. They came to a stop a few yards apart and looked to where they had been standing a moment ago, waiting for… something. That’s when they felt it. It started as a tingling, then every muscle in their body contracted, making their bodies stiff. “D-damn it!” Cobalt growled out as he lost control of his body. Mean Screen let out a wicked chuckle. “Not so fast anymore, eh, little bugs?” He taunted leaning forward. He dashed forward, his left arm drawn past his chest in preparation for a swing. Cobalt tried to move but his body wouldn’t respond. “GAR!!!” He yelled out in fear. The Machine Captain swung his blade out, cackling maliciously. Blood erupted from Garion’s side as the automaton passed him. Garion’s eyes widened in shock and pain as he fell forwards. The griffon hit the ground with a thud and lay still as blood poured from his wound. Cobalt stared at his fallen comrade, his face twisting into rage as he looked towards the Machine Captain. “I’ll make you pay for that,” he growled out, still unable to move. “I’d like to see you try.” Mean Screen appeared in front of him, and he felt a huge force slam into his chest. The Captain’s kick sent the pony flying backward where he slammed into a tree with enough force to crack it. Mean Screen began to walk forward as Cobalt slid down the trunk and came to a sitting position. His eyes were closed in a grimace, and when he finally opened them, he watched as the large robot stalked towards him. The machine stopped in front of him, looming over him. “Say goodbye, little bug!” He said with an evil cackle as he raised a blade for the final strike. Cobalt could only stare in horror, unable to move and without his weapon. He was completely at the mercy of this monster. Mean Screen let out another short laugh as the blade reached its peak. “Die!” He shouted as he brought the blade down. A blade shot from the side, swung in an upward arc, and caught Mean Screen’s. The automaton’s blade was knocked away and the strange blade was twisted in its wielder's hand before being brought down across the machine’s chest. Sparks exploded and Mean Screen staggered backward with a cry of pain. A hand was held out to Cobalt, who found feeling returning to his body. He took the hand and was hauled to his feet by Chris who was already morphed in red with the helmet off. “Thought you were pulled?” Cobalt asked with a smile. “I’ve recently found myself without a superior officer,” Chris replied, a small smirk on his face. Cobalt’s eyes widened at the implications of such a statement but turned at the sound of a groan. Mean Screen was getting his feet back under him as his chest smoked. Cobalt’s eyes narrowed at the machine. “We’ll finish this later,” he stated, taking up a stance beside Chris. “Yeah,” Chris agreed, holding out Cobalt’s sword to him. “Let’s make this quick,” Chris said as he turned to face Mean Screen. “We’ve got a lot of injured fighters here. Which means,” he threw a look at the pony, “no holding back.” “I never hold-” “Cobalt.” He looked into the human’s eyes and was taken aback by the ferocity of his gaze. “I don’t know what you can do, but now is not the time to hide it.” Cobalt stared then let out a breath and started undoing the buckles on his chest piece. The armor fell to the ground with a clank, the heavy canvas jacket following soon after. Cobalt looked towards his opponent, smoke curling from his eyes as he unfurled his bat-like wings. “Let’s end him,” he growled out, his voice darker than usual. “Let’s,” Chris replied before stepping out towards Mean Screen. “Go, Silver,” he spoke calmly. A silver glow surrounded him and dispersed, leaving Chris in shining silver armor. “Impressive,” Cobalt said, getting into a runner’s stance. “Got it from our fight,” Chris replied, mimicking the thestral’s movements. They dashed forward together, Cobalt with his greatsword engulfed in shadows and Chris with the Psycho Silverizer. Chris brought the weapon up and fired three rounds at Mean Screen. The Machine Captain raised his blades to block the bolts, but only partially succeeded as one bolt hit him in the shoulder, throwing up sparks. Mean Screen cried out in pain, his defense dropping. Cobalt rushed in with his blade and swept the blade across the machine’s midsection, causing sparks to fly. Mean Screen gave a cry and stumbled backward even further. Chris took his chance and leaped into the air, bringing the blade of the Silverizer up. Mean Screen caught the action and crossed his blades to block the blow. Not this time, clanker, Chris and Sam thought together as they activated their Silver Static and the magic it harnessed. Chris brought down the blade as hard as he could as his arm solidified with a metallic sheen. The three blades connected, and for a moment it looked like the ranger’s attack had been blocked. Then Chris’ feet hit the ground. Strength flowed through his body and with a roar Chris pushed down with all the force he could muster. Mean Screen’s blades shattered and the Silverizer slashed down the length of his body. Before the machine could recover, though, Cobalt used Chris’ flattened back and shoulders as a springboard and rushed over the Captain, using an upward swing to severe his left arm. Cobalt came to a landing a few yards away and turned to face his opponent. Mean Screen took several steps back as he clutched his missing limb. He knew he was defeated. He’d far outmatched any of the other freedom fighters, but the Psycho Ranger and the sudden power boost of the thought-to-be earth pony had him outclassed in speed and strength. In the end, he only had one more tactic to work with. “Y-you scum,” he hissed out. “You’ve stopped me, but you will never stop the House of Gadgetry. We’ll just keep killing more and more of you pathetic whelps.” A sinister look spread across the machine’s face. “Just like what I did to those other two ponies earlier today.” Cobalt’s eyes widened slightly and he raised his sword higher. The machine sensed Cobalt’s reaction and he turned so that he could keep an eye on each opponent. “Did they not tell you? Two ponies had to die to get you your intelligence.” Cobalt’s expression became that of shock, his sword dropping slightly. Mean Screen saw this and chuckled wickedly, turning to completely face the upset thestral. “Oh, yes, they died getting your leaders that information. Information that led you straight into a trap. And all I had to do was say a few fancy words and torture those worthless-” An explosion ripped through the Machine Captain’s right shoulder, tearing the limb from his body. Mean Screen was launched forward in a diagonal and came to rough, grinding stop several yards away from his starting position. He rolled over and looked up to see Chris pointing the Silverizer at him, the barrel smoking. The human didn’t say anything, just began stalking forward, the weapon leveled at the machine. Mean Screen let out a fake smirk. “It seems like I got to-” Another explosion ripped away the Captain’s left foot. The robot wasn’t even given time to yell in agony as another detonation tore away his right leg at the knee. Now, Mean Screen’s eyes widened in fear. “No, don’t-” His cry was cut short once again as a bolt of energy took off a corner of his head, flying into the treeline before it erupted into a ball of flame. Chris continued to stalk forward, his twisted helmet more sinister than ever. He came to a stop only a few feet from the automaton, his weapon still smoking. “Do you feel fear, machine?” Chris growled out. “No! No! Please!” The machine screamed as wires sprouted from his body like tentacles and tried to escape. “Get away! Leave me alone!” Chris’ head tilted forward. “All I needed to hear,” he stated flatly as he aimed the Psycho Silverizer at the mauled Machine Captain. Energy began building up at the end of the barrel, forming a golden ball of energy. “Psycho Silverizer!” He called out, unleashing the blast into Mean Screen’s wrecked body. The blast lifted the robot off the ground and into the sky, carrying him a fair distance away before exploding. Chris lowered his weapon as Cobalt made his way over. “Chris-” “It’s not over,” he said coldly, cutting off the bat-pony as he turned to the hangar. “Let’s go, Delta!” He shouted, Static Jumping towards the hangar as green energy filled the sky. Mean Screen grew above the treeline and looked to the hangar. “Here I come, ranger,” he called out as wires appeared from his wrists and lanced into the ground. The earth was displaced as the mechanical vines rushed towards the building and the zord hidden within. Just as the displaced dirt hit the edge of the building, the roof of the hangar opened. The Delta Megaship shot straight up into the air, the malicious wires not far behind. The metal arms were forced to stop, and Mean Screen retracted them as the Delta came back down to the ground in fighter mode. “Bad move, ranger,” the machine snarled as it lashed out with his robotic tentacles. The rockets on Delta’s feet ignited and launched the zord into the sky, but not before several of the feelers found their mark on the Megaship. “You’re not going anywhere,” Mean Screen stated, retracting his wires. “That’s what you think,” Chris’ voice rang out from the zord. Without warning, the fingers of the zord spread out and began spinning, firing off their lasers. The beams quickly cut through the wires and the Delta flew ever higher into the sky. Then, red alarms started going off in the cockpit. “Scheisse,” Chris said as he worked at the control console wildly, trying to quarantine the virus that was invading Delta’s systems. The zord continued upward until it was almost out of the atmosphere before it came to a stop. “That was close,” Chris breathed. “But now Delta’s out cold.” I have an idea, Sam stated, sending the idea directly to him. Chris blinked inside his helmet. “That’s insane,” he replied shortly. We are the Psycho Ranger, Sam pointed out. Besides, do you have a better idea? Chris let out a sigh. “I guess not,” he said. Chris Staticed out of the cockpit and stood on the zord’s shoulder. Tentatively, he looked down and used the zoom function to lock onto the Machine Captain below. “Now or never,” he murmured with a shake of his head. He summoned the Psycho Silverizer and jumped. He straightened his body out like an arrow, both hands in front of his face clutching onto the weapon. This better work, he thought to himself as he activated the Silver Static. His entire body solidified into metal, and he could feel gravity drag at him much harder than before. And now for the “oomph,” Sam said. Red Static ran across the bottoms of Chris’ boots and flames erupted from them, shooting Chris even faster. You might want to start charging that thing, Sam suggested as they sped along. Ya think? Chris thought back sarcastically. He pulled down the trigger and gold energy formed around the barrel. The energy flared out into a cone, making the falling ranger appear like a gold and silver comet. Chris’ HUD cut through the energy, giving him a clear view of what was going on below. Mean Screen was stomping towards the hangar. He’s going after the Resistance fighters, Sam said quickly. He wants to make sure he finishes them, Chris finished. We need to go faster. On it. Yellow Static suddenly arced over Chris’ armor, and he felt the makeshift boosters on his feet intensify and could feel his speed pick up. “That’s what we needed,” Chris muttered. Then his display lit up in red, warnings flashing. The armor can’t keep this up, Sam stated. It’s too much! How long can it last? Chris asked his heart beginning to race. A red timer lit up on screen, quickly falling from sixty. “Scheisse,” Chris growled as he continued to fall. The timer hit twenty-seven just as the human missile set off Mean Screen’s proximity alarms. “What?” He questioned as he looked up to see the speeding comet. “Eat this, you hurensohn!” Chris shouted as he came within yards of the Machine Captain’s head. He pulled the trigger completely and unleashed the gathered energy, boring a hole in the giant’s armor. The timer was down to eighteen, and on a whim, Chris spun his body. The armored human entered the machine’s body like a corkscrew. Mean Screen cried out in agony as Chris drilled through his body, the seconds ticking by. Chris finally crashed through Mean Screen’s midsection and came to a landing in the clearing where the fight had begun. Chris straightened up as Mean Screen began to fall backward with a groan of pain. Chris looked down at the timer just as it reached zero. “Time's up,” he stated as his armor glowed and Mean Screen’s body exploded. As the glow faded and the fireball died down, Chris stood in front of a dumbstruck Cobalt. The thestral finally shook his head and cleared his thoughts. “Chris, your-” He began as he stepped forward, only to be interrupted by Chris’ communicator go off. Chris threw a curious look in Cobalt’s direction as he lifted his wrist. The pony just responded by throwing his arms in defeat. Chris shrugged and opened the channel. “This is Chris.” Nightmare’s voice rang over the device. “Now that you’ve taken care of our problem, I’d like to have that chat now. Meet me in my private study.” “What about the injured here?” He asked as he looked around him. “We’ve already dispatched a medical unit to your location,” she explained. “There’s nothing else you can do there.” Chris took another look at the wounded around him and sighed. “Alright,” he relented, “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” “Good,” Nightmare said simply before cutting the communication. Chris looked up in the direction of the Delta, which was still somewhere in the upper atmosphere. “Delta, continue quarantine of the virus and find a place to hide,” he spoke into his communicator. “I’ll be back to take care of it soon.” There was no confirmation, but a black dot began to grow in the distance, growing closer. Chris nodded his head in appreciation before turning back to Cobalt. “Duty calls,” he said with a shrug. “We’ll talk later, okay?” Cobalt nodded and began walking towards his dropped jacket and armor. “Yeah,” he replied. “You’d better get going. I’ll stay here and see what I can do.” Chris nodded and ran off in the direction of the castle. Cobalt watched him go, a frown adorning his features. He was concerned that he had not been able to tell Chris about the dark aura surrounding him. Chris came up the stairs and came to a stop in front of the doors to Nightmare’s study. He knocked on the doors with force and waited impatiently. “Come in,” Nightmare’s voice said from within. He opened the doors and entered quickly. Nightmare was standing at her desk shuffling through papers. She rearranged a few more pages before slipping them into a manilla folder and turned to face Chris. “Thank you for coming so quickly,” she began. “Why did you call me?” Chris asked in irritation. “I could still be out there helping.” “There was nothing more you could have done in the field,” Nightmare insisted. “If anything you might have just gotten in the way.” “So, what?” Chris argued. “When you don’t need me you just put me back in my room like some garden tool?” Chris’ face contorted into a sneer. “News flash. I’m no one’s tool.” Nightmare stared in shock for a moment then her eyes narrowed as if she had noticed something. “Chris,” she said slowly, “I want you to take a deep breath.” Chris let out a breath of laughter. “You ain’t the boss of-” Chris stopped as his gaze met Nightmare’s. Her eyes were filled with a fierceness that caught the breath in his throat. He found himself involuntarily taking very slow, deliberate breaths. Slowly he felt a rage he was unaware of begin to fade. -STEN TO ME!!! Chris winced at the sudden yell from his brother. Ow! What was that for? Oh, now you listen, Sam replied, sarcasm woven into his voice. I’ve been trying to get your attention since you left the hangar! Sorry, Chris apologized before looking back to Nightmare. “I guess I owe you an apology as well,” Chris told. “No, apology needed,” she replied, waving a hand through the air. “However, I do need the attention of both you and your brother.” Chris shared an internal twitch with his brother, signaling a puzzled look. “We’re all ears,” he replied. “Good,” Nightmare said with as she walked over to Philomena and began to stroke her plumage. “You’ve proven to be a very valuable addition to our forces, Chris.” She stopped petting the phoenix and turned to face the young man. “But you have a tendency of wanting to do things your way. That makes you hard to place within our ranks.” She began walking back to her desk. “I put you in Special Operations in hopes that your… ‘unique’ problem-solving skills would be appreciated. Instead, you spooked Sunset and caused her to pull you from combat.” She stopped in front of her desk and started ruffling around. “Today made it painfully obvious that we need you out in the field, but because you quit the Spec. Ops., we can’t deploy you.” “Then put me in Field Ops.,” Chris stated, taking a step closer. “I would, if Shining Armor didn’t demand that all of his men do everything by the book,” she turned with several packets in her hand. “So, what do you suggest?” Chris asked, eyeing the papers in her hand nervously. “I suggest that you sign these,” she replied holding the pages out. “What are they?” Chris asked as he took the papers from her. “The first will restore your position on the Council.” Chris’ eyes widened and he looked up at Nightmare. “But the Council won’t let me out on the field,” Chris argued. “That,” Nightmare responded “is not entirely true. You see, the Council requires that each race is active in its sessions. Technically speaking,” she crossed her arms, “the Council has been disobeying one of its most basic rules. Your case is just so different than anything we’ve encountered. Not only are you a different race, you are also the only one of your race. Not even the Changelings presented this problem. So, the Council has come to the conclusion that they can’t keep you off the Council, no matter what you do.” Chris looked down at the document in his hand. “That doesn’t solve the fact that I can’t participate in the field without an operation,” Chris said. “True,” Nightmare said, nodding her head to the side. “Which is what the second signature is for.” When Chris only looked up with a questioning brow, she continued. “That will instate you as the first and only captain of a new operation. Ranger Operations.” Chris’ eyes widened in surprise and Sam somehow choked. “R-ranger Ops.?” He questioned. When Nightmare only nodded with a small smile, he let out a breath of laughter. “There’s no way the Council is going to approve this, especially Guntram.” “That’s why we aren’t giving them a choice,” Nightmare replied. “Guntram only has one true supporter and that’s Winston. Ember and Zecora oppose him without question, no matter the issue, and every Councillor knows it. The only votes we’d really have to worry about are that of the Minotaurs, Earth ponies, Pegasi, and Donkeys. We need a three-fourths vote in order to instate a new operation.” She stopped as Chris could no longer contain an outrageous laugh. “Rainbow never mentioned any Donkeys in the Resistance,” Chris gasped out between guffaws. It took him a few moments to calm down. “I’m sorry, I just can’t see Cranky Doodle as a Councillor.” A small smile crossed Nightmare’s face. “Yes, I imagine Marty would have a similar reaction to the thought of his uncle as a Councillor.” Nightmare’s smile faded. “Thank you for your help out there today, Chris. If you hadn’t gone out there, our casualties would have been much worse.” Chris’ face darkened. “Yeah, but you can’t save everyone.” Nightmare let out a sigh. “Just as I told Sunset, casualties are an unfortunate fact of war, Chris. There was nothing you could have done for them.” When Chris’ face still didn’t change, Nightmare looked away. “You may go now if you wish.” Chris nodded and turned to leave, and Nightmare returned to looking at her desk. She heard the door open, but after a few moments they didn’t close. “Nightmare… Artemus, I need to ask a favor.” She turned to face the door to find Chris standing in the doorway. “I’d like to see the files of Rose Scratch and Heavy Weather.” Nightmare tilted her head at the request. “According to protocol, I must ask you what you plan to do with the files.” Chris stared for a moment before taking a step forward. The door to Chris’ room opened and he walked through the door. After leaving Nightmare’s office, he’d located Delta in a nearby quarry. He went through the zord’s system and analyzed the virus. It was almost primitive compared to anything he had encountered on Earth and it didn’t take him long to eliminate it. After clearing out the virus, Chris did a full systems check to make sure Delta was in top condition. This had led to several hours worth of maintenance, and afterward, Chris was tired and sweaty. He walked through the room, kicking his boots off as he went. He walked to the closet and picked up a pair of night clothes and turned to the bathroom. He took a shower, letting the water wash away the day’s worries. He got out and got ready for bed. He left the bathroom, his hair still slightly damp and the taste of mint still in his mouth. He looked at his bed, then to his desk. Without another thought, he walked over to his computer and slumped down into his chair. For a long time, all he did was stare at the screen, thoughts racing around in his head. Finally, he reached over and turned the machine on. It booted up like usual and Chris began typing in commands. Soon, a new folder appeared next to the other two already on screen. He labeled the folder then paused. He was still for a long moment before he took a long, deep breath. He typed in a command, and the recording program kicked in “Memorial log, number one,” he began. “Name, Rose Scratch. Age, twenty-three. Gender, female….” He continued on like that, reading out the file he had memorized, and then read out Heavy Weather’s. It took him only a few moments, but when he was done, he was more tired than he had ever been. He stayed silent for a long moment, the recording still on. He took another breath before continuing. “When this is over, I will request a memorial be created for these two and others like them. I want the world to remember the sacrifice they all made to defeat the Machine Empire. And before I end this recording, I have one more thing to say.” His face hardened. “I will end the House of Gadgetry, no matter what.” He stared into the camera for a moment before reaching up and ending the recording. He leaned back in his chair, not moving to go to bed. He simply sat in silence until he could stand it no longer. He got up, turned off the light, and slumped onto the mattress. Sweetie Belle walked down the darkened corridors, her horn casting a soft glow as she went along. She held on to herself, trying to get her worries out of her head. After Chris had left the Medical Hall, she had stayed behind to take care of Heavy Ladle. She had stayed by the mare’s side until she had told Sweetie that she would be fine and that some quiet time was what she needed. Sweetie had gone and spent the rest of her day with her sister if only to be with her loved one. When she’d heard Chris was back, she had tried to find him but to no avail. As the sun began to set, Sweetie went back to her room and got ready for bed. However, she had only laid in bed awake for hours, tossing and turning as her mind raced with the day’s events. She’d had enough and gotten out of bed, thrown on something more decent, and made her way down the castle halls. She walked for another few moments and came to a stop. She turned and faced the door she had stopped in front of, and raised her fist, knocking lightly. There was a shuffle inside before a voice said, “Come in.” She opened the door slowly and peered inside, finding the bed. “Chris?” She called softly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t disturb you did I?” A lamp lit up to her right, and she turned to find Chris sitting in the chair at his desk. “Don’t worry, you didn’t,” he replied. “Come on in.” Sweetie lowered her eyes and walked into the room, closing the door by leaning back. “I’m sorry, it’s late, but… oh, this sounds so foalish.” “It’s fine,” Chris assured her. “Just say what’s on your mind.” Sweetie was silent for a moment, a blush lighting up on her face. “I-I couldn’t sleep,” she finally admitted. Chris looked at her for a moment. “Well, you can sleep here if you want. I haven’t been able to sleep either, so I’m not using the bed.” Sweetie’s blush deepened as she made her way to the bed. On her way over she noticed that Chris’ shirt was wet around the collar and his eyes were misty. She decided not to comment on this as she crawled into the bed and threw the covers over herself just as Chris turned the light off. She laid in bed, sleep coming no sooner than when she had left her own bed. Finally, she turned to face his direction. “Chris, is it going to be like this forever?” The room was silent for a moment. “No,” his voice rang out. “I’ll make sure of it.” She didn’t know what it was about what he said, his tone of voice, or the words themselves, but she could feel her nerves leave her mind. She let out a breath and gave a reassured smile. “I know,” she said quietly before rolling over and falling into peaceful slumber. Chris continued to sit in the dark, Sweetie’s soft breaths piercing the silence. She cares about you a lot, you know, Sam stated. I know, Chris replied simply, his own worries melting away. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, his body finally giving in to sleep as a soft smile spread over his face. Somewhere deep in Chris’ mindscape, a metal box floated in nothingness. The box was wrapped completely in chains, the links covering every inch of the box. Locks covered the chains, securing the metallic links. Some of the links looked extremely worn, almost like a file had been run across them. A dark mist flowed slowly from the box. Suddenly, one of the links snapped, and a layer of chains fell away, allowing the shadowy aura to spill out all the faster. The chains fell away in a loud rattling. Once the final link fell away, the chains shattered with a sharp ring. Every layer of metal shifted a little, the sudden loss of support making them slouch. All was quiet for a moment. Slowly, a sinister chuckle picked up, growing in volume until maniacal and insane laughter filled the empty space.