//------------------------------// // The Steelwork // Story: Moon Unit Zappa // by RarityEQM //------------------------------// Virga liked combat. It was something he'd been trained to do from an early age, and something he excelled at. Combat was easy. Easier, at least, than the burden of his failures. He could lose himself in combat. He didn't have to think about the fillies he let die while he was fighting. Combat was soothing. Combat was comforting. Combat was something he needed right now, so he flocked to it. When they summoned him from the tunnel into the cavern with a cry of alarm, he galloped as fast as he could, finding the path widened the further he traveled. When he got to the cavern's mouth, he immediate saw the problem. Only...he didn't know what he was looking at. There were creatures. Several of them, large and bulky with thick black fur across their forms. To Virga, they resembled some sort of gorilla or some kind of ape. Larger than the normal variety to be sure. They had pointy ears and jaws that protruded with pointy fangs, but it was the large chunks of metal that adorned their frames that caught his attention the most. As if someone had taken the liberty of removing the limbs the creatures had and replaced them with random bits of steel and construction materials. They had formed a circle around the Servants of Shadow and were attacking them in groups of two and three. A creature that resembled a wolf came charging up, the right half of its skull was a shiny round bubble of steel that seemed like it ripped itself out if the creatures face, only to stop half way. It drew a nasty snarl and raced forward, only to be swiftly dispatched by Bright Spark. The teenaged unicorn had lined up a perfect blast of fire that tore into the creature, leaving it engulfed in flames and thrashing about the ground wildly. More of them were coming. They loosely resembled animals Virga could name. A lion, a bear, a gorilla. They all had black murky fur, and all of them had pieces of metal or steel sticking out from their bodies. Whatever they were, they were attacking, and that's all Virga needed to see. He brandished his wings, quickly ascending into the darkness where he could get a better view of the attacking enemies and a clear shot. More of the creatures came limping in out of the darkness. Hobbling on peg leg steel parts and scrabbling across the rock with pointed claws. The one that looked like a lion was almost directly below him. He twisted in flight, firing a line of three icicles, that all pierced the creature, skewering it against the ground. Row after row of spikes slashed through the air, finding targets in the infinite creatures in the dark. Virga seemed to have an endless supply of projectiles to release because he fired them with little regard for anything resembling conservation. For every beast that launched itself at him from the abyss, Virga had an excess of spears to launch in return. At one point it seemed to Bright Spark, he was simply trying to stuff as many bolts as he could through the creatures with no rhyme or reason. He flash froze the ground, keeping himself in the air while the beasts struggled to stay upright on the now frictionless ground. They had become far too busy with Virga's assault to pay attention to the rest of the team, Bright Spark had noticed. From Virga's air superiority, he unleashed a terrifying barrage of hail that violently impacted the writhing creatures below him. The largest creature towered over the group, with a massive chunk of steel extending from its right shoulder down to the ground. It raised the steel beam and brought it down on the ground with a heavy, ground shaking THUD and roared a tremendous bellow of defiance. It only took one well-placed icicle driven into his skull to take it down. It hadn't even gotten to raise the weaponized limb it wielded before the blow was struck. Virga had lined up the shot and fired out a blast of ice that sped through the air like a bullet, piercing the monster through its brow. Bright Spark watched, mouth agape as the massive beast gave a quick twitch and stumbled forward, the creature crushing one of the other beasts underneath it. The other creatures began to scatter, but they didn't have a chance. Even as far removed from the combat as they could be, Bright Spark noticed the ground near his hooves had taken on the sheen of a thick layer of frost and Virga rose higher and high into the darkness. Now the cold was really setting in. Bright Spark could feel it in his blood. He could see his breath as more and more snow swirled around. A blizzard inside of a cave. A white out, with snow and ice and hail!! All of it swirling around in a wicked display of power! The creatures looked confused and uncertain as the phenomenon took place. Jagged shards of ice, sliced through the air like razor blades, and the howl of the furious storm was drowned by shrieks of agony. A thin red mist filled the air, mixing in with the twisting white of snow. Somewhere in the blinding blizzard, Bright Spark had sworn he'd heard a voice screaming "Abominations!" over and over and over again. It was an unearthly wail of a voice that did not belong to Virga, or any sort of creature Bright Spark could identify. He'd fallen to his belly, trying to find what cover he could when the storm began, but it vanished suddenly, just as it started, and the room was painted with scores of ichor and pulp. In the middle of it all stood Virga, trembling with a rage Bright Spark could feel from across the room. Silently, he turned towards the rest of the group and drew in a dark breath. If Bright Spark didn't know any better, he'd swear Virga was basking in the utter carnage he'd simply willed into existence. His eyes were wild tiny pupils that had a terrifying unnatural glow to them. Bright Spark had expected combat. He had not expected a massacre. He felt sick. He could admit to that. That was the truth. He'd never seen creatures so ruthlessly butchered down before. Never so many, never so much and so violently. It was only now, did he notice the numerous ropes of gore splattered across his armor. Virga did not turn his anger on them, no, but consequences did not discriminate. "Simply marvelous. This brings back memories of my first year in kindergarten..." Nettleglum purred wistfully. She approached Virga (slowly, Bright Spark noticed) and stiffly nodded her head. "Steelwork beasts. Think of them as sort of a science project that went astray. They prowl less civilized areas, mutilating themselves. They are very, very hostile and make for terrible dining companions. They always bring the cheapest wine, " Nettleglum explained solemnly. From the darkness came another wailing sound, and Scylla slithered her way along the floor. Bright Spark had lost sight of it during the battle, but it slithered quietly along the ground in open sight now. It stepped over severed body parts and pools of fluid, mindful the Nettleglum was watching at all times. "I believe we are being bid to follow darlings. Scylla always did know the swiftest shortcuts. " Nettleglum intoned, following Scylla. Bright Spark followed suit quickly, but noticed, once more, Virga hadn't moved. He was sitting in the middle of the gore-caked battlefield, staring at the ground. He wanted to give him time to mourn, but they had a job to do. If it were up to him to take command of the situation, so be it. "Um...Good job Virga. We have to start moving now. I know it's tough, but we gotta push through. That's...uh...that's an order, " Bright Spark said stiffly. He needed Virga's help if he was going to save the Princess, and that meant he couldn't have Virga moping around. Virga didn't move, nor turn around. Instead, he simply stared at his hooves. Was he holding something? Bright Spark frowned, creeping closer and closer still. Oh. He was holding the receiver crystal. He had fished it from his saddle pack when Bright Spark wasn't looking and now he stared at it, teary eyed and breathing heavily. "WORK!" He snapped abruptly, giving the receiver a furious shake. Bright Spark took a step back, wincing nervously. Things were going from bad to worse quickly. If Virga wasn't stable, he might have to inform the rest of the Servants that Virga was a danger to the mission. "Virga. I'm sorry, but-" He started, but this time Virga turned his head with a snarl, peering at Bright Spark with a terrifying focus. "SHUSH! I thought I heard something!!" He barked. He turned back to the crystal, perking his ear and holding it against the side of his head. Bright Spark slowly lowered his head. Aiming his horn at Virga's back, while the pegasus wildly shook the crystal. As if he could somehow pull the fillies out of it. He had lost it. "Virga...please...they're gone," Bright Spark tried again. Virga did not respond, but instead held the receiver up to his ear, as if listening for the voice of a ghost. Bright Spark perked his ears too, slowly approaching Virga. He kept a careful eye on his wings, and kept his horn pointed at him at all times. Just in case. He was a pony with a terrifying power...a pony who may not be entirely sane, after watching two of his teammates perish. He was about to gently prod Virga's back when he gave a tense sigh. "It's no use. It's-" The pegasus said, as the crystal took on a faint blue glow. "HELLO?! HE**O!? SE*D HELP! I N**D HEL*!" a deep voice chimed out that Virga had never heard before. A very male voice that bled away into an angry, squeaky shout. "Give it ba** to m* you mook! * *old you it's busted! They can't **** ** and we can't hear the* ******!!" squeaked a very familiar, very pegasi voice that clipped in only seconds before the connection died again. But those few seconds were all Virga needed. They were alive!