//------------------------------// // The Witnesses // Story: Consequences // by GJT_Productions //------------------------------// "Who sent you? And why to the hospital to bother me?" "We were sent by Lord Zedd, as witnesses. He knew you would be here." "Who is 'Lord Zedd'?" "He is our lord and master. He sent us as the two witnesses, spared to tell of the last glorious strike to the world." "What strike, and I still want to know who is 'Lord Zedd'?!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lieutenant Vigil exchanged a concerned look with the one asking the questions, Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas, about the two pegasi he had brought to the hospital as a nurse squeezes by them both. Both pegasi were ex-Wonderbolts, the stallion named Wind Rider and the mare named Stormy Flare (Captain Spitfire's mother), and clearly were under the effects of something, considering the straight ahead blank stares, their trouble keeping upright, and the fact they occasionally drooled or let their wings hang down open before straightening again. The nurse does a few tests - wing flexing, shining a light into the dilated pupils on both pegasi, pulling on tails - before looking back at the two Guard officers with her unsophisticated analysis: "They've definitely been drugged with something, but I can't tell exactly what just from these tests." "Alright, just make sure their kept safe until the drugs wear off. Oh, and I would HIGHLY appreciate Captain Spitfire not see her mother in this condition." Fidelitas sighs out to the nurse. "Yes, sir. Shall I escort them to a room?" the nurse asks. "Not yet. I need to know something about where they came from." Fidelitas tells the nurse. The unicorn Lieutenant Captain then turns to the drugged pair and asks them again: "You said 'Lord Zedd' sent you as witnesses. Where did he send you from, because the Lieutenant found you wandering about in the streets?" "We were sent from the Final Act Retirement Community, in the pegasi colony above Canterlot." Lieutenant Vigil again exchanges a glance with his superior officer, making a comment as he does so: "I have a very bad feeling about this, sir. That place is where a lot of old Wonderbolts live after their retirement from performing and touring, there's some other famous pegasi there too..." "We haven't heard anything about that area attacked, but considering this I'm authorizing you to check out the situation. Take two Upper Classes with you and go see what's going on, with all due haste." Fidelitas orders, great concern amplifying the weariness in his tone. "Yes, sir!" Lieutenant Vigil replies with a salute, letting the nurse take custody of the two 'witnesses' and escort them to a recovery room as well as leaving Fidelitas to puzzle out exactly what was going on here... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Both heart and mind raced as the pegasus Lieutenant and his two escorts took a cloud elevator up to the pegasi colony above the main city of Canterlot. The place had been formed by Cloudsdale transplants early in the city's history and had always been somewhat secluded from the rest of the city - even the alicorns rarely visited there - so news both good and bad took some time to get up there. Lieutenant Vigil feared that this was where the remainder of the Operation Whirlwind attacking force was actually hiding, instead of flying away to the southwest of the city as was the standard report. Vigil and his two escorts begin cautiously trodding the cloud-paved streets of the colony, alert for any potential rebel ambushes. The fact that none materialized made the three Royal Guards even more concerned, and a deep feeling of dread had formed as they approached the multi-story complex of the Final Act Retirement Community at the far side of the colony. Vigil immediately noticed all the windows of the complex had been boarded up, and began to fear the retirement community had been turned into a rebel stronghold, or worse the elderly residents were being held hostage by a small rebel force! "You see any emplacements of weaponry, or watch up top?" Vigil asks one of his escorts. "No, sir." the escort replies. "Then we'll approach the main door cautiously. I have a very bad feeling we're being led into a trap." the Lieutenant nervously orders. The main door, signed with the name of the retirement community, was designed to mimic the feel of entering a theater or auditorium. But the lights that normally blinked and cycled around the outside were all unilluminated, and the three stallions could see boards nailed up across the glass doors on the inside. Vigil's unease does not subside, and he can also see the inside of the entry hall is completely dark save for the ambient sunlight streaming through cracks between the boards covering the windows. "Something tells me conventional tactics won't work here, we'll have to ram them open." Vigil comments in his analysis, and looks over to his escorts. He steps out of direct path and gestures toward one of his companions, apparently to choose him for the operation. "Helmet on, straight impact, keep your head down." Vigil orders, and the Upper Class knows better than to try to object. He backs up far enough to make sure he can get a good gallop going, then charges at full gallop straight at a point between the doors. On impact, he rebounds off the door with a THUD, the braced doors obviously wobbling but not giving way or breaking the glass panes. "Safety glass, we're gonna need more force to break 'em. You line up with me, we'll each hit a side." Vigil comments, pointing to his other escort while the first one retreats a bit to make sure both helmet and head are OK. Vigil and the escort line up side-by-side, charging at the individual panes the same way as the previous attempt did at the middle of the door. This time, as Vigil and his companion rebound off the braced doors, the distinctive sound of shattering glass is heard, and shards scatter down onto the cloudy surface. When the dazed Vigil looks up, he sees that the impact has shattered the safety glass on both sides of the main door, but the door itself is still braced shut by the nailed-on wood. "Shake it off, we'll try again." Vigil states to his escort in a dazed slurring tone. Meanwhile, the escort that had done the first ramming attempt was looking around and gave a helpful report: "Still no signs of activity, rebel or otherwise." "Thanks, very helpful right now. Come on, one more time at those doors." Vigil states to each of his escorts in turn, having recovered enough to try another ramming charge at the nailed-shut main doors. The full gallop passes over glass shards from the previous impact, and this time the impact splinters the wood planks, causing the doors to fly open and the two Guard stallions to spill into the lobby of the retirement community building, the floor covered with more glass shards. Vigil moans as he works his way back onto four hooves, his head buzzing and feeling something warm trickle down his cheek. The escort coming behind him into the building lobby itself, blocking the light streaming through the doorway, quickly provides the explanation for the latter sensation: "Sir, you and the other escort slid right into the shards, there's cuts all over the place!" "Ugh, alright, break out the medical kit and get some bandages on those. But be quick about it, we need answers what's going on in here..." Vigil orders, looking into the darkness the Final Act Retirement Community had been left in. Questions swarmed in his head: Why was this place fortified when there seemed to be no rebels around to occupy the place? Where were the staff, and residents for that matter? Why was there no response to their ramming tactics, not even some kind of alarm systems? All those questions were cause for great worry, and Lieutenant Vigil would soon find his worries were more than justified...