//------------------------------// // Traitor's Due // Story: The D.S.P.I. // by DungeonMiner //------------------------------// “Sparky did this.” The single, three word statement carried a terrible weight to it. The entire team had to take this single thought, and each one of them had to digest exactly what it meant. Sparky hadn’t been the nicest pony around, no one was going to argue that, but he had been a part of the team. They had been willing to die for him, even if he was a jerk, but this? He had betrayed them. Turned his back on them. Left them all to die while he and Valentine threw the entire headquarters into chaos. Silver looked around at his team, watching the slowly transition from shock, to hurt, to anger. They were angry, furious that they had been betrayed, but it went deeper than that, and no one portrayed that better than Commander Spike. The dragon sat in the ashes of the shrine to his friends. He did not move, but simply stared at the warm embers that surrounded him. A few stray flames popped up amongst the ruin, but it didn't matter anymore. It was all ash. Silver looked back to his team. “Sparky did this, so we’re going to have to clean it up.” Mandible nodded. “Yeah, yeah we do.” Chestnut was the second to agree. “There ain’t no excuse for this behavior.” “He was our teammate,” Lemon said, before checking to make sure she had enough molotov potions. The others nodded. “Then it’s agreed,” Silver said. “When it comes time to deal with him, we will. In the meantime, we have to start fixing this mess.” The team nodded, and quickly split up, heading around the compound to try and repair the massive damage done by the invading ghouls. After the team split up, the only two Alpha team members remaining were Silk, and Silver. “This is crazy,” she muttered. “I know,” Silver said, before he pulled Silver into a hug. “This is crazy. Very crazy, but we have a job to do.” She nodded, before she pushed him away. “Then we better get to it. I’ll head to the training rooms, see if there were any survivors there.” Silver nodded. “I’ll see you soon.” ===ᐁ=== Spike sat in the ashes. It was all gone. The memory gems were crushed, the apple bonsai was burned, the wonderbolts suit was ashes. Rarity was missing. They were all gone. Everything was gone. Everything that once belonged to his friends, every keepsake was now nothing but the ashes he sat in. They were gone, and it left such a hole in his heart that he felt like he would burst. How dare he? How dare Valentine do this? How dare he defile sacred ground and take that which he had taken once before. How dare this monster do this? This was too far. He went far too far. This was unforgivable, far more than anything before. This...this was… Spike stood. It was time. Time to end this once for all. Either Valentine would die, or he would. This had gone on far too long. No more. ===ᐁ=== The training rooms were a wreck. Nopony had gotten around to cleaning this area of base yet, and once the defenses had re-initialized, the clean up was quite considerable. Blood was everywhere, along with severed, almost desiccated limbs and bolt-filled torsos of now-dead ghouls. A select few had even gotten into a few of the danger rooms, and likewise, their bodies were decorating the rooms once their difficulty level had risen to astronomical heights. A select few ghouls were still alive, but she had her Longrifle, and enough charges to vaporize anything that got too close. It helped that most of them couldn’t move without getting a leg smashed or chopped up. She shook her head as she continued to move down the hallway, taking the occasional potshot at a ghoul or too. “Anyone read me?” she asked, speaking into her communicator. “Yeah, I read you, Sniper,” Silver replied. “Wait, are we still on the mission?” Neon asked. “We should still be using codenames?” “It’s a new mission,” Silver said. “Besides, if Sparky on the loose, we could have bug on the line.” “Yeah, but...if he’s on the loose, then they know all our names anyway, don’t they?” Lemon asked. “They have to,” Mandible agreed. “He’d be an awful spy otherwise.” “Well, you are the Agent, Agent,” Chestnut said, his tone carrying a joking tone to it, as though he thought he said something incredibly clever. Silk shook her head. “So, I had a point, guys.” Silver coughed, trying to get their attention. “Team, our Sniper’s trying to say something.” “Oh, you just want her to talk because you're sucking on her face,” Mandible said with an audible smirk. “Which is delicious, by the way. If you're not opposed to me sitting in on a session I wouldn't mind.” And Silk pulled her comm out. That was far more than she wanted to hear, and her report wasn't vital enough that she would risk hearing anymore. Shaking her head, she refocused on the hallway in front of her. Taking her thermal shot in her hooves, and using her wings to push herself forward. Past yet more training rooms, and more dead and half-dead ghouls met her. Another shot here and there kept her job from becoming too boring as she moved, but it was slow going, clearing each room by herself meant she had to open the door at a distance, and swing through the hallway just to make sure there was nothing in the room before finally moving inside to double check. Her progress was the very definition of slow going, but it was what she needed to be safe. The last thing she needed was to be caught by surprise. Checking room after room, she brought her down to the very end of the hallway, and to the last training room. She swept her long rifle around one side of the room, followed by the other before finally stepping inside. Giving the room a careful look around, she found nothing more than a single ghoul, spread out over several hundred square feet. Well, that made things easy. She lifted her comm, about to call in the others and let her know they were clear, when a crushing grip slammed down on her hoof, and threw her across the room. She slammed into the white tile walls, and dropped to the floor. She looked up, blinking as a figure shimmered into view in front of her. “You know, I’m kind of disappointed the team made it out. You especially.” Her eyes focused, leaving the figure of Sparky the pegasus, coming out of hiding as his internal camouflage faded to his natural coat. “I mean, there you are, ignoring the best thing that happened to you since your baby-maker got wiped clean, and instead, you pick Silver.” Silk blinked. “What?” “And you know what? I figured out it’s not even your fault. That Changeling has obviously worked out a deal for the guard, and you’ve been strung along without even knowing what’s happened.” Silk blinked again. “What?” “But now I’ve committed to this, so I was hoping that the ghouls would take care of you for me.” “Wait!” Silk said suddenly. “Did you seriously betray us, did you seriously let ponies die because I didn’t go out with you?” Sparky shook his head. “No, no, Silk, that’s not it at all,” the pegasus said, stepping closer to the mare. “The fact that you didn’t go out with me just shows me that this whole department is being manipulated to a much darker goal.” “Are you delusional?” she asked. “I am the best this department ever had,” Sparky replied harshly. “I have always been the best. I’m the fastest, the smartest, the strongest, but I’m not the leader. I’m forced into being second best to that unicorn you call a boyfriend.” Silk couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But you know, I’m used to that. No where else has ever really acknowledged my greatness, so I figured it’d just be more of the same. But then I realized that there was something wrong. All you girls have been next to me this entire time, and not one of you noticed, and that’s when I realized you’re all being brainwashed.” Silk gaped at him. “The...the amount of stupid coming off of you legitimately shocks me.” “See!” Sparky roared suddenly, fury pounding through each word. “See! Even now you’re so far under their spell you can’t even see reason!” Silk’s eyes went to her Longrifle that had been knocked from her grip, and now lay behind the raving Scout, before she quickly returned to Sparky. “Under a spell? It’s more like your head is so far up your own flank that you can’t—” He grabbed her, and his genetically enhanced strength clamped down on her windpipe. She gurgled, trying to breathe before Sparky tossed her across the room like a rag doll. She slammed into white tile, and Sparky growled. “Looks like you’re still not free,” the traitor said, looming over her with his terrible strength. “I guess there’s no other way to help you now.” Silk gulped, and reached for the small, magically-reinforced obsidian knife. “Well, I’m going to do my best anyway.” Sparky shot forward, carried by his enchanted horseshoes, and slammed into her at high speed. Silk felt her ribs crack as Sparky brought his super-powered hoof into her torso, instantly making her regret not taking the subdermal armor when she had the chance. Another hoof came flying at her face, and it was only through sheer luck that she managed to drop just in time to miss having her face caved in. She brought her back legs up to kick, and received another bone-cracking blow to her barrel. Sparky grabbed her throat again, holding her up and choking her as he shook his head. “Sorry, Babe. I don’t like breaking works of art, but I’m just going to have to make an exception.” Silk gasped, trying to breathe. The wind had been knocked out of her once already, and it was getting harder to breathe with every second. The edges of her vision were going dark, and her lungs were beginning to burn. And all the while Sparky stared at her with a smug, satisfied smirk. Taking stock, she figured she had one more kick in her. She had to make it count. With a massive kick, she slammed her hoof into Sparky’s soft underbelly, and straight into the his most delicate parts. No enhanced strength or muscle could protect himself against such an attack, and in a moment, for just a moment, Sparky’s grip faltered. Silk dropped to the ground, and after delivering another low blow, she shot forward toward her longrifle. Groaning, Sparky turned, trying to find the mare as she left, but she was gone, disappeared from sight. ===ᐁ=== It was late. The sun was down, and Spike was out in the wilderness. He was far outside of Canterlot, heading toward the forest that once sat at the foot of the mountain. He was going to find him. He would avenge them. He would avenge all of them. He’d finally bring that vampire to justice. All he had to do was find him. Deeper into forest he ran, his number one assistant sitting loose in its holster, ready to come up at a moment’s notice. He ran, keeping the image of his destination fresh in his mind until he finally found the old, dilapidated circus tent with its faded colors. Spike ran up and burst through the tent. “White! White, I need your help.” The ghostly medium looked up at him from her table, staring at him with brilliant blue eyes. “What do you request of the dead this night?” she asked. “I need Valentine,” he growled. The Madam smiled. “So the living require the dead to track the dead. Perhaps you need more ghosts to haunt your house.” “Where is he, White?” Spike asked, all respect gone as fury burned in his eyes. “Where is Valentine?” Madam White looked up at the dragon. “Why such rush from you? You do not visit me and then demand results, why?” Spike almost didn’t answer her. He almost demanded that she obeyed, that he bow to his whim for no other reason than he was a dragon, but he caught himself, he let his rage smolder a moment, before finally he answered. “He has Rarity.” Then she understood. She turned to her crystal ball, opening her ears to the dead around as they cried out answers that only they knew. For a moment, she simply searched and listened, before finally she spoke again. “He has gone north, far north, that is all I can see.” “It’s not enough!” Spike roared, trying to keep his voice down. “I need more.” “It will come at a terrible price.” “I need to know.” Madame White nodded. “So be it.” And with that, she tore the veil between the world of the living and the dead in two. The wail of those cursed to wander the world ripped through Spike’s draconic soul. Specters of the damned filled the room, barely more than most with glowing eyes and dark, empty voids for mouths. They tore through Spike, leaving him feeling cold and empty before a number of figures stood before him. One was an earth pony, bleached white as a spirit, but Spike immediately recognized her as Applejack. “North, beyond Canterlot.” Another spirit, with massive wings, and could only be Rainbow Dash despite her pure white mane and tail. “Beyond Cloudsdale and Nieghagra falls.” Another spirit, another one of the hundreds of Department ponies that died at the hooves of Valentine over the years. “In the crystal mouths, south of the the empire.” Amber was there with them. “He lives in at the peak of Northsheer Mount, in the Granite Keep.” The spirits stood there, their very faces wracking him with guilt and physical pain, before they spoke together, in a single, discordant voice. “Avenge us.” The hundreds of ponies swirled around him, their faces blending together in a swirling vortex of ethereal white, singing their new chorus in a cacophonous chant of those two words. “Avenge us. Avenge us. Avenge us!” And Madam White shut the door. The ghosts disappeared, stolen back to their realm, leaving Spike breathless, gasping for air as ice clung to his scales. “Now you see,” the old ghost said. “You see both your answer and the price for asking it.” Spike shivered, raising a shaking claw to wipe the ice off his face. “Th-th-thank you…” he muttered, before he slowly walked out of the tent. Madam White watched him go, shaking her head. This would finally end. Either with Spike going to rest, or the others. Now it was up to fate to decide. ===ᐁ=== “Sniper? Sniper? Do you copy?” Silver asked, nearly yelling into his com. She had dropped off suddenly and went quiet for a long time. While not necessarily something uncommon for the team’s sniper, the fact that she wasn’t answering any hails at all were starting to worry the guard. “Sniper, respond. Please, respond!” Chestnut, Cotton, and Mandible were already diverting their attention to find her, checking the various rooms and hallways for any sign of their wayward team member. “Sniper! Sniper where are you?” Silver yelled, as he yelled, slamming into an open room. “Keep yelling, Assault,” Mandible said in a deadpan. “She’ll definitely hear you and come running.” “What else am I supposed to do, smart aleck?” Silver barked back. “She’s not answering the coms!” “Uh, Boss?” Chestnut began. “So yelling so literally everyone can hear you is better?” Mandible asked. “I thought we were going to try and keep this whole traitor thing as quiet as possible.” “Boss?” The heavy began again. “Yes, but I need to know where she is, first!” Silver growled. “Boss?” “What is it, Heavy?” Silver roared. “I found her.” “Oh.” A moment of silence echoed over the line for a second, before Silver resumed command. “What’s your location?” “She’s in the mess hall. She’s a little beat up, so she’s resting here on one of the tables.” “I’ll be there in a second,” Silver said, taking off for the cafeteria. “I’ll beat you there,” Mandible said. Silver didn’t respond, and was mildly annoyed to see that the changeling had, in fact, beaten him there. He decided to ignore this for the moment, and turned to Silk, who lay resting on the table. “Silk, what happened?” She glared at him from the table. “Oh, I’m fine, thank you for asking,” she growled, before she spoke up again. “It was Sparky. He’s still around, invisible, and an absolute nutcase.” “Sparky’s here?” Silver asked, before cursing. “And what? He tried to kill you?” Mandible asked. “No, no. He wanted to share a cup of tea and some scones, of course he tried to kill me!” Silk roared from the table, before groaning as she reached for her ribs. Mandible nodded. “Alright, first things first, set up a base-wide buddy system.” “Buddy system?” Silver asked. “I do my best work on solitary targets. Staying paired up increases risk for any infiltrator, trust me, I know.” “Alright, buddy up then. Make the announcement, I’ll take Silk to the med bay, see if we can’t get her taken care of.” Mandible nodded. “Sure, Boss.” Silver tried to lift Silk off the table, only for her to growl at him. “I can still walk,” she said. “But you’re hurt,” he offered. “My ribs, not my legs,” she said, very annoyed with her cracked bones. As they continued to argue and bicker as they made their way to the med bay, the changeling slid up next to the heavy. “Hey, Chestnut, could I talk to you?” “Hm? What about?” Mandible smiled. “Just follow me.” The changeling quickly led the heavy down a few hallways, leaving the metal-limbed stallion to thud-thud-thud behind him. The changeling went down hallway after hallway, taking random turns and occasionally searching the halls for a sign that Chestnut couldn’t see. Finally, they came to a final room, and Mandible quickly turned to the earth pony behind him. “Lock the door, please.” Chestnut obeyed, though he was slightly confused. “So what did ya want to talk about?” “I’m sure you both want to know,” the Changeling said, before he turned and stared into the empty room, specifically, directly a single point on the wall. Chestnut blinked, utterly confused. “And now you’re thinking to yourself, ‘He’s bluffing. There’s no way he can see me,’” Mandible said to the spot on the wall, smiling the entire time. “Of course, you’re wrong, because I can feel the little bit of panic that’s been wafting off you ever since I started walking in your direction.” Chestnut blinked again, as his mind slowly put things together. “So here’s what’s going to happen, Sparky. I’m going to hold this door closed, and Chestnut’s going to deal with the guy who tried to hurt my main food source, and was probably responsible for Amber’s death.” Chestnut blinked again, before his eyes went dark. “N-now hang on,” Sparky said as he glanced at the earth pony with a face of black rage. “I wasn’t with Valentine back when that happened, I was—” And the excuse was caught in his throat as a powerful, robotic hoof crushed his windpipe. Mandible watched as Chestnut slowly beat Sparky to death, his own enhanced strength doing nothing against the robotic power, and black rage of the earth pony. The changeling watched, and as he did, he wondered. Was he doing this because you don’t mess with a changeling’s food, or because this is what traitors deserve. He finally decided that it really didn’t matter anymore.