//------------------------------// // chapter 8 // Story: MARES IN BLACK // by teemo38 //------------------------------// CHAPTER 8: EMPIRES AND ALLIES. Note: You are with bon bon now. So, we got everything ready for when he picks us up sig? Shure do, just got to get the radar and were set he said with a grin walking over to it. I was heading over to help sig with it when I heard the radio turn on with a screech; a deep calming voice came through and said. This is commander clopheart to all remaining marine and mib operatives, princess cadence is dead; we will all be joining her shortly unless you all follow my instructions to the letter! Everypony dropped what they were doing and gathered around me and the radio, the voice continued a few seconds later. *ahem* in all medical attempts to reduce the speed of infection of the ceph spore, we have found no viable cure. A shoot to kill discretion has been vested throughout cobalt section under any suspicion of infection. Further to this, cobalt section squad: drab 7 has been marked mia and are an active bio-hazard, they are to be shot on sight. At this point, we are completely defenceless against the ceph army but we DO have heavy armour veacle’s waiting to take all of you to a safe, enclosed envorment where we can tool up and fight back. You have at most 24 hours to make your way back to rally point beta, after that you are ON…YOUR…OWN. Good luck marines, may celestia be with you. The radio tuned out and every pony looked at me and took a step back. Storm got his pistol from his leg strap and muttered out; im sorry bon, I didn’t think you’d go out this way but we’ve been left with no other option. I am truly sorry for this betrayal. He pointed his gun between my eyes. I closed my eyes and waited for everything to go black then I heard a large amount of loud bangs. I opened my eyes, I was covered in blood but it wasn’t mine. I looked up to see storm and kilowatt lying in separate pools of blood in front of me. I was in absolute shock. I tried to get up but my body wouldn’t let me. I was going to try again but then a pair of hoof’s grabbed me under the arms and helped me up. I turned around to see two ponies. One of them was sig but the other one I had never seen before. He was a grey unicorn with a silver mane and he had a smg strapped around his back. You ok bon bon? A shaken sig said kindly. Yhea I am but who’s the other guy? I don’t know he said. He just came out of nowhere and shot storm and watt. Well clearly im on your side if you’re still alive the grey unicorn muttered while fiddling with something in his hoofs. Ohh yhea I guess we never thanked you for that did we? sig said nervously while scratching his neck. Don’t mention it he said cheerfully. He turned and trotted towards us; he then reached his hoof out and said. My names stinger but my friends just call me sting he delightfully said with a grin touching the sky. Um hi, im bon bon and this here is sigma protocol. Pleasure to make your acutance, but do you mind me asking where you got this black feather? He held up a pitch black feather. Oh that, its zero’s, he’s another friend. Why, do you know him I asked curiously? As a matter of fact I do, quite well actually? Really!?! I exclaimed in surprise. He doesn’t get out all that much and when he dose me and Lyra are with him. Oh yhea, he did mention you two once or twice? Where, I asked. AHHHHH, so z HAS been keeping secrets he exclaimed while rolling his eyes. He continued while sig wandered off. To be honest im not surprised, he has a thing for keeping secrets. What KIND of secrets? Heh, has he ever told you how old he is, trick question course he hasn’t, it would not boil down well if Everypony knew the truth. Man, I’ve known zero for AT LEAST 12 years now, im pretty Shure he’d be in his 20’s I said to him. You just don’t get it do you he slurred. WHAT! WHAT AREN’T I GETTING I yelled. I was getting pretty pissed of now. Do you really what to know the truth but im warning you the truth hurts. Fine, whatever. Well to be fair when you said he’s in his 20’s you’d be right but you see, about 600 years ago he- he was interrupted by a loud burring sound. We looked up to see a huge flying hunk of metal. Sig was behind me and I heard him say; da fuck is that thing? I chuckled, that’s our ride. It was really loud and we could only just hear each other. I landed in front of us and my ears were ringing like bells. Sting and sig were brushing the dust out of their coats but I just stood there thinking, wow imagine if we had WALKED. There was a sound of compressed air being released and the rear door like a castle door gradually came down. There was a small door heading to the cockpit and it opened to reveal a pitch black Pegasus with a red and blue mane. Common, I aint gunna wait all day, get your asses in here zero yelled at us. We all piled in and took a seat. Zero came fully out of the cockpit and closed the door behind him. Who man, you ok Was the first thing I said? His left front hoof was in a sling and was bleeding a little bit. Just a flesh wound, I’ll be fine. Dude, you have a bullet in your arm it’s hardly a flesh wound sting said sarcastically. Im not interested in your input sting we have a problem. What’s up sig asked. Well for starters I found the tardus. That’s a good thing isn’t it I said confused. Not when it’s soaked in blood it’s not. Everypony in the room even stinger turned serious once that was said. Whose blood was is sig asked in a worried tone. It was impossible to tell im afraid but there was blood soaked light green fur all over the place and I think we all know what that means. Everypony’s worried faces turned even gloomier once that came out. Under my breath I muttered; Lyra……… no…… We can honour her sacrifice once this thing is over but I tell ya what, when I was on my way over here I saw hundreds of solders kicking ceph ass, so how’s about we go help em out he uttered with a sideways grin. He then walked back into the cockpit and started up the engine. I almost shed a tear during take-off but sig wouldn’t let me. We’d only known each other for a day, but he was already like a brother to me.