Natalie woke with a start. She brought her hand up to her head and rubbed her eyes. The MTF private sat up on the floor and stretched out her back. Natalie looked out the window, it was still night or early morning. ‘Too bad I can’t sleep in,’ She yawned, ‘I would kill to sleep in till 10…’
Natalie begrudgingly stood up and off the dirty floor of the abandoned house she was sleeping on. ‘Not as bad as sleeping in the snow, I guess.’ She thought. Natalie reached and grabbed her vest off the floor. She looked over the vest and the shoulder patch. A serpent slithering around a tower and a star in the background.
She put it on over her head and strapped in its sides. The weight was immense, and if she had not had the training she had, it might’ve brought them to their knees. Next, she grabbed her FN-P90, making sure it was locked and loaded. Last, she strapped her helmet on her head, the black kevlar emblazoned with a white SCP logo.
She sighed, sapped of her strength after two weeks of running, avoiding patrols, and eating all their MRE’s. She shivered, the coldness briefly piercing her uniform. She looked over on the ground, and considered putting on her gas mask, ‘Not right now,’ She thought, ‘I want to breathe real air for now.’
Natalie groaned and walked over to the table and their chairs, ‘Barely fit for humans,’ She thought, ‘They’re too damn small.’ She sat down on the wooden abominations anyway. On the center of the table was a black bag. She reached over and pulled out a small stove. ‘Not too much fuel left,’ She thought, ‘But, dammit, I need coffee.’
“What are you doing?”
Natalie’s head hung, “I was hoping you were asleep.”
“You and me both, been up for hours,” The colonel said, “Put it up.” He said with a sigh, “As much as I would like some coffee, we don’t have the time.”
“Yeah, time, let me guess, they’ve sent an extraction team,” She shoved the stove back in the sack, “sure took them long enough.” Natalie stood up out of the cramped chair.
“Nat, I need you to focus here,” Ross said, “I was about to wake you up, they are on their way, though.”
She leaned down and touched her toes. She breathed out as she heard her back pop.
“Exactly how much longer until you get reinforcements here?” Natalie asked the Colonel, “Because it’s been two weeks of stealing food, and evading ponies, not really what I signed up for, you know?” The private sat down in the kitchen of the abandoned house. She looked up and out the window and saw the city itself.
“What did you sign up for then?” Ross asked, sitting down at the table. He put his gun flat on the wooden table and lifted the strap over his head. He unfixed his water bottle from his vest and took a swig.
“I don’t know, I guess... ” She said, “I guess…” She said again before trailing off, “Lemme guess, this is in the job description?”
Ross groaned, nodded and leaned back in his seat. He strapped his bottle back on his vest. “Not much longer hopefully. I was able to get a signal through to outpost 12 last night,” He then leaned back forward, over the table and pulled out a paper map with singed edges out of the black backpack, “The commander sent it along to site 26, they are sending one chopper to extract us, they should be here soon.” Ross pointed at the map of the city, “They will most likely approach and land here, from the north of the city.”
“And the damn castle.” Natalie pointed out, “We’re on the complete opposite side of the city, how do you plan to get there undetected?”
“There’s no doubt in my mind that they will detect us,” He said, “So we throw them off our trail.”
Natalie hung her head and sighed again, “What’s the plan?”
“I’ll tell you on the way,” He said, stuffing the map back in the sack, “We’re leaving now.”
“It’s going to be daylight soon though, shouldn’t we wait?”
Ross got up from his seat, “I mean, we should, but I’m fairly certain that the ponies are closing in on us,” Ross pulled back one of the curtains. He gestured with his head, “Right there,” Natalie walked up behind him and looked out the small crevice of the window. There were a pair of unicorns sitting at the house opposite.
Ross pulled the curtain back, Natalie moved away, “From our time here, I’ve seen that the unicorns and bat-things all came from their military. The civilian population, they’re just regular ponies.” Ross moved away from the window, “We leave now.”
“Got it, sir,” Natalie said without hesitation, “We can’t leave out the front, though.” She pointed out. “And there is no back door.”
“There are windows, aren’t there?”
“Yes, there are,” She sighed.
“Good, grab your mask, put it on,” He ordered her. She nodded and did as ordered. “I only wish we hadn’t gotten into this mess.” Natalie fastened the gas mask to her face. Ross pressed against his ear and brought down his radio to his mouth. “Natalie, switch on your radio, they’re here in two hours.” He grabbed his gun off the table and put his mask on, covering his face, “That gives us two hours to get across town.”
Natalie nodded. She clicked her radio on. She could hear the static of the radio in the voice of the pilot. “-onel Ross, Private Davis, this is Shinobi 01 one; we are inbound at heading South bearing 200.5. ETA: 1hour 56 minutes. Over.”
“Understood Shinobi 01, where is the LZ? Over,” Ross said to the pilot.
“Let’s see,” The pilot said through the static. Natalie looked up at the ceiling, remembering the path that she took to get here, “the LZ is on the hill north of the spire. Over.” Natalie groaned.
Ross looked at his watch, “Just past two a.m.,” he said to Natalie this time, “It will still be dark by the time we get there.”
Flurry put her hood up to the massive light that was blocking her vision. ‘Why is this so bright?!’ she asked herself. “Well, what have we here?”
Flurry looked up at the voice, nearly not believing what she was seeing.
The form of her great-aunt levitating down toward them.
She set her hooves onto the cold hard steel of the dream-floor below. The younger Princess immediately galloped over and hugged her aunt, crying tears of both joy and fear. “L-Luna, w-what happened? H-how long have I-”
“Shh… it’s okay, it’s okay,” Luna replied silencing Flurry with a hug and her melodic voice. “Everything’s going to be okay.” She said to Flurry. She broke off the hug but kept Flurry under her majestic blue wing. The Night Princess’s smile faltered as she looked around, “Where… where are you?”
Flurry could only shake her head. She was still shaking under her aunt. ‘I don’t know…’ She thought. Flurry looked up the gray and metal door and stared at the logo. “I… I think it’s their facility.” She looked behind herself and saw another door just like the one in front of them. “But it’s not the one they have me in.”
“Are you sure?” Luna asked as she walked to the door. As she did, she too saw the silver eyes and head peering through the metal monstrosity. The dream started to move again.
Before Flurry could open her mouth to answer her aunt’s question, the door started to ooze and the eyes began to move forward again.
*SHUUUNK*
The sound came from behind the pair of royal ponies. Luna and Flurry turned and saw a human. They were wearing white and black armor with a helmet with a visor covering much of his head. The human was also carrying its strange weapon. The human took one step into the hallway before he saw 106.
Flurry felt cold. Colder than being outside in the winter. The feeling wasn’t just on her fur but inside her. She fell to the ground and out of her aunt’s protective grasp. “Flurry, it’s all in your head,” She said, “It cannot hurt you.” The reassurance, however, did not change how Flurry felt.
“It’s still scary!” Flurry said over the sound of the human being consumed by the ground, courtesy of 106. “Just… MAKE IT STOP!”
Through Flurry’s shut eyes, she saw a bright blue flash. She felt Luna kneel down and hug her with her wing, “It’s okay now, they’re gone.” Flurry didn’t open her eyes, fearful of 106, even if it was gone. The young alicorn started to cry into her hooves.
“I… I just don’t think I can…”
“Flurry…” Luna interrupted, “You’ve been through something that nopony should’ve gone through,” She cooed her niece, “It’s okay to be frightened.” Flurry nodded and lifted her head, then, reluctantly, opened her eyes. They still stung from the tears that were there only moments before.
“They just won’t let me go,” Flurry said as she hung her head, “Their leaders, they call themselves the 05, they won’t let me go. Every time I ask, they dodge the question.” Flurry felt wet lines go down her face again. “They won’t even tell me how long I’ve been here. Just…” Flurry looked at Luna, “How long have I been gone?”
Luna sighed, “Only a fortnight,” She said, “We are doing everything we can to locate you, but,” Luna shook her head again, “Some of their soldiers got left behind, and they could cause irreparable damage with their weapons.”
Flurry nodded, “I understand,” The young princess said, “But could you try and come get me?”
“Of course,” Luna said, giving a lighthearted smile, “When I wake up, I will tell your parents that I can contact you. Is there anything you want me to tell them?”
Flurry nodded, “I’d rather tell them in person, but,” Flurry breathed in, “Can you tell them that I am all right?” She asked.
“Of course,” Luna said, “Is there anything else?” The aunt really emphasized the else in the sentence. “Perhaps how you feel?”
Flurry groaned, “It feels weird to tell you to tell them that I love them,” She said, “I- do you understand what I mean?”
Luna laughed, “Of course,” the Lunar Princess said, “‘Tis, a bit awkward, I suppose.”
“Yes!” Flurry shouted, “Awkward! It’s weird?” Flurry settled back down, “But tell them that anyway.”
“Of course.” Luna looked off into the stars of the dream realm. “You are waking up,” She said, “ And something’s transpired in the waking world, I will try to talk to you tomorrow night,” Luna said, “I love you, Flurry.”
Flurry felt the bright light hitting her eyes and she reflexively jerked up. The princess sighed and looked at the door as she rubbed her eyes, there were already two guards there, standing in the door. In between, was a human dressed in plain clothes.
“Good Morning,” He said, “There are just a few more questions that we have for you.”
“Shinobi 01,” Natalie talked into her radio, “Where the HELL ARE YOU!?” The Private looked up into the sky. She saw the forms of pegasi racing across the roofs of the surrounding houses and buildings. The Private looked behind her and saw another explosion ring out. She switched radio channels to the one with her Colonel.
“I’ll be there in a second Private,” Ross said, “We are now, officially out of grenades.”
“I can see that,” Natalie said back, “But, I can’t reach our ride, can you?”
“Lemme check,” He said.
*Click*
Natalie sighed and drew her P90. The private looked through the small red dot sight and peered down the dark alley. After a minute, the private turned around and saw the form of her CO walking toward her. He was holding his hand to his ear.
“I can’t reach them,” Ross said, “There must be some interference.”
Natalie looked forward and stood up, “Should we keep moving sir?” She turned and looked at Ross, “We don’t have the supplies to stay here much longer.” Ross walked past the Private and she followed, “Sir?”
The Colonel took his gun and checked the magazine. “We might have to shoot our way out of here,” He looked up at the sky, Pegasi were in the air, both guards and civilians surrounded the burning husk of their former hideout. “But for now, we continue to the extraction point.”
Natalie nodded, “Understood colonel.” She began to walk behind Ross, checking corners and listening for anything that might sound like another sentient being.
As they dodged the patrols and guards on their way to deal with the explosions, they saw the looming image of the moon slowly leaving the sky. Again and again, they tried to contact their rescue chopper, and again and again, they were met with silence. ‘They better be there,’ Natalie thought to herself, ‘I am NOT getting left behind again.’
Outside the Crystal City…
“Fuckin finally!” Natalie screamed out into the open air. She tore off her mask and let it fly barely attached to her face. “I never thought I’d be this glad to see a helicopter.” She stood next to Ross, who was holding a blinding red flare in his right hand. His gun was lying limp at his side.
“I agree,” Ross said, “And I am going to raise hell for their lack of radio contact.” He turned back to the descending behemoth. As it was lowering in the air, Ross peered at the metallic underbelly of the proverbial beast. “It looks like they got scraped by something. Something metallic.”
Natalie peered at the hull too, “Yeah, maybe they could’ve-”
The Chinook landed and the back door lowered. One of the pilots was standing there with a handgun brandished. “We’ve been followed,” the pilot said quickly and to the point, “We need to leave now!” She beckoned them aboard.
With that, the two MTF briefly looked at each other, then boarded and brandished and checked their firearms. “Take off NOW!” The Co-pilot said to the other pilot in the cockpit. She turned back, “Take a seat, this might get-”
Before the pilot could finish the statement, and before the aircraft could take off, several flashes of various colors went off, not too far from their location. “Dammit, we must’ve been seen,” Natalie said, “Can we radio for help?!” Natalie asked as she hooked herself to the metal beast’s various metal poles. She turned with her gun facing toward the oncoming ponies.
“Can’t, we got swamped by a half-dozen or so of those flying bat-shits,” The Chopper began to rise into the air, “And they broke off our radio, somehow,” She said, “I don’t even know how they did it!” Ross mimicked the Private then turned around. “Sorry, we uh, couldn’t get to your comms.”
“No problem,” Natalie reiterated, “Your apology is getting
“You might want to get in the cockpit,” Ross suggested, “And leave the door down, we’ll try to… deter the ponies from following, if you get me.”
“Got it,” the Co-pilot said, “If you want, there’s a minigun right there.” She pointed out.
“Noted,” Ross said. Shadows of ponies began to crest the hill. The helicopter began to lurch forward. “I’ll try to get to outpost 31 for orders.” He pressed his ear and radio switched channels. Natalie overheard him yell, “Outpost 31, outpost 31, this is MTF-Pi-1 Zero-One, We need-” A flash of blue light landed on Natalie’s side of the chopper, making it rock and causing the hull to buckle. “We need orders!”
Natalie spotted dark shadows jump up from the ground, followed by another wave of various colored lights from the ground, including a very strong light blue and magenta beams. In the moonlight, Natalie saw the outlines of at least a dozen Pegasi flying toward the, and at a much faster speed. “Son of a bitch,” Natalie said as she switched to the Outpost 31 frequency.
“Orders from 05-askdfak;skd;a, Deadly force authorized.”
Natalie heard Ross say, “Say again, who confirmed?”
“05 has confirmed the orde-*Kckkk*, Deadly force authorized.” Natalie turned to Ross, who was looking at her.
“Fuck,” He said before turning outward and pointing his weapon to the outside. Natalie could see the Pegasi ponies closing in on them. ‘How fast are these things?’ She thought to herself. Natalie then mimicked Ross and pointed her P90 outward. The next thing that she saw was several pegasi falling from the sky.