=====[Twenty Minutes Later]=====
"This feels... weird," Cup mumbled through the helmet's faceplate.
Cupcake and Obsidian had been outfitted with Riot Gear-style body armor; Cup may have been complaining, but to Siddy, it was FAR lighter than the armor she'd originally been trained in. Obsidian only had a standard helmet and vest, but her fiancee had the full nine yards, including a riot helmet. Mica had chosen a lighter vest-like device that he'd strapped on; Gypsy and Diamond's forms were too different for the one-size-fits-all armor that was standard for the police.
"Now, we don't think it's a good idea to send everyone in - the little fella especially - so we can go with the two of you. We're RIGHT OUTSIDE, so don't be afraid to yell for help, okay now?" Storm wasn't being condescending; he was hoestly just trying to keep them safe - it was his job to protect the masses, was it not?
"Careful," Chief Mountain, inadvertantly demonstrating his namesake in his own riot gear, made sure to tell them both.
Feeling weird wasn't as much of an issue, as long as they were safe. If anything, this armor was much more pleasant than the heavy suits she'd used before, including the Royal Guard armor from the Umbral Invasion.
Two of them. Gypsy and Diamond couldn't have full armor, and Mica was too emotionally invested... damnation, Wart - where are you? "Don't worry; we'll yell a whole lot if something bad happens," she assured the chief. "Cup? I'd say we should go in there together - any objections?"
Cupcake gave her a smirk. "What, and let you do all the work, then complain to me about it later? I don't think so, love; we've got this together."
The two of them were escorted to the doors of the factory - the lobby entrance. The factory itself was dormant, like a volcano that could erupt at any moment, any second...
Chief Mountain had followed them as far as the front walkways; he still had officers who depended on him, so he couldn't put himself out in the open. Captain Shield Storm, however, tagged along behind them and stepped to the side when they arrived.
"I'll be here at the doors; try to stay in view... OH, and before I forget..." His horn lit up, and both Cup and Siddy felt a tingle of magical enchantment wash over them both. "Just in case; The Glass Shield Spell - it'll hold for a single shot or strike... then, you're on your own. Good luck, you two... if Princess Twilight believes in you, then so do I!"
Oh good, somepony believed in her - a wonderful thing, as lately she couldn't say such about herself. A shield spell was nice as well, especially as she didn't have to maintain it. In case of an attack, it should give her just enough time to cast something at them and call for help - and, with Cup's help, she could probably maintain it for quite some time... hopefully.
Cupcake looked at her and nodded; he was ready. Obsidian then turned and nodded to the captain. "We'll do our best," she said simply before she turned back to the factory and checked the front doors.
The doors, surprisingly, weren't locked - they pushed open easily, and the cool breath of air-conditioned wind blew out over them, sending a chill down both of their spines. From what she could see through the doorway, the interior lobby was completely devoid of life; no one pointing guns or swords or insane creations of a mad genius at them.
Yet.
As long as they had a few safeguards, they should be somewhat secure. Still, it wouldn't hurt to check for any further shenanigans on Opal's part. She lifted a small stone with her magic and tossed it carefully through the doorway, just to be sure that there were no traps or alarms waiting for them to enter.
Damnation, this adventure was going to be fun... but in the worst possible way; Obsidian just KNEW it...
The rock bounced over the entrance tiles, then skittered across the light carpet until it reached the front desk, where it bounced off harmlessly. No turrets. No alarms. No explosions.
However, the front desk kiosk began to make a strange ratcheting sound, and what looked to be the top half of a mechanical pony rose into what would be the seated position - the bottom half was a platform.
-= Good day, and welcome to Pola Industrial, where we woooooooooooork to make the future brighter! =-
The robopone gave a friendly smile; even as an animatronic, it honestly did look friendly - even foals wouldn't be afraid of this creation.
-= Greetings, Miss Obsidian; Miss Pearl is waiting for you on the factory floor. I have been instruuuuuuuuuuuuuucted to allow you passage into the facility. Your guest will be under scrutiny of security, as will you. Please proceed to your scheduled meeting, and have a wonderul daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa- =-
By Darkness, an artificial pony? In a way, Obsidian almost felt that she and this creature shared a bond; if this was Opal's creation, did it mean that this machine was effectively Obsidian's niece or nephew?
"Let's go, Cup," she said, somewhat resigned to her fate. "My sister awaits us..." The Grey Princess stepped into the factory with Cupcake right next to her, looking around with a bit of curiosity - and paranoia.
Artificial pony... by Darkness, Sister Opal was an absolute genius! Equestria as a whole could use her bright mind; she stood to possibly become the most famous pony in modern history with inventions and contraptions like that!
If the front desk pony had been genius, the factory floor was beyond belief.
There were gears, cogs, pistons and valves everywhere! It was like the inside of a clock, but made for manufacturing rather than keeping time. But even the timing was eloquent, as the entire factory floor sounded like a steam-driven symphony as it whirled, whistled and churned around them like a living thing. There were a number of conveyor belts, and each one held shaped and moulded slabs of steel, or boxes of gears, or half-completed... uh, things... and they rushed all over the place.
At the far back was a platform covered with a huge blue tarp, and amidst a bevy of wires, cogs, springs and other such devices stood a unicorn in a lab coat. Her mane, pulled back in a ponytail, was strikingly blonde, and her cute, pert little ears stuck out from the headband of her thick and shaded goggles. She had a horn that held a mild red tint, but also had a single, quite visible crack running along the middle of it.
"... and so, the eponymous heroes arrive to convince the villain of the piece to acquiesce, and surrender their most triumphant efforts to the whimsy of the Equestrian existence, eh?" The voice was smooth, sultry... and quietly dangerous.
This place was beautiful in its own, odd way - though Obsidian didn't have heart to admire it too thoroughly. The simple fact that she was fully expecting turrets, robots or explosives to appear anywhere was kind of ruining the overall experience. It looked much better than the forest where she'd met brother Aquamarine.
And then, Obsidian finally met sister Opal... and found, to her great dismay, that she had goggles on. She just had to make everything harder, didnt she?
"Not really... eh, kind of, I suppose. I'd pretty much prefer if we could settle on a quo ante bellum status, and part ways without anyone of us doing anything heroic or villainous," she said carefully, unsure if she was speaking to a brilliant sister... or a dangerous maniac.
"Good morning, sister," Obsidian tried carefully.
The mare stopped working with her tools, laying them down with a chuckle. "Ah, and YOU would be the ineffable Obsidian; hero of Ponyville, savior of Midnight Star, the inside source that brought down Quartz, who brought dear, sweet Diamond back into this existence..."
She turned and faced them both, a sly smile on her muzzle. "... and, of course, now here to deal with poor, little us, yes? Because not a single one of our siblings who have met you have been untouched by your presence, not a one unchanged from meeting with you..."
Moving smoothly like she was made of liquid, she slid down an iron spire from the scaffolding, casually alighting on the ground floor where they were. She began to stroll towards the two of them, sighing airily.
"And now, surrounded by the local authorities, you come forward and speak of simply parting ways and no one being the better? Oh, but Obsidian - just your being here exposes our part in Onyx's plan - just like it did for Quartz - and the constables outside will more than likely confiscate the entire factory, claiming it for use by Equestrian services, and yet again stealing from the Umbral Empire to fuel their own economy, no doubt."
Opal seemed to enjoy talking, quite a lot. Or perhaps this was Lapo? Whoever the mare in front of them was, she sure seemed to like the sound of her own voice. It shouldn't be surprising; with her solitary lifestyle, it was probably the only voice that she'd heard, most of the time.
"Then why go with Onyx's plan, sister? What's so great about a long-fallen empire that you'd want to risk your beautiful factory for it?" Obsidian, feeling especially stupid right now, walked forward towards her sister.
The mare stepped back quickly. "YOU STAY BACK! DO YOU HEAR US! STAY BACK!!!" Her voice had gone from smooth silk to jagged glass instantly, and her shriek hurt Cup's ears enough for him to wince.
"We continue with the targeted tactic because Equestria, even in its' current incarnation, is so very weak... they prattle on about the supposed joys of friendship, and they have festvals for such nonsense as LOVE..." She almost spat the words as she began to pace a bit faster. "... but a nation united under Father's rule? THAT would be favorable, indeed. So many innovations and technologies that we could utilize for the benefit of his reign! And the SAFETY... oh, we'll never have to worry about ourselves again! No more doubts, no more critics, no more shameful mewling for the ungrateful masses!"
Now, she was circling them like a shark. "Best of all? We'd be free to build and design in peace, free from deadlines and social gatherings and monetary grants... and NOBODY would be able to lay claim to the machines we bring to life!"
Opal was approaching them - why did she apparently assume that Obsidian's getting any closer would be more dangerous than her own? Siddy just wanted to get closer to her sister... just a little closer...
"But then, who would appreciate them? If you wish to build things just for the merriment of research and design, there are a number of places outside of any Equestrian influence... you wouldn't even have to stay in a civilized area, as you could simply use your amazing skills to build yourself a secluded factory somewhere in mountains or the forest, and yet... you stayed here, surrounded by the praise of the very same Equestrians you call 'weak'."
The mare gave a haughty laugh. "We stayed because it was what we were told to do; do you not fathom that we would be far from here at this very moment, should we have had the opportunity? Oh, no - you simply assume that each of us was foolish, and that what we were doing wasn't important to us..."
She stopped far enough back to be out of hoof's reach. "Quartz was being overworked, yes... but he was getting to share his designs with the WORLD... and you took that from him. Onyx worked so very diligently to bring Father back... and you took THAT from HER. And now, you're here to take our creations from US!"
She lifted her left forehoof; on it was a band of copper and steel which she held in front of her. "However, we do believe that we currently possess an ace up our proverbial sleeve at this juncture... one that we are certain you will take notice of..."
Her horn gave a quick flash, which caused her copper band to start glowing. She then pointed that hoof at a crate in the corner, and the front of it folded open like a mechanical flower... and inside, securely tied to a metal chair, was Thunderclap Dash! She looked okay, but she was gagged to keep her quiet, and bound with what looked like steel cable.
Her sister gave a low and husky chuckle as Clap, seeing her friends, began to squirm and fight helplessly against her bonds. "... and now, allow us to introduce our brainchild... our creation..."
She now tapped her other hoof against the copper band three times, and a whirring, clanking sound started up. There was the toot of a steam whistle, and around the corner walked a massive yellow machine. The central body had a seat and six-point harness for strapping in. It also had two mechanical arms that ended in versatile pincers, and two legs that looked sturdy and powerful. The entire machine was taller than the riot van outside!
"... The Labor Harness!" The mare spoke the last three words with a touch of reverence for her own creation.
Why was Obsidian doing all of this in the first place, she had to ask herself. Well, Obsidian obviously had to stop Onyx because she was actively trying to end her life... resistance against Sombra's tyranny also made plenty of sense, considering that he'd decided to stomp on her respect and admiration towards him, then threated her friends.... Brother Peridot had been trying to end almost all life in the entire world...
Ah, right, Amber. Cruel, mind-controlling Sister Amber - the reason behind each of the calamities she'd had to deal with lately.
... yeah, okay - some of these said calamities were caused by Thunderclap; after all, she really didn't have to bully the crown prince of Equestria, or interrupt a meeting between herself and Ruby, or fly here all on her own...
"I truly admire your genius, sister - too bad we're on opposite sides, here," she said carefully as she stepped backwards.
Did this... harness-thing... have some means to attack from a distance? How fast was it? So many questions, so few answers - or, to be more precise, so few answers at the moment, as she was afraid that she would learn a bit too much about this mechanical monster's capabilities.
"Cup, would you kindly call for our friends?" she added sotto voce to her fiancee.
Cupcake started to call out, but the Labor Harness in front of him suddenly lifted its' left arm, and fired what appeared to be a jet of steam straight into his face, sending him reeling backwards; he'd been protected by the faceplate, but the blast was firm, with a great deal of pressure behind it.
Still, it was enough - Captain Shield Storm came charging through the doorway, the shotgun over his head discharging at Opal and the harness as he got closer. "STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW!" Storm yelled out in a voice that was quite close to a Royal Canterlot volume.
Opal gestured again, and two more harnesses came clanking in from the warehouse section, joining the fracas as Opal herself ran for the back of the factory. Storm fired the shotgun, and Opal was struck by one of the beanbag rounds, crying out in surprise and aggravation... but she managed to make it to the blue tarp, where she dove underneath it and was lost to sight.
Two of the harnesses faced off against the three heroes, while the third one reached into the open crate and closed its' pincers around Thunderclap, squeezing her tightly enough for the mare to actually let out a loud yelp of pain.
... which was when it happened.
A section of the wall suddenly buckled inwards as something slammed into it from outside, then again and once more... and the bricks and mortar came apart, as a hole exploded through the wall.
Standing there was Mica Chip... and he looked pissed.
The closest of the harnesses turned its' steam cannon at him, but in a swifter movement thn she'd ever seen from the stallion, he simply seemed to duck aside and bring up his hooves beneath it - using the thing's own momentum to sling it onto the floor, leaving a spiderweb of cracks on the concrete from where it landed. The fallen harness, with new and worrying grinding sounds coming from it now, ratcheted itself upright to try to stand... but Mica continued on past it, making a steady walking beeline towards the captive Thunderclap.
The second one turned to face Obsidian and Cupcake, while the third picked up Clap and held her against it's center; belts and straps whipped into place, binding the pegasus to the Labor Harness itself and becoming a living shield.
Mica continued toward it, regardless; in fact, it seemed to simply spur him on.
Well, here they were - in a battle, in the middle of the most fascinating technological paradise Obsidian had seen yet, against her wicked genius sister. What a terrible loss this was! Now that she thought about it, didn't she have a number of geniuses in their family? Peridot was obvious, as was Opal... Ruby was a great researcher... even Onyx, despite Obsidian calling her an idiot, was apparently a decent plotter, even if-... well, she... it... okay, maybe never mind Onyx; nopony who gets blown apart because of something in her plan went awry, deserves the title of 'genius' for plotting.
But still, Obsidian was afraid that her own intelligence and wisdom placed her among the less clever of all her siblings... though it didn't mean she wasn't going to try to do her best. She faced one of the harnesses.
Steam meant water... and she'd actually learned some spells that could be useful for something like this. After all she'd found in Onyx's books, spells that worked on the water, and growth... so that's what Obsidian tried to combine - two magical blocks into one spell, to find any trace of water that was stored within the harness and make it... well, make it grow; the rest would be done by pressure, hopefully.
The harness lifted its' other arm, and fired a burst of rivets in her direction - rivets that pinged off of Cup's body armor as he stepped lithely in front of her. He gave a giggle. "That tickles!" Of course, if he hadn't been in armor, it wouldn't have tickled nearly so much.
The steam cannon on the other arm, however, gave a soft glow... then let out a steady hiss as the pressure gauge blew out, rendering it useless, then began to drip water, running as if it were a leak in a boat.
Cup turned and fired a bolt of sprinkle-speckled magic at it... but when the bolt struck the harness, the spot simply gave a glow... then, nothing. Nothing at all - not even a scratch. "That's... not good," he said.
Meanwhile, Mica had reached the machine holding Clap hostage, and he didn't even pause to face-off with it; he simply walked right up to the harness as it swung one of its' metal arms at him... and Mica almost seemed to catch it, as he held up his hooves and rolled with it, suddenly jerking back hard enough for the arm to separate from the base. With the metallic limb in grasp, Mica now turned and jumped onto the harness itself, and began to beat the back of it with its' own arm, leaving dents and bashing gears loose. The harness let out a panicked-sounding shriek of steam, and began to fruitlessly try to fight the raging earth pony off with its' lone remaining arm.
By Darkness! Obsidian couldn't even react in time as harness fired at her - but that was the least of her worries right now, as the most important fact was that Cupcake stood in harm's way, blocking the attack. If one of those harnesses... even a single one... if it so much as scratched his skin... if this cursed machine hurt him in any way... if this stupidity with Opal hurt her love...
"DIE!" Obsidian screamed in fury as she prepared another Dark Magic spell - this one using fire - as she was more than prepared to strike the machine with all of the fury that she felt right at this very moment.
... the blast was... not what she'd expected.
Flames rolled out from the tip of her horn and shot over the harness; the paint blackened, and the upholstry on the seat was now toast... but there was actually very little darkness there. What was this? Didn't she have enough anger in her?
Well... between her argument with Diamond and her concern for Cup, she'd gotten some effect... however, considering the past few weeks, Obsidian had comparitively little Dark Magic in her reserves; her newfound lease on Life, her day at the spa, Cupcake's perfect love, the cameraderie of her other friends and her rehabilitation of some of her siblings...
She'd had some angry moments, but on the whole, Obsidian was rather full of Light Magic at the moment... and was woefully unprepared to fight a Dark Magic battle. However, combining what Dark Magic she'd had with another spell had boosted its' effectiveness... maybe there was a key there? Her only other alternative was using Light Magic, which - unfortunately - she had an abundance of.
Damnation - Amethyst had been right. Why hadn't she told her more directly!? Perhaps with a 'there will be enemies immune to Light Magic, so no matter how much firepower it provides, you need to make sure to diversify your arsenal of destruction'; that would have been pretty straightforward and Obsidian would have accepted that it was necessary! But noooooooooo... FEH!
It was time to think - and as such, she once again struck the harness with a bolt of fire, doing her best to get at least some of the flames inside it - wherever they could spread inside this terrifying war machine.
The flames worked on spreading further, but a little red light inside the harness' frame began to blink, and a pressurized cannister of foam shot white gunk all over the seat, snuffing her fire before it could damage anything too important. Had Opal thought of everything!?
Captain Storm's horn lit up until it had an overglow, and several blue energy shields blinked into existence around himself, spinning to cover each direction as he charged in at the damaged machine, blasting his shotgun wherever the soft ammunition might do at least some damage. The machine fired rivets in return that were deflected into the far wall by the barrier circle around the captain.
The third harness wasn't faring so well. A rocky, whining grinding sound had begun to issue from it, as well as some smoke and a little bit of oil. The remaining arm had ceased its' flapping at Mica, and the entire suit was coming to a slow halt. As soon as it finally ground to a stop, it let out a belch of black smoke and quit moving altogether. Mica immediately swung down to the protective frame/cage and began to bite through Thunderclap's restraints.
It was difficult to fight ponies that were not only smarter than you, but had many years to prepare. And Obsidian was starting to get desperate... but there was always a way. There had to be a way! If she couldn't do it, then who else would? She was a hero - as improbable as that was - and she had to work hard and think hard!
That's why she tried to cast her shield precisely onto the end of machine's rivet gun; she had no idea what would happen if the deadly rivets were deflected inside the barrel, but she had to try. At least Mica had taken care of one machine, and as soon as Clap was free, then at least ONE objective would be fulfilled.
The spell's effect couldn't touch the barrel... but corking the end of it wasn't touching it. The machine leveled its' rivet cannon at her again... and the device exploded in a shower of shrapnel and steel, taking the lower half of the arm, pincers and all, with it!
The machine let out an angry whistle, and charged right for her!
... and Cupcake, suddenly next to it somehow, simply stuck out a hoof, and tripped it. The machine fell over its' own stumbling feet, and slammed to the ground directly in front of Obsidian, where it started to make an odd, hiccuping whirr as it began to try to right itself.
Cup, meanwhile, grabbed the hindleg he'd tripped it with in his forelimbs, and bounced up and down on the other rear leg, yelling, "Owowowowowowowowowowow-OWWW!"
Storm Shield leapt into the air and came down with one of his shields beneath his hooves, directly on top of the last standing machine, a powerful >CRUNCH< being his reward as he pulverized one of the shoulders, sending the arm into a listless heap as he then began to attempt to blast the rear panel open.
With beanbag rounds... it miiiiiiiiight take a few shots.
Clap's voice sputtered to life, greeting Obsidian's ears. "MIKEY!"
Mica spat out the gag he'd removed from her, and his expression was all neutral again, with no indication of the raging bull he'd been mere moments ago. "Hey. You okay?" he said simply.
Thunderclap responded with a blistering, soul-searing kiss to Mica's lips that made his mane and tail stand out for a second.
"... yeah, I'm good," Clap smirked.
"Bfdhazuh," Mica confirmed, then shook himself out of it. "Come on; we need to get out of this place - the police have it surrounded, and there's no way out for Opal."
The pegasus looked over at Obsidian. "HEY! You guys came - AWESOME! I mean, sorry about taking off and stuff, but it's SO good to see ya, Siddy!" Yeah - she was fine.
It appeared that Obsidian still had the means to fight with these machines, restrictions on Light Magic be damned. Her most obvious skills were completely blocked, and she'd trained with Dark Magic a lot... but she had other ways to hurt her enemies, even if she was completely overtaken by Light and, as such, Dark Magic was simply too hard for her to use right now.
"OF COURSE, WE CAME - did you think we'd merely LEAVE YOU!?!" Obsidian shouted back to Clap, sliiiiiiiiightly annoyed - it was inevitable that they would come to save her! It was their goddesses-damned DUTY as friends!
But first things first.
Without hesitation, Obsidian dashed to the last harness machine. "Stand aside!" she said as she once again did her best to stop it with water - if there was even a single, solitary hole in the rear panel, then the water could get inside. And as soon as it got inside... well, she knew a specific Growth Spell, which would be perfect in this situation.
Storm stepped back, as well as transferring his shields to surround the machine, facing inward to stop any further threats. Enough of the rear panel had been blasted off to allow for water to get in; with effort, Siddy managed to splash a gathered ball of water across its' back, then cast the Growth Spell and waited with nervous anticipation.
The harness twisted slowly, jerkingly to face them, and it lifted a pincer to grasp weakly at Obsidian's neck... but instead, it let out a sound like a razzing fart, steam hissing from a busted seal, before the entire contraption suddenly blew apart.
Obsidian and Cupcake both saw blue flashes; the debris had activated the captain's Glass Shield Spell. Good thing too, as a particularly jagged chunk of metal bounced directly off of Obsidian's left eyeball; it felt weird and cringeworthy, but her vision - as well as her skull - was safe.
Storm Shield had a small chunk of metal sticking out of his flank, about the size of a potato chip. He glanced back at it only once, then turned to the rest of the group as if he'd seen nothing. "You four okay?" he asked between panting.
"Good!" called out Clap.
"Sore, but good," said Cupcake.
"Fine now," stated Mica, "and you?"
"I'll live," said Captain Storm.
"... I WOULDN'T BET ON THAT," said Opal's voice, scratchy and metallic, as if it were coming through what sounded like a pair of speakers.
Now, klaxon alarms began to go off all around them, and all the lights along the walls changed to yellow emergency lighting as something began to rumble loudly enough to shake the factory floor.
"... we need to GO," said Cupcake.
Obsidian really didn't have any reason to argue with her coltfriend. She'd almost lost an eye - and even if Diamond could probably restore it easily, it didn't change the fact that she was a little shaken by how close it had come - she liked this eye! Granted, she liked the rest of her body too... which meant that she had to get out of this place!
"GO!" she confirmed, already dashing toward the doors. All of these beautiful machines... and she wouldn't even be able to get a glance at them now! Damnation!
The five of them raced their way through the factory and back into the lobby area as the rumbling kept getting louder and louder, even overpowering the ear-splitting klaxon that was screeching its' single, repeated flat note.
Passing the front kiosk, the mechanical pony gave them a friendly wave.
-= Thanks for visiting Pola Industrial, and have a wonderfulfulfulfulfulfulfulfulfulfulfulfulful =-
They got outside of the lobby doors, with Thunderclap carrying Mica for speed, and saw the scene.
The number of police vehicles had tripled since they had last been outside, and the factory was surrounded by officers of all breeds, genders and ranks, each one armed with guns and all aiming at the huge factory floor doors.
"PEARL!" Chief Mountain called out through a megaphone, "SURRENDER!"
Captain Storm rushed Siddy and her friends over to the sidelines where a few squad cars were parked; they were covered but still able to witness whatever would occur next.
"Tell them to disperse! Whatever Opal has prepared, I am certain it will be HUGE!" Obsidian quickly demanded of the captain with panic in her eyes. What has her genius sister prepared for them all? A gigantic bomb? Or perhaps factory itself will turn into a giant war machine?
There was a >CLUNK<, and with a loud grinding rumble, the large steel doors at the front of the factory began to slide open...
"AND LO, THE MASSES OF SHEEP BEHELD THE CUNNING WOLF UPON THE RIDGE, AND THEY BLEATED THEIR LAST, BECAUSE THEY KNEW THIS WOLF WAS THEIR REAPER!"
With the massive doors only halfway open, an enormous mechanical leg thrust itself through the plate steel, slamming home (and the newly dislodged door) into the ground as hissing steam rolled like a fog from within it. The leg flexed forward, and was followed by another, which bashed open the other door impatiently, bending it nearly in half.
"... what in the name of Princess Twilight Motherfucking Sparkle is THAT!?" Captain Storm eloquently blurted.
It looked like a cross between a huge serving dish and a mechanical spider, and stood tall enough on its' eight hydraulic legs to barely miss the top of the huge doorway as it strode out into the parking lot with a determined and direct gait. It was shiny and chrome, and seemed to have panels all over it's surface. A small dome in the center of the top revealed a unicorn mare inside, pulling levers and switches as she spoke into a microphone jutting up in front of her.
With her goggles on her head, revealing burning red eyes beneath.
"WE ARE THE MUZZLE OF PROGRESS, YOU EQUESTRIAN SLOTHS! WITH OUR ARMADA OF MACHINERY, WE SHALL KEEP YOU BASE THIEVES FROM STEALING ANYTHING FROM US, EVER AGAIN!"
With that, she pointed her braceleted hoof at the factory behind her... and out came rows and rows of Labor Harnesses, hundreds of them, all marching in step as they began to pour from the factory like water from a tilted pitcher!
Red eyes... FUCK. Obsidian was well aware that this maniacal, dangerous creature was her sister... and no matter how badly she'd wanted to simply communicate, Lapo was at the proverbial wheel.
"It's the start of an invasion, captain - and this device isn't as lousy as those Umbral zombies that invaded Ponyville were." Strange... Obsidian was thinking there would be explosions to go with the reveal - unless of course it WAS still coming, and Sister Opal simply hadn't shown all of her cards just yet. Which, obviously, would make things even worse.
"Clap?" she asked tenatively, "do you think you could get me on top of this crazy thing?"
Clap grinned. "Yeah - we get you up there, and you can just knock her around with some magic for a bit - then, we take down her machine!"
"You kids are going to do WHAT!?" Captain Storm cried.
The pegasus gave a burst of a laugh. "HA! We're gonna introduce Little Miss Egghead here to... The Siddomizer!"
"Wait, what if-" Cup began, but Obsidian was already being lifted off her hooves by the powerful grip of Clap's forehooves around her waist.
"Okay, Sidster," she said, "you just let me do the fancy flying part; you be ready to blast that bimbo into Limbo!" She soared towards the walker, while the cop cars beneath began to get thrown and crushed by the oncoming onslaught of harnesses, all moving as one whole, all firing rivets or steam into groups of officers.
There was screaming. There was blood. There were still good officers here trying to hold things back... and one of which was Chief Big Thunder Mountain.
With a roar like a lion, he raised up and grappled with a harness that tried to grab a nearby fellow officer by the waist, and the mighty buffalo was now locked in a power struggle with a machine... and was slowly, but steadily, winning. The machine's arms began to give ground, then broke clean off - and the chief slammed them onto the ground, lowering his head and charging forward to slam the thing into the wall behind it, crushing the steel cage into a oil-leaking ball that ceased moving. The buffalo smiled, then moved onto his next opponent without hesitation.
Uh-oh; if Cupcake had some kind of comment on what they were doing, it meant that Obsidian probably didn't think this through enough. Still, it was their best option at the moment - to decapitate the enemy army, she had to take out their leader.
Considering the crack on Opal's horn... well, it was possible she could be taken out without outright killing her, yes? And Obsidian herself just had to make the decision without any available consultation. Because she knew that, if she asked others about her idea, they would stop her from doing such stupid things.
...Siddomizer? Really?
With an overhead view of the area, Siddy began to notice that there were a number of officers trying to attack the walker with spells... but each one had the exact same effect as Cupcake's did on the harness; a glow, and nothing more. Suddenly, with all her past knowledge of spells and workings, it clicked into place for her: The Dark Magic scrolls that Opal had been gathering meant she had been proofing the armor plating against magic... Light Magic, to be specific. She'd seen the effects before on shielding sigils and runes of protection. And to cast spells like those, one would need a source of the opposing force to cast them. Hence, the scrolls, delivered by forged orders from Celestia.
ONLY Dark Magic would be able to harm that mechanical menace - and Obsidian's darkness tank was almost bone-dry.
But... but she just had to find a way! She simply couldn't stand there and do nothing when all they had to do was stop Opal! There had to be a weak point, or perhaps an opening, or an unguarded vent... or... or... well, she just HAD to do it!
Clap careened in closely, then with an almost ballet-like smoothness, the pegasus simply lowered her to the top of the thi-
-i-i-I-I-ING! She was slipping! The entire upper surface had been refinished in what looked like solid steel... but it was coated with an extra-slippery wax that was making Siddy's hooves slide out from under her - if Opal tilted the body too far, she'd simply slide right off like one of Cup's pancakes from his non-stick frying pan!
OH DAMN, OH DAMN, BAD DAY BAD DAY BAD DAY! Who would have ever thought that extra-slippery wax would be Opal's way to deal with attackers from the air?
"OH, DID MY SISTER WISH TO VISIT ME? SORRY - I'LL HAVE TO LET THAT MEETING SLIDE, AHH-haHA-haHA-haHA-HA-HAAAAAA!!!" Lapo's voice crowed through the loudspeakers in victorious, smug glee.
"There's no traction for ya up here, Siddy - what now?" Clap yelled over the din surrounding them, as the walker crept forward on all six of its' enormous legs, making its' way into the street, surrounded by a swarm of Labor Harnesses at its' feet.
... and, on the rooftop of the mechanical factory, she saw a quick flash of purple.
"THERE! TAKE ME THERE," she pointed with her hoof at the rooftop of Opal's factory. Whatever was there, it would be far better than standing on this cursed spider's slick surface.
Clap changed direction, and hauled Obsidian to the roof of the factory, where she set her down gently as she hovered next to her. There was no further trace of the purple thing... but Obsidian could see the entire scene from up here, and had a perfect bird's eye view of her Cupcake, standing on top of a riot van and putting his hooves to his lips, letting out a LOUD whistle.
As many as a hundred harnesses all turned to face him. And just like that, he was wearing a paper dunce cap, and his eyes were crossed. He stuck his tongue out, and gave his voice an even goofier sound as he spoke to them.
"Duh-hurr-durr! Lookit MEEEE! I'mma LAAAAAA-ber LOOOOOOOO-der! I'mma dumb azza sack o' hammers! Herp-de-derp, I say we gits da SYNTHETIC oil too-day!"
The harnesses focused a bit more on him, raising their weapons and taking aim as one of them up front let out a shrill steam whistle toot of what might have been taken as umbrage... so why was Cupcake Sprinkles smiling?
He suddenly leapt off the van's roof, and ran right through the gathered crowd, dodging a number of them as he galloped by them with his tongue stuck out. The massive group began to give chase, even though the stallion was much faster. Cup ran and ran until he barged through a set of double doors on a building... The Nest-Lee's Confectionary Factory.
"Sids, what do we do? She's got us outnumbered by, like, a BAZILLION to one! How are we gonna take her down?" Clap spoke up, watching the scene with the walker below.
Could they take her down at all? Her war machines were able to counter Light Magic, an assault from the air was unsuccesful, and she had them effectively outnumbered. All things considered, all they had was Cup's plan - whatever it was - unless he just wanted a good excuse to go into the candy factory.
Okay, class! Let's count Opal's advantages: Surprise, Light Magic nullification, effective numbers of troops, amazing technology, and a giant metal spider that could be used as a seige engine.
Let's count Obsidian and company's advantages... um... er... well, Diamond could restore their lost limbs?
Obsidian felt useless - the most obvious result of a not-very-clever pony standing against a true genius. What else could they do, aside from surrendering to the mad scientist and begging for mercy or possibly escaping? She was desperately trying to find any other options, but she was pulling blanks.
"Let's get to that factory - it seems that at least Cup has some kind of plan," Siddy hoped.
Clap grabbed her up and started making her way to the factory as the huge walker turned and began to make its' way towards the large gathering of buildings downtown - all the while, Lapo's voice laughing maniacally over the loudspeakers.
Reaching the candy factory, it seemed as though there was a skylight on the roof, so Clap landed them both there and looked inside at about the same time that the harnesses reached the closed front doors, simply knocking them down and stomping inside. Inside, there were displays of all sorts of candies, from best-sellers to rare and obscure recipes, all available for everyone to see...
... and every last shelf was completely barren. The entire floor was littered with wrappers, empty little boxes and discarded packaging - and not a single piece of candy remained in sight. The harnesses stepped inside and seemed to be scanning around for a clue as to the stallion's whereabouts...
Then, the stockroom door flew open, and he stepped out into the room.
Cupcake Sprinkles had all sorts of candy leftovers smeared across his mouth and face; his eyes were huge, his pupils tiny, and he was literally vibrating as he stood there, so much so that his outline was a bit blurry.
"...iiiiiiiIIIIIIIT'S pLaYyYyYyYyTIiIiIiIiImMmMeEeE!!!!!" he practically sang out in a jagged, manic voice that sounded as if he was mere seconds from utter insanity.
A Labor Harness near the front took a single step back.
>ZOOM!< Cupcake rocketed out of the factory like a bat out of Tartarus, leaving a trail of white energy (with glittery sprinkles) behind him as he became a super-hi-bounce ball of sugary overload, ricocheting off harnesses and smashing them to pieces in the process!
He was moving at such high velocity speeds, Clap blinked and gave a low whistle. "Now THAT is fast!"
The entire time, all Obsidian could hear was Cup's hysterical laughter...
"HAAAAAAhahahahahahaahHA! Hee hee hee HOO hoo hoo hoo! Ha-HAAAAAA-heh-heh-HA-heh-heh-heh-hee-hee-heee! Ah-ha-HA-ha-HA-ha-HAAAHAHAHAHA heh heh heh heh heh heh HAH! Ha-HAAA! Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-HOOOOOO! TeeheeheeheeheeheeHAAAAAAAAH! Hee-HA-hoo-hoo-HA! Ha ha HAAA hahahahahaha! Hoo? HOO HOO! WHOO-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-HOOOOO! HAAAAAAA-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaa! HeHAhehhehHAhehHAHAHAAAA! Ho-ho-ho-HOOOOO-ho-ho-hohohohoHAAAAAA! HeeHAAAAAA-hahahahahahahahahahahaHA! Woo-HA-hoo-HA-whoo-hoo-ha-HAAA!"
A sugar-fueled Cupcake was a ridiculous, yet utterly terrifying sight! Nopony would ever believe that this stallion, seduced by the Dark Magic of SUGAR, could turn into such an efficient war machine! However, this could be the best way to stop the harnesses from overwhelming them too quickly.
Obsidian did feel that using her coltfriend as a weapon was hardly moral.
"It's... well, at least he's going to keep them occupied for a moment. We still need to figure out a way to stop my sister, though," she pointed out.
Explosives? None of them had any experience with them - besides, she wasn't sure if they would even find any in Opal's factory. Magic? With what they had available, not very effective. Wart and Patty obviously would have known what to do with it!
"Where is she going? Could we find anything useful along her path to stop her with?" Obsidian looked as if she was getting more and more anxious with the progress the giant metal spider was making towards the city proper.
Clap looked, and her muzzle grew grim. "She's headed right towards the heart of the city - there's a lot of folks there! Crap, Siddy, we gotta - HEY!"
She pointed at the riot van Cupcake had been standing on; the engine had started up, and Gypsy's head was poking out of the driver's side window. So THAT was why he'd led the harnesses away - Gypsy and Diamond were sitting ducks without armor, so they'd been trapped in the van.
But now, the diamond dog was driving it! Well, with how it kept jerkily starting and stopping, he was trying to drive it...
Meanwhile, Cupcake came to a dead stop in front of one of the largest remaining groups, wearing an insane smile that would make even Discord shake in his scales. He quickly reached behind him and brought out something with a flourish.
It was a single can of Ener-GEE Power Soda.
The harnesses, as one, stopped, turned and began to run as Cup popped the ring, then drank it down all in one shot. His eyes blinked like traffic lights, he hiccuped, and >ZOOM!< - he was off again as he blasted his way through the gathered group, sending pieces sprawling in every direction.
Maybe it was a plan... or maybe Cup was simply making a window of opportunity for them to escape? In either case... "Let's get to where Gypsy and Diamond are," she said decisively. Maybe from there, they could formulate a decent plan.
Clap grabbed her up once more, and they made their way to the van. As they got close, the back doors swung wide open, and a grinning Diamond waved them in. Clap landed flawlessly inside, just in time for the whole van to jerk again, causing her to sit on Diamond's little form.
"ACHK!" cried Clap.
"{I CAN ONLY BREATHE BLUE BOTTOM!}" wailed a muffled Diamond.
Clap got up quickly and looked back at him. "Mundy! You okay?"
The small stallion looked a bit chagrined, but otherwise okay. He shook off the moment and looked up at them both. "{Gypsee wishes to chase the giant metal spider!}" he announced to them.
"St-t-t-tup-p-pid-d g-g-gearsh-sh-sh-shift-t-ting-g-g!" came from the front, with yet another jerk.
"Chase it? Why?" Obsidian asked, a bit dumbfounded. Quite a large portion of her surprise came from the fact that, at the moment, Gypsy's style of driving was possibly going to finish them off for Opal, clearing her of any necessity to commit a murder in the family.
Well, at the very least, Diamond seemed to be fine. While Sister Amy had spent a lot of time torturing him, it had inadvertently given him plenty of time to train in self-healing. Obsidian didn't want to have to check to see if he could put himself back together after being stepped on by this giant mechanical monstrosity.
Gypsy glanced back at her with a rare, determined look. "It h-h-heads f-for th-th-th-the t-t-town! It w-will hurt i-i-innoc-cents! It m-m-MUST b-be st-stopp-p-ped!"
Diamond nodded. "{And I am here to ensure he does not die - do you need to be healed?}" he asked eagerly as his horn gave a soft glow, almost in question.
"Of course, I agree that it must be stopped... but we have no plan!" Obsidian protested. She had tried to come up with something herself and almost fell from the damned thing! "So unless we can load this van up with explosives and drive it into one of its' legs, I really don't know what else we could do!"
"{And no, Diamond - thank you,}" she muttered a bit more quietly.
Clap's eyes lit up. "Hey, what if I-... uh-oh."
She was looking back behind them at Cupcake's widely-strewn pile of broken Labor Harnesses, spread out along the entire street. Truly, he was a force to be reckoned with, under the influence of sugar.
However, he'd apparently reached the tail end of his sugar rush. He sort of stumbled to a stop, said "nite nite" in a fluted and ragged voice, and fell over onto the gear-laden concrete. And gave a loud snore.
Clap looked back at Obsidian. "I'mma go fetch Cup and Mica; we'll catch up!"
She took off out of the back, just as there was a yowl that sounded a LOT like a swear word, and the riot van kicked into gear and roared ahead, zooming away from Obsidian's unconscious love... and towards the wicked metal juggernaut which was getting closer to town by the step. Gypsy was now hanging his head out of the window, his purple tongue flapping in the breeze as he began to gain ground on the steel monstrosity ahead of them.
Cupcake had saved the day; every single police officer on duty right now owed him their lives. However, for a moment, Obsidian's heart had stopped when he simply fell over - and even then, his snore didn't calm her concerns, as she was busily imagining the terrible wounds he could have taken during this battle.
Which was still more positive than her thoughts about the steel spider. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't come up with any way to stop the damned thing. She'd tried her best - a hasty and badly-planned idea - and lost terribly. How utterly pathetic.
Rolling through town, she saw as they got closer that there was a bridge ahead - one that spanned a wide water gap. The walker was headed straight for that bridge, Lapo screaming out her vengeance with her artificial Canterlot Voice.
If they could make it there first, Siddy could possibly have a vantage point to work from, as well as the element of surprise. Plus, if she could stop its' advancement here, they would be a lot less likely to harm civilians and citizens, as it was between the large urban areas, and not in the midst of them.
But the dog behind the wheel would have to floor it to beat the giant metal spider to the bridge.