//------------------------------// // Chapter 20 // Story: Shroud of darkness // by LeTriggs //------------------------------// Forgotten city Stargazer gently passed through a cloud his fur dampened with water when he emerged, as he flew gracefully over the snow-capped mountains adjusting the strap across his chest holding the ornate sword on his back in place. He gave up on trying to make the weapon fit comfortably and began lowering himself onto one of the mountains below him spiralling downwards till he hit the ground sending a thin layer of snow into the air. He looked out at the view of the sunrise over the vast mountain range letting a slight grin creep across his face at the awe-inspiring view. “You still making your art huh Tia?” He chuckled to himself thinking of Celestia wanting to make the perfect sunrise. He shook his head and took in a deep breath relishing in the sharp cold morning air, not once in his many years of travels had he travelled this far east but he was already stunned by the natural beauty of the place. He summoned the ancient map out in front of him unfurling it in front of him. His horn flashed as he enchanted the map which on top of one of the mountains a little red dot appeared indicating his location. He tapped his hoof onto the parchment and moved it across the map to the area marked with a cross in ink. He positioned the sun to his right and checked the map again making sure he had the right direction. “Well Drakia. This better lead to something.” He furled the map up and put it back in place in a pocket of his magic before he took off once more. -------------------------------- Firestorm and Spin Disk slowly clambered through the ruined building, dust hung in the air showing up in the areas covered in sunlight from cracks and gaps in the outer surface stinging their eyes as they moved past. “I don’t get it why are we here?” Firestorm spoke as the clambered through a hole in the wall. “I told you three times already, at the power plant it showed an energy signature here, more specifically the top five floors had power. Not think that’s a bit odd considering everywhere else in this crap-hole is without power?” Spin Disk pulled his extremely tall friend out of the hole dropping Firestorm on the ground before picking up his rifle once more. “I guess it’s a bit odd, whoa.” They both stood with their jaws hanging open at the sight before them. Before them stretched a massive room, in the centre was a fountain no longer flowing water inviting guests in, at four points around the room pillars rose up out of the marble floor melding with the roof of the upper level and floor, to the right of them a set of stairs rose up splitting halfway and circling round to the floor above them. They walked up the stairs looking at the once priceless art now covered in a layer of dust or on the floor in tatters in the centre a large painting of two earth ponies stood proud with a plague underneath with the words In loving memory, Austerity and Prudence Mane. Taken too soon inscribed in long flowing letters. “Hey Spin I think this is that Bruce Mane’s place.” “Who cares whose place this is? Maybe there’s someone here or even better maybe some supplies.” Firestorm took one last look at the painting and then began following his friend up the stairs onto the second floor which was lined with doors. “Spin, you take right, I’ll take left. We check each door, if you see anything just shout.” Spin Disk nodded and moved to the first door whilst Firestorm moved to the other side. Spin Disk kicked open the door pointing his weapon inside at the ready, all that greeted him was a room stacked with books all neatly shelved. The grey Pegasus sighed and left for the next room. Across the hall Firestorm entered a room filled with dumbbells and other exercise equipment stacked neatly around. “Nice to see how the other side of the coin live” he snorted moving onto the next room which turned out to be a bathroom. Firestorm set about relieving himself before he heard a clattering of wooden poles on the marble floor making him jump in fright. He burst out of the room with his weapon to see Spin Disk on the other side of the room at the end picking himself off the ground from beneath a set of brooms and mops. “Damn stupid bucking shit falling on me what the buck is using the power here!” Spin Disk shouted to himself throwing the cleaning utensils away from him. One of the mops he threw hit one of the small pony head statuettes placed along the wall knocking the head out of place. A rumbling halted the pair, as they stared at the wall they were stood next to began to part revealing a hidden room full of computers and wiring strewn around. The centre console whirred to life the screen flashing on, numbers scrolling up the screen in rapid succession. “Sys- boot, func- 90 -cent. Voice systems activated, emergency power siphon activated, security systems disabled. Unknown users present.” The pair gawked at the computer as it ran through its systems. “Unknown users, please state identity.” “Firestorm” The taller of the pair said as commandingly as he could whilst Spin Disk let out a stammered. “Spin Disk” the computer scrolled more numbers across the screen before showing a mere red dot. “Users, Firestorm and Spin Disk. I am an Artificial, Litigation, functionary, Recording, Examination, Doctoral, or you can refer me as Alfred. I am a device built by Master Bruce Mane to run the facilities of his pent house and other private functions, mostly working as advisor for his alias as Manehatten’s Mysterious Mare-Do-Well. An emergency protocol has been implemented in which there has been a period of time without a full source of power and no log in from Master Mane. Under protocol I shall play the following message.” A New voice came from the speakers around the room speaking without the knowing of the pair in the room unlike the computerised voice. “This message shall only be played if emergency protocol 6 is implemented. First off yes, I Bruce Mane, son to Austerity and Prudence mane, am Mare-Do-Well. I built this A.I system myself to assist me in my vigilante activities. If you are now hearing this then I am either dead or have been incapable of logging into the system for at least 6 months. There is currently a disk having a final back-up of al the data on this system after which it will shut down permanently. Take my research and use it for the benefit of the world, and don’t squander it. Please do me this one favour.” The message ended with a disk sliding out of one of the computer slots. A few seconds passed before the computer addressed the pair once more. “Are there any queries that you have regarding this information?” The pair looked at each other Spin Disk giving a shrug whilst Firestorm pondered for a moment before he clapped his hooves together coming up with an idea. “Yes. Do you have any information on the creatures that have attacked?” The computer stayed silent for a moment scrolling yet more numbers before it spoke again. “Unfortunately there is no data from before Y.O.E 1252 but I can inform you that sensors have detected multiple movement signatures 10 floors down and rising.” Spin Disk cocked his rifle standing at the railing overlooking the lower floor. “You are not currently in possession of sufficient firepower to eradicate the creatures. “is there anything here we can use to stop these things?” Firestorm enquired. “There is a fail-safe which I can activate.” “What’s that?” Spin Disk shouted over his shoulder “Within the support structures of this building are laced with explosives which when activated will commence a controlled demolition of the building.” As the computer described the programme an image of the building came up red dots appearing on the main support structures, then as the dots disappeared the building fell straight down. The pair looked at each other for a moment, the sound of an explosion not many floors below made them come to a decision nodding to each other. “Okay then, activate the fail-safe.” The computer did not respond but a timer came up on the screen counting down from 30. Firestorm snatched the disk from the slot it still hung out of. Both of the pegasi leapt over the railing landing on the floor below, they turned and ran to the main door kicking it open. The light of the skyline of Manehatten shone in threatening to blind them, they shot at the glass in front of them causing it to crack and weaken. They both charged through the window and began to free-fall, they opened their wings slowing their descent as they landed on the roof of a much smaller building adjacent to the luxury building. A series explosions ran up the building to the top in quick succession, the air was silent at first but then the tall building began to groan then quickly began to collapse showing dust everywhere around it. The building fell into a pile of rubble blending in with the rest of the environment of the city. The pair stood on the building the building they had landed on looking at the once luxurious building in the street taking a quick breathe before they turned heading back to the sewers. ----------------------------------------- Stargazer glided seamlessly through the air keeping his eyes focused below him, I’ve gotta be right on whatever it is now he thought to himself. He glided round one of the gigantic mountains and was met with a sight that made his jaw drop. Below sticking out the side of the mountain below him was what looked like a city. He began to lower himself towards the ground as quickly as he could. The city was deathly quiet. A thin layer of snow dusted over the ground like powder icing hastily put on a cake, there were scars on the ground and on some of the buildings from long ago. Stargazer landed gently on the ground looking around at the dead city. He moved through the streets quietly looking around at the many stone buildings that had once contained life. On the ground in front of him was a skeleton which he moved towards respectfully, he examined the bones that were devoid of any flesh lining them up together. The Alicorn took a step back in shock as he noticed how the bones lined up, on the skull a horn stuck out which did not surprise him alone but from the body were a pair of wings. Stargazer moved away from the skeleton moving forwards noticing more skeletons the same as the first he came across each having once belonged to one of the same species as him. He came upon a wider street than the one he had been walking on, the cobble street stretched into the cave where a massive building stood looming over the city. The cathedral-like building was covered in ornate murals stretching over the stone. Stargazer felt his gaze drawn away from the massive structure towards a small building that stood in front of him. He became lost in his mind seeing the building as it stood before. Outside the humble abode the images of flowers nestled amongst each other, above the door he pictured a little wooden sign with the name of the shop carved into the grain, he could almost smell the flowers his mind was placing on the small building. “Brother!” The voice snapped Stargazer away from the small building. He looked in the direction of the building built into the mountain wall. In the street stood a pony. A pair of wings made out of what appeared to be smoke sprouted from the pony’s back, a horn looking similar to that of a Changeling stuck out of their forehead, their muscle threatened to break out of their dark skin as they held onto a mini-gun, the pony’s red eyes pierced Stargazer looking at him with pure untapped rage. “Do you not recognise me? Do you not recognise the one you left for dead?” they screamed at Stargazer their voice like a demon. “Satrenko?” Stargazer quizzed back. “Is that you?” “Bingo” Satrenko snarled back. He hefted up his weapon aiming at Stargazer and unleashed a torrent of bullets at him. Stargazer dove behind the building he stood by taking cover as the bullets chipped away at the wall. He slipped his rifle from his back waiting for a break in the storm of bullets. Satrenko stopped firing letting steam rise from the red hot barrels of his weapon to which Stargazer replied firing a burst of rounds towards his once friend. The bullets bounced off his chest leaving no mark behind, Satrenko looked at the bullets on the ground and began laughing to himself at the futile attempt to injure him. Stargazer burst out of the side street unsheathing his sword to which Satrenko immediately stopped laughing. He looked at the blade with an element of fear, he threw his weapon to the ground to which it disappeared into a pool of dark ooze which faded from existence and took off in the air charging at the smaller of the two, he swooped down and snatched Stargazer into the air. Satrenko threw the red Alicorn through one of the many stone buildings punching a hole through the rock then grabbing Stargazer again as he came out the other side in a shower of rubble. Stargazer brought the sword up and slashed at his once friend’s chest the tip of the blade just scraping across his body, the blade cut through the flesh like it was nothing. Instead of blooding seeping from the wound a black ooze-like substance trickled from Satrenko’s chest. He threw Stargazer away from him into the ground with enough force to make a crater. Stargazer lay in the crater groaning in pain as Satrenko landed on top of him, the muscle bound pony raised his hoof in the air ready to bring it down like a hammer on Stargazer’s head, Stargazer shot a bolt of lightning at Satrenko launching him away. The pair stood staring each other down, Stargazer spat blood out of his mouth onto the floor then began charging his once friend. Satrenko stood completely until Stargazer was a few feet in front of him, he ducked down to the ground and rocketed Stargazer into the air with an almighty uppercut then took off in pursuit. Miles up in the air Satrenko grabbed Stargazer then turned and began speeding towards the ground like a meteor, Stargazer struggled to free himself as the pair plummeted towards the ground closing his eyes in fear as they came within meters of the ground they headed towards.