-Equus, Fillydelphia outdoor café, Jaded-
“So anyway that’s the current problem plaguing Equestria right now.” After saying this I licked at the bowl of cold milk, I didn’t even care if it was slow to drink from a bowl like this. “All it took was a mattress delivery to the dragon lands… Discord must be proud of that natural chaos.”
“It’s a good thing that those aren’t my problems currently, thank you for the thousand year retirement plan Twilight! Anyway it’s so nice to spend time with one of my friends.” Celestia then leaned closer to me and looked about shiftily as her flowing mane change its flow to be slightly slower. “So did you find Luna’s Moon Cake vault as well?”
I pulled out a card with the coordinates to Luna’s Moon Cake vault, distinctly different from her Moon Pie vault. Celestia put a hoof on it and dragged it towards her before stuffing it in her mane in a way that Pinkie Pie would.
Noticing my stare, Princess Celestia chuckled.
“I’m still part earth pony.” That still doesn’t explain how that works at all in the slightest Celestia. “Also don’t drive my sister back into Nightmare Moon more than once a week, the stress is actually beginning to get to her… otherwise keep going, she’s going to crack eventually and apologize. You’re both quite stubborn though.”
“Is that an order for a sun priest, a suggestion as a friend or do you need me here for chaos that is not Discord branded? I can get you a good deal on Discord branded chaos!” I was obligated to tell Celestia that because of a current contract with Discord, he wasn’t a hard chaos god to work with.
“Not this week, but maybe I’ll have need next week.” That wasn’t exactly a ‘no’ Celestia, which would be almost worrying for anyone else who heard you say that. “So what’s the verdict Mr. Awe?”
“The Quarrelsome will act accordingly so the world doesn’t end, but don’t expect us to be nice about it.” Shocking Awe stated before biting into a cookie menacingly, he was adorable while trying to look threatening. I think I might have a thing for elemental Pegasus ponies, I certainly did for adorable yet tall unicorns with chips in their shoulders.
“Understandable.” Celestia stated in what was a temporary truce zone between us and an organization of stallion jerks that once saved my backside.
I still go golfing with Teatime Clockwork on weekends, we cheat like Tartarus at putting golf and had more real fun with the go karts and the modifying of them. We couldn’t ever agree on a decent pizza order while hanging out, but we were amiable enough casual enemies that we would rather the world not end so we could continue on with the shenanigans of keeping our lives entertaining.
“So… about all those ISUS squads you formed just before Twilight actively took the crown…” I was curious as to why Celestia did that, was it malicious intent or a parting inside joke?
Either way Fizzy had her work cut out for her with training up a competent squad known as the Tambelon Incursion Team Specialists... hehe, now that I think about it I should warn Fizzy about what that spells. I could sell a Frisbee with some corn in it for one hundred bits with a lemonade stand with that name.
-WWDCT, Saturn Asteroid Base, Smolder-
“Three doors down to the right upon exiting, I’m about to lose control of the gravity shaft. So you’ll have to figure out a different way out.” Announced Dormarch, we didn’t know where he was or what he was doing aside from helping us. At least it was nice to hear he was alright. “Can’t help you much more, I’m trying to figure out how to disable the heavies on the ship or how to keep them from setting off a self-destruct they likely have, there are approximately fifteen large Hunter Drones on the asteroid at the moments. One is within you’re vicinity, so be careful.”
We were out of the bottom of gravity shaft swiftly enough and in the doorway leading into the hall. This is when Dolly flopped onto her face into the hall clutching at her skull as the green energy flowing around the edges of her board winked out. Shanty quickly looked around the corner and pulled Dolly back as shots started streaming from that direction.
“Dolly, be a little bit more careful with your magic there… you okay? Good.” I aimed out into the hallway and started taking down Hunter Drones to the right with my recently acquired weapon, as shots started to hit me from behind to very little effect. They were attacking from both sides, but it wasn’t too hard to wipe them out in one given direction. Dolly eventually sat up and responded as Shanty helped her up. “We kind of need you right now, Shanty haul her that way while I hold these guys off.”
I turned to the left and started firing and they were paying more attention to me as a threat, one they couldn’t hurt in any capacity, but they could deal with me close up by pinning me down. So I had to move backwards and hope that Shanty would tell me if we had any problems coming up from behind me.
Shanty quickly got Dolly up and moving in the opposite direction I was facing, I started backing my way into and down the hallway as more hunter drones were coming from the left.
I really didn’t know how many shots the weapon had, but it was saving me on having to blast fireballs constantly. We just needed to reach Ocellus, beat pick her up and escape. Dormarch said Ocellus was three doors down from here and that one of those big guys was in the area, I wonder what else we would have to face.
The enter asteroid shuddered as either something broke or exploded violently.
“What was that being?” Shanty asked as she took cover in an alcove and was busy trying to get a currently dazed Dolly back in gear.
“Haven’t a clue, I have no idea what’s going on aside from what’s happening around us!” I continued to mow through Hunter Drones taking time to aim and fire to take them down in a single shot, while they hit me with like fifty or so.
-Onboard The Raptor, Dormarch-
Okay so things weren’t going too well for the Mighty Ducks team, the Heavy Hunter Drones were a huge problem for them.
They were at least trying to deal with them first before they tried boarding Raptor, as facing those things on foot was fairly suicidal given their anti-infantry nature.
Didn’t know where they found these ships to come find us all the way out here, but I didn’t need to know as they came for Ocellus and me. I’m just glad they found some way to come after these guys before they found out Ocellus wasn’t Abigail, which would have actively forced me into the open to save her.
Watching Ocellus be tortured wasn’t exactly some of the greatest moments in my life, but she has held up fairly well and should be mostly okay by the time Smolder’s team reached her. They’d have to go through Wraith though, but they had advantages.
At least the McDucks were taking care of themselves fairly well some went into the asteroid base and others were still flying the second ship and trying to help disable the one I’m on. The weapons on the two ships were doing well enough to damage Heavy Hunter Drones on the hull, but it was a concentrated effort to even destroy one with both ships firing all they had into it.
The Heavy Hunter Drones were definitely built for anti-infantry actions, but they were doing well enough as mobile point defense turrets while moving along the surface of The Raptor to be a nasty issue.
My current position was very precarious, given I was still inside a regular Hunter Drone’s systems and the only reason why the super computer network hasn’t put up much of a defense was because the alien coding was very much sturdy to a point that I couldn’t actually do anything to deal with it personally.
I could do things like manipulate the gravity shaft or open a door, but the system would recognize my intrusion quickly and shut me down if I tried to be overly overt about anything. The lizards didn’t have any anti-virus software and I clearly saw why they wouldn’t actually need it.
The computer systems of the asteroid base and this ship that were nearly impossible to hack in anything approaching a permanent manner without it being noticed and quickly fixed. I couldn’t really do too many manipulations, were I a stronger being I might be able to tear the computers apart from the inside like I did to Clockwerk’s somewhat ancient systems and make it my plaything. The super computer systems these Saurians used was a different kettle of fish altogether compared to the earthly systems that any entity like me could run roughshod over.
A regular hunter drones systems though… that I could manipulate like a pretzel maker without notice, regular Hunter Drones weren’t very bright nor was their programming stellar. These robots were barely above earthly computer systems in complexity. Which is why I was controlling one personally and doing well in keeping that fact hidden, the super computers in the asteroid base or on this ship didn’t actively need information from the Hunter Drones and always assumed they were doing their jobs.
The only real blind spot in the systems and it’s the drones with a decent amount of physical security clearance. The digital security clearance was impossible to surpass unless I was Dragaunus himself.
The Heavy Hunter Drone variants were actually protected by the super computer systems, so it was the reason that I couldn’t stop them without figuring out how to first destroy the super computer systems.
I could move through the super computer systems and jump between the asteroid base and here just fine as long as I didn’t actively try anything to manipulate the systems in place. I had a few trick or two to confuse the super computers for about a minute, which is how I got Smolder’s team down the gravity shaft safely without the super computers killing them. It would not work in anything other than a small error capacity nor would it work too many more times.
Now though, I was trying to write an understanding of Saurian coding into a part of myself, but was not entrenching it into myself in way that I couldn’t quickly eject it from my body. I was also creating an unusual bit of unique coding as backup that made up my very nature, it was filled with all the most important information to me in an attempt to immunize myself to what I was going to pull off if I had to.
It would go a long way to saving everyone here if Dragaunus went entirely pyrrhic, I could actually stop that at a huge cost. Not that I wanted to do ‘that’. If I had to, I would gladly do it for everyone that came to stop these guys from being a further threat.
Hurry up, save Ocellus and find your way out of there guys…
-Asteroid Base, bottom layer, Smolder-
Two doors passed and Dolly was still flagging a bit, but Shanty was still powering through the Hunter Drones that were in the way with her makeshift scythe weapon as I brought up the rear.
-Shanty-
“Next door right?” I leapt up with a twirl of the stolen leg and decapitated a Hunter Drone, I liked my legged peg weapon. I was really good with bladed weaponry, but my cutting power wears them out too fast. Thankfully the material the robot leg is being made of was sturdier than most, which is why I haven’t lost this weapon yet and I was getting good with it.
“Yeah!” Smolder shouted back as she kept blasting drones the hallway behind us was littered with robots.
I moved ahead of Dolly and swung the blade left and right twirling it so the bladed toes be creating powerful cutting arcs to deflect or cut the energy blasts apart enough as to be harmless.
I ducked under a blast that struck the floor and then be rising the scythe in an upward slash that tore the machine before me in half. Looking to my right we were at the door, but how were we getting it open, I swung at it and the cutting arc barely be denting it.
“How are we to be getting through the door?!” I asked in a panic as slash a wave of shots apart. Dolly whipped her board at it with the strap, but nothing be happening.
“Figure something out, there’s too many of them for us to take on up close!” Smolder didn’t flinch. She was taking a lot of hits and they be doing nothing to her, some even be knocking her head around in a painful manner that be throwing of her aim.
Suddenly the volume of fire be increasing by a lot, one of the armored ones was coming down the hallway that Smolder be firing down.
“Yeah, there’s no way we’re going to be able to slow that thing down…” Smolder kept shooting the smaller Hunter Drones and be holding them off from the right side. Any shot that hit the larger one as it thundered towards us did nothing aside from a lucky shot that be exploding one of its exposed explosive launchers.
Dolly barked something having regained some stamina sitting in the closed doorway and held up her board at me and point towards it, I tilted my head questioningly. She wanted me to strike her board?
I swung the stump end of my legged peg around in my hooves and struck the board, Dolly toppled onto her back and slapped against the floor painfully. She rubbed at her back as she sat up.
“Why did you be having me do that? That not be helping at all!” After I be saying this the large drone was about a ships deck away from us. Dolly narrowed her eyes at the board and then contemplated me, she pointed to Smolder and the right side of the door and then motioned to me to strike the board again but she hopped in place then pointed to me. “Okay, if you be thinking that will help. Smolder be moving to the other side of the door now!”
“Alright, but how are we going to stop that thing?!” Smolder backed up and Dolly was looking at the large Hunter Drone charging us suspiciously. She nodded to herself and then turned to me holding the board defensively and be hopping into the air this time.
I swung the thigh around and struck the board bluntly, a shower of blew energy erupted into Dolly and she grinned as she sucked into her body greedily. She landed on the floor and then moved into the path of the constant firing lasers with her board held up and waited, she pointed at Smolder and the down the hallway.
“Smolder turn around and keep the smaller ones off us, I think I know what Dolly be doing!” And do it she did, for in the instance the large machine closed to try and slam its fist into Dolly she held up her right paw and with a flash of green and a bark a howling powerful tornado barely managed to lift it off the floor.
Dolly leapt to the wall across from the doorway pressing her hind legs against the wall and twisting her body in a painful manner. With her teeth gritted, she pushed off the wall spiraling with incredible speed on her own strength, said speed triple when she went into the tornado of wind into an indistinguishable blur all the way right up until she swung her board from her right to left for all she was worth as the robot was going to fall to the floor despite the winds barely holding it aloft as it was far too heavy to stay in the air for more than a few seconds.
The skateboard be connecting with the slowly twisting and floating robots chest in a huge shower of sparks and Dolly looking under an immense amount of stress.
What happened next was the large robot being blasted through the shut doorway as its chest armor dented inwards and blast through the room with a painful screeching noise that made Dolly whining and grimacing as she flopped to the floor limply unable to move.
“Move, I hope you didn’t just kill Ocellus with that maneuver Dolly!” Smolder wasn’t bothered by the noise and swiftly scooped up Dolly and ran into the room and I followed behind her taking out. I pole vaulted into the room with the leg and held the weapon aloft hoping the large armored one be dealt with. “Well now… aside from Dolly being tapped out, that certainly helps.”
The robot be stuck, embedded in the wall. It be mostly intact and still moving, but it was being too stuck to actually come for us. The lights on what I assume to be the jail cells winked out, but Ocellus was in none of them as she was stuck up on a rack off to the left lifting her head weakly. She still be taking on Abigail Callaghan’s appearance.
“Nhhh… the portents of our imminent demise will come for us in the sound of the hard to break breaking something. It seems today is our end, but we will make it a glorious one.” The old magic guy was being separated from his staff and slowly trying to get up. Smolder be blasting it with molten fire that looked to be almost like she was actively spitting liquid lava. “No… my staff… you’ll pay for that, I don’t know how I’ll… yes that’s it… you came for her didn’t you?”
He be pulling out a flaming sword, I stared at him incredulously as did Smolder, Dolly and even Ocellus in her slightly beaten state just stared at him. Smolder tossed the stolen weapon and ribbon to me and marched towards him with anger in her eyes.
“Ocellus chew and line you’re mouth with this and don’t be swallowing it!” I be pulling out a stick of gum and throwing it her way, she be catching it and quickly chewing as asked and grimaced at the flavor.
He swiftly slashed downwards at her with the magical sword of pure flames at an angle shoulder to hip, he lashed it across her chest, Wraith then tried stabbing her with the sword and then looked at it curiously. He lightly dragged the blade across, up and down all over Smolder’s body, she didn’t even flinch when the flames cross her eyes.
Curiously touching the flame of the magical fire blade as Smolder put her fists on her hips, the Wraith tall old guy that originally be taking Ocellus winced. It be far less effective than a flashlight against Smolder, because at least a flashlight would irritate Smolder’s angry glaring eyes.
“Ah yes… I see where I am completely unable to win the oncoming fight now. If you’ll excuse me.” Wraith slashed the blade at the floor and created a mass of smoke that filled the room and we heard him running for Ocellus as Smolder flopped on the floor. “I need to be retreating while I can, Lord Dragaunus I need a recall, this is a fight my magic simply cannot win!”
“At least you admit to your failings and the weakness of magic.” Dragaunus stated. I could see a small smirk on Ocellus’s face, but she couldn’t struggled as Wraith took a grip of her throat.
“Please hurry with the recall or we will lose our hostage!” Wraith stated in a tone of sheer fright, Ocellus simply nodded to Smolder without an ounce of fear on her face.
Smolder spread her wings and shot towards Wraith fully intending to eviscerate him with her claws for hurting Ocellus, the guy launched a ball of fire at Smolder harmlessly knocking her back slightly with the blast from his sword.
He quickly disappeared with Ocellus in a flash, they are likely being on that ship now.
“…” Smolder just stood there perfectly still and her left eye be twitching fiercely.
-Smolder-
They took the most precious thing to me, more precious than gems, jewels or gold. There’s nothing greedier than love and they just made me angry that we came all the way down here for nothing.
As I’m about to show them, you don’t steal that which is most precious to a dragon… for a very good reason. I was tired of holding back my greed, Ocellus was mine and she would know my love!
“You two, get to safety when you can, but first… stay behind me and don’t get in my way.” A bunch of Hunter Drones came into the room with another large one. “RAGGGHHHH!”
-Dolly-
Ugh… what the… oh… that… that isn’t good.
A shadow slowly began filling the room, slowly an orange claw reach to the large Hunter Drone pulling itself from the wall and simply crushed it under the raw force of a single squeeze. She launched the crushed pile of materials forwards and it tore through the robots trying to shoot at the beast.
A slow puddle formed on the floor between my hind legs as I stared up at the beast in horror, slowly the large figure ripped the second large robot to shreds in seconds and just barreled through the rest of them like tissue paper.
I always did think of Smolder as something dangerous, but I didn’t know she could go Godzilla like that…
“Dolly you might want to move you’re paws before they be getting covered.” Shanty, how can you ignore Smolder tearing a huge hole in the doorway out of the room?! Also thanks I don’t want my paws to be covered in my own fluids because that terrifying.
A roar and blinding flames filled the hallways. Moving out we saw the entire corridor was melted widened cylinder and we saw the tail end of the monstrous dragon Smolder became digging its way back up through the base.
“I think she be making a straight line for Ocellus.” Shanty said flatly as the melted upwards shaft filled in quickly with molten rock and sealed us off down here. “Let’s be finding a way out quickly yes?”
-Dragaunus-
“Lock down the asteroid base and activate the self-destruct. We’re abandoning the Hunter Drone production facility, let’s see if that kills a few of them!” I watched the visuals as something large started tearing through the base. “We’ll release the electromagnetic worm take the ducks out and then we’ll flee, all strength to shields if we’re prevented from escaping!”
“Right away Lord Dragaunus!” Siege was my most loyal member, he has yet to fail in following my orders throughout all of this.
-Shanty-
The place be getting loud and noisy.
“Self-destruct activated, two minutes until base destruction.” When it be raining, it be pouring.
-Kim Possible-
Just when we managed to wreck the Hunter Drone production facility too…
“So… how are we getting out of this one and through all the doors in that amount of time?” Ron asked as shutters closed and tried to lock us inside the facility that was about to explode. “We’re three floors down from the hangar!”
“Not looking forward to being fried duck!” Responded Nosedive, he continued to fire as we still had Hunter Drones to deal with.