The first thing that reached Applejack's senses before she regained consciousness was a series of jumbled voices. She didn't recognise them but she knew she never heard them before. The second thing she noticed was that she was no longer lying on the cold floor but on a bed. Not the comfiest of beds but it was definitely softer than the surface she passed out on. The third and most noticeable thing was that the stabbing pain in her chest from Bloodsport's magical bullet was no longer there.
As her eyes slowly opened, the first thing she saw was the ceiling of what looked like a hospital room. It was dark with the only source of light being the first rays of the morning sun peering through the shutter of the window. Applejack's eyes widened. It was morning already? When she flew here to stop the robbery it was already last sunset. Just how long was she out? Her family must be worried sick.
Applejack moaned as she pushed herself into a sitting position on the bed. A decision she immediately regretted as the pain returned to the wound she received from the mercenary's magical bullet. She turned to look at it and saw that it was bandaged but through her x-ray vision she could see that it still wasn't fully healed. No wonder, they probably had no means to do anything about her impenetrable alien physiology.
Once she got over her pain from her encounter with the mercenary, she started to regain her super senses enough to make out what the voices outside were saying. She could immediately tell that she was the subject of their discussion. Her and the break in she tried to stop. And from what she heard, the speakers were none too happy.
"Professor, you are the third pony this month to tell me that a bulletproof earth pony mare with superpowers saved you. And only two of them were from today. What makes you think I'll believe you any more than I did the previous two?" Applejack assumed that the speaker was a police officer. At least she hoped it was. She didn't know if the hostages she saved managed to get to the police in time.
"I do not understand it myself, officer." Replied a voice Applejack believed to be one of the researchers who worked there. "But that's exactly what happened."
"Is that so?" The voice of the officer replied, not sounding any less sceptical. "And where is this 'Supermare' right now?"
"She's in the infirmary, sir." The researcher replied. It was clear he was trying to sound neutral about the whole thing, but the disbelief in his voice was still palpable.
"But you said she was bulletproof. So how was she injured." The police pony asked. There was a few moments of silence. The researcher was probably trying to come up with a believable explanation, but it was obvious he had none.
"My best guess is the mercenary used a special kind of bullet to injure her. It had very powerful magic around it. Right after we removed it from the wound, it exploded into several fragments. We barely got to it in time." Applejack involuntarily reached for her wound when she heard that. Just the thought of the bullet's fragments spreading through her body, into her heart was shocking to imagine. If this was true, she owed her life to this pony and his colleagues. The professor continued.
"Look, I realise this whole thing sounds unbelievable. I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it myself. But I did. I understand it any more than you do and I just don't have an explanation for you."
"Clearly." The officer replied and though Applejack couldn't see it, she just knew he said that with a roll of his eyes. "Professor, clearly you are in no condition to be of any assistance to us. We will continue our investigation downstairs. I suggest you go help the wounded."
"Yes. I believe that would be for the best." The professor agreed, ending the conversation.
Applejack then heard hoofsteps approaching the door, quickly realising that the professor was on his way to see her. The door opened and she found herself face to face with the last pony she saw before she passed out, who looked rather surprised to see that she was up. He was looking at her with an inquisitive gaze. Applejack would have assumed him to be a bit startled by the display she put up when she burst in here and was probably at a loss of words in her presence. He was clearly waiting for her to break the ice, so she did exactly that.
"Um... Professor? It's rude to stare." The stallion snapped out of his stupor and shook his head.
"Oh, of course, I apologise. It's just... I wasn't expecting you to awaken so soon." He replied sheepishly. Applejack's gaze turned back on towards the window.
"Seems to be that it's been quite a while actually. The sun is already up. What time it is anyway?"
"9:37 am." The professor replied. "You slept through the whole night. Of course that is expected after the taxing surgical process your body went through."
"Yeah, I've heard." Applejack said, remembering what he said about the bullet. "You got it out of me before it could do some serious damage. Thank you, Professor. I owe you my life." She smiled at him gratefully.
"Don't mention it, my dear." The professor waved dismissively. "I put my life on helping ponies through science, though I'm not exactly a medical doctor. I'm a physicist, you see, but I have several coworkers highly trained in medical science. If anything, it's them you should thank. Besides, after everything you've done for us, it was the least we could do." Applejack smiled. She kept bringing the best out in ponies just like her father wanted. The professor then pulled out a clipboard.
"Anyway, We removed the bullet but there was little we could do about the wound itself. Your skin was impossible to sew together as our needles proved useless against it. Though, after the way you deflected those bullets, this probably shouldn't be a surprise." A look of confusion then crossed his features. "Just how exactly that bullet ended up getting through is beyond me though. Pardon my curiosity but you have any ideas?" Applejack thought for a while.
"Did you say the bullet was magical?" The processor nodded.
"Yes. Encased with the very same energy as a unicorn's horn produces. It caused the bullet to explode shortly after we removed it." Applejack remembered the time when she saved Rarity from those bullies when they were fillies. One of them was a unicorn who held her cloth in his magical aura and she became completely powerless when she attempted to remove it. Back then, she thought maybe it was just a sudden surge in her powers that happened on occasions, but it was becoming painstakingly apparent that it was magic that caused the problem. Looks like she wasn't so invincible after all.
"That might explain it. I have had some bad experiences with magic." She told the professor after a few moments of thinking.
"Hmm, interesting." He replied, ribbing his chin. "Any idea why magic affects you this way?" Applejack was uncertain how to answer that question.
"Well truth be told, I'm still figuring out how I work." She said, looking down. "All I know is I need..." She suddenly stopped with a grunt and grabbed her bandaged injury as the pain returned to her wound with a vengeance. She needed sunlight to fasten the healing process. She tried to get up and get to the window, but the professor rushed to her side to push her back.
"Easy now! Your wound isn't healed yet. You shouldn't get out of bed!"
"Professor, please, I need sunlight. Help me get to the window!" Applejack pleaded, but Quick Scan just shook his head.
"I really don't think your intake of vitamin d should be your main concern right now."
"Please!" Applejack looked up pleasingly at him and Quick Scan had no heart to refuse her. He put one of Applejack's forelegs around his shoulder and supported her to the window where Applejack sat down on a chair.
"The shutter." She pleaded. Quick Scan quickly pulled it up, basking the room in sunlight and Applejack let out a sigh of relief as her body absorbed the warmth. She reached for her bandages and tried to rip them oped, much to the professor's alarm.
"What are you doing?!" But his alarm was replaced by fascination when he saw what happened next. As soon as the rays fell upon the wound, it began healing miraculously fast. Applejack laid back in the chair and allowed the soothing sun to do it's pleasantly rejuvenating work. Before Quick Scan knew it, the wound was completely healed, not even leaving a visible scar behind. Applejack smiled in amusement at his befuddled look.
"I told you. A little sunlight is all I need." She said. Quick Scan still needed a few minutes to find his voice.
"This is incredible." Was the only thing he could say. "Actual photonucleic effect!" Applejack chuckled.
"Is all it takes for me to get back in shape." Applejack replied before her expression turned serious. "I'm more concerned about the hostages. How are they?"
"Some of them were a little roughed up but they should be fine with a little rest." The professor replied before looking down in sorrow. "The only casualties were our security guards. They weren't prepared for the firepower those mercenaries possessed." Applejack shared the professor's sentiments, but her face quickly hardened. Such senseless taking of life infuriated her.
"One more thing those varmints are gonna answer for when I find them." She growled, the flames of determination burning bright inside her to bring those ponies to justice. "What did they take? Was it important?" Quick Scan frowned.
"Only my life's work. I finally managed to create a scanner that would be able to locate even the scarcest of materials beneath any surface. Oil, gold, reamins or ancient civilizations or creatures, you name it. But of course with every great invention, you have somepony trying to exploit it for his own use." He finished bitterly. Applejack immediately caught the knowing glint in his eye.
"Is there anypony you suspect?" She asked, earning a nod from the stallion.
"I don't suspect anypony. I know exactly who sent those dogs after me. Ever heard of Filthy Rich?"
Applejack knew that name all too well. While she was never interested in the world of business in the slightest, Filthy Rich was closely associated with her family. He bought half the zap apple jam they harvested and made every year and his daughter went to school with her little sister. She was a nasty piece of work and Apple Bloom was her favourite target for bullying.
And despite how much their parents tried to hide it from them, she was also well aware how many times he tried to buy their land. Her super hearing picked up on their arguments more than once. She couldn't imagine why he was so interested in an apple farm, her best guess was he just wanted to get his hooves on one more profitable business. But now that she discovered just what kind of a secret her family has been hiding in their farmhouse, she started to see a picture she wasn't so sure she liked.
"Why are you so certain that Mr. Rich is the one behind this attack?"
"That bastard has been trying to buy my invention for years." Quick Scan replied with a sneer. His disdain for the business pony was obvious. "I made it quite clear to him what I think of him and where should he put his 'generous offers', but he isn't a pony who takes no for an answer and there's nothing he won't stop at to achieve his ends." Even Applejack was taken back by his anger.
"What do you mean?"
"That attack dog who shot you? His name is Bloodsport. One of the most wanted mercenaries in Equestria. Everypony knows that he's the leader of the security forces of RichCorp. Unofficialy of course. They do Rich's dirty work when negotiations fail. They were responsible for several similar 'isolated cases' like this theft all-over Equestria. The most infamous one being the assassination of Bright Macintosh and Pear Butter."
Applejack's eyes never widened as much as they did in that moment. She knew how badly Filthy wanted their land, but she never would would have thought he'd resort to such a heinous act to get it. She also knew her parents were murdered but not in her wildest dreams could she ever imagine that Fitlhy Rich had them assassinated.
Several different feelings rushed through her at a faster speed than she was capable of. The first was disbelief. She knew Flithy wasn't the pinnacle of morality, but she never saw him as a criminal. The second was horror. Horror at the revelation of what possibly could have happened to them.
Then came anger. Anger at the possibility of the stallion commiting this sin against her and her family. They lost their home, Apple Bloom had to grow up without parents and Equestria lost one of it's most well renowned food suppliers. All of it just so he could satisfy his own selfish greed?
Finally came the calming reality of doubt. She realised that she cannot just believe something she heard for the very first time in her life from a pony she knew for less than an hour. She regained her serenity before speaking again.
"But the Apples were killed by a group of bandits on their way home from a delivery." She told Quick Scan, trying to sound as sceptical as she could in order to not give away how the idea he planted into her head turned her world upside down. The professor scoffed.
"Well, that was the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story. Filthy Rich is legally untouchable. But his mercs are always there whenever something like this happens."
"I wouldn't give too much credit to these rumors, Professor." Applejack countered. "Ponies will say all kinds of nasty things about anypony they don't like."
"Be that as it may, I have seen what that stallion is capable of. I have next to no doubt that he is the one behind this plot. And if you intend to bring the ones who orchestrated it to justice as you have claimed, then I suggest you continue your investigation on Sweet Apple Acres. There is something on that land that he really wants to find."
Applejack looked down on the floor deep in thought. She didn't want to make the mistake of jumping into conclusions, but there were so many signs pointing towards Filthy Rich. And if wbat the Professor saying was true - although that was a huge if - then Filthy Rich was guilty not only of this attack and the death of her parents, but several other atrocities as well.
"Well, I reckon that's as good a place to start as any." Applejack said before standing up and walking to the window. "Don't worry professor, I will get your device back and find the ones behind this scheme. You have my word."
"You might wanna be careful on your way out." Quick Scan suggested. "The police are still conducting their investigation. I think that a character in such a colorful outfit as yours would be highly suspicious to them." He then heard the sound of something taking off into the air and turned to see nothing but the open window and the curtains being thrown around by the wind. "Oh. I suppose that works too."
Applejack was making her way back to her family's residence in Appleoosa at a much slower pace than she was used to. She realised that she will have to give a lengthy explanation about where she was during the previous night. But she will also expect an explanation from her grandmother. The answer she will give could either help her investigation or throw her right back to square one.
She immediately recognised the fields of Appleoosa and started to descend towards the ground between the trees. She should be able to make it to her family's house on hoof from here without attracting anypony's attention. Soon enough, their house came into view and she even saw the backdoor that lead into the kitchen wide open. Looking around to make sure nopony was looking, she ran inside.
Right as she entered, she felt the smell of her usual breakfast. She didn't know if she also had super smell, but she didn't need it to follow the smell to the table to find the meal on a plate waiting for her. Along with Granny Smith sitting on the table's opposing end. Applejack knew she was waiting for her.
"How... How did you..." The old mare knew what she was going to say.
"Grandmother's know, Applejack. Call it our own superpower." She told her on a motherly tone. "We also know when there is some trouble." She added, looking straight at the hole in her suit. "Do you have something to say about that?"
"There has been some trouble." Applejack started hesitantly. "But I put an stop to it." She then sat down and started eating. "Where's Mac and Bloom?"
"They're already working on the field." She replied before her expression hardened. "Though it's hard when they've barely been able to get any sleep last night. Worrying about why you weren't coming home and all that." Applejack looked down in a bit of shame but tried to save face.
"They really should know better by know. There's nothing on this planet that can hurt me." She lied, but Granny Smith caught on immediately.
"Well lying is certainly not one of your superpowers, lassie. Never was, come to think of it. That hole in your suit tells a different story." Applejack gave her a dry look.
"Well your age sure doesn't seem to be taking it's toll on your sight, Granny." She sighed.
"Now listen, Applejack. I know you can take a lot more punishment than an ordinary pony, but I'm afraid you're getting a little too confident. I know you're still learning about yourself and your abilities, so you don't know if there's actually anything in our world that can hurt you. I already put two of my closest family into the ground. I don't want to to it again before my time comes." Granny Smith said, her voice full of worry and concern. This ended up reminding Applejack of the topic she wanted to discuss with her grandmother.
"Actually, Granny, I've been meaning to talk to you about that." Granny Smith's expression narrowed into a frown.
"Now, Applejack, what's the point in tearing open old wounds?"
"I know you don't like to talk about this topic so I'm just gonna cut to the chase." Applejack said leaning forward on the table. "Was Filthy Rich the one who bought Sweet Apple Acres?" Granny Smith's eyes widened in shock.
"What... What gives you that idea?"
"Answer the question, Granny." Applejack said with a face hard as stone. Granny Smith's gaze started wandering around, clearly trying to think of an explanation.
"I... I don't know. We never met the buyer in person, he talked to us through an agent. He was some kind of city bigshot who couldn't be bothered to make time for us in person." Applejack quickly want buying it. She heard Granny Smith's heart rate which clearly showed that she was lying.
"Now who's bad at lying?" The elderly mare looked down, knowing she was caught.
"What difference does that make, Applejack? What's done is done. We couldn't keep up the farm and he had the money to buy it. We know how much it hurt you so we tried to hide anything about the sale from you. Do you have any reason to bring this up now and torment an old mare some more with it?" Applejack's face fell for the first time. Did she really want to stress her grandmother by revealing what she just learned? In the end, she supposed it had to be done. She had the right to know.
"The ponies I helped last night, they had something stolen from them. They believe that our old friend, Filthy Rich was behind the theft and he stole what was stolen because he needs it to find something in Sweet Apple Acres. Something buried there. Does that sound familiar?"
"I'm actually not surprised." Granny Smith scoffed. "Filthy was never exactly popular. His business methods were not always the cleanest, so to speak. But even if it's he's just wasting his time. This is exactly why we took your pod with us when we moved."
"Still, if he was behind that theft, he needs to be brought to justice." Applejack replied with determination.
"And you're planning to do that?" Granny Smith asked cautiously.
"Who else would?" Applejack countered. Her grandmother looked down with a sigh. This time with sadness.
"This is exactly why I never wanted to tell you the truth, Applejack." She said, her sound close to breaking. "I know you're supposed to help all ponykind everywhere, but please try not to forget that you're an Apple first and foremost while you're doing it. Your place and duty will always lie here with us." Applejack narrowed her eyes.
"Believe it or not, this is more for this family than you know." She said, remembering what Quick Scan told her about the possibility of Filthy being the one to order the attack on her parents. But she decided to keep quiet about that for now. Until she was certain, there was no need to upset her grandmother with idle gossip.
"What do you mean?" Granny Smith asked curiously.
"Never mind. I'm gonna go upstairs and change. Can I ask you something, Granny?" Granny Smith waited patiently for her granddaughter's request. "Could you go down to the train station and find out when's the next train to Ponyville?" Her grandmother raised an eyebrow.
"You're not flying?" Applejack shook her head.
"When I met them, they got the better of me and I'm afraid when we meet again they will be ready for me." She replied heading for the stairs. "I need to go undercover."
Filthy Rich took a deep, calming breath of the clear country air of Sweet Apple Acres as he stepped out of his carriage. It was a welcome change from the crowded cities where he usually had to spend time at due to his business. Even if that was exactly what he was here for. More business. He ordered his ponies to unload the cargo they were carrying, flinching when one of the mercs tripped and dropped the machine.
"Careful! That thing is worth more than you're ever gonna make!" The crew eventually did manage to set it up with Flithy's instructions and soon the machine was standing in the middle of the orchard with it's scanners drilled deep into the ground and connected to computers in a mobile reaserch center nearby.
"All scanners are operational, Mr. Rich." One of the researchers reported. "We're ready to begin."
"Excellent." The stallion mused. "Now then, let's see what you're hiding."
Even with Quick Scan's device, the process took hours. Many of the researchers were bored out of their minds and about to fall asleep, but Filthy himself was the exact opposite of that. He has been waiting for this moment for twenty years. Whatever secret Sweet Apple Acres was hiding, it was soon going to be his. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the computer screens. Not even for a moment. Even the complete fruitlessness of the first few hours wasn't enough to discourage him.
The few researchers who were still awake were about to give up, until they were snapped out of their boredom by a sudden loud beeping sound eminating from the machine. They couldn't believe it. It actually did find something and they knew it had to something peculiar. The scanner was programmed to ignore everything normally found in the soil of a farmland. Whatever it picked up, it clearly wasn't supposed to be there.
"There you are!" Filthy cried out. "Bring the excavators!"
The scans lead the excavation team to spot to some older apple trees that looked like they didn't bear fruit in a long time. Between the trees was a barren circular piece of ground in the grass. The strangeness of this didn't escape the researchers.
"Why is this the only spot on this entire farm where nothing grows?" One of them asked.
"Looks like we find our X that marks the spot, gentlecolts." Filthy said with a chuckle. "Start digging!" As the excavation team began to work, one of the researchers noticed a strange pattern to the trees.
"These trees feel so out of place here." He said. "They're too close to each other to be harvested properly. And so circularly placed around this barren spot. Almost like they were planted in an attempt to hide it from prying eyes."
"Maybe the Apples knew about what was here and tried to cover it up." Another one suggested, causing Filthy to roll his eyes.
"Oh, please! You're giving those simpletons way too much credit." He dismissed coldly. The excavator lifted a big chunk of dirt out of the ground and lowered it in front of the researchers to scan it.
"Sir, the scans are unmistakable. There are parts of what we're looking for in it. But they're so little that it would be like finding a needle in a haystack to unearth it." Filthy Rich raised a hoof to his chin in thought. He called for his crew to collect the dirt inside a glass container and carry it back to the research station.
Once it got there, they began hosing the piece of dirt with several rays of water until most of it was reduced to mud. The mud was then filtered out of the container through the bottom. The holes they used for this were so small that anything bigger than a raindrop wouldn't make it through.
Once all of the mud was out of the container, Filthy removed his protective glasses and looked inside the container. What was left in it was very small but it was still noticeable. He poured it's content into a cup and lifted a magnifying glass to see it closer. Want he was seeing was several pieces of glowing green stones.
"This is it?" One of the researchers scoffed. "Some green stones? What a letdown!"
"Don't be so quick too judge, my friend." Filthy told him as he placed the stones inside a computer. "Initiate scanning!" He ordered the machine. After a few seconds of scanning, the result that came in shocked them all.
"No match?" Filthy read in astonishment.
"But that would mean whatever this thing is isn't part of the periodic table!" A researcher exclaimed.
"Which in turn would mean..." Another one started, but Filthy finished it for him.
"...that it is not from this planet." He smirked. "Actual alien material from another planet. Not bad for a day's work if I say so myself." The researchers around the station cheered.
"We owe you an apology, Mr. Rich." One said. "We all thought this whole research was just a waste of money and time. But this... this is biggest discovery in the history of ponykind. Filthy nodded. Every bit he poured into this place was about to pay off at last. But before he could savor his triumph, one of the researchers interrupted him.
"Excuse me, Mr. Rich. There is something else." He told his boss, pointing at the computer screen.
"What else?" Filthy looked at the screen with irritation.
"I don't know what it is, but it's big. Much bigger than those stones. And it's not on the orchard. This scanning device really is good. What we picked up is in the..." Once he managed to pinpoint the exact location of his scans, he gulped nervously. "The Everefree Forest." Every researcher inside the station collectively copied him. They all knew the reputation that place had and none of them liked the idea of retrieving anything from there. Filthy sighed, instantly realising what this meant.
"And I suppose that means you will be less than willing to investigate it." He asked in annoyance. Nopony replied. "Very well." He turned to Bloodsport and a couple of other mercenaries standing behind him. "Go with them. Just in case."
While still reluctant, the extra firepower on their side was enough to convince some of the researchers to follow the scans into the ominous woods. They've been searching for about fifteen minutes between the trees and much to their relief, they didn't encounter anything threatening so far. But for some reason, they all had a sense of imminent danger looming over their heads. Even the hardened mercenaries.
"Does anypony else have a bad feeling about this place?" One of the mercenaries asked.
"A bad feeling about the Everfree Forest? What a shock!" A researcher retorted.
"No! I mean, this place in general. Like, the very place we are heading to." Everypony looked around. They all got that very same feeling but they didn't understand why. The trees around them were becoming fewer and fewer and even less creepy as they went. But a thick layer of fog was beginning to rise around them and the ground was becoming less and less dry. They had to stop every ten seconds to wipe the mud off their hooves.
"What's with all this damn mud?" A mercenary complained. "Feels like more of a swamp than a forest." The mercenary who spoke first widened his eyes.
"A swamp? Now I remember! This is the place where they hung and buried Golden Citrus!" The other ponies pondered about what he said for a few seconds but then they all realised what he was referring to.
"Golden Citrus? Don't tell me you believe in that foal story!" Another merc groaned.
"I never said I did!" The first one snapped back. "It's just... that would explain why this place feels so... wrong." Bloodsport who was at the front of the group didn't much care about this discussion. He never believed in stories like Golden Citrus. And the researcher walking next to him with the scanner apparently didn't even hear it.
"What's a Golden Citrus?" He asked the mercenary casually. Bloodsport sighed.
"It's a stupid old scary story. Golden Citrus was a gangster running his gang from Ponyville. The Royal Guard caught them but Citrus escaped into the Everfree. The citizens chased him down, hanged him and buried him beneath the same tree. Just another scary story to keep foals out of the forest." He scoffed dismissively.
"Are you sure about that?" A mercenary called out as he came up next to the two, aiming his flashlight up at a tree. Everypony turned to look at the direction the flashlight was pointing at and they all gasped in shock when they saw a piece of rope tied in a noose hanging from one of the branches of the tree in front of them. Bloodsport scoffed.
"This doesn't mean anything."
"But this does!" The researcher carrying the scanner shouted. "Whatever we're looking for, it's beneath this tree!" The researchers and the mercs all gathered around the tree, unsure of what to do until Bloodsport gave the order.
"Well, I'm afraid we cannot bring an excavator out here so we'll have to do it the old fashioned way." He said, tossing them each a shovel. "Start digging!"
As the ponies got to it, Bloodsport looked around a little more. He knew the Everfee Forest was a strange place but this particular spot somehow stood out. While he didn't show it as much as the others did, even he felt that this place was not the regular Everfee Forest spooky. This place resembled more of lifeless swamp than a forest. Even the few trees that he did see looked like they rotted away ages ago. He had no idea how they were still standing.
As he kept walking around, he felt his hoof hitting something on the ground. He looked down to see a dead badger lying by his hooves. He thought nothing of it at first and was about to walk away, but before he did, he saw the body of the animal moving ever so slightly on it's own.
This caused even the hardened mercenary to drop his jaw in shock and back away. The badger corpse slowly picked itself up and turned to growl menacingly at the unicorn. Bloodsport quickly realised it was about to attack and pulled out his gun for a preemptive strike.
One shot was all it took to blast the body of the animal away, but to Bloodsport's astonishment, it got up and was about to leap at him again. He then transformed his gun into a shotgun and kept shooting at the badger until there was nothing left of it but a pile of bloody flesh. And even then, it's parts wouldn't stop twitching. Before he even had the chance to try and find an explanation to what just happened, he was interrupted by the cry of one of the researchers.
"Boss, we're stuck! Our shovels won't go any further!" Bloodsport turned away from the remains of the badger and went to rejoin the group. One of the researchers still stubbornly tried to force his shovel into the ground. His annoyed colleagues were about to tell him to cut it out, but then, something pulled the tool into the ground.
Every researcher quickly retreated from the dig site while the mercenaries raised their weapons, ready to take on whatever emerged from the ground. But there was nothing that would have prepared them for what they witnessed next. The shovel was tossed back in front of their hooves in pieces before a large gray hoof burst out of the ground.
With the exception of Bloodsport all of the mercenaries stumbled back in shock as a huge gray earth pony stallion with white mane who looked like a corpse that had been rotting for several decades pulled itself out of the ground. The corpse shook it's head and opened it's black lifeless eyes to look at the group of ponies in front of him and that was all it took for Tartarus to break loose.
"Open fire!" A mercenary yelled. All of them did so without hesitation. Once again, Bloodsport was the only one who just stood motionless. Somehow in the back of his mind, he knew that using his weapon would have no effect at all.
Sure enough, the creature received several hits from the mercenaries' weapons, but it did not seem hurt at all. It's rotten flesh soaked up all the bullets. All they managed to do was make it angry. The creature grabbed the tree it emerged from beneath and tore it out of the ground, hurling it at the ponies firing at it.
This finally snapped Bloodsport out of his shock. He quickly assembled himself an energy cannon and blasted the tree in half mid-air. He then turned his firepower on the creature which let out an enraged roar and began charging at him. While bullets had no effect, his energy blasts did the trick. While the creature was unhurt, it was knocked back several meters and looked rather dazed.
Bloodsport took this opportunity and released several more energy blasts at the creature until it was knocked back against one of the rotten trees in the background. The unicorn released one more blast which was enough to send the creature crashing through the tree and knock it out.
With the creature no longer posing a threat, the mercenaries and researchers slowly gathered their courage to approach it.
"What... What are we going to do with it?" One of them nervously asked.
"I think that should be obvious." Bloodsport replied without looking at him. "This is what Mr. Rich sent us out to retrieve for him. So we'll do exactly that."
Filthy Rich honestly didn't know what to expect when he sent his ponies off into the Everfree Forest to find whatever their scanner picked up. But when they returned pushing the body of a huge rotting stallion chained down on a cart, even he became more than a little surprised.
"Would you mind explaining this?" He asked Bloodsport once the cart was rolled inside the research station.
"You wanted us to bring you what the scanners picked up." Bloodsport replied casually. "There you have it." Filthy looked very sceptical.
"The scanner picked up a dead body? I mean, looking at his size, he must have been an impressive specimen, but a corpse cannot be the only thing that was out there."
"Well, this dead body still moves and is strong enough to tear a tree out of the ground. My ponies can vouch for it."
Filthy was not amused and was about to ask the unicorn just what kind of a fool did he take him for, when suddenly the body on the cart twitched, making everypony jump. A few of the mercenaries who were out with Bloodsport and saw what it could do covered behind his back for protection, earning an annoyed glare from their leader. Filthy Rich was not a pony who was easily surprised, but even he couldn't watch this with a straight face.
Bloodsport shot his employer a look that clearly challenged him to give whatever angry reception he was gonna give, which Filthy decided to ignore. Instead, he approached the creature still lying on the cart. He was struggling to break free of his chains but he was still dazed from Bloodsport's energy blasts. His gaze met Filthy's and saw the earth pony surveying him inquisitively.
"Does it talk?"
"If he does, he wasted no words on us." Bloodsport answered. "I think he prefers to roar and throw things around." But Filthy knew better. As he made eye contact with the creature, he could somehow tell that this creature had some level of intelligence.
"Do you understand me?" The creature looked at him unresponsively for a few seconds before slowly nodding. "What's your name?"
"Name?" The creature moaned on a deep and gruff voice. "I... I was born on a Monday." Filthy and Bloodsport shared a confused look.
"That's not quite what I was asking." Filthy replied.
"Born on a Monday?" One of the researchers behind Filthy smiled to himself. "That sounds like that old nursery rhyme about that guy. What was his name?"
"Solomon Grundy." Another one replied. Everypony in the room gave him a confused look. Even the creature himself. "You know, Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday..."
"Oh, yeah!" The first researcher replied. "Now I remember! Crystaled on a stark and stormy Tuesday, Married on a grey and grisly Wednesday, Took ill on a mild and mellow Thursday, Grew worse on a bright and breezy Friday, Died on a grey and glorious Saturday, Buried on a baking, blistering Sunday. That was the end of Solomon Grundy."
"Solomon Grundy..." The creature repeated in amusement, seemingly adopting the name himself. Filthy smiled when he heard it.
"Did you hear that everypony? Looks like this is the beginning of Solomon Grundy." He then turned to his researchers. "I want to know everything there is to know about our new friend."
A few of the researchers approached the hulking creature with needle and test tubes, but when they tried to pierce it with them, he became enraged and finally managed to summon the strength to break free of his chains.
The researchers quickly jumped back as the newly named Solomon Grundy picked up the cart he was lying on and began to use it as a flyswatter on anypony who tried to approach him. The mercenaries knew that their weapons were useless against him so they all turned to Bloodsport. The unicorn sighed and assembled his cannon, but Filthy Rich stopped him.
"Don't. I want to see what he's capable of."
The researchers all sprinted out of the building and Grundy hurled the cart after them. Fortunately for the scientists, they managed to make it out the door before it crashed into the wall, braking apart on it.
"Fascinating." Filthy mused. Grundy then turned to the mercenaries cowering behind Bloodsport and charged at them with a roar. Bloodsport raised his cannon at him but Filthy once again pushed it down. "I said don't!" The unicorn just glared in response.
"I won't let that thing tear apart ponies under my command!" He snarled, tearing his cannon away from Filthy and firing several blasts at Grundy. They knocked the enraged zombie back but only temporarily. He just kept coming.
"His resistance is also remarkable." Filthy commented, completely forgetting about Bloodsport's insubordination. Those energy blasts packed quite a punch. They would have been lethal against an ordinary pony. He wondered if Grundy could also take a hit from...
Grundy swiftly recovered from the latest attack and was about to charge again. Filthy was disappointed about it's lack of intelligence. Apparently he couldn't learn not to keep throwing the same ineffective attack against a brick wall. He had enough of seeing that. Before Grundy could attack, the earth pony quickly stood in his way holding a hoof up.
"Stop." He said calmly. All the mercenaries looked at him like he was insane, but as they saw it in a few moments, he knew exactly what he was doing. Grundy came to an abrupt halt in front of Filthy and looked down at him curiously.
"Stand down." Filthy told Bloodsport without turning his attention away from the zombie. The unicorn was reluctant to say the least but eventually obeyed and deconstructed his weapon. "See? I can protect you from them. I am your friend." He told Grundy reassuringly.
"Friend?" Grundy asked, tilting his head.
"Yes. Friend." Filthy replied on a soothing tone. "You can trust me. I will keep you safe. Just calm down. I will be your friend. Will you be mine?" Grundy looked like he was pondering Filthy's offer, which must have been an arduous task with his limited intelligence. But eventually his face softened as he backed down.
"Friend." Grundy said softly. Filthy let out s laugh in disbelief. He didn't think this would actually work.
"Well, what do know? I guess friendship really is magic." He then turned to the mercenaries. "For your own safety, I suggest you leave now." They didn't need to be told twice. The mercs all dashed out of the building as quickly as they could, only Bloodsport walked at a steady pace, shooting Filthy and Grundy a dirty look as he passed. But before he reached the exit, Filthy blocked his way with his foreleg. "Except for you. I have a few words for you."
Filthy Rich and Bloodsport were standing in front of a bunch of computer screens. Once again, the business pony was reviewing the footage his mercenaries' cameras have recorded for him. Similarly to Supermare, he was very impressed with the display of strength and durability he was witnessing. The only difference was that this time, the source of the display was on his side. More specifically, he was currently sitting in the corner, drawing a picture with a few crayons and pieces of paper Filthy gave him.
"Look at him." Filthy marveled as he observed the footage. "Marvelous, isn't he? How do you suppose he came to be?" Bloodsport had his theory. He remembered the zombie badger he blasted to smithereens in the forest. That place probably had something in it that brought things back like this But seeing Flithy's callousness he showed in these last few days, he had serious reservations about sharing this information with him. Who knew what he would do with it?
"I can't imagine what could make such an abomination like this." He told him. Grundy apparently heard him and looked up from his drawing to let out an angry growl at Bloodsport. The mercenary just narrowed his eyes at him in return. "Personally, I think the interest you show in him is unhealthy. I never took you for a zombie fan, boss."
"I pay you enough to spare me your opinion, Bloodsport." Filthy replied in annoyance. "But in mine, I'm starting to have doubts about your capability to lead my security forces."
"Really now?" Bloodsport mused. "And who do you want to replace me with? Your new pet zombie?"
"I'm not planning to replace you. Not yet, at least. But I don't like how you've been disregarding my orders recently." He chided the unicorn. But Bloodsport stood his ground.
"You told me to get you the scanning device from the professor. I did it. You told me to dig him up for you and bring him here. I did. I get you results. What else matters?"
"Do you really?" Filthy countered with a raised eyebrow. "Do you remember our bulletproof friend from the laboratory? It is highly unlikely we have seen the last of her. And as we saw, our conversational means are not enough to deal with her. She will follow your trail, Bloodsport. And when she tracks it down to here, he may be my only protection." He finished, pointing at Grundy. Bloodsport was starting to lose his temper.
"Even if she did survive, I already told you magic is her weakness!" He seethed.
"Exactly." Filthy replied. "Our friend here seems perfectly magical enough to qualify for that." Bloodsport's patience has ran out. He slammed his forelegs down on the table between him and Filthy and was now right in the business pony's face.
"I took her down with a magical bullet, I can do it again." Filthy wasn't impressed by his blasting and merely shook his head.
"Such a limited mind, Bloodsport." He said condescendingly. "Weapons and bullets. Are those your only solution to everything?"
"They never failed me before." Bloodsport retorted confidently.
"Except when you failed to kill our pursuer." Filthy cut back casually.
"If she shows up again, she's mine!" Bloodsport growled in fury, before making his way towards the exit. Filthy watched him go with little interest. Temperamental workers and their tirades was nothing new to her and he got used to handling them a long time ago.
"Idiot." Was the only thing he could say after the mercenary left. He then turned back to to Grundy who was still busy drawing in the corner. He picked up a drawing and showed it to Filthy. It depicted extremely crude stick figures of the two of them, as a sign of their newfound friendship.
While Filthy appreciated it, he had something else in mind. He picked up a crayon himself and made a drawing of the S symbol he saw on Supermare's chest in the recordings of her, before holding it up for the zombie to see and slowly tearing it in half.
In his eagerness to study the creature, he failed to notice that a few bits of the green stones they dug up earlier that day was missing from the glass container in the lab.
It was a slow day at the Golden Horseshoe Hotel in Ponyville. The receptionist, a light green earth pony mare with red mane and glasses was sitting behind the counter and her only concern was filing her hoof. The few guest they did have were quiet and tended to keep to themselves. They either locked themselves inside their rooms or spent the whole day out. They basically only used this hotel for sleeping.
The mare was so used to the silence and lack of activity that when the bell above the door rung, she was so startled that she dropped the hoof filer and had to awkwardly straighten herself out and brush the pieces of her hoof she filed off off the table. Once she was presentable, she looked up to greet the new guest.
"Greetings, madam." She said when she saw that she was dealing with a fellow earth pony mare with an orange coat and blonde mane. "Welcome to the Golden Horseshoe. How may I help you?"
"I would like a room, please." The other mare replied.
"Naturally." The receptionist chuckled. "Business or pleasure?" She asked, but judging from the her clothes, she had a good feeling it was the former. The mare in front of her was wearing a sharp suit that covered even her cutie marks along with a fedora hat and a pair of square glasses.
"Business. The name's Lark Cent, investigative journalist."