//------------------------------// // 10. Alea Iacta Est // Story: Beyond Earth: Phoenix Rising // by Stalin with Da Spoon //------------------------------// 'Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.' - John F. Kennedy "If you don't mind me asking, where did you guys even come from?" Cozy Glow asked as she walked alongside Tirek behind the squad of humans. "Were not exactly authorized to disclose that information, but you'll find out soon enough. Once we get out of this cave, it'll be a short walk back to homebase. Speaking of which, how was this cave even built? You call it Tartarus, right?" Foley said as he turned back towards Tirek. "Tartarus' origins are not exactly known, though it is speculated that Princess Celestia and Luna created it in the early years of their rule to contain the most dnagerous and foul beasts across Equestria, to keep their ponies 'safe'." Tirek answered as he made air quotes with the last word. "So I guess that explains why they kept you two down here?" "Like I said before, we were wrongly labeled as evil and dangerous and imprisoned down here. However, I cannot diagree that the other creatures contained within this cavern are no doubt a threat to Equestria, as I have seen the damage they can do if released." "Well let's just hope they stay locked in those cages. If we run into any potential resistance on the back, like those wooden wolf things, you get into cover and we can handle it for ya." Blackburn remarked, quickly checking his sniper rifle and realizing he had forgotten to load a new magazine, quickly ejecting the current empty one and placing a new one in as he pulled back the bolt and loaded a bullet into the rifle's chamber, all while Tirek and Cozy Glow watched in intrigue. "That's a neat weapon and all sir, but what makes you think we can't defend ourselves?" "Well no offense, but you're just a kid, and you're friend here is skinnier than a vegan." "And what exactly is a 'vegan'?" "Somebody that eats only plants." "Well I assure I do not consume only plants, I have a much more balanced diet. I simply have not consumed any substantial sustenance since my imprisonment here." "Bloody hell, did they starve you?" Nigel asked as he turned back, his visor brightning and showing a concerned expression in his eyes. "Oh no no no, even our captors are admittedly not that cruel. This prison utilizes passive magical energy to provide sustenance, substituting any form of food or water." "Sounds like a perfect prison. Automatic feeding and watering, giant guard dog, isolated location, and lot of containment space. We oughta use this for our prisons." "Nigel, please note we contain convicted criminals, not mutated monstrosities." SAM chimed in on Nigel's helmet radio. "I know, just sayin'. Now then, I just gotta ask, what kind of bloody name is 'Cozy Glow'?" "Oh your one to talk mister... Mister... What's your name?" "Nigel Wornswood." "Well yeah, your name sounds weird to me too!" "Fair enough mate, fair enough. But if your called Cozy Glow, then whats with the bloody Rook looking symbol on your leg?" Nigel said gesturing down to Cozy Glow's rear leg as the depiction of a brown rook chess piece was seen on it. "Oh, that's just me cutie mark, never really figured out what it stood for." "Hey, that cutie whatever of your's looks just like the symbol for Shadow Company." He said tapping the distinct insignia as Cozy Glow appeared confused as she suddenly fluttered her wings to fly up closer and inspect it. "Hmmmm... Well that's awfully neat mister! Maybe we can be friends?" "Yeah, maybe. And also, I now see those wings aren't for show." Blackburn said as Tachanka proceeded to bonk Blackburn on the helmet with a light slam of his fist, leaving Cozy Glow giggling as she descended to the ground. "Da, what else would they be used for, idiot?" "I dunno, just thought they wouldn't be that effective. Eh, guess that proves me wrong. Just another weird occurrence to add to the list of weird shit that we've seen up here. Command is just gonna love to view the footage." As the group of humans remained ahead of the ponies, besides Ramirez and the massive and menacing Cerberus who remained at the back end alongside the small Rover, with Cerberus still hard glaring at the two villains with a low growl, leaving them nervous, however they had a plan. Cozy Glow and Tirek exchanged devious nods as Tirek took in a deep breath before... Nothing. A look of confusion washed over his face. He breathed in again. And nothing again. Blackburn turned back with a confused glance. "What's wrong, you sound like the big bad wolf having a damn asthma attack." "Uhhh, nothing, just a light amount of dust in the air." Blackburn then shrugged, before turning back to the path ahead as Tirek nervously glanced at Cozy Glow and spoke in a hushed tone. "They have no magic." "How in the hay do they not have magic, even humans have a little bit of magical aura! I guess that explains how they got through the barrier at the entrance." Cozy glow whispered back in a frantic voice, barely managing to remain out of earshot of everyone. The villainous pegasus and centaur were left confused by this information but decided to just remain silent as they continued to follow the humans while they walked across their way to the exit of Tartarus, the only sound being the silent dripping of water descending from the ceiling, the moaning and growling of encaged monsters, and footsteps. The opening at the very end of the cavern was visible, as Dunn quickly glanced over, only to stop in his tracks. "Uhhh... Guys? Where's the bug bear?" Everyone else ceased their walking as they all turned to see the cage responsible for containing the mammal insect hybrid had been busted open, and the beast inside was vacant. "That ain't good." Nigel said, as even Cozy Glow and Tirek appeared concerned. "You didn't break it out did you?" "No, we left it in there, didn't even go near it. How the heck did it bust out?" "Perhaps it sensed that Cerberus was no longer alert and took its chances?" "But where in the hay is it-" Cozy Glow said, before a low growl emanated behind her. "It's behind me isn't it?" "No, that's Cerberus. It's behind us." Foley said with a surprisingly relaxed tone as he and the rest of team quickly turned to see the massive bear flying in the air, it's stinger primed and it's wings rapidly flapping as it growled and roared before diving downward, it's stinger pointed directly at Dunn. "Oh shit!" He said before quickly rolling out of the air, letting the beasts stinger puncture the ground as Dunn brought up his KAR-45, pulling the trigger as several loud and thunderous bangs were heard, echoing throughout the cavern as a spray of bullets flew into the beasts back, forcing it to let out a roar of pain. Ramirez gestured to Cozy Glow and Tirek to get into cover, which they obliged, covering their ears as Ramirez fired his ARX-160 assault rifle, with even Cerberus whining as he laid on the ground and blocked his ears with his paws. Rover didn't react much besides simply muting his audio sensors while quickly moving into cover. "Aim for the stinger, shoot it up!" Foley said before raising his RAK-9 shotgun and firing several shots into the stinger as the bug bear groaned in pain, with blood visibly leaking from the shot wounds, although the liquids leaking from the stinger was more greenish. The beast finally managed to free it's stinger from the ground, roaring as he dived for Nigel and Tachanka, swinging its claws at them as they barely rolled out of the way. "Blackburn, can you get a shot on the head?" "Barely, need the damn thing to stay still!" "I shall attempt to incapacitate with a shock." SAM said as his drone body rushed towards the beast, as several electrified coils rose out of his sides as he let out an electric burst, the electricity coursing through the beast and scorching it's hair while it roared in pain. However the temporary disorientation it felt quickly dissipated and only resulted in it becoming further enraged, roaring at SAM as it attempted to bite at him, only for it's jaws to blocked by the shield of Tachanka, holding the beast back before his suit's frame diverted power to his legs while boosters on his back powered up as he rushed forward and rammed his shield into the bears skull, staggering it as he yelled to Blackburn. "Now comrade, while it is discombobulated!" Raising his EM3 rifle, Blackburn took in a deep breath, and then... Thoom! The almost silent shot sent the tungsten projectile loaded in the barrel straight through the rifle's long barrel along the magnetic rails accelerating it. It emerged from the barrel, tearing through the air like a banshee and into the beasts eye and out the other side, leaving a hole the size of quarters as tiny bits of brain matter flowed out with blood, as it stumbled and fell onto it's back with a heavy quake, letting out a final moan of pain and agony before succumbing to its wounds. The soldiers took a moment to gather their bearings, before quickly reloading their weapons as SAM flew his drone over and took photos and scans of the bear. SAM then a robotic tendril extended from his body, as it had a small extractor on the end as it took a sample of blood and skin, before pulling itself out after grabbing some hair. "The scientists will love to examine this freak of nature. Excellent work dispatching the threat gentleman, nothing like a good bit of life or death combat scenarios to get the blood pumping. At least for you organics, I pump coolant through my systems instead." Cozy glow and Tirek had looks of both shock and slight horror on their faces, slowly emerging from cover while Cerberus whimpered at the sight of the dead bug bear, with Rover driving and extending out their mechanical arm as they curiously poked it a bit. Tachanka gave Cerberus a reassuring pet on the side, as he seemingly cheered up and started panting again. Meanwhile, Cozy Glow was still trying to comprehend what she had seen as she looked up at the soldiers. "H-how!?!" "Simple really, Blackburn fired a high-velocity magnetic round directly into it's cranium through it's eye socket, piercing both it's left eye and cerebral cortex, resulting in total shutdown of it's bodily systems shortly after." "I... What are those monstrous and mighty weapons you wield? The bug bear is one of the mightiest of monsters and yet you killed it with ease!" Tirek asked with a hint of fear in his voice. The way the humans nonchalantly reacted to the beasts presence before quickly dispatching it with quick and ruthless efficiency was astounding, if Tirek had known otherwise he would have assumed they were some type of brutal war golems from the ancient era. And the way they relaxed themselves and responded to his request as if it was nothing unnerved him further. "Oh, just the glory of the second amendment, even if that term don't apply to Nigel and Tachanka. We'll tell you more when we get back. Now c'mon, it's gonna be night time soon and we don't wanna be late. Had my fair share of weird beasties" The soldiers went on to walk towards the entrance, as Cozy Glow and Tirek continued to stare at the corpse, before being nudged along by Cerberus and Rover as they continued walking. Tirek once again was thankful he decided not to try and siphon their magic, although from what he sensed they may not have any. That fact was no doubt the most unnerving. The door to Celestia's study slowly opened, as Luna poked her head through and surveyed the dimly lit room, which was ironic considering her sister was the Princess of the Sun. Slowly walking inside she saw her sister taking a light nap on her bed, as Luna slowly leaned in before... Placing both her hooves on Celestia and violently shaking her awake. "Sister, we have sensed something terrible!" "W-what... What is it?" "The magical ward of the Tartarus entrance has been tripped!" "B-but... That's impossible. No creature could enter without us lowering the barrier. Even creatures with barely any magic would be stopped." "Do you believe it is best we investigate?" "No doubt, it is possible that the creatures within have escaped. But... Just give me five more minutes..." Celestia said before returning to sleep, leaving a very unamused Luna.