"The barricade has sent quite a few drop pods into your vicinity." Spitfire told Octavia through the mic and a secure connection. "They're all on the surface- expect them to get down there soon."
"Roger." Octavia said, slushing through the muck. "We don't have many ponies left. We found Daring Do, and we only have two survivors left."
"Damn. I sent in a team to infiltrate the barricade. They should be able to take over weapons control anytime now." Spitfire said, hiding the worry in her voice. "You know what. Got a little present for ya from... Er... Do you know this... Applebloom?"
"I do." Rainbow cut in immediately.
"Well. She says something about a modified old relic of yours... Rebuilt from scratch. She just sent a message from Haven... It was an automated one."
"Wait- automated incase of what?" Rainbow frowned, stopping dead in her tracks.
"If Haven doesn't make it." Spitfire said.
Everything fell silent as Rainbow tried to process the information. Haven- under attack?
"What the hell is going on!?" she growled in a hushed tone, turning around and sending a menacing and questioning glare Octavia's way.
"Think they found the Haven. They already launched a nuke." Spitfire said.
"Shuck..." Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane, feeling her heart sink with dread and loss. She shook her head, unbelieving. "No... No... This can't be happening."
"Rainbow." Spitfire said firmly. "Hold it together. You aren't the only one with friends in there."
"Don't give me that bull crap!" Rainbow growled.
"Hold it together!" Spitfire growled back. "Listen- you gonna take what's in her will or not?"
Rainbow breathed through flaring nostrils, but shook it off. There were too many surprises already- she didn't need more- but this one she had to take. "Give me the details."
"There's a magic operated cargo train in the underground tunnels. Trams, or subways- more precisely. Your precious cargo will be on it- I'll patch a connection to the train and send it to your nearest station. Can you access Fillydelphia Central station from the sewers?"
"Affirmative. What is the precious cargo?" Rainbow said, she and her group standing absolutely still.
"Doesn't say- but, it does say you'll love it. Patching the M.F. connection now- I'm in. Now- it's on its way to the station. You have the location marked on your HUD?"
"HUD? The hell you talking about?" Rainbow asked. While she may look like she had forgotten about Applebloom's possible death- she was still churning inside. But like Spitfire said- she needed to hold it together. Get the info, and she could either save the filly or take revenge- none of which will be happening if she goes into a blind rage.
"Right. Octavia has... Informed me on your memory loss condition. You should be able to find some shades in your pocket?" Spitfire sighed.
"Yeah. Why?" Rainbow asked, feeling a small weight in her coat pocket. She reached in and pulled out a pair of sleek looking shades. She raised an eyebrow at the high-tech look.
"That's your HUD. Turn it on and put em on." Spitfire said slowly, as if addressing a foal.
"This just keeps getting weirder and weirder." Rainbow muttered, putting on the glasses and seeing the projections. "I see it."
"Yeah. Head in that direction." Spitfire said in the same manner.
"Stop talking to me like that."
"Like what?"
Rainbow sucked in a deep breath, then let it out in a controlled manner. "Never mind."
"It'll help you on your way big time- so finding that is now your primary objective. Spitfire out."
"Wait!" Rainbow said, but the only reply was the static and her own echoing voice, traveling down the length of the sewer tunnels. Everything fell silent again as the echo faded away, and Rainbow's shoulders slumped down. She let out a deep sigh, eyes wet.
Octavia considered whether or not she should say what she was about to. It was tearing her in two- but eventually she had to choose one. "That Applebloom... She's the one that built the revival machine, right?"
Rainbow nodded, starting to move on; taking slow, heavy steps through the muck. She heard Octavia approach, then felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder.
"Then this isn't just revenge for you." Octavia said.
Rainbow sighed, looking behind her at her friend's determined face.
"I remember seeing her grow up. It's such a waste- I doesn't matter whether or not you're agreeing with me or not. I'm going to take down whoever is responsible- and they're going to suffer for it." Rainbow said, walking away.
Octavia looked down at the muck, looking for what she wasn't sure. She just shook her head, then waved the others on.
*
"We're in. All teams gather and start heading towards extraction zones." Magnum said as her team entered the command center, mowing down the few unarmed officers inside. She walked up to a console, then waved Bluefyre up to take over. "Prepare to fire on enemy units on the ground."
"I've got this covered squad leader." Bluefyre said, tapping into the system.
"Good to hear." Magnum said, striding away from the console and checking that her gun had a full magazine. "Guard the exits. We want to be in here for as long as possible."
"Priming proximity mines." Storm said, turning some handles on a metal plate and placing it down in front of a closed door. He repeated the step until all three doors had mines in front of them, red LED indicators pulsing gently.
Magnum held up a hoof, telling the team to stop whatever they were doing and stay silent. She waved at Bluefyre, telling her to continue.
There were heavy hoofsteps outside- a clear sign of approaching enemies.
"Take cover and get ready." Storm whispered.
They watched the door, waiting for something to happen. The locks suddenly clicked, heavy metal bars sliding away. But the door didn't open- it just stayed there.
Suddenly there was a bright flash and a huge rush of gas as all of the doors blew in, the heavy metal pieces tumbling across the command center. Chunks of flying metal shrapnel sent piles of paperwork into the air. Smoke poured in as the assault units breached the room.
"Damnit! Smart arses." Magnum cursed, then froze as she spotted several shifting voids slide though the smoke. "Cover Bluefyre! GHOSTS INCOMING!"
"Eat mines-" Storm said, twisting a handle and throwing the disk into the crowd. It exploded in a bright show of sparks, and he quickly ducked down to avoid the flying assault unit. Well, half of it anyway. The rest was sent up in pieces.
"Protect the console!" Magnum yelled. "We need it in one piece!!"
*
"Multiple explosive impacts on the surface detected." Soarin said. "They made it."
Spitfire stood before the huge holographic screen, arms folded before her and a metal plate guarding her injured shoulder. "Tell them to keep firing."
"Video message from the S.F. COLOSSUS." the AI said.
"Plat it." Spitfire ordered without hesitation.
"Captain Spitfire..." it was Val again. "I should just pretend I don't know who sent those soldiers into my barricade- and I will. I shall ignore you for now, but I shall also warn you this- captain, you still have some time left- but you're running out of it." she said, her robotic eye gleaming in the shadows. "I will deal with them like they have nothing to do with you. Will you save them and reveal yourself, or will you keep your supposed 'secrecy' and give yourself more time?" she leant back, letting out a light chuckle. "Good luck, captain." the video abruptly ended, and the bridge exploded into a mass of noisy chattering as its officers questioned Val's true intent.
"She's just playing games. Don't fall for it." Soarin said.
"I know she is." Spitfire said. "And I'm not falling for anything. If a game is what she wants, then a game is what she's gonna get. As of yet, we're both only planning our moves." she said, turning around and walking past Soarin; her face brightly lit by the spotlights that shone from the ceiling and onto the bridge.
"Oh? What do you have planned?" Soarin asked.
"I know what Rainbow's little present from Applebloom is. Applebloom already told me. It'll get her and her group to places much more efficiently, and will most definitely help in battle." Spitfire said, pacing back and forth and scanning the holographic screen. "Right now this war is being fought on what the opposition doesn't know. I'm sure Val has her secrets- ready to be unleashed. And I have mine."
"And that is?" Soarin asked.
"She's not the only one with a spy in the opposition." Spitfire smirked. "This world is moving on, and as she said- we're running out of time to catch up. She's trying to use these recent events- not just to her own advantage, but also to our disadvantage. If we get lost in the past, then I doubt we'll be making any correct decisions." she said, leaning on the railings on the edge of the top layer of the bridge, overlooking her officers down below as they worked away.
"Careful how you play the game. Don't play it into her hands." Soarin said.
"I will." Spitfire said, eyes centered on a distant future and goal.
It's game on.
*
"Vinyl..." Noteworthy said, turning to her DJ more-than-just-a-friend.
"Don't say anything." Vinyl said, watching the bright spot on the horizon slowly grow brighter and brighter as it neared. It was like watching their own doom, slowly creeping its way towards them.
"I..." Noteworthy started, but Vinyl placed a hoof on his mouth and shushed him. She turned her head, and he could see the glimmering tears in her eyes. She shook her head, a sad smile on her face.
"Please... Don't say it." she said, dropping the hoof and hugging him tightly. She'd rather imagine what they couldn't have had than imagine what they could've had. She was crying from that, and the unfairness of it all. To be dropped in a new world, and immediately killed? What kinda bull crap is that?
"Okay. I won't." Noteworthy said softly, giving her a light kiss on the forehead. She buried her head in his chest and closed her eyes, waiting for the nuke to strike. He pressed his forehead against hers, ears raised and listening to the crackling of the nuke's thrusters. Slowly it got closer and closer, louder and louder. Now Vinyl could hear it too, and she tightened her grip on Noteworthy.
Then a bright flash sunk through their eyelids, lighting up the darkness. There was the loud sound of things burning- seems like the nuke had went off. Soon, a strong gust of wind hit them full on, forcing Noteworthy to back up a step- but he stayed standing. They felt the intense heat slam against their bodies, their mane and tails whipping around in the wind. Then everything went dark again, the wind gone, and the heat faded away.
The night plunged back into its peaceful silence, and for several minutes all they could hear was each other's quiet breathing. They were too afraid to move, but soon had to. Slowly, Noteworthy opened his eyes and raised his head. It was as if nothing had ever happened before- Haven was still the same- although there were some ponies up and about now, probably woken by the silent 'under attack' siren and the disturbances earlier.
"What the hay..." he muttered, looking around at normality. Although, nothing seemed normal to him anymore- it shouldn't be after what should've happened.
"What's going on?" Vinyl asked, looking up. All she found in Noteworthy's eyes were the same level of confusion in her own.
There was a distant boom behind them, and the night was once again lit up- but the explosion was so far off that the effect wasn't even detectable here. All there was was the sound and the light- which had a weak shockwave follow later, in the form of a slight breeze. They turned around, staring at the huge mushroom cloud just beyond the Crystal Mountains. It was quite small from this distance- but they could tell it was at least several kilometers across. At least.
"It wasn't meant for us at all..." Noteworthy muttered, the burning nuclear cloud slowly cooling and turning into fallout. The light and wind they experienced earlier was just the nuke flying by- really, really closely.
*
The ground shook and rumbled, and Rainbow tripped over and splashed into the muck.
"What the hell!?" she spat out a disgusting mouthful of sewage waste. It also annoyed her how she was the only one who tripped over with an open mouth.
"Captain?" Octavia asked. "Any ideas?"
"It was the nuke." Spitfire said.
"Damnit!" Rainbow cursed, slamming a hoof into the muck and causing a large splash.
"Thankfully, Haven is safe. It was never targeted for Haven, it just... Well, was in the way. It struck Fillydelphia's western region, roughly three kilometers from your position and on the surface. It'll be in the way- you'll have to cross the blasted area to keep going." Spitfire said.
"Question: how?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow, also relieved that Haven wasn't under attack at all. Mainly because the CMC still live.
"There'll be nuclear fallout, but you should be fine. Don't need a suit for that kind of minor stuff- the nuke was one of those really bright incendiary ones, so you'll be finding a whole burning city out there. Most probably, anyway- if everything hasn't already been turned to dust. The way these things work is that most of the chemicals are simply flammable- so not much radio-active material." Spitfire explained.
"Good." Rainbow muttered. Suddenly everything seemed so much better- Haven was fine, and the nuke pretty much did nothing. Nice, very nice.
"Don't start feeling jolly just yet." Spitfire said. "Got a whole swarm of odd heat signatures closing in on your position underground. I know there are S.F. troops in the area, but these don't really match."
"Mutations..." Octavia muttered.
"And a whole buck'n army of em." Spitfire said, however not showing much concern.
"Suggestions?" Rainbow asked, drawing her cleaver. They could hear the moaning and growling of the mutated all the way from here- despite all of them being miles away. There was certainly a big horde of them.
"Get to the train. I can use it to get you guys to safety." Spitfire said, and they heard a few beeps as she started plotting a new course for the train.
"But it's in the middle of this entire bull crap." Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
"Yep. So let's see who gets there first- dumb mutated animals or the pegasus that is supposedly worthy of joining the Wonderbolts? Make your decision. And you're also wasting time right now." Spitfire said.
Rainbow growled, and hung up. "Let's go! Move it!"
They ran through the muck, huffing and puffing along the way. The location marked on Rainbow's HUD grew closer and closer, and the groaning of the mutations grew louder and louder. Eventually it was this chaotic mess of sound, as both sides made their way to the tram station.
"Shuck- there they are!" Daring Do yelled, shining her torch in front of them. The torch wasn't getting any details- but there were shifting shadows everywhere in the distant darkness, hundreds of different shapes writhing and accompanying the moans.
"Dainty- Lily- Stay back. Tavi, make sure they don't get bitten." Rainbow said, already allowing the virus in her body to partially take over. Her skin started to peel and burn away, revealing sharp demon scales underneath. Her hooves sprouted thick claws, sharpened to the very edge. Sharp vampire teeth sprouted from her gums, and the irises of her eyes turned into vertical slits. Within a matter of seconds she was in that form again, mutated- however in full control. With a powerful beat from her armored wings, she burst forward.
"You two- stay with me!" Nightshade said, taking the two filly's hooves in hers. This way should they get in harms way, she'll be able to instantly teleport them away.
"What the hay is your sister!?" Lily asked, staring wide-eyed as Rainbow tore through the crowd of mutations. Dainty shrugged.
"Rainbow! Clear a way to the tram station!" Octavia yelled.
"Will do." Rainbow said, her voice much, much deeper than it usually is.
Daring fired a shell into the crowd, and watched the shadow of blood fly out of the mass of bodies. She reloaded, the crimson red shotgun shell flying out the side with a loud click.
"Damnit! I'm out!" Octavia yelled, throwing her empty shotgun into the water out of frustration.
"Just run for it!" Nightshade yelled as Rainbow tore a hole through the crowd.
"Move it! It's right bucking there!" Daring shouted over the groans of the mutated, her sentence abruptly cut off as an overwhelming blast from her shotgun pumped a storm of metal bearings into the mutations.
Rainbow flew up, her wings grazing the ceiling- then dove back down, claws slashing. The sharp scales on the edge of her wing sliced through a mutated stallion, tearing him clean in half and spilling his guts into the sewer. Her claw slashed sideways, swiping across the face of another mutated pony and ripping its head off. Its severed jaw left a trail of blood in the air as it tumbled away.
Nightshade shoved the two fillies through a narrow service tunnel, leading straight to the maintenance room of the tram station which then leads to the station itself. Octavia followed, and Daring came next; pulling the trigger and setting the shadows ablaze. Rainbow was through last, acting as a shield and blocking the doorway as she backed in- then she slammed the heavy metal door shut. She looked around for something to hold it, and decided to rip out a long disused metal pipe and jam it across the door to prevent it from opening. The mutated continued to growl and bang on it, but it barely budged.
"That was close..." Octavia muttered, slumping down on some stairs that led to the maintenance room. Finally she was able to get away from the muck- and she didn't want to get anywhere near it again.
Rainbow's body started smoking again as the effects were forced to retreat, and soon she was back to normal. Then, as if she hadn't slept for years; she fell forwards. Daring caught her, and gently laid her down on the steps.
"Sis! You okay?" Dainty asked worriedly.
"Side effects." Rainbow muttered, clutching her head and her eyes barely open.
"You gotta take it easy on using that." Octavia laid a hoof on Rainbow's hunched back, peering at her cautiously.
Rainbow suddenly froze, then slowly rose to her hooves. Her eyes were hidden under the shadow of her mane, her face expressionless.
"Rainbow?" Octavia peered at her face, but still couldn't tell what was going on.
Then Rainbow turned around, her eyes looking past everypony and at the far wall. They were unfocused, staring at something they could not see.
"The hay is wrong with her?" Daring asked.
"Dunno." Octavia said worriedly, waving a hoof frantically in front of Rainbow's unfocused glassy eyes. "Rainbow! Can you hear me!? RAINBOW!"