//------------------------------// // Mann vs. Machine Mode (Part 2) // Story: Twilight's Experiments: The War of Mann Co. // by MIKEANTHONY321 //------------------------------// Operation Mannslaughter Continued As Twilight finished her upgrades and headed back out onto the battlefield for the third wave, she thought deeply to herself. Last time the announcer spoke over her headset, she could’ve sworn up and down that she heard Red Sniper’s voice in the background. It sounded like he was in the same room with the announcer. But why would that be? If the ponies’ colleagues weren’t allowed to fight with them, why would they be with the announcer? And while on the subject, why can’t they fight at all? What rule is there that states that all newcomers to the world of Mann Co have to be the ones to defend it against all odds? Above all, one question kept dominating Twilight’s mind. Where was Rainbow Dash? … “Twi, are you okay? You seem a little…out of it.” Applejack asked worriedly. Twilight shook herself out of her daze. She realized that she had been standing in place this whole time, and that she was needed on the battlefield. “Oh, sorry. I’m fine.” She replied. The two of them raced up toward the front lines, and prepared for the third wave. At the same time, the announcer gave the list of robots to be fought in the next battle. For wave three, the ponies would be up against 12 giant Scout bots, 2 tanks, 8 giant heavy bots, 20 Soldier bots, 20 Pyro bots, 24 Uber Medic bots, and Scouts and Snipers for support. … The ponies all took one last well-needed breath before the announcer started the countdown. “The attack has started! 5…4…3…2…1…” …………………………………. I'll give you the choice for music this time. They both go well with this chapter. The Legend of Zelda: Koloktos/Moldarach Theme Super Mario Galaxy 2: Bowser Jr. Boomsday …………………………………. Looks of pride and determination were plastered on the ponies’ faces as the first robots marched off the ledge. The battle started off with a handful of Spike and Pinkie bots. The only ponies at risk here were Rarity, Big Mac, and Fluttershy, as they were the ones up front on the battlefield. The other ponies hung back and waited for the onslaught to come their way. … With the help of Rarity’s sapper, Applejack’s sentry gun, and Big Mac’s brute bullet-rain, the first sub-wave of robots were terminated in a matter of seconds. There was no wait-time however, as more robots came barreling over the ledge the second the previous Pinkie bot had fallen. Not a sweat had been broken yet as the ponies upfront stepped back a little, giving the incoming bots some room to enter. A mess of supporting Rainbow Dash bots swarmed the battlefield, waving their bats in the air like deranged maniacs. Two massive Big Mac bots followed close behind, marching majestically like top kings. They each had a battalion of three Fluttershy bots keeping them sustained. “Big Mac, I need you, Fluttershy, and Applejack to aim your focus on the giant bots! Everyone else, kill the Medics!” Twilight ordered. The ponies nodded, and began to carry out the plan. The ponies willingly let Twilight lead their team. No one said anything about this; it just sort of ended up that way. … Just as ordered, Big Mac and Applejack opened fire on the giant Big Mac bot. Fluttershy activated Ubercharge, giving Big Mac a rain of critical hits. Unfortunately, right at that moment, the Fluttershy bots noticed the attack, and set off their Ubercharge on the Big Mac bot. A reflective blue halo surrounded the Big Mac bot and its assailants, granting them temporary immunity. “Fluttershy, shut it off! We’re wasting ammo on the bots’ Ubercharge!” Big Mac cried out. “I can’t! I can’t stop the Ubercharge!” Fluttershy replied in a panic. Big Mac stopped shooting at the bot. However, Fluttershy’s critical Ubercharge flowed on until it completely drained. By the time they got it recharged, it could be too late. … As this was happening, the two giant Big Mac bots fired continuously at the ponies with its giant minigun. Zecora, Rarity, Spike, and Applejack were quickly killed. Big Mac and Fluttershy realized the seriousness of the situation, and began to retreat. On their way back, however, they were noticed by the giant Big Mac bot. Still under the influence of its Ubercharge, the bot fired relentlessly at the duo until they fell to the ground in mid-dash. As Pinkie Pie ran forward to avenge Big Mac and Fluttershy, she was overwhelmed by Rainbow Dash bots. Even she fell silently to the power of the bot-battalion. ………………………………. “How could you all die at once?!” The announcer scolded. Twilight listened to the angry announcement in horror as she realized that she was the only one alive. And worse, these were only the first two giant Big Mac bots to strike their defenses. Six more were on the way. Twilight began to panic. A strand of her mane sprung out of place. “Okay Twilight, don’t go crazy now. You know there’s something you can do!” She spoke to herself. Nothing was coming to her mind. Just before she threw in the towel, she looked down at the emblem on her sleeve. She studied the emblem for a few seconds. Suddenly, a realization came to her. The emblem represented a job. Team RED and team BLU didn’t make a difference. They were all part of the same company. And just as so, they had their parts to play. The emblem was what distinguished her from the rest of her teammates. Just as Pinkie Pie had a flame on her arm, and Applejack a wrench, she had her job that was assigned to her and her alone. Which means perhaps it’s not about being paranoid to keep other teammates organized; it’s about doing what you know is necessary to fulfill your duties and help your team excel. … Her face quickly changed from panicked to determined. A sinister smile formed on her face as she realized what she had to do. It was time to step up her game, and stop worrying about what her other teammates were doing. Taking out a jar of jarate that she had saved since Doomsday, Twilight reeled back with her arm, and hurled it at the incoming robots. “Bet you didn’t see this coming!” She yelled. The jar hit the giant Big Mac bot on the left. It broke open, soaking both giant bots with the yellow spray. Twilight immediately ducked down to the ground, and positioned her rifle. Taking quick yet steady aim, she pulled the trigger. The bullet twinkled in the dimming ray of the evening sun for the split-second it left the barrel and was in the air. Faster than the speed of sound, it slammed into the head of the first giant bot. Bolts of electricity caused by the ghostly energy of the Explosive Headshot upgrade traveled rapidly through the heads of all the nearby robots, killing every single one of them. The two giant Big Mac bots, along with their six Medics, collapsed to the ground with a loud metallic clang. “Snipers like me don’t deserve the bad rap that they’ve been getting.” Twilight stated casually, blowing on the nozzle of her rifle. ……………………………….. At that point, the rest of her team respawned in the resupply locker. They ran out as fast as they could; ready to keep fighting for Mann Co. Applejack passed by Twilight on her way back to the front ledge. She stopped briefly. “Are you okay, Twi? We noticed you were the last one standing.” She asked. “I’m fine, Applejack. In fact, I’ve never been better!” She happily responded. “Dear Celestia, did you kill both of those giant Big Mac bots by yourself?” “I sure did! Jarate really did the trick!” “Oh, well that’s great! Come on, we still have six more of those things to finish off!” … Applejack and Twilight sprinted forward to continue the fight near the front lines. They reached their favorite ledge just as another giant Big Mac bot appeared over the hill. It was being healed by three more Fluttershy bots. Alongside it was a miniature army of Spike and Pinkie Pie bots. “Come on! Show us what you’ve got!” Spike yelled up at the robots. The ponies were all as confident as could be when the robots marched toward the ledge. Their confidence was diminished, however, when an announcement came over their headsets. “Alert! A tank has entered the area!” … “Excuse me…a what-now?” Applejack stuttered. In answer to her question, a massive blue tank rolled slowly past the front gates. They burst open violently, throwing wooden shrapnel in every direction. “Whoa, nelly! Incoming!” She called. The ponies all turned their attention toward the tank. As it harmlessly rolled by, they launched their heavy-duty fire power straight at it. As bullets and rockets flew at it from every direction, it began to get dented and damaged. At the same time, however, two more Big Mac bots and their Fluttershy-assistants fell over the ledge. By the time the ponies would finally destroy the tank, the bots would be at the hatch. … “Spike! Come with me, and we’ll take care of the giant Big Mac bots! We’ll leave the tank to everypony else.” Twilight ordered. “Sure thing, Twilight!” Spike eagerly replied. Twilight and Spike ran around to the other side of the front-most building, where the giant bots were marching past. Spike instantly began spamming the Fluttershy bots with rockets to take them out. He killed the first two that were healing the bomb-carrying Big Mac bot, but failed to finish off the third one as it deployed its Ubercharge. As soon as it was struck with invulnerability, the giant bot opened fire on Twilight and Spike. It was impossible to avoid the stinging rapid-fire of the bot’s minigun. A few bullets managed to pierce Twilight and Spike’s flesh here and there. They were both bleeding considerably, yet continued to fire everything they had at the giant hunk of metal. Twilight could see from their position that the tank had begun to turn the corner, and was now headed in their direction. It was so beaten up that you could barely tell it was a tank. … Suddenly, right as this thought passed through Twilight’s mind, the tank exploded violently. Hundreds of shards of metal shrapnel flew through the air at lightning speeds. The bomb that the tank was carrying flew into the air. The metal shards of shrapnel, big and small, launched out from the explosion in all different directions. Twilight and Spike shielded their eyes as the shards flew in their direction. They were badly cut from the debris, which only increased the blood-flow. Drops of blood fell from their bodies as they quickly retreated, shooting at the giant bots on their way back. … Twilight threw a jar of jarate at the giant metal monsters. The jar burst open on impact, covering both of them with the warm liquid. Spike had trouble focusing his eyes. He tried to take steady aim with his rocket-launcher as he began to wobble backwards. He took three concentrated, yet frazzled shots. Luckily, they all managed to hit their target. The giant Big Mac bot exploded from the rocket impact, thanks to the jarate-induced mini-crit effect. … Shortly after the kill, Spike turned to Twilight. “Twilight…I…I feel dizzy…” He stuttered. “It must be from the blood-loss. You’re much smaller than me. Hurry, you need to find a health pack!” She stated. Spike barely heard her. He wobbled a couple more times, then fainted on the ground. The last of his blood drained from his cuts and wounds. What little life-force he had left was lost when the other giant jarate-covered Big Mac bot fired at his fainted body. “You have a tendency to make very heroic exits, my number-one-assistant.” Twilight smiled. The Big Mac bot took aim at her, and got ready to fire. Twilight quickly turned a corner to get out of its way, leaving Spike’s bled-out body on the ground. …………………………………………. The second Big Mac bot picked up the bomb. It was now dangerously close to the hatch. Big Mac and Fluttershy ran as fast as they could to the location of the giant bot to focus their fire power. “Okay Fluttershy, are you ready to use that critical Ubercharge?” He asked. “Wait!” A voice called. … Big Mac and Fluttershy looked around for the source of the voice, and saw Twilight on a high ledge, waving down at them. “Fluttershy, bring your Ubercharge to me! I have an idea!” She called down. Fluttershy shrugged, and ran up the ledge to Twilight’s location. She set her Kritzkrieg on Twilight. “I’ll tell you when.” Twilight ordered. Twilight scoped up on the giant bot’s head, and waited for the rifle to charge up. Once she heard the little click, she gave the signal. Fluttershy deployed the Ubercharge, and Twilight fired at the giant bot. The electric-bullet passed right through its titanium head. Twilight had managed to deal a critical headshot on a jarate-covered bot with a critical-Ubercharge. It took well over two-thousand damage. The bot exploded, dropping the bomb right where it used to stand. “Yes!” Twilight and Fluttershy cried. They slapped each other’s hooves. “Hey, sorry to bother you, but there are more giant Big Mac bots on their way!” Big Mac warned. ………………………………. The three of them ran back up to the front of the battlefield to kill the remaining giant bots as another threatening announcement came over their headsets. “Another tank has entered the area! Kill it!” The announcer rasped. They also received an indication that some Twilight bots had entered the area as well. Twilight assumed that Rarity would have them taken care of. … Fluttershy continued to heal Twilight to build up another critical Ubercharge. If done correctly, they could terminate any incoming giant bots in one or two headshots. The rest of their defense team worked with all that they had to destroy the remaining tank. Snipers weren’t exactly very strong against tanks, so Twilight hung back with Fluttershy in wait of an Ubercharge so they could destroy the two remaining giant Big Mac bots. Fluttershy had previously spent her credits to upgrade her Ubercharge rate, so it was building rather fast. “Okay Twilight, I’m almost ready. Cover the bots in jarate, and scope up to build charge.” Fluttershy suggested. Twilight did as Fluttershy had suggested. She threw her last jarate jar at the bots, which managed to cover them both. Then she scoped up, and waited patiently for the rifle to give full charge. “Okay Flutters, I’m ready. Activate the charge!” Fluttershy deployed her Ubercharge, granting Twilight’s rifle with critical hits. She aimed the crosshair at the giant Big Mac bot’s head, ready to fire. She pulled the trigger just as the bot prepared to fire at her. The bullet hit its head directly, traveling over to the other bot via the Explosive Headshot upgrade. Both of the bots took thousands of damage. A dazzling explosion ripped through the air around the ponies as both bots and their Medics were killed before they even reached the bomb. The only thing that remained was the tank. Twilight and Fluttershy slapped hooves again. ………………………………… Big Mac peppered the tank with bullets from his minigun. Applejack’s sentry gun helped with the damage, as well as Zecora’s grenade launcher, Pinkie Pie’s flamethrower, and Spike’s rocket launcher. The whole time Twilight and Fluttershy were attacking the bots, everyone else was attacking the tank. Finally, it was at the point of combustion. “Twilight, take cover!” Spike yelled. Twilight and Fluttershy ducked below the battlement as Spike shot one last rocket at the tank. Once the projectile made contact with the metal surface of the vehicle, a violent explosion occurred. Once again, shrapnel was thrown in all directions. … “You’ve beaten them back, for the moment. Hurry, find an UPGRADE station!” The announcer ordered. Three waves down, two to go. ……………………………………… Pause the music. ....................................................... Once the ponies purchased their upgrades, they headed out to the battlefield once again. Twilight made sure to upgrade her jarate recharge rate so she’d be able to use it more frequently. When Applejack noticed her from her side of the battlements, she found that most of Twilight’s stress had diminished. “You doing okay, Twilight?” She asked. “Yes, I’m fine. No complaints.” Twilight replied. “Are you sure? You seemed pretty frazzled at the beginning of that last wave.” “I agree. But during that last wave, I realized something. Teamwork has power; there is no doubt about that. But when it is properly organized, there is nothing you can’t accomplish.” “That sounds like some great advice.” “Just make sure you’re doing your job. That emblem on your shoulder has meaning.” … Applejack looked down at the wrench symbol on her shoulder. She smiled proudly. “You bet your flank I will.” “And make sure everyone else is doing their job as well. If Fluttershy pulls out that syringe gun, so help her…” Twilight rasped, balling up a fist. “…Well, okay then. I’ll keep that in mind.” ……………………………………… Right then, the countdown began. For the fourth wave, the ponies would be facing 6 giant Pyro bots, 11 giant Demo-bots, 38 Deflector-Heavy bots, 32 Demo-bots, 24 Demo-Knights, 13 Uber-Medic bots, 30 Soldier bots, and Spies for support. Fluttershy ran over to Twilight, and set her up with her Kritzkrieg. It was time to get an early advantage. The ponies took a deep breath, and raised their guns. “5…4…3…2…1…” …………………………………. Resume the music. …………………………………. Immediately, two giant Zecora bots marched over the hill and toward the ledge. Each one had a Fluttershy bot healing it from behind. One of them carried the bomb. They were accompanied by a pack of smaller Zecora and Spike bots. Instead of grenade launchers, the Zecora bots wielded swords. Celestia-forsaken swords. “Hey guys, make sure to not fire at the giant Zecora bots! That’ll activate their Ubercharge and ruin my opportunity!” Twilight yelled. The other ponies nodded, and began attacking the smaller bots that had just entered the battlefield. The giant bots and their Medics were not far behind. … Twilight threw her jar of jarate at the bomb-carrying giant Zecora bot. When the jar broke open, it covered both giant bots with the substance. She held up her rifle, and scoped up for a headshot. She gave Fluttershy the signal to deploy the Ubercharge. She pulled the trigger, and hit the first giant bot directly on its forehead. It traveled to all of the surrounding bots via the Explosive Headshot upgrade. … Before the Fluttershy bots could even deploy their Ubercharge, Twilight had killed all four of them, as well as some Spike bots that were close by. … The Zecora bots were not all that difficult to destroy, being that they were limited to melee weapons while the ponies wielded guns. The ponies kept firing frantically at whatever came at them. Soon, all of the small Zecora bots were destroyed. With only a split second to collect credits from the fallen robots, the wave continued. A few Big Mac bots starting running over the ledge. Applejack scoffed. “These varmints are easy to kill.” The group of bots fell over the ledge, and began firing at the ponies. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity were killed from the quick assault. Spike backed up a few feet, and launched a rocket at the impending pack. The rocket projectile flew toward the Big Mac bots, and stopped dead in mid-air just before making contact. It dropped to the ground. … Spike’s jaw dropped. He lifted up his helmet, revealing his surprised face. “Okay…these are not ordinary Big Mac bots.” He muttered. Applejack was confused as well. As her sentry gun fired rapidly at the group of Big Mac bots, the bullets were destroying them instead of the rockets. They would get close, and then fall to the ground without touching the robots. “Well Spike, I guess we gotta kill ‘em with just regular ol’ bullets. Rockets ain’t gonna do us any good this time.” Applejack shrugged. “I’m way ahead of you.” Spike responded. Instead of a shotgun, he pulled out a futuristic-looking pistol, and held it out in front of him. It looked like some kind of space-gun. “What the hay is that thing?” Applejack asked. “It’s an indivisible particle-smasher. It’s called the Righteous Bison.” Spike proudly answered. “Well talking about it isn’t going to kill any robots! Give it a try!” Applejack ordered. … Spike aimed the weapon out in front of him, and fired a shot. A pulsating red beam shot out of the device, and flew toward the Big Mac bots. Upon contact, the bot hovered into the air a few inches, and disintegrated into nothing. The beam continued on, doing the same thing to any bots it happened to come in contact with. “Whoa, nelly! That’s some weapon you got there!” Applejack stated. “Yep. Blue Soldier gave it to me before the very first battle. I’ve been saving it for something like this. The best part about it is that it doesn’t require any ammo.” Spike explained, cradling the weapon toward his face. “You’d better be careful, though. You don’t want to accidentally disintegrate yourself!” Applejack warned. “Yeah, good point.” Spike agreed, firing another shot toward the Deflector-Macs. ……………………………………… Twilight respawned in the resupply locker, along with Rarity and Fluttershy. According to the monitor on the inside of the locker, the wave was over halfway done. Her jaw dropped. “How is that possible?!” … She ran back out into the battlefield from the resupply locker. Once she neared the front lines, she saw Spike and Applejack laughing. She walked up and climbed the steps. “What’s so funny?” She asked. “Check out this cool particle-thingy that Spike has! It’s amazing!” Applejack interjected. Applejack stepped aside, and gave Twilight a better look. She saw Spike standing on the ledge next to her, firing shot after shot from the Righteous Bison at the bots that were down on the ground. At the same time, Applejack’s sentry gun was peppering them with bullets and rockets. On the ground below the ledge, dead Big Mac bots littered the dirt. Spike and Applejack were currently attacking a battalion of giant Pinkie Pie bots. On the ground, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Big Mac were assisting with the damage from close range. “You should’ve seen it, Twi. Those Big Mac bots were immune to rockets! We were firing ‘em at them, but nothing was happening. So then Spike pulls out that fancy thing there, and suddenly, we’re on a roll!” Applejack explained. … Right as she finished her sentence, the first giant Pinkie bot exploded. The ponies on the ground flinched from the sudden loud noise. Pinkie laughed. “I think I’m the real Pinkie! And I know I’m not made of metal! ……Or am I?” She poked herself a couple times, feeling the thick flame-retardant suit that covered her body. “Yeah, I’m definitely not made of metal!” ………………………………. “Anyway, if we keep at the rate we’re going, this wave will be done in no time!” Applejack cheered. Twilight smiled, and nodded in agreement. … Suddenly, they were both spontaneously backstabbed by a Rarity bot. Once they fell to the ground, the bot taunted by pretending to fence with its knife. “Couldn’t you hear the warning, darling? I thi-i-i-ink it’s safe to say that you were cle-e-e-early outclassed this time around!” The bot stated in its glitchy voice. …………………………………… Things suddenly started to go downhill. Applejack’s sentry gun was sapped, Spike was backstabbed, and the rest of the ponies’ forces were killed by incoming grenade-Zecora bots and giant Pinkie bots. “Do NOT all die at once!” The announcer angrily scolded. … After a long and grueling 15 seconds, all eight of the ponies respawned at once. Not saying a word to each other, they ran back out to continue fighting. Applejack built a sentry gun right next to the hatch in case the robots ever get close to deploying the bomb. She ran forward, and placed a disposable gun further up to assist in defense. The robots were only just around the corner from the hatch. If even half of the ponies were to die now, the bomb would be deployed. … “Hang back! We can’t risk weakening our defenses in front of the hatch!” Twilight called out to her team. They obeyed, and stuck around just in front of the hatch to defend what little ground the bots had left to cover before victory. ………………………………………. The grenade-launching Zecora bots entered the area first. Big Mac and Spike attacked them with their heavy-duty force, while Rarity and Twilight tried killing silently and efficiently. Instead of targeting one pony for overhealing power, Fluttershy ran around throughout the hatch-area to tie up loose ends with her team’s health. The organization of the team’s energy kept the robots at bay. The Zecora bots were killed quickly. Close behind, however, were three giant Pinkie Pie bots and their Fluttershy bots. One of them carried the bomb. Twilight threw a jar of jarate at the giant bots. Two of them were hit. The second the bots were covered in jarate, they didn’t last long. Big Mac, Spike, and Pinkie Pie took full advantage of the mini-crits to the point where the bots exploded almost instantly. … Just before the ponies cheered, two final giant Zecora bots marched around the corner toward their area. Instead of cheering, their jaws dropped. … The last giant Pinkie bot picked up the bomb. A loud siren echoed throughout the map. “Alert! Stop them from deploying the bomb!” The announcer yelled. At the same time, more Spies flooded into the area. As Rarity noticed them, she tried her best to find them and backstab them before they could reach her teammates. She got most of them, with the exception of the two that killed Big Mac and Spike. “No! We needed them!” Twilight cried out. … “Twilight! Kill the giant Zecoras!” Fluttershy ordered, running up to set her up with the Kritzkrieg once again. Twilight covered the bots in jarate, and scoped up as Fluttershy used her last Ubercharge. Twilight aimed the crosshair, found her target, and fired the rifle. … She missed by a hair. Before she could get another shot out, the giant bots turned, fired some grenades, and blew up Fluttershy. “No! No! No, no, no, no, no, no!!!” Twilight screamed. She pounded her hoof on the ground in agony. … Meanwhile, the giant Pinkie bot approached the hatch with the bomb perched on its back. “Stop them from deploying the bomb! Stop them!” The announcer cried. The giant bot folded up its arms, twisted its head around until it clicked into position, and jumped into the hatch with the bomb. To be Continued…