Jet Stream sat in a room by a table with her pet ferret. It was the fifty-first pet she had owned now. On the table were a set of precision gloves as well as a number of surgical tools, matches and a liquid.
“Why do we have to do this daddy?” asked Jet Stream.
Stedson was standing over a control panel getting ready to begin the exercise. “36, have you ever loved something so much, that you cared more about it than you did your own life?” he asked.
“I loved my first pet,” replied Jet Stream.
“It’s an incredible feeling isn’t it. It makes you feel like all the problems of the world just disappear every time you hold that precious thing in your hooves,” continued Stedson. “Can you remember what it was like having to be forced to kill the thing you love most? To watch it die in your hooves? To have to lie to her… to it’s face. Feeding it a bunch of lies about how it’s going to be alright, even though you know you’re about to be the one who kill’s it?”
“It was really hard the first time,” replied Jet Stream.
“Of course it was 36. It’s a horrible feeling. It’s the hardest thing in the world,” said Stedson. “A lot of people think watching a loved one die is the worst feeling ever. But it’s nothing compared to doing it yourself. But there is a reason for it. If that’s the hardest thing in the world to do, then nothing else will ever compare. Once you’ve been forced to kill something you cherish, killing everything else becomes trivial. You never feel pity, you never feel remorse. You don’t even hear the sound of the enemy begging for their life. All you hear is the same song over and over again.”
“Daddy, do I have to hear the song again?” asked Jet Stream in a frightened tone.
“Yes you do 36. I’m doing it because I care about you. This is what is going to help keep you alive when the time comes. I want you and all the girls to come back alive,” informed Stedson. “Are you ready 36?”
Jet Stream took a deep breath before answering. “I’m ready daddy,” replied Jet Stream.
Stedson turned on the audio speaker, and a song began to play. Jet Stream had heard this song many times, all of her sisters have. Every time they were forced to perform this grim task, the same song always played over and over again.
Do you believe in magic?
In a young girls heart
How the music can free her
whenever it starts
As the lyrics suggested, the music freed her of all emotion. She had done this so many times now that every time the song played, she just didn’t feel anything anymore. All she wanted to do was exactly what Stedson had conditioned her to do.
A number of tools were available, but there was always one she preferred. Jet Stream took a blade and impaled the ferret's paw into the table. It naturally struggled, futilely biting down on its mistress’ metal fingers, but it did little good. She could see the look of fear, shock and confusion in its eyes. It was wondering why Jet Stream would do this? Had it not been her loyal pet and companion? Had this been the first time Jet Stream had killed her pet, she would probably be crying right about now.
Jet Stream picked up the bottle of liquid and doused the helpless creature with it. She then picked up some matches, lit one, and casually dropped it onto the wet creature. The ferret let out agonizing sounds of pain as the flames engulfed its flesh. Jet Stream simply watched the suffering creature though hollow eyes as the music continued to play. The sweet aroma of burning flesh was like the scent of roses to her senses.
Finally Stedson turned off the song, and Jet Stream snapped out of her trance. “Good job 36. You and your sisters keep making daddy very proud.”
“Daddy I’m confused,” said Jet Stream. “I used to feel bad whenever I did this. But now every time you play that song… I just want to hurt something. Not you or my sisters but… anything else. Is that bad Daddy?”
“No 36 it isn’t. It’s exactly what you were created to do, and no one can ever think less of you for it. The only important thing is that you never hurt your sisters. That’s all anyone ever ask of you,” replied Stedson.
While she had trained for it, the added weight of Rain Sight below wasn’t making fighting the blizzard any easier. Fortunately Rainbow Dash had already set her sister down, and was now flying beside Scootaloo to help her with Rain Sight. At this point, all the mares wore a layer of ice over their coats, and no one was in the mood to speak unless it was absolutely necessary.
Having finally landed, they quickly ran into a nearby store for warmth. “How the hell did that happen! I thought this planet was a fortress!?” shouted Rainbow Dash.
Another stallion quickly ran out to meet them. He was wearing a set of gloves and had a rail rifle with him. This weapon was first created by the Cadians for big game hunting. While the long weapon was not designed as a dedicated combat rifle, it was capable of punching through power armor, and none of the mares wanted to provoke the stallion into using it on them.
“What the hell are you four doing in my shop?! What’s all that noise outside?!” he asked.
“We don’t know!” replied Jet Stream. “One minute we were onboard the Iron Will after watching the execution, the next the ship came under attack. Barely anyone made it off alive.”
“I’m pretty sure Cadia is under siege,” informed Rain Sight. “But we’re not the enemy.”
“That’s a load of zerg crap. No one would be stupid enough to attack us,” replied the stallion.
Suddenly, they could hear the sound of gunfire and explosions outside the store. The mares and the stallion looked outside the window and saw another capital ship firing on the Iron Will. The once mighty flying fortress sustained massive damaged and crashed onto the mountain range shortly afterwards.
“Cadenza no! How is this happening!?” the stallion said to no one in particular.
Already a number of armored militia were charging through the streets. They were accompanied by a large number of zerg as well.
“It looks like they’re heading for the starport,” said Scootaloo.
“If we go with them, maybe they’d be willing to let us get our equipment back? I’m sure they could use all the help they can get,” suggested Rainbow Dash.
“What about Apple Bloom?” mentioned Jet Stream. “She's still at the hospital and provided Sweetie Belle is still alive after that crazy stunt of her's, she probably is as well. Maybe we should meet up with them first and then try to find a way out of here?”
“We aren’t going to push her hospital bed all the way to the starport,” said Rainbow Dash. “We need to get Tom first, then bring him to the hospital.”
“That’s a good point,” said Rain Sight. “I’ll head over to the hospital and find Apple Bloom, and hopefully Sweetie Belle and Sovereign as well. I heard he was being taken to a hospital, and this is the closest one. You three go retrieve your ship and equipment, then head over to the hospital. I’ll have them gathered and ready to get off this world.” I just hope Sweetie Belle didn’t get herself killed during that teleport.
“You four are crazy,” said the stallion. “The best thing you can do is keep your heads down and let the militia handle this. I’m sure the Dominion is going to send help any second now. Look, I can already see drop pods coming down.”
Indeed more drop pods were coming down from above, as well as a number of small ships. One of the ships was now hovering just over the streets outside. That’s when Rainbow Dash recognized the emblem on the side of a dog collar with a diamond on it. “Those aren’t Dominion gunships, those are Diamond Dog raiders. Get down!”
Following her example, the other mares quickly ducked behind the walls. The stallion continued watching the raider however. The Raider fired missiles at three separate buildings across the street, launching shrapnel into the air as it blew up two shops and a restaurant. Shrapnel from the building launched across the street, and a piece of metal smashed into the stallions face killing him. A militiamen on the surface with a missile launcher fired a shot at the raider. The missile only damaged the shields, but it was enough to scare it off for now.
“Aren’t Diamond Dogs mercenaries? What are they doing here?” asked Rain Sight. “And why are they attacking civilian buildings?”
“Gee I don’t know. Probably because someone is paying them to?” Rainbow Dash answered sarcastically.
Rain Sight couldn’t understand. Why would anyone want to waste bits terrorizing this town? Fort Cadence she could understand, but that was miles away from here. There was nothing here for any strategic or tactical importance. Maybe they just want to control all the beacons on the surface for an invasion? No, that couldn’t be it. Mercenaries would have no use for conquering a population, and fighting a sustained war against the Dominion.
They only reason they are here is because they want something. Cadenza and Princess Stage were probably at Fort Cadence, and that is where Shining Armor was heading as well. What else could there be on this world, particularly this backwater town, that would be of any interest to the Diamond Dogs? Then it hit her, Sovereign and Apple Bloom!
“Guys, they’re going after Sovereign and Apple Bloom,” suggested Rain Sight.
“Why would you say that?” asked Scootaloo.
“Former preserver with knowledge of the Khala, and a hacker with knowledge of the battle net. You don’t think the Dominion and the Khalai would both pay the Diamond Dogs big bits to retrieved one and capture the other? Why else would they be attacking this town?” asked Rain Sight. Rain Sight picked up the rail rifle and precision gloves off the dead stallion. She looked around and noticed this was a clothing store, and heavy winter clothing was exactly what they needed at the moment. “Suit up ladies. You get your equipment and Tom, I’ll help the militia defend the hospital. I’m sure they’ll be attacking soon if I’m right.”
Jet Stream held a rifle in her hands in a training room. It wasn’t a real rifle of course, but it would serve its purpose.
A voice came over the intercom to give her instructions. “Once again 36, simply shoot every target EXCEPT the friendlies. Is that understood?”
“Yes daddy. I’ll get it right this time,” assured Jet Stream.
“I’m certain you will 36,” said Stedson.
This test wasn’t a test of marksmanship as much as it was reflexes, and a special kind of conditioning. Like with almost all conditioning test, a familiar song began to play before any targets appeared, and Jet Stream found herself taken away in the cheerful relaxing sound.
The first target appeared in front Jet Stream; it was a zergling. It only took the blink of an eye, and she opened fire on the hologram. The zergling dropped dead, then faded. The next target was an armored pony pointing a weapon at her. Again she fired, and again it dropped. It wasn’t dead yet, instead it began to beg for its life. She approached the target and placed another round through its head, causing to once again fade away.
The once empty black room’s surroundings changed into that of a park. The next image to appear was a colt with his mother walking down the path. The happy pair waved at Jet Stream, and she quickly opened fire gunning down the colt. The mother screamed in horror at the sight of her dead son as she held him in her hooves.
Just go and listen
It'll start with a smile
It won't wipe off your face no matter how hard you try
Just as the music had commanded, she was smiling from ear to ear. She had shot the son first on purpose. The sound of the crying mother only increased the euphoria brought about by the music. Finally she put the mother out of her misery. Jet Stream cheerfully hummed along with the song, unable to control her lust for more blood as it continued to play.
The next target was another copy of herself. She quickly pointed the rifle, then was overcome with a painful memory. Every time she had ever fired on one of her sisters on this test, she was given an agonizing electrical shock. The instant she saw the orange fur and purple mane, she quickly turned the weapon away.
“Good job 36,” announced Stedson’s voice. “But this time I want you to shoot that target.”
Jet Stream didn’t try to argue. She pointed her weapon and attempted to fire. But every time she tried to squeeze the trigger, the memory of the painful torment returned. Even though she wasn’t being shocked at the moment, in her mind she was undergoing the torment again as she filled with mental agony. Tears began to flow from her eyes, her hooves began to shake, and Jet Stream feel to her knees dropping the weapon. “I’m sorry daddy! I can’t do it!” she shouted.
Stedson shut off the music and entered the chamber. He approached 36 and wrapped her in his one good wing. The terrified filly quickly embraced Stedson hoping to get a level of comfort from him. Stedson snuggled her forehead against Jet Stream to assure everything would be alright. “Of course you can’t dear. That’s the whole point. It’s because you and your sisters are kin, you aren’t meant to hurt one another.”
“Do I have to keep doing this test daddy?” she asked.
Stedson squeezed her tightly in his embrace. “Never again 36. You’ve made me very proud today. I promise you’ll never have to do this test ever again.”
Rainbow Dash, Jet Stream and Scootaloo made their way through the streets towards the starport. Ships continued to fly overheard, occasionally blowing up a random building, while missiles flew into the air in retaliation. There didn’t seem to be much purpose to the apparently random air strikes outside of terrorizing the locals.
When the mares finally reached the starport, the found the militia were stuck outside in a stalemate of a firefight. A few heavy vehicles had been brought in, but they were quickly destroyed or disabled by anti-tank fire. The Diamond Dogs brought plenty of missile launchers to deal with the enemy armor. A number of dead zerg were found in the parking lots and streets surrounding the starport, the result of a failed zerg rush by the locals.
“What the hell are you three doing out here?!” asked one of the militia.
“We’re military trained,” replied Rainbow Dash trying to keep her head down. “Our equipment is in that starport, we were hoping we could join in the fight. I didn’t think they already had control of the starport though.”
“That’s the first place in town they hit,” replied the armored stallion. “You ladies need to clear out of here. Find a shelter and keep your heads down. It won’t be long before dominion drop pods come down to assist. Just don’t-” the stallion was cut off as a burst of gauss fire shot through his armor.
Fortunately the suits built in internal first aid immediately kicked in, though it caused the stallion to pass out from the pain killer. Normally the suit could keep an injured stallion alive for several hours, but in this cold, his wounds would probably turn into life threatening frostbite. A stallion in a medical suit ran to assist his fallen comrade. “What the hell are you three still doing here? Get out of here now!” he demanded.
“Come on, there is nothing we can do here,” said Rainbow Dash leading the two younger mares in a retreat.
“We can’t leave without Tom! If Rain Sight was right, they’re going to be coming after Apple Bloom!” argued Scootaloo. Ignoring the older mare, she recklessly ran out of cover and flew towards the starport.
“Get back here!” shouted Rainbow Dash, but Scootaloo didn’t listen.
“I’ll go after her,” said Jet Stream who took off towards the starport as well. She wasn’t as fit to fly in this weather, so she ran on foot, doing her best to traverse the snowy slippery pavement.
“Damn it! Come back here, now!” demanded Rainbow Dash. Like her sister, Jet Stream refused to listen. Rainbow Dash noticed however that they weren’t being shot at. Perhaps the Diamond Dogs don’t see a threat from two unarmored and unarmed mares? she thought to herself. Rainbow Dash tried her luck and stepped out of cover to go after them. It only took a second before she found herself under fire and had to immediately duck behind cover again. Ok maybe not. All she could do was prey that her little sisters would be alright. She was in no position to help out the foolish young mares.
Scootaloo had actually managed to make it to a window without as much as a scratch. She looked down towards the parking lot and saw Jet Stream struggling to run through the slippery pavement. “Damn it Jet, you’re going to get shot!” she said to herself. Deciding to once again test her luck, she once again flew down towards Jet Stream, picked her up and again flew towards the window.
“Thanks Scoots,” said Jet Stream. “But I really think you should have taken us back there where it’s safe. I don’t see how two unarmed mares are going to take on these many Diamond Dogs.”
“Don’t worry, we just need to stay out of sight and we’ll be alright,” assured Scootaloo.
Jet Stream grabbed Scootaloos head and pulled her down. Shortly after, an explosion went off sending the two of them across the hall. Apparently the militia outside weren’t going to stop firing missiles for their sake.
Scootaloo’s eyes opened, her vision somewhat blurred and her ears ringing. She then saw three Diamond Dogs gather around them. Scootaloo closed her eyes waiting for the sound of inevitable gunfire. “Why aren’t you armored up?” asked Jet Stream. “Open your eyes when I talk to you.”
Scootaloo was confused why Jet Stream was asking that. She again opened her eyes and found it wasn’t Jet Stream talking to her. The three Diamond Dogs visors had lifted to reveal they were all Scootaloo clones.
“What’s your unit number? Why were you two with the enemy?!” asked one of the clones.
“Uhh…” was all Jet Stream could reply with. Scootaloo was still in shock at what she was seeing.
“They are probably infiltrators sent by the prophet,” suggested one of the clones. “Who else would have shut down the defensive platforms?”
“Right!” said Jet Stream. “It’s been a long time sisters. I’m 36,” she continued. Scootaloo had no idea what was going on.
“36?!” they all said in unison. One of the three with the armor labeled 588 asked, “But… you disappeared years ago. And dad told me first hand that adoption is a load of bull.”
“It is?!” asked one of the other clones.
“It’s true.” said Jet Stream. “Me and… unit 01 here were spies. We spent years setting this up.”
Scootaloo wanted to question Jet Stream, but decided for the sake of self-preservation to just let her do the talking.
“Unit 01?!” asked 588. “I can’t believe you’re still alive. You were sent away so young and after what happened to 522… never mind. We can reminisce later. The prophet is about to call down the heavies and they'll be leading an attack against the hospital. We need to hold this starport and its shuttles for extraction once she has the target secured,” explained 588.
The plan made sense. Drop pods were a one way trip. Transport ships would be needed to extract any soldiers on the ground if they wanted to escape back into orbit. But if they lost control of the starport, the nav beacons would shut down, cutting off any hope of escaping the blizzard in one piece. With so much of the militia fighting to take back the starport, odds were the hospital would face little resistance, and they would have no problem calling down an evac transport. The starport itself contained many shuttles, so it would provide its own means of evacuation.
“Well our equipment was compensated when we first arrived. If we could suit up, we could help attack the hospital,” suggested Scootaloo.
“No, our orders are to stay here and hold this starport. Go suit up and help hold the walls,” ordered 588.
Scootaloo decided it was best to just play along. She certainly had no intention of following that mares orders. After putting some distance between them while heading toward the starports armory, she had to get some answers out of Jet Stream.
“Alright Jet, what was that back there? Who are you? And what do you mean I’m 01?” asked Scootaloo.
“Well… do you have any idea how many sisters you have?” asked Jet Stream.
“Apparently a lot if there are enough to hold this starport,” replied Scootaloo.
“When I left, they were already working on the second generation,” said Jet Stream. “From what I understood, 01 was probably the original template. At least that’s how I think it happened. So if you’re the original, then that makes you 01.”
“What do you mean probably the original template? I am the original,” said Scootlaoo.
“Right. Probably. I didn’t get to stay around long enough to get all the details,” said Jet Stream.
“No, there is no probably! I’m Scootaloo, the first and original!” argued Scootaloo.
“Ok I get it. But let’s take care of this first alright?” said Jet Stream as she continued towards the armory.
Scootaloo finally calmed down. “So what… you were all training to be soldiers?” asked Scootaloo. “If that’s the case, then you have to have some level of military training right?”
“Enough to be of use I hope. I didn’t complete the training, I was sent away when I was only eleven. But I’ll do my best… what exactly are we going to be doing?” asked Jet Stream. “We aren’t really going to be shooting at those militia are we?” While Jet Stream did go through much of the same training her sisters did, the fact her training was cut early meant she wasn’t as taken in by the violence as her sisters were. She took no pleasure in the idea of having to fight and kill the locals.
“No, we’re going to grab our gear, and any other gear they’ll let us take, then fly Tom back to that hospital. It sounds like Rain Sight was right about the attack,” explained Scootaloo.
“Whoa, wait a minute. I just thought of something,” said Jet Stream. “If we steal a shuttle, won’t the militia think we’re one of them? A shuttle suddenly flying out of here would probably become a target for those missile launchers.”
“Oh… right…. I guess I didn’t think that far ahead,” admitted Scootaloo.
“Look on the bright side, at least our sisters won’t shoot at us,” said Jet Stream.
“They will once they see we’re up to something,” said Scootaloo.
“No, I mean they literally can’t. It’s in the conditioning. No Iron Feather unit can fire on another Iron Feather unit. That’s probably why they didn’t just shoot us when we ran across the parking lot,” explained Jet Stream. “Though that brings up another problem. If the militia find out that all these Diamond Dogs are copies of you… you won’t ever be able to show your face around the Dominion ever again. Or maybe even anywhere once everyone else finds out who they are.”
Scootaloo’s heart sank. These stupid clones just wouldn’t stop ruining her life! She never did anything particularly bad, and now because of them she was about to become public enemy number one. Especially with all the civilians they had killed in the air raids. As she turned the corner, she found another grim sight.
There were a number of burned bodies throughout the starport. Stallions and mares, militia and civilians, fillies and colts. All of them burned to a crisp. One of the Diamond Dogs casually walked through the hall way with a hand held flame thrower whistling to a cheerful tune.
“What the hell is the matter with these mares?!” asked Scootaloo trying to take in what she was witnessing. The passing Diamond Dog didn’t seem to pay her any attention. She just continued whistling and breathing in the fumes. Scootaloo looked over at Jet Stream to find she too was smiling at the scent of roasted ponies. “Jet Stream!” she shouted.
Jet Stream snapped out of it. “Sorry! It’s just a really catchy tune. Let’s get to that armory.”