//------------------------------// // ... to Equestria (Chapter 2) // Story: Subject Delta - Rapturous for Equestria // by TheMightyT //------------------------------// Subject Delta – Rapturous For Equestria *TheMightyT* -\Edited by Reiver/- Chapter 2: … to Equestria “For every choice, there is an echo. Which each act, we change the world. One man chose a city, free of law and God, but others chose corruption and so the city fell. If the world was reborn at your image, would it be paradise… or perdition?” -Sofia Lamb *** Another day in Rapture, another life taken. A scream could be heard in the silent halls of the Utopian city. Yet another killed for nothing. Not that he cared, he had other things on his mind. As he slowly made his way to the vent where his Daughter would meet him, his mind worked as always. There were so many questions, and each answer just led to more questions. He was Subject Delta, Big Daddy Alpha Series, protector of Eleanor, his Little Sister. But his dreams told him otherwise… There was a world out there, far away from the confines of this hallway. A world not submerged under the sea, a world without the perfect people that feared him so much. Not that he cared, only Eleanor's safety was important to him. Eleanor… His Daughter, the one he was bounded to. He was her Big Daddy, she his Little Sister. That was the mantra that always swirled in his mind, pushing out the questions and dreams. There would be another time to think, now his Daughter had work to do… The vent came in sight, glowing golden in the unnatural light. The vents were used to pump air throughout Rapture, but they served another purpose as well. They were quick passageways for the Little Sisters, allowing safe travel from one district of Rapture to the other. The safekeeping of Little Sisters was essential for Rapture, without them there was no ADAM and without ADAM there were no Plasmids. And the people of Rapture wanted, no, needed plasmids. Then everyone could be perfect, everyone could do anything. But it was addicting, and the Little Sisters couldn’t keep up, so more and more were created every day. But there were not enough Big Daddies for all of them. There had to come a solution or soon the Little Sisters would have to venture through the halls of Rapture alone, without any protection, and with Splicers lurking in the dark. Splicers… he hated them. He didn’t care for those who partied, lived their lives full of ADAM and plasmids, but Splicers he really hated. They were addicted enough to kill others for their Plasmids, to even try to kill Little Sisters. He shivered at that thought, as he raised his gloved fist, bringing it bluntly down on the vent. The sound of a gong echoed through the silent halls, calling his Daughter. The Splicers would be wise to get out of his way, because anyone trying to hurt his daughter would meet his spinning drill. He raised his fist again for the second time, striking the vent. He could faintly hear shuffling, and his thoughts returned to the Splicers. Rapture was unstable, its master no longer able to keep her on a leash, and soon, all hell would break loose. But he would always be there, protecting his Daughter. He balled his gloved fist as his anger rose about the thought of anyone hurting his Daughter. However, his anger was short-lived, as she slowly emerged from the vent, her beautiful shining yellow eyes looking at him. She showed him a doll which, if looked at it with imagination, looked like a Big Daddy with a corkscrew as the drill. Her voice sounded like one hundred angels in his ears: “Look Daddy – it’s you!” He slowly nodded, as he was unable to speak. He reached out for her, slowly and carefully pulled her out of the vent and set her on the ground. She smiled at him, the Big Daddy doll in her right hand, and her nearly empty syringe in her left, but this would not remain an issue for long. She looked beautiful today, same as any other, and she was wearing her favorite pink dress, just as always. She smiled at him, putting the doll under her left arm and taking his right hand. She knew what to do, and she already could hear the fluttering of the wings of the Butterflies, as they gathered above an Angel. Her instinct would lead them to it, and he would just follow her, trusting her completely. She pulled him along, encouraging him to follow while saying the phrase she always said to him: “Let’s go out to play, Daddy!” He followed her closely, his hand enveloping hers as if he would never let her go. He looked to his left, the City's lights illuminating the hallway. He could see a part of Rapture, beyond the thick glass windows. It was an architectural feat, the water kept out by bolts, screws, and possibly faith. He saw the towers of various parts of the City, some restaurants, other apartments, but all were connected by hallways, like the one he was slowly trudging through. He could even see a glass dome between some towers, which appeared to be Arcadia, the lungs of the City, the lush forest of Rapture. However he never went there, as his Daughter mostly roamed through the apartment districts of the City. He had heard that there was grass in Arcadia, and that made him remember something. A grand meadow with long, green grass waving as the wind slowly whistled past him. He was her Big Daddy, she his Little Sister. There would be time to think in the future, now he had only time for Eleanor. His Daughter looked back at him, as he thought. She smiled at him, snapping him out of his daydream, and he would have returned the favor, if it weren’t for the helmet he had on. He was always reminded by his reflection in the windows and mirrors around Rapture that he was Subject Delta, a Big Daddy. He wasn’t human, not anymore; not that he could remember him being one , a being free of a Big Daddy suit. His Daughter let go of him, smelling a target, and she skipped slowly away from him. He was happy she was having a good time, but his slow, heavy steps sped up as she went through a bulkhead door and went around a corner in what looked like hallways intersection. The sounds of laughing and partying came to his ears, but the only thing that he really heard were the footsteps of his Daughter. He followed, but stopped for a moment in the middle of the intersection. He looked at a big television, a monstrous thing bearing the face of Andrew Ryan that hung from the ceiling. No one had ever accused him of being subtle. Delta looked at the man displayed on the television, talking about it being a ‘new year’, a time to celebrate. But Delta didn’t really care, turning away from the man and focusing back on his Daughter, whom he could hear humming as she skipped. He walked up some stairs, accidentally stomping through a small waterfall caused by a leak, shortly blurring his vision. The City was always leaking. But that wasn’t a problem, it was a perfectly normal sight - plus, he got a free shower out of it. He ascended the stairs, each step revealing more of the room his Daughter had entered. He saw windows, the light of the City, and a dead body. A normal day for Rapture, that was for sure. He could see bubbles of air slowly making their way to the surface through the window; surely caused by a small rupture in a pipe outside, but a beautiful sight nonetheless. He saw his Daughter, kneeling at the body of a once beautiful woman. She was dead now, the blood that pooled beneath her still wet. His Daughter kept humming, but now he could understand some of phrases she was quietly muttering to herself. Things like: “You are a beautiful Angel, miss Angel” and “Good girls gather.” She was such a polite little lady, she surely was. He stepped closer to the body, seeing the possible murder weapon in the corner: a wrench. This kill had Splicer all written over it, which made him more aware of his surroundings, the sounds of laughing and partying now felt more like a potential threat. Not that his Daughter cared; no, she was careless like always, doing the thing she loved the most, harvesting. She slowly laid her doll next to her and grabbed her syringe with her right hand. She jabbed at the body, murmuring something and with a quiet gasp pulled the needle out of the neck of the Angel. He could see a red liquid in the glassy vial of the syringe. His Daughter had found some ADAM, and he was beyond proud … “Mmmmm …,” his daughter murmured, as she stood up and she set her lips at the end of the syringe and began sucking at the plastic bit. It seemed to him she was pleased, so he could conclude two things. First, this women, or Angel, had some Plasmids on her. And second, the kill was very fresh, which meant that the ADAM would just taste sweeter to his Daughter. He was happy for her, as she stopped drinking and wiped the red liquid that was left on her lips off with the back of her hand. She giggled at him, her beautiful yellow eyes shining more from pleasure as she looked at him. She put her nose high unto the air, possibly smelling another Angel, and she sighed happily. “More Angels, Daddy! This way!” She called to him, as she turned around and ran through a bulkhead door. She always got excited when there were Angels close, but he just became warier, as he was concerned for her safety. He followed her quickly, and he saw light pouring into the hallway, as he could see Eleanor run through another door, into a party that was going on inside. He just saw a glimpse off her, as she disappeared in the crowd. He slowly made his way into the room, briefly blinded by the bright light inside. People with masks, smoking, dancing, and singing in the background. A man backing away from him, saying something he didn’t hear. He walked out of the small dancing area and into another hallway, deeper inside the building as there were no windows. It was a deep red colored hallway, fit for royals and VIPs alike. There was a soft carpet underfoot, muffling his heavy footsteps, while many armatures and sculptures surrounded him. This City never ceased to amaze those who saw her for the first time. But the only thing he noticed was the quiet hallway, a ornately dressed drunk wandering the halls with a bottle in his hand, and enough ornaments to daze even the most powerful kings and queens. What worried him the most was the fact he didn’t see his Daughter. He hurried his footsteps, holding his pace at a lumbering jog as he passed the drunken man who let his bottle fall to the ground, terrified of the agitated Big Daddy. Suddenly a scream, and he just knew his Daughter needed his help. He began running, his footsteps seemingly shaking the hallway as he reached for the drill that was attached to his back. If any Splicer had the nerve to hurt his Daughter he would hurt them back. His fears were confirmed as he heard another high pitched scream, causing his blood began to boil as he reached the door his Daughter had went through. He heard Eleanor calling for him, an underlying note of urgency and fear in her voice: “Daddy!” 'I’m coming for you, Eleanor!' *** “The Rapture dream is over, but in waking I am reborn. This world is not ready for me, yet here I am… but in waking, I’m alone.” *** 'Eleanor!,' the name of his Daughter breaking the silence in his mind. The heavy darkness began to clear, as his senses began to return to him. He could hear strange noises, and if asked where he was, he would have answered: Arcadia. But the sounds were strange, even for Rapture's Forest, even for the City as a whole… Where was he? He slowly opened his eyes, seeing some alien dark blue expanse above him. Was that the sky? Had he escaped Rapture? He tried looking around carefully, not wanting to hurt himself by moving too quickly. But he felt no pain whatsoever. He saw trees, big and old, scattered around him. He seemed to be in a forest, a clearing in the forest to be more exact. He didn’t believe his eyes at first, looking around searching for a glass dome, water behind windows or anything that would be there if he still was in Rapture. But… there were no confines, he was truly free. He slowly stood up, and as he was looking around he saw something laying on the ground. It was his drill, seeming out of place in this natural paradise. He knelt, and in one fluid motion he placed the drill on his back, where it belonged. He may be outside of Rapture, but that didn’t meant he was out of harm’s way. He left a strange place for a place that was even stranger. But also familiar… The dreams about grand forests , their trees standing proudly popped into his mind. He had been to a place like this, before… Rapture and before he was called Subject Delta. But right now he needed to think, to come up with a plan. First, he had to find out where he was and search for his Daughter. Second, destroy anything standing in the way of him and his Daughter. No, scratch that thought, it may be better not to engage directly in combat as he wasn’t used to fighting here. He didn’t know what could be dangerous, but surely this place would have some deadly side to it, every calm and quiet looking place had one. Now he needed to make his way to his Daughter, if she was here. However, he began to think she wasn’t here, as he couldn’t feel her presence like he normally could. Maybe it was because of the Pairbond being broken? He didn’t know, but he was about to find out. With these thoughts crowding his mind, he turned up to the sky, to the beautiful moon that was bathing him in her light, and he thought about what he should do if his Daughter wasn’t here. Should he stay in the forest, or try to find some kind of civilization? He didn’t know what to do, but exploring was the safe bet here. So he used the small knowledge he had of star navigation and went north, or what he hoped was north. He didn’t know where this knowledge came from, but it wasn’t the first time he remembered doing something he didn’t know how to do. It was like he already had done it in the past, in a previous life … . But his train of thoughts were brutally derailed, as he heard a high pitched scream from beyond the sea of trees. Eleanor!, he thought and he began running towards the direction of the scream. The trees blurred past and he heard another scream and some kind of howling… Splicers? No, maybe wolves… what even were wolves, and how did he know that? No time, his Daughter is in danger. The trees thinned out as he came closer to, what he thought, was the edge of the forest. He saw a rickety old bridge that crossed over what seemed to be an abyss, following a path to what appeared to be a castle… a castle? It seemed very old, destroyed by weather and time, but that was where the scream came from. He began slowly crossing the bridge trying not to look down. But a thought crossed his mind, what if the scream wasn’t from Eleanor? Well, it would just be another dead Splicer… *** “This world is not ready for me, yet here I am. It would be so easy to misjudge them… If Utopia is not a place, but a people, then we must choose carefully, for the world is about to change, and in our story, Rapture was just the beginning.” *** Shout-Out: Crushric, for giving me the idea for the indents at the beginning of a new paragraph! Thank you, dude! (Or dudette?) Author's Note: Well, what happened to Twilight? What is Subject Delta going to do? Is he going to help the one who was screaming, or is he going to go on a killing spree? Who knows... oh, yes of course, I know. Well, you guys (and girls possibly?) just have to find that out next chapter... Some random trivia about this chapter: *Completely written during the submitting of Chapter 1 of this story. Never felt that good in my life, words flowing out my fingers to my screen. A very bad case of what I like to call 'Authorgasm', being able to keep on writing and everything just feels good... *During writing the official soundtrack for Bioshock 2 was used. To be more specific: Sounds from the Lighthouse; names of the songs used: 'How She Sees the World' (First bit in Rapture) & 'Drained Memories' (Once in Equestria). *You receive the right to ask for a spoiler for Chapter 3 when you read all of this. Postscript of Author's Note: Expect a weekly update for the chapters. I like to have at least one chapter extra, should something stop me from writing. So, it will probably be weekly updates. Sorry guys, but my studies take some time. (But not as much as getting to the university, staying there and getting back home.) I'll probably use the back of my slides to write bits of chapters, than I just need to get that on my laptop. Also, I'm a proofreader myself (Click here to read it! It's good!), and that will come second to my studies, and my own writing will come third. But no worries, I write quite fast. At least, I've been told. Some good news: I don't have a social life whatsoever, so I'll have enough time left to write. I will get behind on some of the stories I'm tracking, but I will do that without a single thought, just to entertain you guys. That's all, I hope you enjoyed this Chapter and I'll see you next time!