//------------------------------// // Gambit // Story: Pony Fortress 2: A Worthy Cause // by The Usurper //------------------------------// "What now, Officer?" "Keep pushing." Exos, safely isolated behind the front lines, eyed the central building cautiously. "Is the BLU Sniper dead?" "Soon." His subordinate confirmed. "We're overwhelming her with our own Snipers. It won't be long before she's killed." "And their Engineer?" "Our Spies and Soldiers are swarming her position now." Exos nodded. "Tell me when you manage to-" "Exos!" His eyes widened. "Commander?" "Look sharp, officer." Pivoting on his rear legs, he swiveled around and saluted. "What brings you to the battlefront?" "Developments." With her resigned posture, her listless steps, and her head hung low, she looked more like a peasant than a Commander. All that was left of the old Protea was her determined grimace. "Developments?" Exos asked carefully. "Developments." Her stare flickered to Exos' subordinate. "Leave us." "As you wish." With a low bow, the changeling hurried away. Exos watched him scurry away. "What developments, Commander?" Protea sighed. "The other Commanders are dead." The words passed through his ears. It took several seconds for him to process them and come up with an appropriate response. "What?!" He spluttered. "Spies." She glared at him. "I don't suppose you saw any of them during the battle?" "Of... of course not, Commander." "That's the whole point!" Protea snapped. "Why didn't you realize they weren't around?" "Good Spies are never around." Exos explained desperately. "Never around anything that's still alive for more than five seconds, at any rate." "I'll deal with you later." She gazed out at the battlefield. "How much progress have we made?" "We're almost past this second group of buildings." "Not fast enough." She extended her hoof towards him. "Do you have a gun?" "Um... just a revolver, Commander." "Any melee weapons?" "A katana I took from the RED Demomare's corpse." He reached to his side and, touching his hoof to the tip of a sleek ebony scabbard, extricated the bloody sword. "I believe that it's called the Half-Zatoichi." "Who calls it that?" "The mercenaries." "I'm not going to use their name. I'll give it a new one." Her horn flashed with a sickly green glare, and the sword flew quickly to her side. "As soon as I think of something." "Hold on, Commander." Exos' eyes widened. "You're not planning to... join the battle yourself, are you?" "Why not?" "I... there is no reason for you to risk yourself so unnecessarily." "I have to fight alongside my minions." "Commander, you are our leader." Exos insisted. "If you fall, the battle is lost." "How pessimistic." Aided by her magic, the revolver floated out of his hoof. She grinned. "I won't fall." "You are but one bullet or rocket away from death." "That's far enough away for me." "I do not-" "Who's in charge here?" Protea snapped. Exos paused. Then, reluctantly, he said, "You, Commander." "So don't question me." "... As you wish." She nodded. "Come along. We have work to do." "I don't think so," came a voice. In an instant, every head was turned towards the source. A mere moment later, a blast shattered the ground before Exos. He stumbled back, blinking furiously. "Commander!" "I'm alright." She grunted. "Get back on your hooves." He scrambled upright. "The smoke is beginning to clear." She continued. "It is..." Exos squinted. He could make out the vague silhouette of an earth pony stepping forward... Abruptly, a gust of wind dissipated the cloud. A terrifying blend of black, blue and pink met his eyes. A bubbly pink mane and tail waved energetically in the breeze. Sleek black gloves gave way to a bloodied blue asbestos suit, which in turn melted smoothly into a charred, faceless mask. A bulky grey flamethrower rested in her grip, crimson blood and lighter fluid dripping from the nozzle. Exos could almost hear the malicious grin under the mask. "Who has work to do?" "Out of my way, scum." Protea snarled. "Look who's talking." The BLU Pyro chuckled darkly. "And I have a name, you know. Pinkamena." "I couldn't care less!" Protea jabbed her hoof at Pinkamena. "Kill her!" All at once, a horde of changelings converged on her. Exos stepped away. "Bad choice." A swath of deadly flame arced across the battlefield. Three changeling Scouts stumbled away, screaming in pain. "Take the flamethrower!" Protea ordered. Exos found his courage. A stock pistol removed itself from the holster on his hip and fired. "Nice try." Pinkamena cartwheeled backwards, the bullets passing right over her mask, and sprang back into position just in time to airblast a couple of rockets back at their firers. kaboom Pinkamena sighed pleasantly. A shower of blood and gore coursed down onto her suit and onto the ground. "Beautiful." "Enough is enough." Protea barked. "Everyone else, stand back." She galloped forward, revolver in hoof, and snapped off three shots. Pinkamena barely reacted in time. In the blink of an eye, her flamethrower manoeuvred into position to take all the bullets. Three consecutive pings echoed softly. She growled. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that." "Am I?" Protea bared her teeth. A green burst of flame encapsulated her. "We shall see." "You shall see, maybe, but I already do." With an angry shriek and a manic leap, Pinkamena soared towards Protea. "Too late." Immediately, the green fire died. A griffon stepped out and, in a single deft sweep, grabbed hold of Pinkamena's neck. "Ack!" Pinkamena thrashed wildly, putting her hoof threateningly to the trigger of her flamethrower. Protea sneered, grabbed the nozzle, and twisted it downwards. "Anything else?" "Just this." A pink hoof, traveling with the force of a train, drove itself into Protea's stomach. Her grip loosened momentarily. Pinkamena slipped out of her grasp. "Commander!" It was almost a dream for Exos, to see his superior being assaulted and matched so easily. He lifted his pistol shakily and took aim at Pinkamena's head. bang Out of nowhere, Pinkamena's hoof appeared between the bullet and its target. A burst of blood exploded outwards from her leg with a wet squelch. She smiled blandly. "Good shot." "That's it!" Protea growled. Her claw blinked forward and slashed through the air. Pinkamena jumped backwards. Landing gracefully, she drew her fire axe out from her belt and beckoned to Protea. "Your move." Protea made another grab for the Pyro, but the latter dodged her blow neatly and retaliated with a slice that nearly took her arm off. Protea backtracked rapidly, clutching her hand to her chest. "Come on, you have a weapon too." Pinkamena said. Protea's talons closed around her revolver. In the span of a second, it was in the air and centered on her target's head. Pinkamena scoffed. She strode forward and forcefully smashed the gun out of Protea's hand with the butt of the axe. "Not that one. The other one." "You mean this one?" Protea snarled. The bloodstained katana flew out in an arc towards Pinkamena. "Yes." Pinkamena grinned madly. "That one." She sidestepped the blade and, letting her momentum carry her the full way through, brought her own to bear. Sparks flew as axe met sword. "As I said: your move." "Grah!" She thrust the Half-Zatoichi forward. The tip grazed Pinkamena's suit, but not before her axe delivered a blow to the katana so powerful it turned her claws to jelly. "Actually, I forgot to ask: Are you the changeling commander?" Pinkamena laughed mockingly, deflecting an uppercut with her axe. "I can't be too sure. You don't fight as well as the rest of those minions." "Shut up!" The sword drew back and stabbed forward again. It carved off a long strip of Pinkamena's suit, exposing her torso. "Ooh! Good one." Her axe slashed at Protea's chest. A clump of feathers fell to the ground. "There we go, returned the favour." Protea gazed at her disbelievingly. "Are you... toying with me?" "Now, what could make you think that?" Idly, Pinkamena snipped the tip of Protea's claw off with a clean flick of her axe. Another brief wave caught a bullet from Exos' gun. "I can't imagine where you got that idea." Protea simply stared, mouth open. Her lips moved but no words came out. "Cat got your tongue? Maybe I can loosen it up for you." She turned away. "Your turn, Twilight!" pew A red spear of light lanced outwards from the central building. Protea ducked just in time to see it pass over her head and into the skull of one of the changelings behind her. The effect was immediate. A powerful shockwave carried Protea off her feet, propelling her several meters forward. Her wings unfolded, trying to stabilize herself, but to no avail. She landed roughly on the ground, losing her grip on the katana. It clattered onto the ground somewhere. The main blast caught up with her a brief moment later. Searing hot air singed her coat. She snapped her arm upwards, trying, without success, to shield her eyes from the pain. Her heart beat furiously. Somewhere out there, Pinkamena was loose. That monster could kill her at any moment. And she would be powerless. She wasn't the one with a respawn point. Her eyes still stinging, Protea felt around the floor blindly for her Half-Zatoichi. The tip of her claw came into contact with something metallic. She snatched it up. Her eyes flew open. Above her, the faceless mask of the Pyro leered, the axe clutched threateningly in her hoofed grip. Protea reacted. Her sword flew upwards swiftly, colliding with the sharp end of the axe and forcing it back. An adrenaline rush gave her the strength to overwhelm Pinkamena, if only momentarily. But a moment was all she needed. Pinkamena's forelegs shuddered under the pressure. Her hind legs spread themselves apart as she struggled to resist Protea's strength. It gave Protea the opening she needed. She drew her leg back, sneered, and kicked Pinkamena in the crotch. Abruptly, the axe gave way. Pinkamena collapsed onto the ground, screaming. Protea smirked. "Too much?" She listened a little closer, and then she slowly began to realize that they weren't screams of pain at all. Pinkamena laughed, wiping the tears away from her eyes. "Oh, you actually... you actually... oh Luna, Diana really guessed right. Good thing I wore those crotchguards!" "Say what now?" "Here's a taste of your own medicine." Pinkamena snarled and, with a cruel grin, bucked Protea between the legs with as much force as she could muster. Protea's jaw fell open. The pain of a thousand wounds fell upon her all at once. An unrelenting pulse of sheer torment spread to her legs, and she toppled over with a silent scream dying on her lips. "Hm..." Pinkamena got to her hooves slowly. Her eyes glinted with smugness. "Too much, eh?" "Ugh..." Her instincts willed her to stand up. She rolled over instead. "How about we end this now?" Pinkamena suggested, leveling her axe at Protea's throat. "I think prolonging this would be torturous." She cackled. "If you're lucky." "Get away from her!" All of a sudden, Exos sped into Protea's field of vision. He charged straight into Pinkamena and tackled her to the ground. "Get off!" Pinkamena demanded. She tried to pull her axe free from Exos' grip. "No." He growled. His green aura brought his pistol to rest squarely on her forehead. Pinkamena's eyes widened. Leaning forward, she wrenched the gun out of the air with her teeth and spat it out a few meters away. She caught Exos' face in a violent headbutt. As he fell backwards, dazed, Pinkamena pulled the axe out of his grasp. "You'll pay for that." Pinkamena lifted her hind leg and brought it down heavily on his chest. It gave way with the gruesome cracking and tearing of exoskeleton and internal organs. "Argh!" Exos gnashed his teeth. "Pathetic." Pinkamena snorted. She kicked the convulsing body aside and turned back to Protea. "Now, we had something to settle, didn't we?" Protea's eyes twitched. "You... monster!" "What?" Pinkamena cocked her head in curiosity. "Surely you've seen worse." "This is brutality beyond anything I've ever witnessed!" Protea spat. "Oh, really?" Adjusting her grip on her fire axe, Pinkamena crept forward menacingly. "Then believe me, your standards will be at rock bottom before this war is over." "Not before I kill you." She remembered her Half-Zatoichi and brought it to bear. "And Chrysalis help me, I will." "If only I had a penny for everypony who's ever said that to me." Pinkamena flourished her axe as one would a rapier. Protea shook her head, growled, and sprang forward. "Twilight. Twilight, are you there?" Twilight tapped her hoof to her walkie-talkie. "Yes, Ician, I'm here." "You're in the central building, right?" "I am. Why?" "Is everypony else with you yet?" Pulling her face away from her rifle's scope, she looked around. The faces of both BLU's and RED's mercenaries - sans the BLU Pyro, of course - stared back at her. "They're all here." "Excellent. Look behind you." "Why?" "Just do it." Twilight turned around. "What am I supposed to be looking at?" "There are some barrels there, correct?" "Yes..." Three rows of old, rotting wooden barrels stood against the back wall of the room. "What are they for?" "Do you remember what I asked you a few minutes ago?" She racked her mind. "You mean, about your long-term plan?" "Yes." "What about it?" "It starts now." "Oh." She said. "What do you want us to do?" "Absolutely nothing." "Then..." There was a brief pause. And then, with unmistakable solemnity, Ician said, "I'm sorry." click Red. Everything was red. Exos blinked weakly. It did nothing to clear the blood from his eyes. He tried to lift his head, but it was fixed to the ground. Everything was fading rapidly to grey. Commander... I've failed you... Vaguely, he heard the sound of distant shouting. His own troops, presumably. But what were they doing? "There he is!" "Oh my Chrysalis, he looks terrible!" "Where's our Medic?" "I'm here, I'm here!" "What are you waiting for? Help him!" Suddenly, the agony began to subside. Broken blood vessels, joints, muscles and exoskeleton knit themselves back together. He opened his eyes. The redness had cleared. "Officer? Are you alright?" He turned around. A Medic, flanked by two other Soldiers, looked at him with visible concern. "Why are you here?" Exos asked. "This is far too close to the battle. The Pyro could incinerate you!" "We had to save you." The Medic replied simply. "Don't do that again." He ordered. "No guarantees, Officer." He shook his head in exasperation. "Also, we thought you might like to know something." Exos was immediately alert. "What?" "Intelligence report from the central building. One of our Spies went in." "What did she find out?" "The entire team is there." "RED or BLU?" "Both." Exos' mind was racing with possibilities. "But... that means that we can pick them all off at once with an explosives attack, or-" "Not a chance, Officer." The Medic shook her head sadly. "They're not doing anything in particular. They're just standing around. There's no way they won't notice an incoming attack before we manoeuvre into place." "But why aren't they doing anything?" "We have no idea." She shrugged. "But our Spy's guess is that it was an order from the top." "You mean..." His eyes widened. "The Administrator?" "If he's the one commanding them, then that would be so." Exos brought his hoof to his chin in contemplation. "What could he be planning..." "One more thing, Officer." "Yes?" "There are barrels at the back of the central building room, as well." "Barrels? What for?" "Well, our Spy couldn't look into them for fear of being discovered, so we have no idea." What would they store in there? "Alright," he said, addressing the Medic, "I need you to-" All of a sudden, the Medic's eyes widened. "Officer, down!" "Huh?" A brief second later, it clicked. He ducked quickly, just in time to dodge the lance of red, tipped with the deadly metal of a sniper bullet. It embedded itself in the concrete wall behind him. "Thanks." He muttered. "Best don't let your guard down yet, Officer." Exos looked up. He found himself staring down the barrel of a rocket launcher. "Orders?" He searched for cover. There was none. "Prepare for evasion." "As you wish." fwoosh The others scattered to both sides of him. Exos simply rolled forward and stayed down, covering his head and neck with his hooves. The rocket soared over him and hit the wall. It exploded with the force of ten tons of dynamite, bringing a cloud of dust and sulfur down on his body. It was at that very moment, with debris raining down upon his curled-up form, that a revelation hit him with the force of a meteoric impact. That's it! "Are you still there?" He called out. "We're fine, Officer!" The Medic called out. "New orders." Exos growled. "Cover me!" "At once." The three of them leapt forward, two rocket launchers blazing and a healing beam glowing to life. Please tell me I'm right. He checked his pistol. It had a few bullets left. This'll have to do. He sprang at the central building. "Twilight! I thought you said they'd run away!" "How should I have known that they wanted to die so badly?" She shouted. She leaned forward on a nearby box, trying to align the laser pointer with a hostile head. "Just keep shooting, Rainbow!" "What's Ician doing?" Rarity asked, firing out the window. "I don't know! He must have turned off his walkie-talkie!" A rocket whizzed over her head. The RED Pyro's airblast sent it flying right back. "What are they trying to do?" Spike queried at the top of his voice. "I have no idea!" Twilight answered. "Just keep them out!" A loud crash sounded through the room. The box Twilight had been resting her rifle on shattered into a million splinters. All of a sudden, she found herself face-to-face with a pair of fangs and two eerie blue eyes. It raised a pistol in its telekinetic grip. "This is for every changeling you've killed today." Everything happened too fast. Twilight felt a pair of hands grab her by the shoulders and pull her away from the gun. The changeling stared at her dispassionately, shook its head, and fired - at the barrels. A military shack. It's a military shack, for holing up in during a defense. There are only so many things one would store in a military shack. One of them is food. Immaterial, they certainly wouldn't be out here long enough to need that. Another are medical supplies. Unnecessary, they have two Medics there. There's only one more thing that could possibly be in those barrels. Ammunition. KABOOM An earth-shattering blast ripped the central building apart. Pinkamena rocked on her hooves. The grip on her axe slipped for a moment. Thankfully, Protea wasn't in any shape to take advantage of the situation - her wings snapped open, and the shockwave from the explosion propelled her away from the duel. A moment later, a gargantuan cloud of dust obscured her from vision. click "Pinkamena. Can you hear me?" "Loud and clear." "It seems that the changelings have exploited the weak spot." Is this still part of his plan? Diana wondered. "All according to plan, I take it?" Pinkamena asked. "All according to plan." Ician confirmed. "But now, you have new orders." "What are they?" "End your duel with Protea." "You mean, kill her?" "No, no. The opposite, in fact. Make sure you don't kill her. Just stay out of her way." "What?" She stomped her hoof crossly. "We were just getting to the fun part!" "You're mistaken. This is the fun part." He paused. "I want you to go in there and kill as many changelings as you can. Indiscriminately. And brutally, if possible." ... Did I mishear that? Diana asked. I don't think you did. Pinkie replied. "Please don't tell me I heard you wrong." Pinkamena begged. "You didn't. I want you to break their morale." He said. "I think there are about five hundred of them left, at least. I'll need you to whittle it down to two or three hundred." Pinkamena grinned. "I can do a lot more than that." "Frankly, with all five hundred of them there, not to mention Protea, I don't think your killing spree will last very long." Then, in an approving tone, he said, "But I do admire your courage and optimism." "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I've got a respawn point for a reason." "Well, have fun. If you'll excuse me, I've got a few other things to take care of." click Pinkamena cackled. "Are you guys ready for this?" Internally, Pinkie sighed. ... Ready as I'll ever be. Twilight awoke. click "Welcome back." Her mind was still in the midst of processing the latest circumstances. "... What." "What?" "What. Was. That. For." She growled. "The Plan." Ician said. "With a capital P." "How could that possibly have helped us?" She exploded. "The way you mercenaries were going the changelings would all be dead within the hour." He answered amiably. "Wouldn't that be what you want?" Twilight snapped. "No, no, of course not. Well, not all of them dead, at any rate." "Then," she ground out, "who do you want alive?" "Their commander. Protea." "I... why?" "Can you figure it out yourself?" "Not right now, I can't." She shook her head. "If you had just told us not to kill her, we wouldn't have!" "It's not enough to leave her alive. She has to think she's won." Her mind raced. "Why?" "You'll see. For now, just come to the shop." "To stock up and go back out there?" "No." He said firmly. "You will all be staying here." Protea groaned as she picked herself off the floor. She renewed her grip around the katana. "Commander!" All of a sudden, she felt two hooves haul her upright from behind and dust her down. "Are you alright?" She shrugged them off and turned around, looking the changeling in the eye. "I'm fine. But what happened?" "Um..." The changeling averted his gaze. "It was Officer Exos." "What did he do?" "From what I've heard, all the other mercenaries were in that central building. He must have taken advantage of the fact." Protea gazed at the rapidly expanding cloud of dust. "How did he create that explosion?" "The intelligence report said that there were barrels in the building. My guess is that they were filled with explosives." "Where is he now?" "Uh..." He coughed awkwardly. ",.. I'm sorry, Commander. He was practically inside the building when it happened." "Did you find his body?" "Not yet. We can't see anything with this cloud here." He gestured to the smoke. "But when it clears, we'll be able to-" shlck It came without warning. A blade flashed in front of her face, and a second later the changeling was missing his head. "Hiya!" Pinkamena poked Protea in the chest. "Tag, you're it! Catch me if you can!" And then she sped off, leaving an impossible cloud of pink behind. Protea blinked. "Huh?" Finally, it clicked. "What?!" She looked out in the direction Pinkamena had run. A trail of changeling corpses lay in her wake. "Hello again!" "Gah!" She spun around. The now-familiar mask stared at her. Driven by instinct, her claw burst forward and snatched the mask off Pinkamena's face. "Ooh, got me!" She giggled. Under the mask was an even more unsettling sight - the manic, twisted grin of a madmare, complete with twitching eyes and spasming ears. "Hey, this is a great chance to test my axe!" The sharpened edge of her fire axe snapped up to Protea's neck. "I... uh..." She was shocked speechless. "Did you know?" She added cheerfully. "I get two whole seconds of free crits after every kill! Isn't that awesome?" Protea drew away, her eyes darting from side to side. Is there a way out of this? Pinkamena looked down. "Aw, it ran out! Gimme a second, I think they're more kills over there." Quick as a flash, she galloped off. "Wha..." She frowned. "Wait, what am I doing? Why am I scared of her?" "Maybe because I'm too pro for you?" "Aha!" The Half-Zatoichi, secure in her palm, slashed outwards and around herself in an arc. Halfway through, it met steel. Protea looked behind her. "Close, close." Pinkamena nodded sagely, axe in hoof. "By the way, have I ever mentioned how awesome natural health regen is?" She ignored the rambling. With a harsh snarl, she whipped the sword around again, aiming for a downward slash. "Ah, not so fast." The blade of the axe caught the blow. A second later, Pinkamena followed through with a swift bludgeon to the nose with the butt of her weapon. Protea stumbled back and shielded her face, wiping the blood away. When she withdrew her hand, the Pyro was nowhere to be seen. Where did she go? It struck her. My troops- "- are almost all dead." Pinkamena finished for her. "Funny, isn't it? Between bullet resistance, airblasts, and free crits, they really don't have a leg to stand on." Protea was prepared for it this time. She whipped around and carved a deep gash through the Pyro's torso. "Ack! Good one." Pinkamena adopted a battle stance. "My turn." The axe stabbed forward in a thrust. Protea only just managed to deflect the blow. She fell to the ground and rolled forward, in between Pinkamena's legs. She brought her katana around in a slash that almost took Pinkamena's hindlegs off. "Oh, that was a nice try." Pinkamena jumped and tucked both legs close to her chest. "My turn." "What do you mean-" The blunt end of the axe smashed painfully into her skull. She gritted her teeth and willed herself to scramble to her feet. "Oh, did that hurt?" Pinkamena smirked. "I'm sorry." "You know what?" Protea glared at her balefully. "I've had enough of this." Pinkamena gave her a quizzical look. "What do you mean?" Protea sighed. A column of green fire burst out from beneath her feet, cradling her in its warm embrace. Seconds later, she stepped out of the conflagration, the last vestiges of the griffon fading away from her changeling form. She kicked her katana away and lowered herself to her knees. "I surrender." "Wait... really? Huh." Pinkamena trotted to her side. "That was a lot easier than I thought it'd be." "You've won, fair in square." "Good, good." Pinkamena patted Protea's head gently. The hoof landed on her wound. She winced. Protea kept her gaze fixed on the ground. "But I'm a Commander." "And?" "That means I know when I have to cheat." And, with that, she thrust her head upwards and impaled Pinkamena's neck on her horn. Moments stretched off into eternity. Pinkamena stared forward passively, uncomprehending. Then, her mouth morphed into a smile, and she coughed up a globule of blood. "Well... played..." She croaked. "Well played..." Protea stood up and kicked her aside. "It gives me no pleasure to win through deception." "Really?" Pinkamena chuckled weakly. "No wonder you and Ician don't get along." Protea shook her head. Without a word, she strode away silently, leaving the dying Pinkamena to bleed out alone. "Wait." She stopped in her tracks. "What?" "One..." Pinkamena coughed wetly. "... One more thing." "Yes?" "Ician's waiting for you in the shop." "The... shop?" Protea turned around and glared at her. "What do you mean?" Pinkamena smiled at her and shook her head. Soon after, her eyelids flopped shut and her body went limp. Protea sighed. "Typical." "Commander!" She turned her head. "Yes?" A Scout galloped towards her, slowed to a full stop, and pulled off a sharp salute. "Field report." "Go on." "There were heavy casualties. Not many of us are left." "How many?" "Um, well..." He hesitated. "... Two, Commander." Protea gasped, aghast. "Two?!" "Yes." "But there were five hundred of you..." "Well, there were." He said. "Incompetent..." She took a deep breath. "Never mind. Where is the other one?" "He's performing a ritual burning, Commander. For the dead." "Forget about those idiots." She snapped. "Tell him to come and follow me. Now!" "At once!" He pulled off another salute and, with fearful eyes, hurried away quickly. One thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight troops and five Commanders dead... Her eyes narrowed. What kind of killing machines are these mercenaries? "Commander! We're here!" She cast a brief glance behind her. The Scout from earlier was now accompanied by a disgruntled-looking Heavy. "What are your orders?" The Heavy asked gruffly. "Escort me." She answered curtly. And she walked away. Where am I? "Officer Exos? Are you there?" What's going on? He squinted, trying to see through the opaque cloud of dust. Who was that? And what's with all this smoke? And then, he remembered. "I'm here." He coughed. "Who are you?" "Your Medic, Officer." Exos felt a hoof against his head. "You were too close to the explosion. I need to check you for concussions." "How did I survive?" "The Soldiers shielded you at the last minute." "Where are they now?" He gulped, fearing the answer. "... I'm afraid they didn't make it, Officer." Exos gritted his teeth. "Idiots... why did they do that?" "Their duty to you is paramount, Officer. As is mine." "... They will be mourned for their loyalty." He got to his hooves, frowning resolutely. "I'll make sure of that." "As you wish. But for now, Officer, we have to get you to someplace safe. Those mercenaries will respawn, but you won't. I have to tend to your wounds." Exos tried to clear a path through the smoke with his hoof. "I can't see a thing." "Neither can I." The Medic replied. "But I was feeling around just now. There's a hut over on the other side." He nodded. "Lead the way." "One more thing, Officer?" "Yes?" Even through the thick smoke, he could hear the Medic's smile in her voice. "Good job." "Commander?" "What?" "... Is it over?" Protea gazed at the towering, monolithic stretch of featureless grey - except for one point. Fixed above a bland door was an enormous bright neon sign with the words THE ADMINISTRATOR'S BASE: ENTER HERE flashing in various hues. "I think so." "Should we go in?" She eyed the door cautiously. "It might be a trap. And even if it isn't, I don't see how we could possibly defeat the Administrator by ourselves." "So what now, Commander?" Scanning the walls intently, her Scout's words went in one ear and out the other. All she could see was grey, more grey, yet more grey, and that accursed neon sign that kept trying to draw her attention. It was painfully obvious. A bit too painfully obvious, in fact. As if it was meant to be focused on, above all else... She tore her gaze away forcefully. They're hiding something. But what? And, finally, she saw it. "There." She pointed at a wooden shack, inconspicuously situated against the backdrop of grey. "We go in there." "Commander... what is that?" "Good question." She said. Ician's waiting for you in the shop. "... And I think I know the answer." The Scout nodded. "You go in first, Heavy." "Right." Hoisting his minigun, the Heavy moved towards the shack carefully, scanning the ground for traps between every cautious step. "Don't bother." Protea snapped. "I doubt they would have expected us to reach this far, anyway." The Heavy hesitated. "Are you sure?" "Very sure. Now hurry up!" "Yes, Commander!" He picked up the pace. The Scout raced after him. Protea shook her head and trotted after them without delay. "Cowardly fools." Step by step, she sank further into her thoughts. Pinkamena told me that Ician would be waiting. Is this a trap too? Or am I reading too deeply into this? "Commander?" She snapped out of her reverie. "Yes?" "There's no handle on this door." Closing the rest of the distance swiftly, she leaned in close and examined the wooden wall of the shack. There was a tall discoloured panel - This is the door, I think - but no means of opening it were immediately apparent. I wonder if it's... She paused. No, wait. They'll expect me to simply open the door. But I can do more, can't I? "Orders, Commander?" "Smash it down." She said. The Heavy blinked. "I'm sorry?" "Smash it down." She repeated. "Don't bother looking for the handle." "Um... but what if-" "Now." She growled. "At once!" The Heavy took a few steps back. Cracking his knuckles, he drew up straight, took a deep breath, and charged at the panel like a raging bull. crack It gave way with almost no resistance. For an uncomprehending second, the Heavy stood on the tip of his hooves, precariously unbalanced; and then, with a tumultuous crash, he toppled over. The Scout raised her Scattergun. "Freeze!" "Oh, um..." At the end of the room behind a small counter, a lone earth pony stared awkwardly at the three intruders. "This is unexpected." "Hooves up!" Protea ordered. "Whatever you say." He raised his forehooves in the air obligingly. "I surrender, by the way." He added. "What's your name?" She demanded. "Ician." He said simply. "What's yours?" "Drop the act." She snarled. "This isn't a friendly conversation." "I kind of realized that the moment your friend," he indicated the Heavy, "smashed my door down, and your other friend pointed a gun at me." "They're not my friends." She ground out. "They're my subordinates!" "Ah, so you're that Officer pony. What was his name again..." "Shut up!" She stomped her hoof angrily. "You know who I am!" "Uh..." He gazed at her blankly. "Was it... Espia, perhaps?" "Protea!" She shouted. "Commander Protea!" "Oh, so you're the idiot the Administrator was talking about." He nodded. "What?!" In the blink of an eye, she was standing in front of him. She grabbed him by the neck. "Say that again. I dare you." "Commander." The Scout sounded a cautionary note. "The mission, remember?" Protea glared at Ician. He shrugged. Dropping him to the floor with a huff, she took a step back. "I'm giving you a chance. Where is the door to the Administrator's base?" He looked confused. "Outside, under the neon sign. Didn't you see it?" "Not that damn door!" She advanced threateningly. "I'm talking about the side door. The one that isn't booby-trapped." "... Side door? What side door?" "Don't play dumb with me." She warned. "Where is the side door?" If anything, he looked even more confused than he had earlier. "I honestly don't know what you're talking about. The Administrator's base has never had a side door." "Are you asking me to believe that he booby-trapped the only door he had?" "Whoever said it was booby-trapped?" "Isn't it obvious?" She snapped. "... No...?" "I don't believe-" Suddenly, she realized something. What if... it's simply reverse psychology? And they expect me not to enter because I'll think it's a trap? "Well, it doesn't matter if you believe it or not." He said. "It's the truth." "How do I know that you're not lying?" She questioned. "You could always go and circle the perimeter. But I'm telling you now that it's a waste of time." He shrugged. "Of course, if you want to go and do it-" "Tell me now." She interrupted. "Is the door booby-trapped or not?" "If it is," he replied, "the Administrator didn't tell me. The way I see it, though, you have two options. Either you go in or you don't." "What if I go in and there's a trap?" "Too bad, I guess." He said. "And if there isn't?" "Then you've gotten in alright." She fell silent, considering the possibilities. "Take your time to think. Hopefully the mercenaries will be back any time..." He faltered. "I mean, that is..." "What?" Stepping forward again, she hoisted Ician into the air. "What happened to the mercenaries?" "Nothing!" He hurriedly said. "What. Is. It?" She placed her other forehoof on his exposed neck and pressed against it. "Alright, alright, calm down!" He took a shaky breath. "I heard it was a respawn point malfunction. The Administrator said that he was going to fix it." "When was that?" "Five minutes ago." "Five minutes ago..." She mused. Subconsciously, she released Ician, who once again fell to the ground unceremoniously. "Ouch, that hurt." "Shut up." She said thoughtfully. "So, decided whether you're going in or not?" "Not yet. I'm thinking." "You only have two options." He complained. "What is there to think about?" "Taking a third option." She pointed at the Heavy, who had by now picked himself off the floor. "You. Grab him." "Yes, Commander." Lowering his minigun carefully the the floor, he strode over to Ician and lifted him effortlessly. "Hey, put me down!" "No." "Now," Protea instructed, "carry him to the door under the huge neon sign and throw him in." "What?" "If there are any traps... Well, you'll have to worry about that yourself." "Um." He bit his lip. "Interesting choice?" "Two options, eh?" She taunted. "Actually..." He trailed off. "Not really. To be honest... you didn't have any to begin with." "Huh?" "Twilight, now!" Everything happened at once. To her left, one of the iron tiles lining the wall creaked ominously and fell with a bang. The RED Sniper, her right eye peering through the scope of a sniper rifle aimed squarely at her head, moved out in the shadows beyond the panel into the light. The same bang echoed to her right. Protea whipped her head around just in time to see the rapidly spinning barrel of a minigun shove itself in her face. Behind the counter, the RED Scout and Spy emerged from their refuge underneath the table and pointed their guns at the opposing Scout and Heavy. A final crunch sounded from behind her. Protea turned around quickly and promptly cut herself on the sharpened edge of a fire axe. "Victory through deceit," growled Pinkamena. Protea blinked, shocked. As quickly as she could, she pulled herself back together and snarled, "Put your weapons away. Now. Or else..." "Or else?" The Sniper asked. "Or else..." Protea glanced at her Heavy. "... We'll kill your precious little commander." "I don't suppose you're talking about me?" came a voice. "What..." Slowly, Protea turned back to the counter. A monster, cloaked in the dismembered wings of a dozen changelings, smirked at her. A vulture on his shoulder smiled thinly. "So. You are Commander Protea." She gulped. "You... how? You were in..." "The Heavy's grip?" He turned to the other Ician. "Trixie, you can drop the illusion now." "Ugh, finally!" The characteristic spatial distortion of a dissolving illusion caught Protea's attention. Where the earth pony in the Heavy's grip had once been, there was now an azure-blue unicorn mare, struggling wildly. "But... how?" "Let Trixie go!" The unicorn shouted. "No!" Protea snapped. She turned back to Ician. "What difference does it make? We'll just kill her instead." "Twilight?" Ician asked. "Yes?" "Does Trixie still have that respawn point?" "I never deactivated it, so I suppose so." Ician nodded smugly at Protea. "Game, set, and match." He extended his hoof. Protea sputtered incoherently. "Bu- I- he- you..." "Yes, I think I've heard enough." He nodded at Pinkamena. "Take them away." "Not so fast!" The changeling Scout warned, brandishing her scattergun. "I've still got a weapon!" ping The scattergun snapped out of her grip, flew a few meters away, and clattered to the floor. "You were saying?" The Sniper asked dryly, a wisp of smoke curling upwards from the muzzle of her rifle. "And don't even think about going for your minigun." Ician added, gesturing at the changeling Heavy. Pinkamena prodded Protea. "Come on. Let's go." "I... hate you all..." Protea seethed. "One more thing, before you go." Ician said. "What?" Protea thundered, her tone dripping with anger. "That door outside? The one with the neon sign?" He leapt over the counter, trotted to her side, and lifted her chin with an armoured hoof. A knowing smile was plastered on his face. "It was never booby-trapped." The revelation hit her like a brick. She stayed silent. Ician withdrew his hoof and nodded, amused. "She understands. Pinkamena?" "Yes?" "Off to the prison with them. Except Protea." "Where do you want to put her?" He eyed the defeated changeling Commander. "The torture chamber."