Chapter 5: Operation Flashpoint
Operation: Flashpoint
Location: Eastern Coastline; 30 miles North of Baltimare.
Stormcloud felt the straps bind tightly. The tactical vest had to be a snug fit but did Coltson have to be so harsh with the straps? It felt like he was trying to cut his forelegs off. The three of them were in the armoury of the dropship, the metal walls were racked with tac-vests and other assortments of body armour. The dropship was a small aerial vehicle used for as the name implied; drop ponies from the air. There were few areas to the dropship, at the front was the cockpit where Stormcloud hoped somepony was flying this thing, then there was the storage room where Stormcloud had awoken and lastly was the armoury where he now stood, behind him was the large metal ramp where pegasi took off and other ponies jumped out of.
“So I assume you already know where everything is on the tac-vest?” Coltson asked.
Stormcloud used his left forehoof to touch the equipment.
“Knife, compass, blueprints, flash drive, energy bar, oxygen mask and sleep grenades.”
He dropped his hoof from the two cylinders located near his right leg. Although the oxygen mask was around his neck, Stormcloud still felt better for listing it. Agent Coltson handed Stormcloud a pair of goggles.
“One final thing.” Coltson passed Stormcloud what looked like two sweet. “Two-way radio. You and Thunderer may spend some time apart, you’ll need to keep in contact.”
Coltson tucked the small round disk between Stormclouds’ chest and tac-vest and placed the small ball into his right ear.
“Just press with your hoof and speak normally, Thunderer can respond to you and you to him.”
“Testing, testing. Seira. Hotel. Indigo. Echo. Lima. Delta. Six. One. Six. Over.” His ear buzzed.
Stormcloud held his chest as he had been instructed to.
“Roger that Thunderer. Over.” Stormcloud.
“Its Silver-One on comms. Over.” Thunderer sounded slightly ticked.
“Copy that. Over and Out” Stormcloud relaxed his hoof.
“Well now that that works, you’ll need a codename.” Agent Coltson picked up a piece of paper with his magic.
_________________________
Kestrel
Magpie
Kingfisher
Robin
Eagle
_________________________
“I’ll take Kestrel, its not permanent right?” Stormcloud disappointed he couldn’t have anything cooler sounding.
“No they change for every covert mission. Just so you know; if for whatever reason you need to contact me on this mission you’ll address me as Overlord. Thunderer and I are the only ponies who can speak to the extraction team.”
“Why can’t I?” Stormcloud asked.
“We’ve had ponies bottle it on these types of missions before, got in too deep or not cut out for field work.” he explained.
At that point Thunderer walked in. He too was wearing a tac-vest but his was different, it was split into two halves to allow his wings to move.
“He doesn’t look like the type to bottle it.” Thunderer said reassuringly.
“Thanks.” Stromcloud replied.
“Just don’t prove me wrong, its my flank on the line too.” Thunderer said in a darker tone.
“Five minutes to drop.” A female voice said over the dropships’ comm.
“You have done a parachute drop before haven’t you?” Thunderer asked.
Stormclouds’ eyes widened and he gulped. He’d only done dry runs never a wet run, he could pull the cord and pack the chute up but that was all he’d been taught, he’d never actually used one.
“Guess you’ll have to learn like a pegasus foal.” Thunderer replied.
“How do they learn?” Stormcloud regretted asking as the words left his mouth.
“We get shown how to do and then our mother drops us from a cloud.” The pegasus explained.
“That probably explains why you have all those scars.” He thought bitterly.
“Coltson help me with this.” Thunderer called as the parachute was levitated onto Stormclouds’ back.
Coltson levitated a large disk-like object onto Thunderers’ back, he then wrapped straps around it. A red light filled the room and two orange lights rotated near the metal ramp. These lights signaled the lowering of the ramp. The temperature dropped rapidly and the howling wind was all Stormcloud could hear. The two ponies stood side-by-side at the top of the ramp. Agent Coltson took Stormclouds’ hoof and placed a device around it. It was a watch with two dials; one told the time; the other had numbers in their thousands.
“Pull the chute open at 500 hooves, aim for a clear area and light your horn!” Coltson shouted over the wind. “Thunderer will meet you there, he may not be an Agent but you can trust him!”
Stormclouds legs began to shake, he knew for a fact that the light would go green soon and his legs shook furiously. Thunderer pressed his comm which was located under his left wing.
“Although pegasi are dropped we have our mothers to rescue us if we fall. I’ll be a few seconds behind you. Just remember to breathe, you’ll only be scared for the first half.” Thunderer said.
It was hard to get a vibe from the pegasus, at one moment he could be cold hearted and then the next he’d feel like an old friend. He wondered how Twilight Sparkle had learned to fly, she’d be born a unicorn and gained wings, surely it’d been harder for her not learning from a young age?
“Was yours there?” Stormcloud asked over the comms.
“Was mine what?” Came the reply.
“Your mother, was she there incase you fell?”
Stormcloud looked at him as he hadn’t had a reply.
“I don’t know.” Thunderer eventually said.
The light went to green.
“Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Now walk.”
Stormcloud walked forward, his legs slowly taking on the rigidity of jelly.
“In. Out. Now...Run!”
Stormcloud galloped. He closed his eyes as they began to water and then he remembered.
“GOGGLES!”
He used the magic to lower his goggles but his vision was already blurred. He felt his hooves come into contact with the air outside and he felt himself dive headfirst.
***
Coltson and Thunderer watched as the unicorn fell off the end of the ramp. Thunderer facehoofed and groaned as he slid his own goggles down.
“Wait! Give him a chance!” Coltson shouted as Thunderer flared out his wings.
The room was now in red light again, Thunderer watched the clouds part as the dropship sailed through them.
“Remember what you’re here to do, and I promise I’ll get you the stuff you requested!” Coltson shouted.
“Make sure the device works and keep an eye on the green horn!” Thunderer shouted back.
The room went green again and Thunderer darted out into the open space.
***
He was spinning quickly, too quickly to determine which way was up or down. He could feel the rushing air all around him. He was breathing quickly too, which felt odd because the air was being forced down his throat.
“Oh Celestia! Celestia! Celestia! Luna! Luna!” Was all that was running around his head.
Stormcloud stuck all four hooves out. He could feel the air surging past it, running from his back and to his front.
“Wait, didn’t Thunderer say to remember something?”
Without noticing Stormcloud began taking slower and deeper breaths. Then it occurred to him, if he was falling and the air was hitting his back then he had to be upside-down. Storm tucked his left legs in and slowly he began to rotate. His vision was blurred by the by the tears in his eyes but he could see lights in the distance. He looked at the watch Coltson had given him. The hand pointed at one thousand and was dropping fast. Five hundred was the magic number he was looking for, he concentrated and gripped the cord of the parachute in his magic. He watched the dial intently, the hand spun around quickly and then…
“Five-Hundred.”
He pulled the cord and his body jolted. His descent stopped being so fast and now he just drifted slowly. His body was in an upright position leaving his rear hooves dangling free. Stormcloud looked up and saw two hoof sized metal rings. He gripped both of them and pulled the left; he moved left, then he pulled the right; he moved right.
“Well that didn’t take an egghead to solve.”
Stormcloud scanned the surrounding area which would’ve been easier if it was daytime and not nighttime. Luckily Lunas’ moon shone brightly and Stormcloud could make out the tops of trees, then he saw a clearing which he could land in. He pulled the appropriate rings to change direction and eventually he landed in the clear area.
He felt odd, and some part of him wanted to do it again. He checked the nearby area to see if anypony was around, unsurprisingly nopony was. He folded up the parachute and then remembered what he had to do. He light his horn, it shined a pale blue aura.
***
Thunderer was standing on a cloud a few hundred hooves up in the sky. He savoured the feel of the cloud beneath him, it had been too long since he’d had the luxury and part of him wanted to sleep on it. It was then that he saw a pale blue light shine from the forest below him. He pressed his comm with his hoof rather than his wing this time. He had two buttons to make calls comparer to unicorns or earth ponies.
“Silver-One to Kestrel.” Thunderer said.
“Kestrel here. Over.” Came the reply.
“Pale blue? Over.”
“Pale blue. Over.”
“I’ll be right there. Over and out.”
Thunderer left his slice of heaven and glided down to the unicorns’ position.
***
Stormcloud was unsure of what he had to do with the parachute now he was on the ground. He had folded it up and repacked it but it was awkward to carry; the bag it was in was very large and squarish in shape. He could hear the pegasus land behind him with a soft clatter of hooves.
“We need to head South.” Thunderer said
Stormcloud simply nodded and picked up the parachute.
“Leave that there but take the goggles.” Thunderer said.
Stormcloud dropped the parachute and used his magic to pick up the goggles he’d left on a rock. He pulled them over his head and down his neck, the goggles bounced against the oxygen mask that was already there. The two started walking with Thunderer taking point, occasionally he’d fly up to the treeline and then return to the ground and adjust their course. They walked in silence which was only broken by the goggles rattling against the oxygen mask.
“The parachute was a use once affair, you have to throw them when you’ve used them.” Thunderer said, breaking the silence.
“Won’t somepony find it?”
“They will, but after we’re long gone.”
They walked in silence some more until Stormcloud wanted to ask something.
“What did you mean when you said you weren’t an agent?”
“I’m not part of S.C.A.L.E.”
“Then why are you here if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Coltson and I have a mutually beneficial arrangement. I do odd jobs for S.C.A.L.E, I get stuff in return.”
“What do you mean odd jobs?”
Thunderer sighed. “Small missions, sometimes building new gadgets other times just as an intimidator. Anything else you want to ask? We’re nearly at the perimeter fence.”
“No.” Stormcloud quickly responded.
After a few more minutes walking in silence they exited the dense forest and were confronted with a large metal fence. The building itself was bigger than Stormcloud thought. He saw a few ponies walking along the fence line. Thunderer was holding a small metal tube, he was watching an earth pony walk the fence and neared their position. There was a small *whoosh”*and the pony clamped a hoof to his neck and then fell to the ground.
“Sleeping agent, he’s fine. Start cutting the fence.” Thunderer ordered. “Overlord this is Silver-One, beginning perimeter breach. Over.”
“Copy that Silver-One, best of luck Kestrel. Overlord over and out.” Coltson said over the comms.
Stormcloud pointed his horn at the fence and used a high powered heat spell, he moved his head to cut a shape out. Thunderer leaned over and pulled the fence down so there was a gap they could navigate. The pair sneaked through and now they were in the grounds of the building.
The two of them hunched down and used the long grass to remain hidden. They approached the building, Stormcloud levitated the blueprint out and orientated the map so it was exactly the same way as the building. He looked at the left wall, there were three main rooms; two toilets and a storage room. Stormcloud counted the windows on the blueprint and then at the ones on the building. The only room they could get access to was the storage room.
“We have to go into the storage room, its the only room with big enough windows to get through.” He whispered to Thunderer.
Thunderer nodded in reply and the two slowly moved up the building to the rear wall. The rear wall was the only part of the building that overlooked the cliff. Stormcloud could hear the crashing waves in the distance. By the moon they could only just see inside the large storage room. The window was the perfect size for them to fit through. Stormcloud looked the window over and saw the catch on the inside. Thunderer seemed to be looking at exactly the same thing.
“What are you waiting for?” Thunderer whispered harshly.
“I figured if this is a covert base then they’re bound the alarm the windows especially ones this large. There by the door!” Stormcloud pointed a hoof to the door.
Beside the door was an alarm system.
“I’m going to teleport in and disable the alarm.” Stormcloud said quietly.
“Good thinking. Go for it.”
Stormcloud focused on the alarm box and pictured it in his head. *Pop!* He opened his eyes and said box was now in front of him. He jabbed the box with his hoof and the panel fell off, he caught it in his magic and put it gently on the ground. Inside the box were three wires, it was an old alarm system; he knew this from training. There would thankfully be no hidden system so pulling all the wires would disable the alarm without any consequences. He pulled the wires.
He pulled the catch on the window and raised it with his magic, Thunderer entered through the narrow gap and fluttered down the floor, a few cardboard boxes moved in the gust but nothing made too loud a noise. They both walked to door when they could hear a set of hooves clop outside.
“Hide.” Thunderer said calmly.
With his heart racing, Stormcloud hid behind a few boxes near the door, using his magic he lifted the alarm box panel back onto the box.
“What are you doing?” Thunderer quietly asked.
“We want it to look like we were never here so everything we move has to go back.”
Stormcloud was starting to get fed up with the pegasus challenging his every action, Coltson had assigned them both but Stormcloud had the more important job. At that moment a green furred pegasus stallion entered the room. The pegasus flicked the lights and the room was illuminated, Stormcloud knew they wouldn’t stay hidden for long.
The was a white dash beside him and Thunderer was behind the green pegasus. Thunderer draped a wing around the pegasus’s head and held it there. Using his hooves Thunderer managed to keep the green pegasus grounded and the two tossed around on the ground but remained in their position. Eventually the green pegasus fell still and Thunderer rolled out from under him. Thunderer then walked to the door and Stormcloud started to regret his previous thoughts on the pegasus.
“You coming?”
Stormcloud stood up and joined Thunderer who was pulling what looked like a metal cable out from his vest. He bent the stiff cable and put it to the gap at the bottom of the door. He appeared to be looking through the cable and rotated it. He put the cable back in his vest and opened the door.
“Lets go.” Thunderer said.
Stormcloud followed, now it was time for the cameras. The two walked down the corridor and entered a room on the left. Stormcloud walked in and they were in a boiler room.
“Blueprints.”
Stormcloud levitated the blueprints out. Thunderer pointed at a small rectangle above the room they were in.
“This room has an air shaft that leads directly into the security room. I want you to crawl through the duct and drop a sleep grenade through. I’ll hold the door so no one gets out.”
“What if I inhale the gas?” Stormcloud asked.
Thunderer looked around and picked up a cloth, he offered it to Stormcloud. It was dirty and part of Stormcloud didn’t want to put it near his mouth. Stormcloud must of pulled a repulsed face because as he looked at Thunderer he was given the Beggars-Can’t-Be-Choosers face.
The pegasus scanned the boiler room and found the vent cover. He stood on his hind legs and placed his forehooves on the vent cover. He seemed to focus intently on the flat grill and then he pulled it out, there was a tiny clatter on the floor as the four screw heads rolled around.
“Takes a lot of strength to snap a screw in half, even I couldn't do that with magic.” He thought to himself.
The pegasus pushed a box under the vent so Stormcloud could climb into the shaft. Stormcloud did so and he just had enough room to maneuver but by Celestia was it hot.
“Kestrel. Let me know when you’re in position, I’ll tell you when to drop it. Over.” Thunderers’ voice said over the comm.
Stormcloud pressed the button with his magic to reply.
“Copy that Silver-One. Over and Out.”
The air vent was small and moving in it was difficult, especially for a unicorn whose horn was scraping on the top plate. He crawled along as slowly and as quietly as he could, paying attention to any noise outside. He could hear two voices which he knew were ahead of him, the voices were coming from the grate that was further ahead. As Stormcloud positioned himself above the grate he could see two ponies in the room below. Using his magic he levitated one of the sleeping grenades and rested it on top of the grate.
“Silver-One in position.” He whispered.
Stormcloud focused his magic to cover his mouth with the cloth and to also hold the grenade above the grate.
“On one… Three… Two… One!” Thunderer said.
Below him the guards seemed to scatter to the door, one of them had grabbed a baton from somewhere Stormcloud couldn’t see. Stormcloud pulled the pin and dropped the grenade. It clattered on the ground but the two ponies didn’t seem to notice as they were both, by the sounds of it, trying to open to door. The grenade hissed out gas and the two ponies began to cough but remained at their task. After a few moments the sounds ceased and were replaced with two slumping noises. This was followed by a door opening and a gentle clop of hooves.
“You can come down now.” Thunderer said from below.
Stormcloud pushed the grate out with magic and placed it on the floor below he then slowly left the air vent, taking his time so as to not fall. Once on the ground he looked around the room. One side of the wall was filled with screens and keyboards, there was a broom closet near the door but everything else was bare. Thunderer dragged the two unconscious ponies from the door and placed a plastic tie around their hooves.
Stormcloud began his search for disabling the security, sadly it hadn’t been on of his classes during the training programme. He searched intently on the one computer in the room but nothing was coming up.
“Do you know what I’m looking for?” Stormcloud asked Thunderer.
“No, but I do know you’re over-complicating the issue.”
Stormcloud rolled his eyes as he turned to face the pegasus.
“If you’re not going to help don’t just stand there and criticize.”
“Look, you know cameras record right?” Thunderer explained.
Stormcloud stared back giving Thunderer the Do-I-Look-Like-An-Idiot? face.
“Now we obviously aren't on any of the cameras or an alarm would've been raised.”
Stormcloud continued staring.
“So we aren't in any of the recorded footage…” Thunderer changed his tone to one where Stormcloud was supposed to work the rest out.
Stormcloud turned on the chair to stare at the screens.
“So we aren't in any shots and the cameras only shoot what they see, but if they don’t see anythi-”
Had he really been that stupid? Stormcloud pushed the chair back so he could see under the table. Yes he had. Stormcloud held the plugs in his magic and pulled them all out, the screens responded by going black.
“C’mon we need to get the ID from the living quarters before we can gain access to the server.” Thunderer said.
They left the room, closing the door behind them and immediately headed left. The staircase up was straight in front of them and they climbed it together. The first floor seemed to be like the S.C.A.L.E training facility; it was open plan with sections for different activities and sleeping quarters. Luckily no one was around, from the staircase they entered the kitchen/dining area. From here they crept into a locker room which was filled with lab coats, Thunderer grabbed two coats with his mouth, he draped one over his wing and tossed the other to Stormcloud.
“This is where most of the civilians will be, we should try and blend in for as long as possible.” Thunderer donned his labcoat.
Stormcloud followed suit and soon the scientists left the locker room. They now walked into the living area of the building, there were two ponies in this room but they paid them no notice. Thunderer and Stormcloud trotted up to the noticeboard to pretend to read the notices.
“Neither of them have the clearance we need.” Stormcloud whispered.
They were looking for green lanyards, the building used a colour system to designate clearance level. Thunderer appeared to be looking elsewhere as Stormcloud spoke.
“Did you ever get taught how to render a pony unconscious?” Thunderer asked.
“Yes.” Stormcloud replied still keeping his voice low.
“There’s a pony in the kitchen, knock her out. I’ll take care of these two.” Thunderer left before Stormcloud could agree.
***
As Stormcloud entered the kitchen he watched the mare make some coffee. She was an earth pony so everything task she did to make the coffee she did by hoof or mouth. Stormcloud didn’t want to harm the mare so he’d have to hold her until she passed out. Suddenly there was a noise from the two ponies in the next room.
“What in the name of Celestia-” the mare said walking through.
Stormcloud tackled the mare and they both scrambled on the ground, the mare righted herself quickly given that she was not wearing any tactical vest. She raised a hoof to strike Stormcloud when he quickly fired a stun spell in return.
“Oh right, I forgot I knew stun spells.”
Annoyed his brain hadn’t told him this earlier, Stormcloud returned to the living room to find two ponies sleeping on the sofa they’d been sitting on. Thunderer exited a room with a green lanyard in his mouth. He used his wing to drape it over his neck.
“I’ll check this room, you check the other.” He said.
Stormcloud watched as Thunderer entered the second of the three doors the lined the wall. Stormcloud kept low and was about to open the door when suddenly, the door flew forwards and hit Stormcloud in the face, he staggered back. Tasting blood in his mouth he saw an older stallion charge at him with a kitchen knife. Stormcloud teleported away from his attacker who was also a unicorn. When Stormcloud reappeared some hooves away the knife was thrown at him, he dodged it but the knife ripped the labcoat and cut his shoulder. The other unicorn levitated the knife back and tackled Stormcloud. Stormcloud was pinned on the ground by the heavier unicorn who then raised his knife. Stormcloud thought of a piece of wood and using his magic; one appeared. The knife was jammed in the wood.
Stormcloud used his forehoof and struck the stallions’ stomach, the unicorn winced and fell to the ground. Stormcloud picked up the knife and pulled it out from the wood. In the heat of the moment the pain made Stormcloud angry and using his magic he raised the knife to strike the older stallion. He was about to plunge when the knife was thrown from his magical grasp. The knife, along with another item clattered to the ground some hooves away. Stormcloud turned to see his new opponent but was surprised to see Thunderer with one hoof raised.
“We don’t kill unless we have to.” He said, the tone being somewhat cold.
Stormcloud stepped away from the stallion on the ground and Thunderer walked over.
“Where’s your lanyard?” Thunderer asked the stallion.
“On mm...my bed!” The stallion said quickly.
Thunderer reached over to help the pony up and then quick as a flash, he struck the pony in the face. The unicorn fell to the floor in a daze. Stormcloud couldn’t believe what he’d been about to do, he’d never taken a life and the heat of the moment he nearly had. Stormcloud looked for whatever Thunderer had thrown and then he found it. There were two knives on the floor, the kitchen knife and another which had an odd blade and as he inspected it closer it also had a cutie mark on the hilt; the cutie mark of Twilight Sparkle!
“What are you doing with this knife?!” Stormcloud said forgetting to be quiet.
“Thats my throwing knife, designed to sail through the air.”
“This cutie mark isn’t yours, why do you have a Princess’s knife?”
“Did he steal this knife, why would he keep it and on second thoughts why did Twilight need a knife, she was an alicorn for Celestias’ sake.”
“I’ve always had it, since as long as I can remember.” Thunderer said.
“Really? And how long ago was that?”
“The first thing I remember was hearing about Queen Chrysalis failing to take Canterlot.” Thunderer said as he swiped the knife from Stormcloud.
Stormcloud watched as the pegasus tucked the small, angular knife into its sheath on his tac-vest. Thunderer led the way to the second staircase so they could get into the server room.
“You were there, when she attacked Canterlot?” Stormcloud asked.
“I don’t know, I remember being in Princess Lunas’ tower. The guards told me that Queen Chrysalis attacked a week before and I’d been in the tower since then.” Thunderer seemed reluctant to tell Stormcloud any more.
As they reached the second floor the two crept along the corridor they found themselves in. There were several doors off to the left and right but their destination was straight in front of them. The door that led the main server room spanned from floor to ceiling, it was a round door constructed of stainless steel. Beside the door was a small black box where the ID had to be scanned, there was one camera above the door. The two walked up to the door, Thunderer tapped the door with his hoof and then listened with his ear to the door.
“Hmmm... As I suspected. Bright Spark Industries security door model number 376596, one hoof thick steel with stainless steel finish. Alarmed; one minute timed lock.” Thunderer said.
“Meaning?” Stormcloud asked.
“If the alarm goes off we have one minute to get out of the room before the door seals us in. But there is one advantage there’s a weak-spot on the otherside.”
Stormcloud nodded and let Thunderer place his pass on the scanner. The scanner beeped and the huge metal door swung open. As the two entered the room they were greeted with rows and rows of metal black boxes, this room was two stories high compared to the others.
“You know where you’re going?” Thunderer asked as he took flight.
Thunderer had pulled the large disk object that Coltson had loaded onto him.
“Main office.” Stormcloud said pointing to the one room that overlooked the servers.
Thunderer placed the disk at a precise spot on the back of the metal door. Then Stormcloud noticed some writing on the disk, the first word had been etched into the disk itself and read ‘HAMMER’ below this on what looked like masking tape read ‘The one that knocks!’.
Stormcloud trotted up into the office space. It was empty, all that was in there was one computer with a desk and chair, there were no pictures or posters it was as plain as can be. Stormcloud pulled out the flash-drive and plugged into the port. He then started up the computer which wasn't locked.
“Who’d need to when you've got two massive doors on either side of the room.”
Then it hit him. The blueprints showed one entry point, the one which they’d come in. The other door wasn’t on the blueprints, it was at that moment that said door began to open. Stormcloud tapped away quickly and started the file transfer. There was shouting as Thunderer was confronted with some security ponies.
“Alarm! Alarm! Intruders in the main server room.” One shouted into a communication device.
The klaxons blared through the entire building. There then came the sound of the mechanical doors beginning to shut.
“Silver-One to Rainbow-One, come in Rainbow-One!” Thunderer shouted into his comm.
“This is Rainbow-One. Over.” A feminine voice said back to Thunderer.
“Our cover is blown, expect immediate package delivery. Over.” Thunderer replied as he dove for one of the security ponies.
Ponies were now filling into the room, Stormcloud counted seven enemies of different races. Thunderer weaved through the air as unicorns fired spells at him and pegasi flew after him.
*Bing!* The upload was complete. Stormcloud pulled out the flash-drive and pocketed it. He teleported into the middle of the room and struck a unicorn with his hoof. Stormcloud dodged an incoming baton strike, he reared up and struck his assailant twice. Stormcloud was about to fire a spell at another pony when a grey pegasus was thrown into him, the two ponies were thrown aside. Thunderer took a low dive over Stormcloud, another pegasus was on his tail. Stormcloud fired a stun spell which hit the pegasus in the head, the Pegasus crashed into the floor and Stormcloud leapt over him.
“Kestral, let’s go!” Thunderer shouted from the doorway.
The doors were nearly shut and Thunderer was trying to force the door they entered in open. Stormcloud ran to the door, he didn’t have enough energy to teleport but he did have enough to pull out his remaining sleep grenade and pull the pin. Stormcloud dove through the gap in the door and flung the grenade behind him, the door sealed shut behind him.
The corridor which they’d walked along was filled with security ponies. Thunderer had already seen this though, the pegasus used his forehooves to pull out the two sleep grenades and using the pegasi natural ability of magnetism he pulled both the pins. The two grenades flew straight up and then began their descent. Thunderer had pivoted around and took a bucking position, he then bucked both grenades straight into the group.
A few coughed and fell to the ground, they’d tried to take cover in the rooms on the left and right so none of the bodies fell in the corridor. Stormcloud fired two stun shots at two unicorns, the first missed but the second struck a pony on the staircase. He was magicked out and exhausted. An earth pony jumped with a baton to strike Stormcloud and for the second time today a metal wing blocked the attack. It seemed to happen in slow motion, as the baton struck the left wing of Thunderer, the pegasus jumped up and pivoted left in the air. The right wing sailed faster than the body and the wing punched the earth pony who was thrown through the wooden door on Stormclouds’ left.
It was odd, normally pegasi wings were soft but as the baton struck the delicate wing there was no follow-through. In theory the wing should have pushed back but the metal seemed to absorb the energy and vibrate the wing.
More ponies filled the corridor, this time mainly unicorns. Thunderer pushed Stormcloud into the newly broken door and the two ducked as unicorn spells ricocheted off the walls.
“Do you trust me?” Thunderer asked.
Stormcloud had to really think of an answer to that, on one hoof the pegasus was cold towards him but then again, he’d also saved Stormcloud’s life; twice!
“Nevermind, did you see the window at the end of the corridor?”
Stormcloud nodded.
“I need you to put your goggles and oxygen mask on and then jump out of it.”
Stormclouds’ eyes widened. To get to the window he’d have to pass the narrow corridor beside the stairs and then get to the end of the hall and then bust open the window which led-
“Oh Celestia, the cliffs!”
Before Stormcloud could reply Thunderer was already giving him more orders.
“Left pouch, right flank, take it out and count to five, then press the button.”
Thunderer sat on his haunches and Stormcloud could see the four pouches on his back. Finding the right one, Stormcloud used his magic to pull out a long cylindrical device which had a red button on top. Thunderer then opened out his wings and shot off out the doorway. The unusually fast takeoff speed had left a small crater in the wooden floor.
“Okay breathe. Five! In, out. Four! In, out. Three! In, out. Two! In, out. One, In out.”
Stormcloud depressed the button and began to run, he felt his heart race so fast that time seemed to slow around him. His ears began to ring as he ran towards the doorway, his heart hammered his ribcage as he got closer and closer to the door. A scarred pegasus flew through the doorway over Stormclouds’ head, as his head exited the doorway. He felt something pull sharply on his tail. The doorway reappeared as he was pulled backwards, his hooves scrambled for purchase on the ground.
Then he saw it. A massive metal object tore through the wall and bounced between the floor and ceiling, everything in its path was being demolished and Stormcloud would’ve been one too if he’d left the room. He flopped to the floor and panted, his ears still ringing. He could just make out the two voices in his ear.
“Silver-One to Rainbow-One, two packages enroute. Collect second package only, copy!”
“This is Rainbow-One copy that!”
The two voices disappeared as Stormclouds’ hearing came back. Stormcloud pulled the goggles down over his eyes and respirator over his muzzle. This time he’d remember to jump, he could feel the pulse of adrenaline pump through his system. The pegasus offered a hoof but the unicorn rolled over. The two stared at each other and both nodded.
They exited the room at the same time, there were still a few ponies trying to attack them. The corridor was barely recognizable, the walls were destroyed like an Ursa Major had ran its claws through it. The stairwell was missing and the back wall was completely gone. Thunderer took flight and flew beside the unicorn who had taken to a gallop.
“Whatever happens, just run.” Thunderer said calmly.
An earth pony was charging at them with a bit of wood. Stormcloud watched as Thunderer flew forward, he went low to the ground as a unicorn fired a spell at him. Thunderers’ hooves connected with the earth pony, as the pegasus had greater speed the earth pony was lifted off the ground. Thunderer then began to change his hold of the earth pony and began to rear up. It was almost as if Thunderers’ real talent was ballet. Thunderer took a hold of his earth pony partner, and then reared up and curved his wings to his direct the airflow as he pirouetted on his rear hooves. As Thunderer turned a full circle, the pegasus threw the earth pony down the corridor. The earth pony collided with the unicorn and both fell to the ground.
Stormcloud jumped over the two ponies sprawled on the ground, a pegasus flew overhead to attack Thunderer ignoring the fleeing unicorn. This was it, the cliff was ahead.
“Breathe.”
As Stormcloud breathed in he jumped through what had been the rear wall. For a few beautiful seconds he felt like a pegasus but what goes up must come down, and so the feeling of ecstasy was quickly replaced with a gut-wrenching fear. He began falling, he flailed his legs in utter hopelessness. Below him he could see the waves crash against the sheer drop of the cliff. He could see the faint glint of stainless steel in the sea.
Then he felt a warmth around him, he could feel two sticks around his chest as the tac-vest was pressed to his body and his entire back felt warm. He could feel two streams of hot air on the back of his neck. But the fear of below took hold, he could see his impending doom. Over the crashing waves below he heard the faintest *Pomf.*And then he felt something else, his stomach kept falling but his body was moving upwards, he began to curve away from the nosedive and into a glide. Then he felt himself rise as two gusts of wind pushed down on the fur of his withers.
“Thanks Thunderer.” He said breathlessly, now feeling a lump in his throat.
“Ha!” Came the reply of the feminine voice he heard earlier which felt oddly familiar.
The pegasus mare who was carrying him gained altitude.
“Rainbow-One to Silver One. Package is secure.” Said the mare on the comms.
There was a pause and then came the reply.
“Copy that Rainbow-One. Change designation to Rainbow Leader. Over.” Thunderer replied.
“Overlord this is Rainbow Leader. Package is secure. Mission is a success.” The mare said to Colt-son.
“Copy that Rainbow Leader. Your coordinates are X-ray, one, three, zero, zero…..Bravo -”
In that moment Stormcloud allowed himself to relax. His body was exhausted and his magical energy depleted. He enjoyed the firm grip of the pegasus mare around him and soon enough he was asleep.
***
“Should we wake him?” Came a voice.
“It was his first mission I’m not surprised he’s tired. He’s earned it anyway.” Came another voice.
“Next time Thunderer you’re carrying him, he’s heavy.” Came the feminine voice.
“What’s wrong Rainbow Dash? Can’t handle a little weight.” The second voice mocked.
“Oh yeah Thunderer when S.C.A.L.E give you free time you’re on!” The feminine voice shouted.
Stormcloud opened his eyes, he was sitting awkwardly on a chair. There was a desk in front of him and three ponies stood on the other side; Thunderer, Agent Coltson and Rainbow Dash. They were in a dark room which seemed to be mainly constructed of a dark metal.
“Oh good you’re awake.” Agent Colt-son said to Stormcloud. “I was just debriefing Thunderer and Rainbow Dash. Congratulations on your first mission success.”
Stormcloud smiled and got onto all fours. His tac-vest had been removed and he felt a bit sore all over.
“What you’re feeling is normal, let’s take a walk shall we?” Agent Coltson opened a door.
They walked down a light grey corridor until they entered a large open space. The area was huge, there were several aircraft dotted around this area. One of which looked as if it was being prepped to take off. The room they were in had one missing wall which opened out into the outside. Although it was early morning now, Stormcloud could clearly make out that they were at sea.
“So I’m done with all the eggheadedness, catch ya later Thunderer. Agent Coltson and..” Rainbow Dash turned to Coltson. “You told him yet?”
“No.” Agent Coltson replied.
“Well catch ya later kid.” The rainbow maned pegasus took off at great speed through the open wall.
“Tell me what?” Stormcloud asked.
They began walked down a metal staircase so that they were on the same level as the aircraft, they moved towards the one being prepped.
“You passed the test.” Agent Coltson said.
“What test?” Stormcloud stopped in his tracks.
“The mission. It was all a test. The intel you recovered doesn’t exist.” Thunderer said.
Coltson shot him a look.
“You mean I got attacked for no reason?” Stormcloud asked slightly angry resuming his walking.
“No, the point of the test was to see how you handled yourself in the field. How you’d react to other ponies giving orders and taking risks. You passed.” Colt-son explained.
The trio had arrived at the aircraft. They stopped to finish their conversation.
“The other reason was to test that device I had. See how practical it was, whether it would actually work.” Thunderer continued.
“Anyway Director Righteous Fury has awarded you with Level Five clearance.” Coltson said resuming the track of the conversation.
“Meaning?” Stormcloud raised an eyebrow.
“You’ll be working under me now. Agent Stormcloud.”
“Agent Stormcloud as a title. Squee intensifies.” Stormcloud couldn’t help but smile.
Thunderer snorted. “Don’t let it go to your head, you’ve got responsibilities now. Granted it has its advantages; rent free accommodation, travel around Equestria, free tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, three square meals a day-” Thunderer was cut off by Coltson.
“Which reminds me, I filled out those requests for you. Thank you again for your service, but you know what comes next.”
Thunderer nodded.
“Get it over with then, you’ve already taken everything off me again.” Thunderer shouted to the plane.
Two fully armoured unicorns stepped forward. They were levitating some strange devices as they approached the pegasus.
“Wait! What’s happening?” Stormcloud asked Coltson.
No reply. The unicorns lowered a white device over Thunderers’ wings, there was a mechanical click as the Winglock tightened. Then Stormcloud watched as the unicorns levitated hoofcuffs towards the pegasus and cuffed Thunderers front legs together and then his back legs. Then came a horrible device that Stormcloud had read about in a history book. The blinder was lowered over Thunderers head. The device had two ear holes and two eye holes but there was guards over the eyes, this meant that Thunderer could only see forward. Then a unicorn levitated a plastic muzzle over Thunderers’ muzzle. The device was completely transparent and there were holes cut into it so he could breathe.
“Easy way or hard way.” Said one of the guards in an expression of deadpan. The guard held a metal chain.
Thunderer simply turned and walked slowly towards the aircraft. Two two unicorn guards boarded the aircraft and the ramp they walked up was raised. Agent Coltson turned to head back to the platform they’d been at moments ago. The aircraft slowly ascended and headed towards to open wall.
“What was all that about!” Stormcloud raised his voice this time.
“Thunderer and S.C.A.L.E have mutually beneficial arrangement. He helps us design things and builds them, helps us with operations when discretion is needed and in return we make his prison conditions better.”
“Prison?” Stormcloud asked. “Why is he there?”
“Unfortunately that’s above your clearance level.” Coltson replied.
“So where exactly is that aircraft going, if he is a prisoner then shouldn’t he be held in a brig?”
Stormcloud was assuming they were on a boat rather than a S.C.A.L.E facility built into a cliff.
“Thunderer is kept in the most secure prison in Equestria by order of Princess Cadence.”
This was the first Stormcloud was hearing of any of this, Princess Cadence was known for her gift of love and compassion, sending a pony to prison was the last thing she’d be expected to do.
“What prison is this?” Stormcloud pried.
Stormcloud knew of only a few prisons and none of them he would label as ‘Most Secure’.
“Tartarus...”