Fluttershy watched outside the library carefully to make sure there weren't any ponies looking for her. It was pretty easy to spot if they were, so that made things simpler. And she had a good escape plan if she needed to get out in a hurry.
Of course, if there were ponies looking for her, she might not be able to get out without another incident.
Before she could get too nervous, Fluttershy walked up to the library. It was nothing like the one back in Ponyville, though. This one was built during the big Technological Revolution they had gone through with the start of the war with the Griffons. Concrete pillars held it up and windows let bright sunlight through into the huge building. On the left, a large sky bridge ran across to the school nearby.
If she was going to find this pony referenced by Hoofton, she was going to need some more information on him. Maybe a phone number or a current location. If she was going to find anything about him, this would be the place to find it. This library was the biggest one in the country and they held personal records inside. Getting into the records room, though, could prove to be a challenge.
She walked in, hoping she could move fast enough before anypony caught her scent.
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Brown Sky checked his gear. He wasn't going to need all of it, not with this strength running through his veins. Everything seemed simple. Everything seemed easy.
"Sky," General Thunderbolt said from behind him. "You're not clocking out on me already, are you?"
"No sir," he replied, his accent thicker than before. "Just jitters. Nothing to worry about."
The general chuckled. "Just keep your head clear out there and you'll have nothing to worry about."
"I'll keep that in mind," Sky said. "Now let's get moving. She's not going to capture herself."
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"Please just let me in," Fluttershy said, trying her best to push down the rising guilt for tricking this pony. "I just forgot my badge and I need to get in there for a project I'm working on."
"I'm sorry, miss," the guard replied. "I can't let anypony in without their badge. It's protocol."
"I won't do anything illegal," Fluttershy said, pulling as much truth as she could. She needed to get in there to find out more about this other pony before they found her, and at this point, that could happen at any second. "I promise."
The guard looked around a little before looking back at her sternly. "Only this once," he said, moving to the door and sliding his own badge through the scanner. "Next time, I won't be so nice, so remember your badge."
Fluttershy nodded her thanks quickly and trotted into the room. It wasn't much; mostly filing cabinets and bookshelves of records. It was lit comfortably, but could've easily been brighter. Granted, usually ponies weren't looking for another pony who would know enough about science to be able to help remove a radiation, anger-induced creature of mass destruction while the military was scouring the planet for said pony.
She looked down the row labelled with a 'T' and sighed. This was going to take a little longer than she had expected.
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The rattling of the transports helped Sky focus on the task at hoof. He wasn't supposed to get involved unless she changed. That in mind, maybe a little bit of persuasion would be needed so he could finally see how he felt in combat. It hadn't even been two days and he was itching to go back into the heart of the battle.
He glanced over to the other troops sitting in the truck. They had no idea what they would be fighting. They didn't know how impossible it would be for them to take her down. But if he could get involved, then they would have her in a matter of seconds. His combat style and superior abilities would make sure he was the only one capable of handling this situation properly.
He started whistling a short tune as they rode to keep his mind calm. There would be plenty of time for excitement in a few moments. Then he would prove he was the only one for the job. He would prove his superiority. He would prove his power.
He almost lost his tune as a small grin cracked his face.
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Fluttershy scanned the page as quickly as she could. It had everything she needed to find the pony she needed, but it had taken far too long to find the file. She was already rushing as it was, but now, things were just getting dangerous. The amount of damage she could do in this area...
She closed the file, making sure she would be able to properly remember everything she found. After having to think for a few moments, she just put the file in her saddlebags. She could look at it when she needed it and find him once she disappeared again. She just had to hope she could get out of there fast enough to stay one step ahead of Thunderbolt.
She nodded to the guard as she left and he nodded politely back. She turned and started walking out of the library when she heard gravel crunching around the corner. She peeked her head out around the corner to see what it was only to dart back inside when she saw.
Military transports had arrived. They'd found her, and there was nothing she could do about it but run.
Her hoofbeats echoed through the library as ponies turned to watch her in confusion. She had to get out of there. She had to leave before they found her.
A second beating sound soon greeted her ears and she had to slide around a corner and rest for a moment because of it. Her heart rate had skyrocketed, and if she couldn't get it under control soon, she would be leaving through the transports that had just gotten there, and probably not without hurting or killing other ponies. But if she didn't get out of here fast, she could end up changing and getting out the same way.
Fluttershy took a deep breath to calm herself before she started running as fast as she could toward the sky bridge.
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Brown Sky looked around as he left the transport. It looked like a library, but it had a glass tunnel connecting it to another building beside it. More trucks pulled up there and he saw ponies leaving in a hurry with far more books than he would've expected ponies to carry at one time.
He looked back to the building Fluttershy was supposed to be in. Ponies were running out of it, probably trying to get out of the way of the incoming military personnel. He let out a quick, quiet laugh. They wouldn't get in the way if he got his chance. They'd be thrown out of it instead.
He moved forward, but a short call from behind him caused him to stop. He glanced back at the general and nodded, stepping back to his original spot. He would have to be patient if he wanted his chance. All he had to do was wait until she was in that glass bridge. Once she was there, he would have his time to shine.
And if he was lucky, he would be able to bring her to his side and they could take what they deserved.
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Fluttershy's heart hammered in her chest. Things were getting out of control. Everything was going wrong. She could barely focus enough to get to the bridge so she could get out of here before anything happened.
She burst through the doors, pounding across the way as she fought to stay in control. Just a little further and she would be able to calm down enough to get out before she turned and avoid the military ponies before they found where she was.
She had to skid to a stop when she saw them on the other side of the bridge waiting for her. She spun around to go back, but the doors quickly closed and the armored ponies behind them watched carefully, their weapons shifting on their backs as she scrambled around in the middle of the glass tunnel.
It was almost too much for her. She almost changed right then and there, but was able to barely hold onto herself and keep from panicking. If they weren't coming in there, they might try to talk. If she could convince Thunderbolt to let his guard down for just a moment, she might have a chance to get out of this without another incident.
Her breathing started to even out, but only just, when something broke through the glass beside her. She jumped and spun to see what it was, but another one came through before she could get a good look and she had to drop to avoid being hit by it. Smoke started to fill the room and her eyes started to water. She moved down the hall in a panic, but the doors had already been closed. Her heartbeat echoed in her head, speeding up every second that gas was in there with her.
She lost control and fell to the ground screaming as her body changed.
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"Sky! What in TARTARUS are you doing?" Thunderbolt yelled from behind as Brown Sky fired a third grenade of tear gas into the bridge. "That's it, I'm pulling you from the-"
A roar echoed through the oddly quiet field in front of the library as something leapt from the bridge. It soared high before landing in front of the military ponies and baring it's teeth.
Her teeth, Sky reminded himself. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He ran up to her, hooking his hooves around a nearby tree and launching himself onto her back from thirty yards away. He landed and rolled across the mutated form, scrambling to find purchase on the mottled-green fur. He found enough grip to flip himself over and land on her face. He swung his body up, letting it drop down enough to drag her face with it. When he got close enough to touch the ground, he dug his rear hooves in and put his entire strength and body into pushing her down.
The creature fell forward and tumbled over Sky, crushing one of his hooves under her immense weight. He screamed briefly before rolling to the side and looking at Fluttershy. She got up and glared at him, watching him carefully like a threatened predator.
"I am the new you," Sky said confidently. "I can beat you in anything you try against me."
She growled at him.
"Is that the best you've got?"
She turned around, facing the other military ponies. She looked at them for a moment before one of her hind legs shot out faster than Sky thought possible. The sheer impact of the hoof crushed his bones, agony searing through his body as he flew across the field and into a tree. He felt a sharp burning in his spine before going limp.
He couldn't move. He couldn't scream. Everything was on fire, nothing but pain in his mind. He couldn't look away, either. He watched as the soldiers fired, trying to stop her from getting out. They tried futilely to contain her, but they couldn't.
Nopony would be able to stop her.
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"What happened out there?!" Luna demanded. "Half a dozen military vehicles destroyed, almost four times that in casualties, and you lost her?! I sent you in there to keep an eye on Thunderbolt and keep him from doing anything like this!"
"I did everything I could to keep them in the base," Coltson said nervously. "He wasn't going to let anything keep him grounded, though. And if I had raised the alarm, they would've left sooner to get it done."
Luna sighed, pressing a hoof to her temple. Thunderbolt was giving her a headache with everything he was doing. He was too careful to let anything slip past him and he was so blinded by his determination, he didn't realize what he was doing. "I'm pulling you back," she said after a few seconds. "We can't risk him finding out about this. If he does, he'll go to my sister and have this agency disbanded. Besides, I think I might have a new job for you."
"I understand," Coltson replied. "Where am I going next?"
"I want you to start keeping an eye on a company for me. It's called Sparkle Industries."