Chapter 5 In Medias Res
‘It was on the way’ I said, ‘two birds one stone’ I said. I hate my logic. Clear out a nest of the little bastards and I got myself a good 150 caps. A baby’s rattler broke my inward ranting. I shifted toward the noise. The water transferred sounds well. The kite looking creature swam towards me. Its scorpion-like tail rattled its venom sac warning its attack.
“Top of the food chain pal, you lose.” I said. The rattlemanta lunged, intent to kill me. Lunged right into my spear. Wafts of blood spurted at it thrashed around on the tip. A black flash whizzed by my eye. The stinger whipped by my face, the will to stab me was strong in this one. It missed again, slowing down as it lost more blood. My teeth sunk into the base of its tail. I yanked my spear in one direction, my head in the other. With a neat little RRRRIIIIIIIIIIPPP, The tail came lose. I spat out the tail. The body of the rattlemanta started to float up to the surface. I slowly opened my saddle bag on my left side. That’s where I kept the waterproof stuff. I added the tail to the several others I had collected.
One item of business left to take care of. Doc Stitch could mix up some anti-venom from those sacs, but the nest was still not taken care of. That was the job of a little piece of Pre-war goodness. From my bag I extracted the soda can from hell. A hoof held depth charge, designed for conscripted ships to combat Zebra U-boats.
I flipped the switch, and let it sink. I swam for the surface. If what that salesman said was right, I didn’t want to be under water when that blew. The surface shattered as I came up for air. My tail left the water for a moment, I was in the air.
THUD.
The rumbling bubble shoved a ton of water into the air behind me. My eardrums rattled as vibrations erupted from the ocean floor. I dove back into the water. Tiny bubbles tickled my sides as I sunk back down to a comfortable depth. The nest, predictably, was no more. The rusty smell of bloody fish oil filled my nose. Parts of rattlemanta floated past me to the surface. Well, now that that was over with. I had a radio tower to boot up.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
(About six hours eariler)
“All you need to do, mang, is to stick this holotape into the main terminal, it should boot up right then.” Short Wave explained to me, while giving me the item.
“What if the thing is shot?” I asked.
“Get the terminal up, it should tell ya what to do if it needs fixin. Ponies back then were smart like that mang.” Short Wave shook his hoof at my question. Tufts of the ganja he was smoking wafted from his fetlocks.
“Okay, I’ll take your word for it.” I replied. Short Wave leaned in from his cozy seat. He pulled a box-like thing from one of the piles of doo dads.
“The holotape has got a recording on it, set to play as soon everything is config-gee-ated." Short Wave elaborated. "Use this trotman. Turn the dial to radio. That’s how you’ll know you did it right.” I nodded and took the Trotman. It looked like was a juice box with an antenna; Cutting edge tech for the laypony music listener.
“Listen to the radio; you’ll know when I’m done.” I smirked. He returned my smile and took a long draw from his pipe. I exited before he exhaled.
The corners of my mouth threatened to overtake my eyes as I was giggling madly. I started prancing a little. A home movies set, right here! Not only could I watch movies, I could MAKE movies. Just a simple job and I’d get it free of charge! My inner child was about to burst out of my chest.
Thud!
I ran smack dab into the wall next to Doc Stitch’s clinic. Éclair was shaking her head at me disapprovingly.
“What?” I asked.
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The evening sun only extended the shadow cast from the listening post. Four steel girders planted into the ocean floor secured in concrete. The water was warmer than the area near the rattlemanta nest used to be. I popped out of the water, tossing the ocean from my lungs. The building was three stories tall, not including the part submerged in water. A small gridded tower extended from the roof, with a slightly bent dish hanging from the top. No boats, canoes, nor ships surrounded the building. Nopony home I guess.
I flopped myself on the docking area. Upturned crates and barrels littered the floor. Nothing useful in the stuff. Figures. I walked to the entrance. This is where things got interesting. The door was chained shut, from the outside. Somepony didn’t want their stuff gone through while they were away. From the rust of the chain and the lock, they’d been gone for about two hundred years or so. I took out a bobby pin, Éclair certainly taught me to appreciate something so simple. I jimmied the lock, turning the ‘key’ and~
Snap! How did she make it look so easy?
“Fuck it” I pulled out my machete, ramming it between the door and the post it was chained to. I pulled, using the leverage of the blade and my body weight to stress the cha-
SNAP!
I fell to the floor as the chain burst. The door was loose; it had a deadbolt but it didn’t reach far enough to lock itself. Pushing open the door I stepped my way into the tower. The air was stale and close, and little to no light was available. Midnight blue light from my horn gave me a better idea of what the room was. It was a store room, or something like it. A desk was immediately in front of me with a terminal that looked like it was kicked in. behind that were shelves filled with boxes. One of the boxes in particular had fallen over, papers sprawled out of it. Sifting through the documents, i saw notes on a pony’s entire life were laid bare in that box. Criminal records, parking tickets, dental fees, drink orders; everything was there.
Tearing myself away from the files I explored the room further. A workbench littered with tools and parts sat next to what looked like a cellar door. Stairs up to the next floor were next to the cellar door. My vast knowledge of radio towers and buildings dedicated to them, i.e. that one Con Mane flick, suggested that the terminal controls for the radio would be upstairs.
Following my gut instinct, I took the stairs upward. Thankfully this room was better lit due to it's many windows. It was an office, I guess. The desks were centered on a board on the north wall. Red twine was extended from photo to photo with notes and newspaper clippings. Terminals were on each desk. I prodded a couple of them. But power wasn’t connected to any of them.
Bunks were laid out on the north wall. ‘A work place that sleeps together’ maybe? I doubt it. The files on the floor below me, the connection board up here. This was an Equestrian Intelligence listening post. I was surprised to see that there wasn’t a poster of Pinkie Pie somewhe- Oh there it is. Okay, I can’t be the only pony that smile freaks out. Anywhere I went, it looked like her eyes are following me. Forever…
I ripped off the poster, crumpling it up. None of the terminals here were the one I needed. I continued upstairs. The dust shifted from wind blowing in from the broken window panes. The panes themselves were spray painted black, enough to let light in but to keep away prying eyes. How prying eyes were out in the middle of the ocean I couldn’t say. The light that did bleed into the room illuminated hanging cords and wires. Computer towers, radios, indicator lights, dials, spinners, and a coffee maker was jury rigged into this mechanical cluster. All of it dark and unmoving.
I pushed the power button. The blank screen mocked me. I checked the power cord. It was plugged in. I followed the cord the power cord was plugged into. It leads me to a box on the wall. Popping open the box, fuses stared back at me.
“Somepony popped the main” I said to myself. The fuse itself looked intact. Okay, how did MacGrover do this? I pulled the main fuse out of the socket. I licked both ends. The copper taste stuck in my mouth. I put the fuse back in and flipped the switch.
FWOOM!
“And Celestia said, Let there be light! And there was light, and it was good.” I quoted in my moment of triumph. The florescent bulbs bussed at me as they kicked on. The monitor on the terminal hybrid thingy flashed green as power came to it as well. I whipped out the holotape Short Wave gave me. Let’s get this show on the road!
Input password:
Fffffffffff…
I pulled the key log in debug mode. Pancake? No. Training? No. Celestia? No. Dragons? Yes!
Dragons
Processing…
Password Accepted.
“Yeah!” I began to navigate through the computer. Some logs about and interrogation, maybe later. Sports stats, not now. Subscription to badass weekly? Nerds. Ah! here we go. Data Input. I confirmed my choice. A small slot next to the monitor opened. I slid in the holotape. I stated waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting…
“Come on!” I yelled. I kicked the base of the computer. THUNK! Something fell off of a shelf above me. Rolling off the computer towers. A deep blue ball fell off the computer tower. My midnight blue aura wrapped around the ball as I brought it to me.
“The hell is this thing doing here” I brought it closer to my eye for scrutiny. I blinked. The world was gone.
<-=======ooO Ooo=======->
The sun was beating down on top of my head mercilessly. But it didn’t feel like it was my head. I couldn’t move. The strangest sensation came from my- I HAVE FREAKING REAR LEGS! This was not me, I don’t have four legs; I have two. Plus I’m not brown. And I certainly remember a certain organ being there that wasn’t anymore.
“At ease!” A commanding voice resounded throughout the field. I felt this pony’s body relax as her flank hit the ground. My, rather her, attention was drawn to the two official looking ponies in front of her. Both of them were stallion unicorns. Military from the looks of their uniforms. One of them had blue, striped hair and a shield with a star in the middle for a cutie mark.
“All right, trainees, as unicorns joining Equestria's beloved Marine Corps, there is one essential skill every one of you has to master before you are put in the field. Barriers. Now, Brigadier General Shining Armor has so very kindly opened his busy schedule to assist in your training. So let’s not waste his time by getting it right the first time! Is that clear?”
“Sir, yes sir!” boomed in the field, I could barely hear this mare’s voice over all the others. All the trainees lined up and grabbed a manual from the pile. The mare’s eyes looked over the colorful pictures in the hand book. I felt her eyebrows furrow as she continued.
“Having trouble trainee?” A smooth yet stern voice sunk into the mare’s ear. The general was standing next to her. She lurched back.
“Sir, N-no problems here S-sir.” She stammered.
“Then why haven’t you started yet?” he replied. He gestured to the other trainees. Roughly half of them had at least half a bubble of colored light manifested.
“I-I’m an… auditory learner sir.” She admitted to her superior. He sighed smiling.
“Okay, I’ll talk you through it. First, visualize the shape you want to make your barrier.” He said. The mare closed her eyes.
“Now just like levitation, wrap your magic around that visualization.” He continued. I felt the nerves in her horn firing off as her magic began doing its thing.
“Almost there. Now just increase the power. And imagine that area is solid. Aaaand You got it!” He finished. The mare’s eyes burst open. A light yellow glow formed a dome around her. General Shining Armor tapped the bubble with his hoof.
“Now, while spherical barriers are the most common type of barrier, They're also the most energy inefficient.Try doing in the same with just a wall. ” The mare complied. She retraced her steps and formed a glowing panel of shield between the two of them.
“Now try moving it.” Shining Armor commanded. A tingling sensation shot up her nose. Her lungs seized.
“Ahchoo!” She sneezed monstrously, her concentration lost. Her drill instructor rushed over, along with the other trainees. She looked around, obviously confused. Then it dawned on her. Shining Armor was no longer next to her. She turned around to see the general pinned against a wall by her barrier. Gasping, she released control of the barrier.
The world began falling apart again as the general stood back up, laughing his guts out.
<-=======ooO Ooo=======->
My eyes began processing on their own again. I was sprawled out on the floor. The orb lay next to me. I gave myself a once over, seeing if everything was back in their proper place. I had heard that they had stuff to extract memories. This was not what I was expecting. I thought they just put it on a screen or something. Standing myself up, a blinking phrase on the monitor drew my attention.
Run Program? Y/N
I took out the Trotman and flipped it on. Let’s see this baby dance. I pounded the Y key.
“Waazzzzaap mangs and mangettes! This is your soon to be best friend Short Wave, and I’m bringing you The Signal!” Short Wave’s raspy voice poured out of the tiny radio and, to my surprise, the intercom as well. Nice little bit of surround sound.
“Now you’re asking yourself, what is The Signal? Why it’s the newest and hottest radio station coming out of the inner sea region, bringing you good vibes and awesome tunes. And not just from us, but from every place that’s a-broadcastin'. From Summer Sunset to Dry Dock. Hell, from Equestria to Oceania. If it puts out waves, we bring it in for y’all to listen.” He announced. How in the heck does one little spy hideout do all of that? The intercom was kinda loud. I scanned through the terminal to find the shut off and promptly used it.
“Let’s start things off right with a little tribute to us island cats with ‘The Next Flight Out Today” Short Wave’s recording finished. Then music started up. I was chuckling a little bit at the little show when something stuck me as odd. It smelled in here. Something fetid, spoiled, and rotten had made itself known. I turned around to the source.
“~let’s fly away, we’re on vacation. A holiday with you!~”
Something, somepony stood at the top of the stairs. Hairless flesh looked ready to fall off of the bones that shaped it. Milky white eyes trained on me. It gurgled a hiss, like its vocal cords had rotted away. A corpse alive. A zombie.
“~I’m dreaming of a tropical location. A paradise for two~”
“Fffffffff” I started. The zompony lunged at me. Had to think, first rule of zombie movies.
“~Let’s head on down to southern hemispheres~”
“Cut off the head.” I recited. My machete whipped out; the handle bashed against its temple. Staggering to the left it started to correct itself. The momentum of my blade carried itself into its neck. Chunks of coagulated blood pumped out of the wound. I shoved my body into the corpse, knocking it over. Ripping the machete out, I lifted it up. I started hacking. I cleaved through bone, sinew, and muscle. The head came free. I could tell it was already dead(er), by the time I was halfway done.
“~Where the sea is blue and the sky is bright and clear~”
“Second rule of zombie movies, there’s never just one.” I recited. Steeling myself, I readied my spear. I slid a couple knives under a strap to my barding, making a makeshift bandolier. I crept downstairs. I could hear hooves against the floor. Peeking my head out, I saw five walking corpses. I slid back into the stair well. Breathing deep I scowled.
“~No second thoughts, no hesitation. Hurry! Don’t delay.~”
“Let’s party.” I muttered to myself. I burst into the room. My knives flew from my bandolier. Three of the five hit nothing but air. The two remaining struck one of the zombies in the neck and chest, taking it down.
“~we’re leaving on the next flight out today~”
I thrust my spear into the chest of the nearest zombie. The spearhead tore its way through the back, taking a large chunk of spinal cord with it. One of the other zombies lunged at me. My machete sliced the air above its head as it ducked. The thing tackled me, bowling me over. My spear out of reach. It started beating my chest with its front hooves. I flipped up my tail, tossing the corpse over top of me. a sharp needle-like pain shot up my spine as the other two clamped onto my tail with their teeth. The two started to drag me, while the other I just tossed sunk its teeth into my shoulder. Then they started to yank on me like a wishbone. My abdominal muscles began ripping.
My machete swung wildly. Hitting something solid, I lopped off a foreleg. It didn’t stop them from playing tug of war with me. My vision got blurry. My teeth gritted. My mind went blank.
Visualize the shape. Wrap your magic around that visualization.
A small midnight blue wall appeared over part of my tail. I poured my power into this wall.
Now try moving it
I screamed, the wall rocketed out , colliding with the zombies. The wall smashed into the wall. And then through it. A bloody stain on the shattered windows was all that remained of the two corpses. I wrapped my telekinesis around the one clamped on my shoulder. Flipping it over me, I pinned it to the ground.
“This is going to feel real bad!” I shouted at it. I impaled my machete into its gut. Ripping and tearing, I dragged the blade through the flesh, separating the ribcage. Exposing it’s organs to the open air. Finally I shoved the blade in through the bottom of its jaw. I twisted it around until the monster stopped moving. Yanking out the blade, I clinched my jaw.
“WHO ELSE WANTS SOME!?” I yelled. My answer was hooves on metal. A sickly green light poured in from down stairs. My stomach started to turn. I could hear in the back of my head a tick tick ticity sound. A Zompony like the rest of them came up. Dripping what looked to be glowing green acid.
“C'MON!” I yelled at it, brandishing my machete and spear. It hissed at me. I wasn’t gonna let it start. I bolted at him, my machete spinning like a saw blade. My lungs emptied themselves with my roar.
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I tossed the last piece of the glowing one out the window as I breathed the fire from my lungs. The first aid kit here was fortunately better stocked than the one at the cargo ship. It had three of the best Equestrian medicine ever to exist. Healing potions accelerated the healing process tenfold and tasted like cherries. Actually it didn’t taste like cherries at all, that was just what I imagined I tasted instead of cough syrup.
They did a number on me, but I figured I wouldn’t change into one anytime soon. I was already on the mend and would be good as new in an hour or two. The cellar was my theory on them. Inside were barrels upon barrels of some glowing green substance. It had the toxic and the radioactive symbol on it. And they were all leaking. The inside of the cellar door looked like they were trying to claw their way out. Somepony locked them in there, a long time ago. Slowly they changed into these things.
I chained up the door to the cellar, making a mental note to tell Short Wave to not go down there if he plans on ever dropping by. Heading back into the main control room, I figured I'd take a peek at the files on the terminal. I selected the log entry. The computer started whirring.
Case Log
We intercepted an illegal shipment of radioactive magical material on a cargo skiff. The cargo itself was manifested to head to the Summer Sunset Island Dinky World. We can’t rule out Zebra operatives using this as a cover for moving war assets across our borders. It’s doubtful the theme park of an animation studio needs weapons grade bio-magical fluid. The ship was impounded at Summer Sunset Naval Base, however we had to store the contraband here.
What is puzzling is the transporter. Her name appears nowhere in Equestrian Census records. Her current name is an alias, but what is also interesting is that no identification matches her. Dental Records, Retina pattern, hoof prints, nothing ties her anywhere. So we dug deeper. We extracted memories from her and found she was at one point in the Equestrian Marine Corps, but no other memories state her name. All parts where a name would be, all that’s heard is static. It’s like before today, she never existed. We’re detaining her here, until further notice.
A pony that was completely erased? That’s some Con Mane shit right there. No doubt she lured everypony in the facility down into cellar, locked the door from the outside and hightailed it out of there. I downloaded the files and added them to a spare holodisk. For giggles.
It was high time to head back. It had been a few hours. Sorbet was probably at least half awake by now.
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Level Three obtained!
Quest perk gained!
Barrier Warrior: Learned Basic Barrier, and Barrier Shove magic tricks. Barriers cost AP and have a DT of (INT + END) *Level /2
Melee 50
Medicine 50