Dan Vs. The Magic of Friendship(Season 1)

by Barrobroadcaster

Practical use of Resources

Northern Equestria, Currently Contested Territory
Prosperity Mountain Range, Restricted Area
Prosperity Base Sublevel 2- Research and Design

Vice Grip very carefully tightened the screw on the reactor coupling. The laboratory table he stood at was covered in screws and parts, various pieces of technology he was using to build a new stabilizing system for his Cogsdale Carrier warships. Soon, Captain Springer would arrive with the Daedalus Reactor from Cloudsdale needed to power it and it would be ready for installation. He just needed to make sure that the couplings attached to the reactor were tight and could take the pressure and that meant precision when maintaining them. It was something he had to do himself.

The coupling itself was just a cylinder that connected the reactor to the housing and stabilized the various forms of energy within, keeping them at nice, safe levels using buffer elements. Effectively, it was the catalyst needed to bring the reactor online, keep the reactor running, prevent it from overloading and keep it attached to the housing. It was a very vital piece of machinery and so absolute precise calibrations were needed to make sure it did its job.

Calmly, Vice turned the coupling on its side in its stand. The last bolt that needed tightening was on the top so the seal would hold together over the sensitive mechanics. He carefully placed the wrench on the bolt and, very carefully, began to turn it.

That's when music began playing through the base's intercom system.

"GAHH!!"

*KRRRRRRNGG-KTCH*

"What? The squee?!!" He looked up, confused as to where the sound was coming from before he realized it was the speakers in the room. He looked down at the coupling. The wrench and bolt had both fallen off from the force he applied. No doubt, the bolt was stripped as well, rending the coupling useless.

Anger boiled inside of him. He looked up at the speakers, fuming. "The squee is that noise?!!" He immediately got up from his lab station, stormed down the hallway and was surprised to see that the main testing room had apparently been converted into an amphitheater.

"What the squee is this? Who built all this?!!" It was then Vice recognized what music was playing. "Wait… is that the Village People? Oh gawd, no…"

On the stage, an entire platoon of fully-armored Enclave pegasi marched to the beat. In the center, Captain Springer, helmet removed, began singing.

Lights immediately illuminated the stage. Seated in the front row, Gary Busey stood up and applauded.

"Bravo guys, real nice. Real nice. I remember they talked about doing a rendition of that song on the set of Under Siege but they never went through with it."

Vice was less than impressed. "What the squeeing squee is this?!!"

"It's a musical number," Gary said. "Kind of like, y'know, a catchy interlude to add a little-"

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?!!" Vice shouted at the actor. "Are you even IN this story or not? Is this guy canon? Can somepony answer me that- is this guy actually in this story or not?!"

Gary Busey shrugged. "I kinda just come and go."

"GET OUT!!"

"You're out of lunchables, by the way."

"OUT!!!" Vice pointed towards the door. Hands held up as not to offend, Gary Busey walked down the corridor to squee knows where.

Vice turned his attention to the stage. "Captain…"

"All right people, that's a wrap for the day. You're all dismissed."

The other Enclave ponies dispersed, marching off in different directions. Captain Springer remained, going over a list on her armor's integrated CLIPbuck. Vice approached her, boots clanging off the steps up to the stage. At first, his steps seemed like any other armored hoof steps but as they came closer, finally she noticed him.

"Oh, uh, sir," she saluted.

Vice smiled at her, a delightful, plucky grin to conceal his rage. "Good evening, captain."

"Yes, uh, good evening to you, too, sir. Did you come out to see the-"

"I have just one question for you, captain."

"Yes, sir?"

"WHY THE squeeING squee ARE YOU MAKING A squeeING MUSIC VIDEO IN THE MIDDLE OF MY squeeING BASE?!!!"

Captain Springer closed her eyes as if to avoid the close-range verbal assault. "Sir, we were-"

"Do you have ANY idea what we've lost recently?!" he yelled in her face. "In case it hasn't gotten through to you, the Crystal Empire was NOT a victory for us. We've lost over A THOUSAND Gears, A THOUSAND Swords, material, equipment and resources we CAN'T get back!" Vice vented. "We must now buy time in order to recover from this setback before we can set the next phase of the plan in motion. And that does NOT involve wasting energy and resources on a DISCO PARODY!!"

"I don't know," a voice said from behind them. "Maybe disco isn't as much of a waste as some of your other projects."

"I-" Vice stopped. Room temperature always seemed to drop when the Director was present, like the front door of a house being opened in the middle of a blizzard. A hazy mist seemed to follow her where she went and everything around her got just a little bit darker.

"Madam Director!" Springer saluted again.

The hooded creature smiled. "Good to see you, captain. Was the raid fun?"

"Uh… I, uh, um… fun, ma'am?" Captain Springer looked puzzled. "It… it was successful, if that's what you meant." Springer honestly hadn't thought much about her home since she'd destroyed it. While she had carried out the order alongside her fellow Enclave ponies and blown Cloudsdale and most of the pegasi there to bits, she certainly hadn't enjoyed it. She followed orders and understood that Cloudsdale represented a threat so it had to be removed. It wasn't like she was happy about it; she was just doing her job. Now that she had time to think about it, something approaching regret settled in her stomach.

The Director nodded. "Good. The Tears of Daedalus will be useful in the next phase of our operations."

"Were you the one who put them up to this?" Vice asked. "A music video? That was your idea, wasn't it? This is critical to our plans HOW?"

The Director turned to him and smiled. "Recruitment, of course. As you said, we lost a lot of resources in the Crystal Empire and we need to recoup our losses. One way is with more pegasus power."

"I was more referring to material resources rather than soldiers," Vice corrected her. "We have plenty of units to match what little defenses the royal guard has. Without enough Sword-equipped Magic Gears though, we've lost our trump card. We've got nothing to coerce them with or defend ourselves with if necessary until we build enough of them back."

"We've got bigger problems than your broken tinker toys at the moment," the Director said.

Vice's jaw dropped a little. "Tinker toys?"

"Derpy's been promoted to leader of the pegasi now that most of the other pegasi are MIA," the Director continued.

"The mail mare?" Vice asked. "Cute blonde obsessed with baked goods? How is she a threat to us?"

"She's called in Rogue Squadron," the Director stated.

"A rogue squadron?"

"THE Rogue Squadron. They're a group of pegasi that patrol Equestria's fringe territories and protect the borders from pirates, smugglers, criminal activity and rogue storms, dragons and other dangerous creatures."

Vice tapped his chin. "So, the postal service is teaming up with the border patrol. I don't see how that's a problem."

"They're not the border patrol."

"You do realize you just pretty much described what the border patrol is, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"You literally used the words "border" and "patrol" when talking about them."

The Director frowned, though it was hard for Vice to tell: her eyes didn't have irises or pupils. They were just silvery orbs that seemed to reflect more than perceive. Her brow furrowed though and her eyebrows lowered so it looked like she was frowning at him. "They're more than just the border patrol. They're the best fliers in Equestria."

Vice held up a hand. "I thought those were the Wonderbolts."

"The Wonderbolts are stunt fliers. Rogue Squadron are combat fliers. They're the first and last line of defense but how Derpy knew to mobilize them, I can't be sure," the Director said. "At any rate, Derpy's taken command of the sky. Shining Armor will soon rally troops on the ground, Twilight will convince the unicorns and magic-using community to lend support and Dan will organize them. Once their defenses are secure, they will attack us."

Vice nodded, pacing. "I see. So, the music video is your attempt to recruit potential allies away from them?''

The Director grinned and shrugged. "More or less."

"Blueblood can only stall them for so long. We need more time to get the Cogsdale Dreadnoughts operational."

"Speaking of allies, there's also the matter of the other groups you hired," the Director said, walking around him as he paced. "Marshal Grasp, Admiral Scope and General Zeal won't ignore an undefended Equestria. What little intel we have suggests that the griffons will arrive first from the west."

Vice grinned a toothy smirk. "Well… maybe we can give them a little help while they're on the way," he said, pulling out his cell phone. "I think I'll call the new prince and give him some new… decorating ideas."