Freedom Through Harmony: Book II

by Electricut

Forty-five

Chapter in color

Forty-five

“Dad, be ready to fire!” Quick Fix shouts. “They’re approaching from the east!”

Quick Fix keeps her eyes on the horizon, and soon sees the disturbances in the waves. A moment later, she is able to see the vessels approaching. She couldn’t guess how they got here so fast, but doesn’t have time to wonder. There are a lot of them on the way.

“Ratchet, you still got that sniper rifle?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think I can use it. One arm is machine parts now, I can’t hold it steady enough for this range.”

“And dad’s gun is only good at mid-range…” she thinks. “Guess we just have to bide our time, unless…” She looks over at one of the turrets, equipped with a scope and a manual controller, and a grin grows on her face. She dashes over to it and puts her hooves to the controls. The scope zooms in just enough that she can see the pilot of one of the first boats in the formation, and she levels the sights on him. Her hoof hovers for a moment, then presses onto the ‘fire’ button.

The turret is not the most accurate weapon. In the first few seconds, most of the bullets simply hit the water. Quick Fix grimaces, grips the turret tighter, and adjusts her aim. The pilots must notice the bullets flying, and begin to take evasive maneuvers. However, some of them don’t seem to be very bright, and one of them drives their boat straight into the line of fire. The pilot slumps over immediately, the vessel slows, and the boat behind it cannot stop in time and crashes.

Quick Fix grins in victory, resisting the urge to remove her hoof from the turret to make a gesture. Instead, she tilts the turret slightly to the left, and the bullets begin rending into several other vessels. They are already much closer, meaning easier targets to hit. Before long, the rest of the defense turrets spring to life, slowing the enemy’s advance further. Quick Fix takes her hooves off of the controls of the turret, allowing it to regain automatic function, and begins running along the wall alongside Ratchet to keep them stocked with ammo.

Her father stands on the secondary wall, behind the front line, looking down the sights of his rifle. In a few seconds, the enemy would be within range of the weapon.

After a few more moments, the approaching ships start firing back. Bullets crack into the walls surrounding the house, or fly above their heads. A few clang against Quick Fix’s armor. Everyone dives behind the walls, the turrets above still firing, but taking damage.

The Battle Master pokes her head up over the wall for a moment. “They’ll be to the shore soon. Be ready.”

Fancy Pants

The scope of the sniper rifle pokes out of the window, searching for a target. Several seconds pass, and an imp scurries out of the bushes, brandishing a rusty sword. A bullet clears the barrel of the gun, and in the same moment, the imp explodes into grist.

Fancy Pants reloads swiftly. That strike probably tipped off the approaching forces that he was wise to their advance. Their stealthy approach is not as stealthy as they had anticipated.

“Come out and play…” Fancy Pants mutters. “You’re not gonna take me today.”

“Incoming!” Heavysprite yells, hefting his weapon. Fancy Pants nods very slightly, his hoof brushing against his assault rifle, but he continues to look down the sights of the sniper. A moment later, he sees something move, and spots a grenade arcing its way towards the house. He adjusts his aim, and shoots it midair, detonating it. The house is safe, but the cloud of fire and smoke effectively obscures the ground from above.

“Shoot. They probably wanted me to do that…” He shakes his head, puts down the sniper rifle, and equips his assault rifle. “Keep running the turrets, sis! Heavy, you’re with me. We’re going to meet them head-on!”

Fancy Pants slides down the stairs, sprite in tow. He bursts out the front door and skids down the small hill to where he saw the first imp come from. His scouter tells him that there are several in the area, probably hiding in the bushes or behind rocks. Proceeding upon this hunch, he aims his rifle to a nearby bush, and fires several rounds. A satisfying burst of grist is released.

He hears the sound of Heavy’s minigun warming up behind him. He turns slightly, then immediately raises his arms in defense as an imp jumps at him. He grabs hold and flings him to the side, then puts a few bullets in him. More are on him in a second, and soon the air rings with the sound of gunfire. A few of the turrets attached to the house spring to life and begin firing upon the enemies.

Fancy Pants turns his head, and sees a pair of figures sidled up to the wall of his house. They don’t quite look like the imps or other enemies, and seem to be much more professional. One is rather tall and intimidating, while the other is quite stout, but seems to be packing some heavy firepower. Somehow, the pair managed to sneak past the turret defenses.

“Heavy, handle these guys! Some of them got through, I’m going to take them out!”

Heavysprite nods, and Fancy Pants dashes towards the two.

Quick Fix

The Battle Master leaps from behind the wall, aero blade blazing, and slices through several of the attackers. Ratchetsprite is right behind her, followed by Quick Fix, both of them with wrenches swinging wildly. Imps, ogres and even liches fall before their counterattack. There are a lot of them, and they have heavier munitions than anything Quick Fix had seen thus far. She feels her HP trickling away, but not at an alarming pace yet. If they keep fighting and eliminate the enemy swiftly, they should be alright.

A wall of ogres steps onto the beach, in a very tight formation. Quick Fix is no expert with tactics, but they are very clearly protecting something, hiding its approach from view. She finishes off her current opponent, and turns her attention to this new threat. A grenade springs to her hoof from her sylladex, and she lobs it towards them. They fumble with it, but ultimately fail to toss it out of the way. It explodes right in one of their faces, effectively blinding its single eye.

The Battle Master shifts her attention to the ogres as well, and dashes across, cutting three of them across the legs. If she had use of her wings, she probably could have finished them all right there, but they are still kept useless by some unseen force in the game. However, the wall of ogres is now within range of the turret defenses, and they turn their attention to the large target. One by one, the ogres turn to grist, revealing another figure standing in the center of the formation.

He isn’t an ogre, but for a Dersite, he’s huge. He wears a similar uniform to the other enemies, but it seems ill-fitting. A large, two-headed battleax is clutched in one hand, slung over his shoulder.

The Hegemonic Brute readies his weapon and charges forward in the wake of his retinue’s demise. His sights are leveled on the Battle Master, and she readies her sword in defiance.

“Quick Fix, cover me!” she yells, a moment before the Brute crashes into her, axe ringing against sword. Quick Fix nods, dashes forward and smashes one of the nearby imps into grist. Ratchetsprite continues to fight from the ground, and her father and Clank, through the turrets, continue to assist from atop the walls. The Brute is faster than one would think, and is able to parry most of the Battle Master’s attacks.

“Enemy spotted within the base.” Clank’s voice states, coming through Quick Fix’s phone. “He has transferred a message already. Making his way to the exit on your side. I am attempting to apprehend him now.”

“Did you see him take anything? … No? Then he must have come for information, and already got it and sent it home… We still have to stop them.”

Fancy Pants

The young gunner unleashes a barrage of bullets and plasma upon the two assailants making their way around the house. The tall one realizes that he and his accomplice are under fire the moment the first bullet clears the barrel, and he grabs the short one and dodges out of the way, reaching into his pocket with his other hand. He throws something on the ground, and a shield is deployed that manages to block Fancy Pants’ line of sight. Fancy Pants picks up the pace and rushes at the house, but a small explosion erupts from just right of the barricade. He hefts his Portal gun, fires a portal into the house, then the other directly below him.

Fancy Pants barrels through the living room, crashing into the short Dersite and, using one of his robotic fists, punches him in the snout to establish superiority. He rolls off of his opponent, assault rifle in hand, only to be knocked across the room by the blunt end of a spear. He moves swiftly to his feet to see the tall Dersite standing above him, blood-red spear tip glinting in the light. Fancy Pants launches a glob of plasma at him, but his opponent sidesteps expertly out of the way. Conversely, the shorter one is practically tripping over his own feet, and Fancy Pants is able to immobilize him with a swift kick across the room.

However, Fancy Pants failed to notice the explosive device the Clumsy Demolitionist deployed, and the resulting explosion sends the stallion to the opposite wall, completely paralyzed for several seconds. When he is able to move his hooves again, the two have already made their way upstairs. The boy follows, and sees that his own door is open. His mouth curls into a snarl, and he charges in, guns blazing.

Three things are apparent as soon as he sees the inside of his room. In one hand of the tall Dersite is a communications device, which seems to have already delivered its message. In the other is his spear, which seems to have just impaled his companion.

At Fancy Pants’ feet is Fleur, body scorched somewhat from an explosion. Unfortunately, judging by the amount of blood on the floor, she is already dead. The Dignified Dersite doesn’t move at first, his stance and dead companion seeming to say ‘She was not meant to die, he acted out of turn, and has been dealt with’.

Fancy Pants isn’t having it. He lunges at the Dersite with his mechanical fist, and is parried and sent ramming into the wall, while his opponent sidesteps. He retrieves his assault rifle and lunges with another punch, but this time opens fire when he draws close. The Dersite frowns, stepping slightly to the side, then kicking Fancy Pants’ back hooves out from under him. The stream of bullets simply flies into the ceiling as the pony slips to the ground.

Yet another explosion shakes the foundation of the house, blowing out the wall of Fancy Pants’ room. He struggles to a standing position again, his hooves screaming in protest. The assailant hefts his weapon and leaps out the gap, making a quick escape.

“Heavy, KILL HIM!” Fancy Pants hears the sound of the minigun focusing its fire on one place, but as he moves to the window, he sees that the Dersite is still evading the attacks. His spear seems to have a grappling zip line attachment, and his is swinging away.

Fancy Pants snarls, equips the Portal and gravity guns, and launches himself out the hole, rage burning behind his eyes.

Quick Fix

The Battle Master dodges around the Hulking Brawler’s axe strike, slicing her sword across his legs. A blast from Dad’s brush gun quickly follows, but the Brute remains on his feet. Quick Fix watches from the edge of the wall, wrench ready to stop the other successful invader. She hears the turrets rev to life and open fire on someone behind the walls, but the fact that the continue tells her that he’s still avoiding his demise.

The Scurrying Saboteur leaps off of the wall, a knife clutched in one hand. Quick Fix leaps and strikes him as he passes. He flinches from the attack, but comes to a roll when he hits the ground. The Battle Master swings around from her combat with the brute, and her blade is shoved aside by the knife with inches to spare. Dad, being unable to get a clear shot with the pace increasing, hops down from his perch and re-aims his gun. He fires a shot into the side of the Hegemonic Brute, drawing his attention.

Events occur in a blur, yet only across a few seconds. The Brute lunges forward, swinging his massive weapon, the bullets from Dad’s weapon not slowing him down. Quick Fix attempts to rush to his aid, but she is too late, too far away. The axe comes down, smashing into Dad’s back.

The Battle Master rises behind the Brute, her blade blazing in the dim light, and with one furious slice, the Dersite’s neck is broken.

The Shady Stabsman slips behind her back, and returns the favor right between her wings.

Ratchetsprite flies in from above and bashes the Dersite’s head hard enough to crack his skull. He falls dead instantly.

The rest of the battle quickly begins to wind down, but Quick Fix is no longer a part of it. She rushes to her father’s aid first, but- through tear-stained eyes- she sees that he’s already gone. However, the Battle Master clings to life yet, and the distraught pony moves to her side.

“H-hold on…” she begins, “We can get help…”

“No.” she responds. “L-look at me. Look at all this blood… It’s… It’s too late for that.”

“What are you saying?”

“Look… We may have lost the battle here… But we took out some of their best agents. They… They may have gotten what they wanted, but they’ve been crippled… You’ve got to put a stop to them.”

“But if we couldn’t win here…”

“You’ll get stronger. And you’re not alone… Your friends and brother will stand by your side… Tell Leeroy that I’m proud of him, and you. Your father was, too… Keep Equestria alive for us. But above that… Keep yourselves alive…”

Quick Fix can’t manage to clear her throat or stop her shaking to say anything in return. The Battle Master’s dying eyes seem to understand. Life slips from her grasp, and her body falls limp.

After a few minutes, Quick Fix retrieves her phone. Leeroy should know.

TT: bro
GG: sis
GG: I know
GG: i saw
GG: I’ll be right there
GG: they need a proper burial
TT: bro

guardianGuitarist ceased chatting with techTitan at 6:38 P.M.

Fancy Pants

Two figures, carapace and stallion, dash across the countryside of Lofas, one swinging on a wire, the other leaping through portals and launching himself off of obstacles. The land below flies by, fortresses and fields alike serving as mere backdrop.

The Dersite yells something into a communicator midair, but Fancy Pants can’t make out the words. The two continue their game of cat-and-mouse for a few minutes more, then the shape of a Prospitan vessel looms on the horizon. It’s already above the ground, but the Dersite continues at top speed, probably intending to latch onto it with his grappling device. There is a fortress near the ship, and Fancy Pants nods. That’s where he’ll make his stand.

He aims and fires his Portal gun towards the fortress, attaching a portal to the ground of one of the towers, exactly where he had aimed. He fires the other at the ground, where he lands. Using the gravity gun to reduce his speed, he swings onto the tower, finally back on his feet. He stores his tools and retrieves a sniper rifle from his inventory. He quickly takes aim at the fleeing agent.

The agent seems to notice that he’s not being followed, and his gaze quickly finds Fancy Pants again. Realizing he’s about to be shot, he reaches into his coat with one hand, and retrieves a revolver.

Both weapons fire in the same instant. The brick just in front of Fancy Pants’ back hoof is struck and bursts into dust and debris. Fancy Pants’ shot misses, but only by an inch.

He doesn’t have time to reload and fire again. The Dastardly Dersite lands in the bay of the ship, and the doors swiftly shut. The vessel shortly engages its engines and leaves the planet.

Fancy Pants’ weapon slowly drops from his mechanical hand, and at last, he sinks to his knees, finally exhausted from recent events. Fleur is dead, and whatever Derse wanted from his home, they got. He failed.

“All this grinding, all the levels I got… It meant nothing. I wasn’t strong enough…”

Heavysprite’s voice sounds in his head. “You are not as strong as you could be. There is more strength you can obtain.”

“How? I’ve nearly hit the top level already. I doubt a few more will make that much of a difference…”

“You can rise past the top of this ladder. You can set yourself along a new path, and reach much greater levels of strength.”

Will more strength make this better? he thinks. It won’t bring back those lost. But it might help him keep others from joining them.

“How?”

“By climbing to the God Tier.”

Fancy Pants stares out at the landscape for a few moments, then nods. He knows where he would need to go for that, and what he would have to do. He knows that he has to do this, for the sake of his friends, and for vengeance.

He retrieves his Portal and gravity guns again, and leaps from the fortress.