Fields of Fire

by Wheller

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Everypony's jaw dropped wide open as the first chair turned around to reveal the FutureTec Boss that it held.

'No way', Rainbow Dash said.

'This is a joke, a joke? Right?' Rarity asked afterwards.

'The FutureTec bosses... are...?' Fluttershy managed.

'Well howdy everypony!' Apple Bloom said as she waved to the group from her seat in the chair. Sharing the chair with her were none other than fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

'The FutureTec bosses are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!?' Rainbow Dash cried out in surprise.

The three fillies nodded in affirmation.

'But... but...' Rarity began all of them were at a loss for words. 'Who are in the other chairs?' she asked eventually.

'Oh, nopony', Apple Bloom said, as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo reached out and rotated the other chairs around to reveal that they were indeed empty, and likely, just for show.

'This can't be real', Applejack said. 'Mah sister an' her friends can't possibly be tha FutureTec bosses!'

Apple Bloom's smile turned to a frown, and that frown turned to a look of annoyance. 'And why not?'

'Ya'll are fillies! What do ya know about running a business!?' Applejack cried out.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders sighed in annoyance. 'What do YOU know about running a business Applejack?' Apple Bloom countered. 'It ain't no secret that Sweet Apple Acres went from profitable enterprise ta heavy debt since Granmpa Apple died, under yer management. Sweet Apple Acres is in a position where ya'll can never pay back the interest on any of tha six mortgages you an' Granny Smith took out' ta keep us from goin' under'.

Applejack took a step back in surprise. 'H... how do you know about that?'

'Ah always here ya, Granny Smith, and Big McIntosh arguing about money after ya'll send me ta bed', Apple Bloom said. 'Applejack, yer a terrible liar, and it’s been pretty obvious that we were in trouble since last cider season!'

'Cider season?' Applejack asked.

Apple Bloom nodded. 'Tha Flimflam brothers made it ta be pretty obvious that we were in trouble'.

'So when we found the old cave that housed the entrance to EPMB, we knew what we needed to do', Scootaloo said. 'Luckily, the door was unlocked and we were able to walk right in'.

Twilight glanced over to Rainbow Dash, who gave a nervous, apologetic chuckle. 'Okay', Twilight said. 'So, you're the bosses of FutureTec', Twilight said. 'It doesn't change the fact that you're fillies, and that it takes education in a lot of complicated subjects that you don't have...'

'Way ahead of you Twilight', Sweetie Belle said. 'We took a leaf out of your book, pun intended, and read a book'.

Sweetie Belle opened a drawer in the desk and pulled a book out, setting it on the desk. Twilight took the book in her magic and pulled it closer to her.

'”Macroeconomics: made so easy a foal could understand it”...?' Twilight read, she put the book down, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were all grinning widely at them.

Twilight opened her mouth to make a counterargument, but then quickly shut her mouth again. Almost all of Twilight's knowledge of advanced subjects came from books. She couldn't say anything here without being a hypocrite.

'Okay', Twilight said. 'So you're the bosses of FutureTec, but how did you get the company started?'

'Now that's a story', Scootaloo said. 'It's not one we get to tell very often, since we need to keep who we are a secret when we're the bosses... for this exact reason, because everypony sees a foal when they look at us'.

'Yeah', Sweetie Belle said. 'But it is a good story'.

'We got some time', Apple Bloom said. 'If ya'll got time ta listen, we'll tell ya'.

…

'RUN!' Scootaloo cried out.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo took off down the path through Whitetail Wood., running at full speed. Sweetie Belle turned her head and looked back, the gigantic ursa was hot on their hooves as they ran. 'This was a bad idea!' Sweetie Belle cried out.

'Shut up and keep running!' Scootaloo shouted.

Apple Bloom glanced around; they had antagonised an Ursa's den, and brought its wrath down upon them. She knew that they couldn't outrun it forever, and she looked around for anything that they could use for a place to hide, specifically, a place small enough for them, but too big for the ursa to fit. That was when she saw it. A cave! The entrance to which was partially collapsed, and had a whole just big enough for a pony to fit in. 'There!' she cried out. The Cutie Mark Crusaders turned towards the cave, leaping into the whole and skidding along the ground in the cave.

They heard the Ursa slam into the rocks and yelp out in pain. It let out a loud growl and began to walk away.

Scootaloo sighed. 'Okay, I think Cutie Mark Crusader animal trainers is out'.

'Yeah', Sweetie Belle said. 'That idea was way better on paper, is the Ursa still out there?'

Apple Bloom crawled over to the entrance whole and took a look out it. The Ursa Minor was indeed still out there, pacing back and forth outside the entrance. 'Yeah, an' Ah don' think its gunna go away anytime soon'.

'Great!' Scootaloo said in annoyance. 'We're stuck here, and we're going to lose a whole day of crusading for this!'

'Animal training was your idea dodo!' Sweetie Belle cried out.

'Don't call me things I don't know the meaning of!' Scootaloo snapped back.

There was a flash of light lit up the cave as a number of lights snapped to life. The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked up and around at their surroundings. Apple Bloom looked to her friends and smiled. 'Day's not over yet Crusaders! There's still a chance our talent might be as potholers!'

'As what?' Scootaloo asked.

'Ponies that explore caves!' Apple Bloom said. 'Come on! Let's take a look, we got time'.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders nodded and got up and started to walk around. The cave was pretty easy to navigate, as if somepony had graciously laid a path before them to follow. They headed down, following the twists and turns of the cavern walls until they ended. They looked up to discover that it was not, a dead end; rather, it was a door, a giant metal door in the shape of a gear, the letters EPMB painted on the front. The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at each other for a moment, they had never seen this place before, and their curiosity was getting the better of them.

‘Cutie Mark Crusader Potholers right?’ Scootaloo asked.

‘Right’, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said. They went over to the control console for the door and studied it for a moment, it was a relatively simple device, and it was pretty clear what they needed to do to open it up.

‘Pull down to open’, Scootaloo read off the control panel. ‘Seems easy enough’, she added before reaching out and pulling the lever down. Hazard lights began to flash, and the air filled with the hiss of steam. They heard something from the inside reach out and take hold of the door with a loud thump. The door began to pull backwards, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders covered their ears as the deafening screech of metal against metal filled the air. The door then rolled open to the left, and allowed the Cutie Mark Crusaders entry.

‘Cool!’ the three of them all cried out together, taking a step inside. They got a few steps in when the hazard lights began to flash once again, the door rolled back to the right and began to slide shut with the same deafening noise that they had heard on the way in.

‘Somepony needs to grease that or something’, Scootaloo said after the door shut itself. The Cutie Mark Crusaders noticed a control panel identical to control panel outside, albeit a much cleaner looking version of it. ‘What is this place?’ she asked.

Query acknowledged, beginning playback. A tinny artificial voice barked over a loudspeaker.

Head researcher’s log, Doctor Emerald Sparkle reporting. This is likely to be my final entry. Hello, if you are hearing this, it means that I’m no longer in control of the Everfree Plains Ballistic Research and Development Facility, wether by the hooves of that bitch or otherwise, the systems have gone over to automatic, and I’m probably dead. I don’t know who you are, or what you want. For all I know, you’re probably Cultus Mechanius scum from Fillydelphia come to pick over what’s left of my installation. Well, I guess I can’t stop you... In the off chance you’re simple travellers who lost their way or maybe even Ponyvillers who’ve taken a wrong turn. I ask that you leave this place be, let my legacy... actually, on second though? Come on in. I’ve left a number of technical manuals behind to teach you how to work all of my technology. Destroy it, use it, I don’t really care anymore. I’m old, so so old, and I don’t care anymore. Do what you will, who knows? Maybe you’ll accidentally kill that bitch in the process.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked at each other and smiled. They may not have gotten their cutie marks from this find. But it was almost the next best thing.

Comments

[KaijinZero]

.....CALLED IT! along with the other readers of course

[Fallen Knight]

Their going to die a horrible horrible death and im going to enjoy it arent i...

[Zhent]

CMC vs. Celestia

[DreadedCandiru2]

OH, sweet. Cutie Mark Crusaders Harbingers of Destruction. Yay. There's no cutie mark for getting a town destroyed by a paranoid lunatic with an agenda.

[Disguised]

It's the end of the world as they know it, again.

[ugugg93]

... I don't even have words for this...

The Cutie Mark Crusaders... three 12 year olds... not only conered the market in advanced tech in Equestria, but are probably making so much money, they are burning it because they don't know what to do with it all...

AND THEY STILL DIDN'T GET THEIR CUITIE MARKS!?!?

[Apocalypse Pony]

What the flying fuck?
This shit is just out of left field