Clash of the Titans
“A smile can hide the most murderous thought, but the eyes can never lie. Reading a person is mostly looking straight into their eyes. What’s truly terrifying is people who wear their thoughts on their face, and within a second, it’s hard for the beholder to suppress a scream.” - The Tormentor
The heavy steel doors before Guy creaked open, flooding the dark room he was standing in with light. Just as he had been instructed to, Guy stepped inside the arena. For a room buried underground, the arena was surprisingly big. Instead of conventional walls or a ceiling, the room itself formed the shape of a large metal dome, with bright lights illuminating every inch. Tall rectangular columns were erected in seemingly random places, though as Guy entered, they all retracted back into the ground until their tops were flush with it, producing a perfectly flat floor.
“Hey, Guy! Up here!”
Though the voice sounded as though it were coming from all around, its words at least pointed towards where it was coming from. A long wall of glass some twenty feet off the ground was built into the dome, stretching all around. Everypony sat together in a group. Alex stood tall, hands behind his back, with Rose standing to his right. To his left was Twilight and Spike, followed by her brother and other friends. To Rose’s right was Guy’s family, all huddled together and waving, smiling at him.
“Not too intimidating, is it?” Alex asked, his voice being projected into the room.
Guy shook his head as he made his way to the center of the arena.
“That’s the spirit,” said Alex. “Now then: the rules of this bout are simple. Your opponent is going to come through the door opposite you.” He gestured towards the steel portal in question, identical to the one that Guy had just traversed. “The name of the game is unarmed combat: hand to hand. Your goal is to disable your opponent before he does the same to you. This is no holds barred, so how you do that is entirely up to you. But that goes both ways. Let me ask you again: are you sure you want to do this?”
Off to the side, a shiver ran down Pinkie Pie’s back, followed by wobbly knees and an itchy neck. “Yeegghhaa…!” Pinkie squeaked as she reached up to scratch.
The display, however, caught the attention of everypony else next to her. “Hey Pinks, you okay?” asked Dash, arching a brow.
Pinkie pursed her lips and frowned. “Pinkie sense…” Jerking her head up, she looked Rainbow straight in the eye. All sense of her usual amusement was gone. “I’ve got a really bad feeling about this…”
Oblivious to Pinkie’s actions, Guy nodded in acknowledgement.
Alex blew out a breath, as he had been holding it in without realizing it. “Alright…” He turned to Rose and gave her a curt nod.
In that instant, the door opposite Guy began to creak open, and everyone craned their head from where they were sitting or standing to get a better look at Guy’s opponent. Almost everypony blinked in confusion. It was a Liandri that was completely unknown to them. The faces of Twilight and Shining Armor, however, paled as the light of the arena gradually revealed more and more of it.
Twilight gasped. “Oh no…”
Fluttershy partly sunk to hide herself against the floor. “O-o-oh he looks mean…”
“Pfff, he don’t look that tough!” Apple Bloom scoffed before throwing her hoof in the air with a cheer. “Kick his flank, Guy!”
“No!” Twilight blurted towards the filly. “He can’t fight that thing! It’ll kill him!”
Alex grinned and chuckled at Twilight’s outburst, just enough to garner their attention. “Everyone…” He held a hand towards the newcomer, his emerald eyes ablaze. “Allow me to introduce you to Sub-Commander Hyde.”
A true giant if there ever was one, easily standing a head taller than Guy. Jagged sabatons and angular greaves formed the Liandri’s legs, leading up into its heavily armored torso, covered in wide, shallow spikes. Clawed hands adorned the ends of its plated arms, curled and ready to grab at anything. Black, white, and red digital camouflage covered its body from its feet all the way to its neck. Its left shoulder had a large slash of dark red across it, giving the impression of an old, painful scar.
On its head, razor teeth protruded from a demonic jaw that formed a perpetual grin, leading up to an absent nose and pitch black eye sockets, containing small, crimson eyes. Accompanying the jagged spikes that decorated the Liandri’s head were a pair of rocky, red horns that curved back from either side of its brows. A glowing orange crack ran down its forehead and across its eyes, appearing like a miniature lava-filled ravine along its face. On each of its pauldrons was the Liandri logo; on each hip was the image of a pale horned human skull, overlaid atop crossed scythes; and on its left breast plate, painted in yellow, was the name: HYDE. Unlike the other Liandri that shared a similar physique, this one did not arch its back, but instead stood tall, composed, and proud.
Twilight’s eyes widened, and pieces of a puzzle she hadn’t even realized existed began falling into place.
On the left pauldron belonging to the yellow-eyed Liandri was the lettering NOVA0003, whereas the other’s was different; spelling out NOVA0002-HYDE.
…
“Um… Alex, is this Liandri… different in some way?” Twilight asked, granting him a curious look.
Alex, who had been making odd hand gestures in the air, manipulating something Twilight couldn’t see, looked over at her blankly before realizing what she had asked. “Hm? Oh! Yeah, we gave him some VI upgrades a few days ago. Doing a bit of long term testing to see how they work.”
…
Alex pointed towards Nova Two, whose arms were now lying against the ground, but still clutching its weapon. “I want that one sent to the proto lab.”
He approached the broken Liandri and crouched down, balancing on his toes as he stared into its shattered head. “ ‘Cause I have plans for you…” Alex muttered.
…
A response came in the form of two small red lights suddenly appearing within the shadows. At the same time, an even louder growl washed over them like a wave of pure unease. Or perhaps that was the wave of heat that inexplicably emerged from the darkness as well.
…
But just as Twilight finished entertaining the thought, Alex’s words struck a chord. You shouldn’t be here. Go on, go! You know where you need to be. The perpetual gears in Twilight’s mind kicked up again. If that Liandri was supposed to be somewhere else, why was it here, sitting alone in the dark…?
Twilight let out a gasp, though was interrupted before she could voice her revelation.
“So...!” Hyde barked. His deep, gravelly voice complimented his appearance unnaturally well, and growled with every syllable. Each word was drawn out, emphasising clarity over speed. “...You’re the one the commander wants me to scrap. I was expecting something more…” Hyde snorted as he advanced with thunderous steps, sending rogue embers flying from the recesses of his throat. “...impressive…”
Rarity’s eyes remained locked on Hyde, and even though she was safely up on the observation deck, she instinctively backed up a couple of steps like most of the others. “Ooohhh dear, this one feels different…”
“That’s because it is different,” said Twilight, whose eyes studied every inch of Hyde’s masterfully constructed, fearsome body. “That’s not a normal Liandri. That’s an AI. An AI controlling a Skulldozer.”
Alex reared his head back, bellowing out a laugh. “Ha ha! Very astute, Twilight! Banged the nail right on the head. Hyde’s an AI we’ve been grooming for a while, now. He’s shown a lot of promise so far, although we think the Skulldozer subroutines might give him some psychopathic tendencies.”
Applejack’s head pivoted to look up at Alex, her eyes disbelieving of what her ears had heard. “Are you tellin’ me ya locked Guy in there with a psychopath?!”
Alex smirked and held up a finger to correct her. “Aahh, but you see, he’s a professional psychopath.” Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the glow in Alex’s eyes disappeared and he frowned to himself. Rubbing his chin with the same finger he raised, he muttered, “Wait, that didn’t sound right…”
Hyde’s gaze remained locked on Guy as deep vibrations noted his amusement. One weighty foot went in front of the other as the Dozer began circling around him like the shark that he was. “I saw your blueprints before coming in here,” Hyde growled. “I know you inside and out, Guy… I know your strengths… I know your weaknesses… I know you can’t win… Give it up now, while you can.”
Guy’s eyes turned red and he brought up both fists, keeping himself focused on and oriented towards Hyde at all times, ready for any move he might make. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“You should be,” Hyde rumbled. Despite Guy’s stance, the Skulldozer continued to calmly pace around him in a wide arc, as if he were going for a stroll in the park. “Back out. Now.”
“You can do it, Guy!” Apple Bloom’s voice answered.
Guy’s entire face turned red, undeterred by Hyde’s threats. “Not. Going. To happen.”
“Suit yourself…” Hyde expelled a puff of smoke from his maw and stopped to face him. “Come on, then. Give me your best shot.”
One thing Guy’s fists were made for was repeatedly punching hard objects like trees without breaking or deforming. This Liandri would be no different. Guy waited for no further invitation, springing forward into an instant sprint. In a single, fluid motion, Guy’s right arm wrenched back, and his fist balled up and locked itself shut, ready to shatter anything from trees, to rocks, to metal. As his legs propelled him into a final leap, his entire upper body twisted itself forward, throwing every ounce of momentum he could muster into a single punch that even a dragon would do well to avoid.
Thunder clapped as Guy’s fist connected with his target, though not in the way he intended. Quiet gasps escaped the ponies’ lips as they watched Hyde’s claws clench around Guy’s caught fist. The Skulldozer had braced himself just before the hit, and his feet only slid back a couple of feet when it came. Their arms vibrated as each super heavy forced themselves against the other.
“Is that your best?” Hyde jeered.
Almost immediately, Guy threw his other fist forward, though that was just as quickly caught in Hyde’s other hand. The two titans stared into each other’s eyes as they clashed, though all it did was make Hyde’s size advantage all the more obvious to everyone watching.
While the two tested their strength against each other, Hyde carefully leaned his head in, making sure his bony face was all Guy could see. “Pathetic.” He flung his arms apart while lifting up a leg in front of himself, bringing Guy in line for a kick to the chest powerful enough to throw him several meters back and cause a decent dent in his torso.
Guy landed unceremoniously, generating sparks against himself and the ground as he skidded along the floor. While everyone, Guy included, expected Hyde to move in for a follow-up attack, he instead remained where he was.
“You’re a prototype, Guy,” Hyde sneered. “A proof of concept for Cybernetics like me. You’re outdated. Obsolete. What makes you think you can win this?”
Guy took his time bringing his feet under himself and standing up before answering. “The same reason why bad guys always lose…” He turned his head and glanced at Apple Bloom, whose eyes appeared to brighten in recognition. When he turned to face Hyde once more, Guy brought his fists back up, and he and his little sister cheered together. “Because the good guys always win.”
Hyde huffed in annoyance. “Cute. Is that supposed to be a play on words?”
“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t,” Guy answered. “Now are you going to quit stalling like a coward, or are you going to fight me?”
Waves of heat poured forth from his body and fire bellowed from Hyde’s throat as he let out an enraged, guttural roar that vibrated the glass protecting the observers, before he burst into a sprint. The ground shuddered each time the Dozer slammed a foot into the ground, showing off the raw power behind his charge. Guy moved to catch his opponent, though Hyde crashed into him with the force of a locomotive, grappled him around the waist, and hoisted him into the air. Punches and kicks flew downward, however Hyde spun around while keeping his horizontal motion and lifted Guy even further up until, with a raging snarl, he transferred his momentum into a toss; a toss that sent Guy flying through the air, smashing his back into the wall of the arena, directly underneath the spectators. Everyone yelped when metal clapped against metal, the shock of the impact reverberating through the floor beneath them.
The sound of the Apples calling out Guy’s name were drowned out as Hyde continued his onslaught, digging his claws into Guy’s right shoulder while he attempted to stand up and throwing him away from the wall with a roar. Thankfully, Guy turned his stumble into a roll and managed to push himself to his feet. All the better, as the Skulldozer was already advancing on him. This time, though, Guy wouldn’t be the one waiting.
Guy jabbed with his left arm, and Hyde’s right shot up to deflect the blow away. Guy quickly followed up with his right, but in that very instant, his arm flagged a problem. What a living organism would have experienced as pain, Guy experienced as a simple warning of a malfunction in his right shoulder. When Hyde’s claws dug into it just a few seconds prior, they must have caused more damage than he initially realized.
As a result, Guy’s arm didn’t have nearly the speed it was supposed to. Hyde, however, already noticed the difference mid swing, deduced the cause, and decided to take advantage of the moment. After deflecting Guy’s initial blow with his right arm, Hyde brought up his left and caught Guy’s follow up fist in his clawed hand. In a single motion, he pulled Guy’s arm taught and followed through with the motion of his right arm, bringing it down and around in an uppercut targeted at Guy’s right shoulder.
What nopony expected was the screech of metal piercing metal.
Time seemed to stop. Everypony observing gasped at once. For young Apple Bloom, her eyes simply grew wide in disbelief. Guy’s head pivoted to look at his right shoulder, finding a large, blue-edged blade had cleaved straight through it from underneath. A powerful tug to the right accompanied a loud snarl as the arm was torn the rest of the way off, throwing him to the ground in the process.
“Guy, no!” Apple Bloom cried, banging her hooves against the glass. Everypony else, Applejack included, stared in complete shock—some covering their gaping mouths and others not, though both Rarity and Fluttershy shrieked before they did. In Fluttershy’s case, Garry quickly covered her eyes with his wings.
With tears beginning to form, Apple Bloom jerked her head towards Alex. “Hey, that’s against the rules!” she screamed. “That ain’t fair!”
“All is fair in love and war,” Alex muttered back, stone-faced. “Best you learn that now.”
Hyde’s blade retracted back into his forearm as he briefly glanced at Guy’s former limb, before tossing it aside like a stray piece of trash. From his spot on the floor, Guy pushed his torso up enough with his left arm so that he could stare Hyde in the eye, awaiting whatever attack he would inflict. However, Hyde simply met his stare and growled. “You lose.” At those words, Hyde turned away from Guy and began to lumber his way back to the door he emerged from.
“I’m not dOne wIth you yet!” Guy yelled, bringing his feet back under himself. While still intelligible, his voice had become slightly distorted with static. Sparks shot out of his damaged shoulder, and the right side of the LCD screen that composed Guy’s face had cracked, bleeding splotches of black, white, and multicolored lines together.
Hyde immediately stopped, carefully twisting his neck to glare at Guy over his shoulder, just in time to watch him bring himself to his feet. He growled and turned himself around to face him. “You’re a stupid one, you know that?” Hyde began to advance on Guy once more. “Even after I tear off that arm of yours, you still think you can beat me?”
“No, I don’t,” Guy suddenly answered, making Hyde unexpectedly stop dead in his tracks. “You’Re right. You’re the Newer me. You’re faster. StrOnger.” Guy lowered his head and slowly shook it. “I knEw I wouldn’t be Able to win this fIght the second I saw you.”
“Then why are you fighting me?” asked Hyde, genuinely curious of the response.
Guy raised his head again. “Because I havE to try. Because I’m figHting for my faMily. This entire fight may have beEn stackeD against me, but there Is nothing I woN’t fight if it means proteCting my family.”
Peering down from above, Applejack laid a hoof against the glass, her eyes beginning to water. What kind of idiot was he? Risking his life like this to protect her? She could take care of herself if she had to. Guy didn’t need to sacrifice himself like this.
A deep rumble sounded from Hyde—his equivalent of a thoughtful hum. “Ballsy…” He began his approach anew. “I like that.”
As Hyde drew near, Guy clenched his remaining fist and aimed it towards his head, making sure to compensate for his missing counter-weight. Hyde quickly leaned to the right, avoiding Guy’s attack with little to no difficulty. Pivoting to the left, Hyde’s left hand came up and grappled Guy by the forearm, tugging him forward while simultaneously grabbing his shoulder with his right hand. A swift kick to the back of Guy’s leg forced him to his knees, with his remaining arm being pulled behind himself.
“No!” Applebloom screamed as she banged repeatedly on the glass. Applejack made no effort to quiet her. “Let go of him!”
After pushing down on Guy’s shoulder while simultaneously pulling up on his arm, Hyde raised his right arm and quickly brought it back down. The blade in his forearm shot out as he did, slicing through Guy’s left shoulder. A powerful jerk tore the rest of it free, and in a single motion, Hyde swung the severed arm around and under, smashing Guy’s own bicep square into his face. The hit obliterated the remains of his LCD visage, while throwing him clear onto his back, shooting sparks and bleeding hydraulic fluid.
Up above in on the observation deck, everypony gawked in shocked silence. Only Apple Bloom’s quiet sobs could still be heard. “No…”
Hyde tossed Guy’s other arm aside, much like he did the first, sending it clattering against the hydraulic fluid-slicked floor. “That was fun, but we’re done here.” As he had done before, Hyde turned and began his trek out of the arena.
“nO…” Guy’s voice cracked as he flipped himself onto his belly by twisting his legs, making an intolerable screeching as his torn body scraped against the metallic floor. Without arms, Guy used his own broken face as a prop against the ground to stabilize his upper body in order to get his legs under himself again. As carefully as he could, Guy managed to stand and more or less stare back at Hyde with his demolished eyes, though didn’t seem at all steady on his feet since he constantly wobbled and corrected himself.
On the observation deck, Alex mentally noted that Guy’s primary optic sensors and gyroscope, which are located in his head, were, in all likelihood, totaled. If he was this unsteady, then the stabilizers in his torso most likely got shaken up or damaged as well, so he was using all his other working sensors which weren’t meant for stabilization to keep himself upright. It was a smart last ditch effort, but it was the equivalent of someone purely using their sense of hearing to tell which way was up. Guy wouldn’t be able to keep it up for much longer.
Hyde stopped, though didn’t bother to turn as he growled. “You just don’t know when to quit, do you?”
“QuiTting Isn’t aN oPtioN…” Guy croaked, taking an unstable step forward.
“You should reconsider that…”
“I wOn’t.” Guy took another shambling step.
A low growl escaped Hyde. “Then give me your best shot…”
Guy picked up the pace, attempting to break into a sprint. However, with his primary and secondary methods of stability compromised, his sense of balance was roughly the equivalent to that of an unfortunate soul who’s had a few too many shots at the bar. Having to spend most of his attention on staying upright, Guy’s acceleration was poor, and he managed to get no faster than a light jog before his balance gave out as well and his now seven and a half ton body slammed face first into the ground, skidding along the metallic floor.
His body ground to a halt behind Hyde, who hadn’t so much as flinched. As Guy attempted to get up again, Hyde finally and slowly turned around, raised his left foot, and planted it square between Guy’s wrecked shoulders, pinning him to the floor. “That’s what I thought. You’re. Done.”
Guy’s legs, however, continued to thrash and force themselves against the weight on his body. After a few seconds of this, Hyde lifted his foot and grabbed Guy by the neck with his left hand, hoisting him up to his feet.
“Let go of him!” Apple Bloom screamed anew, slamming her hoof repeatedly against the glass, as if it would eventually let her pass and save her brother. “Put him down!”
Unbeknownst to her, or anyone else on observation deck, while Hyde lifted Guy with his left arm, he pulled back his right and clenched his fist. Hidden from view, the blade in his right forearm shot out in preparation for Hyde’s final execution. Though everyone was made acutely aware of what happened when Hyde brought him in close, and the shriek of tearing metal silenced any thoughts they had, followed by Guy’s thrashing legs finally going limp. The key detail, though, was the blade protruding from Guy’s lower back, multicolored fluids dripping from its edge.
All around, save for Alex and Rose, eyes grew wide in disbelief.
Apple Bloom froze, dumbstruck. “G… Guy…?”
Down in the arena, Hyde’s left hand repositioned itself to grip the back of Guy’s head. He turned his own head slightly towards the totaled Liandri, and his jagged jaw could be seen moving from above. While the correspondence was noticed, whatever was said between them was too quiet to be heard by the observers.
Without warning, Hyde retracted the blade from Guy’s abdomen, though kept the weapon extended. With his death grip still on Guy’s head, Hyde brought his right arm up and drove the blade straight through the base of Guy’s neck, instantly eliciting screams of horror from everypony watching that competed with the screeching of tearing metal. A couple of sideways jerks later, and Hyde tore Guy’s head free, allowing the body to crash to the floor in a limp heap of scrap.
“NOOO!!” Apple Bloom screeched.
Hyde raised Guy’s head to give it a proper look. The titanium alloy casing around the back was in relatively good condition, though the face had been destroyed beyond all recognition. Aside from being completely shattered, it had caved in from the prior impact with Guy’s own arm. Broken pieces of circuitry and other electronics tumbled out through the sheared neck, no doubt shattered or shaken loose from the same assault. Like the other limbs he had forcibly removed, Hyde tossed the head aside, letting it crash to the ground like any other random object. “Rogue process: terminated.”
While Alex and Rose stood stoic, those around them has less than pleasant reactions.
Fluttershy quaked against the floor, her eyes fixed on a single point while her hooves shielding her head. “He’s dead! He’s dead! He killed him…!”
Rarity and Pinkie leaned against the far wall, nearly ready to topple over. “Oh goodness… I… I’m going to be sick…”
Twilight continued to stare in absolute shock, with barely enough sense to keep a hoof over her gaping mouth. Spike mirrored Fluttershy, his claws clutching at invisible hair, though his eyes remained fixed on Guy’s battered form. Rainbow Dash paced back and forth, still attempting to process what she saw while refusing to actually look at it.
“Guuuuy!” Apple Bloom wailed, pounding on the glass with tears streaming freely down her face. “Please! Get up! Guy, please!”
“He killed him…” Applejack muttered, stupefied. “He… he killed Guy…” She continued to stare at the carnage before her until her eyes twitched. Bit by bit, her lips followed, and a limp jaw morphed into a snarl.
“How could y’all do that to him!?” Applejack snapped at the humanoids beside her. Fumes practically spewed from her nostrils. “All that talk about him bein’ important and y’all go and murder him in cold blood!”
Alex’s luminescent eyes swiveled down to look at her, though the rest of his body remained still. “Murder? Is that what you saw? Murder? Because I saw surgery.” He turned his head to everyone else and yelled. “Hey! You all know Guy’s not dead, right? I don’t know what the fuck you’re all crying about.”
Apple Bloom shoved her way past her sister, looking up at Alex with red, teary eyes. “He’s not!?”
Alex met her eyes with a stone faced look, turning up the volume of his voice so that everypony could hear him. “Fuck no! He’s a Liandri! Unlike us, his brain isn’t in his head—it’s in his chest. What, you didn’t think he actually needed that thing, did you?”
“But then why can’t he move?!” Fluttershy blurted, just as eager to hear confirmation that nopony actually died in front of her.
“As much as it looked like it was, the damage Guy suffered when Hyde stabbed him in the abdomen wasn’t for show,” Rose explained, keeping her voice calm and level. “In fact, it was impressively calculated. He severed the connection between Guy’s AI core and the actuators in his legs.”
“I don’t know what that means,” Fluttershy responded almost instantly.
“It means he’s paralyzed from the waist down,” Alex answered just as quickly. “Believe me when I say that if Hyde was going to kill Guy, there’d be a lot more of him spread around the room.” He turned his attention to the Dozer in the arena. “Well done, Hyde. You were a little rough, but you continue to impress. You can go ahead and go back to what you were doing now.”
“Any time, Commander,” Hyde nodded, and proceeded towards the arena’s exit. As the large doors closed behind him—just like that—the walking force of nature disappeared from their lives as suddenly as it had entered. Were in not for the wreckage it had left behind, the spectators might not have been convinced that any of what they saw was actually real. How could something more vicious and terrifying than a dragon several times its size even exist? How was such a thing even possible?
Alex let out a huff before he turned and beckoned everypony with a quick hand wave to follow him. “Come on. Let’s go talk to him.”
Nopony wasted any time keeping pace, and it didn’t take very long until they all emerged from the arena door that Guy had entered in from. As soon as Guy’s crippled form was in sight, Apple Bloom immediately rushed to towards him. Her big sister, who had the size to easily outpace her, zoomed ahead, though quickly scooped up Apple Bloom as she passed by grabbing the filly by the neck with her teeth and tossing onto her back. Big Mac followed closely, with everypony else lagging, either to give the Apples their space, or out of hesitation to approach the wrecked bot; as if the thing that caused all this destruction would return at any second and do the same to them. Alex and Rose, who were in no particular rush, sauntered from behind.
“Guy!” the two sisters cried as they neared the mutilated form of their adopted brother. Hydraulic fluid pooled out from underneath him, though the two of them completely ignored the oddly colored liquid. Applejack attempted throwing her hooves around Guy’s dented torso, though the feat remained as impossible as ever. Apple Bloom hopped off Applejack as soon as she did, and quickly attempted her own futile full-body hug, placing her head next to shattered Apple emblem on Guy’s chest. “Please, say something!” the smaller sister shouted.
“Hi, BLooM...” came a voice from somewhere within the metal chest. It sounded like Guy’s, but only just. The static and distortion that filtered his words made it nearly incomprehensible, let alone recognizable.
Apple Bloom’s forelegs zipped under herself and she shot up, tears still flowing from her wide eyes. “You… You’re alive!” She dropped back down and snuggled her face into his battered chest, despite the fact that beaten metal was one of the uncomfortable things to rub against one’s face. “You’re alive!” she sobbed. “You’re ali-i-i-ive…!”
“Oh thank goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed, nearly toppling over as she expelled her entire breath with just those three words.
“Wait, seriously?” said Dash, bewildered, as she took to the air and hovered over Guy’s immobilized form. “How? He got torn apart! Literally! Nopony could survive something like that!”
“It’s because Guy isn’t a pony,” said Alex as he walked across the puddle of fluid and crouched down next to the super-heavy in question. “He’s a Liandri. Blood loss and mutilation like that would be enough to kill things like us; but him?” He scrunched his nose and shook his head. “Naaah. Different physiology. Different mechanisms at work. Different rules. Gonna need to do more than that.” Alex placed a hand on Guy and briefly patted him. “Hey, how you feeling? Nothing critical? Besides the obvious, of course.”
“I’vE bEeN bettER…” came Guy’s distorted voice.
“Yeah, I’m really sorry about all this,” said Alex, bowing his head slightly. “Didn’t want to have to do this to ya, but we couldn’t let you risk yourself like that. This way, we at least have a handle on everything.”
“But did you have to stop him like that?” said Applejack, slowly raising her head to glare at Alex. Death itself lay behind her red-rimmed eyes, with enough potency to give Alex pause for thought.
And pause he did—to make sure he chose his next words carefully. “Unfortunately, yeah, kind of. I mean, I know it wasn’t as easy as asking him nicely to stay and hope he does, but we really couldn’t take that chance.”
A vein bulged near Applejack’s eye. Alex couldn’t help but calculate how much arterieller pressure would be needed to generate the three millimeter rise.
“So you decided to lock him in a cage with a psychopath?!” she screamed back, raising herself up as if she were about to leap over Guy and hit the human square across the jaw. “And let him get picked apart till he was hurt so bad he couldn’t move anymore!? What kinda cruel, heartless monster would-”
“Pitting Guy against Hyde was my idea, Applejack,” Rose interrupted, coming up from behind her and placing a delicate hand on her shoulder. The AI’s words immediately got AJ’s attention and she spun her head to gawk at her in disbelief. “Ponies and cybernetics work very differently,” Rose continued, keeping a soft voice. “The only reason I suggested this is because Guy’s cybernetic nature makes this form of restraint possible. So long as his AI core remains intact, he can always be rebuilt, and his body will be as good as if this never happened in the first place. He may be a Skulldozer, but I knew Hyde would make every effort to avoid damaging Guy’s core. I would have never considered it otherwise.”
“I-I-I… But…” AJ stammered, letting the tension in her muscles leak out.
Rose gave her shoulder a brief squeeze and smiled. “I understand if you’re confused. You’ve lived your entire life with a fixed expectation of intelligence and how the bodies of those they’re attached to work, and now you’re encountering a situation where everything you thought you knew about life and minds doesn’t apply anymore. I know this is difficult for you, but I only ask that you recognized that, in these circumstances, the rules are different.”
Applejack’s eyes trailed down Rose’s body until she stared at the floor, eventually turning her gaze back to Guy. Rose took the opportunity to inject a final dose of comfort. “Guy is fine, Applejack. His mind is no more tied to a single body than mine is. So long as his mind remains, he is healthy. I promise you: by the time you return to Ponyville, Guy will be as good as new.”
“He’ll be even better than new,” Alex added, adopting Rose’s tone. “Guy’s chassis was a prototype for the Commando. All we gotta do is take one of them, modify it a bit, slap him in, and bam -” He looked towards Apple Bloom, whose curious eyes had been drawn to him, and smiled. “- instant upgrade.”
At that moment, Alex’s eyes were drawn away as a blue light entered the arena from behind the ponies and quickly approached. “Ah, Seraph’s here.” His words directed everypony’s attention to the airborne Liandri, which wasted no time flying past them to hover beside Guy’s crippled body, placing a gentle hand against his plating.
All those who had yet to see one of the angelic technicians gave awed gasps at its ambient display of radiance and ghostly blue trail that dazzled the eyes, even in the intense light of the arena. “Whoa… Well that thing is… different…” Applejack commented.
“Alright, Guy,” Alex said as he patted the super-heavy’s chest. “I hate having to ask you this, but I need you to shut down now, okay? And I really mean shut down—not standby. We can’t get you out until you do.”
“I DoN’t wAnT tO,” Guy refused.
“Guy, if you don’t shut down, we can’t fix you,” Rose said. “I will personally make sure your core remains secure until your replacement chassis is ready.”
“fIx This onE.”
Rose sighed. “You’ve suffered far too much damage, Guy. Fixing this chassis simply isn’t feasible, and doing so might damage your core.”
“I dON’t CarE.”
“Please, Guy…” Applejack whispered, laying her head against his chest. “Please… Just listen to Rose… You can trust her… I trust her…”
“What’ll happen to him if he shuts down…?” Apple Bloom asked, peering up at Rose with pleading eyes.
“It’s just like going to sleep,” Rose explained, reaching over to pick up the filly, who initially squirmed at being taken from her brother, but quickly calmed down in Rose’s softer arms. “The only difference is that you have to wait until someone else wakes you up… I know it’s scary, Guy. I’ve experienced it myself. But if you do this, I promise you’ll be able to hug your family again that much sooner.”
Nopony spoke a word, waiting for Guy’s reply. Silence reigned for what felt like the longest time until something in the air… changed. As if this hum that existed in the background and that nopony had ever noticed was suddenly gone. Vanished. Everypony had felt it, yet the change had been so subtle that no one was even sure it happened at all. Rose and Alex traded a quick look.
“G… Guy…?” Apple Bloom tentatively asked from her cradle.
Everyone listened intently for some kind of response, but none came.
“That did it,” Alex announced with a nod, just as the Seraph began to hover directly over Guy’s chest. Placing both of its hands between Guy’s breastplates, the Seraph’s forearms fractured, spilling iridescent light from the cracks, before they flew apart altogether in a flurry luminous pieces.
All eyes remained transfixed on the sight as the layers of titanium alloy and other reinforcements that composed Guy’s chest were effortlessly cut and peeled away like aluminum foil. Pieces of the Seraph’s forearms now reached into Guy, working with their compatriots to lift out entire circuits and pieces of electronics which were too big to be moved aside whole. Apple Bloom squirmed and whimpered in Rose’s arms while the Seraph gutted her brother, though Rose made sure to keep a firm grip on the filly.
Eventually, the Seraph slowed its progress, and the magical pieces of its arms carefully pulled themselves from Guy’s chest in a luminary cloud that held a large, black cube. Once the cube was clear, the pieces of the Seraph’s forearms flew together again, reforming their original, solid shape, leaving the cube nestled within its palms.
Alex reached over and carefully took the cube in one hand, making sure handle it with the utmost reverence. His demeanor didn’t escape the attention of anypony, and their eyes focused on the inconspicuous black cube and the subtle importance placed on it as Alex walked over the Apple Bloom and held the cube up for her to get a better look.
“You see this?” he asked her. “This thing is called an AI Core. It’s an anchor for corporeal AIs like Guy. This core contains everything that Guy is: his thoughts, his feelings, his values, his memories… This. Is. Guy. You asked me once if Guy had a soul. He doesn’t—not in terms of what you think a soul is. But if he did, this inconspicuous little cube would be it.”
The filly’s eyes widened and she automatically reached out for it, though was denied when Alex abruptly handed the cube back to the Seraph. “You know where to put that.”
“Yes, Commander,” the Seraph bowed as it grasped Guy’s Core with seldom seen veneration.
“No, wait!” Apple Bloom called out. Though it was far too late; the Seraph ignored her and zoomed out of the arena for parts unknown, leaving their sight as quickly as it appeared. The filly immediately turned her attention towards Alex. “Where is it takin’ him?”
“Somewhere safe,” said Rose as she let her back on the ground and playfully ruffled her mane. “I’ll take good care of him. You have my word.”
“Hold on a second,” said Spike a he stepped forward. “If that cube thing was Guy, then what’s all this?” He pointed towards Guy’s remains.
Alex idly kicked the motionless husk, though it didn’t so much as twitch. “Just a bunch of scrap, now. An empty shell; a body without a brain; take your pick. This thing is as much Guy as the kitchen sink is. The only thing it’s good for at this point is recycling.”
“I’ll get this all cleaned up,” announced Rose before turning to her earlier volunteers. “In any event, it’s time I got you three equipped. We’ll host a briefing in the drawing room right after. As for the rest of you, it’s time you went home. I’ll issue you Nova escorts to ensure your safe return. As far as I know, no changelings managed to get into town, but there is always a chance I might be wrong. The Apples, however, must remain in town until the changeling situation is rectified. We will pay the fee for your lodging and whatever food you require at the inn of your choosing. If everything goes well, it shouldn’t last more than a few days.
“And if it wasn’t already clear, I thank you all for your continued cooperation during these exceptional times.”
“Hey, how are you holding up?” asked Twilight, giving Applejack a light nudge.
Just as Rose had asked of them, everypony had gone home save for Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Shining Armor, though the guard captain had already joined Alex in the drawing room. The other three waited patiently in the Prototype Lab as Rose reconfigured Alex’s armor platform in a flurry of motion and robotic limbs.
“Ah’m… Ah’m okay…” Applejack drawled, her focus clearly elsewhere. “Just tryin’ to focus on what Rose told me. She’s right. Guy ain’t a pony. He’s alive, but he ain’t alive like us. It’s just…” She paused. “It’s just real easy to forget that sometimes.”
“As long as the Liandri are around, this double standard for what constitutes what is ‘alive’ and what is ‘inanimate’ is something you’ll have to get used to, I’m afraid,” said Rose, who stood next to them while casually observing the armor platform with crossed arms. Despite the fact that the supercomputer hung above them and eyed them with its large, blue iris, she spoke with her bipedal body instead—an appreciated gesture, as her omnipresent “god” voice became fairly overwhelming after a while.
“Something tells me you guys are going to be around for a while,” Dash commented.
“It’ll definitely take quite a bit to get us to move,” Rose smirked.
“Considering it took a potentially world-wide alien invasion last time, I find that very easy to believe,” said Twilight.
Rose shrugged. “Truth be told, we don’t know if it was world-wide. For all we know, it might have been a purely local event.”
“You definitely didn’t want to stick around long enough to find out, though.”
“No. No we didn’t.” At those words, the armor platform finally settled down and its components sunk flush to the white floor. To the ponies, the only visible difference was that the two foot shaped yellow circles in the middle had been replaced by a quartet of horseshoe-like objects. Rose turned to look at Rainbow Dash and held a hand out towards the platform with a smile. “You’re first.”
“Yes!” A grin sprouted on Dash’s face and she bounded up the platform. “What do I do?”
“Just place your hooves on those four soles, hold out your wings as far as you can, and we’ll begin.”
Rainbow followed her instructions, stepping on each metal sole where her hooves clicked into place. “Like this?”
Rose nodded. “Yes. Now, there’s going to be a lot of movement around you, but it’s very important that you ignore it and stay absolutely still. If you move, I might get this wrong and accidentally hurt you. Are you ready?”
Applejack snorted. “Good luck tryin’ to get her to stay still. Rarity can’t do it to save her life!”
Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue at her. “Rarity has me fit into frilly dresses, AJ. This is way cooler! Go for it, Rose!”
On Dash’s mark, the floor beneath her fractured and split open, though she remained exactly where she was. Robotic arms raised high above and around her, spraying her with sweeping rays of light that analyzed every square inch of her body. True to her word, Rainbow Dash remained as still as a statue, even as her curious eyes darted to and fro to keep track of as much of it as possible.
Once the scan was complete, towers of metal holding hundreds of intricate mechanical components raised themselves around her. Much like what Twilight had seen with Alex the day before, mechanized arms helped themselves to these pieces and began to assemble the puzzle over Rainbow Dash’s body with calculated precision. Piece by piece, the metallic frame, mechanisms, and shell came together until the ensemble completely encased her.
Rose’s external arms drew away as she finished outfitting the pegasus, allowing everypony to get a proper look. The sleek armor had been painted the same color as Dash’s coat—a dull cyan—and even had her cutie mark painted right where it needed to be, with the Liandri logo painted on her shoulders. While her mane, tail, and wings remained largely exposed, an articulated and streamlined arm extended over the edges of her wings and gently hugged them.
A full metal helmet covered her head and muzzle, and the multitude of plates that composed the outside twitched and shifted to keep the entire surface as flush as possible with every movement she made. Her eyes, however, remained visible and were shielded by a bubble of… something. Nopony was really sure, since it seemed to materialize out of thin air as the armor powered itself on. Though it wasn’t visible from those on the outside, a Heads Up Display appeared in front of the pegasus’ eyes, detailing her armor’s status and many other minor details she could trouble herself with later.
Dash allowed herself a breath, and an invigorating dose of air rushed into her lungs. Though the pony didn’t know it, the rebreather around her muzzle automatically administered an extra kick of oxygen with every breath.
“Hello, Rainbow Dash,” a voice sounded in Dash’s ear, causing her to jump. It sounded female, but it definitely didn’t sound like Rose. If anything, it sounded peppier and more enthusiastic.
“Whoa! Who’s there?” Dash demanded, turning this way and that, much to the confusion of everypony else. To everypony else, her voice held a slightly robotic quality, as it was being passed through the armor’s voice filter.
“My name is Evie,” the same voice in her ear replied. “I am a virtual intelligence that’s here to help you pilot this device.”
“Uh… you okay there, Rainbow?” asked Applejack, tilting her head and giving her friend a curious look.
Rainbow Dash paused. “Yeah, I just… there was this thing that just spoke to me… said it’s name was ‘Evie.’ ”
“Who now?”
“Evie is an onboard VI that ensures proper operation of the BioMech,” Rose answered. “Evie’s job is to essentially make sure the armor move the way you want it to by predicting your movements, among other things.” She faced Rainbow Dash. “How does it feel? Nothing pinching, I hope?”
Dash finally looked down at herself and gasped. “Whoooaaa…! This is so cool…!” She slowly flexed her wings and followed their movement, impressed that the machine hugging their leading edges didn’t hinder them at all. “That’s so… weird…” This time, she flapped her wings and took to the air. In response, the arm along her wing glowed blue, and a stream of light poured forth from them and over each wing, giving the impression that they were made of cyan flame. Ghostly blue lights along the tiny gaps in the armor came to life as well, turning the dashing pegasus into a dazzling display of luminosity. Despite the fact that the armor had more than doubled her weight, Rainbow Dash took to the air with as little difficulty as ever.
“Whoa, nelly!” Applejack blurted, her eyes as wide as saucers.
“Wow!” Twilight’s face lit up in excitement. “Rainbow Dash, you look amazing!”
“I know, right?” Dash exclaimed as she set herself down next to her friends, whereupon the light show fizzled out of existence. “This is so awesome! I can’t wait to see what Rose made for you guys!”
She didn’t have to wait for very long for Rose to provide armor for them. Each set was different from the next, in both function and appearance, and painted to match their respective owner’s coat. Twilight’s armor didn’t alter its surface like Rainbow’s did. Its appearance was more akin to typical Liandri’s armor, clearly providing the protection expected from it.
Where the emphasis on Dash’s armor was on her wings and aerodynamics, the emphasis on Twilight’s was centered around her horn. A visible power supply covered in protective plating rested on Twilight’s back, with connections snaking under the armor along her mane and towards her horn, which was capped with a smooth, lavender cone. Unlike Rainbow Dash, Twilight’s helmet covered her head but left her entire face visible. However, a transparent bubble much like the one over Dash’s eyes shielded her face from the outside, and provided her with her own HUD as well.
Applejack’s armor took a different turn, covering every square inch of her body in heavy looking orange plating. Similarly to Alex’s armor, a bright yellow visor ran across the front of her helmet, though no lights behind it denoted where her eyes were focused. The rest of the armor placed an emphasis on bulk, and as Applejack’s own version of Evie explained to her, the armor around each of her legs were armed with ASMD cores, set to deliver an incapacitating shock to whatever she decided to buck into next week.
“Ah gotta say…” Applejack jerked her head back and her faceplate followed, bringing itself up and over her head to expose her face. “Ah didn’t think Ah’d be wearin’ this type of gettup when Ah woke up this mornin’.”
“I don’t think any of us did,” said Twilight, holding out a foreleg to examine the intricacies of the armor.
“Hey, Rose, can I try these out in here?” Rainbow Dash asked, her wings already extended and bobbing up and down. “Just this once?”
Rose held out a hand. “This is still a no-fly zone, Dash. Once you get outside, you may try it to your heart’s content, but not before then. In any event, now that you’re all properly equipped, I need you all to follow me into the drawing room. Right this way…”
The humanoid AI beckoned them to follow, and they did, their hooves tapping against the floor in much the same way that the Novas’ did. Though while Rose silently led them through the back of the lab, her voice snuck its way into Twilight’s ear.
“A word of warning, Twilight,” she said. “The device around your horn is an amplifier. It’s supposed to passively augment the amount of magic delivered to your horn, but I’m not sure what kind of effect that will have, or whether it will hurt you or not. Please, be careful while using it.”
Twilight hummed to herself, ignoring the warning and instead letting her mind wander to years worth of magic theory. “Generally speaking, more powerful magic users can draw more magic into their horn for more powerful spells. Although that tends to be a function of a horn’s structure…” While Twilight was speaking out loud, the armor and shield around her head deliberately muffled the sound of her voice to the outside world, keeping the conversation private.
“That’s the conclusion we came to as well,” said Rose. “Just remember that the amplifier delivers magic proportional to the amount you attempt to draw externally. My worry is that an influx of magic might damage your horn if you’re not careful.”
Twilight nodded. “Alright… I’ll try to be careful.”
“Thank you. If you’re too worried about it, just ask Evie to disable the amplifier. One last thing: your armor has a magic nullifier to protect you from offensive magic. We’ve made its usage standard in most units. However, it will also nullify your own spells as a consequence. It’s a problem we’ve yet to find a solution to. Evie will disable the nullifier if you attempt to use magic, but bear in mind it will take a few seconds for it to be reactivated. My advice is to be selective with your spells.”
Twilight hummed. “So it’s either defense or offense, but not both… Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”
The three newly armored ponies followed Rose to the drawing room, though she stopped just short of the door and turned to face them. “The drawing room is right through here. Just go on ahead.” She then promptly walked past them, back the way they came.
Applejack’s gaze followed her as she left. “Wait, ya ain’t gonna be in there with us?”
Just as she uttered those words, the door to the drawing room opened on its own, and an exact replica of the Rose that led them stood beyond. “Of course I will,” she said. “I’m just already inside.”
AJ spun to look at the new Rose, then back at the first who just rounded the corner and disappeared from view. “Wait, wha…? How did you…?”
Twilight smirked and patted her friend’s shoulder. “You really need to come around here more often.” She punctuated her remark by strolling into the drawing room, but walking through Rose’s form as she did, making the image shimmer blue around the edges where their bodies intersected.
Applejack gawked at what she had just witnessed, though came to when Rainbow Dash nudged her. “Yeah, this one room is really weird. Cool, but weird.” Dash then followed Twilight, but steered clear of the holographic version of Rose, who simply smiled before suddenly blinking out of existence.
Applejack shook her head and followed suit. “This day just keeps gettin’ weirder…”
The three of them walked towards the center of the massive dome-shaped room, where Alex, Shining Armor, and a bright blue holographic representation of Rose were looking over a large holographic image of what looked to be a mountain and its surrounding area.
Alex turned his attention towards the new arrivals and whistled. “Hot damn, look at you guys. Gotta say, Rose, I’m impressed.”
Rose bowed, and her voice echoed throughout the room. “Thank you! I’m quite proud of them myself.”
Shining Armor chuckled as his sister moved to stand next to him. “Alright, I’ll admit it: I’m a little jealous.”
“I had a feeling you would be,” Twilight giggled. “Although how well they work is a completely different question.”
“It’s Rose’s engineering,” said Alex, smirking as he crossed his arms. “My stuff can be a bit shoddy at times, but if Rose says it’ll work, it’ll work. Now then, we’re still waiting on one more. We’ll start the briefing when he get’s here.”
Applejack gave him a curious glance. “Huh? Ah thought we were all here. Who else are we waitin’ for?”
The answer to her question came in the form of the drawing room’s door opening behind her, followed by heavy, thunderous footsteps. “Sorry I’m late,” boomed a voice she had hoped to never hear again for as long as she lived. “Interrogation got a little… messy.”
Everypony turned to look at the newcomer, though immediately spaced themselves out to give him room. Metal clanked against metal as Sub-Commander Hyde made his way to the others and joined in their circle, flexing the claws of one hand while gripping his forearm with the other. His unsettling, boney visage and glowing, blood-red eyes made everypony give the looming Skulldozer sideways glances, though Applejack took no steps to hide her glare.
Being the military grade Liandri that he was, Hyde noticed her attitude in no time at all and glared back down at her. “Something wrong, short stuff?”
“Nope,” AJ spat back, keeping her glare focused.
Hyde leaned in towards her, keeping his eerie eyes locked with her’s, and growled, “Good.”
“Hey! You two!” Alex shouted, clapping his cybernetic hands together to get their attention. “Quit it! I know everything that happened in the arena is still sore, but I shouldn’t have to remind you guys that you’re on the same fucking team here. Cut the shit—we got work to do.”
Hyde immediately straightened himself and nodded towards Alex. “Yes, Commander.”
Applejack grit her teeth and forced herself to look forward at the hologram they all surrounded. “Yeah, sure…”
“Thank you. Rose, if you would?”
Rose’s hologram stepped forward and gestured towards the image of the mountain. “As you’re all aware of by now, the changeling’s attack on Ponyville failed, and whatever survivors that weren’t captured have fled. We’ve been following them using high altitude Raptors and have managed to track them to this particular mountain in the badlands far to the west. Each changeling we’ve tracked has come to this exact mountain and has subsequently disappeared into what appears to be a tunnel network. Alternative sources of information have confirmed that this mountain is, in fact, the changelings’ primary base of operations and where the Appleloosans are being held.”
“Do you mind if I ask how you know that?” said Shining.
Hyde let out a deep chuckle and crossed his arms, tapping his claws against his armored biceps. “We have our methods…”
“Something tells me we shouldn’t ask…” muttered Twilight, taking a side-step further away from the Skulldozer and closer to her brother.
Rose sighed. “Honestly, that’s for the best. Just rest assured that I wouldn’t be relying on this information if I wasn’t confident about it. I cross referenced our sources and reconnaissance double checked their claims. For now, it’s the best information we have.” The holographic mountain began to slowly spin in place, and red dots suddenly appeared and began to flash at various points around its base, with a few further up. “These locations mark known entry points to the changeling hive. From what we know, most of these are small tunnels no larger than the ones our own facility uses. However, there is one notable exception…”
The red dots disappeared and a single red circle appeared at the base of the mountain. “On the east side is a significantly larger tunnel used by a changeling sub-class we’ve dubbed ‘behemoths.’ ” Above the mountain, a holographic representation of the tusked monstrosity that attacked Ponyville earlier that day materialized into existence.
Both Rainbow Dash and Applejack expressed their surprise at the sight. “Whoa!” Dash exclaimed. “That thing’s a changeling? It doesn’t look anything like the others!”
“It’s a changeling alright…” answered Shining Armor, sneering at his memory of the beast. “A really nasty one, too.”
“As big as a house—at least,” Twilight added.
“And armored up the ass,” said Alex, crossing his arms. “Needed a tank just to hurt the damn thing.”
“The inside of their mouth is pretty squishy,” Hyde rumbled. “The trick is getting them to sit still long enough to pry it open.”
“In any event,” Rose interjected, “since the hive has a tunnel specifically for behemoths, it’s safe to say there will be more of them. They are currently our biggest threat during this operation, although now that we’re anticipating them, we can prepare the appropriate heavy weaponry. Our current intelligence also states that this behemoth tunnel connects directly to the hive’s nexus: a central chamber whose role we’re not exactly clear on yet. Whether the Appleloosans are being kept there or not is unknown. In fact, for all we know, they’ll be dispersed throughout the entire hive, and if that’s the case, this operation may devolve into a game of hide and seek.”
“Wouldn’t the nexus be the most heavily defended part of the hive?” inquired Twilight.
“Common sense says yes,” Alex answered, “though there’s no way to know for sure short of poking our head in and taking a look. If you ask me, with all the casualties they took today, I’d be very surprised if there are enough left to defend anything.”
“For now, we’ll have to assume the entire hive is heavily defended and extremely hostile,” said Rose. “Scouting drones will be deployed to do a preliminary search for the Appleloosans. Once they’ve been located, extraction squads will be deployed and authorized full use of force. Once they are secure, on-site blood tests will be performed to determine their legitimacy. If they are real, they will be escorted out of the hive and extracted via Raven dropship. They will likely be traumatized and afraid, so your job will be to ensure these ponies remain calm and cooperative until extraction. If they aren’t, they may do something reckless and get themselves or others hurt. Understand?” The three volunteers gave their affirmation. “Excellent. Any questions?”
“How are you going to be getting there?” asked Shining. “How are you going to sustain this kind of operation? What about supply lines?”
“We’ll be leaving from Ponyville by military convoy,” said Alex. “The lead vehicle will be a Leviathan tank, which I will be piloting, followed by Goliaths and a string of Hellbenders acting as troop transports and key equipment haulers. Hellfires will follow up from behind, and Mantas will be flanking the convoy from either side. Raptor and Cicada squadrons will provide extra line of sight and air support.”
Alex raised his hand and the image of the mountain stopped spinning. With a twist of his wrist, the image turned and focused on a particular area some ways off from the eastern side of the mountain, which began to flash green. “This spot is where we’ll make our foothold. Once we have a perimeter set up, Axons will deploy a communications tower here, and set up infantry and vehicle portals here and here.” Various colored dots appeared in the highlighted region. “After all that’s done, we’ll be able to teleport in as much equipment as we need and secure the perimeter of the mountain by deploying sniper squads in these locations.” The entire mountain returned into view and dozens of red dots appeared within the surrounding territory. “Air support will run rounds and make sure that nothing gets away from that mountain without our say-so.”
Twilight raised a hoof. “Question.”
“Yes?”
“What’s going to happen after we rescue the Appleloosans?”
Alex brought his hands behind his back. “We need to get a better idea of the tunnel system before I can answer that question. I’ll let you know once we get to that point.” The three mares shared quick, concerned looks, though otherwise didn’t comment further. Alex hardly seemed to notice. “Any other questions?” When none came, he nodded and the holograms disappeared. “Alright. Let’s go save a town.”
Inside the underground garage, hordes of Novas marched along the lines of parked Hellbenders, clanking against the concrete floor until they each found the truck meant to transport them. Each Hellbender carried a dozen Novas, though only when they climbed aboard and folded themselves into as small a ball as was possible—a ball that was still the size of a small work desk.
The three volunteer ponies walked with them, with Hyde thundering along just ahead. Alex had handed them off to the Sub-Commander to lead them to their transport while he went elsewhere. Eventually, Hyde pointed a claw towards an empty Hellbender and growled: “You’re in that one.” Twilight and Rainbow Dash hopped onto the truck while the Skulldozer lumbered to the adjacent Hellbender and unceremoniously sat himself down on the edge of its bed, causing it to sink several feet lower to the ground and give its suspension a real run for its money.
The three ponies eyed Hyde’s Hellbender, taking note of the fact that the addition of their weight on theirs did almost nothing to the truck’s suspension. While Twilight and Rainbow Dash decided to get themselves settled in, Applejack cautiously walked over to Hyde, keeping an eye on his unnatural, permanent grin. Instantly noticing her approach, Hyde planted his claws on his knees and glared down at her with his fiery eyes. “Need something, tiny?”
Applejack’s face twitched, though she otherwise ignored the remark and kept her composure. She had a question, and Hyde was the only one who could answer it at this point. “When you were fightin’ Guy earlier. When you… Before you, er…”
“Before I what?” Hyde boomed, snatching the attention of the other two ponies. “Before I threw him into the wall? Before I tore his right arm off? The left?” He let out a deep laugh, then his voice dropped several octaves. “Before I tore off his head?”
“Yeah that one,” AJ interrupted, gritting her teeth. “You said somethin’ to him. Ah couldn’t hear it, but Ah know you did. Ah wanna know what you told him.”
“Wouldn’t you like to?” Hyde rumbled, tilting his head briefly before tilting it back. “You can ask him yourself when Rose is done putting him back together.”
“Ah ain’t askin’ Guy,” Applejack declared, keeping a stony face. “Ah’m askin’ you.”
Hyde stared at her in silence for several seconds. “Fine. You wanna know what I told him?” He leaned over his knees and his crimson stare bore straight through the pony’s head as he growled: “I told him that he failed; That if you didn’t make it back alive, it would be all. His. Fault.” Hyde’s words smashed through Applejack’s expression like a jackhammer. Even the others couldn’t quite believe what they had just heard. “Satisfied?”
Applejack’s mind fumbled in processing his words. She gawked at him for a moment before slowly shaking her head. “No… You’re lyin’... Nopony can be that… that…”
“That cruel?” Hyde finished for her. “I’m a Skulldozer.” He pushed himself further back into the bed of the Hellbender, shuddering the vehicle with a cacophony of clanking metal. “Being nice isn’t my thing. Welcome to reality, Pipsqueak.” At his words, the Hellbenders simultaneously roared to life, and Hyde jerked his head towards the one carrying Twilight and Rainbow Dash. “Get on. It’s time to go risk that life of yours.”
With nearly zombie-like movements, Applejack backed away and climbed onto the Hellbender with her friends, who were busy glaring at the Skulldozer as his truck backed out of its parking spot. “Okay, he’s got some serious issues,” grumbled Dash.
A pair of Novas climbed aboard their Hellbender and the vehicle began to pull out of its parking spot and rumble after Hyde’s. “I know waging a war with the changelings and rescuing an entire town’s worth of foal-napped ponies is serious business,” said Twilight, wearing a similar frown, “but this is taking it just a bit too far.”
“We’re not going to war, Sparky,” Hyde loudly corrected her, able to clearly hear her voice from the other vehicle. “War implies that either side stands some chance of winning. Nah, this isn’t a war…” Hyde brought up his right forearm and ejected the blade within through his wrist. The razor edge of the silvery blade glowed a faint baby blue; a stark contrast with the dark colors of his armor. The claws of his left hand danced along the length of the blade as his crimson gaze admired its smooth form. “It never was…” A deep, chuckling rumble punctuated his words as the blade shot back into his arm.
The three ponies glanced at each other, though remained silent. Words weren’t necessary when the discomfort in their expressions said everything.
The Hellbenders crawled through the underground lot, forming an increasingly long train with Hyde’s truck taking the lead. Rainbow Dash’s leg impatiently twitched and bounced as the claustrophobic environment began to take its toll. Twilight’s eyes strayed to the rear, gazing curiously at all the vehicles lined up behind theirs. Applejack remained stock still, staring at the floor of the truck bed, though would occasionally raise her eyes to steal a glance at the Skulldozer that lounged in the preceding Hellbender.
The trucks eventually ground to a halt, stopping just short of entering a massive tunnel that Twilight recognized from earlier that week, where the noise of a rumbling machine echoed from somewhere within. “Where the hay even are we right now?” Applejack blurted once she and Rainbow Dash directed their gaze towards the front.
“We’re still somewhere under Ponyville…” Twilight casually answered.
She would have said more, though the rumbling within the tunnel grew louder by the second, drowning out her thoughts, and her other two friends had no doubt taken notice as well. None of them had to wait very long until its source made itself present, forcing both their eyes and mouths open. It was only at this moment that Twilight realized exactly why the tunnel was so large to begin with.
A looming wall of metal thundered past the waiting hellbenders. None of the ponies could glean the full size of the vehicle passing by them, but they didn’t need to know much more for them to conclude its enormity. Massive wheels, easily the size of an entire cart all on their own, if not bigger, rolled past, supporting a titanic metal body that made the tunnel it was in seem like a tight fit. It took several seconds for the gargantuan machine to finally pass through the tunnel’s intersection, trailed immediately by a pair of Goliath tanks that drove side by side. Almost as soon as the tanks were clear, the Hellbenders jerked into motion once more, entered the tunnel, and fell into line behind them.
“Whoa!” Dash nearly shouted. “What is that thing?!”
“That’s the Leviathan,” Hyde answered, his voice snaking its way into their ears via the speakers in their armor. “The Commander isn’t pulling any punches. Like I said: this isn’t a war.”
“Well if it ain’t a war, then what is it?” Applejack monotoned, eyes still transfixed on the vehicle taking up the entire tunnel as more and more Hellbenders fell in behind them.
Twilight’s eyes scanned the Leviathan’s backside. The tank’s impossibly large frame and wheels were astonishingly intricate, yet visibly sturdy—maybe even indestructible. In all likelihood, indestructibility was probably a primary goal in this machine’s design. Most of the vehicle’s bulk seemed to be concentrated near the front, though an elongated structure in the rear that caught Twilight’s eye formed some sort of tail or backbone. To her, it appeared rigid with regards to the rest of the vehicle, yet its overall structure and connecting mechanisms implied that it could potentially move, or perhaps even fold out. What could it be?
Her eyes only needed to stray towards the Goliaths sandwiched between them, and the large cannons they sported.
Twilight had an answer to Applejack’s question. Her eyes trailed to the floor of the truck bed. “It’s a massacre…”
The only response she received was in the form of a bellowing laugh from Hyde.
Twilight gulped. What am I getting myself into…?
A streaming video played on a computer screen. The camera’s view remained focused on a hillside, or rather, the opening to a large tunnel built into it. Out of that tunnel emerged a vehicle that rivaled old human mining dump trucks in terms of sheer size, though this thing possessed a heavily armored frame and was armed to the teeth, with manned turrets visible along the upper deck.
The Makderi were right about you, Xan Kriegor… That makes you predictable. Dangle a juicy enough piece of meat in front of you and you’ll bite every single time.
The Overseer’s hand hovered over his terminal and he calmly held down a button. “Phayder squad. Report.”
A few seconds later, he received a reply. “The charge is set, Overseer. We’re arming the trigger now.”
“Does Chrysalis know you’re there?”
“No, Overseer.”
“Good. Notify me when you’re done.”
“Yes, Overseer.”
He released the button and interlocked his fingers. And now that meat is poisoned. I’m done playing games with you, Xan. You may have been able to deal with whatever surprises the Makderi threw at you, but I doubt you’ll expect a thermonuclear warhead from a world that’s only ever used gunpowder for fireworks…
A stray splash of color on the screen interrupted the Overseer’s musings, and he leaned further in to examine it. A trio of familiar ponies wearing full body armor sat in the back of one of the vehicles. It didn’t take terribly long for a prismatic streak to launch itself into the air, reaching impossible speeds in almost no time at all.
The Overseer’s gauntleted fingers clenched around his hands, shortly before he slammed a fist on the edge of the terminal.
Hyde's a character I've been planning for some time now, and definitely one that I've personally gotten very excited over. Although truth be told, he wasn't planned until about a year ago. In fact, the scene where Guy fights in the arena was planned since the summer of 2013 (around the time I wrote the first few chapters), but I originally intended for Guy to fight a Commando controlled by Rose. Everything between now and then as to how Hyde and the Skulldozers came to be is a bit of a long story for the author's notes.
In any event, finals are coming up and I have a lot of catching up to do. My last final is on April 27th (ending my semester wickedly early), but I'll be hugely busy between now and then. My biggest exams start on the 18th and go on for three days in a row. Not to mention the fact that I fell behind a little more than I would like because of a single class sucking up all my time. It's also been impacting my motivation to write, which sucks all the dick. Once all that's done and summer rolls around, though, I expect to get back into the writing groove. Plus, I have my Fan Girl to help keep me motivated. 
Also, I changed the description of the story because I felt the previous one sucked and it was about damn time. As always, thoughts, comments, and error fixes are appreciated! Oh, and in case anyone is curious, that quote at the top of the chapter is from the description of a Payday 2 mask.
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So just how badass will Twilight be in this story?
7092671 Everyone will get their due.
With what series is crossover?
7092724 It's mentioned in the description, but I'll say it here anyway: It's crossed over with the Unreal games. There's a lot of games, from 1998 to today, but there's many elements that remain the same between them. I don't use any of the lore from the games, though, so no one has to be familiar with them in order to read and understand this story. I only use technological aspects from the games that I find are either wicked awesome and/or provide substance to the story in some way or another. Still, that technically makes it a crossover, so that's why I have the tag there.
I for one support our new robot overlords. All hail the laundry. (Yes that was on purpose
)
Cruel, but the beatdown was well intended. Note that Hyde was holding back. The enemy will not.
On the other hand, this just showed how determined Guy is when facing unbeatable odds. Stick him in a better chassis and watch him rock.
Was kind of hoping you were going to use the phrase, "This is not a war, this is pest control."
Was kind of hoping for a "What are you going to do, bleed on me?" but I can see how the tone might have been wrong for it.
Its like putting the Rookie up against the Seargent Major, who proceeds to bruise, spain and otherwise incapacitate for a week while bdy repairs are carried out?
I would have though that a cube was a particularly bad design for an armoured chassis, A Sphere with the right design of non contact links woul be better, but requires methods a lot of people only allow super advanced aliens to have instead of a race who cant even keep a space industry advancing.
I wonder if Twilight will have enough time to teleport that suprise out of the atmosphere, and its something I was considering as being the best way to deal with Hyde, personally.
What would be much better, is if the Overseer recived a suprise enema, but Pinkie Pie isnt at unlimited ability here. Oh well, given the alternative to the Overseer going down in a most brutal fasion, is Equestria being totally destroyed, it depends if this is a lets have miserable story to give everyone depression story, or a lets beat the damn bad guy for once just to totally annoy evil story.
7096155 And you, sir, win a cookie. There's more to Hyde than meets the eye (I should know: I wrote three whole pages worth of notes detailing his personality, quirks, and motivations). Of course, the most interesting part is the "why" of it all. Why did Hyde say what he said? Was AJ right when she said he was lying? What reasons would he have to lie to her, especially in such a cruel manner?
Just want to say that the Leviathan could do pretty well against a thermonuclear blast
http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-atomic-tank-survived-a-nuclear-test-then-went-to-w-1542451635
7097200 You couldn't be more right. Holy shit, that brought tear to my eye.
Although, it should be worth noting that, despite this, Hyde still likes being a shit-disturber in general. While you nailed his reasoning, don't think he didn't enjoy it, either.
7097331 I really like Hyde personality. He'd be a great fleet commander or a wing leader, depending on the game.
Oh, oh! Will he meet with princesses at some point? He's a very important variable because he is a person with an army at his disposal and can, to a degree, disobey orders.
I finished it? I'm done till you publish the next chapter? But I only started reading yesterday...
Damnit, now what will I read?
7124832 no her name is not insane it is pinkie
vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/e/e8/Crazy_Pinkie_Pie_S1E25.png/revision/latest?cb=20140413032944
This story was fuckin' amazing. Have a nice day
7097331 You gonna carry this on?
7670541 As much as it looks like I won't, I actually will. I've been rather busy over the summer, so I haven't had much time to write. Couple that with writer's block and you get no chapters for a while. The good news is I actually have the next chapter finished right now. It's just taking its time going through the editing process.