Shattered Worlds: The Cataclysm

by Puppeteer

Chapter 9 - Anomaly

I watched from the ceiling as the angry mare pushed her way past my captor. Neither of them noticed me in my hiding place. I skulked around my network of tubes while I waited for the other pony to leave the room. I needed him to leave before I could take what I needed.

I was everybody and nobody at the same time. I could see the world from ten-thousand fractured points of view with ten-thousand sets of eyes. My memories were more than any physical mind could hold; my knowledge, a pool from ten-thousand lifetimes of learning. Yet I was still powerless without a body. That was why I needed to take the empty one that lay in wait for me. If I wanted to get out of my prison, I would have to become what Chrome had called Prototype 3.

The moment that I was alone I went to work, seeping through the tubes and situating myself inside of the capsule. The container sealed itself and the tube I had traveled through disconnected itself from my new body with a hiss. Some kind of automated start-up sequence began now that the vessel was occupied. My synthetic muscles contracted and then relaxed. My neck tilted, pivoted and righted itself while my eyes flickered to life. Streams of information flowed into my consciousness through an assortment of circuits. It took me a moment to make sense of it and a moment more to filter it into images, but once I did my vision came to me in a form that I could barely remember. After a few seconds, several more circuits opened up for me to send information out of and control my limbs with. My hooves twitched, switching from the automated system to my direct control. I could hear the sound of wires and tubes snapping away from my body and I fell to the ground with a resonating clang. Something was still stopping me from moving though. I had complete control over my body, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to make it do... Or rather, I was sure that I wanted it to do several thousand things at the same time, which wasn't possible. Having so many perspectives and thoughts at the same time would be cumbersome. I would need a single set of thoughts and motivations, and so began the process of deciding who I wanted to be as a pony. My body shape dictated that I would be female, but the rest of my traits were up to me. After a few moments of deliberation I decided that I would be generally kind and thoughtful, but rather smart and more than just a little bit cynical. Secretly I would desire companionship, but I would also be good at hiding my emotions since I knew that love was something that I would never again be able to share with another being. Above all, I would have a strong sense of self preservation and would do whatever needed to be done in order to survive. Everything else was a secondary priority.

Satisfied with my choices, I lifted a mechanical hoof with singular intent. The experience was both foreign and yet oddly familiar, but I didn't take much time to reflect on it as escaping was far more important. Instead, I trotted over to the door and assessed the means of my escape. I couldn't open the door from the inside and busting it down would make too much noise. Ideally, I would want to remain undetected for as long as possible. Just then, one of the many screens in the room flickered to life and showed a white mare with a messy purple mane. She seemed to be in some kind of makeshift control room with dismembered machinery in just about every place imaginable.

"Hello, Prototype 3. My name is Doctor Blank."

"Who are you?" I responded in a fake, metallic voice that I wasn't aware I commanded until that very moment.

"A friend. I'm the one who released you." I was grateful to this mysterious pony for her help but I was still suspicious of her.

"How did you release me? You never even entered the room and it doesn't look like you're supposed to be wherever you are."

"It's a long story. Basically everything here works on some kind of electronic network. They really need better security. It took me less than an hour to worm my way back into their system. I could tell you more but we don't really have time. What's important right now is me getting you out of that cell." She seemed to be telling the truth, but her story didn't add up. She was leaving some vital information out.

"I'm sorry if I don't believe you, but I highly doubt you're just doing this out of the kindness of your heart. I don't want to walk out of here only to have you stab me in the back. What is your motivation?"

"Not very trusting are you? Alright, you got me; I need a distraction. You see, the body of Prototype 1 was destroyed during testing, but I was able to steal the schematics from their network and the soul is still intact. Releasing you will give me an opportunity to acquire it while everypony else is occupied."

"Sorry, Blank, but I'm not interested in causing a distraction. All I want is to get out of here."

"Don't worry, I'm not asking anything of you. General mayhem will probably be covered by Prototype 6. He seemed set on revenge so I sent him off in the direction of one of their energy cores. If he's successful then he'll take out a good chunk of this facility with him. You, my friend, are free to attempt an escape. All I care is that you're out of your cell and tracking you down is more important than looking for me. Sorry I can't stay and chat, but I have a stake in this too and I still have to deal with the release of Prototype 9. Good luck to you." The screen flickered off and the door slid open. Light streamed into the room.

"Hey, what's with the door. Is that supposed to be open?" I heard a masculine voice call out.

"Who know?" I heard a faint feminine voice at the end of the hallway. "It's probably just a malfunction."

"Hmm. I'll check it out. You go on ahead." I ducked to one side of the doorway to avoid detection just before he entered the room. He seemed to be scanning for anypony in the room.

"Hey, wait a minute. What happened to the Prototype?" I lifted my left hoof and a long slender blade extended from it. It had obviously been built into my nueral interface as a means of defense. I took a moment to admire the elegant workmanship of the weapon before sinking it into the pony's back. His lungs filled up with blood before he could scream and I dragged the corpse to the side, out of sight of passersby. All that remained was a faint bloodstain. I retracted the blade and exited the room, glancing left and right to make sure that nopony else spotted me. I would make it out of this place if it was the last thing I would ever do.

***

I bludgeoned my helpless opponent's skull in with my strong metallic hooves. I hated every single one of these worthless ponies with a passion. After what they had done to so many ponies, none of them deserved to live. The least I could to was take as many of them down with me as possible. I was the orchestrator of righteous justice.

"The bullets are just bouncing off of his armor! Run!" I heard one of the guards yell. He was foolish to think that I would let him get away. I lowered my head and focused my energy on the implement on my forehead. The synthetic horn heated and glowed a brilliant red as it charged itself. A moment later, a bolt of energy shot down the hallway and pierced the cowardly foe through his chest, spraying blood across the floor in front of him. If I were capable of grinning I would have done it then. They had given me all the power that I needed.

***

Freedom at last. Prototype 6 could do whatever he wanted but I was just happy to be out of that cell; to live; to soar. I looked back at the metal disks that were connected to my shoulders, pulsating with blue energy. They were rotating, flickering and sparking like crazy, but there was no denying that they worked. I was flying. How? Who cares? I sure didn't. All I knew was that these devices were somehow allowing me to soar through the air and it felt fantastic; like something that I had been longing for forever and just didn't know it; like something written in the very core of my being. It was the single most beautiful thing that I would ever experience. With every movement my body made, my very soul felt like it was moving with it.

"He's a fast little bugger, ain't he?" I vaguely heard a voice call from somewhere indistinct. A few bullets flew past me, but I just twisted out of the way and directed myself down a new hallway at increased velocity. The only thing I could think to desire was the sky; a place filled with open air and infinite freedom. That new, greater kind of freedom would make my life as complete as it would ever be.

***

I crept across the hallway, barely making it to the other side before the guard patrolling turned around.

"Who's there?" he called out. Damn. Even if he didn't spot me, he would most likely investigate and find the corpse of his former colleague in the area I had just passed from. I had carelessly left her out in the open. Oh well, I would just have to move fast and be gone before he started looking for me. I turned back around only to see another mare turn a corner about ten feet down. There was no way I could make it to her in time but I tried anyway. Sprinting down the corridor, I slid me blade expertly into her throat, but she had already let a scream escape her lips. The damage was already done and the only thing I could think to do was run. I could already hear the guard who I had slipped past earlier shouting as I swung around a corner into yet another guard who's neck I swiftly snapped before sprinting on ahead. I was far too close to my goal to fail now. There was a hidden exit into a nearby forest that I was near enough to taste. Only a few more turns and I would be there. I ducked under some bullets coming from the hallway behind me and turned down another hallway. The guard there saw me immediately but was too stunned to react. I slammed into him with my shoulder, sending him reeling aside harmlessly and took another turn. I was so close now. A pony fired at me from ahead and there wasn't time to dodge, but I kept my head down and refused to expose the fragile vial in me chest so the bullets bounced harmlessly off. I hastefully stabbed the attacker in the skull and turned one final time to the door that lead out. Just as I was expecting, Blank had programmed it to open automatically as soon as I neared it. Even if she did have ulterior motives for letting me go, I had to give the mare credit for following through. She did her part. I slipped under the door out into the world and perked my head up, scanning for a good direction to head off in. If I could just lose myself in the forest then I might have a shot at evading these ponies completely. Maybe I could even find somepony to take pity on me who would house me; care for me. Could anypony truly feel the emotions of a metal shell? I was still a pony on the inside. Maybe somepony would understand me; perhaps even grow to like me in time. Maybe everything really could work out. I was so wrapped up in these thoughts that I didn't even register the hoofsteps coming up from behind me.

"Congratulations. You made it outside." a voice came from behind me. I whipped around to see who had spoken only to be greeted with a bullet piercing the vulnerable point in my chest.

"It's really a feat to be marveled at." Chrome spoke politely. "Unfortunately that's as far as you'll be making it. Goodnight Prototype 3."

***

My right hoof split into four segments and small claws protruded from the gap, grasping and pulling in the discarded firearm. I pulled it inside my hoof and narrowed the gap slightly, adjusting the implements inside of the hoof to accommodate for the weapon's operation. Extending my hoof to the right, I relinquished a couple of rounds with more precision than my adversaries could possibly muster, cleanly placing the bullets through the skulls of my oncoming attackers. Each hit the ground exactly a second after being hit, making a rhythmic thum-thump sound. I rushed down the hallway, away from the rest of my enemies. I was too close to the power generator to fail now. There were countless ponies chasing me in an attempt to stop me from achieving my goal. They didn't intimidate me though. The more ponies that tried to stop me, the more ponies that would be caught in the explosion. I slid across the floor, turning in the process and firing off several rounds down the hallway. The maneuver landed my right in front of my destination. I charged up my horn one final time to throw one last bolt down the hallway before leaving them behind, but that turned out to be a fatal mistake. A lucky bullet struck and shattered the super-heated metal, causing a small explosion inside my head. Miraculously, one of my eyes was still functional and the delicate vial in my chest wasn't completely shattered, but it did have a large crack in it. As I stood there, I could feel the very essence of my soul leaking away. Ducking into the room, I assessed the situation. There was no way that I would live more than a minute. That didn't faze me though. I had known from the beginning that my mission was a suicidal one. Nevertheless, my head was spinning and dozens of ponies would be on me in an instant to finish me off. It seemed unlikely that I would be able to overload the reactor in my current state with the minimal amount of time that I had left to live, but I had to try. Even if I failed, as I likely would, I couldn't die until I knew that I had given this final effort every last ounce of strength. I staggered forward and went to work for however many seconds I had left.

***

A black Pegasus pulled up beside me in the hallway. I had left all the others behind, but this one was far faster than the rest. Part of me wanted to soar with him, but I knew that he wanted nothing but to kill me. Sure enough, a couple bullets flew in my direction but I easily rolled out of the way and held my position for a few seconds, wanting to savor every moment. Unexpectedly, I slowed down and veered to the right, leaving my rival speeding down the wrong corridor. That should have bought me enough time to reach my destination. Even in my current dream-like state of childish wonder I knew where I was headed and what I needed to do. Blank had told me of a large hanger that would open up to the sky. I needed to make it there. Rolling down the hallway, I stunned a few earth ponies and unicorns with my bold, unpredictable maneuvers. I caught a glimpse of liquid rainbow and shards of metal on the ground, but at the speed I was traveling I barely had time to register them. To my surprise, the black Pegasus I had evaded earlier pulled out in the hallway in front of me, firing a few bullets in my direction. One of the unicorns shot a magic bolt from behind me that barely missed its intended target and caused the Pegasus to dodge out of the way. Before he could get back in position, I was already shooting down the hallway behind him, dodging and weaving my way through the fray. I took my final turn into a large black chamber with steel doors blocking the ceiling. They slid open and cracks of sunlight flooded the chamber, illuminating it in a heavenly glow. I flew out of the confining facility and was stunned by the beauty of creation. The misty mountains beyond the horizon were casting dark purple shadows over rolling hills of bright green grass and vibrant flowers. To my left was a seemingly endless forest, thick with trees and wildlife. What was above me, though, made those details seem insignificant by comparison. Rays of light streamed through the cloud layer, creating the beautiful illusion of circles of color twisting and turning, the light reflecting off of the lenses of my eyes and the water droplets in the clean, clear air. I could hardly believe that a scene so perfect could exist.

A faint sound of a gunshot rang out from far below me and suddenly the warm feeling in my chest began to hurt. The Pegasus had taken his shot and struck true, but I didn't notice. I just flew upward, leaving a colorful trail of liquid in my wake. Somewhere unseen, there was a resonating explosion that consumed everything below me in flame, but I didn't look back upon the sight. A moment later I broke through the cloud layer, sending a spiral of twisting mist trailing about my body and opening up a vast, endless, brilliant blue ocean of sky. Nowhere could there possibly be a scene more breathtaking.The pain I had felt earlier was replaced with numbness, and there, with the sun reflecting off of my glass eyes and the clouds and sky continuing on forever, my vision slowly faded to a peaceful and serene white.

***

Somewhere in the distance, a purple maned scientist turned away from the slowly settling smoke before setting off into the forest, the precious vial in tow.

Comments

[Ninfia]

1380763 I've read Rainbow Factory and I cried but, I haven't read cupcakes. dude, this is should be AWESOME!!!!!

[Puppeteer]

Hey guys! I was just writing a new chapter and I realized something. I don't have any pre-readers to help me out. If you want to give me some advice or take a look at what I have written so far then just send me a private message saying so and I'll give you the password as soon as possible. Thanks for helping me out guys, you're the best.

[lone marine]

I want to help but I have know how by the way keep up the good awsone stories. I want to help

[lone marine]

I could not get in but the past stories I advice to stop using stories with other characters while the others are not finished also like twilight stop in a gunfight. But other than that keep up the good work

[Puppeteer]

3293207 I don't know. I kind of like to jump around. The reason for this is that a lot of these events are happening simultaneously, so if I were to tell the entire story from one pony's point of view than I would have to jump back to the beginning to tell it from another pony's perspective and most of the plot-twists would be ruined since you would already know where the plot was headed and what would happen to the focus character once the first one is complete. Sorry if that bugs you, but I can't really change the miscellaneous order of characters.

[lone marine]

K but that is just way to many right now