Deus Ex: Equine Revolution

by Melon Hunter

Chapter 4: Black Dawn

Deus Ex: Equine Revolution

By Melon Hunter

Chapter 4: Black Dawn

Bon Bon stood back and admired her hoofwork. She’d dragged the three ponies to the door leading to the rooftop; their muzzles and legs were tightly bound with duct tape found amongst the cleaning supplies, just in case one woke up early. The rest of the roll had been stored in her coat, lest she need any more impromptu restraints.

The augmented mare also relieved the earth pony of his neck accessory; a small brass box on a fabric band. It was a voice modulator, designed to be pressed against the vocal chords so earth ponies and pegasi could speak while manipulating objects with their mouths. Perhaps it could be used to fool the other attackers in the building.

A cursory check of the offices had been fruitless; there were no air ducts on the floor, and she would be forced to take the staircase down. A wonderful place to be ambushed.

As Bon Bon trotted down the corridor, the director’s office caught her eye. Like the others, it had suffered badly in the attack, with papers and cabinets strewn about. DEFILER had been sprayed across the entirety of one wall, along with some other, more obscene phrases. She gazed at the computer inquisitively; the translucent orange screen flashed with warnings, and a small white box was plugged into the side of the terminal. A closer look revealed the terminal had detected a hostile presence attempting to gain access, and had completely locked down, presumably the work of the mystery device.

However, access had briefly been gained; perhaps the pegasus had been better at hacking than his comrade gave him credit for. A notification showed that one e-mail had been printed off before the lockdown. The cream pony walked over and snatched it up; presumably it was worth something to have been extracted like this. Her eyes scanned the page.

From: [WITHHELD]

To: [e-mail]

Subject: URGENT - Subject Sherbet

Director,

I know that you have been very cooperative in this difficult time, and MANE have been extremely generous in allowing temporary private usage of their facilities. However, I must ask for one more favour.

Subject Sherbet is showing signs of rapid recovery, and is now free to wander the streets of Canterlot once more — and that includes your clinic. And by extension, the patient records.

I’m sure I don’t have to spell out for you what will happen if Sherbet pries into their medical files. Augmentation was necessary for their survival, but not to the extent ordered. If the subject discovers this, it will jeopardise any further developments.

I implore you once more, should the subject come looking — and they will — falsify the records, wrap them in red tape... I don’t care how, just keep them from the truth. You will be reimbursed for your efforts, of course.

Bon Bon’s blood ran cold. Was that... her? Sherbet? Golden eyes scanned the document again, but there was no timestamp, no indication of where or when it was sent. Surely not... She’d seen her medical records, accessed them on a holoscroll as soon as she could after the incident, if only out of a sense of mourning for what had been lost. They couldn’t have worked that quickly. ‘Sherbet... is free to wander the streets of Canterlot again.’ No, she’d had access long before they could discharge her. She breathed a small sigh of relief, then felt a pang of guilt. Somewhere out there, there was another pony like her, except their augs had been unnecessary...

The augmented unicorn suppressed a shudder. Now was not the time to dwell on such things; there were still ponies in danger in the clinic. Tucking away the printed mail, she gathered up her tranquiliser rifle and made her way to the stairs.

Bon Bon crept down the flight slowly, keeping her body flush to the inner wall and the rifle ready. The cream mare turned on the landing between the two flights, and quickly trotted to the door that led out of the stairwell. A cursory glance through the glass panel in the door revealed no ponies, and a corridor fronted with glass, much like the one in the floor above.

However, the rooms in this corridor were sealed off by virtue of steel doors that had lowered over their entrances, and a faint turquoise glow marked the magical wards that kept the ponies inside safe. The lockdown had sealed away a good deal of the clinic’s staff and patients; that was one less thing to worry about, but it also took away a lot of the places she could duck into and hide. She would have to be careful.

The security unit next to the door was disengaged and inactive, the door having been forced open by the marauding attackers. Bon Bon carefully pushed the door open and stepped through, sweeping her head back and forth for any signs of trouble. Nothing yet. She dashed through, and pressed herself against the wall. Bringing up her map, she found herself at a corner in the bottom left of the floor; the outer walls were lined with patient wards, with the stairwell leading to the rest of the building on the other side of the floor to her. In the centre of the room were four smaller rooms, divided by four corridors leading into a central, circular space. Plenty of opportunities for ambushes, if the situation presented itself.

Anxious to avoid anypony sneaking up on her undetected, she opted to leave the clear corridor ahead of her, and turned right. The sounds of sobbing and scared ponies reassuring one another occasionally drifted through the walls of the wards, a subtle reminder of what was at stake. None of the attackers seemed to be here, either. She was about to cross the T-junction leading into the central atrium, when—

“Damn it! Dumb forcefields!” she heard a stallion say. Bon Bon froze.

“Will you quit it? Bangin’ on those things ain’t gonna work!” came the hot-tempered reply. “What? You want to drag more of these poor bastards downstairs?”

“Maybe there’s—”

“Just stop it. I thought we were gonna see some nasty stuff up here... not foals and their parents snivelling in a room...” the mare muttered. “Just get out of here, OK? I don’t need you making things any worse.”

“But—”

“Go!”

By that point, Bon Bon had already turned tail and cantered back to the corner, before turning it and flattening herself against the wall. Her breaths came in short, sharp gasps as the stallion, a grey unicorn with a red mane, walked out of the T-junction. She ducked back as his gaze swept down toward her. He walked toward her position, and investigated the stairs leading back up to the floor above, poking his pistol ahead of him telekinetically. Thinking quickly, she shot him with a tranquiliser dart, the projectile sinking into his rump.

He didn’t notice until it was too late; he turned back around to see Bon Bon just as the drug kicked in. His legs gave out and he slumped to the floor along with his pistol. She dragged him back into the stairwell, binding him with tape and hiding him out of view of the door. After a moment’s thought, she ejected the magazine from the pistol, and pulled the slide back to remove the round within. She wasn’t going to use it, and she’d be damned if somepony else was instead. Her rifle hissed imperceptibly as she opened the barrel and slotted a fresh dart into the breach.

Deciding against taking that direction again, she made her way forwards, toward the main stairwell. So far, all the rooms she’d come across had been sealed off by the security doors and fields, which meant that any air ducts or alternative means of transit were likely blocked off, leaving the unpalatable option of the likely heavily guarded stairs. Any elevators would already be inactive thanks to the lockdown.

She came to another T-junction, and peeked around the corner. A bored-looking purple pegasus mare slouched at the entrance to the central atrium, her pale green tail swishing back and forth as she trained the twin machine pistols on her saddle down the corridor. Impassable.

“So, has Brimstone gone off on one of his sulky fits again?” she asked suddenly.

“Ugh, yeah,” said the other mare from earlier. “Probably gone upstairs to root through some of the offices or something.”

“You gettin’ cold hooves?”

“No, it’s just... I didn’t think the ponies in here would be so... normal.”

“Hey, don’t tell me you’re growing a conscience now!” The pegasus had turned to her left to address her comrade. Taking her chance, Bon Bon rolled across the opening, barely pulling the rifle to her before the pegasus turned back to where she had been moments before.

“Just don’t go soft on me, y’hear?” Bon Bon rolled her eyes. No wonder these ponies had been posted to the upper floors; they seemed more interested in banter with one another than actually guarding anything. Looking down, she saw a duct leading into the wall. According to another glance at her map, she was now outside the female toilets, one of the four rooms bordering the central space... and the doorway to it looked out onto the main stairwell. Perfect.

She pushed the duct cover up with an unfolded hoof, folded up and stowed her tranq rifle, then crawled into the opening, shutting the cover behind her with another telekinetic flourish. She straightened up and looked around. Nothing out of the ordinary; just the normal stalls and sinks. A large mirror over the sinks had been cracked slightly, and a soap dispenser had been knocked from the wall. A faint trail of pink soap led to the door, with hoof-shaped flecks here and there.

Bon Bon felt a lump in her throat. Had the unfortunate pony cowering in here been pulled away in the same way her friends and researchers had, all those months ago? Had they begged for mercy from their attackers as well? She felt a tremble run through her body... felt the heat of the fires... smelt the smoke... heard the futile screams as life after life was snuffed out... it was all happening again...

Bon Bon!

She jerked as she heard Colgate’s voice ring out in her mind. What?

You OK in there? Your biometric data just went off the charts. Are you injured?

No... No, I’m OK. I haven’t been detected. Everything’s fine.

You sure? You certainly don’t—

I’m fine, Colgate.

OK, OK. Just checking. Also, I got something off the security grid. Apparently, one of the wards didn’t get sealed in the lockdown. And according to the building plans, it has an air duct that goes down to the second floor. You’ll bypass the main stairwell, and you’ll be on the floor with the hostages.

Where is it?

End of the corridor you’re on now. Come out of the toilets and turn right; it’ll be at the end there.

OK. I’ll head there now.

She shook herself, and walked over to the door. Another duct was next to it. She crouched down and peeked through it. On the other side, she could see four pairs of legs stood between her and the door to the stairs; the owners were apparently coming to the end of their conversation.

“So, is Night Light still getting all antsy?” one of them said.

“Yeah... she looks really spooked. Listened too much to those Black Dawn types, I think. Practically brainwashed her into thinking every Aug was the spawn of Nightmare Moon...” the other replied.

“We all listened too much. This was a stupid idea; we’re all gonna end up dead!”

“Hey, we’re making a stand, right? Right?”

“Yeah... sure. Just make sure nopony goes in or out of here. Those Black Dawn ponies scare the hell out of me.”

“You and me both, brother. Everfree.”

“Everfree.” The two ponies bumped a forehoof against the other’s, and one turned away and left.

Cute. One of Canterlot’s most notorious gangs has a secret hoofshake. Colgate’s amused tone cut in.

The Everfrees and Black Dawn? That’s worrying.

Black Dawn are the only group capable of pulling a stunt like this. They don’t want to say it, but the police know it. You should hear all their little euphemisms and metaphors just so they don’t have to admit they got outmanoeuvred by this bunch of wackos. The Everfrees are just being used as fall guys. We’ll worry about the whys and wherefores later.

Bon Bon lifted the grate, and crouched down, aiming down the scope of her rifle. She shot the stallion in the leg, counting off the seconds before he collapsed to the floor. She crawled through the opening, casting her gaze about to ensure she wasn’t detected by any of his comrades. Her hoof unfolded, and she dragged the gang member back by his tail, before unceremoniously shoving him into the duct and closing it behind him.

She reloaded her rifle, and trotted down the corridor. As she reached its end, she saw the one broken ward; its magical forcefield hadn’t activated, and the door had been prised open. Gazing within, she saw the lines of bullet holes in the far wall, and the cracks on the large window, which now looked out on night-time Canterlot. The beds and medical equipment had been overturned and thrown on the floor, any drawer or cabinet torn open and its contents scattered. On the floor was a hoof-stitched doll that had been ripped open, spilling its white stuffing out onto the tiles. Next to it were more pieces of debris, tufts of hair and... blood.

Bon Bon grit her teeth and shut her eyes, trying not to fall back into her nightmares. They’re still here. You can still save them. Focus. Her breath caught sharply in her throat. She walked forward, one hesitant step at a time through the ruins of the room, to see another duct built into the wall, just below the ceiling. To her dismay, the security shield here was still active, a shimmering azure glow protecting the duct from infiltration. A small unit was located next to it. She crouched down near it, ensuring the bed blocked her from view.

Colgate? I need to get through a security field, she thought.

You mean you didn’t get any training in non-standard network access? came Colgate’s incredulous reply.

Not that much... I had a little rudimentary knowledge. I know how to access it, but that’s all. And non-standard access...?

Well, ‘hacking’ doesn’t sound very professional, but that’s half my job. C’mon, I know I wrote some magical simulations for you.

Yeah, but they weren’t exactly comprehensive; I was concentrating more on telekinesis and combat training.

Ugh... never mind. You’re just gonna have to pick it up, and fast. See the terminal? Access it magically, and tell me when you’re in.

Bon Bon nodded, and focused on the terminal. The feeling in her horn was subtly different to when she used telekinesis; a rougher, less refined flow, as if the terminal was already fighting her. As she did so, an interface similar to her map popped up, showing her lines of runes, which gradually cleared to show a network of differently coloured talismans.

They were connected by a network of gently pulsating white lines, with a blue talisman at the left edge highlighted. The network of shining lines led through several white symbols, some circular, some triangular, before terminating in a green orb at the right. Just above it was an ominously glowing red talisman, shaped like a shield.

She frowned at the interface. With a small mental flick, she noted she could move her focus to other talismans, causing windows containing percentages and commands to pop up when she shifted to them. She sifted through her memory, trying to recall anything about how this part of her augmentations worked. Lost, she decided to call for support.

OK, I’m in. Now what?

Alright, I’m assuming you can at least move around the interface?

Yeah... I’ve got that. What about the percentages? And the different nodes?

Blue’s the home talisman, the access point. White’s data banks: if they’re triangular, they may have useful information in them, circles mean they’re junk to you. Green is the access port to the terminal, and red is for all those nasty security enchantments trying to keep you out.

This seems... oddly specific.

Well, hacking augs aren’t exactly legal. This one was custom-made for you.

So you wrote it to be simple enough for a foal to use?

If you’d rather sift through several thousand lines of programming runes, I can oblige.

Just... tell me what to do now.

Right, right... those percentages are a rough guess of how likely you are to be detected by the security enchantments if you capture the talisman. The aug handles the hard part; you just have to make a path between the blue and green talismans.

That’s it?

If the security detects you, then it will try and lock down the remaining talismans and trace the intrusion. The aug will hold it off for as long as possible, but you’ll have to make that path fast, or abort. If it reaches your home talisman, you’ll get kicked off the network, and you might be locked out for good.

OK... here goes nothing. Bon Bon concentrated on the white talisman nearest to the blue, and brought up the list. Capture... 15%. She willed it, and noted that it turned blue over the course of a few seconds. Now, a blue line connected the two talismans. She could repeat the process, and did so, connecting two more talismans to her path. This was too easy.

Then, just as the thought occurred to her, the interface flashed red, and a timer appeared, counting down from twenty seconds. Damn.

Don’t panic. Just keep going, you’ll be fine.

Bon Bon registered her affirmation, but it was hard to concentrate with the angry red talisman now sending out crimson lines through the talismans to counter her own blue path. She cursed quietly as the talisman she’d selected was overwhelmed by the defensive enchantments, slowing down her capture. She nervously regarded the timer as she finally alighted on the green orb. The process seemed painfully slow as she ticked off the seconds.

Five...

Four... C’mon!

Three... The blue glow around the orb flickered brighter, but refused to break through.

Two... She gulped.

One... Bon Bon was about to break the link, when...

“Access granted,” the arcanely produced voice murmured. She let out a breath she wasn’t aware she’d been holding as the interface changed to show her an option to disable the field. She did so, and allowed the magical connection to close. The air duct was now exposed.

Is hacking always this stressful? she asked caustically, as she lifted the cover.

Eh, you’ll get used to it. Today, an air duct, tomorrow... the world. Bon Bon rolled her eyes and crawled into the ventilation shaft, beginning her descent towards the second floor... and the hostages.

-------

Having crawled through what seemed like an endless silver tunnel, Bon Bon finally found the exit from the ventilation shaft. She pushed open the cover and emerged into a small break room. Next to her was a plush blue sofa, with a coffee table in front of it. A large television was mounted on the opposite wall.

As she walked out into the room, she heard a commotion outside; a mare was sobbing, and a stallion was shouting at her. Swiftly, she ducked behind the sofa, just as the door swung open. She winced as she heard a crash and a cry of pain from the mare being bodily flung onto the table. Risking a peek, Bon Bon felt a chill run through her as she recognised the receptionist from that morning laid on her back on the table, a thin trail of blood running from her nose and a small golden ring around her horn. Her legs strained at the tight bonds around her ankles. Around her neck was a thick steel collar, with an ominously blinking ruby set into it.

Behind her, a green unicorn stallion dressed in a black jumpsuit levitated a machete to one side, his lips drawn back in a snarl. Accompanying him was an earth pony mare in similar garb, with a ten millimetre pistol clenched in her teeth.

“Please, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” begged the receptionist.

“I warned you. Any escape attempts, any magic, and you’d be in for it,” he said in a perversely sing-song voice.

“It slipped off! I swear!”

“Oh, sure. So convenient that magic dampeners come off so easily, eh?” He paced around the table to the receptionist’s head, and laid the tip of the machete against her neck. “Fucking Defilers. You make me sick.”

“N-no! Don’t kill me! Please!” she cried.

“Kill you? Now why would I do that?” he said. A look of relief briefly showed on the mare’s face, before he continued. “No, if you’re so in love with the idea of Augs, why don’t I let you become one? Upgrade a thing or two? Now, what should it be? Your horn?” The blade hovered to it. “Or perhaps your leg?”

“No! NO! N-n-not my horn!”

“Leg it is, then.” He beckoned over his companion with a flick of his head. The machete cut open the receptionist’s foreleg bindings, and the two black-clad ponies held her down, one foreleg each. The captive unicorn twisted and fought, screaming as the stallion lined his weapon up over her shoulder. He raised the weapon and swung it down...

… Only for it to be blocked by an unfolded black hoof, which gripped the weapon tightly.

“Bad move.” Bon Bon swung her horn down into the stallion’s muzzle, pushing him back as he grunted in pain. Blindly, she leapt to one side and flung the machete to the other, hearing the sharp pop and crack as the startled earth pony’s shot went wide and shattered the television screen. The cream pony rolled forwards, before charging the mare down. Bon Bon’s horn blazed, yanking the pistol out of her opponent’s mouth. The other mare grunted in pain as the grip tore against her teeth, and stumbled slightly. The unicorn pivoted on her foreleg and sent the earth pony flying backward with a powerful buck.

The mare scrabbled to stand up again, wheezing in pain from her bruised ribs. Before she could alert anypony else, Bon Bon silenced her with a vicious uppercut that sent her sprawling onto the sofa. The cream pony leapt on top of the hapless mare, pressing her unfolded forehooves against her throat as the earth pony weakly struggled against her, before falling limp from the lack of air. Faint rasps emanated from the mare’s mouth as she fell back.

“I’ll do it, you son of a changeling, I swear!” Bon Bon flicked her gaze to the side to see that the receptionist had gathered the machete in her own telekinesis and had it pressed against the stallion’s throat, having removed the dampener with her free legs. She had rolled over sideways, her hindlegs still bound. However, he simply chuckled.

“One more false move, and I’ll kill you all,” he taunted. “You want to gamble twelve lives on me hitting this button before you can kill me?” The receptionist blanched, and dropped the blade hurriedly. “Good.” He grinned at a small device held in one forehoof, the other being used to staunch the flow of blood from his nose. Apparently, he was unaware of Bon Bon watching him. Thinking quickly, she pulled the detonator out of the stallion’s hoof with her magic. He yelped in surprise, before the receptionist dragged herself towards him and slammed her forehoof into his head. And again. And again.

Bon Bon walked over and gently pulled her away from the now-unconscious stallion. She was hyperventilating and trembling; the occasional sob escaped her lips. She tried to soothe the distressed unicorn by turning her away from the scene, pulling away the bonds around her hindlegs. After a few moments, the peach-coloured pony calmed down slightly, taking great gulps of air and snivelling.

“Y-you saved me...” she said. “Wh-where did you come from?” Her eyes met with Bon Bon’s, and a flash of recognition ran across them. “You! How did you... Are you with the police? Where’s the rest of the squad?”

“I’ve been sent in to clear the way for them. It’s just me.”

“What?”

Bon Bon pointed at the detonator held in her magic. “The attackers said that they’d kill every hostage in the building if the police invaded. I was sent to get you out of harm’s way before the riot squads secured the clinic.”

“I... I see.” She gulped again, her gaze drifting back to the centre of the room. “They were going to... going to... Oh, Celestia... I almost killed him...”

Before the unicorn started panicking again, Bon Bon laid her hooves on her shoulders and spoke to her. “You did a very brave thing just now. I need your help, OK?” She nodded. “Where are the rest of the hostages?”

“In a room in the centre of the building... I think most of the ponies on this floor are busy raiding the operating theatres; I didn’t see many when they dragged me here,” she said hesitantly.

“Nopony’s guarding the room?”

“They don’t need to.” The mare’s horrified gaze swept down to the collar around her neck. “They put these on us... they said if we tried to escape or leave the floor... the collars would explode.”

Colgate? There’s a problem with the hostages... they’ve got collars on.

Lemme see... Bon Bon felt a slight mental pressure, which eased as she allowed Colgate access to her optical implants. Oh, shit. They use these in griffon prisoner of war camps. How did they smuggle these things into Canterlot?

I don’t know. We need to disarm them, though.

OK. I’ll patch into the police comms now... hopefully they have the disarm codes for these. You’ll need to find the central unit to get the codes into them. Just don’t touch it; they’re wired to explode if they’re tampered with.

Got it.

The mare blinked at her. “What now?”

Bon Bon frowned. “I need to get to the unit controlling the collars so I can disarm them. Did you see anything like that?”

She nodded vigorously. “Yes... they put some sort of box in with us in the room.”

“Can you take me there?”

The mare ground her forehoof in little circles. “I can... but what if they come back?” She pointed at the unconscious ponies. “They might hurt us again...”

“I can protect you.” Bon Bon regarded the two ponies. “Put on one of their uniforms and raise the hood. At least then they won’t wonder why there’s a prisoner wandering around if they catch a glimpse of you.” She complied, stripping the mare of her uniform and clumsily climbing into it. Bon Bon did the same for the stallion, feeling uncomfortably hot under her longcoat and armour as she did so. When they were both done, Bon Bon wrapped the pair in duct tape and dragged them behind the sofa. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” the mare muttered.

“Let’s go, then,” Bon Bon said.

“Wait...” The mare picked up the machete, and used her forehoof to daub some of the blood from the stallion’s forehead onto the blade and the front of her borrowed uniform. “They were scared of him... even the other attackers...” Her voice quivered, and she swallowed nervously as she regarded the newly soiled weapon. “I don’t think they’d disturb him.”

“Clever.” The unicorn gave a small smile, and began to walk out of the door, holding the machete out in front of her. Bon Bon followed, her head bowed as if subservient to her. She kept her gaze cast about as they turned right out into a corridor. As they passed an operating theatre, she saw more black-clad ponies inside, laying waste to the medical equipment. Fortunately, they seemed to be more interested in their destructive task than the ponies walking past outside.

As they made their way across a small open area filled with desks and terminals, Bon Bon noticed a pony take a look at the bloodied machete and turn away, shaking his head and muttering. She found herself pondering how that stallion commanded such an intimidating presence amongst these ponies. As she looked at the wall behind him, she saw exactly the thing she’d feared: a large, crudely drawn sunrise in black paint, with Black Dawn written underneath.

The unicorn’s pace took them quickly through the corridors to a heavy door with a small security terminal next to it, designed to grant access by scanning the retina of an authorised pony. As they stopped, Bon Bon heard a noise from within. She held up a hoof to stop the receptionist.

“...and he’s gonna chop her up! You realise what trouble you’re in? Even I’m scared sometimes of that psycho, and your little friend just went and upset him!” She frowned at the other pony; apparently another member of Black Dawn was in there with the hostages. Bon Bon pulled out the voice modulator and wrapped it around her throat. She beckoned the unicorn to stand back, and thumped on the door with a hoof.

“Hey, let us back in! We’re done out here!” she said, hearing her own voice unnaturally altered.

“Ugh, I thought we sorted these doors... hold on.” Bon Bon tensed as the pony inside walked up to the door and opened it. A deep green set of eyes widened in surprise as he saw the pair of unicorns outside. The flat of the machete caught him in the throat, killing any cry for help he could have made. There were gasps and screams of shock from the captives as Bon Bon pushed the green pegasus onto his back, before smartly taking a dart from her coat and injecting it directly into his jugular. He barely had time to react before the drug kicked in and sent him into unconsciousness.

“Oh... g-goodness...” a brown pegasus mare stammered next to her. She was wearing a rumpled doctor’s coat, and her dark grey mane shook with her. Her forelegs were tightly bound to the arms of the chair she was sitting on, keeping her wings pinned behind her. The other captives in the room were similarly bound, some struggling against the ties, others slumped down, having resigned themselves to their fate.

“Wait! The collars...!” another captive exclaimed. Bon Bon leapt up and ran to the centre of the room, where a metallic box the size of a pony’s body ominously waited. She ran around to the other side of the container, which had a small screen embedded in it. Her blood ran cold as she read the words on it.

Unauthorised presence detected. Input authorisation codes or collars will auto-detonate. You have 60 seconds to comply.

“Shit,” she breathed. Colgate? The collars have armed themselves. I need the authorisation codes!

Wait, what?! You just charged in there? I’ve only just wrangled the disarm codes out of the police!

Then what do we do?! The link was ominously silent for a couple of seconds.

OK... the unit will broadcast the detonation signal at the end of the countdown. Hack it, and I can modify it to send out the disarm signal instead.

You’re sure?

As I’ll ever be.

Bon Bon took a deep breath, trying to ignore the terrified sobs of the captives in the room. She focused on the unit, and linked herself to it, bringing up the hacking interface once again. It was a different network to before; she paid little mind to the shape as she carved a path to the green talisman.

Only... this time, it felt different. More hostile. Wrong. Her anxiety made her sloppy, and she swore under her breath as the security enchantments caught her and broke the link. Bon Bon’s eyes flickered to the screen: thirty-five seconds remaining. She shuddered, and tried again. The mental strain was beginning to get to her, and the link broke again as the enchantments threw her out. Her interface flickered with warnings of detection; she had little leeway left before being locked out of the system. Bon Bon let out a cry of frustration.

Hang in there. You can do this. Colgate sounded nonchalant, as if the lives of a dozen ponies didn’t depend on her being successful. But the reassurance buoyed her up, and she linked herself up for another attempt. Yet again, the red lines made their way out to terminate her attempt, but this time her concentration held, and the blue lines from her own connection made their way to the other end of the network. At long last, the green talisman fell to her. Access granted.

OK, we are in. Where are you, you little scamp...? Ah ha! Goodbye detonation, hello disarm code!

Bon Bon risked a glance at the screen. Ten seconds. Colgate?

Let it count down. It’ll send out the codes.

She cast a nervous glance around the room. Every captive pony looked at her in horror. Of course. She’d spent the last minute staring at the countdown to their deaths in their eyes. If you’ve made a mistake...

I haven’t. It’ll all be fine. Five seconds. Trust me.

...OK. She watched the timer run down. Three... two... one... She closed her eyes, not wanting to see what came next.

A faint clicking emanated around the room. Bon Bon opened her eyes again to see that the collars had disarmed and unlocked, and were now hanging loosely from the captives’ necks. Some looked at her in disbelief, while others wept in relief.

“Th-thank you...” the brown pegasus breathed. “Whoever you are... thank you.”

-------

The next few minutes were spent making sure the room was secure and that no more Black Dawn members would come to check on their captives. The explosive collars were stacked carefully in the corner, and the unconscious pony bound up as tightly his prisoners. Bon Bon’s talons and the machete made short work of the captives’ bonds; each one stood up, rubbing their ankles as they were freed in turn. The unicorns eagerly swept the magical dampeners off their horns; more than one levitated the ring as a test that their magic hadn’t been permanently erased.

“Oh, Peach Juice! I thought you... I thought you weren’t coming back!” the pegasus exclaimed as she had the ropes around her legs cut. She jumped up and pulled the young unicorn into a tight hug.

“Heh... I’m OK, Dr. Pinion,” the receptionist murmured as she returned the hug. “Thanks to her.” She indicated Bon Bon, and frowned. “Miss Bon Bon, right?”

Bon Bon nodded. The hostages gave thankful murmurs, and Dr. Pinion walked over to her. “When that brute dragged Peach away... I thought I’d never see her again. Thank you, again. I feared that we’d never leave here alive when they put those collars on us,” the mare said. “Although, I don’t recall any security specialists being registered at this clinic.”

“It’s a complicated story,” Bon Bon said. “I was sent in on behalf of Sparkle Industries to secure the hostages taken.” Her eyes cast about the room, and her heart sank as she saw unicorns, earth ponies, even a zebra... but the only pegasus was stood right in front of her. “All of them.”

“Well, this is the full compliment, I believe,” Pinion said.

“No... There’s at least one more. Fluttershy.” The name drew blank gazes from the prisoners. “Pale yellow pegasus, pink mane? Three butterflies for a cutie mark. She was giving a speech at the protest, and the attackers snatched her in the confusion.”

A polite cough came from the corner of the room; the zebra had raised her forehoof. Bon Bon nodded to her. “I work as a porter in the basement storage; when the raiders dragged me up to the lobby, I believe I saw them take your... Fluttershy... down there,” she said in a faintly accented voice. “They also had Dr. Glia...”

“The neuromancer?” Pinion suddenly exclaimed, causing the zebra to flinch back. “Oh, Celestia.... if anything happens to him...”

“Then I need to get down there, and fast,” Bon Bon said. “They could escape through the catacombs if we leave it too long.”

Pinion nodded, and pulled a small card out of her coat. “Here: lockdown clearance. It should allow you to reactivate the elevators and access the basement. Please be careful with it; anypony could open up the locked-down wards if it fell into the wrong hooves!”

“Don’t worry; I won’t let any more ponies be captured. I’ll lock this room from the outside. Don’t draw any attention to yourselves, and the police will be along soon enough. And, Peach Juice?” The unicorn nodded. “Keep the others calm. You’ve handled this far better than I’d expect a civilian to do so.”

“Of course. I owe you my life... or at least, my leg,” she said shyly.

“Please, just keep everyone safe,” Pinion said. She had a wing draped over a blue earth pony colt, only just old enough to have his cutie mark, who was clinging to her foreleg. “The staff at this clinic... we’re like one big family. If anything were to happen to them, even the neurom... I mean, Dr. Glia...”

“You have my word,” Bon Bon said quietly. “I won’t let anypony else die,” she added, under her breath. As the door closed behind her, she pressed the card against the retina-reader. It flashed red, and she heard the clicking of the deadbolts falling into place. She gave a furtive glance around; apparently, none of the Black Dawn members had heard the commotion in the room. That was a relief; she doubted the doors would last long if any of the terrorists decided they really wanted to get back into the chamber.

Twilight, I’ve secured the hostages.

Good! Colgate informed me of the bombs. Good work, Bon Bon... without you, I—

Fluttershy wasn’t amongst them.

She... she wasn’t?

One of the hostages saw the attackers take her down into the basement. Catacomb access is down there; hopefully they’ve still got her in the clinic. They have the neuromancer, as well.

...You know what’s at stake. Don’t let them take Fluttershy.

I won’t. I’m on my way.

Bon Bon swallowed. She felt the pressure from what Twilight had left unsaid; there was a very real danger Fluttershy and the neuromancer would end up ponynapped or dead if she screwed up now. She shuffled along the wall, checking her map to ensure she was heading towards the elevators. The cream pony held up at a corner; a brief glance down the hallway showed her three of the jumpsuit-wearing ponies, apparently debating about which operating room to upend next.

“You hear that screamin’ earlier?” one of them asked.

“Yeah... y’know, I didn’t think he’d actually cut one of the Defilers up. Seemed all bark and no bite to me,” another replied.

“Who gives a damn, anyway? As soon as they’re done screwing around in the basement, we’re outta here. One pony missing a few body parts ain’t worth shit when the rest of ‘em have had their heads blown off,” the third snorted.

“We’ve messed up. Nopony’s gonna want to listen once we murdered a bunch of civvies,” the first voice said.

“We can scare it into them. Nopony ever listens to some mewling little Apple Corps protester, either,” the third growled. “We should probably head on upstairs; I swear I heard one of those Everfree idiots fire off a round a moment ago.”

“Ugh... sure. Maybe we should put a collar on one of them. That’ll probably smarten the rest of them right up!” The three laughed, and made their way into the staircase. Bon Bon shook her head in disgust. The Everfree gang members were perhaps misguided, but the ponies in Black Dawn had no such qualms when it came to killing civilians. She toyed with the idea of introducing them to her own blades...

A shudder ran through her body. No, whatever she thought of them, she wouldn’t let herself sink that low. Never. The cream pony quickly made her way to the elevator, which had a security field over it, similar to the shielded rooms higher up in the building. Bon Bon’s horn glowed, and placed the card against the call button panel. To her relief, the shield deactivated, and the doors opened.

She stepped within, somewhat disconcerted to find that both sets of doors were mostly made of glass. Bon Bon hoped she wouldn’t been seen by anypony as she made her descent, but this made things somewhat more difficult. Looking at the floor selection, she noticed that the buttons for the basement had been hidden behind a panel, presumably to stop unauthorised personnel going down there. The unicorn hesitated for a second, before selecting the button for the lower section of the basement. If the worst came to pass, at least she could head off the occupiers before they fled into the catacombs.

The doors closed behind her, and Bon Bon pressed herself against one wall of the elevator to minimise her profile. As it passed the ground floor, she peeked out through the glass. The lobby was a mess: bullet holes in the walls, paper and debris strewn about by the chaos. On the floor were several smears of blood, and Bon Bon’s blood ran cold as she saw the body of a security guard slumped against a wall, either mortally wounded or already dead.

The tables and chairs from the cafe were wedged against the main doors as an impromptu barricade, and several ponies in makeshift combat armour watched the doors and windows carefully. Each one was heavily armed: machine guns, shotguns and combat rifles, either mounted on saddles or held telekinetically. One unicorn even hefted a small minigun. Where in Equestria had they gotten this sort of firepower?

Take a look, Bon Bon thought to Colgate. They’re expecting an all-out siege.

I’m lookin’. I’ll let the police know; they’re charging in there blind as it is.

Bon Bon felt the slight pressure fade as the lobby slid out of sight, and returned to her hiding place until the elevator came to a halt.

“Basement level minus two,” the intercom informed her. “Soul gem storage and emergency catacomb access. Authorised personnel only.” As the doors slid open, she gave a start as a Black Dawn unicorn walked up to the doors, his grey face adorned with a frown.

“The fuck is going on?” he growled, levelling a shotgun at Bon Bon’s chest. She gulped and looked up into the stallion’s green eyes, letting her lenses slide back. “How the... an Aug?!” he snarled. Her mind went into overdrive as she tried to come up with a reason why she was wandering around the clinic unmolested.

“I’m with you, you idiot!” she said, hoping against hope her bluff would work. “How did you think we disabled the security systems? Wishing on a star?”

“You... what? You’re the hacker?” he spluttered.

“Yeah... nothing beats being able to wire yourself straight into the system,” she said, indicating the unlocked elevator.

“But... but... Just Cause said we’d never accept Augs...” The stallion shook his head in denial, his shotgun wobbling uncertainly in front of her. "You're lying, you must be!"

“Well, everypony lies. ‘Sides, you take what you can get. You think I wanted to get augmented? I was forced to. MANE deserved this,” she spat. “Now, you wanna tell me what I need to do, or you gonna sit there ogling my implants all night?”

The stallion blinked, before lowering his weapon. “We’ve, uh, been stuck out here. Five of us,” he explained. “A couple of the higher-ups dragged the neuro guy into the gem storage room and tripped some sorta switch. We can’t get out back through the catacombs now,” he said.

Bon Bon grunted, and waved a hoof. “Just take me to it.” As she followed the stallion, she began formulating a plan for quite what she would do when confronted with five armed hostiles. A swift check of the map found the basement level sorely lacking in hiding places; a left turn at the oncoming T-junction would bring her to the soul gem storage, while heading straight on merely led to toilets and janitor's cabinets. She tried not to listen to the suspicious muttering of the pony leading her.

"How d'you stand it? Must drive you crazy, having metal just shoved into your skin like that," he said.

"I manage," Bon Bon grunted. She felt herself tense up as they rounded the corner. Sure enough, four other Black Dawn ponies stood in front of an armoured door, looking frustrated at the barrier to their escape. The looks turned to anger as they registered that she was augmented, and several gun barrels swung up to point at her.

"Whoa, whoa!" her unlikely companion exclaimed. "She's with us! She's gonna hack the door and get us out of here!"

"You're not serious," a yellow mare growled through her voice modulator, a machine pistol gripped in her mouth. Bon Bon surreptitiously unfolded all four of her hooves and lowered her centre of gravity slightly as she waited for the peace to finally shatter. "She's an Aug. She needs to be killed!"

"No, no. She got the elevators working again; we can all get out of here once the lockdown's broken!" He looked at the cream pony, a slightly desperate look on his face. "Right?"

"You're too damn gullible for your own good," another mare growled.

"I agree," Bon Bon said. A forehoof came up, slamming the unfortunate stallion's head into the wall as her horn blazed, snatching up the shotgun. The unicorn dived to one side as a flurry of gunfire started up. She landed behind a crate, squeezing off a shot into a fire extinguisher on the wall next to the other ponies. The pressurised container exploded, a cloud of carbon dioxide bursting over the Black Dawn members. The volley of bullets temporarily ceased as the hapless ponies coughed and spluttered, trying to get out of the suddenly inhospitable atmosphere.

Bon Bon wasted no time in exploiting the distraction, galloping forward to engage her enemies head on. She dropped and slid across the floor as the first mare fired off another burst from her machine pistol, the projectiles whizzing harmlessly over her head. Augmented hindlegs exploded outward in a powerful buck, and the mare squealed in pain as she fell back.

The augmented unicorn rolled to one side, narrowly avoiding a shotgun blast to the face. Ears ringing from the noise, she looked up to see a male unicorn now levelling the weapon at her with an acid green aura. An unfolded forehoof caught the muzzle of the gun and yanked it to one side just before he squeezed off another round. Bon Bon's limb flowed with the recoil, sending the stock flying back into the stallion's rust red muzzle. Blood splattered from his ruined nose as he staggered to one side.

The cream pony gave a yelp as she felt something wrap around her neck; she'd let somepony get behind her. Stupid. An orange earth pony mare grinned evilly at her, bringing a pair of saddle-mounted combat rifles to bear. Bon Bon groaned as she felt the grip tighten. She could survive without taking a breath longer than natural ponies, but not indefinitely...

"Got you. You fucking Defiler. I'm gonna make you pay for everything you did," the mare spat. The rope around Bon Bon's neck tightened in concert, preventing her from replying. "You're not gonna die yet. I'll make sure of that." She bit down on the bridle of the saddle, twin gunshots ringing out. The augmented unicorn grunted in pain as she felt the bullets slam into her body armour. The Black Dawn mare appeared positively deranged as she walked closer.

"No... Not tonight," Bon Bon croaked. The other mare frowned in confusion, before recoiling back with a yell as a blade shot out of Bon Bon's foreleg. The limb swung around in a wide arc, slashing across the muzzle of the earth pony. It proved distraction enough; the rope loosened, allowing her to slam her attacker backwards. She gave another buck, hearing ribs crack. With a roar, she tore open the front of the stolen uniform, telekinetically yanking out her tranquilliser rifle.

Her anger at allowing herself to fall into such a compromising position manifested itself in a brutal melee. Bon Bon's paw grabbed the foreleg of the strangler, a pastel green unicorn mare with a pink mane, who was wheezing and clutching at her stricken chest. She hurled the incapacitated pony against a wooden crate. The container shattered under the impact, and the mare scrabbled desperately to get away, her faltering purple glow plucking at a fallen gun. She got no further as Bon Bon leapt on her and brought a hoof down on the back of her head, knocking her out cold.

The augmented pony swung around, pointing her tranq rifle at the final mare, who was staring at her in horror, the bridle pushed away from her mouth, her muzzle bleeding profusely where Bon Bon’s leg-blade had slashed her. Before she could get away, Bon Bon grabbed her up by the scruff of her neck.

"No! No! I didn't mean it... I don't wanna die!" the earth pony wailed, shaking in fear. The show of cowardice sent new anger flaring in Bon Bon.

"Neither did all those innocent ponies you put bomb collars on," Bon Bon hissed.

"They're not innocent! They're traitors to all ponies—" The mare cut off and cried out in pain as she was held up by her mane.

"Any one of them is worth a dozen of you. Consider yourself lucky I don't gut you here and now. You don't deserve this," Bon Bon said quietly. The mare whimpered in fear as the tranquilliser rifle discharged a dart into her throat, her body shaking as she lapsed into unconsciousness. She was dropped unceremoniously to the floor.

As she reloaded the tranquilliser rifle, Bon Bon regarded the carnage in the corridor behind her. One pony was still laid amongst the wreckage of the crate, unconscious. The rust red stallion sat with his back to the wall, stunned, a hoof against his crushed muzzle. The yellow mare whimpered and pawed at her broken jaw and split lip. The all-too-trusting unicorn who had confronted her in the elevator laid on the floor, groaning and twitching, a huge lump apparent on his forehead.

Satisfied there would be no more resistance, Bon Bon tore off the Black Dawn uniform entirely, and pulled out the lockdown clearance card, pressing it against the entrance terminal. As the armoured door slid open agonisingly slowly, she hefted the tranq rifle once more. One more room. One more.

-------

The augmented unicorn crept through the dimly lit room, anxiety roiling inside her. She kept the rifle levelled in her blue glow, golden eyes sweeping back and forth for any sign of movement. On the shelving around her, soul gems glowed gently in transparent drawers, bathing the corridors in an eerie rainbow aura. Her ears pricked up; if any pony caught her in these tight corners unawares, she'd be as good as dead.

She tensed as she heard the faint clopping of hooves from somewhere in the room. From the sounds of it, it was only a single pony. Perhaps they had bound the neuromancer, and were coming to investigate the door opening? Thinking quickly, Bon Bon trotted quietly to a position where she could see the entrance, tranq rifle hovering expectantly. Come on, come on... Where are you?

After a moment of unnerving silence, she began to wonder whether the intruder had had the same idea as her, leaving them in stalemate. Before she could ponder this too much, the soul gems began glowing and pulsating, brighter and brighter. Squinting at them, Bon Bon noticed that the rainbow glow was gradually changing to pale blue. What in Equestria was happening to them? Suddenly, each one lifted itself off of the bottom of the drawers, and began to fade out. Too late, Bon Bon recognised the glow as telekinetic. Her head snapped up as a bright pulse of light shone through the corridors; it had to be the intruder!

She wasted no time, trotting down the corridors towards the glow, the soul gems gradually fading out of existence. And as she rounded the corner, she froze in shock at the sight that greeted her.

It was obviously a unicorn. The same blue glow surrounded its forehead as it did the soul gems. That wasn’t what stayed Bon Bon. What gave her pause was the skin-tight purple suit, the dark blue cape, the stylised, wide-brimmed hat, and a pair of translucent goggles that glistened as the wearer turned to face her.

Somehow, a visitor from a sleepy town two decades away had arrived. The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well stood before Bon Bon, her telekinesis levitating every last gem in the room. The cream pony forgot herself for a moment, simply staring in shock at the costumed mare. It... It had to be a glitch in her augments. Surely. Nopony could possibly still think about the short-lived hero...

Colgate... are you seeing this?

I am... But that's impossible! Nopony’s worn that costume since Rarity mothballed them! The costumed unicorn began to glow brighter. Never mind that now, move!

Bon Bon snapped back to attention just as the other mare began to complete her teleportation spell. "Wait!" she yelled, leaping towards the costumed hero. Too late. She passed through the other unicorn as the spell completed, and crashed into one of the racks of drawers, sending her to the floor. Slightly dazed from the impact, Bon Bon climbed slowly to her hooves, gathering up her tranq rifle. Dismay filled her as she looked around. The blue glow had ceased; every last soul gem had been taken.

"Oh, well done, well done indeed!" came a mocking voice from behind her. The augmented unicorn's head swung around towards its source, seeing an ajar door at the back of the room. She picked out a sign above it: Catacomb Access. There couldn't be any more, could there? "Really, your efforts in beating up Canterlot's finest scum have been commendable, but I think the buck has to stop here," it continued. Bon Bon began to trot towards the door, holding up her weapon. "That's right. Come closer. I want to see this." She pushed open the door, and gasped at the sight inside.

Stood before a large metal hatch were two unicorn stallions, both stood on their hind legs. One was the neuromancer, his eyes dilated, terror apparent on the grey buck's face. Behind him, with a red foreleg wrapped around the neuromancer's neck, was a grinning unicorn with a short-cut brown mane, two revolvers held in his white telekinetic glow. One's barrel pressed against the side of the doctor's head, and the other pointed menacingly at Bon Bon. What shocked her, however, were the stallion's eyes: brilliant green irises and thin, black slits of pupils, like a dragon's. What kind of pony was this?

"Well, this was bound to happen." The mysterious stallion chuckled, the guns in his control never wavering. "I knew the security loophole couldn't be trusted."

"Put him down," Bon Bon demanded, acutely aware of the stallion's instability. “Just put him down, and nopony has to get hurt. I’m sure there’s some... agreement we can come too.” Standard CPD hostage procedure. Still got it.

"I'm part of the coming dawn, Miss Bon Bon," he laughed. "And you could not possibly comprehend what I ultimately want. For now, though, that lockdown clearance card shall suffice."

The augmented mare gave a start. "You know who I am? How—"

"I know everything about you. And don't play coy with me. Those bomb collars don't just fall off, you know. Give it to me, and drop your weapon. Otherwise, I may be tempted to try out my own," he said, pulling the neuromancer tighter, and pulling back the hammers on the revolvers. Bon Bon's eyes narrowed behind her lenses. She flung aside the dart rifle, floated out the card, and began to walk slowly toward him. "Good. I'm glad you're so cooperative—"

"I've been shot at and threatened more times than I can count," she interrupted. "Six months ago, I watched my own creations go haywire and kill over a hundred ponies. I lost my body, my lover, everything that night." By now, she was stood directly in front of him, the revolver pressed against her forehead. Her lenses shot back and revealed her golden glare. "You. Don't. Scare me."

She waited, staring him down, looking into those chilling slits of pupils. Before her eyes, the pupils swum and changed, reverting to regular elliptical shapes. He began to tremble. "W-wait! I don't... I can't stop it! They... They're—"

Bon Bon stared at the stallion, reluctant to intervene in case either of the firearms he was wielding were fired in his panic. "He's insane! He keeps changing! You have to put him down!" the neuromancer blurted out. The stallion said nothing, apparently fighting some sort of internal struggle. As he did so, the two revolver barrels slowly angled away from their targets.

"Just... Put the guns down, and I can help you," she said uncertainly. He nodded, until suddenly he blanched and his gaze filled with fear.

"I can't! I-I'm..." His pupils shrank back to the slits, and another evil grin crossed his face. "I'm in control." Barely quick enough, Bon Bon swatted the revolver away from her head with her magic, the bullet whizzing past her ear. She staggered to one side as the deafening boom of the shot threw her off-balance, before looking up to see the stallion shoving the neuromancer against the hatch. She raised a hoof futilely as the other revolver rang out, leaving a bloody hole in the back of the grey unicorn's head. He spasmed as his body dropped to the floor, lifeless. The augmented pony let out a cry of rage as the mysterious stallion flipped the gun and held it against his own forehead.

Just before he ended his own life, Bon Bon body tackled the other pony, the wasted shot causing her already-punished ears to ring for a second time. She threw the revolver away with her own magical glow, and dragged the murderous unicorn to his hooves.

“Not this time, you bastard,” she growled, wrapping her foreleg around his neck, suppressing his breathing. “You’re not taking the coward’s route out.” His eyes turned back to normal, the slits widening out into ovals again, but the stallion’s weak cries of protest soon died out as he went limp. Bon Bon flung him to the floor in disgust.

She regarded the unconscious stallion, and the unmoving body of the neuromancer, his glassy eyes staring into oblivion. Her hoof unfolded, and she closed the lids. A glint on his doctor’s coat caught Bon Bon’s eye. She picked it up with her magic: it was an identification card. A name, an occupation, a cutie mark print, and a portrait photograph. The last two had been half-obliterated by a dark blood stain, the photo of the doomed neuromancer mocking her. The one she couldn’t save.

It was cast aside with a curse, and she slammed a hoof into the metal hatch with an enraged cry. No neuromancer. No Fluttershy.

Just two more ponies she’d failed.

-------

Augmentation Activated

Horn: Basic HackingAlthough technically illegal, mods to hack into magical communication and security systems have been used in corporate espionage for almost as long as modern augs have existed. This experimental model from Sparkle Industries uses advanced enchantments and a comprehensive user interface to allow operatives to break through common security measures in seconds.

-------

Many thanks to Burraku_Pansa and to Darth Rex from SALT for pre-reading, and to KibugamiKenzo for the incredible cover art.

Questions, comments, critiques? Get in touch at [e-mail]

Comments

[Oni]

456807 probably cause the world would implode from too much badass in a specific amount of time.

[Burraku_Pansa]

Ah, congrats on being in the top 5 featured, Melon!

[Mandella]

29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lltzgnHi5F1qzib3wo1_400.jpg

[Paladin Redflare]

Chapter 5 must be really something.

[That_one_guy]

THIS FIC IS BETTER THAN SEX

Well, not really GOOD sex, but better than sex in general.

[Shady Steps]

10,291 words..... tis 5 am..... SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Melon Hunter]

848232 Yes, all four of them! Plum Pudding had a husband and a child!

884944 Heh, thanks. That was a nice surprise, I can tell you

885283 Awesome. I shall endeavour to make it better than any sex, ever. Until then

[DerpieDoo]

Damn, this fic is VERY good! Keep it going, I love it!

[HMage]

Definitely enjoying this!

[BrimstoneThePony]

Really loving this. If I may ask, did you get the Just Cause name from the Equestrian Spring?

[Melon Hunter]

934635 Glad to hear it! I have heard the name Just Cause bandied about by a couple of stories before, although I didn't take it from anywhere in particular. Equestrian Spring was a story about an earth pony uprising, wasn't it?

[BrimstoneThePony]

937094 Kinda, it was more just ponies wanting to overthrow the princesses, get rid of their tyranny, and set up more of a democracy. Good story. Almost as good as yours...

[NotHereAnymoreProbably]

I can only say that I love this fic. Bon-Bon as an Aug-Unicorn? Makes sense. Colgate spending countless hours watching really bad tv sitcoms on the Equestrinet? I can totally see that. Bon-Bon being an absolute bad-ass? That is just top shit.

I really really love this fic, and those things up above are just a couple of my favourite bits, but...

You know what this fic really needs?

No, not more - actually, yes. More action would be even more excellent than it already is.

But aside from that, this fic could really do with some more chapters ASAP.

[Melon Hunter]

1091529 Heh, thanks a lot for this. Real-life stuff has been getting in the way of writing a little too often for my liking in the past month. Rest assured, I'm working on the next chapter, and there should be more action coming up!