Bugs and Steel

by Beta-17

The Fall of a Titan (Chapter-9)

Author's Note:

REALLY short one today, but I figured I'd bring the story to end on an even ten chapters, and besides I don't think a long chapter makes a good chapter (No Innuendo intended) Again, sorry for the short chapter but eh, the next one should be at least twice as long.

Noses poked around through the air to find the source of the smell. On the other side of Panzer Shriek’s decapitated body, Red was on his knees attempting to get up. He managed to turn his body so he was facing the ponies he was defending. Fluttershy trotted up close to him as he found his feet, he stumbled for a moment making the rubber soles of his feet squeak on the littered marble floor. Fluttershy could see water building up in his eyes, he looked like he was about to cry. Only the look on his face was one of pain and despair. His knees buckled and failed to support his weight, making a loud clang upon colliding with the floor. The marble beneath his steel kneecaps cracked upon impact. The loud crash placed all eyes on Red as he lifted his head to face them, he said nothing. Fluttershy then heard a light tinkling from behind the Soviet. She searched his back and found that the back plate of his head to be smashed in, small shards of glass fell from what was left of the vents. Finally the thought crashed into her mind and sank her heart like a boulder in a lake. The burning smell was that of an electrical fire.

Red turned his head to look Fluttershy dead in the eyes, the water built up in his eyes weren’t tears. He was overheating; the vacuum tubes in his head had been crushed, leaving the sensitive components inside the steel Soviet’s metal skull to over load with power. The water dripped from Reds eyes like tears, Fluttershy began to tear up in panic.

“Fluttershy? Fluttershy what’s wrong?!” Twilight and the rest of the elements had run over now knowing the source of the smell.

“Red, Red no! You can’t die on me! Not like this!” Fluttershy had gone in to hug him, careful not to touch his head, which by now was steaming the condensation at a blazing two hundred and fifteen degrees. The fan in his chest cavity was struggling to keep the components within his torso as a safe temperature. The sporadic fan made it sound like Red was sobbing. Visible smoke was no pouring out of Red’s nose and slipping through the corners of his eyes.

“He’s burning up! Quick somepony get a bucket of water! Hurry!” Twilight shouted urgently. Red’s mangled and beaten face looked deep into Fluttershy’s blue eyes, trying to see through the water buildup in his eyes.

“Fluuuuuuuuuttersssssshy, Th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thank y, y, y, you. Aaaaaaall of you. Iiiiiiiiiit’s too la-late for me. I’ve dooooooooone aaaaaaall, I could. I’m soooooory I le, le, let you down.” Red’s vocal processer was being melted by the intense heat making his voice scrambled and laggy.

“You could never let me down.” Fluttershy’s words barely squeaked past the ball in her throat.

“No, no no no no no no no no no! Red you can’t die on us!” Rainbowdash began to panic at the tone of his voice. It was now clear that he was not faking. Red’s eye lids began to drift shut. From somewhere in his head a long squeal sounded and ended with a pop. The Soviet’s eyes shot open, and the leather that made up his eyelids began to blacken and burn. The heat from the overclocked electronics had now started a fire.

“WHERE’S THAT WATER!?” Twilight shouted desperately fearing it may be too late. To everypony’s surprise Chrysalis was the one with the water bucket. The water sloshed and spilled a few drops on the floor as it was hastily carried over to the burning body of the Ex-Soviet. The water was dumped over the scalding hot metal, making the glass of his eyes crack under the sudden cold shock. Another louder snap was heard, and Red’s body went limp. The clockwork stopped, his battery stopped buzzing, the little generator connected to Red’s battery stopped turning. Red, the Soviet soldier, who despised fighting, had given his life to save those closest to him. The metal body slumped over in a heap on the ground, fire cutting the air from the head; Red now lay on the ground, dead. Fluttershy quickly turned her head and ran toward an open window, unfurled her wings and flew off, leaving a trail of tears in her wake. Rainbow gave chase to comfort her friend.

From across the room, in the door way stood Pixel, under her arm held like a prized soccer ball rested Panzer’s head. She straightened her hat and used her free hand to brace her side; the cannon ball had put a major dent in her side but had not critically injured her. Upon seeing Red’s body on the ground burning, she dropped Panzer’s head with a dull clang and she sprinted over to the metal corps. She forgot the dent in her side as she slid like a baseball player across the littered floor franticly searching for signs of life from the Soviet. She knew there would be no response, the analytical computer side of her knew this, but the emotional more human, more alive side of her hoped she was wrong. Red didn’t move, he was gone.