Resident Pon-Evil - Operation: Equestrian Downfall

by Delta 727

Level 9: Corrosive Counterpart

When Harmony's Elements are captured by Dmitri Zernovski at their base in the police station, they discover that Marigold is a traitor, and is in love with Dmitri. Marigold fled the scene, and Dmitri has lead the Elements to an old speaking tower in Town Square and surrounded it in infected ponies. Just as it seems the stallions are about to be executed, an old friend once thought lost arrives from the shadows and holds Dmitri hostage under her hoof at gunpoint.

*Begin Transmission*

Acid stood over Dmitri, one hoof in his back and her pistol in his neck. "And to think you could really spring a trap on me," she said. She turned her gaze to her teammates and said, "I appreciate the help back there. You sure were looking out for me..."

"Hey! I was in fury when I returned knowing I lost you," Chainlink said. "We even brought down an old oil refinery with that bucking traitor Marigold's Tyrant!"

"I'm sure you did. But that doesn't matter now," Acid said. "Looks like we have a little problem on our hooves..." She pressed her pistol hard into Dmitri's neck, and bent down until her muzzle was right next to his ear. "You have a lot of questions to answer for me..."

Dmitri's ear twitched at her breath as he said, "Of course. What will it be? Why I did this? Who I work for? What was with Marigold? Go on, hit me."

"I'd love to, but I need you unharmed," Acid said. "Go on, team. Ask him anything. If he tries anything... Well, let's just hope he doesn't try anything."

"I'll start... Are you... Working for Harrow's End?" X-Ray started.

"Yes. I was more of one of their mercenaries. They sent you after me to make sure I could corner you and kill you dead on your hooves." Dmitri had the remnants of a smile on his face.

"And Marigold?" Blade asked.

"Her and I have been in business for quite some time. After a while, she was interested in me. Now she can't keep her hooves off me."

"Save the details," Chainlink said. "Now I want to know, why toy with us like little foals instead of just killing us?"

"I was testing you. Harrow's End thought it would be a little out of interest if I just shot you dead." Dmitri's smile had faded. "They thought that if they were betrayed, why not have a little fun?"

"So that's why you sent those zombies after us?" Chainlink's voice became filled with anger. "The exact same zombies that almost killed Acid!? You're lucky I haven't snapped your neck with my bare hooves!"

"Oh, please," Dmitri said. "Why would you want to kill such a lovable stallion lik-" Acid pressed her hoof deeper into his back, cutting him off.

"Save the sarcasm. Think about what you're saying before my bullet keeps you from ever thinking again."

Dmitri looked straight at Chainlink. "Yes. They were only to toy with you. I was a little impressed when your friend disappeared. It worked better than I anticipated."

"And the... Oil depot? Why would you need... Oil?" X-Ray asked.

"Experiments." Acid slapped Dmitri across the muzzle with the barrel of her gun, causing a swelling bruise on the left side of his nose, telling him to be specific. "That's all I know! Harrow's End wouldn't tell me more. I think it was part of their virus experiments." He rubbed one hoof on his muzzle, and flinched. "Ah, you crazy bucking-"

"Watch it."

"If Marigold is on your side, then where did she go?" Blade asked.

"She went back to her Department." Dmitri's face was blank. "I told her once the mission was done, she could go back to her job, and Harrow's End would erase the records of her for helping on the job."

"And what about the Tyrant?"

"Her Tyrant has been terminated," Dmitri said. "We had no more use for it after the upgrade your friend here gave it. Yes, we know about that as well. Now I have a question." He looked as far as he could behind him at Acid. "How the buck did you survive?

"Simple." Acid said with a smirk on her face. "During Chainlink's spray of gunfire, I threw a flash grenade that I stole from Chainlink's belt."

Chainlink reached one hoof onto his grenade holsters for the missing grenade. "You're one clever mare."

"Thank you. I threw it out of the crowd of ponies around me, and they lumbered after the flash like foals to a mug of cider. I slipped away into an alley and took refuge in the hospital. In the morgue, to be exact." She flashed a glare at her team, and they all showed signs of pity for her. "I was kept with spirits high by Shade's corpse. And now I'm here to kill you for not only attempting to execute my team and leading them to a traitor, but for killing my daughter!"

Dmitri paused, and he simply laughed. "Go ahead, shoot me. I'll just blow us all to Celestia!" He managed to lean his upper body up far enough to tear open his uniform jacket with his hooves. It was covered in explosives. "These grenades are attached to a heart monitor. If it gets too low, it will set all of them off. A nice present from Harrow's End in case I was killed." He reared up out from under Acid's hoof, bucked her down, and spun around to grab her in his front hooves. He drew his pistol and put it to her head. "Now who is in trouble? You're all unarmed, and you can't kill me without killing yourselves!" He lauged as he said, "Soon, I will escape with a Pegasi team, and you will all be left here to die with the infected, just like all those civillians you killed thinking you were doing the right thing!" The infected below them moaned like they were all in agony, clopping their hooves on the boards of the speech platform. "Any last words before I send you all to Celestia?"

There was a long pause, and Dmitri began to speak, but Acid cut him off. "Actually, yes. Are you afraid of heights?"

Dmitri only seemed confused, and then he laughed. "And what would that have to do with your final words?"

She looked at the three stallions in front of her, and mouthed the words, "I'm sorry." She looked back to Dmitri and said, "Because breaking some bones in the fall will make you easier to chew." She kicked her back leg into Dmitri's, breaking it at the knee. Dmitri yelled in pain, and he stumbled with Acid still in his hooves. As they both lumbered backward, they fell over the edge of the platform, straight into the reaching hooves of the infected.

"NO!" Chainlink yelled. He dove for the edge of the platform to grab Acid's hoof, but it was too late. They were already in the hooves of the infected. Blade and X-Ray had to hold him down with all the strength their hooves had left, and Dmitri's bomb coat went off, sending a cloud of flame into the air as it killed the crowd of infected, flaring up in the faces of the Elements. Chainlink had stopped his thrashing as reality sank in. Harmony's Elements were now missing their virologist for real this time. As they stared off into the mass of burnt ponies and the dismantled bodies, there was almost no sound except from the flickering flames that still had not extinguished, and the beating hearts of the Elements as they watched the ashes of defeat.

---

As the Elements collected themselves together, they sat down on the speech platform. Finally, X-Ray spoke. "So what... Happens now...?"

"Now," Chainlink said, "We're stranded. No guns, no backup, and now no way to bring back Acid. Buck it to Celestia, it's all my fault." He looked down at his hooves. "I should have saved her when I had the chance... If I had gone back for her, she would still be here."

"And what about Dmitri?" Blade asked. "Would he still be alive and able to execute us all?"

"If that happened, I could have died with her instead of living now for her to sacrifice herself." X-Ray put a hoof on Chainlink's shoulder, but he shook it off. "No. Don't comfort me. That only works on foals... I know it was my fault." He sighed, but looked up. "But crying won't bring her back. We still need to-"

Chainlink was interrupted by a spotlight shining on them from above. As Chainlink groaned in frustration, the light had shined off of them to the burning mass of dead ponies, and landed. A Pegasi team! As they landed with a large, square transport capsule attatched to them by steel cable, the front hatch opened. An armed team of ponies trotted out, dressed from head to hoof in thin police uniforms. As they formed a perimeter around the landing zone, a figure stepped out.

"Marigold!" Chainlink screamed in rage as he charged the golden pony. "I'll bucking kill you, you traito-!" He stopped as Marigold smacked him across the face with her front hoof, then hugged him as if he was an old friend. Chainlink attempted to resist, but she began to speak.

"I know y'all think I'm a traitor. But I'm not. I'm here to save you." She let go of Chainlink. "I managed to get back to my Department to send in backup. And in good news, Harrow's End is gone. They've been exposed for the outbreak. I took everything they had about me working with them, and the information was enough to send the whole corporation into collapse. The slate's clean. Y'all are home free. No more of Harrow's End dragging you into the blame." The two stallions of Harmony's Elements that remained on the stage jumped down next to Chainlink.

"And what about you and Dmitri?" Blade asked. "Weren't you in love with him?"

"Oh, him?" Marigold spat out the words like venom and pretended to vomit. "I would never be in love with him if I was tied to an infected!" She spat. "I'll be washing his taste out of my mouth for weeks." She looked around. "I'm sorry Acid wasn't alive to see this..."

"She was." Chainlink said, and Marigold instantly perked up.

"Oh, really? She's alive!? Well, where is she?" As she looked around the ashes that surrounded the area, her ears dropped. "Oh... Was she...?"

"She sacrificed herself... To kill Dmitri," X-Ray said. "Dmitri... Was covered in a heart-sensetive explosive belt. Acid threw herself... Over the side with him, and..." He stopped. Marigold closed her eyes and raised a hoof.

"I get it. Y'all were more important to her than her own life. She'll be missed. Ah'll have one of my teams retrieve Shade's body to be buried for her... But now, y'all have a celebration to get to!"

The three stallions of Haromy's Elements looked at each other, and all said simultaneously, "What?"

Marigold continued. "Well, ever since Harrow's End was brought down, y'all are heroes! You brought down a corporation of liars as dark as Luna herself!"

"But you said that you were the one who collected all the evidence against them," Blade said, clearly confused.

Marigold smiled. "Oh, did I say that? It may have slipped my tongue when Canterlot heard about it." The three stallions remained silent. "Well, c'mon! Don't wanna be late. Let's go home, heroes!" She trotted back into the secure capsule, and the soldiers surrounding it all followed. After a few hoofbeats, Chainlink stepped forward and into the capsule as the rest of the team followed. The capsule closed, and the Pegasi team took flight, leaving the ashes of Dmitri and Acid in their final resting place.

Even so, all four of Harmony's Elements were finally out of the nightmare of the Equestrian Harrow's Virus.

*Transmission Ended*