Millennia: Eye of the Storm

by Thunderblast

47. Into the Eye of the Storm - Part V

Above the echoing pitter-patter of dripping water from a leaky pipe, the clicks and gentle scratches of hooves and claws on cold concrete and steel comprised of the tube-shaped tunnel's ambience. The constant cool temperature of the underground provided a little bit of relief to our hot and sweaty selves. It was a welcomed exchange from the muggy atmosphere on the surface. If other parts of the system hadn't fared poorer, these tunnels might have been the prime location for some relief camps to get ponies out of the late-summer heat.

With electricity down across the network, the third rail posed no risk to our journey through seemingly the only intact subway line under the city. Cracks lined the circular walls and ceiling, though the overall damage was insignificant and did not threaten to cave in on top of us.

The one issue we faced as a group was ending up in the right location. Being as extensive as Manehattan's subway complex was, becoming lost would not be difficult in the slightest, meaning we would have to rely on the names of certain stops to guide our way. However, after about thirty minutes of strolling these curving tracks, there had still not been any sign of a station platform.

Zjitzo had distanced himself ahead from the rest of our pack, claiming if in the event of an ambush, which became increasingly unlikely the longer we walked, we would have a chance to hightail back the way we came. Something about the manner of positioning seemed off, though. Visible through flashlight attachments on his unit's guns and helmets, his overly-tense posture and overall body language struck as the most standing-out aspects.

For the longest time, I tended to ignore it. I didn't know him quite as well as these three did, so it wasn't my place to question. That was, leading up to a sudden change of how he walked. Call me crazy, but with as little noise being made in that tunnel, it left me with nothing else but to tune in on the tiniest of details. It just so happens these intricate attributes linked straight to the captain of their shrinking circle.

"Is he ever like that?" I muttered as quiet as can be while still being audible, turning to Zjitzo's specialist, whose name I had come to learn was Zaria by her plate's low-profile nametag.

Flicking a glance over at me, the female griffon started observing her superior's movements for a few seconds. She gave a curt shake of her head. "Not typically."

"He's sulking," added the corporal, Hermes, the narrowly distinct tone in which he spoke faintly revealing a glower on his mien. "Not the first time I've seen 'im do it."

The Griffish-accented griffon had mine and Zaria's curiosity piqued now, our undivided attention shifting to him. Silently, so did the private first class' on Hermes' opposite side. It took him a few moments to realize, puzzled when he glanced between the three of us surrounding him. "What?"

"What do you mean by, 'not the first time'?" the specialist queried, her brow suspiciously raised.

Hermes blinked a couple of times, before reaching up to tug the front of his helmet slightly down closer to his eyes. "When his mother passed a few years ago, I first knew 'im as an emotional train wreck. Zjitzo was cold and calculating, just like the bots Mace created. He reacted to nothing in front of no one, then one night I found 'im chugging a whole bottle of whiskey down by the creek to drown his sorrows."

I cocked my head slightly. "How'd his mother die? Natural causes?"

The grey and black griffon corporal let off a low sigh. "I sat down with 'im, asked what was troubling 'im. He told me, straightforward, that weeks before she died, she had issues breathing. Not asthma, but as if she was being choked by some sort of invisible force. She went in for a checkup, and they had discovered a sizable lump near the bottom of her trachea, situated just below where she would've felt it on 'er own.

"Trachea?" I asked, puzzled. Medical terms exceeded my line of expertise, though having some knowledge of it could very well prove beneficial in the future.

"Yer trachea is yer throat, little pony," the private first class, Hades, answered. My heart sank at that, now having some idea of where this was heading.

Without acknowledging, Hermes continued. "By the time medical experts figured out what it was, it had spread, formed almost a complete ring around her throat, and its growth constricted her pharynx.

"The real catcher is, it wasn't the tumor that they expected to cause a gradual shutdown of 'er system. It simply choked her to death, in 'er sleep. So she went quietly."

"My god..." I uttered, gaze falling to the rail between my hooves. "That's horrible."

"Yeah." Hermes gave a single concurring nod, facing forward. "Now that Ajax is gone, he'll start showing signs of 'is old grief again."

I looked at the corporal, then ahead to a slightly farther Zjitzo, likely having eavesdropped us that whole time judging by the way his head hung lower than prior.

"I can talk to him. Perhaps he needs consolation."

Zaria's snarky purple gaze met mine. "You seriously think friendship will turn him around?"

Flicking a look at the specialist, telling her to watch me, I gave a curt response. "Friends are how I cope."

Without another word spoken, I pulled ahead with a momentarily-quickened pace to move up alongside Zjitzo while still allowing him to have the lead.

For a few moments, I said nothing. You work your way into these kinds of conversations, not jump straight into it.

"What you were talking about back there was none of your business," he groused, completely out of the blue. Off to a great start already.

"No, it wasn't." I gave a gentle shake of my head. "I am sorry for that. And I'm sorry about your sergeant."

Zjitzo grunted lowly. "There isn't anything to be sorry for. Shit happens."

"Shit happens, yes," I nodded in agreement to that. "Yet it still gets to you."

Almost immediately after, he raised his voice enough for the others to hear clearly, throwing an unwavering glare my way. "I'm not sure you understand, Star Shooter. He was a close acquaintance of mine, perhaps one of the closest I had."

I didn't flinch. "I do understand. In fact, what you are feeling right now is mutual."

"Why?" he queried coldly. "You didn't know him."

"Not the intended context, Captain," I gazed forward. "But it flashes back to my own experiences."

Zjitzo blinked, softening his glare. "Have you lost someone close to you before?"

I gave a firm nod in response. "Yes. Somewhat recently, actually." My ears lost their attentive perk at the thought of the topic. "His name was Solar Wave. Private First Class, a member of my squadron since training commenced."

Giving pause to swallow the lump in my throat, a grim edge attached to my tone. "He was only seventeen. Lied about his age just to enlist by himself, wanted to make his parents proud. I suppose, in the long run, he did."

I drew in a small breath, sighing. "But now... here I am blaming myself. Even for the times I stood up for him, I feel as though I wasn't there enough in the few months we knew each other. When somepony you are tasked with making sure they go home to see their family at the end of the day passes unexpectedly, it sticks with you. It haunts you for the rest of your life."

Turning to glance over his shoulder, the taller avian figure stared sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm moving on." My pensive focus remained straight ahead, shoving down the sorrow that would lead to a total emotional breakdown. "All it does is teach me to be more watchful, so it can be prevented next time."

Zjitzo nodded once. "That's good," was his neutral response, seeming as if he didn't know what to really say to that. There was a short silence before he spoke again. "How did he die, if you don't mind me asking, of course?"

"Leapt over and covered a cooked grenade in a stairwell that we were all in. Would have wiped us all out if it weren't for him." My head dipped a little in slight reflection, a glower taking form across my countenance. "I question all the time why he didn't just kick it back out into the hall. Or... wrap it up in magic with Silver's help."

"Most grenades nowadays disperse a unicorn's aura when it detonates. The substance used is called Composition F, one of the newer chemical combinations that infuses a powdery element known as Belua, which acts as a magic dampener. A unicorn can hold a grenade as long as they'd like, but the moment its charge ignites, the Belua is released mere nanoseconds ahead of the explosion," explained Zjitzo, a stern tone to his voice.

"It is steadily becoming that way for all types of explosives, as it is believed unicorns have an unfair advantage in battle. This change is meant to level the playing field, as horrible as it is to say that."

As he explained, I peered my eyes over, only turning my head when he concluded. "Well, that... isn't much assurance. But hey, I know what to tell my buddies now. You know, when this is all over."

Zjitzo tipped his beak affirmingly. For another short period of time, we strode in silence. It broke when the griffon captain started again.

"Just a short while ago, you were so apprehensive around me and my troops. Now you walk among us with no fear, treading into dangerous territory both figuratively and literally," he began, turning over his shoulder. "Why do you show concern for me?"

"It's as I said, Zjitzo. You proved your loyalty to me, and you earned my trust. Maybe even a little more than that. The least I can do is return the favor and be a friend." I responded, drifting my gaze to his directly.

The griffon's grass-green irides honed in on me. "Friends aren't made after an hour of being in each other's presence, Star. We may trust each other, but I would not consider us friends or even acquaintances just yet."

"See? This is the grief talking for you!" I rejoined, striding forward and staring right back, only for him to look away, as if he was no longer interested in seeing me. His head no longer stood attentively, and even his eyes faltered to the rails.

"You don't actually feel this way. Granted, we did only just meet, but that doesn't alter my point in the slightest. Tell me, Zjitzo, is this how you treat everyone you come across?"

He went quiet. Over the course of a few seconds, his pace slowed, and I found myself to be slightly ahead of him, prompting me to stop and wait for him to catch up.

"Huh?" I reiterated, demanding an answer out of him now. "Is it?"

"No!" he yelled out of frustration, grousing, "Ugh... Why are most ponies I meet so persistent for information?"

"Because you are one mysterious griffon," I retorted. "When something happens—to you, specifically—a veil goes up over you, and you refuse to let anyone cut that veil and help you."

"I can help myself just fine. Independence is a wonderful value to learn in life."

"But it can lead to miscommunication, as well. It isn't exactly a good thing to mask yourself before the individuals you are supposed to be working with and helping you out, and those that you hold close to your heart. It took me a little bit too long to realize that in my own case, but now I do."

Zjitzo shifted to me once more, his brow raised. "So, what, I open up, and I risk vulnerability?"

"Is that what this is, trust issues? If that's the case, why did you put your trust in me? Why bother going through all of the trouble when you know, at any given moment, I could swipe your sidearm and put two rounds in your skull?"

His green cores glared daggers. "Because you wouldn't win the fight, regardless if you are successful. If I go down, so will you."

"Not if your own team had my six," I remarked, causing the big griffon to recoil slightly. "Not if they shared my views regarding you."

At that, Zjitzo halted in his tracks and spun a complete one-eighty, paws squeaking loudly across the tunnel. Instantly, his squad mates stopped, acting as if they were caught off-guard.

"Is this how you feel about me?" he questioned, fixating on none of his fellow griffons specifically, his disappointed scowl carrying across each with equal weight.

However, before any response was given, a quiet voice emit from the captain's radio. My ears perked as I glanced at the thin wire stretching below his plates, up to the piece built into his helmet. Zjitzo twisted a small knob on a device with two clicks, raising the volume for us to listen in.

"We need some serious backup on 97th and Miriam! Numerous hostile... whatever... are making their way toward known civilian locations!"

The stranger part, but also the most uncanny of it, was that I knew the voice almost as soon as it started talking.

"That voice..." My eyes grew wide in sudden realization. "I recognize it!"

"Who is it?" Zjitzo glanced up from his chest.

"That's Sergeant Sunset Haze. Led our team on the Alder that night, was injured when the rescue basket struck him. He is my buddy Ashfall's platoon sergeant." I looked up between them.

"However many of them there are fighting, they must be extremely outnumbered." Zaria grunted, followed by a scoff. "Fuckin' Armet..."

"They don't nearly have the firepower to fend off those drones if they are like the one we saw earlier." My breath quickened as adrenaline kicked back in, picturing the most horrifying thought conceivable in that instance, and that was Ash and Night being boxed in, among perhaps dozens of other Marines. "Th-they need our help!" Out of fear for my fellow pony, wherever we were truly headed could wait. I began to turn around.

Before I could start running, a swift claw clutched my arm tightly and spun me back around. Holding me by the shoulders, Zjitzo loomed over. "We can't go back yet. It's far too risky!"

"Captain..." my ears pinned back, eyes glassing over in a thin trace of building tears. "I'm a Marine. I am supposed to sprint toward the danger, not cower away from it. Those are my friends up there, and they are dying!"

"Shooter, if we so much as step foot above ground, we are toast!" he shook me gently. "Do you understand that?! We have an objective to follow! We can't abandon it just to save a couple of ponies you know!"

I knew he was right. Going up to help was suicide. Yet that is what Marines do for a living. Sometimes we come home, sometimes we don't. It was a risk I would willingly take, but to what avail? No one would be saved if I am killed the moment I pop my head out of a ponyhole.

My nose twitched as the chances of success processed through my head. Soon it became apparent what had to be done, and the call was tough. With much reluctance, I gave my response in the form of a slow nod. "I... I understand."

"Good." He let go, doing so with enough force to gently shove against my chest, though not to move me. Placing a talon on the handle of his rifle hanging by a strap around his neck, Zjitzo stopped halfway as he turned around. "I'm sorry. I wish there was more we can do."

I let out a sharp huff, blinking heavily to disperse the tears. My breath remained laborious in nature while I attempted to hold my composure intact. "Me, too." With that, I proceeded along.

However, our journey did not get us very far.

“Damn it. End of the line,” grunted Hermes, shining his light across the gigantic steel cap that closed off the tunnel.

Out of the corner of my eye, I picked up on something. The faintest sliver of light emanating from a thin space below a door. I started towards it, attracting Zaria’s attention as I did so, and she helped by moving her flashlight over to where I approached.

I immediately halted in my tracks upon seeing a rather strange steel door, handle latch wired to a keypad that signified the need for a passcode. Still, I walked up to the door and attempted to open. Locked.

Two silenced rounds whisked past my hoof, striking the little panel and the lock. I flinched heavily, lurching sideways and snapping my head over my shoulder to Zjitzo, who lowered his rifle. I threw up a hoof in gesture, glaring at him, before pulling on the handle. While heavy, the door glided open like a dream, casting the interior light in the doorframe’s shape across the opposite wall of the tunnel.

Everyone now stared at the entrance scrutinizingly as their forms were illuminated. The first steps I took were ones of caution, as were every that followed upon entering the corridor. From the start, its very existence seemed very abrupt and in stark contrast to the rest of the subway tube, and how this area had electricity like this was beyond me. It prompted them to switch off their flashlight attachments to conserve battery life.

The doorway opened to a three-step staircase into a narrow service tunnel, comfortably lit with newer bulbs and built to occupy one pony at a time. Judging by the integrity of the concrete the passageway consisted of, it had to have been constructed recently; within the past few months, at most. It led to a steel ladder with safety railing encompassing the length down to about six feet above the ground below.

One by one, we climbed down the ladder, landing onto a small plain platform that just barely fit the five of us comfortably. To the left on our way down sat a heavy duty door with a triangular electrical symbol printed at eye-level on it. For safe measures, we checked it in case of a deceptive sign that masks something else within. This time, however, it was exactly as advertised, containing a small area with breakers and wiring neatly lined along the walls.

Then, our attention turned to the edge of the platform, where a long, white bridge of sorts stood some five feet above the bottom of the tunnel on thick pillars. Its edges were smooth and round, like the monorail track at Adventure World in Mareami, albeit slightly different. Perhaps it was just standing this close that made it seem to have distinct design features.

"What is this?" questioned Zjitzo to himself, examining the singular rail.

"Monorail," I answered. "I wasn't even aware Manehattan had a monorail system."

"Can't be public transport," remarked Hermes. "Most I know of are above ground."

It wasn't more than a few seconds when a conclusion pieced together in my head. "What else is GenTech hiding down here?"

The griffon captain peeked out, peering either direction. The poorly lit tunnel allotted little judgement of what it led to, as well as the curve in the left direction. His sights settled that way. "There, that should take us north."

I glanced over the edge, down into the dark pit that was the bottom of the massive tube. While the floor was in sight, the darkness made it seem like a larger drop than it actually was, sinking my stomach only a little. I looked up at Zjitzo. "Don't suppose you have a path preference, do you?"

Before a response could be given, Zaria leaped across the gap, her claws scratching and sparking against the rail. Not a second later, Hermes jumped, followed by Hades, and then Zjitzo. They cleared some room for me to follow suit.

Stepping back as far as the platform would allow, I charged forward, spreading my wings. The gap cleared can't have been more than six or seven feet, and I have jumped farther in my past. Hell, I could have done it without my wings, as all they did was make the glide smoother.

My hooves skidded a bit upon touchdown, compelling me to scramble in brief panic as the other edge drew nearer for a moment. I panted, grasping my chest when it was over. Turning to Zjitzo, he gave a firm nod, starting down the line approaching the corner with the rest of us tailing closely.

The lowest of rumbles reverberated throughout the length of the tunnel that never seemed to diminish nor grow louder. Couldn't have been a train passing adjacently, seeing as all rail service had been suspended indefinitely as soon as the first quake struck and a state of emergency was enacted. This sounded more like a generator, whatever kept the lights on. Perhaps what powered them emits a constant, eerie roar, escaping through the wiring containing it.

At the curve's end sat roughly a mile and a half of straightaway, and at the end of that shined a brightly-lit area that only became apparent the closer we came. Like a subway station, albeit significantly smaller and much more bland compared to one, the platform led to a short tiled corridor and later rounded into a tall flight of stairs.

From there, Zjitzo maintained lead, having his weapon drawn as he cautiously climbed the steps. Met with more concrete walls and wide doorways, the layout deceived us into thinking we were still underground. When we rounded into a much larger passageway, however, our minds shifted gears real quick.

Rays of sunlight poked through the skylights of the massive warehouse's arch-shaped metal roof, standing perhaps two or three stories with a few narrow catwalks suspended above that stretched the span of the structure, leading to second-floor offices overlooking the main storage area. Crates upon crates and countless containers of varying sizes and lengths lined the walls and three more rows in between, stacked with symmetry in consideration.

On the undamaged floors, rectangular patches of clean concrete occupied some more-open spaces, indicating a few of these packages had been recently moved elsewhere.

"Man, I hoped I wouldn't see one of these so soon," I uttered in remark to the much older, worn-down place back in Los Pegasus. The mention briefly drew the captain's attention, but he waved it off.

For the first couple of minutes stepping hoof into the building, neither of us had a clue what contents were contained here. That was, until a shipping label printed on the top of a wooden-planked box read 'Ship to: GenTech Inc. Warehousing, Manehattan Navy Yards, Manehattan, Equestria'.

Upon closer inspection, each of these read similarly, except for the majority of their return addresses spanning from Seaddle to Hoofston, and even a couple from Trottingham.

"Well, I'll be," began Zjitzo, examining our surroundings thoroughly. "They connected their corporate headquarters to a tech storage facility."

"Makes more sense than public transport to get between locations quickly," I remarked, strolling down one of the aisles and stopping halfway to glance back at him. "Whoever works research and development in his building's labs can stop by whenever they'd like to grab something they need, or take a look at a new prototype. I bet you most of these came in from their factories across the country."

While remaining close by, the five of us split up in our own directions to further survey the building. Hermes and Zaria scanned for signs of life in case we weren't alone while Zjitzo, his PFC, and myself explored, searching for anything that might prove useful later on.

One particular collection caught in the corner of my eye, prompting me to walk over. A black, heavy-duty briefcase locked by thick plastic clips sat on its side atop a tall brown box, easy to open at the push of pressure buttons on the sides. Either clip flicked outward with soft clicks, and the top of the case cracked ajar.

Lifting it, my gaze set upon a pair of modernly-designed sunglasses placed neatly in a grey foam lining within, the wedge-shaped lenses almost completely blacked out along the front to conceal the wearer's eyes completely. Along the side of the frame arms flickered a little green light beside a tiny button indiscernible except for up close.

Curiously, I pressed it, and almost instantly the quiet sounds of a computer processor starting up emit from them. Checking my surroundings briefly, I put the spectacles over my eyes. By their own superficial instinct, the lenses adjusted to the lighting inside the warehouse. The peculiar translucency of the glass from behind gave the idea that they were for one's aided eyesight. In fact, they seemed to not darken my line of view whatsoever, despite retaining a roughly ninety-percent opacity if one were to look at me while I wore them. That alone made it one impressive piece of technology.

Before my eyes flashed the blue GenTech logo with a loading bar sat beneath it. It filled quickly, transitioning smoothly to a HUD of greens, blues, and oranges that popped up along the edges without obscuring view. Little numbers in non-distracting hues read surrounding temperature, latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates, among other details of information. At that, it started scanning the area.

Awe filled my mind, and just by merely glancing around, I felt like a little colt testing out a toy train on Hearth's Warming. Admittedly, in spite of all the bad transpiring everywhere one looks, GenTech did concoct some impressive gadgets. If their tech wasn't currently being used to kill hundreds at a time, I might just fully agree with my thoughts.

"Shooter!" called Zjitzo, prompting me to snap his direction. The glasses temporarily halted in its areal sweep of building and fixated a fine yellow outline around his form. Beside it popped up the words, 'Proceed with caution', indicating the computer had also been programmed to detect whether or not certain beings are a threat to the wearer's well-being. That is another nice little touch.

Regardless, I lifted the shades up to sit in my mane, which then powered them off on their own behavior. I trotted toward the griffon captain. "What's up?" I questioned, halting just short of him.

Zjitzo's light green irides darted up at the computerized spectacles momentarily, only to return to me more sternly. "If this place is in any way aiding to the plans of Armet Mace, it would be in our best interest to destroy everything in here."

At that, my eyes widened. "E-everything? There isn't much in here but weapons it looks like." I stopped, flicking a glance up toward my crown. "And a couple of exceptions for shit I could previously only dream of."

The brown and white griffon tilted his head, retaining a neutral expression. "Star, you know the situation." He then rolled his eyes, sighing. "Keep the glasses if you would like, I know a pony who can reconfigure them to your taste. Until then, we torch this place."

"You aren't torching anything!"

I whipped completely around, instantly dropping into a defensive stance. Simultaneously, Zjitzo drew his rifle, joined shortly after by the rest of his crew gathering on our sides.

To our total surprise, an entire squadron of ponies had entered quiet as mice, despite the heavy tactical gear they sported. I counted at least eight of the same futuristically-designed steel-colored rifles pointed at the five of us. Every inch of their bodies—minus their eyes, of course—were covered by thick kevlar plating. Frankly, it wouldn't shock me if their entire individual loadouts consisted of similar armor all across.

"You five are under arrest on behalf of the orders of Commander Armet Mace," addressed the taller stallion stood just ahead of the other troops. A modulator in his helmet altered the tone of his voice to sound more menacingly robotic than we knew he was.

My sights narrowed on the blue-eyed earth pony with suspicion. "Really? Forgive me, I was not aware Armet is our new dictator overlord."

"He is now."

I lunged to the side, diving against cover as a storm of supercharged energy bullets shot through the warehouse. The griffon captain and his squad each went their own way. Zaria flew up to a catwalk for an overhead view, Hermes and the private first class pulling each other behind a heavy container, while Zjitzo took off in a sprint for one of the walls for shelter. From their respective positions, the four of them opened fire upon the advancing squadron.

Without a weapon to return the engagement, once more I felt useless in the fight. A couple of enemy rounds blasted through the side of a wooden-planked crate, exploding a rather large portion of the lid into splinters that rained around me. My curious attention remained on the inside as I pulled off what was left of the top.

Sifting through the papershred-filled crate, my hoof swiped across the side of a weapon. I took it swiftly by the stock, lifting it up to reveal a SCAR-H in a sleek, jet black design, with a small glass holographic attachment on top. It brought a wide grin to my muzzle. “Ho, ho. I can live with this!”

However, a gun without ammo wouldn't get me very far in this fight, though a heavy-duty cache to my right quickly changed that. Opening the chest, my hoof blindly reached for a small utility box neatly packed with some thirty SCAR magazines, snatching one up, and hastily inserting it.

Cocking the handle, flicking the selective fire switch first to burst mode, I was ready to roll. The rifle itself, while packing a bit more weight than the M16, had just a little bit more control upon readying my aim.

In the roughly forty seconds spent loading up, more enemies had stormed in behind the first squadron and were beginning to fan out across the warehouse in attempt to flank us. To my left, Hermes, Zjitzo, and Hades had much of one aisle covered by their own fire. Up above, Zaria alternated between the right-side walkway and the area where a few of the gunponies hid.

Scooting to my right to glance around the corner, a pair of operatives rushed toward me without taking immediate notice of my location. At such close range, the shades would not be of much assistance, I figured, thus prompting me to eyeball my aim.

The holographic sight followed the leading pony's movements, and at the pull of the trigger, three rounds drove into his shoulder. One caught just narrowly by the lower edge of his guards, the other two striking his barrel beside one another. Despite the protective material in his clothing, either bullets still made contact with flesh, bloodying the punctures made.

He fell, causing the second sentry to take notice and raise his weapon to shoot. Before he could, another burst from my SCAR put a swift halt to his acts. With a pained grunt, grasping his bleeding chest, he fell flat on his back and dropped his gun. For added assurance, I put two extra bursts into either body, and thus the duo went limp.

This thing has a kick to it... I thought to myself. While the opportunity was prime, I dashed across the walkway, up against a more sturdier cover of a half-empty shipping container for a better vantage point on the enemy.

For seemingly the first full minute of the fight, it appeared strictly as an engaged standoff, with us outnumbered. As long as they didn't have more backup on the way, with the combat skill shown by these griffons and the new toys picked up, I couldn't see this in particular going anywhere but our favor.

Granted, these ponies did have tech of their own, as well. Their suits did jack shit to keep them from going down, though the weapons each wielded and fired compensated for lack of proper body armor. Shots that landed nearby left circular scorch marks surrounding the impact site on the surface of whatever they struck, and after each one, the sizzling of the heat burning away at solid concrete or wood faintly sounded in the milliseconds between the exchange of normal and heavily-advanced gunfire.

Each adrenaline-fueled pump of my heart threatened to waver my concentration. Horrid reminiscences of past combat situations boded a panic attack that would surely result in disaster through multiple possible outcomes. Over the course of just a few seconds, four or five of my expelled rounds in a row missed one open sentry by a long shot, resulting in his attention attracting my way and forcing me back around the container as a rain of laser-like bullets relentlessly pelted its corner. One did penetrate the thin metal, grazing along the sleeve of my jump suit. While it hadn't burnt a hole in the cloth, its heat was immense enough to still melt a very thin portion of the material and briefly scald a trace of flesh beneath.

I let out a soft yip and recoiled right, my noise drowned out primarily by the symphony of fire occurring all around. Running a swift hoof across my arm to check for any potentially significant injury, and upon discovering there to be none, my focus briskly returned to combat mode.

A small explosion rocked the building as an enemy bullet had evidently made contact with combustible equipment stored in one of the crates, setting fire to a small collection of items in one row. Though it was of the captain's intentions to let the place burn to the ground, it would do us no good if we are still in here when that happens. Thankfully, the blaze appeared isolated for the time being.

Having been slightly jarred by the sudden pop, it was enough time for the soldier to bombard me unexpectedly. The side of his rifle smashed into my jaw, knocking me back with the SCAR still in-hoof. Without a moment for me to react, he took aim, preparing to shoot. At point-blank proximity, and with how much damage I presumed his ammunition can deal, this was the end.

For a split second, we made eye contact. At least, it feels like we did. His face mask covered every square inch of his muzzle from the forehead down, and past the thick blue lenses of the piece's lens holes I just narrowly discerned his eyes as they set upon me.

Then, he lurched. A small splatter of blood originated from the back of his neck where it connected to his shoulder indicated the impact of a bullet, and out of reflex, he fired his own weapon. Having jolted, however, the shot was blind and struck a hanging light fixture above just a mere second before he collapsed at my legs.

I looked up, noting Zaria taking a moment after eliminating him to give a single tip of her beak and a talon gesture with one finger of her claw pointed upward. At that, I returned a quick wave of my hoof and was back up on all fours in no time. In that span, a whole other squadron of enemy insurgents stormed the warehouse and were starting to fan out in attempt to flank us. Now the odds were less in our favor.

No matter the circumstances, nor the looming, increasingly-likely defeat in store, I would fight. For as long as new, filled magazines were within reach, I would not stop unloading them upon these bastards. If it ends with me in a pool of my own blood on the floor, so be it.

But fate wasn't about to let that happen. Windows near the top of the warehouse's walls broke as little projectiles were tossed through them, one of which emitting a low amount of smoke. Upon landing, a grey veil rapidly engulfed the warehouse, before a flash like lightning in a storm cloud blinded the enemy's side of the building, followed by a faint ringing in my ears that momentarily threw me off. Grunts and cries of the shocked variety replaced the medley of gunfire as presumably all of the advancing soldiers attempted to regain their senses.

At the faintest of noises along the east face of the building, they prompted the captain into action. "Move, move!" ordered Zjitzo, darting ahead to pull both Hermes and Hades back just moments preceding another small explosion that blew a pony-sized chunk of wall inward, showering bits of steel and cinderblock some ten or twenty feet into the facility.

The three didn't engage initially, but still had their weapons drawn. My attention shifted to the gape, steadying the sight's aim on the SCAR, anticipating an extra set of Armet's troops to storm in to further worsen the odds of escaping alive. It was out of instinct when I pulled the trigger, driving two rounds into the chest of the first figure that entered.

A grunt bellowed from the pony, either bullet only forcing him down onto his knees, but he was back up in seconds. In the smoke, he glanced up, and in the shroud I felt a hardened glare settle upon me.

"Watch your fucking fire, Corporal!" he yelled, catching me completely off guard. In the time spent pondering the voice's familiarity, more ponies of varying size and race closely followed him inside, and more fire erupted into the smoke, fighting back against Armet's forces.

For some reason beyond me, those words left me in a mild state of shock, enough to where I couldn't clearly focus enough to engage along with them. Frankly, it could have been a whole minute—and I think it was—when some sense of reality returned to me. By then, the fight was apparently over, and the smoke gradually dissipated in time to confirm this. When it did somewhat, it at last allowed me to figure out just who had come to our rescue.

A silhouetted group of Marines advanced to where the enemies once were, surveying the premises for any signs of life to put down just in case. Behind them stood an earth pony, a pegasus, and a unicorn; the two latter of the three sporting the dirtied, borderline unrecognizable uniforms of the Lunar Navy. The realization didn't take long to strike me.

"Ash? Silver? Anchor?!" I called, volume increasing at each name, standing upright out of cover and proceeding cautiously toward the three as their features became more discernible against the outside light and thinning smog.

"Star?!" squeaked out a surprised Anchorage, almost sounding unlike himself. He blinked quickly, maw parted in shock. At his side, Silver Edge instead grew a wide grin of elation on his muzzle.

"By the gods, it's you!" grunted Ashfall in relief, his rifle dropping with a clatter on the concrete as he fast-walked toward me and extended an arm out.

All was bittersweet in this moment. Just minutes prior, the impending threat of being killed in action left a fear in my essence, and now, my friends were here, reunited. It washed away a persistent consternation that they had been wiped out.

“I thought you were dead, buddy!” I took Ash’s strong hoof with grace, bringing him into a cordial embrace where we both roughly patted each other’s back or neck in joy. Tears produced by a mix of emotions gathered in my eyes, prompting me to wipe them down when we broke the hug. “I-I heard your sergeant call out, saying you were in trouble. How in the hell did you make it out alive?”

“We got the backup we requested, and then some,” said Silver, pointing over to an all-black-wearing white pegasus on his way back to us. He pulled the full-masked helmet he wore off and shook his head to let his black and blue mane fall down. With a soft smirk across his muzzle, the crimson cores of Lieutenant Snow Storm met my own.

“Son of a bitch, I’d kill you if I ever thought it was possible,” he joked, slugging my shoulder. “The fucking shit were you thinking not coming to meet with us?”

“I didn’t know where to go from where I had landed, Lieutenant. After that I went to go help.” My head dipped in shame. “I'm sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it now. I’m just glad you landed in one piece. But I should pound your ass into the dirt for shooting me.” Snow’s attention then shifted over to the tall griffon on my left, lips pursing into a smirk. “Hey, featherfuck.”

“What’s up, twinkle-hooves?” simpered Zjitzo, bringing up a talon clenched into a fist and pumping it into the base of Snow’s hoof in cordial gesture.

“Your nickname’s better,” nickered Snow, garnering a roll of the griffon’s eyes and a scoff.

I blinked a couple of times, glancing between the two as Snow gently shoved a hoof into Zjitzo's chest, which did nothing to budge him. "You know each other?"

The pegasus' soft crimson gaze met mine. He smiled. "Of course. We are virtually one in the same.”

"You know, that makes a lot more sense now." In that instance, a thought from earlier hit me, widening my eyes toward Zjitzo. "Wait, you are the contacts?!"

He gave a firm nod of his head. "You bet. While you lot were in Los Pegasus, we discussed potential meeting locations for when you arrived to exchange intel."

Snow stepped forth, proceeding with further explanation. “After we got separated in the jump, I temporarily broke radio silence to inform Captain Zjitzo to be on the lookout for you and nab you if found so we could all regroup.” He flicked a glance at the tall griffon officer, saying with a slight edge to his tone, “This wasn’t the plan to rendezvous here, but whatever works.”

A grimace took form on the captain's face, turning to the lieutenant. "You'd know our rendezvous point is probably swarming with these pricks. Besides, we had to make do with our own escape route."

Hearing this, Anchorage's brow furrowed as dismay took to his countenance. "So we are talkin' a full-scale artificial intelligence takeover?"

"More or less, yes," answered Javelin, strolling up beside his superior, suspending a small tablet in his magic's hold and swirling a hoof on the screen. He only glanced up when he halted at our group. "I am still working out the source of their signal. My best estimate is that the titans are controlled remotely. Then again, there are so many of them out there, I can't be for certain."

"The ones back around Bridleway sure weren't," chimed Ashfall, rubbing a hoof in his ear and flicking it afterward. "You know, the ones with miniguns on their shoulders."

"Right." Javelin nodded at Ash, tucking his device securely into a pocket beneath his vest. "Easy to defeat if you know just the precise spot to strike, typically better penetrable by rounds of a higher caliber. Should help in the fight now that word's spreading across the city."

"It's not just those you have to be concerned about, Techie," chimed Hermes, blinking slowly. "We just barely managed to take down one of the big ones. Those ones you gotta look out for, they be zappin' ponies left and right."

"Particularly unicorns," I added grimly, which snatched not just Javelin's direct attention, but Silver's, too. "Armet is using his machines to pull the magic straight out of them in a process that kills afterward. Not to mention the blasters that can vaporize you instantly."

At that, Zjitzo glanced away in a brooding grimace. Snow Storm picked up on it, and following a quick glance around, silently reacted in comprehension. He proceeded to pull the captain away to talk in private, going strictly unnoticed by the majority of us.

"So he is collecting ponies' magic. That's lovely," groused Silver, now with some worry in his expression and tone.

Anchorage gently hooked a hoof around the back of the beige unicorn's neck. "We won't let 'em take it from you, mate. I can promise ya that."

"Then we'd best find a solution while we have time," said Hades, garnering a collection of nods in agreement.

My gaze then shifted to Ash when a realization hit me. "Where's Night? Don't you dare say dead!"

The moss stallion shook his head. While concern showed on his mien, he displayed some optimism that quelled my own distress. "Hurt in the quake. He's back at base, he should be doing fine right now."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Luna." As much as I longed to know what happened, it would be best if I didn't so as to not stress myself to death. "Now what?"

"Now..." Zjitzo said, flicking open the lid of a squared lighter to ignite its flame. "We burn this bitch to the ground."

"Less supplies for GenTech to replenish with today is one less headache for us to deal with tomorrow," said Snow sternly, gazing across our group. "So grab what you need and nothing more. You have five minutes."

At the lieutenant's word, everyone split up to seek out fresh magazines for their respective weapons. Thankfully this place was abundant with them for every gun on us.

Returning to the crate full of SCAR ammunition, I snatched up a new magazine to replace the emptied one in my gun, then a few more—as many as I could carry on my person, totaling up to six extra mags that should be adequate enough for another fight, as this battle was far from won.

As I stocked up, in the background I could hear Snow and Javelin arguing over what sounded like a rather unnecessary piece of technology the young unicorn had recovered. That dispute ended rather quickly when the remark came that it could prove handy to be used against its own manufacturer.

Regrouping near the hole blasted in the wall, we began hastily filing out of the warehouse to get clear, as it was in the two superiors' plan to blow the place up rather than simply set it ablaze.

The captain grunted heavily, talon clenched tightly around the wheel as he put all of his might into twisting. Struggling for a few moments, the lever loosened, opening the canister just enough to begin releasing the contents within. He cautiously laid it on the floor, signalling the lieutenant to throw down the lighter.

As soon as the lighter left his hoof, the two took off in a sprint for the exit. The flame meeting the unleashed transparent cloud ignited it instantaneously. Within a couple of seconds, the fire spread inside the canister, reacting in a violent explosion that, upon reaching some of the crates around it, triggered a chain reaction that detonated most of the gunpowder contained in stored ammunition.

Just barely clear of the building, the resulting blast threw both the captain and the lieutenant a good ten feet in the air, landing near where we had taken cover. The shock as it hit left me temporarily deaf, and its physical force was enough to tip freight cars parked nearby. The heat that swept over us was that of ten July afternoons all at once; enough to melt one's clothes right off your skin if within a certain proximity.

Any remaining window in the warehouse and countless more in the surrounding blocks not yet shattered simultaneously, and fire spread out from every opening, gathering into an enormous plume that climbed rapidly into the smoggy sky to later be carried seaward by upper level winds. One whole half of the structure's roof blew upward, only to then collapse down and crush the walls into a pile of flaming rubble. Pieces of steel roofing, rock, and bits of wood ejected from crates and containers within rained for two square miles around the source.

In the seconds that followed, we peeked or even stood up out of our cover, watching as the massive place burned. Small pops of ammunition still detonating within became frequent for a good two and a half minutes, until another large section of roof caved in, kicking up dust that spread out slowly from the blaze.

"It's a shame," said Silver, propping up with a gun he had taken.

"What is?" Ash glanced over, puzzled.

"All of those ponies we left in there, the ones that might have just been incapacitated. They were brainwashed into thinking this was for a good cause." The sailor pitifully shook his head. "Why can't I help but feel some remorse for them?"

Anchorage scoffed. "I feel no sympathy for anyone who so much as ponders that genocide is a splendid idea," he retorted.

"Hey, hey, quiet down, please!" requested Spruce, the lieutenant's communications officer, covering one side of his headset with a hoof. Very quickly the roar of the fire behind us was the only obtrusive constant for him to hear over.

"Our forces are regrouping around Lower Manehattan and the park to push back against the drones," the dark green, scruffy-chinned earth pony said, his unfocused sky blue gaze dashing about as he further listened. "But I'm hearing something about a hostage situation in Midtown."

This perked Snow Storm a bit more. "Hostage situation?" he flashed a look at his griffon companion. "Whereabouts in Midtown?"

"Equestria Today Studios."

The name of the place struck me as familiar, without a sign as to why it did. Where on earth did I hear—

Then I remembered. All time seemed to stop around me as my world came crashing down all at once. I felt my blood physically turn cold, and for a good few seconds, I wasn’t sure if my heart was even pumping for that time.

“R-Ray…!” I wheezed out through a shortness of breath, my hooves temporarily threatening to collapse.

Evidently, my forced whisper had been audible enough for the others to catch on to, and at least a dozen pairs of eyes were drawn to me just in time to note of my abrupt state of trepidation.

"What?" Anchorage blinked a couple of times as confusion splayed across his features.

My jaw parted, ready to enter a ramble. However, it dumbfounded me to discover none of the words made it past my esophagus. For a couple of seconds, I sputtered and staggered before eventually giving up. By now, my heart was beating again, unhealthily pounding away at my eardrums like a jock going down on a gym punching bag. Signals crossed in my brain, rendering me utterly confused as to what should be done in that very instance.

"Ray..." Snow lightly tapped his chin with a hoof in a muse, ears standing attentively when a bulb lit up in his mind. "You mentioned him back in Los Pegasus, when you were in a drunken daze. He a friend of yours?"

No response was given. None that could be understood without some sort of mental translator, that is. With all that crossed my head at one time, what the lieutenant asked flew right past me, and my lack of a proper answer prompted him to switch gears.

"Zjitzo and I will take the square around the studio. The lot of you we will return to your respective squads and divisions while there is time," addressed Snow. "I imagine your squad and division leaders are each wondering where you all are right about now."

"If I knew where the hell my platoon sergeant is, I-I would've regrouped with him and the rest of my squad long ago," I responded with angst in my tone, being the first coherent sentence in at least a few minutes, despite it sort of not making any sense.

"That is why I said we'll find them, and you will go by their instructions from now until this is over," Snow added, turning to the others to continue.

I could not sit here and take these orders. The monorail tunnel marked the last time I would reject personal judgement in exchange for my own safety today. Ash and the others could at least fend for themselves. This was different now.

There wasn't so much as a second of hesitation when I took off in a sprint, swiftly pushing past Ash and Hermes. My gallop, however, was simply to muster sufficient speed to take off. It caught the two groups completely off guard as I spread my wings and lifted skyward.

"Whoa. Could he do that before?!" squeaked Silver in total surprise, the bewilderment from my initial reaction lingering with him.

"Star, wait!" called out Anchorage, leaping airborne after me. I was gone too quick for even him to catch me. He stopped in a hover, looking back down at the combination of griffons and ponies, yelling with a hoof pointed, "Follow him!"

How could I be so damn ignorant? I criticized myself mentally. I knew he would be here. He told me his damn self! How on earth could I forget something like that?

I hadn't taken a moment to consider just how far Midtown was from where we were, in the Warehouse District near the Port of Manehattan. The fact that my flight took me across the Trotson River whisked directly past my situational awareness. Distance nor geographical obstacles didn't concern me then, or the realization of my own insubordination. He was in danger.

***

Four individual barrels belonging to guns of equivalent design aimed intimidatingly over the cornered group lined in prisoner-like manner along the studio's rear wall, with a fifth pony—an officer in command of this small detachment—strolled nonchalantly behind them, lips pursed in a small smirk.

Two authoritative bodies lay across the tile, heads turned sideways with bullet holes through one's temple and in the gut and chest of the second. Trickled blood long ceased spilling stained the white uniforms a dark crimson and purple, with the trails feeding into little pools of ichor beside their lifeless forms. The two security guards' sidearms lay spent of ammunition, one of which crumbled into a pile of glass-like shards of steel.

Debris from what was once furniture and other heavy items used to barricade the only entrance scattered across the studio floor, having stood no chance against the strength of these ponies and the strange armor they wore. One kick of an earth pony's hinds completely blew the door and everything blocking it inward as if a bomb had gone off. Within a minute, both officers were knocked down to later be executed before the group of petrified ponies.

Part of the deal was that if they kept quiet, no one would be hurt. Over the course of a few hours, that notion increasingly became less credible with their apparent demeanor. But it didn't make sense as to why they were being held here for this long.

"Just what are you going to do to us?" asked Firetail anxiously. The question had been sitting on top of his head for some time, one he was sure the others found mutual.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the officer simpered sinisterly. "Commander's told me a lot about you, even what you have said about him on some of your weekend shows. Besides, didn't I say for you to shut up?"

At that, the television personality went quiet in fear for his own life. In spite of his own apprehension, Ray was not as intimidated.

"You're awfully vague. What do you want with us? What is this all about?"

"GenTech is making a few changes around these parts," one soldier said. "It begins with eliminating the weak, debilitating the strong, and ends with everyone happily living their lives."

"I wouldn't exactly call the total destruction of an entire city and the deaths of thousands something to move on so willingly from," sneered Ray condescendingly.

"Trust me. When the process is complete, everypony from sea to shining sea will be begging for an improved society. Manehattan is just the start of a step into the future of ponykind!"

"No, everyone across the world will see how psychotic you are. They will condemn it. Equestria will castigate it!" Ray sat up more. "Even if your plans do work out, what makes you think things will stay that way forever?"

The officer cocked his head, a wily grin spread from ear to ear. "And what makes you think we will be so gracefully stopped?"

"My friend is a Lunar Marine." Ray stared coldly. "Just you watch, he and his buddies will come in here any minute and shove his hoof so far up your ass, you'll be his new puppet!"

A swift hoof took the golden pegasus by the vest, lifting him effortlessly from the floor. Quiet gasps escaped the lips of the others with him as they helplessly watched. Limp in fear, Ray breathed short breaths, heart punching at his chest.

Feeling the beat through his gloved hoof, the stallion let off a low chuckle, his voice robotic by the modifier in his mask. "I have had just about enough of you talking."

Before Ray knew it, he was airborne, thrown completely across the enormous studio room as if he were a foal's toy. He spread his wings to slow himself, though it ultimately did little to prevent him from still smacking against the far wall, where he fell with a pained grunt.

"And here you thought you could hole up in this place 'til help came. Pity, I admire your optimism. But you should accept that we are the real help you hoped for."

The larger figure threateningly approached, with a terrified Ray stammering upright. "You shouldn't mess with us. Hell, you might not have given away your little hideout spot if you hadn't made that phone call. Big mistake, pal."

The pony's words made Ray think back to earlier, when he attempted to dial Star. It filled him with shame, knowing now he just might have gotten him and his fellow ponies killed.

***

The quad-rotored drone no bigger than a can of cola buzzed like a horsefly as it climbed beside the south face of the thirty-story office tower. In his magic's hold, Javelin Charm suspended his tablet mid air while using his hooves to carefully maneuver the tiny aircraft.

With visual aid of a movable camera attached to the front of the drone, he flew it to the eighth floor of the damaged structure, where he engaged a special mode that displayed heat signatures through solid objects. Its range of view varied depending on the unicorn's settings, and in this case, the entire building showed up as a grey three-dimensional grid with an interactive interior layout.

He tweaked the view ever so gradually, up until a cluster of oranges and reds appeared on his screen. "Gotcha," he declared, bringing a faint smile to his muzzle. "They are in there, all right. Looks like a detachment of four, five... similar weaponry and armor to what was back at the warehouse, how copy?"

"Good copy, Techie. How many innocents?" queried Snow Storm through comms, leading the rest of his squad along with myself, Ash, Silver, and Anchorage up the fire escape stairwell.

"Not easy to tell from this angle. One moment," Javelin said, making incremental changes to the drone's positioning. He grunted in disapproval when the sensor's signal dimmed the colors to faint echoes. "Seven, eight, maybe nine. One's off to the side with somepony else. Leader and a hostage, I'm thinking."

"Copy. Keep an eye on 'em, we are almost there," Snow responded.

The white pegasus pushed with caution through the eighth-floor doorway with the barrel of his gun. A gentle creaking screech emanated from the hinges as it slowly swung open, adding to our tension. He moved through, one of his corporals close behind as they checked either side of the T-shaped corridor with their rifles drawn.

"Clear left," the corporal quietly declared.

"Clear right," Snow Storm assured with equivalent volume, making a gesture with his head for the rest of us to follow.

A couple of the ceiling lights flickered on and off, most of which damaged from the quake. Apart from them, the halls leading into windowed rooms were primarily pitch black, forcing the lieutenant and his corporal to make use of their flashlight attachments.

"Techie, which way?" whispered Snow to Javelin.

"Straight down the hall as you head out of the stairwell, then the first left. Should take you to the main studio."

"Roger," the lieutenant replied. With a wave of his hoof, we proceeded the way instructed.

Attempting at making no sound was impossible, though most of the noise generated by our movements consisted of the soft rustling of gear and the clicks of Silver and Anchorage's hooves on the tile floor, and even then, it was so little clamor that the muffled voices of the hostage takers gradually increased in volume on approach.

"Be advised, we are coming up on the target," Snow addressed.

"Roger. Drone's picking up your heat signatures now. But I've got some bad news for you."

"What's up?"

"Door's right beside the hostages. They put them there for a line of sight in case of intruders. You'll have to make a new way in."

At Javelin's word, the ears of a blue earth pony perked attentively, and over his shoulder glanced the lieutenant.

"Foam, you're up. Make us a door."

Giving a firm nod, the demolitions stallion immediately went to work. He slid the bag off his back and opened it up, producing a grey rectangular pad with a couple of thin cords sticking out from within.

We observed as he unraveled the pad, connected in various spots with sets of colored wiring feeding into the explosive, with each folding section sticking upon contact with the wall. He clicked a couple of switches on the device, producing a detonator from his vest pocket, then he gestured for us to get back and prepare to breach.

Leaning against the wall, only a couple of feet from the explosive, he muttered just under his breath, "One big fuckin' hole, coming right up."

"Gents, ready yourselves. Mind the civilians," whispered Snow to the rest of us. He set his eyes back on the demolition pony. "Three... two... one..."

At the end of his count, the earth pony clenched his hoof around the trigger. Instantaneous was the resulting isolated blast that sent wood and drywall showering into the studio, kicking up a cloud of dust that blinded the assailants.

"Breach, breach, breach!" shouted Snow, rushing first into the room.

Now came the scary part. This is where everything could go south, despite my best nerve to think otherwise. Frankly, I hated being one of the last inside, though it had plenty to do with the plan. Upon first contact, two of the hostage takers went down before they even knew what hit them, followed by a third. The fourth played tricky to get, being more shrouded by the smog.

My first instinct was to move for the hostages, particularly to check on Ray. It came to my surprise when the armored unicorn emerged from the dark, having not yet noticed me, and was preparing to open fire upon the trapped innocents to botch the operation and ensure no one gets rescued.

I raised my gun, and at the pull of the trigger with a burst of three rounds driven into his plating, the stallion dropped, discharging two energized shots that vaporized the moment they struck a vertical reinforcing beam. Sparks rained, either shot leaving a pair of black burn marks that combined to form one singular scar.

In no more than fifty seconds, the threat to these ponies' lives was neutralized. Once the last shots rang out, echoing throughout the wide space, my immediate attention redirected to the hostages.

However, I stopped at the sight of the two corpses nearby. Admittedly it might have taken longer than it should have to process either of the bodies and the bloodied badges on their left breasts, and recognize that neither of them were Ray and that I was panicking myself.

Regardless, it left a poor taste in my mouth, and put even more blood on Armet Mace's hooves. On the contrary, it could have ended with more than just them being slaughtered. It may have very well been everypony. It might have been one of us, as well. But it didn't. This mission was, so far, a success for a change.

Shifting back to the civilians, my gaze quickly swept across their forms in a brisk scan for any injuries. Apart from a couple of bruises and some small cuts that appear to have been treated long prior, no one suffered anything life-threatening, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief for the rest of our team.

"Don't worry. You are safe now," I reassured. The adrenaline remained high, even for them, despite their captors now lying in their own puddles of lifeblood.

But the tension had not diminished in my case. A second gloss over the frightened auditioners and television production crew, and who I was looking for was absent. My heart sank.

"Ray!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, beginning to frantically scan the room. Doing so brought along remorse, remembering my throat's dryness at the burning that followed.

As he rose to all fours, the gold pegasus' eyes opened wide at the calling of his name. For him, it was as if time had ceased to pass. "St-Star...?"

Slowly he advanced through the clearing fog, sights ahead toward the source of my yelling. It wasn't more than a couple seconds when we met each other's stares, and ultimately we froze in place with heaving chests.

In that very moment, it is probably safe to speak on behalf of Ray as well when it felt as though everything occurring around us seemed to stop existing entirely, as if all had just come to a grinding halt. Without a second of hesitation, we rushed into each other and met with a slap of our clothing against one another, with both of our hooves wrapped firmly around the opposite.

For the first time in two days, a sense of security washed through Ray's essence. Safe, without the pervading fear of being squashed to death in a building collapse or being murdered at the hooves of Armet's hired guns.

I stopped breathing entirely. Yet, in spite of that, the feeling you get when deprived of oxygen simply never arose. Perhaps subconsciously, I was, but I genuinely doubt it. The pegasus' hold, much to my surprise, was of sufficient strength to crush my lungs, as was mine on him. For how long we refused to let go of one another, typically one or both of us should have fallen unconscious.

After what I could only guess to be two, maybe three minutes, we pulled away to look at the other while remaining close. I had so much to say to him, and I felt so stupid for neglecting him the way I did. "Ray, I-I... I'm so sorry, I thought... I figured..."

"S-shhh," he hushed, and thus I went quiet. We locked gazes finally, where my muscles instantly completely relaxed. There was just something about his eyes that calmed me, no matter what. They were like a medication that treats anxiety, albeit without the risk of addiction or the ridiculous cost.

For a short period, I staggered over words in my head as I struggled to work line out all that I wished to say. It was a lot, and it hit me that we don't have the time for an entire speech, which ultimately is what it would have become if I did take a few minutes to carefully ponder a start.

So I just began. "You... I..." and then stopped. Lovely start, Star. "Fuck..." I muttered. My struggle with articulation garnered a small laugh from the stallion.

A deep breath drew in to fill my lungs in preparation to spend it all just by merely talking. "I don't think y-you can comprehend all that you have done for me, and... it is a lot for even me to take in all at once knowing how much you have changed me as a pony.

“Time and time again I’ve fought to keep the demons at bay. Most instances, I failed. But then you come along one day, and suddenly, everything is just… better. I don't know what it is, and... frankly, I couldn't care less, but it draws me to you every time.”

The pony's emerald cores glistened in the faint light as he listened to me drone on, and the longer I went on for, the wider his smile became, and the darker red his cheeks turned.

I swallowed heavily. "You... Ray Blitz... you've given me a new outlook on life. Not just... on how I live, my routine, but how I get by each and every day. You've given me hope. The idea that everything will be okay. And, for once... I feel happy. And I understand that, realistically, we haven't spent all that much time together in the same place at once, yet I can't help but feel these things for you."

A hoof suddenly pressed to my lips, halting me. I jolted gently out of reflex, sights moving up from the arm to the warm, flustered smile on this beautiful stallion.

"Don't say any more. I don't want you to."

I blinked slowly. My legs trembled at the current rate of my heart. At any given moment I anticipated to just melt away into a liquid if that were physically possible.

"I love you," he said quietly, removing his hoof from my mouth.

"I... love you, too..." I breathed out, being the last bit of air left in me. He alone took it all away.

Then, the unexpected happened. He leaned up just slightly, melding his lips with my own. At that moment, I turned rock solid, like a statue. My irises shrunk to pinpricks, and it sounded as if I was listening to my own heartbeat with a doctor's stethoscope.

And as I predicted it, my form melted. Not into a goo, though. It was more on the lines of me leaning into him, and pressing deeper into the kiss with my limbs keeping me upright borderline limp. I closed my eyes and let it happen. And it felt twenty times better than how I once imagined it to be.

All fears washed away then. No more inhibitions. Nothing could terrify me any longer it seemed like. I tilted my head slightly, pushing more into his muzzle, as did the stallion in return.

When our kiss finally broke, the realization quickly came to the both of us that almost everypony present had turned their direct attention toward us. Actually, I couldn't care less about the others. My friends, which were standing right there? Not so much. My heart sank deep into my chest, and out of embarrassment, I shrunk down into my neck.

Right then, I wanted to curl up in a ball in the farthest, darkest corner in existence. Of all that was possible, this just had to be the one thing I'd prayed deep down would not surface. Not this soon. But it was a gentle tug on my vest that withdrew my fix and returned it to the stallion before me.

"D-do you have some water?" Ray requested meekly, using this as his own method to break the awkward moment and distract me from it.

I blinked a couple of times in silence, allotting a few seconds for my mind to shift gears. "Oh!" I said, coming to. My hoof reached around to my blue aluminum canteen clipped along the side of my jump suit vest and unhooking it. Popping the lid, I offered it to him.

A somewhat anxious smile grew on his muzzle, gently taking the bottle with a thanking nod. Minding the fact that I would need it, too, he drank no more than two swift gulps of the cool, refreshing fluid that soothed his burning throat on its way down. It was evident he wanted more, and I so desperately wished that is what I could give, but he had to understand one way or another.

Upon finishing, he returned the canteen to my hoof. We met each other's eyes once more, only to be turned away at the calling of Snow Storm from across the studio. "Hey, yo, Star!"

"I'll be right back," I said to Ray firmly, receiving a quiet nod from him. I strolled over to the lieutenant with a hint of apprehension eating at my stance. "Lieutenant?"

"We found your platoon sergeant," he started, immediately perking my ears to listen. "Your unit's among the many prepping a revolt against Armet's forces a few blocks due east of here."

At that, I grew tense again. "So what are our orders?"

"Any and all guns are needed there as soon as possible. I guess Javelin picked up on a signal ordering the drones to fight back and retain control. Problem is, we've still got plenty of civilians trapped in between, and plenty more taking refuge on the west side of the island. Many didn't receive the evacuation notice and in fact got false information because of jammers around the city, but some squadrons have reported those to be destroyed by now."

My gaze drifted to my hooves in contemplation. "So, what, we should keep moving ponies?"

Snow sternly shook his head. "Not enough time, not enough pony power to pull that off. As much as I hate to say this, it seems like we'll be dealing with a hefty load of civilian casualties if we aren't able to contain the drones."

Knowing this left a hurt in my chest. The thought of innocents being preventably killed never sat right, chiefly because our duty, the very oath we took, is to protect them and leave nopony behind. Realizing there wasn't much any of us could do about these civilians sat tough in my head. That was, until when glancing around, I stopped at a toppled television camera. For a good few moments, I fixated on it in a muse, and then it hit me.

"What if we broadcast a new warning to citizens?" I questioned, snapping back to the lieutenant.

He stood there, pondering over the idea and studying the equipment around us. Everything necessary was present to pull it off. "It could work, if there were spare electricity to go around."

Before either of us could say anything else, one of the ponies on the production crew stepped up. "I-I couldn't help but overhear what you two were talking about, and you said something about there being no power to run an alert?"

Snow gave a nod, cocking his head slightly. "Yes. Why?"

"There are a few generators in the basement. Ones that you crank. Might need a few ponies at one time to get at least one of them going, though," the earth stallion said.

Blinking, I turned to Snow, and he looked back at me with a knowing stare. "Then we will have to get right on that. But tell me, Star, how the hell will this do us any good if virtually nopony has access to a working TV?"

"If we transfer the format, it can potentially be compatible with both television and radio. Basically dividing the two signals for both to pick up on." A grin crossed my muzzle. "And I know who can do just that."

"Well, that's lovely and all, buuut..." the pony turned over his shoulder. "Firetail's hittin' the road, he ain't staying here. We gotta find somepony who can do it."

Without much of any reluctance, I glanced behind me. My ear flicked, and upon setting my sights on the golden pegasus, the smile I wore widened only more. "I have an idea of who, you just gotta trust me."

Both the Marine lieutenant and the crew member exchanged looks, only for the latter to shrug it off and get to work. I began walking back to Ray.

Pulling up short of the pegasus, I smiled at him. "Hey, so, I understand now might not be the best time for this, but... I need to ask you a favor. A big one."

The pegasus set a hoof on my shoulder gently, offering a warm smile. "After what you just did for me and for all of these ponies, I'll do anything for you. What do you need?"

For a moment, I felt my heart flutter at his touch. But my own affection for him was not important right now. "A news feed. We need to warn more ponies, get them out of harm's way. Can you do that for me?"

"Uh... sure. I think can give it a shot," he responded, sounding unsure of himself now whilst retaining a confident expression.

Good enough for me. I gave a single nod, then turned over my shoulder. "Anchorage!"

Leaping over a few of the others with the aid of his wings, the beckoned pegasus landed just short of us and strolled up. "What's up?"

"You're skilled with signals, aren't you?" I questioned.

The northern-oriented sailor gave a shrugging nod. "HAM radio, yeah. Sort of. Why?"

"Ray here will need your expertise to get him on the air to broadcast a warning to the public, but to do that, you'll have to connect to just the right frequency to put it out over radio for all to hear. Think you can handle that?" I smirked at him.

A canny, sanguine grin grew on the greyish-white pegasus' mouth, one that preceded the welcoming of a challenge. "Shouldn't be an issue, mate," he said with an affirming tip of his head.

Returning the nod, my steady gaze drifted back to Ray. In that time, worry had transformed his smile into an anxious lower.

"What are you going to do?" he questioned, ears faltering.

My hoof lifted up to his chin to raise it and meet his gorgeous emerald irides. "I have to go. Duty calls."

Letting off a shaky sigh, the gold pegasus returned a understanding nod of his head. "Stay safe out there, Star Shooter." With that, he looped a tight hoof around the back of my neck.

In that moment, all I could do was smile reassuring, stroking a lock of his soft, wheat mane. "I'm a Marine, what is safe?"

He glanced up briefly from his embrace, giving me a somewhat jabbing look that silently said I wasn't funny, leaving me wanting to retract that statement. But we both knew how right I was.

Anchorage stepped up a bit closer between without separating us. He stiffened his posture. "I'll keep him safe, mate. I promise you that."

I nodded once. "I can always count on you, Anchor," I smiled again, and the stallion amiably rolled his eyes.

With that, I turned tail and slowly headed back to Snow Storm, picking my gun up off the floor along the way. It was in reluctance when I paused at the doorway to look back at Ray as he sorrowfully watched us go, before proceeding out to move into the unknown.

Author's Note:

I am sorry this took so long to get done, but here it is.

Comments

[Skyfire Storm]

I loved the chapter, dude :3 Can't wait for more.

[Thunderblast]

8848456
Well, at the time I posted that comment, the L/D was I believe 2/2 or 3/2.