Gleaner Chronicles: American Monsters

by sevenofeleven

Chapter Seven: Sunscreamer hit and solar lab

96th street
Beresford Building
Eighth floor

Margot could see that the Beresford building was high end before the Gleaners came. Now it was a mostly empty building, a shadow of its former glory. The fancy gold and maroon paint was now faded and chipped. A quick scan of the building showed just a lot of pigeons and a few rats. Nothing she hoped would be a threat.

She picked room 8C as her sniper’s nest, since it had a good view of the courtyard in front of the building that the Sunscreamers resided. After she picked the locks, Margot pushed the door open with her left forehoof. The smell of pigeons and their crap mixed in with elements of old paint hit her nose. Margot walked into the room. Like the other rooms on the eighth floor, it was under renovation. Scaffolding was along the walls and plastic sheets streaked with pigeon crap swayed in the slight breeze coming in from the small side windows. Several sets of baby pigeons cheeped above her somewhere.

Pigeons stared at her with their red eyes from the corners of the room. She kept expecting one to strut up to her and curse, “You don’t fookin belong here! Get the fook out! This is our apartment!” None of the pigeons did that but it wouldn’t be surprising to Margot. A tap at the closed larger front windows got Margot’s attention.

Far was hovering outside.

Margot opened the window then ducked as Far flew by and landed. Now the pigeons had another pony to give the stank eye to.

Far sneezed. “I wasn’t a big fan of pigeons when I was in Cloudsdale. These aren’t much better.”

Margot laughed. “How about we don’t piss these guys off while we do our mission.”

Far looked around at the hanging plastic sheeting streaked with pigeon crap. “I know this is not going to be healthy for us.”

Margot just shrugged. “We won’t be here long enough.” Then she checked her walkie.

LaShawn’s voice came through loud and clear. “We’re set up here. Just take out those Sunscreamers and we can go home.”

Margot conjured up the parts needed for a sniper rifle then put the parts together using telekinesis.

Far kept watching the pigeons and her back.

Margot looked through the scope and saw the zombies leave the building across the street. It was almost like watching secret service agents checking out an area before the president arrived. They fanned out across the courtyard, heads looking this way and that for threats. Then the Sunscreamers came out. At first they looked like regular ponies but the muscles that rippled beneath their soft yellow fur showed that they were different. The bright yellow eyes and sharp fangs also destroyed the impression that these were normal ponies. Two mares and one stallion stepped out into the courtyard. They were followed by three foals. All of them had yellow fur with brown streaks.

After a few moments, all of the Sunscreamers started to roar. It was a sound full of hunger and malice. The foals added their higher pitched notes to the deeper tones of their parents.

Far covered his ears. “Damn! Margot, save our ears and kill those things!”

Margot focused on the stallion and fired. A moment later, his head exploded into a red mist. She reloaded and focused on one of the mares. The Sunscreamers stopped roaring and began looking around.

Margot fired at the mare but it moved. The bullet tore through its neck instead of blasting its head. Bright red blood spurted from the Sunscreamer’s neck as it looked around for its attacker then the creature collapsed to the ground. The zombies started to move away from the Sunscreamers and then they got the scent of LaShawn’s group.

Margot targeted the last adult Sunscreamer but it summoned a shimmering golden shield around itself and the three foals.

Far moved up to the window and pointed at the shield. “Can you shoot through that?”

“No. I have to use magic now. Get down before they see you!” The zombies ran at LaShawn’s group.

Golden bursts of energy flew at LaShawn’s group. The walkie spoke up. “Whatever you are going to do, you should do it real soon. We’re getting fried here.”

Then something cast an active scan spell. Margot felt like a deer in the headlights of an approaching truck. Now whatever cast that spell knew exactly where she was. Margot knew where the caster was too. The Sunscreamer mare fired some sunbolts at Margot and Far.

Margot started to focus on a freezing spell when a golden flash flew past her and struck the wall. The wall burst into flames and the pigeons flew out the window. Margot regretted that the baby pigeons wouldn’t survive.

“Margot! We gotta go!” Far said as the flames spread through the room. Margot followed Far to the hallway as the room filled with orange flames and black smoke. She managed to still carry the sniper rifle.

“Let’s take the stairs down!” Margot said. She knew that the building was probably done for, the Sunscreamer were tossing sunbolts at all of the windows. Every floor would be an inferno soon. The paint cans, plastic sheeting and pigeons wouldn’t help things either.

Margot and Far burst through the door to the stairs then they ran down the stairs. While she raced from floor to floor, Margot tried to plan what they were going to do when they reached the ground level. Dark magic was the best magic to fight sun magic but Margot wasn’t an evil person, um pony. She had more of an affinity for sun magic too but fighting fire with fire wasn’t going to be an efficient use of limited power. They were down to the second floor. Soon she would have to come up with a plan. Anti-light magic and cold would probably be better against sun magic.

Margot panted. “When we reach the ground floor head across the street. This building is toast and might come down on us if we hide near it.”

Far just nodded.

Finally they reached the lobby. Margot used her telekinesis to push the door open with a crash so they could just run through.

The gallop to the building across the street was scary. The last Sunscreamer mare kept firing golden sun bolts at them. The asphalt behind them sizzled and burned before Margot and Far reached the building and hid behind it.

The building they left was on fire. Flames gouted from the windows.

Lashawn’s voice crackled from the walkie. “Dayum! Maggie, you just love bustin stuff up! All of that is gonna get the MA on us for sure!”

Margot ignored LaShawn while she focused on a dark cold spell to drop on the Sunscreamer mare and the foals. Then she dropped the spell on them.

Even from behind the building, Far felt cold winds rake him. “Is it done?”

After a quick scan of the area, Margot nodded. She focused and dropped some cold on the burning building. The bright flames flickered and went out.

LaShawn sneezed. “Good, the Sunscreamers are just popsicles now. I’m not gonna be licking any of that. It’s just pure nasty. Maggie get in the van so we can be gone before the MA shows up.”

Margot grabbed the walkie. “We can’t go. The Sunscreamers have a boss on the top floor. We have to take it out or the problem will return.”

“We got two wounded ponies. Stinking Sunscreamer burned them badly.” LaShawn said.

“I have to take out the boss. I will need help. Apple Bloom and her friends can heal.” Margot said.

“Good. I will send half of the team back. Sky and I will meet you at the popsicles.” LaShawn said.

Margot turned to Far. “Take the second van back.”

“You’re going to be okay?”

Margot nodded. They headed to the courtyard. The frozen Sunscreamers were starting to melt. They made for some fierce looking ice sculptures with their mouths open in a silent scream. A black van drove up onto the courtyard.

Skybreeze and LaShawn came out.

Far walked to the van and got inside.

LaShawn looked at the melting Sunscreamers. “Remind me to hire you to do the sculptures at my wedding.”

Skybreeze grimaced. “What foul creatures. Even the foals are dangerous.”

Margot agreed. The foals had sharp looking teeth and fangs. She just had a feeling that these foals were beyond drinking milk.

LaShawn pulled out her gun then she shot each of the Sunscreamers in the head. The frozen creatures shattered with glasslike tones. Then she looked up at the building. “How many floors?”

Skybreeze also looked up and counted. “Fourteen.”

LaShawn holstered her gun. “Dayum. I’m gonna be lathered up.”

Margot headed toward the Sunscreamer building with Skybreeze and LaShawn. Inside it was clean. The walls were a maroon color with yellow highlights.

Skybreeze looked at the elevator and then at the doors to the stairs. “I guess it’s better to walk?”

Margot looked at the stair doors. “If we get stuck, nopony will know.”

Skybreeze sighed.

Margot scanned the stairs, she found no traps. She used her telekinesis to open the doors. They took the stairs up. After about a half hour, they reached the fourteenth floor. Margot stopped to catch her breath then she scanned the room beyond the closed stairway door. So far there were no traps.

She pushed the door open and hot air grabbed them like a too friendly relative. Somepony had removed all of the walls so the top floor was one big hot room. Orange conduits of solar power hung from the ceiling. On one side of the room was a console and a rack holding a bunch of orange disks. Margot wished she had time to study the lab, it was not often she saw examples of advanced solar magic.

Skybreeze looked all over the room in awe. “This is just amazing. Just learning a portion of this magic would do wonders for the field of advanced energy magic back home in Equestria.”

Margot nodded. She knew that they would get little to no time to study anything.

While Margot and Skybreeze were looking at the equipment, LaShawn’s eyes traced the route the largest bundle of conduits were taking. They led to six tilted oval containers. Three were dark and empty but the other three were filled with bright orange energy. That didn’t grab LaShawn’s attention, it was the sight of tiny ponies inside the containers. She tapped Margot and walked toward the containers.

When they got there, Margot could see that the small ponies were really Sunscreamer embryos floating in a solar powered womb. All of them had their eyes closed.

LaShawn looked at the floating embryos. “They’re less than babies. I couldn’t kill them.”

Margot saw the embryos as threats to be. “We have to kill them. Didn’t you see the foals and their sharp teeth?”

Skybreeze nodded.

It seemed like one of the embryos heard Margot and it opened its golden eyes then it started to thrash its tiny hooves.

A green hoof moved past Skybreeze and touched the womb where the embryo was thrashing. “Sleep now little one.”

Margot, LaShawn and Skybreeze turned around to see who spoke. It was a green alicorn. Unlike Empress RazorHoof, this Gleaner Lord had bright yellow eyes and an orange-red mane and tail. Margot took a quick glance back at the thrashing embryo, it was sleeping peacefully.

LaShawn pulled out her gun.

The Gleaner Lord whispered,”My children of the day. What lovely music they make. So Zebra, you don’t want to kill my children. I applaud that sentiment.”

LaShawn nodded. “I don’t want to kill babies but they don’t look like they will be friendly to other ponies.”

Margot spoke up. “Your children are Sunscreamers.”

Skybreeze peered at the Gleaner Lord. “Do you have a name?”

“I wish we had more time to discuss things, maybe come to an understanding but my colleagues are coming. I helped to design the sun filter for the black sun. Now, they treat me, Sunlaugher like an enemy. I don’t want to stop my research. Sorry,” Sunlaugher said then a blaze of golden energy picked them up and threw them to the other side of the room. Then Sunlaugher summoned a dome of burning light on top of Margot, Skybreeze and LaShawn. The intense heat from the dome threatened to set their fur on fire.

Margot focused and cast a deep cold spell it melted away but things felt a bit cooler before they heated up again.

Skybreeze focused on some spells to dissipate the solar energy.

LaShawn just crouched and hoped that they wouldn’t burst into flames.

It was so hard to breathe. Every breath was like inhaling flames. The heat pressed down on them like a multi ton hoof. Margot hoped this last burst of dark cold magic would break the dome. There was a good chance that they might freeze solid before the dome was destroyed. Her mane and tail caught fire but Skybreeze used a spell to put them out.

The dome started blinking then a spell from Skybreeze destroyed it. “Well, I’m glad I did spend some time on oscillating field theory.” After the intense heat of the dome, the room felt somewhat cool.

LaShawn noticed that the wombs were empty. “The embryos are gone!”

Margot swept the area with her gaze. The orange disks were also missing. Then one of the conduits started spewing gouts of orange solar energy.

Skybreeze pointed to the leak. “I doubt we can stay here too long.” Several other conduits started to break and the temperature of the room rose from barely comfortable to too hot. Before any of the ponies could move a hoof several more of the conduits started spewing. The path to the stairs was now blocked by a torrent of orange energy.

Margot looked at Skybreeze. “Do you know some levitation spells?”

“Well, I know some but nothing that can carry a pony.” The floor shook.

LaShawn stepped back. “Gals, we need to do something real soon.”

Margot sighed then turned to face the wall. “Skybreeze can you blast a big hole in the wall?”

“Let’s see, I can channel some of the power from the room. Yes.”

LaShawn faced Skybreeze. “What are we going to do next when you bust a hole through the wall? Wait. Oh hell n-” She was interrupted when Skybreeze blew a hole through the wall.

Margot stunned LaShawn and used a telekinetic spell to grab LaShawn and Skybreeze. The she flew out the window and down.

The top floor exploded with an orange flash and roar while the ground leapt up at them. Margot landed some distance away from the building so they wouldn’t get hit by falling rubble. The van drove up to them and opened its doors.

LaShawn opened her eyes. “Wha how?”

Margot looked around before answering. She could hear helicopters in the distance. “Sorry, I felt that you wouldn’t appreciate the ride.”

Skybreeze shook her head. “I didn’t.”

LaShawn shrugged. “Let’s go before the MA gets here. Maybe if we drive over to the east side they won’t notice us.” They got into the van and drove off as rubble fell from the still burning building.