Viral

by AnchorsAway

Chapter 19: Gunship

The skies rumbled above Canterlot, distant thunder tolling like war drums for the coming storm. Clouds sloshed over the lonely mountain, blotting out the first stars as darkness plunged over the chaos that filled the streets.

Fires reflected in the Captain's eyes as he peered down from the bridge of the airship, the smoke whisked away on the winds that patterned against the skin of the ship.

“Status?” he ordered, straitening his crisp whites, adjusting the starched collar tucked beneath his groomed beard.

“We’re coming to position now, Captain,” his second replied.

“Helm?”

“Steady as she goes, Captain,” the helmspony barked from his console.

“Engineering?”

“All systems operational,” a unicorn mare in flight fatigues informed.

“Weapons?”

“Primed and standing by, Captain.”

“Comms,” the Captain spoke, a widened eye glancing at the officer with headphones. “Any other orders from the castle?” The weathered commander ground his teeth, his jaw flexing as it worked. “Do our orders still stand?”

The radio stallion shook his head. “Nothing from the Princesses, Sir. Orders still stand.”

“In all my years—” the Captain murmured, watching the destruction below spreading from street to street. Whatever was happening, it was moving fast. Even from high above in the gunship, he could see it — the fear, the thrashing, blood.

“Open up a communications channel,” he instructed, clearing his throat.

“Lines are open, Sir."

“All teams this is the Captain of the gunship Phoenix," the Captain began. "I know you are all wondering about what this is: who might have done this to us, our land."

The Captain turned to survey his bridge crew, the ponies standing at their stations. "Many of you are scared. Most call Canterlot their home," he laid out. "But our home will not survive if this thing continues to spread. Some among you all may wonder if these ponies, those infected, can be saved."

"I've never lied to those under my command. The truth is, —more will die is we stand by and do nothing," he admitted. "The infection must be quelled. Follow your squad leaders," he addressed the Wonderbolts. "Gunships Phoenix and Tiberius will help to clear the way. Protect our castle," he instructed to all listening. "Protect the Princesses. Protect our home."

The Captain waved a hoof, the transmission cutting out. “Weapons?” he called from his station.

“Yes, Captain?” replied the officer.

“Bring all the cannons online. I want to stop these things dead in their tracks. At this rate, the infected will reach the castle within the hour. We cannot allow them to breach the perimeter line.”

“Aye, Captain,” replied the weapons officer, pulling up the systems on his terminal. "Standing by for orders, Sir."

“Stars watch over us," the grizzled Captain prayed softly. Gray eyes peered down one last time, searching the streets of smoke, and ash, and crimson. "Execute."

---

Clip banked hard, diving into position with the squads of Wonderbolts. They arrived with the sub-sonic screams of jet engines, tearing across the darkened skies of Canterlot.

Waves of jet-propelled pegasi swooped low and fast over the highlands, spreading out before they could reach the edge of the city. Clip looked to the south, both airships now broadside in the early night sky, light glowing from her portholes.

There came several bright flashes from the side of the gunships. A moment later, a concussive blast like thunder followed. In front of the formation, shells screamed overhead, landing and detonating in the streets, throwing cobblestone and dust into the air.

“All squads split up and move in,” called a voice over the radio. “Push east through the city. We will meet up with the ground troops pushing an offensive from the perimeter line. All safeties off.”

Clip ground his teeth, checking the readings from his MAG cannons for the fifth time. Both of them came back green, charged, and ready to blast any target he designated. "I hope you're not down there, Whiplash," he whispered into his helmet, watching the geysers of debris rain from the artillery strikes. "Get out," he pleaded silently. "Get out of the city."

“Does anybody know what this thing is,” called a new voice over the radio.

“I don’t know dude. All I’ve heard is somethings turning ponies crazy,” replied somebody else.

“I heard it’s a chemical attack. Something from Maretonia or Yakoslavia.”

“This is insane," another seethed. "Flyers, they send us to kill the sick. I never signed up for downing civilians.”

“Keep this channel clear!” barked somepony. “Stop the chatter and shoot any hostile you encounter.”

Above the city, the gunships let loose another volley of shells ahead of the formation. The formation was in the suburbs, a wall of smoke from the artillery billowing before them. Within seconds visibility was reduced to almost zero.

Clipper struggled to peer through his helmet’s visor, having to rely on his instruments to fly through the murk.

“Anypony see anything?” called someone.

“Negative, I have no visuals. I’m practically flying blin-” The voice was suddenly cut off with an ear-rending crackle.

“What was that?!” yelled a wild mare.

“Report!” called another. “What is going on?”

“My wing pony. She’s gone!”

“What?”

“I mean she’s gone! Lightning Burst, do you copy?”

Nopony responded over the radio. A flash of orange through the grey indicated another strike was inbound in front of them.

There came a shrill scream over the radio, causing Clip to wince. A target on his radar display showed a team member's signal flash red.

“Flyers! Something got Duke! Contact!” sompony managed to shout before everypony was screaming.

Clip scanned wildly around the smoke and dust but couldn’t see anything. All the voices shouted into the radio as one.

“Contact!”

“What in Tartarus was that!”

“Something is up here! They’re in the smoke!”

Flashes of purple and iridescent light flew through the air, buzzing as the air around them was superheated by arcanic plasma. The blasts from the Mechanical Arcane Generators flew in all directions as ponies shouted into their radios, Clipper having to pull hard right to avoid being hit by friendly fire. One by one, the team icons on his helmet display turned from green to red, the screams on the radio causing the hairs on his back to stand up.

“Everyone, pull up!” he ordered. “Get out of the dust!”

Clip tilted his wings and pushed the internal throttles to their stops. Engines whined and spat blue flames from their afterburners.

The aerodynamic forces pounded his body like a freight train, his chest burning beneath his suit as he broke through the dust and into clearer skies. Tearing winds battered his helmet before he finally leveled off.

Others, heeding his call through the chaos, followed suit, flying out the clouds in trails of billowing greys and blacks. Clip had but a moment to regain his bearings before a warning light flashed on his HUD.

“Contacts! Dead ahead!” he called out to those who had formed up behind him.

In front of them, a swarm of infected flew at the Wonderbolts, the sound of their wings buzzing like wasps.

"What spawn of Tartarus—"

“Here they come! Spread out and fire!” Clipper yelled into his helmet.

Those at the edge of the formation pulled off, firing several blasts at the swarm as they did. Those at the center came from below, attacking from underneath. The barrage struck several of the creatures, detonating anything they hit in a shower of gore.

Several dozen infected fell toward the ground, but the remaining swarm charged even faster.

They broke through the Wonderbolts, Clip twisting to avoid hitting them head-on. The infected threw themselves on the pegasi, latching themselves onto the JUMPsuits and throwing the occupants off on uncontrollable trajectories.

Infected tore at the suits, ripping avionics and sheets of metal like paper, the pegasi inside helpless to control their flight. Some lucky enough to eject found themselves hopelessly exposed in a cloud of the monsters, who immediately tore into them, unprotected.

Clip continued to fight through the oncoming swarm, dodging and firing with expert maneuvering. He wiped the splatter from his visor, struggling to see where he was going.

The wing of his suit caught one of the creatures in the midsection, cleaving it in two. Clip was thrown into a downward spiral, his engines still on full as he tried to recover. He yanked the throttle back, pulled his wings up as far as the avionics would allow.

"Stop. Stop! STOP!"

The ground was barreling toward him, impact mere seconds away. The Wonderbolt leveled out, his belly scraping inches from the pavement as he jetted down the cobblestone street.

A pair of headlights ahead forced him to pull up, the Wonderbolt evading the erratic truck that was speeding down the road.

He leveled his wings, Clip finally let out the breath he had been holding and looked back. The swarm had engulfed the remaining Wonderbolts, preventing them from any escape. Both gunships continued to pound away at the streets below, and the infected that filled them.

Clipper gritted his teeth and returned the throttles forward, angling back to the swarm that was tearing into his comrades.

He allowed himself a valuable few seconds to check his fuel and made sure his cannons were charged. He would only get a few shots between passes.

However, before he could line up his strafe, a group of infected broke away from the swarm. The group of infected flew upward at an astonishing speed. Clip was too slow to realize their plan. The airships, Phoenix and Tiberius, sat unprotected in the open sky.

---

The Captain of the Phoenix gripped the hoofrails of the bridge as another volley of artillery erupted from the side of the airship. Shells exploded below them in the streets, culling infected and those unlucky enough to be caught in the crossfire. Civilians, looking to escape the carnage, dropped everything and ran away in all directions. Most would never make it out of the city as they faced both artillery and the infected.

An officer behind the radar console leaned into his screen, studying the blob of color coming toward them. “Captain,” he called. “We have contacts bearing broad on our port bow.”

“What?" the Captain exclaimed, leaning to the glass. "Sweet Celestia, can they all fly?” he swore, spinning on his hooves. “Activate defensive measures!” he barked, galloping from the windows.

“Armed and ready, Captain,” called the officer.

“Fire away!" he ordered, spittle flying from his lips. "Tear them to shreds!”

With a sound like a buzzsaw, of steel flechettes, dart-like steel projectiles tore through the air beneath the belly of the Pheonix. The razor-sharp flechettes split into the swarm, but for each one that fell, another was right behind it.

“Helm! Give us hard starboard rudder! Turn us away!” the Captain ordered.

The stallion at the helm swung the wheel, causing the airship to turn and dip to the right. Ponies reached out and grabbed onto whatever they could hold on as the bridge dropped precariously on its side. All the while, the minigun continued to chew into the swarm.

Infected rammed the gigantic airship, ripping into the engines on her port side. The massive propellers seized and exploded into shrapnel, the metal shards tearing into the skin of the gunship. Inside, they struck stored munitions, an explosion of fire and air tearing the ship at her seams.

On the bridge, crewmembers were thrown across the stations as the bridge tilted even further to starboard. Alarms shrieked at terminals, and sparks flew from the electronics. The power surged and was lost, emergency lights illuminating the chaos as the airship tilted at ninety degrees while a chorus of screams rose and fell in unison.

The communications mare gripped onto the port railing, suspended as the airship fell sideways toward the ground far below, the wind whistling over the bridge. She held on with all her strength to the railing, glancing at the Captain hanging on for dear life beside her.

But it wasn’t enough. The mare's hoof slipped, and she flew across the bridge, striking the large portholes with a sickening crack.

The unfortunate unicorn slowly propped herself up on a knee, her leg twisted and mangled beneath her. The mare looked up at those still crying and hanging on when she heard the cracking sound continue beneath her. Gazing down with a ghastly complexion painted on her bruised cheeks, she watched cracks like silver spider webs spread across the glass she was so precariously positioned on.

With a powerful detonation, the bridge window exploded in a shower of glass as the unicorn fell. She might have hit the ground, had she not been immediately set upon by the swarm of infected.

Her screams were drowned in the chittering of the infected, a wave of blackness and voracious teeth that flooded the bridge.

Comments

[Mix-up]

Well this is an interesting story, love the mystery behind it, I would guess that these changelings don't feed on love of ponies sense they are spreading way too fast to be sustainable for their population. I wonder what is this voice that want to keep this filly untouched sense the changeling can't be the ones doing this sense their could have standing orders to ignore her; or why they would even not want her infected. I wonder why they conditioned/brainwash Feldwing only to infect him, and why they they would bother warning him, or how he could hear them?

[AnchorsAway]

As far as Feldwing, perhaps they have plans for him

[Quill_Weave22]

Finally caught up with this! Saw it a bit back and liked the premise, finished it now and have to say I love it. The thing above Ponyville definitely gave me Prey vibes, namely with how the Apex appeared towards the end. Really looking forward to seeing this continue, it's been great so far.