Linkin Pony - Recharge: Revamped

by Kaciekk

Chapter 46

Over the next few days, the ponies in camp worked to find ways to make use of the underground water. They had found some old pipes underground that lead to the water source to the village. There had to be a way to get them back to functional standards. In the meantime, ponies just collected water from the energy mill instead of traveling all the way to the stream.

EchoBeat was one of the ponies put in charge of distributing the water supply. After all, it was the most important resource for growing food. He wanted a good stock of filtered water saved so they didn’t have to go through the processes every day.

Collecting water would be even more important as it started to rain over the camp. It seemed to rain all day. Echo made sure everyone had set out buckets to collect the rainwater.

As evening approached, Echo finished his work for the day and headed towards the base. Inside the main room CharmingRhythm gazed at the computer on the right wall. Echo stepped towards his chair.

“Oh hey,” Rhythm greeted, although didn’t turn his head.“Everything going smoothly?”

“Yeah,” Echo said, nodding. “Just finishing for today.”

“Sounds good.” Rhythm continued to read the screen, it’s light reflecting in his attentive eyes.

“What are you looking at?” Echo wondered, slightly concerned. Rhythm seemed more interested with the words on the monitor than he did hearing about Echo’s progress.

“I’m just reading through reports from HQ. Trying to figure out how the situation in Haythorn is going. They’ve got a communications connection for a small part of the city, but the majority has no access.”

“You’ve been really interested in Haythorn lately,” Echo stated, not even pretending to hide his concern.

“Ever since I went there and saw how bad it was with those rogues, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Those ponies don’t deserve that treatment. Haythorn is meant to be a safe Resistance city,” Rhythm sighed.

Echo slowly moved towards the hallway. “Well, I’m calling it a day. You try not to stay up too late with that computer. It’s not good for your eyes.”

Rhythm gave a single huff of amusement. “I’ll try not to. Thanks.”

The rain pattered on the roof until sometime in the middle of the night. The new silence was almost eerie.

Then a sound broke that silence. Echo blinked his eyes open to the darkness. It sounded like shouting came from outside. Echo used his hoof to feel around his nightstand until he found the lamp he could switch on. He sat up and kept still as he listened for the noises, his ears alert.

For a moment, it was quiet again. Then the shouting returned. In the midst of the muddled voices, it sounded like crackles of energy beginning to start. EPDs weren’t that loud. Only Hybrid guns created that distinct noise.

Echo hopped off his bed and peered out the window, which faced the north. He sought to make something out in the darkness. There were small glowing red dots that moved. Those lights were attached to Hybrids. Then they disappeared out of sight, passed the base. They’re moving into camp! He quickly equipped his EPD.

Echo found FeatherTune awake when he entered the hallway.

“What the hell is going on out there?” Feather mumbled sleepily.

“There are Hybrids in camp!” Echo answered.

“Really? How do you know?”

“Because I saw them moving in, and I can hear them fighting,” Echo explained.

Just then, a door in the middle of the hall opened. BlazingFlair turned to face the two other stallions.

“Fighting? You mean there’s Hybrids?” Blazing asked.

“Yes!” Echo affirmed. “Get your weapons. We need to go out there and defend.”

“Wow, Echo being the first one to go into a fight. Now that’s a first,” Feather remarked.

Echo ignored him and trotted into the main room. He turned on a light as Feather and Blazing stepped in. After a moment, SpinningNote joined them. He didn’t speak at first, only glanced at the EPDs the other stallions held. He swiveled back around and faded into the hallway. When he came back, he too had his EPD.

“We still need Hyper and Rhythm,” Blazing pointed out.

“I’m surprised the shouting hasn’t woken them up already,” Spinning said.

“Well I’m not,” Feather puffed. “Hyper’s always exhausted and Rhythm can sleep through almost anything. You’d think his sound magic affects his brain.”

“I’ll get Hyper,” Spinning announced and once again went towards the hall.

“And I’ll get Rhythm,” Echo decided, following close behind Spinning’s tail. They then split in both directions at the first doors in the hall.

In Rhythm’s room, Echo attempted to make out shapes. Lights from the camp crept in through small crevices between the window’s curtain. The light was just enough to show the outline of Rhythm, his face towards the wall. Echo stepped closer and gently nudged Rhythm’s back with a hoof.

“Rhythm. Get up.”

Rhythm stirred awake and rolled over to face Echo, his eyes still shut. “W-what. Echo? What time is it?”

“I don’t know, but there’s Hybrids outside,” Echo stated.

“Hybrids? In the camp?” Rhythm’s eyes opened wide, although anything was hardly visible. He pushed himself up to sit up straight on his bed. “I knew they’d find the camp eventually,” He muttered.

“We need to defend, but,” Echo started just as a thought crossed his mind. “I’m not sure you should fight.”

“What? Why?” Rhythm demanded. “Is it because of my injuries? I’m feeling better, I promise.”

“It’s only been a week,” Echo countered. “You don’t want to make them worse by fighting.”

Rhythm signed, attempting to accept that, although he did not give a verbal “okay.” Instead, he said “I still need to see what’s going on out there.”

Echo nodded, agreeing with that.

At last the six stallions gathered in the main room. Before they left, Echo caught a glimpse of the digital clock by the computer. 4:48 AM.

Outside, a few lamps above doors lit the streets. The soil was still damp from the rain. Just as they all exited, there was a small metal clink followed by splashing. Echo whipped his head over to see a knocked over rainwater bucked by Hyper’s hooves.
“Fuck!” Hyper let out.

“Hyper!” Echo quipped.

“Sorry! I didn’t see it!”

Down the street were the Hybrids, coming in through the alleys. AgileArrow and ForestWind were fighting in the middle of the road. So far there were four Hybrids visible. As they made their way towards the scene, Iridescent timidly peaked out of her apartment’s door.

“Just stay inside, we’ll handle this,” Rhythm told her.

FeatherTune and HyperBlitz bounded into the air and began raining down energy. Spinning and Blazing raced to Aggie’s side. Echo cantered past Rhythm, then halted to glance back. Rhythm was firing energy from his leg, back by Iridescent’s apartment. His eyes locked onto Echo’s.

“I want to be of some use,” Rhythm determined.

Echo gave a curt nod and returned to his other teammates.

A Hybrid had Forest pinned near a wall. The stallion tried to fight back with his energy, but couldn’t find a way to escape. The skinny Hybrid used a bladed leg to slash at Forest’s shoulder. Feather swooped downward and knocked the Hybrid off it’s hoof, sending it to the pavement.

“Thanks!” Forest said and fluttered into the air.

Two Hybrids had ganged up on Aggie. One of them used their metal hooves to grab her by the neck. The other held something in a claw, most likely a chip. Aggie quickly jerked her head back, using her magic to blast a laser in her attacker’s face. Both Blazing and Spinning raced to her side to aid against the two Hybrids.

The Hybrid nearest to Echo began firing shots at him. He regretted not wearing armor when the energy singed his leg fur. He lifted his EPD and aimed for the Hybrid’s left eye, which was unarmored. A second source of blue energy hit the Hybrid, Echo assumed it was Rhythm from behind.

Suddenly he felt something blast his hind leg. Echo whipped his head around and glared at Rhythm.

“Sorry! It’s hard to see!” Rhythm grimaced.

Just as he was distracted, the Hybrid knocked Echo over. After hitting the wet ground, Echo glared up at the Hybrid that loomed over him. She had a callous grin.

“You think you normal ponies are better than us with your energy. But we’ll always be more than you ever will be!” She declared in a rusty voice.

“Is that why you take our energy?” Echo pressed. “Because you want to have everything we have and more?”

“Hmm, you’re a smart one,” the Hybrid said.

Before anything else could happen between them, HyperBlitz flew straight into the Hybrid. She crashed to the ground just before SpinningNote. He took a quick glance down at her, then returned to his own battle. Hyper extended his hoof to Echo.

“C’mon!”

Echo grabbed Hyper’s hoof to roll back over, and stood up on his own. He stared down at the Hybrid that Hyper was beginning to shoot at. He couldn’t stop thinking about what she said.

“Hyper!” Rhythm’s voice called from behind them “There’s one on the roof!”
Sure enough, on the roof of the apartment near them was a Pegasus Hybrid that stood tall. It was shooting lasers from its hoof gun.

“I got ‘em!” Hyper affirmed and darted into the air.

Echo peered down the road and watched his friends finish the job. Finally Hyper had thrown the Hybrid from the roof into the alley. Aggie and Forest seemed a bit shaken, but both stood with determination. The Hybrid by Echo’s hooves was barely breathing. He caught a glimpse of her eye move.

“Don’t… think you’re done with us. We… have backup. Th-they’ll find you!” The Hybrid rasped.

Spinning stepped up to her and pressed his hoof against her head. “That’s enough from you.”

Finally the camp grew quiet. No more shouting. No more metal clangs. No more energy fire. The silence drew some ponies out of their apartments, to check the scene. The group of ponies moved towards the center path in front of Xero’s base. Iridescent, Blackout, and ThunderCharm joined them.

“Is everyone alright?” Rhythm spoke up clearly.

“I think so,” Aggie answered hesitantly.

Just as she said that, there was a shout from deeper in camp. CherryBomb came into the light and raced over to Aggie. Cherry threw her hooves around Aggie’s neck, and the Unicorn pulled her in for an embrace.

“I’m okay! I promise!” Aggie assured.

“I’ve got this cut here on my shoulder,” Forest said and glanced at his injury.

“You better get some medicine for it. Maybe have SunSwirl look at it. She’s probably the closest to a doctor here,” Rhythm suggested.

“What about Echo?” Blazing commented. “He knows some things about medicine.”

“Oh, no, no. SunSwirl is way better than me. You’d be better off with her,” Echo opposed. He may have acted as a medic on missions for his team in the past, but he couldn’t see himself becoming the doctor for this camp. He knew Blazing was just trying to give him credit.

Aggie stepped forward, Cherry’s eyes following her. “Rhythm,” She said to the other Unicorn, “I wanted to report something. While I was on watch, right before the Hybrids attacked, I saw some Pegasi flying overhead.”

“Over the camp?” Rhythm replied. “Were they other Hybrids?”

Aggie shook her wavy mane. “They didn’t look like Hybrids to me. They flew in from the north then turned around.”

“North…” Rhythm murmured.

Immediately Echo connected the dots.

“What about those rogues from that camp?” Echo determined.

“You mean from our gang?” Iridescent asked.

Echo nodded.

For a moment Rhythm stared at the ground, the gears in his head turning. “That’s what they meant when they said we weren’t done with them,” He recalled. “They wanted revenge somehow. So they… they sent Hybrids our way. Just like the rogues in Haythorn!”

Echo wasn’t sure the two were connected, but they certainly had the same ideas.

“What? So you’re automatically accusing them of this?” Blackout scoffed.

“We aren’t accusing,” Rhythm defended. “We’re simply putting together the evidence we have and are coming to a conclusion.”

Blackout still wasn’t convinced, but ThunderCharm was the next one to speak. “I think it makes sense. I mean, I saw how those ponies were, I could believe they would do this. They were cruel, and would do anything to get revenge.”
Iridescent sighed. “I agree. Blackout, you’ve got to realize that they are in the wrong. They attacked this camp while the Resistance hasn’t done anything to them. Hell, they saved us from the Hybrids, and we chose to stay here.”

Blackout was silent for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

“You know we can’t go back there,” Iridescent reinforced.

“I know,” Blackout muttered reluctantly. “We’ve been here long enough, they see us as enemies now. Of course they’d let Hybrids attack us. Guess we’re stuck here now.”

“So... does that mean we’re staying for good?” Iridescent pressed.

Blackout’s purple eyes darted between the group of ponies, highlighted by the hint of dawn on the horizon. “For however long we need to be. Until… if we decide we want to leave.” Blackout then glared at team Xero. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to become your recruits. I still have no reason to help the Resistance!”

The Pegasus passed by them all and returned to his apartment. This time, he closed the door behind him without a thud.

“Well… that’s progress, right?” Thunder said.

“He’ll get there,” Iridescent agreed. She swirled around to face the Resistance members. “I want to thank all of you for letting us stay here. You’ve all been very kind.”

“Of course,” Rhythm replied. “That’s what this camp is here for.”

As the hazy dawn light filtered into camp, the ponies began to disperse. SpinningNote passed behind Echo, mentioning doing something with the Hybrid bodies. Echo tried not to think about how the Hybrid he thought had spoken to him. He looked for a diversion.

“I’m going to collect the rainwater buckets,” Echo stated. Rhythm nodded in approval.

Just as Echo started to walk, Iridescent trotted up next to him. “I’ll help.”

“Thanks,” Echo said.

Echo was glad to see that Blackout was finally accepting the Resistance around him. While he wasn’t prepared to serve them, he was at least alright living among them. That is progress, Echo considered.

“Give Blackout time. He’ll warm up to you guys,” Iridescent spoke up, as if reading Echo’s thoughts. “Our mother was Resistance after all.”

Echo nodded back. “And what about your old gang? What will we do if they come back?”

“I guess we’ll have to talk to them if we can. They can’t keep it up. They’ll realize it’s not worth their time,” Iridescent decided.

Echo hoped she was true. He’d rather they just focus on the ponies in camp than worry about what their neighbors thought. At least the tension between them and Blackout seemed to be easing. Maybe he will make a good recruit at some point, Echo thought hopefully.