Chapter 2: Armed and dangerous
Like before, Twilight seemed to be more liberal with her findings as Lyra stepped out of the capsule, “Lyra, this is amazing! You haven’t even had the suit on for a minute and my sensors are already being overwhelmed by all the data I am receiving.”
Lyra’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the fancy new blue busters on her arms, seeming greatly distracted by them, “I am blue…”
Twilight paused the monologue she about to do and asked flatly, “What?”
Lyra gestured to herself and her blue armor and said, “The Armor. It’s not like I don’t like blue, but I was kind of hoping it would be green. Its kind of my color.”
Twilight nervously shuffled her hooves and stated, “Really? Well… Blue was actually the default color in the Chameleon circuits. I didn’t know you had a specific one in mind. Step into the capsule and I will see about changing that.”
Lyra stepped into the capsule once more and let it close shut around her as Twilight continued her monologue from before, “Alright, it would appear that the suit is acting as a second skin, a power armor if you will. With that helmet your magical capacity has increased tenfold and the rest of it's light weight should hardly hinder your mobility in the slightest. I am still looking over the specs, but it could be even better now.”
“Tenfold, huh?”
Lyra crossed her arms as a confident smirk appeared on her muzzle, “Sounds like fun.”
Twilight agreed, “Like the power pack and Proto buster, it would appear that it can absorb and channel your energy into powerful blasts. Unlike it, however, it would seem they are far more powerful the more concentration you put into your shots. The size and power of your shots is now determined by how much effort you put in.”
Lyra’s smirk somehow got even wider as she once again left the chamber, now sporting a distinct green color palette, “Yep, definitly fun! I already know just the target to practice on…”
Recalling the debris just outside the room, Lyra dashed outside and charged up a shot. When the hum of magic from her horn reached its peak and she could charge no longer, she fired upon the rubble and blew it away, clearing a path forward. However, not everything was okay as those robots from before sprang forth to chew up the rubble, and she was sure to be next as they converged on her location
Lyra heared Twilight from the now 'empty' room, “You just broke my scanners with that one. What are you, some kind of mega pony? I almost wonder what this would have been needed for, but with those robots around, I have an idea…”
The armored mare called back, already firing upon the machines that wanted to do her in, “Speaking of robots, it seems this lab isn't as secure as we hoped, I am going to find where they are coming from.”
“Stay safe Lyra!”
Lyra noded in affirmation as she dashed away once more. Those cleaning robots were no issue now. In fact, one might say they were too easy. All Lyra had to do was follow the train of robots and… A wall. It would seem that she was stuck in this hall, as the stairs leading up were too damaged to even be considered a viable option. Pausing for a moment, she would ponder Twilight’s words. Enchanted mobility?
She was already incredibly light on her hooves, and the armor felt like it was nearly nothing on her, so maybe she won't have a hard time climbing the wall? Putting one hoof in front of the other, she found it as easy as expected to cling to the wall and move about. So easy in fact she guessed the suit was helping her in that fashion as well…
She was literally bounding up the wall, surprising one of those pony looking robots at the top as she landed in front of it mere moments before it could jump into the lab. Her smile was the last thing it’s optical sensors would perceive. She can leap up walls and fire incredible shots now? Lyra was feeling a combat high and didn't wish for it to end. Before, her situation seemed a little bleak, but now, prospects were bright! She sealed off this hole and continued on.
She climbed up another ladder to an area near the surface. She was within the upper areas of the lab now, that much she could be certain. And while there were plenty of robots here already, there was a gaping hole in the wall letting even more of them in. Now this simply won’t do… To make matters worse, there was no good angle to seal it up with rubble from this end. Taking the initiative, Lyra leapt out of the building and fired upon the wall behind her, sealing it from the outside.
That should make it so more robots don’t get in and she can clean the rest of them up later should any stragglers be left. Outside, she landed on some exposed red girders, akin to those one might see on a construction site. Curious, was this part of town still being constructed? Or was it renovations? For now she cast those thoughts aside, she wanted to go out and see what sort of things were being constructed here. After all, what sort of things would they be building in a construction yard filled with robots made to destroy?
Her curiosity in that regard will not be sated however, as there were plenty of odd robots here working, there was an equal number there destroying things and building up small structures, with some doing both. They would never get anywhere. They especially won’t once she got close to them. When the killer flying buckets of bolts took notice of her, she made short work of them and moved on to bigger things. Swinging from crane hooks to the cranes themselves, she took out many robots from above. She was confident, and that led her to missing one of the machines above and it knocked her off the platform and to the ground below
Landing in the ground below, she found that aside from having the wind knocked out of her from the fall, she was otherwise okay. The suit took most of that, a fact she was rather lucky to learn. Now on the ground, Lyra continued her hunt through Ponyville’s not so busy streets. All the homes were abandoned, derelict in appearance. Seeing the state of things the robots left them in was rather melancholic, taking a little wind out of her sails as she found a dilapidated looking doll in the metal jaws of one of the robots she fought.
Eventually, one machine would give her pause. They were tall and pink, and accentuated by gold jewelry and blue crystals everywhere… Sporting a horn and wings, it was giving her some heavy Princess vibes, it was a rather bizarre sight, but it was definitely a robot all the same. However, this one was more interesting than the others. It spoke in a simple restrained monotone similar to that of the voice that was used by the capsule before Twilight took it over, “Unknown entity detected… State your designation and purpose or be eliminated.”
A robot that speaks. Just great! At least this one seemed a little more reasonable on the surface, it asked questions before shooting at her. Lyra compiled… For now, “My Designation is Lyra. Who are you?"
The robot stated their own name, which made Lyra raise an eyebrow, “I am C.A.D.A.N.C.E..”
Oh great, she thought they looked familiar... Lyra picked a bad time to snark, “You are a long way from The Frozen North, aren’t you?"
C.A.D.A.N.C.E.’s eyes narrowed at Lyra and said once again in monotone, yet a growing frustration still seemed audible somewhere in that synthesized mess, “Database registration: Lyra. Purpose: Sass. Place of creation: Unknown.”
Place of creation? Does this robot think she is one too? Perhaps she could use that to her advantage… Taking the initiative, Lyra stated with an unsure smile, “You wish to know where I was created? My memory was... Corrupted, yes. Corrupted. I was looking for clues when I came to town. All I know is its near some place named 'Ponyville.' Do you know it?"
C.A.D.A.N.C.E.’s eyes scanned her form, as if looking for something as the crystalline hooves she walked on gently chinked on the metal street, “This town has not gone by that name in a long time. Tell me Lyra. Did you look in the labs at ERI?”
Lyra glanced back at the large building beyond the construction zone briefly before her gaze was filled by the robot’s purple eyes, “I see through you. You don’t belong here anymore, Pony. There are no answers to find here, only death.”
Panicking, Lyra raised her buster up at the robot’s face and said, “Hold on, I’m not a pony. I am a robot, like you!”
C.A.D.A.N.C.E. took a step back and unfurled her crystalline wings, as if preparing for take off, “Unlikely… I will say that is a clever disguise you wear, but it bears the mark of the Doctor’s hooves. You cannot fool me any longer.”
The armored unicorn scoffed, “Is it too much to ask for one friendly robot?”
C.A.D.A.N.C.E. took flight and prepared for battle, just as Lyra did. The robot opened combat by charging at Lyra at high speeds. The window to evade her was narrow, but Lyra managed to get by with hardly a scratch on her armor. She retaliated with a few buster shots to the robot’s back, however it seemed to have no effect. Whatever this one was made of was a lot tougher than the others. No matter, anything will go down if you put enough force into it... Right?
She just wished that she could actually hit them! The longer the fight dragged on, the faster C.A.D.A.N.C.E. got! She even varied up her attacks by flying just out of reach and lobbed crystal heart looking projectiles at her. Her armor shrugged off most of the damage, but in the end, Lyra was getting whittled down further and further with each pass. Everything C.A.D.A.N.C.E. was hitting it’s mark and Lyra could feel it.
As the Robot switched up her normal heart attack with a Laser attack, she could have sworn she heard the machine mocking her. Huffing, Lyra stated bluntly as her desperation grows, “You are one sick robot, you know that right?”
Such a statement gave her attacker pause, tilting their head curiously in response, “Sick? I am a machine, I do not get sick.”
Lyra charged up her buster as much as she could and leapt at her assailant, aiming for a point blank charge shot to the face. As the blast connected, Lyra let out a confident laugh, “You are sick alright, and here is your prescription, five hundred grams of blasts to the face!”
As the dust settles, Lyra noted that there wasn't a single scratch of C.A.D.A.N.C.E. It did nothing…
Falling back to the ground, Lyra would watch in horror as C.A.D.A.N.C.E. brushed herself off and sassed the dumbstruck unicorn, “Tastes bitter, just like the rest of the Doctor’s creations.”
With that taunt out of the way, the killer machine applauded her, her tone having a hint of some sort of sadistic glee, “I will admit, I have not heard that one before. For this, I will show you my strongest attack in return.”
This was it, this was the end. By Celestia why did it have to be like this? C.A.D.A.N.C.E. charged up some sort of mega heart attack and prepared to unleash it upon the poor mare. Despite her efforts to get away, that Heart would split up and sandwich her, hard! It felt like she was being bucked by a million earth ponies all at once. If it weren't for that armor holding her together, she guessed she might have been reduced to a puddle of minty fresh marshmallows right about now.
Lyra collapsed in a heap on the city streets as C.A.D.A.N.C.E. landed beside her. She seemed surprised, “Still breathing? You are an impressive mare Lyra. Certainly the strongest Organic to ever face me in battle.”
Lyra tried to get up, to give one final act of defiance, but was swiftly shut down by a crystalline hoof on her back putting her down, “Goodbye Lyra.”
That was when the sound of another charged buster whizzed through the air and hit C.A.D.A.N.C.E. on the side and sparing Lyra the fate that was sure to befall her. The retreating Robot brushed themselves off once more and swore, “B-0n! I should have known you would be here… Why must you interfere with my work? Don’t you see there is no point in protecting these pathetic creatures?”
Lyra was unable to see her blue and fushia colored savior, as she was drifting in and out of consciousness, but she heard their voice. It was the most wonderful voice she had heard since she had arrived, one she was surprrised to hear, “I wouldn’t expect a Maverick like you to understand. You lost that ability long ago! Now come, your fight is with me now.”
Weighing her options, C.A.D.A.N.C.E. stated, “No… not yet. You resist now, but it is inevitable that you will be decommissioned. When that time comes, I will be there! You and Lyra have not seen the last of me.”
“I can hardly wait C.A.D.A.N.C.E.”
B-0n watched as her rival flew off into the sky, knocking away a flying bucket as she went. Sighing, they turned to the prone Lyra and said, “It’s okay citizen… You are safe now.”
Lyra looked up at her with half lidded eyes, clearly she wasn't all there just yet, “Bonnie? When did you get here?”
B-0n smiled softly and hefted the prone unicorn onto her back, “Let’s get you back to the lab so you can rest. You seem to have taken quite the beating.”
B-0n’s steps were slow, yet deliberate. She knew how to safely transport Lyra without disturbing her, yet in the end she was disturbed anyway as she eventually came to. As the armored mare got her wits back together, she asked, “You… You’re not Bonnie. You are are robot, aren't you? Where are you taking me?"
B-0n paused, addressing the groggy mare on her back, “I am indeed a robot, but I am not like the others. I have not lost myself yet.”
As she continued walking again, Lyra asked, “You didn't answer me, robot… How do I know this isn't a trick?”
B-0n looked back at the mare slung over her back and stated with a small smile, “Only a fool would trust me so blindly… I will be honest like I was before. I am taking you back to the lab so you can rest. For now, let the suit tend to your wounds. It is slow, but it should aid you in dealing with the pain.”
The trek back to the lab was rather uneventful, as it seems that B-0n had already created a path for the two of them to reach the lab safely. Upon entering what appears to be a rec room inside, B-0n sat her down on a couch and said, “Wait here, I will be back with food shortly.”
Before she could leave however, a nearby computer monitor lit up and a holo-Twilight appeared, something that would make Lyra smile, “Hey Doc… You look like you have a handle on things. Look, I made a friend out there.”
Twilight nodded, looking over at the newcommer with a smile, “I saw you two coming in on the cameras. I was worried at first, but when they presented the access codes to enter the lab, I had a hunch they were supposed to be here.”
B-0n’s optics lit up vividly as she looked at the screen, “This… What is this? I thought I had found all the Doctor’s recordings last time I was here.”
Twilight laughed, “Oh, I am not a recording… I just interfacing with this holo matrix remotely.”
The robot hummed softly, their mental processers quickly finding an answer to her own question, “You… You are not her, and yet you match her magic signature enough to access her admin privileges. Very curious…”
Lyra sat up on the couch and asked, “I see you were able to branch out in the time I was gone… Find anything new? Like a way home perhaps? I just got my tail handed to me by a Maverick and could use some good news.”
Twilight put a hoof to her chin and stated, “Well… I have good news and bad news.”
Lyra laid back down, scoffing loud enough for all to hear, “Of course… What is the bad news?”
Twilight gulped, tugging at her collar lightly as she answered, “Okay, there is nothing here that can actually help us.”
“So I am stuck here?”
Twilight shook her head in an attempt to quell her friend's developping worries, “I think I was able to find a place that could. ERI has another lab in Canterlot. A bigger one, we may find what we need there. But…”
Lyra crossed her hooves and rolled over, asking, “What is the catch?”
Twilight took a deep breath and answered, “From the few glimpses I was able to see inside, it looks like a mess. We may need a few things if we are to build a teleporter strong enough to help."
Lyra stretched and groaned in her spot, “Sounds like a fetch quest to me… Great.”
At this point B-0n would chime in, asking, “Do the two of you need assistance?”
Twilight looked between the two actually present in the room briefly before stating, “If you really are here to help. We could use information. Neither of us know the outside world very well and Lyra over there isn’t looking too good.”
The robot nods, “As you wish. I will be of assistance whenever you need me…”
She looks over at Lyra and says, “Sleep well Lyra. We will talk in the morning…”
With that, the robot left the two of them alone with their thoughts and each other. With a long sigh, Lyra state, “This day is just too much. I thought with this suit, I could take on anything, but I was wrong."
Twilight, trying to be an optimist in this situation, would respond, “Stay strong Lyra. You can do this!”
“But what if I can’t? I lost… Even with this suit I lost.”
Twilight thought for a moment, then said resolutely, “I believe in you. And I am sure Bon Bon would too.”
Lyra rolled over, looking at the hologram. Her voice carried a tone the likes of which Twilight had never heard before from her, “You didn’t… Tell her, did you?”
She shook her head in the negative, “Not yet… Do you want me too?”
Now it was Lyra’s turn to shake her head, “N-no… You’d only make her worry. If she asks, tell her I am working on getting her the biggest and bestest birthday present ever!”
Twilight smiled and said, “Of course… I’ll see what I can do. Till then, rest easy. I will keep an eye on that B-0n character. If she is as trustworthy as she looks, I will get her up to speed. And if she isn’t…”
“I will blast her in the face. I know.”
Lyra let out a pained chuckle before rolling over again to get some sleep. She indeed was going to need it after the battles today...
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