TF2 Analysis: Event Horizon

by Echoes of the Voice

Chapter 5: Maelstrom

Theme: "Tactical Dominance" by Position Music, Composed by Jack Trammell

Tyandaga's training and instincts overcame his shock and fear, and he felt courage swell within him. "Go!" he shouted.

He leapt forward, leveled his flamethrower at the undergrowth before what was easily dozens of robots. A torrent of fire erupted, roaring into the forest. Brush and trees alike were instantly set ablaze. He thanked his lucky stars that their artificial intelligence had slow processors, as he could hear cries of pain instead of their weapons. For now. He turned and bolted. British Ninja was ahead of him, levitating SEGA with his magic. He ducked behind the building he took cover behind before. Then at last, the bullets came, raining all around Tyandaga, missing him by inches. Tyanadaga dove behind a stack of crates and covered his head as best he could, but his antlers were in the way. For the first time, he wished he didn't have antlers. But this thought was soon silenced, as the miniguns of the heavies began chewing their way through the crates, wood chips flying up and pelting Tyandaga. He covered his eyes to keep them from blinding him. He was losing cover, fast.

"Ninja, I could use some help here!"

His back was to him, likely making sure SEGA was alright. But Ninja whipped around, saw the predicament that Tyandaga was in, and pulled his revolver out. He leaned out from the corner of the building and levitated the weapon up. Two bullets discharged forth, each hitting a heavy in quick succession. Both crumpled to the ground, their miniguns ceasing. Ninja ducked back just in time to avoid another hailfire aimed for him. Tyandaga took the opportunity, crawling out just far enough to blast out another fireball. The robots were out of range, but it created another wall of flames, slowing their advance. The sound of a distant gunshot among the others, along with the kicking up of a small patch of dirt near his head, alarmed him. He then got on all fours and dashed further towards the entrance. He glanced to his side and saw Ninja now beside him, out of breath, with SEGA in tow.

"They've got a sniper!" Tyandaga shouted.

"Oh, it just gets better and better, doesn't it?"

Ninja dove behind a building once more while Tyandaga went behind a thick tree. He leaned out a little, but quickly ducked back when four more distant shots rang out, three of which whizzed by, too close for comfort. Now there were more snipers.

"Stay put! I'll try and take them out!"

Ninja levitated his gun, but the field of magic failed, dropping to the ground. Not only was he out of breath, but his magic was nearly gone. He couldn't use anymore without risking a permanent burnout. He instead reached for the gun with his hoof and aimed down its sights. He squeezed off three bullets. His frustrated groan told all that Tyandaga needed to know.

"We're bloody useless against snipers!" he said as he reloaded. "I say we make a break for it."

"Agree—argh!" Tyandaga was suddenly accosted by a scout who attempted to thrust its hoof into his face. He barely managed to duck out of the way, but another sniper bullet shot past, nicking his antler. He heard Ninja fire off more shots, though none were aimed at this robot. Tyandaga blocked another hoof strike with his flamethrower as he glanced five more scouts dashing toward him. With a burst of strength, he pushed the first away and unleashed his flamethrower, engulfing all scouts within. They screamed and ran about erratically, causing the environment around them to catch fire.

That was exactly the distraction they needed.

"Run!" Tyandaga shouted, heading for Ninja. "Go, run, run, run!"

"Alright, help me out," Ninja said. He began to lift SEGA.

Tyandaga stopped him, though. "No, you're tired. I'll carry her."

Without any further argument, Ninja lifted her onto Tyandaga's back. He didn't hide the fact that lifting and carrying her took a lot of effort, but there was no time to voice it. The two of them dashed for the entrance, bullets whizzing by without result. As soon as they stopped, Tyandaga turned and fired one last wave of flames that would deter any robots from following.

They ran deeper and deeper into the forest, the shouts of the robots following their hoofsteps. Long after the echoes finally faded did British Ninja stop, gasping for breath. Tyandaga didn't feel how tired he was until he stopped, his legs burning and sweat pouring out from under his fireproof suit.

"Okay," he said between breaths, "that was far more terrifying than I imagined. I never thought fighting the robots would be like that."

British Ninja simply nodded, turning his attention to their wounded companion. "You weren't hurt any further, were you, SEGA?"

"No...but everything still hurts," she said weakly.

"Alright, let me see. I'm no medical expert, but..." His voice faded as he looked over her wounds. "Well, it seems that most of the wounds aren't serious. The only one that's got me worried is your hind leg. A bullet went straight through, and it's bleeding quite a bit." Ninja tapped around himself, searching his pockets. To Tyandaga, he asked, "I...don't suppose you brought some sort of dressing?"

"No, that didn't occur to me. Sorry."

"No worries, it didn't occur to me, either. Curse our lack of foresight. We'll need something else." Ninja's eyes darted back and forth as he considered their options. Then, he pulled his mask off, revealing the natural tan of his coat. "I might have just enough magic left."

He activated his horn and a wave of light swept across the cloth. The magic exerted upon it caused it to flutter and vibrate a little. The color also brightened a little, returning to its original rustic quality. Ninja had just removed the sweat that permeated his mask. The light faded and Ninja exhaled as if he was holding his breath.

"There," he said as he tied the mask around SEGA's leg. "It's not exactly the cleanest it's ever been, but it's far better. That should stop the bleeding."

She cried out as he pulled it tight, as gentle as he tried to be. Ninja placed a hoof on her shoulder. "I know it hurts. We'll take you to Coal Town, and have Firebrand and Keyframe heal you right up. Just hang in there, alright?"

"Coal Town," she muttered. "Voice. I want my Voicey."

"We'll take you to him, too," Tyandaga chimed in.

They'd only taken a few steps before specks of orange and grey floated down before them. Ash. They looked into the sky and were shocked to see black smoke looming over them, barely visible from the dim light of the setting sun, and the orange glow of what was unmistakbly a wildfire. That dull roar that Tyandaga subconsciously dismissed as wind was the approaching tsunami of flames.

"Oops," Tyandaga said.

"Let's get out of the forest, right now!" Ninja shouted.

"SEGA, if you can, please hang on as tightly as possible."

As soon as he felt her hooves wrap around the base of his neck, the two took off as fast as Tyandaga could go. But he still had to be careful. She did not have the strength for a firm hold. He prayed that they stayed ahead of the coming maelstrom.

Coal Town really was the best place to be right now.

Voice of Reason heard Ink Rose's cries—the robots had returned and they needed to take cover. Unfortunately, she didn't mention where exactly they were coming from, so he had to presume they were coming from the south, where Ink Rose came from. He took position on a rooftop across the eastern edge, scanning the desert closely through the scope on his sniper rifle. The second he saw metal, heads were going to roll. But when his vision was filled with neon blue light, he pulled away and watched as the light spread and grew, quickly passing around and above Coal Town. His jaw dropped further and further as it stabilized and formed a hemisphere. There was no mistaking a barrier when he saw one. If there were any doubts amongst the mercenaries about the coming attack, they were surely extinguished now.

Voice approached the barrier. From that rooftop, it was within reach, and so he prodded it with the rifle. It felt very solid at first, but after pressing even harder, he saw that there was some elastic give. He placed his hoof on the barrier, hoping that he wouldn't be electrocuted or something. But thankfully, there was nothing. It was little more than a wall. Still trapped, but at least they won't have to worry about getting hurt by it.

A loud whistling pulled him away from his observations. He raised his rifle immediately, but instead of robots greeting him, it was an explosion. The fireball erupted, sending a wave of heat that Voice could feel from there. And it came from the center of town. He scanned the buildings, feeling a sense of danger building within him. Were the robots already here? Did he miss them?

He caught a glimpse of GoldenFox, who was also on a rooftop. Despite the fact that he was in a good position for a sniper, he jumped off the roof and flapped straight down to the ground. Voice was puzzled by this. Goldilocks was a hacker, but he wasn't dumb or cowardly (though Voice wouldn't admit that out loud). What's gotten into him?

There was another whistle, then suddenly, a second explosion erupted from the building right next door, close to searing Voice's fur coat off. Bits of wood and glass shot up into the sky and out onto the main road. He ran to the opposite side of the rooftop and covered his head, but luckily, none of the debris landed on him. Before he had time to process this, a third and fourth explosion erupted in other parts of the town.

These weren't ordinary explosions. He was in the middle of an artillery barrage!

Voice scrambled back onto his hooves just as he heard an incoming shell, much closer this time. He leapt off the roof, the explosion deafening his ears. The shockwave from the blast altered his trajectory. Unable to keep his balance, he slammed into the ground and rolled to a stop. No serious injury, though his ears rang and the barrage was muffled, as if he was hearing it underwater. He focused his eyes just in time to see the building he was just on collapse into a pile of rubble.

Left with no other choice, Voice dove into the nearest building, curled up into the deepest corner, and kept his head covered as best he could. The decrepit structures of Coal Town crumbled like dried fallen leaves against the bombardment, but they were better protection than none. All he could do now was wait and hope that the building wasn't struck. The ground shook beneath him. How helpless he was against such weapons.

The floor convulsed violently and Voice could only look up in horror as the roof above gave way. He gritted his teeth and braced for whatever pain may come. And come it did, feeling the debris fall directly on his ribs. He groaned, but endured.

And then it was silent. Voice opened one eye. Through a hole in the roof, he could see the evening stars. Oddly calming, all things considered. He supposed that some buildings were sturdier than others in this place. If this one was as bad as the first, he'd surely be dead. But then he'd respawn and probably be able to regroup faster. On the other hoof, putting a bullet in his own head wasn't very appealing.

He pushed the debris off and stood. Tenderly, he felt the part of his ribs that was struck. He winced as a jolt of pain shot up his spine, but it wasn't unbearable. It'd bruise, but that would be all.

Voice hefted the sniper rifle and was about to look through the scope, but stopped, horrified. Half of the buildings were destroyed, and flames were consuming yet more. Where there wasn't rubble strewn about the streets, there were craters. Though some of Coal Town still stood, it was nearly unrecognizable. No matter how violent or destructive their matches got, it was never this bad.

Voice heard the clunk of wood on wood behind him. He turned and gasped when he saw a helmet and a red and green plaid scarf poking out of the debris.

"Maddy!" he said, alarmed.

He went over to the Shetland pony and threw the boards that lay on top of her aside. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a little bruised." He offered his hoof and she accepted, getting back on her hooves. "What in blazes was that?" she asked as she dusted herself.

"Artillery barrage, I would guess. Seems like it stopped, though. We should get out of here and find Doc. I hope he's got a plan."

Maddy gasped. She saw the state Coal Town was in. "He better."

The two of them ran out onto the street. As they turned north towards Doc's office, they spotted Lightning Bliss and Keyframe. The former was using her paintbrush-like tail to dust herself off while the latter was in a coughing fit.

"Hey!" Maddy shouted. "You two alright?"

"Maddy! Voice!" Lightning Bliss said. "We're okay, just...shaken. That was one of the scariest things I've ever been through."

"Same here," Keyframe said weakly. "But it's strange. We're completely helpless against an artillery barrage. Why did it stop?"

"Hey, guys!" the voice of Ink Rose rang out from overhead. "Doc has called an emergency meeting to the south, by the emergency bunker. Head down there ASAP!" Without another word, Ink Rose darted back from whence she came.

"Wait, Ink!" Keyframe shouted. "What about the others?"

She was already out of earshot.

Keyframe sighed. "Come on."

The four of them ran to the meeting location, though Keyframe's long legs allowed her to outrun the others. They all rounded the bend and saw the other mercenaries gathered as well. Voice was relieved to see everypony gathered in one place, but it was short-lived. There was something in their expressions. They were much more afraid and stressed than normal, even Mary Sue. Then that would mean...

His train of thought derailed when he saw an unconscious Firebrand resting on Silver Quill's back. He glanced at Silver's face, then back to Firebrand, then back once more. "I'm guessing he's not just taking a nap?"

"Tranquilized," Silver said simply. "I'll tell you about it later."

"If I could have your attention, please," Doc called out. It wasn't as if they were particularly talkative in this moment, but they all hushed. "First of all, you have no idea how relieved I am that all of you survived, but we're not out of this yet. It's true that the barrage has ceased, but that most likely means the robot army is bearing down on us as we speak. Unfortunately, the electromagnetic pulse rendered our..."

"Wait, there was an EMP?" Voice asked. He took a step closer and bumped into AnY and muttered, "Sorry."

"Yes. It came from the jellysquids, or rather, the disguised machines. Within each of them was a single component of an EMP emitter. When they were all gathered in one place, and saw the opportunity, they built and unleashed it. It's rendered our dispensers, turrets, mediguns, and more crucially, the respawn generator, inoperable."

Keyframe glanced down at her medigun and tried activating it as Doc spoke. Sure enough, nothing happened. With a solemn expression, she cast it aside and pulled out her syringe gun.

"We'll need to adjust our strategy accordingly. Take purely defensive positions here, before the emergency bunker, and hold the line. With radios taken out as well, you won't be able to communicate effectively. Instead, keep an eye on each other, adapt to the situation, and make calls that each of you deem fit. I cannot stress this enough, but do not engage in risky behavior."

The gentle flap of a pegasus drew everypony's attention, as GoldenFox approached and landed next to Doc. "They just crossed over the dune crest. They'll be here in about a minute."

Doc nodded, then turned to the rest. "Sweetie Bloom and I have something to take care of back in my office." Judging from her expression, this was news to her. "I'll explain what's going on later. For now, it's imperative you hold the line until we return! Then we'll take shelter in the bunker. Understood?"

Everypony nodded with smatterings of "Yes, sir," and "Understood."

"Good! Take positions!"

With that, Doc mounted Sweetie Bloom and she took flight, proceeding directly south.

"Huh. That was weird," AnY muttered.

"What was?"

"The strongest emotion that Doc is feeling right now...it's guilt."

"Guilt? Why does he feel guilty?"

"I'm an empath, not a telepath."

"You heard him, take positions!" Keyframe shouted to the two of them.

Voice climbed onto the buildings that were still standing on the left side, as Goldilocks was taking position on the right.

"Silver, Firebrand is just dead weight right now. Go ahead and drop him off in the bunker, and make it fast!"

"With pleasure."

"Mary Sue, I have an idea on how you can help us out."

"What is it?"

Voice felt a sense of dread as he went prone and checked his sniper rifle and scope. It really was a dire situation if Mary Sue wasn't her cheerful, uber confident self. Keyframe lowered her voice, so he couldn't hear any more. But what he did hear was the scraping of metal, the clang of an opening hatch, and then a dull thud.

"I didn't meant that literally!" Keyframe shouted.

"Whoops," Silver said, sealing it back up. "Oh, well. What's done is done."

Voice refocused his attention on everypony else's position. Ink Rose guarded the stairs leading up to him, as Thespio did the same for GoldenFox. The rest took cover along the avenue, with the heavies closer to the edge of town, and the soldiers close behind. Eliyora sparked her flamethrower to life close to where the road split. Keyframe and Finn were at the very end, aiming with their syringe gun and rescue ranger respectively.

Any second now.

Eliyora pulled out a flare gun and fired into the air. The light brightened the avenue as if it were in the daytime.

And there they were. A seismic wave of robots coming to overwhelm and swallow them whole, marching in perfect rows. "Not on my watch," Voice said. He blasted one of the robots' heads off, followed by GoldenFox's shot.

"This is it! Are you ready?!" Keyframe shouted down the street. "Be brave!"

Two more fell. By now, the others must see the robots gleaming in the light of the flare gun. In the corner of his eye, he saw Mary Sue's horn glow and her wings spread.

"Be brave!"

The first row jumped down and they all cocked their weapons simultaneously and consecutively, one row after another. The whirring of miniguns echoed in the night.

"BE BRAVE!"

The robots charged. Both sides opened fire.