Bounty Hunters 2: Awakening

by Jasper77W

Chapter 15: Lights' On

Rainbow landed lightly on the catwalk. Catwalks surrounded the walls of the crater, one circle of metal walk ways for each floor. Some flimsy-looking stairs lead down from one level to the other, and there seemed to be two rails that lead elevators up and down the depth of the crater. Weak white bulbs lit the catwalks, swaying slightly in the night breeze and sending shadows scrambling about.
Daring Do swung over the railings, landing gently on the level above Rainbow.
"HQ, this is Alpha Six." she said.
"We read you Alpha Six."
"Most of the wiring is done. The control panel on our side is fried, so can you turn off the power? We need a full reboot." Daring asked.
"Negative Alpha. We only have the master switch. Individual switches are in the control room on floor F27. You can access them there- better get that crane working soon. We need those shipments in place."
"Copy HQ. Alpha Six out." Daring said, hanging up. She winked at Rainbow, who grinned.
"You go get the switch. I'll go get Dainty." Rainbow said. "Magnum-"
"Here." Magnum said through the mic, sounding bored.
"Daring has located the switch. She's going to turn off the base now, so once you see the mirage device go off signal Shining Armor's troops to move in. We're taking the place down." Rainbow said. "And I'm going after Dainty. Good luck, aye?"
"Yeah. Gotcha." Magnum said. "But I'm still bored though."
"Don't start shooting the robots until the lights are out." Rainbow warned.
"Bored." Magnum moaned.
Daring flew off to get the switch, and Rainbow turned to the door in front of her.
"Wait for me, Dainty." She whispered, making sure the necklace was still around her neck.
She took in a deep breath, and kicked the metal door down. It crashed heavily to the floor, and she swung in.
Nothing but a hallway, the sides lined with weapons and ammunition. Rainbow checked her phone, precise locating Dainty's location. She memorized its rough location, and started proceeding down the hallway.
The hallway split into two different directions, and she took the right. This one seemed to stretch around the entire crater like a ring, bending around the ends.
She saw shadows around the corner up ahead. She could hear chatting, so they must be normal ponies. She looked up. There was a small vent she could use.
She climbed up. It was a small space, but she could still fit. The ponies passed underneath, unaware of her presence. She dropped down, the silencer pounding against the air and bullets ripping through their armor.
The squad was down before they could let out a warning. Rainbow quickly took a few clips of ammo off the ponies, and continued on her way.
There were doors on both sides of the hallway, and Rainbow chose one of them with a last check of her phone.
She checked the rifle, swapped a fresh clip, and kicked down the door.

*

The door before Daring was slightly ajar, and she peered into it. Aha! The control room. There were two ponies inside, playing cards. The room was dimly lit, reflecting the pony's moods. Either the pay wasn't good, or guard duty just wasn't their thing. It wouldn't matter either way soon.
Daring busted in, the rifle already firing away. Even with the silencer, it still lit up the room and flashed the walls. The two slumped back into their chairs, arms dangling lifelessly by their sides. One bullet hit the table of cards, sending them up like a puff of smoke.
Daring quickly closed the door so a passer-by wouldn't notice anything wrong. She started taking apart the switches, retiring some specific ones with others. Once she was done, she backed away and admired her handiwork.
"Magnum! Are the Captain's troops ready to move in?" Daring asked, scanning the switches for the one that shuts everything off.
"No. Not the Captain's, anyway. His troops are way too tired for night ops, or so he says." Magnum replied.
"Now what?" Daring found the switch, but she needed a reason to press it.
"The Princess of the Night will be leading this operation." a different voice jutted into the mics, clearly Princess Luna's. It had a deep echoey quality to it though.
"Good luck princess. Are your troops in position?" Daring asked.
"The guardians of the night are ready and waiting." The princess replied.
Daring grinned. Things are about to get really loud. "Alright- in three, two, one- LIGHTS OUT!"
She slammed the switch, and for a second it didn't work. Then, with loud failing whirs and dimming lights, the power throughout the entire base was shut off. Then all the switches sparked and exploded in a shower of dancing glittering flames, putting themselves out soon after. The HQ must've tried to restart the base, but her rewiring sent a back current through the system and took out all means of restarting the generators. This would take at least a week to fully repair and recover.
"Alpha Six- What the hay is going on in there!? All our systems just shut down! Turn them back on ASAP!"
Daring Do didn't bother using the fake voice. "Buck you dumbasses!" she couldn't help but laugh at the curses that rained back at her through the mic. "Trust me- you lost! Suck on that shuck-heads!"

*

"Base is in sight." Blink Nightshade, captain of the night guards; commented as the mirage device went offline, revealing the fully exposed base hiding beneath. Her bat-like wings were folded by her side, eager to feel the air rush against them. Her purple mane was cut short, so it wouldn't get in the way during battle. Her yellow reptilian eyes darted across the crater, making an instant analysis. She was the first warden of Equestria, a small group of ponies she was destined to find.
Wardens were ancient guardians that kept Equestria from falling, the most powerful of the magic faction. Once a pony's role as a warden is discovered, it becomes impossible for him or her to die of old age. It also grants them power beyond what normal ponies could ever achieve- much, much more. Their abilities are close to unlimited, and they have just one job- to protect not just Equestria, but the entire universe. The first warden would be chosen by an ancient magical AI, and the other five would be then chosen by the first warden. It becomes impossible to perform evil with the powers of a warden, an efficient security system to shut out traitors.
Blink Nightshade had already found two other wardens. The wardens of fire and ice- Blaze and Halcyon. Their role as the protectors of the universe is yet to be revealed, and until they find all six guardians- they can only remain as they are.
"Guardians of the night!" Luna yelled at the top of her voice, her battle armor shining in the abnormally bright moonlight and her mane a sparkling deep blue void. "Crush our enemies!"
The bat ponies behind the princess and the captain all leaped into the air, no chanting, no taunting. Just plainly following orders- there's nothing personal.
Nightshade cast a gaze over the battlefield, seeing where she might be needed. The bat ponies had swarmed into the cargo area, science faction ponies and robots open firing. There wasn't anything she needed to do, but as the captain- her job was to lead the assault.
She wasn't called the Warden of Teleportation for no reason. She could teleport anywhere she wanted- quite literally, in the blink of an eye.
"Ready?" she asked as she heard two separate sets of hooves trot up beside her.
"Ready." Blaze and Halcyon both said, their horns glowing softly.
"Then let's go." she placed a hoof each on their shoulders, and blinked. The world outside flashed brightly, and when her eyelids parted they were in the middle of the battle.
"Let's finish these bastards off!" there was a bright orange flash, and Blaze's burning sword appeared in his hooves.

*

Val watched from a corner as the ponies in lab coats worked away on the revival machine, her face hidden by the shadows. The only thing that did shine through the darkness was her robotic eye, a dull blue.
"It's done." one of the ponies said.
"Good." Val flexed her fingers. The new implants felt much better- much more free and life like. "Then hurry up and revive Neon."
"But- we haven't tested it, and..."
"Just do it." Val waved, annoyed. The revival machine was hooked up to its own generator, completely unconnected to anything else.
"Right. Start it up!" the pony said warily.
There were a few clicks and whirs as the preparations were made. Then a red button glowed green, indicating it was ready.
Val walked out of the shadows, darkness backing away from the wicked grin on her face. Oh yes- she was happy. Nothing better than to bring out a near invincible monster and let havoc wreak through the battle raging above.
"Wakie wakie, Neon." she slammed the button, and a loud click echoed off the walls.
The machine consisted of a metal frame and a glass tube in the center, where the reborn shall soon stand. The tube glowed bright blue, and the generators whirred furiously; struggling to keep up with the energy consumption.
Shining pixels began forming out of thin air inside the tube, closing in on each other and forming the glowing silhouette of a familiar figure.
Val's grin spread even wider. It was working.
Everything suddenly blew out, sparks and shards of glass flying. The generators failed and slowly rotated to a stop. In the middle of a black blast mark on the floor was a dark figure, crouched down and her claws digging into the ground.
There was a slight buzzing as neon lights came to life all over the figure's body, two lines spreading from the neck to the face and stopping where the eyes should be. Then the buzzing stopped, and Neon opened her eyes; two glowing bright white lights in the dark. She slowly stood up, some debris falling off her claws as she yanked them from the ground. Her back was smoking from the vigorous reaction of being revived, but she didn't seem confused by the slightest.
"Ha! It worked! It actually wor-" the pony's jaw was torn away at the time of celebration as Neon ran a claw across his face, ripping his flesh.
The other ponies stared, horrified. Val just tilted her head to one side, curious about what was happening.
"Neon... It's us... You remember us... Right? We saved your life and gave you the opportunity of a life time- so, let's just calm down..." one of the ponies tried, but took a claw through the heart. It was still pumping blood into a body that was a meter away when Neon crushed it into nothing but a useless piece of flesh.
"Shuck! RUN! SHE'S-" the rest of them tried to run, all except Val. They all got torn into shreds, and Neon didn't say a word.
"You on my side or not?" Val asked. She gasped when Neon suddenly darted forward and stabbed a claw straight through her chest.
She spluttered blood onto the floor, a shocked expression on her face. That expression slowly melted away into a casual shrug.
"Guess not then." she muttered, slamming a fist into Neon's face.
Her claw ripped away from Val's chest, and Neon went tumbling across the room from the force.
"We could've been friends, you ungrateful whelp." Val said, storming across the room, the hole in her chest healing itself. She grabbed Neon's neck, slamming her into the wall. The concrete cracked, pieces sliding off Neon's back. "You worked for me before, and you'll keep working for me."
"Times change." Neon said. "Not that I had a choice on the matter. I just don't want to anymore. Maybe that Element of Loyalty cleaver did something to me." she slashed a claw across Val's arm, ripped it off and kicking her in the chest.
Val went flying across the room, slamming through the far door.
"Bucking Rainbows." Val muttered, her arm already re-growing and the robotics fixing themselves.
Neon ripped away the rest of the busted door, throwing it away. It landed and skid on the floor, a series of sparks lighting up the hallway.
Val swung a punch at Neon, who sliced her arm down the center with a finger. The punch split either side of Neon's face, dripping with blood. She moved forward, slicing the arm all the way in half and her other claw aimed at Val's face. But before the cut could be made, Val kicked behind her and into Neon's back, sending her into the concrete wall. It basically shattered, large chunks crumbling down and the night air outside rushing in.
Val picked up a large chunk, and slammed it down on the back of Neon's head just as she was getting up. It shattered into tiny little pieces, and Neon hit the ground again.
Val moved forward, reaching out to grab Neon around the neck. Neon kicked backwards, crushing Val's leg into several pieces as her hoof crunched through the bone. Val fell onto the ground, her left leg in pieces. She stood up on one leg, the other already healing.
"Haven't had this much fun since Rainbow Dash." she laughed, the bones in her leg rejoining each other.
Neon didn't reply. Of course, she barely ever talks. Before Val could react, she had already torn through her stomach, spilling guts onto the floor.
Val looked down. "Is that really what my kidneys look like? I want a replacement." even as she said this, the hole in her stomach was beginning to close.
Neon lashed out again, but this time Val was ready. She caught her by the wrist, the razor sharp claws inches away from her face. With a twist, she thumped Neon down onto the floor. She placed a hoof on Neon's shoulder, and began yanking the arm away. Of course, it was impossible to break away. Neon didn't even feel pain.
"Oh yeah, that." Val remembered this, and let go; slamming a fist down onto Neon's head instead. Didn't do anything either.
Neon got up, her 'I don't give a buck' expression pissing Val off slightly.
She swung a claw around, back-handing Val in the face and sending her flying sideways. One second she was there, the other she was gone.
Val tumbled along the catwalks surrounding the walls of the crater, her body making some dull clangs as she bounced off the metal catwalks. She got up, tilting her head to one side. There was a satisfying click, and the tension in her neck was gone. She shrugged, feeling much looser.
Neon came storming down the catwalks. The night was lit up by the flashes from the battle high above on the surface. The sounds and explosions of the battle echoed down here in a chaotic jumbo. It soothed Val's ears.
Neon swung a claw at Val, but Val was faster. Before Neon could rip her head off or something, Val slammed a fist into her head. She went tumbling back, clipping the handrails and sending them falling into the infinite darkness below.
"Hope you don't have vertigo." Val said, launching a kick into Neon's side.
She fell sideways, tried grabbing hold of the catwalk, but her claws only tore through the flimsy metal. She tumbled through the air, and disappeared into the darkness below.
"No screaming. So no vertigo then." Val said, casually walking away.

*

Dainty sat with her head lowered. They had taken a little sample of her blood, but that was all. She didn't know who they were, what they do. But there was this one mare that was really creepy and had half of her made of metal.
The thought of that mare sent shivers down her spine. The shivers may also have something to do with the cold. She was sitting on a wooden chair, her front hooves tied behind the back of the chair.
She seemed to be in some sort of room, high above another. A glass wall separated the small room she was in from the huge room outside. It was more the size of a soccer pitch then a room. And she was in the commentator's box, that's what she thought they called those things anyway. The room below seemed like a stadium, bright spotlights running on emergency generators illuminating bits of the stadium. It was the shadows that scared her.
She whimpered when she thought about her situation. All alone, and she'd seen those metal ponies kill Rainbow. They injected some random blue stuff into her neck, which she presumed to be poison. Rainbow had screamed back then, screamed her throat out.
She started crying. She was going to be down here forever, either starved to death or die of thirst before that happens. Tears slid down her face as she couldn't remove the memory of Rainbow in agony from her head.
"Sorry... Big sis..... I couldn't even keep myself out of trouble..." she whimpered. "Now I got you killed... Oh god..." she broke into an unstoppable sob, no longer able to voice her thoughts even in her own mind. All she could think of was Rainbow's blank expression when she collapsed onto the floor, eyes closing and a single tear drifting down her face.
And then she heard Rainbow's voice call her name from the stadium below. She looked up, the tears still blurring her vision. She blinked several times, trying to clear them away as she couldn't wipe them off. And then she shook her head. She needed to stop hearing things. But then, Rainbow called again- completely unmistakable.
"Dainty! DAINTY!"
"RAINBOW!" Dainty yelled, tears of joy swarming into her eyes. "SIS!!"
And then a cold hand clamped around her mouth, preventing her from shouting more.
"Quiet down, little filly." Val said. "You see, I used to be like you. See how you're still alone right now? Relying on your elder to save you? I was like that too. Maybe not the same situation, but same principle. I waited for my parents to save me. I hoped they would."
Dainty whimpered, terrified of the mare.
"Well, in the end, I had to save myself. They abandoned me." Val continued. Rainbow seemed to notice the talking, and was looking blindly around her. "In the end, I was more powerful and reliable than they were. They were weak, so I was better off on my own. They couldn't do anything to save me. Boy, were they weak. So I had to save myself. Now, put yourself in my position. Rainbow is who you're relying on to save you, and soon she will no longer be." Val grinned. "You don't understand now..." she took her hand away from Dainty's mouth. The little filly was quivering with fright, way too scared to talk or move. "But you will soon."
Val backed away, and Rainbow was still unaware of what is yet to come.

Comments

[NaughtSought]

Now that's more creepy than it should have been. Corrupt the cutie?