Meet the Team: Pony Fortress 2

by The Usurper

Meet the Medic (Part 3/2)

Diana blinked in surprise as she watched the fight between Fluttershy and the RED Spy unfold. She would probably have been skewered by the Sniper's arrow by now had the unicorn not been distracted by the other battle as well.

The Spy was quick; the two shots from her Ambassador tore right through whatever short distance they had to cover and struck Fluttershy's temple in less than a second. Unfortunately for her, Fluttershy was far quicker. Her medigun was already out and her Ubercharge activated just as the first shot hit her head.

Diana's attention was abruptly summoned back to her battle with the Sniper as the arrow that the unicorn had picked up while the interviewer had been watching Fluttershy carved a long but thankfully shallow cut on her cheek, drawing a few drops of blood. Retaliating, Diana lunged forward at the arrow, catching the Sniper by surprise. In an instant, she grabbed the arrow and propelled herself over it, ignoring its sharp tip that slashed through the sole of her hoof as best she could.

That's the third time an arrow's hurt me. Utilizing the half a second she gained from that manoeuvre, Diana delivered a punishing blow to the back of the Sniper's head, just fast enough to avoid the arrow at almost managed to embed itself in her hoof again. Instead, the projectile fell to the ground as the Sniper stumbled, temporarily losing her concentration. She wasn't disoriented enough, however, to be hit by the earth pony's next punch, blocking it with a purple hoof before springing back to her hooves. Her horn flashed, and she disappeared in a flash of light.

Diana's momentary surprise gave the Sniper exactly the time she needed to tackle her to the ground, breathing heavily as she restrained the earth pony's legs with ethereal but satisfactorily solid chains conjured from nothingness.

"Tiring..." The Sniper coughed and wheezed, trying to catch her breath, "but those spells are really devastating when used at the right time, don't you think?" She fell to her knees, subsequently emptying the contents of her stomach onto the ground in front of her.

Diana smirked, trying to appear unintimidated as she wriggled her legs to confirm that she was, in fact, totally stuck. "Looks like I'm not the one in worse shape, huh?"

"Well..." The Sniper exhaled noisily as she got back up. "You're the one who's trapped now, aren't you?"

"Perhaps." Diana surveyed her surroundings, trying to appear aloof and unconcerned about her imminent fate as she searched for a way out. "Not a great inconvenience, though."

"Pretending to look nonchalant won't save you." The Sniper raised her arrow into the air and prepared to ram it into Diana's heart. "You know, I could gloat here for a while like a stereotypical villain, but I'm not going to tempt fate with you." The Sniper's eyes gleamed in the moonlight. "I'm a professional. And I always get the job done."

Diana saw what was happening behind the Sniper. She saw Fluttershy as she drew her bloodied ubersaw out of the gaping wound in the Spy's stomach as it oozed the crimson red liquid onto the ground. She saw her move ever closer, saw in hoof, to the Sniper as she prepared to ambush her.

She saw what was happening. She knew that she had to keep her gaze even if she was to have a chance of surprising her adversary.

She also knew that the outcome was not in doubt. With her eyes, she tried to motion Fluttershy away, but she knew it was too late.

As quick as lightning, the Sniper reversed the arrow, pointing it at the space behind her, and drove it right into the approaching Fluttershy's heart. Caught by surprise, the pegasus stumbled back, coughing up blood. She barely had enough strength to deflect the arrow's next hit before she collapsed on the ground. Her hoof weakly searched for the medigun that had fallen on the ground beside her, but a strong stomp from the Sniper's hoof ended that attempt.

"Pathetic." The Sniper spat out. "Am I the only professional here?"

"Underestimating your enemies now, eh?" Diana shot back, causing the Sniper to turn and face her. "Not a good idea."

"I am not underestimating them. I only speak the truth. Maybe everypony in this place is crazy."

In her mind, Diana compiled the information she had on the Sniper, trying to find a way to beat her. She's cold and emotionless. She can anticipate nearly anything and react accordingly to avert disaster. Of course, nearly is the key word here. What can I do that she won't expect? Her eyes rolled in their sockets lazily as all her attention was directed to her thought processes. They eventually came to rest on the pitiful Fluttershy, almost dead but still not quite gone. She wouldn't have been surprised if the Medic had somehow augmented her own heart to withstand more stress.

"I'm not perfect. Far from it really." The Sniper continued. "But if this is the best battle BLU team can give me, then I am sorely disappointed. Are you my only worthy opponent, Diana?"

Diana elected not to answer, sinking deeper into her thought processes.

Something about Fluttershy struck her as off. Instead of trying to attack the Sniper again with whatever strength she had left - strength the earth pony could see she had, if her uninjured hoof trying to unsuccessfully staunch her bleeding wound was any indication - she simply lay there, her hooves on her chest, allowing the last few moments which she had to turn the tide of this battle to slip away. Sure, maybe she was trying to lull her adversary into a false sense of security, but there wasn't anypony else around to ambush her anyway. Whoever was spawn camping the rest of BLU team would likely still be there, and she suspected that the Sniper knew as much too.

Unless, of course, it was the Spy who was in charge of keeping BLU team down, in which case then the Sniper should be panicking. But either she was very good at hiding her fear, or she just didn't care, because she wasn't keeping an eye on anypony else other than Fluttershy and her.

So what did Fluttershy and the Sniper know that she didn't? Diana needed to know, and she needed to know now.

So the Spy is dead. I haven't seen their Medic and Pyro yet, so maybe they're... wait... Diana's eyes widened. No...

The Sniper grinned. "What, finally realised that there's no way out?" Diana didn't miss the tightening of her telekinetic grip around the arrow, though.

There's only one thing I can do now. She knew she wouldn't be able to do this again, not without the required ingredients, but she was keeping it for an emergency, and there was no way this didn't qualify as one.

She jerked her right hoof towards the saddlebag on her back, launching her back - and by extension, the saddlebag itself - towards her hoof at the same time. The result was her joint painfully colliding with the bag, pressing what looked like a trigger through the thin cloth.

Instantly, a cloud of smoke erupted from the opening of the bag, obscuring Diana and the ethereal chains from the Sniper's vision. The unicorn coughed as her horn flared, pouring more magical control into the chains. Her magic soon told her that Diana had slipped out of their grasp, but how she had done so remained a mystery, along with where she had gone.

A Dead Ringer decloaking behind her prompted the Sniper to whip her head around, just in time to block Diana's vicious punch. The RED Spy, having performed her primary duty of warning her ally of the incoming danger, slashed downwards with her Eternal Reward in the hopes of finding the chink in Diana's apparently impenetrable defenses. The earth pony raised her hoof behind her to block the knife, flipping the blade in the process and wrestling for control over it. The other hoof, the one fighting with the Sniper, was now a blur, striking and defending at the same time while searching for a weakness in the unicorn's defenses.

In an instant, Diana had her back to the Sniper and turned the tide of the conflict with the Spy decisively as she, with both hooves, snatched the knife out of her telekinetic grip and leapt over her head, driving the weapon into the white unicorn's back as she landed gracefully. The Spy gave one last cry of pain, collapsing to the ground at the same time.

Now armed with something satisfactorily sharp, Diana redoubled her efforts to defeat the Sniper, hacking and slashing with the limited grip she had on the knife. Finally deciding that she had toyed with her foe for long enough, the Sniper's horn erupted in a purple glow, bringing her previously discarded Bushwacka to her side and smashing the Eternal Reward with so much force that it embedded itself in the wall far behind her opponent.

Having been disarmed so suddenly, Diana almost didn't react to the Sniper's next slash in time, spinning in the air as she deftly avoided the sword but not, unfortunately, the arrow which penetrated the skin of her leg and emerged from the other end.

"Oh come on!" Diana exploded. With all the strength she could muster, she yanked the projectile out of her leg and rammed the metal tip into the blade of the Bushwacka, denting both the arrow and the sword noticeably but snapping the wooden shaft of the arrow in the centre. A strong blow from her uninjured hoof finished the sword off, striking it on its flat side hard enough to split it in half.

Undeterred, the Sniper continued slashing with her broken Bushwacka, its jagged end where the other half had snapped off still sharp enough to carve the meat from Diana's bones, if need be.

Alright, enough is enough. Diana lifted her already-injured leg to take a slash from the Sniper's sword. It would have been completely severed if not for the tough bone in the centre of the appendage. The blade sank deep enough into her leg that when the interviewer jumped over the Sniper with her three good hooves, it remained where she had been struck, following her across her arc and providing the main push when she smashed its hilt into the Sniper's neck.

The Sniper collapsed in a heap, but she was nowhere near finished. Her telekinesis, gripping the other sharp piece of her Bushwacka and both halves of the arrow, stymied Diana's offensive at every turn.

It didn't matter anyway; and Diana knew that the Sniper was as sure of it as she was. Any time now, reinforcements would arrive, and the Sniper would be beaten.

The resigned expression of defeat and regret in the Sniper's eyes registered in Diana's gaze for a moment. It looked entirely out of place on her. Somehow, even though the unicorn had tried to kill her multiple times in the past few minutes, some measure of pity bloomed in Diana's heart.

An instant later, the Sniper's horn flashed and she disappeared, letting the arrow and blade drop to the ground, released from their telekinetic prison. Not a moment too soon; the other BLU team members, Big Mac, Zecora and Rainbow, dashed around the corner only to grind to a halt in horror as they watched Fluttershy's mangled form.

Diana cast her own gaze towards the Medic. She was very, very badly injured, no doubt, perhaps mortally. Given that she'd been stabbed in the heart, it came as a huge surprise that she was still alive. Now there was no doubt that she had enhanced her resilience somehow.

Big Mac rushed to Fluttershy's side, glaring at Diana at the same time. "Did ya do this?"

"No." Diana replied calmly. "It was the RED Sniper."

"Why that piece of..." Big Mac growled menacingly. "If ah ever catch up ta her, she's gonna wish she died today."

"Please, Big Mac, no anger now. We have to concentrate on saving Fluttershy." She gestured to the almost motionless pegasus, save for the shallow rising and falling of her chest. "If she can be saved."

"She will be saved." Big Mac stated flatly, settling down beside Fluttershy and whispering words in her ear. "Nopony is gonna stop me."

"We'll see." Diana hobbled over to Fluttershy, banishing the part of her that protested against the searing pain in her hoof to the furthest reaches of her mind. With her good hoof, she lifted the medigun that lay on the ground beside the Medic and examined it carefully. Without further ado, she aimed it and the pegasus and pulled the lever back, allowing the ethereal blue clouds to edge their way towards Fluttershy, caressing her severely injured form with as much care as an inanimate pseudo-object could possess.

It was clear that the healbeam was having some kind of effect; Fluttershy's breathing became slightly more stable - though not by much - and her grip on her still bleeding wound seemed to tighten. However, the copious blood loss was fairly effective in convincing Diana that the situation was pretty much hopeless.

Well, if there's any moment for the clichéd 'love can do anything' approach to succeed, it's now. "Big Mac?" Diana said softly, drawing the Heavy's attention to her. "Can you try to soothe her?"

"What do ya think ah was doing?" Big Mac asked, subsequently returning to whispering the hushed words only he and Fluttershy could hear.

For some reason, a blush seemed to be forming on Fluttershy's cheeks. Now this is interesting. Diana noted.

After a minute of no further reactions from Fluttershy, Diana resigned herself to the circumstances. Looks like it's all ov-

Suddenly, Fluttershy's uninjured hoof shot up, accompanied by a ear-piercing howl of what seemed to be determination. Diana, dropped the medigun, startled. She took a few seconds to realise that the source of the sound was the Medic herself.

The butter-yellow hoof didn't just stop there. It hit the ground, vigorously searching for the medigun. Diana pushed it closer to the appendage. When the nerves in Fluttershy's hoof detected the presence of the cool, reassuring metal of her medigun, she gripped it tightly and drew it close to her. Her leg pushed the lever forward and flicked the trigger on the underside of the medigun, and at once she was encased in her rock-hard blue exoskeleton of an Ubercharge. The hole in her heart stopped leaking blood, but it was almost certainly a temporary measure.

Diana, despite her intelligence and cunning, could not understand the crippling weakness that was emotion. There was once a time when she did, when she herself succumbed to the bittersweet vice of her feelings. But now, staring at the scene which unfolded before her, she could not grasp the magnitude of the emotions exchanged between Fluttershy and Big Mac.

What she saw in those wide, pleading eyes of the Medic's, though, were instructions.

Being the pony she was, Diana understood those perfectly.

"Her examination room." DIana said. Big Mac turned to face her. "Bring her to the examination room."

"Got it." With a grunt, Big Mac lifted Fluttershy onto his back. "Do ya know how ta work her machine?"

"Yes." Diana assured him. I wish.

---

"Quickly!" Diana urged as she burst through the door to Fluttershy's operating room.

"Ah'm comin', ah'm comin'!" Big Mac charged through the door, somehow managing to deposit Fluttershy on her operating table so gently that the hair on her head was barely disturbed without breaking his own momentum.

By now, the Ubercharge had worn off, and the blood flow from the wound had resumed. Fluttershy was barely conscious, so Diana knew she had to act fast. She awaited instructions.

Diana followed Fluttershy's gaze to a red button, which she immediately pressed. The Medic's eyes roamed until they came to rest upon a lever, which was Diana's cue to activate it. Soon, the earth pony was in a frenzy, pulling, pressing and flicking everything Fluttershy designated with as much speed as was available to her wounded body.

In the meantime, Big Mac was trying to interpret Fluttershy's instructions, but everything was such a blur that he seemed totally lost. The only thing he could do was to move close to her and nuzzle her cheek.

For a moment, Fluttershy faltered, her eyes rolling to see the spot which Big Mac had touched, before remembering the situation and resuming her direction of Diana's actions.

Diana shook her head. Are they the only two ponies in all of Equestria who can't see that they're madly in love with each other?

Her thoughts were cut short as Fluttershy gave an almost imperceptible nod to indicate the completion of the preparations. One final check and Diana began flicking the appropriate switches. She remembered to turn away and close her eyes when the machine flashed and began channeling its clouds of blue into Fluttershy's being.

The effect was immediate. Shreds of yellow skin crawled across the gaping, bleeding hole in her chest, pulling a shield over the damaged heart before the repair on the organ itself commenced. Other minor scratches and cuts, along with a few more major looking gashes, began to close themselves up at a rate at least a thousand times faster than normal.

All this registered somewhere at the back of Diana's mind as she planned her next move for her interview. It's not over. Not yet. Not by a long shot...

It took only twenty seconds for the entire process to wrap itself up, exchanging the powerful streams of clouds for a lighter and gentler flow. The newly healed Fluttershy sat up slowly, testing her limbs in the process and ensuring that she had indeed recovered, before launching herself at Big Mac and enveloping the now heavily blushing Heavy in a tight bear hug.

Diana couldn't help but smile at the adorable display.

Big Mac's grin, on the other hoof, was easily three times as wide as Diana's. "You're a real marvel, ya know?"

"You're the true marvel." Fluttershy whispered, her words somewhat muffled by Big Mac's chest, which her head was currently buried in. "Thanks for everything."

"Aw, ya did most of the work." Big Mac said. "If ah-"

"I think," Diana interrupted, "that the both of you performed admirably. Big Mac, the speed with which you transported Fluttershy to the operating room was thoroughly remarkable. And Fluttershy..." She shook her head. "I've never seen anypony with reflexes like yours. Your ability to fight directly instead of healing is very impressive. However, I then have to wonder..." A glint appeared in the earth pony's eyes as she played her trump card. "... why is it that you don't fight on the front lines?"

The room fell silent as Fluttershy pondered her answer.

"... Big Mac?" The pegasus finally asked.

"Yes, Fluttershy?"

"I'm just going to go out and have a chat with Diana for a while. Could you stay here for now?"

"Uh, sure." He glared at Diana, tightening his grip around Fluttershy protectively. "You'd better not hurt her, got it?"

"I would never do such a thing." Diana assured him. "If nothing else, I will not gain anything from harming her at all."

Big Mac continued staring daggers at her. "The fact that you have to assure me in terms of what you will get is disturbing in itself."

"I'm afraid I cannot help it. Mere weeks of dealing with the Administrator have forced me to look at the world in a calculating manner." Diana admitted.

"That doesn't help your case at all."

"Maybe not." Diana shrugged. "But the truth of the matter is that I will not harm her."

Big Mac gave her a last death glare before releasing Fluttershy from his forelegs. "Fine. But if you hurt one hair on her head-"

"-you won't rest until you cast my soul into the deep, dark and bottomless abyss of Tartarus, I get it." Diana said impatiently. "Please, Big Mac, not all of us have the time to sit around and discuss idle threats. I was due to report to the Administrator about an hour ago. There is simply no time that I can spare." She smiled briefly, trying not to let the exasperation show through her façade. "I hope you can understand."

Big Mac's eyes hardened for a second. It seemed as if he would drag Fluttershy back into his sweet embrace, but something within him appeared to change when he saw the determination in the Medic's eyes. He reluctantly relented.

Fluttershy gave him a final hug. "I'll be right back. Don't worry."

"Ah wouldn't be, if not for..." Big Mac trailed off. "...just now."

"That was just an exception. It will not happen again."

Big Mac turned away, trying to hide the moisture in his eyes. "Nowadays, it's a lot harder to trust ponies."

"Even me, Big Mac?" Fluttershy asked. "Even me?"

The Heavy hesitated, hanging his head low. "...no. Not you." He finally whispered.

"That's good to know." Fluttershy smiled. "So trust me, I'll be right back."

"Alright." Big Mac muttered, almost too soft to hear.

And therein lies the inherent weakness of friendship. Diana mused as she led the Medic out of her operating theatre and out into the cold night air of Canterlot mountain. You just need to manipulate somepony like that; and either you become dead, or... She sighed. ...You become like me.

"So, are you going to start asking me questions?" Fluttershy's soft voice snapped Diana out of her reverie, bringing her back to the task at hoof.

"My apologies. I was... absorbed in the past for a moment there."

"It happens." Diana noticed that the smile on Fluttershy's face had disappeared, instead replaced by a blank expression. It was devoid of emotion. Too devoid, in fact. Diana knew what that meant all too well.

She's hiding how she feels. Why would she want to do that? She already knew the answer, even before she thought up the question.

She's not telling me something. I'm sure of it.

"So, miss Fluttershy, I'm sure you remember the question." Diana tilted her head in curiosity. "What is your answer?"

"No, I don't remem..." She took one look at Diana's eyes, noting the determination within them, before sighing in defeat. "Yes, I remember."

"And your answer?" Diana prompted.

Fluttershy opened her mouth, then closed it again. All was silent for the next three seconds before the Medic burst into tears and fell, limp, into the surprised Diana's forelegs.

"Oh, I can't do it!" She sobbed. "It's too... I don't even want to think about it!"

"About what?" Diana asked. "Is... is the reason really so terrible?"

"...No." Fluttershy whispered.

"Or..." Diana hesitated. "... or is it the story behind it?"

Now Fluttershy was barely audible. "...Yes."

Diana remained silent, quickly assessing her next move. What can I say to get her to open up?

After a few minutes of waiting, Diana decided that it was time to act. "Please, Fluttershy, I just want to help you. if you don't tell me what troubles you..." She trailed off, letting the unspoken but obvious words finish her point.

"I... I..." Fluttershy seemed to be on the verge of opening up when she suddenly pushed Diana away and sprang back. "N-No! I can't tell you!" She pointed at the earth pony, who subconciously backed away in shock. "You're the Administrator's pawn! His minion!"

Uh oh. This was unanticipated. Diana rapidly scrambled to conceive of a plan which would allow her salvage the situation. Looks like there's only one option left for me.

"Fluttershy." Diana's voice carried enough authority that the Medic momentarily ceased all movement and just stared at her.

"I may work for the Administrator, but that does not mean I am loyal to him." Diana continued. "But it is clear that you cannot trust me, and I understand completely. So I must prove my goodwill." Unfastening the saddlebag from her back, she cradled it in her forehooves tenderly before presenting it to Fluttershy with clear reluctance. "Take it. Within it lies my most coveted secret, the one I hold the closest to my heart."

Fluttershy fixed her gaze upon the bag, as if she expected it to burst into flames or spray corrosive acid the moment she touched it.

"It's been on my back the entire time, it's safe." Diana assured her. "Go on. Surely you want to see a secret as securely kept as your own."

Still eyeing it warily, Fluttershy stepped forward slowly and poked the bag with her hoof. When it failed to give any kind of reaction that could possibly be dangerous in the least bit, she quickly snatched it out of Diana's hoof and flipped its cover off, exposing its contents to all present.

Diana just managed to suppress her instinct to clamp down on the bag and pull it to safety when Fluttershy pulled it away from her. Just keep calm, it'll be fine...

Clearly her body didn't believe her, if her racing heartbeat and severely reddened cheeks were any indication.

The moment Fluttershy registered what lay within the confines of the saddlebag, her reaction, far from what DIana had expected, was to lean closer and dig deeper into it.

"...Well?" Diana finally asked, the blush still very noticeable.

"...Maybe..." Fluttershy murmured.

"Maybe?"

"... Maybe we're not so different after all."

Diana nodded, though the revelation did nothing to still her thumping heart. "I had my suspicions. I must confess, however, that I am surprised to hear it from your own mouth."

Fluttershy chuckled, although it still seemed hollow. "I didn't know that you too were... well... you know..." She scraped at the ground with her hoof, conveying the meaning she had left unspoken.

"Please, let us dwell on that subject no longer. A conversation for this topic at a later time would suffice." Diana waved her hoof. "Now, I have done my part. What, then, of yours?"

Damn it, why can't I get this blush to go away?

Despite what she had done, there still seemed to be some hesitation in Fluttershy's movements, but it was clear that her gamble had paid off. "...Yes, I'll tell you." She said. "But remember: if you tell anypony about this-"

"You'll make sure my secret'll be the talk of the battlefield." Diana nodded. "I do not wish to envision such an eventuality."

"Thankfully." Fluttershy sighed. "Alright. It all began a few years ago, when the war came to Ponyville."

"Oh..." Internally, Diana winced. I can't imagine she thinks very highly of the Administrator if Ponyville was her home town.

"Back then, up until the war erupted there, it was pretty much my home town."

Ouch.

"And... well... you know what it looks like now." Fluttershy hung her head. "I remember the day when... it... happened."

Diana already knew the scale of the immense emotional upheaval Fluttershy was undergoing, despite her outwardly calm expression. It occurred to her a few seconds later that she should probably be experiencing some semblance of guilt for having brought up the tender topic in the first place. After all...

"I remember that day too." Diana whispered.

Fluttershy's ears perked up. "What?"

"I wasn't close enough to see the details, but I saw what happened."

"But how?... and why?"

"Ponyville was my home, once." Diana sighed. "Once. It's not my birthplace, but I'd lived there long enough that it felt like it."

"Oh... then..."

"Yes, it's an unpleasant topic for me too, but I'm not worried about me as much as I am about you." Diana tilted her head. "Are you sure you want to talk about this?"

"I'm sure. If nothing else, I at least have to get this off my chest."

"Well..." Diana nodded. "If you say so."

"So, um, you were saying?"

"Yes. I came back to Ponyville for a short visit, but I saw the explosions from miles away. What I want to know is, how did you survive that?"

"I don't live in Ponyville, just on the outskirts, in a small cottage near the Everfree Forest."

"Ah, the Everfree Forest." Diana's right eye twitched. "So many... good... memories."

"Uh, right." Fluttershy gave Diana a quick quizzical glance before returning to her story. "In the few days leading up to... well, it... there were posters everywhere saying that the old BLU Medic, Redheart, was going to be retiring, and that the Administrator was looking through her hometown of Ponyville for one suitable to replace her." Fluttershy's eyes seemed to gaze through Diana, recalling some memory of a time long gone from the depths of her mind. "I didn't really pay heed to it back then, but a few days later, my name somehow appeared on a list of shortlisted candidates for the position."

"But you didn't register or volunteer yourself?" Diana asked.

"I didn't even think the Administrator knew I existed. I was just another face In the crowd. Up until Ponyville... well, you know."

"I know all too well, unfortunately."

"The only survivor, as far as I know, is me. Everypony who's on BLU team right now were all fighting elsewhere, so none of them were anywhere near Ponyville then."

"So you're the newest member of the team?" Diana inquired.

"Yes. I only joined about a year and a half ago."

"Interesting." Diana mused. "Go on."

"So, basically, I went from being one of the candidates to being the only candidate, so the Administrator gave me a test. To be truthful, I was kind of looking forward to being a Medic then. After so much death and destruction..." She shuddered. "I thought that it would be best if, instead of standing by and watching everything happen, I could help and heal the sick, weak and injured. But, as it turns out, that's not what being a Medic on a battlefield is all about."

"Then what is it about?"

"The ponies I heal aren't just innocent civilians. They're killers in their own right, and I'm expected to kill as well." Fluttershy stared at Diana with a gaze filled with profound sadness. "It wasn't - it still isn't - about helping. It's about killing. And my test was to kill a pony."

"But..." Diana began.

"I'd never killed anypony before? That's right." Fluttershy sighed. "Now that I think about it, the Administrator probably never meant me to be a good Medic. Just a good fighter."

"You aren't a bad Medic regardless." Diana remarked.

"That's because I needed myself to be good enough to help everypony. I worked day and night to be the Medic I am now. I might not know all the scientific, fancy terms for every part of the body, but I know what I need to, and that's good enough for me. And the rest of the team too, it would seem."

"How much do you need to know as a Medic anyway? Considering it's your medigun that does most of the healing."

"It may look like it's healing, but the medigun doesn't really do that. It was designed to temporarily patch up wounds during battle, but they usually reopen and worsen after the fight's over. That's when I need to do the actual healing and saving. As far as I know, most of the Medics before me just let the team die and respawn after every battle."

"Wouldn't that be more... practical?" Diana questioned. "Seeing as how they'll be completely fine after they respawn, I don't see much of a difference."

"Maybe, but I'm not the type of pony to let my friends die - even if they are just going to come back to life. Besides, death is a painful thing."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call your operations painless either." Diana shook her head.

"Have I ever operated on you before?" Fluttershy gave Diana a quizzical look. "If you were one of the civilians whom I treated after battles in populated areas, I have to apologise for the lack of anaesthetic back then, but with this new medigun prototype out, that won't be a problem any more."

"I've never gone through your treatment before, but I got a feel of the pain from interviews with those who have. But I digress." Diana waved her hoof. "You were talking about your test?"

"Oh, yes." Fluttershy's eye twitched almost imperceptibly, a motion Diana did not miss.

The earth pony chose to remain silent.

"So, when the Administrator told me what I had to do to pass, I almost threw up. I'm not going to lie," Fluttershy looked away, "I nearly decided to give up."

"What convinced you to stay, then?"

"The healing that could be done." Fluttershy answered. "Before me, nopony bothered to really heal the rest of the team after battles or any of the innocent civilians trapped in the crossfire. But then it occurred to me that nothing would change unless I were to be that change. The change I wanted to see in the world. That's when I asked myself: Are the lives I could save in the future worth more than the one I had to take then?"

"Your answer was yes." Diana stated, a hint of regret in her tone.

"Correct." Fluttershy's speech no longer seemed to be littered with the uncertainty that often accompanied her voice. "But if I wanted to do that, it wasn't enough to pass. I had to gain the trust of the Administrator. A few meetings with him gave me an opportunity to gauge his cruelty. And then I asked him if I could take the 'test subject' back to my house with me."

"He agreed?" Diana asked, surprised. "I would have thought he would expect that you would let the subject go."

"I think he did, but the impression I got is that he doesn't really care about any one of us, that we're all just worthless to him." Fluttershy's eyes grew cold. "I had to act in a way that would appeal to that side of him if I wanted to ensure he did not suspect me of going against what he told us to do."

"You mean the Administrator gave you specific instructions-"

"-not to waste time doing anything else but 'healing' with my medigun and fighting on the battlefield? Yes, although I think he wants all those innocent ponies to die, for some reason that I can't fathom. So I capitalised on that. I brought the pony home, and then I-"

"-killed her?" Diana guessed.

"Worse." Fluttershy's voice grew heavy with regret. "After I killed her, I inflicted all kinds of visible wounds that the Administrator would notice for sure, and then I removed her brain and deposited everything outside, where the Administrator came looking for me the next day when I didn't return. He was so impressed with my work that he instantly assigned the position of Medic to me and said that he'd never seen another Medic more suited for the role than I was."

"How did you feel?" Relieved, perhaps. Since the worst was over then-

"I was disgusted. At myself, and no one else. It felt so wrong to do what I had to. But it was exactly that - what I had to do." Fluttershy's eyes glistened with tears. "But I knew, no matter how bad I felt, that it was worth it to see so many other lives saved, and so many other families unbroken. I think..." She exhaled sadly. "...I think one life is an acceptable cost."

Diana took the time to consider the information she had just been presented.

Apparently, Fluttershy did not want to give her that time. "What do you think, Diana? I want to know if you agree with me or not."

"...You already know the answer." Diana finally responded.

"I do." Fluttershy nodded. "Then I must ask you this. If given an opportunity to help me - to join me - in saving lives, would you?"

"What do you think?"

"I honestly don't know." Fluttershy stared deep into Diana's eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of her soul through the only window there was to it. "There are too many conflicting elements that in the end; you could go either way. Or you might surprise me and give me neither of the answers I expect. That's why I need to hear it from you."

"Give me some time to think."

"No. I want your answer now." Fluttershy took a step towards Diana. "What will you choose?"

Diana did not hesitate. "I will join you for the good of everypony. I can only hope that what you are doing is truly for their own good."

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked. "How can this not be for their own good? Saving their lives?"

"You may soon find that there are often details left unknown and unconsidered when it comes to making decisions, and these could turn out to be fatal in the end." Diana turned away.

"Like what?" Fluttershy scrutinised Diana's expression. "What could I be missing here?"

"I don't know." Diana replied. "But the Administrator must have his reasons for whatever he does too, don't you think?"

"His reasons may not be intended to benefit us in any way."

"But they are reasons nonetheless." Diana retorted. "And besides, what does he stand to gain from not allowing you to save the dying?"

"That's exactly my point. There is no logical reason."

"That's exactly my point." Diana shot back. "You do not know the reason, so how can you assume it to be selfish?"

"His casual disregard for all life except is own already speaks volumes of the level of goodwill his reasons contain." Fluttershy sighed. "Diana, you are his interviewer, so I understand why you would defend him. But how can his instructions for me - and the Medics before me - possibly be justified?"

"Maybe he sees something you don't." Diana said.

"What would that be, then?"

"How should I know?"

"See, this is exactly what I'm trying to tell you." Fluttershy shook her head. "You're smart, Diana, and we both know that. You should be able to see that there's no plausible justification. You can't just trust him blindly without anything to suggest that he's right."

"But is there anything to suggest that he is wrong?"

"I can see it, why can't you?" Fluttershy placed her forehooves on Diana's shoulder. "There's no explanation. He exists for no purpose other than chaos. He is a being of chaos; something his appearance would corroborate."

"Judging a book by its cover, now are we?"

"I'm judging a book by the title." Fluttershy insisted. "Do you remember a creature called a draconequus?"

"That would be what the Administrator is, if I'm not mistaken."

"Exactly. He has the head of a pony, and a body made up of all sorts of things. What do you suppose that represents?"

"Everything biologically impossible, I guess."

"Close, but no. It represents chaos."

"So just because he's a member of a species which is widely believed - believed is the key word here - to be chaos incarnate, you suspect his intentions to be in line with this stereotype."

"You left out the part that his actions really do make no sense." Fluttershy growled. "Why are you so stubborn?"

"I should be asking you that."

"You're impossible, you know that?"

"I know that quite well." Diana stared at Fluttershy with an even gaze. "And it is at this point that I must concede the argument."

"Even now, you still- wait, what?" Fluttershy was thoroughly confused, and it showed on her face. "You refused to listen to reason mere moments ago, and now you agree with me? You really are suited to be the Administrator's interviewer."

"I was seeing how far you would go to convince me." Diana nodded. "And you are quite persistent."

"Oh." Fluttershy's expression grew hopeful. "Does that mean that-"

"I'll join you." Diana interrupted. "For the good of all."

"Thank goodness." Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. "I was wondering if you would."

"I have a question, though." Diana said.

"What?"

"Why is it that you can trust that I'm on your side so easily?"

"Two reasons." Fluttershy replied. "One, your secret."

"Is that really such an effective deterrent?"

"No, and that brings me to my second reason." Fluttershy took a step forward. "The second reason... is you."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you better than you think, Diana. The way you think, the way you fight, the way you kill. I also know what you did just a month ago, and that seals the deal."

"Wait, a month ago?" Diana leaned forward interestedly. "You know what I did a month ago?"

"Yes." Fluttershy scrutinised Diana's expression. "Why?"

"I sure don't. The Administrator says it's probably amnesia. I'm not satisfied with being in the dark about my own actions, though."

"Then you want to know."

"Yes."

"Alright." Fluttershy trotted up to Diana's side and whispered in her ear.

A few moments of relative silence later, Diana spoke up. "...Is that really true?" She whispered.

"Yes. Nopony else but me knows that you were the one who did that."

"Oh. Wow." Diana sat on the ground, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "I never thought that I would do something like that."

"Now you know why I trust you." Fluttershy nodded. "You will not betray me. I am sure of that."

"You're right." Diana stood up. "I won't. Not now. But there's something you still haven't told me, isn't there?"

"There is." Fluttershy confirmed. "I was just making sure that you were completely trustworthy first."

"What is it, then?" Diana asked.

"Applejack and I have been working on something together. The medigun prototype you saw?"

"What about it?"

"It will do more than just eliminate the problem of knockback. It has another purpose... one that is not combat-related."

"And that would be?"

"Aside from the fact that it provides actual healing, unlike my portable medigun, it is also a new way to refresh and nearly instantly repair recently damaged vital organs. Even if there's just a shred of it left, this medigun will be able to induce regeneration so fast that it'll be good as new in a matter of seconds."

"That sounds like your Quick-Fix."

"A very enhanced version, yes."

"So that means..."

"With this, I'll be able to bring the dead back to life." Fluttershy put her hoof around Diana's neck, pulling her closer. "Just imagine, everywhere we go, everywhere we fight, there'll be no more civilian casualties. If I can mass manufacture this one day, nopony will have to face the threat of death ever again. If done properly, it might even extend their lifetimes!"

"That sounds... impossible, actually." Diana said.

"Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. The main problem here is that I have to keep the Administrator from knowing about this."

"And that's where I come in, right?"

"Yes. I don't really care what you do, actually. Distract him, divert his attention, it's all fine, so long as he doesn't find out. I already prepared this for you." Fluttershy gave a thin booklet to Diana. "It's a modified version of this interview, with all the sensitive information omitted. Give him this one instead of your manuscript."

Diana stared at it for a moment. "You've really been preparing for this."

"Only because the outcome was certain." Fluttershy gestured to the booklet. "Well?"

Diana extended her hoof and accepted it. "Are you sure about this, Fluttershy?"

"I am absolutely sure." Fluttershy turned around. "Big Mac is probably expecting me back by now, and I think the Administrator is waiting for you."

"Very well. May our paths cross again." Diana shook Fluttershy's hoof.

"I have no doubt that they will." Without another word, Fluttershy trotted off, leaving Diana alone with her thoughts.

Diana took in the sight of Fluttershy's script, and then opened it, taking note of the introduction.

"The moon illuminated Canterlot Mountain, bringing light to those lost in the darkness..." She read aloud, chuckling to herself as she did so. "Close to my writing style, but still different from my script. Very interesting. I'll read it on the way back to base. Maybe, by the time I get there..." She stared up at the moon that hung high, dominating the centre of the darkened night sky. "I might be sure who's side I'm on."

---

The darkness of the night was held at bay by the steel superstructure of the Administrator's base. Within the massive building itself, all sorts of light emitting devices - light bulbs, lamps, the like - chased the darkness out of every corner.

The light washed over Diana's face as she pushed the door of the base open. She breathed in deeply. Ah. Smells like home.

Taking care to return Fluttershy's manuscript to the safety of her saddlebag, Diana trotted through the corridors, relishing the feel of the cool metal against her now arrow-free hooves. After she turned the first corner, though, the near absolute silence of the surroundings became apparent, and it unnerved her, for some reason.

She realised why a second later, when she felt somepony else's presence nearby. Around the next corner, to be exact. No hoofsteps, however, echoed back in response to Diana's own.

She already knew who it was.

Diana stopped just short of turning the corner as a hovering earth pony, replete with her signature beanie, came into view.

"Hello, Screwball." Diana greeted her.

"Greetings, Diana." Screwball responded. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay and chat. I have places to go and ponies to visit."

"Of course. Farewell, then."

"Actually, I was hoping if you could tell be where the BLU Spy is. I have some business with her."

"Canterlot Valley, BLU base. Unless they've moved, the entire team should still be there."

"Thank you." Screwball nodded briefly before continuing on her way.

Diana watched her round the next corner and leave before resuming her measured pace to the Administrator's room. Hmm... I have to meet her again tomorrow. I'll make sure of it.

She reached the room sooner than she expected. Diana knocked sharply while rummaging through her belongings for the item she wanted.

"Screwball, is that you again?" His voice came from behind the door.

"No, it's me, Administrator." Diana replied as her hoof drew out the device Applejack had found buried in her saddlebags. Bingo. "I've finished the interview with BLU team's Medic. May I come in?"

"Yes, of course." He replied. Holding the device in her hoof, Diana pushed the door open and trotted in calmly, trying to ignore what looked like a small grave beside the Administrator's table.

She lifted the metallic item into the air for him to see. "Do you know what this is?"

The Administrator's expression never wavered, though Diana had known him for too long to believe that this was a sign of his innocence. He'll deny it first, argue for a while, then concede. He always-

"Hey, I know what that is!" The Administrator exclaimed, eliciting an expression of surprise from Diana.

"You... you do?" Diana asked.

"The test!" He stood up, teleporting next to Diana and enveloping her in his embrace. "You passed the test!"

"The... what now?" Diana tried to free herself from his vice-like grip, but to no avail.

"The test!" He snatched the device out of Diana's hoof, scrutinising it as he did so. "I was wondering when you'd find it."

"So you put it there, then?"

"Yes. And I can see that it worked."

"You had everypony's sentry guns shoot at me... for a test."

"It looks like you passed, too." The Administrator returned to his armchair with but a snap of his fingers, leaving Diana flailing her hooves helplessly in the air for a split second before collapsing to the ground. "With flying colours."

"Yeah, and over the course of this test I almost died twice." Diana stood back up, rubbing her bruised rump. "I suppose you think it was worth it."

"You had a respawn point. It didn't matter."

"Does having a respawn point make killing right?"

"I'd say not, but it's no longer wrong either."

"Hmph." Diana shook her head. "Sometimes..."

"Oh yes, by the way, I trust you have the script for this interview ready?" The Administrator stuck out his opened claw, waiting to accept the manuscript.

"Yes, I do, although it might not be in one piece after you dropped me."

"It's just paper. It'll be fine."

Diana reached into her bag and retrieved a manuscript. "Here it is. Don't blame me if it's a little untidy, because I had to write as fast as I could on the way here."

The Administrator took it and opened it. "It looks fine to me. Why couldn't you write it before coming back, though?"

"Battle." Diana responded simply.

"Ah." The Administrator nodded his head. "I see."

An awkward silence reigned as the Administrator flipped through the manuscript. Eventually, Diana decided that leaving as soon as possible, before the Administrator read too far, may be in her best interests. "Have you any other instructions for me, Administrator?"

"One." He looked up. "I think you'd better not sleep tonight. After that whole Canterlot fight, I might need to issue you emergency instructions sometime within the next few hours. Staying awake might decrease your response time to these orders."

"Got it. That's all then?"

"That's all." The Administrator confirmed. "Just relax for now, but don't get too relaxed."

"Understood." Diana bowed deeply before turning and heading for the exit. She felt the Administrator's eyes on her for the entire time it took for her to cross the distance between her and the door and leave the room. It's as if he was waiting for me to look away...

Diana pushed those thoughts out of her head. I will think about that later. For now, I'll just sit back and enjoy myself.

Without her notice, Diana's hooves brought her all the way to her room, and she emerged from her reverie to find herself standing in front of the room she had spent countless nights in.

"Room, sweet room." Diana pushed the door open, falling onto her bed as soon as she could. "Now for some reading material."

She reached into her saddlebag, her hoof wandering aimlessly around until it met paper. "There we go." She drew the other interview script out of her bag and began to read.

"The moon illuminated Canterlot Mountain, bringing light to those lost in the darkness..."

---

Dear Diary:

I think I'm finally sure of how most interviews go. First talking, then fighting, then talking again. Of course, what they talk about and how they fight always change, but I guess that my interview would follow that timeline as well. There's no reason why it wouldn't.

Of course, with the Administrator in charge, I can never be sure, so I'd better not focus on the expected. But maybe with Diana interviewing, things may not be as unpredictable.

Really confusing. I'll think about this later. For now, I have a job to do.

Pinkie Pie

---

The moon hung low in the sky. The advent of dawn, while not quite there, was steadily approaching. A single cloaked equine figure, silhouetted against the dim light of the lunar sphere that was soon to be swallowed up by the horizon, galloped silently towards a cliff overlooking the spiralling path to Canterlot.

The figure suddenly ground to a halt when it noticed its target: A small wooden trailer resting a few metres away from the edge of the cliff. The figure strode forward with purpose, stopping in front of the door to give two sharp taps with its hoof.

A tired-looking, dishevelled blue unicorn answered the door. "It's five thirty in the morning. What do you want with Trixie?"

"Is Twilight in there?" The figure leaned closer to the door, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever lay within the trailer.

"Only because she pays Trixie rent." Trixie stepped forward. "But why do you want to know?"

"I have something to discuss with her."

"What would that be, exactly?"

"Confidential things. Now please move."

"Not unless you tell Trixie what you want with her."

The figure sighed. "Please, if you don't-"

"Excuse me." Both ponies at the door looked into the trailer to see Twilight emerge from the shadows, holding a candle in her telekinetic grip. "Is something wrong?"

"This pony wants to speak with you, Twilight." Trixie said.

"Will you?" The figure prompted.

"Here, or somewhere private?" Twilight asked suspiciously.

"Somewhere private." The figure replied.

Twilight's eyes narrowed just a second before an arrow flew out from inside the trailer, just barely missing its target as the figure leapt up into the air and landed gracefully, her hooves scrambling to retrieve her own weapon from somewhere within her cloak.

Trixie took a step back in fear. "Who are you?"

"Run." Both Twilight and the figure responded in tandem.

If that wasn't enough of a warning, the column of fire that erupted from the figure's now free weapon scared Trixie sufficiently to send her scurrying away from the battle. Twilight, for her part, neatly sidestepped the flames that thankfully stopped short of burning the wood of the trailer.

"So, why would the Administrator send the BLU Pyro here?" Twilight asked, her horn flaring as she summoned her Huntsman to her side.

"'To even the political playing field', in his own words." The Pyro replied. "And also to give me somepony who can match up to my fighting skills."

"And that would be?"

"You." The Pyro said as she swept her flamethrower in an arc, spewing fire that Twilight sprung backwards to avoid.

"Diana is a powerful adversary too. Why not her?" Twilight questioned as she pulled her bowstring taut and released an arrow at her enemy.

"She cannot beat me. She just isn't strong enough, and she will never be." A split second before the arrow hit her, a compressed blast of air from the Pyro's flamethrower sent the arrow hurtling back at Twilight. "The Administrator wants to change you. Make you more powerful. Make things fair, basically, when BLU and RED fight again."

"Then why are you trying to kill me?" Twilight just managed to dodge the arrow, but her momentary distraction gave the Pyro the time she needed to pin her to the ground with her flamethrower.

"Because the Administrator wants you to get there as soon as possible." A raging inferno consumed Twilight as she writhed in agony, trying to get up but to no avail.

"Ugh..."

"I'm sorry Twilight, but this is for the best. Trust me." The last thing Twilight saw was the burning conviction in those ice-blue eyes as she torched her enemy alive without guilt. A second later, the flames burnt out her eyes, and she awaited her fate in complete darkness.

"Goodbye, Twilight. We will meet again."

Her world went white.

---

"Is Operation Pegacorn all ready?" The Administrator asked Screwball.

"Ready to go." Screwball glanced at the makeshift respawn point that had been set up in the Administrator's room. "As soon as Twilight gets here..."

A flash of magic heralded the appearance of the RED Sniper, who took a moment to blink before she realised that she could see again.

"Looks like the Pyro did her job properly." The Administrator remarked, catching Twilight's attention immediately.

"You! What do you want with me?" Twilight was furious, and her anger was generally accompanied by an arrow to the head of the source - a fact the Administrator knew very well.

"Nothing except to make you stronger." A snap of his fingers, and all Twilight's weapons disappeared instantly. "It might take a while, though."

Despite being disarmed, Twilight remained unfazed. "How exactly do you plan to make me stronger, may I ask?"

"The answer is simple." The Administrator snapped his fingers again, and dark chains wrapped themselves around Twilight's hooves and forced her to the wall. A flick of the switch later, all the lights went out.

Now all Twilight could see were the two blood-red irises looming over her.

The eyes were the window to the soul. Twilight did not like what she saw. She gulped. "What is the answer?"

All was silent for half a minute until the Administrator finally gave her his response, an answer that chilled the unicorn to the bone.

"Apotheosis."

Comments

[The Usurper]

So, Medic's done. At long last. Sniper is the next canon chapter - emphasis on the word canon, because there may be a bonus chapter after this - and I just wanted to thank everyone for putting up with my terrible laziness and lack of updates. Unfortunately, I'm a bit too lazy to get around to making myself less lazy, so that might pose a problem.

Anyway, something I forgot to mention. In the last chapter, part 2/2, I inserted a very subtle League of Legends reference. Not sure how many of you play that game, and the majority of those who do probably won't get the reference anyway, unless you're someone like me who has to read the lore of every game he plays so he can make stories like this. But if anyone does find it, you win a few internets, and maybe some other form of benefit-thing in this story. If I'm not too lazy. Who knows?

Well, see you again in the next chapter. Farewell for now.

[SuperPinkBrony12]

I have a feeling Twilight's transformation is going to be like her trasnformation in the "Elements of Insanity" series.

Regardless I see Fluttermac is present here.

Next time it's The Sniper:

Boom. Headshot.

[Pancakes0708]

Very nice. I can see things happening that I never thought would happen in the TF2 universe. Proper good job, doing that!

[SomeGuyCamping]

What i want to know is whats in Diana's bag... i don't believe you actually told us whats in it yet.

[AppleTank]

So...Diane betrayed FS?

Also, Because of Pinkie's canon middle name being "Diane", I keep seeing an alternate Pinkie walking around, like Jekyll and Hyde.

[predatornc]

No fluttershy why DIane do this