Bounty Hunters 3: Genesis

by Jasper77W

Chapter 5: Seas of Danger

"Soarin! Sir!" the bartender of the small food court of rebellion super cruiser 'OASIS' saluted as Soarin took a seat at the bar table.

"Keep it down... I just need some time to think." Soarin had dark rings under his eyes, and he rubbed his head tiredly.

"I'll fetch your usual then, sir-"

"No, I'm fine- Thank you, officer- but just get me a beer." Soarin said.

"But sir- you always have pie here- is something wrong?"

"What can I say... All of a sudden these memories just spring into your head. I don't know what to believe anymore." Soarin said. "There's a big storm coming... And I really hope it's worth it."

"We all do." a gentle voice said from behind him- sounding equally tired.

"Captain." Soarin said, although it was more of a sigh.

"If I may join you, officer." Spitfire said, sliding out a chair from under the bar table.

"Of course, sir." Soarin said. To have a good friend nearby was always much more comforting and less confusing.

"Drop it, Soarin." Spitfire said, sighing and taking a seat.

"Right, right..." Soarin rubbed his head. "I just don't know what is real, and what isn't. It's giving me one hell of a headache."

"All of it is real." Spitfire surprised Soarin by saying.

"Wonderbolts? That world seems so far away..." Soarin looked around them, at all the dull grey. "I wish those memories were true. But how do you know they're real?"

"The Wardens just informed us on the situation. They'll be helping us during the fight. Apparently the Doctor had his TARDIS hijacked... And most importantly, whoever used it went back in time and killed Starswirl."

"No..." Soarin took a huge gulp out of a beer bottle.

"All we can do now is to get along with whatever this new world throws at us." Spitfire sighed, looking down at the table and tracing the grains of wood with a hoof. "The storm is coming... And not all of us are going to make it." she said.

"Then why are we still trying? We can't win against them..." Soarin said.

"Perhaps we can. Perhaps we can't. We'll never know until we try." Spitfire said, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Soarin asked without looking up.

"Observation deck. Somepony needs to keep this cruiser running." Spitfire sighed. "In the meantime..." she tossed a few coins onto the table before Soarin. "Get yourself a pie, officer. I don't want the stallion guarding my back all sloppy and drunk when the storm hits." she winked, before leaving.

"Captain-" Spitfire stopped as Soarin said.

"Officer?" she asked, tilting her head slightly but not looking back completely.

"You should probably save your money for a reliable umbrella." Soarin said. The storm was about to hit- and he didn't feel up to any task at all.

"The reliable umbrella is being assembled... It just needs a few more parts, and I'm funding it." Spitfire said, walking out. "Have an enjoyable rest of the day, officer."

"You too, captain." Soarin sighed, then called the bartender over. "Get me an apple pie."

*

Magnum leant on the metal railings of a catwalk, overlooking the hangar bay of the OASIS. Ponies scurried here and there, loading equipment onto the drop ships and replenishing ammo. Engineers installed mods on the ships, greatly improving their chances of survival.

The hangar was a huge expanse of empty space, filled in by ships of all sizes docking here and there. The OASIS was a colossal cruiser, spanning over 150 kilometers in length. The hangar was at the very top level of the cruiser, stretching down its length. Hatches in the outer hull open up and let ships out, a shield system keeping the air pressure stabilized.

Magnum sighed. This catwalk was her favorite spot on the entire ship, other than the bridge(which she didn't have a high enough rank to go onto without permission). It overlooked the entire hangar, and for whatever reason being able to see everything made her feel more comfortable. She thought about some pros and cons of the new reality...

Pro. There are lots of ponies that need bullets in their heads.

Con. She just lost every piece of sniping equipment she had in the previous reality.

Pro. Applebloom made her a rifle thingy that could turn into most projectile weapons.

Con. There was a low chance of winning against the science faction.

Magnum sighed again. She couldn't be bothered deciding whether or not she liked this reality better than the previous... There were so many differences.

Suddenly something caught her eye down in the crowds below. She frowned, searching the crowds once again. Nothing was out of the ordinary- But her trained sniper sense just spiked. She ran her eyes over the crowd, down the length of the hangar- but she didn't find that familiar figure again.

"Weird..." she muttered.

*

Rainbow drew the cleaver, and took a deep breath. The killer whale slammed down, and the churning waters and the whale swallowed the blue pegasus.

She managed to avoid the jagged teeth, tumbling straight into the whale's mouth. The whale was still vertical, however; and was still swimming deeper and deeper under the sea.

Rainbow stabbed the cleaver into the whale's tongue, holding onto the handle and hanging there. The cleaver went through the tongue and into the jaw underneath, and the whale roared. Rainbow clung onto it, blood pouring down the side of the whale's tongue and dribbling down onto those large razor sharp teeth below.

Rainbow needed to find a way to kill this thing- and fast. She swung over the cleaver and landed on top of the handle, balancing and wary of the teeth that could tear her apart down below.

She looked towards the other side- which was the top of the mouth. She looked down at the cleaver- it might be able to go through all the rough flesh and penetrate into the whale's brain. But if she were to remove the cleaver- the whale could easily crush her with its tongue.

"Here goes nothing." She said, yanking the cleaver out from underneath her.

As expected, the whale roared again and moved its tongue forward, about to crush Rainbow.

Rainbow swung the cleaver in front of her, sliding the handle forward. She had her back on the whale's tongue, the momentum of the it keeping her in place- other than the fact that she was also covered in saliva, of course.

The cleaver went into the roof of the whale's mouth, crunching against bone and tearing through flesh.

Rainbow was squished against the cleaver handle, and she struggled to hold it away from her ribs. She pulled the trigger, and heard the dull bang travel through the thick layers of flesh. She pulled it again, the cleaver jerking as another bullet was sent into the whale. It roared, and its tongue went back.

Gravity tipped, and Rainbow fell down onto the tongue- the whale was swimming horizontally now. A loud angry whine travelled out from deep inside the animal.

"Shuck..." Rainbow looked up- the cleaver was still stuck in the roof of the whale's mouth. She couldn't fly up there- as her wings and clothes were drenched in saliva.

She ran across the whale's tongue, leaped onto the side and kicked off towards the ceiling. Her hooves brushed the cleaver handle, and she managed to grab hold of it- but it wouldn't fall out. She slammed a hoof on the trigger, and the recoil sent the cleaver flying out with a loud bang and a thud.

Rainbow fell onto the tongue again, bouncing up slightly. She quickly scrambled up, grabbing the cleaver and rolling sideways. Then gravity started tilting once again- the whale was heading towards the surface.

"Whoaoaoa!" she started tumbling down towards the whale's throat. "Ain't getting swallowed by you!"

Her hooves slipped and slid on the saliva coated tongue, and it was curling in above her.

She threw the cleaver as a javelin, and it anchored itself into the roof of the whale's mouth. She leaped off the tongue, which curled in completely seconds later. She grabbed the cleaver handle, then swung up onto it.

"Ah buck." Rainbow muttered, looking up and watching a huge gust of water flood through the killer whale's teeth and splash down towards her.

She grabbed onto the cleaver the best she could, and waited; listening to the growing sound of splashing.

Then it hit her like a brick wall, but still she didn't let go. She took a deep breath earlier, but the impact knocked all the air away from her lungs. She gasped in between big bubbles, but that was the only air she got- not even fresh- it tasted like the inners of a giant mutated whale.

Her hooves were slowly slipping from the cleaver handle, and she fought the currents to get a better grip.

Then everything went back to normal, gravity tilting the right way up. She pulled the trigger, breaking the cleaver away from the top of the whale's mouth.

The whale howled, and Rainbow fell onto its tongue again. The water had washed away, down into other systems of the whale.

Rainbow quickly scrambled up, snatching the cleaver from the ground. Obviously she won't be getting to its brain from down here- there'll be a better chance if she were to stab the cleaver through its skull from the outside.

She ran for the mouth, the teeth already closed. They must be on the surface already, since she could feel the whale bobbing up and down in the waves.

She leveled the cleaver against the rows of teeth, the handle sliding forward with a loud click. The recoil shook large droplets of water and saliva off Rainbow as the muzzle of the cleaver flared up again and again, the bullets pounding and tearing through the teeth. The whale let out a pained roar, flicking its tongue up.

Rainbow ran forward, climbed up the raising tongue and flipped over the tip; leaping onto the raw and bleeding gums of the whale.

There was a loud splash behind her as the tongue crashed back down, and she dive-rolled through a hole she created in its rows of teeth. She grabbed the chipped remains of a tooth above her as she exited, swinging up and over the killer whale's nose. She landed with a gentle thud on top of its head, already running towards where its brain should be under the flesh and skull.

"Dash!"

Somepony called her name, and she looked up.

"Catch!" Nightshade yelled, throwing an explosive knife towards her.

Rainbow caught the knife, pulled the pin; and started running towards the killer whale's blow hole. She stabbed the knife in just as she passed, the cleaver folding into that capsule once again. Nightshade swooped down and caught her by the shoulders, then with a bright flash they were on the beach.

There was a loud bang and tremor, and when they turned around all they saw was a large splash and a cloud of pink mist.

"I'm never ever getting near the sea. Ever again." Rainbow fell back into the sand.

*

Magnum caught sight of that figure again. Now that she had a good look and had time to rake through her memories... It was Deadeye.

She kept a loaded pistol on her belt, ready to be drawn at any second. Clips full of ammo caught a glint of light, all lined up neatly on her belt. Cautiously, she followed Deadeye through crowd.

He turned a corner and away from the hangar, and shortly after Magnum followed. Deadeye started typing in codes to a restricted area, and Magnum slipped in before the doors closed behind him. There was nopony here in these areas- it was the living quarters of L18. The OASIS was divided into several areas for crew, each area with their own code so ponies from other areas can't access them. But now... Magnum was in the L18's quarters, when she clearly had a 'L17' label on her uniform.

Deadeye turned into an empty hall way, stretching far and out of sight, doors lining the sides- the many different bedrooms of the crew.

Magnum drew her pistol, but a little too silently- Deadeye didn't even hear. She clicked the gun loudly, and Deadeye swirled around; his own pistol of the same model drawn.
That's more like it- Magnum thought with an inward grin.

There were two muzzle flashes and a merged bang as they both pulled the trigger.
A loud clang echoed through the silent hallway as a fused bullet clattered to the ground between them.

Then they both started unloading their ammo on each other, the muzzle flares lighting up the dark hallway. Shells flew and clattered against the walls, fused bullets falling out of the air with loud cracks.

The bombardment was followed by empty clicks as they both flicked out their empty magazines, swapping in new ones.

Magnum rolled forward, closing the distance between her and her opponent. She sprung up, firing a bullet into one of Deadeye's own. She launched a kick at his head, but he turned out of the way. He fired a metal slug at her, but she intercepted it with a bullet of her own just as it was about to go through her head.

Deadeye swiped her hooves out from underneath her, the pistol already trained on her forehead. Magnum violently jerked her head to one side, the bullet tearing a smoldering hole in the metal floor beside her ear. She pushed off the floor with her front hooves, launching both back hooves into Deadeye's chest. He grunted, stumbling back as Magnum leaped up, pistol trained on his face.

Deadeye fired, meeting Magnum's bullet just in time. He charged at her, and pulled the trigger when the barrel was only a few inches away from Magnum's forehead. Unluckily for him, Magnum had already anticipated the move; pulling the trigger a split second earlier than he did; knocking the bullet out of the air from the side with her own. The fused bullet spiraled out of control, making a small graze mark on her ear.

Magnum swung her left hoof into Deadeye's face, shattering his nose. He fell back, blood gushing out of his nose. He swung the gun up, the muzzle blazing and the recoil pounding against his hooves.

Magnum didn't even look, just pointed her gun in that general direction. She let the recoil hammer her hoof and travel down her shoulder, listening to the three separate sets of clatters as their bullet shells and the fused bullets fell onto the floor.

Deadeye kicked up, his hoof connecting with the pistol and sending it out of Magnum's hoof.

Magnum didn't bother fetching it- she kept a count in her head on both their clips- she had one bullet left, and Deadeye had none from that missed shot earlier.

As expected, when Deadeye pulled the trigger; there was nothing.

"Keeping count of your ammo is an important part of being a good sniper-" Magnum began.

Deadeye ditched his pistol, leaping up and snatching Magnum's gun out of the air. He shoved Magnum in the chest, causing her to fall over backwards. He pointed the pistol right between her eyes, a grin on his face.

"After all these years... I finally beat you! I finally bucking beat you!" he laughed.

"Dunno what you're talking about." Magnum said, her speech slightly odd; as if she had something in her mouth.

"I have the gun. You don't." Deadeye said.

"Well, I have the bullet." Magnum started chewing on something. "Been such a long time since I tasted gunpowder. Still like strawberry sherbet better." she said, spitting out a bullet and its shell.

Deadeye checked under the gun- the magazine wasn't there... No wonder it felt oddly light.

"Not this agai-" he muttered, and took a kick in the stomach.

"I'll have that-" Magnum ripped her gun from his grip, her other hoof sliding a magazine out from her belt.

Deadeye rolled backwards, grabbed his gun, slipped a full magazine into it, and fired at the same time as Magnum did. The two bullets hit each other, fusing into one and falling onto the ground with a dull clang.

They continued unloading on each other, but no shots caused any damage to anything except the bullets.

Deadeye stopped to reload as both their guns emptied out once again, but was surprised when Magnum ran right up to him and slammed a hoof under his ribs. She flicked her gun into the air, caught it by the top, and smashed the handle down onto Deadeye's head.

There was a loud clatter as his gun and a half loaded magazine fell to the floor.

"Wha...?" he murmured, eyes rolling and stars circling his head.

"Aaaaaaaaaand.... Good night." Magnum tapped him on the forehead, and he fell back onto the floor; unconscious. "Now..." she looked around her, at all the fused bullets and bullet shells. "Time to get away from here."

*

"Surprised to see you here, sir." Soarin said, still sitting at the bar as Shining Armor approached.

"Been up all night monitoring... Well, pretty much everything." the Captain of the Royal Guards yawned. "Nothing like a good cup of cider to cheer me up- you know?"

"Yeah. But it's a pie for me though." Soarin said, and Shining Armor chuckled. "Just down here for a drink, sir?"

"My head also hurts pretty bad. Maybe if I get drunk and make it worse, tomorrow morning it might feel better. You know, in contrast." Shining Armor said, flicking a few bits onto the table as the bartender slid a large cup of foamy apple cider across the table.

"Or I could put a bullet through your head, and you won't have to worry about anything afterwards." a terrifyingly familiar voice said from behind them, and they turned.

Starshine had a pistol trained right between Shining Armor's eyes, a maniac grin on his face.