> The Mechanical Terror (Ultrakill Crossover) > by LocalMedicMain > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prelude > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The dripping of blood echoes through the chamber.Gabriel falls on one knee, trembling as his angelic essence softly leaves through his now cracked helmet. V1 closes the distance to Gabriel. Looking down at him. Gabriel lifts his head slightly, looking towards the now victorious machine. However despite being beaten, Gabriel smiles, seeing the machines's broken armour and the it's formidable arsenal Molten from his attacks on the ground. Only the revolver scratched and battered but still remaining in V1's hand. Gabriel chuckles slightly "I never thought I'd be kneeling like this to the likes of you... Hahaha... I suppose you earned it." The fallen angel looks up at V1 with respect. "We aren't so different, you and I... We were abandoned by our creators. Left to rust and rot." Gabriel's head falls as he coughs up blood. His broken helmet leaking more and more of his essence. "But I know you aren't here for that... I know you want my blood. So strike me down machine, end me." Gabriel lets his head fully fall and closes his eyes accepting his fate. V1 looks down at the defeated supreme angel with no emotion. Though sparks occasionally fly from V1's severed wires. The machine raises the revolver in it's hands. In a flash of blue, Gabriel lets out a mighty scream as his body shatters blood spraying on V1's armour. Gabriel's body fades away leaving his armour cracked and destroyed. The red door behind V1 lights up with yellow lights as the last layer of hell is finished off. V1 turns to face it. A small inquiry forming in the machine's inner processors. "No new layers of hell in database, current situation defying expected results. Investigate" As V1's shattered camera focuses on the doorway. It notices the odd light blueish interior. A white terminal placed at the centre of the small room. This is unlike any of the other rooms V1 has seen. The machine approaches the Terminal. The terminal had only one sentence displayed on it. "Continue. Y/N." V1 hesitates for the first time in it's robotic life, looking through it's memory to determine what "continue" in this sense could possibly mean, contemplating it's options of staying or continuing with whatever this Terminal is offering to it. If the machine were to stay it would die from a lack of blood, but if it took this risk, it might find more blood to sustain itself. Calculating that the risk is minimal due to the terminals being a trusted source of weapons in the past. V1 presses Y with it's mangled right arm. The Terminal whirls to life. Several mechanical protrusions coming out from the room to generate a light blue portal. V1 attempts to see through it but it's completely opaque. There's only one way forward. The machine looks back at hell one last time, back at the journey it took, the husks, demons, machines and angels it ruthlessly killed on it's way here. V1 turns his back to it all, and plunges through the portal. Two royal guards roam the halls of the crystal empire at night. To pass the near endless time they have, one of the guards decide to go make small talk. "So... Are things going well back home?" The second guard glares at the other. "I would know if you didn't make that stupid bet with princess cadance." The first guard pouts. "Come'on Scarlet. Give me a break. I couldn't possibly known she'd do this!" Scarlet glares back unamused. "Steel, look at me." Scarlet forces Steel to look at her "What did you think would happen if you made a bet that shipped 2 people together against THE Princess of love?!" Steel bites his tongue. "Umm... That she wouldn't cheat with her alicorn powers?" Scarlet face hoofs "you're so stupid. And you decided to include me too?! unbelievable..." Steel sighs "okay, okay, it's my fault. How about we get pizza tomorrow? On me" Scarlet let's a smile crawl up on her face. "Triple it and add soda." Steel defeatedly groans. "Ugh... Fine. But that'll definitely leave a dent on my wallet... Hope you're happy" Scarlet snickers slightly. "Darn right I am. Anyway, enough chit chat. We gotta keep patroling. Next we gotta check the storage room." Steel raises an eyebrow "that old dusty room? What do you think you'll find in there? Rats?" Scarlet rolls her eyes. "Probably, but we have to check. Now come'on bud, just a couple floors up." V1 slips through the portal, the machine's angular foot resting on the stone floor. V1 takes a look around the dusty room finding nothing but old boxes and tools, recognizing it as some sort of small scale warehouse. V1 looks back at the portal behind it. only to be met by a reflection of itself. The machine looks at it hard. Observing the many faults in his hardware, two "wings" clipped off from it's eight, the camera lens shattered creating a spider web in the machine's view, The machine's armour shattered letting anyone see the inner workings of the machine. While V1 was in this storeroom, it looks inside the boxes. V1 finds ancient artifacts that it ignores and throws to the wayside but after eventually coming upon a few rods of metal, finding it suitable, the machine stops it's work and picks it up. Bending the steel in it's charred arms with ease. V1 looks over the bent steel rods and fits them to it's missing two wings. The machine takes out it's revolver charging it in it's hands and using the gun as a makeshift welder. The hot plasma on the tip of the revolver working excellently. Once done V1 looks over it's new steel wings. Though it lacks the distinct yellow lights, the blue metal or the ability to hold weapons. it's enough to rebalance it's chassis and that's all the machine needs. Scarlet taps her foot impatiently at the top of the stairs. "Steel, you slowpoke get up here!" Steel climbs up the stairs panting and sweating from his brow. "It's not my fault, you can just fly up here." Scarlet sticks her tongue out. "Oh? And where's that earth pony endurance you kept bragging about?" Steel grumbles under his breath. "Ugh, can we just get this night patrol over with? You said we had to check only this storage room right?" Scarlet looks down the hall. "Yeah, just one more room left" taffe looks back at steel. "Come'on, after this you could get your beauty sleep." Steel gets was going to retort but looks across the hallway and gets odd chills up his back looking at the door. "That hall.... it looks kinda creepy." Scarlet jokingly smirks at Steel. "it's just a storage room from a thousand others in the damned castle. It's not like it's haunted. Don't tell me your superstitious, Steely?" Steel shakes his head and gives in. "Ugh.... Fine... Lead the way and... Don't call me steely." Scarlet chuckles "whatever suits you." Scarlet walls up to the door and unlocks it with her golden key, opening it with her hoof. She steps inside and looks around before looking back at steel. "See? Everything's fin-" Scarlet's sentence is cut off as the sound of gun being fired echoes the hall. Brain matter and blood splatters on Steel, colouring his grey mane and coat deep red and causing him to back up. Steel looks at scarlet's once friendly face that he knew since boot camp, now a bloody mess. He could see Her tongue dangling on a few remaining fibres of muscle, brain matter slowly falling onto the floor like sloppy mud. Blood dripping from Scarlet's body as it stays upright for a few seconds before leaning forward and slumping on the ground. Steel looks down at his friend's body with fear and tears in his eyes. Steel sees a machine step into the light. It's metal rusted and charred. The machine pays him no attention instead kneeling down to his now dead friend, grabbing a handful of blood and wiping it on itself. Steel manages to break out of his shock, his training kicking in as he unstraps his spear from his side holding it Infront of him. Trying to threaten the machine Infront of him. "Y-you! Whatever you are! Surrender!" Steel's words faked confidence that he did not have, in reality, the royal guard was quacking in his boots in fear at the metal beast Infront of him that is seemingly drinking the blood of his friend. V1 finishes drinking the blood of it's latest prey. It's much more potent then blood it found in hell. The machine hears the other equine Infront of him, the pony pointing at him with a spear. V1 stands up after making sure to empty the body of any fresh blood. The machine looks at the pitiful spear pointed at it's chest. V1 uses it's red arm to grab the spear and send a shotgun blast towards the equine. The spear shatters in the blast and the pony hits the wall bleeding from all over. Falling flat against the wall. V1 steps up closer, scanning the body for any useful resources. The machine detects the strange alloy of the armour the guard is wearing. It detects gold and steel but something else as well. V1 considers this alloy's tensile strength similar enough to it's own to replace it's lost armour. V1 rips pieces of the armour from the pony. Straightening it out like a blanket and shaping into the shape of it's damaged armour plates. The machine unbolts some of it's armour, replacing it with gold alloy. V1 looks over the remaining bits of unused armour on the equine. Finding a small blue crystal shaped into a star on the guard's chest. The machine tears it off and observes it. Finding it's transparency and focal point a good replacement for it's shattered lens. V1 grabs the tip of the guard's broken spear using it to shape the crystal into a small transparent blue lens. The machine pulls out it's old lens replacing it with blue lenses. The yellow light of the camera now a light bluish. V1 observes the world with it's new lenses finding it adequate. V1 stands up having fully repaired it's broken body. The machine walks down the hall with it's gun, to find more potent blood for itself in this new world. > Back To Old Feathers > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- V1 walks down the stairs seeking for more potent blood. But finds only empty halls and rooms. Eventually however the machine picks up the sound of cards being ruffled. V1 walks as silently as it's metal hydraulics would allow. Coming upon a large room, the machine peers inside, slipping a metal hand on the doorframe and looking over the beds stacked across the wall and guards roaming the room. most of the guards are at the centre table playing what appears to be poker while some read books on their beds. V1 steps in the room with a heavy metallic step. Every guard turns to look at who walked in the room. Most of them freeze, some gasp, others look in confusion. V1 takes a look around the room. The machine's aperture shaped lenses glossing by every guard. V1 slides it's revolver out of one of it's wings. One of the guards speak shakily. "Who gave the tin can a gun?" All the guards are on edge. Some grab their spears, others charge their horns with magic in anticipation. V1 takes a coin out of its arm. Freshly made from the blood of it's last victim. V1 flips the coin into the air. The guards look up at the coin in mild suprise and fascination. V1 raises it's revolver towards the coin. calculates the trajectory, timing and reflection angle as the barrel aligns to the coin. The revolver crackles as the plasma like projectile leaves the tip. The focused plasma hits the coin separating into two beams and towards two dumbfound guards. All in the span of less then a second. The room falls into panic as 2 guards instantly die. Most of the guards hit the ground to avoid getting shot while the guards that were closer to the machine charge towards the machine. V1 dashes forward, punching through a guard's chest with it's bulky red arm, Ripping out their sternum with ease. A Pegasus flies in fast try to hit the machine with a spear with all his momentum only for it to scrape the paint. V1 acquires the Pegasus's position and uses the freshly ripped sternum to slams the guard into the wall, Shattering the sternum which end up embedding into the Pegasus's flesh. A earth pony jumps from behind grabbing onto V1's metallic neck, In response. The machine violently slams his back into a wall until the earth pony on it's back is a mushy blood soaked imprint on V1's back. The machine rips the bloody remains of it's back only to be met with magical bolt to the machine's chest plate. The sudden EMP like blast messes up with V1's hardware long enough to let a guard fire another magical bolt. However this time it's met with the other end of the machine's blue arm. Parrying it straight back, instantly vaporising it's caster. Another unicorn summons a shield around the remaining guards so they can flee in time to warn others. V1 dashes forward, hitting the translucent cyan wall. The machine beats down on it with no mercy. Using it's revolver and red arm in combination to shatter the shield. V1 lunges at the unicorn guard like a hungry predator. Using it's left arm again to plunge deep inside the unicorn's chest to grab their beating heart and remove it. V1 lathers itself in blood with the heart. Once the machine was coated blood red, V1 crushes the heart's shriveled husk, and observes the once plentiful room now empty and coloured a deep red. Only a few of them escaped when the unicorn held up that shield. V1 makes a calculated guess that It's highly likely that this new species of sapient equines will call reinforcements. Which will bring more blood to machine's foot steps, V1 considers this outcome, satisfactory. Princess cadance fills out various forms and paperwork late into the night. Cadance rubs the sleep out of her eyes and a bit sleepy at having to stay up late into the night. Normally her husband dealt with most of the paper work but this time shining armour is over at canterlot for the holiday with his family, and cadance isn't one to force her husband to stay. So she will gladly take up this duty for a couple days till her husband is home. Cadance is interrupted from her work by a guard that slams into her room with heavy breaths, blood splattered on their fur, their eyes distressed. "PRINCESS! A INTRUDER IS IN THE WALLS OF OUR CASTLE! THEY HAVE ALREADY DESTROYED THE FIRST GUARD BARRACK! IT'S ONLY A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THEY GET UP TO THE TOP FLOOR! WE NEED TO EVACUATE YOUR HIGHNESS NOW!" Princess cadance is taken it back by the sudden intrusion of her guard and their news. "Wait just one person has destroyed a whole guard barrack and got in the castle unnoticed?! We can't just leave! If this threat could take that many guards, it could easily destroy this whole kingdom if I'm not there!" The guard looks back trying to make sure the machine hasn't gotten up here yet. The sound of gunfire and yells becoming louder as the machine climbs higher. "Princess, we can't stay! Your safety is of the up most importance and we can't compromise that!" Princess cadance seems worried about the sound that's getting louder but glares at the guard with determination. "You will, show me the intruder. And I will take care of it. I'm not letting anyone get hurt under my watch!" The guard grits his teeth but gives in, sighing resignedly. "Okay, your highness. I'll lead you to the intruder, Follow me, quickly or the defences will already be gone before we arrive!" The guard takes off and cadance flies close behind. "So this, intruder, What is it? What should I expect?" The guard huffs with his ragged breath as he runs but still responds to his princess. "Some kind of... metal beast, your highness. It tears through our forces and takes a dozen hits but comes back just as strong, I haven't seen anything like it, princess." Cadance shivers at the description. "It sounds terrifying, but I will put a stop to it, it can't possibly handle the power of a alicorn, no matter how strong this... Thing is." After several minutes of walking V1 finds another barricade of guards. Several magical blasts and arrows fill the machine's field of view, getting tagged in it's HUD. V1 raises It's bulky red arm, a shockwave is let loose from 2 barrels ontop it's wrist. The various projectiles in the air immediately invert their trajectory, flying back at the barricade, some guards get hit by arrows and magic while simultaneously breaking apart the furniture that was stacked to make the barricade. The remaining uninjured guards spring into action throwing all their spears at V1 with their magic as a last hail mary. V1 spins up the revolver in it's hand, Calculating the perfect reflection ray for the plasma bolt to take before firing it. the plasma bolt ricochets dozens of times between the spears destroying all of them before flying towards the machine. V1 throws a coin at the bolt, and it bounces back, killing a few more guards with various headshots before the plasma fizzles away and letting the dead guards fall over dead. suddenly V1 is hit by point blank magical bolt. V1 is thrown off balance, the machine's servos recalibrate quickly but not fast enough to avoid a telepathic slam from the unnoticed unicorn, causing V1 to hit the wall. The machine throws it's arm forward in retaliation, a grappling hook shooting out, penetrating the unicorn's neck and getting stuck in their wind pipe before the grapple hook violently yanks back. Ripping the unicorn's neck into shreds while bringing the guard closer to the machine. The unicorn guard's maw was met with the charging barrel of V1's revolver. The plasma bolt disintegrates the unicorn's head into bloody mist before V1 rips the grappling hook out their neck and locking the grapple back into it's original place. Princess Cadance and her guard finally reach the floor of the intruder. the halls coated in blood of her guards but the metal beast on the wall with a tired unicorn guard nearby. Cadance blinks. Cadance was about to say something before the machine leapt out the wall, throwing a wire with a sharp point that forcefully tore the unicorn's neck before pulling them close enough to blast their head into smithereens. Spraying grey matter and bone shards on the ceiling. The horrific bloody sight almost made cadance puke. "D-dear celestia. What is that thing?! It killed that poor unicorn with no hesitation..." The machine turned it's head towards the two at the end of the hall. It's deep blue metalwork, stained with blood and charred spots. It's armour patchy with gold plates. Yellow lights and the sliver glint of it's wings giving the machine a ominous aura. V1 raised it's revolver indiscriminately to end the alicorn princess. Cadance's sight is filled with a flash of blue. She flinches covering her face with her wing. Yet the blast doesn't come. She looks over her wing to see the guard that was next to her now Infront of her, and sporting a large smoldering crater in their chest, melted armour dripping into the floor. The guard looks at cadance, coughing up blood. "Kill that bastard... For everyone's sake." Letting out a raspy groan before falling to the wayside, his eyes becoming blank as the life leaves his body. The sight of this guard, that cadance never knew just sacrifice their life for her made her heart wrench. But their last words, it also filled her heart with rage at this metal beast that took so many lives. Cadance's eyes filled with tears and magic. Her eyes glowing a deep cyan. "You... You will pay for every single pony you killed today." Cadance's horn is surrounded by her cyan aura, lightning crackling around it as cadance looks towards the metal abomination with hatred. V1 looks at the enraged alicorn with interest. It's sensors picking up the insane amount of energy being produced by the mare. The machine holds onto it's revolver's grip tighter, pre charging it ahead of time as the machine and the princess stand still for a duel. Cadance makes the first move summoning several cyan magical bolts mid air before sending them towards the machine at high speed leaving after images as trails behind them. V1 moves quickly, opting to dodge the bolts only to discover that they homed in to it's position. luckily the machine manages to dash out of range and parrying one of them towards cadance. The alicorn dodges the blast by teleporting behind V1. Bucking her hind legs into the machine's chest. V1 is sent flying, scraping against the ground, regaining it's balance by digging it's bulky red hand into the floor. In cadance's blind rage she charges in with her guard down. Leaving her wide open for the machine to release a Shockwave point blank into her gut. The alicorn is thrown back but quickly uses her wings to gain air over the machine. The machine cocks it's red arm, discharging the used shotgun rounds. Cadance summons her magic to charge a large laser and Shooting it towards the machine. V1 runs and dashes rapidly. Calculating the best way to attack it's target while suppressing cadance with stray revolver shots. V1 throws up a coin, jumping to match it's height before punching it towards the alicorn. The coin hits her forehead and bounces higher up into the air, stunning her long enough for the machine wrap it's grappling hook around her waist. V1 grapples towards cadance, the coin now level with cadance's forehead by the time it has closed the distance. Using it's fist to slam the coin into the alicorn's forehead and send her into the ground. The machine attempts to land a punch with it's red fist on it's way down. Cadance's horn sputters she uses her magic to get back on her feet quicker. "ENOUGH!" cadance grasps V1's neck. Taking flight again and breaking through the ground. Using V1 as a shield as the alicorn goes through the floors of the castle. Every single floor that passes by slamming into the machine's back with concrete and rebar. V1's armour wildly bending and deforming at every floor being slammed down on it the machine however refuses to just take the punishment and uses it's fist to punch into Cadance, giving her a beating as she responds in kind. V1's wings unfolding to slow their fall while it's arm beats cadance consecutively without fail. Cadance's punches slowly become weaker as the machine draws more blood from her face, nose bleeding and eyes getting blurry as the machine unrelentingly beats her face into a pulp. Once they reaches the bottom floor, V1 grabs her head. Flipping them upside down so that the alicorn takes the full brunt of the final slam. the room is filled with the sound of cadance's back breaking and her scream. Cadance lies their in pain. Thinking of her loved ones. Tears of fear fill her eyes as she looks up at the monstrous machine. With her suffocating breath she managed. "Please... Don't kill me... What did ponies ever do to you?" V1 looks down at the begging alicorn that made a mess of his armour, now begging at his foot. The machine coldy raises it revolver, charging it. Cadance sobs as death incarnate get ready to end her. V1 pulls the trigger. The shit mutilates cadance's face beyond recognition. A burnt charcoal coated crater now replacing her face, forever silencing her. The machine pulls out it's red arm. It's claws on cadance's horn. Digging deep before pulling out, straining the machine's hydraulics. It's effort rewarded by a fountain of blood, letting the blood soak it and bending the deformed metal into place. Once the blood fountain dries up, V1 looks down at the pink horn. Scanning it. The machine detects the potent amount of magic still present within the horn, much more then the unicorn horns it encountered on the guards. V1 calculates that it could prehaps use this for a potential weapon. The machine shoves it into the sheath of it's wing. Keeping the revolver in it's metal hand before going towards the front door. V1 pushes it open to be met with thousands of concerned crystal ponies from the sounds inside the castle. V1's central processor "loves" the idea of thousands of defense less blood bags, so it charges it's revolver for one last massacre. V1 finishes up the last pony by turning their ribs inside out, like how a butcher fillets a fish. Drenching itself in blood. The machine gives the area one good scan, with no life in sight, it's done with this place and heads for the train station nearby. At the train station the machine sees a familiar sight. A lone yellow terminal by itself next to the train door. V1 consults the terminal. Uploading the battle data since it's last. V1 gets a time of 30 minutes, 7,867 kills and a style of 97,608 for a total rank of P. As a reward the terminal awards it with a sum of 500,000 points in addition to the already present 679,216 points in V1's bank. V1 browses the terminal, disappointed to find it's old weapons to be unaccessible. But 2 new weapons now available. A yellow fore arm part capable of sucking up magic of killed ponies to charge itself and teleport up to fifty metres. and a red serrated sword that can extract more blood out of a target. Each for 350,000, though the yellow arm oddly requires the horn it just got in addition. Regardless V1 accepts the purchase. Giving up it's pink horn. The 2 items materialise before the machine. The machine equips the new arm part into it's forearm, the pink horn of the alicorn encrusted into the arm like a jewel. V1 observes the shine of it's new red sword, metal tubes that go from the sword's edge to the grip, letting V1 direct access to fresh blood. V1 slides the sword behind itself letting it magnetically attaching to V1's back. V1 turns off the terminal and gets on the train. Getting into the cockpit and pushing the lever all the way forward. The train lurches as it accelerates forward. V1 sits on the chair wiping off the shriveled organs left on it's armour for it's next encounter > Blood Red Steel > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steel wakes up slowly, memories and the pain of his current state flooding in as he gains a grip on reality. He looks down at himself. His armour torn apart, turned useless and Shrapnel deep inside gut, but luckily missing any vital points. Steel shrugs of the armour sand attempts to get up on his hooves but braves through the pain. As Steel gets a hold of his blurry vision, his surroundings become clearer. The blue marble floor is coated in his own dried blood. his now dead friend laying a few meters from him. Steel almost ran into his friend but with his injuries only managed a slow shuffle. Steel looks down at Scarlet, her face unrecognisable with the giant whole in it, a pool of blood and grey matter around her head. He would have stopped here to mourn her death, but he knows that he's on a timer, he has to find help before his injuries get to him. With that last thought, Steel turns his back on his friend, silently vowing to come back later to give her a proper funeral. Steel climbs down the stairs, each agonizing step causing him to grit his teeth. He limps by the barracks, the room coloured a maroon red from the dried blood, lifeless corpses on the floor. Steel feels more and more of his hope for rescue vanish as he looks over every dead body, a single dominant though echoes in his mind. "Are they all dead?" Steel immediately banished the thought and limps towards a first aid kit, slumping against the wall for support as he pries the metal box open. Inside he finds bandages, morphine, rubbing alcohol and various other tools. He immediately goes for the morphine to dull his pain. Steel takes the plastic tip off and Injects it into the vein on his hoof. The fast acting drug, quickly begining to numb his pain. He takes out the rubbing alcohol removing the cap and applying it against his wounds. Steel cringes as the alcohol causes a burning sensation on his injuries but the pain being quickly snuffed by the active morphine in his blood. He wraps up his self medication by sealing the wound with a whole roll of bandages. Once steel finishes he gets back up on his hooves, feeling much better now and determined to locate help. He begins walking downstairs again, each step now a numb sensation. He depends downward. Occasionally finding a massacred room caused by the blood drinking machine that knocked him out. Every dead body steel finds, makes him more hopeless. But her dosen't stop his journey down. Eventually after what felt like hours of walking, he reaches the ground floor of the castle. What he sees terrifies him to his core. The princess of the crystal empire laid bare on the floor, bruised and beaten, her face charred and bloody and where her horn should be is now a entrance to cadance's inner brain. Steel walks up to her body, fear filling his heart. He thought the princess, the last powerful being in this entire kingdom would've destroyed the beast... But he was severely mistaken. There's only one possibility left.... It had escaped the castle and entered the city, where it could then go on a genocide to exterminate every pony in the kingdom. Steel looks up at the door that's half open, behind it, thousands lay dead mere metres from the door spreading outward into the street, doors ripped wide open off it's hinges, throats split open, fillies splayed apart. It's too much. The monster that did this, it clearly took it's time with this blood spree. Unlike the efficient deaths of the guards, these deaths maximised pain. Steel stood there, processing all the death. He covers his face up, struggling to keep himself from breaking into pure terror. His heart pounded like thunder as he navigated his way through the maze of corpses. Trying to keep his eyes off their bodies and bone sticking out the floor like obstacles. Steel manages his way out of horrific maze, trying to keep the horrors of what he saw out of his mind as he slowly stumbled his way to the mail office. Opening the door, and looking for anything that he could use to send a message. Radios and old computers litter the office space, but turned into electric junk due to the lack of electricity in the building. Steel finds a old telegram tucked away in the corner. Dusting it away and thankful it was still connected to it's old line that sends the message all the way to mainland equestria and hopefully to canterlot. Steel sighs, grateful he didn't skip the class on learning morse code. Steel puts his hoof over the telegram. Taking his time to remember the code for each letter and then putting his hoof into action. Four taps and pause, one tap and pause, one tap then one long tap afterwards two taps and pause, 1 tap then 2 long taps finished with one tap and pause. Steel let's go off the telegram, sighing as all the adrenaline keeping him awake has worn off long ago. Tired from the constant horror and walking. Slumping against the wall, He slowly lets himself drift to sleep. Letting the world fade away, his dead friend, the people he swore to protect and his destroyed home. All of it slipping away as Steel closes his weary eyes. Meanwhile in canterlot. A young guard sits by himself. Bored out of his mind since he was forced by his peers to tend to the telegram at night. Although nobody uses the darn thing anymore after dragon mail became popular, celestia insisted atleast one guard to stand by one at all times. The guard impatiently taps his foot, waiting through the monotonous night when the telegram made a click printing a short series of dashes and dots on a piece of paper. The young guard couldn't make any sense out of it so he chocked it up to the telegram being old and crumped up the piece of paper, throwing it to the wayside > Crimson Stars > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Starlight steps out the wagon, her head aching after listening to Trixie ramble all day and night about the show she has in Manehatten. Starlight groans out loud, rubbing her temples. “I should’ve just paid for the train instead... But nooo I just HAD to take that wagon... Ugh...” Never the less Trixie still seems to be in high spirits despite the bumpy ride. “The great and powerful Trixie is delighted to perform in such a prestigious city such as Manehatten! Oh how far the great and powerful Trixie has come! It truly brings a tear to the eye.” Trixie wipes a fake tear from her eye. Starlight sighs and rubs her sore eyes, contemplating her life with a tired look on her face. “Today’s gonna be a loooooooooooong day....” Trixie snorts. “Starlight, don’t be a grumpy bum! Today the great starlight and the even greater Trixie shall. Be. FAMOUS!” Starlight yelps as Trixie forcefully pulls her hoof with magic. “AHH! I did not sign up for this!” Starlight is dragged inside a shop and lands square inside a chair. Starlight eyes roll in circles after being thrown around like a ragdoll. Trixie looks Around looking for something while talking. “The great and powerful Trixie’s assistant shan’t be so drab in comparison! First a marvelous cloak!” Starlight barely gets anytime to catch her breath before her neck is wrapped around cyan cloth with magenta. Starlight barely could utter a word before large starred wizard hat is forced on her head, obscuring her vision. Trixie seems proud of her work. “Tadah! I turned a bland looking pony into a magnificent mage!” Starlight removes the comically large hat. “For Celestia’s sake! How do you have this much energy! … And why in the name of Luna’s stars is this hat this huge? I didn’t even know they made cloth this big...” Trixie raises an eyebrow at Starlight’s obliviousness. “Don’t you know that larger the hat, the stronger your magic becomes?” Starlight stares unamused. “Well with this hat I think I could destroy the universe, So I think I’d like to go for a smaller one.” Trixie thinks about this for a bit. “Good idea. We can’t destroy the universe before our show!” Starlight rolls her eyes in response and replaces her hat with some much more reasonable And makes sure to pay the clerk before leaving. Starlight fixes her hat to make sure it’s in the right place. “Okay we should probably head to the theatre now. I don’t think it’ll leave a very good impression on us if we’re late” Trixie nods but pauses instead of following starlight. “The great and powerful Trixie isn’t going to be making her entrance by walking! We must upkeep our reputation! We shall show up like true magicians! Using magic!” Starlight raises an eyebrow. “I don’t know... Kinda seems dangerous. I mean there’s a reason we’re only allowed to teleport when we have visited the place before.” Trixie scoffs at the idea. “As the great Trixie once said, no pain, no gain!” Starlight is thrown off guard when Trixie suddenly teleports them both. They both end up upside down infront of the theater. Starlight coughs as Trixie lands ontop of her. “*cough* *cough* ow...” Trixie gets up having been cushioned by starlight. “See we arrived just fine!” Starlight manages to stand up fixing her hair and dusting off the cloak while giving Trixie a stink eye. “For you...” however before more shenanigans can ensue. Both of them are suddenly approached by a pair of royal guards wearing a ebony armor with a slight purple hue, their ordinary solar crests instead holding that of the moon. “Are you two, Miss Starlight and Miss Trixie?” Trixie nods excitedly, her eyes glowing when somebody mentioned her by name. “Yes! It is I THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE! AND MY ALSO MY NOT AS GREAT AND POWERFUL ASSISTANT, STARLIGHT!” despite Trixie’s great enthusiasm, the guards doesn’t seem to care. The guard who initially asked the question motions to the other. The other guard nods and lights his horn scanning them both. “Okay, all clear. You may go in.” The royal guards leave as quick as they came. Trixie seems more concerned then excited now. “Well... That’s as some very cold fans.” Though Trixie isn’t saddened for too long. “Atleast I’m popular enough to be known by name!” Starlight just looks into the distance where the guards now have started patrolling. “I’m pretty sure those are the new guards that Princess Luna brought in. I heard from Twi that after the changelings and all the villains we’ve had, Luna got really pissed of at the guard’s uselessness and put her guards everywhere in Equestria. Though I didn’t expect them to be... So serious” Trixie however seems dismissive as ever. “Well it isn’t important. It isn’t our problem and we shouldn’t care! We have a show to run!” Trixie starts trotting inside the theatre. Starlight hesitate before following with a slight smile. “Yea, let’s start on that show shall we?” Meanwhile... By the train station a unscheduled train from The crystal empire slows into the terminal. Many of the ponies present are confused at the empty and unlisted train. A couple of the security guards peer inside, finding nothing but the dark unlit hall of the train. One of the security guards enter the train to investigate more. Although he didn’t get much time to do so before a maroon sword penetrated the security guard’s abdomen, painting itself dripping bright red. The chainsaw teeth lining the blade kicking in as it turns the guard inside out. The other security guards who didn’t yet enter reel back in surprise. As they see their co-worker get shredded to pieces, blood splattering everywhere. In pure terror and as a last resort to protect themselves the remaining two security guard’s attempt to taze whatever was inside the train. The tazer’s bolts accelerate forward, only to let loose a few sparks and bounce off onto the floor. Their yellow light illuminating the metal shins of the machine, The machine’s wings unfurl, the yellow and blue lights along it’s figure flicker on revealing it’s whole form. Gold plates shaped into it’s chassis, painted blue steel and raw iron made up the bipedal robot. The sword inside the dead security guard stops as it finishes drinking up blood. V1 slides out it’s sword, now slick with blood. The 2 remaining security guard’s shiver in fear. The curious ponies behind the guards begin to crowd, unknowingly walking closer to their doom. V1 throws it’s sword without any care, it lodges itself In the first guard’s chest. Churning his insides into mush. The machine spins the gun into it hand and just as quickly fires it’s revolver shattering the second guard’s skull into a Gory firework of pinkish red paste. The crowd behind the now brutally murdered guards scream in fear. As they realize what just happened. Some are frozen in fear while others flee for their lives. In the end it doesn’t matter for V1 cuts through the ponies with it’s blade like a farmer cutting through his wheat. V1 grabs one child in particular. Using both of it’s hands to crack open their chest and splay their ribs. Spraying itself with blood from arteries newly opened, for the machine’s metal and circuits had no remorse, it’s processors simply noting the higher potency of nutrients in the blood compared to an average. Adding a slight change to it’s targeting system to focus on younger prey. The machine’s information gathering subroutines were interrupted as a strong kick hits it’s side. Throwing V1 into the wall with tremendous force. The machine’s armor plating cracking at the seams. V1 flips back on it’s legs, looking back at it’s attackers. A few royal guards stare down the machine, their jet black armor in comparison to the gold and purple metal he encountered in the last combat zone. V1 fires a shot, one of the guard generates a shield that deflects the heated plasma while the other goes in for another attack. The guard raises a Warhammer from his side smashing it against the machine’s chest. V1 is uncharacteristically taken off guard by the attack and slides back from the impact. The machine expected little resistance from it’s past data analysis but keeps it’s ground. V1 draws it’s yellow arm, the encrusted horn lifting up as magic swirls around it. An ethereal glow surrounding V1. It doesn’t have much past data on the weapon so it chooses a simple route. The machine disappears in a bright red flash. The guard was taken it back not expecting the machine to be able to use magic. V1 reappears behind the guard mid-air, slamming onto the floor with enough force to send the guard flying into the air. Before V1 could come up with a follow-up attack, it is hit by slam against the machine’s spine Throwing V1 to fly into the ground. It claws into the ground pivoting hard towards the guard, the machine pulls out it’s sword and strikes it against the guard now infront of V1. The guard remains steadfast, as their hooves grind against the floor from the force of the machine’s attack. V1 however didn’t wait for a counter attack, quickly drawing it’s revolver point blank at the guard’s head. The guard’s head is obliterated into a faucet of blood. V1 however had no hesitation in letting every drop of blood spray on itself. The machine’s metal frame dented form molding into shape as the blood quickly dries and gets absorbed into the metal surface, once the guard’s body spurts out it’s last, it collapses on itself. V1 turns to face the two royal guards. One having newly recovered from being thrown up and the other charging a magic attack. The unicorn guard let’s loose a homing missile straight towards the machine. Instead of dodging V1 slams it’s blue fist against the missile sending it back towards the unicorn who manages to roll out the way but not fast enough to not take a lot of damage from the parry, their armor charring into flakey metal. V1 notices it’s own fist charring from the parry. It notes to limit it’s parries against these new guards. V1 lunges forward with it’s blade towards the unicorn but is blocked by the other guard with the handle of their Warhammer. The machine activates the chainsaw function. Serrated tips beginning to violently tear the metal handle of the guard’s Warhammer. The Warhammer is cut in half leaving the guard wide open for V1 to plunge it into the guard’s neck. The guard’s throat lets out a gurgling noise before falling over. Leaving the charred and battered Unicorn who manages a tiny spark towards the machine that fizzles out before falling onto their knees. V1 approaches the unicorn plunging it’s sword into the unicorn’s chest. The tubes attach them self to the heart’s arteries, sucking up every drop of blood, oxygenated or not into V1’s frame. Without any more wasted seconds, V1 slips it’s sword out, reattaching it into it’s back and walking past the dead guards and into the streets. However a barricade of guards and police wagons face the machine. V1 revs it’s sanguine blade, charging the piercer revolver in the other hand. V1’s multi threaded processors more then happy to partake in a little warmup. Starlight collapses on the couch backstage as Trixie follows beside her. " Oh my god.... That’s was the longest and loudest performance ever! You didn’t tell me it’s gonna take a whole hour, Trixie!” Trixie raises an eyebrow. “I wasn’t gonna pass on a lifetime chance just because you can’t use magic for one hour!” Starlight huffs. “I could if you let me sleep during the carriage ride instead of annoying me 24/7. Plus my back’s killing me.” Trixie sighs. “The great and powerful Trixie acknowledges that she might’ve been a wee bit too excited and appologizes for my actions. Even if it was for a perfectly reasonable excuse.” Starlight smiles slightly despite being tired. “Well, apology accepted. But we aren’t staying in your crinkly carriage at the night. One more night and I’m sure my back will split in half.” Trixie seems appaled. “How could you?! Trixie’s carriage is the best in all of the lands!... Except the wheels.” Starlight rolls her eyes. “Come’on, you owe me don’t you?” Trixie sighs “fine, just this once for my great and powerful assistant!” They’re both interrupted by the sound of large boom in the distance. Starlight falls off the couch in suprise. “Holy macaroni!” Trixie looks into the general direction. “Hmm? Somepony must’ve put on that universe destroying hat.” Despite being facedown on the floor Starlight gives Trixie the side eye. “I was joking when I said that, but never mind that we should probably go see that was.” Trixie flips her hair and fixes her hat. “Onwards, we go, my assistant!” Trixie goes outside the theatre, expecting to see a crowd of ponies but is met by a wave of cloudy smoke. Starlight catches up behind Trixie. “*Pant* Trixie.... *Pant* never do that again.” Trixie doesn’t reply to starlight, instead seeming in awe. “Oh my GOODNESS! THIS IS THE BIGGEST SMOKE BOMB I’VE SEEN!” Starlight face hooves herself. “Classic Trixie...” Trixie looks around peering Into the smoke “the great and powerful trixie must add this to her catalogue!” Starlight looks around and notices that there’s no pony around what was previously a crowded street and tries to stop Trixie. “Trixie? Where is every pony? I mean we were just having a show with a couple thousand ponies. They can’t all be gone yet, right?” Trixie turns to face starlight, blinking as she takes in starlight’s words. “The great and powerful Trixie acknowledges that you be right about that. It is quite odd for the great and powerful trixie’s show’s aftermath to be... So barren.” Starlight nods. “I think we should get the guar-” starlight is interrupted as a head of royal guard rolls in between her and Trixie. Trixie stares at the head. “Th-that is a prop... Right?” Starlight looks down at the blood pooling under it. “I... Don’t think so...” The dissonant whining of motors echo through the quiet streets. Starlight’s eyes widen as she takes a step back, staring into the smoke, lights beginning to flare from the smoke. Trixie leaps behind, shaking like a leaf in a storm as she cowers behind starlight. The machine steps out from the fog. Dried bony dust present on it’s once blood stained arms. Trixie whisper behind her. “R-run?” Starlight gulps at the sight of the intimidating machine Infront before making eye contact with the shivering pony behind her. “Run.” V1 slashes at the air, cutting through the fog and at the unfortunate ponies. Though it’s effort wasn’t rewarded with blood as the two ponies make a run for it. V1 raises it’s revolver with the fluidity of air as the unicorn pair run off. Starlight takes a look back, recognising it’s weapon from the several books she read from sunset’s human world. Starlight focuses her magic into a barrier over the both of them. The machine’s shot bounces off the shield, producing a small crack. V1 decides to close the distance by whiplashing onto a nearby streetlight, the machine’s hydraulics charging midair as it swings by the streetlight. V1’s red arm dig into the side the street’s walls as it’s legs align itself to leap forward at the two running ponies. Trixie looks back this time to see the machine getting ready to charge itself at them. Instead of running harder and faster, trixie does the smart thing by shrieking like a little filly and latching onto Starlight’s hoof. Causing them both to fall and roll on the floor unceremoniously as the machine whizzes by their head with a revving sword. It uses it’s blade as a anchor to halt it self not too far away from the ponies. Starlight and Trixie get up not too soon after. Starlight realises that with the machine so close by and ready to attack, running is no longer an option. “I don’t think we can run anymore...” She mutters as the machine rises up to it’s feet. Trixie snaps her head back at starlight “noway you are proposing that we fight that thing. The great and powerful Trixie isn’t great enough to beat that mechanical nightmare alone!” Starlight has a sudden idea. “Hey? Do you still have some of your smoke bombs?” Trixie raises an eyebrow “the great Trixie never forgets her smoke bombs... But... Why do you need it in a situation like this?!” Starlight shakes her head but explains regardless “that thing only attacked us through the fog when it got close enough, so it must be blind in the smoke” the machine rips it’s blade out off the asphalt road. Starlight panics as the machine gets ready for another attack. “Trixie quick throw a smoke bomb!” Trixie rummages through her cloak taking out rubber ducks and confetti before coming across a few of her trademark purple smoke bombs. Acting quickly Trixie throws the bombs at the machine. V1 reacts to the blunt force projectiles approaching it, reacting by shooting the bombs with it’s gun. V1 immediately regrets it’s decision as it’s whole view becomes grey smoke. It attempts to swat away at the smoke, but unlike the fog it’s not as easily swayed. While V1 is distracted by the annoying smoke, it’s chest is met with a burning flash of magic that instantly melts the gold. The machine falls on one knee as it’s hand goes to cover the exposed mainframe now leaking molten gold. It raises it’s head to scan the smoke further only to be done dirty with a blast of flame into it’s camera, scorching the lenses and impairing the machine’s sight further. The machine shakes the scorched camera on it’s head before a hoof kicks out from the smoke slamming into it’s wing, bending it out of shape. V1 rises it’s hand to whiplash out of the smoke Only for a arc of electricity to hit it’s side again in it’s exposed slot. The high voltage immediately short-circuits most of the hydraulics and circuits within the machine Causing the machine to fall on it’s knees completely, its blade falling to it’s side. The smoke eventually clears as two tired unicorns stand over the smoldering body of the machine. Starlight let’s out a sigh as her horn’s magic fleets away. “Was... That it?” Trixie however was holding a fistful glitter, having expected to have to throw up a cloud of glitter at the machine’s lenses to blind it when the smoke cleared. “Hey... Atleast we lived, right?” Starlight sighs as she wipes the sweat out of her brow. “We got lucky that thing couldn’t see through smoke... And we need to get this thing to Twilight before it wakes up. Maybe she and her friends can turn it into stone like the rest of the villains..” starlight looks back at the empty streets behind her. “Let’s just hope it didn’t do too much damage back there...”