"Of all the darkness that consumed our lives in those times, the worst of it was the loss of contact. We lost our technology, and we had to adapt. We had nothing and there was nobody that could help. It was our time to work harder for ourselves, and to protect our own. I intended to with all of my heart." - paragraph thirty-six, Fluttershy's Biography.
Somewhere Over Trottingham - 18:35 Hours
Vinyl Scratch watched as they got higher up off the ground, the plane's pilot staying quiet the whole time. She couldn't stop thinking about Neon, about whether or not he was safe, about the radio broadcast she had heard. She needed to break this silence.
"So, what's your name? I figure I might as well ask the name of the pony that decided to help me." said Vinyl, looking at the pony in front of her.
"You can call me Quill. As for helping you, I got reasons to head to Hoofington now too." said the pegasus named Quill, his hat sitting on his head even inside the cockpit of the plane.
"Quill, huh? Cool name dude. My name's Vinyl Scratch." said Vinyl, wondering what would make anyone go to Hoofington now.
"Nice to meet you, Vinyl Scratch. You're lucky you showed up when you did though, or I would have headed out alone." said Quill, chuckling lightly.
"I guess I am pretty lucky I showed up then." said Vinyl, giggling despite the situation. She needed to relax, she needed to talk, she needed to think of anything except Neon at the moment.
"You know, we're both flying into a huge shit storm at the moment." said Quill ominously, a coldness entering her voice, the tone seeming somehow more natural for him than anything. It was eerily similar to the voice of an inmate on tv that was going to be executed for murdering twenty-two ponies. Vinyl knew it wasn't him, but still, she remembered that tone well. After all, she almost died because of that same inmate.
"Why do you say that?" asked Vinyl Scratch, her voice shaking with anxiety and concern.
"I've seen a lot of wicked shit in this life Miss Scratch. I've seen ponies kill each other for money, power, and social standing. I've seen mothers and fathers throwing their children out into the cold so that there would be one less mouth to feed. I've seen friends tear each other apart because they were told to. I've lived long enough, and I've seen enough shit to know that what we're flying headfirst into is going to been a first class shit storm, and we'll be lucky to make it through." said Quill, his voice monotonous and cold. It reminded her all too well of the voice of that inmate. Of his cold eyes and his twisted sense of humor. Of Lyra, her wide eyed expression as he killed her in a slow and sadistic way. Of how Bonbon cried as she clutched her dead friend's body, trying to drag forth any life she could from her dead friend, like a chimpanzee baby trying to revive it's dead mother. It was horrifying, the memories making her almost cry.
"R-Really? You think it'll be that bad when we get there?" asked Vinyl, staring out the window.
"Do you want to turn back? Nopony would blame you if you were scared. Hell, I'm almost shaking up here just from knowing what kind of situation we're gonna be in. Do you wanna go back Miss Scratch?" asked Quill, a hint of sympathy in his voice, and then there was something else entirely. A knowing tone, like that of a teacher that knows you've done something wrong.
"No. I want, no, I need to go to Hoofington. I may be scared, but I have to get to Hoofington. I have to keep going." said Vinyl, looking at the back of Quill's head. She hoped that she got her point through.
"As you wish Miss Scratch. Oh, and just so you know, I think you're a very brave mare. Incredibly brave, considering the situation." said Quill, trying to comfort her, but Vinyl could hear something else in his tone. Something insincere. Something cold. Something malicious.
In the back of her mind, Vinyl told herself that she was wrong, but she now wished more than ever that she had never gotten on this plane. This stallion wasn't just mysterious, he was almost scary. He wasn't normal.
"He's just like Killer." she told herself in the back of her mind, remembering the hallow gaze that had at one point met her eyes before he gutted somepony out of all his hostages. She knew this was going to be hell, and now, she was riding into it with a crazy pony at her side.
Outside Hoofington Radio Tower - 18:30 Hours
Ironsides walked toward the tower, the building being collosal in contrast to the much smaller buildings around it. It had been built so Hoofington could have a new tourist attraction, and since it was constantly broadcasting music, it gave everypony in Hoofington a source of music.
The sound of more of those abominations wasn't far off. They were feral in nature, so Ironsides had decided on a name for them; Hunters. They seemed to always be sniffing around like a hunter in the wild after it's prey, and they seemed more advanced than the less agile and less intelligent pony-like creatures that she had decided to call "Stumblers", after their shaky and erratic way of walking around aimlessly.
This would give her something new to contribute to the team, and would give them a way to identify their enemies. The stark contrast between the two different creatures makes them easy to identify, but this would give them a way to discuss the creatures and tell each other what to watch out for.
"Nrrrrr..." sounded a dull voice from behind her, much closer than she liked. It wasn't too far off at all, and she could tell it was getting closer.
With one swift movement, Derpy unsheathed her knife and ducked down, using her speed and strength to barrel under the creature, tripping it. As she got up, she whirled around and plunged the knife through the back of the creature's head, pinning it to the ground and killing it. She panted as she realized how close she had come to death. It wasn't unlike how she felt the first time she killed someone. A cold feeling, a wrongness that felt almost necessary. It was horrifying, but she smiled. Death was her partner in this life, and her one constant companion, always there, always watching, always waiting for her.
She looked at the tower as she pulled the knife out of the ground, and the creature that it had been plunged through. This was it. Time for answers.
As she walked up the steps to the tower, somepony, something, was watching her from a nearby alley out of slitted, red eyes. Something new, something primal, something deadly.
Hoofington Residential Area - 18:40 Hours
Quartz made his way to his house, the dead bodies of the previously killed abominations startling him at first, but then getting less and less unsettling after awhile. His house was a cream colored building that was in the middle of the residential area, a stark contrast to the buildings around it.
Quartz looked around before pulling out his keys and unlocking the door, slipping inside and locking it again. He wasn't sure about those things, and whatever they were, he didn't know what to expect.
He turned and looked around his living room, the lights off, but the candles he had lit previously still burning. It was a relief to him that he didn't have to go into the dark. If one of those things got inside and he was alone in the dark, he'd be dead pretty quickly, especially with a lead pipe being his only defense at the moment.
He walked forward into his living room, and saw his spare ammo sitting on the table. He gathered up the box and a few magazines, loading them before putting them in his coat pocket. He then pulled up a stool to his workbench and started to work on fixing his gun's holster, the thing jammed from the impact earlier.
Hoofington Radio Tower Main Lobby - 18:40 Hours
Ironsides looked around and was slightly taken aback by the condition of the tower's main lobby. There were broken and torn pieces of furniture laying around the room, and the reception desk had the remains of a pony's body laying on it. The body had been ripped in half from the bottom-up, and only the bottom half remained there.
She pulled out her handgun and looked around the lobby, listening for any sounds. She heard the slow movements of one of the Stumblers upstairs, and sighed as she heard nothing else. It was relieving to be out of the line of fire again, if only for a few minutes. She had to get going soon, even if it was going to put her in danger again. As she headed up the stairs, a colt turned the corner of the hall leading into the lobby, smiling as he saw her go upstairs. He turned on his earphone comm and spoke in a low and almost monotonous voice.
"All is going according to plan. I will follow my target as directed, and report when I learn anything new. Agent Vertigo, out." said the little colt as he turned off his earphone comm, smiling as Derpy disappeared upstairs.
"As of now, the game is on, and I've already got all the chips in my favor. Now, Captain Ironsides, it's time to play my game with you." said the colt, walking upstairs after Derpy.
Hoofington Radio Tower - 18:35 Hours
The small colt snuck around the business section of Hoofington's Radio Tower. He rifled through the papers inside of the desk of one "Juniper Leaf", and pulled out a note that was mostly in code. The colt smiled at the cryptic piece of paper in front of him and slipped it into his saddle bags, as he was instructed. He knew that what he held in his possession was very dangerous in the wrong hands. At least, dangerous to most ponies. The object he held in his possession was very dangerous indeed.
"Dangerous to my plans." he thought, calm and clear of any worries that might have affected any other ponies his age. He had been a trained killer, and he had been born with a cruel and sadistic lust for blood and the suffering of others. At age nine he had his name changed, and has been declared deceased for years. Now, five years later, he goes by the name Vertigo Dawn, an agent of his employers. He was unarmed, no firearm or weapon in his possession. He didn't need one, and he didn't care. All he cared about was that he was going to succeed in his plans, and nopony was going to stop him from succeeding.
As he left the business area, he stopped and heard the sound of hoofsteps. In his particular line of work, he had to learn to recognise and react to many different noises, from hoofsteps, to clocks ticking, to the sound of running water, and adapt to the situation at hand. More often than not, hoofsteps were bad, as they general signaled the movement of enemy combatants, such as changelings or royal guards, but this time, he knew what the sound was, and more to the point, the mare walking through the lobby as he looked around the corner.
It was Captain "Ironsides" Hooves, her yellow mane and tail, and cold, calculating eyes recognisable by anypony that saw her. Normal circumstances would have demanded her death immediately, but Vertigo knew that he couldn't do that yet. This mare was trained in combat, and was one of the best, but besides that, she was necessary for this mission.
As Ironsides went upstairs, Vertigo emerged and sent in his report to his superiors. They ordered him to gather more information on the situation at hand, and if necessary, to ally himself with Ironsides, if only to keep an eye on her and find out how much of a danger to the plan she might turn out to be. As he watched her head upstairs, he smiled and started to follow her. It didn't take much time for him to see her again, this time with a dead abomination at her hooves. He looked at the thing with a smile, realising what made Ironsides so instrumental to the entire operation. She would deal with any major issues, such as these abominations, and would be able to help him recover the documents they had lost.
This was his chance. One of the abominations walked up to him and groaned loudly. He let out a scream and Ironsides turned around and threw her knife into it's head, killing it quickly. "Good aim lady." said Vertigo, shaking lightly by his own will. He had learned to use his body to his advantage, and this was one of the perks. Ironsides drew closer and looked at him, smiling.
"You okay little colt?" asked Ironsides, an almost motherly tone to her voice. It was enough to almost make him puke at how nice she was. He was a complete stranger, yet she was being nice to him like a fool. A very skilled one, but still, a fool. He forced tears into his eyes, pretending to be scared.
"I-I can't find my dad... I got lost and so I came h-here, but th-they got him!" said Vertigo, bawling, a slight smirk hidden behind his hooves. This would be easier than he had previously thought. Much easier.
Quartz's House - 18:45 Hours
Quartz held up the fruit of his labor and stared at the holster, unbent, unrestricting, and unbroken more importantly. He was surprised at how good he had gotten at this sort of thing, seeing as he had never really cared before this.
He looked around his house and slipped his standard issue handgun into it's fixed holster, smiling as he admired his work. It was a strange feeling, taking pride in such a small, and normally insignificant thing. It was different, a little weird, and most of all, a good feeling.
He looked around and found a bag of apples from his little brother who had dropped them off a few hours ago. However, a noise outside caught his attention. A high pitched, horrifying cry of anger and confusion. But the thing that caught his attention was how loud it was. Whatever had made that noise was either very big, or very pissed off. He put the apples into his saddle bags and drew his handgun, grabbing a knife off the coffee table in the living room. It was time to regroup with Ironsides, and he needed to hurry.
Hoofington Airport - 18:45 Hours
The plane landed on the asphalt of the airport's landing strip. Vinyl climbed out and hurled on the asphalt, her stomach not used to being in the sky. Quill climbed out next and grabbed a handgun from inside the plane, looking grim as he thought to himself.
"We've arrived at our destination. Welcome to Hoofington. Welcome to hell." he said, looking at the handgun in his hoof. He turned and looked at Vinyl, who was finally done throwing up and she looked back at him.
"Where should we go?" asked Vinyl, looking around. She knew they should head to the Radio Tower, but she needed to know more, and have some idea of a plan.
"We should go to the Radio Tower. We don't have much time at this point. I have to go to the prison to find someone. Are you coming with, or would you rather go it alone?" asked Quill, looking into Vinyl's eyes, and seeing the fear at the idea of being alone here.
"I'm going with you. It's not safe for us to split up." said Vinyl, getting closer. She knew something was wrong and thought it through. She needed to have someone with her, in case something happened.
Quill smiled at her answer, and lifted his handgun, giving her a reassuring smile. It calmed her down a little and she got closer.
"Then, let's go. We got a long walk ahead of us, and a lot of trouble down the road." said Quill, and they started their long walk. As they did, a single thought went through Vinyl's mind. One thought that gave her the strength she'd need in the time to come.
"I'm coming Neon. Hold on just a little longer." she thought as the two of them started to walk down the street. Little did she know, there was somepony else watching. Somepony that was not as friendly as her new companion. Somepony who was ambitious, and willing to do anything to acheive their goals. Somepony wearing a bowtie.
Canterlot Gardens - 18:45 Hours
Crimson looked at the grim sight with disgust as he walked through the grass of the Canterlot Gardens, disemboweled ponies laying scattered along the ground. Some of them had expressions of fear, and some would never be known, because they lacked a face to make any sort of expression with. It was revolting, and horrifying.
As the three of them, Crimson, Shade, and Golden, they saw one pony, sitting and twitching among the bodies. Golden went over to them and nudged them.
"Hey. Are you okay? Do you need so-" he started, but was cut off as the pony turned and bit into his neck, tearing the flesh clean off. A hole was left in Golden's throat as he almost immediately collapsed, a low, bubbling whimper escaping him as he died.
Shade and Crimson raised their pistols and began firing, both of them scared and sickened by what they had seen. The pony had holes in it in mere moments, both of them panting as they drew close to their dead friend. Crimson's eyes welled up with tears and he started to shake as he looked at the gaping hole in his now deceased friend's neck. It was enough to make him turn and throw up on the ground, the stench of blood mixing with his nauseating bile. Shade was crying softly as she pulled his dog tags off and slipped them onto her belt.
There would be time to remember their friend later. For now, they needed to know who commited this crime against nature. So, with heavy hearts, the two soldiers moved on into Canterlot Castle. Little did they know, the true horror was only beginning...
Canterlot Castle Laboratories - 18:45 Hours
A lone mare stood in the darkness of the lab, admiring her work. Inside of a glass tube at the end of a long line of empty ones and dead bodies, stood a huge stallion, it's eyes closed and breathing almost nonexistent. It was her creation, her child. Nopony could ever take this away from her. She made it, so it belonged to her. It was the son she could never have, but she always wanted. It was perfect in her eyes, and it would destroy anything she deemed imperfect.
A security camera saw two ponies enter the building with weapons in their hooves. This wasn't supposed to happen. The other subjects should have taken care of anypony foolish enough to come here. The mare just shrugged as she noticed she'd only have one choice; to release specimen number three. Yes, it would take care of the pests intruding inside of her new home. They would never get near her or her son.
With the flip of a switch and the push of a button, a metal door on the second floor opened, and a tank in the room beyond exploded outward as something broke through it. It stopped and sniffed the air before running down to the main entrance. The hunt was beginning...
***
Author's Note: And, with that, I end part 3 of Firefight, giving us two new protagonists, Vinyl and Quill, and two new antagonists, one unnamed mare and Agent Vertigo! Now, hopefully this has shone some light on my portrail of Derpy in this world, as you see that she isn't just a cold and merciless soldier, but also a caring and motherly pony who will help those in need. I think the next chapter should be done in around two weeks, but my time is prone to change, and, as of now, I am taking requests for characters! So, send a full bio, including name, weapon of choice, age, sex, personality, and preferably what side of this conflict you want them to be on! So, I hope you enjoyed this, and as always, see ya in the next chapter!