Ascend Through Darkness Ch.4 Blotted Science
"Ammo? What on Equestria is ammo? You're making it sound like it's a bad thing!"
"That's because it IS a bad thing, Rarity! Guns won't shoot without bullets."
"You mean that guns aren't powered by magic?"
"Um, I don't think this is a good time to discuss these things…"
"Your flying buddy is right. These hell pigs aren't going to kill themselves. Well, time to show them what happens when they meet Nikolai up close!" Strapping his now empty EPC WIN to his back, he pulled out a sickle. At first, it looked rather impractical for a melee weapon, but upon closer inspection one would see how lethal the blade truly is. Sharpened to the point where it sliced the air around it, there were very few things that wouldn't be cut in half by this weapon. Once the zombie ponies approached close enough, Nikolai unleashed his fury upon them, slicing through their decaying bodies and stopping them in their tracks. His love of killing had overtaken his senses. Whatever was in front of his eyes was going to die.
"Blood, gore, sinew, bone, organs, pulmonary systems!" While he was reveling in the bloodbath, Rarity and Fluttershy focused on just surviving. Despite witnessing the might of their new ally, they were unsure how long he could keep up the slaughter. Instead, the ponies opted for retreating.
"Nikolai, we must regroup! Fluttershy and I are unable to continue on," Once again, Rarity's words were ignored by the human as he continued killing everything within his sights. "Do you hear me, Nikolai? We must make for a hasty retreat!" Suddenly, Fluttershy let out an earsplitting scream. Instinctively, she turned around, fearing that the worse may have happened. However, she saw no signs of the pegasus behind her.
"Fluttershy," she called out. "Fluttershy, where are you?"
"Help me! They're chasing me!" Rarity looked to see that a small horde of zombie pegasus ponies were right on her tail. Unfortunately, in the situation that they were in, no one could help destroy her pursuers. Nikolai was far too busy with the giant group of zombies he had amassed and her spells couldn't reach far enough to be effective. Even now, Rarity was being hunted down by some of the stragglers that weren't interested in Nikolai. Her horn began to glow a light purple before she let loose a lightning strike at her pursuers.
"Back off, you cretins! I abhor your nasty habits of exploding everywhere." She had to think of a plan to save her friend before the zombies got to her. Then, a light bulb clicked in her mind as she hatched a plan.
"Fluttershy, fly towards Nikolai! Order him to attack upwards right when you pass him. He's our only hope now." Despite her panicked state, the pegasus obeyed Rarity's command. She began to pick up speed, but quickly slowed down due to fatigue. Despite this, she pressed on, willing herself to flap her wings at a faster pace. It wasn't often she used her gift of flight to get to places, even if it would be more convenient than walking. In turn, this meant that the pegasus was not used to strenuous flying. She was nearing the Russian, who was still killing the zombie ponies around him.
"Nikolai, slash upwards!" She yelled right as she zipped pass by him. Subconsciously, he followed Fluttershy's order and began swinging his sickle back and forth in an erratic fashion upwards. The zombie pegasuses flew right into his attacks, shredding themselves into bloody ribbons. Letting out a sigh of relief, she flew back to Rarity, who was currently engaged with more of the undead. The moment she landed, the pegasus resumed her fight.
"Thank you for assisting me, dear. All this icky fighting is making me sweat."
"Oh no, I should be the one thanking you, Rarity. How did you know Nikolai was going to do that?"
"Remember how we were arguing before and he mentioned having multiple wives? I figured he still had a soft spot for females, despite his brutal nature. Besides, he seemed like the type of drunk who was willing to listen to almost any lady who talked to him."
"But, he didn't listen to you."
"Well, that's because he still hates me. I suppose even in his inebriated state, his recent memory of me was rather unpleasant." Fluttershy couldn't help but admire her friend's nearly overwhelming attention to even minute details.
"It still surprises me that you can get so much out of such little conversation."
"Well, my dear, you won't get far in the fashion world if you don't take everything into consideration. I just simply apply that mantra to everyday life as well." It was rather comforting to the ponies that they were still able to hold normal conversations despite the dangerous situation that they were in. It was these small respites that pushed them onward to continue the brawl. Amongst her friends, Rarity would usually be the first to notice these little things. And sometimes, it was the little things that mattered. Then, she heard the flapping of pegasus wings in the distance. Judging by the volume, it seemed like there were at least half a dozen of them approaching their position. Soon, Fluttershy and Nikolai heard the noise as well. The trio looks up to the sky to be greeted with a familiar sight.
"Royal Pegasus Guards of Canterlot at your service," one of them called out. "Let us handle the rest. You ladies and that, er, thing can rest now."
"Oh, thank you so much," said Rarity. "I simply wouldn't know what we would do without you."
"…Uh, thank you, mister." Fluttershy quickly reverted to her bashful self with the arrival of the guards.
"Eh? You guys are on our side? Holy shit, there are ponies everywhere!"
"Ugh, come Nikolai. We must depart for the town square immediately. Fluttershy, help me drag this drunken braggart."
"Confound these ponies! They drive me even further to drink! Of course, I don't mind that in the slightest…"
Twilight Sparkle, like most unicorns, was a pursuer of knowledge. Be it magic or technology, she wanted to know it all. There were just so many fascinating things to learn about in Equestria alone that she cannot even begin to fathom other universes. The fact that she was speaking with a scientist from another realm was so overwhelming that she nearly forgot about the whole zombie apocalypse. Unfortunately for Pinkie Pie, she did not feel the same as her friend. Sure, the humans looked goofy, but this Doctor Richtofen in particular was strange, even for her. It was difficult for the pink pony to understand the words that were coming out of his mouth. She was no dunce, but what the two were discussing could easily be described as rocket science. Something that was easily not her forte.
"…thus, by travelling through the fourth dimension, the unicorn can theoretically travel to any destination that comes to mind."
"Ja, our teleporters work in a similar fashion through matter displacement. As of now, we can only do it with the MDTs which are fixed into one place. But your magic sounds incredibly convenient! I can only imagine what I could do with those spells…"
"Oh my, I wouldn't go so far as saying that, Doctor Richtofen. Its difficult to even comprehend how certain magic works. But from what you have told me so far, it seems every human can use technology to an extent."
"That is the unfortunate truth, Ms. Sparkle. Even monkeys, like Dempsey, can use powerful weapons that only science can create."
"I'm not entirely sure I get what you're trying to say but I'm afraid our talk is going to have to wait. We're here." Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Doctor Richtofen had been given the task of protecting the southern neighborhoods of Ponyville. During the first attacks, southern Ponyville was the first to fall into the hands of the undead. A large amount of the population died during the resulting siege. Now, all the entrances were barricaded via magic or stacked debris. Though it still retained some of its vibrant colors, the houses were nothing but shadows of their former selves. To Twilight and Pinkie, the rows of vacant, destroyed property reminded them of memories long lost to the crisis at hand. Pinkie Pie looked to her friend to find a solitary tear streaking down her face.
"Twilight, what's wrong?" She asked, concerned for her friend's wellbeing.
"Oh, its nothing," Twilight replied, not wanting to worry her friend. "I was just thinking, that's all. Anyway, let's focus on the task in front of us." Though not entirely convinced of her act, the pink earth pony decided to let the issue drop rather than push it. Richtofen pulled out two Pack-a-Punched HS-10 shotguns dubbed Typhoid and Mary. An evil glint appeared in his eyes as he spoke to his pony comrades.
"Girls, allow me to show you the German ingenuity of the Pack-a-Punch machine! It will be like mowing a lawn of flesh, ja?"
"Er, if you say so, Doctor."
"Oooo, they're so shiny! What do you do to keep that sheen?"
"Tsk tsk, oh Pinkie, that's my trade secret. I can't just give it away to anyone, or in this case, anypony, heh. Ms. Sparkle, you may want to stand back a wee bit to observe guns in action."
"Alright then, Pinkie and I will play the supporting role this time. Just give us the word if you need assistance." With their plans and methods in check, all they had to do now was wait for the enemy to come. Thankfully for Richtofen, it wasn't long before the zombies were seen marching slowly towards the trio. Twilight's horn began to glow a pale light as she prepped up a spell to destroy the invaders. Pinkie was right next to her, ensuring that no stray zombie would ambush the unicorn. Now within range, Twilight lets loose a powerful stream of fire that engulfed anything in its way. Not wanting to be outmaneuvered by magic, the Nazi rushed into battle, trigger happy with his shotguns. Forgoing accuracy for power, no zombie could get close to him. The ponies knew what guns were capable of since he explained the mechanics to them earlier, but witnessing the devastation at hand was nearly overwhelming. The scent of gunpowder, the deafening booms with each pull of the trigger accompanied by the maniacal laughter of the Doctor, it all seemed like some sort of twisted symphony of death and cataclysm. Something rather fitting for Richtofen.
"Ha ha, the pieces! The pieces are everywhere!" For a moment, it seemed that the zombie ponies had retreated. However, Twilight realized what was going on and began to inform the team.
"Doctor, its not over yet! The zombies are moving down another street. We have to cut off their attack route. Pinkie Pie will lead the way."
"Aye aye, Twilight! Hee hee, that rhymed a little! Anyway, if we go down Candy Avenue, we should be able to get to the main street in time to greet those smelly meanies. Let's go!" As she bounced her way down said street, the unicorn and human looked at each other before running in her direction.
"You weren't joking around when you described the guns, Doctor Richtofen. And I thought magic was fascinating…"
"Trust me, Ms. Sparkle. This is only the beginning. This Gersch Device I have is one of the best inventions that I haven't created! Oh, the destruction will be marvelous!"
"Gersch? Why does that sound so familiar? It must've been one of those text books…"
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. What were you saying?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking aloud. It's a bad habit of mine, heh."
"Oh my, you're going to have to keep that habit in check. There were times where I would think aloud in front of patients without even realizing! As a result, I had to sew their mouth shut, which was fun because I didn't use anesthetics!"
"...What?"
"Guys, we're here! And it looks like those stinky meanies are too!"
"Awww, don't they look so cute and happy just trotting down the street? Too bad don't won't be finishing their little trek." Richtofen pulls out a metal disc that was strapped to his back, pushing a few buttons here and there. The Gersch Device whirred to life as he held it in his hands, ready to toss. "Ponies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you the portable teleporter!" With a flick of his wrist, the Gersch Device was released from his grip and landed near the ever moving zombie ponies. As it hit the ground, it opened up what appeared to be a black hole, sucking in all of the undead and presumably killing them. Much to Twilight's surprise, she felt very little gravitational pull, despite it visibly dragging the zombies to their doom.
"Ooooh, those are some pretty flashy lights!" Pinkie Pie began to hop towards the singularity, much to the fear of the unicorn.
"Pinkie, stop! Don't go in the black hole!" But it was too late. Right as the pink earth pony entered the light, the portal closed. "You… you killed Pinkie…" Mesmerized by the destructive technology that the humans have crafted, she failed to realize that the Doctor had announced it to be a teleporter. The unicorn felt her heart sink lower and lower as the thought of a dead Pinkie Pie began to sink in.
"Boo!" Twilight shrieked in response before finding a familiar pink pony right behind her.
"You, you're alive! Oh, thank goodness you're alive!"
"Of course I'm alive, silly! Its not like you hurt yourself when you teleport, I think."
"I set the Device so that it may transport living things. Somehow, I just knew that Pinkie would find the flashy lights irresistible." Richtofen explained, placing much emphasis on the "flashy lights." Pinkie only gave a nervous chuckle in reply. "Well, with that out of the way, why don't we find some magic text for me to study up on? Given enough time, I can create some machinery from spare parts. But with the aid of spells, who knows what I can craft? Ooo, just thinking about tickles my special place! I cannot wait until we start the process of…" Now recovered from her shock, Twilight could only roll her eyes at Richtofen's childlike behavior. She looked towards Pinkie Pie who seemed to be absorbing every single word of the Doctor's rant.
"Richy, what's your 'special place'?"
AN:Pinkie Pie would definitely make weird nicknames for them! The title of this chapter was inspired by a progressive metal band by the same name.