Resident Pon-Evil (Mission III) - Operation: Cryptic Originsby Delta 727ChaptersChapter 1: Just Doing My JobChapter 2: Why me? Why US?Chapter 3: Out Of The Frying Pan...Last Words, Part 1: "Fear For The Worst, Part 1: Creeping Death"Chapter 1: Just Doing My JobYou ain't seen nothin' yet. You ever have nightmares? Like one where you just feel terrified, trying to fight it away? And you're thrashing and shifting, trying to get away from whatever it is? And somewhere in the back of your mind, you feel like you're gonna die? And then, when you think it's all over, you wake up in a cold sweat? Well, imagine this. You're having that same nightmare, and you're fighting for your survival, and you actually think like you're gonna wake up. But, of course, you never do. That's what the Outbreak felt like. But before I get into that, lemme tell you a bit about myself, and how this all started. My name's Golden Harp. Yeah, I don't like the name either, so I made up a nickname when I was a colt. Harper. I'm a Pegasus, but I spend most of my time on the ground. I have a golden coat with a dark yellow mane, and orange eyes. I guess that's how I got the name Golden Harp. That, and my cutie mark's a harp. Never really enjoyed playing the harp, but it was just kinda my talent. Even though I could've gone into business playing the harp, I chose a different path to get paid. I'm a patrol officer at the Manehattan Police Department. Yeah, that's right. I'm a badge-wearing, pistol-whipping, mare-magnet...ing bad flank. I don't have much of a family. I live alone, but I do see my mare friend every day at work. It's not often a pony gets comfortable with another member of the force. But, when I met her, it was just kinda mutual. Not just because she's just so funny, smart, and adorable, but also because she looked like what I'd look like if I was a mare. Which, thank Celestia, I'm not. And the last time I saw her was the day it happened. *Begin Transmission* Beep! Beep! Beep! Golden Harp clicked off his alarm clock, groaning and rubbing sleep from his eyes. It was 7:30 A.M. Time to get up for work. He slung his legs out from under the sheets, and groggily sat up. His room was dark, barely lit by the light of dawn coming in from his blinds. His room was nothing past simple. Grey walls, grey sheets, grey carpet, a dresser, a closet, and a small nightstand with his grey lamp, grey alarm clock, and grey picture frame of him in his uniform the first day of work with his mare friend. He dragged himself out of bed, grabbing his round eyeglasses off of his nightstand, and put them on his muzzle. He trotted slowly out of his room, into his bathroom, and looked at himself in the mirror. His yellow mane was ruffled, and his eyes were sagging from sleep. He slowly readjusted his mane, and sighed. Then, he smiled. It was orientation day. They'd be getting a new shipment of recruits, and he and his mare friend would be in charge of showing them the ropes. That made him brighten up immediately, and trot out of his small, one floor house with his head high. He stepped outside into the busy streets of Manehattan. Over the years, Manehattan had become a bigger and bigger city, soon becoming the economic center of Equestria. He trotted down the busy street of Manehattan, several ponies making their way to work in the busy morning commute. Signs in windows were flipped around to Open, shutters floated up inside windows, and lights switched on all up and down the street. He passed a clothing store and a cafe, greeted an old neighbor sweeping wood shavings off the sidewalk in front of his furniture workshop, and stopped at a bakery for a croissant, a cinnamon roll, and two cups of coffee. With two cups and a small, white, paper bag in hoof, he trotted up to the front doors of the police station, right up the street from City Hall. Canterlot was a friendly, bustling city. And it was his job to keep it safe. But why he does it is all in the history. Years before his time, Equestria was guarded by nothing but stallions with knight armor and spear guns. But when the civil war between the zebras and ponies broke out, they soon learned they weren't enough. The spears were too large and heavy, and the guns took too long to reload. They were nearly overrun by the zebras. After the war ended in a stalemate, the zebras migrated back toward the Everfree forest and the Badlands. The ponies decided it was time for an upgrade. Their spears were replaced by the lighter and much less expensive firearms, such as pistols and assault rifles, and their armor was made with bulletproof fibers and steel plates. Then, there were some ponies who thought it just wasn't enough. A small squad from the armed forces grew paranoid, and soon, plotted treason. They were a small squad called Harrow team. At first, they only consisted of a few ponies. Then, when their ideas began to float around the department, more and more ponies began to join them. They had all kinds of crazy ideas in mind. Chemical weapons, mechs, sentry turrets, even biomechanical upgrades. But the police chief wouldn't have any of it. And one day, Harrow team had enough. They, and all of their supporters, requested voluntary discharge, and left. About a year later, they'd built a compound on the edge of town on an area of land in an abandoned field. They spent several years, working away in the compound, but nopony ever knew what they were doing. They just left them alone, thinking they were all crazy. But one day, there came a small shipment on the doorstep of the Canterlot police station. A small box, with a hexagon filled in with alternating red and white triangles implanted on the lid. Inside were three vials of yellow liquid fitted in cutout holes in a block of foam. And stuck on the lid of the box was a yellow sticky note, which had a message written neatly in black pen. We're not crazy. We're not paranoid. We're not extremists. We're invincible. And today, we declare Harrow's End. Immediately, the vials were disposed of, and their effects were never known. Golden Harp had heard all the stories, but he never listened to them. Harrow's End was crazy, but they weren't dangerous. He thought they'd all probably kill themselves on their experiments, and he was perfectly fine with that. A dead pony was better than a crazy pony. He opened the front door to the police station, which led into a main lobby with a white tile floor, pale white ceilings and walls, a potted plant on either side of the door, a few rows of chairs to the right, a large sliding door that led to the main offices and holding cells, and a round, polished wood reception desk in front of the back door. Behind the desk was a brown, unicorn mare with a bright brown mane and dark blue eyes. She smiled as Golden Harp walked in. "Harper," she said in a friendly tone. "Good ta see ya. And you brought me coffee! You shouldn't have." Golden Harp smiled back. "Sorry, Cocoa, these ain't for you. They're for my mare friend." "Ah, you lover colt," Cocoa replied. "Still would've appreciated one." "Maybe next time. You seen her around?" Cocoa just smiled, but didn't reply. Something wrapped around his neck, and giggled in his hear. "Hey there, hon!" A mare's voice replied. Golden Harp smiled. "Well, good morning, Marigold." He held up the coffee and bag. "Brought ya breakfast." Marigold let go of Golden Harp's neck, and trotted in front of him. She wasn't wearing her police riot uniform, but a thinner, lightly padded, black body suit, leaving only her head and her tail out in the open. "Ya remember mah order?" Golden Harp held up the coffee and the bag. "One cinnamon roll, lightly iced, and a mocha with a half shot of espresso." Marigold smiled. "Cream an' sugar?" "You know it. Cup on the left." Marigold reached for one of the cups, and Golden Harp cleared his throat. "My left, silly." Marigold just smiled, gently shoving his shoulder, and taking her coffee. Marigold took a gentle sip, then smiled. "Perfect. Let's go back to th' office." She flicked her head around, turning for the door behind the reception desk. Golden Harp quickly caught up, opening it for her. "Chivalry ain't dead yet," Golden Harp said. Marigold curtsied affectionately, and trotted through, and Golden Harp followed. They trotted past the main holding cells, all of them empty, and went through the door on the end into the main offices. Several ponies were trotting around, some carrying papers, some trotting together and having conversations, and some typing away on computers or organizing papers at their desk. Marigold and Golden Harp trotted to their right to two desks put together, each with a computer and a few file folders. Golden Harp sat down in the desk on the right, and Marigold across from him. Golden Harp set the bag on his desk, and Marigold reached across and took it, taking out her cinnamon roll. "Calm down there, Gluttony," Golden Harp said mockingly. "Hey, ah haven't had a thing t' eat all morning," she took a bite of the cinnamon roll, and said around a mouth full, "Ah'm starvin'!" Golden Harp smiled and took his croissant out of the bag, taking a bite himself, before turning on his computer. "Well, let's get to work." About four hours later, it was lunch break. Golden Harp and Marigold left the police station, side by side, and trotted up the street to the old cafe. They went inside, and found a seat in two metal, decorative chairs against the right wall. Marigold found herself staring at a T.V. in the upper corner of the restaurant, and Golden Harp turned around to see what was on. It was a news report. Specifically, the weather. Clear skies and moderate heat of about 80 degrees, but there was a rainstorm approaching. "Well, that ain't good," Marigold said. "We might be walkin' home in th' rain." "A little rain won't kill ya," Golden Harp said. "You can hide under me, if you want." "Now, y'all stop talkin' like that," Marigold rested one leg on the table at a right angle. "We're in public, y'know." "Ah, they don't care." Golden Harp adjusted his glasses. "Now, let's ea-" Golden Harp was cut off as the weather report ended. "We interrupt this broadcast for a Public Service Announcement. There has been a large fire reported at the Harrow's End company building. All civilians in the general area are being evacuated. It is currently unknown if there are any chemicals leaking from the compound, but armed personnel were seen fleeing the building. Repeat, all citizens in general area of the compound are to evacuate immediately. All citizens in Manehattan are advised to remain near a television or radio for further updates. We now return you to your original program." "Well, now, that ain't good..." Marigold said. "Ah, don't worry about it," Golden Harp reassured her. "It's about time those psychos blew themselves up." "Ah jus' don't like it..." Marigold shook her head. "Celestia knows what they were doin' in there. Whatever it was, ah'm sure it wasn't pretty." "Well, it's gonna be a pile of ash in a few hours." He chuckled. "Much better that way, eh?" Marigold just placed a hoof on her chest, a sick look on her face. "Ah'm not hungry anymore..." "Yeah," Golden Harp said, placing a hoof on his chest. "Me neither. Let's go. We need to be back for orientation." Several hours later, night was falling over Manehattan. A steady rain was falling. Margold and Golden Harp left the police station at the end of their shift. Golden Harp yawned. "Well, I'd better be off..." Marigold smiled, faking a yawn. "Yeah, ah'd best be on mah way..." They both just looked at each other, smiling, before both saying at the same time, "My place." "Aw, c'mon, Marigold," Golden Harp said. "I don't wanna trouble you." "Well, mah place has more room, an' it's closer. 'Sides, it's raining." Marigold replied. "Y'all come home with me." She widened her eyes, curling her lips into a pleading expression. "Pweeease, Harpy?" Golden Harp just chuckled. "Oh, you know I can't resist that face. Alright, your place." Marigold's face went back to normal, and she giggled, trotting in the direction of her home. Golden Harp followed happily, ready to retire for the night. "It's such a beautiful night..." Golden Harp said. "Sure is, ain't it? D'spite the rain." Marigold replied, still trotting forward. "Not as beautiful as you, though," Golden Harp smiled. Marigold blushed, smiling" Ah, stop it, y'all! Yer makin' me blush." "I try my best," Golden Harp replied. They trotted silently for a few more minutes before Golden Harp stopped. "Marigold... Can I ask you something?" Marigold stopped. "Alright, shoot." "Y'know I love you, right?" Golden Harp asked shyly. "Well, sure. Ah know. Why?" Marigold tilted her head. Golden Harp scratched the back of his head. "Well, I've been meaning to ask you something... Something really important." "Yeah? Well, what is it?" Marigold looked confused. Golden Harp pulled a small silk-coated box from his pocket, and carefully kept it hidden behind his other front leg. He shivered slightly, knowing his big moment had come. "Marigold, will you ma-" Golden Harp was cut off as a bright light lit up the street. He groaned as he slid the box back into his pocket, and turned around. In the street were three armed ponies wearing thin body suits, padding, and night vision goggles. They were all pointing flashlights on the bottom of their guns at Golden Harp and Marigold. One of them spoke up. "Are you Officers Golden Harp and Marigold?" Marigold tried to speak up, but Golden Harp cut her off. "Yeah, yeah, what is it? I was in the middle of something here!" The three ponies lowered their guns, taking the light off of Golden Harp and Marigold, trotting forward to them, while only one came up close to them. The other two turned to watch the rest of the street. The lead pony introduced himself. "Agent Black Jack. You can call me Jack. I am a special operations soldier for the Canterlot Special Services." "I could care less who you are," Golden Harp said irritably. "All I care about is why you're pointing guns at me and my mare friend." "Sir," Black Jack continued. "There's been an explosion at the Harrow's End facility. Unfortunately, we have reason to believe that they were conducting chemical experiments, and that some of the chemicals were released in the destruction. We've been sent to evacuate all civilians in the case that the released chemicals may be lethal. I'm gonna need you two to come with us." "Like hoof I am!" Golden Harp replied. "I'm trying to take my mare friend home, and I'm not leaving on a hunch that those psychopaths might or might not have broken some of their toys!" Black Jack cautiously raised his gun. "Sir, if you refuse to come with us, I will have authorization to use force." Golden Harp tried to respond, but Marigold cut in, stepping between the two of them. "Whoa, hold on there, sugarcube! We ain't lookin' fer a fight. We'll go with ya, if it'll make ya happy an' keep us safe. Right, Harpy?" Golden Harp squinted through his eyeglasses past Marigold at the soldier, then only grunted. "Well, 'at should be enough," Marigold said. "Now let's go, so we can go home." Black Jack nodded. "Good. Now follow us. We'll take you to a safe house on the edge of town not far from here." He turned around, and signaled for the other two soldiers to follow. Marigold began to follow them, and so did Golden Harp, who grumbled under his breath. "I don't like this," Golden Harp finally said. "Yeah, yeah, ah know," Marigold replied. "But ya like me, so ah see no point in y'all turnin' around." Golden Harp was silent soon after, and the two ponies followed Black Jack and his team into the shadows of the buildings of Manehattan. Soon after they left the Station, Golden Harp, Marigold, and Black Jack and his squad found themselves leaving the city of Manehattan. After the long while of walking, Golden Harp finally spoke up. "So how long have you had this secret safe house in the middle of nowhere?" Black Jack didn't even turn to look at him as he spoke. "It's been there for as long as I can remember. In fact, there's more than one. They were installed after the civil war in case we needed to quickly evacuate civilians to a safe location, but we didn't think we'd have to use them for a possible chemical outbreak." "So why were you looking for us in specific?" Golden Harp asked. "How did you know our names?" Black Jack shrugged. "Just had orders to find you two in specific. There were dozens of us all assigned to find certain ponies. You two were at the top of my list. In fact, you were the only ones on my list." Golden Harp glared at him in suspicious confusion. "Any idea why that is?" Black Jack just shrugged again, then pointed ahead of him. "There's the safe house." The safe house was a large, square building with few windows and several fire escapes and catwalks lining the outside, all with guards standing watch from them. The front had a large bulkhead door, and two guards were seen standing out front. As they approached the safe house, the two guards out front stood at the ready for the approaching ponies. One of them, a stallion in a similar outfit to Black Jack said, "State your name and rank." "Specialist Black Jack. I have with me Operatives Poker Chip and Spades, and Officers Golden Harp and Marigold from the Manehattan police station. They are to be regarded as High Value Targets." The two guards lowered their guns, and the stallion that stopped them clicked on his radio. "Open the door. We have two H.V.T.s in custody." The guards stepped away from the door, and the bulkhead door began to slide open. A large rectangle of light flooded from the opening doors, and opened to reveal a large compound floor lined with several beds, a few doors on the walls, and a stairway to iron catwalks on the second floor, as well leading to doors on the second floor. But most noticeable of all were the several dozen ponies buzzing around the compound. Black Jack and his team stepped right past Golden Harp and Marigold. "C'mon, you two," Black Jack said. "Snap out of it. The Commander wants to see you." "Us?" Marigold asked. "Now why would he wanna see us?" "She", Black Jack corrected, "was holding a meeting for any pony who's working for any armed forces in Manehattan. Specifically, your department. And you two weren't there, so now she wants to see you two alone. Now let's get moving." He trotted his way through the crowd of ponies toward a door at the far back of the compound, and his team, Golden Harp, and Marigold followed. Pushing through the crowd of ponies, all chatting away about their concern of what happened at Harrow's End, why they had to stay in a safe house, and when they'd get to go home. When they reached the door at the back, Black Jack knocked twice, then pushed open the door, and Golden Harp, Marigold, and Black Jack's team followed him in. Inside, there was a small wooden desk, and that was about it. That, and the red, grey-maned mare sitting behind it, adjusting her bifocals. "Commander Cherry," Black Jack said. "These're the officers you requested. Did the others show up?" "Yes, they did," Cherry replied. "Thank you, Black Jack. You and your team are dismissed." Black Jack nodded, and he and his team left, leaving Golden Harp and Marigold alone with Commander Cherry. "So you two are patrol officers from the Manehattan police department, are you not?" Cherry asked. "Yeah, that's us," Golden Harp replied. "So why do you need us? And why are we the only ones here, for that matter? And who are you, anyway?" "Calm down," Cherry said. "Golden Harp, was it?" Golden Harp nodded. "Good. Commander Cherry. And by Commander, I mean Commander from the Canterlot Royal Guard and Military. I need you, and specifically you, because you two are two of the few able officers not already deployed in Manehattan. In fact, as I recall, you're the only ones. All other available officers are in the streets, including Black Jack and his team. So may I ask why you two were in the middle of the street while the town was being locked down due to a possible terrorist threat?" "Well, Commander," Golden Harp replied. "You just answered your own question. 'Possible terrorist threat' doesn't sound like enough to make us think it's a threat to Equestria itself." Cherry sighed. *Unfortunately, officer, you're wrong." Marigold, who had been silent for some time, finally spoke up. "Wrong? Why's that?" Cherry reached down, and pulled a file out. She set it on the desk, and opened it. "This is our file on Harrow's End. As it turns out, they were testing much worse things than nuclear weapons." "Worse how?" Marigold asked. "You tell me," Cherry replied. "How much worse does 'bio-organic weapons' sound?" "Bio-organic..." Golden Harp trailed off. "That's not even possible." "Oh, it's not only possible," Cherry assured, "It's dangerous. And worst of all, that explosion let them loose." "What're y'all talkin' about?" Marigold asked. "Let what loose?" "I'm not gonna sugar coat it for you two," Cherry replied. "When our military officers went in to contain the site, we found ponies there. Dead ponies. At least, we only thought they were dead. Soon, somehow, they got back up. They were completely burned alive, torn apart, and somehow they got back up." "This sounds completely far-fetched, commander," Golden Harp said. "Well, it only gets worse," Cherry continued. "They were feral. Violent. They didn't react to commands, and no matter how much we tried to subdue them, they fought. I even got an account from an officer who said his partner was bitten by one of them, and he began to get sick. Soon, he also became violent, and he tore his partner apart, ate him alive." "Oh, no..." Marigold murmured. "Yer not sayin'..." Cherry cut her off. "I am. We've got an infection on our hooves." "It's a dangerous business going out your front door." - J. R. R. Tolkien *Transmission Ended* Chapter 2: Why me? Why US?You can't take her away from me. Yep. That's how it happened. It wasn't some gradual incident. There wasn't some kind of warning. It was just a hoof to the face. Of course, at the time, I didn't know how bad the infection was. Buck, it didn't even get past the compound yet. I thought it could be contained. Thought there was hope. Well, I threw hope out the window. After that, there was none left. But I didn't give up. It was my job to protect this city, and by Celestia, I was going to protect it. After we found out about the infection, I volunteered to help contain it. Fortunately, it hadn't reached the public yet. Just a few guards from the compound. So, we were gonna head straight in, contain the area for the haz-mats, and forget this ever happened. Easy right? Yeah, right... *Begin Transmission* After Commander Cherry broke the news to Golden Harp and Marigold, and Golden Harp volunteered to go in, along with a little protest from Marigold, the two ponies were assigned to go in with Black Jack, Spades, and Poker Chip to aid in the containment. Unfortunately, there was a twist. They'd be working with mercenaries from Harrow's End who volunteered to join in the operation if they weren't held responsible for the incident. Canterlot, being the honorable ponies they were, agreed, as long as they kept their hooves in line. They were assigned to meet the mercenaries from the Harrow's End Security Service in an old security warehouse linked to the Harrow's End laboratory building. Golden Harp and Marigold were given light armor and weapons, Golden Harp an assault rifle and Marigold an SMG, since the Harrow's End facility was still guarded by Harrow's End mercenaries. "It's only to defend yourselves," Black Jack told them in the armory. "I'd seriously recommend you don't shoot anything unless it shoots first. We want as little blood as possible." "And who'd be firing at us, by chance?" Golden Harp asked. "H.B.C.S." Black Jack replied. "In English, please?" Golden Harp raised an eyebrow. Black Jack sighed. "Harrow Biohazard Countermeasure Service. They've been hired to protect a scientist by the name of William Buck, a scientist who's invented some kind of gene compound. It's dangerous, but expensive, and he wants to sell it to Canterlot." "What kinda name's 'William Buck'?" Marigold asked?" Black Jack shrugged. Marigold just shook her head. "So they're sellin' th' gene thingy to th' ponies we work fer? Then why're we here?" "We still need to arrest Buck. If he thinks that we're only interested in the compound, then he won't have doubled his security to compensate for us." "How many are we looking at?" Golden Harp asked. "Twenty? Thrity?" "We're looking at about eighty," Black Jack replied. Golden Harp and Marigold went silent. "But we'll be avoiding most of them. Then, we'll have teams move in to arrest them. Lethal force is authorized, but not encouraged." "So who's th' pony that's workin' with us?" Marigold asked. "His name's Dmitri Zernovski," Black Jack shrugged again. "Don't ask, I don't know what's with his name, either. "Jeez," Golden Harp rolled his eyes behind his bifocals. "What's with these ponies and their strange names?" "Maybe when we get there, you can ask him yourself." Black Jack turned for the door. "Now let's go." About twenty minutes later, Golden Harp, Marigold, and Black Jack and his team were stationed on the roof of the Harrow's End compound. There were no guards. Black Jack said they were all stationed inside. They would be entering the compound through a roof access near a rooftop landing pad, and make their way down to the main corridor, take an elevator down to the laboratory levels, and intercept Buck. "Anything else we need to know?" Golden Harp asked after Black Jack had explained everything. "Yeah," Poker Chip, who turned out to be a mare, spoke up. "Buck's crazy. Genius, but crazy. He'll go to some pretty extreme heights if it's to protect his work. Be ready for the worst." Golden Harp almost spoke up, but the door to the roof access creaked open. A white, blonde-maned stallion with golden eyes in a U.B.C.S. uniform stepped out, followed by three more each in tan U.B.C.S. uniforms outfitted with ballistic vests, tinted goggles or sunglasses, and tan ski masks. They all carried compact S.M.G.s. The white stallion stepped forward, and Black Jack trotted up to meet him, followed by the rest of the ponies. "Dmitri?" Black Jack asked. "Yes," Dmitri responded. "And I assume you are the pony known as Black Jack, Canterlot's head guard dog." Black Jack started to respond, but Dmitri continued. "You and your team will follow us down to the central terminal, and we will take an elevator to the labs. Do not shoot unless you are fired at first. If you are stopped by anypony who is aware of your authorization, tell them you were assigned to evacuate civilians, but it is already too late. Buck has used the virus on a few test subjects, and it is starting to spread, but Buck remains alive. He is to be apprehended, and his specimens executed. Are we understood?" Black Jack nodded. "Good." Dmitri turned around, heading back into the compound. "We must not waste any more time." "Wait," Golden Harp said, and Dmitri stopped to look at him. "What's with your name? And Buck's?" "They're Gryphon," Dmitri replied. "Our real names have been changed to something more obscure to make sure we cannot be tracked. Why? Is there something wrong with them?" "No, just curious," Golden Harp replied. Dmitri entered the compound with his team without another word. Inside the roof access was a metal grate staircase that led down several stories through the building, with a door on each level. Dmitri said they were all locked. "Harrow's End locked down the building so other ponies could not get in. The compound is nothing short of a fortress. The only way to get inside is through here. The only problem is that it's a maze down here. There is no way to know where to go unless Harrow's End gave you a map. Unfortunately, they only gave it to you if you had reason to be here. None of us have that. Luckily, our little friends in Canterlot decided to give Black Jack a map." Black Jack activated a small screen attached to his leg with a brace. "It's pretty vague, but it's enough to know where we're going." "And where are we going?" Golden Harp asked. "Down," Black Jack replied. "A long way down." And down they went. Several stories down. Deeper and deeper, passing only doors and the occasional fire exit. Soon, they no longer saw any fire exits. That meant that they had reached the levels underground. According to Black Jack's schematics, that meant they were nearing the laboratories. "Harrow's End prefers to work in secret, making sure that if their research was ever in danger, then they could collapse the building in on itself, burying it from the reach of... 'Prying eyes'." Black Jack's map brace started to make a repeated pinging noise. He stopped, and looked at his map. "We're here," he said. The ponies stopped in front of a door with a simple keypad with a red light embedded in the wall next to it. Black Jack held his map brace up next to it, and typed a small code into the keypad. The red light turned green, and the door clicked. Black Jack grabbed the handle, and signaled for Poker Chip and Spades to move up with him. The two ponies took up positions on either side of the door, and Black Jack pulled it open. Poker Chip and Spaded both moved in through the door, guns at the ready. Black Jack joined them, and all three of them moved into the dark hallway beyond. "Where's this go?" Marigold asked. "Buck's own personal laboratory," Dmitri responded. "We don't know what's become of him, but if he is still here, then this is where he is." "So we just find him, and drag his flank back to H.Q.?" Golden Harp asked. "If he is alive," Dmitri added. "If he is dead or infected, we are to silence him. You will be following Black Jack and his team. I will be moving further up to intercept Buck if he tries to run. Good luck, you two. And," Dmitri chuckled. "Try not to die." And with that, he began to make his way back up toward the surface, and was gone. Golden Harp and Marigold didn't say a word. "Strange fellar, huh?" Marigold said. "Yeah," Golden Harp replied. "I kinda hope he'll be arrested when we're done with this." "Ya think Canterlot'll jus' back out on their deal?" "Honestly? Yeah, I do." Black Jack, Poker Chip, and Spades were already far ahead of Golden Harp and Marigold. They were making their way through the hallway toward Buck's lab. Most of the lights had been knocked out, and all of the work stations and mini-labs were abandoned, paper and old equipment littered the floor. "Look like they left in a hurry," Poker Chip said. "Yeah," Spades, who turned out to be a stallion with a deep voice, replied. "How many dead, ya think?" "All of 'em," Black Jack answered. "Accident report said they haven't seen a soul leave this building. Said there was an infection breaking out." "Yeah, I remember that part." Poker Chip suddenly froze. "You two hear that?" Black Jack and Spades both stopped dead. "Moaning," Spades replied. "Buck?" "Might be," Black Jack replied. Spades snorted. "Who's putting the bullet in his skull?" "Don't get ahead of yourself, Spades," Black Jack warned. "We don't know if he's infected or not." A loud bang, like the sound of an iron pipe hitting the floor, rang from down the hall. All three of the ponies raised their guns. "That don't sound dead to me," Spades said. "Shut your trap, Spades!" Poker Chip snapped. "Something's coming." The shadows shifted in front of the three ponies, and a large, burly figure appeared, shrouded in darkness. "What the buck...?" Spades murmured. The figure stepped into the light, revealing a pony's body covered in scratches, gunshot wounds, a tattered lab coat, and several pounds of packed, mutated flesh. Marigold and Golden Harp had finally begun to make their way into the hallway, guns still strapped to their sides. "Ah don't like this," Marigold said, a look of worry plastered on her face. "This's th' creepiest place ah've ever seen." "Hey, don't worry." Golden Harp smiled. "I just dare something to try to hurt you. Just wait and see what I do to it." "You ain't helpin," Marigold replied. The two ponies passed a small hallway of abandoned offices. "What? You don't think I won't hesitate to knock 'em dead?" "No, that ain't it," Marigold said. "It's jus' you darin' somethin' ta try ta hurt me. Ah don't like it." Golden Harp just adjusted his bifocals, looking away to hide the look of embarrassment on his face. "So, Harpy," Marigold said. "What was it ya were gunna ask me when Black Jack butted in?" Golden Harp was taken by surprise. "Huh? Oh! Um... Well, I was gonna ask... Uh..." "Aw, c'mon, there ain't no way y'all forgot it." "Well, um, Marigold... I was gonna ask-" Golden Harp was cut off by the sound of gunfire coming from up the hall. "What the-" He was cut off again as he spotted Black Jack and his team waving their guns in their direction. He heard Black Jack yelling. "Run! Turn and run, you buckin' idiots! Get outta here!" Golden Harp snapped to his senses, and grabbed Marigold by the shoulder. "Let's go!" He yelled. Golden Harp and Marigold turned and began to gallop back toward the exit of the hallway, trampling fallen lab equipment and broken glass. The light at the end was gone. They had closed the door when they entered to make sure that they weren't followed. "Well try to hit it at the same time!" Golden Harp yelled. "Maybe we can break it open!" "What!?" Marigold yelled back. "Are ya outta yer mind!? Ain't no way we can get through that!" "Got any other ideas!?" Marigold didn't respond. "Then just do it!" Marigold and Golden Harp charged at the door, then shifted slightly to let their shoulders take the full weight of the force. They collided with the door, and the latch broke, swinging open. Marigold had failed to slow down, and she lost her balance, falling under the railing, and falling down into the darkness below. Golden Harp tried to catch her, but she fell out of his reach, and she disappeared. Golden Harp had lost himself in that moment. His mind wen't blank. He didn't remember where he was. He didn't remember what he was doing. He didn't even remember who he was. All he knew that the one thing he cared about the most had just slipped from his hooves. Golden Harp didn't come to his senses until there was a hoof on his shoulder, pulling him away from the railing. "Get outta here, you crazy bucker!" Spades yelled in his face, then shoved him back toward the staircase. "I can't!" Golden Harp yelled back. "I gotta go back for her!" "I don't give a buck where your mare friend is," Spades replied, "But if you don't start running, you're gonna go out with her! Now get the buck outta he-" Spades was cut off as a large figure barged it's way through the door frame, breaking it to pieces, and swung out with a large, crooked pipe. It connected with Spade's side, knocking him away, and throwing him down into the darkness below. Golden Harp stared in awe. He barely had time to react before the creature grabbed him in its massive front hooves. Golden Harp tried to struggle, but the creature pressed him so hard that he couldn't breathe. His vision began to fade in and out from black, only for him to see the nightmare of a pony squeezing away his life in front of him. Suddenly, something that sounded like faint gunshots came from behind the creature. It roared in anger, and threw Golden Harp away. Golden Harp crashed against the rail of the catwalk, and with the strength he had left, held on for all he was worth. Through his fading vision, he saw the creature facing off with Black Jack, Poker Chip, and a pony he didn't recognize. He was about the size of Spades, with a gas mask with red lenses, a rounded helmet, and a full body suit of bulletproof material lined with pouches and a weapon sling. Golden Harp didn't have time to think before he let go of the railing, but he did manage to have one last thought before falling into the darkness below. "I've seen that pony somewhere before..." Golden Harp thought. "Somewhere..." "Fate doesn't pick its victims. It just picks their punishment." - Delta 727 *Transmission Ended* Chapter 3: Out Of The Frying Pan...... Into The Fire It only got worse from there. Yeah, I was beaten half to death by a mutant freak with a pipe. Yeah, I was bleeding to death in the middle of a burning building with zombie ponies everywhere. And yeah, I lost Marigold. But even after all that, there was still much worse that happened. And still I had amnesia when I thought about that pony in the gas mask. Who was he? And why was he here? I was determined to find out. But first I had to get out of that bucking building... *Begin Transmission* Dark. That's all Golden Harp could see. Darkness. His head hurt, his whole body hurt, and he was bleeding. A lot. If he didn't move soon, he was going to die. He put one hoof to the ground, then another, and pushed himself up. He was shaking like a leaf, soaked in his own blood, barely able to see through his broken glasses, and barely conscious in the middle of a corridor flooded with nothing but darkness. He started to panic. His breath quickened, then began to drag out as he tried to calm down. "Take it easy, Golden Harp," he said. "Panicking isn't gonna solve anything. Let's start with finding out what floor you're on." He took a step toward the darkness, placing a hoof against the wall, trying to feel his way along it. He felt nothing but concrete. He grunted in frustration, and started to reach a little farther. Then, finally, he felt wood. And that wood happened to be a door that was busted open. He lost his balance when the door swung open, and fell into the room. He hit the floor, and felt himself land on hard tile. Cursing to himself, he put a hoof against his aching head, and started to push himself up, when he heard a click from the darkness. He looked up, one eye squinted shut in pain, only for the other to see the barrel of a gun pointed at his head. He stopped to think for a moment. He didn't know if he was happy to know that there was another living pony with him, or if he was ticked off that they were pointing a gun at his face after he fell Celestia knows how many floors to the basement after being attacked by a mutated scientist. He went for the second option. 'Look, buddy, I just-" "Shut up," the pony said. A mare, it sounded like. "I dunno who the buck ya are, but I don't plan on dyin' in this Celestia forsaken hole. Now I'm gonna ask ya three questions, and if ya answer them to my liking, I'll decide whether or not I should put a bullet through yer brain box. Ya got me?" Golden Harp groaned inwardly. "Good. Ya armed?" "No." "Ya work for Harrow?" "No." "Ya bit?" "Why would I be-?" The pistol clicked in front of Golden Harp's face. "... No." The mare paused for a moment, then the pistol moved away from Golden Harp's face. "I ain't gonna kill ya," the mare said. "But I'll sure as snitch kill ya if ya follow me." The pony shoved past Golden Harp, and trotted out into the dark hallway. Suddenly, a bright blue light flooded the corridor. It came from the pony's horn. The pony was a mare, grey with a light blue mane and eyes, and a bundle of blueberries as her cutie mark. She was wearing nothing more than a small, leather pistol holster and a very annoyed look. The mare turned left, away from where Golden Harp had landed, and headed down the hall with her magic shining through the hall. Golden Harp finally came back to his senses, and ran out after her. "Hey, wait!" Golden Harp yelled. He started to run after her, when the light coming from the mare's horn disappeared. Golden Harp stopped dead, but before he could call out after the mare. there was a leg at his throat, pinning him against the wall. "I told ya, I ain't gonna babysit ya," the mare said. "And if I have to put ya down to make sure that don't happen, I'll do it before ya even have time to wet yerself. Ya got me this time?" Golden Harp pushed the mare off of him. She stumbled back, but didn't shoot. She kept the pistol aimed at Golden Harp. She tried to say something, but Golden Harp cut her off. "No, you're gonna get what I've got to say." He trotted towards the mare, and she didn't flinch. "I've been beaten, thrown Celestia knows how many floors to the basement of this pit, I've lost my mare friend who may or may not be dead, and you're the only pony that I can find that hasn't been mutated into some kinda freak." Golden Harp trotted so close to the mare that she had the pistol pressed against his chest. "Now if you're gonna kill me, you're gonna have to think: How long are you gonna last down here?" The mare thought about that for a second, and then lowered the pistol. "Alright, bud. Ya bought yerself some time." She turned away from Golden Harp, staring down the dark corridor that led further into the building. "But we ain't friends. We're gonna get outta here alive, and you'll be on yer merry little way. Ya got me?" "Oh, yeah?" Golden Harp thought of a good way to distract her from walking away. "Well what is a soft little peach like you doing down here? It's dangerous, y'know." The mare ignored his sarcastic remark and kept walking, but still answered his question. "Them Harrow ponies have mah daughter. Mah idiot of a husband took her here, and I'm here to get her back. He took her here to keep her safe, he said. Fancy job he's doin' with that." The mare pressed a slightly open door back with her pistol in her magic, and pointed it around inside. When she saw nothing, she kept going. "Anyways, he tried to use her in sum kinda experiment er somethin', so I came in here, guns ablaze to get her. He's lost his everlovin' mind. Calls himself William now-" Golden Harp cut her off. "Wait. Your husband is William Buck?" "Yeah," the mare said slowly. "Whaddaya know 'bout him?" "Me?" Golden Harp asked. "Nothing. But I do know that he's one of those mutated freaks that threw me in this pit. Grew three times his size, and was running around, swinging a pipe at anything that moved. You hear about that?" The mare just started to laugh. "It's 'bout time his lab toys got him all messed up. He dead yet?" "Dead?" Golden Harp asked. "He's practically invincible. He's been shot so many times it's ridiculous that he's still standing. He's a trotting brick wall." "Well, now, ain't that somethin'?" The mare made her way through another door into a hallway lined with pipes and a grated floor stretching the expanse into more darkness. "You don't think that was an accident, do ya?" "What's that supposed to mean?" Golden Harp trotted up behind the mare as she trotted down the hall. He adjusted his glasses. The mare stopped. Without looking back, she said, "Some ponies would rather die with their secrets than let the world see 'em." "So you're saying Buck did that to himself?" Golden Harp asked. "I ain't sayin' nothin'," the mare replied, continuing to trot down the hall. "I'm just sayin' it might be possible that mah husband got that way 'cause he was protectin' himself, or 'cause somepony else wanted to shut him up." Golden Harp immediately remembered the pony with the gas mask. "Hey, about that, did you happen to see a pony in heavy armor and a gas mask? Big, burly stallion with a no-nonsense attitude?" The mare turned to look at him. "Ah don't think so. What's it to ya?" Golden Harp just shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought I saw him up top somewhere. Just seemed important." "Well, ah hate to break it to ya," the mare said as she continued to trot down the hall, "but this ain't the time t' be lookin' for a date." "Hey!" Golden Harp snapped back as he started to follow the mare again. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. I just don't think a pony in that much armor would be hanging around a research facility unless somepony asked him to be here. I think he's guarding something. Or somepony." "Y'think he's protectin' Buck?" the mare asked, checking over the rail of the walkway, looking down into nothing but darkness. "I think so." "Well, yer wrong." The mare went on the move again, and Golden Harp followed. "How do you know?" "Did he have anythin' on his suit that'd be a clue? A badge? A symbol?" Golden Harp though back for a moment, then remembered the red and white hexagon on the stallion's suit. "The Harrow's End symbol." "And d'ya think Harrow would hire somepony like him just t' be a guard?" "You're not saying..." "Ah sure am." The mare came up on a door at the end of the hall, but turned to address Golden Harp before opening it. "That pony wasn't protectin' Buck. Harrow personally sent him here t' shut him up." "So he turned his own experiment on himself." Golden Harp concluded. "Why?" "Ah've got a good guess," the mare said. "Th' choice looked like this to me: Either destroy his life's work, wastin' all those years fer nothin', let th' ponies who came fer him take it away, or put it t' use with th' only test subject in hoof's reach." "You think he knew what it would do to him?" Golden Harp asked. "Ah think t' him, anythin' other than losin' his life's work looked like a bright idea. Now let's get outta here 'fore somepony finds us." The mare turned to the door, her gun at the ready. Very carefully, she reached out her hoof and turned the knob. Just as the latch came loose, the door burst open. An Infected was waiting on the other side of the door, and bashed it open as soon as it heard the click of the door. The mare was thrown backward, the gun knocked from her magic. It slid across the grated floor and clanged against one of the pipes on the wall. The mare hit the floor with a loud bang, and the Infected fell right on top of her as its muzzle hit her shoulder. The mare screamed as the Infected bit down, taking a chunk of flesh out of her shoulder. Blood welled from her wound, and this brought Golden Harp to action. He dashed across the hall and grabbed up the gun, aiming it straight at the Infected. In almost a split second that felt like minutes to Golden Harp, he pulled the trigger and a bullet sent the Infected sprawling with a bullet hole where one dead white eye had been. He stopped dead. He had just killed what looked like an undead pony. Now, to Golden Harp, he had no idea that the pony was dead. He thought it was sick or deranged or something. This put him into more shock than the mare's wound. Upon remembering this, he snapped back to his senses, and ran to the mare. The mare was clutching her wounded shoulder, and tears were welling in her eyes, as she said, "That little punk bit me!" She gently pulled herself up into a sitting position and held her hoof in place, blood pouring down her leg. She pulled the hoof away and examined the grisly wound. "He got me pretty good." She groaned. "Ow, this really hurts like a-" "Hey," Golden Harp cut her off. "We gotta get you out of here. You're gonna bleed out pretty quick if we don't get you medical attention." "Oh, don't worry about me," the mare said almost halfheartedly. "I'm gonna be fi-" Before she could continue, she let out a pained gasp, then grit her teeth together as something happened that Golden Harp would've never believed if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. The wound in the mare's shoulder looked like it was stitching itself back together. Small strands of flesh were pulling towards each other on the surface and deep inside the wound, and both muscle and skin were pulling back together. The mare was groaning through her teeth the whole time, and by the time the muscles had stopped, the wound was gone, and a fresh patch of hair grew over the new layer of skin. Golden Harp couldn't see a single sign that there was any kind of injury. Golden Harp was stunned speechless. The mare was flexing her newly healed shoulder when she noticed Golden Harp's expression. "Oh, right. I should probably explain that." "Yeah," Golden Harp said. "That'd be nice." The mare sighed. "Maybe I should start from the beginning." She shut the door the Infected came through and sat down. "You can probably tell that the accent was fake. It's a disguise. It's what I use when I want to hide my identity. Her name's Buckaroo, but my real name's Beebe for short. My real name doesn't matter. I hate my real name. What's yours?" Golden Harp sighed, and sat down too. "Golden Harp, Manehattan P.D." "A cop, huh?" Beebe said. "I can see why you're here. You're after my husband-" she caught herself and paused. "I mean not my husband. Buck wasn't my husband, so I think I should get that out in the open." "So if he's not your husband, who is he, and what're you doing here?" The mare looked down at the floor and scratched the back of your head. "Well, you see, I was actually trying to get out, not find him. He was the one who told me to get out before things got... Ugly." Bebee looked up at Golden Harp. "He's been doing some really weird, really bad things in that lab up there. He's bent on making a lot of bits for a very dangerous experiment. I don't really know what's in it, but I can imagine it's like what I was exposed to. A little while back, I was exposed to some kind of virus as he called it, and he gave me an antidote before I 'turned'. I didn't really get it at the time, but when I broke my leg once and it practically snapped itself back into place, I started asking questions. He did everything short of threatening me to make sure I kept my muzzle shut on this. It's come in handy, yeah, but it's not exactly something you can talk about on a date. After seeing all these dead ponies coming back, I think whatever he made got loose. And in the way they bite at ponies I can only assume that's how it spreads, but it might be with contact in general, so that's why I asked if you were bit." She levitated the pistol off the floor and slid it into a holster at her waist. "Sorry for pointing a weapon at you. I just had to make sure, and sell the character." "Don't worry about it," Golden Harp said. "It's not the first time somepony put a gun in my face. Now, you never answered my question. If Buck's not your husband, who is he?" Beebe seemed almost hesitant on telling Golden Harp the truth, but she sighed when she knew she couldn't hide the truth anymore. "Well, I think it'd help to at least tell you my real name. It's Back Buck. William Buck was my father, and he's the reason I'm a regenerative freak." *Transmission Ended* Last Words, Part 1: "Fear For The Worst, Part 1: Creeping Death"Last Words, Part 1: "Fear For The Worst, Part 1: Creeping Death" Pungent smell lingers In the dying atmosphere Moans escape the sky As bodies rise from the clear The allies riddled with death Walls painted with crimson shades Corpses shamble out of breath Unaware and aimless The lone survivor fights on Rage fills his twisted heartbeat Impact is made with each swing Heads topple and twirl among feet Blood purges the sharp manipulation Soaked through layers of clothes Decapitation becomes addiction Hands tremor with anticipation He breathes in the stench Sighs a feeble relief Bodies lay abundant all around In the distance escapes grief
Chapter 1: Just Doing My JobYou ain't seen nothin' yet. You ever have nightmares? Like one where you just feel terrified, trying to fight it away? And you're thrashing and shifting, trying to get away from whatever it is? And somewhere in the back of your mind, you feel like you're gonna die? And then, when you think it's all over, you wake up in a cold sweat? Well, imagine this. You're having that same nightmare, and you're fighting for your survival, and you actually think like you're gonna wake up. But, of course, you never do. That's what the Outbreak felt like. But before I get into that, lemme tell you a bit about myself, and how this all started. My name's Golden Harp. Yeah, I don't like the name either, so I made up a nickname when I was a colt. Harper. I'm a Pegasus, but I spend most of my time on the ground. I have a golden coat with a dark yellow mane, and orange eyes. I guess that's how I got the name Golden Harp. That, and my cutie mark's a harp. Never really enjoyed playing the harp, but it was just kinda my talent. Even though I could've gone into business playing the harp, I chose a different path to get paid. I'm a patrol officer at the Manehattan Police Department. Yeah, that's right. I'm a badge-wearing, pistol-whipping, mare-magnet...ing bad flank. I don't have much of a family. I live alone, but I do see my mare friend every day at work. It's not often a pony gets comfortable with another member of the force. But, when I met her, it was just kinda mutual. Not just because she's just so funny, smart, and adorable, but also because she looked like what I'd look like if I was a mare. Which, thank Celestia, I'm not. And the last time I saw her was the day it happened. *Begin Transmission* Beep! Beep! Beep! Golden Harp clicked off his alarm clock, groaning and rubbing sleep from his eyes. It was 7:30 A.M. Time to get up for work. He slung his legs out from under the sheets, and groggily sat up. His room was dark, barely lit by the light of dawn coming in from his blinds. His room was nothing past simple. Grey walls, grey sheets, grey carpet, a dresser, a closet, and a small nightstand with his grey lamp, grey alarm clock, and grey picture frame of him in his uniform the first day of work with his mare friend. He dragged himself out of bed, grabbing his round eyeglasses off of his nightstand, and put them on his muzzle. He trotted slowly out of his room, into his bathroom, and looked at himself in the mirror. His yellow mane was ruffled, and his eyes were sagging from sleep. He slowly readjusted his mane, and sighed. Then, he smiled. It was orientation day. They'd be getting a new shipment of recruits, and he and his mare friend would be in charge of showing them the ropes. That made him brighten up immediately, and trot out of his small, one floor house with his head high. He stepped outside into the busy streets of Manehattan. Over the years, Manehattan had become a bigger and bigger city, soon becoming the economic center of Equestria. He trotted down the busy street of Manehattan, several ponies making their way to work in the busy morning commute. Signs in windows were flipped around to Open, shutters floated up inside windows, and lights switched on all up and down the street. He passed a clothing store and a cafe, greeted an old neighbor sweeping wood shavings off the sidewalk in front of his furniture workshop, and stopped at a bakery for a croissant, a cinnamon roll, and two cups of coffee. With two cups and a small, white, paper bag in hoof, he trotted up to the front doors of the police station, right up the street from City Hall. Canterlot was a friendly, bustling city. And it was his job to keep it safe. But why he does it is all in the history. Years before his time, Equestria was guarded by nothing but stallions with knight armor and spear guns. But when the civil war between the zebras and ponies broke out, they soon learned they weren't enough. The spears were too large and heavy, and the guns took too long to reload. They were nearly overrun by the zebras. After the war ended in a stalemate, the zebras migrated back toward the Everfree forest and the Badlands. The ponies decided it was time for an upgrade. Their spears were replaced by the lighter and much less expensive firearms, such as pistols and assault rifles, and their armor was made with bulletproof fibers and steel plates. Then, there were some ponies who thought it just wasn't enough. A small squad from the armed forces grew paranoid, and soon, plotted treason. They were a small squad called Harrow team. At first, they only consisted of a few ponies. Then, when their ideas began to float around the department, more and more ponies began to join them. They had all kinds of crazy ideas in mind. Chemical weapons, mechs, sentry turrets, even biomechanical upgrades. But the police chief wouldn't have any of it. And one day, Harrow team had enough. They, and all of their supporters, requested voluntary discharge, and left. About a year later, they'd built a compound on the edge of town on an area of land in an abandoned field. They spent several years, working away in the compound, but nopony ever knew what they were doing. They just left them alone, thinking they were all crazy. But one day, there came a small shipment on the doorstep of the Canterlot police station. A small box, with a hexagon filled in with alternating red and white triangles implanted on the lid. Inside were three vials of yellow liquid fitted in cutout holes in a block of foam. And stuck on the lid of the box was a yellow sticky note, which had a message written neatly in black pen. We're not crazy. We're not paranoid. We're not extremists. We're invincible. And today, we declare Harrow's End. Immediately, the vials were disposed of, and their effects were never known. Golden Harp had heard all the stories, but he never listened to them. Harrow's End was crazy, but they weren't dangerous. He thought they'd all probably kill themselves on their experiments, and he was perfectly fine with that. A dead pony was better than a crazy pony. He opened the front door to the police station, which led into a main lobby with a white tile floor, pale white ceilings and walls, a potted plant on either side of the door, a few rows of chairs to the right, a large sliding door that led to the main offices and holding cells, and a round, polished wood reception desk in front of the back door. Behind the desk was a brown, unicorn mare with a bright brown mane and dark blue eyes. She smiled as Golden Harp walked in. "Harper," she said in a friendly tone. "Good ta see ya. And you brought me coffee! You shouldn't have." Golden Harp smiled back. "Sorry, Cocoa, these ain't for you. They're for my mare friend." "Ah, you lover colt," Cocoa replied. "Still would've appreciated one." "Maybe next time. You seen her around?" Cocoa just smiled, but didn't reply. Something wrapped around his neck, and giggled in his hear. "Hey there, hon!" A mare's voice replied. Golden Harp smiled. "Well, good morning, Marigold." He held up the coffee and bag. "Brought ya breakfast." Marigold let go of Golden Harp's neck, and trotted in front of him. She wasn't wearing her police riot uniform, but a thinner, lightly padded, black body suit, leaving only her head and her tail out in the open. "Ya remember mah order?" Golden Harp held up the coffee and the bag. "One cinnamon roll, lightly iced, and a mocha with a half shot of espresso." Marigold smiled. "Cream an' sugar?" "You know it. Cup on the left." Marigold reached for one of the cups, and Golden Harp cleared his throat. "My left, silly." Marigold just smiled, gently shoving his shoulder, and taking her coffee. Marigold took a gentle sip, then smiled. "Perfect. Let's go back to th' office." She flicked her head around, turning for the door behind the reception desk. Golden Harp quickly caught up, opening it for her. "Chivalry ain't dead yet," Golden Harp said. Marigold curtsied affectionately, and trotted through, and Golden Harp followed. They trotted past the main holding cells, all of them empty, and went through the door on the end into the main offices. Several ponies were trotting around, some carrying papers, some trotting together and having conversations, and some typing away on computers or organizing papers at their desk. Marigold and Golden Harp trotted to their right to two desks put together, each with a computer and a few file folders. Golden Harp sat down in the desk on the right, and Marigold across from him. Golden Harp set the bag on his desk, and Marigold reached across and took it, taking out her cinnamon roll. "Calm down there, Gluttony," Golden Harp said mockingly. "Hey, ah haven't had a thing t' eat all morning," she took a bite of the cinnamon roll, and said around a mouth full, "Ah'm starvin'!" Golden Harp smiled and took his croissant out of the bag, taking a bite himself, before turning on his computer. "Well, let's get to work." About four hours later, it was lunch break. Golden Harp and Marigold left the police station, side by side, and trotted up the street to the old cafe. They went inside, and found a seat in two metal, decorative chairs against the right wall. Marigold found herself staring at a T.V. in the upper corner of the restaurant, and Golden Harp turned around to see what was on. It was a news report. Specifically, the weather. Clear skies and moderate heat of about 80 degrees, but there was a rainstorm approaching. "Well, that ain't good," Marigold said. "We might be walkin' home in th' rain." "A little rain won't kill ya," Golden Harp said. "You can hide under me, if you want." "Now, y'all stop talkin' like that," Marigold rested one leg on the table at a right angle. "We're in public, y'know." "Ah, they don't care." Golden Harp adjusted his glasses. "Now, let's ea-" Golden Harp was cut off as the weather report ended. "We interrupt this broadcast for a Public Service Announcement. There has been a large fire reported at the Harrow's End company building. All civilians in the general area are being evacuated. It is currently unknown if there are any chemicals leaking from the compound, but armed personnel were seen fleeing the building. Repeat, all citizens in general area of the compound are to evacuate immediately. All citizens in Manehattan are advised to remain near a television or radio for further updates. We now return you to your original program." "Well, now, that ain't good..." Marigold said. "Ah, don't worry about it," Golden Harp reassured her. "It's about time those psychos blew themselves up." "Ah jus' don't like it..." Marigold shook her head. "Celestia knows what they were doin' in there. Whatever it was, ah'm sure it wasn't pretty." "Well, it's gonna be a pile of ash in a few hours." He chuckled. "Much better that way, eh?" Marigold just placed a hoof on her chest, a sick look on her face. "Ah'm not hungry anymore..." "Yeah," Golden Harp said, placing a hoof on his chest. "Me neither. Let's go. We need to be back for orientation." Several hours later, night was falling over Manehattan. A steady rain was falling. Margold and Golden Harp left the police station at the end of their shift. Golden Harp yawned. "Well, I'd better be off..." Marigold smiled, faking a yawn. "Yeah, ah'd best be on mah way..." They both just looked at each other, smiling, before both saying at the same time, "My place." "Aw, c'mon, Marigold," Golden Harp said. "I don't wanna trouble you." "Well, mah place has more room, an' it's closer. 'Sides, it's raining." Marigold replied. "Y'all come home with me." She widened her eyes, curling her lips into a pleading expression. "Pweeease, Harpy?" Golden Harp just chuckled. "Oh, you know I can't resist that face. Alright, your place." Marigold's face went back to normal, and she giggled, trotting in the direction of her home. Golden Harp followed happily, ready to retire for the night. "It's such a beautiful night..." Golden Harp said. "Sure is, ain't it? D'spite the rain." Marigold replied, still trotting forward. "Not as beautiful as you, though," Golden Harp smiled. Marigold blushed, smiling" Ah, stop it, y'all! Yer makin' me blush." "I try my best," Golden Harp replied. They trotted silently for a few more minutes before Golden Harp stopped. "Marigold... Can I ask you something?" Marigold stopped. "Alright, shoot." "Y'know I love you, right?" Golden Harp asked shyly. "Well, sure. Ah know. Why?" Marigold tilted her head. Golden Harp scratched the back of his head. "Well, I've been meaning to ask you something... Something really important." "Yeah? Well, what is it?" Marigold looked confused. Golden Harp pulled a small silk-coated box from his pocket, and carefully kept it hidden behind his other front leg. He shivered slightly, knowing his big moment had come. "Marigold, will you ma-" Golden Harp was cut off as a bright light lit up the street. He groaned as he slid the box back into his pocket, and turned around. In the street were three armed ponies wearing thin body suits, padding, and night vision goggles. They were all pointing flashlights on the bottom of their guns at Golden Harp and Marigold. One of them spoke up. "Are you Officers Golden Harp and Marigold?" Marigold tried to speak up, but Golden Harp cut her off. "Yeah, yeah, what is it? I was in the middle of something here!" The three ponies lowered their guns, taking the light off of Golden Harp and Marigold, trotting forward to them, while only one came up close to them. The other two turned to watch the rest of the street. The lead pony introduced himself. "Agent Black Jack. You can call me Jack. I am a special operations soldier for the Canterlot Special Services." "I could care less who you are," Golden Harp said irritably. "All I care about is why you're pointing guns at me and my mare friend." "Sir," Black Jack continued. "There's been an explosion at the Harrow's End facility. Unfortunately, we have reason to believe that they were conducting chemical experiments, and that some of the chemicals were released in the destruction. We've been sent to evacuate all civilians in the case that the released chemicals may be lethal. I'm gonna need you two to come with us." "Like hoof I am!" Golden Harp replied. "I'm trying to take my mare friend home, and I'm not leaving on a hunch that those psychopaths might or might not have broken some of their toys!" Black Jack cautiously raised his gun. "Sir, if you refuse to come with us, I will have authorization to use force." Golden Harp tried to respond, but Marigold cut in, stepping between the two of them. "Whoa, hold on there, sugarcube! We ain't lookin' fer a fight. We'll go with ya, if it'll make ya happy an' keep us safe. Right, Harpy?" Golden Harp squinted through his eyeglasses past Marigold at the soldier, then only grunted. "Well, 'at should be enough," Marigold said. "Now let's go, so we can go home." Black Jack nodded. "Good. Now follow us. We'll take you to a safe house on the edge of town not far from here." He turned around, and signaled for the other two soldiers to follow. Marigold began to follow them, and so did Golden Harp, who grumbled under his breath. "I don't like this," Golden Harp finally said. "Yeah, yeah, ah know," Marigold replied. "But ya like me, so ah see no point in y'all turnin' around." Golden Harp was silent soon after, and the two ponies followed Black Jack and his team into the shadows of the buildings of Manehattan. Soon after they left the Station, Golden Harp, Marigold, and Black Jack and his squad found themselves leaving the city of Manehattan. After the long while of walking, Golden Harp finally spoke up. "So how long have you had this secret safe house in the middle of nowhere?" Black Jack didn't even turn to look at him as he spoke. "It's been there for as long as I can remember. In fact, there's more than one. They were installed after the civil war in case we needed to quickly evacuate civilians to a safe location, but we didn't think we'd have to use them for a possible chemical outbreak." "So why were you looking for us in specific?" Golden Harp asked. "How did you know our names?" Black Jack shrugged. "Just had orders to find you two in specific. There were dozens of us all assigned to find certain ponies. You two were at the top of my list. In fact, you were the only ones on my list." Golden Harp glared at him in suspicious confusion. "Any idea why that is?" Black Jack just shrugged again, then pointed ahead of him. "There's the safe house." The safe house was a large, square building with few windows and several fire escapes and catwalks lining the outside, all with guards standing watch from them. The front had a large bulkhead door, and two guards were seen standing out front. As they approached the safe house, the two guards out front stood at the ready for the approaching ponies. One of them, a stallion in a similar outfit to Black Jack said, "State your name and rank." "Specialist Black Jack. I have with me Operatives Poker Chip and Spades, and Officers Golden Harp and Marigold from the Manehattan police station. They are to be regarded as High Value Targets." The two guards lowered their guns, and the stallion that stopped them clicked on his radio. "Open the door. We have two H.V.T.s in custody." The guards stepped away from the door, and the bulkhead door began to slide open. A large rectangle of light flooded from the opening doors, and opened to reveal a large compound floor lined with several beds, a few doors on the walls, and a stairway to iron catwalks on the second floor, as well leading to doors on the second floor. But most noticeable of all were the several dozen ponies buzzing around the compound. Black Jack and his team stepped right past Golden Harp and Marigold. "C'mon, you two," Black Jack said. "Snap out of it. The Commander wants to see you." "Us?" Marigold asked. "Now why would he wanna see us?" "She", Black Jack corrected, "was holding a meeting for any pony who's working for any armed forces in Manehattan. Specifically, your department. And you two weren't there, so now she wants to see you two alone. Now let's get moving." He trotted his way through the crowd of ponies toward a door at the far back of the compound, and his team, Golden Harp, and Marigold followed. Pushing through the crowd of ponies, all chatting away about their concern of what happened at Harrow's End, why they had to stay in a safe house, and when they'd get to go home. When they reached the door at the back, Black Jack knocked twice, then pushed open the door, and Golden Harp, Marigold, and Black Jack's team followed him in. Inside, there was a small wooden desk, and that was about it. That, and the red, grey-maned mare sitting behind it, adjusting her bifocals. "Commander Cherry," Black Jack said. "These're the officers you requested. Did the others show up?" "Yes, they did," Cherry replied. "Thank you, Black Jack. You and your team are dismissed." Black Jack nodded, and he and his team left, leaving Golden Harp and Marigold alone with Commander Cherry. "So you two are patrol officers from the Manehattan police department, are you not?" Cherry asked. "Yeah, that's us," Golden Harp replied. "So why do you need us? And why are we the only ones here, for that matter? And who are you, anyway?" "Calm down," Cherry said. "Golden Harp, was it?" Golden Harp nodded. "Good. Commander Cherry. And by Commander, I mean Commander from the Canterlot Royal Guard and Military. I need you, and specifically you, because you two are two of the few able officers not already deployed in Manehattan. In fact, as I recall, you're the only ones. All other available officers are in the streets, including Black Jack and his team. So may I ask why you two were in the middle of the street while the town was being locked down due to a possible terrorist threat?" "Well, Commander," Golden Harp replied. "You just answered your own question. 'Possible terrorist threat' doesn't sound like enough to make us think it's a threat to Equestria itself." Cherry sighed. *Unfortunately, officer, you're wrong." Marigold, who had been silent for some time, finally spoke up. "Wrong? Why's that?" Cherry reached down, and pulled a file out. She set it on the desk, and opened it. "This is our file on Harrow's End. As it turns out, they were testing much worse things than nuclear weapons." "Worse how?" Marigold asked. "You tell me," Cherry replied. "How much worse does 'bio-organic weapons' sound?" "Bio-organic..." Golden Harp trailed off. "That's not even possible." "Oh, it's not only possible," Cherry assured, "It's dangerous. And worst of all, that explosion let them loose." "What're y'all talkin' about?" Marigold asked. "Let what loose?" "I'm not gonna sugar coat it for you two," Cherry replied. "When our military officers went in to contain the site, we found ponies there. Dead ponies. At least, we only thought they were dead. Soon, somehow, they got back up. They were completely burned alive, torn apart, and somehow they got back up." "This sounds completely far-fetched, commander," Golden Harp said. "Well, it only gets worse," Cherry continued. "They were feral. Violent. They didn't react to commands, and no matter how much we tried to subdue them, they fought. I even got an account from an officer who said his partner was bitten by one of them, and he began to get sick. Soon, he also became violent, and he tore his partner apart, ate him alive." "Oh, no..." Marigold murmured. "Yer not sayin'..." Cherry cut her off. "I am. We've got an infection on our hooves." "It's a dangerous business going out your front door." - J. R. R. Tolkien *Transmission Ended*
Chapter 2: Why me? Why US?You can't take her away from me. Yep. That's how it happened. It wasn't some gradual incident. There wasn't some kind of warning. It was just a hoof to the face. Of course, at the time, I didn't know how bad the infection was. Buck, it didn't even get past the compound yet. I thought it could be contained. Thought there was hope. Well, I threw hope out the window. After that, there was none left. But I didn't give up. It was my job to protect this city, and by Celestia, I was going to protect it. After we found out about the infection, I volunteered to help contain it. Fortunately, it hadn't reached the public yet. Just a few guards from the compound. So, we were gonna head straight in, contain the area for the haz-mats, and forget this ever happened. Easy right? Yeah, right... *Begin Transmission* After Commander Cherry broke the news to Golden Harp and Marigold, and Golden Harp volunteered to go in, along with a little protest from Marigold, the two ponies were assigned to go in with Black Jack, Spades, and Poker Chip to aid in the containment. Unfortunately, there was a twist. They'd be working with mercenaries from Harrow's End who volunteered to join in the operation if they weren't held responsible for the incident. Canterlot, being the honorable ponies they were, agreed, as long as they kept their hooves in line. They were assigned to meet the mercenaries from the Harrow's End Security Service in an old security warehouse linked to the Harrow's End laboratory building. Golden Harp and Marigold were given light armor and weapons, Golden Harp an assault rifle and Marigold an SMG, since the Harrow's End facility was still guarded by Harrow's End mercenaries. "It's only to defend yourselves," Black Jack told them in the armory. "I'd seriously recommend you don't shoot anything unless it shoots first. We want as little blood as possible." "And who'd be firing at us, by chance?" Golden Harp asked. "H.B.C.S." Black Jack replied. "In English, please?" Golden Harp raised an eyebrow. Black Jack sighed. "Harrow Biohazard Countermeasure Service. They've been hired to protect a scientist by the name of William Buck, a scientist who's invented some kind of gene compound. It's dangerous, but expensive, and he wants to sell it to Canterlot." "What kinda name's 'William Buck'?" Marigold asked?" Black Jack shrugged. Marigold just shook her head. "So they're sellin' th' gene thingy to th' ponies we work fer? Then why're we here?" "We still need to arrest Buck. If he thinks that we're only interested in the compound, then he won't have doubled his security to compensate for us." "How many are we looking at?" Golden Harp asked. "Twenty? Thrity?" "We're looking at about eighty," Black Jack replied. Golden Harp and Marigold went silent. "But we'll be avoiding most of them. Then, we'll have teams move in to arrest them. Lethal force is authorized, but not encouraged." "So who's th' pony that's workin' with us?" Marigold asked. "His name's Dmitri Zernovski," Black Jack shrugged again. "Don't ask, I don't know what's with his name, either. "Jeez," Golden Harp rolled his eyes behind his bifocals. "What's with these ponies and their strange names?" "Maybe when we get there, you can ask him yourself." Black Jack turned for the door. "Now let's go." About twenty minutes later, Golden Harp, Marigold, and Black Jack and his team were stationed on the roof of the Harrow's End compound. There were no guards. Black Jack said they were all stationed inside. They would be entering the compound through a roof access near a rooftop landing pad, and make their way down to the main corridor, take an elevator down to the laboratory levels, and intercept Buck. "Anything else we need to know?" Golden Harp asked after Black Jack had explained everything. "Yeah," Poker Chip, who turned out to be a mare, spoke up. "Buck's crazy. Genius, but crazy. He'll go to some pretty extreme heights if it's to protect his work. Be ready for the worst." Golden Harp almost spoke up, but the door to the roof access creaked open. A white, blonde-maned stallion with golden eyes in a U.B.C.S. uniform stepped out, followed by three more each in tan U.B.C.S. uniforms outfitted with ballistic vests, tinted goggles or sunglasses, and tan ski masks. They all carried compact S.M.G.s. The white stallion stepped forward, and Black Jack trotted up to meet him, followed by the rest of the ponies. "Dmitri?" Black Jack asked. "Yes," Dmitri responded. "And I assume you are the pony known as Black Jack, Canterlot's head guard dog." Black Jack started to respond, but Dmitri continued. "You and your team will follow us down to the central terminal, and we will take an elevator to the labs. Do not shoot unless you are fired at first. If you are stopped by anypony who is aware of your authorization, tell them you were assigned to evacuate civilians, but it is already too late. Buck has used the virus on a few test subjects, and it is starting to spread, but Buck remains alive. He is to be apprehended, and his specimens executed. Are we understood?" Black Jack nodded. "Good." Dmitri turned around, heading back into the compound. "We must not waste any more time." "Wait," Golden Harp said, and Dmitri stopped to look at him. "What's with your name? And Buck's?" "They're Gryphon," Dmitri replied. "Our real names have been changed to something more obscure to make sure we cannot be tracked. Why? Is there something wrong with them?" "No, just curious," Golden Harp replied. Dmitri entered the compound with his team without another word. Inside the roof access was a metal grate staircase that led down several stories through the building, with a door on each level. Dmitri said they were all locked. "Harrow's End locked down the building so other ponies could not get in. The compound is nothing short of a fortress. The only way to get inside is through here. The only problem is that it's a maze down here. There is no way to know where to go unless Harrow's End gave you a map. Unfortunately, they only gave it to you if you had reason to be here. None of us have that. Luckily, our little friends in Canterlot decided to give Black Jack a map." Black Jack activated a small screen attached to his leg with a brace. "It's pretty vague, but it's enough to know where we're going." "And where are we going?" Golden Harp asked. "Down," Black Jack replied. "A long way down." And down they went. Several stories down. Deeper and deeper, passing only doors and the occasional fire exit. Soon, they no longer saw any fire exits. That meant that they had reached the levels underground. According to Black Jack's schematics, that meant they were nearing the laboratories. "Harrow's End prefers to work in secret, making sure that if their research was ever in danger, then they could collapse the building in on itself, burying it from the reach of... 'Prying eyes'." Black Jack's map brace started to make a repeated pinging noise. He stopped, and looked at his map. "We're here," he said. The ponies stopped in front of a door with a simple keypad with a red light embedded in the wall next to it. Black Jack held his map brace up next to it, and typed a small code into the keypad. The red light turned green, and the door clicked. Black Jack grabbed the handle, and signaled for Poker Chip and Spades to move up with him. The two ponies took up positions on either side of the door, and Black Jack pulled it open. Poker Chip and Spaded both moved in through the door, guns at the ready. Black Jack joined them, and all three of them moved into the dark hallway beyond. "Where's this go?" Marigold asked. "Buck's own personal laboratory," Dmitri responded. "We don't know what's become of him, but if he is still here, then this is where he is." "So we just find him, and drag his flank back to H.Q.?" Golden Harp asked. "If he is alive," Dmitri added. "If he is dead or infected, we are to silence him. You will be following Black Jack and his team. I will be moving further up to intercept Buck if he tries to run. Good luck, you two. And," Dmitri chuckled. "Try not to die." And with that, he began to make his way back up toward the surface, and was gone. Golden Harp and Marigold didn't say a word. "Strange fellar, huh?" Marigold said. "Yeah," Golden Harp replied. "I kinda hope he'll be arrested when we're done with this." "Ya think Canterlot'll jus' back out on their deal?" "Honestly? Yeah, I do." Black Jack, Poker Chip, and Spades were already far ahead of Golden Harp and Marigold. They were making their way through the hallway toward Buck's lab. Most of the lights had been knocked out, and all of the work stations and mini-labs were abandoned, paper and old equipment littered the floor. "Look like they left in a hurry," Poker Chip said. "Yeah," Spades, who turned out to be a stallion with a deep voice, replied. "How many dead, ya think?" "All of 'em," Black Jack answered. "Accident report said they haven't seen a soul leave this building. Said there was an infection breaking out." "Yeah, I remember that part." Poker Chip suddenly froze. "You two hear that?" Black Jack and Spades both stopped dead. "Moaning," Spades replied. "Buck?" "Might be," Black Jack replied. Spades snorted. "Who's putting the bullet in his skull?" "Don't get ahead of yourself, Spades," Black Jack warned. "We don't know if he's infected or not." A loud bang, like the sound of an iron pipe hitting the floor, rang from down the hall. All three of the ponies raised their guns. "That don't sound dead to me," Spades said. "Shut your trap, Spades!" Poker Chip snapped. "Something's coming." The shadows shifted in front of the three ponies, and a large, burly figure appeared, shrouded in darkness. "What the buck...?" Spades murmured. The figure stepped into the light, revealing a pony's body covered in scratches, gunshot wounds, a tattered lab coat, and several pounds of packed, mutated flesh. Marigold and Golden Harp had finally begun to make their way into the hallway, guns still strapped to their sides. "Ah don't like this," Marigold said, a look of worry plastered on her face. "This's th' creepiest place ah've ever seen." "Hey, don't worry." Golden Harp smiled. "I just dare something to try to hurt you. Just wait and see what I do to it." "You ain't helpin," Marigold replied. The two ponies passed a small hallway of abandoned offices. "What? You don't think I won't hesitate to knock 'em dead?" "No, that ain't it," Marigold said. "It's jus' you darin' somethin' ta try ta hurt me. Ah don't like it." Golden Harp just adjusted his bifocals, looking away to hide the look of embarrassment on his face. "So, Harpy," Marigold said. "What was it ya were gunna ask me when Black Jack butted in?" Golden Harp was taken by surprise. "Huh? Oh! Um... Well, I was gonna ask... Uh..." "Aw, c'mon, there ain't no way y'all forgot it." "Well, um, Marigold... I was gonna ask-" Golden Harp was cut off by the sound of gunfire coming from up the hall. "What the-" He was cut off again as he spotted Black Jack and his team waving their guns in their direction. He heard Black Jack yelling. "Run! Turn and run, you buckin' idiots! Get outta here!" Golden Harp snapped to his senses, and grabbed Marigold by the shoulder. "Let's go!" He yelled. Golden Harp and Marigold turned and began to gallop back toward the exit of the hallway, trampling fallen lab equipment and broken glass. The light at the end was gone. They had closed the door when they entered to make sure that they weren't followed. "Well try to hit it at the same time!" Golden Harp yelled. "Maybe we can break it open!" "What!?" Marigold yelled back. "Are ya outta yer mind!? Ain't no way we can get through that!" "Got any other ideas!?" Marigold didn't respond. "Then just do it!" Marigold and Golden Harp charged at the door, then shifted slightly to let their shoulders take the full weight of the force. They collided with the door, and the latch broke, swinging open. Marigold had failed to slow down, and she lost her balance, falling under the railing, and falling down into the darkness below. Golden Harp tried to catch her, but she fell out of his reach, and she disappeared. Golden Harp had lost himself in that moment. His mind wen't blank. He didn't remember where he was. He didn't remember what he was doing. He didn't even remember who he was. All he knew that the one thing he cared about the most had just slipped from his hooves. Golden Harp didn't come to his senses until there was a hoof on his shoulder, pulling him away from the railing. "Get outta here, you crazy bucker!" Spades yelled in his face, then shoved him back toward the staircase. "I can't!" Golden Harp yelled back. "I gotta go back for her!" "I don't give a buck where your mare friend is," Spades replied, "But if you don't start running, you're gonna go out with her! Now get the buck outta he-" Spades was cut off as a large figure barged it's way through the door frame, breaking it to pieces, and swung out with a large, crooked pipe. It connected with Spade's side, knocking him away, and throwing him down into the darkness below. Golden Harp stared in awe. He barely had time to react before the creature grabbed him in its massive front hooves. Golden Harp tried to struggle, but the creature pressed him so hard that he couldn't breathe. His vision began to fade in and out from black, only for him to see the nightmare of a pony squeezing away his life in front of him. Suddenly, something that sounded like faint gunshots came from behind the creature. It roared in anger, and threw Golden Harp away. Golden Harp crashed against the rail of the catwalk, and with the strength he had left, held on for all he was worth. Through his fading vision, he saw the creature facing off with Black Jack, Poker Chip, and a pony he didn't recognize. He was about the size of Spades, with a gas mask with red lenses, a rounded helmet, and a full body suit of bulletproof material lined with pouches and a weapon sling. Golden Harp didn't have time to think before he let go of the railing, but he did manage to have one last thought before falling into the darkness below. "I've seen that pony somewhere before..." Golden Harp thought. "Somewhere..." "Fate doesn't pick its victims. It just picks their punishment." - Delta 727 *Transmission Ended*
Chapter 3: Out Of The Frying Pan...... Into The Fire It only got worse from there. Yeah, I was beaten half to death by a mutant freak with a pipe. Yeah, I was bleeding to death in the middle of a burning building with zombie ponies everywhere. And yeah, I lost Marigold. But even after all that, there was still much worse that happened. And still I had amnesia when I thought about that pony in the gas mask. Who was he? And why was he here? I was determined to find out. But first I had to get out of that bucking building... *Begin Transmission* Dark. That's all Golden Harp could see. Darkness. His head hurt, his whole body hurt, and he was bleeding. A lot. If he didn't move soon, he was going to die. He put one hoof to the ground, then another, and pushed himself up. He was shaking like a leaf, soaked in his own blood, barely able to see through his broken glasses, and barely conscious in the middle of a corridor flooded with nothing but darkness. He started to panic. His breath quickened, then began to drag out as he tried to calm down. "Take it easy, Golden Harp," he said. "Panicking isn't gonna solve anything. Let's start with finding out what floor you're on." He took a step toward the darkness, placing a hoof against the wall, trying to feel his way along it. He felt nothing but concrete. He grunted in frustration, and started to reach a little farther. Then, finally, he felt wood. And that wood happened to be a door that was busted open. He lost his balance when the door swung open, and fell into the room. He hit the floor, and felt himself land on hard tile. Cursing to himself, he put a hoof against his aching head, and started to push himself up, when he heard a click from the darkness. He looked up, one eye squinted shut in pain, only for the other to see the barrel of a gun pointed at his head. He stopped to think for a moment. He didn't know if he was happy to know that there was another living pony with him, or if he was ticked off that they were pointing a gun at his face after he fell Celestia knows how many floors to the basement after being attacked by a mutated scientist. He went for the second option. 'Look, buddy, I just-" "Shut up," the pony said. A mare, it sounded like. "I dunno who the buck ya are, but I don't plan on dyin' in this Celestia forsaken hole. Now I'm gonna ask ya three questions, and if ya answer them to my liking, I'll decide whether or not I should put a bullet through yer brain box. Ya got me?" Golden Harp groaned inwardly. "Good. Ya armed?" "No." "Ya work for Harrow?" "No." "Ya bit?" "Why would I be-?" The pistol clicked in front of Golden Harp's face. "... No." The mare paused for a moment, then the pistol moved away from Golden Harp's face. "I ain't gonna kill ya," the mare said. "But I'll sure as snitch kill ya if ya follow me." The pony shoved past Golden Harp, and trotted out into the dark hallway. Suddenly, a bright blue light flooded the corridor. It came from the pony's horn. The pony was a mare, grey with a light blue mane and eyes, and a bundle of blueberries as her cutie mark. She was wearing nothing more than a small, leather pistol holster and a very annoyed look. The mare turned left, away from where Golden Harp had landed, and headed down the hall with her magic shining through the hall. Golden Harp finally came back to his senses, and ran out after her. "Hey, wait!" Golden Harp yelled. He started to run after her, when the light coming from the mare's horn disappeared. Golden Harp stopped dead, but before he could call out after the mare. there was a leg at his throat, pinning him against the wall. "I told ya, I ain't gonna babysit ya," the mare said. "And if I have to put ya down to make sure that don't happen, I'll do it before ya even have time to wet yerself. Ya got me this time?" Golden Harp pushed the mare off of him. She stumbled back, but didn't shoot. She kept the pistol aimed at Golden Harp. She tried to say something, but Golden Harp cut her off. "No, you're gonna get what I've got to say." He trotted towards the mare, and she didn't flinch. "I've been beaten, thrown Celestia knows how many floors to the basement of this pit, I've lost my mare friend who may or may not be dead, and you're the only pony that I can find that hasn't been mutated into some kinda freak." Golden Harp trotted so close to the mare that she had the pistol pressed against his chest. "Now if you're gonna kill me, you're gonna have to think: How long are you gonna last down here?" The mare thought about that for a second, and then lowered the pistol. "Alright, bud. Ya bought yerself some time." She turned away from Golden Harp, staring down the dark corridor that led further into the building. "But we ain't friends. We're gonna get outta here alive, and you'll be on yer merry little way. Ya got me?" "Oh, yeah?" Golden Harp thought of a good way to distract her from walking away. "Well what is a soft little peach like you doing down here? It's dangerous, y'know." The mare ignored his sarcastic remark and kept walking, but still answered his question. "Them Harrow ponies have mah daughter. Mah idiot of a husband took her here, and I'm here to get her back. He took her here to keep her safe, he said. Fancy job he's doin' with that." The mare pressed a slightly open door back with her pistol in her magic, and pointed it around inside. When she saw nothing, she kept going. "Anyways, he tried to use her in sum kinda experiment er somethin', so I came in here, guns ablaze to get her. He's lost his everlovin' mind. Calls himself William now-" Golden Harp cut her off. "Wait. Your husband is William Buck?" "Yeah," the mare said slowly. "Whaddaya know 'bout him?" "Me?" Golden Harp asked. "Nothing. But I do know that he's one of those mutated freaks that threw me in this pit. Grew three times his size, and was running around, swinging a pipe at anything that moved. You hear about that?" The mare just started to laugh. "It's 'bout time his lab toys got him all messed up. He dead yet?" "Dead?" Golden Harp asked. "He's practically invincible. He's been shot so many times it's ridiculous that he's still standing. He's a trotting brick wall." "Well, now, ain't that somethin'?" The mare made her way through another door into a hallway lined with pipes and a grated floor stretching the expanse into more darkness. "You don't think that was an accident, do ya?" "What's that supposed to mean?" Golden Harp trotted up behind the mare as she trotted down the hall. He adjusted his glasses. The mare stopped. Without looking back, she said, "Some ponies would rather die with their secrets than let the world see 'em." "So you're saying Buck did that to himself?" Golden Harp asked. "I ain't sayin' nothin'," the mare replied, continuing to trot down the hall. "I'm just sayin' it might be possible that mah husband got that way 'cause he was protectin' himself, or 'cause somepony else wanted to shut him up." Golden Harp immediately remembered the pony with the gas mask. "Hey, about that, did you happen to see a pony in heavy armor and a gas mask? Big, burly stallion with a no-nonsense attitude?" The mare turned to look at him. "Ah don't think so. What's it to ya?" Golden Harp just shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought I saw him up top somewhere. Just seemed important." "Well, ah hate to break it to ya," the mare said as she continued to trot down the hall, "but this ain't the time t' be lookin' for a date." "Hey!" Golden Harp snapped back as he started to follow the mare again. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. I just don't think a pony in that much armor would be hanging around a research facility unless somepony asked him to be here. I think he's guarding something. Or somepony." "Y'think he's protectin' Buck?" the mare asked, checking over the rail of the walkway, looking down into nothing but darkness. "I think so." "Well, yer wrong." The mare went on the move again, and Golden Harp followed. "How do you know?" "Did he have anythin' on his suit that'd be a clue? A badge? A symbol?" Golden Harp though back for a moment, then remembered the red and white hexagon on the stallion's suit. "The Harrow's End symbol." "And d'ya think Harrow would hire somepony like him just t' be a guard?" "You're not saying..." "Ah sure am." The mare came up on a door at the end of the hall, but turned to address Golden Harp before opening it. "That pony wasn't protectin' Buck. Harrow personally sent him here t' shut him up." "So he turned his own experiment on himself." Golden Harp concluded. "Why?" "Ah've got a good guess," the mare said. "Th' choice looked like this to me: Either destroy his life's work, wastin' all those years fer nothin', let th' ponies who came fer him take it away, or put it t' use with th' only test subject in hoof's reach." "You think he knew what it would do to him?" Golden Harp asked. "Ah think t' him, anythin' other than losin' his life's work looked like a bright idea. Now let's get outta here 'fore somepony finds us." The mare turned to the door, her gun at the ready. Very carefully, she reached out her hoof and turned the knob. Just as the latch came loose, the door burst open. An Infected was waiting on the other side of the door, and bashed it open as soon as it heard the click of the door. The mare was thrown backward, the gun knocked from her magic. It slid across the grated floor and clanged against one of the pipes on the wall. The mare hit the floor with a loud bang, and the Infected fell right on top of her as its muzzle hit her shoulder. The mare screamed as the Infected bit down, taking a chunk of flesh out of her shoulder. Blood welled from her wound, and this brought Golden Harp to action. He dashed across the hall and grabbed up the gun, aiming it straight at the Infected. In almost a split second that felt like minutes to Golden Harp, he pulled the trigger and a bullet sent the Infected sprawling with a bullet hole where one dead white eye had been. He stopped dead. He had just killed what looked like an undead pony. Now, to Golden Harp, he had no idea that the pony was dead. He thought it was sick or deranged or something. This put him into more shock than the mare's wound. Upon remembering this, he snapped back to his senses, and ran to the mare. The mare was clutching her wounded shoulder, and tears were welling in her eyes, as she said, "That little punk bit me!" She gently pulled herself up into a sitting position and held her hoof in place, blood pouring down her leg. She pulled the hoof away and examined the grisly wound. "He got me pretty good." She groaned. "Ow, this really hurts like a-" "Hey," Golden Harp cut her off. "We gotta get you out of here. You're gonna bleed out pretty quick if we don't get you medical attention." "Oh, don't worry about me," the mare said almost halfheartedly. "I'm gonna be fi-" Before she could continue, she let out a pained gasp, then grit her teeth together as something happened that Golden Harp would've never believed if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. The wound in the mare's shoulder looked like it was stitching itself back together. Small strands of flesh were pulling towards each other on the surface and deep inside the wound, and both muscle and skin were pulling back together. The mare was groaning through her teeth the whole time, and by the time the muscles had stopped, the wound was gone, and a fresh patch of hair grew over the new layer of skin. Golden Harp couldn't see a single sign that there was any kind of injury. Golden Harp was stunned speechless. The mare was flexing her newly healed shoulder when she noticed Golden Harp's expression. "Oh, right. I should probably explain that." "Yeah," Golden Harp said. "That'd be nice." The mare sighed. "Maybe I should start from the beginning." She shut the door the Infected came through and sat down. "You can probably tell that the accent was fake. It's a disguise. It's what I use when I want to hide my identity. Her name's Buckaroo, but my real name's Beebe for short. My real name doesn't matter. I hate my real name. What's yours?" Golden Harp sighed, and sat down too. "Golden Harp, Manehattan P.D." "A cop, huh?" Beebe said. "I can see why you're here. You're after my husband-" she caught herself and paused. "I mean not my husband. Buck wasn't my husband, so I think I should get that out in the open." "So if he's not your husband, who is he, and what're you doing here?" The mare looked down at the floor and scratched the back of your head. "Well, you see, I was actually trying to get out, not find him. He was the one who told me to get out before things got... Ugly." Bebee looked up at Golden Harp. "He's been doing some really weird, really bad things in that lab up there. He's bent on making a lot of bits for a very dangerous experiment. I don't really know what's in it, but I can imagine it's like what I was exposed to. A little while back, I was exposed to some kind of virus as he called it, and he gave me an antidote before I 'turned'. I didn't really get it at the time, but when I broke my leg once and it practically snapped itself back into place, I started asking questions. He did everything short of threatening me to make sure I kept my muzzle shut on this. It's come in handy, yeah, but it's not exactly something you can talk about on a date. After seeing all these dead ponies coming back, I think whatever he made got loose. And in the way they bite at ponies I can only assume that's how it spreads, but it might be with contact in general, so that's why I asked if you were bit." She levitated the pistol off the floor and slid it into a holster at her waist. "Sorry for pointing a weapon at you. I just had to make sure, and sell the character." "Don't worry about it," Golden Harp said. "It's not the first time somepony put a gun in my face. Now, you never answered my question. If Buck's not your husband, who is he?" Beebe seemed almost hesitant on telling Golden Harp the truth, but she sighed when she knew she couldn't hide the truth anymore. "Well, I think it'd help to at least tell you my real name. It's Back Buck. William Buck was my father, and he's the reason I'm a regenerative freak." *Transmission Ended*
Last Words, Part 1: "Fear For The Worst, Part 1: Creeping Death"Last Words, Part 1: "Fear For The Worst, Part 1: Creeping Death" Pungent smell lingers In the dying atmosphere Moans escape the sky As bodies rise from the clear The allies riddled with death Walls painted with crimson shades Corpses shamble out of breath Unaware and aimless The lone survivor fights on Rage fills his twisted heartbeat Impact is made with each swing Heads topple and twirl among feet Blood purges the sharp manipulation Soaked through layers of clothes Decapitation becomes addiction Hands tremor with anticipation He breathes in the stench Sighs a feeble relief Bodies lay abundant all around In the distance escapes grief
