Odyssey to Canterlot: Vital Components

Vital looked down upon the campsite from high above. The foliage should keep him covered, but if there were mechs within, it wouldn’t matter. Their sensors would tip off the person sleeping within, so it didn’t matter how stealthy he was; he would be caught. None came out though, so Vital could continue his investigation into the intruder he had noticed earlier that day.

Vital put his telescope away into his metal case, noting that everything was still in there. He stretched out, happy that his light brown fur helped keep him fairly safe in the night, and the green hair supported that. Of course, he still sometimes considered cutting his tail off to make sure it didn’t get caught in something. Vital sighed as he started the climb downward, jumping from different floors within the abandoned building he’d been using as his vantage point. He was happy that he had contact again, but also knew what could happen if the intruder was hostile.

Vital jumped from the second floor window onto a tree and spent the next half hour slowly climbing down. Upon landing, he checked that he wasn’t snagged in the bushes. Luckily, his jeans and t-shirt were safe, though he wished he had a new set to replace the ratty pair he owned now. Vital walked out into the open, trying to be quiet. He snuffed out the fire with nearby leaves, and moved towards the black bag that was left in the open by the stranger. Vital hoped he was wrong about what was within the large bag. As he reached for the zipper, a voice cut through the silence. “Stop!”

Vital rolled forward and pulled out his pistol, turning it on the intruder, who was visible only by a short sword made of bright blue light. “Freeze. My name is Vital Point, so just take a guess where my first shot will hit. I’m not here to hurt you though. I’d rather talk.” The woman paused and nodded, the sword turning off, plunging them into complete darkness. It occurred to Vital that it could be a trick, and he strained his eyes to adjust, trying to see where she may be coming from. No attack came though; instead, the intruder relit the fire, adding some nearby wood to it.

Now that Vital had a good look at the girl, he had to admit that there were worse people to be killed by. The girl was a knockout in a large black jacket and light green shorts that went with her light blue fur. He smirked as he thought about how hard night travel must be with the bright rainbow hair she had. The woman sat, looking him over as well; except probably not for the same reasons.

Vital cleared his throat, reminding himself that this wasn’t some casual visit with a friend, but instead a chance to assess a potential enemy. “So, what brings you through these parts? You have to be new, seeing as how I’ve spent the good part of a year roaming this area. And while you’re at it, I should probably know the name of my home wrecker.”

The woman paused, her tail flicking back and forth as she thought. “The name is Spectrum Flash. I’m trying to give my friend,” Spectrum said as she pointed towards the body bag. ”A burial next to his mother in Canterlot.”

Vital’s mind flashed to imagery of wrecked buildings and swarms of mechs marching through the streets. “You don’t want to go there, trust me. All that awaits those who go there is death.” Spectrum shook her head to this though.

“I have to, in order to keep a promise to a friend.” Vital scowled, but then his memories turned to Princess Twilight, and the creation the two had made together. He gripped his head, trying to get the image to leave, or at least shift, but he knew it would never happen.

“Fine, but it’s a suicide trip. I was there six years ago and barely made it out alive, so I know first-hand how hard it is for an earth pony to get in and out of there. Without wings you stand about the same chance of making it into Canterlot as you do of outflying Rainbow Dash.” Spectrum turned away from him, walking back to her tent. Vital rushed past her and barred the way into the tent. “No. I need to hear you say that you aren’t going, or you’ll have to get past me.”

Spectrum brought the sword back up, sparking it to life only four milimeters from Vital’s throat. However, the young man didn’t move, continuing to speak instead. “You wear a heavy coat, so I suppose your wings could be under there, as impractical as it would be. So if you want to go, show me your wings, or show me your resolve.”

Spectrum lowered the sword, but immediately brought it back up; slamming the hilt into the side of Vital’s head. “I can take care of myself just fine, got it?” Vital shook his head and looked back at Spectrum, an unspoken challenge within his eyes. Spectrum brought her blade back up, her face hardening as she got herself prepared for the grisly fate she would give the young man. However, the battle was cancelled by the clanking of mechanical parts.

Spectrum dashed back to her tent while Vital rolled behind a large rock to take cover. A tense silence filled the air as the clanking continued to get louder and louder. Vital saw the first mech pass his rock and stopped himself from growling in disgust. The mech had a humanoid form, made of iron, shining black as the firelight danced on its form. Its arms and legs were similar to normal person’s, and had a chest made of heavier iron, but wasn’t fully closed because of the split open sides they had. From there, he could see wires, and further beyond that, the green lit core.

Vital momentarily thought of lessons Twilight had tried giving him on how her steel constructions worked; lessons Vital wished he’d understood. They probably would have made it even easier to take care of these disgusting iron constructs. Still, its rough bladed claws and feet made it a very real threat. At least it wasn’t one of Twilight’s cores, Vital thought to himself, glancing at the soft green glow from within the singular eye. These ones usually had slower reaction times than the originals.

Just as he was going to step out, he saw the second set of bladed feet and cursed to himself. One mech was easy for him, but it was when they grouped up that most people had trouble. They started fanning out, searching the campsite for survivors. The third mech went around the tent, and as it passed the front Vital heard a screech of fury as Spectrum came out.

The mech didn’t have time to react as lightning fast attacks rained down on it in the forms of kicks, slashes and punches. It was being pushed back, but what the mechs lacked in strength, they made up for in speed, and were closing on Spectrum fast. Vital jumped out from behind his rock, slamming his fist into the first mech as it came back, and barely twisted out of the way of the second’s claw.

It swept its actual hand over his head, readying its bladed crab claw to go through the target. Vital fell back and rolled on the ground to avoid the deadly final strike, and retaliated with a rising kick to the metal plate that made up its chest. The mech went backward into the first, and Vital took a few steps forward as he emptied one of his five full clips of plasma he had into the set of mechs. Vital glanced over towards Spectrum to make sure the third mech wasn’t about to come after him, but kept his attention to making sure his own mechs stayed down.

Once the lights in their eyes finally winked off, the young man turned to where the last scuffle was being held, with Spectrum drawing her blade from the last one’s frame. “Good job, but this is child’s play to the almost indestructible ones in Canterlot. More of them are made out of steel, instead of this hack’s sub-par iron.”

Spectrum laughed hollowly as she sat back down. “Look, you might be lacking in your education, but anyone could have told you that the hack you’re referring to is the Flameron Corporation.” Vital looked at the woman, his eyes narrowing as he processed the information. “And those jackasses are why no one travels, and almost everyone is either dead, or a slave.”

Vital shook his head, but then got up. “I haven’t really seen anyone in a few years, let alone had a chance to talk about current events, so I don’t know who the Flameron Corporation is. But, that doesn’t even make sense. What happened to Twilight? She wouldn’t have let this happen.” Spectrum’s face darkened at the mention of the name. The woman spat out,

“Princess Twilight Sparkle, mother of mechs, chosen leader after the alicorn sisters’ disappearance, and Element of Harmony bearer, was killed by Flam and Doctor Caballeron when they took over her mechs and named themselves the leaders. That was fifty years ago.” Vital’s eyesight went out as he saw another flashback, of two ponies behind a mech, one that had its gun pointed straight at him. Vital Point collapsed while Spectrum went back to bed.