Resident Chaos - Code: Chrysalis

Chapters

Luna’s S.T.A.R.S are Set Free to Shine.
Is Anypony Home?
It’s Really Not Valentine’s Day

Luna’s S.T.A.R.S are Set Free to Shine.

Chapter 1

Luna’s S.T.A.R.S are Set Free to Shine.

July 24, 1998

Above the Arklay Mountains flew a deep blue carriage, pulled by two pegasi in uniforms. Clouds blocked the light of the moon and spilled out rain like a waterfall in the sky, obscuring the vehicle and making it appear to be nothing more than a black shadow being towed through the air. On a better night one could have clearly seen the large white star on the side with the letters S.T.A.R.S painted over top it. Within the carriage housed four more ponies in uniform, diligently checking over various parts of their gear to make sure everything was functioning properly.

A young earth-pony mare with a blue beret busied herself inspecting the flick rig on her leg and the hoof-gun attached to it. The straps holding the rig to her right fore leg were tightened and readjusted to make sure it wouldn’t come off when used but wouldn't cut off blood pressure. After a bit more fiddling with the straps the mare suddenly flicked her leg out, a series of sliders, locks, and small pulleys coming alive to push the hoof-gun parallel to her leg, forward. Another flick of her leg returned the hoof-gun to its original position. The mare proceeded to do this a few more times to test the action. With a frown, a pouch on her vest was opened and a screwdriver pulled out. Firmly held in her teeth the screwdriver was used to tighten and loosen various parts of the rig. Every so often the flicking motion was tested a few times to see what results the tinkering had yielded. Several minutes passed before the mare looked up from her work and found her three comrades staring at her. “...wha’?” she said, the screwdriver still firmly held in her mouth. Her question met with chuckles and giggles.

“That would be the...let me think here. Fifth time you've adjusted that damn thing since we set out. Not counting however many times you did it before we left HQ,” another mare, whose pink mane and coat dramatically contrasted her uniform, informed her attentive partner. “Seriously. I can see from here it is functioning fi-INE!” the carriage dipped suddenly to the left, tossing the group into each other and then the wall. “OW! Luna’s tits, get off me Red Field!” the surprised stallion was roughly pushed back to his side of the carriage causing him to bang his shoulder into the opposite wall.

“OUCH! Celestia dammit Berry! It’s not my fault that happened!” Red Field retorted while rubbing his shoulder. Berry, however, had already dismissed him. Sticking her head out the window, she called to the drivers.

“Oi! Pencil Dick! Could you and Chicken Heart try and avoid doing that!” The rain assaulted the head of the mare and tried its best to obscure her rhetorical question, but was no match for her booming voice.

One of the pegasi, an orange coated mare, swivelled her head around in anger. “I told you to stop calling me that! And it windy okay?! I can’t control the wind! This isn't exactly easy you know! Why don’t you grow some wings and-” the pegasi’s head turned quickly to address her flying partner. “She went back inside! That little bi-” a powerful gust of wind hit the scorned pegasus in the face and cut off her insult.

Back in the carriage Berry busied herself with hooking the latch back onto the window to keep the rain out. Her mane now soaking wet was matted down and clung to her body.

“Why are you always making fun of Scoots like that? Is it because of what happened during the gauntlet? Because if it is you had better not sit their and act like you weren't scared the first time you had to fire a gun,” lectured the other mare in the carriage.

Berry rolled her eyes dramatically before responding “ Come on, Valentine. Are you serious or just yanking my chain? I was BORN! to use these things.” She punctuated her point by affectionately patting the Riot Shotgun attached to her saddle rig. “Besides, this has nothing to do with her breaking down after the gauntlet. I may be born to wield guns but I can understand its a scary experience, especially when you’re firing at cardboard targets. Can be hard to forget they’re fake in the heat of the moment…”

“Well what is it then?” Valentine questioned, some of the fight leaving her voice.

Berry gave a cocky grin “She is the new girl. That means we need to pound her till the pressure turns her into a diamond that can cut through all kinds of crap.”

“Or Drive her away.” The other mare retorted.

Berry’s smile became a little softer and she waved her hoof through the air, dismissing the comment. “She is a tough pony. No pony is going to stop Scootaloo from becoming a full fledged S.T.A.R.S Officer.”

“Except me if I feel she doesn’t fit the bill,” the final member of the group chimed in from his corner of the carriage. “This unit isn’t like the guards that patrol the streets of Raccoon City. We need to be tougher, faster,and smarter. When we are called in it is because the situation is too much for the guards to handle, we can’t afford any weaknesses.”

“Lighten up Shades,” Berry teased, gently nudging one of his legs with her own.

The stallion in questions head turned to look directly at her. “Silent Shade. Not. Shades. We have been over this and I am not one who enjoys repeating my self.”

“Quit wearing those sunglasses all the time and maybe I might call you something else,” said Berry, another cocky grin spreading across her face.

Shade frowned and continued to glare at her, at least it was safe to assume he was looking at her. His dark sunglasses made it impossible to tell for sure and gave him a very uncanny valley like appearance. Berry shifted uncomfortably in her seat and turned to look out the window, mumbling to herself. Shade turned and directed his attention to Valentine who had gone back to adjusting her rig. “Miss Valentine, kindly stop doing that. The rig works perfectly fine and a carriage in the middle of a storm is hardly what I would consider the best place to perform repairs on a sophisticated mechanism.”

Slipping the screwdriver back into its pouch Valentine sighed and nodded “I know sir its just, this is our first real case. No more PR appearances. No more saving cats from trees. No more sitting around HQ waiting for somethingto happen. All those months of training, years of hard work to get into the Raccoon City Guard Patrol, all the tests it took to bypass the R.C.G.P and get into the S.T.A.R.S unit. Its all finally coming together tonight.”

Red Field cleared his throat, “and the fact that our first real mission is to go rescue Bravo team who was sent on the actual first mission doesn't diminish your excitement?”

“Don’t ruin the moment Red. This is our time to shine! If we rescue Bravo team and get to the bottom of all the murders in the Arklay Mountains we will finally get some respect.”

“We are not in this for respect Miss Valentine. We are the crowns response to an increase in the sophistication of crimes being committed. So long as we do our jobs and keep ponies safe the public can respect us as much or as little as they please. Now, Mr. Red Field, are we close to the crash site?”

“Yes sir,” the other stallion responded immediately. “In fact I can see a grouping of trees that look like the tops were broken off. North East of our current position about three-hundred feet away.” Shade nodded and stuck his head out his window. A few moments of muffled yells could be heard over the din of the rain before the carriage banked right and headed for the grouping of trees Red Field had pointed out.

Shade brought his head back in and addressed the others. “As soon as we land we all exit through the door on our side, guns at the ready. Secure the immediate area then move out. I want a one-hundred foot perimeter around the carriage. Five minutes, we all meet up back at the carriage. Berry, you will stay with Scootaloo and Brown Sugar to guard our position. Valentine, Red Field, you are both with me. We will follow the path the broken tree tops present to us and see if we can find Bravo team.”

“Yes sir!” the other three ponies said in unison, punctuating it with a salute.

The carriage angled forward slightly and they began their descent. Each pony inside activated a flash-light attached to their vest and took hold of a rail that ran the length of the carriage, readying themselves to exit. After a short descent the carriage was jostled as it touched down, shaking a bit as it slid through the muddy ground. When the carriage eventually stopped the S.T.A.R.S members inside exited their respective doors, guns at the ready. Trained eyes scanned the scene around them in seconds. Confirming no immediate danger each pony set off to create the perimeter their captain had requested.

Valentine left the clearing and ventured further into the surrounding woods. The above foliage provided little protection from the pounding rain and within seconds she was was soaked to the bone. Ignoring her tail that now clung uncomfortably to her body and her tactical gear,now weighed down after absorbing so much rain water, she pressed on. Valentine continued into the forest, her hooves avoiding rocks and roots as if she had been this way a thousand times before. Each movement she made was a carefully planned out tactical choice to make sure she was always ready to respond to any threats. At the one-hundred meter mark Valentine turned to return back to the carriage. With a flick of her leg her gun was returned to its normal position giving her the ability to use all four legs again. Ready to head off the mare lifted one of her legs to take a step forward, but before her hoof touched the ground her ear twitched as she picked up the sound of a twig breaking. Instantly Valentine was facing the direction the sound originated from, her gun already back in position and ready to be fired. Her eyes flicked back and forth as she scanned the area of woods her flash-light revealed to her. Just beyond the border of where her flash-light could not reach she could see two very small glowing orbs floating in the air. Squinting to see better Valentine began to cautiously move forward, her gun and body continued to face the strange orbs while her eyes darted around to make sure nothing was going to surprise her. As she moved closer to the strange sight before her a powerful gust of wind hit her in the face, causing her to squint and making it much harder to see. Before she could properly react to the issue of the wind something light hit her in the face and seemed to wrap around her head, obscuring her vision. Instinctively her hooves flew to her face to try and remove the obstruction causing her to clock herself in the forehead with the barrel of her gun.

Valentine stumbled backwards, tripping over a large root and tumbling to the ground. Her upper back, an elbow, and her head connected with more roots and a rock. Not wasting time to scream out in pain the downed mare grabbed at what was covering her eyes and threw it away, immediately bringing up her gun to point at where the orbs were the moment she could see. Staring at her, eyes glowing as they reflected the light from her flash-light, was a rather confused fox holding a dead rabbit in its jaws. The fox observed the odd pony a moment longer to ensure it’s dinner wasn't in danger of being stolen and quickly trotted off to return to its den for the night. Valentine grunted out a pained and embarrassed groan as she stiffly got back up. Not wanting to waste any more time she began to make her way back to the carriage, stopping after a few feet to observe a piece of yellow plastic ribbon caught on a branch fluttering in the wind. The words “R.C.G.P Crime Scene” repeated over and over along the ribbons length. Becoming even more embarrassed at realizing what had been blown in her face and caused such a panic. Valentine groaned again and quickly made her way back to the carriage, a slight limp to her step.

When she arrived the rest of her team was already back and waiting for her return, all of them just as wet as she was.

“You okay Val?” Red Field rushed over to inspect the leg Valentine was making a great deal of effort not to put weight on.

“Fine. I mean it hurts but its no big deal. Tripped over a root. Just sore is all.” Red Field nodded absent mindedly as he continued to inspect her leg. Valentine looked to the rest of her team “Sorry guys…”

“Don’t worry about it Valentine. Not exactly the end of the world. Right, Shades?” Berry punctuated her question by bumping Silent Shade’s rump with her own. Silent Shade looked at Berry then over to Valentine and Red Field.

“Mr. Red Field, is she fit?” The pony in question nodded and looked back at his captain.

“Just fine. Bit of bruising probably. Nothing to worry about.”

Silent Shade nodded “We all get hurt in the field Valentine. Don’t bother apologizing. Just wastes time. Is your area secure?”

Valentine nodded and declared her area secure, adding in a salute. “We must be near one of the original crime scenes. Found some crime scene tape.”

Silent Shade nodded “Very well. Slight change of plans. Valentine you stay here with Scootaloo and Brown Sugar. Serious wound or not it would be best if you had a moment to recoup. Berry, Red Field. You two are with me. I don’t want us farther than twenty feet from each other at any time. In this kind of weather anything can happen. Move out.” Red Field gave Valentine a pat on the back and followed behind Silent Shade.

“Make sure Chicken Heart doesn’t run off now,” Berry yelled behind her as she headed off with the others.

“That Little-! Come here and say that to my face!” The scorned pegasi yelled as she attempted to turn around and face her tormentors back, the harness attaching her to the carriage preventing her from doing so.

Scootaloo’s flying partner attempted to quell her anger. “Calm down Scoots. You know what she’s like. Just let it roll off your back and be ready to prove her wrong.”

“But Sugar! She’s does this to me all the time! I didn't work so hard to be accepted into S.T.A.R.S just to be bullied. I joined to stop ponies like that!” she retorted, fluttering her wings angrily. Brown Sugar sighed and shrugged his shoulders in response.

Valentine tried to help calm the younger pony as she kept a constant vigil on the area around them. “Sugar is right Scoots. It’s just what she's like and its mostly because you’re the newest member. Keep up the good work and she’ll calm down a bit. Throw some of the dirt she slings your way back at her. Believe me, she’d love that and would probably look at you a bit better. She just wants you to stand up for yourself...I think.” Scootaloo mumbled something that became lost in the din of the rain. “What was that?”

“Nothing...didn’t say anything…” Everyone was quiet for a few minutes, each one busy keeping watch and wishing the rain would stop or at least let up. The adrenalin they had worked up in all the excitement and action was beginning to wear off and the weather started to take its toll on them. The three ponies began to shiver almost constantly as the cold which didn't seem a problem before began to worm its way to their core, chilling them from the inside out. Scootaloo begin to fidget angrily in her harness, pulling and twisting, making frustrated sounds. Brown Sugar, being attached to Scootaloo through the harness, was being jostled by his partners actions.

“Hey, hey, hey! Would you quit it!” The older pony demanded. “Look, we are all uncomfortable right now. This isn't exactly amazing weather to be out in. But just suck it up, stay on guard, and stop fidgeting.” Scootaloo unleashed a very frustrated sound as she planted her hooves firmly in the ground and ceased her movements.

“Its not that!... although the weather does suck. It’s just…” she trailed off and tried to look behind her down the path her team mates went. “Why couldn’t we go with them?”

Valentine sighed, knowing exactly why Scootaloo wanted so desperately to be with the team while they searched for Bravo Team. “Look, I get you’re worried about her but-”

“But we are our teams only quick way out of this forest and with a carriage attached we need some room to be able to take off,” Sugar cut in. “What if where they went there wasn't enough room to take off? Puts everyone in danger.” Sugar patted Scootaloo’s back with a wing. “And have a bit of faith. I’ve met her sister and if she is even half the pony that mare is, you’ve got nothing to worry about.” Scootaloo smiled and nodded.

“You’re right, thanks Sugar,” she said, giving her flying partner a playful jab in the shoulder with a hoof.

“Glad that's sorted. Now enough goofing off, we have a job to do and I for one-” Valentine cut herself off as she swivelled where she stood. With a flick of her wrist as she moved, her gun flashed out and into her hoof, locking into position. Though the snap had been almost deathly silent by the time it travelled through the sound of the rain to Valentine's ear, she still heard the faint trace of a branch breaking and was now fully on guard. Scootaloo and Brown Sugar reacted a fraction a second later; their guns snapped out into place, and both placed a hoof on the quick release buttons for their harnesses.

Nervous but ready for anything Scootaloo darted her eyes over every inch of the clearing. Her ears swivelled in every direction possible in reaction to the sounds of droplets pelting the ground and trees. Each drop setting off alarms of a potential threat and the urge to turn and empty the clip in her pistol. The seconds sauntered by as the young pegasus’ heart steadily increased its rapid tempo, pumping adrenalin all throughout her body. As the moment continued to last Scootaloo began to shake, more from the ever increasing threat that things could potentially go very bad, then from the cold of the storm.

Brown Sugar, though more experienced, had a difficult time stopping his hoof from releasing him from his harness and immediately turning to confront a threat. Each gust of wind caressing his body was an agonising taunt by nature for him to lose his cool. Every tussle of his mane made him want to reach up to throw a supposed enemy away, each brushing of his thigh made him want to stomp on the ground till what ever was there lay broken and flat. Experience didn't stop you from freaking out in a tense situation, it let you stay focused even if you were freaking out.

The both of them waited on Valentine to make a move, to say something, to give them some sign of what should happen next. Instead she stood where she was, gun trained on the forest, eyes straining to see through the rain and hanging foliage with what little visibility her light could provide. Eventually, Valentine took a confident step forward, gun lowered but still ready to be fired. “This is Private Valentine with the Special Tactics and Rescue Squad! Lower your body to the ground and place your fore hooves spread out away from your body,” she said with a voice confident and authoritative. Scootaloo did her best to see whom her fellow S.T.A.R.S member was addressing but couldn’t make anyone out from where she was.

Just a few seconds passed before Valentine spoke again, “I repeat! I am Private Valentine with the Special Tactics and Rescue Squad! Lower your body to the ground and place your fore hooves spread out away from your body! If you are injured or in some way unable to comply you are to remain stationary with all four hooves planted firmly. If you make any attempts to move or lift any of your hooves off the ground I will consider it an act of aggression and will react accordingly. Do you understand?” The only answer she received was the continued pitter patter of rain colliding with the ground. Valentine tilted her head back slightly to address her partners, while keeping her eyes firmly on the pony she was addressing. “Whoever it is seems to be delirious or something. Don’t think they’re in the right mental state to comply with my command. Im going to have to approach and restrain them. Scoots you keep a close eye on my back, Sugar you watch the forest and make sure this pony doesn't have friends.” Both ponies nodded and confirmed their understanding. With an air of caution Valentine made her way to the pony she had been addressing, once again entering the woods.

Now much closer than before it was clear that her assumption of delirium was right on the mark. The ponies mouth was wide open, her jaw on a strange angle -possibly dislocated- and she had glazed over white eyes. Her head was tilted back slightly and her movements were confused and sloppy. Valentine also noted the mare appeared to be wearing mountain boots and had on a damaged water pack. This was very likely to be one of the missing hikers Bravo team had been sent out to find. “Ma’am, it you have any ability to understand me, please do not panic and make no sudden movements. I am here to help but I am going to need to restrain you.” Fairly confident the confused pony wasn’t going to attack her, Valentine flicked her wrist and sent her gun away. Freeing a hoof to slip into a pouch and pull out a nylon set of zip-cuffs.

The mare seemed oblivious to Valentine's existence and movements. Confidently the S.T.A.R.S member moved toward her target and got into position to pin and restrain her. Just as she was about to make her move the mare suddenly tackled her to the ground. Valentine instinctively grabbed the mares upper fore legs to keep her at bay. The crazed mare growled and flapped its dislocated jaw uselessly as she made frantic attempts to bite her pinned prey. Valentine braced her hind hooves against her attackers stomach and with a powerful thrust kicked her off and a decent distance away. In a blink she was on her hooves, gun clicking into place. “Get on the ground! Get on the ground right now or I will open fire!” The mare didn’t seem to care about Valentine’s threat. She stood back up on unsure hooves and began a sluggish walk towards her target. “Freeze! Freeze or I will fire!” The shouts of her friends could be heard just slightly over the din of the rain but Valentine was too focused to answer. “If you do not stop and get on the ground I will open fire! Now get on the ground!” The mares mouth opened wide and she let out a blood curdling scream, of pain and hunger. She lurched forward and once again tried to take a bite out of Valentine.

Three loud bangs echoed through the forest as three bullets exited the standard issue Samurai Edge pistol and hit their mark. Two shots hitting the mare in the chest and the last one in the head. The crazed mare dropped to the ground like a marionette who had its strings cut. Not wanting to waste time, knowing her comrades would have heard the shots, Valentine made to shout she was okay. Before she could, multiple gun shots rang out; she immediately put her gun away and took off back to the carriage.

Back at the carriage there was five dead dogs laying on the ground in various locations. Scootaloo was busy fixing a wound on one of Sugar’s fore legs. “You two okay?!” Sugar nodded.

“We’re just fine...gah! careful Scoots.”

“Sorry Sugar.” The rattled pegasus turned her head and gave Valentine a quick nod to show she was okay too.

“You okay Val? We heard shots fired.”

“Ya...crazed mare, had to take her down. Think she was one of the hikers Bravo was looking for,” Valentine responded with a touch of sadness in her voice.

“Now don’t you start doing that Val. Morn when you have the time and this most certainly is not the time.”

Valentine gave a half hearted nod “Right...so...lets contact Berry and the others.” The other two nodded in agreement, Scootaloo giving an extra nod after finishing fixing up Sugar. Val reached for her radio but stopped as the echoing sound of gunfire reached her ears and the crackling sound of her captain burst from her radio.

“Valentine! Get everyone into the air and get ready for a Dive and Sweep pick-up!” Valentine snapped up her radio and voiced her understanding to her captain.

“You heard him you two. Get ready to fly! I’ll stay here and provide back up,” she commanded, lighting a flare and dropping it to the ground. “Should be able to see the flare decently enough but don’t go to high.”

“Right!”

Both pegasi’s wings flared out and they readied to take off. But before they could get a chance another dog burst out of the shadows and latched onto one of Sugar’s wings. The pegasi screamed out in pain and Scootaloo screamed out in absolute terror, bucking wildly. Sugar frantically tried to hit the quick release on his harness while also fighting off the dog. Valentine made to shoot the attacking animal but growling from behind her forced her to turn and address the threat of five more dogs rushing at them.

Sugar managed to release himself, however this proved to be a mistake as three more dogs burst forth from the darkness, each latching onto him. Had he remained strapped into the harness the four dogs would have been unable to drag him away into the woods.

Val finished off the other dogs and turned to help Sugar, only to see him being dragged into the blackness of the forest.

“Sugar!” Valentine’s voice rang out but was a mere whisper to the gunshots emanating from all around her, both from Berry and the others, and Sugar who was putting up a last fight. Valentine made to go after Sugar but more of the rabid dogs showed up, driving Scootaloo into a panic. Not thinking clearly the frightened pegasus neighed and took off at full speed, fear for her life driving her and giving her strength. Busy with the new pack of dogs Valentine was unable to stop Scootaloo from lifting off the ground and disappearing into the distance. Valentine screamed Scootaloo’s name over and over as she took each dog out with carefully positioned shots, but the carriage never re-appeared. As the last of the dogs were finished off Valentine made to take of after Sugar, only to notice that there was no more gun shots, no more sounds of any kind. She quickly came to the realization that if Sugar had somehow survived the attack she had no way to find and help him.

Not wanting to give up Valentine grabbed her radio “Scootaloo is gone with the carriage, Sugar was pulled into the forest. Im going in after hiiiiim!-” Valentine suddenly found herself being pulled frantically by Berry Punch.

“Sorry Val!” The purple mare shouted “We have to run!” Valentine looked behind to see Silent Shade and Red Field close behind, a pack of at least thirty rabid dogs chasing them. Desperately not wanting to leave her friend behind, but realizing the seriousness of their predicament she took off as fast as she could, Berry no longer needing to pull her. The group of them ran as fast as fast as possible, the fury of the dogs urging them to move faster than they thought possible. None of them were able to form any sort of coherent thought beyond run! Their hoofs furiously beat the ground, propelling them forward. Each pony praying to Celestia and Luna that their hooves did not slip in the mud and deliver them to waiting jaws of the beasts in hot pursuit.

Faster and faster they moved, the threat of death pushing the limits of their bodies. Just as it seemed as though they would be running till they collapsed from exhaustion Valentine spotted lights through the darkness. “This way!” she shouted to the others and managed to push a little bit more speed from her body. Her comrade’s followed without a word, hoping Valentine found something. Bursting from the forest into a clearing the group found themselves in front of a huge mansion. Not questioning their luck they all ran towards the front door, willing to make a deal with any manor of demon to ensure it was unlocked. Valentine was the first to reach the door, grabbing the handle and pulling hard…

The door swung open and Val rushed in, her wet and muddy hooves slipping on the marble floor and sending her to the ground. The rest of her team barrelled through and they too slipped and landed hard on the floor. Red Field was the first to make a move to close the door but he was not having much luck. He frantically tried to get up and get to the handle but his hooves repeatedly slipped, sending him down over and over. Each time he fell added to the bruises he already had and made it that much harder to get up again. The lights from the mansion reflected off the approaching dogs eyes making them shine in the darkness. Several sparkling beacons of death charging through pounding rain to devour them all. The sight spurred Red Field on and he rushed to the door. Slipping again and bashing his head against the door’s frame. Light headed, in pain, and disorientated; Red Field lifted a hoof up from the ground and grabbed hold of the doors handle, pulling with all his might to shut it. The six lead dogs all leapt into the air to try and get to their prey that much faster. All six slammed into a wooden barrier blocking their way.

Red Field slumped against the door and closed his eyes, the others -still laying on the ground- did the same as they realised, for the moment, they were safe.

Is Anypony Home?

Chapter 2

Is Anypony Home?

July 24, 1998

Red Field groaned, his head was throbbing with pain and the strange angle he had fallen down on was not helping matters. Though extremely uncomfortable, the contorted position his body had landed in was not enough motivation for Red Field to move; quite content to deal with the disagreeable situation for a bit if it meant he could rest a few moments longer. Just as he was starting to consider thinking about getting up, two strong hooves grabbed him by his tactical vest and hoisted him to an upright, if slightly wobbly, standing position. One of the hooves that lifted him then clapped him on the back forcing him to stagger forward a bit.

“You doing okay Red?” his slightly brutish comrade asked.

“y-ya...just fine. Thanks, Berry. Augh, my head is killing me.” he said as he gently rubbed the troubled area with a hoof.

“The door frame didn’t do much better.” Berry said with a laugh, making to clap Red on the back again but deciding against it. Instead she opted to reach into one of her pouches and pull out a cooling patch. Bending it back and forth to release the chemicals that would cause the cooling sensation before moving Red’s hoof and placing the patch on what was a rather large lump. “Hold it there, Red.” He nooded and walked backwards till his flank bumped into the door. He let himself lean against the wooden surface while he gingerly held the cooling patch in place, sighing with relief as it took effect.

While Red Field enjoyed the soothing properties of the patch, Berry bussied herself trying to hail someone with her radio. After only a few attempts she gave up, realising that even if there was no storm there was no way a simple radio signal was going to reach HQ with all the mountains in the way. They would need the signal booster in their cart to communicate with Raccoon city.

“Report!”

With Red slightly out of it and Valentine still laying on the floor panting, Berry took it upon herself to answer her commanding officers order. “Including you and myself there is four of Alpha team members present. Both Scootaloo and Brown Sugar are M.I.A, Red is beat up slightly and Valentine is seriously out of breath.” Berry finished her report but a blank, yet somehow telling, look from Silent Shade forced her to add, “And I’m okay too. Nothing broken, lungs feel like they’re about to leap out of my chest and knock me up side the head for running that hard.” With a shrug Berry busied herself getting Valentine on her hooves.

Content with Berry’s report Silent Shade began walking around the foyer of the mansion they had just entered, clearly scanning the area for threats. Red, now feeling considerably better, took the time to take in the area himself. The size of the house from the outside suggested there was at least three floors but the sweeping double staircase that took up a majority of the room only went as high as the second. The landing, which wrapped three-quarters around the room, the stairs led to as well as the stairs themselves were supported by highly ornate white marble pillars. The floor beneath his hooves was also made of tiled marbled, though black with specs of white and gold. The walls were lined with a deep velvet-red, ornate, victorian wall paper, and upon the walls themselves hung various paintings that looked rather old. Not counting the front door there were six other doors in the area, three on the ground floor and three on the top. All six, as far as Red could tell, where made of solid wood and featured intricate carvings and a glass door knob. The grandness of the foyer was top off with a large and complicated chandelier that hung down from the ceiling, the hundreds of carefully cut crystals reflecting the light coming off an enchanted glow orb.

Red Field guessed a millionaire lived here at first, however -despite lacking knowledge of such expensive decor- he doubted even a millionaire could afford to decorate an entire mansion like this. So either only the foyer looked this good, or the owner of this house was one of the richest ponies in the world.

Though large it didn't take long for Silent Shade to personally inspect the whole area and return to his team. “The immediate area looks secure. Should be safe enough to rest here a little longer. Only entrances in at through doors so if anyone tries to enter we will hear the door and be able to react. Mr. Red Field are you feeling well enough to have a look at Miss Valentine?” cold and to the point as always Silent Shade indicated the pony in question who was still on the ground take in deep breaths.

Red Field slipped the cooling patch into a pocket and walked over to his comrade and layed down beside her. He tried several times to speak with her but when she wouldn’t respond he got to work looking her over. He checked to see if she had any wounds, specifically ones to the chest, as well as any signs of trauma that might impair respiratory systems. Satisfied that there were none to speak of Red reached into a pocket and pulled out a flashlight, gripping it firmly with his teeth. Using two hooves he held one of Valentines eyes open wide and shined the light right into it, it immediately dilated to reduce the light entering her eye, however she herself didn't seem to react. “I think shes in some state of shock. Given what just happened followed up by pushing ourselves so hard we’re lucky all of us are not like this.”

Silent Shade noded and asked, “Anything you can do for her right now? We are going to need everyone.”

Red Field nodded his head as he put his flashlight away, immediately fishing something out of another pocket. He pulled out a small bottle and carefully removed the lid, his eyes crossing slightly as he got a whiff of the contents. He then held the open bottle just under Valentines nose for a few seconds, the short time of smelling the liquid inside all it taking to snap Valentine back to reality. She immediately shot straight up and backed away, rubbing at her nose furiously with a hoof. “Gah! What the hay was that? It smells awful!”

Red chuckled. “Smelling salts, you were a bit out of it and needed a bit of a ‘kick’ so to speak, to get you up. Glad to see you’re okay,” he said, putting the small bottle away.

“Glad to be okay...where are we?” The question was not directed at anyone in particular as Valentine busied herself gazing around the room.

“I’m not sure,” Silent Shade responded. “I don’t recall there ever being a mansion in the Arklay Mountains. At least none on record.”

“Well…” Red started to say as he reapplied the cold patch to the bulge on his head. “It looks well taken care of. Even if the owners aren't home theres got to be some staff or a groundskeeper around who can lend a hoof.”

Silent Shade nodded. “My thoughts exactly. We should split up a-”

Shade was interrupted by Red FIeld. “Sorry sir. But before we do any splitting up we need to look each other over for bites or other wounds while we have the chance. Its highly likely those hounds were rabid. If thats true we need to know now if any of us have been given rabies.”

Understanding their medics request they began looking eachother over. Berry and Valentine looked one another over, and Red Field and Silent Shade did the same for each other. Satisfied they were all in acceptable condition, Shade resumed what he was saying before. “We should split up and search the grounds for somepony, or at the very least see if the house is stocked with sending scrolls so we can send for help.” Valentine made an annoyed noise at that last part. “Something wrong Miss Valentine?”

“We are supposed to be an elite squad of the best trained ponies in Equestria. And on our first mission our entire team is take out by bad weather and some dogs…” There was a brief silence as her companions realised how true her words were. Silent Shade appeared to be deep in thought, though Red knew his Captain was not concerned with how his team would look to the public, if Princess Luna decided the S.T.A.R.S unit was a mistake he would be out of the job and would have failed the ponies under his charge. Silent Shade would not take that level of failure very well. Even Berry Punch was shockingly quiet at that moment. Red Field looked at her and wished she’d crack some kind of joke.

“The night is still young. We have not failed just yet. Miss Valentine!” Valentine responded to her Captains call by standing up straight and saluting. “What happened after we parted ways?”

Valentine's expression saddened a bit but she stayed standing straight and answered with a clear, if slightly unsteady voice.“ After you left we all got into position. I heard a noise come from the woods and saw what looked to be a pony wandering around. I called to them but they didn't respond, so I approached. The pony was in bad shape and attacked me. I cant be sure but she appeared to be in a delirious state and...maybe rabid based on the animalistic way she attacked. After that w-” Valentines voice cracked slightly and she went silent a moment. Red could see she was fighting back tears as she finished her report.” W-we were attacked by the rapid animals just as you were. Brown Sugar was attacked by several and after releasing his harness was dragged away. In a panic Scootaloo took off with the cart in tow, managing to lift of the ground and fly away.”Part of Silent Shade’s left eyebrow appeared above the rim of his glasses as he raised it in a questioning manner. Catching on to his confusion Valentine quickly responded, “Yes sir, she flew away. I have no idea how she was able to pull that whole cart by herself...but she manage it somehow…”

Silent nodded. “She is a tough one, which is part of the reason I accepted her over the other candidates.” He said with a touch of respect in his voice.

Red noticed Berry give a bit of a scowl at Silent Shades compliment towards Scootaloo. He wanted to address it but his commander quickly got to business and Red was forced to leave the matter alone for the time being.

“Scootaloo is not the type to stay afraid of something for long. I think its safe to say her fear wore off after the first minute and she either dropped the carriage and headed back to the city to get help or turned around and is looking for us. We are in a tight spot but it is nothing we can’t handle. Now, we need to operate under the assumption that Scootaloo is not a factor, which means finding a way to communicate with HQ.” Everyone nodded in agreement, Red Field being the first to add to their captain’s plan.

“Judging from how well kept everything appears I think its safe to say that if there isn’t ponies here who can help, there is some manner in which anyone here could communicate with the city.”

Silent Shade nodded in agreement. “That is sound logic. Now, because time is a factor I think we should split up and search the whole house. Two on the bottom floor and two on the top. We will have twenty minutes to search, and then we will all meet back here. I am sure that between the four of us we can find something to lend aid. Before we do however we should establish what we know so far.” Shade looked at his team expectantly.

“I think its clear that a large pack of dogs has been infected with rabies.” Berry said, stepping forward. “It doesn't take a genius to figure out what’s been going on. That pack of dogs has obviously been attacking ponies, either killing them or infecting them as well. What happened with Valentine and the rapid pony I think proves that. The pack has clearly been roving the forest killing anything in its path or just making more rapid animals of the creatures and ponies they don’t manage to kill. I think thats why the deaths and disappearances have been growing. The number of rabid animals in the forest is growing freakishly quickly.”

Silent Shade nodded, but didn’t seem totally convinced by Berry’s opinion. Not that it was easy to tell what he was thinking. “While there is some logic behind what you’re saying I don’t think we can wholly rely on that theory. We narrowed out a rabid animal originally due to the scattering of bodies found and the frequency of deaths. All the best experts on animals insisted it would take dozens of animals to kill so many ponies and other animals, and that something like that has rarely -if ever- happened.” Berry rolled her eyes.

“Got a better theory, Shades?” She asked in a rather cocky manor.

Silent Shade sighed, clearly annoyed at Berry’s use of her nickname for him. “At the moment, no. I was not shooting down your theory only stating we shouldn’t act like its the truth till we have more information. If you create theories without proper evidence you inevitably begin to twist any ideas you do have to fit your theory. I am not ruling out your pack of rabid pack of dogs, as it does have some merit.”

"What ever Sherclop, shall I fetch your violin? The proof is in the pudding, Shades. A pack of dogs, who were clearly rabid, by the way, tried to bite our faces off. What more do you need?" There was a long pause between Berry’s comment and their Captain’s response. A rather awkward moment that almost, almost, made Red Field wish he was still running from the dogs instead of being in such an uncomfortable situation. Slowly the Captain turned his head away from the pink mare and addressed his other two officers, doing his best to ignore the thirds existence.

“Something else to keep an eye out for while we search is for any signs of Bravo team. With this house in such close proximity to the crash sight it’s not impossible the surviving members made their way here. Silent Shades use of ‘surviving members’ did not get past Valentine who immediately put a hoof to her mouth and gasped.

“...you mean?” she tentatively asked.

Berry placed a hoof on Valentines shoulder in a comforting fashion. Red looked to Silent Shade to give a briefing, when he didn’t make any attempts to Red Field took the liberty. “Both Jazz and Red Cherry were still in their carriage harnesses and… well if they didn’t die in the crash…” he sighed “The dogs got to them and I just pray to Celestia that they died in the crash… anyway… we also found Harvest Gold’s body not too far from there, she had been mauled to death. But there was a good number of wolves all around her, she at least put up a good fight.” Valentine slowly nodded and looked as though she was about to cry. Berry looked to be in the same position and Red could feel himself about to break down too. Things had been so chaotic none of them had gotten a chance to really absorb what had happened. Now that things had calmed down a bit the news hit them like a train. Berry pulled Red and Valentine into a hug, the two of them happily joining in. A second or two passed and Red Field felt a slight weight on his back as the fourth member of their party joined in on the hug, even the cold hearted Silent Shade needing a moment to mourn the loss of friends and comrades.

A brief moment was all they spared to grieve, the groups Captian being the first to break the hug and take action. “Valentine, you and Red Field search this floor while myself and Berry search the second floor. Stay on your floor if you can help it. We meet back here in twenty minutes, but keep up radio contact.” Salutes were given and ponies ran off. Berry and Shade disappeared behind doors on the second floor, and Valentine went through her own after giving Red a little wave.

“Well… guess that just leaves two choices for me,” he said to himself. Not wanting to waste time Red Field picked a door at random and headed through into a new area of the house. He found himself in a long hallway with an equal level of decor as the foyer. Along the right side of the hall ran several large windows, through them he could see the area in front of the house. The little light that escaped through the windows of the mansions showed that the dogs were still around. It was hard to tell in the rain and dark but it looked like there was fewer of them. Red Field hoped that was because most of them had given up on their pray and not because they were circling the house trying to find a way in.

With that thought being a possibility, Red Field quickly checked over his gun while he had the chance; making sure it hadn’t taken any damage in the fight. Checking the slide’s movement, that the hammer and trigger still functioned, and that the safety was still doing what it was meant to. Satisfied the gun would still do what it was designed for Red Field loaded in a fresh clip and cocked the gun before flicking his wrist and sending it back to its holstered position.

The hall eventually turned right and led to three new doors. Once again Red picked on at random and headed through to find himself in a large dining hall. The room was probably sixty-feet long and had an ornate wooden table that stretched a majority of the length. Above was a balcony that followed around the whole room and would give someone a view of the room from above. Redfield also noticed there was bit of missing railing from the balcony. “Well that’s a safety hazard…” he commented to no one in particular. On the other end of the room was a fireplace and another door. Red Field began to make his way to the new door but stopped part way there after noticing there was the sound of more than just his own hoof steps.

A quick glance around him showed there was no one behind him or under the long table. There was also no where in the room someone could easily hide with exception of, “The balcony…” he whispered to himself. Flicking his gun into place he turned his gaze upward to the balcony opposite to him while backing up to the wall, so no one could get the drop on him from the part of the balcony he was standing near. He waited and listened, his eyes scanning for any movement on the upper part of the room. “Hello? Is anyone there? This is Officer Red Field of the Raccoon Special Tactics And Rescue Squad! If there is anyone there me and my fellow officers are in need of assistance.” No reply greeted him other than the continued silence in the room. “This is Officer Red Field of the Spe-gah!” he began to say but was cut off by a loud noise that sent him into the air in shock and caused his ears to ring. In a panic Red Field backed away from the noise which had originated from directly behind him. He quickly turned around, gun at the ready, and found himself facing a grandfather clock. Another loud toll of the bell sounding to inform anyone listening it was ten-o’clock.

“Red! Red Field! Is everything okay?!” Valentine's worried voice cracked through the radio. Red groaned as he realised he had also shrieked in surprise, and that it had clearly been loud enough for Valentine to hear.

“Y-yeah Val… everything is super. Grandfather clock went off and scared the fur off my backside is all.”

“Copy.” was the only reply he got back. Thankful that Berry hadn’t also heard he started to head towards the door near the fireplace. Only to stop in his tracks and groan once again as Berry’s hearty laugh came through the radio.

“Of course… we’re all on the same channel…” the embarrassed stallion reminded himself.

His radio crackled again,“Oh by Luna’s wings that’s hilarious. Bit too busy right now, but I am so making fun of you for that later. I can squeeze a lot of ridicule out of this.” Choosing to ignore Berry’s comments Red Field pressed on and went through the door.

On the other side was another, if smaller, hall, though less decorative and ornate as the previous parts of the house he had seen. This part of the mansion was probably for serving staff to get around easier behind the scenes. There was also two doors near by and Red Field decided to check those out before exploring further. The first door was locked, but the second one wasn’t and led to a small bedroom.

The bedroom was lightly furnished with just a closet, low desk, and a simple bed. While it appeared to be lived in there was no personal effects or touches around the room. While its possible it was just a guest bedroom its position in the home would suggest it was for a servant to sleep in so they were near the dining hall if they were needed. The lack of any personal aspects in the room combined with the lack of ponies around in general, gave Red Field the impression that this was probably a secondary home. Perhaps some rich nobles cottage, or get-away-from-it-all place. That thought made Red frown as it meant the chances of finding someone here to help was slim; at most there might be a very small staff or a groundskeeper around to keep things tidy.

Red radioed the rest of his team about his discovery and how he didn’t think there was anyone likely around. The others expressed they had found similar lived in rooms and had come to the same conclusion.

Just to be sure there wasn’t anything in the room that could help, Red gave it a quick search. The only things of interest he found was a lab coat hanging in the closet and a file folder on the desk. The file appeared to be a security report about someone who was staying in the mansion and had apparently been causing problems for the owner. Red skimmed the report till he found an entry that mentioned some names.

..we are not sure where Grand Terrace is hiding in the mansion. However we are 100% confident he has not be able to leave the grounds. All security staff is on full alert until we find him. He is more than likely hiding in an area he did not include in the original floor plans. Please inform Sir Spice that Mr. Terrace is not a problem he has to concern himself with.

Captain Night Watch

Red Field finished reading and scratched his head, the name Grand Terrace was extremely familiar to him. Clicking on his radio he decided to ask his team, “Does the name ‘Grand Terrace’ sound familiar to anyone?” There was a short pause before Silent Shade responded.

“He was a famous architect responsible for many of the buildings in Raccoon city and had a reputation for slipping secret rooms into those buildings. He went missing many years ago after telling the press he would be busy with a personal project. Why do you ask?”

“Just found a file that mentions him working for Sir Spice. I think this place was that personal project he was talking about.”

“Sir Spice? You mean the founder of Umbrella Corp?” Valentine questioned, her voice slightly distorted through the radio.

“The file wasn’t very detailed. But there is only one Sir Spice I know of that would be so close to Raccoon city. I think it’s safe to assume Grand Terrace built this place for Sir Spice.”

“In that case be extra careful everyone.” Silent Shade sounded genuinely worried. “Mr. Terrace was also known to include booby traps in some of his buildings. Add that to the fact that Mr.Spice was well known to have been a rather paranoid individual, I think it’s safe to say we may run into some traps.”

“Copy. Over and out.” With that Red Field ended the call, feeling even more on edge than before. With the dog’s outside, having to also worry about being attacked by the house itself was not an encouraging thought.

Returning to the service hall the S.T.A.R.S member continued his search. Heading to the left brought him to a rather narrow set of stairs that led up. Wanting to leave the second floor for Silent Shade and Berry, Red Field headed off down towards the other end of the hall. This led him into a rather large kitchen, shockingly large in fact -even taking into consideration of size the house. There was at least two large frying vats, several stoves and ovens, and in the center sat a large stainless steel table. The kitchen looked like it was equipped to feed an entire office building of people as opposed to a mansion.

“Oh sweet Celestia! What is that!?” Red Field exclaimed as he covered his nose with a hoof. Whoever lived here just up and left the kitchen while in the middle of preparing for a meal of some kind. There was numerous pots on the stoves filled with food, and the table in the middle was covered in dozens of servings of food; all of it rotten. There were what must have been thousands of maggots swimming in the liquefying remains of the meals, and hundreds of flies buzzing in the air all through the massive kitchen.

Not wanting to leave an area unsearched Red Field exited the kitchen a moment to take a deep breath, before heading back in and quickly searching. He didn’t get very far before he saw a large bloody streak along the floor. Acting quickly, Red Field followed the streak across the kitchen to a corner. Laying limp and bloodied in the corner was Riches from the Bravo team. He was covered in bites and blood, and he was missing large chunks of flesh. Clutched in one of his hooves was an unopened first aid kit. Not wasting any time Red grabbed the first aid kit in his mouth and took hold of Riches vest with a hoof. Doing his best to avoid the rotting remains that spilled onto the ground Red Field pulled his comrade out of the kitchen.

Not wasting any time Red put Riches on his back and starting checking for vitals. Between the wounds and the blood, and the fact that the wounds were already festering, one might have thought it pointless to look for vitals. But Red Field just had to confirm it for himself, and after checking several times it was clear Riches was not only dead, but had been for several hours. With a sad sigh he cleaned his hooves off and clicked on his radio. “...” He was unable to find the words.

“Hello? Is someone trying to communicate?” Valentine’s voice came through the radio the moment Red let go of the switch.

“Y-yeah...its me again.”

Silent Shade responded this time, “Mr.Field, you seem to be fairly productive. What have you found now?”

“Well sir… I found Riches from Bravo team…” From the lack of excitement in his voice everyone picked up on the situation immediately.

“Collect his dog tags and if you’re able, try and find a nice place for him to stay until we can come back and get him. Don’t lose spirits everyone. If Riches made it here then I’m sure others from Bravo team did too. On another note it’s almost been twenty-minutes. Start heading back to the foyer everyone. Over and out.” After the Captain ended the call Red got to work collecting Riches’ dog tags and then wrapping him in a blanket; placing the deceased S.T.A.R.S memeber on the bed in the room he found the file folder in.

Taking only a moment to say a small prayer to the Princess’ Red Field started backtracking and making his way to the foyer. Quickly making his way back to the long hall with windows. As he walked down the hall he noticed something odd, just about every window had a several series of cracks along their bottoms. Red Field was confident they weren't like that before, though was willing to accept he might have mistook the cracks for some sort of pattern originally. Airing on the safe side he moved closer to the opposite wall and flicked his gun into place. Moving along the wall he kept a close eye on the windows, only glancing away now and again to make sure he wasn't about to walk into something.

Red Field jumped a little as he heard a dull thud against one of the windows back the way he came. He wanted to ignore it and just get to the foyer but the paranoid part of his mind suggested to him that maybe the thud was a Bravo team member banging on the glass for help. Against his better judgement Red Field quickly made his way to the windows he just past and peered out. Unfortunately with the darkness outside and the light from inside he couldn't actually see anything that might be close to the windows. A quick glance showed him that several dogs were still roaming outside the front door. Using the shaft of his gun Red tapped the glass, mindful not to break it but still doing his best to make it loud enough anyone nearby might here. “… Guess the rain must have blown something at the window…” he reasoned to himself aloud.

Red Field quickly made his way back to the opposite walls and headed towards the door to foyer. Before he got even four steps, two dogs smashed through the glass in front of him and blocked his path. Smashing through the glass had ripped their flesh to shreds; for one of the dogs their belly was sliced open and some of their guts were spilling out onto the ground. Despite the severe level of damage neither dog seemed to notice and charged Red. The S.T.A.R.S member wasted no time in firing off two quick shots, hitting both of the dogs in the head. Their bodies flew back a few feet and went limp, leaving a trail of blood and guts across the floor. Red quickly flicked on his radio “Two shots fired by me. careful on the first floor near windows. Those dogs are able to smash through.” Everyone expressed their understanding. Suddenly three more dogs smashed their way into the mansion, all three being sliced up by the glass as well, and all three landing directly in front of Red Field. With no time to take proper aim Red quickly flicked his gun away, turned, and ran the opposite direction. He heard the claws on the marble floor take chase after him, followed up by more glass smashing as more dogs entered the house. Not risking a glance back Red Field just ran as fast as he could back the way he came, opening and going through the first door he came to. A second after he closed the door three heavy weights smacked into it, followed up by growling and the sound of claws digging into wood. Panting, Red moved away from the door and dropped to the ground, once again clicking on his radio “W-we got a problem… more dogs got in. Couldn't kill them all, had to book it.”

Silent Shade was the first to answer back. “Are you injured Red Field?”

“No s-sir… just out of breath slightly. Not gonna lie, that scared the tail off me. A bunch of them just… smashed their way in.”

“Understood Red Field. Are you able to make it to the foyer? We can wait,” offered Silent Shade.

“Uh… nah. It’s okay sir. I can get back but it might take me a while. I saw some stairs before leading up. I can get to the second floor and make my way to the foyer from there. I’ll radio you all when I make it there, you can keep searching in the mean time.”

“Understood Red Field. Over and ou-”

“Be careful Red!” Valentine cut the captain off. She and the captain must have made it to the foyer because it sounded like her voice had a bit of an echo to it when she spoke.

“Will do Valentine, will do. And I’ll see you in a bit Berry. That is of course on less you found this places’ liquor cabinet.”

“Hey! I am on the job thank you very much. I am more then capable of making it through a mission without a glass of wine you smarmy faced little parasprite,” the scorned mare yelled back at him through the radio. Red Field chuckled.

“Glass? I was thinking more like bottle.” The only response he got back was an angry wave of insults.

“All right you two, knock it off. We have a job to do.” Surprisingly Valentine was the first to break up the squabble before Silent Shade.

“Sorry Valentine. Sorry Berry. See you guys later. Over and out.” Red said, quick to make himself seem the better pony - just to bug Berry even more. He figured if she was going to make fun of him later about the grandfather clock surprise he should at least take a few swings at her when he could.

“He started it!” Berry retorted.

“And I’m finishing it. Get back to work Berry Punch. We don’t have time to fool around.” This time Silent Shade handled it.

“...” an aggravated sound came through the radio, followed by a, “Yes, Sir” After that, communication stopped and Red Field took a moment to look around where he was.

“… ah… horse feathers…” he said aloud, realizing in his haste he had gone through a totally different door than before. He had no idea where he was and the continued scratching at the door told him back the way he came was still not an option.

It’s Really Not Valentine’s Day

Chapter 3

It’s really not Valentine’s Day

July 24, 1998

Valentine watched her Captain and Berry head up stairs and disappear behind doors, sad that their hug -which Valentine felt was sorely needed- lasted such a short time. Though also slightly glad as four soaking wet ponies huging wasn't exactly making any of them dryer. With a deep breath she wiped the few tears she had let escape from her eyes away and headed off toward the nearest door; sparing only a moment to give Red a little wave before heading through. As soon as the door was closed she lifted her injured leg and did her best to suppress a pained sound. Part way through her team’s hug her leg started hurting like crazy, and while the injury wasn't serious she suspected the strenuous running she just finished doing hadn’t been a boon for her leg.

Doing her best to avoid looking out the windows that lined the hall -not wanting to see those rabid dogs again- she slowly made her way towards the nearest door, hoping she might be able to get some ice from the room that laid beyond. As luck would have it, and to her extreme delight, the room turned out to be some sort of bar area. The room was large but there wasn't much in it so she was able to quickly determine there were no threats and head over to the fridge positioned behind the bar. She opened the freezer and found a few trays of ice. Locating a stainless steel bucket she place her hurt leg into it and poured ice around it.“Ahhhhhhh…” she said aloud, the coolness of the ice doing wonders for the throbbing pain in her ankle.

Only briefly enjoying the respite from her pain, Valentine looked around her surroundings a bit closer, now taking in actual details of the room instead of just looking for threats. The room was decently sized though oddly sparse in terms of furniture. There were bar stools along the bar but other than those the only other seat in the room was a bench in front of a large grand piano.the edges of the room had various ornate cabinets, each with its own specialized inner lighting and each boasting an intriguing assortment of antiques. The walls also had an assortment of neatly positioned paintings of various sizes, and all were pictures of differing anatomies of many kinds of creatures, including ponies and changelings. Who ever owned the mansion had some peculiar tastes to say the least.

Carefully dragging her ice bucket along the floor Valentine made her way around the room, checking all the cabinets for anything potentially helpful. The vast majority of it was rather old medical equipment, and small skeletal dioramas of various small animals. The whole feel of the room made Valentine imagine the house was for a group of doctors or scientists to gather around and talk about stuff she’d never understand while sipping from a glass filled with some kind of fancy wine.

Stopping in front of the piano the S.T.A.R.S memeber couldn’t resist tapping a key or two. She was greeted with several lovely sounds that indicated the piano was not only in tune but also well taken care of. Having loved playing the piano since she was a little filly Val took a moment to admire the antique instrument. It was beautifully crafted, its wood and gold accents all polished to a brilliant shine. She traced a hoof along one of the wood edges and smiled a little to herself, suddenly looking forward to the idea of getting home after all this mess and losing herself on the piano for a few hours.

Her brief reprieve from the hell she was in was broken by the sound of Red Field’s scream as it echoed down the hall and into the room. Valentine grabbed and clicked on her radio. “Red! Red Field! Is everything okay?!”

There was only a very short pause before a response was given. “Y-yeah Val… everything is super. Grandfather clock went off and scared the fur off my backside is all.”

“Copy” Val clicked her radio off and sighed in relief, glad that her teammate wasn’t in trouble. She wanted to say more but was worried she would draw the attention of Berry who would most likely-

Her thought was cut short as Berry’s hearty laughter filled the small room. Valentine groaned and hoped her obnoxious friend would leave Red alone. “Oh by Luna’s wings that’s hilarious. Bit too busy right now, but I am so making fun of you for that later. I can squeeze a lot of ridicule out of this,” said Berry, her amusement at the situation clear in her voice despite it being distorted slightly by the radio’s crackling. Luckily Red decided to not give Berry the satisfaction of a response and the chatter died down.

Deciding she had spent enough time in her current location, Valentine gingerly slid her hoof out of what was now slightly cold water and exited back into the hall to continue her search. She checked a few rooms but didn’t find anything of interest until she entered what appeared to be a guest bedroom. Unlike every other room she had checked before this one, all of which were elegant but rather sparse when it came to any personal touches, this room had a few suitcases on the floor and a picture in a nice frame that wasn’t of some creepy medical diagram. Making her way over to it Valentine lifted the picture and looked at what appeared to be two ponies on their wedding day. It was a lovely picture and gave Val a bit of hope that maybe this mansion wasn’t totally abandoned. Putting the frame down carefully she began to search through the room and then the suitcases; doing her best to be both thorough and quick. There was various papers and writing implements in a desk drawer and some clothes in a closet, but there wasn’t anything that could be of use. The only things of note were a briefcase under the bed and two lab coats hanging from a hook on the back of the door. The briefcase had a combination lock and couldn’t be opened so Valentine left it where it was.

While she had been searching the room Red Field contacted the group a few times with various bits of helpful information, but as she was about to leave the room Red Field contacted the rest of the group again, this time with some rather distressing news. Apparently he had found a member of Bravo team, Riches, dead. Without waiting to hear what Silent Shade had to say Valentine rushed back to the foyer. She burst into the room and quickly looked around to discover she was the first to arrive. She made to radio and ask everyone's progress but stopped as she heard several gun shots. Valentine’s gut reaction was to rush to the aid of who ever had fired the shots but she couldn’t be sure where they came from. With great restraint she stayed where she was and waited for someone to report the shots; she didn’t wait long.

The slightly panicked voice of Red came through the radio. “Two shots fired by me. Careful on the first floor near windows. Those dogs are able to smash through.” Everyone voiced their understanding of the danger and things became quiet for a moment. Valentine turned and looked up to the second floor in response to the sound of a door opening and found Silent Shade had made it back. He quickly joined her on the ground floor and looked to be about to say something when Red Field once again radioed in ““W-we got a problem…”

******************************

“Ah!” Valentine recoiled from the table she just bumped into with her injured leg and held her leg close to her body “Ahhhhhhhsssssstill sore,” she said aloud. The relief she had received from the ice had long since worn off and now every little bump hurt considerably. And with her mind as distracted as it currently was, bumping into things with her injured leg had quickly become annoyingly common place.

She was not okay with leaving Red alone, separated from the group by a labyrinthian house and rabid dogs. She had argued with the Captain but he had stayed firm on his decision to let Red handle himself, as attempting to get to him directly would force them to fight the rapid animals. A fight Silent Shade declared would be a ‘waste’ of resources being that there was no real need to fight them. To make matters worse, because she was still on the first floor she had to contend with the possibility of more rapid dogs entering the house on her side and attacking her. Overall, her initial excitement at finally being on their first real mission had subsided quite a bit since first landing in the Arklay Mountains.

Continuing to search the room, she found that once again there was nothing that could be of any help. However she was starting to find more and more signs that the house had - at least until very recently- been occupied. Several of the rooms she searched had suitcases in them, and a few rooms had desks covered in files and papers. Though she didn’t want to waste any time Valentine would still take a few seconds to skim the papers to see what they were about. Most seemed to be related to medical treatments or Biological studies. Nothing overly interesting or helpful in anyway, though it all went a long way to helping Valentine creating a conspiracy theory that the mansion was the hub of secret medical experiments. She snickered a bit at that thought. “Probably just a get away for doctors to come discuss how much money they make,” she said aloud to herself.

Exiting another room which once again had nothing helpful inside, Valentine lowered her leg back to the ground and continued searching.Being mindful to hug the wall as much as she could to stay as far away from the windows as possible. Hoping that the dogs outside couldn’t see her if she wasn’t close to the transparent and shatterable barrier that separated them from her. She however hoped in vain as when she entered this particular section of the house she discovered all the windows had large cracks along their bottom halves, a clear sign the dogs were trying to get into the house even if there was no one present in the area.

Feeling slightly frustrated Valentien started making her way further down the hall to where she hopped she would find more doors and something to help her and her team. Before she could take more than a few steps she stopped suddenly and perked up her ears, swiveling them around in various directions. With her booted hooves no longer loudly clacking on the floor she could clearly make out a disturbing squelching sound, like the that of a hoof sinking into a deep puddle of mud and then being quickly pulled out. Cautiously, Valentine turned around and began heading towards the discomforting sounds, flicking her gun out on the way. Not too far from where she first entered the hall was a small open area; nestled into the corner was a large couch with velvet pillows and an ornate coffee table. In front of the table kneeling on the ground, hunched over something, was a blue coated stallion. The squelching noises were definitely coming from him and being closer to the source of the sound only made it more unpleasant.

Valentine took a deep breath and spoke loud and clear “Put your hooves on your head and don’t make any sudden movements.” The stallion didn’t make any sudden movement but neither did he respond to her order to put his hooves on his head. She tried again. “This if Officer Valentine with the Special Tactics and Rescue Squad, you are to put your hooves on your head.” This time, the stallion seemed to hear her, and slowly turned his head. Valentine’s cool demeanor broke and she baked away, screaming. A large chunk of the stallions face had been torn off revealing bleeding muscles and tendons. He was also missing his eye on that side of the face and a dark cavern replaced it. The stallion opened its mouth wide, barring bloodied teeth at the frightened mare. A cross between a groan and a creaking door echoed from the mutilated stallion’s vocal cords as he stood up on unsteady hooves, saliva and blood dripping from his open maw. “S-sir if you are in need of...of some kind of medical aid I-” Valentine cut herself off as she caught a glimpse at what the stallion had been hunched over. Laying in a crumpled mess on the floor in a pool of blood was the corpse of a pony who appeared to be part way through being eaten. Valentine looked back to the bloodied teeth of the stallion and the visceral liquid that oozed from his mouth and realized what the stallion had been doing before she interrupted him. “ … sweet Celestia…” Before the horror of the situation could truly sink in the stallion lunged at her. Taken off guard Valentine fell backwards to avoid the lung and managed to fire off four shots, three of them hitting their mark the fourth breaking some glass somewhere. The stallion fell to the ground in a limp heap, his limbs splayed out on awkward angles.

Quickly getting to her hooves Valentine proceed to inspect the stallion from what she felt was a safe distance, confirming three bullet wounds now sat comfortably in the stallions chest. Taking only a brief moment to compose herself Valentine activated her radio and made contact with the rest of the group. “I found two ponies. One was dead and was in the process of being… eaten by the other pony. I was forced to put that pony down.”

Silent Shade answered back immediately, “Do you believe the pony you put down was infected?”

“I think it’s fairly clear sir… taking the… cannibalization out of the picture, the stallion was missing half his face and was not bothered by it at all and his actions were very animalistic in nature.” Upon revealing the state of the stallions face Valentine heard both Red Field and Berry swear under their breath in surprise. Silent Shade was, as always, unphased.

“Alright everyone. We may have to deal with more infected ponies in the house. If they’re at the same stage as the stallion Valentine put down then they are too far gone to help. If you come across a pony and confirm they are rapid, put them down immediately.” Even through the radio it was clear no pony was comfortable with their captains order, but one by one they all confirmed their understanding as they realized there was no other option.

Valentine was the last to confirm her understanding. “ … understood s-AH!” She screamed out in pain as something clamped down on her back leg. She quickly looked to see the stallion she thought she had killed was biting her hind leg, the thick leather of her boots the only thing keeping him from actually taking a chunk out. Not able to shoot the stallion from her current position she kicked with her leg until it was free from the other ponies jaws and backed away. With a pained and frustrated groan that didn’t sound like a pony or any animal for that matter, the stallion once again stood up. Valentine could clearly see the three wounds she had made, including the one that should have been a direct hit with the targets heart. Perhaps the bullet had been deflected by a rib bone, or maybe the damage to the heart wasn’t enough to fully put the stallion down. Regardless of the reason it was quite clear this pony was not dead, and still quite hungry. Now in a more preferable situation Valentine easily put two bullets into the stallion’s head. The rapid pony once again fell to the ground, letting out a low growling hiss that for a moment made Valentien think it still wasn’t dead. The hissing stopped fairly quickly, but just to be safe Valentine continued to watch the body, keeping her gun trained on it. She waited a full minute, ignoring the pleas coming through the radio for her to confirm her safety, before she finally felt the stallion was -this time- dead. As she was about to answer her team mates cries she jumped into the air in shock as something brushed against her back. With a quick turn Valentine found herself face to face with some curtains that were being gently tousled by some wind. Letting out the breath she had been holding she activated her radio “Sorry about that. I’m fine. The rapid stallion wasn’t dead. Somehow managed to keep going with three bullets in it’s chest… it’s down for sure this time… make sure you use head shots everyone. Seems like these rapid ponies can somehow take more damage than normal.” There was silence for a brief moment before everyone voiced their understanding and happiness their fellow STARS memeber was unharmed.

With the threat neutralized Valentine felt safe enough to reload her gun and start looking around for something to cover the bodies with. She quickly decided the drapes would be perfect and after pulling them down used them to cover the bodies. She wanted to wrap them both as was traditional, but their current state made wrapping them a difficult option. And if she was being totally honest with herself, Valentine had no interest in touching the partially eaten pony. So instead she simply spread the current out to cover them both. That done she bowed her head and made a small prayer to the princesses to watch over the two ponies before her. Part way through her prayer she stopped as something she had overlooked rocketed to the forefront of her mind. She had just covered the bodies with drapes, drapes that had a moment before been blowing in the wind. As this realization hit her she could feel a gentle breeze caress her face as it brushed past her. Slowly, Valentine turned around to find herself staring at a window, a window with a hoof sized hole in it from where one of her stray bullets had gone through. The hole in the window however only held her attention for a brief moment as she found herself more interested in several sets of glowing orbs she could see in the darkness through the hole “ … oh no…”

She immediately turned and ran as fast as she could,stumbling over the body of the stallion. Her legs picked up more speed as she heard the crash of glass and the many howls and growls of her ravenous pursuers. Valentine ran down the hall, desperately trying to remember which of the doors along it were unlocked, but in her panicked state found the information was not coming to her. Too afraid that if she got it wrong it would lead to a very painful death she kept running, praying that the hall would lead her somewhere safe. For a moment her hopes of safety were dashed as the end of the hall came into view and it appeared to be a dead end, a large painting of a elderly and stern stallion hanging on the wall that was about to be the cause of her death. However she quickly noticed that it did not end, but that it veered to the left, and so when the turn came she threw herself around the corner as fast as she could and found herself stumbling up a set of stairs.

Risking a glance back she saw six bloodied and ravenous dogs at the bottom of the stairs trying to all get up them and at her all at once. Their animalistic and uncoordinated attempts to get her resulted in them tripping over one another making their climbing of the stairs take that much longer. Valentine continued up the steps, taking advantage of the rapid beast’s slower ascent, and immediately turned, finding herself in another long hall lined with doors. Deciding at this point it would be a good idea to risk a door, Valentine charged at the first one she saw. The handle turned unimpeded and the tired mare quickly entered the room beyond, slamming the door closed behind her. Dropping to the ground, Valentine took in large gulps of air, in between each breath she thanked each of the princesses in turn.

The sound of growling and scratching could clearly be heard through the door as the beasts on the other side continued their pursuit of their prey. Valentine ignored them and simply took her time to catch her breath and calm down. Once she was in a better state she took the time to examine the room she was in and was surprised to find it was a small stone room with nothing in it other than another door on the opposite wall and some light fixtures. Unfamiliar with the ways of nobles or the vastly wealthy, she couldn’t begin to guess what purpose a room like this would serve.

While she had a moment Valentine took the time to radio the rest of her team, informing them more dogs had entered the house and had access to the second floor. Her team expressed understanding and Silent Shade once again reminded them to be weary of ravenous ponies as he had come across two in a bathroom and was forced to put both down. Valentine was saddened to hear more ponies had fallen victim to the terrible affliction but tried her best to take solace in the fact theirs deaths at least brought them peace. It brought her little comfort.

The dogs continued their assault on the door so Valentine decided she might as well see where the other door leads. Gun at the ready she slowly opened the door just enough to see into the room slightly. It appeared to be a study and was seemingly empty, so she pushed the door all the way open in one quick motion and looked over the whole room; her gun following her line of sight, ready to fire if she had to. The study was completely devoid of any threats so Valentine flicked her gun away and started searching for anything of use. Her search yielded some shotgun shells and a matching shotgun, which she removed off some hooks on the wall. With some fiddling she managed to rig the older model firearm to her modern combat saddle. The set up wasn’t that great as the barrel was a bit too long for her liking and with the manner she was forced to hook everything in she’d have to take the gun completely off the saddle to reload it. Still, it was good to have some heavier power with her that she could use on the dogs. Her plan was to swing the door open and unload all five shots into the animals. At close range the spread of the shells guaranteed she’d hit more than one and with enough force to put it down for good.

The saddle was designed so that if you brought one of your forehooves up to your body and pulled back sharply, a series of taunt cords would pull the trigger of the gun and fire it. Valentine never liked saddle mounted guns as she felt her ability to aim was severely hampered. Even more so with this particular set up. All modern guns meant for use with a combat saddle came with a laser point to assist in aiming, as trying to aim with a gun strapped to the side of your body was extremely difficult to do with any level of skill. Being an older model the shotgun Valentine was currently using featured no laser point. However Berry had gone over how to aim a weapon without a laser point; all saddle mounted guns are on a slight angle, so, so long as you put whatever you want to shoot in line with your chest you’re almost guaranteed a hit. It’s not a very accurate method but with something like a shotgun the spread of the shells would increase the odds of actually hitting anything.

Taking a deep breath Valentine prepared herself to deal with the dogs. “Come on girl, time to kick some flank,” she said aloud to herself. Confidently she headed back into the small stone room and grabbed hold of the handle of the door out. With one last deep breath she turned the handle and pulled, ready to fire. Only the door didn’t swing open no matter how hard she pulled. The handle turned but the door didn’t budge for some reason.

*Slam!*

Valentine jumped slightly and turned around to see the other door had closed on its own. Attempting to open that door led to the same problem, the handle would turn but the door couldn’t be pulled open. “...what in tartarus is going on?” she questioned, however the only answer she received was a loud scraping sound. A sound she quickly discovered was caused by the slowly descending ceiling. Slightly in panic but still focused Valentien pointed her chest at the door back to the study and fired all five rounds of the shotgun into the door. She began to panic more though as the hole she had expected to appear in the wood was replaced with the glint of metal. These doors were reinforced to stop anyone from breaking them down.

The walls floor and ceiling were all stone, the doors were metal, and no one knew she was in this room other than six hungry dogs. With nothing more she could do, Valentien began to scream as loud as she could for help.

*********************************************

“ouch!” the purple pony on the viewing orb exclaimed before putting her wounded hoof in her mouth. Genome had been watching all four ponies since they entered the mansion, using enchanted statues and paintings around the house to see where the intruders were and what they were doing. He had tuned into the current painting he was looking at in time to see the purple mare -he thinks one of them called her Berry Punch- reach her hoof into a roaring fire to try and pull out a key. Genome watched her in confusion, wondering if she thought the fire was a trick or if she felt she could could pull the key out quick enough to avoid being burned. He was actually impressed she noticed the key at all as it wasn’t in plain sight and most ponies wouldn't think to look for keys in a fire. It was hidden there in case something happened to both of the lead scientists. The only way into the main lab was through a door locked with a retinal scan that would only open for the two leads, but you could bypass the scan using the key. A key that Genome himself was in need of. He desperately needed to get into the main lab but had been unable to make it safely through the house and was forced to hide in a security station.

The mare he was watching pulled a flask out of a pouch and took a few swigs of the contents inside before sitting in front of the fire and staring at it intently. It was obvious she wanted the key, even though she had no way of knowing what the key opened. Genome wasn’t worried about her getting it, the fire was gas fed and could only be shut off my pulling out the correct books on a nearby bookshelf.

As he thought of the solution the mare on screen turned her head to the bookshelf and walked over to it. For a moment Genome worried that she had figured it out somehow, even entertaining the idea that she had read his mind. His worries quickly went away though as she walked back to the fire and once again went back to staring at it. Genome chuckled and couldn’t help but feel a little smug; there was no way she was getting that key out. His smugness was quickly replaced by confusion as the mare on screen was once again doing something that defied logic. She had turned around and was holding her tail back, effectively presenting herself to the fire. All four ponies had been soaked to the bone from the rain so perhaps she was just trying to dry herself off and was holding her tail so it wouldn't catch fire. This, however, was not the case he quickly discovered as the fire started to flicker and eventually go out. The purple mare then kicked the top most fake log away, snatched up the key, wiped it on a fancy chair that was nearby and left the room, her face home to a proud smile.

“She… pissed the fire out…” he said, disbelievingly. “That is… actually a really reasonable way to deal with that problem… whole book combination thing seems dumb in hindsight now… “ It was clear this mare was much more capable then he gave her credit for. He could use her to help him accomplish his mission, all he had to do was figure out a way to get her under his control. Genome knew that there was a records room hidden on the third floor that had information on just about every pony in the nearby Raccoon City. He might be able to get some leverage on Berry Punch if he could get to the room.

Genome began cycling through all the paintings and statues to see if he could make it to the records room without running into any of the STARS member or any infected. With the help of the enchanted objects and a map he had of the whole mansion he was able to plot out a route. It would take him longer than he’d like as he had to double back a few times to stay in safe zones but it shouldn’t cause him too many problems.

If he had any hope of getting the samples he needed he was going to have to get help from these STARS members. Whether they wanted to give it willingly or not.