Equestria: Salvation

The exfil helicopter/plane convertible carrying Velvet Remedy flew over the ocean. Velvet Remedy was alone with the pilot and co-pilot.

“Return to base, ma’am?” the co-pilot asked. Remedy didn’t answer. “RGB!” the pilot called.

“Negative,” Velvet said. “Take me to Command.”

“Ma’am,” the co-pilot wondered.

“Command!” Remedy repeated.

“Roger,” the co-pilot agreed. “Rerouting.” The exfil aircraft turned around and flew toward the Resistance Command Headquarters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The mare that survived the nuclear blast threw the now unclothed corpse back on the ground. She tightened the belt of the military jacket and looked back. Lightning lit up Pinkamena’s face, scowl, mane, and angry eyes. Pinkamena turned the direction she was looking and went to find somepony.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Request has been denied,” the co-pilot told Remedy. “Command doesn’t want to give up their position. Radio coms only.”

“Are they down there?” Remedy inquired.

“Request has been denied, ma’am,” the co-pilot firmly said. “Need to know only, straight from the top.” Velvet Remedy took off her headset and walked over to the cockpit.

“You open up that ramp,” Remedy ordered. “And you tell them I need divers for a lock in. Now!” Remedy walked toward the jet’s exit ramp.

“This is crazy,” the co-pilot muttered. She opened up the exit ramp as Remedy walked over to it. When the ramp was open, Remedy plugged her muzzle and jumped into the cold waters. The jet’s lamp watched her to make sure she made it to the water.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Resistance Command Headquarters

In the quiet and massive submarine, Remedy sat, soaking wet in a chair, in front of the Resistance Command leaders.

“Velvet Remedy,” Shining Armor grumbled. “Prophesized leader of the Resistance. The soldier who put every stallion and mare on this sub in jeopardy with your little frogmare stunt. Let’s get one thing straight.” Shining Armor circled Velvet Remedy. “I don’t believe in prophesy,” he said as he pulled out a powerful handgun. “Not when one can rewrite the future in a heartbeat.” Shining Armor put the muzzle of the gun to Remedy’s head. “Are we on the same page?” he asked, coldly. Remedy turned her head to look at Shining Armor in the eyes.

“Yeah,” she growled. “We’re on the same page.” Shining Armor lifted up his gun and put it away.

“Good,” he said. “Good.” He walked over to the rest of the leaders and sat down on the table. “So soldier,” he asked. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“What did we find down there?” Velvet questioned.

“You’ll be briefed on a need to know basis,” Shining Armor said.

“Well I need to know,” Remedy said. “Because my mares died down in that hole. What did we find down there?”

“We found a solution, Remedy,” Cadence said. “That can end this war, once and for all.” Remedy looked toward the computer screens. “We know that the machines use short wave transmitters to communicate,” Cadence said. “Our intel has located a hidden signal under the primary channel. It allows for direct control over the machines.”

“Starnet’s a machine,” Shining Armor said. “And like all machines, it has an off switch.”

“Does it work?” Remedy asked.

“Will it work?” Shining Armor repeated. “Yes. Have we field tested it? No.”

“Give it to me,” Remedy requested. “I’ll do it. I’ll test it.” Shining Armor looked at Cadence for approval.

‘Remedy is a tech-com unit, has an excellent record,” Cadence said.

“All right,” Shining Armor agreed. “All right. Get Remedy topside. Prepare for lockout.” The leaders stood up and Shining Armor helped Remedy up.

“Remedy, we do this right, the war is over,” Shining Armor said. Velvet Remedy nodded. “We mount our offensive in four days,” Shining informed. The leaders left the room. Before Cadence left she stopped in front of Remedy.

“Remedy,” she said as she gave Velvet a flash drive. “These are the codes for the signal. Good luck.” Cadence patted Remedy on the shoulder.

“Why four days?” Velvet asked.

“A kill list was intercepted from Starnet,” Cadence informed. “It says everyone in this room will be dead by week’s end. You’re number two on the list.” Cadence saluted and walked toward the door.

“Well who’s number one?” Remedy inquired.

“An unknown,” Cadence answered. “A civilian. Pip. Littlepip.” As Cadence left the room, Velvet Remedy’s eyes went wide. If Littlepip died, ponykind would be doomed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The exfil aircraft landed at Remedy’s base, and Velvet Remedy stepped out of the jet. She walked toward the building that was being used as the base. The caged door opened with a creak. Soldiers inside looked and saw Velvet Remedy. They stood up and removed their caps to show respect. Rainbow Dash, a lieutenant of Remedy’s soldiers, walked up to her.

“Rainbow,” Remedy whispered, with regret in her voice.

“Fluttershy,” Rainbow asked. “She didn’t make it, did she?” Remedy slowly shook her head, patted Rainbow Dash on the shoulder, and walked away. Rainbow Dash looked down at the floor in grief. Velvet walked into the medical room and saw him. Braveheart turned and saw his daughter. He walked over to Remedy and hugged her, thankful that she had come back alive. But Remedy still mourned the loss of her team.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Pinkamena walked through the wasteland, she saw nothing but ash and ruin. A small gleam flew into her eyes. She looked down and saw a piece of metal. She brushed the dirt off and saw that it was a piece of a ruined railroad leading to her right. She followed the railroad across the sand, continuing her search.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remedy put up her rifle and sat down at a table. She pulled out a tape player and slid a tape in. She hit the play button and listened to the tape.

“Tape number 28 of Braveheart, to my daughter, Velvet Remedy,” Braveheart’s voice said. "What’s most difficult for me is trying to decide what to tell you, and what not to. Should I tell you about your mother? Will it affect your decision to send her back in time to protect me, knowing that she is your mother? And she’ll be younger than you, only a filly, when you meet her. God, a pony could go crazy thinking about this.” Remedy was looking at a picture of Braveheart when he was younger. “But if you don’t send Pip, you can never be, and Starnet will win the war,” the tape finished. Remedy put down the picture and thought about her father’s words.