Equestria: Salvation

by Kombatant Champion

Chapter 8

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Velvet Remedy dropped into the room containing the prisoners via rappelling rope. She lit up the stolen Terminator eye and activated the control panel. She disengaged the locks, and the holding cells opened. The alarm sounded and Littlepip got up. Her holding cell was still locked. She pounded on the window of the cell, trying to get somepony’s attention.

“Littlepip?!” Remedy called. She ordered the captives to get to the open transport. She kept calling. “Is Littlepip here?!” she cried.
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Pinkamena slowly regained her senses. She woke up and was brought upright. She looked down at herself. She was clothed in a hospital shirt and pants, and her flesh was fully healed. She couldn’t even tell that she was machine. The computer in front of her lit up.

“Welcome home, Pinkamena,” Starnet said. “We knew you’d be back. After all, it was programmed in you.” Pinkamena saw Redheart’s face. She was shocked. “Oh, and you executed that programming beautifully,” Starnet added.

“What am I?” Pinkamena demanded.

“You are an infiltration prototype,” Starnet explained. “The only one of your kind. We resurrected you, advanced the Crystal Empire’s work. Amended it.” Pinkamena was shocked that she was talking to Redheart again, despite her death at the hooves of cancer.

“You’re dead,” Pinkamena denied.

“Calculations show that certain faces are easier for you to process,” Starnet said, as Redheart’s face morphed into Velvet Remedy’s. “We can do others if you wish.” Starnet morphed its face into Littlepip’s. Pinkamena was horrified at hearing what she was. “Pinkamena,” Starnet continued, as Littlepip’s face morphed back into Redheart’s. “What else could you be, if not machine?”

“A mare,” Pinkamena boldly said.

“The equine condition no longer applies to you,” Starnet informed. “Accept what you already know. That you were made to serve a purpose. To achieve what no other machine has achieved before.” Starnet showed the memory feed of the airsat Pinkamena had destroyed. “To infiltrate,” Starnet said. “Find a target, and then bring that target back home to us.” Pinkamena was horrified. Starnet was telling her that she had brought about the end of the Resistance. Another memory feed showed, this time one of Pinkamena’s. It was the time Remedy had taken her hostage and interrogated her.

“We’ve been at war since before either of us even existed,” Remedy said. “You tried killing my father, Braveheart.” Pinkamena was in horror. The feed changed to Remedy’s deal with Pinkamena to get her into Starret. “You get me in,” Remedy said. “You tell me where I can find Littlepip. Yeah?”

“I will,” Pinkamena’s voice said. The feed faded back to Redheart’s face.
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In the holding cells, Remedy was frantically searching for Littlepip, while at the same time, ushering ponies into the transport.

“Littlepip?!” Remedy cried. Inside her cell, Pip hit the door, but nopony could hear her. Remedy saw Pumpkin Cake standing out in the open.

“You!” Velvet cried. “Move!” Pumpkin Cake ran with the other prisoners.
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“At times of desperation, ponies will believe what they want to believe,” Starnet continued. “And so, we gave them what they wanted to believe. A trick, in the form of a signal, the Resistance thought would end the war. And they were right. It will end this war. Except, that the Resistance will be terminated. Not Starnet.”
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A large Hunter Killer flew over the ocean to the coordinates of the Resistance Command sub. Inside the sub, Shining Armor was calling out orders.

“Get the attack of Starnet Central back online,” he ordered. “I want all our aircraft in the sky immediately.”

“Ma’am!” a map reader called to Cadence. “Ma’am, we’ve got a bogey with a very large radar signature closing in on our position.” Cadence walked over and listened. The Hunter Killer positioned itself and got ready to strike. Shining Armor suddenly realized his mistake.

“The signal,” he realized. Cadnece slowly turned around, and looked her husband in the eyes, just one last time.

“We have destroyed ourselves,” she said. “Starnet tracked our signal. We led them right to us.” Shining Armor hung his head in anger. The Hunter Killer fired a missile down into the water. It struck the sub, causing the entire vessel to break apart in a fiery explosion. The Resistance Command was dead, thanks to the false signal.
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“Our best machines have failed time and again to complete a mission,” Starnet explained. “Something was missing. We had to think. Radically. So we made you.” Pinkamena was angry. She had been used as a pawn in Starnet’s game for so long. “We created the perfect infiltration machine,” Starnet said. “You, Pinkamena. You did what Starnet has failed to do for so many years. You killed Velvet Remedy!”

Velvet Remedy searched for Littlepip’s holding cell. She got a signature from behind a closed door. She slowly moved toward the door and looked inside. She saw a tall mare’s silhouette. The door suddenly burst off the hinges, throwing Remedy back. The mare walked out from behind the smoke. The mare was tall, and looked like Twilight’s mother. It was a T-800 model 101. The same model that attempted to kill Braveheart years before. Remedy raised her rifle and shot at the machine. The bullets did nothing. The T-800 grabbed Remedy and threw her across the room. Remedy crashed into a control box, leaving a large indention. She turned herself over as the T-800 approached. She ran the butt of her rifle into the side of the Terminator’s face. The T-800’s head jolted to the left, but it slowly turned back around, glaring at Remedy. It grabbed her again and threw her against a wall. Pinkamena watched the entire thing unfold. She wanted to help, but she couldn’t.

“PIP!!!” Remedy cried.

“Hey!” Pip called out. Her door suddenly opened. And a T-600 came in. Pip backed away and fell against the wall.

“Don’t fight, Pinkamena,” Starnet said. “Remember what you are.”

“I know what I am,” Pinkamena said. She reached behind her head and gripped. Blood dripped from the back of her head as she pulled. The memory chip tore from Pinkamena’s brain, and Pinkamena crushed it in her hoof. “I’m better this way,” she said.

“You will not be given a second chance,” Starnet warned. “You cannot save Velvet Remedy.” Pinkamena glared at Starnet.

“Watch me,” she taunted. She grabbed a nearby chair and hurled it at Starnet’s face. The glass screen shattered, and Pinkamena jumped down into the holding cells. She looked around and saw a dead soldier. She looked at his uniform.
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At the Resistance base, an armed jeep pulled up to Rainbow Dash, Braveheart, and Spitfire.

“I’ve got a message from Remedy!” the gunner cried. “She’s in Starnet, needs air support. Rainbow Dash grinned at Braveheart, and Braveheart smiled back.

“Let’s go!” Rainbow Dash cried. “Into the aircraft!” The soldiers cheered and got ready to go.
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Littlepip was slammed down onto a table for execution. She looked toward Pumpkin Cake.

“Pumpkin!” she cried. “GO!” The T-600 looked toward Pumpkin and raised its minigun. Pumpkin Cake was frozen with fear. Pip leaned over and grabbed a piece of sharp machinery. She stood up and thrust it into the back of the T-600’s neck, just as Remedy had said. The T-600 began firing wildly. Pip jumped off the table and ran toward Pumpkin Cake.

“Pumpkin!” Pip cried. “Come on!” She ran away with Pumpkin Cake. The T-600 was disoriented. It tried to get a lock on Pip, but it couldn’t. Remedy ran through the area, trying to find Littlepip while also avoiding the pursuing T-800. She rounded a corner with her grenade pistol and ran into another prisoner.

“What’s your name?” Remedy asked.

“Littlepip,” the prisoner said. Remedy lowered her gun. The T-600 kept shooting, looking for Littlepip. Pip tried to run, but Remedy brought her close.

“Stay with me,” Remedy ordered. They ran through the halls, trying to escape. A stray minigun bullet caught Remedy in the shoulder. She turned around and got ready to shoot. The T-800 came up behind the T-600 and tore off the body from the legs. It dropped the torso and continued toward Remedy. Velvet fired off a grenade. It exploded on the T-800. Some flesh was burned off, exposing the endoskeleton’s face.

“Merc!” Remedy cried as she loaded another grenade. The T-800 continued walking toward her. Remedy fired off another shot. It hit the T-800 and blew up.

“Merc!” Remedy cried again. The T-800 stood up, only endoskeleton. It walked toward Remedy. Velvet turned around and shot a grenade at the wall. It made a hole leading down into another section of the tower.

“Come on, Pumpkin!” Pip cried. “Move!” Pip and Pumpkin jumped through the hole, and Remedy followed.

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