Risen

It was 6 A.M. when the alarm clock blared on Heavy’s nightstand. Squinting in the early morning light, she stuck her wing out from under the covers, gently lifted it up, and slammed the mechanical device to the ground. The clock made a dying croak, before it smoked and fizzled out, getting a brief disapproving ‘murr’ from Thunder Cloud who lay in bed on the other side of the room.

As Quickcase stirred and the morning light entered his vision, he caught sight of Heavy: and a warm smile crawled on his face when both their eyes met.

“Heyas.” Heavy greeted, in a soft tone.

“Hey.” Quickcase replied. The two just stared at each other for a good while before he broke the silence. “So, do you talk first, or should I talk first?”

Heavy responded to that by playfully shoving a pillow at his face. “Good talk.” She chuckled and climbed out of bed, casually pushing the remains of the alarm clock aside before letting out a yawn. “You’re such a lightweight. You know that right?”

Quickcase scoffed in a light hearted tone. “Says the mare who could outdrink the entire bar.”

“Well yeah, but you’re still a lightweight.” They both chuckled at the events of last night. “So, how about we do us a favor and keep this thing between us. Can’t imagine what ponies would think if they learnt I slept with a teammate.”

“Especially Echo?” asked Quickcase with a smirk.

“Especially Echo,” Heavy let out a small groan at the thought but eventually shook it away. “Well, I’m going to take a shower.” She stated as she entered the bathroom.

On the other side of the room, a tired Thunder Cloud rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and turned to Quickcase. There was an awkward silence as he just thought about how quickly hiding the relationship was already failing.

“How long were you there?” Quickcase asked nervously, shifting his body slightly as Thunder’s eyes seem to bear down on him. Nopony said a word, that is until the shower came on.

“Long enough.” Thunder Cloud slid the blanket off her. “Your secret is safe with me.”

She pressed a button near her bed and a small hatch opened. Out hovered a small drone no bigger than a baseball with four appendages and a screen that simulated facial expressions via emojis. Thunder Cloud petted it on the head and the little robot began grooming her misshapen mane with combs and occasional hair sprays.

Quickcase noted that the mare had none of the energy and enthusiasm she usually did about technology, even taking into account her just waking up. She wasn’t even bragging about her little robot. “Something on your mind?”

Thunder Cloud seemed apprehensive at first. It took a while for her to find what she wanted to say before she finally managed to get the words out. “I know why you did it. I was in danger and you did what you could to protect me.”

Quickcase figured it was about the zebra filly from yesterday. He relaxed himself, preparing his voice with as much calm and comfort as he could muster. “She was hostile.”

“Hostile!?” Thunder said with a hint of anger, “Quickcase, she was a scared filly!” The small droid placed it’s hair appliances back on the shelf, and then hovered in place, unmoving.

Quickcase got out of bed and began to stretch. “She was a hologram. Even if she wasn’t, she tried to kill you. I made a split second decision to preserve my team and I stand by that.”

Thunder Cloud seemed frustrated but she couldn’t find the words, and she struggled to keep herself from crying. “Promise we you won’t ever do something like that?” she pleaded.

“You know I can’t make that promise,” Quickcase tone was earnest but still kept himself calm, “To me, the well-being of my teammates outweighs the life of a hostile stranger.”

The mare let out a sigh. “I suppose I can’t fault you for thinking that.” The small robot nudged Thunder Cloud with an expression of worry on it’s face as it let out low beeps and boops. “It’s alright, I’m fine,” She turned to face the nearby mirror, where she found herself groomed and ready, “Well done as usual.”

The robot emitted an excited sound before turning to Quickcase. The screen on its face displayed a ‘gag’ expression before picking up it’s hair supplies from the shelf. It hovered near him and from the look on Quickcase’s face he didn’t seem to mind it’s presence. Of course, given that he usually had such a stoic expression, Thunder worried he might still swat her companion out of reflex.

“I think he’s offering to do your mane. You should probably accept, considering you look as unkempt as a dirt pony.” She said as she gestured to the mirror.

From where he stood Quickcase could see himself in Thunder Cloud’s mirror and he had to agree.

****

A few hours later and the two mares were still chuckling as they entered the briefing room.

“I still think you should have kept the style.” Heavy began with an evil smirk on her face.

“I’m sorry, Quickcase.” Thunder said, trying to stifle a chuckle. “I forgot I had it set to mare. At least we fixed your mane to your usual ponytail right?” She pointed at his ponytail.

“It’s rather...new to say the least” Quickcase said sheepishly, earning another round of laughter from the girls.

He just sighed and found Echo among those gathered, sitting on one of the benches. He seemed hungover, as the red pegasus lazily waved a wing to his friend offering a fresh seat next to him.

“Fun night?” Quick asked, which earned him a groan from his friend.

“Nah. Got rejected again, so I was hanging out with my second best friend, apple cider…” He rubbed his temple, “Now I have a headache the size of a Raptor.” He looked at Quick. “How ‘bout you?”

“Heavy challenged some guys to a drinking contest. Suffice to say she won, and I had to play designated flyer.”

“Lame.” Echo said tiredly, and then turned to look at the girls who were chuckling. “They’re in a good mood. So what happened with you?”

Quickcase hesitated, his thoughts scrambling to think of what to say. “Well-”

The door to the room opened and a dull yellow colored mare with a slightly brighter yellow mane and tail entered, wearing a navy blue uniform, “Officer on deck!”

Everypony stood at attention, even Echo joined in the silence as a second mare entered, this one was particularly well groomed with a frost coat and charcoal mane and tail wearing a black uniform. On her head was a black cap with the letter “E” and three stars emblazoned on it. The first mare that entered the room walked up to the center podium, her eyes gazing between each soldier that stood before her.

“At ease.” Everypony in the room relaxed, “As some of you should remember, I am Captain Peace Maker.” She began, waving a wing. “And as some of you know, today is your special day. You fledglings finally get to leave the nest and travel to the surface.”

Quickcase could hear the stirs of whispering among those gathered. The captain allowed it to go on for about a minute before raising a hoof, quieting them down.

“Now, I know you all have been training for this, but you’re still fledglings who’ve barely stretched their wings in this world. Hold fast to your training, look to your teammates for support, and above all, remember that you fight for the very future of all pegasi. When you return, you will be proper Enclave soldiers!”

The pegasi in the crowd turned to their partners, some smiling, some giving quiet affirmations of success, while others hoof bumped. Even the captain couldn’t help but smile a little at their enthusiasm.

“Now then, for your mission details, I would like to turn this meeting over to the heroine herself, Commander Lightwave.”

Dead silence went across the room as the frost colored mare from before walked up to the podium. While the silence for the captain had been one of respect, this silence was heavy, almost like mourning.

Lightwave cleared her throat. “Thank you Captain.” She then turned her attention to the gathered troops. “Looking upon all of you today, I see many bright and eager faces willing to prove themselves.” She unfurled her wings and extended them wide. “This proud ship that you stand on now is the result of brave pegasi like yourselves risking their lives for the greater good. Many were lost on our first attempt at a ground operation, but their efforts united the different provinces amongst our people. For the first time in several generations, we are setting aside old differences for the sake of the Enclave as a whole.”

She then hit a button from behind the podium. The lights in the room dimmed, and from behind Lightwave came a projector screen unfurled from the ceiling, and an image of the Andalusian continent appeared.

“Andalusa, the largest continent in the world. Generations ago, our ancestors crossed the seas of the Maneland during the Great Calamity. Their escape spared their destruction, and on arrival, they saved the few remaining pegasi that survived. We’d been forced to stay above ground ever since, but not anymore,” The image changed to an overview of a city and the area surrounding it. “This is the city of Samarera. It may seem like a pre-war relic but that is not what makes it interesting. What is interesting is that, we’ve discovered sections recovering from the effects of the magical fallout, and the science community is eager to know why.” She then pointed to the cadets. “Each fireteam will be sent on an expedition and act as escorts for our retrieval teams.”

A hoof was raised from the crowd by one of the other ponies.

“Yes private?”

“What exactly will the scientists be doing ma’am?”

“I’m glad you asked.” She said with a touch of confidence. “They will be gathering samples, from the soil itself, to whatever non-hostile flora they can get their hooves on.”

She could overhear some ponies grumbling about their first assignment, and overheard one mention foalsitting.

“Already many of you are questioning why such a simple thing as ‘gardening’ might be important. We’ve already suffered one food shortage, and we will not suffer another. As it so happens this city was known as a major distributor of food from local farms. While the chances are low, there’s slim hope we may find uncorrupted genetic samples for potential food replication.” She then visibly shuddered. “Unless of course you would all rather survive on a diet of tasteless oats and cloud apples for the rest of your lives?”

The sounds of gagging, gasps, and looks of disgust was more than enough to convince them that perhaps the mission would be worth something after all.

There was a few seconds of silence Quickcase raised his hoof. “Ma’am, any rules of engagement should we encounter the native population?”

A mare spoke up from the crowd, “Please, let those dirt ponies try and mess with us.”

Then Echo spoke, “I heard there were bat ponies that can turn you to stone just by looking at them.”

“What? No way!” exclaimed another private.

Everypony in the room started talking to each other. Lightwave tapped her hoof on the podium several times to get their attention. “Alright, alright.” The talking continued. “QUIET!” The room fell silent and she cleared her throat. “In answer to your question, any contact with the primitive population is to be kept to a minimum. Should you come across any hostiles, do not engage unless the threat is to either yourself or the team. We do not deal in wasteland politics.” The projector screen went blank and the lights to the room went flared back to life. “Now, if there are no further questions you are dismissed. Good luck to all of you.”

*****

Echo took a deep breath as he stared down the scope of his modified laser rifle. The scope’s sight linked directly to his helmet, giving him a readout of distance, wind speed, and other minor information useful to track his target. He didn't actually need the information, years of practice had taught him what he needed. But it did make things easier.

He had his target dead center in his sites, but the little tracker told him that his target was out of optimum range. He could try firing and hoped he got lucky, but there was no need. The target had no idea it was being watched, unaware it was about to meet it’s end. Echo let out a small breath and pulled the trigger with his tongue. A red lance of energy fired from his weapon and struck the radroach head on, turning it into a pile of dust.

"Gotcha!”

"Congrats," Heavy spoke in a deadpan tone. "You vaporized a bug. You have earned your badge in exterminating."

“Do you mind? I’d rather not we attract any unnecessary attention.” An unfamiliar voice spoke in a condescending tone.

Echo turned to the speaker, a mare with a sapphire coat and dull pink mane. Ice Blossom, the lead science pony looking for anything of interest to the Enclave. She would be cute if not for her high-and mighty-attitude. “Oh, really? It’s been a very, very, VERY boring three hours! IT’S NOT LIKE ANYPONY’S HERE!” he shouted, his voice carrying to the edge of the city they were close to.

Ice Blossom stared at Heavy with a dissatisfied look. "Your troops should show more respect. Are none of you aware of the dangers out here?"

"We are aware ma'am. We will conduct ourselves more appropriately while you do your work."

Ice Blossom huffed and turned back to her readings.

“You’re not seriously taking her side are you?” Echo asked Heavy in a quiet tone.

“I am putting up with them, as should you. Look, I know this isn’t exactly what we were trained for-”

“I don’t recall us signing up to be foalsitters for spoiled brats.” Echo muttered.

Heavy ignored him and continued, “-but we still have a job to do nonetheless. So stow the attitude…even if she is being insufferable.” She let out a small sigh. “Besides, do you really want Lightwave or, night forbid, Turncoat getting on your case just because you heckled our assignment?”

Echo had to stifle a laugh at the statement. “Best impression on our first mission and all that rot right?” He gave a salute and spoke in an obviously forced serious manner, “I will contain my enthusiasm for vaporising unless we encounter a legitimate threat ma’am! I apologise for my rude behavior!”

The words were so forced that Heavy couldn’t help but roll her eyes, even if her own helmet covered her features as well. “Don’t overdo it. You might break something.”

Quickcase had been quietly listening to the exchange from his own guard point and decided to bring his gaze to Thunder Cloud who was with the other scientist, a stallion named Whisper Rain who had largely been going back and forth about various tech talk that Quick couldn’t follow.

Ice Blossom returned to her colleague, while Thunder Cloud gave her a wide berth. “Of all ponies we could have been assigned to, we get the green team.”

“To be fair, I’ve seen them train in the simulations, and they’ve got one of the highest marks. This is just…quieter than what they’re used to.” Whisper Rain said.

Ice Blossom let out an exasperated sigh. “Our research in the Enclave’s ability to retake the surface is paramount compared to a soldier's peace of mind. You’d be wise to remember that.”

“Umm, yes ma’am.” Rain said as he went back to looking at his PipBuck.

Quickcase turned his attention back to his sector, staring into the dead city that they bordered. They had landed just outside the city proper, at an old greenhouse that long been abandoned, save for a few mole rats that made their home nearby. Ice Blossom had been keeping a professional attitude, but Quick’s team had been getting bored. There were no threats like in the simulators, and the scientists hadn’t found any plants that were promising. So instead they took soil samples every so often.

Quicks memory turned to the old holotapes he had watched of the Samarera’s history. A lively city with ponies going about their day to day affairs, wondering about simple things like what would be for dinner, how to pay the bills, what interesting movies were playing that night. Now, it stood as a dessicated corpse, slowly falling apart as maggots gorged themselves on any good bits that were left. It truly was heartbreaking to see that survivors of the surface were more intent on looting and killing one another than trying to work together for a better future like the pegasi.

“Oh, I think I found something!” Whisper Rain called out, getting the attention of his colleague and the fireteam alike.

Rain was staring at his PipBuck and nearly ran into an old sky carriage that looked surprisingly intact, minus the fact that it was upside down and the roof seemed partially buried. Undeterred, he flew up to one of the doors and began pulling on it with little success.

“Need some help?” asked Thundercloud.

“No, no I got it!” He stated confidently. Making three more futile attempts to open the stubborn door, his only reward being a shower of ancient rust, and he sighed in defeat. “You know what, go ahead.”

Thunder Cloud flew next to the upside down carriage and studied it for a moment. With her power armor’s scorpion tail, she jabbed it into the lock, breaking it loose from it’s frame allowing for whatever goods inside to be inspected. “There you go, good sir.”

“Ah, thank you.” When Whisper moved to open the door, Quickcase blocked his path with a hoof. “Um?!”

“Just need to make sure it’s safe. I heard creatures called ghouls are known to hide in unexpected places.”

“In a locked vehicle?” asked Echo.

Thunder pondered for a moment. “Well, one of these could potentially hold at least eight ponies, so it doesn’t hurt to make sure.”

“But we all have EFS, and I’m not reading any movement inside!” Whisper complained.

“Better safe than sorry.” Heavy spoke as she approached.

She pointed with her hoof and the group nodded. Quickcase took point as Heavy and Cloud took positions on either side, while Echo landed on top in case anything got out. Taking a deep breath, Quickcase opened the door and backed away. Nothing appeared on their EFSs, and there were no sign of movement. Slowly he peeked inside, and what he saw made his heart sink. Five adult pony skeletons lay on their sides, their bones badly shattered and decomposed. Embracing two of the adults were the bones of three foals, with at least one who looked as though their parent had attempted to use their own body to cushion the fall for their child, though it had been futile. Quick could only hope that their deaths had been swift.

He let out a small disappointed sigh as he backed away. “All clear.”

Whisper Rain eagerly went inside the carriage, casually brushing aside the bones of the dead, breaking the embrace of child and parent as he found what he was looking for.

“Fascinating! These ponies were transporting seeds of lavender and sage, yet it looks as though the two somehow fused together over the last two hundred years, if these readings are accurate! Professor Blossom, you simply must see this!” The excitement in Whisper’s voice was unmistakable. Ice was hesitant at first but eventually entered after him.

Echo allowed himself a sigh of envy. “At least somepony is excited, ’Woo we found some mutant flowers, mission accomplished! Those soldiers? Phhht, didn’t even need them, except to stomp bugs and open doors.’”

Heavy looked ready to chastise him, but stopped short as she turned her gaze just past him. She stared for a moment before lifting a hoof pointing in the opposite direction of the city. “What is that?”

Everypony turned to see what she was talking about. The sky had been largely cleared to make exploration easier, but far in the distance there were deep black clouds, with a strange purple light in the center, an incredible amount of lightning dancing around it. Normally such a storm wouldn’t be alarming, but this storm was different. It was approaching at speeds much greater than any storm had a right to, and nopony was trying to stop it. Pegasi have the means to prevent and control such storms from occurring but this one was an anomaly.

Heavy got on the comms. “This is fireteam Night Fang to Sky Eye, we are tracking a massive storm approaching from the south of Samarera, please advise.” There was nothing but but static over the radio. “Night Fang to Sky Eye, please respond.”

Static continued to come over the radio for several seconds. “Unidentified storm fr...unable to cont...evacuat...repeat, all ground forces...air support not viable… …. …” The radio went dead.

“Dammit,” Heavy flapped her wings hovering in the air. “Alright everypony, pack your things, we’re evacuating to the city!”

Ice Blossom turned to the soldier with a disgruntled look. “Now hold on, we just made a unique discovery that needs to be properly handled or-”

“We have a massive storm of unknown proportions just over the horizon, and our air support is gone!” She raised her voice, causing both scientists to flinch. “As the head of this security unit I am responsible for your well being, which means I’m in charge when faced with a crisis. Now gather what you can and move out!”

The two scientists began gathering their equipment as fast as they could and Heavy turned to the others of her group. “Quickcase, you studied the maps more than anypony else. Any ideas?”

Quickcase brought up the map on his EFS, scanning through the pre-war locations and highlighted a marker, transmitting it to other members of the party. “Should be a Ministry building if these readings are correct. They were suppose to be designed with fail safes in case disaster struck, though whether or not it’s active we’ll have to see.”

Heavy nodded. “Good, then you take point and keep an eye out for hostiles. Last thing we need are casualties. Now go, we won’t be far behind you.”

Quickcase gave a salute and took to the skies towards the city.

*****

Thunder cracked through the sky with the force of a sonic boom. Quickcase silently cursed as he weaved around an old pre-war sign that had fallen a meters next to him. He dared to look up and found the sky had now turned a deep black at the storm's approach. Lightning danced above the city, forcing him to fly as low as possible. Wouldn’t want to get struck with electricity, his power armor was tough but he didn’t want to test its resistance to lightning.

“What the hell is up with that storm?!” Echo asked over the comms. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”

Thunder Cloud chimed in, “It does seem rather unnatural, the winds aren’t moving in any predictable pattern.”

“Cut the chatter you two!” Heavy commanded. “Keep your eyes open, I’m not losing anypony to this whether Quickcase, how is our path looking?”

“Area is clear for the most part. A few stragglers here and there, but they seem more concerned with finding cover than causing problems. I recommend staying in mid altitude flight to avoid potential confrontations.”

“Acknowledged. Keep us apprised of the situati-” Heavy’s communication cut out, leaving nothing but static.

Several lightning bolts shot from the sky, one bolt striking a building dangerously close to the pegasus. The shockwave sent him sprawling to the ground and he crashed into the roof of an abandoned vehicle with small pieces of debris falling around around him. The impact knocked the wind out of him, a surprised cry strangled in his throat. Quickcase’s health display showed only minor injuries at best, with most of the damage being absorbed by his armor. Luckily he was still able to move, removing himself from the vehicle and shaking the rubble from his power-armoured frame.

Over the din of the thunder and lightning, Quickcase almost missed the sound of a panicked scream. His ears perked up as he looked around, though his view was obscured by dust and dirt. Relying on EFS, he noted two blue marks, both of which weren't moving. Slowly Quickcase made his way to that general direction, the EFS reading the blue ticks as ‘living’ and ‘not hostile’.

“Don’t worry Candy, I’ll get you out of there!” A young distressed voice called out.

“Well, hurry it up Twister, I’d rather not be turned into a pancake!” A filly's voice yelled back.

The dust and dirt settled as Quickcase got closer to the source, two small figures coming into view. To his surprise there was a pink earth pony filly whose teal blue tail was trapped under a large boulder, with a blue unicorn colt with a darker blue mane doing his best to free his friend.

Candy’s eyes fell on Quickcase and fear rushed to her face. “Twister, behind you!”

The colt, presumably Twister, spun to see the armored pegasus that now stood before them. His magic disappeared around the boulder as he stared for the briefest of moments before jumping in front of Candy in a defensive stance. “Stay back!” He yelled, levitating a battered-looking pistol at Quickcase, which honestly looked like it would do more damage to itself than him if fired.

Quickcase tried to speak but was interrupted by a loud sound of twisting metal. They all looked up and bits of bigger debris were falling around them. Quickcase spread his wings and leapt forward, using his stinger tail to smash the rock that trapped Candy. The pegasus grabbed both children in his hooves. He vaguely heard the calls of his teammates, but their words were lost from the screaming foals and grinding metal. The last thing his team saw was the building crashing on top of him.

********

Heavy stared in horror as the building smashed right on top of where Quickcase had stood just moments ago. She flew towards the wreckage, but was stopped by a lighting strike that impacted in front of her. Moments later the ground itself shook, and the surrounding block collapsed into a massive sinkhole.

“What in all the stars happened?!” asked Ice Blossom.

Thunder began speaking on reflex, though even her voice seemed hollow as the words were spoken. “Well, based on two hundred years or so of neglect, balefire bombs, weather-”

“Where is he?! Where’s Quickcase?” asked Echo in a distraught voice, catching up to the rest of the team who were now gathered around the sinkhole. Thunder numbingly pointed down it’s center. Lightning flashed again, illuminating the destruction that had occurred below. “No. No way! No fucking way!”

Ice Blossom stated coldly to Heavy, “Sergeant, we still have a job to do. He knew the risks.”

Heavy removed her helmet and gave Ice Blossom a glare that could’ve melted tank armor, shutting her up completely.As she backed away in fear Sergeant Heavy took two very long breaths before saying in a calm voice, “We have to keep moving. This area is unstable, and that storm is on top of us. We need to get to shelter first-”

Echo flapped right in front of her, meeting her gaze, “Now hold it, there’s no way I’m leaving him.”

Heavy kept kept her calm composure, “We don’t know if he’s even alive, and we can’t help him if we’re dead. When we get back to base I’ll issue a search and rescue party.” She then resealed her helmet and flew over the sinkhole. “Now come on, we need to find shelter and we need to find it fast.” The winds were getting worse and the rest of the team were forced to keep moving. All except Echo, who stared down the hole for a few more seconds before departing.

“Damn it! Stay alive you hear? We’ll come back for you.” Echo managed to choke out as he flew to catch up with the rest of the team.

New Perk: Toughness - You had a building fall on you and your still not dead. You are one tough Pegasus! You gain 25% to damage threshold.