Half-Hoof: a Resonant Hopeby Alfoals TrottenbauerChaptersI - Rude AwakeningII - Resisting ArrestIV - Civil ProtectionVI - Ponyville TrailVII - Ghost townIX - Destructive PathVIII - Hot PursuitIII - Erasing PonykindV - Sense of DirectionI - Rude AwakeningAce reflected on what had happened that seemed but a few minutes ago as he drifted weightlessly. All the ponies who died, the destruction of Black Forest. He wondered how he survived the blast, if Gordon survived, and if anypony else did. Ace saw a light in the space he was in. He was suddenly given a surface to trot on. He moved towards the lights. A stallion appeared in front of him, wearing the same suit. "Ace, it looks like your hour... Has come again... Though I must say, you were quite messy on your escape from that... Failure we called a... Facility. I'm certain you could redeem yourself if... You survive this." He smiled. "So, wake up. Wake up and smell the ashes." He continued. Ace found himself at a train station, he was a bit dizzy, suddenly having a horizon and being given flesh. He stumbled forward, eventually getting into a reasonable gait. He seemed to be wearing a blue outfit, reaching from his back hooves to his throat latch. He looked at the ground, seeing an empty can. He attempted to levitate it, though it seemed more difficult than usual. He moved a hoof over his horn. Cold metal covered his horn... Was this a cuff? He focused harder on the can, eventually getting his dark red aura around it. Suddenly, something stabbed into his horn. An intense burning sensation coursed through him, starting in his head, then leaving through his hooves, then a jolt of electricity. He eventually gave up and started toward a large screen on the wall. It turned on by itself. Doctor Bray appeared onscreen, a former employee of Black Forest. Ace smiled, at the time glad to know that somepony else survived the incident. "Welcome, welcome to City 27. It's safer here. Whether you are just passing by, or here to stay, welcome. I thought so much of City 27 that I reside in the Citadel here so thoughtfully provided by Our Benefactors." Ace still stared at the screen, a little confused. "I've gotten a letter recently, allow me to read it to you." He began, " 'Dear doctor Bray, why is it the 'Combine' have seen fit to suppress our Unicorn magic, signed, a concerned somepony.' Thank you for writing, Concerned. You see, unicorn magic, when we were still coddled by Mother Nature in our primal origins, magic was used to oppress other ponies, out of fear. Now that Our Benefactors have found us, unicorn magic is not needed anymore. We are extremely close to something previously thought unobtainable to our predecessors, and that is immortality. It is for the same reason why some of our wings have been clipped. Our true enemy is Instinct. What Celestia hadn't known was that unicorns and pegasi's ability have oppressed the Earth ponies. In the words of a true wisepony, Starlight Glimmer, 'True equality means that nopony has any different abilities, it is at this turn you must make a choice, either clip the wings and break the horn, or let the differences ruin civilization.' " His lecture seemed to go on forever. Ace's smile faded a bit with every word. A pony wearing a gas mask with blue glowing eyes approached him. "Move along, citizen." He commanded in a raspy, robotic voice. Ace awkwardly shifted in the direction the unnatural equine figure indicated. The peculiar stallion's horn was unrestricted, an aura surrounding it. A baton on the withers of the stallion's suit lifted itself off of it's place, the grey aura surrounding it as well. A few sparks shot from the end. "I said move along." He commanded once more. Ace remained where he stood, more out of mild fear than rebellion. The stallion cantered toward him. He lifted his baton and swung. Ace forcefully struck a hoof into the stallion's head out of pure reflex. The mask had broken, a piece caved in. The stallion fell, probably knocked out. The mask blared out a tone, followed by a mare's voice. "Unit down, reinforcements team code: three, zero, three." II - Resisting ArrestA team of three lookalikes galloped after Ace, trampling their unconscious comrade. Ace dashed for an open gate, citizens watched the chase go down. Ace galloped through a cafeteria. A citizen calmly trotted to a table and was knocked over by the black and red-maned stallion fleeing from the police. Once Ace was outside, more officers had accumulated behind him. They were all wielding electric batons except a few with pistols. Bullets cracked through his mane and tail. Ace climbed a fence, which was enough stagnation for an officer to aim and shoot his horn. A bullet wedged itself into the horn brace. The damage caused it to spark and break, though not before sending fifteen jolts of electricity into Ace's body. Ace was at the top of the shrub-covered fence by the time the electricity surged through him. He lost control of his limbs and fell face-flat on the other side of the fence, face in the concrete. He lost consciousness, out of sight of the police. After minutes that seemed like seconds, Ace awoke on a couch in a small living room. A mare with a baby blue and purple mane sitting in a chair glanced at a small, budget television. The television was another lecture from Doctor Bray. She then looked over Ace, ending at his eyes. "Good, you're awake. I saw you fall unconscious, so I took you in to recover." She clarified. "Thanks, but who might you be? You seem familiar..." Ace asked. "My name is Flurry Heart." She answered briefly. Ace could still not move his legs. An hour passed. "Are you part of the royal family?" Ace asked after a very long pause. "Yes. I was intended to be the next princess, but the Combine took the throne away from us, along with everything that we stood for. To end the royal family, my death as a small child was plotted, but a blue mare with a rainbow mane sacrificed herself to save me." She explained. A loud knock at the door shook the furniture, followed by what sounded like bucking. "Go, quick." Flurry instructed calmly, I'll try to hold them off for now. Ace had gained control of his limbs again. He shakily stood up and trotted over in a corner out of sight. The door finally gave way to at least twenty Combine officers, all wielding batons and pistols. They all cantered in. "We know you're hiding a suspect." A cop said unnaturally. Flurry motioned Ace toward the door. Ace trotted silently out the door, then cantered faster along the corridor. A gunshot echoed from the room. Ace jumped and shuddered from the noise. He galloped up a flight of stairs. Hoofsteps followed behind him. "Dispatch, we need Airwatch, subject is 505." A cop rushed. Ace was on the rooftop by then. He galloped to he edge of the building. A helicopter landed behind him, more police jumped out of the vehicle, all holding submachine guns. "Freeze! Stay where you are!" An officer shouted. Ace looked around him. There was only a small space between the building and one adjacent to it. Ace jumped with all his might across the gap. The police followed close behind, some firing their guns. Bullets flew past Ace's head. Ace was cornered, a small alley stood between the next building. A doorway stood next to Ace, a lead pipe ran along the wall. Ace tore a segment of pipe off the wall. Three cops galloped towards him with batons. Ace swung the pipe, hitting an officer in the snout. The hit combined with the cop's movement caused him to spin one hundred eighty degrees while losing grip of his baton. Ace let go of the pipe and picked up the officer's baton. He swung the baton into another officer, then the other. The other officers stood at the edge of the first building, firing their guns. A helicopter hovered low in front of Ace. The intense downdraft made Ace's mane and tail flutter, a loud whirring of rotor blades drowned out the officer's shooting. A low-pitched hum rose above the rotors. The humming stopped. A storm of bullets assaulted Ace's direction. A fire escape hung off the edge of the building next to the one he was on. Ace galloped toward the end of the roof, leaping off the building, clinging onto the handrails of the staircase. He hoisted himself up, galloping down the stairs. Bullets hit the supports of the structure. Metal screeched as the stairs started to fall. Ace was on the second to last flight. Feeling the stairs' motion, he jumped off, landing on his hooves. Despite probably having severely damaged his legs, he continued galloping. Adrenaline numbed the pain. IV - Civil ProtectionWhat Ace suspected was a 'City Scanner', as the Combine put it, peered through a window and snapped a photo. The radio continued chattering. "Suspect found, pursuing from intel." Hoofsteps ran across the floor outside. Suddenly, a violent pounding on the facade of a drink machine shook the lab's walls. "Ace, you need to get out of here." Twilight insisted. "Take my prototype of the HEMV suit mark five." She indicated toward the armor in it's pod. Ace race-cantered toward the suit and put it on. As he walked out Twilight levitated a nine millimeter pistol back-first toward him. She nudged him toward a heavy door. The door automatically opened by Rumble pushing a button on a panel. Ace galloped out just as the facade broke. "Suspect Sparks located fleeing, pursuing." A Civil Protection officer stated. Ace stopped at a skid into the railing of a platform. He turned and fired the pistol into the head of an officer. "Unit down at five, zero, five." A female voice rang as the officer fell. Ace fired into an officer restricting Twilight's horn, then the one beating Rumble with an electric baton. A chopper lowered itself to a hover behind Ace. "Suspect Sparks, you are charged with: Resisting arrest, Murder of Civil Protection units, Civil Disorder, and Malcompliance. Anti-Citizen status achieved." The helicopter blared over it's rotor blades. Ace jumped over the railing onto the ground below. More police rappelled from the craft, levitating Submachine guns. The units galloped after Ace. " All Protection Team units: complete sentencing at will." The radio rang in the background. The officers fired. Ace galloped through a gate frame, it's gate long gone. A wall blocked the way. Ace looked around and climbed over a fence before looking, landing on a large slope on the side of a canal, the incline twisted his fetlocks. The injury caused him to roll down the slope into sludge. Adrenaline overtook his nerves and he got back up to a galloping start. The units stood behind the fence and continued to fire. A helicopter took after him, dropping more units. Ace galloped for an area enclosed from the open air, under a bridge. Two more helicopters gathered behind the first one. They both hummed with energy, about to fire. Ace had made it to the bridge, the choppers showered the bridge with ammunition. A stallion in a blue uniform motioned Ace toward him. "You're that Sparks guy they're looking for, right?" He asked, looking around with paranoia. "Yeah, why?" Ace answered. "Twilight Sparkle told me to give you directions. At the next fork in the canal, go left toward a building on the inside wall." He told Ace quickly. "Get out of here, run!" Ace staggered into a gallop through the water. VI - Ponyville TrailThe bridge ended eventually and Ace had once again fallen prey to the hunter choppers. In the distance the edge of a small town was in sight. Ace galloped as fast as his legs let him, the two aircraft charging their guns. A rain of ammunition poured over Ace's Helmet, wedging into his armor. "Suit power low. Seek charging station." His suit warned in it's robotic tone. Ace continued to run. The helicopters charged a second time. They fired again. "Suit power: zero percent. Armor no longer functional." The suit announced. The helicopters readied their guns. Ace held his breath and ducked in the water as they began to fire. The bullets glided through the water, though slowed. The choppers hovered seemingly for hours. Ace was losing breath. The helicopters flew past him. He raised his head out of the water. He took in the mostly fresh air for a few seconds. "Anti-Citizen Sparks eliminated. Send in ground units to inspect." An officer announced on the radio as they flew off. Ace waited for them to move out of sight. He then progressed in the same direction. The closer Ace got, the more decrepit the town looked, until a he was at the sloped wall of the canal. A mist had settled in as Ace slowly but surely started to climb for the town. VII - Ghost townAce stood at the entrance of the town. Night had fallen. Corpses of ponies puppeteered by the creatures from Black Forest gurgled liquified organs as they roamed the streets. The smell of rotting flesh filled the misty air. The town was a shadow of what it was. This had used to be his home. Four of the corpses took a shuffling trot to him. Their torsos were ripped open, the organs visible. They moaned with despair as they neared. The one that was closest to Ace looked weak. The body was that of one of his friends. It had a pink coat. Her tail was filled with holes. Her Cutie mark was of three balloons. Ace knew he had failed her already. He could only lay her body to rest. He hesitantly aimed his gun and fired into the alien nesting on her head. The mane was matted from the creature's parasitism. The rest continued to approach slowly toward him. He shot the other three who had taken notice. In the distance screeches as if nightmares bounced off the walls of buildings. Silhouettes jumped across the rooftops. Ace trotted into the hellish ruins, once the flourishing city and his hometown. Jet-black, finned canisters were wedged into the ground. He continued down the path. Most of the corpses had fallen from undernourishment. A corpse stood out from the rest. it's back arched low, covered by black parasites. It was larger in proportion to the rest. It saw him and trotted toward him slower than the rest moved. It roared and a parasite jumped off of it's back. The creature sailed toward Ace and latched onto his helmet. Ace tried pulling it off with magic. No use. He dropped his gun completely, struggling with his hooves to pull it off. He levitated his gun and fired it above his helmet, where it was. The parasite fell backwards off. By this time, the corpse had gotten extremely close to him. It swung a gnarled, clawed hoof at Ace's chest. The hit left scratch marks on the plated armor. Ace fired his Submachine gun directly into it's body. The deceased pony fell over. A filly faced away from him next to a schoolhouse, the corpses seemed to avoid her. Ace took a few steps forward toward the young pony. It turned. The filly was long dead. The front was bare muscle and tendon, the coat barely hung on in the back. It screeched as it dove toward him. Ace jumped with surprise and fired into it's body. It fell as it's frail body was weak. The parasite that fell was lean. It attempted a jump toward Ace but fell short in front of him. Ace crushed it underhoof. A canister lodged inside the schoolhouse caused the front wall to crumble a bit, the door creaked open. Dead colts and fillies poured out from the building, some host to more aliens, others laid out on the floor. The young ponies must have gone in there to hide from the shelling, only to either die by their friends or starve. Ace walked past them, their unsteady gait slow with weakness. A corpse with no skin tackled him to the ground. Noxious rot and infection dripped from it's mouth as it screamed in his face. It clawed at his suit with mangled hooves of bone and tendon. Ace bucked it off him, the body falling on it's back. Ace shot it in the head. As a dead world's sun rose, the streets grew more calm, the dead drew away into alleys and abandoned buildings. Ace walked as the last thing alive to pass through the town. A dead stallion with a more ornate blue suit lay on the ground, a shotgun beside him. Ace levitated it with his horn and walked toward the exit. IX - Destructive PathWhen Ace got to the city, he was quickly greeted with two ponies, a stallion and a mare carrying a severely wounded mare. Each one was clad in a green uniform with hoofplates bearing the symbol 'Lambda'. "You're Sparks, right?" The stallion asked. "Yes." Ace answered. "You have to go in there, there's more ponies in need of help. The Combine's overrun us here." The mare interrupted, nodding her head toward the city to indicate. Ace galloped in the direction. The city was in shambles, gunships and helicopters roamed the skies. A row of walls and emplacement guns divided the square in half. A mare galloped close to a mounted gun, about to throw a grenade, only to get shot down. The grenade dropped in front of her and detonated. Ace pointed the laser on his rocket launcher at a mounted gun in the center. He fired, causing a gap in their defenses. Resistance ponies flooded through the new opening, still being gunned down. A ray tore through the skies, fired a beam and hit a chopper, the elevation causing the beam to arc to a large portion of the other air units. The ones that were hit disappeared in a flash. More enemy soldiers arrived on the other side and quickly opened fire. Three squadrons of Metropolice let loose drones with razor-sharp rotors. "We've got Marehacks!" A stallion shouted above the uproar. The Marehacks flew and tore through throats. Ace dropped the rocket launcher and levitated his shotgun. A marehack hovered towards him. Ace fired the gun at the object's rotors. A grenade let out low tones under Ace's hoof. He dropped the shotgun and levitated the ordinance, throwing it in the Combine's direction. The grenade exploded, sending the soldiers in the air. The resistance kept flooding through the gap, quite a few dying. He followed the resistance. APCs veered in front of them, drifting. Metropolice on mounted guns fired upon the mass, Ace threw a grenade into a hatch of one of the vehicles. It detonated, sending the cop flying into the air. The resistance proceeded to the gates of a large building. Three-legged creatures with two glowing blue eyes burst the gates open. Needles shot everywhere. A few stuck into Ace's armor. The needles exploded. One of them raced towards him. He didn't have any time to dodge it. The creature collided with him. Spikes pierced his armor and through him. "Armor compromise detected. Attempting to minimize damage." His suit announced. The creature still kept going with him still on it. They ran into a wall, the spikes moved further into his body and pinned him to the surface. Ace hung by the blades. "System failure. Shutting down." The armor stated. He punched the creature in the eye with his hoof. It started howling. He kept at it, until the creature ran off, dropping him as a result. He looked at the wound. He trotted at an awkward limp. He cantered to his gun and picked it up. The rebels had mainly dealt with the hunters. The gate was open. Adrenaline washed out the pain. Ace galloped into combat, he continuously fired into the large grouping of metropolice. He pulled a secondary trigger, sending a grenade into the area. It exploded when it made contact with a metrocop's head. The resistance kept pouring through. The Combine finally started to withdraw. They chased them away, firing at them. "They're retreating!" A stallion cheered. VIII - Hot PursuitAlmost as soon as Ace got out of the nightmarish town, a chopper flew toward him at a downward angle. As it chased, it dropped bombs in rows behind it into the city. Ace galloped as fast as he could. The bombs behind him were ticking progressively faster, eventually exploding row after row. The chopper started firing it's main gun, bullets landing just behind his tail. A dilapidated structure made of scrap metal with a canister lodged in the roof was in view. Ace made for it's direction. It was closer than he expected. He dashed inside. A table stood on the wall opposite, with a suit battery and a rocket launcher. The human symbol 'Lambda' was crudely spray painted in the corner. Ace replaced the old battery with the new one and lifted the rocket launcher with magic. He trotted outside the door and aimed the rocket launcher at the cockpit. He fired. A direct hit, the chopper drove into a tailspin, a single column of smoke rose as it came crashing to the ground. Five radios went off for reinforcements. "Units 115, 119, 1105, 229, and 340 down at 640, requesting reinforcements." The mare's monotone voice rang. Ace continued to gallop past the dwelling. A whale-like noise rippled through the air. One of the flying manta rays from Black Forest made a screeching noise as it flew much faster than he had remembered. It fired a beam that pierced his eardrums. The beam had hit the scrap hovel, sending shards of metal flying. Ace galloped faster, adrenaline flooded his reasoning. Ace launched a rocket at the flying monster. It screamed again, though more harsh. It fired a beam as Ace galloped past an abandoned metal flagpole. The beam instead directed itself into the flagpole. The pole surged with energy, eventually exploding behind them. The ray was close enough to the pole that a large fragment lodged itself through it's body. Ace continued to gallop. A city was in view. III - Erasing PonykindAce was trapped in an alleyway, A helicopter charged again. It's downdraft blew leaves and garbage through the air. A door suddenly opened. "Quick, get in here!" A stallion called. Ace dashed in through the door as the aircraft fired. The door slammed shut and the stallion locked it. "You almost got killed out there." He stated. "Why'd you save me?" Ace asked. "Because you're innocent. Evading the cops like that isn't easy." Ace looked at him. "Who are you, anyway?" "Name's Rumble." He answered, trotting to a drink machine. He pressed a button and the cover slid open, acting as a facade for a doorway. Ace and Rumble trotted into a lab of sorts. A lavender mare trotted towards them. Ace instantly recognized her, though she looked more aged. "Ace? You're alive?!" She asked. "It's been thirty years. We all thought you died at Black Forest." Rumble interjected. "I found him cornered by a helicopter in an alleyway." Twilight dismissed Rumble's statement. "You probably don't know what's happened since. After the Black Forest incident, A force called the Combine took over earth. Ponies can no longer reproduce, use magic, or fly. Celestia's rule was overthrown and she was killed." She continued. "Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy died protecting her. I lost contact with Applejack and Rainbow Dash went missing along with Flurry Heart." "I saw Flurry. She helped me escape the Combine." Ace notified. "What? Where?" Twilight Asked. "A residential building." The race of one hundred twenty hooves passed the fake drink machine. Twilight trotted closer to Ace. "Show me." She instructed urgently. "Shouldn't we wait until the cop-" "No, she's more important." Twilight interrupted. "I'm pretty sure she was killed by the police." Ace added. Twilight's expression suddenly turned from hopeful to distressed within an instant. Twilight turned around and trotted to a Combine Radio. She tuned it to their location. The police were still looking for Ace. "No trace of suspect Sparks. Dispatch, we need more city scanners sent out, possible Marehacks needed." The radio addressed. "Marehacks?" Ace asked. "More things used to stop uprisings." Twilight answered swiftly. V - Sense of DirectionAce galloped as cops atop the walls lit barrels and rolled them down the walls toward him. They exploded behind him, shrapnel hitting the relatively new armor. Some officers chased behind him in the muddy waters, firing their SMGs at him. A small, decrepit shack stood under another bridge. Ace galloped twice as fast than he had been. The shack was in sight. Ace had got under the bridge when some ponies emerged from the building with SMGs and fired at the cops behind Ace. They directed him into the building, where somepony waited for him. Applejack, now an old mare. "Applejack? I thought Twilight said you went missing." Ace asked. "I can explain later. There's directions I need to give to ya." She urgently explained. "Ya need to get to Ponyville. It's 'jus west of here." Ace nodded and headed out of the building. "Ace, wait 'jes a second." She halted. He looked over his shoulder. "Fight for us." "I will." He responded. He galloped out the door. He dashed to the body of a fallen officer and took an SMG from it's side. He galloped into the left branch of a fork in the canal. The area was completely roofed by a large bridge. Helicopters hovered above the bridge.
I - Rude AwakeningAce reflected on what had happened that seemed but a few minutes ago as he drifted weightlessly. All the ponies who died, the destruction of Black Forest. He wondered how he survived the blast, if Gordon survived, and if anypony else did. Ace saw a light in the space he was in. He was suddenly given a surface to trot on. He moved towards the lights. A stallion appeared in front of him, wearing the same suit. "Ace, it looks like your hour... Has come again... Though I must say, you were quite messy on your escape from that... Failure we called a... Facility. I'm certain you could redeem yourself if... You survive this." He smiled. "So, wake up. Wake up and smell the ashes." He continued. Ace found himself at a train station, he was a bit dizzy, suddenly having a horizon and being given flesh. He stumbled forward, eventually getting into a reasonable gait. He seemed to be wearing a blue outfit, reaching from his back hooves to his throat latch. He looked at the ground, seeing an empty can. He attempted to levitate it, though it seemed more difficult than usual. He moved a hoof over his horn. Cold metal covered his horn... Was this a cuff? He focused harder on the can, eventually getting his dark red aura around it. Suddenly, something stabbed into his horn. An intense burning sensation coursed through him, starting in his head, then leaving through his hooves, then a jolt of electricity. He eventually gave up and started toward a large screen on the wall. It turned on by itself. Doctor Bray appeared onscreen, a former employee of Black Forest. Ace smiled, at the time glad to know that somepony else survived the incident. "Welcome, welcome to City 27. It's safer here. Whether you are just passing by, or here to stay, welcome. I thought so much of City 27 that I reside in the Citadel here so thoughtfully provided by Our Benefactors." Ace still stared at the screen, a little confused. "I've gotten a letter recently, allow me to read it to you." He began, " 'Dear doctor Bray, why is it the 'Combine' have seen fit to suppress our Unicorn magic, signed, a concerned somepony.' Thank you for writing, Concerned. You see, unicorn magic, when we were still coddled by Mother Nature in our primal origins, magic was used to oppress other ponies, out of fear. Now that Our Benefactors have found us, unicorn magic is not needed anymore. We are extremely close to something previously thought unobtainable to our predecessors, and that is immortality. It is for the same reason why some of our wings have been clipped. Our true enemy is Instinct. What Celestia hadn't known was that unicorns and pegasi's ability have oppressed the Earth ponies. In the words of a true wisepony, Starlight Glimmer, 'True equality means that nopony has any different abilities, it is at this turn you must make a choice, either clip the wings and break the horn, or let the differences ruin civilization.' " His lecture seemed to go on forever. Ace's smile faded a bit with every word. A pony wearing a gas mask with blue glowing eyes approached him. "Move along, citizen." He commanded in a raspy, robotic voice. Ace awkwardly shifted in the direction the unnatural equine figure indicated. The peculiar stallion's horn was unrestricted, an aura surrounding it. A baton on the withers of the stallion's suit lifted itself off of it's place, the grey aura surrounding it as well. A few sparks shot from the end. "I said move along." He commanded once more. Ace remained where he stood, more out of mild fear than rebellion. The stallion cantered toward him. He lifted his baton and swung. Ace forcefully struck a hoof into the stallion's head out of pure reflex. The mask had broken, a piece caved in. The stallion fell, probably knocked out. The mask blared out a tone, followed by a mare's voice. "Unit down, reinforcements team code: three, zero, three."
II - Resisting ArrestA team of three lookalikes galloped after Ace, trampling their unconscious comrade. Ace dashed for an open gate, citizens watched the chase go down. Ace galloped through a cafeteria. A citizen calmly trotted to a table and was knocked over by the black and red-maned stallion fleeing from the police. Once Ace was outside, more officers had accumulated behind him. They were all wielding electric batons except a few with pistols. Bullets cracked through his mane and tail. Ace climbed a fence, which was enough stagnation for an officer to aim and shoot his horn. A bullet wedged itself into the horn brace. The damage caused it to spark and break, though not before sending fifteen jolts of electricity into Ace's body. Ace was at the top of the shrub-covered fence by the time the electricity surged through him. He lost control of his limbs and fell face-flat on the other side of the fence, face in the concrete. He lost consciousness, out of sight of the police. After minutes that seemed like seconds, Ace awoke on a couch in a small living room. A mare with a baby blue and purple mane sitting in a chair glanced at a small, budget television. The television was another lecture from Doctor Bray. She then looked over Ace, ending at his eyes. "Good, you're awake. I saw you fall unconscious, so I took you in to recover." She clarified. "Thanks, but who might you be? You seem familiar..." Ace asked. "My name is Flurry Heart." She answered briefly. Ace could still not move his legs. An hour passed. "Are you part of the royal family?" Ace asked after a very long pause. "Yes. I was intended to be the next princess, but the Combine took the throne away from us, along with everything that we stood for. To end the royal family, my death as a small child was plotted, but a blue mare with a rainbow mane sacrificed herself to save me." She explained. A loud knock at the door shook the furniture, followed by what sounded like bucking. "Go, quick." Flurry instructed calmly, I'll try to hold them off for now. Ace had gained control of his limbs again. He shakily stood up and trotted over in a corner out of sight. The door finally gave way to at least twenty Combine officers, all wielding batons and pistols. They all cantered in. "We know you're hiding a suspect." A cop said unnaturally. Flurry motioned Ace toward the door. Ace trotted silently out the door, then cantered faster along the corridor. A gunshot echoed from the room. Ace jumped and shuddered from the noise. He galloped up a flight of stairs. Hoofsteps followed behind him. "Dispatch, we need Airwatch, subject is 505." A cop rushed. Ace was on the rooftop by then. He galloped to he edge of the building. A helicopter landed behind him, more police jumped out of the vehicle, all holding submachine guns. "Freeze! Stay where you are!" An officer shouted. Ace looked around him. There was only a small space between the building and one adjacent to it. Ace jumped with all his might across the gap. The police followed close behind, some firing their guns. Bullets flew past Ace's head. Ace was cornered, a small alley stood between the next building. A doorway stood next to Ace, a lead pipe ran along the wall. Ace tore a segment of pipe off the wall. Three cops galloped towards him with batons. Ace swung the pipe, hitting an officer in the snout. The hit combined with the cop's movement caused him to spin one hundred eighty degrees while losing grip of his baton. Ace let go of the pipe and picked up the officer's baton. He swung the baton into another officer, then the other. The other officers stood at the edge of the first building, firing their guns. A helicopter hovered low in front of Ace. The intense downdraft made Ace's mane and tail flutter, a loud whirring of rotor blades drowned out the officer's shooting. A low-pitched hum rose above the rotors. The humming stopped. A storm of bullets assaulted Ace's direction. A fire escape hung off the edge of the building next to the one he was on. Ace galloped toward the end of the roof, leaping off the building, clinging onto the handrails of the staircase. He hoisted himself up, galloping down the stairs. Bullets hit the supports of the structure. Metal screeched as the stairs started to fall. Ace was on the second to last flight. Feeling the stairs' motion, he jumped off, landing on his hooves. Despite probably having severely damaged his legs, he continued galloping. Adrenaline numbed the pain.
IV - Civil ProtectionWhat Ace suspected was a 'City Scanner', as the Combine put it, peered through a window and snapped a photo. The radio continued chattering. "Suspect found, pursuing from intel." Hoofsteps ran across the floor outside. Suddenly, a violent pounding on the facade of a drink machine shook the lab's walls. "Ace, you need to get out of here." Twilight insisted. "Take my prototype of the HEMV suit mark five." She indicated toward the armor in it's pod. Ace race-cantered toward the suit and put it on. As he walked out Twilight levitated a nine millimeter pistol back-first toward him. She nudged him toward a heavy door. The door automatically opened by Rumble pushing a button on a panel. Ace galloped out just as the facade broke. "Suspect Sparks located fleeing, pursuing." A Civil Protection officer stated. Ace stopped at a skid into the railing of a platform. He turned and fired the pistol into the head of an officer. "Unit down at five, zero, five." A female voice rang as the officer fell. Ace fired into an officer restricting Twilight's horn, then the one beating Rumble with an electric baton. A chopper lowered itself to a hover behind Ace. "Suspect Sparks, you are charged with: Resisting arrest, Murder of Civil Protection units, Civil Disorder, and Malcompliance. Anti-Citizen status achieved." The helicopter blared over it's rotor blades. Ace jumped over the railing onto the ground below. More police rappelled from the craft, levitating Submachine guns. The units galloped after Ace. " All Protection Team units: complete sentencing at will." The radio rang in the background. The officers fired. Ace galloped through a gate frame, it's gate long gone. A wall blocked the way. Ace looked around and climbed over a fence before looking, landing on a large slope on the side of a canal, the incline twisted his fetlocks. The injury caused him to roll down the slope into sludge. Adrenaline overtook his nerves and he got back up to a galloping start. The units stood behind the fence and continued to fire. A helicopter took after him, dropping more units. Ace galloped for an area enclosed from the open air, under a bridge. Two more helicopters gathered behind the first one. They both hummed with energy, about to fire. Ace had made it to the bridge, the choppers showered the bridge with ammunition. A stallion in a blue uniform motioned Ace toward him. "You're that Sparks guy they're looking for, right?" He asked, looking around with paranoia. "Yeah, why?" Ace answered. "Twilight Sparkle told me to give you directions. At the next fork in the canal, go left toward a building on the inside wall." He told Ace quickly. "Get out of here, run!" Ace staggered into a gallop through the water.
VI - Ponyville TrailThe bridge ended eventually and Ace had once again fallen prey to the hunter choppers. In the distance the edge of a small town was in sight. Ace galloped as fast as his legs let him, the two aircraft charging their guns. A rain of ammunition poured over Ace's Helmet, wedging into his armor. "Suit power low. Seek charging station." His suit warned in it's robotic tone. Ace continued to run. The helicopters charged a second time. They fired again. "Suit power: zero percent. Armor no longer functional." The suit announced. The helicopters readied their guns. Ace held his breath and ducked in the water as they began to fire. The bullets glided through the water, though slowed. The choppers hovered seemingly for hours. Ace was losing breath. The helicopters flew past him. He raised his head out of the water. He took in the mostly fresh air for a few seconds. "Anti-Citizen Sparks eliminated. Send in ground units to inspect." An officer announced on the radio as they flew off. Ace waited for them to move out of sight. He then progressed in the same direction. The closer Ace got, the more decrepit the town looked, until a he was at the sloped wall of the canal. A mist had settled in as Ace slowly but surely started to climb for the town.
VII - Ghost townAce stood at the entrance of the town. Night had fallen. Corpses of ponies puppeteered by the creatures from Black Forest gurgled liquified organs as they roamed the streets. The smell of rotting flesh filled the misty air. The town was a shadow of what it was. This had used to be his home. Four of the corpses took a shuffling trot to him. Their torsos were ripped open, the organs visible. They moaned with despair as they neared. The one that was closest to Ace looked weak. The body was that of one of his friends. It had a pink coat. Her tail was filled with holes. Her Cutie mark was of three balloons. Ace knew he had failed her already. He could only lay her body to rest. He hesitantly aimed his gun and fired into the alien nesting on her head. The mane was matted from the creature's parasitism. The rest continued to approach slowly toward him. He shot the other three who had taken notice. In the distance screeches as if nightmares bounced off the walls of buildings. Silhouettes jumped across the rooftops. Ace trotted into the hellish ruins, once the flourishing city and his hometown. Jet-black, finned canisters were wedged into the ground. He continued down the path. Most of the corpses had fallen from undernourishment. A corpse stood out from the rest. it's back arched low, covered by black parasites. It was larger in proportion to the rest. It saw him and trotted toward him slower than the rest moved. It roared and a parasite jumped off of it's back. The creature sailed toward Ace and latched onto his helmet. Ace tried pulling it off with magic. No use. He dropped his gun completely, struggling with his hooves to pull it off. He levitated his gun and fired it above his helmet, where it was. The parasite fell backwards off. By this time, the corpse had gotten extremely close to him. It swung a gnarled, clawed hoof at Ace's chest. The hit left scratch marks on the plated armor. Ace fired his Submachine gun directly into it's body. The deceased pony fell over. A filly faced away from him next to a schoolhouse, the corpses seemed to avoid her. Ace took a few steps forward toward the young pony. It turned. The filly was long dead. The front was bare muscle and tendon, the coat barely hung on in the back. It screeched as it dove toward him. Ace jumped with surprise and fired into it's body. It fell as it's frail body was weak. The parasite that fell was lean. It attempted a jump toward Ace but fell short in front of him. Ace crushed it underhoof. A canister lodged inside the schoolhouse caused the front wall to crumble a bit, the door creaked open. Dead colts and fillies poured out from the building, some host to more aliens, others laid out on the floor. The young ponies must have gone in there to hide from the shelling, only to either die by their friends or starve. Ace walked past them, their unsteady gait slow with weakness. A corpse with no skin tackled him to the ground. Noxious rot and infection dripped from it's mouth as it screamed in his face. It clawed at his suit with mangled hooves of bone and tendon. Ace bucked it off him, the body falling on it's back. Ace shot it in the head. As a dead world's sun rose, the streets grew more calm, the dead drew away into alleys and abandoned buildings. Ace walked as the last thing alive to pass through the town. A dead stallion with a more ornate blue suit lay on the ground, a shotgun beside him. Ace levitated it with his horn and walked toward the exit.
IX - Destructive PathWhen Ace got to the city, he was quickly greeted with two ponies, a stallion and a mare carrying a severely wounded mare. Each one was clad in a green uniform with hoofplates bearing the symbol 'Lambda'. "You're Sparks, right?" The stallion asked. "Yes." Ace answered. "You have to go in there, there's more ponies in need of help. The Combine's overrun us here." The mare interrupted, nodding her head toward the city to indicate. Ace galloped in the direction. The city was in shambles, gunships and helicopters roamed the skies. A row of walls and emplacement guns divided the square in half. A mare galloped close to a mounted gun, about to throw a grenade, only to get shot down. The grenade dropped in front of her and detonated. Ace pointed the laser on his rocket launcher at a mounted gun in the center. He fired, causing a gap in their defenses. Resistance ponies flooded through the new opening, still being gunned down. A ray tore through the skies, fired a beam and hit a chopper, the elevation causing the beam to arc to a large portion of the other air units. The ones that were hit disappeared in a flash. More enemy soldiers arrived on the other side and quickly opened fire. Three squadrons of Metropolice let loose drones with razor-sharp rotors. "We've got Marehacks!" A stallion shouted above the uproar. The Marehacks flew and tore through throats. Ace dropped the rocket launcher and levitated his shotgun. A marehack hovered towards him. Ace fired the gun at the object's rotors. A grenade let out low tones under Ace's hoof. He dropped the shotgun and levitated the ordinance, throwing it in the Combine's direction. The grenade exploded, sending the soldiers in the air. The resistance kept flooding through the gap, quite a few dying. He followed the resistance. APCs veered in front of them, drifting. Metropolice on mounted guns fired upon the mass, Ace threw a grenade into a hatch of one of the vehicles. It detonated, sending the cop flying into the air. The resistance proceeded to the gates of a large building. Three-legged creatures with two glowing blue eyes burst the gates open. Needles shot everywhere. A few stuck into Ace's armor. The needles exploded. One of them raced towards him. He didn't have any time to dodge it. The creature collided with him. Spikes pierced his armor and through him. "Armor compromise detected. Attempting to minimize damage." His suit announced. The creature still kept going with him still on it. They ran into a wall, the spikes moved further into his body and pinned him to the surface. Ace hung by the blades. "System failure. Shutting down." The armor stated. He punched the creature in the eye with his hoof. It started howling. He kept at it, until the creature ran off, dropping him as a result. He looked at the wound. He trotted at an awkward limp. He cantered to his gun and picked it up. The rebels had mainly dealt with the hunters. The gate was open. Adrenaline washed out the pain. Ace galloped into combat, he continuously fired into the large grouping of metropolice. He pulled a secondary trigger, sending a grenade into the area. It exploded when it made contact with a metrocop's head. The resistance kept pouring through. The Combine finally started to withdraw. They chased them away, firing at them. "They're retreating!" A stallion cheered.
VIII - Hot PursuitAlmost as soon as Ace got out of the nightmarish town, a chopper flew toward him at a downward angle. As it chased, it dropped bombs in rows behind it into the city. Ace galloped as fast as he could. The bombs behind him were ticking progressively faster, eventually exploding row after row. The chopper started firing it's main gun, bullets landing just behind his tail. A dilapidated structure made of scrap metal with a canister lodged in the roof was in view. Ace made for it's direction. It was closer than he expected. He dashed inside. A table stood on the wall opposite, with a suit battery and a rocket launcher. The human symbol 'Lambda' was crudely spray painted in the corner. Ace replaced the old battery with the new one and lifted the rocket launcher with magic. He trotted outside the door and aimed the rocket launcher at the cockpit. He fired. A direct hit, the chopper drove into a tailspin, a single column of smoke rose as it came crashing to the ground. Five radios went off for reinforcements. "Units 115, 119, 1105, 229, and 340 down at 640, requesting reinforcements." The mare's monotone voice rang. Ace continued to gallop past the dwelling. A whale-like noise rippled through the air. One of the flying manta rays from Black Forest made a screeching noise as it flew much faster than he had remembered. It fired a beam that pierced his eardrums. The beam had hit the scrap hovel, sending shards of metal flying. Ace galloped faster, adrenaline flooded his reasoning. Ace launched a rocket at the flying monster. It screamed again, though more harsh. It fired a beam as Ace galloped past an abandoned metal flagpole. The beam instead directed itself into the flagpole. The pole surged with energy, eventually exploding behind them. The ray was close enough to the pole that a large fragment lodged itself through it's body. Ace continued to gallop. A city was in view.
III - Erasing PonykindAce was trapped in an alleyway, A helicopter charged again. It's downdraft blew leaves and garbage through the air. A door suddenly opened. "Quick, get in here!" A stallion called. Ace dashed in through the door as the aircraft fired. The door slammed shut and the stallion locked it. "You almost got killed out there." He stated. "Why'd you save me?" Ace asked. "Because you're innocent. Evading the cops like that isn't easy." Ace looked at him. "Who are you, anyway?" "Name's Rumble." He answered, trotting to a drink machine. He pressed a button and the cover slid open, acting as a facade for a doorway. Ace and Rumble trotted into a lab of sorts. A lavender mare trotted towards them. Ace instantly recognized her, though she looked more aged. "Ace? You're alive?!" She asked. "It's been thirty years. We all thought you died at Black Forest." Rumble interjected. "I found him cornered by a helicopter in an alleyway." Twilight dismissed Rumble's statement. "You probably don't know what's happened since. After the Black Forest incident, A force called the Combine took over earth. Ponies can no longer reproduce, use magic, or fly. Celestia's rule was overthrown and she was killed." She continued. "Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy died protecting her. I lost contact with Applejack and Rainbow Dash went missing along with Flurry Heart." "I saw Flurry. She helped me escape the Combine." Ace notified. "What? Where?" Twilight Asked. "A residential building." The race of one hundred twenty hooves passed the fake drink machine. Twilight trotted closer to Ace. "Show me." She instructed urgently. "Shouldn't we wait until the cop-" "No, she's more important." Twilight interrupted. "I'm pretty sure she was killed by the police." Ace added. Twilight's expression suddenly turned from hopeful to distressed within an instant. Twilight turned around and trotted to a Combine Radio. She tuned it to their location. The police were still looking for Ace. "No trace of suspect Sparks. Dispatch, we need more city scanners sent out, possible Marehacks needed." The radio addressed. "Marehacks?" Ace asked. "More things used to stop uprisings." Twilight answered swiftly.
V - Sense of DirectionAce galloped as cops atop the walls lit barrels and rolled them down the walls toward him. They exploded behind him, shrapnel hitting the relatively new armor. Some officers chased behind him in the muddy waters, firing their SMGs at him. A small, decrepit shack stood under another bridge. Ace galloped twice as fast than he had been. The shack was in sight. Ace had got under the bridge when some ponies emerged from the building with SMGs and fired at the cops behind Ace. They directed him into the building, where somepony waited for him. Applejack, now an old mare. "Applejack? I thought Twilight said you went missing." Ace asked. "I can explain later. There's directions I need to give to ya." She urgently explained. "Ya need to get to Ponyville. It's 'jus west of here." Ace nodded and headed out of the building. "Ace, wait 'jes a second." She halted. He looked over his shoulder. "Fight for us." "I will." He responded. He galloped out the door. He dashed to the body of a fallen officer and took an SMG from it's side. He galloped into the left branch of a fork in the canal. The area was completely roofed by a large bridge. Helicopters hovered above the bridge.
