Chapters "This company can't support itself without off-world exports!" A stallion at the end of the meeting table asserted.
"We must focus our materials against that petty revolution." The stallion looking out the building's window stated.
Equestria had been in shambles for as long as The Consul could remember. All it had ever been useful for was scrap anyway. He knew aliens who needed the junk of this world. They even shipped citizens to other solar systems.
A ship carrying scrap flew by.
The Consul trotted calmly to his podium.
He cleared his throat. The whole city stood at attention in one mass.
"Attention Citizens." He started, "There will be a food shortage, and pay will be cut."
A small colt fell over in the back, dead.
There had already been a famine, the colt had already been weak with hunger and sickness, the news of even less had been too much.
"Anyway, our troops need more production from this city, all stallions, please follow the patrol behind me to the factories."
The soldiers stood at attention and marched out through a gigantic red curtain, a long line followed them.
A mare cried out.
"Due to a lessening population, some colts and fillies will be taken to work at weapon factories, using a sort of lottery." The consul continued,
"The 'winners' get to work at the production line, the 'losers' get to stay home."
"We will provide food at the factories, your children will live there until the need for adult workers is fulfilled."
"Good day to you, fellow loyal residents." The Consul said as he trotted away.
"Right then, show them around the place." Sparks told the patrol leader.
The artificial atmosphere gave off it's own sort of light. This meant that exterior lighting wasn't needed save for the spotlights the snipers used on the towers.
They were headed for an armory. A strange model of firearm were hung on the racks.
"This is the VIPR, standing for Versatile Individualized Projection Rifle. It's base is an assault rifle, but has three different modes. The weapons specialist will take it from here." He explained.
A stallion walked up to the group, levitating the weapon. It's safety was on.
He got up close to the three, showing the gun's side.
"This is a selector switch, you can change from single fire, to burst, or rapid."
He moved a hoof to three buttons.
"These are buttons for different modes, the one on top is Assault Rifle mode, middle activates the Auto shotgun above, and the bottom starts Sniper Rifle mode." He continued,
"The scope up top can zoom up to 600% of your normal eyesight, though I would suggest using the sniper mode before attempting to shoot an enemy that far. Any questions?"
"Why so many modes?" Short Circuit asked.
"Well, this is the only weapon we give out as of standard issue, so it must have as many uses as possible." He explained.
The patrol leader led them to a firing range to demonstrate the weapon's capabilities.
"First, we'll start off with burst fire." He explained.
He flipped the switch and fired three rounds at intervals at a target.
"Now rapid fire." The leader said as he flipped the switch.
He fired and it almost completely emptied the clip.
"Automatic shotgun." He said as he pressed the middle button and fired.
By this point, the target was nearly destroyed. The shells ejected from the back at a constant rate.
"And finally, sniper mode." He said, pressing the bottom button.
The barrel extended with a click, and a red laser emitted from the bottom of the barrel. He fired. The sound of the shot hung in the air.
"As shown in this demonstration, the VIPR is a weapon of all purposes." The leader remarked.
Commander Sparks quietly trotted in next to them, smiling.
"I'm certain that Captain Valence demonstrated the weapon properly." The general stated, surprising the four.
The patrol leader, Captain Valence jumped, then nodded.
A common soldier burst through the range's door, panting, his coat scorched and covered with soot.
"We're being attacked!" He shouted urgently.
"Get your weapons, no time to waste!" Sparks commanded the three.
Tapped Wire, System Crash, and Short Circuit galloped out of the range and into the war-ridden base, the only thing standing between them and the armory.
VII - The 'Resistance' Problem.
The camera crew hastily set up the podium and recording equipment. The Consul sat in his chair, waiting.
"A-alright sir, everything's ready." The head of the camera crew uneasily stuttered.
"Fantastic." The Consul said, unimpressed.
The Consul trotted lazily to the podium. He cleared his throat.
"Good morning, loyal citizens. As you have probably heard from whispers, we lost the entirety of platoon 6 to a ragged band of marauders. We must assume the platoon was insufficiently trained. Moving on, the lottery winners are: Resonant Hope, Burnt Fuse..." The list went on seemingly forever.
"And finally, Sven Jr." He concluded the list.
The guards that were positioned behind The Consul marched toward the children, and led them behind the curtain at gunpoint.
The parents started weeping.
"Worry not! Your children will be cared for in the factories, they will also be producing food for you!" He exclaimed ecstatically, "You may return to your homes, knowing your colts and fillies are safe in my hooves."
The gathering dispersed, leaving The Consul on his own.
He sat down in his chair and sighed.
"That revolution is going to be the death of me." He muttered under his breath.
He couldn't find the error in his ways. He did what he thought was necessary for his citizens. He convinced himself of that, anyway.
Short Circuit and System Crash stood by Tapped Wire's hospital bed.
"The medics told me I won't be able to fight for most of my time here." Tapped said weakly,
"They said I have a fragment of shrapnel in my side."
"We'll make sure you don't get hurt anymore." Short Circuit promised.
Captain Valence stuck his head through the door.
"All ground units fit for battle, to the War Room!" He exclaimed.
The two galloped out the Triage Room and into the War Room.
There was a large mass in the room. At the front were the chain of command.
"Our squad leaders are: Commander Smog, Lieutenant Geo, Second Lieutenant Omega, Captain Valence, and General Sparks." Sparks listed.
"You will be assigned squads. System Crash, Short Circuit, Rusty Sprocket, Burnt Fuse, and Oil Spill, you are Psi squad, your leader is Valence.
The rest faded out of Short Circuit's ears. He tuned it out thinking about his sister, who had been left alone by her siblings.
He forced himself to stop and listen.
"...Theta Squad. You're under my command." Sparks told.
"Our plan of action is as follows: Theta Squad will go straightways through the wasteland and clear the way for Lambda to meet up with us. Both Psi and Sigma will split and then meet up after Theta clears the way. Psi will take left, and Sigma will go right. Alpha will stay behind Theta for support. Beta will scout ahead." He said as he marked the battle plans.
"Celestia, look over us. Move out!" Sparks concluded.
The mass left the building to the armory. Everyone took a breath mask and VIPR. The medics were spread out to one per team. They took medkits as well. The two siblings stood at the back of Psi Squad. They waited for the rest to ready up. After what was an hour they were ready to go.
"Move out! Theta first!" Sparks called out.
Theta left the artificial atmosphere first. They went next.
"Keep in formation!" Valence commanded.
The outside world was darker than Short Circuit remembered. The fog was thicker.
"Follow me, Psi!" Valence shouted.
Hoofsteps were all Short Circuit could hear. The squad turned to the left. They were in the bottom of a canyon of scrap metal.
Day broke suddenly. The sky grew brighter through the smog.
"Pack up camp, men!" Quantum barked.
The battalion scrambled to clean up the site. The fire was put out, and the weapons were picked up. Everyone got into battle formations.
"Forward! We're almost there!" Quantum shouted.
The wasteland was almost clear of any noise. The only noises were hoofsteps and equipment rattling.
The scouts flew in front of them, landing feet away.
"Sir! Captain Arc reporting!" The dark grey-coated mare called out.
"What did you find?" Quantum asked confidently.
"All quiet, sir!" She responded
"As I thought. For now, you will be grunts. Follow behind Lambda Squad." Quantum said sternly.
The Pegasus squad trotted to the back.
The squadron trotted over a hill. A whole army had been waiting for them! Quantum galloped to the other side. A Moonlight Company soldier talked through his radio.
"We got Quantum. Executing final procedure." The soldier said as he shot Quantum in the back of the head.
"Surrender now, and we will take you peacefully!" An enemy captain shouted.
"We'd rather die!" Valence cried out.
The two masses clashed, the front of the revolutionaries were using their shotguns, The second, burst fire. and the back were using full auto.
Short Circuit realized there were too many to handle. This was probably the end of the line for him and System Crash.
Short Circuit looked back. There was a figure in the distance.
Tapped Wire flew and landed next to him. Suddenly, an entire army followed behind.
"Gamma, Iota, Tau, Omicron, Delta! Support the rebels!" A voice cried out.
Moonlight Company's army was gunned down. Most ran away, the ones who didn't were killed.
"Welcome, Citizens. Today we face a tragedy. The wasteland savages have just ruthlessly killed our men on a peace mission. We will send our full extent of the military after these beasts. Remember, you must try your best to assist us in our noble cause." The Consul said zealously high above the crowd, projected in his tower on a giant screen.
"We are currently asking you, the loyal citizens of this city, to serve in your army. It is your duty . You may take your leave, but know that a draft is soon to come."
The crowd dispersed.
The Consul knew from the start this speech was going to be a slew of lies. He knew it, and he was happy about it. The populus couldn't take the truth. He considered it a form of protection.
"Sir?" A waiter asked at The Consul's side.
"Yes?"
"Your drink's ready." He responded.
The Consul took the cocktail and sipped.
He was the only one with this kind of luxury.
He looked out the window of his titanic tower.
The 'Peace mission' was an underhanded tactic to eliminate his foes. The 'savages' were rebels about to bust his door down.
...And the draft had already started.
The revolutionaries, led by Quantum advanced towards The City. Tapped Wire, System Crash, and Short Circuit barely remembered how the city looked. The Consul's tower pierced the sky, and the synthesized atmosphere towered to accommodate it. The last three floors of the building exceeded the maximum height of the atmosphere, so each floor had it's own personal, compact generator. There were small squads at the front of the entrance.
The main problem was the turret guns and searchlights on the towers.
"Stop! Gather in your squads!" Quantum called out.
"We have devised a plan." General Sparks explained,
"Psi Squad, Lambda Squad, you will snipe the gunners in those towers. Once that is done, you will keep your positions and pick off individual enemies. While they do that, Sigma will detonate satchel charges on the gate. Theta Squad will then charge in alongside Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Iota, and Tau. These groups will be under me until we reach the entrance. Omicron will carry the weapons and supplies for any citizens we find. Delta will be support, if all else fails. Carry on."
Short Circuit switched his VIPR to sniper mode. A small electrical humming and the barrel slid out. The scope swiveled upward from two small rods. A red laser pointer switched on. Short Circuit looked into the scope.
Through the green coloration and scan lines, Short Circuit saw a gunner in the turret. He positioned it so that the gunner was in the retical. He fired, the noise was almost a clap of thunder in magnitude.. Blood gushed from the shot to the head. Two medics rushed to aid him, but it was instantly fatal.
The other three turret guns started firing at the mound of metal he lay prone on. He moved to the next gunner and fired.
System Crash got the other two.
Sigma squad galloped silently to the gate and placed the explosives. They galloped back and the charges burst the gate open.
Moonlight Company soldiers came pouring out of the gates.
"Let's go, Theta! Charge!" Sparks shouted out.
The six squads galloped at full speed with their VIPRs out. Through the scope, System Crash could see the surprise on Moonlight Company's faces when they were suddenly charged by the rebels.
A soldier on one of the towers was about to throw a grenade. Short Circuit aimed at the soldier's chest and fired. The stallion collapsed and the grenade detonated in the tower.
More soldiers came galloping out of the gateway.
Delta went galloping out to the battlefield.
A soldier started to climb up one of the towers. System Crash shot him down.
There was a break in Moonlight Company's formation. Theta and the other squads broke through into the city.
"Lambda, Psi, Sigma, Omicron! Follow Theta!" Valence called out.
The groups galloped to the battle. System and Short switched to Assault Rifle mode. They galloped through the gates and a large mass of citizens galloped to them.
"We've been looking to join you!" The citizens said ecstatically.
Omicron gave them weapons and ammo. The Consul's day of reckoning had come.
They soon met up with Theta and the gigantic flood of ponies marched through the streets. Moonlight Company had blown out most of their units at the gate. What little off-post soldiers they could send out were small squads. They marched towards the colossal tower The Consul called home.
The Consul looked down in simultaneous shock and awe at the giant mass of angry outcasts and citizens.
"I just don't get how this happened. I did what I could for them." He said quietly in order to convince himself.
He poured himself some vodka while never breaking his stare at the army. He downed it, knowing it was probably his last drink.
System Crash trotted beside a river of rust. Her sister, Tapped Wire and Short Circuit, her brother, were at the camp a short distance. The tent was in view. Acid rain started coming down. She galloped into the metal shelter. They called it a tent because of a bad habit they had since they were little.
"Hey, sis." Short Circuit said nonchalantly.
Short Circuit was the oldest of them, he generally knew how to handle things. And Tapped Wire was the youngest.
They sat in front of the fire he had made. Cooking on the fire was a rusted can of beans. There wasn't much of anything to eat in the wastelands, and pretty much everything you did find was irradiated. They were outcasts, kicked out of The City for Fueling the Revolt. It wasn't true, however. Their whole block had been escorted out. It was a death sentence out here, aside from some small colonies, there was no civilization.
The three had diversely useful skills. System was good at fighting, Short scavenged for the three, and Tapped was proficient at making weapons.
Short Circuit took the beans off the fire and passed it to the other two.
After they had finished, he got the rest. It was normal for him. The outside sky was filled with smog. Moonlight Company had shipped out almost all of the plants and atmosphere in the wasteland. The City was contained in a giant dome filled with air and trees. Everypony out in the Wasteland wore a breathing apparatus.
The sky grew much darker. It was night. The fire lit the inside of the stucture, embers rising to the top of it.
Their weapons rested on the right side from the entrance. A sword made of sheet metal, which was System's, a dagger made from forged scrap, Short's weapon of choice, and a rusty harpoon, which was Tapped's.
"Who's going to keep watch tonight?" System Crash asked the other two.
"Me." Short Circuit replied.
System and Tapped lay on their sides. After a few minutes, they fell asleep.
Being a unicorn, Short Circuit levitated the dagger from it's place and held it at his side.
The acid rain cleared out.
Short Circuit was about six when their parents died. The three had always stuck together since that day.
There was a howling out in the distance.
The howling got closer. Mutants. By the time you heard them, they were already on your tail. Short Circuit pushed System and Wired.
"Come on, get up! Mutants are coming!" He urgently whispered.
System jerked her head toward him.
"Mutants!?"
Wired got up.
A snarling noise was nearing the tent.
The three grabbed their weapons and galloped just past five mutants. They barked loudly, snapping their jaws just behind Tapped.
Short circuit grabbed her and galloped faster. The creatures were gaining on them. An air dome was in sight. There were spiked wooden logs and a gate behind it.
A small fort came into view from the fog. The three galloped faster.
Suddenly, the mutants behind them started to whimper. A gunshot echoed. One fell down. The rest soon followed. Equine silhouettes waved from atop towers.
The siblings stood at the gates of the fort. A small patrol opened the gates.
"Get into the fort, there's more of those things bound to come." The patrol's leader said to them.
They trotted in. The patrol led them to a small building. A sign hung above that read:
'War Room.'
They entered the building. A tall, strong-jawed stallion stood reviewing a chalkboard with a plan scrawled on. He seemed old, but still able. His coat was white with a light blue tint in it, and his mane was light grey. It was now apparent this was some sort of old schoolhouse. The fort was probably built around it.
"Sir, these three were almost killed by Mutants." The patrol's leader explained.
"Ah, I see our snipers are still on post." the stallion said, turning from the board.
"Welcome, my name is General Theta Sparks." He greeted the three, with a British accent.
"You can take off those masks while you're in the fort. Our artificial atmosphere is in good condition as of current." General Sparks said as he pointed a hoof up.
They removed their breathing apparatuses.
"An Earth Pony, a Pegasus, and a Unicorn." He remarked, "You three seem tough, would you like to join the Revolution?"
"Depends," Short Circuit replied, "How much supplies do you have?"
"As much as you can think of." Sparks chuckled.
"Count me in, what about you guys?" He said, turning to his sisters.
They nodded nervously.
The three sprinted for the armory, an explosion burst next to Tapped Wire, a piece of shrapnel cut her wing, sheared off almost all of the feathers, and left a large gash in the side. Flung aside by the blast, she lay injured in the dirt.
"Wire!" Short Circuit cried out, galloping to her.
"Somepony get her a medic!" Captain Valence called out.
Two medics galloped to her with a gurney, put her on and galloped to the infirmary.
System Crash and Short Circuit made it to the armory.
They both grabbed VIPRs and breathing apparatuses and dashed into the battle.
Heavily-armored stallions with machine guns marched in lines through the gate.
System Crash noticed the flaw in their formation and threw a grenade into the middle of their line.
Most of Moonlight Company's units were sent flying in every direction. One's legs had been blown off by the explosion.
"Somepony help me, damn it!" He shouted.
Short Circuit fired the automatic shotgun into the remainder of the force, the recoil was unbelievable. His magic could barely hold onto the weapon.
Somepony threw a grenade back into the rebels. It exploded, destroying the atmosphere generator.
The rebels started to suffocate, Moonlight Company's armor had breathing masks built-in.
System Crash and Short Circuit barely managed put on their masks. Captain Valence, General Sparks, and some other soldiers put them on as well.
Tapped Wire had a mask on already, as it was medical procedure.
Moonlight Company's platoon was gunned down by five. The remaining rebels switched to their Automatic Shotguns, firing relentlessly until their enemies were all on the ground, injured or dead.
They captured the injured, and the rebel engineers rushed to repair the atmosphere generator.
Psi Squad trotted through the rusted canyon. Everything was too quiet. Short Circuit couldn't put a hoof on it, but something seemed wrong. The sky darkened, indicating night.
A Moonlight Company sniper peered down on them, but accidentally shifted his hoof on a scrap.
The squad below heard the scraping noise.
Captain Valence halted the squad.
"You hear that?" Valence whispered.
More scraping.
Rusty Sprockets aimed and fired without the word. He was almost instantly struck down.
"Take cover!" Valence shouted.
Short Circuit lunged behind a rusted washing machine. System was behind half of a car.
Valence was up ahead of Short.
"On my count, run." Valence whispered,
"One... Two... Three! " He shouted the last number.
The squad galloped through the canyon, the snipers above taking their shots and missing. The end of the canyon was near. The clearing was close. A sniper shot just past Short's ear, grazing his mane.
They had reached the end of the canyon, Theta and Lambda Squad were in the distance.
Psi squad galloped to the group.
"Glad to see we've made it this far." General Sparks commented with a weak grin.
Sigma, Alpha, and Beta had arrived shortly after.
"Gentlemen, this is Admiral Quantum." Sparks introduced.
Sparks indicated towards a stalwart-looking stallion with a white coat and a scar across his muzzle. His mane was grey with a dark red stripe through it.
"Men, we have work to do." Was what Quantum greeted the company with.
"All squads and squad leaders will follow Admiral Quantum." Sparks stated.
"Do we have our Pegasus battalion scouting ahead?" Quantum asked as if he had always known the answer was 'no'.
"No." Sparks answered.
"Well, send somepony out of a squad to send the message for aid." Quantum retorted.
"Second Lieutenant, you know what to do." Quantum commanded.
"Yes sir." Omega said as he saluted and galloped off.
They waited a few hours before the first airborne scouts flew overhead. They saluted from above as they passed.
"Forward!" Quantum commanded the battalion behind him.
The group started to advance through the thick, smoggy air and the rusted metal ground.
Short Circuit noticed Quantum had wings, but they had been clipped. Somehow, the thought of an Alicorn leading a rag-tag group of revolutionaries sounded too good to be true. To be honest, Quantum's actions also seemed suspicious, given the fact that he sent a part of the chain of command to send a message .
Omega galloped to them.
"It's about time you returned, Second Lieutenant." Quantum commented, looking through the corner of his eye.
The mass continued their march. There were gunshots reverberating in the air. There was a smell of gunpowder. A squad of five galloped to the mass.
"This is Epsilon squad! Commander Thorn reporting for duty, Sir!" The commander called above the loud cacophony of firearms.
"Ready your weapons, men!" Quantum barked at his battalion.
The whole group raised their VIPRs. A large squadron of Moonlight Company soldiers approached them and attacked.
Quantum's Battalion opened fire, half with shotguns and the other assault rifles.
Short Circuit started shooting. The muzzle flash lit up the smog and black smoke erupted from the barrel.
A grenade sailed into the middle of the mass, everyone around it scattered, though some didn't make it. The ones who were too late were blown into pieces.
The Moonlight Company squadron was gone, but there were many losses on the revolutionary's side.
"Make camp here!" Quantum commanded.
Night had fallen. They were almost out of air for their masks.
"Line up for another air tank!" Captain Valence called out as he bucked open a crate of air tanks.
The other commanding officers were in rows with their own crates, save for Quantum.
The mass lined up in each row by squad leader.
System and Short were lined up in front of Valence. Short was first in line.
"Alright, hold your breath." Valence said to Short.
Short Circuit inhaled his last breath of air in the tank.
Valence removed the tank.
Short could feel the air escaping his lungs.
Valence quickly screwed the tank onto the tube connecting the mask.
Short Circuit gasped for breath, then returned to normal breathing.
"Next!" Valence called.
Short Circuit trotted to the fire some ponies lit up.
Quantum was on a radio far east of the camp. Short Circuit trotted quietly near Admiral Quantum.
"...ey don't suspect anything. We're close by your company, planning to move forward by tomorrow morning."
Quantum turned to look at Short.
"What the hay are you doing!? Get back to your post!" He shouted.
The flood of rebels busted down the door to the building. Pouring into the entrance. The place was luxurious, the floor was covered with red carpeting. Busts of The Consul were on pedestals. The citizens broke everything in the room out of anger that their leader had kept everything for himself.
They trotted into a large elevator and it automatically lifted them to the second floor. A large group of guards had been waiting for them with shotguns. They opened fire before anypony could switch to shotgun. They took out a chunk of citizens. Theta fired into the group, killing most of them. A grenade was thrown by a rebel, getting rid of the rest.
They trotted back into the elevator. It took them to the thirty-second floor. Guards with assault rifles were waiting. A rebel threw a grenade, killing them. The elevator took them to the last floor. The Consul stood there, petrified.
"W-wait! Don't kill me! I'll-" He was interrupted by an angry citizen shooting him in the head.
The rest of the guards galloped in from the elevator. Most of them had grenade launchers.
"Take cover!" Valence shouted.
Grenades flew everywhere in the room. Sigma squad was down.
Theta and Lambda jumped out with shotguns while the grenadiers were reloading. The grenadiers were down. The rest of the guards opened fire. Theta took them down.
The war had been won.
