chapter 10: Vanity Casino

"what do you mean smart enough to quit?" I said, cocking my pistol.

"Well, when the UEMC (United Equestrian Marine Corps.) realized we were losing, they moved their headquarters underground in an unknown location. They've cut off all contacts. They're secluded. No one can resign." Recon Looked around the area.

"Why not go find a village and settle down?" I said, while checking my vitals.

"That's just it. All the ponies that have, disappeared."

"Why doesn't someone tell Princess Luna?!?" Fire Light said.

"She's dead." Apple Pie turned. Fury burned in his eyes at Skyler.

Not for leaving, I thought, but for not taking him (Apple Pie) with him.

"Alright, ponies," Chains just got off the radio. "New assignment. We're being reassigned to help a squad of marine ponies. Their radio transmissions stopped an hour ago and we need to check to see if they're alive."

"Like a recovery team?" Recon asked.

"Without the beacon," chains said, updating his GPS. "So basically there's a 100 foot radius as to where they were last transmission. But by the time we find that, they're gonna be a 200 foot radius."

We all felt uneasy about the mission.

"Let's get walking," Chains picked up an empty mag and stored it.

*******

We walked to the recovery area in the matter of an hour. It was a ruined city. I couldn't tell which. No one could for a while.

"Keep your eyes peeled," Chains led us slowly deeper into the dead city.

A newspaper pulled by the wind hit me in the face. I quickly took of my helmet and set it on the ground. I hoofed the newspaper to read it.

EQUESTIA DAILY

Manehattan edition

Stable Tech Kills Hundreds?

Rumor has it that an unnamed stable has been brutally murdered in multiple ways, all by a Stable Tech machinery. A new robot was being tested. It was supposedly made to help save the stable's ponies the best it could. The machine soon looked at the charts to find the water supply was low. The ponies would all die soon. So, with it's scientific Calculations it made, it took action and murdered several ponies. Later, the water ran low. It murdered more. Every time the water level dropped the dead pony count skyrocketed

For legal reasons, we are not aloud to say what machine destroyed the ponies. Or who made this monster or where the next stable to get one is. All you can do is hope your reserved stable doesn't get one.

Article by Gabby Gums

I threw down the paper and stomped on it.

Nopony should have to live through the nightmare of getting betrayed. Not even a zebra.

"Apple Pie, Spark," Chains whispered. "Clear that building. When you reach the 7th floor, set up a zip line receiver and hold position until we get there. Everypony else, on me."

"Which side?" I said.

"East side. Move out."

"Alright, Spark," Apple Pie said. "Put your helmet back on."

I did.

"Take point."

I did.

He opened the door from the side to let me in. It was a giant hotel. A dead pony lied her head on the counter.

I started moving towards the stairs leading up.

"Hold position." Apple Pie whispered.

Wingless Pegasus started raiding the cash registers taking every last coin.

"What are you doing?" I turned my head to watch him.

"They aren't using it." he put it all in a bag on his belt.

"What if someone robbed your resting place?" I was enraged at this.

"I don't care if they burn my body and smash my worthless bones."

"You'd desecrate a grave for riches?"

Apple Pie walked by me. "It's not her money to begin with."

He lead up the stairway. We went to a room filled with slavers and zebras. Some slavers were raping the zebras while others spoiled themselves with alcohol and cigarettes.

Without hesitation, Apple Pie opened fire, shooting aimlessly at anything moving in the room (with the exception of himself and I).

He walked to a surviving zebra and pulled his magnum. He pulled the hammer back on it.

"Wait!" I yelled, grabbing the gun from him.

"What are you doing?" he was furious.

"What are YOU doing?" I was angrier. "She's a harmless zebra!"

"It's a menace!"

"SHE can't even enlist!"

"YOU are crazy!"

"We are letting her go."

"The only place she's going is to the afterlife."

"Where's your compassion?"

"You don't win wars with compassion."

"What are you talking about! The war is over! It barely existed!"

"And we lost because y'all were too compassionate!"

"We lost because teammates wouldn't cooperate." Chains voice buzzed over the radio. "Let the zebra go, then get your butt to the roof. "

Apple Pie whined. "But sir-"

"That's an order, Apple Pie!" Chains probably had to put up with that a lot.

"Yes, sir."

*******

Every floor had something different on it. Flor 3 was tons of ammo, floor 4 was working like it did before the bomb. But the weirdest was floor 5.

We walked up the stairs to see a giant casino. Floor 5 to 7 were dedicated to it.

Its walls were decorated with clown faces and slot machines pouring out coins. The clowns were giving creepy grins to any passers.

BAM!!

DING DING DING DING!!!

I turned to see Apple Pie playing the slot machine.

"What are you doing?!?" I whispered from behind him.

"Getting some coin." he went again.

"Are you always this selfish?"

That's a rude way to put it, but yes, yes I am." he pulled down the handle again.

"You're gonna get us killed!"

"Yea right."

He pulled the lever again.

"Who's gonna kill me? The building's empty."

Two of the slot machine's slots stopped on pictures of bits.

"Come on." Apple Pie said to himself.

The last slot landed on the bit too.

"Jack po-" a bullet flew through the window into Apple Pie's skull. His body hit the ground, cold and soaked with blood.

"Apple Pie!!!"

"What's going on?" Chsins voice came through the helmet.

"Apple Pie is dead!" I yelled.

As soon as I finished my sentence, apple pie stood back up, like it never happened.

"Uhhhh," I was shocked at the display. "Never mind. He's still alive."

"Let's go. We have work to do."

The undead wingless pegasus lead me up to the next floor to find a big stallion.

"Time to die!" He screamed, wielding his giant minigun.

"I'm taking you with me!" Apple Pie screamed.

He tackled the attacker strait through the window, plummeting to both of their deaths.

"What just happened?" Chains asked over the radio.

"Apple Pie is actually dead now."
I replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But we have a mission here. It's to help those marines somewhere in this city."

I climbed the stairs to the seventh floor. I opened my bag and pulled out the zipline equipment.

"Are you sure about this, Chains" Fire Light said. "I've never heard of a pony zip lining before."

"It'll be fine," Chains said, hooking up. "I have a friend who's tried it. He aside it's way fun."

Recon laughed. "You have friends, Chains?"

"Recon, you're first." Chains nudged him close.

Recon looked over the edge. "Uhhh..."

"I'll help you," chains grabbed Recon's attachable glove and locked it in place. "Bye."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!" Recon screamed his head off.

"I didn't shove you yet." Chains said.

"Oh," Recon said sheepishly. "Yea."

"Alright, on three."

"No five."

"Okay on-"

"I changed my mind. Make it ten."

"1...."

"No wait!"

"10." Chains bucked Recon out of the window and into the sky, 9 stories above the ground.

Recon zipped through the sky over the road to me.

Oh man he's moving fast. Really fast. Towards me.

I dove To the right to avoid the giant hurdling stallion about to break through the frame of the window sill.

Recon broke through, breaking his glove attachment on impact. He flew half way across the room and broke through the floor.

"I hate my friends." Recon uttered to himself.

I felt funny that day. "You have friends?"

The hole in the floor spoke to me. "Screw you, Spark."

"Your turn Fire Light."

"I'm not going on that death trap." she backed away from the window.

"Spark'll catch you before you fall into the hole," Chains grabbed her hoof and latched it to the zip line.

Fire Light flew down screaming like a foal all the way.

I stuck out my hooves to catch her. Her hook broke about where Recon's did, sending her right into my hooves.

I blushed a little. "Hi."

"Hey."

I got lost deep in her eyes, just staring and smiling. She stared back.

Just then the forest green stallion broke the moment with both of his hind hooves smashing my stomach, Forcing me into the hole.

Fire Light, however, flew a little bit forward, landing on Chains and crushing his back.

"Get off, please," Chains muffled from underneath the mare.

She got off, and looked down the hole. It was a lot deeper than I thought. It wasn't 1floor deep. Recon alone broke through 4 floors and dented the next.

I hit him, breaking a rib and a hoof. I sat there for 10 minutes before Chains and Fire Light came down.

"You need some help?" Chains asked.

"That'd be nice." I said, spitting out a mouth of wall.

Chains pulled me to my hind legs, putting all my weight onto one part of the Giant dent.

The only reason I say that is because it made me fall through the floor to the next. Along with the rest of the crevice and Recon.

We hit the next floor with a thud. I couldn't feel anything and my vision started to blur.

"Spark!" Fire Light screamed over and over. Each time it was more and more muzzled.

I opened my eyes one last time to see a set of forest green hooves in front of me.