LPRR - The Classified Missionby KaciekkChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 1Author's Note Some notes: to understand the story better. If already know Recharge: Revamped, feel free to skip this. This is Linkin Pony Recharge, but not in the same way as many years ago. The world and characters have been revamped. Our heroes are part of the Resistance against the Hybrids that fight for control over the resources that are left in the world. The world is left in a dying state, many centuries in the future. The Resistance runs on a new resource, known as energy crystals. They harness this power to fight the Hybrids, in the form of Energy Power Devices (EPDs). Hybrids are ponies who have been modified with mechanical parts, to make them resistant to the harsh world around them. However the bionic parts corrupted them, turning the Hybrids savage. Now they only look to survive, take resources, and turn more into their kind. Surrender and become one, or fight. CharmingRhythm is one of the Linkin Ponies. In Recharge: Revamped, they go by the team name “Xero”. In this Universe he dons a bionic right foreleg, much like his father, SlateMeasure. They live in a camp north of Los Pegasus (Los Angeles equivalent), the city that is home to the southwest Resistance headquarters. Disclaimer: I am only writing for fun and to see if I can finish a story after many years of never finishing stories. Please don't judge too harshly. Chapter 1 It is late into the evening, for outside the windows the neighborhood is dark with only a few lamps to guide the way. Two ponies sit at a table, one being CharmingRhythm, and the other being his mother, Sapphire. The blue mare is writing while Rhythm draws to pass the time. In the other room, the door unlocks and opens, the sound being caught by flickering ears. “That must be him now,” Sapphire states. A few moments later, a grey Unicorn stallion walks into the room. “Glad to see you’re finally home,” Sapphire greets him. “Good to see you too,” Slate bows his head and touches his horn to his wife’s. He turns and looks to Rhythm. “And what are you doing here?” He says without a trace of malice. “What, I can’t come visit anymore?” Rhythm teases. “Well, usually when you visit you come see me in the workshop,” Slate recalls. “I did, but you weren’t there,” Rhythm tells him, stumped. Slightly befuddled, Slate replies “Hmm, I- I must have been on break.” That statement causes Rhythm to raise his brow. “Another late night?” Sapphire asks. “Yes, but I was also called in for a mission. I’ll set out tomorrow,” Slate answers. “Really? What kind of mission?” Rhythm says with intrigue, his eyes lighting up. “There isn’t going to be any Hybrid fighting, is there?” Sapphire furrows her brow. “There shouldn’t be. I’ll still be near the city, around the outskirts,” Slate assures. “The outskirts can still be dangerous,” Sapphire concerns. “With rogues, bandits and even Hybrids.” “I know Sapph, but I should be okay if I play it safe.” Rhythm questions “You… got anyone going with you?” “I- no. I’ll be going alone,” Slate simply states. “What?” Rhythm gapes in shock just as Sapphire utters “Slate” in alarm. Rhythm stands, his eyes now level with the older stallion. “The Resistance advises ponies never to go out alone,” Rhythm warns. “You can’t go on a mission by yourself, and you know that.” “I won’t be going far. I’ll be fine,” Slate affirms with a scowl on his face. “No way. Dad, let me come with,” Rhythm requests with a grin. “What? No,” says Slate while shaking his head. “You weren’t assigned this mission.” “So what! Let me tag along. You’ll be safer with a partner.” “You don’t think I can do this on my own, do you? That’s what this is,” Slate glowers. “Th- that’s not what I mean. I don’t even know what you’re doing!” Rhythm asserts with emphasis and eyes wide. “And it should stay that way. This is a classified mission,” Slate shuts Rhythm down once again, the anger in his voice growing. “Then I’ll keep it a secret, promise. The fact of the matter is that you need a partner,” Rhythm reiterates, his expression turning sour. Slate’s dark eyes narrow as his voice rises. “You are not coming with me, and that is final.” The Unicorn stallion turns his tail on his son and heads into the hallway. After a pause, Rhythm shakes his head and growls in frustration. “He can’t go alone. I’ll follow him if I have to.” Sapphire stands up and looks towards him. “Maybe I can change his mind. He may be stubborn, but I’ve swayed him before.” “I hope you can again.” “I’ll see what I can do, Charmy,” she says with a slight smile, and then heads towards the hall. CharmingRhythm stand still for a few moments and soon decides to follow his mother’s path. He waits until she is behind a door, and makes his move. Rhythm places himself close to a wall, near the door, and presses his ear to it. A bright cyan glow develops from his horn, his magic aiding his ability to hear through the wall. “This isn’t his mission” Slate says, already mid-conversation. “Were you ordered not to bring anyone at all?” Sapphire asks. “Well… no,” Slate admits. “Then there’s no reason he can’t go with you. We both care about your safety, and bringing him can increase your safety,” she bribes. “I don’t know,” Slate says, still unsure. “If this mission is so important, shouldn’t you’re ability to get out of it alive be your priority?” Slate is silent for a moment. “I suppose so.” “Then let him come with you” Sapphire tells him in a new, softened voice. “Rhythm’s a smart boy, you know that. I think it would be a mistake not to bring him. Your minds together can almost guarantee a success.” On the other side of the wall, Rhythm rolls his eyes at being called “smart” and a “boy”, but continues to listen. “I… guess so,” Slate submits, but still holds onto his stubbornness. Rhythm stands up straight and takes a few steps back, away from the wall. Soon enough his mother walks out of the room. Her eyes lock onto him and a frown on her face appears. “Rhythm!” Sapphire snaps in a hushed tone. “Sorry! Sorry! I know- shouldn’t have been listening,” Rhythm whispers, flustered and with ears pushed back. Both of them walk away from the hall, back towards the dining room. “You’ll just keep getting yourself in trouble with that magic of yours,” The mare taps her hoof on Rhythm’s horn. “Not anymore than Flash,” argues Rhythm with a smirk. Sapphire exhales, speaking in a disappointed tone, “That’s true, sadly.” “But that’s why he has Lance,” Rhythm adds. “I know, but it doesn’t help much when they run into trouble together,” Sapphire laments. “Sure it does. Better to be in trouble together than alone,” Rhythm ensures with a tip of his head. Slate re-enters the dining room with his gaze set on the younger stallion. “You can come with,” Slate allows. A smile breaks on Rhythm’s face, but Slate interrupts “But, you must not tell anyone, and you must do as I say.” “Oh, come on, you’re gonna be like that?” Rhythm kids. “This is a serious mission, we have to stay on track.” “I understand” Rhythm says. After a few seconds, Rhythm rears up and wraps his forelegs around Slate’s neck. “Thank you, Dad.” “Alright, alright.” The grey stallion pushes him away gently. “We set out tomorrow morning. You better be ready.” “You got it.” The next morning arrives and Slate comes into the living room. A dull light coming through the windows and light of the lamps emit a warm, yellow glow. The grey Unicorn watches CharmingRhythm, sitting on the couch, neatly pack supplies into his saddlebags. Slate analizes by his assortment of bandages, potions, water and even food. “I don’t think we need that many supplies, Rhyth.” “You gotta prepare for the unknown,” The younger stallion assures. “Besides, we don’t know how long this is going to take. I don’t even know what we are doing!” “It shouldn’t take too long, and… I’ll tell you along the way,” Slate says. “I’m gonna need you to put some of these supplies in your saddlebags, I don’t think I’ll have enough room,” Rhythm requests. “Alright,” Slate sighs, “but not too much, I need room in them. And… where did you even get all those supplies?” “I may have taken the bandages and potions you guys had,” Rhythm says with squinting smile. “But! If we do end up using them, I promise I’ll replace them.” The two stallions begin to head out. Sapphire consults them before they leave. “Please take care of each other. Come back in one piece,” she urges with slight concern in her golden eyes. “Look who you’re talking to,” Rhythm grins with wit. Taking a quick peek at both of their bionic forelegs, Sapphire lets out a breath. “I’m serious. I don’t want anything happening to either of you.” “We can’t guarantee we won’t get any scratches” Slate tells his wife, “but we’ll try our best to stay as safe as possible. Which might not be safe enough for you, but hey, we’ll make it back.” Slate and Sapphire touch horns, Sapphire pressing her muzzle onto his for a quick moment. “Good luck,” she says, and then turns to her son. “And you too Charmy, good luck.” She kisses his cheek. “Rhythm,” Slate addresses and nods his head towards the door. CharmingRhythm, starting to follow, looks back at his mother and says “We’ll be back. Love you, Mom!” “Love you too, Rhythm,” Sapphire replies before the door closes. Chapter 2Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 3After receiving the address and exiting the scrapyard, the pair hike west. The sky is slowly brightening, but the sun never shows. The clouds create an ever present overcast, for no Pegasus dares to touch the polluted clouds. “Do you know where it is?” CharmingRhythm asks. “I… maybe? I’m not sure. But this is the way to the park. If we can’t find it we can ask one of the sentries,” Slate explains. A few minutes later they run into a few Resistance sentries that are guarding the neighborhood ahead. One of the armored sentries speaks up. “Stop. This area is condemned due to Hybrids. No pony is allowed past this point.” “Not sure why they don’t get anyone to handle the Hybrids,” Rhythm thinks aloud. “Oh, would you stop that,” Slate says, annoyed. He puts his attention on the sentries instead. “We have a mission that requires entering this area.” “Sorry, I don’t think we can allow only two ponies into the neighborhood. It’s too dangerous not to go as a party,” a turquoise sentry tells. “Besides, we wouldn’t let anyone in unless they were sent to eliminate the Hybrids,” another sentry reports. “Listen,” Slate asserts, “This is a very important mission. There’s something in there that we need to retrieve. I was sent by the president.” Rhythm’s eyes go wide as he says that. “You could ask her yourself, but that will take all day to get a transmission, you know how busy she is. So let us in.” “I- I’m not sure,” The turquoise mare says. Slate’s gaze becomes as cold as his voice. “You wouldn’t want to upset the president, would you?” “Well… no,” one armored sentry replies, worry in his eyes. “Just let them through, we don’t want to argue all day,” The other sentry says. “Thank you,” Slate tells them. He enters into the condemned area. Stunned, CharmingRhythm stands still for a few moments. He suddenly canters forward to catch up with his father. “What was that?” He calls. “Is this mission actually assigned by the president, or did you lie to get in?” “Oh no, that wasn’t a lie. But I’m surprised they didn’t think it was one,” Slate retorts. “What? I had no clue this mission was so important,” Rhythm says, astonished. Slate murmurs, “You didn’t need to know.” Picking up speed, the grey stallion turns the corner around a brick house. “What the hell could be so important…” Rhythm wonders, but his words do not reach Slate. The steel blue Unicorn continues to shadow him. Staring down the street, Rhythm’s brown eyes search for any signs of enemies. He only picks out misplaced trash and metal. He angles is vision upward, scanning the skies and roofs. Immediately, he notices a Hybrid patrolling the top of a building at the end of the block. Its gleaming red eye is almost visible from Rhythm’s position. He stops and pulls Slate’s tail gently with his magic. “Wait,” murmurs Rhythm. He takes both of them into a dark corner between two of the houses. Rhythm points up to the Hybrid on the roof for Slate to notice. Patiently, they wait for the Hybrid to disappear, the seconds drawing out. The cyborg creature finally moves to another part of the roof, no longer visible. The two stallions return to their path on the sidewalk in the same order as before. They cover just under a dozen meters before another problem arises. “Hold up,” Slate warns, holding up a mechanical hoof. “Rhyth, I think we’re gonna need to use some of your magic.” He gestures his hoof over to the Hybrids that are a block away, on the other side of the street. They duck their heads, passing behind trees that grew in the medium between the sidewalk and street. “Where do we need to go?” Rhythm whispers from behind Slate’s black tail. “Pretty sure it’s the house at the end of this street. We just have to make sure not to get the attention of those Hybrids.” Crouching, the two of them hide behind a pair of trash cans. The Hybrids are now on the adjacent side of the street. Rhythm tries to peer out at the side, leaning forward. The trash can starts to tip into the street. Panicking, Rhythm captures the can with his magic, and pulls it back in place. He looks to his left to see Slate’s eyes, furious. “Sorry,” Rhythm apologizes through his teeth. “I want to see if I can distract them.” “Well, getting their attention with the trash can would be a horrible idea!” Slate criticizes. Rhythm studies the houses on the other side of the street. He picks out an old plastic flower pot which is next to a door. Focusing, he lifts it up with his cyan magic and quickly throws it down the street, pass the Hybrids. The cyborg ponies notice it and chase it, away from the duo’s track. Their movement up the street commences. They finally reach the house. Slate twists the doorknob. “Locked. Shit.” He mutters. “Lemme try,” Rhythm offers. The blue stallion takes a few steps back. He puts his prosthetic leg up to the door, below the knob. He begins to build up energy in his leg. He curls up his leg, and then smashes it into the lock at the same time as blasting it with energy. Rhythm silences the sound with his magic. The door opens. “Not bad,” Slate comments as he follows his son into the building. They both began to search the house. Two horns illuminate the dark room with magic. Their hooves step onto trash left on the floor. Rhythm’s eyes glance over all of the misplaced objects. He surmised that the home had been vacant for a few months at least. "Yeesh, this place is a mess," Rhythm scoffs. "Well yeah, you aren't really given a warning when Hybrids take control of your neighborhood. You don't get a chance to clean. Anyway, the Hybrids could have also made a mess,” Slate says. "Hope there's no Hybrids upstairs," Rhythm grimaces. Rhythm looks through the kitchen and dining room. He opens cabinets and looks around the table. Passing the grease stained oven, Rhythm checks in the cupboard under the counter. "Where would you keep an important chest?" Rhythm thinks aloud. "Maybe in a bedroom?" The voice of Slate comes from several meters away. Rhythm follows it to find him holding open a door. They enter. Immediately a strange sent emerges. "Ech, what is that," Rhythm coughs in disgust, placing his hoof to his muzzle. "Don't know. Don't want to know," Slate mutters in equal amount of disgust. Rhythm checks the closet as Slate peers under the bed. Rhythm notes every shelf, but nothing resembling a chest is present. Slate suddenly whips his head up above the bed, eyes stricken with horror. "That smell would be a dead raccoon. At least I think it's a racoon," Slate reports, appalled but unmoved. "Aw, come on!" Rhythm moans, throwing his chin into the air. "Good news: I found the chest." Slate levitates the small box from under the bed and shows it to Rhythm. "Great. Let's get the hell out of here," Rhythm mutters in annoyance. Just as they exit the bedroom, heavy hoofsteps are heard from the floor above. Both of them freeze in alarm, their hearts beating fast. The shuffling overhead continues. Quickly glancing over to Rhythm, Slate growls, "you just had to jinx it." They head for the door, heads low and ears pushed back. On the other side, they see the Hybrids Rhythm had distracted had returned to their post. Slate motion for them to travel to the right. "We should be able to get through the alley" Slate says, as they go towards the dark shadows next to the house. "Dad, that's not an alley. There's a fucking wall there," Rhythm states bluntly. Slate grumbles something that sounds like Kirinese under his breath, which Rhythm cannot understand. They continue on the sidewalk. All of a sudden, the Hybrids notice the pair. One starts running towards them as the other takes fire. With hooves pounding the pavement, the two Unicorns begin to run, Rhythm overtaking Slate. Shots from above now rain down. Glancing behind himself, Rhythm notices a Hybrid hanging out the window of the building they had just been in. Several other Hybrids notice and come out of the alleys to chase. Slate lifts his leg and bright blue energy races towards the enemies. A brown Pegasus drops in front of the Unicorns' path. Rhythm's leg raises and he attacks the Pegasus Hybrid in its face with a quick shot of energy. While it’s temporarily blinded, Rhythm takes his right foreleg and bashes it against the foe's head. Using his back legs, Rhythm bucks the Hybrid into the dusty street. Rhythm leads Slate through a tight alley in an attempt to lose the Hybrids. Bursting out of the shadows, several other Hybrids wait on the other side. Both stallions stopped when they realize they are surrounded. The enemies continue to shoot and claw at them, one pounding against Rhythm’s armor and another slashing Rhythm’s back leg. The blue Unicorn’s head flicks as he releases a surge of magic from his horn. With the Hybrids now blinded from his magic, the pair have no choice but to run through them. “Where the fuck did they come from?” Rhythm hollers. “Why didn’t they notice us before?” “Just run!” Slate yells to the stallion in front of him with irritation in his voice. Both father and son receive shots of Hybrid energy on their bodies. A dirty orange Hybrid chases close. It reaches out its mechanical clawed foreleg at its prey. Its blade slices across Rhythm’s left foreleg, below the shoulder pads. He grits his teeth from the sting, but chooses to keep running. Slate challenges the orange Hybrid that attacked Rhythm. He takes fire as it swings it steel blade forward. Only gracing Slate’s neck, the claw leaves a shallow red cut. It takes several shots of Slate’s blue energy until the metal and flesh creature finally collapses. Rhythm focuses on the Hybrid in the street. Cyan magic engulfs a rusted piece of metal that was lying on the sidewalk. Rhythm’s magic thrusts the sharp metal into the exposed side of the Hybrid. It lets out a wail and topples over. Rhythm hears Slate call out his name, but doesn’t have enough time for his body to react. His cheek slams into a magically generated shield, and he falls to his haunches. Gathering himself, Rhythm stares forward. Behind the shield is a lavender Unicorn with a horn glowing the same pink as the shield. Her eyes pierce through him, one glowing an artificial red. “A shieldmaster, shit,” Rhythm lets out as he scrambles to his hooves. Lasers continue to hit his flank and armor, but he makes an effort to ignore it. He attempts to weaken the shield with his own shots, but there is no luck. In the corner of his vision, he sees Slate sitting, tapping buttons on his right foreleg. The older stallion frantically glances between the situation in front of them and his leg. “Dad, what are you doing?” Rhythm shouts, baffled. “There’s no time to mess with your leg!” “Step away from the shield!” Slate orders as he gets his footing. Doing as he says, Rhythm backs up, but impatience remains on his face. A crackle sounds and yellow energy bursts from the hoof of Slate’s bionic leg. The energy dispurses across the shield, in millions of erratic paths. Electricity disintegrates the shield. Not a second later, another shot of electricity flies forward, striking the Hybrid before she can regenerate her shield. Stunned, she falls to the floor. “Electricity?” Rhythm yells with even more confusion than before. He swipes his gaze over to Slate. “When the hell could your leg ever do that?” “For awhile now. Now, move!” commands Slate. Picking up Gear’s chest, Slate chases after Rhythm. A shot from one of the Hybrids hits his purple hoof, causing him to break his gallop, chin hitting the sidewalk. Slate doesn’t make much more than a grunt, but it’s still enough to catch Rhythm’s attention. The blue stallion swivels around with his stance wide. “Dad!” A Hybrid appears at Slate’s open side, malice in its gritted teeth. Right leg under his belly, Slate is not fast enough to attack. The Hybrid slams its metal hoof down into his side. He lets out a shriek of pain, unaffecting the Hybrid, but Rhythm’s ears curl back in distress. “Dad!” Rhythm hollars again, this time with more desperation in his voice. He raises his own leg, and readys his shot. After a long second of charging, a blast of pure blue energy takes its path into the Hybrid’s head. The enemy stumbles over, losing its ability to see in one eye. Rhythm rushes to help Slate up, and takes the chest into his own possession. The two return to fleeing from the horrid cyborgs. Now Slate canters with a limp, much slower than before, so much so that Rhythm has to alter his pace in order to not outrun him. Rhythm continues to look for a distraction. Focusing, he levitates a trash can and flings it towards one of the Hybrids. However, his magic, starting to burn out, cannot throw the can hard enough, and the Hybrid recovers quickly from the force. Both of them notice bright blue streaks of energy coming from the direction they are heading. Resistance sentries come to aid in the fight. A Pegasus in the sky fires quick blasts from the Energy Power Device on his foreleg. Shields appear around many of the Unicorn sentries, defending against the enemies’ strikes. “Go on ahead!” One of the Pegasi shouts. “We’ll take care of them!” Rhythm nods his head and speeds past the place the sentries had told them not to pass early. A few meters later he comes to a stop, and patiently waits for his father to catch up. Concern deep in his eyes, he watches the grey stallion pass the sentries. Slate looks to Rhythm, who confirms that he has the item they claimed in the chaos. “I’m fine,” Slate insists between his sharp breaths, before even being questioned by his son. “What? No you’re not. How can you say you’re fine when you’ve been injured?” Rhythm rasps. “This is exactly why I came. Do you really think you could have made it out of there on your own?” he exclaims while extending his left foreleg. Slate is out of breath and out of words to say. His panic stricken eyes search around Rhythm, and then soften as a relief washes over. They made it out. Rhythm rears up, placing his hooves onto Slate’s shoulders and his chin around his neck. He holds the embrace for a couple moments. “Rhythm, you can let go now,” Slate says, more as a request. Rhythm does so and replies “sorry.” “No need to be,” Slate assures, a smile now on his face. “Let’s just get this chest to that crook.” Rhythm nods in agreement and they continue on their mission. A few quiet moments pass. Rhythm peers down at Slate’s energy powered leg, and then up at his face. “So… when did you get the electricity thing with your leg?” he questions. “I’ve been developing it for a while now,” Slate explains. “Found if I could give my leg resistance to electricity, it would already be resistance to normal energy. It could do one or the other.” “But, you have a blue crystal,” Rhythm refers to the crystal that juts out of the front of the bionic leg. “There’s yellow crystals inside,” Slate says with wit. “Woah. Can you make my leg do that?” Rhythm inquires, his tone almost childlike. “You wish,” Slate chuckles. Chapter 4Returning to the scrapyard, they can see the gold Earth Pony returned to his spot guarding the gate, sitting this time. His ears flicker at the sound of their hoofsteps approaching. “Well, looks like you made it back,” he says in a mocking tone. “And in record time. Didn’t think you boneheads could do it.” “Shut up and let us in, pipsqueek,” Rhythm snaps. “Huh, last time I checked you weren’t the talker,” the colt snorts as he stands up. He opens the gate. Inside, Slate barters with Gear. Rhythm sits on a steel railing, tending to his wounds with the medicine and bandages he brought. Slate confronts him and shows the poster tube in his purple magic’s grasp. Rhythm nods, and stuffs his supplies back into his saddlebags. Both of them head out. “You sure you don’t need any patching up?” Rhythm asks. Slate replies, grimacing “I told you, I’m pretty sure most of my injuries are internal.” “How’s your side?” “Hurts like hell, obviously,” Slate says, “and it’s also hard to breathe.” “Might be some broken ribs,” Rhythm guesses with his eyes closed, trying to get the thought of that pain out of his head. “Can’t really do anything about it right now,” Slate tells. Several shouts and energy fire are heard behind them. They swivel around to see the sentries fighting Hybrids in the distance. Slate is unbothered, and continues on his path. Rhythm stays put, but looks back to the grey stallion, dazed. “Dad, wait. We gotta help them.” “What? Are you crazy?” Slate reprimands. “We’re done with our mission, so we report back to headquarters.” “But-” Rhythm looks back the the battle. “They helped us, we should help them.” “Hey, look at me,” Slate barks. “Weren’t you the one worried about my condition?” “You don’t have to fight, but I will. They need help. We’re part of the Resistance, we help others and fight Hybrids, dammit!” Rhythm asserts. He begins to trot towards them. “CharmingRhythm, stop! It’s not worth our time. They’ll handle it on their own,” Slate urges in a loud, irate voice. “You were the one who taught me to help others when they were in trouble. Now you’re going to tell me to let them be? Ah- forget it,” Rhythm whinnies while shaking his head. He gallops towards the fight. Several meters above them, an echoing shot is heard. Rhythm stops to eye the sky. A yellow and black Pegasus holding a rifle aims towards the Hybrids. The rogue gives Rhythm a signalling nod, and he replies with a smile. Continuing on his path, he runs into the attack with the rogue Pegasus right behind him. Slate watches in awe. “A rogue helping the Resistance. Isn’t that something,” he remarks to himself. Rhythm notes to himself that there are five sentries; two Pegasi, two Unicorns and an Earth Pony. The latter is being chased by a Hybrid, which Rhythm quickly strikes down with his energy. The yellow Pegasus rogue sends a bullet straight through the neck of another Hybrid. There is a Pegasus Hybrid who is dueling one of the ariel sentries. The enemy attempts to grab its victim but is far too slow. The sentry takes a shot at its left wing, which leaves the Hybrid falling to its doom. “Come back here!” A silver Hybrid gnarls as it chases an Earth Pony guard. Racing from side to side, the little pony dodges the shots of Hybrid energy. The Earth Pony slips into a fence, where the Hybrid crashes into, its armor too large to fit through the hole. At that moment, a thunderous bang of a rifle sounds, and the Hybrid collapsing. One of the Unicorn sentries is not as lucky as she attack, for a Hybrid has struck her down. Its claw bashes against her chest armor, and swipes across her face. Not even attempting to retaliate, the Unicorn curls up in fear. Abruptly the Hybrid above her falls to the ground, stunned by electric energy. The sentry opens her eyes and searches to find the source of the energy's sound. Slate is standing there, with his leg outstretched. Rhythm also notices the sound and yellow color of the energy. He meets up with the grey stallion who sent it out. Rhythm’s face lights up to see that Slate decided to aid afterall. “I’ve got an idea,” Rhythm declares. “Hmm, always like to hear that,” Slate retorts, interested. “We need to gather the Hybrids together, I’ve already told one of the sentries. Can you use your electricity for me?” Rhythm asks. “Just tell me when.” The grounded sentries step back while the Pegasi bait the remaining Hybrids who chase after them. They fly in circles, nearing the space between two buildings. Rhythm's gaze locks onto a cylindrical generator which is still functional, identifiable by its glowing lights. Cyan magic cradles it, and swings it over to the Hybrids. The blue Unicorn shouts “Dad, now!” Slate immediately catches on to Rhythm’s plan and strikes the generator with electricity. All of the unicorns create their own shields as the generator explodes with pure, blue energy. Gusts of dust rush out from the epicenter, and smoke begins to fill the air. When dispersion of debris ceases, the Unicorns drop their shields. All of the resistance sentry guards start cheering. One of the Pegasi even bump hooves with the rogue. The Unicorn duo meets up again. “That was good thinking, Rhythm,” Slate compliments. “Now can we leave?” he asks without any harm. “Now we can,” Rhythm says, a big grin on his face. Many minutes later, the Unicorns retrace their steps and come to the cab stop at the corner. The sky is now much brighter than it was when they stood here last. There’s a small, light spot in the sky where the sun might be. “I highly doubt they run in this neighborhood,” SlateMeasure mumbles, referring to the cabs. “That’s why we signal one to pick us up,” Rhythm says as he steps up to the pillar at the stop. He touches a blank screen on the wall of the pillar, but nothing happens. “Shit, it looks like it’s broken.” “Oh, wonderful,” Slate’s voice rumbles in agitation. Looking for a solution, CharmingRhythm glances upwards, to the top of the pillar. He remarks “it’s missing its panel.” He refers to the solar panel that charges the stop. While the sun may never show, the panels are still able to soak up some of the light in the air. Rhythm twists around to the other side of the pillar and discovers a metal plate. A blue hoof attempts to remove the plate, but it remains shut. “Hey, Dad, do you have a screwdriver?” Slate doesn’t speak for a moment, and then replies in slight surprise, “Of course you would know that I carry a screwdriver with me.” “Hey, you’re an engineer, right? And what if you’d have to work on your leg?” remarks Rhythm, proud of his guess. Slate digs a screwdriver out of his saddlebag and telekinetically floats it over to his partner. Rhythm unscrews the plate, carefully placing the screws next to his hoof, sure not to lose them. Not long after, he places the metal plate next to them. Brown eyes study the components inside of the pillar. He places his bionic hoof inside the compartment and gently charges his energy. Watching in astonishment, Slate simply wonders, “there’s a crystal in there?” Rhythm nods. Slate puts his head down in defeat, wondering how he didn’t think of recharging it. “How’d you know there would be a crystal in there to charge?” He questions. “With most technology, there usually is,” Rhythm says. “SpinningNote taught me that. I thought you would have known that?” “I guess… I didn’t really think of it. I didn't really think of how a cab stop would work. I only work on EPDs, okay!” Slate defends. “Okay, okay,” Rhythm retorts with a chuckle. Putting his leg down, Rhythm begins to replace the metal panel. When he is done, he circles back to the other side of the pillar. He taps the screen, and bright blue letters pop up. A blue hoof presses the screen a few more times before stepping away. “Alright. We should be set. It’ll take probably around 20 minutes to get here,” Rhythm tells his father, who he returns the screwdriver to. As they both wait on the curb, Slate mutters, “I’m actually kind of hungry now…” Rhythm scavenges through his saddlebag and picks out a small bag of sunflower seeds. He hands them to Slate with a smirk. With a glance of disdain, Slate reluctantly takes it. “And you were unsure of me bringing food, huh?” Rhythm teases. “Oh hush,” Slate quips. Eyeing down at Slate’s saddlebag, Rhythm notices the item they were set to find. The long cylindrical container is clipped to the bag. With magic, Rhythm carefully unclips the tube to get a better look. He pulls off one of the yellow caps. It takes a few moments before Slate notices his item is gone, but when he does, he becomes infuriated. “Wh-what are you doing?” Slate gapes. “I want to know what’s so important that we risked our asses for,” Rhythm says as he pulls papers out of the tube. “Put those back!” Slate pleds. He attempts to grab the papers with his magic, fighting with Rhythm’s, but surrenders in fear of ripping them. Rhythm’s eyes scan over the unraveled documents and blueprints. There are several drawings, graphs, numbers and paragraphs. He reads the top title of the pages: Project Paladin. He reads some of the plans. “It’s designs for armor. Very complex armor,” Rhythm murmurs. “Give that back!” snaps Slate, on edge. He attempts to take it and fails again. “Do you know what this is?” Rhythm asks him. “This looks… dangerous.” “CharmingRhythm, give those back this instant!” Slate roars. Rhythm peers over with shock in his eyes. “You do know what this is, don’t you?” “I… I- just put it back! It’s classified information. You shouldn’t know about it,” Slate demands. “But what about you? Or do you already know?” Rhythm’s brain turns. “You’re one of the designers who’s been working on this, aren’t you? That’s why they sent you to find it.” Slate doesn’t respond. Rhythm continues to unravel the information. “That’s why you weren’t at the workshop when I looked for you. That’s… that’s why you’ve been taking so many late shifts. You’ve been working on this project.” “Rhythm, you don’t know what you’re talking about, give that-” Slate finally captures the papers and rolls them back into the container. “But is it true? You know what this is?” Rhythm requests with growing anger. “I-I… can’t tell you. I’m-” “You’ve been keeping this secret. You lied to mom about being in the workshop at night. You’ve actually been working on this, huh?” Rhythm deduces. “That’s why you didn’t want me to come on the mission!” The final gear turns in Rhythm’s head. “It should have remained a secret,” Slate growls while looking away from his son. “You shouldn’t be looking into stuff that’s not your business.” “You’ve been lying to us.” “No I haven’t,” Slate defends. “This had to remain a secret for my job.” “Why’s it so important anyway?” Rhythm says, his voice level but upset. “I told you, it’s none of your fucking business!” Slate rages. He stops for a moment as he fumes, eyes jotting from side to side. “Oh, you’re going to be like that, huh?” Rhythm snarls in a low tone. Slate clips the poster tube back onto his saddlebag. The Unicorn looks away and crosses his forelegs. Neither of them speak for several minutes. The cab they signaled arrives at the stop. “We’re going to the clinic at HQ,” Rhythm tells the driver. “What?” Slate snaps. “I need to return this to Merit.” “I can do it. You need medical attention,” Rhythm instists. “No,” Slate struggles to keep his voice down. “This is my mission. I return this to her. The clinic isn’t far, I can walk there on my own.” Slate swipes his attention to the driver and instructs, “We’re going to the central building.” The driver nods and Slate adds, “Sorry for the inconvenience.” None of them say a word on the trip to their next stop. Chapter 5The central building of the headquarters soon looms over the cab as they pull into the stop. Both of the stallions exiting the cab remain silent and head for the door. Inside, Slate tells the receptionist where he is going, and then gaits over to the elevator. It is a long and painfully quiet ride to the top. Neither Slate or Rhythm make eye contact. Leaving the elevator, Slate turns to Rhythm and tells him, “you are to stay here. Do you understand?” “Yes, sir,” Rhythm replies in the most insincere tone he could manage. Eyes follow Slate until he enters a room at the end of the hall. After standing for a moment, Rhythm soon decides to sit down, for he is exhausted physically and emotionally. Why did I get so upset? The blue pony wonders to himself. I know I can’t compete with his anger. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so nosy, but… he was still keeping secrets from us. Rhythm gazes at the door, and lets out an audible sigh. He rubs his eyes with both his organic and prosthetic hooves. Many agonizingly long minutes pass. Eyes closed, Rhythm continuously replays the events of the day in his head. He opens his eyes as soon as he hears the door at the end of the hall open. He gets to his hooves and meets up with the grey Unicorn. Slate is holding an envelope in his purple magic. “What’s that?” Rhythm asks. “She gave me some money. As a reward and to help cover medical costs,” Slate clarifies. “Well, that was nice of her,” Rhythm states. They return to the elevator and descend to the ground floor. From there, they make their way to the medical center, which is a few blocks away from the central building. Again, both Unicorns are mute, however this time Rhythm glances at Slate, but the older stallion does not return the exchange. While on their way to the clinic, Rhythm resumes his contemplating, and wishes that things could have gone different. Even when regretting some of his decisions and words, Rhythm stays upset at his father. However he knows that Slate is still far too irritable to attempt a conversation. I just want to talk about it without there being yelling every five seconds. At the clinic, Rhythm holds open the door for Slate, but the grey Unicorn makes nothing of the kind gesture. Taking a pen at the front desk, Slate signs in, and takes a seat in the waiting area soon after. Rhythm steps up to the right of him, watching the quiet stallion. “You don’t have to stay here,” Slate announces while tilting his head towards Rhythm’s direction, but never looking him in the eyes. His words that broke the silence almost frighten Rhythm. “I don’t know how long they’re going to keep me here. It’s not worth waiting for me. Besides I… I think I want some time alone.” Slate’s gaze straightens again, as he stares blankly into nothing. Rhythm stays in place for a short time, studying the pony in front of him, with an odd ache in his heart. He only replies with “Okay,” in a hushed tone before he departs. Leaving the medical center, Rhythm notes how the sky has darkened. The clouds began to thicken as they prepare for rain, a rarity in southwest Equestria. The blue stallion stays close to the houses on the sidewalk as he makes his way back to his parents’ house. Brown eyes gaze down at the ground, and take not of the hooves which they travel by. The prosthetic right leg, designed by Slate, reminds Rhythm of how upset his father was when he found out that he had lost his leg. That anger that Slate held onto was caused by something personal, as he too lost a leg when he was younger. While Slate finally came around to design a leg for his son then, Rhythm hopes that he can come around again. But this anger was different. He always makes up eventually, Rhythm tells himself. A droplet of rain touches the Unicorn’s muzzle, rolling into his black beard. A few more droplets reach his back. Without flinching, Rhythm creates a shield above him with his magic. He holds it a few more blocks until he reaches his destination. Entering, Rhythm is greeted by his mother. “CharmingRhythm, you’re back. How did-” Sapphire starts, but hesitates as her golden eyes look around. “Where’s your dad?” “He’s at the clinic. He got injured,” Rhythm reports. “Wh-what? Is he okay?” Sapphire questions, concern filling up her voice and eyes. “He seemed like he was okay,” Rhythm says, shrugging one shoulder, “but you know how he is. I’m guessing broken ribs.” Sapphire makes a disheartened “oh”, as she recoils her head back and covers her mouth with a hoof. She opens her eyes again, now with even more concern in them. “I hope he doesn’t have to stay there for that long.” Rhythm walks past the blue mare, and twists his head back to her. “Mom, he’s been keeping secrets from us.” Confused by the sudden change of topics, Sapphire replies, “What do you mean?” “He told you that he’s been taking late shifts at the workshop, but that’s not what he’s been doing at all. He’s been working on some project, assigned by the president, with some team I think,” Rhythm tells, with his brows furrowing. “The reason he didn’t want me to come on the mission because he didn’t want me to find out about this.” “Oh, Charmy,” Sapphire say, stepping forward. She places her hoof on his shoulder. “I’m sure there’s a reason for this. If it’s assigned by the president, then maybe he has to keep it secret for business purposes.” “I… I know,” Rhythm mutters, “but I can’t help but feel hurt.” Sapphire assures him, “He would never mean to hurt us. Even if he had to keep things from us, he wouldn't do it to intentionally hurt us. He loves us, you know." Rhythm only gives her a few nods. “Besides, he told me he's taking longer shifts for better pay. While he might not be in the workshop, I'm sure he's still doing this for better pay, to support us,” Saphhire says, putting faith in her husband. “I guess so,” Rhythm murmurs with his eyes cast downward. “I just wish we didn’t have to argue like that.” “He got upset, huh?” “Yeah… but so did I. Ugh,” Rhythm places a blue hoof to his face. “I acted like an ass to him. I shouldn’t have been so nosy.” “Well, there’s always time to make up,” Sapphire gives her best attempt to comfort him. “And I’m sure he’ll come around, he always does,” she echoes Rhythm’s thoughts from earlier. “Yeah,” Rhythm says simply. He lets out a heavy sigh, and begins to gait over to the hallway. “You need anything, hun?” Sapphire asks. “Any food, maybe potions?” “No thanks, Mom. I- I think I can take care of myself, but I appreciate it,” Rhythm replies with a tired smile. He continues on his path to the guest room. In the middle of the night, CharmingRhythm finds the air around him suffocatingly humid and hot. Cyan light pours from his horn, illuminating the room. He leaps off the bed and opens the window. While the rain has long passed, its smell still lingers. He returns to the bed, sitting instead. If it wasn’t for the temperature, his thoughts would have awoken him anyway. Rhythm stares at the empty bed across from him, which used to be his brother’s. The Unicorn wishes that he was with him now, to have someone to talk to. Yet his brother was out on his own adventures with his partner. Rhythm wondered how often they argued while on missions. Anxiety fills his mind. He wishes to speak with his father, but knows that he can do nothing but wait until he returns. Rhythm lies down. Even reluctant to sleep, he lets his body relax, waiting to drift back asleep. Chapter 6It is not until the next morning when SlateMeasure final returns home. Sapphire welcomes him with a hug, but the stallion seems unmoved. His gaze casts over her with a blank expression. No words escape from him. “I was so worried. Are you okay?” Sapphire states. She analyzes her husband, who is covered in bruises created by Hybrid shots. “A couple broken ribs,” he reports. “And a sprained ankle. I’ll be fine.” “You always say that when your hurt,” the blue mare recalls, but still expresses genuine concern. “Aren’t you in a lot of pain?” Nodding, Slate tells, “Yeah. All I can really do is rest and take potions.” Sapphire’s eyes follow him as he makes it slowly across the room. He pauses for a moment to speak. “Is Rhythm still here?” “He is.” The other Unicorn does not respond, but instead continues to walk. He turns into the hall. Sapphire enters their room a few moments after him. “Slate, you should talk to him. He’s really upset,” she informs. “That’s what he gets,” Slate mutters, facing away from his wife. “SlateMeasure!” Sapphire reprimands. “Don’t be like that with your son. You two should talk it out. You need to.” Twisting his head slightly, Slate asks, “Did he tell you?” “Of course he did.” Slate growls and then says, “You aren’t angry with me, are you?” Sapphire thinks of what to say for a moment. “I… I’m sure it was just part of your job.” “At least you get it,” Slate mumbles. “I know you wouldn’t try to keep something from us on purpose,” Sapphire adds with trust. Turning to fully face her, Slate admits, “It… it was wrong of me to lie to you in the first place, Sapph. I should have told you that I was given another project. While maybe I couldn’t have told you what it was, I could have at least told you why I was out so late.” “It’s okay,” Sapphire says softly as she puts a blue hoof on Slate’s chest. “But I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.” At that, Slate looks downward. “Go talk with Rhythm.” Slate lets out a short sigh, but shows a visible sign of pain following. “Fine.” The stubborn stallion treads across the hall, where he peeks his head into the other bedroom. He observes Rhythm who is sitting on the bed nearest to the door. The steel blue Unicorn’s attention is placed on his saddlebags, which he looks through. Slate takes a few more steps into the room, and Rhythm finally notices him there. Their eyes meet. Neither of them say a word for a few seconds. “How bad is it?” Rhythm asks, showing worry. Expecting ridicule and not care, Slate is struck for a moment. He gathers his thoughts, “Like you said, broken ribs. But there's no internal bleeding so I think I'll be fine. All I can do is rest. Oh and also,” lifting his left foreleg he adds, “a sprained ankle.” “That's why you were limping” Rhythm discovers. Slate nods. "How did you even trip in the first place?" “Hybrid shot my hoof.” “Ah,” Rhythm sounds. An awkward pause fills the room. Slate appears once again at a loss for words. “You okay?” Rhythm queries. “You seem… off.” “It’s just that I was expecting you to still be mad at me,” Slate admits. “Well, I- I shouldn’t have gotten upset like that,” Rhythm retorts. “I acted like an ass, and I shouldn’t have been looking into those papers. You told me the mission was classified, I should have known. I’m sorry.” “I understand why you got upset with me. It was wrong for me to lie to you, and your mother. While I may have not been allowed to say what it was, I could have at least said I was working on a new project. I…” Slate takes a few steps forward to straighten his stance in the room. “Rhythm, I wanted to thank you. Even though you shouldn't have put your muzzle into those papers, I wouldn't have been able to retrieve them without you.” Rhythm’s brows raise in surprise. “Aren’t you still angry at me?” “I’ve had some time to think,” Slate says as he sits down on the other bed, scowling in pain. “While yes, you shouldn’t know about this project, there isn’t much I can do about it now. And I think… maybe I shouldn’t have gotten that angry,” he grimaces with regret. “I shouldn’t have swore at you.” “Seriously, you’re going to apologize for that?” Rhythm says, bewildered by the specific intention. “Heh, yeah. I shouldn’t speak like that towards you. I shouldn’t demean you,” Slate explains. “Guess we both messed up, huh?” Rhythm deduces. “Yeah…” Slate agrees, reluctantly. “Are we cool? I don’t want you to stay mad,” Rhythm tells. “Neither do I. I know I’m quite good at it,” Slate mumbles, ashamed Another pause surfaces. Rhythm breaks it by carefully asking, “Well, now that I do know about the project… do you think you can maybe explain it to me?” Slate’s brow furrows, displeased. “You can’t tell anyone about this. Okay?” “Okay, okay. I understand.” “As you already saw, it’s armor. We’ve been trying to develop it to use against the Hybrids. We want it to work like an EPD, but for the entire body,” Slate reveals, “and if possible, use it to get into the Citadels.” “Oh wow. Definitely do not tell SilverFlash about that or else he’ll think he won’t have a ‘job’ anymore. He’d be pissed,” Rhythm grins. Slate chuckles, “Yeah. But you see, it’s not like sneaking into the Citadels disguised as Hybrids like he does.” His demeanor becomes more serious. “The armor isn’t disguise at all, it’s a tool. It would be used as a counter attack, but the trick is to make it tough enough to withstand hundreds of Hybrids.” “That… doesn’t sound easy,” Rhythm guesses. “It wouldn’t be, even if a whole team in this armor was sent in. Especially if we want it to be as lightweight as EPDs. The project has been at a standstill for many months, if not years now. That’s why they recently brought in more designers, like myself.” “So… how did the papers from this get stolen in the first place?” Rhythm wonders. “I have no clue. Some say rogues disguised themselves as one of us, but I don’t know how legit that is,” the older Unicorn cites. “And why were you sent on a mission to find the papers?” Rhythm continues. “Because,” Slate expresses annoyance over his story, “I was the only one who would volunteer to go.” “What? Seriously? Aren’t there more… experienced missionaries on your team? Someone more qualified than you? You know, to take on rogues” Rhythm asks, mindful not to accidentally degrade his father. “I’m sure there were, but none of them offered to do it. So, I did,” Slate retorts. “Wow,” Rhythm lets out, unimpressed. “Yep.” “So… you were given the opportunity to work on this project? They just asked you?” Rhythm asks. “Basically,” Slate remarks. “You see, I took this job because I’d get better pay. I just hope I can keep it. I don’t want Merit to drop me because I am unable to work temporarily,” Slate glances down and his side. “This isn’t something I can work on at home.” “I’m sure she’ll understand. Hey, just tell her without you, they wouldn’t have gotten their blueprints back.” “I hope that works,” Slate grumbles. “Yeah, and… I think maybe it’s about time I head back to the camp. I’ve probably overstayed my welcome,” Rhythm laments as he leaps off the bed. He begins to pick up his clothes and armor. “Rhythm,” Slate says in a sharp tone that quickly softens, “you are always welcome here. You may have a home in your camp, but this is your home too.” “Thanks, Dad,” Rhythm replies, endeared. “Come here,” Slate beckons Rhythm with outstretched forelegs. He hugs Rhythm around his neck. Rhythm begins to place his own forelegs around Slate’s sides but the older Unicorn interjects, “Nah, nah, nah. No touchy.” “Sorry!” CharmingRhythm steps back, cringing. “Hurts a lot, huh?” “Yeah. I’m on meds now, but it still hurts like a bitch,” Slate frowns. “I don't know how you do it. How do you just not let it affect you?” Rhythm wonders. “Hey,” Slate raises his right foreleg, displaying his own design, “I've had a crushed leg. After that, no pain really compares” Rhythm lets out a single huff of astonishment. “Alright,” Slate says after pushing himself off the bed, “I’ll get out of your mane now. Just, promise you won’t tell anyone. If anyone finds out, it could cost me this job,” Slate requests and Rhythm nods with all seriousness. “Hopefully you won't have to keep it a secret for too long. We want to put out a public iteration soon. And maybe if we do, we could let Flash test it out.” “Unless Lance stops him, you know,” Rhythm adds with a tip of his head. “They’ve been going on less Citadel missions lately.” “True, but I can’t see Flash stopping altogether. Nobody can really stop that boy, not us and not even Lance. May as well put that defiance to good use,” suggests Slate. “I guess that’s a good point,” Rhythm says while bobbing his head. Slate takes a few steps towards the door, and halts. “And, thank you, again, for coming with. You really saved my tail back there.” “Of course,” Rhythm smiles. Slate smiles back, and starts for the door again. Rhythm finally adds. “Love you, Dad.” Slate looks back one last time and replies, “Love you too, Rhyth.” As he leaves the room, CharmingRhythm continues to pack his saddlebag. A warmth fills his chest. While he knows that he has an important secret to hold, a relief washes over him. He is glad that he was able to reconcile with Slate, and that the mission had been finished successfully.
Chapter 1Author's Note Some notes: to understand the story better. If already know Recharge: Revamped, feel free to skip this. This is Linkin Pony Recharge, but not in the same way as many years ago. The world and characters have been revamped. Our heroes are part of the Resistance against the Hybrids that fight for control over the resources that are left in the world. The world is left in a dying state, many centuries in the future. The Resistance runs on a new resource, known as energy crystals. They harness this power to fight the Hybrids, in the form of Energy Power Devices (EPDs). Hybrids are ponies who have been modified with mechanical parts, to make them resistant to the harsh world around them. However the bionic parts corrupted them, turning the Hybrids savage. Now they only look to survive, take resources, and turn more into their kind. Surrender and become one, or fight. CharmingRhythm is one of the Linkin Ponies. In Recharge: Revamped, they go by the team name “Xero”. In this Universe he dons a bionic right foreleg, much like his father, SlateMeasure. They live in a camp north of Los Pegasus (Los Angeles equivalent), the city that is home to the southwest Resistance headquarters. Disclaimer: I am only writing for fun and to see if I can finish a story after many years of never finishing stories. Please don't judge too harshly. Chapter 1 It is late into the evening, for outside the windows the neighborhood is dark with only a few lamps to guide the way. Two ponies sit at a table, one being CharmingRhythm, and the other being his mother, Sapphire. The blue mare is writing while Rhythm draws to pass the time. In the other room, the door unlocks and opens, the sound being caught by flickering ears. “That must be him now,” Sapphire states. A few moments later, a grey Unicorn stallion walks into the room. “Glad to see you’re finally home,” Sapphire greets him. “Good to see you too,” Slate bows his head and touches his horn to his wife’s. He turns and looks to Rhythm. “And what are you doing here?” He says without a trace of malice. “What, I can’t come visit anymore?” Rhythm teases. “Well, usually when you visit you come see me in the workshop,” Slate recalls. “I did, but you weren’t there,” Rhythm tells him, stumped. Slightly befuddled, Slate replies “Hmm, I- I must have been on break.” That statement causes Rhythm to raise his brow. “Another late night?” Sapphire asks. “Yes, but I was also called in for a mission. I’ll set out tomorrow,” Slate answers. “Really? What kind of mission?” Rhythm says with intrigue, his eyes lighting up. “There isn’t going to be any Hybrid fighting, is there?” Sapphire furrows her brow. “There shouldn’t be. I’ll still be near the city, around the outskirts,” Slate assures. “The outskirts can still be dangerous,” Sapphire concerns. “With rogues, bandits and even Hybrids.” “I know Sapph, but I should be okay if I play it safe.” Rhythm questions “You… got anyone going with you?” “I- no. I’ll be going alone,” Slate simply states. “What?” Rhythm gapes in shock just as Sapphire utters “Slate” in alarm. Rhythm stands, his eyes now level with the older stallion. “The Resistance advises ponies never to go out alone,” Rhythm warns. “You can’t go on a mission by yourself, and you know that.” “I won’t be going far. I’ll be fine,” Slate affirms with a scowl on his face. “No way. Dad, let me come with,” Rhythm requests with a grin. “What? No,” says Slate while shaking his head. “You weren’t assigned this mission.” “So what! Let me tag along. You’ll be safer with a partner.” “You don’t think I can do this on my own, do you? That’s what this is,” Slate glowers. “Th- that’s not what I mean. I don’t even know what you’re doing!” Rhythm asserts with emphasis and eyes wide. “And it should stay that way. This is a classified mission,” Slate shuts Rhythm down once again, the anger in his voice growing. “Then I’ll keep it a secret, promise. The fact of the matter is that you need a partner,” Rhythm reiterates, his expression turning sour. Slate’s dark eyes narrow as his voice rises. “You are not coming with me, and that is final.” The Unicorn stallion turns his tail on his son and heads into the hallway. After a pause, Rhythm shakes his head and growls in frustration. “He can’t go alone. I’ll follow him if I have to.” Sapphire stands up and looks towards him. “Maybe I can change his mind. He may be stubborn, but I’ve swayed him before.” “I hope you can again.” “I’ll see what I can do, Charmy,” she says with a slight smile, and then heads towards the hall. CharmingRhythm stand still for a few moments and soon decides to follow his mother’s path. He waits until she is behind a door, and makes his move. Rhythm places himself close to a wall, near the door, and presses his ear to it. A bright cyan glow develops from his horn, his magic aiding his ability to hear through the wall. “This isn’t his mission” Slate says, already mid-conversation. “Were you ordered not to bring anyone at all?” Sapphire asks. “Well… no,” Slate admits. “Then there’s no reason he can’t go with you. We both care about your safety, and bringing him can increase your safety,” she bribes. “I don’t know,” Slate says, still unsure. “If this mission is so important, shouldn’t you’re ability to get out of it alive be your priority?” Slate is silent for a moment. “I suppose so.” “Then let him come with you” Sapphire tells him in a new, softened voice. “Rhythm’s a smart boy, you know that. I think it would be a mistake not to bring him. Your minds together can almost guarantee a success.” On the other side of the wall, Rhythm rolls his eyes at being called “smart” and a “boy”, but continues to listen. “I… guess so,” Slate submits, but still holds onto his stubbornness. Rhythm stands up straight and takes a few steps back, away from the wall. Soon enough his mother walks out of the room. Her eyes lock onto him and a frown on her face appears. “Rhythm!” Sapphire snaps in a hushed tone. “Sorry! Sorry! I know- shouldn’t have been listening,” Rhythm whispers, flustered and with ears pushed back. Both of them walk away from the hall, back towards the dining room. “You’ll just keep getting yourself in trouble with that magic of yours,” The mare taps her hoof on Rhythm’s horn. “Not anymore than Flash,” argues Rhythm with a smirk. Sapphire exhales, speaking in a disappointed tone, “That’s true, sadly.” “But that’s why he has Lance,” Rhythm adds. “I know, but it doesn’t help much when they run into trouble together,” Sapphire laments. “Sure it does. Better to be in trouble together than alone,” Rhythm ensures with a tip of his head. Slate re-enters the dining room with his gaze set on the younger stallion. “You can come with,” Slate allows. A smile breaks on Rhythm’s face, but Slate interrupts “But, you must not tell anyone, and you must do as I say.” “Oh, come on, you’re gonna be like that?” Rhythm kids. “This is a serious mission, we have to stay on track.” “I understand” Rhythm says. After a few seconds, Rhythm rears up and wraps his forelegs around Slate’s neck. “Thank you, Dad.” “Alright, alright.” The grey stallion pushes him away gently. “We set out tomorrow morning. You better be ready.” “You got it.” The next morning arrives and Slate comes into the living room. A dull light coming through the windows and light of the lamps emit a warm, yellow glow. The grey Unicorn watches CharmingRhythm, sitting on the couch, neatly pack supplies into his saddlebags. Slate analizes by his assortment of bandages, potions, water and even food. “I don’t think we need that many supplies, Rhyth.” “You gotta prepare for the unknown,” The younger stallion assures. “Besides, we don’t know how long this is going to take. I don’t even know what we are doing!” “It shouldn’t take too long, and… I’ll tell you along the way,” Slate says. “I’m gonna need you to put some of these supplies in your saddlebags, I don’t think I’ll have enough room,” Rhythm requests. “Alright,” Slate sighs, “but not too much, I need room in them. And… where did you even get all those supplies?” “I may have taken the bandages and potions you guys had,” Rhythm says with squinting smile. “But! If we do end up using them, I promise I’ll replace them.” The two stallions begin to head out. Sapphire consults them before they leave. “Please take care of each other. Come back in one piece,” she urges with slight concern in her golden eyes. “Look who you’re talking to,” Rhythm grins with wit. Taking a quick peek at both of their bionic forelegs, Sapphire lets out a breath. “I’m serious. I don’t want anything happening to either of you.” “We can’t guarantee we won’t get any scratches” Slate tells his wife, “but we’ll try our best to stay as safe as possible. Which might not be safe enough for you, but hey, we’ll make it back.” Slate and Sapphire touch horns, Sapphire pressing her muzzle onto his for a quick moment. “Good luck,” she says, and then turns to her son. “And you too Charmy, good luck.” She kisses his cheek. “Rhythm,” Slate addresses and nods his head towards the door. CharmingRhythm, starting to follow, looks back at his mother and says “We’ll be back. Love you, Mom!” “Love you too, Rhythm,” Sapphire replies before the door closes.
Chapter 3After receiving the address and exiting the scrapyard, the pair hike west. The sky is slowly brightening, but the sun never shows. The clouds create an ever present overcast, for no Pegasus dares to touch the polluted clouds. “Do you know where it is?” CharmingRhythm asks. “I… maybe? I’m not sure. But this is the way to the park. If we can’t find it we can ask one of the sentries,” Slate explains. A few minutes later they run into a few Resistance sentries that are guarding the neighborhood ahead. One of the armored sentries speaks up. “Stop. This area is condemned due to Hybrids. No pony is allowed past this point.” “Not sure why they don’t get anyone to handle the Hybrids,” Rhythm thinks aloud. “Oh, would you stop that,” Slate says, annoyed. He puts his attention on the sentries instead. “We have a mission that requires entering this area.” “Sorry, I don’t think we can allow only two ponies into the neighborhood. It’s too dangerous not to go as a party,” a turquoise sentry tells. “Besides, we wouldn’t let anyone in unless they were sent to eliminate the Hybrids,” another sentry reports. “Listen,” Slate asserts, “This is a very important mission. There’s something in there that we need to retrieve. I was sent by the president.” Rhythm’s eyes go wide as he says that. “You could ask her yourself, but that will take all day to get a transmission, you know how busy she is. So let us in.” “I- I’m not sure,” The turquoise mare says. Slate’s gaze becomes as cold as his voice. “You wouldn’t want to upset the president, would you?” “Well… no,” one armored sentry replies, worry in his eyes. “Just let them through, we don’t want to argue all day,” The other sentry says. “Thank you,” Slate tells them. He enters into the condemned area. Stunned, CharmingRhythm stands still for a few moments. He suddenly canters forward to catch up with his father. “What was that?” He calls. “Is this mission actually assigned by the president, or did you lie to get in?” “Oh no, that wasn’t a lie. But I’m surprised they didn’t think it was one,” Slate retorts. “What? I had no clue this mission was so important,” Rhythm says, astonished. Slate murmurs, “You didn’t need to know.” Picking up speed, the grey stallion turns the corner around a brick house. “What the hell could be so important…” Rhythm wonders, but his words do not reach Slate. The steel blue Unicorn continues to shadow him. Staring down the street, Rhythm’s brown eyes search for any signs of enemies. He only picks out misplaced trash and metal. He angles is vision upward, scanning the skies and roofs. Immediately, he notices a Hybrid patrolling the top of a building at the end of the block. Its gleaming red eye is almost visible from Rhythm’s position. He stops and pulls Slate’s tail gently with his magic. “Wait,” murmurs Rhythm. He takes both of them into a dark corner between two of the houses. Rhythm points up to the Hybrid on the roof for Slate to notice. Patiently, they wait for the Hybrid to disappear, the seconds drawing out. The cyborg creature finally moves to another part of the roof, no longer visible. The two stallions return to their path on the sidewalk in the same order as before. They cover just under a dozen meters before another problem arises. “Hold up,” Slate warns, holding up a mechanical hoof. “Rhyth, I think we’re gonna need to use some of your magic.” He gestures his hoof over to the Hybrids that are a block away, on the other side of the street. They duck their heads, passing behind trees that grew in the medium between the sidewalk and street. “Where do we need to go?” Rhythm whispers from behind Slate’s black tail. “Pretty sure it’s the house at the end of this street. We just have to make sure not to get the attention of those Hybrids.” Crouching, the two of them hide behind a pair of trash cans. The Hybrids are now on the adjacent side of the street. Rhythm tries to peer out at the side, leaning forward. The trash can starts to tip into the street. Panicking, Rhythm captures the can with his magic, and pulls it back in place. He looks to his left to see Slate’s eyes, furious. “Sorry,” Rhythm apologizes through his teeth. “I want to see if I can distract them.” “Well, getting their attention with the trash can would be a horrible idea!” Slate criticizes. Rhythm studies the houses on the other side of the street. He picks out an old plastic flower pot which is next to a door. Focusing, he lifts it up with his cyan magic and quickly throws it down the street, pass the Hybrids. The cyborg ponies notice it and chase it, away from the duo’s track. Their movement up the street commences. They finally reach the house. Slate twists the doorknob. “Locked. Shit.” He mutters. “Lemme try,” Rhythm offers. The blue stallion takes a few steps back. He puts his prosthetic leg up to the door, below the knob. He begins to build up energy in his leg. He curls up his leg, and then smashes it into the lock at the same time as blasting it with energy. Rhythm silences the sound with his magic. The door opens. “Not bad,” Slate comments as he follows his son into the building. They both began to search the house. Two horns illuminate the dark room with magic. Their hooves step onto trash left on the floor. Rhythm’s eyes glance over all of the misplaced objects. He surmised that the home had been vacant for a few months at least. "Yeesh, this place is a mess," Rhythm scoffs. "Well yeah, you aren't really given a warning when Hybrids take control of your neighborhood. You don't get a chance to clean. Anyway, the Hybrids could have also made a mess,” Slate says. "Hope there's no Hybrids upstairs," Rhythm grimaces. Rhythm looks through the kitchen and dining room. He opens cabinets and looks around the table. Passing the grease stained oven, Rhythm checks in the cupboard under the counter. "Where would you keep an important chest?" Rhythm thinks aloud. "Maybe in a bedroom?" The voice of Slate comes from several meters away. Rhythm follows it to find him holding open a door. They enter. Immediately a strange sent emerges. "Ech, what is that," Rhythm coughs in disgust, placing his hoof to his muzzle. "Don't know. Don't want to know," Slate mutters in equal amount of disgust. Rhythm checks the closet as Slate peers under the bed. Rhythm notes every shelf, but nothing resembling a chest is present. Slate suddenly whips his head up above the bed, eyes stricken with horror. "That smell would be a dead raccoon. At least I think it's a racoon," Slate reports, appalled but unmoved. "Aw, come on!" Rhythm moans, throwing his chin into the air. "Good news: I found the chest." Slate levitates the small box from under the bed and shows it to Rhythm. "Great. Let's get the hell out of here," Rhythm mutters in annoyance. Just as they exit the bedroom, heavy hoofsteps are heard from the floor above. Both of them freeze in alarm, their hearts beating fast. The shuffling overhead continues. Quickly glancing over to Rhythm, Slate growls, "you just had to jinx it." They head for the door, heads low and ears pushed back. On the other side, they see the Hybrids Rhythm had distracted had returned to their post. Slate motion for them to travel to the right. "We should be able to get through the alley" Slate says, as they go towards the dark shadows next to the house. "Dad, that's not an alley. There's a fucking wall there," Rhythm states bluntly. Slate grumbles something that sounds like Kirinese under his breath, which Rhythm cannot understand. They continue on the sidewalk. All of a sudden, the Hybrids notice the pair. One starts running towards them as the other takes fire. With hooves pounding the pavement, the two Unicorns begin to run, Rhythm overtaking Slate. Shots from above now rain down. Glancing behind himself, Rhythm notices a Hybrid hanging out the window of the building they had just been in. Several other Hybrids notice and come out of the alleys to chase. Slate lifts his leg and bright blue energy races towards the enemies. A brown Pegasus drops in front of the Unicorns' path. Rhythm's leg raises and he attacks the Pegasus Hybrid in its face with a quick shot of energy. While it’s temporarily blinded, Rhythm takes his right foreleg and bashes it against the foe's head. Using his back legs, Rhythm bucks the Hybrid into the dusty street. Rhythm leads Slate through a tight alley in an attempt to lose the Hybrids. Bursting out of the shadows, several other Hybrids wait on the other side. Both stallions stopped when they realize they are surrounded. The enemies continue to shoot and claw at them, one pounding against Rhythm’s armor and another slashing Rhythm’s back leg. The blue Unicorn’s head flicks as he releases a surge of magic from his horn. With the Hybrids now blinded from his magic, the pair have no choice but to run through them. “Where the fuck did they come from?” Rhythm hollers. “Why didn’t they notice us before?” “Just run!” Slate yells to the stallion in front of him with irritation in his voice. Both father and son receive shots of Hybrid energy on their bodies. A dirty orange Hybrid chases close. It reaches out its mechanical clawed foreleg at its prey. Its blade slices across Rhythm’s left foreleg, below the shoulder pads. He grits his teeth from the sting, but chooses to keep running. Slate challenges the orange Hybrid that attacked Rhythm. He takes fire as it swings it steel blade forward. Only gracing Slate’s neck, the claw leaves a shallow red cut. It takes several shots of Slate’s blue energy until the metal and flesh creature finally collapses. Rhythm focuses on the Hybrid in the street. Cyan magic engulfs a rusted piece of metal that was lying on the sidewalk. Rhythm’s magic thrusts the sharp metal into the exposed side of the Hybrid. It lets out a wail and topples over. Rhythm hears Slate call out his name, but doesn’t have enough time for his body to react. His cheek slams into a magically generated shield, and he falls to his haunches. Gathering himself, Rhythm stares forward. Behind the shield is a lavender Unicorn with a horn glowing the same pink as the shield. Her eyes pierce through him, one glowing an artificial red. “A shieldmaster, shit,” Rhythm lets out as he scrambles to his hooves. Lasers continue to hit his flank and armor, but he makes an effort to ignore it. He attempts to weaken the shield with his own shots, but there is no luck. In the corner of his vision, he sees Slate sitting, tapping buttons on his right foreleg. The older stallion frantically glances between the situation in front of them and his leg. “Dad, what are you doing?” Rhythm shouts, baffled. “There’s no time to mess with your leg!” “Step away from the shield!” Slate orders as he gets his footing. Doing as he says, Rhythm backs up, but impatience remains on his face. A crackle sounds and yellow energy bursts from the hoof of Slate’s bionic leg. The energy dispurses across the shield, in millions of erratic paths. Electricity disintegrates the shield. Not a second later, another shot of electricity flies forward, striking the Hybrid before she can regenerate her shield. Stunned, she falls to the floor. “Electricity?” Rhythm yells with even more confusion than before. He swipes his gaze over to Slate. “When the hell could your leg ever do that?” “For awhile now. Now, move!” commands Slate. Picking up Gear’s chest, Slate chases after Rhythm. A shot from one of the Hybrids hits his purple hoof, causing him to break his gallop, chin hitting the sidewalk. Slate doesn’t make much more than a grunt, but it’s still enough to catch Rhythm’s attention. The blue stallion swivels around with his stance wide. “Dad!” A Hybrid appears at Slate’s open side, malice in its gritted teeth. Right leg under his belly, Slate is not fast enough to attack. The Hybrid slams its metal hoof down into his side. He lets out a shriek of pain, unaffecting the Hybrid, but Rhythm’s ears curl back in distress. “Dad!” Rhythm hollars again, this time with more desperation in his voice. He raises his own leg, and readys his shot. After a long second of charging, a blast of pure blue energy takes its path into the Hybrid’s head. The enemy stumbles over, losing its ability to see in one eye. Rhythm rushes to help Slate up, and takes the chest into his own possession. The two return to fleeing from the horrid cyborgs. Now Slate canters with a limp, much slower than before, so much so that Rhythm has to alter his pace in order to not outrun him. Rhythm continues to look for a distraction. Focusing, he levitates a trash can and flings it towards one of the Hybrids. However, his magic, starting to burn out, cannot throw the can hard enough, and the Hybrid recovers quickly from the force. Both of them notice bright blue streaks of energy coming from the direction they are heading. Resistance sentries come to aid in the fight. A Pegasus in the sky fires quick blasts from the Energy Power Device on his foreleg. Shields appear around many of the Unicorn sentries, defending against the enemies’ strikes. “Go on ahead!” One of the Pegasi shouts. “We’ll take care of them!” Rhythm nods his head and speeds past the place the sentries had told them not to pass early. A few meters later he comes to a stop, and patiently waits for his father to catch up. Concern deep in his eyes, he watches the grey stallion pass the sentries. Slate looks to Rhythm, who confirms that he has the item they claimed in the chaos. “I’m fine,” Slate insists between his sharp breaths, before even being questioned by his son. “What? No you’re not. How can you say you’re fine when you’ve been injured?” Rhythm rasps. “This is exactly why I came. Do you really think you could have made it out of there on your own?” he exclaims while extending his left foreleg. Slate is out of breath and out of words to say. His panic stricken eyes search around Rhythm, and then soften as a relief washes over. They made it out. Rhythm rears up, placing his hooves onto Slate’s shoulders and his chin around his neck. He holds the embrace for a couple moments. “Rhythm, you can let go now,” Slate says, more as a request. Rhythm does so and replies “sorry.” “No need to be,” Slate assures, a smile now on his face. “Let’s just get this chest to that crook.” Rhythm nods in agreement and they continue on their mission. A few quiet moments pass. Rhythm peers down at Slate’s energy powered leg, and then up at his face. “So… when did you get the electricity thing with your leg?” he questions. “I’ve been developing it for a while now,” Slate explains. “Found if I could give my leg resistance to electricity, it would already be resistance to normal energy. It could do one or the other.” “But, you have a blue crystal,” Rhythm refers to the crystal that juts out of the front of the bionic leg. “There’s yellow crystals inside,” Slate says with wit. “Woah. Can you make my leg do that?” Rhythm inquires, his tone almost childlike. “You wish,” Slate chuckles.
Chapter 4Returning to the scrapyard, they can see the gold Earth Pony returned to his spot guarding the gate, sitting this time. His ears flicker at the sound of their hoofsteps approaching. “Well, looks like you made it back,” he says in a mocking tone. “And in record time. Didn’t think you boneheads could do it.” “Shut up and let us in, pipsqueek,” Rhythm snaps. “Huh, last time I checked you weren’t the talker,” the colt snorts as he stands up. He opens the gate. Inside, Slate barters with Gear. Rhythm sits on a steel railing, tending to his wounds with the medicine and bandages he brought. Slate confronts him and shows the poster tube in his purple magic’s grasp. Rhythm nods, and stuffs his supplies back into his saddlebags. Both of them head out. “You sure you don’t need any patching up?” Rhythm asks. Slate replies, grimacing “I told you, I’m pretty sure most of my injuries are internal.” “How’s your side?” “Hurts like hell, obviously,” Slate says, “and it’s also hard to breathe.” “Might be some broken ribs,” Rhythm guesses with his eyes closed, trying to get the thought of that pain out of his head. “Can’t really do anything about it right now,” Slate tells. Several shouts and energy fire are heard behind them. They swivel around to see the sentries fighting Hybrids in the distance. Slate is unbothered, and continues on his path. Rhythm stays put, but looks back to the grey stallion, dazed. “Dad, wait. We gotta help them.” “What? Are you crazy?” Slate reprimands. “We’re done with our mission, so we report back to headquarters.” “But-” Rhythm looks back the the battle. “They helped us, we should help them.” “Hey, look at me,” Slate barks. “Weren’t you the one worried about my condition?” “You don’t have to fight, but I will. They need help. We’re part of the Resistance, we help others and fight Hybrids, dammit!” Rhythm asserts. He begins to trot towards them. “CharmingRhythm, stop! It’s not worth our time. They’ll handle it on their own,” Slate urges in a loud, irate voice. “You were the one who taught me to help others when they were in trouble. Now you’re going to tell me to let them be? Ah- forget it,” Rhythm whinnies while shaking his head. He gallops towards the fight. Several meters above them, an echoing shot is heard. Rhythm stops to eye the sky. A yellow and black Pegasus holding a rifle aims towards the Hybrids. The rogue gives Rhythm a signalling nod, and he replies with a smile. Continuing on his path, he runs into the attack with the rogue Pegasus right behind him. Slate watches in awe. “A rogue helping the Resistance. Isn’t that something,” he remarks to himself. Rhythm notes to himself that there are five sentries; two Pegasi, two Unicorns and an Earth Pony. The latter is being chased by a Hybrid, which Rhythm quickly strikes down with his energy. The yellow Pegasus rogue sends a bullet straight through the neck of another Hybrid. There is a Pegasus Hybrid who is dueling one of the ariel sentries. The enemy attempts to grab its victim but is far too slow. The sentry takes a shot at its left wing, which leaves the Hybrid falling to its doom. “Come back here!” A silver Hybrid gnarls as it chases an Earth Pony guard. Racing from side to side, the little pony dodges the shots of Hybrid energy. The Earth Pony slips into a fence, where the Hybrid crashes into, its armor too large to fit through the hole. At that moment, a thunderous bang of a rifle sounds, and the Hybrid collapsing. One of the Unicorn sentries is not as lucky as she attack, for a Hybrid has struck her down. Its claw bashes against her chest armor, and swipes across her face. Not even attempting to retaliate, the Unicorn curls up in fear. Abruptly the Hybrid above her falls to the ground, stunned by electric energy. The sentry opens her eyes and searches to find the source of the energy's sound. Slate is standing there, with his leg outstretched. Rhythm also notices the sound and yellow color of the energy. He meets up with the grey stallion who sent it out. Rhythm’s face lights up to see that Slate decided to aid afterall. “I’ve got an idea,” Rhythm declares. “Hmm, always like to hear that,” Slate retorts, interested. “We need to gather the Hybrids together, I’ve already told one of the sentries. Can you use your electricity for me?” Rhythm asks. “Just tell me when.” The grounded sentries step back while the Pegasi bait the remaining Hybrids who chase after them. They fly in circles, nearing the space between two buildings. Rhythm's gaze locks onto a cylindrical generator which is still functional, identifiable by its glowing lights. Cyan magic cradles it, and swings it over to the Hybrids. The blue Unicorn shouts “Dad, now!” Slate immediately catches on to Rhythm’s plan and strikes the generator with electricity. All of the unicorns create their own shields as the generator explodes with pure, blue energy. Gusts of dust rush out from the epicenter, and smoke begins to fill the air. When dispersion of debris ceases, the Unicorns drop their shields. All of the resistance sentry guards start cheering. One of the Pegasi even bump hooves with the rogue. The Unicorn duo meets up again. “That was good thinking, Rhythm,” Slate compliments. “Now can we leave?” he asks without any harm. “Now we can,” Rhythm says, a big grin on his face. Many minutes later, the Unicorns retrace their steps and come to the cab stop at the corner. The sky is now much brighter than it was when they stood here last. There’s a small, light spot in the sky where the sun might be. “I highly doubt they run in this neighborhood,” SlateMeasure mumbles, referring to the cabs. “That’s why we signal one to pick us up,” Rhythm says as he steps up to the pillar at the stop. He touches a blank screen on the wall of the pillar, but nothing happens. “Shit, it looks like it’s broken.” “Oh, wonderful,” Slate’s voice rumbles in agitation. Looking for a solution, CharmingRhythm glances upwards, to the top of the pillar. He remarks “it’s missing its panel.” He refers to the solar panel that charges the stop. While the sun may never show, the panels are still able to soak up some of the light in the air. Rhythm twists around to the other side of the pillar and discovers a metal plate. A blue hoof attempts to remove the plate, but it remains shut. “Hey, Dad, do you have a screwdriver?” Slate doesn’t speak for a moment, and then replies in slight surprise, “Of course you would know that I carry a screwdriver with me.” “Hey, you’re an engineer, right? And what if you’d have to work on your leg?” remarks Rhythm, proud of his guess. Slate digs a screwdriver out of his saddlebag and telekinetically floats it over to his partner. Rhythm unscrews the plate, carefully placing the screws next to his hoof, sure not to lose them. Not long after, he places the metal plate next to them. Brown eyes study the components inside of the pillar. He places his bionic hoof inside the compartment and gently charges his energy. Watching in astonishment, Slate simply wonders, “there’s a crystal in there?” Rhythm nods. Slate puts his head down in defeat, wondering how he didn’t think of recharging it. “How’d you know there would be a crystal in there to charge?” He questions. “With most technology, there usually is,” Rhythm says. “SpinningNote taught me that. I thought you would have known that?” “I guess… I didn’t really think of it. I didn't really think of how a cab stop would work. I only work on EPDs, okay!” Slate defends. “Okay, okay,” Rhythm retorts with a chuckle. Putting his leg down, Rhythm begins to replace the metal panel. When he is done, he circles back to the other side of the pillar. He taps the screen, and bright blue letters pop up. A blue hoof presses the screen a few more times before stepping away. “Alright. We should be set. It’ll take probably around 20 minutes to get here,” Rhythm tells his father, who he returns the screwdriver to. As they both wait on the curb, Slate mutters, “I’m actually kind of hungry now…” Rhythm scavenges through his saddlebag and picks out a small bag of sunflower seeds. He hands them to Slate with a smirk. With a glance of disdain, Slate reluctantly takes it. “And you were unsure of me bringing food, huh?” Rhythm teases. “Oh hush,” Slate quips. Eyeing down at Slate’s saddlebag, Rhythm notices the item they were set to find. The long cylindrical container is clipped to the bag. With magic, Rhythm carefully unclips the tube to get a better look. He pulls off one of the yellow caps. It takes a few moments before Slate notices his item is gone, but when he does, he becomes infuriated. “Wh-what are you doing?” Slate gapes. “I want to know what’s so important that we risked our asses for,” Rhythm says as he pulls papers out of the tube. “Put those back!” Slate pleds. He attempts to grab the papers with his magic, fighting with Rhythm’s, but surrenders in fear of ripping them. Rhythm’s eyes scan over the unraveled documents and blueprints. There are several drawings, graphs, numbers and paragraphs. He reads the top title of the pages: Project Paladin. He reads some of the plans. “It’s designs for armor. Very complex armor,” Rhythm murmurs. “Give that back!” snaps Slate, on edge. He attempts to take it and fails again. “Do you know what this is?” Rhythm asks him. “This looks… dangerous.” “CharmingRhythm, give those back this instant!” Slate roars. Rhythm peers over with shock in his eyes. “You do know what this is, don’t you?” “I… I- just put it back! It’s classified information. You shouldn’t know about it,” Slate demands. “But what about you? Or do you already know?” Rhythm’s brain turns. “You’re one of the designers who’s been working on this, aren’t you? That’s why they sent you to find it.” Slate doesn’t respond. Rhythm continues to unravel the information. “That’s why you weren’t at the workshop when I looked for you. That’s… that’s why you’ve been taking so many late shifts. You’ve been working on this project.” “Rhythm, you don’t know what you’re talking about, give that-” Slate finally captures the papers and rolls them back into the container. “But is it true? You know what this is?” Rhythm requests with growing anger. “I-I… can’t tell you. I’m-” “You’ve been keeping this secret. You lied to mom about being in the workshop at night. You’ve actually been working on this, huh?” Rhythm deduces. “That’s why you didn’t want me to come on the mission!” The final gear turns in Rhythm’s head. “It should have remained a secret,” Slate growls while looking away from his son. “You shouldn’t be looking into stuff that’s not your business.” “You’ve been lying to us.” “No I haven’t,” Slate defends. “This had to remain a secret for my job.” “Why’s it so important anyway?” Rhythm says, his voice level but upset. “I told you, it’s none of your fucking business!” Slate rages. He stops for a moment as he fumes, eyes jotting from side to side. “Oh, you’re going to be like that, huh?” Rhythm snarls in a low tone. Slate clips the poster tube back onto his saddlebag. The Unicorn looks away and crosses his forelegs. Neither of them speak for several minutes. The cab they signaled arrives at the stop. “We’re going to the clinic at HQ,” Rhythm tells the driver. “What?” Slate snaps. “I need to return this to Merit.” “I can do it. You need medical attention,” Rhythm instists. “No,” Slate struggles to keep his voice down. “This is my mission. I return this to her. The clinic isn’t far, I can walk there on my own.” Slate swipes his attention to the driver and instructs, “We’re going to the central building.” The driver nods and Slate adds, “Sorry for the inconvenience.” None of them say a word on the trip to their next stop.
Chapter 5The central building of the headquarters soon looms over the cab as they pull into the stop. Both of the stallions exiting the cab remain silent and head for the door. Inside, Slate tells the receptionist where he is going, and then gaits over to the elevator. It is a long and painfully quiet ride to the top. Neither Slate or Rhythm make eye contact. Leaving the elevator, Slate turns to Rhythm and tells him, “you are to stay here. Do you understand?” “Yes, sir,” Rhythm replies in the most insincere tone he could manage. Eyes follow Slate until he enters a room at the end of the hall. After standing for a moment, Rhythm soon decides to sit down, for he is exhausted physically and emotionally. Why did I get so upset? The blue pony wonders to himself. I know I can’t compete with his anger. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so nosy, but… he was still keeping secrets from us. Rhythm gazes at the door, and lets out an audible sigh. He rubs his eyes with both his organic and prosthetic hooves. Many agonizingly long minutes pass. Eyes closed, Rhythm continuously replays the events of the day in his head. He opens his eyes as soon as he hears the door at the end of the hall open. He gets to his hooves and meets up with the grey Unicorn. Slate is holding an envelope in his purple magic. “What’s that?” Rhythm asks. “She gave me some money. As a reward and to help cover medical costs,” Slate clarifies. “Well, that was nice of her,” Rhythm states. They return to the elevator and descend to the ground floor. From there, they make their way to the medical center, which is a few blocks away from the central building. Again, both Unicorns are mute, however this time Rhythm glances at Slate, but the older stallion does not return the exchange. While on their way to the clinic, Rhythm resumes his contemplating, and wishes that things could have gone different. Even when regretting some of his decisions and words, Rhythm stays upset at his father. However he knows that Slate is still far too irritable to attempt a conversation. I just want to talk about it without there being yelling every five seconds. At the clinic, Rhythm holds open the door for Slate, but the grey Unicorn makes nothing of the kind gesture. Taking a pen at the front desk, Slate signs in, and takes a seat in the waiting area soon after. Rhythm steps up to the right of him, watching the quiet stallion. “You don’t have to stay here,” Slate announces while tilting his head towards Rhythm’s direction, but never looking him in the eyes. His words that broke the silence almost frighten Rhythm. “I don’t know how long they’re going to keep me here. It’s not worth waiting for me. Besides I… I think I want some time alone.” Slate’s gaze straightens again, as he stares blankly into nothing. Rhythm stays in place for a short time, studying the pony in front of him, with an odd ache in his heart. He only replies with “Okay,” in a hushed tone before he departs. Leaving the medical center, Rhythm notes how the sky has darkened. The clouds began to thicken as they prepare for rain, a rarity in southwest Equestria. The blue stallion stays close to the houses on the sidewalk as he makes his way back to his parents’ house. Brown eyes gaze down at the ground, and take not of the hooves which they travel by. The prosthetic right leg, designed by Slate, reminds Rhythm of how upset his father was when he found out that he had lost his leg. That anger that Slate held onto was caused by something personal, as he too lost a leg when he was younger. While Slate finally came around to design a leg for his son then, Rhythm hopes that he can come around again. But this anger was different. He always makes up eventually, Rhythm tells himself. A droplet of rain touches the Unicorn’s muzzle, rolling into his black beard. A few more droplets reach his back. Without flinching, Rhythm creates a shield above him with his magic. He holds it a few more blocks until he reaches his destination. Entering, Rhythm is greeted by his mother. “CharmingRhythm, you’re back. How did-” Sapphire starts, but hesitates as her golden eyes look around. “Where’s your dad?” “He’s at the clinic. He got injured,” Rhythm reports. “Wh-what? Is he okay?” Sapphire questions, concern filling up her voice and eyes. “He seemed like he was okay,” Rhythm says, shrugging one shoulder, “but you know how he is. I’m guessing broken ribs.” Sapphire makes a disheartened “oh”, as she recoils her head back and covers her mouth with a hoof. She opens her eyes again, now with even more concern in them. “I hope he doesn’t have to stay there for that long.” Rhythm walks past the blue mare, and twists his head back to her. “Mom, he’s been keeping secrets from us.” Confused by the sudden change of topics, Sapphire replies, “What do you mean?” “He told you that he’s been taking late shifts at the workshop, but that’s not what he’s been doing at all. He’s been working on some project, assigned by the president, with some team I think,” Rhythm tells, with his brows furrowing. “The reason he didn’t want me to come on the mission because he didn’t want me to find out about this.” “Oh, Charmy,” Sapphire say, stepping forward. She places her hoof on his shoulder. “I’m sure there’s a reason for this. If it’s assigned by the president, then maybe he has to keep it secret for business purposes.” “I… I know,” Rhythm mutters, “but I can’t help but feel hurt.” Sapphire assures him, “He would never mean to hurt us. Even if he had to keep things from us, he wouldn't do it to intentionally hurt us. He loves us, you know." Rhythm only gives her a few nods. “Besides, he told me he's taking longer shifts for better pay. While he might not be in the workshop, I'm sure he's still doing this for better pay, to support us,” Saphhire says, putting faith in her husband. “I guess so,” Rhythm murmurs with his eyes cast downward. “I just wish we didn’t have to argue like that.” “He got upset, huh?” “Yeah… but so did I. Ugh,” Rhythm places a blue hoof to his face. “I acted like an ass to him. I shouldn’t have been so nosy.” “Well, there’s always time to make up,” Sapphire gives her best attempt to comfort him. “And I’m sure he’ll come around, he always does,” she echoes Rhythm’s thoughts from earlier. “Yeah,” Rhythm says simply. He lets out a heavy sigh, and begins to gait over to the hallway. “You need anything, hun?” Sapphire asks. “Any food, maybe potions?” “No thanks, Mom. I- I think I can take care of myself, but I appreciate it,” Rhythm replies with a tired smile. He continues on his path to the guest room. In the middle of the night, CharmingRhythm finds the air around him suffocatingly humid and hot. Cyan light pours from his horn, illuminating the room. He leaps off the bed and opens the window. While the rain has long passed, its smell still lingers. He returns to the bed, sitting instead. If it wasn’t for the temperature, his thoughts would have awoken him anyway. Rhythm stares at the empty bed across from him, which used to be his brother’s. The Unicorn wishes that he was with him now, to have someone to talk to. Yet his brother was out on his own adventures with his partner. Rhythm wondered how often they argued while on missions. Anxiety fills his mind. He wishes to speak with his father, but knows that he can do nothing but wait until he returns. Rhythm lies down. Even reluctant to sleep, he lets his body relax, waiting to drift back asleep.
Chapter 6It is not until the next morning when SlateMeasure final returns home. Sapphire welcomes him with a hug, but the stallion seems unmoved. His gaze casts over her with a blank expression. No words escape from him. “I was so worried. Are you okay?” Sapphire states. She analyzes her husband, who is covered in bruises created by Hybrid shots. “A couple broken ribs,” he reports. “And a sprained ankle. I’ll be fine.” “You always say that when your hurt,” the blue mare recalls, but still expresses genuine concern. “Aren’t you in a lot of pain?” Nodding, Slate tells, “Yeah. All I can really do is rest and take potions.” Sapphire’s eyes follow him as he makes it slowly across the room. He pauses for a moment to speak. “Is Rhythm still here?” “He is.” The other Unicorn does not respond, but instead continues to walk. He turns into the hall. Sapphire enters their room a few moments after him. “Slate, you should talk to him. He’s really upset,” she informs. “That’s what he gets,” Slate mutters, facing away from his wife. “SlateMeasure!” Sapphire reprimands. “Don’t be like that with your son. You two should talk it out. You need to.” Twisting his head slightly, Slate asks, “Did he tell you?” “Of course he did.” Slate growls and then says, “You aren’t angry with me, are you?” Sapphire thinks of what to say for a moment. “I… I’m sure it was just part of your job.” “At least you get it,” Slate mumbles. “I know you wouldn’t try to keep something from us on purpose,” Sapphire adds with trust. Turning to fully face her, Slate admits, “It… it was wrong of me to lie to you in the first place, Sapph. I should have told you that I was given another project. While maybe I couldn’t have told you what it was, I could have at least told you why I was out so late.” “It’s okay,” Sapphire says softly as she puts a blue hoof on Slate’s chest. “But I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.” At that, Slate looks downward. “Go talk with Rhythm.” Slate lets out a short sigh, but shows a visible sign of pain following. “Fine.” The stubborn stallion treads across the hall, where he peeks his head into the other bedroom. He observes Rhythm who is sitting on the bed nearest to the door. The steel blue Unicorn’s attention is placed on his saddlebags, which he looks through. Slate takes a few more steps into the room, and Rhythm finally notices him there. Their eyes meet. Neither of them say a word for a few seconds. “How bad is it?” Rhythm asks, showing worry. Expecting ridicule and not care, Slate is struck for a moment. He gathers his thoughts, “Like you said, broken ribs. But there's no internal bleeding so I think I'll be fine. All I can do is rest. Oh and also,” lifting his left foreleg he adds, “a sprained ankle.” “That's why you were limping” Rhythm discovers. Slate nods. "How did you even trip in the first place?" “Hybrid shot my hoof.” “Ah,” Rhythm sounds. An awkward pause fills the room. Slate appears once again at a loss for words. “You okay?” Rhythm queries. “You seem… off.” “It’s just that I was expecting you to still be mad at me,” Slate admits. “Well, I- I shouldn’t have gotten upset like that,” Rhythm retorts. “I acted like an ass, and I shouldn’t have been looking into those papers. You told me the mission was classified, I should have known. I’m sorry.” “I understand why you got upset with me. It was wrong for me to lie to you, and your mother. While I may have not been allowed to say what it was, I could have at least said I was working on a new project. I…” Slate takes a few steps forward to straighten his stance in the room. “Rhythm, I wanted to thank you. Even though you shouldn't have put your muzzle into those papers, I wouldn't have been able to retrieve them without you.” Rhythm’s brows raise in surprise. “Aren’t you still angry at me?” “I’ve had some time to think,” Slate says as he sits down on the other bed, scowling in pain. “While yes, you shouldn’t know about this project, there isn’t much I can do about it now. And I think… maybe I shouldn’t have gotten that angry,” he grimaces with regret. “I shouldn’t have swore at you.” “Seriously, you’re going to apologize for that?” Rhythm says, bewildered by the specific intention. “Heh, yeah. I shouldn’t speak like that towards you. I shouldn’t demean you,” Slate explains. “Guess we both messed up, huh?” Rhythm deduces. “Yeah…” Slate agrees, reluctantly. “Are we cool? I don’t want you to stay mad,” Rhythm tells. “Neither do I. I know I’m quite good at it,” Slate mumbles, ashamed Another pause surfaces. Rhythm breaks it by carefully asking, “Well, now that I do know about the project… do you think you can maybe explain it to me?” Slate’s brow furrows, displeased. “You can’t tell anyone about this. Okay?” “Okay, okay. I understand.” “As you already saw, it’s armor. We’ve been trying to develop it to use against the Hybrids. We want it to work like an EPD, but for the entire body,” Slate reveals, “and if possible, use it to get into the Citadels.” “Oh wow. Definitely do not tell SilverFlash about that or else he’ll think he won’t have a ‘job’ anymore. He’d be pissed,” Rhythm grins. Slate chuckles, “Yeah. But you see, it’s not like sneaking into the Citadels disguised as Hybrids like he does.” His demeanor becomes more serious. “The armor isn’t disguise at all, it’s a tool. It would be used as a counter attack, but the trick is to make it tough enough to withstand hundreds of Hybrids.” “That… doesn’t sound easy,” Rhythm guesses. “It wouldn’t be, even if a whole team in this armor was sent in. Especially if we want it to be as lightweight as EPDs. The project has been at a standstill for many months, if not years now. That’s why they recently brought in more designers, like myself.” “So… how did the papers from this get stolen in the first place?” Rhythm wonders. “I have no clue. Some say rogues disguised themselves as one of us, but I don’t know how legit that is,” the older Unicorn cites. “And why were you sent on a mission to find the papers?” Rhythm continues. “Because,” Slate expresses annoyance over his story, “I was the only one who would volunteer to go.” “What? Seriously? Aren’t there more… experienced missionaries on your team? Someone more qualified than you? You know, to take on rogues” Rhythm asks, mindful not to accidentally degrade his father. “I’m sure there were, but none of them offered to do it. So, I did,” Slate retorts. “Wow,” Rhythm lets out, unimpressed. “Yep.” “So… you were given the opportunity to work on this project? They just asked you?” Rhythm asks. “Basically,” Slate remarks. “You see, I took this job because I’d get better pay. I just hope I can keep it. I don’t want Merit to drop me because I am unable to work temporarily,” Slate glances down and his side. “This isn’t something I can work on at home.” “I’m sure she’ll understand. Hey, just tell her without you, they wouldn’t have gotten their blueprints back.” “I hope that works,” Slate grumbles. “Yeah, and… I think maybe it’s about time I head back to the camp. I’ve probably overstayed my welcome,” Rhythm laments as he leaps off the bed. He begins to pick up his clothes and armor. “Rhythm,” Slate says in a sharp tone that quickly softens, “you are always welcome here. You may have a home in your camp, but this is your home too.” “Thanks, Dad,” Rhythm replies, endeared. “Come here,” Slate beckons Rhythm with outstretched forelegs. He hugs Rhythm around his neck. Rhythm begins to place his own forelegs around Slate’s sides but the older Unicorn interjects, “Nah, nah, nah. No touchy.” “Sorry!” CharmingRhythm steps back, cringing. “Hurts a lot, huh?” “Yeah. I’m on meds now, but it still hurts like a bitch,” Slate frowns. “I don't know how you do it. How do you just not let it affect you?” Rhythm wonders. “Hey,” Slate raises his right foreleg, displaying his own design, “I've had a crushed leg. After that, no pain really compares” Rhythm lets out a single huff of astonishment. “Alright,” Slate says after pushing himself off the bed, “I’ll get out of your mane now. Just, promise you won’t tell anyone. If anyone finds out, it could cost me this job,” Slate requests and Rhythm nods with all seriousness. “Hopefully you won't have to keep it a secret for too long. We want to put out a public iteration soon. And maybe if we do, we could let Flash test it out.” “Unless Lance stops him, you know,” Rhythm adds with a tip of his head. “They’ve been going on less Citadel missions lately.” “True, but I can’t see Flash stopping altogether. Nobody can really stop that boy, not us and not even Lance. May as well put that defiance to good use,” suggests Slate. “I guess that’s a good point,” Rhythm says while bobbing his head. Slate takes a few steps towards the door, and halts. “And, thank you, again, for coming with. You really saved my tail back there.” “Of course,” Rhythm smiles. Slate smiles back, and starts for the door again. Rhythm finally adds. “Love you, Dad.” Slate looks back one last time and replies, “Love you too, Rhyth.” As he leaves the room, CharmingRhythm continues to pack his saddlebag. A warmth fills his chest. While he knows that he has an important secret to hold, a relief washes over him. He is glad that he was able to reconcile with Slate, and that the mission had been finished successfully.
