TCB: RAGE!

“One.Two,” The man whispered to himself, holding his knees as he rocked back and forth

*BAM* rang out the door as they rammed it again.

 “Three.Four,” He sobbed,

*BAM* the door rang out once more.

 “Not much longer now,” He sighed slowly unfurling his legs and staggering to his feet, teetering on the numb limbs, he strode over to his ‘hope’ and began to check it again.

 *BAM*

“IT WILL COME SWIFTLY!” Screeched a shrill, somewhat muffled, voice from outside. The man sighed as another rhythmic bang sounded against the door, the fact that it held brought a slight smile to his face.

He looked at the monitor, they were in the surveillance camera. A dark purple mare, with neon green mane stood shouting orders at the others, those who hadn't complied lay smouldering from her lighting. He licked his dry lips before addressing the A.I.

“Show me. . . one last time,” He said dryly. The screen flickered as the video log popped up once again. A well groomed man in a lab coat smiled as he adjusted the camera on himself.

--*Doctor Philistine, We begin testing on the candidates today. A simple re-engineering of the potion may be what we should be looking into. Pulling the Equine out of a convert in theory is as hard as it is turning them into ponies.” The man smiled, beaming at the camera. “A completely harmless proces-.”

“Next, please,” He said, clenching his fist till his unclipped nails drew blood.

--*Doctor Philistine, Initial tests prove. . . fruitless, it’s not that we haven’t the know how, but we lack. something,” The man on screen frowned deeply. “We daren’t risk the safety of our patients though, there is time yet left t-.”

“Please, show me the next one,” He said as all emotion left his face.

--*”Hi paps!” Beamed the dark purple mare, the very one who sat outside now screaming for his still beating heart.

*“Hi sweetie,” Cheered the man wrapping his arms around her neck in a warm embrace, “You sure you want to help your old dad with this?” He smiled shakily.

*”Of course why wouldn’t I? I mean imagine how many people this is going to help, think of it! Every Pony who was turned by PER could become human again!”

“Next one, if you would?” The man said tears running down his cheeks, grim set face, he didn’t bother to wipe them away as they fell onto his tattered lab coat..

-* This is Doctor Thymes, Subjects showing no outward signs, nor any behavioral changes. We beli-.”

“NEXT,” He hissed angrily, ‘He caused this, that smug bastard!’ He thought, before looking back at the screen as the next video rolled.

--*”Dad,” Said the purple mare shaikly, “I’m not feeling too good anymore, and, an the headaches are getting worse.”

*”Don’t worry pumpkin, we’re worki-,”

“Please, I need to see her, I need to see why this happened,” Philistine pleaded to the computer, The A.I. hesitated for a moment before pulling up Thymes file. What did it matter with his transformed corpse lying smouldering outside the door.

--The camera was shaky as it filmed him and his daughter, she looked so thin, and tired.

*”The nightmares don’t stop any more dad,” She didn’t even look at him as he brushed her disheveled mane from her eyes.

*”I know pumpkin, but daddy's going to fix this, I promise. . . no more tests until then okay?” He smiled shakily. She kept looking at the floor, not moving, Philistine was startled as she broke the sudden silence.

*”I see them now. . . whenever I shut my eyes dad, dad, the-, they never stop screaming. It-it feels like my skulls going to burst sometimes, an-and I-I’m scared!” She cried, burying her muzzle into his chest.

“I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry,” Philistine cried as he watched his daughter on the screen sob as a happier him hugged her close.

+Would you like me to roll the next in the file?+ Asked the A.I., monotone voice cutting him to the bone, causing him to jump awake, he smeared snot and tears away with his sleeve before nodding.

-*”We restrained her best we could,” The nurse said to Philistine,

*“How could this have happened. What happened to her, WHO DID THIS?” He asked, too drained to show any real emotion.

*“She did it to herself,” Thymes said, clamping a firm hand on his shoulder. They watched as Phils daughter screamed, smashing her unrestrained head against the gurny over and over again, laughing as a bit of red oozed from the back of her skull.

*“Is, is sh-?”

*“Don’t worry my friend, science solves everything!” Thymes smiled at Phil reassuringly.

*“Will she eve-?” Phil began, face grim set as he watched his daughter mutilate herself.

*“Oh, I know for a fact we’ll improve her condition, beyond all hopes and expectations in time to come,” Thymes grinned, “I’m certain of it.”

“The next one play ‘it’,” He said,looking at the screen with half dried tears, “Play Doctor Thymes ‘Breakthrough’!” He choked, his voice cracking.

--*”Doctor Thymes here, all testing has proven successful,” He grinned smugly at the camera, from the back ground a blood curdling shriek was heard from a nearby cell. “Lot 22-z, Weapon grade ‘potion’ has proven to function beyond expectations,” He smiled. adjusting his lab coat, the young doctor from before came into view behind him, looking decidedly less proper.

*”WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” He shrieked, “They’re monsters, every last one of them. Cindy, my daughter was one of them, you bastard, you, you MADE MY DAUGHTER A MONSTER!”

*”Oh please, she was one before, all I did was help it show a little more,” He smiled, “Now she’s of some use to us, why once we have them conditioned to only attack non infected ponies we’ll be set on driving this menace back, you should be proud, your daughter did us all a great service.”

*”I’ve informed the higher ups. This isn’t what we we’re supposed to create, we we’re supposed to fix this, THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A WAY BACK!”

*”I’m certain the superiors will be thrilled to hear of my success, wh-. . .” Doctor Thymes eyes opened wide as several armed men filed into the room.

*”Oh they’re happy alright, happy they get to kill you for wasting there time and resources! This was never supposed to be what we we’re doing!” Dr.Philistine shouted as the soldiers moved past him to apprehend the doctor, but stopped as he began to laugh.

*”’Them’ I’m not talking about ‘them’, I’m talking about MY bosses, my death means little, but what we’ve created here will change the world. The world will be ruled by it’s rightful rulers, not some pathetic human or pony governments,” Thymes cackled, Philistine only had moments to react before Thymes dropped a canister on the ground, the nearly black mist swirling through the room. Screams echoed throughout as the mist engulfed them all, Phil ran off screen.

“STOP!” He screamed, panting as another rhythmic blow rang out against the door. He sobbed, placing his head on the desk, he’d wait it out here, till they broke through.

* * *

“Dam it,” Dave cursed. trying to unjam his gun. They were all around them, the damned psychopaths on four legs had hit their side hard as could be. “You know what I hate more than psycho ponies?!” He yelled to another man by the window, busy with reloading the weapon he had looted from a soldier who wasn’t as quick on his feet.

“What?!”

“Unicorn psycho ponies!” He yelled back, finally freeing the lodged cartridge from the chamber. He looked down the sights, the rictus grinning loon dashed head first at him, screaming that same dam phrase over and over. Dave grinned as he lined up the sight.

*BAM* Dave’s grin faded as it didn’t even slow him down.

“Blood in her name, blood for theirpraise, DIeDIEDIEDIEDIE!” The stallion shrieked, loud enough to be heard over the gunfire. He simply shrugged off gunfire, refusing to be brought low, and with a thunderous crash ripped through the barricades as though they were paper machie.

“FUCK,” Dave yelled out, he watched as one of his friends on the ground floor was tackled with the force of a small truck, his limp body left a smeared blood trail as the stallion giddly ripped out his throat.

“WHAT IS THAT THING?!” shrieked one man, nearly dropping his rifle.

“FUCK THIS SHIT, I NEVER SIGNED UP FOR THIS!” Another screamed, he began to run as , he never made it out from between the makeshift fortifications of overturned tables and crates. Dave watched in slow motion as a large man slung about an old ax, striking the man down with the flat of the weapon.

“YOU WILL FIGHT, OR YOU WILL DIE!” He shouted, lifting a shotgun with his free hand, before shredding the crazed buck berserker with three slugs. “YOU WILL NOT! I repeat, WILL.NOT FAIL!”

‘The Major is a scary son ofa bitch,’ Dave thought, as his superior shouted orders. He shook a bit as the majors cold blue eyes met his. He quickly resumed firing on the ponies, at least with them he was certain they’d die when you used conventional weapons, the major. . . not so much.

A man cowering near Dave lept back to his feet with a yelp as the major turned to him and boomed.

“EVERY MOMENT YOU DO NOT FIGHT IS ANOTHER MOMENT YOUR FRIENDS COME CLOSER TO DEATH. IF YOU DO NOT FIGHT WITH EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT, YOU ARE WITH THE ENEMY!” He thundered, mighty lungs well practiced at yelling, before pointing his shotgun at the downed man “Are you with the enemy?!” He spat harshly. For the coward who ran, those words drowned out even the chanting of the crazed ponies outside, he quickly focused all efforts on pleasing him, lest he decide to execute him on the spot.

* * *

“Hu- hello,” Gem spoke slowly to the masked man towering over her and her friend. “I-I’m Gemstone, an-and this is my friend,” She said, trying to smile at the man, ever so hard with her reflection shining back at her, off those terrible black lenses, it looked as though he was staring into her soul. . . judging her very being. Slowly he lowered the primed flamethrower, and unbuckled his mask.

“Well now, HOOOOWDAY!” Grinned the man stupidly. Gem sat dumbfounded, completely stupefied as her companion and savior from earlier began to laugh.

“Randal you prick, you had me going for a bit,” He laughed wiping his tears from his eyes as the fire bug reached into a vest pocket and produced a can, he reached in and happily took a plug of chewing tobacco and placed it between his lips and gums.

“Smokin will kill ya,” He winked at Gemstone, who was now certain she had lost her mind. “So, um. . . what’s wit your pony pal?” He spoke slowly, but with little malice.

“Heh, just consider her my speed loader, ain’t that right,” He said offering a smile towards the shocked yellow mare.

“Bu-but, I . . . I but,” Gem stuttered, looking back and forth, both men gave her an odd look as she raised her foreleg to face and bit.

“Um, watch ya doin there,pardner’?” Randal said scratching his head.

“Ow! Pinching myself. . . Oh I hoped this was just a dream from eating too much chocolate before bed!” Gem cried.

“Heh, well sweetheart, shucks hate to say it, but all this is real as me an you,” Randal said, almost apologetically. It was at this point Gemstone wondered if humans were actually crazy.

“I-I,” Gem just clutched her head between her hooves, “My head hurts.”

“Buster,” Said the man next to her slowly, eliciting an odd look from Gem.

“What?” Gem said confused.

“My name, I said I’d tell you once we made it out of here,” Buster smiled.

“Welp, best be movin along. Need to find some place an hunker down til this whole mess blows over. . . and Buster,” Randal said slowly.

“Yeah,”

“Find some place to stash your friend, aforin she gets shot, k?” Randal sighed before donning his mask.