Ripples

Chapter 13

Revival

        We finally caught up with the steadily advancing army of Resistance soldiers. Many carried high-tech beam weaponry, enchanted swords, projectiles, and grenades; all of them wore Resistance armor. As we approached, somepony from the army yelled “Halt!” and they all abruptly froze. Turning to face us, they quickly arranged into a heavily defensive formation, with very heavy firepower aimed towards us. From the center emerged a pony completely covered in advanced armor, wearing a helmet with a black visor covering his entire face. Guards surrounded him on all sides.

        “Are you on a suicide mission now, Captain?” he asked. His voice was muffled, but sounded very authoritative and important. Captain glared into his visor.        “Absolutely not, Sawblade!” Captain responded. His hostile glare strengthened. “Why are you heading for Ponyville? What’s in Ponyville that you need?”        Sawblade let out a small snicker. “You know very well what we’re heading for, assuming you took the time to read those documents you uncovered from our embassy.”        Captain’s mouth dropped. “Embassy?!” he yelled. “You made a fucking embassy in the middle of my town?!”        Sawblade laughed. “How else do you think we knew about that document? We have spies, Captain. And I believe you do as well.”        Captain was once again steaming with anger. “Why are you doing this?! What do you want from that machine?!”        Sawblade’s visor slid up to reveal an orange stallion wearing an eyepatch on his left eye. Scars covered his face, and he was smiling.        “This is not only for the Resistance, Captain. This is more than simply dictatorship. We have affiliates helping us execute this operation, and I don’t think you will be stopping them anytime soon,” he said with a laugh.        I realized what that implied. The Resistance had formed an alliance with PT! Fucking Parasprite Technologies! Captain’s face was starting to boil from rage again. I really hope he doesn’t start a shitstorm again...        “Show me,” Captain finally yelled. “Show me whatever the fuck you are going to do!”        Sawblade grinned eagerly. His visor automatically slid back down, and he yelled. “Bind them and haul them with us!”        Oh shit...

~ ~ ~

        Some old vehicles had been locked away in case the Resistance needed it. Captain, Rage, the red pony and I were all binded together with rope and tossed into a truck. It was very dark, and we could barely move. And shit, it was painful. The rope kept rubbing against us, and we kept sliding against the walls. I was afraid, something felt very...wrong about the experience, but somehow familiar. It was not a good feeling.        Eventually we slowed to a stop, and the doors were slammed open. They hoofcuffed the four of us, and then unbinded the ropes. We had to slowly and awkwardly trot to our destination. Ponyville didn’t look any different than when we left. Old buildings stood rotting, piles of junk were everywhere. The stronghold of PT and their citadel still rose in the center of the town. I hated that building. The simple fact of it being there was unnerving. It was mocking me.        We went around the perimeter of the wall, passing various strange buildings. I swear, one building must have been built to look like candy! Eventually, after traversing to the other end of PT’s stronghold, we stopped. All sixteen of our hooves were red and raw, and the hoofcuffs chafed badly. I really hate the Resistance...and I hate PT even more. But the two of them together? Fucking nightmare.        The army stopped outside a treehouse designed for young fillies. This too was dilapidated and collapsing, and the tree it was built on had grown through it, and currently did not have any leaves. The interior of the treehouse looked like it may have once been a clubhouse of some sort, with faded and torn remains of posters and upturned furniture. A bird’s nest rested on a ripped couch, stuffing spread everywhere. Sawblade was the first to enter this strange building, keeping the four of us close by. We exchanged worried glances, and then looked forward. The red pony gulped. Sawblade painfully yanked us forward up the rickety walkway into the building.        I don’t know how that walkway still hasn’t collapsed, and it felt like it would any moment, but it held us. The inside of the clubhouse was covered in cobwebs. Everything was coated in a layer of dust, causing me to cough. I didn’t know what was going to happen, I couldn’t see anything of any importance here. Sawblade lifted his armored hoof, and a panel slid open to reveal a little...ring...thing. He looked at me, rose his visor, and smiled.        Something didn’t seem very reassuring about that smile. He lifted the ring from his hoof storage panel, and approached me. Not good...I tried to back up, but I stumbled on my hoofcuffs and tripped. I lay on my side, hooves awkwardly sprawled to my left, when Sawblade approached. I closed my eyes. Shit was hitting the fan in 3...2...1...        Something clicked on my horn. I opened my eyes to peek. A black object obscured the top of my vision, attached to my horn. Sawblade was still smiling. I am not looking forward to whatever is about to happen...        Sawblade lifted his hoof again. Inside that strange panel was a glowing red button, almost begging to be pressed. Sawblade pressed it slowly and dramatically, clearly just to torment me.        My horn erupted into searing pain, giving me an extreme headache. I screamed in agony, writhing in pain. I felt something warm coming from my horn. I was able to catch a quick glance. Red energy beamed from my horn, leading into some kind of circular area on the floor. I couldn’t watch, the pain was unbearable. Thousands of screams sounded in my mind, begging for mercy. I foamed at the mouth, and my bladder emptied on the floor. Just when I thought I was going to pass out, it stopped.        I breathed heavily. My head hurt more than I could ever remember. I felt another ‘click’ and the ring fell off. I opened my eyes, which were streaming with tears. My heart was throbbing in my ears, and my vision was blurry. Sawblade picked up the ring, spit onto my face and then lowered his visor. Captain, Rage and the red pony all walked into the spiral staircase that occupied where the floor once was. Sawblade dragged me down.

~ ~ ~

        Captain, Rage, the red pony and I were locked in a glass cell. I laid down, staring at the room from the floor of the cell. I was scraped, battered, bruised, and a bit sticky around the legs. I was also shaking, still in serious pain from the previous event.        One corner of the room had all lighting blocked off, and was a dark shadow. The leader of PT had occupied himself in that corner, surrounded by an array of heavily armed guards. It seemed rather unnecessary to hide himself simply in shadows...I could see the soft glow of a monitor inside the dark veil of that corner. The other corner of the room held Sawblade and his soldier army. A wire extended from Sawblade’s helmet into a plug on the wall, transmitting the Resistance leader’s voice over the intercom.        In the center of the room was a large machine, with some form of arcane energy held at the top inside a glass orb. It was as if a thunderstorm was raging within that glass container, with bolts of energy zapping all over it. The machine had a door, which was currently locked closed. A terminal extruded beside the door, currently showing a corporate logo. I could barely make it out, however it was apparent enough the letters read “CMC”. A walkway extended over a small gap which led into the door.        A conversation was taking place. The loudspeaker crackled, and the voice of the Resistance leader sounded.        “I still do not approve of your specific methods, sir. I believe we can take some time to form a more stable-”        “No!” the PT leader interrupted. “Absolutely not! This is a very urgent matter, which must be satisfied immediately. I question as to why it still has not been executed?”        A crackley sigh sounded from the loudspeaker. “I am not confident in your programming abilities. This machine is unreliable enough as it is, I do not wish to risk any failures.”        The PT leader laughed. “I am sorry to hear that you doubt me so strongly. I assure you, all will be fine. Now please, send little...Sawblade, was it?...to activate the process. I want you to see the...improvements we can give him before we start Project Revival in its entirety. He will need to remove his armor.”        Sawblade lowered his visor and made a very suspicious frown. I didn’t blame him. Captain looked at me with a worried expression, probably both for my health and well-being as well as the event happening.        Sawblade wiggled his way awkwardly out of his super armor. He was very orange...so orange it almost hurt my eyesight. I don’t blame him for wearing the armor, especially with that green mane...is he a carrot or something?        He walked to the terminal next to the door. He tapped it with his hoof several times, eventually opening the door. He cast one last glance behind him at his army, I could almost see fear in his eyes. He walked in. The door slid shut behind him, and a single armored pony stepped forward. A panel opened above the terminal, and a helmet extended on an arm from the opening. The soldier removed his own armored helmet, exposing his green mane and grey head. He equipped the other helmet, which was a sleek gray device with some sort of blue gem placed on the forehead where a unicorn’s horn would be.        “And now, we begin,” said the leader of PT. The gem on the soldier’s helmet began glowing, and the soldier started breathing heavily. The glass orb on top of the machine began spinning, and the lightning from within began escaping the confines of the orb and zapping the walls of the room. It gradually accelerated, and the lightning became more intense. The soldier collapsed onto the ground, and a pool of blood began appearing around his head.        “STOP!” sounded the Resistance leader. “STOP THIS NOW!”        The two armies of soldiers turned to face each other, high-powered weaponry carefully aimed at lethal targets on either side. Neither side fired, and the machine finished and slowed to a halt. The door slowly opened, sending a wave of white mist pouring out of the door. As it cleared, a hideous creature emerged. It was Sawblade, but...horrible. He had far too many appendages jutting out from everywhere, and his head appeared to be melted into his neck...and tail. I heard all three of my companions gasp. I could only watch, I was far too exhausted. My head hurt. The last thing I noticed was Sawblade had...a horn. And wings.        Then gunfire exploded, and PT clearly had more firepower. Several bullets punctured the glass of our cell, and the last thing I remember was a mare’s voice over the speaker system.        “Now deploying tranquilizer gas,” it had said.