In The Deep

CHINK! The lock fell to the ground with a clatter as I put my wrench back on my utility belt. It's surprising how useful everyday items can be. I threw open the metal grate and took a right down to a short hallway, where I saw the shadow of a splicer projected against the wall. I peeked around the corner and saw the spliced mare looking in my direction. I quickly hid before she could notice I was there. Well, so much for useful…

I injected myself with my last EVE hypo, which ensured three Electro Bolt shots. Quietly, I counted, "One, two, three!" before turning the corner and firing a bolt at the mare, hitting her directly in the back. She spasmed in her place as I ran up to her and ensured her death with a quick hit of my wrench. I didn't have much time to revel in my victory as a trash can flew by my face. There was another splicer! I turned to him and fired another bolt of electricity, missing him and hitting the wall behind him. I groaned and yelled out, "Oh, come on, this is fucking bullshit!" I couldn't take the chance of firing again in case there were more splicers ahead.

As I tried to get my wrench, my magic accidentally grabbed the pistol. I swung it a few times in the air before realizing that it had a second, much better function. I brought it in front of me and aimed the iron sights right at the middle of the charging splicer's head. BANG! Blood splattered the wall behind him as I put a hole right in the middle of his forehead. I brought the barrel of the smoking weapon to my muzzle, blew on it, and said in my best cowboy accent, "This town here ain't big enough fer tha two of us!"

My radio must've been on, because the next thing I heard was Cadence laughing hard. Once she had calmed down, she said, "That was, by far, the worst cowboy accent I have ever heard." I grumbled and looted the body, getting went on my way, going down the stairs in front of me. It wasn't long before I reached a two splicers looting a corpse, both of them standing in a river of water that came from a hole in the wall. An idea struck me. I raised my left hoof, and with my last shot of Electro Bolt, fired at the water.

The effect was instantaneous. Both splicers convulsed in the stream, which had electric streaks jumping in and out of it. It wasn't long before they both died from the electrocution. As I stared at the two dead splicers with a wicked grin across my face, a realization hit me. Was I getting corrupted? I had just killed four ponies in a row, and I hadn't even hesitated in doing it! No, I thought to myself, they were going to kill me. Cadence's voice rang in my head.

"…whatever you thought about right and wrong from home…it doesn't matter in this hellhole…"

I shook the thoughts out of my head and trotted down the stairs, looting both the bodies. I got 7 pistol rounds from one splicer, an EVE hypo from both, and a net total of 28 bits. I reloaded my pistol, giving me six rounds in the chamber and six rounds for later, then injected my body with an EVE hypo. Jumping down the waterfall that was where the rest of the stairs were supposed to be, my radio suddenly yelled, "Look! On your right!" I looked to my right and saw one of the best sights I had seen in this city.

A giant neon sign read, "Neptune's Bounty" in large, yellow letters. My quest was finally over. I could go home. I cantered over to the archway that led to my destination, but as soon as I got there, a metal grate slammed shut before me. Klaxons blared and red lights flashed as a mare's voice echoed, "Security alert in progress." I jumped back as something rose from the ground in front of me, and I yelped as my tail was singed by a burst of flame coming from the machine.

"Damnit, Twilight cut us off from Neptune's Bounty!" yelled Cadence. "You've got no other choice, you have to get to Medical!" Well, looks like I'm not going to get home early…

"Kill him!" yelled a pony from behind me. I quickly turned around to see four splicers running at me, two of them with pistols. I dived behind a nearby pillar just as one of the splicers fired his weapon off, hitting the pillar and sending bits of cement flying everywhere. Goddamn, the splicers don't give up. I sprinted from the pillar to behind the Vita Chamber in the room as a jet of fire nearly turned me into a cooked meal.

CRASH! One of the splicers fired again, this time shattering the glass of the Vita Chamber. These splicers may not aim well, but they're getting better. I levitated my pistol from my belt and brought my hoof up, ready to kill again. I turned around the curved door of the Vita Chamber and emptied my pistol, killing three of the splicers and injuring the fourth, downing him.

Damn, I was getting good at this.

I walked up to the fourth splicer, who held his wounded shoulder as he whimpered. I grabbed him with my magic and yelled, "WHO SENT YOU!?" The splicer just cried some more and said, "JUST KILL ME! I CAN'T TAKE THIS PAIN!"

"Tell me who sent you, and then I'll kill you. Wasn't gonna work any other way." I growled, dropping him. He looked around frantically before grabbing a shard of glass from the Vita Chamber. The splicer looked into my eyes and whispered, "Tell her… Sparkle… that I'm sorry…" before dragging the shard across his throat and ripping open his jugular. There was nothing I could've done. All these ponies keep dying without me doing anything, and it all seems to be connected to this Sparkle mare. I went to the other bodies and looted them, getting a total of two health hypos, 15 pistol rounds, bringing me up to 21 rounds, and 34 bits, which brought me up to 62 bits. I didn't dare touch the last splicer's body, though. I felt that he deserved his privacy.

"What're you waiting for, get the hell out of there!" whined the radio. I took a moment to close the splicer's eyes, then ran off down the hallway that led to Medical. When I got there, the door had already been open. All I needed to do is get in, close the first bulkhead door, then open the second to Medical. SLAM! The door slammed shut before I could get inside. Was this going to be a theme for today? "Oh Luna," said Cadence, "you're trapped! I'm gonna try to override the door from here, just gimme a minute!"

Behind me, a large TV screen flickered on behind three windows, showing a picture of the face of the mare who I saw in the bathysphere on they way here. She seemed a lot more angry this time, and it was prevalent in her voice.

"So tell me, good stallion, which one of the bitches sent you? Was it the Hooviet timberwolves, or the Canterlot parasprites?" she droned. I stood up at the windows and said, "Wouldn't you like to know?" The mare chuckled and said, "Well, here's a little fact for you: Rapture isn't something for you to plunder, and I, Twilight Sparkle, am not one who can be slapped around by government muscle. On that note, goodbye. Forever."

The TV shut off as splicers coming from every which way started to slam against the glass. With each blow, the glass and my mental stability cracked a little bit more. I backed up to the bulkhead and said, "C'mon, Cadence… open the door…" I heard her working away as she replied, "Just give me one more second…"

CRASH! The windows shattered, and splicers started spilling into the room. I grabbed my wrench and yelled, "I DON'T HAVE A FUCKING SECOND, CADENCE!" The bulkhead finally opened, and I climbed inside and slammed it shut. I took a moment to catch my breath before opening the second bulkhead and entering into Medical.

"You've finally met Twilight, the queen of Rapture. Isn't she a crazy bitch? Now, would you kindly find your way to an emergency exit?" I trotted across they foyer to behind the desk and found five bits, a health and EVE hypo, three pistol rounds, and an audio diary. This time, Cadence didn't need to do anything. The radio immediately picked up the frequency and began to speak to me.

"This audio diary was made by a mare named Pinkie Pie. It is entitled, 'Released Today'. Message follows: 'Nurse Tenderheart said she'd release me today. Twilight didn't come to see me since the New Year's attack. Not once. But Tenderheart was very attentive. She told me that once the scar tissue was gone, she was going to fix me right up. Make me prettier than any girl I've ever seen. She's sweet all right… and so interested in my case.' Message end."

So, Twilight had some connection with this Pinkie Pie mare… interesting. I went on my way, stopping at the nearby vending machine and emptying my wallet to fill up a stock of both hypos. As I finished shopping, Cadence came on the radio and said, "There's a door to your right that leads to the nearest emergency exit." I looked over and saw a broken security bot wedged between the door, stopping it from closing. I sighed and said, "Let's see how good I am at hacking…"

After a few minutes, I had a working security bot flying by my side. I went into the room that the twisting hall led to and saw my prize ahead: an emergency exit. However, my troubles weren't over yet. A splicer from above me shouted, "Keep away from my patients!" followed by a gunshot. A mare toppled over the balcony and landed on the floor with a THUMP! My security bot flew up and fire its turret at the splicer, killing him. I followed the bot up the stairs, arriving at the emergency access switch. I gave it a magical tug, which rewarded me with another set of Klaxons and flashing red lights. The same mare's voice from earlier echoed, "Security alert in progress. Access limited for the time being. We appreciate your support."

"Looks like you'll be needing Nurse Tenderheart's key if you're to use the emergency exit." Cadence calmly stated. "She runs the Medical Pavilion. Don't expect her to just give it to you like a good pony, though. She's not as nice as her name suggests. Doubt she's still a pony…" The door behind me opened, and I ran inside. How could she be calm?! The alarms would certainly attract the attention of splicers all around!

THUNK! A splicer managed to hit me across the face while I was in thought. I quickly reacted, stunning him with an electric bolt and whacking him with my wrench. After looting his body and finding 8 bits, I ran down to the room at the end of the hall and, in one fluid motion, picked up the machine gun lying against the wall and slammed on the electric override switch. The Klaxons and lights shut off and the metal grate on the balcony slid open. I slid down the wall, let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, and said to Cadence, "I'm never gonna go home, am I?"