/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal

>>164231
“The tracks will need to be switched again.” Silver is now facing south on the track.

>>164232
Silver flips the switch so they can go straight south back to Jasmine Flower Station, and moves the lever from reverse to forwards.

>>164233
Left, and…. Moving forward. Silver sails down the line, going south. The train moves past the other station. Silver can see that there are still several ponies there. Mostly older, sons disabled, and sons with luggage. Some look hopefully at the passing train, though it moves by them all the same.

Silver eventually reaches Jasmine Flower Station.

>>164234
If they knew what was on this train, they would not want them to stop. He brakes and stops the train in the station.

"Radio them that train is back in station. Also let them know about gas devices we found, and that they need to be on lookout for them."

>>164235
Spectral Streak calls into the radio.
“Train is parked in Jasmine Flower Station. It’s… it’s not pretty inside. Chemical weapons used from some device. Many casualties. Four infiltrators killed in total, one before we got there. We have one casualty. Requesting a medic.”
Silver can’t hear the response clearly. But he knows he’s back in station, and Streak looks right at him.

>>164236
"Device mixes two chemicals together to create gas. It is hyper lethal, judging from how quickly it seems some of these ponies died. Once started only way to stop it is to bash device until vials containing chemicals break open."

>>164237
Silver adds to the radio. And from over the radio, someone adds
"We've seen those devices in Colton Hill. Nasty things."

Spectral Streak says to Silver.
"Okay, time to get out of this thing and get you sewn up."

>>164238
"Good idea."

He gets up and out of the chair, staggering along as best he can.

"I am still good at fighting, but times like these? Makes me wonder if I am getting too old. Or maybe weapons have just become that much stronger over years."

>>164239
"It's a bit of both... The time of individual heroes is long over. Has been for a while now really. Fighting is less personal. More industrial." He pauses for a moment. Silver and Spectral Streak, already sharing the cabin with a corpse, have to walk past the body of the stallion and the drone just to get to the front door next to the cabin, and even then it requires a mechanism to figure out how to open it.

"Nothing heroic about it, this industrial war. This kind of horror... I've seen it before. On a smaller scale, in raids, by the border. That was back before the War. But the War... In the cauldron at Ancornage..." He winces and shakes his head. "That was orders of magnitude worse. Worse that what I had seen before. Worse that what I've seen since. Worse even than this. It will stay with me until I die. I am happy to give back to the buggers what I can but... it'll never be made right."
By this time, Spectral Streak has figured out the door mechanism and has opened it.

>>164240
Silver and his son continue to trot down the long corridors of the train, filled to the brim with the bodies of innocent civilians and guilty changelings alike.

"Да, I have seen things as well, before, during, and still after War. Great War changed many things. It changed world, it changed Equestria...changed us." He looks to his son. "Take this advice from old pony. All of this, it will stay with us for rest of our lives, but they do not define us."

He glares at the body of the changeling in the second car, the one who shot him multiple times.

"Remember what you wrote to me when War started? That we would push Chrysalis and all of her bug followers into Olenian Ocean?"

>>164241
The changeling drone is at least actually dead, with many bullet holes through it, especially in the head. It isn't really necessary to go back through the whole train, as the cars are next to the platform now, or at least should be.

"It looks like it may still happen. This isn't how I imagined it happening." He says

>>164242
Silver and Spec exit the train, where the unicorn stallion puts a foreleg over his son's back. Partially to hug him, partially to help maintain his balance after feeling a faint spell try to take him over.

"This time will be different. This time we will be together to very end. We will liberate Rockville, Las Pegasus, Tall Tale, Vanhoover. We will avenge those who fell at Acornage, when changelings first surround town. We will push into heart of Changeling Lands, and take hives at Vraks, Lyctida, Chrysalis' home of Vesalipolis, and port hive of Ditrysium. We will back Queen Bitch against edge of world, there at cliffs overlooking icy Oleanian Ocean. There, together, we will clip her bug wings, and both push her into icy depths, like we are meant to do."

>>164243
Spectral Streak looks over at Silver as he walks, and he actually smiles. He makes a quick snicker. "Which way to Versopolis? But let's get you some help on the way."

>>164244
"Да. Got to look my best when we topple Great Queen's Tower."

He chuckles, and stumbles into his son's car once they arrive.

"Sorry for any blood or vomit I get in your car. It is hard to avoid..."

>>164245
Spectral Streak helps his father down the stairs, and throws off the gas mask. He helps Silver into the back. He calls into the radio:
"Where is a medic?"
[1d20 = 19]

>>164246
Silver can finally breathe normal air again without the risk of choking on his own intestines. He takes in as deep a breath as his punctured lungs will let him, which needless to say is not very much before he coughs.

>>164246
>>164245
"EMT is on it's way."
It must not be more than a minute, maybe two, before a medic comes up to Silver and the car. The doctor, a green unicorn stallion, says
"I was called for an attack at the train station.."

Spectral Streak says "Yes, my father is in critical condition. He's been shot several times." The doctor looks at Silver

"By Fluttershy, he's been shot through many times. How is he still alive? I think maybe it could be a waste of resources..."

"He's a very tough stallion. He killed several buggers." The stallion looks at Silver, and then at Streak.

"Alright... I'll see what I can do"

[1d20+4 = (5+4) = 9]

>>164247
>>164248
The Doctor starts work on Silver, attempting to sew him up and remove foreign objects (bullets). He has some success, but seems to have less success elsewhere.

"I think he needs healing magic. It won't really make him good as new, but it'll stop the internal bleeding."

[1d8+2 = (7+2) = 9]
[1d8+2 = (2+2) = 4]

>>164249
"Ugh...thanks Doc. Not first time I have been riddled with bullets."

Silver looks over the stitches and patching up the doctor performed on him.

>>164250
The doctor starts to stich Silver up. Not the finest work.

"Here, let me give you some plasma. And... Some blood, one bag, in this blood type. Let it hang in the car. Add in some morphine in the IV... And some magical solution. The solution may cause blood clots, but it'll stop the internal bleeding."
The doctor gives Silver an IV as he stiches Silver up.

>>164251
Ooooooh, yeeeeeeaaaah. The morphine feels real good to Silver right about now.

"That is good. It felt like my blood vessels were running on empty at end, there."

>>164252
“They kind of were. You’ll still require surgery after this, most likely. But this will do for now” he tells Silver

>>164253
"As long as I can get back into fight, I can accept that."

He holds his Jenny close to him, as if punctuating that statement.

>>164254
“Uh, okay… keep that IV in for a few more minutes at least.”
He looks at Silver, clearly not understanding, but starts to move away and towards the train station.

The doctor having not just plasma but actual blood on hoof is new, as is the magical blood solution given to Silver to stop internal bleeding, which if it doesn’t give Silver stroke has surely saved his life. Silver can feel that something is wrong, but he’s kind of high right now, so it sort of evens out.

Spectral Streak calls into the radio.
“I’d the television station secured.”
“No. We have them pinned down, but we cannot breach.”

>>164258
"What is status of hostages?"

>>164259
The radio replies,
“Unknown, but probably alive.”

>>164260
"Ugh...this morphine is going to cause problems. Come on, we need to help them."

>>164261
The radio: “Turn over to broadcast channel!”
Spectral Streak does so. Silver hears a civilian broadcaster’s shaky voice say:
“The exact source of the light is unknown, but certainly from within the old town Square of Canterlot, near the mountain face. The smoke cloud can be seen as far away as the Castle of the Two Sisters in the South, or Lavender up north, and all along the Front. Witnesses say there was a flash of light, and the ground shook. A reporter in east Ponyville reported that he thought it was a nearby Changeling artillery shell that landed nearby and shattered windows, then another soldier pointed up at Canterlot hill, and said the city was gone. Soldiers on the front reported that debris from Canterlot landed like artillery, and that a friendly plane was knocked out of the sky… more on this as it develops.” The reporter skittishly adds. “This is Friend of the Ponies, providing you with updates in real time.”

Spectral Streak looks at Silver with an expression of horror.

>>164262
Silver feels his blood run cold. The description on the radio broadcast...it couldn't be. Could it?

He looks up at his son, startled.

"That weapon...White was working on...did Changelings get hold of it."

>>164263
Spectral Streaks’ voice is subdued and low. His ears are down. He turns the car to the right, going down a street in east side.
“I don’t know. We got their weapons. That’s where our automatic rifles came from. But I think White was working on something else…”

>>164264
"All those ponies...in one instant...Spec, this is not just some industrial war anymore."

>>164265
“No… No it’s not. This is something else. Something even worse than Acornage.”

And then, Silver hears wailing. Loud wailing. The wailing of air raid sirens, sounding off for the second time since the war began. Before the wailing of the alarm is over, a voice comes over a broadcast speaker in the city.

“From the office of Governor Star, a reminder that a mandatory evacuation order is in effect. Those unable to leave the city should take shelter in a strong, concrete or stone building on the first floor, or underground in a well built shelter.”

>>164266
"I hope they will be okay..."

Silver tries to put on a brave determined face, but how can anypony when your most ancient and culturally important city just got turned into a smoldering mountaintop?

"We need to help get those hostages to safety. We may be some distance to border but I do not know how far they can reach with those weapons."

>>164267
“I think that weapon was in Canterlot s very long time before they thought to detonate it….”

The car takes a right, going north along a road with mostly five floor apartments buildings, and Streak looks up:

“I don’t think those are airplanes in the night sky…”

>>164268
Silver looks up, trying to see what Spec is talking about.

>>164269
Silver can see then high above. The line of buildings to either side blocks much of the view, but not of the deep sky above. High in the atmosphere, mostly to the North, and against the backdrop of a blue sky, are dozens, or even a hundred white streaks across the sky. They move with yellow dots at their base towards the west, arcing slightly with the curvature if the planet.

Silver has seen shooting stars before, but never in broad daylight like this. Nor has he ever seen them move this slowly across the sky, or leave streaks of smoke for hundreds of miles that last minutes. He may recall seeing a comet when he was younger. If so, this is like, or actually is, a comet much closer to the planet. A comet that has broken up in the upper atmosphere, and has spread its debris across a continent. Silver may think he actually sees a parent comet, much higher in the sky and leaving little smoke. He can see the various streaks are of different sizes. Some even bend and curve in unnatural ways as they move. The white clouds of the streaks overtake much of the northern sky, and are only occasional blocked from view by much lower clouds

>>164270
"What are those things? Meteors?"

>>164271
“It looks like it” Spectral Streak says.

Silver can see them move as he watches. Their tails are long and narrow, and linger even a minute of more after the object passes. They appear to be coming to Earth, to land beyond the west horizon.

>>164272
"I wonder if this is Princess Luna's doing, calling forth for sky to rain down on changelings as punishment for crime they just committed."

>>164273
“I don’t think that this is Luna’s doing…..”

The radio cuts on. Silver hears the voice of a mare speak. It’s a familiar voice, now:
“Citizens of the United Pony Republics. I have just been informed that Canterlot has fallen victim to an attack by Changeling forces. It appears much of the city is destroyed. Casualties are unknown, but possibly numerous. That the Changelings may lash out in this way was foreseen by me, and that is why I ordered the evacuation of the city’s population, and what objects of national interest could be managed given the need to not show the Hegemony our hand. That the Changelings did lash out in this way is proof that coexistence is not possible, that their occupation of our lands is intolerable, and that this war was and is inevitable. Those who were lost to Changeling cruelty will be remembered in our hearts forever. They will be cherished by their fellow ponies. And though they are among the first to perish in this war, this war will be the last, and with it an end to centuries of intolerable cruelties. As I speak, our vengeance is already on its way to rain down on the changelings, their cities, their allies, and important tactical and strategic targets. We shall see justice for Changeling wrongs, may the heavens fall. Our martyrs rest in Eternal Glory. Long Live the Republic, and may we have Unity or Death!”

Music plays. Trumpets, patriotic tunes.

>>164274
Can Silver place a name to the voice?

>>164275
Yes. It’s the sand pink mare who identified as the First Counsel in the initial address.

>>164276
"Do you think we will end up using those same weapons against changelings?"

>>164277
“I don’t think that’s quite her style…” Spectral Streak says. The radio comes on again,

“Orders from the Brigadier General: all known infiltrators are to be eliminated immediately.”
“We’re doing the final clearing in the Central Administrative Buikding. Final clearing. Looking for any devices. They were hiked up good.”
“Make sure there are no devices. We are sending a cryptographer for support.”
“Do we need one?”
“If anyone does right now, it’s you ponies. Receive him at street level if safe to do so. He will be escorted and testing is mandatory.”
“This is Hoofbeard Naval Station. We have several suspicious ponies detained who failed to vacate the facility. We are sending a team to do a sweep now.”
“The Regional Transport Ministry is locked now. Who did that?”
“This is ponies at WMARE television station, requesting an air strike on the station.”
“The Brigadier has green lit all air strikes. We’ll put the request in queue.”
“Is that safe? If they do have a device, I mean.”
“Letting then stay there is unsafe”

>>164278
Silver's worried look continues.

"This is madness..."

>>164279
Spectral Streak continues driving forward.
“It’s your decision if you want to continue to WMARE or not.”

>>164280
"We need to get hostages out before airstrike arrives. We cannot just leave them to die."

>>164281
Spectral Streak pulls over the car in an area north and east of the city center with many tall buildings.

“There it is. The television station is in the top few floors of that office building.” Silver is stopped a block away from a grey stone building with many windows, perhaps around 16 or so floors tall. Silver can see the “WMARE” symbols on the side facing street, and a large antenna that extends much beyond the height of thd building. In front of it, and next to the car, is a shorter building of red brick, maybe 14 floors, and beside it across an alley on the far left is slightly taller building with pink brick coloration.

>>164282
"Where are ponies hiding out at? Or have they pulled back?"

>>164283
Spectral Streak makes a call on the radio.
“We are on scene to help clear WMARE, one block south of location, east side. Where are you?”
“Coming out.”

A pony in a home guard uniform - light red, basically pink stallion, cones out to them. “Oh. Help is here!”

“Where are they?” Spectral Streak asks
The pony looks up towards the building. Upon further examination, Silver can see that his coat is actually a salmon color.
“Up there. The station takes up the top three, well, two and a half floors. They’ve fortified it, preventing anypony from going up there.”

>>164284
"How many do you estimate?"

>>164285
“We are not sure. It’s not a large group. Less than 10.”

>>164286
"Depending on what weapons they have, 10 can be very large number."

Silver looks out at the station.

"Do they have watch on area around building, or is approach uncontested?"

>>164287
“They keep windows open, and will sometimes take shots out of them. The streets can be dangerous.”

>>164288
Silver takes his Jenny, and peers through the non-magnified scope at the building to see if he can find any windows that are being used.

>>164289
Yes. He can see specific open windows. It looks like one, two, there on this side. Hard to tell which ones are populated.

>>164290
"We are not going to leave those civilians to die. Are there any alternative routes into building? Sewer tunnels, for example?"

>>164291
“It’s not the bottoms floors that are fortified. It’s the top.”

>>164292
"I know, but to actually get to building..."

>>164293
“That… there may be a subterranean passageway. Or run across the street from one building to another. If you wish to enter from the bottom of the building, that is.”

>>164294
"Your thoughts Spec?"

Back home now
>>164295
"Well, the way I see it, there are multiple ways to attack. From below, from across the street, or from above."

>>164301
"Above?"

Silver looks to the upper levels of the station.

>>164302
"Well... It's a bit harder for you since you can't fly." he answers

>>164303
"Fair enough."

Is there an entrance to the sewer nearby, or would they have to trot a ways away to do find one?

>>164304
>>164305
A pony along alongside the salmon home guard pony answers
"There should be a tunnel linking the basement of the office building with this one" he answers

>>164306
Silver nods.

"I say we go underground, come up through basement and storm changeling positions. There is not much time to lose."

>>164307
The pony nods. Silver, Spectral Streak, the Salmon pony, and the new, vermillion coated pony travel inside the building, which has a lobby decorated in jade colored false marble - it appears to be the lobby of, among other things, a printing company. Silver walks through the front lobby with its green Doric columns and multicolored red and gold carpet, past a counter and through a hall. Along the wall in the reception area, Silver sees a poster from the National Review Board explaining it's objectives in promoting social morality, and ironically enough, a poster warning that your neighbor may be a changeling infiltrator. While the former poster does not have images and is interesting only for how it divides its material into bullet points, the second poster portrays a pony couple walking up to another couple on a lawn... which is a changeling drone and worker in pony clothing in front of a house. To the left is a door, which the vermillion pony opens, that takes them down into a basement with piping and what seems to include a boiler or water heater. Further to the left is a tunnel, which though small, takes them thirty or more yards, into another basement with slightly sparser piping. The vermillion pony finds and turns on a light in the dark, and takes them to a stairs. Soon enough, Silver is in a hall that leads to a lobby decorated with white porcelain, and which includes a straightforward red decorative carpet, and has the names of what must be multiple professional businesses.

"First floor of the tower." The Salmon pony says

>>164308
Silver keeps his Jenny at the ready. He allows himself to marvel at the opulence of the TV station for only a little bit (Wow, television must be very successful!) before whispering to his companions.

"Know where stairs are?"

>>164309
"One set. In the center" The vermillion pony says

>>164311
Silver nods, and moves for the center of the building.

>>164312
Past a set of bronze elevator doors, Silver sees a door, which is opened by another pony

"Staircase up to the top."

>>164313
Silver peaks through the door and looks up for any watching changelings.

>>164314
Silver doesn't think he sees anyone above. But he can see that it is a long way up.

>>164315
Stairs...why did it have to be stairs?

Silver begins the long climb up.

>>164316
It's quite a ways. Silver may be concerned about sound, or becoming exhausted as he goes up, or about what is waiting for him.

>>164318
Silver stops at a landing after a short time of climbing stairs to catch his breath, and to avoid aggravating his injuries too much. He looks up at how much more he has to go.

Everypony in this thread is a cute little pony

>>164320
Maybe... five floors? It kind of depends on where Silver wants to stop.

>>164321
no u!

>>164322
n-no u!

>>164323
Silver whispers, "What floor?"

>>164324
"It's the top three floors." Spec says

>>164325
The injured and tired unicorn nods, and continues up the stairs.

>>164326
[1d20 = 11]

Roll wisdom

>>164328
Up the stairs, Silver can here a thick, and a click, clack, thunk, of a grenade being tossed down the flights of stairs and bouncing against walls. Silver can see the spherical grey object coming to a stand still on the landing above Silver

>>164329
"GRENADE!"

Can Silver try to fling it back up with his magic?

>>164330
Silver can try, but he's fighting against gravity and the stairs mostly block the line of sight to the levels above. Silver can also try to dive down the stairs and around the landing.

>>164331
Diving would likely be the smarter option, even if his doctor would not recommend agrivating his injuries. Silver dives down the stairs and around the landing to get out of the blast.

>>164334
>>164335
Silver dives to the right on the landing and down the stairs, towards the set of ponies following behind him. They look surprised, but several of them fall down, whether intentionally or from the large, fluffy pony diving towards them. He hears a loud Boom and sees splinters of wood hit the wall next to him, while the railing on the stairs above him becomes lose, and parts fall down.

Now Silver hears a Ching Ching Ching from automatic gun fire above. It seems like a single burst.

>>164336
Silver allows a grunt escape him as a dulled pain spreads through his chest. He gets up and aims down the sights of his Jenny up the staircase.

>>164337
Silver quickly gets the impression that the enemy is firing blind.

Roll wisdom.

>>164339
Looking up through the center of the stair case, a couple floors up, Silver can see a creature leaning over. It's a drone, naked black chitin, no pretense of being a pony. He is leaning over, pointing a long, black gun Silver isn't familiar with.

[1d20+6 = (10+6) = 16]
[1d20+6 = (16+6) = 22]
[1d20+6 = (1+6) = 7]
[1d20+6 = (3+6) = 9]
>>164340
Silver aims his Jenny up at this drone, and squeezes off a short full auto burst.

>>164341
The creature flinches, and pulls away.

Roll one damage