/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal

>>163665
>>163666
The sheep nods, evidently not enthusiastic to be a shield in a firefight. Or maybe he's just a sheep.

The officer looks directly into the stall. Between the opaque door, the straw on the ground, the sheep, and above all, the officer's unwillingness to come close to any potential hidden danger, the officer does not start immediately shooting into the stall. He moves around to look into the stall on the other side.

>>163667
Is the officer now close to the door, facing away?

>>163668
He is off to Amber's left and kind of in front of the wall that separates the stalls, but he is closer than he was before, yes.

>>163669
Let's call it here while I consider my next course of action.

I will be free tomorrow.

We left Spark in the forest after returning with Wellspring.

>>163677
Yes. Presumably the set of them want to go to... the Zagaskway village?

>>163678
I think so.

>>163680
Yes.

(You) are all cute ponies

>>163680
Maybe we can pick back up tomorrow.

>>163591
The radio immediately opens up with what sounds like a news broadcast in progress. The broadcaster has a more or less Fillydelphian accent:

"- Intercity travel is expected to be restricted until further notice, with civilian travel only with State approval. Mail transit is suspended for a period of seven days, after which intercity mail transit is expected to be limited. In what they say is a necessary step to prevent sabotage, the Committee of Public Safety has suspended intercity telephone calls.

Reports show that businesses and schools across the land are shutting down for the day, even in areas not subject to evacuations, in anticipation of Changeling retaliation. Many towns and cities have declared martial law to root out or suppress the activities of saboteurs. The Committee of Public Safety has ordered the Home Guard into a ready position and asks all ponies with military experience above the age of 28 to join. Already, many instances of fighting between Changeling infiltrators and Home Guard have been reported on Equus in strategic areas like rail junctions.

All cities on Equus with a population above 125,000 have been ordered to evacuate until an all clear is given. The Directorate characterizes this move as a precaution against possible but not necessarily imminent retaliation. The risk is moderate, the Directorate states, but it has taken every precaution including the stockpiling of grain supplies, medicine, and fuel. The Directorate has also issued an order extending National Service and recalling those who have previously served and do not meet exemptions back into service.

The Republic has started bombardment of Changeling positions all along the border between Free and Occupied Equestria, and the first aerial combat has taken place in the skies above. Early reports suggest the Republic has taken control of most of the airspace, with some areas contested. An attitude of jubilance has swept across the pony republics, tempered in many areas by fear reprisal. In several of the non-pony republics, however, there are rumors of protests and resistance. One source states the Sister Republics of Puimont, Asterion, and Falcor showed hesitation in joining the war. Rumors circulate of Imperial, Abyssianian, or Arissian intervention, but nothing has been confirmed.

This is Friend of the Ponies keeping you updated on the situation as it develops. Long Live the Republic."

>>163686
no u

>>163691
>>163591
Spectral Streak is in no hurry to change the station away from the news broadcast, letting it play. And as it plays, the car continues through the maze of the refinery, and back into the city, heading generally east, away from the water, and towards the center of the city. The vehicle drives past still more distillation towers, and what seem to be various smaller, connected petro-chemical plants. When the broadcast is over, Streak changes the channel.

"We've entered the first floor of the Administrative Building. Fire support cleared out the machine gun nests. Still facing heavy resistance."
"Keep it up."
"Ashborn is still congested, but things are clearing up."

Spectral Streak himself speaks into the radio
"Just stopped infiltrators at the Celestial Oil Refinery. Civilian Casualties, but its clear." He lets off of the button

"Coffin Bay Road has no activity, except some unruly civilians. Situation normal."

"Anyone heard from the transport Ministry?"
"This is uh, this is Transport Ministry. All clear"
"You sure? Any problems?"
"No problems, no."
"Hey, we have buggers pinned down at WMARE Television station. We cannot dislodge them."
"Do you need airsupport?"
"We may. We have civilians here though. Multiple hostages and nearby residential."
"If it's necessary its necessary, we have authorization."
"Hey, has anyone heard from Jasmine Flower Station? The Meadowbrook Line seems to have stopped."
"No, we haven't heard anything. Maybe they forgot to check in?"
"Bullshit they forgot. Train was supposed to be here already."
"It's only been a few minutes, maybe it'll come-"

>>163692
"Hostages at television station? They need rescued!"

>>163693
Spectral Streak hangs in silence for a moment - only a moment - and then places the mouthpiece up to his mouth.

"This is Spectral Streak. We'll assist you at the WMARE station."
"Thank heavens! Come on over!"
"Stop by Jasmine Flower, that's on the way I think. From the refinery, right?"
"Yeah. We'll drive by. It's only a few blocks out of the way."
"Copy that. And good job, by the way. That refinery couldn't take any fire support."
"Just don't take too long. WMARE needs you."

>>163694
"'Jasmine Flower'? Is that pony or locatuon?"

>>163695
"I think it was a pony, but now it's a train station. Or something like that." He answers

>>163696
"Well then, let us be on our way. I wonder what it is that we need to go out of way for."

>>163702
Spectral Streak shrugs, picks up the mouthpiece, and asks
"Hey uh, this is Streak heading towards Jasmine Flower. What exactly are we looking for?"

A voice responds
"The train hasn't arrived at the northern terminal. Jasmine Flower is silent. Make sure something hasn't happened."
And then another voice chimes in
"Hey uh, I've sent a train north from Healing Station. Bridge is showing a red light."
"When did you do that?"
"About three minutes ago"
"Don't send trains against traffic."
"The bridge has a red light. The whole Meadowbrook line north of the river is green, including Jasmine Flower. There could be sabotage on the bridge."
"Send a team to check out the bridge, but hold up the train. Don't send trains from south of the city center north."
"The line is green. If they are right about retaliation I don't think we have the time to hold up trains-"

>>163705
"If they were going to retaliate blowing up bridge would have been among first things they would do. First step is crippling enemy's ability to respond and move troops and supplies to where battle is."

>>163706
"Yeah, looks like they already attacked one bridge across the river. They may have sabotaged a second. Anyways, let's see what they want here."

Spectral Streak drives the car further east, away from the harbor, away from the chemical plants, and out of Cowtown into Eastside, the section of the city Silver first came to when he entered Manufacturing plants still line at least some streets, along with trucks and railways that cut across. But these slowly, and certainly, give way to apartment buildings that take up much of a block, and are between four and six stories in height. Most seem relatively new with bright brick or concrete, though more than a few are of an older design that might be familiar to Silver. The buildings actually get older the further away from the harbor Silver goes, in stark contrast to Silver's prior experience of Baltimare.

Spectral Streak drives to an Avenue marked as being Traveller Street, a street in Eastside that traverses North to South, and turns North. Silver can immediately see something that he can't recall having ever seen in Baltimare anywhere - an elevated subway line in the center of the avenue. The avenue itself seems to have changed, or have been expanded, and along the east side of the avenue, almost no buildings are old. The subway is elevated 18 or so feet up, usually in between two two lane roadways, and sometimes to the left. Its in one of those areas where the track moves off to the left, and the roadways come together, that Spectral Streak comes to stop at Jasmine Flower Station. The train station is a simple covered platform and rail with a small ticket booth, located about 20 feet above the roadway. The roadway has a crossing section, but also a narrow pedestrian bridge that goes from across the avenue directly to the train station, and ends at one end of the platform. The other end of the platform has a simple walkway that goes directly up towards it from the left side of the street. The station is covered by a green painted wooden cover, and thus most of the inside is not visible. More becomes visible about this location as Silver nears

Silver can immediately see, however, that there are a number of cars alongside the roadway parked here. This would not e abnormal, except that the evacuations have largely cleared out cars elsewhere. Coming closer, Silver can see that along the right side of the street is a police car hastily parked facing away north. Along the west side, there is something pouring an opaque white gas a little further north. And Silver can also see that there is a subway train parked on the rails, half in the station and half along the single-track north of it.

>>163708
Silver marvels at the advanced above-ground subway line, something he only ever heard about before in the biggest cities like Canterlot and Manehattan. His marvel is cut short by the sight of the cars, and of the gas. He double checks that they have gas masks in case it's poisonous, remembering how dangerous gas can be.

"Something is not right with this."

>>163709
They do indeed have gas masks.
"Yeah, it's a little off."
Spectral Streak slows down the car as they near the station, trying to find a specific place to pull over with all of the cars

>>163710
Silver makes sure to add his to equipment, and he brings his Jenny up in case they get set upon by waiting changelings.

>>163711
If changelings are waiting, they haven’t made themselves known. The row of cars is thick, with the police car partly in the street. Spectral Streak simply places the car in park in the right most lane. Silver can see that multiple vehicles have shattered windshields - not from bullets, but from what seems to be impact.

>>163712
Silver gets out, and quickly investigates the police car first.

>>163713
As Silver moves closer to the cars, he sees more and more. The police car and the line of cars in front of it are parallel to the street on the right side, opposite the train station and the train.

The police car is hastily parked, jammed in behind a parallel parked car, although the small gap between the police car and the sedan in front of it shows that it was indeed placed in park, and did not drive into the car in front.

Silver can see that the drivers side window is shattered, and there are two bullet holes in the door. Silver can see a grey unicorn with blue uniform and cap slumped over the wheel, with blood across the seat. One hoof is on the steering wheel, and another on the handbrake. Looking over to the right, the right passenger side door is open, although that window, too, is shattered. There is a small trail of blood that moves from the seat, to behind the car in front of it. And to the right of that sedan, on the sidewalk, Silver can see a yellow pegasus in blue uniform slumped over, having bled out over the side walk. There are bullet holes going right through the steel rear of the sedan, and shattered rear windows even as the front windows are untocuhed.

In front of these two cars is a third, bright yellow car with a very odd site. The large rear window is completely shattered as if it hit an animal. No holes save one near the middle, nor has the glass broken away as it has in the other two cars where it seems bullets him. And immediately to the right of the car, in an inglorious pose, is a green pegasus stallion laying limp on the ground. No blood except a very small amount out of his mouth., left wing extended, right wing unceremoniously half folded, and limbs strewn about in every direction. One eye is closed, and the other is half open and rolled up.

>>163714
Silver alerts Spec to the presence of bodies and bullet holes before going to check the ponies' vitals.

>>163715
Dead, dead, and dead. The third pony is perhaps the strangest, as he didn’t seem to have much blood circulation by the time he arrived in his current position, judging by the lack of blood. The third pony has no bullet wounds. The two police officers each have three of four wounds. The bullets seem to have travelled straight through glass, steel, and flesh, and then out the other side.

>>163716
"Was this pegasus dead in air before he crashed?"

Silver next investigates the strange hole in the back window of the yellow car.

>>163717
The hole is at the center of the cracked glass. It's hard to say whether this was the point of impact, or whether it was simply that the glass bent here more than in the glass further from the center, and thus broke away. Looking at the back of the car, nothing broke through, though some glass has fallen in.

>>163718
"What do you make of this, Spec?"

>>163719
Spectral Streak gets out of the car, and moves along the sidewalk.

"These two got ambushed from the left. Barely had time to react, no cover. And this one" He points to the pegasus. "Fell out of the sky and died. Or died and fell out of the sky."

>>163720
"And giant hole in rear windshield?"

>>163721
“Stallion must have landed on the windshield and bounced off.”

>>163722
"Still seems...odd."

Silver looks down the alley, seeing if there's tire tracks from the police car reversing out of it rapidly or if it was ambushed in its current position.

>>163723
The vehicle seems to have parked in its current position when it was ambushed.

>>163724
Silver readies his Jenny.

"Come on, let us investigate platform. Changelings that did this may still be here."

>>163725
But Silver sees that this is not the end of it. Silver can see further down another downed Pegasus. Over on the other side, by the tracks, more than one pony lying on the ground and another busted windshield. The train itself has busted windows in some cars, and a grey smoke that seeps out the open windows, while grey smoke (gas) seeps out of an unknown something beneath the track.

All the same, Silver (presumably) approaches

>>163726
Silver puts on his gas mask as he approaches. Even if it limits visibility it's far better than dying from poisonous gas, which to Silver seems to be what is billowing out of the train.

>>163727
Silver turns to the left to see someone already looking back at him.

On the stairs on the right side, entering into Jasmine Station, Silver can see a pony in an olive green uniform, khaki pants, and a green cap - the standard somewhat impromptu dress of the Homeguard. The pony is a coffee brown unicorn, and he too wears a green and black gas mask, and with magic holds a Jenny battle rifle in a semi-ready position.

"Who are you?" He calls to Silver and Spectral Streak

>>163728
Silver keeps his Jenny at the ready, in case he turns hostile.
"Silver Sword, Homeguard. You?"

>>163729
He seems to wait, or hesitate a moment, but then answers "Gritty Grief." He doesn't seem very happy to see Silver and Spectral Streak

"We are Homeguard. We've only just arrived here."

>>163730
Silver asks Spec to pass him his flashlight as he slowly approaches Gritty.

"What is situation here?"

>>163731
Gritty watches Silver as the two approach. It quickly becomes apparent that there are at least two other stallions above and behind them. Both also wear Homeguard uniforms (the khakis aren't a part of a formal uniform, but they fit into the style, more or less) and both have battle rifles.

"Looks like Changeling infiltrators attacked the station. We only just confirmed the station is clear when we got here."

>>163732
"Hmm. Do you mind if we check something really quick?"

>>163733
“I might. How do I know you are not changelings?”