598 replies and 25 files omitted.
>>166324Silver checks the first open door on the left.
"Hello?"
Silver sees that the whole area is one massive room, with a ceiling extending high up to the floor above, and going back perhaps some forty or fifty feet. In the center and on the far side is a couple desks on a raised wooden platform. Surely these desks must move. With lights hanging above him, black walls, and massive devices that must be cameras aimed towards the platform, this must be a stage. Above the stage is are windows on the second floor, and on the stage stand three ponies, all wearing the green uniforms and khaki pants of the homeguard. One, a white(ish) unicorn in the center holds a Jenny battle rifle, a pony to the left carries an Great War era New Mareland submachine gun, and a pony to the right carries a bolt action rifle of an older Equestrian type, either from before the Great War, its first year, or a New Mareland model. And though they hide partly behind the platform, Silver can see that there is more than one other pony cowering behind, including an orange mare.
"Halt!" the off-white pony demands. "Identify yourself!"
>>166326Silver takes a quick stock of the situation, realizing that the distribution, number, and demeanor of the ponies in this room heavily suggests survivors. He lowers the barrel of the Grim, and replies.
"Silver Sword, Baltimare Home Guard."
>>166327"And how do we know you are not with the attacking Changelings?"
>>166328"I will submit myself to flashlight test if you do not believe me."
>>166329"Where are your comrades?" He asks
>>166330"They should be just behind me."
Silver looks to make sure.
>>166331Sort of. They are next to him against the wall. Out of line of sight of the ponies on the stage
>>166332Silver nods, then looks back to the ponies fortified in the large room.
"Permission to enter, unarmed?"
>>166334Silver removes his weapons, giving them to his comrades in arms before entering the large room. The first thing he does is get a better perspective on the situation here.
>>166335Spectral Streak takes the Grim, and hooves it over to the Salmon stallion.
Silver can see the three of them are standing around about the center of the stage. The one in the center points his rifle at Silver, while the other two focus on the respective doors. Silver can see that there are one, two, three, four ponies on the floor behind the stage, trying to use the desk and the stage itself to hide. A green unicorn stallion looks up and over towards Silver, as does a blue-berry pegasus mare, who peaks at Silver through an opening in her wings.
>>166336It's never good having a barrel pointed towards you, but considering the circumstances he can't really blame these ponies. Silver addresses the off-white pony, assuming he's the de facto leader of this group of survivors.
"We saw some carnage on our way through building, I am glad to see more survivors. What happened?"
>>166337"Infiltrators attacked, we retreated here." He answers curtly, and evidently unpersuaded
>>166338"Again, if you have flashlight I will gladly submit myself to flashlight test."
>>166339“Don’t come any closer. Now are those you came with?” He replies
>>166342Silver nods.
"They are ponies I came into building with. We have been regularly checking to ensure no replacement."
>>166345He has his rifle leveled and pointed directly at Silver, holding it up to his left side, and looking down at Silver though the optic. If Silver looked to either of the two other armed ponies, he'd see that they have their rifles leveled in the direction of the open doors.
He speaks to Silver
"So you've said, but I have civilians here, and to protect them, I need to actually see everyone who is up here. Not let us get distracted while they get the jump on us."
>>166353Silver looks directly at the pony in front of him, staring him down directly through the other side of the scope. He clearly looks tired of the welcome he's been getting from these ponies.
"I have killed many Infiltrators today, stopped oil depot from exploding, lost my weight in blood after being peppered with changeling bullets, and even found three other survivors in this building before finding you. I came in here, unarmed, calm as can be despite being in sights of three armed gunponies, which would be very odd if I was Infiltrator trying to
not get killed so I could complete my objective. I appreciate vigilance, but if you will not believe I am who I say I am and will not test me to see I am not changeling, then you had better just shoot me now."
>>166354He blinks, and then takes his right hoof to motion to Silver to move to the side. He yells out "Alright, come out where I can see you" evidently not at Silver.
Silver thinks he sees Spectral Streak poke his head in, and then move his head back out of line of sight again.
>>166355Silver moves to the side a bit, looking back at Spec before turning again to look at the leader of these ponies.
"One of my team who came with me. Seriously, however, you can not stay here forever. I do not suppose you have been listening in to reports coming over radio?"
>>166358The lead pony looks past Silver.
"Alright, you don't want to come out? Well I've got your friend here. And three civilians. If you want to walk away, show yourselves, and put down your arms."
He resumes pointing his Jenny rifle firmly at Silver, though tending to glace to the right doorway.
>>166360Silver frowns at that statement.
"...you three are changelings, are you not?"
He ignores Silver, or seems to.
"We are not fooling around here! Come out! Now!"
>>166363With a groan, Silver shouts out to the three gun'ponies', "ПРОСТО ПРИСТРЕЛИ МЕНЯ УЖЕ, СЛАДКАЯ ВЕЧНО ЛЮБЯЩАЯ СЕЛЕСТИЯ!"
>>166364This startles them. Now, all three are pointing their guns at him.
[1d20 = 3] >>166365Silver just keeps on staring them down and shouting angrily at them in his native Cyrillic tongue.
"Я БЕЗ ВООРУЖЕН И ОКРУЖЕН, НЕ ВАЖНО, ПОНИ ИЛИ ПОДМЕНИМКИ, ТЫ ГЛУП, ЧТО В МЕНЯ НЕ ПРИСТРЕЛ!"
>>166366All three ponies stare at Silver. The lead pony fires a single shot with a
Bang at Silver.
[1d20+3 = (20+3) = 23]The ejected cartridge hits his face immediately, and he flinches.
>>166366>>166368Now, both of Silver's commrades enter the fray
[1d20+6 = (2+6) = 8][1d20+6 = (3+6) = 9][1d20+6 = (11+6) = 17][1d20+6 = (8+6) = 14][1d20+3 = (2+3) = 5][1d20+3 = (15+3) = 18] >>166366>>166370The lead pony is shot twice, and stumbles. The pony with the submachine gun is hit, but remains standing. The third pony, with the bolt action rifle, manages to turn and shoot.
[1d30+4 = (14+4) = 18] >>166371>>166370>>166366He shoots the Salmon pony
[2d8 = 9] >>166368"ЧЕРТ ПОБЕРИ!"
Silver attempts to run back towards his companions.
>>166373The pony with the Submachine gun is hit, but turns towards the Salmon pony, and fires
[1d20 = 1][1d20 = 6][1d20 = 15][1d20 = 14][1d20 = 1][1d20 = 3] >>166375>>166373Silver hears a high pitched whine that sounds like a crying child, and the Salmon pony falls down.
Spectral Streak turns to the submachine gun pony, and fires four rounds in rapid succession
[1d20+6 = (9+6) = 15][1d20+6 = (7+6) = 13][1d20+6 = (10+6) = 16][1d20+6 = (13+6) = 19] >>166377>>166376>>166373Blue blood bursts out of the submachine pony as with a burst of green light, it turns into a changeling drone before it falls back and hits the ground.
But Spectral Streak opened himself up to fire from the rifle drone
[1d20+4 = (4+4) = 8] >>166378>>166376Who misses
Silver is able to retreat to cover relatively easily, as it seems everyone is distracted
>>166379Silver checks on the salmon pony as a top priority
>>166380The Salmon pony is still exposed in the open. He's alive, but that's about the extent of the good news. His chest is pierced, and he is bleeding internally.
>>166381Silver's first task is to drag him back behind cover, and stabilize him.
>>166382Silver pulls him back, but Spectral Streak is still in the fight. He fires at the rifle pony
[1d20+6 = (15+6) = 21][1d20+6 = (6+6) = 12][1d20+6 = (12+6) = 18][1d20+6 = (19+6) = 25] >>166384>>166383>>166382The rifle pony is downed
Silver will need a medical roll to attempt to stabilize the Salmon pony
>>166386The Salmon pony is still bleeding, and badly
>>166388With added pressure on the barrel, Silver thinks he's achieved something. He still makes pained whines, and labored breaths.
Spectral Streak comes up to Silver.
"Are you okay?"
And from behind, a shot
[1d20+3 = (14+3) = 17]