Coldsnap - Pages 1 - 9

Personal Journal -- Elegy
Paragon Building, Vanhoover

The maps we got off that trader were legit. Led to an old Ministry of Arcane Sciences staging area near the bay. Security was standard for that sorta' place. Magical energy turrets alongside a few loony robots. Nothing we couldn't handle. Scav was standard fare as well -- energy weapons, ammo, chems, potions... you know the drill. The real prize was buried in some scorched documents. Reports from another Ministry station to the far north, simply labelled '2219'.
Most of the papers were covered in black ink. That immediately caught my eye. Letters bound for this mystery outpost were immediate requests for "Prototypes" to be sent to the Ministry of Wartime Technology in Canterlot. Prototypes. That were meant to be sent to the Ministry of Wartime Technology. What were they developing out there? Some kind of weapon? Power source? Combat drug? Must have been something they thought would be worth mass-producing. It could have been some kind of new megaspell for all we know.

This could be the break that we've been looking for! If that request was never sent, that means whatever those scientists were developing is most likely still there.

We'll need to secure some kind of aircraft to get us there. Too far through too harsh of terrain to reach any other way. Looks like the ponies back then were aware of this as well; pre-war maps show a blue-ice airfield located not far from the outpost. I know a mare who knows a mare. Dashite. Might be able to set us up with something..

"They weren't kidding... when they said to stay away..."


===FLIGHT RECORDER===
[16.384.96.32.8192:256-2277]

[15:10:09] ALTITUDE <600m>
[15:11:32] APPROACHING PRE-PLOTTED CO-ORDINATES. DISTANCE 12kM.
[15:14:01] APPROACHING PRE-PLOTTED CO-ORDINATES. DISTANCE 11kM.
[15:32:13] PICKED UP EMERGENCY SIGNAL. FREQ{743.00Hz MAS}.
[16:02:10] APPROACHING PRE-PLOTTED CO-ORDINATES. DISTANCE 6kM.
[16:02:34] ***LOCK-ON DETECTED***
[16:02:39] AUTOPILOT DISENGAGED
[16:03:12] ***INCOMING PROJECTILE*** DISTANCE 200m AND CLOSING
[16:03:24] ***INCOMING PROJECTILE*** DISTANCE 50m AND CLOSING
[16:03:33] ***COUNTER-MEASURES DEPLOYED***
[16:03:50] IMPACT WARNING!
[16:03:50] !!!FIRE DETECTED!!!
[16:03:50] !!!ROTOR MALFUNCTION DETECTED!!!
[16:04:02] PILOT EJECTED
[16:04:05]!!! CO-PILOT EJECTOR MALFUNCTION!!!
[16:04:09] CURRENT ALTITUDE <349m>
[16:04:41] ***INCOMING PROJECTILE*** DISTANCE 22m AND CLOSING
[16:04:58] IMPACT WARNING!
[16:05:11] ALTITUDE WARNING! <94m>
[16:05:33] IMPACT WARNING!
[16:05:33] IMPACT WARNING!
[16:05:34] IMPACT WARNING!
[22:19:00] VENTRAL HATCH OPENED
[22:20:21] DISTANCE TO PRE-PLOTTED CO-ORDINATES: 4kM
[22:20:28] CABIN TEMPERATURE WARNING!!! -36°C [FUEL FREEZES AT -40°C !!!]

"I-Is somepony there? Hello....?"


-Intranet Relay Message-
From: "Zastruga"
To: "Snow Drifts"
Subject: (RE: no subject)

Excellent work! Now hurry, and take the satchel to the airfield. You have to get there before the Doctor does! For the sake of whomever may be left, you must stop him! Once you're done, I'll try to meet you in the radio tower. No doubt, the Doctor's star-mad henchmen will try to stop me as well. If for any reason I am unable to complete my task, the access code for the tower is <[1128-94-RGW]>. You know what you must do. Should fate decide to show us mercy in light of our treachery, I would want nothing more than to be free of this nightmare with you at my side.

Until then, there's still work to be done.


Keep yourself safe,
-Zastruga

"Looks like the base still has power and heat... that's a start."


--Site Discovery--

// Initial Survey Report
// CPT Starlight, RES CLOVER

The results just came back from the core samples, and what we've found is very interesting. Highly unusual concentrations of irradiated material are buried deep beneath the ice. Not balefire-type. It definitely isn't the result of Zebra megaspell testing. To be honest, we're not entirely certain of what it is. Nothing native to Equestria, that's for sure. It could be indicative of magical crystals or gemstones unique to this region; but I'm still not sure if it'll be worth hauling digging equipment all the way out here. The elements are residual at best. More troubling is that, even in these trace quantities, I've been needing to issue excessive amounts of rad-x and radaway to keep my crew from getting sick. I shudder at the thought of this stuff at higher concentrations.

This could be why the Zebras believe this land to be cursed. Magical radiation is a silent killer.

Regardless, I've marked down sites 2208, 2215, 2219, and 2232 as promising.

"...I-if anypony is receiving this please... oh Celestia please... respond."


>>ATTENTION: TRANSMITTER IS OPERATING WITH REDUCED POWER -- EFFECTIVE RANGE MAY BE DECREASED

//STOP NOW
//IF YOU ARE READING THIS, PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU. DO NOT CHANGE THIS BROADCAST.
//EQUESTRIA IS GONE. NOPONY IS COMING FOR US. THERE IS NO POINT IN SENDING A DISTRESS SIGNAL.
//THE MESSAGE IN PLACE IS A WARNING. A WARNING TO ANY POTENTIAL FUTURE TRAVELLER. NOPONY MUST EVER COME HERE AGAIN.
//--ZASTRUGA, MINISTRY OF ARCANE SCIENCES

>>CURRENT BROADCAST CONTENTS:
STAY AWAY. STAY AWAY. STAY AWAY.

//OVERRIDE CONFIRMED BY USER

>>NEW BROADCAST CONTENTS:
MY NAME IS ELEGY, MY VERTIBUCK WAS SHOT DOWN NEAR AN OLD MINISTRY OF ARCANE SCIENCES OUTPOST. I AM TRAPPED HERE. IF ANYPONY IS RECEIVING THIS, PLEASE, OH CELESTIA PLEASE, RESPOND.
[COORDINATES EMBEDDED: 80°38'10.2"N 66°45'39.8"W]

"The password was.... 12345?! A-Are you kidding me...?"


User:Clever_Catch
Password:12345

Form 8A - Shipping Manifest
---------------------------------------------------
Origin: M.A.S. Outpost 2219 Ship To: M.A.S. Hub Vanhoover Description: Postage.
Origin: Manehatten Ship To: M.A.S. Outpost 2219 Description: Arctic Coats; 20ct.
Origin: Maripony Military Base Ship To: M.A.S. Outpost 2219 Description: [REDACTED] 12 Drums.
Origin: Fillydelphia Ship To: M.A.S. Outpost 2219 Description: "Diamond Dog" Heavy Excavators; 3ct.
Origin: Fillydelphia Ship To: M.A.S. Outpost 2219 Description: Snowcat Arctic Vehicles; 5ct.
Origin: Manehatten Ship To: Ponyville Description: Silk Party Dress; 1ct. // I think we recieved this in error??
Origin: M.A.S. Outpost 2219 Ship To: Canterlot Castle Description: [REDACTED]
Origin: M.A.S. Outpost 2219 Ship To: M.Aw. Hub Canterlot Description: [REDACTED]
Origin: IronShod Firearms Ship To: M.A.S. Outpost 2219 Description: 5.56mm Ammunition; 100 cases. Battle-Saddles; 19ct.
Origin: IronShod Firearms Ship To: M.A.S. Outpost 2219 Description: 10mm Submachineguns 30ct.
Origin: M.W.T. Hub Vanhoover Ship To: M.A.S. Outpost 2219 Description: C-4 Plastic Explosives 25ct.

Comment: Why in Equestria were we sent military-grade ordnance for a mining op? There's nopony around for at least 200 miles, I doubt we're going to need to repel a Zebra invasion all the way out here!

+3 RAD/sec


-Intranet Relay Message-
From: "Clever Catch"
To: "Dr Calcite"
Subject: (New Girl)


Is it just me, or does that new transfer creep you out? I know we brought her in to look at that rock we found, but I think that's beyond even her level of expertise. Plus, I'm sick of waking up in the middle of the night hearing her stomp around throwing food on the floor. We have to get that shipped all the way from Equestria, and we can't afford to be wasteful! I know she's related to one of the Canterlot big-wigs.. but is there anything you can do about her? I'd be happy if you could just get her transferred out to the field camp. It's not like she'd mind! She spends all day in the dig site anyways!

-Clever Catch

P.S. The cold is cracking the rubber seals on those yellow barrels we got from Equestria. Send them a memo about that, would you? Last thing we need is an accident because somepony didn't take into account that it's thirty below out here.

"Somepony or something really smashed this place up..."


-Intranet Relay Message-
From: "Truss Frame"
To: "Snow Drifts"
Subject: (Site 2219)

We've had a huge breakthrough these past few days.

The dispersal of radioactive material is akin to what you'd get if you bucked an apple at a wall. *Splat*. Little bits of juice and apple everywhere, with one big chunk in the middle. Following the pattern, Zastruga over in Topography was able to hone in on the epicenter. The big apple chunk. Then we started digging.

The surveyors were right. This stuff isn't native to Equestria at all. I don't think anything could have topped the look of horror on that mare's face when I told her what we found.

"Crack a smile for us, would 'ya, Maud?"


-Intranet Relay Message-
From: "Snow Drifts"
To: "Dr Calcite"
Subject: (RE: Let them know)

I'm telling you, Doc! I DID.

They must be having some trouble back in Canterlot, or they think the relays are too insecure to be sending these messages. Either way, I'm getting no connection to anything outside of Coldsnap's intranet. Outposts 2215 and 2210 are reporting no connection either. The issue is definitely on Equestria's end, or somewhere in between. If you want my advice: get Starlight off her flank, and have her fly our postage back to Equestria. Do it the old-fashioned way. The RES Clover has been holed up in storage for the past six months anyways. We should make sure her gas bags aren't all frozen over. Or something.

And no, I checked the comms tower myself. Everything is working fine. Maybe Zastruga is right, the meteorite could be messing with our signals. Given how much radiation is scrambling the airwaves? It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

-Snow Drifts, Communications Liaison