A birthday gift for Khorme featuring his character Ultramare, which you can find here http://ask-ultramare.tumblr.com/. Drew inspiration from one of my favorite children's books of my youth.
 
>5:30 AM
>another early patrol for Ultramare
>the company was trying a new “rotation” schedule to patrol for kaiju attacks
>of course P.O.N.E. somehow got all the good time slots
>sometimes Ultramare wondered if it was all worth it
>yeah, JUSTICE was still worth it
>the first hints of the sun were barely peeking out over the horizon
>Ultramare rolled out of her cot to get ready
>her room, like her demeanor, was rather spartan
>only the bare necessities
>which meant that her floor should’ve been clear
>she had somehow managed to draw the graveyard shift last night as well
>understandably tired, she had opted to leave her suit out for the early shift this morning
>so today was the one day that her floor wasn’t completely clean
>as she hopped out of bed, she just happened to land on the exact spot where her suit rested
>not expecting to lose balance, all four of her legs flew outwards as she tumbled into the bathroom
>she finally managed to stop herself
>just in time to careen into the bathtub
>Ultramare’s head struck the faucet know with a painful THWACK
>a tender welt began to rise on the back of her head
>it wasn’t enough to cause any concern but it still hurt
>she lay there for a moment, staring at the roof of the bathroom with a deadpan expression
>then the shower came on, dousing her with frigid water
>Ultramare could already tell
>this was going to be a terrible day
***
>a few minutes later, she had cleaned up, washing away yesterday’s grime from her battles
>Ultramare was so tired last night that she hadn’t even washed off at the end of her patrol
>emerging from the bathroom, she was first greeted with the sight of her cot
>it was caked with bits of kaiju that had covered her last night
>she let out an exasperated sigh
>those were her favorite sheets too
>they were her ONLY sheets
>another thing to deal with after her patrol
>down in the kitchen, she nearly stepped on Chewy’s tail
>he ran off in shock and accidentally knocked over a flower vase
>great, even more things to clean up
>while picking up the mess, she tried to think of a way to explain it to Doctor Dad
>he never got mad at her but she could see the disappointment in his eyes when she broke something
>looking around, Ultramare wondered where he was
>usually he was having breakfast at this time
>breakfast!
>she looked to the nearest clock
>5:54 AM
>she had spent so much time cleaning Chewy’s mess that she barely had time for breakfast
>Ultramare galloped back into the kitchen to pull out a box of Pony Oats
>empty
>she snatched another from the shelf
>empty
>after going through all of them, she noticed a note nearby
>it was from Doctor Dad
>”Ultramare, been called into work early, we’re all out of Pony Oats, don’t have time to go shopping until later”
>crestfallen, she noticed a small addendum at the bottom
>”There are some normal oats in the pantry”
>her normal deadpan expression twisted into a sneer
>human oats weren’t NEARLY as good as Pony Oats
>she guessed they’d have to do
>5:58 AM
>just enough time for one bowl
>she grabbed a glass and a carton of milk and poured the contents out
>instead of cool, refreshing milk, she got a chunk of coagulated gunk
>correction: today was going to be a terrible, horrible day
***
>out on patrol, the morning was wet and gloomy
>a thick fog hung over the city, making it difficult to see
>it promised to be a very long shift today
>Ultramare needed to remember to pick up the gifts for Doctor Dad after her patrol
>it was his birthday today
>she had gotten help ordering the gifts from the weird people who kept following her around
>it is very difficult to type with hooves
>there was a brand new lab coat
>with double the pocket space!
>and also a new pair of shoes to replace the last pair Chewy got at
>they would still find strips of leather when cleaning
>at least giving Doctor Dad his gift was something to look forward to
***
>the first kaiju attacked almost immediately
>it was reported to be a rather low category, no problem at all to handle
>Ultramare picked her way through the dense fog toward the last sighting
>she arrived on the site to nothing
>no sirens
>no wreckage
>no kaiju
>a hoof raised up to scratch her head in confusion
>it brushed the still sensitive spot where she hit her head this morning
>she decided agasint trying to scratch her head and instead opted to investigate
>it was silent, the fog absorbing ambient noise
>the entire city seemed to be holding its breath
>the only thing she heard was the constant thudding of her hooves on pavement
>every so often, she would pick up a faint sound
>was it the kaiju?
>or just an errant echo?
>she soon got her answer in the form of a mass of flesh, impacting her out of the fog
>Ultramare couldn’t quite make out the form of the beast that had tackled her
>she landed with a heavy crash as the kaiju sprung up and back into the fog
>as it retreated into the thick gloom, she caught a glimpse
>lithe and spider-like, it scrambled on multiple segmented legs
>the most striking thing was that hit had no discernable eyes
>of course the kaiju that would invade during a low visibility day wouldn’t have eyes
>Ultramare stood back up, prepared to meet her adversary
>but there was nothing to be found
>it grew silent once more
>the same vague sounds from earlier returned
>Ultramare realized it must be using a rudimentary sonar to navigate the urban landscape
>tired of waiting, she called out in frustration
>”Enough hide and seek! Come out and face me lik-“
>the creature had flanked behind Ultramare, multiple legs traversing the buildings and skyscrapers with ease
>it leapt from its vantage point, latching onto Ultramare’s back, interrupting her midsentence
>she stumbled back, several legs grasping her like a straightjacket
>it began to constrict as another pair of legs rose up and were brought down on the back of Ultramare’s head
>it struck right on the sore part
>that was the last straw
>in blind rage, she leapt up into the air, the creature holding her tight
>she landed on her back and began to roll back and forth
>the kaiju was compressed into the pavement, each roll grinding it further into the crater
>eventually, the constriction from the multiple legs ceased
>Ultramare stopped rolling, and turned to look at what remained
>it was thoroughly compacted into the asphalt
>every so often, a leg would twitch in reflex
>satisfied, Ultramare left the rest for the cleanup squad to handle
>as she walked away, her head throbbed in pain
>the kaiju had hit her harder than she thought
>gingerly poking at it with a hoof, she winced in pain
>today was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good day
***
>her patrol was almost over
>she had fought a total of 3 other kaiju over the course of the day
>P.O.N.E. probably didn’t have to fight that many
>at least most of the fog had burned off as the day progressed
>Ultramare grumbled to herself as she weaved into and out of streets
>a long tail whipped out from between two office buildings and struck at her legs
>she flew forward, tumbling face first into the street
>the new kaiju emerged from its hiding spot
>it sported a long, barbed tail, massive pincers and a thick armored shell
>what was up with all the kaiju looking like arachnids today?
>it spun about, using its tail like a flail
>still on the ground, Ultramare rolled out of the way
>the tail continued, barreling through the surrounding buildings
>using her momentum, Ultramare rolled back onto all fours as her opponent geared for attack again
>the barb on the tail gleamed menacingly as it rose high to strike
>it came down, forcing Ultramare back
>again and again, it struck the pavement, leaving small craters with each impact
>Ultramare was kept out of retaliation range as she had no choice but to keep backpedaling
>eventually, she was pushed to a nearby T-intersection
>her back to more city skyscrapers, she had nowhere to retreat to
>the kaiju prepared for one final strike
>the tail thrust forward
>but only met open air
>Ultramare flew through the air as she jumped blindly back
>she landed roughly, tumbling into a shopping mall and throwing up a cloud of dust
>as the dust settled, she realized just what she had landed on
>beneath her was the shop where she was supposed to pick up Doctor Dad’s gift
>it was completely obliterated
>and with it, any hope of salvaging the day
>the clatter of multiple legs signaled the kaiju’s approach to the wreckage
>it spotted Ultramare and immediately prepared for another attack
>a fire in her eyes, Ultramare preempted the beast by rocketing towards it
>she roared, her face contorted in fury
>she tackled it head-on, cleanly dodging the tail
>they both rolled into the nearby street, Ultramare ended up on top of it
>she brought her front hooves onto it in pure rage, striking the armored exoskeleton
>each hoof blindly assaulted the kaiju, cracking it in multiple places
>it feebly tried to fight back with its pincers but was no match for Ultramare’s white-hot fury
>eventually the haze dissipated from her eyes
>she realized that the entire area was covered in goop, the kaiju pulverized into a fine paste
>her face, once again the picture of stoic disinterest, masked her true feelings
>she turned back to the ruins of the mall where her gift lay destroyed
>for a moment, a flicker of sorrow flashed over her features
>her shift was over in a few minutes and it’d be time to go home
>home where Doctor Dad was waiting
>suddenly her earpiece crackled to life
>it was a report of the kaiju she had just beaten to a pulp, far too late to be useful
>today was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day
***
>the sun hung low in the sky
>no gift for Doctor Dad
>her head still smarted
>and her bed still needed cleaning
>today had been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day
>she slowly walked home, dreading having to tell Doctor Dad that she had no gift
>when she arrived, she found Doctor Dad at the kitchen, making dinner
>”Hello Ultramare, long day on patrol?”
>Ultramare only grunted in response
>”I picked up some more Pony Oats, sorry about not having any this morning”
>he gestured to the cabinet
>it was open, revealing several new boxes of Pony Oats
>unable to hold it in any longer, Ultramare revealed what had happened
>she started from the beginning of this morning all through each kaiju battle
>and finally ending on the destruction of the mall, and Doctor Dad’s gifts
>her face, though still maintaining her usual neutral look showed obvious signs of distress
>Doctor Dad, like any good father, realized how distraught she was
>he sat and listened to her story, not speaking until she had finished
>once she was done, he walked over to her and kneeled down to her level
>her head was kept low as he lifted her, cradling her form like a young child
>his voice took on a fatherly tone as she rested her head on his shoulder
>”Ultramare…Ultramare, you don’t need to get me anything for my birthday”
>he paused for a moment as he heard a brief sniffle
>”You are already the greatest gift I could hope for”
>she let out a small hiccup before regaining her normal composure
>as much as she tried, a gentle smile eventually grew on her face
>she wrapped her front hooves around Doctor Dad, returning the embrace
>she realized that this was the true reason to keep fighting to protect the city
>…
>and maybe JUSTICE still too
>they both sat there, father and mutated superheroine pony, content in their hug
>maybe today wasn’t such a bad day after all
Fin