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The D.S.P.I. | Operation First Smoke | "The measure of a man is what he does with power."--Plato
===[ᐁ]===
Spike navigated the small air over the Celestial Sea, flying straight East from the San Palomino Desert.
The DASH-1, while arguably the more suitable craft for such a long voyage, was too big for the Commander's liking. It would gather too much attention, and did not have the maneuverability to take a dragon in a dog fight. So, instead, they flew a much smaller ship, the SCOOT.
He still needed to come up with a decent phrase to work for the acronym.
The SCOOT was not shaped like conventional airships, it bore no envelope, and had no deck. Instead, the body was shaped like a teardrop, with wings spreading from each side. Beneath the wings, there were ballast balloons and other mechanism to control altitude, and a smaller version of the DASH's engine sat behind the bulbous cockpit.
Garble and Ember sat behind him in the small room-like cockpit, the former fast asleep while Ember sat nervously on her own chair. She glanced about, mindlessly picking at the giant bloodstone for which her scepter was named.
"Not much longer," Spike assured her. "The Dragonlands are another forty minutes out."
"Thank you, Spike," Ember muttered quietly.
"Don't thank me yet," he answered. "There's too much work to do and not enough time."
She gave a small smile. "I understand that one."
Spike smiled before he spun his pilot's chair around, and walked to the back of the cockpit to the lockers that were built into the right wall. Opening it, he pulled out the longrifle and the pneumatic crossbow he packed and held them up to her. "Do you want the one that shoots super hot lasers from very far away, or the one that shoots crossbow bolts from a much shorter distance?"
She blinked, before a smile grew on her lips. "You sure know how to treat a girl," she said before she looked between the two. "Um...ooh this is a tough choice..." she said.
Spike smirked.
"Lasers are cool..." she began, "but it's not really dragon-like to stay behind..."
Spike just smiled.
She growled at him. "Don't look at me like that! It's a tough choice!"
Spike nodded. "I know, I know."
She reached out, first the rifle, then the crossbow, back and forth, back and forth, before finally taking the crossbow.
"No take backs," Spike told her, before he shoved the rifle at Garble.
"Ah! What? I--"
"This is mine," Spike growled. "You are borrowing it so that you don't hold us back, got it?"
Garble snorted. "Yeah, right, Runt."
Spike ignored the jab and returned to the controls as the great volcano known simply as Dragon's Lair began to peek over the horizon.
"We're closing in. Get ready, things are only going to get harder from here on out."
===[ᐁ]===
The SCOOT hovered over the rough, volcanic rock and ash, before vertically landing in a small crater. It's landing gear hissed as it hit the dirt, and the wings folded up to save on space as a the door to the small craft swung down.
The three dragons quickly made their way out, and they began to move, Ember leading the way down the mountainside to the den where the Covenant and the traitor dragons were last seen.
Ember had shared what she could about the situation. A handful of dragons, all from the previous generation turned against her and formed an alliance or pact of some kind with the Covenant ponies that were here.
She still didn't know why the Covenant was here, although one attempt was made on her life. She kept it quiet, but the fact remained that someone wanted her dead.
Spike leapt over a resting boulder, and hit the ash on the other side, pistol raised, covering the cave opening behind him. "It's clear," he said.
"No duh," Garble grunted.
Spike ignored him. "This is the cave?" Spike asked.
"Yep," She confirmed.
"Arlight, marching order," Spike said, "Ember you know where we're going, you lead. I'll watch your back. Garble, you have the Longrifle, so you're in the back. Once we make contact with the enemy, you'll stay back and hit them from a distance."
"Who made you the boss?" Garble asked.
"I did," Ember answered.
If Garble had an answer to that, he kept it to himself.
"Alright, let's move," Spike said, before they descended into one of the thousand volcanic vents that pockmarked the great volcano.
The vent was large, carved into a proper cave by giant, draconic claws, but still as smooth as obsidian. There was a great magic that had gone into that. Water was needed to turn lava into volcanic glass, but there was no sign of it here. Even then, it seemed the whole cave was carved from a single piece of obsidian, without a sign of pumice or basalt anywhere.
Ember slid down the volcanic glass, while Spike and Garble followed. It provided very little footholds and nearly no way to move down the vent without falling over.
It would take a large, old dragon to properly climb through the vent, their size allowing them to push against the sides and push their way out. It was a brilliant strategy to keep the younger, stupider dragons out, or at the least, keep them inside until the big ones got back.
Dropping deeper and deeper in, they finally came upon a large chamber this one carved from the basalt of the mountain, with veins of sharp obsidian poking through the walls, ceiling and floor. To the left of the chamber another large tunnel lead deeper into volcano, with a large archway as the door.
"This was the last place I saw them," Ember told them as they began to spread out into the chamber.
Spike motioned for Garble to stay toward the wall. He rolled his eyes, but obeyed when Ember mirrored the signal. "Let me look around real quick," Spike said, as he pulled a gem from a pouch on his belt.
The amethyst gave a soft glow, lighting the room slightly as Spike raised the gem to his eye. Through its enchantment, it began to search the chamber, and highlight any signs of life. Dried pony blood on a sharp chunk of obsidian, a small scale buried into the basalt, a lone hair forgotten by the door.
Spike smiled as he kept scanning the room. The Research and Development guys could try all they want, but Twilight's spells still had them beat by centuries.
All the while, Ember watched. There was something fascinating about the way he worked. Dragons typically gained wisdom with age, an older dragon could likewise pick clues from the smallest hints left behind. Spike was special, though. He was given access to secrets of dragonkind by the Scepter. Secrets that only her father, the previous dragon lord could know. With those gifts, Spike was the equal of even the oldest dragons, but he was still young, and that is where he had the advantage.
Older dragons lose their sense of time, naps stretch on for centuries, counting the hoard take years, and they simply slow down for no other reason than the fact that they have the time. Young dragons still moved quickly, acting what the elders would call "rash," and were closer to ponies and griffons and the like when it came to speed.
Spike, at this moment, was both. He had the wisdom and cautiousness of the elders, but at the speed of the rash youth. It was the best work a dragon could do, and the fastest speed they had.
He moved through the darkness of the vent with terrifying accuracy, finding things that no one else could find. The gem found what his own eyes could not, picking up tiny, almost impossible to see details that not even the draconic eyes of either Ember or Garble could see.
Spike paused, and pulled a short red thread from the stone, before he looked up. "We're not alone."
"Very astute, Commander," a voice said, and the three dragons all turned to the source of the voice.
Spike had already drawn his pistol, aiming at the pony dressed in a ruby red robe who stood on the far side of the chamber.
Ember quickly raised her pneumatic crossbow and Garble did the same.
The stallion smiled, revealing a set of fangs that glinted in the darkness. A brilliant, garnet brooch was pinned to his cloak, revealing the pristine white coat of the stallion beneath, and the fine, satin vest that wrapped tightly around his barrel. "I'm surprised you didn't bring your little toys, Commander." His voice was as smooth as young red velvet, and his blood-red eyes almost shone like lamps.
"I figured it was time for the grown-ups to talk," Spike answered, keeping his pistol leveled at the vampire.
"Oh?" he asked, amused. "So I suppose you're here to work, rather than play?"
"Don't draw out the metaphor. It'll fall eventually and then you'll just look like an idiot," Spike said. "I'm here to stop you, and I don't need kids getting in the way of dragons."
"They're not the only ones you need to worry about," the vampire warned.
"Scum like you they can deal with," the Commander answered. "It's the giant, fire-breathing, pony-eating dragons they're not ready for."
The vampire hissed. "I am beyond you, dragon. I have taken these beings from their own lord. There is nothing she can do now, not even with the power of the Bloodstone Scepter. They are my minions to command."
"It figures that it would be vampire magic," Spike muttered to himself. "I'll have to write that down somewhere so I can see this coming next time."
"Next time?" The vampire asked.
"Yes, next time someone tries something this stupid, because there's always someone who thinks they can take a failed idea, and do it better," Spike said.
"Oh, no," the vampire said, as several massive figures loomed in behind him from the tunnel. "I'm not the one failing tonight."
Four dragons, each larger than houses, strode into the room, a blue, a red, a white, and a black. They all leveled their gaze at Spike and the others, fire sparking in their mouths.
In an instant, Spike's mind began to work. The dragons, though dangerous, were still citizens, not of Equestria, but Ember's and that was enough. They were out of the question, not to be targeted, and that left exactly one target for Spike to attack.
He shot forward, firing a salvo of magical needles at the vampire, but he was already moving.
Ember and Garble were firing at the dragons, the weapons doing next to nothing as they hit thick, nearly impenetrable scales.
But Spike was elsewhere.
His focus was almost solely on the vampire as they began to leap across the room at terrifying speeds. Hooves met claws as they traded blows, and Spike and the vampire practically flew around the room, propelled only by the muscles in their legs.
As Spike moved, his mind went to his opponent. Vampire, obsessive by nature, creature of lust, enhanced strength, enhanced reflexes, powers of transformation and control. Weak to yew wood, sunlight, and garlic. Attack the heart and head, be vicious, and focus, do not let it have space to attack.
He was an earth pony vampire at that. He could translate the magic that kept him alive into his own body rather than outward, making him faster and stronger. Of course, that left a problem.
Who was the vampire that enchanted the dragons?
Meanwhile, Ember and Garble were forced back, the elder dragons, while slightly slower than the two younger dragons, were attacking in dizzying patterns, attacking where they were, in very quick, short attacks that were nearly a single, fluid movement. Both Ember and Garble were practically pinned beneath the onslaught.
Spike dived, firing as he leapt beneath the vampire, sending up more needles at the earth pony's unprotected belly. The vampire could not dodge, but even though the needles hit, they only did damage to that which was already dead.
It was obvious though, Spike had the Vampire on the run, his draconic anatomy being stronger, faster, and far better than anything this pathetic excuse for a vampire could bring to bear. The vampire simply couldn't keep up, and, sooner or later, the needles would hit his heart.
Unfortunately, he was not the only dragon there.
A massive claw, bigger than his whole body, slammed into him and sent him flying across the chamber until he slammed into the far wall.
The red dragon, with massive orange spines loomed over Spike as he hit the floor. "You little fool," the dragon hissed. "Do you think you can kill one of the masters so easily?"
Spike rolled to his feet.
"You are nothing, whelp. You have not even grown into your wings yet," the red growled before slashing again.
Spike went flying again, gritting his teeth as the giant claw ripped into his back. He grunted as he landed.
"Just one of you?" Spike asked. "You seem confident."
The dragon's nostrils flared and smoke shot from them in an unamused snort.
Spike was back in his feet, bleeding from his back. "Just don't forget, I may still be a pre-teen by dragon standards, I may be weak, and I may even be stupid compared to you, but don't you ever forget, that I am a dragon."
The dragon snorted. "Dragon? You are more egg than dragon."
Spike smiled. His claw reached into the same pouch, and pulled flask. The dragon barely had time to move before Spike threw the flask with all his strength, and the entire room filled with light and noise.
Now dragons are, by nature, immune to such things as flashbangs, all dragons can "feel" the world around them through a sixth sense that they did not bother to describe. Even with their ears ringing and vision white, all the dragons gathered could still feel everyone in the chamber.
The only one at the disadvantage was the vampire, and that's exactly what Spike wanted.
Spike shot forward, still bleeding from his back, running past the dragon for his target. He tore across the basalt and obsidian, raising his pistol, but not firing.
Not yet.
His vision was returning, the ringing was starting to dissipate. He didn't have much time.
He was closing the distance. He was steps away now.
He raised his left hand, reaching out.
And then, just as the vampire could see, Spike grabbed him. His claws dug into the monster's shoulder, biting into dead flesh. His pistol dug, barrel-first, into the vampire's chest, and he fired.
Super-dense mana dug into the vampire's heart, and the needle of magic shot out the other side.
The last thing he did was blink.
Spike tossed the body of aside, turning to face the dragon, before another massive claw slammed into him. He went flying, landing hard on the floor, and the next thing he knew, his world was darkness, and his name was echoing in his ears.
===[ᐁ]===
Ember had Spike draped across her back as she ran deeper into the tunnels. Garble was behind her, carrying both weapons as they moved. Back outside was not an option, they didn't have a large enough ally to push them back up, nor the size to do it themselves, that left only down, deeper into Dragon's Lair.
The dragons had overpowered them, it was obvious that was the case, they simply did not have the strength to combat the older dragons.
Her father had warned her about this. Whenever the Scepter was passed to the next generation, there was always at least one old dragon who refused to take orders. She had just never been ready for this.
They were moving deeper, and deeper, trying to hide from the fourteen dragons that had pledged their allegiance to whatever being held power in the Covenant. They were running down another, smaller vent, one that had intersected the giant tunnels that had been carved by whatever dragon owned this complex.
It was getting warmer, much warmer, as they ran down the vent, approaching the active core of the volcano.
"Come on, Spike, don't die on me," she whispered.
"Here's a room," Garble said.
Room was a generous term. It was little more than a widening in the tunnel, just large enough for the three of them to lie on the ground.
She lay Spike down and quickly put pressure on his back, trying to stop the wound that was far larger than her claws. "He said he had medical supplies in his belt pouch," Ember said to Garble. "Check it for me."
"Sure waste time on the--"
"If you finish that sentence, I will kill you myself!" She growled, still trying to stop the bleeding.
Garble said nothing, but went to his search, looking through the bag.
His eye did glance across the handgun that Spike still clutched.
But Ember did not notice. Her focus was on Spike and Spike alone. "Don't die on me, Spike, not now..."
===[ᐁ]===
He was dreaming.
He knew he was dreaming, because she was alive.
She glided to him, smiling with that same smile that took his breath away ever since he first met her.
"And what are you doing here?" she asked.
"I don't know," he answered.
She gave a small smile, and shook he head. "You can't leave, you know."
Ah, it was this dream. He never really liked this one. "I know."
"You have to avenge me," she told him, growing larger as blood seeped from her throat.
"I know..." he answered.
"You can't leave me," she hissed, growing yet larger as blood kept pouring from her throat.
Spike tried to move, tried to run, or something, he wasn't sure, but his body had transformed into glass. Any move would shatter him into a thousand pieces.
"Let go!" She yelled.
The blood pooled into a sea, coming up to his chest as it flooded the world.
"Let go!" she yelled again.
It rolled over his head, and Spike was soon drowning in the crimson liquid.
"Let Go!"
===[ᐁ]===
"Let go!" Garble yelled as he tried to pry the handgun out of Spike's hand.
The Commander's grip had been like iron ever since he was knocked out, and Garble was severely wishing that wasn't the case.
The dragons had found them. They were digging down the vent, getting closer and closer and leaving nowhere to go. Garble had emptied the longrifle, while Ember stood behind, holding the Scepter close to her, begging it to give her the power to send them back.
Spike groaned, as his eyes fluttered open. "What's happening?" he asked.
"We're going to die!" Garble yelled, "now give me your stupid gun!"
Spike did not, but instead turned to Ember. "Can we escape?"
"No," she said, "We'd have to swim through the lava, but we're too deep. We won't have air."
Spike sighed. "I guess we don't have much choice then."
He stood, bracing him against the wall as the spray bandage on his back crackled. "Spike?" Ember called.
"Give me the Scepter," he said.
"Spike?"
"I really didn't want to do this, but I guess we don't have much choice."
Ember slowly nodded, and passed the Bloodstone Scepter.
===[ᐁ]===
It was an old power.
A terrifying power.
In his voice was the power to command armies. The ability to demand obedience. There was nothing he could not do.
He could end it.
He could end it all.
He could end all evil with this power.
First Equestria, he could practically ask for the throne, just a week, that would all it would take. Celestia would probably give it to him, he was practically her heir anyway.
A week and he could fix it. He would burn the ancient tomes, the books that talk of demon pacts, ancient spells, and elder gods. They would be the first.
Then he would begin a search, and oh there would be an outcry about the search. Every home, every building, every floor, every room, until every vampire, lycan, or shapeshifter was found.
The outrage would be severe, but no one would argue with a dragon.
Those that wished to live a normal life would be moved, a small quarantine town, far from everyone else. The rest would be executed.
Yet more outrage, but they would be safe.
Burials would be banned, there would be forced cremations across Equestria. No more zombies. Everyone would be safe.
Anyone that resisted would be cowed. Even Discord would be at his beck and call if he could find the changeling's throne.
Then he'd turn his eyes to the rest of the world. With an army of dragons and the might of any other country he controlled, the entire would come to heel beneath him. Nothing would be able to stop him.
He would be the greatest tyrant the world had ever known.
But the world would be safe.
The Department could dissolve, and ponies like Silver and Silk could go and live out their natural lives as a happy family.
Vampires would not sulk the shadow, preying on the unwary.
Lycans would not be forced into the far corners of the world for fear of ripping their own families to pieces.
Zombies would not raise from the darkness and consume whatever they could find.
They would all be safe.
And his friends, all of them, would be avenged.
Spike grit his teeth as he walked up the vent.
It was easier to let go of this power back when he was younger, when he had friends and a home to go back to. It was easier then, when he did not need the power the Scepter offered him.
Now it was already harder.
He kept climbing, going to reach the dragons that were coming at him halfway.
They forced him to take this power, and now they were going to face it.
Hopefully it worked.
He stopped, listening to the stone as the dragons clawed into the rock.
And then Spike spoke. "Enough!"
===[ᐁ]===
Ember waited, breath caught in her throat as silence echoed from the vent.
Garble sat against the far wall, checking the lava below and weighing his options.
The silence stretched.
And then a figured began to approach from the darkness.
Spike was back, carrying the scepter in his hand. "They're free," He said, before handing it back. "They're off hunting the vampire, and I'm going to stick around until they find him, I'm not going to leave until the problem's fixed."
Ember smiled, tears in her eyes, and hugged him. "Thank you, Spike," she whispered.
"Are you crying?" he asked.
"Just shut up and let me hug you," she said.
Spike smiled. "I guess..."
But he still gripped the Scepter.
===[ᐁ]===
As the pipsqueak was climbing into his little ship thing, Garble was glaring at him. What, in the Fiery Name of Tiamat happened? What did the Runt do to get those dragons to stop, huh? What did he do that the Dragon Lord couldn't?
He watched as Spike, still limping with the spray bandage on his back. Ember and the other dragons were looking on, and he just couldn't take it anymore.
This was ridiculous. Perfectly absurd. This was outright wrong. No, he wasn't going to let this sit.
"Hey, Runt!" He yelled, just as Spike climbed into the cockpit of the little flying machine.
Spike turned to him.
"Why you, huh?" he asked, angrily. "Why did she come to you? Why not anyone else?"
"Garble!" Ember yelled.
Spike raised a claw, and just stared at the glaring dragon.
Garble continued to stare.
"Garble," Spike ordered, "Shut up."
Magic that could not be seen slammed down on Garble's mouth, and he stared, with wide eyes as Spike smiled and walked away.
And then, as the little airship began to rise, only one word went through Garble's mind.
"Oh." |
The D.S.P.I. | Operation Dying Snake | It took a week for Spike to recover.
Caramel Crystal kept him up to date best she could, relaying the events since he had left for the dragonlands to the best of her ability. "Silver's kept the teams on their toes, but there have been more than a few times where he and Miss Silk have, 'disappeared for a bit', if you get what I mean."
Spike sighed.
A little known fact about the Headless Horse is that she had a bit of a propensity for gossip mongering. She'd argue that it was the whole "accidently made myself immortal" thing that caused her to take a sudden and somewhat extreme interest in other ponies' lives, but Spike was sure that she always like to run the rumor mill.
"Now what I didn't see coming was that little Amber girl and, what's his name? Chestnut, I think? Honestly, I never saw it, but the moment I did, I knew they were perfect for each other."
Spike nodded and smiled, listening as a single thought echoes in his mind.
"I could have fixed it by now."
As Caramel went on about the various relationships of the stallions and mares in the team, Spike stretched the muscles and the new skin on his back. Say what you will about dragons, but they can hit hard. If it weren't for the medical facilities of the Department, he would have been laid up for far longer than what he had.
He could only imagine that it would make the accusation that was repeating in his brain all the worse. Spike rolled his shoulder, feeling the new skin stretch and tighten. The scales were still new and small, so he'd have to be careful on that side for a bit, befor he'd recover.
"Now on Gamma Team," Caramel began before Spike interrupted.
"Caramel, before we talk about Gamma, I need to know what the Covenant's been up to."
"Oh, them?" She asked from inside her jar while her body sat nearby, typing away as she simultaneously worked on various requisition forms. Her body handed her head a quick note, and she quickly read it off.
"The Crystal Empire says they have no new news, the griffons don't have anything, and Dragon Lord Ember says all is quiet in the dragonlands."
Spike nodded, and went quiet. This was...well it wasn't unexpected. With their operations in the Dragonlands severely hampered, the Covenant would have to regroup. They'd have to re-plan and re-evaluate for the sudden loss of resources and forces down there.
Of course, Spike was counting on them falling back to a hideout that maybe he could track, but sadly it seemed like they scattered like roaches. He wasn't happy about that, but it couldn't be helped.
He might have to tap his Canterlot contacts for some info.
"You haven't heard a word I said, have you?" Caramel asked him.
"Of course I have," Spike said. "Onyx Gale and Ruby Blitz. They're together now, you totally didn't see it coming, but I don't know why. I saw it the second they saw each other."
"What do you mean you saw it the second they saw each other? It came out of nowhere."
"It was obvious," Spike scoffed.
"It was not," she answered.
Spike smiled and shook his head.
===ᐁ===
Alpha team was summoned to the briefing room, and Spike met them at the table. "I have a mission for you, Alpha team. Nothing intense, I still need to recover a bit, but we're going to need some fire power."
Silver listened intently, Silk sitting next to him as he processed what the Commander was telling him. The Department had a number of hidden assets in Canterlot, and Spike planned to use them.
There were some ground rules. These assets were essentially civilians, and would need protection if Spike's presence garnered any attention.
And then Silk "accidentally" brushed her tail against his thigh and ruined his concentration. A tiny smile graced her lips, as Silver shot her a glare.
"We're not taking the full kit. We don't need to scare anybody, especially not the assets. So, you're going to be limited to our smaller crossbows. That includes you, Chestnut, Lemon."
Both ponies nodded.
"We leave at 18:30, no later. Am I understood?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" the team replied.
"Good, move out. Amber, you need to see Caramel when we're done here. She has something for you."
"She does?" the medic asked,
"It's for you and Chestnut."
"What do you..." she began, before blushing furiously. "Oh!"
"Now let's move. Come on!" Spike called, breaking up the gathered ponies.
Alpha Team scattered, leaving Amber and Chestnut to take the rear, blushing all the way to their rooms.
===ᐁ===
The subtrain pulled into the Canterlot station like a giant, silent cat. As it slowed using unseen mechanisms, the doors slowly opened.
Alpha Team quickly moved out with Spike at the lead. The ponies wore no armor, but Mandible did take a disguise. The only thing they wore were the holsters to the smaller, hoof-held pneumatic crossbows that Spike had prepared for them. "Alright, ponies, stay close and keep your socializing to a minimum, remember, you're dead ponies."
Silver nodded, understanding the orders perfectly.
Silk walked up next to him. "This'll be fun. It'll be the first time I've been to Canterlot since I started working with the Department."
"No fun until we talk to the assets," Spike said as he led them up to the elevator that had brought them down all those months ago.
"Yes, sir," Silver answered, speaking for the group.
"I..." Spike began. "I might let you have a few moments, but only after we complete the mission."
"Then let's go!" Neon said, taking the charge before suddenly realizing he had no idea where to go.
"Easy there," Spike said. "Just follow."
===ᐁ===
The streets of Canterlot were alive. Unicorns, Earth ponies, and pegasi all wandered the streets, along with a few brilliantly-colored changelings, those that had followed King Thorax in the reformation.
Mandible grimaced at the sight of them, and pearlescent changelings stared back, some able to pick the disguise out in a moment.
"Well if it isn't the walking lollipops," Mandible grunted.
"Easy, there," Silver warned. "You don't want them turning you in again."
"Traitors, all of them," Mandible mumbled.
"Come on, ponies. No time to stay and chat," Spike told them.
Brilliant, neon lights marked the streets and buildings, advertising shops, restaurants, theaters and shows. The smooth, paved road was almost soft beneath their hooves, and Spike led them all through the maze concrete, neon, and old, retouched limestone.
Spike walked the streets like he owned them. He didn't even bother checking the street signs as he led them around corners and alleyways. He led them down shortcuts and paths that Silver didn't know existed, and then before he even realized it, they were in the ritziest part of town.
"Uh...Commander?" Silver said as the neon faded to classical wrought iron fences and lampposts. "Who is our first asset?"
"She's a musician," Spike answered. "She's been rather successful, and has done a very good job of staying in the public eye, despite her issues."
"Issues?" Neon asked.
"You'll see them, trust me," Spike offered, before they suddenly stopped before the wrought iron gate of a massive mansion. It sat on the nearby hill, overlooking the street like a massive bird of prey, glaring down from its perch.
There was a dark, almost oppressive air that surrounded the house. Yet at the same time, there was also something oddly open about it, like it wanted ponies to come up and enjoy whatever it had to offer.
Spike walked up to the old, iron gate, and pushed the small, silver button on the oddly modern panel on the side. A buzzer sounded, and a rough, male voice came over the small speaker. "Can I help you?"
"Is the DJ in?" Spike asked.
"She's not taking any more visitors tonight, sir."
"That's fine," Spike said, "just let her know that Spike's here."
There was a long silence on the other side of the speaker before the male voice spoke again. "I'm sorry, was that 'Spike,' sir?"
"Yes it was."
"I'll let you in, right away, sir," it said suddenly.
"Thank you very much, be warned, I do have some friends with me."
"Yes, sir."
The gate gave a loud, annoying buzz and Spike pushed the gate open as it unlocked. "Alright, everypony, let's go, just stay off the grass."
Up they went the long, long pathway, where wild rose bushes flanked them every few feet. Beyond the roses were fields of orchids, carnations, and blood red tulips. Finally, they came upon the massive, oak door that served as the portal to the massive house.
And then it opened, and a brown-coated mare smiled as she looked down at the dragon and her party. "Hey, hey! Spike my man! It's been a while."
"It's DJ PON3?" Neon asked. "Oh, I feel dirty just being associated with her."
The mare looked down at him. "You have a problem?"
"You're nothing like the original," Neon said.
The mare blinked, before she smiled, and chuckled to herself. "Alright, alright, come on in!" she said, laughing all the way.
Spike shook his head, and walked inside as they all moved into the large mansion.
"You caught me before I could take a shower, so if you don't mind, I'm going to take a second."
"It'll be fine," Spike said. "In fact, we can come back later and--"
"Oh, no, no, no," the unicorn mare said as she looked at him over her small, red sunglasses. "This is the first time I've seen you in fifty years, I'm not letting you go without dinner, at least."
Spike shook his head. "If you insist."
"Wait, fifty years?" Neon asked.
"Yo, Waist Coat!" the DJ called.
"Yes, Miss?" a voice said from behind the team, causing Neon to leap into the air.
"Take my guests here to dining room. I'll be down shortly."
"Yes, Miss," he answered. "If you will follow me."
Spike followed, and the team came after him, following them all to a large dining room. "Dinner will be served shortly, good sirs," Waist Coat said. "Would you care for anything in the meantime?"
"We'll be fine. We're here on business, sadly," Spike answered.
"Of course, sir," Waist Coat said, before he backed out of the room.
"So what's the DJ's story?" Neon asked.
"What do you think her story is?" Spike asked.
"I don't know, that's why I'm asking," Neon told him.
Spike just smiled and took a seat.
There were a few moments of silence, and the team all took their seats, waiting for the DJ to return.
Finally, she returned, and Silver blinked as he saw her.
Her electric blue mane hung wet by her face as she wiped her face with a towel, and her coat was now a pristine white. Her cutie mark had even changed, from a vinyl record to a purely black pair of eighth notes. Her sunglasses were hovering in an aura beside her face, and when the towel came down, she smiled, beaming with her blood red eyes and a pair of gleaming fangs. "Spike, my man! It's been years!"
"Just a few," Spike agreed as the mare walked up to him, giving the dragon a hung once she got close. "How are you doing, Vinyl?"
"I'm doing just fine, just fine," she said.
Neon looked like he saw a ghost. And he had seen ghosts.
She smiled as she took a seat beside the dragon, just in time for Waist Coat and a number of other servers walked into the room, laden with trays full of food and drink. Waist himself brought the DJ her own tray, where a single blood pack and a straw waited for her.
"Thanks, Waist, you're the man."
"If you say so, Miss."
"Of course I say so," she said, before raising a hoof for him to bump.
Waist raised his hoof, but kept his face perfectly neutral as she bumped it.
As dinner was served, Spike turned to his team. "Team, this is Vinyl Scratch, she's an old friend of mine."
"Really old," she confirmed with a smile as she stuck her blood pack like a juice box.
"She's been around for a little more than two hundred years, and she's one of our civilian assets."
"It's my job to keep my ears to the ground, and let you all know when I hear something going on," she said, before glancing over at Neon. "You know, when I'm not copying my own work."
Neon shook his head. "I...I never knew..."
"Kinda the point of rubbing pounds of makeup into my coat," she noted.
"An immortal DJ would lead to questions," Spike pointed out. "Questions that don't need to be answered, if you get what I mean."
"Yeah, but I have to say picking a new identity is a real pain," she said. "Not to mention all those ponies that want the next DJ PON3 to be an earth pony."
"They'll just have to be disappointed," Spike said. "How's Octavia?"
Vinyl sighed. "She's...she could be doing better."
"Is she having another gothic phase?"
"Oh, she swallowed that hook line and sinker," she said. "She's always going through a gothic phase, the difference is whether or not she decides to haunt the nearest opera house."
"You're keeping an eye on her?" Spike asked.
"That's what the roses are for," she answered.
"W-what do you mean by that?" Lemon asked, speaking up for the first time.
Vinyl glanced over at Spike. "You haven't told them?"
"It doesn't come up often enough to teach," the dragon explained.
Vinyl shook her head, before she addressed the demolitions mare. "You can lock a vampire in her coffin for the night by placing a freshly-cut, wild rose on the lid."
Lemon blinked. "What?"
"Where do you think the romance stereotype came from?" Vinyl asked.
"Man, it's nice to have someone else explain something for a change," Spike remarked.
"You're just lazy, is all," she said.
"Maybe," Spike admitted. "Now, while it's great catching up, we are here for work."
"Yeah, yeah," she said. "It's all business with you. What's up?"
"We're looking for some ponies called the Crimson Covenant, have you heard of them?"
Vinyl winced. "Can't say I do," she said, "...but I have heard of somepony trying to get his friends together."
"Where?" Spike asked as his face hardened.
"I didn't get a meeting place, I'm not that good, sadly. I just know that a bunch of ponies are meeting up."
Spike sighed. "Unfortunately that's all we know as well. It's making things difficult."
"Sorry about that," he said.
"Don't worry, you're not the only civilian asset we have."
"Just the first one you tap," she answered with a smile. "Well, if your nights are going to be long, then I invite you to stick around long enough to eat - if you can afford the time."
Spike sighed. "We shouldn't, but...it has been a while."
Vinyl smiled and sucked on her blood pack.
Silver sighed, and turned to the plate of steamed vegetables in front of him. Honestly, it would be nice to eat something that wasn't prepared by the Department's cook, or Hayburger take out.
He picked up his fork, and smiled.
And then, just as the first bite was halfway between the plate and his mouth, the entire room shook. The plates rattled, the glasses shook, and plates fell to the ground with a crash. A second later, a thunderous roar echoed through the dining room.
Spike was already moving, sprinting to the front of the house with every ounce of his draconic speed. Alpha team was soon to follow, running out to Vinyl's yard, where they saw the source of sound.
A massive plume of smoke rose from Canterlot city, lit by a red-orange light that was hidden by the buildings.
"By Celestia..." Spike muttered.
Alpha team stared at the massive plume. Silver shook his head, mouth wide open.
And then Spike spoke. "Alpha Team, new orders! Move in, help any ponies that need help, and find the source of the explosion. If the Covenant's not behind this, I'll eat my crest."
"You heard the Commander!" Silver yelled. "Let's go!"
The team of ponies rushed forward, down the stairs, past the roses, and out onto the paved street.
===ᐁ===
They hit the epicenter of the explosion, staring at the wreckage that was left behind by what could only be a bomb. Carriages were upended, windows blown out, and ponies lay on their sides, bleeding and moaning as shrapnel dug into their flesh.
"Medic," Silver called, "do you have you medkits?"
"It's the one thing I brought!" she said, reaching into a saddle bag.
"Head to the wounded, get them up so that the paramedics can get them to a hospital."
Amber was already flying towards them, landing beside the closest, bleeding mare.
"Heavy, Scout, start moving the wreckage away, put those muscles to good use, Scout!"
Chestnut and Sparky rushed the carriages.
"Sniper, get up and call out anything, suspects moving - or ponies buried beneath rubble, we need an eye in the sky."
"You got it," she answered, before flying straight up into the sky.
"Support, Demo, you're--"
"Silver?" a voice called, cutting through the sounds of chaos around them.
The ex-guard turned, and his eyes fell on his old Captain, Gleaming Armor. The two shared a long look in the orange glow of the fires that surrounded them, burning with the screams of ponies echoing behind them.
He turned back to Lemon and Neon. "Once Medic treats them, do your best to escort the injured back to the paramedics. Carry them if you have to."
"Silver," the captain called again.
"Go!" he said, before turning to the Captain.
The Captain looked shocked to see him, with a touch of annoyance hiding in her face.
Silver's face was impassive.
"What are you doing here?" the Captain asked, stepping toward him.
"Doing our job."
"Your job? This is EUP guard business," she said, a biting edge returning to her voice as she stepped closer.
"We have reason to believe this falls under our jurisdiction, Captain," Silver replied. "Of course, that doesn't matter right now, does it?"
"You're right, we have to save the civilians, so get out of the way so we can do that," she ordered.
"With all due respect, Captain, we're already ahead of you. Pulling my team out right now would only risk more lives."
Gleaming looked back, where Sparky single-handedly lifted a carriage out of the way, only for Amber to fly in, use her spray bandages to seal wounds, autosplints to set bone, and pull them out of the way with Lemon and Neon's help.
"Alright, so you can stay, but if your people keep my people from doing what they need to do, I will put you through hell."
Silver smiled. "I would love to see you try, Captain."
===ᐁ===
There were three casualties. Three of Celestia's own citizens had been killed in a bomb attack, and Spike only had to step onto the scene to know that it wasn't just any bomb.
It was a special, crystal-based bomb that ate the lifeforce of the closest five ponies, before transforming every ounce of it into an explosion.
Three of them were the casualties that Spike had put into his report. The other two were the shriveled, desiccated remains of a pair of Covenant Cultists, still dressed in their crimson cloaks. Spike made it a point that they didn't count.
It was a declaration. A statement that the Covenant wasn't afraid of a little collateral damage. It was a warning to back off, to leave the Covenant alone or innocents would be hurt.
Spike wasn't happy about it.
He read over the report again, glaring as his eyes read it.
This wouldn't stand.
After all, if there was one thing Spike hated, it was when the innocent were dragged into war.
"They could have been saved. All you had to do was take it." |
The D.S.P.I. | Operation Running Dog | Silver never knew that the Department had autocarriages.
He also didn't know that there were autocarriages that could move off road.
He was just learning so much tonight.
The stout, sturdy autocarriage leapt over the muddy hill as they chased their quarry. Spike was at the wheel, driving like a madman before he yelled into his communicator. "Sniper! Do you have a visual?"
"On thermal," she answered. "He's running fast, half a klick ahead of you."
"Roger that!" Spike called as the autocarriage leapt over the peak of the hill, and slammed back into the ground, jostling the ponies in the back of the open-topped vehicle. "Call him again, Assault!" Spike ordered.
"Cinnamon Toast!" Silver called through the bullhorn. "Halt! This is the department!"
"He's not stopping," Silk reported.
Spike growled. "Demo! Spring the trap!"
"Yes sir!" she answered, before a set of explosions roared ahead of them. Spike spun the vehicle, passing through the spaces between the trees and charged towards the explosions, even as another set of explosions erupted in the trees ahead of them.
"They're working like a charm, Commander," Silk said as she flew above them. "They're leading Cinnamon straight to the bottom of the cliff."
"This ain't my first rodeo, Sniper," Spike said in a slight drawl. "Just keep your eyes on him, our work's just getting started."
The autocarriage made another leap, landing hard on its wheels. If this were any normal carriage, then those same wheels would have shot through the floor of the cabin, but the superior suspension allowed them to bounce harmlessly across the forest floor.
More explosions sounded ahead, and there, just ahead of them in the trees, a shock of chocolate brown hair was caught in the spotlight.
"There!" Neon said, as he spun the spotlight he was working to try and center on the lycan.
Spike floored the gas, and the carriage weaved through the trees, barely missing the trunks by inches as the Commander spun the wheel.
Silver's hooves clenched around the tiny little handlebar by his door, as if it could save him from death.
Another sharp corner, the carriage began to drift sideways, sliding on the leaves that covered the ground before they finally halted.
A small box canyon of sorts acted as a dead end, leaving the only exit blocked by the team and the carriage.
Neon spun the spotlight again, and centered on the beast that was caught in the trap.
Standing as tall as the princesses, a massive, bipedal monstrosity glared at them with tiny, bloodshot eyes. It's chocolate brown fur, decorated with cinnamon-colored swirls across the terrifyingly muscular monster was the only thing that still connected it to the pony this monster once was. He bared a snarl filled with three-inch fangs, and razor-sharp claws clenched and unclenched around an invisible pony neck.
It growled and grunted, puffing out its chest and reveled in its massive, bulging muscles.
Spike ignored these.
He simply frowned as he stepped out of the vehicle, and shook his head. "Cinnamon, Cinnamon, when will you learn?"
The lycan roared in answer. It's breath smelled of death, and bits of meat flew out of it teeth as a wind rushed passed them.
Again, Spike ignored this.
"You know what happens when you run, Cinnamon. It means you're trying to bite the alpha, and we both know the alpha bites back."
The lycan snarled, and Spike loosened his belt, and let his pistol swing free of his hip.
The rest of the squad took their positions, raising their silver-tipped weapons and leveling them at the lycan as he was forced back against the wall.
Spike took one last inhale before his muscles began to coil. "And I am the Alpha."
The small dragon launched himself at the lycan, the smaller, reptilian body slamming into the muscular canine like a wrecking ball. They both landed hard on the ground as the wrestling match began. Claws met claws and jaws snapped shut as they rolled in the leaves and dirt.
Silver and the others waited, their weapons leveled.
The dragon rolled the lycan under him, slamming the massive, furry beast into the ground, but the lycan only growled in answer.
"Bad dog! I am the alpha!" Spike roared.
Again Spike threw the beast, slamming him into the dirt, and the lycan went scrambling to get it's paws under him.
Spike wouldn't let him, throwing himself onto the lycan's back.
Claws, muscles, and flame were dragged against scales and fur, and still the fighting waged on.
Silver, Silk, Neon and the others watched on, waiting for any sign that Spike needed help.
Finally, Spike pinned him. Grabbing the beast's leg in one hand, he forced the beast's knee into the dirt, and forced him down.
Cinnamon tried to claw away, tried to force himself up and out.
But Spike didn't let go. "I am the Alpha, Cinnamon!"
The lycan kept scrambling, trying to get his feet under him.
"No!" Spike yelled. "I am the Alpha!"
Neon raised his pneumatic crossbow.
"Not yet!" Spike said, glaring at his assault. "He has to have no fight left in him. Not yet."
The lycan kept clawing, slowly becoming more and more frantic as his small eyes began to grow wide fear.
Spike held him.
And then finally, finally, the lycan went still.
"Now, Support," Spike ordered, before the unicorn fired a single dart. The silver-tipped hypodermic needle pierced skin, and the clear fluid that was held in the small vial was quickly emptied into the lycan's blood.
The beast struggled for a second, before the needle did its work, and Cinnamon hit the dirt, asleep.
Spike sighed, releasing the lycan's leg even as he began to shrink. "Alright, guys...get him in the back, let's get him home, so we can get on our way."
"Yes, sir," Amber said, as she hovered over the beast that was still transforming into a pony, before lifting him bodily into the air.
Spike watched, keeping his eyes on Cinnamon as the medic carefully set him down in the open back of the carriage.
"He would have been safe. He would have been quarantined. He wouldn't have gotten free. All you had to do was take the staff."
Spike climbed back into the vehicle as the team began to gather and pile into the back. "Let's go team."
===ᐁ===
"I'm so sorry!" Cinnamon said, the small pony now standing smaller than Silver. He seemed oddly quiet now that he wasn't a massive canine that was going to rip the nearest thing it could find to pieces. "I'm so, so, sorry."
"It's alright, Cinnamon," Spike told him as he stood in the doorway of the baker's home.
"I was locking up," Cinnamon explained. "I was getting the vault closed, when I suddenly realized that I needed to grab one of the...suppressants. I-I thought I had time, but the second I stepped out of the vault it happened. I...oh...I hope I didn't hurt anypony?"
"No one was hurt," Spike said. "We were in the area when your alarm went off. We caught you before you got to anyone. You were lucky tonight."
Cinnamon shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Commander Spike."
Spike shook his head and offered a small smile. "Hey, at least you'll be good for a couple more hours, right? You'll have some time to get things in order."
The baker sighed. "I think I'll just lock myself up in the vault. I'm not going to risk this anymore tonight."
Spike nodded. "Alright. Want us to check up on you in the morning?"
Cinnamon sighed. "I guess...I probably messed up something else anyway..."
"Hey, don't--" Spike began only for Cinnamon to close the door. The dragon shook his head. "You'll make it Cinnamon, you'll make it."
Turning, he went back to the Department's autocarriages, where the team waited for him. "He'll be fine till morning. We need to get going."
"Yes, sir," Silver answered before the whole team slid into the seats, waiting for the vehicle to begin driving forward.
"We don't have much time, we need to get there before daybreak," Spike said.
They had one more civilian asset that they needed to tap.
Madam White, a ghost of some kind that was once a fortune teller has been sticking around for decades now. She still performed her fortune teller bit, but now that she had a more direct line to the spirits, she was more accurate than she had ever been.
Spike had offered his help once he found her. Tried to find out what her unfinished business was, but she politely refused, and offered her services.
Honestly the Madam worried him a bit. She offered her help but asked for none in return, she even outright refused help offered to her by any department worker.
The only exception was Sweetie Belle. The two had a strange report that Sweetie would not explain. She kept her silence, and continued to offer aid, but Madam White always gently refused.
However, once more it seemed that the Department would need her services again. Every other asset, every network of information had come up with nothing. There were no signs of the Crimson Covenant after their attack on Canterlot. Even with the Royal Guard helping the Department look for them, there had been no signs at all.
All he had left was Madam White, and Spike had learned long ago that spirits were vague at the best of times, and outright cryptic and misleading at worst.
But now he had no choice.
He drove out of the city and floored it once he hit dirt.
Madam White would be gone with the dawn, and even if spirits were the most misleading of beings, they were all he had.
===ᐁ===
The autocarriage slowed to a stop in front of the old, raggedy tent. It looked not unlike a circus tent, peaked with a small, white pennant that stood in stark contrast of the faded stripes that ran down the sides. They were red and white once, though now the red was a faint pink, and the white was the color of plaque.
"Spread out, team," Spike ordered, and they moved to obey. "Do not enter the tent. I'm going alone. I just need you to secure the perimeter, am I understood?"
"Sir, yes sir!" They answered.
Spike nodded, holding tightly to the grip of his number one assistant as it sat in its holster.
He nervously gulped down a final breath of fresh air, before he finally stepped inside.
A thick, heavy, and heady incense filled Spike's nostrils. The softly smouldering rowan bark mixed with cinnamon and rosemary assaulted his sense of smell so that it almost gave him a headache within seconds of smelling it.
Waving the smoke away from his nose, he walked in. Ducking beneath the charms and totems that hung from the ceiling. The Madam had admitted that they held no power, but they disturbed Spike nonetheless.
"Hello, Commander, I have been expecting you," a wizened, breathy voice said from inside the smoke.
Waving yet more smoke away from his head, his eyes finally fell on the old, robe-clad mare.
Heavy wrinkles hung around her eyes and mouth, leaving long creases all across her face in a mess that could only be described as the fingerprint of time. Her robes and the headdress she wore was tattered on every edge, with frayed threads hanging like spiderwebs.
Her white fur made it impossible to tell if her hairs were greying, but Spike was sure that if she had a any other color, she would be silver now.
The only thing about her that seemed new or young, were her eyes. Those cerulean orbs bore so deep into his soul that he could almost see his secrets laid out before her, and even though that was disquieting enough, there was something about them that was far, far worse.
They reminded him of...
"You have come back to me, young Commander, as I was foretold," the ancient ghost mumbled.
"I have. I need your help," Spike answered.
"Always help, yes, yes. Never to say hello, never to stay."
Spike watched her as she made her way to the table, decorated with a tattered, silk tablecloth and a dusty crystal ball. "Has Sweetie Belle been failing in her visits?" Spike asked. "She's supposed to keep you company."
"Not the same as the living, no. Never the same," she replied, before she sat at her table. "Come then, come. Let us see what the dead wish to say."
Spike stepped forward, sitting in the small chair opposite the ghost, who stared into Spike's eyes.
They looked exactly like hers...
The charms began to shake as all the ghosts still left in this world moved to speak to tortured soul before the dragon.
"Why do you summon us?" the Madam mumbled as the dead began to speak through her.. "What is the meaning of this? Leave us be."
Spike waited.
"Just a moment, just a moment. To keep the living alive," the fortune teller whispered.
"I will speak then, let the others go."
"So be it, come, speak to us then," Madam White said, before turning to Spike, her eyes sparkling in the darkness.
"What do you wish to know?" the ghost asked, now pulled from its wandering place.
"What do you know of the Crimson Covenant?" Spike asked.
"The living who serve the dead, and the dead serving their king. They hide in their shadows, they kiss their wicked blades, and stab at the dark to lap at the blood of their victims."
Spike nodded. He knew this. The Crimson Covenant was populated by vampires.They had cattle beneath them, but they were vampires.
"The shadows are thick, and reach far into the past. They grasp and grab anything they can, but crave amethyst above all."
Amethyst? Did he mean literal gems or something else? "Where are they now?" Spike asked.
"Far in your past, and near in your future. They cling to the darkness of the great cities, and the darkest caves of the world beyond. They hide from you at every turn, such is their design. Do not be deceived, it is your attention they crave."
"And I would give it to them," Spike said. "Just let me know where they are."
Madam White simply stared at him with her massive, sad, blue eyes.
"Look to the East. The city where the Founders rang the first bell in defiance of the old world. They hold the secrets of the sanguine pool. They hold the shadows as black as night. In the dregs of their sewage you will find them."
Fillydelphia. They were gathering in the Fillydelphia sewers. Spike had his answer. "I have what I need. You may release the ghost."
Madam White nodded, and the ghost left, back to wander the earth and fulfill its business. Released, the fortune teller then turned to the Commander and sighed. "So it is done."
Spike nodded. "We'll make sure that they're stopped. No one else is going to die by their hooves. I promise."
"Good, good. You are yet the savior you always were, Commander."
The words had a bite to them. It was subtle, almost as if she didn't mean the sarcasm in them.
Honestly, Spike wasn't sure.
She could have been sincere and his own conscious was the source of the vitriol. After all, he hadn't done anything to the Madam. He had done nothing but help the ghost through every means he had. He had done nothing to deserve that sarcasm from her.
At least, as far as he knew.
The terrifying thought that there was something he had done, that he was somehow responsible for whatever business she had not taken care of, hovered in the back of his mind. It taunted him with a terrible, terrible prospect that it was all his fault.
It was his fault once again. Another pony dead because of him.
She could have been avenged. Her and everyone else. You just had to be tyrant for one week.
"I'll see you soon, Madam," Spike said back.
"Perhaps, perhaps not," she said. "I wish it were so."
Spike looked over at her. "Can you not see it?"
The Madam smiled and shook her head. "No, no...you know how this work. Vague and immediate events only."
Spike shook his head, and began to move. "Goodbye, Madam White."
"Farewell, Commander," she answered. "Until next we meet."
As Spike walked out of the tent, the sun was just coming over the horizon. The golden rays of Celestia's sun peeked over the hills and filled the valley with a growing warmth as it dispelled the mist that surrounded them.
Alpha team was waiting for their Commander, and they slowly began to relax at the sight of him. Spike sighed, and pulled one of his paper cigarettes and lit it with a puff of flame. The smoke rose into the air, disappearing with the mist as the sun continued to rise.
He turned, and sighed as the last, gossamer threads of the tent disappeared before his eyes.
He took a long drag, and focused back on his team. "Alright, Alpha Team. I'm giving you a choice. Gamma's trying out their own Firebrand, and Phi's still out in Vanhoover. Do you guys wanna hit the Covenant's base for a change?"
Silver smiled. "That's why I signed up, sir."
Spike nodded. "Then we're heading to Fillydelphia. We'll rest for the day, and then it's time for some payback." |
The D.S.P.I. | Operation Silent Vanguard | A red-cloaked mare moved through the sewer, her hooves clopping lightly against the flagstones that paved the raised pathways beneath Fillydelphia. Keeping close to the walls and hugging the shadows at every turn, she walked quickly, making her way to a large service door that sat in the wall ahead of her.
She knocked on the heavy, steel door before a glowing eye made of mana made its existence known, floating through the door's surface. It gave the mare a scrutinizing once-over before it faded away.
The door finally opened, and a stallion, wearing the same red cloak, stepped out into the sewer.
"Sister, are you alright?"
"I was waylaid, nothing more," she replied in a hushed whisper.
"Come inside, quickly," the stallion said, and both ponies slipped inside.
The stallion led the way, down the hall, leaving the mare for just a second as she closed the door and fiddled with the lock. It took a moment, but she quickly caught up, closing the distance between the two of them.
"What waylaid you?" the stallion asked.
"I thought I saw the dragon around town. I went the long way around."
"The dragon?"the stallion asked. "You saw him?"
"I thought I did. I wasn't sure... but I wasn't going to take a chance."
"I hope that was enough, if you were right."
The mare nodded, and kept walking, staying as close to the stallion as possible as they worked their way into the Covenant's Fillydelphia base.
The long-abandoned service tunnel lead to a large, open room, filled with podiums decorated with occult scrolls and tomes of dark rituals. Blocks of candles, fused together by melted wax, lit the room as the stallion led the mare up a set of stairs to a raised dais, upon which a throne was set.
"My master," the stallion said as he bowed before the throne, quickly followed by the mare, "Sister Sable has returned."
"She is late," the pegasus on the throne said as he drank from a golden goblet, encrusted with Red Spinels.
"Forgive me, Master," the mare said, "but I thought I saw the dragon from the department, and so I took the longer way around to be sure I was not followed."
"And you returned here anyway?" the pegasus asked, shifting his leathery wings and glaring at the mare with his blood-red eyes.
The mare quailed before the vampire and tried to speak again. "I...I had to warn you, my master. I simply could not let this danger go unnoticed."
"Unnoticed? Do you think I am blind?" the vampire demanded.
"No, Master, no. I dare not."
"And you will dare not again!" the vampire growled. "Now go to my chambers to await your punishment."
"Yes, my Master," the mare answered, before she began to move.
As soon as she passed the throne, however, she reached up to her ear, and tapped twice.
An explosion echoed from the hallway beyond the main room, and a sudden burst of red-hot silver flashed down the hallway as Chestnut's mini-cannon cleared the way.
"You fool!" the vampire said, turning to face the mare as he leapt from his seat.
Mandible met him with a smile and a crossbow bolt to the heart.
"One down," he said with a smirk.
Alpha team burst through the end of the hallway, throwing cultists aside as they leveled their weapons. "D.S.P.I.!" Silver yelled. "Put your horns, hooves, and wings where we can see them!"
The room, however, erupted in chaos. Pegasi took to the air while earth ponies and unicorns ran this way and that, trying to take cover behind the massive blocks of wax and podiums.
A sudden blast from a magical beam opened up the line, streaking down from above and behind the enemy as the nearly-invisible Silk picked her next target.
Spike leapt forward, rolling through the crossfire without a hint of fear as the enemy slowly gathered itself for a counter attack. Flintlock pistols came up, and the cultists moved to fire, only to meet Spike's claws.
The room quickly cleared, with only a couple of ponies offering surrender. Silver and Neon quickly secured the prisoners as Chestnut and Lemon took the corridor that led deeper into the facility.
Spike spoke into his communicator. "Manticore, how is it on your end?"
"Well, considering that I'm snacking on a pretty sad thrall here, I'm doing well," she answered.
"Just be sure to save some room for dessert," Spike said. "With any luck we'll take out the head vampire today."
"Oh, I'll be ready, trust me. I am famished."
"Roger that," Spike said, before he began to gather the team. "Alright, get ready, team."
They formed up on the next corridor, leaving the bound ponies off to the side while the dead were left where they lay.
"On three," Spike said, before counting down. "One, two, three!"
The team charged, with Lemon and Chestnut at the lead. With the demolitions pony firing grenade potion after grenade potion off into the darkness ahead of them. As explosions rocked the hallway, the team charged forward.
They burst into the next room, laying down a fan of bolt fire.
"Keep them pinned!" Spike yelled as his old, practiced eye quickly took in the scene.
Thirty cultists, armed with their ruby daggers, a handful of muskets, and a runeblade which definitely needed to be confiscated, took positions around the room. They had a number of makeshift cover, barricades made from broken machinery and discarded sheet metal offered some resistance to their silver-tipped crossbow bolts, but Chestnut's mini-cannon would rip through them without too much difficulty.
No, the largest problem was them vampire standing boldly in the open.
It was another pegasus vampire, which meant that she would most likely be rather adept at transformation magic. This was immediately proven when four of the quarrels simply passed through her, as though she were mist.
He hated pegasi vampires.
"Focus on the covenant, I have the blood sucker!" Spike yelled as he leapt forward, into the crossfire.
"Roger that!" Silver yelled. "Heavy, priority on the sheet metal!"
"You got it!" Chestnut yelled, before his mini-cannon swept across the flimsy cover the cultists had erected. Silver fire ripped through the cover, and cultists went down screaming.
Spike leapt forward, his handgun roaring as it fired its unique, and powerful ammunition at the vampire. The needles dug into the mist, and they reacted, transforming their phase and landing solid blows against the mist.
The vampire screamed in pain as the needles bit deep, stopping in her as though she were solid.
"You're not hiding from me!" Spike yelled as he closed the distance, and putting the barrel directly against the vampire's chest, only for a solid hoof to bat it away.
"Who's hiding?" the vampire yelled, before a powerful kick sent the dragon flying backwards.
Spike rolled back to his feet, and the vampire pounced, fangs bared and hissing.
They rolled, struggling just barely beneath the line of fire that whistled above them from both sides. Spike's claws dug deep into cold, dead flesh while the vampire's fang tried to pierce through the dragon's scales.
Another handful of cultists died.
Spike drove his hand into the monster's chest, only for it to dissolve into mist once again. She slipped through Spike's grip, and she flew towards Alpha team.
He had just enough time to stand, before the true weight and terror of the situation dawned on him.
Every member of alpha team had their crossbows aimed directly at the vampire, but no one dared to shoot. The cultists were too busy reloading fire, and that was the only reason why no one was dying yet.
The vampire had Chestnut pinned, and even though the large earth pony was struggling against his bonds, he could not overcome the vampire's unparalleled strength.
"Move again, and I'll rip your pony here into pieces," the vampire threatened.
Amber had frozen solid.
Chestnut tried to struggle again, pushing against the vampire, but she simply slapped him with her free hoof, knocking him unconscious with the blow.
"I am not playing around, Dragon," the vampire warned.
Spike glared, his eyes darting between her, Chestnut, and Amber, who looked on in horror as the vampire's grip tightened around Chestnut's throat.
Spike frowned, and shook his head. "That's a bad move, blood sucker, cause I don't care what you do to him."
"Then why haven't you shot me, yet?" the vampire asked, smirking all the way.
The cultists began to level their muskets.
Spike grit his teeth and leveled his pistol. "Because I don't like wasting ponies."
The vampire's smile slowly disappeared.
Silver looked between the vampire and the Commander, wondering if the boss was truly thinking about letting Chestnut die.
Spike simply stared into the vampire's eyes, his emerald green meeting the blood red with every iota of fury he had. The vampire looked on in kind, cool, almost apathetic anger doing its best to hide the growing nervousness in her eyes.
A second passed.
Another.
"Well, I guess I don't have much choice then," the vampire sighed.
She ripped Chestnut's forelegs from his body, and Spike fired into the shower of blood. The whole team unleashed their bolts, ripping into the monster, only for a wisp of mist to fly out of the way, dodging the magical needles while taking the bolts without so much as a blink.
"Medic! Stop the bleeding!" Spike ordered.
Amber was on him in an instant, using her spray bandages and hypodermic needles as tears fell from her eyes. She worked frantically, trying to stop the bleeding on both sides.
But Spike and the others didn't have time to think about it as the cultists opened fire, slamming into alpha team's line.
Amber almost didn't see the incoming fire, until the muskets spat smoke. She dived into Chestnut's bleeding body, trying to shield him from the lead balls that came flying at them.
A second passed, and the medic looked up to see Silver standing before her, with bloody pits in his skin that revealed the armor underneath. "Get him to cover, Medic! Now!" He ordered, blade drawn and pneumatic crossbow outstretched.
She nodded, and pulled him to the side, tears still in her eyes but momentarily forgotten.
Silver launched forward, swinging his silver and obsidian machete like a pony possessed. Silk's thermal shot screeched across the room, as her wings propelled her into the shadows. Neon's crossbow hissed as he fired, and Lemon's close-range explosives rocked the room. Mandible slashed with his salvaged daggers, and fired his light crossbow. Sparky ran through the room, dipping into and out of sight as his camouflage changed patterns with every step.
But for Amber, it didn't matter. Of course it didn't matter. Chestnut was dying.
She heard the vampire laugh, but she couldn't bring herself to care about her.
Chestnut was still dying.
The part of her mind that retained whatever professionalism it had noted that losing both forelegs meant his body would fall into shock very quickly, and that little could save him from that. In response, her body moved. She administered the proper elixirs at the proper dosages, she checked the bandages, her hooves worked automatically, lead by muscle memory as her training went to work.
"D-d-don't...don't die, Chestnut. Please don't die..." she muttered under her breath. "Stay with me, please..."
The vampire laughed again, floating above their heads as a cloud of mist. "Oh, you pathetic little fools, my master will eat your souls and gnaw on your bones! You cannot stop him, you cannot stop me! Nothing can save you from the coming darkness! Ha ha!"
"Well what's going to save you from me?" A voice asked behind her.
The vampire spun, and her eyes fell on the figure of Manticore, who glared with angry, starving eyes.
Manticore's hoof grabbed at the mist, her own magic as a pegasus vampire manifesting itself, and threw her to the ground as though she were solid.
The vampire landed hard, and the thing once known as Fluttershy pounced on her like a large, starving cat, eager for its next meal.
They rolled across the battlefield, and with the vampire finally distracted, Spike could focus on the cultists, and they felt every single blow of his claws and assistant alike. They went down, chests split open or skulls riddled with the magical needles of his weapon.
Manticore wrestled with the vampire, using her overwhelming strength born of a life spent wrestling bears, until finally, the Covenant vampire's neck was exposed. Manticore bit down, fangs digging deep into supple flesh, and the vampire screamed.
It was not a scream of pain. It was a wail of abject terror. Her eyes went wide as she struggled and pushed, trying to throw Manticore from her throat.
"Delicious," Manticore said around the flesh in her mouth, drinking deep of the congealed, dead blood of the vampire.
"Get off! No! No! Stop!" she screamed.
But Manticore's jaw was a spring trap, and nothing could escape her fangs.
"Stop! Please! No!" she cried, giving a final push before she finally shoved Manticore away, as well as a chunk of her own throat. The vampire scurried away, her neck open and exposed as it bled. Her mouth moved, but only a whistle of air moving through her open windpipe could be heard.
Manticore laughed as she spat out the cold, dead, flesh. "Aw...look at the little hunter, realizing she's not as high on the food chain as she thought. Now come on, get back here and feed me. It's only fair."
The vampire screamed again as Manticore descended on her once again, and the screams of terror filled the room once again. The screams were bone-chilling, and soul-wrenching, tearing into the souls of the gathered team.
Spike ignored it. He had a more important job to take care of. "Thundercloud, come in."
"Huh? Commander?" Tinker's said, coming in confused over the communicator.
"I need an emergency extraction on my location. Prepare medical teams."
"Sir, yes sir!" She answered.
"Team, help Medic move Heavy out of here, we're going to do everything we can to save his life!"
"Yes, sir!" They answered, moving in quick, careful moves to move the pony.
Manticore's feast continued, but Spike ignored it. He had a life to save.
===ᐁ===
Chestnut was in a haze, a blurry darkness the surrounded everything.
Someone was yelling somewhere, he wasn't sure where, but he could tell they were yelling.
One of them was very angry.
"It'll...be...moment," one of the voices said, just on the edges of his hearing.
"You...do this!" the other voice said.
"...Need...permission...in...right mind..."
"...Cruel...be in a lot of pain..."
The voices were becoming clearer, and the world slowly became sharper, falling into focus as he opened his eyes.
"I need...awake, Amber," the first voice said. "He needs...know."
"...Can't do this!"
"I have to."
He recognized the voice this time. That was the Commander.
"I won't let you do this!"
That was Amber.
"You're too late," Spike said, before the dragon's face appeared in his field of vision. "He's already waking up."
"What?" Amber cried.
"Alright, Chestnut, listen to me, the faster we do this, the better. Do you understand?"
Chestnut slowly nodded. "Yeah, yeah...I..understand..." he muttered, before he tried to reach for his head.
"You're stable," Spike continued, "you will live, however, you've lost both forelegs."
Chestnut blinked, before realizing that his leg should have reached his head by now. That, and a sharp pain was beginning to grow along his sides.
"As of now, you're useless to me. Normally, I let you go, and you live the rest of your life being taken care of by the crown."
The pain was starting to grown sharper, and Chestnut was beginning to shake.
"But with the attack, you have another opportunity. There's another program, and in order to join, you were going to have to lose your legs anyway. You can go, or you can join the Auto-hydraulic Jack program, and keep fighting. Make a choice."
The pain was making him grit his teeth.
"The sooner you decide the faster the pain will stop," Spike said. "I hate to do this to you, but I need to know what you want done."
Chestnut groaned as the world became agony.
"Commander!" Amber added, worried as the obvious pain forced Chestnut to silence. "He can't focus with the pa--"
"I'll do it," Chestnut said with a grunt. "I'll join."
"Chestnut," Amber said. "You're not thin--"
"If it means I can watch over Amber, I'll do it," he growled.
Spike nodded. "I understand," he said, before he flipped a switch on a console nearby.
The pain began to fade.
"When you wake up next, things will have changed. The process already will be underway."
Chestnut nodded, even as the world was already fading to black.
"You're going to be the first, Chestnut. The first..."
Chestnut didn't hear the last word that Spike said. It was lost to whatever was flooding through his veins, but regardless, Chestnut had his own idea of what he would be.
He would be Amber's protector. |
The D.S.P.I. | The Door | Silver sat down at the mess hall table, and set down his tray full of food onto the table in front of him. He was the first member of Alpha team to arrive for lunch, and this was due in no small part to his eagerness for a moment alone.
No one had seen Chestnut for a week, and the last member of the team to see him had been Amber, as Spike had him carted away. The Commander had admitted that their heavy weapons pony was still alive and breathing, but he had been sequestered away in one of the medical wing rooms under strict orders that no one but the authorized medical personnel was allowed in or out. With no witnesses to his condition, the team was to accept the Commander's word as fact, at least in theory. However, as Silver quickly learned, theory and practice are two very different things.
At some point during the last week, every member of the team had approached him for some news concerning Chestnut's health. They had each individually spoken with him, with the sole exception of Amber. Instead, the poor mare had shut down, hardly speaking to anyone beyond one-word responses. Silk was doing her best to comfort her friend, but it was taking more patience than either she, or he himself had.
He sighed, and sat down, sinking into his bench seat like it was an overstuffed easy chair, and eagerly enjoyed the silence.
"Hey, Silver!" a voice cried.
Every time...
Trying to hold back an annoyed sigh, Silver turned toward the source, and saw Neon approaching fast. "What?" Silver asked, trying his best to keep any possible annoyance from his voice.
Neon quickly covered the distance, sitting beside the squad leader without even getting his own food. "Any word on Chestnut?"
Silver shook his head. "No, Neon, nothing yet."
The support sighed. "Haven't you talked with the Commander?"
"Of course I did," Silver replied. "He just hasn't told me much."
Neon groaned. "This is awful. I can't take the waiting."
Silver sighed and nodded. He could understand that, he had spent most of his time in the guard waiting, always waiting for something to happen. "You learn how to deal with it, eventually."
"I can't stand not knowing," Neon groaned.
That was another thing Silver could relate to. He could even remember the captain's speech, the one she gave to the young guards who wanted to know for sure before they acted. Or at least, he remembered most of it.
"Look, Neon," Silver said, racking his brain for the overhead words the captain had used, "-you can't know for sure, nopony can. Trying to always know for sure is going to freeze you up. In the meantime we need you here, to act accordingly."
Even as he was speaking, he knew he was butchering the speech. It lacked the captain's sheer, charismatic stubbornness, that unwavering commitment to rush the enemy down and beat it until it stopped moving. That kind of bullheadedness made practically every speech she gave about the values of endurance, patience, and steadfast strength.
That and she probably had spent more time practicing.
"Just relax, Neon. We need you focused on the here and now."
Neon groaned. "I'm going to have to ask him."
Silver glanced at him. "You think Commander Spike would tell you sooner than tell me?" he asked.
Neon sighed. "No...I'm just...I just hate waiting."
"Look, if you want, we can go see the Commander together."
Neon nodded. "Alright, alright..."
"Just let me eat, real quick and we'll go."
===ᐁ===
With a meal in his belly, which was eaten with a nervous Neon standing and staring on, the two unicorns went off to find the Commander. The various persons that inhabited the body of Fluttershy said that she had not seen the Commander for a few days now.
Caramel said that she thought she had hear him earlier, but by the time she had spun her head in her jar to look, he was gone.
Sweetie Belle hadn't seen him either, even after poking through a few walls to check.
Not even Velvet Storm, the most orderly pony in the entire Department, in charge of every meeting, every requisition, and every schedule, didn't know where Spike was.
They searched the entire complex together, checking the training rooms, his office, the medical lab, engineering, everything that they had access to. Every hallway, every recreation room, everything was subject to a quick search for the dragon until finally they came to the door.
The wooden door with the candle carefully painted into it's face.
Both unicorns stood before it, staring up at the door to the room that no one was allowed into. Silver knocked softly on the old door, and the hollow thud of his hoof on the wood echoed in the room beyond.
No answer came.
"Well..." Silver said, "I guess we need to keep looking."
"Keep looking?" Neon repeated. "Where else could he have gone?"
"Well it's not like we can go in there," Spike said.
Neon grunted something that sounded very similar to "We can...we just don't."
Silver turned to face the support pony. "You know he killed the last pony that went in there, right?"
"Yeah, that's what Siren said," Neon answered, referring to the ghost by her codename.
"I'm willing to trust her on that," Silver said, before he began to head down the hallway. "Come on, he might have gone to talk with the Princess. He may be gone for a couple of hours, but if we leave a note on his desk--"
The sound of a wooden door swinging open interrupted him, and Silver spun just in time to see Neon disappearing through the door. "Neon!" Silver yelped, before he chased after the support pony into the dark room.
"Neon! Neon, are you crazy!" he whispered frantically as he stepped inside the room.
It took a second for his eyes to adjust, but Silver was not quite prepared for what he saw. The room was large, but covered in clutter to the point where it was almost claustrophobic. He could hardly see the walls for all the stuff that filled the room, and Silver wasn't sure that any actual light in the room would help him with that. A desk dominated the space in front of the room, and Neon was staring at the various knick-knacks that at strewn about it.
"We'll be fine," Neon insisted. "The Commander doesn't waste lives, remember? Besides, I'm curious, I want to know what he keeps in here."
"You are out of your mind!" Silver whispered. "We need to get out...of..."
Is that an old Wonderbolt outfit?
It certainly looked like one, sitting there in a glass case and clinging to the body of an old ponyquin. The old spandex almost looked new, and the only thing that betrayed its age was the design, which Silver knew was discontinued nearly a hundred and forty years ago. Beside the suit were a number of awards, including an old set of Golden laurels that read "Best Young Flyer" along the stems.
Silver looked away, trying to refocus, only for his eyes to fall on something else that caught his attention.
A bonsai tree grew from a tiny pot, and small fruit that looked like apples hung from its branches. Beside the tree, in a large, glass case, was a cowpony hat, sitting lonely, but protected in its home. A pair of work boots, too small for anyone but a foal were set beside the table that held the small collection, so shiny that they might have been worn once.
Everywhere he turned, Silver saw more, almost themed sections in the eclectic collection of clothing, pie tins, pinecones, and more, spread throughout the room with reverence.
"Neon, we really need to get out of here. He'll know if we've touched something, I can feel it," the assault whispered.
"Woah! Memory gems!" Neon said, holding open a small chest of sparkling gems that played life scenes across their facets.
"What did I just say?" Silver hissed, before he brought a hoof down on the lid of the chest.
"Hey! Careful! My hooves were in there."
"We need to--" he repeated, before something caught his eye.
Hidden from the door by a divider of stuff, Silver found himself staring at what looked like the edge of another gem, that shone with a soft magenta light. He leaned over, followed by Neon, getting a better view of the gem and its sheer size.
It was longer than a pony, and came up to their barrels if it were to sit on the floor. Instead it was on a short table, lined with a deep, purple velvet that cushioned the gem with a delicate touch.
Yet more than the gem's colossal dimensions, and its eerie, mystical glow, there was something else that held their curiosity. Something that neither of them could truly see, but that the facets of the gem hinted at.
Silver desperately wanted to leave. He wanted to get out of the room so fast it left a trail in the dust. Yet, as he found himself staring at the gem he could not help but feel captivated. The depths of the gem were distorted by a hundred thousand facets along its sides.
There was something in there. They could tell.
"Okay, we check out the gem and then we leave," Silver said.
Neon gave him a look, and a small, victorious smile.
They approached the massive stone, getting closer with each careful step until they finally stood next to the massive stone.
The top of the gem was a single facet, a perfect window to the inside, and what they saw took their breath away.
A mare lay still in the crystal. Her forelegs were folded across her barrel, and her face was calm and serene. Her coat was a pristine white, and, if Silver looked hard enough through the side of the gem, he could see the trio of bright blue diamonds on her flank. Her mane was a perfect, royal purple, and styled in royal style that spoke of elegance.
There was but a single flaw upon her features, a dark, red band across her neck, but beyond that, she was the picture of grace and beauty.
She was beautiful.
Her eyes were closed, as if in sleep, but her chest was still. She made no move, and Silver quickly began to wonder if she was actually dead, simply preserved in this strange, glowing, magenta crystal.
Neither of two ponies spoke, simply staring at the mare in the crystal. They had no words for her, for the nameless mare that was forever caught in this gem.
"What are you doing in here?"
The voice froze both ponies where they stood. Neither spoke, neither moved.
They both knew who spoke.
"What are you doing here!" the voice roared, furious.
And they felt that wrath.
===ᐁ===
Alpha team was enjoying lunch, or trying their best to, anyway. Their recent loss left a dour atmosphere over the entire team, and they ate their meals in relative silence.
Amber and Silk sat together, trying to eat while both of them worried. No one had seen Chestnut, in a week. Silver, or Neon hadn't been seen for almost an hour either. It was starting to worry the sniper.
Then the entire mess hall exploded into chaos.
Silver and Neon were set skidding across the mess hall floor. A table was pushed aside as they landed hard on the concrete floor. Both were suffering from a dozen different cuts along their bodies, and Silver's subdermal armor was exposed.
And bearing down on them came Commander Spike. He took slow, methodical steps, and his eye were afire. "What were you doing in there!"
Manticore looked up, and began to move, running up to get between the unicorns and the furious dragon.
Spike shoved her aside, his eyes never leaving the two ponies that were barely holding on to consciousness. "You could have broken something!" He yelled, stepping closer. "I can't replace them!"
Silver pushed himself up. "Commander! Commander, I'm sorry, we didn't--"
"You could have ruined something! You could have destroyed the only thing I have left of them! You're not supposed to go in there!"
Manticore grabbed the dragon, trying to hold him back as he continued to stomp forward.
She barely slowed him down.
"We didn't mean to, we didn't touch anything!" Silver yelled.
"That's all I have left!" Spike roared.
"Spike!" A new voice called, and Sweetie Belle shot through the floor, standing between them. "Spike stop it!" Her voice was a sorrowful wail, and the sheer force of it kept Spike at bay for a moment.
"It's all I have!" Spike said, ignoring them all.
Sweetie closed the distance, arms wide open before she embraced him. "It's not all you have, Spike. I'm here..."
Whether it was the freezing chill of Siren's touch, or the words themselves, Spike stopped. He seethed quietly, furious but the flames in his eyes had dimmed.
Finally, he pulled away from the ghost and pointed a claw at the two ponies. "Get them medical attention," he growled, before stomping away.
Everyone else in the room breathed a sigh of relief, before Sweetie Belle turned to the barely conscious Silver. "You are an idiot."
===ᐁ===
All things considered, Commander Spike could have done much worse. While Silver's subdermal armor had protected him, Neon had no such protection. Even so, while the cuts were deep, they missed all vital points. After a few spray bandages were applied, and a few growth stimulants to speed up the healing process, they were ready to leave.
The head of the medical team led them out, letting them both know that he would get the a few days leave from active duty. They both quickly thanked him, before they turned and stood face to face with Manticore.
Or one of her softer personalities, at least. "Are you two alright?" She asked.
"We'll be fine, Ma'am," Silver answered.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Yes Ma'am," Neon answered.
"Okay," she finally said, before she looked down the hall towards The Door. "S-Spike wants to see you in his room," she said, pointing down the hallway.
Neon glanced toward The Door. "He...he does?"
Manticore nodded. "He needs to talk to you," she said.
Silver slowly nodded, and began to move.
"Is he still mad at us?" Neon asked.
"Very," she replied, "but as far as he's concerned, you've been punished enough today."
"Neon," Silver called. "Let's not keep the Commander waiting."
Neon frowned, before he quickly caught up with the unicorn that now seemed bent on suicide.
"Are you crazy?" Neon whispered as he stood next to Silver, who continued confidentially to The Door. "He's going to kill us."
"If he was going to kill us, he would have," Silver said. " This...this is something else."
"I wish I had your confidence," Neon said with a sigh.
They finally came to the door, and Silver gave it a firm knock. "Commander? We're here."
There was silence for a long second, before an answer came back. "Come in."
Both ponies entered the room, and were marginally surprised to see it as dark as before. The desk that sat in the middle of the room was empty, but after a few seconds of searching they found him, sitting next to the giant gem, with a claw gently stroking the side. He didn't look up as they approached, didn't even acknowledge that they were there. All he did was speak.
"You came here, but you had no idea what you were doing," he said, sorrow tinting his voice. "You had no idea what this room means to me, and the damage you could have done. So now, you're going to learn why this room is so important, and what it means to me," he said with a sigh.
There was a long silence.
"This room is why the Department exists," Spike said at length. "I started it because of my friends, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. They were off fighting monsters, saving the world, and I was young and wanted to do my part.
"It started well, I put down a few zombies, caught a lycan. I was doing well, Twilight was proud of me, Rainbow Dash was impressed. Everything was nice, you know, despite the whole 'dealing with monsters' thing, but the best thing was that it impressed Rarity."
Spike dragged his claws against the top of the gem. "Looking back, it was the confidence boost. I wasn't 'little baby Spike' anymore, I was a dragon coming into his own. I was starting to act like an adult, and so everyone started treating me like one. It was great, for a bit, but then everything went wrong, and it was that same confidence of mine that let it happen.
"In short, I met a vampire. A very powerful one. His name is Valentine Ebonbite, and I was not ready for him. Of course, I was young, stupid, and riding a high of confidence, so I took him on."
Spike sighed, before he finally drew his eyes away from the gem to look at them. "He...I don't know, was amused at first? He toyed with me, led me on a merry chase, we danced the dance, fought some fights, he even let me win a few on occasion." Another sigh escaped his lips. "I fell for it. I fell for it hard.
"Then one day, I either got too close, or he grew bored of the charade, and he simply approached me one day and told me to stop. I, of course, thought this was some kind of last ditch effort to get me off his back, so I didn't let up. I messed up one of his operations, and I have been the center of attention ever since"
There was a long second of silence.
"Do you know what vampires do? Do what they will always do no matter what?"
"Suck blood?" Neon asked.
"Obsess," Spike said. "Vampires always obsess. From that moment onward, I had Valentine's undivided attention, and he made me pay for every second of it."
Another second passed in silence, and Spike's eyes drifted back to the gem, and the mare inside.
Finally, Silver spoke up. "What happened?"
Spike didn't answer at first, staring into the magenta depths of the massive jewel. "He attacked my friends," he finally said. "Never lifted a hoof against me, just destroyed my friends lives." He turned from the gem and pointed to the Stetson in the glass box. "He started with Applejack.
"Applejack was the bearer of the Element of Honesty, and she lived and breathed by an honest day's work. Her goal in life was to make Sweet Apple Acres the best Apple farm in all of Equestria, and she did an amazing job at it, too. By the time I started going out to deal with the things that go bump in the night, Sweet Apple Acres was on the verge of becoming the apple supplier to hundreds of bakeries across the country. With hundreds of them being harvested by her own hooves," Spike said, almost smiling as he remembered.
And then it disappeared into a frown. "So he broke her back and paralyzed her from the waist down. It was a miracle that she could still use her forelegs, really. That didn't matter, though. You know how difficult it is for a mare who has done everything herself, to deal with living in a wheelchair? She hated it, hated it with every ounce of her being. This mare, she didn't like asking for help before she couldn't walk. Now that she was in a chair, she had to prove she was capable. She wasn't of course, but she'd never admit that."
Spike sighed again. "It took the concentrated effort of her brother and sister to keep the farm afloat, and...well, I don't know what really became of her other than the fact that she died of old age."
"What do you mean you don't know?" Neon asked.
Spike sighed and shook his head. "The last time I saw her alive...she...she said somethings. She blamed me, and, to be fair, I blamed me, and I didn't have the courage to see her ever again."
Neon blinked, feeling uncomfortable.
"Then came Rainbow Dash," she said, pointing to the wonderbolts outfit. "She worked her entire life to be Wonderbolt. Flying was life for her, she flew everywhere she went, inside or out, and called herself the 'fastest flyer in Equestria,' and had the skill to back it up. It took her years, training, and winning dozens of competitions before she finally made it in, she followed her dream.
"That lasted about a year and a half before Valentine ripped her wings off.
"She was devastated," Spike continued. "She fell into a depression, and tried to commit suicide by jumping off of Canterlot tower at least twice. Fluttershy did her best to help her out, but she was never the same after that."
Spike gave a slight chuckle. "Now, you know what happened to Fluttershy. By Celestia, I'm still not sure you guys have ever met the real Fluttershy.
"Valentine tried to turn her into his thrall, but, because of this little misadventure we had years ago, she became this strange vampire fruit bat/vampire cross. She went completely feral from the shock, though, and the only reason she doesn't growl at every passing pony is because Discord split the trauma between the four or five personalities she now has."
Then Spike went quiet again. "Then came Pinkie Pie. Pinkie was the cheeriest pony you ever met. She smiled all the way through the return of Nightmare Moon, to hear Twi tell it. She loved to meet new ponies, make new friends, and make them smile."
"How did she go?"
"Old age. In the far end of nowhere, as a hermit by my order," Spike sighed. "I tried to protect her. Tried to keep her in protective custody. So I threw her somewhere where nopony would find her, nopony would write, and she'd be alone until her dying day, all because of me."
He stared into the gem, and rubbed a single facet of the massive crystal. "Then came Rarity. She was the worst one. After Pinkie and Fluttershy, I did my best to keep Rarity under guard. I kept the guard with her at all times, she barely have a moment of privacy, but she was protected.
"She didn't appreciate it. Of course she didn't, I knew she wouldn't but it was all I could do. She became furious with me, kicked the guards out, and refused to see me. Probably as some kind of punishment, and that's when he ripped her neck open."
"It wasn't too deep, but she'd bleed out in a few hours, and he must have put something in her, because she was in pain. A lot of pain. Far too much pain, and I did the only thing I could. I brought her to Twilight, and Twilight froze her in crystal."
He dropped his face against the jewel, and shook his head. "She's been with me ever since, all two hundred years. I don't even know if she's alive in there. She could be conscious, in pain, asleep, I don't know."
Spike turned, and stared at both ponies for a very long time. "Valentine has taken and pushed away almost everyone I know. This is what I have left. This is all I have left. This is a reminder to me of why the Department needs to stand. This is why we exist." |
The D.S.P.I. | Operation Patient Thorn | The remainder of Alpha team listened intently, eyes wide to Silver and Neon's story. They absorbed every word of Spike's tale, and stared as two unicorns revealed what they saw in the room behind The Door.
They had even drawn a crowd, ponies from Gamma Team and Phi both listening as they revealed the Commander's biggest secret.
They had no sooner finished before every pony around them flooded them with questions.
"What about Princess Flurry?"
"What happened to Princess Twilight?"
"Does Rarity feel anything? Is she asleep?"
"Guys, guys," Neon said, speaking over the crowd. "We don't know, the Commander didn't tell us."
"He didn't tell us what happened to Princess Twilight. All we know is what the history books tell us," Silver answered. "Old age with no heirs to her throne."
"Yeah, but she could have been poisoned!" A pony from Phi said.
"She could have been, but he didn't tell us."
"She was totally poisoned," another pony agreed.
"If you want to theorize, you go on ahead," Silver said before a smile crept onto his face. "Just don't let the Commander catch you."
As though the warning had been a set of magic words, the entire room went quiet, and the teams quickly went mute.
Silver smiled. "By the way, I feel like I should mention that fact that the Commander has released Chestnut's location."
"Where!?" Amber asked, hooves slamming into the table.
"It's hard to explain, but he can have visitors now," Silver said. "I can take you there if you want."
"Just go!" she said, before she leapt into the air over the table.
Silk giggled. "Don't hold Silver hostage too long, a new movie came out that I want to see with him."
"No promises!" she yelled back, before dragging Silver from out of the cafeteria.
Silk shook her head, taking another bite of her ice cream as she smiled, the teams slowly dispersing now that the news of what happened in the Commander's room had been revealed.
And then, once she was sure she was alone, Silk finally let herself cry.
That had been too close. Far, far too close.
===ᐁ===
Chestnut had been sequestered away into the most obscure corner of engineering. A single medical room, armed with the best equipment that the Department had. Of course, this hardly mattered to Amber, who was more concerned to see that Chestnut had no legs at all.
"What did they do to you?" she asked, nearly screaming.
"It's fine," Chestnut said.
"Fine? You had two less legs than when you came in!" she responded.
"It's all part of the procedure, Amber."
"Procedure? They cut your legs off!"
"And they're going to get me new ones," he said.
"New legs! You had two perfectly good ones last time I saw you."
"You're too upset about this," Chestnut said. "Calm down."
"I'm too upset?" she asked. "You're not upset enough! You look like a kidney bean, for Celestia's sake!"
"Thanks, dear. Thanks for that."
Silver stepped forward. "How are you doing Chestnut?"
"Could be better, all things considering. My nose itches."
Honestly, that was better than what Silver was expecting. He had expected Chestnut to at least be shaken by the loss of his legs, but the heavy weapons expert seemed to take the whole thing in stride. It was as if losing them had been no more traumatic than losing his keys.
Silver's magic quickly enveloped Chesnut's nose, and he sighed in relief. "Thanks, Boss. You're a good pony."
"Well, I wouldn't go that far, but it's appreciated," Silver replied before a took a good look at his heavy weapons pony.
At his withers and flanks, his legs had been completely removed, leaving only a metal plate in each place. Each plate shimmered, with a single yellow gem that almost seemed to crackle with energy.
"So what are they doing about your cutie mark?" Silver asked.
"The Commander said I'd keep it, not sure how, though," he said.
"They took your cuite mark too? How are you so calm!" Amber asked.
"The Commander said it'll be fine," Chestnut told her.
"The Commander got you to sign up for this dumb thing while you were under the influence of painkillers! He manipulated you into this!" she yelled.
"No, he didn't. The Commander's just trying to help."
"He nearly killed Silver and Neon just a few hours ago."
"What?" Chestnut asked, before turning to the assault. "That's not true, is it?"
"It's complicated," Silver admitted. "But, as someone who's gone through a different program, I can tell you it's probably going to work out."
Chestnut frowned. "If you say so, Boss."
"I'll look out for you, Chestnut," he said. "I've got your back."
Chestnut smiled again. "Thanks, Boss."
"You're not going to get him out of this program?" Amber asked.
Silver looked at her. "It's kind of late for that, considering. If I was going to pull him out, I would have done it back when he still had legs."
She glared at him, while Chestnut laughed.
"Glad to know you're doing okay, Chestnut," Silver said.
"Glad to know you care, Boss," Chestnut replied warmly as the unicorn left the two alone.
===ᐁ===
The Commander said it would still be awhile before Chestnut would be ready for combat, and with the Department still down to three teams, Alpha would need to move soon. However, given all of the issues Alpha team had to deal with in the past few days, Spike allowed them an opportunity.
They had to make a decision. They could go out a man down, or they could split up and join the other teams as further support.
The decision was easy enough to come to, and the vote went through in a few seconds. Silver agreed to it for his own reason. Personally, he thought that some inter-team relations building would be good for everyone.
And, of course, as the leader of the team, he'd have to go first.
"How ya' doing, Silver?" Chrome asked as Silver walked into hanger of the DASH-1, ready to take Gamma team to their next mission.
"Better now that I'm not the one in charge," Silver admitted with Silk standing at his side.
"Yeah, lucky dog, you," the demolitions pony muttered, before smiling wide. "Well it'll be nice having a few more ponies to shoot vampires."
"Vampires?" Silk asked.
"I don't brief my ponies until we're on the way. I find my assault remembers better when I told him five minutes ago."
"Doesn't leave much time for questions, does it?" Silver asked.
Chrome shrugged. "It works for me."
"If you two are done," a voice said behind them, and both ponies turned to see Spike joining them in the hangar, "we have a job to do."
"Sir. Yes, sir," they answered in unison, before falling in step behind the dragon.
"Silver, Silk," Spike called as he walked. "You'll be functioning under new callsigns for the duration. You will be known as A2 and S2 for Secondary Assault and Secondary Sniper respectively. Chrome is still the leader of this team, and you will answer to his authority while you work with him. Am I understood in all points?"
"Sir. Yes, sir," they answered.
Spike simply nodded, before climbing up the loading ramp of the DASH-1. "Gamma Team, we're moving out!"
The team gathered and quickly piled inside the massive airship while the pilot went through her final checks.
"Take it away, Demo," Spike ordered.
Chrome nodded before he stood in front of his team. "Alright, team, here's the lowdown after Alpha's sting operation not that long ago, we have the Covenant on the run. We're going in to finish the job.
"The Commander's picked up news about a Covenant cell fleeing, and we're going to wipe it out. Initial reports indicate at least twenty members, but we're not sure how many of them, if any, are vampires, so be warned that any of these idiots may be able to rip your arms off, and Chestnut does not need the company."
Silver frowned at that one.
"Speaking of Alpha team, we have ourselves some guests. Silk and Silver will both be joining with us today, so don't make me look bad."
Gamma team chuckled.
Chrome waited a second before continuing. "Silver's call sign will be A2 if you need his help, and Miss Silk will answer to S2. Just play nice, alright?"
"ETA is 4 minutes," Tinker said over the comms relay.
"You heard the lady, ponies," Spike said. "Get ready for a landing."
===ᐁ===
The purring engines of the DASH-1 squealed as it landed. The landing ramp opened wide and Gamma Team and their guests flooded out of the ship's belly, hooves hitting concrete hard.
Thunder rumbled above them, and the downpour splashed against the concrete and threatened to sweep them away in a flash flood.
They quickly fanned out, weapons up and ready as they found themselves facing a large storage compound. The corporately owned warehouses, out in the middle of nowhere, stood like squat giants, staring down with glowing, window eyes into the shadows between them.
"S2, do you see anything?" Silver asked.
"No thermal signatures that I can see. Might be the rain," Silk said.
"Alright, ponies, spread out," Chrome ordered, "keep your eyes open. We don't know what's out there. Scout, get ahead and clear a path for Agent."
The scout, a unicorn named Ivory Jet began to run forward, his enchanted horseshoes sending the once track-runner flying down the concrete.
The infiltration specialist, an earth pony mare named Moonlight, smiled as her gene-enhanced skin began to shift and shimmer before her internal camouflage went to work to blend her into her surroundings.
"Assault, A2!" Chrome yelled, and Silver took a moment to get used to being ordered so suddenly, "you're the vanguard, Support, on the left, Medic, Sniper, S2, in the middle, Heavy at the back, I'll take the right side. Move out."
They began to march, forming a vaguely-militaristic formation before they began to move forward. Silver kept his crossbow leveled, searching the area around them as they began to move closer and closer to the large warehouses.
Ivory spoke up over the comms. "Contacts in building 3B. I repeat, 3B."
"Roger, preparing to infiltrate," Moonlight said.
"Pulling back to the squad," Ivory said.
"Roger."
Spike moved through the formation, watching with his handgun drawn as the ponies began to zero in on the warehouse labeled 3B. He moved quickly, offering a gentle touch to the shoulders to tell them he was moving past.
Another few seconds went by, and Ivory came back, taking the right side while Chrome shifted into the middle.
"I have four contacts," Moonlight whispered into her com. "Two offer thermal signatures."
"Two vampires, two mortals," Spike muttered.
The team made a mental note, but continued, pushing forward towards the warehouse. Chrome pointed, directing his ponies to various points, while Silver and the other Assault, a pegasus named Onyx prepared to breach the door.
"Update," Moonlight said. "Two more contacts above. Mention of one more."
Chrome nodded, setting a charge, before pulling back. "Prepare to breach, in 3. 2. 1."
An explosion ripped open the warehouse doors, and the assaults rushed in, firing into the red-clad ponies that stood in the open. Through the smoke, two thermal shots shot upward, slamming into the ponies that walked on a catwalk above.
A rain of pneumatic crossbow bolts fanned into the warehouse, even as the two remaining visible ponies cursed. "It's the Department!"
"Pin those vampires down!" Spike ordered, before Chrome answered with a sun-blessed molotov.
The magically-white flames erupted, consuming the vampires and burning them to ashes within seconds.
"Put that out!" Spike roared, before the flames exploded again, burning bigger and brighter.
They consumed the vampires utterly, burning like magnesium in the presence of undead flesh.
Ivory ran through warehouse, almost a blur with the aid of his magic horseshoes, grabbing three different fire extinguishers before running off to grab more. Gamma team ponies grabbed the extinguishers, and began to spray the foam into the flames.
The flames tried, but with the growing number of extinguishers that were suffocating it, it could not burn forever, and eventually went out.
Spike sighed before turning back to Chrome. "How many times have I said, not to use that one indoors."
"Sorry Commander, must be my inner arson," Chrome said with a grin.
Spike glared, and sighed. "Just don't do that again."
"Oh, come now, Commander," a voice said from the darkness, "there's no need to act like that."
Spike spun, hitting the ground on all fours, eyes wide and searching for its source.
The team raised weapons, taking a cue from the feral, searching stance of the commander.
A deep, velvety laugh echoed in the room.
"Where are you?" Spike growled. "Where are you, you son of a--"
"Oh you don't need to worry about that, Commander. I'm not going to hide forever," the deep, rumbling voice told him, before a figure appeared on the catwalk above. A tall unicorn with a grey coat and a brilliant, red, heart-shaped ruby on his flanks. A faint smile played at his lips, and his eyes were a deep, engulfing red that threatened to swallow them all whole. "Hello, Commander."
In that second, Silver knew exactly who that was. There was an undeniable air of power that radiated from every single pore of his body. He was stronger than any vampire Silver had ever met, to the point where he could physically feel the vampire's power. He was a hunter, a noble, a king that was beyond what mere mortals can achieve.
Of course, barely a second later, it was confirmed by a furious, enraged roar.
"Valentine!"
The floor rocked as Spike leapt into the air, trailing green flame, as he cleared that catwalk's hand guards. Spike moved, wreathed in emerald flame, and swung with everything he had, moving too fast for any of the department pony's eyes to see. Flashes of green that could only be Spike fire-engulfed claws swung like a tornado of light, but wherever they struck, Valentine was gone.
Always one step ahead, always a fraction of an inch away, Valentine simply slid out of way of every blow, moving so fast that Silver could swear he was merely teleporting out of the way.
For the gathered ponies below, the fight was impossible to see. There was only a pony that was sliding down the catwalk, and a brilliant green fire.
"I have to say, little Commander," Valentine said, staring into the flame with his blood red eyes, "I'm surprised you brought your kids along, I thought it would be too dangerous for them."
"Shut up and die!" Spike answered back in a roar.
"Now, now, calm down, Commander," Valentine warned, "-losing your temper isn't befitting a dragon of your stature."
"Just die!"
"Then grow a pair a kill me!" Valentine laughed. "Come on, you little monster, kill me!"
This time Valentine moved, swinging his own hooves to meet Spike's flaming claws. Thunder sounded with each blow, yet neither of them slowed.
"Come on! Hit me, you little monster! Hit me!" Valentine yelled.
The thunder rolled as the blows came faster, crashing into each other in a crescendo of sound as each tried to land a single blow. A second passed, and then another, until the entire warehouse shook with the sound.
Then finally, finally, it ended. With the sound of a lightning strike, the flaming ball of green fire was sent flying across the warehouse, the flame shedding off the young dragon as he slammed into the far wall at breakneck speeds.
"Tsk, tsk, Commander." Valentine admonished. "Tsk, tsk."
Spike was pulling himself from the wall. Trying to free himself from being buried in the concrete.
"First blood goes to me again, and you know what that means, don't you, Commander?"
"Leave them out of this!" Spike roared.
"It means I get to kill one of your little kids," the vampire said, turning his gaze down on the team of ponies on the warehouse floor below.
When his eyes passed over them, Silver felt his body freeze. Terror locked his joints in place. The power in his gaze alone felt on par with the horrid, bloody monstrosities that he had seen cultist try to summon from beyond, and Silver felt honestly, truly afraid.
His body screamed at him, roared for him to move, but his legs were far to terrified to move. His hooves were carved marble, his body was solid lead. He would not move.
He was alone in the gaze of Valentine Ebonbite.
A flaming claw slammed into the vampire's face, breaking his gaze, before Spike yelled "Get to the ship!"
Back in control of his body, Silver turned to see the cowering mass of Gamma team clinging to the far wall. "Move, ponies! Move!"
The tore off, rushing out of the warehouse, before Spike leapt down, spewing flame. Green fire caught the crates, boxes and tarps that stood by the walls, before burning red.
"Where are you off to, Commander?" Valentine asked, half his face burned down to the skull. "We have business."
"Burn in Tartarus, monster!" Spike yelled, before unleashing his breath once more.
The fire engulfed Valentine, burning brighter in the presence of undead flesh. Valentine's skin cracked and peeled, his fangs and exposed bone blacked, but he walked, as calm as though it were a Sunday evening.
Spike breathed again, his fire spewing across the warehouse until there was not a foot that was not covered in flame.
"Is that it, Commander?" Valentine asked, slowly burning away to a black skeleton with a brilliant, pumping red heart. "Is this all you have for me? Because Tartarus is far warmer, I assure you."
Spike turned, and ran, leaving the warehouse to burn as he ran to catch up with team. "Thundercloud! That ship better be off the ground by the time I get there!"
"Yes, sir!" came Tinker's reply.
His claws raked the dirt as Spike ran, his lithe, reptilian body slithering through the air as he closed the distance between him and the DASH-1. It hovered a foot off the ground, the loading ramp open and waiting as Silver and Chrome stood, hooves outstretched.
Spike leapt up, into the waiting hooves, and the ramp closed behind them, locking them in.
The DASH-1 pulled away, floating into the sky while its engines began to whine.
"You did it, Commander! You got him!"
Spike shook his head. "I bought us time. Not much more than that."
"You bought us time? He can't burn?" Silver asked.
"If it was that easy, this would have been over a long time ago."
===ᐁ===
From the center of the still burning warehouse, the blackened skeleton of Valentine watched as the form of the airship flew through the air, disappearing like a shooting star.
His lipless fangs smiled as he watched his enemy escape, with a debt between them, nonetheless.
Well, that would have to be settled another time then.
But soon, very soon.
And all the while, the glowing, ruby heart of the vampire known as Valentine was beating, always beating, even with no blood to pump. |
The D.S.P.I. | Fortification | The second they had touched down, Spike had began to fortify the headquarters. "I am not letting that scumbag get in!" He had roared, before going off himself to erect concrete barricades.
The teams were quick to follow, setting up killing fields, choke points, checkpoints, defensive cover and more. They were making the whole headquarters into a fortress.
It actually confused Silver a bit.
"Aren't we safe just because vampires can't enter a home without being invited?" he asked, setting up another barricade.
"He can be invited by anything. All he needs is one ghoul that knows how to speak to let him in. We're going to make sure the ghouls don't set a hoof inside."
That was a better answer than he expected, honestly.
The floor was reinforced with grates and steel, automated Thermal Shot turrets with their best, albeit prototype targeting spell matrix gems.
Large, triangular barricades were set with their long, hypotenuse slant facing where the enemy would be coming from. "Hopefully, it would keep the enemy from using the barricades against us," Spike told them. "That, and it'll hopefully roll any grenades they throw back at them."
"Grenades? I thought we were dealing with ghouls?"
"Have you ever seen a ghoul use a grenade?" Spike asked.
"No sir?"
"Well I certainly don't want to."
The logic was almost self-evident.
Almost.
In two days time the headquarters had transformed from - secret underground base - to a full on military bunker. There was not a hallway that was not covered by some firearm at all times. It was impenetrable, if Silver had to say so himself.
"We did a good job, team," Silver said to Alpha Team.
"I'm just glad we're getting back to shooting things." Sparky muttered.
Wiping the sweat off his face, Silver smiled. "You know, I'm almost proud of this."
"Good, cause there's more to do," the Commander said, walking up behind them.
"More?" Neon asked, almost scandalized at the thought.
"More," Spike confirmed.
"But sir," Silver began, "-this base is practically impossible to assault. They couldn't get past--"
"You can't get past the defenses and turrets, but we're dealing with something way beyond you," Spike grunted. "We're not done. Not by a long shot. We're going to be at this for the next week."
"A week of this?" Sparky groaned.
"Yes, a week," the dragon said. "Now, I have some silver oil for you to apply to the floor and walls. Let's see them dig through the floor again."
Silver sighed as Spike began to walk away, leading them away to their next job. "Well, you heard the dragon, let's go," he said.
===ᐁ===
Defenses weren't the only thing the teams were preoccupied with during the week. Gamma and Phi both had been given a full briefing on Valentine, and Alpha was now waiting for their own to begin any second.
The team was gathered in the briefing room, waiting on Spike to show up and give them the full story on what was happening, spread across the whole room.
Sparky sat at the table, half asleep. Being the team's only heavy lifter until Chestnut got back, he had been given most of the lifting work when it came to the defenses. Lemon sat opposite him, reading over a list of a new potion grenades types that Spike had been reserving for this. Mandible and Neon sat to one side, playing cards as they waited, and Amber was by herself, sighing.
"I guess we're all here," Silk said, walking up next to Silver.
"All but Spike," the Assault said.
"Oh, don't tell me you forgot me already," someone said.
The team turned to see Chestnut, rolling in on a wheelchair.
"Chestnut!" Amber cried, before she flew across the room to hug his neck.
"Hey everyone," Chestnut said, rolling forward.
"Naw, couldn't forget you, Chestnut," Silver said. "There's too much empty space without you. How are you doing, man?"
"Better," the Heavy said. "I can move now, but I'm kinda stuck in a chair for a bit. But check this out," he said, before he held out his new arm.
The steel and brass limb looked like something out out of a science fiction comic. Gears and wheels clicked and spun along the joints, while the almost skeletal body of the arm hissed as pistons worked. It moved as fluidly as a living leg, and it even reacted to Silver's touch.
"Wow," the unicorn muttered, "that's a pretty piece of work."
"It get's better," Chestnut said. "Pull it."
"Pull it?" Silver asked, eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, pull it sideways."
Silver obeyed, and the arm came free. "I think it was a little loose," Silver said, before the arm moved in the unicorn's magical grasp.
Silver stared up at it.
It waved at him, and Chestnut smiled.
"I..."
"It's attuned to me," Chestnut explained. "That's why it's taking so long. Everything else is ready, it's just my legs now."
"Okay..." Silver said, still trying to process the whole thing, and returned the leg back where it belonged. "Why do you need removable legs that you can still control?"
Chestnut smiled. "You'll see soon enough."
"Alright everyone, time for business," Spike said, walking in suddenly.
The team took their seats, and the changeling gave Sparky a nudge, waking him from his nap.
"As I'm sure you've heard," Spike began as the room fell silent, "Gamma Team recently ran into a vampire that has been confirmed to be Valentine Ebonbite. Now Ebonbite is a very powerful vampire, but in this briefing I'm going to do my best to give a sense of how powerful he is."
"Can't be that hard," Sparky muttered to himself.
If Spike heard him, he didn't acknowledge him. "According to our best sources Valentine was a native of the Crystal Empire. He was a mage in the service of the royal family, and eventually began to search for a means of immortality."
"As one does," Mandible said with a smirk.
"So he delved into necromancy," Spike continued. "He eventually decided that being a vampire was his best bet. However, instead of doing the traditional thing and going to get bit, he decided that he was going to try a different route. He took a vampire, killed him, and crystallized the vampire's blood into a gem.
"Then the madman decided to replace his heart with the gem," Spike explained. "This gave him vampirism, but also gave him an incredible head start in power."
"Any idea why he wanted to do it that way?" Mandible asked.
"The best we can guess, he didn't want to risk becoming a thrall, so he cut out the middlepony. Either that, or he found out that his way would allow him to use the vampire's power as his own. Or he did it to combat the weakness of vampirism. We're not sure, all we know is what other vampires have told us."
"And what else have they told us?" Silk asked.
"Well, they have a strong suspicion that Valentine may have inspired Sombra to action, if that means anything to you."
"Wasn't he a villain that the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony fought?" Neon asked.
"He was," Spike said. "Enslaved all of Crystal Empire before the girls and I stopped him. Anyway, Valentine. Valentine had escaped the original sealing of the Empire after leaving the royal court. Since then, he's been focusing on his powers of necromancy and with his new heart, there was very little that could be done against him. Rival vampires either left him alone or died, and that was just the start."
Spike took a moment, sighing before he continued. "Moving on to more modern events, he has taken an obsessive interest in the Department, and has created multiple 'games' that determine whether or not various employees live or die. He has very little respect for mortal pony life.
"As for weaknesses," Spike continued, "...stakes are useless because he has no heart to impale. We already know silver isn't any good against vampires, and he is resistant to fire. He can grow back from nothing but his heart, sunlight stops his powers, but he still has more than a thousand years of necromantic study, and could raise an army of the undead in broad daylight. The only that keeps the madman from moving openly against Equestria as a whole are the Princesses themselves, which keeps him, and the vampires with actual brains working in the shadows."
"So basically he's just tougher?" Sparky asked.
"He's far more than 'just tougher,'" Spike grunted. "If the vampires were to have open war, he would be the undeniable winner. The only vampire I could even imagine being able to go hoof to hoof with him would be the First Vampire herself, and even then, I'm not so sure."
The briefing room went silent for a long time.
"Valentine is the greatest threat the Department has ever faced. Yes, there may be some creatures that are stronger, or faster, but Valentine was smarter, and it made him tougher than everything else we have ever faced."
"So how do we take him down?" Silver asked.
"Destroy the heart," Spike said. "Although, as you can probably guess, that's easier said than done. He has it enchanted to resist everything from crushing force, chipping, fire, ice, electricity, silver and more."
"So we can't break it?" Chestnut asked.
"No, there's always a limit to resistance enchantments. We can break it, but it will take extreme effort to do so. The hard part is getting the heart. I haven't gotten it in the past two hundred years," Spike said. "But I promise you, the second we do, we will finally be able to end this."
===ᐁ===
Fortification continued, day by day, building on top of every new level to be more and more defensible. It was almost ridiculously excessive, if not for the sheer resilience of the monsters Silver had seen. Of course, that didn't stop him from feeling uncomfortable, knowing that the tiny IR card he was now forced to carry was the only thing between him and death by high-caliber rounds.
When the week had fully passed, only then was Spike confident enough to begin missions again. Silver had gone out again, and come back. Sparky and Neon had a mission with Phi, and Amber and Lemon went together on another mission with Gamma.
Chestnut, meanwhile, got his second arm, and was beginning to "calibrate" them with trips down to the firing range. That's where Silver found him on the Monday after, sitting in his motorized wheelchair as he fired a pneumatic crossbow. "How's it coming, Chestnut."
"Oh, hey, Boss," the heavy weapons pony geeted. "It's going pretty good. I think my aim's better with these new legs."
"Aim's more about your eye," Silver said.
"That's not what the target's saying," Chestnut said with a smirk.
"So are you going to tell me what the removable legs are for, yet?" Silver asked.
Chestnut smiled. "Oh- that'd ruin the surprise boss."
Silver raised an eyebrow. "Are you really going to keep quiet about this?"
Chestnut smiled and reloaded.
"Alright," the assault pony said with a smirk. A moment passed, and then another before Silver spoke up again. "How's Amber treating you?"
"She's still upset that the Commander took my legs, and mad at me that I'm not upset, but other than that she's treating me well. She says my arms are too cold, though."
"We can't win every time."
"Ain't that the truth."
Chestnut emptied another magazine of bolts into the target against the far wall. "I'm telling you, Boss, the arms made my aim better."
Silver shook his head. "If you say so, man. You going to join us for dinner?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be with the whole team."
"Not the whole team. Sparky's off with Gamma tonight on another mission, but Amber and the others are here."
"Close enough," Chestnut said, before he backed away from the counter and wheeled over to the weapon rack. "Alright, let's go."
Silver nodded, and the two began to head back towards cafeteria. "You know, I have to ask... is it true what the girls are saying about you, Boss?"
"Depends on what they're saying about me," Silver replied.
"I heard that you stared down Valentine."
Silver frowned. "No...no that's true."
"Really?" Chestnut asked. "I mean, it sounds like something you'd do. Stand in front a thing like that."
"I was standing because I was to afraid to move," Silver admitted.
Chestnut blinked. "You? Scared, Boss? I don't believe it."
"That's probably why they think I was being brave."
"You were honestly scared?" Chestnut asked, like he couldn't wrap his head around the idea.
"Yes, Chestnut, honestly."
The earth pony cyborg shook his head. "Then why tell me that? You could let everyone think you're a hero if you wanted to."
"Honestly Chestnut, I prefer ugly truth over unearned praise. I've known too many real heroes to do otherwise."
===ᐁ===
Sparky and Gamma were preparing their strike.
They had tracked another Crimson Covenant cell down to a building in the middle of the desert south of old Equestria. The tiny house, little more than a room by itself, led to a staircase that descended into a series of tunnels and underground chambers that threatened a lot of close quarters combat.
Sparky was looking forward to it, it had been a while since he used his knife. The magically reinforced obsidian blade was ready to slip between flesh, and maybe stab another vampire or two.
"Now come on, focus. You have a job to do, Sparky."
"Alright. Team, get ready," Chrome Shift said, as he loaded molotovs into his potion launcher.
Gamma checked their rounds, magazines and crossbows, checking and re-checking their arms just to make sure they didn't jam. The click-clack of the crossbows being reloaded echoed for a second or two before Chrome nodded. "Alright, let's move."
The team moved, inching toward the small building that was being guarded by two cultists armed with muskets. The only one who stayed behind was the Sniper, who took careful aim at her target.
Sparky waited at the back.
They moved closer, Gamma's Scout and Assault inching forward with their crossbows trained on one of the guards.
A second passed. Another.
And Gamma made its move, in a perfectly timed, simultaneous attack, two crossbow bolts slammed into one of the guards while a thermal shot vaporized half of the face of the other.
"Move in, move in, secure the stairs."
Gamma worked like a well-oiled machine. Sliding over to the muskets, and setting them aside while the others stood next to the stairs, setting up a secured area while the team gathered itself.
"Okay, we'll move down, and begin to clear the complex. Remember what the Commander taught us. Ready to move on my mark."
Sparky smirked. "Just keep making my job easier."
Chrome took a second, a deep breath, and motioned with his hoof. Time to move. Gamma began to drop into the tunnels beneath the building, and the temperature immediately dropped as they entered the concrete catacombs.
Sparky kept his focus as they went down, slowly making his way toward the back. Deeper and deeper down they went, and they made contact, but Sparky didn't.
Sparky was in the back, and with a thought, had activated his internal camouflage.
Effectively invisible in the darkness, Sparky moved away, heading down side passages and empty rooms to try and get around Gamma and the firefight happening a few rooms away.
He searched the rooms, looking for the thing that could grant him what he wanted. He ran past empty room after empty room, checking high and low it.
"What are you looking for, little pony?" A voice growled in the darkness.
Sparky spun, leveling his crossbow out of habit at a Pegasus with bat wings.
Sparky smirked. "Perfect, I've been meaning to talk to you."
"Talk to me?" The vampire asked. "That is a very dangerous thing to do."
"Not as dangerous as talking to your boss," the scout said with a smirk.
The vampire regarded him a moment or two. "You wish to speak with Lord Ebonbite?"
Sparky nodded. "I want to make a deal."
===ᐁ===
Only a few rooms away, the fighting was fierce. Musket fire and silver tipped crossbow bolt flew through the air at terrible speeds, leaving the air between both sides as little more than a crossfire of whistling metal.
The heavy weapons pony kept trying to provide suppressive fire, but every time he moved, the cultists would focus their fire on him. "I need a moment!"
"Give me a second!" Chrome yelled, loading a potion into his launcher. He slid the potion home and turned into the hallway.
Thunder sounded, and Chrome went flying backwards.
"They have a cannon!" the sniper shouted from cover.
"Demo is down!" the medic yelled, staring at Chrome's upper body. His hind legs had been torn off, leaving him with only his forelegs which still gripped his weapon. "Someone take out that cannon!"
A sudden streak shot across the room, and a volley of bolts shot forward, ripping the enemy cannon team to pieces. Sparky stood amongst them all, standing like some sort of angel. "We have four vampires a few rooms down. We're going to need backup."
"You heard the pony!" The agent yelled. "We're outgunned. Pull out! Thundercloud, be ready for extraction!"
Gamma began to move, the heavy weapons pony pulling Chrome's broken form onto his back as they sounded the retreat. They ran up the stairs and into the sunlight.
Yet Sparky waited at the top of the stairs, and stared into the darkness behind him.
Two, hungry red eyes stared back at him from the shadows.
A single, long, understanding look passed between them.
The scout nodded, and moved on. |
The D.S.P.I. | Operation Glass Prophet | Chrome was in rough shape.
He was finally stable, but any normal doctor would have told him that he was never going to walk again. His hind legs had to be amputated to his knees, leaving only a pair of bandaged stumps for him to walk on.
Luckily, the Department didn't have normal doctors.
After giving his express permission, Chrome enrolled into the same program as Chestnut, and Alpha team's heavy was ready to walk him through each step as they prepped him for his first surgery.
Still, with Gamma's leader down for the duration, the restriction on Alpha team had to be lifted. "You guys can take a team mission again," Spike had said. "With the next recruiting day still months away, I can't afford not putting you on the field."
Silver understood, although he was still incredibly cautious about sending his team out where a monster was waiting for them. It didn't help that Chestnut still wasn't back in fighting shape. He had three legs now, complete with his cutie mark etched into the hind leg, but that was still too few for the "Auto-hydraulic Jack" program to be effective.
So Silver delayed. He waited and waited as long as he could before he finally, finally relented. He had picked a "delivery" job, a hopefully easy job creating an armory stockpile in case one of the teams were stuck outside the base.
"Let's go, Alpha team, we have a job to do."
Ponies moved this way and that, preparing their load for deliver.
The only trick was that the info network suggested that there could be a Covenant cell nearby.
Hopefully the cell was either non-existent, and merely the result of a wild rumor, or they were weak, and would go down without much difficulty.
They had taken out cells before, it was possible.
Silver just hoped he was right.
"Leaving already?" Chestnut asked, and Silver looked up to see the earth pony roll up in his wheelchair.
"Yeah, we won't be long, though," Silver said.
"Better not be," the heavy said with a smirk. "Amber and I have a date tonight."
"She'll be back, don't worry. You going to be okay by yourself?"
"Yeah, I'll just spend a little time sitting in the cafeteria while I wait for you to get back."
Silver nodded. "I'll send Amber your way once we land."
"Oh, you won't have to. I'll be right here once you get back," Chestnut replied.
Silver blinked, and was about to say something, when Silk called over. "Hey, Assault, we're ready!"
"Who said you were waiting on me? Load her up, and let's go." he turned back to the wheelchair-bound pony. "You'll be alright?"
"I'll be fine, just get out of here and do your job."
Silver smiled. "Will do."
===ᐁ===
With the DASH-1 hovering in the air, Silk scanned the ground below them. Ponies ran back and forth, moving large crates as they tried not to trip over their crimson robes.
Covenant ponies crawled over the small, abandoned Celestial cathedral that was supposed to serve as their backup armory.
"They're everywhere," she said.
"Of course they are," Silver groaned.
"They're too close to the church to bombard," Spike noted.
"We can still try," Silver said.
Spike shook his head. "If we run them out, they won't come back here, it'll make the building more secure."
The DASH-1 barely purred as it hovered above the cathedral. It's lights were off, and its engines were running silent. This kept the ship all but invisible to the ponies on the ground, who continued to move, unaware of the Department sniper staring down at them with her incredible eyes. "There's another one."
"What do you mean another one? Here are dozens of them," Silver asked.
She glanced at him, mildly-annoyed. "There's a different one. He's covered in silver."
"What kind of silver?" Spike asked.
"A crown, a silver belt, just tons and tons of jewelry."
"Any weapons?" Spike asked.
"Um...a silver knife that he's swinging around?"
"Does it have any runes on it?"
"A few," she said.
"One that looks like a set of teeth?" Spike asked.
"Uh...yes...yes there's one there," she said.
Spike groaned. "Of course Valentine would have a priest..."
"What?" Silver asked.
"Every now and then someone's ego gets big enough that they think they're an honest to goodness god. When they do, well, what else is there to do but hire a priest?"
Silver blinked. "Are you serious?"
"Unfortunately."
"So what?" Silk asked, hefting her longrifle. "Do we take him out or not?"
Spike sighed. "We can...and nothing would make me happier than dropping Valentine's ego a bit. Unfortunately, it'll make him come against us all the harder. That's something we almost definitely do not want."
"So do we find another cache location?" Silk asked.
"You will," Spike said. "I have some unfinished business."
Silver had just enough time to open mouth before Spike leapt from the open cargo bay door.
Both ponies watched as the dragon landed, his handgun barking it's hard-mana needles at the cultists, tearing skin and clothing apart with ease.
Silver sighed.
"We're going in?" Silk asked.
"We're going in..." he answered. "Thundercloud, touch down, we have to get the Commander back up here."
"Roger that," Tinker answered before the DASH-1 began to drop.
"Get ready, team. LZ is hot!" Silver yelled, before Silk took to the air, flying for the tower with all speed.
"Demo!" Silver called. "I need you to open up the LZ!"
Lemon ran up, eager to send a very familiar, white-hot grenade into the Covenant ranks. The sun-blessed Molotov erupted into a bright, white light, and more than one cultist burned in the holy flame.
A red thermal shot vaporized another cultist head, and between the fire, Silk's pinpoint shots, and the rampaging dragon, the DASH-1 one landed without trouble. "Let's move, team!" Silver ordered, and Alpha Team quickly poured out of the cargo bay.
Neon rushed forward, bolts flying from his pneumatic crossbow, as Sparky followed close behind. Mandible and Amber took the right side, while Silver and Lemon took the left. With the sudden, three-pronged attack from the front, the cultists ran, trying to form proper ranks.
These results were quickly ended by Spike's own claws. In minutes, the cultists were torn to pieces, and the forces that were surrounding the cathedral were utterly destroyed.
With the initial cultist force down and out, the tea! Moved forward, catching up with Spike.
"I thought I said to find a new cache location," Spike noted.
"Sir, we will, sir. However we decided it was prudent to first eliminate any possible chance of the enemy following us," Silver said.
Spike narrowed his eyes, before the sudden, frantic yelling of a madpony inside caught his attention. "Rise up, my brothers! Rise and defend yourselves from those who would leave us blind! Rise to protect the name of the Great Guide! Lord Ebonbite will take us through the darkness, we are only asked to stand!"
Silver raised an eyebrow. "They worship a vampire, but call us evil?" he asked.
"It takes a special kind of pony to be a cultist, Assault," Spike explained. "Now get in there!"
The Celestial cathedral, according to tradition, had one door, facing the East. It would be a tight, and no doubt deadly chokepoint for the enemy to take advantage of.
Luckily, they had a pony just for that job. "Agent, get in there and secure a hoofhold!"
"Shall I serve you tea as well?" He asked, before his mirror cloak hid his body in a strange, almost magical shimmer.
"Sniper, try and find a spot behind us to shoot from, we'll need you focused on taking the ones ahead of us out."
"Already ahead of you, Assault," she replied in a sing-song voice.
"Alright, Demo, open us up with a stun potion," Silver ordered.
"Gladly," she replied, loading the proper grenade.
"Breach in 3, 2, 1!"
The doors exploded inward, and immediately the air was filled with smoke and whistling lead as the Covenant ponies fired their muskets. This lasted half a second before the space between them exploded in white light and sound.
The cultists screamed, firing blindly as the brilliant flash burned into their eyes. Silver caught a few bullets, but other than the hole in his skin, his subdermal armor protected him. Still, he dove for cover, hiding behind a long empty stone basin.
"Charge!" Silver yelled, feeling like an idiot as he did, while the first line reloaded.
The priest stood at the altar, which had been defaced, as though to make Ebonbite's claim all the more legitimate. "Defend yourselves, my children, defend the name of our Lord Ebonbite!"
He was silenced with a perfect thermal shot to the face.
"They took the priest!" a cultist cried. "Avenge him!"
The crossfire was as hard in the chokepoint as Silver thought it would be. The lead was flying, the muskets were roaring, bolts were leaping across the space, and there was not a single, safe square foot of air as the cultists and Alpha Team both laid into each other.
And then the backstabbing began.
Silver couldn't hear them over the musket fire, but he saw that the cultists were screaming at each other. They were angry, pointing hooves, and yelling before they drew their weapons on each other. Silver almost didn't believe it when he saw the cultists shooting each other.
"Push forward!" Silver yelled, hoping that the distraction on the Covenant line would be enough for them to push through.
The Department ponies pushed forward, passed into the sanctuary, firing bolts and pinning ponies left and right. In seconds, the Covenant ponies were taken care of, leaving little more than bodies ready to be cremated.
Mandible deactivated his mirror cloak, reappearing amongst the bodies. "You know, convincing them that their friends stabbed them was almost too easy," he said with a smirk, before his face changed to one of the bodies around him. "Brick? What are you doing Brick? Arg!" He chuckled to himself before his face changed again. "Like, they turned on each other so fast that these guys have to have some serious trust issues. Sorry, had trust issues."
Silver raised an eyebrow. "You're certainly taking a lot of enjoyment out of this," he noted.
Mandible shrugged, smiling all the way. "Old habits, you know?"
Spike walked up. "Well, at least we cleared up this mess," he grunted. "Of course, now I think about it, they may have too much interest in this cathedral. We may need to move to a different location anyway."
"Well, if nothing else, we stopped what they were going to do here," Lemon said, while Amber flew over to take care of Silver's bullet wounds.
Silver nodded. "Besides, it could have been worse. They could have had a stronger force, could have been more dug in, any number of things."
"Yes...I could have been here."
Everyone froze at the sound of rumbling, deep voice.
Spike spun, drawing his weapon and searching the shadows.
Valentine laughed. "You're just so easy to startle, Commander."
"What do you want, Valentine?" Spike demanded as motioned the others to get out of the church as fast as possible.
"Why that's simple, Commander. I drew first blood last time. You owe me a life."
In a single moment, everything went wrong.
Spike had just enough time to turn, eyes wide in horror as he realized what was about to happen. Alpha team was still backing out of the chapel, keeping their eyes on the shadows, checking behind only after Spike had moved.
By then it was far too late.
A face, half skull, half flesh, was among them. The grinning, fanged smile of Valentine as his hooves reached out for a neck.
Silver had enough time to blink, before Valentine was gone, carrying a pony up with him. A strangled, feminine cry sounded, along with the weak flapping of wings.
"Let her go!" Spike yelled, firing shot after shot at the vampire.
He simply weaved out of the way, dodging each attack as he carried his captive up into the air, out of reach.
Fire form the team shot upwards after him, all trying to stop the vampire and save their teammate. They might as well have been throwing tissue paper.
Valentine laughed, before he tossed the mare into the air. Immediately she threw her wings open, trying to catch the wind before the blood-red aura of Valentine's magic.
Valentine shook her about, throwing the mare about like a rag doll. "Now, now, Commander. You should know by now that it is my job to make sure anyone that walks with you dies. And I don't leave a job half-finished."
With that, he squeezed, and Amber Breeze, medic of Alpha team, felt her windpipe crush. She clawed at the magic around her throat, but by then, she had already breathed her last.
The whole room exploded in panic.
More shots rocketed up to the vampire, trying to hit him as he danced out of the way.
He let Amber fall, still faintly struggling to breathe as Valentine stepped into the shadows.
She hit the ground hard, too busy trying to breath to spread her wings. Silver rushed to her side, fumbling to grab her first aid kit that was secured to her belt.
He finally pulled it free, and wasted no time opening it. A dozen different tools stared back at him, and his lack of training made him hesitate.
Only for Spike to pick up the slack. "Call Thundercloud closer!" He ordered, "prepare for emergency evac!"
"What about Valentine?" Neon asked.
"He's long gone," Spike said. "It's just us now." He grabbed a small, plastic tube from the kit, and stabbed it into her neck. A slight spray of blood shot upward, hitting Spike's scales in a fine mist. Her chest immediately Rose, filling with air again.
Silver ran out, yelling into his comms as he tried to reposition the massive airship.
"I'm ordering you to stay alive medic," Spike told her. "Training a good medic takes too much time."
She was breathing heavy, and her eyes were unfocused.
A bloody foam began to dribble from the tube, and Spike cursed as he carefully drew his claws down her side. He felt every rib, until he felt one give, still over her lungs.
Spike had seen this enough to know exactly what happened.
The fall broke a rib. A very important rib.
He cursed again, before he began yelling over his communicator. "Get here faster, Thundercloud. Her lungs pierced. She's bleeding fast, and it's choking her!"
"Touching down now, sir," she replied as the DASH-1's loading lights turned on.
"Grab a stretcher and get the medic on board!" Spike yelled.
Alpha team moved as fast as they could, rushing to save their medic. "Let's move, let's move!" Silver said. "It's our turn to save her flank, let's go!"
They ran up the loading bay door, and Silver and Silk quickly secured her in place as Spike yelled into the cockpit. "Back to HQ, full speed ahead! We're saving this mare!"
"Sir!" Tinker answered, before the loading bay door closed shut.
The DASH-1 lurched forward, picking up speed as they slowly raised in the air.
===ᐁ===
Chestnut read his book, trying to figure out what a "sconce" was, when the massive steel doors began to open.
He looked up from his novel. They were back already? That was fast. Maybe the Covenant cell had already backed out before the team got there? Ah, it didn't matter as much, the point was they were back.
Setting his book in his lap, he began to make his way toward the landing dock.
"Ah, Guttentag, Chessnut," a voice said as he pulled into the hallway, and he turned to Butter Streusel walking up behind him.
"Hello, Miss Streusel. What brings you here?"
"Ah, vell it is mein day off, und it is mein turn to be outside," she explained. "So, vee decided to take zee valk around zee department."
He nodded. "I might take one of those myself here soon."
"Ah, of course. You only need one more leg, Ja?"
Chestnut nodded. "Yup, one more and I can walk again. Of course, the suit's what going to be real fun."
She chuckled to herself. "I'm shure. Vell, don't let me keep you, dear, go und zee your beloved."
Chestnut smiled again. "Always."
The earth pony began to wheel himself down a ramp, through a set of doors, and finally came down to the landing bay.
The DASH-1 was just touching down, and the loading door hissed open.
Chestnut smiled as Alpha Team began to walk down the door-turned-ramp. "Hey, everybody, good to see you back."
No one answered him.
The earth pony's smile began to fade. "Guys?"
They didn't look at him.
"Guys?" he asked, concern growing with every second. "Guys?"
Spike and Silver came last, and they were the only ones that could even look him in the eyes. "Chestnut..." Silver began.
"Where's Amber?" he asked, a growing sense of dead building in the pit of his stomach.
"Chestnut," Silver began again. "Valentine was there."
A couple of nurse ponies ran up to the cargo bay.
"What happened?" he asked, his mouth going dry.
"He was out for blood," Spike said. "He felt that he was owed a life, so he was trying to take it."
The nurse ponies walked out, carrying a stretcher with a figure, covered by a sheet.
Chestnut took a long, shaky breath.
"I'm sorry, Chestnut," Silver said, "we tried everything we could, the DASH-1 just wasn't fast enough to get here in time."
Chestnut said nothing.
"Chestnut," Silver began, before Spike laid a claw on his shoulder.
"Just...let me take care of this," Spike said.
Chestnut simply stared at the open cargo bay doors.
Silver frowned, but conceded, and walked away, leaving the wheelchair-bound earth pony, and the dragon alone.
Spike said nothing, but merely set a claw down on his living back, and sat beside him.
Neither moved, nor said a thing for hours.
Spike sat there, patting his back while Chestnut simply stared at the empty cargo bay.
Finally, finally Chestnut spoke up. "Is this what he did to you, Commander?"
"Over and over again," Spike told him.
"Then I'm going to kill him. For both of us." |
The D.S.P.I. | Operation First Hymn | They had a new mission.
With the general plan of "kill Valentine once and for all, especially now that he launched a terrorist attack," the whole Department was focusing its efforts on finding the vampire in question. The whole research team was dedicated to try to discover some way of tracking him, while the teams were spreading out all across the country to try and find any trace of him.
Alpha Team was gathered for a mission to the Macintosh hills. "Why aren't we heading for the ship?" Sparky asked.
"Chestnut, he's finally ready to get back into the action," Silver told them. "That and we're meeting our replacement medic, too."
"So we can leave without a heavy, but we need a medic?" Sparky asked.
"Hey, I'm not going to argue with that," Neon said with a snort. "I need someone to patch me up."
Silver led the team down to the briefing room, where their medic was waiting.
According to the dossier that passed by his desk, the medic's name was Cotton Swab, and he was what Spike called a member of the "reserve" promising recruits that Spike left alone unless he failed to meet minimum recruit numbers.
Most reserve recruits manage to escape service, but every now and then, some poor unlucky sod gets pulled into the Department, and Cotton pulled the short end of the stick this time.
It doesn't help that Spike typically filled the reserve with medic hopefuls.
They stepped inside the briefing room, to meet a white-coated pony. "Um...hi," he said as he watched the heavily armed ponies entered the room. "You...are all way more armed than I thought you'd be..."
"You get used to it," Silver said. "Have you gone on any missions?" he asked.
"Uh...not really..." he said. "I mean...I went through some training but--"
"Oh no...he's a rookie..." Sparky groaned.
"Hey, at least we're just fighting ponies this time around," Silver said.
"What do you mean 'just ponies?'" Cotton asked.
Lemon groaned.
"Somebody brief him," Silver ordered before Mandible slid up beside the medic.
"Oh, you are going to have so much fun, kid," the changeling said with a grin.
"Wait...you're a black changeling?" Cotton asked, a hint of panic in his voice.
"Hey now, that's racist."
Silver lead them on, out and around through the complex until they finally came to the landing pad, where the DASH-1 waited for them.
Well, the DASH-1 and a massive hulk of machinery.
"What's that?" Silk asked.
The team slowly approached the massive hulk of metal, trying to figure out what exactly it was before Chestnut walked up to them, answering them as he carried one of his metal, detachable legs on his shoulder.
"That is the Auto-hydraulic Jack Exosuit VI." he answered, walking up to them, and getting their undivided attention. "And it's what I'm going to use to become a living tank."
"I've got to admit that sounds really cool," Neon admitted.
Chestnut stepped up to the large machine, before he inserted his arm into a recess on the machine's side. A piece of it came to life, and it began to move as if it were Chestnut's own arm. He quickly moved over to the main body of the exosuit, inserting his legs into each arm until his torso was by itself, and then locked into place by his massive arms.
Neon gave a low whistle as Chestnut now towered over them in a massive robot suit. "That's...pretty cool."
"Oh, this is just the start," the heavy replied without a smile, before he raised one of his arms. The massive fist that sat at its end rotated, revealing Chestnut's new firearm.
While what he first used were called autocannons, this monstrosity lived up to the name. Three literal naval cannons, welded onto a rotating cylinder with a belt filled with cartridges powder and balls feeding the chamber.
"It's a little slower," Chestnut said. "But it's going to do what I need it to."
Silver frowned, slightly. Chestnut must be taking it hard. This didn't seem like him at all.
"Are you ready, Alpha team?" Manticore said as she walked down towards the airship.
Silver nodded. "Yes, ma'am. We have our new medic, and our heavy is back and heavier than ever."
The vampire nodded, before she looked the exosuit-clad pony up and down. "I'll say he is. Good to know that the suit works after all this time."
Chestnut nodded. "Just point me in the right direction, boss."
She smiled. "I believe that was the idea. Now enough wasting time! Get in there so we can do our job!"
"Ma'am! Yes, ma'am!" Alpha team yelled, before they marched toward the DASH-1.
This was almost immediately followed by Cotton Swab yelling at the top of his lungs. "She's a what?!"
===ᐁ===
The trip was short, as expected of the DASH-1, yet despite that, the trip seemed to drag on. This was mostly because everyone had to spend the whole trip convincing Cotton Swab that Manticore was not going to eat him.
It took far more time to convince him of that than Silver cared for, but there wasn't much that could be done about it.
Chestnut had stayed silent, though. Crouched and hugging his knees in order to fit in the cargo bay, the heavy weapons pony sat away from the others, simply waiting on the door to open.
Silver wasn't sure what to do about the poor stallion. Should he take him aside? Should he sit and talk? Would the big guy even listen?
Poor guy was a mess.
"ETA is thirty seconds!" Tinker said over the comms.
"Alright, everyone!" Silver said. "Get off your flanks, and get ready to land. We have a facility to clear!"
The entire team got to their hooves, and Cotton Swab double checked his harness. Manticore, meanwhile, slid on a pair of sunglasses, which is to be expected for a vampire during the afternoon.
The job was simple. Infiltrate the Covenant facility, take out the cultists, keep a couple for interrogation, and locate any and all documentation that may lead to discovering Valentine's location. While Silver was initially skeptical of the presence of any kinds of records for them to check, Spike was quick to remind him that keeping up appearances took too much paper and effort to easily hide.
So they found their target, a large warehouse out in the middle of nowhere with a number of offices that could easily hide some kind of paperwork.
The massive airship pulled into a hover, floating above the concrete fortress, and the cargo door opened wide. Rappelling ropes began to drop down, and Alpha team began to make their way to the door. The pegasi leapt into the air, and Silk quickly looked for a vantage point to begin her overwatch.
Silver and Chestnut were the last two off.
The assault looked up at the pony now encased in steel, brass, and clockwork, before he spoke. "Are you alright, Chestnut?"
The Earth pony looked over at him with furious, but sad eyes. "I will be soon enough."
He said no more, and leapt down to the earth.
Chestnut hit the ground with a thud, and his fist twisted over to reveal his cannons. The first cultist that turned the corner to investigate immediately lost his head to a cannonball that ripped through him with the sound of thunder. "Valentine!" Chestnut roared. "If you're here, we need to talk!"
Silver landed soon after, joining the rest of the team and Manticore in a corner of the complex. "It looks like Heavy's giving us a distraction, the rest of you with me."
Chestnut heard them in his ear, but ignored it. His focus was elsewhere.
A musket ball ricocheted off his side, and Chestnut raised his cannon toward the source of the shot before the artillery blast discouraged any further attacks.
The cultists were running.
At first they had come his way, but after the second shot had torn a hole through a wall, they were quickly beginning to reconsider. The line of red-clad ponies broke, and they rushed for cover, heading to ground before the massive machine.
Chestnut simply walked forward, the bipedal machine stomping down the concrete street like a titan of ancient lore. He stomped forward, neither turning nor slowing as he marched, only occasionally firing a shot at whatever idiots were too brave or too stupid to fire on the massive exosuit.
He stomped until he finally came to large, two story building, but didn't even slow as he raised his left hand. A set of thrusters roared to life, and a series of powerful hydraulics hissed before a massive, teeth-shaking punch tore through the wall.
Ponies scattered like roaches before the brass and steel giant as he walked through the space where a wall once was. "Valentine!" Chestnut roared again, as he reached out for the nearest, and slowest cultist. He grabbed him like a ragdoll, and held him in front of his face. "Where is he?"
The cultist answered with a machete that hit armor uselessly.
Chestnut tossed him aside, throwing him into the wall. "Where is he!"
Another cannon shot caused the cultist to scatter again, leaving only another wall in Chestnut's path.
He dealt with it the same way he did the first. Another jet-powered punch tore through the wall, and Chestnut kept marching toward the center of the compound."
Silk watched it all through her enhanced eyes and whistled. "So...uh...the Heavy's now a one-pony siege weapon..."
"Ix-nay on the Evy-hay," Silver ordered.
Chestnut roared again, before he stomped on a cultist, popping the pony like a balloon before another cannon shot tore a cultist in two. "Give me Valentine!" he roared to the sky. "Give him to me! We have a score to settle!"
He picked up another cultist and tore him in two. "Give me the vampire!"
And as the Heavy tore through the ponies and building in front of him, the rest of the team was on the move.
===ᐁ===
The cultists were scattered, and this left them vulnerable. Every time Alpha team turned the corner, they met a terrified Covenant pony, and they quickly moved to subdue them. Sometimes, this was successful. Other times it was partially successful, after the liberal application of a crossbow bolt to the back of the head.
They kept moving around the compound, hugging the outer wall as Chestnut raged not far away. Every now and then, an explosion would shake through the concrete, and debris would fly through air and land nearby.
"You know," Mandible said, as he heard another scream, "I really didn't pick Chestnut out as the guy who would go on a total rampage."
"You mean he's not always like this?" Cotton Swab asked.
"No, he's normally pretty easy going. Nice guy. Total teddy bear," Mandible explained. "I mean, he did beat three other Department ponies to death with their own legs but..."
"He did not..." Lemon said with a sigh.
"Are you just out to ruin my fun?" the changeling asked.
"I'm trying to keep the rookie from having a nervous breakdown," she grunted.
"Uh...can...can I be called something other than 'Rookie?' It keeps giving me flashbacks to my time in nursing school..."
Both Lemon and Mandible glanced at him.
"Can I motion to call him Rookie forever?" Mandible asked.
"Seconded," Lemon replied, before turning back to look ahead of the team.
"Sounds good to me," Manticore said from the front of the group.
"Wait...no..." Cotton began, before being completely ignored.
Before he could complain further, Silk's voice came in over the coms. "Manticore, come in Manticore."
"I read you, Sniper," she replied.
"I have a noticeable heat signature in the central building," Silk said.
"The one that Heavy tore a hole through?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"What kind of signature?" Silver asked.
"Something big, very big," Silk answered. "Like, big enough that I'm worried."
The vampire and the Assault shared a look. "Alright, we'll check it out real quick," Manticore growled, "keep your eyes open for any cultists dumping documents. They're the priority."
"Roger," she replied.
"Alright, you heard her, into the warpath," Manticore ordered.
They began to move, rushing towards Chestnut's path of destruction, before Cotton Swab spoke up. "So...if she's a vampire, then how is she walking in sunlight?"
Mandible groaned. "How...how are you this hopeless?"
===ᐁ===
They moved into the building, covering each other like Spike had taught them, moving through the rubble and holes that Chestnut had left. The wreckage was everywhere, along with a few corpses and other messes left by the rampaging pony.
Of course, the more "intriguing" sight was the massive, steel ball that sat in the middle of the main room of the building. It stood twice as tall as a pony, and was just as wide, and covered in yellow warning symbols. The second they saw it, both Manticore and Lemon swore.
"What? What is it?" Silver asked.
"A bomb," Lemon said. "A very big and active one if it's giving off enough heat for Sniper to pick it up."
"It's armed?" Neon asked.
"That's what I just said," Lemon answered, approaching the massive explosive.
The team shifted nervously.
Sparky backed away.
"Alright, Manticore, how's your disarming skills?"
"Leave that to me, Darling," Diamond Dream replied as the vampire's stance shifted as someone else took the reins. "I can deal with this."
"Socialite and explosives expert," Silver muttered. "Who knew?"
Lemon opened a panel, and her eyes went wide. "Oh boy..."
"What is it, dear?" Diamond asked.
"Well, this has enough napalm to burn this whole place to the ground, and enough propellant to get it there."
"So if that thing goes off, we all burn to death?"
Lemon nodded. "I mean, it'll look cool, but it's not going to be good."
"Can you disarm it?" Silver asked.
"Provided I'm not getting shot at," she said.
Silver nodded. "Alright, everyone, you heard Demo. Secure the area, and give Demo all the space she needs so we don't die in a fire."
"Yes, sir!" They answered.
Silver then spoke into his com. "Sniper, move up and cover us, we're a little out in the open here, and we could use some good eyes."
"Roger, what about Heavy?"
Silver didn't answer right away. "He's...he's keeping the others off us, just leave him alone."
There was a beat. "That's not healthy..." she said.
"Look, we'll talk about it later, okay, this is him dealing with it."
"Oh, you better believe we'll talk about it later, sir. Moving forward."
Silver sighed. "Roger that." He took a second to gather himself, before turning back to the team. "Support, ready smoke grenades, those are going to be our only cover in the holes. Medic, set up next to support, keep your eyes and ears open for anypony that needs your attention. Agent, you're with me on the South side. Scout, your with...Scout?"
And Sparky was nowhere to be seen.
===ᐁ===
The missing pegasus slipped through the buildings, moving as fast as his enchanted horseshoes could carry him. His internal camouflage changed as he moved, blending him into the concrete grey surroundings of the compound, and keeping him out of sight of any cultist that might not know about the deal he struck.
He moved toward the most Southeast point, as he was directed, and kept his eyes open for the marked building he was told he would find.
"Scout! Scout where are you?" Silver yelled over the com.
"I think I've found the building with the documents," Sparky answered. "I'm moving to complete the mission objective."
"That does not give you permission to leave us to die!" Silver growled.
"Re...t...break...up..." the Scout said, trying to sound as if his coms were cutting in and out.
"Get back here, Scout, that's an order!"
Sparky didn't answer, he was "being blocked" now, he had to be in order for this to work.
"Scout! Scout! Scout respond!" Silver barked, before the sound of a musket going off in the background took his attention away from the AWOL soldier.
That would be good enough.
He ran down the street, hooves pounding against the concrete, before he found it. A simple, out of the way building that was indistinguishable from the other with the exception of a strange, cross-like mark over the door.
Rushing inside, Sparky quickly ran up the stairs. The room at the top of the stairs was as the vampire he met with described, with a few computer processors and a desk, along with the terminal he was told would be there. The black screen with green text sat there, next to a set of falsified documents that would lead the Commander right where Valentine wanted him.
It was exactly what Sparky was looking for.
He set his pneumatic crossbow down, and pried the rubber shock absorber off the stock to reveal a slot bored into the resin parts of his weapon. His feathers carefully reached into the slot, and he slowly pulled out a thin, wide disk.
He slid it into the waiting port and quickly began to type in the open chatroom.
Guest: I'm here
WouldYouBe: I see. Do you have the disk?
Guest: Right here with all the information you need to get into the complex.
WouldYouBe: Perfect. If you can simply send that my way, then I will guarantee your safety during the coming events, immortality, and all the women you could care for.
Guest: Right on it.
File sent.
Guest: Don't you still need to be invited in?
WouldYouBe: Don't you worry about that, I have plans. Now, one final thing before you go.
WouldYouBe: Destroy this terminal.
Sparky obeyed, smashing the small computer to bits before grabbing the documents.
"Assault! Come in Assault! I've located the documents!"
"Scout! Where have you been? We're under fire and we need all the hooves we can get!"
"There was a signal jammer, I took it out while securing the documents! We have what we need."
"Just get back here!"
Sparky smiled. "Sir. Yes, sir."
===ᐁ===
The firefight was in full swing. The cultists were armed with muskets and flintlock pistols, and their firing was quickly filling the area with smoke so thick that either side was having trouble seeing the other.
Alpha team had the superior weaponry. Their pneumatic crossbows allowed them to fire multiple rounds without having to reload, and their silent fire meant that the enemy was not necessarily expecting a silver-tipped bolt to slam into them face-first.
Of course, the cultists had numbers. Their need to reload was mitigated by the fact that there was no way Alpha Team could get rid of them in time.
Luckily, Silk had a perfect view of their backsides. She had to fire, move, and fire again, continuing to hide with her internal camouflage so she couldn't be seen by the small team of cultists that were trying to hunt her down.
Another thermal shot from the end of her longrifle vaporized a cultist's brain, and she quickly took off for a new position. "Sniper, any sign of our runaway?" Silver asked over the sounds of the firefight.
"Negative," she answered. "I'm not seeing him."
"Great...I'm going to strangle that pony when I get my hooves on him."
"Speaking of, wouldn't it be nice if you did your job and got Heavy back here?" she asked as she landed on her next perch and lined up a shot.
"He's...he's broken up about it," Silver said.
"And we're going to be just plain broken if you don't grow a pair and order him back here. You're not in a good place, Assault, and you need your heavy weapons pony now more than ever. I get that he's hurt, but you need to do your job and get him to do his job before we're filled full of holes."
Silver sighed. "Fine...fine," he grunted, before he switched channels to Chestnut's. "Heavy. Heavy we need you on our position ASAP."
"I'll get there," came the half-hearted reply.
"No, Heavy, when need you here now. We're pinned and there's a bomb that could take out this whole place, and everypony in it. We need you here."
There was no answer.
"Heavy, pl--"
"Grenade!" Neon yelled, before pouncing on Silver and dragging him to cover.
An explosion rocked the two unicorns, and Silver was very glad his mouth was open when the pressure wave washed over him, filled with shrapnel though it was.
He leapt back up, firing a bolt into the cultist line. "Lemon! When's that bomb clear?"
"You try to disarm a massive ball of napalm in the middle of a firefight!" she answered.
"Well hurry up, and you won't have to worry about it!"
"Boss, don't tempt me, I like fire and I will gladly set this thing off just to watch the flames."
"Good to know, as you were."
Silver fired again, trying to keep the cultists at bay. This wasn't looking good for them. It wasn't bad yet, but it was not good.
A musket ball tore through Mandible shoulder, and he screamed as he went down screaming, before being immediately covered by the medic who was also screaming as he panicked.
And there went their Northern front.
Which would have been covered by the Scout if he was still here. Wonder who's fault that would be?
"Support, to the North!"
"What about you?"
"Just go!" Silver yelled.
Yeah, this was just getting better by the second. "How many am I facing, Sniper?"
"Too many," she answered, before a thermal shot tore through another cultist. "Too many minus one, now."
"Thanks for that," he said, raising his pneumatic crossbow again.
And then the massive steel and brass figure of Chestnut landed in front of him, his cannons were firing and spinning so fast the metal was turning red, and his rocket-powered fist slammed into anything that was too close to him.
"Oh, thank Celestia," he muttered, before turning back to the North. "Our back's covered, put those cultists down!"
A blur shot past, and more cultists dropped, crossbow bolts stuck in their backs. "Hey, Boss..." Sparky said with a smile. "Missed me?"
"You better hope I do!" Silver answered, before aiming in his general direction, and nailing the cultist that was sneaking up behind him.
Sparky blinked at the sight, but said nothing as the pony beside him died.
This would not be the last time. |
The D.S.P.I. | Operation Stone Line | "Here," Spike said, pointing at the holographic map illusion that was being projected over the briefing table.
The leaders of the three teams, and their seconds sat around the table, listening to the Commander as he explained the situation. Even Chrome was among them, sitting in a wheelchair with three new mechanical legs.
"According to the information secured by Alpha team," Spike said offering a nod to both Silk and Silver, "Valentine has hold up here, in this mansion just outside of Appleloosa."
The map shifted, transforming into a 3D topographical image of a lone house on a single hill outside of the bustling town. The house was massive and opulent, perched like a massive bird of prey on the hill, staring down at the skyscrapers not too far away.
"Our plan is to come in, breach the house, and gun down anypony that's not our own. Capturing them alive is not an option, killing them will be hard enough as it is. All three teams will be coming, and we're going to need every ounce of firepower we have if we're going to bring Valentine down."
"Is anypony going to be watching the base?" Chrome asked.
"Manticore and Siren will stay behind. She'll deal with anything short of a full-scale assault," the Commander answered.
Hunter, the Sniper from Phi spoke up next. "I'm not terribly confident leaving just the two of them behind to protect the base. Maybe Phi should stay behind?"
Spike shook his head. "No, we need every gun we have pointed at Valentine. He's too strong to bring anything less."
Ivory Jet, the Gamma scout spoke next. "What about Chrome? Is he staying behind?"
"We're going to expedite construction on his last leg. We already have a backup AJ Exosuit waiting for Chestnut, Chrome should be able to use that."
"Glad to hear it," Chrome said. "This wheelchair's getting boring."
"So here's the breakdown," Spike said, grabbing a laser pointer. "Phi, you'll be securing the outside. If Valentine makes a break for it, it's your job to pin him down. Gamma, Alpha, the both of you will be coming inside with me. Gamma will take the first floor, if clear, you'll follow Alpha team up to the second floor. There, Valentine should be waiting for us."
"Will we have any special equipment for pinning the vampire down?" Hunter's second, the agent named Shade asked.
"I'll see if I can't get you some sun-blessed nets. It's not the best, but it'll be better than nothing for stopping him."
Shade nodded.
"Any other questions?" Spike asked.
Looks went around the table.
"Good. You have three days to prep your teams," Spike ordered.
The leaders nodded. The plan was set.
===ᐁ===
In exactly three days, the teams moved. All gathered in the DASH-1, Alpha, Gamma, and Phi sat at the ready, crowded as they were sitting between the massive exosuits.
Tinker flew the overcrowded airship with ease, piloting it over the Appleloosa plains and canyons to the lone hill on the south side of the city. "ETA forty seconds! Prepare for drop!" she yelled through the communicator.
"Alright, ponies!" Spike yelled. "You heard the mare! Get your harnesses ready and get ready to fall hooves first into Tartarus!"
Alpha, Gamma, and Phi were already hooking themselves up, with the exception of the massive AJ exosuits that began to move towards the door without pausing to hook themselves up to the rappelling ropes.
"Get ready, Alpha team!" Silver yelled over the rumble of the engines. "We're leading the charge, so we get first pick of the targets!"
"Like Tartarus you do!" One of the ponies from Phi called.
The teams chuckled lightly before Chrome spoke up next. "Well, you heard him, if that's not a challenge, I don't know what is!"
The cargo bay door opened, and the whipping wind slammed into their ears. The pegasi took off first, flying off into the night sky as the DASH-1 began to hover over the mansion.
"Let's go, ponies!" Spike yelled. "Go, go, go!"
The remaining teams dropped to the ground, most rappelling down while Chestnut and Chrome merely slipped into freefall, landing hard in a crater as they hit the ground. Alpha, Gamma, and Phi followed seconds after, landing in a moment and throwing every weapon up to aim down at the lone mansion.
Phi quickly spread out, covering the ground at every angle, while Gamma and Alpha rushed for the main door. Chestnut smashed the door open with a massive, rocket-powered fist, the oak splinted with the single blow and they ponies rushed in after the massive exosuit-ed pointmen. Gamma quickly spread out, checking the first floor while Alpha rushed the stairs.
Chestnut had to climb the wall up, his mass cracking the floor around his massive hooves. They slammed into the rooms, each pony taking a room and clearing it like they had trained.
"Clear!" Silver yelled.
"Clear!" Silk called in over the coms.
"Clear!" Lemon.
"Clear!" Cotton.
"Clear!" Mandible.
"Clear!" Chestnut.
"Clear!" Neon.
A beat.
"Scout?" Silver commed.
No answer.
"Scout?"
No answer.
"Scout, come it!"
===ᐁ===
Tinker pulled the DASH-1 into a hover over the mansion.
If things went south, it was her job to unleash all the big guns on the house to obliterate it. She kept telling herself that she wouldn't need to do it, that Commander Spike and the team would be fine, but still the idea scared her.
Yes, the Commander had pointed out that if Valentine got out, there was a good chance they were all dead anyway, but the thought of pulling the trigger on the others didn't feel right.
And then she felt a cold pneumatic crossbow barrel press against her jaw.
An invisible hoof flicked past her ear, and her headphone communicator came off with a gentle push.
"Hey there," a familiar voice whispered in her ear. "Don't panic. I don't want to hurt you."
Tinker's jaw clenched.
"I just need you to fly back to the base, and then you can come right on back and save the Commander and everyone else. No harm done."
"Why?" Tinker asked.
"Because I said so, and if you don't then I'll shoot you, and no one will come back to the poor stranded Commander. And trust me, he's going to need the evac."
===ᐁ===
"The first floor's clear!" Chrome yelled over the squad leader's channel.
"The second floor is clear too," Silver called, "that and my Scout's gone AWOL."
"Outside's clear," Hunter said.
"There's nothing here."
"Alpha," Spike said, speaking into his own comm. "Alpha is this AWOL scout the same one that found our intel?"
"Yes, sir."
Spike sighed. "This is a trap. Everyone pull back. Thundercloud, prepare for evac."
Silver switched channels. "It's a trap! Pull back everyone, we're getting out of here!"
They didn't hesitate for a second, the team rushed back down the stairs, following Gamma back outside, just fast enough to see the DASH-1 fly away.
"Thundercloud! Thundercloud, come in!" Spike yelled into his communicator. "Thundercloud we need evac!"
There was a beat, a second, and then Spike cursed. "I'm not getting a response. This is not good."
"It gets worse, sir," Moonlight, the Gamma Agent said. "I'm seeing shapes on the horizon."
Silk looked up, using her own eyes. "Sweet Celestia, there's hundreds of them."
Spike cursed again. "What are they?"
Silk checked her scope. "Ghouls."
Spike cursed once more. "Alright, everyone into the house! I want that thing fortified yesterday!"
The ponies rushed in, with Chestnut and Chrome flanking the front door. "Snipers!" Hunter yelled, raising his Thermal Shot Longrifle. "With me on the roof!"
"Demos, get ready to fill that field with as many explosive that you're carrying!" Chrome yelled.
"Assaults, Supports, and Scouts, get in that house and find a firing position!" Silver yelled. "Medics, get a triage set up, and prepare to receive! Heavies, take the doorway and prepare to lay down covering fire!"
And all the while, Spike growled. Someone was going to pay for this, and they were going to pay dearly. He brought up his hand cannon, his number one assistant, Twilight's very last gift to him, and kissed it. "He will pay for this, I promise he will."
With this one last moment and this strange ritual complete, the dragon retreated to the mansion.
It took moments for the highly trained teams to fortify the mansion. They quickly found defensible walls, broke windows for covered firing positions, and set up killing fields for the incoming ghouls to walk into.
The mansion was set, and the teams were ready. All they had to do now was prepare themselves for the coming tide of ghouls.
It started with the Thermal Shot. Red-hot shots fired across the field, picking off ghouls at long range as the Snipers picked their targets.
Yet the ghouls continued to shamble closer.
Not long after that, the demolitions ponies began to fire grenade after grenade into the encroaching crowd. Sun-blessed Molotovs burned white in the crowd, consuming ghouls whole in moments.
Yet the ghouls got closer.
Then the others began to fire. From their various perches across the mansion, they fired into crowd on undead, shooting at everything that moved.
But the ghouls didn't stop.
"They're not stopping!" one of the Gamma ponies yelled.
"That's because there's a lot of them, Support. Now shut up and keep firing!"
"Do we even have that many bolts?"
"We'll worry about that when we get to that."
Crossbow bolts shot through the air, finding their marks in the mob of ghouls, but doing little against the crowd. Wave after wave of ammunition crashed down on top of the Ghouls, but they didn't even slow.
In fact, they began to pick up speed.
The hooves of the undead mob began to thunder in the air as they broke into a gallop. Bolts began to fire faster as a slight panic began to spread through the Department ponies. They kept their cool, they stayed as calm as they could, but the incoming monsters had lit a fire under their trigger discipline.
The snipers were firing as fast as their longrifles would allow, lighting up the sky with brilliant red beams that cut through darkness and ghoulflesh alike.
They were less than ten yards away before the other two heavies opened fire. The sun-blessed auto-cannons mowed down the front line like they were grass, and the heavies continued to fire until they carved a trench out of the enemy mob.
They kept firing until their barrels went red for the heat, but the second they stopped, Chestnut stepped in front of them, creating cover with his massive bulk. His own auto-cannon picked up the slack, firing cannon-ball sized bullets that tore bodies from legs in long lines down the ghoul formation.
Chrome and the other Demos kept firing their own potion grenades, peppering the ghoul line with explosions that thunder against the rolling hills around the town of Appleloosa.
And then Spike left the building. He simply walked out in front building, and leveled his weapon at the oncoming horde. He fired, sending purple crystals of hard magic into the incoming horde, they struck hard and true.
"Where is he?" Spike roared as he fired again. "Where's Valentine!"
Ghouls dropped like flies, and Spike just kept firing as they popped up.
The teams continued to lay into the rest, firing bolts, bombs and thermal shots into everything thing that moved that shouldn't be moving, but the ghouls were almost on them now, and there wasn't much left.
The heavies fired another burst of sun-blessed lead, before Chestnut suddenly yelled. "Get inside!"
Chrome and the other demos leapt into the exosuit-sized hole, before Chestnut turned and wedged himself into the opening, back facing the ghouls. Holding out his arms, he motioned to the other heavies.
It took them a second or two to figure it out, but they quickly climbed up onto the robotic limbs and used them as a platform to fire over Chestnut's shoulders into the ghouls that now swarmed the house.
Glass shattered, and a scream when up. "They're trying to come through!"
Silver and the other two assaults answered the call, rushing downstairs with their silver and magically-strengthened obsidian blades drawn. They spread out, ramming blade-first into any ghoul that thought it was a good idea to crawl into the house.
"Heavy!" Silver called. "Where's the Commander?"
"He's still outside!" the Heavy on Chestnut's arm answered. "He's also doing a real good job."
"Keep an eye on him!" Silver ordered.
"You got it, Alpha!"
Silver rushed to the next room, bringing his blade down on another Ghoul that was trying to climb into the house, before rushing to the next window.
Above them the rest of the teams were firing down into the ghouls, with the demos rushing upstairs to fill the ghoul ranks with fire. They shot and fired everything they had into the ranks, throwing explosives, fire, and anything else they could grab until their potion launchers were empty.
"We're out of potions!" Lemon yelled.
"Running low on bolts!" Neon said into the comms.
"Already?" Silver asked as he drew his blade across another ghoul's throat.
"There are plenty of targets out here, Assault," Neon said, "and we've been hitting a lot of them."
"Commander!" Silver called. "We're running low on ammo!"
Spike sighed. "Well we don't have much choice on the matter. We don't have a way out."
"Yes you do!" a new voice called across the channel.
"Thundercloud?"
"I was held hostage by a traitor," Tinker rolled. "The base is under attack! I can't support Manticore, so I'm coming back for you!"
"Good to hear that you're alive at least," Spike said, leaping over an ghoul before shooting it in the face.
"ETA in three minutes."
"See you soon then," Spike said, before rushing for the house. "Alright, everypony! We're getting an evac!"
Spike quickly began to ready the team for their departure, filing everypony on the roof while still trying to keep the first floor secured.
It took a little bit of work, but he pulled it off, and the teams hadn't suffered any real casualties. It had gone far better than it had any right to, if Spike were honest.
But these thoughts were overshadowed by the terrible thought of why Sparky had betrayed them? What was he offered? Why let Tinker go so she could pick them back up?
And worse still, what was Valentine doing at the base? |
The D.S.P.I. | Salt in Old Wounds | Something was wrong.
This much was obvious to the four Fluttershy splinters that had the intelligence to realize that the DASH-1 should not be coming back yet.
Their radar had picked up on the massive airship coming back, but Tinker was not responding to radio calls.
Something was very obviously wrong.
Fluttershy, Manticore, Butter, and Diamond all were on edge as they patrolled the hallways of the Department, ready for anything. So far, everything was fine. The turrets beeped softly as the searched the corridors for any sign of intrusion, the doors were locked, and would only open for an approved member of the Department.
Things were fine, but something was wrong.
She knew something was happening, even before the DASH-1 had turned around. The Beast, the dark, feral, and final part of her that yearned to slake its thirst, was more active today. It growled and paced in the back of their mind, very awake, and very agitated.
She walked carefully down the hallways, searching for the problem her instincts knew was there. She hoped that Spike was okay, despite herself. If the DASH-1 was coming back without him, then that meant something dire indeed.
Manticore insisted that this was an attack of some kind. It had to be, there was no other explanation. Diamond disagreed, and pointed out that it could be a supply run, from the Commander. Butter then injected that Tinker would have answered radio contact then, if nothing else, but at the same time, they couldn't be sure of an attack.
The Beast merely growled.
Fluttershy eventually found her voice, and made an attempt to try and calm them. What was happening didn't matter as much as making sure everything here was safe. Spike could take care of the ponies, so she had to take care of the base.
"Siren," Manticore called. "Siren, you hear me?"
"Yes, I hear you," the spectre said as she poked her head through a wall. "You know I hear everything that happens in here."
"Then you know about the DASH-1?" she asked.
"Yes," she sighed. "I'm trying to check up on it, but you called me away."
Fluttershy immediately apologized, but Manticore refused to let the words pass her lips. "Then why'd you let me stop you?"
Sweetie Belle groaned, before she slipped away back through the wall.
So Siren was checking it out, good. That made it easier. Siren would take care of it, and the rest of them could focus on the base, and keeping the perimeter.
The Beast growled.
With every step, Manticore tried to push the growing worry of the others aside. Things were fine. Siren was checking it out. All she had to do, was focus on the base.
Unfortunately, dealing with Fluttershy's stress was a full-time job. "It's fine," she whispered, trying to get their attention. "We can handle anything that comes our way. We are fine."
The Beast roared.
Somebody shut that thing up! Put it back to sleep, it's distracting.
"Yes, besides, you have so much more to worry about."
All but the Beast froze at that voice. Even Manticore felt her heart grow cold at the sound of their vampiric voice.
"I need you to let me in."
The Beast took control.
No! Stop it!
Manticore tried to take it back, wrestling with the Beast for control of their limbs, but the monster was awake now, and it would not relinquish this chance without bloodshed. Manticore was shoved back, thrown to the back of her mind with such strength that it gave her pause.
Butter, Diamond, and even Fluttershy rushed in, trying to win back her body as the Beast began to prowl.
"First, my dear," Valentine said into her mind, "I need you to deactivate the defenses."
No! You can't do that!
The Beast was already moving, slinking in the shadows as she moved.
No! Stop it! You're not allowed to go to the defense interface!
She doesn't know what that means, she just needs to stop!
Manticore ripped the command of the body away, halting their progress for a second or so.
"No, my dear. It's time to show the others your true strength. Obey me, and drop the defenses."
The Beast obeyed. It took back control in a second, mentally tossing Manticore like a rag doll out of the proverbial pilot's chair.
Stop her! Stop her, stop her, stop her!
The four gathered together, throwing all their strength at the Beast, trying to tear it away. The tugged, yanked, heaved, and struggled, struggled against the inhuman mental strength of the Beast.
When did it get so strong? How? When?
Doesn't matter! Just get it off!
The body of Fluttershy leapt through the hallways, past the labs, engineering workshops, medical facilities, and everything. Past the barracks, past the mess hall, all the way up to TWI's computer room, and the defense terminal.
Finally, they took control, with Diamond at the helm, and she spun on her hooves to run as far away as possible. She skid across the concrete, trying to escape, only for the Beast to wrest control back again.
Years! Centuries spent asleep, but now! Why is it so strong?
The Beast prowled back into the room, and took to the terminal.
"Deactivate the defenses." Valentine ordered.
We...we don't know the code! Ha! We don't know the code!
But Valentine knew. He knew, somehow, and the Beast typed the code, as it was instructed.
TWI's voice spoke up. "Manticore, it is unadvisable to deactivate the turrets at this time. Are you sure you want to proceed?"
The Beast, as wild as it was, had orders. So, with difficulty and slow, deliberate sounds, it spoke. "Y-yesssss..."
The Beast made one ast keystroke, and the defenses whined to silence.
"Turrets deactivated," TWI said.
"Good. Now, invite me inside."
The Four threw themselves at the Beast with renewed vigor. They could not, dared not let him in. There was no redemption from that sin. No saving grace from this danger.
And the Beast was still walking.
They tugged, and pulled, and begged, trying to get their body to stop, if only for a second, so that they could stop this tragedy before it began.
But the Beast would not stop.
They all marched closer to one of the few emergency exit doors that accessed the surface, while the Four continued to pour their strength into dragging the Beast back into the shadows of their mind. They had to do something to stop this, but they were weakening, they lost strength with every grasp they made toward the monster.
No! No! No! No! We can't do this! We mustn't!
The Beast brought the body up to the door, and opened it without a second thought, revealing none other than Valentine himself.
"Well?" he asked. "Are you just going to stand there?"
"Come...in..." The Beast grunted.
And Valentine did, stepping into the Department, with his ghouls following behind him. "Well done, dear. You've done perfectly. Now I have but one more job for you before you can return to your sleep."
The Beast waited, listening intently for its next instructions.
"Make sure the ghost leaves us alone," the vampire ordered, before his army began to pour in through the door.
The ghouls yelped and howled as they rushed into the darkness, eager to bring their teeth against anypony they saw.
And the Four could only watch through their eyes as they doomed all the workers and the non-combatants to a death by ghouls. Manticore cursed in the darkness, all these years of anger and hatred wasted the second they were within arms reach of the monster that birthed them. Diamond was shaking in fear, trying to keep herself small and undetectable in case his eyes fell on her. Butter was still trying to get the Beast under control, pulling and yanking at her while Fluttershy did her best to help.
All these ponies would die because of the Beast, the least she could do is hit the alarm before it was too late.
But it was already too late, and the Beast was leading them out, onto the surface to face Sweetie Belle.
===ᐁ===
The ghouls ran, drooling at the thought fresh meat to consume. They started in the labs, breaking down the door with their unleashed, undead strength, and ripped the scientists apart. They were easy pickings, and hardly stood a chance against the sharpened teeth of the monsters.
One of them did manage to hit an alarm though, not that anyone was listening.
With their feast in the labs finished, they quickly moved heading for the workshops next.
They ran, eager and hungry, they slammed into the doors with their terrible strength. They threw everything they had at the large, locked doors, before they finally broke through.
Unfortunately for them, they immediately ran into Velvet Storm's blunderbuss.
Tearing the head off of one ghoul, before kicking another, Velvet and the engineers unloaded the old, obsolete flintlocks the Department never got rid of. The first wave of ghouls went down, before Velvet yelled. "Patch up those doors! We'll hold them here! The Commander's not that far away, we can make it!"
The ghouls slammed into the door, howling got flesh.
"Gonna have to do better than that!" Velvet yelled as she took another loaded gun and fired into the gathering crowd of ghouls.
"I wouldn't taunt them so much," Caramel said from her head jar as he body reloaded a flintlock. "After all, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in this room that's immortal."
"Well brag about it, why don't you?" Velvet yelled.
The engineers quickly barricaded the door, tables, chairs, leftover steel, and more were all shoved against the doors while a hooful more held their flintlocks high.
"It's time to hold the line, gentlecolts," Velvet ordered. "Time to make our stand! They will come to this line and no further! We stand!"
===ᐁ===
The DASH-1 hovered over the landing pad, and Valentine stood nearby, watching as Sparky stepped off of the cargo door. The moment he was off, the airship was moving, pulling away from the Department with all speed.
"She's going to pick up the Commander. We have ten minutes, if that," Sparky said to the vampire.
"Let her go," Valentine said, "It matters not, I have my own goals here, and the good Commander won't be able to stop me here."
"You're going to wipe the Department out in ten minutes?" Sparky asked. "That's impressive."
Valentine smiled. "No, no you're not thinking right yet. Why kill them when you can keep the alive as cattle? No, the ghouls are simply here to keep the others out of my way."
"Wait, so we're not wiping out the Department?"
"We're cutting the head off the snake, boy," Valentine said with a cold, hungry smile. "Now, take me to his office."
Sparky stared at him for a moment, before he gave a wry smile himself. "Right this way, sir."
The vampire followed the scout deep into the compound, down stairs and hallways before finally coming to the lone, wooden door with a candle carved into its face.
Valentine opened the door, and walked into the small room, where a thousand tiny knick-knacks from an age long past met him. An outfit that belonged to the mare whose wings he ripped out, the hat of the one he broke, a balloon that should have deflated long ago, and more.
He ignored these. These were secondary.
He was after a grander prize.
He walked up to the desk, where a set of gems sat in the open. A glance into their faces revealed a number of scenes between the six mares that Spike loved, and that was enough.
He picked them up in his blood-red magic, and slowly crushed eac gem until they were little more than dust.
First the white, then the orange, then the blue, then the pink, the purple, and finally the yellow all crunched in his grip.
Then he looked up, and found what he was looking for. "Well, well. It has been some time hasn't it, Miss Rarity?"
===ᐁ===
Manticore finally took control back, and slumped to the rocky floor beneath her. She gasped for air, exhausted by the effort of taking control back one more time.
Now she just had to deal with Siren.
"What was that about?" The ghost yelled. "What possessed you into thinking that giving me the Stare was a good idea?"
"Not me..." Manticore gasped. "Valentine."
There was a beat of silence. "What?"
"Valentine, he's here..."
"He...he's here? Right now?"
Manticore nodded.
Siren's chest began to open up. Wounds from her death began to appear and ooze. Her face hardened, and she ground her teeth as her eyes went blood red. "V-Valentine..." she growled, as the night of her murder flashed through her mind.
"Valentine!" She roared, throwing all the fury of her death into her being. "Valentine!"
She dove into the ground, passing through it for the Department below, leaving Manticore where she lay in the dirt whimpering to herself.
"I'm sorry, ladies," she whispered to the others. "I'm sorry."
===ᐁ===
Valentine had his prize, and he gladly left the rest. Sparky walked next to him and the crystal coffin that hovered next to the vampire. A smile adorned the unicorn's face, and his fangs glinted in the light. "You have done well, Mr. Spark. Done very well, in fact," Valentine said with a grin.
"As long as I have a chance to drown in mares, we're on the same page."
"Excellent. Then perhaps I should mention that I have one final job for you before I induct you into the ranks of the living dead."
Sparky frowned. "I thought we were square?"
"We are, we are my friend, you have earned your new estate already, but the transformation takes time, time neither of us have. Instead, I ask that you do this for me, that you remain here as my eyes and ears, and in return, I will provide you with an estate to begin your empire in."
Sparky narrowed his eyes. "I suppose that's a fair deal."
"Of course it is," Valentine said with a smile. "Unlike the Commander, I treat my partners as equals. If you work for me, then I shall pay you equally."
He held out a hoof, offering it to the pegasus that was standing beside him. "So, do we have deal?"
Sparky met his hoof. "Deal."
===ᐁ===
Velvet fired into the tide of undead flesh. They had ripped a hole in the door, and were currently trying to claw the rest of it open. The engineers were throwing everything they could at the ghouls, but the monsters simply ate the bullets and continued to beat their way in.
"Keep bringing us ammo!" The headless horse cried as she handed a recently reloaded flintlock to another one of the defenders.
"We don't have anymore!" One of the engineers yelled.
"What?" Velvet yelled. "Why? We should have more!"
"We've been converting most of it into auto-cannon ammunition!" another pony cried. "Whatever's left of its in processing!"
Velvet cursed.
They were dead ponies.
They couldn't fight off these monsters, not with eight or so shots left. They were doomed, and that fate was soon hovering over the engineers like a cloud.
They were dead.
Soon to be eaten alive.
Their flesh would be swallowed, and their bones gnawed to nothing.
And...and...
Was it getting colder?
A shaky breath from Velvet left a puff of steam hanging in the air, and she shivered as she felt the cold, two hundred-year-old wrath of a furious ghost.
"Back away from the door," she said, before she nearly leapt off her own barricade. "Back away from the door!"
A piercing wail shot through the air, and every engineer there dropped to the ground, covering their ears as Siren's voice tore through the building.
The ghouls stopped their banging against the door, before screaming as something tore them apart. The hallway beyond thundered, and a thin layer of frost formed on the surface of the doors as a terrible, terrible scream echoed beyond.
"Where is he! Where's Valentine! I will be avenged!"
Gusts of freezing wind wafted in into barricaded room, followed by a strange, ethereal, furious heat that they could not explain.
"I know he's here! Where is he!" Sweetie's voice roared from the hallway. "Where is he!"
Velvet listened as the ghost took two centuries of vengeance on the ghouls outside. She shivered at the thought of the fury the otherwise sweet poltergeist held, and shook her head. At least they would survive this.
It was hardly a comforting thought, but it was all she had.
===ᐁ===
The Commander and the others arrived only a few minutes later.
He rushed out of the DASH-1, weapon drawn, and the teams followed after him, all searching for enemies to gun down.
Instead, they found a pile of dead ghouls, already being piled by the survivors.
And then Manticore told him that Valentine had walked in.
The dragon's heart went cold, and his blood froze in his veins, before he ran for his room. He ran to the old wooden door with a candle on its face, and pushed it open. It creaked on its hinges, it's back burnt to charcoal.
He felt his heart drop when he saw the ashes.
Everything had been burnt to cinders. There was nothing left.
They were gone.
His friends were gone.
Taken again by that thing.
Taken by him.
"Vaaaaallennntiiiiiiine!" |
The D.S.P.I. | Traitor's Due | "Sparky did this."
The single, three word statement carried a terrible weight to it. The entire team had to take this single thought, and each one of them had to digest exactly what it meant.
Sparky hadn't been the nicest pony around, no one was going to argue that, but he had been a part of the team. They had been willing to die for him, even if he was a jerk, but this?
He had betrayed them. Turned his back on them. Left them all to die while he and Valentine threw the entire headquarters into chaos.
Silver looked around at his team, watching the slowly transition from shock, to hurt, to anger. They were angry, furious that they had been betrayed, but it went deeper than that, and no one portrayed that better than Commander Spike.
The dragon sat in the ashes of the shrine to his friends. He did not move, but simply stared at the warm embers that surrounded him. A few stray flames popped up amongst the ruin, but it didn't matter anymore. It was all ash.
Silver looked back to his team. "Sparky did this, so we're going to have to clean it up."
Mandible nodded. "Yeah, yeah we do."
Chestnut was the second to agree. "There ain't no excuse for this behavior."
"He was our teammate," Lemon said, before checking to make sure she had enough molotov potions.
The others nodded.
"Then it's agreed," Silver said. "When it comes time to deal with him, we will. In the meantime, we have to start fixing this mess."
The team nodded, and quickly split up, heading around the compound to try and repair the massive damage done by the invading ghouls. After the team split up, the only two Alpha team members remaining were Silk, and Silver. "This is crazy," she muttered.
"I know," Silver said, before he pulled Silver into a hug. "This is crazy. Very crazy, but we have a job to do."
She nodded, before she pushed him away. "Then we better get to it. I'll head to the training rooms, see if there were any survivors there."
Silver nodded. "I'll see you soon."
===ᐁ===
Spike sat in the ashes.
It was all gone.
The memory gems were crushed, the apple bonsai was burned, the wonderbolts suit was ashes. Rarity was missing.
They were all gone.
Everything was gone. Everything that once belonged to his friends, every keepsake was now nothing but the ashes he sat in.
They were gone, and it left such a hole in his heart that he felt like he would burst.
How dare he? How dare Valentine do this? How dare he defile sacred ground and take that which he had taken once before. How dare this monster do this?
This was too far. He went far too far. This was unforgivable, far more than anything before. This...this was...
Spike stood.
It was time.
Time to end this once for all.
Either Valentine would die, or he would.
This had gone on far too long.
No more.
===ᐁ===
The training rooms were a wreck. Nopony had gotten around to cleaning this area of base yet, and once the defenses had re-initialized, the clean up was quite considerable. Blood was everywhere, along with severed, almost desiccated limbs and bolt-filled torsos of now-dead ghouls.
A select few had even gotten into a few of the danger rooms, and likewise, their bodies were decorating the rooms once their difficulty level had risen to astronomical heights. A select few ghouls were still alive, but she had her Longrifle, and enough charges to vaporize anything that got too close.
It helped that most of them couldn't move without getting a leg smashed or chopped up.
She shook her head as she continued to move down the hallway, taking the occasional potshot at a ghoul or too. "Anyone read me?" she asked, speaking into her communicator.
"Yeah, I read you, Sniper," Silver replied.
"Wait, are we still on the mission?" Neon asked. "We should still be using codenames?"
"It's a new mission," Silver said. "Besides, if Sparky on the loose, we could have bug on the line."
"Yeah, but...if he's on the loose, then they know all our names anyway, don't they?" Lemon asked.
"They have to," Mandible agreed. "He'd be an awful spy otherwise."
"Well, you are the Agent, Agent," Chestnut said, his tone carrying a joking tone to it, as though he thought he said something incredibly clever.
Silk shook her head. "So, I had a point, guys."
Silver coughed, trying to get their attention. "Team, our Sniper's trying to say something."
"Oh, you just want her to talk because you're sucking on her face," Mandible said with an audible smirk. "Which is delicious, by the way. If you're not opposed to me sitting in on a session I wouldn't mind."
And Silk pulled her comm out.
That was far more than she wanted to hear, and her report wasn't vital enough that she would risk hearing anymore.
Shaking her head, she refocused on the hallway in front of her. Taking her thermal shot in her hooves, and using her wings to push herself forward. Past yet more training rooms, and more dead and half-dead ghouls met her.
Another shot here and there kept her job from becoming too boring as she moved, but it was slow going, clearing each room by herself meant she had to open the door at a distance, and swing through the hallway just to make sure there was nothing in the room before finally moving inside to double check.
Her progress was the very definition of slow going, but it was what she needed to be safe. The last thing she needed was to be caught by surprise.
Checking room after room, she brought her down to the very end of the hallway, and to the last training room. She swept her long rifle around one side of the room, followed by the other before finally stepping inside. Giving the room a careful look around, she found nothing more than a single ghoul, spread out over several hundred square feet.
Well, that made things easy.
She lifted her comm, about to call in the others and let her know they were clear, when a crushing grip slammed down on her hoof, and threw her across the room.
She slammed into the white tile walls, and dropped to the floor.
She looked up, blinking as a figure shimmered into view in front of her.
"You know, I'm kind of disappointed the team made it out. You especially."
Her eyes focused, leaving the figure of Sparky the pegasus, coming out of hiding as his internal camouflage faded to his natural coat.
"I mean, there you are, ignoring the best thing that happened to you since your baby-maker got wiped clean, and instead, you pick Silver."
Silk blinked. "What?"
"And you know what? I figured out it's not even your fault. That Changeling has obviously worked out a deal for the guard, and you've been strung along without even knowing what's happened."
Silk blinked again. "What?"
"But now I've committed to this, so I was hoping that the ghouls would take care of you for me."
"Wait!" Silk said suddenly. "Did you seriously betray us, did you seriously let ponies die because I didn't go out with you?"
Sparky shook his head. "No, no, Silk, that's not it at all," the pegasus said, stepping closer to the mare. "The fact that you didn't go out with me just shows me that this whole department is being manipulated to a much darker goal."
"Are you delusional?" she asked.
"I am the best this department ever had," Sparky replied harshly. "I have always been the best. I'm the fastest, the smartest, the strongest, but I'm not the leader. I'm forced into being second best to that unicorn you call a boyfriend."
Silk couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"But you know, I'm used to that. No where else has ever really acknowledged my greatness, so I figured it'd just be more of the same. But then I realized that there was something wrong. All you girls have been next to me this entire time, and not one of you noticed, and that's when I realized you're all being brainwashed."
Silk gaped at him.
"The...the amount of stupid coming off of you legitimately shocks me."
"See!" Sparky roared suddenly, fury pounding through each word. "See! Even now you're so far under their spell you can't even see reason!"
Silk's eyes went to her Longrifle that had been knocked from her grip, and now lay behind the raving Scout, before she quickly returned to Sparky. "Under a spell? It's more like your head is so far up your own flank that you can't--"
He grabbed her, and his genetically enhanced strength clamped down on her windpipe. She gurgled, trying to breathe before Sparky tossed her across the room like a rag doll. She slammed into white tile, and Sparky growled.
"Looks like you're still not free," the traitor said, looming over her with his terrible strength. "I guess there's no other way to help you now."
Silk gulped, and reached for the small, magically-reinforced obsidian knife. "Well, I'm going to do my best anyway."
Sparky shot forward, carried by his enchanted horseshoes, and slammed into her at high speed. Silk felt her ribs crack as Sparky brought his super-powered hoof into her torso, instantly making her regret not taking the subdermal armor when she had the chance.
Another hoof came flying at her face, and it was only through sheer luck that she managed to drop just in time to miss having her face caved in.
She brought her back legs up to kick, and received another bone-cracking blow to her barrel.
Sparky grabbed her throat again, holding her up and choking her as he shook his head. "Sorry, Babe. I don't like breaking works of art, but I'm just going to have to make an exception."
Silk gasped, trying to breathe. The wind had been knocked out of her once already, and it was getting harder to breathe with every second. The edges of her vision were going dark, and her lungs were beginning to burn.
And all the while Sparky stared at her with a smug, satisfied smirk.
Taking stock, she figured she had one more kick in her. She had to make it count.
With a massive kick, she slammed her hoof into Sparky's soft underbelly, and straight into the his most delicate parts. No enhanced strength or muscle could protect himself against such an attack, and in a moment, for just a moment, Sparky's grip faltered.
Silk dropped to the ground, and after delivering another low blow, she shot forward toward her longrifle.
Groaning, Sparky turned, trying to find the mare as she left, but she was gone, disappeared from sight.
===ᐁ===
It was late. The sun was down, and Spike was out in the wilderness. He was far outside of Canterlot, heading toward the forest that once sat at the foot of the mountain.
He was going to find him.
He would avenge them.
He would avenge all of them.
He'd finally bring that vampire to justice.
All he had to do was find him.
Deeper into forest he ran, his number one assistant sitting loose in its holster, ready to come up at a moment's notice. He ran, keeping the image of his destination fresh in his mind until he finally found the old, dilapidated circus tent with its faded colors.
Spike ran up and burst through the tent. "White! White, I need your help."
The ghostly medium looked up at him from her table, staring at him with brilliant blue eyes. "What do you request of the dead this night?" she asked.
"I need Valentine," he growled.
The Madam smiled. "So the living require the dead to track the dead. Perhaps you need more ghosts to haunt your house."
"Where is he, White?" Spike asked, all respect gone as fury burned in his eyes. "Where is Valentine?"
Madam White looked up at the dragon. "Why such rush from you? You do not visit me and then demand results, why?"
Spike almost didn't answer her. He almost demanded that she obeyed, that he bow to his whim for no other reason than he was a dragon, but he caught himself, he let his rage smolder a moment, before finally he answered. "He has Rarity."
Then she understood.
She turned to her crystal ball, opening her ears to the dead around as they cried out answers that only they knew. For a moment, she simply searched and listened, before finally she spoke again. "He has gone north, far north, that is all I can see."
"It's not enough!" Spike roared, trying to keep his voice down. "I need more."
"It will come at a terrible price."
"I need to know."
Madame White nodded. "So be it."
And with that, she tore the veil between the world of the living and the dead in two. The wail of those cursed to wander the world ripped through Spike's draconic soul. Specters of the damned filled the room, barely more than most with glowing eyes and dark, empty voids for mouths.
They tore through Spike, leaving him feeling cold and empty before a number of figures stood before him.
One was an earth pony, bleached white as a spirit, but Spike immediately recognized her as Applejack. "North, beyond Canterlot."
Another spirit, with massive wings, and could only be Rainbow Dash despite her pure white mane and tail. "Beyond Cloudsdale and Nieghagra falls."
Another spirit, another one of the hundreds of Department ponies that died at the hooves of Valentine over the years. "In the crystal mouths, south of the the empire."
Amber was there with them. "He lives in at the peak of Northsheer Mount, in the Granite Keep."
The spirits stood there, their very faces wracking him with guilt and physical pain, before they spoke together, in a single, discordant voice. "Avenge us."
The hundreds of ponies swirled around him, their faces blending together in a swirling vortex of ethereal white, singing their new chorus in a cacophonous chant of those two words. "Avenge us. Avenge us. Avenge us!"
And Madam White shut the door. The ghosts disappeared, stolen back to their realm, leaving Spike breathless, gasping for air as ice clung to his scales.
"Now you see," the old ghost said. "You see both your answer and the price for asking it."
Spike shivered, raising a shaking claw to wipe the ice off his face. "Th-th-thank you..." he muttered, before he slowly walked out of the tent.
Madam White watched him go, shaking her head.
This would finally end.
Either with Spike going to rest, or the others.
Now it was up to fate to decide.
===ᐁ===
"Sniper? Sniper? Do you copy?" Silver asked, nearly yelling into his com. She had dropped off suddenly and went quiet for a long time. While not necessarily something uncommon for the team's sniper, the fact that she wasn't answering any hails at all were starting to worry the guard. "Sniper, respond. Please, respond!"
Chestnut, Cotton, and Mandible were already diverting their attention to find her, checking the various rooms and hallways for any sign of their wayward team member. "Sniper! Sniper where are you?" Silver yelled, as he yelled, slamming into an open room.
"Keep yelling, Assault," Mandible said in a deadpan. "She'll definitely hear you and come running."
"What else am I supposed to do, smart aleck?" Silver barked back. "She's not answering the coms!"
"Uh, Boss?" Chestnut began.
"So yelling so literally everyone can hear you is better?" Mandible asked. "I thought we were going to try and keep this whole traitor thing as quiet as possible."
"Boss?" The heavy began again.
"Yes, but I need to know where she is, first!" Silver growled.
"Boss?"
"What is it, Heavy?" Silver roared.
"I found her."
"Oh."
A moment of silence echoed over the line for a second, before Silver resumed command. "What's your location?"
"She's in the mess hall. She's a little beat up, so she's resting here on one of the tables."
"I'll be there in a second," Silver said, taking off for the cafeteria.
"I'll beat you there," Mandible said.
Silver didn't respond, and was mildly annoyed to see that the changeling had, in fact, beaten him there. He decided to ignore this for the moment, and turned to Silk, who lay resting on the table. "Silk, what happened?"
She glared at him from the table. "Oh, I'm fine, thank you for asking," she growled, before she spoke up again. "It was Sparky. He's still around, invisible, and an absolute nutcase."
"Sparky's here?" Silver asked, before cursing.
"And what? He tried to kill you?" Mandible asked.
"No, no. He wanted to share a cup of tea and some scones, of course he tried to kill me!" Silk roared from the table, before groaning as she reached for her ribs.
Mandible nodded. "Alright, first things first, set up a base-wide buddy system."
"Buddy system?" Silver asked.
"I do my best work on solitary targets. Staying paired up increases risk for any infiltrator, trust me, I know."
"Alright, buddy up then. Make the announcement, I'll take Silk to the med bay, see if we can't get her taken care of."
Mandible nodded. "Sure, Boss."
Silver tried to lift Silk off the table, only for her to growl at him. "I can still walk," she said.
"But you're hurt," he offered.
"My ribs, not my legs," she said, very annoyed with her cracked bones.
As they continued to argue and bicker as they made their way to the med bay, the changeling slid up next to the heavy. "Hey, Chestnut, could I talk to you?"
"Hm? What about?"
Mandible smiled. "Just follow me."
The changeling quickly led the heavy down a few hallways, leaving the metal-limbed stallion to thud-thud-thud behind him. The changeling went down hallway after hallway, taking random turns and occasionally searching the halls for a sign that Chestnut couldn't see.
Finally, they came to a final room, and Mandible quickly turned to the earth pony behind him. "Lock the door, please."
Chestnut obeyed, though he was slightly confused. "So what did ya want to talk about?"
"I'm sure you both want to know," the Changeling said, before he turned and stared into the empty room, specifically, directly a single point on the wall.
Chestnut blinked, utterly confused.
"And now you're thinking to yourself, 'He's bluffing. There's no way he can see me,'" Mandible said to the spot on the wall, smiling the entire time. "Of course, you're wrong, because I can feel the little bit of panic that's been wafting off you ever since I started walking in your direction."
Chestnut blinked again, as his mind slowly put things together.
"So here's what's going to happen, Sparky. I'm going to hold this door closed, and Chestnut's going to deal with the guy who tried to hurt my main food source, and was probably responsible for Amber's death."
Chestnut blinked again, before his eyes went dark.
"N-now hang on," Sparky said as he glanced at the earth pony with a face of black rage. "I wasn't with Valentine back when that happened, I was--"
And the excuse was caught in his throat as a powerful, robotic hoof crushed his windpipe.
Mandible watched as Chestnut slowly beat Sparky to death, his own enhanced strength doing nothing against the robotic power, and black rage of the earth pony.
The changeling watched, and as he did, he wondered. Was he doing this because you don't mess with a changeling's food, or because this is what traitors deserve.
He finally decided that it really didn't matter anymore. |
The D.S.P.I. | Revenge | "We attack in one week," Spike said.
The gathered teams could only blink as they sat around the briefing table, trying to decipher exactly what the dragon was saying. "A week?" Silver asked. "That seems kind of far from now."
"I now, but I'd rather you be prepared for this fight than not," he said, before pointing to the illusionary image of the old castle built into the side of a mountain. "Besides, we're not sure what exactly Valentine has in his castle. This is a vampire who has had more than a thousand years to fortify and defend his lair, the dangers there are probably as innumerable as they dangerous."
"Good to know," Mandible grunted, "and for the record, I appreciate the fact that I'm not going to have to try and disarm everything in front of us blindly."
"Noted," Spike said, before he continued, pointing at the castle. "The truth, though, is that he's right there, waiting for us. He wants us to come, and I'm willing to bet our entire budget on the fact that he's laying traps for us right now."
"So how are we getting in?" Silver asked, while suppressing a yawn. "What's the plan of attack?"
They hadn't slept since they left on the last operation. Silk was still getting her ribs checked, and Sparky's death had only been reported a few hours ago. Between everyone gathered in that room, they had maybe three hours worth of naps between them.
"I don't know," Spike said. "You're going to be in charge of that for the assault next week."
"I'm in charge?"
"Yes, do you have a problem with that?" Spike asked.
"No, sir, I'm just surprised. I thought you'd want to lead the charge on this, consider...well...you know..."
Spike looked up for a moment, and stared at the leader of Alpha Team for a long second, before he finally allowed himself a small smile. "I appreciate the thought, Silver," he said. "Unfortunately, I am too close to this, so I'm trusting you with the mission."
Silver blinked. "I...um...I'm honored, sir?" he said, still unsure if this was actually happening.
The dragon nodded. "Glad you think so," he said, turning back to the others. "The fact remains, however that this is a fight that needs to be fought with all your combined might in order to win."
Neon Looked up. "Why do you keep saying 'your strength,' don't you mean 'ours?'"
"I'm not talking about what I need to do. I'm talking about what you need to do," the dragon said in a soft growl. "I know what I need to do when I get there. I'm asking if you do. Understand?"
"Yes, sir," Neon replied.
"The fact is, this is big. Bigger than anything the Department has ever done before. For the first time in my life, the Department's goals are mine, and so you are about to face the greatest fight of your life."
Silence reigned for a moment.
"So, if there is nothing else, then I will leave you to plan," he said, before stepping back and out of the room.
Silver groaned, before turning to Manticore, "How do you think we should approach this?"
The vampire did not answer immediately, in fact she was silent for a long time, before she finally spoke in a small, quiet voice. "I-I don't know. I don't have a clue on what to do this."
Silver blinked at the oddly gloom-and-doom tone of he voice and moved on. "What about you, Jet?"
The Gamma Team Scout shook his head. "I'd be willing to bet that every hallway in that mess is trapped. Approaching it from the gate would require an army. If we approach from above, we might have a better chance, though."
"Unless, of course, his throne is in the center of the castle," Moonlight, the Gamma agent pointed out.
"If it is, then this is a fight in every direction," Mandible continued. "Traps no matter which way we go."
"If we could get inside the wall, we might find the palace, and the throne room easier," Jet added. "Of course, that means getting inside, which could be equally as problematic if he's prepared for a siege."
"There's also the problem of who's going," Lemon said. "Any one of us demo ponies can bust through the walls, but we just learned that sending the whole force can be disastrous at worst."
Hunter, the Phi leader spoke up. "I think it's best if my team stays," he said. "Clearing rooms has never been Phi's specialty, and the last thing you need is somepony holding you back."
"Of course, that means we're bringing less guns," Chestnut said, his metallic hooves flexing as he sat by the table. "That means less guns pointed at the target."
"Which is a point," Hunter said, "but I believe Lemon is correct in suggesting someone watch the base. Leaving it open a second time is asking for trouble."
"But the Commander did say we needed all the help we could get," the Gamma assault said. "Leaving the base behind might be bad, but if we're leaving here without everything we need to knock Valentine down, then we might as well not go."
As the conversation continued, and the parties in the war room focused their attention onto the problem at hand, they quickly became oblivious to the purple shadow that slipped away into the halls.
Spike slipped down, out of sight of anyone, with a single, focused goal in mind. His will was set for this now, and nothing was going to stop him. Not cowardice, not fear, not even the measly need for survival that had held him back for so long. It didn't matter now, because Valentine had crossed a line.
He had Rarity.
The questions that constantly surrounded the dragon, the fear of her well-being inside the crystal meant nothing anymore. Was she dead? Then he'd retrieve her body. Was she alive? Then he would rescue her.
It was time to continue on with his lifelong mission. It was now or never. Spike had no one left to hurt, and nothing left to lose. This was everything, here and now.
With only a wooden stake, and his number one assistant at his side, Spike slipped into a SCOOT, and buckled himself into the driver's seat. No one else was coming. No one would know until it was too late. If he failed tonight, then the Department would finally clean up the vampire a week later, but Spike had run out of patience for this.
There was no more waiting, no more excuses. He was going to stare Valentine down, and stab him in his ruby heart, and he was going to do it now. Nopony else would suffer, and nopony else would distract him.
It was time to end this.
He waited a moment, just a moment, searching the control rooms of the hanger for any sign of anyone who could stop him, before he madly began flipping switches.
A remote signal to the cargo bay doors was sent, and they opened, slowly, with only enough space for his three-man vessel to slip through and away. Quickly punching in the coordinates, and a flip of the autopilot switch, Spike then leaned back and pulled his his handgun from it's holster. "Soon, Twi. They'll all be ready to rest soon."
An hour passed, and the terrain passed quickly beneath, changing first from the dry, air desert, to the forests and plains of central Equestria, to the tall and towering mountains of the north. It was almost time. After two hundred years, it was almost time.
Spike glared at the castle where his old enemy had resided, a small holdfast built onto the side of the mountain, sitting on small peak where only the most foolhardy invaders would try to lay siege.
Today, that invader was Spike the Dragon.
The SCOOT screamed as it fell through the air, pushed by it's pilot into a terrible dive. It spun and fell from the sky, like a giant, terrible missile aimed directly for the main building beyond the wall.
Yes, there would be traps, yes, the hallways and doors would be dangerous. So obviously, the best decision was to make his own door.
Spike leapt from the back of the SCOOT the moment before it made impact, smashing into the keep wall and throwing masonry out across the courtyard. The dragon quickly leapt up, into the hole caused by his own wreckage, and immediately opened fire into the first vampire he saw.
A needle of magic slammed into the undead pegasus so hard and so fast that he didn't even have the time to turn to mist. Another shot hit a vampire earth pony in the heart, ending him in a moment while a third was just slow enough to let its victim cry out "invader" before his existence was ended.
The dragon strode forward, his mouth spewing flame like an old, terrible, demonic boiler. Brilliant, orange-red flames engulfed vampires whole as he walked down the hallways, leaving ash and destruction in his path.
"There he is!" a unicorn vampire cried, casting a spell, only for a needle to smash into his horn, and another to pierce his heart.
"Valentine! I'm here!" Spike roared, his voice echoing in the castle as it unleashed all his power and fury into the cry. "I'm here for you Valentine! It ends today!"
"For lord Valentine!" an earth pony vampire cried, rushing Spike with supernatural speed, only to slam into Spike's waiting claw. He growled as he twisted his open claw, his talon ripping the vampire's heart to pieces before he let the dissolving body drop the flagstones.
"Where are you!" Spike roared.
Only a handful more of vampires dared to stand before him, but they were pitiful compared to Spike, and much less to their master. The dragon cut through them like a blade, and though his fury drove him forward, he knew that they were nothing, and should be treated as such.
His number one assistant roared as it ended another unlife, before he finally reached the massive doors of the palace throne room. They were open, and waiting, and decorated with unicorn figures and beautiful mares. Spike turned to face the room, glaring into it to see the vampire sitting on a throne at the far end of the room.
Beside him sat Rarity, locked in her gem.
"I have been waiting for you, Commander."
Spike simply opened fire.
His handgun roared as it spat shot after shot into Valentine's head and chest. The distilled and solidified magic slammed into him, pinning the corpse to the back of his chair.
Valentine blinked, needles digging deep in his chest, before glancing up at the one between his eyes. For a second, there was silence, and Valentine's eyes slowly rolled into the back of his head.
A moment passed.
Then his mouth twisted into a smile, and his gaze snapped back to the dragon. "You never fail to amuse, Commander."
"I'm here to end it, Valentine."
"Of course you are," the vampire replied, "and you didn't even bring your kids along. I'm so proud. You've finally taken responsibility for your mistake."
"My mistake!" Spike cried. "My mistake? My only mistake was thinking that you were tougher than I gave you credit for!"
Valentine laughed. "First of two mistakes, Commander. First of two," the vampire corrected. "The second mistake was thinking I'd leave them out of it," he said, motioning to the mare caught in the crystal.
Spike grit his teeth.
"Of course, I'm a monster, so you should have known better, shouldn't you have?"
"Another word out of you, Valentine, I swear."
"You swear what? To kill me? After all this, I'm still not sure you can. So what else? To sic your children on me? Yes, I'm terrified of a horde of children that will throw their lives away at your order. Or maybe you intend to die and rob me of what little amusement this charade offers? That, perhaps would hurt the most, I think."
Spike did not answer, though he raised his weapon.
"So the third option, then? You disappoint, Commander. I thought better of you."
"Shut up and die, Valentine."
The vampire sighed. "If I must, but first, a gift for you, Commander."
"No, no gifts! No tricks! Just you and me to the very end!"
Valentine smiled. "Oh, but Commander, I think it's only right that we have a little reunion."
With the ring of magic and a crack of thunder, a spell was cast, and the gem that held Rarity in place cracked.
Spike froze.
Another crack, and the gem began to fall apart.
With a third and final fissure, the gem shattered.
For a second, the mare stood there, as young and beautiful as she had been two hundred years ago. For a second, her chest raised, breath gracing her lungs for the first time since she was captured. For a second, Spike felt his heart leap as the one he loved all his life was finally free.
Then she began to scream.
Her neck gushed blood, and she fell to the ground in pain.
Spike's mind shot back to that night two hundred years ago, where he found her screaming on the floor of her boutique, clutching her wounded neck.
He moved toward her, only to be thrown across the room as Valentine landed his first blow. "Now, now, Commander, pay attention. We don't want to let the lady down, do we?"
Rarity screamed.
It was that same terrible scream that haunted his nightmares and plagued his memories. He tried to turn on the vampire, but Rarity's cry broke his concentration like a pane of glass.
She's been alive all this time. Had she been conscious? Was she aware the entire time? Had she been in pain?
Valentine sent another blow down on the baby dragon, and Spike slammed into the ground. He rolled, firing his weapon up at the vampire, before unleashing his breath onto him. Valentine leapt back, escaping the cone of flame with only a single hair of his mane singed.
Was she okay? Where was she hurt? Was this the same wound or a different one? Did the old one never heal?
A spell sent twelve thousand pounds of force down on the Commander, and Spike felt the tiles crack beneath him. "Come now Commander, don't let her down now."
Oh Celestia, she was alive! Everyone she knew was dead. If she made it out of here, she's have so much to adjust to. Could she get out of here?
"You're going to let us down, Commander!" Valentine called.
Spike slowly began to push up against the spell that was trying to crush him. He raised his handgun, taking aim even as he was being shoved down into the stone.
A shot rang out, followed by another, but Spike knew they were useless, they missed his heart.
"Come on, Spike. Stand and be the hero, cut me down and save your beloved. Only one of us is leaving here today."
Spike kept firing, before he used every ounce of his strength to force a leg beneath him. With another Herculean effort, Spike freed his other leg, and he forced himself to stand.
Rarity's hoarse and ragged scream continued to echo around the room.
Spike fired again and again, trying to wound the vampire with just a single shot to his heart.
He missed every time.
"Is this it, Commander?" Valentine growled, stepping forward. "Is this all you have to show? I bring you an audience out of time, a chance for someone to witness your vengeance, and you can't even hit me!"
Spike took aim again, but his eye glanced back at the mare behind him.
She was rolling on the ground, gripping her neck as tears flowed from her eyes.
"Hit me, Commander! Hit me!"
Spike fired.
And he missed.
Valentine sighed. "Oh, Spike, you disappoint me again," he said, walking forward as Spike took aim again, only for his arms to be magically shoved up into the air, before his weapon was ripped from his grip.
"I had such high hopes for you, Spike, yet you fail me here, at the very end. It's so disappointing."
Rarity still screamed, and Valentine slowly walked up to her as he held Spike in place. "All this work and time put into you, and you fail me utterly. Simply pathetic."
Spike struggled against his bonds as Valentine stood over the mare, but he couldn't move, couldn't break free.
"I suppose I'll just have to find someone else," he said with a sigh, before his magic tossed the dragon across the throne room. Spike slammed into the masonry, scattering stones in all directions as he was thrown through the wall.
"If you want something done right," Valentine muttered, before he turned to the still screaming mare. "Ah, well. I suppose I might as well put you out of your misery."
He hovered over Rarity, his hoof ready to come down and silence her screaming for the last time.
And then there was the sound of thunder.
Covering the distance in the moment it takes to blink, Spike was already on the vampire, claws digging deep into his undead flesh.
Valentine had just enough time to smile before he was thrown back, and sent flying into the opposite, but much closer wall.
He did not smash through the masonry like Spike did, but there was a meaty thud as he impacted, and he laughed as he slid to the flagstones. "There you are. There you are."
"Don't you dare touch her," Spike growled, hunching over the mare like a great cat crouching over its prey.
Valentine laughed, sitting up as his bones knit together. "There you are. I was afraid I broke you too soon."
Spike merely growled again.
"Now, the fight can truly begin." Valentine grinned, and his skin began to split. Angry red line ripped across his body as the muscle beneath was exposed to air. They began to bulge and tighten, audibly groaning under their own weight. His face convulsed, transforming entirely into that of a wolf, with his horn still protruding from his forehead, now red, engorged and crystalline like a ruby obelisk.
Ruby claws burst from his hooves, and wings like a demon's erupted from his back. And finally Valentine looked every bit the monster he was.
"Well, Commander? Are we finally going to end this?" he asked, his fangs snapping as he glared at him with his brilliant, blood-red eyes.
Spike growled back, still standing over Rarity. "Just die."
Valentine smiled. "One of us certainly will."
There was a flash, and they were on the move. They leapt at each other, their bodies thundering from the impact, leaving only a blur to trail behind them. Claw met claw, fang met neck, muscle was matched with muscle.
Spike used everything he had. Every ounce of his strength, his speed, his draconic instinct to protect what was his was poured into this last fight.
He had to win.
He had to win.
The ruby claws ripped into his gut, tearing away scales and leaving draconic blood to splash on the flagstones. The needle-like teeth dug into his arm, pulling muscle from bone.
Within seconds, Spike was shredded.
But the dragon left his own mark.
In his jaws was Valentine's front left leg, already turning to ash in his mouth. The back right leg was little more than goo, the bone splintered and shattered into pieces no larger than a bolt head.
But these were already healing, the vampire's flesh smoking and sizzling as its regeneration came into play.
Spike was not so lucky.
His wounds continued to bleed, and his breathing was heavy.
But he had to win.
He had to.
They leapt at each other again, ripping and tearing at each other, throwing fur, muscle, scale and ash all across the room.
Spike had ripped another leg from the vampire, but he was already growing the first on back. Meanwhile, he himself had been torn apart. Blood was flowing freely, and he could feel his strength fading.
And Valentine's smile faded. "No? You don't have enough do you?"
Spike didn't answer.
Valentine sighed. "Then this was all for naught. Shame. Well, if nothing else, when I end you, I will send your beloved right after."
Spike growled, before his legs gave out from under him. |
The D.S.P.I. | Operation: Rescue | As Silk was slowly making her way back to the war room, where the others were waiting, her eye caught sight of the Commander stepping into a SCOOT.
She watched him as he powered up the small flyer, and saw him disappear into the night.
Most importantly, though, she saw the fury in his eyes.
The moment he left, she ran for the war room, and burst into the room. "The Commander just left."
These four words were met with blinks and empty stares as they all tried to understand what exactly she just said.
"The Commander left, he's taken a ship and flown away," Silk repeated.
Everypony there all slowly turned to look at the table, with the magical hologram of Valentine's castle.
"Oh, no."
And then the room exploded in activity. The teams scrambled as they grabbed their kit and gear, before rushing for the door.
"Who's going?" Silver asked.
"We'll hold the fort," Hunter said. "If you guys don't make it back, we're the last line."
"Chrome?"
"With you to the end," he said as he checked his metallic arms with Chestnut a few steps behind.
"Plan of attack?" Mandible asked.
"Follow the Commander's mess, and go in through that way," Silver said.
Manticore's voice popped in over the intercom. "Attention! Attention! Rescue mission to leave in t-minus two minutes. All personnel prepare for urgent rescue mission! Code V! Code V!"
Alpha and Gamma teams ran for the hangar as alarms and klaxons began to sound. Engineers began running this way and that, carrying equipment that the assistance personnel was once in charge of. Crates of ammo, medical supplies, the towering exosuits, all of it was rushed onto the DASH-1's landing pad, and Tinker Bolt, the pilot, was throwing on her equipment as fast as possible. As the Auto-Jack ponies slipped their limbs into their suits, the rest of the team began stuffing their pockets full of supplies.
"This is not a drill, ponies, not a drill!" Silver yelled.
They rushed forward, getting everything into place, moving crates, weapons, bolts, stakes, incendiary grenades and more.
To their credit, they were ready in fifteen minutes, but that was fifteen minutes late.
Gamma and Alpha piled into the back of the DASH-1, and Tinker just finished warming up the engines.
"Did Manticore get you the coordinates?" Silver asked.
"Have them right here," she said, before the engines began to growl. "Lifting off! Buckle up everypony, we're going a little fast on this one!"
"You heard the mare! We're kicking this into overdrive! So strap yourselves in, ready your crossbows, and kiss your butts goodbye!"
The DASH-1 began to float upwards, toward the opening bay doors, the engines already whining as the magitek engine began to chug faster than it had ever before.
It would be hard, even with the engine in overdrive, to catch up with the smaller, faster SCOOT, but by Celestia, they were going to try.
===ᐁ===
Spike growled, before his legs gave out from under him.
Valentine, the monster, stood over him as Rarity screamed until her voice went hoarse.
"Not bad, Commander," he said with a grunt as his foreleg slowly reformed. "Unfortunately for both of us, it wasn't enough, was it?"
Spike spat at him, flames leaping from his mouth to char Valentine's face.
He didn't even scream, he just sat there until the flesh was seared black. "What's worse is that I think you could have done it, too. If I gave you another century, maybe two. That's all it would have taken, wasn't it?"
Spike reached out and tried to claw at him.
"But I moved too quickly. Damn my impatience," he muttered. "Forgive me, Spike, I should have given you more time."
Spike pushed himself forward, hate burning in his eyes.
"You were the perfect specimen, and I ruined it by jumping the gun. It happens every time."
"I'm not finished yet!" Spike roared, dragging himself forward for one last blow.
"You were close, Valentine, close and you ruined it."
Spike didn't care what he said, he only drove his powerful claws into the monster's flesh, and ripped it apart.
Valentine didn't even care.
"You should have given him more time."
Spike clawed him again, tearing a hind leg off, before Valentine turned.
"Forgive me, Spike," he said. "All this and I've ruined you now."
Spike raised his claw a third time, but Valentine's ruby claws slapped them aside.
"Everything I've done to you wasted. I am sorry Spike."
The dragon raised his claw again.
"At least now your suffering will end," Valentine said, before he raised his own claw for the killing blow.
At this moment, two things happened, almost simultaneously. The first was a crack of thunder, sounding from back toward the door. The second was the grenade the size of a soda can slamming into Valentine's chest at subsonic speeds.
The vampire was thrown back a few feet, before the grenade exploded, throwing fire and shrapnel into the air before Cotton Swab and Prim Rose, the Gamma Medic, descended on Spike like madmen, applying the spray on bandages, and injecting him with synthetic blood.
The thundering of massive, mechanical hooves rumbled behind him, and Spike looked up to see Chestnut charging in his massive Auto-Jack suit. The earth pony-turned machine slammed into the still recovering vampire, and forced Valentine to defend himself as Chestnut poured all his strength into crushing him.
"Gamma medic, secure the hostage!" Silver's voice called out, before Prim ran forward to Rarity, who whimpered as pain thundered through her body.
"Gamma, secure the Commander!" Chrome ordered, as he loaded a magnesium incendiary into his grenade launcher.
Within moments, Spike was surrounded on all sides, protected by numerous ponies that had suddenly appeared in Valentine's castle.
Silver then slid next to him, with the Commander's handgun in his magical grasp. "Sorry, Commander, but we decided to move up the time table a bit."
Spike glared up at the unicorn. "If I hadn't lost so much blood, I would have smacked you for that."
"I know you would, sir," Silver said, handing over the magical firearm. "Luckily, you'll have plenty of opportunities to try once we get out of here."
Spike took it. "I hate you all," he said.
"Noted, sir."
As Spike stood up, he took a moment to gather himself before he shouted.
"Alright! Demos, cover that area in as many explosives as you can throw! Heavies, fire every shot you have into the explosions! Everyone else, throw your bolts into him! Alpha Heavy on three!"
"Three!"
The massive mech lept backwards as Chrome and Lemon began pouring molotovs and magnesium down on Valentine. White and vermilion flame exploded over the ruby-clad monster. Heat and flame could be felt in the back of the room, and Valentine burned.
A moment later, the heavies began pouring their sun-blessed bullets into the flames, hoping to hit him in the storm of fires and lead.
The silver-tipped bolts came next, the yew shafts burnt to a crisp almost instantly, while the heads shot into the mess, hopefully tearing the flesh and heart apart.
And then Valentine came.
His flesh simply sloughed off his body, charred black from the heat. The flame blackened bones, and the beating, terrible ruby heart that had grown into terrible thing that gave the skeleton claws and wings and more.
"Hit him hard!" Spike ordered.
And they did.
Yew wood shot forward as waves of the pneumatic crossbow bolts slammed into him. It hit the flesh as it tried to grow back, causing a reaction that made it hiss and dissolve.
"Commander!" The thing yelled, its skull smiling wildly.
"Keep firing!" Spike yelled, before he drew the stake he still carried at his side.
Silver saw it, and drew his blade.
The dragon began running toward the skeleton, his weapons raised. Shot after shot of the small, but powerful handgun slammed into the skeleton, digging into bone. "Valentine!" he roared.
Valentine raised his claw, ready to bring it down on the dragon.
And a single, magically-reinforced obsidian blade caught his open arm.
In a single moment, a moment that seemed that drag on forever, Valentine watched as Spike drove the stake into his heart, followed by his claw. For a brief moment the heart held. For a second, the stake didn't penetrate. Then it ran him through, first the stake, then the claw, and they all felt the heart shatter.
In that last moment, the three of them stood there, Valentine, Silver, and Spike.
And Valentine gave a sigh. "It's finished then, is it?" A chuckle escaped his teeth. "Then my work is over, and I can finally thank you, Spike the Dragon."
And then he was silent.
And just like that, two hundred years of vengeance had finally ended.
===ᐁ===
The DASH-1 was back in the air in fifteen minutes. Rarity was in a stretcher, being pumped with so many painkillers it could kill...well...a horse.
Spike merely stared at her as Tinker piloted the ship back to the Headquarters. He stared at her, watching her breathe for the first time in two hundred years. He sighed, it was over.
Finally, finally over.
"You alright, boss?" Silver asked.
"Yeah," he said. "It was a little faster than I thought it was. His Demon form must have slowed his regeneration abilities."
Silver waited a moment. "Well, you know, it's just like what the guard book says about revenge. Most of the time it doesn't feel like it pays off."
Spike smiled. "I literally wrote that part," he said.
"You did?"
Spike nodded.
"Oh. Well, what about the extended consequences of the act?"
"Wrote that too. We're going to have to deal with all the thralls that are now perfectly free again," Spike said. "With Valentine's death, every thrall he ever gave birth to are free. Fluttershy will be happy for that, at least."
"Oh, well, that should be easier to deal with, right?"
"Walk in the park by comparison," the dragon said with a smile. "I just hope I get to say goodbye to Sweetie."
"What? What about Siren?"
"Her unfinished business was avenging herself and Rarity. Valentine was responsible for both. She could very well have moved on by now."
"I..." Silver began, unsure how to continue.
"We both knew it might happen," Spike said. "Two hundred years is a long time to deal with impermanence."
"Alright, I'll take your word for it, sir."
Spike nodded. "I'm fine, Silver," he said. "I'm just processing everything."
"Yes sir."
Spike nodded, before his eyes turned back to Rarity, who lay asleep on her stretcher.
She was alive.
By Celestia, she was alive.
===ᐁ===
Once the DASH-1 landed, Spike ordered Rarity to immediately be taken to the intensive care unit. As Gamma took her, taking her stretcher with all the care they could manage, Siren floated up to the great ship.
"It's done, then?" She asked.
Spike nodded. "Your sister's alive, and Valentine is dead. You've been avenged, but I'm sure you know that by now."
She nodded. "I know, but I wanted to wait to hear you say it."
Spike smiled, and nodded. "It's over. It's finally over."
Sweetie Belle smiled, ethereal tears dripping from her face, before she reached out and hugged him tight. "Goodbye, Spike."
"Goodbye, Sweetie Belle," he answered as his arms wrapped around her.
"Don't keep Rarity too long, I want a turn with her too," she said with a laugh.
Spike smiled back, before she simply dissolved in his grasp.
Spike let his arms drop as the faintest sensation of warmth filled his chest and touched his cheek. "I'll miss you," he said, trying to hold back tears. "But I'm glad you can finally rest."
Manticore walked up a moment later. "He's dead then?" She asked.
Spike nodded. "You're free."
Manticore smirked. "Of one voice. I still have a few others to deal with."
Spike nodded, before he sighed.
Now there was work to be done.
===ᐁ===
Spike had another stop to make.
For the past two days he had been scrambling to finish the warnings to the other Department branches, as well as general updates as to what happened. Admittedly, this would have been a slightly faster process if he wasn't worried about Rarity.
She was basically in a coma. The doctor insisted that she was resting, though her heartbeat was a little slow. Still, Spike pushed through, forcing himself to fill out his paperwork, and deal with the needs of his team.
Still, he was missing his favorite, undead confidant.
Still, he could not ignore this last duty. With Rarity recovering, and Sweetie Belle gone, he had to let one other pony know that the job was finished. One more ghost needed to know that her work had finished Valentine.
As Spike approached the old, dilapidated tent, he found Madam White waiting for him.
The old ghost smiled as he approached. "Then it is done. Souls and bodies finally at peace. The living and the dead are both released."
"Madam White," Spike greeted.
"Come in, then, share the tale of your victory," she said, motioning him inside her tent.
"I didn't come give you that news, Madam," Spike said.
Her brilliant, sky blue eyes stared back at him. "Hm? Then for why are you here?"
"I just wanted you to know that Sweetie Belle has moved on. She's passed through the gate."
She stared at him. "Is that all you wanted to say?" she asked suddenly. "I knew that the moment she passed." She snorted. "Here you stand in the middle of good news and frown. What has come over you, I wonder?"
Spike blinked. "Well..."
"Your enemy is dead. Your friend has found peace, your love is avenged, what more could you ask for?"
Spike blinked again, before a faint smile graced his lips. "Y-yeah...I suppose you're right."
And Madam White smiled herself. "Finally. It's about time you smiled."
Spike had half a second to look confused before Madam White unraveled her turban. It fell at her hooves to reveal an old, but wild mane. Her robe likewise fell, revealing her tail to be just as curly, with streaks of pink laced through it. But the most damning of all was the cutie mark that decorated her flank with three balloons.
"All I wanted to do was see my friends smile one last time," Pinkie Pie said, staring into the shocked face of Spike.
"P-Pinkie?" the dragon said, shock running through his veins.
Had Madam White been Pinkie this whole time? How had I not noticed? How could I still treat her like this? Why was she a ghost? Did she really have unfinished business? Had she been wandering these past two hundred years just to see him smile?
Spike suddenly felt very sick. "P-Pinkie, why didn't you tell me it was you? I...I would have...I..."
She drifted forward and enveloped Spike in a hug. "I know, Spike. I know you would have. I know you would have done everything you could to help me. But I wanted a genuine, and happy smile, nothing forced for my sake."
"P-Pinkie...Pinkie, I'm sorry. I didn't want to send you away," he said, tears starting to form in his eyes. "I didn't want you die alone."
"I know you didn't. You just wanted to keep me safe."
"I didn't know, Pinkie! I didn't know!" Spike cried.
"Hey, now...that's enough of that," she said, her voice calm and gentle. "You've shed enough tears for all of us. It's time for you to smile now."
"I didn't want you to be alone, Pinkie. I wanted you to live!"
"We all have to go sometime, Spike, you know that," she said, as she began to disappear before his eyes. "Now come on," she said, wiping his eyes. "You're the Commander, can't have anypony see you cry now, can we?"
"Pinkie, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
"I know you are, Spike," she said. "And I never once blamed you for it. Just remember to smile for me every now and then, okay?"
Spike looked up at her, even as she began to move on, as her form became more and more intangible with every passing second. "O-Okay. I'll smile more, Pinkie, I swear I will."
She smiled back at him, kissed his forehead, and disappeared, leaving Spike alone in the forest, where no one could see his tears.
===ᐁ===
Coming back to the Department headquarters, Spike was smiling the best he could. It was the third day now, since Valentine's death, and the teams were back up and training, getting ready for the thralls that would soon flood the world without their master to bend them to his will.
"Clear! Clear! Clear!" their voices cried from the room-clearing training room, as they virtually cleared room after room.
"Good work, Alpha, Phi, you're up. You need the most practice."
"Rub it in, why don't ya?"
Spike listened, but kept moving. He had to get back to his office. He still had work to do.
Velvet Storm was waiting for him. "Sir, you wanted me to report on Miss Rarity's condition."
"I did, what news do you have?"
"Well..." she began, before hesitating. "She's awake, but..."
Spike didn't bother hearing another word. Walking past her and down to the medical wing, Spike moved with a singular and unshakable purpose. He strode down, and did not slow nor stop until he was finally in front of her room.
That door gave him pause.
He stood before that terrible, single door, the door that separated him from the mare he loved, and the mare he had doomed to a death-like sleep for two centuries.
He waited a moment, just a moment more, before he gathered his courage and walked in.
Rarity was sitting on her bed, staring at the wall.
"Rarity?" he called to her.
Her ear flicked, showing that she heard him, but offering little more than that.
"Rarity, it's me, Spike. Are you alright?"
"What happened?" she asked.
"You were hurt," he answered, meekly. "Very badly. I never had the time to save you, so I took you to Twilight. She put you to sleep, and you've been here for the past two hundred years."
She didn't react, at least not openly. "What happened to Sweetie Belle?"
"She died more than a hundred years ago. She tried to avenge you."
Still no reaction.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"The San Palomino Desert," Spike answered. "We're in the Department of Supernatural and Paranormal Investigation headquarters building, some hundred feet below ground."
Still nothing.
"Are you okay?" Spike asked this time.
She did not answer.
"Are the others dead, then?" she asked.
"All but you and Fluttershy, but she's a vampire now, so that hardly counts," he said, hoping that she heard the joking tone he added to that.
A moment of silence passed.
"I suppose you want to me say you were right. That I needed the bodyguard?"
"No. I don't care about that anymore. I've suffered over the decision long enough for both of us. It's fine."
Another second of quiet.
"I think I want to talk to Fluttershy for a while," she said.
"I can bring her in," Spike said, turning the doorknob.
"And, one more thing, Spike."
Spike turned, ready to answer.
She stared at him with sad, hurt, brilliant, blood red eyes. "Why am I so hungry?" |
The D.S.P.I. | Debrief | Spike grumbled as he walked up into the Castle, report in hand. Celestia would order a copy of this one to be hand delivered. Couldn't let him stay behind and deal with Valentine's death and Rarity coming back, no, he had to come up and tell her everything.
"Right this way, sir," the guard said, leading Spike up to the solarium where the Princess was waiting for him.
As if he didn't know where that was.
Up the stairs of the southern tower, to the room that sat like a bulbous growth on its side, the guard led him, and when they finally arrived he knocked three times on the door, exactly as he was trained to.
"Who is it?" the Princess' voice called.
"Your Highness, the dragon whose audience you requested is here," the guard said.
"Let him in," she said.
The guard nodded, even though she couldn't see him, and let him in. "Sir," he said, motioning for Spike to head inside.
Spike sighed, and did so, refusing to acknowledge the guard that was a little too much by the book.
Celestia sat in the sun, lounging on a series of overstuffed cushions with a book in front of her. "Ah, Spike. There you are. Did you bring your report?"
"You better believe I did! I did not just cross half of Equestria to deliver a report that's still sitting on my desk."
"Well..."
"And if you mention that time forty years ago again, I swear!"
Celestia smiled as she closed her book. "It was forty-five years ago."
"Don't even!" Spike warned, before throwing the folder down in front of her.
The Princess caught it effortlessly, and hovered it in front of her, spreading the pages. "Let's see. First of all, Rarity is alive, or at the very least a vampire. I'd imagine that news made you happy."
"As well as finding out that your friend is now an undead can make you happy," Spike said. "Still, I do have to admit that it's nice to talk to her again."
"Has she made any moves to return to civilian life?"
Spike shook his head. "She said she couldn't stand being anypony but herself. She's decided to try for a desk job at the Department. Which is probably for the best since we're a little low on ponypower at the moment."
"And have you set her up properly?"
"Finding blood will be a little harder than supplying apples, but I can arrange for some shipments."
"Good, good. Make sure to expedite that, she needs to get her strength back. You may use my seal to do so."
"Thank you, Princess," Spike said, standing in front of her before moving to lean against a window.
She nodded, and scanned through the papers again. "You've taken care of the mole?"
"Didn't need to. He was practically ripped to shreds by some of the team ponies."
Celestia nodded. "Repairs?"
"Underway. Structural damage was a minimum, it's the loss of personnel that really hurt."
She nodded, flipping through the pages. "And let's see...Valentine. He's dead then?"
Spike grit his teeth and looked out the window. "Yup."
"Good," she said, looking over the report.
Spike growled. "You were right again..." he muttered with a sigh. "The moment the tide began to turn, he practically leapt at our blades and claws. All that to die so easily," he growled, claws tightening until he drew blood from his palm.
Celestia said nothing.
"It's a shame he was too much of a coward to do the job for me."
"And you know what fate is left for those who fall to self slaughter," Celestia said gently.
Spike sighed.
He knew.
"He still started down this path on his own."
"And he realized what monster he became," Celestial said. "The fact doesn't change that he won. He got what he wanted."
Spike sighed. "I know. I know..."
"Then you know the problem hasn't gone away, either?"
Spike sighed. "No. Now every thrall that was under him is freed, and while that's good news for Rarity, the chances of every other monster deciding to turn over a new leaf is slim to none."
The Princess nodded. "We have traded one large problem for many smaller ones."
Spike smirked. "At least I still have a job, right?"
Celestia smiled, before she continued to read the report in silence.
Spike waited. "Alright, thank you Spike. It's good to see you taking everything well."
He nodded. "Yeah...it's good to see you too, Celestia."
She packed up the report and handed it over.
The dragon took it, gave his thanks, and began to walk away. "Oh, Princess?"
"Yes Commander?" She answered, opening her book again.
"You know the retirement program we talked about?"
She looked at him in surprise. "Someone made five years of service?"
"No," Spike answered, "but there is a pair of ponies that might be able to forge a life from here."
"Really?" She asked. "Who?"
"Silver Dust and Silk Star," Spike told her.
"Really now? Well, I'll just have to see what can be done about that."
Spike nodded.
"By the way, Spike," she said as the dragon stood in front of the doorway. "Apparently there's this strange, heavily equipped rescue team that gained quite a bit of popularity back when that carriage bomb went off in Canterlot. In fact it's gained so much popularity that the guard has had a flood of new volunteers, all wanting to join the Department with all the cool toys."
Spike blinked and turned to the Princess. "And what does that entail?"
"Well, you know I won't turn down a volunteer..."
Spike nodded. "I see."
"You're dismissed, Commander."
Spike nodded, and pushed open the door.
The guard from before was waiting for him. "Sir?"
"Just take me back to where you found me. I can make my way back from there."
"Yes, sir."
They walked slowly, down the tight, spiral stairs of the large tower, before Spike turned. "Guard."
"Yes, sir?"
"What's your name?" |
Rarity Gets Caught | pre | "How do you know?" Starlight asked.
"Because you two are talking...why?" Twilight answered.
Starlight frowned. "I don't hear anything."
"Me neither," added Spike.
"Oh," said Twilight emptily. Her eyes widened for a moment, then her face went into her hoof. "Oh shoot, I know what I did wrong. Didn't set both spells into the projection."
"Don't worry about it; Trixie wanted the trick to remain secret anyway," Starlight sighed.
As the scene played out, Starlight narrated mostly in short, noncommittal sentences, pointedly leaving out any detail regarding the trick, despite it just being the two of them standing there talking and looking over a scroll while pointing at different sections on the parchment. Several minutes passed, including some laughing between the two, a small hug, then Trixie rolled up the scroll and tucked it under her hat. She and Starlight stood several paces apart, nodded at each other, then both horns started to glow. Suddenly a flash of light pierced the meadow, and an elliptical, shimming pane of a weird blue-white appeared. A figure stepped through, a young adult human male, wearing a white jacket with red accents, black trousers, red leather boots, and a white ball cap with a black circular symbol of sorts.
Spike gasped, "Just like those things at Canterlot High!"
Twilight tilted her head to one side as she said, "Different skin tone, though."
The human appeared far too pleased with himself. Starlight and Trixie regarded this man suspiciously with their eyes as they shifted their weight back and to one side, as if preparing to turn and run. His mouth moved, to which Twilight's face instantly slacked in horror. The man pulled a ball out of a bag and threw it at Starlight. Trixie shoved her aside and leapt in the way. The ball hit Trixie in the neck, and it popped open, dragging Trixie's form into it as she melted away into a cascade of green sparks. Starlight hyperventilated, both in the image and in the flesh. All eyes were on the ball, which shook once, twice, thrice, and then was still. A sniffle echoed. Spike turned to look and saw tears rolling down Starlight's face. In the projection, the human picked up the ball, with moving lips again. Twilight's own lips curled in disgust while her eyes narrowed with nostrils flaring. Then the human quickly withdrew a second ball from the bag and threw it at Starlight again. She intercepted this ball with a quick horn blast, shattering its hinge. The two halves tumbled into tufts of weeds as Starlight turn and fled as fast as her legs could carry her before she disappeared into a flash of phthalo green light. The human threw his fist down and spun around with a stomp, putting his hands on his hips with a countenance laden with disappointment. With head shaking and moving mouth, he stood there for a moment. He looked at the ball that hit Trixie, and smiled, waggling his tongue silently in the image. The human then stepped back through the glowing ellipse, which flashed once and was gone. Twilight's ears flattened as she glowered at the projection, which she dispelled.
"Just let it out, Starlight," Spike said soothingly, stroking her mane.
Starlight sniffled as the tears began anew. "Should have tried to do some more...."
"It is good that for Starlight your concern is shown," said Zecora sadly as she dug through the weeds. "But Rarity's fate to us is still unknown."
"A slaver," spat Twilight. "That human's a slaver! He came to Equestria to snatch up anypony he could! That's what he was saying after you left, that he didn't get the one he wanted, but he'd put Trixie to 'good use!'"
"But...how do you know for sure, Twilight?" Spike asked in disbelief. "Is it because of that weird ball?"
Twilight grouched, "His tone of voice left no doubt."
"A weird ball, that much is clear. But both its halves are right here," said Zecora, carrying the two parts of the broken ball.
Twilight's horn charged up, and a wafting miasma enveloped the Pokeball halves. The pieces bobbed and floated around within the spell's confines at a lazy pace. Spike, Starlight, and Zecora all watched and waited with bated breath. Twilight murmured, "Hmm...now that is fascinating...."
Spike asked, "What is?"
"This ball uses an energy I've never seen before, but what I can tell you is that magic can also power it. An active flow of energy through the ball creates a self-contained pocket dimension, complete with necessary living conditions, which induces amiable thoughts and feelings towards the ball's holder. While a creature can easily be captured by the ball's energy and pocket dimension, or 'magic jar' as I've heard it called in spellcraft, it doesn't necessarily have the strength to contain what it captured unless it has given up, submitting its will to whatever threw the ball," explained Twilight, trailing off and still in thought.
Starlight protested, "There's no way Trixie would've thrown in the towel that easily!"
"I know," said Twilight. "But it appears to me that other creatures imbued with that same kind of energy have an easier time escaping the magic jar than us ponies. Trixie didn't give up; she was overwhelmed. She just couldn't break out. I'll need to get this back to the lab for a more thorough analysis."
"I see what you mean, that I need to work on divination," breathed Starlight in awe. "And we need to find a way to pry open that portal! We have to save Trixie! I can't just leave her!"
"Of course," said Twilight sadly. "But we need to know where he took Trixie and how to get there before any rescue can be attempted. Carefully dig up the soil and burnt mosses by where it was; those we'll also need to get back to the lab. It's the only way we can learn how to recreate the way to wherever they came."
Zecora helped Starlight with the scorched flora and dirt. Twilight carefully set the two halves of the ball in her saddlebags. Spike looked around the meadow and sighed, his eyes resting on the glop of spilled honey. Ants had already formed a parade to and from the sticky sweet stuff. A well-rounded divot in the mud caught his gaze. Spike gave the mark a long, hard look. He said, "Uh, Twilight? I might have something."
Twilight walked over to him. Spike pointed at the small indentation. A spell charged, and Twilight swept the area with a magenta ray. She said, "I have a bad feeling about what we're about to see."
Another screen popped up, courtesy of Twilight's spellcasting. For a moment, it was just an empty meadow. Then the portal opened. Another human, this one with orange hair on his head and chin, came through. He looked around several times, then took the messenger bag off his shoulder, rooting around in it on the ground. He withdrew a jar of honey. Putting the bag back on, he opened the jar and poured the honey on the ground.
"What a waste...," muttered Spike.
Twilight shushed him. They all watched as Rarity approached, the mud thrown, the ball next, and his sudden teleportation out with the portal slamming shut after he disappeared. Zecora gasped, putting a hoof over her mouth. Starlight's posture slumped as she murmured, "They got Rarity, too...we have two to save...."
Twilight's lower lip quivered as her eyes went bloodshot. Flames flickered and danced along her mane. Starlight looked down, sighing long and low, and shaking her head. Zecora closed her eyes, softly and prayerfully speaking in another language. Spike expressed his sadness and frustration at this revelation in epic fashion. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 5 - Departing Pastoria | {Let's jump into the middle of a screaming match, eh?}
"And you have no sense of colour coordination whatsoever!!"
"At least the Great and Powerful Trixie helps the many smile, and at a reasonable price!!"
Rarity and Trixie stood a few lengths apart, bellowing at each other, still in the upstairs of the Pokemon Centre. A small crowd had gathered. Aengus and Paddy had both pulled up chairs, and had drinks. All three attendants from behind the long counter had foregone any pretense of doing their job and stood among the gathered.
"Just because you can't scrape enough bits together with your traveling 'act' to afford formal attire doesn't mean I overcharge!!" Rarity snapped, with an unladylike gob of spit flying up and out, and lazily splatting roughly halfway between the two.
"Hardly out of the price range of the Great and Powerful Trixie, but most of Ponyville, well, that's another matter! Speaking of scraping bits together, how did you ever manage to open a second, let alone third storefront with so little foot traffic?!" retorted Trixie with teeth bared. "There are better-crafted, more fashionable dresses with decent prices at Barnyard Bargains! Everypony's been talking about it...."
Veins in Rarity's eyes bulged, as did those in her forehead as she angrily and deeply gasped. "That mass-produced, yesteryear trash, better!? You clearly have NO fashion sense, as if the hat and cape weren't a dead giveaway!" hollered Rarity hoarsely.
"A dead giveaway, like Spike's obvious feelings for you, and how you stomp all over his affection?!" returned Trixie with a savage smile. "You've been using and abusing him for years! Makes you either oblivious to the Nth degree, or an absolute bitch, pardon my Prench!"
Rarity gasped as her nostrils flared. "I suppose you would be an expert at being such a mare, wouldn't you!? And your bold-faced lies, accusing me of mistreating my dear Spikey-Wikey!! I would never do such a thing, unlike you!"
Trixie sneered again, and spoke at a regular volume. "Keep telling yourself that."
Rarity snarled what sounded like they were supposed to be syllables and words, but did not resolve into any. She caught a glimpse if the brothers out of the corner of her eye, and wheeled around at them. "And what are you two staring at?!!"
"Oh, do go on; we've been learning plenty," said Paddy. Aengus nodded as he took another sip through his straw. Rarity stomped and scoffed loudly in response.
Trixie mockingly laughed, "Trixie has grown bored, and will take her leave."
Paddy said, "We will in a moment."
"You are nopony's boss," Trixie smarted off as she joined the crowd heading down the stairs, as it seemed the show was over.
Pulling out the corresponding Safari Ball, Paddy smirked as it clicked. "Guess again."
Trixie's shriek at being dragged into the ball was cut off quickly as she disappeared in specks of green light. Rarity fumed, "Serves her right, too. Paddy, be a dear, and keep her in there for as long as possible."
{Now that the atmosphere is more chill}
A popcorn vendor with a full tray had just pushed through the crowd to the top of the stairs, and looked at everybody else leaving. He sighed, hanging his head, and muttered, "Man, and I rushed to ready enough for everyone, too...."
Paddy stood up and started towards him. "I wouldn't mind some for the road, and...wait, let me see this."
The vendor showed his selection of popcorn, caramel corn, and kettle corn balls. Paddy sniffed at the kettle corn, smiled, and said, "I'll take the whole lot, sir."
"Oh? Oh! Very good, sir!" the vendor said as an enormous smile broke across his face.
Paddy pulled out his wallet as Rarity stood there, still smoldering, but settling. Aengus came up beside her, and began scratching and rubbing at her neck. Her irritation began sloughing off as her eyes rolled back blissfully. He said, "All of that yelling and screaming, over her messing with your mane and outfit years ago? That wasn't worth all the hullabaloo, and there are certainly worse things than temporarily green hair, or brown stripes on a dress. You'll give yourself an ulcer like this, you will."
Rarity cooed, "Oh my Celestia, how are you so good at this? You're a na-a-a-aagggh, ow, ooh...."
"So that's where you carry your stress, got it," said Aengus as he worked at something at the base of Rarity's neck and onto her withers. Her legs seemed a bit like putty. She opened her eyes to see Paddy take the entire contents of a vendor's tray, one with a neck strap as if he were peddling amidst a crowd at a sporting venue, and tuck all those delicious treats into a black leather satchel with red accents...but as bag after bag, ball after ball, went into his satchel, it barely showed any sort of bulge, nor did Paddy show any signs of burden.
Rarity's head jerked back as she said, "What kind of magic messenger bag does your brother have, that he can fit so much inside? How can something be bigger on the inside than it is on the outside?"
Aengus gave Rarity's back muscles one last squeeze and stood up as he said, "We have no idea. The professors give bags like these to the new Pokemon trainers without telling them about that. Sooner or later we all figure out they can carry far more than what should be physically possible without weighing us down. Take mine, for example. You don't like Pokeballs, I know, but you have some idea of how much one weighs. Guess how many I've got in here."
Rarity gave an ambivalent shrug. Aengus knelt down and opened his bag in front of her, beckoning her to look in. Rarity's lower left eyelid twitched involuntarily as her jaw fell open. She saw rows and rows and rows of the things, all neatly organized and segregated by exterior colour pattern. Aengus said, "Pokeballs, Great Balls, Ultra Balls, Premiere Balls, Luxury Balls, Net Balls, Timer Balls, Quick Balls, Dusk Balls, and so the list goes. Tallied up, I'm carrying well over two-thousand of them, but the bag seems to weigh no more than ten kilos. Only one Master Ball, but I'm saving that if I should find something truly legendary."
"That's...unbelievable," Rarity blurted airily.
"Sure seems that way at first, but I've gotten used to the idea. Back home in Johto, there are some who say all the timbers, planks, and iron fasteners for Cianwood City were carried there from Ecruteak City in a single trip, but in only one trainer's bag," said Aengus with a slight roll of the eyes. "I think it's an absurd tale."
Paddy came over to them. Everybody else had cleared out except the three attendants, who had returned to their posts...each having resumed the glazed-eye look of monotonous doldrums from day after day standing behind the counter with nigh unto nothing to do, under the strain of unanswered hopes and prayers for a little human contact, against the soul-crushing reality that what they just saw would far-and-away be the highlight of their entire career manning the counters to the Union Room, and it was all downhill from here. Paddy gave them a short glance, then looked his brother in the eye. "No reason to stick around here."
{In a town between a brackish marsh and the sea}
Aengus nodded. The three descended the stairs and left the building. It was nearing sunset. Rarity took in the sight, and a deep breath. Salt was in the air, as was something more boggy. The ocean peeked back at her from the southeast, between the buildings. There were other creatures like Aengus and Paddy around, of different ages and builds, but they for the most part stood in one spot for a few seconds, then took a single step. These people looked straight ahead at nothing in particular, showing no reaction to anyone who was, or anything that happened, around them at all. Rarity stared in confusion as a few turned at perfect right angles along exact cardinal directions. She took a long look at a muscular man who was barefoot, wearing a white karate gi, black belt, and red headband. She looked over at Paddy then back at the man. "Are the reds only an accent colour for your stallions, or whatever you call the adult males of your kind? Both of you in white and black, with only a touch of warm colour."
"It's 'man' for one, but 'men' for more," Aengus said.
Paddy said, "That's a martial artist, a man who studies and practices unarmed combat. I couldn't tell you which martial art though; there are many. His uniform looks a bit...stereotypical, almost like a caricature. For me, I'll be going to begin my studies at university shortly after returning to Johto, and these are our official colours, black and white, with red as the tertiary."
Rarity looked over Paddy more closely, and said, "Darling, that's vermilion, not red. Same colour family, and close cousins, yes, but definitely not the same."
Paddy grumbled, "Picky, picky, picky; they're both red...."
"One has to be picky to set the trends," replied Rarity with a self-important lift of her chin. She watched the karate man step due west and stand there for a moment, then stepped one pace south, snapping between the directions sharply. Rarity asked, "Why is he doing that?"
"What? The pointless wandering, step by individual step?" Aengus asked with a frown.
"Yes."
"I have no idea," sighed Aengus. "I set out on my Pokemon adventure almost eleven years ago. I was eleven years old. Even then I noticed many towns have this very strange behaviour, walking around one step at a time in one of four directions, then waiting there for nothing in particular, rinse and repeat. Only in Kalos did they behave like normal people."
"I see," Rarity drifted off. She examined the buildings then, and her eyebrows scrunched again. She walked forward and peered around the side, then looked back at Aengus in confusion, but with hint of comprehension. She ran toward a nearby, box-like house. She pursed her lips, and started back toward Aengus and Paddy. She said, "Did you also notice they put every entry door on the south-facing side?"
"Sure did," Aengus answered. "Why that's a thing is anyone's guess. It makes no sense, but there it is."
Rarity stared at him incredulously, slowly shaking her head. "Surely you can see how bizarre a place this is, yes?"
Aengus muttered, "Gee, Rarity, whadiya' want me to do? Get a circular saw and start chopping out new doorways?"
Rarity looked around a saw a younger-looking thing nearby, one that had a filly's feminine charm, dressed in green. She walked up to this juvenile human and began, "Pardon me, miss, but where is--"
"Some Trainers deliberately prevent their Pokemon from evolving," said the girl in a bright voice. "They wait until the Pokemon levels up and learns certain moves."
Rarity glared at her a moment, then walked away, muttering, "Still interrupting me after 'is.' Of all the nerve...."
Rarity saw a woman dressed in a beige sundress and pink cropped vest, carrying a pink umbrella. She strode toward this person as well, saying, "Ma'am, I am in desperate need of a sewing supply store. Where might I find the closest one?"
The lady answered, "Someone gave me a berry, so I planted it and grew some more. Then, I took the Berries and cooked them into Poffins. All the work is worth it when I see how happy they make my Pokemon!"
This human resumed her random, single-step wandering with the occasional ninety-degree turn. Rarity blinked a few times, then her face and voice soured. "Thank you so very much for the polite, not-at-all on topic answer, you walking discredit to the females of your species!"
Rarity went back toward the girl in green, who did the same unpredictable step-by-step chaotic walking path. "Let's try this again without any interruptions, darling. I need supplies. Where can I buy fabric and thread?"
"Some Trainers deliberately prevent their Pokemon from evolving," said the girl in an equally bright voice as before. "They wait until the Pokemon levels up and learns certain moves."
Giving up, Rarity closed her eyes and trudged back towards Aengus and Paddy. Both brothers shook their heads; Aengus's face expressed commiseration, while Paddy's resembled an annoyed parent whose child had just poured all the flour on the kitchen floor and was playing in it. Aengus lamented, "Now you see what we have to put up with every bloody day."
Rarity gawked at the man, and griped, "That hurt...that was actually painful, talking to those two! My mind is actually cramping from what they said! I sincerely hope and pray this isn't what everypony talks like! Or I suppose 'everyone' would be better-fitting in this case."
Paddy sighed, "It's not everyone we come across, but it sure is the bulk of them."
"The future of your species looks rather bleak," Rarity said curtly.
Aengus nodded. "Tell us something we don't know."
Paddy took a step from his brother, toward the south, then looked back and said, "Well, Aengus, you said you're planning on getting that last badge, right? I have something else to do in the meantime. I'll be in Solaceon Town."
Aengus did not look amused one bit. "Really? Solaceon? You're not really going to--"
"Yes, I am," interrupted Paddy pointedly. "And if you were wise, dear brother, you'd do the same thing. You want every advantage you can get, especially for that one fight."
"Yeah, I know; why do you think we're way out here in Sinnoh?" Aengus retorted.
Paddy voice softened in tone more than in volume. "Look, Aengus, I know what this means to you, and what it'll mean for mom, but you have to be more patient. You're sick of the waiting, yes, but it won't delay you that much, and it's the only way you'll maximize her results. Going on two years; what's one more week?"
"I appreciate you want to help, Paddy, I really do," said Aengus, easing off the irritation. "And yes, the results from the last time you suggested...that, were great. But that was way longer than just a week; that took nearly four months. I don't have that kind of patience. Not anymore. Besides, I'm confident in her."
"I'm telling you," Paddy insisted. "It'll be worth putting in the time."
Aengus shook his head. "Maybe when we get back to Johto, I'll think about it then."
Paddy grimaced. He resumed walking along as he said, "If you insist. I'll see you in Solaceon in, what, the day after tomorrow?"
"Sounds about right," Aengus said. "Good luck; hopefully it won't take you long."
"You too."
Paddy turned the corner westward and was out of sight. Rarity looked up at Aengus and asked, "Care to explain what all that was about?"
"You'd be happier not knowing," said Aengus with a slightly uncomfortable and disturbed look on his face. "Much happier."
"Uh...huh...."
"Never you mind that; there's something I'd like you to put on for now," Aengus said in a much more amiable voice.
Rarity raised her eyebrows in interest. "Oh, you do, do you? Since I very much doubt you have a pony's formal attire in your bag, I presume you have a chic accessory?"
Aengus snickered a moment, and shook his head. "No, not chic at all; this is something purely pragmatic. It'll help you quite a bit."
Rarity gave him a doubtful, sideways glance as he rummaged in his satchel. After a moment he pulled out a black framework helmet, but not an ordinary one. This one had half a dozen glowing balls about the size of a shooter marble on its top, and what looked like earpieces that would set behind Rarity's eyes. Her ears could easily fit in the wide gaps between the metallic slats. Her mane, however, might suffer. Rarity gave the thing one look and her ears flattened. She quipped, "Suppose you could find something a little more garish?"
Aengus smirked. "I warned you it wasn't fashionable."
"You said 'not chic at all;' that could be a plain, single-colour, unadorned cotton shirt. You didn't say 'it looks heinous.' There's a tremendous difference," Rarity nearly whined.
"Well...it looks heinous. Put it on," said Aengus.
Rarity grumbled, "You can't possibly be serious."
"This thing is called an 'Experience Share.' This will help you learn from battles others partake in, as if you were in the fight yourself," Aengus explained as he adjusted the headset. He carefully helped her ears between the metal bars as he continued, "I doubt your one-upping of Trixie covered every bout you've been in, but it doesn't sound to me like fights in Equestria much resemble a Pokemon battle. You'd do well to learn from Feraligatr, Rapidash, and the others."
The lower edge rested against Rarity's horn as he tightened the device. Rarity sighed, "Fine, I suppose it'll help with your championship matches."
"Yes," Aengus answered, slowing the rate he tightened the fitting cinch. "Now tell me if it hurts from over-tightening; it needs to stay put, not cause pain."
"It already hurts," Rarity grumped.
"I meant physically, not your pride."
"My horn. It hurts against my horn."
"Oh."
After a minor adjustment, Aengus stood up straight. He said, "You're right; it doesn't look good at all. But it wasn't built with looks in mind; as I said, it's functional, not sporty. Shall we be off?"
Aengus started eastward. Rarity walked beside him, asking, "Where are we going?"
"We'll be going to the Gym in Sunyshore City in the morning," said Aengus. "For tonight, we'll stop at Hotel Grand Lake, which is along the way. It is the only five-star accommodation in the region."
"Ooh!" squealed Rarity. "A five-star hotel, you say? The only in the area? Aengus, darling, I'm thrilled you booked such a place! Lead on!"
Aengus snickered as they walked through the gateway building, ignoring the people in there, each vacantly staring at the wall. Upon emerging, they found themselves in a wide block of tall grass. They were partway across the acre before something rustled nearby. Both turned to see an otter-like creature with burnt orange fur, blue flaps on its forelimbs, a circular yellow flap of skin around its neck, and two tails crawl out from behind a thick tuft of pampas grass. It growled at the two of them.
{How would you like to fight today?}
"Ah, a Buizel," said Aengus thoughtfully. "Not really worth capturing...tell you what, you're up. Rarity, let's see what you have."
"What I have?" Rarity asked. "Darling, are you asking me to fight this innocent animal?"
Aengus frowned, "It's not as innocent as you think it is. But yes."
Rarity hesitantly stepped forward. She sputtered, "Okay, so...wha...how do you want me to go about this?"
"Use your horn."
"You want me to ram this little guy with my horn? Aengus, it's used for magic, not skewering!" Rarity protested.
Aengus scoffed, "Then blast him! Use your Horn Attack!"
Rarity complained, "This hardly seems like--"
The Buizel suddenly shot forward at Rarity, covered in water which seemed to come from nowhere that splashed twice on its way before slamming into her side. She yelped and was driven back a step. Wincing, Rarity looked at her tail, now drenched and hanging in the coastal dirt, quickly coating it in wet sand. Her eyes narrowed as she looked back at the Buizel, with her horn charging. "It...is...on!" |
Rarity Gets Caught | 6 - Heading To Sunyshore | {Fighting back would be good}
The wild Buizel carefully backed up and edged around to its left as sparks flew off of Rarity's horn. Aengus raised an eyebrow. Keeping her horn trained on the Buizel, she snarled, "Take this, you ruffian!"
A bolt of blue magic erupted from her horn. The wild Buizel's eyes widened, but could do no more than that before the spell landed true. It sailed backwards, slashing through the tall grass until it smacked into a tree and flopped onto the ground. It reached briefly with a paw before it collapsed, fainting. Rarity continued to point her horn at the KO'ed Pokemon, until Aengus said, "Well done, Rarity! That was a nice shot. I like it."
{And it worked}
Rarity eased up. She looked back at him, then at the Buizel, and asked, "Is this how it goes around here, that wild animals attack all the time?"
"That would be wild Pokemon for ya'," Aengus grimaced. "They seem to like tall grass the best, or caves. You'd be surprised just how big a creature can hide out here."
{Time to keep moving}
They continued onward, talking about Pokemon species, evolving, and types, and move effectiveness. Rarity quickly picked up on what was "super effective" against what else, though she did express some confusion a few times. The thought of "Bug-type" moves working well on evil things did not compute in her mind, but she stashed the information just the same. Rarity took a moment to mutter about a seaside shack also having a south-facing door, questioning the wisdom of this, especially during spring tide. A less-than-romantic walk down the beach as dusk took hold, and Rarity looked up to see the front gate of the hotel. One thing had itched at her mind from earlier.
"Something that doesn't make sense to me," she began, "is if there are so many Water- and Flying-type Pokemon out there, and if there but two strong Ground-type attacks, why would you leave something like that Raichu in the waiting box for years? He said he's been there for seven years, and it sounds like, with evolving twice, he should be a strong addition to the team."
Aengus sighed uncomfortably. "You can understand the speech of Pokemon, and can talk to others in the PC boxes, then?"
"No, I'm just reading tea leaves because oolong tea does the best at foretelling the future, since it's always tea time with angel food cake and cucumber sandwiches in the PC Box," Rarity snipped with as much sarcasm as her voice could carry, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, Aengus, why ask such an obvious--ooh! This place looks simply marvelous, with the collection of private cabins and what should be spectacular ocean views! Come, let us not wait!"
Rarity galloped up the steps, looking back at Aengus. He followed at an unhurried walk, and led her through the lobby building, up some more stairs, to the left, and to his cabin. He unlocked the door and in they went. As Aengus flicked on the light, Rarity resumed, "This is simply divine, darling! You chose well! But seriously, if this is where we're staying for the night, can we take this thing off my head?"
Aengus smiled and loosened the tightening mechanism. As he removed it, he said, "There. Better?"
"Absolutely!" Rarity beamed. She took in the room for a moment, then resumed her serious tone. "You still haven't explained yourself, dear. Why would you leave Raichu in the box like that?"
Aengus frowned. "Was hoping you forgot about that...the thing about Pokemon is that not all species are equal. Even among those that evolve twice, some are stronger than others, while there are some that don't evolve at all who are stronger than end-evolution species. There are also a few unique individual Pokemon, collectively called 'Legendary Pokemon,' that are stronger than nearly any others."
Rarity said, "I'm following."
"Raichu, as a species, isn't a bad Pokemon. They really aren't too shabby; hell, they're better than most. The problem is that once you start reaching higher levels of competition, like where I'm at, they really aren't good, either," Aengus explained.
"So a Raichu is a so-so fighter," Rarity said, unamused.
"Ultimately, and unfortunately, yes," said Aengus. "The Raichu you saw in there was carefully bred and trained. It's the strongest Raichu you could hope to find. But in battle, he still was stomped flat by middle-of-the-road, maybe even subpar, Pokemon of a stronger species, even without having a type disadvantage. I remember that battle: an old buddy of mine from way back when sent out his Arcanine, a Fire-type, and it crushed that Raichu, even though it wasn't that good an Arcanine. If this Raichu was sent in against species as strong as Tyranitar or Dragonite, it'd be over even quicker."
"Then why does he wait in the 'to be decided' box?"
Aengus explained, "He's the measuring stick. Pokemon with comparable levels of battle experience who are statistically stronger can be on the team, those equal or less, not so much. His moves, also, limit him. It's just not that diverse, despite the breeding and training. And so, there he stays."
Rarity glared at him. "That's downright cold of you. He's a living creature with thoughts and feelings of his own, not a bunch of notes and numbers on a page!"
"Cold, yes," Aengus answered, his icy blue eyes showing ice in another way. "But that's one of the realities of competitive battling. A trainer has to be a certain level of cold. You can't let emotional attachment sway your decisions about your team. He is still useful, albeit in a less than glorious capacity. To be the best, you need to have the best. And there are better Electric-types; I have a well-trained Eelektross, and Paddy has a Zebstrika. Ampharos, Luxray, and Electivire also are statistically stronger than a Raichu with solid move sets. Jolteon and Magnezone are stronger too, but what they can learn...just isn't up to snuff as far as I'm concerned."
Rarity shook her head at him. She barked, "Then maybe you should simply comprise your entire team of these Dragonites and such!"
"Too little diversity," Aengus countered. "And too many glaring weaknesses. One well-bred and trained Machamp could undo an entire squad of them."
"Really."
"Let's give you a little quiz, to see if you remember your type defenses. Two of these Pokemon, Dragonite and Salamence, are Dragon/Flying type," Aengus led in expectantly.
"They would be weak against Ice--doubly weak against ice," Rarity answered in thought.
"Good," he answered. "Another of them is Garchomp, a Dragon/Ground type."
Rarity paused a moment, then said, "That's also doubly weak against Ice."
Aengus smiled. "Correct. Tyranitar is Rock/Dark."
Rarity thought, and said, "Let me see...Rock is vulnerable to Water, Grass, Ground, Fighting, and Steel while Dark is vulnerable to Bug, which still makes no sense to me, Fairy, and...Fighting! It's doubly weak against Fighting-type attacks!"
"Yes. Hydreigon also is one of those high-power species, but it is Dark/Dragon," Aengus said with a nod.
Rarity's eyes rotated in their sockets toward the ceiling. After a pause, she said, "Especially weak to Fairy-type attacks."
Aengus nodded, and gestured lightly with an open palm. "What is it simply vulnerable to, but not especially?"
"Fighting, Ice, Dragon, and the nonsensical Bug," Rarity said, grumbling on the last bit.
"One more," said Aengus. "Metagross is one I've not seen, but I've read up on them. They're Steel/Psychic types that are found only in Hoenn, and are rarely seen even there."
Rarity's fading patience etched itself across her growing frown. "Those types cover the other's weaknesses, except Fire and Ground."
"Excellent!" beamed Aengus. He continued, still sounding pleased with her, but also himself, "The seventh and last of those top-tier Pokemon that I know of is Goodra, which is a straight Dragon-type. As I said earlier, a Machamp can take out any of these easily. It's a Fighting-type, and one of the mightiest of its type. While I have yet to see any Fighting-type use a single Fairy-type move, Machamp can learn many of the high-end Fighting-type attacks...and with special breeding and training, it may also know Fire Punch, Ice Punch, and/or Earthquake."
"That's all well and good, darling," Rarity irritably began, "but really, what are the odds you'll face a Machamp?"
Aengus's eyes narrowed as he turned toward the nearby window. He growled, "It will happen. Bruno...Bruno always has one, the strongest of his crew each and every time...."
Rarity edged toward his left side. "You've got some venom in your voice when you say that name. Who is this person?"
Aengus glowered out the window. "Bruno...he is a member of the Indigo League's Elite Four. With all the changes in personnel at the League, I believe he's now the last one before the Champion. I've challenged for the Championship seven times, each time, making some wise adjustments to my lineup, and all seven times, Bruno's team defeated mine. He's cunning, thorough, and patient. Bruno's a master of Fighting-type Pokemon. My first attempt was with a team that simply wasn't strong enough. My second team was better, but again, he didn't need to do anything in particular apart from directly attacking. After that, I've had more diverse groups, ones meant to handle all kinds of squads while trying to minimize weaknesses. But Bruno's team had some adjustments of his own, namely using moves that targeted the types Fighting-types are weak against! Then I adjusted to come at him sideways, using Pokemon that had access to Fighting's weaknesses; he was ready and waiting for that, too! Nothing I've ever done has worked, has been enough!"
Aengus clenched his fists as he scowled into the night. He took a deep breath, then slowly looked into Rarity's eyes. His expression was one of hope. "But you, Rarity, you would be something he couldn't see coming. By Pokemon standards, you're effectively a Fairy-type, and with a strong 'special attack.' Most Fighting-types don't have the best 'Special Defense,' which puts you in a strong position. You are the best hope I've ever had."
Rarity blinked at him. She tried to speak, but all that left her wide-open mouth was an unenunciated, airy "...uhh...." She looked away and shook her head slowly. When she looked back at him, she said, "I guess then, from what you said earlier, I'm 'statistically stronger' than little Raichu."
"You are."
Rarity took her turn at the window, nickering. None of the constellations looked familiar. She caught his gaze and asked, "I'm still wondering, darling, why do you wish to be champion so badly? I've seen it in your eyes; there's something more at work than just a pugilist's dream."
Aengus chuckled, easing up. "All of us trainers start off wanting to know more about Pokemon, or just spend time with our new friend, meaning whichever Pokemon we received to start our adventure. Some want to see as many different species as they can. Some want to develop a special bond. Many of us get it in our heads that we want to be the very best, like no one ever was. I was one of those, and if I'm honest with myself, I still am. It didn't help that shortly before I was old enough to begin training, I saw three different boys only a few years older than me each in turn conquer the Elite Four and the Champion, just from setting out on their own first adventure. I knew I could do it too. The 'pugilist's dream,' as you put it...and you are right; that is not all."
"I can see how a few of your peers just ahead of you in age could fuel that ambition, that you'd want to too," said Rarity, following him as he headed toward the desk.
Aengus reached into his inside jacket pocket and set down a small locked case. He turned back toward Rarity and said, "Let me show you something that may help explain."
"Yes?" Rarity answered in intrigue. Aengus gently laid his hands on her face, so that her eyes filled the area between his index fingers and thumbs. She said, "Um, what peculiar thing will your hands do now?"
Aengus closed his eyes, breathing deeply and slowly. He murmured, "I can see it...your youth...things you used to know how to do, but almost forgot. Yes...yes...that is something to remember. Think of your earliest school days. Think of the charcoal pegasus colt you call 'Thunderlane.' Think of recess, and how you two liked to wrestle. Think on it, and remember...how to Play Rough!"
He let go suddenly and Rarity's head jerked back as she took a series of sharp, short, deep gasps. She shot him an alarmed stare. "How did you do that!? I hadn't thought about those days in years!"
"Some call me a 'Move Reminder,'" said Aengus as he turned back to the small metallic case. As he began to open it, he continued, "I can look into a Pokemon's mind and past, and remind them of a move they used to know. In your case, you now can use 'Play Rough' again. When others ask me to remind their Pokemon of moves they forgot, I am happy to do so, for a Heart Scale in exchange."
In the case there were iridescent scales shaped like hearts. Many of them were mounted on a chain, or a few hooks. Aengus continued, "My mother loves Heart Scale jewelry, and for her I gather as many as I can, most of them by being a Move Reminder."
His face turned somber as he pulled out some small tools. "She gave up everything for Paddy and me. Jobs, places to live, went without dinner more than a few nights so that he and I could get a bite...that is why I want to be champion. My mom deserves better than what she's gotten. I've sent most of the money I've made from battles back to her, even enough to put Paddy through university. The pension from holding the title would be more than enough to ensure she will be comfortable and not need to work for the rest of her days."
Aengus set to carving a pattern into a scale, one that matched a different scale already mounted on an earring hook. Rarity breathed, "Aengus...these are fabulous...! You have a real gift with them! They are beautiful by themselves, too. Hmm, maybe if...and that could go with--yes! Idea-a-a!!"
"Idea?"
"Aengus, darling, do you have a pencil and sketchbook? Or at least some paper?" Rarity asked.
Aengus gave her a confused face, and said, "Yeah. Um, here you go?"
Rarity levitated the pencil and paper over to another part of the room. Aengus stood up quickly. "Wait a minute...."
"Do be fast, dear. I am entering The Zone!" Rarity declared excitedly as she began drawing the basic shape of a mare.
Aengus laid his hands on her face as before, but only for a moment. He took a step back in shock. "Five...??"
Rarity set the pencil down. "'Five?' Five what?"
"You know five moves," Aengus said breathlessly. "Normally Pokemon can know up to four, but you know five!"
"I told you before, I'm a pony, not a Pokemon," Rarity grumbled as she resumed drawing, outlining the shape of an evening dress.
Aengus grabbed his bag and started into it. "There's something we have to do!"
"Can it wait for morning? I'm in The Zone, as it were," Rarity answered without even looking up. Her horn twinkled a bit more, and some different colours lit the page while the extra glow held.
"Really, I must know," Aengus insisted.
Rarity snapped, "If it can wait 'til morning, it waits 'til morning. Do not interrupt inspiration when it comes."
"Seriously, I think--"
"Wait 'til morning!!" Rarity barked. She glared imperiously for a moment, then gave him a pleased smile as she resumed drawing. Aengus scratched the side of his head, then shrugged, and returned to his work at the desk.
The night was growing old as select bodily functions abruptly yanked Aengus from the soft arms of slumber. As he started for the bathroom, he saw Rarity was still toiling over the paper, though it wasn't the same sheet. She had the start of at least five different dresses, each along the way between everyday casual and black tie affair, and had started on a style of suit for ponies. Her mane, eyelids, ears, shoulders, and tail all drooped heavily. The pencil still moved, and its shavings sat in a neat pile.
"You're still at this?" Aengus muttered groggily.
"Almost done," said Rarity. "Follow inspiration through to its end. That's how to set the trends and earn the business."
Aengus blinked, and rubbed his forehead. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Feeling like I ought to sleep," Rarity yawned.
"Then, get some sleep. I woke for the loo," Aengus answered as he plodded into the bathroom.
The door closed. Rarity made a few final scratches with the pencil, and dropped it. She looked at the second bed, crawled onto it, and conked out before her head reached the pillow. A few moments passed before a flush sounded. Aengus emerged, clumsily making his way back to his bed. He looked over at Rarity, cracked a small closed-mouth grin, and flopped out of the waking world.
{Good morning; you're not in Ponyville anymore}
Rarity's closed eyes twitched as the first sunbeams located the lower splits in the Venetian blinds and tantalizingly frolicked upon her face. She turned her head away with a groan. The sun continued its slow rise. The carpet and most of Rarity had a full set of a horizontally-slatted sunrise. She scoffed as she sat up. "Oh, what I'd do for my sleeping mask...."
Rarity slid off the bed. She wandered toward the door, and stepped outside. Aengus was sitting there, watching the sunrise, sipping on a steaming mug of black coffee. He looked over as she approached. "Morning."
"Morning," Rarity muttered. She yawned, long and shamelessly. Smacking her lips, she looked at the sunrise. The two sat there in silence for a few minutes. She scratched at her eyes, and examined her surroundings. A road followed the coast to the east, where there was a city in the distance. To the north lay plenty of woodland, though there was a small, circular lake with a circular island in its centre. Rarity blinked at it, squinting. She asked, "Isn't the name of this place 'Hotel Grand Lake?'"
Aengus nodded. "Yeah. Best resort in Sinnoh."
"I can see that," Rarity answered. "But which lake? I certainly hope they don't mean that one, over there?"
Aengus didn't even turn. "That'd be the one. It's the only lake for miles and miles. 'Lake Valor,' though clearly whoever named the lake couldn't spell worth a darn. What kind of idiot can't remember the 'u' in a word like 'valour,' really?"
Rarity shook her head in aggravation. "So the hotel is named for a look at a tiny lake, way over there," she said, gesturing with a hoof. Then she pointed the other way, continuing, "But the ocean is right here, and there's a beachfront entrance...but they were more enchanted by the view of that lake, which can only partially be seen through the trees, and only from here on the highest hill among these cabins...."
"Maybe it was the same idiot," Aengus mused, taking another sip of his coffee.
Rarity facehoofed as she grumbled, "That is simply decevant...."
"Yeah," said Aengus. He drained the remaining coffee, then stood up. "Well, Rarity, it's morning now. Time to try something, and get you back in your favourite little bonnet."
Rarity groaned as Aengus pulled the Exp. Share out of his bag. After it was back on her head and properly adjusted, Rarity huffed and pouted with crossed forelimbs while Aengus went back to rummaging in his bag. He pulled out a small box that had a very thin, flat circular thing inside if it; Rarity had barely feigned an amiable look before his eyes found her. She looked at the device, then back up at him. "What in the hoof is that thing? It...gives me pause."
"It's called a 'Technical Machine.' This thing can teach a Pokemon a move instantly, often something it would not otherwise learn," Aengus explained. "I'm glad they make sturdier ones these days; they used to break after a single use."
Rarity flapped her lips in annoyance. "Trying to see how many moves I can know at a time, I see."
"That and which ones," Aengus answered.
"How long will this take?" Rarity grumbled.
"Hopefully not long."
Rarity's stomach had audibly roared three times and the sun showed it was at least 9am before Aengus and gone through the whole collection. Much to Aengus's delight and Rarity's surprise, she did not appear to have any limit on the number of moves she could know. Every time he went through his bag, Rarity's face soured and she tried to scratch at her forehead, but could not get her hooves between the metal slats...but she put on a nice face, or at least a non-irritated one, whenever his eyes turned back toward her. On top of the five moves she already knew, she came out of the morning now knowing Calm Mind, Taunt, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Hyper Beam, Light Screen, Safeguard, Frustration, Return, Reflect, Double Team, Torment, Flame Charge, Attract, Round, Echoed Voice, Energy Ball, Embargo, Retaliate, Flash, Psych Up, Swagger, Substitute, Wild Charge, Dazzling Gleam, and Confide. None of the HMs taught her anything.
Rarity complained, "Can I please get some breakfast already!?"
"There's grass all over," said Aengus. "Weird. Couldn't learn Toxic or Hidden Power...no doubts that you're not a Pokemon now...."
"Do I look like an uncouth, feral beast to you!?" Rarity snapped. "I am refined, elegant, civilised, and have a discerning palate. Annnd, I smell a fine restaurant is near; let us go post-haste!"
"Rarity--" Aengus began with concern, but Rarity rushed down the stairs, telekinetically dragging Aengus by the hand and knocking him off-balance.
"None of that; I shan't take 'no' for an answer!" Rarity merrily replied, finding the restaurant's ornate entrance. She opened the door, stepped in, then promptly rushed back out, looking a little green around the gills. She shrieked, "They're eating flesh!! Why are they eating flesh!?!"
Aengus shook his now-released hand with a pained grimace. He sighed, "You wouldn't let me warn you. We're omnivores. Both meat and plants, though even for us, a healthier diet is mostly to the plant side."
Rather than listen attentively, Rarity had rushed alongside the building, and was doubled over with the dry heaves. Aengus rubbed his forehead at the sight, his expression a heterogeneous mix of surprise, concern, embarrassment, and nausea. On her third empty retch, Aengus mumbled to himself, "I suppose this is a more effective protest than a picket line...."
Rarity breathed deeply and quickly. She stood up beside an open window. Looking in for a second, she snatched an unused place setting with her magic, pulled the napkin out the window and wiped off her mouth. She threw it haphazardly back onto its original table as she turned toward Aengus. She accusingly snarled, "'Omnivore,' huh? Eat everything? On how many ponies have you dined?"
"None. Thank you," Aengus answered with civil indignation. "I was tricked into having horse meat once, because Paddy wouldn't say what he made for supper that night. Honestly, at first I thought he had just screwed up making beef."
"Horse?" Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Texture's funny and the flavour is a bit off," said Paddy. "Not again, and won't have a pony, either. I prefer chicken and fish."
"What's a horse?" Rarity asked.
"The pony doesn't know what a horse is...?" Aengus muttered under his breath, looking away. He sighed, and turned back to her. "A horse is like a pony, but much bigger. For example, Rapidash."
A click of a Pokeball, and a flaming unicorn horse appeared. Rarity's lower left eyelid twitched as she gawked agape. Aengus scratched his facial fuzz, and said, "That can't be a healthy tic you're developing with your eye."
The two equines stared at the other in surprise. They spoke in unison.
"You're huge!"
"You're tiny!"
Aengus watched as the two moved past the shock. Rarity started, "Well, um...yeah. You're a...my Celestia, you're enormous! You even dwarf Big Mac!"
Rapidash shook his head as horses do. He sighed, "So much for a chance at a little love in my life right now...."
Rarity scoffed, "Why, I...what's that supposed to mean? Rapidash, darling, we just met face-to-face, and you're already willing to write me off like that?! We've hardly said hello!"
"Look, Rarity, you're a beautiful mare. Really you are," Rapidash said. "But I am not a nanophiliac. This just isn't gonna work, no matter how much Feraligatr and the others are pushing for this."
Rarity stared at him for a moment. "I don't know how I'm supposed to react to that, whether I should be disappointed, offended, or...whatever."
A click, and Rapidash disappeared in rosy pink sparks. Aengus said, "Before you start screaming at anyone else again...."
"Did you hear him? The nerve!" Rarity grumped.
"I understood you just fine," Aengus said. "But with him, like every other time a Pokemon speaks, all I heard was it saying its name over and over."
Rarity groaned indistinctly. Shaking her head, she started toward the city in the distance. Aengus followed with a shrug as she grouched, "After all of that, my mood and appetite are both shot. Let's just get a move on."
{Happy little trip down a coastal highway-path-trail-whatever}
Aengus and Rarity started down Route 222 at a relaxed pace. The trip took them close to four hours, including dealing with wild Pokemon, and ten trainers. Rarity watched on as under Aengus's direction, Feraligatr and Rapidash shredded Pokemon after Pokemon that challenged their team, occasionally including Gyarados, Golem, or Pidgeot on the action. Through the device on her head, Rarity gained an understanding of footwork, positioning, and subtle feints to create openings, but not much in terms of evasion, blocking, or stoic resolve. Aengus's team simply ran circles around the competition. Rarity found, much to her delight, she didn't necessarily have to watch the fight to learn from it with the thing on her head. Hunger pangs had returned before the end of the first hour of the morning's trek. She found and gobbled down four berry bushes that sat in a row while Aengus directed Feraligatr against some blonde floozy (as near as Rarity could tell) who had some similarly lecherous-looking rabbit-woman-thing. Shortly after that, Rarity had the idea of feigning crying in an attempt to disrupt an opponent, thinking she could pull off some Fake Tears very well. Over the course of the morning and early afternoon, Rarity noticed a look on Aengus's face after defeating other trainers, a sort of cocky, dark grin, almost as if he were taking some savage joy in pulverizing these others so thoroughly. Biting her tongue on the obvious questions, Rarity followed along as they entered a gate building to the city, and into town.
{No city would have formed here with ordinary people; all outcrops and no level ground make for a bad place to set up a village}
Rarity looked across the lofted blue walkways and the craggy outcroppings on which sat the buildings. A Pokemon Centre was close. Aengus slowly walked forward, also taking in the scene. As he turned to the north, he pointed at something for a second, then hurried in that general direction. Rarity followed suit, admiring the lighthouse as they went. The two ascended a staircase onto the blue catwalks and turned west. A distinctively shaped building lay ahead.
Rarity nudged Aengus. "Darling, are you sure this is the Gym you were talking about? And why are we going to a gym right now? I think we had a sufficient workout walking all the way out here. I don't understand. Is there some magic in the weights you lift here that does more to make somepony, or someone, healthy?"
Aengus explained, "A fitness gym and a Pokemon Gym are certainly not the same. A Pokemon Gym focuses on training Pokemon, having them workout in battle. 'Gym' might not be the correct term, but it's what Leagues have called them since olden times. Each region has eight of them, and they all answer to their region's League. A trainer that challenges a Gym faces off with the trainers inside, eventually facing the Gym Leader. Defeating the leader earns the certification of that Gym, in the form of a Badge."
"This world of yours becomes more and more convoluted with everything new I learn," Rarity muttered.
Aengus shrugged as they stopped in front of Sunyshore's Gym. Aengus looked closely at the sign in front of the building, and nodded happily. He started back the way he came as he said, "An Electric-type Gym. Will need to make some adjustments to the party lineup."
He rushed them back to the Pokemon Centre. Rarity noticed that both outside and inside, it looked perfectly identical to the one in Pastoria, except maybe for some weathering. She had to return to the ball long enough for the machine to heal the team. After that, Aengus stopped at the blue computer. As he shifted Pokeballs to and from the receiving/sending pod, Rarity overheard Aengus say to one of the balls, "Sorry, old friend. It's the worst place for you to be. I'll come get you afterwards."
Aengus started for the door. As they headed back toward the gym, Rarity asked, "When you said you needed to adjust the lineup, what did you change it to?"
"You and Rapidash are still here. Joining the two of you for this challenge are Rhyperior, Krookodile, Flygon, and we're gonna give Excadrill a chance to prove herself," Aengus said.
They returned to the Gym entrance. The doors opened as they approached. Aengus gestured inward. "Ladies first."
Rarity curtsied as best as she could with the Exp. Share on her head and no dress. She entered, then he entered, and the door closed behind them. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 7 - In the Sunyshore Gym | {Gotta love how this hasn't exactly changed much over the years}
Rarity slowly walked forward, her head on the proverbial swivel. A man with glasses stood beside a pair of statues of some kind. He looked Aengus in the eye and said, "Hey there! How's it going, Champ-to-be?"
The man continued talking to Aengus, but Rarity didn't pay any further attention. The floor was garish, an eye-searing lemon-lime chevron pattern. Bolts of electricity jumped between electrodes nearby. A gap lay between the platforms with gears in the in-between, each with walkways on them at that. These horizontal gears were large enough to fit a small locomotive on them. Some person stood on the other side. Rarity peered carefully over the edge of the platform at the machinery work below, and the solenoid under the arcing electrodes. While she tried to discern the machinery, Aengus called out, "Rarity! Let's do this!"
She followed Aengus out onto the walkway, and around the corner as the walkway turned ninety degrees to the right. At the next vertex was a green circle, large and unavoidable. As they stepped onto it, the gears suddenly moved a quarter turn. Rarity exclaimed some surprised non-word yelp. She slammed against the railing. As she rubbed her flank as if she expected a bruise, Aengus began, "Geez, that's a hazard. Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Rarity sighed, still tending to the site of impact.
Aengus stroked her neck with an encouraging pat. "Let's step on these centre button-panel-switch-things together. I don't want either of us losing our balance again."
Rarity nodded. The now-turned path led back onto the first platform, but the first walkway had turned, and now faced the other direction. They followed it onto another gear with also had they green centre. Aengus squeezed over so that Rarity could step on it at the same time. Both braced against the railings, and stepped down. After the turn, the first walkway had rotated so that they could reach the other side, of the same painful pattern. Rarity sighed as she looked at the floor's flagrant colouration.
There was a young girl here, who was challenging Aengus to a Pokemon battle. She sent out a chipper-looking white and blue squirrel, which was dispatched in one blow by Aengus's Flygon, before the squirrel could even move. Rarity just blinked. The girl looked disappointed but not overwhelmed by the quick defeat, while Aengus gave her a slight nod and nothing more. They walked through the door.
Rarity sighed as more gears met her gaze, though this time there were a pair of vertical ones. She muttered, "There has to be a better way to train Pokemon than this."
"Than this place? Yeah. And there's tremendous power consumption here, too," said Aengus, shaking his head. "Every gym I've come to has some puzzle that goes with it, but it's never anything challenging. I don't know if the gym leaders just don't know how to build one with any difficulty, or if they intentionally dumb it down for younger trainers. Either way, it's gears this time, clearly. At least it's not catapults again."
"These floors are hideous," Rarity griped. "Who dared paint them with overly bright colours, and from the same colour family to boot? I think some of the adolescent fillies liked such colours when I was quite little, years before my sister was born. Sure am glad fashion made the obvious sensible move away from that."
Aengus smirked at her commentary as he led Rarity across the gear on the right, which did not have a button at its centre, but a split path. Stepping back onto a solid platform, they were approached by a skinny man with long blonde hair and an electric guitar. Strumming his axe, he sang...something, but Rarity couldn't figure out what. Some of the harder, grungier types of rock and roll were simply too...well, grungy, in every sense of the word, for Rarity's taste. A dirty man in dirty clothes, singing dirty words in a dirty voice to dirty notes...to her, all of it was degoûtant, gritty, grimy, unclean, unfit, and unappealing. Absolutely no elegance, no grace, no wit, and no charm whatsoever. Rarity stood in wonder why anypony, or anyone, could find that enjoyable as Aengus sent out Rhyperior, who was a big boy indeed. The guitar man countered first with some iron ball with attached magnets and a single eye, followed by two blue and black large cats of some kind, one after the other. Rarity had come to expect things like the ground shaking when a Ground-type is in a fight, and didn't pay it much mind as her thoughts drifted around. At least Rhyperior was slower, and through the gauche device upon her head she learned a little about blocking and dodging attacks for once. She considered how much better she Sings than that man as the second such cat fell.
Barely acknowledging his vanquished opponent, Aengus climbed the stairs there. A large vertical gear was in front of them, looking as though it had a walkway on it, but was turned perpendicular to the floor. Rarity looked at him and said, "Darling, I believe we took a wrong turn."
"Not quite," Aengus answered. "I saw this is a dead end at the moment, but it's higher up. The height gives me a clearer perspective on how to navigate this room."
"Ah."
They looked out on the four horizontal gears, with banistered walkways on them. One had a green button like before. Two had blue ones. Aengus rubbed his chin for a moment, then said, "Just a little time consuming, but that's all. I'm assuming the difference between the blue and the green are the direction they rotate. We start on the gear next to this one we just went over, and that'll open the vertical gear's path on the far side of the room. Follow those stairs down, deal with the kid standing over there, get to the green button, come back across this gear, and take the vertical one we're next to, and head to the next room. You follow?"
Rarity pursed her lips for a moment, and said, "I...think so. Let's just hope the gears turn in the right direction."
The two set off as Aengus suggested, and upon reaching the blue button, they noticed the gears turned in the opposite direction from convenient. Rarity stepped on the blue button a second time before Aengus could do so in unison, and her back end swung around and slammed him against the railing. With an oof he sputtered and dropped to one knee. Rarity gasped, "Darling, I'm so sorry! Are you hurt? I meant no harm at all!"
"Gimme a moment," puffed Aengus, feeling at his midsection with his hands. After a moment he wheezed, "Damn, you're heavy...."
Rarity glared at him a moment. "I express my concern for your well-being, and you insinuate I'm fat!? How dare you!! You might not know ponies' physiques as well as your kind's, but I'll have you know I'm slender and fit!"
"That's not what I said," Aengus grumbled as he pushed himself to his feet. "I said you're heavy. Ponies are much bigger and heavier than humans; even if you're the star of your county, you're still gonna be heavier than me by a bunch. Stop jumping to conclusions."
"Still," growled Rarity.
They completed the turn and got off the gear. Aengus had surmised correctly, and they followed the vertical gear's path across. A kid there started a battle with Aengus, sending out what looked like the same ball with magnets as before, except there were three of them stuck together. Aengus's Krookodile KO'ed it in one shot as well. The boy blinked in a stupefied fashion as Aengus merely strode by. The next gear had but the blue button, and it did not turn against the quicker way, nor did the green button on the next gear. They passed the guitar man from before, still making his noise. They crossed the gear and came to a little girl dressed up like a Pikachu. Aengus made no attempt to go around. She sent out four Pikachus, and Aengus sent a different one of the four he switched in for the gym against each of them. Only Flygon moved before its opponent, but of the other three, only Excadrill dodged their opponents' attack. All four Pikachus fell from a single hit, and Aengus carried on without a hint of reaction, and walked through the door to the third room.
The final room was much bigger, and had red centre-gear buttons along with blue and green. Aengus led Rarity onto the first gear and turned right at the centre, heading onto the second gear, triggered the first red button. Instead of stopping at a right angle, the gears rotated 180 degrees. They stepped off and were approached by another guitarist who looked much too similar to the other in the last room for Rarity's tastes. Fortunately his style of play was more of standard rock and roll rather than that...stuff from earlier. Rarity paused as the guitarist sent out a Raichu. As Aengus deployed Flygon, Rarity began, "Um, Aengus??"
Aengus said over his shoulder, "Not the same one. There are many Raichus in the world."
"Oh."
Flygon barely moved before this other Raichu and delivered a knock-out strike. Aengus moved on. Following the rotated gear, Aengus and Rarity had to go left, to another red-centred gear. Back on solid but poorly-coloured ground, they encountered a teenaged girl who wanted a go. She battled with a strange bee-patterned bipedal thing that Rarity watched get thrashed by Excadrill, and then a Raichu that got a shot off but missed before similarly falling. As they went up the stairs, Aengus said to himself, "Looks like I've found the better pair of the four."
Rarity inserted, "Excadrill and Flygon, you mean?"
Aengus nodded. "Obviously. They are doing rather well at proving themselves."
"Is there a reason you ignore them once you've won the battle?" Rarity asked.
"They're warm-ups," said Aengus. "Nothing more. They ultimately don't matter."
Rarity scoffed, "Hardly a fitting attitude for a champion."
"You see that man in the back? The one in the middle?" Aengus said, pointing. After Rarity nodded, he continued, "That one matters. Everybody else standing here are simply training in his Gym, trying to become strong enough to challenge him, but know they are not there yet. They are trying his philosophy at battling, using similar Pokemon. Then somebody like me comes along, gives them all a good wallop, and hopefully they learn something. Usually they don't. They'll continue using those Pokemon and battling other challengers to the Gym, rather than switch up their group to handle Ground-types. So yes, what you said earlier still stands: this isn't the best way to train Pokemon, and does a half-arsed job with trainers."
Another guitarist met them, one who liked to play loud chords and melodies very, very quickly, although it was in a Major key and not the grunge from the first. Rarity flattened her ears at his performance. Flygon came back out and handily bested two more large cats like the ones earlier. As they moved on, Aengus commented, "I see you're not into power metal."
"No darling. Not one whit."
They stepped out onto the gears once more. Following their rotations, Aengus led Rarity around the corners, under an arcing solenoid, and to a blue button that Aengus over-rotated. He quickly stepped on and off the button several times until he could follow the path to the platform beside the central-back one. Rarity stumbled forward, bracing herself against the handrails. Aengus looked back from the yellow and green flooring and asked, "Too quick?"
"Yes, you did that too quickly," Rarity muttered, blinking hard. "Feels like this spinning room is sinking deep into that mess down there."
Aengus grimaced. "Stay with me, lass. Lean against me if you must."
And as such, Aengus helped Rarity onward, where a nearly-a-man boy faced off with Aengus and his team. Excadrill went to fight this time, and eluded the punch of one of those upright yellow-and-black things, and then totaled another of the three-in-one iron ball opponents. Aengus did not even look the youth in the eye as he moved on, still helping Rarity with the dizziness. He placed his hand between her eyes. She asked, "What are you doing?"
"Forcing your eyes to see separate things. It helps us; maybe it'll help you," he answered.
Rarity noticed he was correct. The uneasiness faded. As they started across the vertical gears' "bridge," Aengus looked around briefly. He pointed at the red button they stepped on first, and moved onward. He commented, "You know your face is different from every pony, horse, and zebra I've ever seen, or saw pictures of."
"Oh?"
"You have binocular vision," Aengus explained. "Both of your eyes face forward, and, frankly, are huge. The horses, etc., of this world have eyes on the sides of their head, and are comparatively small."
"Why does that matter?" Rarity asked as they descended some stairs.
"It's an odd trait for a grazer. Herbivores usually have eyes on the sides of their heads, almost as if they were scanning a wider area in case a hunter came along. But animals that eat meat have both eyes facing front, in spite of the hullabaloo you made about them serving it at that restaurant," Aengus answered.
As they stepped on the red button again, Rarity replied, "Why would they have both eyes facing front? Wouldn't they have a better chance of spotting prey if they were looking all around at once?"
"Maybe?" Aengus unconvincingly replied. "It probably has something to do with hunting. I'm guessing it helps them see how far away something is."
"Sounds like you also had some higher education," Rarity said.
Aengus shook his head as they started back across the gear bridge. "Nah, it's just something I noticed after eleven years of being out training Pokemon and looking for more in the wild. See the same thing over and over, and even an unintelligent person figures things out after awhile. Sailors, back in the day of wind-powered ships, were the first to notice the world was round and not flat, and precious few of them knew how to read or do basic mathematics."
Rarity gave him a disbelieving look. "And how did they come to that conclusion?"
"Ports they left sank below the horizon, rather than just get smaller and smaller," Aengus said as they started across the gears again. He smiled as he looked up. "Yep, got it. Told you this wasn't too hard. And this is the most difficult gym in Sinnoh. I found the ones back in Johto more confusing, but I was only eleven years old back then."
"And what purpose would my 'huge eyes' serve?" Rarity asked, biting back on the venom.
Aengus shrugged. "I have no idea. They're cute, though."
Rarity smiled contentedly at that assessment. They quickly came to the last platform. A man with short blonde hair and blue eyes was there, wearing black trousers and a medium blue coat. Aengus took something out of his bag and applied it to four of the Pokeballs at his belt. As he stepped forward, the man spoke. "Ah, so you are my latest challenger. I am Volkner. Been awhile since the last one came, and that was over quickly. I hope you brought something thrilling, because I'm growing bored of this."
"Fear not," Aengus said with a cocky grin. "No boredom will come to you presently. This isn't a group you can simply push over."
"Words I've heard before, or others to a similar end. Truly, I hope this will be a fun battle. It's been awhile...," Volkner sighed. He reached behind his back, and tossed up a Pokeball, ordering, "Jolteon, go!"
{Yay, gym leader battle!}
A yellow cat-like creature with black eyes, spiky fur, and a white mane came out, though its mannerisms were much more dog-like. Aengus looked at Rarity. "You want this one?"
"Uh...sure?" Rarity half-heartedly answered.
"Then, go get 'im, Rarity!" Aengus cheered. As she stepped forward, Aengus whispered, "Watch its tail. He'll probably strike from there to begin."
Volkner gave Rarity a puzzled look. She began to charge her horn, staring intently at the Jolteon. Aengus smirked, and shouted, "Rarity, use Sing!"
"You want me to sing? Now??" she asked perplexed, staring back at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, Rarity, now would be a good time."
Volkner rolled his eyes at their exchange. "Jolteon...Iron Tail."
Rarity yelped as the speed with which Jolteon closed and swung its tail. She gasped in pain as the move struck home. She took a few deep breaths, and muttered to herself, "Sing, huh? Fine, whatever."
Rarity of thought something she sand with The Ponytones, but figured the tune probably wouldn't work without the rest of the quartet. Then she remembered an opera her parents took her to as a birthday present, one that was an early spark in her love of fashion. The older Prench garb always stuck out in her mind, especially the haute couture styles. She remembered an aria and began to sing it, sounding rather similar to the Habanera piece from Carmen. Within two lines, Jolteon's eyes were closed and it was softly snoring, still on its feet. Rarity noticed and muttered, "How rude...."
Volkner barked, "Jolteon! Snap out of it, and use Charge Beam!"
"He fell asleep during your song? How rude indeed," Aengus said with faux-irritation. "Go show him how you feel about that! Use Play Rough!"
Jolteon continued to softly snore. Snorting, Rarity rocked her head from side to side, getting two pops leftward and three from the right. She then dashed in and kicked up a dust cloud. Numerous punches and kicks sounded from within. As the dust settled, Rarity had her teeth bared, and Jolteon toppled over. In a pinkish flash he returned to his Pokeball.
Volkner blinked in shock. As he reached behind him for the next, Aengus said, "Rarity, step back. I'm sending in Excadrill."
"Go, Raichu!" Volkner shouted.
Rarity hobbled back to Aengus's side as Excadrill materialized from her ball. A Raichu appeared across from her. Sparks flew off the yellow dots on its cheeks. Excadrill looked back at Rarity and shot her a grin. Rarity returned it with an encouraging nod. Volkner blinked quickly again, studying Excadrill's features. He muttered, "Another Pokemon I've never seen before...."
"Excadrill, use Drill Run!" Aengus shouted with glee.
"Raichu, Focus Blast!" Volkner answered.
A ball of some kind of power formed between Raichu's hands, and shot forward at Excadrill. She leaned to her right and let it sail by. Excadrill launched herself at Raichu, spinning. Raichu hunched down, looking to leap away once Excadrill was too close to turn, but mistimed the dodge. Raichu grunted, sounding of having the wind knocked out of him, as he tumbled backwards into an uncontrolled reverse somersault and stopped face-down on the heinous floor. It, too, faded away into its Pokeball.
A bead of sweat formed on Volkner's forehead. Sounding of forced courage, he yelled, "Luxray, your turn!"
Rarity breathed hard, nursing her side where Jolteon's tail struck. Her fur was slightly reddened. As she looked up at Aengus, a dark grin was taking over his face. She said, "I think you're enjoying this a little too much."
"Maybe I am. If so, I don't care," he answered.
A blue and black large cat coalesced on the battleground, larger and with a fuller mane than such cats Rarity saw from earlier opponents. Volkner hollered, "Use Fire Fang, Luxray!"
Aengus grinned. "Excadrill, same song, second verse."
Excadrill moved first, the same as last time, and to the same result. Luxray had fainted from the blow, and returned to its Pokeball. Volkner blanched. He stood wide-eyed, twitching in his hands slightly. Aengus lazily blinked as he just stood there, very relaxed. Volkner squeaked, "This is it...my trump card!"
"You don't sound especially confident, sir," Aengus answered cockily.
"Electivire!!" Volkner shrieked.
A large bipedal yellow and black...thing came out, sporting what looked like a pair of long, thin black tentacles coming out of its back with red tips. It flexed its arms threateningly and jumped around in a simian sort of way.
Aengus shook his head. "Excadrill, one more time."
"Use Fire Punch now, Electivire!!" Volkner screamed.
The huge thing closed ground on Excadrill and threw a flaming punch which connected. Excadrill staggered back a few steps, blinked hard a few times, and shook her head. Then she dove forward in the same spin as before. And again, the attempt to dodge did not execute at the correct time, leaving an enormous creature toppling and disappearing in a smattering of rosy sparks. Volkner stood dumbfounded.
{Not gonna bother with the Got A Badge! fanfare}
Excadrill walked back to Aengus, who smiled broadly at her. He scratched her back, to which she arched and closed her eyes with a contented sound. With a hug he said, "You did great, lass. Welcome to my A-Team. You've earned it."
Volkner slowly walked over to them as Excadrill returned to her ball. He murmured in disbelief, "You've got me beat...the way your Pokemon fought was...unbelievable. I've never seen such strength, and you had four more you didn't even show."
"Thank you very much," said Aengus earnestly. "You did not look like you were enjoying yourself."
Volkner chuckled nervously. "Honestly...no. Your team is terrifying. You've given me something to work towards, a level I must reach. I'll train harder than ever!"
"A noble goal," Aengus answered. "And the correct way to achieve it. I wish you luck, and the perseverance to get there."
"You've earned this! Your eighth badge!" Volkner said. Aengus snickered for a moment. Volkner asked, "Why's that funny?"
"Eighth? No. Fortieth," Aengus answered.
"Forty!?"
Aengus pulled a hard-backed wallet out. As he opened it, a flap rolled out with its own hard backing behind five panels. Four had eight ornate pins attached, and the bottom had seven. Aengus pointed at them in descending as he said, "Johto...Kanto...Kalos...Unova...and now Sinnoh."
"Wow...."
"Glad I could impress," Aengus grinned as he attached the Beacon Badge to the lower-right spot on the fifth flap.
As Aengus put all that stuff away, Volkner asked, "So...which Pokemon League will you challenge?"
"While I'm considered a contender for the Indigo League's championship, I legally cannot challenge any other League," Aengus answered. "And so I will be headed home shortly."
"Not going to Hoenn or Alola?" asked Volkner with a raised eyebrow.
"No time," Aengus answered. "Besides, if what I've heard is correct, Alola hasn't set their League up yet."
Volkner pressed, "But you're just a contender for the championship at the Indigo League, but not its Champion, nor one of its Elite Four?"
"That is correct. I intend to make my challenge shortly."
"The Indigo League is that tough??" Volkner asked in astonishment.
"Yeah," said Aengus, slowly nodding. "It is the oldest of the Leagues, after all, and the most prestigious."
"So I've heard. Since you've been through so many Gyms, it's fair to guess you already having the TM for Charge Beam?" Volkner asked.
"Sure do."
Volkner shook his head with an overwhelmed grin. "Wow. Then let me say, good luck at the Plateau, and safe journey home."
Aengus bowed graciously, and led Rarity back out the front door of the Gym.
{Business concluded; time to leave}
After a quick stop at the Pokemon Centre for healing, and switching back to his travel team, Aengus led Rarity back down Route 222 as the late afternoon sun sank in the western sky. The going was quicker without stopping to battle every trainer they happened across, as most of them were the same folks from that morning, but the hotel was still a long ways away. Rarity asked, "That Jolteon-character, why did it hurt so much when it hit me? That weasel from last night wasn't so bad."
Aengus looked at her for a moment, then continued gazing forward. "A Jolteon is much stronger than a Buizel, even with physical attacks. More to the point, you're considered a Fairy-type in this world. The move Iron Tail is a Steel-type move, and one of the Fairy-type's weaknesses, remember?"
"And the other is Poison-type attacks; I did not forget," Rarity answered. After a pause, she continued, "So what is the plan for now, darling?"
"We hit the hay early, and set out early," Aengus said. "The ship leaves in the morning two days from tomorrow, and we'll need to be in Snowpoint City by then. We've a lot of ground to cover. Paddy's in Solaceon Town, which leaves us two ways to get there: we take the south route through Pastoria and Hearthome Cities, or we head north and go through Veilstone City instead. From the hotel it'll be quicker to get there by way of Veilstone, so that's what we're gonna do. Then we meet up with Paddy, and the lot of us head north. Depending on the time we make, we may spend the night at Celestic Town, or have a night of camping in the caves of Mt. Coronet. Then we press through the cold of those northern routes on the way to Snowpoint City. We spend our last night in Sinnoh there, and get on the ship the morning after and head for home."
"What is he doing there, anyway?" Rarity asked. "You've been quick to avoid talking about that."
"And I still am," Aengus replied. "If you want, you can ask him about it tomorrow. I don't much feel like being chewed out right now, and would much rather you do your yelling at him instead of me."
Rarity nickered. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this."
"You should."
The two pressed onward, and were back at the hotel shortly before sundown. A reasonable night's sleep later, Aengus and Rarity set off northward, toward Veilstone City just after daybreak. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 8 - Meanwhile, Back In Twilight's Lab.... | {The sort of tune where everything feels wrong, and everyone is depressed or worse}
Spike grumbled and stretched as the morning sun poked at his eyes. With a huff he stood up, smacked his lips together a few times, and trudged out of the room and down the hall. The light was on in the largest guest suite. Sweetie Bell and her parents had stayed there since Twilight gave them the bad news about Rarity, as Twilight insisted on taking them in until Rarity could be brought home. A smaller suite was across the hall, and sat prepared for another guest. Spike passed Sweetie Bell as she shuffled out the suite's door; they absent-mindedly waved at each other in their partially awake state. As Spike passed Twilight's room, he briefly peered in and blinked. The bedsheets were still slightly messy, and untouched. Again. For the second night. He sighed, shaking his head as he continued down the hall toward the basement stairs.
Minutes later, he opened the door to the lab. Twilight's mane had frizzed something fierce, and maybe a little scary. Her horn was ablaze as she walked between three printing apparatuses, each of which ticked off another line now and then. Several lab benches held small items in ongoing spells, namely the soil, scorched moss, and the broken Safari Ball. The bags under Twilight's eyes had grown huge, yet there was still focus and drive in her gaze. Spike ambled over to her, and said, "If you were waiting for the break of day, it's already come and gone again. You need to sleep sometime, Twilight!"
Twilight didn't even look up as she answered, "I'm so close, Spike! I have to finish this analysis so that we can follow Rarity's and Trixie's ponynappers! I can sleep once I have this analysis complete so that we can save Rarity and Trixie! I can't stop now!"
Spike shot Twilight a wide-eyed look, equal parts deeply concerned and annoyed disbelief. "Twilight...can you hear how quickly you're repeating yourself, and your own tone of voice? You're wiped out. You can't keep doing this. You are going to collapse, and soon."
"Are you sure you don't want me to take over?" Starlight stood at the door, levitating a mug of coffee. As she walked over, Twilight looked at her student. She promptly took the coffee from Starlight's levitation spell. Starlight scoffed, "Hey!"
But Twilight was already halfway through the mug. She finished it off, and said, "Thank you, Starlight, very much. I needed that."
"That was mine," Starlight grumbled, still huffing.
"Oh. Oops," Twilight mumbled. After a moment, she looked at a clock. She levitated a scroll with the Crystal Empire's official insignia, stared Starlight in the face, and said, "Could you head to the train station? Sunburst should be arriving in about ten minutes."
Starlight's face lit up. "Really?? He actually came!?"
As Starlight dashed out the door, Twilight smiled to herself, shaking her head. She strode over to one of the printing stations, and sighed in relief as she read the most-recently added line. "Good, that's one...."
The broken Safari Ball fell as the aura surrounding it disappeared. Twilight stumbled toward the bench with the soil.
Starlight ran onto the platform at a full canter as the train hissed, coming to a complete stop. The berth car's door opened as the conductor called out where they were and where the train stopped next, but Starlight paid him no attention; her eyes darted among the passengers stepping off. There weren't many on the early train, lending Sunburst to disembark in no time at all. Starlight took off and all-but tackled her half-awake friend, hugging the wind out of him.
"Ow, that actually hurt, Starlight," Sunburst wheezed as she let go. "I'm delighted to see you too, of course, but...ow."
"Sorry; just got a little carried away," Starlight sheepishly answered.
Sunburst rubbed his side with his hoof and adjusted his glasses with his magic in unison. He held up a letter emblazoned with Twilight's cutie mark. "It's okay, but I really think we should get down to business. If Princess Twilight hadn't personally sent me this, I would've attributed this talk of other-worldly abductions as modern science fiction."
"What about abductions!?" snapped an aging unicorn stallion in a black top hat and black cape with red lining, wheeling about and advancing on the pair. His was a coat somewhere between cobalt and steel blues, with bright green eyes and grayed-out periwinkle mane and long thin mustache. He had exited the train just before Sunburst.
Sunburst scrunched his eyebrows, "I shouldn't discuss the--wait, you look familiar. Have I seen you--yes, I believe I have! You wouldn't happen to be Presto Lulamoon, The Terrific & Astounding, would you? I saw one of your performances a good ten years ago. That show was spectacular!"
"I'm not here for a show, young sir!" was his retort.
Starlight tapped at her chin, murmuring, "Lulamoon...ah. Trixie's dad. So that's who the other--"
Presto whirled around at her. "If you have information about Trixie, you're going to give it to me right now!"
Starlight's shoulders slumped as she looked the provoked stallion in the face. Presto had nearly forced his nose into hers in a most-unfriendly manner. Her eyes lowered as she sniffled. "Mr. Lulamoon, some creature came at us through a portal from another world. It threw something at me, but Trixie shoved me out of the way. It--" Starlight broke down into sobs. "It captured her in that small ball, a-a-and took her away! She gave herself up to ke-e-ep me safe! I'm so sorry, sir!!"
Starlight stood there, crying on the platform. Sunburst chewed on his lip, shrinking back with a face full of uncertainty. Presto sighed sadly, but put a hoof around her. He gently said, "You must be Starlight Glimmer. Trixie's written at length about you in her letters. You're about the only one she'd do that for. Thanks for being such a good friend to my daughter; it means so much to me to know she has somepony she can count on."
The trio left the station as the train moved on. Starlight asked Presto about Trixie, and heard the stories only her dad could tell: Trixie's first trick, her studying sleight of hoof, the elation that the family trade would go on, and the first time he could not follow how she performed an illusion. Sunburst offered very few words during the exchange. Twenty minutes or so later, they arrived at Twilight's Castle.
Cookie Crumbles and Sweetie Bell both had busied themselves with tidying in the kitchen, to which Starlight's head jerked backwards. Before she could say anything, the three heard some strained grunting from behind, and then made way as Magnum and Spike carried a keeled-over Princess Twilight Sparkle out from the lab and up the stairs, toward the hall that led to her room. Presto muttered, "Not her most-flattering expression...."
"She's been awake for two days, Mr. Lulamoon, analysing every bit of data she retrieved, so that we can follow them to their home dimension," Starlight answered, both quickly and defensively.
"And that's where I come in," Sunburst inserted. "Assuming her scans are complete, I'll take the data and devise how to reopen the portal."
Presto gave him an unamused look as he condescended, "And...you're up to the task. Got it."
"Um, yes, I am, Mr. Lulamoon," Sunburst hesitated. "I serve Her Excellency Princess Cadance as the Crystaller and her magic consultant, and came here to help resolve this matter at Her Highness's behest."
Starlight nodded emphatically as Sunburst spoke. Presto closed his mouth, then tipped his hat as he said, "Ah, so you are a professional after all. I will help you, then."
Sunburst frowned. "Um, I appreciate the offer, naturally, but I have to ask, how knowledgeable are you of conjuration magic and astral mechanics?"
"Well...," Presto trailed off, his thought not fully formed.
"Okay, so you can't help with writing the spell to open the portal to this other world," Sunburst said flatly. "Maybe you could help with the casting and maintenance of the portal, then. How many gigajoules is your horn's output?"
Presto blinked at Sunburst blankly. Sunburst frowned again. "I see. I am sorry, but I'm afraid there's not much you can do to help me."
Presto deflated. Starlight swiftly suggested, "Maybe you could help out with the others, use your talents to keep morale up? One of their family was also abducted."
"So Trixie wasn't the only one," Presto snorted irritably.
Starlight shook her head. "No. Nor was she the first. Two different perpetrators, two different victims, but the same crime at the same place done by creatures of the same species under nearly identical circumstances, approximately fifteen minutes apart."
Presto stared at her a moment before asking, "Why? What do these creatures want with ponies?"
"Twilight thinks they enslaved Trixie and Rarity, the other pony who was abducted," Starlight said sadly. "Why us, and what purpose, we have no idea. We need to get into that world before we can hope to find out anything more."
Presto glared at the floor. He looked up at Sunburst and hissed, "You do whatever you need to, to bring them home or start us on the road to bringing them home. Don't hesitate to ask if you think there's anything I can do to help. You hear me?"
"Of course. I, uhh...need to get to work," Sunburst said.
{Prepartions are necessary}
Starlight led Sunburst away from the parlour and downstairs into Twilight's laboratory. The three lab benches appeared mostly clean, although the specimens and the print-outs still sat there. Sunburst started at the bench with the moss, perusing the data readout at speed. Starlight began with the same for the soil. She did not make anywhere near the kind of progress that Sunburst did. After a few minutes, she set the paper down, sat down, and rubbed at her temples. Sunburst was still going through the moss's data at the same rate, with the same posture and the same intrigued expression. Starlight blinked at him, then forcibly blinked between eyes shut and wide open, holding each for a little under a second several times each. She shook her head slowly and massaged her temples some more. Sunburst had nearly finished the first set of data when he asked, "You said she was at this for two days straight, without sleep?"
Starlight nodded, then noticed Sunburst hadn't looked up. She said, "About forty hours on end, yeah. I don't know how she stays awake so long."
"Her Highness is a very talented spellcaster indeed," answered Sunburst as he set down the first print-off. As he adjusted his glasses, he continued, "And I can see she, too, knows astral mechanics very well. She knew to examine an object from that other world, something directly touched by the portal, and a living thing struck by the portal's released energy. Her analysis is very thorough; none of the common variables of astral travel will catch us by surprise. This will be much easier than expected. Between the three, I can determine exactly where we need to go, and how to write the portal creation spell."
Starlight shook her head again. "I can't make heads or tails of what all this says."
"I can. While it's still amazing you traveled through time with your magic, crossing dimensions is a whole other animal. Don't feel bad, Starlight. There are precious few who understand astral mechanics," Sunburst answered as he finished the first data set. As he began on the one by the Safari Ball, he said, "But I'll need you to test the spell. There aren't any other unicorns in a hundred leagues who have enough raw power to open the portal, Princess Twilight is in desperate need of rest, and the other princesses are all busy."
Hours passed. Sunburst had read through each of the data results three times apiece before he began writing the spell, and often referenced different points on each data set while he laid out the diagram. In the middle of him writing, Starlight joined the others upstairs for a time, and watched Presto perform. She could see exactly where Trixie learned her flair for showponyship and some of her style, especially for tricks that required the power of suggestion. But Presto's show was very different from Trixie's: while Trixie used a stage and performed large-scale tricks, Presto was a master of close-up magic. In the middle of his routine, he actually performed the old cups-and-balls shtick so brilliantly nopony had the first clue how he did it, just that his horn was unpowered, and he used clear glass cups to boot. The grown-up ponies laughed at Sweetie Bell asking how he did his act, and Presto reciting the old line, "A good magician never tells his tricks."
{And back to the scene of the crime}
Elevenses had just passed when Sunburst emerged from the lab with a just-finished scroll in his satchel. He and Starlight departed for the Everfree Forest. En route, Starlight asked, "Hey Sunburst, earlier when you said something about 'common astral variables,' what were you talking about?"
Sunburst grinned. "I see you want the good news first. Those variables are remarkably similar between our world and this other. Specifically, that means we won't have to worry about transmogrification across the portal, the flow of time is nearly perfectly identical, the atmosphere there is breathable, we won't have any significant changes in gravity, length of days, chemistry, use of magic, cognitive ability, size, entropy, background radiation, metabolism, or memory, and the other world is astrally stable, which means we won't have to worry about the other end of the portal bouncing to different places each time the spell is cast. I wouldn't have known all of that if Princess Twilight's examination hadn't been so exhaustive."
Starlight nodded. She grimaced, and asked, "Since you said 'good news,' what's the bad?"
"The minor bit of bad news is that we'll have to be at the same place to use the spell. Without analysis of the other world, moving where the portal forms will unpredictably change where it comes out on the other side; it's not like we're using something with fixed ends, such as that mirror," said Sunburst.
"And the rest of it?"
Sunburst sighed. "The bigger bit of bad news is that with you using the spell, the portal will be open for only a few minutes. We'll barely have a chance to look around. If it were one of the princesses casting, we'd have much more time, like a few hours."
"You mentioned the time spell; you know I matched Twilight blow-for-blow during that mishap. I'd say that makes me about as strong as she is," Starlight chuffed.
"You're really not," Sunburst timidly began. As Starlight scowled in disbelief at this remark, he said, "It's just the truth of it, Starlight; you shouldn't get offended. While you did match Princess Twilight blow-for-blow as you said, you weren't repeatedly using that time spell. Not only did it take three specific beings to the same point in time, it took them to the same place as well. Casting a spell like that is a tremendous power drain, and she used it over, and over, and over. You used the spell only once."
Starlight grumbled, "Well, when you put it like that, I suppose I can't argue the point. Speaking of Twilight, how long do you think she needs to rest before she's ready to use the spell herself?"
"Assuming everything is A-OK, Her Highness should wait for tomorrow night at the very earliest, likely the day after," Sunburst answered.
Frowning, Starlight said, "She really doesn't like it when ponies use her honourific. She'd rather just be 'Twilight' to everypony."
"Sorry, force of habit."
They arrived at the meadow. Starlight led Sunburst over toward where the portal was, and found the remaining mosses were still burnt. Sunburst unfurled the scroll, which rolled out much further than for what Starlight had braced herself. Half an hour of reading and rereading the spell, Starlight stood upright and gave Sunburst a nod. He stood behind her and slightly to her left as her horn powered up to a piercing glow. Rather than the spell forming into a ray, the magic swirled in a series of tiny specks of light. With point after point leaving her horn, the spell looked like a collection of spinning tendrils tracing an oval. A moment of this passed, and then all the little "strings" broke loose. The ellipse was there, exactly as it had been two days prior.
{Right. We're going in!}
Sunburst urged, "Let's hurry. We don't have long, three minutes tops, likely only two, or less."
The two leapt into the ellipse. Without much of any time to look at the strange colours between worlds, Starlight and Sunburst landed in The Great Marsh of Pastoria with a dull splotching thud. Both of them groaned in the brown brackish mess than now covered them. They struggled to their feet. Starlight grumbled, "Yuck. We have to lay down planks or stones or something so that nopony else ends up in this...ick."
"We really don't have time for that. But on the bright side, the spell works perfectly," Sunburst said, sticking his tongue out at the mud. He looked up and commented, "I hear the sea. The smell was a clue we're close, but close enough to hear it? A few hundred metres at most."
A delighted gasp snatched both of their attentions. They turned to see a human girl, no older than twelve and slightly tanned, standing there, in tall black rubber boots, yellow slacks, a white top and a purple windbreaker. She had a lean, athletic build, and the sort of face that warned of a future filled with breaking boys' hearts. Her brown hair was in an evenly-done single French braid, and her brown eyes and expression screamed that she was doing her darnedest to not squeal happily at the top of her lungs. She euphorically squeaked, "Ponies...!! Oh my God, they're so cute!!"
Starlight took a defensive stance as she growled, "Be on your guard! She's coming for us!"
"You can't be serious," Sunburst answered incredulously. "She looks like she just saw a litter of kittens, not like she means to enslave."
"You have got to be on my team!" the girl cheered as she threw a Safari Ball.
Starlight yelled, "Look out!"
Firing a teal ray, Starlight shot down the Safari Ball, shattering it into more than six pieces. The sudden look of shock, sadness, and even a bit of betrayal on the girl's face would have reduced her father to tears. Sunburst simply looked stunned. He breathed, "...unbelievable."
"You will not enslave me!!" Starlight barked. She then telekinetically grabbed the girl's bag of Safari Balls and yanked it off her hip, continuing, "You will not enslave anything else!!"
Baring her teeth, Starlight rapidly fired into the bag as the girl screamed, horrified. Twenty-six shots, twenty-six shattered balls. The girl's eyes glistened as the corners of her mouth turned down, her lower lip quivering, and her shaking hands moving toward her face. As she started sniffling and sobbing, a chime sounded somewhere, followed by a serene mare's voice. "You've run out of Safari Balls. Your Safari game is over."
A small yellow creature suddenly appeared with a small pop, and then disappeared the same way along with the girl as her waterworks really began. Starlight's mouth had fallen open in livid shock. Sunburst shook his head, and saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see a human boy of about the same age as that girl, with a dark brown complexion, and well-kempt coarse black hair kept short, and wearing the same kind of boots, pre-damaged blue jeans, and a red and blue thick-striped shirt standing there, throwing another of those balls at an oversized, floating Venus flytrap. It hit the strange plant, which faded away in a shower of green sparks. A few seconds later, the boy jumped with a jubilant fist pump and indistinct but triumphant whoop. Sunburst blurted, "...this is sick and twisted...."
"A game!? This is a bucking game to these...things!?!" Starlight ejaculated. The boy turned and saw Starlight and Sunburst, appearing highly interested as he raised both eyebrows and pursed his lips. Starlight fired a shot into the mud at his feet, snarling, "Don't you even try it...!!"
The boy's wide-eyed face was more than alarmed as he put both hands up with fingers spread wide and backed away. Sunburst muttered in exasperation, "They stuff random monsters into these pocket dimensions?? Why would they do that? What could this hostile ownership possibly gain for them?"
Starlight, however, appeared primed and ready to kill something. She shot at every thrown Safari Ball she could see, even at some a good fifty metres away. The safari-goers hastily retreated out of Starlight's range or behind cover, most of them looking shocked, others angry, and sadness from others still. She fumed, "Making a game out of enslaving everything in sight, and getting their foals in on this too?! What in the hoof is wrong with these humans!?"
Sunburst looked over in time to see the portal waiver slightly. "Starlight," he began, "let's just go. There's nothing more we can do here right now, and the portal will collapse in a moment."
Sighing, Starlight nodded sadly, looking very tired all of a sudden. She levitated both of them out of the mud and through the portal, which disappeared in a burst of light eight seconds later. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 9 - Brothers Back Together Again | {I can think of one pony who'd fit in nicely living here}
"Seems like a nice enough little hamlet. Looks like my friend Applejack would love the local fashion," Rarity said with an unappreciative snort.
Aengus said, "If you say so."
The two stood on a small rise just north of Solaceon Town minutes past high noon. Folks in down-home country duds and cowboy hats milled about. A strange hill with a few cave openings sat just past the trees to their left. A building with a wide fenced-in area was on the right of the main thoroughfare, or muddy road as Rarity saw it. There were a few other houses, and the usual amenities for Pokemon and their trainers seen around Sinnoh. Past the village, poking above the thin woods was a tower, one incongruous to the local architecture.
Rarity grumbled, "I still would like to have spent some time in that department store, and I'm still waiting for an answer."
"I told you before we arrived that we'd have little more than a pit stop at Veilstone, and Paddy can explain himself if he wants to," Aengus answered. He then knelt down in front of her. "Now hold still a moment; I believe you no longer need this headgear."
"Thank Celestia," Rarity muttered with a relieved sigh.
As Aengus finished loosening the Experience Share and removed it, Rarity took a rather pleased deep breath, and began adjusting her coif with her magic. Aengus opened his bag, put the odd headset inside, and then pulled out a small off-white ellipsoid. He said, "I want you to keep this with you for awhile."
Rarity gave it a sideways glance. "You...want me to keep an egg? Surely you don't mean for me to incubate the little dear, do you?"
"Not at all," Aengus snickered. "This is a Lucky Egg. You'll learn from your experiences more quickly with it."
"Ah. I see."
"I'm also putting you on point," Aengus said.
Rarity's lips tightened at those words. She paused, and said, "You mean, I'm out front, doing the fighting."
"Precisely."
Rarity sighed and shook her head. The two began down the small hill. As they neared the town limits, she asked, "Where do you think he's at?"
Aengus looked to his right, at the fenced-in area. As he looked across the different Pokemon there, he said, "Let's try this building first."
They walked toward the entrance, again, on the south-facing side of the building, in a rectangular alcove between the building and its fence. An old man stood there, giving them both a courteous nod. Rarity looked up at the sign. She blurted, "'Daycare?' Why would Paddy stop at a daycare?"
Aengus sighed. "How many times must I say he can explain himself for himself?"
"Pphhht. Fine."
Heading inside, they saw a quaint lobby, one of the blue computers, and an old lady behind a counter. Paddy was not there. The crone said, "I'm the Daycare Lady. We can raise your Pokemon for you."
"Actually, I was looking for my brother. I thought he may have come here," Aengus interrupted.
"And you were right," Paddy interrupted in turn. Aengus and Rarity turned toward the door and saw him enter, this time in mostly black from head to toe with red trim on his jacket, pants, and a logo of some kind on his black ball cap. The same logo was on his jacket above the left chest pocket, but in white there. This time, his boots were black. Paddy was folding up a bike and putting it in his bag as he continued, "I saw you two going in, but you were out of shouting range."
Aengus chuckled and shook his head. "Met your goal, I take it?"
"Naturally," said Paddy with a satisfied smile. "Took about as long as expected, too."
Rarity gave Paddy a slight frown, head tilted down a touch, and eyes narrowed. "Aengus has been dodgy about what you've been doing, just that I wouldn't like it. And that was only implied, not flat-out said. What were you doing?"
"Left a pair of my Pokemon here. The Daycare couples in every region do a great job of raising them and bringing them up stronger while one's away training others," Paddy said earnestly.
"If you meant Trixie, she's a pony like me, not a Pokemon," Rarity growled. "And if they 'raise' them while one's away, what were you doing that wasn't here?"
Paddy shrugged. "It's nothing for you to worry about, but suffice it to say, it'll do me a world of good. But I doubt you'll even notice."
Aengus facepalmed at his brother. Rarity nickered and said, "I would like to know what you did to my fellow pony."
"Geez, I thought you two didn't get on well at all," Paddy said with a dismissive hand gesture. "I said not to worry. Now if you'll pardon me, I need to pay these good folks for their kind services."
Paddy walked up to the counter. Aengus stood there shaking his head and chewing on his lower lip as Rarity walked back over to him, grumbling, "What is it about younger siblings acting spoiled? My sister gives me the same kind of flippant attitude every now and then."
As the Daycare Lady asked for a hundred Pokebucks for Zebstrika's time there, Aengus said, "Maybe it's because they get more attention, since they're the closest removed from being a wee babe? I don't know. I just know that I had to be the responsible one, and took the fall whenever he was out of line. It was always, 'you're the older brother; you should know better than to let him do that!' whenever he broke something or other such rot. Or when I tried being more strict and held his arms down, you know, to keep him from doing stupid things like grabbing a hot burner on the stove, I got it again: 'you have no right to restrain your brother like that!' Bloody aggravating, I tell you."
"Hear, hear. Preaching to the choir, sir," Rarity said approvingly with a firm nod. The Daycare Lady lead Zebstrika out; the ball of red yarn in his mane drew a raised eyebrow from Rarity. The lady charged seventeen-hundred for Trixie. As she heard the other pony's name, Rarity turned and started for the counter. She said, "And why was she so much more expensive? I know Trixie can be a hooffull, but seriously?"
Paddy said, "If a Pokemon in their care--"
"Pony," Rarity inserted.
"--grows in strength more quickly than another does," Paddy said without missing a beat, "they charge more for that Pokemon than--"
"Pony!"
"--the one that grew little," he finished, and gave Rarity a condescending half-grin before turning back toward the door behind the counter. Zebstrika also looked that direction. Rarity muttered something indistinct under her breath that had the air of something profane.
Beyond the door, the Daycare Lady's voice said in grandmotherly tones, "Oh, dearie, you have to be careful when you roughhouse some. I'm sure it's in your nature to, well, horse around, but don't overdo it. Easy does it now."
"She's hurt?" Rarity's face instantly switched from biting back obscenities to genuine worry as she looked around the counter's gate.
{Annnndd it gets awkward}
As the Daycare Lady led Trixie out from the yard, Rarity couldn't help but notice her gait was off. Trixie had a bit of a wobble to her hind legs, but a sleepy grin on her face, very different from her usual smug demeanor. The Daycare Lady lifted the gate and Trixie ambled forward unevenly. With a wince and stumble, Trixie looked up at Zebstrika. She nuzzled him, with a blush and a smile. Zebstrika returned the affection with a sated grin of his own. Trixie looked him in the eye, still blushing, but she winced and stumbled again as she stepped toward Paddy. Rarity asked with concern, "Are you okay? What happened to you?"
"Something great and powerful...," sighed Trixie happily, a tired smile taking over her face.
"Great and powerful?" Rarity echoed, giving Trixie a hard, unamused tight-lipped stare. Rarity's eyes widened with a slight gasp as she murmured, "Trixie, you didn't...!"
Still smiling to herself, Trixie met Rarity's eyes and said, "Guess the gals at school weren't kidding: 'Once you've had stripes, nothing else feels right.'"
Rarity's eyes appeared...larger, as if they forcibly widened their own sockets as their lids went poof and were gone; the only hint her eyelids still existed somewhere were Rarity's well-mascaraed eyelashes poking out at the top and bottom of each eye. At the same time, Rarity let out a gasp, long and in her lower register, with her jaw slightly apart and opening more. As the overly long gasp dragged on for a moment, Aengus rubbed his forehead nervously and muttered, "This is gonna be bad...."
"TRIXIE!!! YOU OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF, DOING THAT IN FRONT OF OTHERS!! THIS IS A DAYCARE FOR CELESTIA'S SAKE!!!" Rarity screamed, loud enough to force everyone and everything else present to cover their ears.
Lowering her hooves, Trixie's smug smirk returned as she brushed at her chest. She snidely asked, "Jealous?"
"J...j...jea...JEALOUS!!?" Rarity sputtered. "Why in the hoof would I be JEALOUS of...of...your immodesty, of all things?!?"
Trixie mockingly laughed. "Oh please, Rarity. Immodesty? Surely even you couldn't forget that The Great and Powerful Trixie just loves a good captive audience, and oh were they captivated by her...performance. A showpony, putting on a show...who would have ever guessed? That one little Pachirisu kept excusing herself to behind the bushes for several minutes at a time."
Rarity's jaw seemed to unhinge and hang unnaturally low. Zebstrika's face flushed as he pointedly looked away, tapping at the ground. Aengus and Paddy both stood agape themselves, somewhere between aghast and stunned. Trixie sneered and chuckled in her pompous sort of way. Aengus blurted, "This is just getting weird...."
"Aye," Paddy said sheepishly.
Aengus shook his head while Rarity failed to form syllables. He looked over at his brother and said, "Good to know you're not enjoying this."
"Seriously, brother?" Paddy grumbled, giving Aengus the annoyed, incredulous look younger siblings often give their big brothers and sisters when they think something is obvious. Rarity was still searching for something to say. Paddy pursed his lips, and demanded, "What kind of person gets off on seeing, hearing, or reading about horses humping?"
"You...did that...in front of...why...what...," Rarity cobbled together.
"And as to your jealousy, isn't it obvious? I can bed a real stallion," Trixie asked as she sidled up alongside of Zebstrika, who had gotten past his embarrassment and nuzzled her. She enjoyed his tenderness for a moment, then she pointed a hoof at Rarity threateningly as she barked, "While the best you could do is 'your precious wittle Spikey-Wikey;' isn't that right?"
Rarity's upper lip curled as her teeth clenched. She snapped, "One, I did not, could not, and would not do that to a child! And two, I, unlike you, turn every head in Ponyville, and nearly half of them in Canterlot!!"
"Yet you can't get a single one of them to ask you on a date, let alone more. That is just pathetic," Trixie countered, dropping to her lower register on and slowing down the last word, before resuming her trademarked smirk.
Rarity snarked, "Oh, forgive my good looks for being too intimidating for most boys to dare approach! And when I give my future husband wilder nights than he could imagine, night after night, we'll have the decency to do it behind closed doors, instead of out in the open at a daycare, you licentious howler!"
Trixie snorted, "Sure you will. And, just so you know, despite what it says on the sign, this is no 'daycare.' It's--"
"This has gone on quite long enough, thank you," Paddy chided as Trixie suddenly vanished, replaced by retreating green specks of light. Zebstrika's shoulders slumped slightly as he looked at where she was. Then he, too, disappeared in a similar means, but light blue instead of green. Paddy turned to Aengus and said, "And I'll thank you to not let your Pokemon cause an Uproar outside of battle."
"Pony!!" Rarity shouted.
{Let's, um...step away from that weirdness, then}
"She doesn't know--" Aengus began as he walked up to Rarity, his words coming to a screeching halt as he placed a hand on her head. He paused a moment, both eyebrows raised, and continued, "Huh. She does now."
Paddy started for the computer. "I sure hope that didn't replace anything you wanted to keep."
"I've got it under control," Aengus said smoothly as he followed his brother.
"Naturally; I would expect nothing less from you, Aengus," Paddy answered. Rarity did not follow, but headed towards and stood by the door with an insistent expression. Paddy continued tapping on the screen, putting Pokeballs into the slot and receiving others, and he said, "Just have to make a few adjustments."
Aengus watched his brother for a moment, then sighed, "Yeah, I figured that was your next move."
"Obviously. Perfect set, and time to start fresh," Paddy answered.
"Just putting that on her from here?" Aengus asked with a small frown.
"Quicker and easier this way," said Paddy as he simply nodded. Another moment passed. Rarity audibly cleared her throat, but neither brother turned. A pause, and then Paddy muttered to himself, "Now, to--"
"You're not really gonna--" Aengus interjected.
"Sure am," Paddy interrupted back, tapping a point on the screen with a minor flourish.
Aengus scoffed irritably and shook his head. As he put his hands on his hips, he grumped, "You're a real piece of work, Paddy, you know that?"
"Yes, I learned it well from you," Paddy said with a small grin.
"Ahem," Rarity faux-coughed. "Aren't you quite done yet? I thought we had a boat to catch, and a race northward to get there in time."
"Hold your horses, you," Paddy said, grinning to himself.
"Not funny."
"I'm making some party adjustments," Paddy said with some worn-down patience. "It'll only be a moment longer."
"'Adjustments' is what you're calling it now?" Aengus said accusingly.
Paddy stopped and gave his brother a disapproving stare. His voice was about the same. "Are you seriously starting to emotionally attach to her? You were the one who warned me against becoming too fond of any given Pokemon because of how dramatically it can weaken one's team, or don't you remember my Sunkern?"
"I tell you, she has a kind of diversity in her moves the likes of which no one's ever seen," Aengus said with forced civility.
"And I'm telling you, dear brother," Paddy began in about the same fashion, "that you know just as well as I do that while moveset diversity is a boon, as are specific approaches against opponents, both of those are all for naught if that Pokemon of yours--"
"PONY!!!"
"--cannot overcome statistical deficiencies, like actually doing something with its attacks, or...taking a hit without then finding herself in dire straits," Paddy finished.
"You saw her dossier; you can't make-believe she doesn't pack a punch," Aengus fired back.
"What good is a canon if it doesn't get a chance to fire?" Paddy countered. Aengus sighed and looked down. Paddy resumed, "Ah, so you did notice. What's your contingency plan for physical sweepers, even subpar ones...such as, say...a Crobat?"
"I remember their teams, Paddy," Aengus said. "She'll get the job done."
Paddy put his hands up. "Hey, I'm just trying to help. But she's right; we should head out before it gets any later."
"Finally," Rarity grumbled. They all left the building and turned northward. Paddy went out in front as they headed up that little rise. Rarity asked, "Darling, what was he on about, 'physical sweeper' and all that?"
{The party heads north}
Aengus grimaced. "Styles of Pokemon, and specialties. A 'physical sweeper' is a fast-moving Pokemon with strong physical attacks, used to strike down an opponent before they get off a move or two. He's concerned you're not nimble enough to handle how quickly a sweeper strikes, and also that you lack the fortitude to withstand their attacks."
"Are his fears warranted?" Rarity asked, rolling her eyes.
"Unfortunately yes," Aengus answered sadly. Rarity shot his a displeased look as he continued, "Sorry; it's just the way it is. Your speed is above average, but nowhere near what sweepers have. But I still want you on the team. Why I do is because the last two in the run for Champion are Bruno, who uses Fighting-types, and Karen the current champion, a Dark-type master. You can target both of them, and outrun most of their crew."
Rarity nodded. Then she looked up at Aengus and said, "I thought you said you've never gotten past Bruno. How do you know what this Karen has?"
"I watched somebody else make their challenge," Aengus said with a small grin. "That pompous sodding bugger had Psychic-types for half of his team and two Ghosts, which helped him against Will, Koga, and Bruno, but you remember what Dark-type moves are super effective against, right?"
Rarity sighed as if to sympathise. "Yeah. Psychic- and Ghost-types. This...'sodding bugger,' as you so artfully put it, really set himself up for failure, didn't he?"
Aengus nodded. "Karen sent each of her Pokemon for some time on the field, as if she were just giving them a chance to stretch their legs. Six knockouts to none. It was brutal. It's too bad, too; I was hoping to see what the then-champion Lance used."
"Oh. Did Karen defeat him and take his place?" Rarity asked.
Aengus shook his head. "He left of his own accord, off to join the new 'World Elite Four.'"
Rarity raised an eyebrow in interest. "Safe to assume this is a League to sit above every regional League?"
"Yep," said Aengus. "Saw bills posted for it while we were in Kalos, and again in Unova. Heck, there's one such bill hung on that sign right there, to your right...yes, that."
"The rain's made this illegible, dear," Rarity said, looking back at Aengus a bit annoyed.
Aengus shrugged, and continued, "I shouldn't be surprised; it's probably been there for close to half a year by now. As I was saying, we were in Virbank City in Unova when we got a letter from mom, telling us that Lance had moved on to the World Elite Four. There were a few other names she mentioned that I don't recall clearly right now; I think she mentioned a 'Steven Stone,' or some name like that. I can't remember the other two, but the World Champion...I said the night before that three boys a few years older than me challenged and won the Indigo League when they set out on their first adventure, and that's part of why I'm still going for it. The World Champion was the first of those three, Blue Oak."
Rarity pulled her lips taut and shook her head. "His actual name is 'Blue?' What were his parents thinking?"
"Who knows?"
Rarity snorted, "Just as long as he wasn't dethroned by a kid name 'Red,' or something equally absurd."
"Actually...," Aengus snickered.
Rarity's expression fell as she facehoofed. "Oh my Celestia...."
"Anyways, that opened a slot in the Indigo League's Elite Four, and as usual, a Gym Leader stepped up to take the spot. Actually made me happy that Volkner was an Electric specialist, because that made the gym a practical warm-up mentally to deal with the newest member of the Elite Four," Aengus said.
"Am I about to hear another needlessly whimsical name?" Rarity quipped with a dull expression.
Aengus forced a closed-mouth grin as he closed his eyes for a moment, sighing through his nose. "Well, when I met him, he was Lieutenant Surge."
Rarity hung her head. "Luna save us...."
"When I went through his Gym, it sounded like he was about due for promotion to Captain. That was long enough ago he has to have made Major by now, maybe even Lieutenant Colonel," said Aengus, stifling a laugh.
"I don't mean to be rude, but 'Captain Surge' and 'Major Surge' sound equally cheesy, like something out of a half-bit comic book," Rarity said flatly.
Aengus simply shrugged. They made their way north, through some extra tall grass, and turned west when the route became extra-foggy. Pidgeot dealt with the fog almost immediately. They encountered a little over a dozen trainers on their way, most of whom Rarity did not find difficult. The one Probopass both disgusted Rarity and left her seeing stars. When a pair of skilled young trainers wanted a two-on-two battle near nightfall, Paddy sent out a pink cat-like creature with a forked tail, purple eyes, and a red gem set in its forehead to fight alongside Rarity. This thing struck much faster than she could, sending such a harsh psychic wave that she felt it push on her too, and saw it leave a rippling distortion. A few stones needed another two minutes before they fell back to the ground. As they moved on, Rarity nudged Aengus and asked, "That was a sweeper that Paddy sent out, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," Aengus answered. "Espeon is a special sweeper, not a physical sweeper. It's not perfect, especially if there are Steel-types against it, but in many situations it's pretty strong. Of course, Paddy keeps counters against Steel-type foes on-hand and will switch out if needed."
{Welcome to another fortuitously-but unrealistically-placed settlement}
On they went in the failing light. Dusk had long passed when they arrived at Celestic Town, and the stars were bountiful. They started toward a bed and breakfast. An elderly couple stopped and gave Rarity a suspicious look. She met their gaze sideways, and asked, "Is there something wrong?"
"And she talks, too," said the man. "I wonder if it's the same one."
"'Same one' what?"
"Were you at The Great Marsh this morning?" he asked.
Aengus answered, "We've not been there in days. Why?"
"Word's gotten around that there were a pair of unique pony-Pokemon in The Great Marsh this morning that came through what looked like a 'shimmering mirror.' Ones that could speak," the old lady said. "Witnesses say they were both unicorns, and one of the two started firing blue-green blasts out of its horn at people, and their Pokeballs, before they retreated back through this gateway. You wouldn't happen to have any information about it, would you?"
"Sorry, I don't," Rarity said defensively.
"How did you hear about that?" Aengus asked with scrunched eyebrows.
The old man flipped open a newspaper, and pointed at the front-page headline. Rarity could not read their alphabet, but Aengus took the paper and perused the article. After a moment, he said, "Rarity, would you know a pony with a pale pink coat, blue eyes, and a dark purple mane with an aquamarine streak in it?"
Rarity's eyes widened. "Starlight Glimmer! She's Trixie's best friend, and probably came looking for her! She'd want to know!"
"Okay, then would you also know a...never mind," said Aengus, who looked up and saw Rarity had already taken off toward the bed and breakfast.
{Inside, and time for beddy-bye, but somepony is too awake}
She ran in and down the hall after Paddy, who had already opened the door to his own room. Rarity shouted, "Paddy, dear! I need to talk to Trixie right away!"
"I'm really not in the mood for another argument between you two," he said, and took a step in.
"Please!" Rarity pressed. "It's about her best friend! She was seen at The Great Marsh this morning!"
Paddy stopped and turned. "Really? They came through from the other side?"
Rarity nodded, "According to the newspaper, yes they did, but left just before the portal shut."
Paddy walked back out into the hall. "I'll get my own copy. Thanks for letting me know."
"Darling, I still need to talk to her," Rarity urged.
Paddy sighed. "I appreciate that you're concerned for Trixie, really I am, but she's exhausted. She has been all day, and is already asleep. I don't imagine waking her now is the best plan, especially if they're already gone. Her best friend, you said?"
"Yes. Starlight Glimmer."
"Starlight Glimmer. Got it," said Paddy. "I'll let her know when she wakes up."
The rest of the night was uneventful. Aengus got a room with two beds, though they weren't as soft as the nice ones at Hotel Grand Lake, but not bad. The three arose, breakfasted, and were back on the move just after dawn, dressed in thicker clothing. Rarity sulked that practicality trumped fashion, not to mention a lack of selection at the general store. When it came to adding extra furs sized for a pony, all they could offer her were a few down comforters and half a cow hide. Rarity settled on the thick red blanket, though she called it carmine, and tied it around her neck like a foal's "cape." They headed west...starting up the side of the ever-present Mt. Coronet. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 10 - Departing Sinnoh | {In a cave, whoo! Poor Feraligatr....}
Rarity pulled the red comforter around her tighter as she continued to look for what she could make into a sewing needle, or at least use as one. Aengus and Paddy were just ahead of her. They all descended the rough staircase in the cave into a much colder room, covered in a dense fog. Aengus summoned his Pidgeot to deal with it while Paddy called for a weird miniature hot air balloon for the same reason. The fog disappeared nearly immediately. Water lapped against stones nearby. As a wild Golbat swooped at Paddy, Rarity walked up to Aengus. She shivered as she said, "How did it get so cold, darling? I thought it was summertime."
"It is, but Mt. Coronet is always cold, and its icy winds sweep down the north face into the forest beyond. The name 'Snowpoint City' is quite apt," said Aengus, while behind him Paddy's Espeon blasted the wild Golbat with a vicious psychic wave, rending its wings right off. The maimed Golbat fell into the water, where nearly immediately a dorsal fin cut the surface for a brief moment. Aengus slowly turned away from that scene with a nauseated face and muttered, "Again. He's at it again."
Rarity's face began twitching rhythmically, most pronouncedly her lower left eyelid. She somehow blanched in spite of her natural colour, turning a whiter shade of pale before looking a little green in the face. She murmured, "Why would he??"
"That was unintentional; she just got a solid critical hit, amplified by the structure of this room that managed to hit perfectly on the shoulder joint. I doubt we could've pulled that off intentionally," said Paddy as he looked back at Aengus and Rarity. He shrugged and added, "Not that I really mind. I'll just have to wait a few more before the next time."
Rarity covered her mouth as her torso wavered and cheeks bulged. Aengus scoffed, "You oughta be horse-whipped!"
"For what? Doing my duty to help wild Pokemon?" Paddy said, looking miffed at his brother.
"'Help!?!' Your Espeon killed that thing!!" Rarity squawked.
"Well...almost correct. Pokemon moves can't kill other Pokemon, but on rare occasions they can cause serious harm if something goes wrong, like this. She didn't strike a fatal blow, but she did doom it to die; that fin told me it was a Gyarados's breakfast. Feeding isn't exactly a Pokemon move, so...," Paddy said, trailing off as he looked at the water. Aengus spat at the ground while Rarity's body lurched. A very small burp left her lips, to which she covered her mouth as her cheeks turned a little pink. Paddy held up a hand in front of Aengus and continued, "But yes, this helps. Certain evolutionary lines of Pokemon aren't just overpopulated, they are drastically overpopulated. Zubat and Golbat are one of those lines, and the worst of them."
"Your excuse is population control!?" Aengus barked.
"Not an excuse, but a duty," Paddy said defiantly. "You forgot, I've been a Pokemon Ranger every summer since they started their program in Johto."
Aengus muttered to himself, "Ah yes, I nearly forgot your summertime obsession with Grass-types."
"Your 'duty,'" Rarity said full of questioning doubt, looking Paddy right in the eye.
Paddy started toward her at a slow pace as his Espeon returned to the ball. "Have you ever seen what happens to a farm when there's a Rattata/Raticate infestation? It's damn ugly. Scores of acres of grain disappear overnight. Livestock run out of feed minutes after it's put in storage. You can open a barn door and watch as a carpet of them two layers deep scurry away. There are so many they literally crawl all over each other in their frantic escape, and are more than happy to Bite each other so that they can get into a safe hiding place before another does. They knock each other out, and unconscious Pokemon block their intended escape routes. Then comes the frantic clawing and gnawing on the knocked out ones, which hardly qualifies as a Pokemon move, either. The barn devolves into a bloodbath in less than a minute now that they've foregone proper Pokemon moves. Even the 'winner' is so bloodied that it, too, is dying. That gives somebody the task of removing tonnes of their dead bodies, not figurative tonnes, but the actual unit of weight. Within a fortnight there are just as many as there were before, but the bloodstains remain. Now, imagine that many Rattatas not at a farm, but just out in the wild. What do you think that does to the food supply for everything else?"
Paddy stopped within arm's reach of Rarity while she just glared at him. He paused a moment, then continued, "I can tell you exactly what happens, because it happened my first summer as a Ranger. That was five years ago, on Route 32. They ate everything. I mean, everything. It was so bad we had to fall back to the Ruins of Alph for two nights for our own safety, and it was a week and a half later before the outbreak had been finished off. But it was terrible. We had to nurse half-starved Mareeps, and Spearows, and Woopers, and so on, back to health. Not all of them made it. A baby Aipom died in my lap while I was trying to bottle-feed it. Its mother had withered away, unable to eat enough to produce milk and keep itself at a healthy weight, because the Rattatas ate everything. Then there's the Rattatas themselves. Since Pokemon moves cannot kill, it fell to us after making them faint. Do it as quickly and painlessly as possible. So very many times. We don't like to think about it, let alone say it aloud."
"Sorry you have such a dreadful memory, but shouldn't the Rangers have let the predators have a field day when that sort of thing is going on?" Rarity grumbled.
"You would like to think so, wouldn't you? But no, it doesn't happen like that. Ekans don't need to eat that often. And along Route 32, its only other native natural predator is like hen's teeth now. They're nearly extinct in the wild period," Paddy said irritably.
Aengus rolled his eyes. "Would you get off the stage."
Paddy said, "Seriously."
"Yeah? What is this supposedly rare Pokemon?"
Paddy snorted. "Along Route 32, Totodile." Aengus jerked his head back in surprise and disbelief. Paddy nodded at him slowly. Looking between the brothers, Rarity frowned. Paddy resumed, "And it's the same problem in every region. Certain Pokemon lines are given to children who become trainers, taken from the wild in such numbers long ago that these days, trading and gifts to new trainers are the only realistic way to find them now. And as a direct result, every region has a least one ever-present small mammalian Normal-type Pokemon that no longer has enough predators in the wild, and what's worse, they're not even worth bothering to train. Thankfully there's only been the one here in Sinnoh. But back home in Johto, you'll see two of them. Kalos has five. Zubat/Golbat, and Tentacool/Tentacruel, are bloody everywhere."
"You make it sound like these evolutionary lines live all across their regions," Aengus said, scratching Rarity behind the ears.
"They are, but you don't come across them much where they're still prey," Paddy said. "Ever notice, brother, how you almost never see Rattatas or Sentrets around Blackthorn City? There they have Lickitung and Skarmory hunting them; there they have to be careful so as to not get caught. Elsewhere, there's no such danger."
"And Rangers keep the populations down where their native predators are gone?" Aengus said unconvinced.
Paddy continued down the path. Aengus and Rarity followed as Paddy said, "As I said, we don't talk about it often, even amongst ourselves, because it's not a happy job. Every few females, don't just make it faint, but kill it as I said, quickly and painlessly, so that it can't reproduce. It's not so much with the males, since any one of them can impregnate many. Keep the numbers from getting out of hand. Keep the wild Pokemon safe from starvation. And when an outbreak does happen, extermination. It's the only way to keep people and Pokemon safe when it happens, and nature too, obviously. Nature must be maintained at all times."
Aengus muttered, "A Chikorita, hunting? Gimme a break."
Paddy chuckled. "Those were my exact words when I was told the first time. Only saw it happen once, and boy did he look ashamed of himself when he realised we saw the whole thing. Haven't looked at them the same since. Haven't looked at Sentrets the same either for the same reason."
They turned to the right and ascended some stairs. Aengus and Rarity looked at each other in shared irritation. Rarity muttered, "So you cull the packs of Rattatas and Raticates, Zubats and Golbats, Tentacools and Tentacruels, and what else? Just want to know when I should look away. I don't want to see my breakfast twice in one morning."
Paddy scoffed. He shook his head, waiting at the top of the stairs for them. As they rounded the corner to the left, he said, "Sentret/Furret, Zigzagoon/Linoone, Bidoof/Bibarel even though Bibarel is a good HM slave, Patrat/Watchog, and Bunnelby/Diggersby. If I ever make it to Alola and meet up with Rangers there, I'm sure there'll be something new for me to deal with."
{Back in the snow and cold once again}
Rarity sighed, giving a flat, annoyed expression towards whatever lay ahead of her. The trio reached the end of the tunnel and stepped outside. Wind swept down the mountain from the south. Rarity exclaimed a nonword noise as she pulled the comforter around her tighter. The snow was deep all the way up and down the north face of Mt. Coronet and continued to fall. Rarity sank past her knees on the first step. She whimpered, "Cold...cold...."
Paddy laughed, "Oy, where's your bloody stamina?"
"Easy for you to say, Mr. Fully-Dressed!" Rarity snapped. "Why don't you try it with just a blanket around your shoulders!?"
Rarity grouched to herself things that no one else could hear as Paddy continued to chuckle. She looked around and saw people further up the mountainside; they were sliding down the snow with a plank of wood strapped to each of their feet. She looked at Aengus for a moment, then back at these people as they continued their descent. She asked, "What the heck am I looking at?"
Aengus said, "It's called 'skiing.' Some folks find a thrill zipping down snowy mountains at breakneck speeds. The crazy ones do that through trees and over rocks, and so on."
"Huh," said Rarity. Her face perked up for a moment, then she rolled her eyes. "Oh, right. When I think about it, there was that one stallion at Starlight's village who did something like that. What's his name, 'Double Diamond' I think? Sounds right, at least."
Aengus sighed, "No wonder Paddy is convinced you're all different Pokemon. Your names are just as quaint as theirs are."
Rarity nickered and rolled her eyes again. "Why are all the skiing people dressed in nearly identical clothes?"
"I assume it's just practical wear for skiing," Aengus said.
"Well, that style certainly doesn't pop," Rarity said with a shiver. She telekinetically pulled the comforter tighter around her backside. "Maybe I can draw up something that's both functional and sporty, once we're indoors."
"We've a long ways to go."
They continued on. As they started down the gully, the snow suddenly deepened. Rarity found herself nearly up to her neck with a yelp. She clamped up, eyes opened wide with pinprick pupils, ears flattened, mouth tightly shut, and shivering like mad. Aengus stopped, looked back, and started toward her. Just above a whisper and near the absolute top of her vocal range she squeaked, "Eeeeeiiaaaaaaah...!!"
She began to hyperventilate, unable to advance. Paddy had stopped and turned to see her like that. Aengus reached her, knelt down, and asked, "Are you okay? What happened?"
In the same voice and volume as before, she barely got out, "We've a small patch between our hind legs that has no fur, and oh it's cold there...!"
Aengus sighed, long and low. He rubbed the side of her face and said, "Do you want back inside your ball?"
Rarity blinked for the first time since sinking into the deep snow. She started to shake her head, then Aengus said, "Rarity, listen to me. There's snow this deep in many places between here and Snowpoint. You said you wanted to see the styles we have...well, you've seen about all you're gonna see out here until we reach town. It's all gonna be ski suits with ski masks, parkas, heavy gloves, ushankas, down-stuffed coats, waterproofed boots, toboggans, chest-high snow pants, and thick scarves. Everything out here is pragmatic with no hint of high fashion. You're not gonna see a lady walking around here with her hands in an ermine muff, wearing a well-trimmed multi-layered dress, velvet cape with fur lining, and a bedecked wide-brimmed chic hat. I know you don't like the Pokeball, but I think it's the best thing for you right now."
He held up her Safari Ball. She met his gaze as he asked, "Are you okay with this plan?"
Staring vacantly into the snow ahead, she weakly nodded. Aengus pressed the button and Rarity slipped away in a barrage of points of green light.
Rarity collapsed onto the floor of the round room. She took a number of deep breaths, and pushed herself back to standing, shaking off the comforter. She sighed, "That's much better. At least this thing is at a comfortable temperature."
"Hey, look who finally showed her lovely face! Where've you been?"
Rarity turned and saw Feraligatr's smarmy grin on the wall. Pictures of Gyarados, Pidgeot, and Golem were to the right of his. Rarity shook off the melting and already melted snow from her fur and started toward the images on the wall. She said, "Hello again."
"I'm serious; where've you been? We know Aengus has you in the active party, but you've not been in your ball," Feraligatr pressed.
"Well, it sounds like you answered your own question," Rarity said as she looked around the room. She grumbled, then asked, "Don't these Pokeballs have a place for a lady to relieve herself, or to bathe? I would like to handle both matters without prying eyes."
Feraligatr laughed. "Don't worry; I don't think Rapidash is looking for you right now."
In his picture, Golem closed his eyes and clenched his fists for a few seconds. As his eyes opened, he grumbled, "Dude, knock it off. That's not cool."
"What?? I just don't think he should throw in the towel so quickly," Feraligatr said flatly. "You saw how upset he was after talking to her face-to-face."
Rarity flushed a little, but pressed, "This is not helping me find the little filly's room!"
"That's easy; just type it in," Pidgeot said with an encouraging nod.
"Uh...," Rarity uttered, staring at the symbols before her.
"What's wrong? Don't you know how to spell it?" Pidgeot asked with his head cocked to the right.
Rarity looked at the strange letters, then up at Pidgeot's image, then back to the strange letters. She said, "I don't know what language I'm looking at, dear, much less how to spell anything in it! Which one's the 'B?' Or an 'R' or 'T' would also do just fine; I know a few synonyms."
"Oh! A language barrier. I get it," said Feraligatr. "Okay, type these symbols in this order, left to right."
Beneath Feraligatr popped up a trio of the unknown letters: トイレ
Rarity took a good minute to track the three down on the array of buttons. A whirring noise whispered behind her, and she turned to see a wall with a door manifest from green light. She ran to the door, opened it with her magic, and shouted back to the wall, "One moment, please!"
A few moments and a flush later, she emerged, walking much slower and with visible relief on her face. She sighed contentedly. As she returned to the pictures, Feraligatr chuckled, "Better?"
"Oh my Celestia, yes. Thank you, darling," Rarity said.
Feraligatr put his hands up in front of his chest as his eyes widened and breathing sped up. "Whoa, throttle back there, missy! We're not in the same egg group, and all I did was show you how to get a bathroom! Most of all, Rapidash is a dear old friend; I would never do him dirty like that!"
"Huh?" Rarity said, taken aback. "You didn't think I meant you and I should be a couple, did you? I don't fancy you like that."
Feraligatr let out a long sigh and took a few deep breaths. Rarity looked at the other pictures and saw similar relief from the other three. "Okay...okay, good. You really shouldn't call anymon 'darling' if they're not your dearest one. Everymon'll be confused."
Rarity grimaced. "I didn't realise the word is such a big deal here. I'm used to addressing everypony I call friend 'darling,' though I should probably say 'everyone' to include ponies, humans, and Pokemon."
"It's okay," said Feraligatr. "It's not like we're gonna go find a Daycare together or something."
As Feraligatr guffawed, Rarity saw Golem facepalm, Pidgeot hang and shake his head, and Gyarados frown with a harsh sigh. Rarity grumbled, "Speaking of daycares, did you hear what Trixie did? I can't believe her."
"Trixie?" Gyarados asked.
Rarity said, "Yeah, Trixie. Aengus let Paddy get into Equestria, and he caught an aggravating mare named Trixie."
"She's also a non-Pokemon pony, like you are?" asked Pidgeot.
Rarity nodded. "Paddy decided to leave her there with his Zebstrika, and she...of all the worst things she could've done, this is thee...worst...possible...THING!"
The four Pokemon stared at her glassy eyes for a moment, wondering why she zoomed in on herself in chunks. An awkward silence followed for a good moment or two. Gyarados sheepishly bit her lower lip while her eyes darted back and forth. Golem tentatively asked, "Did she refuse to lay any eggs or something?"
The left side of Rarity's face scrunched together while her right eyebrow raised and head cocked. She said, "Lay an egg?? Trixie may be a little panicky in the face of danger, but she's not that kind of chicken. Ponies don't lay eggs."
Golem said, "Huh. I could see what that would be a problem."
"No, eggs have nothing to do with it, dar--sorry, habit," said Rarity. "No she...I'm sorry, I'm trying to find a polite way to say this, but...she...she let him mount her!! In front of others! I simply cannot even...."
Feraligatr gave Rarity a long look while the other three Pokemon appeared seriously underwhelmed. Rarity's own face shifted from being scandalised to confused. "Why do all of you look like this isn't a problem? Don't you know how shameful it is?"
Feraligatr blankly said, "No...."
"Wha...'no??' What do you mean, 'no!?'" Rarity squawked.
"Don't you know what a Daycare's for?" Feraligatr asked incredulously.
"Yes, I do. It's a safe place working parents can leave their foals while they're out earning a living," said Rarity in blunt and annoyed overtones. She saw four stunned, vacant expressions looking back at her. "A place they are cared for during the day?"
Feraligatr's head slowly turned and backed off, giving Rarity a semi-sideways glance. Golem's eyes widened. Pidgeot and Gyarados both appeared frozen in place. Feraligatr hesitated, and asked, "When you say 'foals,' you're...not really putting children in a Daycare, are you?"
"But of course...why?"
Four exclamations of disgust boomed from the screens. Gyarados moved off-screen and retched. Feraligatr barked, "What the hell, Rarity!?"
Pidgeot muttered, "That's just sick...."
Golem spat, "Oh my Arceus!"
Rarity shot them all an unamused, disbelieving glare. She snipped, "What in the world is wrong with that?"
Gyarados curtly said, "Look, let's just drop talk of Daycares altogether, before this devolves any further. You were saying a bit ago that you wanted a hot bath? Here's what you press."
As a few symbols appeared on the screen, Gyarados turned away and started to go. Rarity called out, "I meant no offense, and while I'm still not sure what all of you found appalling, I apologise for upsetting you."
"I said drop it!" Gyarados yelled as she continued away.
Pidgeot asked, "Where are you going?"
Gyarados looked back long enough to answer. "I'm getting up to splash my face to clear my head, and to find a mop to clean this mess."
Gyarados's screen disappeared. Rarity looked down guiltily. After a silent moment, she began pushing the symbols Gyarados indicated to her. Feraligatr said, "I wouldn't right now if I were you."
Rarity stopped and looked down again. "Did she give me the wrong symbols?"
"Nah, those are all in the right order," said Feraligatr. "We're still out on frigid Route 216, and at any moment, there could be--"
A flash of red lights and an alarm interrupted him. Rarity looked up at them as he continued, "...that. You're on point; you're going to battle. Have fun!"
About a minute later, Rarity coalesced inside the ball again, shivering. As she reoriented herself, she saw Feraligatr's laughing face on the wall. All the other screens had closed. He snickered, "And that's why you don't want to take a bath right now! Your fur would be soaked clear down to the skin, and then you're suddenly outside in the freezing cold and snow. You'd be a Rarity-popsicle for sure. I wonder, would that be marshmallow-flavoured?"
Rarity glared at him, to which he nearly buckled with laughter. She grumbled to herself, "Why am I getting that in this world, too?"
Feraligatr's laughing slowed. As his tone normalised, he said, "Just couldn't pass it up, sorry. What was out there, anyway?"
"Aengus called it a 'Snover,' and asked me to use Flame Charge against it. The little thing fainted right away," Rarity said. "Does that give you something else to mock?"
"I was going to ask if you needed any more help with the replicator," Feraligatr said. His cheeky grin returned. "But, if you're in the mood for mockery, I'd be happy to oblige!"
Rarity sighed. "I can't imagine any garments I make in here could be taken into the outside world."
"Eh, I'm not into clothing. But I've still had a mouthful of food when Aengus has brought me out for battle on a number of occasions," Feraligatr said.
"Ooh! It may work after all! I simply must try!" Rarity squealed in delight. "I shall need your assistance."
{Did not get there in a timely fashion, but they did get there}
Aengus and Paddy arrived in Snowpoint City ten minutes before midnight. Both of them stumbled in and out of the Pokemon Centre, long enough for the nurse to heal them and leave. They went to a hotel near the port, got their own rooms, and said their goodnights. Aengus closed the door behind him, blinking slowly. He retrieved the Safari Ball off his belt and pushed the button. He gasped as Rarity coalesced. She did not have her red comforter. Instead she wore watertight boots, a pseudo-military long coat with attached capelet, and an all-white bearskin hat with neither chinstrap nor plume on the side. The coat and boots were white with purple faux-fur trim, and evocative of a World War I Russian infantryman's winter uniform. The hat bore her cutie mark, embroidered with silk thread. She posed a few times, showing off its details, and how the lines accented her figure. She smiled coyly and asked, "Do you like?"
Aengus blinked in surprise. He paused, then said, "Yeah...yeah, it's great! That looks amazing on you. Very nice. But how did you get the material?"
Rarity curtsied. "Feraligatr showed me how to use the replicator machine in there. I don't know if the outfit will fade away outside the ball, but it gave me some practice."
"I couldn't tell you," Aengus said with a yawn. "But it's late, and the ship departs early enough. I am knackered."
Aengus flopped upon one of the beds and was out. He had not changed out of his thick traveling outfit, nor had reached the pillow. Rarity snickered. She carefully removed her work, hanging it up upon the coat rack attached to the wall. She climbed under the covers, and was asleep in minutes.
{Oh look, a line. Let's go stand in it}
The sun had barely crested over the eastern waters when Aengus, Paddy, and Rarity stepped out of the hotel. Her outfit from the night before was gone; she had only a long pink scarf and matching earmuffs. Both brothers were in near-identical black winter wear. The line at the dock had already formed, and the gangplank was being lowered at that time. Rarity smiled with dilated pupils as she looked upon the luxurious cruise liner. Paddy got in line first.
A uniformed man beside the gangplank shouted through a bullhorn, "Good morning! Thank you for traveling with Blue Horizons, Voyage 84 from Snowpoint City in Sinnoh to Olivine City in Johto aboard the S.S. Sakura! I am Commander Tanaka, the ship's First Officer. Please have your ticket ready, and your Pokemon out, when you prepare to board. As it is on every Blue Horizons vessel, we ask you bring no more than five Pokemon with you, and none that weigh over a hundred and fifteen kilos. You are free to battle as much as you'd like within the designated areas, but please refrain from the moves Hurricane, Twister, Surf, Magnitude, and Earthquake. The gangplank will be raised once it is 7:50am, or all passengers are aboard, whichever comes first. Thank you for your patience in line and boarding orderly, so that we may be underway as soon as possible. Once again, thank you for traveling with Blue Horizons!"
The surge of flashing lights made Rarity blink, from so many Pokemon coming from their Pokeballs all at once. A few people got out of line and sprinted toward the Pokemon Centre. Something patted her on the shoulder. Rarity looked up and saw Feraligatr's cheeky grin up close. Excadrill stood just behind him. She looked thrilled, and excitedly gave Rarity a hoofbump. On the other side of Aengus was some other Pokemon she hadn't seen before. It looked like its purple and green face sat on a pinwheel coming out of a rock that floated barely above solid ground. And there, on the other side of Feraligatr, was Rapidash. He stared straight ahead proudly. Rarity kept her eyes on him. His closer eye drifted until it met hers. She smiled at him with some pleading in her face, but he hurriedly turned his entire head away, angrily swishing his tail. Rarity's smile faltered and she looked downward for a moment.
Rarity took a look at what Paddy brought with him. Espeon was right in front of her. On the other side of Paddy stood a bipedal blue frog, which looked like it was wearing its own tongue as a scarf. Front and centre of his crew was some navy blue oversized badger with no stripes on its back, and a fiery mane...Rarity thought it looked like it was wearing a brick red vest. To the badger's left was the biggest stag beetle Rarity had ever seen, even though it was a beige-tan in colour. And posted on Paddy's right hip was Trixie in her hat and cape.
Aengus nudged Rarity and said, "I think you should make peace with her. She's the only other one from your homeland around."
Rarity grumbled, "I know, and you're right. I'll try."
"Just don't get too close, or they'll think you're cutting in line. I really don't feel like waiting another hour to get aboard."
The alabaster unicorn took a step forward, sighed to herself, and began, "Hey, uh, Trixie?"
Trixie's head lifted slightly, but did not turn back. Rarity said, "Can we start over? Meaning, wipe the slate clean on both sides, and be friends?"
A slight swivel of the hat showed she had turned her head some, but not enough to make eye contact. Rarity continued, "We're the only two Equestrians here. We should stick together whenever we can."
Trixie still refused eye contact, but raised a hoof in an obscene gesture as she said, "Whatever, Rarity."
"Why you...!!" Rarity grouched, and advanced on Trixie, who had already resumed looking forward. Before she got more than two steps, she felt two hands grab in the crook where her hind legs met her abdomen. She looked back as she was pulled to see it was Feraligatr who had snatched her. He shook his head no with a firm look into her eyes. Aengus sighed and shook his head too. "Go figure."
"Knew in my gut she'd say something like that. It's impossible to get through to her," Rarity grumbled as she took her place at Aengus's side.
Aengus muttered to himself, "True, but not for the reasons you're thinking."
They stood in line for twenty-two minutes before Aengus's ticket was punched, and they climbed aboard. Rarity had quite lost interest in Trixie as she looked around at the amenities on the deck alone: shuffleboard, two levels of swimming pools, swim-up bar, volleyball net, basketball court, and that's just what she could see from there. Aengus whispered to her, "It'll be much warmer by this afternoon, once we're away from the winds off Mt. Coronet. The voyage takes five days."
"Aengus, this is simply divine. First-class accommodations, service, activities," Rarity began as her nose began to twitch. "And I smell h'ordeuvres-s-s!"
Rarity led Aengus inside, where they both partook of food before heading to their shared suite with Paddy. The other passengers came aboard one-by-one, and the S.S. Sakura set out at 7:58am, two minutes ahead of schedule. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 11 - Nothing Says "Luxury Cruise" Like A Double Battle | {Rarity certainly thinks this is the life}
Rarity sprawled in the poolside chaise with her belly up and a contented sigh. Midday had come and gone, and Snowpoint City was far behind them. Aengus had been absolutely right; the air was much, much warmer two hours out from port; several hours more had passed since then. Nary a cloud blocked the warm sunbeams from her. With only a small table between them, Aengus sat to her right, under a dark blue patio umbrella, completely in the shade. He was reading something on a handheld electronic device. After the weather turned pleasant, he had changed into a dark green polo shirt, khaki shorts, and leather sandals. They were by the peanut-shaped lower-level pool, almost in the starboard-side nook of the peanut. Some parents yelled at their kids for running beside the pool, or swimming in the deep end, but just the same, all was well. Aengus chuckled as she lightly pulled her mane's front most curl out of her face. A pale green drink in a Collins glass sat on her side of the table; an azure cocktail umbrella rested beside her beverage. A passing stewardess placed next to him something nearly black in a pint glass that sported an embossed harp, a drink that had a centimetre and a half head atop it. He smiled appreciatively and gave her a generous tip. Rarity looked over as Aengus had already tipped the glass back, and drained it in one slow, steady go. He set the pint down with a soft but sated sigh, the glass empty but for some foam. She said, "I thought you said you were going to enjoy that, not bolt it down."
"Aye, I did enjoy it quite thoroughly," Aengus answered with a contented smile. "Exactly how dad taught me to drink a stout."
Rarity took a dainty sip of her drink, then asked, "A stout? I thought you said it was a Guin--"
"Shh!" Aengus interrupted. "Don't say that in front of the readers; that brand's not supposed to exist in this world!"
"Sorry, I forgot," Rarity said sheepishly, looking downward.
"Anyways," Aengus said, "I thought you wanted to see what the peoples of my world wore? I've seen people aboard wearing what looks to me like a traditional outfit from a different culture."
Rarity shrugged. "They're not going anywhere just yet; after all that snow from yesterday and this morning, the sun feels niiiice." Aengus snorted and shook his head. Rarity continued, "Besides, out here all I've seen are swimsuits, some more tasteless than others."
"There certainly have been some spectacular views, and a few terrible ones," Aengus snickered.
"I see some things remain constant across worlds," Rarity said with a huff. She closed her eyes and let the sun continue to warm her. A few quiet moments passed with only the sound of children playing somewhere near and the occasional Wingull or some non-Pokemon gull flying overhead or begging food off of somebody with a snack. As she lay there happily soaking up the sun, a shadow came over her face. She opened her eyes to see a young human woman, somewhere around legal adulthood, standing over her.
Unlike Aengus, her skin was a rich brown colour. Her eyes were a slightly darker brown, and her long black hair lay straight, dancing in the breeze. The eyeliner was masterfully executed, thick enough to be seen but no more than that, accenting the edges of her eyes. Dangling from her hair was a charm which lay on her forehead. This jewel was a gold anthropomorphic elephant with micro-ruby eyes, situated as if it were sitting cross-legged on the floor, in a biconvex frame of miniature pearls. Her face was lovely, and bore a friendly smile, one that did nothing to hide a sense of wonder. Rarity sat up, and with dilating eyes murmured, "Ooh...!"
Rarity looked this person up and down. She was a slender woman, wearing a tight dress of sorts. This vibrant orange dress appeared to wrap around her as one long cloth, like someone had simply taken fabric from a bolt and wore it as such, yet its elegance betrayed any notion of it being an unsewn garment. The bright orange brocade bore a subtle elephantine pattern, and its edges were a thick indigo stripe with a green and gold paisley pattern. The woman had four gold bangles on each arm, and large hoop earrings. Rarity broke into a wide grin as she cooed, "My word, your ensemble is gorgeous! I've never seen anything of the like! What kind of jewelry is that in your hair?"
The woman's accent was a bouncy, musical sort with a mostly-even meter. "It is called a 'tikka.' You are most-kind, but I'm surprised you can talk. Never before have I met a Pokemon who can."
Aengus sighed as he put down the device and looked over at them, while Rarity grumbled, "Forgive me, ma'am, but I am no Pokemon. I am just a pony, far from my homeland, fulfilling my end of a business arrangement with this gentleman here."
"The rumours are true: a Pokemon that is convinced it isn't a Pokemon," she said to herself.
Aengus sighed again, and hung his head. With forced civility, Rarity answered, "Please try to understand, not everything that isn't human is a Pokemon. I assure you my homeland is filled with ponies like me, each intelligent and capable of speech, thought, ambition, and holding an occupation. We form friendships, rivalries, fall in love, marry, and hold funerals for our departed friends and family. We have our own culture, our own dress, architecture, art, music, history, currency, trade guilds, and folklore. We built our own cities, towns, farms, roads, bridges, and railways. Surely you do not see any Starlies, or Kadabras, or Machokes, or any Pokemon performing these tasks of their own accord or for their own purposes, do you?"
"Well, no...," she trailed off.
"And we have our own names," Rarity continued. "And these are not nicknames given to us by a trainer, but legitimate, legal names our parents give us that are registered in our census. My father's name is Magnum, my mother Cookie Crumbles, my little sister is Sweetie Belle, and my five closest friends are Fluttershy, Pinkamena Diane Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle. As for myself, my given name is Rarity. What is yours?"
The woman blinked in confusion a few times, then said, "Rajni."
Rarity nodded cordially. "Good to meet you, Rajni. I presume you have an occupation, yes? Me, I design fashion, creating spectacular garments that are chic, unique, and magnifique. I am the owner and proprietor of three shops in three different cities, serving as many ponies there as myself and those in my employ possibly, making Equestria all the more glamourous! I even was chosen to design and make the wedding dress of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza."
Aengus said, "Wow. You never brought up that much before."
"You had not asked, darling, and it would have been most unladylike to broach the subject," Rarity answered.
"But you just did so now," pointed out Rajni.
"Ms. Rajni, I would not have, if it were not for being mistaken for a Pokemon yet again. I do not understand why I must constantly defend my autonomy to everyone and everything, apart from Aengus here," Rarity said indignantly.
Rajni said, "If I may, Miss Rarity, you are not human, but show intellect markedly above that of a common animal. You also clearly possess powers no human has or could hope to touch, yet you have a kindness to you above the mere affection from a pet. To us, that looks like a Pokemon."
Rarity frowned. "Is there no room for distinction between other intelligent species, such as mine, and Pokemon? Must one be human to be an individual?"
"Let me ask you this then. How much did you pay for your ticket?" Rajni asked. Aengus winced. When Rarity hesitated, Rajni continued, "Ah, so if you are not a Pokemon, then you are a stowaway. Shall I fetch the ensign?"
Aengus sighed, "This is the unfortunate truth of the matter, Rarity. For all intents and purposes, while you're here, you'll be considered a Pokemon."
"My identity is illegal? Tell me, in this world, am I even allowed to possess money, let alone use it?" Rarity growled through gritted teeth. "What other rights are afforded to humans, but nothing else?"
"Pretty much all of them," Aengus answered.
"So glad to know I came to where prejudice rules."
Rajni said, "You said you two had a business arrangement. If you don't mind my asking, what is it?"
"She can research our peoples' fashion and clothing designs in exchange for her assisting me with becoming the Indigo League Champion," Aengus said.
"Pokemon battles, then? More and more it sounds like you are a Pokemon after all," Rajni said.
Rarity growled irritably. She began to try to get inside this woman's head, and understand what made her tick. She couldn't think of anything at first, then it began to click, almost like she had an Extrasensory way of telling that this woman wanted a go with her.
Aengus grumbled, "Ma'am, you're upsetting her intentionally. Knock it off and please leave."
"I came by because I heard there were two unusual pony Pokemon aboard, and wondered how strong they are. I am also a traveling trainer, to answer your earlier question about my occupation," Rajni said with a confident smile. "My younger sister is with me on this trip; she, too, is skilled at Pokemon battling. What say you to a double battle?"
"A chance to kick her flank and make her shut up? I'm in!" Rarity exclaimed, standing up.
"All right then," said Aengus.
Aengus, Rarity, Rajni, and a mid-teens girl in a similar dress to Rajni entered the battle hall. Rajni's sister was in an olive green sari with a dark red outer stripe. Both double courts were open, but all six single courts were occupied. Aengus spotted Paddy in the middle row, with the bipedal frog in play. Today Paddy had on a red shirt with his university's logo in the middle, black cargo shorts, black athletic shoes and socks, but no hat. As they approached, Paddy's frog opened its mouth and sprayed a thick, high-pressure stream of water into his opponent's sand-covered hippopotamus, which fainted. A green light surrounded Paddy as he clenched a triumphant fist over his head.
Aengus said, "Just going to do this all day?"
"Yeah! It's been going great! Maybe you should...," Paddy trailed off as he saw Rajni. The two stared at each other for a moment. Paddy smiled first. Rajni returned it, with a bite to her lower lip. Rajni's little sister looked between them for a moment, then tittered with a hand over her mouth.
Rajni raspily whispered, "Doyel, control yourself."
Doyel answered with the same accent as her sister, "You should take your own advice! I know that look!"
"Shut it, you!"
Aengus interjected, "Let's go take a double battle court; it doesn't look like there's any queue."
As they started that way, Rajni walked beside Paddy. She said, "Your brother didn't mention you're a university man."
Aengus rubbed at something on his forehead as he shut his eyes. Paddy smiled broadly, "Yes, I'll be studying under Professor Elm once we reach Johto. New Bark Town may be a tiny hamlet, but it'll have to be home for awhile."
"Sounds lonely," Rajni said. Rarity shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"Terribly," Paddy answered. Aengus and Doyel exchanged pained looks.
"Maybe somebody could help keep you company?" Rajni asked with a coy smile.
Aengus interrupted, "We'll hold the court, Paddy; go heal your Pokemon."
Paddy gave Rajni a grin as he started for the station. Doyel stood beside Aengus and muttered, "Those two don't know how to flirt. That was tacky."
"Aye. Just painful," Aengus responded.
Rarity whispered, "I think I've read less cheesy lines in a cheap romance novel."
The three of them quietly chuckled to themselves as they staked out corners. Aengus stood across from Rajni, and Paddy took his spot across from Doyel. A light flashed at the edges of the court. Paddy said, "Sure is nice, being out here and getting away from League rules every once in awhile. They'd never let this fly; they'd demand we all pick three instead of letting it be a ten-on-ten."
The others nodded with "Mmhmm."
{10 on 10...place your bets!}
Aengus tossed up a Pokeball, shouting, "Go, Excadrill!"
Paddy hollered, "Greninja, you're up!"
Excadrill and the blue frog appeared. On the other side, Rajni yelled, "Oranguru, I choose you!"
Doyel shouted, "Passimian, let's do this!"
A white orangutan and a large black and white lemur appeared. Aengus and Paddy looked at each other nervously. Aengus asked, "What are those?"
"Never seen them before," Paddy answered.
Doyel called out, "What's wrong, boys? Haven't been to Akala Island?"
"Where's that?" Paddy asked.
"Alola!" Doyel answered with a smile. She had braces.
"This just got complicated," Aengus muttered. "Have you an inkling of their types?"
"Not yet. May as well hit 'em both and test them," Paddy answered. He then yelled, "Greninja, use Blizzard!"
"Excadrill, use Drill Run!"
"Oranguru, Instruct!"
"Bulk Up, Passimian!"
The frog moved first. Rarity marveled at how the court contained the freezing winds and snow from affecting anything outside of it. The two opponent Pokemon reeled slightly, but nothing too bad. Excadrill moved next, slamming into the ape holding a purple fan. It winced, but not badly. The lemur flexed its muscles in a primal display. As the orangutan waved its fan at the lemur, the lemur did it again.
"That eliminates a few things," Aengus said. "Excadrill, Metal Claw!"
"Aye. I have an idea," said Paddy. "Dark Pulse!"
"Again, Instruct!"
"Use Close Combat, Passimian!"
Greninja struck first again, firing a black wave across the field. Rarity ducked at first, before realising it did not affect her. The lemur just brushed it off, as did Excadrill. The orangutan, however, looked badly hurt, but still up. Excadrill slashed at the orangutan, but it slipped to the left and dodged the attack. Then the lemur bum rushed Greninja with a flurry of punches. The frog toppled over, and disappeared in a shower of pink sparks. As Oranguru waved its fan again, Passimian charged Excadrill in an identical fashion, and she fell over out cold too. As Excadrill fainted form disappeared in an array of pale blue points of light, Aengus snapped, "Fighting and Psychic."
"I noticed," growled Paddy. "Espeon!"
"Go, Rapidash!"
The lavender cat and Rapidash appeared from their red Pokeballs. Doyel and Rajni exchanged excited smiles. Rajni said, "Use Quash, Oranguru!"
"Passimian, use Brutal Swing!"
"Megahorn, Rapidash!"
"Espeon...Psychic."
Espeon's terrifying speed and power played out again as reality bent around her forehead's red jewel. The distortion in light manifested around Passimian, then burst. Passimian sailed through the air swiftly, flying over all three pairs of single match courts and slamming into the far wall in a little under a second. It disappeared as Doyel stood frozen in place, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Every other trainer and Pokemon, even those in battle on the single courts, stopped what they were doing and stood stunned, all eyes upon the double battle in progress. Rarity blurted, "Goodness gracious!"
Espeon turned toward her. Rarity found herself mystified, unable to turn away from that soul-piercing stare...those violet eyes with white pupils beckoned her inward. She could not move, could not blink, and could not speak. The world had faded away. Only those eyes, those violet eyes, existed, pulling at her very spirit. Rarity shook herself back to reality when she realized Espeon was actually purring about her work. Espeon seemed to smile at Rarity for a moment, then looked back toward the battle, at which point the world suddenly resumed.
Rapidash galloped at Oranguru, lowering its horn. Oranguru tried to dodge to the right, but Rapidash was ready, and turned his head accordingly. The orangutan collapsed and disappeared.
Aengus's dark smile returned. Paddy looked at Rajni, who simply reached for another Pokeball. She shouted, "Muk, you're up!"
Doyel yelled, "Mightyena, go!"
Aengus and Paddy looked confused again as the next two Pokemon came. This Muk wasn't purple. This Muk was multicoloured, and it also lacked the distinctive terrible smell.
"Why is it tutti-fruity?" Paddy asked.
"Maybe we should go to Alola, you and I, have a nice stay at a resort, and you can see all the regional variants!" Rajni called in kittenish tones, with matching smile.
Doyel grumbled, "You sure are laying it on thick."
"It'd be the perfect vacation for him!"
"Espeon, again!"
"Rapidash, again!"
"Muk, use Minimize!"
"Mightyena! Sucker Punch the cat!"
As Espeon locked eyes on the Muk, Mightyena suddenly appeared in front of her, decking her in the chest. Espeon staggered backwards with the wind knocked out of her, and she toppled. Paddy growled as she returned to her ball. Before Mightyena could return to its side of the field, Rapidash lowered his horn into it, making it keel over. The many-coloured pile of goo, though, appeared to shrink.
Paddy shouted, "Pinsir! Your turn!"
"Banette! Let's party!" yelled Doyel.
A zipper-mouthed super-creepy puppet, as far as Rarity was concerned, appeared in front of the teenager while Paddy's huge stag beetle came out. A crowd had started to gather as Aengus shook his head disconnectedly. "Mightyena we remembered from Kalos, but what's this thing? More Alolan nonsense?"
Doyel shook her head. "Nope! Haven't you been to Hoenn, if you've been to both Sinnoh and Kalos?"
"Ran out of time, unfortunately," Aengus said. He picked up his volume as he ordered, "Rapidash, use Flare Blitz!"
"Pinsir, Stone Edge!"
"Confuse Ray, Banette!"
"Muk, one more time!"
Rapidash coated himself in fire as he rushed at the sticky, gooey mess, but could not connect. The stag beetle dramatically threw its arms forward, to which a gigantic stone spike erupted out of the bamboo floor...that was over a steel hull...on the sea...with thousands of metres of water between it and the benthic zone seafloor. Rarity cocked her head to one side as the observation came to her. But the creepy puppet had taken a single step forward, evading the spike completely. Banette unzipped its mouth and released a strange ray of light onto Rapidash, who seemed to toddle some and stare vacantly at nothing in particular. And the pile of ooze shrank some more.
"Get it together, Rapidash! Try it again!"
"Come on, Pinsir! You can hit him with that!"
"Use Phantom Force, Banette!"
"Muk, use Poison Fang!"
Rapidash reeled. As the flames surrounding him, he tripped and fell flat on his face. Aengus facepalmed. Rarity called out, "Rapidash, darling, what happened?"
Rapidash's voice was all over the place, in terms of both pitch and syllable length, as it stumbled back to Aengus. "Oh Rarity, if only you were a little bigger, then we could have such tenderness. If only."
The other three Pokemon looked at them in surprise for a brief moment as Rarity was stuck between fighting tears and fighting the urge to slap him. Then Pinsir tried the spike again, but to the same effect. Banette chuckled, then faded completely out of sight while standing in place. Muk moved in at Pinsir. A dance of footwork vs. sloshing ensued as Pinsir attempted to dodge against Muk feinting its attack, before latching onto Pinsir's left side with a chomp. Pinsir breathed heavily, and looked a little purple.
"This isn't good," Aengus muttered.
Paddy frowned. "I know that. These two are used to fighting in double battles together, and their parties reflect it."
"Come on, old buddy, you can do it! Try again!" Aengus yelled.
"Pinsir, use X-Scissor!"
Doyel said nothing.
"Again, Muk! Again!"
Rapidash coated himself in fire and ran at the pile of goo. An impact sounded. Aengus let out a small whoop as Rapidash came back to him. Pinsir's huge mandibles slashed at the pile as well, but nothing sounded. Banette reappeared, all over Rapidash. As the thuds ended, Rapidash shook his head, but did not look well. Muk ran up on him and bit as he did before. For a moment the steed had the same violet glow as Pinsir, before that glow disappeared as Rapidash fainted. Rarity choked up for a moment, but held it together.
"Spiritomb, you're next!"
The purple pinwheel on a cracked rock showed up in front of Aengus. There was little other sound from the room. Rarity looked around and saw the crowd had thickened. She could hear another battle on the other side of the masses, but only one other.
"Taunt him, Spiritomb!"
"Pinsir, one more time!"
"Use Dazzling Gleam, Banette!"
"Muk, use Acid Armour!"
Pinsir slashed again, and again, to no avail. Rarity looked at Spiritomb, but was surprised when Banette moved next instead, creating a blindingly bright flash that hammered into Spiritomb. The face on the pinwheel twitched, then disappeared. Spiritomb returned to its ball in a series of yellow sparks. Aengus's face glared, and was about the colour of soured milk. A purple rectangle flashed over Muk once and was gone. Pinsir's glow faded as he also toppled over.
Paddy grouched, "Not liking these new faces, brother."
"Makes two of us," Aengus answered. "Feraligatr! Let's do this!"
"Typhlosion, we're on!"
Feraligatr and the huge badger appeared. Doyel looked at Paddy's Typhlosion and said, "It's got an Assault Vest!"
"I see it," answered Rajni.
Rarity muttered to herself, "Come on, boys, you can do it."
"Typholsion, use Bulldoze!"
"Feraligatr, Superpower!"
"Banette, let's use Z-Curse!"
"Muk, Poison Fang!"
Typholsion reared up, and ran forward, stomping all over the Muk. The tutti-frutti Pokemon splattered around from Typhlosion's attack, and each of its droplets, blobs, splash patterns, and the main pile were all still. Muk disappeared back into its Pokeball as Paddy cheered and the crowd went, "Ooh!"
"Yes!" Rarity cried out.
Feraligatr swung like mad at the Banette, but all its attacks seemed to pass right through it. Aengus yelled, "Ghost-type!"
"I think you have him next round!" Paddy answer. Banette smirked. The Pokemon and Doyel began to do a little dance in unison. Paddy looked to his brother for a moment, then asked, "What are we looking at?"
Rajni said with a flirty grin, "This is something else we'll have to do together in Alola! This is a Z-move!"
What looked like a giant nail appeared over Typhlosion, and appeared to press into him, but no blood came. It seems like it was hurting for a moment.
Rajni shouted, "Okay, Pyukumuku! You're up!"
Rarity could not figure out what came from the Pokeball. The thing was a black ellipsoid with magenta fins sticking out. Aengus and Paddy looked just as confused.
"Typhlosion, Bulldoze!"
"Crunch, Feraligatr!"
"Use Confuse Ray, Banette!"
"Pyukumuku, use Counter!"
Typholsion ran right over the black critter, stomping on it a few times, but it didn't look all that injured...not from what Rarity could tell, anyway. Feraligatr ran in and snapped his huge jaws onto Banette, which dropped immediately. The crowd sounded torn as to whom they wanted to win. Pyukumuku swung back at Typhlosion, which connected, but it was difficult to tell if had any strength behind its attack. The illusion of the giant nail returned, and Typhlosion looked worse than before.
Doyel grimaced, and yelled, "Shiinotic, your turn!"
A purple mushroom appeared, with what looked like a simple face drawn on its stem, with wispy arms and fingers. It ambled forward as Aengus muttered, "They certainly seem bent on keeping us in the dark."
Paddy said, "Looks like it's a Grass-type. I got this. Typhlosion, Blast Burn!"
"Feraligatr, use Iron Tail!"
"Pyukumuku, Pain Split!"
"Use Spotlight, Shiinotic!"
A spotlight appeared on Pyukumuku. Typhlosion emitted a huge amount of fire all around, right into Pyukumuku. Paddy said, "I told you to...oh. A redirecting move. Charming."
Pyukumuku didn't look fazed at all. Feraligatr slammed its tail down on it hard as his tail turned to a cast-iron black colour, but again, Pyukumuku shrugged it off. Paddy said, "Water."
Aengus nodded as Pyukumuku glowed grey for a moment, an aura that also surrounded Feraligatr during the same few seconds. Typhlosion's nail returned, and he collapsed.
Paddy snarled, "Trixie! Show them what you've got!"
A particular showmare appears out of a bunch of rosy pink sparks. She tossed her cape and hat aside as she cackled. Rarity rolled her eyes, but the crowd cheered, to which Trixie graciously bowed.
"Feraligatr, use Superpower!"
"Trixie, Psychic!"
"Pyukumuku, Counter!"
"Use Toxic, Shiinotic!"
A harsh wave distorted light around Trixie and then Pyukumuku. It was knocked into the air for a moment, but fell right back down. Feraligatr pounded away at it for a moment, but seemed to wind himself in the process. The black splat still sat there, but seemed to have been splatted a little more. Pyukumuku leapt up and whacked Feraligatr in the face, enough that he tottered for a moment before righting himself. A purple glow left Shiinotic, and surrounded Feraligatr. He glowed once, then fell down. The crowd gasped, "Oh!"
Aengus wiped away a tear as he bared his teeth. He pulled his face together, turned to Rarity, and nodded. The crowd went nuts again. Paddy muttered, "I can't believe we're both on our last one."
"These two are in for an unpleasant surprise," Aengus growled. "Rarity, use Wild Charge!"
"Oh! I get it," said Paddy. "Trixie, Aerial Ace!"
"Light Screen, Shiinotic!"
"Pyukumuku, use Recover!"
Rarity gritted her teeth, and ran at the black ellipsoid. She felt the lightning charge around her as she reached a canter and trampled Pyukumuku. She winced at the impact, but saw Pyukumuku return to its ball. She smiled to herself as the crowd cheered.
Trixie zipped in, slashing with her horn in a swallow-tail pattern. Shiinotic spun in the air as it disappeared into sparks, to the roar of the crowd. Trixie trotted back over, eyes closed and smirking. Rarity said, "We got this."
Trixie sneered, and said, "Trixie agrees."
Doyel stood agape for a moment, as did Rajni. The little sister said, "That wasn't how that was supposed to go at all. I'm on my last one!"
"Yeah. Gotta watch out for these ponies," Rajni said. "Go, Breloom!"
Doyel hollered, "Come on, Graveler! Don't let me down!"
The Pokemon which Rajni sent out looked like a mushroom had mated with a kangaroo. This creature was green and tan, with rosy short arms and long toenails. Graveler also looked weird. It wasn't a solid mass of taupe. This Graveler had thick black eyebrows, black spikes on its forearms, and large nodules of pyrite all-throughout...though taupe was the rest of its body. Paddy asked, "Is this another weird variant from Alola?"
"It sure is!" Doyel answered. "It's not even fully the same type!"
Aengus raised his eyebrows. "So noted. Thank you."
Rajni scoffed, "Why would you tell them that!?"
"Don't you want to make him happy?" she teased back.
Rajni looked over and met Paddy's gaze. He smiled at her confidently, to which she chuckled to herself and shook her head.
"Energy Ball, Rarity!"
"Trixie, use Air Cutter!"
"Spore, Breloom! Use Spore!"
"Graveler, Thunder Punch!"
Rarity pointed her horn at Graveler and charged it up. While the aura on her horn remained the same blue it always was, a whirling green sphere coalesced at the point. It shot into Graveler, which forced it back a step. Trixie whipped her charged horn toward the Breloom. A wave of energy whipped outward, but the kangashroom leapt aside. It then shook its head, and a cloud of spores flew at Trixie. She started to doze off, still standing. Graveler then marched up to it, wrapped its fist in lightning, and punched Trixie. She rolled over, but somehow ended up back on her feet...still sleeping. Rarity muttered, "How did that happen?"
"Trixie, snap out of it and use Moonblast!"
"Flame Charge the shroom, Rarity!"
"Again, Breloom! Get the other one!"
"You too, Graveler! Get her with Stone Edge!"
Rarity concentrated as she began to run at the Breloom. The flames appeared around her, and at a canter, Breloom could not evade in time. It brushed itself off and stepped back to the line. Breloom shook its head again, and the spore cloud rushed at Rarity, enveloping her. Paddy sadly said, "I think they got us, Aengus."
Aengus shook his head in frustration. But Rarity's eyes remained open...then she sneezed. And again. And a third time. Amid the fourth sneeze, the spore cloud faded. One more sneeze, and she shook her head. She looked around, blushed a little, and said, "My Celestia! Pardon me."
The entire crowd murmured in surprise. The four trainers in the court stared at Rarity wide-eyed, as did Breloom and Graveler. Rajni barked in shock, "It hit her, and she's not asleep!?"
Aengus just blinked. Paddy muttered, "And that's not her Ability either...huh."
Doyel said, "What is she??"
Rarity smiled, curtsied, and said, "I am an Equestrian pony, and my name is Rarity."
Graveler frowned, and gestured imperiously. Rarity looked downward, and jumped to her left, just in time to avoid the spike. The crowd roared to life in an exuberant cheer.
Aengus yelled, "Excellent work! Do it again!"
"Come on, Trixie! Look alive and give me a Moonblast!"
"Drain Punch, Breloom! Don't let her get you!"
"Graveler, use Gyro Ball!"
Looking at the kangashroom, Rarity started to run at him. She could see in his eyes the fear and anger that his Spore did not conk her out, and his determination to let her have it. She closed ground, and saw him leading with his left foot. Rarity smiled to herself as the flames surrounded her once more, veering to the left, squarely into his attempt to dodge. As she returned to Aengus's side, Breloom staggered one way, then the other, and back, before he toppled and fainted. The crowd cheered again, much louder, but Trixie did not stir. Graveler started spinning around and around, then lurched at Rarity. She crouched, and correctly timed her evading jump again. With some cheers, the crowd began chanting, "Rarity! Rarity! Rarity!"
Aengus laughed out loud. Paddy was also grinning from ear to ear, but the sisters looked like they were in complete denial. They gave each other a long, hard look, then turned back to the battlefield. Rajni shouted, "I've still got one more! Flygon!"
As the oversized bug-like dragon appeared, Aengus whooped, "Yes!! I know this one! Rarity, Ice Beam!"
"Alright, Trixie! Up and at 'em! Moonblast!"
"Flygon, use Dragon Claw!"
"You can do it, Graveler! Thunder Punch!"
Flygon zoomed at Rarity, but she just stood there. As it slashed with his claws, she still stood there. And she looked unaffected. Aengus and Rarity shared a smile as Flygon cocked its head to one side, its arm still at the end of its slash. Rajni shrieked, "She's a Fairy!!?"
Rarity looked Flygon in the eye. "Hi."
Shards of ice and snow in a thin, solid ray erupted out of her horn at point-blank range. Flygon staggered back, looking like it was barely standing. Trixie laughed, "Ha ha! Nothing like a good nap!"
Another cheer from the crowd, and Trixie's horn glowed. It appeared Luna's moon appeared over the court, and shone its beams upon Trixie. A small white ball ambled out of her horn, squarely hitting Flygon in the chest. It toppled and fell over. Rajni slowly dropped to her knees as the crowd screamed and hollered its joy. Graveler rushed, but Rarity mistimed the dodge this time. The punch sent her tumbling a few times. She took a moment to get her wind back, and stood up again. Doyel stared wide-eyed at the two ponies advancing on her Graveler.
Aengus teasingly said, "And I have one more bombshell left for you!"
Paddy chuckled, "Oh?"
"Go on, call your moves," Aengus said with a triumphant smile.
Doyel screamed, "Graveler, use Gyro Ball!"
Paddy said, "Well, Trixie, how about Psychic?"
"Rarity...," Aengus began. He stopped, chuckled, and then finished, "...Play Rough."
"WHAT!!?!" Rajni and Doyel squawked in unison.
Rarity popped her neck, and charged Graveler, kicking up a dust cloud that sounded of numerous punches and kicks within. All around the gathered people were exclamations of surprise, much of it delighted. As the dust settled, there stood Rarity, and Graveler fell down. He disappeared in rosy sparks back into his Pokeball. Rarity dramatically pushed a curl out of her face, and looked across the crowd.
{A winner is you!}
Cheers boomed the room, making the walls shake. The brothers emphatically embraced, laughing together. Trixie tapped Rarity on the shoulder. Rarity pulled her into a tight hug with her eyes closed, laughing. Trixie snickered some, and patted her on the shoulders with a small hug in return. They let go, and Rarity looked Trixie in the eye. She raised an eyebrow, and said, "Huh. It looks great on you! I didn't know you wanted to accessorize! Let me know if you want a hoof with it!"
Trixie laughed mockingly. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has no need for accessories! She looks stupendous just as she is!"
The crowd had started to disperse. Rarity gave Trixie a quizzical look. "What are you talking about? Clearly you've...," she trailed off, motioning around her face.
"What is Trixie talking about? More like, what are you talking about?" Trixie countered.
Rarity frowned. As Aengus, Paddy, Rajni, and Doyel walked up to them, Rarity's horn glowed again, with a spell ray sweeping over Trixie. Rajni squawked again. "And she can use Extrasensory outside of battle!?"
Paddy shook his head incredulously. "That's six...brother, how many moves does she know...??"
Aengus chuckled. "Almost three dozen."
The other three trainers stood agape for a moment. Rajni shook her head, but smiled at Paddy. "We should do this again sometime."
"Of course! But when, and would you want to mix the teams up, or just have singles?" Paddy asked with a cheeky grin. Aengus and Doyel both rolled their eyes at their siblings.
Rajni pondered for a moment, then said, "Saturday evening work for you?"
"Looks like Saturday night's all right for fighting. Let's do it!" Paddy grinned.
"Awesome!"
{Something is very wrong here....}
Rarity, still frowning at Trixie, irritably said, "Wait just a darn minute...."
Trixie disappeared, called back to her ball in a shower of pink specks of light. Paddy began, "Before you two get into another argument--"
"Where is she!?" Rarity snapped, advancing on Paddy. "Where's Trixie?!"
Paddy gave her a funny look as he backed up. He pointed at the ball and said, "Um, right here?"
"Not that imposter! Where's the real Trixie!?! Tell me!!" she shouted. Her eyes had narrowed, and every hint of joy from her posture and voice were gone, overwritten by seething rage.
"What's gotten into you?" Paddy asked.
"Tell me!"
"Busted...," Aengus said matter-of-factly, giving his brother the I-told-you-so look.
Paddy stopped. Rarity stood in front of him with the same, bared-teeth glare. He snorted, "And just what has you so convinced this is a so-called impostor?"
"Because," Rarity spat, "the real Trixie doesn't have green eyes." |
Rarity Gets Caught | 12 - Meanwhile, Back In The Great Marsh.... | {Did everybody just hate the Safari Zones, and that's why they stopped doing them?}
The western skies beyond Mt. Coronet reddened as the sun sank toward the horizon. Safari-goers in The Great Marsh busily ran down the Pokemon they sought, or at least the ones they could find...some to their delight at catching something rare, others to their frustration at encountering yet another Wooper or Bibarel. Trainers hurried all around the place, except near the back corner of Area 2. Some watched this corner eagerly; most kept their distance. The newspaper reports about the two talking pony-Pokemon who showed up for all of two minutes a few days prior still buzzed about their heads. The commissioner left signs up near the corner in question:
In the event of another gateway opening and more dangerous pony Pokemon emerging, please retire from your game immediately. We will provide you with a full refund and you get to keep any Pokemon you caught. Your safety is of utmost importance to us.
A teenage couple stood near the sign nearest the Quick Tram. The young lady held a small box of chocolates, and took a bite of a savoy truffle. The young man regaled her with bravado of how he would not flinch before such a Pokemon, and would try to catch it anyway, pantomiming his would-be heroics. She giggled often during his boasting, shaking her head with a grin on her face once he finished. As they started back toward the tram, a flash of light made them turn back around.
{Bet these guys are hating their Safari game now....}
There was the gateway, freshly reopened. Instantly a pony emerged, flapping its wings. A semitransparent magenta hemisphere covered the portal and its surrounding area as this pony hovered. The teenagers could not tell if it was a mare or a stallion. All they could see was that it had a lavender coat, wings, a horn in the middle of its forehead, and it was wearing armour. Its spangenhelm appeared to have a crown attached, and was an off-gold in colour, with sleek curves, tight fit, holes for the ears and horn, and close-fitting chain mail of the same material around the neck and back of the head. The armour also appeared to be of an identical alloy, but of interlocking bands that wove together along the pony's sides.
After a moment, a series of burly-looking pegasi came through, each carrying a large cubic stone. One by one they all set down their blocks in the muck beneath the portal and went back; the teenagers could not determine if they saw the same ones multiple times. In under two minutes they had a rectangular platform under the gateway, at least thirty metres on its long side. As the last of these returned, a little over a score of other armoured ponies came through, some with wings, some with horns, some with neither. Many of them had spears. Some were in golden armour, others in blue. All of them looked quite stern and intent, forming a perimeter around the portal. All except the first wore a crested barbute made for a pony's head instead of a human's, complete with ear holes, and horn holes for those who had them. Seven of the ponies did not fall in, but started their way as the magenta sphere evaporated. At the front was the first one they saw. Flanking this one were two that looked different from the rest. One was also a lavender colour, but lacked wings; it appeared to levitate in a phthalo green aura. The second had wings, a sky blue coat, and a prismatic tail, but no horn. The other four looked like winged uniformed soldiers, with no distinctive markings to separate them; each had a spear.
As the boy reached toward his bag of Safari Balls, four spears pointed towards him as the light blue one spoke in a raspy alto, "Just don't. It will not work, and what comes next would not go well for you."
The self-levitating one had a mezzo-soprano voice. She growled, "Throw that ball, and take a guess who'll reach you first: whatever god you plea to for mercy, or me."
"Settle down, both of you," spoke the one wearing the crown, clearly female as well. She looked between the two teenagers, and asked, "Who is in charge around here, and where can he or she be found?"
The girl hesitantly pointed toward a building a ways to the south. With a curt nod from the centre one, seven ponies flew toward the entrance building, much quicker than it looked possible.
Moments later, Twilight touched down before a brick building with an open-ended hallway downstairs, and a rotunda for a second floor. Rainbow Dash, Starlight, and four of Celestia's guards landed in formation. Twilight looked over at Starlight for a moment and said, "So far, it's not been the hostile environment you described. I think they were afraid of us, not belligerently ready to capture."
"There aren't as many now as there were when Sunburst and I came last time," Starlight said.
Rainbow Dash pounded on her chest plate as she said, "I don't care how many of them there are! I'm ready to kick some flank!"
"Remember, Dash, we're here to save Rarity and Trixie, not start a fight," Twilight admonished. "I hope it doesn't come to 'flank-kicking;' that will not spread friendship."
"If they wanted friendship, there would have been no ponynapping. Of course we try it diplomatically, but if that doesn't work...," said Starlight grimly.
Dash said, "I agree with Starlight; they didn't come looking for friendship. I still don't think your usual methods will work with these 'humans,' Twi. They clearly only respond to force. You'll have to be firm, and to-the-point. If they won't listen, I'll make them listen."
"You will do no such thing," Twilight said curtly. She sighed through her nose, then continued, "I don't like it, but you're right. I can't give them any reason to think I'm a pushover. I have to be resolute. Steadfast. Determined. Assertive, but not aggressive."
Dash said, "Let's get going before you rattle off the entire thesaurus entry."
She and Starlight laughed while Twilight grumbled to herself. The guardsponies remained as stoic as ever. All seven entered the building. The clamour of people trying to get their promised refunds fell silent as they entered. Twilight looked across their faces, and saw fear, not aggression. A smattering a frightened whimpering popped up. Twilight asked, "Who is in charge here?"
"I am," answered a gravelly baritone. Rounding a corner was a tall, barrel-chested middle-aged man. He wore half-calf steel-toed boots, thick khaki work pants, tan button-down shirt, dark brown vest, and a bolo tie with an oval clasp sporting polished turquoise. He was a deeply tanned, clean-shaven man with graying black hair in a well-trimmed business cut. A pair of heavy work gloves stuck out from the right-front pocket of his trousers, and in his left hand was a clipboard with a full legal pad attached. He eyed the seven ponies suspiciously with a frown. "What do you want?"
"I am here to negotiate cessation of hostilities between our worlds, and I want my abducted subjects returned," Twilight answered firmly.
The man gave her a hard look. "Who are you, exactly?"
Twilight met his gaze without blinking. "I am Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria."
"Roger Davidson, Commissioner and Warden of The Great Marsh, Your Highness," said the man. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about, nor am I apt to believe your claims of my people abducting yours. Especially so after the trouble one of yours caused here three days ago, and this show of force you have now."
Twilight said sharply, "The abductions took place five days ago, when two of your subjects pried opened a portal to Equestria, and forcefully took two of my subjects into this world against their wills! We had not seen such magic, but after two days' analysis, we recreated the portal your people used. But those who checked the portal's accuracy were attacked almost immediately upon setting hoof here! Your people didn't wait to assault mine, thus did Starlight fend them off for her own safety!"
A murmur passed through the crowd. Davidson's eyes narrowed as he asked, "What do you mean, 'attacked?' How?"
Starlight stepped forward and said, "One of your people threw one of those enslavement balls at me, just the same as that other did when he came through to Equestria!"
"Somebody threw a Safari Ball at you? They probably just mistook you for a rare Pokemon, miss," said Davidson, just a touch flippant.
Starlight smarted off, "Oh, I should tell you not to try your 'Safari Balls' on us now; our armour has been enchanted to protect us from such capture."
"What's a Pokemon? And why do your people enslave them?" asked Twilight.
"We don't enslave them; we train them!" shouted somebody in the crowd. The others voiced their agreements.
Davidson scoffed, "Pokemon are creatures that inhabit this world, who we befriend and train as companions, teammates, and competitors. They come in many shapes and sizes: some huge, some tiny, some like animals, some like men, some like plants, some like earthen materials, some like nothing in the natural world, and every point in-between."
Twilight's face soured. "Then why did your subjects come looking for them in our world?"
"Who knows? Look, it sounds like you need to talk to someone from the League, and I don't have any 'subjects.' I'm in charge of The Great Marsh, not the whole town or beyond. If they're not here, they're not in my jurisdiction," Davidson grumbled.
Dash frowned. "Your 'jurisdiction' is just this?"
Davidson scowled in return. "I hardly think of it as 'just this.' Managing the conservation efforts of a Pokemon and Wildlife Refuge, maintaining a natural environment, yet still allowing trainers to catch Pokemon, and financially balancing it all...it's a big job."
"While I certainly appreciate conservation of natural habitats, we're no closer to finding our friends. I give my word that when we leave, we will leave no trace of us being here," said Twilight.
Davidson nodded. "Thank you for that."
A lady in the crowd said, "Excuse me, Your Highness? You said it was five days ago?"
Twilight turned to this person. She was demure, dressed in an attendant's uniform, and shrank at all the eyes on her. Twilight said, "Five days ago, that's right. Do you have any information?"
The lady squeaked, "Y-y-you wouldn't happen to be looking for ponies named 'Rarity' and 'Trixie,' would you?"
Starlight shot forward to this lady, putting both her forehooves on the attendant's shoulder. The attendant was wide-eyed in alarm; Starlight was wide-eyed in pleading. Twilight and Dash came up to her quickly as well, both keenly interested with looks of expectant relief. Starlight almost shouted, "You saw them!? Are they okay?! What happened?"
"Yes, I believe they're okay. One was white with a curly mane, the other was blue and wore a cape and hat," the attendant said quietly.
Someone else in the crowd said, "That's right! It was upstairs in the Pokemon Centre! They were screaming at each other over what happened in the past! And there were some petty insults, too."
Others in the crowd murmured in agreement, and a few chuckled. A tear slipped from Starlight's eye as she begged, "Please tell me you know where they are!"
The attendant swallowed hard and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't see which way their trainers went."
Yet another person in the crowd chimed in, "I think I did. The red-haired man left town to the east, and the other went west."
Twilight grumbled to herself as the crowd continued its smattering of indistinct comments. She shook her head, and returned toward the assembled guards. An outcry of surprise made her look up. Floating in from the northern entry was a very small light blue humanoid creature with a pear-shaped torso and two identical long tails. Its head was mostly a darker blue than the rest of its body, and it had a red oval inset over its sixth chakra. A similar red spot lay near the end of its tails. Its ochre eyes locked onto Twilight's face in intrigue, lazily blinking as it slowly floated toward her. Twilight cocked her head to the left, and said, "Uh...hello?"
Davidson blurted, "Azelf...?"
"'Azelf?'" Twilight asked.
"It's a legendary Pokemon, said to inhabit Lake Valor...just over the hills east-by-northeast of here," he answered in disbelief.
Azelf floated but a few centimetres from Twilight, still with its captivated gaze transfixed on the princess. It gingerly reached out with its left paw, and set it down on the end of Twilight's nose. The crowd murmured yet again as Azelf floated there, touching Twilight. Starlight walked up to them, looking over the Pokemon with a curious face. Rainbow Dash shrugged. Davidson said in awe, "Azelf is said to be the being of willpower. That you got its attention, enough that it came to investigate...that's something else."
"Forget the ponies, that's a Legendary!" shouted some tenor. There at the entryway stood the teenage couple from the sign; all eyes had looked up in time to see the boy throw a ball at Azelf.
{And PTSD kicks in}
"No!!" screamed Starlight. Her horn charged nearly instantly as she shot down the light blue and yellow Pokeball. In a flash she snatched a spear from one of the guards and rocketed toward the boy. He barely had time to inhale before she tackled him. His girlfriend shrieked and dropped her remaining three chocolates. Slamming his back to the ground with her left forehoof, Starlight wound up with the spear in her right, pounding it downward point-first. But the spearhead shattered; it broke upon a magenta shield, shaped like a round centre-boss targe, which appeared over the boy's face in the nick of time.
"STARLIGHT GLIMMER!!" Twilight yelled at the top of her lungs, sounding like an angry parent rather than a disappointed mentor.
Starlight scowled at the broken spear, tossed it aside, and reared up. Before she could bring her hooves down, Rainbow Dash seized her in an aerial sprint, dragging her off of him. As they skidded to a stop, Dash pinned Starlight to the ground, hollering, "What the hell is wrong with you!?"
"I thought you wanted to kick some flank; why are you stopping me then?" Starlight grumbled, then teleported out from under Dash. As she rematerialised near the boy, she suddenly found herself trapped in crystal...the same spell she used during her time crisis. Twilight's spell ray had also forced her back a good eight metres. The princess walked slowly up to Starlight, nostrils flared, eyes glaring, and ears flattened.
{Things are worse}
Twilight spat, "You are going back to the castle, and you will stay there until you learn how to control your temper. Rather than dole out punishment when you showed remorse, I took you as my student of friendship; if I have reason to suspect you're reverting back to your old self, we will revisit that decision. Is that clear?"
"But--" began Starlight, and was immediately cut off.
"Yes or no; is that clear?!"
Starlight's shoulders slumped and her eyes closed as she slowly nodded. Twilight released the spell. Still scolding, but softer and gentler, Twilight said, "Now go apologise, and hope and pray your overreacting didn't wreck any friendships we could have had here."
The girl helped her boyfriend to his feet, looking quite worried. His pants had a large wet spot that had spread radially from between his legs. Starlight's eyes were on the ground as she trudged towards him. As she approached, he edged away from her. She began, "I'm sorry; I was--"
"Just stay away from me!" he shouted with his voice breaking as he turned to run. He whimpered as he pushed through the crowd and out the south exit, with his girlfriend running after him. One of the last three chocolates lay crushed from his sudden departure, oozing white creme upon the dirt. A whiff of peppermint followed a moment later.
Twilight sighed discontentedly as that guard retrieved what was left of his weapon. Starlight hung her head and departed toward the portal. Twilight said, "Starlight...."
Starlight looked at her mentor with wounded hope. Twilight hesitated, then sadly said, "I know you don't want to see anything subjected to slavery, but trying to spear that human? Way too far. I know you're better than that. You know you're better than that. That was insanity, what you did. I still can't believe you tried to kill him. There can't be any more of that, ever. We need to have a very serious talk when this is all over."
Starlight nodded weakly. Twilight continued, "Head home. Tell Sunburst I need him out here immediately."
Starlight sniffled as she levitated herself over the marshland. Twilight watched her go for a moment, and sighed again. Dash frowned as she rubbed Twilight on the withers. Davidson approached as Twilight looked at Dash and asked, "What am I gonna do with her?"
"Uh, not bring her out here again?" Dash suggested, both her face and voice blunt about it.
Twilight looked around. The guards were behind Davidson; one watched their rear. She said unhappily, "Looks like she scared off Azelf. We were just starting to communicate."
"Actually, Azelf zipped away when he, she, it, whatever saw that Quick Ball coming at its face," said Davidson. He was not pleased. "I don't like you ponies being here. I don't like it at all. You're dangerous."
Twilight said, "I'm not making excuses for what she did, nor am I letting her return to this place."
"Good," barked Davidson. "From what I just saw I know we can't force you to leave, but I want you gone as soon as possible."
"I understand."
"No, you don't," Davidson continued. "That was some crazy energy you threw around there, and from what I can see, you have plenty more where that came from. You watch yourself and how much of it you use. We don't need any more surprise visitors."
Twilight frowned. "I'll be very selective who all I take and send on searches."
Davidson glowered. "I'm not talking about you ponies. I'm talking about other legendary Pokemon showing up. Azelf is almost never seen away from Lake Valor, yet your presence alone got its attention enough for it to come here. That's shocking; I've never heard of the like happening until now. At least Azelf is a pretty calm Pokemon. So are the other two who occupy the lakes, Mesprit and Uxie. Other legendary Pokemon, though, aren't so nice, and some of those others are much, much stronger than the Lake Trio. You keep throwing power like that around, and I'll bet the farm that sooner or later one of them big boys will come here, trying to ascertain who is this powerful being that they've never sensed before. We can't have that, either one of us."
"Maybe all this wouldn't be necessary if you had just watched what other humans did in your marsh!" growled Rainbow Dash.
Davidson retorted, "Nothing close to that had ever happened before; there was no way to have predicted it. Regardless, here we are. Rumour has it after the last incident, high-ranking members of the World League took interest and are already on their way. What just happened here assured they will come. And sure I hope they can speed up your search."
"That would be a great deal of help," Twilight said curtly.
"Glad we have an understanding," said Davidson. "Now if you'll excuse me, I now have a ton of paperwork that cannot wait until tomorrow, thanks to you and your friend."
Davidson turned on his heel and left. The guards let him pass, carefully watching his movements. Twilight growled to herself. The remaining six ponies returned to the portal. Twilight said nothing on the return trip, even though Dash kept looking at her. The guards who stayed behind were setting up a command post. As they landed, Twilight ambled toward the woods at the edge of the marsh. Dash walked up to her and said, "Penny."
Twilight gave her a confused face. "What?"
"For your thoughts."
Suspiring, Twilight lamented, "I failed. That was my first failure as the Princess of Friendship, and I don't want another. I cannot hope to ever have good relations with this world after how things went this afternoon. I...I thought she could handle her anger. I thought she had grown enough. But I was wrong. Now, we can expect trouble the whole way."
Twilight stopped to see Dash looking over her head with an intense gaze. After a moment, Dash frowned and said, "Sorry, thought I saw something or somepony in the woods."
"It's okay; I'd rather not have any surprises like any of those 'Pokemon' that Roger Davidson hinted at," said Twilight. She shook her head again, and scoffed, "Forty hours of continuous intense magic, by the end of it I was trying and wanting just to stay awake so that the spell didn't fizzle, and we get here to find out that wasn't the worst of it, but just the start?"
Dash nodded and nickered. She stared off into the trees for a moment again, then said, "You know Rarity would do that and more, had it been us instead."
"I know," said Twilight. As the soldier ponies put the legs on a table, Twilight turned back toward the canopy tent. Dash followed while Twilight began, "There's nothing to gain from delaying any longer, but we'll need a map of the area before we can begin effective, organized searches. Owl Eyes, Dusk Breeze, I need you two to--"
{Another had foreseen the danger}
Past the tree line, the princess's words were no longer distinct. There, carefully watching from behind a shrub was an equine figure about fourteen hands tall, almost like a yearling colt in appearance. He was off-white, with indigo hooves, and sky blue tail and long fur around his neck and chest, though it left a diamond-shaped patch on his chest of the off-white fur. He didn't exactly have a mane; scarlet fluff came off his head in a way that looked far more like a human with a bushy hairdo than an equine mane. From the top of his head stuck up three tufts of different colours, one was pear green, the next about the shade of a ripe orange peel, and the third was cerulean. A long, thick horn of cobalt blue protruded from his forehead; it seemed to have grown in four chunks, leaving a trio of saw tooth-like edges on its top.
"Hmm...," murmured this figure, staring intently at Twilight.
He closed his eyes, then took a deep breath and held it. He stood there, resolutely holding himself in the upright pose. Slowly he exhaled, and turned his head to the southeast. He said to himself, "Over the ocean? That means...."
He looked north...perhaps north-northwest, and said under his breath, "That one's close, or at least close enough. But the other...."
He looked back southeast for a second, then carefully picked his way north, staying hidden from the marsh as the sun set. As the edge of the marsh turned west, so did he. He looked back toward the portal and command post for a moment. Seeing it fully obscured by foliage, he began to run, and reached a cantering speed far faster than any normal pony or horse could dream of achieving. Over dead logs, creeks, briar patches, and boulders he bounded, racing onward toward the west. He slowed as he heard what sounded like three different roars, each trying to drown out the other two, echo from atop Mt. Coronet.
Westward he pressed harder, muttering to himself, "Gotta get her back before all the others get here...can't let this place become a warzone...." |
Rarity Gets Caught | 13 - Identity Crisis Over Tequila | {Somepony's not coping well with an uncomfortable reveal}
Rarity leaned on the starboard railing near the stern of the SS Sakura next to one of the poolside tables, with its associated chair tipped over and shunted aside several metres. She stared out into the deep dark of the night over the ocean with a square-bodied bottle in her telekinetic grip. Her mane was a flattened, frizzy, tangled mess, and her tail wasn't much better. On the northern horizon was the glow, shape, and shadow of Hotel Grand Lake. A ways left of that were some dancing lights against the sky in the shape of Twilight's cutie mark. Rarity pressed the bottle to her lips and took its last few gulps of the amber liquid. After sucking on air, she set the emptied bottle on the table next to another empty bottle, and opened a third. She briefly looked over the yellow label with its red seal, shrugged, and took another gulp. As her eyes looked back at Twilight's projection of her cutie mark, Rarity slurred her words with marked gaps between her sentences. "Daahling, I see it. I see you thairre. I'm over here, Twilight! I'm over here."
She smacked her lips together a few times, and lazily blinked. A passing elderly couple gave her the stink eye, but walked along. She continued staring northward, oblivious to their passing and derision. Rarity continued in the same tone, "Do you wanna come play? I'm sure we'll have a fun battle! I doubt we'll hold long, but maybe you can join our team! What kind of ball would you like to be in? I heard there's a 'Luxury Ball.' Why couldn't I get in one of those?"
"I thought I heard you," said a girlish voice. Rarity turned and saw Doyel standing there with her hands on her hips and shaking her head. She had a small purse over her left shoulder that was a near-perfect match to her sari.
"Heya," Rarity began as Doyel walked up to her, still with lapses in her grammar. "How you doing, daahling? Come to see thisss Pokemon get 'ossified,' as my trainer likes to say?"
Doyel frowned at the change in identity. She said, "Please not this again, Rarity...you're not a Pokemon."
"But I ammm," Rarity said, taking another sip. "I am a Pokemon. You heard Paddy; you were right thairre! How can I argue against that?"
"Because you're not one! You know too many moves to be a Pokemon! You yourself said earlier you're an 'Equestrian pony;' that's no Pokemon anyone's ever heard of," Doyel protested. She began walking up to Rarity, but stopped as her eyes drifted toward the empties on the table. "How many have you...whoa. Dang...you're totally hammered, aren't you?"
Rarity had a small burp. She looked out over the water again, and said, "Still doesn't...doesn't...what's the damn word...counter! It doesn't counter his point."
"So he bred the original Trixie with his Zebstrika, and got a number of eggs from them! So what?!" Doyel grouched, throwing her hands in the air.
"Viable offspring!" Rarity yelled as she stumbled. Righting her balance, she unevenly continued, "You can't get offspring that can breed again if you cross species, except with us Pokemon!"
Doyel scoffed, "I still maintain my point from earlier: Pokemon cross-species breed all the time; who's to say they can't mix with an Equestrian pony?"
Rarity toddled again. "The eggs, Doyel. The eggs. She would have been knocked up if we weren't Pokemon; she instead laid eggs. You saw his photos of all those...those...blank flanks! Dammit, how the hell did that bitch get laid before me?"
"Yeah, his little 'Twixies.' Pokemon eggs always hatch as the mother species' bottom-most stage of evolution," Doyel muttered, with her fingers in air quotes where expected. "Even though he got a 'Twixie' to evolve into a so-called 'Trixie,' it still doesn't refute my point."
"There's no doubt the father is a Pokemon, but the whore, I mean, mother? If we weren't Pokemon, she'd be pregnant...that is, if we could cross-breed at all. She would not lay eggs. That's what I can't get around," Rarity sighed, taking another gulp.
Doyel scoffed and marched up to Rarity. She barked, "Holy cow, girl, you're driving me nuts! Give me that!"
Rarity irritably beatboxed as Doyel snatched the bottle, "Tch-mm-puh-kaa! What do you think you're doing? You can't have that!"
"International waters; there are no drinking age laws here. And I hear it takes the edge off," Doyel said flatly as she raised the bottle. She took two swallows before reeling and almost throwing up. With her tongue out and her face revolted, she exclaimed, "Eeeuuggh!! Baap re baap, that's nasty! What is this??"
"The barman called it 'tequila,'" Rarity said, resuming telekinetic hold of the bottle.
Doyel spat over the railing and into the ocean. She reached into her purse, pulled out some gum, and popped it in her mouth as she said, "I don't know how you stand the taste."
Rarity took another gulp and said, "It's...I don't know. It is pretty bad. But I stopped caring halfway through the first bottle."
"Ach! You're all-but legless, I see," said Aengus as he walked up. "You'll be in bits in the morning, you will."
"So what? Everything, everything I thought I knew was a lie. Just coming to grips that I'm a Pokemon," Rarity grumbled as she raised the bottle again, but Aengus grabbed it before it reached her lips.
"No. You've already had too much," he ordered firmly. Rarity looked up at him with tears welling up in her eyes. He continued, "And no, you're not a Pokemon. You're...well, something completely different. I may be reaching, but it looks to me that your magic is close enough to a Pokemon's energy that the balls can't tell the difference."
Rarity began, "But--"
"Stop," Aengus said. "I've heard enough of this argument for one day, or even for the whole year. Right now, to bed with ye."
"Okay...just...just put me back in the ball," Rarity sighed.
"No," said Aengus. "You'll just use the replicator you talked about in there to hit more bottles. Back to the suite, and go to bed."
"But Paddy will be there," Rarity began.
"Not there. He's with Rajni right now," Doyel said, rolling her eyes. "Asked me to put the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door on my way out."
Rarity dismissively waved a hoof. Aengus rolled his eyes too. "I was wondering what you were doing out this late; it'll be dawn in a few hours."
Rarity said, "I guess he--"
"Bed!" Aengus cut her off. Rarity's head drooped as she staggered away in a not-at-all straight line. As the pony stumbled through the doorway, Doyel and Aengus looked at each other. Aengus turned toward the ship's aft, watching the churning water below. He grumbled, "He really got to her, put it in her head she's something she isn't. I didn't think she actually believed him, until now."
{What do you do with a drunken pony early in the morning?}
Doyel said, "If you don't mind me saying so, your brother's an asshole."
Aengus sighed and nodded. He turned to her with a saddened smirk and said, "Coming from the lass that pushed for them to get together?"
"That was before I got to know him at all," Doyel retorted.
"Ah," Aengus said. "And I can't disagree with you, sad to say. He's been a right foul git since he was accepted at university, and he's steadily gotten worse."
"I believe you. Then he and my sister thought on the day they met they should go and...can't believe her. At least he bought her dinner first," she quipped.
"Well then, will miracles never cease," Aengus said sardonically.
"By the way, I've been wondering," Doyel began, "where is the original Trixie?"
"Released," said Aengus. "Paddy dumped her off before even setting foot out of the Sinnoh Daycare."
Doyel's face shone a glimmer of hope. "Does that mean she's home in Equestria?"
Aengus shook his head in aggravation. Doyel scowled at the water below in response as he lamented, "Were it that simple, lass. Were it that simple. I've had no hand in any of the PokeComputer networks, and have no idea where they release unwanted Pokemon back into the wild, just that it's not that close to where the release order came from. She's somewhere in Sinnoh, but I can't guess where."
"Why haven't you told Rarity that!?" scoffed Doyel.
"Paddy needs to own up to what he's done; I shouldn't have to rat him out. I keep expecting he's man enough, because he's done so before with his peers," Aengus grumbled. "But today made it clear he never respected Rarity, and never will. He just sees her as another Pokemon, admittedly smarter than most, maybe even sentient, but nonetheless just a Pokemon in his eyes. He barely considers Pokemon above common animals, let alone on the same level as people."
"But he's going to university, to study Pokemon, with that attitude? Really?" Doyel grouched with a snort, eyes demanding explanation.
Aengus nodded in concession. "You're right. Really says where he stands, doesn't it? Guess it looks like he's not man enough. Guess it falls to me after all. I'll have to talk to her about it later, once Paddy has left for his studies. Mom might call him 'a bleeding thick' for how he's behaved, but that bleedin' thick is our flesh-and-blood. I can't let Rarity beat the ever-lovin' shite out of m' own brother over this, or possibly kill him. That's my job."
Doyel snorted and shook her head. "He doesn't really love any of his Pokemon, does he?"
Aengus said, "Indeed, but he sure gets angry, and quickly, if they screw up."
Doyel also watched the water below. "Seems you've been angry yourself."
"Perceptive, aren't you?" Aengus said. He sighed as he watched the ocean's horizon. "I've been mad, all right. I was mad the day they took my dad away, mad the land of my birth is still ruled by a foreign king, mad at all the times me and mine got the short end of the stick, mad that it seems every time I try to help my family somebody else throws it back in my face how hard up we've been, and lately, mad at how Paddy's carrying himself. Getting tired of being angry all the time. I know I can be a better person than I've been, and it's been eating at me as of late."
"Rarity, right?"
"Aye. That little pony has a way with people. You wouldn't think it of somebody as prissy and snooty as she can get, especially when it comes to finery, but she's selfless. She's designing outfits for some of my Pokemon, just because. And she took my measurements this morning so she can make a 'dapper suit' for me once she has the material. Gave up what she wanted to try at lunch to a stranger because it was the last one and he wanted it too. Did it with a smile on her face, a genuine smile," Aengus said.
"Wow," breathed Doyel.
"Helped a mother who had three little rascals who wouldn't listen. Hugged the one that just wanted to be held while she brushed the older boy's hair, so that their mum could redress the youngest," Aengus said, shaking his head.
"Redress?"
"Haven't been around many toddlers, have you?" Aengus asked with a knowing grin.
Doyel facepalmed. "Oh. That phase."
Aengus said, "And Rarity refused compensation for it."
"Huh. She really is something," Doyel said.
Aengus said, "That she is. Makes me feel terrible that I caught her and trained her to do something completely against her nature."
Doyel said, "Sounds to me like you should apologise to her once she's sober, and tell her the truth. All of it, both your part, and Paddy's. If just seeing what she does and how she behaves is enough to make you want to be a better man, she ought to know, and deserves to know. And then be that better person. If you feel yourself getting angry or doing something you ought not, ask yourself what would she do instead, and do it."
"Yeah," said Aengus. He turned for the door. "I should check on her, and make sure she actually went to bed and not back to the pub. I'll try to do what you said."
Doyel huffed and crossed her arms. "You'll only 'try' to be a better person?"
"I meant, try to apologise," said Aengus as he looked back for a brief moment. "It's a bit harder for men."
{This is what you do with a drunken pony, sailor, or anybody/anypony else early in the morning}
The LED in the door turned green as Aengus removed his card key. The suite was dark as he opened the door. Aengus turned left and went into his room. He flipped on a single lamp and left the other four dark. Rarity had passed out on the closer of the two queen-sized beds. In her hooves was another bottle of tequila with a quarter of it already consumed. Aengus blinked at the scene and blurted, "Damn, you really can hold your liquor."
Aengus took the tequila and locked it in the cabinet. He picked up his satchel from between the beds and opened the main pouch. After a moment of digging, he pulled out a peachy-coloured spray bottle with a white nozzle and trigger. He pointed it at her and pulled the trigger, covering her in a clear mist. She seemed to glow green for a moment, and the clear mist faded away. He shook his head at Rarity. Aengus sat down on the edge of the bed. Gently petting her along her neck before settling on scratching her behind the ears, he whispered, "That should prevent any real harm from drinking that much, but waking up will still be unkind. I'll try to be quiet and keep the blinds shut, and maybe find something to dull the coming headache."
Aengus looked over at the closet. Getting up, he opened it and pulled out two spare blankets. He unfolded them both and laid them over Rarity. Gently he lifted her head and slid one of the pillows underneath. He sat down next to her as before, tucking the blankets under her nose. Aengus cracked a fatherly smile as he stroked her across the top of her head. He said, "I still can't believe he convinced you that you're a Pokemon. We'll just have to get that out of your head, and make you right as rain again, lass. Whether by stroke of luck, stroke of genius, or good old-fashioned perseverance, we'll get you out of this funk. I promise." |
Rarity Gets Caught | 14 - Arriving in Johto | {Rarity's taken a few hits before we got here}
Rarity gasped breathlessly as she was shoved back several metres as the tickling flames faded away. The crowd watching the match murmured in shock and fear. Across from Aengus and Rarity hovered a large white and grey moth with six red wings. Behind it stood an older man with long, unnaturally red hair, wearing a yellowish off-white poncho with red and orange edging along the arm holes, charcoal grey collar and front stripe, flanked by orange. He had pants of the same colour ripped off below the knee, and black sandals. Around his neck was a chain of full-sized Pokeballs. He stood with a neutral expression as Rarity took a series of deep breaths. She looked up at Aengus and muttered, "That smarts...Aengus, we're in trouble here."
"I noticed," Aengus said. "He's a master, and has been a master for decades; that much is clear."
"Do you think we can still win?" Rarity asked.
Aengus shook his head. "Not likely. You're hurting too much, and he still has one more Pokemon we haven't seen. Of course, we're gonna try anyway. And he revealed what this one's secondary type is. Use Power Gem!"
"Volcarona, Fiery Dance again!"
The moth covered itself in spiraling flames, still airborne. Pulses of fire trickled along the ground at Rarity. As they approached, she leapt to her right, narrowly avoiding the burst where she stood. A grin passed over her lips. She stood up straight with her horn glowing. Gemstones erupted from the floor in an incredible number, hammering away at the moth from below with no way to escape.
Aengus and his opponent both stared at Rarity as the crowd fell silent. The moth fainted. The old man's mouth fell open as he blinked. Eyebrows raised on either side of the battlefield. Aengus scratched his head and said, "I haven't seen her do it like that before."
"I was about to ask," began his opponent, "is this a regional variant or something? It's clearly not a Z-move. Heck, it looked normal the first time she used Power Gem."
"As I said, it's new to me, too. She's been full of surprises from the beginning. But, I thought Z-moves were an Alolan thing only," Aengus said.
His opponent answered, "Well, to my knowledge, that's where they first found those crystals, but rumour has it they're starting to be unearthed elsewhere."
Rarity walked over to Aengus and huffed, "Since we're taking a break and all...."
"Hey!" Aengus protested as Rarity unzipped his satchel and began rooting around in it. He forcibly removed her forehoof from his bag with an annoyed frown, and zipped it back closed. Aengus then shifted the satchel from her reach.
Rarity grumbled, "What? Is it unreasonable to be peckish in the early morning, or after some physical activity in the early morning, or battling on an empty stomach, in the early morning?"
"Sorry that the galley's closed when we're this close to docking," Aengus said with overt irritation.
"Darling, I'm famished! We Pokemon love battling, naturally, but a roaring belly cuts into the pleasure! Surely you've felt this before, yes? And I dare say that...what's wrong?" Rarity said with a change in tone from objecting to concerned.
Aengus's right hand had drifted up to his face and stayed there upon the word "Pokemon" leaving Rarity's mouth, exactly the same as it had for the last three and a half days from such stimuli. Today was day five of the voyage, maybe a half-hour before sunrise, and not much longer than that until they were due to dock in Olivine City. Aengus's patience with Rarity calling herself a Pokemon during that time was wearing dangerously thin. He sighed, "Still not a Pokemon...wondering how much I can take of you thinking that...."
"Escavalier, let's win this!" shouted the other trainer.
Emerging from the Pokeball was a levitating blue beetle of some kind wearing armour. It had an armet helmet with the visor up and an oversized red crest, bulky pauldrons, striped lances in both of its "hands," and an armoured rolled-up sleeping bag around its abdomen, or at least, that's what it looked like to Rarity. Dangling near its face was what sort of looked like a berry, but nothing like any with which she was familiar: it was a rosy red, and had the parallel linear indents like a ripe pumpkin.
Rarity snorted and slapped dust back from under her front hooves. Aengus shouted, "I recognise this guy! Use Flame Charge!"
The other yelled, "Smart Strike, Escavalier!"
Rarity called fire to surround her. She started to run as Escavalier chomped down on its berry. At a full canter, Rarity trampled over Escavalier. She returned to Aengus's side as Escavalier staggered, and reeled, and shook its head. It blinked hard, breathing heavily, while the crowd oohed in surprise with a hint of disappointment. Red crosshairs shone in front of Rarity, followed by a bright point of light between the tips of Escavalier's lances. The bug then shot forward at an alarmingly fast rate...too fast for Rarity to react. Escavalier's attack landed true. Rarity staggered backwards wincing. Gasping, her forelimbs slowly buckled, and she tottered onto the ground. A second later she disappeared in a flow of green sparks.
{You Lose}
The crowd let out a disappointed "aww." Aengus's shoulders slumped as he stared vacantly at some point on the floor, not terribly far in front of him. His opponent walked up with a congratulatory smile. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, son. Very few trainers have mastered an all-out assault style like you have; most prefer taking a few moments to set up a favourable field of play. Ending it quickly before such momentum can be established? I respect that approach. And if I may be so honest, no one has pressed me that hard since a girl with a high ponytail wearing a ball cap came and proved herself Unova's new champion over me...name was Hilda, if I remember right. The champion's throne has changed hands several times since."
Aengus's gaze and eyebrows raised. "You were the Unova champion? Who are you? I never got your name, sir."
"I am Alder, and yes, I was the Unova Region Champion for many years," Alder answered. "After some time wandering, I returned to the League, now as one of the World Elite Four. And you nearly beat me."
Aengus opened his satchel and pulled out a yellow octahedron. As he pressed it to the Safari Ball on his belt, he said, "Are you serious? How close was I?"
Alder fiddled with one of his Pokeballs as Rarity emerged from her own, holding her head. She muttered, "Ow, what a headache...what happened?"
"We lost," Aengus lamented. Rarity sighed and pouted some, pawing at the ground as she looked down. She rubbed her temples again, but Aengus handed her a carrot and a candy bar in a green wrapper. As she tucked into the food, he continued, "Turns out this is Alder of the World Elite Four. He says we almost beat him."
The crowd was dissipating. Alder held a ball in front of Aengus. He said, "This is how close you were, young man."
Aengus's eyes bugged out of his head for a second, then he stomped in frustration as he stood up straight with lips pulled taut. He grumbled, "Aahh! Dammit! That close!? That's worse than not knowing!"
Rarity tried rearing up to look at the ball in Alder's hand, but he was putting it away. She asked, "Wait, how close were we? You can't just tease a lady like that, darling! Do tell!"
"Escavalier held on by the skin of his teeth, thanks to the Occa Berry," Alder said with a suppressed grin. "If you don't mind my suggesting it, maybe she should hold something like a Muscle Band, Wise Glasses, or in particular here, an Expert Belt."
Aengus nodded as he said, "She's currently holding a Lucky Egg."
Alder looked at Aengus in a mild shock. "She's still in training??"
"Yeah. Never have I seen such potential," Aengus said with a nod.
"I see that. Nor have I ever heard of one Pokemon knowing so many moves," said Alder.
A boatswain's whistle called across the P.A. system for all hands. Silence fell over the battle room. Then a man spoke over the loudspeaker, "Good morning! This is Commander Tanaka. We will be pulling into port in thirty minutes. We ask all passengers to return to their cabins at this time, gather up all personal belongings, and prepare to debark. It has been our pleasure to serve each and every one of you on Blue Horizons Voyage 84 from Snowpoint City in Sinnoh to Olivine City in Johto. We look forward to serving you again during your next voyage, and thank you once again for choosing Blue Horizons!"
Folks shuffled from the room at a quicker pace. Aengus said, "Sir, I ask the favour of a rematch sometime!"
"Yes indeed; I'm looking forward to it, young man!" Alder answered. "See you around!"
Alder headed for the exit on the other side of the room as the one Aengus and Rarity chose. Five more minutes had passed before they had returned to the suite, where Paddy was already fully packed and ready to go.
{A hop, skip, and jump from home}
The sun had barely crested the eastern horizon as the SS Sakura's tie lines were thrown from the deck to the stone wharf. Within five minutes passengers shuffled down the gangplank, with Aengus and Paddy toward the back of the pack. As they started down, Paddy said, "Gosh, it's been awhile. Nice to finally be home!"
"So different from the lad who wanted nothing but to get away when we first set out," Aengus teased.
"Close to eight months away from home will do that to a fella," Paddy said. He unzipped a side pocket on his satchel and pulled out some electronic device that had a wrist strap. It was blue and white, and bigger than the average chalkboard eraser. As he put it on, he said, "May as well get the Pokegear out. I'll have to get used to wearing one again."
Aengus grunted in approval as he dug out his own. Powering on the device, he strapped it to his wrist as they walked down the gangplank. They reached the bottom. Aengus sighed happily, taking a step onto the wharf. A second step, and his Pokegear buzzed, just as Rarity was inhaling to speak. He hit a few buttons and it slid open. Aengus raised the device to beside his face and ear as he said, "Hello?"
Paddy and Rarity watched him as very quickly his expression and posture changed from surprise and confusion, to a mix of irritation, shock, defeat, and disbelief. He grumbled, "Hi Joey."
Paddy facepalmed while a few debarking passengers in earshot sympathetically winced. Paddy muttered, "For pity's sake...that didn't take long...."
Aengus forced a fake smile as he said, "Yes, Joey, you have a spectacular Rattata. None like it."
"Who's Joey?" Rarity asked.
"Not somebody you ever want to know. He will never shut up about his stupid Rattata, nor leave you alone," Paddy urged.
Aengus said, "Look, we literally just got off the boat after being gone for the better part of the year. I'd like to see my mother before the day's over."
Rarity frowned. "It can't be that bad."
Paddy petted her on the top of her head while grimacing. "It really is that bad. Setting out to Kalos, we joked about how great it'd be to not hear from him for awhile. Looks like it wasn't a joke in the end."
"Okay, Joey, I can't promise we'll make it, but I'll be sure to oblige if we're in the area. I gotta go. Bye," said Aengus. He stared at the lapping waters for a moment and groaned in frustration. Shaking his head, he bleated, "Gimme three steps. Three steps to get off the damn boat and let any remaining homesickness melt away, but nooo-o-o, that's too much...."
Another old man coming off the gangplank shot the trio a funny look, especially at Aengus's vacant glare at the seawater. Paddy looked him in the eye and said, "Joey."
The old man nodded sadly and patted Aengus on the shoulder before going on his way. Other passengers passed by them mournfully as whispers of "Joey" trickled back up the gangplank. Rarity shook her head as this unfolded, muttering, "You were serious...this is folie...."
"Do you always default to French when you want to emphasise something?" Paddy asked.
"You mean 'Prench,' and yes," Rarity answered. She saw the blank, disbelieving look from Paddy. She continued, "Named for the elegant country of Prance? The very masters of the fine arts of cuisine, fashion, painting, dance, and music?"
Paddy blinked twice, but his expression did not change. He said, "I don't know how I'm supposed to respond to that."
Rarity looked back and said, "We're impeding others from getting off the ship."
They started away. Aengus whispered in Rarity's ear, "Joey's usually on Route 30. We'll have to go through there on the way to the League. If he's there...this is not something I'll say for a battle with any other trainer...if Joey wants a rematch, I want you to hit for distance."
Rarity blinked, though one eye was markedly wider than the other. As they made their way down the wharf, Paddy said, "If the 'Prench' Pokemon of your world are like the French people of this one, then I'll say no one's foolish enough to argue the point about cuisine or high fashion. But painting's too diverse to claim the best all falls in one country, and the French, while good, certainly aren't 'the very masters' of song and dance."
Rarity gave him a disapproving look. "Is that so? If not the Prench, then who?"
"The Irish," said both brothers in unison.
Rarity looked between the two as her expression asked for elaboration. Aengus said, "If mom's up to it, we'll show you when we get home."
"Brother, we haven't touched our instruments since we set out," Paddy said with a light of air of disappointment.
Aengus stopped in his tracks. Paddy and Rarity both took two more steps before noticing. They looked back and saw Aengus stood looking very worried. Feebly he murmured, "Mom's gonna kill us...."
"Maybe you should've listened when I said we should pack them, before we left?" Paddy said, with enough I-told-you-so dripping from his words and face that Rarity easily could have taken a knife and spread it on toast for her and all of her friends, both close and casual.
Aengus looked around after they passed through a boathouse on the pier, across the buildings. "Where's a music store when you need one?"
"One, it's too late to practice and expect it to make a difference, Mr. Tin Whistle. And two, what about me? It's not like the music stores around Johto have many fiddles," Paddy griped.
Aengus sighed. Looking around the town, he said, "I suppose there's nothing for it now. Not using Fly. I'd like to take her through Ecruteak."
"Meh."
Rarity beheld the town. Olivine City seemed much like other port towns near rough shoals. There was a lighthouse, square flags hanging on lines between two poles, a marketplace, and a number of craft coming, going, loading, and unloading, while every vessel avoided the choppier waters east of the wharfs. Children ran playing, some with their parents running after them. The key difference was that, again, all the entry doors were on the south-facing side of the buildings, except the one on the pier, which had doors on both ends; there was also the pointless meandering on the part of random people.
Shortly after a quick healing and party swap stop at the Pokemon Centre, Rarity watched four larger teenage boys cornering a boy of about ten. Paddy started their way as Pokemon were sent out and the younger kid started crying. The younger kid had a Pidgey; the first two older boys deployed a Poliwhirl and a Flaaffy. When they taunted about how he was weak and unprepared, and they were going to mangle him in a double battle, Paddy threw one of his balls and yelled, "It's not a double battle unless it starts two-on-two! Come on, little man, I'll be your partner!"
Espeon emerged from the ball. Aengus shouted, "Paddy, no! Sending her in against opponents that much weaker than you is no different than what they were about to do to him!"
"Whatever, man! You don't know what you're talking about! He doesn't stand a chance against me! I beat the Gym!" mouthed off the first bully. He whipped open his trainer case, which had a single badge: an iron octagon. He continued, "Yeah! What're you gonna do, buddy! What're you gonna do! I got your number!"
Paddy reached for his own as he said, "That's pretty impressive, that you got the Mineral Badge." He flipped it open and continued, "But you have a ways to go to catch up with me."
"Sixteen!?" the bully shouted.
"Yes," Paddy answered. "Eight from Johto, eight from Kanto. You and your chums together are no threat."
The little boy laughed with a whoop. He cheered, "Wow! Thanks for helping me, mister!"
"Sure thing, little man," Paddy said with a smile. His face hardened as he turned to the bullies. "I'll give you this one chance to withdraw. Leave him be, and give me no cause to return and track you lot down."
The bullies looked between each other for a moment or two, called back their Pokemon, and ambled off. Paddy and the kid exchanged Pokegear numbers, should the bullies come again. The trio departed north out of the city.
{What's a squabble between siblings on their way home worth, really?}
Passing under the last banner of square flags, Rarity said, "I'm surprised, Paddy, about those hooligans and how you dealt with them."
Paddy snapped, "Surprised I would help a bullied kid? Why don't you take your thinly-veiled accusations and shove 'em up your arse?"
Rarity was taken aback. She gingerly said, "I did not mean any accusation at all, darling! I apologise I came across as such."
Paddy sighed sharply through his nose. With a scowl he said, "Want to know what that was about? Ask your trainer about him and his friend Yoshinori from when we were kids, and why I'd want to keep it from happening to anybody else."
Aengus grumbled, "Yoshi...wow. Dredging up dirt from so long ago? I haven't seen or heard from him in a good fifteen years. I had forgotten about him until just now. I can't believe you remember those days, let alone still holding bitterness."
"What did you do?" Rarity said with a harsh frown.
"Stupid things. Things I'm not proud of, but certain he'll embellish," said Aengus, shaking his head. "As I said, I haven't thought about those things in years. I was...what, six years old at the time? And doing the sort of thing older brothers do."
Scoffing, Paddy interjected, "Bollocks! You two took things way too far! Both mom and his mom had to stop you two more than once!"
Rarity began tuning out the bickering; she felt no need to learn yet another iteration of how older brothers harangue the younger ones. Unlike Sinnoh, trainers along this wilderness trail did not approach for battle. She observed the look of recognition from most of them, and definitely some fear. The lack of battles and the weather made the morning jaunt enjoyable. The air was temperate with a gentle wind, the sort of warmth expected of a summer winding down and autumn drawing near; this sort of day would have been perfect for a stroll with Sweetie Belle back home, not one for a catalogue of wrongs a decade and a half old. One complaint that drew Rarity's attention was Paddy's claiming they knocked an active hornet nest out of a tree near him, to which Aengus apologised profusely. Rarity tuned this out for a different reason as a shudder twitched its way down her back. A couple hours had passed, and Rarity trudged on in a stupor, growing tired of a seemingly endless list of grievances Paddy had about Aengus and this "Yoshinori" kid from way back when. They were passing a dairy farm when the road turned eastward; it was not until then that frustrations had finally slowed and whittled down. Rarity silently wondered why boys were so terrible to each other in early childhood, and in adolescence the girls took over that disreputable spot, uncertain why humans and "Pokemon like her" just couldn't be decent to each other. Just the same, Paddy had not been this long-winded before. She thought of how useful it might be to Chatter endlessly in the face of a patient threat. A little while later, they came to one of the city gate buildings.
{Suddenly, Japan}
Upon passing through, Rarity gasped in awe. In every direction was picturesque architecture, completely foreign to anything she had ever seen before. The late Muromachi-period roofs, wall designs, and apparel caught her in a wide-eyed stare with a smile curling her lips. She murmured, "This is gorgeous...."
They walked forward, and found an open area, where Rarity continued looking at anything and everything around her. Aengus chuckled while Paddy smiled and shook his head. Geishas walked past in elaborate red brocade kimonos, to Rarity's impassioned gaze. Men in an intense debate went by in their black montsukis, neutral-coloured hakamas, and tabi footwear. Aengus knelt down and rummaged through his satchel. Paddy said, "You had Ecruteak in mind from the beginning when she said she designed fashion, didn't you?"
"Absolutely," Aengus answered, pulling out a sketch pad and a set of coloured pencils. He offered them to Rarity with a smile and said, "I see it on your face, the gears turning in your head about how to apply this to Equestrian fashion. Go on. Sketch what you see, make it happen. This is who you are, Rarity: the brilliant and generous fashionista, not a Pokemon."
Paddy sighed, "Still running from the truth...."
Rarity took the materials in her telekinetics and immediately began the outline of a mare lightly, and then the basic shape of a formal robe. Childlike wonder remained plastered across her face as she rapidly sketched away. Aengus looked back at his brother and said, "I'm still unconvinced. Pokemon genetics is peculiar to say the least, and the way she is...it's nothing like the Pokemon we've raised until now. And there's still the lingering question of her number of moves, and that she picks them up at random moments and stimuli. You know she used a strange but potent variation on Power Gem this morning?"
Paddy shrugged, "I heard such a rumour."
"And there's that she's known over three dozen moves for two days. Heck, she just picked up her thirty-eighth on the way here," Aengus said.
Paddy cocked his head to the left. "We didn't have a single battle on Routes 39 or 38, nor did you reach into your bag for anything once."
"I know," Aengus said.
"What else has she picked up since our double battle on the ship?" asked Paddy.
"Covet, Sweet Kiss, and now Chatter," Aengus said. "She's rapidly approaching ten times as many moves as a Pokemon with no sign of stopping. Not a single instance of any Pokemon knowing five, and look at her."
Paddy scolded, "Facing a disheartening truth is never as harmful as believing a comforting lie."
"I really wish you'd listen to your own advice," Aengus said. "You'd think by now it'd--"
{You got somebody's attention....}
A scream overhead made all three look up. People around began to shout in surprise, some delightedly, some fearfully. Circling and descending was a large avian Pokemon. It was mostly red, with black feet, a large bill, golden tail feathers, white underbelly, a green ring around its red neck, and a green and white stripe along the tips of its flight feathers. As it neared the ground, it tilted its head, showing a tall golden crest, and black patches around its red eyes. Rarity looked at Aengus as he started to reach into his bag, stop, shake his head, and withdraw his hand.
The large bird Pokemon hovered a few feet above the paved plaza as what seemed like the entire populace of Ecruteak City had gathered. Photograph cameras with zoom lenses, Pokegear sets, smartphones, and a few old camcorders were out, pointed at the Pokemon bird. Paddy searched his bag, the sound of which tugged at Rarity's attention. As he pulled out a purple Pokeball with two large pink spots and a white M just above the button, Aengus grabbed him by the wrist. Paddy scrunched his eyebrows at his brother. Aengus slowly and firmly shook his head; Paddy frowned and nodded in response, putting the Pokeball back in his bag.
Muttering through the crowd repeated the name "Ho-Oh." Rarity looked around at the people saying this name, then back at the red bird. Ho-Oh flapped quickly and landed, folding its wings back. Exclamations resounded among those gathered, along with innumerable shutters clicking, some physical, and some digital. Rarity stopped examining the crowd when Ho-Oh started her way, waddling in a starling-like gait. Intrigue etched Rarity's face. Murmurs in the crowd resumed when Ho-Oh halted in front of Rarity, easily in hooves' reach. Their gazes met.
With a courtly bow, Aengus stepped forward. He walked up and stood with his head beside Ho-Oh's. He whispered, but not soft enough for Rarity not to hear, "Please help her."
Aengus backed up. Ho-Oh looked at him and gave a slight nod. Aengus bowed again as before, and backed up to stand beside his brother. Ho-Oh returned its eyes to Rarity, who raised an eyebrow. Tentatively she said, "Um, good morning?"
Ho-Oh cocked its head to the left. Rarity's eyes flicked to the crowd, and then back to Ho-Oh. Anticipation lay heavy in the air, enough to burden Rarity's psyche, along with the many pairs of eyes upon her. Another unduly long moment passed. Then Ho-Oh answered in a parrot-like voice, but words of plain human speech, to the gasp of the gathered. "Good morning...but who, and what, are you, miss?" |
Rarity Gets Caught | 15 - Welcome Home | {The casual chat continues.}
Shutters snapped away as Rarity's head jerked back in response to Ho-Oh's question. She looked back at Aengus for a brief second before facing the question and the Pokemon who asked it. She stammered, "Well, y-y-you see, I...I'm a...I-I am not a regular Pokemon, sir, ma'am...whichever you'd rather. I'm from--"
"No," Ho-Oh interrupted.
Rarity met its gaze, awaiting further explanation. Ho-Oh watched her without a word. A silent moment passed, interrupted by a young woman of Japanese descent moving in with her camera and zoom lens. She wore a white kimono, one with golden cranes in its brocade. Her hair was tied in a multi-tiered bun, sporting a trio of blue-purple five-petal flowers above her left eye. Taking a picture, she did not hesitate to check her camera's screen. With a broad smile, she silently but emphatically celebrated the shot. She bowed to Ho-Oh and retreated to the crowd; there she showed it to her friends and possibly potential suitors, each sharing her joy at her captured image. Rarity's eyes and ears flicked toward her as she took the picture, and a few times again as those around her quietly and inaudibly cheered the photo. Ho-Oh remained stoically fixated on Rarity, ignoring the photographer. More awkward silence ensued. Rarity mustered an answer. "What do you mean by 'no,' dear? That doesn't leave much to go on."
"You are no Pokemon," Ho-Oh answered. "Your power is not the same as ours."
"Really??" asked Paddy as Rarity melodramatically took a long, deep sigh of relief with her eyes closed. He pulled a Pokeball from his belt and clicked its button. As the green-eyed Trixie materialised, he asked, "So, since this one's mother was one like her, and father was a Pokemon, is she a hybrid?"
Ho-Oh shot Paddy a dirty look, but gave him a tiny nod. Paddy pursed his lips, then continued, "So, does that mean that--"
Ho-Oh locked both eyes on him as it growled; its beak opened slightly with a small sphere of blue fire spinning there, almost as if the flame was a berry in its bill. Alarm rang through the crowd. Paddy instantly stopped talking as he put his hands up as if to surrender, taking a step back. As he returned the green-eyed Trixie to her ball, he looked at Aengus and quietly said, "I'll be damned. I was certain they were, too. Weird. Maybe Professor Elm has some answers."
Aengus said, "It'll be something for you to ask when your classes begin. Oh, and brother?"
"Yes?" Paddy responded, watching as Ho-Oh put away the miniature fireball and resumed looking into Rarity's eyes.
"Look at me," Aengus said.
Paddy turned toward Aengus. "What issOOORFFF...!!"
Paddy crumpled to a knee with a hand on the ground; Aengus had punched him, a haymaker to the solar plexus. An "ooh" smattered across the first few rows of the crowd. As Paddy struggled to get his wind back, Aengus leaned over him and barked, "That's for convincing her of a lie when you damn-well knew better! You deserve much worse than that, but I'll her decide what to do with you!"
Rarity turned and said in disapproving tones, "Aengus, darling, I appreciate the gallantry, but--"
"Focus," said Ho-Oh.
Facing Ho-Oh again, she stopped with confusion. Rarity looked Ho-Oh up and down, frowning slightly. She flatly said, "You...really don't trust humans, do you?"
"No. And neither should you. They despise what they do not understand. They repay kindness with hostility, favours with aggression, and peace with violence. I have seen it all before, right over there," Ho-Oh said as it tipped its beak toward the scaffolding around repair efforts on the charred ruin of a pagoda. The crowd murmured, much of it saddened with guilt mixed in, though a few sounded angry. It continued, "The majority of humans are puppets of their chosen leader, either incapable or unwilling to think for themselves. Or if no leader is chosen, a crowd follows what the first willing to act does. It made me sad the first time, over there, but seeing it play out again, and again, and again, it now makes me angry. I look for the few who can rise above, in the hopes they can straighten out humanity and guide them down a better path. As it stands, too often the many are steered wrong, to the determent and abuse their own kind, and to Pokemon. Perhaps to you as well, for as I said, you are no Pokemon."
Rarity began, "Well, I'm glad to hear from you that what I thought I knew was not balderdash. Never doubting myself again, but--"
"You still haven't answered my question," Ho-Oh interrupted. "Who, and what, are you?"
Rarity blinked a few times before answering, "My name is Rarity, and I'm an Equestrian Pony, not originally from this world. I have a business arrangement with my friend Aengus here."
Ho-Oh nodded. "For your sake I hope you will not be betrayed by your business partner. He is human, after all."
Aengus frowned, but said nothing. Rarity nickered, then said, "May I ask why you wanted to know what I am?"
"Your power," Ho-Oh said. "Until very recently, I had never felt anything of the like. It's the same kind of power like what I sense far east of here."
Rarity asked, "Do you mean my magic?"
"If that's what you call it, yes," said Ho-Oh.
"I guess you sensed it when the portal opened, then," Rarity said in thought.
Ho-Oh clicked its beak a few times, then said, "I felt the wind of another world from that place in the east four times, but that is not what I referred to. I meant, there is a being there of great power, one of the same type as your 'magic.' Such is that individual's power that beings like me can sense it, all this distance away. I was curious when I felt it so close, and came to see what it was."
"I'm sorry, but I haven't studied magical origins and theory all that much. Fashion is my forte," Rarity answered. "That's what I stand to gain from our arrangement, a different perspective of fashion and how I may apply these new styles to further my craft and business."
"Just so long as what the human gains is not from misusing you, that is fine," Ho-Oh said. "Do you have an inkling as to who could wield that much of your 'magic,' that it can be felt so far away?"
Rarity nodded. "I'm positive it's my friend, Twilight; she could explain Equestrian magic much more thoroughly than I."
A man in the crowd held up a newspaper, and said, "You mean 'Princess Twilight Sparkle,' right? You said your name is Rarity?"
"Yes, to both," Rarity said. As she eyed the newspaper held aloft, she continued, "...dare I ask what they claimed in the story?"
The man stepped forward, bowing to Ho-Oh when he emerged from the crowd. He was also of Japanese heritage, but wore a crisp black business suit. He pointed to the front page headline. Below that was a picture of the command post in The Great Marsh, with a number of royal guard ponies, a few crystal guards, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight; all-told there were at least thirty-five, and every last one of them wore armour including Fluttershy. There were also a few Pokemon there all gathered around Fluttershy: a trio of floating blue-bodied things with long tails but different coloured heads, and a white hedgehog with a green back and a large pink flower behind each eye. The man said, "Princess Twilight Sparkle has made a muster point and staging ground in The Great Marsh of Sinnoh's Pastoria City, and reportedly is looking for two of her subjects she claimed were abducted, one named 'Rarity,' and the other named 'Trixie Lulamoon.'"
Aengus turned to Paddy with a disciplinary expression. He chastised, "You need to go set this right, brother."
"I have no such obligation," Paddy said defiantly. "You made an accord with Rarity; I did not. Nor did I make one with Trixie."
"That doesn't change what you did," Aengus said.
Ho-Oh grunted, silencing everybody else. "I've considered going to see what this power was; it is good I have a name first. My counterpart has already left to investigate two days thence, bringing his birds with him."
"Counterpart?" asked Rarity.
Ho-Oh gave her a long look, and said, "Lugia, lord and guardian of the seas."
The man with the newspaper muttered, "Thought that was Kyogre's job...."
Ho-Oh sharply turned its head towards this man with a glare. The man immediately fell prostrate and quickly said, "I'm sorry! My name is Daiki Hasegawa, and I am here from Lilycove City in Hoenn for business. Kyogre's a legendary Pokemon of Hoenn! I meant no offense!"
A moment passed with bated breath from those gathered as Ho-Oh continued eyeing Mr. Hasegawa with contempt. He remained in his submissive state and pose throughout. Ho-Oh growled, "Then I hope for this 'Kyogre's' sake it does not happen across Lugia out there. Your region would not happen to have anything in my domain, claiming to be lord and guardian of the skies, does it?"
Feebly Mr. Hasegawa squeaked, "Rayquaza is something to that effect, but--"
"This will not do," interrupted Ho-Oh. It let out a hawk-like scream, forcing many to cover their ears.
Mr. Hasegawa pleaded, "Please, there's no reason for a fight over the skies! Rayquaza acts alone to keep us all safe from natural disaster!"
Ho-Oh asked, "What kind of lord has no serfs?"
Surprised gasps and shouts echoed at different points across the crowd, where they quickly parted. Rarity looked around as the people made way in three different sections of the crowd. From each opening came an enormous dog-like Pokemon, each of them taller than any of the humans there. From behind Rarity came a brown dog with metallic anklets, a cloud-like mane coming off the back of its neck, some kind of off-white triangular wing-esque plates on its back, and a red, yellow, and gray facemask that looked like a many-pointed star with a mustache. From Rarity's left was a yellow dog with tiger-like stripes, a kinked tail, a purple cloud on its back, sabretooth canines, and a facemask of powder blue and charcoal grey. From behind Ho-Oh was a leaner cerulean dog with angular white patches, a violet cloud on its back as well, a split tail that looked like they waved beside its body, and a headdress shaped like an oblong hexagon a touch darker than its coat. They gathered around Ho-Oh, and turned towards the people, as if they were on guard detail. The sound of camera shutters was deafening for a few seconds.
"We will go meet with your friend, and make sure no pretender to the skies claims it is lord of something it is not," Ho-Oh said. It began to flutter and lift off the ground.
Rarity shouted, "Please, Ho-Oh, tell Twilight for me that I'm almost done here!"
Ho-Oh looked at Aengus. He bowed, and said, "Evening after tomorrow, at the latest. Then we'll start in their direction."
With a nod and a hawk-like scream, Ho-Oh turned and flew off toward the east. The three dogs followed along, leaping over the crowd altogether. Swiftly they disappeared into the trees, and Ho-Oh faded in the distance.
{Show's over; back to business as usual.}
With that the cameras fell silent, and individual conversations started up all over the gathered. Rarity heard several of the younger people mention a "status update" and a "PokeBook," or...something phonetically similar to that. She did not feel a need to invest any emotional energy in giving a hoot about it, nor did she have much left after what all Ho-Oh said. She would have liked to bawl out Paddy for persuading her into believing she was a Pokemon, but thought Aengus overdid the payback. Louder than other thoughts was the anticipation of Twilight receiving word from her for the first time since Aengus brought her to this world.
The crowd withered away. A number of young women and a few young men decided to stick around and talk to Rarity about fashion, and why their outfit was more ideal than others for a new line. Within three such elaborations, Rarity picked up on that the women were simply trying to flaunt what money they spent rather than truly show good taste, and mostly at the other women rather than to Rarity to boot. Fortunately the menfolk were direct, describing what outfits were considered casual, labour-appropriate, business-appropriate, a lord's court-appropriate, and their equivalent of black tie. Fifteen minutes with the men proved far more useful than forty-five with twice as many women. Regardless of how she went about any garments inspired here, she noted that she would need custom-woven fabric, far more complex than any bolt she had done herself or ordered from anypony.
Once the group had moved on, Rarity found Aengus and Paddy had been arguing, but neither one was much inclined to talk about what. Both brothers appeared mostly-over whatever the subject was, but as they departed to the south, Rarity discerned Paddy was still markedly angrier than Aengus over the matter, wearing a dark look. After a quick lunch, they walked through an upright religious gate to leave Ecruteak City.
{Not far now.}
The path was split and flanked by heavy woodland. Trainers here had the same avoidant reactions as the others did on the way to Ecruteak. As they passed a lone tree with a pair a twin teenage girls, Rarity glanced over at the brothers, and noticed a similar expression from them both. She asked, "What's on your minds?"
Aengus and Paddy chuckled. As they both looked at her, Paddy spoke first. "The next town is home, Goldenrod City. It's kinda surreal, finally coming back after so long. How long is the longest you've been away from your parents?"
Rarity thought for a moment. "Maybe two weeks? Usually we see each other several times a week, since my sister is a minor, but prefers to stay at my place than with my parents. Their house is about a ten-minute walk from mine. Why? How long has it been for you two before this trip?"
Paddy said, "About two weeks for me too, before now, was the longest I had gone without seeing mom."
Aengus said, "Just shy of a month, and that was easily nine or ten years ago, my first time going into Kanto."
"And you said on the ship it's been eight months since you two set out!?" Rarity squawked. "I don't think I could handle that! I share about everything with my mom, and dad's always called me 'daddy's little filly,' even after my sister was born!"
Both brothers sighed and looked down. Aengus lamented, "It's...been far, far longer since we've seen dad."
"Yeah," Paddy mumbled emptily, shaking his head.
"What happened?" Rarity asked with genuine concern.
Their hesitation was pronounced and palpable. With a growl Aengus said, "He was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Our parents' homeland, and our birthplace, is under the rule of a foreign king. The overwhelming majority of our fellow countrymen do not care for that in the least," grouched Paddy, venom in his voice rising. "There's no reason for it, either. Just the descendants of a dead dickwad bastard who just steal from our brethren because they can, when they already have plenty to begin with. And the only reason they do is because their ancestors attacked ours with no warning, no provocation, nothing, and thus caught our ancestors off-guard."
Aengus scoffed, "Suffice it to say, some of our countrymen fight violently against their rule."
Rarity frowned. Looking both of them in the eye, she said, "So, when you say he was at the wrong place at the wrong time...."
"A bomb went off, and he wasn't far from it. Not so close to be seriously hurt, but close enough they blamed him, and took him away. Mom said dad had only deposited his paycheck on his way home from work when it happened. Come midwinter, it'll be sixteen years," Aengus spat angrily.
"So I barely have any memories of my dad," seethed Paddy. "What I recall is mostly feelings, happy ones. Dad playing with us, telling stories, singing songs. I missed the best part of childhood because of them, their prejudice, their bullying, and them being too stupid to see the man didn't know how to build a bomb because he never sought how, nor that he could have delivered the damn thing because he was at work! They ignored testimony and written proof from his manager that he was at work when it had to be dropped off! So they threw him in prison for nothing, and they knew it!!"
Paddy stood fuming. Had it been a cold day, fog may have billowed off his forehead. The brothers looked down and saw tears leaking out of Rarity's eyes silently. Paddy stopped first, knelt down, and pulled her into an embrace, which Aengus joined. She felt them both shaking, twitching with rage about their father's fate. It boggled her, that one country would subjugate another for generations, or how anybody or anything could knowingly and willingly imprison an innocent man just because of his lineage. For her it came together, the dark smiles when winning a Pokemon match, how rough the two of them were towards the beginning of their adventure, the treatment of Trixie...constant anger, due to being so wronged at such young ages without any reason why, let alone one a young child could understand. Rarity had the thought that maybe their lashing out at others was in some way them getting back at this foreign overlord. She could not fathom the pain of never seeing her dad, of missing out on those memories.
She clung tightly to them as her sobs surfaced, blubbering, "I'm so sorry, you two, that you had to go through tha-a-at!"
The shaking began easing on both sides. One hand began scratching her behind the ears; another facing the other way petted her up and down her neck and back. Aengus whispered, "It's not your fault, lass. There's nothing you could have done."
Paddy said, "It's not fair, but we've learned to live with it."
They stayed like that for a number of minutes before Rarity regained her composure. With her breathing back under control, she said, "Maybe you two should come to Equestria for a little while. Help get some of that anger out, and be the change you want to see in the world."
"I'm about to attend university," Paddy sighed.
"And after winning, I'll have a huge amount of responsibilities to attend to," said Aengus. "Otherwise I'd love to."
Rarity sighed sadly. The brothers let go and they continued into a series of narrower paths, enough they had to proceed single file. Quite a number of minutes passed in strained silence. Rarity broke the reticent walking. "I hope you know you can talk to me about anything, darling."
Aengus nodded and said, "I know. I just don't like thinking about that, let alone talking. It...the whole thing makes me see red, sometimes literally. It's why I hadn't mentioned it before. You don't think I was hiding something, do you?"
"No, well...not without reason, I should say," Rarity said. "That kind of subject is nothing to talk about lightly, or before you're ready to. I'll not bring it up."
"I appreciate it."
Emerging from the tight quarters, the came to an East-West route wide enough to fit them all and a few more abreast. Aengus led them westward. They descended a few stairs, and came to a fork in the path. Aengus pointed them south, but Paddy stopped there. He said, "You don't want to go through the National Park?"
"Not today; I don't feel like being suckered into yet another bug-catching contest," Aengus said flatly.
Paddy sighed and shook his head. "Shoot, I forgot about those. Yeah, it's Tuesday, isn't it?"
They walked down a narrower, not even gravel path, to a bramble in the way. Paddy sent out his weird hot air balloon Pokemon, and it left the greenbrier in tiny windblown bits. They proceeded on through the tall grass beyond and both were slowed for only a few seconds by wild Pokemon: Aengus dealt with a Drowzee, and Paddy handled a female Nidoran. Rarity commented afterward, "That was much easier than expected. Are they really that much weaker here than what we saw in Sinnoh?"
Aengus said, "Around here, yes. Someplace else we'll be going tomorrow, not at all."
"That soon after coming home you intend to make your championship challenge?" Rarity asked disapprovingly. "No time to catch up with your mother?"
"That's just the timing of things. Tomorrow we take Paddy to begin his studies under Professor Elm, and continue on toward the League. Then I hope to have some time to take it easy, at least for a bit," Aengus said. "It'll be nary more than 'a bit,' too. Seems the champion has plenty of work to maintain the League and the peace around the region."
The path here was well-paved, leading to the National Park's front entrance. Trainers here had the same reactions as before, even from a police officer. They began south, but Rarity paused for a step. Something dimmed the sky just above the horizon in place, mostly in rectangular blocks of different heights, though some came to a point. Rarity asked, "Um, Aengus...those aren't buildings, are they?"
"Sure are," he said. "Goldenrod is easily the biggest city in Johto. Has more people living here than Cianwood, Violet, and Olivine Cities put together, and Violet and Olivine place second and third. Plenty of folks living together in a small space, thus the buildings. Why? Aren't there skyscrapers in Equestria?"
Rarity said, "There are, but not so many, or so tall. Baltimare has a number of them, Manehatten has plenty, but not like this! It's like whoever owns the land outside the city refused to build normal neighbourhoods, or sell acreage to someone who would. Even those buildings on the edge are enormous!"
"Yep. That is about all I clearly remember about Goldenrod's urban planning, the intentional lack of suburbs," said Paddy.
Aengus grew a smile and a far-off look in his eye. "Still nice to be home. Come on. I bet mom's waiting impatiently."
{Been away for a long, long time.}
The brothers' pace quickened. After a walk they reached the city gate and entered. Many folks waved at Aengus, or Paddy, or both, at their approach. Some shook their hands, or embraced them as old friends, wishing for some small talk and to find a time to catch up on the last several months. One pair said they married while the brothers were away, kissing each other while looking Aengus in the eye. He shook his head as they parted from the newlyweds, muttering, "She never did get it, that not even once was I interested in her."
Rarity nodded and said, "People are strange."
Shortly afterwards they came to that avenue's first intersection with a significant thoroughfare. Looking around, Paddy grumbled, "Cracks in the road in the same place, but a little wider. Official city clocks are still off-sync. Still no ground-breaking on the port they said would be done last fall. I see the mayor is still the fine, productive public servant he was when we left."
Rarity looked across the way and saw a clock that read 3:35. The one kitty-cornered from it said 3:34, but only for a moment. As they started to cross the road, Rarity almost tripped as her hoof briefly caught in one of the cracks. Aengus pulled her along when she tried to inspect the damage in the middle of the road. Once freed up, she looked down and let loose a melodramatic, overly-long, mortified inhaling gasp. There was an abrasion on the hoof, almost two centimetres in length and less than half a centimetre tall at its widest point. Her eyes welled up as her jaw started to quake. Paddy muttered, "Really? Like, really-really?"
Rarity cried, "My perfect hooficure, ruined!" And she sobbed.
Aengus looked at Paddy and mouthed, "Really."
As her mascara started to run, Paddy condescendingly asked, "Do we need to find you a farrier?"
Choking back the tears briefly, she asked, "What's that?"
Discontentedly Aengus said, "A workman who shoes horses and ponies."
Rarity bemoaned, "The closest I can get to a proper hooficure in this world is a shoeing for layponies!? Of all the worst possible--"
"Stop," interrupted Aengus with irritated urgency. "You're drawing a crowd again."
Rarity stifled her sobs again and saw many had stopped to see what's the fuss, while many others slowed and looked on as they went by. Aengus pressed them onward before the crowd thickened any further. As they slipped away and out of earshot, Paddy growled to himself, "The 'worst possible' thing? Is it the leading world economic superpower deciding a new leader, but having to pick between a thinned-skinned impulsive psychopath with an itchy trigger finger, and a morally-bankrupt career politician who's gotten away with treason twice...both of whom would tank the international economy in their own separate unique ways? Nope, not that at all; it's actually a slightly damaged pedi, one that no one can notice unless they're right over it...she needs a shrink. That kind of crap reminds me of histrionic personality disorder."
"I don't know what all of that's supposed to mean, but I don't like that tone," Rarity grumbled.
"Anyways," Paddy shifted, "what tripped you is yet another fine example of the city's tax revenue hard at not working. I don't know how the mayor and city council keep getting reelected."
"I couldn't tell you. Mayor Mare back home has run unopposed for so long, we were flabbergasted when somepony else threw his hat into the ring," Rarity said.
Aengus said, "It doesn't sound to me like your hometown had the idiocy we've seen here. I doubt this 'Mayor Mare' would have stood by idly if a terrorist group came, right?"
"She would act, yes," said Rarity cautiously. "...I don't like that lead-in."
Aengus nodded. "Our brilliant mayor, social and political genius that he is, did not. He did nothing about a group called Team Rocket that took over the radio tower. No police, no guard, nothing. A young trainer, specifically a boy named Ethan, infiltrated the tower and broke their hold."
"My goodness! How incompetent a syndicate they were, that a lone child could stop their efforts!" Rarity exclaimed.
"And to the same effect, how incompetent a leader could allow such a group to take over, unable to break through?" Aengus said. "I had mentioned there were three trainers just older than me that inspired me to pursue the championship. Ethan was the third of those three."
{Yes, it's a love song written for Sharon. Don't care; using it here 'cuz it bloody-well fits...!}
A nostalgic grin edged its way across his face as they continued down the thoroughfare. Many girls and young women watched Rarity go by with a squee and smile. They turned east when they came to the next major crossing route. They navigated around a few tall buildings and ended up approaching one of them. Rarity said, "How about that? A door that's not on the south-facing side of a building? What's this world coming to?"
Paddy raised an eyebrow at her while Aengus snickered. The trio entered the apartment high rise. While certainly not the lap of luxury, management clearly didn't accept applications from just anyone. Aengus led them down a short hall, around a corner, and to a pair of elevators. The right set of doors opened immediately upon pressing the call button.
Seven floors later, they arrived at a similar hallway. Aengus led them down past five sets of doors before taking keys out of his pocket. As he opened the door, he called out, "Mom? We're back!"
A woman in an apron and a simple dress, sporting shoulder-length brown hair heavily streaked with grey came around the corner at full speed. She nearly tackled Aengus and Paddy into a bone-crushing hug. Rarity couldn't help but smile as she saw a few tears drop from her as she took in a deep sigh of relief. Paddy murmured, "Missed you, mom."
They held each other as such for a few moments before she let go. She looked them over with a smile. Her eyes were the same soul-piercing blue as both of her sons. Giving them both a kiss on the cheek, she spoke with a much thicker accent. "Me lads, so good ye bof're home 'gin!"
"Absolutely," said Aengus.
She caught a glimpse of Rarity, and looked the unicorn in the eye. She then turned to Aengus and scolded, "Aengus Connor Joseph Meagher! Din'ae tell ye not te let ye Pokemon out indoors!?"
"Forgive me, ma'am, but I am no Pokemon. My name is Rarity, and I am traveling with Aengus on business. How do you do?" Rarity answered, holding her posture and voice in a rather posh way.
Mrs. Meagher stood up straight, furrowing her brow at Rarity. After a moment, she said, "Huh. How diya' do? Business partner, ye say? What business?"
"Fashion. I design and sew stupendous garments, each one chic, unique, and magnifique," Rarity said with a smile.
"Are you sure she's not a Pokemon?" asked a male voice nearby. Aengus, Paddy, and Rarity all turned and saw two men in lab coats. One was older with gray hair, and the other had light brown hair and glasses.
Paddy gave them a baffled look. "Professors Elm and Oak?? Wha...um, what brings you two by?"
"Yeah, why does it seem like every time I get back from somewhere, one of the two of you are here?" Aengus asked with some blunt suspicion.
Professor Elm said, "I wanted to make sure my pupil returned in one piece."
"And I heard you two went abroad and caught many different species of Pokemon. I'm curious what all you found, and how well your Pokemon were received abroad," said Professor Oak. After looking Rarity over, including walking in a circle around her (to which she flattened her ears), he continued, "She said she's not a Pokemon, but she looks and carries herself like one."
"And she clearly has some power at her beck and call, too," said Professor Elm. "But she says she's not a Pokemon; do you believe she is?"
"She's not," said Aengus. "And if that's not enough for you, ask just about anybody who was in Ecruteak City this morning. She had a nice little chat in plain speech with Ho-Oh, right there in the city's central plaza, with a crowd gathered around taping the whole thing. Ho-Oh said she's not a Pokemon because her power is of a different variety."
Both professors stood a little straighter with intensely interested expressions. Mrs. Meagher just shrugged. Oak muttered, "Fascinating."
"I made the same mistake, too, sir," said Paddy, looking straight at Professor Elm. "If I hadn't heard it like that, I'd probably still think she's a Pokemon."
"Huh. I'd like to discuss this further at the lab," said Professor Elm. He beckoned the brothers toward the next room, with Rarity in tow. Mrs. Meagher took a deep breath with a hand over her mouth, seen by Rarity but not by her sons. Elm continued, "There's something else for you two, too."
"Hmmm?" Aengus responded.
They passed through an archway. A television was on with some kind of sporting event, but clicked off. A man stood up. He was slightly above average height, with red hair and short beard, both heavily greyed. His clothing was unremarkable, but those icy blue eyes....
Aengus put his hands over his mouth and dropped to his knees, breaking down into tears. Paddy, too, instantly started to cry, as he squawked out, "Daddy...?!"
The man there also choked on sobs as he said, "Aengus, Pádraig...my boys...!"
The three rushed together, without discernable words, collapsing onto the floor with the brothers on top. Mrs. Meagher joined them, with just as much in happy tears as the others. Rarity felt her own loosen and slip out. Elm said, "He just got here three days ago. The, uh...to use his word, 'Limeys' finally accepted his innocence. We've helped him begin to adjust to life here."
"I suppose we should see ourselves out at this point," Oak said. With a handshake and a pat on the back, Oak led Elm out as the reunited family managed to get back on their feet. Rarity brushed away a few more tears; the last of her mascara was gone. Aengus motioned her over, and soon she was in the middle of a teary group hug.
Mrs. Meagher said, "Now our fam'lee's all here...nothin' can eva' split us 'gin."
"Aye," contently sighed Mr. Meagher. "Nothin'." |
Rarity Gets Caught | 16 - Meanwhile, Twilight Ignores a Warning.... | {Top-notch trainers are inbound.}
Twilight stood over the "battle map," as Dash had come to call it. They had acquired a proper map of the Sinnoh Region, enlarged it, and had filled in local climes and topography. She traced a hoof along the contours of the eastern slopes of Mt. Coronet, between the steep drop-off and Route 212. She sighed, shaking her head and tapping that part of the map. A giggle nearby drew her mind away. Twilight looked up to see Fluttershy giving Mesprit a belly rub, to which the pink-headed Pokemon sprawled on that patch of dry ground.
Shaking her head but with a grin this time, Twilight was pleased her instincts were correct. Fluttershy was just as good with Pokemon as she was with ordinary animals. Twenty-eight distinct species from The Great Marsh had stopped by to garner whatever favours they could from Fluttershy before returning to their normal feral lifestyles. Certain "legendary" or "mythical" Pokemon had come and stayed, though by and large spending their time around Fluttershy. Azelf had returned to Twilight about an hour after she sent Starlight home, mostly watching Twilight with occasionally laying a paw on her muzzle, until Fluttershy arrived through the portal. From then forward, Azelf paid attention to Twilight only if she was near Fluttershy. Mesprit showed up about two hours after Fluttershy did, and Uxie an hour after that. A flying dog-like creature with ears shaped like caribou antlers came the morning after, but it transformed into a hedgehog when it nuzzled against Fluttershy. This one called itself "Shaymin." Two more came the day after that, looking like mother and daughter cerulean Pokemon with bag-like bodies, overly long paddle-shaped arms, huge noggins, and some kind of antennae coming off of said huge noggins...self-identifying as "Manaphy" and "Phione." Just before that midnight, something unusual came, something with a blue back, ochre underside, and magenta crescents for arms, and more crescents on its head. Twilight did all she could to not roll her eyes at its name of "Cresselia." Last night in the wee hours came the last one so far. This one was mostly black with broad masculine shoulders, buff-looking arms, a wasp-waist, what almost looked like a miniskirt, and no legs. "Darkrai" is what Cresselia called it, glowering that it, too, came by.
While Pokemon had no trouble finding them, their search thus far had not gone well at all. The better part of a week gone, and the regiment had all of one sighting betwixt every search performed. A three-pony squad north of The Great Marsh saw Trixie at a great distance, under harassment from local trainers. She had fended off their Pokemon, and seriously injured one of the trainers with a two-leg rear kick to the chest; the other trainer fled. She disappeared into the woods, to the chagrin of that search party. They had no idea what became of her after that, as though she had gone to ground. Twilight took some relief that at least Trixie was away from her "trainer," but that did add the complication of every other one of them in Sinnoh. The wounded trainer, an early- to mid-twenties blonde-haired man named Barry, was hospitalised, and stabilised, but did not look as though he would take a full deep breath for a long while yet. That was during their second full day in Sinnoh. Twilight frowned, not only about the injury, but also with Trixie in hiding: she may employ any number of spells to avoid detection, even canceling or muddying divination magic, and those would not impede any physical means and magician's tricks to remain hidden. Violence like that did not suggest happy things about Trixie's smoke bomb supply.
Rarity, however, was just plain gone. There was no trace of her to be found, and the denizens of Sinnoh weren't particularly talkative, at least, to the ponies. There was no divination spell with the sort of range she needed. When not talking to Azelf on that first night, Twilight had at length discussed with Sunburst how to boost the range. He had an idea, but needed to send for something from the Crystal Empire's library. In the meantime, Twilight found sending Princess Luna's guard into towns to be far more effective than expected; their ears picked up the muttering and hushed whispers behind closed doors. Those findings were the only hint of what became of Rarity. The last anyone had seen was them heading toward distant Snowpoint City. That northernmost municipality would require a lengthy expedition, or perhaps setting up a fort northwest of Mt. Coronet. She wasn't keen on the idea; the thought of Rarity or Trixie happily sticking around in frigid areas was laughable. Twilight needed a few more mission results before she could adequately determine which Lunar Guards to send and eavesdrop on the people there.
Twilight, of course, was not about to give up. Using the "battle map" she had plotted out a well-organised combing of the Sinnoh Region, expanding radially. All told, she had a good three hundred ponies out on search patterns at any given time. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie should be finishing up their pattern along and just off of Route 214. Seven minutes into their half-hour return window, and she had to force herself to not prance. Something about their search tickled at her horn...she had heard of some ponies temporarily gaining some indistinct foresight after using bunches of divination magic, but hadn't given the rumour any thought until now. She hoped they bore good news, but the tickling wasn't leaving her that impression.
Some humans approached, one woman and two young men. The woman was on the left, in black from head to toe with fur cuffs, and black bows in her long straight blonde hair. The man on the right had short brown hair and wore a red jacket, red ball cap with a white Pokeball pattern, and blue jeans. Centred was a man with spiky strawberry blonde hair, a blue coat zipped up, and pressed dark blue trousers. All three of them had six Pokeballs in reach and view. The woman was angry, while the man in blue's face was concerned and pensive, and the last one just looked curious.
Nine guards met them ready for combat while the others charged up their horns or drew their spears. One of those nine barked, "Halt! This is a serious operation, not a tourist attraction! Unless you have legitimate business with Her Highness, leave now!"
A magenta glowed passed over all of their Pokeballs while the man in the centre said, "The name's Blue Oak; I'm the World Champion. We're not looking for trouble, just for answers, and to see if we can in some way help."
"Sergeant, let them through," said Twilight.
Spears returned to a non-aggressive position as the nine parted. The three humans stepped onto the stone platform. Blue gave a courtly bow and said, "Good evening, Your Highness."
The other man bowed as well, though the woman crossed her arms. Twilight nodded and said, "Good evening. Roger Davidson hinted you may be coming. Who else is with you?"
Blue gestured to the woman. "This is Cynthia. She is the Champion of the Sinnoh Region, where we are now. You might say she's effectively the region's governor."
Cynthia did not successfully mask her displeasure. "Hello."
Blue looked back at the other man with a knowing grin. "And this is my lifelong friend Red, the only living trainer named a 'Pokemon Grand Master.'"
Red smiled and bowed again, but said nothing. Twilight acknowledged him, then asked Blue, "The only? Why isn't he the World Champion then?"
"He doesn't want it," said Blue. "He'd rather be out roaming the world in search of new and different Pokemon than fulfill all the administrative duties that go with being Champion."
Twilight cracked a grin. "I can relate to that. But you said you were here to help; I appreciate any help you can give. I don't like occupying space like this."
"Then why don't you stop, and let us handle it?" Cynthia scoffed.
"Cynthia...," began Blue.
"Sir, I've had it with this! There are literally hundreds of these pony soldiers all over my region! It's like we've been conquered! I don't know how many children and parents I've had to reassure that it'll be okay when I have no idea if or when this will be done! There are young trainers who were scared to even have Pokemon because of them! Not even Team Galactic terrified Sinnoh as much as these ponies have! I've had enough! I'm the Sinnoh Champion; I have to protect my region!" Cynthia yelled. Mesprit looked up from the belly rub with concern, beginning their way. Azelf and Uxie followed suit.
Blue was not pleased at her outburst. "You said you'd be fine before we left."
"That was before a bunch of spears were pointed at me!" Cynthia answered.
Twilight sighed, "I'm sorry this became necessary, but our missing citizens must come home."
"You can go home first, and I'll send you!" Cynthia shouted as she reached for one of her Pokeballs. Mesprit, Azelf, Uxie, Shaymin, and Manaphy rushed forward, waving their hands and shaking their heads no. Twilight's horn charged up. Cynthia threw the ball anyway. "Go, Garchomp!"
The aura around Twilight's horn brightened as Garchomp emerged with a roar. Cresselia and Darkrai joined the others around Cynthia, Red, and Blue as Shaymin switched to its Sky Forme. All those Pokemon began tugging the three trainers to the side with urgency chiseled into their expressions. Red went willingly, as did Blue after some initial resistance. Blue looked at Manaphy's yanking on his left arm with its head-tentacles, and murmured, "Um, hi there? Why're we going over here?"
Cynthia began, "Garchomp, use--"
Azelf, Uxie, and Shaymin yanked Cynthia out of the way in time, but barely. Before she could finish her command, a blue-white ray lanced from Twilight's horn at Garchomp. Several metres in front of Garchomp the spell burst in a crashing array of ice shards, swirling mist, and frigid air. Downrange from the blast in a somewhat conic shape were hardened masses of ice, most of them like an obtuse wedge pointed away from Twilight, all over of thick frozen carpet, in a thirty-degree spread over twenty-five metres. Garchomp had returned to her ball very quickly, having fainted.
"Whoa...she's not even fazed, too," Blue breathed, unable to blink.
Red picked himself up and walked over to the new ice..."sculpture." He tapped on it with his hand, then foot, and stood up on it, giving it a stomp. Red looked closely at where his foot impacted, but only a smudge of The Great Marsh's mud remained there. Turning to Blue, he nodded with an overwhelmed grimace.
Cynthia had hyperventilated some, but was coming down from it. She looked at the Pokemon who drug her away from the attack and unintentionally to the ground. Her right foot lay about five centimetres from the frozen mass. All three of the Pokemon returned her gaze with worried expressions. With a sigh, she petted them, and softly said, "Thanks, guys."
"Buddy, what was that move? Never seen one like it," Blue said in amazement, looking at Red. Red shook his head with a shrug, still with an overwhelmed face.
Sounds of a falling tree whispered from beyond the edge of the marsh. Twilight said sadly, "I don't like violence. My goal is to spread friendship across Equestria and beyond, and now to new worlds, but I will defend myself if I'm attacked."
"So I gathered," said Blue, still in disbelief. Getting back to his feet, he continued in a more matter-of-fact tone, "Look, something's not adding up for me. News spread quickly of your arrival, and that you're looking for a 'Rarity' and a 'Trixie Lulamoon.' I don't know how a trainer crossed into your world or took any of your subjects, but I have to ask, is it really worth all of this for two of your citizens? I can point to any of this world's metropolises, and honestly say they lose more than two people every day to automobile accidents alone."
More crashing timber echoed, but a little louder. Twilight said, "Both Rarity and Trixie are national heroes in Equestria. They have both alleviated disaster, though Rarity's done it a few more times. Speaking of her, she's one of my closest and dearest friends. Now let me put it to you this way: say something somehow managed to abduct both of your boon companions there. Would you stand by idly, or would you mount a rescue?"
Tree-smashing noises were unmistakably getting closer. Blue looked over toward the source of the sounds for a moment, then back to Twilight as he said, "Well, when you put it like that, that's different. I saw the video online of them arguing. With your battalion running all over Sinnoh, have you learned anything that would help us help you?"
{Looky what the cat dragged in.}
Several trees at the edge of The Great Marsh fell down into the mud hard enough to cause a hefty splash and splintering sound. They all looked and saw a large bipedal creature come through, along the lines of an allosaurus, but with a much smaller head, longer neck, and more substantial arms. It was a mostly-pale pink creature with some purple and white accents, and semi-metallic parts that looked like armour from a mecha anime around the shoulders and back. At around fifty metres away, eye colour and voice were both indistinct. Cynthia blinked, and blurted, "Palkia...??"
Palkia looked over at them, then faced back the direction it came, roaring. It continued vocalizing, but the words still could not be discerned from each other at that distance. Palkia gestured toward the command post with both hands, even though it continued looking back the direction it came. After a second, another two large Pokemon, both taller than Palkia, came out of the smashed path. The first was mostly grey, with black wings and accent lines, golden fixtures around its head and six legs, and red claws on the underwing and striping on its neck. The other was the tallest of the three, and at first blush was a brachiosaur that had a parasaurolophus head slapped on it instead, albeit with a much thicker back-of-head crest. This quadruped was mostly a cobalt blue with powder blue accent stripes. It had longer forelegs than hind legs, similarly stylised white plating on its chest to Palkia's bits on the shoulder and a plated sail perpendicular to its spine just over the hips. Blue pursed his lips and said, "Huh."
"Giratina and Dialga too!?" Cynthia squawked.
Dialga looked over at the command post as well, then nodded at Palkia. Giratina simply stared. All three looked back, though Palkia was the most vocal of them. Something shorter and thinner came out next, all white, except a broken gold ring jutting out from its midsection. All the other Pokemon nearby stopped what they were doing and bowed to it, face in the mud, unmoving. Blue walked over to Cynthia, keeping his eyes on this gathering but minding the ice beneath his feet. As he leaned over her shoulder, he asked, "Is that Arceus?"
Weakly she answered, "Uh-huh...what's going on here??"
Palkia spoke at length at Arceus with hands that could not sit still. It made a chopping motion in unison with both hands, pointed toward Twilight and the others, shook a finger pointed straight up, shook both hands with palms facing upward, smacked the back of one hand's fingers into the palm of the other five times rapidly, and pointed at Twilight and them again. From time-to-time throughout unclear roaring, Dialga would nod, sometimes emphatically. Giratina just stared. As Palkia gestured at them yet again, Blue muttered, "Well, he's certainly got a lot to say."
Palkia continued on in much of the same style as before when the portal flashed brightly and out stepped Sunburst. He stopped at the sound of roaring, and turned to face it. Twilight started his way as Sunburst stopped moving altogether, glasses sliding down his muzzle at a lazy pace. He adjusted his glasses as he looked on agape at Palkia's highly animated tirade. Twilight said, "Sunburst! I trust you have good news?"
"Um, yes. Yes I do, I think," said Sunburst, shaking himself. As he telekinetically took a book out of his saddlebags, brush at the close edge of the marsh rustled. Applejack stepped out, with an emotionally worn-out countenance. Rainbow Dash followed right behind with the same look. Pinkie emerged last, right on Dash's heels, but looked bewildered and stupefied. Sunburst blinked at them and said, "Twilight, your friends, uh...look like they have news."
Applejack scoffed, "That's puttin' it mildly, mister."
"I just don't know what to say," said Pinkie, shaking her head. "I'd usually throw a party, but the thought of that just feels wrong."
Twilight's eyes widened. Worriedly she rushed to them and said, "What happened? If it's enough Pinkie doesn't want to party because of it, that's troubling."
Dash flatly said, "You might want to sit down, Twi."
Rainbow Dash used her left wing to reach into her saddlebag. Blue, Red, and Cynthia drew in a little closer. She pulled out a Pokeball, one whose black top sported a yellow "H." She nudged the button with her other wing and it opened. Yellow sparks coalesced into a small equine form, no bigger than a foal about to attend his or her very first day of school. This little filly had golden eyes. But her coat, mane, and tail were of colours and shape that should belong to just one magician.
Twilight fell back into a sitting position, jaw hanging as low as her body could physically allow while Dash went toward the portal. Sunburst exhaled long and low, squeezing his lungs emptier than usual. The little filly looked up at Twilight in wonder, lightly reaching toward the princess. Applejack nickered, and said, "Yeah, Ah 'spect Trixie's pa ain't gonna be real pleased 'bout this."
"But how is the bigger question," Twilight muttered.
"Bigga ques-chun?" echoed the filly.
Twilight blinked, and cautiously asked, "What's your name, little one?"
"Twixie!" answered the filly, thoroughly pleased with herself. Applejack looked at Twixie, then at the ball whence she came...reared up, and brought her hooves down on it hard. The Ultra Ball went to bits.
Cynthia frowned and gritted her teeth as the crushed ball's last sparks flew and died. "Did you kidnap her from a trainer!?"
"Ma'am, Ah hardly think any o' y'all got room t' talk 'bout abduction after the way Rarity 'n' Trixie went missin'," Applejack retorted sharply. Cynthia huffed, crossed her arms, and looked away, but said nothing.
Twilight sighed, further burdened by such an answer from one so small. Her horn lit up, making Twixie levitate. The filly squealed happily as the princess looked over at Blue. Twilight said, "You said you wanted to help; here's the perfect chance to start. This little filly looks like Trixie as a foal, except her eyes are the wrong colour. How did this happen?"
The portal flashed again. Twilight turned to see Rainbow Dash coming back through leading Spike, and was saying, "...is something you won't believe. Heck, AJ, Pinks, and I were totally blown away when we saw this."
Spike stopped in his tracks right there, both eyes locked on Twixie. She said, "Hi!"
Spike gasped, "Whoa, dude...that's just weird."
As Twilight's horn powered down and returned Twixie to the ground, she grumbled, "She's a hybrid?? Half-pony, half-Pokemon, and has both Equestrian magic and a Pokemon's energy...but there's still no way she should be this big already! It's early enough Trixie shouldn't even know she's pregnant yet, let alone have a school-aged foal!"
"Shoot, what was that guy's name...not Oak, not Birch, or Rowan, Juniper, or Sycamore...um...Maple, Ash, Pine, Cherry, Apple, Hickory, Beech, Elm...Elm! Professor Elm is a specialist when it comes to Pokemon breeding and eggs," said Blue.
Dash said, "Uh, hey guy? Ponies don't lay eggs."
Blue said, "Ponies don't, but Pokemon do. We know they do because we've hatched Pokemon, but somehow no one has ever seen a Pokemon lay an egg, even on camera. Still, the eggs are there."
"Hey guy, ponies don't lay eggs!" Dash said again, louder and grumpier. "Unless Pokemon are the only species ever that the male makes the egg, your egg theory is fried!"
"I don't know, miss. Pokemon seem to hatch fully grown for a given species, but why is beyond me. And it doesn't seem to matter how big they are after hatching, either; all the eggs they hatch from are all about the same size," said Blue, gesturing with his hands to indicate a box about one and a half times the size of a grapefruit, "from a tiny little Joltik to a lengthy Onix. Professor Elm's the expert. I suppose you could ask the Daycare man about it."
Dash gave him a horrified look. She slowly said, "You're...not saying they...did that at a daycare, are you??"
"Did...what now?" asked Spike.
Twilight sighed, "I'll tell you when you're old enough to understand."
"It's not what they originally built Pokemon Daycares for, but it's what trainers use them for," said Blue, shaking his head. "Send in a male and a female, ride your bike back and forth a few times, and they get an egg. Hatch the egg, see if the new Pokemon is worthy of being on the team. If so, great. If not, breed them again, rinse and repeat until a satisfactory Pokemon is born."
Pinkie said in a sly voice, "Ah. They're into those kinds of parties."
"What parties?" asked Spike like a child who's unhappy with being treated like a child.
"Pahtie!" chimed in Twixie.
"The kind of party without cake, but plenty of chocolate syrup, and whipped cream, maybe honey, and some ice cubes. O-o-o-oh, the ice cubes...," Pinkie answered, growing entirely too happy by the end of it. Twilight had covered Spike's ears. Blue looked around uncomfortably while Red rolled his eyes. Cynthia appeared unsure how to react.
"Consarnit, Pinkie, why would you say that around children!?" Applejack snapped.
Dash rubbed at her forehead with her eyes closed. "Pass the brain bleach, please."
Sunburst hurriedly said, "Let's move on...! Twilight, I brought the spell booster."
"'Spell booster?' What's that mean?" asked Cynthia.
Twilight looked back at her a moment before reading over the page to which Sunburst had opened the book. "I know spells that help me look for things, but they don't have a wide enough range. Sunburst brought a book that shows me how...ooh! That's a great find! I should be able to cover the globe!"
Azelf, Mesprit, Uxie, Shaymin, Cresselia, and Darkrai shot worried looks between each other. Blue asked, "Cover the globe with what?"
Happily Twilight closed the book and powered up her horn, saying, "Detect Equestrian magic all across your world! That should allow me to find Rarity, Trixie, and however many of these hybrids there are all in one-fell swoop!"
All the legendary and mythical Pokemon near the command post immediately flew to Twilight, motioning for her to stop. Darkrai said, "Don't do it. If you do, the nightmare will truly begin."
"Sorry, it can't be avoided. I have to find them," said Twilight.
A magenta ring enclosed on Twilight's horn, then a beam shot into the sky. From there a thin ring flew outward, into the distance, and below the horizon. The Pokemon around her all facepalmed, nearly in unison. Palkia's ranting suddenly stopped; he, Dialga, Giratina, and Arceus all stared at her in shock...well, Giratina with as much expression as it could show.
Twilight closed her eyes, and slowed her breathing. She murmured, "Now to wait for the data to come in...Spike, send your notes in triplicate, to my lab, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna."
Spike finished scrawling a sentence, rolled up the scroll, and headed for the portal, saying, "You got it!"
{Twilight's spell is still expanding its area of effect...}
A red-haired mop-top small equine Pokemon with a cream-coloured coat, pale blue mane and tail, and a huge blue horn ran as fast as he could over the mountains. Southeast of him loomed the Mt. Moon massif. He then suddenly stopped with a shocked and scared gasp, and looked up. A thin magenta line passed overhead. He shook a little as he watched it, gulping air in rapid deep breaths. After a moment of this, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!!?!"
He stomped angrily on the ground, cracking the rock. With a grumble he took off again, muttering to himself, "Dammit, Twilight Sparkle, I was already short enough on time; why did you go and make it worse?"
{...and still ain't done...}
Over the last hour Rarity had been seeing exactly what the brothers meant about their kinsmen excelling at song and dance. Their family was quite good indeed, yet they claimed they were nowhere near professional play. Paddy was right; their mother noticed immediately from their playing that they had not practiced, even though Rarity thought it sounded lovely from the beginning. What amused her more than anything else was that their father, in spite of being away for all those years, also could tell immediately the boys had not been practicing their instruments.
At the insistence of their dad, Aengus and Paddy had both brought out some of their Pokemon: Aengus had out Feraligatr, and Paddy had Typhlosion and Espeon. They had played a number of songs, with Aengus on the flute, Paddy on the violin, their father on the bodhrán drum, and their mother on an acoustic bass guitar. Rarity found herself enamoured of the "pastoral feel" of the musical style. She also wanted to dance, but knew better than to try with the family already doing so with considerable coordination between them in spite of never playing together before now. Their father was singing the end of the refrain, smiling and nuzzling up against his giggling wife, "No maid I've seen like the fair cailín that I met in the County Down!"
As they began the next verse, Rarity looked out the window in time to see a thin magenta line pass overhead quickly. She walked toward the window and looked out. As she pondered what looked suspiciously like the colour of Twilight's magic, she felt something pawing at her side. She looked down and saw Espeon right there, looking her full in the face with those hypnotic purple eyes. Rarity blinked at her. Feraligatr and Typhlosion also had come to the window. Espeon sat there a moment, then head-bunted Rarity like a cat does, and asked aloud, "What was that?"
Rarity shrugged and shook her head. Espeon purred and rubbed up against Rarity's legs, and continued in sweet tones, "Don't give me that, you little horse-faced bitch! I know you know what that was!"
"Aw, look! They're chums now! Din'ae tell ye', Maggie?" chortled Mr. Meagher. Rarity stared at Espeon, mortified. Espeon continued to look her in the eye in return with its mesmerising gaze. Feraligatr and Typhlosion exchanged concerned glances, while Aengus and Paddy looked at each other with subtle shakes of the head.
"Um...," Rarity began, losing the entire sentence in those purple eyes.
Paddy picked up Espeon as one would a Maine Coon at the large end of the breed's spectrum, petting her. She purred as he said as one does talking to a pet, "C'mere, you. Are you playing nice?"
"About as nice as your mother's face, so no," Espeon answered, nuzzling Paddy and purring. She looked back at Rarity. Lost in those violet eyes, Rarity heard Espeon's voice echoing in her skull, despite her mouth remaining shut, "Bint, don't think you're getting out of this so easily! I will have an answer from you!"
Paddy gave his brother the sort of look a parent gets when they want to apologise to somebody over what their kid did, and are still upset with the child. Typhlosion leaned to Rarity's ear and whispered, "Don't take it personally; she's always like that to everymon, and to Paddy half the time, too."
"By the way, did you feel that too? That wave of energy?" Feraligatr asked.
Rarity whispered to them, "No, but I saw it. I have no doubt that was my friend Twilight, looking for me."
Typhlosion cocked her head to the left, and whispered, "Whatever that was, it sure got my attention."
{...and now every legendary and mythical Pokemon know right where she is. They're coming.}
Twilight's spell continued passing around the globe, edging towards meeting on the far side of the world. Everywhere, upper echelon Pokemon perked up and cast their eyes in the direction of Sinnoh as the wave came overhead. There weren't all that many from common Pokemon, but plenty of trainers in battle saw both Pokemon turn and look that way in unison. Numerous wild unique individuals, though, stopped what they were doing, many starting their way toward Sinnoh, and consequently The Great Marsh; there were nearly thirty of them, from several different regions.
{Serious orders are inbound.}
"...which makes all the difference. I'm a Master myself, but that whole spiel? No one else can make that claim," concluded Blue. Under his breath he muttered, "At least, not yet can I say so. I'm almost there."
"Whoa," breathed Rainbow Dash. "No wonder he's the only Grand Master, if you gotta do all that and study that much!"
Blue was talking to AJ, Dash, and Pinkie about training Pokemon. Red had joined Fluttershy in settling the frayed nerves of Azelf and company. Cynthia stood before Arceus and his entourage, searching for something to say; the last thing the Alpha Pokemon said left her speechless and feeling mighty guilty. Sunburst and Spike had both departed. Twixie fell asleep forty-five minutes ago. Two hours had passed, and still Twilight stood there, taking in data from her spell. Not until then did she finally open her eyes with a deep breath. Fluttershy was the closest and flittered to her. "Did you find them?"
"I don't know," started Twilight. "I detected twelve more sources of Equestrian magic than what I accounted for with those out on searches and us here. Two of them are far, far away."
"Oh my. I hope it at least helps," Fluttershy offered.
"In some ways yes, but Trixie's hiding," said Twilight. "North of here there's a muddled reading, but it covers a large enough area we could be searching in there for days, not knowing if she's in the trees, on the ground, or in a cave or some such. I'll have to redo the checklist and search patterns."
A flash from the portal heralded Spike's return. His face was anxious. Just behind him came Starlight Glimmer with a guilty expression. Twilight growled, "I told you to stay home!"
Spike offered her a scroll and timidly said, "Uh, Twilight, you might want to read this before you say anything."
Twilight frowned as she took the scroll in her magic. Unfurling it, Spike and Starlight stood aside with nervous tension as Twilight's other friends gathered to read over her shoulder:
Dear Princess Twilight,
While we are pleased at your efforts and persistence, news of this "Twixie" is most disturbing. The fact that there could be many of them is unacceptable. My sister and I have been in conference over this finding, and we agree this is theft of Equestrian magic. Due to some deeply troubling and perilous extenuating circumstances surrounding this finding, all of the Equestrian magic must be returned to our world, willingly or not. Inform General Merry Weather their orders are now to locate and confiscate every "Twixie" in that world, and should they exist, every Rarity lookalike as well. All levels of force escalation are authorised.
We need to know how this "Twixie" came to be, along with however many others there are. I am revoking your grounding of Starlight Glimmer, and sending her and Rainbow Dash to this so-called "Daycare" to investigate. Have them take two volunteers with them from among the soldiers.
I will be arriving tomorrow at sundown. At that time you are to return to your laboratory with this "Twixie," and find a means to separate the pony from the Pokemon. I will assume command of the rescue operation during that time. While we do not wish harm upon this "Twixie," the recovery of Equestrian magic takes priority, even over the safety or life of the hybrid. We understand this is harsh, and arguably cruel, but not half as cruel as what suffering they already inflicted, nor what is to come if you should fail. Again, preserve its life if you can find a way to do so, but if there is no other way to return Equestrian magic, we will assure you receive proper counseling.
Godspeed.
Princess Luna
Thunderstruck, Twilight rolled up the scroll. She muttered, "It just keeps getting worse, doesn't it?"
"What's the letter?" asked Blue. He and Cynthia stood expectantly.
Twilight muttered, "Correspondence from my royal peers."
Cynthia snidely said, "That much is obvious. Dealing with an uppity baron who just simply has to have a new castle?"
"Well, don't y'all have suspicious minds," Applejack barked. "If it concerned y'all, she'd tell ya'."
Arceus and his entourage approached. Twilight sighed, "Do me a favour. Inform every trainer that if they caught a 'Twixie,' they'll need to turn it in to us. I'm trying to prevent a war from breaking out right now."
"Strong words," Blue growled. A cry overhead made them all turn. Four things flew over them, circled back, and three of them settled in a tree just outside the command post, with the last one landing in front of it. Blue blinked at them and spoke sounding stunned. "The legendaries just keep coming...how many are gonna show up before this is all said and done? These guys are a long way from home!"
Cynthia said, "I don't know them."
Pointing at each in turn, starting with the one that landed and now was walking toward them, Blue said, "Lugia...Moltres...Zapdos...Articuno. Hey Red, do you still have gramps' old Pokedex? I think he'd like all of this."
Starlight had stepped away from that conversation after getting a nod from Twilight. Dash flitted to her side, looked at the soldiers, and said, "We're going on a dangerous recon assignment from Princess Luna herself, to find out how they made this 'Twixie!' I need two volunteers!"
Every soldier stepped forward. Starlight whispered in Dash's ear, "A 'dangerous recon assignment?' How dangerous can a daycare get?"
"We're about to find out," said Dash. She looked among the soldiers, and pointed at two pegasi. "Okay, you two then, since all of you want to come! Let's go! We fly!"
Starlight self-levitated as Dash swiftly led them into the skies. Her aura thinned and became more raindrop-shaped as they accelerated. As they left The Great Marsh behind, Starlight asked, "Do you even know where we're going?"
Dash said, "The Battle Map says the 'Pokemon Daycare' is in Solaceon Town, which is almost due north of Pastoria City and The Great Marsh."
"How likely is a daycare to be open at night?" urged Starlight.
Dash shrugged and said, "Hey, Princess Luna wants to find out how it happened. That doesn't mean we wait for business hours."
"I think it'd be easier when we can ask them face-to-face," said Starlight.
"The humans aren't talking to us," said Dash. "Besides, I somehow doubt this is the sort of thing they do when some random person could just walk in on them. I certainly don't want to be walked in on, like, ever."
"Point taken."
The four surfed the wind further inland as the moon crested the eastern horizon.
{And that's about the last guy you want to know where you are.}
A strange being surfaced in the middle of the ocean. No land was visible along any horizon. It slowly floated upward, until it was completely out of reach of the swells. This thing stood taller than most people who do not professionally play basketball. The creature was mostly gray in colour, with a somewhat feline face, ears shaped like a castle battlements' merlon, wide at the hips, three fingers and toes on each hand and foot, a redundant neck that attached at the back of the head but markedly curved, well-defined pectoral muscles, and a purple tail that as long as it was tall. It muttered, "Hmph. Something wants to flaunt to the world its strength...I'll show whatever it is what true strength looks like."
It looked at its hands. In each was a spherical rock that looked strikingly like a cat's eye marble, neither any bigger than an average cherry. They looked identical, except the one in its left hand had a blue stripe in the middle while the one in the right hand had a white stripe there. The remaining stripe on each was an orchid-lavender colour. The creature looked between the two several times, closed its fists, and said to itself, "Hmm...why not both?"
Laughing malevolently, the being then aerially dashed forward, levitating across the water at great speed. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 17 - Paddy's Departure | {I couldn't stand to get up as early as these two do all the time. No sir.}
Aengus, Paddy, and Rarity were already passing through Violet City before most folks had left their homes for work. The weather was markedly crisper than expected for this long before the equinox, but she found the slight fog invigorating and easy on the lungs. Given how early the brothers liked to get their days started, Rarity mused herself at how much better off she was with Aengus than Rainbow Dash, despite her pegasus friend's kick-butt attitude and behaviour. Headed out of town to the east, Aengus bought a copy of the daily news. He snorted, "Seems your friend can't stay off the front page."
Rarity said, "It was like that for the first two weeks after her coronation."
"Sounds like how it goes about everywhere, when crowns are laid on heads," said Aengus with a nod.
"Brother, I think you mean 'are lain,' not 'are laid.' 'Lay vs. lie' and all that rot," Paddy said, looking up from his Pokegear. Pointing at the screen, he emphasised, "More to the point, you know they have journalism online, right?"
Rarity muttered, "At least Pinkie's not here; that filly can't keep 'lay' and 'lie' straight to save her life."
"Yes, but there's poor reception between New Bark Town and the Plateau," said Aengus, disregarding both Paddy's correction and Rarity's comment. "What are they saying about Twilight?"
Reading off of his Pokegear, Paddy said, "They don't start the article about her, but about who all, shall we say, is coming to dinner. The number of unique Pokemon there is really starting to pile up. As of last night, they have eleven legendaries and five mythicals there, with more inbound. Reports are coming from all over the globe of such Pokemon heading in the general direction of Sinnoh. There's a storm off the Hoenn coast headed that way, with a very sharp dividing line between it and unbearable sunlight. Perfectly straight, too."
"Why in the world would a storm act so peculiar?" Rarity asked. "That's not any sort of weather pattern I'd arrange. More importantly, will it hit us here?"
Paddy looked through the article and said, "Sunlight and moonlight might be a little brighter in a few days, but only for a few hours; it looks like that's the most it'll do to Johto. An opinion ventured by World Elite Four member Steven Stone suggests it's Groudon and Kyogre on the move. Guess it and Lugia are indeed gonna meet. Oh wow! Mew's been sighted for the first time in thirteen years, and this time not so far away as Guyana."
"What website are you on?" asked Aengus.
"PNN."
Rarity raised an eyebrow, "Wait, how could you get anything from PNN here? This isn't Equestria, and what is a 'website,' anyway?"
Paddy stared at her blankly for a moment. Then his face eased with a sigh of comprehension. He said, "I presume your PNN is the 'Pony News Network?' Similar name here, except swap 'Pony' for 'Pokemon.' As for a website, that's more difficult to explain. There are servers that--"
"What do waiters and waitresses have to do with this at all?" Rarity interjected.
Paddy blinked slowly. Aengus said, "Short version of what he's trying to say: a website is like a small book you can look at if you have the right device and are in the right place. The one he looked at is maintained by journalists, and updated whenever they have an important news story to share."
"Okay...," Rarity trailed off.
"Every bit of the news surrounding your friend is odd," said Paddy, scrolling through the article. "It says 'World Champion Blue Oak and Grand Master Red are both staying in Pastoria City, in conference with Princess Twilight Sparkle. Oak told reporters that at least one of the supposed abductees "may have been bred" with a Pokemon. He offered at 25,000 Pokebuck bounty on "any such hybrid brought to me here in Pastoria City." Grand Master Red declined comment.'"
Paddy shifted uncomfortably under his brother's judgmental gaze. Rarity growled, "And that green-eyed Trixie?"
"She warrants further study. Of the Pokemon professors in the world, Professor Elm is the best one to ask what's going on with her," said Paddy. He raised an eyebrow. "Aengus, you'll want to hear this. 'Numerous reports from Ecruteak City give the location of one of the supposed abductees, "Rarity." Legendary Pokemon Ho-Oh and "Rarity" were seen and recorded conversing in the city's central plaza. This "Rarity" is supposedly being trained as a Pokemon, but Ho-Oh said she is no Pokemon at all. With the trainer in question reportedly heading toward the Indigo Plateau, we reached out to Indigo League Champion Karen about her thoughts on the matter. She said, "We would be pleased to welcome any such otherworldly visitor to the League, whether they come as a tourist, spectator, trainer, or combatant."' Looks like your one fear is allayed."
Aengus breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, good."
Paddy continued, "Ooh. 'Other League Champions, however, did not share this open-armed welcome. Sinnoh League Champion Cynthia released this statement: "As these ponies are neither people nor Pokemon, they may not in any way, shape, or form participate nor spectate in any official League function. Any trainer found with such a pony on their team in any official League match with be summarily stripped of their trainer status and barred from purchasing a Pokeball ever again."' Damn, wonder who pissed in her soup? 'Wallace, the Hoenn League Champion, said, "I see no reason we should willingly allow such destructive, gauche beings into our midst." Kalos League Champion Diantha's statement read, "With Team Flare's attempt to annihilate all Pokemon still fresh in our minds, we cannot permit such a danger as these ponies into Kalos." Unova League Champion Cheren, however, was more amiable in his statement, "If a pony wishes to participate in the Unova League, they may do so, but under the same requirements and guidelines as every other trainer." Both the Alola and Orange Pokemon Leagues stated they have not made an official decision about the ponies. The Ranger Unions could not be reached for comment.'"
Rarity frowned. She looked up at Aengus and said, "Darling, does that mean you have to turn in that badge from Sunyshore?"
Aengus shook his head. "No; if they try to make that claim, I'll point out it's ex post facto, and that'll be the end of that."
"I was about to suggest that," said Paddy.
Aengus stopped and knelt beside Rarity. Putting an arm around her, he said with concern, "It's about to be bad over in Sinnoh. I know we said we'd get you back to Equestria as soon as possible after I'm champion, but I have concerns about going there with things as they are. There are too many legendary and mythical Pokemon there right now. There's going to be conflict between some of them, especially those that have similar claims of domain. If Lugia and this Kyogre start having it out, the seas will be way too rough for any ship to sail there. If Ho-Oh and Rayquaza do the same, flight will also be a no-go. From the sounds of its name, I presume 'Groudon' has something to do with the ground. Why that's trouble is because of a figure we heard of in Unova. Folks at the Abundant Shrine spoke of a 'Landorus.' If we have that conflict too, I doubt we could get there at all, until at least one pair is done lockin' horns. But if you really want to, we'll still try."
Rarity nodded with a sad smile. Looking around, she said, "Twilight can be stubborn. She's not as bad as my friend Applejack, but once she has her mind set on something, that's the end of it. If that news story is accurate, then Ho-Oh is right, and all those unique Pokemon are going to see her. She's here to find me. If I don't go back, it'll just keep getting worse."
Aengus forced a grin as he scratched her behind the ears. With a short sigh, he said dejectedly, "Okay, we'll go. But I hope we can still get a ship."
"What happens if we can't get a ship or fly?" Rarity asked.
"You go by land, of course," said Paddy with concern, shaking his head with a hand where many men find a bald spot. Under his breath he finished, "And pray that my namesake and the Fourteen lend you as much aide as they possibly can, especially Christopher and Eustace."
Aengus briefly nodded at his brother with worry, then looked at Rarity and said, "They've started building a route between the end of Route 25 in Kanto, and Twinleaf Town in Sinnoh. But they've done little more than break ground on 'Route 200,' last I knew."
"I've been through the wilderness before. It's not as fashionable as I'd like, nor would I have the wardrobe I'd like to have with me...nor do I really have it at all," said Rarity, muttering the last part under her breath before continuing in at a normal volume, "...but I see no reason we shan't do so now."
Paddy shook his hands parallel to the ground. "There's a reason we stay on the routes."
"And that reason is why there are such weaker Pokemon through here," said Aengus. "All aspiring young trainers need to go see the Professor before they can begin their own Pokemon journey. That means all of them here in Johto must go to New Bark Town, and they're escorted by a strong trainer for the young ones' safety. I had such an escort, Paddy had one, and years later I was the escort on four different trips. All of the more dangerous Pokemon have been stomped down by these escorting trainers, and in greater degrees the closer we get to the Professor's lab. It's the same thing in other regions"
"Okay...??"
Aengus continued, "If both air and sea block the way to Sinnoh, the last option is over land. We're talking about going where there are no routes at all, and traveling through it for a long, long ways. Precious few trainers ever venture out there. Most of those that do are rangers, and usually not for very long. That means there hasn't been any kind of filtering out of the strong, aggressive Pokemon throughout the exact place we'd traverse."
Rarity scoffed, "Why do you always have some doom and gloom to share?"
Aengus ignored her comment. "It'll be extremely dangerous. While the common lines will appear, we won't be seeing Pidgeys, or Pidgeottos. We'll be seeing Pidgeots, we'll be seeing Alakazams, Vileplumes, Victreebels, Roserades, Luxrays, Poliwraths, and so on. And from what I've read, we may be seeing them by the dozen out there, or worse. The thought of Staraptor worries me."
Rarity shot him a disbelieving look. "Being a little melodramatic? Coming from me, that really means something."
Aengus's face was unchanged. Paddy said, "Have you ever seen a large group of starlings before? Get enough of them together, and they start acting like a school of fish, but in the air."
Aengus bluntly said, "Starly and its line show the same behaviours as ordinary starlings once an arseload of them band together. But out there, we're not gonna see Starly, or Staravia. They will all be Staraptors, and in greater numbers as we get closer to their native Sinnoh. The last thing we need is an entire murmuration of Staraptors bearing down on us; if that happens, all of us will die. At least a thousand of them at once? Even if a move like Blizzard, Surf, or Air Slash drops ninety-five percent of them, and even if all those left are still significantly weaker, there are still a not-exaggerating fifty-plus of them coming at you right now. How many volleys of Aerial Ace, or Takedown, or Close Combat do you think any given Pokemon could endure, especially when one attack comes on another's heels? Think you can withstand fifty-plus strikes in rapid succession? You won't have long to stand there wondering how much you can take; none of us would live to tell the tale."
"I thought you two made it clear that Pokemon moves can't kill," Rarity said as she suddenly stopped, watching them both with highly suspicious eyes.
"That's true. Pokemon moves can't kill," Paddy began while Aengus raised an eyebrow at the emphasis of the word "Pokemon."
"So...that means...," Rarity trailed off, rotating a hoof expectantly.
Paddy continued, "They can knock us all out, though. Eating, however, isn't a Pokemon move, and if their meal isn't moving, they can just eat. Do you think any of us will live through being masticated, swallowed, and digested?"
Rarity stared without blinking nor moving. After a moment she slowly said, "Then we better hurry up."
The brothers nodded at her. The continued along the fairly straight route with its stairways. Paddy looked at his Pokegear for a moment, and said, "Sure is strange how all the legendaries and mythicals are drawn to Princess Twilight, all of them gathering there...heh. Gathering...are they drawn to The Gathering? I suppose they're about to fight for The Prize. I'd love to hear Arceus holler 'There can be only one!'"
Aengus facepalmed. Unamused, Rarity said, "Darling, we're not in a crossover with that, too."
Paddy frowned and snapped his fingers in disappointed. "Nuts."
{Hey, a tussle!}
The route came to a dead end with a narrow cave opening that faced to the south. Southward there was another route. As Paddy summoned the hot air balloon Pokemon to slash out the overgrown brush, Aengus stopped and turned as two trainers nearby threw down Pokeballs. He nudged his brother, and all three of them took a moment. The further away of was a mid-teens girl with blonde hair in an orange sports bra and matching volleyball shorts, black shoes, and black fingerless fighting gloves. Across from her was a large barrel-chested man with a thick beard, outdoorsman clothing from head to toe, a camping backpack, and a hiking stick. Before the girl appeared an anthropomorphic blue dog with black markings around its face, hands, legs, shoulders, and waist, a tan torso, and a spike from the back of its hands and the centre of its chest. The man's Pokemon was a Golem, like the one Rarity saw on the screen in her Safari Ball, but it looked much bigger face-to-face.
"Lucario against a Golem? This shouldn't take long," said Aengus. Paddy nodded.
The girl yelled, "Lucario, use Bone Rush!"
"Golem, Earthquake!" answered the man.
Before either Pokemon moved, the girl gave her left boob a pinch. Rarity scoffed indignantly at the sight. Whirling light emanated from the pinch and from her Lucario. Aengus's head dropped a few centimeters as he gave her a slightly narrow-eyed, slightly agape stare of disbelief and incredulity. He muttered, "Of all the ways to wear one's Key Stone...why like that?? Why would you ever think that's a good idea?!"
The light surrounding Lucario hardened into a brown stone sphere, which quickly cracked and shattered, revealing Lucario slightly altered. Red adorned the ends of his dangling headdress, hands and feet, as more spikes and black markings emerged, along with a foofy tail of the same tan colour. Paddy shook his head in a tight-lipped frown, just as shocked as his brother. He said, "I don't think she's old enough to have had that done legally."
"Bet she'll regret it before she's thirty," said Aengus.
As Paddy nodded and Lucario threw bones at Golem, Rarity asked, "What did she do, apart from that salacious display?"
Aengus began whispering into her ear as the man's Golem fainted. She gasped deeply with wide, mortified eyes while the hiker deployed a bipedal red insectoid Pokemon with small membranous wings. Rarity squeaked and scrunched, clamping her back legs together and shrinking. Her face was of the horrified shock and pain of she were a child who was at the pediatrician, and on her third of seven vaccines for the day. While the trainers gave their orders, Rarity squawked, "Why would you do that!? I can't imagine willingly doing something so douloureux! Not to mention uncouth!"
Aengus sighed, shook his head, and shrugged, all in unison. An identical strange light from a moment ago surrounded the red insect and the hiker's belt buckle, and after a moment it emerged about two hands taller. The pincers on its arms now looked like pinking shears to Rarity. This didn't seem to matter much as the Lucario's foot suddenly was engulfed in flames as it leveled a side kick squarely into the insect's belly. A moment later the red insect was back in its ball, out cold. The hiker yelled, "Go, Tyranitar!"
A lumbering, bulky sage green theropod appeared, with a blue rhombus on its belly. Sand began whipping around the battleground as Paddy leaned next to Aengus and said, "Should've mega-evolved this one instead of the Scizor."
Aengus answered, "He might not have any Tyranitarite. That stuff isn't exactly in every Pokemart."
The hiker yelled, "Tyranitar, use Earthquake!"
"Lucario, use Aura Sphere!" answered the girl.
"And that'll end it," said Aengus. Lucario stepped forward, cupped its front paws against each other, and suddenly thrust them forward, palms toward Tyranitar. A blue-white orb lanced from Lucario's hand into the rhombus on Tyranitar, knocking it back a step and keeling it over.
{Time for a casual chat.}
Rarity raised an eyebrow as the sand disappeared. She said, "I'm gonna talk to her."
"No, Rarity," said Aengus.
Rarity said, "I'm not going to mother her over her body modification choices, if that's why you're worried."
"I wonder what her sensei has to say about it...of all the things, giving yourself a painful break point right there on your chest. It's gotta feel great taking one there during a match...what could she have been thinking?" Paddy grumbled to Aengus.
"Life lesson for you, little bro: stop trying to understand girls. It cannot be done," said Aengus matter-of-factly.
Before Lucario could be returned to its ball, Rarity said, "Wait a moment, darling! I would like to see that again, please!"
The battle girl said with dilating eyes, "...what?"
"That last move, dear. That 'Aura Sphere.' I would like to see it again, please," said Rarity with a sparkly-eyed grin.
The girl quietly squeed to herself, and cheerfully said, "Oh my goodness, you're just too cute! I don't mind! Lucario, hit that rock with Aura Sphere!"
As the stone was reduced to a dust cloud, Paddy asked his brother, "What is she up to?"
Rarity rocked her head side to side, pursing her lips. The girl asked, "Another time?"
Rarity nodded. Aengus said, "Is she learning this move? Her pool's already huge, but this would definitely be a welcome addition."
Pointing at another boulder, the girl shouted, "Do it again!"
Another rock reverted to uncemented sediment. Rarity's horn powered up for a moment, but she shook her head and released the charge. She said, "One more time, and I think I'll have it."
Deciding on a dead branch on a tree, splinters sprayed from there further into the woods as the move connected cleanly. The girl asked, "You think you have it then?"
Rarity pursed her lips and charged her horn. Her eyes lasered in on a discolouration on the outcrop's face, near the Dark Cave's entrance. The blue-white sphere formed, and fired from her horn perfectly, leaving a beach ball-sized hole in the sandstone. Rarity beamed, "Yes, I believe I do! Thank you very much, young miss!"
The girl giggled, "Glad I could help."
Rarity looked intensely at Lucario, then at his trainer. Her eyes perked up. "Oo-o-oh!! Aengus, darling, would you be a dear and fetch me my sketchpad and pencils, please? I have inspiration, and it shan't be wasted!"
Aengus chuckled as he retrieved the pad and the pencils from his bag. The trio turned south. Rarity paid little attention to where she was going, trusting Aengus to steer her away from trouble, which he did. She sketched away, figuring what she thought to herself to be functional but sporty formalwear for martial artists, and matching outfits for whatever beau or belle may be on her or his arm.
An indeterminate amount of time later, some tenor yelled, "Aengus! Good you came!"
Rarity looked up to see another young man about Aengus's age standing there in a yellow shirt, blue jeans, and a blue ball cap. Aengus forced a smile and cheer into his voice. "Hello, Joey."
Joey started walking toward Aengus. Paddy tiptoed behind Joey and slinked further down the route as Joey continued, "I have a surprise for you! I traded over the web, and guess what? I got an Alolan Rattata! And it's also in the top percentage of Rattata! How cool is that!?"
Rarity's lips tightened. Aengus pushed out the words, "That's great, Joey. I'm happy for you."
"Thanks man!" Joey cheered obliviously. "You gotta check this new guy out! Ready!?"
{Hey, a one-sided affair. Smash Brothers sand bag contest time.}
Aengus stifled a sigh. He looked at Rarity, took the pad and pencils, and said, "Remember what I said to do, right?"
Rarity sighed through her nose. "Yeah, and I see why now."
Joey giggled to himself, much too happily, as he threw a Pokeball. Out came a Raticate. Rarity stepped forward. Aengus said, "Aura Sphere, if you would."
Joey whooped, "Use Hyper Fang!"
Rarity forced a heavier charge into her horn before firing the pulse. The burnt orange rodent before her attempted to dodge, but the shot changed direction, launching the top percentage Raticate over the trees. A trail of pink sparks whipped back to Joey. He frowned, then threw another Pokeball. This Raticate had black fur, and its cheek pouches filled. Joey giggled as before, just more so.
Rarity scowled, but Joey either didn't notice or didn't care. She looked back at Aengus and said, "Again?"
"Yes please."
"Sucker Punch!"
Rarity remembered what this looked like. As she charged her horn, she waited. When Joey's Pokemon suddenly lurched forward, she dodged the attack right on cue, and then fired her horn at point blank range. The Alolan Raticate went nearly straight up into the air a long ways and out of sight, seemingly becoming a twinkle against a cloud after a moment. Pink sparks returned to the ground a moment later.
"Blasting off again?" said Joey in disappointment. He then perked up again. "She's something else, huh? Is she also in the top percentage like my Rattatas?"
Rarity began singing to herself what she remembered from the night before, just to purge Joey's voice from her ears. "Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows...."
{Nearly to the start of Gen-II. Having nostalgia yet?}
She busied herself in the sketches of evening gowns and the occasional tuxedo or other suit so as not to hear anything else about a "top percentage Rattata" or whatever. Before long they were moving again. Rarity's mind drifted again to the music and dance from Aengus and his family, trying to remember his mother's dancing costume. Something about that yellow dress tugged at her, like she could perform as well if she had more practice. At the very least she'd like to see how well the best of the best did. Rarity had looked up when they turned eastward to find they had entered a small city, and were already on their way out of it.
Aengus said, "Don't worry about Cherrygrove City; there's not much here."
With that, Rarity continued detailing colours and subtleties in her outfits' designs. Time continued to pass unheralded and generally ignored as they walked on. Rarity grinned to herself, pleased that her use of telekinesis had improved as much as it did over her time here. It was not so much that she was manipulating two objects, as it was two separate objects doing two separate things. She had sewn a great many times using precise movements with her magic, but she had not been telekinetically controlling something else at the same time. Thoughts wandered, thinking about other unicorns in Ponyville that she knew. Many knew a great deal of magic, even mastery over numerous spells, but such fine telekinetic control over multiple objects...few had that. Of course Twilight was one of them. Rarity had numerous times seen the finesse and elegance in Twilight's use of magic. How long had Twilight been a master of telekinesis as Rarity was with her dress designs right now? She knew before she ascended, Twilight would sometimes reshelf the entire Golden Oaks Library in one go, levitating every volume in circulation at the same time, and then putting them away one by one, in the correct order to boot. Could she, Rarity, have had that level of control as well? Hard to say; she had other pursuits that Twilight, talented mare that she was, could not even begin to attempt. This fashion she designed, the very cause of those tangential thoughts, was the big one. Nopony came close to her.
{And cue nostalgia.}
Aengus had stopped again. Rarity found herself in a tiny hamlet. The brothers were talking outside the largest building there, one to the north. She approached as she heard Aengus say, "Still no, huh?"
"Nothing to be gained by it," said Paddy. Professor Elm stepped out of the south-facing door and gave Paddy a nod. With a sigh, he looked at his brother and said, "Well, here I go. Good luck, brother."
Aengus gave him a hug. "You too. I should be back shortly with good news. Got a good feeling about this, which is different from the other times I made my challenge."
Patting his brother on the back, Paddy said, "Glad to hear that. And good to know mom and dad will have nothing to worry about, one way or the other. Go show them your stuff."
"You too," said Aengus as he let go. Paddy smiled at Aengus before Professor Elm led him inside.
{Hardly seems worth putting the last one in there, does it?}
Rarity followed Aengus over to a lake with minimal shoreline at the town's eastern edge. With a click of a Pokeball, Gyarados appeared, settling into the water. Rarity froze for a moment, looking at the size of the blue Chinese dragon. From the screens she could tell Gyarados was big, but wasn't ready for her to be that big. Aengus patted Rarity on the back, which somehow began calming her down as he sidled up beside Gyarados and the water's edge. He stopped and looked to his companion. With a gentlemanly bow, Aengus took Rarity by the hoof as he helped her onto Gyarados's back. Despite the size, Rarity found Gyarados swam very smoothly, having no difficulty keeping an even pace for her and Aengus to maintain steady footing. Rarity continued embellishing her dress designs, including light touches within the fabric that most ponies would miss, but the critics would notice and rave about her play with light and dark. She grinned at how like life it was to weave the perfect fabric, that a single black thread in the loom's warp could make all the difference in the world for the better, if in exactly the right place. One strand off, and not only would the effect would be lost, the whole thing would look shoddy at best.
They made landfall after a short time. Aengus said, "And with that, we've passed into the Kanto region."
{Another musical change forced by what plays there in the game. So short-lived....}
Aengus led her to a small cave with large waterfalls. She put the sketchpad back into his bag as they took off on Gyarados again. On their way up the first waterfall, Rarity said, "Aengus, darling, do speak up. You've been pensive most of the day, and I dare say brooding after dropping off your brother with the professor. What's on your mind?"
"He should have told you everything," Aengus said sadly. "Everything that happened that he saw. Everything that he did. He's old enough to man up when it's time to be honest about what he's done, especially if the other person will be upset."
Rarity shook her head discontentedly. "I have the feeling you're about to start telling me things that he was supposed to, but saw 'nothing to be gained by it,' right?"
"So you heard that."
"Yes.'"
"I see it comes to me ratting him out in the end," Aengus sighed.
Rarity looked around. Scrunching her eyebrows, she asked, "Wait, we're in a cave, and have been through tall grass; why haven't we seen any wild Pokemon?"
Aengus held up an empty aerosol can with a pale yellow label. "Max Repels. You've been busy sketching away; I didn't want you to be interrupted. Certainly not by piddly little Pokemon."
"Thanks. Good that we'll not have to deal with trifles," said Rarity. Her face hardened some as she said, "So, what unhappy news do you have for me? Let's start with Trixie."
"Okay."
"Where is she?"
"Lost and abandoned," Aengus said. "He released her before we even left the daycare, moving the one Twixie of the ten he kept into his active party and equipping it with an Experience Share. He specifically used the PC to move the item onto that Twixie, keeping her out of your sight at all times, so that he wouldn't tip you off that something had happened. But for the real Trixie's whereabouts, I have no idea. Those PCs release such Pokemon in hidden places. She could be anywhere in Sinnoh."
Rarity growled. Spitting in the water as they started down the other waterfall, she grouched, "The why did you suggest I make friends with the green-eyed Trixie before we boarded the ship?"
"Two reasons," began Aengus. "First, I wasn't sure if you could tell the difference between her and the original. And you didn't until you saw her eyes. The other is because I was curious if that 'Trixie' was more pony, or more Pokemon. When I heard her say 'Trixie, Trixie!' to you, my suspicions had been confirmed: she's more Pokemon."
"I suppose he also released the other nine 'Twixies' into the wild too, didn't he?" Rarity barked.
"He did."
Rarity all-but roared. She raised a foot and nearly stomped, stopping herself when she remembered they were on Gyarados's back and that was no offense she wished to commit. She asked, "Why would he do that? Why didn't he just keep a hold of them until you're champion, so that we could all return at once?"
Aengus sighed again. "That was the problem with him. He never made any promises of returning anything to Equestria. He was so convinced you two were Pokemon that he never gave you a thought as your own ethnic group, with your own history, culture, cuisine, art, song, and so on. I hadn't given it any thought at first, until you started talking as much as you did."
"I still can't believe him," Rarity huffed. "The way he used Trixie? Just left her as...as a...come on Rarity, what's the word...?"
"A broodmare?" Aengus offered.
Rarity's lip involuntarily curled in disgust. "Why do you people have such a word!?!"
Aengus said, "Since the dawn of civilisation, humans have bred animals to various purposes. Horses, being big and strong, were bred for work."
"You say 'bred,' as in, breeding?" Rarity said in nauseated tones.
"Yeah," said Aengus. "Pick two possible parents with favourable traits, put them in the same stall while she's in heat, and then there should be a foal on the way that'll grow up into the better horse you want."
{It should not take anyone that long to get through Tohjo Falls.}
Rarity actually did barf this time, mostly missing Gyarados. The dragon-like Pokemon sighed, and sank lower into the water to rinse herself off. Aengus helped Rarity back onto dry land and out of the cave, where they quickly took to the water again for a very short distance, passed through some tall grass, and then Gyarados used Surf yet again. Once Rarity had finished purging her gut, she said, "That is possibly the vilest thing I've ever heard! And he arranged for Trixie to be so abused...my Celestia. Never imagined I'd ever feel sorry for her. Wait, how did she birth ten foals so quickly?!"
"Pokemon don't have live births; they hatch. Fathers pass moves, but mothers retain the species, which is why he used Zebstrika instead of a Ditto," said Aengus. He sprayed another can, then continued, "As for how Trixie laid eggs, I have no idea. No one's ever seen a Pokemon lay an egg, but the eggs have been found countless times. At a daycare, eggs are taken when found and given to the Pokemon's trainer. Whenever you find Trixie, you'll have to ask her how that happened."
"I will," said Rarity. She thought for a moment, and said, "Would Trixie even know she's a mom?"
"She might not, if she doesn't know what became of those eggs," said Aengus.
The two rode in silence for a ways. As Gyarados led them across a whirlpool with no sign of trouble, Rarity asked, "So he kept just the one, and abandoned the other nine. But why? He's too calculating to be flippant or hasty with such decisions."
"Remember how I said not all Pokemon species are equal?" Aengus asked.
"Yes, why?"
"Not all individuals of a given species are equal, either," Aengus said sadly. They came to some land connected to a wooden bridge, and hopped off of Gyarados. As she returned to her ball and they started across the bridge, Aengus said, "It's like each Pokemon has its own...individual values, for lack of a better term, that affect how good they are statistically."
"Like little Raichu," Rarity said with some venom.
Aengus sighed and hung his head. "Yeah. Like him. I had said before that he's as strong a Raichu as you could hope to find; that's because these 'individual values,' for him, are perfect across the board. He may actually be stronger than a Raichu is supposed to be."
"How can you tell?" asked Rarity.
"There are a few trainers out there that can tell what these 'individual values' are. They've been dubbed 'judges,' but there aren't very many of them. We found a judge in Johto, at a sort of Pokemon battle-themed park called the 'Battle Frontier.' Idiotic name, yes, but that's how it goes," said Aengus.
"And this 'judge' said Raichu's perfect," said Rarity with a bit of bitterness. They started up a small rise and across another wooden bridge, this one much higher off the water. She shook her head again and said, "I suppose another of these 'judges' looked at green-eyed Trixie and said she was perfect, too?"
Aengus said, "Obviously so. I never found a 'judge' in Sinnoh, but clearly Paddy did. It helps when either parent had a perfect set as well, like his Zebstrika has, or at least a few perfect. If I had to guess, Trixie had at least two of her 'individual values' perfect. For Paddy, that's not enough. Most of Paddy's Pokemon have perfect 'individual values.' That boy is an excellent, excellent Pokemon breeder. Every Pokemon you've seen him with was bred, even that Typhlosion. He picked Cyndaquil when he started his journey, which after two evolutions becomes Typhlosion, but he wanted a stronger one. So he bred it, until he got one that was perfect, and released the very Pokemon that started him on his journey."
The bridge turned north. Rarity grumbled, "And he never stopped to think they may have thoughts and feelings of their own."
Aengus nodded sadly. "Until you came along, I didn't know they were as intelligent as they are. I'm afraid I've also been guilty of that, and may have been the one who instilled it in him. I wish I could apologise to the Pokemon whose trust I betrayed like that, but I have no idea where any of them are now, or if they're even alive."
Rarity gave an overwhelmed sigh, looking down. She said, "I just...can't think about all of it right now. Can I have the sketchpad back? I'd like to clear my head."
Aengus nodded. He stopped and opened his bag, giving Rarity her dress designs and coloured pencils. Rarity buried herself in the design work, determining fabrics to be used, what material for any beadwork, which ones warranted sequins or a slip (or no slip if a mare wanted certain attention from her husband), what stitches to use, and so on, all while trying to balance that against the shops' budgets. Rarity For You easily brought in the most money of her three stores, but it also cost the most to run, and had the most persnickety customers. A bad design or two, and she could find the entire year in the red real fast.
Time again slipped past her unnoticed as Aengus led her through the trees and tall grass, repelling the wild Pokemon away. Shadows told her by now it was well-after noon. The trees bit by bit disappeared as they continued going uphill, as did the costs of a few of these dresses. She may need small contract work with an available seamstress, one who could obey an NDA without any real temptation, so that she would have time to search for the necessary gemstones. With Sapphire Shores doubtlessly going to go on tour again by spring, she would need a hefty supply for that order alone. She didn't want to repeat the same frantic search that lead to the trouble with the diamond dogs. All of that was just for Rarity For You. While rent was stiff, it came with the blessing of not having property tax, like her two Carousel Boutiques have. That would also need to be paid in a timely fashion.
Somewhere around there she thought she heard somebody or somepony calling her name. She looked up, but there was no one there. Gazing about gave her the same story. She looked up at Aengus and asked, "Did somebody call for me?"
"I didn't hear anything," he said. "It's just as well you're looking up now; we're almost to the reception gate."
Ahead, nestled in the valley, was a red building with a yellow awning, built such that one could not go around it without expert rock climbing skills and gear. They had it built such that rainwater runoff from the surrounding rocks would drain away normally without eroding the building itself. Rarity thought she heard her name again, and tried looking up around the cliffs ahead, but couldn't see anyone or anything. Shrugging, she followed Aengus inside.
Rarity was met by broad taupe and brown tiles with a tan grout, opulently set with malachite running beside the wall. The walls were a fine-grained limestone, well-polished, with recessed lighting and evenly-sized alcoves. A policeman checked Aengus's badge case from behind a counter. At an intersection was a Pokeball design etched in the floor. Door jambs were painted the same red as the building's exterior. A sudden cool, damp breeze rushed over Rarity from straight ahead. Aengus said, "To the right is the route to Viridian City. Left, access to Mt. Silver, which few may enter. I am one of those few. Straight ahead, Victory Road, and at the end of it, the Indigo Plateau."
Aengus led her straight through the intersection. Another breeze blew past them. Rarity said, "Straight, then. What's in there?"
"Strong wild Pokemon, and stronger trainers. Every time I've been through here, it's always a different group, which shouldn't be surprising at all. These guys are going to be tough, since they are all vying for the championship," said Aengus.
Rarity nodded. "I am prepared for battle, darling."
Grinning, Aengus said, "Right. We're going in!"
The two stepped over the threshold, into the treacherous gauntlet.
{So close...but no cigar.}
Over the Pokemon League Reception Gate, looking down from the mountainside, angrily stomped a small cream-coloured equine-like Pokemon with a scarlet afro, powder blue tail, mane, and chest fluff, and a large blue horn. Shaking his head, he muttered, "Guess she was too far away to hear me."
With a sigh, he looked around him, and begin picking his way back upward. He said, "Since that's the way it is, I'll wait for them where they'll come out." |
Rarity Gets Caught | 18 - Mob Justice at Victory Road | {The final test begins...again. How final can it be if this is his eighth time?}
Almost immediately upon entering Victory Road, the cavern turned pitch black. The glow of the reception gate's entryway was dim, even though they had not traveled more than twenty paces from it. Rarity could not see the floor, but for a cave, it seemed surprisingly level. And dry. The dry part of it registered more heavily with her. She wasn't a relation of the Pies, but even from her gem-seeking expeditions she knew a cave like this should have had water to cut it into existence. She would need her sight if she were to confirm her suspicions and find tool markings. An ordinary light spell wasn't doing much. Aengus said, "Use Flash instead. I believe it has more kick in places like this."
Rarity nodded, despite that no one could see it. Quickly the light swirled outward, and the inside of Victory Road was plainly visible. There were places they could hop down, but climbing back up it was not feasible with hooves. A rope bridge with rickety support posts and partially dry rotted planks hung directly overhead. The walls were smooth, sloping up at fifteen degrees or so short of plumb, while the floor did not have the tool marks Rarity suspected. The mix of sandstone, greywacke, and limestone surfaces all appeared fairly fresh.
"This was recently hewn," said Rarity, continuing to look around. In the distance she saw a ladder passing through a hole in the ceiling, but its bottom was on an upper ledge. She pointed toward it.
"Can't say I'm surprised," Aengus said with a nod at that ladder. "I've made it a point to go through Victory Road each time I've made my challenge, despite that since my first time, I could have Pidgeot use Fly to bypass this place. Seems they switch it up every now and then. This will be the fifth different rendition of Victory Road I'll pass through before reaching the Plateau."
Movement caught Rarity's eye. In different places she saw more humans, but none of them near each other. Some were adolescents in red jackets and shoes, with black trousers on the boys and black volleyball shorts on the girls. A different pair, seemingly a couple, also wore red and black, but red vests and kepi caps, with shirt and trousers in black, and ropes at their sides. One young man wore a karate gi. A large man with a large beard wore a camping backpack and carried a tall walking stick. A young woman in a white robe and purple capris had her Pokeballs levitating around her. Near that ladder was a woman with a long scarf and a long dark coat, looking to be in her mid-thirties. Rarity looked up at him until he met her gaze, and she said, "Looks like you're not the only one who thinks you can be champion."
Aengus nodded. "That's how it goes. Some of these folks are probably employed by the League, here checking on Trainers and making sure no one is hurt, or hopelessly lost. Likely what those two Rangers are doing here. Let's see...yeah. Usual crowd: ace trainers and veterans, with a few others thrown in there for flavouring. A handful of black belts, hikers, psychics, maybe a dragon tamer or two on the floors above, but not much more than that. It's possible there are a few other specialists in here too, but mostly ace trainers and veterans."
Rarity gave him an odd look and asked, "Does everything get pigeonholed in this world?"
"Seems like," Aengus said with a snort. "This 'pigeonholing,' though, has more to do with how a person trains their Pokemon. Specialists stick with few types, usually only one. Those that have demonstrated a good deal of skill with diverse teams are ace trainers. Veterans are the same, just with more experience."
"Safe to say you're considered a veteran, darling?" Rarity mused.
"Yeah," Aengus said. "Though some might just say 'Trainer,' since I don't feel compelled to dress the same as the other veterans."
{Trouble's afoot.}
"It's the pony!!" some teenaged boy angrily shouted at the top of his lungs. Aengus and Rarity looked up to see one of the boys in a red jacket standing on the bridge, pointing down at them. "They really did come here!"
Many of the other trainers stopped what they were doing, looked over, and began their way slowly. Rarity pressed closer to Aengus and tried not to whimper, "Why...why are they approaching us like that? I can't think of anything we did to offend them!"
"Me neither, but that, uh...doesn't appear to matter much right now," Aengus said sheepishly as eight of them approached in an arc, most of them ace trainers, led by a mid-thirties woman.
"Aengus?" asked some lower baritone among those trainers.
Aengus looked over, and a huge smile broke over his face. He cheered, "Devontae! Been too damn long!"
A young man, close to Aengus's age and of a muscular build, stepped out from the opposing line, laughing happily at the sight of Aengus. He had much, much darker skin than the others there, and fuller lips. His hair tightly curled and was kept short, though it seemed to have a wave-like pattern on top of his head. He wore an armless hoodie, undershirt, unlaced work boots, and jeans so low there was no question about the blue plaid pattern of his underwear, but what caught Rarity's attention was that the hoodie and jeans were a perfectly matched butter yellow, while the undershirt, belt, and boots all were an untouched black, as though he wore all these clothes for the first time today. Aengus met this Devontae with an elaborate handshake and a hug.
The slightly older woman barked, "What are you doing!? We won't allow the pony through, or you either if you stand with them!"
Devontae turned to stand beside Aengus against the other seven. Rarity immediately noticed how different the inflections in his voice were as he yelled back, "To hell with that, and to hell with you! Grew up with this guy! Never turned my back on him then, not doing it now!"
The sound of seven Pokeballs opening echoed across the chamber. Rarity recognized most of the species in front of her. Aengus muttered, "Of course the veteran has a Tyranitar. Hmm, a Skarmory, Ampharos, Glaceon, Venomoth, Blastoise, and a Togekiss. Nothing like no common weakness to complicate matters."
"Do any of those learn Wide Guard?" asked Devontae.
Aengus grinned. "No. They don't."
Rarity's horn began to charge as Devontae said, "Just like old times, huh?"
"If we weren't seriously outnumbered, we were taking it easy that day, right?" Aengus chuckled. He then turned to Rarity and quietly said, "Do you think you can manage that storm of gemstones again?"
Rarity bit her lip and looked around nervously. She sheepishly said, "I can try?"
Devontae threw a ball and out came an Arcanine. He looked at Aengus and joked, "You can have a heart-to-heart with the pony later!"
{Not quite the same, but hey, why not?}
"Cheeky," chuckled Aengus. Then his face and voice hardened. "Now, Rarity!"
"Use Heat Wave, Arcanine!"
"Earthquake!"
"Ice Shard!"
"Aura Sphere!"
"Hydro Cannon!"
"Bug Buzz!"
"Stealth Rock!"
"Thunder!"
The Glaceon fired a series of semi-sharp bits of ice at Rarity. She grumbled and winced from the barrage, but concentrated on the charge in her horn. Devontae's Arcanine roared, emitting a red-hot gas that quickly swept over the numerous trainers' Pokemon. Skarmory looked to be in the worst shape after that, but Glaceon and Venomoth appeared to be hurting worse than the others as well. Tyranitar and Blastoise seemed unfazed.
The magic in Rarity's horn came to a point, and she stood up straight and proud as she cast the spell. A barrage of sapphires, emeralds, rubies, topaz, aquamarine, and onyx, with only a few diamonds here and there, erupted from the floor en masse. Skarmory, Venomoth, and Glaceon all fainted, and Togekiss did not look far behind. Blastoise did not seem to like that near as much as the Heat Wave. The other trainers murmured in shock, while Devontae laughed in shock with a whoop. Tyranitar just looked confused, and said, "Where did you learn that?"
"That's my little secret, Tyranitar," said Rarity as she brushed a curl out of her face with a devious yet somewhat flirty grin, looking into his eyes. "My little secret."
"She can speak to Pokemon too!?" squawked the leading veteran.
"Darling, you need only use your ears," Rarity said, trying to prevent a condescending laugh and falling short on the last syllables. She then looked the woman up and down, and shook her head, saying, "But please at least use your eyes! That outfit, it's...it's...let's call it 'anachronistic.' We have to find you some better habillement than that!"
The woman's eyes narrowed as she scowled. A blue white sphere grew in front of Togekiss, and fired straight at Rarity. She gave a slight ooph as it struck, but frowned slightly as she brushed her coat on her chest back to an even lay. Water jetted from both guns on Blastoise's back, hosing down Rarity and driving her back several metres. As Aengus helped her back to her feet, he asked, "'Anachronistic?'"
"'Out-of-style' wasn't strong enough," Rarity said flatly as she shook the dazed feeling from her head. "But why are they all attacking just me?"
"Maybe it's because you're a bitch!" yelled the veteran.
Rarity scoffed and started to retort, but could not form syllables as the ground began to shake as Tyranitar stomped a foot. By the time it was done, Arcanine did not look well, and the opposing Ampharos simply keeled over. The dancing sand scratched at her and Arcanine, but both stayed up, as did the Togekiss across from them. More Pokemon came from the other opposing trainers, a Primeape, a Tauros, a Lickilicky, and a Slowking. Rarity shook the water off of her as Aengus said, "That Tyranitar will be trouble, especially for Arcanine. Hit it with an Aura Sphere."
Rarity nodded as Devontae yelled, "Thunder Fang, boy!"
"Tyranitar, one more time!"
"Extrasensory!"
"Just hold tight, Blastoise! I'll stay by your side while you recoup from using that move!"
"Power Whip!"
"Stomping Tantrum!"
"Iron Head!"
"Heal Pulse!"
The sounds of Pokeballs opening was deafening for a moment, immediately followed by a firm and angry "Enough!!"
{That's enough of that, then.}
On the surrounding rocks and walkways and behind both battle lines there were easily another dozen and a half trainers...likely more. Most of them were in the red vests and hats with black underneath. Most of the rest wore police uniforms. A policewoman, middle-aged and without the hat, stepped forward from the others who showed up, behind Aengus. On her epaulettes were a pair of parallel silver bars, with two very thin connecting slats. Hers was a similar skin tone to Devontae, but her grey-streaked hair was pulled back into a tight bun. She slowly walked forward, meeting everyone's gaze with her glower. Nervousness lay on the nine trainers' faces. As she neared them, Rarity started, "My apologies for my part of this, but I can assure you--"
"I didn't ask you a damn thing, pony!" snapped the policewoman with an unforgiving glare.
Rarity shrank and her ears flattened, her eyes wide with fear. Devontae shifted nervously, and said, "Captain, Ma'am, it's--"
"Or you, mister!"
Devontae took a step back, putting his hands up. The police captain continued her slow walk towards the thirty-something in the middle of the opposing line. Pokemon returned to their balls, including Arcanine. The captain stopped in front of the veteran trainer and said, "You're coming with me. And don't even try to feign innocence; we heard you as you came through the reception gate!"
The veteran met her gaze, then started to walk away. The captain ran and tackled her on the hum, quickly applying the handcuffs. Several uniformed men rushed to assist nigh unto instantly. Rarity breathed, "Oh my goodness!"
As the men hauled the veteran out of there, the captain stood up, and turned as she yelled, "Let me make this clear! This is not happening again! All o' y'all been in League matches enough to know the rules! Don't try it, don't even think about it! Or you'll be coming with me, too! I got a few officers with not a lot of inmates to watch! They get pretty bored, coming to work, day after day with nothing to do! You mess up, they'll have something to do! You, on the other hand, won't have much to do at all! You'll get to decide if it's better staring blindly into space, or at the bars, or the tiny window, or doing pushups, or whatever for a year! Do you get that!? If I hear of another melee happening, you'll lose at least a year of your life to me!"
As the captain straightened out her back after yelling, an uneasy silence filled the cavern. She looked around at everyone again, and waited a moment before shouting, "Any questions!?"
Water dripped somewhere, but no other answer came. Taking the time to meet all of them in the eye again, she said, "Good! Now get moving!"
The other trainers began wandering off, some relieved they weren't the ones in trouble, some with a glare at Rarity, and the others with slight hesitation before being on their way. Rarity said, "I'm glad they came when they did. I think I see why the rules are that at most it can be three-on-three."
Devontae said, "Rumour has it in Alola there's free-for-alls."
"But this isn't Alola, so it doesn't matter here what they do there," said the captain as she started past them. She looked at Rarity with a scowl. "Just because the Champion is okay with you being here doesn't mean the rest of us are. You'd best watch yourself. I can't drop everything all the time to save your ass, pony!"
Rarity scoffed, halfway between surprised and indignant. Aengus said, "She will be fine, ma'am, if I have anything to say about it. We're just finishing our business together before we part ways and she goes back to her own world."
"Then you best make sure you two get it done quickly," the captain growled. "And don't give me any reason, any reason at all, to keep either of you. If I catch either of you with a toe or hoof out of line, it's gonna be a long, long time before you can leave."
{I think if I was tasked with keeping the peace and a brawl like that broke out, I'd be in a right-foul mood too.}
She gave them one last glare before continuing away with the other officers and rangers. Aengus shook his head, then looked at Devontae and said, "I suppose you also have a problem with her?"
"Nah, what's-her-face made it sound like them ponies mean to take over the world," Devontae explained. "But she doesn't sound like a conqueror. Hell, you saying she means to go home soon is proof enough for me. No hard feelings, right?"
"None here," said Aengus with a slight grin, shaking his head some more.
Rarity nickered, "You changed sides so quickly then; why should I believe you won't do it again?"
Devontae said, "'Cuz this is my dude, right here. Look, we both grew up poor, east side of inner Goldenrod. Didn't have a damn thing but each other. Got each other out of tight spaces, shared food whenever one or the other of us had empty pantries, and so on. We both took to training Pokemon to keep bread on the table, and watched each other's back then the same as we did before."
"What about that 'Yoshinori' kid Paddy mentioned?" Rarity asked.
"Damn, man, that kid got us into trouble all the time, especially you," Devontae griped, giving Aengus a quick look. "Nothin' but bad news from him. Was better for us all when his parents moved him away. Heard he ended up in Celadon, but I didn't see him while I was there."
"I'm happy you finally got over to Kanto and got the other eight," said Aengus as they started on their way again.
Devontae nodded. "Yeah, as you know, mama wasn't doing too good. Had to take care of her, until she passed. If she had just quit smoking...."
"I'm sorry, man," said Aengus, putting an arm around him.
"It ain't your fault; it was them three packs a day," Devontae said.
"Are your brothers okay?"
"Yeah. It was hard, still is, even after six months, but we're doing all right. Guess her whipping our asses worked; not one of us is on the street. Jacob's a carpenter, Deshaun is a ship mechanic in Olivine, and Freddie's an apprentice itamae in Ecruteak now, and loving it. A very promising apprentice, last I heard," said Devontae, brightening as he spoke.
"That's great news!" Aengus said happily. "He ate so much of that stuff I'm surprised he didn't wrap himself in seaweed."
The two laughed. Rarity shot them a puzzling look, asking, "Why would you wrap anything in seaweed? That sounds unpalatable at best."
Devontae gave Aengus a surprised but disapproving stare. "You haven't taken her to try any of the fine cuisine we have here?"
"We just got back to Johto yesterday," Aengus protested. "Oh, speaking of great news, I've got the best!"
"Well, don't leave me hanging."
"Dad's home."
Devontae gasped with delight as his face lit up. He pulled Aengus into a crushing hug with thrilled laughter, nearly shouting, "That's awesome! 'Bout damn time that I finally get to meet this man!"
Rarity cocked her head to one side. As Devontae let go, Aengus caught her gaze. He asked, "What's on your mind?"
"I was just remembering something, what you said earlier about Raichu," Rarity said. "You mentioned a friend and an Arcanine, like your friend's Pokemon. Was that the same one?"
Aengus nodded, his face halfway between surprised and impressed. "I forgot I mentioned that."
"Good to know you're finally using the little dude," Devontae grinned. "I swear Raichus ain't supposed to be that strong."
"Well...," Aengus began, hanging his head slightly.
Devontae sucked his teeth and grouched, "Still not?? But still keeping him around? Come on, brah...you counted him out wrong."
{Way to be a terrible human being, chica. Slick. Screw you.}
They rounded a corner. Rarity looked forward just in time for something very hard to hit her in the nose, enough that a flash of white filled her vision for a second. She yelped, staggering backwards and holding her muzzle where it struck. Aengus snarled as Rarity whimpered, still with her eyes closed. He looked down at Rarity as Devontae picked up the thrown object. Nearby some teen girl screamed, "Get out of here, pony!!"
"Ah, hell nah! Bitch, you threw a full can of hair spray at her in ambush!? You are so gonna get it!!" snapped Devontae, reaching for his Pokeballs.
Aengus said in worry, "Let me see how bad it is."
Rarity wiped her nose as she opened her eyes, still whimpering. Then she nearly shrieked. Where she wiped, her hoof was red. Blood red. Tears continued leaking out as she growled, half from pain, half from anger. The girl, in one of those red jackets with the short black shorts, cockily yelled back, "Am I? Because she's not a person, and she's not a Pokemon, I didn't break a single law!"
"That does it," Rarity growled.
"Wait...," urged Aengus.
"No," snapped Rarity. "She wants to start trouble, she'll get trouble."
Rarity marched out as Devontae recalled Arcanine, even though he had just deployed it. Aengus warned, "I think she cracked your nose bone, Rarity."
Rarity only snarled in response.
"Go, Yanmega!" yelled the girl. A huge dragonfly emerged from her mostly blue Pokeball.
Aengus began, "Rarity, use--"
"I got this," growled Rarity.
The girl mocked, "Do you indeed? Let's see about that! Yanmega, use--aaie...!!"
A beam fired out of Rarity's horn...at the girl. She struck the ace trainer in the nose, knocking her down. As the girl sat up, starting to cry, her nose was also bleeding quickly from both nostrils. Yanmega flew over to its trainer, buzzing near her nose, and gently nuzzled the girl on the cheek. It then turned to Rarity and demanded, "Why!?"
"She gave me a little 'gift;' I simply returned the favour, as the generous pony that I am," snarked Rarity.
"Tit for tat?" Devontae mumbled to himself.
Rarity smirked at Devontae with a wince. "Doesn't sound like I'm breaking any laws either; since I'm neither human nor Pokemon, I don't believe there are any on the books about my kind."
Aengus laid a hand on her withers, and knelt beside her. He urged, "I think you should return to your ball for now, and not participate in any battles if it can be avoided. This is getting out of control, and I don't want to see you get hurt anymore."
Rarity nodded sadly. With a click and a flash of green light, she found herself back in the round room. Four pictures of familiar faces immediately appeared on the wall, minus Rapidash. Feraligatr started, "Well, look who--oh my."
"What happened!? Are you okay?" exploded Gyarados.
Rapidash's picture appeared. Full of alarm he asked, "She's hurt?? Oh...oh no."
Pidgeot slowly and sadly asked, "Who did what to you?"
Rarity wiped more of the blood from her nose. "Ow, geez. Apparently some trainers hate me just because I'm a pony. One hit me with a metal can as we rounded a corner. Just waited there for us to come."
"That's not okay, and they have no right to attack you," said Rapidash, sounding more like a fellow consoling his girlfriend than anything else. "How bad is it, dear?"
"Aengus thinks it may have cracked a bone, darling," Rarity said, grabbing a tissue and sopping up what she could.
{Give them some space, you guys.}
Rapidash flushed some in his picture while the other four looked between each other. Pidgeot suggested, "I think we should step aside and let them talk?"
"Yeah, let's," said Gyarados.
The other four screens clicked off and disappeared. Rapidash's frame expanded to fill most of the wall. Rarity smiled coyly as some pink crept into her cheeks. "I'm your 'dear' now?"
Rapidash flushed deeply as he stammered, "Well, it's a-a-a-a, um, i-i-i-it kinda just...I dunno."
"It's okay; I like it, very much," said Rarity with a contented smile. "I had hoped to hear it from you."
Buzzing through Rapidash's projection, Golem's voice yelled, "Feraligatr, you stop eavesdropping on them right now!"
Rarity and Rapidash shared incredulous looks. After a moment they sighed almost in unison. Rapidash muttered, "That guy, I tell you what."
Rarity shook her head. "Always the joker, but at least he means well."
"You like it when I called you 'dear,' huh?" Rapidash asked shyly.
Rarity blushed again. After a beat she answered, "Yes. Yes I did."
Rapidash blushed in turn. "We-e-ell, um...well, I-I-I, uh...."
Rarity said, "It's okay, darling. Let's just take it slow and easy."
"Okay, dear."
A whirling sound was accompanied by a flash of green light, and Rarity found the Experience Share back on her head. She scoffed, "How rude...."
Rapidash frowned. "That thing never looked good on anymon."
"Heinous," spat Rarity. She put her hooves in little quotes as she sardonically grumbled, "But it's 'purely pragmatic.' I'll give him that point, at least."
"Do you know how to use the replicator?" asked Rapidash.
"Yes, but I don't know what language this is," Rarity said.
"Let me type a few things in here, so you can get cleaned up. I don't think you want dried blood on your coat," said Rapidash as he punched away at the buttons in front of him.
Rarity nodded. Symbols appeared on the screen in rows. She began typing them in as she said, "It's a shame we never had the chance to talk like this sooner. I'd like to know you better."
"There's not much to know," said Rapidash. "I was just a Ponyta on Route 22 when Aengus found and caught me, and I've been with him since. I don't remember much of anything before I evolved. But Aengus saw to that pretty quickly; that much I recall. He was much younger and smaller back then, very much still just a boy. But in the decade since, lots of traveling, battling, and training, challenging the Elite Four every now and then, but always being stopped by Bruno. And here we go again, but Aengus seems more confident this time."
"Sounds dreadfully boring," said Rarity as some moist pads materialised.
As she started wiping below her nose, Rapidash said, "Sure was at times. What about you? You're from another world; I'm sure you have stories to tell."
Rarity chuckled, "I have quite a few...."
Over the next several hours, Rarity told a sizable chunk of her life story's most noteworthy events. While Rarity averaged a higher number of "darlings" per thousand words than usual, Rapidash had not said "dear" more than a hooffull of times throughout. Rapidash asked many questions about her life before Aengus came along, her occupation, living outside a Pokeball, cutie marks, and her friends, showing intense interest about Equestria. Occasionally they were interrupted when Rapidash was sent to battle. A few times he returned looking worn out; once he had fainted. After being Revived, he muttered something about "strong bugs" before the conversation resumed as it had been going prior to that. Not long afterwards, Feraligatr's picture appeared on the wall and said, "We're almost out."
{Guess what time it is boys and girls?}
Almost immediately after the words left his lips, Rarity found herself back in the cave. Devontae was still there. There was a dim light up ahead that was mostly trapezoidal in shape, tall enough for a human to walk through, but not wide enough for them to go two at a time. Aengus loosened and removed the Experience Share, to which Rarity sighed in relief. He then pulled a thin strip of black cloth out of his bag. Rarity asked, "What do you want me to wear now?"
"This is an 'Expert Belt.' Attacks you use that strike an opponent's weakness will hit harder while you wear it," said Aengus.
Rarity levitated the Expert Belt in her magic. She looked up at Aengus and asked, "Does it have to be worn like a belt to work?"
"No, why?"
Rarity wrapped it around her neck, tying it off such that the belt looked more like a chic narrow scarf. She looked up at them and said, "There. Much more fashionable."
Aengus chuckled some while Devontae shrugged. Aengus said, "Well, now that the kid is behind us, I think we're good."
"Why is there a child in here?" asked Rarity.
"That child is a damn good Pokemon trainer, that's why. He was one of those bug-catching types, back there a little ways," said Devontae. He shook his head with an overwhelmed grimace, and said, "Never thought Bug-type Pokemon were all that strong, until he sent them out."
"He had a stubbornly-tough Shuckle, a Yanmega, a Scizor, a Heracross, the strongest Venomoth I've ever seen, and mega-evolved his Pinsir," said Aengus, shaking his head. "That kid's team was the mightiest one we faced in Victory Road."
Rarity scrunched her forehead. "Mega-evolved?"
"I'm surprised you didn't ask earlier today when you saw it," said Aengus. "Remember that Lucario who showed you Aura Sphere?"
"Yeah. That was it 'mega-evolving,' I presume?"
"Correct. To do so, a Pokemon needs the right kind of stone, the trainer needs a key stone, and there has to be a powerful bond between the two," Aengus explained.
"Do you have one such key stone?" Rarity asked.
Aengus pulled out a pocket watch, chained to a belt loop. On the covering plate Rarity saw a small, well-polished semi-prismatic stone, with a reticulating recurved pattern etched into its broad face. Aengus said, "Naturally."
As they started toward the exit, Devontae asked, "Which one of us challenges them first? Do you want the first crack at them?"
Aengus grinned. "If you're offering. I guess you'll watch from the spectator balcony?"
"Of course. Gotta get some intel," Devontae laughed.
Rarity squinted as they emerged from Victory Road. Even with the sun setting and being in her Pokeball beforehand, the light felt glaring and painful after the unnatural dark. Eyes watering, she wiped her face downward. Before them was a large and foreboding red building with a golden roof, a pair of archways between them and the front door (not surprisingly on the south-facing side), and trees flanking the path. Devontae laughed and pumped a fist in the air, cheering, "Finally! Knew I'd get here someday!"
Aengus took a deep breath. "We'll get a moment to rest as they process the paperwork. Are you ready?"
"Absolutely!" Rarity beamed. "As much as I've enjoyed our time together, darling, and all the great research, I would dearly like to sleep in my own home, and where everything's at a size that's just right for me. Nor did I forget how I got here," she finished on a sterner note.
"Sorry," Aengus mumbled, hanging his head.
{That's right, it's time for those two to finally come face-to-face.}
"Rarity!!"
A coltish voice sounded behind them. They all turned, and descending the outcrop with Victory Road's north exit a small equine creature. He had a thick puff of scarlet fur on his head, an off-white coat that had powder blue around its neck and chest, and matching tail. His hooves were a dark blue, and his thick, overly long horn was about the same shade. Three tufts stuck out of his scarlet hair, one of them lime green, the second orange, and the third pale blue. The figure approached them as Rarity said, "Um, hello? I believe you have me at a disadvantage."
"Never you mind that; we need to leave now," urged this other.
Devontae sheepishly offered, "I, guess I should go first?"
Aengus said in a similar tone, "Yeah...yeah, you probably should. I don't know how long this'll take."
Devontae headed inside, looking back at this newcomer for a moment. Rarity said, "Forgive me, but I have no idea who you are, why I suddenly need to leave with you, or where you plan on taking me."
The other said, "Call me Keldeo. The situation around the portal is deteriorating. You and all of your friends need to return to your world before anything else shows up."
"Did Twilight send you?" Rarity asked.
"No, she didn't. I listened to her and some other named 'Rainbow Dash' talking about looking for you. Now will you stop asking questions and come along? It's a five-day run, but with a little luck we can whittle down that time considerably," Keldeo urged with waning patience.
Rarity frowned. "Please, can you wait for just a little while? I have business to conclude with Aengus presently. I appreciate that you want to help me get home, and will gladly accept the offer afterward. It shouldn't take too long."
"No," said Keldeo. "The longer you wait, the less likely you are to head home."
"Hey, you said it's a 'five-day run;' why can't it wait for maybe an hour? I heard there could be a fight for control of the sea and sky. Is an hour really going to make a difference with that?" Rarity asked.
"With them, no. With him, yes," said Keldeo, pointing a hoof at Aengus.
"What ever do you mean?" Rarity scoffed.
Keldeo sighed and said, "That's a Pokemon League building."
"Yes, I know," said Rarity. "My part of the bargain is to help him become champion."
"And if he becomes champion, you might not be leaving that building until he's dethroned," Keldeo growled. "That could be years from now."
Rarity shook her head, "No, he agreed that once he's champion, he will return--"
"You can't trust a human!!" Keldeo snapped, baring his teeth for a moment.
Rarity jolted back at the outburst, blinking. She looked up at Aengus, then back at Keldeo, and then back to Aengus, asking, "Are you listening to this little guy?"
Aengus shook his head. "All I'm hearing is it saying 'Keldeo' over and over, other than when he called your name at first. If I recall, he's a mythical Pokemon from Unova, but that's several regions away."
"That part is true," said Keldeo. "But just because I can use human speech doesn't mean I will. They can't be trusted."
"Why can't he be trusted?" Rarity demanded. Aengus gave Keldeo a surprised and disapproving look.
"He's human."
Rarity grumbled, "Prejudiced much?"
"Everything he's done is so typical of a human, thinking they're the best thing there ever was, and entitled to whatever they want. And it was the same with how you've been treated. The guy breaks into your world, abducts you, and gets you to fight for him with what trifle in return?" Keldeo asked accusingly. "And if he succeeds, what obligation does he have to keep his word? And if he should fail, what then?"
Rarity paused, cocking her head to one side. She looked back at Aengus for a second, before echoing, "If he should fail?"
"Yes. What happens then? What will come to pass if you cannot carry out your end of the bargain?" Keldeo pressed.
Rarity pursed her lips for a moment, then slowly said, "Then we regroup, switch up strategies and try again, I would like to think."
Aengus nodded with a confident grin, scratching her behind the ears. Keldeo frowned. "I don't buy that for a minute. I've seen this before. Come on."
Keldeo took Rarity by a forelimb and started pulling her away from Aengus. She cried out, "Whoa, I said I'm going to keep my end of the bargain, and you don't need to be so hoofsy!"
"We need to go now!" Keldeo insisted, tugging harder.
Aengus wrapped his arms around her and tugged back, but Keldeo was strong enough to keep pulling them both away. Rarity growled, "Let go of me! We'll go then, but not before!"
Keldeo growled back, "There won't be a then! He won't let that happen!"
Rarity looked back at Aengus, then at the Pokeballs on his belt. Giving her forelimb a slight twist, she slipped from Keldeo's grasp. At the same time, she flicked her tail, smacking the button at the front of her ball. It cracked open, and she disappeared in a shower of green sparks.
Keldeo rolled over, and stood up. Seeing her gone, he stomped hard enough to fracture the stone beneath him, cracks spreading in five directions from his front hooves as he screamed, "Arceus-dammit!!"
Aengus shook he his head at Keldeo with an expression as if he meant to ask what's the matter with you. Keldeo hunched into a battle-ready position, gritting his teeth. Aengus frowned and said, "I don't know what all you said to her, but I will keep my word. We will head back to Sinnoh after this and get her home, one way or another. And she is right about what happens if we somehow lose this thing. You need to cool your jets. It won't be long."
With a careful regard of Keldeo, Aengus turned and headed inside the League building. Keldeo hung his head and closed his eyes, muttering, "No, you won't. But are you lying to me, or to yourself?"
He shook his head again, and continued, "Flirting with disaster by not coming, Rarity. Now there's no way to get you back before the savage one arrives."
Keldeo looked up at the sun lowering in the sky, and at Mt. Silver looming below it. He said to himself, "I know your next move, human, but I don't know where it is in this region. Don't think it's back there, so...."
Keldeo ran forward and began descending into Johto on the western side of the plateau.
{Final preparations begin.}
Back in the round room, Rarity breathed heavily for a moment. Feraligatr's image appeared first, quickly followed by Rapidash. Feraligatr asked, "Did something go wrong?"
"Yeah," said Rarity. "Some ruffian Pokemon named 'Keldeo' tried to pull me away from Aengus, literally tugging on my front leg! I hope he didn't dislocate my shoulder."
Feraligatr blinked at her. He said, "Huh. That's...weird, to say the least. Guess everymon loves you." A cheeky grin broke over his face as he finished, "Right, Rapidash?"
Rapidash turned beet red as Feraligatr doubled over in laughter. Rarity felt her own cheeks burning for a moment, then a green light shone around her and on both screens. She felt the ache throughout her muzzle and the throb in her shoulder joint both fade to nothing. Rarity said, "We really could use that machine in Equestria."
The mare's voice of the P.A. sounded over the speakers, "Changing party members."
Feraligatr grinned. "Battle time."
Three more screens popped up. Excadrill was the only one Rarity recognized. Beside her picture was something purple with a malevolent grin and red eyes that were yellow where they should have been white, above which its head looked like a permanently-attached spiny steeple cap of the same purple. At the end was a dragon's head of cerulean with cherry red marking atop its head, and off-white countershading. Rapidash said, "Excadrill, Mismagius, Salamence, good to see all of you again. The Elite Four await."
The purple thing spoke first, in an eerie, distorted alto, "Likewise, Rapidash, Feraligatr. Ah! The pony is here. I'm Mismagius."
"And I'm Salamence," said the dragon in a gravelly contrabass. "How do you do?"
Rarity cordially bowed and said, "I am well now, thank you. My name is Rarity. How do you do?"
Salamence nodded in turn, and Mismagius flashed a delighted, but still somewhat unsettling, smile. Excadrill tittered, "Elite Four matches!? How exciting!"
"It's what we've been training for," said Feraligatr. He grimaced a moment, then said, "And she's out of the ball again. See you soon, Rarity!"
Rarity materialised in an opulent lobby. There were several different areas with folks behind a counter, and a large, heavily decorated central doorway with a guard and turnstile. Aengus led Rarity over to a lady at the nearest counter to that. As she flipped through different papers, Devontae emerged from the turnstile, shaking his head in disappointment. Rarity called, "Devontae, what happened?"
He ambled over to them, complaining, "Friggin' Will, man. That dude's tough, even if he dresses weird."
Aengus said, "They're all tough. These are some of the most-skilled trainers in the world, and are arguably the best of both Johto and Kanto."
"I saw that," said Devontae. "I had no idea a Xatu is that strong a Pokemon."
"Only in Will's hands," said Aengus. "Everybody else, not so much."
Devontae said, "Well, I'm heading upstairs to watch. Good luck, man. Knock 'em dead!"
They parted with the same elaborate handshake and hug. As Devontae started up the nearby staircase, the lady behind the counter said, "Mr. Meagher? Everything's in order and you are free to begin your challenge. Be advised, though, because you went around the world and brought such Pokemon with you, the Elite Four and Champion's Pokemon lineups have been altered to counter that new-found diversity. Good luck!"
Aengus's shoulders slumped at the news as he started for the turnstile. He muttered, "So much for feeling confident...now it's like every time before now."
"Don't doubt yourself now," said Rarity. "We'll win this!"
Aengus gave her a sad smile as they passed through the turnstile, up the stairs, and through the archway. The shuttered door closed and locked behind them. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 19 - Vs. Lieutenant Colonel Surge | {So begins the last hurdles towards Aengus's goal.}
As Aengus and Rarity proceeded down the corridor, she kept looking at him with concern. Shortly before the upcoming doorway, she said, "Darling, you're much too tense to be thinking clearly. We're almost done, as it were."
"Not quite," said Aengus, shaking his head.
"No?"
Stopping, Aengus said, "It's not just the challenge that's on my mind. We still have to get you back to Pastoria. I'm trying to devise what's the best solution of getting from Point A to Point B in a timely fashion."
"Okay, how would we go by air? I haven't seen any dirigibles in your skies," Rarity said.
"It may be possible to yoke up enough Pokemon that levitate, or Flying-types that don't use wings, and make an aerial carriage. A few supposedly have Pokemon that can use the HM move Fly to go between regions, but that's highly suspect."
Rarity grumpily said, "That doesn't sound feasible, so much so that I'm at a loss as to why you suggested it at all, darling."
Aengus sighed. "You're right; I shouldn't have thought about going by air. By land is, as anyone could imagine, the long way. Assuming the skies are safe, Fly can take us straight to Cerulean City swiftly, and then comes the trouble. On a normal route, that distance between the end of Route 25 and Twinleaf Town would take at least two full days at a stiff pace and limited sleep. Over rough terrain, that easily doubles...maybe more. Add regiments of super-feral Pokemon, and assuming we live, there's no way that's taking under a week and a half."
"There's still the ship," Rarity said hopefully. "Other than your brother convincing me of that falsehood, the voyage was simply divine."
Aengus punched up something on his PokeGear as he said, "That's out."
Rarity scoffed, "Darling, I wasn't planning on touching the tequila again!"
"That's not why," said Aengus. "After you put yourself back in your ball, I checked the weather. It's...not good. At all."
He held the screen to where Rarity could see it. South of Johto and Kanto was a Category-V typhoon, except part of it was missing. It looked as though along its north-northwest side someone had used a razor guided by a straightedge, and sliced off a good twenty percent of the storm. Its projected route brought the storm's eye right into Pastoria City in Sinnoh. Rarity tottered backwards melodramatically, and Aengus caught her with an annoyed, chastising countenance. She murmured, "Why does your kind allow storms to grow huge? Your weatherponies, or whatever human analog you have, are slouching off on the job."
"That's Kyogre's doing, and the firm line is where his power is in conflict with Groudon's," Aengus said as though he was trying to bring a silly preschooler back to reality. "If we could just control the weather, we would. But as it stands, all ships coming to or leaving port in Johto, Kanto, and Sinnoh have been ordered to harbour or to reroute. This is far, far more than a small craft warning; a storm like that could snap a frigate like a toothpick, turn a sloop to pulp, or make a cruiseliner's next port-of-call the bottom of Davy Jones's Locker."
Rarity frowned. She pursed her lips briefly and said, "Perhaps we should worry about that bridge when we come to it? We have a task at hoof here."
"Aye," Aengus sighed. "You're right, again. 'The Lightning American' awaits, if he still calls himself that."
"Do I even want to know what an 'American' is? You haven't had many happy explanations," Rarity sighed.
Aengus snorted a snicker. "Then we'll skip it; it'd take too long and there's only so many times I care to see you roll your eyes in a given day. Devontae was an American."
Rarity rolled her eyes at the eye-roll comment. They stepped inside the chamber. Aengus laughed aloud at the changes in decor: the room was in standard US Army block-like camouflage in green and brown, though the lines of the battlefield remained white. Numerous cathodes, electrodes, and other displays of arcing electricity lined the sides of the room. At the far end, in front of a barred door, stood a very tall and broad man in a green Class A uniform. He wore a peaked cap, a thick assortment of awarded ribbons over his left chest pocket, black tie, well-polished black shoes, and four dangling medals. Only the medal on the right caught Rarity's eye, because it looked like a gilded Pokeball with a lightning bolt embroidered in the medal's white ribbon.
As Aengus approached, he bowed, and saluted, rotating his arm at the elbow and stood there with the palm facing outward, tip of his index finger at the end of his eyebrow. The soldier returned the salute, but brought his hand straight to the eyebrow's tip, with his palm facing the ground. Both of them ended the salute by bringing their hands to their sides swiftly. With a grin Aengus said, "Congratulations on your promotion, sir."
"Much appreciated, young man! I am Lieutenant Colonel Surge, of the Elite Four!" he answered loudly. "Have to be tough to make it this far! I like that in a young man! With a little training, you could be a fine soldier, yourself!"
Aengus bowed in a much more European fashion than Asian. "Thank you, sir."
Surge looked at Rarity. He continued bellowing, "Now you, however, I don't think you'd make it long in combat! Not with your puny power and freshly-shampooed snow-white coat! Pretty purple curls have no place on a battlefield! That eyeliner won't do! You need real camo! Where's your war face!? You can't wander around all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when you're dodging bullets or shelling an enemy fortification!"
Rarity blinked in unease, at a loss for words. She leaned a little closer to Aengus and muttered, "I...think I'm afraid of Americans."
"You're damn right you are!" Surge resumed. "Anyone with any sense knows better than to mess with the US Army!"
"I see you haven't change at all since I last saw you, about ten years ago. That was at your Gym in Vermilion," Aengus said with a grin.
Surge grinned too. "I suppose you remember when it comes to Electric-type Pokemon, I'm still number one! They saved me during the war, and a few times since!"
"Aye, I do remember," said Aengus.
Surge cocked his head to one side, and said, "Hey, I think I remember you! You were just a tyke then, but that look on your face when you won! You looked far too pleased with yourself with that vicious smile! That's what I like to see in a soldier! You really should enlist, now that you're old enough!"
Aengus reached for a Pokeball as he said, "Never ruled out that possibility. Maybe I will once I have certain affairs set in order!"
"Good man! That's the spirit!" Surge cheered. "Come, show me what you caught in your world travels! I'll show you what I caught in mine!"
{Elite Four battle begin!}
Aengus threw the Pokeball and yelled, "Excadrill, let's go!"
Surge threw a ball of his own, shouting, "To arms, Heliolisk!"
"Starting with a Kalos Pokemon," Aengus muttered to himself. Excadrill looked back at Rarity, giving a thumb's up and a grin. Rarity returned the smile as Aengus yelled, "Excadrill, use Earthquake!"
"Rain Dance, Heliolisk!" Surge answered.
Heliolisk flared its saurian collar, as it made an indiscernible shriek. Rarity felt the drops hitting her...indoors...with a complete ceiling overhead...and another floor and then a full roof above that. She growled irritably. As her curls slowly began to unfurl, she grouched at Aengus, "What's the point of it doing that?"
"In terms of Pokemon battles, rain does two things," said Aengus as the ground took to shaking viciously. "First, the move Thunder, which is a high-power special attack with comparatively low accuracy, will not miss while it's raining."
"But Excadrill's part Ground-type."
"Aye, but that brings me to point two," Aengus continued as Heliolisk toppled over and disappeared back into its Pokeball. "Rain also powers up Water-type moves."
Rarity frowned. "How many Pokemon are dual Water- and Electric-type?"
"I can think of only a variant form of Rotom, and one evolutionary line," said Aengus with palpable frustration.
Surge yelled, "Lanturn, go!"
"...not surprised," grumbled Aengus, shaking his head.
A blue angler fish with a yellow lower tail fin, yellow mask around the eyes, and a cheerful smile as opposed to a natural world angler's threatening maw of spiky teeth, popped out. Rarity grimaced and said, "Looks like she could be my friend, if she weren't our opponent. How far away did he have to go to bring her here?"
"Fishing on the Routes we took after New Bark Town," Aengus said flatly. He looked over at Surge and said, "I suppose this would have been on your team, had I not ventured from Johto?"
"Right you are! Lanturn, use Hydro Pump!" Surge shouted.
Aengus patted Excadrill on the back and said, "You'll probably only get one shot, so make it count. I believe in you. Earthquake!"
The ground trembled again under Excadrill's command. Lanturn was bounced, knocked around, and rolled over, but managed to right herself with a woozy expression. She shook her head with eyes that looked out of focus for a moment. As she opened her mouth, a blast of water issued from her gullet. Excadrill had not sidestepped in time. She tottered, and fell onto her back, fainting. She returned to her ball as Aengus sighed through his nose. He began reaching for one of his Pokeballs, stopped, and moved his hand down one more slot on his belt. Throwing that ball, he called out, "Mismagius, it's time to fight!"
The purple ghost from the screen coalesced with an eerie, disturbing noise. It broke into a peculiar, W-shaped smile. Surge raised an eyebrow, but otherwise showed no reaction. He ordered, "Lanturn, use Thunder!"
"And it's not gonna miss because of this rain?" Rarity said with a shiver. She had a fully-wet mane, no hints of curls to be found.
Aengus still ignored the Pokemon-induced weather as he nodded. He said, "Magical Leaf, if you please."
Glowing leaves surrounded Mismagius, then darted forward. They turned, ducked, bobbed, and weaved with Lanturn's every attempt to dodge them. She had fainted and disappeared in pink sparkles before the last leaves struck. Surge threw another ball. "Manectric, go!"
A cerulean dog-like creature appeared, with royal yellow tufts on its front feet, around its thighs, and its head except all but the top of its muzzle. Aengus said, "Use Mystical Fire!"
"Thunder Wave, boy!" Surge answered. He also turned the Pokeball medal around and gave it a pinch. The spinning light from earlier that day, when the shameless girl went and did something in public that would have made her father hit the roof, as Rarity remembered it, was here as well.
Aengus blurted, "On your officially awarded medal??"
"And this is how I earned it, too!" Surge fired back.
As the sphere around Manectric broke apart and faded from view, Rarity pursed her lips off to one side of her face at the sight. Manectric now looked as though someone dressed him in some brass plates that came well above his back, connecting in a blade-like shape, extending all the way over his head to the base of his tail, with a fully-attached, single piece gorget, and horn-like projections that served as ear protection. Manectric roared again in its mega form. Rarity muttered, "Does every Pokemon that 'mega-evolves' come out with an even more ridiculous appearance? This look is neither functional nor sporty."
"Not everything can be, as you like to say, 'chic, unique, and magnifique,'" Aengus poked with a half-grin and head shake.
"While both true and a crying shame, that doesn't mean the beast needs a glamour faux pas and impractical armour each and every time this 'mega evolution' takes place," said Rarity aghast. Fidgety yellow light left Manectric and settled over Mismagius in uneven waves. Mismagius twitched as some electricity arced across it. Rarity nudged Aengus and asked, "What just happened?"
"Paralysis," Aengus grouched.
Rarity looked underneath Mismagius, then back up at her trainer. "Um, Aengus, darling? She doesn't have any legs. How can you be paralysed if you don't have any legs?"
"Status effect; I didn't mean she's now a paraplegic. It likely will interfere with her ability to fight," Aengus grumbled. His tone became encouraging as he turned toward Mismagius. "You can get through this! Use Shadow Ball!"
Rarity shook the water off her back as Surge yelled, "Manectric, use Thunder!"
Manectric roared at the ceiling. Flashes appeared among the would-be clouds, coming together as a large, harsh lightning bolt that made Rarity see spots and cover her ears. Mismagius twitched again, but could not do anything more. Aengus muttered, "This is bad."
The rain stopped. Rarity looked upward and silently thanked whatever saint in Aengus's family's religion had domain over the weather, if there was one such entity. She shook off again, splashing Aengus the whole time. He shot her a sideways glance with a scowl, but nothing more. Surge triumphantly shouted, "Snarl, Manectric!"
Aengus said, "Gimme a Shadow Ball! Come on!"
Manectric growled and bared his teeth at Mismagius, much louder than expected. As the distorted air swept over Mismagius, she shook, then collapsed onto the floor. She returned to her ball in a series of dark spots with purple edges. Rarity saw Aengus's growing frustration and said, "It's even at two apiece."
"That can swing quickly either way when trainers this skilled with Pokemon this strong meet," said Aengus with narrowed eyes. "Better make it go my way. Salamence!"
The dragon emerged from the Pokeball with a cocky glare at Manectric. Surge returned it with a cocky, dubious glare of his own. He hollered, "Thunder again!"
Aengus reached into his pocket as he said, "Salamence, use Dragon Claw!"
Rarity gasped in understanding as Aengus rubbed the stone on his pocket watch, and flicked it open. The same light returned, covering Aengus and Salamence. When it was done, Salamence's wings were gone, replaced by a large red circle with a smaller circle removed from the anterior quarter of it. His countershading had turned red as well, and it looked like his front legs were held in a canister for a microwavable prepackaged pastry meal.
"My earlier comment stands," scoffed Rarity, looking particularly unladylike in how her face turned unamused and dismissive at Salamence's new form.
"Well, it does make him stronger and faster," Aengus said with a shrug. Despite this, Manectric called the lightning before Salamence could strike. The bolt hit Salamence in the tail. A grunt was about all the more acknowledgement he gave as he swooped in and tore at Manectric with a rear-claw rake. While he was forced back a step, Manectric was not bleeding from the blow. Salamence hovered back to Aengus. Surge yelled, "Again, Manectric!"
"Yeah, again, Salamence," said Aengus with a knowing grin.
Salamence tightened his focus on Manectric's every tiny movement, muscle twitch, and where he gazed. As Manectric lifted its head to roar, Salamence jolted forward and to the left, eluding the Thunder attack. Manectric, however, jumped aside too soon to dodge, affording Salamence more than enough time to adjust his attack vector. Both rear claws grazed the length of Manectric's blade-like back, and he keeled over.
"Vikavolt, take him down!" cried Surge, sounding like a soldier who mentally was still in a trench somewhere.
Out of the teal Pokeball with a net pattern on its top emerged an oversized blue scarab with excessively long mandibles. Sparks danced along the yellow outsides of its jaw. It appeared to have a crystal in one of its claws, shaped like a somewhat flattened octahedron. Rarity tapped at her chin, trying to remember if that meant it fell into a tetragonal, orthorhombic, or cubic crystal system, but without any of the Pie sisters there to confirm an answer, she had to stop. The question itched in the back of her mind anyway.
"New species. Oh well; keep it up, Salamence!" Aengus said with a smile, but not nearly as dark as the one he had at the Sunyshore Gym.
Surge had a sinister smile of his own. "Vikavolt, time for a little Gigavolt Havoc!"
"Gigavolt what?" blurted Aengus as Salamence charged. The rear claws connected again, leaving Vikavolt staggering and struggling to stay upright. It started to collapse, but pushed itself back into a standing position, as if sheer force of willpower alone kept Vikavolt from fainting from the blow. It looked back at Surge as if to smile.
"Damn!" shouted a voice overhead. Rarity looked up and saw Devontae in the spectator section with a hand on his hip and shaking his head in disappointment.
Rarity uttered a befuddled, "Huh...??"
In front of her, she saw a battle-hardened, decorated, foreign war veteran soldier, wearing the lofty rank of Lieutenant Colonel, dressed in his Class A uniform, dancing like a six-year old. Some strange yellow light surrounded him, then cloaked Vikavolt. The light coalesced between its mandibles in the form of a growing static charge. Vikavolt fired the charge in an arcing pulse that zipped at Salamence. The dragon could not dodge; he twitched and toppled as it struck, and disappeared back into its ball.
Aengus grumbled, "Has everyone else been to Alola or something?"
"You should go sometime, once you have enough leave saved up to make it worth your while!" Surge said with a grin.
"Orthorhombic! That's what it is!" Rarity said triumphantly with a self-satisfied smile, completely out of the blue.
Aengus shot her a baffled look. After a pause he asked, "What are you on about, and where did that come from?"
Patting her cutie mark, Rarity said, "Since my special talent is finding gemstones, I take interest in crystals I see. I had a hard time telling what system Vikavolt's crystal fell into, but with three different lengths on...each...I've totally lost you, haven't I?"
Aengus's blank stare affirmed this. He and Surge shrugged at each other. In rolling her eyes, Rarity noticed above her that Devontae had done so as well. Rarity scoffed and stomped, pouting slightly. Surge said, "Now that that's done...."
"Right, Rapidash, let's go!" shouted Aengus. Rarity's eyes dilated at the name. The flaming horse appeared. He looked back at Rarity with a smile...that ran away from his face as his eyes found hers. He turned toward his opponent, looking down emotionally. Rarity stood on the brink of tears with a quivering lower jaw. Aengus ordered, "Poison Jab, Rapidash!"
Surge's face contorted. "Vikavolt, use Guillotine!"
"Use WHAT!?!" Rarity shrieked in horror. Rapidash lowered his horn as he started at Vikavolt. Eyes welling up, Rarity desperately and quietly whimpered, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, please no, don't let it get you, please...!"
Purple mist flowed around Rapidash's horn. He rammed Vikavolt solidly, driving his horn between its eyes. Vikavolt flew into the back wall, leaving a crack. It then disappeared back into its specialised Pokeball. Aengus looked down at her and said, "That move would just make him faint, not behead him."
Rarity eased, releasing a long breath about as dramatically as she could for not speaking nor doing much with her forelimbs. Surge frowned, and yelled, "Come on, Magnezone!"
Aengus continued looking Rarity in the eye as he raised an eyebrow with an amused, knowing smirk worming across his face. As a strange floating mechanical thing with three eyes, its central eye far larger than the others, appeared before Surge, Aengus teased, "Oy lass, diya' intend to make him your fella?"
Rarity flushed deeply as she stared at the ground. Pawing at a line between a brown and green part of the floor, she pitifully squeaked, "...maybe."
"I want to, but every time I see you face-to-face, you look too much like a filly. It's tearing me up," lamented Rapidash. A tear ran down Rarity's face.
Surged shouted, "Magnezone, use Tri Attack!"
Aengus said, "Flare Blitz, Rapidash."
There was a mechanical snicker. Magnezone said, "I thought I was here for a battle. Are you here for one too, or do you want to keep going with your soap opera?"
"To hell with you!" Rapidash snarled, coating himself in fire and going from standing still to a racehorse gallop in a single step. Magnezone had time only to let its central eye widen before Rapidash trampled it. Magnezone just lay there still as a stone before fading back into its Pokeball.
"Oh, my last one!? We never give up!" Surge said in shock. He threw the ball as he hollered, "Come, my old friend! Raichu!"
The Raichu that appeared wore a desert camouflage headband tied behind its head, with one strap lying over his shoulder. In its mouth was a tiny cigarette. Tattooed on Raichu's left upper forearm was a ribbon, like the one of the many in Surge's fruit salad: green and black in the middle, black on the edges, and beige in-between, with a single blue, white, and red stripe within, reversed on either side of the centre. Raichu took a draught off his cigarette as Aengus asked, "So this is the little guy that saved you during the war?"
"Damn right he did!" Surge proclaimed proudly. "My platoon and I were just arriving in the combat zone in...well, that's classified, but the '130 had a sudden power failure. Raichu strapped himself into the circuitry, and restored power before we crashed. We all arrived safely and unharmed, thanks to him!"
Raichu nodded cordially. Aengus returned the nod, and said, "Well done, little guy! I have nothing but respect for veterans, but I'm afraid you stand between us and the championship. Rapidash, use Megahorn!"
"Thunder Wave, Raichu!" Surge yelled.
Raichu threw his cigarette aside as it hit Rapidash with the twitchy yellow light, just like what hit Mismagius earlier in the battle. Rarity whimpered a little as the sparks jumped across Rapidash's back. With a tremor Rapidash ran down Raichu with his horn. Raichu stumbled back, threw the ties of his headband back behind his head, and marched back to his spot in front of Surge. The soldier yelled, "It's not over yet! Raichu, use Double Team!"
Aengus said, "You can do it, buddy. A Poison Jab should be enough."
Raichu flexed, and dashed, making it look as though there were three of him for a moment. Rarity said, "I thought he said 'Double Team,' not 'Triple Team.'"
Aengus sighed. "There are misnomers all over. Why do they call it a 'Gym?' Why does 'Grass-type' include Pokemon that are more like trees, shrubs, flowers, cacti, and seaweed? Do I need to keep going?"
Rarity snickered briefly. "Point taken."
Rapidash couldn't move for the arcing electricity across him. His eyes were still vacant for a moment after it ended. Rarity sighed with worry, looking at Rapidash full of concern. He did not seem to notice, but instead was trying to focus and work through it. Surge yelled, "Use Thunderbolt, Raichu!"
Aengus stood next to Rapidash's head and said, "Pull through this, boy. If not for me, then for your girl. Use Poison Jab!"
Rarity blushed and looked down, more from sadness than embarrassment. Rapidash looked over at Rarity, undoubtedly searching for something to say that would not land him in hot water. All he came up with was, "I really wish I could speak in human from time to time."
The arcing on his back struck just before Raichu's Thunderbolt did. He shook his head, eyes slightly glazed. He began to run with eyes out of focus. His ears kept turning slightly. Raichu began moving around, looking like there were three of him again. Rapidash was nearly to the three images when both of his ears flicked in the same direction, and he veered his horn into the rightmost image. A thud, and just the one Raichu rolled in reverse somersaults before skidding to a stop, disappearing back into his ball.
{Victorious!}
Rarity cheered, and heard Devontae above do the same. She jumped and wrapped her hooves around Rapidash laughing. When he did not return the affection, she looked up at his face. Rapidash looked dumbfounded, that he honestly did not know what he should do right then and there. She nuzzled against his neck briefly, interrupted by the static arcing across him, including into her forelimbs and the soft tip of her nose. She yipped as she let go, holding her nose with a mostly numb foreleg. Aengus returned Rapidash to his ball as Surge said, "Argh! You got me! Truly you are very strong, young man!"
"Thank you," said Aengus. "You're still superb with your favourite type."
The door behind Surge opened. He stood aside as he said, "But it wasn't enough today! Go forward like lightning! Your next opponent awaits!"
{One down, three to go.}
After Aengus and Rarity walked through the door, it closed and barred behind them. Aengus stopped, grabbing multiple things from his bag and applying them to the Pokeballs on his belt. Rarity said, "I suppose now would be the time to use those curative sprays."
"Typically they're called 'healing items,' but your description isn't wrong," said Aengus. After setting down a few yellow octahedrons from using them, he continued, "If the rumours are true, I'm glad I got the chance to battle him one more time."
"You mean, the colonel's leaving?" Rarity asked.
Aengus said, "Yeah. The rumours are he's to return to his home country and begin instructing their military about Pokemon use. I'd like to think they knew years ago that he was knowledgeable enough to instruct others, but who knows what makes Americans tick, really? Maybe if Devontae can do well at matches here at the League, he could replace Surge. It's how Will replaced Lorelei when she left the Elite Four."
"What's his specialty? From what you've said, it sounds like you must have one to be a member of The Elite Four," Rarity said.
Aengus put away his mess as he said, "Fire. He's actually much better than Blaine, the former Gym Leader while the Gym was at Cinnabar Island. Well, that was while there still was a town on what was Cinnabar Island; the island was a dormant volcano. It's no longer dormant."
Rarity blinked with her face pulled taut and her eyes wide. "Oh. Oh dear. Was it bad?"
Aengus nodded. "You'd think they'd be wise enough to move the town after it erupted the first time. Nope. The second eruption four years later shattered what remained above water. They...unfortunately, never found anyone's body."
Rarity covered her mouth with a hoof, but otherwise looked about the same. "That's horrible!"
Aengus continued, "That's putting it mildly. Blaine moved his Gym over to the Seafoam Islands after the first eruption, but after he retired, people thought it was absurd to have a Fire-type Gym in the coldest place in the Kanto region. It was moved to Lavender Town...well, Lavender City at this point. Morty moved his Ghost-type Gym to Lavender City when the space became available, and...shoot, what's her name...Racquel, maybe? Well, whoever that girl is took over the Ecruteak Gym, and made it a Fairy-type. Long story short, a Fire-type specialist would be a good addition."
Rarity nodded as they continued down the hallway. "So he has his own Rapidash."
Aengus said, "If he does, it's not with him. He showed me his team along Victory Road. He's currently using an Arcanine, Houndoom, Flareon, Magmortar, Typhlosion, and Charizard."
"And he lost to a Psychic-type specialist who 'dresses weird?' Am I about to be subjected to a fashion nightmare?" Rarity asked like one does when anticipating aggravation.
"See for yourself," said Aengus as they stepped through the door, which slammed closed behind them. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 20 - Meanwhile, An Investigation Turns Disturbing.... | {Hard to find a better-fitting title for being off the routes, eh?}
Starlight Glimmer knocked on the trunk of the tree, looking straight up towards where she heard Rainbow Danger Dash whimpering pathetically five metres above her. She said, "Dash? Please come down."
Dash rocked herself, hugging her knees. She frantically murmured, "Can't go down; the clown will eat me. Can't go down; the clown will eat me! Can't go down; the clown will eat me...!"
Starlight shook her head. "The Mr. Mime is gone, Dash...."
Rainbow stopped rocking. Carefully she unrolled herself back into a normal standing posture on the thick branch, looking down fearfully. She spread her wings, and slowly descended as she watched for anything and everything that could possibly be behind a bush or some such. Dash touched down in front of Starlight, and breathed a sigh of relief. She and Starlight started away from the tree when the two soldiers who joined them stepped out from behind another tree, one saying, "Ma'am!"
Rainbow screamed and was airborne instantly. Starlight and the two soldiers facehoofed in unison. The other asked, "There was another one?? How many of those stupid things are there around here?"
"I haven't kept count, Cloud-Skipper, but there's plenty," Starlight grumbled, sounding of being let down. She looked them both in the eye and asked, "Is it me, or does it seem like the wild Pokemon are getting stronger the further we get from that official route?"
Before either could respond, Dash yelled, "Dammit, Gale, don't sneak up on somepony like that!!"
"Sorry," offered Gale half-sheepishly, half-stifling snickering.
"It's not funny!" Rainbow barked. Gale barely held in the laughter while Cloud-Skipper's face tried not to smile. Dash scoffed while hovering, not showing any indication she meant to land anytime soon.
Starlight pressed, "You were trying to say something?"
"Yes, milady," Gale said. "We found the fence, but the barrier's on this side too."
"Naturally; you won't want only three walls in your barracks and let anything and everything in and out where the fourth should be, right?" Starlight answered.
"True," answered Gale.
Dash took a deep breath, then said, "Now that we're doing what we should've done in the first place, maybe we can make progress?"
"You know it was the right thing to try talking it out first," Starlight sighed, her face falling.
"You said we should do that just to keep Twilight from reaming you again," Dash retorted with an I-told-you-so slathered across her face. "And we wasted the day waiting for them to finally talk to us, only to get a bunch non-answers! But hey, at least we didn't upset our favourite egghead, right?"
Starlight's eyes narrowed. "I suppose Roseluck and Blossomforth would just love to tell everypony how scared you are of clowns."
Rainbow Dash gasped in shock and anger. "Okay, that's just low!"
"So were your implications about Twilight," growled Starlight.
Dash's lips pulled taut as she nodded slowly. She muttered, "Fine, I'm sorry."
"Let's just get in there, get the job done, and get out. I don't like being out here in Feral Clown Country, either," Starlight said, following Gale through the underbrush.
They came upon a fence line almost immediately. Across the enclosed pasture were the Daycare building and the rest of Solaceon Town. Starlight tapped at the air above the fence, which rippled noiselessly each time she touched the invisible barrier. Dash flitted upward, dragging a hoof along the barrier for twenty-five metres; at that height it stopped. Smiling, she whipped herself around and turned, diving downward over the fence. Quickly she slammed into the barrier's ceiling panel with a grunt and gritted teeth, eyes shut. Dash stayed balanced on her face and neck for a few seconds before her tail end thudded down onto the barrier. Starlight winced. Backwards Rainbow slid, whence she came. As she picked her head up and blinked, she fell over the side. Dash exclaimed indistinctively as she flapped hard, slowing her momentum to a hover a metre or just less than before flopping into the carpet of last autumn's leaves. She spat as she landed, rotating her right shoulder with a small "ow."
"I was expecting that. If there are bird-like Pokemon in the 'daycare,' they'll need a ceiling," said Cloud-Skipper.
Rainbow huffed, "Then how does the grass stay green? You can't expect me to believe they water all those acres with a hose and sprinklers! They'd have to spend so much of their time keeping it green!"
"Nor do I see a barn to hold the kind of big, big sprinkler systems used on farms in the drier parts of southern Equestria," said Starlight, looking up and down the fenced-off meadow. Her eyes lit up. "Lemme check something."
She took a few steps toward a rotten, broken-off dead tree and fired up her horn. Water came out of the partially hollowed trunk, along with the muck, wood pulp, and mosquito larvae already residing in that stagnant high pool. Starlight held the liquid and its natural additives as her phthalo green telekinesis took the shape of a simple cup. Cloud-Skipper nodded with an approving grin. "Clever. I see why Her Highness took you as her apprentice."
"Um, thanks, I think?" Starlight answered uncomfortably. "Sorry, I'm still not used to getting compliments."
Cloud-Skipper waved it off while he, Gale, and Rainbow Dash all took two steps back from Starlight. Tipping the telekinetic cup forward, she threw the contents into the barrier. All the water passed through unaffected, though it appeared some of it hit something invisible beyond the selective force field. The wood pulp bits and muck both slowly oozed down the invisible barrier, leaving a ripple in its wake. Each of the mosquito larvae, however, bounced off with some force. Starlight smiled in self-satisfaction. "Exactly as I thought! Fluids are unaffected."
Dash frowned, and complained, "That's great and all that you figured that out, but how exactly does that help us get past the barrier?"
"I know a spell," said Starlight. "It'll transmogrify us into water for about ten seconds, since there's four of us here, but we can still control which direction we move. I'll cast it, we'll slip past the barrier, and form back into our normal selves on the other side!"
Gale said, "Hopefully we won't be becoming our own selves again right on top of, or underneath as it may be, some Pokemon. That could get awkward."
"The place is totally empty! I don't see anypony, anyone, or anything in there," said Dash.
"Me neither, but did you see how the water looked like it hit something?" Gale said. "The barrier may make whatever's in there invisible to those outside."
"Touche. Well, whenever you're ready, Starlight," said Rainbow with a nod. The other three gathered around Starlight Glimmer as she powered up her horn. The spell ray was not much of a ray; it looked and acted more like a wet noodle gravitating outward. The four suddenly splashed into puddles the colours of their coats. Each of them flowed like a miniature stream apiece under the fence. Seconds later they coalesced back into pony form.
{Minds crack when every taboo is openly broken.}
Eyes widened upon regaining their senses. The clearing was not quiet anymore now that they were inside the barrier, and in a way that would not earn a TV-Y10 rating. Dash turned pale, Gale's mouth fell open, Starlight covered her mouth with both forehooves, and Cloud-Skipper suddenly had a nosebleed. They stood there in shock, unable to move, unable to look away, and unable to form coherent thoughts. Starlight blurted something that was lost to all the noise. Gale slowly said, "That's, uh...exactly what they're doing here. Holy crap...."
"Everything's out in plain sight doing...that...??" Starlight gasped, horrified and mortified.
Sheepishly, Cloud-Skipper muttered, "Can we build a room around these two fiery unicorns??"
Dash gulped, "And another for the shock-rats behind us, too...."
"Drop in the bucket and nothing more," Gale uttered breathlessly. Still unblinking, she looked to her left, squawked, and leaned away, pressing into Dash. Three notches past "aghast," her words trembled, "Those aren't even the same species...!"
A beat later, Cloud-Skipper twitched as he gazed about. He mumbled, "Over there they seem to think 'the more, the merrier'...goodness gracious...."
"When that Blue Oak guy said this happens...at a daycare...he didn't say there's this much...uh...," Rainbow' trailed off, quaking in both voice and body. They all looked down for a number of seconds, not adding to the cacophony of bliss. Each of them exchanged appalled and embarrassed looks. Dash murmured, "I am not okay."
"Me neither," Starlight said emptily. Gale and Cloud-Skipper nodded. Starlight continued, "My Celestia, just when you think they can't make this world any sicker...really wish the diplomacy worked. Let's just find something that's not already, uh...'tied up,' get the info, and get the you-know-what outta here."
They had barely moved when the two Rapidashes noticed them, in spite of their current activity. Sounding as if everything was perfectly normal and hunky-dory, and without even moving from where he was or what he was doing, the male said, "Oh, hello. When did you four get here?"
None of them answered at first. After a delay, Cloud-Skipper said, "A moment ago...we'll ask somepony who's not busy."
"Ask what?" said the female, speaking with a slight twang. The agape reaction from the four drew a look of understanding from the couple. She continued, "Ah, I see it's your first Daycare trip for all o' y'all. It's nothing you need armour for; you'll get used to this."
They nodded involuntarily. The male said, "Well, you should probably get to the egg-making; you'll be stuck here awhile until you do. It's just how it goes. Is there something we can help you with, even if it's just a few pointers?"
The two Pikachus' voices let everything nearby know they had completed what they set out to do. Dash deeply flushed, twitching slightly as she adamantly stared at the ground. There were some lovely blades of grass. Her ears had flattened, but not angrily. Somehow she managed to get out, "Um, yeah, we're just...uh, trying to find something out right now, and it's...been difficult, to say the least."
The male Rapidash answered, "I believe we've all been there. Just a little bit of information can be so hard to get, and trying and failing to get it just pounds and pounds you relentlessly. It's so frustrating you could stand up and spit. Maybe we could you help get that load off and find some release?"
Dash's blushing had gone all the way up and across her ears and down her neck. Still staring at the grass, but with even wider eyes, she squeaked, "I need an adult."
"You are an adult," answered the female Rapidash in confusion. "What's wrong?"
"It's the eggs," Starlight interceded for Dash. "We've, uh, never seen one up close and personal. How long does it take before they're laid?"
The male looked disappointed at them. "Oh geez, no-mon went over the Pidgeots and the Beedrills with you four? Just watch closely, and--"
"That part we understand!" Starlight hastily threw out there, waving her hooves emphatically. "Just, confused about how soon they're laid."
"Oh, there's no laying eggs like we're farm chickens or something. The eggs just go poof and they appear after a moment. We don't know how they get there, but one of us always ends up holding it," said the female. She lifted her muzzle toward the Pikachus, who at this point were cuddled up close with a few smooches, nuzzling, and sighing contentedly. "They should be getting one presently."
The four maintained eye contact so as not to look at anything else happening. Starlight said, "And the eggs hatch how quickly?"
"Shouldn't take too long. Just let your trainer ride around on a bicycle with it for awhile, and it should hatch within the hour," answered the female. Her eyes flicked back to the Pikachus for a second. "Ah! And their egg is here."
Starlight, Dash, Gale, and Cloud-Skipper turned and saw a white egg with green spots in the grips of one of the Pikachus; the other held a glowing yellow ball that looked like there was some kind of lens flare in its centre. Gale asked, "That fast?"
"That fast. Never takes long."
The male added, "And it always hatches into what the mother is. Ours will hatch into a Ponyta that can evolve into a Rapidash like us, theirs will be a Pichu which later will be a Pikachu and then Raichu, and for you four, it'll be a smaller version of whichever one of you is the mom. Sorry guy, your little ones won't look like you at all," directing the last bit at Cloud-Skipper.
Cloud-Skipper forced some words. "An egg from us would hatch a school-aged foal?"
"If that's what you evolved from, yes," said the male. "If you didn't or don't evolve, it'll hatch looking just about identical to the mother."
Starlight asked, "And that's how it always goes?"
"Sure is. You four enjoy yourselves; or if you're uncomfortable egg-making with each other, there are groups who always would enjoy some new blood joining them," said the female, with her face and voice turning a bit strained and higher in pitch at the end. Her breathing began to deepen and hasten, with her words continuing to climb into her upper register as she managed to say, "Now if you'll excuse us please, we'd like not to be disturbed for the next part."
Redness crept back into Starlight's cheeks as she quickly said, "No prob; that was all we needed. Bye!"
Starlight snatched up Rainbow Dash, Gale, and Cloud-Skipper in her telekinetic grip and rushed toward the fence as fast as her magic could take them. She turned them all to liquid in stride and continued pulling them until they were past the fence and coalescing back into ponies. Starlight Glimmer continued running for a moment after her body was solid again. There she stopped, took a deep breath, and screamed nothing in particular at the top of her lungs, a booming cry of horror, disgust, and mental innocence lost. Dash joined her. Gale's torso lurched and she lost her dinner into some greenbrier. Cloud-Skipper walked a few steps away and sat down, head in hoof, shaking. Half a minute of this later, Starlight took some gulping breaths, and screamed words this time, "What is wrong with these humans!?!! What in the name of Celestia was all that!!?"
"I don't know what in the blue-flying hell we just saw, but that's no goddamn daycare!!" Dash screamed back.
"I noticed!!!"
"I'd rather face all those Mr. Mimes than go back in there!!"
"I don't want to think about having foals ever again!!"
Starlight and Dash continued breathing heavily for a few moments, regaining control of their lungs bit by bit. Gale half-whimpered, half-grumbled uneasily. Cloud-Skipper's voice shook as he said, "Let's just get back to base camp, and ask Her Highness for a few nights off. Maybe also a therapist for each of us."
Starlight's horn powered up and they disappeared in a green flash.
{In all honesty, there cannot be many happy folks or ponies involved in the whole thing.}
Twilight Sparkle signed off on numerous documents, some about the financial cost of their searching for Rarity and Trixie, some were leave requests, and so the list went. Cresselia sat with her. Cynthia had joined Fluttershy in giving Palkia a belly rub while the Spatial Pokemon sprawled happily to let them. Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie watched the general and colonels taking reports, giving orders, and moving figures around the 'battle map.' Arceus was mid-sermon in human speech about loyalty and friendship, especially between humans and Pokemon, holding the rapt attention of Shaymin, Celebi, Latios, Latias, Victini, Manaphy, Phione, Darkrai, Lugia, the three birds, the three dogs, several of every species native to The Great Marsh, Red, and two and a half dozen other trainers, mostly academics. A large quadrupedal ruddy red Pokemon with a metallic face, ankles, and toenails emerged from the woodland, walked over, and sat down in the back row to listen to Arceus. Dialga and Giratina took up sentry positions around the congregation. Overhead slowly soared Ho-Oh and a long green Pokemon that looked like a Chinese dragon with rocket-like fins, and geometric markings in red, black, and yellow connected by straight lines. The two were debating something intensely, though there was no sign of malice from either one, and out of earshot. Applejack and Pinkie Pie played the role of "big sisters" to the eight Twixies that had been gathered, leading them in games, songs, and stories.
A green flash got Twilight's attention. She smiled to see Starlight, Dash, and the two soldiers that joined them had returned. Her smile disappeared when she saw their shattered looks and shaky legs. She dropped her quill and ran to her student, asking, "Are you okay!? What happened?"
Starlight forced herself to blink as she slowly looked at Twilight and said, "That is no daycare."
"It's the most wrong place in either world," Dash said, still shuddering.
"I've heard from the Daycare Man of Hoenn that they get kinda lively at night," said Blue, as he stepped out from behind Palkia with a soapy sponge in hand.
Starlight face shifted, as though the last her of sanity had just slipped into the Aether, never to return, and with equally off-balance intonations said, "'Lively...?' You want to use the word 'lively' for what we just saw? Oh, 'lively' it was, and 'lively' it doubtlessly still is. What kind of 'lively' description would you like? There are so many things that fit under 'lively,' such as 'depraved,' 'shameless,' and 'degenerate,' just as a 'lively' few that come to mind. What do you think, Twilight? Does 'everything in sight humping like there's no tomorrow' fall under 'lively?'"
"Oh...my...," Fluttershy gasped, turning beet red.
"Starlight!" Twilight admonished angrily. "Pull yourself together! This is no time for hyperbole!"
"She's telling the unvarnished truth, Twi," Dash said, face and voice both overwrought.
Twilight stared agape at Dash in utter disbelief. Her eyes found Gale and Cloud-Skipper, who both nodded as they sat there feeling disturbed. Applejack and Pinkie Pie both ran to Rainbow Dash, giving consoling hugs. The Twixies followed suit. Getting up to splash her face, Twilight went to the closest wash bin. As she did so, the portal flashed. In that moment the moon shone all the brighter, clearer, fuller, happier, and all-around more beautiful. Arceus stopped mid-sentence and stared expectantly. Through the portal came a tall alicorn with a dark blue coat, black splotch on her flank, teal eyes, and flowing mane of the night sky. Her cutie mark was a white crescent moon. She wore a black tiara on her head, and full plate barding of a matching colour. Everypony there except Twilight immediately bowed prostrate. Twilight just walked up to her and with a deeply troubled sigh, let her head bury itself into the other's chest.
{He makes good time, wherever he runs.}
Keldeo stopped running after jumping over a narrow gorge, suddenly making a full stop as the moon suddenly became brighter and more beautiful in the sky. He turned back to the east at the truly picturesque moon, not in awe, but truly alarmed and even terrified. He squawked, "Who the--" and used a word that made the nearby Skamories gasp, and a Donphan cover a Phanpy's ears while glaring at Keldeo "--is that!?!"
He stood aghast and breathless. Shaking his head, he muttered to himself, "Good grief, and I thought Twilight had some serious power. If Twilight's a princess, is this the queen?"
Keldeo continued standing there for a moment with the moonlight gleaming off of Mt. Silver to the south. He glared at the lights of a small city, nestled in a carved-out valley west-northwest of him. With a sigh and scoff, he continued running atop the cliff face and talking under his breath. "If there was anymon left who didn't know something's going on in Sinnoh, they do now."
{Best Pony has arrived.}
One of the night guards shouted, "All hail Princess Luna!"
The guards and soldiers all responded in unison. The Twixies started the princesses' direction as they all went, "Oooooh!"
Luna looked unsure of herself while she patted Twilight on the back, asking, "What happened?"
"Feel like I've been...thunderstruck. Like, literally pounded by lightning bolts, one after another," Twilight sighed.
Luna frowned as she saw the collective overwhelmed looks from Starlight and Dash. She said, "The truth was terrible, I see. I figured as much."
"If I may be so bold, Your Majesty, you did not figure nearly enough," said Starlight with a slight twitch. "It was...hedonism, point-in-fact. It's too much to want to say aloud. I'll write it down, and after seeing that, the four of us may need somepony to talk to professionally."
Luna curled her upper lip in disgust. Cresselia floated over to her. Looking upon the Pokemon, Luna eased, her eyes brightening immediately as a smile came to her face. She amiably said, "Hello there. Feels to me like we are kindred spirits?"
Cresselia sidled up against Luna and nuzzled. Luna giggled happily. With a grin Twilight said, "This is Cresselia. She does have a tie to the moon, and is said to banish nightmares."
Luna smiled at the Pokemon for a moment, then turned back to Starlight. She petted Cresselia using her wing as she said, "Very well. Do you remember which one is the psychiatrists' tent?"
Starlight thought a moment, and said with some minor uncertainty, "Take a right once through the portal, and third tent on the left?"
"Good. Do get that written up before Lights Out; I'll need the info as soon as possible," said Luna in a concerned but firm voice.
Arceus started their direction as Starlight nodded and said, "I'll do what I can."
"If she's one for stopping nightmares, you four should return here for the night," said Luna. Turning to Cresselia, she asked, "Can you do me this favour, please?"
Cresselia nodded. Starlight smiled sadly and patted Cresselia on the back, who followed her to the portal. She then led Dash, Gale, and Cloud-Skipper on through, but Cresselia stayed behind. As it dimmed back to baseline, Luna turned to Twilight and said, "I believe you have work to do now, too."
"Of course," said Twilight with a hard frown. "I still don't like these extremes, Luna. It's unforgivable."
Luna sighed, "We must apologise. The...extenuating circumstances, left sister and I out of sorts, even while that letter was drafted. Thus did we make a grave error out of fear, and give that unjust order. Pay it no further mind. Take the time you need to do this right."
Relief washed over Twilight's face and posture. She closed her eyes and nodded as what sounded like a mewing kitten echoed nearby. She asked of Luna, "What are these 'extenuating circumstances,' anyway?"
"Privileged information, for royal ears only," Luna curtly answered, eyeing Blue and Red approaching and the eight Twixies at their feet.
Twilight nickered in frustration. Looking at the Twixies' expression of curiosity and wonder, she then perked up and called out, "Little ones! Are you ready to go meet your grandpa?"
Eight little fillies cheered, but not in unison, "Grandpa!? Yaaay!!"
"What's unforgivable?" demanded Blue.
Luna gave him a sideways glance, and coldly answered, "As it was just said, you do not need to know, impudent human."
Blue's eyes narrowed. Red waved him down, signaling with one hand parallel to the ground. Something mewed again, but still unseen. Blue grumbled, "Fine, buddy, since you insist. But I want you to know that I, Blue Oak, am the World Champion, which places this world's safety in my hands and my number one concern."
"Then know this, World Champion," Luna fired back, "I am the Princess of the Night, and the moon is my plaything."
Red raised an eyebrow. Blue sputtered, "What?"
"The moon," Luna said much slower as her horn powered up, "is my plaything."
"What kind of threat is that? It's so absurdly unbelievable, it's not even threatening," Blue scoffed with a dismissive hand gesture.
"How about a Figure-8, then?" Luna said with a piercing stare. She looked up; he followed suit, then screamed in shock. The moon had very quickly traced the shape of a number eight, stopping right back where it started. Brackish tidewaters all around The Great Marsh shifted as the moon moved.
"Oh, snap...," blurted Red with wide eyes.
"The moon is my plaything," Luna reiterated firmer than before. "Your world is already on thin ice with me. Do nothing I'd find upsetting."
{The original has arrived.}
Blue rubbed at his temple as the Twixies all oohed at Twilight. They giggled as Twilight turned to look over her left shoulder, then her right. Twilight sighed as her face showed waning patience, calling out, "I know you're back there; I can feel the air currents changing as you move."
From behind her head, a pair of small pink paws grabbed the tips of Twilight's ears, and started flapping them up and down like a depiction of bird wings. The eight Twixies roared with laughter, several of them rolling on the ground or pounding a hoof. Twilight whined, "Please stop."
"Mew...."
Twilight felt two paws on her head. After a moment an upside-down pink head came into view with playful blue eyes. The paws left her head as this creature floated backwards. It was still upside down. It had a catlike face, ears, body, and hind legs. Its front legs were much shorter, and its tail was easily twice as long as the rest of its body. It righted itself as it mewed again.
Red approached this Pokemon in awe and a giddy, boyish delight. Blue followed in the same way. With a smile he said, "Wow. So I get to meet Mew after all, huh, buddy?"
Red clapped Blue on the shoulder with an approving nod. Behind them stood Arceus. Mew floated in front of the Alpha Pokemon and mewed again. Arceus nodded. Mew then crossed its arms, cocked its left hip out, and gave Arceus a playful, knowing grin. Arceus returned with an expression as if to say come on, man. The two stayed like that for a good fifteen seconds. Both Pokemon snickered in unison. Arceus then held open his forelegs, and Mew zipped in for a hug. The two nuzzled closer and closer together in their embrace.
Cynthia raised her eyebrows and said, "Wow. Didn't know those two were old friends."
"Old friends?" Luna said questioningly. "Ma'am, it looks to me like they're old flames."
Cynthia's eyebrows scrunched. Red held up a finger as he opened his mouth, but forced it closed. Blue's eyes shot wide open as his lips made a perfect "o." Covering his mouth, he involuntarily uttered near the bottom of his vocal range, "Oh...ohhh...."
Sighing contentedly, Mew breathed a happy, "Mew...." |
Rarity Gets Caught | 21 - Vs. Will | {The challenge continues.}
The sunroof showed the dark of night's approach as Aengus and Rarity entered the second battle chamber. Most of the tiling was a rosy lavender, with a soft magenta grout. Walls were black, lined with silvery pillars. Overhead was a long sunroof. The marked battlefield was again in white, though the Pokeball pattern this time was lapis blue above and royal purple below.
Looking across the room, Rarity scratched her chin with a drawn-out "Hmmm."
There stood a thin man in a close-fitting black Victorian-era double-breasted vest, gold chains linking the two halves, a white ruffle cravat, plum purple pants and shirt, well-shined black square-toed dress shoes, and a broad black mask. His mauve hair lay straight, parted just enough to keep the vast majority of it out of his face. He began, "Good evening! You have done well to have advanced this far! Allow me to introduce my...self...um, hello?"
While the man was talking, Rarity had walked away from Aengus and up to this fellow. She pursed her lips pensively, slowly walking around him, looking him up and down. Without stopping her examination, she asked, "You are Will, are you not? Please hold still."
"I...am, but what are you doing?" Will responded, now only turning his head to follow her. "If the journalists can be trusted, I presume you are Miss Rarity, correct?"
"Correct, despite trusting those newspapers," said Rarity, still examining him thoroughly. "The articles I've seen are anti-pony, very subtle in their delivery, but the slant is definitely there."
Will nodded. "So you suspect the same thing as I do. Let me pass on some information to you that we here at The Indigo League learned from the World Champion himself, but wasn't released to the press."
Rarity's ear perked up. "Do go on, sir."
"Your friend, Princess Twilight, detected there were ten Pony-Pokemon hybrids," Will said.
Aengus nodded. "Yes, me brother said the ninth egg to hatch was the one he wanted."
Will paused with a long look at Aengus, frowning. His face eased as he turned back to Rarity and continued, "After Oak put that bounty out on the 'Twixies,' seven trainers approached him about it before noon, each one cashing in with confirmation from Her Highness. Another of your friend's inner circle had captured another. Since Padraíg undoubtedly still has the one he meant to breed, there's only one left unaccounted for."
Rarity cocked her head to one side, "Is there a reason to gather up Trixie's, erm...progeny? I do not see whatever is the matter."
"Oak did not say in his e-mail, but left the strong impression retrieving them all was quite serious, and to be done at once. I was hoping you would know," Will said with a hint of disappointment.
"My apologies, but I have not met this Mr. Oak," said Rarity. "About your other question, what I'm doing, is my profession and passion. I design and sew elegant dresses in the three shops I own and operate, a rising star of the fashion world, if I do say so myself. Only occasionally do I feel the urge to create formalwear for stallions, but when I do, they are dapper...dashing, even attirant. Trust a lady to know what a lady wants to see. And I see here garments that flow excellently with your figure, complimenting you quite handsomely. I had not thought of pairing plum against a mauve coiffure, but they are distant-enough purples to work together. A lady at the masquerade should be delighted to be on your arm, dressed as you are."
Will clasped his hands together and bowed graciously. With a smile he said, "Most kind. I appreciate your keen eye that so many challengers lack."
"About all I would change would be to add white lace cuffs to the shirt, matching the pattern of your cravat. Perhaps a town coat and top hat for while you're outdoors," Rarity said with a satisfied grin. She stared at the vest again, and pursed her lips. Raising an eyebrow, she continued, "I have to ask, darling, what fibre is your vest? I do not recognize it at all. I would like to think a black wool tweed would be best there."
Will grimaced slightly as he said, "The vest is a, um, fine polyester blend made with--"
"Polyester!? C'mon, man!" groaned Devontae from the spectator section beside the sun roof.
"--made with cashmere and merino, giving it both durability and a soft texture," Will finished after a delay, frowning upward.
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Merino wool and cashmere I'm familiar with, certainly have used both before, but what's polyester?"
"Synthetic," said Aengus. "It's a plastic."
Rarity's face looked like she had just been force-fed a three-day old, microwave reheated dogpile. She burst, "Plastic!? You're wearing plastic?! Why would you do this?! What in the name of haute couture were you thinking!?"
"Somebody of your fashion sense and knowledge ought to know how easily cashmere is damaged," Will answered displeased.
"Which is why you should wear wool tweed, like I said! Even angora would be preferable!" Rarity fired back.
"And run around as a fluff ball?! Now which one of us has poor taste!?" Will yelled.
Aengus shouted, "Oy! We're not here to bicker over fabric, and you two will be here half the night quibbling away before we even send out our first Pokemon! Can we do what we came here to do!?"
Both of them shut up. After a moment Will smirked at Aengus and said, "Very well, as you wish. After that outburst, losing against her is not an option!"
{Time to fight. Round Two!}
Aengus threw a Pokeball, hollering, "Come, Mismagius! It's your time to shine!"
"Bronzong, I choose you!" Will yelled.
A dark teal floating droid appeared from Will's ball, with paddle-like arms, and red eyes near its base. Mismagius snickered unsettlingly as it looked across at its opponent. Rarity looked it over and said to Aengus, "I see it's part Steel-type."
"Sure is," Aengus said. "Ran into them in Mt. Coronet. Not easily dropped, especially with Abilities that cover one weakness or the other."
Rarity tapped her chin and mused, "Steel's defense covers Psychic's weaknesses against Bug and Dark, and Psychic covers weakness against Fighting, but Fire and Ground are still available, right?"
"Exactly. Its ability is either Levitating or Heatproof, and most of those I encountered had Levitating," said Aengus. His eyes darkened as he ordered, "Mismagius, use Mystical Fire!"
"Bronzong, use Feint Attack!" Will answered.
"Crap, I forgot they learned that move!" Aengus scoffed, punching himself in the thigh. Fire gathered around Mismagius and shot forward. Bronzong was pushed back, but only for a moment. Aengus grumbled, "...figures."
"So...Ground attacks it is," Rarity muttered with a slight frown. Bronzong began floating in a circle and appeared to fade away. A moment later came a smacking sound as it reappeared, leaving Mismagius looking not very well at all. Rarity frowned as Mismagius wiped at its face with one of its dangling tendrils as she said, "This is off to a bad start."
"Yeah. Yeah it is," grumbled Aengus. "And guess what type Mismagius cannot learn a single thing from. Guess this will do little more than weaken it. Use Shadow Ball!"
"Again, Bronzong!"
Rarity sighed as the dark undulating spheroid came together in front of Mismagius, and slammed into Bronzong. While the impact was not useless, none there were surprised it was not enough to knock out its target. The expected riposte came exactly as it did the round before, sending Mismagius back into her ball. Rarity nickered as Aengus reached for another Pokeball. He yelled, "Excadrill, you're up!"
She came forth from the Pokeball with a fierce smile, looking straight at the machine-Pokemon-thing across from her. Excadrill bounded on the balls of her feet as Aengus ordered, "Use Earthquake!"
Will winced, then shouted, "Confuse Ray, Bronzong!"
With a punch and stomp, Excadrill induced the floor and ground underneath them all to shake, rattle, and roll. Bronzong had toppled and vanished in a parade of pink shards of light. Will sighed through his nose, shaking his head. Excadrill looked back at Rarity with a giddy grin and a thumbs-up, or medial claw as it turned out. Returning the smile, Rarity cheered, "Good job! Keep it going!"
Will yelled, "Sigilyph, go!"
A green, black, and white ball with black forks for hands, blue eyes in its middle, a black eyestalk jutting out of its top, and wings and tail with fork tines instead of feathers in yellow, pale blue, and red flapped and hovered there. Rarity carefully looked over this creature that looked like it had been lifted from a Navajo woven blanket, or rather somebody's attempt to recreate the style. Aengus sighed, "Knew I should have had her learn a Rock-type attack. Oh well. Use Metal Claw!"
"Ice Beam!"
A thin, cyan ray fired out of Sigilyph's body, cleanly hitting Excadrill. She was forced back a step, but quickly tore into Sigilyph's central body. Despite the obvious gouging, there was no blood, or even a mark on Sigilyph. It faltered in its hovering briefly, but nothing more. Rarity muttered under her breath, "Thanks goodness that didn't leave a gaping wound. I don't want to see dinner again."
"Just gonna be small blow for small blow, huh?" Aengus grumbled. He shook his head, and yelled, "Again!"
"Yes, again!" answered Will.
The scene continued playing out just like that, blows exchanged with Sigilyph striking first. For four rounds, this sequence repeated itself, to the irritation of both trainers. Both Pokemon stood a bit wearier after each attack taken, neither seeming any hardier than the other. Boredom carved itself deeper into Rarity's expression, and patience waned on the parts of Aengus and Will. In the fifth such round, Excadrill fainted, simply because Sigilyph moved first. However, it looked like it was not far behind her at all.
Aengus called out, "Go, Rapidash!"
Rarity smiled as she saw her intended beau materialise. He looked back at her, but was not nearly as upset as he was when he saw her against Surge. A hint of pink crept into Rarity's cheek and she uttered an almost inaudible squee as Rapidash said to her, "Hey you."
Will ordered, "Sigilyph, use Air Slash!"
Aengus countered, "Use Poison Jab, Rapidash!"
Rapidash ran forward as a dense purple fog enveloped his horn. Before Sigilyph registered his approach, Rapidash was upon it and stabbing away with the purple glow. Sigilyph dropped to the floor, departing back to its Pokeball. Returning to his position, Rapidash caught Rarity looking right at him. She risked a small smile. He looked away quickly, biting his lip with a small grin and some minor blushing of his own. As he faced forward, Rarity's face broke into the widest smile she had shown or shone in donkey's years, to borrow a phrase from Aengus.
Will threw his next ball. "Slowbro, let's do this!"
Coming from the ball was not a Slowbro. Rarity's face scrunched with wide eyes, unable to break her gaze but partially turning her head anyway. It appeared human-like, wearing the world's worst red mumu, tight only around its unshapely bust where yellow fully framed each "breast." This thing had a purple face and hands, no neck whatsoever, and white sleeves. Both elbows were exaggerated, as if they had two instances of bursitis apiece, both of which had been rotated a quarter turn in opposite directions. Lipstick had been applied with a caulk gun. And how that long blonde hair fell could not look flattering on anyone, anypony, or anymon.
Aengus raised an eyebrow. "Looks like you threw the wrong ball, chum!"
Will looked over the balls on his belt, muttering, "How did I get these out of order? I don't think I've ever done this before...."
"Please tell me this is a Pokemon," Rarity said, shaking her head with a curled lip. "Does...this one's appearance seem off to you two? Seriously, darling, whether a Pokemon or not, you need to work on that look! Right now, the outfit and presentation makes me think of...of a...come on, Rarity, use a word that shows proper etiquette...."
"Just say it! She look like a ho!" Devontae yelled from above, preferring colloquial grammar over correct.
Rarity turned toward the spectator seats with a wide-eyed, open mouth expression. She scolded, "Devontae! You should be ashamed of yourself for being so uncouth! The least you could say is something more polite, like 'call girl,' or 'streetwalker!'"
"Well, she look like a ho! Why sugarcoat it?" Devontae asked, holding both his palms facing upward.
Rarity bit down on a budding comment, and turned back toward the match. Will was shaking his head irritably. He said, "Well, since you're here, Jynx, use Perish Song!"
"Flare Blitz!" Aengus yelled.
Rapidash coated himself in fire as he took off. Jynx had poised herself to sing to a crowd, lifting an arm. Rapidash did not care and trampled her without a second thought. Jynx returned to her ball in the usual way, to which Rarity breathed easier. Rapidash nodded at her with a shrug as he retook his position.
"Let's try this again!" Will yelled as he randomly grabbed one of the three balls he had left. And it still was not Slowbro. This time it was a semi-anthropomorphic upside-down squid, with purple tentacles for hair, a rosy-pink beak, and its two large tentacles now serving as hands and arms. Rolling his eyes, he muttered, "Fine. Malamar it is."
A knowing smile took over Aengus's face. With a slightly sinister glint in his eye, he commanded, "Rapidash...Megahorn this thing."
Will shouted, "Malamar, use Superpower!"
Rapidash again lowered his horn and ran at his opponent, this time sans purple mist. Malamar had tightened up to start wailing on Rapidash, but the horn connected. Rapidash had already turned to stand at his post as Malamar sailed into the back of the room, turning into the yellow sparks there. While he did not look at Rarity this time, Rapidash stood a bit taller than usual, chest puffed out, and a look of confidence. Rarity quietly said, "Keep it going, honey."
Redness came into Rapidash's cheeks for a beat. Will threw another of the balls, saying, "Either way, I've got what I want now!"
Yet again, it was not Slowbro. There was a green-face bird that looked very much like a child's toy. It had a long yellow bill that hooked only at the very end, and white wings with pink and black accents that it folded in front of itself instead of the usual on the back posture. It appeared to have a black bishop's collar, but within its plumage. Something a bit like pink eyes sat embedded on its chest. Its actual eyes appeared slightly glazed over, and staring at something far, far away.
Aengus nodded with an annoyed smirk. "You and those Xatus. Just was a question of when, wasn't it?"
"Naturally," said Will with a triumphant smile. He then bellowed, "Xatu, use Shattered Psyche!"
Aengus rolled his eyes as his shoulders slumped. He muttered, "Sounds like another friggin' Z-move. Why is it bloody everyone suddenly got them all at once? If these crystals have been around for so long, why is it only now people get it, and everyone at that? You'd think it'd take some time for those skills to disseminate, and for rings to be manufactured."
Nervously Rarity murmured, "Hold on strong, honey...."
Aengus whispered to Rapidash, "Buddy, you're gonna need a critical hit this time. Wild Charge. Go."
Arcing electricity surrounded Rapidash as he sprinted, leaving a trail of static sparks in his wake. He slammed into Xatu, who rocked back and forth like a punch-me-clown, the whole time staring blindly into space, eyes unmoving, but righted itself. Rarity said, "A tad unsettling. What's wrong with its eyes?"
"Xatu sees the future with his right eye, and the past with the left," Will said smugly.
"But neither sees the present," Rarity retorted as Will danced, though his movements were far more graceful than Surge's.
Yellow light gathered around Xatu, which erupted into a tutti-frutti pastel mist that blocked out everything else. Rapidash was knocked skyward, smacking into a series of unseen obstacles like a pinball unable to escape the bumpers. Then he did seemingly get away, only to hit a wall that broke the mist away like a smashed window. Rapidash staggered. As he fell onto his side, he weakly said, "Win this one for me, dear...."
Rarity's eyes hardened; all hints of being misty erased instantly at his words when he disappeared into his Pokeball. Rarity stepped forward, taking his place in front of Aengus. He raised an eyebrow. Overhead Devontae laughed in surprise and delight, exclaiming, "Ooh, this's gonna be good!"
"So, you want this one?" Aengus asked firmly.
Rarity didn't even look back as she answered with the same fervor, "Yes."
Aengus's dark smile returned, as did his tone of voice. "Then, use Blizzard!"
Will's face began to look concerned...maybe even worried. He said, "Confuse Ray, Xatu!"
Rarity's horn was already charged. Will had barely gotten the last syllable out before the room was suddenly fill with wind and snow. When it cleared a few seconds later, all got but a brief glimpse of Xatu face down on the floor before it zipped back to its ball. Aengus smirked and said, "Let me guess...Slowbro?"
"But of course," said Will as he deployed his last Pokemon. He sneered, "Is this what you were expecting!?"
"This is NOT a game of 'Voltorb Flip!!'" Aengus snapped as Slowbro materialised, in all its pink "glory."
Rarity shot Slowbro a puzzled look, especially at the shell seemingly munching on its tail. She looked at Aengus, then Will, and asked, "Is it slow physically, or mentally?"
"Both," answered Aengus, Will, and Devontae in unison.
"I see," quipped Rarity as she rolled her eyes.
Aengus ordered, "Rarity, use Shadow Ball!"
"Disable, Slowbro!" Will responded. He pushed aside his bangs, revealing a keystone set into his mask, situated over his sixth chakra. Giving it a push, Will stood up straight. He gestured at Slowbro in a gameshow host sort of way as the whirling light came. When the ball broke, Slowbro was now almost entirely engulfed by the shell.
Rarity charged her horn up and sighed. "My comment about 'Mega Evolutions' still stands."
The dark orb fired from Rarity's horn and caught Slowbro between the eyes, knocking it as close to flat on his back as one could be once engulfed in an oversized whelk shell. As he telekinetically raised himself back to an upright posture, Aengus said, "Did I argue against you? And take it easy. Good shot, yes, but there's no need to look like you're trying to kill something."
"Even if she were, we Psychics don't give up," Will said. "That's what makes us so formidable!"
Aengus frowned as a purple lightning pulse made a twitching spheroid around Rarity. Looking at Will, Aengus said, "Do you ever change what you say? Surely you must be getting tired of it by now."
Will just shrugged. Rarity said, "Something feels...odd."
"He just disabled you from using Shadow Ball for a few rounds," said Aengus. "It'll wear off in a moment."
"I presume the new and larger shell augments his physical defenses substantially, but doesn't do much for special defenses?" Rarity asked with a mischievous grin. Aengus responded with an impressed nod.
"Clever girl...," Will mused, rubbing at a non-existent beard.
"Energy Ball?" Rarity suggested.
"Yes indeed," Aengus laughed.
Scowling, Will yelled, "Slowbro, use Surf!"
The blue aura around Rarity's horn fed into a green ball, which took off at Slowbro. This one cleanly struck Slowbro's centre of mass, knocking him down again. As he got up, water filled the room, running over Rarity with a three-metre swell. As the water cleared, she growled to herself, drenched to the bone. Her mane and tail both were flat as they could get, dragging along the floor. She looked at Aengus and asked, "One more?"
"That should do it," Aengus said with a nod.
Will screamed, "We never give up! Slowbro, use Psychic, and make it count!"
"No chance!" Rarity yelled back. The ball at the tip of her horn was already complete, and thus she sent it on its way. The shot came in much faster this time, knocking Slowbro down yet again, but not before sending him over Will's head. As he slid to a stop, his arms and tail went slack, and he disappeared back into his ball. Devontae cheered from the seats as Rarity dramatically pushed her wet mane out of her face with a flourish.
{Two away now.}
Will's face and posture slumped, most notably at the shoulders. Shaking his head, he breathed, "I...I can't...believe it...."
"Yes, that did just happen, sir," Aengus said with a dark smile.
Something made the room a little brighter. Rarity looked around, eventually turning her eyes upward. With a small gasp, she said, "Luna??"
Aengus said, "I hope there's an explanation that follows."
"The moon just got brighter, and to me it looks clearer, maybe even perfect," Rarity said with a smile.
Aengus and Will both looked up. Will uttered a simple, "Huh."
"So it is," said Aengus. He turned back to Rarity and asked, "Who's Luna?"
"Princess Luna is the Princess of the Night, and shares head-of-state duties with her sister, Princess Celestia," said Rarity with some pride.
Will asked, "How many princesses do you have, where's the king and queen if those two are head-of-state, and how does Princess Twilight stand in all of this?"
"I don't think we've had a king or queen in our history at all, when I think about it. But princesses, there are five. Flurry's an infant. Twilight's the next strongest after her, then Cadance, then the royal sisters. Celestia is the stronger sister, but not by much. And before you ask, there are lesser princes, but the princesses are who's in charge," said Rarity.
Aengus raised an eyebrow. "So...the Kingdom of Equestria...is really just the Principality of Equestria?"
Rarity exhaled with an unladylike expression and flapping of her lips. She flatly said, "Whatever. Equestria's home, and that's what matters to me. Don't we have a challenge to be getting on with?"
Will nodded. Speaking in goadingly knowing tones, he said, "You do. I won't change my course, and I expect you won't either. Go on. Continue squaring off with the might and ferocity of the Elite Four! Bruno's waiting for you, Aengus...."
{Couldn't leave that name well-enough alone, eh?.}
Aengus growled at the mention of that name, glowering at Will's sneer. He hurriedly marched out of the room into the connecting hallway. Still in a snit he pulled out the necessary healing items and a few berries from his satchel, applying them to the appropriate balls without a word. Rarity quietly pondered how it was that this Bruno could be that good a trainer, that even with a focus around a specific type, he was Aengus's stumbling block, the one hurdle he could never jump over. So much of his hopes rested on her little shoulders. And fulfilling those hopes was the ticket home that she had agreed to. They had to succeed.
Luna's coming here did not bode well. Rarity knew the pain Luna experienced in Nightmare form. She knew that once she's enraged, there was little chance of stopping her, even for Celestia. An enraged Luna could easily start and wage a war victoriously. Rarity knew she could win the day here so much faster if she had that kind of strength and drive. She truly wished she had Luna's power, that she could blast through just about anything immediately, under the light of her perfect moon. But she was no alicorn; she was just Rarity. Luna could just take the moon and blast an opponent. Musing on this, Rarity considered what a Moonblast might look like, and kept it in mind for later, should the need arise.
Having finished healing his team, Aengus stood up. He handed Rarity a can of lemonade and said, "Here. This will help you feel better after being drenched."
Rarity nodded and took a long draught. Her lips immediately puckered as she barely squeaked out, "Did they add more lemon and remove some sugar? My goodness, that's sour...."
"Let the lemon do its job," Aengus said as he slowly started down the hall. Rarity took another sip to the same reaction. He just snorted in response, and said, "We still have Koga before Bruno."
Rarity added, "And Karen after that."
"Precisely. That's why I don't want you in this next fight if it can be avoided," said Aengus.
"Come again?"
Aengus sighed. He laid a hand on her head, and absentmindedly began scratching behind her ears again. He said, "Koga is the world's finest Poison-type specialist. There are none above him. His tactics are at least as much psychological as they are physical. Since you're effectively a Fairy-type, Koga's about as dangerous to you as they come. That's why I don't want you in the fight."
"Ah. I see," said Rarity, not even trying to mask her disappointment.
"It's to keep you in tip-top shape for Bruno and Karen," Aengus said. "Both of them are weak against Fairy-type moves, and...wait, did you really just learn another move?"
"I think so?" Rarity offered sheepishly.
He rolled his eyes with a slight grin. "You amaze me, Rarity. I'll be sad when you have to head home."
Rarity smiled with a coy shift of her posture away from him, but still meeting his gaze. She said, "We'll worry about that when we get there. Let's take care of Koga."
"Aye, let's," said Aengus as he pushed open the door to the next room. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 22 - Vs. Koga | {Prepare for round three.}
The third battle chamber again had its field marked in white, albeit subdued. No sunroof meant no moonlight, and all the artificial light sources were recessed, indirect, and dim. Tree foliage in the room had a bluish hue. Ground-level flora included poison ivy, belladonna, several varieties of hemlock, and some white mushroom. Rarity was no mycologist, but the skirt-like thing on the mushroom's stalk made it look like an "amanita," or something phonetically similar that Sweetie Belle prattled about after doing her homework one evening. Flagstones of a dull lavender made up the battlefield. Aengus said, "Destroying angels and everything. Certainly likes to flaunt his poison."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'destroying angels?' I don't see anything heavenly in here at all."
Aengus pointed and said, "See those white mushrooms? Those are called 'destroying angels,' and aren't just poisonous, but deadly poisonous."
"Oh," said Rarity. "Thought I remember it as an amanita."
"A variety of amanita, yes."
"How do you know this?" Rarity asked.
"Grew up dirt poor, remember? Had to go into the woods and find enough to supplement what mom bought at the grocers. You learn quickly what plants and mushrooms are edible and which ones are poisonous like that," Aengus said sadly.
A rough low tenor/high baritone called out, "Back again, Aengus?"
An aging ninja had appeared in the middle of the room, wearing no head cover at all. His short, spiky hair was grey-white, and frown lines creased his face. He wore a black gi with armoured kneepads, elbow pads, and shin guards. A red capelet fell over his right shoulder.
Aengus smiled at the ninja. "Sure am, Koga. I'm surprised you remembered me. Will didn't."
Koga nodded with a closed-mouth grin. "Will is an excellent trainer, with powerful Pokemon, yes, but he himself is not a warrior. I am."
"So it's safe to presume what you're wearing isn't just a personal style, but the style of your...army? Guild? My apologies; I've had no sort of interaction with...uh, fighters of your sort," Rarity said somewhat sheepish.
Cracking a slight grin while narrowing his eyes a touch, Koga replied, "'Clan' is the word you're looking for, Rarity."
She curtsied and said, "Clan, then. Good to make your acquaintance, Mr. Koga."
"Charmed," he answered, not exactly in a charmed tone. "And just 'Koga' will do. Quite the impression you make: Legendary Pokemon wanting to talk to you, Mythical Pokemon tracking you down across multiple regions to talk to you. Looks to me like some consider you a threat."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Me? A threat? Whatever do you mean?"
Koga's expression and voice were stern as he crossed his arms. "Ho-Oh came to talk to you, others watching be damned, when his distrust of people is well-known. Keldeo tried to physically drag you away from your trainer, or whatever relationship you wish to say you have with Aengus. In case you could not tell, both are quite unusual, for both of those Pokemon. Perhaps this has something to do with your ilk's encampment in The Great Marsh, and the host of the world's strongest Pokemon all there keeping close tabs? I can't blame them; I'd be doing the same, what with an army knocking on the door. With the number of you ponies coming and going through that portal on a daily basis, I surmise your friend, the princess, has a force of at least twenty-five hundred more soldiers encamped on the other side. Likely five-thousand-plus. And she herself already showed Cynthia that her best Pokemon have no chance against her in combat."
"What're you tryin' to say, brah?!" Devontae demanded from the spectator seats above.
Aengus frowned. "And how did you know about Keldeo?"
"I was there, outside, watching and listening, not ten feet from you, Aengus," Koga answered smugly.
"Where?" Rarity spluttered, bafflement riddling her face and voice.
"Ninjutsu, the art of stealth, is my trade, little pony," Koga sneered. "Even wearing a red cape, you did not see me. Only a few have mastered the ways, including my daughter. But I am the keeper of the ways."
Rarity tightened her lips before saying, "So I gathered."
"For your question, Devontae," Koga began, looking up. "It's quite simple, what that spells: invasion. Sure, all the platitudes say they're here for Rarity and this elusive 'Trixie,' but this song and dance in all its variations has been recorded in the annuls of history time and again."
"We certainly are not!" Rarity protested.
Looking at her sideways, Koga pressed, "And how can you tell, being separated from the rest of your kind?"
"Koga, sir, it's obvious there's little either of you can do to convince the other. We intend to return her after earning the championship," Aengus said bluntly. "I'd rather get on with it than continue the accusatory guesswork."
{Go time again.}
Koga grunted. Throwing a ball, he yelled, "So be it! Go, Scolipede!"
"Excadrill, let's go!" Aengus answered. An oversized magenta centipede appeared across from Excadrill. With a snort, Aengus commented, "Two from Unova to start, eh?"
Shaking his head with a frown, Koga muttered, "So it would seem. Use Toxic Spikes!"
Aengus grouched, "Entry hazard...go figure. Excadrill, Aerial Ace!"
Scolipede hurled a cereal box's worth of purple caltrops around the feet of Excadrill that seemed to disappear there almost immediately. Excadrill lunged forward, slashing her left foreclaw in a swallow-tailed strike. Scolipede reeled and staggered, backing up a few steps. Breathing hard, it shook its head and stepped back to the line.
Aengus grinned, and ordered, "One more, Excadrill, and that should do it!"
"Steamroller, Scolipede!" Koga answered.
Rarity looked up at Aengus and said, "I see this time you started off with the advantage."
A grin crossed Aengus's face as Scolipede curled up and rolled over Excadrill. She didn't seem much bothered by the attack. As she repeated her move from the first round, Aengus answered, "Sure did. Nice being on the other side of it for once."
Scolipede fainted, gracelessly tipping over with a thud. Koga threw another ball, yelling, "Dragalge, you're up next!"
"Seriously?" Aengus replied with an eyebrow up. "You know it's too slow against an Excadrill, right? Use Earthquake!"
"Dragalge, use Hydro Pump!" Koga ordered, not even looking at Aengus when he spoke.
Koga's Pokemon looked nearly identical to some faux-pony marine life Rarity had seen in pictures, namely the muddy sea dragon, though it was a colour family off in places. In one leafy "paw" was a well-shined bear's claw. She could never forget that species. She designed, sewed, and wore a costume of one for her first Nightmare Night after getting her cutie mark. To this day her design was rated as the best youth-designed Nightmare Night costume across Equestria. Rarity could not help but to chuckle at the memory. Aengus looked down at her as Excadrill made the floor dance, and asked, "What's so funny?"
"Just remembering something from when I was a filly," Rarity said with a smile. "But now's not the time for nostalgia, I dare say."
Dragalge flopped onto the now-still floor, fading into pale blue sparks that disappeared into a Pokeball. Rarity and Excadrill exchanged a hoof-/claw-bump as Aengus replied, "True. Stay focused."
Koga snarled, "Since you don't want slow, how about something fast!? Crobat, your turn!"
Once freed from its ball, a large, dark purple, sleek bat hovered before Koga. Both of its feet had been swapped out for another set of wings. Aengus shook his head. "Even after all those years, and with everything new available, some still remain in your lineup, huh? Paddy would just hate this."
"Hate what? Apart from the, uh...obvious mutation, what's wrong with this bat?" Rarity asked.
Aengus sighed, "Remember when he rambled about Zubat and Golbat?"
"Yes...is this the final form?"
Aengus nodded. He muttered under his breath before bellowing, "Definitely should've had her learn a Rock-type attack. Well...use Metal Claw!"
Sneering, Koga answered, "Crobat, use Confuse Ray!"
"Ray" was not at all an apt word for Crobat's action. This did not look the same as when she saw this move used on the SS Sakura. A ball of light half the size of a golf ball danced out of Crobat's mouth, moving in an uneven wave pattern with an exaggerated magnitude until it caught Excadrill. Her eyes immediately went out of focus. Charging, Excadrill moved to strike Crobat with her right front claw raised. She jumped and slashed, catching herself in the belly and missed Crobat by a sixty degree angle, whom had not even attempted to dodge. As Excadrill staggered back to her place in front of Aengus, Rarity said, "This again?"
"Remember me saying his attacks were also psychological? Koga's known to terrorise young challengers who don't know how to handle their Pokemon whittle their own selves down," Aengus explained.
Koga ordered, "Fly, Crobat!"
"Looks like it already is," Rarity commented sardonically.
Frowning, Aengus said, "Guess it doesn't matter which move. Metal Claw, I guess."
Crobat flew up high, to in front of Devontae's seat in the spectator section. He looked over the Pokemon and said, "Look, we're not supposed to feed the animals, okay? My popcorn."
"What's it doing up there?" Rarity asked as Excadrill lunged forward and slashed, only to find her target was way out of reach.
Aengus said, "The move 'Fly' is a two-turn attack. First turn, get some height. Second turn, drop onto the opponent from above. So let's get it this time! Metal Claw again!"
Almost as if that was its cue, Crobat tucked its wings into a fast dive, popping Excadrill on its descent. Excadrill staggered, went to strike, and flopped. She somehow managed to throw her legs upward with the graceless attempt to attack, landing on the crown of her head. Excadrill did not appear to remember anything at all for a moment.
"One more time!" Koga yelled.
"Geez," grumbled Aengus. "Slow knockouts are the worst. You see it coming long before it arrives, but there's not much that can be done to stop it...Metal Claw. Puh."
The next two rounds played out about the same as the previous two, except Excadrill faceplanted when going to strike a target that was no longer there. And she also fainted after Crobat dropped upon her. Devontae had no commentary for Crobat this time; he instead opted for a cross-armed mothering look of imminent scolding and/or paddling as he set his bucket of popcorn behind him.
Aengus threw his next ball. "Rapidash, you can get this one!"
Rarity smiled. When Rapidash appeared and found her gaze, he winked at her. She tittered briefly, earning a raised eyebrow from Koga. Rapidash winced as one of the purple caltrops appeared underneath as he set his foot down. He looked...violet. Aengus shouted, "Rapidash, use Wild Charge!"
"Uh, no. Crobat, Confuse Ray!" Koga answered.
The weird light shone again, striking Rapidash. His balance wavered. He shook his head rapidly, then took off at a full canter, electricity jumping off of him. Crobat hunkered down just above the ground, poised to suddenly jut to one side or the other. As Rapidash neared, Crobat flitted upward quickly, but to no avail: Rapidash had jumped. Crobat bounded and skidded across the floor before disappearing into a series of pink sparks. Rapidash's gaze was off-balance as he returned to his spot before Aengus. Once there, Rarity strode up to him. She wait for both his eyes to be on her, then she nuzzled him, rubbing her muzzle against his. He closed his eyes and returned the gesture, to a delighted gasp from Rarity.
Koga, however, watched both of them intently, one finger upon the end of his nose, tapping thoughtfully once every few seconds. His hand stilled as a malignant grin wormed across his face with angrily happy eyes. He stood up straight, and threw his next Pokeball. "Salazzle, I have a job for you!"
From the ball came a feminine dark lizard, somewhat crocodilian in the snout, but with very smooth scales. Above she was nearly black, and below a medium-dark grey. Pink markings on her chest and sides just above the hip traced letter-like shapes. Countershading on the tail was the same pink. Two much smaller tails jutted from above her main tail. Her face was slathered with an up-to-no-good smirk, maybe even lascivious. Both of her eyes locked on Rapidash as she licked her lips. Rarity glared at her, snapping, "You better get that thought out of your head right now, missy!"
Koga chuckled darkly. He ordered, "Salazzle, use Attract!"
Aengus's eyes widened. He quickly said, "Rarity, whatever happens, remember it's just because of a Pokemon move; it won't last longer than this battle. Okay?"
Rarity raised an eyebrow at him. "O...kay??"
"It won't be real. Keep your head on straight," he pressed. Turning to Rapidash, Aengus said, "Another from Alola, I guess. Try Flare Blitz."
"Oh, you wouldn't want to hurt little old me, would you?" Salazzle cooed, standing up on two legs, and turning away coyly. She blew a kiss with a wink, and, facing away, lifted her tail ever so slightly. "You big, strong hunk...!"
A pink hue overtook Rapidash's pupils. He stood there swaying back and forth a little, bearing a stupefied, besotted smile. He would not budge as he nickered at Salazzle a little too happily. Rarity's face fell as tears started welling up. She sniffled, "But...but Rapidash...."
Salazzle turned toward Rarity and said, "Best get used to it, chica. Males always jump ship when a better female shows interest. Always."
A vicious, sneering smile shone from Koga. Devontae yelled, "Uncool, brah!"
Koga openly laughed, and said, "Young man, you ought to know by now that as long as you're not attacking the trainer, all's fair in love and Pokemon battles!"
Rarity quietly sobbed to herself. She moaned, "Rapidash...."
Aengus sharply said, "I told you it's not real! It's just the effect of that move!"
"Oh, honey, you know it's real, 'cuz I'm hot-blooded!" Salazzle countered. "And like so many others, your man wants me over you!"
{Things go south.}
Rarity's jaw quivered as she glared at Salazzle. Aengus declared, "I don't know what she's telling you, but she lies! Don't listen! Rapidash, try Wild Charge!"
"Salazzle, use Venoshock!" Koga shouted.
Rolling her hips, Salazzle slowly sauntered up to Rapidash, who was still swaying. Glowing magenta orbs gathered, swirled, and danced around Rapidash, and all rushed into him as Salazzle lustfully said, "Tell me how much you want me, you naughty boy...!"
Rapidash breathed a long, low droning that should have been a comprehensible syllable, but failed to be. Salazzle cupped her hand under Rapidash's snout, pressing their faces together cheek-to-cheek. Still holding them together, she turned both of their eyes toward Rarity and cheerfully said, "Aren't we just adorable together? Rapidash and I make such a cute couple! So much cuter than you could hope to be with him. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"
Rapidash absentmindedly nodded. Rarity broke down, mascara running all down her face. Rarity wanted to pound that lizard, just pummel her senseless. Being rejected by Trender Hoof hurt, but paled in comparison. Never had she ever dreamed of feeling this way. The word "heartbroken" finally was something real, something that made sense, and was understood. As much as it hurt, she was angry. She felt fury. She felt rage. Pummeling Salazzle might not have been enough to sate Rarity. She knew no Ground-type attacks, but she could imagine one. She could see the shaking ground suddenly burst under Salazzle a few times, and make her feel that pain. Still crying, but with a livid glower, she imagined it, pretended, yearned, that she could take such an Earth Power and teach that lizard to find her own male companion, and get her claws off of Rapidash.
Salazzle started back for her spot in front of Koga, dragging a finger along the underside of Rapidash's muzzle, who looked barely conscious. She arched her back toward him as she went, saying, "Just a moment, lover."
Rarity snarled. She started scraping at the ground with her front hooves, tears still flowing freely. Devontae worriedly called out, "Uh, Aengus? I think you should get her out of there."
Aengus grabbed Rarity by the shoulders. Giving her a shake, he said, "Listen to me! It's just what the move 'Attract' does! It won't last past this battle! Keep it together!"
Salazzle retorted in a sing-song voice, "He's a big fibber! Your heart is chopped liver!" She chortled, then continued abusively, "Even if I don't see him again, he'll be wishing you were me!"
Rarity's entire body convulsed as she gritted her teeth. Veins bulged on her forehead, legs, and eyeballs. She could not speak. Nothing but broken hisses and grunts escaped her throat. A mist shot from her nose as she exhaled, not steam, but a few ice microcrystals wafted before melting again. Koga ordered, "One more Venoshock, Salazzle!"
"Rapidash, buddy, don't let your girlfriend down! Wild Charge!" Aengus shouted. He then turned to Rarity. His head jerked back, and cautiously he said, "Calm down, Rarity. She's just trying to get to you. It's not real!"
Salazzle goadingly laughed as she strutted toward Rapidash, licking her lips and rubbing herself up and down her sides, sighing contentedly. Gently she held Rapidash's head with both hands, looked at Rarity, and taunted, "Let me show how real it is!"
"Is she really gonna...?" Devontae began in disgust.
Salazzle leaned in for a kiss, leading with her tongue. Koga stared wide-eyed, with two blinks as his right fingertips found their way to his mouth. Aengus simply glared with flaring nostrils. Rarity's tears had been replaced with falling ice as the magenta orbs appeared again. Salazzle opened her eyes in the middle of her making out with the entranced Rapidash, hers looking straight into Rarity's. As she broke the kiss, Salazzle licked Rapidash's lips as she leaned away. He keeled over, disappearing into his Pokeball. With a wink at where he was, Salazzle cooed, "Dream of me, lover."
Salazzle shook her hips slowly as she returned to her place in front of Koga. As Aengus reached for his next Pokeball, Rarity pointed a trembling hoof at him, barking, "No! I got this!!"
Devontae hollered, "Brah! She gonna go HAM! Get her outta there!!"
"She wants to fight this badly, then she can fight," Aengus said with a dark grin. Rarity's horn had already powered up.
Salazzle sneered, "I bet he's already dreaming he's bedding me! I bet he's all--" and she dropped her front legs to bring her shoulders near the ground, straightened her back legs, and kicked her tail over her back. Bumping her hips backwards repeatedly, she faux-moaned, "Oh, Salazzle! I think I love you, Salazzle! Oh yes, yes, YES!!"
"Ew...," Aengus blurted with an upturned, scrunched nose at the tone. Koga blinked rapidly as his mouth parted, his upper lip curling and his face blanching.
"You...," Rarity growled as a secondary aura surrounded her horn, spurting blue sparks every which way. For a split-second, her pupils partially contracted into cat-like slits.
"Yes, me," Salazzle answered. "Even if you get lucky with him, it'll be me he's imagining the whole while!"
Devontae pounded on the railing, yelling, "Aengus! She's gonna lose her shit!!"
Koga grimaced uncomfortably and said, "Too far, Salazzle. Just use Flamethrower."
Rarity screamed, "YOU--" and used a word that made Aengus's and Devontae's jaws both drop "--WHORE!!!"
She incomprehensibly roared as the ground burst all over, most of it under Salazzle, but close enough to Koga and Aengus from them both to fall back a number of steps. Salazzle was juggled by the bursting ground, spun around and tossed about like a toddler's rag doll. She screamed out, not in ecstasy, or bogus excitement, but agony. Only unbridled pain. One last burst from below, and Salazzle tumbled back to the floor. Devontae blurted in a stunned, overwhelmed tone of voice, "Jesus...."
{This...is very bad....}
Salazzle could not move much, let alone stand up. A red splat came from her coughing. She lay on her side, twitching all over in no pattern whatsoever, staring vacantly with rapid, broken, small breaths. Blood oozed from her mouth in a slow, steady trickle. Despite the obvious defeat, Salazzle's ball was not taking her back in. She murmured, "So thirsty...so...cold...."
Rarity approached. She looked different, although the furious shake to her remained. Her coat seemed a pale pastel blue. Both her mane and tail were no longer purple, but a cerulean and indigo, the specific shades seen in glacial ice. A freezing mist billowed behind her. Hoarfrost manifested around her feet with every step, slow to melt away. Aengus, Koga, and Devontae all stood in shock as Rarity continued her slow march up to Salazzle. Standing over her, Rarity looked down her nose upon her defeated opponent, her eyes viper-like in shape. Salazzle could not raise her head, but still twitched with blood coming out of her mouth at its unvarying, unhurried pace. Her pink markings, including the underside of her tail, were losing colour and quickly. Rarity coldly said, "What's wrong? Out of smart comments?"
Salazzle's glazed-over eye looked toward Rarity. A hidden door in the side of the room opened. Out rushed three men wearing teal surgical masks and gowns, two women dressed as nurses pushing a gurney with surgical equipment, and two Blisseys. Both of these Pokemon wore nurse's caps. One carried an IV stand, and the other brought a clear plastic box holding quite a number of IV bags; many of them were blood. Rarity did not look over or acknowledge them in any way as she continued even icier, "Was that as good for you as it was for me?"
"Rarity...that's enough. Go calm down," Aengus said softly. His voice seemed hollow, disquieted, and disappointed. A click from her Pokeball, and Rarity suddenly found herself back in the round room.
Rarity muttered angrily and inaudibly to herself, pacing back and forth with the occasional louder syllable, or stomp; her eyes, however, had returned back to normal with round pupils, albeit livid. Hoarfrost became a rough, thin sheet of ice once she laid down enough layers. Feraligatr, Mismagius, and Salamence anxiously looked on from their pictures on the wall. After a moment, Feraligatr timidly offered, "You, uh...gonna be okay there, champ?"
Salamence looked upward, and said, "Duty calls."
His picture disappeared. Rarity seemed not to notice as she continued as if she was uninterrupted, still fuming words to herself. Feraligatr and Mismagius looked at each other nervously. A moment later, Feraligatr sheepishly joshed, "There's...something wrong with your mother? Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but--"
"Feraligatr, this is hardly the time for such nonsense!" Mismagius protested. "Rarity, what's wrong?"
"Seriously, this is worrisome. Never seen anything of the like out of you," Feraligatr said earnestly. "A joke to break the tension getting no response whatsoever is odd, and the ice is not a good addition. Mega Evolved Pokemon return as their regular selves, which tells me something else happened."
Rarity still continued as she was. Another long awkward silence passed. Mismagius sadly said, "There's nothing we can do to help you if you won't talk, Rarity."
The icy mist began to fade as her colouration slowly returned to normal. But she still paced a moment before huffing, "That little bitch. She got what she deserved."
"Cussing is also a bad addition," Feraligatr said with an uneasy grimace.
Mismagius frowned and said, "The world is overrun with little bitches. Which one did what?"
"That Pokemon Koga had, that Salazzle, trying to take Rapidash from me!" Rarity exploded.
"Trying to take him away...how? Did she use the move 'Attract?'" Mismagius asked.
"Well, yes, but--"
"That's it, then," Mismagius interrupted. "I hate that move. I was at the receiving end once, and found myself fawning over a damn Jigglypuff! A Jigglypuff!! You know how idiotic they look? There's nothing cute about them! What's worse is that consciously, I knew I didn't care for him at all, even emotionally I didn't want a thing to do with him. Yet there I was, swaying back and forth like a twit over his stupid teal eyes."
"Be that as it may, that doesn't excuse her salacious remarks, or that she Prench kissed him in front of me! Stuck her tongue into his mouth before her lips reached him!" Rarity exploded again.
"Yuck," said Mismagius queasily. "He's gonna want mouthwash."
"I should like to hope so!" Rarity said curtly.
"You said it's Koga out there, right?" Feraligatr asked.
"Yes, why?"
Feraligatr shook his head. "He likes to mess with his opponents' emotions, especially Pokemon."
Salamence's face appeared, looking quite pale with a streak of anger. Very flatly he asked, "Why, Rarity?"
Rarity cocked her head to one side as she asked, "Why...what?"
"Dude, really?" Feraligatr interjected. "You close a battle victoriously against one of the Elite Four, and you don't tell us about it?"
"Fine," grouched Salamence. "Mega Evolved, one-shotted a Mega Beedrill with Zen Headbutt, then one-shotted a Muk with Zen Headbutt as well. Satisfied?"
"And you got back in a snit too. Just what's Koga doing out there?" Feraligatr asked.
"Not him. Her. Rarity," Salamence pressed.
Mismagius said, "She was just explaining to us how some Pokemon Koga used tried to take Rapidash away from her, but she didn't know how the move Attract works."
"A broken heart is no justification!!" Salamence yelled.
Feraligatr slowly turned. Suspiciously he said, "That tone worries me. When you said this Salazzle 'got what she deserved,' what did you do?"
Rarity frowned, taking a step back. She said, "I let her have it. Popped her good."
"You did way more than 'pop her good,' Rarity!" Salamence spat.
"Not that we're gonna find out more right now," Feraligatr grumbled as a light flashed over Rarity's head.
{Gotta get your head back in the game.}
A moment later Rarity found herself back in the regular world. There stood Aengus, tending to his in-ball Pokemon with the array of healing items he kept on-hand. With a sigh she stood beside him, and said, "I apologise for my outburst earlier."
Aengus turned and gave her a long hard look. Still silent, he resumed healing the rest of his party. Her ears flattened as her face and shoulders drooped. After another moment, she sadly asked, "Is there anything I can do?"
"Keep your head on straight, like I said," Aengus snapped as he stood up. "I had concerns, wondering if I could keep my own emotions in check, but it seems the one I was hoping to keep me levelheaded was the one that needed to be watched. I should have tried to do some more to warn you about that move, but the point remains, what you did was way too much."
"You're right," Rarity sighed as she turned back. "I should go apologise to Koga."
"No!" Aengus urged, pulling her away from the door to the previous room. "Don't get near Koga ever again, for your own safety."
Rarity shot him a perplexed face. She stood there, mulling it over for the better part of a half-minute. Then her eyes widened as she gasped. Still with fully-opened, unblinking eyes, she softly pleaded, "How bad did I hurt her?"
Aengus frowned. He hesitated, then said, "If you want, we'll talk about it later, but right now I need you focus on the task at-hand, or 'at-hoof' if you'd rather."
"Um...."
Aengus knelt down and held Rarity close. He said, "If it happens again, it happens. Don't worry about it, because it happens from time to time. Don't try to repeat it, obviously, but if it happens again, shake it off. Stay focused on the win. We're almost done here."
"Yes, of course," she said, almost as a knee-jerk.
A worry sank deeply into her gut at the lack of direct answers about what occurred. There were not many possibilities here. One filled her with dread and guilt. But she had to bring her mind back into focus. Aengus stood up and led her down the hall. As they neared the door, he asked, "Are you going to be okay?"
"Whether I am or not, it's a little late now," Rarity answered. "You have a monkey to get off of your back."
"Yeah," he said grabbing the doorknob. "Hope you're ready...Bruno...." |
Rarity Gets Caught | 23 - Vs. Bruno | {Somebody was waiting for you.}
Devontae opened the door to the spectator seats above Bruno's chamber. Vents above the main chamber prevented the seating from becoming part of a convection oven. He descended some stairs to the first row of seats. Looking up, he gasped; an alto voice said, "Have a seat, Devontae."
Sitting there was a tall and slender woman nearing middle age. Hers was a pale complexion. She wore a yellow tank with an azure shrug, white capris, matching azure flats, and an ornamental belt. Her hair was just past shoulder length, pale blue with thick grey streaks in three places. She bore a satisfied grin as she patted the A13 seat beside her.
He pursed his lips, shrugged, and said, "Uh...okay."
Taking his newly assigned seat, Devontae stared down at the scene below. Aengus had not arrived yet. Bruno sat in the middle of the room, intently watching something on a small TV. A sigh left Devontae half-heartedly. He shot the woman next to him a sideways glance, then resumed looking forward at the nothing-at-all happening below. A crowd cheering whispered from the tiny television set, quickly followed by a collective groan of disappointment. Devontae shrugged, and set the bucket of popcorn in his lap, absentmindedly munching on a few kernels. Without even looking over, this woman reached over and grabbed some popcorn. Devontae looked down at the hand in his food, then at its owner, then back at the hand, furrowing his brow. Taking a bite, she happily sighed, "Oh, good. I was hoping you got extra butter."
"What the...what...what??" Devontae sputtered, moving the popcorn out of her reach.
The woman looked him over with an amused grin. She asked, "You do know who I am, right?"
"Um...Karen, the Champion, yes?" Devontae answered hesitantly.
"That's right."
Devontae's eyes darted between arbitrary points around her that pointedly were not any part of Karen as he muttered, "I, uh, thought you had longer hair?"
With a chuckle Karen said, "I did, but it was too much of a pain to keep dealing with every morning."
A crunching behind them made Devontae turn. There stood Koga, eating some of his popcorn as well. He commented, "I concede the point. It is better with extra butter."
Devontae sat agape, his head cocked slightly to the left, his left eye partially squinted, and his right wide open. Karen took her index finger under Devontae's chin, and closed his mouth. She looked up at Koga and said, "Empty bellies never help anything. Sit down. Have a bite."
"Too old for this kind of junk food," Koga grumbled as he sat down on the other side of Devontae.
Devontae looked at Koga up close. He blinked, then turned and looked back at Karen, and then to Koga again. Then he stared straight ahead, unblinking, and shrinking at the shoulder. Karen took another handful of the popcorn and ate them a few at a time. Koga sighed through his nose, and grunted, looking down at Bruno. She swallowed the last of that handful, leaned forward to look around Devontae, and asked, "Are you going to be okay?"
Koga did not turn, but frowned as he softly said, "In time."
"It's good you're being honest about this," answered another man's voice behind them. Devontae twisted around, and his face faltered. Taking the seats behind them were Will and Surge. Devontae blinked twice, with a lengthy gap between, before just facing forward again. As he sat, Will continued, "You know I'd call you out if you lied."
"Hey, could you pass the popcorn?" Surge asked with a smile. With a tiny whimper, Devontae forced a tight-lipped grin, despite his eyes going wide, holding the bucket aloft. Surge took it with both hands and swiftly tucked in. After a few chomps, and without swallowing, Surge joyfully commented, "Ooh! Extra butter!"
Will said, "No thanks. Nothing but fat and empty carbs."
"Delicious fat and empty carbs," Surge corrected him, chomping on some more.
"If you say so," Will quipped, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.
Koga grumbled, "So great we spent all that money to have these seats installed when they're almost never used. I think this is the most we've had up here at once."
Devontae folded his hands in his lap and did not move anything except his eyes. A moment passed, with no sound except Surge eating Devontae's popcorn, and the occasional noise from Bruno's TV. A moment later, Surge said, "This isn't making him feel at ease at all. May as well start before he winds himself up any tighter."
"Ah hell...," Devontae uttered under his breath.
"Do you know why we're all here talking to you right now?" Karen asked bluntly.
Devontae opened his mouth as if he had something to say, stopped, tapped his chin a moment, and said, "Just a guess, really. It's about what happened a few minutes ago, between Rarity and that 'Salazzle' Pokemon?"
"Right again, though that's not all," said Karen.
Devontae exhaled hard, long, and low, emptying his lungs as much as humanly possible. He shook his head, took a deep breath, and rationalised to them, "I tried to tell him she was losin' it. She's had a shitty day, got her nose busted by some young female throwing a full can of hairspray at her face, then...that."
"She is not the victim!!" Koga snapped, glaring shurikens at Devontae.
"Look, brah, even you said Salazzle took things too far," Devontae countered. "What the hell was all that? 'Attract' doesn't have all that other crap attached to it!"
Calmly, Karen clasped Devontae on the shoulder and said, "She followed her orders. The 'job' for Salazzle was to mess with Aengus's head, or Rarity's. She showed herself as the more vulnerable of the two, making herself an easy mark. And Rarity definitely reacted, much too strongly."
"The rest leaves questions of legal procedure," Will said.
"Then where do I fit into this?" Devontae asked with a slight frown.
Surge said, "Your orders are to keep close tabs on the young Mr. Meagher, and the pony. Anything unusual or suspicious, we need to know immediately. If she's a spy, scout, or vanguard, we must counter the threat."
Devontae grouched, "Hey, she didn't come here on her own! Aengus--"
"We know what he claims!" Koga barked. "Many of us don't buy it!"
"And that is why we need you to monitor both brothers. Padraíg's hybrid worries me more than Rarity does. If the hybrid indeed got the best of both worlds, none of us here could stop her," Will said irritably. "Whose side is this hybrid on? Does she consider herself more pony, or Pokemon? More to the point, what happens if, in realising her power, she turns on Padraíg? She'll make short work of the rest of his team."
"And that begs the question if Princess Twilight could defeat this hybrid," said Surge.
Devontae said, "He just arrived at university today, keeping his so-called 'Trixie' with him."
"And he, Professor Elm, and Professor Oak all got straight to work," said Karen. "My informants tell me Professor Rowan is on his way to New Bark Town, as are both Professors Juniper from Unova. That's an awful lot of examination for one being to sit through. How many creatures are willing long-term lab rats?"
Sighing and shaking his head, Devontae muttered, "The curious, the ignorant, the desperate, and the well-paid."
"Yes, precisely. So you understand, then, the unlikelihood of her willingness to stay," said Surge.
"Yes, but, you said there was more," Devontae said with uncertainty.
Karen nodded slowly. Will leaned forward and said, "Has it become evident to you that none of us are getting any younger?"
Devontae half-heartedly shrugged. "Grow old or die young. Life isn't kind in the options it gives."
Karen said, "While true, that's neither here nor there. Point is, look at us. Go on, take a moment." She paused while Devontae did as he was told. "Bruno, Will, and I have spent most of our adult lives here. So did Lance. I think that's part of why he was so gung-ho to head for the World Elite Four. It might also explain why Lorelei left when she did. While it's nice to have the title 'Champion,' it comes with a poignant boredom. Since Lance departed, I've not had a single battle. None. No one has made it to me."
Devontae's eyebrows shot up. Koga said, "Aengus's battle was the thirteenth I've had since Karen became Champion. He will be Bruno's third opponent in that time."
Devontae exclaimed, "But that was eight months ago!"
"We're intricately familiar with that fact," said Will. "At least one challenger has come every week, though it's usually two or three. The most we saw in a single week? Six. But less than ten percent of them made it past the good colonel, here."
Surge grinned and said, "Of those I lost to, you were the only type specialist. The only. And that includes the four Ground-type specialists I sent packing."
Pursing his lips, Devontae nodded slowly. He mused, "Sounds like y'all are building up to offering a spot in the Elite Four, if I tattle on Aengus and Paddy."
"Perceptive," said Koga with a nod.
Devontae said, "Have to be, growin' up in the inner city."
Karen pointed around, saying, "Everyone here, all of us, including Bruno, have a criminal past."
Devontae hesitated, then answered, "You do?"
Surge answered, "Yeah. You too. Nice attempt to deflect, but not enough."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Devontae said quickly, crossing his arms.
Karen snickered. With a small grin she said, "Oh, we know about the burglaries and heists, and how quick you are to point to your nine Not Guilty verdicts. But we also know you got away cleanly from a few. That bank job was something."
Sweat beaded on Devontae's forehead. "Still don't know what you're talking about."
"Had a Flareon use Dig to get under the Goldenrod First Savings Bank's safe, then with carefully controlled uses of Ember melted away at the safe's bottom, clear out the drawers overhead, then use Dig again to fill the dirt back in behind you? That was brilliant. Giovanni would've loved to have had you back then," said Surge.
Will cut Devontae off before he could deny anything else, saying, "As I said when I got here, I know when people are lying. You knew perfectly well what we're talking about. You'd fit in well here."
Karen said, "Not that this is something you can just decide on the spot. We'll give you some time to mull it over, but don't wait long."
Devontae's shoulders slumped as he sighed an overwhelmed sigh. He scratched at his goatee, then asked, "When do you want an answer?"
"Before I begin some time off. I'll be on leave the day after tomorrow," said Koga.
Surge and Will looked at each other for a moment. Then Surge shrugged, to which Will put his hands out as if he were pushing a large box while looking away. Devontae studied Koga's face carefully. Koga returned the gaze with a steely expression, unwavering and unblinking. Devontae frowned, but still looked Koga in the eye. Guardedly and slowly, he answered with even syllables, "I'll have your answer by then."
{Chomping at the bit, they approach.}
Below, a blast of hot air rushed over Rarity as Aengus opened the door. Rarity took in the view. Diamond-plate steel made up the floor. A considerable drop was on either side of a thin causeway leading to the battlefield. Rarity carefully peered over the edge, but very briefly. Some molten and bubbling red-hot stuff lay below. Rarity hurried and stuck close to Aengus until they reached the battlefield. An anatomy lesson of human musculature sat in the middle of the field, concentrating on a small television.
Looking at the screen, Aengus raised an eyebrow and asked, "They're still not done??"
The man looked at him and nodded. As Rarity walked up to the technological moving picture box, this man said, "They've run through the whole of both bullpens, and iced down and relaxed their starters, who're back on the mound."
Aengus patted Rarity on the back and said, "A baseball game between overpaid men, representing Celadon City for one team and Slateport City for the other."
Rarity was unsure what to make of what she saw. She did not understand this was a game that had gone on for way, way, way too many extra innings, nor that the home team was down by two runs. All she saw was sudden interest on Aengus's part. Rarity gazed on the symbols and numbers at the bottom of the screen, and then the people seemingly scattered almost at random around a field of dirt and peculiar-looking grass. Out of ideas, she turned to ask the enormous human man sitting cross-legged on the floor.
"Twenty-five, or six to four? What am I looking at here?" Rarity asked earnestly.
The man's eyes turned in their sockets toward her for a brief second. No answer came. A moment later, Aengus snarked, "Gee, Bruno, the least you could do is give her a response." Turning to Rarity, he said, "Twenty-fifth inning, which means the score's been tied at the end of each inning since the ninth. Six runs to four, with Celadon City looking to extend their lead."
Rarity rolled her eyes. "Sounds dreadfully boring."
Bruno tucked the TV under a panel in the floor. He stood up with some flexing of his many muscles across his broad and tall frame. With a quick look at both of them, he walked over to his side of the field. Bruno loudly called out, "You are not here for pleasantries, Aengus! Neither is the pony! Her power, show it to me!"
{Stand up to your nemesis, and never back down.}
Aengus took his remark with a dark smile. "If that's what you want, you'll need to work for it! Salamence, it's show time!"
"Pangoro, let's go!" Bruno yelled back.
An angry panda bear with a bamboo sprout sticking out of its mouth materialized in front of Bruno. It roared and flexed at Salamence. Rarity looked up at Aengus with some alarm. He was glaring, a livid scowl of defiance and revenge with gritted teeth. Bruno stared back with his own hardened expression. Above, Devontae muttered, "Thought the hate was one-sided, since Aengus could never beat him."
Koga said, "He sent me a note before I got here, saying he would give it his all for Salazzle."
Devontae nodded, pulling his expression tight with slightly widened eyes. Karen said, "Word of such events passes between us very quickly."
"Pangoro, use Crunch!" Bruno ordered.
Aengus sneered as he pulled out his pocket watch, ordering, "Fly, Salamence!"
After the spinning lights and the ball breaking open, Salamence took off toward the ceiling. And the Pangoro lunged forward and took a big bite out of the air in front of Aengus, Koga muttered, "Look at her, standing there like nothing just happened."
"She might not know," suggested Devontae. "I bet Aengus told her to stay focused and not worry about what all went down, especially since he put her back in her ball so quickly."
Karen added, "Or she could be a downright ruthless bitch. Heaven knows we have plenty of those in our world. With these ponies' emotions so surprisingly human-like, I wouldn't be surprised if they have their own such women, or mares I suppose would be the correct term."
"She'd have to be pretty stupid to not figure it out on her own," Koga scoffed.
"Sure seems that's the way it is too often with the pretty ones: thick as a brick," Will sighed.
Devontae listed to his left, dropping his left cheek into his left hand, setting his left elbow on the armrest. He muttered to himself, "This must be what it's like to root for the visiting team."
"Crunch, again!" Bruno ordered. Salamence turned and dove right onto Pangoro's head. Pangoro staggered backward, both of its paws over its face. It shook its head, rubbed between its eyes, and then dashed forward leading with its jaws. Biting down on Salamence's neck, Pangoro could not get a good grip with its mouth. It let go, and wobbled back to its spot before Bruno.
"Use Dragon Claw, Salamence!" Aengus yelled.
Bruno ordered, "Pangoro, use Aerial Ace!"
Rarity looked at Salamence's mega-evolved form, with its legs tucked inside the carton-like structure, then back at Aengus. She raised an eyebrow, looked back at Salamence, and asked, "With what claws? They're stuffed so tightly in its...whatever you want to call that thing...that they're stuck."
Salamence zipped forward, raking Pangoro with its unbound rear claws. As it fainted, Aengus smirked, "That's how."
"Fine, I get it...," Rarity grumbled.
Bruno threw a ball with a wicked smile, hollering, "Steelix, let's go!"
Karen smiled and said, "This ought to put a dent in Aengus's team."
"So certain?" Devontae asked.
"Bruno's had an affinity for Onix and Steelix since he was young," Will said. "That one there may be the mightiest Steelix in the world."
Rarity looked up in horror as an enormous ironclad snake with a few fin-like projections appeared, roaring specifically at her. It continued glaring a moment longer. Aengus muttered, "Some things never change."
"Steelix, use Ice Fang!" Bruno yelled.
"Crap...!" Rarity groaned.
"Fire Fang, Salamence!" Aengus answered.
Bruno turned his left wrist over, facing the palm upward. A multicoloured crystal sat on the wristband, which he pressed on with his thumb. The whirling light came, as did the ball around Steelix. Once both were gone, an even more enormous metal snake had come. Its head looked like it belonged on the end of a titan's shovel, with protruding serrations along its lower mandible. Iron shards circled around its "neck" in small groups, evenly spaced, floating a metre and a half from its body. The fins were now crystalline, and every other segment now had cerulean hollow hexagons on a field of charcoal grey. Salamence did not seem to care, and raced forward, teeth at the ready. Fire erupted upon biting down. Steelix winced some when he took the hit, but showed no further indication of being struck. However, his counterattack nearly engulfed Salamence's right side, making huge ice shards. He could barely remain airborne after that hit, looking like he could pass out at any moment.
"Again, Salamence!" Aengus yelled in frustration.
Bruno simply patted Steelix's closest segment and nodded with a grunt. Steelix moved forward, arching itself up in a posture stolen from cobras as Salamence approached, albeit without a "hood" flaring out. He turned his neck to the left as Salamence tried to bite again. The countering frosty bite came right on cue from there, dropping Salamence back into his ball right away.
Rarity suggested, "This absurd-looking mega form bolsters its Defense considerably, yes?"
Aengus's eyes lit up before a dark grin resumed. He said, "You're right, but it does nothing help its special defense! Mismagius, you're up!"
Upon emerging, Mismagius looked up at the colossal Pokemon across from her. She grouched, "And exactly what am I supposed to do against that?"
Aengus yelled, "Mismagius, use Mystical Fire!"
"Oh yeah, there is that, isn't there?" Mismagius wistfully said to no one.
Bruno commanded, "Steelix, use Crunch!"
Strange flames surrounded and leapt from Mismagius, hitting Steelix all over. As it ended, he shivered, then struck like a cobra he had been mimicking. Mismagius was engulfed by Steelix's mouth. A second later, the sparks slipped between his teeth on their way back to the ball.
Rarity frowned, and grumbled, "Didn't work worth a hoot."
"It's whittling it down, but I shouldn't have to throw this many at just the one!" Aengus grouched. "Excadrill, get 'im!"
Bruno continued his stoic yet hostile stare as Excadrill emerged. Her eyes widened at her opponent, pulling the left corner of her mouth down and away for a moment. She grimaced uneasily at Rarity, then took a deep breath. Bruno yelled, "Steelix, use Earthquake!"
"You too, Excadrill! Earthquake!" Aengus answered.
The floor underneath them twitched, tremored, and undulated as the two Pokemon used the same attack against each other. Loose plates in the floor rattled loudly. Aengus and Bruno struggled to remain standing, while Rarity copied Starlight's self-levitating trick. Devontae was forced to wait before he could enjoy another handful of his popcorn, quickly placing the bucket's shoddy paperboard lid. As the ground settled down, Steelix was breathing deeply and hanging his head. Excadrill had fainted.
"Tough old cuss, that one," said Surge.
Aengus threw another ball, frustration and anger etching his face. He hollered, "Go Rapidash! Take this bastard out!"
Rarity's shoulders dropped as he came out. Forcing herself to smile, she looked up at him. Rapidash looked back at her, looking hurt. He raised a hoof toward her, but markedly before he could touch, Bruno yelled, "Steelix, another Earthquake!"
"Rapidash, Flare Blitz!" Aengus countered.
Turning back to the battlefield, Rapidash said firmly, "Don't think for a second she or the move 'Attract' could have changed how I feel about you."
Rarity squawked when she tried to verbally respond, watching him run full speed at Steelix as the fire enveloped him. Tears escaped her again. As he ran over his opponent, Steelix twitched once, and collapsed to the floor enough to make the room shake with a reverberating thoom. Rarity had not looked up in time to see his return. She felt a peck on the end of her nose. Looking up, she saw Rapidash standing majestically with a small smile. She inhaled deeply with a huge smile taking over her face. Before she could return any kind of affection, Aengus waved a hand between them and said, "Hardly the time, you two! Stay focused! I'll give you two a moment before facing Karen, but we gotta win this first!"
Disappointment saturated Rapidash. Rarity nodded sadly as Bruno threw a ball and yelled, "Machamp, I choose you!"
Aengus frowned as he stared across at the light grey four-armed wrestler Pokemon. He muttered, "His strongest...well, it had to happen eventually. Use Poison Jab!"
"Cross Chop, Machamp!" Bruno answered.
Purple surrounded Rapidash's horn as he ran at Machamp, poking away as his target seemed none too concerned about attempting to dodge. Before Rapidash could turn to go after his attack, Machamp struck with a knife hand chop from all four hands in unison, both the upper arms hitting at a forty-five degree downward strike, and both lower coming across horizontally. Rapidash grunted as he fell to the floor quickly under the strike, disappearing back into his ball.
Koga chuckled, "Everyone loves a good critical hit."
"Unless you're at the receiving end," Karen added.
Aengus growled while Rarity looked around with a forlorn expression. Surge muttered, "My God, she lays it on thick...."
"Feraligatr!!" Aengus screamed as he threw the last ball on his belt other than Rarity's empty one. Bruno remained as hardened as before as Feraligatr appeared. He looked back at Aengus, trying to smile as best he could, then looked at Rarity most concerned.
"The fight goes poorly, I see," Feraligatr sighed. "This one's already in your hooves."
"Feraligatr, use Hydro Cannon!" Aengus demanded with fury in his eyes.
"Thunder Punch, Machamp!" Bruno answered.
Feraligatr opened his mouth, from which erupted a tremendous blast of water. Machamp barely got out of the way in time. Bruno, however, was not as lucky. With a cross block in front of his face, he slid a good four metres before stopping. Leftover water slopped against the wall and flowed back, draining over the side of the pit. A hissing sound echoed from below, along with a sudden drop in brightness. Devontae looked down toward the sound, but could not see past the balcony. He muttered under his breath, "So many better ways to mine obsidian than that."
Karen scoffed, "We crossover only one thing at a time! Get that Minecraft reference out of here!"
Devontae complained, "Hey, it's my first fic! Cut me some slack!"
"Damn O.C.'s," Will commented, to much nodding from Koga and Surge.
Machamp ran forward with his dukes up. Feraligatr attempted to bob and weave, finding himself outmatched in the game of footwork and position against Machamp. A few jabs came from Machamp, but were not close enough to Feraligatr's body to warrant the reactions he gave to the minor punches. Then immediately after a jab came the haymaker to the belly, a feint with the upper left fist followed up by an electrically charged punch from the lower left fist, lifting Feraligatr off the ground. He crash-landed six metres later, disappearing into pink sparks at once.
Smiling, Koga commented, "Everybody loves back-to-back critical hits, too!"
"Still not if you're at the receiving end," Karen snickered.
Devontae leaned all the way forward in his seat, an actual instance of someone only sitting on the edge. Wringing his hands, he murmured, "Come on, Rarity; show 'em what you got...."
Tears welled up in Aengus's eyes, still looking at where Feraligatr returned to his ball. Scratching them out of his eyeballs, he yelled, "Rarity!"
She exhaled hard, narrowing her eyes as she stepped up before Aengus. Across the way, Machamp beat his fists together with a hungry grin. Bruno's face remained fixed, though his eyes belied the anger within. Rarity said, "Just me against four? Rainbow Dash would be loving this."
"Machamp, use Ice Punch!" Bruno called out expectantly.
Aengus snarled, "Rarity, use Moonblast!"
Rarity had already charged her horn. She whispered, "Princess Luna, lend me your strength."
Outside the windows, the moon seemed brighter. A ray came through the ceiling as if it were transparent, enveloped Rarity, and departed through her horn. Machamp's eyes widened just before it hit, launching him into the far wall. Bruno shot her a wide-eyed, but angry stare as Machamp broke into a flurry of yellow sparks. Devontae clenched a fist with a grin, saying to himself, "Keep it going, girl."
Bruno watched Rarity suspiciously. She returned his gaze with a firm poker face, evening out her breathing. He frowned, took another Pokeball and yelled, "Breloom, you can do it!"
Another kangashroom like the one from the SS Sakura coalesced in front of Bruno. Aengus said, "Grass and Fighting...not many with that combo...wait, Flying! Common weakness of Flying! Rarity, use Chatter!"
She looked back at him and asked, "Chatter? About what?"
"Anything!" Aengus answered, darkness overrunning his face.
Bruno said, "Breloom, use Mach Punch!"
The kangashroom zipped forward and punched Rarity in the chest. She yipped, but mostly from surprise by her tone. She growled for a moment, then forced a badly faked smile, and prattled in a faux-chipper voice, "Being a big sister is wanting to both hug and strangle your little sister at the same time! I love Sweetie Belle dearly, but that little filly can be such a ditz! Have you ever met anypony who tried to serve burned orange juice at breakfast? Seriously! My sweet little sister somehow managed to burn the orange juice! She didn't even have it near a heat source that morning, yet she still served me a glass a char to wash down the char on my plate! Why would you do that!? Surely my sister could see the similarities, and the lack of colour at all, or so I would have thought before she tried to give me ash to eat! What kind of crash diet is that, anyway? Oh, I get it now! The nerve of her, implying I overeat! Never have I ever been called 'fat' like that, trying to say I needed to stop eating altogether to lose weight! And I dare say the insult was quite out of place, thank you! My trim and slender figure turns the heads of every stallion in Ponyville! I think she's just jealous, because--"
"Stop; you got 'im!" Aengus interrupted. Rarity halted her word torrent to see the kangashroom disappear in a cascade of pink sparks.
"No way...," breathed Karen. Surge also sat agape.
Devontae fidgeted, both of his hands balled up and both thumbs resting against his chin. He sibilantly murmured, "Don't let up! Keep the ball rolling!"
Bruno growled as Aengus sneered. Rarity stood poised for battle, with an unfocused aura about her horn. Bruno roared, "Kommo-o! Take out the pony!"
From the black and yellow Pokeball came a thin grey dragon. Many of its scales on its head and back were oversized, looking like round brass plates, or red or gray plates with brass rims. The end of its tail resembled a four-flanged mace, but with rounded striking surfaces. While it stood on its hind legs, its lanky arms were so long they nearly touched the ground. Laughing, Surge cheered, "Oh yeah! Pseudo-legendary time! Meet the big boy from Alola!"
"That won't be enough," said Will. "She's got the type advantage."
Aengus scratched at his chin with an amused expression. He said, "Is this what I think it is? Is it? Did you really find a Dragon/Fighting-type Pokemon!? Really!? Rarity, Moonblast this poor sod!"
"You got it, Aengus!" Rarity answered, a triumphant smirk slowly showing on her face.
Bruno yelled, "Clanging Scales, Kommo-o!"
Rarity took a deep breath and closed her eyes as the light through the ceiling came to her again. She opened her eyes to fire, finding the centre of Kommo-o's chest with the beam. The dragon also found its way to the back wall as Machamp did moments before, and, too, returned to its ball in the same sort spark display.
Devontae jumped up, holding both fists over his head with straightened arms, shouting, "Yeeeaahh!!"
Karen stood up and began walking away. She said, "Looks like I finally get a battle. I'm headed to my chamber to make ready."
"One more, Rarity! One more!" Aengus cheered full of palpable anticipation.
Bruno screamed, "Conkeldurr!! Fight as hard as you can until you faint!"
From the last ball came a large humanoid thing supporting its weight on a pair of broken-off concrete pillars. It appeared to have a red clown nose, small grey beard and hair, and excessively well-defined veins all over its body. Rarity noticed on its hip a small claw, just like the one the Dragalge had.
Bruno ordered, "Ice Punch!"
"Do it, Rarity!" Aengus said triumphantly.
"Indubitably!" Rarity answered as the light passed through the ceiling again. The ray formed, and lanced straight into Conkeldurr. He staggered back, gasping, dropping to a knee, straining, grunting, groaning...pushing himself back upright. He was out of breath, and wobbly, but he turned and gave Bruno a smile. Rarity could have sworn she saw a heart float out of the top of his head.
"Damn!" Devontae scoffed loudly.
Will smiled and said, "That's the power of a close bond."
Conkeldurr rushed forward, wrapping a fist in ice. Rarity jumped aside too soon, to which Conkeldurr adjusted his aim. Groaning and blinking rapidly, Rarity staggered back several steps. She shook her head, growled to herself, and stepped back to the line.
Bruno's eyes lit up as he hollered, "Ah, you're a Fairy! Conkeldurr, use Poison Jab!"
Aengus gritted his teeth as he barked, "Give him something he can't dodge! Aura Sphere!"
As Rarity fired up her horn, she saw that claw on Conkeldurr's belt flash white. He then twitched once, and suddenly was upon her, punching away with fists bathed in purple.
"Uuuhnn...," she gasped breathlessly.
{They say it's better to be lucky than good.}
Her entire body felt it like was being pinched all over, inside and out, and she wobbled backwards. She tried with all her might to maintain focus, to fire off the attack, but she lost her grip on the magic. She began to topple over.
"Merde...," she airlessly murmured as her vision greyed, tunneled, and went dark. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 24 - Meanwhile, Presto Gets the Shock of His Life.... | {The sort of setup we'd never expect to see in Equestria.}
The portal flashed once, forming Princess Twilight Sparkle and eight little fillies, each an identical cornflower blue with near-white mane and tail, but all sporting different coloured eyes from the other seven. Every single Twixie oohed at the sights around them. Pointed right at them from all sides were several ballistae, some mounted on two-story platforms, some at ground level, and a third as many springalds. All of them were loaded and cocked, the ballistae with bolts, and the springalds with chemical or magical splashing projectiles. Beyond that stood of a sea of tents. Those nearby were the high-lofted canopy types. One had portable stoves; another had medical gear. A few had cords of thick lumber, large steel fasteners and fixtures, huge spools of rope, and stagecoach-sized blocks of stone carved into rectangular prisms. Past these larger tents were the massive rows of tents for two soldiers.
Twilight led the Twixies from the focus of potential carnage to a marked path between the heavy weapons and the large tents. A middle-aged unicorn mare in heavy armour and fancy epaulettes marched up to Twilight with a salute. Twilight returned it and said, "Good evening, General Lancer. Just...just how much else has gone up in the last week?"
"Your Highness, by order of Princess Luna, we have tripled infantry, sky squadrons, and magic teams," General Lancer answered.
Twilight's mouth fell open while her eyes narrowed. She barked, "We do not need seventy-five hundred soldiers here! Nor such heavy fortifying around the portal!"
Lancer suppressed a smile as she said, "Easiest way to hold a bottleneck is with overwhelming firepower. Princess Luna agrees."
Pointing at the canopy tent with the lumber and large metal parts, Twilight demanded, "And why do we have so many trebuchets waiting to be built?!"
"Expeditionary campaigns, including city sieges, are not off the table. We stand at the ready to move in and take ground and towns, if needed," said Lancer, puffing up her chest some.
Twilight facehoofed. "We're not looking to start a war! We're just trying to rescue Rarity and Trixie, and then part ways with this other world forevermore! There's no reason to scar their land!"
"I agree, Your Highness. We're not looking to start a war. But if they are, we will finish it," Lancer answered smoothly. Twilight sighed, and without looking, telekinetically pulled three of the Twixies off of the nearby springald. She then did the same with a fourth before that hybrid put any real force onto the firing lever. Lancer scooped up two more that were headed for the ballista closer to her. The general grumbled, "And this is why we don't let foals in forts."
"Twilight!" called out a boyish soprano. Running up to them was Spike. The Twixies collectively groaned in disappointment as Twilight and Lancer took them away from the heavy weaponry. Spike blinked at the eight little fillies who all stopped their thrashing and whining one by one as they saw him. Many of them blinked. A few stared. All had their mouths rounded and slightly open. Almost cascading they closed ground on the little dragon, quickly resulting in a little flailing dragon full of little dragon exclamations as they tugged at his cheeks, fins, and scales, poking and prodding, each with an ooh.
Giggling, Twilight said, "I think they like you!"
"Well, I don't like how they're showing me that!" Spike complained as they drug him to the ground, still nudging inquisitively.
General Lancer said, "Your Highness, shall I summon some assistance?"
"No, but thank you. It's easier with them piled up," said Twilight as she walked over to the beleaguered Spike. With a magenta flash, Twilight, Spike, and all eight Twixies disappeared, rematerialising in the castle foyer.
{These three, I tell you....}
"Wha-aaahh!! What in the world!?" Sweetie Belle shrieked startled, the tip of her left-front hoof stuck under the pile. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both could not halt their momentum, ramming Sweetie Belle.
Levitating the stack of hybrids and one dragon, Twilight ran for the downstairs, shouting, "Sorry, Sweetie Belle! I have to get right to work!"
The door slammed behind them. Sweetie Belle blinked a few times, then motioned her front hooves toward the kitchen. She stepped in, quickly followed by Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. All three sat at the table. Sweetie grumbled, "With as much as Twilight teleports around, you'd think she'd leave a marker, or some warning to others where she's about to show up!"
"Twahlaht did," Apple Bloom insisted. "Dinnae ya' see th' circle? Th' one etched inta' th' floor?"
"Anyways," Scootaloo pressed, "like I was trying to say before Twilight returned, I still think it's a terrible idea. We'll never get through!"
Sweetie protested, "Yes we can, and yes we will! I can't do nothing for my sister! How would you feel if you were in my hooves? Say, if it were Rainbow Dash that had been captured instead, what would you do? Or Applejack?"
"Well, Ah can't really argue, when ya' put it lahke that...," Apple Bloom sighed.
"Yes, thank you!" Sweetie Belle said.
"I don't know...it still sounds like a really, really bad idea," Scootaloo said slowly.
"Think about it like this," Sweetie began. "You know I love you guys like sisters, right, because we're pretty much sisters?"
"Awe, Sweetah Belle, that's so nahce! Ah love you both lahke sisters, too!" Apple Bloom squealed happily, pulling the other two into a bone-crushing hug.
Scootaloo stammered breathlessly, "I, uh, well yeah! Didn't that...uh, didn't it, ow, owww, go without saying?"
Apple Bloom let go, to the gasping and rubbing of ribs of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. After getting her wind back, Sweetie continued, "So if you two may as well be my sisters, and Rarity clearly is my sister, then Rarity may as well be your sister, too!"
Scootaloo looked between her friends a moment, then cocked her head to the right as she grouched, "What are you, a genealogist?"
"She's got a point," Apple Bloom said unenthusiastically.
Scootaloo said, "No she doesn't! How did she come up with that?"
"Transitive Property," Sweetie Belle answered proudly, standing up straight. Noticing her friends' collective confused looks, she asked, "From the math lesson last week? Didn't you two pay attention to Miss Cheerilee?"
Apple Bloom's raised eyebrow left the question if she had private lessons from her sister, or if it ran in the family. Scootaloo grumbled, "I don't care if it's the next-door neighbour's property! There are literally hundreds of soldiers by the portal!"
"Thousands," Spike corrected her as he walked past the door without even slowing down, let alone stopping. "There are thousands of soldiers there."
"There you go! Thousands!" Scootaloo answered.
"But I won't give up on my sister!" Sweetie protested with a stomp.
Apple Bloom nudged Scootaloo and slyly said, "If not for Rarity, then let's do it for the Crusaders! Ah saw at least half a dozen little Trixies there, and ain't a one had a Cutie Mark!"
Scootaloo's eyes widened as her mouth parted a slight grin, "A whole new world of ponies that don't know their calling...? And we could set them all on their paths?"
"It's our calling as Crusaders!" Apple Bloom cheered.
"Okay, that convinced me," said Scootaloo. "But how are we gonna slip past all those troops?"
Sweetie began, "We could--"
"Wait, how could you have a guess without lookin' at the camp?" interrupted Apple Bloom. "Ah say we do some scoutin', then come up with a plan."
"Then we can go Crusading where no Crusader ever dreamed we could!" Scootaloo said happily.
"Let's do this, girls!" said Apple Bloom.
With a three-way high hoof, the others responded, "Yeah!"
The Crusaders dashed out of the kitchen and down the hall, out the castle's front door. They did not turn and see Spike standing just outside the kitchen, face in hand, shaking his head slowly.
{More applicable to the ending part of this section, but still.}
Twilight growled to herself as eight pony-Pokemon hybrids ran about, playing haphazardly around the lab. Several things had already found their way to the floor. Beakers of numerous sizes, an alembic, and three Erlenmeyer flasks had already been shattered. Twilight sighed to herself, "And this is why we don't let foals in labs."
As the door opened, Spike voice carried through. "Are you sure?"
Presto Lulamoon started through the door, but was looking behind him. "I'm quite certain I don't want to know. But I have to, for my little Trixie. Someday, when you become a parent, you will understand. It's something that can't--"
"Grandpa!?" called out eight fillies in unified delight.
"...gr...gr...gran...pa...??" Presto echoed in broken breaths, eyes widening as he slowly turned.
"Yaaayy!!!" the Twixies screamed happily as they bum-rushed the stupefied Presto. He did naught but stand with a quaking jaw and twitching lower eyelids. They tackled him. Beneath the whooping and hugging lay an old stallion on his side, mystified and dumbfounded, with a body that would not go and a mind that would not stop. Eight nearly picture-perfect copies of his daughter before her first day of school showered him with fondest greetings, adorations, and laying out their hopes for him to provide playtime, stories of mother, and snacks. The voice was right, the build was right, as was the coat, mane, and tail, but the eyes were wrong; so it went for all eight of them. Eyes of ruby, eyes of gold, eyes of sapphire, aquamarine, turquoise, silver, yellow topaz, and almandine garnet, but no eyes of amethyst.
Presto's motor control returned. With shaky effort he pushed himself back to his feet, and shaky voice asked, "How...could this have happened?"
"I don't know yet," said Twilight. "The team that investigated returned so horrified they could barely speak, even Starlight. She said she would write it down, but was too traumatised to say aloud. I hope to hear within the hour."
"I believe that makes three of us," said a stately voice in an upper alto range. The Twixies all oohed as a majestic white alicorn stepped through the door, with a flowing quadra-coloured mane, and golden regalia inset with deep purple. Presto immediately dropped to a prostrate grovel while the Twixies all watched transfixed and awestruck. Smiling, she said, "Good evening, little ones. I am Princess Celestia."
Eight fillies clamoured for attention and hugs from the princess. She chuckled as she granted them their sought affection, until Twilight cleared her throat, not more than a length and a half away. "Celestia."
"Ah, my faithful student! Good evening, Twilight! I trust you are well?" Princess Celestia responded amiably.
Twilight bit back on the bile. "A word alone, please."
"But of course. If you all would excuse me, Mr. Lulamoon, little ones," Celestia responded in the same tones as before. Princess Twilight led Princess Celestia to a side chamber with an opaque door. A table sat in the middle with illuminating crystals in a pair of overhead lights. Filing cabinets lined the walls. As the door closed behind them, Celestia began, "So, my dear Twilight, what is--"
Twilight reared up, shoving her forehooves into Celestia's chest and slamming her against the wall. Through gritted teeth Twilight barked, "What the hell were you thinking!? Asking me to take the lives of foals!!?"
Agape and wide-eyed, Celestia blinked for a moment. Then her shoulders slumped as her face faltered and her gaze dropped. Softly and sadly Celestia said, "...there's no good answer I can give."
"Why don't you tell me something I don't know!?" Twilight growled, seething. Tears of rage began flowing from her eyes. "I can't believe you! I can't believe such a thought could ever cross your mind!! What 'extenuating circumstances' could possibly warrant such cruelty?! Are the few missing bits of our world's magic so crucial we should forget who are for them!?"
Celestia offered no resistance as her chin and eyes dropped, staring downward. "...my sister and I have no excuse for what we said."
"Nopony's asking for an excuse!! I deserve to know what could possibly have gone through your heads!!" Twilight shrieked, striking Celestia across the face on "possibly."
"Unnggh...!" Celestia yelped upon being hit. Her eyes started watering as she blinked, finding herself knocked down into a semi-sitting position, but with her back still to the wall. She murmured, "...let it out, Twilight...let it all out...."
Twilight struck Celestia again, and again, yelling, "Why!? What happened to the friendship lessons?! What happened to the kind and wonderful mentor!? Does that pony still exist!?! Who are you!!? Why would you ask me to do such a thing?!! WHHHYYY!?!"
Twilight dropped to her knees, too lightheaded to stand in the seemingly spinning room. Sinking deep into Celestia's shoulder, she sobbed uncontrollably. Celestia winced and whispered, "Twilight...."
"Where's the mare who taught me everything, the pony who I loved more than my own mom??" Twilight blubbered.
Celestia wrapped her forelimbs around Twilight, who continued to cry. Nose and mouth both bloodied, Celestia blinked hard. Twilight returned the embrace, crying even harder. Celestia whispered, "Just let it out, Twi...let it out."
Celestia rocked Twilight side to side as she wailed, holding her as a mother would her own foal.
{Track title says it all.}
An hour and a half had passed before Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia emerged from the data hard copy archive room. Spike, Presto, and Sunburst had brought down cots, blankets, and pillows. All eight Twixies were asleep, as was Spike. The mess in the lab had been cleaned up. Presto and Sunburst sat beside a lab bench, with an unfurled scroll in front of them. Both of them appeared uneasy, though Presto smoldered. As they neared, Sunburst spoke, "Hey, uh, Your Highnesses. Starlight sent her report through Spike, what was that, about forty minutes ago? Forty-five, maybe?"
Presto's voice was hollow and emotionally spent, "Don't think that really matters much, when it arrived. That it did does. Have a read, Your Highness, Your Majesty. I just hope you haven't eaten recently. It's...pretty awful, what they did to my daughter."
Twilight levitated the scroll over to her and Celestia. A few minutes passed. Celestia turned a little green in the face while Twilight blanched. They set the scroll down on the bench. Celestia shook her head, and said, "Used as breeding stock...unbelievable. All of that for just one perfect specimen?"
"And was...violated at least ten times to get there?" Twilight spat in disgust.
Presto said, "The most detestable part of it all is how many more times it could have taken. I would have liked grandchildren, yes, but...not like this."
Twilight said, "And there's still one that we don't know where it is, just that it's alive. Last one's still with its 'trainer.'"
"I'm happy that this 'Blue Oak' told us what's going on. He really had nothing to gain by volunteering that much information," said Sunburst.
Twilight said, "Avoiding a war falls under 'something to gain,' if you ask me. But yes, it did fill in the holes. Speaking of holes, we still need to get those last two."
Presto shook his head as he said, "These 'Twixies' certainly act similar to how Trixie did at that age. I'd recognise that fearless curiosity anywhere. The more Trixie saw her sire's and grandsire's magic tricks, the more she tried to figure them out, along with everything else going on around her. She always hated it whenever somepony had one over her."
"I presume we need to retrieve the last of them due to Clover's Law of Magical Osmosis and Marelin's Shifting Balance Theorem?" Sunburst asked absentmindedly, rubbing at his goatee.
Twilight nodded. "Those and the Sixth Law of Magical Stability."
"Oh. Right. That one so rarely comes up," Sunburst mused.
"So do the other two," Twilight muttered under her breath.
Celestia frowned as she said, "There's the more pressing matter of...let me just say I know of a hooffull of creatures that live in the Aether, creatures we do not want to get their attention by having an osmotic flow of magic and whatever power these 'Pokemon' have. Such a lingering flow between Equestria and the Pokemon world would most certainly get their attention before long. That's the last thing either world needs. Should they pay us a visit, any lone one of them would make Tirek's magic-stealing campaign look like a foal's game of make-believe, and then turn around and do the same to the other world."
A fitful silence ensued. Presto and Sunburst both stared without blinking. Twilight sighed fearfully, and asked, "The aforementioned 'extenuating circumstances?'"
Celestia nodded. A pregnant silence followed while the two stallions exchanged confused looks. A moment later, Presto asked, "So what do we do?"
"Separate the pony from the Pokemon," Celestia answered. "I have a solid idea on how to do just that; it was my purpose in coming today. Twilight, I do hope you have entropic jars on-hoof?"
"No magical lab is complete without them, for safety if nothing else," Twilight said, furrowing her brow.
"How many, and what capacity?"
"There's ten here, each rated at thirty-two kilo-Clovers," Twilight said with an eyes-shut smile.
Sunburst's mouth fell open. "Good grief, Your Highness! Even one of those is more than enough for an R&D lab! What in the world were you planning to do or try!?"
Twilight blushed and grimaced. Celestia spoke up before Twilight could respond, "No need to be ashamed over precautions, especially from your taste in experiments. Yours is no disgrace. Let's just hope the ten jars are enough. Get some sleep, everypony. The hour grows late, and these little fillies have a serious decision to make in the morning."
"Why not now, Your Majesty?" Presto asked.
"Two reasons," Celestia began. "First, I think it'd be foolish for me to try my idea without checking it first. And second, we should not rouse sleeping foals and ask them to make a major life-changing decision. We wait until they are breakfasted."
The following morning, Presto led the eight fillies back to the lab from the kitchen. Twilight and Celestia stood by a lab bench as they entered in an expected disorderly manner. Celestia smiled and shook her head as Sunburst and Presto moved to keep them in line. Spike stood at the door, his apron splashed with orange juice and milk, some of which had started curdling, with bits of cereal, toast, and biscuit batter unevenly distributed on his person. Closing the door behind them, he grouched to himself, "And this is why we don't let foals in kitchens."
Twilight said, "One thing you said last night about the 'extenuating circumstances' doesn't add up."
"Sure are badgering my sister's choice of words," Celestia snorted. "What's confusing you?"
"If such a flow of energy between two worlds would quickly get their attention, why have these magic-eaters not come already?" Twilight asked. "There is a flow between Equestria and the world of Canterlot High."
Celestia nodded and pleasantly said, "That is easily explained, my dear Twilight. Picture it like this: you're in a yarn shop. Equestria is but one skein in a display bin of red yarn, and the end of our skein is touching an adjacent skein in the same bin. How likely are shop patrons to notice this, especially from across the store?"
"Patrons would have to be specifically looking for loose strands and standing over us to have any chance at all of spotting it," said Twilight.
"Yes, exactly. Now imagine that end of our skein is instead touching a skein of blue and white marled yarn across the aisle, and that skein's end is touching us," Celestia said as the Twixies started down the stairs to the main level.
Twilight's eyes lit up as she raised her chin. "Ah. That makes it pretty clear."
The chaotic procession of Twixies had stopped in front of the princesses. Presto and Sunburst flanked their rears, vigilantly watching. Celestia took a step forward and cheerfully said, "Good morning, little ones!"
Sounding of a kindergarten class, they answered, "Good morning, Princess Celestia."
Celestia began, "By now I'm sure each of you has learned that you are children of two worlds: your father is from the world of Pokemon where you were born, and your mother is from this world, Equestria. Each world has gifted you with a power, an ability to do great and powerful things."
Presto winced at this choice of words, while Twilight pulled her lips taut, applying great effort to not roll her eyes. The Twixies, however, all cooed, "Ooooh!"
"Unfortunately," Celestia resumed, "the reality is that you must pick one or the other, for there are forces at work beyond our control which insist that you cannot have both. I am sorry that this is how it must be; this is not what I would have chosen for all of you. It is not fair, it is not right, but it is how it is."
Celestia paused a moment, giving the Twixies a chance to wordlessly look among each other. Celestia continued, "Princess Twilight and I will set you on whichever path you desire. Choose wisely, for once you decide, the other way is forever closed. What say you? Would you choose to be a Pokemon, and live in a world of adventure and competition where only the best can succeed, but friends are few and almost none, if any at all, know their families? Or would you choose to be a pony, and live in the close-knit bonds of love with family, friends, and community, but adventure is truly rare? Take a moment and think about what you want."
A silent pause. The Twixie with golden eyes looked up and said, "I want to stay with grandpa!"
The others joined in, clamouring about "grandpa" over and over, voices shouting over each other. Presto took a sharp, jagged breath as a small grin curled his lips, looking downward.
Celestia suppressed a smile as she said, "Then it shall be so. Princess Twilight, let us begin."
{Trouble all around; just what are you gonna do about it?}
Late afternoon had come and was going when the portal flashed in The Great Marsh, while the rains just tumbled down. Twilight appeared alone, carrying a pair of large black jars with silver runes lining their lids and sides. She looked around, and with a grunt, catalogued new faces.
Dialga and Palkia looked to be playing some kind of two-on-two sport, but were partnered with something else. Dialga's teammate was a large black draconic biped with red eyes, armour plates extending over its hands and past its fingertips, and a conic drill for a tail. Palkia's companion had a similar body shape, but was white with blue eyes, covered with fur, but had no arms distinct from its wings, and a semi-mechanical tail as well. Both of them were shorter than Palkia by at least a metre, though Dialga's partner was the shorter of the two. Other legendary Pokemon, as well as many denizens of The Great Marsh and the human researchers, had gathered as spectators, flanking the game but not directly behind either team. The sport looked like a strange cross between volleyball and football, played with a "ball" made from a downed tree detached from its thick, lower trunk, but no net. A series of stones marked the field of play, including a middle line. Mud coated all four players. Just outside the field of play at the central line stood a large, thin black stag with a blue neck and head, and multiple multi-coloured antlers. It made a sharp motion at the middle of the field. Dialga then smacked the tree with its neck like a baton. The white dragon-like thing dove and knocked the tree upward with its tail, to which Palkia jumped and hit it with clasped hands over his head. The black dragon dove for the tree, but got little more than his fingertips on the "ball" as it smacked the mud and rolled over the out-of-bounds line. Palkia and his teammate high-fived, then both crouched into a ready position as Dialga fetched the tree. The stag emphatically gestured toward Palkia and his teammate. Some of the Pokemon in the audience cheered while others groaned. The researchers continued taking notes.
Not far away, Princess Luna slowly walked with Arceus in discussion. Mew sat on Arceus's back, while behind them floated Darkrai and Cresselia. With them was a new face, an oversized indigo bat with golden blades at the ends of its wings and tail, bone-white along the muscled part of its wings, and rosy-red eyes. Luna spoke to this new Pokemon about as much as she spoke directly to Arceus.
Giratina stared at some man-shaped Pokemon, brick red and teal, with tendrils twisting around. Neither one spoke a word, but the stare went on and on.
Flying a good ways up was Rayquaza and Ho-Oh, beside what at that distance appeared to be a dark red capital "Y."
Under the canopy were Red and Blue, at the battle map. Blue spoke indistinctly as Red tapped on the map about halfway between Solaceon Town and Veilstone City as the crow flies. Sitting on Red's shoulder was a small Pokemon, a bleached white tiny humanoid with a smile on its belly, and a star-like golden headdress with cerulean tags dangling off the tips, and a golden cape.
Blue looked up and walked over, saying, "Princess Twilight! The...situation has taken a...serious turn."
"It was all pretty serious before. What happened?" Twilight asked as she set down the jars.
"Rarity, she...," Blue trailed off. He pursed his lips, then said, "It may be quicker to just show you the video."
Blue pulled out his PokeGear, and cued a clip of the battle between Aengus and Koga. Twilight watched on as Salazzle came out, and the pursuant insanity. She gasped in alarm at Rarity's choice of shout at Salazzle, as well as what followed. Twilight twitched in shock as the rest of the battle played out after Rarity had been put back in her ball. The battle ended, and a doctor emerged from the side door. He walked over to the trainers, and spoke. Twilight heard him, and screamed. On the screen Aengus's head fell into his hands while Koga shook all over, clenching his fists and stopping just short of striking Aengus, while Twilight continued screaming in horror. The doctor patted the teary-eyed Koga on the shoulder and walked away, clawing the tears from his own eyes as he removed his surgical mask. Blue shut off the screen as tears overtook Twilight's face. She collapsed, murmuring, "Why, Rarity...?? Why would you do that?? How could you do that??"
Blue sighed through his nose as he slowly nodded. Applejack and Pinkie Pie ran to Twilight, hugging her. Pinkie's mane had fallen flat before Twilight had arrived. AJ said, "Ah know, Twahlaht. Ah know. Ah can't believe it either."
Pinkie pulled them both in close, nearing sobbing. Blue knelt down beside them and asked, "Well, Your Highness, what do you want to do about this? This can't be ignored."
"I...don't know...I need to think about it," Twilight answered breathlessly.
"You may not need to think about it at all, depending on what Koga does," Blue answered. "You may need to extradite her."
Twilight, AJ, and Pinkie all gasped as their eyes shrunk to pinpricks. They looked between each other, unable to blink or breathe. A moment passed before Applejack, barely above a whisper, said, "Surely...surely you can't really mean...."
"I'm sorry, but the facts are indisputable," said Blue sadly.
"If her extradition is demanded, then I demand you extradite both Meagher brothers!" snapped Luna. She and the Pokemon with her all stood at the edge of the tent. "None of this would have happened if they had not abducted two of my citizens!"
"But the--" Twilight began, but was immediately cut off by a sharp gesture from Luna.
Blue frowned. "Look, I'm not saying what they did was okay at all, but in all fairness--"
"They, too, must go," said Arceus plainly. Blue looked over at the Alpha Pokemon dumbfounded as he continued, "Justice demands if one guilty party is to be held accountable for their wrongdoings, so must all others involved."
Mew nodded, as did Blue. He tapped at his PokeGear again while he spoke. "As I said, it remains to be seen. Right now, while I have both of you here, I think you need to see this, too."
Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Starlight Glimmer had joined them. Luna asked, "What is it now?"
"The Indigo League, early this morning, crowned a new champion. His victory parade is to begin shortly in his hometown," said Blue. He held out the screen for the others to see. "As such, I've already informed him that as his region's new champion, he'll need to come see me. But that's not what you'll find interesting. There's his team."
Luna's eyes widened at one figure in the picture, then she growled. "Bring him. Now."
A loud splash got everyone's attention. Floating nearby was a large, blue Pokemon somewhat like a whale with broad front flippers, and red lines across its body. Its yellow eyes focused forward as Lugia lifted off from those watching the game, hovering in front of this newcomer. The rain increased. Fascinated, Blue said, "So then. Kyogre and Lugia...what will you two do?"
All eyes were on the two that grunted, growled, and yipped at each other. Tension lay heavy in the air. None could tell what was being said, or how, or to what end. A minute passed. Then the red parts of Kyogre turned pale yellow as its blue parts darkened. The rain accelerated.
{And lordship over the ocean hangs in the balance.}
Rainbow Dash yelled, "That's not a good sign!"
"Crap!" shouted Blue as both Pokemon roared angrily at the other.
A focused burst of wind shot from Lugia into Kyogre, while Kyogre drew up a huge amount of water. Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos took off, holding position near Lugia as they, too, roared and powered themselves up. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 25 - Confirming Their Worst Fears | {A direct reference to a different project of mine, from years ago, that absolutely none of you would know. Unless, one of you actually knows me in person. Seems doubtful.}
Rarity's eyes slowly opened with a grunt. A few sensations came to her quickly. The first was the blazing headache. Next was how stiff she felt. Third was a strong sense of bladder pressure! oh goddess, the bladder pressure...! Rarity forced life into the dead weight of her legs as she stood up and rushed out the bedroom door. She crashed into the abnormally close wall in such a narrow hallway. Shaking her head exacerbated the headache, but jarred her mind alert enough to remember this was Aengus's parents' apartment. To the left she went, hurriedly slamming the door behind her. With some struggle and careful edging of her lower half, Rarity managed to situate herself for the impending bodily function, albeit seated in a way that would doubtlessly make that crazed Lyra Heartstrings smile much too broadly. Outside the door, she heard Devontae's voice called out, "She's up, brah! And had to use it."
Aengus's voice followed. "Had to use...what? Oh. Right. One of these days I'll remember that's what you mean when you say 'use it.'"
Rarity paid them no mind after that. Despite the tight fit between the wall and the vanity, and what she was doing, the feeling of physical release was magnificent. Truly stupendous. She sighed in relief, not in the least bit ladylike, nor did she care one iota about her tone. It was as if her body was rewarding her for taking care of business, a well-received reward that called for a moment to bask in its undignified glory. Finishing up, she muttered, "Thanks Celestia...my goodness...."
A quick wash up, and Rarity emerged. She squeezed through the hallway and out to the living room. Aengus sat in a papasan chair while Devontae had the middle couch cushion. Today Aengus wore a green zipped-up hoodie with white stripes atop the sleeves, blue jeans, and brown leather hiking boots. Devontae wore a hoodie and trainer pants of a strong, masculine navy blue, again of perfectly matched shades. The hoodie's sleeves were a corn-yellow, as were his basketball shoes and athletic headband, also with an exact colour match. Around his neck were two gold chain necklaces. The longer chain had a fist-sized gold pendant of a cross with a shroud draped across it, the shroud studded with amethyst and the cross mimicking weathered wood with some letters etched at the top, but she could not read what exactly at that distance. Aengus looked her over, solace coming over him as he cracked a sad grin and shook his head. Devontae jokingly said, "Don't you think you and the bathroom should've at least gone to dinner first?"
Rarity blinked and yawned, shaking her head. Once done, she grumbled, "Quit being disgusting!"
"Sorry, it was right there," Devontae said.
Aengus got up and poured a tall glass of something purple, offering it to Rarity. She quickly drank it down, shoulders lowering in relief. His voice maintained a serious tone as he spoke. "You've been unconscious since that Conkeldurr lucked out with that Quick Claw. Been nearly a full day."
Rarity nickered and rolled her eyes. "That's what it was? We lost because of some item?"
"One that doesn't fire with any consistency either," Aengus grouched. "A spit of bad luck...still can't believe that."
After another long gulp, Rarity said, "I'm still feeling stiff from that move, darling. Does Poison Jab do this often to others?"
Aengus scrunched his eyebrows. Devontae looked at her, then Aengus, then back to Rarity. Aengus stood and walked over to her, cautiously saying, "No...never heard of that."
Devontae scratched his chin, musing, "I suppose this explains what went down with--"
"We'll get to that later," Aengus said with unusually sharp and quick words. Devontae held his hands up in surrender. Aengus sighed, easing up. "Sorry. Just needing to stay focused. Now that I know what they have, a few adjustments to the team should land the victory. First off, Mismagius was slapped around without much contribution."
Rarity said, "While I agree with that assessment, I don't know what you would replace her with."
"I do have a Chandelure, one that a Judge told me was 'Outstanding.' Solid attacking move set, too: Overheat, Nightshade, Energy Ball, and Confuse Ray," Aengus reported.
"Replacing one Ghost-type with another, then," Devontae said. "Why Chandelure in particular? Does it have a defensive subtype advantage, improved stats, why that one?"
Grinning, Aengus answered, "More forceful Special Attack, and statistically stronger on the whole. Subtype is Fire."
Devontae's ears and face perked up. "I am interested to meet this species."
"What is this drink, darling?" Rarity asked.
"Something for dehydrated infants," Aengus began. "We've found it also helps against hangovers. Given it was a Poison-type move that knocked you out, I thought this would help."
"It certainly has. Thank you very much," Rarity said, feeling like the drink whittled away at her headache. "Back to the task at hoof, you often voiced regretting not teaching Excadrill a Rock-type attack during your challenge."
"Aye, and for this I think I know what to replace," Aengus began. "I saw a distinct lack of Fairy-type Pokemon. While she loses the one same-type attack bonus for it, Metal Claw should be the one to go for the time being. Stone Edge should prove worthwhile."
Devontae frowned. "Low accuracy. That seems to be the common thread with Rock-type attacks."
"Most of the strongest moves have a drawback or two, that being a frequent theme. Wide Lens it is," Aengus said. He raised an eyebrow. "Huh. I was expecting party adjustments to take a whole lot longer."
"You could always switch out your Pokemon mid-battle, if one's struggling," said Devontae. "I don't think I've seen you do that once."
"Aengus! Why dinnae tell y' mum y' taught Padraíg so well?" Mrs. Meagher called out cheerfully. The three turned as she burst through the door with a broad smile and a tear in her eyes.
Raising an eyebrow, Aengus answered, "Um, not directly, mum. Maybe he learned by example...what brings this up? Was there a tournament among university kids or some such?"
"Ach, son! Why so coy? Y' brother's th' new Champion!" Mrs. Meagher whooped.
Aengus became stiff and unblinking, his face stupefied. Rarity plopped into a sitting position. She stared agape at the news, before looking at Aengus, then Devontae, then back to Aengus. Devontae scratched at the side of his head. After a moment, he asked, "Ma'am, is this a joke? Paddy, crowned Champion?"
"He gave Karen a right-good wallopin'! And t' think 'twere you we thought woulda' win it all!" Mrs. Meagher continued in the same tones.
Rarity managed to close her mouth and blink. She looked over at Aengus, who still had not moved. She asked, "I thought he was at school?"
Mrs. Meagher nodded. "Aye, he is, but no classes t'day, so he challenged 'em at dawn!"
Looking at her eldest son, Mrs. Meagher slowly walked up to Aengus. He continued sitting there like a statue. She snapped her fingers in front of his face, to which he gasped and blinked. Rarity frowned and chided, "Back with us now?"
Aengus shook his head, and asked, "Is this for real, mum?"
"Aye, he's by the Global Terminal buildin', gettin' ready f' his Victory Parade," Mrs. Meagher answered.
Aengus jumped out of the chair, running for the apartment door, calling, "Rarity!"
Rarity and Devontae both followed him out the door.
{Ever been stabbed in the back by your own brother?}
Ten minutes later they came to the large plaza with twin fountains in front of a tall building with an enormous antenna, built on a wharf over waters too shallow for ocean liners and container ships. Paddy spoke with some lady with a headset. Today he had on black shoes and trousers, a red windbreaker with that same insignia in white over the left side of the chest, and a black ball cap with the same design in white. The winds were strong, as were the tumultuous waves that smacked against the side of the wharf. Overhead was nary a cloud in the sky, horizon-to-horizon in all directions, and the sun streamed in coldly. Some men set up temporary walls with long feet, braced against the wind. Behind one such wall stood Typhlosion, Greninja, Pinsir, Espeon, a huge teal and taupe man-shaped automation, and green-eyed Trixie, wearing her mother's hat and cape. She noticed Aengus, Devontae, and Rarity approaching, and sneered at Rarity. Once close, Aengus yelled, "Paddy!!"
Paddy turned. The lady there walked away, typing something into her PokeGear. With a smile Paddy said, "Ah, dear brother! So good of you to come! And Devontae, huh. Haven't seen you in years. Been working out, I see."
"While you've been stealing your brother's thunder," Devontae shot back with a frown.
Paddy shrugged. "Not exactly. He kinda fell short of the mark, again, so I thought--"
"You thought what!?" Aengus snapped, as he clicked all the balls on his belt, summoning the rest of his team. Feraligatr was on Aengus's left, Rarity on his right, and Rapidash to her right. Pokemon on both sides quickly formed opposed melee lines.
"Oh my. Touchy," Paddy chuckled. "After not hearing anything about a new champion, I thought I should try my luck on a day like today, when I don't have any classes."
Aengus growled, "Even though I've been working for this for years?!"
"And still didn't make it. One of us had to secure mom that pension and financial security, right? That was what you've touted all these years, right?" Paddy answered pointedly.
A gust of wind pressed clothes, hairdos, manes, and tails toward the mainland for a moment. Rarity said, "I don't think it was your place, though. You have your education to pursue; you should have let Aengus seek the Championship without butting in."
Paddy gave Rarity a short glare before turning back to Aengus. "As I was saying, mom and dad need not worry about money anymore. So...why are you upset?"
Aengus snarled, "Even though this was my dream!"
Paddy growled back, "Yes! Did you ever think about how what you were doing had an effect on me!? Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, I'd like to be known as something other than 'Aengus's little brother?' Did that thought occur to you even once!?"
"You are known as yourself, not attached to me!" Aengus roared. "You're a university student! The only one ever in our extended family!"
"Yeah, and I got to hear how 'Aengus's little brother is going to university' among the town's small talk!" Paddy retorted. "At least they all now know I'm the better trainer!"
A wave splashed those closest to the water. Devontae said, "Look, brah, why do you need to prove it so much?"
"To get it through his head," Paddy said. "To end his haughty banter, stop him looking down his nose at me day in and day out, like he was some aristocrat and I but a peasant. And to keep him from spouting how great he is all the time. That's the worst part of it all."
"Yet you tried so rarely to catch new Pokemon. You didn't even try to reach for a Pokeball against a Blitzle or a Zebstrika until you had seen at least a dozen of them!" Aengus said.
"Fifteen of them, to be precise," Paddy smirked.
"Exactly how does that make you a better trainer?" Aengus asked abusively. A wind-breaking wall lurched toward the building after another wave struck. Worker men pushed it back.
"Why should I bother with ones that aren't any good?" Paddy asked in turn. "What's the point in catching a Pokemon if it can't compete?"
"You don't know that. Quit pretending," Aengus dismissively answered.
"Actually, I do," Paddy said. "You knew why I took Trixie to the Solaceon Daycare. And you ought to know why I suggested you do the same with Rarity."
"Perfection, I know," Aengus said, rolling his eyes.
"Yes, but you didn't listen," Paddy said, gesturing with an open palm facing upward. "Were she a Pokemon, I would have told you she has decent potential overall."
"Wait, what??" Devontae interjected, his eyes widening.
Paddy continued, "That's my judgment, and it is final!"
Aengus stared in disbelief. "...you can't be serious."
"Incidentally, dear brother," Paddy continued, far too pleased with himself. "I will tell you her best potential lies in her physical Attack, and her Special Defense. Those can't be beat."
"Unbelievable," Aengus blurted, shaking his head slowly as the wind seemingly eased, from another temporary wall going up.
"But...her vitality...it's pretty dismal, you know? And how does she make it through battle with this kind of physical Defense?" Paddy finished.
Aengus frowned as he took a step forward. "How long have you been able to do this?"
"Since I was nine," Paddy said flatly. "Remember that Sunkern? Did you think maybe there's a reason I liked it so much? If you--"
Rarity interrupted, "I don't much appreciate your talking about me as if I were not here."
Paddy glowered at her. With the same sour face, he turned to Aengus and said, "Not comfortable with her around. And I can't believe you still want her on your team."
Rarity scoffed, "Why, you inconsiderate--!" She growled what could have been words, and should have been words, but were not. A crashing wave did not assist in her vocal coherency.
"Why don't you get her out of here before she kills something else?" Paddy said flatly, maintaining eye contact with Aengus.
Rarity rolled her eyes. "I kill it with fashion, and my chic designs, but those aren't here."
"Did you forget about Koga's Salazzle?" Paddy turned toward her.
With a wave striking the wharf behind her, Rarity spat, "She got what she had coming. You don't need to exaggerate."
Paddy's mouth fell open as his eyes widened. His Pokemon looked between themselves, horrified. Green-eyed Trixie bared her teeth at Rarity, scraping at the ground with her front hooves. Paddy barked, "'Got what she had coming!?' What the hell!?! You think your jealousy justifies murder!?"
Rarity had her turn for a horrified reaction. Scandalised, she yelled, "What!! 'Murder!?' You've really got some gall, accusing me of that! I've never dreamed I'd ever be so slandered ever in my life!! Seriously, Aengus, where did he come up--"
{And the truth hits her between the eyes like The Friendship Express at full steam.}
Rarity stopped when she saw the long, sad look at Aengus's face. He looked down at the ground with a defeated expression. Paddy's Typhlosion sidled close to Paddy, grabbing him by the windbreaker and tugging him closer, looking up at him with a wide-eyed shakiness. Rarity's eyebrows rumpled closer together as Paddy scratched his Typhlosion behind the ears, and whispered, "Don't fear the reaper, little lady. I won't let her get you, too."
Rarity leaned downward, looking up until Aengus's gaze met hers. She spoke with concern in her voice, "Aengus, you need to set your brother straight on this."
Paddy scowled at Aengus. Disbelief and disappointment marinated his words. "She didn't know?" He paused, then continued in the same tones, "You didn't tell her? Why not? This is hardly the time, place, or way for her to find out."
Rarity pawed at Aengus side, pleading, "Aengus...Aengus, this isn't funny...."
Aengus stared at the wharf underfoot as a large wave splashed hard, sending water up to their feet. He quietly said, "I know. No one's laughing."
Rarity's shoulders sank as her breathing accelerated. She looked around wide-eyed and she desperately begged, "Aengus...please tell me...tell me it's just a misunderstanding...that she just fainted...."
Rapidash looked away, a hollow expression overtaking him. Aengus spoke barely loud enough to be heard. "You were so focused on the task of winning the championship, both after the battle with Koga and when you finally woke up. I was waiting until we were on the way back to Pastoria, somewhere quiet, to break it gently. I'm sorry; I should've said something sooner."
Rarity involuntarily backed up, ridden with deep gasping fast breaths, leaving her chest rapidly rising and falling. She shook as her eyes darted everywhere, held as wide as she could physically open them. She sputtered, "But...but...there's no...it's impossible...she couldn't have...there's no way that...you...you said Pokemon moves can't kill...!"
"You're right. Pokemon moves can't kill," Paddy said. "But, as you've so often pointed out, you're not a Pokemon."
"What're you getting at?" Devontae demanded.
Rarity laid herself down on the wharf, both of her forehooves on her head while she whimpered in terror to herself, still tremouring and not blinking. The tears had begun. Paddy said, "We should've figured this out sooner. She doesn't know a single Pokemon move because she's not a Pokemon. Sure, she knows plenty of spells that resemble Pokemon moves, but proper ones? None at all."
Aengus demanded, "You gotta be kidding!"
"That shotgun-blast of gems from the floor, on the ship here? Against Alder's Volcarona? Thinking about that, after Ho-Oh set me straight, raised my suspicions about how she could know so many 'moves,' since that's a huge deviation from Power Gem," Paddy said. "When I said something to Professor Elm, he quickly rang up Professor Kukui of Alola, and sent him the video. Since Pokemon attacks are Professor Kukui's specialty, he could instantly tell what she did was no Pokemon move. He was the one that pointed out to us how her horn glows every single time she does anything in battle. So no. She doesn't know a single Pokemon move. It does explain why she appears to know so many, though, and how she seemingly learned them at random intervals."
Aengus stared vacantly at Paddy. Lost for words, he murmured, "Oh...I, uh...guess that explains a few things...."
"We should have just gotten right back on the ship and taken her home as soon as Ho-Oh eliminated any doubt," Paddy said sadly, shaking his head. "Although there was no conceivable way to foresee it at the time, the madness going on in Sinnoh is our fault. We may end up paying dearly for what we've done, and we'd deserve it, too."
"But...but..," Rarity sputtered on the ground, still hyperventilating.
Paddy turned to her with a glare. "The gathering of Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, paired with the numerous military pony patrols, have left the residents of Sinnoh terrified, many unwilling to come out of their doors! Rumours from abroad whisper of armies mobilising, preparing to preempt invasion! And here, you ponies have injured every single Pokemon you have faced in battle. All of them!"
Aengus shook his head agape. "What in the hell...?"
"They found a Buizel with a bad concussion just east of Pastoria City within an hour of us leaving. Volkner's Jolteon has a sprained ankle from her version of Play Rough. Rajni's Pyukumuku and Breloom are both slow to respond to anything now, and her Flygon had to be treated for frostbite. Speaking of frostbite, Princess Twilight Sparkle gave that to Cynthia's Garchomp, as well as need for braces on both ankles and its neck. Do I need to keep going?"
Rarity pawed at Rapidash's side, pleading, "Rapidash...please...please don't--"
He twisted himself out of her reach and took a step away, muttering, "I want nothing to do with a killer."
Rarity sobbed as the waves roared. Paddy sighed in relief and said, "Good, good, at least he's safe."
Aengus held his arms up and shook his head. "Wha...??"
"I rather like that Rapidash of yours, Aengus. I'm glad he's not in a bad situation," Paddy answered. Windsocks behind him pulled taut and horizontal for a brief second.
"'Bad situation!?' Have you no end to your tirade?!" Aengus demanded.
"Eventually," Paddy answered. He walked over to Rarity and knelt down in front of her. She looked up from her crying to see him tapping at his PokeGear. He said, "About Salazzle, I think you need to see exactly what you did to her."
On the screen popped up a medical report in a semi-pictographic alphabet. Rarity blinked, still shaking, and shook her head. Aengus said, "She doesn't know the language, Paddy."
"Fine, I'll translate," Paddy scoffed. "'From an unknown attack resembling the move Earth Power, Salazzle suffered massive injuries that led to her passing away from internal bleeding. Every rib was broken, eight of them in two places. Her left femur suffered a greenstick fracture, nearly splitting the bone in two lengthwise. Salazzle also had a ruptured liver. Primary source of internal blood loss was from a seven millimetre rupture of the ascending vena cava at the L1 vertebrae. Salazzle lost consciousness two minutes after the injury and suffered cardiac and respiratory arrest thirty seconds later. She was pronounced dead three minutes later when a PET scan was negative.' That's what you did. You killed her."
Rarity cried harder, but managed to get out, "But...I never meant that! I didn't mean to...."
"You didn't mean to kill her? Is that a bandage which makes everything all better? Does that mend Koga's broken heart over his dear friend's death? Do you think that makes a difference at all? It doesn't!" Paddy snapped back.
"I...I...," Rarity began, but could get no further.
"Don't even. And don't deny you meant to hurt her. I saw a recording of the battle, and heard it in your voice! You wanted her to suffer, didn't you?" Paddy demanded. With closed eyes, Rarity mournfully nodded as her sobs got louder. Paddy stood up as he said, "Well, there you have it. In a flurry of passion, you lashed out with intent to harm and Salazzle ended up dead from it. That, point in fact, is murder."
Rarity gasped breathlessly as her eyes shot open, pupils all-but invisible. Still hyperventilating, her breaths became ragged and broken. She continued laying on the wharf as another large wave crashed, mostly drenching her. Wispily she breathed, "I'm...I'm a...a...."
"A murderer. You are a murderer, Rarity, and that's a fact. One you'll have to deal with the rest of your days, whether you escape Koga or not," Paddy said firmly and sans forgiveness. Rarity passed out, without her signature melodramatics.
Aengus waited for another wave's crashing to quiet down, then snapped, "What do you want from her?"
"Honestly, I don't know, now that she knows the truth. She's left me in a bit of a predicament, since these kinds of decisions fall to the Champion. I'm open to realistic suggestions," Paddy answered. Frowning, Paddy knelt back down, and pulled a stoppered test tube out of his inside coat pocket. Within was a white powder, browning toward the bottom. He unstoppered the tube and wafted it around Rarity's nose. As Rarity came to, he sarcastically muttered, "Never hurts to go unprepared."
Rarity blinked, then her eyes shot open as she looked at Paddy. The hyperventilating resumed. Aengus growled, "So you thought she should be emotionally shattered? Wondering how much she can take? What's that gonna accomplish? Oh, right! This shows how you're the better trainer!"
"No, that I beat Bruno without having one of my Pokemon knocked out does! You're, what, naught and eight against him?" Paddy smile contemptuously. "That's pretty pathetic. I didn't think he was that big a challenge."
Aengus shook and glowered while Paddy patted green-eyed Trixie on the back. Aengus growled, "You...."
"Yes, me; little brother's now on top," Paddy mocked. "What's it like to suddenly find yourself playing second fiddle?"
Devontae shook his head and said, "Brah, quit it. You're acting like a shithead."
"Call it what you will. I'm just glad he finally gets it, that he was never better than me with Pokemon!" Paddy said triumphantly. As Aengus balled up his fists, Paddy taunted, "What's the matter, dear brother? Don't like it? Wanna do something about it?"
Devontae stepped toward Aengus and said, "He's just being a dick, brah! Don't let him get to you!"
"Seriously, if he backs away now, it'll always itch at him, that he chickened out when he thought he could prove me wrong. So what are you waiting for?" Paddy continued abusively. Sneering, he demanded, "Come on, you nancy!"
{Challenge issued.}
"Ah, hell nah!" Devontae spat with a snarling expression.
"Feraligatr!!!" Aengus screamed, his face all screwed up. Both lines of Pokemon backed up as Feraligatr and Greninja stepped forward. Feraligatr's face bore the same anger as Aengus's, while Greninja dropped into a three-point ready stance, focused on Feraligatr. Paddy openly laughed a savage laugh as he took his position.
{His time is soon.}
At the end of the wharf, standing on the roof of a luxurious high-rise condominium building stood Keldeo. He watched as the brothers prepared themselves to fight, though his eyes stayed on Rarity. He said to himself, "Not long now, Rarity. Not long now." |
Rarity Gets Caught | 26 - Vs. The Champion | {Heavy combat fast approaches.}
"Girl, you gotta get outta the way!" Devontae urged as he tugged on Rarity by wrapping his arms around her neck and right front leg. Still laying down on the wharf, she gave him a sad face, but nothing more in acknowledgement. She did not move much, despite the rough waves sloshing upon the wharf.
"Doesn't really matter what happens to me now," Rarity said emotionlessly, though her breathing was coming back under control. "I can't be forgiven for...that."
Feraligatr roared again, bellowing as loud as he could as he flexed his arms and legs, wide-mouthed with a death glare. Greninja showed no reaction. Paddy was still chuckling even as Aengus seethed, frothing slightly. Devontae let go, then grabbed her by her hind legs, right where they met her torso. He gained ground no better there, even as she squawked with some embarrassment. With a fatigued huff, he looked over at Paddy and said, "Tell me this: if you suspected things were weird like that, why didn't you speak up, brah? You left your own brother in the dark for what!? Petty revenge over sibling rivalry?!"
"Not like he's exactly been forthright with his thoughts, you know," Paddy yawned. "Besides, it never hurts to see some mirror-deep female taken down."
Rarity barely showed any reaction, though Devontae began to make some headway. With a huff, Aengus spoke at a normal volume. "So that's what this is about. You're still not over Yukei."
Veins bulged on Paddy's hands and forehead while the winds gusted again, forcing those standing to brace against it. He shrieked, "How dare you bring her up!! Now, of all times!!"
Successful in getting Rarity back to the line with the others, Devontae scrubbed his brow with his headband as he muttered, "Hardly seems like the time to dredge up the past, really, if it weren't for that outburst. Looks like he hit it right on the nose...."
"Aye. Definitely not over her. And definitely should have said something before our first date," said Aengus with a pointed glare. "I had no idea."
"Then you should've dropped it as soon as you found out!!" Paddy snapped.
"By that point my own feelings had set root," Aengus said with a slight frown. Then his face twisted into a darker grin than his usual, and he abusively continued, "Not that my feelings were the only thing of mine to set root in her."
"Why you...!!" Paddy screamed.
In the same tones, Aengus jabbed, "Oh, sure, she was a little clumsy and awkward the first couple of times, but she did get pretty darn good in the sack!"
"SHUT UP!!!" Paddy hollered, his face contorted with rage, pointing furiously at Feraligatr. Greninja and green-eyed Trixie stayed put while the rest of his team returned to their balls.
"Gotcha," Aengus whispered to himself, goading his brother with his smile, and returning all of his except Feraligatr and Rarity. The winds seemed to ease again as the working men put up another barrier.
{If you cannot find your way, then....}
Paddy screamed, "Greninja, use Extrasensory!!"
"Crunch, Feraligatr!" Aengus ordered, far calmer than he sounded a moment ago.
Greninja stood up straight for a moment as Feraligatr appeared to bend in impossible ways. Scowling, green-eyed Trixie watched the battle in front of her, occasionally looking toward Rarity. Devontae nudged at Rarity, saying, "Girl, you may still have to fight! Pull yourself together!"
"No!" Rarity protested, standing up and facing Devontae. Behind her Feraligatr clamped down hard on Greninja with his jaws while she continued, "I can't! Never again! I can't risk that again!"
"Use Dark Pulse!!" Paddy shrieked.
"Keep speaking first," Aengus whispered to himself. He then yelled, "Superpower, Feraligatr!"
"What happened with Koga was unusual. Hell, that was friggin' weird, the crap surrounding that moment and everything leading up to it," Devontae said while a black circle radiated from Greninja. Feraligatr rushed in as an answer, pounding away at Greninja. Green-eyed Trixie watched on silently, the same scowl adorning her face.
Rarity closed her eyes as she hung her head. She said in defeated tones, "That makes no difference, darling."
Paddy looked at Greninja's hard breath and shaking its head, then poised itself as it was before. He shouted, "Greninja, switch out!"
As Greninja disappeared into a white Pokeball, Aengus pursed his lips. Most of the balls on Paddy's belt were white. Only one was a Safari Ball, and he did not grab it. While he had clicked the button, he had not thrown the ball yet. Aengus said irritably, "Since that's how you want to play it...Crunch."
"Wrong answer!" Paddy sneered as Typhlosion appeared. A huge wave slammed into the wharf, splashing and spraying everyone there. Those preparing the parade had stopped work and watched the battle.
As Feraligatr bit down on Typhlosion, Devontae said, "But it does. You went to battle on false information."
Aengus yelled, "Feraligatr, Hydro Cannon!"
Paddy shouted, "Typhlosion, Wild Charge!"
Typhlosion barreled headlong at Feraligatr as the sparks surrounded him. Devontae continued, "You went ahead with the plan, understanding that these battles are normal and despite the crazy shows of power, ability, flashing lights, smoke clouds, and all that bull, nothing would be hurt, right, girl?"
Typhlosion hit cleanly, and Feraligatr toppled over, disappearing back in a stream of pink speckles. Aengus snarled some as a tear leaked from his eye while Rarity nodded to Devontae. Aengus threw another ball and yelled, "Rapidash! You're up!"
Rarity started to turn, but Devontae took her by the head and made her look at him. She did not see Rapidash gaze her way, and slump his shoulders and ears when she did not meet his eyes. Devontae continued, "Not the case, is it?"
"Rapidash, use Poison Jab!"
"Earthquake, Typhlosion!"
Rapidash nickered in fury as he turned and rushed Typhlosion with a head full of steam, his horn bathed in violet. On impact, Typhlosion was knocked to the ground and rolled over twice before getting back up, and rocked the wharf. The last wave's sloshed water bounced all around them. Rarity sighed, "Even with that, it still doesn't change it's my fault!"
Typhlosion had a purple hue as he and Rapidash retook their positions, neither of them looking particularly healthy. Devontae urged, "Nah, it means you got sucka'ed into it!"
"Typhlosion, use Extrasensory!"
"Rapidash, Wild Charge!"
"What do you mean? 'Suckered?'" Rarity asked as Rapidash barreled at Typhlosion, coated in arcing static. Typhlosion was again knocked down, but was much slower to rise. He actually was still on all fours when Rapidash's image was bent to the left, then right, then left again. A flurry of sparks, and Rapidash disappeared. A gasp later, Typhlosion dropped to the deck, and faded away as well.
"Excadrill!"
"Pinsir!"
The oversized taupe stag beetle stood across from Excadrill as Devontae said, "He knew things were going on, and didn't say a word. He said so himself, remember?"
"Pinsir, Close Combat!"
"Use Stone Edge, Excadrill!"
Paddy pulled a sleeve back to show his wristwatch, one that had a keystone inset above the twelve. With a push, Pinsir glowed, and emerged from the strange ball with wings spread, and larger spikes on its mandibles. As it charged Excadrill with a flurry of punches, Devontae continued, "Your new style of Power Gem...that should have been a clue for us all, and he noticed, but said nothing!"
Excadrill pushed herself back to standing with a heart coming out of her head, seemingly. With a commanding gesture, a stone spike lanced from the ground into Pinsir. Flopping to the ground, Pinsir zipped away in rosy red sparks to its white ball. Frowning, Paddy said, "Very well, Greninja, round two."
Aengus reached into his bag and pulled out one of the sprays as Rarity said, "Why, though? Why would he do that?"
"Greninja, use Hydro Cannon!"
"It's hard guessing what goes through that jacked-up head of his," Devontae sighed. Aengus finished spraying Excadrill when another wave struck the low wharf. Trucks came to Goldenrod's waterfront, where men began placing sandbags. Greninja opened its mouth, a heavy blast of water bursting forth from his maw that forced Excadrill back and off the wharf. Her sparks came to her ball a moment later. Greninja took a number of deep breaths, both hands on his knees.
"Chandelure!"
A cast iron chandelier, stylised from centuries past, appeared with purple flames on each arm, and out of the glass ball-like head in a central mounting. Devontae looked it over with a slight grin, "I have got to get me one of these...!"
"Chandelure, Energy Ball!"
Greninja stayed about the same, gasping for air. As the green ball coalesced and fired, Devontae continued, "Why he did all that, though, could be that girl they talked about, Miss Kikuchi."
Greninja stumbled, still breathing hard, but looking barely conscious. Rough waves had begun striking with increasing frequency. Aengus yelled, "Again, Chandelure!"
"Greninja, withdraw!" Paddy countered, holding up his ball again. Throwing a different one, he called out, "Golurk, it's your turn!"
Green-eyed Trixie rolled her eyes with a huff. From the ball came the automation from earlier. The verdant orb was just beginning to grow in front of Chandelure as Rarity asked, "This 'Yukei' person? I can safely presume, darling, that she was a quite fetching young lady, Paddy was smitten with her, but she did not return his affections, yes?"
Chandelure's Energy Ball struck Golurk in the centre of the chest, driving it back a step. Aengus ordered, "Chandelure, use Night Shade!"
"Fool! Shadow Ball would've been wiser!" Paddy barked with a victorious, evil grin. "Use Earthquake!"
An illusion of Chandelure appeared over Golurk and seemed to crush and distort it briefly, as though it were bread dough in the hand. The wharf tremoured under Golurk's punching it while Devontae answered, "Yeah. On a scale from one to ten, she was a daaaammn! You would've liked her, too. Very stylish clothes, often a week ahead of the trends."
Chandelure broke into a cascade of yellow sparks, jetting to his black and yellow ball. Aengus growled, "Salamence! Let's do this!"
"Shadow Punch, Golurk!"
"Salamence, use Dragon Claw!"
Aengus pulled out his pocket watch, sending Salamence into the strange ball and emerging with the canister-like attachment. While this was happening, Devontae continued, "Half the boys in Paddy's class were in love with her, but Paddy...he had it bad, and I mean bad. But as much as he wanted her, Yukei wanted somebody else, the only kid any of them had ever seen with natural red hair."
Salamence scathed Golurk with its rear claws in the middle of a hard banking turn, making it faint and forcibly leave the battle. Another large wave crashed against the side of the Global Terminal building, breaking some of the lower windows. Throwing another ball, Paddy yelled, "Espeon!"
The malignant feline with the hypnotic purple eyes manifested. Rarity felt something glaring through her soul with an undying hatred. Rarity looked back to Espeon's entrancing gaze, venomous as it was, finding her quickly. Espeon snarked, "Miserable wretch, what I'd do for a knife so I could cut you open and strangle you with your own entrails, you--" and used a most-impolite and derogatory against women single-syllable word starting with a hard K sound, offensive enough to make Salamence gasp, "-faced whore!"
Green-eyed Trixie openly laughed and nodded. Rarity scoffed indignantly, "You're the one making graphic death threats and profane insults like that, but I'm the 'miserable wretch?' Really now?!"
Espeon growled, "Well, is that any reason to get all pissed off like that? Don't get mad; you look fat when you're mad!"
"'I look--,' what does that even...why...ooohh!!" Rarity sputtered, flushing a bright carmine in the cheeks and up to her ears.
"Chubby...chubby, chubby pony," Espeon goaded, purring to herself.
"Focus!!" shouted both Paddy and Devontae, the latter taking Rarity by the snout and turning her back toward him.
"Salamence, use Dragon Claw!"
Snorting, Paddy answered, "Espeon, just Yawn."
And Espeon did just that, yawning with her jaw opened to the degree generally reserved for snakes. Groggily Salamence flew forward and thrashed at her with his rear claws, making her tumble backwards. She shook her head as she stood up. Devontae cupped his hands around Rarity's eyes, negating her peripheral vision as he said, "As I was saying, she and Aengus dated for awhile, while Paddy didn't say a word about how he felt until they had been together for months. I think she left for business school in Rustboro City, but that's not important right now. What is, though, is how he's not dealt with it."
"Again, Salamence!"
"Well, Espeon, how about Future Sight? Let's do that," Paddy said.
Espeon seemed to grumble inaudibly as reality warped in front of the red crystal on her head. Salamence cruised in as he had done twice already in the last minute and a half, nailing Espeon and knocking her out. As he returned to his place before Aengus, he fell asleep...still aloft and reacting to eddies in the air...but asleep and softly snoring. Devontae finished up, "You remind him of Yukei, especially with Aengus nearby, even though it's obviously not that kind of relationship between you two. It's like he's getting back at her, but through you."
"Greninja! Round three!" Paddy called out, throwing that ball again.
Rarity blinked in confusion as Aengus yelled, "Salamence, buddy, come to and use Fire Fang!"
"Greninja...Blizzard."
Freezing winds kicked up as Rarity angrily asked, "You're saying he withheld the information that because I'm a pony not a Pokemon, I could harm Pokemon...as a way of getting back at Aengus for dating a girl who jilted him!?"
Salamence fainted. Devontae said, "Yeah, it's sure looking that way. I wouldn't have thought so, if not for how he reacted to Aengus mentioning Yukei's name. Choosing to not say anything the same way Aengus didn't say anything then. He could have spoken up, and should have, but actively chose not to. He admitted he knew. Even I can see that judging from how long there was between dropping him off at Professor Elm's lab and Aengus beginning his challenge...talking about other Pokemon being injured, he knew before the challenge started. There had to have been plenty of time. But he said nothing, and set you up to fail. He could have sent Aengus a message and warned him, but he didn't. He just let it all go down, and let you take the fall. Paddy allowed you to get blood on your hooves, all to get back at his brother."
Rarity bared her teeth as she slowly turned toward Paddy. Aengus glared as well, while Devontae cast him a distrustful look. Paddy shrugged and dismissively said, "If that's how you want to look at it...whatever."
For a split-second, Rarity's pupils partially contracted, turning more like a slit seen on the eyes of cats and pit vipers. She started toward Paddy. Greninja gasped. He sprung up, jumping over Paddy in a single bound, and cowered behind his trainer, only a few webbed toes holding Paddy at the right shoulder and left side visible, while fearfully peering over Paddy's left shoulder. A mist billowed behind Rarity. She snarled, "Besmirch me over a girl from years ago...since you've already got blood on my hooves, why not yours, too?"
"You...will...not...," Green-eyed Trixie growled as she stepped between Rarity and Paddy, baring her teeth as well. She hunkered down, scraping at the wharf below with her front right hoof with a snort.
Rarity's eyes flicked into a cat-like slit again for another brief moment. She barked, "Out of the way, half-breed."
"Not happening," answered green-eyed Trixie. "You want at him, you gotta get through Trixie."
Aengus furrowed his brow. "Wait a sec...did she....?"
Rarity said coldly, "Last warning, you fake. Step aside."
Green-eyed Trixie took a step toward Rarity. After a pause, she said, "You wanna fight? Let's fight. Just you and Trixie. No trainer orders, no items, one-on-one...think you can handle it?"
Rarity snorted, "No trainer involvement...I'm fine with that."
"Are you sure?" Paddy asked cautiously. Green-eyed Trixie looked back at Paddy and nodded. With a sigh, he said, "Okay then...be careful. She's not stable."
"Nopony asked you!" Rarity growled. Telekinetically she picked up a rock off the wharf and flung it at Paddy hard. He ducked in time, but Greninja did not. He tottered limply, then fell flat onto his back, and was dismissed back into his Pokeball.
{Lemme see a show of hands: who all was itching for these two to have it out?}
"Enough of this!" snapped green-eyed Trixie. Rarity leapt back before green-eyed Trixie's kicking could hit. Nickering, almost whinnying, the two circled each other with eyes locked in death glares. Aengus, Devontae, and Paddy all backed off quite a number of steps. Paddy whipped out his PokeGear, tapping away as the two combatants moved, keeping both of them on the screen. Both horns were glowing. Suddenly the light green aura around green-eyed Trixie's horn flashed brightly, washing out all vision into a sea of painful white. As it faded, she gasped: flames were surrounding Rarity, and she was almost on top of her. Green-eyed Trixie slid in the wash from the last wave, but did not appear too dinged up from the attack.
Rarity roared, "Give it up! You are neither pony nor Pokemon, and lack the strength of either!"
"Or, did Trixie get the best of both worlds?" sneered green-eyed Trixie. "She thinks she did...."
Using her telekinesis, green-eyed Trixie took off her mother's hat and tossed it to Paddy. Then she undid the clasp on her mother's cape, and let the wind carry it to her trainer.
Then she spread her wings.
Rarity gasped in shock and disbelief. Then her face twisted into rage as she shouted, "What the hell is this!?"
"She did evolve again," Aengus said bitterly. "Explains why she kept saying 'Lulamoon' instead of 'Trixie.'"
"Darn tootin'," Paddy said proudly. "Why do you think I told you, back in Pastoria, that you ought to get yourself a perfect one? I could see it then there was potential to evolve once more, but neither Trixie nor Rarity have it. Perfected, and with a certain push, yes. This one, right here, is why I didn't lose a Pokemon against Bruno or Karen! Look at her! Lulamoon's magnificent! She's actually statistically stronger than the pseudo-legendaries!"
"I don't give a damn about any of that!" Rarity snarled. "She's a faux-Alicorn, phony as a three-bit coin, fake as a Suri Polomare original design. One I intend to take back with me so that Princess Celestia, a real Alicorn, can decide what to do with this...abomination!"
"Funny thing, you might get to do just that," Paddy said. "Her offspring don't have that extra energy source, what I presume is your 'Equestrian magic' or whatever. Two generations away, and it's purely a Pokemon then. I've released several such Twixies, and will do some more. Might just have introduced a new species to Johto. The speciation of Pokemon is fascinating; I think that may be my specialty."
Devontae's face scrunched as he stood up straight with his head jolting back a bit. He asked, "So, that's how new species of Pokemon appear? Mating with some other creature?"
"It sure looks that way," Paddy said with some delight. Then disgust overtook his tone as he continued, "It...does have some rather icky implications about how we got Jynx..., and Mr. Mime...."
"Whatever," Rarity huffed as her horn powered up again. "Just looking at this freak makes me sick!"
"This 'freak' can hammer you like a tiger," green-eyed Trixie sneered as the circling resumed.
"A paper tiger, I bet," Rarity quipped, rolling her eyes. "Is that the best trick you've got? Throwing aside a hat and cape? You're an even less impressive a magician than your mother!"
Laughing, green-eyed Trixie answered, "Oh, the new-and-improved Trixie has some tricks, all right...."
"And she has a signature move," Paddy chuckled. "Looks like she's gonna...."
Green-eyed Trixie began to sing, "You'd better believe I've got tricks up my sleeve--"
Right then, energy burst around Rarity as beams of light and smoke came from nowhere, making dancing lights up in the sky, on the nearby buildings, and across the ground, with green-eyed Trixie in the middle of a spotlight. Further lyrics were inaudible to Rarity amidst the bursting. Exactly whence the electronic backbeat came was indeterminable. Gritting her teeth, Rarity held tight, and began charging her horn when it sounded near completion.
"Catchy, but strange," Devontae muttered. Aengus nodded absentmindedly.
Splotches clouded Rarity's vision as the illumination dimmed to natural levels. She shot her magic into the ocean. On impact it began to freeze, which she hoisted and threw. The irregularly-shaped shard of ice was the size of a locomotive as it flew at green-eyed Trixie. She flitted upward, fighting the sudden gusts, but easily dodged the ice as it smacked the wharf once and splashed in the water on the other side.
"See, that's the sort of thing that proves why you should have listened to me. Rarity has greater base potential in combat than Trixie did, and I'm sure it'd be the same with any next gen and third stage Pokemon you get from her," Paddy said, still busily typing away at something on his PokeGear while intently pointing it toward the battle.
Green-eyed Trixie's horn was powered and ready when she touched back down. Winds ravaged Rarity, spinning and striking around, turning her mane and tail into rat nests. Her vision dimmed. Rarity could hear her own heartbeat in her ears, and that Aengus and Paddy were talking, but it was muffled and distant to the point she could not hope to figure out what they were saying. Her legs wobbled. But she stayed upright, and the magic in her horn held right where it was. She had green-eyed Trixie in her sights as her pupils narrowed into the snake-like slits again. A spray of cold wind and ice erupted from her horn, slamming into green-eyed Trixie. Forming from the blast were a series of shards and edges, in less than a half-pipe. The ice there was nowhere near as thick as what Twilight left from the same spell, but was still nothing to casually dismiss. Green-eyed Trixie shook her head and staggered for a moment from the strike.
Rarity charged at green-eyed Trixie, electricity surrounding her in jarring amounts. Green-eyed Trixie, however, fired something into the wharf. It shook for a moment, then bursts of ground popped Rarity from below three times before the shaking stopped. Rarity's electricity faded as she gasped breathlessly and fell over, returning to her ball in a storm of green sparks.
{Even if it's a fake, an Alicorn doesn't drop easily.}
"Satisfied? Have I driven the point home yet, dear brother?" Paddy sneered.
Aengus growled, "Yeah...but I don't think you meant to 'drive home' all the things you did. You need help, little brother. Serious help."
Paddy shrugged and haughtily replied, "They say there's a thin line that separates genius from madness. Perhaps I have one foot on either side?"
"You're not the brother I took out on that tour," Aengus said sadly, shaking his head.
"No. I guess I'm not," Paddy answered. "Or, maybe I am, and you didn't have the wits to see it, hmm?"
Aengus looked away, muttering, "I don't want to talk about it."
"I hope you're happy," Devontae spat.
"Happy? No, not quite," Paddy said curtly. "I didn't face him at his full strength. Aengus can do better. He knows he can do better than this performance he just had. And he knows how he can forge himself a stronger team, with stronger members. Don't try to deny that, now. Go on. Do what you should have done the first time. You know you have the talent and experience, that you should have been champion long ago. I want to face you at your best, if not for me, then for yourself."
Aengus glared at Paddy then stormed off. Devontae shook his head and followed suit. Paddy turned and saw Professor Elm walking up to him. With a smile he said, "Professor! Good afternoon. I admit you were correct about Lulamoon's strength. Her performance during that challenge, and even now, proved it. Got some excellent data for analysis, too."
"Good to know," said Professor Elm with sharp displeasure in his voice, a pointed glare from his eyes, and a hard frown upon his face. "Before we get into that, and the meat and potatoes of Pokemon research, I see now what we must first go over and have you thoroughly study...is ethics in research."
Paddy blinked silently for a moment. Crestfallen, Paddy answered, "Yes, Professor."
"We will begin the subject in the morning. Don't be late," Professor Elm said as he turned to go. "But for tonight, enjoy your victory parade and evening."
Paddy sighed in frustration and worry at his teacher's words and implications. He turned to see his parents. He began, "Mom, dad, I--"
Mr. Meagher slapped him fully across the face with all his strength. Glaring, he seethed, "Afte' ev'rythin' ye' brother's done f' ye', keepin' t' roof ove' ye' head, fillin' t' larde', payin' f' ye' schoolin', and this, this is how ye' repay 'im!?"
Paddy blinked a few times, but stood stupefied. His mom had tears in her eyes as she shook her head angrily. Mr. Meagher finished, "I'm ashamed t' call ye' me son."
Paddy hung his head, every last vestige of joy erased. Mr. Meagher turned on his heel and marched off quite furious, with his wife in a similar state. Throughout his victory parade, and the party afterward, and the adoration of many young trainers and young women, Paddy could not even pretend to smile, unable to shake his father's words from echoing in his mind. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 27 - Betrayed [Chapter Tag: Gore] | {It's been a pet peeve of mine, that a character is obviously dreaming, and the writer tries to play it off like we're supposed to be surprised that they're dreaming, when it's bloody obvious. I'm not doing that to you guys.}
Nighttime was the very last time of the day Rarity wanted to find herself in the Everfree forest, but it could not be helped; there she was, without any clear reason as to why, even in her own mind. She cantered down the path, breathing hard, looking all around and occasionally behind her. Creatures chattering and goading with laughter were on all sides, though there were few glowing eyes. A disembodied voice echoed nearby, "Rarity...he still loves me, Rarity...you can't change that...."
Rarity very suddenly stopped. In she gasped, "Salazzle!?"
Ears turning in all directions, Rarity waited. No answer came. She looked left, then right, then down the hill, and up at the trees. Somewhere along the path ahead she heard Salazzle chortling, and said, "Oh Rapidash, it's beautiful! Wait, is this ring...that sort of ring??"
"No...!" Rarity squawked to herself and bolted onward.
Salazzle tittered like a school filly from the same indeterminate point ahead. Rushing, Rarity leapt over a downed log and charged along a path that was straighter than any she had seen in the forest before. Somewhere ahead she heard Rapidash cooing, "Yes, my dearest. It is."
A mixture of heartbroken and angry tears flowed as she galloped onward, pressing hard for what looked like a clearing down the trail. Squealing happily, Salazzle hollered, "Yes...yes!! Oh Rapidash, I love you!"
"And I love you too, Salazzle," he answered.
Rarity reached a meadow where she found the two sharing a romantic, endearing kiss. A gold band with a princess-cut diamond the size of an apple rode on Salazzle's left paw. Rarity flopped onto the ground, sobbing. Rapidash and Salazzle broke their kiss and looked over at Rarity, both snickering. Salazzle chuckled, "What did I tell you? He's mine, and always will be!"
"You...!" Rarity roared, leaping back to her feet and charging at the lovers. But despite the ground she covered at the speed she did, they never seemed any nearer.
"Don't mind her, my love," Rapidash said sweetly.
Salazzle turned around and laid down, throwing her tail over her back. She dreamily sighed, "Yes, of course. I believe we were almost here."
And Rarity screeched in fury and heartache at what followed, redoubling her efforts to reach them, but to no avail. The scenery around her and the forest floor below continued to be left behind, but Rapidash and Salazzle still remained several lengths away. Rarity powered up her horn, and let the ground beneath them undulate and spray dirt. The two were forced apart. Salazzle was tossed and blasted, gashing her skin and shattering her new ring. She did not stick the landing. As Salazzle collapsed and bled, Rarity suddenly closed ground. Shrieking, she stomped on Salazzle's head and neck, over and over and over. Rarity looked down as she attempted to catch her breath. Salazzle's skull and neck were crushed and broken, leaving a red mess all over Rarity's hooves and forelegs. She gasped in horror at all the blood staining her white coat. With ragged breaths, she turned and ran for a sink that was not there a moment ago, mounted on a forebodingly-shaped beech. She turned on the water and with her magic scrubbed away with the soap and washrag, turning it red as well, but the blood on her hooves would not go away. She opened a cabinet that just appeared in the tree trunk, pulling out a green-backed sponge, floor cleaner concentrate, scouring powder, rubbing alcohol, acetone, toluene, and redschist powder, trying them all in turn, but the blood remained where it was. Her breathing became increasingly frantic as each cleaning agent failed as badly as the one before it. Somewhere Salazzle's voice whispered, "And he's still mine...."
"You're so mean, Rarity! So selfish," Rapidash grouched. Rarity turned around to find him lying there where Salazzle was. His head lay a metre away from his neck, with a growing crimson puddle between the two. He continued, "You did this to me...."
"No...! No, Rapidash, please don't! Darling, I would never hurt you!" Rarity begged.
"Can it, you little liar!" yelled Paddy.
Rarity found him behind her all of a sudden, pointing accusingly at her while baring his teeth. Rarity began, "But--"
"Selfish, cruel murderer! Care only about yourself! Not a bit generous!" Paddy interjected loudly.
Tears welled up in her eyes as her ears and shoulders both slumped. "No! I'm--"
"Selfish!" interrupted Paddy in righteous anger.
Salazzle's voice somewhere nearby hollered, "Selfish!"
Rapidash's head shouted, "Selfish!"
Other voices took up the call. "Selfish! Selfish!"
The word pounded at her from all sides, some from familiar throats, others from strangers, but few from an actual physically-present being. Covering her head and eventually closing her eyes, Rarity yelled back, "No...no I'm not...stop calling me that! Stop it, please! Stop! Stop it!! I said 'stop!' Stop it!! Stop!! Shut up!! Shut up!! Shut uuuppppp!!!"
The voices suddenly cut out. Rarity cautiously uncovered her head, and looked around her. Then she looked up at Paddy, pompously glaring down at her in indignation. He smiled at her abusively, and whispered, "Selfish bitch."
Rarity shrieked and roared, jumping to her feet and right at him. She lowered her head, driving her horn through his belly. Thrashing her neck to the right, she threw his bleeding, crumpling form to the side. She pointed at his body angrily as she growled, "I've had enough of--"
Rarity stopped abruptly. Her voice was deeper than usual, punctuated with malice. Furthermore, her leg, while still covered in blood, was dark, a near-black charcoal grey where it should have been alabaster. She ran to the mirror above the sink, conveniently showing up now. Staring back at her was a black unicorn with a bigger purple mane bearing a white streak, and pale blue gemstone-like eyes, ones with slit-shaped pupils. This mare in the mirror grinned malevolently, and guffawed with vitriol. Rarity screamed out in terror.
{Shell shock, battle fatigue, whatever you want to call it, Rarity has it.}
With a gasp Rarity woke and sat up in unison, finding herself in the round room, thrashing around as she look frenziedly over everything around her. She was on the edge of hyperventilating again. Her coat was drenched with sweat; the wet patch on the floor covered an unevenly shaped two-thirds of the room, with short white hairs smeared all over it. Rarity looked closely at her forehooves. Both were a pristine white. Rarity sobbed twice before heading straight into wailing as she buried her face into her forelegs. She bemoaned, "What is happening to me?! This isn't me; it's not who I am, what I do...I'm losing myself! I'm losing who I am! How do I get me back!?"
She cried for a moment. Picking her head up, she saw her mascara on her hooves. Bawling, she whimpered, "I wanna go home...I just want to be me again. Design my fashion lines, run my stores, solve friendship problems when the map calls...just...be Rarity. I can't do this...I can't anymore."
"Back with us now? You had us worried."
Rarity looked to the wall. Feraligatr, Rapidash, and Chandelure watched her, each in their own ways of showing concern. Feraligatr continued, "We kept checking on you, since you were right back out not long after waking up. I think you spent all of half an hour awake yesterday. After the fight with Paddy, you've been restlessly sleeping. But that got worse as time went on. You were yelling and crying in your sleep, and thrashing all over the place by the end of it all. Went on for almost forty-five minutes. Never heard of anymon having that intense a nightmare before."
Rarity's gaze drooped, as did her head. She murmured, "I am a nightmare...or I very nearly became one...again. Not meaning a particularly bad dream, but something much worse. Before any of you ask, I shan't trouble you with all the ghastly details. I...I can't lose myself again. Not after what happened last time. And I've already done too much here."
Chandelure asked, "What do you mean, 'too much?' I heard the bad news, but what are you getting at?"
Rarity sighed. "My time in Pokemon battles is over, because of the...egh...'bad news.' I can never fight again. I...I just can't. Once was too much."
Feraligatr said sadly, "Rarity...we need you. You're the best fighter I've ever seen, even after how much you protested the thought at first."
"Perhaps, then, I am simply too excellent at it, because none of you have slain an opponent," Rarity said bitterly. She sat and rubbed at her left temple with her one free hoof, not meeting any of their eyes.
Rapidash suddenly looked upward, and his screen disappeared. Feraligatr scrunched his face, then appeared to tap at something. Parting his mouth, he lightly gasped as he lifted his head. He said to himself, "Ah, I see. That explains what Aengus is doing, dropping us to four team members, and so on."
"That explains...what, now?" Rarity asked.
"Where we are, about why Rapidash suddenly was called out. It's not for battle," Feraligatr said. Then his face and tone shifted to a smug, mischievous smile. "I think you're out next, and you're gonna have a great time!"
Chandelure looked upward as its arm-esque limbs dropped, grouching, "What is it with you and that shit-eating grin?"
Pleased she had not eaten yet today, Rarity exclaimed, "My goodness! I've never heard such an undignified term!"
A light shined over her head as Feraligatr chuckled, "You're about to hear much worse."
Rarity suddenly found herself in a small building with a gated counter, with an old woman on the other side of it. She opened the gate with a doting, grandmotherly smile, and said, "Come along, dearie. We'll take good care of you."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. She looked around and found Aengus somewhat behind her. He nodded with a sad smile, eyes mostly at the ground. He quietly said, "It's okay, Rarity. It won't be for long."
She blinked in confusion. She gazed at the closed door behind the old woman, then back at Aengus. "Darling, what is going on? What is this place?"
Aengus knelt down and pulled her into a hug. She hesitated before returning the embrace. His chest twitched with a sniffle. Guiltily he said, "Please...just be quick about it. I'm...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Aengus, why are you crying?" Rarity asked in genuine concern.
He let go and stood up. Raking the tears from his eyes, he started for the other door quickly, murmuring, "I'm sorry, Rarity...I can't ask for your forgiveness...but I'm sorry."
Aengus closed the door behind him before Rarity could answer. Standing agape, she looked at the old woman again, then at the door. An improperly-formed syllable slipped out quietly, followed by more silent staring. She then looked to the old woman and asked, "Ma'am, I am dreadfully confused. What in the world is going on here?"
{Happy playtime.}
The old woman smile again as before, and said, "Your trainer has left you here with us for a little while. We'll raise you until he returns. Your friend Rapidash is waiting, and I'm sure we have other new friends for you to play with as well."
"Rapidash is waiting for me?!" Rarity said with her eyes lighting up. She came along quickly, to the happy chuckle of the old woman. Rarity followed her through the door into the back, and found a quiet and picturesque meadow under a late morning sun. Playground equipment was off to the right, with numerous Pokemon laughing and playing like schoolchildren. She and the old woman had to quickly take a step back to avoid a Pikachu, a round blue mouse, and a pink ball with a curly-cue and round teal eyes as they giggled and ran past at full speed; a moment later came an orange dragonfly, also laughing away. Further along was a line of trees with some shrubbery at their bases, through a break in said trees walked Rapidash. Rarity ran after him, doing her best to avoid too many questions from the Pokemon about what kind she was, her type, and declining two games of tag and a one of hide-and-seek. One asked about her "egg group," which she ignored.
She passed through the trees. Here was a mostly-open field. Some thick shrubs stood in places, as did a shed and a barn, both with hay. Rapidash was not far, slowly plodding along, looking everything over with careful attention to the fence. Rarity started his way, but stopped. Tentatively she called, "Rapidash? Darling?"
He halted. After a moment he turned toward her, but said nothing. There was a ball of red yarn dangling off his mane. Carefully she took a few more steps toward him, asking, "Are...you still upset with me?"
He still did not speak, but his ears flattened as his shoulders slumped, looking at the ground a moment in tired sadness before returning her gaze. She looked across the field again, asking, "What is this place?"
"The Daycare," he answered, sounding emotionally wounded.
She was almost to him when she asked, "What...a 'daycare?' 'Daycare??' Why would we be in a daycare? We're both grown!"
He said nothing again. She looked him full in the face, gazing right into his red eyes. She watched as they dilated slightly as his breathing eased and his body relaxed. Rarity looked across the field again, saying, "Still, it's a nice enough place. I swear I can hear others out there, but I don't see--"
She had turned back to him to suddenly find his lips pressed against hers.
{They finally get to hook up.}
Rarity's eyes shot open with a gasp through the nose, despite his eyes being closed. Hers shut a second later as she leaned into the kiss. Her heart pounded in her chest, reverberating in her ears. His hoof cradled the side of her head. A long, slow contented sigh oozed out of her nose. Here she had a moment in which she could stay permanently, the quiet euphoria of a long-sought wish fulfilled not exactly in the way she imagined, but perhaps better. Rapidash was no prince, but then again, bachelors among royalty hardly were good ponies from her experience. She sensed no trying to show off, or of somepony making a conquest out of her. For her, this simply felt right.
They broke. Dilated eyes stared affectionately in both directions. Nuzzling him, Rarity asked, "Oh, my love, why did we ever wait?"
"We were never alone until now," Rapidash sighed contentedly, returning her affection in kind.
He placed one of her forehooves on his chest. Through this hoof she felt plain and simply that hers was not the only heart going a mile a minute at present. Rarity tittered a little, gazing back into his eyes. She said, "Kiss me again."
Rapidash held her head again as they picked up where they left off. Her own hoof cupped the side of his face as well as unbridled joy washed over her. Rarity felt a rush of goosebumps start from her chest, up her neck and back down, and out through her legs. Something knocked at her teeth. Her mouth had a visitor, a guest welcomed gladly, albeit in surprise. Parting her teeth, the visiting tongue met the resident. The lightest of taps, tip to tip, began a slow, gentle dance. The guest led, tracing a circuit around the other near its end. Her breathing deepened, as did his. The dancing pair rubbed side against side. Sliding across its partner's bottom, the visitor reciprocated on the other side, as if to maintain symmetry. A subtle lick to the bottom of the resident, and then the guest embraced its host, pushing against and sliding toward and away with tempered desired and measured vigor. The host took the lead and continued the samba outdoors as both mouths opened, holding contact at the upper lip. Hers skated deliberately across his, tracing a circle anticlockwise. The dancers pressed together tip to tip, and lightly tapped to close.
Rapidash kissed her cheek, repeating small pecks as he worked his way down her jaw. Just past the mandible bone he stopped and nibbled, a quick series of tiny bites as if his teeth were chattering from the cold. Rarity inhaled sharply through her nose; a shiver ran down her spine and down to her knees. The mixture of signals in her brain gave rise to a naughty joy, leaving her wondering why pain is so close to pleasure, and what made the two once intertwined so nice. Her breaths shortened some, but remained deep. His forehoof was in her mane. Wrapping his hoof up in her curls, he continued nibbling, until her gave her mane a short, sharp tug. She gasped as her eyes quickly opened, both out of focus. Her body tensed. Epinephrine pulsed in her bloodstream. She did not know the words at that moment to describe how she was feeling; all she knew for sure was that it was good. But somewhere in her mind prodded how this was too soon: maybe this behaviour would have been fine on the third or fourth date, but definitely not the first kiss. She whispered, "Rapidash, love, let's not go too fast. We simply must maaaaakkke--o-o-ohh my goodness...."
Rapidash had abandoned the nibbles and pressed his lips against her skin and sucked. She twitched in growing physical delectation. Unconsciously Rarity wrapped her closer forehoof around his neck and head, pulling him closer. The feeling was nothing she had ever dreamed she could feel. Sensations and emotions, both alien prior to now, demanded she toss aside any propriety. A schism between body and mind arose, with her heart caught in the crossfire. On the one hoof, she had always been pure in her relations with stallions, firm her belief that such matters were meant only for a married couple. On the other, the need for a stallion's touch from him burned at her, especially in places that were off-limits to any non-husband stallion.
Rapidash still said nothing as he worked upward, kissing and nibbling on his way up to her ear. With a deep gasp, Rarity's eyes closed again. Her breaths turned ragged, still pressing his head to his work. She craned her neck with her mouth slightly parted, leaning into his ministrations. The waves of goosebumps rushed one after another, pounding like surf against stone, eroding her mind's defenses one by one. Despite the cries of her body, her mind still held control of her mouth, as she pleaded, "Baby, we're no-o-ot married yet; we ca-a-aaaaaan't--sweet Celestia, don't stop...!!"
In unison with a sharp tug at her mane, Rapidash drove his tongue into her ear, as if he were trying to reach her eardrum. He also took the entirety of her ear into his mouth, and sucked away in control bursts, carefully yet enticingly. Similarly, his tongue took a tour around the inside of her ear, exploring and sliding over, across, and through every curve, bump, recess, divot, bulge, and edge. Rarity felt as though the world around her shrank, that anything away from her, and her beaux, were inconsequential.
Still without words, Rapidash nudged her head around and began to do the same to her other side. Rarity's mind was awash. The speed of this desire's growth and escalation would have been alarming to her, had she been in a normal state of mind. As it stood, she was fresh out of damns to give. Not even a heat cycle hit her like this, or anywhere close. If she were honest with herself, this was not a total surprise. She could not, in truth, deny she had some flights of fancy to such an effect. Idle fantasies of making love to him had been her last thoughts before sleep on at least one night that she could recall. But she never thought of it as anything more than the silly daydreams of a lonely mare. The very notion that such a rendezvous might actually occur had been dismissed as soon as it came, since it seemed laughable she could be in the Pokemon world long enough to forge a long-term relationship, let alone to tie the knot. But there she was. She felt her logical arguments and promises to herself crumbling under the pressure of her yearning. Failure to self-control appeared imminent, even to her. She whimpered, "Can you a-at least take me to di-i-iinnner first? Then we'll ha-aaave--aaaaAAAAHH--RIGHT THERE!!"
Rapidash had begun to rub his horn against hers. Her scream had been not much more than a whisper. Twitches jolted through her as the goosebumps simply took hold, erecting every last follicle. Rarity tried to breathe, but could not stop holding her breath. Frozen in place, she felt herself slipping away, and could not find the strength to care. She felt a hairbreadth from nirvana, a physical euphoria the like of which she could never have imagined before today. Any crush she experienced in the past, regardless of how strong she thought it was at the time, proved paltry against what she felt now. She wanted him. She needed him.
Rapidash halted as Rarity pulled up, looking him in the face with husky breaths and hungry eyes. His countenance conveyed the same back. They lunged for each other, grabbing the other by the face with both forehooves as lips met with fully opened mouths. Two tongues met each other halfway, not in a tender dance, but all-out wrestling, caution thrown to the wind. They reared up, balanced against each other despite her wobbly hindquarters. Moans passed from one throat to the other. She needed this; she needed him. She needed him to complete her, to give Rarity her last missing part and make her whole. She wanted it now. She wanted to hear him call out her name in tones that could not be fully duplicated any other way. She intended to make his senses forget there was anything else but her, to bring all she could bear and make him lose himself at least as much as he had done for her.
They broke apart, both gasping heavily as they returned to all-fours, eyes dilated as far as they went with neither concussion nor drugs. She struggled to maintain her balance. Hurriedly and with a shaky voice, she said, "We need a priest...right now...right this second!!"
Rapidash looked across the field for a moment, then started toward some tall bushes. He looked back at her for a moment, and motioned toward the bushes with naughty eyes. As he started to step behind them, Rarity called out in the same tones, "Honey, as much as I want you to thoroughly ravish me this very moment, and oh do I ever, I know I'll regret it if we're not married! Is there somepony, or somemon, anybody, that can officiate!?"
{And the illusions shatter.}
Motion to her left caught her eye. She turned to see an old, grizzled-looking male Pikachu walking up to her. Over his shoulder was a small satchel, into which he reached. He pulled out a pack of human-sized cigarettes, offering her one. She waved it away with a disgusted expression. Shrugging, he took it himself, lighting it with some arcing electricity between his paws. He took a long draught, exhaled the smoke, and then spoke with such a gravelly voice that he had to have been smoking nearly all of his life. "Most enjoy one after they're done. You look like you're so pent up that may as well have been a romp."
"I don't smoke, thank you," Rarity said quickly. "Look, I need to...I'll just cut to the chase. I need a priest or somebody else who can officiate a wedding right now! Do you know who can do that? Can you do that?"
"We got no priests here. It comes to a pretty straightforward question, lady," Pikachu said. "Do you want to--" Rarity scoffed in scandalized tones at his choice of verb "--him, or not?"
Rarity stammered, "Uhh...I, um...."
Pikachu sniffed the air, trying to peer behind her before pointedly looking into her eyes. Rarity blushed furiously and stared at the ground. He said, "Let me rephrase that. Do you admit you want to--" Rarity exclaimed a non-word as she stared at him incredulously "--him, or not?"
"Language! And kindly do not imply I'm a hussy, or some other lady of questionable repute," Rarity scolded.
"Quit dodging the question," Pikachu countered.
"I...," Rarity began, then frowned. "Fine. Yes. Yes I do. There. Happy?"
Pikachu took another draught, and spoke as the smoke flowed from his nose and mouth, "Then, why don't you?"
"Because we need to be married first!" Rarity protested, still squirming as she looked at the bushes where Rapidash went.
"Are you bloody serious? Why are you here, of all places, if you want to be married first?" Pikachu asked bluntly with a face full of incredulity.
Rarity grouched in exasperation, "That's just how it's done! It's being proper!"
Pikachu rolled his eyes. "'Proper?' Lady, do you know what this place is?"
He gestured out toward the field. Rarity's eyes went wide, for they most definitely were not alone. "Wha...wha-what!!? Have they no shame, out in broad daylight, not even trying to have a little modesty?! I thought this was a daycare!!"
"Exactly," said Pikachu. "The daycare man and lady provide a safe place for Pokemon to make eggs, at their trainer's discretion. It's about the only reason anymon is ever left here. That includes you, too, since you were dropped off with your...male companion."
"You mean to tell me they made a den specifically for brazen debauchery, but labeled it a 'daycare!?'" Rarity all-but screeched.
Pikachu was in the middle of another draught. Once he exhaled, he said, "Take it easy there, lady. You're blowing this way out of proportion."
"How can you possibly be so calm with such depravity right there!?" Rarity demanded.
Pikachu waved at those in the field dismissively. "This is nothing. Like most mornings, it's pretty chill out there right now. After the sun goes down, well...not-so-chill, then. That's when things get lively around here."
"But those playing in the front!" Rarity said firmly. "You can't expect me to actually believe those Pokemon playing a foal's game of tag or hide-and-seek would act so...so crude, do you?"
"Wait for nightfall; then you'll see what I mean," Pikachu said with a knowing smirk. "Looks to me like you would not believe the kinks that Jigglypuff is into, the very one playing tag near the house right now. Hell, she took most of us by surprise, but damn it's hot, seeing her do her thing."
"Euggh...! What is wrong with you!?" Rarity demanded. She huffed, and glared at no one at all, muttering, "I can't believe Aengus would put me here. What could he possibly...wait. You said something about eggs, didn't you?"
"Now you've got it! So what are you waiting for? Get to the egg-making!" Pikachu urged.
{What about you? Do you justify to yourself what you're doing, when you know it's wrong?}
Aengus stopped on his bike, resting his weight on his left leg. He looked over to his right at the Daycare building, then down at the ground. Miserably he said to himself, "I really shouldn't have done that. I should just get her out, and start for Sinnoh."
Ahead of him in the distance was Goldenrod City's skyline. Looking it over sadly, he continued, "But Paddy's not gonna give up his hybrid. Even if he does, he has another one just waiting to replace it. No, you have to do this, you have to have an answer to that thing, even though this feels wrong."
He gave the building one last look before continuing onward. He murmured once away from any others, "Come on, Rarity. What are you waiting for?"
{That has to be among the most empty feelings in the history of ever, finding out you amount to nothing more than breeding stock.}
Rarity fell to a sitting position. A terrible sadness had moved in, filling her face, posture, and voice, "He...wants an egg from me? Because I came up short?"
"Usually how it goes, sweetheart," Pikachu said condescendingly. "Most trainers just love their Pokemon no matter what, but we rarely see those here."
"He's...trying to breed me...just like how Paddy did Trixie...," Rarity said in disbelief.
"Sure is; that's those competitive types for ya'," Pikachu continued, knocking ash from the end of his cigarette. "They'll breed the ever-livin' shit outta us, until they get the exact perfect one they want and like. Everymon else, they don't care about them. Those other Pokemon are nothing more than stepping stones to their perfect fighter. Sometimes we see multiple generations in here before they're done. Seen that happen here a few times, that the mother's here one day, and the daughter the next."
Tears welled up in her eyes. She sniffled, "He...doesn't like me? Because I'm not 'perfect?' But...but we did so much together...."
"Sorry to say it, sweet cheeks, but you finally understand," Pikachu said flatly. "May as well get it over with. At least he's the guy you want to jump, right?"
Rarity's upper lip twitched. Tears fell from her eyes, but she was glaring. She growled, "I shan't give him a thing. He'll just have to take me home."
Pikachu sighed. Shaking his head, he took the last possible draught off his cigarette and flicked the butt somewhere into the brush. Forgoing grammar, he chastised, "Lady, playing the waitin' game don't work. Keep on telling him no all night, waiting for the break of day and tell him no again, all through the next day, day after day, over and over, and your trainer still ain't gonna come for you until he gets that egg. I've seen that play out before time and again, too: a couple of Pokemon here not wanting to make eggs for whatever reason, and their trainers just keep going back and forth outside on their bicycles until they finally cave and make an egg. Hundreds of times it's happened. Longest time was a Hitmonchan and a Machoke, and she would not let that Hitmonchan get near her for a month. Took another six weeks after that before she finally let him make an egg with her."
"I don't believe you. That can't possibly be the truth! It just can't!" Rarity sputtered.
Pikachu sighed and said, "But it is, lady. I was there. I saw the whole thing unfold. And the whole time, their trainer would just ride back and forth, waiting on that egg, stopping only to eat, sleep, and relieve himself. Think he lost fifteen kilos, riding his bike like that."
Rarity shook her head slowly. "Two and a half months, waiting?"
"Sure was. If this 'Aengus' is the one I think he is, then you'd better believe he'd do it without a second thought," Pikachu said, scratching his chin. "You're not the first pair he's left here, or second, and so on. Can't forget that one time. He worked it for a while, and took the multiple generations I spoke of, all for him to get the one he wanted. You know what he got? A hell of a Pichu, stronger than any I've seen. Stronger than any Pichu should be, too. That little guy has to be a Raichu by now...maybe the strongest one there ever was. That was...seven years ago, I think? See one that much stronger than it should be, and you ain't gonna forget it."
Rarity scarcely paid him any attention, or a cry of ecstasy close-ish. She quietly said to herself, "They were right...Ho-Oh and Keldeo were right. I should've listened to them...why, Aengus??"
Pikachu rolled his eyes and said, "Look, lady, you said you want to get home?" Rarity nodded sadly. Pointing toward the bushes with Rapidash, Pikachu said, "Your ticket's waiting right over there. Go get it."
The ancient Pikachu walked on. Rarity sighed. Equally sad and angry, she muttered, "I have to do...that? Be that degenerate, that far beneath myself, just to get home? That's about as far from fabulous as it gets. Aengus, I could so kick you right now...."
{Choice of evils....}
Aengus was nearing Goldenrod's city limits when he stopped his bicycle, turned and started the other way. He grouched, "Stupid. Never should have put her in there. Never should have let Paddy get to you. She deserves better than this, better than me."
A moment later he stopped again. Shaking his head, he muttered, "But then who will take Paddy down? What'll he do to the whole region, if he's willing to stab his own flesh and blood in the back? No. He has to be stopped, for all our sakes."
Aengus turned himself around again, taking off into Goldenrod. He whispered to himself, "Please, Rarity, don't let me down."
{Time to face the music.}
"Is this penance for...Salazzle?" Rarity asked herself bitterly. "Give up my maidenhead out of wedlock, to make a life to replace the one I took, and never know my own foal?"
There was no one and nothing nearby, resulting in no answer. Across the field she saw the other pairs taking great delight in what they were doing, yet Rarity's face spoke volumes of how betrayed she felt. She muttered angrily, "Just get it over with, Rarity. Shouldn't take long. I'm sorry, mom...looks like I can't keep that promise after all."
Rarity sighed, looking at Rapidash's bushes. She frowned for a moment, then held her head up high. She walked slowly, showing the elegance and grace she had barely remembered during her journey. She bore defiance in her expression, posture, and gait, as if she was a deposed queen on her way to her own execution. She had no joy. It was but a few metres, but it may as well have been from there to Canterlot. She did not count the steps, nor look around. She just went at her unhurried pace.
Minutes later, she rounded the edge of the bushes. It was a cozy nook, with a picnic blanket thrown down and spread evenly. Rapidash smiled when she arrived, asking, "Hey. What kept you?"
Rarity hesitated. "There's no one to officiate. I...I don't know. I--"
Rapidash cut her off by planting a kiss on her lips, which they held for a good half-minute. As the broke apart, Rarity opened her eyes to see his still closed. His forehoof cupped her face gently as his mouth started toward her ear. Instead of feeling a nibble, Rarity heard a harsh whisper. "We gotta bust outta here."
{What Rarity says.}
Blinking, she blurted, "Huh??"
Rapidash reiterated, "We gotta escape this place and run." |
Rarity Gets Caught | 28 - Meanwhile, At A Farm North of Solaceon.... | {Guess who's back...??}
The barn door very slowly swung open. A cloaked, equine quadruped stepped inside with an orchid glow about its feet, moving in very deliberate bursts of speed. Its hooded overcoat, a rough-cut and poorly-stitched hooded cloak from brown burlap, covered the pony enough to mask gender, coat, and mane. Nearly immediately it was behind hay bales. No noise came from its footsteps. Cows in the barn mooed irritably at this newcomer's presence. The creature did not appear again until it was nearly at some shelves of fresh carrots. An aura of the same colour the one around its hooves surrounded many bundles, hoisting them and shoving them all into a heavily weathered blue and black duffle bag. This pony ducked out of sight again, not appearing for nearly two minutes. Two heifers sounded their protest as the pony reappeared by a bushel of apples. These, too, went into the bag, as did a ten-gallon metal can, fully disappearing into the same bag which was one-quarter of that size. The pony stopped by a mirror long enough to check the reflection. Pulling the hood back, this mare brushed the dust off her cornflower blue coat, adjusted her nearly white mane into its trademarked shape, and looked at her amethyst eyes.
Trixie rolled her eyes at the annoyed mooing, then pulled her hood back up and ran as carefully as earlier toward the exit. Before she reached the door, it fully opened, revealing a lavender unicorn mare wearing some sort of banded armour the colour of brass standing there. The newly-arrived pony had a carefully-styled violet mane and tail sporting a teal streak. Both of their faces lit up with gasps, tears welling up instantly.
"Starlight!?" Trixie sobbed.
Starlight Glimmer choked on her tears briefly before managing to say, "Hey, Trixie. I'm...I'm so happy you're safe!!"
No further words came before the two ran into each other's weepy-eyed embrace. Three other mares approached, each smiling. Two were earth ponies, one pink with a curly magenta mane and tail, the other orange with a Stetson hat. The third was a pegasus, cyan with a prismatic mane and tail.
Rainbow Dash sighed in relief. "Finally! Where have you been hiding? Do you have any idea how much we've been searching for you?"
Trixie said nothing, but buried her face in Starlight's neck. Sobbing continued from the two reunited best friends. Applejack said, "Take it easy, Dash. She's been through too much already. Still though, colour me impressed, that Twahlahght nailed where and when!"
A buzzing boom and whistle rattled nearby, startling Trixie to the point of shrieking. Confetti drifted downward as Pinkie Pie tittered. She said, "Sorry, I just can't resist! It's the perfect time for a party!"
Trixie tried to slow her breathing, though her coat still stood on end. Applejack grouched, "Consarnit Pinkie!! We told you four times to leave it behind! If they didn't know we were here already, they do now!"
"Sorry," Pinkie feebly offered. "It's...it's just the perfect moment to party! Best friends back together again, after a forced time apart?"
Pinkie reached behind herself and pulled out a silver platter with five masterfully-decorated red velvet cupcakes: piped cream cheese icing with grooves twisting into a perfect curl, red sugar sprinkles, a strawberry cross-section stuck into the icing, and three red currants in front of the strawberry slice. Rainbow Dash wiped some drool from her chin as she breathed, "Wow, Pinkie...when did you find the time to do all this?"
Pinkie chuckled to herself. Her tongue extended much further than anypony else's tongue could hope to as she bore a cupcake from its wax paper wrapper, leaving very few crumbs behind, and chomped down on the confection. With her mouth full she cheerfully said, "Now that is a secret!"
Taking a cupcake, Starlight sighed, "We should have counted on Pinkie being Pinkie. But why are you here, Trix? It's not...I hope this isn't what it looks like."
Trixie stared almost straight down, shrinking back and toying at the straw with a hoof. Applejack and Rainbow Dash watched on with sadness and disappointment, but each took a cupcake. Trixie murmured, "It's...uh, not entirely what you see here...."
"Looks to me like yer robbin' a barn!" Applejack scolded.
Saying nothing, Trixie closed her eyes and turned away. Starlight walked up to her and pulled her into a side hug. When Trixie did not acknowledge, Starlight bitterly said, "What a horrible world this is, that it turned you into a thief, and Rarity into a...into a...a...."
"Don't say it. Please," Pinkie begged. "I can't stand to think about it."
Trixie still said nothing, but did hug Starlight back. After a moment, Starlight said, "Well, everypony, there's no reason for us to stay here. Gimme a moment, and I'll teleport us back."
"Wait! I can't," said Trixie suddenly. When the other four stared at her in bafflement, she continued, "There's...a complication. Something that means you absolutely, positively, must be able to guarantee safe passage. Something Trixie cannot abandon."
Starlight blinked a moment, finished her cupcake, and then cautiously said, "Teleportation is about as safe a passage as it comes, but what's this thing?"
Trixie frowned. Avoiding meeting anypony's gaze, she evasively answered, "It's...not right here, but where I've been hiding. That, uh, complication...Trixie can hardly believe it's even possible, but--"
{Then there was trouble.}
A loud bang, and some of the wood of the barn shattering, interrupted Trixie and gave all five of them a start. Applejack and Dash both dropped their partially-eaten cupcakes. Two adult male humans were there. One had some kind of metallic object in his hand. Part of it was in his fist. The rest was a rectangular prism, sporting a fin at the end, and a circular hole from which issued some wafting smoke. The other had a complement of six Pokeballs, and threw one, shouting, "Go, Empoleon!"
An odd penguin appeared. He had a trident latched onto its face, and an overly long white ruffle cravat. The armed human grouched, "I knew it! I damn-well knew it was one of you ponies pillaging my harvest!"
Rainbow Dash looked at the man with the Pokemon. Both of them gasped with eyes widening as they stood agape at each other. Dash narrowed her eyes into a glare as she snarled with bared teeth, snapping, "You again?! Don't you think you've caused enough trouble?!"
"You're one to talk, Miss Honourary-Member-of-Team-Rocket! Nothing but thieves, all of your kind! The only difference is what you steal!" he shot back. "Some of you steal food, others steal Pokemon, and one of you stole control of the moon! How long will it be before your ponies steal our money, our houses, jobs, children, and lives?!"
Starlight rolled her eyes. She dismissively sighed, "Ah yes, the good ol' scarecrow fallacy. Set up your straw pony and then knock her down."
The man with the metal object discharged the weapon again, spraying dirt at Trixie's feet. She quickly began to hyperventilate and back up, nearly screaming. The man raised his arm, pointing the weapon at Trixie's face, saying, "You're out of warning shots. Return what you stole from me, or I'll make your brain a splattered mess."
"Two can play at that game," growled Starlight, her horn suddenly charging up as a teal-ish crystalline barrier materialised around her. It grew and covered Trixie as well as Starlight continued, "I'll give you vae victis if that's what you want!"
Gesturing around at everyone there, Applejack said, "Hey, y'all calm down! This is getting out of hoof in a real hurry!"
"Yeah," Pinkie said sadly, looking at the dropped cupcakes. "I thought it was party-time, not fighty-time."
"Sorry you two, but it's too late to talk them down!" Dash yelled as she swooped in at Empoleon, turning upward with a raised forehoof to his chin, as if she were trying to uppercut the sky. Empoleon somersaulted through the air four times before returning to his Pokeball.
"Well, it surely is now, that you've gone and done that!" Applejack grumbled, moving in on the trainer.
Starlight looked over at Trixie in time to see her pulling a pickaxe out of her bag with her telekinesis, already wearing a hardhat. Trixie was still hyperventilating as she hit the ground with the pickaxe, conjuring a perfectly circular pitch black spot into which she jumped and disappeared. The spot immediately sealed itself up behind her. Starlight squawked, "How did that happen??"
"Guess she's not getting this," Pinkie sighed, and devoured the last cupcake.
"So now one of you has stolen an Explorer Kit, too?!" barked the trainer. He turned toward Rainbow Dash and snarled, "And I see you mean to steal another of my Pokemon, don't you!?"
Rainbow yelled back, "What the hay are you talking about? That wasn't a Pokemon; that was a pony!"
"No, she was a Pokemon, and you stole her! And I know she's a Pokemon because all she ever said was 'Twixie,' while you lot speak in full sentences! I could've gotten twenty-five grand from the World Champ for her, but you took her from me!" he shouted, throwing another ball. "Come on, Toxicroak!"
A bipedal frog appeared, with skin of a dull indigo, and its middle fingers and toes of red, and its red vocal sac inflated. This Pokemon positioned itself between Applejack and its trainer, cutting off any easy approach angle. Pinkie blinked in confusion with a vacant stare. She murmured to herself, "Combo coming...tingly hooves...itchy nose...pinchy knee...that's a new one...what's--no! Dashie, look out!!" finishing by yelling in horror.
The man with the weapon pointed it elsewhere as Starlight demanded, "Put it down, now!!"
Pinkie zipped in and shoved Dash to the ground. Two more loud bangs cut Dash off before she could ask why. A Pokemon, two men, and three ponies all turned as Pinkie gasped and looked down. Two holes were punched through her armour over her chest, and both were turning red fast. She sputtered, "Wha...what the...??"
"Pinks!?!" Dash cried out in alarm as Pinkie toppled over, both of her forehooves over the holes. The platter clanged and rolled into a heifer's stall.
"Pinkie??" Applejack blurted, eyes wide. Then she glared, ducked past Toxicroak, and applebucked the trainer across the barn in a single blow. He slammed into one of the barn's support poles. The man landed on his knees and fell forward, still breathing but not moving. Toxicroak hurried to its trainer, covering the human with its body as it stared back at Applejack guardedly. She ran to join Dash beside Pinkie.
Telekinetically Starlight grabbed a shovel and beat the weapon out of the man's hands to the sound of something splintering. He fell onto his bottom, then tried and failed to clutch his hands. The shovel's handle was undamaged, and she threw it out of the barn. Then she picked the weapon up with her magic, turning it over. The weapon discharged as her spell tugged on the trigger, but its projectile was also caught in her magic. The bullet spun in midair, surrounded by phthalo green in Starlight's meticulous gaze. The man tried to backpedal from a sitting position, but both of his wrists gave out. Starlight growled, "A chemical explosion to force a small dart into unbelievable speed, tipped with a point the same angle as a bodkin arrow! You meant to pierce our armour and kill us! You came here with truly deadly intent! Premeditated murder!! "
"Dashie...it hurts, Dashie...it hurts so bad...," Pinkie whimpered in agony. Dash and AJ hurried in removing the damaged armour. Dash shook once the cuirass was off.
AJ sighed in fear, half-heartedly offering with poor grammar, "Ooh, that ain't no splinter...."
Rainbow pled, "No...no-no-no-no-no-no!! Hold on, Pinkie, please!!"
"Dash, we gotta stop the bleedin'!" AJ insisted, opening a med kit and removing white cloth bandages.
Starlight slammed the disarmed man to the ground by stomping on his chest with one forehoof, and held him there. She forcefully pressed the pistol to the man's head, at the bridge of his nose. Tears started down his face. He sputtered, "No, please! Mercy! My wife and daughter can't get by without me!"
"'Mercy,' you mean, like the mercy you showed the only one of us who wasn't fighting you assholes!?" Starlight roared. "And what makes your family so much more important than hers, huh?! You don't think there isn't somepony counting on her, too?!"
The man's breaths were broken, and he still had not blinked. Starlight pressed the weapon harder to his head as both AJ and Dash applied both forehooves to their white cloth bandages over Pinkie's wounds. Rainbow yelled, "Do it, Starlight! Take him out!"
"NO!! You can't!!" Applejack hollered. "Be the bigger pony!"
Airily Pinkie mumbled, "Oh. That's...that's what the new combo means. 'Friend in mortal danger.'"
Toxicroak held his trainer close to his chest, still watching with a terrified glare and held his breath. The other man sobbed uncontrollably. Starlight's upper lip curled as her eyes narrowed again. Applejack shouted, "Please, Starlaht, put the weapon down! You're better than this!"
"There's nothing wrong with avenging a friend! Heck, I'd say there's honour in it! Let 'im have it!" Dash countered.
The man tried to speak, but the blubbering made his words incomprehensible. His pants became drenched where the legs joined with a familiar, unpleasant odor. Starlight grouched, "Oh, now you get the gravity of the situation, don't you, you stupid bastard!"
"That's right!" Dash agreed. "Give that bastard what he has coming!"
"No! Let the poor bastard live; he's learned his lesson!" Applejack countered.
Pinkie wistfully and quietly said, "Glad we all agree he's a bastard...."
"Ah hell, she's goin' inta' shock!" Applejack said worriedly. "Pinkie ain't hardly a farm critter, but let me see if there's an adrenaline shot in that there bag!"
Barely audible, Pinkie said, "That's...another double negative...AJ...."
Dash said, "You still got it, Pinks! Keep that brain moving! Stay with us!"
"I just wanted to say...it's been fun, girls. I love you," Pinkie whispered. Her eyes fluttered closed.
"Pinkie! Piiinkkiiie!!!" Dash screamed, tears flowing freely.
Applejack rooted around in the medical kit. As she removed an elongated box, she said, "Now, calm down, there. She ain't gone. She's jes' gettin' sleepy."
Dash disregarded Applejack's words. As the box opened to reveal a syringe, Dash turned and shrieked, "Starlight! Do it! Do it now! Do it for Pinkie!!"
"Don't you dare! You'll never be okay with yourself again if you do! And you know that's not what Pinkie would want!" Applejack retorted, jabbing the needle into Pinkie's neck and driving the plunger.
Starlight's face screwed up. Glaring into the man's bloodshot, weepy eyes, she took a deep breath, held it, and heard Pinkie quietly say, "Starlight...no...please don't...."
Dash sobbed as Applejack removed the syringe. Starlight sighed, and asked, "Are you sure, Pinkie? This man tried to kill you for no reason at all."
"A funeral is...the worst party ever, Starlight. Let's not make them throw one of those," Pinkie barely got out. Dash clung to her, tremouring all over.
Applejack pressed, "Starlaht, we gotta get 'er to a surgeon raht quick! There ain't another shot, and this one ain't gonna hold long!"
Starlight glared at the man, and with a final shove and growl, she took the weapon out of his face. Toxicroak finally let go of his held breath. The man sobbed, "I'm sorry...for what it's worth, I'm sorry!"
"'Tain't much, but it'll hafta do," Applejack quipped.
Starlight rushed toward the others, but looked back at the man and said, "I'm still taking this...thing. You can't be trusted with it, and our doctors will need to know exactly what hit her."
Toxicroak still held his unconscious trainer close, stroking his hair and repeatedly sighing in relief. Starlight powered up her horn, and the four ponies disappeared in a flash.
{A major battle, right here, is coming.}
Tension lay thick in the camp. Mew floated near the portal, looking toward the sea with a stern, apprehensive, and even a little angry expression. Most of the other Legendary and Mythical Pokemon were close, also watching that direction, though they were a distance behind Mew. Arceus stood close. Next to him was some anthropomorphic purple beetle with red eyes, and a cannon mounted over its head. Twilight, Luna, Red, Blue, and Cynthia were all gathered around a monitor with a report. Scientists and other academics set up, or were in the middle of setting up, hides and blinds among the shrubs, with cameras, microphones, and unidentified equipment at the ready. One had an Alakazam and a Golem working together to construct a military pillbox bunker.
Starlight's signature teal flashed, immediately followed by her screaming louder than others thought she could, "MEDDDIIIICCCC!!!!"
Fifteen ponies rushed to where they rematerialised. Twilight looked up, and shuddered. She could not speak, and could barely breathe. She teleported to Pinkie's side, arriving a split second before Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash had not stopped crying. Applejack looked close to breaking down. Fluttershy shrieked as a start to her panicked wailing and sobbing. Still shuddering midair, and with both forehooves over her mouth, Twilight managed to squeak out, "What...happened??"
Starlight levitated the handgun over to Twilight, saying, "A human used this weapon. He meant to attack Rainbow Dash, but Pinkie shoved her out of the way."
Luna, Red, and Blue had come over by then. Blue said, "Looks like a .38 caliber pistol. They haven't made this model in...I don't know. Man, this is old...older than any of us here, without a doubt."
Luna rolled her eyes and muttered to herself, "I wouldn't count on that."
"Indeed," Arceus said quietly, standing right next to her.
Mew pointed at Latios, Latias, and Xerneas with its right paw, and then to Pinkie with its left. All three of those Pokemon quickly started her direction as Twilight ordered, "Somepony go get Zecora, now!!"
Applejack stopped a medic from filling a syringe, saying, "She jes' had an adrenaline shot."
Starlight sobbed a little to herself, and whimpered, "I'm sorry...I can't do anything right here! Should've tried to do some more, but I just stood there!"
Applejack gave her a hug, and said, "It's not yer fault. Don't blame yerself."
Latios and Latias hovered over them while the medics set an IV into Pinkie's elbow, took her vitals, and braced her neck and legs with her laying on a spine board. Starlight tried to bite back on the tears, having limited success. The world distorted in front of the two Pokemons' faces. From Pinkie's wounds came bits of metal, broken and twisted. As more and more such chunks came free, Blue sighed with some relief. "At least whoever it was didn't load the gun with FMJs. She'd probably be dead by now."
A sort of pulse emanated from between Xerneas's antlers, ending at Pinkie's wounds. They started to close up, though Pinkie had fallen unconscious. Latios and Latias joined Xerneas in the effort while the medics hoisted her onto a gurney. After a minute, the three of them stopped. Pinkie was still breathing unassisted. While Latios and Latias departed quickly, Xerneas said to Pinkie's friends, "That should be the worst of it, but she still requires serious medical attention."
The medics wheeled Pinkie toward and through the portal as Xerneas returned to his spot waiting. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all followed. Starlight began to follow, but Luna tapped on the back with a wing. Gently she said, "You can go after you give your report. I'm sorry, but we need that information immediately."
"Yes, of course," said Starlight with forlorn eyes and sad nodding. She followed Princess Luna to the battle map, where the others waited. Starlight looked at her mentor and said, "You were spot-on, Twilight. We saw her. She was there, right when you said she'd be."
Twilight nodded with some pride. Cynthia muttered, "Guess your food theft theory was sound after all."
"Why isn't Trixie with you?" asked Twilight, her pleased face falling away.
Starlight sighed and said, "When the fighting started, she fled. She somehow disappeared into the ground by hitting it with a pickaxe. One of the humans there said something about an 'Explorer Kit' when she got away."
"So she's in the Underground?" Cynthia asked irritably. She waved dismissively at the lines on the map as she snarked, "Goes a long way to explain why all your patrols always came back with nothing."
"I meant, why didn't you just teleport with her as soon as she was found?" Twilight pressed.
Starlight nodded with a slightly suppressed grin. "She said she couldn't. Said she had a 'complication' back where she was hiding, and would need 'safe passage' to get here."
Twilight's eyebrows raised in unison, "A 'complication' that requires 'safe passage,' then? I do hope that means what I think it means."
"Me too."
Twilight turned to Cynthia and said, "We'll need to get down there."
"Look, I already told you we don't have any extra Explorer Kits just laying around!" Cynthia grouched.
Red held up a hand as he walked around the map. As he started rummaging through his bag, Blue stopped him and said, "I don't think this will work. How exactly do you expect them to enter this Trixie's Secret Base if she has the entrance closed, which is almost doubtlessly the case?"
Red gave Blue a hard look as he pulled out a hard hat with a pickaxe and shovel linked to it. He continued his imperious stare as he handed it to Twilight, then tapped her horn with only his index finger. She withheld a chuckle and said, "Thank you, sir."
"Shouldn't I get the kit?" Starlight asked. "Trixie's my best friend, and she and Twilight...don't have the friendliest history."
Twilight sighed, "Not arguing that point, but you're not skilled with divination spells, and I am. We should both go."
Starlight sighed. Looking between Red, Blue, and Cynthia, she asked in exhaustion, "Is there another kit we can borrow?"
Red nodded. The others waited in anticipation. A moment later, he gave Blue a sharp tap to the shoulder, then pointed at Starlight. Blue rolled his eyes and sighed, grumbling, "Fine, since you're that certain...."
Blue looked through his bag briefly before handing such a set to Starlight huffily. Appreciatively she said, "Thanks. We'll return these once we're done."
"Good, I was about to say so," Blue said with a frown.
Starlight looked around the camp, and at the scientists taking cover in particular. She asked, "Um, so, what changed in the maybe half-hour we were out?"
Mew looked back over its shoulder for a brief second, then said, "Mew...Two...."
Twilight pursed her lips and said, "A particularly brutal and savage Pokemon called 'Mewtwo' is coming, and should arrive in about two hours. According to the others, he is very, very strong, and very quick to violence. I don't know all the details, but it sounds like Mewtwo is artificial."
Blue said, "We don't have time to give you the full story. Suffice it to say, Mewtwo has left a wake of destruction on his way here."
"Which is why I warned you about the coming nightmare!" Darkrai snapped bitterly at Twilight. Her ears drooped as he continued, "Your magic is nothing we've ever seen or felt before, and you showed the whole world it's right here! Why do you think so many of us came?! We had to know if you were friend or foe, and guess who's definitely gonna call you foe?!"
"I...I'm sorry. I didn't know," Twilight said sadly.
Darkrai turned away, huffing, "A little late for that now."
Blue shook his head and said, "Both the Ame-kohs and the Febs lost an entire carrier group apiece, and we don't know how many other craft were--what?!"
Red had shoved Blue disdainfully while shaking his head; his expression had turned to an angry one at Blue's naming who lost naval vessels. Red forcefully and emphatically made sweeping motions with his hands. Cynthia gently said, "That's not a very nice way to talk about them."
"Anyways," Blue continued with a roll of his eyes, "Mewtwo is destroying everything in his path, and is coming here for whatever reason. Connecting where he destroyed those flotillas and the time between is how we figured out his ETA, Starlight. Like Darkrai said, he's probably trying to find out what the source of power here is, the same as the other Legendary and Mythical Pokemon."
"You're saying we'd better hurry," said Twilight, unamused.
"Yes."
Twilight looked over at Starlight and asked, "You said she just hit the ground with the pickaxe, right?"
"That's right," Starlight answer, withdrawing the pickaxe from Blue's Explorer Kit and donning the hard hat.
"Wait!" said Cynthia. "You'll return from the Underground exactly where you entered! Even if you find her, she'll pop back out at that farm, whether you or not you all hold hands--hooves, whatever--on your way out. You'd better return to where you found her."
Twilight nodded. She said to Starlight, "Take us there, since you know its precise location."
The two departed in a burst of phthalo green light.
{Hot on her tail, let's go!}
Back at the barn, Twilight and Starlight emerged from the teleport. Twilight took in her surroundings. A woman and an adolescent girl were helping the man back to the house. Toxicroak was dragging his trainer back from the barn, and froze in terror at the sight of them. The hurt man barked at Starlight, "Haven't you done enough?!"
Twilight said, "Sir, we are simply retrieving my lost citizen. Since she'd resurface here either way, I thought this the most prudent place to start."
"Whatever," he grumbled. "Just hurry up and get the hell off my property, and out of my life!"
"Wonderful people, here," Twilight muttered to herself.
"Yeah, well...you've been fortunate to have mostly dealt with Red and Blue," said Starlight. "These humans seem to think they're inherently better than any other species."
"They make some bad company," Twilight said, shaking her head.
Starlight nodded, "I can't deny that. Personally, I've had enough of all the Pokemon, too."
Twilight pulled the pickaxe from her borrowed Explorer Kit. Putting on the hard hat, she said, "Agreed. Let's just go find Trixie. I, too, will be happy to leave this world far behind and return to our own permanently."
Starlight lifted her set's pickaxe, and said, "Right. We're going in!"
The two struck the ground in unison, jumped into identical black spots, and were gone from sight as the holes closed behind them. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 29 - Into the Underground | {I spent way, way too much time in this part of the game....}
Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer descended slowly with flailing feet and landed. As their vision cleared up, they found themselves in a tunnel of a thick sandstone deposit. The tunnel was wide enough to fit five abreast with breathing room. However, the ceiling was too low to allow any aerial mobility; even Rainbow Dash or Spitfire would struggle to stay aloft without knocking themselves against the low overhead. Wooden support beams were evenly spaced. They appeared at a four-way intersection.
"Wow. Uniform in every direction," Twilight said, looking around.
"Yeah, I see that. Hopefully this 'underground' isn't too big," said Starlight. "What does your divination magic say?"
Twilight's horn powered up, but a pinging noise sounded as a thin expanding circle issued from her horn. She scrunched her face, raising an eyebrow. "Wha...my magic doesn't work normally down here! All I can sense is a vague something, and at that, only within about seven lengths!"
Starlight grumbled, "Crud. Now what?"
"There's nothing right here. With the tunnel looking the same in every direction, I don't know where to begin!" Twilight said in exasperation, looking around fervently.
"She went that way," Starlight said, pointing to the south.
Twilight took a breath and said like a condescending mother, "Now Starlight, I know you want to find her. But you shouldn't let your imagination run away with you and act on false hope."
"Twilight...," Starlight began.
As her horn lit up again, Twilight kept going, "I've already begun analysing this strange field that disrupts divination magic."
"Twilight," Starlight urged.
Still ignoring her, Twilight continued, "Until we have proof, we cannot proceed with any real chance of locating Trixie."
"Twilight!" Starlight shouted in exasperation.
Twilight shook her head in surprise, but her horn still held the small charge it had. She blinked several times with her mouth slightly parted. Shutting her jaw, she cocked her head to the left and raised her left eyebrow, saying, "Is...why are you shouting, Starlight?"
Pointing downward, Starlight condescendingly grumbled, "She left hoofprints."
Twilight looked down. Among the sandstone was a thin interbedded deposit of shale that was noncontiguous, but had been marked by pony hoofprints. These were too small to be a horse, and spaced in a way that could only come from a pony at a full canter. Twilight blushed and shrank back, muttering, "Oh. I...oh. Wow. I'm sorry for doubting you, Starlight."
Starlight frowned, but said calmly, "It's fine, but there's no point in staying here."
The two trotted after the hoofprints, following the prints along their last-seen trajectory through the gaps where the shale bed was gone. They passed multiple intersections, turned west, headed north a bit later, and followed Trixie's trail through a thin pass. A few steps out into the wide corridor, a large billow of fire leapt all around Twilight, as though there was an oversized blowtorch under her. A woman voice over an unseen P.A. system announced, "Twilight Sparkle triggered a Trap!"
Twilight yelped and jumped straight up, even though the fire was semitransparent. A similar disembodied voice nearby said, "Oops! Fire Trap! Blow the Trap away!"
"Twilight!?!" Starlight shrieked in terror.
Still with her horn charged, Twilight furled her brow, looked at the fire surrounding her, then calmly said to Starlight, "It...doesn't hurt. It's like it's not even there, except that it's not letting me move at all."
Starlight forced deep breaths to slow her lungs to a normal speed. She looked the flames up and down, and said, "Uh, Twilight? Is it me, or does this fire look a little funny? It's kinda boxy."
Twilight pursed her lips a moment, then nodded. "You're right. It's pixelated. But why?"
"'Pixelated?' Never heard that word before," Starlight said.
"I'm not surprised," Twilight answered. "I hadn't heard the word before going to Canterlot High. When that world's Applejack and Rainbow Dash played something called a 'video game' there, there was this kind of boxiness to what was on the screen...though not this pronounced. This is pretty severe."
"You're getting yourself into sidebars again."
Twilight grimaced. "Oh. Sorry. Heh heh. Anyways, I asked Pinkie why it looked so, and she said all video games are pixelated to some degree. It comes from old television screens having miniature lights on them, called pixels, that change colour and brightness to create--"
"Twilight! Now's not the time!" Starlight yelled, her face vexed. "That voice from...wherever it came said to 'blow the trap out!' So, blow the trap out!"
"How? This isn't exactly a birthday candle," Twilight quipped. Starlight shrugged with gritted teeth and annoyed eyes. She walked up and blew as if it were a birthday candle anyway, despite the funky flame standing twice Twilight's height. She huffed and puffed at the flame to no noticeable effect whatsoever while Twilight rolled her eyes. She muttered under her breath, "Listening never was one of your strong points...."
"Well, what do you suggest!?" Starlight barked.
Twilight tapped her chin for a moment, then her face lit up. She flapped her wings hard, repeatedly. The flames shrank, then returned to their overblown height, hitting no points in-between the two sizes. She flapped faster. The pixelated fire shrank, then disappeared. A strange music box chimed nearby as the woman over the P.A. said, "Twilight Sparkle escaped the Trap."
Starlight looked all around her, but could not find the music box, nor the P.A. speakers. She grumbled, "This is the strangest place I've ever been to. And I've seen plenty of strange places."
"It's certainly up the list for me," Twilight snorted. "A pixelated illusion of a fire that keeps one from moving? That's just bizarre. Who thought of such a thing?"
Starlight rolled her eyes. "I seriously doubt we'll find a plaque with all the architects' and miners' names, or a list of whoever all donated money to carve out these tunnels."
Twilight continued grumbling unfazed. "Why the pixellation? Did we stumble into a video game or something? It's rubbish to even entertain such an impossibility."
"Let's just get going before something else weird happens," Starlight sighed.
Twilight further powered up her horn, but it was to the same effect. From the pinging noise, a silver speck shined on the floor behind Starlight, and two golden sparkles shone on the wall. As the expanding circle disappeared, so did the flecks of light. As her horn resumed the soft glow from earlier, Twilight said, "I think there's something behind you."
Starlight turned around, and saw nothing. She snarked, "Oh, yes, the dangerous, dangerous air is gonna pounce me! So many perils await from the lightly wafting dust! Let me just scoop this up with my hooves, and--"
"Starlight Glimmer disengaged a Trap!" said the woman over the unseen speakers. Starlight looked down to see some square device in her hooves, red with a thick arrow pointing east.
Twilight talked over the other voice that had started, "Do you know a one-centimetre levitation spell? Running on such a puff of air would keep us from triggering these traps."
Starlight looked over the square in her hooves. She muttered, "I do, but...what is this thing?"
"Some kind of weird tech. It held me in place when--oh! I get it!" Twilight said with a sudden smile. "Hologram projection. That's why it looked like there was a fire around me, but I couldn't feel it. And while that was going on, it just halted my momentum."
"A 'hologram,'" echoed Starlight questioningly with a hint of irritation.
Twilight said, "It's like an illusion spell, except it's done by technological means."
"Whatever. Why they made such a contraption is beyond me," Starlight muttered with waning patience. "I'm not carrying it around."
Starlight dropped the object behind her and the two took off again, this time levitating barely above the floor. After another minute of following the interspersed shale bed, they ran out of visible hoofprints. Twilight and Starlight stood at a four-way intersection with no shale to follow in any direction. Twilight sighed, "Oh. I was afraid this would happen."
"Is there something we can do to leave a marker here or something?" Starlight asked, looking between the different paths. "We can't just quit now!"
Twilight squinted as she looked down the corridor. She said, "It looks like there's a human male standing there a little ways ahead, at the next intersection. Let's go ask him."
The two hurried along the longer stretch without the tunnel meeting another, stopping at the large, bearded, barrel-chested man. Starlight said, "Excuse me, sir, but have you seen a blue pony run by here?"
"Starlight Glimmer talked with someone," announced the woman over the P.A.
"You've got a Sphere or two? If so, I'll trade you something," the man answered.
Twilight raised an eyebrow, "You...want us to trade you a 'sphere' for information??"
"We, uh, don't have a sphere with us," Starlight sadly admitted.
The man answered, "I'll be seeing you, then!"
As Twilight and Starlight ambled away, Starlight muttered, "What a weird thing to ask for. Spheres?"
Twilight shrugged and quipped, "Some ponies juggle geese."
Starlight paused, then said, "Also weird, but seriously, who hunts spheres as a living?"
"Uh, Starlight? This is the world where they trap wild animals in hoof-sized balls, or spheres if you would rather, and make them duke it out for money and fame," Twilight said snidely. "You shouldn't expect anything here to make sense."
"It just doesn't look like a good spot to find the stupid things, if you ask me," Starlight said. "I mean, if he's gonna be a sphere hunter, why is he hanging out underground? A sporting goods store would serve him better, or a pool hall. Or hey! Why not get those enslavement balls, and buy 'em by the crate? Or how about he really goes to the extreme? Why doesn't he, I dunno, fly some mechanical thing, since they like those machines around here, and go around the world and delve into old ruins to find them? Have him and his two closest buddies do the away missions while his relations run the vessel. I mean, really. It's just asinine, no matter how you spend your days looking for them."
"Eh," Twilight sighed, rolling her eyes. "It'd be more marketable to have a trio of adolescent girls do the ground-based legwork than three burly guys. And have them stomp out a revived threat from a thousand years ago."
Starlight stopped, her entire mouth curled in incredulity as her eyes squinted from the same. Twilight turned and looked at her. Mouthing moving silently, Starlight's larynx took a break. She gestured, despite no words leaving her lips. A moment of this later, Starlight inhaled deeply, and squawked, "What in the world, Twilight?!!"
Twilight snickered and said, "You said something absurd, thus did I do the same as a reflection for you. Besides, marketing firms like to use the young and beautiful for adverts, especially girls."
Starlight slowly shook her head, before waving dismissively at Twilight. She grumbled, "Just forget it. Let's find this guy his damn sphere or two."
"Language," Twilight urged motheringly. Her horn flared up for a moment, resulting in the same pinging and circle as before. As the glow slacked back to the soft and steady one Twilight had been holding, a gold sparkle shone on the wall. They walked over toward where it was as Twilight said, "Wonder what that was about."
As the stood in front of that point, Starlight said, "The wall is bulging slightly."
"Hmm," Twilight hummed, tapping her chin.
"What do you think? Should we dig here?" Starlight said.
"Well...it's worth a shot," said Twilight with suppressed hesitancy. "Hopefully this won't end up as a 'it seemed like a good idea at the time' moment."
As she got out her pickaxe and shovel, the woman on the P.A. announced, "Twilight Sparkle is digging for Treasure!"
Twilight's shovel clanged against the stone, to no effect. The noise came from Twilight's horn again. Some disembodied voice nearby, just like the one earlier, said, "Something pinged in the wall! 4 confirmed!"
"Fine. Pickaxe it is," Twilight grouched. She looked at the hammer that also came with the kit, then at the tan and brown chunk of wall in front of her. Pursing her lips, she telekinetically took the pickaxe and smacked a random spot in the tan area. Beige rock appeared behind where she struck, while the surrounding parts cracked. She hit again, and again, exposing more beige underneath. On the fourth strike, something not-beige was there. There was a green crystal with a bit of yellow on it. Carefully Twilight picked away at the surrounding rock, until this crystal had everything over it removed. It was the colour of an emerald, but with a lightning bolt upon it. She pulled it out with her telekinesis, then hit somewhere else. Here was something yellow. A moment of careful strikes later, she removed a yellow octahedral crystal, one with four instances of twinning. Two pickaxe strokes later was something brown and curled. Soon Twilight freed a petrified crinoid. Something else had also been revealed from that excavation. Two more pickaxe strokes, and she freed an opalescent heart.
The nearby voice said, "Everything was dug up! A Heart Scale was obtained. A Root Fossil was obtained. A Max Revive was obtained. A Thunderstone was obtained."
"No spheres, though," Twilight said with a frown. "But it was kinda fun. I wouldn't mind doing this for a little while. I like guessing what I'll find!"
"Twiliiight...!" Starlight whined with petulant impatience. "Trixie, remember?!"
Twilight blushed and nodded. "Sorry. Let's keep looking."
A few moments later, Twilight and Starlight were both catching their breath after each finished another dig. As Twilight wicked the sweat from her brow, she grouched, "One. One sphere after ten digs. Everything dug up each time, too. Far from perfect."
An adolescent human male was passing by, stopped, and glared at her. He snapped, "And you're complaining!? Everybody else is up to their ears in them spheres, trying to find something more useful, but you're not satisfied because one sphere mussed up your perfect record!? You know what? Screw you, pony! Screw you! Screw! You!"
He stormed off, shaking his head and throwing his hands in the air in frustration. Starlight quietly seethed, "That's what we're looking for, buddy. We're trying to find the effing things so we can get some info."
Twilight set her pickaxe down, but the soft glow continued. She panted, "I'm gonna try one more time. If that doesn't do it, we'll have to hope this 'Pale Sphere, Size 17' is worth enough to that man."
Blowing off the woman over the P.A., Twilight found another twinkling on the rock and went for it. The voice nearby said, "Something pinged in the wall! 2 confirmed!"
The wall here was nearly completely tan. Three hits, and something dark presented itself. Picking it out, Twilight sighed, "This is, what, our fifth Moonstone?"
"Sixth," Starlight corrected her. "I got two in my last dig."
Twilight muttered through her efforts, "Well, if that, uh...pleasant young man could be trusted, we hit the motherlode, when we just wanted what everypony else, or rather, everybody else, usually digs up."
Then Twilight exposed something bright red. Peeling away the rock, she exposed a chunk of some red thing, shaped like it started off as a kite shield, but since has had its edges heavily rounded. The nearby voice said, "Everything was dug up! A Moonstone was obtained. You obtained a Red Sphere, Size 20!"
Twilight looked at the red thingamabob. She barked, "This is not a sphere! It's not even close! While the so-called 'Pale Sphere' isn't either, it at least could pass for one at a distance!"
Starlight scoffed, "Weren't you the one who a few minutes ago said we shouldn't expect things to make sense in this world?"
Giving up, Twilight closed her eyes instead of arguing the point. She mumbled, "You're right. I guess it can't be helped. Let's go see that person."
They meandered back toward that man, Twilight's horn still glowing quietly. As they neared him, Twilight slowed down and stopped, her face most-pensive. Starlight turned around. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "What is it?"
Twilight pursed her lips, then said, "Go on and talk to him. I've got something on my mind."
Receiving the red "sphere," Starlight gave Twilight a long look. A harsh quiet followed. Starlight slowly said, "Okay then. I'll...I'll just get that info." Starlight looked at Twilight a moment as she continued forward, then, simply looked at the large human. She stood in front of the man and said, "We got a couple of spheres for you. Now please tell us what we need to know."
The woman over the P.A. announced the same as before, "Starlight Glimmer talked with someone."
The man said, "You've got a Sphere or two? If so, I'll trade you something."
Starlight paused at how his pitch, inflection, and pacing had all changed none in the interim. She held up the two spheres in her telekinesis and said, "Yes...trade spheres for information. Which way did a blue pony go?"
The man said nothing, but showed her five of the technological squares, much like the "trap" she had inadvertently "disengaged" earlier. Starlight blinked several times, then gritted her teeth as the corners of her mouth turned downward. She snarled, "You mean to tell me...that after we busted our flanks digging...trying to find these spheres...so we could trade you that for information...all you are is a merchant, who doesn't know what I was asking, and these 'spheres' are your goddamn currency!?"
The man said nothing, but still had the same serene grin on his face, nonplussed at her ranting. She threw both spheres and caught him in the face. Whirling around and stomping as she departed, she heard him say the same as before, "I'll be seeing you, then!"
Starlight groaned and growled, not even trying to form syllables. She marched back to Twilight, whose horn pinged with that radiating circle every few seconds while she was talking to herself. As Starlight neared, she could discern Twilight's words. "No...adjust the waveform to compensate for...no, closer, but...reduce it by forty-five hertz, and...no, that's too big a drop...."
Starlight took a deep breath and asked, "What are you doing?"
"The same thing I've been doing since almost immediately after we arrived," said Twilight. "Trying to isolate the field harmonics that reduces my divination magic to a short-range ping."
"That's why your horn's been glowing?" Starlight asked. Disappointment overtook her expression and voice. "I thought you'd have it perfectly on the first go. Why's the math fuzzy?"
"The exact conversion rate between Equestrian magic and the tech that made the field isn't clear," said Twilight. "I've narrowed it down to a small range, but even with that, the gap that follows when you have a logarithm's base directly impacted by the substitution rule in double integrals via that change in value is substantial. The--"
"I got it! You have to finish testing!" Starlight hastily interrupted. Caught between impressed at skill and turned off by boasting, she said, "Geez, you can do unnecessarily complicated math in your head like that?"
"Energy conversion between two worlds is always a mess," Twilight answered as another ping left her horn. "Wish it wasn't so, but at least I've had some practice."
"...I'll take your word for it," Starlight said flippantly. Twilight's horn charged, and instead of the circle with its ping, a wispy trail lead down the corridor, back towards where they were digging. Starlight's eyebrows raised. "I hope that's a good sign."
"I'm picking up good vibrations!" Twilight cheered, filling up with excitation.
"Well, don't just stand there! Let's roll!" Starlight insisted with a smile.
The two ponies galloped down the corridor, around a corner, took a right, and continued on, following the blue-grey wispy line. Another corner later, and they found themselves charging northward down a long straightaway with no intersection tunnels, not even the thin ones. Once it came to an intersection, the line continued north, and again through the second intersection, but it turned left at the third. Starting west, they quickly found the trail turned north again, into one of the thin tunnels where Starlight had to follow Twilight. They had little room to turn themselves around where they found the trail stopping against the east wall. With some effort, and her backside scraping against the rock for a moment, Twilight turned herself around.
"Looks like this is the spot," said Twilight.
"Good," said Starlight. She looked over the pickaxe and hammer in the kit, and commented, "I doubt these will get the job done before we're both old and grey."
Twilight smiled, "Wasn't about to suggest that."
Starlight's eyebrows perked up as a cheeky smirk came to her face. "Combined pulses of Chalcitis's Mine-Maker?"
Twilight nodded with an anticipatory grin as she pulled a pair of safety goggles from the kit and put them on, along with a dust mask. "That should take out even the most stubborn wall."
"Count me in," beamed Starlight as she donned the eye and breathing protection from her borrowed kit.
Hard hats placed themselves atop both heads from their respective wearers' magic. Princess and student charged up their horns. Two dots appeared on the wall, one of Twilight's magenta, and the other of Starlight's phthalo green. As the two adjusted where their horns pointed, so did the dots. They fine-tuned their aim so that the dots overlapped, centred where the blue-grey wisp led them. A faint glow of their respective barriers shone in front of them both.
"On three," said Twilight. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 30 - Father and Daughter Reunited | {A mare who has been through Hell and back awaits on the other side of the wall.}
Grinning, Twilight called, "One, two, three!"
A bright pulse erupted from both Twilight and Starlight, slamming into the wall where the projected dots overlapped. Instantly the wall went to pieces, spraying bits of rock sized everywhere between clay grains to baseball-sized misshapen shards. Mystical barriers lit up like noiseless magenta and teal fireworks, shining brightly through a rapidly expanding and rushing brownish cloud. As the cloud began to settle, a fireball exploded from where they blasted the wall, quickly followed by a second, then a third. Twilight and Starlight were forced backwards, hooves sliding against the stone floor.
As a shriek accompanied a fourth, Starlight muttered, "Had warmer welcomes."
They started forward, but had to brace themselves against a lightning burst. Starlight's barrier wavered briefly, but she reinforced it. Soon broken chunks of stone the size of barrels launched from the opening, knocking both of them around even with the magical shields up. Twilight yelled, "Trixie! Calm down! It's--"
Another fireball cut her off. More lightning followed suit. Starlight winced, then advanced. Indiscernible screeching issued, along with more thrown stones and a burst of ice. Twilight continued to advance with Starlight behind her. Two more fireballs came in. Starlight begrudgingly said, "Perhaps dealing with the wall like that was hasty."
"Yeah, should've thought that one through. Just never had the chance to try that spell before," Twilight sighed, beginning to make way against the heavy fire coming from the opening.
A few words came through from Trixie amid the blasting, nestled deeply between enraged and terrified, "You will not--"
And another fireball erupted. Twilight's barrier held firm as she pressed forward, entering a small cavern room. There were several large boulders in here, along with a small table with chairs, and a sidebar-like furnishing with a small computer sporting a pennant flag. Trixie stood there with an overcharged horn, tears streaking her face, gritted teeth, and a bloodshot death glare in her eyes. Upon seeing Twilight, her face eased, and her horn's charge eased off, exposing that it was glowing orange-yellow from heat, and indeed smoldered and singed her coat around her horn. Starlight stepped out from behind Twilight, and jokingly said, "Happy to see you too, Trix."
Trixie dropped to the floor and sobbed. Starlight rushed over to her as Twilight raised an eyebrow, frowning with empathetic sadness. Here she saw a mare that was not at all as she remembered. Trixie lay here without her pride, without her swagger, broken and crushed, laying there defeated, hapless, and miserable, undone by the goings-on endured in the past two weeks or so. Twilight hesitated, then joined Starlight in consoling Trixie. Minutes passed before Trixie settled. Twilight softly said, "Come on, Trixie. Let's go home. Your father, Presto, is waiting at the castle."
Waterworks resumed as Trixie squawked, "Daddy's there!?"
Another several minutes later, as Trixie calmed down again, Starlight said, "Hey. Let's get out of here."
"You said you needed guaranteed safe passage?" asked Twilight. "I can do that. And we entered the Underground about where you did, so we can teleport immediately."
"Okay...okay, good," Trixie said, nodding slowly. She turned to Starlight and pled, "Starlight...please don't freak out at this. I still can't believe this is possible."
Twilight nodded to Starlight, who returned the gesture, then said to Trixie, "So...what's this impossible thing?"
Trixie turned toward the table by the boulders, and gently commanded, "Zauber...come out. It's okay."
Slowly around the side of a boulder peered a small foal, staring in distrust and apprehension. As the head came fully into view, the foal clearly was a colt, a deeper cornflower blue with an off-white mane and tail. And those eyes...there was no mistaking the lineage. Every colour, the shape of his head, face, and body, and even the underlying cockiness swimming just below his suspicion, the little guy was a dead-ringer for his mother.
Twilight whispered to herself, "And there we are."
"'There we are'...what?" Trixie asked.
Zauber stayed partway out from behind the boulder, watching on uneasily. Twilight said, "Number ten. The last of the hybrids."
Trixie looked away briefly and nervously asked, "Ten?"
"Your ten eggs that hatched into pony-Pokemon hybrids?" Twilight asked.
A bead a sweat rolled down the side of Trixie's face. "Um...eggs??"
Twilight sighed with a sad, guilty expression. "From...that time, in the daycare, when...the unspeakable happened to you, against your will?"
Sweat drops on Trixie's face were fruitful and multiplied. "Oh...that. Yeah. It, uh, was horrible. Miserable. It's not like that's something Trixie would want to experience again anytime soon, or that she thought it was the greatest and most powerful exhilaration she ever felt, more than she dreamed she could and would jump back there in a heartbeat or something like that. Yeah, it's...it's a bad thing. Yeah." Starlight cast Trixie a sideways glance as she heard the claim. Seeing Twilight about to speak again, Trixie pressed, "How did you know there were ten? And what do you mean the 'last' of them?"
Twilight said, "I cast a world-covering divination spell, looking for Equestrian magic, and found ten more sources than what there should have been. Eight of them we had rounded up, with some help of the humans here. That Paddy fellow who put you through that horrible experience still has one, and this little guy makes ten."
"Mama, who are they, and what are they talking about?" Zauber asked, still half-hidden.
Trixie smiled back at Zauber, and sweetly said, "These are friends from mama's homeland, Honey-Pumpkin. This is Starlight Glimmer, the best friend mama has ever had, and that other one is...is Twilight Sparkle. She's a princess, and...well, she's a princess. Let's leave it at that."
Twilight scoffed as Starlight said, "We're here to get you two home. I hope we didn't freak you out too much, little guy."
"Right, like the wall exploding is part of the day-to-day humdrum!" Zauber snapped, stepping out. "Why did you blow up the wall? And how did you make it all go out from us? You could've just knocked."
Trixie sighed and said, "Not really. The door seals up tight, remember?"
Zauber walked into his mother's awaiting embrace. After a moment he said, "That still doesn't explain how the detritus exploded at them and not us."
Twilight raised her eyebrows as a delighted smile broke over her face. "Ooh, he's a smart one! Part of the effect of Chalcitis's Mine-Maker is material excavated in the way exits perpendicular to the face whence it comes, to prevent material loss in case of an unseen cavern, lava tube, or other subterranean structure."
"Maximise ore recovery while minimising risk? Makes economic sense," said Zauber.
"He has a bright tomorrow ahead," Twilight beamed. "Are you ready to come to Equestria, your mother's homeland?"
"So it's finally time to leave, then, mama?" Zauber asked.
"It is."
"Good. Let's be off," he said.
As they started out, Starlight sidled alongside of Trixie. Before she could speak, Trixie pulled her close and raspily whispered in her ear, "Yes, I know you noticed I lied about my time in the daycare. But that is the story I will tell: Trixie was subjected to the unspeakable. Don't say anything about the ruse to Twilight. And don't you dare say anything to the contrary around Trixie's father. Okay?"
Starlight hesitated, and answered, "O...kay, then, Trix...sure thing. If it means that much to you."
{Time to hold the line.}
The four left the smaller room, each of the adults pulling out their Explorer Kits. Trixie held tight onto Zauber as they all spun upward. A moment later they all popped out of the ground at the barn where Pinkie had taken two for the team. Twilight's horn was already charged as their spins halted, and they immediately disappeared in a magenta flash. Coalescing back at The Great Marsh, shots were ringing out. A number of human men had gathered with firearms, and shot at the encampment. Their bullets, shotgun slugs, and buckshot pinged against the unicorns' barriers. Others were engaged with Pokemon. A pegasus soldier staggered and struggled to stand after a Magnezone doled out a Thunderbolt. A different pegasus took a spear and skewered a multicoloured monkey with fire for its hairdo, which collapsed spitting blood. Trixie began to hyperventilate, while Zauber merely scoffed. Twilight stood agape while Starlight hollered, "Get to the portal! Do it! Do it now!"
By the portal they met Princess Luna, who appeared nonplussed at the battle going on in front of her. Looking across the friendly lines, Twilight gasped. Both Red and Blue had their Pokemon engaged against the other humans. Hearing some scared sobbing, Twilight, Starlight, and Trixie all turned, and each nearly yelped. There in a bound cage sat Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, each terrified and clinging to each other. Twilight squawked, "Princess Luna!! Why are they here!?!"
"Ask them," said Luna coolly. "Go on. Ask the bold 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' what less-than-brilliant plan they cooked up."
Starlight barked, "What did you girls do!?"
Sweetie blubbered, "W-w-w-wee-e just wa-anted to help Rarity ge-et hoooome!"
Twilight gawked at them incredulously. "And a military encampment wasn't enough to dissuade you!?"
"Sorry, Twahlahght," Applebloom sniffled. Behind them the human line was retreating. "We...we really ploughed the neighbour's field this time...."
Zauber frowned. "Is that even a saying?"
Starlight whispered, "It's an 'Apple-ism,' little guy. Their whole family says things nopony else does."
"Or use completely the wrong one...," Trixie muttered under her breath. Her son scrunched his eyebrows at the comment, questioning his mother with his eyes.
Twilight sighed, "Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash will all have a field day with you three for this. I'll leave it in their hooves. Now come on."
"No."
Twilight blinked, stunned like she had never felt stunned before at Luna's firm response. She sputtered, "No, what? No...why??"
"That shall be their punishment for their transgression," Luna spat bitterly. "When asked why, they said they were brave enough, and strong enough, to face what this world could throw at them, so they shall stay. Five minutes later this skirmish began, and they learned how wrong they were. We've received reports that other patrols have been attacked as well. I have kept these three out of harm's way, and shall continue to do so until we all leave here, when they shall return."
Twilight broke her just-set record for feeling stunned, standing there stupefied with a slight twitch. Starlight all-but-shrieked, "But that 'Mewtwo' thing will be here in...not very long!"
"Thirty-five to forty-five minutes, or something close to that, Starlight," Luna corrected her calmly.
"Why are you doing this?" Twilight demanded, her face and voice laden with disappointment as in recovering from the shock she took a step forward.
Luna sighed and shook her head. She walked up to Twilight, and spoke quietly enough the three fillies could not hear her, "While I could say they're too reckless, or that they need to learn from their mistakes by seeing them through to the end, the truth is they're safer with me than they are in the brig in the Everfree."
Twilight snapped, "What's that supposed to mean!?"
"Those are three little fillies!" Luna hissed. "Twilight, do you know why we allow mares to serve as officers in the army and navy, but not as common enlisted soldiers or sailors?"
Twilight tapped her chin, then her eyes widened with horror. She breathed, "No...! That's happened among our ponies!?"
Luna said to Trixie, "Cover his ears. He is too young to hear this." Zauber pouted, but complied willingly with his mother's hooves and Starlight's muffling spell. Luna continued, "It sure has, Twilight Sparkle, over, and over, and over. At Basic Training, at specialised trainings, field camps, routine drills, and so on. Just because a pony is a good soldier doesn't mean he is also a good pony. There are too many unsavoury appetites in the armies of the world, unfortunately including ours. I'll not risk a pigheaded sergeant or two, or three, see them locked up where they could have their ways with them, taking advantage of young ones too small to defend themselves against grown war-stallions."
"You could just send them home with repercussions to follow at a later date," said Twilight irritably.
"That's not how it works in a military camp. Surely your brother explained that to you?" Luna countered.
"Then just send them home, on your orders."
Luna's eyes narrowed. "Twilight, they trespassed into an active military operation without identification, permission, clearance, or orders, and they knew better than that. They actively planned out their approach. I cannot in good conscience pardon them. And neither can you. To do so would show partiality, a permanent label we royals can ill-afford."
Twilight nodded sadly, as one does when an unpleasant point cannot be refuted. She quietly asked, "How did they slip past so many soldiers?"
Scootaloo looked down as she murmured, "Applebloom whipped up an extended invisibility potion for each of us."
"And then they did not realise the portal flashes every time something steps through. They were caught on this side nearly instantaneously," Luna said.
Twilight sighed, "I see. Honestly, we shouldn't linger. I have work to do at the castle, and really it shouldn't wait."
"Yes, of course. Oh, and Trixie?" Luna said. Trixie looked up to see the Princess of the Night pull her into a tight, warm embrace. She blinked, stupefied that Princess Luna would do such a thing, before timidly returning the hug. Luna quietly but with earnest cheer said, "I am so happy, and so relieved, to see you are alive and well, and returning home. We have all been very worried about you."
"Th-thank you, Princess Luna," said Trixie, bowing low.
Twilight and Starlight led Trixie and Zauber to the portal, and sent them through after Starlight and before Twilight. Upon returning to the Everfree Encampment, Twilight found Trixie quaking with fear, looking around at the siege weapons pointed at the portal. Zauber dismissively said, "Gee, you make it look like you expect something dangerous or whatever to come through."
"Zauber, knock it off!" Trixie ordered as only a mother could.
{A young colt has to make a choice.}
Twilight powered up her horn and the three teleported to the Castle of Friendship's foyer. As Twilight and Starlight led Trixie and Zauber for the basement lab door, Zauber looked on around him. With a slight grin he said, "Nice digs."
"Uh, thanks?" Twilight answered, her tone belying her uncertainty of whether or not the colt was sincere. She opened the door and led them in. Princess Celestia was still there, watching. As they began down the stairs, her voice took a serious tone as she said, "You have a decision to make, Zauber."
"Yes?"
"You are a foal of two worlds. Half of you is Equestrian, the other, Pokemon. This, unfortunately, presents a conflict," Twilight said sadly.
Zauber scoffed, "You're about to make me decide which half I am to embrace, and which to discard."
"...yes. I'm sorry," Twilight said, closing her eyes.
Zauber grumped, "No."
"No??"
"I refuse," Zauber said. "I see no reason I should be made to relinquish half of my identity."
Princess Celestia spoke up. "Our deepest apologies, my little colt, but it's for the safety of both worlds."
Zauber looked over at Princess Celestia as he descended the stairs to the lab floor with an eyebrow raised. He stopped in front of her with his mouth slightly parted, then bowed. Politely he said, "You are stronger than the others, but carry yourself with dignified grace. I can only presume you are the Queen."
Celestia chuckled, and said, "No, I am not my mother. I am Princess Celestia. There has not been a king or queen in Equestria since my parents."
Zauber's head jolted back. "We...live in a principality, then?"
"Kingdom, Principality, Duchy, Commonwealth, it makes little difference what title technically applies," Celestia answered with a shrug. "Ours is a land of peace and friendship, raising our hooves to build one another up and rush to each other's defence."
"That's all well and good, Your Highness," Zauber said defiantly, "but what exactly does that have to do with coercing me into deciding what half of me shall remain?"
Celestia hesitated. Zauber noticed and smirked half-triumphantly, half-goadingly. Twilight inserted, "You're not...really thinking of telling him the whole truth, are you?"
"Showing him, not telling," Celestia answered unhappily. "Despite his age, both physical and apparent."
Only a comically-stunned Pinkie's jaw could have hung lower. Twilight scoffed, "Celestia, he's just a foal!"
"And a foal more stubborn than most. He's already made up his mind; nothing short of showing him all of that will convince him," Celestia said.
"What you say is right, Your Highness," Zauber smirked.
Twilight muttered under her breath, "What is with these two today...??"
Starlight stepped forward. "Then, may the rest of us see as well?"
Celestia sighed, closing her eyes. A moment later, she opened them, much firmer in her expression and tone as she answered, "So be it. Let me show you what Princess Luna and I scryed!"
{See you now why Celestia and Luna told Twilight it was okay to kill ten foals...to prevent this.}
Celestia's horn powered up, and the lab around them disappeared, leaving each of them in a mostly-transparent state. Around them all was black, but for points of light like the night sky. The star field turned and flowed, rushing towards one in particular as Celestia narrated, "The Farsight spell, with special tinkering Starswirl himself wrote, bolstered by an intricate magic circle, cast by the both of us, is how we saw this far and this accurately."
The scene overtook the one point of light and switched to an aerial view of dense woodland, made of very, very tall trees. Their viewpoint lazily drifted to the right. There was an ocean beyond the forest, taking up the horizon. One especially tall tree had some artificial structure built on it. The scene started panning and quickly zooming its direction as Celestia said, "We do not know what they call themselves, nor their motivations. But this much is clear: if a link is left between the two worlds for too long, they will find us. And such a theft of Equestrian magic will surely leave an overt link."
Through the wall they went. The scene now was a dim room with three-dimensional projected images from different ring-like structures. The largest by far of these projections was in the middle of the room. This one was mostly dark blue, blobbish, with brighter points scattered almost at random around its interior. There were humans in the room...well, not quite human. The general body shape was nearly identical, but for a few unmistakable differences. They were markedly shorter, about three-quarters the height of an average adult human male, sleeker, and with much longer and more pointed ears, rigid enough to hold shape. These ears pointed mostly backwards, with their tips past the back side of the skull. Their faces appeared to be that of adolescent humans who should never be in want of suitors, except the skin showed some aging, and most of these people had crow's feet and some laugh lines. Men outnumbered the women by about three to two. Most of them had lean builds, fair to medium complexions, eyes of brown, blue, or green, and particularly shiny light brown to dark brown hair worn long. Each wore a light blue robe of some kind, except one woman, who wore dark blue. Unlike the others, she had a petite build, stood maybe twelve and a half hands, pale complexion, violet eyes, and fiery red hair worn in long curly pigtails. Each busied themselves with computer-like devices, except the one in dark blue, who kept talking to others. Twilight asked, "Is this an astral cartography lab?"
"It seems so," answered Celestia as the scene continued. On the large projection, red pulses jumped back and forth between two non-adjacent bright points. The one in dark blue looked, triumphantly pumped both fists, and began issuing orders. The language was indiscernible, and sounded as though their throats produced two sounds at once. The tone, though, was jovial with a sense of urgency. Their smiles showed mouths full of strictly-carnivorous teeth. Celestia said, "This is how they'd find us. Stolen Equestrian magic and the energy from Pokemon, jumping back and forth between our respective planes of existence, trying to return to their origin. That would give them something worth taking. They would send one of their number to scout each world. When that happens, our days are numbered."
The scene zoomed in on one of the two indicated brighter points quickly, as Celestia said, "And this is what will happen if one such scout comes. Where and when it's ideal for them, they'll open a portal to their world, and..."
They saw Canterlot, or rather, what was left of it. Many of those short human-like creatures swarmed in military uniforms of hunter green long coats, black boots, trousers, gambeson under the coats, gloves, and berets. All the enemy soldiers were women, each quite young, or at least appeared so judging from the humans they had encountered. Their hair was not nearly as shiny as those in the lab, except the higher-ranking ones. Most of them had polearms or bows. All the officers carried one-and-a-half handed swords. Dead Equestrian soldiers and civilians lay everywhere, but the enemy appeared to have not lost a single one of their army...until in the image Twilight showed up. As she cut through the enemy line, she found the woman in dark blue from the previous scene. Twilight rushed with an overcharged horn. She fired a ray at the woman, who slapped it aside as though it were nothing. Then with a commanding gesture, a paper-thin wave erupted from her right hand at Twilight. Twilight's barrier shattered immediately and off went her head. Twilight, the one watching the scene, shrieked as with the woman flicked her wrist, causing the Twilight in the image's severed head to burst in a bloody explosion as her body went up in flames. A high school-aged Flurry Heart blasted at this woman on the wing, but to no avail. A yellow beam lanced from the woman's left hand into Flurry Heart as though her barrier did not exist, and she went stiff. She crashed to the ground, shattering like a ceramic figurine whose shards twinkled away into tiny flecks of light and disappeared completely. Cadance screamed and charged on foot, but was slashed through the throat by a sword-carrying officer long before she reached the woman in blue. She lay dying beside her struck-down husband. Celestia sadly said, "...we would not last long against them."
The scene turned to a different point in the battle, where a male of these creatures walked wearing purple vestments with equilateral triangle-themed embroidery in silver, black boots, a black miter with silver ornamentation, no gloves, and a black priest's stole with red and gold embroidery. In his left hand he walked with a pitch black staff, topped with a blade-like hollow-centred equilateral triangle made from well-polished silver pointing upward. He walked at a leisurely pace while nearby, Lyra Heartstrings battled and held off two of their infantry. This priestly fellow took his free hand and flexed his bicep while clenching his fist. A huge disembodied hand erupted from the ground and grabbed Lyra, crushing her into goo. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both armed and armoured for battle, rushed him together. He dodged Celestia and knocked Luna to the ground with his staff. As Luna got back to her feet, he pointed his staff at Celestia, and a white aura surrounded him. The glow quickly condensed into the hollow triangle, then it shot a sphere that spiraled into Celestia. She disappeared, like her body was erased in one clean swipe of a squeegee starting at her head and ending with her tail, completely gone without a trace. Luna screamed and charged. He stabbed his staff into the ground, and flicked his hands toward her, fingers upward and palms forward, producing a purple pulse. This struck Luna in the centre of her chest, and she simply detonated, bits of her landing all over the place. Celestia sadly and wearily said, "We would not even have a prayer."
The scene zoomed back, showing all of Equestria. Smoke rose from every city, town, village, and farmstead. Nowhere where ponies lived was there not ruin. As the view continued panning backwards, they could see it was not just Equestria. Celestia explained, "They would wipe us out, and every trace of our existence except our libraries. They'll move out all the books and then destroy the buildings. And then they'll do the same to the rest of the world. Every sentient species, annihilated. And then they would eradicate every selectively bred plant and animal, down to the last shaft of wheat."
The scene turned away from the world and rushed through another star field as Celestia said, "And they would not stop with us."
Soon the found themselves looking upon what once was an elegant city with a unique metal-beam tower at its centre. Now most of it was a smoldering ruin as the same soldiers massacred Pokemon, trainers, and ordinary people without a second thought. One soldier, however, wore a waistcoat instead of the long coat, and hers was not green, but red, such a red that even Rarity would just call it "red." She had a very dark complexion, jet black hair, and soul-piercing teal eyes. From her horse she carved anyone and anymon unfortunate enough to be in sword's reach with a single swipe, including a mega-evolved Steelix. The woman in dark blue was here, too, still with her pigtails, standing on the lifeless body of the slashed-to-ribbons Arceus. With a harsh swipe of her arm, a row of buildings at least two-hundred metres away collapsed into piles of rubble. As the view zoomed away, Celestia said, "They would do the same to the Pokemon world, except they would send every species of Pokemon into extinction. And then they will use our world and the Pokemon world as muster points to attack and conquer the surrounding planes of existence in the same fashion."
The scene returned to the astral cartography lab, but this time, there were no red pulses jumping around the large projection. Celestia said, "But if we sever all connections between our two worlds, only Equestrians in Equestria, and only Pokemon and their things in their world, this race of destroyers will not find either of us. We will both be safe."
The scene faded, resuming normal reality around them. Zauber was sobbing, clinging tightly to Trixie, who herself was shaking terribly and breathing heavily, holding her foal close and stroking his back. Twilight, too, was hyperventilating. Starlight, however, looked deeply disturbed, but no further than that. Celestia looked at Twilight, then Trixie, then Starlight, and said, "I see you don't know the veritas spell, but Twilight and Trixie both cast one."
Zauber cried, "Mama...mama say it's not true! Please say it's not true!"
"Honey-Pumpkin," Trixie began with a terrified, trembling voice, "mama would be lying if she did."
Zauber bawled. Trixie teetered on the verge of tears herself, rocking him slowly. Starlight quickly pulled them both into a hug. Twilight took physical comfort from Celestia, who swiftly welcomed and returned the embrace. Celestia's horn powered up, and a yellow light shone all around. Each of the other four eased and calmed down fairly quickly. Soothingly she said, "Allay your fears, my little ponies, for we will not allow them to find us."
"That first letter, the one where you and Luna told me to separate the pony from the Pokemon at any cost...I thought you two were angry, and said 'extenuating circumstances' as a cover," Twilight said with a much more normal voice, though the disturbed tones leaked through. "But those...I wish they weren't real. I see now that order was out of fear, and calling it 'extenuating circumstances' was to prevent me from feeling the same."
"You felt the same terror we did. And in our terror, Luna and I wrote some rash words in a foolish attempt to see that terror prevented," Celestia corrected her. As Zauber's sobbing slowed and ceased, she turned to him. Gently she said, "You have a decision to make, young stallion."
"You're not taking me away from mama!" he yelled.
Trixie kissed her son on the forehead and said, "Honey-Pumpkin, nopony will take you away from me. Be my little pony, and let go of the Pokemon half of you."
Zauber nodded and wiped away another tear. He let go of Trixie, and turned to Celestia. Firmly he said, "Make me a pony."
"Everypony else needs to step back," Twilight said as Celestia levitated one of the entropic jars to just in front of Zauber. The others did as they were told. Both princesses fired up their horns, etching a circle in the floor around Zauber. Twilight said, "This process doesn't take very long, now that we got the hang of it."
{It's just...liquid pride. That's all.}
Twilight and Celestia worked at Zauber for three and a half minutes. Markings on the entropic jar glowed once as the lid was set. As the spell released, Zauber took a deep breath. There was a brightness to his eyes that was not there before the spell. He ran into his mother's awaiting hug. The lab door opened. Presto stood at the entrance. Waterworks started on both sides as his and Trixie's eyes met. She squawked something unintelligible and ran, meeting him halfway. A good minute or two passed. Presto quietly said, "It's okay, my little bunny-in-a-hat. Daddy's gotcha, and that's what matters. Save the story for another time."
As the tears got under control, a little filly's voice asked, "Mama?"
Trixie looked up to see an inquisitive little face, just like hers when she was a wee lass, except the eye colour was different. Seven others had the same face down to a T, each with different coloured eyes. Then smiles brought across their faces as eight little fillies in almost-unison cheered, "Mama!? Yaaaay!!"
Trixie found herself buried under a pile of affection as Zauber came to join his sisters.
{Heading back, but there is an obstacle.}
An indeterminate amount of time later, Twilight, Starlight, and Trixie emerged from a teleport at the Everfree Encampment. They started toward the ballistae as Starlight said, "You really don't have to do this."
"Trixie respectfully disagrees. My case is solid, and Princess Celestia agreed emphatically. Besides, I would dearly love to give that guy a piece of my mind, and maybe a piece of my hooves, too," Trixie spat.
"Yes, this 'Padraíg Seamus Gideon Meagher.' How would you describe him?" Twilight asked.
Trixie sighed and said, "Trixie did not have many interactions with her so-called 'trainer.' From what I did see, he's very intelligent, driven, unyielding, and has a poor sense of humour."
"That's not a good starting combo," Starlight muttered. "Seriously, how can you be sure the last 'Twixie' will respond to you like the others did, especially after all the handling done by this Padraíg fellow?"
"There's no way to know for sure, but I have to try," Trixie said, shaking her head with a frown. "It doesn't matter that's she's been around Paddy all this time, or a champion fighter, or that she's a phony Alicorn, or any of that! None of that changes that she's my daughter. I have to try."
"Maternal instincts really kick in quick, huh?" Twilight asked.
Trixie grunted and half-heartedly smirked. "You have no idea."
They rounded the corner and walked past the ballistae and a springald. The portal was not there. In its place stood General Merry Weather. Twilight trotted in quickly and demanded, "Report."
The general saluted and stated, "Princess Luna ordered me back and closed the portal behind me. He's there."
"Mewtwo?" Twilight asked.
The general nodded. "And the worry was well-founded."
Starlight frowned and muttered, "Let me guess, Princess Luna ordered it not to be reopened until she did so herself."
"Affirmative," Merry Weather answered.
Twilight sighed, and looked back at the other two. "Well, girls, I suppose we should check on Pinkie Pie."
"She's sleeping, Twi," Rainbow Dash called from behind them. She, Applejack, and Fluttershy joined them. "Zecora really, really knows her stuff. Pinkie should be back to bouncing everywhere by this time next week!"
"Um, where's the portal?" Fluttershy asked as Twilight took the longest sigh of relief in her life.
Starlight said, "Princess Luna closed it, ordering that it was not to be reopened until she did so herself."
"Well, looky here!" Applejack said brightly. "We joined literally thousands of soldiers on hundreds of patrols ev'ry day, trahin' to fish you outta that pigsty of a world they got, and here yer fixin' to go raht back!"
"She has her reasons," Starlight swiftly said, stepping between Trixie and Applejack.
"Now, now, Starlahght, no hard feelin's meant. Jes' a neighbourly thing, pokin' fun," Applejack said with a touch of apology.
"It's okay, Starlight," Trixie said. She looked at AJ and asked, "Were there really that many looking and patrolling, just for me?"
"Ee-yup," Applejack said. "Day and night, all over that Sinnoh-place. Us too, out there from day one."
"Your sister, too," Trixie muttered under her breath.
"What 'bout Applebloom!?" Applejack said with sudden fierceness.
"She didn't tell you? Wait, of course she didn't tell you. She's the little sister," Trixie said ambivalently. "Apparently she and her two little friends made an invisibility potion to slip past the guards here, only to get caught by Princess Luna as soon as they stepped through the portal."
Applejack's face turned a magnificent puce before moving on to a deadly scarlet. She threw her hat down, stomped around as tears of fury leaked from her eyes, her body shaking with her lower jaw most pronouncedly so. Rainbow Dash burst, "Why, when I get my hooves on Scootaloo, she's so gonna get it!!"
There was no indication that Applejack would halt her livid pacing anytime soon. Twilight cautiously asked, "Applejack...are you gonna be okay?"
No answer. The same behaviours continued. Fluttershy meekly offered, "I think she's too mad to speak."
Twilight interjected, "Look, girls, we all have reason to go, and two of you just got another, but right now, we can't. We'll just have to wait."
"I hate waiting," Dash huffed. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 31 - Breaking Out | {This calm will go up in smoke almost immediately.}
A blustery day was upon Azalea Town as Devontae emerged from the south-facing door of the northwestern-most house in town. Today he wore a yellow hoodie with green sleeves bearing a logo likely belonging to a sports team somewhere, green and yellow basketball warm-up pants, a yellow baseball hat with the same logo, and yellow high tops, all hues matching perfectly. Behind him was an older gentleman wearing a cerulean gi with a white belt. They shook hands as Devontae said, "Thanks again, Kurt. Sorry I hadn't been by sooner to get them."
"I'm still surprised you wanted these Heavy Balls at all," Kurt said. "I thought you're a Fire-type specialist?"
"I am, but an in-and-out understanding of those Rock- and Ground-types that so threaten my team will help me overcome them," Devontae answered.
Kurt nodded. "Fair answer."
A Flying-type Pokemon with a rider landed in front of the Pokemon Centre. Devontae turned in time to see the trainer slip into the trees, heading north, with the Pokemon following. The flyer was a Crobat, and disappeared as skillfully as its trainer did. Not a sound came from the footsteps or wingbeats, nor could either be seen in the forest. Devontae muttered, "That's kinda weird."
"Yeah, I wonder what he's up to. Not often you see him away from the League," Kurt said.
"Who?"
"That was Koga."
Devontae turned fully toward Kurt as his face shifted to worry with widened eyes. "Koga!? Seriously?!"
Kurt frowned. "It is...why is that a problem?"
"No time to explain!" Devontae yelled as he turned, took a few steps in haste, and threw a Pokeball. A Charizard materialized. Devontae ordered, "Fly, buddy! Get us to Goldenrod now!"
Swiftly climbing onto Charizard's back, Devontae patted his Pokemon. Instantly they were airborne and heading north by northwest. Devontae tapped at his PokeGear. Instantly Aengus's face appeared on the screen. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Calling me on the wing?"
"Aengus, buddy, are you still in Goldenrod?" Devontae pressed.
Aengus raised an eyebrow and slowly said, "North of town a short ways on Route 35. What's the matter?"
"Is Rarity with you?" Devontae continued pressing.
Aengus hung his head as his shoulders drooped. He murmured, "No. She's...at the Daycare. I've been having second thoughts about that decision. I really should get her out of there."
"You're goddamn right you should!!" Devontae barked. "Even if it weren't for the coming trouble! I'm en route to Goldenrod. Meet me at the Centre pronto!"
"What 'coming trouble?'" Aengus asked.
"Koga just landed at Azalea and is cuttin' across woodland! For such an old m--" Devontae used a word that would have earned an admonishment from Rarity "--that man can really move!"
Aengus blanched and his eyes shot all the way open. His breathing accelerated rapidly. He got out, "I'll see you there in a few minutes."
{Track title is exactly what they are here.}
Rarity stood with her mouth slightly parted, her left eye squinted, and her right eye wide. Blinking, she echoed, "You...want to break out of here?"
"I thought that's what I said. It's certainly what I meant," Rapidash grumbled with growing impatience.
"Rapidash, my love, not that I object to the affection, but why didn't you simply say so?" Rarity asked, shaking her head slightly.
Rapidash sighed and looked down. He softly answered, "Well...there's that old Pikachu that's always walking around. He's the last 'mon I want to hear us talking about that."
Rarity's face fell to a silent grumble. She paused, then growled, "You mean to say all of that was just a distraction!? A diversion to keep them off our backs?!"
Rapidash opened his mouth to answer, but was knocked aside as Rarity slapped him full across the face. He rubbed at his throbbing jaw as he looked back, seeing her eyes full of tears of rage and a quivering jaw. Softly he said, "You didn't let me say it's also because I've wanted to do that with you."
Rarity's angry crying melted into sad tears. As she quietly sobbed, she squeaked, "I...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just...after this betrayal from Aengus, I just was afraid you were untrue too."
Rapidash winced and rubbed his jaw again. He held her close, and let her cry into his shoulder. Rubbing her back, he softly said, "That was the tipping point, his putting us in here. I've been traveling with Aengus for about ten years. He's not the nicest person, and certainly can become a slave driver. But when you came along, he began to change, and change for the better. He was turning into a good man, the like we've never seen from him in all this time. And then he and Paddy have it out with his half-breed pony-Pokemon thing...call it a 'ponymon' if you'd like, and after that thing alone thrashes us, Aengus gets the thought to get one of his own with no regard to what you're feeling or what you want, or even what you two agreed to. He just fell right back into the atrocious person he was before you came along. Knowing what I know of him, he probably thought you'd appreciate that he put you in here with me and not something else from the Field group. But it's too much. The homeland you spoke of sounds wonderful, especially compared to here. I...I can't do it anymore. I just can't."
Rarity hiccupped once in her sobbing, then asked, "You...want to come back to Equestria with me? Not just to visit, but permanently?"
Rapidash nodded. "I hope you'd like me to, too."
"But of course! I see no reason not to! And unless the princesses know something we don't, I can't imagine they'd object to you becoming an Equestrian citizen," Rarity said happily.
"Then, I'd love to be with you, for as long as you'd have me!" said Rapidash as his eyes lit up.
"Yes!!" Rarity cried. "Come with me, my love! Let us go home together!"
Rapidash snorted a chuckle, and said, "I'm glad you're enthusiastic, but we do need to get out of here before we do anything else."
Rarity laughed sheepishly and murmured, "Oh. Right. That. Depending on how tall the fence is, we may just hop over it."
"There's some kind of invisible barrier above the planks and posts; I already checked. I think we should check the fence and barrier for weaknesses. There may be a breakpoint somewhere, a spot that needs maintenance that they haven't found. You check one way around the perimeter, and I'll check the other," Rapidash said.
Rarity nodded with a grin, "Smashing plan! We should begin right away!"
"There may be smashing involved," Rapidash said with a grin of his own.
Rarity suddenly frowned. With a sigh she asked, "But how can we check the fence without the old Pikachu or anypony--anymon else, catching on to us?"
"Well, you could strut as you walk the fence line like you're in afterglow," Rapidash suggested, rocking his head from side to side.
Rarity sighed, "Darling, I hardly know what that feels like, or how a mare, er, 'struts' like that."
Rapidash shrugged. "Act like you feel sexy. You really are, to be truthful."
Rarity blushed and felt some heat from down below again. "Why, thank you, love. You're not so bad yourself."
Then it was Rapidash's turn for pink cheeks. "Thanks. But back to the matter at hoof, you can pull that off, right?"
"I...don't know," said Rarity in thought. "I've never thought about it, let alone tried to make that impression."
Rapidash frowned, looking down. The two stood there a moment in uncertainty. Then Rapidash looked up brightly. Quickly his smile turned slyer. He flirted, "Who says you have to fake it?"
"Darling, we can't! We're not married yet!" Rarity protested while her body squirmed in protest to her mind's decision.
"I wasn't saying we do 'the deed;' it'd make an egg, anyway. Sending one to Aengus is about the last thing we need," Rapidash said as he sidled alongside of her, then started backing up. "But there's something so many 'abstinent' couples have done that isn't 'the deed,' you'd still be saving that for marriage, and I confess I've dwelt on thoughts of doing this to and with you, too...."
"Rapidash, my love, while I admit there is a...certain appeal to the thought, we really shouldn't do--" Rarity began in protest, suddenly stopping a split-second after she felt him lift her tail. In that instant both her eyes shot open and out of focus as she faced forward, while her mouth fell open making a sudden sharp gasp. Her back arched. Her jaw and neck kept her head moving as though she were about to throw up, if not for the overt euphoria. Involuntarily she held her breath for a moment. Her front legs nearly buckled. Slowly her neck lowered as she murmured, "--oh my Celestia...!!"
{A quick stop.}
Devontae landed outside the Goldenrod Pokemon Centre. He quickly put Charizard away and ran inside. Standing in the centre of the Centre's lower floor was Aengus. Devontae rushed toward him. Aengus made no move to defend himself as Devontae clocked him in the face. He fell to the ground, wincing and blinking quickly. Everybody else stopped and stared in shock. Devontae curtly said, "I'm glad you know you deserved that!"
"Wasn't gonna argue that point at all," Aengus answered as Devontae helped him back to his feet. "Since that's taken care of, let's move!"
The two ran out of the Centre, jumped on their bikes, and raced southward.
{No song fits better.}
With a sated smile and naughty eyes, Rarity sauntered along the fence, occasionally looking at the Pokemon in the Daycare. A soft glow surrounded her horn. She swayed her hips markedly as she walked along, letting her tail swing side to side. Nearly every male Pokemon stopped dead in his tracks and stared agape. A Hitmonlee dropped the ball it was holding. A Togetic's wings snapped open and taut. Even the grizzled old Pikachu's cigarette fell from his mouth. Others had more overt physical responses. Rarity sighed contentedly as she caught the eyes of a Dragonite, who instantly had a serious nosebleed. Most of the female Pokemon glared at their male counterparts, some with hands on their hips, some tapping feet irritably, some both. Most of the rest glared at Rarity. Some of them stared as lustfully at her as the males did.
Rarity reached a corner and turned, having seen no points along the fence that needed maintenance. She continued as she had before. Quickly she found a Hitmonchan with the same staring as all the other males, except he was bold enough to start her way. He did not make much progress, as the Electabuzz that was nearby very quickly jumped up and spun him around. Grabbing him by the head, Electabuzz kept his face pointed toward herself and downward as she huskily said, "Eyes on me, boy. And only me."
A few moments passed before she stepped into the trees. Soon she came upon an oversized yellow snapdragon and a green sauropod with a pink flower for a mane that somehow were making it work. She could not determine which one was which gender, and certain this would be nothing she would speak of ever. The snapdragon called out, "Hey, do you wanna join in?"
"Yeah! A group makes it great!" the sauropod added.
Rarity hesitated, as neither had even slowed down. She muttered to herself, "Stay in character, Rarity," before replying, "Not right now, my dears! Perhaps later?"
"Sure!" they both answered and continued as they were as if they had no interruption.
She did not encounter another Pokemon for two minutes. Near a collection of bushes at the base of some trees between two hillocks, a familiar face stood on the other side of the fence. She dropped the act as she called out in surprise, "Keldeo??"
{And his role has finally come.}
Keldeo had been pointedly examining the fence. He looked up as she called his name. Meeting her gaze, he started her way and sighed, shaking his head. As he stood in hoof's reach were it not for the barrier, he said, "Well, well, well. Right where I thought I'd find you."
Rarity hung her head and said, "My sincerest apologies. You were right about him, and I did not listen."
Keldeo nodded sadly. Looking up and down the fence, he said, "Well, there's nothing for it now. We have to spring you from this place."
"I've been checking the fence and the barrier for weak points," Rarity said. "So far, I've found none."
"And I came the other way, doing the same. No dice. Looks like it'll just have to be forced," Keldeo grumbled.
"What's wrong? Do you doubt we can do that?" Rarity said.
Keldeo grimaced, and looked up and down the fence. He said, "At other Daycares, where some have wanted to escape, I've seen three Pokemon work together to try to break through. The humans in charge stopped them before they succeeded. We may have enough force, but enough time...not so much."
Rarity said, "Rapidash also wants out."
Keldeo's eyebrows raised. "Now that is some much-needed serendipity. The three of us together might break through before they come to stop us, since you're not a Pokemon and have another power source. Plus, Rapidashes are known for their speed over land. If he can carry you, that'll greatly hasten returning you to Pastoria. Where is he?"
"Checking the fence, coming along the opposite direction from me."
"Good," Keldeo sighed with relief. "You're about halfway around the perimeter. He shouldn't be long."
{Amazing how we can have a completely appropriate location for the music, with a completely inappropriate tone. Kinda like in-laws.}
Aengus and Devontae ran inside the Daycare building, dropping their bikes just outside of the door. As they came to the counter, the old lady said, "Calm down there, you two! There's no running inside! Didn't the professor tell you there's a time and place for everything? But not now, about those running shoes!"
"Sorry, ma'am, but I left a Rapidash and Rarity here?" Aengus said hurriedly. "How quickly can you get them back out?"
The Daycare Lady started, "Just a moment, and--" She suddenly stopped. "Wait a minute...where did they go?"
Devontae scoffed, "Ah, shit! Whadiya' mean, 'where did they go?'"
"They left where they were staying at, and...what's that?" she muttered.
Devontae leaned over the counter and looked at the monitor. He looked at Aengus and said, "Hey brah, don't that look like that 'Keldeo' we saw at the League?"
"What!?" Aengus yelled. He jumped over the counter and stared at the image from the security camera. The next camera showed Rapidash walking along the fence, checking it now and then. He looked at Devontae, then back to the screens, almost shouting, "Are they seriously plotting to bust out?!"
"Looks like," Devontae answered flatly.
On another screen a man zipped between trees outside the fence. After jumping two screens, he was seen no more. The red capelet, however, was unmistakable. Aengus breathed, "Koga...."
"C'mon, brah! We gotta get them outta there!" Devontae yelled.
Aengus and Devontae ignored the Daycare Lady's demands to not head into the yard as they rushed through the back door.
{Not the best start between the two boys.}
Rapidash stopped suddenly as his gaze met Keldeo's. He frowned, looking between him and Rarity, demanding, "Who's this?"
"My name is Keldeo," he answered. "Since I reached The Great Marsh and heard Princess Twilight Sparkle and some of the other ponies talking about how much effort they would put into finding Rarity here, I've taken it upon myself to help bring her back before tensions rise too high. While the pony-Pokemon relations are smooth, some of the Legendary Pokemon who have gathered by the portal are already butting heads. And then there's human-pony relations to worry about. I'd like to avoid total war, in whatever form it may take, and worry we're already too late."
"We can get there ourselves, thank you," Rapidash snapped.
Rarity took him by the hoof, and kissed him on the lips. She said, "Darling, you have no reason to feel jealous. You are who has my heart, not him. Besides, you're a grown stallion, and he's just a colt."
Keldeo lashed back, "Filly, I am old enough to be your great-grandsire's great-grandsire!! I am not a child!!"
Rarity's and Rapidash's heads both jolted back. They looked at each other agape, then turned to him as Rapidash asked, "You're...how old??"
"A hundred and thirty-three."
Rarity blinked and said, "You don't look a day over a year and a half."
"Whatever," Keldeo grouched. "Look, I came to be your guide through the wilderness, since I've traveled this way many times. Rapidash, I heard from Rarity you also want out."
Rapidash eased off of his jealousy. "Yes."
"Then, we should all hit this fencepost right here," Keldeo said, tapping one. "There's no significant difference in their repair along the entire fence, and of those close, this one is the most beat-up. If we can snap one post, that should break the barrier in the immediate area, and then you both can hop the posts and follow me."
"Sounds good," Rapidash said.
"Since you run so much faster than she does, it'd be best if she rode on your back," Keldeo said.
Rapidash nodded. Rarity charged her horn and said, "We strike on three. Ready?"
Keldeo said, "Let's do it."
"One, two, three!"
Rapidash struck the post with a Flare Blitz while Rarity fired a concussive blast. Keldeo had a unique slashing attack. Part of the post had given way, but there was plenty left. Rapidash asked, "I've never seen a move like that before! What was that?"
"That's my move; only I know it. It's my 'Secret Sword,'" Keldeo answered.
Rapidash pursed his lips and nodded most impressed. He said, "Secret indeed."
"Yes," said Keldeo. "Learned it from my uncles, long before either of your great-great-grandparents were even thought of."
"Let's give it another go!" Rarity called out. "One, two, three!"
The trio struck again with the same attacks, dislodging a few chunks and leaving a few small tongues of fire lapping at the wood. A third combined strike, and they had undeniable progress. Two hits later, the post snapped. Two metres to either side of the post wavered.
{And it gets hectic, quickly.}
"Rarity!!"
Rarity turned back to see Aengus and Devontae running for them at full speed. Rapidash said softly, "Oh no...no, no, no, no. Not now...!"
Devontae hollered, "Rarity! You gotta come back!"
Snorting a puff of icy mist, Rarity barked, "Why!? So you can force motherhood upon me and use my descendants as soldiers in your little army?! Absolutely not!!"
"Rarity, let's go...!" Keldeo urged.
"You're in danger!" Aengus yelled as they neared and stopped.
"Koga's coming for you! He's close!" Devontae shouted.
Rarity rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, the old man who couldn't last long at the League. What's the matter?"
Devontae wide-armed slapped Aengus across the face and screamed at him, "What the hell!? Why didn't you tell her!? Do you tell her anything?!"
As Aengus reeled, Rarity raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Didn't tell me what?!"
Keldeo scoffed in human speech, "We don't have time for this crap!"
"Koga swore vengeance after Salazzle died! He's coming for you, and he's close by!" Devontae shouted.
Rarity's ears fell, as did her expression. Her eyes widened and her breathing quickened. A twitch ticked below her left eye. Keldeo softly and slowly asked, "You...actually killed in a battle??"
Aengus's eyes focused on something in a bush to the south, then he dove and screamed, "Look out!!"
Extending his left hand, he landed with a flop to Rarity's left. He pushed himself up and looked down at his left hand. A blowgun dart had stuck into his middle finger near the tip. The finger had already turned ghostly white and the discolouration was working into his hand. He struggled to stay sitting and he murmured, "Oh no...."
Slapping the two Pokeballs on his belt, Feraligatr and Chandelure appeared. Feraligatr looked down and screamed, "NOOOO!!!!"
Aengus's breathing had already become laboured. Chandelure very suddenly shifted to her right, then suddenly fell to the ground as her flames disappeared, her body as stiff as the cast iron it resembled. Her eyes were dark, and a blowgun dart stood up from her face. Aengus quickly reached up with his right hand in front of Rarity's neck. As he did, he yelped when a four-point shuriken pierced through his hand. Rarity screamed, "You coward!!"
Her horn charged, and a wave of fire consumed the nearby shrubs. As they did, Koga stood as the bush burned away from around him, kunais and shurikens in hand. He quickly hurled them at Rarity, which struck her magical shield she erected in the nick of time and bounced off. Feraligatr fell to his knees, and cradled Aengus. Real tears began down the crocodilian's face. The sound of six Pokeballs opening rang loudly. Rarity turned to see around Devontae were an Arcanine, a Houndoom, a Magmortar, a Flareon, a Charizard, and a Typhlosion. Raspily Aengus called, "Rarity...."
She looked him in the eye as the colour left his face. He managed to say, "...run."
Koga deployed five Pokeballs, each with a Crobat. Keldeo yelled in plain human speech, "Let's go! Let his sacrifice be an act of honour!"
Rapidash hoisted Rarity up and put her on his back, her front-right hoof knocking off the ball of red yarn. She yelled, "Aengus...!!"
"After them!" Koga screamed. The five Crobats started after Rarity as Rapidash leapt the fence and took off.
"Aaeeennggguussss!!!" Rarity screamed in the distance as she, Keldeo, Rapidash, and the five Crobats disappeared into the woods at high speed. Koga drew his last ball and flew out on a sixth Crobat.
{He ain't gonna make it. How many of you have played the game whence this track came?}
Devontae slid on his knees to Aengus's side as Feraligatr rocked him. The shuriken slid out of Aengus's hand. Devontae sobbed, "No...! No, no, no!! Dammit all!!"
With a terribly shaking hand, Aengus gave Devontae a tiny key. Breathlessly he whispered, "Treat them better than I did."
"Your PC key...?? You can't give up! You just can't!" Devontae cried.
Aengus began, "Father, I have sinned...many times...please forgive...."
A gurgling sigh left his throat, and he was limp and still. Feraligatr screamed. He bawled, wailed, and wept, holding Aengus's lifeless body close, still rocking him, tears cascading down his face. Devontae threw his arms around Aengus as well, also crying. Devontae's team of Pokemon had knelt or laid down, each of them with tears. Those boarded at the Daycare had all gathered around behind them, as well as the Daycare Lady, and the grizzled old Pikachu. The Daycare Lady stood wide-eyed with both hands over her mouth. The old Pikachu stepped forward, put a paw over his heart and knelt, bowing his head. The other Pokemon there followed suit, one-by-one, until they all were kneeling or laying down with bowed heads, paying respects to the trainer who gave up his life to save one whom he trained.
{The two tracks were often seen together just like this in the game. Certainly applies here.}
With a sigh and wiping at his eyes, Devontae stood up. Softly he quoted, "Greater love hath no man than this."
Devontae pounded a fist over his heart twice, and held up his index and middle finger spread to Aengus's body. "Until we meet again, up above."
He turned to go, but Feraligatr tugged at his hoodie. Feraligatr had closed Aengus's eyes. Devontae clawed away more tears, steadied his breathing, and asked, "You wanna come with me?"
Feraligatr nodded. As Devontae turned to his six, Feraligatr started rummaging in Aengus's bag. Flareon stepped forward. Devontae asked, "You really cool with steppin' out?"
Flareon nodded. With a click he returned to his ball, which disappeared in cascading sparks. Devontae turned to see Feraligatr hand over his own ball, and a sketchpad. As he clicked the ball onto his belt, he started looking at the sketchpad. He found drawings of equines in different attire, mostly dresses, but all expertly sketched with fine detail. Devontae closed the pad and looked at Feraligatr. "This was supposed to go with Rarity, wasn't it?"
Feraligatr nodded. Devontae said, "We gotta get this to her! All her time here would be for nothin' without this! Sinnoh's northeast of Kanto, right?"
Another nod. The Daycare Lady stepped forward and said, "Go. Finish your friend's business in his stead. The cameras will have captured everything the police need."
"Thank you ma'am," Devontae answered with an appreciative sigh. He returned Feraligatr to his ball as he summoned Charizard and flew out. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 32 - Bad News | {Not a talk I would enjoy giving.}
Devontae dismounted outside the Goldenrod Pokemon Centre, staring downward. He choked back on tears as he started north, turning east some minutes later at the next major thoroughfare. Following a path etched forever in his mind from countless repetitions, he entered one particular apartment building, and up he went to the eighth floor. On the elevator, he called out Feraligatr, who still had a tear-streaked face. The Pokemon looked up at him. Devontae said, "I thought you'd want to be out for this talk."
Feraligatr nodded sadly and looked down as his eyes' leaking picked up. The elevator dinged. Out they stepped, trudging past five doors before stopping. Devontae reached out, but broke down before he could start knocking. Feraligatr, too, sobbed, as Devontae managed to rap on the door twice. A moment later, Mrs. Meagher opened it up. She raised an eyebrow as she asked, "Devontae?? What's the matter, laddie?"
Wiping his eyes, Devontae solemnly began, "I...you might want to sit down, ma'am...I've got some bad news...."
{The chase is on.}
Keldeo dashed up a small rise with Rapidash right behind him. Both were moving at rates unsafe for such uneven terrain. Rarity clung to Rapidash's back while her mascara ran down her face from her tears. Rapidash, too, was misty-eyed. Behind them zipped five Crobats, not slowed whatsoever by the terrain as they flew over branches and brush, around trees and rocks, and under the forest canopy. The trio continued down the other side of the hill with their pursuers gaining ground. Keldeo yelled back, "Rarity! Get yourself together, will you!? This is hardly the time to bawl your eyes out!"
"But Aengus--" Rarity began.
"It'll be us next!" Keldeo hollered, interrupting. "You two can have a moment for your grief if we can get them off our tail for a few minutes! But it cannot happen if your sobs give away our position!"
Rarity charged up her horn. Amid the crying she discharged ice blasts, over and over. Several times she struck one or more of Crobats, but it did little but delay them a few seconds; her gemstone swarm amounted to a rinse and repeat. Rarity's sobs stopped as she blinked. She turned and shouted to Keldeo, "They are much stronger this time, than the Crobat we faced at the League!"
"Isn't that just friggin' spectacular!" Keldeo grumped as sarcastically as he could. "Just like his great-grandfather, kept his true A-team hidden!"
Rapidash's ears perked up. "How would you know that?"
"Not the time! The Ruins of Alph are coming up! We can lose them there!" Keldeo answered.
Rapidash muttered, "Hope you like Unown, babe."
They burst through an east-west line of trees into a rectangular clearing, full of decrepit adobe buildings with south-facing doors; some were sealed. As Keldeo started for the closest one, leaping over a small ledge, Rarity asked, "What kind of Pokemon is that?"
"Weirdly shaped, like some foreign alphabet," Rapidash said. "Pathetically weak on their own, but get a large group of them together, and some pretty strange powers emerge."
"We might see one, but that should be it!" Keldeo answered as they rushed inside. Keldeo pulled Rapidash toward the right-side corner as soon as they both were inside. He harshly whispered, "On my signal."
Three Crobats swooped in. One had turned toward the trio, but could not halt its movements anywhere near enough to keep from crashing. As it tumbled down in a daze, a fourth hovered at the entrance. Keldeo yelled, "Now!"
Keldeo and Rapidash charged through the door, knocking the fourth Crobat's left wings into the doorjamb, who as such could not remain airborne. As it tumbled down, Keldeo turned back, firing two hard blasts of water into each close corner of the adobe building. The mud bricks gave way, knocking the building over. The Crobat at the entrance struggled at the bricks on its wings, edging millimetre by millimetre towards freedom. Muffled profanity grumbled under the debris as slow upheaval started among the bricks. Keldeo turned around to see Rapidash had come to a dead stop: the fifth Crobat blocked forward progress. Keldeo walked up beside him. Crobat sneered, "You want through? Come get some!"
Keldeo turned to Rarity and said, "You give the orders. Rapidash is used to that, and I struggle against flyers. Especially these guys. Just don't ask for my Secret Sword; it's not worth much against a Crobat."
Rarity laughed nervously. She spurted, "I'm the trainer now!? What am I supposed to do?!"
"Deal with a Poison/Flying-type, three-on-one, where the one is much stronger than any of the three alone," Keldeo said flatly. "I know Hydro Pump, Secret Sword, Work Up, and Stone Edge."
Rarity dismounted, muttering to herself, "Keep calm, don't swoon, keep calm, don't swoon."
"Orders?" Rapidash asked. The Crobat's eyes kept darting between them.
Rarity heaved an overwhelmed sigh. Then with a huff her expression hardened, as did her voice. "Keldeo, Work Up! Rapidash, Wild Charge! I have something for him, too...."
Crobat zipped in at Rapidash, slashing with both wings in a downward x-pattern with purple bubbles trailing behind. Rapidash slammed against the ground and bounced once. With effort he pushed himself back to standing, though his eyes were out of focus for a moment. Keldeo twitched and glowed yellow as a red haze briefly appeared over his back. Rapidash shook his head, then cantered at Crobat with sparks surrounding him. Crobat crouched in the air as he hovered, and dodged to the left. Rapidash had jumped straight at where he was, missing his mark. Rarity, however had an overcharged horn ready to go, and cast the frigid attack she used against green-eyed Trixie, similarly leaving a near-halfpipe of ice tendrils and shards. Crobat shook it off and eyed them again.
"Keldeo, Stone Edge! Rapidash, try it again!" Rarity ordered.
She had barely finished speaking when Crobat launched himself at her. In the nick of time she erected a shield before he hit with the same attack, leaving her magical barrier gashed and bent inward, driving her back a couple of metres, but still holding. Keldeo stomped, and a spike monolith came up from the ground, jabbing Crobat from below. He grunted, and again as Rapidash's attack struck true.
Rarity clenched her teeth. Her eyes flicked to Keldeo briefly, and firmly said, "You owe me a few answers once we're away from these things!"
A brick rolled down the debris pile, and part of a purple wing stuck out. Keldeo hastily answered, "Better make sure we're away first! Those others are starting to get out!"
Rarity grumbled to herself, "Never dreamed I'd learn so much evocation magic. Desperate times, and all that jazz."
Crobat sneered, "My associates are nearly free! Give up now, and we shall ease your passing painlessly! If not, well...we'll have some nifty little games to try!"
"I'll destroy you!" Rarity cried suddenly. "Again, you two!"
"Uh-huh," Crobat said dismissively as he flew up high. Rarity's horn grew a secondary aura, spitting sparks.
Keldeo's rock spike was nowhere near high enough to hit the Crobat. Rapidash made a valiant leap, but could not jump above the lower branches, while Crobat hovered above the canopy. Rarity fired a ray into the ground, which cracked and shook slightly. Her horn retained its charge. Crobat grunted in disappointment. Another several bricks rolled from the pile as Crobat tucked into a dive.
Keldeo pressed, "Uh, Rarity?! Orders??"
"Stand back!" she answered.
Crobat screamed toward Keldeo, who backed up, looking upward. Less than a second before impact, a quartz javelin as large as a freight cart erupted from the soil in front of Keldeo, slamming into and shattering against Crobat while Rarity hollered in effort. Crobat's forward momentum had reduced to zero. He hung in the air briefly before gravity took over, and he collapsed to the dirt. Crobat disintegrated into a string of pink sparks that rocketed away to the east-by-northeast and out of sight.
Keldeo started for the trees, yelling, "Hurry!"
Rarity and Rapidash were right behind. More bricks tumbled away as the Crobat at the door's remains wiggled loose and popped back into the air. A moment later a landslide of broken adobe rolling down the pile as one, two, three more Crobats pulled themselves free. The trio ducked into the woodland as the four Crobats left resumed their pursuit. Barely any distance into the forest, they hopped off a cut bank from a small run. Keldeo ducked beneath a fallen tree and some tall undergrowth along the point bar. Rapidash slid in behind him. Rarity cringed, and with eyes forcibly close tight and clenched frown, she joined them. All three sank some in the soft, wet sediment, dampening their bellies. She muttered, "Ugh! So filthy...!"
"Shut it...!" Keldeo harshly whispered. The four Crobat zoomed overhead almost in unison with him. Rarity started to move a moment later, but Keldeo motioned for her to stop. They remained there a minute longer. As Rarity let out a little whimper, Keldeo scoffed, "Fine! We'll get out! For the love of Mew!"
{At least Rarity's feeling this empty.}
They saw no trace of the Crobats. Rarity nearly shrieked as she looked down. Much was brown, or greyish, or somewhere in-between. Sobbing, she lamented, "My beautiful, perfect white coat! Ruined!!"
Keldeo facehoofed. Rapidash soothingly consoling, "Dear, it'll wash out! Look, there's a stream right here, and--"
"Just look at it!! It's no cleaner!!" Rarity blubbered.
"Rarity, please! They're gonna hear you!" Rapidash urged.
Keldeo rolled his eyes. "It's what you signed up for, buddy boy! You want the gorgeous girl with an immaculate coif, and perfect look, you'd best be ready for high maintenance. I don't envy you at all. Now let's get outta here. We have to go east. Hopefully we can cross Route 32 unnoticed. If you could carry her again?"
Rarity scoffed several times as Keldeo spoke, but offered no counter. She growled to herself as she climbed back onto Rapidash's back. He said, "Sweetheart, please calm down. It's not worth all this."
Rarity sighed. Giving him a kiss on the forehead, she answered, "It's not you I'm upset with, darling. It's...the situation really, and my coat. And some of his...choice comments."
Keldeo scoffed, "Buck up, buttercup! There'll be more dirt, filth, and grime before we're done! You're not a resident of Kalos; this isn't gonna kill you."
Keldeo led them over a rise. Once down the hill, he stopped at the tree line. Peering carefully both ways, he motioned forward, and Rapidash rushed behind him and to another line of trees. Ten minutes later of up and down hills, over fallen trees, briers, streams, and around a stone outcropping, Keldeo came to a stop in a small meadow. There were a few broken Pokeballs here. There he said, "Okay, I believe we've lost them. You said you had questions?"
"I said you owed me some answers," Rarity corrected him as she climbed off of Rapidash and started toward some clear water. "You said you're much older than us. You also mentioned how Koga kept his best hidden like his great-grandfather, nor were you much fazed by his actions at the Daycare. And you know a strong Rock-type attack, despite being a Water/Fighting-type; it's incongruous. I'm no simpleton, Keldeo. Koga's great-grandfather was your trainer, wasn't he?"
Keldeo looked down, but said nothing. Rapidash's eyes widened. Rarity frowned as she scrubbed with her magic, and continued, "I think I can safely surmise your trainer also died, and something shortly afterwards shattered your trust of humans."
Keldeo snorted. He looked over at her and said, "Aren't you surprisingly quick?"
"Have to be, in my profession," Rarity began, checking herself over. "Predict market trends based on observations while out on the town, enough to take a cold reading of a customer just coming in the door, so that one or two vague adjectives later I can pull the exact, perfect dress she wanted off the rack?"
"Still had to be lucky, to get such the necessary breaks to hit the big time," Keldeo quipped with a small grin.
"One must be good, before any such luck can come," Rarity said self-satisfied. She stepped out from the water, wet, but with all the muddy discolouration gone. She sighed with relief as she looked over her legs. Her eyes then shifted to less-than-amused as she caught Keldeo's gaze. "But that hardly is an answer that you owe me."
Sighing, Keldeo began, "You surmised correctly. Over a century ago I met Koga's great-grandfather, back while his family still lived in the Unova Region. I was still very young. Koga's family were martial artists back then, too, and his great-grandfather specialised with Fighting-types. He had also found my uncles. Nicknamed me 'd'Artagnan,' too, after a book character he liked, he said. But one night there was a fire in the village, with a little girl trapped inside a house. He covered himself and ran in to save the girl. But the house collapsed, and neither one got out. I never saw him again. All his Pokemon, me included, passed to his son, who at the time had barely begun the journey from boyhood to manhood. He swore that he would learn to be faster, so that he could save others where his father simply had not been fast enough and let no one die. Rather than learn his family's wushu from his grandfather, he instead studied ninjitsu."
Rapidash raised his head, opening his mouth with a soft "ah" in understanding. He said, "And so they've been ninjas since."
"Hai. Something in him changed during his training. His noble goals fell by the wayside, in favour of perfecting his stealth, and increasingly vicious attacks. He also started preferring Poison-type Pokemon instead of Fighting-type," Keldeo said sadly. "As a final test from his master to prove himself, he had to carry out an assassination contract professionally, and stay hidden while wearing some bright red. He succeeded brilliantly, but showed no emotional response to his taking another life, no distress, no guilt, nothing. Not even elation at his success. Just a cold, confident satisfaction. My uncles and I had enough. Since this was before they had those 'PC Boxes' I've heard about, our departure was much easier."
"That's what destroyed your trust of humans?" Rarity asked.
Keldeo said, "That was the start. I tried to interact with people again, thinking Koga's grandfather was just one bad egg and nothing more. But then I began to see he was far from alone, and even part of the majority. You've not been in the world long, so let me sum this up for you nice and cleanly. All their lives, humans are two-faced creatures. The common good is of no importance to them on the whole. Few hesitate before backstabbing each other to get ahead or to keep from falling behind, but backstab they will. They'll say one thing to one group, and another to another. Put three of them in a room, and between them there'll be six opinions on any given topic. Even their children, seemingly so sweet, so innocent and pure, with such noble goals...some want to end world hunger, others to solve world political messes and prevent all future wars...such wonderful thoughts they have. And yet...get a group of them together at play, and you will hear the meanest, the most cruel and vile, deplorable, horrid things said to each other each and every day. Just as one example among many, one boy who said he wanted to find a permanent cure to a terrible disease they have called 'cancer,' minutes later, told another boy his breath was so bad it was why there were crop failures all over the country, that the gods didn't want to send rain because his breath would then poison the fish, and even that people oceans and continents away who had never seen or heard of other humans with their skin colour are upturning their nose at the smell."
{And another's world is shattered.}
Rarity stood blinking and agape, totally aghast. Keldeo nodded slowly while Rapidash slowly let out a hard exhale. No words came for half a minute. Suddenly, a bang rang out, and a Pokeball shot from a pipe in the rock face. It slammed against a tree and shattered. Appearing from the pinkish sparks was a large brown bird with a white trailing edge to its wings, a spiky red crest, a long thin neck, and a long thin bill appeared. It called out in a whistling, high-pitched chipper voice that turned confused, "Sally! Where shall we Fly to this...Sally? Sa-a-ally! Where are you, Sally?"
Keldeo gestured toward this newcomer. "And this is another prime example."
"Who is this?" Rarity asked.
Rapidash answered, "It's a Fearow, but I don't know her, nor this 'Sally' she's calling for."
"Sally? Where am I? Sally?" Fearow asked, looking all around in total bafflement. She caught sight of the three of them. Fluttering over their way and hovering there, she asked, "Hey, do you know what's going on? Sally said she had to make a quick change, but...where is she? Where am I?"
Keldeo sighed uncomfortably. He said sadly, "Fearow...you're in the wild. Route 32 is the closest route to here, but that's a good twenty miles west of where we are."
"The...the wild?" Fearow echoed in disbelief. "How could I already be so far from where I was?! That doesn't make any sense!"
"Why don't you start over? Tell me about yourself, so that I can help you," Keldeo said.
Fearow brightened up. "Okay! I'm Fearow! Sally's my trainer, and we've been together for...I don't know! She's only twelve, but gosh, it feels like it's been forever! And it's been great! I'm one of her first Pokemon! I've led the charge and won her several Gym Badges! We're very close; she loves me dearly and I love her, too!"
Keldeo pursed his lips as he looked down. Almost as a lament he asked, "What was going on before you found yourself here?"
Fearow raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"
"I'm...trying," Keldeo said earnestly. "Please, what was going on?"
Fearow said, "Well, Sally was rock climbing outside Cianwood City. She said she heard there was something special there, something I think she called 'Pidgeotite.'"
Keldeo choked back a sob, though a tear escaped him. Fearow stopped and landed. Keldeo softly said, "Please continue."
With concern, Fearow slowly said, "It sounds like your heart's breaking."
"...that's because it is," Keldeo answered. "Sally found the Pidgeotite, and returned to the Pokemon Centre where she wanted to make that 'quick change,' right?"
"Yeah...," Fearow answered in confusion.
"She also had been training a Pidgey, or Pidgeotto, which had recently become a Pidgeot, right?" Keldeo asked.
"I'm getting a bad feeling about how quickly you're putting this together," Fearow answered cautiously.
More tears ran down Keldeo's face as he looked at the ground. Mournfully he said, "I'm sorry, Fearow. I'm so sorry."
"Wha...wha...why are you sorry?" Fearow said as her tears welled up.
Keldeo looked her in the eye. His own were already getting puffy. "You already know in your heart what's going on, why you're in the wild."
Fearow's breathing instantly was deeper, faster, and more ragged. Her tears went from a handful to a stream just like that. She begged, "No...! It can't...she couldn't...she...she wouldn't!! Not to her beloved Fearow!! Sally would never!!"
"She did," Keldeo said as his tears picked up. "She released you. Sally doesn't want you anymore, because she replaced you with Pidgeot."
Fearow closed her eyes, taking a very deep breath. Then she wailed. Rarity could not help but cry herself, seeing Fearow's emotional agony, the heartbreak of betrayal hitting so close to home. She went over to Fearow and offered a hug, which Fearow gladly took. She cried with Fearow, and Keldeo cried with Fearow, and Rapidash tried his best but could not keep his eyes dry either. Fearow's cries were the hardest of the four. No one bothered to keep track of the time as their emotions expressed themselves.
While Rapidash was the first to calm, Keldeo had words before he did. "I hate seeing this. I lost track of how often it's happened, that I find a recently-released Pokemon who's lost and desperately trying to deny what's happened. It kills me every time. When my trainer died, I felt shattered. I mourned for many months. But this, to have worked so close for so long, and suddenly be cast aside as though I were nothing? I don't know how humans can do that. I can't imagine what that feels like for those Pokemon."
"'Two-faced,' I see," Rapidash said in disgust. "I'm now seeing what you meant. So Aengus wasn't the only one."
Keldeo nodded slowly. Rarity sighed sadly, "Home's looking better and better all the time."
"That's why I came," Keldeo said. He looked over at Fearow, and gently asked, "I understand if you're not feeling up to it, but may we ask a favour?"
Fearow sighed, "I...I don't know. I just...I guess it depends on what."
"Rarity here isn't from this world. She's trying to get home," Keldeo began. "A distortion in Sinnoh is the only way to send her back. I'm not asking you to take us there, but even as far as New Bark Town would be a help."
Fearow wiped at her tears with her wings. She bit back on another sob, and said, "We never went to Sinnoh. But if...if it helps keep her from feeling pain like this, then I'll Fly you guys as far as Cerulean."
{Finally something goes right.}
Keldeo bowed deeply. "From the bottom of my heart, I thank you."
Kneeling down and spreading her wings, Fearow said, "Hop on, and hold on. This won't take long."
Apprehensively, Rarity did as she was told, only after Keldeo and Rapidash had already climbed on, ultimately sharing Rapidash's back with Keldeo. Rarity whispered, "I think we're a little big for her like this."
"No you're not."
With one flap Fearow was airborne, and rocketing across the skies at blinding speeds. Rarity exclaimed a non-syllable scream while Rapidash kept his head down. Rarity's horn lit up and despite her own grip, her telekinetic aura surrounded her and most of Rapidash. Keldeo just laughed. As the ground below tore past at a blur, Fearow said, "I think I'd like to come with you, since there's not much point in sticking around here."
"Sure. Once Rarity's back home, I can take you to a place in Kalos I think you'd like, a place where there are others like you," Keldeo said.
A moment later, they touched down in a town with well-manicured flower beds and hedgerows, flagstone walkways and cast iron lampposts. Before Rarity could take in the scene, Keldeo urged, "Come on, before we draw any more attention!"
He led them a short distance east, hopping up a small drop off beside a Pokemon Gym. People stared as a pony and three Pokemon ran along the pathway northward, turning right at a fence, and then left before a few lampposts. In front of them was a long bridge, painted gold. Rarity hopped on Rapidash's back and he, Keldeo, and Fearow charged northward. Almost halfway across, they nearly ran over a blonde-haired, green-eyed preteen girl dressed all in white, and would have too had her Ivysaur not pulled her aside in time. Rarity shouted an apology, to which the girl just stared with a rounded mouth.
{Someone lay in wait.}
The sound of Pokeballs opening caught their ears and they slowed to a stop at the far end of the bridge. Two Crobats. More Pokeballs opening, and there was another behind, one to the left, and one to the right. An aged man in a ninja uniform and a red capelet seemed to stand out of the fence to the right, as though he had appeared in a puff a smoke, without the smoke. Rarity gasped, "Koga...."
Sneering, Koga obnoxiously said, "All-too-obvious, to come this way."
"Get over yourself!" Keldeo yelled in plain human speech.
"Ah, Keldeo...it's terribly sad you've been away from your family for so long," Koga began with open arms to him. "Grandfather spoke of you often, always hoping you'd come home, right up to the day he died. Do you know how much he missed you, how much he loved you?"
Keldeo's face softened, with a sadness behind his eyes. He calmly but somberly answered, "He was not the man his father was."
"Indeed, he was a different man. Great-grandfather, along with you, kept the bad in check, thus keeping the good safe. Grandfather, though, took many bad things and bad people out of the world, so that good could flourish," Koga said. When Keldeo looked downward, a sad smile came to Koga. He continued, "I know it's not how you did so then, but we would be serving the same goal: defeat that which is evil, harmful, in any form it takes."
Keldeo looked up. Koga stretched out an open hand in friendship and kinship, saying, "Surely you, too, can see how much harm the ponies cause, have caused, and will continue to. Please, come home. We've missed you."
Keldeo sighed with closed eyes. Then he looked up and spat at Koga's feet. "I said, 'get over yourself!'"
Koga's face fell in disappointment. Shaking his head, he said, "Hmph. How the good have fallen. Not so much justice in that sword anymore, I see."
Rarity tapped at the side of her head, then just held a hoof there. "Come on, Rarity...think...there has to be a way out of this...."
"No. You must answer for what you've done," Koga said curtly. A sneer return to his face. "There's someone I think you should meet."
He threw a Pokeball. From it coalesced a reptilian figure, a grey lizard that made Rarity deeply gasp. A Salazzle. Rarity barely managed, "Wha...wh...??"
Koga's eyes hardened as he barked, "The white one, Salazzle! That's who killed your daughter!"
This older Salazzle snarled and roared, baring teeth and flexing as fire erupted around her for a moment. Koga snatched shurikens from his belt, holding three between his fingers on each hand. Crobats on all sides began closing in, with the old Salazzle out front. Rarity twitched, biting her hoof in terror. As she turned about, Keldeo sharply gasped as he looked eastward. Rapidash asked, "What is it now!?"
Keldeo shook. Softly he said, "The savage one...he's arrived...."
{He's...here. And he's completely batshit crazy.}
The man in the karate gi dropped to the ground, his neck twisted around one hundred-eighty degrees. Laughing maniacally levitated Mewtwo a few centimetres off the ground. He whirled around at the sound of a Pokeball opening. There stood a young girl, the same young girl who attempted to catch Starlight Glimmer during a Safari Game, who had deployed a many-coloured monkey with fire coming out of its head. With a shaking voice she yelled, "Infernape, use Flare Blitz!"
Mewtwo grunted. With a swipe of his hand, rosy red rings emanated from his waist. Immediately crystalline shards of the same colour appeared all around Infernape, pounding into him. He stood there with a vacant expression, not moving. Snickering evilly, Mewtwo floated his way over at a lazy pace. The girl's eyes flicked between Mewtwo and her Infernape. With the lightest of touches, Mewtwo put a finger to Infernape's nose. Slowly he toppled backwards, still not moving, nor returning to his ball. The girl hyperventilated, shaking all over as she began to cry. Mewtwo telekinetically hoisted her off the ground by pointing his finger. As she began to scream, he pulled back on his one hand while punching with the other, psychically yanking her hard into his fist. The blow crushed her, piercing her chest with Mewtwo's fist emerging from her back. She twitched once and was still. He withdrew his hand and unceremoniously dropped her there on the ground. He stared a moment at her large, stylish purse, still strapped to her shoulder. Taking it off of her with telekinesis, he muttered to himself, "Always wondered what all they kept in these things."
He raised an eyebrow as he opened the pouch. Soon he dug both hands inside, spending several minutes looking over all the things. Eventually he withdrew both hands; one held an orange technical machine. Still with an eyebrow raised, he tapped a finger on it several times. Then he held up his other hand. A commanding thrust of his palm later, a burst of fire jetted forward, striking a building and sending spurts of flames in five different directions. He nodded appreciatively. Dropping that back in the bag, another popped out to his hand, this one pale blue. This time from his hand launched a thin beam of ice. He said to himself, "I could get used to this...I wonder...."
Quickly different coloured technical machines popped in and out of the bag. With each that came to his right hand, his left discharged a different blast: a jet of fire, a green ball, a dark purple ball, a white ball, lightning, a thick lightning bolt out of the sky, rocks falling out of the sky, the ground tremouring, a windy blast of snow and ice, a particularly wide white ray, and a yellow beam out of the sky, before he was satisfied, all rapidly after the previous. He gripped one of the pale blue technical machines briefly, then called several berries which he swiftly ate. Chuckling, he then summoned a wrapped candy bar.
Mewtwo approached the entryway to The Great Marsh, eating chocolate, with a chic black purse over his shoulder. Stopping about fifteen paces away, he stopped, eyeing the building while cheeing up and swallowing what chocolate was in his mouth. Then Mewtwo commandingly slapped with his right hand, and the building crumbled with a bang. All its debris was thrown harshly and haphazardly toward the left. He bit down on the last of that candy bar, then called a bottle of soda out of the purse. Approaching the shattered building's remaining foundation, he looked at the garbage and recycling receptacles. He dropped the chocolate wrapper in the trash, promptly chugged the soda, and dropped the bottle in the recycling bin's glass slot. Looking back, Mewtwo telekinetically dragged the dead girl from nearly two hundred metres away over to him, and stuffed her in the garbage can as well. Starting forward, he crossed over the threshold, stopped, hung his head, and snapped his fingers. He then pointed back at the dead karate man, dragging his corpse over. He would not fit in the trash can. Very carefully Mewtwo balanced the dead body on the garbage can, as one does when one does not feel like taking out the trash just yet.
Mewtwo crossed the wrecked foundation, laughing psychotically, then said, "Come, introduce me to your new friends...big sister...." |
Rarity Gets Caught | 33 - Meanwhile, The Savage One Arrives.... | {The moment you've been waiting for is here.}
Noise of splintering wood, shattering rock, and smashing masonry thudded across The Great Marsh. The numerous Pokemon scholars and experts hurried toward their hastily-made fortifications while Red and Blue gave each other a long look with a nervous sigh. Watching the three incarcerated fillies closely, Princess Luna scoffed, "So he comes."
"Please, Your Majesty, we will serve whatever punishment you deem worthy, but let us escape this world before he gets here!" Scootaloo pleaded.
Luna looked down. After a moment, she turned toward one of her soldiers. "General Merry Weather, return to Equestria, and wait for Princess Twilight. I will close the portal behind you. Inform Her Highness and her companions they are not to reopen the portal; I will do so once the danger has passed."
"By your order, Your Majesty!" she answered, immediately departing. A periwinkle glow encompassed Luna's horn, and with a flash, the portal disappeared to the sound of breaking metal.
Luna turned toward the Cutie Mark Crusaders. With a sigh, her magical cage evaporated. She said, "Young ones, if you were to have left with the general, you would have been arrested immediately for trespassing on an active military operation. Or, they may have used the ballistae instead. The latter would be a quick and painful death, the other would leave your bodies alive, but before it would be done, you would be naught but an empty husk with a soul shattered from the horrors that would await you there. Nay, your best chances are here, finding a suitable hiding place with excellent cover."
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo promptly crouched behind the princess. Luna facehoofed. "I am not a suitable hiding place...."
Sweetie Belle feebly started, "But you said we should go somewhere with 'excellent cover,' and, well, behind you provides--"
"DO NOT MAKE ME CHANGE MY MIND!!" came forth the Royal Canterlot Voice with a snort.
The trio winced and cowered with closed eyes and covered ears. As they blinked hard, Apple Bloom huffed, "Geez, Sweetie Belle! Whah would you go 'n' suggest the princess has a fat a--"
"There he is!!" Scootaloo interrupted with a yelp.
To the south, at least a hundred metres away, a figure levitated between the trees. This tall being approached with crossed arms and a very long tail whipping like that of an angry cat. Strung over one shoulder was a large but particularly stylish black purse. Latios and Latias looked at each other, and with a mutual snarl, took to the air. They closed ground on Mewtwo hurriedly. Mewtwo snarled back, and with a roar and a commanding gesture, summoned a vast amount of icy wind with billowing snow and mist. As Latios and Latias both dropped into the mud, breathing but otherwise not moving, Blue grumbled, "And he has a trainer's bag...great."
Grunting irritably, Genesect started towards the snickering Mewtwo. Purse open, an orange disk leapt to the awaiting left hand. And a fireball shot from his right. Genesect had no chance to dodge as the fire struck, breaking into five offshoots. He, too, fell face down in the mud. Red's Pikachu tugged at his pant leg with both paws, shaking his head fearfully. Frowning, Red nodded slowly. A click of his Pokeball gave Pikachu release from an unwanted battle.
The fury in the sea suddenly halted. Mewtwo looked back briefly, then returned his gaze to find Darkrai nearly upon him. He disappeared in a purple spark, coloured as though it were a black light, just as Darkrai was about to strike. Darkrai stopped and spun around, head turning every which way, before looking up. There, inbound, was a hotly glowing blue sphere that caught Darkrai in the face. He splashed much more forcefully into the swamp muck. Mewtwo cackled. As Lunala took off, Princess Luna hollered, "No, wait!"
Lunala did not even look back. She charged headlong. Sneering, Mewtwo called an indigo-violet technical machine from the purse, gripped it briefly, and dropped it back in. He cupped his hands behind himself, guffawing at his approaching opponent. A deathly purple sphere, crackling viciously, grew between his palms at considerable speed. Lunala spread her wings firm, holding position midair. Cyan lights gathered at evenly-spaced points along her wings' circumference. As they began to coalesce at Lunala's middle, Mewtwo thrust his arms, hurling the sphere at her at an alarming rate. The lights had not fully come together when Mewtwo's attack struck home. She went limp, drifting down to The Great Marsh like a leaf of paper dropped off of an upper balcony, or the eighth story overlook of a major shopping mall's atrium.
"Enough!!" screamed Arceus, halting Dialga and Palkia in their tracks. Other Legendary and Mythical Pokemon turned to listen as well. "There's nothing to be gained from senseless violence like this!"
"Says you," Mewtwo sassed back. A stone spike jutted through the muck and up to tree height, knocking Ho-Oh upward off his branch, who then tumbled into the mud like those before him. Arceus whirled back toward Mewtwo, to see him drop a brown disk back into the purse. With a shrug Mewtwo continued, "I think it's delightful."
Arceus began his direction, snapping, "Shut up! You're not helping anymon, yourself least of all!"
"Then why don't you try and stop me, hmm? Or should the pony do it?" Mewtwo taunted. Zapdos wearily flapped himself back into view from the south, battle-worn, still sopping wet, gasping breathlessly, and alone. With a disappointed and insultingly dismissive wave, Mewtwo turned from Zapdos and sneered at the approaching Legendary Dogs. Calling out a tan technical machine, Mewtwo's forceful gesture stirred the ground into a violent quake. Luna had telekinetically lifted the Cutie Mark Crusaders not a second too soon, herself hovering in the process. Entei, Raikou, and Heatran keeled over immediately, while Suicune backed away slowly. Jirachi appeared barely conscious. Dialga, Reshiram, and Zekrom all were forced back a step, wincing, shaking their heads, or both. As Arceus snarled in response, Mewtwo openly guffawed. He mocked at him, "Come then! What kind of 'god' stands by idly while his followers are dropped like dung? Words of that long-dead guy, Epicurus, come to mind."
Blue's head jolted back. He shot a quick look at Red and asked, "Since when has he been reading human philosophy??"
Mewtwo ignored the comment. With a widening upturned curl of the lip, he lambasted, "Or perhaps this newcomer has proven too much? Paltry and feeble before this equine visitor?"
"Those two are gonna fight, aren't they?" Sweetie Belle asked with a sea green glow about her horn.
Luna huffed, "That was a foregone conclusion the moment we knew he was coming."
"But I can feel it; I can see how it'll begin," said Sweetie contemplatively.
"Quick to avoid talking about yourself, and what you've done," Arceus said with a frown. "How many died on those ships? Oh yes, we heard about that. There was, what, ten vessels in both of the flotillas you sank? For no reason?"
"Going along, minding my own business, and then being shot at? You call that no reason?" Mewtwo countered. "I don't know why they got all super-touchy about personal space! There had to be a good fifty metres, likely more, between me and their cute little boats, me not even moving towards them, and they had a total conniption! Rinse and repeat two days later!"
Arceus chastised, "Way too far."
"'Way too far' to protect one's self from unprovoked lethal force? You saying that makes you either a liar, or an idiot. I'm guessing both," Mewtwo said, rolling his eyes. "I see you're dodging the question, 'great creator'.'"
As the sunlight grew harsh, Arceus growled, "Princess Luna is here as my guest, until both of their missing citizens, taken by two humans, are safely returned."
"Your guest, only because you can't force her out," Mewtwo snorted. Those Legendary and Mythical Pokemon still conscious started slowly encircling Mewtwo. He turned to Luna, accusingly asking, "Was it you who threw the gauntlet at us all by sending the magenta wave across the whole world? And thought it fun, threatening every living thing around the globe by showing you could crash the moon into us?!"
Luna frowned. "That with the moon was a simple demonstration and nothing more. If you felt threatened by it, that's entirely on you."
"And they call me the recklessly violent one," Mewtwo answered sarcastically. While Luna bared her teeth, he turned to Arceus and pressed, "Yet you could do nothing to stop her! I think it's clear, oh Pokemon 'god,' that her whipping the moon around proved too much for your 'divine' providence to handle!"
"That was corrected," Arceus barked.
"With more than just a little bit of his help," Luna said with a scowl.
"We'll see about that in a few centuries, yes?" Mewtwo returned, eyeing them both. Gripping a pale blue disk again, the same blast of ice and snow came as before. Zapdos, Rayquaza, and Yveltal all dropped out of the sky while Shaymin simply fell down on the ground. The sun returned to normal luminosity as a giant red Pokemon collapsed into the muck at the edge of the trees. Luna erected a magical shield around herself and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but they drifted some from the area attack. Mew did the Pokemon equivalent. Red and Blue both appeared dazed. Of the Pokemon around Arceus, only Mew and Palkia did not appear that worn down; those attempting to encircle Mewtwo had too many breaks in their lines and stopped. Mesprit floated beside Arceus, emitting points of cyan light, and then collapsed. As the light surrounded Arceus with him glowing green, Mewtwo scoffed, "What does a 'god' need with another's healing move?"
"What does a Pokemon need with a trainer's bag, and a trainer's items?!" Arceus retorted. "For somemon so strong, you sure rely heavily on things you should never have had!"
Mewtwo grunted. He popped a pair of orange berries into his mouth from the purse, and took it off, placing it on a tree stump. Sweetie Belle's eyes widened. As Mewtwo spoke disdainfully, she murmured along with him, matching pace and emphasis, "I could give a damn, Arceus. Really, I could. But I want you to know, that I beat you...without any crutches."
Dark spaces surrounded Mewtwo, spiraling upward and out of view. "So let's go!!"
{Thus begins a fight between the heavy hitters.}
Arceus walked out from the others. Mew gasped, reaching for him with forlorn eyes. Sweetie Belle continued with Arceus's words that same as she did with Mewtwo. "So be it, Mewtwo. So be it."
Suddenly Arceus was upon Mewtwo, hitting three times before dropping back. With a snarl Mewtwo gestured harshly, firing a shower of golden stars that Arceus could not avoid. In both cases the raw volume of mud and muck thrown from such close proximity to that degree of force easily could have filled a small house. Luna's barrier had kept her, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Red, Blue, Cynthia, and Mew all clean. Pony soldiers hurried to keep Pokemon and the other humans out of the blast range. Cynthia gasped, "Holy crap...!"
Arceus zipped toward Mewtwo a second time, but he was ready. With a quick sidestep, Mewtwo cupped his palms and hurled them forward, striking Arceus in the face at point blank range with the blue energy sphere. Arceus remained standing as he slid across the mud, the splash from which coated an entire tree and half of the one next to it. Sounding like an afterthought, Luna mused, "Maybe I should have made an exception to the law and sent you three home."
"It's why I asked!" cried Scootaloo. "This is nuts!"
"A little late, Ah think," Apple Bloom muttered. With a commanding swipe of his hands, Mewtwo called the rosy red glow and circles, which reconvened as the gemstone-like photonic shards ramming themselves into Arceus from all sides. He yelped, then called a golden orb in front of his forehead that shot into the sky. Lances of golden light rained down all over Mewtwo, who shook his head in response. Mud had been thrown back, exposing bedded siltstone a metre and a half down before the damp earth slowly flowed back into the gaping bowled-out chunk. Such was the force that Luna's barrier broke at its edges, splashing Red and Cynthia. Loudly, Apple Bloom blurted, "Shit...!!"
Luna growled. Digging through a knapsack with her telekinesis, she located a bar of soap and shoved it into Apple Bloom's mouth. As she tried to spit it out, Luna's magic held it in place. A muffled protest sounded through the soap, but Luna shook her head no. Stunned, Blue blinked his wide eyes, emptily saying, "That...was Psystrike...and Judgment...in the same round??"
Cynthia whistled, shaking her head with an overwhelmed face. She quietly said, "Yeah...I believe so."
Mewtwo fired off another of the blue spheres, which drove Arceus back, stumbling in the mud for a brief moment. Sweetie Belle's horn was aglow while balls of cyan light swirled around Arceus for a moment. She said, "Um...."
Blue shook his head with disappointment. "He's spamming Aura Sphere now? What subtle creativity to his battle plan."
"So you're learning divination magic," Luna began, looking at Sweetie Belle. "With your talent in helping others find their talents, that will be most-useful in quickening your searches."
"It's not that," said Sweetie Belle.
Cynthia looked over at her and asked, "Then, what is it, child?"
"Isn't he the Pokemon god?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking back at the fight. "Is what Mewtwo said true?"
"They say he created this region, and several of the Legendary Pokemon here. So, I'd say yes," Cynthia answered confidently.
{And it goes to pot.}
Not-so-confidently, and absolutely worried, Sweetie Belle responded, "Then why is he losing!?"
"What!?" Cynthia shrieked, whirling back to the battle in time to see another pulse of Aura Sphere knock Arceus to the ground. He slid fifteen metres through the mud before he could start to get back on his feet. Mew screamed in horror, long and loud. Cynthia's breaths shortened and sharpened as both of her hands unconsciously leapt to the top of her head, heels of her palms just above her eyebrows. Tears started down her face as she murmured, "No...!!"
Arceus surrounded himself with the cyan lights again, only to immediately be hit with another Aura Sphere. He was slower to get up. Red's hands covered his mouth while Blue's fingers interlocked on the back of his head. Calling the golden sphere again, Arceus used Judgment. But Mewtwo looked to the sky in time, and zipped just out of the blast before the blow landed, striking swamp muck into a tall splash instead. Mewtwo laughed savagely despite being covered in mud from the attack.
Sweetie Belle gasped with wide eyes as the glow on her horn faded away.
Arceus shot forward, striking Mewtwo three times like he did earlier. Mewtwo fell to one knee, then lashed out with another Aura Sphere. Those he had battered into subconsciousness appeared to awaken and look over as the attack struck true. Arceus was knocked into the air. Were it not for Mew shrieking in terror, the whole of The Great Swamp would have been as silent as outer space while they stared agape, dumbfounded, and in absolute disbelief at what just happened. Her horrified scream echoed shrilly off the dirtied trees as Arceus bounced on the mud once, slid across the surface, and slowed to a stop. His lungs worked, but otherwise he lay motionless.
Mewtwo chuckled, calling his purse back to his shoulder. Then he threw his head back and laughed, and laughed, and laughed, so loud those back in the main part of town could hear him, a cackle of evil triumph. Mewtwo continued to chortle defiantly as all the Pokemon in The Great Marsh slowly crawled, flitted, or walked over in a distressed, astonished hush. Opening the purse, Mewtwo called out a thick blue bottle with a white spraying nozzle. He covered himself with the mist from the bottle while Mew floated over to Arceus's unconscious body, crying hysterically. She pawed at him, and whined, "Arceus...."
A dark chuckle made her look up. Mewtwo loomed over them both. He reached down and took Arceus's knocked out form by the throat, hoisting him into the air. Looking around at the various Pokemon, Mewtwo threateningly and commandingly roared, "WHO IS YOUR GOD NOW!?!"
Fear and rage filled Mew's eyes as she glared at Mewtwo. Smirking, he taunted, "Go on. Kiss your boyfriend goodbye! I wanna see you actually do it!"
Shaking with fury, Mew held her position as her tears rolled in a steady stream. Mewtwo cackled, and raised his other hand. Snidely he said, "Very well. Don't say I didn't give you the chance!"
A powder blue bolt struck Mewtwo in the head, knocking him back and forcing him to drop Arceus. Mew telekinetically lifted Arceus and flew off as Mewtwo whirled about. There, at the tent, stood Princess Luna with a charged horn. Rage was in her eyes and her face. She menacingly said, "I don't think so."
"Well, well, well," snickered Mewtwo. "I was wondering when you'd act."
"Arceus is my friend. I won't let you kill him!" Luna growled. "By whatever means necessary!"
"Really? Is this really happening?" Mewtwo said with delight and a malignant smile. "'Cuz I can't tell you how much I've been itching for this!"
Luna used her magic to remove her tiara, baldric, and ornamental shoes. Floating them over, she said, "Scootaloo, hold onto these for a few minutes."
Blinking but otherwise frozen, Scootaloo stared helplessly at the regalia sitting before her. She shook her head, then with sigh, scooped up the royal articles. Apple Bloom finally spat the soap out, and said, "Ah'm worried, girls. He don't seem like the kahnd that'd fahght fair."
"Of course he won't!" grouched Scootaloo. "But what can we do about it?"
Blue walked over to them and motioned them further from the edge of the thick stone blocks. He urged, "Girls, this would be the time to do what the Princess said. Hide."
"We can't hahde now!" Apple Bloom protested.
Scoffing, Blue urged, "Don't give me that! Do as you're told!"
"Seriously, we can't! There's nowhere to hide!" Scootaloo retorted.
Blue looked around, and blanched. Luna's barrier had kept the mud from hitting them, but also had given it no place to recede. The back side of the tent had a wall of mud not quite a half metre from its stakes. Across the marsh was tattered land and displaced earth. One of the scientist teams crawled out of the top of their pill box, coated head to toe, after their Golem broke open a hole. Blue muttered something under his breath, to which Sweetie Belle levitated the bar of soap toward his face.
"Stand down," Luna ordered. "I've seen how you move and attack, your tactics and your power. You are not a match for me."
{You predicted it; now it's time.}
"Then let me show you true power!" Mewtwo yelled back, opening the purse. A pair of small stones popped out, one into each hand. Both looked like a cat's eye marble about the size of a cherry, with a blue stripe on one as the only visible difference betwixt the two.
"Didn't think this one through, did you?!" taunted Cynthia. "Two big problems with that plan! One, only one Mega Evolution at a time! And two, you don't have a Key Stone!"
Mewtwo guffawed defiantly. "Are you sure about that?!"
Cynthia squinted as Mewtwo pointed at the purse. Then she gasped. The closing clasp had mounted upon it a prismatic stone, green at one end and violet at the other. She squawked, "WHAT!?!"
Mewtwo pressed the stone. Light radiated from the clasp, with four rays coming out from the Key Stone, rotating quickly. But the Key Stone was not alone, for the same light enveloped both of his hands. Cackling, he raised both fists above his head triumphantly as the light hardened into a rock-like sphere around him. It expanded, cracked, and broke open.
Mewtwo stood a touch shorter, though his body was markedly changed. What had been grey still was, but now had a light pink hue. His legs had thickened a wee bit, proportionally longer below the knee with his toes now purple. Yet his legs remained sleek and toned. So too had his arms thickened slightly with defined musculature, but nothing bulging. Like his toes, his fingers had turned a matching purple. His tail curled over at the end, but otherwise looked no different. His torso and abdomen, though, had a distinctive feminine curve to them, with wide birthing hips, and two side-by-side identical bulges on the chest that were undeniably womanly. Wrapped around these bulges and up over the clavicle was looked like a cropped cuirass in the same purple as his tail, fingers, and toes. Both shoulders bore the same sleek muscles, which with everything below reflected the build of a female professional softball pitcher. A second redundant neck manifested. His horns stuck up in triangles that screamed of cat ears while his nose had become more pointed. Both irises had turned blood red, and etched with hate. A few dark purple sparks dripped from his fingertips.
Mewtwo's voice had moved up just over two octaves, its malevolence turning from a violent destroyer's baritone to a silky femme fatale's mezzo-soprano, but with no less malice, "Like what you see? I still wanna play; do you? Come and get me!"
Cynthia blinked. "He's a she?"
"I think that--well, frankly, we shouldn't be surprised," Blue said. "He...she was taken from Mew's genes, after all."
Red nodded with sheepish grimace to his friend's words. Looking between Red and Blue, Cynthia asked, "But...how??"
"I'd ask Professor Sycamore if he were here. I have no idea," Blue answered, shaking his head with an overwhelmed expression. "Triggering both X and Y variants on Mewtwonite? I can't believe this...what are we even looking at?"
"Omega Mewtwo," said Red quietly, with his hands on either side of his face.
{When gods meet on the field of battle....}
Apple Bloom nudged Sweetie Belle, asking, "What's gonna happen? Whadiya' foresee?"
Charging her horn, Sweetie Belle squinted and stuck out her tongue. Suddenly a bright pop flashed at the end of her horn, dissipating into smoke. Soot lay on her horn as she tottered and mumbled, "...too much power...."
"Sweetie Belle!?" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom screeched in fear and alarm as Sweetie Belle toppled over. Shaking her garnered no reaction. She lay on the stone blocks, out cold with a wince on her face.
Luna snarled, "I don't care what form you take! This ends here and now!"
"Oh, will it now?" Omega Mewtwo answered with an off-balance laugh. "Come and get me! Come, and I'll make you my bitch, in all the ways!"
Luna snorted and lowered her head, scratching at the ground in preparation to charge. She growled, "The only thing I'm giving you is your own ass!"
"Prove it," sneered Omega Mewtwo.
Wringing his hands nervously, Red murmured, "Come on, Luna...."
Both roaring, princess and Pokemon rushed at each other. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 34 - Excessive Force [Chapter Tag: Gore] | {A war between two individuals.}
No one saw who struck the first blow, nor what. No one had more than a guess. All that was certain was that the swamp muck dispersed into a three-metre wave, coating the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Cynthia, Blue, and Red. Scootaloo shook her head, then rushed to wipe the mud from around Sweetie Belle's mouth. She and Apple Bloom moved her unconscious body further back as the blows rang out and the mud fell back to its normal height. There was a crater now, a blast mark left from the initial strikes between the Princess of the Night and the most savage of all Pokemon. Blue wiped his face and ears off, unable to discern the shouting between the combatants, except that it did not sound of mere grunting, growling, nor bitter mid-fight trash talk. Blue looked over at Red as he too dug the last of the mud from his ears and asked, "Buddy, do you have any idea, any at all, how in the hell did he...she, do that? Sorry, got so used to calling Mewtwo a 'he.'"
Red threw his hands up in exasperation, shaking his head with a frustrated, impatient, and a touch disbelieving glower. Sighing, Blue tapped at his PokeGear, holding it up toward the vicious duel. Cynthia asked, "What's the point in recording this now? You should have done so when she double-Mega Evolved!"
"By the time any of us knew she could pull that off, it was a little late to film," Blue answered. "Despite that, I'm giving Professor Sycamore a live feed; hopefully he can make heads or tails of the absurdity."
Cynthia nodded with a worried frown. She looked between Blue and the fight, and said, "I guess you're right. Hey, is it me, or are they talking right now?"
"Ah hear it too," said Applebloom as the battle came closer, both combatants entangled with the other.
"You tell me why!" Omega Mewtwo demanded, having thrown out every trace of seductress from her voice. "You have no vested interest in what happens here, you have no real reason to care; what could you possibly hope to gain from intervening where your overly long nose doesn't belong!?"
Luna grunted as she parried another attack, barking, "What is wrong with you!? How can you not understand the preventing murder needs no justification?!"
Cupping her hands and discharging an Aura Sphere, Omega Mewtwo yowled like a tomcat meeting and attacking another tom on his turf. A quick spell, and her attack impacted harmlessly against Luna's shield. Both were off the ground. Omega Mewtwo grouched, "Preventing being murdered yourself, true; preventing another's when it's none of your business, false! Furthermore, I suppose the idea of something else rejecting one's claim of dominion would be a foreign concept to a princess, wouldn't it!? Thinking everything you do and say for your subjects is in their best interest, when any sensibly being would know it bloody damn well isn't that way all the time, or even at all!"
In the middle of her tirade, Red reached into his trainer's bag, pulled out a purple Pokeball with a white 'M' on it, and threw it at Omega Mewtwo as they neared. But she stuttered her forward momentum, letting the ball sail on past her. Such was Red's throw that it continued onward tens of metres and bonked the barely-awake Genesect on the heel, who disappear in a violet flash. As the ball shook three times and clicked, Omega Mewtwo flipped Red the bird as she continued ranting at Luna without missing more than a couple of seconds, "How do you know what's good and right? How does Arceus know!? Do either of you actually have the first clue?"
Red threw another such ball, just as hard and accurately. Disappearing in a flash of dark purple before it arrived, Omega Mewtwo reappeared over Princess Luna with a hand in the bag. She shot an undulating green sphere from her free hand as Red's Pokeball flew on past where its intended target no longer was, and many metres later hit a Bidoof that had stuck its head out from the underbrush at precisely the wrong moment. As the ball clicked, Red whimpered in pathetic disappointment at his catch. Luna winced but little more from that attack while Cynthia sighed, "Oh man...that blows...."
"Tough break, my friend," Blue said like one giving condolences at a funeral.
As her opponent limboed under an arc of pale blue lightning from her horn, Luna retorted, "I know what makes a deed good and right, because it is benevolent! Helping others! Protecting those in danger! These are basics that any being can understand are good!"
"You're gonna give me the dry heaves! Is it really the 'basics' of what is good, or is it just your instincts talking?" Omega Mewtwo retorted, reaching behind herself with the heels of both her palms touching. "Looks to me like this 'good' and 'right' you speak of are based on your instincts and nothing more!"
Blue shook his head incredulously. He looked at Red briefly as he cynically muttered, "Are they seriously discussing the origins of morality and ethics in the middle of a battle? One that may decide the fate of both our world and theirs?"
Red nodded with a shrug and a confused grimace. Scootaloo shook her head and grumbled, "Some ponies juggle geese; different ways for different individuals, some weirder than others."
"Or just ridiculous...who's to guess what's the norm for beings this powerful?" Cynthia muttered under her breath.
"Then why do the human religions emphasise being good unto one another?! Not just one, but all of them?!" demanded Luna, deflecting an Aura Sphere which slammed into a tree's base, shattering said tree into uneven shards, leaving in its place a perfectly semispherical crater a metre and a half deep and three across.
Omega Mewtwo snapped, "Two animals, a herding social herbivore, and a social long-distance diurnal hunter, both having instincts to cooperate and work together? Who would have ever seen that coming?!"
"Well, well! Even you admit that both plant-eater and meat-eater have the same notion of good and evil!" Luna returned, charging her horn up to a secondary aura.
"Quick to ignore both of your species are social!" Omega Mewtwo shouted, clenching her teeth as the lightning from Luna's horn connected. Shaking her head once, she flew at Luna as she continued, "One works together to bring in food, the other does the same to keep from becoming food! Both of you are simply following instincts!"
"Maybe we simply have instincts that lead us to what's good and right, or in the humans' case, righteous!" Luna retorted, despite her shield crumbling under a harsh blast of Psystrike.
"Oh, please! Don't tell me you're serious!" Omega Mewtwo answered, actually belly laughing. "All these 'gods' the humans have each purport these similar ideas, similar decrees, commands, edicts, statutes, and whatever, all pertaining to altruism and togetherness, how one's to do the things that are better for the group, avoid strife and schisms, and stick with that specific group, because it is somehow better than all others...while all these others also believe that same tired line about their own selves as well! Isn't that just precious?"
Luna lunged at Omega Mewtwo horn-first, but missed on the thrust. Mewtwo flung a barrage of golden stars, missing badly as Luna knocked her attacking hand upward and nowhere near her. Then Luna kneed Omega Mewtwo in the gut with her right hind leg, earning a grunt, and then a sneer. Cynthia muttered, "Blocking and deflecting both Aura Sphere and Swift?? What is she? Not a Pokemon, I know, but what?!"
"She is The Princess of the Nahght!" Apple Bloom answered proudly.
Omega Mewtwo's stars hit home this time as she snidely continued, "Meanwhile, much like any other hunter species, they believe themselves fit to stand above every other living thing simply because they eat everything else! All these views, laws, and precepts from these 'gods' fit perfectly with basic human instincts, but not those of a wild tiger, or that of a vole, bat, shark, hornet, cow, shrike, or any other animal at all!"
Luna interrupted her monologue with feinting by rearing up, but blasting with the horn instead of slamming downward with both front feet. Omega Mewtwo crashed through one tree and into a second, breaking through the large side limbs in the first and delivering a greenstick fracture to the second's main trunk. She reached into her bag, grabbing a thick spray bottle with a white nozzle and a cerulean fluid. While she sprayed herself off, Blue threw a Pokeball identical to the ones Red had thrown. Casually tossing it aside, Omega Mewtwo's spray bottle intercepted the ball, which took in said bottle in a dazzling display of purple light. Red sighed in disappointment. Stomping angrily, Blue scoffed, "Gimme a break!! How does that even work!?"
Patting Blue on the shoulder, Red shook his head. Cynthia closed her eyes. She took the index and middle fingers of her right hand, and rubbed her forehead with them between her eyebrows, softly and sadly saying, "Congratulations, sir, you just caught an empty Max Potion."
"Every last one of their 'gods' is set up as their specific groups' Alpha, sitting there telling these humans their primitive, feral, primordial instincts from surviving before civilisation are precisely in line with how these 'gods' would have them behave! How lucky is that?!" fired Omega Mewtwo as she burst back into the air at Princess Luna, clutching a purple disk with one hand and charging darker energies with the other.
Luna slowed her flight to almost a stationary hover, carefully eyeing the charged attack pointed her direction. As a spherical shield enveloped her, she yelled back, "Idiot! You don't see that social behaviour among most Pokemon, yet they have that same overwhelming need of friendship!"
"Did you ever consider that maybe, just maybe, those that were good to humans were fruitful and multiplied under their care, flooding the gene pool with such hardwired attitudes?" Omega Mewtwo answered, firing her shot off. The dark-coloured blast collided with Luna's shield head-on, which spiderwebbed briefly before the cracks had spread too far. Luna missed a wingbeat with the wind knocked out of her upon taking the hit. Still closing, Omega Mewtwo continued, "Keeping those that behaved like they did, getting them loads of progeny, and killing off those that were 'too dangerous' for human lives?"
Luna scoffed and shot a barrage of ice shards, barking, "You make it sound like they alter the entire planet to suit their desires!"
Rolling her eyes and also away from the magical riposte, Omega Mewtwo countered, "Look at their large cities, and you tell me! They sure as hell do!" Holding a brick red disk, she chopped at Luna with a knife-hand. Luna slid to the left, narrowly evading the strike. Then she popped Omega Mewtwo with a quick one-two punch to the face from her front hooves. Before her head had stopped, Omega Mewtwo sharply gestured at Luna. The numerous gemstones appeared on all sides again. While her shot of Psystrike hammered at Luna, Omega Mewtwo sneered, "They made the world how they wanted it, and they made their gods how they wanted them: a quick justification for all that they did so that no one would question them, and on top of that, used their 'gods' to explain away any natural process they didn't understand! Just to give them some feeling of security in an unsure world! Pathetic, isn't it?"
"Whatever! Now you're gonna tell me it's your place to see to it they feel insecure, aren't you?" Luna said with hate-laced sarcasm, shooting a pulsating blue sphere from her horn. While Omega Mewtwo dodged it, the sphere burst into a ten metre globe of electricity.
"Now you're getting it!" beamed Omega Mewtwo once the arcing sparks stopped. With a brown disk in one paw, she pointed at the ground, then at Luna. A rocky spire burst out of the mud at an alarming speed. Luna exclaimed something not suitable for children's ears, but could not fully get out of the way in time. The spike gashed Luna's side, just above her hind legs. As Luna yelped and bled, Omega Mewtwo put the disk away and shouted, "I was created solely for battle; all my instincts revolve around it! Somebody, somemon, or something throws any challenge, any at all, I know to destroy them! That is what I see as good and right, what I know to do without any instruction! And I can't give the world what's good and right if there's no world, because of a reckless moon crashing or two! The only difference between you and me, or the humans and me, is that I don't pretend I answer to some higher 'good,' or established code of morals, or 'god!'"
Luna spat as she charged up a shield and worked at closing the wound with a spell. She seethed, "So you admit you're evil to the core!"
"I could say the same about you! All the coddling and insistence on ruling weak underlings who you mollified with polite falsehoods, encouraging others to forego using their own strength, that's what I call evil!" fired back Omega Mewtwo, floating around Luna. She intently looked over Luna's shield as she called out a topical roll-on medicine in a golden-orange applicator. Cynthia and Blue both gasped while Red resumed wringing his hands.
"What's wrong?" Scootaloo asked them, looking between them and the fighters in a standoff.
While Omega Mewtwo applied the medicine as if it were deodorant, Cynthia fearfully squeaked, "That's a Dire Hit...!"
Luna landed, lowering her shield as she readied her magic to attack. Omega Mewtwo demanded, "And so we've gone around the circle! How do you know what's good and right, and not just your social-creature instincts talking?!"
{Not best pony....}
Once Luna hesitated, both in word and action, Omega Mewtwo disappeared in a flash of deep purple sparks. Whirling around, no one was there. Luna looked up in time to see Omega Mewtwo emerge from her teleport, sickly purple disk in her right hand, while punching away at an unbelievable rate with her left clothed in a violet light. But Omega Mewtwo aimed at Luna's left wing, blow after blow connect at the same point halfway before the fold, roaring with effort. A deafening snap resounded off the trees before the multistrike attack concluded, to which Luna shrieked in pain. She blasted Omega Mewtwo in the face with her lightning as a knee-jerk reaction while she hollered, gasping and screaming like a toddler who just learned the hard way that pulling a can of green beans off of the kitchen counter feels real bad on the toes. Scootaloo swooned and Apple Bloom vomited upon seeing the wound, while Cynthia looked like she was but a step behind Scootaloo. Blue covered his eyes and turned away, but Red stood still, unblinking in vacant shock. Luna's left wing hung and bled from a severe compound fracture, exposing a lengthy amount of bone. She continued to scream in agony as Omega Mewtwo reeled backwards, holding her own face. Letting go, blood came from her eyes. She reached forward at nothing in particular, grasping at the air. A moment later she summoned a futuristic beige medicinal spray bottle containing a grass stain green liquid. She sprayed herself down, focusing on her face while Luna telekinetically set her own bone and vocalised loudly exactly how unpleasant the experience felt with a series of non-words and very strong profanity.
Setting a magical bandage, Luna could not raise a shield before Omega Mewtwo was back on her, gripping an orange technical machine in her left hand and launching a fireball from her right not even a metre from Luna's face. As the fire struck and spurred off in five directions, Omega Mewtwo snarled, "That's what I thought! You have no answer! Your sense of 'good and right' was created in your own image just the same as humans' sense of 'good and right,' not to mention their 'gods,' were created in their own image! Not the other way around!"
"No...!" Blue gasped, biting back on a sob as Luna cried out again. Scootaloo came to, waking up on the edge of tears.
There was no fur left on the left side of Luna's face. Her eye had swollen shut from the second degree burns. Ignoring Luna's puny attack, Omega Mewtwo took a tan technical machine again and exclaimed, "Ah, not sanguine anymore, I see! Tell you what: for shits and giggles, let's pretend for a moment that they have a real 'god,' who did in fact give them these orders! Then how does this 'god' know what is 'good and right,' hmm? Is it so because this 'god' said it is? That's totally arbitrary!"
The ground heaved, buckled, and shook like a paint mixer. Scootaloo's wings buzzed, but everyone else was tossed about. As the earth settled, Luna fell to a kneeling position, out of breath and shaking in the legs. Sweetie Belle groaned as her eyes fluttered open. While Apple Bloom scooped her into a hug, she mumbled, "Is...it over?"
Trying not to cry and failing, Scootaloo answered, "Almost...the fight goes poorly."
"Thus on a divine whim, the laws of good and evil can be shifted up to and including fully reversed for any reason, any at all, including none!" Omega Mewtwo sneered. Luna breathed heavily, though her horn held an aura. Snatching a yellow disk from the bag, Omega Mewtwo goaded, "Get on your knees and please that 'god' with your mouth, every bit of your body as needed, and everything else he-she-it-whatever wants, in the desperate hope this 'god' doesn't change its mind!"
A wide thunderbolt came from the sky, but hit the ground a metre and a half behind Luna. The exhaustion in her one open eye was plain at distance, as it was in her crouch's posture. Sweetie Belle roused herself a bit more, but murmured, "No...you can't...not like that...."
Omega Mewtwo leapt high into the air, pulling out the sickly purple technical machine once again. As she balled up her fists, dropping toward Luna, she hollered, "Or perhaps this 'god' did not determine what is 'right and good,' yes? What then? What kind of 'god' must answer to something else!? Let me give you a chance to ask!"
{Because it still does.}
Suddenly Luna jumped into a bicycle kick, her hind leg flashing a golden glow and finding Omega Mewtwo's chin.
"YES!!" Red cheered in a short but loud shout.
"Damn the humans' gods..." Luna snarled, driving a front hoof into Omega Mewtwo's belly, causing her to bounce.
Cynthia blurted, "...get 'er...!"
"...damn spirituality..." growled Luna as she whirled about, reared up, and nailed Omega Mewtwo again in the chin, this time with a fully extended double hind leg kick, driving her enemy into an outcropped rock.
"Holy crap...!" Scootaloo breathed.
"...and DAMN YOU!!" roared Luna. She skewered Omega Mewtwo upon her horn as her adversary ricocheted off the rock, and with a whirl of her neck, threw her enemy into the half-broken tree from earlier, continuing, "I don't give a flying feather about any of it! I care about protecting my little ponies, keeping all my subjects safe, whether you like it or not, whether I live to tell about it or not! And I have had enough of you!"
Sweetie Belle stood wide-eyed and tremouring. She whimpered, "No...not like this...Luna, don't do it...!"
Omega Mewtwo had already sprayed herself off with another Max Potion, and immediately churned out another Psystrike. As Luna staggered and dropped to her knees, Omega Mewtwo laughed darkly, "Right, apathy: the first port-of-call for those who have lost an argument so completely and thoroughly! And indeed you have had enough of me, but I can keep on taking more and more of you! You cannot endure; but I do! I'll just hit you with Psystrike after Psystrike until you collapse, which at this point...won't be long!"
"You...you can't...," Sweetie Belle said feebly as she wobbled and nearly fell over again.
Apple Bloom caught her friend. She asked, "What? What can't she do?"
Slowly standing, a secondary and tertiary aura surrounded Luna's horn. Omega Mewtwo thrust her hands forward for another Aura Sphere, but the attack fizzled as it reached Luna, doing nothing. A fourth and fifth layer of her aura manifested while her eyes appeared as glowing white orbs, devoid of irises and pupils. Luna's voice echoed as she softly said, "'Psystrike,' 'Aura Sphere,' 'Judgment,' whatever...you Pokemon sure like to name your moves, don't you?"
Spitting sparks, Luna's horn also emitted harsh rays of light. A high-pitched droning, like a ringing in one's ears, sounded across the marsh as Luna lazily left the ground. A shot of Psystrike proved equally useless as the Aura Sphere did a moment earlier. Sweetie Belle sighed sadly as the sky turned dark, "...too late."
"Then call this 'The Lunar Cry!'" Luna screamed at the top of her lungs.
Omega Mewtwo looked up to find the moon in plain sight, despite it being near midday. At its bottom appeared a gathering of sorts, like water running down the side and coming together there, preparing to drip. This "teardrop" enlarged, then broke off. As it did so, the "tear" fogged, like it was out of focus, or now nebulous. Then came the first meteorite impact, and a second. Omega Mewtwo gasped in fear as the sky filled with incoming meteors, raining down on her position. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to take cover; there were too many. Sweetie Belle attempted to erect a shield as the meteor swarm fell upon The Great Marsh, to a deafening shriek of the planet under bombardment.
{Answering for using that kind of force.}
Apple Bloom was the first to awake. Dust clouds still covered the marsh like a thick brown fog. She coughed and blew her nose, ejecting chunks of brown mucus. Red was the next to come around, followed quickly by Scootaloo and Cynthia. Blue got up next. The sounds of the pony soldiers somewhere in the dust mumbled, leaving it unclear where they were, or who they were helping, only that they were rescuing either people or Pokemon. Nearby they heard a sob. With some fumbling through the brown haze, Apple Bloom stumbled into Sweetie Belle, still on her side, crying, and refusing to get up. She murmured, "Why? Why that? There were still other ways...why didn't you just break the bag? She couldn't have healed herself then...."
A figure approached in the fog. Battered, bruised, bloodied, burned in places, limping, and dragging a broken wing, came the alicorn. She was short of breath, but bore a frown and a hardened glint in her uninjured eye. Eyes lighting up in awe and excitement, Scootaloo cheered, "Princess Luna! That...was...amazing!! You were awesome out there! I knew you were--"
A quick shake of Luna's head cut short the praise. Expression unchanged, she hobbled over to Red and Blue. Luna twisted slightly, and off her back slid Mewtwo, heavily wounded, a crimsoned mess, no longer Mega Evolved at any level, but still breathing. In a low and angry voice, Luna looked Blue in the eye and growled, "It's your world. You decide what to do with its worst criminal."
Groaning, Mewtwo's eyes fluttered open briefly. With a click of a Pokeball, Red summoned his Pikachu, then lightly tossed another of the purple balls at Mewtwo. Three shakes and a click later, Red sighed a deep sigh of relief, as did Cynthia. She asked him, "How many more of those do you have?"
Red held up his left thumb and all the fingers on his right hand. Then, lowering his hands, he looked at Blue, then at Luna as she turned to go, then back at Blue. He shook his head with a frown. Blue nodded slowly in strong agreement. He then softly said, "You realise that means you, right?"
Luna looked back at him. While she stopped, she had not fully turned back to him as she flatly asked, "What?"
"You weaponised the moon!" Blue said angrily. "You're willing to go for broke and literally flatten anything!"
Now Princess Luna turned fully toward Blue, and began limping his way. She irritably countered, "You saw what she was doing, how quick she would kill...she has been stopped, and no one died. What's the problem?"
Scoffing, Blue snapped, "What of the marsh?! This was a protected area, the last of an untouched habitat of its kind! This place was preserved for all living things that would dwell here! What will become of those species now? I hate to see what this'll look like once, literally, the dust settles! And what if the battle had been in town, huh?!"
Glowering, Luna half-heartedly offered, "Sorry about the collateral, but the danger is passed. You could show some gratitude that everypony, and everyone else, is alive!"
"There were still other ways, Princess!" Blue snapped. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo gasped in unison as they looked at Sweetie Belle, then back at Blue as he went on, "Why didn't you just break the bag!? She couldn't have healed herself then!!"
In stunned tones, Apple Bloom stammered, "S...so what you said...that...that was what you foresaw? That we're...really, really in trouble?"
Sweetie Belle sighed and slowly stood up. Sadly she said, "We're not just 'in trouble.'"
"You're not welcome here anymore," Blue said firmly. "You have two days to be packed up and get the hell off our world."
"Or what?!" Luna demanded.
Blue turned to leave and said, "I'm not getting into a pissing contest with you."
Red and Cynthia turned to join him. Luna barked, "We're not leaving without Rarity."
"Then, for all of your sake's, I hope she gets here in the next two days," Blue snapped with a glare, then walked away into the haze.
Luna stomped once with a grunt. She winced as her broken wing bumped into the cubic stone blocks, then called out, "Colonel Cirrus!"
A heavily built mottled grey pegasus in golden armour flew over to her. He saluted, then spoke in a clear but harsh lower tenor, "Your Majesty! Colonel Cirrus reporting as ordered!"
Luna sighed sadly, then said, "I am about to reopen the portal. Take these three fillies to Princess Twilight Sparkle's castle. They are to stay there, until my sister and I have decided the best course of action regarding what they've done."
The Cutie Mark Crusaders all shrank at these words, ears flattening. Cirrus bowed, and curtly said, "By your order, Your Majesty!"
Luna's horn flashed. A moment of the bright light, and the portal reappeared, far quicker than when Starlight had cast the spell. With no hint of hesitation Twilight appeared as she jumped through. One look at Princess Luna, and she screamed. Immediate reactions ensued from the others who followed: Starlight blanched and walked away with a terrible shaking to her, Trixie passed out, Rainbow Dash froze in place wide-eyed, Applejack closed her eyes and took off her hat, and Fluttershy instantly began to administer medical attention with "oh my goodness" rapidly and repeatedly coming out of her mouth.
Princess Luna kept her briefing concise, opting to press on Twilight about what she decided to do with the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the interim. The dust in the air was lighter, but still not settled. While Twilight agreed with the basic points and the principle decision, she objected to the three fillies spending time in the dungeons or for them to do excessive cleaning, if for nothing else, Spike had mastered the cleaning process and extra fillies would slow him down. With Celestia staying at the castle, and Luna all-but guaranteed to be bedridden for the foreseeable future, the two should have ample time to discuss and finalise suitable consequences. They occasionally had to stop, and Rainbow Dash had a one-sided screaming match with Scootaloo. However, all that could be heard of Apple Bloom was tears somewhere nearby. As Colonel Cirrus led the three to and through the portal, Sweetie Belle went to ask Twilight about the magic she was learning, citing she had little to no control of this way of magic. Twilight assured her it would be discussed, just not right then.
When Luna started for the portal, Mew returned. Luna stopped at her approach, raising an eyebrow. She did not look like she was in any mood to joke around or play anytime soon. Luna opened her mouth to speak and was swiftly interrupted, "You need to know what they're talking about doing, but let me make this clear before we begin: I'm doing this because you saved Arceus's life and for nothing else."
Luna said sadly, "I thought we're friends."
"Were friends, past tense," Mew answered bitterly. "Weaponising the moon? That's not okay."
"I'm sorry; how many times must I apologise for something that did not hurt any of us?" Luna grumbled.
"Just because none of us were hurt doesn't mean it didn't come close for a great many," Mew grouched. "And they would have died. It's a wonder she didn't."
Luna sighed, "I think I've got it by now to not do that again."
"We shall see."
Luna waited while Mew just glared at her. A moment passed before Luna asked, "Am I to guess what it is?"
Grunting, Mew answered, "Any of yours still here after the two days are over is to have a considerable bounty on their heads, dead or alive."
Luna just rolled her eyes. "Is that it really? Good thing ours can handle themselves."
"That's not the only thing!" Mew barked, silencing Luna. Another awkward moment passed before Mew continued, "I don't know the details about this thing myself."
Luna sighed, "Well, tell me what you know. I need to see a trauma surgeon immediately."
"As you wish," Mew muttered irritably. "They spoke of it as the very last resort, but just the same, are either of you familiar with something they all called 'a nuke?'" |
Rarity Gets Caught | 35 - Beset on All Sides | {A bad time for all.}
"Sorera o korosu!!" Koga snarled, throwing the shurikens in his left hand at Rarity, who managed a shield in the nick of time.
The old Salazzle charged in while the Crobats simply manoeuvred to keep any of Rarity's team from escaping. Keldeo growled while rolling his eyes, "Ah yes, the good old 'join us or die' shtick. Cute you left off the whole 'or' bit of that, you rat-ass bastard!"
"I should have known, from what grandfather said. You always were the gentle protector, never willing to delve into the world to root evil out of its dens. Such a shame, the number of tragedies that could have been prevented, were you just willing to take the fight to the oppressive!" Koga growled as he surveyed Rarity's protective barrier. He looked over at Salazzle, busily feinting, bobbing, and weaving to unearth a breaking point in the unicorn's melee defenses while her flames tickled the shield. He yelled, "Salazzle, she's learned how to defend against normal Pokemon moves! Improvise something new, something unexpected!"
"Wha...??" Rapidash blurted, his head jolting backwards. "Can...can a trainer even give such an order?! Is that legal!?"
Keldeo spat, "Since when did he play by the rules? Besides, this isn't exactly a League-sanctioned battle, is it? Normal rules wouldn't apply."
Salazzle paused a moment, tapping her chin. As Rarity fired a beam at her, Salazzle slid to her left, crouched, rolled into a forward somersault, and leapt through Rarity's shield. Rarity barely sounded the start of a squawk as Salazzle snatched her by the muzzle as she slammed Rarity to the ground back-first, having rolled herself over Rarity and used her angular momentum to throw the pony down. Salazzle clenched Rarity's mouth shut, digging her claws into her nose and lower jaw past the point of drawing blood as she slammed Rarity's head against the ground repeatedly, snarling and glaring with undying rage. With each hit Rarity yelped, muffled through her forcibly closed mouth. A hard blast of water knocked the old Salazzle off of Rarity after the fifth head-on-earth hit. Rarity struggled back to her feet, staggering and off-balance with out-of-focus eyes. Fearow's voice quaked with fear as she asked, "What's going on?! Who is this trainer, and why does he have such a problem with her?"
Rapidash stood in front of the stumbling Rarity, gritting his teeth and scraping at the ground with his front right hoof. Keldeo came to join him as he barked to Fearow, "We'll explain once we're out of this mess!"
"We'd better get out of this mess...," Rapidash grumbled softly as the old Salazzle popped back to her feet with a savage roar.
"Get me out of here," Rarity muttered, her voice sounding distant. Her horn began to charge heavily as she kept repeating herself, growing louder and more forceful, "Get me out of here...get me out of here. Get me out of here! Get me out of here!! Get me outta here!!"
Rarity's magical charge burst droned a high-pitched whine, then burst. Blue light formed a breaking sphere around her and her companions, who all disappeared. Koga shrieked, "Find them!!"
Rarity, Rapidash, Keldeo, and Fearow popped out of a blue ball of magic with a bursting sound, each of them disoriented with carbon scoring on their bodies. Rarity had the most, especially on her horn. She fell down, and showed no coordination as she tried to get back to her feet. She groaned, "My head...."
Keldeo shook out his head while Fearow gasped, "What in the name of Arceus was that!?"
"Shh...!" Keldeo urged, crawling forward. They had appeared under some small young trees atop a hill, or something that looked like a hill from where they were. There was little vegetation here, as if it had been rocky for a very long time. Keldeo peered down, keeping himself hunkered against the ground. He backed up still on his belly, and harshly whispered, "That was a teleport spell?"
"I...I've never used one before; I don't know how," Rarity answered airily, still not sounding like herself. Blood dripped from the punctures on the bottom side of her jaw. She almost toppled again, and barely audibly said, "Feels like I'm gonna throw up...it's so loud here. Why is everything so loud?"
"Great," Keldeo muttered. "That's about the last thing we needed. Really wish we had something to bandage her with...Rapidash, keep her awake while we run; her falling asleep now would be bad for her."
Rapidash frowned, but nodded with an unhappy grunt. Fearow looked back as Rapidash gingerly helped Rarity onto his back, then turned to Keldeo and asked, "So, she teleported us?"
"Yes, but only about twenty metres. Those Crobats could easily hear and find us," Keldeo whispered. "Stay low to the ground, and follow me. Don't make a sound."
Keldeo led them into the brush while Rapidash carried Rarity, doing his best to keep anything and everything away from her head. Occasionally Keldeo looked down into the ravine below, at its maze of shrubs and the trainers bustling about with each other. After about ten minutes of this crawling, everyone and everything around in unison stopped what they were doing and looked up. The moon rapidly moved around out of the Eastern sky, positioning itself a little below the sun. A sort of haze issued below it, teardrop in shape. Once it fully detached, that part of the sky brightened, then came the meteors. Meteor after meteor, to the point of nearly appearing as a solid line, fired themselves to somewhere to the east-by-northeast. Fifteen seconds later, the meteors ended, and the moon exited to the west just as quickly as it arrived. While so many other stood stupefied, Keldeo raspily urged, "This is our chance! Descend the sides of the ravine, and we cross Route 25!"
The four rushed down the sharp rocky hillside. Trainers stopped and discussed with themselves what the heck that was, even those in battle. Wild Pokemon did the same, and even still did the Pokemon who seconds earlier were slugging it out in varying degrees of hotheadedness. Quickly but quietly Keldeo lead them across Route 25 about fifty metres west of a house there, and up the other side. They all looked back once atop the hill. No one and no-mon appeared like they would stop their discussions anytime soon. Rarity airily asked no one in particular, "Was that Princess Luna's doing?? Why would she be here?"
"Don't know, but I'd love it if she'd stop monkeying with the moon!" Keldeo hissed. Once they were hidden atop the rise, Keldeo whispered, "Let's move!"
{Heading north, out of Kanto.}
Keldeo broke into a full sprint headed east-northeast with a curve northward, with Fearow right behind him. Rapidash took a moment, but before long was up to speed with them. Soon they neared trees, but with a very clear and clean-cut line where they were not. In their place was a fair bit of torn-up ground, a road cut under construction, and numerous large metal machines painted yellow with black lettering. Several temporary living trailers were there as well, one with a banner that read "Connecting Kanto and Sinnoh: Route 200 is a go!" Nearby were large men and larger Pokemon, each slowly returning to work. Among the workmen were Steelixes, Machamps, Golems, and Rhyperiors, there was one, and only one, Alakazam. No women or female Pokemon were in sight. Two of the workmen and the Alakazam had a white hard hat while everyone and everymon else wore orange ones. Rarity gazed down from Rapidash's back at the construction site below, and muttered, "My jaw hurts...."
Rapidash answered in fatherly tones, "Yes, dear, I'm sure it does, but I think there's not much we can do about that right now."
"Do they have a first aid kit?" Rarity asked, still sounding out of it. "In Equestria, we simply must have one on-hoof by law...is it so here?"
Keldeo said, "Sorry, I don't know human laws."
Rapidash snorted, then turned and started down the hill. Fearow squawked, "Are you nuts!? We'll be caught!"
"She needs help!" he snapped back.
Keldeo sighed and shook his head as he came to a stop, looking down the side of the road cut. "Let him go. No stopping a fool in love."
Rapidash walked into the construction site with his head held high and a stern face while the blood dripped slowly from Rarity's wounded jaw. People and Pokemon both stopped just as they were returning to their duties as he strode through. Many blinked. Some made caring or snide remarks under their breaths, each pointing out the obvious in his own way. The Alakazam looked Rapidash in the eye, then pointed one of his spoons at one of the trailers. With a nod, Rapidash started that direction. A bearded man near the trailer's door offered a sad smile and opened the door. Rapidash struggled with the steps, and fitting through the door, needing to duck his head. Inside was a man with a red hard hat, and plenty of gear expected of a first responder. His eyes widened when he saw Rarity and her bloodied muzzle. He asked, "What...happened?"
Rapidash began to answer, but stopped when the man sighed and muttered, "Really, really wish I had a Pokemon language translator. Some professor oughta get on that."
He put on some blue latex gloves before he closely examined her muzzle. Looking at her eyes, he saw one was contracted and the other dilated. He asked, "Can you speak?"
She hesitated, and answered, "I can."
"What did this to you? This doesn't look like any Pokemon attack I'm familiar with," the man said as he grabbed a sponge and some dark orange-yellow solution, and thus began to clean out Rarity's wounds.
Wincing, Rarity gasped, "A lunatic and--oww, oww!!"
"Hold still; you don't want an infection."
"Sorry," offered Rarity insincerely before continuing, "And his Salazzle, whom he told to 'improvise.'"
"Huh. There aren't many of those in this part of the world," the man answered. "Looks like she did improvise, too; I think you have a concussion. You need to rest."
"But--" Rarity began.
The man sighed with a small, unhappy smile. "Look, you've been in the news over the last several days. Everyone knows who you are, Rarity, and that you're not from this world. Just the same, you need to rest to keep this from getting worse. Where's your trainer? We all know it's not this Rapidash."
Rarity blinked hard and hung her head. She lamented, "He's dead, killed by that lunatic."
The man gasped, staring all around him. Rapidash, once the man looked at him expectantly, nodded sadly and looked away, trying not to cry. The man took off his hard hat, sighing long and low, and shook his head. He stared at the floor for a moment, then asked, "This was very recent, like just before the moon acting up, wasn't it?"
Rapidash nodded while Rarity appeared to shake some fogginess from her head before softly and distantly saying, "Yeah, I...I think it was then...I can't remember it clearly."
Walking over to the cabinets and drawers, he opened several and pulled up a number of items, saying, "Given how I saw no beginning of scabbing or even slowing of your bleeding, I had already figured as much. And it means your attacker is still nearby, and you still have plenty of ground to cover. While I don't like it, and can't stop you, I don't doubt you'll keep on the move; these will help with the headache, disrupted senses, and nausea. You'll have to hold the gauze in place below your jaw, and put this antiseptic ointment on it first. Make sure you get plenty of water, and if possible, stay under shade. And you, Rapidash, try to give her a steady a ride as you can."
Relief washed over Rapidash's face while Rarity just stared. She took the items in her telekinesis as she thanked the man, albeit absentmindedly for both, and they left. Rapidash took her out of the construction site and back up the steep rock face, to about the same reaction as their arrival. Keldeo snorted as they returned. "That went better than expected."
"Most humans aren't like Koga or his grandsire. Most of them just try to do what's best as well as they understand it, and to the best of their ability," Rapidash spat in return. He looked down and away, muttering to himself, "Makes me wonder how much of all this madness could've been avoided if the humans and ponies had just talked...."
"Few words more useless than 'could've,' 'should've,' and 'would've,' Rapidash," Keldeo scolded. He shook his head as he sighed while Rarity attempted to apply the ointment to the gauze. Fearow lent a wing in stabilising the items in her telekinesis. Snorting again, Keldeo snidely offered, "Let me guess: she's concussed."
"Would've taken a moron to not notice," Rapidash answered, rolling his eyes. "If you can, find a path that's shaded, flat, and with as few turns as possible."
With a scoff and eye-roll, Keldeo spat, "Anything else, Your Highness?"
"Please, not so loud...," Rarity moaned in muffled agony.
Keldeo scrunched his mouth in irritation as he looked away. He motioned forward as he took off, muttering something mostly inaudible, but heavily profane. Rapidash and Fearow exchanged worried and uncomfortable grimaces. With a nervous laugh, Fearow asked, "So...can you guys catch me up on what's up with that Koga guy?"
Time passed as Keldeo and Rapidash explained their stories leading up to now, the trouble with Koga, and how Rarity inspired him to vengeance. Aengus's lack of explanation, and that both brothers had led her into the battle scene on false pretenses, quelled Fearow's sudden desire to abandon Rarity to her fate. All the while, Rarity hung on the edge of sleep or subconsciousness, scarcely aware of the passing pastoral scene, two instances of a magenta wave crossing the breadth of the sky, nor even the day's seconds, minutes, and hours.
{Not the usual happenigs in this town.}
Devontae dismounted his Charizard outside the Cerulean City Pokemon Centre just as Koga came around the corner. They both gasped with widening eyes at the sight of the other. Then Devontae pointed a finger as he gritted his teeth, snarling at the top of his lungs, "Murderer!!"
Everyone stopped and turned, including a few policemen. A pair of young twin girls, no more than six years old, stood and stared, eyes flicking between the two of them. A redheaded woman in her late twenties, sporting the figure of a world-class swimmer and the latest high-tech racing swimwear, slowly walked over while the policemen talked into their radios. The green-eyed blonde girl in white with her hair in a ponytail cowered behind her Ivysaur, who had assumed a battle-ready stance. Stepping in front of them both, the redheaded swimmer bluntly asked, "What's going on?!"
"You heard me!" Devontae insisted, still glaring at Koga. "This mo-o-o--" he drew out the syllable as his eyes flicked to the twins for a moment, "--o-onkey-faced loser murdered m' best friend!!"
The crowd gasped. Koga's face hardened with a frown, and shouted back, "That is the biggest pile of shi-i--" he also noticed the young girls, "--i-ifty malarkey I've heard! Me? A member of the Elite Four, tarnishing my honour and that of my colleagues?! Can you believe that, Misty?"
"Freeze!!" yelled the policemen as they drew their firearms, hammers cocking with a click apiece. Devontae instinctively put his hands on his head and knelt down while Koga gave them a disbelieving look. Misty raised her hands and slowly backed away as the officers closed in. One in the back, wearing the mirrored sunglasses, said into his radio, "I do not have a copy. Please repeat."
Over the radio, a woman's voice answered, "There is a 10-28 on Master Koga for a 1-01 just south of Goldenrod. Bring him now."
The police clipped his radio to his shoulder strap, and withdrew a pair of handcuffs. Angrily he began, "Master Koga...I am sorry, but there is a warrant for your arrest, for murder. On the ground, now!"
Koga slowly laid down with his belly on the ground. Devontae took a few steps back, savagely shouting with no regard of proper grammar, "Gettin' what ya' damn well deserve! Hope you like th' ham slice!! Yeah! Gonna get the runs!! And you gonna deserve it! Hope you can't stop sneezin' neither! Get 'em at once!! Change them drawers, day in, day out!"
As the police started to apply the handcuffs, a burst of smoke filled the area, clouding everyone's vision. Some coughed. Before it cleared, Devontae heard Koga's voice from right over his shoulder, "May both sides of your pillow be hot."
Devontae whirled around, throwing a punch, but hit nothing but smoke. A gust forced some dissipation. As it cleared, two of the police officers were cuffed together. Devontae looked up to see Koga flying away to the east, and well out of range. He screamed some non-word in frustration, stomping angrily. That same policeman radioed in, "We got a 10-13, eastbound and airborne! Repeat, 10-13, eastbound and airborne!"
"Acknowledged. Officers in the area, free up and pursue," answered the lady. Two of the policemen there jumped on the back of a Pidgeot, one wearing a blue light bar, and took off after him. Police lights and a siren rang out from the Pokemon as it tore after Koga.
Another officer patted Devontae on the shoulder. Kindly yet firmly, he said, "Don't worry, son. We'll give your friend the justice he deserves. We'll get 'im. Since he's already ran over regional boundaries, this case will be escalated, and every department in every town in every region will be looking for him. He can't hide. Did you already give a statement in Goldenrod?"
"Yes, sir," Devontae said earnestly, unfolding a piece of paper, an official-looking form. Pointing at a specific box, he continued, "There's the case number, and statement number."
Jotting it down, the policeman said, "Got it. Thank you, son. As I said, don't worry. He's good, yes, but we're better. He can't hide for long."
"I hope so, sir," Devontae answered. "I apologise, but I have to finish doing something for my friend, something he couldn't finish because of Koga."
The policeman nodded, and offered a handshake, "Yes, of course. Good luck. And please, contact any of us if you find out anything, or see him."
"I will, sir," Devontae answered with a nod.
An encouraging pat on the shoulder, or at least seemed like it meant to be encouraging, was how the policeman bid Devontae adieu. Devontae rushed inside the Pokemon Centre, running to the PC. He switched keys amid his fumbling around the screens, then ran out the door, making a bee-line for the PokeMart. There he spent what seemed to most to be an inordinate amount of time at the vending machine, purchasing more bottles of water than what the machine should have been able to hold, let alone fit in his trainer's bag, before purchasing more at the counter. He dashed out the door and leapt onto his bike, taking off nearly at full speed. He headed out of town to the north, across the bridge of Route 24 and turned east onto Route 25. Swerving around other trainers and ignoring challenges for battles, Devontae pressed forward as if he was in the last leg of a race and behind on his split time by a few seconds.
{Heading east, out of Kanto.}
Route 25 dead-ended atop a small rise with steep sides to the sea below. Devontae stopped there, looking across the water, and put his bike away. He summoned Feraligatr from his Pokeball, and called an encased disk from his bag. Feraligatr raised an eyebrow at the machine in his new trainer's hand. Devontae began, "Aengus said you don't like HMs. It's just for now, and...wait...the hell was he thinkin'? No support moves?? Nah, brah, that gotta go. Superpower? Hell nah. That undercuts ya'. We'll get it right when we get back."
Feraligatr nodded sadly, but did not resist when Devontae touched it to his muzzle. Putting the disk away, Devontae then clicked on the other balls, summoning his Charizard, a Noctowl, a familiar-looking Pidgeot, a familiar-looking Gyarados, and a Lapras. Feraligatr looked over at Pidgeot and Gyarados, all of whom upon meeting each other's gaze were on the verge of tears. The three took a moment for a group hug with quiet sobbing, while the other three patted them and stifled tears of their own. Devontae did the same for them, and gave them the time they needed to settle their emotions.
"We finishin' somethin' for Aengus," Devontae began, looking across the six Pokemon and disregarding the expected contraction. Feraligatr, Pidgeot, and Gyarados nodded emphatically, while the other three simply waited for elaboration. With an overwhelmed and disbelieving chuckle, Devontae broke into a nervous grin and said with the same vernacular, "We doin' somethin' batshit crazy."
{Why wait for her to get all the way back to Pastoria?}
Twilight Sparkle stood at the battle map, drawing lines with a magical pen. It was dusk in Sinnoh. Earth pony and unicorn soldiers were departing through the portal one after another, except one particularly gruff contingent who held it protected on all sides. As several of them carried out some of the tables and weapon stands, Rainbow Dash and Starlight Glimmer approached her, with half a dozen armoured pegasi behind them. Trixie stood close to the portal, but came over when she saw Starlight there.
Twilight began handing out lathed wooden rods that bore a green aura among the pegasi, and a particularly tall such rod to Trixie. She said, "Thank you all for volunteering. I had hoped to get underway before dark, but this enchantment was not an easy one to weave. Rarity's on the move, and going at a pretty stiff clip, likely helped by some Pokemon she's befriended. Her last known location was in undeveloped territory between the Kanto and Sinnoh regions, about a tenth of the way across, but that was hours ago. I can only assume she has progressed further by now. With the time we've been given to clear out of this world before a bounty is put on all of our heads, we will meet her partway. The rods you all have are for point-to-point teleportation. Since it's too far for even me to teleport unaided, the rods will create a precise exit and reentry point for me; even leagues away I can teleport both you and the rod back to the reentry rod. Starlight, Trixie, your job will be to keep the reentry rod powered at all times, so that I can target it from the other side of the Sinnoh Region."
"You got it," said Starlight.
"The rest of us will fan out over southwestern Sinnoh and into the wilds beyond in search of Rarity. Once we fly over Sandgem Town, we are to make our aerial presence obvious, and in a way that Rarity can recognise from the ground. She knows how to send up a signal; I expect she will know to do so upon realising it's us. Once any of us have made confirmed contact with Rarity, there's a button on the bottom of the rod that'll cause the others to flash blue. Hold your position when you see that," explained Twilight.
The others nodded. Seeing this, Twilight continued, "We will break into waves, in case of some inexplicable bad luck, Rarity missed one of us on the first pass. Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot will take the lead wave. Soarin', Sky Commodore Stormrider, and Misty Fly will be the second wave. General Merry Weather and I will be the final. Any questions?"
Fleetfoot asked, "Your Highness, you said it's too dark now; what's the plan if this takes more than one day?"
"If it comes to that, we camp at Lake Verity and continue as we were until she is found, or Starlight and Trixie send us word that Rarity got past us all. Anything else?" Twilight responded. When silence answered her, she said. "To bed. We are all to be up, in armour, and fully breakfasted by first light. That is the latest we depart."
{Good morning!}
Daybreak gouged Rarity's eyes, or so it felt. Her headache had not improved overnight, but at least the bleeding had stopped and the nausea had passed. She got up and took a drink from the pond, before realising she was taking a drink from a pond and had no idea where she was, nor how or when she got there. Her head jolted up as her eyes darted every which way; the headache flared in response to the sudden head movement. Rapidash stepped out from behind a tall shrub where Fearow's and Keldeo's voices spoke at a reasonable volume. She smiled upon seeing him, and started his direction. Another pang through the forehead gave her a stumble, but she righted her gait and met him with a hug. Lifting her chin, he kissed her on the lips and said, "Morning, you."
"Morning," she answered with a slight blush. Rubbing just below her horn, she quietly asked, "How long was I asleep? The last thing I clearly remember is touching down in Cerulean City...it's but a blur afterward."
"Probably about ten hours," said Rapidash. Rarity gasped, then winced as she held her head. Rapidash frowned and said, "Be careful, babe. You've got a concussion, from Koga's old Salazzle."
"Salazzle's alive!? How??" Rarity burst, but held her head again.
Rapidash shook his head. "No, this is the mother of the Salazzle that...that...well, that Salazzle. She got the better of you, beat your head against the ground, and gave you a concussion before we got her off of you. Now take it easy; you don't want any progress you made healing your head to be reversed, do you?"
"I...no. Wait, how did we get away from Koga?" Rarity suddenly asked.
Rapidash sighed. "Damn, she really did get your memory with those hits. You don't remember teleporting us all away?"
"No...I've never used a teleport spell. I don't know how," Rarity answered in amazement.
Shaking his head, Rapidash said, "Well, my love, let's not worry about it right now. Let's get some food in you, and get going. We're between Kanto and Sinnoh, and we're starting to see more Sinnoh Pokemon now. Keldeo says there's a wide marsh coming up, and we're probably going to have trouble there."
"Trouble? What kind of--wait, you would have no idea. I'm going to have to ask him, aren't I? Really don't feel like talking to him, after he got so upset with my standards of cleanliness," Rarity said grumpily.
"Yeah, well, that's just him," Rapidash answered. As they started for the others, Rapidash stopped her again and said, "Oh, something to think about, he's cross, but not with you. It may sound like it's you, but Keldeo's upset about Koga and what happened to you, not you. Okay?"
"Okay, darling," Rarity answered.
As they rounded the shrub, they saw Keldeo and Fearow, both eating some berries. They looked up. Fearow gave them a cheeky grin and said, "Had a good night and morning, you two?"
Rapidash sighed and hung his head, shaking it slightly. Scoffing, Keldeo instead grumbled, "They're not looking to make an egg, and even if they were just fooling around, we'd have had every Golbat, Crobat, and Noctowl in a twenty-five kilometre radius on us last night."
Rarity scoffed, "Keldeo! How dare you insinuate we should be so crass as to brazenly do...do...that like some uncivilised, unsophisticated, base ponies! I never!"
Keldeo raised an eyebrow. "Don't even try to pretend. You are not quiet. I heard you screaming his name on the far side of the Daycare, and outside their barriered fence at that."
Rapidash looked away as redness crept through his cheeks. Fearow raised a wing to her beak while she flushed slightly. Fanning herself with her other wing, she exclaimed, "Dang, girl! You got a keeper for sure!"
"Why, the nerve!" Rarity protested scandalised while Rapidash did his best to disappear completely. "Even in the throes of passion a lady maintains her poise, her restraint, her--"
"Then you are no lady," Keldeo interrupted, trying not to laugh. Fearow did not try, and tittered.
"Dear, just stop, please," Rapidash urged, both in tone and countenance.
Rarity huffed, but said no more. She partook of the berries gathered, and whatever grasses she could find growing close by. After twenty minutes, Keldeo signaled to head out. As Rarity climbed onto Rapidash's back, she timidly asked, "Darling...was that the truth? Am...am I really that, uh...loud...when you, uh, went and did...um, those wonderful things to, uh...to my--"
"Sweetheart," Rapidash whispered honestly and cautiously as he turned back to her. "I want to be with you, I'm gonna stick with you as long as you'll have me, and you've brought me joy like I've never imagined already. But dear, you, um...you're not subtle...at all, about such things. I don't doubt what he said, about hearing you."
Rarity hid her face in her forelimbs as it burned scarlet. "...I could just die right now...."
They carried on at their crazy speeds for about forty-five minutes with Rarity agonising over her embarrassment and not showing her face once. She looked up as she felt Rapidash slowing to a stop. Before them was a wide marsh with tall grasses and precious few trees, most of them dead. A couple of kilometres to the right was the ocean. Off in the distance to the left were some mountains. On the horizon ahead was the indication of more forestation, and it also appeared higher in elevation. Keldeo looked back at Rarity and gestured to the terrain before them. "This, this is something I'd rather avoid, but it'd take far too long to go around. We're talking adding days to the trip to traverse those mountains."
"It's a brackish marsh," Rarity grumbled with an upturned nose.
Keldeo let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, it's much worse than that. Being filthy by the time we're across is a given, but even you will admit that's the least of your concerns."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Why? What is--"
{You see the enemy; how shall you prepare?}
As if to answer, a dark cloud picked up from the marsh. It undulated, flowed, twisted, and whirled as one, turning, oozing, and reconvening much like a school of fish. After half a minute or so, it settled back to the marsh.
Keldeo grumbled. "Those are Staraptors, every last one of them. That murmuration had several thousand individuals, and was by no means the biggest one I've seen here. Anywhere we try to cross this marsh, there are tens of thousands of them between us and the other side."
Rarity stood aghast and agape. She felt a throb in her ears briefly. Emptily she asked, "How could they have known? Aengus and Paddy were exactly right, but how could they have known that?"
Keldeo sighed, looking at his hooves and shaking his head. "I've seen some biologists out this way a few times, observing and recording the murmurations. Not all of them made it home."
"How shall we cross, then?" Rapidash asked, stuffing down a whimper.
"By not upsetting them like those few scientists," Keldeo said sheepishly. "Sure, they're by no means the only Pokemon in the marsh, but they also are far and away the species that makes itself known the most to any who traverse this place."
Rapidash muttered, "I wonder what those Route 200 workers are gonna do when they get here."
Fearow snickered, "Need a change of pants, likely."
Keldeo asked, "What do you see, Rarity? Do you see any particular places where the ground should be stronger, or weaker, from here?"
"You've been here before," Rarity countered. "Shouldn't you know what to look for?"
"Not exactly. If there's water underfoot, even in muddy ground, I can absorb some of the liquid and run across it without trouble," Keldeo explained, staring at the myriad of tall grass swaying in the breeze between the meandering water channels. "Rapidash can't. He can't even come close to doing that. He'll need as much solid ground as possible, and as solid of ground as can be found. That's nothing I've had to worry about before."
"Should we have taken the days-longer route?" Rarity asked. "This is just asking for trouble."
"I'm starting to question that," Keldeo conceded, looking away.
Rarity shook her head and sighed. "Too late now, we deal with what's in front of us." She stared at the scene a moment, then said, "Where streams curve, one side is higher and sturdier, and the other is lower and softer. We should jump across where the streams are as straight as possible."
"So...," Keldeo began, gesturing with his hooves, "sorta like this?"
Rarity blinked hard as the headache reared up again. She sighed, "Let's...just do it. They all look about equally bad."
"True."
Rarity climbed back onto Rapidash's back and down the embankment they went. Immediately the ground was softer. Rapidash said, "Dear, I'm sinking...!"
"Oh. Sorry," said Rarity drily as she hopped down.
The going was slow. Rarity and Rapidash both struggled when Keldeo and Fearow had no issues at all. Keldeo had the thought to absorb more water as he went, dropping it all back into the streams when they crossed one. While this did firm up the ground considerably, by no stretch of the imagination did it make the soil below as firm as it was through the forest. After jumping the fourth channel, Rarity turned at the sound of a squawk to her right. On a dead tree about a length away sat a Staraptor. The bird watched on imperiously with a sour expression while Rarity blinked at it in doubt and apprehension. She felt lightheaded. She had before, but the stink of the salt marsh made matters even more so. As she shook it from her head, she felt eyes upon her. To her left were two more Staraptors. Others were flittering around amid the tall grass. Another stared at her from atop a cattail.
"Keldeo...??" Rarity began fearfully.
"Yeah...," he answered slowly. "This isn't a good sign."
Staraptors thickened their groupings. Soon there were groupings of four, and then five. Chittering calls sounded between their respective clumps. Hundreds of eyes were on them at any given moment. Some tails shook out. Feathers on chests ruffled now and then. Rapidash suggested, "So, at what point, then, shall we make a mad dash for the other side?"
Groups cawed at them in unison. Keldeo raspily whispered, "If we do that, I think they'll strike."
"Do we really want to let them get the first move?" Fearow asked, looking around anxiously.
Seven streams had been crossed, without much of a view to guess how many remained, but they did not appear halfway yet. A Staraptor landed in front of Keldeo and cawed. He gave it a cordial nod and kept going along. The others followed suit, carefully watching as the thing suspiciously watched their hooves intently, its head jerking forward toward one once or twice, but not striking.
Rapidash harshly whispered, "Honey, on my back, please."
Rarity hopped on as they neared the eighth stream. This had been going on for close to an hour and a half now. Shortly after hopping across, a trio of Staraptors landed in front of Keldeo. He genially bowed, but they blocked his path when he tried to walk around. Two rows of them bobbed in the waving blades of the extra tall grass to the left and the right. Keldeo asked, "Excuse us, please, we are but simple travelers who must get this young lady to Sinnoh."
{Do you feel that?}
The centre of the three seemed to cackle, a broken cawing reminiscent of a fish crow. Rapidash looked down, pulling his right front hoof away from a Staraptor that lightly was touching him there with its beak. It stared up at him indignantly, then the same to Rarity. Her headache swelled again. Rapidash stepped aside again as another one lightly pecked at his foot from his left. Fearow blurted, "Um, guys...??"
Keldeo watched as the central Staraptor cawed at him again, letting its head list to the left heavily, then stood there with a vacant-eyed stare and its mouth open. Keldeo helplessly pled, "Rarity, any idea would be grand...!"
Rarity felt her balance waver again. A Staraptor landed on Rarity's left front leg as it hung off of Rapidash. It stood in front of her face, tapping at her nose lightly as it stared into her eyes. A broken caw from this one as well, but all Rarity could do was blink as it tapped on her nose some more. A smattering of chortles echoed around the gathered Staraptors, growing more and more threatening the longer it went on. The central Staraptor in front of Keldeo snickered as it slowly waddled toward him, jerking its head back to a righted position, slightly spreading its wings. Keldeo looked back and called, "Uh, Rarity?"
He looked front with a start. That Staraptor hovered in front of him, its beak touching Keldeo between the eyes. Another fragmented caw echoed from its throat. Keldeo whimpered, "...crap...." |
Rarity Gets Caught | 36 - Trouble Grows in the Wild | {The search party is on its way.}
"Is that the town?" asked Rainbow Dash, flying next to Spitfire and Fleetfoot.
The captain checked against a map mounted to her wrist, then looked at the large city to the northwest, and the not as large city in the craggy foothills north-northeast of them, then back at the smallish town west-southwest of them. With a grin, Spitfire replied, "Yep. That's it. Sandgem. Spread out and prepare thundercloud trails on my mark!"
Dash turned to her and said, "Yes, Ma'am, but may I do one thing first? The one thing that'll make sure she knows it's me up here?"
Spitfire chuckled. "Never miss a chance to showboat with permission, huh, Crash?"
"Just being pragmatic, ma'am!"
Fleetfoot belly-laughed, in spite of the high-speed flight. "'Pragmatic?' You, Crash??"
Rainbow offered no reply but a sour face. Spitfire rolled her eyes at them both, and said, "If you really think it'll work. You fan to the south! Flatfoot, fan north! I'll fly up the middle! Clipper, Dizzy, and that soldier should be smart enough to fill the gaps! Go, Crash!"
"Yes Ma'am!"
Passing over Sandgem Town, Rainbow Dash rose at a sharp angle while Spitfire and Fleetfoot continued forward. After climbing close to a kilometre, Dash tucked her wings into a fast dive, aiming straight for Twinleaf Town. A few seconds later, with three hard flaps, the air in front of her distorted, then broke, ricocheting her back toward the stars as a prismatic ring burst from the point of breaking, spreading faster than any of them could fly and maintaining altitude perfectly. A moment later Dash rejoined her captain as a rainbow streaked out from behind her.
"Now!" shouted Spitfire.
The skies over southwestern-most Sinnoh saw the strangest rainbow on record that hour, followed by a trio of linear thunderclouds clawing their way across the sky in a generally westward direction, followed by three more, though one dumped rain rather than sparking, and following up the rear was a line of cumulus clouds far too wide and chipper to be a jetliner's trail, accompanied by a sparkling dark indigo streak with a bright purple and bright pink stripe. The people watched as the phenomenon exited Sinnoh to the south and west, over the lands between them and Kanto.
{How shall you deal with a mass of violent birds?}
Staraptors edged closer as the cawing suddenly came from all of them. Jittering in terror, Fearow burst, "What do we do!?"
"A good, strong dose of unicorn magic right about now, please?!" Keldeo begged, forced stiffly upright and unblinking with a Staraptor's face too close to his own to focus his vision on it effectively.
With a pained gasp, Rarity answered, "I...ow, can't. Not with a concussion. They warned us all when we were little foals, just old enough to begin playing sports: 'Whatever you do, do not use much magic if you have a concussion; the damage could be permanent.'"
"Possible permanent physical or mental ailments, versus certain death!?" Keldeo squawked incredulously. "Are you seriously still weighing this?!"
"It's not that--ow!!" Rarity yipped as the Staraptor prodding at her leg went for a full peck. Her horn charged as she turned to her pesterer with an unladylike glower. "Damn you!!"
Rarity agonised verbally as a wide blue ray blasted the head of that Staraptor, leaving only a smoldering stump in its place a second later. The other Staraptors fell silent in unison, watching their comrade's decapitated body tumble unceremoniously into the muck from Rapidash's back. Rarity clenched her head, whimpering pathetically. Keldeo turned quickly and stomped, sending a stone spike out of the ground into the central of the three Staraptors blocking his path. The bird left the ground and flopped back to the mud out cold, but still breathing. Motioning urgently, Keldeo shouted, "Run, dammit!!"
He charged through the opening. Sparks surrounded Rapidash as he went from still to full canter with just a step, barreling through the Staraptor blocking them on the right. Fearow simply flew over the one on the left. Then those still conscious all cawed at once, a jarring shriek with the ruffling gust of several hundred birds taking off all together. Rarity moaned on the edge of tears with a series of sharp gasps, clinging to her head with her eyes clamped shut. Fearow edged near hyperventilating, and whimpered to herself, "What would Sally do, in this mess? I...I don't know...."
"This is hardly the time to contemplate others' choices!" Keldeo yelled as several Staraptors dove at him, slashing away with their beak with swallow-tailed strikes. While gritting his teeth through it all, after a few seconds he had bloody cuts on his sides, back, chest, and cheeks. Keldeo popped another with the stone spike, leaving that Staraptor hanging in the air as its lift petered out. In its sudden departure from the conscious world, that Staraptor barred the aerial path for others of its kind, causing a twenty-eight Staraptor pile-up. The group, however, barely looked like it had thinned at all. Keldeo grouched, "Friggin' hate flyers...."
"Sweetheart, we need you to call upon the gemstones," Rapidash urged. Rarity opened her eyes, wincing terribly. She yelped, and hung onto his back with deep breaths. "Please...."
Clenching her jaw, Rarity focused the power in her horn. She shrieked bloody murder as she cast the spell, firing barrage after of barrage of sharp quartz crystals out of the muck and into the conglomeration of bird Pokemon assailing them. The entire flock dropped; several were skewered. Fearow gasped at the sight, turning blue in the face and staring at Rarity in terror. Rarity, however, cried tears of physical pain, clutching her throbbing head with both forelimbs and moaning, "It hurts...darling, it hurts so bad...!"
"Hold tough, baby doll; we're covering ground much quicker now!" Rapidash said soothingly, though worry still soaked his undertones.
Eleven streams crossed, they saw ahead of them what looked like a cloud coming out of the marsh, holding its position dead ahead of them. Slowly it began to approach while they leapt over the twelfth channel, flanked by rows of Staraptors, blocking any significant lateral movement. Keldeo looked back and yelled, "A huge wave of Staraptors is approaching...!!"
Rapidash turned toward Rarity, who still was in tears. He pressed, "Baby, we need you to cast that spell again...!"
Rarity looked up, still out of breath and holding her head. At the front of the murmuration was a large, brown Staraptor with an ill-favoured glint in its eye. The cawing began anew. Keldeo barked, "Do it! Do it, Rarity!! Do it now!!!"
Yipping in pain, Rarity flopped helplessly onto Rapidash's back. She whimpered, "I...I'm sorry...it hurts too much...."
Rapidash sighed. Solemnly he began, "We are going to die here if you can't use that, dear."
"I...I know...I see them...please forgive me," Rarity sobbed.
"Then," Rapidash said sadly, "since this is all the further we're getting, let me throw properness and waiting out the window. Let me say this: Rarity...I love you."
Redness overtook her face as she sat bolt upright, both hooves moving from covering the top of her head to covering her mouth with a sharp gasp. Emotional tears rolled down her face as she squeaked, "I...love you too...."
Suddenly, a burst came out of the northeastern sky that made everything stop in their tracks or flight. A thick prismatic wave passed overhead, walloping the ground with a strange crystalline ringing noise and a low rumble. Keldeo blurted, "What in the...??"
"Rainbow Dash?!" Rarity cried with sudden hope. "Dashie, you're close!?!"
Rapidash stared in disbelief, and absentmindedly asked, "'Rainbow Dash?'"
"She's one of my best friends! She's near...she's looking for me! Twilight and the others have to be close, too!" Rarity rejoiced, a smile finally returning to her face. She fired a beacon into the air, but it collapsed after a few seconds.
"Um, dear?" Rapidash began, gesturing toward the murmuration of Staraptors, all of which had turned their gazes back toward the four.
Rarity pulled Rapidash's muzzle to her for a kiss. She said, "You mean it when you say you love me?"
The Staraptors began their way as the cawing resumed. Rapidash nodded slowly, sadly saying, "...yes."
She released his muzzle as she looked at the coming wave. Her horn began to glow as she said with growing sternness, "And my friends are close, and the only way to live is to get past these birds?"
"Yeah," answer Rapidash, his tone and shakiness to his stance both of feeling totally overwhelmed and despairing.
Blood ran from Rarity's eyes, a steady trickle from both inside corners as the aura on her horn turned harsh. Her eyes went out of focus as she started, "Then..."
Keldeo looked back in shock as Rarity's aura took on a second layer and the blood started from the outside corners of her eyes. "...it..."
Fearow nervously tittered, her entire face and neck had gone pale. Rarity's ears began to bleed, too, while her horn began spitting blue sparks, and involuntarily levitating. "...is..."
The forward Staraptor screamed sadistic triumph, echoed by the rest of the murmuration as they accelerated. A tertiary aura manifest about Rarity horn; the six streams of blood running down her head thickened and ran faster as she hollered, "...ON!!!"
Rarity continued screaming as the ground below burst, hurling crystals of many different shapes, sizes, and colours at the Staraptors above. Those flanking the four broke off their coverage while Staraptor after Staraptor fell out of the murmuration, piling up on the ground. Few of those were breathing.
{It's a wonder she saw it at all at that distance.}
Rainbow Dash squinted as she looked to the west-southwest. Then her eyes lit up. "Captain, I think I see her!"
"You see her for sure, or you just think you do?" Spitfire replied.
Rainbow continued staring at the same point. "It looked like her cutie mark in a circle, projected in the sky for a few seconds!"
"Where at, Crash?"
Dash gestured towards somewhere indeterminate to others, close not far below the horizon. She said, "Right about there, in front of those mountains, where the trees look low, or maybe just grasses and not trees!"
Spitfire squinted her eyes, frowned, then yelled at Dash, "Rookie, how far away do you think that is!?"
Sheepishly, Dash grimaced and answered, "Um, I think it's, uh, at least fifty klicks?"
"I'd say at least seventy-five, Crash!" Fleetfoot chimed in. "You really think you could see something like a cutie mark beacon at that distance? Gimme a break!"
Spitfire spat, "You can head that way to look if you want, Crash, but I'm holding my course! Don't veer so wide that it takes everypony else to fill the hole!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Dash answered, and adjusted her trajectory a touch to the south.
{Still not out of this mess....}
With thick red streams coming from her eyes and ears, Rarity shook for a moment before falling limp onto Rapidash's back, breathlessly murmuring, "...putain d'enfer...ma tête...."
Rapidash screamed, "Rarity!? RARITYYY!!!"
"No time for that! Move!!" Keldeo yelled as what remained of the murmuration shrieked in fury, charging headlong at them. He sidestepped the brown Staraptor's wing attack and called another rocky spike which dropped the next inbound enemy, forcing the murmuration behind it to flow different directions around. Rapidash frantically weaved through attack attempts, his vision clouded by tears of fear. The brown Staraptor pulled a tight turn, barreling for Keldeo with the rest of the murmuration swirling just behind.
Fearow flapped higher, above the mass of unfriendly Pokemon, muttering over and over, "Sally, I don't know what to do...Sally, what would you do...?"
The brown Staraptor glowed yellow, brighter until all definition and shading on it was no longer distinguished from one another. Keldeo looked back in time to see the attack upon him. Yelping, he crashed and tumbled through the marsh grasses, disappearing from sight as the rest of the murmuration slashed the tops of the grasses and cattails. On shaky legs, Keldeo pushed himself to his feet. He gritted his reddened teeth, both eyes bloodshot and twitching. A line the length of his right side had no fur left, exposing a puce bruise the whole way. He spat a red glob. He muttered, "Goddamn flyers...."
"We're not getting out of here, are we?" Rapidash sighed as he stopped to help Keldeo stand upright and stable. Keldeo did not even look at Rapidash; he continued his defiant snarl at the inbound wave of many thousand Staraptors. Rapidash looked back at Rarity's unconscious body, then the closing murmuration, and closed his eyes with a sigh and resolute frown.
{One has chosen to go no further.}
A scream sounded from above them. Rapidash opened his eyes in time to see Fearow dive at the brown Staraptor, striking with her wings that for a moment appeared to be coated in iron. The brown Staraptor crashed into the muck, rolled over twice, then popped back into the air, snarling. Fearow flew after the brown Staraptor, attempting to lock talons and wrestle it to the ground. The other Staraptors moved in on them as she yelled, "Go on without me! I can't do this without Sally!"
Rapidash began, "But--"
"Sally was my everything! She--" was all the more Fearow got out before the other Staraptors were all over her. Screeching ensued.
Keldeo started for the edge of the trees, slower to get up to speed, and slower at his injured top speed. Rapidash followed him as the shrieks halted. Turning to look, they saw the gathered Pokemon centred around the brown Staraptor, where their heads were throwing tan feathers into the air. Then up came small strips of flesh, tossed just enough to send those tidbits down their gullets. Keldeo and Rapidash turned away quickly, and hastened themselves all the more. In under a minute, only a haphazardly strewn pile of tan and white feathers and a somewhat bloodied avian skeleton with a long pink bill remained where the Staraptors had feasted. The murmuration took to the air again, pursuing Keldeo, Rapidash, and the unconscious Rarity on Rapidash's back. Hopping over another channel, Rapidash suffered himself a quick glance behind, and fearfully called out, "They're still hungry!!"
"I noticed!" Keldeo answered. "But they're too late; we're gonna make it!"
One channel and a few scores of metres remained between them and the tree line. They made the leap with no difficulty and pressed hard for the forest while the murmuration of Staraptors was gaining on them quickly. They crashed through the forest edge's underbrush. A few seconds later, Staraptors charged in en masse. Keldeo motioned toward a run that flowed into the last channel they jumped over. The Staraptors billowed around the trees to change course and maintain their pursuit. Underbrush around the stream thickened, where Keldeo and Rapidash jumped in. But before the Staraptors began shredding the low foliage, Keldeo pulled Rapidash to a small cave entrance abutted against the stream, one that deepened inwardly. The two went in just far enough to be out of sight from the entrance. Rapidash whispered, "How long do you think before they give up?"
"To be safe, fifteen minutes," Keldeo answered. Above them buzzed the characteristic trilling screech of a Zubat. Five descended at them, trying to box them against the wall. Keldeo hit part of the cave floor near the entrance with his Secret Sword, kicking up sand and cutting the existing rill closer to the stream. He snarled at the Zubats, "You shut your noise, or I will flood this cave!"
All five Zubats looked at each other nervously for a moment before fluttering back into the depths. Keldeo breathed a sigh of relief and fatigue. The two silently waited, watching the entrance anxiously while the noise of Staraptors echoed from outside. The cawing dwindled bit by bit, and the cave fell silent again, save for some Zubats from the dark, somewhere further inside. For a few minutes longer they waited. With a mutual nod, Keldeo and Rapidash tiptoed to the cave entrance, peering out. Where there had been cattails, several colours of hydrangeas, horsetail rush, nettles, and a great many other species of plants found in or near water, now lay a hacked-to-bits mash of green matter. Even the trees had suffered some loss of bark, cuts to their wood, and losses of their smaller branches. The scene was as though a colossus had come through with a proportionately-sized weed whacker. Not a Staraptor was left in sight. Keldeo stood out of breath, and wincing while holding his right side. He spat out a partially bloody gob, then gestured northward.
{So many are angry when they grieve, as though it were a mask to cover the sadness.}
Shortly after noon, Keldeo and Rapidash happened upon a berry patch. Most of them were yellow with dark orange spots, and pear-shaped. Many of the others were blue with tiny divots all over their surface. A few others were much smaller red berries with orange bottoms. Both of them took to the yellow berries first, then the red ones. Keldeo swallowed a mouthful, looked over at Rarity with a frown, and sighed while shaking his head slowly. Rapidash irritably asked, "What?!"
Keldeo sighed again, then answered, "Can't believe what we're doing, going through so much trouble over that."
"She bothers you that much, huh?" Rapidash snapped.
Keldeo was still frowning. "Your girlfriend's a mass murderer, Rapidash! Just knocking out those Staraptors would have been more than enough; she ran them through with her crystal attack! She all-but put them on spits, readied for a rotisserie! What am I supposed to say to that? Sure, she bought us some time, but she also enraged the Staraptors! I bet you anything that if she hadn't killed so many of them, the others wouldn't have pursued us with such fervor! And then Fearow died for her, too! That makes two who have sacrificed their lives for her in as many days, and I can't tell if she has any appreciation for their generosity or not! If it weren't for trying to prevent greater trouble, I would have been content to leave her to her fate, and not gotten involved! You've seen her in battle. Except for her, it's not a Pokemon battle; it's combat. It's war. She kills some of the best-trained Pokemon, and some of the strongest out in the wild. And she's not even the strongest of her kind! Her power doesn't amount to jack against either of their princesses that have been here! If that's what their princesses are like, what'll happen if their king stops by? A full-scale war with the ponies would be disastrous for the world; you know that, right?"
Rapidash stood back up, still carrying the unconscious Rarity. He looked Keldeo straight in the eye, and with a quietly angry expression and tone said, "You're bitching about it, after she gave the 'good, strong dose of unicorn magic' that you asked of her? Do we even know if she had full control, what with the concussion and all?! Also, Rarity will be very, very sad when she learns Fearow basically committed suicide to draw them off. Aengus wasn't looking to die when he protected her; Fearow was."
Keldeo matched Rapidash's expression and tone. "Be those as they may, do you deny the danger posed by the rest of her ilk?"
"I suppose I really can't, can I?" Rapidash spat. Scowling, he growled, "So that's all this is to you? Stopping a war before it begins?"
"Yes! That's it exactly! There's already been plenty of wanton destruction and loss of life on their account; let's not give them reason to do so intentionally, even though I fear we may already be too late," Keldeo grouched. He scoffed, then continued, "I have to remind myself that most common Pokemon have no idea what we so-called 'Legendary' and 'Mythical' Pokemon do, how much effort we put into keeping the peace and maintaining balance. Sure, sometimes we butt heads, and things go awry, but it's nothing like these ponies. You wondered earlier how different things would be, had the ponies and the humans talked? I wonder that, too. This is absurdity, what all fell out from their lack of communication. Both saw the other do something they thought was unacceptable and were swift in thinking the other as savages, and it all went to hell. That's the kind of crap we're supposed to prevent, those of us who are unique. Of course, then the savage one shows up, and it all goes to hell again, but by a different route."
Rapidash grunted, looking away as he slowly shook his head. "Whatever you say. I just want to keep her safe, get her home, and get out of this otherwise-unending charade. Been questioning why the world has such a system going for awhile, and Rarity's only made me question it all the more. I intend to leave with her. This existence of battling...I don't know if it really ever was fun."
Keldeo nodded. Rapidash turned back toward him with a frown, but relented when he saw the soft, understanding smile from Keldeo, who said, "I should like to think you are right. I also should like to think that we could still become good friends, you and I. You're wiser than most Pokemon your age."
"Sounds like you have a caveat waiting," Rapidash answered with an expectant smirk.
Keldeo shrugged with a similar expression. Snorting, he said, "Were you not such a sucker for a pretty face...."
Rolling his eyes, Rapidash retorted, "You can thank her for helping me come to those conclusions."
"Well then," Keldeo said appreciatively, "I might. Looks like she indeed has done some good in her time here."
A loud boom and bright flash interrupted them. Through the leaves above, almost directly overhead, they saw a rainbow ring spread out to a sound likened to warping metal while the trees bowed, bent, and danced in the sudden wind. Rarity showed no reaction whatsoever as the dust blasted away from them and Rapidash hollered in alarm, "Jesus Christ!! That was right over us!!"
Keldeo shook out his head and rubbed at his ears, blinking at Rapidash. His eyes widened with a slight gasp in understanding of what was said. With sudden energy and anticipatory excitement, he quickly glanced around himself and the surrounding area. There was no one and no-mon else around. Disappointment took over the excitement just as quick as it had come. Cocking his head to the left, Keldeo asked, "'Jesus Christ?'"
"It's a human expression for feeling a sudden, strong emotion, especially fear, surprise, or anger," explained Rapidash. "Aengus was quite fond of using it."
Keldeo pulled his lips taut and looked away, raising one hoof to his forehead slowly as he closed his eyes. He sighed in disappointment as his hoof slid down his face before returning to the ground, looked Rapidash in the eye, and said matter-of-factly, "If you say so. We're not far from Sinnoh at this point. Keep checking on her from time to time, and we'll go at a pace that will make decent time, but should not draw any undue attention, especially with the marsh behind us. We should reach Lake Verity a little before nightfall."
"Alright. Lead on," Rapidash said. He looked back at Rarity. The blood had stopped running from her eyes and ears awhile ago, but there was no way to know when. Stains and scabs ran along the fur on her face where it had ran and dripped from her. Her breathing had remained at the same lazy pace since passing out. Nuzzling her as best as he could from craning his neck as far as it could go, he whispered, "Hang on, my love. We'll be home soon."
{They're so close....}
Keldeo had been correct on all accounts. They did not run afoul of anything out of the ordinary or their ability to handle, even yoked with an unconscious pony dangling from Rapidash's back. They came to a clearing with tall grass on the southwestern shore of Lake Verity about fifteen minutes before dusk. Both took a moment to get a drink after setting Rarity down, obscuring her behind the trees. As they felt refreshed, a whoosh sounded above them. Both quickly slipped back to the trees as seven more went in the same way in succession. Rapidash harshly whispered, "What was that?!"
"I don't know," Keldeo said. "The sky's just been weird all damn day: crackling lines of miniature storm clouds, that rainbow ring-blast-thing over and over...I just don't get it."
"Rarity said something when we saw the first one in the marsh," Rapidash said. "I guess you didn't hear her."
Keldeo frowned and said, "No. I didn't."
Rapidash said, "She said it was one of her best friends, named 'Rainbow Dash,' that was doing that. She said it means her friends are looking for her."
Keldeo raised both his eyebrows. "Oh! I did see the one that calls herself Rainbow Dash when I listened to the ponies before heading out. She has wings, but no horn. Rainbow mane and tail, sky blue coat. I wonder how she does that...whatever-it's-called."
"Do you think she saw the signal Rarity put up?" Rapidash asked.
Keldeo sighed and said, "Not likely. I doubt she would've done it five more times if she had."
"We had to be close...we just had to be," Twilight sighed miserably as she touched down on the southeastern side of Lake Verity, a short walk away from a patch of tall grass.
Dash pulled her into a side-hug with a nod and sigh, muttering, "I know, Twi. I know. I just don't know why she didn't answer after the first time."
"If that was really what you saw, Crash," Fleetfoot said snarkily, rolling her eyes as she walked by, carrying some tent poles.
"I'm telling you, Flatfoot, I did!!" Rainbow insisted angrily.
"Enough, you two!" Soarin' ordered, setting down a stake mallet to approach. "We don't have time for arguing among ourselves, and I certainly don't want to hear it! You're both professionals; act like it!!"
"Yes, sir...," Dash said unhappily. Fleetfoot rolled her eyes and started to walk away.
"He gave you an order, Flatfoot!" Spitfire yelled, suddenly blocking Fleetfoot's path. Still hovering, Spitfire crossed her forelimbs while Soarin' tapped the ground as one whose patience was all-but spent. When Fleetfoot frowned and hesitated, Spitfire's voice dropped in volume, but as much as it quieted, it became more threatening. Ignoring certain grammatical rules, she growled, "Now you listen up and you listen good. I've been pretty tolerant of your snide comments, backhoofed compliments, and passive-aggressive remarks, because of your talents. Your skills have been a credit to the squad. But if you cannot follow a simple order from my first officer and obey the chain-of-command like everypony else, you have no place and no right to be my second officer! Do I make myself clear!?"
"Yes, ma'am," answered Fleetfoot, standing at attention with a few sweat drops appearing on her forehead.
"I can't hear you."
"Yes ma'am!!"
Prodding her in the chest, Spitfire finished, "Good. And don't you forget it. We will not be revisiting this conversation."
During all that, Twilight had shrunk away, appearing downright uncomfortable and uneasy with the loud discipline. She felt a tapping on her shoulder, and turned to see a small levitating Pokemon there: pale cadet blue, mostly humanoid, two long tails that ended in a three-prong blade-like shape reminiscent of a ranseur's or partisan's head with an embedded red gemstone, and a mostly pink head with four ear-like projections issuing from the sides, also with a red gemstone set like a third eye. Twilight sighed sadly, both accepting and returning an offered hug from this Pokemon. She said, "Thanks, Mesprit. I'm glad you don't hate us, like so many of the humans do."
Mesprit patted Twilight on the top of her head affectionately and nodded slowly. Then Mesprit set one paw on the tip of Twilight's nose, holding it there for a moment. Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, and Soarin' watched on for a good minute or two, before Dash asked, "Uh, Twilight, what's--"
"Shh," Twilight interrupted, sounding much calmer. A moment later Mesprit took its paw from Twilight's nose, and deeply bowed. Twilight returned the gesture. She turned to her fellow ponies and said, "Mesprit's the 'Being of Emotion' in this world. She...he, not sure which, doesn't have any animosity toward us, like so many others here do. Just was trying to remove my anxiety and worry."
"Um, Your Highness, was that wise?" Soarin' asked. "I heard a few of the humans talking while we were still searching for Miss Lulamoon. They said to not touch Mesprit, because you'll lose all of your emotions if you do."
"I've also heard some of the myths floating around Sinnoh. But if touching Mesprit would've caused a pony to lose all emotion three days later like it's said, Fluttershy and I would both have been totally devoid of emotion last week. Nothing of the sort befell either of us," Twilight answered. "Mesprit just wanted to help, and knew I couldn't focus properly if I were still wrapped around the axle."
Twilight walked over to a sandy spot beside the lake. Sweeping it with her magic, she leveled a spot, and quickly drew a complex magic circle, landing in the middle. Rainbow blinked, and said, "Twi, this doesn't match the one Sunburst showed you."
"That's because it's a different circle," Twilight said with a self-satisfied grin. "His circle was one to boost the range, enough to cover the whole world. This circle, however, does allow some increase in how far a divination spell goes, but is much more focused on pinpointing an exact answer from such spells."
Twilight's horn glowed, as did the circle around her. She lifted off the ground, but not from her wings. The magenta glow sloughed off the sand sketch bit by bit, flowing up into Twilight's tail, issuing across her body up to her horn. Then a beam fired into the sky, where it burst into an expanding ring.
Keldeo and Rapidash both gasped as they saw a magenta wave sweep across the sky over them, with well-defined curvature. Wide-eyed, Rapidash blurted, "That's close...."
"Damn close," Keldeo said. "I saw the other side of the ring."
"Yeah," Rapidash answered.
The two hunkered down behind the trees, fairly close to the unconscious Rarity. Keldeo commanded, "Keep your eyes peeled, and prepare for combat, not battle. I sure hope that was Princess Twilight doing that thing again, but if not...should anything else come for her, we take it out immediately."
"You don't need to tell me that," Rapidash spat, scowling in the direction of the magenta ring's epicentre.
Twilight gasped in shock and delight, a wide smile breaking over her face. She flitted upward, beaming and cheerfully ordering, "Everypony, with me, right now!"
While they obeyed, Rainbow asked with a smile, "How good is the good news?"
"She's on the other side of the lake!" Twilight announced. Mesprit followed as the seven pegasi very suddenly took off, flying over the water behind their princess. |
Rarity Gets Caught | 37 - Coming Face-to-Face | {About time they met, isn't it?}
Keldeo gritted his teeth as he heard eight whooshes as before, except as they ended, a thud of something heavy against the ground followed nearby in the tall grass. Then came the footsteps. Several shadowy figures approached, indiscernible in the low light. Rapidash growled softly as they fanned into a wedge formation. A feminine voice cautiously, yet hopefully, called out, "Rarity?"
Keldeo sighed a big breath of relief. "It's the princess. We're in luck."
"Good," said Rapidash, following suit.
Keldeo stepped out of the underbrush, saying loudly, "Princess Twilight? Over here!"
A much raspier female voice demanded, "And just who are you!?"
"Name's Keldeo," he answered. "I've been helping Rarity in her escape to return to you, but she's been hurt badly."
"Where is she?!" shrieked the second voice, half in anger, half in panic.
A light shined from the first one to speak, originating around her horn. The glow revealed a lavender winged unicorn, and seven pegasi flanking her, three to the left and four to the right. All of them wore armour. The light spread enough to show where Rapidash had hidden himself among the trees, next to Rarity. He waved the group over, as he said, "Right here."
While the pegasi all rushed forward, Princess Twilight disappeared and reappeared almost instantaneously, with a magenta burst at both her exit and reentry into reality, beside Rapidash. She gasped and blanched upon looking at the unconscious Rarity. The pegasus with the prismatic mane and tail arrived next, and shrieked, "NO!!! RARITYYYY!!!"
"Oh...ohhh...," breathed another pale blue pegasus with a grey-white mane and tail while Rapidash edged closer to his marefriend, shooting guarded looks at the gathering ponies.
The princess charged her horn. As she did, her mane and tail both sparkled as they wafted gently like cloth underwater. A soft green light surrounded Rarity. She said, "There. That'll start healing her, but it will take time."
Among the pegasi was one, and only one, stallion. With a pronounced gap between his words, he bluntly demanded, "What happened?"
Keldeo recounted their struggles, starting with escaping Koga's squad of high-power Crobats. When he finished, Twilight added to the green glow around Rarity as she asked with suppressed venom, "How did you break her free of that Aengus person?"
Rapidash sniffled and looked down, but said nothing. Keldeo closed his eyes, and lamented, "He...gave his life to protect her. Blocked Koga's poisoned dart and throwing star with his own body, and died."
Eight stunned faces stared at him, then at Rapidash as he slowly nodded, a few tears silently trickling down. The one orange pegasi sighed deeply, rubbing at the back of her head. She asked, "Where did he get the drop on her so well?"
"The Johto Daycare," Rapidash said miserably, stroking Rarity's mane. "Apparently Paddy got to Aengus, and got it into his head to breed her the way he had that other pony...whatever her name is, can't remember."
Several of them scoffed. Flames danced along the princess's mane for a second, while Keldeo looked away in disgust. The prismatic one cussed loudly and profusely enough to make a sailor blush, with enough violent promises for a warlord to tell her to dial it back some. A long uncomfortable silence followed. Then the princess walked up to Keldeo and said, "I think you need to tell us the whole story, of when you left to find her and why."
Keldeo said, "Of course, but can we have introductions first?"
"If you didn't know, I'm a Rapidash," said Rapidash.
"Rainbow Dash," answered another with a skeptical eyebrow. Slowly she said, "You're...awfully protective of Rarity."
With a subdued glare, he answered, "She's my love. Of course I'm protective!"
"Oh dear...," Twilight sighed, shaking her head. Rainbow Dash facehoofed, and several others commented quietly among themselves. Twilight continued, "This will have to be addressed once she's awake. I do not want to have to repeat the explanation."
"That tone worries me," Rapidash answered cautiously.
Twilight tersely replied, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
Another tense silence hovered over the gathering. The stallion pony cleared his throat and said, "Well, since you wanted introductions, my name's Soarin'."
The other ponies followed suit. "Spitfire."
"Fleetfoot."
"Misty Fly."
"Stormrider."
"Merry Weather."
"And I'm Twilight Sparkle. So, Keldeo, what's your story?"
Keldeo gave his account, starting with his sensing the other-worldly power from The Great Marsh and deciding to investigate, explaining up to him, Rarity, and Rapidash breaking out of the Daycare. Twilight extrapolated from his timetable that he felt the idol's initial opening of the portal to Equestria. Satisfied that he had done his duty, Keldeo turned to leave, but Twilight stopped him. She said, "There's one thing that does not make sense to me."
"Yes?" Keldeo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Why didn't you talk to us before you set out to find Rarity? That would have saved us all a tremendous amount of trouble and hassle," Twilight answered curtly.
Keldeo looked around to find eight disapproving pony faces looking back at him, and a disappointed scowl from Rapidash. He frowned, and said, "What's with the look?"
"It doesn't sound like you went to find her for the right reasons," answered Rainbow Dash. "That wasn't out of the goodness of your heart."
Keldeo scoffed, "Preventing war isn't out of the goodness of one's heart!?"
"Not for those reasons," Rapidash spat. "And also not with your attitude towards her! I don't recall a single kind word! Always grouching about how she is, or what's she's been through and done about it, and so on! Saying you'd be content to abandon her to her fate, were there not such consequences hanging over your head!"
Snarling, Keldeo retorted, "Doing what's right, even when you don't want to, is part of justice! Part of my job! It's what I must as one of the four Swords of Justice!"
"More like 'Sword of Vigilantism,'" Fleetfoot grumbled, rolling her eyes.
"No kidding!" Rainbow Dash joined in.
"Yeah," Soarin' said.
Keldeo whirled around at Fleetfoot, barking, "Exactly what the hell is that supposed to mean!?"
Fleetfoot smirked, and haughtily answered, "Presuming your judgment and yours alone are what matter? You branded them all the same. I can understand why you have a problem with the humans, but not all of them are the terrible creatures you paint them to be. There have been many that happily offered us food, water, and a dry place to rest when we've been out on patrol."
"Whatever," Keldeo muttered as he turned to go.
A magenta rope materialised around Keldeo's ankles, dropping him to the ground with a thud. He growled upon looking at it. With her horn twinkling, and her wings spread wide, Princess Twilight slowly walked toward him, saying, "You are not done here yet. One, you never answered my question."
Keldeo looked expectantly at Twilight. After a pause, he demanded, "And two?"
"We'll get there after you answer my question," she said flatly. "Why didn't you talk to me before you set out to find her?"
Keldeo grunted. With a frown he said, "I didn't know if I could trust you ponies, and still am questioning it right now. Think about it from my perspective: unknown powerful creatures create a break into the world, and show a willingness to use said power for whatever reason. For the first time, there's real magic happening in front of any of us. Never made any sense to me why you didn't just magic them back to your side. I mean, that's what magic does, right? It's what you should have done from the start, right!?"
Twilight scowled. "Casting spells is not the same as granting wishes, Keldeo! I can do a great many things with my horn, but just 'magicking' somepony back to me isn't feasible."
"So what's the point of it then!?" Keldeo spat angrily as the magenta rope fizzled away. "Why have magic if it doesn't work like magic!?"
"Magic takes the knowledge of how energies work, the skill and control to weave it, and the power to push the desired effect into reality!" Twilight yelled. "What you're saying is possible, but nopony has that much raw magical power at their beck and call!"
"So you're saying you're not good enough," Keldeo smarted off with an eye-roll.
Twilight took a step toward him. "You need to stop. For somepony, or rather, something that claims to be a 'Sword of Justice,' you sure aren't acting justly. Accusations and insults like that, assumptions about a power you don't understand and poor conclusions that result from them, and your self-righteous reasoning. Every solution breeds new problems; the goal is to have the new problems smaller than the old. It's for this reason that the means justify the means, not the ends. How you go about a problem is at least as important as the problem itself, since even a failed solution will bring about more issues. Can you now see what you've wrought in your unannounced assistance?"
Keldeo looked down, frowning and scowling as one does when one wants to argue a point but cannot. Twilight shook her head slowly, then continued, "With that, we come to Two: you have some serious soul-searching you need to do to be worthy of your title. You're better than this; you know you're better than this and have done better. I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice: you know you're trying to justify what you know you shouldn't have done or said. You lost your way, but you can still turn back."
Still looking away, Keldeo bitterly and softly said, "And exactly where should I start, Your Highness?"
"Maybe go find your uncles again, the three you mentioned in your story," said Twilight sadly. "Ultimately, I can't tell you what to do. This is something you have to figure out for yourself."
Keldeo bowed his head and nodded. He stood, and without another word nor look to anyone else, he walked off into the woods. All the others watched him go, continuing to look where he left for a good minute or so after he was out of sight.
{As so departs the old one.}
Rapidash sighed, and said, "I can understand how he became so...so...crud, what's the word?"
"I think you're looking for 'jaded,'" Twilight said.
"Good enough," Rapidash said, stroking Rarity's mane. "He's much older than any of us, unless I'm badly mistaken. And during that long life he's seen much too much trouble and strife, courtesy of humans."
"Enmity with the worst of humans doesn't matter; not talking to us first just made no sense whatsoever," Twilight answered.
Rapidash nodded. "I wasn't arguing that."
"Hey, Twi," Rainbow Dash butted in, earning a frown from Rapidash, "shouldn't we be teleporting back to The Great Marsh right about now?"
"Not yet, for two reasons. First, that healing spell must be given time to complete. Arcane contusions easily leave permanent damage, which is why we tell foals not to cast with certain injuries. My magic is repairing that; teleporting before it finishes will assure any remaining injury is incurable. As it stands, her vision and hearing will be affected for a few days, maybe two weeks," Twilight reported.
Rapidash raised an eyebrow, and rotated an ear. He looked across the ponies, and asked, "And the other?"
Twilight tried to not smirk. "The other is that Starlight has already depowered the return rod for the night. She'll need to rest, same as we do."
"So we're sleeping here tonight?" Rainbow Dash asked, mostly but not completely masking fear and apprehension.
Soarin' spread his wings and started toward the lake. "We left the tents over there. I'll be back in a moment."
"No need," Twilight said as her horn charged. A magenta sphere burst nearby, followed by clattering wood. The General and Sky Commodore immediately began setting up one of the tents. Twilight continued, "Everypony pick of tent-mate. I got Dash."
"Which one of us?" Rapidash asked flatly.
Twilight snorted, smiled, and shook her head almost in unison. "Her, of course. We brought an extra tent, in case we found her and could not get home overnight. Just...just don't go and, uh...um, don't...."
"What she saying," Rainbow Dash began threateningly, "is don't do anything that I'll make you regret!!"
"Good gravy, you need to take it down a notch!" Rapidash retorted angrily.
"Clipper?" Spitfire asked with hint of a lilt, mischievous grin, and half-lidded eyes.
Soarin' slowly walked over to his captain with a hungry stare and knowing smile, firmly saying with strong anticipatory overtones, "You know it."
Fleetfoot just shook her head with a smile, rolling her eyes. While she and Misty Fly took the second-to-last tent, Twilight scoffed quietly. Looking Rainbow Dash in the eye, she warned, "You'd better not pick up those bad habits."
"Don't worry; I'm really not interested in having a coltfriend right now," Rainbow Dash sighed, sounding like one who has grown tired of giving the same story all day.
Twilight whispered into Rainbow's ear, eventually trailing off, "Uh, Dash, I don't think they're, uh, that they're...how do I say this...Spitfire and Soarin' aren't dating. They're just...."
"Casually humping?" Rainbow whispered back. "It's no secret."
"You absolutely don't need to start doing that!!" Twilight whispered harshly.
"Geez, Twi, you need to loosen up," Rainbow answered. She then snickered for a moment. "Ha! 'Loosen.' Should we call in Flash from the Crystal Empire? Ha ha!!"
Blazing scarlet, Twi hid her face while Stormrider and Merry Weather finished their tent and began setting up the one for Rarity and Rapidash. Misty Fly nudged Rainbow in the side hard enough to get a wince, grouching, "Too far, Crash."
"Sorry."
Rapidash shook his head, then cut off everypony else who drew a breath to speak, "How long until the spell completes?"
"Likely morning," Twilight said as her blushing faded away. "She should wake up once she's healed."
General Merry Weather bowed and asked, "Your Highness, I meant to ask earlier, what is the plan about this Padraíg fellow, and getting that last 'Twixie' from him?"
"When I use my magic to search for Rarity last night, I noticed where the last Twixie was, too," Twilight said. "They weren't far off the coast then. They had to have docked by now. With any luck, he should be in Pastoria when we get there, answering that call Blue put out for him. For now, we all should just get some sleep."
{Good morning indeed!}
Sunbeams reached into the tent through the slight gap in its entry flaps. Rapidash held Rarity close, having been awake, but not by much, for the last forty-five minutes. The green glow from Twilight's spell seemed to sink into Rarity, leaving no trace. A sudden, sharp inhale drew Rapidash's attention and exiled his remaining fatigue. Rarity groaned as her eyes fluttered open. She smacked her lips, then closed her eyes again as she stretched out her legs. Turning her head slightly, Rarity broke into a sleepy smile as she saw Rapidash. She snuggled closer to him as she softly but happily said, "Hey you."
"Hey," he answered, holding her close. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been asleep for a year," answered Rarity with a yawn. "I...can't remember how we got here, or where here is, but if I'm with you, everything is all right."
Rarity sighed contentedly, rubbing his forelimbs. Rapidash asked, "What do you last remember?"
Rarity turned toward him, and planted one on his lips. Then she crawled up him a little. She gave his ear a little lick, then gently nibbled near the tip. He gasped in sudden arousal. She softly giggled, then huskily whispered, "Something amazing."
"Um, babe," Rapidash began shakily, "We're not exactly alone right now."
"Forget Keldeo," Rarity cooed amid her ministrations.
Rapidash exhaled slowly, followed by a sharp inhale. He held his breath a moment, and through a slight whimper he uttered, "Twilight's here...."
"Twilight!!?" Rarity shrieked in welcome shock, sitting bolt upright while releasing his ear and removing her left front hoof from somewhere below his navel, assuming Pokemon have navels. It was not until then that she had noticed the tent was of green canvas, and had a stencil print of the Equestrian Royal Army. She burst out of the tent door. Hers was the second to the right in a straight line of five, evenly-spaced identical tents. There around a campfire sat several pegasi in armour. Wonderbolts. Two soldiers. And two familiar faces. All of them turned at the sound of the tent door flapping.
"RARITYYYY!!!!" screamed Rainbow Dash, dropping her coffee and flying toward Rarity, forelimbs open wide. Rarity braced her hind legs as she had learned from her battles, soaking Dash's momentum while only sliding ten centimetres, if even that. Rainbow clenched Rarity in a tight hug, bawling on her shoulder. Rarity sniffled once before crying her eyes out too, holding her long-time friend tightly. Then they were almost tackled from the side, as Twilight joined them in both hugging and wailing in relief.
Twenty-five minutes passed before eyes had dried enough to talk. Another fifteen had passed as Rarity recounted her adventures, with Rapidash filling in the missing day and a half. Rarity sobbed for Fearow's passing, especially for the circumstance and her mental state. The other ponies, too, slouched at the shoulder some as their eyes glistened, corners of mouths lowering. Rarity pressed up close to Rapidash, who nuzzled her amidst her tears.
Twilight breathed out hard, then asked, "After suffering the concussion, and using strong magic, I have to ask how you're feeling, or if anything looks or sounds off."
Rarity looked around for a second and said, "Everything's...a bit pastel, if you understand me. And what I'm hearing sounds dulled."
Twilight nodded. "Minor hearing obstruction and your cones aren't sending as much info as they should? All told, pretty darn small, compared to what many others have suffered. Glad that's all. A few days in the hospital should be enough to undo that."
"Good," said Rarity. "I can't design any fashion if I can't see colours correctly."
Twilight smiled, but nodded unhappily. "There's...one other thing I need to address right now."
"What is it?"
{But they cannot be together.}
"I'm sorry about this, but you'll have to leave him behind, Rarity," Twilight said sadly.
"What?! WHY!!?" Rarity sharply demanded as her tears returned, but in anger.
Twilight started toward Rarity with a solemn expression. "Because if our two words remain in constant contact, allowing our unique energies to run between each other, we'll get the attention of something we want to never find us. Let me show you want Princess Celestia and Princess Luna scryed."
With that, Twilight touched her fully charged horn to Rarity's. The vision passed via magic. Rarity shook as the spell ended, looking just ghostly. Had she been any paler, she may have been partially transparent. Rapidash just scowled and snapped, "What!? Am I not allowed to know?!"
"I don't know the ins and outs of Pokemon energy as I do Equestrian magic," Twilight answered. "I'm not sure if I can pass the vision to you, let alone without causing injury."
"Is there nothing you can do? No way to bring him over safely?" Rarity asked emptily, staring vacantly at nothing in particular.
"I don't know. I'm trying to figure something out," Twilight sighed.
"Um, Your Highness?" Spitfire began, pointing at the rod in her possession. Its glow had returned.
Twilight cleared her throat. "Break camp; we're returning."
"Your Highness?" General Merry Weather said, withholding a chuckle. Twilight turned to see that the tents had already been packed back in their bags, and had been distributed among the Wonderbolts to carry.
"Is there an echo out here?" Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath, getting a slight nod from Fleetfoot.
"Oh. Heh heh...right," Twilight said sheepishly. She shook her head, then ordered, "Everypony by me!"
Rapidash stepped forward. In heartache he pleaded, "Can I at least see her off?"
Twilight paused for a moment, then nodded. He joined the others as Twilight's horn powered up. Rarity cuddled beside, and mournfully said, "I would have kept you by my side, for a long as I could imagine."
"I know," Rapidash answered. He looked at the glowing rods, and Twilight's horn, and asked, "Could somemon explain to--somepony, sorry--what's going on?"
"Point-to-point teleportation," Twilight answered. "I can teleport myself long distances, or several a reasonable distance, but to teleport this many that far, I need a bit of assistance. These rods you see are for departure; there's a much bigger and stronger one for our return."
With that, they all disappeared in a magenta burst.
{Somepony is about to kill a human....}
Upon rematerialising, Rarity found herself in the battered remains of a marshy wildlife preserve, standing on a stone block platform. A shimmering, blue-white oval was a few paces away, along with many armoured soldiers with spears drawn, all facing and pointing their weapons to her left. She turned leftward and saw Starlight Glimmer standing there, with a charged horn, glaring with her upper lip curled in disgust. Continuing to turn showed Rarity the green-eyed Trixie, captured in Starlight's signature crystal prison, crying. Further over was the real Trixie, horn charged and parallel to the ground, pointed at Paddy, who was pressed against a tree. Through her tears, the green-eyed Trixie screamed and begged, "Mama, please don't!!! Please!!"
Trixie's eyes flicked to her daughter for a split second. At that moment Paddy turned to run, but Trixie fired a spell. Magic rope appeared, tying his feet. He splashed face-first into the mud. As he pushed himself up, Trixie stepped down on the back of his head with her right-front hoof, shoving his face back into the mud until his ears were just above the surface. His arms started flailing and he tried turning his head to no avail. Trixie snarled, "Every word of that was bullshit!! You put Trixie through hell, and foalnapped my daughter! Turned my sweet little girl into a killer!!"
Rarity looked around and saw two pony soldiers lying in the mud, dead. Green-eyed Trixie screeched, "MAMA, PLEASE!!!!"
"You've earned this!!" Trixie snapped while Paddy's arms continued to flail.
A magenta sphere burst next to Trixie, revealing Twilight hovering. She put a hoof on Trixie's shoulder and quietly said, "No, Trixie. Don't stoop to his level."
Trixie looked over at Twilight, still scowling. Then looked down at Paddy, back to Twilight, then back to Paddy. With a snarl, she shoved his head completely under and let him go. Paddy immediately pushed himself out, scraping the mud from his mouth and nose, deeply gasping and rushing air into his lungs. Starlight let the green-eyed Trixie go, who immediately rushed over to Paddy and pulled him into an embrace, still crying. As Paddy caught his breath, he said, "Come on...let's go."
"No. You two need to come with me," Twilight said.
"Piss off," Paddy said as he turned to leave.
Both he and the green-eyed Trixie found themselves in a magenta aura, off the ground, and floating in the direction of the portal. Twilight curtly retorted, "I wasn't asking you to; I was telling you to. I'm in the midst of preventing any further disaster to both worlds, and I need her cooperation. You, however, aren't necessary, but I thought I should extend you the courtesy of seeing what's going on. If you don't want to come, you can stay put while I take her. Either way, she's coming with me."
"And if I refuse?!" spat the green-eyed Trixie.
"You won't," said Twilight as she pulled the green-eyed Trixie closer with the spell, "because I'm gonna show you what we're stopping."
Rapidash grouched, "So she gets to see, but I don't!?"
Twilight sighed, nodding. She looked over at Rapidash a moment, and sadly said, "She's part pony. I can pass the vision safely."
With that, she touched her powered horn to the green-eyed Trixie's. A moment later, Twilight removed her horn, watching closely. The green-eyed Trixie stared expressionless, and perfectly still, but lost control of her excretory system. With a dead voice she quietly said, "Okay...I'll come willingly."
{If only....}
As all the others started toward the portal, Rapidash and Rarity looked each other in the eye, tears starting on both sides. The portal flashed once as Rapidash lamented, "So this is goodbye, isn't it?"
Rarity buried her face into his chest and sobbed, "I don't want to go. I want you to stay with me!"
He cried, "I know, my love. I know. But you must, if the danger is as real as you're all convinced."
Barely intelligible, she blubbered, "I...I love you."
"I love you, too," Rapidash barely got out, nuzzling her.
The green-eyed Trixie watched them, now freed from Twilight's magic. She looked down with a sigh, and started, "Princess Twilight?"
"Yes?"
{There is still hope for her.}
"Is it possible to pass my pony aspect to him?" asked the green-eyed Trixie, looking over at Rarity and Rapidash, who both turned toward her.
Twilight bobbed her head in thought. "I...don't know. We can try, if you're sure you don't want to live in Equestria, with your mother and siblings."
Snorting, the green-eyed Trixie huffed, "Sorry, but I would never give up being a Pokemon. I love this life. Moreover, I'm not leaving Paddy."
Trixie gave her daughter a long, hard look. She pressingly asked, "Are you absolutely certain about that?"
"Yes," she answered. "I can take his Pokemon aspect, so that the two sides are preserved."
"You think you're gonna get a power boost from this, don't you?" Twilight said disapprovingly. The green-eyed Trixie shrugged with faux-innocence. Twilight shook her head and said, "Yeah, you're Trixie's kid, all right."
Trixie snapped, "Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?"
"Forget about it; let's just go home," Twilight said. As a group, they all flashed and disappeared with the portal flashing with them.
All the ballistae and springalds were still pointed at the portal, earning a squawk from all those present who had not seen them before. Rarity yelped, "Twilight Sparkle! What kind of 'friendship' do you call these!?"
Twilight sighed, "That was on Luna's order, not mine...."
Paddy whistled a long note, looking across the siege weapons pointed at them. He looked over at Twilight, then back at all the oversized crossbows. He said, "You ponies were just as scared of us overpowering your world as we were of you, am I right?"
"We didn't know what to expect, as Rarity and Trixie were so effortlessly captured," Twilight answered.
"I see," said Paddy with a frown. "So that's a yes."
Twilight nodded slowly. Rapidash sighed, "If you ponies and humans had just friggin' talked to each other...!!"
Twilight nodded in concession. "Yes, you're right. We should have talked to them first. So much went wrong because of that."
"Well," Rarity said, "at least now, we can finally--yeouch!!"
{Yet one refuses to let it go right.}
Rarity craned her head back. There she saw a blowgun dart in her flank. Then her breathing began to turn rough, and her legs shook. A sinister laugh echoed as Rarity began to foam at the mouth. Rapidash yelled, "Honey...!?"
Twilight turned toward the laughter's source. There, beside one of the springalds, seemingly out of nowhere, Koga stood up straight, blowgun in hand and a wide sneer on his face. Paddy snarled, "Koga, what the hell!?"
Koga continued his savage laugh. Rarity could not keep her balance. As she fell into Rapidash's awaiting embrace, Koga triumphantly yelled, "Fukushuu wa watashi no monodesu!!" |
Rarity Gets Caught | 38 - How Can One Say Goodbye? [Chapter Tag: Gore] | {This is about as bad as we could hope for it to get.}
"You son of a bitch! 'Revenge is mine!?' Haven't you done enough already!?" Paddy snarled while Twilight rushed to Rarity, already firing off healing spells as her mane and tail floated gently.
Spitfire spat, "Kills your brother, and all you have for him is 'you son of a bitch!?' He's a goddamn motherf--"
"WHAT!!?" Paddy shrieked, cutting her off. He looked at Rapidash, who looked down, nodding. Paddy's eyes turned bloodshot and with tears of rage almost instantaneously. Hyperventilating, he sputtered, "My...you...my...!"
Koga started for the portal, but with a flick of her horn, Starlight enclosed it in her crystal. Koga snorted, "Maybe he shouldn't have gotten in the way, maybe you shouldn't have either!!"
Hurling kunais, Koga roared. Starlight managed a barrier, and with not a nanosecond to spare. She still maneouvred herself between him and the portal while Spitfire, Soarin', Fleetfoot, and Misty Fly all began his way. Stormrider and Merry Weather summoned more soldiers. Green-eyed Trixie sobbed in her mother's embrace, who also was teary-eyed. Throwing a Pokeball, Paddy screamed, "ESPEON!!!"
The strange fork-tailed cat appeared, looking around in bafflement. Koga took the Wonderbolts one-by-one, dropping Spitfire with a front kick to the chin, Soarin' with a side kick to the chin, Fleetfoot with an elbow to the chin, and Misty Fly with a knife hand to the back of the head, each rapidly after the previous. Rapidash pleaded, "Honey-baby, hold on! Please hold on!"
Rarity feebly pawed at his jaw, barely managing, "I would have...wanted you for...all my life...."
Rapidash sobbed barely intelligibly, "Me-e-e...me too...would have made you my bride...."
Paddy pointed at Koga, specifically Koga, and yowled, "KILL HIM!!!"
Espeon snickered. "I thought you'd never ask!"
"Starlight!!" Twilight screamed. "A hoof!?"
Starlight rushed to Rarity's side, her own eyes going misty as her breathing accelerated. She murmured, "Oh, Goddess, no!! Rarity!!"
"I need some help!!" Twilight urged as spear-wielding soldiers surrounded the area, points outward. "There's three toxins: I recognise botulinum toxin and hydrogen cyanide, but I don't know the third!"
Koga handsprung away from a blast from Espeon as he laughed, "What's the matter!? Never seen plutonium? Then despite your best efforts to the contrary, she will reap what she's sown!"
Rarity's hearing faded, to the point she could hear only her struggling heart, and fragmented breathing. Speaking words became impossible. She could see Rapidash's sobbing, and his jaw moving, but no words. Paddy took to punching at Koga as well, but could not land a blow. Koga silently counterattacked, punching him in the jaw, followed by a roundhouse kick to the jaw. Paddy dropped to the ground out cold, but Rarity heard nothing. She saw Espeon fire a shot of Psychic, knocking Koga into the air spinning, but no noise from the attack. Starlight stood beside Twilight, both of them in tears, as they frantically talked, hitting her over and over with green spells. But the perception of sound would not return. The strength would not return to her limbs. Teardrops falling on her face from the three around her made no tactile impression. Rainbow Dash's obviously screaming mouth was silent, and though she could see her fur rippling from said screaming, she felt nothing.
Rarity could barely turn her head to follow as they all looked to the left. She saw Applejack and Fluttershy leading Pinkie Pie in a wheelchair. All three of them appeared to be screaming, Applejack profanely if her lip-reading was to be trusted, and Fluttershy with the most tears. Pinkie Pie's mane fell flat, then she stood up, but bipedal instead of on all four hooves. She threw aside her hospital gown, revealing scarring on her chest and the fur shaved away from around the wounds. Pinkie took a stance similar to what Rarity had seen from the black belts in the Pokemon world with the most un-Pinkie-like snarl on her face. Koga did the same. The two charged at each other in silence from Rarity's perspective, watching a crazy-fast exchange of punches, kicks, blocks, grapples, slips from grapples, and so on. Pinkie deflected, dodged, and caught kunais and shurikens that Koga seemed to have in endless supply. Then the two kicked the speed up a notch, making them impossible for Rarity to follow in her poisoned state. She had some idea where they were, following the gazes of Applejack, Fluttershy, and Trixie. Green-eyed Trixie's mouth moved, to which Espeon turned toward her, bellowing something completely red in the face with angrily bulging temples, but entirely inaudible to Rarity. Twilight, Starlight, Rapidash, and Rainbow Dash all continued looking toward Rarity, but only Twilight's and Starlight's mouths moved, though there were tears from them all. The too-fast-to-see scrap continued for another fifteen seconds or so, before Koga stopped, looking around. Then blood burst from his neck. As he staggered forward, clutching his hemorrhaging neck, Pinkie Pie came into view with one of Koga's kunais strapped to her hoof, standing behind where Koga was. The weapon dripped red. Koga collapsed to the ground. Throwing the kunai into the dirt, Pinkie Pie rushed forward, and pounded on Koga's head with her hooves as how her family broke rock. She continued to strike over, and over, and over, getting a crimson splash each time after the second while tears streamed down her face. The wounds on her chest had broken open, bleeding at a slow trickle. Applejack hooked her forelimbs under Pinkie's, dragging her away with much difficulty while Fluttershy came from the front with nonthreatening hoof gestures. After a moment of struggling, Pinkie just collapsed into a mess of tears. Rarity successfully lip-read Twilight saying to Rapidash, "It's Pinkie being Pinkie; don't ask."
Rarity silently gasped. She felt her breath shortening, and her chest tightening. Her eyesight, too, was fading. She tried to talk, but could not say a word. Even the sounds of her own ragged breaths and heartbeat faded to nothing. Her vision greyed out, then darkened around the edges, until all was black.
{It would seem that all hope is lost.}
Rarity woke to find herself somewhere purple. The ground was a dark hue, and in slats of broken finger-shaped blocks. A dead tree was close. She looked around herself, and found a chasm into nothing behind her. There was nothing in the distance, nothing below, and a distinct lack a horizon in the unending, indistinct violet. Cautiously walking forward, she called out, "Hello?"
No answer came, not even the hint of an echo. She continued onward, finding more of the strange rocks. After a moment, she said, "Where I am?"
Rarity pressed on for an indeterminate amount of time...an hour, maybe? Two? Half of one? She had no way to guess. Rarity tapped at her chin. A moment later, she deeply gasped in horror, looking all over in terror. "No...! Twilight...Twilight failed?? She couldn't stop the poison!? She couldn't...save my life after all...."
A tear trickled down her face as she stared at the great wide purple nothing. In despair she murmured, "I...died...I'm in the land of the dead, now as one of the dead...."
Rarity moped onward, chin barely above the purple dirt. She looked up for a moment, then muttered under her breath, "Is there anything to this place at all?"
A familiar voice answered, "Rarity...."
"Princess Luna!" Rarity joyfully cried, turning around to see the Princess of the Night. Rushing to give her sovereign a hug, she exclaimed, "I'm so glad to see you!"
"As am I, Rarity, but you must be strong," Luna said.
Rarity sighed, nodding discontentedly. "I suppose so, this being my new place of residence...and all that rot. I did not know you also saw off the dead."
"Nopony does that," said Luna, looking around. She shook her head with a wide-eyed face and a long sigh. Staring off into the violet void, she declared, "You are not dead, nor do you dream. Nowhere in the dream realm have I felt this...coldness."
"I'm not dead!?" Rarity asked with sudden energy and hope, eyes trying to discern anything.
"No, but make no mistake: your body teeters on the edge of death, Rarity, even as we speak. Venture too far into this purple abyss, and you will find the land of the dead. Then nopony can help you," said Luna sadly. Rarity swooned onto a purple fainting couch that conveniently appeared. Luna rolled her eyes, and telekinetically shook Rarity, shouting, "Snap outta it!!"
"AHH!!" Rarity squawked, roused from her swoon. She looked at the couch, then asked, "Wait, how did I faint here if my body is in stasis?"
Luna shot her an unamused face as the couch disappeared. After a pause, Luna's tongue clicked as she opened her mouth and said, "I...really don't know if that's any concern. More to the point, Koga's dart had three poisons on it. Twilight has isolated the first two, but has never heard of the third. Nopony has, and as such, nopony knows its antidote, medicinal or magical. Twilight and Starlight are trying anything and everything they can think of, but have done little more than put you in stasis to keep you alive."
"So am I just stuck here until either Twilight succeeds or fails?" Rarity asked with a frown. "Can I do nothing to help myself?"
Luna held a hoof to Rarity's shoulder, and earnestly said, "The will to live is critical to any patient's recovery. You must hold strong, lend any power you can, and focus on what's important to you, so you can see it again."
"Are you sure that'll be enough?" Rarity asked despairingly.
Luna sighed. "...no. There's no way to know."
"What?" Rarity grouched. "Should I just make my will and testament right here and now, just to be sure?"
"Don't talk like that!" Luna snapped. Rarity's eyes shrank. Blinking and sighing, Luna looked away, and quietly said, "Thinking and focusing on such matters is effectively giving up already."
"I never imagined I would ever take such a beating," Rarity lamented with a hint of venom. "Never thought anypony, or anything, would want me dead. I always tried to be a kind and generous pony, to all I met!"
"And you have done an exemplary job of it," said Luna with a smile. "But you are not alone, in suffering at the hands of the Pokemon, or the humans in that world."
"None as bad as me, I would imagine," said Rarity.
"Do not be so certain," Luna said sagely. "Your friend, Pinkie Pie, also very nearly died at the hands of humans."
"WHAT!? WHY?!! WHY PINKIE!?!!" Rarity hollered.
"Pinkie Pie shoved Rainbow Dash clear of what would have been a fatal attack. But Pinkie Pie is an Earth Pony, and an especially hardy one at that. Rainbow Dash is a Pegasus; tough and spectacular as she is, she simply does not have the durability of an Earth Pony. She could not and would not survive such a drastic injury as Pinkie did," Luna explained.
Rarity asked as she shook her head, "What happened?"
"A human attacked with a strange weapon they call a 'Deagle.' We have no analog of it in Equestria," Luna answered. "But it doesn't stop with Pinkie. Thirty-seven of our soldiers will not be coming home. Over two hundred fifty have been injured. Even I, too, received some gruesome injuries courtesy of the Pokemon world, and will be months or even over a year in recovery."
Rarity blinked in shock. "I am so sorry, Your Majesty."
"Don't be. Nopony else, no human, and no Pokemon could have stopped that peril," Luna said. "But enough about me. It's you we need to focus on. We all need you. But you have to want to survive."
Luna's form wavered, like an image on an old cathode television whose signal was partially disrupted. Rarity shrieked, "Princess Luna?!"
"It seems I can tarry here no longer. Visiting a comatose pony on death's door is very different from visiting one in the dream realm," Luna said. As she faded from view, she called out, "Focus on what's important to you!"
"Luna!!"
She was gone. Rarity stood alone in the alien purple landscape. She sighed, shaking her head. Rarity quietly said, "What's important to me...Rapidash, Sweetie Belle, mom, dad, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Spike, Coco, Sassy, and Sapphire Shores, to name a few...my fashion, my creativity, the smiles I see when I show my generosity...that's who I am; that's what's important."
She clamped her eyes closed. A moment later, she peeked with her left eye, and still found herself in the purple world. Scoffing, she said, "Aren't those things important enough!? That's what's central to me! It's who I am!"
Her eyes lit up. "It's...who I am, but not what I'm to become. What will I be? I'm nearly at the very top of Equestrian fashion; that's not much further to climb, nor would it make a big difference. What else is there? The threats to Equestria are few and far between. Rapidash and I are together...that's it!"
Turning to the violet skies, Rarity screamed, "I WILL BE HIS BRIDE!!!"
{She lives! Rarity lives!}
"Uhh...," Rarity groaned as her eyes fluttered open. She lay in a hospital bed, with most of her surrounding in the stereotypical soothing pale green. Asleep in the chairs were her parents, and Sweetie Belle. The room had no space set up for a second bed. She tried to sit up, and promptly the pins and needles feeling shot through her in waves across her entire body, especially in her legs. "Ow...."
"Rarity!!" Sweetie Belle shouted, bolting upright. With her little sister jumping in for a hug, Rarity clenched what muscles would respond to withstand the impact. Sweetie Belle sobbed, both forelimbs around Raritiy's neck as Cookie Crumbles and Magnum both roused to tears at seeing their elder daughter awake. A family embrace ensued. Sweetie Belle cried, "I thought I'd never see you again, sis!"
"Oh, Rarity...," sobbed Cookie Crumbles.
Magnum could not speak. Rarity nuzzled her father, then asked, "How long have I been asleep?"
"About five hours," Sweetie Belle answered.
"Ah," Rarity answered. "With how the last week or so has gone, I was half-expecting you to tell me two days."
Minutes passed in a family hug. As they let go, the door opened. Twilight stood there, and she took in a rough breath, broken up by sobbing. She flew in, joining the hug, quickly followed by the rest of her fellow element bearers and Spike. Pinkie had fresh bandaging on her chest. After a series of almost unintelligible words of adoration, relief, and love, Rarity looked Twilight in the eye and said, "Luna visited my consciousness when I was in stasis. She said there were three poisons in Koga's dart, but nopony knew the third. How did you cure it?"
"She's right; nopony knew what that was," Twilight said. Turning toward the door, she continued, "Fortunately, someone else did."
Ducking through the lower archway approached a human with dark brown skin, coarse black hair and beard, and wearing mostly yellow, including a hooded sweatshirt. Rarity delightfully exclaimed, "Devontae?!"
"Yeah," he said, grinning.
As he leaned in and gave Rarity a hug as well, Twilight said with a smile, "Thanks to his explaining what that 'plutonium' stuff is, I was able to devise a magical antidote! After that and everything else, you should be back in your own bed in two days!"
"Seems I didn't get there a moment too soon, neither," said Devontae sheepishly, scratching at the side of his beard.
With a laugh, Rarity asked, "Not that I mind in the least, but what are you doing here?"
"Came to give you somethin' you left behind. Feraligatr insisted. Didn't think we'd make Pastoria in one piece, either, but...we got there," Devontae said, reaching into his bag.
As he pulled out a sketchbook, Rarity gasped, "My dress designs! I almost forgot!"
"Aengus had said you did fashion," said Devontae. "Couldn't let your entire time in our world be for nothin'."
Rarity flipped through her sketches, spending more time on those with heavy Oriental influence. With a contented sigh and tone of voice, she said, "Thank you, so very much, for bringing me this."
"Sure thing."
Rarity raised a hoof as she asked, "You...wouldn't happen to have Feraligatr with you? I should like to thank him as well."
Devontae clicked a Pokeball on his belt. A familiar bipedal blue crocodilian appeared, to the alarm of everypony except Rarity. She held out her forelimbs, asking for a hug, to which he waddled over and obliged. He said, "Hey Rook. Looking a little banged up, there."
"Still not a raven," Rarity chuckled. "Thanks for prompting Devontae about my sketches."
Letting go, Feraligatr said, "Spent too long working with you on that uniform on Routes 216 and 217, remember?"
"Oh yes, that place was cold. I'll never forget that," Rarity grumbled, shivering to herself.
A familiar male voice from the hall asked, "Can I come in now?"
Twilight said, "Yes, I believe it's time."
Through the door walked a very tall pony stallion. Rarity's eyes dilated looking him over. He was a unicorn, excellent physique, cream-coloured with red eyes, a gout of fire for a cutie mark, but that mane...
"Rapidash!?" Rarity blurted.
He nodded with a smile. "Yeah, it's me. That green-eyed Trixie was right; she did pass her pony essence. I'm gonna have to get used to these big eyes, but other than that, it's all gravy!"
As he reached for a hug, she instead kissed him full on the mouth, in front of everyone. Gasps shot through the room, though a fair bit of laughter and clapping followed. Feraligatr laughed loudly, slapping Rapidash on the shoulder in a very masculine-congratulatory way. Rarity looking over at her parents, and firmly said, "Mom, dad, this is Rapidash. He is my love, and my intended."
Gasps shot through the room again, but louder. Some cried tears of joy. Some just looked shocked. Many cheered. Feraligatr almost tackled Rapidash in a hug. Only Spike looked toward the floor, his shoulders slumping. Devontae spotted him, and gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. He quietly said to Spike, "Gotta be tough, little man. It's gonna suck for awhile, but it'll be okay. I've been there, I know how much it sucks, but you can get through."
Spike nodded sadly with a sigh. Twilight tapped Rarity on the shoulder and said, "Are you sure you're not rushing things?"
"Oh, we absolutely are rushing things, darling!" Rarity answered. "But you have to understand, what we've been through together, and how close we both came to dying, more than once? Especially in this last week, my goodness! Besides, focusing on him is what brought me out of unconsciousness."
Twilight sighed in defeat. "Alright then, if you're that sure."
Still happily punching away at Rapidash's shoulder, Feraligatr cheered, "Now buddy, you got a real gem in her. You treat her right. If you don't, I'm gonna find a way to get back here and beat your ass for it!" He laughed while everyone else in the room gave each other concerned looks. "But seriously, you got a great thing going here. Enjoy it for as long as you can. I'm really gonna miss you, old friend."
Rapidash pulled Feraligatr into a hug and said, "Yeah. It's been real. I'll miss you, too."
Tapping her on the shoulder, Devontae said, "Your Highness, I think I need be getting back."
"Yes, of course. They should be about finished with removing the platform blocks," Twilight said.
Rarity asked, "Um, Twilight, what about Paddy, and Koga?"
"Paddy already took Koga's body back, so that his family can make preparations," Twilight answered, shaking her head. "He also said he has to track down how Koga got his hands on that plutonium, to see what other criminal activities had been going on. But they've gone."
Rarity flopped back into the pillow with a sigh of relief. Closing her eyes, she quietly rejoiced, "So at long last, it's over. I'm home."
"You know what that means we need?!" Pinkie nearly burst.
Twilight whispered to Devontae, "Cover your ears."
"A PARTY!!!" Pinkie screamed, loud enough to make the ceiling tiles rattle. Devontae had been fortunate in getting his hands up in time. "For you and Trixie getting home, and you announcing your engagement!"
"Speaking of, where is Trixie?" Rarity asked.
"She and Starlight are having some quiet time with her father and foals. I don't think we should interrupt," Twilight said.
"Well, Pinkie," Rarity said, turning to excited, chomping-at-the-bit friend. "Plan for me your very best, for when I'm released from here. A good soiree after surviving such an ordeal would simply be divine." She sighed, "Just happy to finally have all that behind me." Eyes widening, she suddenly squealed, "Ooh!! Would somepony be a dear and bring me a bolt of scarlet satin, matching thread, my pinking shears, and my best needle? I have an ideeaaaaa!" Fin |
Rarity Gets Caught | Epilogue - Once More Unto The Breach | {And we'll just pick right up at the end of a scrap.}
"Steelix, use Thunder Fang!"
"We got 'im, buddy! Hydro Cannon, now!"
Bruno stood in his room at the Indigo Plateau, with his Mega-Evolved Steelix. Across from him was Devontae, wearing his usual style, today in dark blue and corn yellow. Before Devontae was Feraligatr, who opened his mouth into a tremendous torrent of high-pressure water. Bruno's Mega Steelix slid back a couple of metres before toppling over and fading back into its Pokeball.
{At long last, Bruno is taken down.}
Dropping to his knees, Feraligatr sighed a great, long sigh of relief, turning his nose upward as he closed his eyes. He held up both fists in triumph, as though a weight had finally been lifted from him as a lone tear ran down his cheek. Bruno's shoulders slumped as he hung his head, while Devontae cheered, pointing to the ceiling, "Yeah!! Aengus, that one's for you, my n--" using a word that earned a confused stare and blurt from Bruno, "That one's for you!"
"And there was still one you didn't even bring out...wow. You've grown into quite the trainer," Bruno commented, looking down. "Just...two questions."
"Yeah?" Devontae answered, raising an eyebrow.
"First, I thought he was white?" Bruno asked, looking at Devontae with a slight frown and his face turned slightly away.
Devontae grinned and shrugged, shaking his head. With a snort he said, "Well, brah, that don't matter. Just don't use that word, and we Gucci."
Bruno just blinked at Devontae for a moment while Feraligatr returned to his ball.
{One opponent left....}
"...right...and two...," Bruno began, looking upward, "...what are they doing back here?"
In the spectator seats were Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Starlight Glimmer, and Trixie. Rarity had a gold ring around the base of her horn, and Trixie wore her trademark hat and cape. Looking up with a smile, Devontae tipped his head toward Bruno for a brief moment. Twilight stepped forward and said, "Funny, you're the first of these 'Elite Four' to ask. Suffice it to say, I learned we had...shall we say...one last loose end to tie up here. One that cannot be avoided, else we would not have come again."
Raising an eyebrow, Bruno asked, "It took you five months to notice?"
"It would have been sooner," Twilight said with an annoyed tone and annoyed expression, slowly turning toward Trixie, "if somepony had spoken up sooner!"
"Sorry I forgot," Trixie said defensively. "After struggling to survive, and raising a classroom's worth of little ones, Trixie's mind has been many other places."
"So you say," Bruno sighed.
He gave a proper bow to Devontae, who returned the gesture. Untangling his two chains, Devontae asked, "Is it true you're leaving?"
"Yes," answered Bruno. "I'm ready for something else, even if it's just traveling."
Devontae nodded. "Really changing up who's here, huh?"
"Yeah. No doubt you've seen the trouble of leaving Paddy in charge, the state of the roads and so on," Bruno grouched. "None of us like it; none of us want to be a party to it."
"Yeah, brah, it's...what could he be thinking? Cinnabar's too damn dangerous for kids, with the active lava flows and everythin'!" Devontae said sadly, slowly nodding.
Bruno gestured toward the door with a nod. "Go. Dethrone him."
Taking a moment to apply healing items to the Pokeballs, Devontae advanced confidently through the doors into the Champion's chamber. The room met him with a checkerboard tile floor of polished white marble and black basalt squares, each about fifteen centimetres on a side. A series of small statues lined the front of the platform on which Paddy waited. Each statue was the shape of each Pokemon type symbol as seen on their corresponding Z-crystal, with matching colour. Paddy was dressed mainly in white with red accents, and his school's insignia over the left side of his chest and his ball cap. As Devontae strode up the stairs, Paddy shook his head with a knowing grin. Amused, he said, "Knew it would be a matter of when, not if, you'd come. Welcome! I'll skip my introduction."
"Yeah, we been through too much," Devontae answered, foregoing proper grammar yet again. "But you's doin' the region wrong, brah!"
"Hey, my goal was to ensure the Indigo League's trainers, even the newbies, are the strongest anywhere," Paddy said self-satisfied.
"Nobody likes needing multiple HMs to get through any given route except the first few!" Devontae protested. "Hell, no one likes HMs at all! At least Alola was smart and did away with them!"
"Okay...," Paddy said questioningly.
"And that going back and forth, and back and forth between Johto and Kanto, just to get the right badges to use the HMs and make one's way around!?" Devontae continued. "And then all the centring efforts around Saffron and Goldenrod! Then there's your perilous challenge at the remains of Cinnabar, and--"
"I got it!" Paddy grouched. "New trainers these days lack the patience and perseverance to truly be great!"
Devontae shot him an irritated glare. "Brah, it sounds like you don't get it one bit."
"No, that's not what I'm lost on," said Paddy, looking up. "What the hell are they doing here!?"
Twilight stepped forward. "Padraíg Meagher, we are here to claim a lost artifact that you and your brother used to enter Equestria. A golden statuette in the shape of a pony's head, with a trio of large blue zircons in its mane which blacken one by one with each use."
"Do you mean the idol? Sorry, it stays with me. I'll not risk anyone repeating the whole incident," Paddy said firmly.
"Which is exactly why it should come with us; we'll burn out its last use on our way home," Twilight answered with equal resolve.
Paddy stood with his head down for a moment, thumb and index finger upon his chin. Looking up, he nodded and said, "Can't argue with that logic. But, as Champion, I am obligated to defend my title first. This whole mess between our worlds happening again is not acceptable."
Trixie's horn had been flickering. After she nodded once with eye contact, Twilight said, "Very well. We will wait."
Paddy also nodded, then turned to Devontae and said, "Been awhile since you and I had a match. Are you still the consummate Fire-type specialist, even after Aengus entrusted his Pokemon to you?"
"Why don't I show you instead?" Devontae responded with a grin.
{Who knows how many times these two have battled before? This time around, though, it really, really means something.}
Paddy smiled. "Exactly what I wanted to hear! Been awhile since I've use an Indigo-only team; should be fun! Gyarados!"
"Arcanine!"
A blue Chinese dragon and a dog-tiger cross with a happy smile materialised across from each other. Trixie sighed, "Trixie never understood what Pokemon loved so much about beating up and being beaten up."
Rarity grumbled, "Just be thankful you weren't forced to do it."
"I still find it amazing how you learned so much evocation magic in such a short time!" Twilight beamed, to which Starlight suppressed a giggle.
"Gyarados, use Aqua Tail!"
Frowning, Devontae ordered, "Roar, Arcanine!"
Rarity scoffed, "Umph! 'Roar!?' With its priority penalty, now!?"
"Damn, forgot," muttered Devontae as Paddy rolled back the sleeve on his right arm, squeezing the keystone on his wristwatch.
As the rotating beams of light surrounded both Paddy and his Gyarados, Twilight asked, "What's going on there?"
"They call it 'Mega Evolution,'" Rarity said. She began to explain how that worked as the ball burst from around the Gyarados, revealing it longer with red patches along its sides, and a black belly. Rarity sighed when she looked at its new form, commenting, "Ugh. How garish."
"Countershading need not apply, I see," Twilight muttered.
"More about this 'Mega Evolution,' please," said Starlight.
As Rarity spoke quietly, Mega Gyarados whooshed in and slammed its drenched tail at Arcanine. Crouching, Arcanine braced for the attack, and flinched toward the left. Gyarados redirected the strike at the last moment, duped by the fake dodge, and missed. Arcanine then roared terribly loud, knocking Mega Gyarados back, and into its ball. Replacing it was a Porygon-Z.
Paddy grumbled, then shouted, "Conversion Z, Porygon-Z!"
"Switch out, Arcanine!" Devontae shouted, holding up his Pokeball. As Arcanine vanished, Devontae threw another ball, shouting, "Go, Mamoswine!"
A large brown pig with a blue face and huge tusks emerged from the ball. Paddy blinked for a moment, then said, "Inherited from my brother?"
"Actually, no," Devontae answered with a grin. "Caught her momma in the Icy Path years ago, but traded with a multi-regional traveler and expert for her daddy a couple of days after returning from Equestria."
Paddy gave a disbelieving stare. "You'd have to be on the ship back from Sinnoh then, 'cuz even you aren't daredevil enough to try crossing open ocean on an uncharted route twice."
"You're right," answered Devontae with a smirk. "That's where it happened."
"I was on that ship, too."
"Yes, you were."
Putting his hands on his hips and shifting his weight, Paddy demanded, "With whom?"
"Red," answered Devontae, trying not to laugh.
"Bollocks," muttered Paddy, rolling his eyes. When Devontae looked him in the eye and shook his head with a smile. Paddy's head jolted back as he blurted, "Seriously??"
"Mmmhmm," hummed Devontae, nodding slowly and on the edge of laughing.
"Whatever," grouched Paddy as he and his Porygon-Z danced in unison. Multicoloured light flashed, along with a few white squares over Porygon-Z. Then Paddy yelled, "Porygon-Z, use Shadow Ball!"
"Stealth Rock, Mamoswine!" Devontae answered.
The same old deathly purple sphere coalesced in front of Porygon-Z, jetting into Mamoswine, who winced and was driven back a step. Then Mamoswine acted like it meant to roar, but instead a few sharp chunks of rock appeared through the floor and floated there before disappearing. Twilight asked, "What was the point of that?"
"Entry hazard," Rarity explained. "Those stones will come back the next time Paddy sends in another Pokemon."
Starlight asked, "You mean, those rocks will hurt Paddy's Pokemon, just for coming out to fight?"
"Exactly."
"Strange ambush, being jabbed by rocks just for answering the call," muttered Starlight, shaking her head.
Rarity shook her head too. "Around here they like to say 'all's fair in love and Pokemon battles.'"
Paddy pointed and yelled, "Again, Porygon-Z!"
Devontae instead held up a ball. "That's good there, Mamoswine! Come back!"
As swap of Pokeballs, and before Devontae appeared a large yellow fox with nine tails. The light in the room turned harsh. Rarity said, "The aptly named 'Ninetails.' Another Fire-type."
Twilight shook her head in discontent. "You really learned about this world in a short time, and remember so much of it despite not being here for months." Then her eyes lit up. "Hey! Maybe we could write a book on the subject! You tell me what all you know and I can analyse it, and keep it all for posterity!"
The other three laughed. Starlight snickered, "There's no stopping Twilight from being Twilight!"
"What's that supposed to mean!?" Twilight protested.
"It's just you, darling, being the way you are. We love you for it," Rarity said with a smile, shaking her head. "But sure, I'll keep the book idea in mind."
"Ninetails, use Confuse Ray!" Devontae ordered.
Frowning, Paddy said, "Discharge!"
A wiggling ball of light wandered a serpentine path from Ninetails to Porygon-Z. As it struck, Porygon-Z's eyes lost focus. Sparks gathered around Porygon-Z, drawing together into a combine burst, but instead of flying at Ninetails, it blew up there, knocking Porygon-Z to the ground. Trixie muttered, "Trixie is very happy she was never subjected to this."
"No, you just had 'something great and powerful' give you a scandalously wonderful time!" Rarity spat.
Trixie openly laughed while Ninetails facepawed. "That, coming from you? Really now?! After how you kept all of Ponyville up at night for the first two weeks of your marriage?! Did you see how many foals had to have 'the birds and the bees' talk before they were truly old enough? Trixie lost count!"
Porygon-Z emitted some electronic noise, one that strongly suggested dismay and disgust. Rarity growled, "I thought we agreed never to speak of that again!"
"You brought up the subject!" Trixie countered.
"Well, you are hardly in a position to criticise noise levels, aren't you!? And while we're all breaking promises," Rarity snarked, "why don't I go talk to your dad about what really went on in that Daycare, or how often your coltfriend stays with you overnight, hmm?!"
Trixie suddenly looked horrified. "You wouldn't!!"
"Oversharing...," Devontae muttered, to much nodding from Paddy.
"What? It's hardly a secret that Rarity and Trixie are both screamers. I could swear there are some nights they're competing with each other," Starlight grouched, rolling her eyes.
"It's goddamn oversharing!!" Devontae bellowed incredulously as Paddy angrily yanked his hat off his head as he spun away, dropping one arm to his side and the other hand upon its corresponding hip with an annoyed stomp.
Rarity fumed, turning red in the cheeks with the sort of face that might cause Rainbow Dash to scream if she looked angry. Trixie, however, could not shrink and hide enough, red in the cheeks from a different emotion. Horn glowing, Twilight put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder and soothingly said, "Easy there. You know you can't let your blood pressure get up like that right now. Just let the whole thing go."
Rarity's face lost its redness as she took some deep breaths. Twilight turned to Trixie. Intrigued, she lead in, "Neither you nor Starlight mentioned you have a coltfriend."
Trixie nickered while still sloughing off the crimson from her cheeks. "Well, I do, but you don't need to know all of Trixie's business, do you? Is it a problem if Trixie would like some privacy with her private life?"
Twilight backed off. Devontae dismissively waved off the ponies as he sighed and shook his head. Paddy nodded sympathetically, then wiped across his forehead before putting his hat back on. He sighed as well, then ordered, "Okay, Porygon-Z, try that again."
"Ninetails, Flamethrower!" Devontae commanded.
Ninetails flicked her tails, hurling a stream of fire at Porygon-Z. As the blaze ended, Porygon-Z fell straight down, all its detached chunks falling away. It vanished in a flash of yellow sparks. Paddy frowned, then threw another ball, yelling "Go, Espeon!"
Rarity gasped and shrunk back. The fork-tailed malignant cat appeared, staring up at the stands, barely acknowledging the rocks that poked her upon appearing. Echoing in Rarity's mind was the purring, yet livid voice, "Oh God, it's that high-class hooker again! Well, no, not a hooker. Prostitutes receive a fee for services rendered, while you just shag whoever, wherever, whenever, all for free, just because...isn't that right, you overweight, ugly, ignorant, c--" and used a single-syllable crass term that made Rarity look a little sick, "-dumpster!"
A moment later, Twilight, Starlight, and Trixie all gasped in unison, then Twilight gritted her teeth in anger, Starlight flushed and covered her mouth, and Trixie nickered, "Same Espeon...."
Rarity sighed and shook her head. "She telepathically insulted you too, I see. She has quite the potty-mouth."
"Yeah...yeah she does. Geez...," Twilight muttered, shaking her head.
Paddy facepalmed, muttering under his breath, "I can't take you anywhere...."
"Whose fault is that? You trained her," Devontae said flatly. "Use Confuse Ray!"
Paddy smirked, "True, I did. She may be mean, but so is her strike! Psychic!"
The red jewel on Espeon's brow flashed. Reality distorted around Ninetails; she then suddenly sailed across the room and slammed into the far wall. There she broke into a swarm of pink sparks, going back to her Pokeball. Rarity shook her head while the other three stood agape. Looking at her three companions, Rarity explained, "She loves to best her opponents in that fashion."
"Is Ninetails gonna be okay!?" gasped Starlight.
"Yeah," Rarity said underwhelmed. "They go through this all the time."
Trixie grouched, "Really, really glad he didn't put me through all that."
Rarity sighed. "That was the problem: Equestrian magic and Pokemon power most certainly are not the same. Pokemon moves can't kill other Pokemon with extremely rare exceptions. They bash each other over and over, but never really hurt each other. But my magic injured them badly, and...and...well, you know about that fight with Koga's team. If I had only known...."
"From what your husband said, it wasn't just one. Something like 'Star Rapper,' or some such," said Starlight.
Rarity huffed, "That's 'Staraptor,' and life-and-death situations are a little different, don't you think!?"
Scribbling madly in a small notebook, Twilight gleefully exclaimed, "Why didn't I think to write about this sooner?"
"Arcanine!" Devontae cried out, throwing a ball. The loyal-faced striped tiger-dog returned. "Use Extreme Speed!"
"Do it again, Espeon!" order Paddy.
Arcanine rushed Espeon, striking three times. Espeon rolled over once and slid past Paddy a good four metres, before pushing herself back to her feet. She shook her head once, then yowled as she distorted reality again. Arcanine flew back even faster than Ninetails did, disappearing after cracking the wall. A few chunks of drywall fell to the floor. Espeon sneered as Devontae raised an eyebrow. Grumbling under his breath, he threw another ball, yelling, "Charizard!"
An orange winged lizard halfway between a dragon and a dinosaur in appearance materialised, immediately taking off. Paddy shook his head. "Since it's still working, keep it going, Espeon."
"Charizard, Flamethrower!" yelled Devontae, whipping out a money clip with a keystone attached. As he pressed it, the rotating light enveloped him and Charizard. The ball burst. Charizard looked similar, but with more pointed features, spines much more pronounced in places along his spinal ridge, and blade-like flaps on his arms.
Paddy shrugged as Espeon attacked, saying, "Huh. Didn't think you'd take the less-popular path with him."
Mega Charizard Y held, then spat fire back. Devontae said, "Are you kiddin'? A known Fire-type specialist, maintaining harsh sunlight?"
Espeon winced, toppled over, and faded back into her ball. Paddy shook his head in aggravation, and said, "I see your point. Then, Gyarados! Let's try this again!"
Mega Gyarados returned, looking annoyed at the rocks that appeared just as he did. Mega Charizard Y sneered, then snarled. Devontae yelled, "Solar Beam!"
"Stone Edge, Gyarados!" Paddy countered.
As the light gathered around Mega Charizard Y, Rarity explained, "This move takes a turn to charge and fire."
"Unless it's in harsh sunlight!" Devontae cheered. A yellow beam rained out of the sky, hammering Mega Gyarados until it faded back to its ball.
"Fine. Nidoking!" Paddy yelled.
A semi-anthropomorphic horned lizard of a deep purple manifested, barely affected by the rocks that appeared. Devontae frowned, bobbing his head. "Damn, damn, damn...too many possible move sets...oh well, return Charizard!"
"Nidoking, Swagger, no matter what comes!" Paddy yelled.
Devontae sent out his Mamoswine again. As it became confused, Paddy snorted, "Ground against its Poison-type, or Ice against its Ground-type?"
"Makes sense," said Rarity to herself.
"Whichever!" Devontae said. "Let's go with Ground! Earthquake!"
"Assuming she doesn't hurt herself...and...Nidoking, Sucker Punch!" Paddy answered.
"Uh-oh," grumbles Devontae as a purple whoosh swung by Mamoswine twice, striking on the second pass. Mamoswine shook her head, reared up, and caused a tremor under herself. Mamoswine fell down, and faded back into her ball.
Devontae frowned. Then he chucked a ball, saying, "Remember this guy?"
Feraligatr came out, roaring. Paddy snarled, "You'd send my brother's STARTER against me!?"
"Aengus received a near-perfect Totodile to begin his journey, and the guy fits in well," Devontae said with a smile. Pointing, he ordered, "Hydro Vortex, buddy!"
"Nidoking, Poison Jab!"
Nidoking started punching away, fist coated in purple. Feraligatr shivered at the end of it, bearing a slight violet tinge. Then he and Devontae danced in unison a moment. Feraligatr gained a strange yellow glow. Rarity muttered, "Never did a Z-Move with Aengus...well, he didn't have the things for it, either, I suppose. Still strange, watching it from him."
The battlefield seemed to flood like a suddenly-filled swimming pool. Then Feraligatr surged forward like a jet-propelled torpedo, ramming Nidoking. There, an all-water tornado formed around Nidoking, buffeting him every which-way. As it ended, Nidoking was already back in his ball.
"You want to do starters, do you?" Paddy growled, rotating a Pokeball in his right hand. "Then go, Typhlosion!"
"What's wrong?" Twilight asked Rarity, who was shaking his head.
Rarity sighed as the flaming badger appeared, clearly bothered by the rocks that came to harangue him. Then she said, "I've seen Paddy battle enough times. He likes to keep a move with each of his Pokemon that targets at least one of its weaknesses. And I've seen his Typhlosion out before. Since Water-type has an advantage over Fire-type, Paddy taught him Wild Charge, an Electric-type attack."
Twilight discerned, "So...this Typhlosion has an advantage over Feraligatr?"
"He's faster, and that same attack will pop his Charizard just as effectively!" Rarity griped.
"Exactly," said Paddy with a smile. "Do it, Typhlosion!"
Grimacing, Devontae called, "Hold fast, buddy, and use Hydro Cannon!"
Indeed Typhlosion did move first, coating himself in lightning. Rarity held her breath as Typhlosion closed ground, and recklessly slammed into Feraligatr. Feraligatr tumbled and rolled several times. He struggled to get up, but in failing, he gave Devontae a thumb's up before breaking into sparks. Rarity quietly squawked a sob as a few tears rolled down her face.
"Charizard, take two!" Devontae yelled, bringing Mega Charizard Y back out. "Use Focus Blast!"
"That's too inaccurate...," grouched Rarity, facehoofing.
Paddy sneered, "Again, Typhlosion!"
Focus Blast's accuracy was a moot point as Typhlosion struck first again, using the same move to the same effect. Devontae grunted as Mega Charizard Y fell to the floor, and vanished into his Pokeball. Starlight whispered, "Guess we now get to see what's in his final ball."
Paddy smirked. "Typhlosion vs. Typhlosion now, isn't it?"
"No," Devontae countered. "My starter didn't have very good potential."
Rubbing at his forehead, Paddy said, "I know exactly what that feels like."
"Red said this one's his species' paragon, stronger than any of his brethren," Devontae said as he tossed the ball up much higher than usual. "The very guy you and your brother both overlooked."
{Now it's time for this one. Couldn't leave it out, of course.}
The ball cracked open, and an unmistakable body shape came out: those curly ears, that short body with its very long tail...as it growled, "Rai...."
This one had no trace of a potbelly, but defined abs instead. Were he shaved of fur, he may very well have had a washboard belly. He was lean and toned all over, with musculature and definition visible even through his fur, at least to a point. His arms were more than stiff cylindrical attached knobs; his biceps, triceps, and forearms were obviously strong and ready. Yet despite the confident and determined look, his face remained just as adorable as the rest of his kind.
Paddy raised an eyebrow. "A physical Raichu?"
Raichu's eyes flicked around; he eventually looked up to the spectator seats. Then he broke into a wide, kawaii smile, waving emphatically, as he cheerfully called out, "Rarity! Hii-i-i!! Good to see you outside of the box!"
Rarity immediately was a pile of tears. "Rai-i-ichu-u-u!! He's finally go-o-ot his cha-a-ance!!" And she wailed.
Paddy raised both eyebrows this time. "What's with her?"
Twilight stepped forward with an uneasy grimace. "See...she's near the end of her first trimester, and her hormones--"
"Got it!" Paddy and Devontae hastily said in unison. Raichu turned back to face his opponent, all the determination returning. He put up his dukes, standing poised and set like a professional boxer.
"You can do it, Raichu!!" Rarity called out between sobbing sessions.
"Raichu, Iron Tail!" Devontae yelled, pointing.
Paddy sighed, "Just...just end it, Typhlosion. Earthquake."
Paddy had just finished that last syllable when Raichu was already on his Typhlosion, somersaulting through the air with his tail extended, grey like iron. Typhlosion had barely turned in time to see it coming before the blow landed on top of his head. He slammed against the ground, bounced once, and returned to the ball on the stunned Paddy's belt. Raichu zipped back to his spot in front of Devontae, leaving no image of himself between, but only sparks.
Devontae smiled broadly. "Even Red said his Pikachu, holding a Light Ball, doesn't have the Attack stat this little guy has!"
Paddy bared his teeth as his temple bulged. He roared, "Lulamoon!!"
Green-eyed Trixie emerged from the ball, yelping quietly as the rocks dug into her. She looked different, enough so that she could not be mistaken for Trixie anymore. No longer did she have the large, Equestrian eyes, but hers were markedly smaller, much closer to an anatomically correct mundane horse. The entirety of her eyes, however, were green. She still wore a rendition of her mother's hat and cape. Trixie turned away, sadly saying, "I can't bear to look at her like that."
"Lulamoon, use Tricks Up My Sleeve!" Paddy ordered.
Devontae roared, "Raichu, Thunder Wave!"
Lulamoon's voice still sounded like Trixie as she sang, "You'd better believe I've got tricks up my sleeve...."
Confetti, lights, and smoke burst all around Raichu. Before they faded, a yellow pulse shot forth from the affected area, coating Lulamoon in a jagged wave of yellow light that formed half a sphere. As it ended, arcing electricity bounced across Lulamoon's body. The smoke cleared. There, Raichu motioned toward himself to Lulamoon using one finger, as if to goad her to attack, before resuming his boxer's stance.
"That didn't drop him!?" Paddy ejaculated in a rage.
"Brah, what part of 'he's stronger than his brethren' didn't you understand?" laughed Devontae. "Raichu, use Swagger!"
"No mistakes this time! Earth Power, Lulamoon!" Paddy shouted.
Raichu strutted, flaunting his physique. Lulamoon grumbled about it while confusion set in. She charged her horn, blasting the ground. Three bursts shot soil upward, but nowhere near Raichu. Instead one of the bursts caught her in the chin, knocking her teeth together.
"Snap out of it, girl! Use this!" barked Paddy, reaching into his bag.
Devontae called out, "Iron Tail, Raichu! Give that Fairy-type what-for!"
As Paddy sprayed down Lulamoon, Starlight asked, "What's he doing?"
"A spray-on medicine," Rarity said, wiping up her tears. "That's a 'Full Restore.' Basically puts Raichu back at square one."
Trixie grumbled under her breath. However, once Paddy had used the item, Raichu landed the blow forcefully, knocking Lulamoon down and sending her tumbling. Raichu breathed a little easier as a bell on his collar, shaped like a bivavle's shell, jingled a little. Lulamoon got up, grouching inaudibly. Paddy roared, "Enough's enough! Earth Power!"
With a whoop, Devontae gleefully shouted, "Take her out, buddy! Volt Tackle!"
"Raaiiii...," began Raichu as the electricity gathered around him. But Lulamoon's horn was charged. She fired the pulse, causing the ground to burst...to no avail; Raichu had already moved. He was surrounded in blue electricity, zipping forward as said ground bursts happened behind him, screaming at the top of him lungs, "...CHHUUUUU!!!"
Raichu and his orb of cyan lightning rammed into Lulamoon, taking her five metres into the air before slamming back to the floor. Raichu tumbled off haphazardly, slow to get up, and holding his left shoulder with his right paw. Lulamoon flailed once, tried to get back on her feet, then simply passed out, returning to her ball.
{Victorious!!}
Whooping, Devontae pumped both fists into the air, face up, eyes closed. He looked to Raichu, and opened his arms. Raichu ran and leapt into the awaiting hug, both laughing and crying in unison. Rarity herself was in hysteria, all mascara gone. Paddy looked disappointed, and that he could not believe what just happened, but not much more than that. He sighed, then walked over to Devontae, offering a handshake. "Congrats, you're the new Indigo League Champion!"
Twilight had lowered herself and the other three ponies with her to the combat floor. Rarity was still crying her head off. Raichu jumped over to her, giving her a big hug next. While she was occupied there, Devontae wiped the tears from his eyes, and asked Twilight, "How's little Spike holding on?"
Rarity interjected, "Oh, my little Spikey-Wikey has been ever so helpful, darling! He's made sure my husband and I are never late for a checkup, that we have plenty of tea, and that we have no undue stress! His help has simply been divine!"
"Ah," said Devontae with a forced grin. He then lowered his voice and asked, "So, he's not taken it well at all?"
Twilight sighed, "No. His depression's been pretty bad."
"You gotta be there for him, brah. He needs you, now more than ever," Devontae said with a sympathetic shake of his head.
Meanwhile, Starlight and Trixie guardedly approached Paddy. He asked in suspicion, "Are you two gonna be peaceful this time?"
"Like the last two times, it depends on you," Starlight growled. She held up a hoof as if to receive something, and demanded, "The statuette."
"Yes, of course," said Paddy in defeat. He opened his trainer's bag, and withdrew the idol. The two scorched gems seemed to smolder in the presence of the ponies as he put it on her awaiting hoof. "Hate to let it go, and hate to admit it, but she's right."
As they turned to go, Trixie said irritably, "That's the most annoying thing about her: she almost always is."
Starlight lofted the idol with her magic, saying to Twilight, "We got it!"
"Okay!" Twilight said satisfied. "Well, Mr. Champion, we should be off. We meant this to be a one-day excursion, if possible."
"I understand," Devontae answered. Offering a handshake/hoofshake, he said, "Take care of yourselves. I'll never forget you."
Accepting the offered gesture, Twilight answered, "Definitely. May peace and friendship be with you all of your days."
"You too."
"Girls," Twilight called. Rarity set down Raichu and came over. Twilight opened her saddlebag. Starlight placed the idol in it as Twilight charged her horn to a high degree. In a flash they were gone.
Paddy gestured toward the door while Raichu returned to his ball. Still sounding disappointed, and even in disbelief, he asked, "With all of the Elite Four stepping out, have you given any thought to whom you'll tap?"
"I've heard there are several interested parties," Devontae said. "Misty, Brock, Sabrina, Falkner, and Clair have all said as much. And, I've also heard Lorelei has returned to the region."
And the doors to The Hall of Fame closed behind them.
{Things are on the mend.}
Twilight and her companions rematerialised in The Great Marsh, or what had been repaired of it. Roger Davidson was measuring moisture depth of the soil, which had not regained its old colour and scent. Davidson barked, "I thought we'd seen the last of you!"
Twilight started, "Sorry, Mr. Davidson, but we had to return--"
"For what!?" yelled Davidson.
When Twilight stared in timid shock, Starlight said, "To retrieve the artifact the Meagher brothers used to open the portal, so that no one can accidentally open it again."
"Good. Just don't let the portal hit you on the way out," Davidson snidely answered.
{Let him have a proper adieu.}
"Princess Twilight! I thought that was you I felt!"
All four ponies and Mr. Davidson turned to the west. Slowly walking up to them was Keldeo. Twilight cordially nodded and said, "Ah, Keldeo! Have you been well?"
"You look like you feel much better," Rarity said.
Keldeo stopped within a hoof's reach. Calmly he said in plain human speech, "Yes...yes, I do. You were right, Your Highness. I had lost myself. And meeting up with my uncles helped me turn it around."
"How did you 'turn it around?' What have you been doing?" asked Twilight.
Davidson had set down his tools and walked over to them. Keldeo gestured lightly as he said, "I still have a serious problem with humans that abuse their Pokemon, so that's what I've been working on."
"Hunting them down, and laying them waste?" Rarity asked with some bile.
Shaking his head, Keldeo gently said, "In honesty I've been tempted to do just that. But no. I've tipped off legal authorities where I could, usually anonymously. Other times I've lead a cop on the beat to where it was happening, and had a number caught in the act. A few times, especially near the beginning, I simply kicked in a door, so that the humans outside could see what was happening inside. I'd rather not go that route, but if it comes to it, I will. All of this has been much easier to pursue after Wally dethroned Blue for the World Championship. That was about a month after you guys left."
"Wally, huh?" asked Trixie with a skeptical eyebrow.
Davidson said, "Kid from Hoenn. His heart's in the right place, and it shows with his policies."
"About Aengus's age, maybe a year or two older," said Keldeo. "But he's right. Wally's off to a great start."
Rarity smiled, and asked, "No more blanket accusations, against all humans?"
"No. Not anymore," Keldeo said.
Rarity walked up to Keldeo and pulled him into a hug. He blinked in confusion a few times, then asked, "Um...what?"
"I'm so happy you're moving on in the right way," Rarity said at ease. "And I forgot to thank you, for your help in getting me home."
Keldeo then returned the hug. "I'm sorry about how I acted. I wasn't in the right space then."
"All is forgiven," Rarity said earnestly. "We've let it go."
"So Rapidash left with you, huh?" Keldeo said with a smile as they released each other.
"Yes, though after becoming fully pony, my husband took the legal name 'Rapid Dash,' to both fit in and to not discard his origins," Rarity answered.
"Speaking of, Mrs. Dash, we need to get home," Twilight said jokingly.
Rarity hugged Keldeo again before joining her companions as Twilight opened the saddlebag. Rarity said, "Still can't believe even you can teleport all of us that distance!"
"This place has been burned into my mind, just as the Indigo League Building is with you. I might not have needed the return rods," Twilight answered as she tapped the last bright blue gem. It broke, smoldering into a black mass as the portal popped open in front of them. All four stepped through, and a second later, it slammed shut.
{A heart has finally started to mend.}
Davidson and Keldeo caught each other staring. An awkward silence resulted. Half a minute went on by before Davidson said, "So, uh, you're into helping other Pokemon, them that's been abused?"
"Yeah," said Keldeo cautiously. "That's right."
More awkward silence. Then Davidson said, "Well...what about them that's had their home wrecked by two titans brawlin'?"
"You mean Omega Mewtwo and Princess Luna?" Keldeo said with a poker face.
Davidson gestured at all the craters and smashed trees around them. "Yeah, those would be they. Just look at this place!"
Keldeo took a step toward Davidson and gently, yet firmly, said, "The way Zekrom and Reshiram described it to me, Omega Mewtwo would have killed us all if Princess Luna had not been victorious. I don't like how she did it, but still, she saved us all."
"Suppose I'll have to give you that," Davidson grumbled, shaking his head.
Keldeo shrugged, doing what he could to mask his suspicion and distrust. With the start of a smile, asked, "Do you need some help?"
"Wouldn't object, if I can find use for you," Davidson answered, scratching his chin. "What type are you?"
"Water/Fighting."
"Oh!" said Davidson in sudden delight. "That's about perfect!"
Keldeo smiled genuinely, casting away his wariness piece by piece, albeit slowly. Nodding, he stood beside Davidson, and said, "Lead the way."
{We shall leave it here.} |
Pony Courtship Rituals | pre | "Perfect!" Chrysalis trotted over to the vanity, beginning to rummage through its drawers. "Now, to comb my hair, and I can wax my carapace, and polish my crown--"
"Excuse me, ma'am, but do you really think that's a good idea?"
A hush fell over the room, and Chrysalis turned slowly to face the insolent changeling.
"Would you care to repeat that?" she asked quietly, barely restrained rage audible in her voice.
"My name is P75-578DA," said the changeling wearily.
"Oh."
While the collaborative and information sharing abilities of the hivemind were enormous, it also lent itself extremely easily to creating an echo chamber effect. Chrysalis's position as Queen, and therefore the final arbiter of any decisions, tended to make things even worse.
The solution had been changelings like P75-578DA. While they were generally of the information-collating and decision-making caste, their specialized job was simple: to disagree with anything that was being discussed. If the hivemind began tending in one direction, they would take up the opposite side. If everyone wanted to go west, they said east. They rarely were ever able to actually change what the hivemind was planning on doing, but they could at least bring up problems with the direction things were going in and help the hivemind consider situations from different angles and think up alternate solutions.
As such, they were also the only changelings allowed to, in her own words, 'mouth off' to Chrysalis. While she made it abundantly clear that they were some of the most important and valued members of the hive, she also did not like being opposed. So her interactions with them tended to be a bit... strained.
"Okay, P75," she said with a suppressed disgruntled grumble, which echoed through the hivemind anyway, "Why don't you think I should get myself looking as good as possible for my date?"
"Because Cadance specifically told you not to," pointed out the changeling. "She said not to do anything special, at all. And if you start styling your hair and gussying yourself up, you run the risk of losing Twilight."
"Didn't you tell me not to trust Cadance when I first met with her?" queried Chrysalis, eyes narrow.
"She has every reason to despise us and want revenge for what we did at her wedding. We also have no easy way of verifying the information she's been giving us. But it's my job to disagree with what you want to do, ma'am. And making yourself look good for tonight goes against everything we've been told."
"It's not like I'm putting on a dress or anything, though! Just brushing the tangles out of my hair, waxing up my carapace so the chitin's nice and shiny--"
"And how often do you do that?" demanded P75. "If you turn up for the date looking like a picture-perfect Queen, it's going to be obvious you did something special. That's not going to be helpful for you at all, according to what Cadance has told us. Quite the opposite, in fact."
"Well... I mean..." she looked at the changeling meekly, eyes wide. "I can at least brush my hair, right? There's no reason to go out with it in tangles. I'd never do that, no matter what!"
"I'm not telling you what you can and can't do," replied the changeling with a sigh. "I'm just saying that Cadance told us to do one thing, and you want to go against her advice despite doing your best to trust her."
He considered the forlorn Chrysalis for a moment, then said, "Okay, if you want to brush your hair, that's fine. It's a... Queenly thing to do. And maybe your crown could use a slight buffing. It got a bit scuffed when you threw it at one of my colleagues for suggesting green didn't look good on you. But I think the carapace wax should be right out."
Conflict surged through the hivemind once more, but less so this time, and not driven by Chrysalis's frenzied panic. P75-578DA's suggestions were reasonable and logical, and calmness quickly flowed over the hive again.
"Very well," said Chrysalis stiffly. "I will not wax my carapace, and my crown shall only receive a modest buffing. But my mane shall be brushed, one hundred strokes from each changeling--"
P75-578DA cleared his throat, and Chrysalis glared at him, then let out an angry sigh. "Fine, fine. A normal brushing, so that it is no longer apparent that I put on and took off several dozen dresses just now. Is that good? Is that okay with you?"
P75 nodded and smiled, and Chrysalis whirled away with a huff. After a moment, though, she turned back.
"And... thank you, P75-578DA," she said, a strange expression on her face. "I know you're helping, and I appreciate it."
Every changeling in the room stared at her, mouths gaping open, and she quirked an eyebrow up at them. "What's the matter with all of you?"
"You've never actually thanked any of us out loud before," said P75 cautiously. "Normally you just let us know how you feel through the hivemind."
"You sounded like a pony just now," a changeling said.
"I think Twilight's rubbing off on you," said another teasingly.
"T-that's enough out of all of you!" barked Chrysalis, face darkened from a blush. "I can always send you off to dig more tunnels without any safety equipment! Get to work, you know what you have to do!"
The Queen stretched out on the floor, eyes half-lidded in contentment, as changelings surrounded her and began their ministrations. Several groups gathered at her head and tail, pulling soft-bristled brushes through her mane and making sure its holes were smooth and round. Her crown, meanwhile, was in the middle of three changelings fight over the polishing cloth, tugging it in every direction.
Chrysalis let her eyes slip fully closed, feeling truly relaxed for the first time in days. The hivemind was confident and gleeful, Cadance was providing her with all the insight she needed on how ponies worked, and it looked like everything about this night was going to go just perfect.
And even if it doesn't, I can still fall back on that kidnapping plan, she thought idly, and a happy smile blossomed on her face. |
Pony Courtship Rituals | Interlude: Cadance (I) | Cadance turned away from the deactivated crystal ball, stomping across the room of her small apartment. She tried taking deep breaths, mirroring the motion of her chest with one hoof, but even her go-to calming technique could do nothing when her teeth were clenched tight enough to crush boulders. Giving up, she scooped a pile of darts up in her magic and began to peg them into a picture of Chrysalis that was pinned to a dartboard across the room.
Why does Chrysalis have to ruin every... single... thing?! With each word, she slammed a dart into the picture with a wall-rattling thump.
First had been her wedding. The day she'd dreamed of since even before becoming a Princess and the literal embodiment of love. The day that should have been perfect. Instead, she'd been kidnapped, knocked unconscious, locked in a cave beneath Canterlot, half starved, had her husband-to-be brainwashed and nearly stolen from her, had her Aunt knocked out and imprisoned, and to top everything off, the kingdom that was her responsibility had been taken, however briefly, away from her.
But that hadn't been enough. Oh, no. Now Queen Chrysalis was back, attacking Cadance's family once again, this time going after her very own sister-in-law. Cadance's shock at reading Shining Armor's letter about Twilight's marriage had quickly given way to a burning, molten anger, as she contemplated all the horrible ways the changeling had warped the minds of those closest to her. She'd immediately made plans to head for Canterlot to free them, only to be hit with another shock as a wedding invitation arrived less than a day later. Clearly the corruption had spread further than she'd thought, and so she had spent days readying herself--girding her mind with spells to resist whatever tricks Chrysalis tried this time, fortifying her body with powerful shields, and steeling herself against the prospect of Chrysalis using her own family against her.
To her surprise, Chrysalis had sought her out as soon as she'd arrived in Canterlot. Cadance had agreed, and spent hours scouting out the meeting location, preparing wards, planning escape routes, and getting a feel for the type of ponies in the tavern to see if any were changelings. With a deep breath, senses on full alert, suspicious and cautious of everything, she had gone in to meet Queen Chrysalis face-to-face.
What she had been met with instead had been the cruelest, most twisted joke of all: the changeling actually thought she was in love with Twilight. It would have been funny, if it hadn't been both so sad and so incredibly dangerous. As long as she held the delusion that she was capable of love, Chrysalis was a threat to Canterlot and everypony in Equestria. Motivated solely by a lust for power, the Queen had come within a hair of conquering the kingdom. But if her 'love' was rejected, if her despair and anger caused her to start lashing out, if it became personal...
Chrysalis had explained everything that had happened: her wedding to Twilight, Twilight's confession that she wasn't actually in love with Chrysalis, and Chrysalis's declaration that she would win Twilight's heart. As she'd listened to the changeling's story and plea for assistance, a plan had crystallized in Cadance's mind. She would give Chrysalis advice... advice that would prove to Twilight once and for all that the changeling was incapable of love, that she was as uncaring and callous as Cadance knew she was. It was the best chance to get the whole mess cleared up without violence; the changeling's illusion of love would force her to accept Twilight's rejection and she would slink off back to her hive, and everypony would be happy.
And the near-collapse of that plan was what had Cadance so infuriated. The changeling had had the arrogance, the sheer, unmitigated gall, to reject her advice. Her, the Princess of Love herself!
The first date had gone perfectly. Chrysalis had done everything Cadance had told her to through the magical earring, being her usual cold, dismissive self. Convincing the changeling to leave in the middle of the meal had taken some doing--she'd had to spring that idea on Chrysalis without warning, because if she'd told her beforehoof there would have been nothing but argument, followed by a failure to actually accomplish the task. But by giving her the order in the middle of the dinner, she'd been able to pressure Chrysalis, ordering her to either leave or make do without advice. Reluctant and dragging her hooves, Chrysalis had complied, and Cadance had spent the rest of the night giggling with glee at how well everything had gone.
But the next day, disaster had struck.
Panicked by Twilight's letter, Chrysalis hadn't even bothered to consult with Cadance before heading out to abduct the Princess and take her on another date. And somehow, somehow, she had actually managed to come up with a meaningful and romantic date, completely undoing all of Cadance's work from the night before. She might have even made ground on tricking Twilight into loving her!
Cadance had been livid, and had verbally torn a strip off Chrysalis's hide--well, carapace--but the changeling had just nodded sadly, acting apologetic while still stubbornly refusing to admit she was wrong.
Things had not gone well after that. Every bit of progress Cadance made was undone by Chrysalis either refusing to obey her commands or going rogue on a date and ignoring repeated orders to stop treating Twilight with kindness. Cadance reprimanded Chrysalis each time it happened, but there was a limit to how far she could go. No matter what she threatened, she couldn't actually abandon the changeling to her own devices. She hadn't even dared trying to push Chrysalis into doing something as extreme as leaving Twilight during a date, either. If she had, and Chrysalis refused, the changeling might have figured out how powerless Cadance actually was in their relationship. So she had to sit there, watching through the crystal ball and fuming, as the changeling pretended to love her sister. As the changeling pretended she had a heart.
Cadance sighed, trotting over to pull the darts out of the board and inspect the picture. In it, Chrysalis was snarling--for some reason, she was always snarling in every photo that was taken of her--and thanks to the darts, she currently had more holes in the picture than she did in real life. Cadance let the picture fall in a nearby trashcan, and pulled another off the tall stack that stood nearby. She'd already gone through half of them over the past six months. Three broken dartboards also lay littered about the floor of the small apartment--they were at least somewhat more sturdy than the photographs.
She didn't truly hate Chrysalis. And she knew, for a fact, that the changeling did have a heart. After all, she clearly cared about her children more than anything; Cadance had heard her talk about them often enough to know that was true. But the idea that a changeling could love a pony was ridiculous. Ponies produced love, and changelings consumed it. The end. It was a relationship that only went one way; reversing it somehow was unthinkable.
There was no hate in Cadance's heart. None at all, she assured herself firmly, nodding. But there was an order to the world, a place for each pony, changeling and other creature. Nowhere in that order did changelings love ponies. She didn't begrudge the changelings the love they ate--after all, her love was for all the creatures of the world, even if they were parasites, and it brought her nothing but joy to know her love was so, well, loved. But changelings loving, rather than stealing and consuming love, was just... unnatural. It went against everything she knew about their kind.
Besides, as Princess of Love she had a duty to make sure her love was used wisely and responsibly, and to make sure ponies loved who they were supposed to love. To make sure that they would love ponies (or other creatures) that would return their love properly. That, more than anything else, was what this was all about.
She'd already planned Twilight's love life out for the next half century, and nowhere in that plan was Queen Chrysalis, or any changelings at all for that matter. Sunset Shimmer coming through the mirror portal in Cadance's very own castle had been a stroke of luck; she'd convinced her aunts that Twilight should follow through alone, and the newly-minted Princess had been able to have her first little fling on the other side. Cadance had even arranged for Twilight to get together with the Flash Sentry of this world afterwards, and had watched with approval as they drifted apart after the first little spark of interest. That had been a nice, safe way for Twilight to experience a bit of romance.
After all, Twilight had a long road ahead, and at the end of it lay the Princess of the Sun. Celestia thought she was being subtle about her little crush, but she couldn't fool the Princess of Love, and Cadance could think of no better gift for her aunt than the pony she loved.
Or, maybe Princess Luna would be the pony for Twilight. There could be a certain coolness between the two at times, but Luna's gratefulness to the pony who had saved her from her own jealousy was abundant and obvious. It would be easy, too; a night spent stargazing, their hooves touch, their eyes meet... and then magic is made under the night sky.
For that matter, there were any number of ponies that were appropriate for Twilight--ponies, or griffins, or dragons. Even Discord was a better option, for Celestia's sake.
Because the point was, none of them were changelings. They would love Twilight the way she deserved to be loved, and they would deserve the love that Twilight would give back to them. Queen Chrysalis could do neither of those things.
Yes. She had a plan, and Chrysalis's appearance in it was merely an anomaly that she would correct, whatever it took.
It's not like Twilight, or anypony, could ever love Chrysalis anyway, she thought with a shudder, stretching out on a couch to relax before the most important date of her life. Nothing that changeling did could endear her to a pony. Why, just look at how she had acted during a simple walk in the park...
The night was warm, cooled by a breeze that pushed a few wispy clouds across the sky. Luna's moon seemed brighter than ever, and the stars twinkled cheerfully as they looked down on Canterlot Central Park. Between the park's trees, ponies walked, many of them couples out for a romantic stroll, but most just there to enjoy a beautiful night.
"See? Isn't this nice?" asked Twilight with a hopeful smile, ignoring the invisible circle around them that the other couples wouldn't cross into.
"Oh yes, walking through a field with trees is... I believe the word you would use is 'woo'", replied Chrysalis dolefully.
"It's a park, not a field with trees," scolded Twilight. "How can you not enjoy this? The night is beautiful, the grass is green..."
"I will admit this night is quite pleasant. The Moon Princess does good work." Twilight turned, a glare forming on her face, and Chrysalis held up a hoof hurriedly. "She said I could call her that!"
Twilight held her suspicious gaze for a moment longer, then gave a small nod, and Chrysalis surreptitiously let out the breath she'd been holding.
"But yes, I am enjoying the night. Luna has said she may let me design the stars one night, and I look forward to it."
"She actually asked you to do that?!" gasped Twilight, and let out a small 'squee!' when Chrysalis nodded in puzzlement. "It was years before she asked me to! Oh, I'm so happy to see you learning about friendship!"
"Friendship is... pushing it a bit far," said Chrysalis uncomfortably, looking away. "We merely like spending a little bit of time together, doing things we both enjoy, talking..."
"That is friendship, you big silly changeling!" Twilight gave Chrysalis a push on the shoulder, and she turned away.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Chrysalis said grumpily.
"Fine, fine." Twilight rolled her eyes, but she had a happy smile on her face. "Let's talk about the grass, then. What don't you like about that?"
"Look at it!" cried Chrysalis, with a vicious jab of her hoof towards the side of the path that sent a couple sitting under a tree running for cover. "It's green! Such a hideous color!"
"But... I've never seen anything more green than the inside of your hive, and you're almost half green--"
"Those are proper greens!" declared Chrysalis imperiously. "The greens of my eyes, my mane, my shell. The green of slime, shimmering gently on a hive wall, the green of a pod filled with a fresh victim--"
"Okay, those are all good greens," Twilight said hurriedly, glancing around at their fellow walkers, who were now shying away more than ever. "What's wrong with the grass's green?"
"It's... plant green." Chrysalis shuddered. "Disgusting."
"Okay, you don't like the grass. Fine." Twilight humphed angrily. "Maybe we should just call this night off right here, then."
"I would be more than glad to," sneered Chrysalis, and Twilight spun to face her, face shocked and hurt.
"No, wait! I mean... don't leave. Please. I do like it here. Because you're here."
She smiled pleadingly, the ear that she wore an earring in flicking as though shooing away a fly, and finally Twilight smiled back.
"Okay. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that anyway. And... I like being here with you too."
Their eyes met, their smiles deepening, and Chrysalis's ear began fluttering like a flag in a gale. After a moment, they began walking again, side by side and closer than before.
Eventually they reached a fountain. A statue stood upon its stone plinth, depicting Princess Celestia and Princess Luna rearing up, hooves held to the sky as though blessing their city. And, in a bizarre and hilarious touch, water sprayed from their mouths. Twilight knew for a fact that both Princesses had overlooked that little fact prior to the fountain's construction, and that Celestia had been trying for years to get 'that abomination' removed from the park.
But here, in the night, it didn't look so bad. The water that arced up and then drifted down in a spray danced in the light from the nearby lampposts, seeming almost to glow on its own. Twilight smiled happily at the sight, and trotted ahead quickly to lay on its edge.
"Come on," she said, beckoning Chrysalis over with a toss of her head before turning to trail a hoof in the water.
"This is perfect," whispered Cadance in Chrysalis's ear before she could move. "Splash her with water when you sit next to her."
"What? But, her dress--"
"Yes, it will get all wet!" said Cadance triumphantly. "Get her mane, too. Try to get her as wet as you can before she finally leaves."
"I-I don't know... I don't think she likes getting wet. I mean, you ponies have all that fur..."
"Trust me, she'll like it if you do it," Cadance said with confidence. "Make sure to laugh at her, too."
Chrysalis still hesitated, shuffling her hooves, but suddenly a mischievous smile grew on her face. "Actually, I have an even better idea," she said with a smooth chuckle.
She slunk closer to Twilight, creeping along with her belly nearly on the ground, then suddenly lunged forward and shoved her with two hooves. The Princess flew into the fountain, thrashing and sputtering, and Cadance had to lean back from the crystal ball and put her hooves over her mouth to smother her laughter. That was a better idea!
Twilight got her hooves under herself and stood up, water running off her back in streams, her mane and dress sticking to her body. She glared down with puffed out cheeks at Chrysalis, who was rolling back and forth on her shell and laughing like a madpony.
"And just what do you think is so funny?" growled the dripping pony.
"Insult her!" cried Cadance, having gotten her own laughter under control. "Make a joke about her!"
"I'm laughing," said Chrysalis, pushing herself up on one hoof to smirk at Twilight, "Because I always thought you were a bit of a drip, and now I know for sure."
"A drip, huh?" said Twilight with a glare, her horn glowing. "Well, I don't think I'm the only one..."
Chrysalis blinked, realizing that the fountain seemed to have suddenly stopped running. She looked up, into an enormous ball of water held in Twilight's magic. Futilely, she tried scrambling to her hooves, not even coming close before the entire ball fell straight down on her.
Dripping, Chrysalis rose slowly above the edge of the fountain, water beading on her carapace. Her mane hadn't been affected much by the water, aside from sticking to her face, but her tail now drooped to the ground and lay in a puddle. She glared angrily at the smirking pony standing in the fountain.
"Looks like I was right," said Twilight smugly.
Chrysalis held her glare for a moment longer, then spoke three furious words.
"You are dead."
She launched herself at the soaked Princess, who squealed and tried to run away. She was too slow, though, and Chrysalis caught her and dunked her head in the water. Chrysalis pulled back to gloat at Twilight as she sputtered and laughed, which gave the Princess the opportunity to kick the changeling's forelegs out from under her and send her tumbling down into the water as well.
Cadance shuddered again as she recalled that horrific scene. Chrysalis had actually been trying to drown Twilight, and laughing as she did it! Luckily, Twilight had been able to fight back until the changeling had finally relented and let her scramble out of the fountain. Even then, Twilight had been so traumatized by the experience she'd been too scared to try and leave Chrysalis's side, and she'd been forced to spend several more hours with the changeling before finally making her escape.
The worst part had been the next few days, although Cadance hadn't learned so until later. After getting wet and spending the night out in the air, Twilight had caught a cold and been confined to her bed, shivering and coughing. It had broken Cadance's heart that she hadn't been able to help her, and instead Twilight had been forced to make do with Chrysalis. The things Chrysalis had done while trying to take care of Twilight had been horrifying to learn.
The fact that Twilight still hadn't told Chrysalis to get lost was absolutely baffling to Cadance. At this point, she was putting it down to Twilight's sheer terror of the changeling, her fear at what Chrysalis would do if she were shunned. Celestia knew the changeling was violent and erratic; there was no telling what she might do if her fictional 'love' were thrown back in her face.
There was one other possibility she'd been considering: some kind of subtle brainwashing, maybe a poison or venom of some sort. The leftovers of Twilight's food she'd managed to get ahold of hadn't shown anything, but it was possible Chrysalis was biting her while Cadance wasn't watching, or maybe exuding an invisible gas of some kind. They also seemed to spend a suspicious amount of time looking into each other's eyes, and she couldn't rule out that Chrysalis was hypnotizing her during those moments.
She had to figure out how Chrysalis was tricking Twilight like this. There was no other way that monster could get real love, and if taking it away from her was what she needed to do, well then it was perfect that her revenge could be such a delicious bit of ironic justice--
No, no! Cadance put a hoof to her forehead, taking a deep breath. This wasn't about revenge. This wasn't even about Chrysalis. It was about one thing and one thing only: Twilight.
She had to save Twilight. She'd known Twilight since foalsitting her when she was a filly, she was her sister, and on top of all that they were good friends. She owed it to Twilight to save her, to free her from the changeling's clutches and find her somepony that could actually love her. Not only was it something she had to do as a friend and family member, but she was the Princess of Love. It was her responsibility, her duty, to see that Twilight and Chrysalis were no longer together, making a mockery of the very concept of love. It didn't matter what she had to do to stop them, either; she had justice and righteousness on her side.
She pushed herself off the couch, getting to her hooves and trotting over to the table that held the crystal ball. She stopped once in front of it, gazing lovingly at its shining surface, and reached out with a hoof to gently caress it.
"Don't you worry about a thing, Twilight." she whispered softly. "I'm going to save you." |
Pony Courtship Rituals | Chapter Three: The Date (part one) | A black chariot, pulled by changelings, sat in the middle of Canterlot's fanciest downtown restaurant district, blocking off most of the street. At this point, such a sight was so routine that only a few of the most curious ponies stood gathered around.
One such pony, a small filly, crept close to one of the changelings that stood in the chariot's harness. She looked up at him in amazement and wonder, and then suddenly he turned, mouth opening to reveal pointed fangs and a forked tongue as he let out a long, fearsome hiss. With a squeak of fear, the filly scrambled back until she was safely behind her mother's legs, and then peeked back out, trembling slightly.
The changeling blinked, staring after her with wide, puzzled eyes, then turned to the changeling harnessed beside him.
"Is that always how ponies react when you say hello?" he chirped questioningly, and the other changeling sighed and put a hoof over his face.
"You really need to get out of the hive more often."
Both changelings faced forward again, trying to ignore the ball of nervous, vibrating energy that was sitting upon the seat far above them and flooding their hivemind link with panicked thoughts.
Queen Chrysalis sat upon her haunches, breathing rapidly with her eyes wide and unfocused as she tried to calm her frantic nerves. Whatever reassurances she'd gotten from Cadance's advice and the help of her changelings had disappeared once she'd been airborne and left to her own devices.
What if Twilight had already decided she didn't love her? What if she messed up this date somehow? What if Cadance's earring broke and Chrysalis couldn't hear her advice anymore? What if she'd had her chariot land on the wrong street?! What if she'd forgotten the correct time and had already missed the dinner and now Twilight hated her again--
Murmurs from the crowd caught her attention, and she looked up to see a royal chariot swooping down to land on the opposite side of the street from her own. Expecting to find one of the Royal Sisters upon its seat, she was shocked to instead see Twilight looking back at her. Concerns gone, she scrambled to her hooves and leapt down from her chariot, ignoring the cracks she left in the cobblestones as she galloped across to Twilight's chariot.
"You made it!" she cried, prancing next to the chariot, and Twilight giggled.
"Of course I did, silly. Did you really think I wouldn't?"
"No, no... of course not."
She stood there, lost as she stared at her love. Twilight had worn makeup, just to look special for this date. And she'd worn a blue dress, one that brought out the navy of her mane but was light enough to match her coat. Her jewelry was perfect, too. Gold might work on a pony like Princess Celestia, but silver was definitely more Twilight's color...
Finally, Twilight cleared her throat and shifted nervously.
"Oh! Here," Chrysalis held out a hoof, "we should go inside. Let me help you down."
"You really don't need to," said Twilight, a slight blush on her face as she got up from her seat.
"But I want to."
Chrysalis's heart raced as Twilight placed her hoof in her own, and she held it steady as the pony climbed down to the street. They stood there for a moment, gazing at each other.
"I can't believe you actually got us a reservation here," said Twilight finally. "This is one of the most exclusive restaurants in all of Canterlot. They say even Princess Celestia has to call at least a week in advance!"
Most high class restaurants in Canterlot made sure ponies knew they were getting what they paid for: marble columns lined the walls, the tablecloths were made of silk, the silverware was actually gold, and so on. Others took the opposite approach, cultivating the appearance of a dive while still keeping prices high enough that most ponies would need to take out a second mortgage to pay for a meal.
This restaurant, Le sac d'alimentation, stood out by doing neither. It was nice enough--the restaurant's name was prominently displayed on the awning over the entrance, vines grew on its quiet and unassuming brick facade--but the clue as to its real nature was the maître d' standing just inside the entrance, ready to turn away the unworthy.
"Hmph. I am the Queen Princess of Equestria," proclaimed the changeling proudly, putting a hoof to her chest. "A mere visit, and they were trembling and begging for me to dine in their establishment!"
"Uh huh." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Well, at least I know the most you did is threaten a maitre'd or two, since I would have gotten a letter about it otherwise. And you know you're not supposed to call yourself a Queen Princess! Princess Celestia gets upset every time she hears about it! And, and, you're not supposed to declare yourself the Queen Princess of all Equestria! It's not just you!"
"Oh! That's not what I meant!" Chrysalis put a hoof to her mouth. "You're a Queen Princess too, of course!"
"That's..." despite herself, Twilight let out a small snort, trying to stop herself from smiling. "Alright, alright, let's go. We can talk about it later if we need to. This is supposed to be a special night, after all."
This time she was the one to hold out a hoof. Chrysalis blinked at it, then, slowly, reached out and took it.
"Your dress..." said Chrysalis, as their eyes met.
"Oh? Y-yes?"
"It... it makes you look..."
"Frumpy!" suggested Cadance through the earring. She'd allowed Chrysalis a few moments of tenderness with Twilight, but only because of the hope that letting her perform those small kindnesses would make the changeling more susceptible to her pressure to insult the small pony. "Dumpy! Dowdy! Like a mop bucket with a rag on it!"
"... beautiful," finished Chrysalis.
"O-oh. Well... thank you. I'd say the same back, except you're not wearing a dress." Twilight gave a nervous swallow, looking away momentarily. "But... you don't really need one."
Matching blushes on their faces, the pony and the changeling climbed up the curb and passed through the doors into the restaurant together. As Chrysalis walked, she did her best to ignore the snorts of rage and grinding teeth that came to her over the earring.
Chrysalis had made sure to get a private room in the restaurant for their dinner. Everything had to be just right, and having other ponies around could only cause problems, whether they were gawkers, ponies nervous at simply having a changeling around, or even the rare occurrence of protesters.
Getting to the room was accomplished with little trouble, 'little trouble' in this case meaning Chrysalis threatening the maitre'd with death, making snarky comments about the restaurant's decor, and suggesting that the restaurant might have larger issues with fire if any of their food were overcooked. Twilight had finally scolded her and told her to be nice, and the conciliatory apology she'd given had seemed to make Twilight happy.
The room itself was small and intimate, blocked off from the main dining area by a thick velvet curtain. Inside, the room was lit by candles in wall sconces, and there was simply a table with two chairs. Lush carpeting met up with the edges of walls painted a rich red, and a painting hung upon one wall, depicting a lush forest dappled with shafts of sunlight.
"Use your magic!" whispered Cadance urgently as they moved towards the table. "Pull Twilight's chair out from under her when she tries to sit down. It'll be a joke."
Chrysalis glanced towards Twilight, an almost fearful expression on her face, then turned away, shaking her head quickly.
"You listen to me, Chrysalis," growled Cadance. "I am trying to help you. Do as I say!"
Chrysalis stared straightforward, shaking her head even more frantically, and sat down in her chair, motions robotic. There was silence for a moment, and then Cadance's frosty voice came to her through the earring.
"You are on thin ice here, Chrysalis."
The changeling hunched over, burying her face in her menu, as though that could somehow block Cadance's voice from her mind. From a changeling point of view, the menu was quite boring; very few pony restaurants served meat. But thanks to Twilight, Chrysalis's culinary horizons had broadened a bit--when it came to solid food, that is--and at least a few of the dishes didn't look too gut-wrenchingly awful.
"It all looks so good," said Twilight cheerfully after a few moments of inspecting her menu. "Really expensive, though."
Angry whispers came through Chrysalis's earring. She bit her lip, trying to object, but the whispers grew more heated, and finally she looked up.
"Well, that doesn't matter to me. After all, you're paying." Twilight's mouth dropped open as she looked at Chrysalis in shock, and the changeling sneered. "What, do I look like I'm made out of bits?"
"N-no, I just thought--it's fine, I can pay." She tried to give a cheerful smile. "I have quite a bit of royal funding that I hardly ever use, not to mention a small income from all the papers I write and spells I create, so I'm not hurting for money. Order anything you want, it's my treat."
Chrysalis stared across the table at her, heart melting all over again. "No, I didn't mean it like that." She reached a hoof across the table. "You don't have to--"
"Please." Twilight reached out as well, laying her hoof on top of Chrysalis's. "I want to. It's the least I can do, after you put all this together for me."
Chrysalis blushed as she locked eyes with Twilight. They held their hooves together for a long moment, despite the increasing volume of grinding teeth that Chrysalis heard through the earring.
They ordered their meals, the waiter returning after a moment with the bottle of wine they'd chosen. Chrysalis popped the cork, pouring Twilight a glass before her own, and then lifted her glass as she set the bottle aside.
"To you," she said softly, green magical aura around glass of red wine making a cheery sight.
"To... us," responded Twilight.
She floated her glass forward to clink it carefully against the one held by the suddenly-frozen changeling. Chrysalis managed to regain enough control of her movements to tilt the glass in acknowledgement, and they drank.
Twilight just sipped at her wine; she was giddy enough as it was. This was exactly the kind of date she'd wanted from the beginning. No wrestling matches, no symposiums on new advances in griffin magical theory (even she'd admitted that one had been a bad idea), no apple picking outings that turned into them being chased off the property by pitchfork-wielding ponies (although Applejack had been very understanding about the whole incident once she'd calmed down). This was a classic romantic date: dinner in a fancy restaurant, wine, a private room lit only by candles... it was just like in all the books she'd read to prepare for this. Even better, it was with the Chrysalis she knew and lov... liked. She was prickly and grumpy like always, and that just made the sudden doses of sweetness all the better.
Chrysalis, for her part, took several gulps of her wine. She needed something to calm her jangling nerves. Everything had gone well so far, but experience had already proven that disaster lurked around every corner, even with Cadance's help. And those thoughts of her teacher and guide didn't help, either. She'd followed the instructions to make Twilight pay for the meal, but she'd also ignored two of Cadance's other orders, and the seething silence coming through the earring now was frightening. Above all, though, the unknown was what worried her. She'd never been nervous before, and that was making it all worse. She was a Queen, other changelings and ponies got nervous around her; she didn't get nervous about anything! The entire idea was ridiculous. But then she looked across the table at Twilight from over her lowered wineglass, and perversely felt herself calm slightly as she realized exactly why she was so nervous in the first place: because that was her Queen sitting there.
"I like your perfume," said Twilight suddenly, breaking Chrysalis out of her reverie.
"Oh! T-thank you."
"It's a really nice scent. I can't place it, but it's quite exotic."
"Just a little something I had in my collection," Chrysalis replied nonchalantly with a wave of her hoof, even as she smiled with glee internally. I knew dead manticore was the right choice!
"So, how have you been?" asked Chrysalis after a moment. Twilight's compliment had been a huge boost to her confidence, but her hooves still fidgeted nervously on the tabletop. "Anything exciting happen recently?"
"Oh, the usual. Pinkie 'invented' a new kind of cupcake that set things on fire, Spike's been moping around because Rarity went on a date with some stallion recently... oh, and Rainbow almost got fired from the weather team for making clouds in certain 'suggestive' shapes. Again. Nothing really new."
"Ah. So, no exciting battles against villains trying to take over Equestria?" teased Chrysalis, and Twilight snorted.
"No, no, everything's been all quiet on that front." She lifted her wineglass to take a sip, and gave Chrysalis a glance over the top of its rim. "I think they're all too scared of the big, mean villain that seems to have taken up permanent residence here."
"I think you forgot to add beautiful and intelligent, too," said Chrysalis, giving a toss of her mane and winking.
Twilight chuckled, but then quickly sobered up. "Actually, I am worried about something along those lines, but it's more of a domestic political thing."
"Oh?"
"Yes. How have your changelings been doing, trying to fit in?"
"Ah." Chrysalis leaned back in her seat. "You're talking about all the protests."
"Yes. Not all ponies are happy to forgive you after what you did, and tried to do." Chrysalis let out a dismissive snort and rolled her eyes, and Twilight frowned. "Don't be that way! I'm trying to help you and your changelings, and your attitude is not helping. The fact that I had to apologize for your actions on your behalf only hurts things as well."
Most ponies had been terrified to learn of the wedding of one of their Princesses to the Queen of the changelings who had attacked their kingdom, fearing it was another ploy. The actual wedding itself, along with the obvious support of the other Princesses, had quelled much of that fear. But no matter how much harmony and friendship Equestria held, there would always be some ponies who distrusted such obvious outsiders. It didn't help that the changelings were hard and dark compared to the soft and bright ponies, nor that they could only speak in hisses, snarls and clicks in their natural forms. Beyond that, it was just hard for even the most forgiving ponies to put the invasion behind them, and when a pony wasn't inclined towards forgiveness in the first place...
To the shame of the Princesses, and most of the rest of Equestria, a number of protests had cropped up, demanding various things--the banishment of all the changelings being a popular goal, but worse ones as well, up to and including the impeachment of the Princesses for even considering amnesty, and the execution of Chrysalis.
Naturally, the Princesses were disinclined to listen to these demands. Especially the latter, in Twilight's case. One particularly egregious protest had resulted in a mad scramble through ancient legal documents to prove that it was actually legal for a Princess to destroy any part of Canterlot she wished, provided no life was lost and the damages were repaid. But at the same time, they could not forbid the protests, free speech being cherished in Equestria as it was, and they had to just counter the protests and attempt to sway public opinion in their favor as best they could. At least when a protest descended into violence, arrests could be made, but that was an outcome no one wanted to see. Fortunately, no changelings or ponies had been hurt, at least so far.
"I don't have anything to apologize for," sniffed Chrysalis dismissively, turning up her nose. "I do what I need to do to feed the hive. That is all that I care about."
"What about me?" asked Twilight, and Chrysalis gave a little jump. "I mean, you did attack my kingdom, all of my friends and family. Why, you didn't even know about me at the time! What if we had never met, and I had gotten hurt in the attack?"
"That's not fair," huffed Chrysalis, crossing her forelegs. "You're asking about something I couldn't possibly have predicted."
"Okay, fine. Then what if you had known about me? What if you had met me before even beginning the invasion and fallen in love with me? Would you have still gone through with it?"
Chrysalis looked at her for a moment, then grinned widely, fangs dripping venom. "Without hesitation. I would have redoubled my preparations if I had known about you beforehoof. I would have taken no prisoners and allowed no chances at failure, and I would have made you mine."
Twilight stared back at her, mouth struggling. "You're terrible..." she said finally, trying to hide her smile and blush behind a hoof.
"And that's what makes me so irresistible, isn't it?" Chrysalis asked, tilting her head to give Twilight a sultry stare.
With a bit of effort, Twilight managed to get herself under control, and gave Chrysalis a stern look. "What it makes you is in danger, Chrysalis. You and your changelings. These protesters aren't just going to go away, and some of them have been making threats. You do know that there are anti-changeling groups forming, right? Some of the reports we've been getting about them are frightening, too. They've been talking about actual violence."
"I'm sure it will be fine," said Chrysalis unconcernedly, shrugging.
"How can you be so calm?!"
"Because we're not going to let them actually do anything."
"What..." Twilight glared suspiciously at Chrysalis. "What do you mean?"
"We're the ones who formed all those anti-changeling groups," replied Chrysalis smugly.
"W-what?!"
There was a flash of green light, and suddenly Applejack was sitting at the table across from her. "Well, shucks, pardner this ain't our first rodeo, y'all know what I'm sayin'? Yeehaw, yippee-ki-yay--"
"Stop that!" snapped Twilight, and Chrysalis switched back into her true form. "I told you not to change into my friends! And your Applejack is terrible, anyway."
She glared at Chrysalis until the changeling hung her head, and then nodded. "That's better. Now, tell me exactly what you've been doing."
"As I was trying to say, we know how all this works. Ponies are so distrusting, just because you want to imitate their loved ones and feed off their love."
"Yes, imagine that," said Twilight dryly.
"We knew what to expect when we decided to try integrating with Equestria. Even if we hadn't, it's not too hard to guess how ponies would react to our presence. You talk about what a shame it is that your ponies are protesting, that they fear the unknown, but that's just normal behavior. We've seen countless civilizations over the centuries, all across the world, and yours is no exception."
She held Twilight's eyes for a moment, then continued.
"These anti-changeling groups were going to form anyway, so... we simply formed them first. We're the leaders of the groups, we direct their actions and control their moves." She smiled evilly. "We keep an eye on them, keep ourselves safe... and if a member or two happens to be a little bit too enthusiastic, we arrange things so that they stop being a problem."
"What... do you mean?"
Chrysalis rolled her eyes upward, expression innocent. "Did you hear about those ponies who tried to firebomb a 'changeling owned' store downtown?"
"You didn't."
"The Royal Guards showed up just in time, didn't they?"
"What if they hadn't?! Someone could have lost their business! Or even gotten really hurt!"
"But they didn't." Chrysalis gave Twilight an uncomfortable look. "We're being... careful, Twilight. For you."
Twilight groaned and buried her face in her hooves. "Thank you, but... don't do anything like that again. Nothing that could even possibly hurt a pony."
An angry sigh came from the changeling, but she nodded. "Fine."
"And... I want to tell you to stop leading the anti-changeling groups, but it is keeping your changelings safe..."
"Then why would you want us to stop?" asked Chrysalis, looking puzzled and almost hurt.
"Because it's just so... evil!" cried Twilight. "You're using your shapeshifting abilities to manipulate ponies! That's... that's wrong, even if it is for a good reason!"
"Sometimes I don't understand you ponies at all," said Chrysalis softly, shaking her head.
"I know. I feel the same way about you." Twilight's head was bowed, but then she raised it and gave the changeling a trembling smile. "But, I do like learning about you. So that I can understand."
Chrysalis smiled back. "I've found I actually feel the same way."
They made small talk for the next few minutes, just the meaningless talk of two ponies who liked to be around each other. And when they ran out of things to say, they didn't have to say anything. Just happy to be together, they sat in comfortable silence--aside from Chrysalis's humming, of course...
They were almost disappointed when the waiter returned with their meals, but the chefs had lived up to their reputations. Twilight had a salad made from what seemed to be the lushest, greenest lettuce ever grown. Crisp tomatoes and cucumbers decorated the leaves, along with a few rare and expensive truffles. There was even a sprinkling of pepper in her dressing, just the way she liked. Chrysalis, meanwhile, had a plate that seemed to be dripping with zap-apple jam. From experience, though, Twilight knew there was a pile of other vegetables underneath all that jam. It really was one of the most expensive things on the menu--zap-apple jam was not cheap, there being such a limited supply of it--but it was one of the few vegetarian meals Chrysalis truly enjoyed, and Twilight decided it was worth the bits to see the changeling so happy.
"You keep eating food full of that much sugar and you're going to lose your fangs," observed Twilight. She might like to see Chrysalis happy, but that didn't mean she was above some friendly teasing.
"Well, what can I say? I like to eat sweet things." Chrysalis gave her a smoldering glance across the table, running her tongue slowly over her lips. "Although, I haven't gotten a taste of the sweetest thing in the room yet..."
"Okay, okay, let's just eat," said Twilight, a flustered blush on her face.
They ate eagerly, talking little besides sounds of pleasure at the taste of their meals. What they did say consisted mostly of Twilight raving about how good the food was and complementing the chefs, and even Chrysalis grudgingly admitted her meal was delicious.
They were partway through the meal when Chrysalis suddenly jumped, nearly sending her wineglass flying.
"Are you okay?" asked Twilight, concern clear on her face.
"Oh, um, yes, I-I just..." Chrysalis coughed into her hoof a few times. "I just got something caught in my throat." She gave Twilight a wide, uncertain smile. "All better now!"
Twilight looked at her for a moment longer, then nodded and resumed eating, while Chrysalis looked down at her plate.
"Don't pretend you can't hear me," came Cadance's voice over the earring, icily calm with fury. "Do what I say!"
"But... but everything's going so well!" Chrysalis whispered quietly but intensely into her meal. "I just want to talk with her a little more. Please, don't make me do this."
"I am trying to help you here, Chrysalis!" Cadance had abandoned all pretense at kindness and was simply shouting orders now. "This is your last chance, and if you don't do this I am done with you!"
Chrysalis remained staring down at her plate.
"Now pick up your food and throw it on the floor, then tell Twilight dinner's over. It's time to move onto something else."
The changeling's breath started to become ragged and she shook her head, but otherwise didn't move.
"Pick up your food, Chrysalis, and dump it on the floor."
Slowly, Chrysalis brought her hoof up to her plate. She held it there for a moment, then raised it further and pulled the earring from her ear.
"Chrysalis? Chrysalis, what are you--!"
Cadance's voice faded as Chrysalis moved the earring down and dropped it on the floor. She hesitated for a second, then brought her hind leg down, grinding the earring under her hoof. There was a crunch and a brief flash of magic dissipating into the air, and then nothing.
Twilight looked up as she saw Chrysalis's body jerk with the force of the stomp, and felt the slight tingle of magic.
"Chrysalis? What was that? Are you alright?"
Chrysalis continued to stare at her plate, getting her breathing back under control, then looked up.
"Yes, Twilight. Everything's fine." She smiled. "Everything's just fine, now."
Cadance's head jerked back as the image of Chrysalis's hoof grew large on the crystal ball's surface, then there was a squeal of magical feedback and the crystal went blank. She stood there for a long moment, staring unbelievingly at the dead crystal ball.
"She... she didn't."
The crystal ball remained totally, tauntingly empty of any images.
"She didn't!"
There was an explosion of magic, as Cadance summoned her regalia to herself and her hair twisted about her head, styling itself back into its usual regal form.
"That arrogant, insolent little bug!"
She walked to the balcony door, kicking it open and striding out. Silence descended over the street below as the passing ponies looked up and beheld a Princess blazing with righteous fury climbing up onto the railing outside her room.
"Fine, then!" she bellowed. "If I have to bring the love myself, I will!"
She kicked off from the balcony, spreading her wings and sweeping out over Canterlot.
Their meals had been finished and the plates taken away, but Chrysalis and Twilight had remained at their table, chatting happily for several minutes.
"Thank you for this night, Chrysalis," said Twilight finally. "I--"
"Don't say anything else, Twilight, please." Chrysalis reached across the table towards her, eyes pleading. "I have so much more planned for you tonight, so much more I want to show you. I... I just..."
"It's okay, Chrysalis." Twilight laid her hoof on top of Chrysalis's once more. "I understand how special you want this night to be, and it has been, even just this meal. Anything you want to do, I will." She smiled. "But maybe... we could delay your other plans a bit? I like just sitting here, talking to you."
"Of course, Twilight. Anything you want."
They looked at each other, then, at the same time, both moved forward, leaning across the table towards each other.
A commotion suddenly interrupted them, and they sat back. Muffled voices came through the curtain blocking off their room, strident at first then changing to a nearly inaudible apologetic tone. More murmurs arose after a moment, with what sounded like a few angry shouts, and then the sound of multiple tramping hoofs that slowly faded away to silence.
Chrysalis and Twilight looked at each other.
"What do you think that was about?" asked Chrysalis, arching an eyebrow upwards.
"I don't know, but I kind of want to see. It might be trouble!"
Chrysalis sighed and rolled her eyes, but got out of her chair as well. "The trials of being married to a curious pony," she muttered under her breath. Still, Twilight had been right about the possibility of changelings being in danger in the city. The chances of something happening here was remote, but better to be safe.
Twilight started to draw back the curtain, then paused.
"Listen," she said in a hushed voice. "Do you hear that?"
They both listened, cocking their ears towards the slight gap in the curtain. There were no sounds, none at all. Not the clink of silverware on plates as diners ate their meals, not the murmur of patrons conversing quietly, not even the muted chaos that always leaked out of a restaurant's kitchen.
Chrysalis and Twilight looked at each other again, then slowly pushed their heads through the curtain.
The entire restaurant was empty. It was completely devoid of both customers and employees, but there were signs they had been there recently. Nearly every table had a meal on it, all in various states of having been partially eaten. Carts of deserts lay scattered about like abandoned carriages, and trays of food looked to have been hurriedly placed on the ground. Most tables appeared pristine, but a few chairs were knocked over, and one or two evening coats remained on seats.
"What is this?" asked Chrysalis quietly, emerging from the curtained doorway with Twilight right behind her. "Did all the ponies disappear? Is that something ponies can do?"
"This better not be the rapture," said Twilight grumpily. "Celestia promised me there was at least another three millennia left."
"Oh, don't worry about all this," said a voice that caused both pony and changeling to jerk around. "I just figured we could use some privacy for what's about to happen."
From the entryway, Cadance trotted in, beaming happily.
"Cadance!"
"Cadance?"
The three stood for a moment in silence: Cadance with a smile on her face, Chrysalis looking worried and surprised, and Twilight just looking surprised.
Finally, Twilight looked at Chrysalis.
"Was this your doing?" she said slyly, nudging the changeling with an elbow. "Did you bring her here to meet us, finally?"
"I... think I did?" said Chrysalis slowly.
"I'm going to go say hello--" Twilight started to move forward, then stopped and looked up at Chrysalis. "Oh, I mean... if that's okay. This is our special night, I shouldn't just run off to greet somepony, even if they are a friend."
"No, no, it's fine. Go ahead."
Chrysalis watched as Twilight trotted across the empty restaurant, gnawing on her lip as fear gnawed at her innards. What was Cadance going to do? Was she going to--Chrysalis let out a little gasp. Was she going to tell Twilight about the help she'd been giving her? Was that going to be her punishment for destroying the earring? And if it was, how would Twilight take it? Would she be flattered that Chrysalis cared so much about her that she'd sought out the Princess of Love herself to help win her heart, even though they were mortal enemies? Or would she be furious when she realized that all the romantic pony things Chrysalis had done had actually been Cadance's ideas?
She held up a hoof, wanting to call Twilight back, then dropped it. If there was one thing she had learned about ponies, it was that they didn't like lies. It had explained so much of their dislike of changelings, whose entire lives were built around deceit. Maybe it would be better if Twilight found out now. Better to end it all here than have years of happiness turn to bitterness, regret and hatred.
Chrysalis tried to convince herself that was true, and couldn't. But she did trust Twilight. And she loved her. Whatever the pony felt, she would accept it.
"Cadance!" Twilight bounced to a halt in front of Cadence, and began to do a dance. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake..."
She stopped, to let Cadance continue their traditional greeting, and the other Princess obliged.
Almost.
"I am here to make you and your wife separate!" sang Cadance cheerfully.
She smiled down at Twilight as the smaller pony slowly backed away, fear and confusion beginning to grow on her face.
"I know, it's not very good, is it? Sorry, that was the best I could come up with on such short notice." |
Pony Courtship Rituals | Chapter Four: The Date (part two) | "Cadance?" asked Twilight warily once she'd retreated to a safe distance. "Cadance, what are you doing?"
"I'm here to help you, Twilight," she said softly, taking a step forward. "I'm the Princess of Love. I know what you want, what you need. I'm going to save you."
"I-I don't understand. Save me from from what?"
"From me," said a soft voice, and Twilight swung her head around to stare at Chrysalis, who stood with her entire body drooped and her gaze averted. "I told you I would win your heart, but I... I didn't have any idea how to. I don't know how to create love. So... I went to Cadance and I... I..."
The changeling gagged, one hoof going to her mouth, but she managed to keep her bile down and continued. "I asked her for help. To help me make you realize how much I love you, how happy I could make you. She's been giving me advice this whole time, telling me what to do on each date."
"So... all those things you did..." said Twilight slowly, "All the terrible things you did during our dates..."
"They were because I was weak. Because I couldn't do what Cadance told me to." She turned further away, something that sounded suspiciously like a sniffle coming through her mane. "If... if I'd just listened to her, if I'd left you alone after I walked out on our first date instead of taking you away the next night, then maybe... maybe..."
"Wait. Wait." Twilight held up a hoof, a look of horrified comprehension dawning on her face. "Cadance told you to leave me like that?"
"Of course," sniffed Chrysalis. "That way you'd be more interested in me. She called it 'playing hard to get'."
"Cadance..." growled Twilight, turning back to the other Princess.
"Do you see it now?" asked Cadance, nearly whispering, a serene smile on her face. "She doesn't love you. She can't. Look at how easily she threw away her supposed 'love', how easily she listened to what I told her and hurt you." Cadance took another step forward and held out her hoof. "Come here. Come to me and this whole nightmare will all be over."
Twilight gave her a furious glare, eyes tight, then spun around to march back to Chrysalis's side.
"Don't turn your back on me, Twilight," said Cadance warningly, but the pony just ignored her.
"Chrysalis?" Twilight spoke gently, reaching out a hoof only to pull it back at the last second. "Chrysalis, are you telling me that every time you insulted me, every time you ignored me or said something cruel... when you left me during our first date... that was Cadance telling you to do those things?"
"Of course." Chrysalis gave Twilight a quick glance, eyes wet, then turned away again. "She was trying to help me, but I... I couldn't..."
"No, Chrysalis, no! Cadance was lying to you!" She threw an angry look over her shoulder at her sister-in-law. "I don't know why, but she was! You don't make a pony love you by pushing them away and hoping that makes them want you more. You make them love you by doing exactly what you were trying to do--by sharing your love with them, by showing them how much you love them, by treating them with kindness..."
"Then... you mean..." Chrysalis turned to meet Twilight's eyes, her own wide. "When I left you at the restaurant on that date, and you wrote me that letter--"
"I meant every word in it. I was furious. What you did was horrible, and... and I wanted nothing to do with you after that." Twilight, eyes wet, mouth trembling, met the changeling's gaze. "But then you took me on a date to the Canterlot library, and then a used book store--the same way my mother did with my father. That wonderful, amazing night..."
"It was a fluke!" spat Cadance. "She did it by accident! She doesn't love you, Twilight."
Twilight glanced at the look of understanding slowly growing on Chrysalis's face, then turned to Cadance. "Are you telling me," she said in a low, angry voice, "that everything Chrysalis did that was kind, and sweet, and caring... that was all her? And those terrible things, leaving me behind on dates, insulting my outfits and hairstyles... that was you, lying to her, Cadance?"
"I wasn't lying to her, Twilight. I was showing you the truth. That is what she's really like."
Twilight dismissed her again, turning back to focus on the changeling. "So, when you ditched me on that date... you never wanted to?"
"Of course not!" gasped Chrysalis. "Why would I ever not want to spend time with you?"
"All those times you ignored my suggestions about where to go on dates..."
"Mostly her idea." Chrysalis gave a weak smile. "You know, I actually wanted to go to that museum last month, too. They had their first exhibit with an artist who was out as a changeling."
"The dance contest?" asked Twilight breathlessly. "Where you took a stallion as your partner, because you 'wanted to win'?"
"The only thing I wanted, more than anything else, was to dance with you," said Chrysalis softly, running a holed hoof through the pony's mane.
"And... when I beat you in the dance contest and you set the building on fire...?"
This time Chrysalis turned away, clearing her throat uncomfortably and refusing to meet Twilight's eyes.
"No, that one was all her," said Cadance from behind them. "Not that I tried to stop her, mind you. And it's a bit disingenuous of you to say you 'beat' her in that contest, Twilight. Just because she got disqualified before you did doesn't mean you won."
"So, all this time..." said Twilight slowly, "everything you did that seemed mean, or cruel, or uncaring... that was because you love me? Because you were following Cadance's fake advice to try and get me to love you?"
"I just wanted you to love me so much, Twilight." Chrysalis's voice was low and hoarse. "I'd do anything for you, and I guess that's why I was foolish enough to let her trick me so easily. Do you... do you hate me?"
Twilight's response was to wrap her forelegs around the changeling and, forgetting her alicorn strength, squeeze so hard she would have hurt any other pony.
"Oh, you are just the sweetest thing!" she cried, burying her face in the shocked changeling's mane. "I'd never hate you, not for something like that."
Chrysalis stared down at her, then slowly raised a hesitant hoof to drape it over the pony's neck. They pulled back, looking at each other, but before either could speak the sound of clapping hooves interrupted them.
"Well, bravo, she knows the truth now," said Cadance happily. "But... why don't you tell her the whole truth, Chrysalis?" Chrysalis froze up, her body stiffening around Twilight.
"Chrysalis? What... what does she mean?"
Instead of responding, Chrysalis slowly removed her leg from around Twilight and slunk away, head down.
"Chrysalis, please..."
"Oh, come on, Chrysalis," Cadance said teasingly. "Why don't you tell her what you told me? Tell her... why you didn't decide to marry her until after she became a Princess?"
Twilight gasped, causing Chrysalis to flinch and shy further away. The pony turned, taking a step towards the changeling. Her mouth moved, trying to form words, but none came.
"Oh, no, nothing to say?" A giggle came from Cadance. "Come now, Chrysalis, tell us how a simple unicorn who lived in a library wasn't good enough for you."
A dead silence filled the air of the restaurant, none of the ponies moving.
"C-Chrysalis," said Twilight finally, then licked her lips, cleared her dry throat and tried again. "Chrysalis, you can tell me. Please. I... I won't be mad. I just want to know."
"The hive... has to be safe," said Chrysalis hoarsely. "It has to be strong. So, my mate must be strong. You were strong, Twilight Sparkle. Brave, intelligent... beautiful.
"But... you weren't strong enough. You weren't a leader. And when it came to the hive, to my children, versus my heart... I did what I've always done, what I have to do--what's best for the hive--no matter how it hurt my soul, no matter how it killed me inside to have to turn my back on you."
She raised her head, trying and failing to smile. "I thought my heart would burst when I heard you became a Princess. That I could finally, finally, combine my duties and responsibilities with where my heart was leading me. The only thing that's ever made me happier was when... w-when I thought you had accepted my proposal."
Chrysalis trailed off, and Cadance let out a snort. "There you go, Twilight. The truth. If you weren't a Princess, she wouldn't have given two bits about you. You're nothing more than a safety net, someone to deal with all those ponies that come seeking justice from her, someone to swat them away like they're nothing more than pesky flies."
She sneered at the pony, whose head had dropped and now faced the floor. "How do you feel now, Twilight? Still think a changeling can actually feel love?"
"I'm so sorry, Twilight," Chrysalis managed to get out, her voice a husk of its usual self. "I'll just leave--"
Twilight, with her head still down, started shaking. Princess and Queen stared at her, and then suddenly she threw her head back, laughing uproariously.
"Hahaha! That's... t-that's the best you can do?!" she chortled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Do you really think I don't understand duty? That I don't understand responsibility and sacrifice?! I may have only been royalty for a few years, but give me some credit!"
She got down on her haunches, gently lifting Chrysalis's chin with one hoof to look her in the eye. "Chrysalis. I would never, ever ask you to put my happiness above that of your hive. Even if it meant a thousand years of bliss for the two of us. I wouldn't see one single changeling be hurt. It may sound a bit cold, but putting your hive first was the right thing to do."
"You can't be serious..." growled Cadance through clenched teeth.
Chrysalis stared at her, face disbelieving, then squeezed her eyes shut with a happy smile, a single tear leaking out. "I always knew you were the one, Twilight," she whispered.
"Are you kidding me?!" Cadance yelled. She stomped one hoof on the ground, the shockwave interrupting the two. "Twilight Sparkle, you cannot tell me you actually love that changeling!"
Twilight gave Chrysalis her hoof, helping her back to her hooves. "I don't know if I do or not," she said, missing the look Chrysalis shot her as she turned to face Cadance, "but what do you think you're doing here?! Why are you trying to force us apart?! And with such dirty tricks! How could you do this to me?!"
"I'm doing this for you, Twilight!" cried Cadance desperately. "I'm trying to save you! She doesn't love you!"
"Why do you keep saying that?!" Twilight shouted back, stomping her own hoof. "You heard what she just said to me! You've been spying on all our dates! You had to force her to be mean to me!"
"What about all the awful things she did? She set that building on fire, she laughs when she sees other ponies get hurt, she dismisses ponies she thinks are lesser than herself and insults them constantly--"
"But she doesn't do any of that to me, Cadance. She does love me. And I don't like seeing her be so mean to other ponies, but she's working on it. For me. Because she knows I don't like it, and no matter what you say, she loves me."
Cadance was shaking, head down and teeth clenched. Suddenly her head snapped back up. "What about the park, Twilight?! She pushed you in the fountain and tried to drown you!"
"What--?" Twilight's frown of puzzlement turned into comprehension. "Do you mean that night we went strolling in Canterlot Central Park? And she pushed me in the fountain and we roughhoused for a bit?" Twilight giggled, sharing a smile with Chrysalis. "That was just a bit of fun, Cadance. I dunked her quite a few times myself."
"But--you were so scared after that, you couldn't even leave! You thought she'd hurt you if you tried."
"Cadance... I stayed with her because I was enjoying myself. We spent the whole night talking." She gave Cadance a puzzled look. "You were listening, how did you not pick up on that?"
"You caught a cold because of her!"
Twilight chuckled. "That was my own fault. I got so caught up in talking to her that, well, I didn't even think about drying myself off or getting somewhere warm." She looked over at Chrysalis, who smiled back. "And this big sweetie came to take care of me."
"Twilight, she force-fed you meat!"
Twilight's expression turned sour, and Chrysalis turned away, whistling a few innocent notes. "Yes, while it was really nice of her to feed me soup while I was sick, I really wish she had told me it was chicken soup before I'd eaten most of it."
"Old changeling folk remedy!" cried Chrysalis desperately. "Chicken noodle soup is very good for colds."
"Don't you see, Cadance?" pleaded Twilight. "She loves me. There's no tricks this time. No invasion. It's just... love."
"It's... not, Twilight." Cadance's breathing was ragged as she stared at the two standing side by side. "It's not love! It can't be! Changelings cannot love. Period."
"How can you keep saying that?! You've seen Chrysalis with me, you've heard what she says, you know how she acts around me. You've even talked to her in private about her love for me! And you know exactly what you've put her through over the last six months! Chrysalis put aside her pride to ask you for help, and even when you tortured her by making her do things that went against what she believed in, she kept it up, because she thought that's what she needed to do to earn my love! How can you not call that love?!"
"Because changelings can't love, Twilight," said Cadance desperately. "They just plain can't. Ponies give out love, changelings eat it. It's one way. It can't go backwards."
"Why not?!" thundered Twilight, and Cadance gaped at her in shock. "You should know this better than anyone, Cadance. There's no limit on love. The fact that changelings need more of it just means we need to give them more. And we should cherish what they give back."
Cadance took an unsteady step backwards, shaking her head in a simple, flat refutation of everything Twilight had said. "You're wrong, Twilight. You're wrong. And I'm doing this... I'm doing this for you, don't you understand that? You never asked for this. It was all a misunderstanding, wasn't it? Maybe she tricked you, maybe she didn't. It doesn't matter now. Just... just leave her, come over here to me. She said herself she'd agree with whatever you decided, so make the right choice and come to me now."
"I don't know if it is the right choice, Cadance," said Twilight softly, and the Princess flinched back like she'd been struck. "I don't know what the right choice is now. You've... you've poisoned everything so much I can't see anything clearly anymore."
"I did what I had to, Twilight. She's not right for you. You shouldn't be in love with her! It's not right!"
"That's not for you to decide! Love comes from what one pony feels for another, not from the decision of some third party. What gives you the right to decide that for me? For anyone?!"
Twilight knew those words were a mistake as soon as they left her mouth. Cadance froze, then drew herself up to her full height. Her eyes were wide and cloaked in shadow as she lifted her head and her mane fell down over her forehead, but her pupils were highly-focused pinpricks.
"I am Cadance, Princess Mi Amora Cadenza, the Princess of Love," she said in a proud, cold voice. "I am love. I decide which ponies get to love each other... and which ones don't." She spat the final word from her mouth like it was something foul.
"Cadance..." said Twilight, careful to keep her voice calm as she retreated one hoofstep at a time, using a wing to nudge Chrysalis along with her, "Cadance, that's not how being a Princess works, and you know it. You were one of the ones who taught me, remember?"
"Isn't it, though?" Cadance asked cheerfully, beginning to pace side to side. "Princess Celestia decides when the Sun rises, Princess Luna decides when the Night falls. Why shouldn't I get to decide who loves whom?"
"Because love isn't predictable! It doesn't appear and disappear at the same time every day! It doesn't follow a cycle!"
"Well maybe it's time it did! Maybe it's time it was regulated, that it was given to those who deserve it, and taken from those that don't." Cadance's eyes moved from Twilight up to Chrysalis. "And who better to start with than the Queen of the changelings?"
"You can't," objected Twilight in a terrified whisper.
"Why not? I can bring out the love two ponies feel for each other." Her grin turned into a sneer. "So who says I can't put it back? Who says I can't take love away when I see fit?"
"She's a changeling, Cadance! She needs that love to live! You'll kill her!"
"Oh, don't worry. I'll leave her just enough to let her crawl back to her little hive." Cadance's smile reappeared, mocking now. "Besides, I'm not going to take away all her love. Just whatever little delusions of love she might have for you."
"I forbid it," declared Twilight. She stood up straight, her horn glowing, and a magenta dome formed over Chrysalis, leaving the changeling blinking at the brilliant, coruscating light surrounding her.
"Is this really what it's come down to, Twilight?" asked Cadance softly. "Are you really going to raise your horn against me? When all I'm trying to do is help you? When all you have to do is just walk away and no one will be harmed?"
"I don't want to do this. You're forcing me," growled Twilight. "I won't let you hurt my friend!"
Cadance stared at her for a long moment, then let out a dreary sigh and turned away. "Maybe... you're right, Twilight," she said, voice barely audible. "I am the Princess of Love, after all. I don't even know if I can take love away. Even if I can, I probably don't even have it in me. My purpose is to give love, not take it."
There wasn't even time for Twilight to let out a sigh of relief before Cadance spun back around, jabbing her hoof out at Twilight.
"SO LET'S GIVE YOU SOME LOVE!" she bellowed.
Twilight cried out as Cadance's magic gripped her body, canceling out her own spell and making the shield around Chrysalis pop like a bubble. The magical aura dragged her across the room, knocking tables aside as she went, forcing the pony to raise her forelegs to protect her face. A dozen feet before reaching Cadance she suddenly launched into the air and hung there, above Cadance's head, struggling in the magical field.
"So who's it going to be Twilight?" asked Cadance, grinning up at the pony past her outstretched hoof. "Ready for round two with Flash Sentry? Or maybe you want Fluttershy, instead. I'd hate to lose the pool to Pinkie, but you two would go good together. Although, pretty much anypony at all works. Heck, maybe even a griffin or two! Just take your pick, and I'll fill you with so much love you'll forget the bug even exists!"
"Cadance... please..." Twilight tried to struggle, tried to cast the most basic of spells, but Cadance's magic had overwhelmed her completely.
"Or, maybe I should just skip right to Celestia! It's a century or two early, but better safe than sorry!"
"N-no..."
Cadance grinned wider, the glow of her horn ramping up in intensity, then she suddenly let out a cry as something impacted against her head with a skull-shuddering thump. When she opened her eyes after the momentary shock had passed, she saw Chrysalis, forehead equally bruised, pushed up against her face.
"That's my wife you're bucking with," said the changeling.
Her twisted horn, locked with Cadance's, gave off a flare of light, and the pulse of magic threw the Princess back into a pile of tables. Turning quickly, Chrysalis caught Twilight in her magic, lowering the plummeting pony gently to the ground.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly.
Twilight let out a breath and nodded, placing one hoof on the changeling's shoulder. "I am. Thank you--" she suddenly stopped, stiffening and her eyes going wide. "Cadance! We have to stop her! We need to find some way to restrain her, before--"
She was interrupted by the pile of tables exploding apart, filling the room with a cloud of sawdust. When it cleared, Cadance was standing before them, body glowing as raw magic leaked off her very being.
"Another suckerpunch," she said, sniffing dimissively. "Well, what can you expect from the Queen of Cheapshots?"
She pushed herself into the air, wings spreading wide, and all of that power concentrated itself in her horn. "Let's see how you handle me when I'm ready for you!" she shouted with unmistakeable eagerness.
"Chrysalis--" Twilight started to shout and move, only to find herself swept back by a holed leg.
"Get behind me, Twilight!" cried the changeling, and lit up her own horn.
A shield sprang up before them, and Twilight's mouth dropped open. Chrysalis's shield was a wall of interlocking hexagons, a honeycomb of thick magical plates. Each section looked corrupted, holes opening and closing on their surfaces, but the magical signature of the spell was solid. Raw magic dripped off the shield, magic that should have floated away as a fog but was so heavy it flowed more like slime. And the entire structure shone with a brilliant, beautiful emerald light.
Even as Twilight's eyes were widening in awe, Cadance fired. This wasn't some simple bolt from the tip; her spell came from the entire length of the horn, a thick, concentrated beam of pure, destructive love. It crashed into Chrysalis's shield like a landslide of affection, splattering vicious pink hearts in all directions that slowly floated upwards and faded before being replaced by more.
Twilight flinched back from that cataclysm of love, but the shield held like a rock. Chrysalis, though, clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut at the impact.
"You're doing it..." said Twilight softly, then raised her voice. "Chrysalis, you're doing it! Keep it up, she can't last forever!"
"I can... If you stop... d-distracting me..." panted the changeling.
"FOOLS!" bellowed Cadance, glaring at them from eyes swamped by the pink light of love. "DO YOU TRULY THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT LOVE? THAT THERE IS AN END TO THE AMOUNT OF LOVE IN THIS WORLD?!"
She lowered her head, amping up her power, and even more pink hearts filled the air. "IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU WANT THIS OR NOT, TWILIGHT! I WILL FILL YOUR HEART WITH LOVE!"
"Oh, no..."
Cadance's power increase was clearly too much for Chrysalis's shield, and even as Twilight watched it began to fall apart. It didn't crack the way a pony shield would, but the holes in its surface were becoming more real. A pink gas began to seep in, and she suddenly had to skip aside to avoid a heart that came floating past.
"Twilight... I'm so sorry..." groaned Chrysalis, now shaking and sweating with the effort of holding the shield in place.
"Please, hold on Chrysalis! We can--wait!"
Twilight's eyes went wide as inspiration struck, and she bounded over to the changeling's side, dodging some slowly wavering hearts in the process. She got up on her hind legs, putting one foreleg around Chrysalis for support, and stretched herself up until her head was level with the changeling's.
"Twilight, what--" Chrysalis started to say, turning to Twilight with fear and confusion in her eyes, and the pony interrupted her.
"Let me help!" she cried out. "Use my magic!"
Her horn lit up, magic flowing out to combine with Chrysalis's. The beams twisted together, forming a corkscrew of green and magenta light that grew tighter and tighter until it merged at the shield. As it did, light blossomed once again, and six-pointed magenta stars appeared over the holes in the shield, slowly pulsing.
"We're doing it!" cried Twilight giddily. "We're going to--"
"NOOOO! I WON'T LET YOU STOP ME FROM SAVING YOU, TWILIGHT!" screamed Cadance.
More magic poured out of her horn, flowing down to envelope her body, and the debris scattered about the floor below her began to rise into the air, caught up in the sheer amount of power she was putting out. The lights around the room, powered by magic, first flickered and then dimmed as Cadance's magical field began to interfere with theirs. With another scream, a brilliant nova of light exploded off her body that battered and beat at the shield like waves tossed up by a hurricane.
"We can hold it..." groaned Twilight, even as her magic began to falter, the stars on the shield shrinking and letting the magical love gas seep back in. "Just a little longer..."
The shield suddenly began to grow unstable, and Twilight, hearing a rasping sound, looked over at Chrysalis and gasped. The changeling's mouth was open, sucking in the love that was flowing through the damaged shield, and even with Chrysalis's eyes half-lidded Twilight could see the intensity of the power glowing within them.
"Chrysalis?! Chrysalis, stop!" Twilight tried shaking the changeling, to no effect. "That's pure love! You can't handle that much power!"
"Can't... stop..." said the changeling faintly, with a sluggish shake of her head. "So much love... need to feed..."
The end came quickly and spectacularly. Chrysalis lost all control of the magic she had siphoned and it surged into the shield, overloading it and blowing it apart in a burst of magical feedback that sent royal bodies flying in all directions.
Silence reigned for a moment in the restaurant. Plaster dust drifted down from the ceiling, decorating the circular area in the middle of the dining room that had been swept clear by the blast. A table that had been teetering on three legs finally collapsed, and one miraculously intact plate rolled out of the wreckage.
Then Cadance stood up.
"Do you see, Twilight?" she said, walking slowly over to where her sister-in-law, now barely conscious, lay. "Love wins. Love always wins."
She lit up her horn, holding her head high, tears of relief and joy starting to leak out of her eyes. "I saved you, Twilight! I sav--grrlk?! Grrlkhhk!"
Her hooves lifted off the ground, her body wrapped in a bright green magical aura. She tried to struggle against the magic, legs flailing uselessly in slow motion, and then the glow intensified and she was held rock still. Carefully, gently, she was rotated onto her back, then turned upwards, to face a changeling Queen nearly bursting with magical energy.
"You're right," said Chrysalis, voice crackling and jumping with power. "Love does win."
Cadance began struggling, managing some slight movements even against the power Chrysalis now wielded, and she tried to bring up her own magic once more. But she'd given too much of it to the changeling, and Chrysalis suppressed her efforts with ease.
"This... isn't... fair!" Cadance forced out as Chrysalis began carrying her to the other side of the room. "You don't deserve Twilight!"
She managed to get her lips up into a snarl. "You tried to steal my love from me! I deserve to steal yours!"
Chrysalis, utterly ignoring Cadance's ranting, had been scanning the far wall of the restaurant. Her eyes lit up, as she spotted a wide section that was relatively free of decorations or damage. Floating Cadance over, she gently pushed the Princess through the wall.
Chrysalis spent several moments inspecting the resulting pile of bricks. It didn't look like anything under them would be getting up anytime soon, so she nodded happily and turned away.
Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, she let the excess magic she had collected flow away and dissipate into the air. Once it was gone--Well, most of it; waste not want not! she thought with an internal grin--she trotted over to Twilight's shifting body.
"Easy there," she whispered gently, helping Twilight to her hooves. "Are you alright?"
"I-I think so," groaned Twilight, rubbing her forehead. "But my head feels like the time Pinkie thought rocksalt was a proper substitute for confetti in her party cannons."
She wobbled, and Chrysalis carefully helped her sit down on her haunches.
"I can't believe this," Twilight said with a sigh. "I never thought Cadance would attack us, attack me, like that. She--"
Twilight suddenly jerked upright, body quivering. "Oh no. Where is she? Is she going to--"
"Shh, Twilight, relax." Chrysalis gently stroked Twilight's mane with one hoof. "We're safe. I... took care of Cadance."
"W-what do you mean?" stammered Twilight, looking fearfully up at Chrysalis.
"I mean..." repeated the changeling, giving a wide, fang-filled grin. "... I took care of her."
"Oh, no. No, no, no--" Shaking, Twilight managed to stagger to her hooves. This earned her a disgusted sigh and eye roll from Chrysalis, who simply nudged her with a hoof and sent her back down to her haunches.
"As you said earlier, give me at least some credit," the changeling said dryly, grin now a mischievous smile. "I know what she means to you, even after all this. And I know how you feel about ponies you like getting hurt, even if they might deserve it."
She gestured at the opposite side of the room, where, on the other side of a roughly alicorn-shaped hole in the wall, a pink leg wearing a dented golden hoofcuff waved from a pile of bricks.
"I'm fine," came Cadance's faint, unsteady voice, and then the ragged hole shed a few more bricks, burying the leg.
"See? She's fine," said Chrysalis, offering a hoof to Twilight once more.
Twilight took it, letting Chrysalis help her walk out of the debris she'd landed in and towards the exit.
"What a mess," groaned Twilight, rubbing at her head with her free hoof. "You know, it's technically treason--or an act of war--to attack a Princess like Cadance just did. You only got away with it because we were able to use that 'foreign wedding customs' loophole. Cadance is also a Princess, though, which means that law shouldn't apply to her either--that's why Luna wasn't executed after we subdued her with the Elements--but... argh, she's officially a foreign Princess, an ally, so it does actually apply. Does she have diplomatic immunity, I wonder? She does most of the negotiations for the Empire, from what I understand. Oh, Celestia and Luna aren't going to like this at all."
Chrysalis giggled at her, and Twilight looked up with a frown. "This is all funny to you isn't it?"
"Kind of," admitted the changeling. "But I'm mostly laughing at you. It's nice to see you like this. It's how I want to remember you."
"Yeah, yeah." Twilight sighed, and her whole body sort of flopped down even as she stayed upright. "Well, we can let the other Princesses handle this. Let's go home."
She started to trot forward, only to find herself stopped by the hoof she was holding. She looked back, puzzled, as the changeling smiled at her.
"No, Twilight."
"What?"
"I mean I'm not going back to your castle with you. I'm returning to the hive, and I'm not coming back."
"But... but..." Twilight dropped Chrysalis's hoof, and the changeling's smile warmed briefly before she turned away.
"Twilight, when Cadance asked you if you loved me, what did you say?" Chrysalis asked softly.
"I said..." Twilight trailed off, then swallowed and finished, "I said I didn't know."
"And when Cadance said she was going to remove my love for you, what did you say?"
"I... I..."
This time Twilight refused to continue, and Chrysalis finished for her. "You said 'I won't let you hurt my friend'."
She moved back, the same smile still on her face, and stopped in front of Twilight.
"Twilight," she asked gently, "do you love me?"
"I..." Twilight paused to lick her lips, before continuing in a hoarse voice. "I don't know."
Chrysalis's smile didn't waver. "Then we've answered the question this whole night was about, haven't we?"
She started to move away, and Twilight scrambled after her.
"Wait. Wait! We... we can try again!" she pleaded desperately. "It's not fair! Cadance... she interfered! You didn't get an honest chance!"
Chrysalis paused, then turned back around. "Twilight," she said again, "Do you love me?"
"I don't know," said the pony, repeating herself as well. "But I want to! I want to try!"
"Do you want to try because you might love me... or do you want to try because you don't want to hurt a friend?" asked Chrysalis with crushing finality.
Twilight stood there, shaking her head slowly, and all she could do was whisper, "I don't know."
Chrysalis held her smile on Twilight for a moment, then bent forward and gently kissed the pony on her forehead.
"Goodbye."
She turned away, moving slowly but with her head held high, towards the exit. Twilight stared after her, then tried to follow despite her stiff, pain-filled body.
"Wait," she called out, but Chrysalis continued until Twilight called out again. "Wait, please!"
They stood there in silence, Chrysalis facing away, Twilight breathing hard. Finally, Chrysalis turned, peering at Twilight out of the corner of her eye.
"I'll contact the palace, get them to draw up some papers annulling our marriage. I'm sure Celestia will be happy to approve them."
"Chrysalis..."
"Have no fear for your kingdom, either," continued the changeling. "Your hive and mine are allies, now and forever. I'll send a team of changelings to be diplomats in my stead. If you ever need anything, anything at all, let them know, and we will do all that is within our power to meet your desires.
"Except one thing. You can never contact me again."
Twilight's eyes widened, body stiffening in shock. "No, Chrysalis--"
"I will retire to my quarters, and direct the hive from there," Chrysalis said, heedless of Twilight's protests. "I have no plans to ever leave that chamber. The hivemind can be directed unconsciously, though. I need not be awake to monitor it. So one day, perhaps... I will go to the deepest spot of the hive, to burrow down and slumber deep under the earth for the rest of time. Just as mother did, centuries ago." She stared into the past with far off eyes, then faced forward once again and began walking.
"Chrysalis, no..."
The changeling didn't respond, just continued to walk. The remnants of a plate crunch under her hoof, she had to sweep aside half a table with her magic, but she kept walking.
"Chrysalis, I am telling you to stop!" shouted Twilight frantically. "If you love me, then you have to come back here and talk to me!"
This time Chrysalis did stop, right at the door to the restaurant's lobby.
"I'm not coming back, Twilight, because I do love you," she said, not turning, and Twilight couldn't tell if she heard tears or a smile in that voice. "And you deserve someone you can love."
Suddenly, she was gone. Twilight heard the tinkling of the bell over the door, the faint buzz of wings that quickly faded, and then there was nothing.
After some time had passed, Twilight noticed that she had raised her hoof, reaching after Chrysalis. She lowered it now, letting her entire body slump down to her haunches, and stared at the empty doorway.
Chrysalis was gone.
Twilight had spent so much time trying to make that happen, all because of a little misunderstanding. All because someone she thought was a monster had turned out to have a heart. She'd enlisted her mentor, her friends, her family, nearly everypony she knew in an effort to escape the marriage. She'd even gone as far as agreeing to this dating idea, half hoping she could convince the changeling that things weren't going to work out.
And now Chrysalis was gone.
She'd gotten exactly what she'd wanted. |
Pony Courtship Rituals | Interlude: Cadance (II) | "How could you?"
Cadance jerked her head up at the sound of the voice.
The dungeons under Canterlot were actually quite comfortable, all things considered. They were cleaned out regularly; the food was serviceable enough; and the benches, while not soft, weren't simply bare stone. There was also plenty of light, as befit dungeons built by the Princess of the Sun. Even the sections Luna had designed were well lit, though there it was with the silvery glow of the moon rather than the golden warmth of the sun.
Along with all of that, every door was well oiled, which meant Cadance hadn't even realized there was another pony in her cellblock--other than the guards--until that pony had spoken.
"Twilight!" Cadance jumped up from the bench where she'd been spending her time in silent contemplation--as one properly should while in a jail cell--and bounded over to the bars.
She recoiled a moment later, as she saw the white-hot fury on Twilight's face.
"How could you?!" shouted the other Princess, stomping across the stone floor to stand directly in front of Cadance's cell.
"Twilight, I was just trying to--" Cadance spoke hurriedly, only to be interrupted by Twilight.
"No! No, Cadance! I don't want to hear that you were trying to save me, or that changelings can't love ponies, or that Chrysalis doesn't love me!
"Because she does love me, Cadance! She loves me more than anypony else ever has in my entire life! I never knew a pony could be so kind, could show me such sweetness. She cares about me more than anything, almost as much as her hive. And I don't think you can even understand how much that is.
"No one... no one's ever understood me the way she does. She knows all my favorite foods, she knows just when I want them and how I like them made. She knows how to cheer me up, and when to leave me alone. She knows the things that annoy me, and the little things that make me happy. She knows how to make me laugh.
"And... she accepts me. If I want to read a book, she'll just sit there and let me read it. She doesn't tell me I need to get outside more or get my muzzle out of a book." She paused, blushing. "Okay, maybe that's actually pretty good advice sometimes, but I don't need to hear it every single day! No matter what some of my friends think.
"A-anyway... she would actually ask me to read to her, did you know that? I'm not sure how much of my more advanced magic texts she understood, but she was surprisingly fond of scientific treatises. Horror stories and murder mysteries, too. Hated romance novels, though. Which, I mean, thank Celestia, but wow, surprising, right?
"And... and... the way she laughed was like music. She mostly laughed at other ponies, but she would always apologize when I told her to, and she'd always get this adorably guilty look on her face..."
She trailed off, breathing in long, shuddering gasps. Cadance stared at her, shock and a slowly growing look of horror on her face.
"Twilight..." she said unsteadily, "Twilight, do you actually love Queen Chrysalis?"
"I DON'T KNO-O-OOOW!" wailed Twilight, throwing herself against the bars and beginning to sob.
Cadance moved forward, reaching through the bars to wrap her hooves around Twilight and cradle her. The two guards stationed at her cell started approaching, but Cadance rolled her eyes and shook her head at them, and they sheepishly moved back to their posts.
"Shh, Twilight, shh." Cadance whispered comforting sounds to Twilight, stroking her mane and squeezing her tightly. She rocked her as she cried, and slowly, over several minutes, Twilight calmed down. Finally, she pulled back, wiping at her eyes with a hoof.
"Why, Cadance? Why did you do that to us?" asked Twilight, voice trembling.
"Twilight--"
"Do you even realize what you did? What you took from us?" Cadance shrank back, refusing to meet Twilight's eyes. "I liked Chrysalis, Cadance. She was a good friend, and she wanted to mean more to me, and... and I really wanted her to mean more to me, too.
"That's why I agreed to let her try. I could have refused. She might have argued, but if I'd insisted, she would have listened. I didn't, though, because I thought it would be easier to let her down if things didn't work out. And... and I think because I was interested. She'd grown on me after so long together. She was so fascinating, so different from every other pony. I wanted to know about her, to learn what made her tick.
"So... I dated her. I really enjoyed it, most of the time. The rest of the time... the rest of the time was what you did."
Twilight took a deep breath, letting it out slowly with only a slight shudder.
"Why would you do something like that, Cadance?" she asked.
Cadance made the mistake of looking up to meet Twilight's eyes, then flinched away. There was anger in those eyes, yes, but worse was the sadness, the dismay. And even worse than that was the disappointment. She closed her eyes, trying to think, but as she did a realization came to her. All those emotions on Twilight's face, all the anguish and betrayal... she felt those same things in her own heart. Slowly, she turned back to face Twilight.
"I could ask you the same question, Twilight," she said, voice stinging like a whip, and this time it was Twilight who recoiled. "You know what that... that monster did to me and Shining Armor. What she did to Celestia, what she did to you and your friends... what she tried to do to all of Equestria."
"Cadance--" Twilight tried for indignation, but Cadance overrode her like a raging Goddess.
"You can sit there and talk about how much she cares for you, but you know she doesn't give a damn about any of the rest of us. I was scared for you, Twilight, because unlike you, I'm not letting myself be blinded to what she really is. All the sweet talk and all the kindness in the world don't change the fact that she is a terrible person, Twilight, who has done terrible things. And you're going to sit there and talk about her to me like she's as harmless as Fluttershy?"
Cadance rose up to her full height, looking down at the smaller pony, and Twilight shrank back under her furious glare.
"So it's not about how could I do this to you, Twilight. It's about how could you do this to me. How could you betray me like this?!"
"S-she's not really evil, Cadance," Twilight tried to say. "She just--"
"She just does evil things," finished Cadance with a sneer. "And that makes her actions excusable, does it?"
"No, but--"
"Did she ever apologize to you, Twilight?" Twilight flinched back again, and Cadance stepped forward, seeing the answer in the other pony's eyes. "I didn't think so. She attacked your kingdom, Twilight. She hurt your friends and family, oh so cruelly, and she hasn't even apologized to you for it?!"
She bent down, to look Twilight right in the eyes. "How can you even look at her without hearing Princess Celestia tell you you had a lot to think about? Without hearing your own brother dismiss you from his wedding? Without remembering when you found me in those crystal caves under Canterlot?"
Twilight looked back at her, and tears started to fall from her eyes. "Because I think I might love her," she whispered.
She bent her head again, and Cadance stared at her in dismay. She shook her head slowly, gazing at the gently weeping pony, then took a step back and went down on her haunches.
"Oh, hell," she muttered.
"Why didn't you just ask?" said Twilight in a choked voice. "You didn't even try talk to me about anything!"
"I... couldn't, Twilight," Cadance said faintly. "If you'd been brainwashed, if it had just been some trick--"
"So instead you decided it was better to just sneak around behind my back," spat Twilight bitterly. "Was it all just for revenge, Candace?"
"N-no, Twilight!" Cadance's hoof flew to her mouth. "Whatever you might think of her, you know what horrible things Chrysalis did! It doesn't matter what her reasons were or how you feel about her, she did those things willfully, even gleefully! She needed to be punished for what she did, Twilight. And if seeing justice done meant I could steal her love the way she tried to steal mine, well then that was just appropriate--not to mention a nice bit of icing on the cake."
She gasped, blinking in surprise. "Oh my. Well, maybe it was a little bit about revenge," she admitted guiltily, with an uneasy ruffle of her wings.
"Well then I hope you're happy, because you got your revenge." Despite the bite of the words, there was no venom in Twilight's voice, just a bland nothingness. Dampness dotted the fur of her cheeks, but her eyes, while red, were dry. "Because that beautiful, amazing, wonderful--and, okay, frequently very mean and nasty--changeling is sitting in her hive, probably crying her eyes out, because you took her love away. You got yours back, but who's going to help her?"
"I don't know, Twilight," Cadance shook her head, then blinked in surprise as she noticed Twilight was holding her hoof out. "What are you doing?"
"We can help her, Cadance." Twilight sniffed back a few more tears and nervously licked her lips. "Just like her... I don't know much about love. So I need your help to figure out how I feel. And if there's ever going to be any peace between you two, one of you has to make the first move. I want it to be you, Cadance."
Cadance just stared at her, and Twilight took a deep breath. "I know how much you must hate Chrysalis. What she did to you was terrible. But now you've done something awful back to her, Cadance. You're even, the scales are balanced. Now we just need to stop the cycle, to stop something like this from happening again. If you really hate her, if you think she's a monster, then you can prove you're better by helping her now, by being better than you think she is. And I think you might be surprised by how much better she can actually be."
Cadance didn't say anything, but she shifted uncomfortably, and Twilight took that as encouragement to continue.
"I know you want an apology. You deserve an apology, one that's serious. Not an apology that I force her to make, or one that I make for her as her fellow Changeling Queen. An apology that she means, because she understands exactly what she did and why it was so wrong. After what you put her through yesterday, I think she actually might."
Cadance hesitated a moment longer, then, slowly, began to reach out with her hoof.
"And... I want you to help me too, Cadance. Because I feel something for Chrysalis. I know it's at least friendship, but that's all I know. Maybe I do love her... or maybe I dislike her still, even if I see her as a friend now. I don't know, because I can't separate what she's done from who she actually is. And you just made things worse. I might love her, and even if you hate her... I think you'd want me to know that. And if I don't, I need to be able to move on, instead of being trapped in this fog. I can't think of anypony more able to help me with that than you."
Cadance's hoof touched Twilight's, and for a moment she held it there. Then she pulled away, retreating several steps back into the cell.
"Please, Cadance--"
"I'm sorry, Twilight," Cadance said, voice low and sorrowful. "I know it's terrible of me, but as much as I want to help you, I can't. After everything that's happened, I... I just can't--"
"It's okay, Cadance," hushed Twilight, giving her a small, not quite steady smile. "That's actually kind of the answer I was expecting. After what she put you through..."
"Thank you for understanding," Cadance said quietly, and they shared a brief moment of silence. "So, what will you do now?"
"What I always do," said Twilight, and now her smile was normal again. "Ask my friends. I just decided that the one I asked first should be the one that could help me the most."
"And if that doesn't work?"
"It will," said Twilight confidently. "Because friendship is magic!"
"I'm kind of starting to get tired of hearing that catchphrase of yours," said Cadance, with a small smile. "You overuse it a bit. But what if your friends can't help?" Twilight gave her a look, and she shrugged. "I do want to help you, Twilight. And if I can't bring myself to do it directly, I can at least help you make a plan."
"Well, in that case... I'll have to come up with the answer myself. I can make my own decisions, you know. I do it quite a lot. I even did it before I became a Princess." She suddenly brightened up. "I could make a checklist! Or a pro/con list, the only list almost as good as a checklist!"
"Con: attacked your sister-in-law and locked her in a cave on her wedding day," said Cadance sourly, making a face.
"Pro: is very attentive to my wants and needs," shot back Twilight.
"Con: tried to enslave everyone you know and love."
"Pro," said Twilight, then blushed and continued in a quiet voice, "...is a very good kisser."
"Ewww! Ew ew ew! I needed to hear about that as much as you need to hear about Shining Armor and me." They made disgusted faces at each other, then broke down into giggles.
"Thank you, Cadance," said Twilight, once they'd calmed down. "Even if you can't help, at least you're willing to try understanding."
"Anytime, Twilight. Take care, and good luck."
Cadance watched her leaving, chewing her lip in thought. Just before Twilight opened the door, she came to a decision.
"Twilight, wait!" she called out, unlocking her cell door with a spark of magic and trotting out. Both guards tried to move forward to stop her, but she brushed past them like they weren't even there, coming to a halt a few steps from Twilight.
"I do want to help you, more than I have," she said to the surprised pony. "And there's one thing I can do that might at least answer some questions for you."
She lifted her head, magic running along her horn, and then fired a beam down into the center of Twilight's chest. Twilight shied back in surprise--and a little bit of fear--and Cadance pulled back at the same time, drawing the beam back like a fisherpony working a pole.
When the beam came out of Twilight's chest, it carried a cloud with it. It was spherical, a roiling mass of gray that occasionally shot out flashes of black and red light, mostly black. Twilight stared at its tumbling, swirling surface with horrified fascination.
"What is that?" she asked.
"It's your heart, Twilight," replied Cadance, closing her eyes. "Or, at least, it's a representation of a part of your heart, one that deals with your feelings for Chrysalis."
"Oh." Twilight stared at the nightmarish cloud, face falling. "Do I really hate her that much?"
"What? Oh, no." Cadance shook her head. "You're just confused. That's why it's a giant mess of clouds instead of a pure ball of light. Those flashes of light are your feelings towards her, trying to shine through. As you can see, your confusion has mixed up your feelings: red light for hate, black for love." She grimaced. "I never knew love for a changeling was black, yet I'm hardly surprised."
"So... what you're saying is... I'm confused," said Twilight dryly.
Cadance sighed and cancelled the spell, causing the cloudball to fade away. "Yes. Sorry, that wasn't as helpful as I thought."
"It's okay, Cadance." Twilight gave her a smile. "At least I know there is some love in there."
"I'm... glad to hear it too. Kind of..."
They waved goodbye, and Twilight started for the door. Just as she put up a hoof to push it open, Cadance stopped her again.
"Twilight?" The pony looked back at her. "I'm... I'm sorry. About everything. Maybe... you're right, maybe she actually can love. Maybe she actually loves you, and you love her." Cadance let out a sigh. "And if that's true... I'm a terrible Princess of Love."
"No, Cadance, no." Twilight trotted over, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "We have a difficult calling, being the Princesses of Friendship and Love. It's the kind of thing we're always going to be learning about. And if I can learn something new from Starlight and Trixie, you can learn something from Chrysalis and me. It's not like we're Princess Celestia or Luna, where our special talents are predictable."
She snorted. "Let me tell you, that was one awkward conversation for a filly. 'Look Princess, I've mathematically solved your most important duty!' I got a bit of a lecture that day, trust me."
"Thank you for being so understanding, Twilight. And so forgiving." Cadance shuffled her hooves nervously. "Do you think... maybe you can put in a good word for me with my aunts?"
"I'll... think about it," replied Twilight, with a sigh.
Cadance smiled back. "That's fine. Probably more than I could reasonably expect, actually. Thank you."
Cadance saw Twilight out, then turned away. Head down, lost in thought, she trotted back to her cell, ignoring the pained expressions on the guards as she walked inside and locked the door behind her. Climbing up onto the bench, she lay down on her side, head on her forelegs, to contemplate her future.
I wonder what being a statue will be like, she thought idly. At least the weather in Canterlot is pretty nice. And the castle's groundskeepers take good care of the Royal Gardens. Maybe it won't be that bad. |
Pony Courtship Rituals | Chapter Five: Of Princesses and Depositions | "And... then she flew away. I haven't seen her since."
Twilight didn't look up, her muzzle nearly touching the bare metal table she sat at. A stallion, light-blue with short, gray hair and a pair of thick glasses, sat across from her and scribbled busily on a yellow legal pad. The only other ponies in the room were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both standing off behind the stallion. Luna's face was troubled, but Celestia wore a look of such deep concern that if Twilight could see it she would have fallen over herself trying to convince the Princess that such worry on her behalf was unnecessary.
"Okay, I've got everything, your highness," said Stenotype, finishing up his notes. "And let me thank you for providing such a thorough report for this deposition, despite the personal pain I'm sure it caused you."
Twilight hardly moved, simply nodding her head. Celestia's look of worry deepened, but Luna only seem to become angry.
"I am most disappointed in our niece, I must say," she growled crossly. "To think she would do such a thing! And to ponies who are such good friends of ours, no less!"
"Luna, one of those ponies put a knife in your back not more than a month ago," reminded Celestia.
"Yes, that was most disappointing as well," said Luna, nodding. "I must teach Chrysalis how to do it properly. If, that is... we ever see her again."
The mood in the room, not exactly chipper, plummeted. Twilight slumped down, her face finally coming to rest on the table's cool surface. Celestia observed this, forehead creasing in dismay, and then she set her jaw and moved forward to place a hoof on the table next to the stallion.
"Stenotype," she said softly, "Given the... personal issues that already surround this case, I think it might be better if all of the events after Cadance was subdued were to be left out of Twilight's statement."
"What?" He blinked up at her through his thick lenses. "I-I don't think that would be proper--"
"I would consider it a personal favor, Stenotype." She cut him off, tapping the corner of the table a few times for emphasis. It was quite a bit of emphasis, as it left the corner bent down at a forty-five degree angle.
"Ah, I'm not quite sure if we can legally--" He tried again, only to find the shadows around him darkening.
"If the law is your only concern, then worry not, friend Stenotype," breathed Luna softly from behind him, "for the law is in this very room with you. And we say it is acceptable, in this case, to withhold said testimony."
"Ahem, yes, very well." Stenotype quickly peeled off the last few pages from his notepad and held them up in a slightly shaking hoof. A blue magical aura plucked them from his grasp, crumpling them into a ball, and then a nearly invisible beam of sunlight neatly and quietly vaporized them.
"You may take your leave now, Stenotype," Luna said graciously, and the thankful law pony quickly scrambled from the room.
The three ponies stayed silent as the door clicked shut and Stenotype's hurried hoofsteps slowly faded away down the hall. Only then did Celestia move, the quick tap-tap of her hoofcuffs echoing in the small room as she rounded the table and knelt next to Twilight, wrapping the pony in her wings.
"Twilight," she said, sorrow filling her voice, "Twilight, I am so sorry."
"Indeed," spoke Luna from Twilight's other side. "If we have truly seen the last of the Queen, than all of Equestria is now lesser for this loss."
"No, no, you don't need to apologize," said Twilight, raising her head. She didn't look quite as bad as both Princesses had expected; more resigned than anything, with a spark of what could be determination. "Nothing that happened is any of your fault."
"But it is, Twilight," said Luna softly, "for we did not stop this before it began."
"She's right." Celestia nodded as Twilight turned to look at her. "We knew--all of us, Shining Armor and your parents included--how cruel Chrysalis was to Cadance during their first encounter."
Twilight flushed and looked away, and Celestia gave her a squeeze with her wings. "I know we've decided to... overlook what the changelings did during the wedding, given the rather delicate reasons for which they did so. Or at least, the reasons for which they eventually did so. That still doesn't mean we should shy away from calling their actions out for what they are, nor should we forgive Chrysalis for what she did quite yet."
"I know," whispered Twilight.
"At the same time, we did Cadance a disservice by assuming that she had forgiven and forgotten the trauma she was put through," continued Celestia. "The fact that none of us, aside from Shining Armor, thought to speak of this to her is a mistake we are all guilty of. Unfortunately, we merely assumed that the fact that she didn't immediately show up breathing fire indicated acceptance. None of us thought she would seek out more... circumspect means to address her grievances with the Queen. That error is on all our heads. Communication is one of the mainstays of friendships, and we should not have taken it for granted that she would be the one to initiate the communication."
"We must not blame Cadance for this, either," put in Luna softly. "She has enough on her head as it is. The omission was ours and ours alone; it should not be added to her list of crimes."
"Agreed," said Celestia, and she and Twilight nodded.
"What is going to happen to Cadance?" asked Twilight timidly, looking between the two Princesses.
Celestia let out a sigh. "It's a tough decision. On one hoof, some kind of punishment is clearly needed. Cadance attacked two Princesses of Equestria, along with severely damaging a private business, and that is not the kind of thing we can simply allow to pass without comment. It sets a bad precedent. Moreover, to just pardon her offhoof would open us to obvious--and, let's face it, true--accusations of nepotism."
"Would be the first time anyone's accused Celestia of that," muttered Luna out of the side of her mouth.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
"On the other hoof," continued Celestia after a glance at Luna, "Leniency is most likely called for in this case. Cadance suffered at Chrysalis's hooves, no matter what excuses or 'cultural differences' we bring up. She deserved restitution, or an explanation and heartfelt apology at the very least, and she got nothing. Under the circumstances, the fact that she would take matters into her own hooves is understandable, if not something we can approve. A punishment of some kind is warranted, though what exactly it may be, and its severity, is something my sister and I are still discussing."
Movement caught Twilight's eye, and she glanced over. Luna was pointing at Celestia, then, seeing she'd caught Twilight's gaze, moved one hoof in a rising arc, as though imitating a pony being shot into the sky, and mouthed the words To the moon!
Celestia spun suddenly, to see only Luna standing on all four hooves, expression blank and innocent. She stared at her younger sister for a moment, then let out a small snort and turned back to Twilight.
"In any case... yes, we will be punishing Cadance, Twilight. We haven't come to a conclusion on that punishment's severity yet, and won't until after she's had a trial and a chance to defend herself, but she will not simply be walking away from this."
"Okay," said Twilight quietly, nodding. "Thank you, Princess." She slid out of her chair, heading for the door, only to find herself stopped by a soft white wing.
"Don't you think there's something else we need to discuss?" asked Celestia, a warm smile on her face, and Twilight flushed and looked away.
"W-well, there is something I need advice on, but, um, Princess, I don't know if you should... if you should be the one I talk about it with. This particular subject, I mean. You know I always value your counsel and I know I'm free to ask you anything, but you might have a personal preference for which decision I make and I'd hate to put you in a position you feel like your feelings might compromise the advice you give--"
Twilight's rambling was interrupted by Celestia's giggle. The Princess moved to sit at the other side of the table, where her sister joined her, and she gestured with her head for Twilight to hop back up in her seat.
"You really always have been my silly little pony," she said, and Twilight blushed. "I already told you that my interest in you is only that, interest. Any romantic feelings I have towards you are simply an extension of my love for you as my most faithful student, and, as cold as it may sound, I have no problems putting them aside. If I feel anything right now, it's merely me kicking myself for having waited so long to let you know how I felt."
"It's probably a good thing you did," said Twilight, managing a shaky smile. "I don't think Chrysalis would have been happy about her fiancee dating another pony."
"Yes, that would have most likely been an awkward scene," agreed Celestia with a laugh. "While I appreciate your concern for me, it's not necessary. And please don't waste any time on my behalf trying to find a way to make us both happy. For one, I fear what kind of magical abominations your solution would unleash upon the world; I doubt either Chrysalis or myself would appreciate, for example, half a Twilight. Even if such a thing did walk and talk. But furthermore, there is no perfect outcome for both of us in this situation."
"But there could be," sang Luna tantalizingly. She produced a scroll from under her wing, floating it in front of Celestia's face. "I've already signed this; simply do the same and polygamy will be legal in Equestria--"
A flash of light from Celestia's horn vaporized the parchment, and Luna sat back with a disappointed sigh. "You'll give in eventually."
"I'm going to find where you're hiding those things one of these days," growled Celestia.
"The point is that we want you to be happy, Twilight," Luna said, turning to face her. "We care about you, and in this situation your feelings are paramount to all others. No matter our own interests, my sister and I would never do anything that might hurt you."
"Just tell us what you want, Twilight, and we can help you get it," finished Celestia quietly.
"But that's just it. You heard me tell the entire story just now; I don't know what I want." Twilight slumped forward on the table. "After our wedding--well, our second wedding--when Chrysalis refused to accept what I said and claimed she was going to win my heart... I'll admit I was intrigued. We'd been together for a few weeks at that point, and I'd gotten to know her quite well.
"It was fascinating to learn that she actually had a heart; that underneath the cold, arrogant, vicious exterior, there was an actual kind and caring pony. Not in quite the way we think of it, of course, but it was there, and the differences, the contradictions, just made me more interested. I wanted to know more about her, and I think if there was any reason I agreed to date her in the first place, it was that."
She tilted her head to the side in thought. "Which, really, is a pretty good reason to start a romantic relationship with somepony."
"And your feelings now?" asked Celestia carefully.
"I... well, I already said I don't know. But I want to spend more time with her, I want to be around her. I just don't know if I want that as a friend, or something more. And... if it is just as a friend, then I think she was right to leave. She said I deserve someone I can love, but she deserves someone who loves her. If that's not me, then it's not fair to ask her to stay around when just seeing me would cause her such pain. Even if... e-even if it hurts me, I'd rather spare her that."
"The depth of your love for Queen Chrysalis is amazing, Twilight," Celestia said, leaning forward to touch her shoulder. "Whether that love is for a friend, or something more."
"Then why don't I have an answer?" asked Twilight desperately, looking between the two Princesses as her eyes began to tear up. "I-if I care about her so much, why can't I tell if I'm in love with her or not?!"
"Love is a very complicated thing, Twilight, and often very secret," Celestia said softly. "It can easily be hidden behind other feelings. Sometimes... no matter how much you care for someone, those other feelings can rise up and cloud your love."
She shared a sorrowful look with Luna, and the two Princesses extended their wings for a brief hug.
"What do I do, then?" asked Twilight once the sisters had separated. "I need to figure out how I feel. I know I shouldn't ask for a simple answer, but is there one? Or at least some kind of plan, some sort of path I can follow?"
"The answer is easy, sometimes," replied Celestia. "Sometimes, you'll just suddenly know. An idle thought will spring to mind, revealing your heart to you. Or a memory of a special moment may suddenly come to mean much more than you ever thought. Other times, you must work at it. You must ponder your thoughts and feelings, meditate on your relationship, think about every time you interacted with that pony. In either case, it's very hard to simply force your feelings to show themselves. It takes time, and often quite a bit of luck, to find that one trigger."
"I don't know how much time I have. Chrysalis has probably already sent a letter to your palace, requesting a divorce from me." Twilight let out a snort of laughter that sounded more like a sob. "I never thought I'd say anything even remotely like that... or that I'd feel so sad about it."
"Well, you've at least made a good start at it so far," Celestia said, and smiled when Twilight looked up at her. "You've decided to ask your friends, the ponies who know you best. If anypony's going to be able to help you find out what lies in your heart, it's your friends."
"Okay. So... help me?"
She spoke in such a small voice, looking up with wide, hopeful eyes, that both Princesses had to suppress their initial reaction, which was to cuddle her and say "Awww!" Instead, they exchanged glances, and Luna gave a nod and leaned forward while Celestia sat back.
"You know, Twilight, that I have been spending quite a bit of time myself with the Queen over the past few months, yes?" Twilight nodded, letting Luna continue. "I too consider her a dear friend. Like you, I've seen the core of goodness that lies under her hard exterior--both literally and figuratively--and I wish I had such unrestricted access to it as you do. She can be quite amusing when the mood takes her, which it always seems to do around you. Why, the pranks she has been playing on my sister are evidence enough of that."
"Luna, for the last time, assassination attempts are not pranks, even if the intended victim is immortal. And I don't appreciate you helping her." Celestia let out a snort, crossing her forelegs. "I've never been lit on fire so many times in my life before all this started. If I wasn't immune, I'd be quite annoyed by this point."
"What I am trying to say, Twilight, is that I know her as I know you," continued Luna, ignoring her sister's obviously unwarranted whining. "Perhaps I don't know either of you as well as I'd like to, but it is enough to call you friends. Which is why I was so puzzled by your behavior during those first few days after you introduced your wife to us.
"That the Queen loved you was obvious. Everything she said and did practically screamed it. She nearly seemed to suffer physical pain when separated from your presence. You, on the other hoof, seemed significantly uncomfortable around her. You went stiff as board whenever she hugged you, and I found the expressions on your face whenever she tried to nuzzle you to be most amusing. I had thought your reactions merely a product of your discomfort with such public displays of affection, as tame as they were.
"When the news of your true feelings came out, your reluctance suddenly made more sense. And yet... as I watched the two of you over the last six months, I saw that hesitation disappear. I saw you walking hoof-in-hoof with her through the halls of this palace, I saw you cuddle with her on a couch in our drawing room... and don't think I didn't see the time you tried to steal a kiss from her during our movie night, Twilight Sparkle!"
Twilight went red, immediately knowing what Luna was talking about. "I-it wasn't like that! I just wanted to tell her something, and..."
"I can't believe my wagon broke down," griped the stallion to his marefriend, as they tramped through the woods behind their friends. "I just got that axle replaced!"
"Now, now, it's not all bad. We were lucky we found this abandoned summer camp." The mare gave him a sultry glance. "And I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities to sneak away and be all by ourselves..."
Twilight shifted in her seat as they watched the movie, leaning a bit more against the comforting bulk of Chrysalis behind her. The changeling had stretched out on the couch while Luna was setting up the projector, and Twilight, knowing her place, had jumped up with her. She'd snuggled up to Chrysalis's soft belly as one of the changeling's forelegs draped itself over her body, and as they'd settled in for the movie she'd kind of drifted down, to the point where she now lay with her head on Chrysalis's foreleg. Other than the changeling attempting to strangle her to death every time there was a jump scare in the movie, it was comfortable.
Now she shifted her head, peering over at Celestia and Luna. They sat on their own couch on the other side of the projector, sharing a blanket. Whenever they got scared, both would jump, then break down into giggles.
Laying back, she shifted her gaze up to Chrysalis. The changeling was absolutely enthralled by the movie, her wide eyes reflecting the light from the screen, and Twilight licked her lips nervously.
Chrysalis had been nice lately... well, nice to Twilight, at least; she still seemed to enjoy tormenting other ponies. There'd been none of the weirdness that had been around since they'd started dating, and she wanted to show her appreciation. So, maybe...
"Hey, Chrysalis?" she whispered quietly, steeling herself to push up and meet the changeling's lips as she turned to respond.
"Yes, Twilight? What is--" Before Twilight could make her move, Chrysalis jerked her head back around, foreleg once again tightening around Twilight's neck.
"NO! Don't go in there, the Hookpony is hiding in the closet!"
Twilight fell back with a sigh as Chrysalis released her, all her determination fading away with that near miss. But still... Chrysalis deserved something. So she lay there, watching the movie with half a mind, slowly building her courage back up. Finally, she looked up at Chrysalis again.
"Chrys--"
"He's not dead! Don't check the body, run for it!"
Once again Twilight found herself shaken around, and slumped back down as she was released. There wasn't going to be enough time to try again, and she doubted she'd be able to bring herself to anyway. Which gave her a strangely melancholic feeling...
So, after a few minutes, she pulled herself up and nuzzled up against Chrysalis's neck. The changeling looked down at the small pony in surprise, then nuzzled her back.
"It's okay, don't worry," she whispered gently. "I'm sure they finally killed the Hookpony. Nothing could have survived that."
Twilight let out a small giggle, leaning into Chrysalis. She didn't have the heart to tell her that she'd already seen every movie in the Nightmare Night series.
Twilight trailed off, letting her head drop as she realized the futility of her protests. "O-okay, you're right. I think that must have been when the Yakyakistan delegation stopped by the Crystal Empire, because Chrysalis was so sweet that week. I wanted to do something nice for her, and I thought she deserved a kiss, but... she was so distracted by that stupid movie I couldn't get her attention, and then, well, I chickened out."
"Yes, I know." Luna chuckled. "I saw you trying, and I was tempted to assist you. But, I felt it best to let you go at your own pace."
"Do you kiss all your friends when you want to do something nice for them, Twilight?" asked Celestia slyly, and the small pony flushed. As usual, Celestia had been able to cut to the heart of the situation immediately.
"No, of course not." Twilight paused. "Well, there was that one time with Rarity... but, I mean, we were at the spa, and we were relaxed from getting massages, and then we were all alone in the sauna and one thing led to another..."
She coughed into a hoof, trailing off, and all three redfaced Princesses did their best to avoid the other's gazes.
"I don't remember getting that friendship report..."
"Okay, so, I like to kiss Chrysalis," Twilight said, hurriedly moving on. "We're dating, and it really makes her happy, and... and I really like doing it too. Is that love? Because it seems more like physical attraction. Of course, that is generally considered a part of love, usually both partners need to find at least something appealing about each other's physiques. Not saying the mind isn't important, of course, but...."
"Hmm..." Luna considered Twilight for a moment. "Do you know why Chrysalis fell in love with you in the first place?"
Twilight's body went rigid, and then she turned away with a dismissive snort. "Because I'm a Princess, apparently," she said bitterly, then let out a yelp as Luna leaned across the table and rapped her sharply on the head with one hoof. "Ow!"
"That is enough of that, Twilight Sparkle," spoke Luna sternly, Twilight looked up at her with a pout, and her expression softened. "You know that's not true, and by now you should know better than to put yourself down like that. Queen Chrysalis fell in love with you because she saw the same potential in you that my sister and I did: the potential to be a leader. You were already brave, strong and intelligent when she met you for the first time, when she first became infatuated with you. With how much you grew over the next few years... well, how could you be surprised that she fell completely in love?"
"I'm sorry, but..." Twilight gave an uncomfortable shrug. "It still sounds like you're talking about my becoming a Princess."
"Very well, then consider this," responded Luna. "You say you know how much Chrysalis loves you, but do you really? Tell me, do you know how she refers to you when we talk?" Twilight shook her head. "She called you *hiss chitter chirp*."
Celestia merely furrowed her brow in puzzlement, but Twilight gasped, and her hooves went to her mouth in shock. Partly out of hearing Luna speak Hemipid; she hadn't even known Luna could speak the changeling's own language, and especially not with such a flawless accent. But more important than that was the meaning of the phrase she had spoken.
"I trust you know what that means, then?" asked Luna, arching an eyebrow. "The Queen has been a most excellent teacher, but she refused to tell me the meaning of those words. Her attitude when I questioned her was most perplexing, as well."
"Does... does she really call me that?" Twilight gulped, trying to wet her dry throat. When Luna nodded, a nearly stupefied look came over the small pony. "I-I never knew...she always talked about how much she loved me, but I never knew she felt that way... that her feelings were so strong..."
She trailed off, and after a few moments Celestia cleared her throat. "If it's so personal, you may keep it to yourself, Twilight," she said gently.
"Oh! No, it's okay, Princess, I just never thought she'd say..." She broke off, rubbing at her face with one hoof, then took a deep breath. "*hiss chitter chirp* means something like... well, a direct translation would be 'my Queen', but it has connotations that go far beyond that. It's like how we're sometimes called 'your highness' or 'your majesty' instead of just 'Princess', except it's more than just a formal way to refer to the Queen.
"It means trust. Absolute loyalty. A willingness to obey every order that Queen gives, to put her above all else in your life. To die for her, if necessary. It means you are devoted to her before any other obligations." Twilight's face lit up, and she leaned forward to tap a hoof on the table. "That's the word! Devotion. Complete and utter devotion to your Queen."
She stared down at her hoof, then slowly sat back. "And... I let her leave. She felt that way about me, she loved me with all her heart and was completely devoted to me in every way... and I just let her walk out the door."
The other Princesses stayed silent, leaving Twilight to her thoughts, and after some time she lifted her head slightly.
"I feel like... like I got hit in the stomach. Like I'm completely hollow inside. Does that mean I love her? Is this what it feels like when someone you love leaves?"
"Absolutely," replied Luna without hesitation. "You love her, and you should go now to tell her how you feel--"
"Luna!" snapped Celestia, interrupting her. "You know that's not true!"
"Can you blame me for trying to help my friends?" Luna shrugged, face innocent.
"I think I might need to send you to live with Twilight. You seem to need as much help with friendship as Starlight does." Celestia turned to the smaller pony. "Twilight, ignore Luna. It doesn't necessarily mean you love her... just that you care about her very, very much. Think of it... as another data point to consider. You could make a graph, even."
That at least got a shaky smile out of Twilight. "That actually would make me feel a bit better."
"There is something else we can try, Twilight. If you'll let me."
"Let you?"
"I want to... hypnotize you, in a way," explained Celestia uncomfortably. "It's a spell that will soothe your mind, let you answer any questions we ask as truthfully as possible. I don't know if it will be any more useful than Cadance's spell was, but we can at least try."
"Oh. That sounds fine, actually, Princess. I trust you."
"Very well."
Celestia raised her head and lit her horn, a golden glow enveloping Twilight's head. As it did, her face calmed, the lines of worry smoothing out, and her eyes slipped closed.
"Twilight, Chrysalis is standing in front of you," said Celestia softly. "Tell me, what do you see when you look at her?"
"I see... the Queen of the changelings," Twilight said in a dreamy voice. "She's the one who abducted Cadance and tried to take over Equestria. She also treated me so horribly when we were dating, even if that was because of Cadance. And... she's the one who loves me, more than anyone else in the world. She'd do anything for me, just to make me happy."
"And how do you feel when you see her?"
"I feel happy." Twilight smiled. "She's fun to talk with, and just to be around. I feel safe and loved and comfortable when she's with me."
"I was right, this isn't much more helpful than Cadance's spell," sighed Celestia. "Tell me, Twilight... do you love Queen Chrysalis?"
"I..." Twilight's brow furrowed. "I love her the way I love all my friends. Sometimes it feels different, but... but I don't know what that means and it scares me, so I try not to think about it."
"Well, that's something," Celestia muttered, glancing over at Luna. "I don't think we're going to actually get an answer out of her like this."
"Hmm..." Luna looked back at Celestia, then turned to Twilight, and the golden glow around the pony's head changed to blue. "Twilight, now Celestia is standing in front of you. What do you see?"
"It's the Princess!" Any worry on Twilight's face had been replaced by a wide smile. "She's been my mentor for almost my entire life. I think she's one of the most beautiful ponies in Equestria, especially her mane."
Celestia blinked in surprise, face flushed, and Luna grinned as she continued. "How do you feel when you see her?"
"Happy, of course! She's my oldest friend. Almost nopony else makes me feel as special as she does. I'm always nervous that I'm going to disappoint her, but I know how proud she is of me. We always hug when we see each other, and I hope she'll hug me now."
"Th-this isn't helping, you know..." Celestia stammered out, her eyes not leaving the pony's smile.
"And now, Twilight, Celestia is wearing a saddle and stockings. Something silk, something from the back room at Rarity's Boutique. How does that make you feel?"
"Luna, no!" cried Celestia, before the red-faced Twilight could start to respond. "Stop it!"
"We are going to learn the truth, sister!"
The light around Twilight's head began flickering between yellow and blue. She started to rock back and forth as the royal sisters fought over her mind, then suddenly tipped over, spilling out of her chair and onto the floor.
"Look what you did!" huffed Celestia, hurrying over to help Twilight up.
"Okay, no more messing with my mind, alright?" groaned Twilight, rubbing her forehead.
"I'm really sorry, Twilight," Celestia said.
"We shouldn't have let ourselves get out of control like that," admitted Luna.
"It's fine, it's fine." Twilight sighed. "At I least got a little more information to add to what Cadance showed me. Now I know I do feel something. I just need to find a way to make myself confront it. Because even if I do love her, it doesn't mean anything if I can't actually feel it."
"What will you do now?" asked Luna, as Twilight took a few steps towards the door.
"Keep talking to my friends and family," she replied. "That's the plan, of course. You two gave me some help, and so did Cadance, so maybe if I talk to everyone I can figure this out."
"We wish you luck, Twilight," said Celestia, and Luna nodded in agreement. "I feel you should go to your family first. Not only are they right here in Canterlot, but talking with Shining Armor will most likely be... uncomfortable. You might want to get that over with as soon as possible."
"You're right." Twilight nodded, then, after a moment of thought, looked up nervously at the two Princesses. "Speaking of that... when I was talking to Cadance, she asked to me to put in a good word with you. So... go easy on her?"
Celestia smiled warmly. "The fact that you can ask that, as one who was wronged by her, will carry weight with us. Have no fear."
"And when you see her next... tell her I'm willing to forgive her. If she's willing to do what it takes to be forgiven, to make up for what she's done."
"We will, Twilight."
"Is Chrysalis ready to forgive Cadance, as well?" asked Luna, a slight teasing lilt to her voice, and Twilight snorted.
"Oh, yes, I can just imagine how she'd react to being asked if she forgives Cadance." She pushed herself up onto the tips of her hooves, pressing one hoof to her chest and deepening her voice in an attempt to imitate Chrysalis's echoing tones. "That pink pony challenged me to battle, and I defeated her soundly. As far as I am concerned, everything between us is settled."
Twilight went back down to her hooves with a giggle. "And now she's going to be all mad at me--" She looked over to her side and froze, then drooped down. "Oh. Right."
"You really miss her, don't you?" asked Celestia gently, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.
"I do," whispered Twilight, looking up at her with wet eyes.
"Go on then, my faithful student," Celestia said, guiding Twilight to the door. "Go out there and find what's in your heart."
"Oh, and Twilight," said Luna, just as Twilight opened the door, and the pony looked back over her shoulder. "Don't forget that while polygamy may still, unfortunately, be illegal, open relationships aren't. So as long as Chrysalis agrees, there's no reason you and Celestia can't--"
"Okay, bye!" said Twilight hurriedly, escaping out into the hallway and slamming the door behind herself.
"I can't believe you did that!" cried Celestia as soon as Twilight had gone. "You went way too far!"
"I'm merely trying to help you, sister," replied Luna innocently, turning away with a flip of her tail.
"You're pushing her too hard! You're going to scare her off. I have time to be patient, Luna. If I have to wait decades to interest her in my offer, I can."
"Fie on that!" declared Luna. "If you love her, you shouldn't wait."
Celestia glowered at her for a moment, then tilted her head with a small smile. "I'm surprised you were pushing so hard to get Twilight and Chrysalis together. You know, considering your own feelings for the Queen..."
"W-what do you mean?" Luna turned back to Celestia, eyes wide.
"Oh, come now, sister. I saw how excited you were whenever Chrysalis came over, the way you followed her around and hung on her every word. Also, I saw you staring at her butt."
"Lies! Lies and vile slander!" Luna reared up, shaking her head violently.
"Now, now, Luna, there's nothing wrong with that. It is quite an attractive butt, in its way." She cocked an eyebrow upwards. "In fact, considering our feelings for the two of them, perhaps we should be preparing Twilight for the possibility of a foursome instead."
"What?!" Luna's face turned red as she blushed furiously. "T-that might be a little awkward for the two of us. Not to mention how inappropriate it would be."
"Would it?" Celestia's looked up at Luna from under half-lidded eyes, her voice purring, as she moved forward. "We are only sisters, after all. It's not like there would be any of the unfortunate consequences one of us being a stallion could produce."
"W-what are you saying?" stammered Luna, backing away.
"I'm saying, why not be more than sisters? Why not prove how much we really love each other?"
"T-that's not... we can't..."
"Why can't we? Would it truly be so wrong, to love each other so intimately?"
"I... I..." Luna ran out of space to retreat in the small room, jumping slightly as she backed into the wall. Before she could move, Celestia was directly in front of her, placing a hoof on her chest.
"Who better than your sister to give you the love you deserve?" Celestia whispered huskily. Her wings unfolded, wrapping around Luna to trail gently along the other pony's wings and side. "After all these centuries, we know each other better than any other pony ever could. I know what you like, what you need, where you like to be touched..."
Her wings moved down, circling under the Luna's barrel. Luna froze in place as her body was caressed, her only movement a slight tremble. Celestia leaned forward, breath hot, to whisper her next words right into her sister's ear.
"... and I know exactly where you're the most ticklish."
Her wings jabbed into her sister's ribs with the accuracy and ruthlessness of an assassin, and Luna collapsed with a shriek of laughter.
She tried to escape, but Celestia kept up the attack, wings relentless sweeping up and down her sides. Attempting to crawl away proved futile, as the convulsions of mirth wracking her body left her so weak that Celestia was able to keep her in place with one hoof, even using it to add to the assault when she gave up. With no other option, Luna was forced to resort to pleading.
"No, no! Haha! S-sister, please... hahaha! Please stop! I-I yield!"
"Oh?" Celestia let up, keeping her wings moving just enough to stop Luna from entertaining any ideas of escape. "So then you apologize for what you said here today? And you promise to stop pressuring Twilight?"
"Never!" gasped Luna definitely. "I'm doing this for your own good!"
"Then no mercy!"
She dove back down with the lack of compassion she showed to all of Equestria's enemies, and Luna's protests dissolved into breathless laughter. |
Pony Courtship Rituals | Chapter Six: Family Matters and Reproductive Strategies | For as long as Twilight could remember, there had always been a clock in the living room of her parents' house. It was an antique, all brightly polished brass, and in the shape of a stylized sun not too unlike Celestia's cutie mark. And for all the time she'd spent in that room, all the millions of times she'd heard it tick, never had it been louder than it was right at this moment.
Twilight sat on the small couch she had shared with Chrysalis whenever they came to visit. Across from her, on their own love seat, were her parents. Night Light's face held an expression of pained worry, mostly as a result of the disappointed frown on Twilight Velvet's face. Worst of all, of course, was the looming, icy presence of Shining Armor standing off to their side.
"So," he said suddenly, shattering the silence and making everypony in the room jump, "how is my wife enjoying the palace dungeons?"
"About as much as my wife is enjoying being all alone, probably," shot back Twilight as a spike of anger suddenly ran through her. She gasped as soon as she said the words, her hooves going to her mouth. "I'm sorry, Shining Armor, I didn't mean that--"
"No, no, tell us how you really feel," he interrupted, all fake sincerity. "Tell us about how you sided with a monster, rather than your own family."
"Don't call her that!" shouted Twilight, pounding a hoof on her seat's armrest. "You don't know anything about what Chrysalis is like, so you have no right to call her a monster!"
"She really got to you, didn't she?" said Shining Armor softly. "Worse even than she did with me, because you're doing it willingly."
Twilight glared at him for a moment longer, then slumped back in her seat, shaking her head. "Please, Shining Armor, this shouldn't be about who's on whose side. Ponies we both care about are hurting, and we need to help them."
Shining Armor stared back at her, face slack and disbelieving. "You don't get it, do you Twilight?" he said finally, shaking his head. "I want to help you, but I will never help Chrysalis. Everything that's happened has been entirely because of her. As far as I'm concerned, we'd all be better off if she does exactly what she said and never comes back."
He stopped, blinking, as he saw Twilight's face. Her lips were trembling, tears leaking out of her eyes, and she snuffled, wiping at her nose with one hoof.
"H-how could you say that?" she asked, voice hoarse.
"Twilight, you... are you seriously... arrrggh!" With a frustrated groan, Shining Armor turned and stomped out of the room. The sound of his hoofsteps was clear as he climbed the stairs to the upper floor, then a door slammed.
Twilight, rubbing her eyes, looked up as she noticed a glow. A handkerchief hung in the air nearby, held by her father's magical aura, and she took it with a grateful smile. After spending a moment cleaning her face off, she set the handkerchief off to the side and looked up at her father.
"T-thanks, dad," she said, voice back to normal.
"Well, you know, I just want you to be happy. No matter what, or who, makes you feel that way," Night Light replied, a small, sad smile on his face.
"Oh." Twilight looked down. "You don't like Chrysalis either, do you?"
"It's complicated." He sighed, running a hoof through his mane. "You and Shining Armor... you're my little filly, and my little colt. I'm your father, I'm supposed to protect you. And when Chrysalis attacked the wedding... I couldn't. I was completely and utterly helpless."
"To be fair, she knocked out Princess Celestia with one hit," pointed out Twilight. "I don't really think you need to beat yourself up about it too badly."
"Well, yes, there is that. And you two--especially now--have never had any trouble taking care of yourselves." He let out a chuckle, quickly sobering up. "But the point is... she hurt our family, Twilight. That wasn't just supposed to be a special day for Shining Armor and Cadance. It was for all of us, and Chrysalis ruined that."
"I know." Twilight closed her eyes. "That's why I've been having so much trouble trying to figure out what to do. I... I hated Chrysalis for so long. When we got married, I was terrified because I thought she was actually going to tear my throat out. It took me days to even start believing she was telling the truth every time she said she loved me. She coddled me, gave me everything I asked for, spent every moment following me around... and I spent a week thinking it was all just a trick. That's how little I trusted her, how little I believed she even could love."
"So you can understand how we feel, then," said Night Light. "All we know about this is what you've told us. We believe you, Twilight, when you say she's not quite as bad as we think she is. But your word is all we have to go on. We don't see her the way you do."
"I really wish you could," said Twilight quietly. "She's... she's special. You just know how cruel she is... and I do too. But I also know how kind she is, how caring. It's just... she only acts that way towards me and the hive."
"Is that really okay with you? That she treats your friends so inconsiderately? And that she does the same to every single pony she meets?"
Twilight took a deep breath. That, really, was the million bit question. She was the Princess of Friendship... and she was married to the Queen of the changelings, who seemed to think friendship was pointless, at best, and something beneath her at worst. If there was ever going to be any kind of long term relationship between them, she needed to come to terms with that.
"I think," she said finally, "That... I am okay with what she's like. She is not a friendly pony. She's a Changeling Queen, and she's not going to be everypony's friend. She's probably not going to be friends with that many ponies at all, in fact. But, she has made friends with Princess Luna. She's also at least mildly respectful to my friends now, too. She hasn't cut back on insulting the ponies we meet on a day-to-day basis yet, but I think she might actually be trying to work on it.
"And I don't really want her to change all that much. I... I like her the way she is. It's actually kind of, well, cute the way she hates everything. Especially since she's almost always forced to admit she's wrong, except she won't, and then she gets all mad and pouty. I know what she's like, and I accept that. She's not going to change, and I would never ask her to, because then she wouldn't be her. But she can do better, and she's trying to. For me. And that's enough."
Night Light looked at her, and smiled. "I think that's enough for me, too."
Twilight clasped her hooves together. "So... you mean..."
"Twilight, I'm not going to lie to you. On a personal level, I don't think I'm ever really going to like Queen Chrysalis. There's too much history there for me to. But I can forgive her, I think, given how happy she makes you. And I can accept her. I know you two don't really need my permission, especially since you're already married, but you have my blessing."
"That's... thank you, dad. That really means a lot to me." She paused to blink back a few tears. "I just wish I could get Shining Armor and Cadance to understand the way you do."
"That's going to be a bit trickier," he agreed with a nod. "I'm not happy about what Chrysalis did because it hurt the family, but it was those two that she hurt personally. She tainted what should have been their most special day. I don't know if even a direct apology can fix something like that."
"And Chrysalis would never do that anyway," admitted Twilight. "She hasn't even apologized to me yet. Which, mostly, is because she thinks I should be flattered she went through so much trouble for me." She dropped her head and sighed, then looked back up. "Mom, do you--"
That was a mistake. She immediately remembered why she'd been avoiding her mother's gaze as soon as their eyes locked and an icy glare hit her. She squirmed, trying to sink back into the couch. A glance to her father was no help; as soon as Twilight had turned to her mother, he'd sucked his breath in between his teeth, then had very carefully started looking at everything in the room besides the other two ponies.
"So, what, is a Queen not good enough for you?" snapped Twilight Velvet, voice frigid.
"Mother, please--"
"I'm sure you can find another Queen, though," continued Velvet, as if Twilight hadn't spoken. "Plenty of those in Equestria, am I right? Or maybe you can find an Empress, or a Queen-Empress even. I mean, they just have to be the Queen of one kingdom and the Empress of another, right? That shouldn't be too hard. No, you can definitely do better than just a Queen, Twilight."
"Mom--"
"And luckily I don't need grandchildren. You just send all those darling little changelings right back where they came from. I'm perfectly fine dying without ever being a grandmother. That's exactly what I want, Twilight, so thank you for being thoughtful."
"They're not even my children, mom! So they wouldn't be your grandchildren!"
Velvet gasped. "Twilight, how could you?! Are you saying you wouldn't accept the children of your wife as your own?"
"W-what? No, that's not what--"
"Because that's a terrible way to think! I accepted them with all my heart. It doesn't matter if you didn't actually give birth to them, Twilight. They're still your children. You have responsibilities when you marry somepony, and you need to be mindful of that."
"I... I am." Twilight looked down, as a horrible sense of guilt came over her. "I'm sorry," she muttered.
"Hmph. I should hope so." Velvet smiled, for the first time all night. "Such polite little things. And so respectful of their grandmother. I spent an entire weekend baking cookies, and they lined up around the block to get them. And they ate every single cookie, too."
"Oh. Um, that's nice."
"Because when a grandmother makes cookies for her grandchildren, she puts all her love into them, Twilight," continued Velvet. "And that makes them more delicious than anything. You don't need to be a changeling to taste that, believe me."
"I do mom, I do," sighed Twilight.
"Now, of course, just because you have those changelings doesn't mean I don't want you and Chrysalis to get busy on making some children of your own as soon as possible."
"M-mom!"
"Well, it's something the two of you need to be thinking about."
"No it's not, we--" Twilight grimaced. "I don't even know if we're going to stay together. I think I love her, but I don't know for sure, and even if I do I don't know if I can get past all my other feelings about her."
"Oh, of course you love her," said Velvet with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "I'm your mother, I know these things. Now, back to my future grandchildren--"
"Mom, please." Twilight squirmed in her seat, her face reddening. "Even if we do stay married and... want children someday... we're both mares. It's not easy for us to have children just like that."
"Now, Twilight, you know there are all kinds of ways around that. Why, I can think of a few spells already that would let one of you impregnate the other--"
"Okay, okay!" Twilight, face now fully red, was carefully studying the ceiling. "Yes, I know there are spells like that. But even if we did decide to have children--at some point, years in the future!--I don't actually know any spells like that."
"Why that's no problem at all, dear!" said Velvet cheerfully. "I had a long talk with Chrysalis about this very subject, and she assured me that she knows all of those spells and techniques. Why, we even think she might know a few that have either been lost over the years or are from faraway lands!"
"You... you've talked to Chrysalis without me?" asked Twilight, embarrassment now total as she stared at her mother. "About this?"
"Of course. We've been having tea about once a month for a while now. And you know, it seems like the best option for you two has to do with her being a changeling. Apparently, she really does have an ovi--"
"Oh, sweet Celestia." Twilight interrupted her mother, burying her face in her hooves. "Mom, no, we're not talking about this."
"It's a perfectly natural thing, dear, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," replied Velvet primly.
"No. No it's not natural, at least not as a subject to talk with my parents about. If I was married to a stallion, I wouldn't talk about his stallionhood with you. If I was married to a mare, I wouldn't talk about her marehood. And I'm not going to discuss Chrysalis's.... queenhood, either."
"It's called an ovipositor, Twilight. You can say the word, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. As I said, it's probably the way you should go when you have children. It sounds like all you have to do is--"
"No! Nonono!" Twilight shook her head violently, clamping her hooves over her ears. After a moment, she lifted one hoof to check things out.
"--been fertilized, Chrysalis will then extend her--"
"LALALA, NOT LISTENING!" Twilight's hoof went back to her ear and she started to sing loudly. "I used to wonder what friendship could be~! Til' you all shared its magic with me~!"
After a few lines, she dared to peek again.
"--and after the eggs have gestated inside you long enough, you just have to lay--"
"Okay, all done here, going to talk to Shining Armor and try to repair a possibly damaged relationship with my only sibling, bye!"
Twilight took off, flapping her wings once to shoot across the room and halfway up the stairs, and Velvet turned to scowl after her.
"No flying in the house! You know that's not allowed! And tell Shining Armor we need to talk about grandchildren again!"
She sat back with a huff, crossing her hooves. "I can't believe that girl. Night Light, did you--"
She stopped, looking around as she realized she was now alone in the room.
"Really? We can't even have a conversation about a few simple facts of life?" Velvet snorted. "Well, excuse me for being interested in my future grandchildren!"
Twilight paused at the top of the stairs, letting out a sigh of relief at her escape. Raising her head, she walked out into the hall, a quick glance proving that it was indeed the door to Shining Armor's old room that had been slammed. Walking up to it, she knocked softly.
"Shining Armor? You in there?" There was no response, so she carefully turned the doorknob and trotted in.
After a few steps, she stopped, her heart sinking. Shining Armor was sitting on the bed facing the door. He didn't look up as she entered, instead keeping his attention focused on the book held in his hooves--an old copy of the Monster-pedia.
"Oh." Her ears drooped, and she ventured a guess. "Page seventy-six?"
"Changeling Queens," read Shining Armor, not looking up. "A Changeling Queen is one of the most dangerous creatures a pony can encounter. Physically larger and stronger than even the biggest earth ponies, their wings also enable them to fly like a pegasus, and their magic surpasses that of any unicorn, sometimes exceedingly so depending on how well they've fed recently.
"But their real strength lies in deceit. They can take any shape they please, all the better to trick their victims. Even if their disguise is seen through, they have a wide variety of hypnotic powers and mind control abilities to erase any such slip-ups. Their ability to lie, deceive and otherwise fool ponies into doing what they want is nearly unparalleled.
"A Changeling Queen is also possibly the cruelest monster in all the lands. They devour love, and think nothing of destroying all who stand in their way of stealing more, even tearing apart entire families in their quest to feed."
"Ice cream!" blurted out Twilight, and Shining Armor finally looked up, surprised. "Does it say anything in there about ice cream?" she asked, and he shook his head, mystified.
"Because Chrysalis loves ice cream, Shining Armor," she said hurriedly. "She says it tastes like love. We went to an ice cream parlor once, and got some cones. As soon as we got outside she dropped hers on the sidewalk. I thought she was going to cry, right there on the street in front of everypony. So I scooped up as much of it as I could and put it on my cone, and we sat on a bench and shared it."
"Twilight--"
"There's also this thing she does. I've never seen her do it in front of anybody else, not even her changelings, but sometimes at the end of the day, she would come into our room and just collapse on a piece of furniture. Like, boneless, full-body sprawl, her legs sticking out everywhere. Couches, easy chairs, beds, sometimes me if I was laying down--which makes it hard to read; she's actually surprisingly heavy--it didn't matter, she'd just fully relax, completely limp, no dignity whatsoever."
"Twilight, this doesn't--"
"And sometimes when she sneezes, she--"
"Twilight! That's enough!" shouted Shining Armor.
They stood there for a moment, looking at each other, and finally Twilight closed her eyes.
"She's a person, Shining Armor," she said emphatically. "Not a monster, not some entry in a book. She has real feelings, the same as any of us."
"So she's just all sunshine and rainbows, then?" he asked bitterly, eyes narrowed.
"No, Shining Armor, I'm not saying that." She opened her eyes to stare, downcast, at her hooves, and sighed. "Though maybe I was trying to gloss over that a bit."
"Well, come on, then," he challenged. "Let's hear some of those other stories."
Twilight shifted uncomfortably. "This one time... she popped a little colt's balloon. And then laughed at him when he started crying. I think that was actually her, too, because it wasn't really a 'date' date, and I don't think she was wearing the earring. But I had to apologize for her, because she refused. I did make her buy him a few extra balloons to make up for what she did, though."
She looked off to the side, a frown on her face. "Little brat made her buy him five balloons," she muttered.
"Twilight!" snapped Shining Armor, and she swung around to stare at him, blinking.
"What?"
"That..." he stopped, licking his lips nervously, then continued. "That sounded like something she would say."
"W-well, it's not like I'm being unreasonable!" stammered Twilight. "I mean, one balloon to replace the one that got popped, sure, that's just assumed. A second one to make up for how mean Chrysalis was, okay, that's good too. A third would even be acceptable compensation. But five?! That's just greedy. At that point, he was taking advantage of us."
Shining Armor's expression was turning thunderous, so she quickly hurried on. "Okay, different example, let's see.... Oh, I know.
"A few weeks ago, Pinkie was throwing us a party. I invited Chrysalis, and she came with, but you remember what she thought of Pinkie's parties when she was pretending to be Cada--ahem! Anyway, she was unenthusiastic, let's say. So Pinkie went walking past her with the cake, and... Chrysalis tripped her. Pinkie fell face first on the floor, and then the cake landed on her head. And Chrysalis laughed, of course."
Shining Armor winced. "And you're still trying to defend her?"
"Well, I mean, it's Pinkie. Massive head trauma is kind of a non-issue for her. And then she just licked the cake off the top of her head and laughed too."
"You can't tell me any of your other friends were happy about that."
"No, they weren't. It did kind of ruin the party, after all. Rainbow was especially upset. And it didn't really help any of their opinions about Chrysalis. She was so obviously just being mean that it took down the mood of the entire party. Well, except for Pinkie, of course. She just thought it was funny."
Shining Armor shook his head. "Twilight, I can't believe this. Ignoring for the moment that we're talking about Queen Chrysalis--you know, the changeling who's done some utterly horrible things to our family over the years--you just described to me a pony you call a friend who was mean to a young colt and then ruined a party for your friends. And I'm sure those are just a few of the stories you have. How can you call her a friend? You, the Princess of Friendship! Nothing that she does is what a friend does! You can't even say you forgive her when she does these things, because to forgive somebody they actually need to be sorry for what they've done in the first place!"
"Aha, but she was sorry about the party!" cried Twilight excitedly, pointing a hoof at Shining Armor. "I didn't even tell her that she should make up for what she did, just that I was disappointed in her. And the next time we all met, she brought a cake for us!"
She deflated slightly, hoof drifting back to the ground. "Of course, it turned out she'd stolen the cake, but it was still a nice gesture."
"So, that's who you're trying to defend?" asked Shining Armor, arching one eyebrow critically. "Someone that hurts little children, trips your friends, ruins parties, steals, laughs at other's misfortunes... but hey, she likes ice cream, so she can't be all bad right?"
"It's a really pretty laugh," said Twilight in a small voice, shuffling her hooves nervously. "And... sometimes, I think it actually gets nicer the crueler she is."
Shining Armor stared at her, complete bafflement on his face. "How, Twilight?" he asked hoarsely. "How can you think anything she does is okay? How can you even say what you just said?"
"Because I like her, Shining Armor. A lot. I'm not claiming she's perfect--nopony is. She has some serious flaws, personality-wise. But I think her good points, everything I've seen about her that I like, outweigh those flaws." She took a deep breath. "And I'm pretty sure I'm in love with her."
Shining Armor stared at her, expression blank. Just as Twilight was beginning to fear something was wrong with him, he slowly tilted back, flopping onto the bed and covering his face with his hooves as he let out a frustrated groan. Taking that as a signal, she trotted over, climbing onto the bed to sit next to her brother.
"I'm... sorry," she said lamely.
"Why does everything with Chrysalis have to be such a mess?" he moaned plaintively, voice muffled by his hooves.
"She did kind of make a bad first impression. And then continued that impression for several more years," Twilight admitted with resigned nod.
"Yes, I think ponynapping my bride, ruining our wedding, and taking over Equestria counts as a 'bad first impression'."
"Although it was kind of romantic." Shining Armor raised his hooves to glare at her. "I-I mean, not the wedding stuff, but conquering a whole kingdom for me? How many ponies can say their wife has done that?"
"Me, for one. In a way."
"I suppose so." Twilight looked up at the ceiling, face innocent. "You know, they're not really--"
"Stop right there," warned Shining Armor, bopping her on the back of the head with a hoof. "Do not compare Cadance to Chrysalis. They're about as opposite as opposites can get."
"Well, there are a few similarities," Twilight pointed out cheerfully. "They're both all about love, even if they differ on the specifics. Also, they both love me... and I care about both of them. And.... now they've both tried to destroy each other's marriages."
"I..." Shining Armor lapsed into silence for a moment, then sighed. "Twilight, I'm sorry about Cadance. My feelings about Chrysalis aside, I'm absolutely furious about what she did to you. Part of the reason I was so mad earlier was because I'd just come from visiting Cadance, and I kind of went off on her when I was there."
"Oh," said Twilight quietly, head down. "I'm sorry. You're not too mad, are you?"
"No, Twilight. Just... upset that she would treat you that way. All I did was yell at her a bit. Asked her what she was thinking, how she could do something so cruel." He let out a guilty sigh. "Actually, I should probably go back and talk to her again. Let her know that while I may be angry at her, I do still love her."
"Well, at least I won't have that on my conscience," said Twilight with relief. After a brief hesitation, she looked back at him. "What was Cadance like? During the last few months, I mean. When she was doing... what she was doing."
"She seemed... completely normal." Shining Armor shrugged. "Maybe a bit more preoccupied than usual. There was no real way for me to tell the difference between her using that crystal ball to talk to Chrysalis and her being in one policy meeting or the other. I didn't even notice the times she went to Canterlot."
He paused for a moment, musing. "One thing that I did notice was that she didn't seem as interested in your marriage as I would have thought. And she didn't even seem to care that Queen Chrysalis was back, which was definitely odd considering everything we went through."
"Did you ever talk to her about it?" asked Twilight, and he nodded.
"Of course. But she seemed completely fine with everything. Ominously so, I suppose. She acted at least a little bit excited whenever we discussed your marriage, though in retrospect maybe not as much as I really would have expected. Whenever I brought Chrysalis up, though, she had almost no reaction. She'd just say that everything was going fine, and that she would 'handle it'." He paused for a moment. "That was probably a bit ominous too, now that I think about it."
"I'm sorry about what happened, Shining Armor," Twilight said quietly.
"No, no... Cadance made her own decision on how to act, and now she's going to face the consequences for it." He took a deep breath. "As she rightly should. What she did was awful, and I'm very upset with her right now. But none of it was really your fault."
"It was, though. I should have talked to Cadance too. Talked to her for real, not just written a few letters where all I did was ask for advice. The Princesses said the same thing; we all really should have talked to her, and we let her down by not doing so. So I'm sorry."
"If anypony should be apologizing, Twilight, it's her. And I should have been the one to notice something wrong with Cadance more than anyone else. There's nothing for you to feel guilty over." He sighed. "So... did they say anything about what's going to happen to Cadance? I know right now she's just being detained until a hearing can be held, but..."
"They said they're going to be as lenient as possible." Twilight shifted uncomfortably. "Obviously they can't be too lenient. Showing too much favor to her would be an obvious bias. But, well, after everything Chrysalis did to her... it was kind of justified. So there are extenuating circumstances they're going to take into account."
"You don't think they're going to turn her to stone for too long, do you?" asked Shining Armor anxiously. "It's just that I'm mortal, and..."
"It'll be okay, Shining Armor, I'm sure they won't do that," said Twilight. "Or, at least, it won't be for that long."
She gave his leg a pat, then opened her mouth, seeming to start to say something else. Instead, she hesitated, then turned away, chewing her lip nervously. Finally, after a long moment of thought, she looked back at him.
"Shining? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what's up?" he asked, pushing himself up slightly on the bed.
"Could you, maybe... help me?"
"Help?" He looked at her, at her wide, pleading eyes, then let out a groan and pushed himself all the way up into a sitting position.
"You're asking me to help you with Chrysalis," he said, a statement, not a question.
"I am. I know this is kind of an awkward thing to ask, but..."
"'Awkward' is a bit of an understatement."
"I'm asking you this for me, Shining Armor. Please." She looked over at him, eyes begging. "I'm the one who needs to know this. I'm not asking for you to forgive Chrysalis; I don't even know if you can, or if she deserves your forgiveness. But I need your help. Even Cadance was able to help me a little."
Shining Armor looked back at her for a long moment, then turned away, letting out a long sigh and running his hoof through his mane.
"When I first found out you were married to Queen Chrysalis..." he said, speaking quietly, "I actually didn't mind that much. It didn't fix what happened at my wedding, but at least it gave it... purpose. A meaning. I thought she made you happy, and for that, I could forget and move on.
"Then you told us all you didn't really love her. I was... less than happy about that. But you were willing to give her a chance, to give love a chance, so I said nothing. And again, it didn't make the wedding any better, but a misunderstanding was at least something that made sense."
He sighed again. "And now... Cadance did something terrible and is in the dungeon, and I still can't help feeling that it's because of Chrysalis. Who is now gone, apparently forever, because of what Cadance did. And now you're asking me to help you bring Chrysalis back. After everything she's done, all the problems she's caused..."
"Because I miss her, Shining Armor," Twilight said, voice breaking slightly. "And she's as alone as Cadance is right now, even with her changelings. I want to help both of them. This needs to stop, now. No more hurting each other, no more trying to wreck each other's marriages. We need to bring both of them together, so they can finally understand.
"You were right, it was all a misunderstanding, from the very beginning. The changelings don't understand us, and we've never understood them. And until we do, things like this will just keep happening. We can all live together, in harmony, and be stronger than we ever were apart. Whatever horrible things they've done to us--and now we've done to them--we can put that aside, and be closer than we would have otherwise.
"Chrysalis and I are proof of that."
Shining Armor didn't look back, his head still down. "Do you really love her?"
"I don't know. But the more I talk with all of you, the more I think the answer is yes. Because I don't think I could feel this strongly about someone I don't love."
"And what about Chrysalis?" He turned to look at Twilight, face carefully blank. "Does she love you? Not to open some recent wounds, but as Cadance said, can she love you? And does she deserve your love?"
Twilight winced, but her expression smoothed out, and then she smiled. "Well, we went to the Summer Sun Festival last month, and..."
Ponies of all shapes and sizes pranced about the midway, some wearing costumes, some with their faces painted, and others on stilts. And those were just the fairgoers; the entertainers wore even gaudier outfits, cavorting and capering for the amusement of all as they moved between the brightly colored tents.
Twilight and Chrysalis moved through the crowd, for once in a place where they weren't the center of attention. Ponies didn't even seem to mind the nearby presence of a Changeling Queen, either. When they bumped against her in the press of the crowd, they quailed back, but simply apologized. And with Chrysalis's only response being a nod of acknowledgment, many had stopped quaking in fear or being overtly apologetic, simply giving a cheerful "Sorry!" before disappearing back into the crowd.
Chrysalis's good behavior, of course, might have had something to do with the fact that the rollercoaster hadn't allowed loose items or jewelry on the ride. And while she'd made sure to grab her crown, she'd 'forgotten' about the earring she always wore on these outings.
"Want to go on some more rides next?" asked Twilight cheerfully, looking up at Chrysalis. "Or we could grab some cotton candy. Though, if we're going to go on more rides later, that might not be a good idea--"
"Why, hello there, little Princess!" said an energetic voice from off to their side.
"And a fine hello to you as well, big Queen," said an identical voice.
Twilight groan as she turned and trotted up to the booth, recognizing those voices.
"Hello, Flim. Hello, Flam," she said to the striped-shirt wearing unicorns standing inside a booth. "What are you two doing here?"
"Why, just running our game of skill, of course!" said Flim.
"No law against that, is there, Princess? Unless you just made one right now, haha!" said Flam.
"No, I mean..." Twilight looked between the two, shaking her head. She still wasn't sure which was which. "The last I heard, you two were still in Las Pegasus."
"Well, what can we say? We're traveling salesponies!" said the one with the mustache. "We get uncomfortable if we're off the road for too long."
"Not to mention those ponies in Las Pegasus can be so uptight," added the other brother. "You sell a few tickets to shows that don't exist and suddenly you're the bad guy!"
"Uh huh." Twilight carefully looked over their booth, enjoying their discomfort at her inspection. The booth was a simple wooden frame, covered by canvas with the same red stripes as their shirts. "So, what's the scam here?"
"Scam? You wound us, Princess!" Flim put a hoof to his chest, then gestured at the milk crate behind him. "Simply knock over these bottles with a ball and win a prize! A simple game, for ponies that just want some simple fun."
"Are there magnets holding the bottles in place? Or is the ball just not heavy enough to actually knock the bottles over?"
"Neither, my dear, neither!" Flam, off to the side, picked up a ball in one hoof and gave it a light toss at the bottles as Flim kicked a hidden switch on his side of the booth that deactivated the magnets. The ball bounced off the bottles, scattering them in all directions, and with a wide smile he grabbed them in his magic and set them back up. "So, how about giving it a try or two?"
"Yeah, no thanks."
She turned and started to trot away, but Flim held up a ball. "How about you, tall, dark and shapeshifting? Win a prize for your sweet little Princess there? Only two bits for three balls."
"No. Come on Chrysalis--" Twilight was cut off as a holed hoof was held up in her face.
"I will win you a prize, Twilight," said Chrysalis determinedly. "One that you deserve."
Twilight just sighed and shook her head, but she still smiled as Chrysalis put two bits down in the booth's edge and grabbed up three balls in her magic.
"Uh-uh, no magic! We like to keep things fair for the ponies who don't have any," said Flam cheerfully. Chrysalis's horn turned blue as he overrode her magic and placed the balls back on the counter.
Slowly, no other part of her body moving, Chrysalis turned her head and stared at him. He smiled back, with the immunity to fear a lifetime of running cons had given him, then stumbled back as a burst of sparks exploded off his horn.
Chrysalis turned back to face the bottles, her horn once again glowing green, and lifted the balls off the counter. In deference to the rules, though, she plucked one out of the air and aimed carefully with her hoof. Winding up, she threw a blistering fastball across the length of the booth, just missing the bottles.
Her jaw dropped as she stared at her untouched target. Flim, having learned nothing from his brother's unfortunate experience just seconds earlier, let out a chuckle. "Wow, you're a natural! You should try out for hoofball someday, my dear. You may want to work on your aim before that, though."
An angry hiss came out of Chrysalis's mouth, and she scooped up both remaining balls, quickly firing them off as well. Again, both missed, the magically enchanted patch of air in front of the bottles deflecting her shots just enough to make them miss.
"Well, better luck next--"
"Two bits!" Chrysalis slammed her coins down on the counter, collecting her balls and trying again.
Whoosh!
"Ooh, there was some pepper on that one, but you're supposed to hit something with it!"
Whoosh!
"Almost had it there!"
WHOOSH!
"You know, I think I saw that bottle wobble?"
SLAM.
"Two bits!"
WHOOSH--CRACK!
A ball bounced off the wooden frame of the booth behind the bottles, sending it flying back at Twilight, who calmly caught it in her magic and placed it back on the counter.
"Ah, you don't need to throw so hard..." Flam said nervously. The patch of deflecting air had only been meant to stand up to normal ponies--at this rate, it looked like the Queen might actually win a prize! That went against the rules, of course, so he tapped hurriedly with one hoof, and Flim, hearing the signal, switched the magnets back on.
WHOOSH--CRACK--BAM!
The next ball hit the frame again, this time rebounding and striking the crate the bottles rested on dead center. It actually slid forward several inches, but the bottles stayed dead still.
"I think we have consolation prizes around here somewhere... some kind of paper hat--" Flim started to say.
WHOOSH--"AAAAH!"
The third ball ripped a hole in the canvas cover, flying off into the distance, and a faint scream floated back.
"Well, you tried your best--"
SLAM.
"Two bits!"
"Ah..."
The cooperation of the shyster ponies had long since stopped being required, as Chrysalis scooped three balls out of the bin with her magic, grabbed one in a hoof, and took careful aim.
The patch of air in front of the bottles was a spell long used by the brothers, honed years ago when they'd first gotten their start conning ponies in a fair just like this one. It was exquisitely shaped, deflecting the balls gently enough that it was nearly unnoticeable, but with the angle precisely placed so that the balls never quite came close enough to touch the bottles.
Of course, it was only designed to work on balls thrown with the force an average pony could muster. It had never been intended to stop a ball with all the might of a pissed off Changeling Queen behind it.
Chrysalis reared up, one long foreleg stretching behind her with a ball held in her hoof, and then she came down, putting all her power into the throw.
WHOOOOOOSH!
The ball tore through the air, ripping through the magically enchanted air like it wasn't there, and hit the bottles dead center. Which is where Flim and Flam's extra precautions came back to bite them, as the magnets turned the meeting of ball and bottles into the proverbial unstoppable force hitting an immovable object.
Luckily for the local laws of physics, but unluckily for the two brothers, the rubber ball was not quite an unstoppable force. It ricocheted off the bottles, hitting Flim on the head hard enough to toss him into the booth wall before he fell down unconscious. Continuing on its way, the ball flew across the booth to strike Flam in the head as well, sending him reeling. With a few more bounces, the ball came to a rest in the dead center of the booth.
Flam shook his head, trying to get his bearings back as he straightened up. Smelling something burning, he raised his eyes, to behold Chrysalis with all her fangs on display in a horrifying snarl and a gout of flame flickering from her horn, causing the canvas of the booth above her to smolder.
"Ah, y-you know, I think you might have gotten them that time... " stammered Flam, as he staggered across the booth to inspect the bottles. "Let me just take a look..."
Flim was still unconscious on the ground, blocking the magnet release--not that Flam could blatantly walk over and hit it, of course.
"You know, it does look like you got them all!" he cried cheerfully, looking back over his shoulder as he frantically tried to separate the bottles. Loud banging sounds came to the two impatiently waiting ponies as he began attempting to pull apart the crate with his bare hooves. "Yep, just checking things over. You know, we really value honesty here, and that goes for our customers as well as ourselves. Just want to make sure everything's fair..."
Finally, there was a loud crash, and Flam turned back around. "I was right, you won!" he said, giving a grand flourish to a milk crate laying on its side, the three milk bottles still attached to its top now sticking out perpendicular to the ground. "All knocked over, see? You get a prize!"
"Good..." hissed Chrysalis. "And what is my prize?"
"Why, a stuffed figure, of course! We have dolls of the most beautiful Princesses of Equestria!"
Chrysalis watching him with burning eyes as he dug under the counter hurriedly--and, unwisely, without looking. Grabbing the first doll his hooves found, he held it up, forelegs shaking.
What came from Chrysalis wasn't a noise, but the absence of noise, something Flam hadn't know could be so terrifying until that moment. Her nostrils flared, but otherwise she didn't move, and Flam slowly looked down... at the doll of Princess Cadance he held in his hooves.
Sometimes even a pony who seems to only make unwise choices will, at the most critical point in their lives, make exactly the right decision. Flam did that now, choosing to throw the doll to the back of the booth and dive back under the counter to dig through the prizes without looking back up.
"Come on, we have to... only these two?! I thought I told Flim to get all the Princesses... there have to be some others..."
A loud banging began to echo in the space under the counter, as Chrysalis grew impatient and started tapping her hoof on its wooden top. With a gulp, Flim grabbed the only other model of doll, standing back up and holding it in outstretched hooves as he turned away, eyes closed.
For a long moment, nothing happened, and the a hoof gently took the doll from him. When he wasn't immediately incinerated, he cracked one eye open, to see Chrysalis staring at a doll of Princess Celestia with a horrifying frown on her face. Reluctantly, she turned, to present the doll to Twilight.
"Here you go, my love," she said, in a resigned voice. "Your prize; a doll shaped like my rival."
Twilight took it with a smile. "Shaped like one of my best friends, you mean. And besides, it's from you. So I'll think of you whenever I see it. Thank you."
She used one wing to give Chrysalis a squeeze, and then they turned and started off back into the fair.
"Oh, and I'll be sending some Royal Guards by in a bit to check on things," Twilight called back over her shoulder. "So there better be some ponies around who can say they've won by then."
The Princess and the Queen disappeared into the crowd, leaving Flim and a groggy Flam, just now starting to sit back up, to nurse their head injuries. After a moment they looked up, realizing Twilight was standing at the counter again. She reached out, scooping up all but two of the bits that Chrysalis had paid.
"Don't say anything," she said before they could object. "You tried to swindle someone I care about. You're lucky I'm not burning this booth to the ground."
The two conponies winced as she trotted away, then flinched back when Chrysalis suddenly walked up to the booth. She reached out, putting a hoof over one coin and starting to slowly slide it off the counter. Flim tried to say something, but Chrysalis's eyes simply narrowed and he closed his mouth again. Coin firmly in her grasp, she walked away.
Shining Armor stared at Twilight's beaming face, puzzlement evident on his own.
"Well, that's a nice story, but I don't really see what it proves," he said finally. "It just sounds like you two went on a normal date at a carnival."
"That's the point," said Twilight softly, smiling. "It was just a normal date. We went to a carnival, ate some fair food, she won me a prize at a game booth... the exact same things any two ponies who loved each other would do. Because she does love me. She could have done any number of terrible things to Flim and Flam--and they would have deserved it--but she didn't, and we ended the night like any two ponies on a date would, without a single huge disaster."
"Wait, didn't I hear about the ferris wheel coming loose during this year's Summer Sun Celebration? And crashing into the palace?"
"Unrelated," said Twilight quickly. "Apparently the mailmare delivered the wrong lubricant for the ferris wheel, and it wore through its bearings. We weren't even close enough to see it happen."
He kept his gaze on her for a moment, then turned away again with an angry snort. "That doesn't prove anything," he muttered angrily.
"Fine," said Twilight. "If you won't help me with Chrysalis... then tell me about Cadance."
"Cadance?"
"Yes. Tell me about how you dated her. Tell me how you fell in love with her, how you knew you were in love with her."
Shining Armor let out a happy sigh, leaning back crossing his hooves behind his head to stare up at the ceiling. "When wasn't I in love with her?" he said dreamily. "She was a Princess, the only Princess in my high school--the only Princess in Equestria who wasn't over a thousand years old. She was beautiful, she was kind, she was the most popular pony in school..."
"Is that really love, though?" questioned Twilight. "It's a crush for sure, but..."
"It's different when it's love, though," replied Shining Armor, waving a hoof vaguely in the air. "You just... know."
"And when you thought you'd lost her?" Twilight asked cautiously.
"...like everything was pointless," he said after a moment. "Like there was no reason to keep going."
"Like you were empty, like everything important to you was gone," whispered Twilight.
Shining Armor nodded, then looked at her, eyes widening in surprise. "Twilight, do you--"
"Of course, you got her back. With that big dumb prom plan, right?" said Twilight, interrupting him with a teasing smile.
"It was not dumb!" protested Shining Armor. "For one thing, it worked."
"Well, I don't have a prom I can use to get Chrysalis back, but I could always sing a rock ballad like you did--"
"Don't you dare."
Twilight was silent for a moment.
"I love pretty black mares, they make me feel so good!~ I love Changeling Queens, they make me feel so bad!~"
"Okay, shut up." Shining Armor glared at her, then his expression softened. "Do you... really love her, Twilight?"
Twilight sighed, dropping her face into her hooves. "I think I have to," she said softly. "I don't see how I could miss her this much, how I could feel so much like nothing without her around. But... but I can't feel any love for her! I love her like a friend, like I love all my friends, and sometimes I think it's more, but then... something stops it. It's like there's a wall, and my feelings just run into it."
"It's because of Cadance, isn't it?" asked Shining Armor bitterly, and Twilight shook her head.
"No, I don't think so. She made Chrysalis do some really horrible things, but I half expected that out of Chrysalis anyway. I was feeling my way around a relationship with her, so I was doing my best not to be surprised by how she acted, trying to keep an open mind."
She shrugged. "And, well, Chrysalis never did a great job at listening to Cadance. As much as she was trusting in Cadance's advice, she couldn't stop herself from doing what she thought was right. The real her always shines through. Even when she was impersonating Cadance, she couldn't help being herself."
"Then... what is the problem? If you don't mind me asking."
"Because she did impersonate Cadance! Because she attacked your wedding, because she did so many horrible things. Because I hated her for so long. She's explained why she did that--well, most of it--and I know it's all just been a big misunderstanding on both our parts, but... even if I've forgiven her in my head, even if I understand her there, I don't think I do in my heart. And I don't know if I can."
"Twilight... " Shining Armor looked over at her, then sat up and pulled her into a hug.
"You can forgive her," he said quietly, patting her on the back. "You're one of the kindest, most forgiving mares I know. If anyone can forgive that changeling and make her happy, it's you."
"Shining Armor..." Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking out, and gave him a bone-crushing hug back. "Thank you. I don't deserve a big brother like you."
"Well, no, nopony does. But you're a Princess, so you come closer than most."
"Alright, you jerk." She pushed him away, sending him tumbling across the bed. "But still, thanks."
"Don't mention it. If you can forgive Cadance already after what she did, I can at least give Chrysalis a chance. Well, like a fifth chance, but still." Shining Armor pushed himself up, watching Twilight slide off the bed. "What now? Back to your castle?"
"In the morning." Twilight paused in the middle of the room, looking back. "I'm almost there, I can feel it. I just need to talk to my friends now."
"Alright, well, good luck."
"Thanks."
Twilight put her hoof to the door, then paused. Her mother was lurking out there somewhere, no doubt waiting to pounce. She could just teleport, but she'd already broken the no flying rule, and she didn't want to add any more oil to that fire. So how--
An evil smile grew on her face. "Oh, Shining Armor?" she called back over her shoulder. "By the way, I think mom wanted to talk to you about something..."
Shining had proved to be a suitable distraction, and Twilight had managed to go the rest of the night avoiding any uncomfortable conversation about her future reproductive activities. But equally as uncomfortable as those conversations was her old bed, and she squirmed around in it trying to find a position that didn't leave her wings either cramped against the wall or hanging over an edge. Nearly fifteen minutes of tossing, twisting and turning left her convinced there was no such possible physical position. She'd even started wondering how she'd ever slept in this bed in the first place, and had started entertaining thoughts of the couches down below, despite the risks of running into her mother that would entail.
As if on cue, there was a soft knock at her bedroom door, and the knob slowly turned.
"Twilight?" whispered Velvet, voice hushed. "Are you still awake?"
For a moment Twilight considered faking sleep, but even knowing what would happen she couldn't bring herself to ignore her mother. So, with a sigh, she pushed herself up on one foreleg. "Yes, mom."
"I just came to say goodnight." Velvet paused, shuffling her hooves, then continued. "And... I should probably apologize for earlier, too. You know I would love grandchildren, but it's not my place to try and force that decision on you. And I'm well aware you know where foals come from, so there was probably no need to embarrass you by discussing it. Especially given the... unique situation you're in."
"Dad yelled at you, huh?" asked Twilight dryly, and Velvet laughed.
"A little bit, yes. Your father reminded me that, among other things, I shouldn't be trying to force you into a marriage just so I can get grandchildren. Especially not when Shining Armor and Cadance are available."
"I'm sure they'd appreciate your help," said Twilight, feeling no guilt at all about throwing her brother under the carriage once again. "And there's no need to apologize. I know you're just excited about being a grandmother."
"Thank you, dear." Velvet gave Twilight a warm smile, and started to close the door. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, mom."
"Sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite." Velvet stopped, then opened the door a bit more to lean in. "I mean, unless that's the kind of thing you and Chrysalis enjoy. Celestia knows your father--"
"GOODNIGHT, MOM." Velvet manage to duck out the door just as a pillow thrown at near supersonic speed slammed it shut. |
Pony Courtship Rituals | Chapter Seven: A Friendly Discussion | Six ponies and one young dragon sat around the table in the throneroom of Twilight's castle. Twilight herself was slumped over on the table, face down, hooves limply splayed out next to her head. Every once in awhile, she let out a deep sigh.
"And... she's been like this for how long?" asked Applejack, cocking an eyebrow.
"About a day," Starlight said with a shrug. "She was fine after she came back from Canterlot, but then yesterday she got some sort of a letter."
With another groan, Twilight pushed an envelope out from under her face, sending it sliding across the table. It stopped in front of Fluttershy, who hesitantly picked it up.
"Oh," she said sadly after looking through the papers inside for a moment. "It's from the palace. It's... the forms Twilight needs to fill out to divorce Queen Chrysalis."
"I'm going to lose her," moaned Twilight into the table, as the other ponies looked at her with varying degrees of sympathy. "I messed up everything and I can't get over what she's done, so now I can't love her even though I do and I'm going to be all alone forever--"
"No, Twilight, everything's going to be just fine!" Pinkie said cheerfully, bouncing up and down next to Twilight's chair. "We can figure this out! You just need to cheer up and give it a good think! And there's no better way to do that than with a PARTY!"
She slammed her party cannon onto the table and set it off right next to Twilight's head. The explosion of confetti blew the alicorn's mane off to the side and decorated it with confetti, but otherwise had no effect.
"I'm sorry, Pinkie," said Twilight despondently, "but I don't think a party can help me right now."
Pinkie, staring at Twilight, blinked. Then she blinked a few more times. "I know the words you just used, but I don't understand the way you used them," she said finally.
"Look, I don't see what the problem is," said Rainbow Dash, waving a hoof dismissively as Pinkie slunk back to her seat. "Who cares if you got some papers from the palace? Just don't sign them."
"It's not that easy, Rainbow," sighed Twilight. "If I don't sign them, the divorce will be contested. Then we'll have to go to court to settle it, and... I'd rather not put Chrysalis through all that."
"Well, what if the papers 'accidently' got destroyed? There's a lot of candles in your study, right? So--"
"It's a felony to destroy official palace documents."
"Okay, then what if you lost them? I can hide them somewhere you'll never find them!"
"Underneath one of the tables at Sugarcube Corner," Twilight said with a sigh.
"How did you know--I mean, no, I'm talking somewhere really hidden!"
"Behind your framed and autographed portrait of Spitfire."
"Stop it!"
"The point is... there's a time limit on this. If I don't sign and return the papers soon enough, it becomes a court issue. Then it becomes a media circus, and I'd really like to avoid that. Not just for myself, but..." Twilight sighed again. "If I just sign the papers, this will all end quietly. There will be some noise when it gets out, sure, but Chrysalis will be safe from that. She'll be in her hive, and you can be sure none of the changelings will let any reporters in.
"But if I turn it into a contested divorce, if we have to go to court, she'll have to see me again. That's the last thing she needs when she's trying... trying to get over me. And after what she already did--admitting I never loved her, vowing to all of Equestria that she would win me over--putting her through another gauntlet of reporters when she has to go to the courtroom would be cruel. I can't do that to her."
"Okay, then what if we delay it somehow?" asked Rainbow Dash. "We could--"
"Dash, please." Twilight finally raised her head, a tired, resigned smile on her face. "I appreciate you trying to help, but... I don't think there's anything that can be done. I think it's over."
"This isn't just about you," huffed Rainbow Dash, sitting back and crossing her forelegs. "Other ponies are going to be affected by this."
"What are you talking about?" asked Twilight, tilting her head to the side in puzzlement. "Are you really that concerned about my romantic relationships?"
"No, it's just..." Rainbow Dash looked around at her friends looking back at her, and sighed. "Look, Queen Chrysalis really likes you. Like, a lot. You make her happy. And that makes the changelings happy. And... they're really cool, okay? After I fought them off during your wedding--"
"CoughBLACKEYEcough!" Applejack suddenly started coughing into her hoof. "CoughTWOBROKENRIBScough!"
"After I fought them off," continued Rainbow Dash loudly, "We went to a bar and had a few drinks. It's not like there was actually any bad blood between us. And... well, like I said, they're actually pretty cool. I've started hanging out with a couple of them. We even fight every once in a while. Well, more like sparring, I guess. That whole hivemind thing is really annoying too because as soon as one figures out something that works against me they all know it. It's been taking everything I have just to keep up with them!"
"CoughKICKEDYOURFLANKUPANDDOWNPONYVILLELASTWEEKcough!"
"It sounds like you've got something in your throat there, Applejack," growled Rainbow Dash, glaring across the table at the smirking farm pony. "Do you need a pitcher of water for that? Like, upside your head maybe?"
"Careful now, sugarcube," Applejack said with a challenging grin. "I might be a changeling, and then you'd really be in trouble."
Fluttershy let out a gasp. "But you're not, are you?"
"Would it matter if I was?" asked Applejack, shrugging.
"Look, Twilight." Rainbow Dash turned back to her, dismissing the other ponies. "All I'm saying is, if you actually do sign those papers, everypony will be miserable. Queen Chrysalis, the changelings, and even you. I don't know if you do love her or not, but it's pretty obvious you care about her a lot. It's just..."
She took a deep breath, then continued. "Look, you're my friend, and the changelings are my friends, and I just want you to be happy, okay? And... I think you staying with Queen Chrysalis would make all of you happy."
"You do?" asked Twilight breathlessly, and Rainbow Dash nodded uncomfortably. "Why?"
"Oh, geeze..." Dash squirmed in her seat, but she was no match for Twilight's wide, hopeful eyes, and she finally slumped down. "It was just this look you gave her sometimes, you know? You'd smile, and... okay, this is really sappy, but... you looked like she meant the world to you. And even when you got mad and yelled at her, it always seemed like you were never really angry. Just disappointed. Like you weren't surprised she'd done whatever it was that made you angry, but you wanted more out of her. And, well... I think that's how you act when you love somepony."
"Dash..." Twilight was trying to blink back a few tears, reaching a hoof out across the table to the blue pegasus. "Thank you. I never knew you had so much insight into relationships--"
"Alright, cut it out," grumbled Rainbow Dash. "I'm just telling you what I saw. Don't go trying to turn me into another Rarity or something, all obsessed with romance novels and trying to get ponies to fall in love." She gestured across the table, at the throne with three diamonds on its back that was currently occupied by Starlight Glimmer. "Besides, we had enough trouble sneaking in here without being noticed. I don't think all of you could have gotten past Rarity and me."
Twilight made a face, then it relaxed into a smile. "Thank you, though, Dash. Seriously."
Dash waved a hoof in nonchalance, and Twilight sat up, straightening her back and looking determinedly at her friends. For the first time since they'd seen her that day, she looked back to her normal self.
"This is exactly why I came to talk to you all," she said confidently, tapping a hoof on the table. "I know that with your help, I can figure out how to confront my feelings. After all, you all support me in this."
Silence raced around the table, as most of her friends fidgeted nervously and did their best to avoid eye contact.
"None of you think I should stay together with Chrysalis?" she asked timidly.
"I do!" said Spike from her side, enthusiastically waving a claw.
Rainbow Dash raised her hoof, frowning around the table at the others. Fluttershy kind of shrugged her shoulders, looking like she wanted to raise her hoof but ultimately not doing so. Applejack's hoof made it almost halfway up, then slowly descended back to the tabletop. Pinkie Pie continued to stare off into space. And Starlight didn't move at all, her forelegs resolutely crossed over her chest.
"Why?" asked Twilight, ears drooping, her voice sounding small and lost.
"Because she's mean, Twilight." Fluttershy, to everyone's surprise, was the first one to speak up. She even had a bit of a frown on her face. "Gilda mean, almost. But at least Gilda didn't enjoy it the way Chrysalis does. She thinks it's funny to push ponies, or trip them, or call them inferior.
"She's nice to you, but... not anyone else. And we know you like her, and she really likes you. It's not that we don't want the two of you together, especially if it's what you want... but we're afraid that she might not be right for you. You're the Princess of Friendship, and it just seems like you should have someone friendly as your special somepony."
"You don't think maybe someone who's kind of unfriendly would work?" asked Twilight pleadingly. "I-I could teach her about friendship! Doesn't that make more sense than someone who's just like me?"
"I'm not saying it wouldn't work, that you two couldn't be happy together," said Fluttershy, lowering her head and looking up at Twilight with nervous eyes. "J-just... we're worried about you. I'll support you no matter what you want to do, I'm just not sure how I feel about having Queen Chrysalis around more."
"Oh. That's... understandable, I suppose."
Twilight looked down at the table and sighed, and Fluttershy frowned. "I'm sorry, Twilight, I didn't mean--"
"No, Fluttershy, it's okay," Twilight cut her off with a raised hoof. "The fact that you'll stand by me no matter what decision I make means a lot to me. And I can understand that you might not be excited about Chrysalis becoming a permanent part of our lives, even if you are happy for me."
Twilight shifted her gaze to the farm pony who was currently tapping her hoof on the table and frowning in thought. "What about you, Applejack? Just a few days ago you were fine with the idea of us staying married. You even seemed upset that I hadn't decided yet. Well, I suppose you had a few reservations about the whole assassination thing..."
"And I still do." Applejack looked up, eyes level as she met Twilight's gaze. "But that ain't my problem with the Queen. Or, not the part I'm concerned with right now. Fluttershy's right, though. It just doesn't feel like Chrysalis is right for ya. She's... dishonest. I don't mean lyin'--even I gotta admit, I don't think I've ever heard her straight up tell a lie, at least not while she's walkin' around as herself--but not lyin' and being honest are two different things.
"She's... slippery. She sneaks around. I know she's a changeling, and that's just how they are and we shouldn't judge them... but it sets my teeth on edge. A lie of omission is still a lie, and she seems perfectly happy tellin' all of those she wants."
"So, you think she's wrong for me too?"
"Well, now, I didn't say that. She does seem to make you awfully happy, and I ain't gonna say you should stay away from somepony who treats you so nicely. It's jus'... I think she might be a bad influence on you. You like her, and you accept what she's doing, or at least shrug it off, and the next thing we know you're acting like her too, all manipulative and what not."
"Oh." Twilight looked at Applejack guiltily. "Is this about how I lied to all of you about loving her in the first place?"
"Shoot no, Twi." Applejack gave her a grin. "Matter of fact, I happen to think the only one you were lyin' to about that was yourself."
Twilight blushed, a smile on her face. "Well, m-maybe..."
"It's like Fluttershy said, we're just worried about you, is all. We just want to make sure your special somepony is someone who can treat you right, the way we want to see our friend treated. And we're just having trouble gettin' Queen Chrysalis to fit into that image, even after seein' how she's been actin' towards you over the last few months."
"She really can be very nice," Twilight said insistently. "It's just that you aren't around her enough, and she tends to reserve a lot of her affection for the hive, and me. And she always has to be 'a true Queen' out in public... you don't get to see what she's really like."
"I'll admit, y'all got a point there," said Applejack with a nod. "So what is she like in private? What is it about her you like so much?"
"Well..."
Twilight, facedown on the bed, groaned into the sheet as Chrysalis's hooves worked their way up her spine, and the changeling let out a small chuckle.
"You really need to relax more," she chided the pony, who squirmed beneath her. "You know, I spent a year in Canterlot disguised as a masseuse before I managed to get ahold of Cadance, and not once did I have a customer whose muscles were as tense as yours can get."
"That's not exactly the kind of story that makes me want to relax..." grumbled Twilight, any further attempts at a reprimand fading away into a long sigh as Chrysalis put a hoof directly between her wings and dug it in with all her force. Unlike the ponies at the spa, Chrysalis had enough power to break apart the stiffness in Twilight's alicorn muscles, and she knew she could use that strength without hurting the pony.
"Now, now, conquests and kidnappings are actually great ways to relieve stress." Chrysalis let out a throaty chuckle, increasing the speed of her massage. "How would you like to give it a try? Say, Canterlot, a few days from now..."
"Mmm, sorry, but I'm onto your tricks," Twilight sighed. "You're going to have to do better if you want to bribe me into something like that..."
"Bribe, you say?"
Chrysalis's hooves start to travel down her back, moving in small circles and breaking up the pockets of tension they found. But they didn't stop, continuing down until they were just above her hips, slowly massaging her sides. Twilight let out a soft moan; Chrysalis had shifted her position slightly, and she could just feel the changeling's breath, hot on one of her ears. Slowly, Chrysalis's hooves moved inwards, stopping just above the small of her back. For a moment, they seemed about to move downwards, then instead swept upwards in a simple back rub, gently massaging the pony's back rather than giving the deep, tension-relieving strokes they had been earlier.
Twilight did her best to stifle a groan. She knew exactly what Chrysalis was doing, and she wasn't going to give the changeling the pleasure of knowing her attempts to turn this into anything more intimate than the kind of massage one might receive from a spa--a reputable spa--were bearing fruit. Of course, Chrysalis, with her hooves pressed firmly into Twilight's back, felt the groan anyway, and let out another chuckle.
The pressure on her back suddenly disappeared, and for a moment Twilight wondered what was going to happen next. Then one of her wings was firmly grasped in two hooves and pulled, and she grunted as sore, underused muscles were suddenly stretched to their full extent.
"You need to fly more," tsk'd Chrysalis, shaking her head. "It's not good to keep these wings folded up all the time."
"You sound like Rainbow Dash," grumbled Twilight.
Then she gasped as Chrysalis began to preen her wing. Twilight's own teeth were flat and blocky, and did a serviceable enough job cleaning her feathers and pulling out broken ones. But Chrysalis's teeth were pointed, and she enjoyed letting them scrape along the skin of Twilight's wing, which sent a wonderful shiver of pleasure along the pony's spine.
The massage was nice, and the teasing of something more had been... intriguing, to say the least, but this was pure bliss, and Twilight let out a sigh and melted down onto the bed as Chrysalis slowly worked her way along the wing.
Twilight's friends stared at her. She hadn't said a word after trailing off, but her face had gone an alarming shade of red as she stared into her own memories.
"She treats me like I'm the only thing in the world she cares about," said Twilight finally, blushing even harder as she realized exactly what she had just been thinking about in front of all her friends. "And... she has strong hooves and sharp teeth."
"I'm... not going to ask what you mean by that last part," said Applejack, a puzzled and slightly embarrassed look on her face. She glanced away, drumming one hoof on the table, then sighed and turned back.
"Look, Twi," she said, face stern, "I gotta be honest with you. And not just because of my element. Queen Chrysalis is... not a pleasant pony to be around most of time. I'll be the first to admit she's not quite as bad as we thought, and I've actually seen her be downright kind once or twice to ponies who weren't even you. But she's still one of the meanest, orneriest critters I've ever met. I ain't never seen somepony get so mad about the number of sprinkles on their cupcake! And that just ain't the kind of pony I think you should spend your time with, let alone the rest of your life.
"But... she loves you. Shoot, anypony can see that! I can't imagine anything else that would make that changeling do some of the things I've seen her do for you. I don't think there are many ponies that would give you everything the way she does. Or give up some of the things she has. And just looking at the way you're sufferin' makes me think you feel the same way about her, even if you can't get over all the things she's done.
"That might make me okay with the two of you stayin' married. You ain't just gonna forget what she's done, but you can forgive her, I think, and even somepony like her deserves to have somepony who loves her. Plus, since you won't forget, you won't be lettin' her try something like that again, and I doubt she can change who you are. So all them worries I have about her corruptin' you probably mean about as much as the slop I feed the pigs. Heck, if anything, you might actually make her nicer."
"Applejack...?" asked Twilight quietly. "Does that mean..."
She trailed off, and Applejack shook her head. "Nope. I ain't sayin' the two of you should stay hitched. But I ain't sayin' y'all shouldn't either. I'm sayin'... I trust you. Same as I said when I first found out you'd married that Queen. I think you know what you want to do, and I don't think it's my place to tell you either way. You don't need any of us to tell you what to do."
Twilight stared at her for a moment, then gave her first real, confident smile of the day. "Thank you, Applejack. That means a lot."
"No big deal, ma'am," drawled Applejack, with a grin and tip of her hat.
"So, then," said Twilight, shifting her gaze, "that leaves..."
"The pony that Chrysalis has done her best to kill, torture and/or drive out of the castle," confirmed Starlight, with a sharp nod of her head, and Twilight winced.
"That's not--"
"Fair?" asked Starlight, arching an eyebrow. "A completely reasonable description of the things she's done? Exactly what happened?"
"I-I was going to say it's not the full story--"
"Oh, right. I forgot the part where she did all of that just because she couldn't stand you living in the same building as another pony. That does make everything she's done completely understandable. Sorry for overexaggerating."
"She's just kind of protective--"
"Twilight, she's a jealous monster!" Starlight banged a hoof meaningfully on the table. "And I know a thing or two about being a jealous monster."
"Of course she's jealous, she loves me!" huffed Twilight. "And we're married! How did you expect her to react to me living with another pony while she had to stay in her hive most of the time?"
"Not with attempted murder!"
"That just means she respects you." Twilight looked at Starlight's face and winced. "I'm not saying it's a good thing, it's just how she is. And she did tone it down after I asked her too, didn't she?"
"Oh, yes, it's been fantastic," said Starlight, voice dripping with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes. "After all, now I only have to worry about being crippled by a Changeling Queen who's mad with jealousy over a completely platonic student-teacher relationship."
"Wait, crippled? That's not right, I told her nothing more than mangled." Twilight winced again at Starlight's expression. "Sorry, sorry, bad joke."
"Twilight, that's my problem, right there." Starlight leaned forward, scowling. "You let her just... get away with everything! She burns down a building? Oh, she paid to have it rebuilt, and now she knows she's not supposed to do that kind of thing. She tries to kill me? Oh, she's just a little jealous that we live together, she'll only try to wound me now. She tries to kill the Princesses? Oh, she's just trying to assert her dominance, it isn't serious."
"Starlight, she doesn't--"
"Don't tell me she doesn't mean it! You know she does! The only thing, the only thing holding her back is that you've told her she can't do any of those things. You're relying completely on trust, that the maniacal villain is so in love with you that she's willing to put aside everything else she wants in her life just because you say so."
"Um, sorry, Starlight, but it sounds like you're actually arguing that I should stay with Chrysalis," said Twilight meekly.
"Do you know what the most infuriating thing is?" Starlight asked after a long, uncomfortable moment of glowering at Twilight. "She's never had to apologize for any of the things she's done. Queen Chrysalis tried to take over Equestria, she tried to enslave everypony, and what do you say? 'Oh well, changelings will be changelings'. She hasn't had to grovel and beg for everypony's forgiveness! She doesn't have to spend every single day trying make up for the things she's done! She doesn't have to do friendship lessons!"
"Starlight, what..." Twilight cocked her head to the side. "I'm not quite sure I follow what you're saying."
"DON'T YOU THINK I WANT TO TAKE OVER EQUESTRIA TOO?!" yelled Starlight, slamming one hoof to the table and pushing herself up with it while holding the other to her chest. "I've filled up three notebooks with plans since I came to live here! Oh, but I can't act on any of them, can I? No, the slightest hint that I'm backsliding and I'm sure I'll get rainbows in places rainbows aren't meant to go.
"But then little miss perfect changeling comes along, shakes her flank in your face and gives you a ring, and suddenly you're completely fine with a 'former' villain who gets to be your friend and try to take over Equestria at the same time. Suddenly it's 'cute' and 'amusing'."
Twilight blinked disbelievingly at Starlight. "Are... are you jealous of her?"
"No!" Starlight sat back down with a huff, crossing her forelegs again.
"Listen, Starlight..." Twilight hesitate for a moment, then continued. "I'll always be your friend. You know that, right? But... I also have other friends. And a pony like Chrysalis is a very special friend who means more to me than my other friends. That doesn't mean that you and all my friends are any less important or special to me than you were before, just that my feelings for Chrysalis are... different. You see, when two ponies really like each other--"
"Oh, Celestia." Starlight buried her face in her hooves. "Twilight, I am well aware of what love and marriage are and what they mean. I am not jealous and I don't feel like she is somehow going to 'steal' you away from me! I'm just worried that you're giving her too much leeway. And it's a bit of a double standard, too. I get forced to apologize and start learning about friendship, but you just wave off everything she does? Why were my attempts to take over Equestria so much worse?!"
"You did destroy the world with time travel," pointed out Rainbow Dash after an uncomfortable silence. "I mean, Chrysalis just tried to take over Equestria aaaaand I'll be quiet now."
Starlight turned her glare from Rainbow to Twilight.
"It's... different, with Chrysalis," said Twilight, fidgeting under Starlight's gaze. "She's a completely different kind of pony than you are. In fact, she's not a pony at all, she's a changeling. Telling her to stop trying to take over would be like telling a pegasus not to fly. The things she does are just... the way she is.
"And she doesn't mean it, not really. If she actually wanted to take over Equestria, she could have by now. She has, I will admit, gotten me to lower my guard enough that I wouldn't even see it coming. But she hasn't conquered Equestria. In fact, she almost goes out of her way to let me stop her. I don't think it really matters to her whether she wins or not, just that she makes the attempt. And I think as long as I'm around, she doesn't actually want to win. Because she knows how that would make me feel."
Twilight took a deep breath, looking levelly back at Starlight. "And I don't think you're that kind of pony. I think you truly want to be friends with everypony, that you want to move away from your past and become a different pony than you used to be. Am I wrong?"
Starlight sighed and closed her eyes. "No, Twilight, you aren't. And... I don't really want to take over Equestria anymore. Not seriously. Making all those plans, writing them down... it's just a way to get it out of my system. I do still feel the urge, every once in awhile, and that's how I deal with it."
"And that's good!" Twilight said encouragingly. "You can always come talk to me, too, if you need to. Just like Chrysalis can always count on me to foil her plans."
With a exasperated groan, Starlight threw up her hooves. "I give up. You really are in love with her, aren't you?"
"I'm almost sure I am," said Twilight meekly, a small smile on her face. "Maybe ninety-five percent sure?"
"I don't know what you see in her." Starlight shook her head slowly. "I certainly don't see it, that's for sure. But if you really want to go through with this... I won't stop you. I'd never stand in the way of happiness for one of my friends, even if I can't understand it. And if Chrysalis does end up living with us, I'll do my best to get along with her. Hopefully being actually married to you will mellow her out a bit."
Starlight leaned forward, pointing a hoof at Twilight. "But I'm telling you right now, I don't trust her. Just like you didn't trust Trixie... but at least she was reformed. And when this all blows up in your face and I have to rescue everyone, I'll definitely say I told you so."
"Duly noted," said Twilight with a smile, and Starlight gave a nod and sat back. But as she did, the smile slowly ran off Twilight's face, and she took to studying the table's surface again.
"Is Starlight right?" she asked after a moment, lifting her head to gaze around at her friends. "Is it a bad idea to stay with Chrysalis? She is dangerous, Starlight's right about that. And I can't seem to find that love inside me that I know is there, so maybe... would it be better to just let her stay away now that she's decided that's what she wants? Just chalk all this up to a big misunderstanding, something that might have worked out but ultimately didn't?"
"That would probably be a really bad idea," said Pinkie, speaking for the first time since the discussion had begun. All the ponies turned to her, blinking in surprise, but she didn't look up and just kept idly tracing circles on the table with one hoof. "I mean, just think of what Queen Chrysalis would do. We all know she loves you with all her heart, and with a changeling that can be an awful lot of love. You know, depending on her diet. But imagine what would happen if she was forced to keep all of that inside herself for years... maybe even decades. She won't just pretend you don't exist, Twilight. Oh, she says she doesn't want to contact you ever again, but you know she's going to be watching you just like she was before. Except even more so now, with how you'll probably be interacting with changelings on a daily basis as they become citizens of Equestria. You may not see her, but she'll see you in the hivemind every day. She'll start finding excuses to have changelings visit you, so she can glimpse just a few extra minutes of you in their memories. 'Why not me? What did I do wrong?' she'll ask herself, day in, day out. And that love in her heart, once so pure, will fester, turning into a black bile that chokes her every time she thinks of you. Eventually it will become hate, but she'll be so consumed by it at that point that she won't even notice, and finally she'll unleash her legions upon Equestria, crushing all resistance under her hoof and taking you by force. But at that point there won't be any love left. She'll try to love you, and she might think she does, but it will all be hate, a dark, bitter hate that she can't get rid of no matter how she tries, and the twisted mockery of a relationship she forces you to have with her will turn both your lives into an eternally suffering hell from which there will be no escape."
Twilight and her friends all wore the same expression--that of a pony who had been hit by a cart and was trying to figure out exactly what had happened and how they had come to be laying halfway down the street from where they had been standing a quarter of a second earlier.
"And things might actually end up even worse for everyone if she doesn't do that, Twilight. Because of you," continued Pinkie, not noticing any of this. "You know you love her, but you can't admit it, can't bring yourself to feel it. So in every relationship you have from now on, that will always be in the back of your mind. 'Do I love this pony as much as I love Chrysalis? What happens if I suddenly realize I do love Chrysalis?' It will poison every attempt you make at trying to love another pony, like a venom running through your heart. You'll grow bitter, blaming Chrysalis for your failures at forming meaningful relationships. Eventually you'll shut yourself away, refusing to even try forming those relationships at all on the off chance that you might suddenly decide to reject them for Chrysalis. And so you'll wait, alone in your castle, your love congealing in your heart until you can't feel anything at all anymore. And finally, after who knows how many interminable, dreary years, you'll give in. You'll go back to Chrysalis, claiming you love her, asking her to take you back. And she will, because she loves you so very much that she won't even notice your lies. Because they will be lies, won't they, Twilight? You won't love her at all. No, not after so long. Not after blaming her for the failure of every relationship you've ever tried to have. You'll be resentful, spiteful. Everything she does will be wrong, every imperfection in your lives will be her fault. She'll keep trying, though, dying of thirst and begging for even a drop of your love. And that will be your marriage. You, an icy, bitter matron, hating your wife with every fiber of your being even if you don't realize it. And Queen Chrysalis, reduced to a fawning sycophant, desperate for nothing more than a nice word from you, a kind touch. Just a smidgen of love that never, ever comes."
Done talking, Pinkie went silent again, still making circles with her hoof. She didn't notice her friends staring at her, which made sense seeing as they were all sitting in a shocked silence, their eyes wide and jaws hanging agape.
"Uh, wow, Pinkie, that's--" Twilight started to say, being the first to recover.
"What?" Pinkie looked up, blinking a few times. "Oh, hi, Twilight! Sorry, what did you just say? I was thinking about parties!"
"Um..." Twilight opened her mouth, raising a hoof, then sat back, shaking her head. "Just... wondering what you think about Chrysalis and I staying married? Or not being married?"
"Oh, you should definitely stay married!" said Pinkie, nodding her head energetically. "You two are just so adorable together! Plus, if you broke up..."
She trailed off for a moment, and everypony in the room held their breath. "If you broke up, everypony would be super duper sad!"
A gust of wind blew around the room, as the ponies in it started breathing again.
"So then, you like Chrysalis?" asked Twilight nervously.
"Oh, she's so much fun!" said Pinkie happily, bouncing up and down a few times in her chair. "She likes playing tricks just like me! She doesn't seem to like surprise parties very much, though... which is why I found this neat crepe paper that burns up really fast and clean, so next time we probably won't have to call the fire department! Plus I'll get extra balloons, since she likes to pop mine so much!"
The other ponies in the room looked at each other, and they all instantly and silently decided to pretend that Pinkie hadn't said anything before Twilight asked her what she thought.
"Well, there's still someone here I should talk to," said Twilight, smiling down at the dragon next to her, "but I think I already know what his opinion is."
"I do like Chrysalis," said Spike, almost shyly. "And all the changelings, too. They've all been really nice to me. And... it's been like having two moms."
Twilight blushed as her friends giggled, but then her face became serious.
"Two moms... I wonder... " she murmured thoughtfully. After a few moments her friends became restless, and she shook herself. "Sorry, I just had a thought. Chrysalis is always kind to her changelings--it, uh, may not always look like it, but long-term she really is. And since she's nice to Spike, too... she might see him as my changeling, my 'hive'."
"Well, that is kind of interestin', I guess," said Applejack with a shrug.
"No, don't you see?" Twilight said excitedly. "That's why she's always so mean to everyone! Well, okay, that's not right. It's why she's nice to the changelings, and to me and Spike. We're part of her hive, and everything she does is to keep the hive safe and happy. If you're not part of the hive... you're her enemy, or at least unworthy of consideration. After so many years alone, protecting her changelings, that must be the only way she can see things now. That doesn't really change anything, but at least it's a step towards understanding. Towards getting her to interacting more casually with ponies."
Twilight deflated slowly. "If, that is... I get her back. If I want to get her back."
"Twilight..." Starlight shook her head in frustrated puzzlement. "You just spent five minutes arguing with me that she's a perfectly harmless and sweet little bug who means the world to you. And now you're going on like you two have broken up for good and you don't ever want to see her again. I mean, I'm sorry, but make up your mind!"
"I'm trying!" cried Twilight desperately, flopping forward on the table. "But everytime I think I've figured out my feelings something else pops up and I start leaning the other way! It's just all so confusing that I can't figure out what I want!"
"Well," said Fluttershy timidly after a moment, "I know someone who's really good at figuring out things that don't make sense..."
"No!" Twilight's head snapped up "Don't say his name, don't even think--"
"Too late!" said Discord cheerfully, head snaking out from behind her throne. "Even an oblique reference is enough to get my attention."
He looked around the throne room, smiling widely. "Good to see everypony's here and doing well--Twilight!" he cried, suddenly noticing who it was he'd responded to after popping into the room. "It's really nice to see you here. And not stone anymore, either! Celestia figured out that whole mess much faster than I thought she would."
"I... what are you--"
"Whoops! Dear me, am I not where I thought I was?" He pulled out a pair of reading glasses to peer intently at a tattered, leather bound book in one hand. "Ah, yes, of course. You're the one who got married to the bug queen. See, look, I made a left at Amblequerque to get here, not a right."
"What are you--" Twilight followed Discord's finger to the page he'd held up in front of her face, then suddenly jerked back, her hooves going to her eyes "GAH! W-what is that?!"
"Oh, you act like you've never seen a hyper-multidimensional travel log before," complained Discord, with a roll of his eyes.
"I've never seen anything like that before!" She shuddered, her eyes still covered by her hooves. "What language was that? And the... pictures? Maps? I don't think those were even images! Ugh, it hurts my head just thinking about it! Not a headache, but the thoughts themselves hurt!"
"Oh, fine, I'll put it away." Discord tossed the book over his shoulder and it disappeared with a flash. "But someone's going to have to teach you how to travel on the quantum fractal highways and leap from manifolds to D-branes eventually, and if your little Sun Princess isn't going to do it I might as well."
"If it's going to be anything like that, then no thank you." Twilight sat up, rubbing her head and glaring at Discord. "Why are you here?"
"I was going to ask you that very same thing! I just heard you call and came to help." He stretched out on the table, cradling his head in his palms and fluttering his eyelashes at Twilight. "So, what can I do for you?"
"Nothing at all! In fact, we were just finishing up, so--"
"We've been talking about Twilight's marriage to Queen Chrysalis," said Fluttershy, making Twilight groan. "Twilight isn't sure if she loves Chrysalis or not, and Chrysalis is divorcing her now."
"Hmm..." Discord rubbed his chin with one hand, apparently actually giving the idea some serious thought. "That is tricky. Love can be quite chaotic, of course, but I can't actually say it's in my wheelhouse. So I might have to--"
He suddenly snapped his fingers, then looked at the frozen ponies surrounding the table. "Good, that should let us talk in privacy."
"What did you..." Twilight looked at her friends as well, and suddenly realized they were all standing as stiff as boards, not even breathing. "What did you do?!"
"Oh, I just stopped time for a moment, no big deal," Discord waved a hand. "Although we don't have much time--that is to say, our time--to talk."
"Why not?"
"Well, let's say you have an engine running at full throttle. And then you decided to hold the crankshaft still. It might be okay for a fraction of a second, but what would happen to it after... well, not very long at all?"
"It would... tear itself apart?" ventured Twilight worriedly.
"Yes, exactly! Now imagine that engine is time." Twilight gulped, and Discord nodded. "That's right. Also, this obviously doesn't work on alicorns, and Cay-Cay gets ever so upset if I do it for too long."
"Alright, fine, make all your jokes and let's get this over with, then," said Twilight, with a sigh.
"Jokes? Moi?" Discord put a hand to his chest. "Why, if I was going to joke, don't you think I'd have kept the audience?"
"Then what is all this about?!" snapped Twilight impatiently.
"I just want to tell you that you do love that deliciously twisted Queen, of course."
"I--" Twilight paused, blinking. "What?"
"Think for a moment, my precious little Princess of Books. In all the worlds, across all of time and space, what causes more chaos than love? It positively drips off you whenever the two of you are together. In fact, I can see it on any two ponies who are in love. I bet you didn't know this, but I'm almost as good of a matchmaker as Cadance."
He leaned in closer to Twilight, speaking in a low voice. "Don't tell her this, but I was actually up for the title of 'Princess of Love' back in the day. Turned it down, though. The tiara clashes with my beard."
He sat back. "And love aside, the sheer amount of chaos the two of you together would create would just be a positively delightful show! I mean, Equestria being peacefully invaded by an army of changelings, all trying to adapt to pony culture? And ponies, trying to coexist alongside a species that lives off their emotions? Why, the chaos that would create is second only to the potential for violence and bloodshed!"
"You--wait, what?!"
"Let me break this down for you," said Discord, his voice dropping to a menacing growl. Twilight gulped and shrank back in her seat as he loomed above her, his eyes now burning red embers.
"The love you and Queen Chrysalis share, the chaos that represents, is so great that it rivals even the most magnificent of my works. To not see you two together would be to go against the very fabric of my being. I want the two of you to be together, in happily married bliss, more than I ever wanted to bathe Equestria in chaos. To put it another way... I ship you so hard it bends reality."
"Um..." Twilight, shaking and sweating, glanced around. The room had grown dark and oppressive, and a heavy fog had begun rolling out of the shadows. Things lurked in the fog, things that at first appeared to be ponies but, the more she looked at them, the more they seemed to be shaped horribly wrong, twisted and bent in ways no living creature should ever be. Faintly, just at the edge of her hearing, she could hear whispers, promising her all the horrible things she lusted after in the far, dark corners of her heart, the things she'd never admitted even to herself that she wanted.
"And moreover," continued Discord, "I am, despite your objections, your friend. That means I want to see you happy. And you have no idea how happy Chrysalis would make you. I used the phrase 'happily married bliss' before, but that's only because I don't know any words stronger than bliss. That is what the two of you would share. Your marriage would become one of legend, heralded throughout the ages as the pinnacle to which two lovers can aspire. If you were to go through with your silly little divorce, I can guarantee you would feel regret later. But that would be only a simple pond, compared to the ocean of regret you would feel if you knew how wonderful and sweet your marriage would have been. Twilight, no matter what direction your life takes from this point on, I can promise you this: there is no future in which you will be happier than the future in which you stay married to Queen Chrysalis and finally get it through your little pony head how very, very much you love her."
"Are you...." Twilight blinked at him in stunned surprise. "Are you saying I do love her? And you think we'd be happy together?"
"Of course," Discord replied, his voice a sibilant hiss. "What does it sound like I'm saying?"
"Well, it's just, your eyes are glowing red, and the whole thing with the room and the darkness..."
"What?" Discord turned to look at his eyes in the wall mirror floating next to him. "Whoops!"
He turned around, waving his hands at the smoke and slowly dispersing it. "Sorry about that, it's been so long since I've done this. Had the thing still set to 'evil'. This was supposed to be fluffy pink clouds and cherub ponies with bows and arrows that had little hearts on the end!"
"Well, maybe if you ever actually came to a dress rehearsal..." said one of the shadowy figures over its shoulder, as it slowly exited with the fog.
"Oh, really Jerry, you're going to do this now?" Discord snorted in anger. "I thought you were supposed to be a professional. Look, all of you just head back to casting and find some cherub outfits. And put the eldritch horror stuff back in storage."
"Hmph. Calling me unprofessional..." muttered the figure, finally vanishing.
"Jerry's actually a really great guy," said Discord apologetically. "He's just been under a lot of stress lately, I guess his relationship with his girlfriend hasn't been going well... you know, I should do something nice for them, maybe take them out to dinner at a fancy restaurant..."
"I, uh..." Twilight scratched her head. "Can I just pretend none of that happened?"
"Probably for the best."
Discord walked across the table to sit on its edge next to Twilight. He reached out a paw and she tensed up, but he just put it gently on her shoulder.
"Look, Twilight," he said, voice earnest, "I could go on about how the two of you are a nexus of chaotic love like nothing I've ever seen and so on and so forth... but that wouldn't mean anything to you. So I'll just keep it simple.
"I've seen enough of both of you to know you love her. The two of you are good together. She did hurt your family, but I think you can get past that, to see her for who she really is, to see how much she cares for you. If you can forgive me for all the terrible things I've done, you should be able to do the same for her. Go to her. Love her. It's what you want in your heart."
"That's..." Twilight wiped a tear from her eye. "That was beautiful. Thank you, Discord."
"Yeah, well... " He stood up, walking away from her so she couldn't see his expression. "That's why I wanted to do it here, in private. I do have a reputation to uphold, you know."
"Oh, I'm well aware." Twilight snorted, then suddenly looked at him suspiciously. "So is it wrong that I'm actually even more confused now? I do want to love her, but the fact that you also want me to makes me think I should do the exact opposite. Sorry, but I still find it kind of hard to trust you."
"Oh, there's nothing wrong with that at all," said Discord quietly. Suddenly the room was black again. Discord's face shoved up against hers, his eyes blazing like two little windows into the fires of hell. "That just means you're learning."
He snapped his fingers, and the room was back to normal, sans one draconequus. Twilight looked around wildly, blinking, and her friends stared back at her.
"Are... you alright, Twilight?" asked Rainbow Dash, concern in her voice. "You kinda spaced out there."
"Wha... bu... Discord was just here, and... the shadows..." Twilight stammered, trying to put together a coherent explanation of what had just happened.
"Um, sorry, Twilight, but no he wasn't," Fluttershy said apologetically. "I invited him, but he said he had dinner plans. He did say he wished you luck, though. Um, and that Jerry did too? I'm not sure who that is..."
"Urgh, that annoying son of a bi--ahem." Twilight sat up straight for a moment, then slumped down again. She looked around the table, at each one of her friends in turn, then looked away and sighed.
"We weren't very much help, were we?" asked Fluttershy, ears drooping.
"No, no, you were! You girls all gave me a lot to think about. It's just... " Twilight let out another sigh, which turned into a groan. "I didn't need more to think about. I need to know what to do next. I was hoping you'd all agree, that I could use whatever consensus you came to as a guide. But instead, all I got were the same arguments I've been going over in my head for the last few days."
"Sorry, Twi, but you should have known it wouldn't be that simple," said Applejack, with a shake of her head. "I think that the fact we can't agree should tell you this is something you need to decide for yourself. You can't just count on us to give you an easy answer."
"Count on you? Easy answers? That's it!" Twilight beamed happily at her friends. "I trust all of you, so I can just have you vote, and whichever answer gets the most votes is what I'll do!"
"Wait..."
"Okay, who thinks I should stay married to Queen Chrysalis?"
Rainbow Dash, Spike and Pinkie Pie put their hooves (and a claw) in the air.
"I also vote for parties!" put in Pinkie Pie. "Parties and cake!"
"Noted," Twilight said, nodding gravely. "Now, who thinks we should separate?"
Starlight raised her hoof forcefully, and began waving it around.
"No!" said Applejack.
"Okay, so that's two for no--"
"I mean no, you can't do this, Twilight!"
"Wait, so is that a yes? You should have voted during the first round then, Applejack."
"Consarnit, stop pretendin' you don't know what I mean!" snapped Applejack, banging her hooves on the table. Twilight drew back, blinking, then slumped down with a guilty, sheepish expression on her face.
"I-it's just so hard..."
"I know it is, but that ain't no excuse for trying to cheat or take shortcuts." Applejack glared at Twilight for a moment, eyes narrowed. "You know, I'm just about ready to get our resident expert on love in here to sort you out once and for all."
"No!" Twilight jerked upright, a look of terror on her face. "I'll be good! Please, anything but that!"
"I don't know, she might set you right in order..." mused Applejack, a sly grin on her face.
"That's the opposite of what you want, Applejack, trust me," Twilight pleaded. "You're telling me I should decide for myself what I want, and you're right! But if she were here, I wouldn't be able to do that. You know exactly what she'd tell me to do, and she wouldn't take no for an answer. She'd say--"
"Oh Twiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiight, where aaaaaaaaare yoooooou?" Rarity's voice suddenly rang throughout the castle, and everypony around the table froze. "I know you're in here somewhere..."
"Run," said Twilight.
She and Starlight used their magic to grab up whatever loose furniture lay around the throne room, barricading the entrance. That done, Twilight quickly flapped her way up to one of the windows, pushing it open.
Rainbow Dash went first, quickly turning into a pale blue dot that vanished into the distance. Fluttershy followed behind her, though not nearly as fast, and then there was a flash as Starlight, with Spike on her back, teleported onto the sill next to Twilight. She hopped out into the air, magic wrapping around her body to guide herself gently to the ground, and then Twilight turned back to the room.
"Okay, you're first, Pinkie--" she started to say, only to realize the pink pony was nowhere to be found.
"First for what, Twilight?" said a voice from behind, and Twilight spun, blinking as she saw Pinkie sitting on the sill and regarding her with a questioning look.
"Um... first to... leave now that everyone who can fly is out of the way?" said Twilight hesitantly.
"Oh, okay! Bye!" With a cheerful wave, Pinkie jumped out the window, sliding down the steep side of the tree-shaped castle on her back. "Wheeeee!"
As the sound of her merriment faded into the distance, Twilight turned back to the last pony still in the room.
"Hold on, Applejack," she called, flapping her wings.
She'd hardly moved at all before jerking to a halt, as someone began to pound, hard, on the door to the throne room, shaking the hastily thrown together barricade.
"There's nowhere else you can be Twilight!" cried out the enraged Rarity. "So you let me in this instant!"
Twilight hesitated, eyes darting between Applejack and the door.
"Don't you dare, Twi!" yelled Applejack, just as an end table fell off the barricade and the door cracked open an inch.
"I'll tell everypony you died a hero!" called out Twilight over her shoulder, as she shot out the window.
"You lousy, no good, yellow-bellied--"
Applejack's ranting cut off as the doors burst open, scattering furniture across the room, and a fuming Rarity strode in.
"Oh, Rarity! W-what a surprise to see you..."
"Where is she?" growled the fashion pony, trotting forward.
"I don't know who you mean... oh, are you talking about Twilight?" Applejack let out a nervous laugh, studying the ceiling a desperate attempt to avoid Rarity's eyes. "You know, I just heard her talking the other day about, uh, wanting to... visit Sunburst! Yeah. You know, Starlight's old friend, also studies magic? They were meeting to discuss... uh, magic. So I think she's in the Crystal Empire right now!"
Rarity had stopped, blinking in surprise. Now, seeing Applejack's scrunched-up face, she chuckled and started forward again.
"Oh, Applejack, you should know better to try to lie. Especially to me. Now, come on... you're going to tell me everything."
Applejack gulped and tried to back away, but she had already been as far from the door as she could be when Rarity burst in. So all she could do was whimper and slide to the floor as Rarity advanced, a grim smile on her face.
The rest of the day was filled with a merry chase through Ponyville, Twilight managing to stay a hoofstep ahead of the meddling-intent Rarity for longer than she had thought possible. Rarity had finally caught her, but with both ponies exhausted from the chase all she'd been able to do was growl a few disapproving words at the Princess before both had trudged back to their homes.
But at night, things were different.
Nights always woke somber moods in ponies. Luna had often been asked if that was her intention, but an enigmatic smile was always the only response. Ponies that had been bright and cheerful during the day became thoughtful and solemn when the night fell and darkness overtook the land. Optimistic thoughts became pessimistic, and the worst outcomes always seemed the most likely.
So Twilight paced in her study by the light of candles. Occasionally she'd glance over at her desk, where the packet of papers from the palace sat waiting to be signed.
She had a choice to make, one that would affect not only her life, but the lives of those closest to her, and possibly the lives of everyone in Equestria. With a deep breath, she stopped her pacing, and tried to put everything into simple terms.
Queen Chrysalis loved her. And she loved Queen Chrysalis... except she couldn't seem to actually feel that love.
There was too much history between them, Chrysalis had done too much, pushed things too far. Twilight knew now that all of it--well, most of it--had been done out of love. It had all just been Chrysalis's way of expressing her love, and she thought Twilight had known that and had been going along with it. But Twilight hadn't, and it was too hard now for her to separate what she'd thought Chrysalis had been doing from what the Queen had actually been doing. She might understand it all intellectually, but her heart was another matter.
And despite all that, she still wanted to be friends with Chrysalis. She even wanted to love her, to return her deep, fierce affections. She'd tried to love the changeling, she'd tried her absolute best--she'd dated Chrysalis for months, gone to her friends and family for advice... but nothing has been able to break through that barrier. She still wasn't able to feel the slightest bit of love beyond what she felt for any of her friends.
Was she scared to? Was she just afraid of being in love? Or had everything Chrysalis done just been too much for her heart to forgive? Was her love lost forever because of a simple misunderstanding?
Maybe so. Chrysalis had certainly believed it to be true, and she had left. Partly because she had known the futility of continuing to try and draw love from what seemed to be an empty well... and partly out of her own love for Twilight, to free Twilight from any obligation to try loving her. To, as one final act of love, free the pony she loved to go and find her own love.
The worst part was... Chrysalis had been right. There was no point in pretending; Twilight could fake being in love, they could even have a real marriage and a real relationship like that. It wasn't like she didn't love Chrysalis, she was just hung up on a few issues. Surely with time, and enough love from Chrysalis...
But Pinkie's words had cut deeper than Twilight had thought. Now she could see another future, one where she and Chrysalis tried to pretend they both loved each other. It could work with anypony else in the world... but not with Chrysalis. Not with a changeling. No matter how they pretended, Chrysalis would know. And the longer things went on, the more they tried to lie to each other, the more bitter and angry Chrysalis would become. No, that path would only end in disaster.
So, if Twilight couldn't pretend to love Chrysalis, and if she couldn't actually love her...
...then Chrysalis had been right to leave. Maybe this was how it had to be.
Twilight slowly approached her desk. The papers sat on it, waiting. Sitting down in her chair, she began to leaf through the stack of forms. They all seemed fairly standard; initial here, sign this, put a date here, and that pony you're married to will be out of your life forever. There was a familiar pang of sadness at that thought, but thinking of Chrysalis at all now brought that feeling. Other than that... she didn't feel anything out of the ordinary.
So she began to fill out the paperwork. Initial here, sign this, put a date here... She worked slowly, methodically. She didn't want to mess this up, didn't want to draw things out. Finish it all here, end it cleanly. Just like Chrysalis wanted. There wasn't much Twilight could do for her anymore, but she could do this right. It would be her last gift to the Queen. That's why she held the quill in her hoof, rather than simply using her magic; this was personal.
Finally, Twilight came to the last page. There was one final signature, this one confirming that all of the above signatures were correct and that this truly was what the pony signing wanted. It was the last key that, when turned, would lock all of the chains in place. Signing this would remove Chrysalis from her life forever.
Twilight thought all of this, staring at that empty line waiting for her signature and felt... nothing different. Nothing that she hadn't felt before. So, with a steady hoof, she signed her name.
Then she sat back, staring at her signature, the quill still in her hoof. That was it. Chrysalis was gone now, for good. It was all there, on official palace documents and signed by her, a Princess. Now bound by the iron hand of law, she would never, ever, ever see Queen Chrysalis again. The words saying so were right there in front of her, in cold black ink. The harsh reality of what that really meant was laying on her desk, and that realization began to beat inside her head to the pulse of her heart.
Her hoof started to tremble. |
Pony Courtship Rituals | Chapter Eight: Changeling Courtship Rituals | It was pointless, but Queen Chrysalis pushed herself upright in her bed anyway.
What she wanted to do was just lie there, like she had for the vast majority of the last few days. Just lie in her bed and... do nothing. Not even think. Just doze, just stare at the ceiling. And there was also the temptation to do what she had told Twilight she would, and sleep for the rest of time.
But she still had responsibilities. The smooth integration of her hive with Equestria had to be assured--if she wasn't going to be around in the future to guide her changelings and help them steal love, they'd need the ponies as a voluntary source of sustenance to survive. She'd also have to appoint a regent, pick lieutenants to run things in her absence, possibly even set up departments among her changelings to specialize in handling the different responsibilities involved in running a hive. She could guide the hivemind in her sleep, but without her personal involvement the changelings would need a government that wasn't just her telling them what to do.
And besides... Twilight had written her a letter. She'd barely been able to bring herself to read it, and her sight of the words had been blurred by tears, but the gist had been easy enough to glean: today, Twilight would be coming to the hive to get the last of her things. She'd left very few belongings behind, mostly books, but also a few personal effects. Chrysalis had to make sure all of that was out of her quarters and the hive itself, so Twilight would have no reason to enter.
So after a few moments of sitting listlessly on the bed, Chrysalis pushed herself to its side and slid off. She stood for a moment, then slumped to her haunches, head drooping. She didn't even notice her mane falling limply to encircle her head; she just stared down at the floor beneath her hooves, mind blank.
She winced momentarily when she finally moved, her muscles sore after being unused for so long while she was lying in her bed. Giving her head a shake, she sent her mane tumbling into a position that was at least somewhat close to how she normally wore it. As she shook her head, she caught a glimpse of the letter from Twilight she'd received the night before, and winced again.
She really should destroy that letter, along with all of the newspaper clippings and photos and such of Twilight that she had collected in her scrapbook over the years... but she didn't want to forget. No matter how it hurt, she wanted to remember the pony she loved so much.
Turning away from the nightstand, Chrysalis looked for her breakfast, and her eyes narrowed menacingly when she noted the absence of a tray with her meal on it. She'd told her attendants exactly when she intended to wake up and what she wanted to eat, and yet there was nothing here now. If they thought her lethargy meant they could slack off, they were about to learn many, many new and painful things.
Striding to the entrance to her quarters, she swept the curtain aside, and her eyes widened as she found her attendants and guards nowhere to be seen. One corner of her mouth curled up as she let out a low hiss.
Now, for the first time in days, she felt something. Oh, she felt something indeed--a pool of anger bubbling up inside her like lava, pushing aside her earlier apathy. How dare her changelings abandon their posts?! Dimly, she felt gratitude towards them for at least partially breaking through her despondence... but mostly what she felt was an all-consuming rage.
Grimly, she fired up her horn, making contact with the hivemind and getting ready to dispense swift and brutal, but deserved, justice--and then froze.
The hivemind was empty.
After the first moment of stunned shock had passed, she began sweeping her mind through their shared consciousness, frantically searching every dark corner for some sign of her changelings, but all she found was blank nothingness. Panic growing, she began to lurch from spot to spot in the hivemind, desperate to find any hint of her changelings, before finally forcing herself to stop and drop fully back into reality.
They can't all be gone, she told herself firmly, breathing hard. There has to be some sign of them somewhere!
Once she'd calmed down, she entered the hivemind once again, this time more cautiously. She probed around, seeking any sign, any hint of what had happened to her changelings. At first she found nothing; it all seemed exactly the same, except she couldn't feel any other minds, at all. Which should have been impossible, unless some kind of powerful spell was...
There!
At the edges, she caught just the faintest hint of a changeling. It was bare, little more than a ghost, but it gave her a direction. She followed it, only to find that after a short distance, to her surprise, she could go no further. Something was blocking her. A wall, almost, keeping her separated from the rest of the hivemind. Again, impossible... but the hivemind was hers, and she would not let anyone keep her from using it as she saw fit.
Her horn began to glow brighter, as she attempted to force her way forward. There was resistance, but she had centuries of experience with the hivemind, and she wouldn't be stopped.
"You think you can defy me?!" she growled, eyes clenched, speaking out loud without realizing it. "I am the QUEEN!"
For a moment, she slipped past whatever barrier had been set up--just for the barest fraction of a moment, and what she got could barely be called a glimpse. But it was enough, and stunned, she hardly even noticed when she got pushed back out again.
All her changelings were being kept from her. Whatever that barrier was, they were all behind it. She'd gotten a feeling in the second she had touched them... she didn't know what she'd felt, but she knew it made her mad. It had felt like they were mocking her, almost. But she'd also gotten something else from that touch: a physical location. She knew where they were now--just outside the entrance to the hive.
Face set in a grim frown, Chrysalis started off down the tunnels of the hive. Something or someone had taken her changelings, and they were going to pay. In blood, preferably, but she could think of all sorts of other fun choices.
As she stomped her way towards the entrance, though, her mind took another turn. The hive was so... empty. So quiet. Normally it was filled with busy, purposeful activity--changelings rushing to and fro as they dug new tunnels, prepared to raid a town of ponies and harvest love, or just went on their way to take care of any of the hundreds of odd jobs that a living, breathing hive required to survive.
And now there was nothing. Just the heavy clop of her hooves echoing back at her off the tunnel walls. Just her, by herself, all alone. She had trouble finding a word to describe the experience, but finally came upon one--creepy. It wasn't a word used often by a love-devouring, shape-changing, slime-secreting changeling, but it fit.
Is this what it's like for Twilight right now, all alone in her castle? wondered Chrysalis. She doesn't have any changelings either... just like me.
No, of course this wasn't what things were like for Twilight, she realized a moment later. Twilight had friends, Twilight had family, Twilight had all manner of ponies and other creatures to keep her company. Chrysalis only had her changelings, and with them cut from the hivemind, she now had no one.
She slowed, surprised as she realized what the strange feeling she had was. She was... lonely.
Her changelings had always been with her, of course, so this was the first time she'd ever truly been alone, with not even the hivemind to rely on. But even then, after everything she'd experienced with Twilight, at some point she'd come to feel lonely and hadn't even realized it until now. Even the hivemind hadn't been enough to fill that gap; it wasn't exactly like talking to herself, but like a shadow, an echo of her own thoughts. Her changelings had their own wills and thoughts, but those thoughts naturally tended to line up with her own.
She'd never known until recently what it was like to actually interact with ponies--in ways that didn't involve deceiving them and controlling their minds--and now, strangely, she missed the experience.
Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike, Princess Luna--especially Luna, for some reason she couldn't quite put a hoof on--she missed them all. She found she actually wouldn't mind having one of them around now. Provided they didn't bother her, or talk, or do anything disrespectful, of course, but she still would have enjoyed their company. She would've even accepted Starlight Glimmer, that dead pony who was living in Twilight's castle and trying to steal her away.
Her gait, already slow, came to a halt as a series of thoughts suddenly raced through her head. Did... she want friends?
No, of course not. Of course not! She didn't have friends. She'd thought Twilight would change things... but she'd been wrong about that. Sadly so, and it simply reinforced the point that a Queen did not have friends.
Although... Princesses did. And they seemed just as respected as Queens. Feared, even, though maybe not as openly as Chrysalis herself was. If they could have friends, and still maintain their dignity and their control over Equestria, was there any reason she couldn't? Was she really so different?
Her changelings didn't seem to think so. With a sort of vague disapproval, she'd watched their first tentative steps towards fitting in among the ponies. No matter her feelings for Twilight, she couldn't see the ponies as anything more than a food source. But the other changelings had taken to them like... well, like ants to ice cream, to use a fitting but rather unflattering comparison.
Rather unnervingly, she'd noticed feelings in the hivemind starting to form towards the Princesses. Her changelings... respected Celestia and Luna, in a way they previously had only Chrysalis. The ponies had told tales of the Princesses to her changelings, and as those tales spread through the hivemind, the changelings respect for them only grew. Somehow, somehow, their brand of leadership, of kindness and understanding, had won them the same deference from the ponies that Chrysalis got from her changelings through unwavering discipline, and occasionally fear.
And, perhaps most disturbing of all, some changelings had questioned her. Normally such an unprecedented act would bring swift retribution, but they'd asked her to be nicer. To find compromises to problems that made everyone happy. To be friendly. She'd been so confused by the requests that she'd simply denied them in a huff, and the displeasure that radiated through the hivemind as she'd done so had quickly discouraged any other changelings from doing the same.
Doubt had still gnawed at her, though. All she needed to do was look at Equestria to see how things could be. It was a large nation, a powerful nation, full of happy citizens. And Celestia and Luna had done all that peacefully. They'd fought only in self-defense, instead relying on harmony and understanding to build their kingdom.
She had indulged Twilight during all the times the pony had spoken of the power of friendship, listening patiently despite her own lack of faith in such a thing. Or, at least, that it was as strong as Twilight claimed. But now, as she reflected upon it in her loneliness... was friendship actually magic?
If so, perhaps there was another way to rule. If the Princesses could do it, then maybe she could do the same...
The shape of a new world formed inside her mind. One where changelings were friendly, spreading out across Equestria, earning their love rather than stealing it. They might not know much about friendship right now, but they could learn. Next to communication, knowing things was what the hivemind was best at. And that aside, the hivemind already had a multitude of skills, gathered throughout the generations. There was so much in Equestria they could help with, so much they could fix, so many ponies they could make happy.
And Chrysalis herself... maybe she really could learn what it took to be a friend to other ponies. Ponies who weren't just Twilight. She could become a beacon of friendship, leading her changelings in spreading its magic across the land. She could be a gracious Queen, beloved by ponies and changelings alike. And... maybe, just maybe... Twilight would see that, and realize Chrysalis had changed. Maybe it would open her heart up, the way it could have been, the way it should have been from the start, if only Chrysalis hadn't misunderstood things so terribly. That might be hoping for too much, but regardless, she could build a new world. She could ensure her people not only survived, but prospered. She could make the changelings, and herself, as loved in Equestria as the Princesses themselves.
Maybe, she could even be... nice.
Thoughts bouncing around in her head, visions of a world of harmony and friendship led by changelings dancing before her mind's eye, Chrysalis resumed walking, unconsciously following the path she had been on before her revelation. She threaded her way through the tunnels with familiar ease, not even having to watch where she was going as she ruminated on her revelation.
Then she rounded the final bend and exited the hive. Seeing what was waiting for her, she snapped back to reality and stood frozen in place, eyes wide.
She had built this hive in the Macintosh Hills, down in southern Equestria. The reasoning had been simple; placing the hive in already existing caves was easier than burrowing it out themselves, and the Macintosh Hills were riddled with tunnels. And as a bonus, the hills gave her a spectacular view of much of Equestria, including Twilight's current home, Ponyville. Aside from her beloved's castle, it was still a beautiful sight--the hillside her hive was built on sloping gently downwards, eventually becoming lost in trees, and the wide plains of Equestria beyond that.
Right now, the entire hillside spread out below her seemed to be covered with changelings. Her changelings, she realized with a shock, despite the fact that they all seemed to be glowing with a magenta aura. None of them were moving; they stood stock-still, faces expressionless as they stared up at her.
After the moment of shock passed, she lit up her horn again, forcing her way into the portion of the hivemind the changelings were sharing. She was pushed out again, but now that she was physically near them she'd been able to penetrate much further past that barrier. She hadn't been able to pick up any thoughts, but their emotions had come through clearly. Strangely, there had been no malice. In fact, it had felt just like the normal hivemind, full of love and devotion for her. The only thing different had been a sense of anticipation, a gleeful laughter that she had earlier mistaken for mockery.
It is some kind of spell! she thought disbelievingly. But why would someone want to block me out of my own hivemind?! And who would have enough raw magical power--
"I see you made it at last," said a haughty voice from above, and Chrysalis jerked her head upwards.
Twilight Sparkle floated in the air, wings flapping gently to hold her aloft. Her mouth curled up in what could have been a smile, but the set of her eyes and the arch of her eyebrows turned her expression into a disdainful sneer. And her horn glowed, channeling a spell. The same spell, it was suddenly obvious, that was cutting Chrysalis off from the hivemind.
"What... you're..." Chrysalis tried to speak, but found that she couldn't quite process what she was seeing enough to form a coherent question about it.
"I can't begin to tell you how happy it makes me that you've decided to agree to my little proposal," continued Twilight with a chuckle that sent a shiver through Chrysalis's carapace.
"The hivemind... my changelings..." Chrysalis finally managed to get out, focusing on what had brought her out here in the first place. "Why... why are you doing this?!"
"Ah, yes, you and your little changelings." Twilight peered down at the mass of changelings gathered below her, eyes narrowed in malevolent glee. "I had to do something about them before we got to the fun part. I don't want them interfering this time, after all."
She held a wickedly happy glare on the Queen, who simply stared back in befuddlement... until the bit dropped.
Chrysalis's mouth fell open, her pupils shrinking, and she staggered to the side as she remembered where she'd heard those words before. She had been the one to say them after all. She shook her head, unable to believe what was happening... but then she looked up to meet Twilight's eyes, and saw it. The pony's eyes were still narrowed, there was still a sneer on her face, but deep in her eyes, just barely visible--possibly only leaking out because it was Chrysalis she was looking at--there was a faint twinkle. A sparkle.
"Twilight, you're... I don't understand," Chrysalis finally managed to say, though she was just barely able to get the words out without stammering. "After everything that happened... the letter you wrote, it said--"
Twilight slowly approached her desk. The papers sat on it, waiting. Sitting down in her chair, she began to leaf through the stack of forms. They all seemed fairly standard; initial here, sign this, put a date here, and that pony you're married to will be out of your life forever. There was a familiar pang of sadness at that thought, but thinking of Chrysalis at all anymore brought that feeling. Other than that... she didn't feel anything out of the ordinary.
So she began to fill out the paperwork. Initial here, sign this, put a date here... She worked slowly, methodically. She didn't want to mess this up, didn't want to draw things out. Finish it all here, end it all now. Just like Chrysalis wanted. There wasn't much Twilight could do for her anymore, but she could do this right. It would be her last gift to the Queen. That's why she held the quill in her hoof, rather than simply use her magic; this was personal.
Finally, Twilight came to the last page. There was one final signature, this one confirming that all of the above signatures were correct and that this truly was what the pony signing wanted. It was the last key that, when turned, would lock all of the chains in place. Signing this would remove Chrysalis from her life forever.
Twilight thought all of this, staring at that empty line waiting for her signature and felt... nothing. Nothing that she hadn't felt before.
So, with a steady hoof, she signed her name.
Then she sat back, staring at her signature, the quill still in her hoof. That was it. Chrysalis was gone now, for good. It was all there, on official palace documents and signed by her, a Princess. Now bound by the iron hand of law, she would never, ever, ever see Queen Chrysalis again. The words saying so were right there in front of her, in cold black ink. The harsh reality of what that really meant was laying on her desk, and that realization began to beat inside her head to the pulse of her heart.
Her hoof started to tremble.
"Goodnight, Twilight."
Twilight let out a sigh as Chrysalis climbed into bed with her. No matter where she lay, Chrysalis's bulk always pushed the mattress down and caused Twilight to roll back against her. And Chrysalis always took that opportunity to wrap her legs around Twilight and give her a squeeze, nuzzling her face into Twilight's mane. So, as always, Twilight had to rearrange their limbs, freeing her forelegs so they weren't trapped tightly against her barrel. That tended to leave her foreleg draped over Chrysalis's in a rather friendly and almost intimate manner, as though they were holding hooves as they slept, but somehow she didn't care anymore.
The last--three days? Four? Had it really only been that few?--had been equal parts terrifying and confusing. Her confidence that Chrysalis had been engaged in some long term plan to trick her had started to waver. At the same time, she still couldn't believe that Chrysalis loved her. Well and truly loved her. She was still waiting for the other horseshoe to drop.
And yet... somehow sleeping like this had become normal. Almost comfortable, in a way. It hadn't even been a full week yet, but she still had trouble picturing herself not sleeping with Chrysalis wrapped around her.
"Goodnight, Chrysalis," she said hesitantly. As always, that made the changeling happy, and she nestled her head more firmly down onto Twilight's, humming a few notes as she did so. They both drifted off to sleep quickly, but Twilight still heard Chrysalis's sleepy murmur just before falling asleep.
"I love you."
Twilight picked at her food, fork moving with desultory slowness.
She'd been in Chrysalis's hive for over a week now, and the conclusion was impossible to ignore. Chrysalis did love her.
Now she was trapped in an impossible conundrum. She didn't return Chrysalis's love. How could she? The Changeling Queen was one of the worst enemies she'd ever faced, one who'd come far too close to taking over Equestria, and she had hurt Twilight's family in the process. To say nothing of the other things she'd done...
But at the same time, she couldn't just come out and say that. Chrysalis's reaction was all too predictable. Worse, she would be heartbroken. And while a week ago it would have been hard to find something Twilight cared less about than Chrysalis's feelings... things had changed. She'd slowly started to get to know the changeling, to realize that she had hopes and feelings and dreams just like any other pony--well, more or less. And now, somehow, Twilight didn't want to hurt her.
A sound caught her attention, and she turned, to see Chrysalis let out a feral snarl right in her face. Which would have been terrifying, except Chrysalis had stuck two carrots onto her upper fangs, which turned the growl of a monster into something utterly and completely ridiculous.
Twilight couldn't help it. Her hoof went to her mouth and she giggled, giving her first real, honest smile since finding out she'd married Chrysalis.
"Thash betta." Chrysalis's tongue snaked out, pulling the carrots into her mouth and crunching them up. "You look so pretty when you're smiling."
Her guard already lowered by the unexpected silliness Chrysalis had just displayed, Twilight suddenly found herself blushing at the compliment. That immediately sobered her up. She couldn't possibly find anything to like about Chrysalis... could she?
She looked up, to find Chrysalis gazing at her.
"I love you, Twilight."
Their lips separated, and Twilight stood stunned.
It was tradition for the couple to kiss at a wedding. Twilight had known that, and yet had still managed to be surprised when Chrysalis kissed her.
The kiss itself hadn't been the only thing to surprise her. The passion in the kiss, the love Chrysalis had managed to get across through such a simple thing as two ponies pushing their lips together... Twilight had kissed Chrysalis before, but compared to this, that had been a simple peck on the cheek.
She looked up at Chrysalis, lost in those dual-colored eyes, unable to look away. And, for just a moment, unable to deny the feelings she could feel beginning to stir. In that moment, she wanted this marriage, and she wanted to stay with Chrysalis.
It was hard to call it a quiet moment, with both sides of the wedding chapel cheering at the top of their lungs, but there was silence between the two of them until Chrysalis spoke.
"I love you."
"What happened yesterday... I never meant for it to be like that."
Twilight looked up, surprised, as Chrysalis spoke into the silence of the Canterlot Library.
"The way I left you, I mean. That just wasn't..."
She trailed off, and Twilight tried not to smile. Chrysalis was clearly attempting to apologize for leaving her during their first date, and was clearly unable to bring herself to actually say she was sorry for something.
Twilight considered the changeling for a moment. She was still mad that Chrysalis had walked out on their date. But this... recreating the date her mother had taken her father on--a date that also happened to be Twilight's exact idea of a perfect date--well, that was special. As far as Twilight was concerned, that earned a lot of forgiveness.
"It's okay, I understand." She pulled Chrysalis close, giving her a quick hug. The changeling blinked at her in surprise, then smiled.
"I love you."
They stood on the steps of Twilight's castle, under the glow of the moon, their lips pressed together.
They separated, and Twilight, face flushed, smiled up at Chrysalis.
"Good night, Twilight," said Chrysalis.
"Good night, Chrysalis," Twilight replied pushing open the door to her castle.
"I love you, Twilight."
They walked home slowly. It was raining, but they were together so it was fine. Twilight looked over as Chrysalis nudged her with a shoulder, then smiled down at her.
"I love you."
"I love you, Twilight."
"I love you."
"I... love you."
Twilight sat bent over her desk, tears running freely from her eyes. Those tears had done a good job at obliterating her signature on the divorce form, and her quill had finished things off as it was shook about by her hoof until the ink it leaked had turned the entire bottom quarter of the page into one big blot.
Now she swept the papers aside, scattering them across the room, and collapsed, sobbing, onto her desk.
If this was love, no wonder she'd had so much trouble admitting it to herself! Her heart ached and soared at the same time. She missed Chrysalis, like a part of her own body, and just knowing she'd signed that stupid, stupid divorce form made her want to tear down buildings and raze kingdoms to see that changeling just one more time.
She loved Queen Chrysalis, absolutely and with all her heart. She loved everything about her; the brush of her mane against her chitin, the greens of her eyes glinting with mischievousness or promising death to a pony who'd upset her, her arrogance and refusal to admit she was wrong even when she knew she was. Every single thing about Chrysalis was just perfect.
Sure, Chrysalis had a streak of megalomania in her. But that didn't even need to be changed, just redirected. With all that energy put towards making Equestria a better place, rather than simply trying to take control of it, there was no telling what they could accomplish. And all her past sins could be forgiven, as well. After all, who hadn't tried to use magic to force a bunch of ponies to do what they wanted? At this point, the list was getting pretty short.
In the end, it didn't matter to Twilight what Chrysalis had done in the past. All that mattered was the present, and what Chrysalis would do in the future. And as far as she was concerned, the top two things on those lists were 'love Twilight' and 'be loved by Twilight'.
Sniffing, she pushed herself back upright, rubbing at her still wet eyes. Her gaze happened to fall upon the papers she had thrown about the room, and in a fit of anger she gathered them all up and shoved them into a trashcan. Then, for good measure, lit it on fire. It was what Chrysalis would have done after all.
She might have told a minor untruth to Rainbow Dash when she'd said they couldn't just destroy the papers. It was still a felony, that was true. But she was a Princess, and the odds that anyone would care she'd destroyed official palace documents was miniscule. Besides, even if someone had a problem with what she'd done and actually wanted to press charges... let them try. They'd have to get through her wife first.
Assuming, of course, that Chrysalis still wanted to be her wife. Twilight had finally managed to find her love for the Queen, but Chrysalis didn't know that. And, judging by her final words before departing the restaurant, she might not believe it. Simply pleading with her for another chance, for an opportunity to prove her love, wouldn't work; Chrysalis's decision had been too final, her mind too made up. It would take something extraordinary to get her attention, let alone convince her to give Twilight a chance to explain.
Twilight frowned in thought. Could Rarity help her? Celestia knew the fashion pony was invested enough in this relationship as it was. She'd kill to be the one to help Twilight put together some romantic spectacle to win back Chrysalis's love. And it would go a long way towards getting Rarity to forgive Twilight for their... disagreements over the past few months.
Then again, Pinkie Pie could help too. If she wanted something big and eye-catching, Pinkie was definitely the way to go. It would be hard for Chrysalis to ignore a cake baked in the shape of her hive, and to scale, for instance. Plus, Pinkie's ability to go wherever she wanted to would help when it came time to deliver Chrysalis an invitation.
But Cadance was the Princess of Love, and if anyone would know what to do, it would be her. Maybe now that a few days had passed, and Shining Armor had had a chance to talk to her, she would be able to bring herself to help with Chrysalis. That would also be a good step towards patching up their relationship.
Or maybe Luna, as Chrysalis's friend--
Twilight's thoughts paused. She was going about this the wrong way, wasn't she? She was sitting here, trying to come up with a way to win back the love of a pony, going about it like a pony Princess.
When what she should be doing was thinking like a Changeling Queen.
With a wicked smile on her face, she ripped some parchment off a nearby shelf, picked up her quill and fresh pot of ink and, after a few false starts, penned a letter...
My Darling Queen Chrysalis,
We've had many disagreements and misunderstandings over the years we've known each other, and I'm afraid our last conversation falls squarely into that category. While you made some good points and were clear when you said you wished never to contact me again, I'm afraid I must take issue with your declaration.
Accordingly, I shall be by tomorrow morning to take possession of everything in your hive that belongs to me. Every single thing, with no exceptions made for anyone or anything. Including you.
Counting the minutes until I see you again,
Princess Twilight Sparkle
Chrysalis stared up at Twilight with her jaw hanging open. Her tongue flicked out, almost involuntarily, and she caught a flavor in the air. It was faint, given how far away its source was, but as all her thoughts of a new world of love and harmony rushed away, she recognized that flavor.
Strawberry ice cream.
With a snap of her teeth, she shut her mouth. She wanted to burst into a goofy grin, to cheer and dance and celebrate, but with a struggle, she managed to suppress those urges. After all, she was a Queen in the presence of another Queen who was threatening her hive. There were appearances to be maintained in these situations.
"Twilight Sparkle," she growled through clenched teeth, as her wings buzzed and lifted her up until she was face to face with the pony. "I don't know what you're planning or what your scheme is here, but I'm not going to let you get away with it!"
They smiled grimly at each other, their expression mocking. But their eyes met, and for just a moment their faces softened, and they shared the smiles of two ponies in love.
Then, at the same second, they both swept forward, power crackling along their horns. They crashed together, their hooves flailing as each grappled for an advantage. Then their magic clashed, and the towering flare of power it threw up lit the surrounding countryside green and magenta for miles in every direction. |
Pony Courtship Rituals | Chapter Nine: The Ceremony, Take Two | The library in Twilight's castle was always orderly. Case upon case and shelf upon shelf of books sat peacefully, carefully arranged by whatever system Twilight had decided on that week. Subtle spell runes glowed along the shelves to keep the books safe, and others lined the walls to mute outside sounds. A quiet hush filled the room, as befit such a solemn temple of learning.
That silence was shattered, along with most of a window, as a tangle of purple and black limbs came crashing through the stained glass panes. Slamming into the floor, the clump of legs split apart, revealing itself to be bruised and battered pony and changeling.
Twilight slid across the floor, sending several tables and chairs flying before coming to a rest in a pile of furniture. Chrysalis bounced off a pillar, spinning across the room and crashing into the opposite wall hard enough to make the books on the shelves jump, even with the protective spells on them.
Wobbling, both climbed back to their hooves. Instinctively, their first action was to look over at the other, doing their best to remain circumspect, almost as though carefully making sure their partner wasn't hurt. Only then did they check themselves out, stretching out a sore limb or patting disheveled hair back into place.
Twilight attacked suddenly, sending a storm of chairs flying across the room. But Chrysalis was at the ready, and a heavy beam of magic from her horn burned them all down mid-flight.
For a moment, there was peace again as the two circled the room, heads down, stalking each other.
Once more, Twilight was the first to act, charging across the crystal floor at full gallop, her head down and horn leading the way. Chrysalis ran out to meet her, horn similarly at the ready. But just before they collided Twilight disappeared with a flash of magenta light, reappearing behind the changeling and unleashing a powerful bolt of magic from her horn. What Twilight had forgotten, however, was that Chrysalis had been obsessively following her every move over the past few years. So Chrysalis had been ready for the same tactic the then-unicorn had used against Nightmare Moon, and Twilight's magic spattered harmlessly off the shield protecting Chrysalis's back.
The Queen's sneer of triumph turned to shock as the Princess charged back across the room, rearing up and slamming her hooves into the shield. Normally, even the impact of an alicorn at full physical strength would hardly be noticeable, and Twilight was tiring out, but after the running battle the two had been fighting, both their magics were also nearing their end, and the shield cracked under Twilight's assault. With two more blows it shattered, sending Twilight crashing into Chrysalis and knocking them both to the ground.
For the next few moments they simply wrestled upon the floor of the library, hooves flailing and bodies twisting as each fought for an advantage. Twilight could get on top and try to pin the changeling down, but she never quite managed it in a way that gave her the leverage to stop the larger changeling from simply shrugging her off. Chrysalis similarly found herself unable to keep the pony in place; no matter what she did, the small pony wiggled and squirmed her way free.
They separated again, panting, each carefully watching for a moment of weakness.
Chrysalis took the first shot this time, grabbing chairs in her meager remaining magic and smashing them all together on top of Twilight even as she charged the pony. Twilight simply leapt lightly over the chairs with an assist from a flap of her wings. Chrysalis arrived as she touched down, rearing up and then slamming her hooves down.
She struck only the hard crystal floor of the library, as her hooves passed through a magenta flash. Twilight reappeared directly above where she had been, flapping her wings to hover in place as she unleashed the last of her magic in a stunning bolt at Chrysalis.
A bolt that struck only the air. Chrysalis appeared out of her own teleport in the air just above Twilight, having correctly guessed the use of the pony's favorite spell once again. Now out of magic herself, she struck down with both rear hooves, catching Twilight in the back and sending her crashing to the ground with a cry.
Chrysalis landed just behind the pony, wobbling on her hooves. Twilight looked at her with wide, fearful eyes, then turned and began to struggle away. She dragged herself along with her front hooves, managing after a moment to begin getting her hind legs under herself so she could stand up.
And as she did, Chrysalis pounced.
She landed on Twilight, sending them both crashing to the floor. Twilight struggled violently, throwing her body back and forth as she sought escape, but Chrysalis followed her every move. She crouched above Twilight, stalking along with her movements, hooves herding the pony closer and closer to her own body, cutting off her every escape attempt. Finally, Twilight could move no longer, pinned firmly under the changeling. She gave a few weak wiggles, struggling with all the might she had left, but she may as well have been trying to move a boulder.
They lay there for a moment, both breathing hard. Twilight was on her back, forelegs firmly caught between her barrel and Chrysalis's, wings pinned under her own body. Chrysalis squatted atop her, hind legs trapping Twilight's body in place, her front hooves planted to either side of the pony's head.
Finally, Twilight turned her head to the side and lifted her chin, exposing her neck, and gave the changeling a meaningful look. Grinning widely, fangs on full display, Chrysalis began to lower her open mouth.
Twilight closed her eyes, just like she had the first time. She wanted to savor the moment.
She felt Chrysalis's hooves, tight around her body. She heard the changeling breathing, panting partly out of exhaustion from their fight and partly out of anticipation. She smelled the scent of Chrysalis's carapace, a faint wisp of black licorice. Just as Twilight felt hot breath upon her neck and a set of fangs brushing against her coat, Chrysalis paused. Then she pulled back, and Twilight open her eyes, looking up in confusion and worry.
"Chrysalis?" she asked nervously. "Is something wrong?"
"No," replied the changeling slowly, shaking her head, "but while I appreciate you going through a changeling wedding for me... I think I like the way you ponies end this thing better."
The pony continued to look puzzled, and Chrysalis smiled down at her. "I do," she said softly.
Twilight's confusion disappeared, and a bright, warm smile took its place. "I do," she replied.
Chrysalis started to move down again, then almost reared back in surprise as Twilight launched herself upwards, wrapping her hooves around the changeling's neck and kissing her fiercely.
This was no peck on the cheek, no hesitant enjoyment of a surprisingly tender wedding kiss, no simple kiss goodnight. Twilight melted into Chrysalis's embrace, letting herself finally express all the feelings that had been bottled up inside her for months. All the anxiety, all the fear and sadness, all the unfelt desire exploded out of her in that fiery, passionate kiss.
They paused for a moment, foreheads resting against each other as they took deep, shuddering breaths, and then, mouths still open, came together again.
Carefully, Chrysalis lowered Twilight to the ground, their bodies still wrapped together. Tentatively, almost shyly--still remembering what had happened the last time she'd kissed Twilight like this--Chrysalis's tongue poked gently into the pony's mouth. Again Twilight hesitated at the unfamiliar sensation of a forked tongue in her mouth, but only briefly, and both pony and changeling let out deep moans as their kiss deepened.
For an endless, dreamy time, the two lay on the floor of the library, exploring each other's mouths, lost in the sheer pleasure of finally being able to express their love physically, the anticipation of knowing there was only more to come only heightening their pleasure.
At some point, through the haze of joy, Twilight realized Chrysalis was silently weeping. Carefully separating herself from the changeling, she gazed sadly at her for a moment, not noticing her own tears, then moved forward and gently kissed the tears off Chrysalis's cheeks. Changeling tears had a bitter taste, but she didn't mind, and didn't stop until they were all gone. At the same time, Chrysalis saw the pony's tears, and Twilight let out a giggle as a forked tongue tickled across her face and lapped up her tears.
"I missed you so much," whispered Chrysalis hoarsely. "I thought I'd lost you forever..."
"So did I," Twilight replied breathlessly, eyes wide with wonder as she stared at the face she loved and gently stroked Chrysalis's cheek. "I thought I'd never be able to find my love for you, and then I signed those stupid papers and realized you would be gone for good..."
She stopped, letting out a shuddering breath, and then buried her face in Chrysalis's neck, kissing up and down her chitin. In turn, Chrysalis wrapped her forelegs around the pony and squeezed, taking up her favorite position with her chin resting on the top of Twilight's head.
"I love you," murmured the changeling into Twilight's mane. "You do love me too, right?"
"You know I do," Twilight replied with a happy sigh. "Would I have gone through all this trouble if I didn't? Besides, you can taste it."
"Yes, but that's not the same as you saying it," insisted Chrysalis. "Hearing the words, hearing them come out of your mouth, knowing you mean them while seeing you actually say what I've waited so long for--"
"I love you, Queen Chrysalis," said Twilight, an adoring smile on her face. "You mean everything to me. There is nopony in Equestria, in the entire world, that I would rather be with than you. All I want to do--"
She stopped talking. She had to, as Chrysalis had begun smothering her face with kisses, and obviously she had to return the favor. Eventually, Chrysalis calmed down and settled for simply embracing the pony tightly. After only a moment of that, she raised her head.
"So what do you love about me?"
"Really?" asked Twilight dryly, raising an eyebrow.
"I spent six months telling you how much I loved you and why," Chrysalis replied with a pout. "Don't I deserve the same?"
"Well..." Twilight slowly ran one hoof up and down Chrysalis's neck. "I love your chitin. How it's so smooth, and tough yet flexible."
Leaning in closer, Twilight rested her forehead against Chrysalis's. "And I love your eyes. So many shades of green, all mixed into two perfect circles. It's like staring into a pair of the most beautiful jewels imaginable."
She lifted up one of Chrysalis's forelegs in her own. "I love your hooves, and every hole in them." She began kissing the hoof she held, and as she neared one of the holes Chrysalis suddenly snatched the leg back, something that looked suspiciously like a blush on her face.
"Oh my, they are sensitive. I see, I see..." Twilight chuckled, then, seeing the changeling's mortified expression, relented. "I love your wings, the way they shimmer in the light." Twilight ran a hoof down Chrysalis's back. "I love the softness of your shell... I love everything about you, my Queen."
A shiver went through the changeling's body at those words, but then she turned away, looking back at Twilight out of the corner of one eye. "So you're only in this because of my body, then?"
Twilight let out a groan, rolling her eyes, but obliged. "Well, I love your arrogance--"
"Confidence," interjected Chrysalis, with an offended sniff.
"And I love that it makes you refuse to admit you're wrong, even when you know you are. And I can always tell you know, because you get an adorable pouty look on your face and refuse to talk." Chrysalis glared at her, cheeks puffed out, and Twilight chuckled. "Yes, that's the one."
Chrysalis turned away with a huff, but Twilight put her hoof on the changeling's cheek and gently turned her head back to look her in the eyes. "And I love how much you care about, well, everything. Especially me. That intensity sometimes makes you do things I don't exactly approve of... but I wouldn't change it for the world."
"Thank you. That's... that's all I can say." Chrysalis smiled widely, tears shimmering in the corners of her eyes. Twilight could still remember a time when the sight of that smile would have sent her running for cover... but now all she did was smile back.
"If anything, I should be thanking you," replied Twilight softly. "If you hadn't... well, messed up so badly and started all of this, I never would have known I could feel this way. So thank you."
"We can call it a draw," Chrysalis said, with a toss of her hair and a widening of her grin.
They kissed again briefly, then pulled back to gaze into each other's eyes.
"So..." said Chrysalis after a moment, "where shall we go for our honeymoon? I was thinking of Canterlot. After all, we'll need to claim our new thrones."
Twilight turned her head sharply, gazing at Chrysalis with narrowed eyes, and the changeling threw her head back with a cackle. "Or would you prefer the Crystal Empire? Either is fine with me. Our legions should be gaining control of both capitals within the hour."
Twilight's expression softened into something that could have been called a smirk if there hadn't been so much love in it. "I wouldn't mind visiting the Crystal Empire--it's beautiful, and I can't wait to show you around--but it might be better if we avoid it for some time. At least until certain issues have been cleared up. As for our legions invading both of them... no, they aren't."
"Excuse me?" asked Chrysalis, a fearsome frown on her face. "What exactly makes you so sure of that?"
"Because," said Twilight smugly, "one of their Queens informed them that, at least for today, any such actions would have to be approved by both their Queens."
Chrysalis stared at her, mouth dropping open. Then she snapped it shut, fury blazing in her eyes. "You went over my horn?!" she snarled.
"Not exactly over... more to the side," replied Twilight, the smile still on her face. "They are my legions too, aren't they?"
Chrysalis stared at her, mouth working silently as she tried to get out some kind of response, then she turned away. "Yes," she admitted, grumbling.
"I won't do this again, Chrysalis, or at least not very often," said Twilight gently, touching the changeling's shoulder with one hoof. "But today is a very special day, and I wanted it to be all about us. No invasions, no kidnappings, just... us. In love, and married."
Twilight's hoof suddenly tightened on the shoulder, and she flipped Chrysalis over, pinning her on her back. "And don't think you're going to get away with anything like that from now on anyway," she growled in Chrysalis's face. "You're stuck with me forever, and I will stop you. Every. Single. Time."
Chrysalis blinked at her in something almost like fear, and then a smile grew on her face. "Good," she snarled, "I look forward to it."
"The changelings are busy right now, though," commented Twilight after a moment, and then smiled when Chrysalis looked at her questioningly. "They're getting ready to move into their new hive."
Chrysalis's expression didn't change for a moment, and then she gasped. "You mean... you asked them to move here? A-and build a new hive under your castle?"
"That's right. They should be here tomorrow, to start surveying the area and planning the excavation. Luckily, the castle has plenty of room for guests, and on top of that, I'm sure the Ponyville hotel wouldn't mind a few hundred extra customers for however long the construction takes."
The smile suddenly fell off Twilight's face. "Oh. That was okay, wasn't it? I know I'm a Queen now too, but I don't want to step on your hooves or anything and start ordering the changelings around all the time, and this was a pretty big move to make, telling them to abandon your current hive and all--"
"No, no, it was fine," hushed Chrysalis soothingly, stroking the pony's hair. "I told you I was planning on moving the hive under your castle, and you remembered and gave orders to that effect. I have no issue with you ordering our changelings to carry out decisions I've--we've--already made. And on top of that, you are a Queen, the same as me. Your orders are my orders, and the other way around."
One corner of her lips curled up, into a smirk. "But if you truly wish to rule as a Queen, you'll have to get out of that habit of apologizing. Royalty does not ask forgiveness; you command, and your wishes are carried out. There is no discussion afterwards."
"Well... that's something else we might have to agree to disagree on. Or, at least, it's a topic where we both have something that we can teach the other." Twilight gave her head a shake. "In any case, I may have jumped the gun a bit with that order. I don't even know if this kind of construction is allowed in Ponyville. We'll have to get official surveyors out here, look up property and zoning laws, get some permits from the Mayor's office..."
"The Mayor's office, you say..." mused Chrysalis, then looked down cross-eyed as Twilight booped her in the nose.
"You are not laying siege to the town hall again," growled Twilight.
"Bah! 'Jaywalking'... what kind of a law is that?! I will not pay a fine for simply strolling across a street that I own!"
"For the last time, you do not own Ponyville! Neither do I! And if you'd simply showed up at your court date and apologized, they would have forgiven the ticket!" A thunderous expression grew on Chrysalis's face, and Twilight rolled her eyes. "I don't mean apologize apologize. But all you had to do was walk in and explain you hadn't meant to do anything wrong. That's it.
"What you didn't need to do was bring three full changeling legions into Ponyville and attempt to storm city hall over a ten bit ticket! And you definitely don't need to do it again! Mayor Mare was very forgiving after we got it all sorted out, but pushing her goodwill is the last thing we want to do, believe me."
Chrysalis started to object, then stopped with a frown. "You may be right," she conceded. "I have to admit, the town hall's security force was much tougher than we had expected. And the Mayor herself..." Chrysalis gave a little shiver. "I consider myself lucky that the other pony officials don't have her... tenacity. Or her ferocity. If Celestia had possessed such qualities, scaled up to her size and position, my first invasion may not have ended as well as it did."
"Far be it from me to say anything against the Princess, but..." Twilight looked around guiltily before continuing, "Celestia is 'Princess for Life' of Equestria. Mayor Mare is an elected official. She has to fight for her office, and that tends to toughen a pony up pretty fast."
"Plus she doesn't just sit around on her big flank eating cake all day," pointed out Chrysalis.
"Don't say things like that!" objected Twilight, squirming uncomfortably until Chrysalis calmed her with a flurry of kisses.
"There is still one thing we need to work out, though," said Twilight seriously, as they snuggled closer on the floor.
"Oh?"
"Yes. It's... about the wedding."
"Wedding? Of course!" Chrysalis clapped her hooves happily. "We need to have another wedding in Canterlot! With all your friends and family, and all our changelings!"
"That's not what I--"
"We can have another bachelorette party, and Rarity can make us new dresses..."
"I wasn't--wait, why would we need new dresses? Our old ones are perfectly fine still! It's only been six months!"
"We can't wear old dresses to our wedding!" gasped Chrysalis in horror. "Besides, it's for real this time! It needs to be perfect."
"You've been spending too much time with Rarity," Twilight groaned. "Okay, fine, new dresses. She won't mind anyway. And we can work out all the other details later. But... that wasn't the wedding I was talking about."
Chrysalis looked at her in puzzlement, and Twilight took a deep breath. "I meant the first wedding. The one where we met."
"Oh." Chrysalis shifted uncomfortably. "You still want me to apologize. Even though I was just doing what I had to do."
"I do want you to apologize, yes," said Twilight, nodding. "I'm not going to argue about whether or not everything you did was necessary. We've been over that. I would still like for you to apologize for what happened, though."
She held up a hoof. "But. I want you to mean it, Chrysalis. I don't want you to say you're sorry just to make me happy. You need to truly understand what you did, how it made me feel, how it made us all feel. If you understand that, if you actually do regret what you did, then say so. But I don't want an apology you don't mean.
"And... don't think you have to do this. I won't love you any more than I do now if you do, or any less if you don't. What you did was terrible, but... at least you had reasonable motivations, even if your actions can't really be called good or well-intentioned. And I think I forgave you for what you did a long time ago. Even when someone does something horrible, it's hard not to forgive them when they do it out of love and duty.
"So I'd like you to apologize. But you don't have to, and I don't want you to if you don't mean it."
Silence reigned in the library for a time. Twilight could almost feel Chrysalis struggling to come to a decision--in fact, she actually felt the changeling shift in place, and take a breath to give a reply before halting and then letting the breath out in an almost silent sigh. Finally, just when Twilight had resigned herself to the thought that Chrysalis wouldn't be giving her an apology that day, the changeling raised her head. As she did, Twilight's horn glowed briefly.
"Twilight..." she said slowly, her eyes not quite meeting the pony's, "I'm... sorry.
"I'm sorry I didn't just talk to you, to any of you. If I'd known what I know now, I could have just talked to you and let you know how I felt, or maybe even tried negotiating with Celestia. Even though conquest is just and honorable, and the way I do things--the way I prefer things--I could have saved so much time and effort and heartbreak if I'd just asked.
"And... I'm sorry for what I did to Cadance. I-I felt like I was going to die when I lost you, and Cadance must have felt something like that when I replaced her. A little bit, at least. On top of that, I didn't need to do it all on her wedding day. That made it personal, and there was no reason to do that.
"Most of all... most of all, I'm sorry for what I did to you and everyone you love. You were all there for a special day, and I ruined that. I hurt you and your family, and that hurts me."
She let out a defeated sigh, giving a lackluster shrug of her shoulders. "So... there. An apology. A real one, probably the first one I've ever given that wasn't directed at my changelings."
"Thank you, Chrysalis." Twilight's horn lit up again as her hooves encircled the pained-looking changeling and squeezed tight. "You have no idea how happy it makes me that you did that for me."
Chrysalis sighed, but hugged back. "I have at least some idea. Only someone who loves me and is this happy with me could taste like you do right now."
"And just think!" said Twilight excitedly. "This is just the first of many, many apologies you'll be giving over the rest of your life! You are going to make a wonderful Pony Princess, my dear heart."
"What?!" Chrysalis's head snapped upright. "You are out of your little pony mind if you think I am ever going to apologize again for what I've done or what I will do!"
"Not even to my friends and family for the wedding, like you just did to me?" asked Twilight with a pout.
"Especially not for that!"
"Well, that's fine." Twilight's horn began to glow, and a set of crystals floated up from a nearby desk wrapped in her magical aura.
In the middle was a large, dark purple crystal, roughly egg-shaped and covered in a multitude of facets. A faint shimmer came from deep within its surface, where motes of light danced. Surrounding it were four other, smaller crystals. These four were white and translucent, almost empty looking.
"What... is that?" wondered Chrysalis, as Twilight's magical manipulation produced a brighter light inside the larger crystal. The light gathered in the crystal's facets, and then flowed out, forming four beams that connected to the smaller crystals.
"Oh, it's this amazing artifact I found in the Crystal Empire after we defeated Sombra," said Twilight happily. The light in the bigger crystal disappeared, leaving the smaller crystals glowing faintly purple.
Twilight's horn glowed a bit brighter, lifting one of the small crystals higher. She let out a pulse of magic from her horn, and an image sprang to life in the air.
"Twilight..." said the ghostly, floating Chrysalis, "I'm... sorry."
The real Chrysalis's mouth fell open as a perfect recreation of her apology played out in the air before her.
"Isn't it fascinating?" asked Twilight giddily, talking over the replay. "The main crystal can record any event that takes place in a cube up to fifteen feet across, and then play it back with complete accuracy at any time. And as many times as you want! And the smaller crystals can copy anything the main one has recorded, so you can distribute perfect copies of a recorded scene to as many ponies as you have crystals!"
"N-no..." stammered Chrysalis, futilely trying to get to her hooves as the copied crystals floated away. She managed to get her legs under her body and reach the crystals just as they disappeared in a flash of magenta light.
"No! No no no!" Chrysalis reared up, hooves flailing wildly through the air where the crystals had been, "W-where'd they go? Bring them back! Bring them back now!"
"I sent them away, to some safe places that only I know about," replied Twilight. "I'm going to show one copy each to my parents, Cadance and Shining Armor, my friends, and the Princesses. Then I'll erase each recording."
Chrysalis turned around, raw fury and panic burning in her eyes. "You can't. You... you can't!"
"I can, Chrysalis," Twilight said soberly. "I want them to see you. The real you, not the monster who's attacked their kingdom repeatedly and ruined a wedding. It may only be once, but I want them to see what you're really like. To understand that while you willingly did every single horrible thing they experienced... that's not all you are. They can learn to tolerate you over time, maybe even like you, but if they can see you apologizing for what you've done it will make everything quicker and so, so much easier."
Breathing hard, one eye twitching, Chrysalis began to advance on Twilight one lurching step at a time.
"But... if you don't want me to, if you really don't want me to, I won't. I know how important your image is to you, and I know you think being seen apologizing will make you look weak. If this is something you really object to, I'll destroy those recordings.
"I just want you to know, it's important to me that you let me do this. I love you, and I want everyone in my life to know exactly why that is. I know you'd never show them willingly, and that's why I... well, I tricked you, a bit. I was even planning to wait to ask you for the apology if I didn't have something handy to record it with when we ended our wedding.
"I'm only doing this because I love you, *hiss chitter chirp*. And I want to keep things between you and my other loved ones as peaceful and happy as possible. I've let you do a lot of things I didn't agree with--like trying to murder all my friends at one time or another--because I love you, and I understand it's just something you do.
"So... if you love me, truly, then please. Let me do this."
Chrysalis had made it to where Twilight still lay upon the ground, standing at her hooves. Now she stared down at the pony, eyes wide and blinking.
"You... " she rasped. "You're... blackmailing me? You're using our love to force me to do something against my will?!"
"I'm not, Chrysalis," said Twilight with a smile, shaking her head. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I'll still love you regardless."
"You are!" insisted Chrysalis hoarsely, pointing a shaking hoof down at Twilight. "It's not a choice if you say I'll do it if I love you!"
"That's not what--" Twilight cut off with a squeak, though she kept her smile, as Chrysalis's hoof pressed down on her throat with a not-inconsiderable amount of force.
"You're lying there, blackmailing me into going along with your little plan to make me look weak," growled Chrysalis, leaning forward, breath coming in ragged gasps. "You're using your love as leverage, forcing me to do what you wish against my will..."
She started to shake, and a snarl began to rise in the back of her throat.
"You... you..."
Chrysalis suddenly lunged forward, her fangs snapping shut close enough to the pony's muzzle to ruffle the fur on her coat, and Twilight didn't even flinch, the smug smile staying unmoved on her face.
"You... are going to make a spectacular Changeling Queen," declared Chrysalis finally, and kissed her.
The End |
Pony Courtship Rituals | Epilogue: Cadance (Finale) | The wind howled through the courtyard in front of the Royal Canterlot Gardens. The sky was sunny, but a cloud hung over this square, turning it drab and dreary. Aside from a few leaves skittering over the cobblestones, there was only stillness. The rest of the city hustled and bustled with multitudes of ponies going about their days, and the faint sounds of a celebration could be heard off in the distance, but in this courtyard nopony spoke.
Shining Armor sat in front of the statue of Princess Cadance, staring up at his wife, and then slowly lowered his head.
"Cadance..." he said softly, "Cadance, I'm so sorry about this. I'm going to miss you, and I wish you could be here with me today. I know everypony else does, too.
"But... what you did was awful. No matter what the excuse, what the provocation, you have to be punished. It hurts that you'll be gone, but if justice is going to be done, this is the way it has to be. The actions of ponies have consequences, even if that pony is a Princess. And even if that Princess is you.
"I know it might seem like it will be forever, but we'll be together again soon. I'm going to miss you for every second that we're apart, and you'll be the only pony I think of all that time. And hopefully, when we see each other again, you'll be able to understand why things had to be this way."
Pushing himself to his hooves, he turned to head into the garden. "Goodbye, Cadance," he said softly.
"But it's not faaaaair!" whined Cadance behind him, prancing up and down in front of the statue of Princess Twilight that flanked the other side of the entrance to the Royal Gardens. "I already missed their wedding, now I have to miss the reception too?!"
Shining Armor let out a sigh, turning back to trot over and stand by her. "Yes, you do. That's what a restraining order means. And even if Twilight and Chrysalis didn't have one on you, you have one on them too, remember?"
"But... but..."
"You need time to calm down, Cadance, and time to come to terms with the two of them being together. And after what you did... well, they need time to forgive you and recover from what you tried to do to them."
"I know... but..." Cadance looked over at him, her lower lip quivering. "Can't we forget about that? Just put it all on hold, just for today? I should have been there for Twilight's wedding!"
"Cadance..." Shining Armor let out another sigh and shook his head. "You could have been at her wedding the first time. You had the opportunity; she invited both of us. And you chose to do... what, instead?"
Cadance mumbled and kicked at a cobblestone.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that."
Cadance let out a groan, but said, "I prepared myself for a war on Chrysalis."
"Which isn't a problem. In fact, had I not already known about them, I would have done the same. I'm talking about what happened after that, when you found out that Chrysalis really did love Twilight. What did you do when you knew it was true love, Cadance?"
"I... unilaterally decided that she didn't deserve Twilight."
"And then?"
"And then I spent months giving Chrysalis purposefully wrong advice for the explicit reason of destroying any hope of love between the two of them."
"And then?"
Cadance winced. "Then I... kind of attacked them, destroyed a restaurant, almost tried to kill Chrysalis, and tried to make Twilight love a pony that I had decided she should love rather than letting her choose for herself."
"Do you really think you deserve to go to their wedding and reception after all of that?"
Cadance hung her head. "No," she mumbled.
Shining Armor leaned against her, putting one foreleg around her and nuzzling up to her. "So you do understand then," he said gently. "After everything that's happened, it's better for all of you to stay apart, until the wounds can heal. They need to see that you truly can accept their love... and Twilight will, trust me. She's very forgiving."
"I know," said Cadance with a nod.
"And you need to see that they truly are in love," continued Shining Armor. "As amazed as I am by the whole thing... they are. They actually are. Even more frightening, I think they're good for each other. Twilight can learn a lot about being a leader from her--the parts that aren't as nice, that is. As for Chrysalis... well, the more she learns about friendship the better. Even a little bit would be a huge improvement."
"They are kind of cute together..." said Cadance hesitantly, then blushed when Shining Armor gave her a small smirk. "Well, they are! A-and you're right about them being good for each other. If anypony can keep Chrysalis under control, apparently Twilight is the one."
"And Chrysalis...?"
"And Chrysalis... might be able to help prepare Twilight for some of the more ruthless parts of being a Princess," admitted Cadance grudgingly.
"Like, say, trying to attack your sister-in-law's wedding and ruin her marriage?" Shining Armor asked with a raised eyebrow, and Cadance frowned at him.
"You know, as a Princess, I can issue my own restraining orders," she said frostily, lips pursed and eyes narrowed, "and I can apply them to things besides ponies. For instance, beds, and the activities that take place in them."
"Okay, I'm sorry," said Shining Armor nervously, holding up a hoof in a gesture of truce. "I don't mean to keep bringing that up. I won't do it again."
He gave her a look, seeing as how even as she nodded, her head was drooped and her shoulders slack.
"It's okay," he said softly, squeezing her again. "Everyone knows you didn't really mean what happened. They'll forgive you. And I'll always love you, no matter what."
"I know," she said quietly, hugging him back.
"And how is our other project going?" Shining Armor asked, taking a step back.
"It's... going," responded Cadance, making a face, then groaned when Shining Armor frowned at her. "I'm taking it seriously, I promise! It's just... letting a bunch of changelings into the Crystal Empire? That's like letting foxes into a hen house!"
"They're coming to help, Cadance! At least, they'd better be. But we need them. You know what a pain it's been trying to drag the Empire into the modern age. And not only do the changelings give us the bodies we need to do the work, thanks to Queen Chrysalis and the hivemind they actually have experience with how things have changed over the past thousand years. It might not make up for what happened at our wedding, but I'm happy with a bit of forced labor for the Empire as payback for that."
"It's a fitting punishment, I'll agree with that," admitted Cadance grudgingly. Shining Armor cleared his throat meaningfully, and she winced. "I'm working on my end too, but it's hard! I mean, finding a way to store love? I'm not a miracle worker!"
"I know, I know," Shining Armor replied soothingly. "And we're not asking for miracles. Or at least not quick ones. But collecting and storing all the excess love the Empire and Equestria produce is going to be the key to living in peace with the changelings. It's too diffuse for them to feed off of properly, and there's a limit to how much they can all feed on individual ponies."
He looked at her firmly. "And finding a way to solve that problem is part of your punishment too, Cadance. After everything you did to destroy love for a changeling--"
"I know, I know, now I need to find a way to get love for all of them." Cadance shivered. "I remember what the Princesses said at the trial. I've never actually heard Auntie Celestia use the Royal Canterlot Voice, but I think I would have preferred it to how she sounded."
"Yeah, well, if you'd been at some of the Royal Guard reviews I have... you wouldn't be saying that. I couldn't hear for a week."
Cadance giggled at him, and Shining Armor smiled back. Then his expression sobered.
"Well, I'm glad everything seems to be going well on that end, but I need to head off to the reception now," he said gently. "I'm sure they'll be wondering where I am. Are you going to be okay by yourself for a few hours?"
"I'll be fine," said Cadance, shuffling her hooves nervously. "Will you tell them... I'm sorry? Please, ask them to forgive me."
"I will," promised Shining Armor.
"And... can you give Twilight and Chrysalis this?"
Cadance reached back, pulling a small, gaily wrapped box out from under her wing. Shining Armor took it, eyeing it warily, and pushed the lid back to look inside. There was a long moment of silence.
"Oh, Cadance..." breathed Shining Armor finally.
Inside the box, nestled in its soft silk lining, was a pair of earrings. One was shaped like a six-pointed starburst, carved out of a deep green emerald. The other, in brilliant amethyst, was a pair of hole-riddled insect wings. Both were placed in settings of the purest gold.
"T-they're enchanted with the same spell I used when I was trying to--when I was talking with Chrysalis," explained Cadance meekly. "They can't share the hivemind, but this way they can at least talk to each other whenever they're apart--"
She stopped with a gasp as Shining Armor pulled her into a fierce hug.
"It's an absolutely perfect gift, Cadance," he said, pulling back to smile warmly as he gazed into her eyes. "They're going to love it, I promise. Trust the Princess of Love to come up with something as fitting as this, huh?"
Cadance blushed. "I really am sorry about everything I did. And I thought that since I tried to break them apart, maybe I could do something that would help bring them together..."
"It's a wonderful thought. I'll be sure to pass it on." He gave her one last squeeze, then turned to head into the gardens. "Okay, I'm going now. I'll see you again in a few hours. Try to find something fun to do, maybe see a play or go to a concert. Just... try to take your mind off everything for a while, okay?"
"Okay, Shining Armor, I will."
She watched him go as he walked into the gardens, until he disappeared around a hedge trimmed into the shape of Celestia and Luna's cutie marks. Hesitantly, she took a few steps forward, but then the warning tingle of the restraining order spell crawled up and down her neck, and she backed away with a small whine.
She stood gazing at the gardens for a moment longer, then turned away, head down, and began to trudge back to her hotel room.
There was no way to deny it: she had messed up. Bad. It was even worse than when Aunt Luna had turned into Nightmare Moon. At least Luna had had the excuse that she actually wasn't being given the respect she deserved, even if her reaction had been a bit out of line. But Cadance... she had acted out of spite, and jealousy, and pride. There was no excuse for that.
And look where it had gotten her. She had nearly destroyed true love--an action anathema to her very soul--because she had been so caught up in her own prejudices and preconceptions that she'd been blinded to its existence. She had hurt the sister-in-law and friend she loved so dearly, and even now she still wondered if Twilight would ever want anything to do with her again. And she'd done it all because she thought she knew the one true answer: that the only pony who Twilight deserved was Celestia. And why had she thought that? Because she was the Princess of Love, and therefore anything she thought about love had to be true.
She let out a snort as she trotted drearily through the streets of Canterlot. That had turned out well, hadn't it? Not only had she nearly destroyed Twilight's love, but everything she had put Twilight through may have even hurt her relationship with Celestia. No doubt Twilight would be looking at her mentor through different eyes now that Cadance had nearly forced her to fall in love with Celestia. And to top it all off, Celestia was still alone.
Her head slowly came up. Yes... Celestia was still alone, wasn't she? She might still have a bit of a crush on Twilight, but that would no doubt be fading soon now that Twilight was married. Celestia was nothing if not practical, and she would do everything she could to not let her feelings get in the way of her friendship with Twilight. So... she would need somepony new to love now.
Cadance began to trot faster. The immortality issue was something she'd have to consider, but when all was said and done, it wasn't a deal breaker, just something that would be nice to have. More important was the pony themselves. They had to be kind, respectful of Celestia's elevated stature while not being intimidated by it, able to deal with the heightened public attention they would receive... she didn't have to worry about whether or not they would be attracted to Celestia--what pony wouldn't be?--but getting Celestia to fall in love with them, on the other hoof...
Well, I am the Princess of Love, aren't I? Cadance thought cheerfully, nearly prancing now. And if there's one thing I can do, it's make two ponies fall in love...
Head held high, mind considering and rejecting various suitors for her aunt, Cadance continued down the street towards her hotel room. She had plans to make. |
Kamen Rider Geats EG | pre | "Congratulations for winning an item." He spoke up and got their attention. "This way, please." They looked at each other when he asked them to follow him before they descended to do so.
They followed him to a large lounge area where other players are. "This is where participants can rest between rounds." He told them as they entered. "You can use it free of charge." He then left the room to let them socialize with the players that arrived before them.
"Wow, this game really has everything." Micro commented as he and Wallflower walked over to a bar. Eclipse took a seat on the steps before Flash and Twilight noticed Sonata sitting on the couch and having a taco.
"Sonata, you're in this too?" Flash asked when they walked over to her. "Don't tell me the other Dazzlings are here too."
"No it's just me." Sonata told him before she noticed Twilight. "Hey, when did you start wearing glasses?"
"Oh, you must be thinking about Princess Twilight." Twilight told Sonata. "I am actually from this world." They then noticed the guy who helped her sitting on the back of the couch and Toxic sitting in the other couch.
"Whatever it is you're talking about, I don't care." Toxic spoke up as he recognized both Twilight and Flash. "I just can't believe that the two of you actually made it this far."
"Wait... you're that bull from before." Flash said as recognize Toxic when the city was under attack.
"Call me Kamen Rider Buffa." Toxic told him before he took out a bulky iPhone. "And you are..." He opened an app on his phone and read something on it. "Leo, Lobo, and Na-go."
"Oh yeah, we're also giving Rider names." Twilight said as pulled out the same phone except with her Rider symbol above the screen. She pressed a app with the initials 'D.G.P.' on it and saw a list of their names and Rider names.
"My Rider name is Tycoon." Micro told them as he was looking at his own phone.
"I'm called Zoi." Wildflower said when she found hers.
"And his name is Toxic Wave." Flash said when he found Toxic's info.
"Whatever, you scrubs won't last long anyway." Toxic told them in a neutral tone.
"Did he just call us scrubs?" Sonata asked as she was insulted by that just when Ace entered.
"I wouldn't be so sure." He spoke up getting everyone's attention. "You never know what's going to happen in the Desire Grand Prix." He took a seat at the bar just as Flash and Twilight came up to him.
"Hey, thanks for saving us back then." Flash told Ace.
"Don't mind it, it's nothing." Ace told the two. "I had to win it anyway."
"So you four know each other?" Wallflower asked with a raised brow.
"It's a long story." Twilight told her as Toxic stood up.
"Took you long enough, Geats." He spoke up. "Found anything?"
"Me?" Ace asked before he pulled out the water buckle he found and a shield buckle. "Got myself a faucet and a shield." This caused Toxic to scoffed with a smile.
"So a pair of useless trash." He said with amused in his tone as he held up his Zombie Buckle.
"Useless?" The guy who helped Sonata before repeated as he looked at his own Shield buckle.
"How are they useless?" Sonata asked as she pulled out a pink buckle with a hammer on the front.
"Seems like those two got what you wanted." Toxic told Ace as he looked over to Twilight and Flash who are holding the Boost and the Magnum buckles. A guy with light gray skin and dark gray hair with black streaks looked over with a raised brow as he held a green crossbow buckle himself.
"Hey, uh do one of you want to trade with me?" The guy with the shield Buckle asked both Twilight and Flash.
"Do you both a favor and don't do it." The guy with the light gray skin told them. "Because no one else would."
"Hey, we don't know if those kinds of buckles are useless or not." Flash assured the guy with the pink skin. "Beside, we just started and like he said, we don't know what will happen during this game." Toxic walked up to Ace with a smirk still on his face.
"I think you're finally out of luck." He told Ace, but Ace just scoffed at that.
"You sure about that?" Ace asked.
"In this area, any act of violence or sabotage are strictly forbidden." The guy in the white suit told them when he walked in and walked up to Toxic. "Any violations will be met with a swift disqualification, so please be careful."
"Sure." Ace replied as he stood up and walked past Toxic. A phone on the counter then started to ring before the guy in the white suit picked up and answered it. Ace looked over to Twilight and Flash as he smirked when he walked past them.
"I understand." The guy in the white suit told whoever was on the other end of the call before he hanged up. "My dear participants..." He said when he turned to the group. "We have an emergency!"
The ten participants soon joined China on the floating island as a holographic screen was lit up. "The boss of the Bandit Jyamato you defeated showed up." She told them. "This marks the end of the treasure hunt. Players who failed to obtain an item are disqualified." The holographic screen then only showed the ten players who have obtain items as others faded out.
"Only ten remains." Toxic said when they saw who's left.
"Your next objective is to defeat all Jyamato." China continued to tell them. "Use the items you obtained wisely. Survivors will make it to the next round." The holographic screen then pulled up the mission name underneath urgent mission.
Urgent Mission:
Defeat all Jyamatos.
"Wait, what do you mean by survivors?" Wallflower asked in concern by it.
"In this game, your life is on the line." China explained.
"You never told us that!" Eclipse pointed out as the others except for Ace, Toxic, and the man with a gray skin looked shocked about this.
"I-It'll be fine!" Twilight spoke up, sounding a bit nervous. "I mean, the last game people died but when it was over they came back!"
"Things work differently for us." Ace told her.
"What do you mean?" Flash asked him before he realized what he meant. "Are you saying if we die here, we won't come back?"
"Well then, let the mission begin!" China declared before she struck the Kamen Rider Ichigo henshin pose. "Henshin!" This confused the others before a computerized voice spoke up.
Entry.
The group was then transported to the forest area before each of their drivers glowed and they were transformed into full body black suits. China's voice Was Heard as each of them had a helmet of the animal that is on their ID Core was placed on their head. "Here we have Kamen Rider Mary, Na-go, Tycoon, Buffa, Da-paan, Ginpen, Zoi, Lobo, Leo, and Geats!" Once their transformation was complete, they looked over themselves and were amazed by their new look.
Leo's lion helmet is like his ID core, it was gold with dark blue outlines and he had a golden cuffs with a thin blue line on them on his wrist. Lobo has a dark purple wolf helmet with pink streaks on it and she had a pink strap on her left arm. Zoi's helmet looks like a bird that is lime green with a dark green line on the center of its head well she had a scarf around her neck that look like bird wings.
"Whoa, we transformed!" Na-go exclaimed as she looked herself over.
"Sonata, you're a cat!" Leo told her when he noticed her helmet.
"And he's a raccoon, she's a wolf, and she's a bird?" She said as she pointed at Tycoon, Lobo, and Zoi. "And you're a lion?"
"How did they even make this possible?" Tycoon asked as he is fascinated by this.
"I wonder that too!" Lobo said.
"Uh, I think we have bigger problems to deal with." Zoi told them as she spotted a few Jyamato in front of them and the Toryo Jyamato with them. Buffa was the first one out of the group to charge at them before Geats and Da-paan follow suit.
"I say we stick and work together on this!" Mary suggested as he sounded a bit scared about this.
"Let's do it!" Na-go said as she, Tycoon, Mary, and Zoi took out their buckles and place them on the right side of the drivers.
Set.
Once the holographic words of each buckle appeared next to them, they activated their buckles by pressing down on them.
Armed Hammer.
Armed Shield.
Armed Arrow.
Ready, Fight!
Tycoon held a crossbow in his hand as green armor appeared on his chest while both Zoi and Mary had dark blue armor appear on their chest while they held a shield in their hands. Na-go had pink armor on the top while she hold a pink hammer in her hand. "Let's go!" Na-go shouted before she and Mary charged in.
"What happened to sticking and working together?" Zoi asked when they charged ahead without her or the others. Ginpen took out his Arrow Buckle and felt the need to win rise up.
"I have to win... no matter what!" He said to himself before he inserted the Buckle into his driver before he pulled the end of it to activate it.
Set.
Armed Arrow.
Ready, Fight!
With the armed Arrow armor now equipped, Ginpen charged in and joined the fight. He took aim with the bow and fired glowing green arrows straight at the enemy. Da-paan place his Arrow Buckle in his driver before he activated and was now equipped with the armed Arrow armor. Buffa had one pinned down to the ground with his foot as he took his Zombie Buckle and placed it in his driver.
Set.
Holographic words that spell out zombie appeared on his right side before he flipped the switch and it popped open so that a zombie claw flipped up. The holographic words burst into acid and damaged the Jyamato he had pinned down as they turned into armor and a robotic hand attached it to Buffa.
Zombie.
Ready, Fight!
With the zombie armor now equipped, Buffa ready the chainsaw like sword to do some damage as Da-paan fired at a few more. Buffa one his sword at each one he came across, showing no signs of restraint at them. "What a bunch of losers." Buffa said when he saw Buffa push one back. Meanwhile, Leo and Tycoon were fending off a few of them as Leo punched a few back while fired a few arrows at the Jyamato.
Lobo is helping Zoi push the enemy back with her shield as they are pushing a few of them against a tree before they batted them with it. Lobo saw a few more coming their way, so she extending her hands out to try to use her magic but nothing happened. Leo saw her duck under a few of their attacks before he quickly ran over and kicked one of them down. Zoi used her shield to block their attacks before Tycoon fired a few arrows at them.
"Are you okay, Twilight?" Leo asked as they took cover behind a tree.
"Yeah, but it looks like I can't use my magic while in this suit." Lobo told him as she looked at her hands.
"What I don't understand is why they're okay with this..." Zoi spoke up as they saw Ginpen fought off a few Jyamato.
"I'm with her..." Tycoon spoke up. "If we lose, we'll die. That's just ridiculous!" Leo then spotted Geats in the water armor batting away a few Jyamato with the light blue pipe is hand. Geats overheard there little conflict about all this before he batted away another. Ginpen knocked away a few before he fired a few arrows at others. Before he can attack another, the Toryo Jyamato came up from behind and swung its ax at him. He was sent flying past the others as he dropped his photo of himself and his son.
The Toryo Jyamato knocked him down when he tried to get back up before he used his bow and arrow to try to shoot at a few Jyamato before the Toryo kicked him again. Lobo picked up his photo and recognized it. "This is..." She said before they saw Ginpen tuck and rolled before firing a few shots at the Toryo but it used its ax to block those shots. It slowly walked towards him before it was close enough to swing its axes at him a few times before it sent Ginpen flying back and skid the ground as a huge amount of damage was brought down on him as he came to a stop when he hit a tree.
"I can't lose... not here...!" Ginpen shouted as he struggled to get up. Lobo and the other three saw how determined he is to win before they looked at the photo.
"A wish... worth losing your life..." Leo whispered as they thought it over. They then heard Ginpen grunt as the Toryo knock him down before it raised up its axes and through one of them at him. The ax it through landed in front of him before it glowed and exploded. The explosion sent him flying and dealt a huge amount of damage as he transformed back to Eclipse when he hit the ground.
"Mr. Eclipse!!" Lobo called out before she and the others ran over to him. They found him laying next to the river and doesn't look so good as the other four transformed out of their Rider forms. "Are you okay?" Twilight asked as Flash carefully lifted him up. They saw a few small red sparks emitting from his driver before they saw his ID Core cracked.
"Guess this means the end of me..." Eclipse wheezed out. "I failed him, and now I must leave him behind... I don't deserve to be a father..."
"Was there..." Flash spoke up as Twilight gave Eclipse the photo back. "Was there no other way?" Eclipse lift up his arm as to grab hold of the photo.
"I just wished... to save him." He told them as tears ran down his cheek while his body began to fade away. All that was left is the armed arrow buckle as all for them were in shock that he vanished before their eyes. Twilight picked up the buckle as she can't believe what they just witness.
China was holding a tablet as the image with Eclipse on it faded out before the word lose appeared on it.
Mission failed.
"How unfortunate." She said in a sad tone.
Back in the field, Twilight picked up the photo that was in the water as she looked at it with a sad look. Both her and Wallflower couldn't help but shed tears as he was trying to save his sick son just when Geats walked up to them. "Unless you fight, the world will not change." He told them in a sympathetic tone before he took out the Buckle from his driver and transformed back to Ace. "That's all there is. That's the only choice."
"Why... why are you fighting?" Micro asked Ace.
"I want to help unfortunate children around the world." Ace answered. Each of them looked at Ace before he continued. "They are the ones who will make the future."
"So just like me and Twi, you wish for a peaceful world." Flash spoke up and assumed before they heard a big splash in the river. They turned to see the Toryo approach them and ready to destroy them.
"If you want to change the world, then fight." Ace told them as he placed the water Buckle back in the driver.
Set.
They quickly stood back when holographic words of the buckle appeared next to him before he extended out his hand and snapped his fingers. "Henshin." Ace said before he activated the Buckle and the armed water was equipped when he transformed back into Geats.
Armed Water.
Ready, Fight!
Geats charged at the Toryo before the two clashed weapons together. The Toryo knocked him back as they fought in the river. Geats jumped when it tried to attack his legs before he bumped it on the head with the pipe. He then blocked each attack from it with the pipe before being stumbled back by it. After he stepped back a few feet from it, Geats turned the faucet on the pipe before aiming towards the Toryo. A tube then extended from behind the pipe to soak up some of the water from the river before blasting the Toryo with a powerful spray of water to send it flying back.
After it rolled on the ground, Geats charged forward and clashed weapons with it. Flash, Twilight, Micro, and Wallflower raced over and saw Geats fight against the Jyamato. "To change the world..." Flash started as he took out the Boost buckle.
"We must fight...!" Twilight finished as she brought out the Magnum buckle. They looked at Micro and Wallflower who looked as determined as they did when they readied their buckles. Each of them then placed their Buckles in their drivers as holographic words of each buckle appeared next to them.
Set.
Flash cracked his knuckles as Twilight pushed up her glasses before flipping her hair. Wallflower took a deep breath before she did small jumps in place as Micro took off his glasses. "Henshin!" All four of them shouted in unison as they took battle stance before they activated each other buckles. Flash revved up the Boost buckle before he transformed back into Leo when the helmet equipped onto his head and the Boost armor was equipped onto him as a robotic arm put it on him. Twilight spun the barrel on the Magnum buckle before pulling the trigger to equip the Magnum armor on as she transformed back into Lobo. Micro and Wallflower transformed back into Tycoon and Zoi as the armed arrow and armed shield was equipped on to them.
Armed Arrow.
Armed Shield.
Boost.
Magnum.
Ready, Fight!
Lobo ready the Magnum Shooter before she and Tycoon fired a barrage of arrows and Laser bullets at the Toryo when it had Geats pinned to a tree. Leo and Zoi then charged in before throwing a punch straight at it to knock get back a few feet. "What do we say to working together?" Leo asked as he held up his hand before Geats took it and nodded in agreement to his offer.
"Get ready for the highlight of the game!" Geats declared.
"This game is about to go up to eleven!" Leo declared before they charged in and attacked the Toryo all together. As the Toryo swung its ax at them, Zoi used her shield to block the attack before both Leo and Geats delivered a blow straight to its chest. The pipes on the boost armor unleashed flames to deliver a more powerful punch to the before both Tycoon and Lobo jumped over the others to fire multiple blasts towards it.
Geats through the pipe at a tree just as both Lobo and Leo charged forward so he can deliver a powerful punch and she got close enough to fire a bigger blast to send it flying back towards the pipe. Geats quickly pulled the trigger on the pipe to blast it with water to send it flying at Zoi so she could use her shield to send it flying in the air. Tycoon continue to fire multiple arrows right at it as it came down into the river.
The Toryo was getting fed up getting flinged around like a rag doll as the five Riders got ready to do more. They charged at it when it charged at them before they quickly ducked under its axes before dodging another swing from it so that both Geats and Zoi used the pipe and the shield to batted away. "Time for some fireworks!" Geats declared before he took the Magnum Buckle out of Lobo's driver. This confused her before he made her bring up the Magnum Shooter and insert it in the slot in front of the trigger and changed it to Rifle mode.
Magnum, Bullet Charge!
Leo realized that he's playing to do a big finish before he decided to play long and revved up the Boost buckle.
Boost Time!
The Boost Striker then road in on its own before it flipped and turned into a robotic lion. Geats, Tycoon, and Zoi pressed down on their buckles to help out with the big finish. Water started to flow into the pipe as the bow Tycoon hold charged up with power while the shield Zoi hold glowed bright. Leo's eyes glowed before he revved up the buckle again for the big finish while Zoi pulled the trigger on the Magnum Shooter.
Boost, Grand Strike!
Tactical Blast!
Water Strike!
Shield Strike!
Arrow Strike!
Geats unleashed a very powerful wave of water straight towards the Toryo as Zoi through her shield as it spun around in the air. The enormous blast of water blinded the Toryo as the shield struck it a few times as Lobo and Tycoon released a barrage of arrows and laser bullets right at it. From within the wave is Leo who came at it with a powerful Rider Punch as the pipes on his right arm gave an extra boost. The moment he struck and landed behind it, the Toryo exploded.
"Wow, that Boost Buckle really packs a punch!" Zoi commented when she, Tycoon, and Lobo ran over to Leo.
"Man, that really got my adrenaline going!" Tycoon told them.
"Thanks... for being so easy to fool." Geats told them in a amused tone. "I knew you had it in you."
"What do you mean being so easy to fool?" Lobo asked him.
"I know you guys would help me out if I made up some sad story." Geats told them. "All four of you looked gullible enough, I mean." He then turned to walk away as they were shocked that he tricked them.
"Then what was that about helping kids?!" Leo shouted at him while sounding angry.
"Don't any of you read books?" Geats asked when he stopped. "Foxes are known to be deceive."
"So all of that was a lie?!" Lobo asked as Leo tightened his fist.
"Mr. Eclipse died to try and help his son!" Leo shouted before he was about to throw a punch at Geats.
"Stop!" Geats told him before the Boost Buckle in Leo's driver suddenly blasted off and pushed Leo back into the others before it flew off. "Too bad, it's a one use item." He then turned to leave as Leo hit the ground in anger at him.
"And that's the end of round one!" China declared as every rider were back on the floating island and out of their Rider forms. "Only nine remain. Good job out there! We will resume Desire Grand Prix on the next Jyamato appearance. Until then, have a good day!"
"Hold on!" Twilight called out as the others except Flash turned to leave. "If you can fulfill any wishes... Does that mean you can revive all the eliminated contestants?"
"If that is what you wish." China told her with a warm smile before she left.
"Any wish can be fulfilled..." Sonata said to herself when China answered Twilight.
"Like I'll lose to any of you." Toxic said before he walked out. Flash placed a hand on her shoulder as he knew why she asked that before Ace stopped next to them.
"You can wish for a better world all you want." Ace told them as Flash shot him a glare. "In the end, I'll be the one winning."
Within the hospital, Eclipse's son lays in his bed with his mother talking to the doctor. "We have all the resources we need to operate on your son." The doctor told her, which surprised her.
"But, how?" She asked him.
"Just now, we received a large sum of donation for your son." The doctor answered her. "Apparently it is from someone called 'nameless fox'." Outside the hospital is Ace in casual clothing walking out as he was the one who gave the hospital the resources they need to help Eclipse's son. He stopped before giving one last look and moving on.
"Kamen Rider Geats..." A disguised voice said in an unknown location as a monitor showed Ace leaving the hospital to a masked man. "Just what is your endgame...?"
The rules of the Desire Grand Prix:
The soul survivor of the game will have their wish granted.
Conditions apply. |
Kamen Rider Geats EG | Chapter 3: Encounter II: Zombie Hunting | Flash, Twilight, Wallflower, and Micro had returned back and told the others Rainbooms about the Desire Grand Prix. About what it's about, and to fight the threat of the unknown enemy known as the Jamato. They told him about the buckles that equip them with weapons to fend off the enemy as Kamen Riders. The entire group was at the mall as the Rainbooms were at this belief about what they were hearing. "And apparently the winner is granted the right to rewrite the world the way the winner wants." Twilight finished as she was holding the Magnum Buckle in her hand. "But..."
"Before we knew it, the game claimed its first victim." Wallflower mentioned with a sad look. "And apparently if you die during this game, you can't come back."
"So y'all are gonna be fighting for ya lives now?" Applejack asked in shock. "Isn't there a way for y'all to just drop out of the competition?"
"We wish, but I looked over the rules and there aren't any." Micro mentioned.
"Well, the world has to know about all of this then." Sunset said with a determined tone.
"They're not allowed to tell the world about the game, they know that." China told them while holding a tablet, which startled the group when she suddenly appeared.
"Where'd you...?!" Rainbow tried to ask before China walked up to the flour riders.
"You will be disqualified if you violate the rules." She told them as she showed them the rules on the tablet. Twilight took the tablet and read the rule that she had highlighted out loud.
"'It is prohibited to disclose Desire Grand Prix information to third parties other than the participants. After the violination is discovered, it will be forcefully retired.'" She read before she looked at China. "We weren't violating any rules. We were just assuring our friends that we were all right and they wanted to know what happened to us. We're not going to tell the world about the game."
"And we promise we won't tell anyone else about it!" Fluttershy quickly added as China quickly looked at the rest of the Rainbooms.
"As long as none of you tells anyone else, I suppose it's okay." China said with a smile.
"Oh good..." Pinkie sighed in relief before she looked at China. "But how did you get here without us knowing?" China didn't answer as she just turned to leave before Flash quickly stood in front of her.
"You told us before if any of us wins, the winner will revive anyone who lost the game, right?" He asked her. "So, where is Mr. Eclipse now?"
"Only Jyamato knows where he is." China answered before she walked away.
"Great, so that means we can't save him until we win the game." Twilight said with a sad look.
"Well then, please enjoy your time until the next mission." China told them before she walked around the corner. Rainbow however wasn't done with her as she raced over to get more answers but she couldn't find China when she came around the corner.
"Well, this is getting freakier by the minute." Rainbow muttered with a look.
Meanwhile, Sonata was with the rest of the Dazzlings in town next to their tour bus while they were having some lunch. "What do you mean you can't tell us where you went?" Adagio questioned her with a brow.
"I just can't." Sonata replied. "I was invited to play a game and one of the rules is that I can't tell you about the game."
"Wow, so some strange woman came out of nowhere and gave you some sort of belt and a weird core thing inside a box and after putting both of them on you disappeared without a trace." Aria spoke up with an annoyed tone. "And when you came back, you said you played a game and you can't tell us what the thing is?"
"Yeah..." Sonata replied as she casually continued to eat while her sisters just gave her a look.
Meanwhile Ace was on top of a roof as he tossed a golden Greek coin up in the air before he caught it and looked at it. "I'm right here." He said to the coin like he was talking to someone. "You may not realize it yet, but I am." He then looked up with a determined look. "And I will find you."
The next day, Flash was having some grilled cheese in a diner as he was lost in his own thoughts. There have been reports about Mr. Eclipse missing and his family has already filed a report. A part of him wishes to tell what happened, but couldn't because of the rules. And then there's Ace, can't put his finger on why but a part of him just feels like he met him way before the Desired Grand Prix.
His thoughts were interrupted when a familiar voice spoke up. "What are you doing?" Flash looked up and saw Ace looking at him with a grin and a brow. "You still a little shocked about what happened to Eclipse?" He asked when he sat in front of Flash but got no response. "Oh I see, you're still upset about me using you and your friends to get the win."
"Look, I don't know what your game is, but someone just died and his family doesn't know what happened to him." Flash told Ace with a stern tone. "And China said only the Jyamato knows where he is. Where did these things even come from in the first place?"
"I couldn't tell you if I wanted to." Ace replied before they both saw a bunch of fangirls outside the window.
"Do you ever get tired of that?" Flash asked him before they both got an alert on their phones they got when they entered the Grand Prix. They both pulled him out and saw a text telling them to report to the Temple of Desire.
"The Grand Prix is calling us." Ace said before he smirked at Flash. "Let's head to the bathroom before we put our drivers on." He suggested before heading towards the bathroom. Flash let out a side before taking out his Desire Driver from his backpack and headed to the bathroom with Ace.
Desire Driver.
Flash and Ace were soon teleported to the Temple of Desire along with the other competitors as a holographic screen showed an area circled purple while China stood in front of them. "We have confirmed new sighting of Jyamato." She informed the competitors. "We will now begin Round 2: the Zombie Survival game."
"I'm sorry, but did you say zombie?" Wallflower questioned nervously before the Holograms green showed the Jyamato wearing teared clothes like zombies chasing a bunch of people.
"A group of Jyamato zombies are approaching the town." China informed them. "Our data indicates that they will attack in three waves. If any of those made their way to the city, a zombie outbreak will occur. We definitely don't want that!"
"So you're saying that our new mission is to defeat all three waves and not let a single one into the city." Twilight summarized.
"That's right." China replied before a hologram screen of a scoreboard appeared behind her. "In this game, you'll be judged by your score. At the end of the game, the one with the lowest score will be disqualified."
"Um... by outbreak, you mean..." The man with the hot pink skin spoke up nervously.
"Be careful, or you'll join their ranks..." China answered with a cryptic tone as Flash held up the arrow buckle he picked up from the last mission from Mr. Eclipse after he vanished while Ace held up the faucet and shield buckles.
"Worried you might lose with all that junk?" Poison teased Ace, but Ace only chuckled in response.
"Of course not." Ace told him with a smile before you looked at Poison. "Wanna bet? If I rank higher, I'll be taking your buckle."
"You're on." Poison replied with a scoff. "But if I win, I'll take all of yours."
"Let's begin!" China declared before each of the competitors were transported into the area below where they saw the Zombie Jyamato surrounding them. Ace then readied the shield Buckle as each of the competitors ready their buckles as well before placing them into their drivers.
"Henshin!" They all shouted before pressing on their buckles and transforming into their Rider forms with armed shield, armed arrow, Zombie Buckle form, Magnum form, and armed hammer.
Ready? Fight!
Buffa pushed the switch on his chainsaw like sword and ready to fight the zombie Jyamato.
Poison Charge!
Tactical Break!
He charged at them and swung his sword to slice one of the zombie Jyamato into pieces. Tycoon took a position up in a tree as he shot a few arrows at some Jyamato as Zoi was gettin some people that were in the area out of danger. A few Jyamato had a bunch of people cornered before they were blasted down by both Leo and Lobo. "Go, now is your chance to get out of here!" Lobo told them.
"Find some place safe to hide until this is all over!" Leo instructed as the people thanked them and ran away.
Secret Mission Clear.
"Secret mission?" Leo repeated after hearing that before he looked at his phone and saw he and Lobo completed one before a box appeared next to them. Leo opened his up and saw the Boost Buckle inside. "No way! But how did I get this back?!"
"I guess if we clear these secret missions, we get new buckles." Lobo theorized before she opened hers up and she saw she had got a Zombie Buckle. "And mine is the same onenBuffa has." She said before she blasted a zombie Jyamato back. "You better use yours wisely, because it is a one-time use."
Meanwhile, Da-paan was shooting a few Jyamato from on top of a building while Na-go swung her hammer to beat a few of them down. "NAH-YEAH!!" She cheered excitedly before the one she beat down quickly got up and frightened her. "Why are you still standing?!" She exclaimed before throwing a few boxes right attic to keep it away from her before another one came right at her and tried to pin her down. "Cut it out...! Get off!" She then looked up at Da-paan who continued to shoot at the enemy. "Hey Mr. Panda, help me out here!"
"We're rivals, no one is stupid enough to help you." Da-paan told her as he continued to shoot at the enemy.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Na-go shouted before knocking the Jyamato back and tried to make a run for it only to run into a corner. She was about to be jumped by a few of them if Geats had not rushed in and pushed them back. He then grabbed her arm where she held her hammer and used it to whack them back to make them explode.
"Don't you ever play games?" He questioned her. "Aim for the heads." He told her before he tapped her on the head.
"Oh... that makes more sense." Na-go replied before Geats used his shield to push one of them back while she used her bammer to bonk them on the heads. Da-paan watched what happened from the rooftop as he let out a scoff, completely unaware that the Jyamato was approaching him from behind.
Inside a building, Geats switched to his armed water form and used the pipe to beat down on their heads while Ka-boom continued to Bonk them on their heads as well. Soon both Leo and Lobo joined in as Leo fired a few arrows at their heads while Lobo fired a barrage of bullets at them. Geats then ran over to a pair of doors and stuck his pipe between them before turning the faucet on his driver.
Water.
He pressed the trigger on the pipe before he started attacking a few of the Jyamato with a few punches or kicks, as if he was charging it up for something. Na-go was being chased around a barrel by a few of them as she tried to keep her distance from them before Leo blasted them away from her. More than then came out either the walls or came into the building. "There's no end to them!" Both Na-go and Lobo complained before Geats noticed a room was being flooded with water.
"It's time." He said to himself before he raced over to the doors.
"Geats, what are you doing?!" Leo called out as he pulled the pipe out of the doors and Water started coming out when the door started to crack.
Water Strike!
Leo saw what he was planning before he quickly jumped out of the way just as Geats did when the doors burst and flooded the room with the Jyamato, Na-go, and Lobo. Both Geats and Leo stood on some railings as they watched the room flood before it drained away before they jumped down.
Mission Clear.
"That's how you hunt zombies." Geats brag as Leo went to check on Lobo and Na-go.
"Are you both okay?" He asked them as they looked a little dizzy.
"That's the end of Wave 1!" China declared while Leo helped both Lobo and Na-go up.
"He could have warned us earlier..." They both groaned.
The competitors returned to the lobby as they saw their scores and Ace had the most out of all of them while Flash was second, Toxic was third, Pa-daa was fourth, Twilight with fifth, Micro was sixth, Wallflower was seventh, Sonata was eighth, and Mary was dead last. "Excellent work out there." The man before congratulated the competitors. "Please enjoy your stay until the next wave."
"I still can't believe that was just the first wave." Micro mentioned.
"I...almost lost." Sonata said with a worried tone.
"This game is so hard." The man with pink skin muttered nervously as Ace walked over to Toxic with a smirk as he held up Toxic's Zombie Buckle.
"I won, so I'll be taking this." He told him with a proud tone before he handed over the faucet buckle. "But I'm a fair guy. Beat my score with this and I might return it." Toxic looked at him for a moment before he snatched the buckle from Ace before he walked away.
"I gotta admit that you got a better score than any of us when you helped out Sonata, Flash." Micro mentioned after seeing his score. "And that was only with just the arrow buckle."
"Well, I didn't just fight them, I also helped out a few people that didn't get out. Flash mentioned before he pointed to Twilight. "So did Twilight."
"Me and micro also helped a few people, I guess we didn't help out enough." Wallflower mentioned with a shrug.
"Well, we did complete some sort of secret mission when we did it and we got a couple of new buckles out of it." Twilight spoke up as she pulled out another Zombie Buckle while flash held out the Boost Buckle.
"I'm almost in dead last! Is there like a loot box I can get or something?!" Sonata called out.
"By performing well, you will receive Desire Money." The man informed her before walking over to her with a tablet. "You can spend it by customs." Sonata looked at the tablet and saw a few items on there. "However, gears like buckles are not for sale."
"Well that's just great, is there like another secret mission I can do?" She asked him.
"If he told you, I don't think that a secret mission would be a secret mission." Flash pointed out.
"Typical rich people." The guy who is Pa-daa muttered to himself. "Why are you even playing the game? Surely you have better things to do."
"Hey, there's no need to be rude to her." Flash told him with a look. "There's some things money can't even find."
"By the way, what exactly did you write down for your desire, Sonata?" Wallflower asked with curiosity.
"That's my little secret." Sonata replied with her finger over her mouth and a wink. "But you'll find out when I win the game."
"Screw you." The guy who is Pa-daa said as he stood up and walked away.
"What is with that guy?" Twilight questioned with a brow.
"Well we are all rivals." Ace spoke up.
Toxic was out in the hall as he looked at the score and couldn't believe he was in third place behind Flash and Ace before the guy who is Da-paan walked up to him. "Hey, the name is Chopper and I want to know why you hate that Ace guy so much." He questioned Toxic. "It's so obvious it hurts."
"All Kamen Riders are enemies." Toxic simply replied as he put away his phone.
"Fine, you have your reasons." Chopper mentioned before Toxic looked at him.
"How about you just worry about yourself?" He told him what a look before he started to walk away.
"Same goes to you, now that Geats have your buckle and Lobo has one of her own." Chopper mentioned with a grin.
"Shut up." Toxic told him. "I'll get it back and I don't care who else has another one."
"Let's work together." Chopper suggested. "I saw Leo get a boost buckle and if we take that from him while also getting the Magnum Buckle from Lobo, they won't stand a chance." Toxic looked at him when he heard what Chopper said.
"What's your goal?" He asked as Chopper had a dark grin on his face.
Meanwhile back in the lobby, Sonata tried the Customs as she picked the clothes that were on it before giving the avatar that looks just like her a spin. She then lit up as her clothes changed to a purple hoodie without sleeves with a musical note on the back while she had skinny jeans on. "Wow! This is so cool!" She exclaimed excitedly before she tried on a new look, this time with a t-shirt that was blue on top and purple on the bottom. "You guys have got to try this!"
"I guess I could give it a go." Twilight mentioned as she walked up and took the tablet. She then tapped on a few items on it before giving her avatar a spin. She then lit up before her clothes changed as she was now wearing a sleeveless jacket with her Kamen Rider symbol on one side and a six-pointed star on the other. She wore a t-shirt that had the initials for the Desire Grand Prix on it while she was wearing a light purple skirt on. "Huh, not bad."
"So, you're really not going to tell us your desire, Na-go?" Ace asked Sonata.
"Yup." Sonata replied with a shrug.
"Does it have something to do with you and your sisters?" Flash questioned as Sonata just looked away.
"Look, it's my desire and I don't want to spoil it okay." Sonata simply replied.
"That's why we put our lives on the line." Ace spoke up. "If one has a dream, then this game will have you create a world of your ideal." The phone then rang before the man picked it up and answered it. After hearing who was speaking on the other end, he put the phone down and looked at the competitors.
"The second wave is approaching." He told them.
Soon the Riders were back out on the field as Na-go slammed her hammer on top of a Jyamato while Zoi slammed her Shield down on it. "Stay down!" She shouted as Mary pushed a few of them back with his own Shield.
"Anyone needs rescuing?!" He called out as he was trying to get more points. "About to get bitten, maybe?!"
"I know he wants more points because he's in last place, buddy he could have worded it better!" Tycoo called out as he had one of them pinned to a tree with his bow.
Lobo knocked one down before firing it right to the head to destroy it. "You can say that again!" She agreed before one got her from behind and knocked her to the ground. She continued to fire at them as to keep them off of her before Leo quickly rushed in and pushed them back. The two of them then got surrounded before multiple arrows were being shot as Da-paan rushed in.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Leo questioned him.
"Sorry about being so rude earlier." He told them before he looked at Lobo. "I know who you are and I'm actually a fan of you and your friends, Twilight." He told her as he fought off some of the Jyamato.
"What? What's this all of a sudden?" She questioned him with suspicion as she switched her blaster to Rifle mode and fired at the enemy.
"I say we work together and score more points, all three of us!" Da-paan told them as he continued to fight them. Ace however watched him from afar as he had a look on his face. He then looked over at Buffa using the water buckle to fight off the Jyamato.
"Why are you just standing there?!" Buffa called out to Ace as he knocked down a few of the enemy. But he then walked up into his face and stared him into the eye. "Stop acting like a star. Curse you and your glizy world." He then walked past him as Ace looked at him.
"I won the game. How I change the world is mine to the side." Ace said before taking out the zombie buckle and placing it into his driver.
Set.
As the holographic words of zombie appeared to his right, Ace held out his hand and snapped his fingers. "Henshin!" He called out before he flipped the switch of the Buckle and it opened up as a zombie claw folded up to his core as he transformed into Kamen Rider Geats: Zombie Armor.
Zombie!
Ready? Fight!
Inside a building, Leo and Lobo continue to fight off the Jyamato with Da-paan following behind as they continue to fight. "Okay, what's your real game?!" Leo questioned him as he shot a few of them down.
"What, can't a guy help out a favorite band member?" He asked before he got Leo by surprise by kicking him back and shot Lobo in the back, causing her to fall to the ground.
"Attacking other players is against the rules." China called out as Lobo was in the middle of a bunch of Jyamato.
"I can't stand famous people at all!" Da-paan shouted as he pushed Leo into a wall. "If you think everyone here will be glad just to work together, you're living in a fantasy! Right now your girlfriend can be the world's first zombie Superstar!" Leo saw Lobo getting overwhelmed by the enemy before he tightened his grip and punched Da-paan in the gut to push him back. He rolled on the ground before he took aim at Lobo to finish her off before Geats came in and blocked the shot with his sword.
"You know what they say: an eye for an eye, a zombie for a zombie." Geats recited before he looked at Leo. "Ready to do a combo?"
He then looked at Geats for a moment before he nodded and took out the Boost Buckle before he looked over at Lobo. "Twilight, toss me the Magnum Buckle and use the zombie one!" He called out before she nodded in agreement and took out her Magnum Buckle and replaced it with the Zombie Buckle. Leo quickly caught it before placing it on the right side of his driver and put the Boost Buckle into the left side.
Set!
Both of them activated the buckles as Lobo was equipped with the zombie armor and Leo was equipped with Boost and Magnum armor.
Dual, On!
Get ready for: Boost and Magnum!
Ready? Fight!
Da-paan had an annoyed look under his mask as the three Riders stood back to back with each other. "Take a good look! You're in for a surprise!" Geats declared as he and Lobo slashed their swords at a few of them while Leo blasted a few back. A Jyamato tried to get Lobo from behind if Leo didn't block it with the blaster and kicked it back as Geats flipped over them and slashed a few more. Lobo then blocked an attack from one of them for the chain on the sword revved up and she slashed through a few of them.
Both her and Geats jumped up and slashed a few more when they came down just as Leo jumped and spun around to blast the rest of them as the boosters on his lower half gave him a boost up. The three of them then got to higher ground before both Geats and Lobo charged up both their weapons.
Poison Charge!
Tactical Break!
Both of them slashed the remaining Zombie Jyamato and took them out. "I was so close... and you just had to get in the way!" Da-paan growled at Geats before he started firing at the three. Both Geats and Lobo blocked the blast from him with their swords before Leo dodged another blast from him as his firing hit the wall.
"You know attacking other players is against the rules, you're going to get a bunch of penalties for this." Leo taunted.
"And if that's how you're playing, you're on." Geats said as he and Leo looked ready to fight him. Da-paan started rapid-firing at them as Lobo quickly took cover while the other two Riders ran and dodged each blast. Leo then pulled back on his blaster and aimed behind him.
Charge!
Tactical Shoot!
He fired a big blast to block any more fire at him or Lobo as both him and Geats leaped out of the building. The two of them then took on more zombie Jyamato as Da-paan got on top of the roof and took aim at them. "Eat this!" He shouted as he fired at them, but they both saw it coming as they pressed a buttons on their drivers and rotated them.
Revolve on!
Both of their bodies rotated as they dodged the blast and their armors flipped. Geats now had the zombie armor on his lower half while the Boost and Magnum Farmers switched sides on Leo. "Now, time for the highlight." Geats declared as he scratched the ground with the claw on his leg.
"And for this game to be turned up to eleven." Leo declared as he cracked his knuckles before they returned to fight the Jyamato as they kicked one in the air before they spun around and kicked it right towards Da-paan. He shot it down before he saw both of them had vanished.
"Where'd they go?!" He exclaimed before both of them suddenly appeared next to him and they kicked him back. Sparks flew off of them as he crashed onto the ground before they saw both Leo and Geats charging right at him. Both of them activated their finishers as they delivered one last kick right at Da-paan.
Zombie Strike!
Magnum Boost Grand Victory!
The impact sent Da-paan flying back and he transformed out of his rider form right next to Buffa. After seeing what happened, he kicked one of the enemies back before he walked over, as he transformed back to Toxic, to Leo and Geats who transformed back to Flash and Ace, just as Twilight raced over to them.
Mission clear!
"Have you both lost your mind?" Toxic question Ace and Flash. "You both are going to lose points."
"He started it when he attacked me from behind." Twilight defended them as he pointed to Chopper on the ground. "He was going to feed me to those zombie Jyamato if Ace didn't come to help us."
"And I don't think we will." Ace spoke up with a confident Smile as he pulled out his phone and showed Toxic something just when the others regrouped with them.
"No penalties..." Toxic said before he took Flash's phone and saw that he had no penalties as well. "But how?"
"A zombie bit him." Ace answered as he pointed to Chopper.
"So that's why he suddenly attacked us." Flash said with realization as Chopper struggled to get up. He glared at them but they could see dark purple veins on his wrist as some sort of plant was growing on his arm.
"The zombies only went after me and Flash, but not him when he attacked us." Twilight pointed out. "They recognized him as their own kind."
"So, he got infected sometime before this wave? Wallflower questioned.
"He realized they won't attack him." Ace spoke up as he walked over to Chopper. "And so you decided to take Lobo and Leo down with you, didn't you?"
"Life is so unfair..." Chopper muttered as he gripped the ground. "I worked so hard to become a professional basketball player, but one day... Just one stroke of bad luck. Just one bad day, and my world changed. Just wanted to take everyone down with me. A world without humans!"
"You could have written a better wish." Twilight told him with a sincere tone. "A world where you can do what you love. You could have wished to be better. A world where you--"
"I don't care anymore!" Chopper shouted.
"Don't say that!" Micro spoke up. "We all play the game so we can make a better world, right?"
"Not really." Ace spoke up. "You can wish for whatever you want. Just like how it took a bloody war to unite Japan. In this game... only the victor can speak of justice."
"What does the past have to do with this?" Toxic questioned Ace as China walked up to them.
"Congratulations!" She spoke up to get their attention. "That marks the end of Wave 2. Once more, you have saved a lot of lives. Please take a well-deserved rest."
They all soon returned to the lobby as they rested and waited for the next wave. Wallflower however looked pale as she was breathing heavily before she fell to the floor. "Are you okay?!" Flash asked as he and Twilight went over to check up on her. Micro then noticed something on her shoulder and grew worried.
"Guys look, she got infected too!" He called out as they saw a bite mark on her shoulder.
"Served her right." Chopper chuckled as they glared at him.
"If anything, I'm surprised she made it this far." Toxic mentioned as he walked out of the room with Chopper following behind him.
"A-Am I... going to d-die here...?" Twilight breathed out as Ace walked up behind them.
"No." He spoke up to get their attention. "The game is not over yet."
The rules of DGP:
If you lose your life during the game, you will leave this mortal world.
Please be careful. |
Partial | pre | She slammed her ball down on the ground, and she and her dad took cover as it bounced off the floor to the ceiling and ricocheted around the room, knocking a picture off the wall. At least it didn't hit her computer.
Once it finally stopped, she glared angrily at her dad. "I know full well the way people look at partials and the things they say! I can't help but hear the things they say! You have no right to say I don't!"
He met her glare with a sad look. "I know you have it rough, Jessie, and I know I can't fully understand what you go through, but you need to remember that you're something of a celebrity, and that protects you. Most partials don't have it as good as you. You said it was statistically impossible we have a partial kid in the office. Do you know how many partials were born in this country last year, at least documented ones?"
She broke her gaze. She knew what the chances were, and she paid close attention to every news story about a partial birth, but she didn't like people, even family, knowing she did that. Her mom was terrible enough without knowing she still secretly wished for the ability to have a successful pregnancy-- at least one day, once the world was saved.
"I try to avoid hearing those numbers," she lied. Her heart didn't skip a beat while saying it. She knew the exact figure for the USA and Canada and had seen the estimates for elsewhere; four in the USA, one in Canada, two documented ones in the Caribbean Confederation with unconfirmed reports of another, and an estimated fifteen to twenty for the rest of the world combined.
"Four," her dad confirmed. "There were just four in the entire country. It is a one-in-a-million birth. Partials hide from the rest of us because of how badly they get treated. Almost all of them live in extreme poverty. If it weren't for the generosity of a few isolated Shimmerist settlements giving them food and shelter while not reporting them, there would be more starving. His parents were probably thinking of that when they left him with his grandmother, and she was probably thinking about how cruel the world can be when she hid him away."
She crossed her arms but couldn't meet his eyes. "Maybe. I still think it would be better if he wasn't kept away from people. He has to deal with them eventually."
He sighed. "I agree with you. I'm just trying to speculate about how things got to this point. Until grandma wakes up, there's no way of knowing the truth."
"Is she going to wake up?" she asked.
Her dad shrugged and didn't give any other answer. Well, that was just peachy.
Her phone started buzzing, and she picked it up and looked at it. It was Jordan calling, probably done with her first day of classes and wanting to know how her first day of teaching went. Her dad sat quietly while she answered. She forced herself to smile.
"Hey, Jor. What's up?" Jessica asked.
She heard Jordan blow a raspberry over the line. "What's up? Is that how you greet your best friend in the world after such a big day?"
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I'm dealing with something at the moment. Give me a sec." She covered her phone's speaker and looked at her dad. "I'll help you tomorrow before I go to work. We can talk more after dinner."
He got up and headed for the door. "Thanks. Means a lot to me. If we're lucky, it will mean a lot to Mark too."
She took her hand off the speaker as her dad left the room. "How was your first day of classes?"
"It was okay, but I'm mad at you!" Jordan replied with a huff.
Jessica blinked. "Why are you mad at me? What did I do?"
"You told me I needed to read all the textbooks before classes started! I got into class today and found out that nobody does that! I spent the last month reading them all cover to cover when I could have been reading anything else!"
She had to stop herself from laughing at her friend's indignation. "You read them all in just a month? I'm impressed. I might struggle with that in only a month. I usually started two months ahead."
"Don't you try to compliment me to deflect this!"
She still was smiling as she replied. "Oh, you would have probably just been reading more clop anyway. I didn't say you had to do that. I said that was what I did when I was still taking classes. I would be overjoyed if my students did that, but I doubt any did. Your semester should be easier since everything is now a review."
Jordan snorted. "I read classy romance novels, thank you very much. Some of them may have a few steamy scenes, but that is not any reason to look down on them."
"Okay, I apologize for implying your favorite books are trashy. Do you forgive me?"
"I guess, but only because I like you," Jordan replied. "However, you forced me back into my nerd label. I was determined to break that mold and be the sexy new freshman on campus for all the stallions to lust over, but now I guess I have to settle for being the sexy nerd mare. Not part of my grand plan for college, but it's okay, I guess. At least I don't have to worry about people thinking I'm a nerd for constantly reading."
Jessica curled an eyebrow. "Sexy? That's a new direction for you."
"Hey! I've got four years where I'm nowhere near my parents and don't have to worry about a career. I want to live it to the fullest," Jordan said proudly. "What? You don't think I can be sexy?"
"You're like my sister. I couldn't even look at you and think that," Jessica laughed.
Jordan laughed too. "True enough, and that would be weird anyway. I love you as a friend, but I'm into stallions- not mares, not women, not men, stallions." Jordan made a popping sound to punctuate the end of her sentence.
She couldn't help giggling. This didn't surprise her all that much. Jordan had been reading clop constantly since she first noticed she had an attraction to the opposite sex. Given how fascinated Jordan was with the subject, it was a miracle Jordan had made it this far with her virginity intact. Jordan was right, these were her four years of freedom, and she was too smart to let herself get pregnant or get into an abusive relationship. If Jordan wanted to have fun, she was welcome to have fun. The end of the world was coming; people deserved to enjoy life.
"I get it, Jor. Have all the stallions you want. I assume you're on birth control. So how goes your quest to get all the stallions eager to roll in the grass with you?"
"Eh, not so hot, " Jordan lamented. "I feel isolated out here. It isn't like Skytree; there aren't a lot of ponies at this school. It isn't just the lack of stallions that dampens my mood. It is the lack of ponies in general."
"Humans aren't so bad. You're friends with me," Jessica reminded her.
"I know, but I look around and don't see many people like me. I think I have seen like five stallions, and none of them are my type!"
She went over to her bed and laid down. "You just started college! Give it time."
"Jackie had a stallionfriend within her first week of college. Rebecca had a boyfriend within her first week, and she wasn't even trying. Arachne is already married, and Moon already has foals," Jordan listed off.
"That's them; you don't need to compare yourself to them," Jessica said, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "I've never been on a date. I don't think Charlotte has either."
"I don't think Charlotte is interested in anybody," Jordan replied. "Yeah, she took the blessing, but I think it was just for show. I think she is one of those people like her mom who don't have a drive. And you... I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking about it like this to you. I'm being insensitive."
"Don't worry. I just spent a few minutes a while ago dealing with my mom trying to pressure me into letting her play matchmaker," Jessica said, this time letting the annoyance slip into her voice at the memory of it.
"She didn't!" Jordan said in shock. "I would be so embarrassed if my mom did that. What did you say?"
"Told her I don't have time for it and to leave it alone," Jessica muttered.
"Speaking of you not having time, what did you reply to that letter?" Jordan asked, deftly changing subjects.
Jessica blinked. "What letter?"
"That company that made In the Shadow of Demeter movie wanted to get us all together with the cast for some big fan thing in Skytree. They were offering a lot of money to come. I figured you would turn them down, but I wanted to ask."
"I didn't get a letter."
"But they said they sent you one, and I know you have to be the main person they want to get since you're the star and all."
"Filly Stardust was the star. She just happened to play me in the movie."
Jordan sighed. "I know, but she might have asked you personally to come. Maxine Mind included a letter to me with the one from the company. I only met her that one time she came to meet me to help figure out my character, and she wasn't a big movie star then. I was her breakout role. Me! Can you believe it?! It would be neat to meet her again, now that she's an A-list actress. Did you see her when she played Radiance in the recent Power Ponies reboot? She is awesome!"
"You sound excited about this, so if you want to go, then go," Jessica replied.
"I don't want to go if you aren't going to be there. I don't care who else agrees; I'd just want to have a chance to spend time with you."
Jessica sighed. "Why would I go? I've never even seen the damned movie."
Jordan gasped. "You haven't? Why not?"
"I don't have any desire to relive those days, even if they embellished things to the extreme. Have you watched it?"
Jordan was quiet for a second before replying. "I watch it every few weeks or so."
Her eyebrows went up. "Why? That's re-exposing yourself to that trauma over and over again."
"Because I'm not a super genius who remembers everything like you do, and I don't want to forget!" Jordan exclaimed.
Jessica was taken aback and at a loss for words. "I don't understand."
Jordan sighed. "Look. I was five when it happened, and I don't have a memory like yours. I remember bits and pieces. I remember being scared. I remember lots of running. I remember you telling us what to do but not what exactly. I remember being on that tree branch and that crystal pony creeping towards me, and I remember being scared shitless about you after you fell, but it's all like a dream. Watching that movie, even if some things are wrong in it, helps me remember things. It was one of the most important things that ever happened to me, and I don't want to forget anything."
Jessica stared at her ceiling, for some reason remembering the ceiling she had as a filly that was covered in glow-in-the-dark stickers of stars and paper mache planets.
She took a deep breath. "If this is important to you, I'll see if I can find that letter."
"You don't need to do that."
"Yes, yes, I do. This thing is a big deal to you, and I never realized that. You're my best friend, and it is important to you, so I can stand to put up with this just this once. It won't kill me. I might as well see how badly they embellished what happened. I already know they tried depicting me as some preteen action hero, and you and I know how much of a joke that is."
"Are you sure you'll be okay seeing it? I don't want you to be miserable just for my sake. I know you're always busy, too," Jordan said, sounding half-hopeful and half-worried.
"Jor, if you're there, it won't be the worst thing ever, and you said some of the others might come too. I know I'm busy, but I can take my work with me and record some lessons for the classes. I'll find a way of clearing time for my friends. You know I made time for everyone's eighteenth birthdays when they came up. I can make time for this. I'll make it work."
"Thanks, Jessie!" Jordan exclaimed happily. "If you were here, I would hug you."
"You can hug me when I get there. When is this thing?"
"Um, I forgot. In a few weeks, I think. They said they'd cover travel expenses. I need to find that letter again."
Jessica smirked; good old Jordan. Reasonably bright but a bit of a scatterbrain about essential details. "I'll find the letter. My mom probably intercepted it out of the mail and didn't tell me because she knows how I feel about that movie."
"I'll sit next to you when they do the screening so you can squeeze me if you need to-- just not too hard; you're really strong, and I like breathing," Jordan replied.
Jessica frowned. "You know, you're wrong about one thing. I have forgotten some things. Mainly, I've forgotten anything that reminds me I was a pony. I can barely remember that anymore. I can remember events, but not that I had four legs and hooves. I'll sit remembering things and think it weird that I wasn't using my hands until I remind myself that I was a filly."
"That's the rehumanization spell's doing, right?" Jordan asked.
"Supposedly," Jessica replied. "I feel like my memory should be good enough to override that. I remember everything else. I remember things from as far back as when I was three with high clarity and bits of things from before then. Things from when I was six should be easy, but that one part is like a huge hole that has been cut out. It bothers me sometimes. It's like something important is missing."
"You could ask Phobia, Rebecca, or your aunt to help you access those memories," Jordan suggested.
"No, I don't want them messing with my head," Jessica said firmly.
"Why not? It's not like they don't see it anyway," Jordan countered.
Jessica sighed. "Call me crazy, but I like having the illusion I can limit access to what the Dreamwardens can get out of my head. I know it isn't true, but even the illusion of control is something."
"Oh..." Jordan replied, seeming unsure what to say. "So, uh, how did your first day of teaching go?"
"I got in trouble with the dean for using my magic on students to mute them."
Jordan gasped. "You can't do that! They go over that a dozen times in my Philosophies of Education textbook. No using magic on students! They'll sue you!"
"I know that now, and it won't happen again. I got off with a warning," Jessica said with a grumble. "But before you dig too deep into it, I will tell you what I told my mom. Teaching is your thing, not mine. I think I was insensitive to her, so let me stress that I appreciate that it is your thing, and I think it is great that it is, but for me, this is just a means to an end."
"I don't think you look down on me for wanting to be a teacher, and I don't think your mom does either. We want to have something else to connect with you about," Jordan said placatingly. "I mean, we listen to your math and physics stuff even though we don't understand a lick of it. It's important to you, so, of course, we will, but we aren't connecting as much with that. You just listened to me talk about how I want all the stallions hungry for me, and I know that you would have no interest in that subject normally, but you listen with interest because it's important to me. That's what friends do, but your teaching is something that me or your mom can go; hey, that's something I can relate to."
She rubbed her head and considered. "I'm sure something will come up where I want to talk about teaching. Maybe someone is struggling with the material, and I need advice on how to better get through to them or whatever. I have a freshman class starting tomorrow, and I imagine I might be talking over their heads. I can try sitting down with my mom and seeing if she'll help me go over the lesson plans."
"I can help too! I did student teaching last year," Jordan said excitedly. "It would give me bragging rights, too, if I could tell my class I was helping the famous Doctor Middleton with her college lesson plans."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Whatever makes you happy, Jor."
Jordan muffled her phone momentarily and was talking to someone in the background. Jessica could hear it fine since electronic devices seemed to help carry her powers, but she did her best to tune it out.
"Hey, Jessie, I've got to get going. My roommates want to all go out and do a pledge thing. I'll text you tomorrow," Jordan said in a hurry.
"Sure thing, you have fun. Don't do anything that you'll regret. I hear some of those pledge things get pretty wild," Jessica said with a smile.
"My mom already gave me the lecture, don't worry. Talk to you later!" Jordan hung up the phone.
Jessica sat her phone down. She didn't doubt for a second that Jordan's mom gave her a lecture. Jordan's mom had a policy of not telling her foals not to do things but spending a lot of time educating them about how to do things responsibly. Jessica's mom tended to have whiplash going back and forth between saying don't do X because it is bad and then wondering why she never did X and leaving out the whole responsible middle-ground part. Jessica assumed it was because her mom took it for granted; she knew what that middle ground was already. It irked her that her mom didn't think her being responsible as she could be was normal. She hated that word, normal. So many connotations involved with it, connotations that said she was anything but normal.
That brought her back to thinking about Mark. Would meeting another partial help him open up? She didn't have the time to be trying to help her dad with his social work, and she wasn't exactly sure how to interact with a small child. Why had she agreed to it? Maybe it was for selfish reasons. Perhaps she was like Jordan, and she just wanted to meet someone else who was a partial in a world filled with humans and ponies.
She looked at her phone again. That text message was still there, awaiting a reply about her progress. The world's end was coming, but not tomorrow; she had years yet. She'd rather spend a few days taking care of herself. Spending time with her family and friends let her loosen up and gave her a sense of freedom. She might get better results from students if she was a little less tense as well. Then there was Mark, who didn't need someone to save the world.
She typed out a message.
BigMath<Tell your bosses to get off my back that I need a few days to rest and relax for the sake of my sanity productivity. I'll contact them through direct channels when I've resumed my work.>
The sounds of her parents, brother, and Nightscape, all laughing at the antics of her niece, filled her ears. It was time to go back downstairs and be a part of the family. Smiling, she got up and exited the room, leaving the simulations to run without observation |
Partial | Chapter 3: First Contact | After spending some good quality time with her hubby, Rebecca went to sleep. It was time to work.
It seemed the meeting area for their avatars had not been set to anything. That was a little surprising. It meant she must have been the first to fall asleep, and the three dead-ums were waiting on her to set something. She would not let this opportunity go to waste; she quickly set the stage.
Arbiter appeared in her typical angel-partial form and looked around at Rebecca's setting.
"Is this the Mushroom Kingdom from Super Mario Brothers? That you chose a silly setting isn't surprising, but I expected you to do something food-related," Arbiter said dryly.
"Who says it isn't?" Rebecca replied as she picked up a mushroom and ate it.
Ghadab appeared in his pony form and scowled at their surroundings. "Yet another place the tub of lard can eat, and she has the nerve to call herself the Warden of Creativity. She should be called the Warden of Gluttony. Though I suppose it is better than whatever our other sister and brother might have come up with."
Yinyu appeared next, in her standard seapony-dragon form, rainbow scales glistening. "Do you remember the last one Phobia set? A table and room for a formal business meeting has to be the most boring thing I've encountered. We can create any setting we wish, and she goes with that. Give me bright and colorful mushrooms any day."
The Warden of Order appeared in his typical plague doctor outfit. He looked around.
"It seems that The Marshmallow has beaten me here. Do you think you can give me the privilege of letting me set the setting since I'm preparing for my retirement?" the newcomer asked.
"You know the rules, Avy. You don't snooze; you lose," Rebecca chirped gleefully.
"But this place is covered in mushrooms. Mushrooms are fungus, which indicates something dirty and disease filled- and please stop calling me Avy," The Warden of Order protested.
"Don't let him change the setting. He'll change it to something sterile looking," Ghadab warned.
Phobia appeared then, looking as she did in the waking world. She, too, looked around, examining what she had slept into.
"Rebecca made it here first; I'm guessing," Phobia said as she sat down on a particularly large toadstool.
"I was trying to convince her to change it," the Warden of Order explained.
Phobia shook her head. "We agreed that whoever among us that still lived that arrived first for a meeting gets to pick the setting. If this is what makes her happy, this is what we're going with. We've saddled her with many more duties as of late, partly because of your impending retirement. We can endure her flights of fancy."
"Yeah, I had to sit in on a meeting with those Pentagon jerks. They were rude and didn't even accept cookies from me!" Rebecca said with a huff.
The Warden of Order tilted his head. "How did you manage to get them to let you bring cookies through security there?"
"I snuck them in," she replied with a grin.
"How did you sneak anything through that much-" he began, then shook his head. "Forget it; I don't want to know."
"There are some secrets it is best that Dreamwardens don't know," Arbiter said.
"Agreed," Phobia chimed in.
"Agreed," Ghadab said with a look of disgust.
"Let's count this as a vote for Rebecca not telling us," Yinyu said. Everyone but Rebecca nodded in agreement.
Arbiter looked up at a red Koopa flying overhead, raised her staff, and fired a perfect replica of a Super Mario fireball at the thing. The flying turtle vanished in a pop when the pixelated fireball connected.
Ghadab raised an eyebrow at her. "Really?"
Arbiter shrugged as she lowered her staff. "I was a bit of a gamer when I was a teen. Why waste the setting?"
"If there aren't many new developments, I request we keep this meeting brief. My newest grandfoal is due anytime now. I don't want to miss his birth," Phobia said as she examined her toadstool. "I also expect my daughter to announce her pregnancy soon, and I don't want to miss that either."
Rebecca blinked. "Arachne is pregnant already? I didn't realize that. She's been married, what, two months?"
Phobia nodded. "A little filly, although she doesn't want any of us to tell her the sex. I'm soon to be awash in grandfoals."
"Still holding with just the one here. I hope I get to see more," Yinyu said, a tinge of sadness in her voice. They all looked down in shared worry. Thinking about the coming Devourers killed the mood.
"On to business so we can accommodate our sister's family obligations," Arbiter announced. "Rebecca, I'm assuming the meeting with the generals went without a hiccup? I've detected a few dreams of others who have seen the plans."
"Yeah, other than them being rude. They planted a listening device on me, but I caught it before they could hear anything," Rebecca answered.
"That was bold of them," Ghadab said with a whistle. "Surely there is some retribution we can take."
Phobia shook her head. "No, let the lawyers sort it out. There is already a court case pending. They are beneath our concern."
"I don't think it is appropriate for them to disrespect us so," Ghadab continued to protest. "Back in Sha'am's day-"
"Everyone was afraid of us and wouldn't dare, I know," Phobia nodded. "And we have worked hard to dispel that fear, nineteen years of trying to undo the damage she did. We need the people to trust us. They won't trust us if they fear us. Don't forget how you ended up dead, brother. The nations were ready to let you die to eliminate her and the terror she represented."
Ghadab turned away. "Believe me; I have not forgotten the injustice."
"No retribution other than the courts it is," Arbiter agreed. "I think Yinyu and Rebecca will agree, so we have a soft vote saying as much."
Rebecca and Yinyu nodded in agreement.
Ghadab muttered incoherently before responding. "I still don't like it. I will consider retributions and present them for consideration when I'm ready. I'm sure I can devise something to satisfy your need to keep the public from being afraid of us."
"You are welcome to do so, brother, and we shall give you the time to present your ideas when you are ready so we can formally vote on the matter," Arbiter replied. She then looked at the Warden of Order. "Moving on, do we have any developments with your potential replacements? I know they all just settled into the university in Berlin, but we all recall how our last such selection went."
The human Dreamwarden shook his head. "Nothing of note so far. It is, as you say, they just moved in. I have taken precautions so they don't all find out about each other before their trip to Equestria. I will not allow a repeat of the fiasco that happened with Rebecca and her fellow candidates when Psychic Calm was retiring."
"I'm still bummed that my candidate for the job isn't one of the five in the running," Rebecca said as she took a bite from another mushroom.
"Your candidate was in no way in the spirit of what role I play," the Warden of Order replied. "And you picked a pony when we need to maintain at least one human in our ranks."
"Well, you also wanted them from Asia, Europe, or Africa, and I don't know much about the humans over there," Rebecca protested. "I went with what I know."
"Understandable, but not what we were looking for," the Warden of Order replied.
Yinyu giggled. "Ghadab and I have already placed our bets. I'm looking forward to another song from him."
Arbiter grinned. "As am I."
Ghadab spread his wings and hissed. "None of you will be laughing when you lose this one and are forced to sing Ya Lili. I'm going to enjoy it."
Rebecca was a little unhappy she wasn't in that betting pool, but she honestly had no idea what candidate might win, and she was scared of what she might be forced to sing if she placed her bets incorrectly. Some of her fellow Dreamwardens had unique tastes.
"Oh, I do have something else to report. Jessica Middleton told Jonathan to tell us that she needs to take a break and she'd resume her work when she was ready," Rebecca announced.
Arbiter crossed her arms. "it's about time. My niece works herself much too hard. I'd have hoped she would have done this years ago or, better yet, set clear boundaries. Yet she still allows us to push her around."
"If she's not willing to stand up for herself, I'm more than willing to exploit her. We must take advantage of every tool we have," Ghadab said.
"Not if we end up breaking that tool in the process," Arbiter hissed.
Rebecca grinned sheepishly. "I may have kept badgering her for updates lately to push her into taking a break. I did drop her a hint about what she was looking for too."
Phobia glared at her. "We don't want that getting out until we're ready for it to get out. Too many would try to exploit it, and we cannot afford such a crisis. I'm unhappy that my mother is even involved in designing a spell to try to move it. Hopefully, Triss can keep her ambitions in check."
"Triss keeping ambitions in check? Good luck with that. The dragon stokes them in her quest to see the first Earthling alicorn," Yinyu scoffed. "It falls to us to watch your mother. Luckily your mother's self-loathing should keep Triss from making any headway in getting an alicorn, at least, not your mother, but your mother isn't the only pony Triss has access to. We've already had one close call."
Phobia frowned. "That close call was more our fault than Triss's. We should admit our mistakes and learn from them."
"I still hate associating with the junk peddler," Ghadab muttered.
Arbiter nodded. "As do we all, but Triss's aid is too invaluable. No mage can compare to that dragon. We need her to help mages craft the spells we need for the undertaking ahead. The risk she presents pales in comparison to the Devourers. We have a mutual enemy. You know what they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"For now," Ghadab muttered.
"Discussing our alliance with Triss and our misgivings about her is unproductive to our time unless anyone has something new to add to the conversation that hasn't been said a thousand times. Does anyone have anything new?" Arbiter asked as she looked at each of them.
Rebecca shook her head. All the others did as well, though some were visibly reluctant.
"We move on then," Arbiter said firmly, banging her staff on the ground.
"How long will Doctor Middleton be on sabbatical?" the Warden of Order asked. "I agree she needs rest, but this job is important, and I know no one more capable than her to do it. Otherwise, I would be enlisting them."
Rebecca shrugged. "Don't know. I know some buttons of hers to push if she takes too long. If that doesn't work, there's always bribery. Let the girl have a break. We can worry about it if this extends for months."
"Bribery?!" Ghadab laughed. "What are you going to bribe the girl with, cookies? She has shown little interest in material wealth."
Rebecca smiled back at him sweetly. "I can get creative."
Jessica rubbed her arms as she followed her dad through the hospital corridors. She'd managed to avoid hospitals in favor of some smaller clinics for the past thirteen years. The last time she had been in a hospital, she had hooves, and she had been on life support. The time before that, she had been a premature human baby and had been on life support. Actually, no, there had been the time between when her mother was giving birth to her little brother, but hospitals still triggered uncomfortable memories. People came to hospitals to get well, but being in one made her feel sick.
What she heard didn't make things any easier. As they walked through the halls, she was bombarded by labored breathing, heartbeats that didn't beat correctly, stomachs that made far too much noise, whimpers of pain, crying, retch-
"Are you okay? You seem a bit on edge."
"Yeah, I don't think anyone enjoys being in a hospital. I'll be alright," she replied to her dad, forcing her hands down to her sides so she wasn't rubbing her arms anymore. "Let's meet this kid. I'm sure he doesn't enjoy hospitals any more than I do."
He nodded and fell into a walk beside her, absently rubbing at his beard. "I have to come by the hospitals now and again for cases, but this is the first time we've gone into a hospital just the two of us. Your mother and I never discuss it, but the last time I was hurt and had to go to a hospital was because of you."
She jerked her head to look at him. "That can't be true. I would remember it."
He chuckled. "You've got a remarkable memory, but even you can't remember being less than a month old."
A nurse walked by, and Jessica heard the nurse's heart quicken as they looked at her. She resisted the urge to go back to rubbing her arms.
"What happened?" she asked. "I'm guessing I was surging if I was that young."
"Yeah, you surged and kicked me in the ribs, cracking them," he answered, rubbing his chest. "I'm ashamed to admit; I got scared. Your mother and I separated briefly, and she took you and your brother and left for Riverview, planning to start a new life there without me."
"I never knew," she whispered, unsure how to feel about this revelation. They'd obviously gotten back together, and the separation probably wasn't entirely her fault- though she may have been the final straw. Her image of her dad was someone who had always been there supporting her, and this didn't fit well with that image at all.
"I'm not telling you this to open up old wounds," her dad continued. "I want you to understand that parents sometimes get scared and don't know what to do. Sometimes they get scared enough to run. It doesn't mean they don't love their kids. I want you to remember that when you meet Mark and think of how he got into the situation he is in now, even if it excuses nothing. We want a reunion where they form a happy family like we did, but we must find out what we can about his parents and their condition to determine if that is possible."
"So, you want me to get him to talk about his parents?" she asked.
"Let's start with getting him to talk at all. We do want to find out about any other family. Even if his grandmother wakes up, we don't know if she can care for him," her dad answered. "And even though I'm confident she had good intentions, she might lose custody even if she wakes. It's a complicated case, and you don't need to worry about the details. We need him talking."
They walked by the nurses' desk, and one of the nurses, a unicorn mare, looked up and shouted at them.
"Mister Middleton, I have to unlock the door to let you in the room."
They stopped, and her dad walked over to the desk.
"Why is the door locked? He isn't dangerous. He's a small child. He's too young to be using magic," her dad asked as he reached the desk.
The nurse gave Jessica a wary look before turning back towards her dad. "Mark made four escape attempts from the hospital last night. We tried strapping him to the bed, but he managed to get out of the straps- injuring himself in the process. We don't have the staff to guard him. Locking the door was the only humane option to keep him in his room and safe."
Her dad frowned. "I didn't get any notification about escape attempts. I'm shocked; with his gait, I would assume that it would be difficult."
"We knew someone would be coming by this morning and managed to contain him, so we didn't feel it was necessary to call your office," the nurse explained. "He can move surprisingly fast, but it seems painful for him to do it. He has some deep abrasions on his arms after squeezing through the straps, and he dislocated his shoulder. Despite these injuries, he still made it to the end of the hall before we caught him. The dislocation we were able to fix, and we bandaged his arms."
"A four-year-old did that?" Jessica asked in shock.
The nurse looked at her again and flicked her ears. "Are you one of Mark's relatives? His mother, perhaps?"
"No, this is my daughter, Jessica. She's here to act as a consultant," her dad said before she could answer. Her ears laid back as he did. She was capable of speaking for herself.
The nurse gestured to a clipboard with a pen. "You'll need to sign in as a guest."
Jessica picked up the clipboard and pen and signed her name before setting it back down. The nurse glanced at the clipboard, then did a double take, looked at her, looked at the clipboard, and then grinned back at her.
"Jessica Middleton? I know who you are!" the nurse said excitedly.
Jessica smiled, and her ears picked back up.
"You're the person from that movie!"
Her ears instantly flattened again.
The nurse picked up on her mood and shrank back. "Did I say something wrong? Are you not that person? I'm sorry. It's just a weird coincidence you're a partial, and your name is Jessica Middleton."
She rubbed her forehead, taking a moment to relax, then smiled and lowered her hand.
"I am the person that character is based on. I haven't seen the movie, but I assume they took some liberties. I prefer to be remembered for Middleton's Law."
"What's that? Is it like Murphy's Law?" the nurse asked.
Why do I bother? I'm going to be remembered for that movie till the day I die. She lamented in her head.
"It's a law of physics," she answered, trying to keep smiling and keeping her tail and ears under control hurt.
The nurse's mood brightened up. "Oh, that's cool. You should really see the movie; it's really good. It won like four Oscars."
"Five," her dad corrected. "Best Picture, Best Special Effects, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Score, and Best Makeup."
She frowned at her father. "You've seen it?"
He looked away and scratched at his beard. "Well, Daniel Radcliffe played me, and I was a huge Harry Potter fan back in the day. How could I turn up seeing myself portrayed by him? The scene where my character decked Sunset Blessing in the face was great."
"Did you ever punch Auntie in the face?" she asked. She was sure she would have heard about that.
He shook his head. "No...they took some creative license. It was still great to watch. Anyway, we're off track. Let's focus on Mark."
The nurse levitated the keys and looked at some camera feeds. "He's awake and looking out the window." She hopped down from her stool. "Let me go get the door for you. Just help block it when it opens. He might try to make a break for it. Please don't underestimate how fast he can move when he wants to. He gallops."
That made sense. He might not be able to move around like a proper human or pony, but if he was hunched over, he might move more like a monkey, and monkeys could gallop. This wasn't someone trapped in an unfamiliar body. This was all he had ever known, and he was adapted to it.
They followed her two more doors down the hallway and stood close behind her to make a wall as she opened the door. The unicorn braced herself as she cracked the door. Jessica heard whoever was within move. Mark was fast, based on where she heard the sounds. He had been on the far side of the room and was now somewhere near the center of the room, and it had only taken him a little over a second to move from one to the other. He must be hiding behind or under the bed.
"Mark? You've got guests. It's nice Mister Middleton, and he brought a visitor you might like," the nurse called out as she cracked the door open. Mark's heart was beating fast, and he was holding his breath.
"I hear him. He's hiding behind the bed. We can get this from here," Jessica informed the nurse.
The nurse looked up at her in surprise. "Wow, you have excellent hearing, not like a human. These rooms are sound-insulated. I just barely heard him moving around."
Calm down. She doesn't know she's saying all the wrong things to you. Don't get mad at the friendly nurse. Jessica scolded herself. Still, she had had enough of this nurse. She focused her magic.
AAAAAAAARRRRRROOOOOOOO
Her dad and the nurse both jumped at the sound.
"What?! What is that?!" the nurse shouted.
Jessica smiled. "Sounds like some sort of alarm back at your desk. You better go check it out."
"I don't have any alarm that sounds like that!" the nurse yelled as she hurried back to her desk.
Her dad gave her a dirty look. "Jessie..."
She spread her hands. "What? She's a nice pony, but she was driving me nuts. I was worried that I was going to end up telling her off. This was easier. Don't worry; I ensured that only the three of us heard that, so I didn't disturb any patients."
"It was still an immature thing to do. We'll discuss it later," her dad said as he walked by her and entered the room. She had no choice but to follow, shutting the door firmly behind her once she was through.
The room was a reasonably standard hospital room. There were two beds, neither of which was occupied at the moment. Some medical equipment that she wasn't sure of the use. A small table with a trio of stools was placed near the window, and another small table with a trio of Ottoman tools was set just to their right against the wall. There were two other doors which she assumed were a closet and a bathroom. Two televisions adorned the wall in front of each bed, with a drawn-back privacy curtain. Mark was nowhere to be seen, but she heard his heartbeat and knew he was hiding under the farther away bed, despite the fact it seemed very low to the floor. She and her dad wouldn't be able to squeeze under either bed. She doubted that either of her brothers could pull it off either. There was also a food tray, which was empty aside from a few crumbs.
"Mark, remember me?" her dad said as he walked to the middle of the room. "I'm Mister Middleton. You met me yesterday. I'm a friend."
He sat down on the floor, away from the beds, and folded his legs under himself. "I heard you tried to get out of the hospital. I understand. I don't like hospitals either. You can stay under the bed if you want. I'm just going to sit here. Is that okay?"
There was no response. His heart was still beating fast, but at least he seemed to have given up on holding his breath. She was unsure if that was because he knew that they knew where he was or because he couldn't manage it anymore after holding his breath earlier. She stayed by the door, unsure what to do. Her dad hadn't given her any instructions, and he seemed to be trying to get Mark to feel safe. Mark probably knew she was there. He no doubt could see her feet and the end of her tail. He might hear or smell her, too, since he did have pony ears, and who knew how pony-like his other senses were.
"Do you like cartoons?" her dad asked. "You must be bored. Let's watch cartoons. Jessie, put on some cartoons."
She looked around. "I don't see a remote. Is the television voice activated?"
He shook his head and pointed at the bed closest to her. "There's a remote attached to the bed. I'd climb on the bed so he can see you if he peeks out. Right now, he can't get a good look at you."
It was direction on what to do, so she wasn't going to object, although she was unsure if she should be getting on the bed. Then again, she had an extremely poor grasp of what constituted proper hospital etiquette, so maybe it wasn't breaking any rules. She climbed onto the hospital bed, trying to avoid disturbing the covers. Now that she was here, she quickly found the control for the television on the side. It was odd because it had no button to access web browsing, which had become standard on televisions in the past few years. Then again, there was no keyboard, so typing anything out had to be done by selecting letter by letter with the controller, which was time-consuming. She turned on the television, quickly found the animation section, and randomly picked something.
"No, Jessie! Pick something age-appropriate, not anime!"
She glared at her dad. "It's what you and Robby watch, and I know Robby started watching cartoons like this when I was a baby."
He shook his head. "That was a parenting mistake. Pick something for a younger audience."
She pointed at herself. "Look at who you're talking to. I'm among the least adept at knowing what's age appropriate. Growing up, I never did anything meant for my age."
Her dad rubbed his head. "Sesame Street, put on Sesame Street."
After searching around for a few seconds, she instead found the search option and slowly entered the show's name. When she saw it, she rolled her eyes. She couldn't find it because it wasn't animated. It looked like some sort of puppet show. It would be interesting to see what was age-appropriate for a four-year-old. The earliest cartoons she had watched had been meant for kids eight and up. There may have been some earlier ones, but she'd watched those at a much younger age than Mark.
The show started playing.
"Today's episode is brought to you by the letter H!"
They'd watched silently for about eight minutes, and she was beginning to believe her dad had to be mistaken. This couldn't be meant for kids his age. She knew she had been a little advanced, but this would have bored her at three. Maybe this version was meant for kids around one or two, and another version was meant for kids around four. She'd have changed it, but her dad hadn't told her to, and Mark's heartbeat slowed to a more normal rate. Perhaps the show was boring him to sleep.
Her dad stood up, taking his time doing so. She heard Mark's heartbeat and breathing quicken. "I'm going to go make some calls. Will you sit here with Mark? He seems relaxed."
You're leaving him alone with me to see if he'll respond to me without you here. she said in her head. That was why she'd come along, so she silently nodded, afraid that making any noise might spook the kid further. Maybe if she was quiet enough, he would forget she was there. Thinking of that, she decided to mute the sound of her breathing and heartbeat. It was unlikely he could hear those things as well as she could, but it wasn't impossible.
Her dad left the room, shutting the door behind him. She caught a brief glimpse of color from the corner of her eye, but it quickly pulled back under the bed, and his heartbeat and breathing elevated further. He had forgotten she was there but must have caught sight of her in that moment. She didn't turn to look and tried to keep watching the infantile show currently playing.
Minutes passed, and his heartbeat and breathing settled down, but he made no further attempts to come out from under the bed. She still wished she was watching almost anything else. It seemed like it was teaching kids how to read and recognize letters, but this wasn't how she had learned to read. She had learned to read by recognizing full words, then discovering parts of words that were similar between similar sounding words. Individual letter sounds came last. Was this one-letter approach really how children learned to read? It seemed so inefficient. Individual letters, vowels, in particular, could produce many different sounds, and you needed the context to know what sound they made.
She had had enough of this inane program and turned it off. Mark's breathing and heartbeat immediately picked up as the television turned off. He hadn't fallen asleep. She needed to do something to interact with him; otherwise, why was she even present? What to do?
"Do you like stories? I can tell you a story," she said. She did turn and look where he was hiding. He was out of sight, but she lived in a world of sound.
He didn't respond, and his heartbeat and breathing were still elevated. She didn't know many fairy tales and was pretty confident that the majority of the books she had ever read were not age-appropriate for him. The best option was to use a story with only children. She wasn't going to give him a summary of Lord of the Flies so that limited her options. That left only things she had experienced herself. She would not tell him about the events that ended with her impaled on a large piece of wood.
She made a decision. "Once, six people raced. There was a smart kid, an athletic kid, a shy kid, and three demons."
His heartbeat and breathing slowed a little, doing a small jump at the term demons. He could understand what she was saying then. She smiled and began.
"When the race started, the smart kid took an early lead. The smart kid was the fastest when running in a straight line, but the smart kid was only a little bit faster than the athlete, and the athlete ended up taking the lead every time they had to turn a corner or run around anything. So in the early race, the smart kid and the athlete were going back and forth between who was in the lead, followed by the three demons, and the sy kid was behind everyone.
"There were lots of obstacles and turns to make along the race. There were three laps, and anyone who cried or got hurt was disqualified. There was uneven ground, fences and walls, and a bunch of bushes you had to weave through. Each of the kids had adults who cheered them on. The smart kid's parents cheered her on. The athlete's parents cheered her on. The demons had different adults who cheered different demons on, but one of the demons' mothers- they had two- decided to cheer on the shy kid. The other adults laughed at her because the shy kid was not as smart as the smart kid, not as athletic as the athlete, and not as tricky as the demons. Still, the demons' mother, the Queen of Nightmares, said it would be the shy kid who won."
His heartbeat slowed more, and his breathing was regular. She took that as he was listening, and continued.
"The runners had to weave around a bunch of walls. The smart kid had been in the lead coming up to the walls, but the athlete got past her with all the turns they had to make, but when they got through the walls, they found out that the three tricky demons had somehow gotten ahead of them even though they never saw them pass!"
His heartbeat quickened. Was she too loud?
"The next part of the race had a big hill. It was a straight run, so the smart kid used this to run past the athlete, but the demons were so far ahead that they couldn't even be seen. The shy kid kept on running behind everyone. That kid had been in last place the entire time, but they kept running their heart out. The next part of the race had the bushes, and the three demons crashed into the bushes. They sat and wiggled to get free from the bushes, arguing and yelling at each other the entire time, as the smart kid and the athlete came running to catch up. The mother of demons got angry and yelled at them in their demonic language, and the demons got free, but they weren't so far in the lead now."
A hand became visible under the bed. It was tiny, too tiny for a child his age, not much larger than an infant's. The hand was fur-free with tan skin like someone of Latin American descent, but orange fur was visible on the wrist that might have stretched down the arm. She made sure not to react to seeing this little bit of him and continued her story.
"They began the second lap, and when they got to the section with the walls again, they saw how the demons tricked them. The demons could climb the walls and go across their tops instead of going around, which made them gain a big lead. One of the demons turned to make fun of the smart kid, the athlete, and the shy kid, but when they did, they lost their balance and fell off the wall. They got hurt and were removed from the race. One demon down."
Mark pulled himself a little closer. She still couldn't see his face but saw that his arms were indeed covered in orange fur. His hair...mane...was the same shade of blue as hers, but it was a shaggy mess that both stuck up and hung everywhere, making him look like a treasure troll having a bad hair day. The blue hair obscured his face, but she could see an orange horn poking through the bush of hair. There was also white gauze wrapped around parts of each arm.
"The second lap continued. The two remaining demons did not fight with each other and get caught in the bushes this time around, and the other three kids followed, with the smart kid and the athlete trading places back and forth, and the shy kid still in last place, slowly gaining on the other four," she continued.
Mark got no closer. His heartbeat was still slightly elevated, but he wasn't making as much effort to stay hidden anymore. That could change in an instant. If she made any sudden moves, he might retreat out of sight again.
"Then began the third and final lap. The two demons remained in the lead, but they'd been slowing down. Their tricks kept them ahead, but they were not as fast as the others, and they could not run as long as the others without getting tired. When they reached the walls and started trying to climb, the athlete jumped forward and knocked them down! One came crashing down on the other, and they cried. Because they cried, they were removed from the race. All the demons were down. It was now down to the smart kid, the athlete, and the shy kid. Who do you think will win?"
He skittered back out of sight, heartbeat racing. So much for getting him to talk. That might have undone all the progress. She felt like kicking herself in the tail.
Still, she was going to give it one more shot. "I know you're there, and if you're afraid of talking to a stranger, I'm like you. I have two legs, a tail, fur, big ears, and our hair on our heads is even the same color. That's not strange at all when we're both that way. You can stay under there if it makes you feel better, but you can still tell me who will win. That's safe, right?"
She listened. His breathing slowed slightly, as did his heartrate. What she said must have made some impact. He was considering answering her. She continued to wait. She wasn't going to prompt him anymore. He either was going to respond or he wasn't.
When he didn't respond after thirty seconds, she decided to continue the story.
"It's okay, we're coming to the end of the story, and we can find out together." That was a nonsensical statement, considering she was telling a story from her head instead of reading a book, but it felt like the right thing to say.
"The final lap was in progress. The smart kid and the athlete were neck and neck in the lead- that means they were right next to each other. The shy kid was far behind them and didn't seem to have a chance to catch up, but the shy kid still kept running because the Queen of Nightmares had kept shouting, asking how the shy kid was doing, and the shy kid didn't want to disappoint the Queen of Nightmares. The smart kid got to the top of the hill and realized that she would not be able to stay in the lead running around the bushes. So the smart kid decided to do something not very smart; she would do a trick and run straight into the bushes. If running around them was too slow, she wouldn't run around them.
"The athlete watched this, and the athlete was afraid because the smart kid's trick could win the race. So the athlete decided that if the smart kid was going to do a trick and run through the bushes, she would do her own trick and fly over the bushes. With a mighty jump, she jumped in the air...."
She decided to be quiet for a few seconds to build up tension. This story might not exactly be tense. It barely qualified as a story, but Mark was into it, so she needed to perform for him.
"...and the athlete fell instead of flew and landed on the smart kid. Both of them tumbled into the branches of the bushes, and they got stuck. The two of them struggled against each other, but they only got themselves more caught in the branches. The shy kid passed them, taking the lead, and by the time they got free, the shy kid had crossed the finish line and won. After that, the other kids cheered for the shy kid. All the other racers had tried to use fancy tricks to win, but the shy kid ran as hard as they could, never trying any tricks. The other kids saw this and decided to be friends with the shy kid. The end."
The moral was a little weak and tacked on at the end, but stories for young kids were supposed to have a moral. Jordan would probably give her story a scathing critique, even if it was Jordan who was the 'hero' of the story. It was funny, thinking back to how shy Jordan used to be. She certainly wasn't shy now.
Mark didn't move, but what she heard told her that he was at least calm. She wouldn't ask him if he liked the story. That would be pressuring him to speak again.
"I'm going to leave now," she announced. "I hope you enjoyed the story. I wish you had talked to me or come out so I could see you, but I know you're scared. That's okay. Hospitals scare me too, and look how big I am."
She slowly turned herself around so she could get off the bed in the opposite direction as him, not wanting to scare him. His heartbeat picked up, and it picked up even more when her feet touched the floor.
"Have a good day, Mark. I hope things get better for you soon and your grandma wakes up soon to take care of you," she concluded as she walked to the door.
"Grandma?"
Her hand stopped on the door handle as he spoke the word. It had been said clearly, with no slurring or mumbling, and she heard the question. He spoke. That was what her dad wanted her to get him to do. So what was she supposed to do now? She wasn't even sure if he was allowed to know about his grandmother's condition yet. She might have broken some protocol.
Licking her lips, she turned back towards where he was still hiding. If protocol had been broken, there was no undoing it. "Your grandma is sick, and she's asleep. We've tried to wake her up, but she won't wake up. That's why she's been missing. The doctors are trying to help her get better. Do you miss and love your grandma?"
There were several seconds where all she heard from him was his heart beating hard against his chest, labored breathing, and...and he was crying.
"You don't have to answer," she gently said. "I can hear you, and I can tell without you saying words. I do hope she gets better. You shouldn't have to be alone. I do need to get going."
She turned to open the door.
"Story?" he asked in a hopeful tone.
She honestly didn't have time. She had already spent more time here than she had intended. Why had her dad not come back yet? She could hear him too, and he hadn't been on the phone for a while. He was out by the nurse's station. She recognized the sound of him as easily as she recognized his face.
"Tomorrow. I'll come tell you another story tomorrow," she answered.
"Promise?" Mark asked.
"I promise," she replied, then opened the door. It seemed like she was committed to a return visit. |
Partial | Chapter 4: Auntie's Quest | Jessica sat listening to the printer, the hum of the electricity, the turning of gears to keep the paper moving. It was something to focus on. Her other option was to focus on the typing that was going on in the next office over. She'd been introduced to him but couldn't recall his name. He had no professional research pedigree. He possessed a doctorate, but whatever his thesis had been must not have amounted to much. He was a teacher, and that was alright. The world needed teachers. However, those with doctorates were supposed to advance their fields, even if they taught as well. If he only wanted to teach college, he could have stopped at the master's degree. Handing a doctorate to someone who didn't advance the field was an insult to the field.
Thinking like that isn't going to win you any friends. Stop trying to build yourself up as superior. She scolded herself.
Maybe it was just her annoyance about her upcoming class making her think negatively. It wasn't until just an hour ago that she'd looked at the roster. She had seventy-five students in the class, seventy-five- a packed class. They expected her to instruct that many students properly? How? This was a job for what's-his-name next door, the career educator, not her.
On top of that, the class lasted four hours, though it was thankfully just once a week. Who wanted to sit through a four-hour class? She knew she didn't, and she was the one teaching it. She'd have been banging her head on the desk when she was a student with a class that long. She'd figured that long class time would dissuade students from signing up for it, but she'd been wrong. This was Introduction to Physics; she had no legitimate expectation of finding the help she sought in this class. She wanted a small class that wouldn't add much to her workload. If she was going to make a legitimate attempt to give one-on-one instruction, it would have been much easier with a smaller class. She wouldn't even be able to learn all the students' names with this many in her class.
The printer stopped, not because it was done, but because it had run out of paper. She sighed and opened the paper tray, reloading it. She had planned to introduce herself to the class and then give them a test. The test was not meant to be part of their overall grade but something she could use to determine how much they knew about physics coming into the class. She knew she had a bad habit of talking over people's heads when it came to math and physics, so it was best to know what she was working with so the students could get what they were paying for instead of spending the course confused because she assumed they knew basic concepts. If she was actually going to grade these, she expected that none of the class would get over half the questions correct, and an alarming number might not get any questions right. They would complete the test, and she would dismiss the class early, giving her time to review the completed tests and get home early. Seventy-five tests to check certainly put a damper on those plans. It might end up curbing what kinds of tests and projects she could assign going forward.
This class was like a freshly planted garden. There were no blooms, but there could be in the future. Gardens needed tending. She was trying to grow the best physicists, astronomers, and engineers in the world, but there would be many present that had no hope of ever achieving greatness. Hopefully, a fair number of students would get scared away by the test and drop the class, reducing her workload and giving the remaining students hope of individual instruction. Her garden needed preening and weeding so the good shoots could grow.
Her ears flicked as she heard her coworker in the next office stop typing and shut his laptop. Maybe he was going home for the day. She listened to his chair scratch across the floor, then his footsteps. There was a slight rustling, perhaps him picking up and putting on his coat, then some more footsteps, the sound of his door opening, and the lights clicking off. Wait...his footsteps were coming toward her, not out the hall towards the exit.
*Knock *knock *knock
Fudge! What did he want?
"You may enter," she answered as she reloaded the printer yet again.
Her door opened, and her colleague stepped in. He was around her height, slightly pale, moderately built, neither skinny nor fat, and had glasses. Aside from her, he was probably the youngest member of the department faculty since he appeared to be in his mid to late twenties. He had short-cut hair that was a light purple. The hair color didn't indicate he was rehumanized or a partial since dying hair colors unnatural for humans was pretty common, especially in people under thirty, and had lost its stigma among professionals years ago. His heartbeat and breathing were regular, and she could hear his stomach working on breaking down some food, indicating he'd eaten something recently. Surprisingly, he had a wind-up watch, which would have been a rarity even for her grandparents' generation; she could hear all the gears ticking within.
"Hello, Doctor Middleton. I was coming by to see how you were settling in," her office neighbor said in a friendly manner. He looked around. "It still looks bare in here, just your desk, chair, printer, and computer. It doesn't have any personal touch."
She reloaded the printer yet again. "Dean Francis wants me to move my office off campus, so there isn't much point in making this room my own."
He blinked in shock. "Why would he want that? You being hired was a huge deal to the Board of Governors. They practically took a victory lap when you agreed to teach here. You bring star power to our faculty that increases the university's clout and desirability to prospective students and donors. They consider it like this is Oxford getting its Newton. I would be neither surprised nor insulted if you were the highest-paid faculty member in the entire university. The governors must be walking on eggshells to keep you happy. Dean Francis has to realize that."
She set the pile of papers aside that had already been printed. There were so many that it was starting to spill over in the tray. A ten-page test printed seventy-five times took up a lot of paper. Wild Growth would probably get mad at her for murdering trees if she knew.
"If you're trying to build up my ego, it isn't necessary. It is already rather massive. It doesn't need to get bigger," she replied. "Dean Francis has legitimate concerns about my hearing. You said I'm the Newton of this institution? Newton had accusations of intellectual theft during his tenure at Oxford. It's best not to be put in a position where I can be accused of the same."
He chuckled. "Fair enough, although you won't get much from me unless you can tell what keys I'm typing....You can't tell that with just sound, correct?"
She shook her head. "No, it's just a lot of clicking."
"Good," he said, sounding mildly relieved. "Anyway, I was also curious about why you chose to teach here. I'm sure M.I.T., Harvard, Brown, and Stanford would have happily extended you a contract. Our school is of high quality, but it doesn't normally attract the best of the best. They would look better on your professional resume and have access to funding you could only dream of here."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "I already had my interview, and this sounds like a repeat of that."
He spread his hands. "No offense intended. I'm just curious. If any of those places offered me a position, I'd jump on it in a heartbeat, no offense to our school."
"Well, this is my alma mater, and I'm familiar with the facilities here. They meet my needs. It is close to my family. It is also a short drive to the mountains where there is a minimum of light pollution; most of those other locations you named don't have that last advantage," she explained. "I'm not concerned about salary. I work part-time here and am paid a part-time wage; at least, I assume I am. This is my first salaried position, so I don't know what an appropriate full-time wage is. My work elsewhere is more on a job-by-job contractor basis, and some of those don't even pay."
"Call me jealous. I have yet to be asked to do any work for NASA or tech firms. I wouldn't even know what the Dreamwardens contract you to do," he said.
He's digging for information. She thought to herself.
"You aren't one of those people who put on spandex and try to fight crime, are you?" he asked.
She blinked. "What?! Why would I ever do something so insane? Who would?"
He shrugged. "There are many humans with weird magic that consider their magic their superpower and try to go out and be superheroes. Most of them end up causing more damage than they tried to prevent, but that's vigilantes for you. You've got unique magic, and smart as you are, I'm sure you can get creative about how you use it. Plus, it isn't like you haven't tried to be a hero before. More people know what you did during the Cataclysm of Riverview than know you defined a law of physics. You've got the perfect origin story."
She rolled her eyes. "Believe me; I have no dreams of doing superheroics. My magic lets me be more aware of what is happening around me, much like ponies are more aware of scents than us, and humans are more aware of temperature changes than a pony or me, but it isn't something I'd ever weaponize. One time playing the hero was enough for me. Falling hundreds of feet and getting impaled should discourage anyone from thinking about brash heroics. As for what I'm doing for my various employers, that's classified."
"Would you do things differently if you had to redo that moment again?" he asked.
"No," she replied immediately. "My best friend would have died if I hadn't done that, and I wouldn't let that happen. If I had something to do over again back then, it would be trying to find a way to avoid getting into that position. I'm unsure how I would have avoided it, but I could find a way."
"Well, the results aren't all bad. You could still be an earth pony," he said. She immediately gave him a dirty look, and it was plain on his face he knew he said the wrong thing. "I mean, it would be harder for you to work as a scientist if you were still an Earth pony. Having hands is rather convenient. Nothing rude intended against earth ponies."
She picked up the latest pile of papers from the printer and added them to the pile. She then picked up the stack and handed it to him. He looked at her in confusion.
"Yes, having hands comes in handy. Sometimes I wish I had an extra set," she calmly replied. "Since I don't, can you please kindly be a gentleman and assist me in carrying these to my class? I didn't realize how many students I have, so I underestimated how big this stack of tests would grow to be."
He looked down at the papers. "A test on the first day? You certainly aren't trying to make friends with your students."
She waved it off. "Just trying to determine what they already know. It covers far more than is in the course and won't count toward their grade. If any student gets half the questions right, I'll tell them they're getting an A in the course and don't need to attend class anymore. No point in wasting four hours of their week teaching them what they already know. I'd only bore them, not teach them."
He set the papers on the desk and picked one up to look at. "What's in this test that you'd give them an A in the class if they get half the questions right?"
"A little of everything," she answered. "It starts with the basic concepts and works its way up to the more advanced concepts. I threw in a little astronomy to give it some variation."
"Approximately how many Erisian lunar months pass between the beginning of Eris's closest proximity to the Sun and when it is at its furthest proximity to the Sun?" he read off from the middle of the astronomy section. "I couldn't answer that one off the top of my head, and my field is astronomy. It's a high number; I know that. I'd highly doubt most students even know what Eris is, despite the recent uptick in interest in it among NASA officials. I'm surprised with all the chatter about Eris that there hasn't been more talk of sending a probe to it, even after the surprise massive boost to NASA's budget under the last two presidents."
There's been no talk of sending a probe because we've already landed probes on it using magic to teleport them out there. The people at NASA need to quiet the chatter before someone realizes the UN is getting ready to build a military staging base there. she thought to herself.
She shrugged. "I'm not expecting a correct answer. If a student answers somewhere in the general ballpark, I'll be impressed. I would enjoy being impressed." She unhooked her laptop before closing it and picking it up. "Let's go. I don't want to be late, and you want to head home."
After exiting her office, she made sure to take a look at the nameplate on her neighbor's door, Doctor Adam Jefferson. She'd need to pay attention to him. His phishing for information put her on edge. He could be just a friendly coworker, or he could be an agent for who knew who. The Chinese were known to have agents scattered across the country in everything from businesses to Congress. Having one as a professor at a school right in the heart of pony territory wouldn't be the most outlandish possibility. Others could be out there, too; no need to focus strictly on China and miss someone else trying to pull something.
There were fewer students in the hallways this time around. A few were still going about at this hour, but they were more focused on going where they were going instead of just standing around talking. She still felt the eyes on her as she walked down the halls. The decreased number of students might have made it all the worse- she stood out more in these less populated halls. Footsteps seemed louder when there were fewer of them. Doctor Jefferson followed behind her, papers in hand. Her pace might have discouraged him from talking more.
The same auditorium she held her other class was being used again for this one. Before she entered the door, her ears were bombarded with whispers, heartbeats, breathing, talking, and even people passing gas that they likely thought no one could hear. Her magic had its drawbacks. This would be too much for her if she didn't purposely tune it out. It would be a struggle to pinpoint individual sounds in all of that. Would she even adequately be able to field questions when she couldn't tell who was speaking? She hoped this test scared off a significant number of students. The noise was hard to focus through.
Deep breaths. she instructed herself, then walked in.
Voices quieted as she walked in, a mild relief to her ears. They were all watching her; she knew that without looking at them. She walked steadily to the front. With each step, she lost a little more ability to tune the sound out as she felt the legion of eyes watching her. Heartbeats, breathing, and whispering got louder and louder in her ears until it was just constant booming noise. She lost track of her own heartbeat and breathing in the deafening sound. It became harder to breathe as if being unable to hear her lungs at work made her body question whether they were functioning. She had no choice; she had to put up a sound barrier around herself so she could breathe. If this continued, she'd lose control, and everyone in the auditorium would suffer what she was currently experiencing.
The sound barrier went up in a small radius around herself. She could hear her vitals again. She could also hear Adam's since he was within the border, but that didn't bother her. She finally reached the desk and put her laptop into position, careful not to slam it down. The hard part was done. She could turn and focus on faces now and avoid any discussion. The only voice, only heartbeat, only breath that she needed to worry about were her own.
"Are you okay?"
She looked up. Adam was looking at her, and he looked worried.
"Are you okay?" he repeated. "You're shaking. Your tail looks like it is about to have a seizure. Your ears are vibrating like mad, and you look sick."
There was no point in lying. She would cause unfounded rumors if she lied.
"Anxiety attack. They happen sometimes. Having lots of people in a compressed space can set it off. It doesn't happen all the time or even most of the time under those circumstances, but it still happens. There's just too much sound, too many people watching me."
He gave her a sympathetic look. "That explains what happened, but it doesn't answer whether you'll be okay. Do you need to cancel the class for tonight? It will be okay if you do. Professors get sick, and all these students just saw the same thing I did."
She shook her head. "No, I need to seem in control. I can't seem weak as a partial. I'm also younger than some of these students. I have to work harder to be an authority figure because of that. I'll lose their respect if I can't seem to handle it...but I might forgo the tests until next time and release them early."
He sighed. "If you insist, but I need to inform you there will always be students older than you unless you get to Dean Francis's age. I'm older than you, and I still have students older than me in my classes. Not every student is someone who came here straight out of high school. Considering you've been a big deal in the scientific community since I was in middle school, I think most might not realize you're as young as you are. As for being a partial...I don't know what to say about that. I don't have the experience to give advice I'm confident would be accurate. Just remember, this class is packed because these students want to be instructed by the great Doctor Middleton, who came up with Middleton's Law and was a hero who saved the lives of her friends despite impossible odds against them coming out alive. That even you can have an anxiety attack might make them a little less nervous dealing with someone who is practically a legend. That should put some things in perspective."
She managed a weak smile. "You really are just a nice coworker, aren't you?"
Adam blinked. "You suspected I wasn't?"
"Call me paranoid," she replied and stood up straight. "My nerves have settled. I can take it from here. Thank you, Adam, for all your help and for being nice enough to carry those papers to class for me."
He chuckled. "No problem. You're the only department member not old enough to be my parent or grandparent. I might be older than you, but you're the closest person to my age that I get to work with. We've got to look out for each other with these old fogies. Can I treat you to a coffee sometime? I have my projects I'd love to have your input on, and your accomplishments are big enough that you'd have no desire to take credit for my work."
Her smile faded a little. "I'm a bit overwhelmed by my workload as it is without getting involved in anyone else's projects, but maybe we can have coffee sometime. Now, let me teach my class."
He nodded. "See you tomorrow then." He then turned and walked away.
She turned and faced the class, watching him depart for a second before turning her eyes to the students.
"Welcome to Physics 101," she greeted in a regular volume, broadcasting her voice with her magic. "I'm Doctor Middleton. I'll be keeping today short since I'm feeling a bit under the weather, as you observed. I'll briefly introduce myself, what you are expected to know by the end of this course, how you will be graded, and then dismiss early. We'll generally take a fifteen-minute break halfway through the class, so don't worry about having to sit for four hours straight. Today we should be dismissed before the two-hour mark."
She paused and laid a hand on the pile of papers. "However, be prepared next week because we shall begin the next class with a test. I was planning on doing it today, but health comes first."
There was a collective groan and sound of dismay at the announcement of the test, and she smiled.
"Don't worry; his test will not count towards your grade. It is primarily for me to understand how much you all know already. It will cover all the key concepts you are expected to know by the end of this course, along with increasingly more advanced concepts and some astronomy. Don't be distressed if you don't know an answer; I don't expect anyone will get the majority of answers correct, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are more than a few of you who don't know any of the answers. However, there is one huge benefit to those of you who might be more knowledgeable about physics than your classmates. If you get at least half the questions right, including the majority of the basic concepts for this course, you will be automatically awarded an A for the course and are no longer required to complete any more classwork, projects, or tests for this class, and I'm not concerned about attendance. Now you know the test is coming, and you have a week to prepare."
She still couldn't focus on individual reactions among such a crowd, but she heard the general excitement about the possibility of essentially testing out of the class, especially if they didn't lose anything for failing. That at least meant she had the students' full attention.
"Let's begin the introduction," she said, turning on her laptop.
Class was dismissed a little before the two-hour mark, and some students stayed behind to give her well-wishes, saying they hoped she felt better. Others stayed to ask her questions. There was one night pony in particular who stayed and asked her a barrage of astronomy questions, some advanced enough that she wondered if he might get more than half the questions right on the test. She was pretty confident he would at least do well on the astronomy section. Others stayed to ask her about what happened back during the Cataclysm of Riverview. She did her best to politely decline talking about those details and was honest about it having been a traumatic experience for her. She didn't let them know she could still be triggered into a panic attack at the smell and sight of an inferno. Some terrors stayed with her long after they passed.
Then, at last, she was finally blissfully alone. Aside from hers, there were no heartbeats, breaths, whispers, or gazes. The auditorium was big enough to give her space away from any such possible sources. There were still other sounds, like the hum of electricity, the air conditioner, and the ground settling beneath the floor, but those could be easily tuned out. She sat at the desk and just let herself breathe and relax.
Peace at last.
"Feeling relieved that your class is over?"
She jumped and almost fell out of her chair before she caught herself. No sound indicated someone had entered or was in the room with her, but whoever had spoken was directly behind her.
Turning and looking, she saw a muscular woman with dark black hair that extended just past the shoulders, blue eyes, and a reasonably large bust, smiling at her. She was wearing a business suit and had her hands on her hips. The woman had no heartbeat, no breathing, not even the sound of the air brushing against her. She wasn't really there. Jessica didn't recognize her face, but there could only be one visitor who could be present without being present, and they could look like whatever they wanted.
Jessica sighed and laid her head down on the desk, ears back. "I guess I won't be allowed to take a break like I asked."
The woman seemed to walk around her to the front of the desk and then sit on the desk.
"You told us that you were taking a break; there was no request involved," the woman said with a chuckle. "You know, having watched you, I don't know how I'd feel about you being one of my professors when I was in college. I'd be scared of someone planning a test on day one. However, I was worried about you when you came in here. I'm glad that...Adam, was it? I'm glad that Adam was able to give you some words of encouragement to calm you down. Miss Seapony had some choice suggestions about what you can do with him, but we know you and know you wouldn't be interested in hearing about those suggestions. She still insists I tell you to let loose and have fun with him."
Jessica lifted her head and narrowed her eyes at the woman, ignoring the unspoken lewd suggestion about what to do with Adam. "You've been in here watching me for that long? You must be wearing yourself out. I can't imagine you've been dancing for over two hours."
"I took some snack breaks and returned," the woman admitted. "I admit, I don't miss having to sit in a seat listening to someone talk for hours. I'm a very active person. Sitting still sooo long is practically torture."
Jessica shook her head. "So, what do you want? A progress update? Some new task for me?"
"Nah," the woman replied, waving a hand. "You said you need a break. Your having an anxiety attack supports that. I'm just checking in to see how you're doing and giving you the courtesy of telling you to take the time you need. I was your friend before I was one of the people giving you marching orders. I worry about you. Do you want a cake? Cake makes me feel better about things. I can bake you a cake and send it in the mail. I can put a nice happy face made out of gumdrops on it. Maybe some candy planets...you like planets, right? I inherited memories of living on a star from one of my forebears; it was weird. I think I like planets better than stars."
Jessica relaxed. "You know I dream of one day being able to set foot on another planet, so planets would be nice. You could have visited me in person if you're in town. Why visit me this way?"
The woman looked uncomfortable. "You don't seem to know, but since my promotion, my projection range has increased dramatically. I'm not even on the same side of the country as you are right now. I'm busy doing official things, and I get worked a lot. I might even lose weight with how much my siblings and the OMMR work me! I've been dealing with jerks in the government and the press and didn't even get to enjoy my full honeymoon."
"I heard about the press meet. It sounded like you were tormenting my aunt through much of it," Jessica replied with a smirk.
The woman crossed her arms. "Well, she's much too stuffy! She needs to take herself a little less seriously. People need to learn how to laugh at themselves. Being dead is no excuse to be stiff!"
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Are you ever serious?"
"I'm serious all the time! A person can be serious without being severe," the woman protested. "I try to keep things as lighthearted as I can. The world might be ending; that's pretty depressing to think about. It's best to keep people's spirits up. I have three primary modes, this one, where I'm smiling and trying to get a laugh; my sad mode, where it would just be entirely inappropriate to laugh; and my angry mode. You don't want to see me when I'm angry."
Jessica raised an eyebrow. "Anyone make you angry lately?"
The woman waved her hand dismissively. "You know I can't tell you that. I-"
The door to the auditorium opened, and the woman vanished in an instant. Jessica had no idea if she was gone or had simply gone invisible. She instead turned her attention to who was entering--a familiar middle-aged woman.
The woman smiled at her as she approached. "Ah! Jessie, I'm glad I caught you alone." The woman then paused and looked at where the other woman had been sitting on the desk. "Or at least what counts as alone, anyway. You can't hide from my eyes, Rebecca. I see your magic."
Rebecca reappeared, still in the same form and sitting on the desk. "Force of habit. I wasn't expecting you to leave your mansion today. What's up?"
The older woman scowled. "I'm not here for you, you puffed-up jester! I wanted to talk to my niece. I'll deal with the lot of you when I go to bed. Please, give us some real privacy."
Rebecca stuck her tongue out before responding. "Fine, I know when I'm not wanted. You're always a grumpy pants anyway!" She turned towards Jessica and smiled. "Expect the cake in the mail soon!"
Rebecca then vanished.
"She's my friend, Auntie; you could have been nicer," Jessica chided.
Auntie sat in one of the seats in the auditorium. "I didn't want your aunt listening in through her. I'm done, Jessie. I'm leaving."
Jessica frowned. "You came here just to leave?"
The older woman shook her head and then bowed it. "This morning, I dealt with yet another group of invaders. It was close; they almost got my sons. I stopped them and managed to take them prisoner, but I was so angry. I was going to execute them, Jessie. The only thing that stopped me was my sons. They stepped in front of me, blocking me from getting a clean shot."
Her Auntie stood up and turned away so her face wasn't visible. "They're always going to keep coming. If it isn't for my sons, it will be for me, over and over again. No one can stop them from coming, and I doubt the government even legitimately wants to. I'm a liability for what I know. Even if I could keep fending these attacks off, I'll lose myself at some point...or reveal my true nature- the murderous, hateful, vengeful bitch I tried to leave behind. I don't want to be that. I don't want my sons seeing me as that."
"So what are you going to do? Go even deeper into hiding?" Jessica asked. "You're already living in a mansion surrounded by a private military force."
Auntie turned and looked at her. "I'm going to Equestria. Luna extended a formal offer for sanctuary. Twilight Sparkle and Celestia have given me a job offer at the School of Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot, teaching the next generation of Equestria's mages to be more skilled than the last for once. Yinyu had originally wanted to take her foals to Equestria before she met her end, so I'm fulfilling her wishes."
"And I'm the first person you came to tell this?" Jessica asked.
Auntie shook her head. "No, I spoke with Charlotte first. I need someone to give the mansion to. My research is going to remain there. I refuse to destroy it, I'm not turning it over to the government, and it would be seized if I tried to take it to Equestria."
"Oh, so you're giving it to Charlotte?" Jessica asked. It would be nice having another of her friends living in the city.
Auntie shook her head again. "No, she laughed straight in my face, no respect for her grandmother."
Jessica felt a sinking feeling in her gut. "So...Moon or Arachne?"
Auntie looked at her like she was an idiot. "Moon is about to have his third foal with a third mare by the age of eighteen. I love him, but I can already imagine there's going to be some domestic dispute in the future between him and those mares. I'm not jeopardizing the mansion to some civil case. As for Arachne, she is way too much like me, and not in a good way. She is never to set a hoof on my research. I need someone who is family, intelligent, and capable of defending my research. Those last two knock out a considerable amount of the family. I already know Phobia will say no, my sisters are too old, my brother is a happy fool, and your brothers aren't capable."
Jessica stood up. "No! I'm not having that dumped on me! I have enough responsibilities. You're going to have to find someone else. I'm not taking your mansion."
Auntie threw her head back and groaned loudly. "Why is it so hard to give away a mansion?! Back in my day, if someone said, hey, here's a mansion, they'd jump on it. I'm willing to sweeten the pot and give all my future proceeds from my book sales. That alone should maintain the utilities and the property taxes going forward."
"Why don't you just give it back to Wild Growth?" Jessica asked. "She gave it to you to begin with."
"I can't," Auntie lamented. "She gave it to me before she entered Congress or was a senator. I can't give a mansion as a gift to someone who is a senator! Do you realize how much of an ethics violation that is? The whole reason she is a senator is because her predecessor had to resign for receiving excessive gifts. It isn't like Wild takes gifts back anyway. You young people are making it excessively hard for me and my foals to leave; do you know that?"
Jessica spread her hands. "Sorry, but you're asking us to take on a heavy burden protecting your research. I could accept and burn it all as soon as you were off-world, but I won't do something in that bad faith."
"At least you're a decent person," Auntie grumbled. "Alright, strike you off my candidates. I'm running very low on them. As someone who might be teaching in the Equestrian equivalent of a college very shortly, how goes your teaching position?"
Jessica sighed. "It seems to be going okay so far. The number of students in this night class was a little overwhelming. Things seem to be going better for me than I thought being a partial."
"You put too much stock in what people will think. You don't see me worrying about all the people who don't like me," Auntie replied dismissively.
"You are literally running away to Equestria because people don't like you," Jessica said flatly.
The older woman crossed her arms and raised her chin. "I'm also running because I have a family to protect, and the people I'm running from have murderous intent. That's a bit more than dislike. You'd understand if you had kids."
She was going to let that slide. Auntie probably didn't realize how sore a subject her inability to reproduce was, and Sunset Blessing's love of family was well-known. It did make her think of something else, though.
"Speaking of partial kids...you hear and know about things that never make it into the news. You wouldn't happen to have heard about any significantly large communities of partials nearby, would you? My dad and I met a partial kid. We'd like to know where he came from. He doesn't have anyone, and he's terrified."
The woman scratched her head. "No, I hadn't heard of this partial kid until now, but I was distracted this morning. The closest community of partials that most people don't know about and has enough members that they might have any chance of producing kids is down in Baja California. Have you considered the kid might be an illegal immigrant?"
Jessica blinked. "I've never heard of it. How many partials are in this community?"
Auntie shrugged. "Hard to get an accurate figure, considering they keep humans away and do their best to stay hidden and off the grid--a few hundred. I doubt most of them are even Mexican. It's composed of partials from everywhere in the Americas, including here. The Mexican government leaves them because it's more trouble than it's worth to chase them out, and to broadcast their existence would only put them at the mercy of the cartels. They figure they can leave them be, and they'll die out in a few years. Maintaining a community that size without amenities or outside help leads to a high mortality rate. If I had a kid there, I might try to get him somewhere else. He'd have a better chance of making it to adulthood."
That was a possibility. Where Auntie learned about all these things was a mystery. She'd always been good at scrounging up information, finding out secrets, flat-out stealing information, as well as finding ways of just casually bumping into people of note. Add to that the various other things she was notorious for, and you got trouble personified. While there was no doubt that Auntie leaving Earth was the best for her health, along with everyone else's, it was like the ending of an era to know that soon she would be gone. It was time for Jessica's generation to rise to the occasion to fight back against the Devourer threat and save the world.
On top of all that, she was one of the people Jessica always had to run equations for. It wasn't very likely that the job would go away without Auntie. That meant there'd be someone new hounding Jessica for numbers soon enough. What fun....
Auntie turned towards the door again and started walking, but paused, turned around, and approached her again. Jessica was a little confused about what the woman was up to, but then, to her amazement, the older woman wrapped her arms around her and hugged her.
"If I don't see you again, you take care of yourself. Don't let my deceased wife, daughter, that floating food compactor, or anyone else push you around. I know you're only my niece by marriage, but I still love you like my own blood; I wouldn't have offered you Wabash if I didn't. Last of all, I want to express one last time how truly sorry I am for what happened in Riverview. No matter what other factors were at work, I was ultimately to blame, and I will never be able to make that up to anyone. I pray that God forgives me, and I beg your forgiveness for my sin against you."
This was not typical behavior for her Auntie. Not knowing what else to do, Jessica hugged the older woman in return- gently. Best not to break the old lady.
"I forgave everyone involved long ago, but thanks for showing how much you care," she replied. "Good luck with your teaching job. Try not to make the Equestrians cry."
They released the embrace, and Sunset Blessing turned and walked away, perhaps for the last time. Jessica wondered who would end up with the mansion. Whoever they were, they likely would need a lot of help.
Jordan flopped on her bed and let off a big huff. She still had her makeup on and should wipe it off before forgetting about it. It wasn't good to fall asleep with makeup on. She needed to decide on what to read before falling asleep as well. Romance would not be the genre, that was for sure, not after the way the evening had gone. She detached her phone from her leg and put it on her headboard.
It was hard to say what had been the most embarrassing part of the evening. She'd been out with her roommate, getting some food off-campus. She'd seen two stallions, both about her age, both reasonably cute. Her roommate had told her to go for it. After several minutes of trying to flirt, which, if she was honest with herself, most likely came off as her being desperate instead of appealing, she learned it didn't matter one way or another. She may have found some cute stallions in this human town, but they were gay. She was so embarrassed to have been trying to flirt with two stallions who were on a date. Her fur nearly went black from the blush.
If that had been the end of it, she would have laughed it off as a misadventure. That hadn't been the end of it. One of the servers at the restaurant had been a mare and had seen the whole thing go down. They'd got to talking, and she'd thought she at least made a pony friend in the area. Then the mare had asked her out on a date, hoping she was bi and misreading her signals. Maybe it was also Jordan's fault for misreading the signals the mare must have been sending. Do you know how to stall out a friendship? Have one person ask the other out, and that other one say, let's be friends. Making it worse, she'd been caught so off-guard by it that she had practically stuttered out that response. That had to have felt like a kick in the tail for that other mare. She didn't deserve that. Daffodil had been her name.
What a disaster. She made a fool of herself, lost her chance at making a friend with one of the few other ponies she'd seen, and she'd overheard her fellow pledges laughing at her for how the evening went, which meant her roommate had gossiped about her to them. The betrayal stung. College was not off to a great start.
She levitated a few books off her tiny shelf and looked at the spines of each, reading the titles.
"Les Miserables it is," she said as she selected a book and put the rest back on the shelf--time to lose herself in a book.
Her phone started to buzz, and she used her magic to answer it without looking. "Hello, Jordan Gilmore here; who's this?"
"Good evening, Jordan. I hope I didn't wake you."
Her eyes went wide as she heard the voice of the speaker. She instantly took the phone off the headboard and brought it down close to her, and adjusted the volume on it so the voice wouldn't be so loud.
"Auntie Su-" she began to say and then flexed her ears. She might not have her best friend's hearing, but she could tell that her roommate was still in the shower. Still, it was best to keep this quiet. "Auntie, I'm surprised you called."
"I know I usually text, but I wanted to discuss something with you. Do you have privacy?"
Jordan got up from bed, keeping the phone floating near her head. "One moment." She walked over to the bathroom and called into it. "Hey! I'm stepping out for a few minutes. I'll be back shortly."
"Okay!" her roommate yelled over the volume of the shower.
She held the phone close again. "Give me another minute."
"Take your time, Jordan."
She attached the phone to her leg and exited the room. It was pretty late, and there didn't seem to be many people about, but she still didn't feel comfortable having a conversation with her auntie (not really her auntie, but that's what she'd grown up calling her eldest half-sister's mom) anywhere in the dorm building. She walked over to the balcony at the end of the hall and blink teleported out to the courtyard. No students were out here, and she'd see anyone getting close enough to hear.
Finally convinced she had privacy, she spoke again, "Sorry, I never know if it is safe to talk to you with people around. I wanted to get some more privacy. We're good to go."
"Your caution is commendable," Auntie answered. "Before we get onto discussing why I called. How has college been treating you? Is everything going well?"
Her ears sagged. "Classes are fine, but the social end has been a waste so far. Tonight was just a failure all-around. I miss Skytree. I miss being around lots of ponies."
"I'm sorry to hear things have not been going well," Auntie replied. "However, I have a once-in-a-lifetime offer for you that might change your life. How would you feel about inheriting a mansion in an area with a high pony population density?"
Her eyes bulged. A mansion? There was only one mansion Auntie had to offer, Wabash Manor. That was in Denver, and that would put her close to Jessie and around a lot of ponies since Colorado had been ground zero for ETS. She could transfer colleges if she did a move there. She'd lose a semester, delaying her eventual graduation, but that wasn't the worst thing if she got a mansion to live in. She'd made an ass of herself to start the year here and wasn't feeling a lot of loyalty from her fellow pledges or roommate, so a fresh start might not be a bad thing.
"You caught my interest," she eagerly replied. |
Partial | Chapter 5: Changing World | Paul sat in the hospital room, watching old Tiny Toon Adventure cartoons. Mark was under the same bed he'd spent every other session and hadn't spoken or poked so much as a finger out.
He'd tried telling the boy stories like Jessie had, but that didn't interest Mark. The cartoons didn't affect him either. Offering him food didn't work; the boy only came out to eat when no one was in the room and never had any leftovers. At least he had a healthy appetite. Sitting in the bathroom out of sight didn't work either. Mark was aware he was still there and stayed hidden.
There were no more options for engaging Mark for the day. In a few minutes, he would leave and check on the grandmother again. Tomorrow he'd return with toys and drawing materials. Even if he couldn't get Mark to play with them while he was present, he could watch the room's video feed and see what the boy did when he thought no one was watching. Would he play with the toys? Which toys would he play with?
He'd already watched the videos from the previous days. When no one was there, Mark moved around the room freely. It was hard to get a good look at Mark's face through the mass of blue hair, but you could see everything else. Mark had been wearing a pair of shorts when he'd been taken in, and he still wore those shorts. He wore no shirt or shoes. His feet looked almost like hooves, but not quite. He tended to walk around on all fours with his butt and tail raised high in the air, but he sat normally if hunched over. Orange fur covered his entire torso, legs, feet, and arms down to his wrists. It was hard to tell if the coat extended to his shoulders, neck, or face due to all the blue hair, but those who had taken him in and the hospital staff said it stopped at his lower neck. Mark used the bathroom toilet when he needed to go but hadn't attempted to wash himself. The sink and tops of the beds were too high for him to jump up on because he was barely bigger than an infant. The doctors said he only weighed fifteen pounds, far below the average weight for a human child his age but not uncommon for a pony foal that age. They hadn't gotten exact measurements for his height since the boy refused to hold still long enough for anyone to measure him. Despite the beds being too high for him, he had demonstrated he could get up on the stools and frequently did so he could look out the window. His hands, though small, seemed to have full mobility and the ability to grip.
Only Jessie had gotten him to speak. They may have been just single words and not sentences, but it was War and Peace compared to what everyone else got. The boy didn't grunt or sneeze. Even when someone physically grabbed him, he didn't cry out or yell, yet they now knew he wasn't mute. He was choosing not to make noise. Could that be something his grandmother had taught him to help keep him secret? That seemed likely. It was remarkable to see such self-control to stay silent from a four-year-old. Children that age, human or pony, tended to be loud and vocal.
Jessie should be arriving soon. Hopefully, she could get him to talk again and continue building a bond with the boy. Not to think disparagingly about his daughter, but it seemed odd that Mark would be more comfortable around Jessie. Yes, they were both partials, but she was far more human than Mark, and her height should have made her that much more intimidating to such a small child. Also, while Jessie did her best to be friendly, her disposition didn't always come off that way-a combination of her massive ego combined with paranoia and, at times, unrelenting focus on work. Jessie had her core circle of friends, but she wasn't very good at expanding it. By contrast to another high ego individual, Sunset Blessing was generally unlikable, but she at least was naturally motherly around children. Jessie didn't have that effortless maternal trait. If anything, Jessie became even more bristly around children. How she got through to Mark was a mystery.
"I'm leaving now," he said as he stood up. "I'm going to leave the cartoons on for you to watch. Jessie should be here to visit you soon. I'll be back tomorrow."
He waited a few seconds for a response. No response came, and he walked to the door. There was still no response as he opened the door, exited, and closed the door behind him. He went over to the nurse's station.
"Did he come out as soon as I closed the door?" he asked the unicorn nurse on duty, Rachael.
Rachael shook her head, pointing at the screen that showed Mark's room. "No, he usually stays under the bed for at least thirty minutes after someone leaves. He stays under even longer if the last person pulled him out of hiding. We're going to have to bathe him tonight and wash those shorts, and that means someone is going to have to grab him. I expect he'll hide the rest of the night after that. It might not be a good idea to come by tomorrow. We have someone coming to trim and detangle his mane and tail in the morning, and I'm not sure how receptive he'll be after that."
Poor kid. "Do you think you could delay the bath and the haircut for a few days? Jessie got him to talk. Maybe in a few days, she can convince him to let her do it."
"The haircut could be delayed, but he needs to be cleaned. This is a hospital; we need to keep things sanitary. If he and his clothes aren't washed, he could get sick. I know it will be difficult for him, but it's for his health," Rachael answered.
He nodded. "I'll let her know. Is it too much to hope that your computer says Miss Hernandez's condition has changed and she's woken up since I arrived?"
"Sorry, but no. I knew you'd ask, and I checked right before you came up to the desk," she replied with a sympathetic smile. "Her condition is stable, but no one knows if she'll ever wake up. She's being moved to hospice care on Monday. We've been waiting for a bed to open up there, and now it has. Even if she woke up today, she'd need a lengthy rehabilitation and might not ever get back to being able to care for the little guy."
He already knew that but hoped the grandmother could at least give some lead on the parents' whereabouts. Even if she couldn't do that, they could at least have her tell Mark to trust them. Her doing that would go a long way to helping get him sorted out.
"Thanks for your help. I'll stay in touch," he said with a smile. "My daughter should be along in a while. She's just got to finish teaching her class for today."
"Oh! Mister Middleton!" Rachael called out as he was turning to go. "I'm sorry, this has nothing to do with Mark, but you're the best person to ask. Is it true what they're saying on the news? Is Sunset Blessing going to Equestria and never coming back? She's a relative of yours, isn't she?"
He frowned. Jessie had told the household about that last night, along with the news Jessie had turned Sunset down flat when the old mare-sometimes-human had offered Wabash Manor to her. That had dumbfounded the entire household. Who turns down a mansion? His daughter-in-law, that's who. Nightscape had seemed offended that Robby hadn't even been considered for it if the preacher was giving it away. Jessie said it came with too much baggage, and they wouldn't want it when they found out about it, but she hadn't elaborated on what that was. She might be right. Just being associated with Sunset Blessing had been enough to force Devon into early retirement and had almost cost him his job too. Jessie was famous enough to weather the stigma, and Robby managed to have avoided it thus far since he had been Phobia Remedy's ward, and nobody wanted the Queen of Nightmares mad at them. Taking that house as a gift from Sunset Blessing might invite enough stigma that even they couldn't avoid it.
Turning down getting a mansion still felt crazy.
"It was on the news?" he asked. "I found out only last night. I figured she still needed to get her affairs in order before she left."
"The news said she's leaving Saturday. It will be televised to prove she's gone," Rachael replied.
That was the day after tomorrow. Sunset Blessing really was getting the fuck out of Dodge as fast as she could. She must have found someone to take the mansion. It figured it wouldn't take too long. How many people, other than Jessie, would turn the old mare down on that offer?
He smiled. "Seeing is believing. I know she intends to leave. You'll just have to watch her go. As for me, if tomorrow isn't a good day for Mark, I'll see you again Monday. Have a good rest of your day, Rachael."
"You too, Mister Middleton."
He pulled his phone out as he walked away and called his office. His call was answered on the second ring.
"Hi, Paul. Any progress with Mark?" Aubrey asked.
"No progress," Paul said with a sigh. "His response to Jessie didn't carry over to me. I tried telling him stories, but he didn't seem to care. Either my daughter is a much better storyteller than me, or he is more comfortable with partials than humans or ponies. Any leads on that partial community she told me about?"
"We decided it's best not to investigate that," Aubrey answered. "If we investigated that, it could get ICE involved. Those agents get far too enthusiastic about trying to deport people. Though he should be a US citizen no matter what if his father is Dennis Hernadez, even if he was born in Mexico, Mark has no birth certificate to prove that, and we don't have anyone to conduct a paternity test with. I wish we were back when you could DNA test a grandparent and be done with it, but ETS completely upended that. The only person we can get a DNA match with is one of his parents, and we don't know where they are, and we don't even know for sure Dennis Hernadez is the father."
"That's the only lead I have on where they might be. The grandmother is getting moved to hospice care and still shows no sign of waking," Paul said in frustration.
"Could your daughter learn more from whatever source she learned about that partial community?" Aubrey asked.
Paul shook his head as he answered, "No, that source is going away in two days. I doubt they'd have time to find out more before then. I'm sure they will be busy getting their affairs in order and won't have time for much else."
"Oh...it was her," Aubrey said slowly. "Her leaving might be unfortunate for Mark, but I'm not sure I could protect your job again if you got directly involved with her. I had to put my job on the line to protect you last time, and it was only because I convinced people you weren't close enough to her that you could be a danger. Then there was the matter of your sister-"
"I know, I know, and I thank you for putting yourself on the line for me. I don't know what we would have done if I had lost my job right after the school board canned Devon. We'd probably have had to beg my daughter to do speaking tours or something, and she doesn't do well with big crowds. It would have been unfair to her and ultimately a disaster. Anyway, what do we do next with Mark?"
"For today, nothing," Aubrey replied. "Hopefully, your daughter can make some progress. I don't see us putting any families back together with this one. Once we get him to where he doesn't run and hide at the sight of a person, we can start discussing foster homes."
Jessica sat bored in her car, staring at the traffic ahead. Her car's route tracker said the traffic was backed up for miles. The reason for this backup? The accompanying newsfeed said there was a flock of geese out on the road, and they weren't intimidated by the cars. Animal control had been called. This took extra time because they needed to find exclusively human animal control agents-geese not only weren't intimidated by ponies, they were more than willing to attack ponies aggressively. It was a silly reason to have a traffic jam, but it was what it was. Her car hadn't moved in the last ten minutes.
Incidents like this had been increasing in frequency. For reasons no one understood, bird populations had been growing at unprecedented rates since ETS, especially the larger birds. Birds' nests were filled with more eggs than before, and birds seemed to have given up seasonal breeding in favor of breeding all year long. Some even claimed that the birds were getting more intelligent, with some people going so far as to claim they'd heard crows talking-not simply mimicking human voices, but using short sentences with a moderately-sized vocabulary. However, there was yet to be any documented evidence of this, just hearsay. Migration patterns seemed to have drastically changed as well, with birds being seen flying in flocks in areas they'd never been seen before. Many species that had previously been endangered become frequent sights. There'd been studies about why this was, and even she had been consulted, with people asking her if the change in thaumic activity was impacting the birds. She had no clue. She understood math and physics, not ornithology. Many states had instituted laws opening the free hunting of many species of birds in the hopes of curbing the bird population. Even some ponies joined in the hunts, eager to cut into the avian menace.
At least the price of bird meat, any bird species, had plummeted, along with egg prices.
After yawning and covering her mouth, she shook her head. She had not gotten nearly enough sleep last night. It wasn't often that she got to spend so much time with her brother. They, along with their mother and Nightscape, had stayed awake long after everyone else had gone to bed. They'd talked, played games, laughed, and generally had a good time. By the time she went to bed, it had been a little after four, and she'd been back up right before seven.
Despite the lack of sleep, her class had gone well today, the master-level course. The class discussion had been lively, and she was impressed with many of the questions asked and the speculation she heard. All of them seemed to be highly adept at math. It was likely she could utilize all of them eventually. Even though she was technically taking a break, her thoughts were still turned toward finding the help she needed. Perhaps stepping back from her research to focus on her students would be the most advantageous thing she could do.
Her phone started ringing, and she clicked the button to answer it and put it on speaker.
"Hello, Doctor Middleton speaking."
"Hi, Jessie!"
She smiled. "How're you doing, Jor?"
"I'm doing great. How're you doing?"
Jessie sighed. "Stuck in traffic. We have geese blocking the road."
"Yikes! I hate geese!" Jordan exclaimed. "At least it isn't swans. Did you know that the swans are even more aggressive and intelligent in Equestria? The princesses have to regularly bribe them to keep them from terrorizing Canterlot."
Jessica laughed. "The mighty alicorns, brought to their knees by swans."
"Yeah, don't mess with swans. They're like winged snakes! I also hear terrible things about emus in Australia, and those cassowary birds seem like some nightmare that sis made for people she really has a grudge against."
"So, are you out of class for today?" Jessica asked.
"Um, I didn't go to class today. I'm on a bus heading back to my parents' house," Jordan replied sheepishly.
Jessica's smile disappeared in worry. "Is something wrong? Did something happen with your parents or Jackie?"
"Oh! No, nothing's wrong with my sister or parents; they're fine," Jordan replied. "I was told I need to be at my parents' house tonight to meet with my lawyer. I got a bus ticket this morning and am on my way there now."
"Lawyer? Why do you need a lawyer, and why do you need to go across the state to meet them? Shouldn't there be someone local?" Jessica asked. "My lawyer is a fifteen-minute drive from me...if there are no geese."
"Why do you have a lawyer?" Jordan asked.
"She's more of an on-call if I need one lawyer. I need someone just in case someone accuses me of intellectual fraud or if I need to sue for discrimination. It wasn't my idea, my parents insisted. I've only spoken to her once, and that was when agreeing to have her as my on-call lawyer," Jessica explained.
"Oh, I guess that makes sense, I guess," Jordan replied. "The lawyer is technically Auntie's lawyer, but she said she'll represent me after Auntie leaves. She's going to negotiate giving me Wabash Manor and how I will afford to live there."
Jessica's mouth dropped. "She gave Wabash Manor to you?!"
"Yeah, she did! Can you believe it?!" Jordan said excitedly. "I would never have thought she would give anything to me when she left Earth. I'm not even technically part of her family. I mean, it would have made more sense for her to give it to one of the demons. I heard she has a little brother. Even you make more sense than me."
Her mouth soundlessly worked as she tried to figure out what to say. The car in front of her moved forward a car length, and she advanced as well. Should she tell her friend that Auntie Sunset had spoken to others first to try to pawn her manor and secrets off on? Jordan had to have already verbally accepted; the lawyer wouldn't be there if Jordan hadn't.
She took a deep breath. "You do know what comes with that, right? There's stuff Auntie has at the manor that she can't take with her. Did she talk to you about that?"
"Yeah, she told me. She says she has already set up a complicated set of security measures with timers to keep people away from that stuff. Even I won't know how to access it. I just have to keep the manor closed to the public. That way, they won't have time to open the vaults. You know Auntie goes all Legend of Zelda with security."
"What about attending Winthrop like your mom?" Jessica asked. "You'd been talking about that forever before this year. You can't attend college there if you have to live in Wabash Manor."
"Jessie, it's a mansion! I can't turn that down," Jordan answered. Her voice then fell. "Things haven't been what I expected at Winthrop anyway. I guess that's dream versus reality. Now, I can transfer to a school up there, be around a lot of ponies again, and get to hang out with you. I thought you would be more happy about this."
Traffic moved again, this time three car lengths before stopping. She didn't know if that was because the geese were moving or if people were getting frustrated and taking detours. She might take a detour soon, even though going down unfamiliar streets typically made her nervous.
"I'm happy that you'll be close to me; I just don't want you to regret leaving your big college and getting saddled with a responsibility that might make you miserable," she replied.
"Jessie, I'm adaptable. I wanted to reinvent myself coming into this school year; it turns out I will end up doing that, just not the way I originally intended. Speaking of changing plans, how's the education department at your university?"
"I'm not sure," she answered with total honesty. "I know there is one, and I believe the English department is fairly good."
Jordan giggled. "A good English department and a teaching program are all I need. The bus is getting ready to move again. We were taking a short break to stretch our legs. I'll talk to you later!"
"Talk to you-" Jessica began, but the line went dead first.
She'd forgotten to mention her mom had found the letter about the movie screening. She wondered if that would still be important to Jordan if Jordan was coming to Denver. Yeah, it was not for just spending time together but for reliving one of the biggest moments of their lives together.
She still couldn't believe Auntie Sunset had convinced Jordan to take Wabash Manor. Jordan probably could defend it. Other than Auntie's eldest son, Jordan was the only unicorn that Sunset Blessing had ever given personal magic lessons to, and Jordan wasn't wrong about how tough Tempest's self-defense lessons were. Even with sound powers and heightened strength at her disposal, she was not realistically a match for Jordan when it came to defending herself-something that was sadly not out of the question at Wabash Manor if anyone found out Sunset Blessing's research still resided there or suspected it did. They'd be in for a shock if they thought Jordan would be easy to subdue. She wasn't the scared little filly holding onto a tree branch for dear life anymore.
All the cars started to move. At last! She could finally move and get to the hospital.
After getting briefed by the nurse and dealing with a bunch of questions about Auntie Sunset's departure that she had no clue how to answer, Jessica made her way to Mark's room. She stopped at the door and listened. Cartoons were playing. There was only one person present based on the heartbeat and breathing. They were in the middle of the room, and they were currently calm.
The nurse hadn't locked the door because Mark seemed to have given up on escape attempts. The handle for the door was well out of his reach anyway. However, he might try to make a break for it when the door opened. She put her hand on the handle and opened the door. His heartbeat and breathing immediately intensified, and she heard him scuttle under the bed.
"Hello, Mark," she said as she slid through the narrow opening she'd given herself through the door to ensure the way was blocked. "Remember me? I'm Jessie. I told you the racing story yesterday."
His vitals still hadn't changed; both his breathing and heartbeat were going fast. Maybe he didn't remember her.
Guess I'm starting from scratch. She thought to herself.
She got back up on the same bed and assumed the same position she had yesterday. She looked up at the cartoons playing. There were a pair of cartoon rabbits harassing some cartoon boy. The boy's temperament indicated he probably deserved it. She could appreciate it and chuckle. This was a massive improvement over Sesame Street. The comedy worked for all ages. The 'educational' show was a waste of time. If he relied on that to learn to read, he wouldn't read books until he was eight or nine.
"We can let this episode finish before I start with the story," she said.
His vitals were still a bit fast, but they were starting to slow. She just needed to take her time with him. Relaxing on a bed for a few minutes after being stuck in traffic for over an hour wasn't the worst thing.
She closed her eyes and listened. There were at least four other televisions in this hall. On the floor below, she heard people checking in at a desk. On the floor above...she shivered...best not to focus on what was happening on the floor above. All throughout, there were heartbeats, breathing, the sounds of medical equipment, and the rustle of wheels as hospital beds were pushed down halls. So much was happening within thirty meters. All of it reminded her of things she preferred to forget.
No! She was not going to have an anxiety attack! She put up a sound barrier around the room. This was the only place she needed to hear.
Mark gasped. Why did he do that? Nothing on the cartoon should have elicited that kind of reaction. She hadn't moved either. The only thing had been the barrier against the sound. He was no crystal pony. He shouldn't be able to detect that. The only thing it could be was what he wasn't noticing anymore.
"You hear it all too, don't you?" she said quietly. His heart skipped a beat. "I don't think you hear all that I hear, but maybe you hear more than they think. Spending all those years hiding, you must have learned to hone your hearing. Every little sound could mean discovery."
His heartrate slowed as did his breathing, and she nodded, accepting that as his affirmation that she was right.
"I hate hospitals," she continued. "They're filled with sounds of misery. Hospitals are scary. I don't like being in a hospital. It brings back bad memories. For you, it must seem so strange--all these weird and unfamiliar sounds. Don't worry. I can hold the sounds back, at least for a while, and we can both be a little less scared."
The cartoon was rolling credits, so she turned the program off. His heartrate didn't change. He was calm. She smiled.
"I promised you a story. I've got a better one for you today. It's the story about a purple unicorn and her friends who saved Equestria from an evil alicorn who wanted to be night forever...."
This time around, she used her powers to enhance the story. Her friend Jenny might be the best storyteller in the world, but with the power of sound, she could imitate the voices. Twilight she had spoken to many times, so her voice was easy. What Celestia sounded like was more challenging since she'd only heard Celestia on prerecorded messages that Equestria had given Earth. How Luna sounded as Nightmare Moon was a complete mystery. She was confident about the voices of Twilight's friends since she had spoken to each of them at least once. They'd all been there for the relief efforts after the Cataclysm of Riverview. Rarity, in particular, was easy since she had been in Riverview before the disaster.
Her tail started to rise, and she forced it down-stupid sexy Rarity. Stupid tail.
The different voices caught Mark off guard at first, and his vitals sped up, but he got used to it as she continued and slowly moved forward to where she could spot his tiny little hands and a bit of his hair.
"-and the purple unicorn stayed in Ponyville with her friends, having many more adventures, but those adventures are stories for another day," she concluded.
He didn't come any further out of his hiding place. In fact, after listening to his breathing and heart, she was confident he was asleep. Was she supposed to be happy that he was that much at ease or insulted that her story came off as that boring? She thought she did an excellent job telling the story. Mark being relaxed enough to sleep was likely the better way to look at it. Still, she wasn't going to tell Jenny that her attempts to go all out telling a story had ended with her audience asleep.
Now what to do? If she got up, she might wake him, and she didn't want to do that. Masking the sounds of her getting up might be a possibility. She wasn't that eager to go yet, since it was rush hour and she'd spent enough time in traffic today already, and the nurse had said that if she could gain enough of Mark's trust to give him a bath, it would be best for everyone.
A stifled yawn escaping her mouth told her she'd wait a while longer. Taking a nap wouldn't be a horrible idea. She hadn't slept enough, and driving home while overtired was a safety hazard. Nap it was then. She laid back, let her head sink into the pillow, and closed her eyes. She kept the sound blocked off and had long ago learned how to keep her sound barrier up while sleeping. It wasn't just a helpful thing to be able to do; it was a necessity. Getting suddenly hit with sound when she was trying to sleep resulted in not getting much sleep. If she hadn't mastered the skill as a child, she'd have gone insane before even setting foot in a college.
She let herself relax and drift to sleep.
She awoke and instantly froze before she could stretch. Did she have two heartbeats? No, an extra set was just very close, and something was gripping her shirt.
Mark was curled up close to her. She felt his horn lying against her. It poking her might have been what woke her up. She must have turned onto her side when she was asleep, and he had somehow gotten on the bed, nestled between her belly and her breasts, sleeping. He was so small, and she was sure he was grabbing her shirt as he slept.
Now she was definitely not getting up. What was she supposed to do??
Deep breaths- second thought, no deep breaths; those might wake Mark.
She needed advice, but she didn't dare reach for her phone. No problem. She could still get help. While still keeping the sound barrier up, she listened for the nurse's desk. There were four people there. She didn't know how typical that was, but she could tell by their voices they were watching the feed for this room. Her powers were complete control of sound, and they were in her range.
"Hey, this is Jessica, the lady in the room with Mark. What am I supposed to do?"
"Miss Middleton? How are you working the intercom without touching the button?"
She was pretty sure that was the same nurse as earlier. She wasn't going to argue that she was Doctor Middleton instead of Miss Middleton. That would be pointless and could get confusing in a hospital. She needed to focus on getting advice.
"I'm not on the intercom. My magic gives me full control of sound within thirty meters of where I am. I don't need the intercom or to open my mouth to talk to you," she replied.
"Like a ventriloquist?" someone else asked.
"More involved than that, but if that helps you understand, then yeah."
"You should do parties. You're really good at this."
She rolled her eyes. "What am I supposed to do about Mark? He has his hands gripped to my shirt, and he's asleep."
"He is gripping your shirt? That's so cute! We can't tell that from the stream."
There were days she wanted to strangle humans for being humans; there were also days she wanted to strangle ponies for being ponies. Today was the latter.
"What...do...I...do...a-bout...it?" she asked slowly.
"Oh, I'd let him just stay there and sleep. He trusts you. Don't disrupt that. When he wakes up, can you try to convince him to let you give him a bath?"
She didn't even know what time it was. It must not be too late if the same nurse was on shift. Her classes were only Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, so she didn't need to get up early. Having Mark cuddled up close to her wasn't the worst thing.
"Can you call my dad and tell him I will be home late? I can give you the phone number if you don't have it."
"Sure, we can do that. I think we have his number already. Let me look."
There were several seconds of silence and the rustling of papers. They must have it written down instead of in the system. Well, her dad wasn't a patient. He was someone who got called about social work issues. How often did he come by the hospital for them to need to keep his number handy?
"Found it! Paul Middleton, Social Services, personal number! We'll give him a call. He'll be so happy to hear what you're doing for Mark. Don't forget the bath!"
"Thanks. Give him a call. I'm going to stop listening in on you guys now," she replied.
She actually did keep listening for another few moments, but only to be sure they were indeed calling her dad and letting him know about her delay. Once he picked up the call, she stopped listening.
Her gaze drifted back to the small child curled up against her. It was still hard to see his face since he'd practically buried it against her. It would be nice if that stubby horn weren't poking her, but it was only uncomfortable, not painful; she could live with that. Overall, it was kind of nice having him right there against her. No one did that. Her little brother had when he was very young. He'd long since outgrown that. Since he was entering his teen years, it would embarrass him to be caught cuddling with his big sister. She missed him being small and eager to spend time with her-not that he never wanted to spend time with her now, just now it was doing activities, not spending time for the sake of it. It was humbling, having this cute little kid feeling safe nestled against her. In some strange way, it made her feel safer, even if there was no logical reason it should.
She must have been exhausted if she hadn't realized he'd crawled beside her until his horn poked her. The only way he could have gotten up on the bed was if he pushed one of the stools over to give himself a stair to reach the bed. That wasn't something he would have done at the spur of the moment. He had to make a conscious choice that he wanted to be beside her and make a plan on how to do it. The other bed had looked unslept in, and its covers had been pulled down to the floor into a little nest in the corner.
Then and there, she decided that helping out with Mark wouldn't just be some side task she was doing for her dad. This kid wanted her to protect him and make things better. She might not be the big hero that the movie made her out to be, but she would do all she could for him. Doomsday was on its way, but for Mark, it must seem like it had already come.
She closed her eyes, letting herself doze as she listened to his heart beat close to hers. |
Partial | Chapter 6: Horrors in Our Heads | Rebecca materialized her avatar, a floating white cloud with a face, into the dream realm. She quickly checked many dreams and made avatars in those dreams as she started tending to them. She then looked around at the plain, unadorned metal walls, the equally uninspired floors, the complete lack of furniture or decoration, and then at the Warden of Order.
"Do you go out of your way to make settings boring?" she asked with a huff. "There isn't even a door to look at!"
"You can look at us," he replied. The plague doctor's mask made him look like a giant bird.
Ghadab, back in burning pony mode, shook his head. "I agree with the glutton. This is a miserable setting."
"He got here first," Phobia, in her shadow with red glowing eyes form, calmly said. "Do we need to complain about the settings every time?"
"I don't ever get to pick one," Yinyu said as she swam around the room in her rainbow seapony-dragon form.
Arbiter hit her staff against the floor. "I think we have enough discontent about it to hold a new vote on the matter."
"Seconded," Ghadab said.
"Thirded," Yinyu said immediately after.
Phobia groaned. "This will be the thirty-ninth time in four years we will end up changing our procedure for this. It isn't even important. Why do we keep wasting time on this?"
"If I may, I suggest we table debate on the subject until someone comes up with an idea we haven't done yet," the Warden of Order suggested. Rebecca decided she was going to start calling him Big Bird. His real name was too hard, and he looked like a giant bird.
"Seconded!" Rebecca quickly said. "We need a little more creativity with our next fix for this. Shouldn't we be talking about Sunset Blessing taking off out of the blue on us?"
Ghadab hissed. "Best not to mention the false prophet's name, Tubby. The sycophant is fuming at the mention of her lover's departure. You risk getting us all whacked with that staff."
The room darkened as Arbiter's hands, now clawed, gripped tighter on her staff. Rebecca decided to float further away from the furious Warden of Song. She wasn't the only one. Everyone backed away from Arbiter. Dreamwardens were invincible in the dream realm, but a Dreamwarden could still be in physical pain if the avatar of another Dreamwarden assaulted their avatar. Well, not pain exactly; more like mild discomfort, but that was as close to pain as they felt here, and no one wanted it. The easiest solution to stop another warden's avatar from beating up your avatar was simply to make your avatar cease to be, but they couldn't predict an assault from another warden to make their avatars vanish fast enough, and they liked using their avatars. Not giving people a face to look at when talking was just rude! There were specific standards of decorum that they followed-those standards just happened to allow them to beat the fluff out of each other when the mood took them.
Making sure she had ample distance between herself and Arbiter's staff, she pressed the issue. "We still need to discuss it. How does this-"
Arbiter swung at her, staff extending in length to do it. Rebecca split her cloudy body in two, giving each new cloud a face.
"Haha! Missed me!" Rebecca's two faces said in chorus. She then stuck her tongue out at the attacker.
Arbiter swung again, and Rebecca split herself again, now into four small clouds with four small faces.
"You have to do better than that!" Her four faces exclaimed in perfect harmony.
Arbiter snarled in rage. She then gripped her staff in both hands and pointed the tip at Rebecca. Before Rebecca knew what her fellow Dreamwarden intended, an inferno erupted towards her, consuming all her cloudy faces.
Because this was a dream, and she followed cartoon logic in dreams, Rebecca came out of the inferno as four blackened bits of char floating in the air, white eyes blinking in confusion.
"That's new. Good shot," Rebecca said, then let herself crumble to the ground in a pile of soot. She remained that way for a second before returning to her single cloud with a face. She floated back up to where she'd been and looked at Arbiter. "Got the violence out of your system?"
Arbiter lowered her staff, but there was still a sneer on her face.
"We do need to discuss my mother," Phobia said. Arbiter immediately turned to strike the shadow, but Phobia moved like lightning, and the shadow's eyes were right up next to Arbiter's in an instant, a shadowy wing holding the staff back.
"I know you are angry she is ghosting you, but this gets us nowhere," Phobia said quietly. "Lower your staff, Tonya; stop this nonsense, or you will learn why Sha'am feared me."
"Don't piss off the Nightmare Queen. Her discipline is cruel," Ghadab muttered.
Arbiter reluctantly lowered her staff. "I can control myself. There's no need for your nightmares; I know my fears. We can discuss Sunset."
Phobia retreated. "I do not desire to force them upon you, but we need you to step back and be rational. My mother is scared to face you, knowing it may be for the last time. She might have avoided sleep last night, but it will overtake her before she leaves. You'll get your chance to say goodbye."
Arbiter crossed her arms. "I'm not supposed to be saying goodbye, not yet. I was supposed to be there with her in the end. I'm supposed to bring her the last dream."
Yinyu hissed. "Stop your pouting and having temper tantrums! Do you think I'm happy that all my foals are going with her? I may never get to speak with them again after tomorrow. Unlike you, I'm not going to lose my head about it. This is so they can be happy and safe. That is all I could want."
Arbiter snarled again, and her staff turned into a blade, and with it, she lopped Yinyu's head off her body.
Yinyu's disembodied head, lying on the ground, stared up at Arbiter in shock before snarling. "Really cute! I lost my head, haha. Phobia, can you please do something about her?"
Big Bird stepped away from Yinyu's still floating body which was not pouring blood all over the place. "Please do; this is unacceptable. Yinyu, pull yourself together!"
Yinyu's head and body flashed, and she was whole again. The pool of blood vanished.
"How often have you been disemboweled or split in two now?" Ghadab asked Yinyu.
Yinyu flipped her tail. "I haven't kept count, but Rebecca may yet surpass my total."
He looked doubtful. "I don't know, you have a considerable head start on her, and you'll be here long after she's gone...if Allah wills it."
Rebbeca smirked at him. "How can someone so foul-mouthed be so pious?"
Ghadab shrugged. "It isn't so hard to be two things at once. You are annoying and fat. You should understand."
Phobia sighed, ignoring the rest of them. "Please, Tonya. I don't want to be at odds with you."
Arbiter pointed at the rest of us with her staff. "Tell them to stop antagonizing me!"
"We'll behave," Rebecca said.
"I always behave," Ghadab muttered.
"Truth is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it?" Big Bird asked.
Phobia groaned. "You know how poorly behaved we are with each other, Tonya. I think it is our way of blowing off steam. Don't let them get to you. This is hard for me and Yinyu as well, but we understand this is for the best, even if it hurts. It's possible she might return someday. You know my mother can't help keeping her nose out of things."
The plague doctor lookalike raised a hand. "To get back on track, it isn't for the best, as this will cut down on her efficiency in working on the spell. I can continue to monitor her progress once I retire. The question is, do we need to enlist new help in this world to make up for her absence?"
"Maybe Bob the Unicorn?" Rebecca suggested. "He's the smartest unicorn I know."
"I hate that name," Ghadab grumbled. "Do I introduce myself as Ghadab the Dead Night Pony? Does Doctor Middleton introduce herself as Jessica the Partial? Does The Marshmallow introduce herself as Rebecca the Whale?"
"I don't think he's a good option," Phobia replied. "Yes, he is the most capable mage we could find for this, but his ability to keep things secret is poor. My mother did steal an extraordinary amount of information from him. Perhaps when we get closer to the event, we can employ him, or if we get desperate, but not yet."
"We aren't already desperate?" Rebecca asked. "I thought that was why we were even using her."
"She can keep a secret. We need the most capable mage who can keep a secret, not the most capable mage who doesn't understand the word security," Ghadab countered. "And part of her benefit over other mages was she could just steal from the other mages. We had all their ability and hers; it was ideal."
"And that's the rub. We can find mages capable of continuing the work, but Sunset Blessing conclusively demonstrated that while they might be brilliant and capable, they can't keep a secret to save their lives. You ponies are far too trusting," the Warden of Order lamented. "We shall have to hope our dubious mage will be able to keep up in Equestria-at least for now. What about the other half of that project? Is Jessica Middleton ready to get back to work? We gave her a break."
"It's only been two days," Rebecca protested.
"Oh, I'm sorry. If I yell at the sky and beg the Devourers to take two more days to get here, do you think they'll listen?" he snarled back at her.
"Two days is what most Americans get off for a workweek. A vacation is a bit longer," Arbiter said.
"Americans are barbarians when it comes to work. Only two days off a week? It's the twenty-first century, shouldn't half the jobs be automated and give people more time off?" Ghadab spat.
Rebecca frowned. "You're one of the ones pushing to work her seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year, every year till the Devourers are defeated or until life has to start over again."
"Better to be a live barbarian than civilized and dead," Ghadab replied.
"We give her more time. She needs her vacation," Phobia said with a tone of finality. "Rebecca, I want you to have my mother's security checked."
Rebecca did a spin. "I'll get a property redistribution specialist on it right away!"
"How many property redistribution specialists do you know?" the Warden of Order asked.
Rebecca giggled. "Isn't it your job to know all that?"
He crossed his arms. "I don't keep tabs on all the members of your cesspool of thieves."
Her face darkened. "People at the bottom of society, struggling to live, are not a cesspool. Someone needs to fight for them. I do all I can for them here, with dreams. I try to make them laugh, to raise their spirits, but my dreams and laughter don't fill bellies. Doomsday is coming for the whole world, but for people living in the streets, scared and hungry, it might as well already be here. I don't organize them or control them. I just give them a few creative suggestions on how to get food-so they don't starve. If the OMMR or government would devote more resources to seeing them fed, maybe I wouldn't need to get creative about getting them food."
"Our resources are already stretched thin, and our influence with the government only impacts certain policies. We're trying to get more resources, but any new resource needs to be allocated to the spy network," Arbiter said.
Yinyu waved at Rebecca. "We understand your passion for helping the homeless. Having lived on the streets myself and stolen from to live, I won't condemn these people. We only ask that you be careful with all the ways you help people. We cannot let authorities tie these activities back to us."
Rebecca smirked. "Don't worry. Nobody will discover it. I've got a person in mind who is a bit more crafty to test Wabash's defenses. They've done a few more elaborate jobs before. They can assure us that the vaults are secure, although I will have to promise them something for their trouble if we expect they will fail. Sunset Blessing makes me proud of her creativity with her security measures. This is a big risk to my friend."
"Delay them breaking into Wabash until my baby sister takes residence," Phobia instructed. "If they make it out without being caught, we'll arrange something to compensate them. If my sister does catch them, I can speak with her and have them released, and we can still compensate them for their trouble. I won't alert Jordan the burglary is coming. I want to see how she will react. She's tougher than most would give her credit for, but the last time she had to face any real threat, she was still a young foal."
Rebecca bobbed in the air. "I can arrange that. You haven't told us about the new baby! Tell us about your new grandbaby!"
They talked for a while about important things, not-so-important things, and highly critical information, like what the best type of cake to send as a congratulations for a new baby. Eventually, Rebecca had to wake up and take care of other business.
She stirred from her covers, trying not to disturb the bed too much and wake her husband. She'd gotten the cover off and was poised to jump down from the edge of the bed when he stirred--turning over where she could see his cute spotty face.
"Becky?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes with the back of one of his hands. "It's late. Is something wrong?"
She smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be back in bed shortly. I've gotta do a quick task for work. It won't take long at all. I don't even need to dance, just a quick text. Though, if you're still awake after I return to bed, we could do some more dancing under the sheets."
He chuckled sleepily. "I'd love to take you up on that, but we've got to get an early start in the morning if we're going to make it to the airport on time. You just be quick. The bed gets cold without you."
She walked across the bed and kissed him. "I'll hurry. Love you."
"Love you too."
Not worrying anymore about stealth, she jumped off the bed with a short flap of her wings. She noticed she'd lost a feather when she landed and picked it up with her mouth, and deposited it in the trash. She'd missed her normal preening the last two days. She'd need to be extra thorough in the morning.
She headed over to the corner of the hotel room and propped open her laptop. After turning it on, logging into her VPN, and encrypting her data, she texted her bodyguard who wasn't currently in the next room over or even in the same state.
Smore Center<Hey, what's the status on the guy doing the thing?>
She waited several seconds, unsure if she'd get a response anytime soon, but was rewarded with a reply.
Visions<The guy isn't doing any more things. A different guy came and did things to him. Sorry, I didn't track him to learn more about him or why he did the things. I didn't want things done to me and had no idea what I might get into. The first guy hadn't done any new things lately. His truck is still at the hotel. No new cargo. I checked it, and it's empty.>
She frowned. While she was glad there was one less human and pony trafficker out there, this guy Josie had been tracking had been one of their few big leads. She had no idea the scope of who was involved in this operation and couldn't even learn in the dream realm since it seemed to be all non-magical humans involved. Ghadab had some leads from victims but nothing that could lead the police to them. She'd been so close to having some information to go to the police with, then this happened. Well, maybe it was a good thing. The police having to do a murder investigation meant they'd finally investigate the guy and hopefully find the rest of the operation. This wasn't a total loss, aside from Josie having wasted her time sitting around watching the guy. They still needed to figure out if that was a rival gang or vigilante that had killed the guy, but the police could do that.
Visions<So, do I get to come home now? The desert doesn't agree with me.>
Smore Center<Not yet. Need you to find San Diego to ask a favor. Blessingist Zero is taking a long overdue trip. She's not taking all her stuff with her. Need San Diego to check to ensure the stuff she leaves behind cannot take any unplanned trips. Will give details tomorrow night, Tulsa. Also, I need you to check dreams, Missouri, flood victims. Lots of kids have nightmares. More than I can deal with.>
Visions<If it is more than you can deal with, it is way more than I can deal with, but I'll help. Getting details in Tulsa can only be done one way from where I'm at. I'm not allowed.>
Smore Center<It's only a fine.>
Visions<Are you going to be the one to issue the fine??>
Smore Center<Probably. I'll be right there. I'll notice it first. Rules are rules.>
Visions<You better help pay the fine you issued!>
Smore Center<You get paid more than me. You get that fat bodyguard salary. It's a lot of money for me. It's pocket change to you.>
Visions<It's the principle of the thing! You keep safe!>
Smore Center<You keep safe, too!>
Well, that was taken care of. She shut her computer down and headed back to bed. It was time to get back to work. The meeting was done, but there were still thousands of flood victims in Missouri having nightmares. She wasn't the only one dealing with those, but she tended to deal with the small foals. She still had a dozen other dreamers that she'd been trying to nurture, a little filly that was stressing out about an art project, a colt whose parents were going through a divorce that needed a little extra attention, a doctor that was this close to figuring out how to cure a nasty disease but was having a loss of faith in himself, so many dreams to tend to. She still needed to ask the three dead-ums about the most recent developments with the birds. There was never enough time awake day-to-day.
Back to bed. Back to work.
Jessica groaned as she woke. Something shook her, and then something poked her.
"Ow!"
There was the sound of rustling covers, increased heartrate, heavier breathing, then two quick thuds.
She sat up. She was still in the hospital. Her sound barrier was still up, so she only heard what was happening in the room. There were her body sounds, and then there were Mark's back under the bed again.
She rubbed her belly and looked over at his hiding spot. "Did you deliberately poke me with your horn? That hurt, kid."
His heartbeat was still elevated. She sighed.
"Sorry for startling you with that yell. I'm not mad. Maybe in the future, stick to shaking me if you try to wake me up and be a little more patient instead of sticking me with your horn, okay?"
She waited a few more seconds for a response.
"Sorry," he said around when she was about to figure out what to do next.
He was talking to her again. That was good. What time was it? It was dark outside. She checked her phone, and her eyes widened when she saw the time. There wouldn't be any traffic now. Her parents and brother had to be freaking out, though. She was seldom out this late-not without telling anyone about where she was. She looked and saw there were about a dozen text messages.
She answered them quickly, making a group chat and telling everyone at once she'd fallen asleep at the hospital and was okay, so they didn't need to worry. She then put her phone away and turned her attention back to Mark.
"Your apology is accepted. Do you accept mine for scaring you?" she asked.
"Yes."
He still sounded shaken, but it was hard to tell. He was so quiet, even when talking. At least his heartrate had slowed.
"You were trying to wake me up," she concluded. "Is something wrong? Do you need help?"
"Pee-pee'd," he replied in a shameful tone.
Pee-pee'd? She sniffed and then looked over to where he'd been lying. There was a tiny damp spot. She wouldn't even have noticed if she hadn't been looking for it, not unless she laid her hand on it. It made logical sense that it was small. The kid was tiny; his bladder had to be tiny too.
She smiled. He might not see it, but a person could always hear it in the voice. "It's okay. Accidents happen. You're wearing shorts. Are your shorts wet?"
"Yes," he answered. He still sounded ashamed, but his heartbeat had slowed to a normal range.
"We need to wash your shorts, and wash all the ur-" Best to try to use his terms. "-all the pee-pee off you. You don't want to feel yucky, do you?"
"No," he answered. She wasn't sure if that was a no to the bath, or no to not wanting to feel yucky, or if it was a no to both.
"Do you trust me to give you a bath?" she asked him.
He was silent. The silence stretched on. This was the problem with children. They weren't logical creatures. Adults weren't rational most of the time either, but you could occasionally reason with one of them.
"I woke up earlier while you were sleeping next to me. I woke up and didn't do anything to hurt you. I went back to sleep."
He was still quiet. She decided to continue.
"If I didn't hurt you then, and I'm not mad about you pee-peeing the bed, can you trust me to give you a bath?"
He remained silent. He trusted her enough to sleep next to her, but he didn't trust her enough to let her give him a bath. He also tried to wake her to tell her about the accident, which indicated he expected her to fix it.
She stood up, and his heartrate jumped.
"Tell you what. I'm going to run the bath and stay in there and wait for you. You can come to me when you feel you're ready. Is that okay?"
He hesitated but did reply this time. "Yes."
"Alright, I'm going to run the bath. Come to me when you are ready," she instructed as she walked to the bathroom. "Try not to take too long. You don't want the bath to get cold."
The bathroom was plain, not that she was expecting luxury fixtures in a hospital. There was a toilet with an odd lever like a gear shift sticking out of the floor next to it that she assumed was for flushing. There was a tub with a shower, some generic soap, and shampoo, and in the back of the tub was a stool. She guessed this hospital subdivided its rooms into pony and human fixtures, with this room being aimed at humans. Why did they put him in a human room? The hospital policies might lump the partials in with humans, but Mark was so tiny that she was shocked he had managed to use the toilet without falling in. A room meant for ponies would have been much more preferable. He wouldn't be able to get over the lip of the tub on his own; he'd need to be lifted in and out. That meant she was going to have to hold him. Did he trust her enough for that?
There was nothing to do but hope. How they didn't look at the fixtures and think they were way too big for him, she didn't know. She'd need to remember to talk to the hospital staff about getting him moved to a pony room. It was uncertain how useful her speaking to them would be since she had no authority over his treatment, but it was worth a try.
She closed the drain on the tub and started the water running. The sound of the water played havoc on her ears, but she put a sound-dampening bubble over it to make it less intense. This was in addition to keeping her sound barrier around the room and bathroom. She wasn't sure what her limits were on putting these sorts of barriers up and maintaining them. It seemed like something she should have stress tested at some point, but it had never come up, nor was it her field of expertise. As far as she could tell, if something was in her range, she could do whatever she wanted with the sound for as long as she wanted, with few limitations. However, it truly was a sphere of influence she exerted. If a sound source was so much as one micrometer past her range unless boosted by electronics, her ability to hear it became worse than the average human's-perhaps because her brain didn't know how to process typical sound at this point.
Not wanting the water to get too deep for Mark, she stopped filling the tub when it would have gone no higher than her shin. Even this, she was unsure was appropriate or if she needed to lower the level some. She pictured her niece in the tub since Eve was the closest comparable-sized person she knew to Mark. Now she wished she'd been able to finish helping Nightscape wash the filly. It would help her visualize the proper water level. Then again, it seemed like the tub had been much fuller with water than this for Eve, high enough that the filly could fully submerge. Perhaps her niece could swim? Eve could certainly climb, jump, and perform physics-breaking acrobatics, so swimming wasn't sure out of the question. She decided that she'd leave the water as it was for now and adjust if need be.
Mark didn't move from under the bed. She could be patient. He had said he would come. She just needed to give him time.
Waiting for him, she pulled out her phone and scanned her messages. Her initial message to everyone had been received, and there were numerous replies of relief. Several family members had been worried she'd been jumped or something. She rolled her eyes. She might not have the same self-defense capacities as Jordan, Jackie, Robby, Nightscape, or any of the three demons, but she wasn't helpless. Sure, she was more likely to get in trouble for defending herself, but unjust as that was, she wouldn't let anyone hurt her just to stay out of legal trouble.
In her haste to send off a group reply, she had also accidentally replied to Jordan. Jordan's message had been about how she'd be moving into Wabash tomorrow-that was fast. Regardless, her best friend hadn't known she had been unaccounted for and was now worriedly messaging her asking why she was in the hospital. Best to ease her friend's fears quickly.
BigMath<I'm fine. I'm just helping a partial kid. He's four, a possible orphan, and he seems to trust me more than he trusts others. I'll chat with you later.>
MotherGoose2024<😍😵🤩>
Jessica tried to determine if there was any hidden meaning in the emojis that she wasn't catching, but ultimately she decided it was just Jordan being happy and cheerful. Emojis made her wary over the last few years, silly as that was, due to a certain intrusive Dreamwarden's penchant for appearing as them. The first time she had seen a two-dimensional floating emoji, she'd freaked out-primarily because it was two-dimensional.
Mark still hadn't stirred. She could be patient, but the truth was, she wasn't very patient.
"Mark, the bath is ready. You don't want it to be cold, do you?" she asked, projecting her voice just a little.
He didn't get startled by her voice. There was no change in his vitals that she could tell by listening. It took a few seconds, but he did start moving, slowly but moving.
She waited. Mark was creeping through the room, trying to be as silent as possible. Humans and most ponies might not have heard him, but he might as well have been beating a drum to announce himself to her. When he was just around the corner of the doorway, still out of sight, he stopped.
"It's hard being brave, I know," she said and heard him retreat a few centimeters and stop again. "Once upon a time, when I wasn't much older than you or much bigger, I was in a terrifying situation. I was trapped in a big building, kind of like this one. It was dark, the power was out, and it was storming outside."
Memory flooded back to her as perfectly as if it had happened yesterday.
Jessie stared out the window as the rain finally seemed to have stopped, leaving clouds so dark that it seemed like it was night. The storm had picked up out of nowhere and had raged for several minutes with so much intense lightning that the sky had been too bright to look at. Both she and Jordan had been frightened by it, but Jackie had reacted like it was the most incredible show she had ever seen. What the pegasus didn't like was the fact that the storm had knocked the power out, and the only sources of light were the windows and the occasional red emergency light in the hallways. Ms. Rosetta, the demons, Robby, and Layla, had somehow slept through all of it.
"Fuck!" Crystal growled loudly from the teacher's desk. The bodyguard then looked over at them and flattened her ears. "Pretend you didn't hear that. I said fudge if anyone asks."
Jessie looked at the lone adult awake. "What's wrong?"
Crystal pushed the desk phone away with annoyance. "The school phone lines are dead, and I don't know why. Even with no power, we should have the phones working. On top of that, I always get an abysmal signal on my cell phone in this place and can't keep a bar up long enough to make a call. We're effectively cut off from communicating or finding out what's happening out there." She looked at Jessie. "You're a genius; got any idea why the phones aren't working?"
"That wasn't the worst part," she continued. "There were monsters in the building with me. If they so much as touched me, I would die."
Crystal opened her eyes wide and gasped. She then jumped down from her seat at the desk and moved towards the door. "Get Layla and the others up, now! We've got trouble!"
Ms. Rosetta started moving right away toward her foals. Jessie didn't question the order; it gave no room to be questioned. She just started shaking her brother. She caught sight of Jackie and Jordan huddling together at the intensity of Crystal's sudden change in mood.
Layla stirred on her own and looked up at the crystal pony. "What's wrong?"
Crystal didn't respond to her, instead turning to Ms. Rosetta quickly. "If going downstairs to the offices, there isn't an option for getting to a phone, where else can we go? Or is there somewhere these blockers don't work?"
The night pony considered for a split-second before pointing a wing up. "Some of the offices on the top floors have landlines, and worst case scenario, the blockers shouldn't work from the roof. What's wrong? Did rioters get in here?"
Crystal gave a worried shake of her head. "Worse than that, your mother and Bill are here, and I'm pretty sure they already got Pin Point and Alexis. They are coming this way. I don't know if they can sense us or not, but they are definitely moving with purpose. We need to get away from here, now."
Jessie shivered as her brother gripped her tightly. The way Crystal was talking, she was talking like Ms. Jean and the other pony were monsters. Weren't they supposed to be safe in here?
She heard him inch forward, but he remained out of sight. His heartbeat was regular; hers had elevated slightly.
The red emergency lighting cast an eerie glow over the locker-filled hallway. Only a thin, watery light came through the window from the cloudy skies. She knew that they were just lockers, but the dark shapes lining the hallways looked like rows upon rows of monstrous doorways. She kept glancing at all the shadows, sure something was coming to get her.
She told herself that it was just blue lockers and red light, that the blue paint was absorbing the red glow of the emergency lights, casting them into shadow. It was simple physics, something you'd find in the setup of a problem in a math textbook. What color would her textbooks be in this lighting? Or the blue crystal pony on the stairs? When she...
Knowing didn't help.
There was a monster coming for her back in the staircase. She'd always loved being at school, but right now, it was the scariest place she could imagine. There were supposed to be bright fluorescent lights in the ceiling, despite the new LEDs being better, and crowds of older ponies pressing in on her. It wasn't supposed to be quiet, dark, and empty. If she whimpered, she shouldn't be heard over the buzzing of the lights, the dull roar of the air conditioning, and the whirr of the projectors and the computers. Her throat was tight and sore from trying to suppress her whimpering because she knew that Mrs. Jean would hear her and come for her.
"I had all my friends with me, along with some grown-ups. The grown-ups did everything they could to protect us from the monsters, like your grandma did for you, but the monsters got them. Luckily, the monsters couldn't kill them with a touch, but their touch still put the grown-ups to sleep, and we didn't know if they would wake up."
When Robby reached the stairwell door, he stopped and held it open while gesturing for the foals to go through. "Hurry! Up the stairs! Jordan, you've got to move faster!"
"I'm trying!" Jessie heard her unicorn friend scream from somewhere behind her. She couldn't tell how far behind Jordan was from the sound. She could see Jackie off to her side and just barely saw Charlotte on the edge of her vision.
"Jordan, hurry up!" Robby shouted.
Worry got the better of her over good sense, and she came to a halt to turn and see what was happening with Jordan. Jackie, at this point, did the same. The purple unicorn filly was still scrambling to get over the fallen lockers. Jessie looked beyond her friend, and she squeaked as she saw that there was no more fighting going on down the hall. Ms. Jean and the other pony were both standing over the fallen forms of Ms. Rosetta and Layla. The two night pony mares weren't moving. The crystal pony that Layla had stumbled into was only a few feet from Jordan, though he didn't seem to be paying her any notice.
Jackie ran to help her little sister, and Robby shouted after her. "Jackie, she can make it on her own! Get to the stairs!"
Jessie just froze, watching their two now glowing crystal pony attackers. The pair didn't seem to be taking notice of them; they were focused entirely on Ms. Rosetta and Layla. Maybe they really were going to ignore them till they got hungry for magic again.
Jackie steadied her sister with a wing on her side and ran with the little unicorn. As the two were getting close, Jessie turned and resumed her run for the stairs. After passing through the door to the stairwell, she saw the three demons were already well up to the next floor. When she began up the stairs as well, the two sisters passed through the door, too, with Robby right behind them. The door swung shut behind him, blocking their view of the hallway with a harsh metallic slam. They were now on their own, with no adult to help them, against a pair of monstrous ponies that could kill them with a touch.
He was listening but wasn't coming into the room. It was getting harder for her to breathe. Why was she telling him this?
"We were...we were left on our own, against the monsters..." she said, fighting to get the words out. Memory came in a flood now.
"Attention! Citizens of Riverview--
She watched the clock, trying not to listen to the announcement, and the ticking of it seemed to echo through the halls. One second turned into five, five seconds turned into a minute, and one minute stretched on forever. Then her muscles tightened as she heard a new sound, the sound of a door opening. The time had come, and so had their pursuers.
Her lungs were tight as she listened to uneven hoofsteps slowly approach. The form of a mare stepped into view, silhouetted by the dim light of the window beyond. The shadow turned its gaze down the hall, and Jessie could feel those hungry eyes lock onto her and Robby. She wanted to run, but she knew she had to stay still. Ms. Jean had to get caught in the falling lockers. The mare turned and started towards them as the stallion came into view behind her.
Fudge! They weren't moving at the same pace! That meant that they might only end up hitting one of them. This could mess up the entire plan and ruin their hopes of getting out of this. She should have realized they weren't moving the same way; the stallion had gotten caught in that earlier locker fall and was already hurt. Ms. Jean wasn't hurt, though. She was still healthy and ready to take them.
"Attention! Citizens-- She did not need that blaring alarm right now!
Ms. Jean started galloping towards them, with the stallion stumbling far behind. There was no more time. The trap had to be sprung on Ms. Jean, and they'd have to improvise with the stallion. "Now! Bring the lockers down on her now!"
The demons jumped into action. They galloped along the tops of the lockers, pushing off each locker hard as they went. Some merely shook, while others toppled over. Jessie and Robby stood still as the crystal mare rapidly approached them. She closed her eyes, unable to look anymore, and then she heard the deafening crash.
She opened her eyes up and blinked. Only two feet in front of them, Ms. Jean was pinned under a locker with her eyes closed. They had gotten her. However, the victory wasn't assured yet. The stallion was still stumbling towards them, and not a single locker had come close to hitting him. That was a problem, a huge problem. Not only did they need to get by him, but the path was littered with fallen lockers.
She shook her head and her rump as she readied herself to run. "He's hurt and slow. Robby, try to distract him in the air while the rest of us run by! Everyone move!"
Robby took to the air and started flying above the stallion's head. The stallion focused up on her brother and feebly tried reaching out towards him. Jackie and Jordan began running on the far edge, away from the fallen lockers. Jessie followed them but cried out as the stallion turned his eyes back toward her. Jackie and Jordan had raced by him, and the demons were by him as well, but he was now blocking her path, and she couldn't see a good way of getting around him. She ground her hooves to a screeching halt, staring in horror as her brother desperately tried to draw the stallion's attention back to him with shouts.
"Attention! Citizen-" She jumped, startled out of her stupor, as the announcement started back up again.
"I can't fudging move!" She yelled with fear and frustration at her auntie's repeating message. She backed away from the stallion, too afraid to think of any new plan.
Sound flooded her ears. Heartbeats became quakes. Each breath was the sound of a tornado. The electricity going through the wires in the walls was thunder. Blood circulating through veins was a rushing river. There were so many other sounds she couldn't even identify, and yet, the memories did not cease.
Jessie stared in horror at the empty space where Wild Growth had stood before she had collapsed lifelessly over the edge of the building. The greatest earth pony, the one capable of raising mountains and growing forests, the invincible one, had fallen. It was impossible, completely unbelievable, but she had just witnessed it. One of her heroes and friends was now gone.
Why wouldn't the memories stop? She started to whimper.
Burning and broken branches littered the roof as brightly glowing embers drifted through the air. Overhead, the sky flashed with lightning arcing through the thick clouds of black smoke. The trees that had held back the explosion that had engulfed the Bastion continued to grow, the trunks creaking and groaning as they reached up towards the dark sky, uncaring that their shepherd Wild Growth no longer urged them on.
She huddled on the floor; it was impossible to make out individual sounds now. It was just an unending roar.
Then, something touched her, pulling her back to her senses and banishing the maelstrom of sound.
Mark sat before her, looking at her. His eyes were bright blue and seemed just a little too big, despite the rest of his face looking human, giving his face a slight uncanny valley. His hand was on her face, and her face was on the floor, along with the rest of her, huddled in a fetal position on the ground, her face damp from crying.
"Hurt?" he asked her, barely above a whisper yet still laden with concern.
She wanted to shake her head, but her position didn't allow it. She instead closed her eyes. "No, not hurt. I'm scared."
Her eyes were still closed, but she felt him nuzzle up beside her. Needing comfort, she gently embraced him and hugged him. Mark did not attempt to get away. |
Partial | Chapter 7: Sibling Squabbles | Jessica awoke and looked at her phone-an hour till noon. She'd barely get to spend any time with her brother, niece, nephew, and sister-in-law before they went to bed. The little ones were probably already tucked in. At least she'd get more time in the evening with them; that was a positive.
She had a few messages; only one of the messages was from a job, and it was from Bev, who expected slow replies, so there was no rush to answer. The rest she decided to worry about after coffee and breakfast-well, lunch now. Half of the messages were from people in the house, so if there was anything urgent, she could hear it from them directly. It was unlikely to be anything critical; otherwise, they wouldn't have let her sleep in. Today was Friday...what was she supposed to be doing on Friday?
She sat up in a rush. Apartments! She had a meeting with someone about an apartment in less than two hours! If all went well, she could be signing the lease shortly after. If she didn't do it today, it wouldn't be until next week at the earliest that she could finalize anything. She needed to get ready.
First thing after getting up, she went to her computer and checked the simulations. She was on vacation, but she'd been doing this as a habit for years, like breathing. There were no days off. Vacation was dedicating less time to it, not abandoning it. The Devourers didn't take days off, and neither did she. The Devourers did slow down and pause for repairs. What she was doing now was more or less that. She was slowing down to repair her mental and emotional state so she could function at peak efficiency.
The downside of this was that simulations kept running without her constantly checking, and without her checking, they tended to pile up. She paused the simulations and then sorted probability matches from greatest to lowest.
Her eyes widened when she saw multiple probability matches in the double digits. There were a 17.6%, a 13.48%, a 14.92%, and even a 25.07%. That had two of the highest probabilities she had seen since she started doing these simulations. That wasn't even counting twenty-three others on today's list that she counted that were not at 10% but were still higher than 5%. She felt lucky when she got one simulation a day that reached the 5% mark; she never got results like this.
You're supposed to be on vacation. You are supposed to be getting ready to go get your apartment. The world won't end by this evening. This can wait. She scolded herself.
Exercising phenomenal self-control, she saved the data to look at later and kept the simulations paused; then, after realizing she hadn't, she backed up the data to a separate drive. If she didn't, today would be the day something happened to her computer, and she would lose all that data. Fearing Murphy's Law striking today might seem paranoid, but she would not tempt it.
With that taken care of, she got dressed, brushed her hair, quickly stopped by the bathroom, and finally headed downstairs.
"Morning," she greeted as she entered the living room.
Robby and Nightscape were on the floor in front of the television, pounding on a pair of arcade joysticks as their fighters on the screen pulled off complex combos.
"Morning," Robby greeted without taking his eyes off the game. He then jumped up and started prancing in place. "Yes!! I got you! Take that!"
Nightscape glared at her husband as he did his victory dance. "You only won because you kept playing those cheap-ass horn blasts, and my guy moved like molasses and was too big to dodge."
Robby smirked. "You're the one who decided to play as the yak."
"He looked cooler," Nightscape said with a pout.
Jessica frowned. "You two are going to break Dusk's controllers if you keep abusing them like that. Be a little more gentle."
Robby bumped the controller with his hoof. "Don't worry. These things are built to take a beating. That's part of why they cost so much. Did you know that when you were little, they used to make you buy a whole separate game system?"
"The controllers are the system, and you need to not break them. Mom and Dad paid a lot to get Dusk those things," Jessica scolded. "They'll pitch an even bigger fit than him if you damage them."
Nightscape snorted. "We aren't going to break them. The only thing I will break is my husband's pride when I decimate him in the next match."
Robby hunched back down and tapped a button on the control. "Oh, it is on! Prepare to watch me teabag you again!"
"Don't promise me a good time," Nightscape cackled.
Jessica rolled her eyes and proceeded to the kitchen.
Umber was still awake and following Jessica's mother around the kitchen like a lost puppy. Her mother walked from the table to the sink; Umber followed, eyes glued to her. Her mother walked from the sink to the refrigerator, and Umber followed again, still gazing up at her.
"Jessie, coffee just finished brewing for you. I know you have a busy day ahead of you. Sorry, but I'm going to be heading out as well in a few minutes. I need to pick your little brother up from school. There's a bus driver strike. I expect there's going to be a car line a mile long at the middle school, and I want to get there early."
Jessica pointed at Umber as she headed to the sink to grab her favorite mug. "I see you picked up an admirer."
Her mom looked at the tiny foal. "Yeah, he's been doing that. You did the same thing around his age. You were timid around strangers and didn't like to leave my side. The only difference is that you were a lot more vocal about your need to stay with me and demanding what you wanted. We never had to wonder what was on your mind-you told us, loud and clear."
"Well, by his age, my vocabulary was larger than his older sister's, and he can't even talk yet. I can't help that I figured speaking out faster than other kids. I don't understand why it takes every other kid so long to figure out basic language," Jessica said as she poured her coffee.
Her mother smirked. "You figured out cursing in your first few words. You were very proud of yourself."
Jessica blushed. "I was told what I said was fudge, which is not vulgar."
"You said fudding since you couldn't get the sounds quite right. However, you still say fudge, and you do it as a substitute for an F-bomb, just like you did back then when copying us doing that. If you're substituting for the word, you might as well be saying the word," her mother said with a smirk.
Jessica giggled. "Well, fudge, Mom, you got me there."
"Don't say that in front of Umber! Robby and Nightscape won't leave me alone with their foals anymore if that ends up being Umber's first word!"
"As you wish. Oh, by the way, Jordan ended up being the one duped into taking Auntie's mansion."
Her mom paused and raised an eyebrow. "Saying she was duped is not a kind thing to say about your best friend, and I still fail to see how getting a mansion and a method of affording it is a bad thing. I know you know things the rest of us don't, but unless she has a flesh-eating monster in the basement that no one knows about, it seems like a good deal to me."
Jessica took a sip of her coffee. "There might be a monster in the basement for all we know. Auntie has a habit of going over the top with security measures. Remember how she managed to lock down the Bastion so well that even Princess Twilight couldn't penetrate its defenses, but Auntie also managed to lock herself out in the process because she had no failsafe to get in?"
Her mom hastily made a shushing motion. "You know not to talk about that! Your father still breaks down crying at the mention of that. You survived your adventure during the Cataclysm, if just barely; we don't need anyone speaking about things that remind him of who didn't- even if he isn't here right now. It's something we can't get comfortable doing."
Jessica swirled the coffee in her mug, staring at it rather than looking at her mom. "That reminds me; I've had an uptick in anxiety attacks again the last few days. Last night it got horrible."
Her mom hurried over to her, almost tripping over Umber in the process-who let off an annoyed yap that resembled the union of a squeak, a whinny, and a chirp. Her Mom paused briefly to make sure she hadn't stepped on him but continued over to Jessica after seeing Umber hiss at her in displeasure, which indicated the only thing hurt was his feelings-although her mom ignoring his display of defensive aggression might lead to him soon adding out a thunderous cry to complete his vocal orchestra.
"Do we need to contact the psychiatrist?" her mom asked. "I know you don't like going, but there's nothing wrong with getting a little help. This is a stressful time for you-starting a new career, moving into your own place for the first time, deciding to see that awful movie, not to mention the fact you spend hours on end looking at those simulation results and adjusting simulations. It might be worth it to see the doctor."
"I'm actually on vacation from the Dreamwardens' task," she replied, although she very much wanted to take a closer look at today's results. "I'll be fine. Jordan will be in town tomorrow, and having her around should help lighten the stress." She paused before continuing. "By the way, I know I told you not to tell me, but how bad is the movie?"
"It's got some emotional moments, especially near the end, and the second act gets rather frightening-though the part where you use a trash can lid to skateboard across falling debris seems far-fetched and breaks up the tension a bit."
Jessica raised an eyebrow. "I what?"
"They took some liberties, sweetie. Did you really expect they wouldn't do some over-the-top action sequence? They also played up your friendship with Wild Growth more. The entire movie practically celebrates the earth pony tribe since it shows the strongest earth pony and the smartest. Earth ponies couldn't stop fawning over it."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "At least if it steers far enough into fiction, I can make it through without issue."
Her mom looked like she wanted to reply, but Umber had enough of being ignored.
"WHAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Before Jessica or her mother could attempt to calm the crying foal, Robby ran into the kitchen.
"What's wrong, buddy? You okay?" Robby asked as he nuzzled his son and wrapped a wing around him. Umber promptly stopped bawling but continued to sniffle.
"He was upset at getting ignored while we were talking," Jessica explained.
Robby rubbed his son's back. "Someone might be overtired. It's almost noon." He looked up at their mom. "Are you sure you'll be fine bringing him and Eve with you when you pick up Dusk? I know Eve will sleep through the entire ride, but Umber can be a little finicky about sleep. He still has that infant sleep cycle where he's asleep for an hour or two and then wakes up crying without knowing what he's crying about."
"It will be fine. I dealt with you, Jessie, and Dusk; I can deal with my precious little grandbabies for a few hours at a time," their mom assured him.
He looked skeptical. "Dusk is a human kid; I was human when I was that young, and Jessie...Jessie was just weird."
Jessica stuck out her tongue and held up a middle finger at her older brother; he stuck his tongue out at her in turn.
"Look at my two mature, adult offspring," their mom said long-sufferingly.
Jessie set her mug down. "He started it."
Robby chuckled. "We're only this way with each other. It's all good. It wouldn't be right if we weren't ribbing each other. It's been our thing since Jessie started talking in full sentences."
"Not quite that early; there was about a year of peace. Jessie had to advance from sentences to paragraphs. The obscene gestures started around when you hit your preteen years," their mom corrected. "Umber and Eve won't be a problem. I'm sure they aren't that different from human kids, and I only have to deal with them for a few hours. That's the benefit of being a grandma; I don't have to deal with them for extended periods. I get them in short stints where I can adore them, then give them back to you to be your problem."
"That is so cliche," Jessica remarked.
"Would you prefer I didn't love my grandbabies?" their mom cooed as she bent down and looked at Umber. "It may be cliche, but I love being a grandma. I miss having small children around. You two are all grown up. Dusk is entering puberty. I miss this."
Umber let off another chirp cry as he buried his face in his father's fur.
"You miss foals crying?" Jessica asked. "That's just weird. You know, Mark doesn't cry. He's a quiet kid."
Robby looked up at her in confusion. "Who's Mark? You didn't have some secret love child, and didn't tell your brother?"
She couldn't help it; she briefly sneered at him before catching herself. "You know better than to even joke about that."
He looked away. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that. I know-"
She shook her head and her hand. "It's fine. Let's forget it happened. Mark's a young partial kid that Dad has been working with. That's who I've been helping out with at the hospital. Dad didn't mention him to you?"
Robby shook his head. "I was curious about why you were at the hospital, but I assumed it was something routine if neither Mom nor Dad was making much of a deal about it, and talking about work just doesn't flow naturally for me since I'm primarily a stay-at-home dad and I don't discuss dream work. Nightscape might have heard about it, but she said nothing to me. So...partial kid? That's rare. How young are we talking about?"
"Four," Jessica answered. "He's a possible orphan. No one else has gotten him to talk except for me, but he really hasn't said much at all. He gives me one-word responses to questions, but he speaks clearly when he does speak."
"So he responds to a human with pony parts?" Robby asked.
She sighed. "Go ahead and say partial. Don't bother dancing around it, but thank you for trying to avoid it."
"You sure?" Robby asked. "I know how you view yourself."
She nodded. "Yeah, it's fine...for this conversation. Anyway, he seems to respond to being around another partial. I might keep visiting him, at least until he gets comfortable with other people."
"It's good you're doing something to give back to the community and help someone out, even if just one person," her mom congratulated. "Maybe you should let the media get wind of it. It could be perfect for your public image."
"Mom! I'm not looking for publicity!" Jessica objected. "I can't believe you'd want me to do something like that."
"I'm always going to be concerned about the success of my children," their mom replied, unfazed at being reprimanded ."Yes, you should do it because it is the good and right to do, but the media hearing about this might get people to remember you for something other than what you did when you were six."
"I'm in the science textbooks of every student in the sixth grade and up. I have plenty of good publicity," Jessica reminded her mom.
Her mother gave her a flat look. "Sweetie, I say this in the most gentle way possible; most of us don't know the first thing about advanced physics. We do understand an outsider who ended up becoming successful helping out an outsider who is at the bottom of society. Everyone likes those stories."
"I'm not informing the media, and I'll be very unhappy with anyone who does," Jessica said firmly.
"I don't think it would have as much of a positive impact as you think, to tell the truth," Robby said. Umber started whimpering again, which made Robby pause to snuggle his son. "Hush, hush. Daddy's here and holding you." He then looked back up. "The larger majority of humans think partials are diseased or something. They aren't going to care about a partial taking care of a partial. They'd probably sneer at it or try to turn it around somehow into an excuse for more restrictions on partials-I don't know how, but I know they'll think of something."
Their mother crossed her arms. "That's just a loud minority."
"A loud minority that can rouse up a mob and have politicians at their mercy," Robby replied.
"Yeah, common sense at work," Jessica muttered. They both knew her saying about common sense. It was one thing she was quoted by others about most often-often without giving her credit.
"Why must you be so cynical?" her mother lamented.
"Because it's logical to be cynical. In an uncontrolled system, it is always a higher probability that an outcome results in a move toward disorder. For instance, yes, there is technically a chance a room full of monkeys could produce a masterpiece of literature, but it is far more likely that each monkey will pound out gibberish and make a mess, and those chances remain that high for each pounding of their fists on the typewriter. If anything orderly appears, it is quickly overtaken by the disorder. This applies to science, psychology, sociology, economics, and everything. That's why Murphy's Law is a scientific principle, not just something people say. It is an extension of entropy."
Umber started to wail, and Robby devoted his full attention to his son.
"There, there, buddy. We'll get your mama to feed you, and then you should sleep for a while after that."
Jessica gestured. "See? Murphy's Law in action-crying toddler."
"An overtired one," Robby said. "After Nighty nurses him, he'll drift off. I don't get stressed about this after going through it with Eve. This is just normal behavior for a toddler. Dealing with it can, at times, cause exhaustion, but it only stresses me so much as I let it. I'm happy knowing they won't have to go through the crazy stuff we went through as foals. They'll have nice, peaceful, mundane lives-hopefully completely obscure. We have enough famous people connected to the family." He knelt, and Umber climbed onto his back, gripping Robby's neck tightly with his legs.
Robby stood back up. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Time to halt Nightscape from her PVE to feed him, and I'm going to dig our sunglasses out. It's cloudy out today, but I'd still rather be safe avoiding the sun. Clouds are thinner out here."
"You're still going to come with me to the apartment?" Jessica asked. "It's kinda late for you."
"I'm not letting my little sis get cheated out of her first apartment. I'll be coming along," Robby confirmed.
She scowled. "I appreciate your company, but I'm capable of dealing with an apartment manager. I'm not a child."
"Have you ever had to deal with an apartment manager before?" Robby asked. "Look, we both know people will take every opportunity to discriminate against you, and people like you are not protected by civil rights legislation. Anyone in housing is more likely to discriminate due to them worrying about you upsetting other tenants. It isn't certain this apartment manager will, but it might be better to have your big brother standing by to put some pressure on. I can also drop Phobia's name if need be."
Her fists clenched as she tried to control her tail and ears. She didn't need Phobia Remedy's help to get through life. She'd done plenty without someone else propping her up.
Robby gave her a sympathetic smile. "You know, one of the advantages of being shorter than you is I notice your hands faster. I'd only bring up Phobia as a last resort. It isn't like she's never been helpful. She is the one that insisted you publish your work when you were a kid. If not for her, Middleton's Law would have a different name because someone else would have defined it first. It was inevitable someone would have done so. She helped you beat them to the punch."
She no longer bothered holding her tail and ears in check. She loved her big brother and knew he wanted the best for her, but that didn't mean he didn't seriously underestimate how she felt about things at times. He should have just dropped the subject.
"I'm going to go by myself," she announced as she walked by her brother.
"Jessie, I'm sorry. Don't be like that," her brother protested.
She was already out of the kitchen and into the living room. Nightscape sadly watched her as she grabbed her purse, no doubt having heard what had just happened. Ponies might not hear as well as she could, but they heard better than humans. At least Nightscape had the sense not to protest.
She was already out the front door when she heard Robby sigh in the kitchen. "Why does she have to be so prideful?"
"Don't say that; she can still hear you," her mother said.
"Well, she knows she is overly prideful. She's too smart not to be at least a little self-aware," Robby countered in a frustrated tone. "Jessie, if you're listening, I'm sorry for suggesting dropping Phobia's name to help you out. I think you're overreacting, but I won't do it if it bothers you that much. I could have had more tact as well. Can you please come back? We came here to spend time with you, not fight."
Her hand was on the handle of her car door, but she didn't open it. If she took off now, she'd look very childish. She probably had already made a fool out of herself, storming out the way she had. That's what people did when they got angry; they lost all intelligence and wisdom. That's why it was her auntie's favorite tactic against her foes. That was the nature of common sense, and even she was not immune to it. The question was whether she looked worse for continuing to leave or if she relented and returned inside.
She sighed and released the door handle, returning to make amends with her older brother.
"Why are you reading? Shouldn't you be packing?" Jackie asked from across the table. "You're leaving for the airport in just two hours."
Jordan lowered the book she'd been reading just enough to look over it at her sister. "It's a fully furnished mansion. Aside from some books and mementos, which are already packed, what do I need to bring with me?"
Jackie fluffed her wings. "I don't know. There's got to be something. You're going across ls the country." The pegasus mare lowered her head. "It isn't like the other side of the state. It's too far away."
Their father, sitting to her left, swallowed his oatmeal and smiled. "I think someone is just sad her little sister is moving away." He then broke down into a coughing fit.
Jordan set her book down and looked on worriedly as Jackie touched a wing to their father's side. Their mother was already reaching for his medication.
"You okay, Dad?" Jackie asked him.
He didn't answer, and they waited as their mother helped administer his medicine. When she was done, she led him away to the living room, presumably to lie down on the couch.
"You can't leave me here to take care of them alone," Jackie said in a low whisper.
Jordan lowered her head as if that would help keep her voice down as well. "Mom can take care of Dad just fine. You don't need to worry."
Her sister shook her head. "No, Mom needs to be taken care of too. Something isn't right with her. You just have been so caught up with graduating high school, your birthday, then starting college to see it. Have you seen all that junk mail lying in the corner of the living room? She refuses to throw it away! She even yells at me if I try, and she keeps getting all this extra useless junk from flea markets that she is never going to use. On top of all that, she's started muttering to herself."
"Lots of people mutter to themselves," Jordan countered. "And so what if she buys some extra stuff because it looks cool or whatever?"
Jackie shook her head again. "She never muttered to herself before, and she does it for hours at a time sometimes! Plus, how do you explain the junk mail she doesn't want to throw away? Like, I can go out there right now and see offers for floof implants, timeshares in the Caribbean, offers to join the Birds Aren't Real Society, and letters from questionable African princes. You know that stuff is all garbage that should go straight into the trash. Fluffball has even used some of the pile as a litter box; it's disgusting!"
Jordan blinked. "The cat has been using it as a litter box? Has his box not been changed?"
"It has, but he isn't going to object to the convenient one left out in the living room," Jackie said with disgust.
Jordan's ears sagged. "Okay, maybe something is up, but it sounds like she needs professional help. I'm not qualified to deal with that kind of stuff, and neither are you. Maybe we should talk to Phobia about it. She's a psychologist."
"Her specialty is fear; this is something else entirely," Jackie replied. "I think this is some sort of early onset dementia. Maybe something got screwed up in her head all those years ago when she was temporarily human, and it's just now starting to get bad. Then there's Dad. You saw it just now. His lungs are getting worse from the damage they sustained during the Cataclysm. She can't keep taking care of him if she needs to be taken care of herself. You leaving dumps this all on me."
Jordan scowled. "You were fine when I left to go to Winthrop."
"You were just two hours away. If something came up, you could be here the same day. Denver isn't somewhere you can get here from in the same day if there's an emergency," Jackie countered.
Jordan shook her head. "What am I supposed to do in an emergency? I don't understand diseases of the mind or medical stuff. If Dad needs to go to the hospital, he can get there without me. If Mom needs mental help, Phobia can at least recommend someone. I love them, but we're not qualified to handle this. Talk to Phobia."
Jackie fluffed her wings. "You talk to her. You're closer to her than me. Maybe she likes you more because you're her half-sister, and I'm just her stepsister. Maybe that makes a difference, but you have an easier time getting an in-person audience with her."
Jordan flicked her tail. "Don't talk like that. We're all sisters. We don't need to attach those extra parts like step or half. I've never looked at you or her and thought of you as just half-sisters. You're my sister; she's my sister. It would be best if you viewed it the same way. If you ask for an audience with Phobia, she'll immediately see you. You're her sister."
Jackie gave her a long look. "Jordan, you don't see how much more favored you are over me. You spent way more time at her house. You also got personal magic lessons from Sunset Blessing, and the old mare just gave you her mansion without even considering me. I'm not mad you get to be the favorite. After all, you're my favorite sister, and I like seeing you get ahead, but I don't get all the support you do."
"I spent most of my time at Phobia's house doing self-defense training," Jordan countered. "You got out of most of that because you started doing flight team, which took you away from most of the time training with the rest of us. I never got out of it for clubs or anything, but they gave you that privilege."
"Only because Tempest didn't have any pegasi to teach me how to fly to the best of my ability, and night ponies and pegasi don't fly or fight in the air the same way. She couldn't give me proper training. Flight team gave me the training she couldn't provide, that's why they let me do that instead of train with the rest of you, not because they were doing me a favor," Jackie explained. "She might not have had any unicorns around either, but she used to be a unicorn herself, so she still understood enough to train you."
"Well, that just shows they took extra consideration with you," Jordan affirmed. "As for Auntie teaching me magic-besides Dad and her one son, I'm the only unicorn in the family. She doesn't teach Dad anything because he doesn't want to know. She'd teach others if there were any. It isn't because I'm special. She also offered the mansion to others before offering it to me. I think I did get a heads-up for being a unicorn, but that didn't put me at the top of the list even then. She even offered it to Jessie before me."
"You aren't related to Sunset Blessing; neither of us is. We aren't in her family," Jackie replied.
Jordan held up a hoof. "Only by traditional American standards. In Equestria and some other cultures, where they have a much more complex and broad understanding of family, they have familial terms for relations like what Auntie us in relation to us. A lot of it doesn't translate right, so we hear it as cousin or uncle or aunt, but they describe familial positions we don't have designations for."
"You are such a nerd," Jackie muttered.
"You're such a jock," Jordan said in turn.
Jackie's ears sagged. "In high school, but not so much anymore. Now I'm just kind of here, with nothing that makes me special or stand out, and I need help with all this stuff."
"What's that about my filly not feeling special?"
They both turned to see their mother coming back into the kitchen.
"Um, how much of that did you hear?" Jackie sheepishly asked.
Their mother retook her seat. "Just that you weren't feeling special and needed help with something. What do you need help with? Is this to do with your stallionfriend?"
Jordan felt a wave of relief, and she was sure her sister did too. They still needed to divert the conversation.
"Jackie is upset that Auntie skipped over her to give me the mansion. She feels like she wasn't special enough and that I'm getting handouts where she isn't," Jordan said quickly.
It wasn't a lie, and it kept the conversation from discussing their mother's possibly deteriorating reasoning. Whatever was going on with their mother, it was in the early stages. If they brought it up incorrectly, they might offend her and lose any possible cooperation from her. No one wanted to be told they had a mental problem. It was best to let their mom figure out she had a problem and then assist her with getting help.
Their mom started muttering something under her breath, which continued for an uncomfortably long time. Jackie met Jordan's eyes. Yeah, their mom didn't use to do this. Jordan felt ashamed she hadn't been paying attention to these signs. She'd heard her mom mutter on and off over the last year or so, but it wasn't until now that she noted how detached her mom seemed while doing it, like she forgot she was talking to them.
"Yeah, Jordan's getting mansions handed to her, and Sunset Blessing doesn't leave me so much as an ugly animal statue or a gift card. I mean, what the fuck?" Jackie said, rolling with the excuse.
Their mom stopped muttering and let out a growl. "That mare, turning my little fillies on against one another! She couldn't accept that you two always get along and are like two peas in a pod. She had to do something to screw it up. That gift is nothing but poison. Jordan, you really should tell her thanks but no thanks."
"I'm not giving it up. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Jordan stressed.
"I don't want her to give it up either. I think most of my frustration is how much I will miss having her close by. Maybe if she could delay going there, it would be easier for me," Jackie said in a hurry, trying to quell any thoughts they were at each other's throats.
Jordan shook her head. "Amicus said I had to reside there as part of the receiving conditions. I'm not just getting the house; I'm the guardian of its secrets. I can't guard them very well if I'm not there."
Jackie flicked her tail. "Security at that place is already insane. It's Sunset Blessing who put it in place. She probably has a hundred death traps put in place. If she could keep Twilight Sparkle out of her last set of vaults, Indiana Jones himself couldn't get in her current vaults."
"Always assume you're up against someone smarter and stronger than you," Jordan quoted. "It says so in Auntie's book."
Her mom gave the book she was reading a look of disgust. "Why are you reading that? I don't like the idea of you embracing her ways of thinking."
Jordan lit her horn and opened the book again. "I figured I might as well read it. She's giving me a mansion. It might be nice to understand how she thinks. It doesn't mean I'll agree with her about stuff."
Jackie eyed the book. "Isn't that one of her religious works?"
Jordan nodded. "Yeah, but for being famous for being a very religious preacher, she spends a lot of time being critical of Christianity. Like right here, she says, what is the difference between someone calling themselves a devout Evangelical Christian and someone calling themselves a devout Satanist?- Both serve the same master, but one is being honest with you about it. I also don't understand a lot of her complaints. Some I understand, like complaining about missionaries not doing anything to help anyone but preach and hand out Bibles, but she also spends a full chapter complaining about how public prayer is a sure sign someone is going to Hell. I know I only go to church on Easter and Christmas Eve, and maybe once or twice more a year, but I thought I understood church stuff better than this. Maybe Dad can explain it to me."
"Sweetie, you have to understand, she hates who she was as a human and hates who she was as a Shimmerist, so she spends a lot of time condemning anything associated with that. It's her way of confessing her shame," their mom explained, then her face hardened. "One thing that hasn't changed is she's always up to something. I don't buy for one minute this talk about how she has to go to Equestria to protect her family. The mare understands transformation magic better than anyone. She could easily go into hiding with all her kids in human forms, and no one would be the wiser. I think this is all some elaborate hoax that she's going to Equestria. She's going off the grid and sending body doubles to Equestria."
That felt dangerously close to wild conspiracy theories-the type that could indicate a mental imbalance. Jackie was right; something was wrong. Still, Jordan knew she was correct too, and they weren't qualified to deal with this. She'd contact her eldest sister as soon as she could. Phobia would know what to do.
Paul walked to the nurse's desk again with a netted sack full of toys slung over his shoulder. Rachael looked up at him and smiled as he approached.
"My! It looks like someone is playing Santa today!" Rachael said with a grin.
He set the bag down and smiled back. "My daughter was here late yesterday. She went to bed without telling me how it went, but I hope she managed to make more progress with Mark, and if she did, he might be a little more up to socializing today."
Rachael's smile slipped. "She's making progress. She managed to bathe him and trim his mane. He even snuggled up to her. Unfortunately, that hasn't translated to him reacting any better to anyone else."
Paul blinked. "I expected she made progress since she was out so late; I didn't expect she made that much. He snuggled up to her?"
"Yeah, she seems to have a magic touch with him that no one else has yet to replicate." Rachael looked at the camera. "He's at the window again, but I guarantee he'll duck under the bed as soon as you walk in. He has for everyone else today. We've tried replicating your daughter's methods, but it isn't working for us. We're unsure what she did in the bathroom to get him to let her pick him up. We don't have a feed from the bathroom, and she didn't tell us."
"All we can do is keep trying, right?" Paul asked. "If I keep coming by and am non-threatening each time, he might warm up to me."
"I hope so. I just know he likes her and doesn't seem to like anyone else. I wish you luck. He's a cute foal, and we all feel awful for him."
Paul nodded. "We'll help him. I expect my office will be sending paperwork in to take custody of him early next week-unless there's some health problem that we need to be aware of."
She shook her head. "No, his bloodwork came back, and while he was malnourished when he got here, he's been eating well since arriving. We haven't found anything else troubling about his health. However, it can be hard to say for certain with partials since their basic biology and anatomy vary so much from individual to individual, so he requires ongoing study. That's not even getting into what happens if he starts developing magic."
"Can't envy the kid for that. My daughter had to have a crystal pony constantly with her for over a year due to her powers, and she still had to have regular visits for a long time after that. I could tell she hated feeling like a subject to be studied and having a constant babysitter, even if she never complained much about it-she hated her powers going berserk even more. At least this kid can get a proper rehumanization or ponification in Equestria once he gets old enough to make a choice."
"Yeah, he'll make such a cute unicorn colt when he gets older," Rachael agreed. "It's sad they are still basically exiling people to Equestria for that. When I was younger, I had a partial cousin that went to Equestria to finish becoming a pony. He thought he could come back, and legally, he technically could, but the government put up so many obstacles and red tape to it that he functionally can't. I heard he's got a family over there now. My uncle gets letters from him every once and a while."
"Well, I'm sure he'll be happy, no matter what choice he makes," Paul said as he hefted the dack again and headed towards the room. "Hopefully, he'll like these toys. I want to see him happy now, not just years in the future." |
Partial | Chapter 8: Homes | The apartment complex was gated and a short drive from the college. It was within walking distance, although she wouldn't be taking any strolls; those were dangerous. They'd been almost completely abandoned for a few years after ETS for various reasons-former tenants becoming ponies, rent prices escalating, and nearby roads getting destroyed by earth ponies, but they'd been purchased and completely remodeled. Now that rent prices were back down after that bubble finally burst, they were packed with students and staff of the university, with rooms rarely opening up. With how fast the vacant apartments filled, Jessica felt lucky she was even getting the chance to rent one.
That chance felt very iffy at the moment.
The apartment manager sat across the table from her, Robby, and Nightscape. The manager was human, as Jessica heard was common in housing positions; she was in either her late thirties or early forties, white, shoulder-length brown hair, with a gray business jacket and pants. The woman was primarily smiling, but the smile slipped each time her eyes drifted to Jessica's ears.
"Your income seems to be in order, but you have no credit history I could find. Do you have any car loans, previous rentals, personal loans, credit cards, or anything you can present?" the manager asked.
Jessica shook her head. "No, I've never had any need for them. I own my car outright, bought it piece by piece, and put it together myself. I've lived with my parents up until now."
"No student loans?" the woman asked.
"None; I had a full scholarship for my undergraduate degree, and scholarships and grants covered my entire post-graduate education," Jessica explained.
The woman frowned. "So, no history of payments to anyone? Car insurance and phone bills? Do you have those, at least?"
Jessica nodded. "I do have those and a perfect payment history. I can pull them up and email them to you if you need proof."
The woman looked at Jessica's ears again, frowning.
"Do you have an issue with my sister's ears, ma'am?" Robby asked.
The woman quickly looked down. "No, nothing wrong with some differences.....I don't mean to pry, but is there a reason you didn't rehumanize?"
"This is me rehumanized. I was an earth pony from one week old till I was six," Jessica said through gritted teeth.
"Didn't you see In the Shadow of Demeter?" Nightscape asked the apartment manager.
The apartment manager blinked. "What does...." She then looked at the application again and covered her mouth as she gasped, "Oh...my...god! You're her! You're the Jessie that movie is based on!"
Her ears flattened slightly, though it was due to sheer force of will that it was only slightly. How her tail was reacting, even she didn't know, but the apartment manager shouldn't be able to see it from where she was sitting. She even forced a smile. "Please, call me Doctor Middleton. I prefer to be remembered for my contributions to science."
What she said didn't seem to register, as the manager was now looking at Robby. "And you must be the Robby who flew from the school through the storm to get Wild Growth."
Robby rubbed his head. "Yeah, they made that scene a lot more exciting in the movie than it really was. I was exhausted when I found her; that part is true."
The apartment manager turned her eyes to Nightscape. "And are you one of the Three Demons of Fear? What were the girls' names, Tabitha and Charlotte?"
The Three Demons of Fear? Jessica had always heard them collectively referred to as the demons, not the more elaborate title.
Nightscape shook her head and held up her forehooves. "Nope! I'm just Robby's wife. I was just a filly in Florida at the time, watching it all go down on the news. I did move to Skytree years later and meet them all-my introduction to them was them ramming my face into the dirt when I scoffed at younger teens trying to fight a grown mare."
"Don't worry. They did that to all the ponies at that house except for their mothers, including me. It was all part of self-defense training, so don't worry, they weren't beating up random ponies," Robby explained. "So, what about my famous hero sister's application?"
The apartment manager grabbed some keys and stood up. "Yes! We would be thrilled to have such a famous celebrity living here. Let me show you the available apartment right away." She paused and pulled out her phone, holding it out to Nightscape, who grabbed it deftly with her wings. "Before seeing the apartment, can you take my picture with these two? My friends won't believe I met them without visual proof."
Jessica groaned in her head. At least it seemed like she was getting the apartment and didn't have to worry about discrimination. Being famous had its perks.
Josie yawned and adjusted her sunglasses as she sat in an alley, waiting for her contact. Rebecca better be grateful that she was willing to do this. She still needed to do her meetup with Rebecca after this too. They were both out of range of one another, which required they both project to meet at a central point. The fact she was going to get fined for whatever she was going to do with the information she got from Rebecca stung, made worse because Rebecca was likely to be the one to fine her. That's how Rebecca pulled loopholes; she had Josie do the stuff and get punished. At least it was just money. Back in Sha'am's day, it would likely be torture.
She yawned again and then coughed as she breathed in the stench of the alley with the yawn. There was a dumpster not far from her full of rotting meat. The rancid smell was nauseating. Why did she agree to meet with the thief in an alley? Privacy was needed, yes, and most ponies would avoid this place, making it unlikely they'd be overheard, but surely there was somewhere better to meet. The fact it was so hot made it all the more miserable.
Covering her mouth and nose with a wing, she backed a little further from the dumpster.
"Josie Woods?"
She turned and saw a muddy red mare with a scarlet red mane and tail; her cutie mark was a globe of the Earth.
Josie lowered her wing. "Carmen Sandiego, I presume? No big red hat?"
The mare nodded as she stepped forward. "I only wear the hat when on a caper. I hear you have some work for me, something to push the skills?"
"My employer does," Josie replied. "I'm not sure why she's bothering with some mare so obsessed with a nineties video game character she dresses up as the character and takes their name. Seems kind of cringy to me, but I don't make those calls."
The mare chuckled. "I intend to be who people think of when they hear that name. Someday, most people won't know I've based my name and wardrobe on anyone. It's all about the thrill. If the Dreamwardens are the ones hiring me, I'm sure that it must be good."
"If you get caught, you better say nothing about Dreamwardens being involved," Josie said.
The mare smirked. "I won't be caught."
Josie sighed. "We'll see. Your target is the vaults in Wabash Manor."
Carmen raised an eyebrow. "Sunset Blessing's place? Sounds promising. What am I stealing?"
"Anything, as long as it came from her vaults," Josie answered. "We aren't interested in obtaining anything. We want the defenses tested."
Carmen took a step back. "You don't want me to steal anything? This sounds like a bad job. I'm a thief; I steal things. It doesn't do my reputation any good to break in for no reason."
Josie rolled her eyes. "You want to test your skills. This is Sunset Blessing's place. Do you have any idea what that means? Her defenses in Riverview were able to thwart Princess Twilight Sparkle. She's had years to develop new ideas on how to defend her stronghold, and Wabash is her stronghold. What would it be like to accomplish what even Twilight Sparkle couldn't by circumventing her security? You surpassing Twilight Sparkle sounds like some serious street cred to me."
Carmen blinked and looked down to the left, seemingly thinking. Josie waited as about thirty seconds passed, and Carmen looked back up at her.
"That does sound impressive, but I still don't have a target to steal, and it needs to be something impressive," Carmen finally said.
"Fine," Josie replied. "I'll give you a target, but I've got to get a promise from you. If you fail to obtain the item, you can't speak of its existence to anyone."
Carmen smirked again. "If I fail to get something, I don't want anyone else to know about it so they can try to steal my thunder, but I'm going to get whatever it is, so it isn't going to matter."
Josie smiled.."You've heard that Sunset Blessing had a temporary transformation spell, right? In the depths of her vaults is a necklace, and whoever wears the necklace will be impacted by the spell. I've seen the necklace in action; it works. Get the necklace."
"That is a prize. I'm assuming I'll get paid well for this. That's a major thing to steal," Carmen said as she rubbed her chin.
"Very well, if you can get it," Josie confirmed. "Um, we also need to know who you want us to compensate if something happens to you."
The mare gave a confused look. "I'm not getting caught, but why would you compensate someone if I fail to get the target?"
Josie shook her head. "I don't think you understand. This is Wabash Manor with Sunset Blessing's defenses, and she cares a lot about protecting those vaults. She may be gone, but I'm confident there are flat-out death traps in that place. You don't just risk getting caught; you risk death with this job. The stakes for you are much higher, and you need to approach this with the gravity it deserves. This isn't some random warehouse, office building, or even minor military installation; this might as well be the temple of doom. I don't want to see you dying because you were too cocky and didn't take it seriously. I know Sunset Blessing, and I know the lengths she goes to."
Carmen took a step back again. "Do you want me to do this or not? I'm getting mixed signals here."
Josie lowered her wings. "I just want you not to go in there thinking you're invincible. We want you to do the job, but you must be careful. You've got skills. We'd be asking The Night Shadow if we didn't think you could do this, but either of you could get hurt or killed if you go in there without adequate caution."
The earth pony mare's eyebrows went up as high as they would go. "Night Shadow?! You'd hire that pompous, backstabbing piece of horseshit?! No, no, NO! I'm doing this job. I'm not letting him get the glory instead of me-we're not having Carson City all over again!"
Josie suppressed her grin. So much for honor among thieves. There was some competition between this mare and the other most notable thief that Josie knew of, though the number of thieves who boldly broadcast that they committed crimes was admittedly small. Carson City? Who the heck cared about anything in Carson City? She'd passed through Carson City before; nobody lived in Carson City. Skytree was ten times the size of Carson City. If they were stealing things in Nevada, it seemed like there would be better places...like a little place called Las Vegas or Salt Lake City. Even Reno was more notable.
She couldn't contain her curiosity. "What were you stealing in Carson City? It's like the biggest piece of nowhere in Nevada."
Carmen looked offended. "Carson City has a lot of history. A time capsule was being excavated from the mint building, which is now the state museum, but that bastard stole it! Like he could even appreciate the significance of what he took! He just wanted some silver."
Okay...social studies nerd. That tracked.
"Okay, so, safely raid the vaults, get the necklace, and deliver it to the McDonald's three blocks north of Wabash Manor," Josie instructed. "I still need to know who your beneficiary is if you end up dead. I'm not kidding about that. This is likely the most dangerous job you've ever done. Be quick about telling me. I want to get out of this alley."
"My little brother, Pablo," Carmen finally answered, then her eyes narrowed. "Why are you so intent on me going into such a dangerous situation if you seem unconcerned about getting anything? You don't even seem legitimately interested in that necklace."
"Honestly, we expect and hope you will fail. If you get caught, we can arrange for you to be set free with no consequences, along with suitable compensation for your time and effort," Josie answered.
Carmen's face hardened. "Using me to scout the defenses for yourself then?"
Josie shook her head. "Wabash Manor is coming under new management. We need to ensure the new management can keep the vaults safe. The fate of the world could depend on it. There are far more valuable things than that necklace in those vaults. If you succeed, then we need to talk with the new lady of the manor about getting her act in gear. Don't worry; we aren't going to warn them."
"Oh, you'll be talking with the management because I'm walking out of there with a necklace," Carmen said confidently. "So, do you have any intel to help me out?"
"The vaults are under the house; the access is through the basement. Armed guards are patrolling the place, and teleportation spells will end with you encased in stone, so don't do that. The head of security is a crystal pony, always looking for magic she doesn't recognize. Beyond that, I don't know. Just be aware that the traps may be lethal. Be very careful," Josie explained. "If you obtain the necklace, the OMMR gives you ten million dollars. If you make a legitimate attempt and fail, you get ten thousand. If you die, your brother gets a million."
"Easiest ten million I'll ever make, but not enough to make me retire. It's all about the game," Carmen said with a smirk.
Josie turned her back to the mare. "Right, whatever you say." She spread her wings. "We'll be in touch. Just don't die. I've got enough shit on my conscious without that."
She then took to the air, leaving the thief in the alley.
Now out of the shade of the alley, the sun was even worse than before. She suppressed another yawn as she headed toward the hotel where she was staying. Traffic moved smoothly through the streets below her. A few scattered pegasi were flying about. Some looked at her, curious about what a night pony was doing in their skies at this time of day. There was a plane landing at the airport far off in the distance, with additional pegasi flying security patrols near the airport, keeping stray flyers from getting too close. Those feather brains sometimes flew without direction and often zoned out when they did. When that happened, they could fly straight into the path of oncoming aircraft. That never ended well for anyone if the air patrol didn't catch them and turn them away. The ease of which they flew made them lazy flyers. That wasn't an issue with night ponies, flying took more work for her tribe, and they couldn't zone out like that. When they flew somewhere, every move was made with purpose.
Her hotel was in sight, the Omni. It was the best hotel in the area, extraordinarily fancy and luxurious. She didn't need to stay at such a high price place, but after years of living in slums, ostracized by her tribe or having originated Sunset Shimmer's vision, she was enjoying being able to afford luxuries. Being Rebecca's bodyguard came with a very hefty income, more than she knew what to do with. She donated generously to charity and had a lovely house now, but she still had more money than she knew what to do with. The house didn't mean much since her job kept her traveling most of the time. She deserved to be pampered a bit after everything she went through as a kid and the first few years after ETS.
She landed next to where the chauffeurs were receiving vehicles. The guests were almost all humans. Even nearly twenty years after ETS, there was a huge economic disparity between humans and ponies. There were wealthy ponies out there, but as a percentage of ponies, compared with a percentage of humans, ponies were a minority within a minority. She didn't know the exact numbers, but if a hundred pony millionaires lived in the USA, she'd be shocked. If there were a thousand pony millionaires in the world, she'd be doubly amazed. Ponies didn't stay at hotels like this. She'd only seen one pony on staff, and he had just been a busboy.
Guests tried to hide dirty looks as she walked by them. She couldn't care less. The looks would be worse if they knew who she was and what she had done nineteen years ago. It would probably be worse than looks if they knew; it could escalate to violence. The staff knew her, but the people here were paid to keep things confidential. None of them wanted to lose their jobs by gossiping about her to guests or on social media.
She walked into the hotel. The lobby had not one, not two, but three three-story water fountains. As you walked by them, you felt a gentle mist coming off them, like soft rain. The hotel was four stories tall. All the rooms faced the water fountains, aside from the fourth story, which looked down on them. Greek and Roman columns with mermaid statues were placed throughout the lobby. There was even a lady with a toga working at the information desk-separate from the main desk, and another lady in a toga working as a hostess at the entrance to the restaurant. She didn't know if the whole place was tacky or classy. She wasn't sure anyone staying here knew, but the hotel said it was classy, and with no one feeling confident enough to disagree with that assessment, it was therefore classy. They certainly paid for it to be classy. Consequently, they were inclined to believe it was classy rather than tacky and defend it as such. Otherwise, they'd just look like fools.
It was much nicer than a shack in the slums, even if she paid for it to rain inside instead of getting the service for free.
A short walk to the glass elevator, up two stories, and then a short walk and she was back to her room. The classical columns, white walls, and high ceilings were the highlight of the room. There was also an entire wall window, letting in too much sunlight.
"Omni, close shades," she instructed the room as she closed the door. The shades immediately started blocking off the accursed sunlight.
"Onni, turn on the air conditioner, lower temperature by five degrees Fahrenheit," she instructed as she checked for messages on her phone-there weren't any.
She heard the AC start. It might have been too quiet to hear for a human, but it was loud to her. It wasn't annoying, just background noise. She stripped off her sunglasses and phone before turning and going to the bathroom. She then started the shower and stepped into it.
"Ah, that's nice," she said as the water poured over her.
She controlled her breathing and let her mind drift. It was difficult to say how long it took, but she found herself looking at herself.
"Wish I could take more time to enjoy the shower, but there's one more task to do; then I can sleep and help those kids with their nightmares," she said before sending her projection out of the room.
Scenery zoomed by at speeds too fast to process. There was no way of knowing where she was from one second to the next. She just knew she was moving.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.... She counted in her head as her mind tried to process what it saw, only to break down and show her white light. Then she stopped moving as she counted twelve.
She looked around. Corn, lots and lots of growing corn. Traveling at super high speeds by projection was hardly an exact science. There were some places she could get to quickly and accurately if she left from somewhere familiar and knew the exact spot she wanted to land. She'd left a hotel in a city she didn't know well and was headed to a place she'd only been a few times, so her aim wasn't that great. It was like shooting an arrow off into the distance at a target you couldn't see but had a general guess of where it was. You took your best shot and then figured out how close you got. You then keep firing until you finally get the arrow to the target.
Josie rose her projection into the air, out of the stalks of corn. She needed to get the lay of the land, so she knew where to aim next.
This was definitely at a farm. It looked like corn was the primary crop, though some other things were growing that she was unsure of the identification of-wheat, perhaps? The fields extended for some distance, with pegasi and earth ponies tending them, along with a few humans with farm equipment. None of them saw her since her projection was invisible. The sun was bright in the sky, but her projection didn't technically have eyes to be sensitive to the light, even though she still observed things. It wasn't something she understood the mechanics of; maybe Bob or Sunset Blessing or some other brilliant unicorn understood how sight worked with projections, but she didn't care to have her abilities' mechanics explained. It was good enough for her to know they worked, not the nitty-gritty of how. She was the first and most magical of night ponies, at least on Earth. It was good enough to know she could do this...among other things.
After rising several hundred feet, she spotted a city in the distance. Hopefully, that was the right one. If it was, her first shot wasn't too shabby.
She zoomed toward it, though not as fast as she had previously moved. This time, she could process the flow of the environment around her, and she stopped once she was entirely in the city. A quick survey of the place told her she was in the right one. She recognized several landmarks.
After descending into an alley, she made her projection visible. She exited the alley and entered a bar next to it. The room was very dim. This was primarily a night pony bar. It was well after noon; most of the patrons should have been home in bed or passed out next to their drinks. A human barkeeper was polishing glasses behind the bar as a calico cat sat on the bar, cleaning itself. There were four patrons, all night pony mares, sitting isolated in different corners of the room. Their eyes flicked to her briefly, and she saw their eyes glint with recognition. Of the four, two were too young to remember ETS well and may never have experienced the early days of the Dreamwardens, but the older two had looks of disgust on their faces as they looked at her. For them, she was forever guilty. It didn't matter, they knew who she served, and they wouldn't cause her trouble.
She went over to the bar and had her projection take a seat. The barkeeper eyed her and put a bottle of brandy and a glass in front of her, although he knew she had no power to drink it. The fact that she had literally walked through the closed front door indicated she wasn't there.
"The pony has been hired on to do the job," she said as she sat there. "I had to give her a target, so I told her the preacher's necklace."
The cat stopped licking itself and looked at her. "That could be a problem if she actually gets it and doesn't give it to us to return."
Josie shrugged. "I doubt she'll be able to get it, but if she does, I'll track her down and remove it from her. It would be my mess to clean up."
The cat walked across the bar and sat down in front of her. "No, you were right; she needed an appealing target. If she keeps it, I'll deal with it. I have ways of persuading that you don't, and I prefer to avoid fights, and that's what we'd have if you took off after her, a fight. I hate violence. People get hurt, and I don't want her getting hurt."
"No, worries about me getting hurt?" Josie asked.
The cat tilted its head at her. "You against her isn't anything resembling a fair fight."
Josie chuckled. "Nice to know I have your confidence."
"Always," the cat replied. "Anyway, you can return home. I'm not sure how long you'll be at home, but you deserve at least a little break."
"Not sending me into some other wretched hive of scum and villainy right away?" Josie asked. "That's a relief. When you became Dreamwarden, and I agreed to be one of your bodyguards, I didn't expect to spend so many days hiding in alleys and places like this. It just never seemed like your kind of thing."
"We need to help people who have nothing. To do that, you need to spend time with people who have nothing," the cat replied. "Poor criminals are often criminals because they're poor. If you want the most wretched scum and villainy, look at the rich criminals. I'm still pushing for harsher sentences on the rich for crimes. Poor criminals are often redeemable if you can get them a path out of poverty. Rich criminals are often beyond redemption. Fines punish the poor harshly, but they do nothing to the rich."
"Dreamwardens aren't supposed to be concerned about legal matters outside dreams and mind magic," Josie reminded her.
"Dreamwardens are here to serve the dreamers. If the dreamers are suffering in the waking world, that bleeds into the dreams, that makes it Dreamwarden business," the cat said. "My siblings might not feel the same, but they aren't me. I'm not here to play politics. I'm here to help people."
"I don't think our newest hire is in it because she's poor. I think she might have some sort of early onset cutie mark madness," Josie replied.
"That's a terrible illness," the cat said sadly. "We, along with the medical community, are studying those that're afflicted to see if there is anything we can do to help them, but it is unfair for you to say that this mare is suffering from it."
"Yeah, that's true. I'm sorry," Josie said. "Anyway, I guess I'll be leaving. Got to get to those flood victim dreams."
The cat flicked her ears. "There is one other thing."
Josie rolled her eyes. "Of course there is."
"Brush up on your Spanish in your free time, or find a mage who can teach you Spanish," the cat said.
"Why?" Josie asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You might be sent to Mexico soon," the cat answered.
"Is this going to turn out to be more scum and villainy?" Josie asked.
The cat nodded. "More scum and villainy."
It was early evening when Jordan got off the plane. She had only brought a pair of saddlebags with her, filled with some personal items such as her old copy of The Chocolate Touch, one of her sister's feathers, a photo of her and her dad when they went fishing together, a photo of her and her mom working together in the garden, a small piece of charred wood from the Cataclysm, and a few other things like that. Aside from the piece of wood, none of it would be of any value to anyone else, but to her, they were cherished keepsakes. There were also a few practical items, like her laptop, a couple of books, her birth certificate, IDs, and the charger for her phone, but overall, it was minimalistic. Everything else had been left behind. Today was the beginning of a fresh start in a new place.
A limo pulled up to where she was waiting in front of the airport, and the window rolled down, revealing Amicus, her lawyer.
"Get in," Amicus said as the door opened for her. "We've got a lot to do, and I want to get to bed soon. I'm too old for all this running around."
Jordan did as instructed. The inside of the limo was filled with red upholstery and a big TV screen. The driver couldn't be seen, but she assumed it was a human based on the car's design. The door shut on its own behind her. It was motorized, not magic; she could hear the motors at work.
Amicus smiled at her as Jordan took a seat. "Sorry if I was a little snappy right then. This jet lag is playing havoc with me, not to mention all the things I've had to do in such a short order for my sister. I think she expects me to be a legal miracle worker."
Jordan blinked. "Is there a problem?"
The elderly earth pony chuckled as the car began to move. "No, because this old mare knows a lot of tricks, and I can pull off some miracles. I'm rather proud of myself for getting everything in order so quickly. I had to call in some favors, but I got it all done."
"Oh, that's good," Jordan said with relief.
Amicus nodded. "So, how was your trip? I hope everything went smoothly. You seem rather lightly packed. You didn't lose any luggage, did you?"
Jordan removed her saddlebags. "I don't need much. The mansion is fully furnished, right?"
"It is, but I doubt there's much in it that makes you feel at home," Amicus said.
Jordan shrugged. "I'm only eighteen. I don't have that much stuff. If there are books, that's good enough for me. I can make my mark on it over time."
"There are certainly plenty of books," Amicus said and glanced at Jordan's ears. "Now, before you arrive, we must review a few things. I see your ears are already pierced. That's good because we'll be giving you an earring that allows you to teleport on the manor grounds without fear, but until you are wearing that earring, you aren't to attempt even the smallest of teleports on the property. There are defenses in place that redirect teleports, and they redirect them down into the mantle of the Earth. I'm guessing that you understand what the result would be."
"I'd be dead," Jordan answered with a shiver.
"Very, very dead," Amicus agreed.
Jordan shivered. "Has anyone died from that?"
Amicus frowned. "Considering where they're sent, we have no way of knowing. There are warning signs posted on all the fences explaining that trying to breach the property with teleportation is lethal. I like to believe that every unicorn thinking about it has read the sign or been told about it and taken it seriously. This is a case where not knowing is best for everyone. If it makes you feel any better, we haven't had anyone demanding we give their friend who attempted to teleport on the property back to them. That might be a sign no one has tried it."
Jordan shivered again. "How'd she afford security like that? I know she had a lot of money from book sales, but if I remember what I heard about that kind of defense in the Bastion, it took a lot of magic crystals. Those things cost a lot of money, even for a rich person. She used to have the full financial backing of SPEC. She doesn't have that anymore."
"A very astute observation," Amicus replied with a smile. "You're right; she could design the defenses but couldn't afford them. However, interested parties financed them for her. Who those parties are is a mystery, even to me. I have a short list of guesses, and anyone thinking about it could come up with the same list. I don't have any insight on which one it might be."
It wasn't too hard to come up with a list-Wild Growth, Number Crunch, the Dreamwardens, the government, and the Equestrian government. It could be any of them. They were all either friends or people who had an interest in keeping Sunset Blessing's work hidden away. It was probably not the government. The government would have tried to seize it. It could be any of the others or a combination of them.
"My sister also left an approved guest list of who could come to the manor," Amius continued. "This list is to hold until your twenty-first birthday, at which time you may edit it as you please. There is also a list of people strictly forbidden to come to the manor; you may never remove someone from this list, although you can add to it as you see fit."
Jordan's ears sagged. "No stallionfriends?"
Amicus shook her head. "Sorry. I was your age once, believe it or not, so I get it, but your romance and coitus will have to take place off the grounds, at least until you're twenty-one and can approve your guests to the list."
"Well, that sucks," Jordan lamented, looking down. So parties and having a stallion over for the night were out of the question. At least Amicus seemed like she was cool and not judgmental. Jordan looked up. "What about Jessie?"
"Doctor Middleton?" Amicus asked.
Jordan nodded.
Amicus tilted her head. "You want to have sexual relations with Doctor Middleton?"
Jordan's eyes went wide, and she shook her head rapidly. "No! Definitely not. The idea of doing it with a human is just ewww, and I only have interest in males. She's my best friend, and I was looking forward to seeing her more often. I wanted to know if she could come to hang out."
"Doctor Middleton is on the approved list, as are your parents, your sister, and most of the rest of the extended family, along with a selection of other individuals she trusts. She is welcome at the house whenever you wish," Amicus answered. "For how distrustful my sister can be, it is a shockingly extensive list. I even had to look up who some of these people were because I'm sure they'd never been to Wabash before. I'll be giving you a copy when we arrive. I make no judgment call about who she allowed or banned. I'm not Sunset, but I honor her wishes."
Jordan nodded. "I'll be sure to look it over."
Amicus looked at a notepad beside her. "Next up, residents of the manor. My sister, Andrea, and I both live at the manor, along with my husband, Legal Brief. We will not be vacating just because you are moving in. My husband and I only care about our bedroom and my study. We can't stop you from entering our rooms since it is your house, but we request that you respect our privacy. Andrea has her room, and she's in charge of security, and she, along with the rest of the staff, are paid salaries out of the funding Sunset left you. I am paid on a case-by-case basis, not a regular salary, and I still take some outside clients. There are always guards on duty, but it is rotating shifts, not guards that live on the property. There are six limo drivers, but there is only ever one on shift at a time, and there is only one limo. There are three eight-hour shifts for both the guards and the drivers. Both Andrea and I have cars, but those are our personal property, not yours. If you want to go somewhere, you need to get the limo driver on shift to take you. There is no butler, governess, gardeners, or cleaning staff. My parents used to do the gardening, but both passed away recently within days of each other."
Jordan gasped. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry to hear that."
The elderly earth pony shook her head. "They were old, and it was their time. They both passed peacefully in their sleep without any pain. They'd been sleeping sixteen to eighteen hours a day for the year or so before that, and we knew the day was coming that one or both wouldn't wake up. I'm glad my dad didn't have to linger on for years without my mom-just three days. It was kind of romantic, in a way. Still, thank you for the sentiment."
"My parents aren't doing so great," Jordan said. "My dad has been sick since the Cataclysm, and it's worsening. Now something is going on with my mom-I'm not sure what, something with her mind."
"Is it cutie mark madness?" Amicus asked.
Jordan shrugged again. "I don't know. I don't know anything about psychology. I had only two days in my Introduction to Psychology class this semester before this happened. I called Phobia to help, and she said she would investigate it. Jackie's worried. I'm a little worried."
"Hmm, I wish her luck and good health," Amicus somberly replied. She looked at her notepad again. "I doubt it, but I never know what my sister gave out-do you have any magical items we need to be aware of?"
"Um, I have a charred piece of wood from a skytree," Jordan answered. When Amicus gave her a blank look, she knew she had to explain. "Chunks of the wood from the skytrees that grew during the Cataclysm supposedly have some of Wild Growth's power. The stuff is extremely strong for wood, and it has a magical charge."
Amicus blinked. "Learn something new every day. Okay, we'll have Andrea look it over before it comes on the property. We don't want it interacting with any of my sister's defenses. I don't see how it would, but better safe than sorry."
"Okay."
"There is one last thing to cover. My sister did some...remodeling...in the last few months. Some of it is obviously related to the security of the manor's vaults. Some of the remodeling has no obvious purpose. She has instructed that these changes are never to be undone. You can cover them up if you wish, but you may not remove them."
Jordan blinked. "Cover up what?"
Amicus shook her head. "You'll have to see it, but let's just say I hope you don't have any objections to Bible verses."
The boy stared out the window, watching the people far below, so many strange people. They weren't the ones he watched back at his window at home. There were lots of cars too. Some of the cars had flashing lights.
Suddenly, He heard someone walking towards the room. He held still, holding his breath, barely breathing. Ready to hide.
The footsteps went passed his door. He started breathing again.
He looked at the toys on the ground. It might be nice to play with them, but they were from a stranger, and Grandma said never accept gifts from strangers. He felt bad that he'd eaten the food they brought, but he was hungry, and Grandma wasn't here to make him food. She'd understand why he broke the rules.
He rubbed the bandage on one of his arms. Strangers were bad. They hurt him. You can't trust strangers.
The lady that was like him hadn't come back today. He hoped the strangers didn't get her. She seemed so sad, but she told him stories, just like Grandma did. She wasn't a stranger, she was nice. Some of the strangers tried telling him stories too, but he knew they were just trying to trick him. They must have heard the nice lady tell him stories and try to do the same thing. He wouldn't fall for their tricks. He was smart; his Grandma said so.
Thinking about Grandma made him cry again. He wanted to go home. He wanted her to kiss him on the head and tell him stories. He wanted to go away from this bad place. He wanted it to all go back to the way it was, and he'd be happy. Maybe the nice lady could come too, then she could be happy. That would be nice. He didn't want her to be sad.
He looked out the window again. Thinking about home. |
Partial | Chapter 9: New Beginnings | Jordan circled the angel statue in front of the mansion. A fire rune was carved into the base, followed by an inscription. The inscription and rune looked like they had been burned straight into the stone. She could see where the molten rock had melted out of the inscription area and hardened below as it cooled again. Amicus and Andrea stood nearby, watching her.
For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." The inscription read. The inscription began and ended with a fire rune.
"Religious stuff makes sense for Auntie, but why did she put fire runes in it?" Jordan asked.
"No clue. My bet is it's part of some puzzle. Sunset had an obsession with puzzles," Andrea answered. "Don't try solving it. Our sister also had a habit of having nasty consequences for getting the answers to her puzzles wrong."
"There's a Bible verse and rune in every room of the house, at every entrance, and every other notable location on the property," Amicus explained. "You can cover over them but don't remove them. That's part of Sunset's contract with you."
Jordan looked at the front door of the house. There was indeed another Bible verse written around the doorframe. She walked closer to the door.
No stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler.
There were different types of fire runes at the beginning and end of the verse. It all looked like it had been burned into the wood. Did the runes indicate something about how she burned the inscriptions? Why would she mark that? Just drawing a single rune like that didn't do anything. At least, she didn't think so. Even if inscribing runes did anything, doing just one rune wasn't even a spell. The closest equivalent would be runes were individual letters; simple spells were words; more complex spells were sentences or paragraphs, and the really really complicated stuff was like chapters in a book.
"Kind of an odd thing for her to put on the door when most people aren't welcome here," Jordan said after reading it.
"Don't ever try to understand Sunset. Her hypocrisy will make your brain hurt," Andrea said.
Amicus gave the crystal pony mare an angry look. "Andrea, Sunset's our baby sister. You shouldn't say such things about her."
Andrea didn't seem fazed. "Do you deny that Sunset's a hypocrite?"
Amicus looked away. "You still shouldn't say it."
"I love her, but that doesn't mean I can't call her out on her shit," Andrea replied. "Still, I'm here, even after she decided to screw over Sinker and us by giving Wabash to some random nobody rather than-"
"ANDREA!" Amicus shouted. She then turned and faced Jordan. "I'm very sorry. Andrea's under a lot of pressure. She didn't mean-"
"Yes, I did," Andrea replied. "And the little college filly can't kick me out because I said as much; Sunset left me that much. The house should have gone to one of us, Sinker, Phobia, or one of her grandfoals."
Jordan's ears laid flat. "She did offer it to her grandfoals first, or at least, to Charlotte, but she said no. She said she didn't trust Arachne or Moon with it, and Phobia would never come to live here."
"And us? And Sinker? She didn't trust us?" Andrea asked.
"We're old; how long until we would need to find someone to take the house from us?" Amicus asked defensively. "Our kids have been thankfully kept far away from Sunset's issues, and I prefer it stay that way, so they're out. And Sinker...forgive me for saying this about our brother, but Sinker...Sinker is not a good fit."
Andrea grimaced. "Maybe. We can help him or get him the help he needs."
Jordan looked back and forth between them. "What's wrong with-"
Amicus shook her head. "Don't ask. It's a private family matter."
"Drug addiction," Andrea answered, earning a stern look from her sister. "He took our parents' passing away hard and fell in with a bad crowd for a while, a crowd that offered him alternative ways of coping with the grief. He's about your age, impressionable. Sunset had been paying for clinics to help keep him clean, but every time he comes out...well...yeah."
"Addiction is rough," Amicus said quietly. "I didn't mention it, but Sinker technically lives here too; however, he is rarely here. He's currently in rehab again. We're hoping to have him home again in a month. He isn't a bad pony. He's just troubled." She looked at her sister again. "Which is why he wouldn't work out as the manor's owner. We couldn't even hold it in trust for him since we have no idea how long it will take him to get clean and, more importantly, stay clean."
Jordan gave a sad nod to Amicus. "I'm very sorry about your brother. I hope he recovers and gets back to being his old self once again." She looked at Andrea. "And I know I'm not who you think is ideal to take over this place. I was probably more shocked than you were when Auntie offered it to me. I might be young, but I'm not a pushover, and I'll ensure I respect you and the manor. Auntie wouldn't have offered it to me if she didn't think I was up to it, and Auntie barely trusted anyone. If we're going to be living together, I hope we can be friends."
Amicus walked over to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. "I'm willing to try to be friends."
Andrea rolled her eyes. "I'll be civil, but no further promises. Just make sure to keep the place tidy. I can't stand messes. Amicus's study and room are bad enough. She couldn't keep things neat and clean when we shared a room as kids, and she still can't when we share a house as adults. She's as bad as Sunset."
"My study is in perfect order," Amicus protested as she removed her hoof from Jordan.
"You've got papers and books piled up everywhere!" Andrea shouted back.
"They are in sorted piles where I can get to them quickly!" Amicus yelled. "As a crystal pony, you should understand how much of a hassle it is to go digging through filing cabinets and bookcases. It's easier to keep the stuff on the floor."
"That's just laziness," Andrea scoffed.
"Well, you don't have to come into my room or study if me making things easier for myself offends you," Amicus said with a sniff.
Jordan's ears flattened again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you two to start fighting."
Andrea laughed. "Oh, you had nothing to do with it. The three of us have been fussing with each other since Jimmy Carter was president."
"Well, since Reagan was president, in Sunset's case, but yeah, this is nothing new," Amicus concurred. "Don't worry. It's just fussing. We're still sisters, and we still have each others' backs. You'll hear us bicker all the time. If we aren't bickering about petty stuff like how one arranges one's room, we're arguing about politics. Andrea's conservative on many issues, while I'm rather liberal. Sunset...Sunset just pissed everyone off and pulled religion into it."
"I consider myself a libertarian-free market and social freedom. The conservatives are way too religious for my taste," Andrea said with a sniff.
"Neither of us cared for Sunset's religious zeal, and both of us found fault in her economic philosophies and other matters," Amicus continued. "Dinner discussions could get quite heated. It was even worse when Lántiān was still living here. That young mare was a full-on communist."
"You and the communist should have gotten along fine," Andrea smirked.
"I'm a Social Democrat, not a communist!" Amicus fussed. "Dealing with Lántiān should have highlighted the significant differences to you!"
"Maybe we shouldn't talk about politics," Jordan suggested. "It's my house. Can I make that a house rule?"
"No," Andrea replied.
"Yes," Amicus said at the same time. Amicus smirked at her sister. "Sorry, I'm the attorney representing the property, and yes, Jordan is free to make such rules...impossible to enforce as they are."
"Okay, so new rule, no talk about politics," Jordan announced.
Amicus nodded. "Rule noted. I must now tell you that the governor and the city council will send delegations to the house tomorrow. They want to know who they're dealing with...or won't be dealing with since they try to pretend this place doesn't exist. It will likely be their only visit."
Jordan backed up. "What am I supposed to say to them? What am I supposed to do?"
Amicus shrugged. "Be friendly. If they ask about the vaults, deny they exist and don't give them access if they ask to look. Say it is an invasion of privacy."
"Will that work?" Jordan asked.
Amicus shrugged. Well, that wasn't helpful at all.
Andrea sighed. "Try not to embarrass us. You'll have me by your side to stop them from pulling any shit. Years and years in the FBI means I know what they can get away with and what they can't. This Is a special self-governing district. They made this place self-governing so they didn't have to send help, take responsibility, or do anything involving this place, but that also limits how much they can make us do."
Jordan nodded, not knowing what to say. This wasn't what she expected inheriting a mansion would be like.
Amicus gestured at the front door. "Let's stop standing around outside. I'll give you a tour of the house-minus the vaults; we can sign the paperwork finalizing your taking possession of the property, then you can pick out your bedroom."
"Why aren't we touring the vaults?" Jordan asked.
"Because none of us are interested in dying. At least I'm not," Andrea answered. "The vaults are loaded with lethal traps, and no one here knows what they are or how to turn them off. When Sunset told us, don't go down there or you'll probably die, I'm inclined to believe her."
"What if somebody accidentally wanders down there?" Jordan asked with worry. "What if I someday have foals, and foals being foals, they go exploring and get into places they shouldn't go?"
Amicus smiled. "Don't worry. There's a massive vault door with a combination lock and armed guards guarding the door before even getting into the vaults. They'd have to figure out the combination, and they'd have to get rid of the guards to even get an opportunity to do so. No one is going to wander into the vaults."
"Once into the vaults, you get into the traps, but each vault has a separate door with a different combination. On top of that, each vault has several feet of steel walls if anyone tries to tunnel into them, and if the vault is entered without the door being properly opened, that's a trigger for another death trap," Amicus explained. "The vaults are fully secure. Any idiot could keep them safe. All you have to do is stop anyone shady from being in the house long enough to figure out how the hell to get through it all. That's not hard to do. Sinker could have done it."
"Let it go, Andri," Amicus said with exasperation. "I also wish Sinker had inherited this place, but he is troubled right now, so he didn't. Just accept it and move on. We should be more concerned about his health than him inheriting this place. At least Sunset guaranteed him a home here, no matter what. So who cares if his name is on the deed or not?"
"I care, but you're right; I should accept it and move on. This is all because of Sunset, and she is taking off to another planet in another universe, so I can't exactly yell at her anymore," Andrea replied. "Now, instead of foalsitting a family member, I'm foalsitting some random filly I know nothing about."
Jordan turned her flank towards Andrea and pointed at the picture of the open book with a heart in it. "Well, I love to read. I was almost killed as a foal during the Cataclysm of Riverview. Jessie is my best friend. I want to be a teacher. Auntie Sunset taught me some of my magic, and Phobia Remedy is my eldest sister. There, you know stuff about me."
"What I heard is you name-dropping a few people, which isn't something I care about. You pointed out one bit of foalhood trauma, which I'm sorry for, but you need to get over it. You have a pretty standard interest that you don't need a cutie mark to demonstrate, and if that is all your cutie mark is about, then I'm sad for you. I also heard you want to get a low-paying job that most people quit within five years of starting because they get treated like shit. You seem like nothing much to write home about," Andrea declared.
"Can you please be nice," Amicus hissed.
Jordan tucked her tail between her legs. How was she supposed to live with someone who so clearly hated her? Maybe hate was a strong word-perhaps strongly resented? No matter what the terminology, Andrea was going to be miserable to be around. Could she still back out of this? No, she'd dropped out of school for this. She'd upended her life for this. She might be feeling kind of foolish for doing it now, but she wasn't going to be run off by Sunset Blessing's eldest sister just because the mare was mad the house hadn't gone to one of Auntie's siblings.
She looked up at the door again. "No stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler. I think she put that up there for a reason. Auntie put this big speal in her books about being kind to strangers. I know she's a hypocrite, but are you going to be a hypocrite too by treating me that way when that's what's posted on the front door?"
Andrea blinked twice and then smiled. "Well, at least you have a tiny bit of backbone. I can respect that. Sunset and I had many...many things we disagreed about, but I always respected her bravery."
"She literally pissed all over herself at any sign of danger," Amicus said flatly. "She also is running away to Equestria."
"I might disagree with how she dealt with the house when leaving, but she stuck it out here longer than anyone else would. Going to Equestria was sensible," Andrea replied. "As for pissing herself, yeah, she did, but she stood her ground as the puddle formed. I'm told she even stood her ground with shotguns pointed at her face. You'd be stupid not to be terrified in such a situation, but she took her stand."
"Urinating is a common defensive measure in the animal kingdom," Jordan said. Both the sisters gave her flat looks, and she lowered her eyes. "Or so I heard, anyway." Why did she even bring that up? Did she just compare Auntie with some random animal? Auntie's sisters likely didn't care for that.
"And there went your bravery capital," Andrea said with exhaustion. "Inside, filly; we have a tour to do."
"And paperwork!" Amicus chimed in. She sounded almost happy about it. Whether that was because she was excited about paperwork in general or for exiting the conversation, or both, Jordan wasn't sure. What a pair of housemates.
Jessica looked at the screen, scribbling out equations without looking at what she was doing. These numbers...they all had to come from the same galaxy, the same section of the same arm of Pinwheel Galaxy. That was over twenty million lightyears away. If people had looked for this when she was a kid, there'd be no hope of finding it; the telescopes back then wouldn't have been up to the task. Even now, it would take the Starpiercer telescope to get more detailed information about that region. She might not have had a hand in designing that telescope-her engineering skills were not near the level of her mathematics, but it operated on principles that came from her work. The Starpiercer only existed because scientists now understood Middleton's Law. So, in a way, this was a double victory for her.
Don't get cocky. You haven't found it yet, and there's still a chance this will turn out to be a dead end. Data from that far away is very unreliable. she chided herself.
She looked at the equations she had scribbled. The range of coordinates that she possessed, if this wasn't just a fluke, were good enough that someone should be able to locate any celestial body in the region. Now it was time to figure out how to make NASA turn the telescope to look. That probably meant telling the Dreamwardens and having them apply pressure. That meant talking to the Dreamwardens, which meant the end of her vacation. Fudge. Still, she couldn't help being excited.
Her ears twitched right before there was a knock at her door.
"Come in, Dusk," she said as she swiveled her chair to face the door.
The door opened, and her little brother stepped in. He looked at her computer.
"I thought you were on vacation," Dusk said, sounding resentful.
She smiled. "I might be done looking at these projections for good. I think I found whatever it is I'm looking for. Let's cross our fingers on that," She looked at his hair. "You look like you just came out of a wind tunnel."
He clumsily brushed his brown hair down with his hands. "I was playing with Eve. I was lying on the floor, and she got on my head."
"Building up your best uncle cred?" she asked with a chuckle.
He grinned. "I'm her only uncle."
"Yeah, but which is better for her to think of you as, her uncle or her best uncle?" Jessica asked. "Just your best big sister asking."
"Best uncle," he said, still grinning. "So...if you're still on vacation, can we work on the Oldsmobile again tomorrow? We haven't worked on it in a while. That liquid cooling system is sitting in the corner, waiting to be installed."
Jessica frowned. "Jordan just got into town, and I was going to visit her and...one second. Come in, Dad."
Her dad opened the door and stepped in, and looked at Dusk. "Sorry to interrupt; I'll get out of your hair in a sec. I needed to ask Jessie a favor."
"What do you need?" Jessica asked.
He leaned against the doorframe. "Mark is getting transferred to a temporary foster home on Monday. I know you'll be busy moving on Sunday, but I wanted to ask if you could revisit him, at least for an hour or so. He still isn't responding to anybody else, and I was hoping you could make some progress with him."
She looked at Dusk and then looked around her still-completely unpacked room. "I guess, but it can't be for long." She looked at her brother. "And I'll find time to work on the Oldsmobile with you too. We'll get that system installed. There still is a lot of work to do with it, but we'll still get it done before you're old enough to drive it."
"Thanks, Jessie, I appreciate it," their Dad said as he turned to go. "Have a good night."
Their father left, but Dusk remained, silently looking down.
"Why so glum, bro?" she asked as she stood and walked over to him.
"I don't want you to move out," he replied.
She sighed and bent down so he was looking down at her instead of her looking down at him. He was in the middle of a growth spurt, gaining almost a foot of height in the last year, but he still had a ways to go before they were the same height.
"I'm still going to be close by and will come by the house a couple of times a month," she said gently. "I've got to; can you imagine me living off nothing but my cooking?"
He let off a weak laugh. "I hope your apartment has fire insurance."
She lightly punched his shoulder. "Brat! I'm not that bad!"
"Remember when you tried to make chicken alfredo?" he asked.
She groaned. "I didn't think anything could smell that bad. I still don't know what went wrong. I'm sure I followed the recipe to the letter."
"You used that imitation chicken so you could eat it all without getting a stomach ache. I don't think it cooks the same. That was bad. We all got sick, and we had to air out the house for the next two days," Dusk laughed. "You shouldn't be allowed within a mile of a stove."
"Hey, I cooked some grilled cheese sandwiches once that were only slightly burnt."
"Define only slightly."
"They were only black on one side and not even completely," Jessica said with pride.
"Did you eat it?"
"Some of it."
He laughed again. "How does somebody as smart as you fail so much at cooking? It's easy. I can make grilled cheese."
"I'm a math genius, not a cooking genius," she answered. "Maybe I can invite you to my place for dinner-you cook."
"Look at you, needing your thirteen-year-old brother to cook for you," he said smugly.
She suddenly noticed a dark mark on his neck and reached for it. "What's this?"
Dusk quickly covered the spot with a hand and backed away. She heard his heartrate quicken. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
She stood up. "It's not nothing. Is that a bruise? Did somebody hit you in the neck?"
"Don't worry about it," he repeated, still covering the spot.
"Let me see it, Dusk," she ordered.
He grudgingly removed the hand from the side of his neck. There was a black spot like someone had struck him with something narrow and flat.
"Can you just ignore it?" he asked. "Mom already freaked out about it, and I'll probably hear from Dad too after she talks to him. Robby didn't notice, but I think he is too short to have seen it. I didn't get into a fight. The kid whacked me with a book, and I ran."
She grimaced. "Did you tell a teacher?"
"No, it was my word versus a dozen other people's," he said, a hint of anger in his voice.
She put a hand on his shoulder. "Dusk, you can't let them keep doing this to you. I know you'll get in trouble for fighting, but if the teachers can't help, you have to stand up for yourself. Better to take the suspension than to let them think they can keep hurting you."
"You never fought anyone," he objected.
She shook her head. "That's different. One, nobody would dare get in a physical altercation with me, knowing that I'm as strong as I am, and two, because of that, I only ever had to deal with people saying things. This is physically hurting you, not just your feelings."
He looked away. "It won't help. I'd get in trouble, and they'd keep picking on me."
She grunted and removed her hand. "There's got to be something that can be done. Maybe now that I'm moving out, they won't pick on you for me being your sister anymore."
He looked at her. "They weren't picking on me for that this time. Since Auntie Sunset has been on the news for leaving, they started picking on me for that. They picked on me for my name and said that if I wanted to be a pony so much, I should be going to Equestria with my aunt."
Jessica held her tongue. Dusk had gotten his name because his parents had been Shimmerists when he'd been born and believed all things pony to be superior, so they gave him a pony name. She'd broached the subject of him changing his name to something more human, but he'd been the one to object, even though it caused him trouble. He said there was always something that caused him trouble. If it wasn't his name, it was who his aunts were. If it wasn't that, it was because he had a partial sister. If it wasn't that, it was because his older brother was the Warden of Fear's ward. Her little brother couldn't catch a break. It wasn't fair. It made her feel horrible. She was the big sister. She was supposed to protect him. She promised when he was born that she'd always protect him, yet she felt as helpless as he did.
"Wish I was a pony. Humans suck," Dusk muttered.
Her eyes widened. "Dusk! Don't say things like that. There's nothing wrong with being human. No species is superior to another."
"Ponies don't pick on me. All my friends are ponies," he grumbled.
"You've been picked on by ponies before. It might be less frequent, but it happens. Jerks come in all forms," she said, feeling awful that she was reminding him of bad experiences. "I might be your big sister, but I'm also your friend, and I'm not a pony."
He crossed his arms. "Well, it's still mostly humans. Doesn't matter. I'm never going to be a pony."
What to say to him? She didn't know. Dusk was unlucky enough to be born into a family with multiple famous and controversial people. At least the most contentious of those was leaving; that should help some things.
"I, for one, am glad you're human," she finally said. "You've got a chance to catch up to me in height or perhaps get taller. Do you know how tiring it is staring down at all of you all the time? It's even worse with Robby. I have to worry about tripping over him. Did you know that Mom tripped over Umber early today?"
He looked up at her.
"Oh, and don't get me started on how frustrating tails and ears get," she continued, whipping her tail. "You want to ever win at poker? Not when you've got these things. They make it near impossible to hide your emotions. Everyone knows if your excited, or anxious, or scared, or-"
"Or horny," Dusk giggled.
She gave him a pop on the shoulder. "You are too young to be saying stuff like that!"
He rubbed his shoulder, and she briefly worried if she'd hit him too hard, but then he put his hand down. "I'm not a little kid anymore. You don't have to avoid that subject."
"You're still too young," she asserted.
He gave her a flat look. "Mom said you were eight when she had to explain the birds and the bees to you."
Her face reddened. "I'm an unusual case. I physically matured way too early. I looked older than you are now when I was eight. I didn't have the social and emotional reasoning to keep up with everything my body was going through. There were a lot of predatory people out there more than ready to take advantage of a naive young girl in a young woman's body."
Dusk gave her a worried look. "Do you need to get some coffee?"
She blinked. "Why would I need to get coffee?"
He shrugged. "I dunno, you seemed stressed, like I hit a sore spot. So, I figured you might want to get coffee to help calm down."
She blinked again. "Is that something I tend to do? I'm not being snide. I really want to know."
"Sometimes, I guess," Dusk replied with another shrug.
"Oh...well, coffee doesn't sound like a bad idea," she replied.
"Can I get some, too?" he asked.
"You want coffee?" she asked, giving him a small frown.
He gave her a defiant look. "Am I too young for that also?"
"I suppose not," she answered. "Are you sure? It will make it harder for you to fall asleep."
He pointed vaguely towards where the stairs would be. "It's Friday night. I don't have to go to bed early, and I want to spend time with Robby too."
She gestured at the door. "Then let's go get some coffee. You better drink it all, even if you don't like it. I don't want my coffee wasted."
"Are you going to brew it?" he asked skeptically as he opened the door.
"I'm not going to burn it, you brat!"
It had been a good night. Any night spent with both her brothers was a good night, but it still had been enjoyable.
Now, she was asleep and ready to deal with her not-so-fun employers.
"Jessie, are you reaching out to us on your vacation?" Arbiter asked, appearing before her in her typical angelic getup. "How interesting. I would have expected you to take a longer vacation."
Jessica looked at her aunt. "How hard is it to contain your excitement? You know why I'm here."
"You haven't given me permission to respond to your thoughts," Arbiter replied. "I must conduct myself as if I don't know. These are the rules."
Jessica smiled. "Maybe we should talk about the weather then, or maybe we can talk about the latest episode of Godzilla in the Dragonlands."
Arbiter's face didn't even twitch, but the void around them somehow seemed to grow more menacing. "Careful, Jessie, I might not be able to respond to what's on your mind without permission, but I can respond to your obvious attempts to annoy me. You don't want me to be annoyed."
Yinyu appeared and swam around the pair of them. "Someone is annoying our stick-in-the-mud sister? Let's watch this. Annoying Arbiter is one of my favorite diversions."
Rebecca appeared in her blobby white form with a vague image of a smiling face. She joined Yinyu in circling them. "It might be fun. How will the angel lady react?"
Ghadab appeared only as a small trail of flame, and he circled as well. "Will the sycophant vent her rage? Is her half-breed niece immune to it?"
Jessica eyed the three circling and sighed.
"You're flickering again," Arbiter informed her.
She looked at herself. She was a yellow earth pony mare. She stomped a hoof and reverted to her proper form. She then looked back at the Dreamwardens.
"I give you all permission to respond to my thoughts," she snarled, now angry that she'd been unable to maintain her proper form. It wasn't rational to get angry at it, but rationality had little to do with it.
Arbiter gave her a sympathetic look that touched her eyes. "You still struggle with how you see yourself, even after all this time. You need to make peace with yourself."
She frowned. "I give you permission to access my mind, and that's what you focus on?"
Arbiter reached out a hand to her, and even though they'd been far apart a second before, her hand touched Jessica's shoulder, and Arbiter was right there.
"You're still a dreamer and my niece. The Dreamwardens serve the dreamers, and aunts care about their nieces," Arbiter gently said.
"I still say she needs to get laid," Yinyu said, coming to a halt. "Nothing makes a person more proud of their form than a lover looking at them with longing."
"You jump to sex as an answer too much, Miss Seapony," Rebecca chided. "She shouldn't need anyone else's adoration to be proud of her uniqueness."
Ghadab flickered. "She has no shortage of pride, sisters. I think she still resents that she was forced into her form. She has no hatred for her form; she has a rage that it is not hers by choice."
"It was my choice," Jessica told the flame.
Ghadab flared. "To be whole in body or in pain and a cripple, if you lived at all, is hardly a choice. You had none."
"If life gives you lemons, cut those lemons up and make a smiling lemon face," Rebecca said, briefly transforming into a smiling face made out of lemons before reverting to her white blob. "She's unique and should take joy in that."
"And a bedmate might help in that," Yinyu asserted.
"Stop thinking about sex, you whore!" Ghadab yelled at Yinyu. "Sex isn't the answer to everything!"
"But it's the answer to a lot of things," Yinyu countered
"Jessica should make peace with herself and move forward from what was after deep introspection," Arbiter stated.
A large shadow with red eyes appeared. "Yet she fears how the world views her. She is at the mercy of her fear."
Jessica stomped. "I didn't come here for all of you to try to fix me. All these years searching for this thing, and I've found it. I'd have thought you'd be excited about that."
"May have found it," Ghadab corrected.
"We don't want to get our hopes up yet," Arbiter said. "We have invested ourselves in things before, only to find disappointment. We aren't ignoring this, and we're very interested. You may not see it, but in private, we're all talking quite animatedly about this."
"They're giving me more work; it's horrible," Rebecca whined, making a large sad face.
Ghadab made a body so he could glare at the Marshmallow. "And you will pawn that work off on others, like the lazy gluttonous sack of fat you are."
"It's called delegating," Rebecca said proudly.
Phobia shifted to a smaller pony-shaped shadow and fixed her gaze on Jessica. "You'll need to contact NASA with the coordinates. You can tell them that we have been asking you to search for something for years, and you think you've narrowed down where it might be."
"It would help if you could tell me exactly what to tell them to look for," Jessica replied. "So far, you've all given me no clue."
"They'll know it when they spot it if they're looking at the right place," Ghadab said.
"It's unique. They'll never see anything else like it, a one-of-a-kind place out of the whole universe. They won't be able to stop talking about it once they notice it," Rebecca confirmed.
Arbiter gave a small flap of her wings. "If you want a helpful response, then I'll tell you they are looking for a huge chunk, say roughly around the size of Neptune, chunk of super dense thaumic matter. It should be radiating and absorbing unenergized thaumic energy on a scale that NASA's Starpiercer shouldn't be able to miss."
Rebecca took her human form, minus clothes, and crossed her arms in annoyance. "Spoiled sport, taking all the fun of discovery out of it."
"Not all," Arbiter gently corrected.
Jessica gasped. "So it's some sort of thaumic black hole?"
"Not quite," Arbiter said with a shake of her head. "It is something unique. You'll be amazed when you see it."
"And we have a super deep space probe ready when you have calculated more exact coordinates to send it to. Although, that will take NASA spying it from a distance first," Rebecca said.
Jessica blinked. "How will you get any probe out that far or obtain data from there? It is tens of millions of light years away."
"Magic, silly," Rebecca giggled, shifting back into her white blob form. "We've got a probe and a deep space exploration craft ready to go. We've just been waiting for our target to be found."
"They were costly to build, using up considerable amounts of the OMMR's resources. Their builders were unaware of what they were constructing, although I am sure they had suspicions. Keeping the entire thing secret was also quite the hassle. Luckily, this isn't our first time constructing things in secret," Phobia explained. "They can teleport virtually any distance, to the edge of the universe if needed, and then return. The probe returns on a timer, while the explore craft must be directly triggered."
"You have a spacecraft that can go...anywhere?!" she asked in shock. "Do you understand the implications of this?! This advances space travel by millennia! This leaves Star Trek technology in the dust! We could explore and colonize the universe!"
"And do you realize that anyone we send in this thing could be going to their death?" Ghadab growled. "There's a chance this thing will teleport straight into a swarm of Devourers! The universe is a perilous place. They've already devastated that region; we have no idea if some remain in the area. Your big dreams of exploring and spreading humans and ponies across the universe are impossible. Our best hope is for the probe to gather information and get back before the Devourers can respond because they will notice it immediately."
Rebecca got right in Ghadab's face. "You don't have to be so mean in how you stomp on her dreams!"
Ghadab glared back at Rebecca. "Bringing her back to reality is not cruel, especially when lives are involved. Plus, you know how this can be misused. We are already risking enough."
Jessica stared, and her mind started working. "How do you know how to do this? You only know what information is in the dream realm and what your former Dreamwardens knew."
Arbiter gave her a sad look. "Because past Dreamwardens did know how, and it didn't matter against the Devourers. It was a rather new ability back then, and Joss and Triss were the only ones who used the spell frequently-since they were the only ones who had the power to do it on their own, but you can't use it to escape the Devourers. You can run, but they will follow. New worlds, even potentially inhabitable ones, can't just support a population at the drop of a dime. Even with magic, it can take generations to shape a new world to support intelligent life. They didn't have the time."
She sat down, not caring that there was nothing to sit on. Ever since she was little, she dreamed of helping Earth reach the stars. The Dreamwardens had a way of getting to the stars the entire time. Not only that, the stars were still out of reach because of the Devourers. Her dreams were impossible. She knew the dangers of the greater universe, but having something like this spacecraft available and being unable to use it still felt like the reality of it was coming down fresh and hard.
"You bozos made her cry," Rebecca growled.
"Bozos?" Ghadab scoffed.
Jessica waved it off. "It's fine, it's fine. I was aware of how things were. It hit me hard right then, but it's fine."
"Repeating that repeatedly doesn't make it true," Rebecca said.
She shook her head. "There's nothing to do about it. I need to ask, why do you even have such a spacecraft if it is that dangerous?"
Arbiter looked at the others before answering. "We hope to send a small team in once we have found what we seek. Luna has already agreed to come to power the ship and the probe before it-they take an exceptional amount of magic to operate, a key weakness of this travel method. We'd be sending the Marshmallow along as well, as our eyes. Call it sentimentality, but we want to see it. If we can make it a short trip, we should make it in and out before the Devourers can react since they do take time to coordinate and decide a target is worth attacking-it all depends on how close they are to our destination, the probe will hopefully tell us that. If they aren't currently in that solar system, that gives us at least hours and perhaps years before they can respond."
She looked up at the group. "I won't ask why this is so important in the fight against the Devourers, but as compensation for my service, can I be a part of the team? It is my only opportunity to go into deep space. I spent years searching for whatever this is. I want to see it up close as well."
Arbiter noded. "We anticipated this request. It is granted. We must confirm that it is the correct location and it is safe to make this mission, but if it is, we shall allow you to be a part of it. If the telescope finds it, we may need you to recalculate the space-time position of it for the probe. So your service is not yet done."
"Although, you may need to start expanding your horizons," Rebecca said. "If this is the right place, you will be done with us, and your childhood dream might be fulfilled. That leaves you in need of new goals. Maybe it is time to start thinking about what those might be."
"Let me worry about one phase of my life at a time. No counting chickens before they're hatched," Jessica replied.
"Indeed," Arbiter said, then touched Jessica's shoulder again. "We do appreciate the work you have done for us, Jessie. I'm sorry you have had to dedicate your formative years to this. I'm sorry that you had to give up the years you should have been playing with toys. That was my fault, and I can't ever make that up to you or to those who perished that day. I took an action that may have saved the world, but that doesn't make me any less sorry to those who suffered for my deed. I hope we're coming to the end of your service that began soon after that day, and you get to chart your path from here on out, whatever that may be. It is cruel that we took that from you...that I took that from you."
"It's okay, Aunt Arbiter," Jessica said quietly. "Just tell me that it was worth it."
"I hope it was," Arbiter answered.
Always note how a Dreamwarden words their responses. They cannot say a lie; that's what makes them great liars. |
Partial | Chapter 10: Watching a Departure | Jordan wanted to scream, but she kept smiling.
"I'm just thrilled that the Apostate is gone. I hope she gets eaten by a dragon," Freedom Shimmer said as he inspected the Bible verse on the railing of the stairwell.
He was flying inside, but she didn't want to say anything about that being rude, nor his numerous other instances of rudeness. He might be an unabashed Shimmerist, but he was in the House of Representatives. She didn't want to make him mad. Thankfully, the other people who had come seemed just as weary of listening to him.
"Must you ascribe to every bad stereotype of Shimmerists, Freedom?" Water Wings asked tiredly. "You're making us look bad in front of young Miss Gilmore. We want a positive relationship with the new head of Wabash."
Freedom landed and glared at Water Wings. "This is why you can't extend your reach of authority. You're too concerned with offending people. You're practically a disciple of the Apostate."
Water Wing's eyes narrowed. "You know I have no love of Sunset Blessing, but I don't advocate harm to anyone, even her."
Freedom Shimmer chuckled. "You may not be violent, but we all know why you're here. You wish to recover what she stole right out from under your foolish snout so you can prop up your failing leadership. The fact I coasted through my last election shows that ponies are ready for new leadership in the region, leadership that isn't going to play nice with everyone while sitting on the sidelines and letting our message be silenced."
Water Wings continued to glare. "Your mother didn't want to play nice either. How many years does she still have on her prison sentence?"
Freedom ground his teeth. "Watch yourself, old stallion. Your time is coming."
Water Wings flared his wings. "Is that a threat?"
The mayor, a human by the name of Grant Polis, stepped in front of the older pegasus. "Hey, hey, hey, Water, don't let him rile you up. You know that's what he wants. He's a loudmouth instigator, just like his mother."
"And you don't care about him trying to rile me up, human?" Freedom asked in an offended tone.
Mayor Polis gave Freedom a sidelong look but said nothing; the rest of the delegation, a mixture of humans and ponies, along with Andrea and Amicus, kept silent throughout the exchange.
Andrea loudly cleared her throat. "I'd be more than happy to have my people escort both these stallions off the property if they want to slug it out. They're already lucky even to be here. If Sunset were still here, no Shimmerist would set a hoof on this property."
"I don't want to be involved with anybody's agenda or politics. I want to get along with everyone," Jordan announced, still holding her smile. Her mouth hurt.
"If you try to get along with everyone, you'll get trampled by everyone, filly," Freedom sneered.
Andrea must have had enough. "With your permission, Miss Gilmore, security can escort representative Shimmer off the property. I think he has worn out his welcome."
"Yes!" Jordan said, perhaps too eagerly, but she didn't care. She needed to give Andrea a raise. Could she do that? Did she have any say over payroll? She'd need to ask Amicus about that.
"You heard Miss Gilmore, boys. We have permission to remove this shitstain from the property," Andrea said as she and several security guards advanced toward Freedom Shimmer.
The pegasus beat his wings and took to the air. "I'm being discriminated against! My free speech is being suppressed! I'm a member of Congress; you can't send me away."
Andrea started glowing, and he dropped like a rock, yelling in pain as he hit the floor. "You can yell about assault too, but this is private property, and even a member of Congress can be kicked out. If you refuse to leave, you can be forcibly removed."
"Aaaahhh, aahhh! My wing!" Freedom yelled as he rolled around on the floor.
"Don't be so dramatic; pegasi can take falls that the rest of us can't. You're not hurt," Andrea said as the guards reached Freedom.
"I know I wouldn't be injured by such a fall, but if you did get injured, I'll make sure everypony knows that you have brittle bones and be careful around you. I don't want some infirm pony getting hurt," Water Wings said.
Freedom stopped crying and stood up before the guards could touch him. He then flared his wings. "Back off! I'm fine. I can walk out of here on my own."
"Look, everyone, a miracle!" Andrea declared.
"He did seem to recover remarkably fast," Water Wings said with a smirk.
"Oh, no, not that. He's obviously a drama queen," Andrea said. "I meant he did the intelligent thing and agreed to leave. That means his brain must have grown three sizes today. One of the greatest miracles I have ever seen. Now if only you would leave as well, I would start believing in God answering prayers."
Water Wings fluffed his wings. "Sorry, I'm not as inclined to make an ass out of myself."
Andrea slowly shook her head. "Sunset will be disappointed when she hears that I will remain an unbeliever."
Jordan watched Freedom Shimmer being escorted out. She took a deep breath and turned her smile to the remaining delegates. "Sorry about all that. I set out some snacks and drinks in the next room. It's nothing fancy...just what I could throw together quickly with whatever was here. Still, I hope you can relax and enjoy yourselves."
"We were hoping for a tour of the property. It is closed off and mysterious. Sunset Blessing kept this place quite closed off," one of the Denver city council members, a unicorn mare, said.
Her ears flattened. "I'm sorry, but that isn't possible. I'm still unsure what is in each of the rooms. My auntie had a nasty habit of setting traps. I wouldn't want any of you to put yourselves in danger."
"And her sisters are unaware of what these traps are or how to disable them?" another city council member, a man, asked, giving looks to Andrea and Amicus.
Amicus shook her head vigorously. "We only know about the teleportation trap, and the secret to avoiding that has been shared with only Miss Gilmore."
Jordan wished everyone would stop calling her Miss Gilmore. It sounded so formal.
The unicorn mare city council member nodded. "Yes, we have all seen the signs posted. I believe them and am not about to try to call it a bluff. That does lead to another question. Can you tell us more about Sunset Blessing's mysterious financer for these security measures? To erect defenses against teleporting like she once had at The Bastion seems beyond a reclusive author's ability to fund."
"It is as much a mystery to me as it is to you," Jordan replied. "I'm sure we all have our guesses, but I have no more clue than anyone else what guess is correct."
Another council member, an earth pony stallion, looked at Andrea. "Not even her head of security?"
Andrea shook her head. "Only Sunset and her aid Charlotte Newman know, and both are departing for Equestria today."
Jordan rapped a hoof on the wooden floorboards. "Speaking of which, that should happen in just a few minutes. We can all watch it happen as we eat snacks in the rec room."
They all entered the rec room, which was one room over. The fact that Auntie Sunset had three teenaged colts and this room was almost exclusively used by them was fully displayed. All the diversions and decor were still here. There was a huge television, game controls, arcade machines, foosball, couches that showed considerable wear from roughhousing, and some very suggestive posters of mares that Jordan wondered how the colts convinced their extremely religious mother to allow them to have on display.
"Very sorry. I only arrived last night and haven't had time to redecorate," Jordan said sheepishly as one of the delegates examined a poster of a soaking wet mare laying on the beach with her tail flagged and her hind legs spread in what looked like s very uncomfortable position."Easy to see she had teenaged colts, right?"
"I think you could have taken five minutes to remove the inappropriate decorations," the delegate said flatly.
Jordan quickly lit her horn and pulled down the poster, revealing yet another Bible verse burned into the wall, along with another fire rune.
Come ... blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.
Jordan blushed as she put the poster back up. The poster was suggestive but nowhere near as evocative as what was written beneath it. She'd read enough clop to know exactly what was being described there, and the flowery language didn't make it any less blatant. Was that a Bible verse? The pattern was Bible verses, so she had to assume so. These verses had been added to the property very recently. That meant Auntie had taken down the poster, added the verse, and then put the poster back up over it. Auntie was a strange mare.
"I'm sorry," she said, feeling like that was all she could say today. "I'm a vivacious reader, and I find the written word more provocative than images. I know the image is bad, but not as bad as what's under it. Let's leave that covered for the time being."
"That was from the Bible, Song of Solomon," the delegate said.
"And still pornographic writing that should be kept private, no matter what the source," Jordan replied. "I'll find something less suggestive to cover it, but not today."
The delegate's eyes narrowed. "The Bible is the word of God. It is not pornography."
"Not to be contrary, but that verse seems to describe a female having her pussy stimulated till it oozes and then having her male partner eat the cum. Tell me that isn't pornographic," Jordan replied.
"It's symbolism!" the delegate yelled.
This was a mistake to say, but she couldn't resist. "So, is God symbolically eating the woman out, or is God the woman being eaten out, or is it a symbol of the church eating someone out or something?"
The delegate turned deeper and deeper shades of red. "Blasphemy! Are you trying to emulate Sunset Blessing by pissing everyone off?!"
Jordan stomped a hoof. "I have been here less than a full day and listened to her-" She pointed her horn at Andrea. "-criticize me for one thing after another. Then I got criticized by that congresspony. Now I'm listening to you berate me. Before I came here, I was getting laughed at behind my back at my old college. You know what? I own this place, and I'm not going anywhere or begging people to like me. I decided that the poster was slightly less sexual than the writing under it, you might disagree, but your fucking opinion doesn't matter here."
The delegate was practically spluttering now. Jordan wasn't going to listen to whatever was going to come next.
"Andrea, can you please remove mister...whoever this is. He has worn out his welcome," Jordan instructed.
Andrea lifted her leg and spoke into her phone. "Boys, we've got another one. No, not the other Shimmerist, sadly. I'm still hoping he makes Miss Gilmore mad. This time it's the evangelical prick who always wants everything in the Bible to be literal except when he doesn't like it."
"Andri, can you stop being an ass?" Amicus asked.
"I can, but I don't feel like it right now," Andrea answered as she approached the delegate. "Move along, buddy. We have no problem physically throwing people off the property." She looked around. "Keep pissing the filly off, people. I'm ready and willing to drag your flanks out of here."
Amicus got into the middle of the crowd and started lowering her head. "I apologize for my sister. She should know better."
"Naw, I'm fucking old, I don't give a damn what people think of me, and the filly can't kick me out," Andrea said as she guided the evangelical delegate to the door. "I'm just glad she stopped sniveling to these creeps. You should take a page from her. You snivel too much, sis."
"You are so impossible!" Amicus shouted at her sister as her sister exited the room.
"And then there were six," Water Wings said sagely before eating a piece of cheese from the snack tray on the table.
Nothing to do but carry on.
"Amicus, can you turn on the news stream?" Jordan asked. "Nothing is set to my voice yet."
Amicus gave the door where her sister had just exited one last grimace and then looked at the television screen. "Teptri'pi, turn on the rec room television, turn to news stream, Sunset Blessing's departure."
The television turned on and switched to the news, where a group of news commentators was discussing Sunset Blessing and her legacy and controversies as a live feed of the portal in New York played in the background.
"That's an odd name for the house's computer system. I don't recognize the language. Is it Polynesian?" Mayor Polis asked.
Amicus shook her head. "It is not. I've tried running it through translators, but it is from no known language on Earth or Equestria, living or dead. Sunset said it means something like a cross between sanctuary and home, but she never explained the source of the word. Maybe she made it up."
"Perhaps," Mayor Solis replied.
Andrea returned to the room. "Any more that need to find their way to the gate?"
"None as of yet," Jordan replied. She looked at the television. "It looks like it's time. She's going."
They all settled in front of the television; Amicus ordered the volume to turn up.
"And we've just been informed that Sunset Blessing will not be speaking to the press," one of the commentators announced.
"That seems odd, don't you think?" another commentator asked. "She's well-known for liking to hear her own voice."
"That was years ago. Even though she has written prolifically, there's been next to no public appearances from her since her presidential pardon. Her last public appearance was her visit to the monument in Skytree last year. She didn't make any speeches then, either. She may have changed," the previous commentator said.
Perhaps there is a chance at a last speech. It looks like she is bringing up the rear of the departing party," the other commentator said.
"It could just be her injury. She suffered a severe injury to her neck and shoulder some years ago. You can still see the scars. To date, there has been no disclosure about how she was injured. It looks like it would slow anyone down." the previous said. "Can we zoom in the camera for the viewers to see those scars? They look gruesome."
"Yes, let's all gawk at my baby sister's injuries," Andrea growled at the television.
"You know how the media is," Amicus replied.
The camera only lingered on the scars for a brief time. Then zoomed back out. The commentators then went on identifying each of the people in the party, zooming in on each briefly. Jordan felt regret seeing some of them go. There was a heavily pregnant Lántiān and her husband, Fredrick. Drizzle followed close to them, looking both sad and defiant. The filly likely didn't like being taken away from her friends and home to some unknown place just because her adoptive grandmother was going off to that place. Shǔguāng was close to Auntie Sunset, practically guarding her. He and Jordan had gotten to talking during Auntie's big party last year, and there had been a chance that they might have gone to his room to have some very adult fun if not for her mom being on their tails for the entire evening. He wasn't her normal type, but she still found him attractive, and he would have been her first. It was something about how he carried himself. She was still waiting for her first, but it certainly wouldn't be him.
The camera panned over to a cloaked woman and an unfamiliar night pony.
"And these two must be Charlotte Newman and Shadow Dancer. Charlotte Newman was an aide to Sunset Blessing and also worked as an aide to Connie Morgan. Shadow Dancer was a bodyguard for the foals, appointed by Yinyu Wu Yan," one of the commentators continued. "Why is Charlotte Newman cloaked up like that and wearing gloves?"
Jordan could take a guess. It was because Auntie Sunset was Charlotte Newman, and this human was some sort of body double to account for her departing to Equestria as well. She had no clue who was standing in as Charlotte Newman, but it wasn't who people thought. Then again, only a select few even knew Charlotte Newman was Auntie's human alter ego.
"Odd that Charlotte is departing as well," one of the delegates said. "She had an excellent head for politics. I had thought she would have used her position as Connie's aid to jump into elected office herself."
"Her ties to Wabash Manor might make it difficult. There'd be too many questions about her work for Sunset Blessing. Connie had those whispers plaguing her as well, even though Charlotte never seemed to have any agenda from Sunset Blessing that she was trying to push," another delegate replied.
"I met Miss Newman a few times in her capacity as Sunset Blessing's agent," Water Wings said, earning the attention of the others.
"A shimmerist had dealings with Sunset Blessing?" a delegate asked. "That is hard to believe. She despised shimmerists, and you guys despised her."
Water Wings shook his head. "Make no mistake, I detest Sunset Blessing for her betrayals and slander, but I am committed to a peaceful and moral way of doing things. I would hear whispers occasionally of some radicals intending to do her and her household harm. I would inform Miss Newman of this to communicate it to Sunset Blessing and prevent bloodshed. No matter how much I hated her, I wouldn't let anyone murder her. I'm not the evil she made shimmerists out to be."
"You keep telling yourself that, buddy," Andrea muttered.
He snorted. "With that in mind, my quarrel was with Sunset Blessing, and it seems her sister has an issue with me. However, I have no quarrel with you, Miss Gilmore. Freedom Shimmer is not representative of the ponies and humans who are shimmerists in this region. I hope we can have a more amicable relationship with Wabash Manor."
"Those people you say he doesn't represent elected him as their representative. You're fooling yourself about what shimmerists are like," Andrea said.
There was a delay. It looked like the portal guard was taking an extended time dealing with whoever was pretending to be Charlotte Newman. Was Auntie Sunset's deception about to be called out? No...Twilight Sparkle just appeared and was intervening. The Princess of Friendship was almost certainly in on Sunset Blessing's deception, so she'd ensure it didn't get called out.
"I don't want to fight with anyone," Jordan reasserted. "If he wants to be nice, I'll be nice too, even if I'm not going to let anybody get tours of the property. I'm not going to endorse anyone, either. I just want to live in peace here with as little drama as possible."
"You've got a lot of security measures here for just wanting to be everyone's friendly neighbor," a delegate who hadn't spoken yet pointed out.
"Which I inherited and exist outside my control. I can boss them around-"
"To an extent," Amicus interjected.
Jordan pointed at Amicus. "See, I don't even have full control over them. I've been here less than a day. I found out I was getting this place only a few days ago. I'm still learning the rules. I haven't even seen the whole property yet or know what all is here. I got a brief tour that didn't even let me look in each of the rooms, went to bed, got up, had a shower, ate breakfast, and threw together some snacks just in time for all of you to arrive so I wouldn't look like a bad host-which was also the first time I got to find out what food was here. Speaking of which, does anybody want mint chocolate chip ice cream? She left me a freezer packed full of it, and I don't like mint. It's Breyers if anyone's interested."
"Thank you for the offer, but no thank you," Mayor Polis replied.
"Hey, it looks like the Princess Twilight will make a speech, even if my little sister isn't. Let's hear what she has to say," Amicus announced as she turned the volume on the television up higher
Jessica nibbled on some toast and sipped some coffee as she watched the news broadcast with her family. Twilight Sparkle was on stage, flanked by Starlight Glimmer and Trixie.
"Greetings, friends," Twilight Sparkle began. "Today, Equestria is honored to be receiving Sunset Blessing and these young ponies as new residents, and soon citizens, of Equestria. We understand she had a troubled history on Earth, some of which I witnessed first hoof. However, Equestria believes in second chances...sometimes third or fourth chances."
Trixie lowered her ears and looked away. There wasn't much question about who was referred to by that last comment. Twilight might have honestly believed she was showing support for Trixie by saying that, knowing ponies would normally take it that way but not realizing how bad it played for humans.
"Years ago, Sunset Blessing did a scathing and humbling critique of Equestria's education system and policies when it came to magic," Twilight continued. "After dealing with the people of this world for nearly two decades and personally being thwarted by Sunset Blessing's magical defenses during the Cataclysm of Riverview, I'm forced to agree with her. Equestria needs to reform its education system regarding magic, or it will be overtaken and fall far behind in the near future. It has been on the decline for centuries, rarely having any advancement. I have done my best over the last twelve years to bring those reforms, and I am proud of what has been accomplished, but I know there is still much to do. Bringing Sunset Blessing to Equestria to teach at our most prestigious magic school is a continuation of those reforms, and it should hopefully give her a place where she can flourish and provide a positive effect on the lives of others."
"Seems like a speech she should be giving to the Equestrians, not us," Robby said.
"Twilight sometimes struggles to separate the difference between friends and her people. Call it a mental defect inherent to being magically tied to the concept of friendship," Jessica said. "Not that there's anything wrong with friendship; friendship is great, but more with being so tied to a concept that it warps your perceptions."
Dusk yawned. "This is boring. Why do we have to watch this?"
"Because Sunset Blessing has been one of the most influential people on Earth since ETS, one of the top two or three mages on Earth, she's family, and your sister might have died if not for her," their mom said.
"She's why Jessie almost died in the first place," Dusk muttered.
"As compensation for the United States relinquishing one of their assets-" Twilight continued, seeming to not like referring to Sunset Blessing in that way. "-Equestria has agreed to donate to the US government two thousand kilograms of thaumicaly active crystal."
Nightscape whistled. "Wow, Sunset Blessing costs a lot to buy."
"Equestria didn't buy her," their dad protested. "They just compensated the government for losing access to her services."
"Sounds like a purchase to me," Nightscape replied. "I know that stuff is easier to come by in Equestria, so it doesn't cost as much there, but that much natural crystal is more than most countries can afford to obtain. Even if that were all artificial crystal, it would cost a sizable fortune."
"We're losing one of our greatest mages to the competition; of course they wanted a lot of value to allow it to happen," Robby said.
"I'm surprised they are even letting it happen, even with compensation," Jessica said. Princess Twilight was giving general platitudes in her speech at the moment, making a speech because she was expected to make a speech, not saying much of substance. "She used to design spells to use as weapons. This is like handing Equestria the knowledge on how to make nukes. To date, we still don't really know how Riverview almost turned into a smoldering crater, but we know it came out of her labs."
"Let's not dig up bad blood," their dad quickly said."
"I'm not digging up bad blood. I'm pointing out that she has concocted spells capable of leveling cities in the past, and the USA is just letting her give her citizenship and services to a foreign nation. From a logical standpoint, that seems like a horrible idea," Jessica stated firmly.
"They got a lot of naturally thaumically active crystal for it. They can do a lot with that much stuff, and Equestria is an ally. Plus, she'd never teach them how to weaponize magic against us. She still has family here, and you know how she is about family," Nightscape reasserted.
"China must be throwing fits right about now," Robby said. "Auntie Sunset is out of reach, and their biggest rival just got two tons of valuable resources. They've been mad at us, but now they'll be mad at Equestria too."
"Good, it's about time Equestria got forced out of neutrality with China," Nightscape declared. "Maybe the Equestrians want relations to sour. China is dangerous, and everyone needs to be united against them."
"They could have made some declaration condemning China at any point if they wanted to do that," their dad said.
"Let's not worry about all that. I'm just hoping people ease up on treating us as risks because we're related to her," their mom said.
"Yeeeaaaa!" Umber yelled.
"You said it, kiddo," their mom chuckled as she rubbed his head.
Eve climbed on the couch and forced her way between her grandmother and her little brother. "Me! Me!"
"WAAAAAAHHH!!" Umber started to wail.
Jessica grabbed her niece and pulled her into her lap. "Eve, stop being a brat. Do you want someone to rub your ears? Come to Aunt Jessie."
"Yessie!" Eve yelled happily as Jessica started to rub the filly's ears.
"Yep, Jessie, that's right," Jessica said as she ticked her niece's wings with her free hand. Eve started giggling. "Who's a silly filly?"
"Me! Me! Hehehe!" Eve giggled.
"You're getting her all worked up right before her bedtime," Nightscape scolded. "I should have you be the one to get her to sleep."
"Nope!" Robby quickly protested. "Nobody is taking away daddy-daughter bedtime storytime."
"And Jessie promised me she'd work on the car with me," Dusk said.
She held up her hands. "Don't worry, bros, I'm going to let Robby tuck Eve in, and I'll work on the car right after I make a few calls."
"Go make your phone calls, but can you unmute the TV first?" their dad asked. "We've been watching her lips move silently for a couple of minutes now. I'm worried we missed something important."
Jessica shook her head. "No, she's talked at length about how impressed she was by Auntie's defenses back at the Bastion, went in talking about how Auntie has been of enormous help as a magical consultant through the years. She talked about how Auntie got her scars-"
"She did?!" Dusk asked with a gasp. "Why didn't you let us listen to that? It's always been some big secret. I want to know how she got her scars. They always said it was an accident, but everybody knows that's horsesh...horsepoop."
"Good save, bro," Robby complimented. Their mom was still giving Dusk a dirty look for the almost cussword.
"I'd have liked to have known what happened, too," Nightscape said with annoyance.
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Dad can tell you the story while I'm on the phone. He and I have known for years how it happened. I suppose we can talk about it now and give a more thorough account than Twilight's brief explanation if she's talking about it."
"You knew the whole time??" Dusk asked in disbelief.
"Is it shocking that Jessie knew a big secret?" Robby asked, right before yawning.
"Well, no," Dusk confessed. "But Dad knew too, and Dad's just...Dad."
"I can't be special?" their dad asked, sounding offended.
Dusk rubbed his head. "You can...I mean...you are, but you don't normally get caught up in all the crazy stuff. Jessie's the one who gets wrapped up in all the crazy stuff."
Their dad adjusted his glasses. "Maybe my crazy stuff is so secret nobody knows about it."
Dusk stared at him for a few seconds. "No, that's not it."
Their Dad actually looked hurt at the comment, looking down and away.
"I'll start walking you through how to assemble and mount an electric engine. That way, you can take over the activity from me when I'm gone," she whispered to her dad's ears alone without moving her lips, one of many tricks she had learned how to do with sound.
He didn't verbally answer, but he looked at her and did a small nod. Her dad was no mechanic, and mounting an electric engine in a vintage car that wasn't designed to have an electric motor was challenging for even most mechanics. Still, she'd done it before and learned enough from the experience that she could explain it to her dad. She could finish the task over time with Dusk, but their dad needed something special to do with him. Putting that engine together and mounting it in the Oldsmobile was something special. She loved her time doing things with Dusk, but there were other things they did. She didn't need to have a monopoly on her brother. Plus, it was logical that they should have more people who knew how to deal with that engine. She couldn't be expected to come running at every piece of maintenance it needed in the future, and neither her dad nor brother were strong enough on their own to do the lifting involved, but together they could manage to lift things together.
She unmuted the television just in time for her phone to start ringing. She answered it.
"Doctor Jessica Middleton speaking," she answered.
"Hey, Jessie," Jordan said in a low voice.
Jessica smiled. "Hey, Jor, can you hold for a few seconds? Let me get somewhere private."
"Okay."
She picked Eve out of her lap and put her with Robby. The filly didn't protest. In fact, the filly yawned. It was about noon. This was very late for her.
"Alright, I'm away from everyone. How's the new place?" Jessica asked.
"I think I made a mistake."
She blinked, then suppressed a growl. "What's wrong? Did Auntie leave some nasty surprise for you? Does she have you doing some insane task? If she did, I'll go to Equestria and drag her back here to have her do her own dirty work. I'll follow her around and make her ears ring until she takes it back."
"No, she didn't do anything like that," Jordan quickly said.
Jessica bit her lip and listened. Electronics could carry her powers. She didn't understand exactly how it worked, not her field of expertise, but she could use Jordan's phone as a conduit.
"You have guests," she said after listening for a moment. "They sound official. City reps?"
"Yeah. I think I screwed up. I kicked two of them out. I'm sure they're going to be mad at me."
"You haven't kicked them all out, so you're doing better than Auntie," Jessica said, chuckling, hoping laughing would put Jordan at ease instead of upsetting her more.
Jordan sniffled. "Really?"
"Auntie tries to be nice and reasonable, but she's got a short temper that flares up out of nowhere. I think there's something wrong with her psychologically because she has massive mood swings. If she has an agenda, she can manage to contain herself, but she didn't with them. Do you think she could make it through hours with those guys without losing her cool, especially since she didn't have any agenda with them to protect?" Jessica asked.
"It isn't just them. Andrea, Auntie's eldest sister, has been giving me grief since I got here," Jordan explained.
"Andrea gives everyone grief. She's always bad-mouthing everybody around her and normally cussing up a storm. Don't let her get to you," Jessica sighed. "Once you get past her rudeness, she isn't that bad. She's loyal to a fault, and despite the fact she's so old, she's still willing to take a bullet to protect others. Just don't be a coward around her. She respects people who take stands. They take getting used to since they're practically solar opposites, but both Auntie's sisters are good mares."
"So, Andrea might not like me hiding in the bathroom instead of dealing with the delegates?"
"Are you hiding in the bathroom?"
"May-be."
Jessica facepalmed. "Jordan...."
"I should go back in there, shouldn't I?"
"That sounds like a good idea," Jessica agreed. "I still need to call NASA and work on an ongoing project with Dusk, but I can come over this evening and spend some time with you."
"Can we go grocery shopping?" Jordan asked. "I got to look at the kitchen cupboards this morning, and I gave everything I thought was mildly edible to these reps. I don't like rice. Rice, soup, and egg noodles are all that's what's left here. Oh, and there's a big bottle of freeze-dried bugs and several tubs of mint chocolate chip ice cream. I'm not eating that."
Jessica gagged. "Yeah, we can go grocery shopping."
"Can you pay for it this time?" Jordan asked. "I'll make it up to you."
"You don't have any money?"
"Amicus says I have an allowance, but I need to go to the bank and sign a bunch of forms and then wait on a debit card to come in the mail. I can't even get to the bank until Monday."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'll pay for your groceries. Now get out of the bathroom and go deal with those reps."
"Thanks, Jessie. I just needed someone friendly to talk to."
She smiled. "No problem, Jor. I'll see you tonight. I'm looking forward to it. We can swing by my new place too. It's not as grand as Wabash, but it's my first place."
"I'd like that. I'll see you tonight. I'll tell Andrea to make sure you can get through the gate. Best friends forever."
"Best friends forever," Jessica replied with a smile.
With the call ended l, she took a deep breath. She hadn't bothered to tell Jordan there was no need to inform the guards she was coming. Jessica was on the short list of people who were always allowed entry, at least unless Auntie had changed the orders before leaving. That was a possibility that couldn't be ruled out.
It was time to call NASA and convince them to turn their multibillion-dollar telescope to look somewhere else. Turning it cost fuel and risked damage to the telescope. It wasn't a small thing to turn a telescope such as the Starpiercer.
What was she going to do about those classes if this turned out to be what the Dreamwardens sought? Physicists were still needed in the fight against the Devourers. They needed people to watch the stars and calculate where and when Devourers had been. You couldn't see where the Devourers were exactly by non-magical means, but you could track their path of death stretching back hundreds of millions, even billions, of years. Before life ever developed on Earth, the Devourers had been ending civilizations. Earth also needed people designing the weapons that would fight the Devourers since magic had no impact on the Devourers, as far too many worlds had found out. There was still value in the students. Whatever the Dreamwardens wanted out there, it wouldn't save the world on its own. No one thing or person could save the world on their own.
She auto-dialed the number and waited for a response.
"Doctor Middleton, a pleasure to be speaking to you again. Are you in need of more star charts already?"
She pointlessly shook her head. "No, and I'm hoping I won't need any more in the future. I think I found the region I've been looking for on behalf of the Dreamwardens. I'm texting you the general coordinates now."
The Administrator was quiet for several seconds. The line hadn't disconnected; she could hear his breathing and heart as well as the stream of Sunset Blessing leaving that the Administrator was watching.
"What's the probability of the coordinates?" the Administrator finally asked in a neutral tone.
"I have thirteen data points in that region ranging from 12.5% to 25.07%. I've never seen results like that. It's rare for me to see a single data point hit five percent. The area is in the Pinwheel galaxy. We need to get a better look to confirm whether it is the right place or not, but that will take Starpiercer."
The Administrator went silent again. Anyone with a tenth of her intelligence knew something was up. They must have been waiting for this news. That meant they were in communication with the Dreamwardens as well, which was unsurprising.
"I'll call a meeting of the Senior Management Council and see what we can do," the Administrator said at last.
"You wouldn't happen to know already what is being looked for, would you?" Jessica asked. "The Dreamwardens said a piece of super-dense thaumic matter the size of Neptune."
"The first and last place," the Administrator replied. "The first thing to exist and the last thing that will exist. The source of all thaumic energy. The place that makes physics even function. It's the holy grail of Astronomy, Physics, and Magicology to anyone who knows about it. It also probably raises enough theological questions to make me glad I'm non-practicing."
"Theological questions?" she asked. "How does a hunk of thaumic matter raise theological questions?"
"If what the Dreamwardens have described to me is true, it has covered in the ruins of a civilization that predates the universe itself, and the world itself is sentient. Dreamwardens don't lie," the Administrator answered. "The term ruins being used broadly, since every building is undamaged, merely vacant."
"It sounds fascinating, but how does this place help us defeat the Devourers? If it has been around that long, can think, and has done nothing about them, it makes me wonder what it can do now. Did they tell you?" Jessica asked.
"They didn't, but it survived the Devourers, the Big Bang, and presumably the Big Crunch. If studying anything can give us clues on how to survive a Devourer assault, it can," the Administrator replied. "You don't seem excited by this. You're a scientist. You should be as excited as we are at this discovery if we finally found it."
"I've seen fantastic things in my life already. I had a front-row seat to the Cataclysm of Riverview. I watched Wild Growth almost become an alicorn but fell short at the last minute. The Dreamwardens have shown me visions of worlds as the Devourers destroyed them. Things such as these that are beyond my understanding no longer shock me. I knew whatever this was had to be special. I have spent most of my life searching for this, being told it would help us survive; I wasn't in it for a scientific discovery. All I want to know is how it will help us," Jessica answered.
"I don't know."
She snorted. "Then I guess I'm waiting to see it for myself, and maybe I'll get the answer. Anyway, I'll let you go to call your meeting. I have a promise to my little brother to keep." |
Partial | Chapter 11: Hospital Search | Jessica pulled up to the gate of Wabash and rolled down her window. One of the guards on duty walked over to her.
"Doctor Middleton, nice to see you again. You might not have heard, but Miss Blessing has moved to Equestria," the guard greeted.
She smiled at him. "I'm aware, Joe. I'm here to visit Jordan. She and I have been best friends for years. How's she doing?"
"Only saw her briefly when she came in yesterday evening, so I don't have much of an opinion yet. Word from the previous shifts is she kicked out a few visiting delegates earlier today, but most of them made it through the whole visit. Been pretty calm around here so far," Joe answered. He then pointed down the street. "I think there's some paparazzi camped out over there, trying to dig up dirt about the new mare in charge, likely taking your picture right now, but they've been keeping their distance and haven't tried anything stupid yet. We've spotted a few drones flying around the fence, but we can't do anything about those unless they cross the fence."
Her ears laid back as she looked at where he had indicated the people were camped out. She didn't see anyone, but he knew better than she did about that kind of thing. Having her picture taken and stuffed in some tabloid was annoying. Anyone who did any research would already know she and Jordan were longtime friends, and she was also a frequent guest at Wabash. Still, tabloid people would misrepresent anything, and most people wouldn't bother to do even a basic internet search to confirm whether what they were being told was true. If they did, they usually had no idea how to tell a reputable source from a bad one. She could only imagine what wild stories they might come up with. By tomorrow there might be an entire narrative lodged in people's minds about a deep-state conspiracy where NASA and partials did away with Sunset Blessing so they could eat children at Wabash Manor or something equally outlandish and nonsensical. People would believe the dumbest things.
She listened at the edges of her range but didn't hear anyone talking, at least not in the direction indicated. She still didn't see anyone, so they could be out of her field. She did hear the drones buzzing around, although it was hard to pinpoint exactly where they were. It was more than one drone by the sound of it, and there were likely more outside the range of her ears. There were some scattered heartbeats and breathing, but it was hard to pinpoint the location of those beyond Joe and the other guard at the gate.
Oh well, what would she do if she caught someone filming her? There wasn't much she could do. Confronting them could only go badly for her. Perhaps they wouldn't bother using footage of her. It was dark, and the picture couldn't be that great. They likely had nothing to use.
Power of positive thinking? Yeah, she didn't buy into that. It was time to accept that she would be implicated as part of some conspiracy.
"Alright, let me in, Joe. Jordan needs groceries, and she doesn't even know where Whole Foods is," Jessica said.
"Sure thing. Enjoy your visit, Doctor Middleton," Joe replied before waving to the other guard. "Let her through and signal the house that she's arriving."
Joe walked back to the gatehouse, and she waited for the gate to fully open before driving forward.
As she drove along the path, she looked out at the yard. It was surprising how high the grass had gotten over the past few years, completely overtaking the flower gardens that had previously been the highlight of the yard. There was still some earth pony in her, and the state of the flower beds saddened that part of her. They used to be very well kept back when Dry Soil, Hook Line, and Sinker took care of them. The garden had started falling back into dishevelment as the two elderly ponies had slowed down, and it had stopped getting care altogether when they passed away. Their graves were on the property, out by the chapel. They'd have had a fit if they saw it in this state. It was unlikely to get better anytime soon. Jordan was no gardener, Sinker was unwell, and if Auntie hadn't been paying for gardeners before she left, she certainly hadn't left Jordan funding for it. Auntie didn't trust random gardeners being at the property. Auntie didn't trust most people.
Maybe there was a weed wacker somewhere.
She pulled around the angel statue and stopped. Andrea had been at the front door, and the old crystal pony walked out to her as Jessica put the car in park and turned off the engine.
"If it isn't the big-shot scientist," Andrea greeted as Jessica exited her car. "Here to do a scientific investigation into how a pony can survive without a backbone? I'm sure Amicus would like to volunteer."
"Insults for your sister but not Jordan?" Jessica asked. "I guess Jordan made a good impression."
"Eh, I'm still trying to get a read on the filly. She gives me whiplash with how inconsistent she is when it comes to showing some spine," Andrea answered, shaking her head.
"She's only eighteen and hasn't been in a situation like this before. It would be a lot for someone much older," Jessica cautioned.
"You're nineteen and have more of a backbone. Does a year make that much difference?" Andrea countered.
"I've lived a very different life, and I've had to learn how to put on a brave face when I'm feeling anything but," Jessica answered. "Jordan's tougher than she looks. In terms of self-defense, aside from the Three Demons, she's the best of Tempest's students. I might be physically stronger and have my sound powers, but she can still kick my ass with ease. It should be safer here now that Auntie Sunset is gone, but just in case, Jordan's more than capable of defending herself."
"She doesn't have to worry about physically defending herself with me and the guards around, but most people don't need to worry about physical attacks anyway, and most people coming for her are coming with barbed tongues. She needs to learn to defend herself verbally and not give these creeps an inch," Andrea said.
"Jordan will be fine. Give her time," Jessica insisted. "Can I go in?"
Andrea stepped aside. "Be our guest, but don't expect any musical numbers. Oh, and keep your powers to yourself. I know they don't turn off, but I know when you're focusing with them. I'll down you just as fast as anybody else if you do."
Jessica looked at the inscription on the doorframe. "You always make people feel so welcome." She then headed inside.
She entered the mansion and looked around. The foyer looked the same as always, right down to the family portrait of Sunset Blessing and her adopted foals. The old unicorn had left everything behind. There were some new inscriptions around the doorways and on the banister of the stairwell, but they only made the place feel even more like her Auntie. A few guards stood off in corners, casually watching her.
"Jordan, I'm here. Where are you?" she called out. She wished she could try to search for her friend's heartbeat, but Andrea's threat was legitimate. It was uncertain if she could sort it out of the other heartbeats anyway.
"Miss Gilmore is in the bathroom, freshening up," one of the guards informed her.
"I guess I'll make myself at home then. Let her know I'll be in the rec room," she replied.
She walked to the rec room and looked at the doorway. There was a verse written on it.
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind
The verse felt Shimmerist in some way, though she was unsure how. Odd, considering how Auntie felt about Shimmerists. The door verse had been equally strange, considering most were unwelcome. These were all part of some puzzle; she was sure of it. The fact they were so hypocritical could be a coincidence or part of the puzzle. Curious as it all was, she would let the mystery continue to be just a bunch of unrelated pieces. Auntie's obsession with solving puzzles was not a trait they shared. If this was a math problem, it might be different, but this was some convoluted mess of a security system that her Auntie, in her arrogance and audacity, decided to give clues on how to bypass, despite that being completely illogical. Jessica had no interest in untwisting Auntie's machinations.
The rec room was the same as she remembered, down to Líng's posters of sexy mares and Meng's mini-arcade. The snack platters set out for Jordan's guests were still sitting on the table half-filled with food.
The television was on with commentators having moved on from discussing Auntie to discussing a bill about diverting rains from the next hurricane season to the midwest instead of the southwest in hopes of replenishing water there after more than a century of gross mismanagement of the aquifers. The arguments mainly centered around how much the federal government should be allowed to regulate the states on their groundwater use, but also with New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada protesting giving up the rains to the Great Plains states at all after how badly water had been managed there previously-basically saying the Great Plains states had made their bed and should sleep in it instead of being bailed out. In the Great Plains and the Southwest, rain and the water that came with it meant the difference between life and death as both regions faced being consumed by the desert. Recent rain policies had given new life to the southwest, but most agreed that the Great Plains desperately needed help soon, or in a few decades, it would begin to become a desert to rival the Sahara. State governments tried their best to bring rain to the plains with pegasi, but they were only working with local water, and it was not enough-and interfering with rains elsewhere. Wild Growth was currently passionately speaking about establishing a national weather management system and cabinet position separate from the Department of Interior, not surprising considering Wild Growth was an outspoken environmentalist. Jessica never paid much attention to these debates because they presumed the Devourers weren't coming or weren't coming soon. The environment was important, but it was more critical to worry about the doom on their doorstep than the doom still down the street--one thing at a time.
She was on vacation and determined not to worry about any of it until she had gotten sufficient time to relax and breathe, even as the clock continued to tick-tock without a stop. A few days to enjoy life with friends and family wasn't much to ask after years of tireless service.
To pass the time while waiting for Jordan and not wanting to worry about the news, she walked over to one of the arcade games at random and started playing. After five minutes of watching her fighter get helplessly murdered, murdered again, and then dismembered in an impossible way, she determined that maybe Mortal Kombat was not the arcade game for her. It never made sense to her why ponies would happily play such games when most ponies found violence deeply disturbing. Did digitizing it make it acceptable?
"Jessie!"
She barely had time to turn around before Jordan had mounted her legs, wrapping forelegs around them.
Jessica touched Jordan's head with the palm of her hand. "Hello, Jor. It's good to see you again. You do know we're going to a grocery store, not a club, right? You don't need all the jewelry and makeup. It looks good, but it seems a bit much. I like the braid of your mane too."
Jordan released her and sighed. "If only the stallions would notice that stuff. The jewelry is kinda mandatory. All of Auntie's defenses require me to wear this piece of jewelry or that piece of jewelry-well, two earrings and a necklace, anyway, and one of the earrings doesn't do anything. She had a master necklace that did all of it, but nobody seems to know where that is-probably in a vault. I figured that if I need to wear them, I might as well go all out."
"And what do they circumvent exactly?" Jessica asked, curious.
Jordan pointed to her ear. "This thing lets me teleport while on the property without teleporting to my doom. The necklace lets me do advanced spellcasting. I don't know what qualifies as advanced in Auntie's book, but apparently, if you try to do anything too complicated while on the property, it can go haywire and fail without this necklace."
Jessica shook her head. "Auntie loves her security. I wanted nothing to do with it. I'm glad you're here, but I don't envy you having this place. You're tough, though, and I'm sure you'll do fine."
Jordan looked away. "I'm not that tough. The Demons beat me all the time during the training sessions with Tempest-it wasn't even close, and you had to save me back during the Cataclysm."
"Jordan, stop it," Jessica said firmly. "Comparing you fighting to one of the Demons is completely unfair because everyone loses to them in a physical fight-they can even beat Tempest, and she trained them. That you could even hold your own against them for any period is extremely impressive, and as for me saving you-I was six, and you were five. We aren't little foals anymore. You could barely get your horn to even spark back then. You started doing bodyguard work in eighth grade to protect Auntie's granddaughter, and Auntie, who trusts no one, trusted you with Drizzle's life. You've also never gotten below a B in school in your life. You're intelligent and capable, and you should stop putting yourself down."
"You never made a B," Jordan countered.
Jessica looked left and right before bending down to whisper. "You're right, but don't tell my mom that I made a C as an undergrad in Art History."
Jordan raised an eyebrow at her. "You made a C?"
Jessica nodded. "Yep, it ruined my perfect 4.0 GPA. It was an elective, but it was the most stressful elective I've ever taken. I barely passed the class. Worse than that, it's a subject that my mom cares about. I'm the only member of my family who almost failed at something art related. Don't tell her."
Jordan giggled. "Your deep dark secret is safe with me. I guess we should get going."
"Let's do that," Jessica agreed.
"That over there is Coors Field," Jessica informed, pointing at the stadium while stopped at a light. "The Rockies baseball team plays there, and they do some events like concerts there during the offseason."
"Oh, do they go to the Super Bowl a lot?" Jordan asked.
"Uh, wrong sport. It's called the World Series with baseball, and no, they never go. Physics is not on their side. I could give you a detailed explanation of why they have difficulty winning games, even with great players. I doubt you would be interested in the details about air pressure and gravity, so I won't go into it," Jessica said. "I'm told their games are still fun to watch. The most exciting games in baseball."
"I have heard of the team. Drizzle had season tickets, even for away games. I was told they gave her season tickets for life after someone dressed as their mascot tried to kidnap her," Jordan said. "She says they had to change the design of the mascot and everything because they felt so bad it had been associated with a foalnapping. I suppose that it isn't good press to have kids think of your mascot as a monster that steals kids away in the night."
"I was in the manor when that happened," Jessica replied as the light turned green, and they started again. "I remember when Auntie finally got her back that Drizzle was scared of the purple dinosaur plushie she had gotten before that. It was heartbreaking to see."
Her phone started ringing, and she tapped it to answer it. "Doctor Jessica Middleton speaking, who's this?"
"Doctor Middleton! Thank goodness we got ahold of you. We were unsure you were on call since you didn't appear in our visiting doctor listings. We need your help. Mark has escaped his room, and we can't find him. We've checked the cameras, but we only saw his escape from the room. We're at a complete loss on how he could be evading us. The notes said he trusts you. Can you help us find him?"
"I think there's been a mistake. You know I'm not a medical doctor, right?" Jessica asked in disbelief.
"You aren't?" the nurse asked. "The notes that the other shifts left say you spent a great deal of time with him. Are you a psychiatrist?"
"I'm a physicist!" Jessica exclaimed.
"Physical therapy? Okay, well, that's still fine. We need you down here. Please, we're begging here. Mark could be in trouble or get hurt," the nurse said.
Why did people have to be so stupid? It wasn't her looking down on others for not being as bright as her, right? This nurse was stupid. Still...Mark had grown on her, and the thought he may be in trouble was enough to give her pause.
"I'll see what I can do. Give me another call if there is any update," Jessica replied, then hung up.
"Is Mark the partial kid?" Jordan asked.
"Yeah," Jessica answered. "Jordan, I know it's asking a lot, but do you mind if we do a detour, a big detour?"
Jordan smiled. "Jessie, I have nothing better to do, and I'm another set of eyes to help look. Groceries can wait, but are you going to get in trouble for letting them think you are a medical professional?"
"Their fault for thinking that," Jessica answered. "Thanks for this. I'll make it up to you."
"It's no trouble. I want to be a teacher. What kind of teacher doesn't try to help kids?" Jordan asked.
"I don't think this is the helping kids that teachers do," Jessica said doubtfully. "I'm still happy to have you along for the ride."
Her phone started ringing again. She sighed and answered. Maybe they'd found him, and there was no need to go help.
"Doctor-" She began.
"Jessie, Mark's gone missing! Can you help me find him? He trusts you, and you can focus on his heartbeat."
"I'm already headed there, Dad. They called me, begging for help," she replied. "Are you heading there?"
"Yes, thank you. I've got to get going. I'll see you shortly." He hung up.
"This is kinda exciting," Jordan said, practically hopping in her seat, or at least as much as a pony could while in a seat harness.
They almost made it to the interstate exit before the light turned red. The fastest way to the hospital was at the next interstate exit. Traffic was surprisingly light; she was unsure why.
"Small kid stuck in a big scary building, sound familiar?" Jordan asked.
Jessica frowned. "Yeah, I suppose it does."
Being the most logical place to start their search, they headed to the nurses' station next to Mark's room. The pony nurse was off duty, and a human was on duty. It made sense. Ponies tended not to stay up late and rarely worked overnight shifts. Night ponies were an exception to this, but they were neck and neck with crystal ponies as the smallest tribe, and there simply not enough of them that you would see shifts full of night ponies overnight-even in professions that night ponies tended to gravitate towards, which surprisingly included medical care.
The nurse gave her a suspicious look as she and Jordan approached the station.
"Can I help you...miss?" the nurse asked as Jessica reached the station with Jordan still tailing her.
"I believe you called me. I'm Doctor Jessica Middleton," Jessica replied. "Mark is still missing?"
The nurse blinked. "You're a partial?" The nurse's eyes narrowed. "Is this some kind of joke? Get out of here before I call the cops. How low do you have to be to try to impersonate a doctor? You're lucky Doctor Middleton isn't here yet, or I'm sure they'd prosecute you."
Jessica's ears flattened, and her tail flicked.
"Hey! You can't talk to my best friend like that!" Jordan yelled. "This is Doctor Middleton. You just called her!"
The nurse bent over the edge of the station and waved her finger at Jordan. "Is this your idea then? Some college prank? This is a hospital, filly; we don't do pranks here!"
Jessica bit her tongue as she reached into her purse and rustled around in it until she found what she was looking for. She then put her faculty ID from the college and her driver's license in front of the nurse.
"These will clear up my identity," Jessica said with forced calm. "As I tried to explain on the phone, I'm not a medical doctor; I'm a physicist. That is a doctor of physics. I understand you must have gone to school in Florida or something, and therefore lack a basic understanding of what that is and lack the capability of counting over twenty because you have run out of fingers and toes-unless you're inbred and have a different number. Physics is a science, the study of the behavior and properties of matter and energy. I have doctorates in both math and physics. Being a doctor of math, I can do complicated math that would baffle your mind, like long-division."
The nurse's face reddened. "I don't care who the fuck you are, partial freak. You do not talk to-"
"Jessie! You're already here!"
She looked back and saw her dad exiting the elevator.
"And she's leaving before I call security!" the nurse yelled.
"Calling security because I insulted you?" Jessica scoffed. "You small-minded, bigoted-"
"Maybe we should go," Jordan piped in. "I don't think we're wanted."
"Got that right," the nurse snarled.
Her dad lividly advanced to the station. "She's not going anywhere. Mark missing is a social services issue, and I called her to help track him down because you weren't doing your job. If you don't want me and my office making as big a deal about you failing to watch an endangered child to your administration as I should be, you will give us what information you know and let us search for him."
The nurse glared at him for several seconds, eyes occasionally flicking to Jessica with contempt, before finally sitting down.
"He exited his room two hours ago. We have not seen him on camera for any of the elevators-not that he could reach the buttons anyway, and the other nurse on duty is currently checking the other rooms on the hall."
Her dad grunted. "Jessie, you can start searching. Jordan...nice to see you again...you can search as well. You might want to split up to cover more ground. I'll review the camera feeds."
Jessica stiffly nodded and started towards Mark's room. It was as good a place as any to begin the search.
"Are you okay?" Jordan asked, hurrying to keep up with her.
"We were supposed to split up to cover more ground. Following me isn't splitting up," Jessica replied.
Jordan came up beside her. "I know, but I wanted to know if you were okay. That lady was way out of line. To be fair, what you said was out of line too, but that lady had it coming. So...are you okay?"
"I don't want to talk about it right now," Jessica answered. She then stopped, sighed, and looked at her friend. "We can talk later, I promise, but let's focus on Mark for right now."
Jordan's ears sagged. "Okay, but I'm going to hold you to that." She then turned and headed in the opposite direction.
She entered Mark's room. There were some toys laid out on the floor. Her dad had said something about bringing Mark some toys. They didn't look played with, at least as far as she could tell, and she could be wrong.
Stupid nurse. She doesn't want to believe a partial can amount to anything. I'm as human as she is and far more capable. Jessica thought to herself.
She reached down and picked up a teddy bear from the toys. It was a simple bear with a red scarf. It reminded her of her bear that she had since she was an infant. She still slept with it, even after all these years.
I bet that nurse wasn't paying attention to you because she thought you were incapable. She probably didn't care enough to pay attention. She only cares now because she can get in trouble for this. You deserve better. We deserve better. she thought at the toy, using it as a stand-in for Mark.
Still holding the bear, she listened to the room. There were no heartbeats or breathing in the room other than her own. Mark might be able to hold his breath, but he couldn't stop his heart. He wasn't in the room. On a whim, she listened to the nurses' station. The nurse was showing her dad the camera feeds, listing off times and locations. She'd half-expected him to be chewing the nurse out, but he seemed to be keeping his focus on Mark. Part of her resented that he wasn't telling off the nurse, but she forced that part down. Mark was what mattered right now.
Listening to the other rooms from here was pointless. She could focus on one room at a time from here, but she didn't know Mark's heartrate and breathing like she knew members of her family. Hearing a heartbeat meant nothing. This was a hospital; there were hundreds of people here.
She left the room, still carrying the bear, and walked to the door of the next room. Two sources of heartbeats were inside. She opened the door and peeked in-two beds occupied by patients. She shut the door and moved on to the next. The nurse was standing away from her station, arms crossed, staring at her. Jessica flicked her tail. Did the nurse think she would do something to the patients or steal something?
The next room had no heartbeats, so she moved on. The room after that had one, and a quick inspection showed a pony in bed. She continued room by room, checking to see if any rooms had any heartbeats that couldn't be accounted for by the patients within. It took her only five minutes to check all the rooms along the hall. The nurse was still watching her, and Jordan could be seen on the other wing of the ward exiting a room. The nurse wasn't paying Jordan any attention, only her. Jessica squeezed the teddy bear in her hand.
Another nurse came around the corner, looking flustered. She didn't pay Jessica any attention.
"No sign of the kid in the burn ward or burn ward lobby. Nobody's been there except the staff and three patients for hours, not since Doctor Taylor made his last round. Cameras confirm it," the nurse announced to the nurse watching Jessica.
Jessica headed to the stairwell. Once the door was shut behind her, she headed over to one of the stairs and sat down to collect herself. She would do Mark no good and overlook things if she let her emotions run too wild.
"You're better than this. You have no time for this. You shouldn't let one bigot get under your skin so easily," she scolded herself, starting to cry.
Why was she so emotional lately? It was embarrassing. Worse, her frayed emotions made it harder to keep her powers in check. She was starting to get bombarded by all the sounds of the hospital again. She huddled forward, hugging the teddy as she cried and tried to focus. Sound pushed down on her, a constant roar in her ears that made it impossible to find herself.
Then, it stopped as a familiar person snuggled against her.
She looked down, and there Mark was, right beside her. He must have been hiding out in the staircase or trapped in the stairwell, unable to reach the door handles. The only way he could have gotten in here is if he had snuck in when someone else had used it. How had they not noticed him? Actually, she knew the answer to that. He was very tiny and could move very quickly and silently. All it would take was a human paying more attention to their phone than anything, and he could easily slip through undetected.
He must have noticed she had stopped crying because he looked up at her. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was wet. He had to have been crying as well up until recently. There was no fear in his eyes, just pleading.
"Scared," Mark said in his typical quiet voice. He then looked back at the door. "Bad."
Her ears flattened, and she forced her face from hardening. Had that nurse said or done something to him? It could be that he overheard her say something or just picked up on her disgust of partials. Kids could be very perceptive.
"I know," she replied. She looked back at the door as well. "I know."
He snuggled even tighter against her. She offered him the teddy bear that he'd previously ignored when her dad had offered it, and he took it, grabbing it with both hands and locking both arms around it. The bear was small, but it was almost the same size as he was.
She couldn't let anyone barge in on them, so she reached out with her powers. Jordan she wasn't able to sort out from all the other sounds, but she found the familiar heartbeat and breathing of her dad.
"I found him. You can let Jordan know too. We're in the stairwell, but can you give us a few minutes? We both need some time." she said to his ears only.
She heard him sigh with relief. "Yeah, take your time. Is he unhurt?"
"He seems to be uninjured, but he's scared. I could be wrong or projecting, but I think he picked up on what the nurse feels about partials. He's scared of them more than the others."
Her dad was silent for a few seconds, and she could imagine him cursing the nurses in his head.
"Understood. I'll see what can be done," her dad replied. She kept listening to him for a few more seconds, but he started talking to the nurse, and she had no interest in hearing any more of that woman, so she stopped listening.
She laid a hand on Mark. He flinched at it but then settled again.
"You know, we can't stay in on the stairs forever," she told him.
"I want to go home," he replied.
She blinked. That was a sentence. She hadn't gotten a sentence out of him before.
"I'm sorry, but that's impossible," she said softly. "Your grandma isn't there, so there's no one to care for you. You remember being alone, right?"
He didn't immediately reply and seemed to grip the teddy bear tighter.
"You come home with me," he proposed.
She shook her head. "I can't go and live at your home. I have my own home."
"I come to your home," he gave as an alternate proposal.
Her first objection that came to mind was she would be too busy to take care of him, but if her task with the Dreamwardens indeed was coming to an end, she did have the time. The next objection was more valid.
"I'm only going to have one bedroom; I'll have nowhere for you to stay," she countered. It was also unlikely that she'd be allowed to let him stay with her even if the lack of room wasn't an issue. She'd lamented for years that it was unlikely she'd be allowed to adopt because no one wanted to entrust a child to a partial, no matter how successful the partial.
He started to cry again, and her heart broke at the sight of it. She rubbed his ears to try to calm him. That trick helped with ponies, and it helped with her when she begrudgingly allowed it; hopefully, it would help with him. He didn't stop her or flinch away, but he didn't stop crying, either.
"They're going to get you out of here and take you somewhere nice people will take care of you. There'll be other ki-"
She stopped and thought. The foster parents being kind was no guarantee, and kids, even usually good kids, could be exceptionally cruel. He couldn't deal with anyone but her at the moment, and he was expected to adjust right away to new caregivers and kids who would quickly take his silence as another thing to label him as different and not to be liked? How others perceived her made her upset enough to cry, and she was an adult who had dealt with this for years. How was he expected to deal with it?
"Do you remember the man who brought you those toys?" she asked. "He brought me to see you the first time."
He nodded but said nothing. At least, she was fairly sure it was a nod. It was hard to tell with him gripping the teddy like that.
"He's my dad. He's a nice man. He wants to help you. If he asks you some questions, can you try to answer?" she asked.
He didn't answer her.
"Will it help if I stay with you while he asks you questions?" she asked.
He stayed still and stopped crying. "Yes."
She smiled. "It's okay if you don't know the answers to his questions. If you don't know an answer, just say, dunno, but please try to answer if you can. This is to help you. Okay?"
"Okay."
That was the best answer she was going to get from him. She reached out to her dad.
"Dad, you can come into the stairwell. I know your priority is getting him safely back to his room, but he might answer your questions, at least while I'm sitting here with him. I'd advise coming by yourself."
"I'm coming," he answered.
She touched Mark's head again. "My dad is coming. Would you feel safer in my lap?"
He didn't say anything, but he tried to climb into her lap. Unfortunately for him, that was hard to do while gripping the teddy. She helped him, and he didn't resist. When he was in her lap, he curled up tightly again with the bear. It was then that the door opened, causing Mark to flinch, but he didn't flee.
Her dad came and sat down on the stair beside them. "It looks like at least one of the toys I brought you is appreciated. Hello again, Mark; I'm Mr. Middleton, but you can call me Paul."
Mark didn't reply. Then again, there'd been no question asked.
"This is also the first time I've seen you in person," her dad continued. "I'll only ask you a few questions. I know you're being brave just letting me talk to you. Do you know where your parents are?"
"D-dunno," Mark replied.
"When did you last see your parents," her dad asked.
"No p-parents," Mark answered nervously.
Jessica rubbed his ears. "It's okay. You're doing great."
Her dad nodded. "Is there anyone, other than your grandma, who ever visited you?"
Mark jerked his head up. "Where's grandma?"
Her dad blinked, and he looked down. "This will be hard to hear, but I'll be honest with you. She's unwell. She's been asleep for a long time and hasn't woken up. We don't know if she will wake up. She might never be able to take care of you again."
Mark huddled even tighter.
"We can take you to her so that you can see her.. Do you want to see her?" her dad asked.
"Yes," Mark answered.
Her dad looked at her. "You'll need to carry him and keep a hold on him. We don't want him running off. I am pushing things even doing this, but he deserves to see her. We'll make no progress with him if he doesn't understand she is in a coma."
Jessica looked down at the small form in her lap. "Mark, is it okay for me to carry you if I take you to your grandma?"
"Yes," Mark answered.
Her dad stood up. "Okay, let's go see your grandma." |
Partial | Chapter 12: How Kids Grow Up | It took a few minutes to convince the nurses on duty to let them through to Mark's grandmother. It took Jessica's dad throwing his weight around as a social services agent, but they were granted access.
"Grandma!"
Jessica didn't know what to do. Mark was curled up against his grandmother's side, crying his heart out. Assuring him that she wasn't dead didn't help. She might as well be lifeless while in a coma. This had been going on for minutes, and no one had the heart to tear him away from the only family he knew.
"Jordan, can you keep an eye on Mark and ensure he doesn't run off?" Jessica asked. "My dad and I need to have a talk."
Her dad turned and raised an eyebrow at her.
Jordan, who was sitting on a couch on the side of the room, gave Mark a sad look. "I can do that, but I don't think he intends on going anywhere."
"Still, keep alert," Jessica instructed. She then walked over to the bed where Mark and his grandmother were. "Hey, I'll be right back. My dad and I need to talk about something in private."
Mark's head jerked up. "No! Stay!"
She raised her hands. "I'll be right outside the door. Not far at all. Jordan will be here to make sure you're safe. She's my friend. You can trust her."
"I'm nice and love kids," Jordan chimed in. "I have lots of foalsitting experience too." ,
Mark huddled closer to his grandmother and cried some more. Jordan's ears sagged.
"I'm not that scary," Jordan sadly said as she lowered her head.
"Don't take it personally, Jor. He has a hard time dealing with people. Just keep him from getting into trouble and be kind if you have to run interference," Jessica instructed. She looked to her side. "Ready, Dad?"
"Very well," her dad replied. The two of them walked out the door and shut it behind them. Jessica put a sound barrier around them to keep Mark from overhearing them.
"What kind of foster home are you planning on putting him in, Dad?" Jessica asked.
"We have several initial homes for newly orphaned kids. They're all good people, used to dealing with troubled kids dealing with trauma," her dad answered.
"Are there other kids there?" Jessica asked.
He nodded. "Yes, kids in similar situations. Kids who-"
"Kids who are angry at what has happened to them and looking for someone to take it out on," Jessica interrupted.
He stepped back. "That is a grossly unfair generalization of those kids. You can't make such broad statements about kids you haven't ever met."
She raised a finger and pointed it at her dad's chest. "So, are you saying that isn't the case with any of these kids?"
He sighed. "No, I can't, but I can vouch for the foster parents. They've got experience with this. They can keep kids safe, even from each other, if it comes down to that."
She pointed towards the room. "They're experienced dealing with partial kids so small they could easily be stuffed into a drawer or box? Kids that had virtually no contact with the outside world beyond one person who is no longer around?"
"Some young pony foals are no bigger, so yes to that," he answered. "Some of the kids come in not talking much. You must understand kids don't come into foster care under happy circumstances. These are kids who came from circumstances ranging from abusive homes, losing parents suddenly to accidents or illness, to kids who had parents who had to give them up due to homelessness. Many of them don't do much talking either. These foster parents are used to it."
She gripped her hands into fists. "Are they used to kids who the world sees as freaks because they look different and who also have had literally no contact with other people up until now?"
He gripped her shoulder. "Jessie, I know you got into an altercation with that nurse. I don't doubt for a second she said something reprehensible. You don't lose your cool like that unless someone pushes you, usually not even then. Without even hearing it, I wanted to punch her for whatever she said, woman or not. She isn't everyone. You have to trust there are good people out there who will give him real love and care."
She grunted. "You know, it is far more feminist for you to have punched her. Treating her as the weaker sex is rather misogynistic. You aren't that strong, Dad. It would have been close to an even fight."
He blinked. "Are you advocating for violence?"
She shrugged. "Part of me wants someone to rearrange her face. I couldn't, not just because I'd get in trouble but because I am drastically stronger and would end up giving her much worse than a bloody nose. Plus, I do have the wisdom to know that violence is not the answer." She shook her head. "I didn't want you to hit her. However, in the moment, I wanted her to feel like I felt. I'm as human as anyone else. When I'm hurt or angry, my first instinct is to lash out. That's why I don't trust other kids around Mark. I know what is natural. We're all illogical, hateful creatures, and children don't have the wisdom to rise above it, and he isn't prepared for it."
He released her shoulder. "So young and yet so cynical. I wish I could have taught you to be more hopeful, but I know you have had reason to have developed this way. In my line of work, you have to believe in hope. That's what these kids need, along with love and kindness. I got into this work after feeling hopeless with you and learning that just because things are difficult doesn't mean that love can't win out. I hear your concerns, and I'm listening to them. I will address them to my supervisors and regularly follow up after he's moved into foster care. I promise."
She looked away. "I trust you. I'm still worried about him. Mom's told me I don't get the whole partial experience. Mark is going to get the whole experience intensified. You see the things I have to endure. You can try to imagine what it is like, but even you admit you don't know what it is like. Try to imagine what Mark is going to go through. Maybe you have more imagination than me, because I can't imagine it. I only know it will be far worse than what I deal with, and he is not prepared for it."
Her dad smiled. "Sorry, I shouldn't be smiling, but I'm more proud of you right now than when you came up with Middleton's Law. That time you saved Jordan might have earned you more pride from me, but I was too scared at the time to feel anything else. Despite all your cynicism, you do have a deeply caring heart."
She frowned. "I'd rather you be proud of me for Middleton's Law. Caring about others shouldn't earn a person a pat on the back. It should be the default."
"Yet you're a cynic who doesn't believe that is the default," her dad reminded her. "What do you say about common sense?"
She sighed. "Fine. I still want updates on him. If things start to go bad, you must step in and do something. Try to stop something bad from happening at all."
He hugged her. "I will. I promise, and I won't stop being proud of you for your empathy. Don't worry; I'm proud of Middleton's Law too. I just see some things as more important."
"I appreciate the sentiment, I guess. Let's get back in there," Jessica said as her dad released her.
Jessica released her sound block as they returned to the room. Mark hadn't moved from where he had been.
"All he's done is whimper and cry," Jordan informed him. "I tried talking to him to calm him, but it didn't seem to help."
"I was listening," Jessica informed her.
Jordan nodded. "I figured. He doesn't seem ready to leave. I'm not in a rush to go home-it doesn't feel like home yet, but you owe me some Waffle House before we get groceries if this gets too late."
Jessica frowned in thought at Mark's curled-up form. "Jordan, I know I promised you I would take you grocery shopping, but I might need to spend a few hours here. Maybe my dad can take you."
"Jessie, you don't have to do that. You aren't responsible for Mark. He needs to get back to his room," her dad said.
"I'll get him back to his room when he's gotten enough time," Jessica replied, resisting gritting her teeth. "This might be the last time...the last time for a long time he'll get to see her. I'll get him back to his room and tuck him in; I promise."
It might be the last time he got to see his grandmother at all.
"I'll have to tell the nurses where he is and that he's with you," her dad countered. She knew what he was doing. It wasn't going to work.
"Then you better advise them that it would be unwise to rush him getting back up there," she growled. "Mark is healthy. He is being supervised. If he had a healthy guardian, he could walk out of here today. He doesn't need to be kept in his room."
"Technically, he's still recovering from being malnourished, so he isn't completely healthy yet," her dad reminded her. She glared at him, and he seemed to relent. "Alright, but don't cause a scene if they come here and ask you to return him to his room."
She nodded stiffly and fished out her debit card, and then passed it to her dad. "Here, this is for Jor's groceries and Waffle House if she wants it."
"I can stay. I don't mind," Jordan said.
"Jor, you have been patient enough, and I don't know how long I'll be. You're already going to be dealing with jetlag, and you need your groceries. We can meet up again tomorrow."
Her dad adjusted his glasses. "I don't mind taking you shopping. I appreciate that you came here to help. Let me call Devon to let her know what's going on, and we can be on our way. Maybe Robby and Nightscape will decide to join us. It allows them to get out and about town-even if it is just the grocery store and Waffle House. It feels unfair for them to stay cramped when visiting."
Jordan still looked apprehensive but got off the couch. "Okay, I suppose that's alright. I am a little tired, and I still need to eat. Don't let those nurses get you upset again."
"I'll keep my temper in check," Jessica replied. "Thanks again for coming, Jor."
Her dad patted her on the back. "Don't stay here too late, and make sure Mark makes it back to his room."
"I won't stay extremely late, and I will make sure he gets back where he belongs," she assured him.
Jessica watched her dad and best friend leave before looking back at Mark.
"I'm going to sit on the couch and give you time, but I have to take you back to your room sooner or later," she informed him.
"Want to stay!" Mark protested.
"I know," she said sympathetically. "I wish I could let you stay. I'll tuck you into bed, and I'll tell those nurses to keep your distance from you."
"Bad," Mark muttered.
"Yeah, I know they are," she agreed.
She planned to let him fall asleep and then take him back to his room. Hopefully, him being asleep would be enough to make the nurses leave him alone. That was if he would even stay asleep with her picking him up. At some point, he had to get tired enough to manage it. He'd worn himself out running around and crying.
What was going to happen to him? With how silent and scared he was, he could be interpreted as being stupid by others and treated as such, in addition to the prejudice he received as a partial. He wasn't as smart as her; only a handful of people were, but he wasn't stupid. He was very disciplined, evidenced by how silent he kept himself and how well he hid. His grandmother had taught him to hide, and he did an exceptional job at it. His dialogue wasn't top rate, but it was much better than Eve's, who was only a year younger so that tracked that he was developing on course.
She looked at the grandmother. That woman was old enough that if she did wake up, she was unlikely to be able to do much.
She sat down on the couch and waited because someone had to be there who cared.
In a dark abandoned warehouse in New Orleans, an elderly man carrying a suitcase hesitantly approached a circle of cloaked unicorns.
A mare stepped forward, smiling. "Do you have the full payment we agreed upon?"
He held up the suitcase and set it on the floor, then opened it, revealing it was packed tightly with hundred dollars bills.
"It's all here," the man answered. "Please, let me speak to my Helena."
The mare levitated some of the bills in front of her and flipped through them, nodded, returned them to the case, and then levitated the entire thing over to a human.
"It seems like you upheld your side; we will uphold our end. Come, let's begin," the mare replied.
The man followed the mare, and she indicated he should stay in the circle's center. She joined the other unicorns in the ring.
They all lit their horns, and a pentagram lit up between them. They started chanting. Ya Ra Ma Da Cra La Ma! The pentagram glowed with a fiery light. Fog began to envelop their surroundings. Ya Ra Ma Da Cra La Ma! they continued to chant.
The mare held her head high. "Let the veil between life and death part! Hear me, Helena Colbert! I, Menta Talos, command your spirit to return! I command you to come before us and speak to your husband! Come, ease his heart, and tell him how your afterlife treats you!"
The fires intensified, and a glow enveloped the older man. He gasped as a shadowy form appeared in front of him.
"Arturo?" the shadow asked. It reached a hand out to him. "Arturo, is it really you?"
The man started to cry. "Helena! You're here! You've come back to me!"
"Arturo," the shadow gently said. "You look so frail. Have you been eating as you should?"
Arturo let off a sad laugh. "You still worry about my eating?"
The image took a clearer shape of an older woman who queried an eyebrow at him. "Who else will? You better not be living off cheese balls again. If I could, I would cook you a nice pot roast."
"Like you made me every birthday," Arturo replied. "I haven't had it since you passed."
"You could have Alex make you it," the shadow replied.
Arturo blinked. "I didn't think you knew that Alex ever made-"
"I think we've seen enough."
The shadow vanished, and the fiery circle disappeared as all the unicorns staggered. Three humans in stealth black stealth gear came rushing forward and started kicking the unicorns to the ground. Only their faces were uncovered.
"What? What are you doing?! Helena!" Arturo screamed.
One of the unicorn stallions shook off the initial shock and snarled at the invading humans. He lit his horn only to have a crystal pony mare buck him in the face, making him drop like a rock.
"Some of them have got some fight to them," the crystal pony said gleefully. "Good, I rarely get a chance to let loose."
"This isn't a game, Crystal," one of the other human combatants said as she punched a unicorn in the face.
"Oh, come on, Tempest. Tell me you aren't happy getting to kick some flank of ponies you don't have to worry about hurting," the crystal pony mare replied with a huff.
The woman downed one of the unicorns' human goons with ease. "I am holding back. If I weren't, I would be killing these cretans. We're here to put a stop to this and bring these ponies to justice. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Why are you doing this? My wife! They brought her back to me!" Arturo sobbed.
"They're conning you, bud," Crystal answered as she bucked another unicorn. "These scum can't bring back the dead. They were stealing information from your mind to create a believable illusion and get the passwords and account numbers for all your financial information. We're agents of the OMMR, and these people broke mind magic rules. Hey, wasn't someone supposed to announce our intentions? Whose job was that?"
"Mine," another woman said as she made a sword and pointed at Menta Talos's face. "Menta Talos, we are agents of the OMMR. The Dreamwardens have discovered you using mind magic without consent for malicious reasons. Under the laws of the dream realm, supported locally by the 2025 amendments to the United States Seditious Magic Code of 2024 and the United Nations Mind Magic Law Enforcement Code of 2025, we are authorized to use any and all force to apprehend a mind magic user using mind magic criminally and use such force against those who stand in our way if need be. You will stand down so we can arrest you and deliver you to the local authorities, where you may plead your case under national laws, or I will beat you to a pulp for preying on the emotions of vulnerable older people for their money. I can quote the legal articles to you word-for-word if you wish."
"Announcement was a little late, Blanche," Crystal said as she bucked another unicorn. "Do you know the articles by heart? That's impressive, and a lot of words."
The large man on their team yelled something in another language.
"Didn't catch that, Artyom. I don't speak Russian," Crystal said as she looked for another unicorn to buck.
"He says we aren't giving them an opportunity to surrender," Tempest translated.
Menta looked at the sword still pointed at her, gulped, then looked at her fallen compatriots. "I surrender."
"I'm fairly certain that's what I just offered," Blanche said as her sword disappeared and was replaced by chains. She began chaining up Menta Talos.
Tempest looked over the fallen unicorns and their goons. "Mission accomplished. Crystal, Artyom, you two attend to the victim. Help him understand what these charlatans were trying to pull and ensure his money didn't exit the back door."
Artyom started rambling in Russian.
Crystal threw back her head in frustration. "You understand English. Why won't you speak in it?"
Artyom laughed.
Tempest approached Blanche and Menta Talos and put a magic dampener on the unicorn's horn. She then started cuffing the unicorn as Blanche's magically constructed chains dematerialized. "She's the only one we've been ordered to take, the only one using mind magic. The rest of these fools are the concern for the local authorities."
Blanche grimaced. "It seems overkill to send the Elite out to catch scum like this. We aren't common agents; we are the Dreamwardens' personal guard; I don't like wasting my talents on a mere con artist."
"The majority of the Elite are not present, nor are our most powerful members, so they didn't go full overkill. This was still a mind magic criminal who needed to be brought to justice. We could bring a team of mages down faster than a common OMMR team. Unless we have legitimate concerns, we have but to obey," Tempest answered.
Blanche gave Menta a harsh glare, and the unicorn flinched away before Blanche looked at Tempest. "You and I may not be the most powerful, but we're the most combat trained. This is hardly a combat situation. These unicorns didn't even have a chance to fight and collapsed without a fight, but I doubt they could accomplish much if they tried. Their goons were no more than common street thugs. I ended a would-be god in another universe; I could have neutralized this entire group by myself. I think wasting our talents on this is a legitimate concern, so I will question it. Aren't you concerned that Phobia sent both you and Crystal on this mission?"
Tempest shook her head. "Take it up with your Dreamwarden if you are concerned. I have no answers, nor is it enough to make me concerned. The new kid is watching Phobia. He's a little overeager to prove his worth, but I trust him to keep her safe. Moon is still near his mother as well. I'm actually pleased by this development. Phobia is letting males guard her, which would have been unthinkable a few short years ago. It is much-needed progress on her recovery."
"It's still strange that we are here," Blanche muttered.
"Phobia has given me strange orders before, and I hear The Marshmallow frequently gives you assignments of a far more questionable nature," Tempest replied.
"The Marshmallow has a...standard...pattern to their questionable orders. This doesn't fit those patterns," Blanche muttered.
"You can ask The Marshmallow yourself. The blob's been watching us the whole time! Oh, and the police will be here in five minutes," Crystal called to them from across the room.
Blanche crossed her arms. "Horrible response time for the police. We called them before we started bashing heads. Hey, Marshmallow, care to inform us why we had to take care of this?"
A floating smiling emoji appeared. "Great job taking these bozos down, though I think you could have shouted some creative catchphrases or something to intimidate them into submission. Violence is so icky and dull, but I suppose it gets the job done. As for why, they made a person we are trying to negotiate with rather upset. They don't like the dead being used as leverage over others, even if it was all a trick. We wanted to ensure they were taken down quickly with no complications to appease them enough to talk to us. There was another reason too, but that's for us to know and you to try to eventually puzzle out-or not; not a big deal either way. Anyway, I've got to go and wait for official confirmation you got the job done. Have fun!" The Marshmallow vanished.
"Your Dreamwarden is strange; you know that?" Tempest asked.
Blanche snorted. "You have no idea. You don't have to deal with The Marshmallow in person."
Tempest finished securing Menta. "I have to deal with Phobia in person, so I'm aware of how neurotic Dreamwardens can be. It seems to be a job requirement. Yours seems more neurotic than the others."
The Marshmallow reappeared. "Oh, yeah! We need the four of you to head to Denver. This was more of a pit stop. You can call for direction when you get there. I think that's everything important, only unimportant details forgotten if I forget anything. Arbiter is slapping her face about something, so maybe I did. I'm sure it will work out. Gotta go!" The Marshmallow vanished again.
"Your Dreamwarden is very strange," Tempest reiterated.
Blanche looked around and sighed. "Let's round up the remainder of these idiots so the police and paramedics can collect them quickly. After that, we'll drop our target off at the jail and be on our way."
Crystal came back, looking concerned. "We've got company. It looks like army special forces."
Tempest frowned at her coworker. "Why? These unicorns present no serious threat."
Crystal shrugged. "No clue, though they've got a familiar face with them. Charlotte has apparently gone straight from basic training to a captain in the army. They must have rushed her through."
Blanche shared a look with Tempest. "I think we know why. They're here to intimidate us. They brought in one of the few fighters that actually hope to take one of us down if conflict broke out."
Tempest grunted. "Charlotte might be able to take one of us, but not all four of us at once unless they somehow drafted her siblings along with her. How many soldiers are there?"
"Only five, and I can tell the other four aren't on her level and no crystal ponies. We'd easily mop the floor with those four and then be able to turn our attention to Charlotte," Crystal answered. "They are only lightly armed as well."
"They're putting us on notice that they're putting a team together that can take us down if need be," Blanche deduced. "It's posturing, but something we should take care with. Charlotte, with a larger, better-equipped force, could be a threat if we give them an excuse to move against us."
Tempest growled. "This is your Dreamwarden's fault. Those extraordinary missions must be drawing undue attention."
Blanche nodded. "I can't contest that. Let's talk to these officers so we can be on our way.
"I can't believe she said that!" Nightscape exclaimed, dropping her fork from her wing.
Robby chuckled. "You've heard me and Jessie go at it with one another. Jessie can throw shade with the best of them."
Nightscape glared at her husband. "I meant, I can't believe she insinuated that anyone who went to school in Florida is an idiot. I grew up in Florida!"
Jordan pointed her levitated fork at the pair. "I don't think she meant it as a blanket statement. You do have to admit that Florida does have overall lower scores in math, science, and reading. There are still some intelligent students who do well, but it's pretty bad for the most part. I read about it last year while presenting for my student teaching reports."
"I don't think you're helping soothe her by mentioning that," Mr. Middleton said before taking another bite of his hashbrowns.
Jordan felt her face redden. "I'm sorry! I'm putting my hoof in my mouth. Thanks, Mr. Middleton."
"You're eighteen; you don't have to address me like that. I understand it was respectful when you were a filly, but we're both adults, and you aren't my employee, so call me Paul. I even have the kids that I deal with on the job call me Paul," Jessica's father replied, mouth half-filled with food.
Robby smiled at his dad. "So, do I call you that, Dad?"
Paul gave his son a dirty look. "Only if you want to find a hotel room instead of staying at the house."
Robby chuckled but didn't push his luck.
Nightscape turned her attention to Jordan and narrowed her eyes. "What are you all fancied up for? Are you trying to seduce my husband? You think you're hot enough to make him stray, is that it?"
Jordan's eyes bulged. "What?! No!! I would never try something like that. Robby's been like the big brother I never had. Why would you-"
Nightscape bared her teeth. "So, you're trying to seduce my father-in-law, your best friend's father. For shame!"
Jordan's mouth just worked, but no words were coming out.
"She's messing with you, Jordan," Robby said. "I know the two of you haven't spent much time around one another, even though you were both bridesmaids at that one wedding, but Nighty loves getting rises out of people. She's honestly kind of a jerk."
Nightscape burst out laughing and pointed a hoof at Jordan, not protesting her label as a jerk. "Oh, my god, you are so easy! That should have been obvious. How the hell are you going to survive at Wabash Manor? I've never been there, but I heard you need a strong backbone to live there."
Jordan looked down as her ears sagged. That sounded exactly like what Andrea had said about her. Once again, she wondered if she had made a mistake.
Robby glared at his wife. "I think you hit a nerve."
Nightscape immediately stopped laughing. "I'm very sorry. I didn't think you would react that way. I say and do things, but it is never meant to hurt. It's a bad habit I picked up back in college. You could say anything to my roommates and bathroommates, and it would roll right off. Rebecca talked about you all the time back when we were sharing a room."
Jordan's ears perked up. "Good things, I hope."
Nightscape waved a hoof. "Early on, she was a little frustrated a filly was bodyguarding her, but after her trip to Equestria, she was more than happy with anybody standing between her and danger. She must think highly of you if she made you one of her bridesmaids at her wedding. I honestly don't remember much about that wedding, to tell the truth, other than Eve making us fight her for Rebecca's wedding collar. I was too busy carrying Umber around inside me." She leveled a hard look at her husband. "He's going to be the last one. Pregnancy and I do not get along."
Robby nuzzled her. "Don't worry. The doctor finalized the schedule, and the vasectomy is next month. Just be aware, I'll be very peeved if you change your mind about having more after it's done."
Paul waved his hand. "How about we don't talk about that, especially while we're eating. Making me feel ill thinking about it."
Nightscape rolled her eyes. "Why are so many males so squeamish?"
"You get squeamish when human women discuss their menstrual cycles, hun," Robby reminded her.
Nightscape and Jordan both paled. Jordan couldn't help imagining all that blood. How did humans deal with that every month? She would freak out if she started leaking blood out of there every month. To think that Jessie had been dealing with that since she was seven was hard to believe. Jordan had nothing against humans, but that was disgusting and unnerving. She couldn't imagine a stallion wanting to touch that area if there was a chance it was like that or even knowing it was like that once a month. She was no shimmerist, but in the case of monthly cycles, ponies were superior.
"Eww, don't talk about that," Jordan whined. "How about we talk about this Mark kid? Jessie seems to be protective of him. I think it's cute. Is she considering adopting?"
"She's nineteen and single; I don't think that's a great idea," Nightscape said. "Eve is a lot to deal with, even with Robby and me working together, and I dread it when Umber starts his demon phase, and we have to deal with both of them causing chaos at once. Jess trying to deal with a kid on her lonesome seems like a recipe for disaster."
"Eve isn't that bad," Robby disagreed.
His wife gave him a flat look. "Do you remember last month when I was getting my stuff together to present my concepts for the Old Town Bank renovation and found out at the last second she had found my concept drawings and used them as a coloring book?"
"Eve wanted to help her mommy with her work. That was kinda funny and adorable," Robby said with a smile.
Nightscape groaned. "We can laugh about it now, but it wasn't funny when I was standing in a meeting with the people I was trying to market my design to and trying to have them forgive me for showing up with my sketches looking like that. I'm the primary income earner. We can't afford for me to fumble those meetings. If people don't take me seriously as an architect, we don't eat. I'm a young night pony female trying to make it in a field dominated by humans, unicorns, earth ponies, and primarily males. I only get my hoof in the door to present my designs to some of these clients because I have three Dreamwardens vouching for me. They wouldn't give me a chance otherwise, and if I don't come off as professional or seem for a minute like I can't cut it, they won't give me chances even with the Dreamwardens as references."
Robby nuzzled his wife. "I know that incident scared the crap out of you and nearly sent you into a nervous breakdown, but we talked to Eve about not touching your stuff, and we made sure your work materials were better secured. Kids are going to be kids, and night pony foals tend to be wilder than most. What she did wasn't even that wild; it was just coloring. I know she runs around, and now that her climbing has started, we have a whole new list of foalproofing tasks to do back home, but she isn't that bad. You didn't grow up around Phobia's three demons. You want to talk about nightmares in the house? Those three were nightmares in the house."
Paul adjusted his glasses. "Being a parent is hard work. Every kid presents their own set of struggles. Jessie was overall very well-behaved as a kid, but she also was developmentally on very different levels when it came to different aspects of her life that led to no end of headaches, even before factoring in her magic. Try dealing with an eight or nine-year-old who has less social development than most first graders who is also going through early puberty and all the body changes and emotional changes that come with that; along with being so intelligent, she looks down on almost everyone she comes in contact with as idiots. She's over most of that now, but she was not an easy child to raise, even if she was well-behaved."
"She's still a bit off emotionally and socially. I love her, but it's true," Robby said with a shake of his head.
"If you compare her to people your age, but she's not your age," Jordan protested.
"No, this isn't an age thing," Robby replied. "Jessie had a screwed-up development, leaving her socially stunted. She's had the same circle of friends since she was eight because she doesn't trust anyone else's intentions to let them be her friend, and she rarely spends much time engaging in activities with the friends she has. These past two nights that she has spent with us while we have been visiting are the first back-to-back days I've seen her try to relax and have fun since...well, since before the Cataclysm. I know she came to Skytree on and off through the years to visit, but it was only a few hours each time she spent with anyone. I think you have the most time spent hanging out with her, and until now, you didn't even live on the same side of the country."
"Which, getting back to the main point, is why she shouldn't adopt that kid," Nightscape said. "How is she supposed to help a socially stunted kid if she's socially stunted herself?"
Jordan hit her hoof on the table. "Because she can understand him where others can't! Whether it is being partial or being nervous about what others are saying and doing, that's what he's feeling, and she understands it. Maybe it can help her grow out of her problems if she has to help him grow out of his problems."
Robby looked at Paul. "What do you think, Dad? You're the social worker. You have a better idea of what troubled kids need."
Paul put on a neutral face. "First of all, Jessie has not expressed interest in fostering or adopting him, so this discussion is completely conjecture. Second of all, as a social worker, I try not to express my opinions about such things outside the process because that is a bias. Third of all, Jessie is my daughter, and I would be unauthorized to give my opinions because I can't separate my feelings as her parent from my judgment of the situation. So, I'm not going to give an opinion, only express that this is a pointless conversation unless she actually says she wants to adopt Mark. I don't think anyone should pressure her to do so or not to do so. Adoption should never be the result of pressure to adopt. Adoption is also a two-way street, and I don't think Mark is ready to be adopted by anyone, even if he trusts Jessie more than others. We are still at the fostering stage. I'm not going to give an opinion of her doing that for the same reasons."
"Oh, but we can be supportive if she does say she wants to foster, right?" Jordan asked.
"There's nothing wrong with being supportive, just don't push her to it," Paul answered. "Anyway, let me pay the tab, and then we can get your groceries. At this rate, you might not be getting home till midnight, and you are already dealing with being two hours behind your normal daylight hours." |
Partial | Chapter 13: Making Changes | Scarlet Eclipse sat in her office, lazily flipping through the large piles of paperwork on her desk. To an outsider, it probably looked like a horrible mess, but she knew where every document, chart, and report was. Organized chaos, they called it. As she fiddled with the pile, her phone's speaker continued to carry the sounds of her outbound call.
Come on, Orion, pick up the phone! She thought to herself, chuckling at the thought that her son had hardly changed since going to college.
Finally, the phone clicked, and the cheerful voice of her son greeted her.
"Hey, Mom!" he replied. "What's up?"
"Oh, not much," Scarlet smiled. "I just figured I'd give you a call and catch up a little."
"Everything's good!" Orion quickly replied.
Scarlet raised a curious eyebrow, unsurprised that her son was rushing through a call. "How was your first day of class?"
"Like... well, class," Orion replied with a chuckle. "My general classes were pretty boring, but the physics class was super cool."
"Oh yeah?" Scarlet smirked. "That's the class taught by Doctor Middleton, right?"
"Yes!" the colt answered. "I was a little nervous at first, but not as much as she was before class."
"Oh?" Scarlet asked, unsure of what Orion meant.
"I feel kind of bad. I think she had a panic attack before class even started. She calmed down, though, and she seemed pretty cool when we talked briefly after class. It made me feel less... weird about wanting to do what I wanna do."
"That's wonderful, Orion. I always told you that you could go wherever you wanted to as long as you were determined enough, and hopefully, you keep at it."
"Thanks, Mom," Orion paused. "How's your and Dad's work been going?"
"It's been good," Scarlet nodded. "Your father's been running his online class and helping me with some of my projects. I'd put him on now, but tonight's a lecture night, so he's hard at work with that."
"That's awesome," The colt sounded enthused. "What kind of stuff do they have you working on now?"
Scarlet smiled and eyed several documents that she had started to organize.
"Well, it just so happens that your professor caused quite the stir at NASA, and I got called in to help with some new project."
Scarlet had spent many years staring into space and just as many working away to get her doctorate. She had been among the first to journey to Equestria to assist with one of their most important astronomy programs-- programs to which many of her contributions had been the foundation of her thesis. It was this thesis that earned her her doctorate and, more importantly, landed her a pretty sweet gig as a private contractor for NASA. While she was more than happy with running her own observatory back home, the chance to be a part of NASA was impossible to turn down, even if it meant that her family had once again relocated.
For the last five years, Scarlet had been a very busy mare. She had gotten a pretty good teaching job in Skytree, had regularly spent summers in Equestria, had moved back to Arizona, and now was in Denver for who knows how much longer. The nature of Scarlet's work naturally meant that days off and vacations were far, and few between, but none of it bothered her-- at least as long as she could spend time with her family. The work she was doing was just that important.
"Oooh!" Orion interjected, breaking up her thoughts. "Can you tell me what kind of project it is?"
"I can," Scarlet nodded. "But you have to swear a vow of secrecy," She chuckled.
Orion laughed too. "Oh yeah? Are you working in Area 51 or something? Are the men in black going to kick down my door and whisk me and Trinket away to some secret facility or something?"
"You wish," Scarlet continued to laugh. "It's nothing that cool."
"You work for NASA, Mom. That's very cool," Orion reminded her.
"If you really wanna know, we're working on the Starpiercer some more. Studying the distant reaches of the cosmos for... something. This time, we're looking in the Pinwheel Galaxy."
"Something?"
"Mhmm," Scarlet replied. "I can't tell you what because... well, I don't even know yet."
"They're having you look for something, and you don't even know what?"
"Pretty much," Scarlet shrugged. "Remember what I showed you when we visited Equestria last summer?"
"At Starry's observatory?"
"Yes," Scarlet confirmed. "If you remember, Starry Skies and Princess Luna had found some odd anomalies while charting out more of their world's space. Distant echos of thaumic energy that couldn't be seen but could be heard."
"Kind of like how we can find black holes from how their gravity affects the surrounding space?"
"Something like that," Scarlet smiled proudly. "This is supposed to be something similar... just, well, unknown to us."
"Sounds cool," Orion replied, perhaps a little too longingly.
"You want to see it, don't you?" Scarlet asked.
"I... well..." Orion tried to sound disinterested. "Maybe?"
Scarlet's grin grew wider. Nothing could make her more proud than having her son be so interested in her work. "Maybe? Orion, you know I could probably pull some strings and get you in here sometime."
"For a top-secret project?"
"I guess it depends on what we find," She admitted. "But you never know."
"Okay... that would be incredible."
Scarlet glanced at her watch and frowned. "I gotta get back to work soon. The Starpiercer's calibration process should finish soon; then, I have to investigate some anomalies before sunrise."
"I'll let you get back to that then."
"It was nice talking to you, Orion; tell Trinket I said hi."
"Of course," Orion replied. "You guys have to come over for dinner sometime; I know Trinket would love it."
Scarlet smiled. "I'll talk with Dad, and we'll find a good time. I love you, Orion."
"I love you too, mom."
The call ended, and Scarlet closed her eyes for a moment.
"Starpiercer's ready to go, Mrs. Eclipse," Came the voice of one of Scarlet's long-term assistants, Tyler Anderson.
"Perfect," She sat up in her chair and stretched out. "Is Sarah already in the lab?"
"Mhmm," Tyler responded. "She's inputting the coordinates now."
"Better get this show on the road then," Scarlet stood up.
As she and Tyler walked down the hallway, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety. Scarlet had been working on these kinds of projects for a long while now, but the reality of her work was that she was privy to things that were both exciting and frightening.
"What do you think they'll have us look for tonight?" Tyler asked.
"Probably more breadcrumbs," Scarlet shrugged. While she wasn't always given the exact details of the stuff she was looking for, she was one of the few who actively knew the reality of the cosmic horror that existed in deep space, a horror that was slowly making its way toward Earth--the Devourers. Many laughed at the idea that intelligent life could exist in the rest of the universe, but Scarlet's research and findings painted a different picture entirely, which is why her work was so important to her.
"You don't think we'll find something?"
"Oh, I think we'll find stuff alright; it's just a matter of whether it's what the director's looking for."
"What is the director looking for?"
"Honestly," Scarlet paused and looked at Tyler. "I don't know. All I know is that they've given us the go-ahead to alter The Starpiercer's position to get a better look at the Pinwheel Galaxy, and the administration's diverted resources away from other projects to do so."
"You think it's something big?"
Scarlet nodded. "Has to be, right? I mean, you've seen the preliminary readings; it's not just your average black holes or dying stars."
"Guess we'll find out."
The two entered the control room and were greeted by Scarlet's other assistant, Sarah Conners.
"Ah, the two intrepid explorers have returned!" Sarah excitedly greeted the pair.
"Is our baby ready?" Scarlet asked.
"Mhmm, she's all calibrated and awaiting instructions."
Scarlet sat down at her terminal and pulled on a headset. "Alrighty, let's dance."
Tyler and Sarah both took their seats and typed a few commands. Scarlet's terminal lit up with activity, and she began to make some finer adjustments as the telemetry slowly updated. It would be more than a few minutes until they had any images, and it would take even longer for those images to actually render at a resolution that could give the team any usable data. It was Scarlet's hope, however, that the initial findings would tell her something... anything.
The computers began to beep, and Scarlet glanced over to Sarah, who was noting something down.
"We're locked onto the region," Sarah said. "Should be getting the initial data shortly."
"Perfect," Scarlet replied. "How are the readings, Tyler?"
"Still waiting on the data to download."
"Alrighty," Scarlet nodded.
She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. On any other night, she might have slipped into a waking dream to discuss stuff with her husband, Silver, or her team members back at her observatory in the Oasis. Tonight was different, though. She could feel it-- in some cases, literally.
"You think we'll get anything back from this?" Sarah asked, looking up from her computer.
"Funny, Tyler asked the same thing," Scarlet laughed. "I have a good feeling, though."
"Luna's Sight giving you some good vibes?"
Scarlet nodded. The sight in question referred to her special talent-- an ability to get a good, almost instinctual understanding of the stars and other celestial bodies in space. It wasn't Scarlet who discovered the particular region they were looking at tonight, but after looking at some of the initial data and findings, she had a good feeling that something would be out there. Her talent might not have been as strong as Orion's, but she could still read pictures of that region of space like a book, even if the significance weren't readily evident to her.
"Data's coming in now," Tyler cut in.
Scarlet perked up in her seat and checked her monitor. "I'm getting the low-res images too."
The pictures, as blurry as they were, were still nonetheless clearer than any they had gotten before.
Tyler suddenly gasped, drawing Scarlet's attention over to him once more.
"This can't be right; you sure you calibrated it correctly, Sarah?"
"Pretty sure," Sarah replied. "What's up?"
Tyler stood up and waved Scarlet over. "The data is showing incredibly high amounts of Thaumic Energy. We're talking off the charts. Bigger than anything we've ever seen before."
Scarlet raised a skeptical eyebrow and slid over, using her wings to quite literally propel her chair. A quick look at the data readings showed that, indeed, they were far higher than usual. She quickly slid back over to her desk and pulled up one of the images, trying to discern what might be the cause of the spike.
"This is..." Scarlet started to speak, but couldn't find the words. "Something's weird."
"What is it?" Sarah asked.
"It doesn't make any sense," Scarlet shook her head. She tapped away at her keyboard, and suddenly an image filled the giant screen before the trio. "I won't know until we get the high-resolution images in, but it almost seems like the energy Tyler saw is coming from an impossibly small object-- perhaps the size of Neptune. I'd have expected something bigger, like a star. The only reason we are seeing it, even with Starpiercer, is because of how much energy it is giving off." She pointed at a seemingly insignificant point in the image. "We need to call the director and forward this to the rest of the team."
"What do you want me to say?" Sarah asked.
"OH, You found it!" A voice suddenly squealed in glee, scaring Scarlet nearly to death.
Scarlet's head snapped to the side, noticing the strange ethereal form of The Marshmallow, who was floating in space with an enormously large grin on her face.
"What?!" Scarlet asked in surprise.
"What is it, Scarlet?" Tyler asked.
Scarlet waved him away and lowered her voice. "You? Reb--" She caught herself and refrained from invoking the Warden's proper name. "Marshmallow... What have we just found?"
Rebecca, of course, was one of her former students. While the chubby pegasus might not have been the most stellar student in the world academically speaking, she had an enthusiastic attitude and an optimistic side that set her apart from the rest. Scarlet was never the kind of pony to judge someone on appearances alone, and Rebecca was the perfect example of why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Especially given her private role as one of Earth's Dreamwardens. For this reason, Scarlet had no doubts that it was Rebecca who had pulled some of the strings that landed her a job here. The fact that she was observing Scarlet and her team's progress was no surprise to her, but Scarlet still hated when she made surprise entrances.
"Hey! No name-dropping! Now I have to send agents in there to do all that swear-to-secrecy stuff," Rebecca huffed.
"Hey, I didn't! That's not fair--" Scarlet paused, took a deep breath, and asked her question again. "Marshmallow, what did we find?"
The ethereal Marshmallow beamed excitedly and seemed to flutter around the room, invisible to the two humans but perfectly real to Scarlet.
"Exactly what I thought you would! I think you've all earned a big plate of cookies!" The Warden cheerfully exclaimed."You found Jeg'galla'gamp'pi, the first and last place."
Jordan yawned and rolled over in her bed. Well, it was a bed, anyway. It had been there when she arrived. She hadn't asked whose room this had previously been. Whoever it had been, they had an affinity for red since all the upholstery was scarlet. She doubted it was Auntie Sunset's. Auntie sunset wouldn't have been able to tell where her boy began and ended in this sea of crimson. Maybe one of her sons found the color comforting, reminding them of their mother. That was kinda creepy to put too much thought into. She needed to redecorate this place. She needed more income than her allowance allowed to do that. Her allowance made sure she could pay for her essential needs, but it didn't provide anything beyond that. She was living in a mansion, but she wasn't rich.
She put on her jewelry and wandered into the bathroom. After a quick shower and a drying spell, she walked down to the kitchen. Legal Brief, Amicus's husband, was eating a salad on the floor.
Jordan looked at him. "Why are you sitting on the floor? There's a perfectly good dining room table in the next room. Are you okay?"
"It's built for humans," Legal Brief replied. "Sunset and Andrea are happy using the old human furniture, but Ami and I prefer things built for ponies. There's an entirely different size and scale between things built for humans and things built for ponies. Most human things are not ergonomic for ponies at all. We're old enough that if it makes us physically uncomfortable, we'll not use it. The floor is clean, and it's less work on our old legs to sit down here."
She blinked. "Aren't you both lawyers? I'd think you'd be used to human furniture since most wealthy people who can pay for lawyers are human."
Legal Brief chuckled. "Lawyers for ponies, filly. We were lawyers when we were human, accurate, but we didn't continue to be lawyers just because of that. You're too young to remember, and you grew up in Sunset's little Shimmerist city-state, but elsewhere ponies had to deal with humans and human law, and the world was not always kind or just to ponies. Someone had to fight for them in the courts. Someone had to be ready to represent them and understand what ponies went through. It wasn't right; the stuff people tried to pull and human lawyers who would legitimately make an effort to represent ponies were few and far between, especially for ponies who were dirt poor."
He pointed at his cutie mark, a stack of papers with a stylized set of justice scales on them, very similar to his wife's, who had the same stylized scales over a heart. "It was our calling to help them. It is who we are."
"Seems like a calling that isn't needed anymore. There are laws protecting ponies now," Jordan replied.
Legal Brief shook his head. "Things are better than they were back then, much better, but there are still incidents where ponies are victims of discrimination. Prejudice is not something that can be eradicated in a generation or two or by the mere passing of a law, and a world and law code made by humans for humans unintentionally discriminates against ponies by its nature and needs to be redesigned to be just for all, often by challenges in court. That's why my Ami still keeps taking cases. I would, too, if I still had the vigor for it, but age is catching up to me faster than it is her."
"Well, I'm not taking on the whole system, and I don't exactly have lots of money, so I can't replace the furniture. If you and Amicus want to buy new furniture, I'm not stopping you. I'm sure you have more spare cash than I do," Jordan replied.
Legal Brief smiled. "You know, a lot of this stuff is vintage or antique, dating back to the Gillded Age in some cases, and has the added notoriety of having been owned by Sunset Blessing. If you put some of it up for auction, you might have some money to redecorate-and space to do it."
Jordan blinked. "Can I do that?"
"It's your stuff now. As long as it isn't in the vaults, the real estate, or something owned by one of the other house residents, it's fair game to do what you want with it," Legal Brief answered.
"Huh," Jordan said thoughtfully.
She did want to redecorate and make this place feel more like home. Getting this old stuff out and having money to buy things that suited her tastes would go a long way toward that. It was also something to do while applying to colleges in the area and waiting for responses.
"Can you help me with that?" she asked. "I don't know anything about setting up a huge auction."
He nodded. "You'll have to get a list of things to auction. You might want to bring in an appraiser to tell you what's worth auctioning and what you're wasting your time with."
"Um, I can't afford to hire an appraiser," Jordan replied as her ears sagged.
"I'd be willing to front that bill if it means we can get some furniture that is built for both humans and ponies here," Legal Brief replied, then took another bite of his salad.
She smiled. "Thank you. I'll be happy to have this place feeling more like my home instead of Auntie Sunset's, and I'll be happy to have you not eating on the floor."
"Did I hear something about selling the furniture?"
Jordan turned and saw Amicus enter the kitchen, heading to the fridge.
"I'd like to redecorate," Jordan replied
Amicus pulled a gallon of milk from the fridge and set it on the floor. "I have no problem with that, but it might be a little more difficult than you think. I'm assuming my husband told you that you'll need to get the stuff appraised. That is true, but you can't let an appraiser walk around the house. The decore will have to come to the appraiser. There's a lot of stuff in this house. At the very least, you'd have to take it out to the yard for the appraiser to look over."
That was a lot to haul outside. She could levitate a decent amount if only trying to move it a few feet, but trying to carry furniture with her horn across the house, especially this older furniture that could weigh a few hundred pounds, seemed more than she could do. Teleporting the furniture outside was impossible with the house defenses. Amicus and Legal Brief had earth pony strength, but they were also older, and she couldn't ask them to do all that heavy lifting for her. Jessie might help her, and Jessie was strong like an earth pony, but she was just one person.
Time to work smarter, not harder. "I'll take pictures of all the stuff and share them with the appraiser. Problem solved."
Amicus gave her a thoughtful frown. "You'll still need to put up sheets or something to hide the area around each item. With the number of pictures you'd be taking, someone could put together a layout of the house by looking at the backgrounds."
Jordan stomped a hoof in frustration. "Isn't that being paranoid?"
The old mare shook her head. "It might sound like I'm trying to shut this idea down, but I'd love a change in decor as much as you two. However, it would help if you thought harder about how to do this while maintaining our security. I would be remiss in my duties as my little sister's lawyer if I didn't try to ensure her instructions were followed. Those instructions are for our safety. My sister, and I acting as her agent, may seem paranoid, but you'd be amazed at what past intruders have used to try to get around security."
Jordan groaned. "Fine, what about the rec room? We let those representatives go in there. Can we do something in there instead of the yard?"
Amicus seemed to think about it. "That is acceptable. The rec room and the foyer are selectively open to visitors."
"I'll call the appraiser," Legal Brief joyfully said. "Phone, call Melanie Stutts."
Jordan raised an eyebrow. "You have an appraiser on speed dial?"
"Needed her for certain legal cases. You have to establish the value of property someone lost if you're going to argue about financial compensation for the property," Legal Brief explained as the phone was still ringing.
The phone line picked up. "Mister Brief, nice to hear from you. It's been some time since you called. Is your wife in need of my assistance?"
"No, Miss Stutts. The new owner of Wabash Manor, Miss Gilmore, wants to do some housecleaning and get all this antique furniture out of here. She wants to do an auction. A lot of the furniture is as old as the house."
"Hmm, some of that furniture is over a hundred and fifty years old. Now's the best time to do such an auction for those items. Guilded Age is all the vogue with collectors right now," Miss Stutts said happily. "Frankly, even if it wasn't antique, anything said to have been owned by Sunset Blessing has value on the market. You could see used toilet paper sell if she used it. The Blessingists will pay top dollar for it, and Blessingists, unlike Shimmerists, tend not to be broke."
"Does that extend to her sisters?" Legal Brief asked with a chuckle. "I'm sure my wife would be more than happy to contribute used toilet paper."
"Not likely, sadly," Miss Stutts answered with a laugh. "I don't think any preappraisal is needed. If you want to go straight to auction, I would be happy to attend to appraise on the spot to help give opening amounts for bids."
"Let me check with Miss Gilmore about that," Legal Brief said.
"That sounds like it's faster. Do that," Jordan said quickly.
"We have a yes," Legal Brief told the appraiser. "I think she wants this done ASAP. It needs to be done on the property, likely out in the yard."
"ASAP it is then," Miss Stutts replied. "I can set up the whole thing for Friday or Saturday evening. That would normally be too soon, but given the notoriety of who the owner was and the fact you are letting people past the gates, even to just the yard-something people would pay for, even if there was no auction, we should have a good turnout. Let's discuss commissions. My standard fee for something like this is one percent. I know the auctioneer will request two. Given where the auction is happening, we could charge participants an entry fee, just enough to keep the gawkers out, and you would get five percent of the entry fee proceeds while the auctioneer would get ninety, and I get five. I cannot say for sure what we should expect in profit since I have not yet seen the goods, but it's reasonable to expect this auction will raise several million dollars."
Jordan gaped. Several million? She hadn't expected anything like that. She'd expected a few thousand dollars, enough to redo the furniture in a few rooms with something simple, not enough to make her a millionaire. She wouldn't even have to worry about getting new scholarships for school; she could pay for school out of pocket.
"Friday or Saturday is good," Jordan whispered, keeping her voice down so she wouldn't seem to be freaking out. What was she even going to do with all that money?
Mellanie Stutts hung up the phone with a smile. Having such a potentially lucrative job land in her lap was a rarity. If this was half as good as she expected, she might end up making almost as much as she usually made in a year. Collecting just one percent of sales could net her a five or six-digit payoff. She doubted there was anything that would push it into a seven-figure payout for her, but there was always the dream of it.
However, she needed to put in a lot of work today, despite it being her off day. She had some clients to call and an advertisement to draw up to distribute. She also needed to contact the auctioneer, who was likely to be excited as she was about this. There was one client who had already been asking if there had been inquiries about appraisals since Wabash Manor had changed ownership. Whether that client had some inside information or was just taking a chance was unknown, but they'd be first on her call list. She placed the call.
"Hello, who's this?" the voice on the other side of the line asked.
"It's Mepanie Stutts, the appraiser in Denver you contacted yesterday," Miss Stutts answered. "You called me a day too early. The new owner is setting up an auction, and it will be performed on Wabash Manor grounds. May I put you down as an attendee? There will be an entry fee of a hundred dollars."
"Yes, put me down. I'm excited to come," the voice answered.
Miss Stutts nodded. "Glad to hear it, and will be happy to see you there at this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"I'm overjoyed to be invited. Send me an email with the date and time, and I'll be there. I'll pay the fee in cash."
"Will do," Miss Stutts replied and hung up.
That was quick and easy. She made a quick note to start her list that C.S. Diego would be attending.
Jessica entered the living room and found her parents sitting on the couch. She'd slept in, and her older brother and his family had all gone to bed before she woke up. There was a lot to do today, and she was already behind schedule. Strangely, that didn't bother her. Her mind was on other things.
"Look who decided to join the land of the living," her dad said as she entered the room. "What time did you end up leaving the hospital?"
She thought about it. "One, I think. I wasn't paying attention. And no, I didn't get into arguments with any nurses, although that same nurse looked at me like I was some criminal when I finally took Mark back to his room and tucked him in."
Her dad frowned. "Why so late then?"
She shrugged. "I waited for Mark to fall asleep before taking him to his room. We were forced to leave his grandmother's room before he fell asleep, and he wasn't ready to go back to his room. I sat in the nearby lobby for a while, with him on my lap, until he finally fell asleep. He stirred a little on the way back to his room but didn't fight me."
"That was nice of you, but you didn't need to do that," her dad said.
She sat down on the couch beside her mom. "I wanted to. Someone had to be there for him, and he trusts me. Hold one second."
She reached out with her powers to her brother's room. She heard him playing on his Playstation Delta.
"Hey, Bro, I'm going to eat some lunch, but after that, do you want to work on the Oldsmobile?"
"Sure thing. Are you going to have time to pack after that?"
"I figured you could help me with that after I help you with your car. It's extra time together."
He went silent. She heard a game over on his video game. She had a feeling that he had let his guy die because the control had stopped clicking seconds before the sound of the game over, too many seconds for the end to come by accident. Was it distress? His heartbeat did seem a little off. She knew he was unhappy with the fact she was moving out.
"Yeah, we can do that," he answered after a moment.
"Okay, see you in the garage in a few minutes then," she replied, trying to sound cheerful.
Her parents had been waiting quietly for her to finish her conversation and could recognize the signs it was finished.
"I never understand how you manage to hold verbal conversation without opening your mouth," her mom said with a shake of her head. "I mean, I understand you are manipulating sound to create your voice, but if I were doing that, I'd still need to talk out loud."
"It's like saying things in your head," Jessica answered. She then stood up. "I'm going to get something to eat, work with Dusk on the car for a little while, and then he and I will start packing my room."
"Want some additional help?" her dad asked.
She shook her head. "I think this should be a thing with only me and Dusk. He's taking me moving out pretty hard. We need some brother-sister time."
Her mom smiled. "I still remember you, at half his current age, promising him you would be the best big sister ever, who'd always look out for him. That was also around the time you told us off for being Shimmerists. It's an interesting experience, being given a wake-up call by a six-year-old."
"Wish I could remember exactly what I said. That entire week's events are kind of fuzzy for me. I buried a lot of those memories, and I think I buried some of the good with the bad," Jessica replied. "Maybe I do need to call up the old head shrink or let Phobia do her dirty work in my dreams. Memories keep coming back to me lately. What kind of example do I set for Dusk if I keep being afraid to face those memories?"
Her dad frowned. "I'm happy to hear you're considering getting help with that, but it's a rather sudden turnaround. Is it only Dusk you are thinking about setting an example for?"
Her ears flicked. "Who else would I be setting an example for?"
"Someone else who is scared and needs to learn to face their fears," her dad gently said. "Someone who needs someone to look up to."
"You're talking about Mark," Jessica said in realization. She hesitated. Was she even going to be part of his life anymore? He was going to a foster home. "Will I be able to visit him while he's in foster care?"
Her dad nodded. "If you want to. It is foster care; it's not prison, even of some kids feel like it is. If it weren't for the fact you'll be busy moving your things into your new apartment, I'd be asking you to help get him settled into the new foster home. He might be less agitated if you were helping him through the process."
"Is he eligible for humanization or ponification?" Jessica asked.
Her dad sighed. "He is a different type of case than most partials. He was born partial, so he's never been fully human or pony. It would take Princess Twilight or your auntie with help casting the spell to change him into a full human. Neither of those options is likely. Princess Twilight isn't exactly on call, and your auntie isn't around anymore-not that she'd trust anyone with her knowledge in order to assist her or be allowed by the government. He's never been transformed, so he technically still has his two full transformations available. He's also too young to make that kind of choice, so it isn't worth discussing yet."
It was shameful to say, but part of her didn't want him to change from what he was. Yeah, he should learn to have pride in himself, but did pride extend to making life that much harder on himself? He was always going to be hunched over. He'd always be tiny. He wouldn't be able to reproduce. He'd be mocked and jeered at. Perhaps that part of her that didn't want him to change wanted affirmation she wasn't the only unusually built person around. How she felt about it wasn't what was important, it was what he came to feel about it as he grew older. Chances were, he would see it as only a choice between being human or being a pony-both of which would mean going to Equestria. In a kinder world, he might see remaining as he was a legitimate choice, whether he decided to or not. The world was not kind, and the world would make that choice unbearable. It wasn't fair. He should have all three options, no matter what he eventually chooses.
"I think I can make some time for Mark tomorrow," she said after consideration. It wouldn't give her much downtime during the day, but she was used to being busy. "What time is he supposed to be moved?"
"Nine in the morning," her dad answered. "Are you sure? You've spent more time with him than intended almost every time you've visited. Moving is a big ordeal, you still need to go rent your moving van, and you have work the next day."
"I'll manage it, and I won't lose track of time. He needs me there," Jessica replied.
He would need her even after he arrived at the foster home. She'd have to figure out how to arrange regular visits. She hoped she was done with the search for what the Dreamwardens were looking for; that would free up so much time to do things like help care for a kid. It would open up time to try to live her life before the world's end.
The only thing she needed to do was figure out what she wanted out of life. She had never given it a lot of consideration because she assumed she'd be searching for star charts for years yet if she ever found what she was looking for at all.
Her phone started ringing.
"Doctor Jessica Middleton speaking," she answered.
"Doctor Middleton, we think we found what you directed us to. Now tell us, what the hell are we looking at?" the director at NASA asked breathlessly. |
Partial | Chapter 14: Unexpected Discoveries | Nightmare Moon carefully pulled the car to a stop in front of the farmhouse and turned it off. He hoped this would be a short trip. He had a class he needed to study for, and he still wanted to spend some time with his foals before tucking them into bed. Plus, he didn't like leaving his foals' mothers near each other for too long without him being around. That tended to lead to violence. He especially didn't like leaving Blood and Harvest's mothers alone near each other since they were still pregnant with Blood and Harvest. He didn't think they'd risk fighting while pregnant, but tempers and jealousy were rampant among the mares, and he wouldn't put it past Waxing and Waning's mothers to instigate something. Moon's sisters weren't true-blood daughters of Phobia Remedy, and Charlotte didn't even intend to have foals. His line was the true line of descent from the Dreamwarden, and each of his foals' mothers wanted their foal to be the sole true grandchild of Phobia Remedy-Stone and the sole bearer of his name.
Blood and Harvest would be the last two for a while. Impregnating their mothers had earned him enough money to pay for the remainder of college tuition his scholarships hadn't. Each new one added was another that he was worried that the mother would take off and leave instead of trying to raise the foal with him. He would have more, but he would hold off a few more years and then add to his brood enough to pay for a house. The night pony population still had a gender imbalance that would still take a generation to correct to reasonable levels. Night pony mares, especially middle-aged ones worried about time running out, paid good money to have a night pony stallion get them pregnant, and the price for getting pregnant by a Dreamwarden's son was far more. Moon, if he wanted to, didn't even have to go to school. He could live off of impregnating mares. However, he wanted to be part of his foals' lives, and he had a passion for medicine that he would feel incomplete without pursuing a career in it-although he was seriously considering pediatric medicine. His mama, Rosetta Stone-Remedy, was a massive proponent of night pony stallions siring as many foals as possible and was proud of him for expanding their tribe. His mom was another story, and he could tell she disapproved, but she differed from Moon's mama on family and household matters, so she kept her disapproval to herself. She still adored her grandfoals, despite her dislike of how they came to be.
"Why are we coming out here again? It doesn't look special," Wallace said as he looked out the window.
"Because my mom wants to," Moon replied flatly as he pulled his sunglasses out and put them on.
"Because I need to talk to someone who cannot reach the dream realm," his mother answered. "And this farm is not all it seems to be. It is a farm, that is true, but its residents are rather unique."
Wallace looked doubtfully at some chickens being fed seed by a man in a fenced-off area. Moon had to agree with Wallace in this case; this looked like an ordinary farm. However, he knew his mom came out here fairly regularly, although Crystal usually drove her here. Crystal was away from home at the moment, as was Tempest. Tempest rarely came here either, although she never explained why. She only said the place unnerved her. Tempest was one of the most fearless people he knew. If this place made her uneasy, there had to be something seriously weird about the place.
"I changed my mind; this place is weird, but at least we don't have to listen to the phone ringing off the hook. These people aren't normal," Wallace muttered.
Actually, now that he got to looking around, he noticed that a few of the farmhands were heavily bundled up and had hoods on, even though it was still August and still reasonably hot. Both ponies and humans were doing this, and on any other farm, pony farm workers rarely wore much at all. That was odd. His mom did say the residents were unique. He wondered why they'd do that. It seemed like it would lead to them overheating.
Wondering about that would need to wait. They stepped out of the car. Moon guessed that was the main reason he was included in this trip. He did promise Tempest to help Wallace out with bodyguarding while Tempest and Crystal were away, but this place didn't seem particularly dangerous. However, other than Crystal, he was the only person who could drive and had a vehicle in the household. With Crystal away, that left him as the transportation. His mom did fly, but she never flew out of sight of the house, and Wallace, being an earth pony, couldn't bodyguard her very well if she flew somewhere. Phobia Remedy went nowhere without one of her personal bodyguards; all the night pony mares guarding the house didn't count; they weren't the Elite.
Not a single worker even glanced in their direction or gave any sign that they'd even been noticed, despite several working within just a few meters of where they were standing. None of the farmworkers were talking to one another either. Moon heard one singing something in a language he didn't recognize, and another was whistling, but they seemed somehow too focused on their work. There was also something off with the smell of the place. All the usual farm smells were there, but there was something else underneath all those smells, something that smelled not only out of place and strange but very wrong, something that made Moon's fur bristle.
Wallace seemed to have also noticed something was off, and Moon spotted rocks forming on Wallace's legs.
"Keep your powers under control. This is a farm; these people don't need you sapping the minerals from their soil," Phobia Remedy chided Wallace as she looked at his legs.
Wallace hastily shook the rock from his legs and pounded the stone into gravel. "Sorry, Dreamwarden."
The Dreamwarden smiled at her young Elite bodyguard. "Please, relax. None of the residents mean any harm. I know this place can put nerves on edge, but this farm is safe. I'm as safe here as I am back at the house."
"Are these OMMR agents, and is this some secret OMMR base?" Moon asked his mom.
The Dreamwarden shook her head. "This place was bought and paid for by the OMMR, but it was as a gift. The owner and her son do some things for us sometimes, but it is more as a favor than because it is their job. Getting favors from them is somewhat of a negotiation process. Tempest and Crystal, along with some of the other Elite, are currently doing what they can to appease them. We need information, and the person we need to get it from can sometimes be difficult."
"You bought them this farm as a bribe?" Wallace asked in surprise.
"No, we bought them this farm because the son has problematic powers that get more problematic and dangerous if he tries to bottle them up. He needs a place where they can be used freely, away from the eyes of others. This farm serves that purpose," Phobia answered.
Moon looked around again. Aside from the odd behavior and attire of the farm workers, he didn't notice anything out of place besides that smell. There was something very wrong about that smell.
Moon's mom started walking towards the farmhouse. "Come along. They will wonder why we're standing around staring if we don't get a move on. We don't want to come off as rude. The person I need to negotiate with has a rigorous view of manners. Remember to wipe your hooves before entering the house, especially you, Wallace. Don't track your stoneskin into the house."
As they approached the farmhouse's front door, Moon took note of the two mounted deer heads on either side of the door, along with a third above the door. They were angled oddly, so instead of staring straight out into the yard; they faced whoever was at the door. That was a little creepy.
The door opened without anyone knocking, and a tall, bulky man wearing a hood and heavy clothing stood there. With the door open, the uncurrent smell got stronger. It smelled like rotting meat with maybe a hint of wine. It made Moon want to gag.
"Miss Remedy," the man said, bowing his head. His eyes flicked to Moon and Wallace. "These two walk with warriors' gaits."
Moon's mom bowed her head as well. "The earth pony is named Wallace, and he is one of my personal bodyguards. He will reveal nothing he sees here, nor will he take hostile action against any of your incarnations or the mother. The other pony is my son, Nightmare Moon. What I said about Wallace can be said of him as well. Crystal is away on business, so other bodyguards had to be arranged. They can be trusted to keep your secrets. Do you have a name that we may address you?"
"Urash is our name. You have addressed us before," the man replied. He then stepped to the side. "You may enter. The current incarnation's mother is bathing us at this time. So you shall have to wait in the living room until we are done."
Okay, that was beyond strange. The man didn't seem to be in the process of a bath, given how heavily clothed he was, and why someone else's mother would be giving him one was a mystery. Did the man just lie straight to a Dreamwarden's face? There were some weirdo cult vibes in this place. That would explain the odd attire, but it didn't explain the reek. Given this seemed like some sort of cult, Moon was unsure if he wanted to know what the smell was coming from.
They followed Moon's mother into the house, and Urash shut the door behind them.
The living room was lit with sunlight coming in through windows with gaze curtains. The furniture was plain but well kept, made with both humans and ponies in mind, and wouldn't be out of place in any regular house. The other furnishings were more disturbing. The walls were adorned with mounted animal heads, primarily deer, but there was also an alligator and bear. The shelves and tables all featured various animals that had been taxidermied. There were several squirrels and multiple types of birds, including crows, pigeons, vultures, bluejays, ducks, and one hawk. Moon quickly lost track of how many dead and stuffed animals were in the room. There were three doors, not counting the front door, all shut, and he was unsure which went into rooms and which were closets. There was a staircase as well, barely wide enough for a human to walk up, too small to be used for transporting most furniture.
"You may take seats. The mare and current incarnation will be down shortly," Urash instructed. He then went and stood by the front door, hands folded in front of him, unmoving. Moon wasn't even sure if the man was breathing. The smell was more pungent here. Perhaps Urash spent a lot of time holding his breath so he wouldn't gag.
Wallace looked around at the mounted animals nervously and shivered. "I swear they're watching me."
Moon's mom took a seat on a couch. "They are, but don't let that bother you. Most won't give you much thought or even have thought. If any do happen to be malevolent, there isn't anything a body in their condition can do other than stare."
Moon inched away from the squirrel he had been standing next to. Wallace looked even more nervously at a vulture. If Phobia Remedy said something, it was true, or at least, she believed it to be true. If Moon's mom believed these things possessed some consciousness, then it was highly likely they did. This was a haunted farmhouse; what fun.
There was a sound of running upstairs that made them all glance upward, aside from Urash, who kept standing where he was, not even blinking.
"I believe we are about to be greeted by one of the more eccentric residents of the house. She normally rushes to see me when I come to visit, but you two might have made her nervous. Please, be nice to her," Moon's mom instructed. She looked at the staircase. "You may come down, Patches. Be careful on the stairs. You don't need any more stitches.
The running went to the stairs, and Urash grunted with annoyance. "That one of us never listens to instruction. Never learns our lesson."
The galloping sound echoed doe the staircase, and a tiny foal accompanied it, a small foal who tripped and faceplanted on the floor on the last step.
"Oopsie," the foal said, sounding unhurt
Wallace gasped and jumped backward at the eight of the foal. Moon gave him a confused look as he took in Walace's look of abject horror. He then looked again at the foal and its strangeness. Each of the foal's legs were a different color, and it had various colored splotches of fur on its main body that seemed to have been sewn on. Its tail was utterly hairless-and missing parts of the flesh as well, revealing the bone underneath. When the filly lifted her head, she revealed she was missing flesh and fur from part of her face, and her mouth had what had to be a permanent skeletal grin where nothing but tooth and bone could be seen. The scent coming off her was strong, and at last, Moon knew precisely what he was smelling. He smelled a corpse. He was smelling death.
The abomination stood up and looked herself over before giving an excited hop. "No stitches popped!" She then looked at Moon's mother. "Hi, Miss Phobia! We beat Pac-man today!"
Moon's mom tilted her head, seemingly unconcerned a monster was talking to her. "You beat Pac-Man? How did you do that?"
The abomination hopped in place. "We made Pac-Man eat up all the dots. Nom nom nom!" The filly worked her mouth like she was eating, which was extra disturbing with that mouth.
"We cleared one level," Urash explained. "That one of us doesn't understand there is more to the game. We also cheered when the ghosts ate Pac-Man."
"We beat Pac-man!" Patches proudly proclaimed.
Moon's mom chuckled. "I appreciate that you can find joy in both outcomes. If only all foals could have similar dispositions. Ghadab may have a different opinion on the matter, but it still brings a smile to my face. I would love to hear what other adventures you have gotten up to this week, but I really need to talk to Moses. Will he be upset if I go upstairs and visit him?"
Patches tilted her head as if confused by why the question would be asked. "We love you. We wouldn't be upset." What was with these people talking about themselves and others in their group in the plural?
The Dreamwarden stood up and left the couch. "I shall do so then. You can tell my son and Wallace about your adventures as they wait for me to return."
Parches rushed over to Moon and started wagging her bony tail like a dog. "Hi, we are Patches! Yesterday, we found an ant hill. The ants were running all around doing funny things like carrying leaves." She giggled. "We were going to try to eat some of them to feel them run around inside us, but the rest of us told us that if we did that, they would eat our insides up, and we wouldn't be able to play anymore. So we didn't eat the ants."
Moon licked his lips. "Um, that's...interesting." He looked for his mother, but she was already gone.
Patches laughed. "The day before, we found a dead bird. We took it home, and we- Moses we- said we'd put more of us in it after it was fixed up and add it to the fence so we can watch more. We are still trying to get us up on all the fence posts so we can see everything around the farm."
Wallace looked at the bear's head on the wall. "When you say we see, who are you talking about? Do you personally see?"
Patches gave him a confused look. "We all see. We all hear."
Urash stepped forward. "We can explain better. We are all one. We share eyes and ears. What one sees or hears, all see or hear. We each have our own personalities, own thoughts, but we are aware of all things seen, heard, or felt. We are many, and we are one. We are shades of the dead, contained in whatever bodies our incarnation, Moses, can find." He pointed to himself. "We had been asleep for more than four thousand years and am of this world, from the Land of the Noble Lords." He pointed at Patches. "That simple-minded one of us had been dead for much longer, at least ten billion years, and we know not where it originated."
"Ten is bigger than four. Mine's bigger than yours," Patches giggled, not fathoming the difference between the terms thousand and billion. Ten billion years, at least? What was that thing? It was no pony. It was nothing from Earth or Equestria. Neither of them even existed ten billion years ago. That might predate the Devourers. It was never clear how old those were. Moon had no idea what the Land of the Noble Lords was, but it was less interesting than wherever Patches came from.
Urash gestured at the walls. "Those of us working outside are from many sources, but these others of us, adorning the walls, tables, and fences, are even simpler creatures, less than beasts, incapable of emotion, useful only for their eyes." He turned and pointed at the squirrel. "Except that one of us, that one is nasty and vicious beyond compare. Be joyous and glad that it cannot move or bite, or it would rend you limb from limb. The great kings and heroes would tremble in fear and wail in terror if they knew what horrors it inflicted in life."
Wallace backed further away from the stuffed squirrel.
"We talk a lot. Can we play a game instead?" Patches asked excitedly. "Words confuse us, which is fun, but we like games more."
Moon understood now why Tempest avoided this place. Nothing about this place was normal. Necromancy, hive minds, patchwork fillies filled with the souls of eldritch creatures from so far back in time that the universe itself would be unrecognizable all vered soo far into the weird and unnerving that any normal person would be disturbed. What did his mom want with these people, and why had she given them this place to live and practice their dark arts?
"What game do you want to play?" Moon asked.
Patches seemed to think about it before doing another hop. "We can play a game that we learned the other day. It's called tic-tac-toe. It's really hard."
Some kids were odder than most, and then there was this kid who was an eldritch horror contained in a body stitched together out of multiple dead foals. What did it want to do? It wanted to play tic-tac-toe. Every day was a new adventure. He couldn't wait to get back to his sons and give them hugs.
Jordan sighed as she shut the last door on the second floor, purse at her side. She'd been going room to room, starting at the top of the house, checking out what was in each room, except for the rooms belonging to the other residents, including the room for Auntie Sunset's rehabbing younger brother, Sinker. She now knew generally what was in every room upstairs. She'd made a few notes about items that caught her attention, making two lists, one for things that needed to go and another for stuff she definitely wanted to keep. The two lists only accounted for a small amount of what was in the house, and she could easily be overlooking valuable things that could be auctioned for a lot. This would be easier if the appraiser was allowed to walk around the house and look at the stuff herself.
She'd already seen everything on the first floor. Nothing had been added to her notes from it, but she could do that later. The only part of the house she hadn't seen was the vaults and the basement. There was no going into the vaults, but she could at least take a look at the basement and the door to the vaults since she hadn't seen that part of the house as of yet. She'd look at it and then check out the two side buildings, the chapel and the old groundskeeper house that had been converted into guard barracks. How many guards were on the property at once? It seemed like a lot. It was costing someone a fortune to pay them all.
She walked downstairs and opened the basement door. The guard standing on duty next to the door glanced at her but stayed at attention without trying to stop her. She'd been unsure if the guard would or not.
The stairs going down seemed normal enough. It was plain wooden steps lit by a hanging bulb. The passage was narrow, and so were the steps, so she took it slowly. When she reached the bottom, she was in a small room. There were two doors, one wooden and one iron, a desk, a television on the wall playing a movie, and a guard sitting at the desk.
"Miss Gilmore, is there something I can do for you?" the guard on duty asked.
"Just checking out the house. This is the last of the rooms I haven't seen. May I look?" Jordan asked.
The huard waved a hand. "It's your house. You may go where you please. The vault door is in the room behind the iron door. There's not much to see in there other than the vault door. The other door goes to the furnace, primary AC, backup power generator, fuse box, and water heater. If you go in with the vault door, I recommend not trying to open it or even touch it unless you know for sure how to do it. Failure to open it with the right combination results in instant death. The room is a high-powered compactor, and the ceiling and floor smash together faster than you can move."
Jordan felt a little ill. "I think I'll skip this part of the tour and go check out the chapel. Have fun on your shift."
"Thank you, Miss Gilmore," the guard replied.
Jordan let out a long breath. Her Auntie had decided to use a completely non-magical trap for guarding the vault door, and somehow it seemed more horrible.
Jessica checked the time on her phone again as the elevator rose. It was forty-five minutes to spare before they were supposed to move Mark to his foster home, plenty of time to soothe him. She could spend some time with him, get him to trust the social services workers enough to let them transport him without a fight, and then get her moving done. She'd even rented the van yesterday, despite it costing extra, so she could be sure everything flowed smoothly today. Her dad would be there shortly since he had to go to his office first before coming to help with Mark.
Getting the moving van last night wasn't as easy as it should have been. It seemed like her phone had been ringing every ten minutes with NASA on the line. She didn't know how many different people at NASA she had spoken to. She didn't understand why they didn't give each other the memo that she didn't know what the flying fudge that thing out in space was. Over and over again, she told them to get in contact with the Dreamwardens to get more details. Over and over again, they called her like she hadn't given the same answer to the last dozen people. Turning the phone off had been an opinion, but she was scared she'd get an important call if she did. Still, she had gotten sick of it, and she knew her little brother had gotten sick of NASA intruding in what was supposed to be their time together. Muting the phone hadn't stopped the calls; it just turned her phone into a vibrator and filled up her voicemail. It was still on silent mode now because although the calls had slowed down, they hadn't ceased. She'd change her voicemail to a message saying not to call her about it, but that would require her inbox to have space left for the voicemail message to kick in. She could empty it, but that would require going through all those voicemails and deleting them. She didn't have the patience for that at the moment.
I hope they're blowing up Phobia's phone like they are mine. They may be too scared of annoying the Queen of Nightmares to do that. Perhaps they'll call the OMMR headquarters to attempt to get another Dreamwarden to talk to them.
The elevator door opened, and she stepped out. Before she saw the nurses' station, she heard that it was the friendlier nurse on duty, the one who thought of her first and foremost as one of the heroes of the Cataclysm of Riverview. It wasn't what she wanted to be remembered for, but it was better than what she had gotten from the other nurse.
She walked over to the desk, and the nurse's ears briefly perked up before sagging. "Hello, are you here to see Mark? He's getting transferred out of here today."
She nodded. "Yes, I am. I know he'll have a difficult time with strangers trying to move him to yet another strange place-not that I'm insulting your hospital or the foster home-"
"Oh, don't worry about calling it a strange place. Being afraid of hospitals is not unusual. It's natural to find places filled with the sick to be unsettling. You're not a pony, but if you were, you could smell the sickness in some of the rooms. It would be stranger if you weren't uncomfortable," the nurse replied. "I come into work every day, hoping to make people's stay a little easier for them. I want them to get better, both in mind and body."
"Thanks for understanding. Mark is not used to anywhere, but his grandmother's apartment, and a hospital isn't the best introduction to the world outside. Personally, I've been on life support twice, so hospitals unnerve me."
The nurse looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry for asking this, but some people were talking and...I don't know how to ask this, so I'll ask it straight out. Did you threaten the weekend night nurse?"
Jessica stepped back and squeezed her hands into fists. "WHAT?! I threaten did not threaten that bitch! She treated me like trash and a felon for existing. I told her off and wasn't civil about it, I admit that, but I did not threaten her. If that's what she's been saying, she's lying."
The nurse cringed a little. "I didn't mean to make you angry. It was just that everyone was talking about it when I first came in today."
Jessica took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. The incident the other night made me angry, and I've been on edge lately. I'm on vacation, and for some reason, I seem even more stressed than normal. I didn't mean to come off harsh to you. She was hostile and nasty to me from the moment she saw me, and I'm confident that it was because I'm a partial and she's a bigot. I lost my temper with her, and I shouldn't have done that. I heavily implied she couldn't count higher than ten after she mistook me saying I was a physicist as me saying I was a physical therapist. It was immature of me to have said it, but I didn't threaten her. That's what happened. She is exaggerating the incident to garner sympathy and demonize me."
The pony gave a slow nod. "That does sound infuriating. I don't want to take sides on who is telling the truth in a she-said-she-said situation, and I can't verify anything because our cameras don't have sound, only video feed. I did review the footage and saw you both seemed very angry. I'll let people know what you told me since they're only going off the weekenders' side of the story, and people deserve to hear both sides."
Jessica's ears flatten. Her word apparently didn't count for much. To be fair to this pony, they didn't know each other well, but she'd hoped her hero status in this pony's eyes would have counted for something. Now she was unsure if she even had that status anymore. It didn't matter. After today, she didn't plan on returning to this hospital.
"Is it okay for me to see Mark?" Jessica asked, just wanting to get away from the nurse.
The nurse nodded. "Yes, he's available. Just make sure he doesn't get loose from his room. He's supposed to be transferred soon, and we don't want to delay that because he's run off again."
She didn't wait to exchange any more pleasantries. She headed straight to Mark's room.
Making sure not to open the door too wide, she cracked it open just enough for her to slip through. She didn't think Mark would try running past her, but she wasn't going to make a fool of herself by letting it happen. Mark's heartbeat and breathing had been back towards the window but moved as she opened the door.
"Mark? It's me, Jessie," she said as she entered the room. "I'm going to sit down and talk to you."
She sat where she was, back pressed against the door. She could hear Mark under his bed. His heartbeat and breathing weren't elevated, so he wasn't scared of her. That was good.
She took another deep breath before continuing. "You are getting moved out of this place to a home. You need to be good and let them take you there."
"No!" Mark objected.
"Mark, it will be better than here. There will be a nicer bed. There will be nicer food. There will be other kids. There'll be less weird noises. That mean nurse won't be there."
"No Grandma."
"You're right; she won't be there," Jessica conceded. "She needs to get better; that means more hospital for her. You don't want to stay in the hospital while you wait, right?"
Mark was silent. She was unsure how to continue.
She looked helplessly in the direction of his bed. "Did your grandma ever say anything to you about what would happen when she got too old to take care of you?"
Mark was silent still. She hadn't expected an answer. It was unlikely anyone would have had that conversation with a four-year-old. His grandmother wasn't dead yet, but she might as well be. At four years old, Jessica might have understood the idea that people get old and die, but even then, it would have been a complex idea for her to grasp. It wasn't a math concept or even a physics concept, and while she understood many subjects academically by that age, that didn't mean she understood certain realities of life. If she couldn't have been expected to understand, how could she pretend that he would understand it any better? There had to be someone who could explain this to him in ways she could not and gently. Kids sometimes had to deal with death at a young age. Kids went into foster care for many reasons, and someone had to explain why. Someone must have found an easier way of explaining this. That was a problem, even if she knew how to explain it because he didn't trust anyone else. Perhaps she could get him to listen to her dad. In his line of work, her dad had to have had this conversation with kids more times than she wanted to think about. Her current struggles with finding what to say gave her a lot more respect for her dad-not that she didn't have respect for him before, but living one of the things he had to deal with gave her an entirely new appreciation of what he had to deal with.
She pulled out her phone and started searching for options. There had to be some easier way of explaining this on a level he could understand. She thought she usually did a good time talking to people on their level. Her parents had stressed to her from a young age she shouldn't ever come off as overly intellectual or a know-it-all by talking over others' heads. That didn't work as well with a four-year-old as it did with teens and adults.
"Cartoons," she said. "Mark, do you watch cartoons or puppet shows?" She felt silly asking a child that, but he didn't have a normal upbringing so far.
"Yes," Mark answered.
She stood up. "Okay, then. I'm going to put on a show. Maybe it can explain what I can't."
She went over to the television's tablet and started searching. She had one show in mind based on what she'd quickly researched. Maybe she could have found something better with more time, but her dad and the other members of social services would be there soon.
It took a few minutes to find it, making her more relieved she had chosen something short, but she got it started and then sat down between the two beds on the floor as the opening title was showing.
"You can come out and sit on my lap if you want," she offered. "We can watch the show together."
Mark crawled out from the bed and into her lap without hesitation, and he sat there facing the television, only briefly looking up at her as if asking if the way he was sitting was okay. It seemed like a practiced habit. She wondered if he had done this with his grandma.
This was an old episode of Sesame Street. She wasn't exactly sure what year it originally aired, only that it was before she was born, which meant there were no ponies on the show yet or any of the episodes she watched when she was young that had Spike The Brave And Glorious guest-starring, which were her favorite episodes. Still, the furry muppets might be better for Mark-something humanoid with fur. That was her reasoning; hopefully, it would work out.
It ended up being much simpler in what it was saying than she expected, maybe too simple. This might not be enough to help Mark understand. Yes, it did explain that sometimes parents couldn't take care of kids and talked about for-now parents, but could Mark understand this in a five-minute explanation?
"Are you my for-now grandma?"
Grandma?? How old does he think I am?! Was the first thought that ran through her head. It took her a second to recover her thoughts from that before she could answer.
"It won't be me," she answered. "There'll be nice people who want to help you. That will care about you and be there for you."
He started tearing up. "Why? You care. You here."
She looked at him and his tear-covered face. She couldn't stand to see him cry. She wanted to help him, not this. She wanted to protect him.....She wanted to make sure he was taken care of....
Fudge me.
He was right. It was a horrible and illogical idea, but he was right. Deep breaths.
She licked her lips. "I'm not going to be your for-now grandma; that's not happening. I'm nineteen; I'm nobody's grandma."
His tears started flowing heavier, and she quickly wiped them with a finger a shushed him gently.
"I'm not going to be that, and I can't be your for-now mommy either-since what's happening today has to happen, but maybe...maybe I can be your maybe-later mommy if that's okay."
He looked up at her in confusion. "Maybe later?"
She nodded. "Maybe later."
He wiped his eyes. "When later?"
She shook her head. "I don't know yet. I'm very smart, but there are a lot of things I don't know. I'm going to do everything I can to find out that answer for you, okay? You just have to be patient and be good for the for-now parents. Can you be good for them for me?"
He seemed reluctant to answer but finally nodded. "Okay."
Jessica felt a mixture of relief and sheer terror. What had she decided to just do? How could she explain to her dad what she had just told Mark? How was she going to explain she meant it? She had better figure that out real soon because she could hear him and others at the nurse's station. |
Partial | Chapter 15: People in New Places | Paul sighed in relief as Mark was strapped safely into the baby seat on the van. He wasn't fighting them. Mark had to be sedated when he'd been taken from his grandmother's apartment. It was best to stay on guard with him since he could still try to make a break for it, but this was still a welcome change of pace.
"I appreciate you helping us with Mark, Jessie. I was worried this would be much more difficult," Paul told his daughter.
Jessie nodded silently, keeping her eyes on the car as the doors were shut.
He scratched his beard. "I know you're worried about how he'll be treated, but I promise you, I will keep a careful watch on this case."
"How do I apply to foster him?" Jessie blurted out.
Paul frowned. He half expected this was coming, but not so quickly. Jessie had shown a strong connection to the boy, and she was incapable of having children of her own. There would always be...hurdles...to her adopting any humans or ponies in the future; he couldn't deny they existed, much as he wanted to. A partial child was another case entirely, and the chances of another partial kid entering the system in the area were slim to none. Add to that, she said she might be free from the Dreamwardens, and that meant she had a lot of refiguring of what she wanted from her life, something she had never had the luxury of considering before. To her, it must have seemed like the universe was basically gifting her an opportunity.
"Well, the first thing standing in your way is you must be at least twenty-one or older," he slowly said.
"Are you fudging kidding me?!" Jessie fumed. "I have waited for years to be a legal adult, despite the fact I'm aged up six years, and I still have fudging age restrictions blocking me?"
He made a calming motion with his hands. "That age restriction can be circumvented in rare cases with an appeal. You must demonstrate you have every other aspect of your life together-income, housing, safety, maturity, job security, time, support system, and no criminal record. However, it normally helps if you are already a relative."
"Well, I'm not a relative, but I'm one of the few people who can understand him and the only person he seems to trust; does that count for something?" Jessie asked.
Paul shrugged. "I'm sure it counts for something, but I'm not sure how much. I'm not the one who approves applications." He looked her in the eyes. "You do understand that I have to keep a neutral position with this. I can't be showing you favoritism. I know that might come off as mean, but-"
She shook her head. "I understand, Dad. You've done me a big enough favor, telling me there's a chance. So, what do I do? Do I go to the social services office and fill out an application?"
He nodded. "Yes, and you'll need to ask for a separate form for us to consider lifting the age restriction." He looked at the van that held Mark. "I need to get going. Worry about your move for today. You have enough going on and don't want to mess that up. You've already spent more time here than you originally planned."
Jessie looked reluctantly at the van and then nodded. "Okay, will you be coming by my new apartment later?"
He hugged her. "Sure will. Right after work."
Jessie headed to her car, which was on the opposite side of the parking lot. Out of habit, he watched her until she reached her. There shouldn't be any danger here, but he still worried every time she went off by herself. He hadn't told her, but he wasn't ready for her to be living on her own. After all this time, she was still his little filly-terminology that still stuck in his head long after she'd gone through her rehumanization process.
With her safely in the car, he got in the van's back seat with Mark. It usually wouldn't be multiple people escorting such a young child to a foster home. Only older kids who were runaway risks typically got that treatment, but despite his youth and small size, Mark had proven himself to be that kind of risk. He was strapped into a foal seat, trying to curl into a fetal position against the straps.
"I know this is scary, but you'll be okay," Paul said as reassuringly as he could. "The Morris's are nice people, and they have a room all set up for you. We even moved some of your things from your grandma's to their place, so it feels a little more like home. Won't it be nice to have some of your old toys?"
Mark did not answer, nor did he glance in Paul's direction. Sadly, this wasn't unusual behavior for new foster kids. Going into foster care was a traumatic experience, and while every kid tried to deal with that in their own way, he hadn't met one yet who took this drive well. Some tried to put on a brave face and force smiles, but those were few, and the most common response was near total silence. Mark might be a partial, but when it came to trauma, he was no different than any human or pony.
"You don't have to call them Mom and Dad if you don't want to," Paul continued as the van left the parking lot. "They two other kids staying with them, and those kids call them Jack and Jill. Have you ever heard that nursery rhyme about Jack and Jill going up the hill to fetch a pail of water?"
No response.
"Well, Mister Jack actually did fall down a hill, sort of. He tumbled down a mountain on a ski resort, and Miss Jill rushed after him on foot and ended up tumbling after. So they're sorta like the nursery rhyme. They joke about it all the time," Paul explained with a smile.
That didn't earn a response, either. He was still unsuccessfully trying to curl into a fetal position.
"You know, it might be more comfortable if you don't try to curl up like that. Those straps must be digging into you," Paul said.
Mark uncurled somewhat but didn't say anything.
Paul made no further attempts to get Mark to talk for the next several minutes as they continued their journey to the Morris house, which was located just inside the city limits of Denver on the Aurora side. It was an older suburb built back in the sixties. The houses here weren't particularly big. The Morris house was one the biggest, having been expanded to four bedrooms over the years, despite still being just one story. Supposedly, Sunset Blessing had lived only two miles away in a similar house when she was a young child. If so, the young kids in the neighborhood all attended the same elementary school as the famous pony, which made sure to let everyone know that she had been one of their students, even going so far as to erect a statue of her near the entrance, even though that did not play well with Shimmerists and attracted a lot of Blessingists to the neighborhood, including the Jack and Jill Morris. Despite the old suburb filled with houses that had, at times, haphazard additions to them, it was still a nice neighborhood that had public parks every three miles, so most people had at least two parks within walking distance. It was a good place for raising kids.
As they were nearing their destination, Paul decided to have another talk with Mark.
"I noticed you like being around my daughter, Jessie. Is that so?" Paul asked.
This time Mark did look up at him. "Maybe-later Mommy."
That caught Paul off guard. "You mean be your mommy maybe later?"
"Yes," Mark answered.
"Do you want her to be your mommy?" Paul asked. Unsure how much to dig into this.
"Yes," Mark answered.
"Why do you want her to be your mommy?" Paul continued.
Mark seemed to actually stop and think, unusual for a four-year-old since they normally blurted out the first thing that came to mind. That could mean Mark was more intelligent than first suspected, although it would be some time before his intelligence could be tested.
"Nice to me, pretty, brave, hugs good, sad," Mark listed off slowly after taking time to consider.
"Sad?" Paul asked in confusion. He was also impressed at the use of the term brave. Since that wasn't usually a term young children thought of when talking about others, but sad was the big standout.
"Sad when I'm sad," Mark clarified.
"Well, I'm sad when you're sad, too," Paul said.
Mark looked away. "Not same."
Now Paul understood. Mark didn't have the vocabulary or abstract thought to put it into words, but he was describing empathy as best he could, not just Jessie's empathy for him, but his for her. Others might feel for him, but it was with Jessie that he felt it back and was more responsive to hers as a result.
"Did Jessie say maybe later?" Paul asked.
"Yes," Mark answered.
"And were you the one who asked her to be your mommy?"
"Yes."
"And she answered, maybe later?"
"Yes."
That explained why Jessie suddenly announced she wanted to foster him. He had asked her, and she had responded. She still needed time to consider this decision, and there were plenty of obstacles in her path. He was also worried that she might not have had enough time out on her own yet or to find what she wanted out of life before taking on parenthood. Plus, it was hard to imagine his little filly as a parent...she was still his little filly.
"We'll see how that goes," he finally said. "I know she'll want you to be well-behaved for the Morrises. Answer their questions when they ask you, even if you have to say I don't know. Don't try to run away and hide from them. Let them give you baths, and make sure you eat your meals. Jessie will visit you in a few days once you're settled in. She'll want to hear you were a good boy. Can you be a good boy?"
"Yes," Mark answered.
Paul nodded in acceptance of the answer. "There's one more thing. I'll also be visiting you regularly to check how you're doing. I don't think it will happen, but if anyone has done anything mean to you or hurt you, you need to make sure you tell me. It doesn't matter who it was. I need to know so I can make sure it never happens again. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
They reached the Morris house and parked. Paul went to undo Mark's straps, and Mark tried to flinch away.
"I'm trying to undo your straps. I'm going to pick you up after that. Is that okay?" Paul asked.
Mark did not look pleased with this idea. "Yes. Be a good boy."
Paul smiled. "Thank you."
After finishing getting Mark out of the seat, he picked Mark up and carefully got out of the van. Jack and Jill were already outside and coming up to the van, all smiles. Their two other fosters stood watching on the porch. Mark was unconcerned with any of this and was desperately trying to hide deeper in Paul's arms.
Jack walked up to them. "Paul, good to see you. Is this Mark? He seems rather attached to you."
Paul looked at Mark, who was doing his best to hide his head. The child's horn dug into his arm, but it was only mildly uncomfortable.
"He did this same thing when leaving the hospital to go to the van. Mark is scared of wide open spaces, and the sky terrifies him," Paul explained. "He's scared of strangers, too, and almost everyone is a stranger to him."
Jill reached them and gave Mark a comforting smile. "Poor guy. Wishing Well was scared when he came here as well. Maybe he can help you settle in."
"I think he'll be slightly less nervous once we get him inside," Paul said. "Shall we?"
They walked to the front door, and the eleven-year-old boy, Caleb, gave them a quizzical look. He'd been in the system for a little over two years, and this was his second foster family. His previous foster home had some sanitation issues that forced the relocation of all the fosters in it. His actual parents had been heavily into illicit drugs and alcohol and did supervised visits once a month. If they could stay alcohol and drug-free, they could be one happy family again. Sadly, they'd failed to demonstrate that so far.
"We taking in a baby? I was told the kid was four," Caleb asked.
"I want to see the baby!" Wishing Well exclaimed as he backed away to avoid getting stepped on.
Wishing Well was a five-year-old earth pony with bright blue fur and a brown mane. He'd been in the system for a little over six months, and the adaptable colt was largely adjusted and happy, provided you didn't try to talk to him about his birth parents, who'd died during a freak avalanche a showboating pegasus had accidentally triggered.
"Mark's not a baby. He's just tiny and scared," Paul told them as he crossed into the house.
"Smaller than me?" Wishing Well asked as he weaved between Jack and Jill walking despite having just backed away to avoid being stepped on. Jill nearly stumbled, trying to avoid him.
"Wishing! What did we say about running under people's legs?" Jill fussed.
"Sorry!" Wishing shouted as he climbed onto a bean bag chair.
The living room was a bit different than most human families in the area might have. There was a very low six-by-six-foot glass table that you sat on the floor for. There were no couches or chairs, just bean bag furniture. In one corner was a pile of Wishing Well's blocks, and there was a small bookshelf with stacks of board games. There was no television in the living room, although he knew each bedroom had one. The Morrises believed that the living room should be the focus of socialization for the household.
Paul went and sat next to the table. "Mark. We're here. I'm going to set you down and introduce you to everyone."
He tried to anyway. Mark clung to him tightly. Paul was unsure what to do since he wasn't about to yank Mark off his arm.
"Mark, you need to let go. You promised that you'd be good, for Jessie's sake," Paul reminded him.
Mark did release and let Paul set him down on the floor. Mark immediately scrambled to get under the table. This did nothing to hide Mark, given that the table was glass. It was impressive that Mark managed to even fit under the table. The table didn't reach the top of Paul's knee while he sat cross-legged on the floor. Wishing Well wouldn't even have been able to fit under the table.
"He is tiny!" Wishing Well said as he put his forehooves on the table to prop himself up to look down at Mark.
"Wishing, you know no hooves on the table when you just came in from the outside. If you want to have hooves on the table, you have to wash them," Jack said. "And you might scare him more by doing that. To him, you're huge."
Wishing Well quickly took his hooves off the table and lowered his head to try to look under the table instead. "Sorry! I'm small most of the time."
"He looks like a little horned monkey," Caleb said.
"Caleb! Don't be rude. This is your new foster brother," Jill chided.
"Hi, new brother! I'm Wishing Well!" the colt shouted as if he needed extra volume to be heard under the table. Mark curled into a tighter ball under the table.
"You're scaring him, booger breath," Caleb said as he flopped onto a bean bag. Wishing turned and stuck his tongue out at the boy.
"Don't call Wishing Well names," Jack scolded.
"Yeah, don't call me names," Wishing Well said, flicking his tail at the boy. He then held up a hoof to his face and breathed heavily on it. "I don't have booger breath."
Jill sighed and walked forward. "How about we all sit down at the table and nicely introduce ourselves? Quietly, so we don't scare Mark anymore."
The three humans all took positions around the table, and Wishing Well sat where he was, still lowering his head to try to peek at Mark. They all sat quietly, waiting for Mark to leave his not-so-effective hiding spot.
Paul looked down at him. "Mark. I know this is a lot to take in, and everyone seems strange to you, but they are here to help you, not hurt you. You promised you wouldn't hide, and you would answer questions. You weren't lying, were you? Come on out and let everyone say hi to you."
Mark uncurled enough just to be able to look pleadingly at Paul, but Paul gestured for Mark to come out. The kid slowly finished uncurling and then darted out from under the table and behind Paul's back with shocking speed.
"Little twerp's fast," Caleb said.
Paul nodded. "Yes, he's very fast and very quiet. I doubt he'll try to leave the house since he's scared of the outdoors, but don't underestimate how well he can evade you, even in an enclosed area. Mark would make a hide-and-seek champion in a daycare." Paul glanced behind him. "Mark, that is still hiding. Come out where everyone can see you and say hi."
Mark poked his head out. "Hi." He then immediately retreated his head back behind Paul.
Jill decided to accept this. "Hello, Mark. I'm Jill Morris. I'm your new foster mom. You can call me Mrs.Morris, or Jill, or Mom. Whatever you feel most comfortable with."
"For-now," Mark answered.
Jill blinked. "For now what?"
"For-now Mom, not maybe later," Mark answered, staying hidden.
Paul gave them an apologetic look. "He has his heart set on my daughter, Jessie, adopting him. That's his maybe later. I was going to speak with you about her making some visits. She's the only person he feels comfortable with."
Jill smiled. "I'm sure something can be worked out. Mark, how about for right now, you call me Jill? Caleb does that. It's a lot easier than saying for now."
"Jill," Mark agreed.
Luna sipped her tea from a balcony as she watched her sister introduce the newest faculty member for her school. It was Sunset Blessing, but she wasn't being presented as Sunset Blessing. The unicorn's fur and mane were dyed, and even her cutie mark was covered by robes. Twilight gave grand speeches to the Earthlings about how Equestria was gaining this great mind, and Tia forced the unicorn to be in disguise. Luna and Tia had argued about it, but it was ultimately Celestia's school, and her word was final.
"Tell me, Krik, do you think this will fool anypony?" Luna asked.
The old night pony made several gestures as his ward stood by impassively watching.
Luna nodded. "I suppose that is true. I still feel like this is disrespecting my student."
Krik made several more gestures and then took a sip of his tea.
"Yes, if my student accepts it, then there is little further objection I can make. Still, this leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."
Krik did his dry rasp that was the equivalent of his laugh.
"Master Krik says then you should try a different tea," Jimsonweed said as she continued to stand motionless.
Luna gave the young night pony mare a sour look. "I'm fully aware of what he's laughing about. His humor needs work."
Krik made a series of other gestures, and Luna smiled.
"Don't bring up your age to me. I have you beaten by over a millennia," she said.
Krik continued to gesture.
Luna laughed. "That's sweet. And you don't look a day over sixty either."
"And Dreamwardens are supposed to be honest," Jimsomweed muttered.
Krik made several gestures at the young mare, who rolled her eyes. It was ironic that the young mare was so demanding of others to be respectful of her adopted father but felt that she could make such rude comments and gestures without reprimand. She was freshly back from a research season, and Luna's fondness of the young mare that had grown while she was away was already slipping. She was fond of Jimsonweed and her spirit...she was even more fond of her when she was far away. The young mare had a talent for rubbing everyone the wrong way, except old Krik, whose warped sense of humor found his adopted daughter hilarious.
"Princess, do you need anything else? More tea?" a member of the restaurant wait staff asked as they stepped onto the balcony.
Jimsonweed glared at the waitress. "Did the princess signal you? Did she say, at any point, can someone send that pestiferous kowtow of a waitress up here to try to earn more brownie points by offering me more of that tea? I was standing right here, and I didn't hear anything like that."
The waitress looked ready to cry. Luna was much more fond of Jimsonweed when she was away.
She gave the waitress her most motherly smile. "Excuse my rude...friend. Your service has been excellent and pleasant. However, I do not require anything at this time. Thank you for checking."
The waitress gave her a weak smile, bowed, and then scuttled off. Luna fixed her harshest glare on Jimsonweed, but the young mare didn't seem to care. At least the mare had nerve. Few could stand so calmly when targets of an alicorn's ire.
"Young mare, how do you ever expect to get anywhere in this world or Earth when you treat people so contemptuously?" Luna demanded to know. "That poor mare didn't do anything wrong. She was doing her job, and she was doing it diligently. There was no call for that."
Jimsonweed shrugged. Luna wanted to scream at her. Krik made no gestures, and she wanted to scream at him for that. Instead, she took another calming sip of tea. Maybe she could get the waitress to bring her fruit. No, Tia had banned her from eating fruit at restaurants, and most of the restaurants knew it and knew why.
Celestia was done talking, but now Twilight was up at the podium. Luna could spot the thick stack of notecards from where she was sitting. She could safely tune out the ceremony for a while.
Luna looked back at her spymaster as she set her cup back down. "Krik, I have gotten inquiries from the US government asking why the Dreamwardens of Earth seem to be using their bodyguards to conduct covert vigilante justice. I was embarrassed to admit I had heard nothing of this until I was asked about it. No such report about it had crossed my desk. Would you mind telling me about what your siblings are up to?"
Krik made several stiff gestures with his wings, looking unhappy, then returned to his tea.
Luna nodded. "I understand your loyalty to them. It is commendable. In truth, as long as justice is being served, I am not as concerned about procedures and regulations as others might be. However, I still feel responsible for whatever the Dreamwardens of Earth do, good or ill, and when Earth's governments are unhappy with them, I take it as my failing."
Krik made more gestures with both his hooves and wings.
"I do realize that now half their number were not selected by me and that Ghadab has always had been concerned with justice over the rule of law, as one would expect from someone who was failed so badly by the rule of law," Luna replied. "That doesn't mean I don't still feel responsible for their actions and wish to know what in Tartarus they are up to."
"You could hop over there and ask them," Jimsonweed suggested with only a slight hint of snidishness.
Krik made several gestures at his daughter.
"What? You didn't tell me that," Jimsonweed said in shock.
Krik waved his wings around in a disorderly fashion.
"He says he just told you," Luna said with a smile.
"I know what he said!"Jimsonweed snapped.
Luna nodded, then sighed. "But he is right. I need to stay here to prepare for our latest batch of candidates to arrive. I had wanted to visit Earth to meet them all in their dreams there, but the fact they are all human makes that very difficult, and the Warden of Order prefers I don't interfere with human affairs and will run interference on any other Dreamwarden assisting me in contacting them. Perhaps I can send you as my agent to check on them. You aren't doing anything important for the next few months."
Jimsonweed practically snarled. "Trying to ship me off to get me out of your mane for a while?"
"Yes," Luna answered dryly. "Since this deals with the dream realm, I must send a night pony. You are also the best choice no matter what. I can't send Krik or Psychic Calm for obvious reasons, and most of the other night ponies in my employ get distressed at the thought of dealing with six Dreamwardens instead of just me. I would think my ponies collectively feel guilty about something."
"A thousand years of living in fear of the Dreamwarden will make most ponies scared of the concept. The night pony tribe barely gave a damn about you as Nightmare Moon. They were too busy being afraid of Luna the Dreamwarden, who came to kill bad ponies in their sleep," Jimsonweed said dryly.
That comment stung hard and deep. The worst part was it was true. The number of times she had slain night ponies during her thousand-year imprisonment was far exaggerated, but it did happen. Then there was always the Night Pony War before her imprisonment when she massacred thousands, nearly driving the tribe to extinction. The shame and pain of it would haunt her for the rest of her life, and she was glad most ponies only knew of her crimes as Nightmare Moon. Still, she refused to give the disagreeable young mare the satisfaction of seeing the pain she inflicted with the barb. Jimsonweed's tongue was a weapon not meant to protect or conquer but instead meant to inflict the most pain possible--the weapon of an angry and hurt pony who only wanted to lash out and hurt others. Luna didn't know what to do with the mare despite years of effort trying to fix her. If not for the mare's cunning mind and the fear of what she might become if cast out yet again, Luna would wash her hooves of her in defeat.
"I think a short vacation to Earth trip to Earth would be ideal for you," Luna reasserted. "Find out what the Dreamwardens are up to and, more importantly, why. The quicker you find out, the shorter your trip needs to be. I trust you to be able to find out. The fact you are Krik's daughter and my emissary should get you a live audience with the living Dreamwardens."
Jimsonweed held up her nose. "Why should I? I'm not your servant. What do I get out of it?"
Luna sighed. "Fine, I'll give a sizable donation to your next expedition to the Hallowed Shades."
The young mare smiled. "I can accept that. You'll also pay for the best hotels and travel accommodations for my trip to Earth."
Luna rolled her eyes. "Fine. You'll leave tomorrow. Perhaps you should go prepare."
Jimsonweed didn't need any more prompting, although she gave her father a brief look as if she were considering whether it was okay to leave his side. Krik was getting on in years. He could no longer fly more than a few body lengths at a time, and he had a myriad of other health issues. There were two ponies Jimsonweed cared about, Flurry Heart and Krik, and these days, she was often hesitant to leave his side when he wasn't resting at home. The young mare must have accepted that Luna would see that he got home safely, and she left the balcony.
Krik made a few gestures with his wings.
Luna sighed. "I am giving your daughter a chance, but she needs to be less combative to every creature she encounters. This is a simple mission. Let's see if she can complete it without causing an incident."
Krik stared at her, unmoving.
Luna sipped her tea, finishing it off, and set the empty cup down. "I'll consider bailing her out if she gets arrested on Earth."
Krik glared some more.
Luna rolled her eyes. "Okay. I shall bail her out."
She looked down and saw Twilight was still going strong with her speech. Tia was still smiling, but the smile seemed very forced. Sunset Blessing was now sleeping where she stood; much of the audience looked to be in a similar state. There were still a lot of notecards.
"Waitress? Can you please bring me more tea? This is going to be a long one," Luna said with exasperation.
Jordan walked into the rec room and abruptly stopped as she saw Tempest lounging on one of the couches while Crystal watched television. Blanche and an unfamiliar human she didn't know sat playing an arcade game.
"Tempest? Crystal? What are you two doing here? Is Phobia here?" Jordan asked.
"Phobia is back at home. We were ordered to go to Denver, and we decided to come here rather than pay for a hotel," Tempest explained.
"We're waiting on a call," Crystal said. "Nice place you have here. Do you have anything to snack on?"
Jordan blinked. "What?!"
Crystal turned and looked at her. "Snacks. You know, little bits of food to tide you over between meals. Did we smack you around too hard when we were training you?"
Jordan shook her head. "I know what snacks are."
Crystal smiled. "Good! Do you have any?"
"Yebat!" the man who had been playing the video game with Blanche screamed as he threw up his hands.
"Oh, don't cry just because you lost. Do you want to win? Get better," Blanche chided him.
The man grumbled in some foreign language and tapped a button on the machine to continue the game.
"And start talking in English," Crystal added her chide.
The man rapidly babbled something off at her-not in English.
Jordan pointed a hoof at the man. "And who is that guy?"
"That's Arturo. I don't know his last name. He's one of the Warden of Order's people," Tempest informed her. "Don't worry, he's on Sunset Blessing's approved list. The guard at the gate checked. I'm as surprised as you he was on the list. He never set foot in the United States until a week ago, yet somehow he gets on the approved list."
The man said something, and Blanche slapped him on the arm. "Don't lie! You are not an old friend of her family. The Dreamwardens asked the old mare to add all the Elite to the approved list. Her house is too good a place to stop when traveling through Denver not to have us listed here."
Jordan just gaped. "So the entire lot of you can just come in and crash any time you want without even informing me?"
Crystal held up a hoof. "To be fair, we didn't know you had officially taken up residence here yet. I didn't even know you were the new owner till right before we arrived. What's up with that, Jordan? I thought we were friends. Nobody tells me anything."
"We thought you would have heard or read about it already," Blanche said, eyes still glued to the game.
"I don't watch the news. If the news is that big a deal, people will be talking about it," Crystal replied.
"And she complains no one tells her anything," Blanche laughed. Arturo laughed along with her. Jordan couldn't laugh. She was still trying to figure out how she ended up with four freeloaders.
"Okay," Jordan said as she gathered herself. "First, I'm going to make sure the guards tell me when guests are arriving from now on."
"We told Andrea," Crystal replied.
"Well, Andrea didn't tell me, and it's not Andrea's house," Jordan half-snapped. "Where is Andrea anyway?"
She got a set of collective shrugs in answer.
Jordan groaned. "I'm the youngest one here. Why do I have to be the grown-up? Second, you aren't eating all my food. I just restocked it, and it was gifted to me. I'm sure all of you have money. Somebody can order delivery or go to a drive-through or something."
Tempest's phone started ringing, and she held up a finger to silence Jordan as she answered it. The other three Dreamwarden bodyguards turned their full attention to her.
"Phobia, you have further instructions for us?" Tempest asked whoever was on the line. She sat silent, listening and frowning to whatever Phobia was telling her.
"Jordan can hear what I'm saying. I'm unsure if she can hear you," Tempest said after some time. She went silent again to listen. Jordan wished she could hear what her eldest sister was saying.
"And where do we find this person?" Tempest asked after another minute. A few seconds passed, and Tempest chuckled. "Arturo isn't going to like you for that."
Arturo shrugged.
Another minute passed, and Tempest rolled her eyes. "Birds, really? Can't we hire a pegasus or have Josie do some scouting?" She was silent for a few more seconds, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "I think Josie could avoid being seen with her shadow-melding, but as you say then. I still think the Marshmallow is being overly paranoid. Where do we find the bird pony?"
Another few seconds passed. She then nodded. "I understand. I'll let the others know."
"Well?" Blanche asked.
Tempest put her phone away. "You know who still hasn't been appeased enough, so we must now go on a wild goose chase that will have us crisscrossing state and national borders."
Crystal groaned. "Urgh! I wanted to head home. Now we have to go doing crazy stuff off the record."
Blanche crossed her arms. "We figured it was coming. They're milking us for all it's worth. She knows she can get away with whatever demands she wants while the Dreamwardens try to appease her. At least this is a good deed that we'll be doing."
"Shouldn't have to be our job to do it. It should be the feds. I'm not some covert ops soldier. If they want someone tracked down, they could have sent Arturo alone. He's the tracker," Crystal muttered. Arturo shrugged as if he didn't care.
Blanche smiled. "Glad I'm not the only one unhappy about this."
"Tracked down and shut down," Tempest clarified. "Arturo couldn't do that on his own."
Jordan's ears perked up. "So you four are leaving?"
Tempest shook her head. "Not just yet. Phobia said you had information on our next lead. What can you tell us about a partial child named Mark."
Jordan blinked in shock. "Mark? I met him. He's just a poor little orphan that Jessie has been helping out with. Why do you need to find out about him?"
Tempest's eyes hardened. "This isn't something Dreamwardens typically get involved in, as it has nothing to do with dreams or mind magic, but the government's ineffectiveness in stopping it has angered the Marshmallow and Ghadab. Arbiter has also been advocating for the Dreamwardens to take a more active role. Another entity has been quite angered by what is happening that the Dreamwardens are trying to get to cooperate with them on other matters. The Marshmallow and Ghadab have already been using agents to try to track down the operation and put a stop to it. Urgency in negotiations have made the rest of the Dreamwardens get involved when they were previously committed to staying out of the business of worldly authorities."
Blanche sighed. "It would have been nice if they told us all this before today. They don't need to be so secretive to us."
"Told you what? Taking care of what?" Jordan asked. "What does this have to do with a kid?"
Tempest sneered. "Somebody is trafficking people and doing horrible things to them. It's primarily partials, but also humans and ponies. That child's origins could be the lead we need to shut the entire operation down."
Jordan gasped and held a hoof up to her mouth. "I'll call Jessie right away." |
Partial | Chapter 16: Songs, Dance, and Cardboard Boxes | Jessica sat, staring at the most recent box she had brought into her new apartment. She should be up and grabbing more, but she couldn't seem to muster the will.
Dusk brought in another box and set it down in a corner, then gave her a worried look. "Are you going to be okay?"
Robby and Nightscape came through the door, team lifting with their wings a box that Dusk or Jessica could have carried by themselves, not because it was too heavy, but because neither of them could properly grip it using their wings. It was also too big and bulky to carry ponyback.
"Give her time to process, bro," Robby instructed as he and his wife set the box down. "It was shocking news, and she cares a lot about that little kid."
"Maybe you should call Dad and talk to him about it," Dusk suggested.
"I'm sure either Jordan or one of those bodyguards is doing that now," Jessica said as she forced herself to stand up and get out of her funk.
"You know what it means when you assume," Dusk reminded her.
"Yeah, I know," Jessica replied. Would one of them call her Dad or social services? It made sense to her, but it wasn't always wise to count on sense when dealing with the Dreamwardens' aides.
She pulled her phone out and dialed her Dad's number. Her brothers and Nightscape decided to take a break so they could watch and listen. They probably needed it. Since the call from Jordan, the three of them had been doing the bulk of the work while she sat on her ass, even though she was physically the strongest and would have the easiest time lifting things.
"Hey, Jessie. I just clocked out and was going to head your way. Calling to check how Mark is?" her dad asked as he came on the speaker.
"Yes...no...yes," she fumbled. She took a deep breath. "How is he?"
"It took a little longer than I'd have liked to get him settled in. I still wouldn't say that he is, but he at least wasn't hiding by the time I left. Showing him his room seemed to help some. We brought over a lot of his old stuff, which should make things more familiar. It's a good home, and there's a pony there that's only a year older than him that I think he'll get along with once he starts trusting a little more. Wishing Well is very good-natured and social," her dad answered.
Jessica wasn't sure all his old stuff being there would make him feel better. If it were her in that position, she would have taken that as a reminder she wasn't returning to the home she knew. Then again, Mark wasn't her, so maybe her dad was right.
"Dad, did you or your office get a call from Jordan, one of the Dreamwardens, Tempest, Crystal, or anyone associated with them?" she asked.
"No...I sure didn't," her dad answered slowly. "The office would have contacted me for sure if they did. Why would we be getting a call from any of them?"
Jessica licked her lips. "Tempest and a few other Dreamwarden bodyguards showed up at Wabash Manor today. Jordan says they're trying to track down and break up a human trafficking ring. They were asking specifically about Mark."
"That's a big claim to make, although I'm sure they must have some evidence if they are saying it," her dad replied. "That also doesn't sound like a typical Dreamwarden or OMMR case."
"I got the impression that this is not official. They aren't supposed to be involved with this," Jessica said.
"That would be why they didn't contact me or the office. We'd have to report it to the federal authorities. They'd immediately start asking why they didn't contact the feds themselves and why they are dealing with this instead of letting the proper people take care of it. I'm guessing they have a reason they aren't. It's good that you called me after I got off work. Otherwise, I'd have to report it. I may still."
Jessica's ears sagged. "Please don't."
"I'm going to call Tempest and see what's going on. If she has any concrete leads and proof of a trafficking operation, I'm reporting it. If they don't have that, I'll keep my mouth shut. These people work for the Dreamwardens, and the Dreamwardens are famous for withholding information, even from their closest aides. Tempest could have nothing other than a vague instruction to look into it. I can believe it of Phobia to pull something like that."
"Me too," Robby said. "Phobia may monologue like a comic book villain, but she somehow still manages to be secretive to the extreme; even Rosetta doesn't know what Phobia is up to ninety percent of the time. The Marshmallow pulls that crap, too, maybe more, if the rumors are true. It's like being secretive is baked into their DNA."
"Let me go. I'm going to call Tempest and head your way," her dad instructed. "Love you; keep focused on getting moved in."
"Love you, Dad," she replied, then hung up.
As soon as she hung up, her phone started ringing again. She looked at who was calling and saw it was Phobia. She immediately answered.
"Phobia, what's up with this human trafficking thing?" she immediately said.
"Hello to you too, Jessie," Phobia answered dryly. "I'm not prepared to talk about that with you. I'm calling because I want to tell you that we are preparing our spacecraft to go to the place you found-which we can now verify you did indeed find the correct location. We could possibly mount an expedition as early as Saturday and be back by Sunday. We would, however, require someone to calculate its change in position from where we are seeing it with Starpiercer and where it currently is. However, it would take a mathematical genius to figure that out in such a short period of time."
She rubbed her head. "So you're pulling me off vacation to do that for you."
"I didn't say that or make any such request. We promised you that you could take as long as needed for your vacation. I am simply stating that it would be beneficial if some mathematical genius decided to calculate those coordinates for us so we could make this trip as soon as possible," Phobia answered.
She continued to rub her head. "I'll think about it. Are you sure you aren't willing to tell me anything about this human trafficking thing that involves Mark? Mark wasn't sold to his grandmother or on the verge of being sold, was he?"
"We have no reason to believe at this time that Mark was sold or that his grandmother had any nefarious intention with him. Does that soothe your fears?" Phobia asked.
"A little," Jessica conceded. "Did you have any other reason for calling other than pressuring me to end my vacation and help you out?"
"Help the world out, not merely us. Tick-tock, Jessie," Phobia replied. "I have done all I intended with this call. I hope you have a pleasant rest of your day with as little stress as possible." The Dreamwarden then hung up.
"Wow, that was subtle," Nightscape said sarcastically. "What's this about a spacecraft? Are the Dreamwardens going to Mars or something? Phobia getting in touch with her inner Luna and going to the moon?"
Jessica shook her head. "I can't talk about it, but it's the culmination of all the work I've done for the Dreamwardens."
Nightscape smiled. "Oh, well, that's exciting. You must be thrilled." Her smile softened. "Hey, I know I can be rude, but whatever happens with this kid, you can't do anything about it right now. I'm sure your dad has him in a safe place. Focus on getting this move done, go to your job tomorrow, then maybe you do whatever Miss Nightmares wants and be done with it. Then you can be a normal-ish twenty-something-year-old for once."
"Normal-ish?" Jessica asked fur prickling on her legs.
Nightscape laughed. "Don't get fired up. I mean, you are only nineteen but have a career as a college professor, you work with NASA, you control sound, and you wrote a law of physics. That's not really normal at all, but it's all good things."
Jessica relaxed. Those things were all true, but she still was on edge for being called not normal. There were all those things, and then there was what people saw when they looked at her, and it wasn't her accomplishments.
Once, last year, in a moment of weakness, she had gone to a surgeon and done a consultation about whether they could make her seem more human. She'd already changed her mind about it by the time she'd gotten home from them taking x-rays of her, knowing it wasn't what she wanted. A few days later, they gave her the results of her consultation. Removing her tail could cause irreparable damage to her spine and cause nerve damage. Trying to change her ears would likely leave them looking uncanny and might damage her hearing. Removing the fur from her legs permanently would be an exceptionally long process, and her skin underneath wouldn't be smooth or match the rest of her skin. Even if she wanted to change how she looked, there was no practical way of doing it. No one knew she did it, and no one would find out. She'd caved to the pressure, if only momentarily, and she was ashamed of it.
Her thoughts turned back to Mark and became more resolved. Mark wouldn't grow up ashamed. She would see to that, but she had to do things right. She'd get the right to foster him. She'd show she had everything together.
"You're right," she said, standing up. "I need to get these boxes all inside. Dusk, I'll need you to help me with the bed. I can.do most of the lifting, but you need to help me steady it."
"So...are you going to outer space?" Dusk asked.
She nearly stumbled into some of the boxes, knocking them over and scattering books and clothes all over the floor. "Why would you ask me that? Where did that come from?"
He shrugged. "Phobia said she had a spacecraft. You've always dreamed about going to space. You've been doing all this work for them. I figured they owe you a trip to space."
She looked at her younger brother. "Yeah, when they go, I'll go."
He looked at her with a frown. "Then this Mark kid must be very important to you. You are getting your dream, and you are moving into this place, and all you can think about is that kid."
Jessica sat down and started to clean up the mess she had made. "He does. I need to make sure my life is in order so I can help him get his life in order. Step one is making sure this place is in order. Let's get everything inside."
"Are you sure I can refuse them entry? They seem angry."
Rebecca smiled as she answered the voice on the other end of the line. Russell and Josie silently watched her from the kitchen table.
"Yes, they have no access to the farm if you don't let them in," she answered. "I'm not sure how it worked back in your old country, but the church does not have the power to force entry here."
"Perhaps we can let them in and explain."
Rebecca tilted her head. "You and I both know that wouldn't go over well. Deny them entry. If they keep asking, keep denying them. At some point, they'll give up because they have no choice. I don't want the police to get involved. We don't want them getting a good look at your farmhands or Patches."
"As you say. Thank you. I shall do so."
The line hung up, and Rebecca smiled at her husband and her bodyguard.
"Sorry, work keeps invading my time lately. It's almost like a job," she said as she climbed into her seat at the table.
Her husband raised an eyebrow at her. "So...why do you guys have a farm, and why is the Catholic church trying to gain entry?"
She started pouring ranch on her salad. "They want access because they think there are demons on the farm. We have a farm to have a place to keep our cute little necromancer."
They both stared at her in disbelief as she started chowing down on her salad. Why were they looking at her like that? They ate with her all the time. They knew her table manners weren't the greatest. She only used forks for formal dinners.
"Necromancer...as in resurrecting dead people?" Russell slowly asked her.
"More or less. It's complicated," she answered, chewing. "Eat, the salads are good."
"And are there demons on the property?" Josie asked.
Rebecca licked some of the ranch off her face. "Depends on how you define a demon, I suppose. How do you define a demon?"
"A malevolent supernatural force that wants only to do evil and harm," Josie answered.
Rebecca thought about it. "Hmmm, in that case, there's at least one, but don't worry, it's trapped in a squirrel."
Josie worked her mouth. "A demonic squirrel? Does it attack and maul everyone?"
"Oh no, that would be bad. Who wants to get mauled by a squirrel, much less a demonic one? That would certainly annoy and scare all the other zombies on the property, and nobody wants scared and annoyed zombies. They have feelings, too, you know. The squirrel is stuffed, so it can't do much of anything. They use it to help keep an eye on their living room. Honestly, I think it should be happy our little necromancer lets it out of his soul at all," Rebecca answered as she reached for the garlic bread.
"I don't even know how to respond to that," Josie said as she grabbed her fork with a wing and shoveled some salad onto it.
Russell gaped for a moment, then looked at Josie. "Hey, real talk here, did I marry a super-villain?"
Josie grinned. "Yes, I'm sure this is all part of her plot to force everyone in the world to drink whole milk instead of skim."
Rebecca looked up from her food. "Hey! That sounds heroic to me. Skim milk is evil!"
Russell looked at her. "Seriously, Bec, a necromancer? When is a necromancer not evil?"
She waved a wing at him. "He's not evil. He can't help that he has magic that reanimates dead bodies, along with doing other disturbing things, and we understand how easy it is for someone with those magics to go down the wrong path. This is why we have the farm. People just wouldn't understand he's an innocent kid. We want him to have a good and happy foalhood, so he doesn't become an evil monster. People aren't born evil, but getting treated like you are an evil monster by everyone you meet sure can force you down that path. He deserves better than that."
Russell smiled and cupped his hand over her hoof. "I'm sorry. I should never doubt your heart."
She smiled back at him. "Hey, I know it's tough being married to someone who lives a double life with that other life being largely a mystery." Her smile slipped. "Speaking of which, I'm going on a trip, probably at the end of the week, and it may be next week when I return."
Josie groaned. "Ugh, where are we going to this time? I just got back."
Rebecca shook her head. "I might end up sending you to meet up with Blanche and the others, but you aren't coming along for my trip. I'm going off-world."
"Equestria?" Russell asked in confusion. "I thought you'd only go to Equestria when you retire."
"Not to Equestria," she replied. "I said off-world, not off-universe."
"So...the moon? A space station?" Russel asked.
"I'm going to Jeg'galla'gamp'pi. At least one Dreamwarden needs to go, and I can traverse it the easiest while giving the others a view."
They stared at her again, waiting for a better explanation. She'd expected this once it came up. She leaned back and closed her eyes.
"I've thought long and hard about how I was going to tell you this," she said. "Here's what I came up with."
She started to sing.
"#A long, long, time ago
#In a galaxy far away
#Triss and I went way back."
"Is she seriously going to explain this with a parody of a parody of American Pie?" Josie asked in disbelief.
"#And my soulfriend's family's haul was looking kinda lack."
"Yep, she is," Russell answered.
"#We explored the ruins with due diligence.
#We found a room. Triss was thrilled with this.
#Inside was a stone that most impressed.
#Would feed Triss's family more than any season past.
#We offered the treasure to Merdae
#And we got an offer that made them say wowie.
#Triss missed the stone and tried to stash in brief.
#That's how we started our journey."
Josie covered her ears. "It's not even good!"
Rebecca stood up in her seat and started dancing.
"#My, my Jeg'galla'gamp'pi!
#It may have made me hate her, but that was days gone by.
#We told our mothers and our fathers goodbye.
#And said we'd be mages if we try.
#We'd be mages if we tried.
Josie gave her a flat look. "Rebecca, you are neither Don McLean nor Weird Al, and your song and dance aren't explaining anything to us. In fact, I think I'm more confused after that little bit than I was before. As your bodyguard, I insist you give us a clearer answer."
Rebecca plopped her butt back in her seat. "Spoiled sport, sometimes you just don't want to have fun. I thought the song was a cheerful way of telling about it."
"Maybe we can hear the whole song later, hun, but can we get a shorter, straight-to-the-point explanation for now?" Russell asked.
"I'll hold you to that. I have another six verses ready to go," Rebecca pouted.
"Sure thing," Russell agreed. "Now, what the heck is Jeg'galla'gamp'pi?"
Rebecca pulled some more bread over on her salad dressing-drenched plate and started using it to mop up the dressing.
"Jeg'galla'gamp'pi is a huge set of ruins that make up what seems to be a whole planet. It is all one big single stone. All the buildings, towers, bridges, stairs, floors, streets, everything on the world is all part of one single unbroken stone-super dense thaumic matter. It predates time as we know it, and we have no idea who originally made it. All thaumic energy in our universe passes in and out of it at some point. It is the heart of magic. It is completely indestructible, and even the birth and death of the universe couldn't put a scratch on a single one of those buildings."
Russell blinked. "And this is in a faraway galaxy, but it is somehow going to be a just over-the-weekend trip?"
Rebecca pointed at her husband while looking at Josie. "See! My sexy, spotty man understands."
Josie frowned. "So while Blanche and I continue to work on tracking down this trafficking operation, you'll be going across the galaxy to the origin of magic for reasons you don't want to explain why or how."
Rebecca grinned. "You got it!"
Luna looked up from her lunch as Krik entered the room. He glanced around at the fruit debris and scattered seeds that littered the floor and carefully approached her. She dug back into her pineapple.
He climbed into a seat beside her and waited.
She swallowed what was in her mouth and tossed aside the half-eaten pineapple.
"Krik, I just received a request from the Dreamwardens and the US government to come to Earth. It seems like Jeg'galla'gamp'pi has been found. By our prior agreements, I agreed to power their craft to reach this alien world."
The old night pony smiled.
She looked him in the eyes. "It seems strange to me that I did not get such a report from you. I know you have eyes in NASA. I would hope my spymaster would keep me more informed."
He made some vague gestures.
"Yes, maybe they failed to report anything, or perhaps you saw an opportunity for me to be saddled with your daughter for a trip to Earth, and you waited for me to commit her to that trip."
The tongueless pony did not reply. He didn't need to. They both knew what he had done.
She sighed. "Ready my preparations to leave. Let your daughter know I will be joining her."
Mark sat in the middle of the room and looked around. All his toys were here-his blocks, his cars, his puzzles, his stuffed animals, his action figures. On the walls were paintings of mountains that seemed pretty. The bed wasn't his bed, not the bed he knew. This was a different bed shaped like a car. He would need to jump to get on it. That wasn't the problem. The problem was it wasn't his bed. Jack and Jill said it was his bed.
Light came in through the window. It was too high up for him to climb up and look out. He didn't like that. There was a lamp with a clown on it. He wasn't sure if he liked that lamp or not. The carpet was fluffy and gray like the floor had fur. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.
His ears twitched at voices in the hall.
"When do I get to play with Mark?"
"He's nervous and scared, Wishing. Give it time and take it slow."
"But he isn't coming out of his room to take it slow."
"He'll be out for dinner. Let him learn that it is his safe space. Now, go play in the backyard or with your toys downstairs. Leave Mark alone for right now."
Those weren't the sounds he was supposed to hear. He was supposed to hear his grandma watching her shows or in the kitchen. He was supposed to hear the neighbors talking in the parking lot. Sometimes, he looked out the edge of the window to see them. They never saw him. He was a good boy who made sure strangers didn't see him. Now, all these people wanted him to be caught by strangers, but they also wanted him to be good. He didn't understand how to do both.
He scratched his head near his horn. He'd been wanting to do that all day but had stopped himself from doing it. Whenever Grandma saw him do that, she gave him a bath. He didn't want strangers bathing him, even if he promised. Grandma could give him a bath. Jessie, his maybe later mommy, could give him a bath. He'd make sure no one ever saw him scratching his head. If they never saw him scratch his head, they'd never give him a bath.
The bear Jessie had given him was here. Paul had almost forgotten it in the car. Mark cried when he almost left him here without it. Jessie had given him that bear. It was special. He wanted her here. She said she was coming, but she didn't say when.
Maybe Jack and Jill knew. He would have to ask if he wanted to find out. That meant talking to strangers. That meant going back out there. He could go out there. The door was closed, but there was a handle down low. Jack said it was a foal's handle so foals could open the door. It was still high, but he could reach it if he jumped. He was a good jumper. Grandma called him her little frog.
He shook his head. He didn't want to think about Grandma. She told him that when people get old, they eventually go to forever sleep. She had promised that someone would be there when she went forever sleep. She'd gone forever sleep, and he'd been alone for a long time. Then strangers came and grabbed him and scared him. They took him to that wrong place. They poked him with needles that hurt him. Then Jessie came. She was different. She had to be who Grandma promised. She'd make things right.
The loud pony wasn't in the hallway anymore. At least, he didn't think the pony was. It might be safe to go into the hall. Carefully creeping through the gray shaggy rug, Mark made his way to the door and put his ear up to it, listening. Music or something was nearby, but it wasn't in the hall. It was a different room. The hall sounded empty.
He jumped and grabbed the handle, pulling it down and holding onto it as his feet came back to the ground. It hurt to stretch like this with his back almost straight. His back was different from Grandma's or Jessie's. It wasn't supposed to go like that, but he didn't cry. He held onto the handle and pulled, and the door opened just enough for him to squeeze through.
He was in a small hallway with tour other doors. Three of them were closed, but one was open, and he went straight into the kitchen, where he could see Jill at the stove. He quietly walked towards her, trying not to make any sound.
Jill turned from the stove to do something else and jumped and cried out as she spotted him. He jumped too and immediately looked for somewhere to hide. There was a table with two chairs against one of the walls, and he ran and hid under one of the chairs.
"Mark?" Jill said, sounding like she was breathing hard. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. You just startled me, is all. I didn't realize you were there. You can come out. It's okay."
He moved along the wall and found another door to go in. This one had all the laundry and the washer and dryer. It wasn't a very big room, and it didn't have any more doors. Still, it had places to hide, and he jumped in the laundry basket and pulled some laundry over himself as he quickly burrowed deeper into it.
Jill's footsteps came into the room. "Mark? You don't have to hide. I'm not mad at you for scaring me, and I'm very sorry I scared you. How about we try this over again."
He heard her walk further in.
"Where are you?" she said in confusion. He heard her move around some more. "Not behind here." He listened to the dryer open and close a second later. "Not in there, thank God, not behind the boiler. Paul said he could hide well. Guess he wasn't exaggerating."
He heard her come closer to the basket. "He couldn't have, could he?" He felt her touch the basket, and it shook. He could tell she was picking laundry off the top.
"Not there either," Jill said, giving up before she dug deep enough in the laundry to find him. "Where the heck did he go? I know I saw him run in here. He must have gotten past me somehow when I came in here."
Her footsteps retreated from the room, and he could hear her in the kitchen again. A few seconds later, he listened to the kitchen cabinets opening. This went on for a while before it stopped.
"Jack! Caleb! Wishing! I need some help!" Jill called out. Sounds of opening doors happened right after.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked.
"I lost track of Mark. He came out of his room, but we startled each other, and now he's hiding. I think he's moving while I'm looking for him. I need help finding him. He might get hurt doing this."
"Little kid is worse than Wishing was when he got here," Caleb said.
"I wasn't bad," Wishing protested.
"You hid in your room and cried for like a week," Caleb said.
"That's in the past," Jack said. "Let's focus on Mark. If Mark wants to do that, that is okay, but hiding in the kitchen isn't. He might get into something that could hurt him."
"Just have Wishing sniff him out," Caleb said.
"Wishing isn't a dog, Caleb," Jill said.
"But I can!" Wishing yelled. "Mark smells funny, like going to the doctor. He's easy to smell if I get close. I can find him."
"See?" Caleb said. "I'm not being mean to Wishing. I just know he can smell things better than the rest of us."
"Maybe having a tiny foal searching for him might be less scary than three giant humans," Jack said. "Let's stand back, let Wishing try, and we can keep our eyes open."
"I'll find him!" Wishing yelled.
Mark heard the hoofsteps moving around. They didn't seem close. Not yet. His nose itched. The clothes in the hamper smelled funny.
"You don't have to sniff the ground like Scooby-Doo," Caleb said.
"That's how they do it in the cartoons!" Wishing said back.
"Just walk around and see if you can pick up a whiff of him," Caleb said.
The hoofsteps moved around some more, and Mark heard sniffing noises. They were getting closer and closer. They were in the laundry room now.
"He's in here. I can smell him," Wishing said.
"He was in there, but he got out," Jill said.
"No, he's in here. I couldn't smell where he was. I can only smell him," Wishing said. The hoofsteps got closer to the laundry. Mark held his breath. "I found him! He's in Caleb's dirty clothes!"
Footsteps came in. "I already checked that," Jill said.
Something hit the basket and knocked it over. Mark went tumbling out with all the clothes.
"See! He's right there!" Wishing shouted.
"Wishing! You didn't need to do that! That is going to scare him even more!" Jill yelled.
Mark didn't stay where he was for long. He started running, using his arms and his legs. He ran by Wishing. Ran under Jill's legs. Ran by Caleb and Jack, and ran into the living room. All the doors were closed. There was just the stairs. So he ran up the stairs.
It was dark upstairs, the ceiling was lower, and there was a lot of dust and boxes. There were a lot of places to hide.
"I saw him. He went up into the storage space," Caleb said from the bottom of the stairs.
"Crap...there's tons of places for him to hide up there and get hurt," Jack said.
"We'll never catch him up there," Jill said. She sounded like she was going to cry. Mark felt bad.
"What was the name of that person he wants to adopt him? Maybe she can get him to come out," Caleb said.
Mark's ears perked up. All he had to do was stay upstairs, and they would get Jessie. |
Partial | Chapter 17: Terror | Jessica knocked on the front door of the house. It only took a moment for someone to answer, and Jessica found herself facing a man about her height. The man blinked as he noticed her size and blinked again when he saw her ears.
"You're Jessie?" the man asked uncertainly.
She was tempted to tell him she could be addressed as Doctor Middleton after he had looked at her ears and seemed put off balance by her. She needed to have access to Mark, and that meant she needed to be on good terms with these people.
"You can call me Jessica or Jess," she said with a smile, holding out a hand.
He smiled and shook her hand. "I'm Jack. Please, come in."
She stepped inside and saw a foal, a boy, and another woman. Instinctively, she listened to the rest of the house. While there were a few other sets of heartbeats in the house, she could dismiss most of those as mice, not uncommon for older homes. There was one stronger heartbeat above her. This house was one story, but there was enough room for a storage area above, and the staircase in the corner of the room confirmed that.
"That lady's tall!" the colt exclaimed.
Usually, she wouldn't be happy about anything drawing attention to her height, but if that was what that colt found unusual about her, she'd gladly take it.
"Nice tail," the boy said.
She pulled her tail closer. "Hello," she greeted the household. "Is Mark okay?"
"He's hiding and scared, but he should be fine otherwise," the woman said. "He startled me, and then my reaction scared him, then we searched for him, and it ended up scaring him more. We know he's in the storage space, but the ceiling is low enough up there we can't even stand up straight, and there's too many hiding places. Plus, the floor can't hold that much weight in one spot. Jack fell through a few years ago when putting things away."
"We're very sorry we had to call you, but we were unsure what to do, and your father had told us you were the only person he trusts," Jack said as he shut the front door.
The boy looked at her. "Can she even go up there? She has to weigh close to the same as Jack."
Jessica was not liking this kid, but she kept smiling, even if it was forced.
"I don't need to. Mark can hear me, and he knows my voice," she replied. She then looked upward and projected her voice. "Mark? You need to come down here. It's safe. I will make sure nothing bad happens and that you don't get in trouble."
She heard Mark practically sprint towards the stairs. Everyone else had to hear him, too, and were looking upward. Mark's pace slowed as he came down the stairs.
Jessica decided to sit down on the floor. "It's okay, Mark. Come over here. We need to talk."
Mark leapt out of the shadows of the stairwell and ran straight to Jessica's lap. She gently rubbed his head.
"You've been waiting for me, haven't you?" she asked.
He flinched. "Yes."
She sighed as Mark's foster family watched, and she looked the family over in turn. The colt seemed to be just a happy little colt. Ponies tended to have less prejudice against partials, and the ones that had it learned it from somewhere. The boy was making her uneasy, but she could be oversensitive. Hard to say anything about the parents. They weren't showing her any hostility, and her dad wouldn't have left Mark here if they felt that way about partials.
"You can't do that," she said to Mark. "That's going to get you in trouble. I know you got scared, but these people aren't here to hurt you."
"Want you," Mark whined.
She gave him a gentle hug. "I know you do. I want to adopt you, too, but that will take time. You have to be good in the meantime."
"Now," Mark protested.
How was she going to deal with this? She hadn't even started the application process. She had no idea how long the process would take. In the meantime, he needed to be able to live comfortably and safely here with no fear. That wouldn't work if he was hiding. It wouldn't work if he refused to come out for anybody but her. It wasn't just her who had work to do to make this adoption possible; it was also Mark.
"Mark, you remember the story I told you about the race?" she asked him.
"Yes."
"That was about me, and do you know what happened when that race was over?"
"What?" he asked with interest.
"I made my first real friend. A friend who has been my best friend for longer than you've been alive," she answered. She pointed at the colt. "Back when I was little, about the same age and size as that colt over there... um... what's your name?"
"Wishing Well!" the colt said happily.
She nodded. "Back when I was around the same size as Wishing Well, my parents were worried about me. I didn't have any friends. I didn't think I needed any friends. All the other kids were so different from me. How could I be friends with them?"
She rubbed his head again and scratched gently at his ears. "But I was wrong. I did need friends. When all the scary stuff happened later, I wouldn't have survived without my friends, and they might not have survived without me. We needed each other. People do better when they have friends."
"You're my friend," Mark said.
"Yes, but I'm not enough. No single friend can be enough because no one, no matter how much they want to be, can be there to help you all the time. Do you think your grandma wanted you to be alone, scared, and hungry for so long?"
"No!" he replied passionately.
"That's right. She cared about you, but things came up where she couldn't be there for you, and because she was your only friend and the only one who knew about you, what happened?"
Mark whimpered a little. She rubbed his ears again.
"The more friends you have, the more chances there will be someone there to care for you when you need help," she told him. "I care about you. Your grandma cares about you, but something happened to your grandma, and you never know if something might happen to me. I have been in danger before. I could be in danger again."
"No!" he cried.
"I'm sorry, but it's true," she said gently. "Even if I'm not in danger, I'm not always going to be around. Your grandma left you alone regularly to go get food and other things, right?"
"Yeah."
"There was always a chance something could happen while she was gone; that's why she taught you to hide, but hiding isn't going to be good enough anymore." It should never have been the go-to solution to begin with, but she wasn't going to criticize his grandmother to him like that.
"Everybody knows you exist. You can't hide anymore," she continued. "You need to start making friends. You need lots of people who care about you. They do care about you already; that's why they called me to help you, but you must also care about them. Friendship goes both ways. You care about me and your grandma, right?"
"Yes."
"You want to be around me because you care about me, right?"
"Yes."
She looked at Wishing Well. Her dad said he had high hopes that the colt could befriend Mark. "Do you want to be around Mark?"
Wishing Well practically pranced in place. "That's all I've been saying!"
Mark cringed at his voice, and she thought she understood one problem.
"Mark, I know he's a little loud, but that's because he's happy you're here. There's good and bad loud," she explained. "Wishing Well is good loud."
"Good loud?" Mark asked as if it were a foreign concept to him. Maybe it was.
"Yes, he's being very loud about how he wants to be your friend," she confirmed. "Someone who wants to be your friend is a good place to start with making friends. Not everyone who says they want to be your friend is telling the truth, but I believe Wishing Well, and I believe your for-now parents. Maybe that boy, too. You should try being a friend back."
"How?" Mark asked.
She nuzzled him briefly before answering. "You can talk to them. Play with them. Learn about them. Let them learn about you. Don't hide from them-unless you're playing hide-and-seek. Tell each other jokes."
"Jokes?"
She blinked. "Yes, jokes. You do know what jokes are, right?"
"No."
"Oh boy..." she said, letting off a long breath. "We've got some work to do."
How did he get to four years old and not know what a joke was? If his grandmother weren't in a coma, Jessica would strangle her. She knew the old woman cared about him, but many things were neglected. It was ironic. When she was Mark's age, her parents were deeply concerned that she wasn't socializing enough. Now, here she was, worried deeply about Mark's social development.
"I'm not the best with humor, so someone else will have to help you with that," she said. "That's one of the good things about friends. Different friends are better at different things."
"Okay."
"Now, can you try making friends with Wishing Well?" she asked.
"Okay."
She looked at him. "That requires you to get out of my lap and introduce yourself to him. Say, I'm Mark. What's your name?"
Mark slowly made his way out of her lap and, even then, stayed close to her after that. He did face Wishing Well, even if his face was down.
"I'm Mark. What's your name?" Mark asked quietly.
Wishing Well practically jumped in place. "Hi, Mark! I'm Wishing Well! But you can call me Wishing!"
Mark just silently sat there. This was going to take a lot of work.
She looked in the corner and saw the blocks sitting there. They didn't look like what the human boy would be playing with, so they must have been Wishing Well's.
"I see some blocks in the corner. How about you ask if the two of you can play with the blocks together," she suggested. "Friends do things together."
Mark looked at the blocks, then looked at Wishing Well. "Can we play with the blocks?"
Wishing Well hurried over to the corner and gestured for Mark to follow. "Yeah! We can play with blocks! You can help me make a castle!"
"Go on. You're doing good," Jessica said.
Mark practically crawled over to the corner with the blocks. He sat for a moment, and Wishing Well started stacking blocks. Mark looked at her again and then looked at the blocks before tentatively lifting a block and examining it. He continued to do this, block by block, before he finally started building anything.
The woman came over to her while she watched. "Thank you. I guess he just needed a little extra encouragement. Wishing is a loving little colt who I know can make friends with anyone if given the opportunity. He's got that now."
Jack walked over to her as well. The human boy sat where he was and pulled out his phone. He was older than the other two, so he might not be interested in the same things.
"You seem to have a strong bond with him," Jack said. "Your dad said that Mark wants you to adopt him, and from what I heard, it sounds like you do too. Don't worry. We won't try to get in the way of that. These three aren't our first three that have come through here. We want every kid to end up with the right home, and we know we are just a pit stop on that. We've actually been thinking about taking the next step with Wishing Well. It's the first time we've seriously discussed it about one of our fosters. He's a good colt-a little overly excitable, but he's also only five, so that's to be expected."
"Most the kids who come through here have relatives that they're just waiting to get their lives together, like Caleb over there. They just need a safe and stable home environment while waiting for that. Mark and Wishing are the first two actual orphans that have arrived," Jill explained.
"We've even had a few older kids who only needed adult supervision until they were old enough to get their own places," Jack said. "Everyone has their own circumstances, but I think Mark is the most unique kid that has come in here." He scratched his head. "Sorry if I gave you a funny look when you showed up. Mark was the first partial we'd seen since back during ETS. Your dad hadn't mentioned that, so we were caught off guard. We just tried matching your name to your dad's address to find your phone number. We weren't sure we'd find you without calling your dad."
She'd gotten a little prickly when he started talking about her being partial, but she made herself relax. He didn't seem to be hostile or prejudiced against partials. She needed to be on good terms with these two, and she couldn't assume the worst of everyone.
"You didn't look up anything but my phone number?" she asked. "Searching for me on the internet should pull up a lot of entries. I'm fairly famous. Doctor Jessica Middleton."
"Really?" Jill asked. "We had no idea."
"Found her!" Caleb said, holding up his hand. "She's like a hero or something and a famous scientist. There's a movie and a bunch of documentaries about her."
"Documentaries? Really?" she asked. She had no clue there were documentaries about her.
Caleb nodded. "Lots of them. Um, there's also a bunch of stuff I can't see. It says it is mature content."
She blushed. When anyone or anything got famous enough, people inevitably made certain types of content about it. Jordan had introduced her to the wide-wide world of Star Trek porn and told her about other fandoms. Jordan didn't even watch Star Trek; she only read the raunchy fanfiction.
"I don't want to know what's marked for mature," Jessica said. "Anyway, I have an uphill battle adopting Mark. I won't be twenty-one for another year and a half. My dad says that requirement can be waived, but I've got some work to do in order to accomplish it. I'm worried they'll block me till I'm twenty-one."
"Mark will be here waiting if that happens," Jack assured her. "The longest we've had to foster a kid is five years, but we kept them safe and gave them a good home the whole time they were here. If Mark needs to wait a year and a half, we'll do the same, and you are always welcome to visit him."
"Just call first," Jill said. "It isn't good for the kids if random people keep showing up at the house out of the blue all the time."
Jessica watched Mark. He was now watching Wishing Well's construction and trying to imitate it. It was still Wishing who was doing all the talking, aside from some one-word responses from Mark. At least he was giving the colt some verbal response, and he did seem to be legitimately engrossed in playing with the blocks.
"I'll do that," she answered them.
She stood up, still looking at Mark, who immediately noticed she had stood.
"I need to head home, Mark. I have work to do," she informed him.
"Stay!" Mark protested, abandoning the blocks to run over to her. He grabbed onto her leg.
She looked down but didn't bend down. "I have to leave, but I'll return in a few days. This is your time to start making friends. I want to hear about all the games you played and the things you did. You need to tell me all about Wishing Well when I get back, and not just that he is a loud pony who likes blocks. Can you do that for me?"
"Okay," Mark reluctantly said, releasing her.
She bent down and hugged him after that, careful not to squeeze too hard. "And if you feel like you have to hide because you're scared, hide in your room. You could get hurt in some of the other places, like upstairs."
"Okay."
She was going to get him speaking regularly in sentences. She knew he could speak in sentences; he'd done it. That was a problem for another day. Maybe playing with Wishing Well would help with that.
"Thank you again," Jill said as Jessica stood back up.
"Yes, thank you," Jack said.
"Anytime," she said with a smile.
"Thanks for letting me take care of that, Dad," Jessica said as she put some more of her shorts into a drawer.
Her dad was busy setting up her computer system on her desk. "They called you, not me. I didn't officially know about anything that was going on. I'm sure they'll tell me all about it tomorrow."
She frowned. "Should they have called you? Are they breaking some rule?"
"It's kind of a gray area," he replied. "If they have a problem with a child that they can't handle, they're supposed to call social services, but technically, they handled it by calling you. It can be argued either way. We would judge it by the severity of the problem. If all is well now, and there weren't any medical issues, we won't fuss about it."
"Oh," she replied, unsure what else to say but wanting to acknowledge she was listening. "Dad...if for some reason I get denied because of my age, what are the chances Mark would be adopted by someone else in the next year and a half."
He sat down in her swivel chair. "You want the honest answer? If you don't adopt him, I doubt anyone will."
She spun to look at her dad. "Why?! Is it because he's a partial?"
He hung his head. "Yes and no. I know it's unfair, but he could be seen as having a severe disability. We don't know if he has any additional health issues we need to be concerned with due to his unique physiology. The fact he's a partial is just extra baggage and maintenance, and kids with too much baggage and maintenance involved in caring for them often never get adopted. It's younger, healthy, kids without a lot of trauma in their pasts that typically end up getting adopted. Lots of prospective parents say they are eager to adopt, but once they start hearing about needing doctors or psychologists or any number of things that come with these kids, they tend to shy away. They want to adopt, but they don't want to take responsibility to care for all the difficulties these kids bring with them."
"So the ideal kids for getting adopted are the ones like Wishing Well?" Jessica asked.
Her dad nodded. "Wishing still needs some therapy, which he is getting. Both his parents died suddenly, and that's traumatic, but he's healthy and young, and young kids bounce back from things like that better than older ones. If you have a disability or are getting into the double digits of age, your chances of getting adopted are slim."
She never knew that. Her dad had been a social worker for years, but she never asked him much about his job. The fact that these kids could lose everything and then have no one want them broke her heart.
"So, should I be prepared for lots of doctors and psychologists with Mark?"Jessica asked.
"In terms of health, be ready for anything. The fact he is so small for his age is concerning. There's a possibility he may never get that big, and that could lead to having to do major renovations to anywhere you live. This apartment won't cut it if that's the case," her dad answered. "As for psychologists, I think it's fairly obvious he has some severe social development issues, worse than what you went through. I know you want to adopt him, but you must understand what you are getting into with him. A parent having to give up a kid they adopted or having a troubled home because they aren't able to adapt to the kid's needs is as bad as them not getting adopted at all. Think about what it does to a kid who has to go through being put in the system more than once."
She slammed her short drawer closed. "So, I'm moving into my own place, and it might work against me adopting Mark. Fudge!"
"Maybe you and Mark need to spend the next year or two getting yourselves together," her dad suggested. "Are you prepared to sit through all the counselor visits while starting a new career? Are you prepared to let go of your freedom to do what you want before you even have a chance to figure out what that is? And before you misunderstand me, I'm not saying don't try to adopt him. I'm saying don't rush things. Mark needs to make friends. He's in a place he can. You need to figure out who you are when you aren't spending most of your free time figuring things out for the Dreamwardens."
"I know who I am," she said.
Her dad stood up. "Really? You had your childhood taken from you. You never let yourself be a teenager. Now, you don't want to allow yourself the chance to be a young adult off on her own for the first time. We are proud of all your achievements, but sometimes you let them be all that defines you. The only other thing that you let define you than your genius is how people make you feel about being not as human as them in their eyes. There needs to be more to you, and you need time to find that. Mark needs you to find that because chances are he isn't anywhere near as smart as you, and he will see how you react to the world and internalize that, and your reaction to the world is to only show pride in your smarts, something he'll never be able to match. He needs to see more than those things."
She gripped her dresser tightly and kept her eyes locked on her hands.
"Thank you for helping me with my apartment, but I think you need to go home for the day before I say something I regret," she said in a low voice.
He let out a long breath and stiffly nodded twice. "Alright. I'll give you space. I only say these things because I want what is best for both of you."
"Go," she repeated.
He sighed and walked out of the room. "Dusk, come along. We're headed home."
"It's okay, bro. Go ahead and go," she heard Robby say.
She listened as her dad and Dusk left. She had hoped Robby and Nightscape would have left with the other two, but she should have expected Robby to stay.
Robby walked into the room. "You know, you really should get a bigger bed. A single is too small."
She wiped her nose with her forearm. "I don't need a bigger bed. I curl up when I sleep, so my feet never hang off."
"Yes, but it is also too small for you to share, should the need arise," he said.
She turned and looked at him. "Are you going to start, too? That's something Mom would say, or apparently Dad."
"Or Yinyu," Robby helpfully added, sitting down. "I'm not pushing you to do anything like Mom tries to push you, and I think you are being too harsh to Dad. However, I did want to point out that you saying you don't need a bigger bed seems like a concession that you won't ever need one. Most people going to live on their own make sure they have a bed that can fit two, even if they don't have any immediate plans for it."
She crossed her arms. "And if I am conceeding?"
"Well, for starters, I think giving up is kinda cowardly. Surprising for the filly that led her friends to safety when the people who were supposed to protect them had fallen, and who also decided to go skydiving off a skytree to save her best friend."
She glared at her brother. "Shaming me isn't going to make me consider it any more."
He nodded. "Yes, you're too stubborn for that, plowhorse. You're also too stubborn to admit that Dad might be right or too afraid to admit it."
"Me getting laid doesn't help me adopt Mark. I know what I want, and adopting Mark is what I want," she practically growled.
"No, it's not," Robby countered.
"You are treading on dangerous grounds, bro," she warned.
He smiled at her. "You aren't going to send me away like Dad."
"Why won't I?"
"Because then you lose out on your chance to prove me wrong, and proving you're right is part of your stubborn streak."
"And you're going to prove me wrong?" she asked.
"I'll present enough evidence to make you question the viability of your hypothesis. After that, I'll let you prove yourself wrong," he said, grinning.
She grimaced. "Fine, what's your evidence?"
He gestured with a wing towards the living room. "Let's take a walk and see your new neighborhood."
She raised an eyebrow. "It's past noon, it is close to ninety degrees outside, and it's too bright for you to see."
"Oh, dear, my sister can't handle ninety-degree weather for thirty minutes, and nobody invented sunglasses!" Robby exclaimed in mock shock.
She rolled her eyes. "Fine. You don't have to be an ass about it. No more than thirty minutes. I don't like being out in hot weather."
She didn't like being out in general, but she could endure it if she could put this matter to rest by refuting whatever evidence her brother came up with.
She followed him to the living room, where Robby fished a pair of sunglasses from his wife's saddlebag. Nightscape complained that he shouldn't be going out late and urged him to make it quick so they could get back to the house to tuck their foals in, who were currently being watched by their grandmother. He assured her it wouldn't be long and staying up late one day wouldn't hurt the foals. Then she and Robby went out the front door.
"So, what's your evidence?" she asked after they were outside.
"Patience, Jessie. You are always in so much of a rush. Enjoy the remainder of Summer while it lasts. It's a nice day. You were an earth pony when you were a filly. You should be out enjoying nature. I want to see the park. Let's go there."
She looked around. This apartment complex was practically an extension of the dorms. There were lots of people in their younger twenties about. There was a young woman at the mailboxes, picking up her mail. There was a group of guys hanging out just outside an apartment a short distance away, laughing with beers in hand. Another guy was getting out of his car, wearing a uniform for Starbucks, who must have been coming home from a shift. A pair of pegasi mares sat on a nearby building, chatting loudly. There were more that she could hear but not see. There were so many people, and if she could see them, they could see her.
"Just because I was an earth pony doesn't mean I'm in tune with nature," she grumbled, rubbing her arms.
"Jessie-"
"I didn't say I wouldn't go with you. Let's get this over with," she snapped.
Robby started walking. "Come along then and watch those big feet of yours. I don't want to get stepped on because you aren't paying attention to where you're going."
That made her grip her hands into fists. "Since when have I ever stepped on you?"
"When was the last time we went on a walk together?"
She honestly couldn't remember. Had they ever gone on a walk together? Maybe when she was a filly, but she had no recollection of it. When was the last time she went out and took a walk with anyone?
She didn't answer and instead came up beside him, trying to match his pace. That was difficult since she had longer legs, and it was easy to outrun him at an average walking speed. She wanted to move faster. The faster she moved, the faster she could escape their eyes.
"You're rubbing your arms a lot. Are you somehow cold?" Robby asked, sounding unconcerned. "Are you sick and have a fever?"
She forced her arms down to her sides. "No, I'm fine."
"Hmm," Robby hummed knowingly. She wished she could see his eyes.
A guy was standing outside his apartment watching them. She unconsciously quickened her pace.
"Jessie, no need to hurry," Robby said.
"There's people out here," she whispered, slowing down.
"Yes, the world is full of people, and they don't all hide away inside all the time," he chirped.
"They're looking at me," she whispered.
"And you're behaving like something's wrong. So they must be wondering what," Robby stated.
No, they were looking at the freak girl who had a tail and ponyears, and her brother knew it. Why was he doing this to her?
Thankfully, the park was just across the street from the apartment complex, so it wasn't a long walk to get there. The park encompassed a rectangular city block. There were no woods to it, though there were some larger bushes and well-trimmed trees. The first part of the park had a small playground that had several younger kids, both ponies and humans, playing as their parents watched them. As they walked by the playground, she put Robby between her and the playground as if his pony body could somehow shield her from view, silly as that was. She listened to the kids' laughter, and her ears flattened.
"Something wrong with your ears?" Robby asked.
She tried to force them back up, but that was harder than putting her arms at her sides.
"They're fine," she muttered.
"Just checking," Robby replied.
They passed the playground. Some girls were sitting on a blanket, textbooks out. One was paying more attention to her phone than whatever she was supposed to be studying. As they passed them, she heard laughter, and her ears flattened again. She wanted to look back at them to see if they were looking at her. She could have reached her powers out to hear what they were saying, but she blocked the sound out.
"Maybe you have ear mites," Robby said. "Lots of ponies have that problem. There's over-the-counter medicines for it."
She balled her hands into fists again. "I don't have mites, and you know it. Don't make fun of me like that."
A jogger went by them, and she shuffled over, brushing up against her brother.
"What did I tell you about stepping on me?" Robby protested as he stepped away.
She stepped back. "Aren't we supposed to be talking, and you present me with evidence?"
Robby stopped. "You've been saying quite a lot, even if it isn't with words, and I've been listening to you. Have you been paying attention to what you're saying?"
"What the heck are you talking about?!" she snapped. "The only things I've been saying is telling you that I don't have a fever, I don't have mites, and nothing is wrong with me."
"That's not what I'm hearing," Robby replied, sounding sad. "I'm hearing you are scared of your neighbors, that you are afraid of some girls studying in the park, that you are afraid of someone picking up their mail, that you are afraid of children playing. I see it, your neighbors see it, and if you adopt Mark, he'll see it. You might tell him he doesn't have to be afraid, but if your actions say you are afraid, that's what he will listen to. That is what he's going to learn to be."
She looked around. How many of these people were looking at her and trying to hide it? What were they thinking?
"Can we head back to the apartment now?" she asked, trying to keep the fret from her voice.
"Yeah, I think I made my point. I'm sorry for putting you through it, but I wasn't going to make you realize the truth with words."
She closed her eyes. "To the apartment, now."
"Okay, Jessie." |
Partial | Chapter 18: Making Friends | Jordan groggily walked into the kitchen and found Andrea getting a box of Fruit Loops from a lower cabinet.
"I didn't see that cereal the other day," Jordan said as she went to the refrigerator.
The old crystal pony put the cereal box on the floor and dug into another cabinet. "I keep it hidden. Líng used to steal it all the time. The twerp never respected food belonging to other people. So, I needed to start hiding it. Can you put your horn to use and put this and the milk on the dining room table?"
Jordan levitated the milk out of the refrigerator and grabbed the cereal box with her magic, then watched as she moved both to the dining room and onto the table.
"Líng isn't here anymore. You don't need to hide your food," Jordan said.
"I'm an old creature of habit," Andrea replied. She pulled a bowl out and set it on the floor. "Can you put this on the table too?"
Jordan rolled her eyes and did so.
"That milk is whole milk, right?" Andrea asked.
"I have a friend who would throw a fit if she found out I had any other type of milk, so yes," Jordan answered.
"Good, I don't want any floating blobs showing up to terrorize me during breakfast," Andrea replied.
Jordan blinked. "The Marshmallow shows up here to harp on you about milk?"
Andrea headed to the dining room. "Yeah, the creep only did it twice, years apart, but after the second time, I decided to swear off skim milk. Sunset had some ongoing business with the Dreamwardens; the Marshmallow was here for her, but it noticed me having breakfast during its visits. I think it preaches harder against the evils of skim milk than Sunset ever preaches about anything."
"Oh? Is the Marshmallow nuts about that, too?" Jordan asked quickly. "My friend must have had a run-in with the Dreamwarden at some point."
"Drop that act filly. You aren't very good at lying. I know you know the real identity of the Marshmallow. You are part of my eldest niece's inner circle. She'd have let you in on the identity of her junior colleague," Andrea said as she climbed into her chair. "I'm not so privileged, nor do I want to be, but I advise you never to give details about your friend or their habits."
Jordan sighed. "You sound like Tempest. Always so on guard."
Andrea started strapping on her spoon. "Speaking of whom-she's out in the yard. She told me to tell you when I saw you to get out there so she can see what state your self-defense technique is in."
Jordan stomped. "What the heck! This is my house! Why does she think she can come unannounced to freeload, then say she needs to judge my technique?!"
Andrea chuckled. "Love that fire! Let's see if you can keep it up face-to-face with her. She doesn't strike me as someone who'd be impressed with your spirit. That one's a no-nonsense hardass. I like her."
Jordan scowled and marched out of the kitchen to the dining room, from the dining room to the foyer, then out the front door.
Outside, she found Crystal's big van that looked like it was part tank plugged into the base of the fountain. She hadn't realized the fountain had charging ports at the bottom until now. The van rarely ever had to be charged this way since this was one of those newer models that had non-reflective solar panels on top. They were supposed to go without charging like this unless their battery had been pushed to near empty. She imagined driving across the country at high speeds could do that. How much power did that monster-size vehicle use? It seemed like it would guzzle a lot of electricity.
"Ouch!" she yelled as something struck her head right near the base of her horn.
"Horrible, just horrible. You should have been able to see that coming."
Jordan rubbed her head and then looked around. She spotted Tempest a short distance away with what looked like a handful of pebbles. Crystal and Blanche were sitting in the grass a little further off, watching. She had no idea where that other guy, Arturo, was.
Tempest tossed another pebble at her, more forcefully this time, but Jordan caught it in midair with her magic and sent it shooting back at Tempest. The woman whipped her free hand forward and grabbed it before it struck her.
"Better, but you should have sent that back at me faster. I shouldn't have been able to catch it like that," Tempest said with a shake of her head.
She narrowed her eyes at the dark-skinned woman. "I'm not doing this. This is my house, and I'm not a little filly getting self-defense lessons."
Tempest wound up a throw and released. Jordan immediately made a shield, but the protection failed almost immediately while Crystal lit up with a soft glow. The stone connected with Jordan's flank, stinging harshly.
"What the hell! Two on one??" Jordan demanded.
Tempest did another throw. Jordan started putting up a shield while stepping to the side. As soon as the shield failed, she did another spell, grabbing a massive amount of dirt under the ground beneath Crystal and teleporting it about five feet above the crystal pony's head. The dirt rained heavily down on Crystal as Jordan barely dodged the stone. A second later, the ground beneath Crystal's hooves collapsed in on itself to fill the void left behind, and the crystal pony cried out in shock as she fell into a mini-sinkhole.
"I have to admit, that was a clever way of having a unicorn stifle a crystal pony," Blanche said as she stood up to help Crystal out.
"Yes," Tempest agreed, dropping her remaining stones. "She actually went on the offensive for once. Jordan has a bad habit of staying on defense. Staying on defense can hold out for a while, but it is ultimately just delaying defeat, not preventing it. That's good enough for today. Crystal, are you injured?"
Crystal finished climbing out of the hole with Blanche's aid and spit out some dirt. "Just my pride. I was getting ready to dodge because I expected her to throw something at me instead, and I didn't see that trick coming. First time that filly has gotten the better of me."
"She'd have still lost in an actual fight. She was wide open to Tempest attacking her after pulling that stunt," Blanche said. "But two experienced fighters versus one isn't a fair fight."
"Fair fights are for dojos and boxing rings, not actual combat. In combat, you should do all you can to make it unfairly to your advantage," Tempest said.
"There aren't going to be any more of these sessions," Jordan said with a stomp. "I did my time training with you for years. It was miserable, and I was so tired of getting kicked around by you, Arachne, Charlotte, Moon, Jackie, Robby, or whatever random night pony you threw at me during those sessions. I can defend myself better than most unicorns who have been in the military. I've trained enough!"
She looked down and cried. "I'm tired of losing. I'm tired of being the wimpy nerd. I went out of my way to try to reinvent myself as sexy at the start of the school year. That didn't work out how I wanted, but then I inherited this place. That should have been me winning. Yet here I am, getting kicked around again and being told I'm not good enough!"
Blanche and Crystal looked at one another as Tempest watched Jordan silently. Then Crystal turned to go. Blanche followed behind her.
Tempest walked over to her and sat down. "I'm not very good at comforting others-"
"No shit," Jordan practically spat.
Tempest only paused for a second before continuing. "I know how it feels to think you aren't good enough. As a foal, I ran away from home after my horn was broken. I was angry, and I thought no one cared about me anymore because I was a broken freak. I didn't feel good enough for anyone anymore."
"So now you go out of your way to make others not feel good enough?" Jordan asked with a sneer.
Tempest sighed. "No, that wasn't what I was getting at. I won't give you my long, sordid tale of how I came to be in Princess Luna's employment. For a while, I felt good enough. This powerful pony found value in me. She didn't care that my horn was broken and I had no cutie mark. Then something happened. I screwed up, and Princess Luna decided that the best course of action was assigning me to guard this broken night pony who had been recently raped."
"My sister, Phobia," Jordan muttered. "So she wasn't good enough for you either."
"No! I love her!" Tempest snapped.
Jordan looked up at Tempest, who was trying to contain tears.
Tempest looked down. "I love her and her family, even if I am always apart. I need to make sure she's safe. I need to make sure the family stays safe. I'm not good enough to guard all of you all the time-nobody is!" She lowered her head even more, and tears fell from her face. "I need to make sure you all stay safe, and I can't do it. That's why I push you so hard. None of us are good enough. We are all broken, flawed people that fall short of what we need to be. We can only be the best we can, and I push to make you that. No, you aren't good enough to stay safe; you never will be, but never think you aren't good enough as a person. You are good enough, and that's all we can aspire to be."
Jordan looked at the crying woman, unsure what to say or do--then looked downward again.
"No more training sessions," Jordan whispered. "You've done your best, but now I need to stand on my own four hooves. All of us who you did your best to prepare need to be able to stand on our own. You can guard Phobia. She doesn't know how to fight if someone comes after her. She'd probably be too scared to do anything and freeze up."
Tempest wiped her nose. "She's more formidable than you think, but you may be right. Fine, no more training sessions."
Jordan put her hoof on Tempest's hand, and they sat there, waiting for their tears to dry.
"Hello, Paul. Good to see you," Jack greeted him as he entered the house.
"Morning, Jack," Paul greeted. "All's well?"
Jack nodded. "Mostly. Mark's in his room, upset. The Wishing and Caleb took off a day from school yesterday to be here when he arrived, but they needed to go back to school today. Mark didn't understand that Wishing was only going away for a few hours and would be back this afternoon."
"So the two are bonding?" Paul asked, pleased with that part of the news.
Jack held his hand out and tipped it side-to-side. "They're making progress. Mark was spending time with Wishing but still not talking much. Mark wants to make friends with Wishing, but it seems to primarily be to please your daughter. When Wishing went off to school, Mark thought he was going to fail at making friends and disappoint her."
Paul let out a long breath. "Well, baby steps. We knew Mark was going to be a difficult case. He didn't try hiding again, did he?"
"Just in his room. Jill and I have a house policy that rooms are safe spaces we won't invade unless an emergency warrants it. Kids need their safe space."
"That's fine," Paul assured him. "So, how are the other two boys taking to their new foster brother? Are they doing well? Any concerns about them in general?"
Jack sat down on the floor beside the table. Paul joined him.
"Wishing is very happy to have a new playmate, though he is growing concerned that Mark doesn't say much to him. His feelings may get hurt if Mark doesn't start talking to him more. Besides that, his first year of school seems to have started well. He still seems eager to get on the morning bus to school. We haven't had any parent-teacher conferences other than the one during the open house. There's a regular one scheduled; Jill has the date written down somewhere."
"And Caleb?" Paul asked.
Jack shrugged. "Hard to say with him. I think he's been in the system long enough that he doesn't get too attached to foster brothers and sisters. He seems to be warming up to Wishing, but he also knows Jill and I have been discussing adopting Wishing. Perhaps that makes him think Wishing will stick around longer. He seems largely indifferent about Mark. He's not hostile to him or overly friendly. I think he assumes Mark won't be here long. We haven't heard anything bad from any teachers yet, and he's been doing his homework. He kept up a few friendships over the summer, and we'll see how those go with the new school year. I think he is settling into the idea that he might be in foster care for a long time yet. He doesn't want to talk about his actual parents anymore-and gets angry if pressed to talk about them. He's past the stage of thinking he's guilty of something if he's here. Now he's blaming his parents for being screwups."
"Teens will do that, and he's getting closer to that age, even if he's right in this case," Paul said. "His mother just got her one month pin from Alcoholics Anonymous. She was very proud of that. She's looking forward to telling him about it during her next visit."
"And his dad?" Jack asked.
Paul sighed. "That's part of why I needed to visit today. Reggie got arrested last night. He was caught in a Walmart parking lot with three televisions he didn't pay for, along with a large box packed with bottles of Advil and Tylenol that he also didn't pay for. Has nothing to do with Caleb's mother, Reggie and Midge are still separated. They're only seeing each other during their visits with Caleb."
Jack fluttered his lips. "I want to say I'm surprised, but it's par for the course. Caleb is going to take this hard. We'll help him through this. You don't have to break the news to him. I'll sit him down and talk about it."
Paul nodded. "That's fine. If Caleb needs any additional sessions with a counselor, just let me know. I'll see he gets the support he needs. Mind if I try to speak with Mark?"
Jack nodded. "Go ahead, just remember, Mark has to give you permission to enter. Bedrooms are safe spaces."
"Of course," Paul said as he stood up.
He walked out of the room, into the kitchen, and then into the house addition that had three additional bedrooms. He almost knocked on Mark's door, but caught himself before his hand contacted the door, unsure if the sound of someone striking the door would upset the kid.
"Mark?" he called out as he put his hand down. "It's Paul. May I come in?"
He listened for a few seconds before the reply came.
"Yes."
Paul entered the room and found Mark on his bed, gripping Foogie, Jessie's old teddy bear. He'd been a little surprised when she'd parted with it. She'd had that thing since she was a foal. It wasn't her most precious stuffed animal-that would be Bunna, a plush bunny she still slept with. Still, giving Foogie to Mark had been a big gesture.
He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Mark didn't retreat, but gripped the bear tighter.
"Hi, Mark, just checking in," Paul greeted. "I'll be here a few times this week while you are settling in, to make sure everything is going well."
"Jessie?" Mark asked.
"She'll be back, but I'm not sure when," Paul answered. "She's mad at me right now, so she didn't tell me when. She'll come, maybe not today, but she'll come."
"Mad?" Mark asked, looking up.
"Not at you," Paul assured him. "She and I had an argument. Sometimes people that love each other get into arguments. It's okay. We still love one another, and she'll calm down in a day or two."
Mark looked down again.
Paul crouched forward a little to seem a little less large. "How are things going with you? Is everyone being nice to you?"
"Nice," Mark answered.
"No one has hurt you?"
"No hurt."
"Have you been eating?
Mark reached into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a piece of cereal. He then stuffed it in his mouth and chewed it.
Paul blinked. "I suppose you stashed that away from breakfast, so I'll take that as a yes. And how about Wishing? Are you two becoming friends?"
"Maybe."
Paul gave Mark a long look. "Maybe?"
"Went away."
"He needs to go to school. He'll go to school five days in a row, but only for the mornings and early afternoon, then he'll be home again. Next year, you will need to go school too," Paul explained.
Mark hugged Foogie closer.
"Do you know what school is?" Paul asked. It was best not to assume with Mark.
"No."
This is why it was best not to assume. Mark was sheltered to the extreme.
"School is where people go to learn new things. My daughter was very good at school when she was young. She was the best at school that I have ever seen. Now that she's grown up, she teaches others at a school."
"Jessie likes school?"
Hard to say if Jessie liked school or not. She'd rushed through it so fast.
"Jessie likes learning," Paul answered, deciding that was the most honest answer. "When you go to school, you'll like it. You also make lots of friends at school. Wishing should be learning and making friends while at school. You should ask him about it when he gets home."
"Wishing make other friends?" Mark asked.
Was this jealousy?
"Jessie has other friends. Do you remember Jordan? She was the unicorn that sat with you when you were with your grandma in the hospital. Jordan is Jessie's best friend, and Jessie has more friends, good friends. Wishing can have lots of friends. You can have lots of friends too, like Jessie."
Mark snuggled the bear. "Okay."
Paul looked at the window, thinking of another challenge Mark had.
"You know, if you are going to make friends, you need to be able to go outside. I know you are scared of the outside right now, but let's add that to our things to work on, okay?"
Mark was silent. As the silence continued, Paul accepted that there wouldn't be one.
"Okay," Mark said.
Jessica felt like crap as she made her way to her office. It didn't help that the school was busy. She'd pulled out her one skirt for today. It was still too hot, but today wasn't a day she wanted her legs or her tail on display. She had debated wearing a hat but ultimately decided against it. She was also wearing her lab jacket and a turtleneck sweater, even though it was hot outside.
By the time she reached her office, she was on the verge of another anxiety attack, her heart beating like a snare drum. The first thing she did was sit at her desk, leaning on it for support as she tried to control her breathing and shut the sound around her out, all the sound. So she sat, trying to reassert control.
Something touched her arm, and she jumped out of her seat.
"Whoah!" Adam said as she sprung to her feet. "It's okay. I thought you'd have heard me coming up to you. You didn't respond when I knocked, and you didn't respond when I came in and tried talking to you. What's going on?"
She took a few more deep breaths and sat down. "Sorry, I was blocking all sound out and heard nothing. My nerves are on edge today."
"I see that. You looked like you were in distress when I saw you walk in. That's why I came to check on you," he said, taking a seat across from her. "So what's going on that has you all worked up? Trouble with the dean?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm just in my own headspace and driving my own anxiety."
"Well, do you want to talk about it? Getting it out in the open can feel liberating. I know we haven't known each other long, but I've always admired your work, and it upsets me to see you in this state. I've seen you twice, and both times, it has been with you at the mercy of anxiety. I know you told me sound overwhelms you, but you said things the other day that make me think it's not just sound bothering you."
She considered. Adam was not part of her usual circle of friends and family. She barely knew him. Letting him in was a risk of getting hurt, but she would be a hypocrite if she didn't. She couldn't tell Mark to make friends and how important friends were and then turn around and refuse offers of friendship herself. Robby was right, Mark would see her actions, and those actions spoke louder than words.
"I have always seen myself as human after my humanization process as a kid," she began. "I know I'm a partial, but I don't see myself that way. When people look at me, I imagine all the things they must be thinking. I know they aren't all prejudiced against partials, but there are enough who are that I am paranoid about it. It gets...it gets bad."
"And it's always been this way?" Adam asked.
She shook her head. "It's gotten worse lately. Today, I think I'm suffering a bit of a carryover from yesterday. My older brother was a ward of Phobia Remedy for years, and he inherited some of her views on things. Primarily, he believes that people should face their fears. So, after I had a disagreement with my dad yesterday, Robby decided the easiest way to show my dad was right was to force me to face my fears. He made me take a walk out in the park with him and my nerves got the better of me. Since then, I have been thinking more about it and instead of it helping me, it is making it worse. I'm paying more attention to it, and that's making it stronger."
Adam leaned back in his chair. "I'm not an expert in this, but I think part of your problem is you worry too much about what others think."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "No, duh. I think anybody could realize that."
"Sorry, I deserved to be mocked for saying that," Adam said. "But what if you took control of the narrative they see when they see you?"
Her ear flicked. "What do you mean?"
He leaned forward, elbows on the desk, and cupped his hands together. "You need to make random people see Doctor Jessica Middleton when they see you, and only use the term partial as a secondary term down the list when trying to describe you. Don't hide away, make them see you, make them know who you are, and make it clear you are proud of who you are. Your name should be what people think of synonymously with the term scientist, up there with Newton, Einstein, and Hawking. Every young person who aspires to be a scientist should dream to be you."
She rubbed her arms. "My dad was critical letting the fact I'm a genius and how I imagine people see me be the only things that define me. I'm not sure I should be leaning into my achievements more."
He shook his head. "I'm not saying lean into it so it becomes the only thing that defines you. I'm saying lean into so it defines how strangers see you. You want them to see the good things, and if you aren't so worried about them seeing you negatively, then maybe you can have breathing room to find more out about yourself. Or maybe you can lean into both. Yes, they see the partial lady, but you can define what the context of that is. You can make it a good thing."
A big floating white blob appeared. "I think that's a great idea!"
Both Jessica and Adam jumped, but it was Jessica who recovered first.
"Marshmallow! Will you stop spying on me!" she shouted. Adam just stared.
The blob swirled and made a happy emoji face. "I'm just concerned about my good pal, Jess! I think whatshisname here has a great idea. Own your differences! Be proud!"
"Um, my name is Adam," Adam said. "Do you show up like this often?"
The Marshmallow looked at him. "Depends on how you define the word often. By the way, Yinyu is really roo-"
"Mute!" Jessica cut in, cutting off all sound from the floating blob.
The Marshmallow's mouth worked a little before it realized it couldn't be heard. It then turned pink, then red, then white again. It then changed forms to a written word.
RUDE!
"Can you go away!" Jessica said, fanning her hands as if she could blow the Marshmallow away.
The Marshmallow vanished.
"Hey, just letting you know. I told my hubby and bodyguard I was taking a trip to a far off galaxy over this coming weekend. I said it in the flesh, so it doesn't have to be the truth. I was too busy thinking about my epic song and dance to remember I'm kinda depending on you to get those coordinates. If you make me a liar to them, I'm going to be upset," a voice whispered in her ear.
She paled. An upset Dreamwarden was never a good thing. Rebecca was normally very cheerful, outgoing, and nice, but every Dreamwarden had a dark side.
"What will you do?" Jessica asked nervously.
"What?" Adam asked in confusion.
"Not you!" Jessica said quickly.
Rebecca's voice got more sinister. "I'll come to your apartment, sometime while you are asleep. I'll have Blanche break me in if I have to. You won't realize that I'm in there till it's too late, and theeeeennnnn-"
Jessica held her breath.
"-I'll cry and keep crying until you bake me an I'm sorry cake."
Jessica's ears flattened in annoyance.
"Make it chocolate with vanilla frosting-no!-make it banana frosting, with fresh strawberries, seedless ones. Have it say, I'm sorry, best Dreamwarden. Use comic sans font with the icing. Comic sans doesn't get enough love. Oh! And it needs to be big. Big enough to normally serve a full house full of kids, but it will be just for me."
Jessica rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Adam, never get involved with Dreamwardens if you value your sanity. Marshmallow, go away and stop whispering in my ear. I'll get your damn coordinates."
"Thanks! You're the best!" the Marshmallow said. This time, it was loud enough to be heard by Adam. Jessica was going to assume Rebecca had left for real this time around after getting what she was after.
Adam stared at her. "So...it didn't really answer. Does that happen often?"
"More often than I like," she grumbled. "Hopefully it comes to an end this week. I'm going to calculate their damn coordinates, take a little weekend trip, and be done with doing work for the Dreamwardens forever."
"Coordinates to what? Or can you not tell me?" Adam asked.
She lowered her hand and was about to answer when her phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her purse and looked at the caller ID.
"There's NASA again," she muttered, and put her phone on silent. "The Dreamwardens want the exact current coordinates for what I directed NASA to find, NASA did find, and now NASA is blowing up my phone demanding to know what they are looking at. It's in another galaxy, and the Dreamwardens want the information by the end of the week."
Adam gave her a confused look. "If NASA found it, whatever it is, can't they ask NASA for those coordinates?"
She shook her head. "That's where it was six billion years ago or so. The Dreamwardens want to know where it is now. NASA can figure that out too, but not on the deadline the Dreamwardens want." She looked at him. "Want to collaborate? I could use some help getting this done by Friday. I'm probably going to try to draft some of my students into helping."
"My name gets attached to the paper as well?" he asked.
"I'm not sure there's even going to be a paper, to tell you the truth. How about I promise to bring you photos back from my trip there." she offered.
He looked more confused than ever. "Trip there? You just said that it had been six billion light years away. It is further away now."
She shrugged. "The Dreamwardens apparently have a spacecraft that can do it over the weekend that they've been hiding from everyone. It's going to be powered by Princess Luna, who I assume is going with us. So me, the Marshmallow, Luna, and I don't know who else are going out to whatever this is for a sightseeing tour. Why they want to is a mystery to me, but they've had me searching for this place most of my life."
He stared dumbly at her.
She sighed. "I'm not joking or pulling your leg about this. This is happening. I'll tell the Dreamwardens you helped so next time they start planning an extragalactic trip, they think of you."
"Didn't you say don't get involved with them if I value my sanity?"
"Well, maybe you don't," Jessica replied. She then looked at the stacks of tests she had printed off last week but ultimately hadn't given. "Do you know where I can find a cart? I promised my students a test."
Adam looked at the tests and smiled. "I'll help you carry the tests, in exchange, we have coffee this afternoon, where we discuss further what exactly you need me to do to help you with this project of yours. Say, meet in your office at two, right after my class finishes, and then head to the faculty bar?"
She blinked. "There's a faculty bar?"
He nodded. "Yes, it's one of our perks. I'm surprised you don't know about it. It's something they use as a selling point for why people should teach here. Don't worry, they serve coffee too; along with sandwiches, chips, wings, and salads. They overcharge, but not excessively."
She shook her head. "No, I heard nothing about it."
"It's a private bar open to just the faculty, board members, and certain guests of the university-you know, donors and potential donors," Adam explained. "They don't ID beyond confirming you are one of those, so you're free to drink there if you want. They get a steady flow of business because it is convenient, and the premier place to visit on campus if you want to make a stalled grant happen, hear gossip, make friends, or just not have to worry about running into students."
A place to get away from students might be nice, but she was wary of going into any area with alcohol flowing. People acted on impulse more when drunk, and she didn't trust most peoples' impulses.
"Is it busy?" she asked.
"At two, no," Adam said, shaking his head "It's usually fairly quiet in the early afternoons, aside from a few stray professors reading papers while getting a drink and a light lunch, and it doesn't get busy until early evening."
She could deal with a few stray faculty members as long as it wasn't crowded. It sounded like they would only be there this time of day because they wanted to grade papers without being bothered. That meant they'd be unlikely to bother her. She did need to make more friends on campus, and being seen there could make people think she wasn't the university's stuck-up golden girl who was too good to be around anyone. She also did need Adam's help.
She gave him a small smile. "Okay then. Coffee it is, at two." |
Partial | Chapter 19: Matilda, Bursa, and Violet | Blanche stood watching as Arturo looked around the empty apartment. Crystal was sitting in a corner, looking bored. Tempest stood in another corner, arms crossed and deep in thought. They'd been watching Arturo do his thing for half an hour, and they were all bored.
She looked at Tempest. "You want to talk about it?"
Crystal looked at her and silently shook her head.
"Talk about what?" Tempest asked, not looking at her.
"Whatever went down between you and Jordan. You've been moping since then," Blanche stressed.
"Leave it alone, Blanche," Crystal hissed.
Tempest looked up. "It was a private conversation between the young mare and myself. I was concerned with my Dreamwarden's family, which is my right. Focus on our mission or your Dreamwarden and those close to them, and leave my concerns to me."
"Yeah, back off, blondie! Jordan's our business," Crystal shouted.
"★Stop arguing. I found the lead on where the child came from★," Arturo said in Russian as he walked back into the room.
"What he say?" Crystal asked.
Blanche walked forward. "He found the path Mark came in from."
"He could have told us that in English," Crystal muttered.
Arturo laughed. "★Dumb pony doesn't want to learn other languages★."
"What he say?" Crystal asked.
Tempest left her corner. "He likes annoying you. Don't let him get to you. Arturo, can you keep track of the path while in a vehicle?"
"★Do you doubt my powers, Equestrian★?" Arturo asked. "★If he came by road, we can follow by road. Suppose he wasn't on the road. We'll have to park, and let me follow the path until it rejoins the road. If they walked cross-country, the crystal pony's van better be good at off-roading, or we shall have much walking to do★."
"I don't mind walking," Blanche said.
"Nor I," Tempest agreed. "We might have to get some bigger saddlebags for Crystal to carry extra supplies if it goes that way."
"What's this about walking and me carrying extra supplies??" Crystal asked, aghast. "If we have to leave the road, Matilda can do it. However, it might be slow going if it is too long a trip away from the road. She can't over-expend power when going over rough terrain."
"★Why does that pony name her vehicle like that★?" Arturo asked.
Tempest shook her head. "I don't know. Let Crystal call her car whatever she likes. If Crystal says her car-"
"Matilda is an all-terrain vehicle, not a car!" Crystal protested.
"-If Crystal says Matilda can make the trip, I believe her," Tempest continued. "And I'd much rather save our energy and ride if that's the case, even if the trip is slow. We should prepare for such a trip with additional supplies, just in case we are away from towns and cities for a while."
"I'll get us water jugs and dry food," Blanche said.
"We need to stop by an auto shop so I can get some stuff in case Matilda needs any maintenance along the way," Crystal said. "I suggest getting some extra battery backups for our phones. If Matilda has to subsist on solar power, I'd rather not waste her power on charging our phones-not unless we want to go at a crawl."
"Why can't we just bring extra batteries for your...for Matilda?" Blanche asked.
"Doesn't work that well. We could get some extra boost for a while in a pinch, but unless we need to gun it suddenly, it isn't very efficient away from a road. Let the solar panels do their job."
"★Worthless American technology. We should use good old gasoline★," Arturo muttered.
Crystal glared. "What did he say? That tone sounded negative. Is he insulting my Matilda?"
"Are we going to do this during the entire trip?" Blanche asked in exasperation.
Crystal stomped. "It's not my fault that language spells don't work well with crystal ponies, and I'm not some super smart geek like you who can easily learn new languages on my own!"
"It wasn't easy. I studied for years," Blanche said.
Crystal stomped again. "And I'm a high school dropout with a GED, so I didn't. He knows English. He should speak in English. I could deal with Spanish since we're likely going down into Mexico. I at least know a little Spanish, enough to get the gist of what he's saying."
"If he only communicates in curse words, perhaps," Tempest mused. "Arturo is going to speak as he pleases. Stop reacting to him, and he'll get bored of annoying you."
"Agreed," Blanche said. "Let's gather our belongings from Wabash Manor and then shop for supplies so we can be on the road as soon as possible. Josie will be joining us soon, much to my displeasure that our Dreamwarden will be unguarded."
Tempest nodded. "I want to get back to Phobia as soon as possible. Wallace is a capable guard, but I feel better being there myself."
Blanche sighed and headed to the front door; the other three followed. The apartment manager was standing outside still, wringing her hands together nervously.
"Did you agents find what you were looking for?" the manager asked nervously.
Blanche handed the keys to the apartment over. "Yes, this has been a very productive visit. We appreciate your cooperation."
The manager took the keys and fondled them absently. "Did Miss Hernadez do something other than keep a partial? She seemed like such a nice older woman. I was shocked when I heard about that partial she had been hiding."
Blanche frowned. "It's an ongoing investigation, so we can't comment. Again, on behalf of the OMMR, we are grateful you gave us access to the apartment. You may see us on complex grounds later, briefly, but we won't need access to the apartment again."
The manager nodded. "Of course. Happy to be of service. If that's all, I will lock up and return to work."
They walked out to Crystal's massive van and got in.
"You could have told her the old lady isn't guilty of anything," Crystal said.
"We can't verify she isn't guilty of anything we don't know about," Blanche replied. "Plus, she is guilty. Keeping a child locked away in her apartment for years without contact with the world is abuse and neglect, no matter how altruistic the reasons may have been. If she weren't in a coma, she would be on trial, and Jess should be the first one testifying against her."
Crystal started up the van. "Shame we couldn't visit Jess. We could have tested her self-defense technique. She's such a slacker when it comes to that. She trusts too much in physical strength and a few tricks with sound. Maybe planting her face in the dirt would make her take learning martial arts more seriously."
"Jessica's disregard for her safety is her own choice," Tempest said firmly. "If she thinks what she can do is good enough, she is no longer our responsibility."
"She's trying to adopt that partial kid," Crystal said, incredulous. "It isn't just herself she needs to protect. She needs to protect him, and you know that kid could be in danger. Somebody should be staying behind to guard him."
Blanche shook her head. "They'll cut their losses. They likely already did since they haven't had him in four years. If she adopts him, he'll be in the spotlight. They wouldn't risk exposure going after such a public target."
"And if she doesn't end up adopting him?" Crystal countered. "The girl's only nineteen. We all know she has issues. There's a good chance she won't be able to adopt him."
Blanche grunted. "Then all the more reason to cut off this serpent's head."
Jonathan stood waiting by the portal, checking the time on his watch. Ashley stood close behind him, occasionally yawning. Senator Growth and General Wilson also stood close by.
There were far more guards on duty than usual, and regular traffic between worlds had been temporarily suspended. Officially, the portal was undergoing maintenance; the real reason was they were receiving some high-profile visitors that they preferred the public not to know about.
"They're running late," Ashley said. "Think there's been trouble? Think she is causing trouble?"
Jonathan shook his head. "I doubt it. If I were her, I would be on my best behavior today. She's about to get what she has wanted for years, and it would be foolish to blow that at the finish line."
"Never met her, but from what I heard, nobody ever claimed she was smart," Ashley replied.
A pony came through the portal and headed to the general. They consulted briefly; the general nodded, and the pony dashed back through the portal while the general whispered to Wild Growth.
"Guess we aren't worth talking to," Ashley muttered and scowled. The scar lines on her face seemed to deepen as she did.
"They are still standing and waiting. They've given no instructions to anyone. That means nothing significant has changed," Jonathan replied. "I'm guessing that was someone apologizing for the delay and assuring that the party from Equestria will arrive shortly."
"I bet you five hundred dollars that the dumb monster is who is slowing things down," Ashley asserted. "I don't care if you think she'll be on good behavior."
Jonathan shook his head. "I don't gamble, but I'm still confident she'll be on good behavior. She's getting this chance because she's been good."
"Still an idiot; never underestimate an idiot," Ashley muttered.
They waited for a few more minutes before several members of the Equestrian Night Guard stepped through the portal and stood at attention. A unicorn wearing a slightly fancier version of the same Night Guard armor stepped through the portal, looked around, and stood to the side.
"Announcing her royal highest, Princess of Equestria, Sister of Celestia, Princess of the Night, Dutchess of the Shades, Guardian of Dreams, Matron of Dreamwardens, Princess Luna!" the fancy unicorn yelled loudly as the other guards clamped their legs together.
Princess Luna stepped through the portal, wearing only light regalia and a saddlebag. A dark creature that seemed part pony, part mantis, and part spider followed behind her on six legs, only to immediately dart to Luna's side, seemingly afraid. Then, a night pony charged through, glaring at the insectoid beast.
"★What did you say, you dunderheaded parasite★?!!" the night pony mare screamed in Equestrian.
Luna covered her face in exasperation with a wing as the night pony mare advanced on the changeling queen. Bursa tried to keep Luna between her and the mare, but the mare continued to pursue, and this quickly devolved into a comical chase around the alicorn.
"That's something you don't see every day," Ashley said as they watched the chase unfold.
Jonathan nodded in agreement, saying nothing. What could he say? The dreaded Bursa was being chased around like a frightened child by a pony a sixth of her size and likely a fraction of her strength. The mare had to be insane if she thought she could take on a changeling queen. Bursa had to be even more insane if she believed that, too.
General Wilson stepped forward. "Bursa Kobe! You will cease running around and present yourself-"
"★Come back here, you bug, so I can rip your tongue out★!" the night pony mare screamed, still pursuing Bursa in a circle.
"What the hell is going on here?" General Wilson demanded in disbelief, spreading his arms.
Bursa must have spotted Wild Growth during the chase because she made a break for the senator with the night pony in hot pursuit. General Wilson hastily went to draw his gun and jumped away in fright as Bursa hid behind Wild Growth, or at least tried to-even cowering, she towered over the earth pony. Was Wild Growth supposed to do more to protect her than an alicorn princess?
Wild Growth didn't flinch at Bursa being so close to her but put herself more squarely in the night pony mare's path.
"Stop this!" Wild Growth yelled. "I don't know what's happening, but it needs to stop!"
Luna finally lowered her wing. "Cease this indignant behavior, Jimsonweed! We arrive, and you immediately embarrass us! Stop acting like a rabid diamond dog!"
Jimsonweed pointed a wing at Bursa. "★She called the Hallowed Shades a dump that should be demolished★!"
General Wilson had his gun out and pointed at Bursa, as did the other guards from the Earth side. "Surrender, or I'll shoot!"
"That pony's emotions are vile! They sicken me! Get her away!" Bursa screamed, still more afraid of Jimsonweed than having multiple guns pointed at her.
"Lower your weapon, general!" Luna commanded. "Jimsonweed, back away and calm yourself!"
The night pony mare finally backed off, muttering under her breath. The Night Guard had never moved to intercede with any of this, staying at attention, though it looked like they were ready to break out laughing.
Wild Growth looked around. "Will you all lower your weapons? Bursa isn't attacking anyone. Can't you see she's terrified?"
The guards looked at General Wilson, who nodded and holstered his weapon.
"How does a single night pony inspire such fear?" Jonathan asked. "Even if she were a match for Josie in power, she wouldn't be a physical threat to a changeling queen. I hope she wasn't using mind magic. It would be a shame if we had to arrest her."
Luna shook her head. "Jimsonweed possesses no such power. What she commands is rage and contempt. While changelings can stomach anger or fear, even if they get no sustenance from them, a combination of these stronger, detestable emotions can hurt them. That is why they tend to prey on ponies. Their victims may be afraid or angry, but they don't normally respond with the right cocktail of negativity to weaken their hunters."
Ashley laughed low under her breath. "And she's coming to Earth? Wow, Bursa's going to be sick a lot."
It did seem to be the wrong place to come if that were true.
"Did I hear the general call her by first and last name?" Jonathan asked, loud enough to be heard by all.
General Wilson nodded. "Yes, we have identified who she was before she got turned into...this. We agreed, under Equestria pressure, to help give her and her family closure. It seems our intelligence gathering can still surpass the Dreamwardens."
"At times, perhaps," Jonathan replied.
Luna looked at Jonathan. "You and Bursa have some unfortunate history. Will her presence here be a problem for you?"
Jonathan bowed slightly. "The Dreamwardens and OMMR have a long history of forgiving individuals for past misdeeds. We have forgiven far worse."
General Wilson glared at him. "Yes, the list of criminals you have in your employ is staggering-Crystal Dreams, Shadow Dancer, Josie Woods, Arturo Ivanov, not to mention previously employing and hiding Carson Forsythe Fugger AKA Ulysses AKA the Charleston Throat Ripper. The list goes on."
"And should I list off the people still living who are employed or previously employed by the military that should be charged with crimes against humanity or war crimes?" Jonathan asked. "I assure you, the list is far more extensive. Long before your appointment to general, didn't you oversee that operation in Yemen that resulted in over a hundred civilian casualties without a single enemy combatant neutralized? I believe that at least twelve of those dead were children under the age of ten. Yet, somehow, the military tribunal let you off without so much as a slap on the wrist."
The general went red-faced and stepped towards him, waving a finger. "Don't you distort facts and get high and mighty with me, you Dreamwarden piece of shit! I serve my country! How about we talk about your damn vigilante-"
"General! Director! Both of you stand down and act civilized!" Wild Growth shouted. "We are here to receive a foreign dignitary, not bicker like children."
"Why not?" General Wilson demanded. "This is closed to the press, so we don't need to worry about putting on a PR show for the public. I'm sick and tired of these Dreamwarden bastards thinking they can do what they want!"
"General, may I remind you that I'm a Dreamwarden," Luna said coldly.
"And the reason we are saddled with this lawless nightmare," General Wilson spat.
Wild Growth turned and glared at him. "Her words might mean nothing to you, but how about I remind you that my word carries exceptional weight on the Senate floor and with much of the American public. Do you want me to be your enemy? Perhaps we should launch an investigative committee into your record." She looked at Jonathan. "As well as your agents' records. I try not to get caught up in these things. The people who voted for me don't want me calling for investigations. They want positive change, not muckraking, and the circus these investigations create detracts from passing legislation that can actually improve people's lives, which is what I was elected to do. Still, if you don't behave yourselves, I'll be making a speech tomorrow morning accusing you all of wrongdoing."
General Wilson stepped back and crossed his arms. Bursa continued cowering in terror behind the earth pony throughout all of this.
Luna came up forward. "We thank you for your...passionate...welcome. You all know Bursa. The spirited mare accompanying us is Jimsonweed, the adopted daughter of one of your retired Dreamwardens. While I am assisting with your expedition to Jeg'galla'gamp'pi, she will be investigating the charges it seems General Wilson is concerned with."
The general grinned. "We would be happy to provide her with military assistance. In fact, I must insist that we do."
Luna smirked. "You may regret such an offer, but I shall allow it."
The general crossed his arms. "We also need to discuss how many soldiers we will be sending with you on this expedition, and we need to inspect this craft of the Dreamwardens. Where are you keeping this thing?"
"On our farm," Jonathan answered. "The workers there are as tight-lipped as they come. If the colt mentions it at school, it can be dismissed as just one of those tall tales kids come up with."
General Wildon scowled deeper, likely at the mention of Moses attending school. The military did not want Moses out in public and considered him a weapon rather than a child, but Phobia had fought long and hard for Moses to have a normal life, at least as normal as a mind-magic-welding necromancer could have. Everyone who knew about him knew the Warden of Fear was grooming him to be her eventual successor. There was no guarantee that he would be since he still had to go through the same process as every other candidate, but it did usually at least make him a candidate. Still, it gave a general timeframe for when Phobia intended to retire. New Dreamwardens needed to be in their late teens or early twenties. Moses was still in elementary school, so they had at least a decade, if not more.
"We are deeply distressed that the Dreamwardens have been withholding technology that can make such trips," General Wilson said. "It should be in our care, not in the care of zombies and ghouls."
"The spacecraft is essentially the same as the craft designs we already provided you, only this one doesn't have any weapon systems, is more resistant to extreme temperatures, has a small cargo hold, can carry a small crew instead of a single pilot, and can't maneuver at high speeds. It is simple peacetime transport, not a weapon of war, and it would never make it beyond our galaxy alone. It is the spell that will get the craft there and back, and the power needed for that spell requires an alicorn. The military doesn't have an alicorn, do you?" Jonathan asked.
"We do not. You would tell us if there was an alicorn in hiding, correct?" the general asked.
"We respect the privacy of what we learn in dreams," Jonathan answered.
"Let's move this discussion to the private suite we have reserved so we can let the portal get back into public operation," Wild Growth said. She looked behind her. "You can quit hiding. I won't let Jimsonweed terrorize you. You've tussled with the Element Bearers before and given them a challenge; one little pony isn't going to hurt you."
Bursa looked up. "They weren't so hateful! Even when they were subduing me, there was love and kindness."
The earth pony rolled her eyes and started marching to a side door. The rest of them followed, with Bursa keeping very close to Wild Growth.
"Charleston Throat Ripper?!" Ashley whispered harshly. "That sounds like a serial killer name. Why are we sheltering someone like that?! Why didn't you tell me? You know what happened to me as a foal. You know how I got my scars."
"Psychic Calm employed Ulysses, and he died in the line of duty fighting a shadow monster-ironically, one Bursa accidentally unleashed," Jonathan answered in a whisper. "While we have some people of questionable backgrounds on our payroll, none are near as bad as that man was; none of them are murderers. Blanche and I despised him. I don't know why Psychic Calm took him in, and I don't care. Psychic Calm is retired, and I'm in charge of the hiring at the OMMR now. While we might hire some repentant thieves, vandals, and even some past mind-magic abusers, all of whom we are giving a second chance, we don't hire murderers. Not on my watch."
"Do we have any legacy employees that murdered anyone?" Ashley asked.
Jonathan frown. "One, but they are a special case, and they are retiring soon."
Ashley sneered. "We'll talk about this later."
Jessica got up and stretched. She'd been sitting in her chair, grading tests, for several hours now, and she needed to get up and move around.
The results of the tests were more or less what she expected. Most students failed the test, usually not even coming close to passing. To be fair, this test was the final plus more advanced material, and this wasn't even a whole week into classes. She'd graded half of them now, and out of those, she had four that qualified for her offer to get an A in the class and not have to show up for any further classes. Of those four, only one got a significant amount of the additional content correct. That test had been set aside as a student that could be useful to her. One student out of that massive class. Half the tests still needed to be graded, and she never had much hope of anyone from the undergraduate course being helpful, but it was still disappointing that she'd seen just one student worth anything to her.
That was unfair. Other students could be valuable years down the road. Only one student was currently useful. That didn't mean the rest would never be useful, even if many were only in her class for their required science course. Still, she hoped that the large number of test grades she had seen in the twenties, teens, and even single digits out of a score of one to a hundred might cause some more students to drop the class and lighten her load. She didn't want to have to grade this many tests ever again. It was time-consuming, and she had more important numbers than test scores to crunch.
She heard footsteps and various bodily functions outside her office door and checked the time. It was already two. She had hoped to have been done with grading the tests by now, but she had underestimated how long it took her students to complete the test, and she underestimated how rotten their penmanship would be. It took time to decipher what exactly had been written down. A few of them had even written in cursive. Who in the year 2042 wrote in cursive?! At least a dozen of her students, that's who. It was an antiquated script that had no business being used to fill out a test.
Adam knocked at the door.
"You may enter," she said, projecting her voice to be sure she was heard.
Adam walked in and looked at the half-finished task on her desk. "How did your students do?"
"Four students know the content so far. Keeping with that pace and with how many tests I still have left to grade, six to ten students may be happy come Thursday," she answered as she picked her lab coat off the back of her chair and put it on.
."That's pretty good, considering what I saw of that test," he said. "Why the jacket? It's fairly warm today. Aren't you afraid of overheating?"
"I can endure the heat for today. I prefer to be covered up," she said as she grabbed her purse.
He frowned. "As you wish. It isn't too busy out there. A few students were going about, but nothing like this morning. Things tend to simmer down after one."
She listened. Echoes made it hard to tell exactly how many sets of footsteps were in the main hall, and heartbeats became challenging to sort out after they got past about five, but it didn't seem to be that many. Less than a dozen students in total, that was something she was confident in estimating. She could manage it without any significant trouble. Getting back to the office hadn't been bad. She could do this.
"Where's this bar?" she asked.
"Top floor of the administrative building, opposite the large boardroom. You'll need your faculty badge. The room is key-carded to the badges. Your picture and name pop up on the bartender's screen when you scan, and they spot-check to make sure that's who is actually coming in as you come through the door-at least during the day. They count on the faculty to spot enterprising students who lifted or duplicated a faculty badge when it is busier, and the bartender can't be staring at the door every time his screen beeps."
"Do they try that often?" she asked.
"At least once or twice a semester. If they want to get into a bar, there are easier and cheaper places to go, but it's off-limits to students, so they do it for the thrill. They always get caught and kicked out in short order," Adam said as he held open the door and made a sweeping gesture along with a half bow. "Ladies first."
She wasn't much for chivalry. Him going first would be preferable. If he went first, he'd be the first one noticed by others, but she couldn't think of a good excuse to give him, so she took a breath and headed out the door. He followed behind, pulling it shut behind them.
Dean Francis was talking to a student at the end of the hall. He spotted her and wrapped up his conversation with the student. He then walked towards her.
"Doctor Middleton, Doctor Jefferson, good to see the two of you together. You are both such shut-ins. It is good to see you socializing, if only with each other," Dean Francis greeted.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Thank you, I guess."
"Is something wrong, Doctor Francis?" Adam asked.
Dean Francis looked at Jessica. "I wanted to follow up to find out if you had secured that apartment, and if so, when you can move your office there."
Of course, he did. Why wouldn't that be the first thing on his mind and not how are her classes going or asking if she had any questions or problems? Nope, it's how quickly she can get away from him.
"I moved into my apartment yesterday, and I'm still unpacking. It may be late next week before I can move my office there since I have a packed schedule for this week," she answered.
Adam held out his hand pleadingly. "Surely there has to be a better solution to her hearing issue than that. The board of governors would be extremely disappointed to hear Jessica wasn't keeping her office on campus after how proud they were to obtain her services. It would be as if we were saying she wasn't part of the faculty, and I know that isn't the message they want to send our donors."
"It's okay, Adam. I already agreed to it," Jessica said, feeling suddenly tired.
"And there is no practical solution," Dean Francis said smugly. She wanted to wipe that smug look off his face.
"Jessica deals with the Dreamwardens; what about a Dreamwarden contract?" Adam asked. "Have her promise not to steal or use information she hears in the other offices. Dreamwarden contracts are magically binding. That should deal with privacy concerns."
The smug look dropped. She hated Dreamwarden contracts, though she had been bound to a few on and off over the years-primarily to keep her from blabbing single conversations. Phobia was very keen to use them to protect confidential information. Even with how much she didn't like them, she'd do it just for this victory.
"I'm willing to do that. I can have a copy on your desk by this time next week," Jessica said with a smug grin of her own.
Dean Francis adjusted his glasses and chewed on his lip. She could tell he was trying to come up with an excuse, any excuse, for why that would not be acceptable. The fact the silence was starting to drag on made it clear that he was struggling to find anything.
"First thing when you come in Tuesday morning next week, paper on my desk. If it isn't there by the end of the day, we move forward with the office being moved," the skinny little man finally said.
"It shall be done," Jessica said with a nod. "If you'll excuse us, we had plans that we're running behind on, and I'm a very busy woman."
Dean Francis nodded. "Of course, good day to you, Doctor Middleton, Doctor Jefferson." He then turned and returned to his office, walking a little faster than seemed casual for a man of his age and stature.
"Always good to see one of these old fogies squirm," Adam said. "They think they're so much better than us. They're always afraid we'll overshadow them and do everything to put us down."
She was pretty sure the fact she was a partial played into this, but she wasn't going to contradict Adam.
"There's nothing so constant as each generation thinking they are superior to those that follow," she replied.
Adam laughed. "Isn't that the truth?" He then stopped and ribbed his head. "I did need to tell you. I got cornered on my way back from class by Violet. She wants to speak to you. I'd recommend speaking to her when you get a chance."
More drama? What did this person want?
"Who's Violet, and why should I talk to her?" she asked.
"It is Dean Primbrook, but everyone just calls her Violet, even her students, unless it is a very formal occasion or an email. She's one of the other young professors on campus-I think she's thirty. She holds a doctorate in communication and public relations, and she's Dean of the Liberal Arts. It is no secret she has her eyes set on being Provost," Adam explained. "This isn't high school, but the best term to apply to her is the queen bee. She has enormous influence on campus and with the board of governors. She can make you popular or a pariah with a few choice words. She's someone you want to be on the good side of. She can also get Dean Francis off your back."
"She is the Dean of Liberal Arts at thirty?" Jessica asked skeptically.
"She's very good at what she does," Adam said. "Everyone is shocked she doesn't run for political office or run a PAC or something of the like, but she's focused entirely on building people up or tearing them down here. She's not someone you want to blow off."
Great, someone who could make her life hell on campus and who likely expected her to kiss her feet-or hooves; Adam hadn't said if Violet was a human or a pony. Why couldn't she just come to work, do her job, and go home? Still, if this person could make Dean Francis get off her back, it might not be the worst possible thing. It was unlikely someone whose academic focus was communication and public relations had much interest in physics or math, so there wasn't much extra work Jessica could be asked to do for her. Jessica was supposed to have been a massive hire for the university; that's probably why this queen bee had taken an interest.
"I'll take time to visit her office soon," she assured him. "Let's go get that coffee." |
Partial | Chapter 20: Many Anxieties | The campus grounds were less crowded in the afternoon. There were still pockets of people about, but they were mainly students and professors with clear goals on where they were going, not people standing around socializing. As such, most people didn't give Jessica and Adam much more than a passing glance. They may not have even noticed her ears or the tip of her tail sticking out from under her skirt.
The administrative building was three stories tall. Half of the first floor was the bookstore. The remainder of the floor contained a post office, admissions, the maintenance office, and the infirmary. The second floor had more offices, including the register, student affairs and recreation, public relations, the accounting office, the grant office, and a few others she was unsure of. The top floor had two board rooms, the Provost's office, the President's office, and the faculty bar. The entire building was one big rectangular block with nothing but glass windows for the top two floors that gave off enough glare around noon that any night pony in the area likely couldn't look in the building's general direction. Birds tended to flock to the top of the building, and on any day of the week, you could see at least a dozen crows staring down at you if you could stand the building's glare. Pegasi never went on top of the building; the birds were too territorial, and no pony wanted to visit the infirmary because they got mauled by a flock of angry birds.
The first floor of the building was moderately busy. Students frequented the giant bookstore, which not only sold textbooks and supplies but also had a small grocery sectional similar to what you might find at a convenience store. Today, it was busy with students selling back unneeded textbooks at three-quarters of the ludicrous price they originally bought them for. The bookstore never gave full refunds on unnecessary textbooks. After ten days into the semester, they only repurchased the books at a fifth of the original price minus sales tax, so there was some urgency for students to sell back the unneeded and overpriced books to recover as much money as they could before the books lost the majority of their resale value. The post office and mailboxes also had several students milling about, some mailing packages and some receiving packages.
Luckily, Jessica didn't have to be seen by everyone on the first floor. The elevator was only a few steps away from the building entrance, and she and Adam were aboard it within a minute of entering the building, bypassing the untold mobs of the second floor and arriving quickly to the third floor.
They stepped off the elevator. The third floor seemed to be deserted. There were a few interconnected halls; each wall had wood paneling and false candle sconces. On and off along the hall walls were paintings-mountains, rivers, plains, and lots of ducks. Why did people and businesses with lots of money always put up portraits of ducks? Ducks were some of the most disgusting and dirty of birds. Nothing said rich like putting up pictures of the avian equivalent of dung beetles.
"It's this way," Adam said, gesturing to one of the side halls
She silently followed. Listening to everything on the floor. There weren't many heartbeats at all to be heard. There was a heartbeat on the far end of the floor, away from them. She knew the Provost's office and the President's office were both in that direction. It could be either one of them or a secretary. Ahead of them, there were two sources of heartbeats. It must have been people at the bar. The only other significant thing she heard on the floor was some sort of heavy fan, the type used in a walk-in cooler.
The side hall they went down had only two doors, both halfway down the hall, facing one another. As they walked towards the doors, she could better locate the two individuals and the cooler off to her left, and it was the door on the left that Adam ended up facing.
He pulled out his faculty ID and held it up. "You have your ID, right?"
She pulled hers out of her lab coat pocket. "Right here."
He held his up to a panel beside the door, and there was a small beep. The handle on the door clicked. "One person enters at a time. Each person has to scan their badge. No plus-ones allowed-unless the President or Provost are there. They bring donors here on and off."
Adam entered and shut the door behind him. She approached the door and held her ID up to the panel. There was once again a beep, and the handle on the door clicked. She'd half-expected that it wouldn't, either because whoever assigned permissions to the IDs didn't want her in their exclusive room or some prank on Adam's part where he left her standing alone in a hallway looking like an idiot.
She entered and saw the human bartender watching her right away. Her ears flattened at being stared at.
Calm down. Adam told you the bartender checks who enters. You can't be paranoid about every little thing. she scolded herself.
Well, that was not correct. It was quite possible to be paranoid about every little thing. Whether this was advisable depended on how paranoid the person you asked was.
One wall was nothing but a huge window. There were a dozen small tables that could sit two spread out around the room. The bar went along almost the entire length of another wall and had shelves filled with various brands of alcohol behind it, along with a refrigerator and a single door. Two sixty-inch televisions hung on another wall. The bar stools, chairs, and tables were all designed with humans in mind, although there was a rolling set of steps to assist ponies in getting into seats. There were glass dishes on each table, and it took her a few seconds to realize those were ashtrays. Adam was taking a seat by one of the window tables. Other than her, Adam, and the bartender, one other professor was sitting in a corner who was completely engrossed in whatever he was doing on his laptop with a half-eaten sandwich and a bottle of beer sitting on his table.
Adam took his seat and waved her over. She walked over and joined him.
"Donovan is brewing us a pot of coffee. I told you it wouldn't be too busy this time of day," Adam said.
She picked up the ashtray on the table. "A lot of smoking happens here?"
"Not really," Adam answered. "A few professors have pipes because they think it makes them look more intellectual. They do tend to break out the cigars when there's a football game on. This a private establishment, not a public one, so they get away with things."
She frowned and put the ashtray down. "Well, most of my friends are in Skytree, and they have an eighteenth-birthday tradition where everyone goes to a hookah bar. So, I have been to hookah bars five times, including my eighteenth birthday. I can tolerate it."
Adam leaned back in his chair. "So...you are trying to calculate the current location of a celestial body more than ten lightyears away so we can send an expedition to it over the weekend. We only sent our first manned expedition to Mars last year, and it took three months to reach Mars. That's considerably faster than we hoped to do twenty years ago, but it still takes a long time to reach one of our close neighbors. This weekend trip is hard to believe."
"Dreamwardens have access to knowledge from Triss's time, which was much more technologically and magically advanced than we currently are. They're stingy with sharing most of it, but they occasionally pull out something if it serves their purposes," Jessica explained. "It was Phobia who first noticed I was onto something when I came up with Middleton's Law. She already had access to knowing that due to all that Dreamwarden knowledge but had failed to consider it and its implications because our Dreamwatdens only access that knowledge when they think they need it. If they didn't realize they knew it, they didn't think about how it impacts things. It's like not knowing what books are on your bookshelves until you check. She was the one who encouraged me to publish my work and sent it to all the top universities."
Adam blinked. "You're saying they know how to do intergalactic travel, but until recently, they haven't thought about it?"
"Pretty much," Jessica said with a nod. "Don't try to get information out of them. They only tell you things when it helps them out somehow."
"And how does going to this...whatever it is...help them?" Adam asked.
Jessica raised a hand. "I don't have a fudging clue. They say it will help in the battle against the Devourers. They've had me searching for this thing since I was a kid. They gave NASA information to help make the Starpiercer telescope to help me look for it. Now we found it, and now they want to go visit."
"Starpiercer's tech came from them?" Adam asked in disbelief.
She nodded. "It advanced their goals."
They quieted as the bartender came over and set a coffee pot and two mugs on the table. Adam pulled out his debit card and tapped the bartender's tablet. The bartender looked at her.
"You're the big-shot new physics professor everyone's been talking about?" he asked.
Her ears flattened. "I guess so."
He looked at her ears. "Relax. You're just younger than I expected. They talked about stuff you came up with a dozen years ago, so I thought you'd be in your forties or late thirties. You're like twenty-something, barely older than most of the students. You must have been one hell of a teenage whiz kid."
Technically, since she was nineteen, she still was, but she'd also been one hell of a child prodigy.
"That is an accurate statement," she replied, ears relaxing. "Thank you for the coffee."
The bartender nodded and headed over to the professor in the corner. She could hear him checking to see if the other professor needed anything. She guessed he doubled as a waitperson during the day. With it slow, perhaps he got bored.
She looked out the window. "Years doing this research for them has prevented me from advancing my research. I haven't done anything noteworthy since I was six."
"You're about to be one of the first Earthlings to go beyond our galaxy. I think that is something noteworthy," Adam mused.
She poured herself some coffee. "That is true, and it is a dream come true. I should be thrilled. Yet lately, I keep getting reminded that all my accomplishments people remember me for happened when I was six. I won't get any credit for this trip. It won't be made public. The Dreamwardens will never allow the world to know that they can travel to the stars." She paused and took a sip of her coffee.
Adam poured himself a cup. "Should you be telling me this then or talking about it here?"
She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Without evidence, it didn't happen. You're a scientist; you know people overhearing there's an expedition isn't proof that such an expedition happened. Proof is everything. They will cover the trail. There will be no evidence. I don't even know what they hope to gain, only that it may help us against the Devourers."
"I don't understand the urgency. The Devourers won't be here for ages," Adam said.
She looked into the blackness of her coffee. "They fear the Devourers like nothing else. In my dreams, they've shown me what the Devourers do, so I find their fear valid. I also know there is never enough time to prepare for the coming of the Devourers. Every world they have ever destroyed was caught unaware and unprepared. That's something they made very clear to me. If they could take down civilizations that colonized multiple worlds and destroyed the civilization that made them mere moments after being activated, what can we do to be fully prepared for what's coming, and what time can we afford to waste? The Devourers know we are here, and they're coming. Doomsday will be here sooner than you think. It always comes sooner than expected."
"That sounds...ominous," Adam said. "I take it there are other things you aren't telling me."
"I can't say," she answered.
He took a deep breath. "Okay. The clock is ticking. How do I help?"
"The data is kept on a secure private network. You can come by my apartment, and I'll provide you with the same information I have," she answered.
She then turned as she heard the beep that indicated someone had scanned their ID. There was one set of bodily functions outside the door. The door opened and revealed a tall woman with vividly violet hair. After a second, she realized part of the height came from her heels, which added about ten centimeters to her size. Without them, the woman would have been tall enough to stand eye-to-eye with her. With them, she was taller. The woman wore straight white pants and had a furry midriff garment in a darker shade of violet-no, it wasn't a garment. Her lower abdomen was uncovered, and that was fur. The woman also had a white shirt with an extremely deep show of her impressive cleavage-covered in the same violet fur up to the shoulders. Actually, it wasn't a shirt; it was a white vest that was laced together to cover her breasts and mid-abdomen just enough. The purse at her side was small and looked expensive. Her ears were perfectly plain human ears; there was no way she was hiding a tail in those tight pants, and there was no sign of wings or a horn. The woman immediately spotted her and smiled before approaching them.
It seemed she would meet the queen bee sooner than she thought, and the queen bee had some pony traits.
"Doctor Middleton," Violet said, reaching out a hand to shake. "I'm Mrs. Primbrook, Dean of Liberal Arts, but you may call me Violet; everyone does. How fortuitous that you are here. I've been looking forward to meeting you."
Jessica was glad she was wearing a skirt. It hid her tail rising. At least, she hoped it did.
She reached out and shook the woman's hand, noticing now that the woman was wearing a wedding ring. "Pleasure to meet you, Violet."
Violet looked her over, examining every inch of her with her eyes, and that killed the initial tail rise as her usual reaction to being examined kicked in. The fact Violet's smile slipped into a frown didn't help.
"You cover up much too much," Violet said at last. "I know how hot covering fur gets under clothes. I fought hard to ensure those of us who have a little extra hair in places didn't have to sweat ourselves to death. I also may not have had a tail since I was eleven, right before my parents pressured me to rehumanize, but I'm sure it isn't comfortable trying to hide it in clothes. I remember going through that during ETS-it sucked. I'll tell you the same thing I tell my kids, who seem to have inherited more from me than their father, at least in terms of hair growth. If people stare, let them. It isn't worth making yourself sick."
Jessica blinked. "I'll remember that. Thank you for the advice, Violet."
Violet's smile returned. "Good. I see you and Doctor Jefferson are currently having a discussion, but I hope we can have a longer conversation later. Maybe you can come by my office tomorrow, say around four?"
"I can do that," Jessica agreed.
"Excellent!" Violet said happily. "I'll see you then." She then headed towards the bar. "Donovan, my usual, please and thank you."
"Already on it, Violet," the bartender said as he set out a salad and a beer. Violet grabbed them and headed to a table on the room's far side, facing away from them.
Adam grinned. "That's Violet. She doesn't conform to others. Others conform to her. Quick warning: don't try to hit on her. The last faculty member who tried that ended up packing up their office two days later."
Jessica blushed. "I would never-"
"Your skirt doesn't hide what your tail is doing so well, and my little sister is an earth pony. Hers does the same thing when she's aroused. I pick on her about it," Adam said with a small smile.
Jessica covered her face. "Seems to be a thing big brothers do; mine sure does. Do you think she noticed?"
Adam took a sip of his coffee and set it down. "Yeah, but she won't get upset about that. She likes people finding her attractive. It's like a victory to her. It's making a pass at her that makes her mad. She makes sure people know she's married when introducing herself. And before you ask, she's not a partial, even if some people accuse her of being one. Her husband is the most forgettable, quiet, boring-looking guy you'll likely ever encounter, and she had two kids with him."
"Well, she did say she was pressured to rehumanize. If people were split on their feelings about it when they did it, then the process is known to leave some traits behind in those cases," Jessica said, keeping her voice down. "The less you want it, the less effective it is."
He looked at her, and she saw the unasked question.
"I was dying. I wanted to live. Prosthetics were an option, one that wasn't guaranteed to save me and one that I might end up living in pain if I did survive. I made the logical choice," she answered. She then lifted her head. "But that's thirteen years in the past. We can't live in the past."
Adam gave her a considering look, then nodded. "Agreed. Getting back to our earlier discussion, I believe you were inviting me to your apartment."
She didn't know why, but she blushed again.
She barely paid students attention when she was heading out to her car. She pulled out her phone and dialed up the first person she thought to talk to. It rang twice before being answered.
"Hey, Jessie! What's up?" Jordan greeted.
"Jor, I just asked a man to visit me at my apartment," she said hurriedly.
"Ohhhh, look at you! Finally getting on the dating scene," Jordan cooed. "I admit, I'm jealous. Amicus says I can't invite any stallions over till I'm twenty-one. I have to go to their place or rent a hotel room. Most hotels won't even rent to an eighteen-year-old!"
She reached her car and opened the car door. "No, Jor, it isn't a date, but I'm worried he might think it is. We just went for coffee, and I invited him to my apartment."
"Jessie, if I went out for coffee with someone, I'd call that a date," Jordan replied.
"We've gone out for coffee together!" Jessica protested.
"Well, that's a get-together with a best friend, not a romantic date. Totally different thing," Jordan replied. "If I went out for coffee with a guy and invited him back home, I know what kind of message I'd be trying to send. I mean, why invite a guy to your place alone if you aren't planning to do the rabbit tango?"
"Rabbit tango?" Jessica asked in confusion.
"The bunny bump, the green gown, a roll in the grass, the amorous congress, dirtying the sheets, reading Indian literature, expanding the economy, taste testing, making Yinyu blush-"
"How many terms for sex do you know?" Jessica asked.
"I'm very well-read," Jordan said with a hint of embarrassment. "I know if I asked a guy over, it would be because Mama wants a new ocelot."
Jessica rubbed her nose. "I don't even want to know where that euphemism came from. Anyway, I asked him over because I need his help with a project for the Dreamwardens, and all the data for it is on my computer, data I can't transfer to him over the internet. This is strictly work-related and has nothing to do with sex or romance. What do I do to make that clear?"
"Well, just make it clear. Maybe he knows you aren't into him. Have you raised your tail around him?" Jordan asked.
Jessica blushed. "I did, but it was because of someone else, and he knows it. He pointed out my reaction."
"Raising the flagpole for someone else does put a damper on things," Jordan sagely said. "As I told you, just be honest with him. Rush him while he's there to get him moving. Don't invite him into your bedroom."
"But my computer with my data is in my bedroom," Jessica replied.
"You have your own place, and you made your bedroom your workroom too?" Jordan asked. "Why would you do that?"
"I need to keep my extra room clear. I'm trying to adopt Mark," Jessica explained.
Jordan gasped. "Ooooooo, that's so awesome! You'll be a great mom. I know it. He adores you."
"Don't congratulate me yet. I still need to convince them to let me. They normally don't let people adopt till they are twenty-one," Jessica said.
"That's not fair! They should make an exception for you. You're a famous scientist, you're a famous hero, and you've been an adult longer than people who are twenty-one right now."
"The rules don't account for that, and these people play by the rules," Jessica said. "There's some sort of process I can go through to request an exception, but I'm trying to get through this week before I worry about that. I need to get this project for the Dreamwardens done, which I need Adam's help with-"
"His name's Adam, got it," Jordan interrupted.
She chose to ignore that. "Then, if I get that done, I'm going out of town for the weekend. After that, I can start the application process next week."
"You're going out of town?" Jordan asked in surprise. "Where are you going?"
"I can't say on the phone. All your calls are monitored, you know that?" Jessica asked.
"All my calls are monitored? What do you mean?" Jordan asked in confusion.
Jessica frowned. "All calls in and out of Wabash Manor are monitored. It's been that way since Auntie first moved in."
"So...when I said Mama wants a new ocelot, some agent somewhere was listening to me say that?" Jordan asked, horror building in her voice.
"Yep, they're listening to us right now. Say hi to the agent," Jessica answered.
"I need to go, bye!" Jordan said in a hurry and hung up. She was probably running to Sunset Blessing's sisters to demand to know why they didn't tell her calls were monitored. Amicus likely did tell her but did so during some long contract reading that Jordan zoned out on because it was mostly lawyer speak.
Jessica sat her phone on the passenger seat and tossed her purse beside it. Did talking to Jordan help? Maybe it did.
Adam would be showing up at her apartment in...she picked up her phone and checked...two hours and forty-five minutes. She needed to get home, shower to wash off the sweat, and get into something more comfortable. Violet was right about the skirt and the rest of these clothes. They were much too hot. Wearing them was going to make her sick. If Violet could walk around with most of her furry bosom on display, Jessica's legs and tail were hardly worth looking at. How did that woman manage to put her ponish traits on full display like that and rise to the top of the pecking order at the university? It seemed unfathomable. Jessica faced plenty of prejudice for being a partial. Violet might not be a partial, but she was different enough from other humans to be viewed as a partial. The meeting tomorrow should be interesting.
She picked up her phone again. One last call to make before she hit the road to go home.
"Hi, this is Jessica Middleton. I wanted to check to see how Mark was doing."
"Oh, Jessica, good to hear from you," Jill replied. "Mark is with Wishing right now. They seem to be getting along. He at least says two or three words to Wishing at a time now, which is more than I can say he gives the rest of us."
Jessica frowned. "He hasn't been hiding again, has he?"
"He primarily sticks to his room when Wishing's at school, but he comes out to eat when called to lunch. He's been eating meals with the rest of the household but keeps very quiet, answering our questions with yes, no, okay, or dunno. Wishing will get a little more, but not much," Jill explained. She sighed. "We also haven't been able to convince him to go into the backyard yet, even when Wishing goes into the backyard to play. He'll stand at the door and stare out, but he won't go out, no matter how much we encourage him. We haven't even attempted to ask him to go out the front door."
Electronics carried her powers, and she could hear a kid giggling; it sounded like Wishing, telling someone else to look at something. There wasn't any response to what the kid said.
"He'll get better," Jessica assured her. "He's already showing you guys a lot more trust than he ever showed the nurses at the hospital. He just needed somewhere that feels safe."
"Do you want to talk to him?" Jill asked.
"If it is okay," Jessica answered.
"One second," Jill responded. "Mark? Jessie's on the phone. She wants to talk to you. Do you want to talk to her?"
"Yes," she heard Mark answer.
"I will put the phone on speaker and set it on the floor. Then you can say hi, okay?" Jill asked him.
"Okay."
There was some sound that Jessica assumed was the phone going on speaker and being set down.
"Hi," Mark said, sounding uncertain.
She smiled. "Hi, Mark. Good to hear you. Have you ever talked on a phone before?"
"No," Mark answered.
"So this is a new experience for you," she said. "I can't come see you every day, but I will try to call when I can't see you. Is that okay?"
"Come when?" Mark asked instead of answering.
"I'm not sure," she confessed. "It might be next week. I have a lot to take care of. This weekend I have to go somewhere very far away, and won't be able to call, but I'll be there to visit you on Monday for sure. Do you understand the days of the week?"
"School days and weekends," Mark answered.
"Well, I suppose that's part of it," she said. "Today is Tuesday. Yesterday was Monday. Tomorrow is Wednesday. After that is Thursday, then Friday. Those are the school days. Understand?"
"Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are school days," Mark answered. That was the longest sentence she'd ever gotten from him. He was getting better.
"Good! You learn fast," she complimented. "After that are Saturday and Sunday. Those are the weekend days. Understand?"
"Saturday and Sunday are weekends. Wishing has no school on weekends," Mark answered.
"Good job," she complimented again. It seemed like a good idea to praise him whenever possible to build up his confidence. "So, after Sunday is over, it is Monday again. I will be there to visit you on Monday for sure. Okay?"
"Long time," Mark said accusingly.
She nodded. "Yeah, I know it will be the longest time I've left you alone since we met. This week is one of my busier weeks. I know you don't like going outside, but you do look out windows. Do you ever look up at the stars at night?"
"Yes. Pretty."
Her smile widened. "I agree. This weekend, I'm going to go up there."
"Too high!" Mark whined.
"It is very high, but I'll be alright. I'm going to go up there and come back. Then you can know it is safe to go outside," Jessica said.
"Maybe," Mark said. He didn't sound confident.
"You'll see," Jessica assured him. "I heard you've been making friends with Wishing Well. Can you tell me about Wishing Well?"
"Wishing loud."
"Very!" Wishing cheerfully yelled out in the background
"Very loud," Mark corrected. "Wishing likes playing with blocks. Wishing likes playing with cars. Wishing goes to school to be smart. Wishing tries to catch butterflies but always misses. Wishing snores."
"Do not!" Wishing shouted.
"Yes, you do, twerp!" she heard Caleb yell.
"That was a very good answer," Jessica complimented.
"Practiced," Mark replied.
She blinked. "You knew I would ask you about Wishing, so you practiced what to answer?"
"Yes."
Well, that was forethought and planning. That was another sign that Mark was at least reasonably intelligent for a kid his age.
"Good job," she complimented again. "I'll want to hear more when I call again. How about you play with Wishing and let me talk to Jill."
"Okay," Mark reluctantly said.
The phone was picked up, and the sound focused more, indicating it was off speaker.
"My, he was very talkative with you, even more than he is with Wishing. I didn't know he could say so much," Jill said. "He seems to memorize things fairly well, too, judging by how quickly you taught him the days of the week. Maybe Jack and I can start working with him on his numbers and letters. I used to be a pre-k teacher before we started fostering. We worked with Wishing, and he knew his alphabet, knew how to read and write some simple words, and knew how to count before he started school this year. Maybe we can do the same with Mark."
Jessica knew how to read before she was speaking in complete sentences, so she preferred it was she who taught Mark to read. Then again, she knew that most kids weren't her, and intelligent as Mark might be, he came from a very different upbringing and environment. She might overwhelm him if she tried to teach him the way she learned. That could make him feel stupid, and she did not want him thinking of himself that way.
"That sounds great," she answered. "I'll ask him how it is going. He seems to want to impress me, so if I ask about it, maybe that will make him more motivated to pay attention."
"Jack and I sat down and read through your Wikipedia page. You're probably the second most famous person we ever met after we met Beyonce that one time," Jill said. "I heard you tell Mark you were going into space, and we had read you were involved with NASA. Are you visiting a space station or something? Do you do that much?"
"I can't talk about the details," Jessica said vaguely. "All I can say is it is a trip into space, my first ever trip into space."
"Well, it sounds exciting. I know more people are going into space than ever, but most people still can only dream of doing it," Jill said.
Jessica smiled. "It is exciting. I'll still call each day until I head out. I want to know how Mark is doing. But for now, I have to go."
"Thanks for calling. I know it makes Mark happy," Jill said. "Have a good rest of your day."
She put her phone in her purse and buckled her seat belt. Going to another galaxy should be exciting to her after how much she had dreamed of something like that as a kid. She was going further than any human or pony had ever gone before. Humanity was just now reaching Mars. It hadn't even gotten a probe out of the solar system. The first probe sent out was estimated to take literally tens of thousands of years to finally accomplish that. Most people didn't realize how big a solar system was or how much bigger a galaxy was, yet she'd be leaving their galaxy and going deep into another. The Devourers, doomsday horrors that they were, couldn't accomplish a weekend trip like this. This was probably the furthest any mortal from any world in history had ever traveled. Forget the first step for mankind; this was the first step for all intelligent life.
Yet, she was distracted, and the joy of it muted. No one would know, and with the Devourers still coming, what did it matter? Hopefully, this was worth it, and they'd find some answer to that problem. Still, lately, the things that were most on her mind had been more mundane. She worried about how people looked at her. She was especially worried about Mark.
Mark would die young if the Devourers reached them. This trip needed to matter for Earth and for Mark. It was time to get those calculations done. That was the best gift she could give Mark-a future. |
Partial | Chapter 21: Poor Thinking | Jordan stormed into the guard room. There were three guards on duty, who all turned to stare at her.
"Where is Andrea?" Jordan asked, glaring. She looked at the monitor screen on the wall to see if she could spot the old crone.
One of the guards touched a hand to his headset. "Miss Portsmith, Miss Gilmore is looking for you. Yes, ma'am, I will tell her." He lowered his hand. "Miss Portsmith is walking the outside perimeter of the fence. She says you can meet her at the gate if you wish to speak to her."
Jordan turned and headed back the way she came, through the foyer, and paused before she reached the front door. Instead, she checked her jewelry to make sure everything was in place. With a brief flash of her horn, she was out by the gate.
The guards on duty did a double-take as they saw her appear.
"Which way is Andrea?" she asked the pair.
"At this point, we couldn't tell you," one of the guards answered. "She's checking the perimeter, and she could be anywhere along it right now. She normally checks the outer defenses like this twice a week, but she's been doing it every day since you arrived."
Jordan looked at the stone fence. "What defenses are there other than the fence?"
The guards looked at one another before the same guard answered.
"Some of the crystals that guard against teleportation are just inside the fence. Miss Portsmith can tell if they are each working properly as she passes them, as well as check the fence for any breaches, opportunities for breaches, and signs of snooping-signs beyond the normal drones that fly around."
"Has she found anything?" Jordan asked.
"Not that we are aware of, ma'am," the guard answered.
"Then why is she increasing these patrols?" Jordan asked.
The guards looked at one another again before the one talkative guard answered again.
"You'd have to ask her yourself, ma'am."
Jordan looked at the fence again and weighed, sitting down and waiting for Andrea. However, there was another option.
"Tell her I went back to the house," Jordan said, lighting her horn again. The next instant, she was back in the foyer.
The guard on duty jumped at her sudden appearance but quickly settled down. She didn't say anything to him as she marched up the stairs. If she couldn't get answers from one of the sisters, she would get answers from the other. They might be pulling some good cop-bad cop thing with her, but she saw through their game. The pair were a team that were Sunset Blessing's kin.
She reached Amicus's room and looked at the door frame and what was written on it.
Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen
Well, at least it was an appropriate Bible verse this time around. Or it would be until whenever Amicus moved out or passed away. She couldn't get rid of these. It would be hard, considering they were burned into the wood. She was allowed to cover them up. Would the verses be able to be revealed again if she painted over them? What about plaster? You could scrape plaster away to reveal what was underneath. That would take money, which meant this auction had to go well.
She knocked on the door, and a moment later, it was opened by Legal Brief.
"May I help you?" Legal Brief asked.
Jordan gave him a small smile. "Is your wife available to speak with me?"
Legal Brief shook his head. "Sorry, she headed out earlier to go speak with a client. The case will be tried in federal court, so speaking to her client about the case on the phone is inadvisable."
Jordan nodded. "Because our phones are bugged."
"No, bugging involves placing a listening device. The government can't get away with that," Legal Brief corrected. "They simply listen to all the calls from all registered residents and employees of the property directly from their carriers, as per existing agreement."
Jordan pointed at herself. "Auntie Sunset might have agreed to that, but I didn't!"
Legal Brief rolled his eyes and then looked at her like she was wasting his time. "You did agree. It was in the paperwork my wife read to you, and you signed. Whether you paid attention to what she was saying or took the time to read as well is not the government's concern. The entire agreement was provided to you both verbally and in print prior to your signing, and you signed. Nothing was done to hide what you were agreeing to. You have no case to challenge it."
She wanted to keep yelling about it, but she knew it would make her look bad. Instead, she found something else to fuss about.
"What about what Andrea's doing?" she asked. "I can rarely find her. Like right now, she's checking the house's perimeter, and I'm told she's been doing this every day since I arrived."
Legal Brief frowned. "She's concerned about our security. Even with all our security, there has been a history of breaches. Less than a month ago, we had a major breach. Sunset Blessing, despite being weak in power and permanently injured, had a reputation for being able to combat these threats. You are some random eighteen-year-old who doesn't have that reputation. Andrea fears, all of us fear, that there will be increased attempts to breach security. There's been increased drone activity around the fence since you arrived, which is very worrisome. She's being cautious. Would you prefer that she not and we end up with a break-in?"
Jordan pouted. "Is there any good news about this place?"
"You made the news," Legal Brief informed her with a smile. "One of those drones filmed you fighting with Tempest Shadow and Crystal Dreams. They love to play the clip of you sink-holing Miss Dreams over and over again. There are a significant number of videos floating around online with musical accompaniment."
"I'm a meme?!" Jordan asked in shock.
"Well, it's primarily Miss Dreams who's getting memed, but you're part of it," Legal Brief laughed. "Don't worry, that isn't a bad thing. People got to see you kick her flank."
"How is that good?" Jordan asked.
"Unicorns don't usually get the better of crystal ponies in a fight. Even Sunset Blessing would be at a crystal pony's mercy, especially with her magical weakness. People seeing you do that makes them take you a little more seriously. It means anyone trying to foalnap you might reconsider how difficult that might be and discourage them from trying."
"Well, as Auntie Sunset would say, it isn't how powerful your magic is; it's how you use it," Jordan replied.
"And yours is stronger than hers and being used in a way that aligns with her unorthodox approaches," Legal Brief said. "That should give people pause."
"She did train me in some stuff," Jordan said, lifting her head high.
Legal Brief frowned. "Don't get too cocky or try to pull anything too flashy. My sister-in-law got those scars through her cleverness. There's a standard way to do things for a reason. Unstandard things can literally blow up in your face. Be careful. Sunset had eighteen years of failures, potentially life-threatening failures, to figure out what works and what doesn't, and that was when she wasn't stealing ideas from others-which she also frequently blew herself up with. It's a wonder this place isn't a crater. You don't have her experience or access to her spies, so don't try to pull the same things."
Her ears flattened. "I'm not going to blow the house up, and if anyone does try to breach the fence, I intend to let the guards handle it. I want to teach English literature in a high school, get married, and have a bunch of kids. That's my dream, and it's a simple dream. It isn't to push the boundaries of magical knowledge. Whatever is in those vaults can stay in those faults forever. I'd seal that basement with cement if that were an option."
He sat down. "I wish it was. We'll keep her precious secrets safe. She says they could eventually become important but that the world wasn't ready for most of it. If she's afraid of it, I don't want to know what's down there. However, she wants it to be kept so that people can eventually get what's in there. Plus, she went through all that trouble of turning the basement into one big hydraulic press to crush intruders. I doubt that would work right if sealed with cement."
Jordan shivered. Auntie Sunset had some sick ideas. Not her problem. She had no intention of letting anyone down there.
"Just tell your wife and her sister to talk to me more about what they're doing and why. It's my house-like the extra security checks and Tempest and her buddies showing up out of nowhere. I deserve to know what's happening around here," Jordan instructed.
"I'll let them know," Legal Brief replied. He then shut the door.
This was so aggravating! She might be the name on the deed, but she felt like she had no control of this house. There wasn't much she could do besides what she had just done. In the meantime, she would get back to making lists for the auction. Changing the decor to fit her would be at least a start.
Jessica rubbed her legs vigorously with a towel. Adam would be at the apartment shortly, and she was nowhere near dry yet. Wet fur had a smell to it that she preferred not to be smelling like when a guest was coming. She preferred to use her hot air dryer, but that was still in a box somewhere, and she had no idea where. Packing had been done hastily, and a lot of stuff had been thrown in whatever package was handy at the time.
She glanced at her phone sitting on the floor. It was already past time for Adam to have arrived, but only by a minute. He might have decided not to come, or he was running slightly late. She didn't know which was preferable-him ghosting her or her smelling like a wet dog in front of him. Both options seemed disheartening.
She stood up from the tub's edge and gave her tail a flick. A few drops of water sprayed from it, indicating it was also far from dry. She'd known that before flicking it; it was far too heavy to be dry. The water weight pulled it down. With a groan, she continued scrubbing her legs while she continued to whip her tail back and forth over the tub in the hopes she could expel most of the water. If she was lucky, Adam would take another ten or so minutes to be fashionably late.
The doorbell rang, and her ears flattened. So much for the extra ten minutes. She didn't even have clothes on!
She shut the door to the bathroom and reached out with her powers.
"Adam, is that you?" she asked whoever was at the door.
"Yeah, sorry I'm running late. I picked up some donuts on the way here, but the drive-through took forever. May I come in?" Adam replied.
"Yes, the door is open. Come in and wait in the living room. I'm indisposed at the moment," she answered.
She heard the handle in the door turn. "Indisposed? What do you mean...where are you? It sounded like you were just inside."
"I'm in the bathroom, casting my voice," she answered in frustration. "I'm still drying off from my shower. I don't know where I put my dryer, and fur is difficult to dry with a towel."
She heard him close the door. "I forget you can project your voice in addition to hearing things. I told you about my little sister. We lost power for three days during a storm once, and her brilliant butt decided to go outside in it without any way of drying off after. She stank for the whole next day because it was cold, and it slowed down her drying, so I know all about the fur thing. It's fine."
"My fur doesn't take that long. I know earth ponies aren't the most agile holding things, but why didn't you help dry her off with towels?" She asked as she continued to towel her fur.
"She was bullheaded and didn't want anyone helping her. Natalie is like that. She's twenty-two and doesn't have her mark, and somewhere along the line, she got it in her head that she has to take care of everything herself, or she'll never get her mark," Adam explained. "Anyway, as long as you are clothed, I don't mind if you come out damp. I can deal with the wet fur smell."
She looked at the towel in her hands and sighed before tossing it aside. "Okay, give me a minute." She stood up, grabbed her clothes off the edge of the sink, and put them on. Nothing fancy, just her panties, shorts, bra, and NASA t-shirt. Her legs and feet would be on full display, but Adam had seen her legs before, and she was never putting a skirt on again. It was hot and miserable.
She exited the bathroom, and Adam stood up from the box he'd been sitting on-she didn't have a chair or couch or anything like that, only bookshelves and boxes. The only furniture to sit on in the apartment was her bed and her computer chair.
Adam stared at her, and his eyes were neither meeting hers nor looking at her legs, tail, or ears. Nope, his gaze was right where the NASA logo crossed her chest.
She crossed her arms across the area. "Maybe I should put on a sweater."
Adam pulled his eyes away. "Sorry, sorry. That was tactless. I hadn't realized you were so-" He cut himself off and cleared his throat. "Sorry. You had some data to show me and transfer to me?"
If she didn't need his help, she would have told him to leave right then. She still wanted to put on the sweater, perhaps more than ever. Here she was, thinking she might make a friend, and he fetishized her. It felt like a betrayal.
"Yeah," she said, arms still covering her bust. "Follow me and keep your eyes elsewhere." She turned and headed to the bedroom.
"I'm really sorry about that. It was just an in-the-moment reaction. I wouldn't try to make a pass at you or anything. I saw how you reacted to Violet swinging her...you know...in front of your face. That screams what you are into, and I don't pursue anyone unless the feeling's mutual. I don't pursue people just for how hot they are either," Adam said as they walked.
"Adam, you are digging yourself so much deeper. Maybe you should be quiet," she suggested, ears flat.
They reached her room, and she sat in her chair and pulled up her data. Adam stood far enough back he couldn't accidentally look at things he shouldn't.
She pulled out a pen and paper. "The object is in the pinwheel galaxy. I'm writing down the approximate coordinates that Starpiercer found it at. I can't give you an approximate mass. We don't have that, and I've got a feeling that its mass might end up being a shock to us all when we finally calculate it. As for its trajectory, all we have is the general trajectory of the solar system it was in. It was in orbit of its star at approximately zero-point-three-one AUs. The star was a type G one-point-zero-two times the size of the sun."
"Wait- it was a type G star ten billion years ago. What are the chances this star even still exists in that state?" Adam asked in confusion. "And if this thing was orbiting that close, it seems there is no chance it could have survived the expansion and collapse. Even if there was still a type G star there, unlikely as that is, that's closer to its star than Mercury is to the sun. The temperatures would be extreme. How are you supposed to visit this thing?"
She put a flash drive into her computer and started typing. "I haven't the faintest clue. From my initial work last night, I determined that its star would have progressed to a red giant and then a white dwarf, which would be its current state. I questioned the Dreamwardens about the impact of their object being so close when the star went through its red giant phase, and they seemed quite confident it would survive this. They were unsure if it would be enveloped by the star or expelled from its solar system. If it was enveloped and remained intact until the star eventually collapsed into a white dwarf, we must assume it is still somewhere in orbit now, even if that defies everything we understand about solar systems. If it was expelled from its solar system, we'll have to do some more hunting once we get there. Whatever this is, it defies our understanding of physics. We don't have a model for what happens when an indestructible object gets overrun by an expanding star. So we're going to have to do a lot of guesswork."
"How do you know it is indestructible?" Adam asked. "Nothing should be indestructible."
"The Dreamwardens say so, and they say Triss backs their claims. Dreamwardens can't knowingly lie, and Triss has no reason to," she answered. "Let's chalk this up to there's a lot science hasn't discovered. Hopefully, this expedition will shed some light on how this thing exists."
She passed him the flash drive. "Here, this is the data we have about the galaxy, the star, the solar system, and the object. Use a secure computer when accessing this, and do not put any information online. I'm showing you a lot of trust in handing this over to you. Don't make me regret it. If you do, you won't have just me to contend with; the Dreamwardens will come after you as well."
He gingerly took the drive from her and pocketed it. "I won't betray your trust, and I wanted to say again that I'm sorry about-"
"It's okay," she interrupted. "I overreacted. I'm not very comfortable with people looking at me that way, but I'd be a hypocrite if I got angry at you for it when you caught me doing more or less the same thing with Violet. Let's forget that it happened."
He sighed with relief. "Thank you. I didn't want to mess anything up between us. I idolized you as a teen-heck, I still do. I mean, you are a scientist and an action hero, a real one, not someone made up for a movie. I know there was a movie, and most of that is probably fictionalized, but the core of what happened was true. Now you are going off to another galaxy. Who doesn't want to be like you?"
She shrugged. "I walked into a hospital the other day to see someone, and the nurses treated me like I was there to rob them. I hate the sound of other people's laughter because my mind immediately goes to thinking they are laughing at me. My first day teaching had me harassed by a student who thought I was some walking sex toy. I'm afraid to walk alone in public. I'm even afraid when I'm with someone. Sound, enhanced by my powers, overwhelms me when my nerves get the best of me. If it gets bad enough, I can unleash that torrent of sound on everyone around me, and most aren't very forgiving of me assaulting them with my powers, even if it was unintended. This isn't anything new for me either. It has been this way for years. Tell me, who wants that?"
He touched her shoulder. "There's always going to be something someone is prejudiced about. If it isn't that you're a partial, it could be you are a woman, or that you have blue hair, or the color of your skin, or what you eat, or your religion, or lack of religion. At the university, we often have to deal with the old guard being prejudiced against us because we aren't as old as them or have new ideas. The only people who are going to deny prejudice in a million forms is real and negatively impacts a significant number of people are people who haven't had their lives significantly impacted by it or weaponize prejudice. Yes, it is real, and it is impossible to ignore it when you are feeling it directed at you constantly."
She couldn't help it; tears formed in her eyes.
"However," Adam continued. "You can't let all that make you too afraid to live your life. You saw Violet. Do you think for a second she doesn't deal with the same prejudices directed at her? Do you think she's blissfully unaware of what people whisper about her just because she doesn't have your powers to hear it? She's not a fool; she knows. She also doesn't have your accomplishments and fame to shelter her. You know what she does have?"
"A husband and two kids?" Jessica answered.
"Yes, but the main thing she has is pride and confidence," Adam said. "She carries herself as someone who knows their worth and sure as hell will make sure everyone else knows it. The old guard at the university doesn't dare speak ill of her. They fear nothing more than someone who isn't afraid of them. When she has a conversation with someone, she takes the lead and controls it. She doesn't beg people for things; she tells them how it is going to be. She doesn't hide what they want to mock her for; she puts it on full display and dares them to say anything about it. I'm not saying emulate everything about Violet, but that air of confidence and self-assurance she has is something you should look long and hard at. If she can climb to be the most popular and most influential person on campus, you have that power, too."
She bit her lip, considering her words.
"You are right," she said. "About all of it, but you missed something. It isn't just as easy as choosing to be more confident. It isn't some switch I can flip at a moment's notice because I want to. I do appreciate you trying to pep-talk me. It does make a difference, knowing that you think highly of me. I will call my psychologist in a few days to restart sessions. I'll talk to Violet tomorrow and see what helped her gain that confidence because I'm sure she had to build herself up over time. But for right now, let's focus on the task at hand."
He removed his hand. "Of course. I will head back home and start working on this right away. Thank you for letting me help you with this. There's a box of Dunkin' Donuts out in your living room. I only had one out of it. You're welcome to the rest."
That was good because she hadn't gone grocery shopping, and she hadn't brought any food from her parents'. Her refrigerator was utterly bare, aside from a glass of water she had stuck in there to have a cool drink later. She hadn't eaten anything since lunch at her parents the day before. Donuts weren't a healthy meal, but they were something she could put in her stomach. She didn't have time to go grocery shopping, and she didn't want to go to the store anyway.
"Thanks, I appreciate it," she said, being honest. "I'll see you out."
Adam hastily looked away and down as she stood up, and she grimaced.
"Okay, that's making me just as uncomfortable," she said. "As long as you aren't staring at my bust, you'll be fine." She took a deep breath and decided to do something risky and stupid. "And for the record, I'm bi."
Adam stiffened. "Um, I'll keep that in mind for later on."
She nodded. "Later on, once this project is done. Then, we can consider exploring other concepts, slowly, if we both want to. If I'm not being an idiot and completely misreading things. I haven't ruled that out as a possibility. I give it a fifty-fifty chance I'm misreading things or listening too much to my best friend's crazy ideas."
"Your best friend might be onto something," he said slowly. "You're also right; we deal with things first and see how things go."
She nodded stiffly. Did she just tell a guy she was interested in pursuing a relationship, and did he just say yes? It had to be that she was acting impulsively because her emotions were running high. He'd also been looking at her bust, not her legs, tail, or ears. He was looking at her as a woman, not some partial fantasy lover. It was nice to be lusted over as a woman and not a partial. That, combined with him being a nice guy, caused a lapse in judgment. By morning, she'd regret she opened her mouth. She was regretting it already. How awkward would it make things if she told him she took that back? Yeah, that would be bad.
"Slow, very slow," she stressed.
He smiled. "Slow. Got it. We'll talk about it more after you come back from your trip-provided you don't come radioactive or something."
She rolled her eyes. "Can't rule that out with how little we know. I'll see you again Thursday morning-hopefully with enough data between us so I can make that trip."
"Thursday morning," Adam agreed. "See you then. Take care."
After shutting the door, she rubbed her head, again asking herself what had possessed her to do that. She then looked at the box of donuts. Maybe it was hunger messing with her head. If she took things slow enough, Adam would get bored and forget the whole thing. Then, she could refocus on what she needed to do for Mark. Things would be fine.
One chocolate-covered donut and a drink of water later, and she was back in her room. It was time to get to work.
Her phone started ringing. So much for getting work done. She groaned and picked up her phone to check who was calling, then answered.
"Hey, Jor. How are you?" she asked.
"I'm not interrupting a romantic dinner, am I?" Jordan asked.
Jessica rolled her eyes. "I told you it wasn't a date. However...I may have suggested something might happen sometime in the future."
"Whoooohooo!" Jordan exclaimed.
"Don't cheer!" Jessica groaned. "I don't know why I did that. My best guess is I was in a vulnerable position."
"Did it not go well? Did he get rude? Did he treat you like you were disgusting? Did he say something nasty to you?" Jordan asked, seemingly growing more agitated with each question. "If he did, don't worry; I'll find him and put him in his place! Nobody treats my best friend like that!"
"No, he seemed pleased with the idea," Jessica answered.
"Oh!" Jordan replied. "So, what's the problem?"
"I don't know. He was looking at my bust earlier," Jessica replied.
Jordan clicked her tongue. "I've never gotten the strange fixation with mammaries that humans have, but I know it's a thing in most of the stories I read. I think it's kinda disgusting, but I'm a pony, and I don't want to shame humans for their kinks. What's wrong with a guy you are interested in thinking you're sexy? I mean, I'm basing what I know about what humans think is sexy from what I read in books, so maybe the whole mammary fixation is a disgusting idea to most humans, and it's only a small subset of humans who are into that thing."
"I'm pretty sure it was him thinking I'm sexy," Jessica replied. "I forgave him. He'd caught me doing the same thing to another woman earlier."
"Ick!" Jordan said in disgust. "You're into that too?"
"Not really. It was more the fact humans normally can't get away with displaying them so prominently, and she did it with such confidence."
"A bad girl, that tracks with you. Bad girl is kinda adjacent to macho girl, and you've always loved those macho types," Jordan said knowingly. "Is Adam a macho type?"
"No, not really," Jessica answered.
"A priss then?" Jordan asked. "You like the prissy girls, but I've never seen you raise your tail for a prissy guy,"
Jessica shook her head. "He isn't that either. He's just...Adam."
"Hmmm, a new form of attraction. Interesting," Jordan said.
Jessica sighed. "Jordan, can you please let up about this? I'm hoping it all gets forgotten about and blows over in a few weeks. You push too much for me to get into a relationship. It makes me think of my mom."
"Hey! I want my best friend to be happy," Jordan protested. "And I'm not pushing that hard. You should have heard Rosetta talking to Jackie last month. She was telling Jackie that Jackie was slacking on getting pregnant. Jackie's only a year older than me! Rosetta would probably be asking me why I don't have a bun in the oven already if I was back home. That mare seems to think our entire generation's job is to pop out foals. She has three grandkids and multiple nieces and nephews; she should be happy, but no, she wants more."
If her mother did that, Jessica would move much further away. Thankfully, her getting pregnant wasn't on the table. Adopting was...she needed to focus on one thing at a time. She could worry about Mark next week. Right now, she needed to worry about figuring out where that object had gone.
"Jor, were you calling just because you wanted to know how the visit from Adam went?" Jessica asked.
"Not completely," Jordan said slowly. "I'm just bored and lonely. Nothing seems to work out the way I want or expect. Amicus is the closest thing I have to a friend here, and she's away working right now. Andrea's here, but she's miserable to be around. I tried making friends with the guards, and she yelled at me for distracting them! I was kinda hoping you'd come over or let me come over there for a while so we can hang out some more. We didn't get to do much the other night-not that I minded since Mark needed you. I can't even talk to you about everything on the phone because people are listening."
Jessica shook her head. "Unfortunately, I have a lot of work to do before this weekend. I must work on this project for the rest of the night."
"But I could come over there and not be any bother. I could let you work while I cook dinner. We can talk over dinner, and I'll head back home. You don't even need to give me a ride. I can get my driver to take me," Jordan pleaded.
"Jor, I don't even have anything to cook," Jessica explained.
"Then what are you having for dinner!" Jordan asked.
"Adam left some donuts. I just ate one."
Jordan gasped. "What?! Nope! You are not going to eat nothing but junk. I'm going to come over there...no, I'm going to the grocery store, getting you groceries, then heading over there. Amicus got me access to my account today. I need to pay you back for the groceries you got me. I'm getting you groceries, and then I'm going to make sure you eat something healthy."
"I need to focus on work, Jor."
"And how are you supposed to focus when you aren't eating right?" Jordan countered. "What was the last thing you ate other than donuts?"
"Uh, a sandwich, I think, yesterday afternoon...no, it was morning," Jessica said, trying to recall.
"Yep! I'm getting you real food," Jordan declared. "The fact you can't remember shows you don't have focus, and it's because you aren't eating. Your memory is usually close to perfect. You want to get your work done? Get some food in you so you can focus."
Or it could perhaps lead to impulsive lapses in judgment. She usually ate fairly large meals, and she hadn't had a large meal in...well, it had been a while. Her powers were always on. Energy didn't come from nowhere, and although her powers weren't energy-intensive, they were a constant use of energy. If she wasn't keeping up with her energy needs, it could interfere with her ability to think clearly.
"Okay, Jor, you win. You get some groceries and come make me dinner, and we'll hang out for a bit." |
Partial | Chapter 22: Readying for the Future | Jessica slowly made her way through the halls of the administrative building. They were narrower on the second floor than on the third floor, as many more offices were packed into the duplicate square footage.
Making her way over here had exacerbated her anxiety, but it was nowhere as bad as it had been the last few days. Eating a good-sized dinner, breakfast, and lunch seemed to have taken some of the edge off. Jordan was right. She hadn't been eating enough, and it had negatively impacted her. Now, she could deal with her normal anxiety, not the heightened anxiety she had as of late. It wasn't perfect, but it was manageable, which was a worthwhile improvement. She'd even gotten a considerable amount of work on her calculations done this morning.
Violet's office was here rather than back in the other faculty offices. Violet, in addition to being a dean, was also in charge of the university's news releases. Jessica was unsure if it was normal for a professor to be both a dean and head of news releases. It could be common; she didn't usually pay those kinds of things much attention.
After searching for about ten minutes while encountering a few students or staff, she found the office door labeled by a small plaque beside it. She heard two individuals inside. It was Violet and a student, and they seemed to be wrapping up their conversation. She put up a sound barrier around herself so she wouldn't overhear the conversation and quietly waited.
It took another two minutes for the door to open, and a unicorn stallion with a blue mane with red and white stripes walked out. He gave a brief start at seeing her, then smiled.
"Afternoon, professor," the stallion said and hurried past her.
"Doctor Middleton!" Violet exclaimed. "Please, come in!"
She entered the room and closed the door behind her. There were several posters on the walls, all advertising the university. Violet was sitting behind her desk. The dean was dressed similarly to how she had been dressed yesterday, only wearing a black vest instead of white. On the desk was a laptop computer, along with a pair of framed family photos. There was a human-sized chair and a stool for ponies directly in front of the desk. Against the walls were a few bookcases loaded with books and a pair of low couches. Plenty of light came in through the full wall window behind the desk. There was also a fan in the corner, blowing full power.
Violet gestured to the seats in front of the desk. "Please, take a seat. May I call you Jessica? We are both doctors in our fields; calling each other doctors is so formal."
"You may," Jessica said as she sat in the chair. She noticed for the first time that Violet had a tattoo on her shoulder-a newspaper with a bullhorn.
Violet noticed her looking. "Admiring my body art? It's what I imagine my cutie mark would have been had I remained an earth pony. Do you ever imagine what yours may have been?"
"I try not to focus too much on how my life would have been different if I hadn't been injured," Jessica answered.
Violet grinned. "A good philosophy. We should focus on who we are and who we can be instead of who we were or could have been. You can lose yourself in might have beens. Can you do me a favor? I'm aware of your ability to make conversations private. Can you do that for ours so I can speak more openly to you than I would to one of my students?"
"I did that out of habit when I came in. Why did you want to have a meeting with me?" Jessica asked.
Violet leaned back in her chair. "I see you're straight to the point with little small talk. Pleasantries are valuable, Jessica, but very well, I'll get to the point. I take an interest in individuals who stand out from the crowd. I want to build them up and make the world take notice. I was the most stand-out professor until your hire, so I couldn't help but get to know you as soon as possible. I was fascinated by you even when you were a student here; heads and tails more intellectual than your peers while having an appearance that made people notice you. I wasn't in the same position back then, so I couldn't find an excuse to get to know you. I'm rectifying that now."
Her ears flattened. "So, you are interested in people who look different? With all due respect. I prefer not to be defined by that."
Violet shook her head. "You misunderstand me. You have rare talent, a talent that should be celebrated. Your appearance is...marketing. Think of Einstein or Hawking; they had unique appearances. Everyone knew them on sight. They stood out from the crowd. You're smart. You're a hero. People should be excited to see and meet you, even people who aren't really into physics. They should see you and instantly recognize you for your signature look."
"People laugh and stare when they see me," Jessica muttered.
Violet leaned forward. "I know the feeling, believe me. Look at me; do you think I have never encountered that? There's truth to it, but you exaggerate it, and I think you know you exaggerate it."
"How do you deal with it?" Jessica asked. "Forgive me for being blunt, but how do you put yourself on display like you do and not come out a nervous wreck?"
Violet grinned. "Nothing wrong with being blunt, at least when there's no real threat of offending, and sometimes even then." Her smile fell away. "I was a nervous wreck when I was your age-well, slightly younger, but the same general age. Growing up, most people didn't realize I had fur or my hair was this gorgeous color. My parents made me dye my hair black, and I always had to wear turtleneck sweaters, even during the summer. They told me that people would find me disgusting if they knew. They taught me to hate myself."
"So, how did you change that?" Jessica asked.
Violet laughed. "Honestly, I got pissed. Getting angry didn't change everything all at once, but it was the impetus for change. I was angry, and I was tired, tired of making myself miserable. I won't say what was the last straw; that's a personal matter, but it made me decide I needed a change. It started small. I stopped dying my hair and let its natural color grow out. I started wearing regular t-shirts instead of sweaters. They didn't show much fur, but some could be seen, and it wasn't so damn hot. The first few weeks after I decided on those changes, I felt like puking every day due to the anxiety. I only endured that feeling because I had puked so often when I had been overheating in those sweaters. Fuck my parents for making me wear those things. I have a built-in sweater already."
"And the anxiety went away over time?" Jessica asked.
Violet pursed her lips. "Not exactly. Over time, I got mad again, and so I decided to get defiant. I decided that if they were going to stare, I would give them something to stare at. Then, I noticed that the nature of my interactions with others changed. Yes, I still had my detractors, but there's a thing in the animal kingdom where animals prey upon those they sense are vulnerable. Humans, we think we aren't animals, but we are, and somewhere deep inside, all those instincts are still there. Bullies are predators, and predators are opportunists; they back off from fights where there is no easy prey. I was bigger, stronger, and, most importantly, bolder. I even started wearing high heels only so I could reinforce the idea I was the big bear and they were the little bear. I ensured they knew I wasn't easy prey, so they went for easier game."
Jessica frowned. "And now you try to help others be the big bear."
Violet shrugged. "Well, not everyone is a bear, but I want to help others stop seeming so vulnerable, build them up, nurture their pride. This university is full of individuals capable of great things, but they're hampered by insecurity. To be honest, your aunt came to me with the idea."
Jessica raised an eyebrow. "Arbiter? You are working for the Dreamwardens?"
Violet shrugged again. "I work with Dreamwardens, but not that one, although Arbiter did introduce me to the two I do work with-Ghadab and the Marshmallow, patrons of the outcasts, and it's more me getting advice on and off than me working for them."
Jessica blinked; there seemed to be some religious overtones to that. She knew there were cults dedicated to the Dreamwardens. In this loose, unorganized Dreamwarden religion, beliefs could differ wildly from one group to the next, like Shamanism, but she had never met an actual follower of one. "I never considered Ghadab a patron of outcasts."
"What is the persecuted but the outcast? His sense of justice makes him care about the persecuted," Violet explained. "But I meant your other aunt, Sunset Blessing. She always wanted to get her hooks in the influential, and colleges are where many influential people are forged. With me as her agent, she could gain influence with them."
"But Sunset Blessing is gone," Jessica said in confusion.
"Thus, I am no longer her agent, doing her dirty work," Violet said, putting her feet on the desk. "Now, it is all my mission. I have no ulterior motives. I just hate seeing the bullies win. We, the stand-outs, should rise to the top."
"So, you want to replace the old bullies with new bullies, us," Jessica clarified.
Violet laughed again. "No, not everyone is a mama bear, and the mama bear only roars, bites, and claws to protect her cubs-at least until her cubs can defend themselves. I'm a mama bear, Jessica."
"And what would you suggest to help me get through my anxieties?" Jessica asked.
"Stop trying to hide from people seeing you," Violet immediately answered, taking her feet off the desk. "Not only that, go out of your way to be seen. Everyone should recognize you. I would suggest getting on some talk shows, letting yourself be interviewed for documentaries, or doing some educational talks. Make them see you and know you. Get your face out there; let them see your form."
Jessica briskly shook her head. "I'm sorry, you're very pretty, but I could never be comfortable dressing like you."
That made Violet bray with laughter. "I admit, I do sexualize myself and make it part of my brand. I even admit to deeply enjoying watching men try to hide the lump in their crotch, and even some women get visibly aroused. It's my way of spitting in my parents' faces for trying to make me believe people would only ever see me as disgusting, but don't worry, you shouldn't be copying me and my brand. That is who I am, not who you are. You've got other qualities to cater to. You're a brilliant scientist and a hero, but you're also a partial, and it is up to people like you to destigmatize being a partial. You reinforce that stigma by trying to hide what you are. It isn't just you who you're helping by being seen; it is every partial and unusual person out there who society cruelly labels as a freak."
People like Mark. She doubted Violet knew about Mark, but Violet was unintentionally speaking about him. This made it about more than Jessia's anxieties; it made it about helping Mark not get unfairly judged when he finally started interacting with the outside world. Violet did seem to be honestly trying to help her out; maybe she should give it a try.
Jessica took a deep breath. "I'm not very familiar with setting up being in a documentary, hosting a public speaking event, or arranging to be interviewed. I'm going to need help with any of your suggestions. You play a major role in the university's public relations. Is there anything you can slot me into?"
Violet grinned broadly. "I don't have anything yet because I didn't know if you'd be amenable to that. What I have going right now is meant to promote others, and you shouldn't be stealing their thunder at events I booked for them. I'll look into options and get back to you next week. I promise I'll work out something specifically for you."
"Thanks," Jessica replied, then stood up. "If you'll excuse me. I have my masters class at six to teach, and I should prepare my materials."
Violet stood up as well. "Of course. It was good talking to you. I shall speak with you again next week. Oh-and I heard about your little stunt with your first class. Good concept, horrible execution. You should make them respect you; just make sure you don't break any rules to do so."
Jessica's ears flattened as she opened the door. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Do you know where my toothbrush is?" Rebecca asked as she paced the counter of the bathroom. "I don't know how I misplaced it."
"Are you sure you even unpacked it?" Russell asked from the bedroom. "Most of my things are still in the luggage from the last trip."
Rebecca tilted her head and considered. Nope, she hadn't unpacked it yet. That meant it was already packed and ready to go--one less thing to do. It also meant she hadn't brushed her teeth in the last few days. Her breath likely stank, and Russell hadn't said a thing about it! How much kissing had they done? She probably needed to unpack it just to brush her teeth and repack it. She couldn't be kissing her husband with stinky breath!
"Thank you, babe!" she called out as she hopped off the counter.
Russell came into the bathroom. "Are you sure you need to make this trip? Can't Phobia or whoever is the Warden of Order do it? I mean, Phobia can fly at least as well as you, if not better. She can cover plenty of ground."
Rebecca sighed and rubbed up against his leg. "We've talked about this. I'm the eyes and ears. When I'm projecting, they see and hear what I see and hear. It's like they're all there when I'm there. And my projecting covers a lot more ground than flying can. It's a city, but it is a really-really-reeeeaaallly big city-four times bigger than the whole Earth. Even with my projecting, I'd never be able to cover most of it in ten years-I'm not hanging around there that long."
"And you are sure you are going to be safe?" Russell asked worriedly.
"I'll be fine. People only go missing at Jeg'galla'gamp'pi when they wander off alone. That's why all the dragon people back in the day traveled in pairs. I'll have people watching my body the whole time," Rebecca said dismissively.
"And what about your projection?" Russell asked. "That's going to be wandering around alone."
"Eh, Triss has supposedly projected there before, and the city never ate her," she said, waving a wing.
"You aren't calming my nerves about this," Russell said. "You aren't even going to have Josie or Blanche with you to watch your back."
Rebecca sighed and looked back up at the bathroom counter. Russell saw her look, picked her up, and set her on the counter.
Now that she was high enough to look him in the eyes without straining her neck too much, she continued. "Luna will be there. She can protect me better than either of them. I know you're worried. This is a huge trip, but it's a trip that has been planned since before I even had a cutie mark. This needs to happen."
"What were they planning on doing back then?" Russell asked, crossing his arms. "They couldn't have predicted your projecting abilities."
Her ear flicked. "Likely bribed Josie to go and send Phobia with her. I cover both the Dreamwarden and projector jobs. I've got this, don't worry. I'll be home by Monday, safe and sound."
He still didn't seem to be placated. "If it is so safe, why don't I accompany you? I'm strong. I don't mind doing manual labor. I'm assuming you'll have at least some need for that."
She shook her head. "No! We know it is safe for me, but we have no idea how that place will react to someone without magic. The area is going to be supersaturated in thaumic energy. We know it is safe for magical beings, but I don't know what that would do to you. I'm not risking you."
"How it will react?"Russell asked in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
"It's sentient or sentientish, it's complicated. It has an awareness. It knows you are there. It watches. It reacts-kinda. You'd have to have visited to understand. It's like a ghost city, except you never actually run into the ghosts. You feel it in your bones," Rebecca explained.
Russell looked skeptical. "And this is worse for me than you; why?"
"And as far as I know, it has never encountered life that didn't have magic," Rebecca insisted, stomping on the counter. "It could react negatively, or the high saturation may alter you, or it might try to fix you. We don't want you getting magic. If you get magic, then I get into your head when we sleep. I don't want to see what you're thinking. I want you to share that with me of your choosing. It changes the entire dynamic of our relationship if me being a Dreamwarden has me dreamwardening you."
He breathed deeply. "Is that even a word, dreamwardening?"
"I said it; you understood the general meaning; that makes it a word," she asserted.
He looked up at the ceiling as if the roof could offer wisdom. "How about I at least accompany you to where you leave and wait for you there? Can I get that much?"
She blinked. "That's the farm...I'm not sure you would be comfortable waiting at the farm. The farm is kinda freaky. I'm used to it, but you might struggle with it."
He gave her a doubting look. "Hun, I'm married to you. I'm used to the strange and unusual. You have the market cornered. What could top that?"
She gave him a sheepish grin. "Um, zombies?"
He stared at her, "Zombies?"
She nodded. "Zombies. They're nice zombies, most of the time. Oh, and their necromancer can show you graphic ways you could die, but he only does that when he loses control. He's only killed one person with those visions."
"Are you trying to scare me off?" Russell asked.
"I'm not lying about the place," she insisted. "Even if it isn't dangerous, would you be comfortable waiting around in a place filled with the undead? It's horror movie stuff."
He smirked. "Last night, I dreamt the Queen of Hearts was sending each of her cards out as werewolves to steal playground equipment. That's about the same as zombie farmworkers. I can do horror movie stuff."
Rebecca tilted her head. "Why was the Queen of Hearts stealing playground equipment?"
"It unlocked the secrets of Atlantis," Russell answered. "So the kids started trying to rebuild their playground exactly how it had been, but the Three of Hearts and Ten of Hearts werewolves came back to stop them."
"Oh no!" Rebecca exclaimed. "Then what happened?"
"Then I woke up because the alarm went off," Russell concluded.
"Argh!" Rebecca said in disappointment. "That sucks. I wanted to know what happened. You have such cool dreams. I'm going to borrow that one for some kid and finish it. Kids can deal with scary stuff, especially when it allows them to be heroes."
Russell smiled. "So, since I bribed you with a dream, does that mean I can go to your zombie farm?"
She considered this. "We'll travel down there together, and if you can get along with Patches, you can wait for me at the farm."
"Who's Patches?" Russell asked.
Rebecca grinned. "She's a pony filly sewn together from multiple ponies with the mind of a creature from the primordial universe that used to live on the surface of a star."
Russell sighed. "Of course she is. I'll try to get along with Patches."
"Can you do one more thing for me?" Rebecca asked.
He nodded. "What you need?"
"Can you get my toothbrush out of my luggage? I need to brush my toofies."
A student raised a hand. "Doctor Middleton, I don't understand. If the two atomic clocks progress at different rates, doesn't that confirm relativity, which would also account for the observed photon speed change?"
"That is a good question," she replied. "I won't be answering it tonight because it is too long an explanation and because that is also a good segway into next week's discussion of how false closed functional systems work. I have uploaded several studies on the subject onto the campus server for our class. Please read them before next week's session. For a more in-depth study on the subject, Doctor Jefferson will be teaching a class on the subject in the spring-it is his specialty. Does anyone else have any other questions before we dismiss tonight?"
A unicorn raised a hoof. "I pay a lot of attention to the NASA message boards, and there's a lot of chatter about you finding something in space. What did you find, Doctor?"
I found out NASA needs to clamp down on what is being said on their message boards, she thought to herself. Still, this could be a chance to wrangle some more help.
"That is not relevant to our current discussion. If you wish to discuss that with me, stay after class, and we can discuss it then," she instructed. "Any other questions pertaining to what we discussed tonight?"
No one spoke up. A few of the students shook their heads. Hopefully, that meant they were understanding the material. Perhaps she should start doing quizzes at the end of each class to check-not this week or next week, but sometime after.
"Good, then class is dismissed," she announced. She then pointed at the unicorn. "You, follow me to my office."
She unhooked and picked up her laptop before heading out of the auditorium. A few students were still sitting around talking while others had already exited. The unicorn stallion apparently wasn't expecting her to go so quickly, and he had to gallop to catch up to her.
She glanced at him as he caught up. "I haven't learned any names yet. What's your name?"
"Saturn Ring, ma'am," he replied. She saw his flank was indeed a stylized picture of Saturn.
"With a name and mark like that, and you being on the NASA message boards, I assume you are interested primarily in astronomy," she said.
He nodded, lightly trotting to keep up with her pace. "Yes, ma'am."
It wasn't busy on campus at this hour. So, the halls were devoid of students, and she heard little activity near them. She should see if she could get all her classes at night next semester. She still put up a sound bubble to keep their conversation private.
"How well did you understand the math in today's lesson?" she asked.
"Very well, ma'am. I have studied all your work. Being in your class is something of a dream come true to me. I was going to see if I could transfer advisors to you," Saturn answered eagerly.
She wasn't advising any students at the moment and hadn't thought about it until Saturn brought it up. She was part-time, so that may be the reason they weren't assigning her students.
"You may speak to Dean Francis about that with my blessing," she said. "In regards to your question, I'm a little disturbed that it is even on the message boards, but that's not any fault of yours. I'll have words with someone about that. However, if you want further details, I'm seeking help on a project involving it."
Saturn let off an excited whinny. "I would be overjoyed to help, Doctor Middleton."
"There's an extreme time crunch involved," she warned. "I would need that help completed by tomorrow evening. I'm sure I'm not your only class, and you may have other obligations. I would also need you to keep this confidential. You can't talk about it with anyone I haven't pre-approved. This project is classified. In fact, if you agree, you might get a visit from one of Dreamwardens when you sleep tonight to seal you to secrecy."
"I can do that! I will end up missing a class, but it is just one. I can catch up on it. It is worth it to work on a big project with you," Saturn said with even more eagerness.
She nodded and held out her laptop. "Can you hold this with your magic for a minute? I need to make a call."
"Yes, ma'am!" Saturn said, grabbing the laptop with his aura.
She reached into her lab coat and pulled out her phone. Luckily, she had added the contact she needed yesterday.
"Hello? Can I ask who's calling?" the voice on the other end of the line answered in confusion.
"This is Doctor Middleton. Is this Orion Eclipse-Moon?"
A small gasp was barely audible on the other end of the line. "Doctor Middleton! Yes, it is! What can I do for you? Is something wrong with my test?"
She shook her head. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. As you might be aware, my test was a little more advanced than you might have been anticipating."
"I..." the young stallion hesitated for a moment. "Did I fail?"
"Far from it," Jessica answered. "You passed with flying colors."
"I did?!" Orion exclaimed, sounding almost surprised. "Well, that's great! I don't think I've ever had a professor call me about a test before... so uhh, I'm honored!"
"That's part of why I called you," she clarified. "As you might have noticed, some of those questions were well beyond anything I've taught. Actually, beyond anything I expected my students to be able to answer. You did well enough on those specific questions that I'd like to ask you about something significant."
"I...ask away!"
"I need you to understand that what I'm about to tell you is to be considered incredibly privileged information and will not under any circumstances be discussed with anyone. If you accept the offer I'm about to make, you'll most likely be formally sworn to secrecy by the Dreamwardens later today."
There were a few silent moments before she was given a response. "That's a big thing to drop right now... but if you're serious about this, I'd be a fool to say no. I've always been raised that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is... but I want to hear this out. So count me in, Doctor Middleton."
Jessica nodded. "This isn't something I'm offering lightly at all. I'm reaching out because you have an understanding of advanced astrophysics that I think could be a very valuable asset for a project I'm working on. If you accept, you're most likely going to be missing class tomorrow. If you can't afford to miss any or can't commit, then I understand."
"It's something to do with deep space, isn't it?" Orion asked.
"You're very bright," She smiled. "That's certainly a part of it, but I can't discuss everything over the phone. I do need an answer now, though. This project needs to be completed in the next twenty-four hours. Consider yesterday's test your semester final. With how you performed, you've secured an A."
The realization must have struck Orion because his voice suddenly took on a far more serious tone. "It's a lot to agree to right now, but I can't turn away from something like this, so I'm going to commit."
"Alright. I'm going to ask you something very strange, and I need you to treat this as professionally as possible. When this call is over, I will send you the address to my apartment, and I need you to come over as soon as possible-- at least within the next hour. This isn't a friendly get-together. This is going to be work, and it's going to be work with an incredibly tight crunch. I expect you'll be as professional as possible and not discuss anything with anyone. I'd like to brief you and another student on this work tonight, with the expectation that we can begin immediately."
"My mom's worked on some big projects for NASA; I know how tight those deadlines can be. Go ahead and send me your address, and I'll head over as soon as possible. My marefriend will probably ask me about this. What should I tell her?"
"Be honest. Tell her you've been offered an internship under your professor and that it's under a strict NDA. If she has any concerns or doubts, I can talk to her and explain as much as possible, but I can't give her any more than I've given you now."
"I understand, Doctor. I know she'll understand; her dad's worked for some important ponies in Equestria, and she's no stranger to being out of the loop on stuff like this."
"Good, I'll see you shortly."
She hung up the phone and quickly texted Orion the address to her apartment.
She then turned to Saturn and nodded. "Thank you for holding that. Are you free in an hour? I'd like to brief you both as soon as possible. I can give you a ride if you need one."
Saturn excitedly nodded his head. "Of course!"
Orion soared through the air, occasionally checking his gauntlet to ensure he was headed in the right direction. Doctor Middleton lived clear across town, which wasn't an unreasonable flight. However, lugging a backpack full of notes and electronics was not the most comfortable flight ever.
Come on, Orion, you should have shelled out a little more for the nice saddlebags, the stallion thought to himself.
Luckily, the apartment complex was close to the school, so it wasn't too difficult to spot once he reached the general area his GPS indicated. He came in for a landing and tried to locate the right building and apartment number.
"Here we go," he said to himself as he finally found the numbered door he was looking for. He could barely contain his excitement. What was the famous Doctor Middleton's apartment going to be like? Maybe it would be filled with strange scientific equipment and star charts on the walls, or perhaps it would be more standard and simply functional.
He rapped on the door with a hoof and was almost immediately answered by her voice.
"Orion Eclipse-Moon? Is that you?"
He looked around for an intercom but didn't see one. Oh, yeah, she had sound powers. She was projecting her voice. Maybe the entire apartment was one big sound dampener?
"Oh, Orion's fine. And Yes. I hurried over as fast as I could," he answered.
"Good. Saturn will get the door for you, and you two can introduce yourselves to one another while I finish getting the data together. There's a box of donuts out in the living room somewhere. You are free to eat those while you wait."
The door opened just enough for a pony to squeeze through, gripped by a light purple glow, and he found himself looking at a unicorn stallion. The stallion gestured with his horn to enter and backed away from the door. Orion squeezed through, tucking his wings tightly against himself as he did.
Well, he hadn't settled on what he was expecting, but this certainly wasn't it. Aside from some barren bookshelves against the wall and a tall floor lamp, the entire rest of the room was a cluttered mess of boxes, making it look like a poorly kept storage room of some retail store. He looked around for a couch, a stool, anything to sit on, but unless he wanted to risk the contents of whatever was in the boxes by sitting on them, there wasn't anything. There was the floor, but there wasn't much of that visible. Where those donuts were was a mystery.
The unicorn looked at him silently, but the look said it all. This was not what either of them were expecting.
"What's in all the boxes?" Orion asked, assuming Doctor Middleton could hear him in here if she heard him outside.
"Books, posters, star charts, family photos, odd little mementos," Doctor Middleton listed off. "I'm fairly certain my coffee maker and good coffee mugs are out there since I didn't find them in the kitchen boxes. It is the next thing on my list of things to find in that clutter. Sorry about the mess. I moved in just this Monday, and I've been too busy to unpack anything not essential."
Oh, that made sense. It didn't explain the lack of furniture, but it explained the mess. It was a little disappointing that it fell short of his expectations, and now a tiny bit of worry crept into his head that this might be a case of too good to be true with this project. He needed to see things through, though. It's still too early to make assumptions, he reminded himself.
His gauntlet dinged with a message, and he lifted it to check. He had a new email from Doctor Middleton, labeled as class test grade. He was tempted to check it, but it was impractical to read much more than quick text messages on its tiny screen. He would check on his computer later. He already knew he got an A.
Doctor Middleton walked into the room, carrying a pair of flash drives in one of her hands. "Orion, that email you just received has the class grades, an attachment with the completed test with all the correct answers, and a notice that class will be canceled for tomorrow. and students should review the attachment to see what they may have gotten wrong. I don't want you to worry about that. This project comes first. If either of you have any instructor who has an issue with you missing their class tomorrow, I'll write you a note and speak to one of the deans about it. I think anyone having issues with you missing a single day is ridiculous, but I've known some second-rate doctors who were too full of themself from my time in school."
"So, what's the big project?" Orion asked.
Doctor Middleton sat down on the floor, likely so she wouldn't tower over the pair of them so much. "There is an object in space, roughly the size of Neptune, that we need to calculate the current position of based on where we just observed it with the Starpiercer."
Wait, his mom had said she was doing some special project with the Starpiercer. Could this be related to that? The Starpircer was not designed for observing nearby stars. In fact, it was terrible at observing things nearby in the galaxy. It was designed specifically to observe things in extremely deep space, in other galaxies. This sounded like a planet, even though Doctor Middleton was vaguely saying object. Starpiercer had detected planets in other galaxies before and could tell some rough details about them. Why would they need to know about where it was now? Planets observed that far away existed billions upon billions of years ago. They might not even exist in the present.
"Due to how far away this is and how much conditions may have changed in its region, it is impossible to pinpoint an exact location. There are too many variables, and the nature of this object adds additional complications," Doctor Middleton continued. "I can assure you that the object still exists. As far as we are aware, it is effectively indestructible, hard as that is to believe. It had been observed orbiting in very close proximity to a star. We can safely assume that the star has gone through expansion and collapsed into a white dwarf in the past few billion years. If this is the case, one possibility is the object may have been expelled from its system. We need to create a chart of ranges for where it might have gone while still accounting for the expansion of space and movement of its galaxy, and we need to do it with extreme haste."
"Why?" Saturn asked. Orion was confused as well.
The doctor took a deep breath. "Because the Dreamwardens are mounting an expedition to it this weekend, along with Princess Luna, myself, and I'm unsure who else. Don't ask me why they are rushing the second we found it; I don't know. It is probable we will initially arrive in the wrong location. The less hunting we have to do after we arrive would be preferable. Yes, they do have the capability to reach it in that short period. Don't ask how because I don't know that either. I just believe them when they say they can. Dreamwardens don't lie."
This made some sense to Orion, even if it seemed like a long shot at best. While he physically comprehended what was being relayed to him, a part of his brain still expected this to all be an elaborate dream that he would wake up from any minute. Yet, here he was, standing in disbelief at the news that something this big would happen with no real time for him to prepare or even comprehend it. In a way, it was almost like he was a character in one of the fantastic bedtime stories his father had crafted for him as a foal... except it was actually happening this time. If there was one thing he was confident of, however, it was that his entire world would change in less than a day and perhaps even change the course of his destiny-everyone's destiny. Time would tell whether he was making the right choice or not.... |
Partial | Chapter 23: Dolls | Rebecca sat looking at the young chocolate-colored earth pony colt, who was deep in meditation. The cream-colored earth pony, Ulga, sat looking at nothing because she couldn't look at anything because she was blind. Patches sat staring in fascination at Russell. Russell stood in a corner, trying not to stare at Patches or the dead man lying on the floor.
"Moses needs his sleep," Ulga insisted again, staring dead ahead with her milky-white eyes. "It isn't a school night, but he still should not stay up so late."
"Well, if Sha'am wasn't so difficult, we'd already be done," Rebecca replied, trying not to show how frustrated she was. Seriously, Sha'am Maut was the most infuriatingly stubborn dead person ever.
"Ayedunno doesn't like being woken. They may not come out. Let Moses go to bed," Ulga continued to insist.
Russell gave Patches a nervous glance and quickly turned away from the eldritch horror. "I don't mean to be rude, but does she have to stare like that?"
Rebecca looked at the pair. "She thinks you're interesting. She doesn't get to see that many new living people. It's not like she wants to eat you. Her digestive tract doesn't work."
"We throw up when we try to eat. It's funny," Patches giggled.
Ulga's ears flattened briefly. "Please, do not give her ideas. She is a happy child, but she is extremely open to suggestions and has almost no concept of right and wrong."
Russell shifted his feet nervously. "What does she understand is wrong?"
Ulga tilted her head, still staring straight ahead at a wall. "She understands making people unhappy is wrong. She, like all the others, is also very protective of Moses. They all exist to protect Moses."
Patches suddenly snarled, making Russell jump. "They are going to hurt us??"
"No, child, they are not going to hurt Moses," Ulga assured her.
Patches immediately stopped snarling and giggled. "Okay. Can we play now?"
Rebecca smiled at the terror. "Russell might play with you later. How about you draw us a picture on some paper? You draw such interesting pictures."
Patches hopped in a circle. "Draw! Draw! Draw! We will draw!" She then ran past the dead man like he was of no concern and started pulling crayons down from a low table. After that, she looked around and gave another happy jump as she found a sheet of paper. Patches picked the paper up proudly in her exposed teeth, carried it to the floor next to the crayons, then plopped down on the ground and started drawing.
"See, babe, Patches is very easy to please. She just wants to be happy and have everyone happy with her," Rebecca told her husband. "Just try not to seem angry or scared with her. That is you being unhappy with her, and that makes her confused and upset. She is a very simple creature and won't understand why you aren't happy, no matter how hard you try to explain. Her emotional range is very limited, and her ability to think abstractly is even more limited. Just be pleasant with her, give her simple tasks, and play simple games. Do those things, and everything will be fine."
Both Moses and the dead body suddenly stirred. Russell jumped and backed away from the body as it rolled over to get into a position to push itself up. Ulga was not concerned with the waking dead and instead turned one ear back.
"Alright, you have done as the Dreamwarden requested. Now it's time for bed," Ulga instructed.
"But, Muma-" Moses whined.
Ulga shook her head. "No, but, Muma, me. It is far too late an hour. You should have long ago been asleep. Colts need their sleep. If this were the old country, you would have been in bed just after sundown. If you don't get proper sleep, you won't grow big and strong."
The dead body sat up. "We should listen to her, child. She cares for us and wants what's best. We will be bored with the grown-up conversation anyway."
Patches looked up from her drawing. "No, we won't! Grown-ups talk funny."
The recent cadaver gave Patches a look. "We think the drawing should continue downstairs so as not to distract the grown-ups and make them unhappy. Draw us the bird on the table downstairs so the grown-ups may be happy."
"Birdie!" Patches exclaimed, then gathered up her drawing and one of the crayons in her mouth before trotting out of the room. Rebecca noticed that the picture was just a bunch of random lines and scribbles on the paper, but that was what Patches typically drew when not instructed to draw something in particular.
Moses was still pouting. "Can I get some milk and cookies first, please, Muma?"
Ulga considered for a moment. "You may, but only one glass and one cookie, and then straight to bed, and don't stop to play with Patches or any of your others."
Moses stood up and nodded. "Okay. One cookie and milk, and I won't stop to play with us." He then hurried past them in the direction Patches had a few seconds prior.
The risen cadaver looked at Ulga. "We are going to disobey and play. Do not be too harsh on us for our transgression. It is difficult for children to sit still for so long, and you have had the current incarnation sit very long, trying to stir us. Kids shall be kids."
Ulga sighed. "I shall be kind but firm, but he needs to learn to listen to me. If you will excuse me, I must check on him." She turned and walked out of the room, not needing to see where she was going because she knew the house well.
Rebecca waited for the sound of Ulga's hooves going down the stairs before she addressed Sha'am. "Sorry, we couldn't find you a night pony mare. I don't know why the easiest bodies to find are human men."
Sha'am shrugged. "We have lived as untold numbers of creatures, male, female, and neither. While we're sympathetic to the distress Arbiter, Phobia, and others like them experienced in their youths and believe it could be debilitating based on similar experiences in a tiny minority of our lives, we are now beyond such concerns for ourselves. We have experienced far greater miseries, and our sense of self is far more involved after all the lives we have experienced. We are not merely Sha'am Maut; we are the reflection of the lives of an unfathomable number of the dead stretching back to the infancy of our universe. You cannot comprehend us. Now, did you do as we asked?"
Might as well get to it. "We have our agents doing what you wish, but Jessie should already have the general location of Jeg'galla'gamp'pi. Can we please have the map?"
Sha'am sighed and stood up. "Very well, but do not wake us again anytime soon. We wish to sleep. We do not want our mind troubled by the affairs of Dreamwardens and the foolish choices you who followed after us are making. We have served our time. We deserve our slumber. That colt is our last incarnation, our final lifetime. When this incarnation passes, we will finally be truly dead at last. We have lived too many lives. We long for the grave. May the colt live a happy life; it shall be but one drop in the sea of what we have been. Let the last drop be a good one, free from worry."
"Foolish choices?" Russell asked in confusion.
"Sha'am disagrees with how we do things in general, and she hates Jeg'galla'gamp'pi," Rebecca explained as Sha'am's current body walked over to grab some paper and one of the crayons. "She's also the only one who can remember the geography of it and can draw a map telling us the ideal place to land."
"That place has only ever brought us misery," Sha'am stated as they grabbed a sheet of paper and bent down to grab a crayon. "It should be left forgotten. Nothing there can aid the world against the Devourers. If it could save anyone from them, it would have done so back then. You waste your time, and more importantly, you waste the time of those you seek to protect by obsessing over it. We only give you this so you can learn how foolish it was to trust in the first and last place for anything."
Rebecca frowned at the once-dreaded Warden of Death. "Do you and all your unfathomless knowledge know for sure there is nothing worthwhile there? If you've got some extra knowledge about Jeg'galla'gamp'pi, other than safe landing areas, feel free to share."
Sha'am grimaced. "It is beyond our knowledge, so we cannot say for sure, but all previous interactions indicate we are right."
"We are going to leave no stone unturned as we search for ways of overcoming the Devourers once and for all," Rebecca replied. "I don't want to be disrespectful, but your plan to defeat them went terribly. You shouldn't be so critical of ours."
"Our plan was a good plan," Sha'am countered as they began drawing. "It just didn't have the time it needed, and unforeseen circumstances derailed our work. It could still work if there were time. It could end the Devourer threat forever. What does your plan give that our plan did not?"
"Not potentially destroying our world with our own weapon?" Rebecca suggested. "It may just be me, but I kinda like not having made something that could end all life."
"A worthwhile risk if it meant taking out the Devourers forever. Life would rise again, as it always does, only then free from their doom," Sha'am said calmly. "But these things are beyond our concerns now. Do as you see fit. We have but one request. The current incarnation, Moses, must never be Dreamwarden. We know Phobia desires it, but it risks taking away our final demise. Tell her to abandon her plans to make our current incarnation a candidate. If she goes through with it, we shall slit our throat ourselves to save us. We do not wish to do so, but if the risk of returning to the eternal dream is there, then it is the kindest thing we can do. We have come to hate Joss less and sympathize with him more as time passes."
Russell bent down and whispered in Rebecca's ears. "You have some unpleasant friends."
Rebecca couldn't help but agree, although calling Sha'am Maut a friend would be a huge stretch. She looked at the once Dreamwarden and nodded. "I'll let Phobia know what you said. However, you could just talk to Moses and tell him how you feel. No one can become Dreamwarden without accepting the position. If he says no, that saves the whole throat-slitting thing. Nobody wants throat-slitting. I don't think the other yous would let you get away with that anyway, so it would be this huge hassle and load of work that is best to avoid. It would also kinda negate all the effort you went through to get him and Ulga safely out of that war zone. Getting shot up so you looked like Swiss cheese should count for something, right? Even if it was just another body to you."
Sha'am nodded. "You are quite right, and we do wish my current incarnation a long, fulfilling life. We still mean it about not allowing us to be Dreamwarden again, no matter what steps must be taken."
"After all this, you need to explain what the hell this is all about because I'm so confused and more than a little horrified," Russell whispered to her.
"Sha'am is Moses; they all are Moses," Rebecca whispered back. "Sha'am wants to be not just dead but dead-dead for good. If Moses becomes a Dreamwarden, there's a tiny chance, just like me, that he could end up like Arbiter, Ghadab, or Yinyu-a permanent undead fixture in the dream realm. That would mean Sha'am can't be dead-dead, and the only way out is the eternal dream. She's done that once; she doesn't want to do it again. Her getting out of the eternal dream is how we ended up with a necromancer kid and all these zombies. All the zombies are reflections of the lives Sha'am lived in the eternal dream. They aren't the actual souls of those dead people; they are like copies of them from what Sha'am relived, like living through a recording of every second of someone else's life and experiencing every sensation and emotion they felt. Sha'am is the only real soul out of the bunch, the only one who isn't some sentient copy, and she shares her soul with Moses."
"So the little corpse filly doesn't have a real soul; she's like someone downloaded a perfect copy of someone else's soul and stuck it in there?" Russell asked.
"Well, it is Moses-slash-Sha'am's soul in the zombies, but all the memories and personalities are copies that came from someplace else. They think of themselves as Moses and those people that he's copying the memories of, but they're just Moses-well, Moses and Sha'am, but same thing,'' Rebecca explained. "Does that make sense?"
They watched Sha'am continue to draw the map. "And why is she so interested in this mission that you sent Blanche and Josie on?"
Rebecca shrugged. "She experienced a lot of lives before Moses was born. Most of those lives happened a long-long time ago, often in a galaxy far away, but one of those lives was a partial that lived very recently and experienced some nasty things happening to them. Even if it wasn't really her, she experienced all that stuff, and she wants justice for that life and the others still suffering."
Sha'am finished the map and disinterestedly tossed it over to Rebecca. Sha'am then abruptly collapsed to the floor and stayed unmoving.
Rebecca snorted. "Not even a goodbye. She just abandoned the body. The least she could have done was walk it back to the freezer. That was so rude, and she always made a fuss about everyone treating her with proper manners when she was alive! Yet, now, she has no desire for much at all, just her end. We are very different in our natures, but at least we once shared the same end goals. Now, we share nothing. She is the walking dead in more ways than one. She makes me so peeved!"
Russell brushed his fingers through her mane. "You inherited things from her when you became a Dreamwarden. It's like she's in your DNA, your family. You're not angry at her. Your family member is fading away, and you don't know how to stop it, and that makes you angry. All your power as a Dreamwarden, and you're helpless to help her."
She leaned her head into him. "How do you get into my head so well? I'm the one who gets in others' heads as they sleep."
"I'm your husband. I may never know everything about you, but I know enough. I don't need no fancy magic for that," he answered, giving her a snuggle.
She looked at her husband and batted her eyes at him. "Russell, honey, can you help the zombies get this body into storage? Pretty please?"
He kissed her before standing up. "Let me help move this body. I promise to show it more respect than its last inhabitant did."
She watched him leave to go round up some help. There was dancing to do. Russell would understand.
Something caught her attention, and her gaze flicked over to an ancient yet familiar-looking sackcloth doll with black button eyes sitting on the far side of the room, past the crumpled body. It seemed to be staring at her, eyes incapable of blinking. Somehow, she knew it knew everything her sweet Russell did not--all the things she would never let her husband know.
"So, you still judge others. There is some life left in you," she said to the doll, smiling with satisfaction.
The doll, being a doll, said nothing. It was incapable of doing so. Its mouth was mere yarn, ragged with age. She glanced away to the door for an instant to check that no one was there, and when she glanced back, the doll was gone.
It wasn't perfect, but it would do; at least, she hoped it would.
Jessica stared at her computer screen, trying to find anything that had been missed. There had to be things that were missed with how quickly this had been thrown together. She rechecked the calculations on universal expansion. She double-checked neighboring galaxies to make sure their gravity had correctly been accounted for when making the trajectory for the galaxy's rotation. She did the same for the nearby star systems close to the original star system to determine any that might have been missed that might have hooked the target when it went rogue. She triple-checked the mass that should remain after the star exhausted itself and collapsed into a white dwarf.
There'd been a few minor errors in her students' mathematical equations, nothing she couldn't quickly fix and adjust the projection with. The core of what they had done was right; it was a few missed numbers. Adam's information seemed spotless. There was nothing she could find wrong with her own, and Adam had also checked her work because she was not so vain as to believe she was incapable of making a mistake, especially with the rush she had done this.
This was the best that could be done in a mere day.
She picked up her phone and autodialed.
"Hello, Wallace speaking. You have reached the residence of the Warden of Fear, Phobia Remedy. Prank callers will face the consequences. Who is calling, and how may I help you?"
She blinked. "Wallace? Who the heck are you?"
"I'm the personal bodyguard of Phobia Remedy," Wallace said proudly.
"Tempest and Crystal are the bodyguards," Jessica said flatly. "I've never heard of you."
He loudly snorted in annoyance. "They aren't currently here, and both are considering retiring soon. Tempest personally trained me to take up the duty of guarding the Dreamwarden when they retire. Now, who the heck are you?"
She didn't care for this overly proud bodyguard. "I'm Doctor Jessica Middleton. Phobia should be expecting a call from me. Tell her I'm calling."
"You're Doctor Middleton?" Wallace asked skeptically. "I expected someone who sounded smarter."
She narrowed her eyes. "Sounded smarter? How does someone sound smart?"
"I dunno. I guess, uses a lot of big words I don't know."
She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "That isn't sounding smart; that is sounding like a puffed-up arrogant asshole who wants to seem smarter than those around them because their ego demands it. Please, tell Phobia I'm on the phone."
"I need some proof," Wallace said defiantly.
She didn't have time for this prick. She focused her powers through the phone, letting the electronics enhance them.
"PHOBIA! I'M ON THE PHONE, AND YOUR ROOKIE BODYGUARD IS ANNOYING ME!" she shouted to Phobia's household.
"Uhhh...." Wallace said dumbly.
"Wallace, let me take that call," Rosetta said.
There was the sound of some shifting around.
"¡LA MADRE QUE TE PARIÓ!"
Jessica flinched in pain and flattened her ears at the scream and the string of Spanish explicatives that followed.
She waited for her first opportunity to cut in and took it when Rosetta finally needed to breathe. "Sorry, Rosetta!"
Rosetta stopped her cursing rant. "Sorry? You frightened my wife with your outburst! She was doing one of her short naps, and you woke her up. I should take a plane over there, find you while you sleep, and scream in a bullhorn beside your ear! ILTAM ZOMGHA LACHOPTI ILATEN-" Rosetta continued to yell. Jessica had no idea what language it was or what was being said, but the tone and volume indicated it was still a string of insults.
The angry night pony suddenly went silent, and there was more shuffling around.
"Jessie, please don't yell over the phone like that again," Phobia said. "Wallace, please go brew Rosetta some soothing tea."
"What language was she yelling at me in?" Jessica asked.
"I haven't a clue-something ancient and very dead," Phobia answered.
"YOU SOLD ME BAD COPPER!" Rosetta yelled in English, adding to the general confusion.
Phobia sighed. "I don't even know, so don't ask. It is likely some long-lost insult she read somewhere. Let's move on. Do you have the information we require?"
"I'm confident I know the general region," Jessica answered. "I'll have all the information saved on a flash drive momentarily. What is the next step?"
"Gather your laptop, the flash drive, a few changes in clothes, a blanket and pillow, perhaps that bunny or teddy bear you used to sleep with and go to Wabash Manor. Call me again once you arrive."
"Why do I need Bunna or Mister Do?" Jessica asked in confusion.
"When faced with the unfathomable, it can be nice to have something familiar to hold on to, a totem, as it were. Stuffed animals we sleep with from childhood into adulthood are very potent totems-not in any magical sense, but in an emotional sense. People underestimate how powerful a soothing object from our youth can be. Foals don't defeat my nightmares with magic; they often banish them with teddy bears, action figures, and dollies. I'm the monster under the bed and in the closet; take it from me that toys are powerful."
Jessica shook her head in disbelief. "I'm not a child trying to banish monsters in the closet."
"You are going to Jeg'galla'gamp'pi; the shadows in every window and street will be watching you. Take your totems," Phobia instructed. "Be quick. I shall await your call."
"Jeg-what?" Jessica asked, but the line disconnected.
Windows and streets sounded like they would be going somewhere civilized, or whatever counted as civilized out in another galaxy. Her ears perked as she realized this had to be a planet with an alien civilization. She wouldn't be just the first human to travel beyond the galaxy; she would be the first human to set foot in an alien civilization. Well, technically, Equestria counted as an alien civilization on another world, but that was in another universe that was practically joined at the hip with Earth. This was farther away, someplace that had been around since most of the stars that would die and give birth to the Sun were still young.
And her ears fell as she reminded herself, once again, that no one would know.
With a sigh, she started autodialing again.
It picked up immediately after the first ring. "Jessie! What's up!" Jordan exclaimed. "Want me to come over and make dinner again? I am a pretty good cook, and, forgive me for saying this, I've attempted to eat what you cook. Feeding that to someone counts as cruel and unusual punishment."
Jessica rolled her eyes. Sure, her food was often blackened and crispy, but it wasn't that bad.
"I was calling to say I was going to come over there," she answered.
"That works, too!" Jordan replied. "Maybe you can help me with-"
Jessica cut her off. "Sorry, it's not a social visit. I'm going there to be picked up by someone else. I'm going out of town for a few days. Would it be an issue if I left my car there over the weekend?"
"Oh," Jordan replied, sounding disappointed. "Yeah, you can leave your car here. When are you coming over?"
She walked over to her dresser and opened a drawer. "As soon as I get my luggage together. It shouldn't take long. Let's say more than an hour from now but less than two."
"That might be pretty late if it ends up being two hours, but I'll wait up for you. The auction is late tomorrow, so I can sleep in. I'll tell Andrea to tell the guards to expect you. I guess I'll see you when you get here," Jordan replied.
"Thanks, Jor. See you soon," Jessica said with a smile, then ended the call.
Okay, it was going to be a three-day trip, she should bring three days of clothes. Phobia hadn't said anything about packing for hot or cold weather. She was already planning shorts and t-shirts for her regular clothes, but she added a heavy jacket with a hood, just in case. There could be gasses, so adding a facemask was a good idea. Instead of her regular shoes, she'd go with the hiking boots her dad had gotten her last Christmas with the subtle hint he wanted to go hiking with her-something she'd never gotten around to. They were the best option if the terrain was uneven or wet. Luna could protect them from most things, including the environment, but it was still best to be prepared.
Her blanket she wrapped around her pillow, and she would just have to carry the bundle like that. If they were going any distance from the ship, it would need to be left behind, but that was something she'd worry about later. Finishing up, she gathered together her laptop, flash drive, a few feminine care products, some medical gaze, and despite thinking it was silly, added Bunna to her pack-after giving the beat-up plush bunny a little squeeze.
Phobia hadn't said anything about food, and there wasn't any room for it anyway. She had to assume that the ship would be carrying supplies to eat and drink. Rebecca was also going on this trip, and the idea of Rebecca not ensuring there was lots of food available was laughable. Still, she'd ask Luna about it before leaving Wabash, and if Luna was uncertain, she'd raid Jordan's kitchen. Jordan would understand and probably insist on it.
It was too late in the evening to give Mark a call. If they waited till morning to leave, she would give him one last call before going. She'd call her parents and her brothers tonight. The Dreamwardens indicated this trip would be safe, but they hadn't said it outright. That left a lingering sense of apprehension. She couldn't go without speaking to her family one last time.
Her heart started beating faster, and everything's volume began increasing. The full weight of what she was about to do was sinking in. The apprehension grew as she considered how many things could go wrong. A new star could have formed in the area, and they could teleport straight into it. The Devourers had once devastated that region; could they still have remnant forces in the area, waiting for any bold enough to return? What would that much thaumic saturation do to her? Was it deadly? How tested was this ship the Dreamwardens had made? She never learned the full details, and most weren't aware, but it was a Dreamwarden device that had brought about the Cataclysm of Riverview, not something sunset Blessing had dreamed up. Their technology could go terribly wrong. That ship could explode, leave them stranded in deep space, burn up upon entry to where they were going, or crash. So many things could go wrong, and she would never see anyone she cared about again.
She heard laughter from nearby apartments. Sounds of conversations and television programs blended with the sounds of air conditioners and bodily functions. Flies, mosquitoes, and the buzzing of other insects joined with the chirps of birds in a deafening chorus. It all blended together in a high-pitched roar, and as that roar grew, she heard yells of pain and dismay as her control slipped, and all within her range began to hear it, too.
Control, she had to reestablish control. If she didn't, she was going to hurt someone.
A big white blob waved in front of her face, and she jumped back. An even bigger white blob with a frowny face was floating before her. It pointed at her luggage as words appeared written in place of its face.
Totem
She dug into her luggage, tears in her eyes, and pulled out Bunna and instantly pulled the bunny into a tight hug. The sound in her ears was still deafening, but she could tell it ceased to be deafening for everyone else in her range. She sat on the floor with the toy held tightly in her grip as she focused on calming down. Slowly, in what seemed to drag on forever, sound returned to normal. She looked up to see the blob looking down at her worriedly.
"If you can hear me, I'll be right back-got to give some vague explanation to your neighbors. I'm sure that freaked them out," Rebecca said, then vanished.
A few minutes passed. Her heartrate and breathing returned to normal, but she stayed where she was, waiting for Rebecca to return with news of how much trouble she was in.
Finally, a muscular raven-haired woman in a business suit, lacking heartbeat or breathing, sat down beside her.
"If you are worrying you damaged anyone's hearing, you can stop. Everyone is fine. A few people have a minor headache. I informed them that someone working with the Dreamwardens had a magical mishap and that the OMMR will compensate them for the distress caused in exchange for an NDA. Jonathan is going to be unhappy with me for throwing around the OMMR's money like that, but I felt like it was the easiest way to settle this quickly. I never told them or implied it was you. Most people are aware of your listening powers with sound, but your ability to weaponize it is lesser known. I'd avoid talking about that if I were you if you plan to engage with the public more."
Jessica sighed with relief. "Thank you for taking care of that. I just moved into this apartment. I don't want to get kicked out, or worse, get charged with magical assault."
"Yeah, that would be poopie," Rebecca agreed.
"How did you know holding Bunna would calm me down?" Jessica asked.
Rebecca laughed. "Phobia knows a thing or two when she talks about the power of toys and dolls. Honestly, my mind had been on a different doll a few minutes ago, so thinking about stuff like that was fresh in my mind, and that's where it went when trying to figure out how to help you. I mean, I couldn't shout at you. Trying to do something humorous might have come off as me trying to make fun of you, and that would make things worse. I might have gone mirror mode and let Arbiter try something, but my mind went to the toy first, so that's what I tried first. I was ready to try other things if it didn't work."
Jessica's eyes narrowed. "And why were you here to start with."
"I had just finished securing an important asset for our trip and was making sure there weren't any last-minute issues with anything else," Rebecca answered. "It might have been decided for me that I was going to head this mission, but I am heading it, and it means it is up to me to check all my boxes and dot all my i's/so nothing jeopardizes the mission or those going on this trip. I know I avoid coming off as too serious. Seeming super serious isn't very fun, but that doesn't mean I'm not. This mission is a big deal. I have to treat it as such."
"I suppose that makes sense. I appreciate that you are taking it seriously," Jessica replied.
Rebecca nodded. "Now, talk to me, not as the Dreamwarden watching your every move and micromanaging this mission, but as your friend who cares about you. Tell me your worries and anxieties; talking about them helps. Luna can wait an extra few minutes to get you. She'll understand." |
Partial | Chapter 24: Breaking Bread with an Alicorn and Zombies | Jessica awoke and was greeted by a rictus smile of exposed bone.
"YAH!" she yelled as she fell out of the bed.
Someone was hopping around, hoofs hitting the wooden floorboards. "We can do that, too! Yarrr! Yarrr! Yarrr! We're a pirate!"
"Patches! No jumping inside the house! And leave our guest alone! She's not familiar with you! Please, play outside. It is a nice day out today."
The hoofsteps retreated from the room so fast that Jessica barely caught sight of the retreating pony. Something seemed off, but she was too unfocused to tell what. Hooves echoed down the stairs and out the farmhouse's front door. The pony, a filly by the sounds of it, giggled and made pirate sounds the entire way. The sound abruptly vanished as the filly got further out into the crops and out of range of Jessica's powers.
"Weird kid," Jessica muttered as she stood up.
The earth pony mare that had greeted her and Luna upon their arrival last night stepped into the doorway, ears flickering. The daylight did not make her eyes any less unsettling, and Jessica tried not to stare at them, telling herself that staring would be rude, even if the mare couldn't see.
"I hear you moving around, miss," the mare said. "I hope Patches didn't give you too much of a fright. The foal is curious about unfamiliar people and is rambunctious. She means no harm."
Jessica smiled. "I'm okay. I didn't expect to wake up to a filly in a weird mask staring down at me."
"A mask?" the mare asked in confusion. "Patches doesn't have a mask. Although, that could be an interesting idea. I'm told her face is very unpleasant to look at-a horrible disfigurement, although I can only take the words of others on that. Perhaps one of the workers can make her a mask. She would enjoy that."
Jessica went wide-eyed. "Oh, no! I'm very sorry. I didn't know. That was very insensitive of me. I should go apologize to her."
The mare didn't blink. "That won't be necessary. Patches doesn't take offense to anything. She is nearly imperturbable. As long as you're happy, she's happy."
"If you're sure," Jessica said with uncertainty. She'd have expected the mare to be more protective of the filly.
The mare gave a short nod. "I'm sure. Just don't be afraid if you see her again, and don't show anger at her. It can take her time to figure out you're scared or angry, but that is what upsets her. Don't run, don't scream, don't cry and point; just smile and tell her that she's a special filly."
Now, she felt awful. She worried about people treating her as a freak, and this poor little filly had some sort of disfigurement that was so bad it scared others. She resolved that she would take time to talk to the filly and be nice to her if she saw the filly wandering around.
"I came to tell you that the workers are preparing breakfast for you and your companions and will be setting the table in front of the house," the mare continued. "We get few guests to the farm. Our dining room is adequate for my son and me, and perhaps a single guest, but to sit so many guests, we needed to do something different. To have a Dreamwarden, her husband, a princess of Equestria, you, and these army officers, even if your stay will be brief, we had to do a great meal for you. It would be disrespectful otherwise."
"Thank you. I'll be down as soon as I shower," Jessica replied.
The mare's ears twitched again. "The water may be cold. You are the last of your companions to rise, and the water heater for the house is not made to accommodate so much usage. The Dreamwarden and her husband were in it for a long time."
Her ears sagged. She wasn't in the mood for an ice-cold shower. She had showered just yesterday morning, so it wasn't that urgent. However, it might be Monday before she got another chance to do so. They were supposed to be leaving around noon.
"Thanks for letting me know. I'll just brush my teeth and head down," she said.
The mare nodded. "Take your time. They are still setting up." The old earth pony then turned and walked away at a normal pace, not seeming to need any care in walking around the house blind. She likely knew the hallways and rooms by heart, and smell and hearing helped keep her aware of what was happening around her. Given how much the mare relied on her hearing, it was probably second only to Jessica's acuteness out of everyone on the property.
It wasn't until the mare departed that Jessica realized she hadn't asked where the bathroom was. Last night, she had been quickly ushered to her room with a warning to keep the noise down so as not to wake the old mare's son and had seen little of the property in the dark. She could narrow in on the sounds of dripping water, but that wasn't always reliable since there were plenty of houses with minor leaks in the plumbing or condensation in air conditioner vents. Maybe it would be obvious, or someone was up and about who could point her at it. She had seen several workers on the property outside the house when she arrived. Did they live on the farm as well? She'd seen only some other barns and a silo when arriving, but other buildings could be hidden behind treelines. If so, maybe they had a separate bathroom somewhere.
She gathered up her bathroom pouch from her luggage and left the room, almost instantly running into Rebecca's husband, who, luckily, seemed to be exiting the bathroom.
He smiled at her. "I heard Patches gave you a wake-up call. You have stronger nerves than me. If I woke up to that filly staring at me, I would have shit my pants. I locked our bedroom door last night because I don't think that kid sleeps, and I didn't want any visitation at three in the morning. She seems harmless unless you threaten the old mare's kid, but she's still creepy as hell."
Jessica's ears flattened. "It's not nice to talk about a kid that way. I didn't get a good look at her, but she is still just a kid."
Russell blinked at her. "You do know what she is, right?"
"All I know is she's a kid with a disfigurement. That's no fault of hers," Jessica said sternly.
"They haven't told you," Russell said in amazement
"Told me what?" she asked, losing patience.
He shook his head. "If they didn't let you in on what's up, I ain't blabbing. Probably best not to know. She can be sweet, I guess, and she ain't the only freaky thing here. I recommend not trying to figure out what you're looking at if you do get a good look at her, and don't go asking too many questions about anything here. There's a wrongness to this place you don't want to know the truth about. You'll sleep easier not knowing."
Rebecca came out of a nearby room and waved her wings at her husband as she approached him. "Babe! Why are you trying to scare Jess like that? I knew this place was going to be too much for you. Are you sure you don't want to wait somewhere in town? Phobia has an extra room she can let you stay in for free if you want. She'll know right away when we come back. You don't have to stay here and prove your bravery."
He shook his head again. "I can deal with this place. I'll even play some games with Patches to keep her busy and happy. I'm just locking my door at night."
Rebecca sighed. "I don't like you being uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable dealing with this stuff before I became a Dreamwarden. I know how it has to get to you."
"I'll be fine," Russell insisted
"What's so bad about this place and the kid?" Jessica asked in frustration.
Rebecca waved a hoof. "Don't worry about it. We're leaving in a few hours and won't return until Sunday. You won't ever have to visit here again. Your nerves have been frayed enough lately without knowing what this place is about. The only reason I told my honey about it was he was insisting on waiting here and spending a night and a few hours here is a whole lot different than four days. Hurry up and do what you've got to do, and then eat breakfast with us. It's all fresh farm produce-good stuff. I think Ulga even baked us some biscuits-yummy-yummy biscuits.
"Do you ever not have your mind on food, Rebecca?" Jessica asked.
"More than I'd like," Rebecca answered. She then turned and trotted away. "Come on; the food on the trip won't be this good!"
Russell shrugged and followed his wife. Jessica rolled her eyes and went into the bathroom.
It took a few minutes to finish in the bathroom, mainly because she took time to scrub a few areas with a washcloth. Just because she couldn't shower didn't mean she couldn't clean some critical spots. Who knew if she'd be able to clean herself over the next few days properly?
She made her way downstairs and wondered who was the taxidermy fanatic that filled every room and hall with their work. It seemed like a strange hobby for Ulga since she was blind. Ulga's son was only eight, so he seemed unlikely to be the taxidermist, especially on the scale seen around the house. It was an odd hobby for ponies in general since ponies tended to be much more leery of killing an animal, and the buck heads were a sign someone was hunting. It wasn't that they never killed an animal, but that was always for butchering meat to sell to humans, providing food for a carnivorous pet, or the rare mercy kill when an animal was suffering. Ponies never killed for sport. It must be one of the human farmhands.
She stepped outside and immediately saw a large table had been set out. Present was Luna, three uniformed army officers-one human, one pegasus, and one earth pony, Rebecca, Russell, Phobia Remedy, Rosetta Stone, another unfamiliar earth pony stallion, Ulga, and four human farm workers who were setting the table.
Having eight unfamiliar people about did give her a moment of hesitation, but it was only brief. There was something else odd that she couldn't quite place. Luna seemed to be watching the farm workers with intense scrutiny and was frowning. The human officer was making a show of not looking at anyone and sitting up straight in his seat. The two pony officers seemed taken aback at sharing a table with an alicorn princess. The non-officer stallion was glaring at any farm worker that dared walk near Phobia Remedy; that meant he must be Wallace. Rebecca was ogling all the food as her husband started filling her plate. Phobia and Rosetta were whispering with one another about what farm life must be like. Ulga seemed to be listening in on their conversation by the angle of her ears. The farm workers set out food and prepared Ulga's plate silently, not giving anyone so much as a glance.
Then she realized what was off. The farm workers were too silent. There was no heart beating, no breathing, and barely any sounds that bodies typically had. Were they androids? That didn't seem to fit either. There were no electronic or mechanical sounds. They weren't illusions or projections. Illusions and projections couldn't touch anything, the food they were setting out was authentic, and she heard their feet as they took steps and their hands making contact with plates and bowls. Perhaps they were some sort of magical golems. She'd heard Auntie Sunset propose making magical golems once as a theory. Luna must have picked up on their strangeness as well; that would explain the look she was giving them. It would make for a perfect workforce that could keep secrets. It would also explain the secrecy about this place. Who was controlling them? Ulga seemed the likely culprit-the elderly earth pony had all the typical bodily functions going on, and she did seem to run the farm.
That made her feel a little more at ease. If the farm workers were merely constructs, they wouldn't be judging her. She went and took a seat between the two Dreamwardens and across from Luna.
Luna pulled her gaze away from the constructs to look at her and smile. "Jessica Middleton, it has been nearly a decade since I have seen you. Your physical maturation seems to have gone very well in that time."
She smiled back. "Thank you. I'd like to think my mental and emotional maturation has gone equally well. How goes babysitting retired Dreamwardens?"
Luna sighed. "Psychic Calm operates a mental health therapy practice and does well for himself. However, Krik is what people in your world would call quite the character even in his waning years. He has a filthy sense of humor and tries to keep active. His mind is as nimble as ever, even if his body is not. I do not expect him to reach the same age Sha'am had when she expired, but I hope he has a few happy years left. We are anticipating the Warden of Order joining us in Equestria soon. That should be interesting."
Rebecca looked up and leaned over to look at Phobia. "Hey! Phobia! I forgot to tell you. Sha'am said that Moses is off limits for being a Dreamwarden. She said if you try it, she'll slit his throat first. I don't think she's bluffing."
Everyone stopped and stared except for Phobia, who grimaced.
Rebecca cowered down in her seat. "Maybe I should have told her that in private. Carry on, everybody. Ignore the loudmouthed Marshmallow!"
Ulga snarled at Rebecca. "Ayedonno would never threaten my son in such a way."
"Um, she kinda did; I heard her, so take it up with her, and don't shoot my wife for being the messenger," Russell said.
"Aww! My spotty man is defending me!" Rebecca gushed, shaking her rear. "I wish we had some extra time because you're making me all hot and bothered in all the right ways."
"TMI, Rebecca!" Rosetta shouted.
"I'd love to tuck man inside," Rebecca giggled. "Well, a word that rhymes with tuck, anyway."
"That's not what TMI means, and you know it!" Rosetta yelled. "You are so unbelievable!"
"That's part of why I married her," Russell said.
"Another part is he can't get enough of all this curvy sexy goodness!" Rebecca giggled again, giving an even more animated shake of her rear.
Rosetta shook her head. "I'm just not talking to you anymore."
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get the same points across yelling and throwing things at me," Rebecca chuckled.
Rosetta shook her head in exasperation.
Luna grimaced as she brought some fruit over to her plate. "It seems my wayward mistake continues to be vile in her behavior even after release from her imprisonment and ceasing to be a Dreamwarden."
"Sha'am Maut is alive?" Jessica asked in disbelief.
"I wouldn't call her alive, per se. It's complicated," Rebecca answered, then shoved a biscuit in her mouth and talked around it-surprisingly well. "I think what she threatened is pretty drastic and evil, but I can kinda see where she's coming from. It will be fine and won't come to that. She may be bluffing. She is no longer required to be honest, and the farm workers would never allow her to get near him if she had that intent. They would know instantly that she meant to harm him and wouldn't let her near."
"Let's not get distracted worrying about her threats," Phobia said. "She's derailing my plans, but I'm not going to risk Moses's life by calling her bluff, not that Sha'am ever bluffed. She wins and gets her way-that settles the matter. Let's not discuss it further." Rosetta put a wing over Phobia's back and gave her a comforting nuzzle. It was rare for Phobia to display much emotion, but the Warden of Fear was very clearly pissed off.
"Is no one going to tell me how Sha'am Maut is back?" Jessica asked.
"No-pe!" Rebecca said, popping her lips.
"She has no access to the dream realm and is no longer a Dreamwarden, so don't worry about her," Phobia said with a note of finality. She then got up from her seat and flew away. Rosetta followed after her a moment later. Wallace took off on hoof in the general direction they had fled.
Rebecca chomped into a pancake. "She'll be back; give her a few minutes. She's just mad, hurt, feeling betrayed, all that kinda stuff, and needs to blow off some steam. Maybe cry without us seeing. Rosetta is all the company she needs or wants right now."
Luna looked out where Phobia had retreated. "And if you are wrong, and she decides she needs more time than that and heads home instead?"
Rebecca shrugged. "Then we respect her by giving her space and don't bother her. She doesn't need to be here to see us off. She was only doing that as a courtesy. We do need to wait, though; we're still missing two of our crew members. Jonathan and Ashley aren't here yet, and that ship isn't going anywhere without them. I checked in on them earlier; they're stuck in traffic-some bozo truck driver didn't properly secure their cargo and dumped a huge industrial-sized tractor into the middle of the Interstate. I know somebody is getting fired. Anyway, people are having to make a huge detour through roads not meant to handle that volume of traffic, so things are moving at a crawl."
"So, we just wait?" Jessica asked.
"Finish eating all this good food; then we'll go take a tour of our starship, the S.S. Dolphin III," Rebecca said, then scarfed down another pancake. She wasn't using silverware. She just lowered her head and gobbled up her food like a fat goose.
"Three? What happened to one and two?" Luna asked.
Rebecca swallowed her food. "Olimar crashed them."
"Who is Olimar?" Jessica asked.
Rebecca tilted her head. "He's a video game character from Pikmin. Am I the only one here who has played a video game?"
Jessica crossed her arms. "I've never had time for stuff like that. I couldn't waste time goofing off."
The fat pegasus raised a hoof high. "Those who don't take time for goofing off will surely take time later to be throwing up. No wonder you're a bundle of nerves. You should play more video games; it's good for your health."
"Why did you choose to name it off something in a video game?" Luna asked curiously.
"Well, I thought about naming it the S'more, but I don't want to be a melted Marshmallow and didn't want to give fate any ideas. Then I considered naming it The Voyager, but that had bad omens about getting trapped in the wrong galaxy. Then I considered The Magic Seeker, but you know what else is a magic seeker-Devourers, so that was all kinds of bad juju. I considered Sugar Star and Cotton Candy, but then I thought those would make me hungry. Then I thought about the Eternal Spring because that sounded nice, but then I realized that it rhymed with eternal dream, and I was not taking that chance. After that, I considered Millennium Enterprise, combining Millenium Falcon and Enterprise, but after I mentioned in passing that I might name something that, my best friend said I was poaching from her fanfiction and wanted financial compensation for that. The OMMR wouldn't approve the payout."
"So, you named it after a ship a video game character repeatedly crashed into a planet?" Russell asked, sounding baffled.
Rebecca blinked. "You know, now that you mention it, that sounds like bad omens too. Hey, Ulga, can these guys do a quick paint job over the name?"
"You could name it Starswirl's Hope," Luna suggested. "My old master spent many nights gazing at the sky and confided in me he would love to have traveled to the stars."
Jessica groaned. "It's just a name. You can call it Shippy McShipface, and it would still serve its purpose. We don't need to rename it."
"I like The Orca," one of the military ponies said.
Everyone looked at him.
"If we're giving out suggestions," the pony said unabashedly.
Rebecca laughed and pointed. "Smiley, I knew I liked you! And it wasn't just your name, but, um, no, I don't want to call it that, but thanks for the suggestion! I guess we're sticking with Dolphin III. Olimar always ended up getting home, and so shall we."
"I'm still shocked the obvious red herring turned out to be the Dreamwarden," the human army officer whispered to Smiley.
Rebecca climbed up on the table and spread her wings wide. "Everybody, eat, socialize, and relax!" Rebecca shouted. "For those of us going on this mission and those waiting worriedly for their loved ones' return, this may be our last chance for a few days to feel relaxed. We go forth into places long ago devastated by the Devourers to find ways of combating them. It shall be a melancholy affair to see what once was. Take this time to remember what we are protecting and savor the joy of each others' company and this good food. Life is worth living, and it is worth living with joy, good food, companionship, and wonder. We shall not let the Devourers win again. We shall not despair. We shall not perish. We will laugh. We will dream. We will win. I salute you all. Now, eat!"
Jessica politely clapped, and everyone else either clapped or stomped their hooves as Rebecca got back down from the table after delivering her address-a surprisingly serious one, considering who had been giving it. Rebecca was not known for taking a serious tone. Jessica knew that Rebecca could be very serious in private, and even though her upbeat and carefree attitude was her nature, it was deliberately exaggerated to boost the morale of those around her. The fact that the Marshmallow gave a somewhat serious address was more powerful a message than how the short speech was worded.
A farm worker came and set an enormous bowl of apples on the table directly between Rebecca and Luna. The Equestrian Dreamwarden and Earthling Dreamwarden both eyed the bowl greedily. After locking their lips in anticipation, they both reached for it simultaneously, looked at one another, and then reluctantly took a single fruit each. Jessica gathered some pancakes onto her plate as she watched and listened to the two.
Luna bit into her apple and spoke around it as she looked at Rebecca. "I believe this is our first opportunity to sit down together without your siblings since you became a Dreamwarden. We haven't had time to talk casually to one another. How is Dreamwarden life treating you?"
They both finished their apples at the same time, and they each reached for another. The human army officer tried getting one, and both Rebecca and Luna glared at him. He timidly but quickly retreated.
"Well, lately, the others have been giving me much more work to do, and I prefer to be doing my own thing," Rebecca said around a mouthful of apple.
Luna finished her apple at the same time as Rebecca, and both grabbed another.
"You were chosen to be the friendly face of the Dreamwardens," Luna replied with a full mouth. "Dearest Phobia was the face, and still is, but she gets such a bad reputation for her association with nightmares."
"Except for on Halloween; everyone loves her on Halloween," Rebecca said as she finished her apple and went for another. Both she and Luna went for the same one before awkwardly moving on to others. "I suppose slowly becoming the face of a holiday is a lot of work I don't want, so she can have it. The most annoying things about being a Dreamwarden for me are not getting to have time for my dreams and knowing way too much about what goes on in ponies' heads."
Luna chewed her apple and swallowed. "It sounds like someone needs to take their advice about relaxing. I understand the feeling concerning knowing too much. Over the years, I have become accustomed to only tending to nightmares and avoiding looking at most other dreams. I fear what I may see. Even during my exile, when it was my only way of interacting with others, I avoided most dreams, and my sister's nightmares I still only tend when they are especially bad." Luna glanced at Russell. "I envy you finding a partner who you don't have to fear the thoughts of."
Russell blinked. "I know Dreamwardens inherit things from previous Dreamwardens. I've always been curious about what Rebecca inherited from you."
Rebecca shoved another apple into her mouth. "I don't have a clue."
Luna grabbed another apple. "It is a mystery."
Jessica tried her luck at grabbing one of the last two remaining apples and immediately got death glares from the pair. She slowly pulled her hand back without taking anything.
One of the farm workers who had been tending the table bent down next to Ulga. Jessica decided to focus her listening on them.
"A human man, a unicorn mare, and night pony mare have entered the property through the gate. They had a key card," the farm worker whispered.
"That must be the missing parts of the crew, although it is one more than expected," Ulga replied. "How is Moses doing at school?"
"They are teaching us multiplication tables. The teacher is dull. We are falling asleep," the farm worker answered.
Ulga sighed. "Moses will need extra time practicing tonight if he falls asleep."
"We just shook our head to wake ourselves. We don't want extra homework," the farm worker answered.
Ulga smiled. "Good. Now, where is Patches?"
"Hiding in the tall grass. We are watching the strangers eat. You said to keep out of sight; we are doing as we are told. We want to come out and play with the strangers," the farm worker answered.
"Stay put, Patches," Ulga whispered urgently.
Jessica looked over at the tall grass near the house and focused her hearing. There was no heartbeat there, no breathing. There were insects out there, plenty of them, but there was no sign of-
She spotted something moving in the grass, but there were no sounds that should be coming from a pony. Was Patches another one of these golems? Ulga did seem to be talking to her through the farm worker. She'd also been talking to her son. Was he a construct, too?
Rebecca gave Jessica a kick in the shoulder. "Hey! Stop trying to spy on Patches. She's behaving herself, but she won't if she thinks you've spotted her. She'll take that as her permission to come play, and I don't want people freaking out when they see her. It would hurt her feelings and lead to me having way too many explanations to make."
Jessica looked at Rebecca. "What's going on with her and these farm workers? You know how good my hearing is. You know what I'm not hearing. You had to know I'd notice."
"I'll tell you later, in private," Rebecca assured her. "For right now, let it go and eat. The apples are delicious."
Jessica looked at the empty bowl. "You and Luna ate all the apples."
"The farmhands can pick more apples."
"Are you and Luna going to let anyone else have one if they do?"
"I make no promises. They're good apples." Rebecca turned and looked at Luna. "If the farmhands get more apples, will you let anyone else have any?"
Luna's ears perked. "There are more apples?"
Rebecca looked back at Jessica. "No, that's not happening. I'm surprised I got the ones I got. I think Luna's got a problem when it comes to fruit."
"Lies and slander!" Luna shouted. She then looked at the high grass. "You, come out of the grass. Let me see why the Marshmallow is so intent on hiding you. I already know there is necromancy at work here."
Necromancy? As in bringing the dead back to life? That's what was going on here?! Jessica suddenly felt ill as she realized there had been a zombie sitting inches from her face as she slept.
All the farm workers paused and took several steps back, clearly afraid. It was the first real emotion they had shown.
"Don't hurt her. Don't hurt any of them. They do no one harm," Ulga pleaded. "If you hurt them, you may hurt my son."
Luna continued to stare impassively at the grass. "We have commanded you to show thyself. Present yourself at once."
"She's slipping into formal court-speak; that's not good," Rebecca muttered, then increased her volume. "She's not going to come out. Look at the farm workers. They are afraid. She might not understand why, but she knows what they are feeling. You have to be terrifying to her right now. I can only imagine what this is doing to Moses because he can tell when something's up. I know Equestria has harsh laws against necromancy, and I know we brought Sha'am back a few times, and she's...well, Sha'am, but this isn't Equestria. This place is under Dreamwarden protection."
"We shall not violate your peace," Luna said, still using the royal we. "Little one, reveal thyself. We promise no ill fate shall befall you."
The grass rustled, and a tiny pony emerged from the grass, causing gasps from the military officers. Her fur was a patchwork of multiple colors, with visible stitches separating each color and along each joint. Her ears seemed to have been sewn on as well. Her tail was a long gray thing without any fur whatsoever and had bone visible in some of its segments, and her face was missing both flesh and fur along part of her mouth, revealing her teeth and the bone which they are socketed into.
Luna looked upon the stitched creature after briefly flashing a look of disgust but quickly making her face neutral. "Come closer. Do not be afraid. We wish to see your movement."
Patches advanced cautiously, clearly afraid she would still be struck down. The farm workers all looked extremely tense, as did Ulga and Rebecca. Everyone else was still shocked and horrified as the undead creature approached.
"That is close enough," Luna said when Patches was two meters from the table. "Tell us, are you in pain?"
"No, we don't hurt," Patches said. "We don't want to go back to sleep. Don't put us back to sleep. We like being awake. We like meeting new friends. We like seeing things. We like feeling things. We like hearing things. We like to play."
Luna's gaze remained impassive. "What were you before you occupied this body?"
Patches tilted her head. "We don't understand. We were us."
"What is the earliest thing you remember?" Luna clarified.
Patches shook her head in distress. "We don't understand."
Rebecca hopped down from the table and placed herself in front of Patches. "You aren't going to get answers by asking those questions. Patches doesn't comprehend sequences of events well, especially if you ask her to think back more than a few days. Let me help." Rebecca turned and looked at Patches with a smile. "Hey, Patches. This is kinda scary, isn't it?"
Patches nodded. "Yes."
Rebecca reached a wing around the creature, fearlessly hugging it. "Don't worry; I'll protect you." She released the filly and looked her in the eyes. "Tell the big pony about what you remember when you were alone, things that happened without Moses. Tell her about the time you weren't a we but instead a me. Do you understand?"
Patches seemed to perk up and nodded more enthusiastically. "Oh! We understand now! Big pony will be happy if we tell her that?"
"That's what the big pony wants," Rebecca answered.
The patchwork filly sat down. "I felt warm. I moved around in warm. I found more who were warm and they were happy. Me and others played together to see who could get the most warm. Many, many getting warm and happy. Sometimes, I did not get as warm as others, then I get sad, then colder. Sometimes others get sad and colder, but they get warm later, and things are better."
"What did you look like?" Luna asked.
Patches tilted her head. "We don't understand."
"What did the others look like?" Luna tried instead.
Patches cringed down, and her ears flattened. "We don't understand. Is Big Pony going to be mad?"
Rebecca sighed. "You're asking her a question she can't answer, Luna. She was a simple magical creature of our infant universe, something we would have difficulty fathoming. The type of creature she was had no sense of sight, smell, hearing, or time, and its sense of touch was extremely primitive. It understood its world through temperature, emotion, and magic. It didn't understand concepts like hunger, fear, or anger. She didn't even fully understand birth, growth, and death. These are all things Patches learned through Moses and her experiences since she was created. She isn't malevolent. She is curious and revels in experiencing new things. She is very simple because she is still learning how to process all these things, and she wants to know about them. What she came into his body knowing is what was imparted to her by a four-year-old colt, and that's the lens through which she experiences and learns. She's a child, Moses is a child, and I protect kids."
Luna nodded. "I share your passion, Rebecca, and can only imagine that passion has grown with each generation of Dreamwarden that followed after me if the individual cared deeply for the young. Even Sha'am Maut stayed her cruelty to those under a certain age and showed foals her rarely-seen kindness. I shall do her and the colt that created her no harm. I had concerns, but I see they are unnecessary." Luna's look hardened as she looked at the nearest farm worker. "These creatures I'm not as confident about. The rate and scale at which Moses makes these things is exceptionally troublesome. It is long forgotten, but there was an era on my world before ponies where creatures such as these were used to commit unspeakable atrocities. I personally banned such magic in Equestria for a reason. To see it here, guided by one who shares a soul with Sha'am, unsettles me."
"Sha'am was a monster because she experienced nothing but cruelty and loss, so that's all she learned," Rebecca asserted. "Moses is our chance to do things right. We shall show him love, affection, trust and do everything to give him a good life. Yes, he can make zombies, but they protect him and keep his more horrific powers in check. He would have no chance of a good life without those powers being in check."
Luna looked around. "My understanding was it takes but one of these to curb his other powers. There is a small army here."
One of the farm workers stepped forward and pointed at Patches. "If it protects us, all of us but this one can go once more to sleep. This would add to Ulga's burden in caring for us and this farm, but we shall if it is what's needed. Would this satisfy you, dread queen?"
Luna looked around, considering. "I shall not ask that of you right now, but I must insist, no more. There are more than enough here to run this farm and guard Moses. Give him no more aid in making these creatures."
Jessica's ears twitched as she heard a car approaching. That must be their missing crew members. They would be confused when they got out and saw this standoff.
Rebecca looked around. "I'll see we give him access to no more bodies. He'll have to make do with what is already here. You are right; he has plenty."
Luna relaxed. "Then I am satisfied, for now. I shall monitor this place from afar and give it no trouble unless it gives us a legitimate reason to act against it."
The farm workers and Ulga relaxed at last. Patches, seemingly noticing the reduction of tension, perked up and wagged her bony tail like a dog.
"Can we play now?" Patches asked as if her existence hadn't just been on the line.
Jessica shook her head. She was glad she was done having to deal with the Dreamwardens after this trip. This kind of stuff was insane, and she was eager to have a normal life. |
Partial | Chapter 25: And Away We Go! | The passengers got out of the car. Jessica immediately recognized Phobia's daughter, Charlotte, in army fatigues. The unicorn mare with the scarred face she vaguely remembered from Rebecca's wedding but couldn't place. She had no idea who the lanky man wearing glasses was.
Rebecca did a clumsy flight over to them and landed. "Jonathan! Ashley! You made it. And you brought Charlotte along for some reason. Um, why are you here, Charlotte?"
Charlotte stood at attention. "Dreamwarden Marshmallow, I am Major Charlotte Martinez, reporting here to replace First Lieutenant Sky Shark, ma'am. General Wilson decided to make a last-minute change in the assignment, ma'am."
The pegasus army officer gasped in shock. "But I was specially chosen-"
Charlotte glared at him. "Orders are orders, Lieutenant. I don't want to be here either. I was taken away from what I felt was a more important mission for this, but I'm here, obeying what came from the chain of command. You are to report to Camp Merrill within twenty-four hours for debriefing; until then, you are on leave-enjoy it."
Rebecca tilted her head. "Major? I'm not well-acquainted with army ranks, but isn't that a little high for someone who recently got out of boot camp? Last I heard, you were a Captain."
"I was promoted just yesterday. I'm the youngest to achieve the rank in US Army history," Charlotte replied, not seeming cocky about it, only stating a fact. "As the highest-ranking officer among the military assigned to this mission, I will take command of them."
"I'm in command of this mission," Rebecca protested.
Charlotte didn't even blink. She just went back to attention. "My soldiers will take command from me, and I shall take command from you. The proper chain of command is in place."
Rebecca rolled her eyes and her neck. "Fine. In that case, you can relax with all the formal puffed-up army stuff; that's an order. It messes with my groove. Yinyu says people in the army are like dicks, they always stand at attention, but I don't mind if you all go limp."
Charlotte instantly relaxed and smiled. "The army doesn't want a bunch of limp dicks. Does your husband know you prefer limp dicks?"
"Oh, he knows I like him very unlimp. Don't mess with my metaphor," Rebecca said with a smile. "By the way, you just missed your mothers. They might be back before we come back. I'll be sure to share your lovely comments with them. Although, I know you prefer dicks to be limp around you."
Charlotte shrugged. "Can't argue that point. Oh, you don't have to give me a Dreamwarden contract to secrecy. My mom did that with me regarding this place a year ago. General Wilson also continues to be unaware of your identity, and I have a Dreamwarden contract binding me to keep your secret, so another contract won't be needed."
"I can check that shortly, but good to know," Rebecca said. "Well, get something to drink and all that. We will be leaving shortly. Let me talk to Jonathan and Ashley real fast."
Charlotte approached the table and took Rebecca's vacated seat beside Jessica. Luna left and went to talk with Rebecca and the others.
Jessica took a sip of her drink and looked at her friend. "A few months out of boot camp and already a Major? How did you manage that? I didn't think that was possible."
Charlotte shrugged as she grabbed a pitcher of apple juice and Rebecca's glass with her wings. "You know my cutie mark. I was born to serve in the army. As for what earned me my promotions, that's classified."
Jessica did know Charlotte's mark, even if it was currently covered by her uniform-a heart in army camouflage. Still, it seemed very odd that Charlotte had been promoted so fast. Charlotte had only joined the military in May, straight out of high school. What classified missions could possibly earn her promotions that fast?
Charlotte filled the glass and looked at the other army officers, including the dejected-looking pegasus. "What are you puke stains looking at? You heard the Dreamwarden. She wants no puffed-up army bullshit. You may speak freely."
"You're the Warden of Fear's daughter?" Smiley asked in disbelief.
Charlotte's face hardened. "Lieutenant, you will address me as Major, Major Martinez, or Sir! We aren't going that casual, piss-for-brains."
Smiley looked down. "Very sorry, sir. I mean no disrespect, sir."
Charlotte spat on the ground. "My parentage is of no concern of yours. If my mother was a mare that got fucked by a rabid dog, or a Dreamwarden's wife, it is all the same. Don't ask me about it."
"Yes, sir. Understood, sir," Smiley replied.
Charlotte was always a fighter with a lot of ego and pride, along with a chip on her shoulder for constantly being referenced as the Warden of Fear's daughter. Jessica had seen little of Charlotte these last few years-primarily just the eighteenth birthday parties of her friends and Sunset Blessing's family reunion. Charlotte had been more withdrawn during them, shadowing her twin sister and looking unhappy every moment in it. How much resentment did the younger of the twins harbor?
"I haven't gotten to see Arachne's baby yet. Is your niece cute?" Jessica asked.
Charlotte took a sip of her drink. "I haven't met Madison yet. I feel sorry for her, having my sister for a mother."
Jessica frowned. "That isn't a nice thing to say about your sister. She's your family, loves you."
"I know that," Charlotte replied. "My sister tried to get into the army base while I was there. Can you imagine that? Trying to sneak onto a military base while pregnant? Bitch has no regard for the welfare of her kid."
Jessica blinked in confusion. "Why was she trying to sneak onto the military base?"
"Because they told her she couldn't come in," Charlotte answered.
"Why was she even trying to get into the base?" Jessica asked, annoyed Charlotte was being evasive.
Charlotte scowled. "I broke my wing during an exercise; it hurt worse than anything I ever felt. She knew it happened as soon as it happened and wanted to get to me. Well, she knew something happened to cause me excruciating pain. That was enough to bring her."
"Doesn't seem like that much of a bitch if she was that worried about you," Jessica said.
"You don't understand what it's like to have a twin. Arachne and I hate each other, but we also love each other and are closer than anyone else," Charlotte said with a shake of her head. "It's like we're part of each other. Maybe there's some magic to sharing a womb, but if one of us is hurt, we know. We know where each other are. I could point in a direction right now and know I'm right about where she is. I fucking knew the instant she was in labor; nobody had to tell me. Maybe this trip will let me get far enough away from her to stop feeling her."
Jessica looked at her friend in disbelief. "Feeling each other's pain? That doesn't make sense. You two used to kick the crap out of each other while training with Tempest."
Charlotte nodded. "Yep, we could never lie to each other about how much it hurt when we got a good blow in." She took another sip of her juice.
The table shook as Patches suddenly jumped up on it. Jessica, Russell, and all the military officers, save Charlotte, jumped from their seats.
"Hello, Patches," Charlotte drolled.
Patches started jumping on the table. "Miss Charlotte! You came to visit us! Look at how they jumped! We can jump, too! See us jump. Jump! Jump! Jump!"
"You are the most adorable little monster," Charlotte said as she took another sip of her drink. "Please, stop jumping on the table. You'll knock the juice pitcher off. That would be bad."
Patches stopped jumping. "Can we play a game? We learned how to play tic-tac-toe."
"Wow, you're getting smarter. Next thing you know, you'll figure out checkers," Charlotte complimented. "Sorry, no time, kiddo. Me and the gang are going on a trip soon, but it was good to see you again. I saw some butterflies on my way here. Why don't you go catch one?"
Patches jumped off the table and took off towards the grass. "Butterflies!"
Charlotte took another sip of her drink as the others took a seat. "She's easy enough to distract. You can suggest she do anything, and she'll take off to do it, happy as a clam. It isn't something that should be done too much. Do it too much, and she'll eventually figure out what people are doing. The Dreamwardens think she's an eternal child, but after spending a lot of time occupying her during my mom's visits, I can confidently say she's not. She can reason and learn; it just takes a while. She won't be mentally a little kid forever. It might take her longer than Moses to grow up, but she'll get there-at least in terms of reasoning. She may even start thinking of herself as an independent entity from Moses at some point. I hope she stays sweet by the time she does. These zombies don't sleep, so the Dreamwardens underestimate their capabilities."
"And have you told your mom or the other Dreamwardens about your concerns?" Jessica asked.
"Yes, and they see it as a problem for another day," Charlotte answered. "They are so sure that if Moses is good, all his creations will be too, and if they aren't, he can just get rid of them. I suppose that might be true, but I wonder if he'd be reluctant to, even if he knew he should. I am just speaking as someone who shares a bond with a monster. I know what Arachne is, and I don't mind roughing her up, even enjoy it, but I could never seriously hurt her. I think Moses is the same. He could never destroy these zombies; they're part of him."
Jessica crossed her arms. "Arachne isn't that bad. She's your sister and my friend. I think you have some twisted sibling rivalry with her."
Charlotte shook her head. "My mama and little brother say the same thing to me, but I know Arachne has changed over the years. I'm the one who had a front-row seat to it. If you think Arachne is a good pony or still your foalhood friend, you're fooling yourself."
"And what does Phobia say?" Jessica asked.
The night pony grimaced. "Mama and my brother might defend Arachne, but Mom keeps her opinion to herself. She says nothing or gives evasive answers, which means she isn't as blinded by family love as the rest of you. Be wary of my sister. She might not be dangerous while she's trying to gather power and influence, but someday, when she has that power and influence, she's going to be, and the only ones who she won't hurt if it gets her what she wants are me, our mothers, Moon, and maybe Madison-maybe. You, our other friends, even her husband, she couldn't give a damn about."
Jessica didn't want to believe Charlotte. Arachne was part of her core group of friends. Charlotte seemed paranoid about many potential threats around her. However, she didn't have the same insights as Charlotte. Charlotte and Arachne were inseparable growing up and knew each other better than anyone else ever could. It could all be in Charlotte's head, but it could be true.
Rebecca walked over and spread her wings. "Okay! Grab your luggage. I hope you all enjoyed the food because it's time for us to board the S.S. Dolphin III! We're going to Jeg'galla'gamp'pi!"
The bunker was hidden deep underground and reached by a hidden elevator. It was hard to say precisely how far the elevator descended since there only seemed to be one floor to reach, which was reached in a little less than a minute, and the elevator didn't feel to be moving any faster or slower than any other elevator Jessica had ever boarded. It took the elevator two trips to get them all down since there were too many of them to board at once. Jessica was on the second trip.
After exiting the elevator, she found herself in a giant hollowed-out cavern. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all stone and were uneven and jagged in spaces. The only wall that wasn't stone was housing the elevator, which was boarded over by wood. Power cables came out of slots in the wood to various lights hanging from scaffolding installed into the ceiling, and a separate powerline ran down to what looked like some sort of command system close to where they exited. However, the most eye-catching thing was the object that filled most of the cavern.
The S.S. Dolphin III, easily recognizable by the name painted on its side, looked like a giant metal cube with a few protruding engines on each side. There was what seemed to be a band of glass windows that ran around the center of the cube like a belt that revealed the bridge and what looked like living quarters. If she had to hazard a guess without actually measuring the object, she guessed it was approximately twenty by twenty by twenty meters, the belt floor was about four meters in height, and each of the engines, if they were engines, and of which there were six on each side with what appeared to be the ability to swivel about, were around two meters in length. A bay door was open on the bottom that she estimated to be three by three meters. Several farm workers were standing around the area, not seeming to be doing anything.
Rebecca spread her wings wide again. "Welcome to your home for the next few days. The Dolphin III can resist almost any temperature you throw at it unless we try going into a star or get fired on by Devourers. It can move...I'm not sure how fast, but fast enough while being able to slow down and stop on a dime. It only needs a crew of three to operate, provided one of those members is an alicorn to power the thing, but it can house a crew of up to twenty. It can carry one-hundred-twenty-thousand kilograms of cargo and crew without interfering with its ability to move around and land, although I'm sure we won't be carrying that much. There's a bridge, several living quarters, a kitchen, and a large cargo hold. We have plenty of space suits that are adjustable in size-within limits, and magnetic boots, should we need to get out and repair something in space-which we hopefully won't need to do. We will also be carrying ten backup engines if anything happens to any of ours-that's the minimum number of engines we have to have operational if we want to move around. The ship can detach broken engines and allow us to install fresh ones easily. The ship's hull is a real tank and can withstand collisions with meteors or smaller asteroids without taking any damage-the engines are a bit more vulnerable to that kind of stuff, but that's why we have backups. Those windows aren't glass; they're a special element we had to synthesize. They are just as strong as the hull, which is also a synthetic element. It cost taxpayers a lot of money to make this thing, even if it is just missing money in the military spending that auditors can't find. Still, you'd be shocked how much money has always just ended up missing without explanation with the military, so no one bats an eye. Still, show it some respect for being a very expensive thingamabob. Keep it clean and tidy. We promised to give this thing to the military after we're done with it, even if they don't have an alicorn to power it. Maybe they'll work something out. There's some creative ways they might power it for missions in our solar system or something."
"Who's doing the repairs if we need that?" Charlotte asked.
"You guys!" Rebecca announced, "Don't worry; you don't have to have special training; you just have to follow instructions. We shouldn't need to do any repairs, even if an engine or two goes down for some reason. We only brought all those engines as a precaution. Plan for the worst-case scenario, even if it isn't likely to happen. Expect not to be doing much before we reach Jeg'galla'gamp'pi. Jonathan, Ashley, and Luna will handle getting the ship from place to place. In the meantime, you can sit by a window and enjoy the view. Just enjoy the fact you're in a far-off galaxy where no man or pony has gone before. My best friend would flip her lid at a chance to be here-big Star Trek nerd."
Jessica pointed at the farm workers. "Why aren't we using these guys for that? You said this craft could carry a much larger crew, and I assume they are already familiar with it. Plus, forgive me for being pragmatic; wouldn't it be better to have them space-walking than living people?"
Rebecca blew a wet raspberry with her tongue. "Do you want a ship full of rotting corpses doing nothing? That's what would happen if we brought them. They must stay within a certain range of Moses, or his power fails. It's a pretty significant range. He's in school in Skytree proper right now, and that's miles away, but another galaxy is a bit further than that, and we aren't bringing an eight-year-old along on the trip. Ulga would smack us all silly! Don't underestimate her ability to smacky-smack just because she's blind. You don't want to get on the wrong side of a mother protecting her kid."
"What do we do now?" Luna asked. "I haven't been briefed on exactly how this ship works. I just know I'm powering it."
"Ashley will be casting the spell, and you'll be using a crystal to supply her spell with power. It interacts with the ship's computer to get us to the right coordinates. We'll need another round of power for each teleport," Rebecca explained. "You'll give another crystal a jolt of power, and it will give the ship enough power to operate its thrusters, life support, artificial gravity, lights, sensors, and all that for the duration of the trip-we should probably do that first, having lights, power, climate control, gravity, and oxygen is nice. Jonathan can pilot the ship after that. Jess, you'll need to give Jonathan the data so he can plug it into the ship. We need to know where we're going."
"We're all going to die," one of the military officers said.
"You're out of line, soldier!" Charlotte snapped.
"Sir, yes, sir!"
Charlotte gave Rebecca a salute with a wing. "Sorry, my men are not used to your...eccentricities, ma'am. I'll see to it they understand not to question your judgment."
Rebecca sighed and looked at the soldiers. "Anybody can question my judgment who wants to; my bodyguards always do. I might disagree with what you say, and I may not explain why, but I have access to more knowledge than you would believe. However, that knowledge doesn't always make me right, so if you are worried, don't be afraid to say something-I do listen, and you may have a point. I know I'm a lot to deal with. I like to keep things light-hearted with my silly antics, but I assure you, I know what I'm doing, and even when I'm acting like a fool, remember that it is an act. I'll do everything possible to ensure this mission goes off without a hitch and get us all home safely. I'm a Dreamwarden; I don't lie."
Charlotte looked at the soldiers. "If you have concerns, you'll address them to me, and I will address them to Dreamwarden Marshmallow. I'm not just your senior officer; I'm an expert in dealing with Dreamwardens; that's why I'm here. I know the behavior patterns, motivations, and general thought processes of each of them. Dreamwarden Marshmallow told you a straight truth; she acts like a fool, but you would be a fool to think she is one. Many of your concerns I can address without having to trouble Dreamwarden Marshmallow and distracting her with worries born out of ignorance of Dreamwardens. Understood?"
The three officers stood at attention. "Sir, yes, sir!"
Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Oh! My groove! So brutalized. Anyway, let's get on board and get moving. You can explore the ship after we leave. The only ones who need to be on the bridge are Jonathan, Ashley, and Luna. I'm going to be there...because I want to be there and because I should probably be in a position to give directions on what to do, but the rest of you keep to other areas of the ship. Jess, data, now, please and thank you."
Jessica already had the flash drive in her pocket, and she passed it to Jonathan, who silently mouthed a quick thank you.
Rebecca waved a wing. "Follow me."
They went down a short flight of stairs to the bedrock below and followed the chubby pegasus to the bay door. She entered a code on the large panel. Several sounds continued for a few seconds before the bay door slid open, revealing a tiny chamber and another door.
"Everybody pack in. The outer door closes when I enter this next code, and the inner door only opens after the outer has shut," Rebecca explained. "There will be a delay while you feel some air blowing, then the next door opens. It has to stabilize the air pressure each time. There's one more chamber and door like this after this one. Then we'll be in the cargo hold."
It was a tight fit, getting everyone in each time, and it was a little tedious. Still, it was necessary to ensure they were safe when going on and off the ship in space, so Jessica wouldn't complain. When they finally reached the cargo hold, they were in a large room with metal crates pushed up against the walls, stacked on each other. There was what looked like a mini-forklift with a claw, which she assumed was for moving the crates. There was an elevator with a spiral staircase close to the center of the room that ascended to an opening in the ceiling. LED light panels in the ceiling provided light. There was a set of lockers with helmets stacked on a shelf beside them.
"Some of these crates have our replacement engines; there's a few others with supplies, but most are empty," Rebecca explained. "Space suits are in the lockers. When we go upstairs, we'll be in the common area, which has a small kitchen surrounded by quarters for all of us and the entrance to the bridge. The stairs and elevator continue up to a third floor, which is where all the ship's systems are. We shouldn't have to go up to the third floor unless there is a problem, and we shouldn't have a problem. In fact, don't go up to the third floor unless you're told to; that way, you can't accidentally mess something up. Our goal is no problems!"
"So, what now?" Jessica asked.
"Luna, Jonathan, Ashley, and I are going to the bridge and getting this show on the road!" Rebecca said happily. "The rest of you can pick out quarters, hang out in the common area, or just sit here if you like. Don't eat any of the food yet. We need to ration it. Also, when we teleport, you might feel a brief moment of disorientation."
"Fall out, but stay on this floor until teleport is confirmed," Charlotte told the soldiers. "We aren't fighting the flight crew for the elevator, and we aren't getting caught feeling disoriented on the staircase when this place relocates. We don't need to rush to our quarters."
"Yes, sir!" the soldiers chorused. Jessica rolled her eyes. That was getting very tiresome, and she was sure Charlotte was doing it on purpose.
However, Jessica had to agree with Charlotte's reasoning. She had no interest in getting dizzy or sick while climbing that narrow staircase, especially if she was carrying luggage. She picked a corner, put her back to some crates, and set her bags beside her. She saw the soldiers do the same as the flight crew boarded the elevator. Then, the waiting began.
Charlotte wandered over to her and sat down. "How's Jordan doing? I heard my Grandma talked her into taking Wabash. I never saw Jordan as a pony living in a big mansion. She struck me as someone who would end up in some suburban home, probably with half a dozen kids."
"Half a dozen in a suburban home?" Jessica asked skeptically.
Charlotte shrugged. "They can double up in rooms."
Jessica chuckled. "Well, she at least has somewhere to fit half a dozen now, with them all getting their own rooms. Honestly, I think all the rules and restrictions for the place has are driving her up the wall, and she's lonely. Maybe it will turn around soon. She's having an auction later today to try to clean the rooms out and buy stuff that fits her."
"Grandma offered me the place. I laughed in her face," Charlotte said with a grin. "I'm not spending my life in a gilded cage. Plus, I want out of the shadow of all the big names in the family. It's hard to get out of that shadow if I accept expensive gifts from them."
"You don't hate your mom, aunt, and grandma, do you?" Jessica asked, worried about the answer.
Charlotte shook her head. "Nah, I don't hate them. Mama seems to think I do, no matter how much I tell her I don't. Mama loves being connected to Mom's title and all that's associated with that, so she doesn't get me, or Arachne, for that matter. Mom gets it, but Mom saying anything is counterproductive to my needs because it's her helping me out. I need to be out, doing my thing, and that thing can't be seen as something my mom, my titi, or my grandma gave me or helped me get. I'm actually kind of happy about this assignment taking me away from my previous assignment. I can't say much about it, but it felt like I got it because of my connections. This does, too, but it's my connection to Rebecca, and that's easier than it being family. Does that make sense, or am I just rambling?"
Jessica patted her friend's back. "You aren't just rambling. I get wanting to be the one to write your own narrative of who you are. I've got some identity stuff I'm trying to struggle through right now in terms of how people see me. Jordan seems to be trying to redefine how she's seen as well. I'm sure she'd get you too."
"What's-" Charlotte began.
The lights suddenly flared. Several seconds passed, with them ultra-bright, and nausea set in by the time they dimmed back to normal. The floor might have shook, or maybe it was just Jessica's legs that trembled. She couldn't even focus on what she was hearing; her stomach took too much attention.
She had to crouch down, partly because she wanted to hurl and partly because she didn't trust herself not to fall over.
"Disorienting. That's what she said that was going to be?" Charlotte said, sounding like she wanted to vomit as well. "Frigging Marshmallow and her downplaying everything."
Jessica kept a hand to her belly, waiting for her stomach to settle. "Maybe she didn't know how bad it would be. It's not like they've tested this thing since it needs an alicorn to power it."
Charlotte stretched a wing out to her and shook it. "Don't remind me we're on an untested starship, probably now trillions upon trillions of miles from Earth and anyone who can help us."
Jessica's ears perked. They were in space, far away from Earth. She needed to see. Standing up was a struggle, but she didn't care. She stood up and walked like she was drunk to the elevator.
"Careful! You're going to fall flat on our face!" Charlotte shouted.
"Sir...yes...sir," the soldiers said.
"I'm talking to Jessie, not you two!" Charlotte snapped. "Don't you two fall either. Sit and collect yourselves. I didn't hear anything about there being an infirmary. The last thing we need is one of you dopes falling and spraining something. Don't reply, just sit."
Once in the elevator, it was a simple one-button push to get it moving. When it did, it gave her another jolt of disorientation. It didn't feel like going up a typical elevator at all. Well, they were in space, and she was unsure exactly how the ship's false gravity worked. The difference in gravity could account for how stomach-churning going up one floor ended up being. Maybe she would use the stairs in the future.
The second floor had a wide-open room with a few couches bolted to the floor and a trio of refrigerators. She guessed the refrigerators counted as the kitchen. The staircase continued upward to another floor, but the elevator did not. Three of the walls had three doors a piece, while one wall had but a single larger door that was labeled bridge. There were no decorations. As Rebecca instructed, she decided not to go on the bridge. The band of windows stretched all around the ship, meaning each of these other rooms had to have views to the outside.
She picked one at random and headed towards it. She still had a tiny lingering bit of nausea, but it was fading, and her feet felt more steady. The doors were simple chrome with a handle latch set low on the door-low for a human; they would still be high for a pony. There didn't seem to be any locks on any doors. She turned the handle, and the door opened easily, revealing the room within.
The room was as basic as it could get. There was a modified toilet designed to work in zero gravity, much like the ones on the space stations and shuttles, two metal cots with thin mattresses, and that was it for furnishings. She didn't care about that because the entire wall opposite the door was one big window that looked out into space and right at the system's star, a white dwarf.
Tears filled her eyes as she approached the window and put her hands on it. The white dwarf filled the area with white light, and she couldn't make out any other stars because the star's light drowned them out. Still, it was beautiful, and it was right there. Judging by how big it appeared, they had to be much closer to it than the Earth was to their sun. The bridge would be facing the wrong direction to see this, so she was the first human to look upon a white dwarf from this close a distance. She sat down and let the happy tears flow as she kept her hand pressed against the window, which remained cool to the touch despite being on the side of the ship getting all the star's light.
There was an intercom beep, and Rebecca's cheerful voice chirped over it. "Hey, everybody! I hope you are all recovered from the first jump. Sorry about how it might have made you feel. I hadn't anticipated it would be that bad, so that's on me, and my vomit is all over Jonathan's shoes."
That announcement didn't manage to take the wonder out of this experience for Jessica. No amount of disgusting things could.
"Anyway," Rebecca continued. "Now would be a good time to choose your quarters and get settled. There's enough rooms for everyone to have their own. Don't try to use the toilet until I've explained how; it's a little more complicated than a regular toilet. Once everyone is settled in their rooms, we will do another teleport. Don't worry; this one won't be as bad. We expected it would take two, maybe three teleports to get us to our destination, so there's still no problems other than Jonathan has icky shoes! This first jump got us to the general neighborhood we needed to be in, and we're close enough that our long-range sensors are picking up where there is a lot of thaumic energy-that's Jeg'galla'gamp'pi. It's too far for our engines to get us there if we want to make it in the next five years, but we can luckily teleport the rest of the way. Good job on the calculations, Jess!"
Jess took the praise at face value, knowing it wasn't just her work. She also had known it was unlikely they'd reach Jeg'galla'gamp'pi on the first teleport. That they'd reach it on the second was great news. She had no idea how far the sensors on this ship scanned or how fast its engines could go, so there was no way of her knowing how far off the initial jump was.
"While we're here, I'll be your tour guide," Rebecca continued, "My view of it from the bridge is kinda poor, but if you get to a window and look out our starboard side, you can see a white dwarf-a star, not a Disney one or Lord of the Ring's one. If you look out our port side, you can see some stars, and I'm pretty sure that's a planet in the distance, or at least, that's what I'm getting looking at these sensors-it's huge; it's got a lot of rock and ice, it's round, it seems to be orbiting this star; that sounds like a planet to me. I hereby name that planet Rocky Road because it's rock, it's icy, it's along our road, and I like ice cream. Our rear has just many stars in the far distance and a lot of empty space."
Jessica had heard more ridiculous names for planets and stars. Physics was full of ridiculous terms, especially when you start talking about quarks-charm, down, bottom, top, and strange were all flavors of quarks. If physicists could get away with naming particles that way, Rebecca could call a potential planet Rocky Road.
"So, pick out your room, take in the view, let Jonathan clean up his shoes, and stop giving me dirty looks, and then we'll be on our way again! This time with less vomiting!" Rebecca concluded. |
Partial | Chapter 26: Next Steps | Jordan looked around the room. All the gaming stuff and furniture had been pushed to the walls, and rows of folding chairs had been set up with a podium and display stand in front of them. The guards had agreed to move things from the other rooms to be put on auction and had a list. They could only have a few items at a time on display, so it would be a regular caravan going up and down the stairs. Amicus and Legal Brief had agreed to help move some things as well. She wasn't sure if the old ponies should be lifting much, but they said they could and wouldn't do it alone.
Andrea walked into the room and glared at all the chairs like they'd personally insulted her.
"I don't like you taking so many of my guards for this," Andrea grumbled. "We are stretched paper-thin on security."
"They're going to be walking all over the place moving things, and some off-duty ones are helping; we have more coverage than we regularly do," Jordan protested.
"They're all distracted," Andrea replied. "Distracted guards make mistakes."
Jordan rolled her eyes. "You're paranoid."
"Paranoia is a qualification for good security," Andrea said dryly. "I'm going to feed the bats, then do another full perimeter check."
Jordan blinked. "Feed the bats? What bats?"
Andrea waved a leg in the vague direction of the backyard. "I've got a bunch of bat feeders set up out back. I've managed to get it to where we get a fair number of them coming by every night. Bats are cool critters and helpful. They spread seeds and pollen from the more exotic flowers on the property, and they keep the bug population under control. We used to have a bad problem with horse flies and mosquitoes around the yard, but I rarely get eaten up by insects anymore, thanks to the bats. I go out there and watch them sometimes. There are a few specific ones that are regulars that I have gotten used to seeing. I like seeing them doing well."
Jordan looked at the old crystal pony in shock. "Grumpy old you has pets?"
"They aren't pets. They're wild animals," Andrea corrected. "Nothing wrong with bats. Your half-sister is part bat. You should understand."
"Night ponies don't like being compared to bats anymore than pegasi like being compared to birds," Jordan reminded her. "Maybe I should get a pet. I've never had a pet."
"Your parents never let you have a pet?" Andrea asked.
Jordan shrugged. "I never asked for one. My free time was taken up by reading, trying to minimize how much my flank got kicked in Tempest's training sessions, and our house was built in the pre-cataclysm style. That kind of house isn't great for pets like dogs."
Andrea gaped. "You mean it was built in the same style as the houses that my sister's shoddy construction methods allowed that disaster to level? I thought those were all destroyed."
"We rebuilt, those of us that stayed, anyway," Jordan replied. "Don't freak out; we used better materials the second time around. Many ponies moved away after the Cataclysm, and those that moved to Skytree afterward built more standard homes, but those of us who stayed wanted something as similar as possible to what we lost, just not made out of crap this time. It felt like everyone in the city pitched in, both humans and ponies. With everyone helping, the old pony district rose again fast. As a thank you, we even built homes for many humans who had risked their lives to get ponies out of there, with a few modifications to make them more comfortable. It may look the same, but it is stronger, and it isn't just a pony district anymore."
"I never heard about that. It's actually kind of inspiring," Andrea said with a smile.
Jordan nodded and looked downward. "Auntie's goals in building Riverview might have been to make a Shimmerist-dominated city, but somewhere along the line, intentional or not, she made something more-a community, one that cared about one another and was proud of what we could do together. We went through the Cataclysm together and rebuilt stronger, both in terms of buildings and how much we looked out for one another. I'm just now realizing how much my home meant to me."
"Old home," Andrea corrected. The elderly pink crystal pony let off a long breath, looking older and tired than usual. "Look, I'm not great at explaining myself. I'm no lawyer who can pick her words carefully like Amicus. I'm not naturally friendly like Sinker. I don't play mind games like Sunset. I'm a simple pony with simple goals. I can tell you aren't happy here, and I take part of the blame for that. I know I've been giving you a hard time, but you should know that I give everybody a hard time. I don't want you to think I hate you because of that. Sunset and I barely made it through a day without snapping at one another, but I never hated her. This is my home. Two of my siblings still live here, my parents are buried here, and the place I spent years raising my kids with my ex-husband ceased to feel like home even before I moved out. I care about my home. Whether I agreed with Sunset's decision to give you this place is irrelevant. You live here now, and that makes you part of this household, part of this community, my community, and I'm only hard on you because I worry about us."
"So, are you going to be nicer to me?" Jordan asked, hopeful that things might turn around.
"No, you dumb fuck!" Andrea snapped. "Are your ears stuffed full of cotton? I just said that I don't get along with anyone. What I also said was I don't hate you and that I worry for you and everyone else in this house. I will be more worried if you can't listen to what's being told. Clean out your ears!"
Andrea then stormed off, muttering to herself about stupid fillies who didn't listen. Jordan was unsure if she would ever understand Auntie Sunset's eldest sister. The old crystal pony was the most thoroughly unpleasant pony she had ever met. Well, no, there were those crystal ponies that had chased her and tried to eat her magic when she was a foal, and then there was Crystal, who had kicked her around during training sessions. Maybe she just needed to avoid crystal ponies. It seemed like crystal ponies had it out for her.
Her phone on her leg started ringing, and she answered it.
"Hello?"
"Miss Gilmore, this is Carmen, your auctioneer. I'm at the gate, but your guards aren't letting me in."
Jordan smiled. "Oh, good, you're here early. Sorry, I don't think the person who set this up ever identified you, so the guards didn't know. I'll just get-"
She didn't feel like chasing Andrea down to have Andrea give the order to let Carmen in. She owned the house; she could give the order herself. She didn't need Andrea to deal with everything. Andrea was paranoid.
"-I'll have the guards let you through," she concluded.
A gray pegasus was working away in the rocky badlands that made up the outskirts of The Oasis. Strewn about him were various notebooks, digging tools designed for ponies, and a flock of birds that were seemingly working together to organize and move some of the lighter tools and materials.
"Alright, gang, let's get the cataloging done before lunch so the dig team can work on excavating whatever dino they've found!" the pegasus cheered to his flock.
To an outsider, it would have seemed like he had a few marbles loose, but anyone who was even remotely active in the ornithology community would know that he was talking to a bunch of birds and was one of the most accomplished scientists in his field... at least out of the last decade. He was one of the few ponies who was known to be able to communicate with animals, but unlike Fluttershy (who was arguably the most well-known animal communicator), Zipper's special talent was explicitly honed to birds.
This talent gave him a fantastic edge over other ornithologists, and his skills helped pave the way toward a better understanding of avian communication. His theory was that in the aftermath of ETS, birds and other simpler animals somehow gained enhanced intellects. However, the cause and potential ramifications, should there be any, were unknown to anyone. This is what he hoped to help discover.
That was also why his team had slowly become one of the largest privately funded paleontology teams on the West Coast. It was commonly accepted that birds were the descendants of dinosaurs, and it was one of Zipper's close associates, River Breeze, who had an intense belief that the hard pressing answers on avian evolution lay in the past. Zipper didn't quite see that, but then again, he wasn't exactly a master paleontologist, so what did he know?
He simply shrugged at his mental monologue and continued organizing his notes while his bird friends tweeted along in harmony with the music that he was playing.
"Zipper, is it?" A voice said from all around him.
He quickly looked around, trying his best to discern the source of the voice that greeted him.
"Ummm, hello?" He hesitantly asked aloud.
Before his eyes, the shadow he was standing in formed into the shape of a pony. Its features were undiscernable save for the fact that it had webbed wings and glowing red eyes.
Ravenscroft, my old nemesis, Zipper thought to himself, recalling a legend that had been told to him several years ago about the old mining town's original founder.
Whether it was the ghost of an old dead baron or some mystical protective spirit that guarded the valley from intruders... it didn't matter. All it took was the sight of an unknown entity walking towards him to make Zipper instinctively assume a defensive stance.
"Who are you?!" he yelled out. "I always knew this place was haunted!"
The shadow quickly cleared to reveal the form of a pony whom Zipper could swear he had seen before in the dream realm but whose name eluded him.
"I'm not a ghost," the mare calmly replied. "I'm just here to make contact and give you a heads up that some important ponies will be here momentarily to talk to you." She gestured off into the distance, where Zipper could now see a strange all-terrain vehicle traversing the rocky terrain that made up the Oasis' outskirts. His pegasus vision also let him spot the lettering on the front.
Zipper's eyes widened in surprise, and without thinking, he quickly reached down to his gauntlet and hit the speed dial. There was a brief pause, and then he was greeted by a groggy voice on the other end of the line.
"You know you just woke me and Ink up, bird brain," came the annoyed sigh from Sine Wave.
"Sine, it's important. I wouldn't wake you two up if it weren't," he frantically said, ignoring the stranger's presence.
His frantic explanation was met with a sigh. "What's up, hon?"
"The mind magic Five-o are driving towards me!"
"Stay on the line and stay calm; I mean it!" Sine replied. "You still at the dig site?"
"Yeah," Zipper nodded as the van pulled up.
"We'll be there ASAP."
The line clicked off, and Zipper looked back towards the stranger. He sighed and looked away, silently plotting his escape route should things go south. "I always knew you'd get me... didn't know where, didn't know when, didn't know how. If you're here about my powers, just know that I can't affect ponies or humans, and the work I've done has made some promising strides in understanding avian evolution in a post-ETS world. It doesn't work on humans or ponies, and I don't know why you guys are after me!"
The van pulled to a stop, and without so much as a warning, the doors quickly opened, and four people hopped out. Not thinking, Zipper instinctively leaped into the air and began to make his escape.
"You got this one, Josie?" a crystal pony from the group called out.
"Mhmm." He heard the stranger, apparently Josie, reply back.
He could briefly feel the unmistakable tug of magic draining from him, making his wings feel heavy. Despite this, his adrenaline kicked into high gear, and he pushed past it as much as he could. He suddenly lurched forward, out of the crystal pony's range. To him, it felt as if someone had cut a rope that was holding him back, and he couldn't help but smirk and look back at the night pony that was struggling to keep up. He was lucky to have gotten some air and velocity. Night ponies could accelerate in the air quickly, but no night pony could keep up with a pegasus once a pegasus managed to develop some momentum.
"What did I tell you, bird brain?!" Sine's voice suddenly caught his attention.
He squinted his eyes and looked down, catching sight of both Sine Wave and Ink Rose making their way to him.
"Look, just ease off and let Sine handle this," he heard Ink Rose say to Josie. Seemingly taking control of the situation, the two night ponies backed off. He slowed and allowed Sine to catch up to him.
"This was incredibly dumb of you! You need to fly back to the site right now!" She scolded, blocking his flight path and forcing him to come to a hover. "For all we know, you're gonna get hit with some charge for evading arrest now!"
"You two always drilled it into my head that I should never fuck around with these guys!" Zipper retorted.
"Yeah? And you thought flying away from the OMMR was a good idea?!"
Zipper began to slow. "Well... I..." he stammered out. "Look, it's hard to shake my instincts. You know that."
Sine nodded. "I know, hon, that's why I sent Ink over to pull them back. I don't know what they're here for... but whatever it is, it's important, and one way or another, they're going to get you. I recognize some of them. That woman with the mohawk? That's Tempest Shadow, Phobia Remedy's primary bodyguard. The night pony? That's Josie Woods, the first night pony. This isn't a normal batch of agents. These are the big guns. They wouldn't send these guys here to haul you off. You're special but not that special. Let's see what they want."
"Okay," Zipper nodded. "Let's just go talk this out."
It took him only a moment to land. Now that the action had cooled off, Zipper could get a closer look at the group that was surrounding him.
To his sides were his lovers, Sine Wave and Ink Rose. In front of him was a crystal pony and three humans who weren't immediately identified, although he remembered Sine telling him the one was named Tempest. The pale blonde-haired woman and Tempest were the first to catch Zipper's eye, as the blonde had immediately moved in to ensure that Zipper would remain to listen to their talk. Tempest had quickly followed suit, and Zipper vaguely remembered hearing about her from Silver Eclipse in one of his dreamwalking sessions. The last was a big balding man, but he had seemingly little interest in anything around him, including Zipper.
"Hello, I'm Blanche," the blonde introduced herself with just a hint of some sort of European accent. French, maybe? "Tempest heads this mission, but she isn't the most diplomatic, so I tend to do the talking. Our other companions are Arturo, Crystal, and Josie. I presume you are Zipper."
He nodded. "That's me."
"Okay, now that that's out of the way," the blonde continued. "If you think we're here to arrest you over a mind magic-related infraction, you can rest easy. We know all about your abilities, and also know that it only directly affects a narrow grouping of animals. Your work in your field is why we're here."
"It-- it is?!" Zipper's eyes widened in surprise.
"Mhmm. You're a leading expert on the western yellow-billed cuckoo and avian communication; it was your research on the changing behavioral patterns of birds in the last decade that put you on our radar. Simply put, we need a pony with your special talents for a vital mission, and I'm not going to take no for an answer."
Zipper idly blinked for a few moments and tried to find his words. "I... uh... I'd love to, but..."
"If you're afraid about pausing your work or losing any money, we're willing to compensate you handsomely."
Zipper nodded. "That's very nice of you, but I have a whole team here that's counting on me."
Blanche raised an eyebrow. "Are they able to operate without you? Surely you can delegate some tasks to your other team members, can't you?"
Zipper nodded. "I could, but I'm putting a lot of my funds into this dig. You might not know, but ornithologists aren't exactly swimming in money, and I do a lot of side work to keep my team working. It's not that I don't want to help you guys, but I've already got a pretty stacked plate..." he grimaced.
"What if we offer to fund your next several digs?" Blanche offered.
"You could do that?" Zipper asked.
The mare nodded. "Mhmm. The OMMR is well connected, and we know a few conservation funds that would be more than happy to work with a research team of your caliber."
Zipper contemplated this for a moment and shrugged. "What's the mission?"
"You're in?" She asked.
"If you can secure my team's funding, then yeah, I can't turn it down. What you're offering would keep us running for years."
"Good," she smiled. "This should go without saying that what I'm about to tell you is strictly need to know and privileged. The reason why we need you, in particular, is that your special talent might allow us to conduct recon in hazardous areas where agents would otherwise be in danger of being caught or even killed. You can communicate with birds, right?"
"That's correct," Zipper nodded. "But I need you to understand that I'm not talking to the birds like we're speaking the same language. My magic helps me get an understanding of what the birds are trying to subtly convey to me. I can talk to them and use my magic to basically give them a suggestion, but I can't force them to do anything, and we can't exactly hold conversations. It's not a guarantee that what they see will be useful."
"You're the leading researcher on avian intelligence, so do you think there's a chance they could tell us some details from what they scout?"
Zipper shrugged. "I suppose I could try to work on it with them. It's going to depend on what birds you use, though. I've been studying bird behavior for years now, and many populations are showing signs of increased intelligence and social behavior, but those findings can vary a lot between different species. I mean a lot, a lot."
"What birds do you think would make good scouts?" Blanche asked.
Zipper thought for a moment and smiled. "Crows."
"Crows?" she asked.
"Mhmm," Zipper replied. "You ever piss off a crow as a kid? Or maybe you gave one food a few times, and suddenly, it started bringing you some random scraps and trinkets? Turns out those little gremlins can remember faces and places. I haven't studied crow or raven populations as often as the cuckoos, but if those birds show improved intelligence, it's not a stretch to hypothesize that crows would also."
"And you could train them?"
"Like I said," Zipper's voice filled with confidence. "It's not hard to get on their good side. If I can find a good flock and befriend them, then there's a good chance we could work on some training to get them to work as scouts. That said, their health and safety is my top priority, and I need assurance that they will be given top-of-the-line care."
"Consider it done," Blanche nodded. "So you're in?"
Zipper smiled. "I'm in."
Jessica braced against her quarters' door and closed her eyes as the lights flared again. After the first experience with the Dolphin III's jumps, she wouldn't be caught unaware a second time. It seemed like the flare lasted less time this time, and when she opened her eyes, she didn't feel nauseous, although she saw some spots before her eyes. When she looked out her window, she saw the distinct arm of a solar flare. How freaking close to a star had they come?"
The intercom beeped again. "That wasn't so bad, now was it? I wonder if Jeg'galla'gamp'pi must like being extremely close to stars because it decided to do it again. If we had overshot that jump by another AU, we would be extra toasty right now. Luna would have had time to teleport us out before the hull failed if that had happened, but you'd all be taking a space walk soon after to replace our melted engines. However, we didn't teleport straight into the star, so no problems!"
Jessica's eyes bulged. They could have teleported straight into a star, and Rebecca was chipper about it. Rebecca might like being upbeat, but that was insane!
"So..." Rebecca continued. "You guys and gals should all come to the bridge. You might be able to spy it out of the corner of your windows, but I promise you our view is better this time. We've made it; we are staring straight at Jeg'galla'gamp'pi. It looks like the biggest jawbreaker you've ever seen. We'll start the landing sequence shortly."
Jessica bolted to her feet. "LANDING SEQUENCE?! WHAT THE FUDGE?!" Now she knew Rebecca was insane. Landing on anything this close to a star would fry them, and landing on anything that big would crush them between the gravity and air pressure. Landing on Jeg'galla'gamp'pi was suicide!
"It sounds like at least one of you is excited to be landing!!" Rebecca continued to chirp. "Everyone, to the bridge."
Oh, she had every intention of going to the bridge and telling Rebecca exactly how moronic the idea of landing on Jeg'galla'gamp'pi was. Why would the fat pegasus even begin to think that it was a good idea?
After practically slamming her door open, Jessica thundered past Charlotte, Smiley, and the human soldier named Terrance. All three of them backed out of her way as she strode past them and opened the bridge door.
The bridge consisted of a pedestal with the power crystal in the center, a trio of computer terminals just in front of it, the flight crew's luggage stacked in a corner, and the window. The room was only impressive in how impressively little there was in it. Luna and Ashley were at the window looking out. Rebecca and Jonathan were at separate computer terminals.
Beyond the window was a massive alabaster sphere that took up almost the entire view.
Rebecca looked back at her with a grin as she came in. "Hi, Jess! I hear you might have some critical feedback about my decision to land. I always welcome feedback and concerns, and I'm sure you have some great points, but before you do, I'd like to give you some information that might change your opinion."
"What could possibly make this a good idea?" Jessica demanded as she approached the window for a better look.
Rebecca looked at the screen of her computer. "Air pressure on the planet is at a steady 1013.25 millibars. The force of gravity is nine point eight meters per second. The atmosphere is seventy-seven percent nitrogen and twenty percent oxygen, with the rest being a mixture of different things-too many to list. Surface temperature is a uniform twenty-one degrees Celsius."
"What do you mean, uniform?" Jessica asked in confusion; sure Rebecca was making some sort of mistake. "The surface temperature for something that big can't be uniform, especially with the star this close. There's no way something that big doesn't have more gravity and air pressure either." .
Rebecca grinned even wider. "It didn't when we first appeared, but now it does. Didn't take more than a second for it to shift those numbers. It knows we're here, and it knows what we need to survive on its surface. I expected this. Jeg'galla'gamp'pi is eager to have visitors. It's practically rolling out the red carpet."
"Rebecca is correct," Luna said, still not taking her eyes off the planet. "I watched the thaumic flows. It was like the planet cast a spell on itself to adjust its nature. The power that it must have taken to do that and to do it with such ease is unfathomable. Even the combined might of all the alicorns could not have done that, not on such a scale as this. Can you not feel it? The feeling is so intense that even those far less discerning than I should perceive that it is watching us. I sense no intent or emotion, but it is definitely watching, and if it changed all those forces, it seems to have sent us an invitation to visit. I believe refusing it would be unwise. I, for one, wish to know what kind of entity we are dealing with."
Charlotte and the soldiers walked in and joined the others at the window.
"Should we be accepting invitations from alien entities?" Charlotte asked. "This is about as alien as it gets. We have no idea if this thing is friendly or out to get us. This planet could be leaving honey out for flies."
"There are some dangers on the surface, and your metaphor isn't completely without merit," Rebecca conceded. "General rules should be obeyed if you want to stay safe. This isn't the Dreamwardens' first rodeo with Jeg'galla'gamp'pi, and we know how to keep safe. We're some of the biggest rulemongers, so rules don't bother us. The Junk Peddlers made their homes here for generations before the coming of the Devourers. They may not have survived the Devourers, but they survived Jeg'galla'gamp'pi. If people could raise families here by following a few simple rules, we can visit just fine."
"And if it has changed the rules?" Ashley asked.
Rebecca chuckled. "If you had experience with Jeg'galla'gamp'pi, you would know how silly an idea that is. Jeg'galla'gamp'pi is beyond eternal. It was here long before the first star; it will remain after the last glimmer of light in the universe fades-the first and last place. It doesn't change the rules."
"It just, defying all laws of physics, changed its gravity, air pressure, temperature, and atmospheric composition; that sounds like changing the rules to me," Jessica said dryly.
"And it did this before when Triss's race first found it," Rebecca asserted. "It made itself welcoming to them-well, at least this welcoming, and for generations, many lived and died here until the Devourers came and wiped them out."
"And if it let them get wiped out by the Devourers, why do you expect it will help us not meet the same fate?" Charlotte asked.
"We aren't looking for it to bail us out. We're looking for tools that can help us," Rebecca answered. "Jonathan, begin the landing sequence for the coordinates I gave you. We put a lot of effort into bribing Sha'am for those coordinates."
"Coordinates entered. The expected time to reach the surface is nine hours," Jonathan replied.
"Nine hours! The planet is right there; we're already up on it!" Smiley exclaimed.
Jonathan shook his head. "I don't think you appreciate the difference in scale between this and Earth. If the Earth was the size of a nickel, Jeg'galla'gamp'pi would be a basketball. The planet only looks that close because it is much bigger than Earth, but we're further away from it than the Earth is from the moon. Given how far away we are, nine hours is an outstanding touchdown time. With a less advanced ship, it would take a week or more to reach the surface," Jonathan replied.
"Sounds like a good time to take a nap," Ashley said as she turned away and headed towards the door. "That magic might not have been mine, but those spells still took a lot out of me."
Luna nodded and headed towards the door as well. "The power was mine, and those spells were indeed draining. I too require some rest. I can contact the Dreamwardens while I sleep and let them know we arrived safely."
Rebecca shook her head. "You can dreamwalk if you want, but you don't need to. You can get some legitimate dreams in. That will replenish you faster. My siblings are eager to see this place. I'm about to dance and do my thing."
"What's at the coordinates?" Jessica asked.
Rebecca gazed out at the planet. "Home sweet home." |
Partial | Chapter 27: Arrivals | Jordan waited at the front porch for the auctioneer to reach the house, and she waited, and she waited, and soon, she began to wonder if something was wrong. She'd permitted the guards to let the mare in what seemed like an hour ago. The driveway was long, but it wasn't that long. She checked the time of the last call; it had been thirty-eight minutes. Walking up to the house took five minutes at most.
Something was wrong. If that mare had come onto the property, she had wandered off somewhere other than the house, somewhere she was not supposed to be. Was Carmen even the real auctioneer? Jordan felt nothing but shame that she hadn't done anything to check that. Who knew who that mare was or what she was doing right now?
Maybe she should find Andrea, but if she got Andrea involved, it amounted to admitting that she had screwed up-that she had made a decision without Andrea and the first one had been a mistake.
No, that was stupid. It was going to be embarrassing and humbling, but she was going to go find Andrea. There was someone on the property who didn't belong here and had some sort of nefarious intent. She would be a big filly, admit her mistake, and see what they could do to correct it before something terrible happened. Andrea was going to cuss her out.
Rather than search all over the property for Andrea (she really should have gotten Andrea's phone number by now, which made her even more embarrassed), she headed back into the house and went straight to the guard room.
When she got there, the guards seemed to be waiting. One of them smiled.
"Judging by how quickly you rushed in here and the look on your face, you already know what you did," the guard said with a chuckle. "Miss Portsmith said to wait an hour to see if you'd figure it out. She was hoping you would; we all were. You had us worried that you wouldn't with how long you were taking. She's sitting with the intruder behind the chapel. She's waiting for you. She kind of needs you to help extract her. We'll let her know you are coming."
Jordan gaped. "She already caught the intruder?"
The guards all laughed.
"Do you honestly think we weren't on high alert?" one of the guards asked. "Miss Portsmith was expecting something. We did as you told us, but right after you gave us the order to let that mare in, we phoned Miss Portsmith. It didn't take long for Miss Portsmith to find her failing to sneak into the vaults. Truth be told, our intruder is probably going to be glad she was discovered quickly, but I won't spoil why. It's rich."
Jordan's ears sagged. They had known immediately that she had screwed up when she had told them to let the mare in, and they didn't say anything to her about it. Instead, they'd gone behind her back and told Andrea about it so Andrea could fix it. Yeah, they'd known they could deal with it, but they didn't respect her enough to tell her that what she was doing was a bad idea.
One of the guards gave a polite cough. "You might want to hurry. That mare needs you to get out of the bind she's gotten herself in. You're the only one who can do complex magic while on the property, and she needs that right now. Amicus Curiae is looking for the appropriate spellbook as we speak."
Wait...what? What exactly had happened? They told her they weren't spoiling the surprise, but it seemed that the intruder had run afoul of one of Auntie Sunset's defenses. Many of Auntie Sunset's defenses were nasty and brutal. How could they even be jovial about that? Even if it was a thief, she didn't want them in pain or dying.
She turned and galloped from the guard room to the front door, took a moment to orient herself and remember exactly where the chapel was, and then galloped to that. The chapel was a small, rectangular building that would be easily overlooked if not for the stained glass windows. Without thinking, she entered the chapel, found it vacant, then remembered they said behind the chapel. After circling into the trees behind the chapel, she found Andrea lying on the ground, watching a red-furred earth pony mare stand rigidly in place a foot or so away. Two human guards leaned against the chapel, looking bored.
Andrea looked over to her as she approached. "Took you long enough, although I should be happy you at least figured it out without being told. Meet Carmen Sandiego, a mare likely feeling much more embarrassed and a fuck-up than you are right now. Forgive her if she doesn't wave; she's having issues with her legs and hooves. So nice of her to trap herself for us-saved me a lot of time tracking her down."
"Do you have to rub it in?" Carmen whined through gritted teeth.
Andrea chortled as she stood back up. "Ohhhhh yeah, I have too. It's just too good."
Jordan slowly approached and took a better look at the mare's hooves; they seemed to be embedded in the ground. They didn't seem to be that deep. It should be easy for her to pull them out.
"I don't understand what's going on. How is she trapped?" Jordan asked in befuddlement
Andrea smirked. "Unicorns like to think they have a monopoly on being mages. It simply isn't true. Other tribes can cast spells, too, even if their selection is more limited in what they can do, and the spells have to align with their natural tribal abilities. You should know this better than most since you got to see Wild Growth at her height. Carmen here is an earth pony mage, not nearly as powerful as Wild Growth or even half as powerful as Phobia's newer bodyguard, Wallace, but Carmen still has some fun tricks. With a bit of complex earth pony magic, she can phase through solid objects, primarily walls or the ground. She had no idea Sunset's defenses against complex magic would catch her earth pony spell. Her hooves aren't just buried in the dirt right now; they're phased into it. She can't pull them free from the ground because they're part of the ground for the time being."
Carmen hung her head. "And my leg muscles lock up when I'm phasing through the ground, so I can't even try to lift them right now."
Jordan's ears flattened. "Is that painful? Are you hurting?"
"Honestly, I can't feel my hooves, and that's probably a bad thing," Carmen replied dryly. "Please, get me out of here before my legs die from lack of blood flow."
Andrea lifted her leg and tapped her phone. "Hey, Ami, any progress on finding that spellbook? Kinda want to get this pony loose. She's just a thief, not a terrorist. I don't have any desire to actually hurt her."
"Do you know how many spellbooks Sunset left in the unrestricted section?" Amicus replied in frustration on the other end of the line. "Do you also know how much I know about magic to even know what I'm looking at? The answer is zilch; I know nothing. Where's Jordan? I need her to help me look. She should at least have some clue what she's looking at. I could be looking right at it and not have a clue."
Auntie Sunset had an unrestricted section of spellbooks? Jordan didn't even recall seeing one spellbook in all her looking around the house. Where was it? Why hadn't anyone said anything to her about it? The answer to that was easy: they didn't trust her.
"Where are you, Amicus?" Jordan asked, loud enough that the old earth pony should hear her perfectly.
"Are you crazy? I can't tell you that while that thief is standing there to overhear!" Amicus exclaimed. "Come to the foyer, and I'll come get you."
Jordan didn't think she could feel any worse, but it kept happening. She almost made another foolish mistake less than an hour after her last big one.
She sighed and began walking. "I'll be right there." At least they would let her learn the spell to get the mare unattached from the ground, if only because her jewelry made her the only one capable of casting complex spells on the property.
It only took her a minute to get inside and find Amicus looking frazzled.
"Come on! I'm inviting you into my room," Amicus said as she turned and started marching back up the stairs.
Auntie Sunset's secret library of unrestricted spells was in Amicus's room? Well, Jordan wouldn't have thought of looking for spellbooks in an earth pony's room. She'd been in almost every other room and would have noticed a bunch of spellbooks.
When they entered the room, Jordan saw that one of the bookshelves had been practically dumped out on the floor, and Legal Brief was randomly picking up books off the floor and flipping through them.
"All these magical terms are nonsense to me," Legal Brief moaned as he tossed a book and picked up another.
Amicus looked at the heaps of books on the floor and shook her head in despair. "Me too. Jordan, you'll have to figure this out. Don't trust whatever the covers say or the first few or last few pages of each book."
Jordan levitated the closest book to herself and looked at the title, The Fundamentals of Effectively Breeding German Cockroaches. She opened it up and flipped through the first few pages; it seemed precisely that. Who the hell would ever write a book about this? She looked around at other books and saw such titles as Modern Account Practices And Investing 1919 Edition, Asbestos, the Wonder Building Material, A Guide to Better Lead Paint Mixing, Bill Cosby: America's Dad, The Mushrooms of North Africa: A Field Guide, and Comic Books: Satan's Greatest Weapon Against Christianity. Who would read any of this? These weren't spellbooks; it was a library's rejected book collection. The thought of book burning made her sick to her stomach, but if she were freezing, she wouldn't object too much to these being used for kindling. People might get dumber or die of boredom reading this garbage. Did that book over there say The Societal Benefits of Rape?! What the fuck???
"You have to start in the middle of the book," Amicus stressed.
Jordan used her magic to open the book to its exact center and found what looked like a table of contents listing out various spells. The page to the left showed entries at the book's first part, beginning with page thirty-two and ending with page one-hundred-nine. The right page table of contents started with entries on page one-hundred-twelve and continued to page one-hundred-eighty.
"My little sis had a spell to disentangle matter that a magical mishap had fused. I know she did," Amicus said as she picked up and tossed books. "She screwed up some spell once and had to create a countermeasure. I don't think it could be that dangerous, so it must be in one of these books rather than the ones in the vaults. She kept all her unreleased spells that she thought were no danger if they were discovered in this collection. Most of this stuff has very narrow or seemingly pointless applications."
"That should fix that thief's hooves if we find it. I can't imagine having her hooves fused into the ground is healthy," Legal Brief said.
"If these spells are so safe, why didn't anyone tell me about them?" Jordan asked.
"Because you didn't seem that interested," Amicus answered. "It's not like this is world-changing stuff anyway. This is my sister's junk spells."
Jordan started looking closer at the table of contents. "No. There's no such thing as a junk spell, according to Auntie Sunset. Her work was built on the failed spells and ideas of others. You just have to find the right use. These spells might seem pointless, but they aren't. She set these aside for a reason."
Amicus raised a brow at her. "Well, don't get caught up trying to figure out why. We just need to help that mare before she gets permanently injured. The spell in question can't require much power because my sister cast it, and she's magically weak."
Jordan started flipping through the book, using her skimming spell to look for key terms that she knew had to be somehow associated with the spell. The first book turned out to be missing what she was looking for, so she discarded it and started on a second. Both the earth ponies glared at her.
"I'm using my magic to search quickly," she explained before Amicus or Legal Brief could complain she wasn't putting an effort into looking. "Book skimming is one of my signature spells. Princess Twilight taught Auntie Sunset how to skim, and Auntie Sunset taught me how to do it. I'll find the right spell faster this way, but I may need to take the book with me when I find it."
Amicus shook her head. "I don't like that. Sunset was less protective of these books, but she still hid them with me. It should be a simple spell anyway if she could cast it."
Jordan continued to flip through books rapidly. "It's a common misconception that less power means less advanced. You'd be shocked at how complex a spell can get while only needing a little power. My skimming spell used hardly any magic power, but it's a lot more complex than most spells. Auntie Sunset might have been magically weak, but she can still pull off spells most unicorns cannot because of all the intricacies involved. The spell we're looking for might be one of those, especially if it isn't common knowledge. I won't try to pull something like that off from memory. It could hurt someone if I do it wrong."
"I still don't like an outsider even seeing the book. I'm supposed to keep these things safe," Amicus insisted.
"Get some wrapping paper, construction paper, even lined paper, and I can throw together a book cover real fast," Jordan said dismissively. Her spell caught something, and she paused to read the entry. Yes, this seemed like it was it. She turned the book over and looked at the title-Lyndon B. Johnson the Antichrist: A Biblical Proof of the Mark of the Beast and the End Times From America's Top Theologians. Wow... just... wow, and it wasn't even close to the worst book title in the batch. If Auntie Sunset planned to disguise her spellbooks as the worst imaginable books that no sane person wanted to read, she did well.
Legal Brief came over carrying a box packed with Christmas, birthday, graduation, and general congratulations wrapping paper and dumped it right in front of her in a big pile.
"I didn't need this much," she said with bemusement.
He shrugged. "Figured you might want your pick. The older you get, the bigger the family gets. We have many grandfoals, great grandfoals, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, great grandnieces, and great grandnephews, so we always have a lot of presents to buy each year, so we keep a lot of extra wrapping paper around. By the time you reach our age, it is a full-time job keeping track of them all. They multiply like bunnies. There's always someone having something going on."
"We have three calendars dedicated to keeping track of each major branch of the family," Amicus said with pride. She frowned at her husband. "Did we ever mail off those baby blankets and diapers to Arachne? We were so caught up dealing with Sunset moving to Equestria; I don't remember."
Legal Brief kissed his wife. "I took care of it, love."
"What about Yorik's birthday present?" Amicus asked. "He's turning sixteen. That's a big birthday."
"All taken care of, along with Rose's," Legal Brief confirmed. "I also got something nice for Edgar's baby shower-and booked our plane tickets to attend next week."
Amicus shook her head in exasperation. "This is why I need you. I would have completely forgotten Rose, and I hadn't realized Edgar's baby shower was so soon. When is she ever going to change her name? She's pregnant, absurd as that is at her age, and still using that name."
Legal Brief laughed. "You always fuss about that, and you know she does it to annoy everyone."
Jordan tried to ignore the two earth ponies' continued yammering about their extensive family and made a quick book cover out of one of the birth papers. When she was finished, she grabbed the book with her magic.
"You are going to help us put all these books up later, aren't you?" Amicus asked as Jordan opened the door to leave. "Putting books away is a pain for elderly earth ponies."
Jordan rolled her eyes. "If you insist. But first, let me free our intruder from the ground and figure out what to do with her."
"TOUCHDOWN IN TWO MINUTES! EVERYONE TO THE BRIDGE NOW!"
Jessica flattened her ears at Rebecca's yell over the intercom. She knew the Dreamwarden was excited, but Rebecca knew how sensitive her hearing was. It wasn't like everyone didn't already know that they were getting close to landing. She was sure that everyone on board had been monitoring their windows like she was right now.
The planet's perfectly smooth surface they'd seen from a distance was now clearly a fiction. The planet's entire surface was covered in buildings and streets of various sizes, occasionally punctuated by a tower or a bridge. Everything seemed to be built of the same material, and aside from some shadows, nothing seemed to be any other color. Some streets were narrow, while others were massive plazas. Bridges would sometimes link buildings, but there was no sign of rivers or streams or anything resembling a canyon. It was hard to tell from this perspective, but the ground elevation seemed almost uniform across the surface, with no hills or mountains. There was also no sign of any meteor strikes, not even debris. Even if the planet was tectonically inactive, there should at least be signs of impacts, and the Devourers had supposedly attacked this planet, but there was nothing on the surface that showed any such thing had ever happened. There didn't even appear to be any charring from the intense surface temperatures it must have previously had up until nine hours ago. It truly seemed to be frozen in time, untouched by anything. Its defiance of everything she understood about how a planet should work was unnerving, overwhelming her sense of excitement that she should be feeling for landing on an alien planet.
"HEY! GET TO THE BRIDGE NOW! IT'S IMPORTANT!!"
She tore her gaze away and headed towards the bridge. It was time to see what Rebecca intended to do here.
It seemed everyone else exiting their quarters was on edge. The way they moved betrayed their nervousness. This wasn't just some other planet. This was a living entity that watched them and reacted to them, a living entity that they didn't know the intentions of.
When they reached the bridge, they found Jonathan at the console, piloting the ship, and Rebecca at the window, bouncing in place like a child told to wait one more minute to open their gifts.
"The big plaza! Land in the big plaza!" Rebecca said excitedly.
"I know, Rebecca," Jonathan said with exasperation.
"Land right in the center!" Rebecca said, still bouncing.
"I know, Rebecca," Jonathan said through gritted teeth.
Rebecca turned and looked at him. She continued to bounce, and she had a wing boner. "You don't seem that excited."
"I'm trying to focus on piloting the ship," Jonathan answered in a monotone.
"You know where we're going?" Charlotte asked.
"The big plaza. Didn't you hear?" Jonathan replied in the same monotone. "Don't worry. Her coordinates were precise. Sha'am's memory is apparently better than the rest of the Dreamwardens' memory."
Rebecca stopped bouncing. "Well, she has an extra advantage from having been in the Story-with a capital S. She's like a pseudo-Storyteller. Do you all remember Sunflower Smiles? Sunflower is a Storyteller, too."
Terrance raised a hand. "I have no idea who that is."
"Me, either," Smiley said.
"Hmm, what about Jenny?" Rebecca asked. "You know, the lady who tells stories while doing elaborate illusions. She was involved in that bad business with a faction in the government trying to spark a human-pony war back during the same year as ETS. She's basically a direct line to the Narrative, which is like the embodiment of the will of the Story."
"I think I'm just getting more confused," Terrance answered.
Luna sighed. "How about we just move on from the subject? Is there a reason we are landing here specifically?"
Rebecca rapidly nodded. "We might have found a similar plaza somewhere, but with how big this planet is, it could take a long time to search. We're going to be landing where the traders from Triss's race used to land and do business way-way-way back in the day. I'd tell you the race's name, but I can't make all those sounds, and I don't want to give them a simplified nickname that Triss disapproved of and get her nose all out of joint about it-Junk Peddler is a profession and class, not her race's name. Anyway, they'd park a small fleet of ships in that plaza to do their business and fly away again a day or two later. What the plaza is supposed to be used for is anyone's guess since whoever built it died before the universe came to be, but it has always made a nifty dock."
"I'm not even going to attempt to get a further explanation for that," Charlotte muttered. She then cleared her throat and then spoke up. "What do we do when we land?"
"Which we are doing now," Jonathan said as we saw the buildings in the distance become more level with our window, and there was a slight shake as we contacted the ground.
Rebecca hopped and faced us. "Right! Now is the time to explain to you how to not end up vanishing forever."
"That is a good thing to know," Ashley muttered.
"It sure is!" Rebecca said happily. "Everybody gets a buddy. No one goes anywhere without your buddy. Back in the day, Triss's race had this thing called soul friends-it's like best friends, but closer, but not romantically or sexually. Everybody traveled around with their soul friend when they were here. I don't expect everyone to make soul friends with one another, but you keep your buddy with you always. No wandering off alone, no going into a building by yourself, no going around any corners by yourself. If you go off by yourself, even for a few seconds, even if it is just over there-wherever there is, you might not return."
Rebecca didn't tell them this until two minutes before landing?! They'd all been in their quarters by themselves! If anyone had delayed an extra minute, they'd have failed the first rule!
Luna looked around at them. "We should team together with whoever already has the closest bonds of friendship. Jessica and Charlotte, you are teamed together. Terrance and Smiley, you're teamed together. Jonathan and Ashley, you will be together. I will be with the Marshmallow."
Jonathan nodded. "That sounds about right. Either Ashley or I could team up with Rebecca, but considering she's got your memories floating around in her head and you are both Dreamwardens, you two are probably closer. Jessica and Charlotte are childhood friends who went through the Cataclysm of Riverview together. I'm not sure about Terrance and Smiley."
"We never really met any of you or each other before this. I don't want to vanish," Terrance said nervously.
"A good time to make a good friend! Remember, friendship is magic-and it keeps you alive," Rebecca chirped. "Still, maybe you two should stay with the ship and guard it. We don't want to leave it alone, either. It isn't just people that can vanish if left alone, and I would like to keep our way back home."
"That would also be a good thing," Charlotte said dryly.
"What do you mean by keeping together?" Jessica asked. "If this is a life or death matter, we need to be clear on what to do. Do you mean we can't have our partner out of sight for a second? That could be difficult."
"You don't have to see each other, but stay in the same room, part of a street, and so on. Theoretically, anyone in the same area looking around should be able to spot both of you," Rebecca explained. "Being somewhere it would be impossible for some imaginary person standing nearby to see both of you is a bad thing. Imagine there is always a third person watching you. You and your buddy don't have to see one another, but that third person needs to be able to see you and your buddy."
Luna looked out at the plaza beyond the window with a frown. "I'm not certain that such a being is imaginary. We are still being watched. My fur is standing on end."
Rebecca shrugged. "So don't let what's watching you see you alone. It's easy-peasy."
One, two, three, four... Jessica counted to herself, trying to keep her temper under control. Rebecca's carefree attitude in the face of this kind of danger made her want to scream.
"There's some other simple rules," Rebecca continued. "Never go downstairs, not unless it is your only available path."
"What's downstairs?" Smiley asked.
Rebecca shrugged. "The basement? Who knows? Not me. I only have one memory of the downstairs, which was reached through the upstairs in a tower, and it was the only path to take at the time since the tower door vanished on us-which we should have seen coming, considering it normally didn't have one. I, and by that, I mean Joss, tried to tell Triss it was a bad idea, but she was always ready to jump into anything without thinking it through back then. It did turn out okay-ish, at least in the short-term, even if it was confusing how we went up a tower and came out of the basement in another building. Typically, going downstairs is a good way of vanishing. There's nothing like going downstairs just to have the stairs vanish. Upstairs, you can at least find a window or something to escape out of, but you probably won't even see any stairs going down, so don't worry too much."
Really helpful.
"Also, don't panic if the geography or building changes from what you were looking at just a moment before," Rebecca continued. "That doesn't happen much, but it can. I will give everyone a tracker for the ship and shortwave radio to contact one another if you get into trouble. If the geography changes, you and your buddy should just do your best to make your way back to the ship. Also, it is very, very important to try to keep a positive attitude. Jeg'galla'gamp'pi likes good vibes. It likes friendship, family, and comradery. If you're angry, upset, or fighting, it can tell, and that might upset it or make it uncooperative. We don't want it to be upset or uncooperative."
A planet-wide city that could change its layout on a whim and defied physics at every turn.
"Is there some way of communicating with the planet?" Jessica asked. "If people lived here at some point, I'd assume they had some way of talking to the place that could decide their home just didn't need to exist anymore."
Rebecca shook her head. "Sorry, it doesn't communicate. You can get a feel for its mood sometimes, but not always. Most of the time, it is just watching. You will feel that, too. Luna is right. You spend about five minutes walking around, and you can't help but feel that you're being watched. Sometimes, you'll swear you saw something just out of the corner of your eye, but when you turn to look, there's nothing. Just take some deep breaths and think happy thoughts. Talk to your buddy about stuff and joke around; that takes some edge off. Nothing is going to jump out and get you. There's nobody here but us. If there were, Jeg'galla'gamp'pi would cater to them, but everything is set up to be nice to us."
Deep breaths. Happy thoughts. Focus on the fact you are living your foalhood dream. You're about to explore an alien world with the ruins of some alien civilization. This is a great day for science, she thought to herself.
"And you still haven't told us what exactly we're looking for here," Charlotte said.
Rebecca blinked. "Oh? It must have slipped my mind in the excitement. You're looking for anything you can pick up, and I mean anything. If you find so much as a few stray grains of sand or pebbles, you better collect those. Anything bigger would be great, too. We aren't just the only living people here; we and our stuff we brought are the only things that aren't all part of the one solid piece of Jeg'galla'gamp'pi. Nothing here is put together from parts. Everything from the ground to the buildings to the bridges and towers is the same unbreakable object. If you find anything that is a separate project, then you grab it. That is Jeg'galla'gamp'pi giving you gifts. We're picking up where the Junk Peddlers left off."
"So...we're gathering samples?"Jessica asked. She could deal with gathering samples.
"If that's how you want to view it," Rebecca answered. "Just keep looking around. Double-check over areas twice because there might end up being something there that wasn't a second before-this place does that a lot. If you pick up something and it glows, don't be afraid. It won't hurt you. It just means you found an extra-special something that is meant just for you! I don't have a lot of expectation we will find anything specifically meant for anyone here, but it would be exciting if we did. Any time anyone finds anything, you and your buddy should return to the ship to drop it off. You don't need gloves or bags or anything. Nothing can hurt you by touching it here, and you can't damage anything-unbreakable means unbreakable. Try not to swallow anything; unbreakable things going down the hatch can't be good for your tum-tum."
Jonathan walked over to the packs in the corner. "I'll hand out the trackers and radios. Let's get to work." |
Partial | Chapter 28: Insecurities | In the rec room, Jordan watched the doctor, an older unicorn stallion, packing up his things. In attendance with them and the patient was Andrea and one guard.
"You're sure she'll recover?" Jordan asked, worriedly glancing at Carmen lying on the couch.
The doctor nodded. "Yes, she should be alright. After two to three weeks of rehabilitation, she should regain full use of her legs. She should be able to walk for short stints starting tomorrow. All her veins and arteries are completely intact, her limbs receive proper blood flow, and they hadn't been without blood long enough to cause permanent damage. Don't worry. I'm not going to ask how she lost flow to her legs. I know better than to ask questions about what happens at Wabash Manor. This is tame compared to some of what I've been called to treat here. I'd call her lucky."
"Thank you for coming," Andrea told the doctor. "We will take it from here, and the guards shall show you to the gate. As per usual, you'll receive a significant payment for your discretion. My baby sister is gone. I hope that will mean less of these types of calls."
"Not off to a great start," the doctor muttered but headed towards the door with the guard following.
Jordan's ears sagged. "I'm really sorry about this, Andrea. I didn't take security measures seriously enough."
Andrea grunted. "Well...let's call it a learning experience. At least it was just a thief and not someone who wanted to hurt anyone. Our nineties video game character here is moderately notorious. I remember seeing a case file on her back while with the FBI. We never figured out her trick for getting into places. Pretty neat trick-neat enough that we should probably just let her go."
"What?!" Jordan exclaimed in confusion.
Carmen gazed at them in bafflement. "Not that I'm going to object, but...why?"
Andrea sighed and shook her head. "One thing my baby sis had right was that certain magic shouldn't become widespread. She was a pragmatist, and she was very guarded about what spells she developed got out to the public, fearing magic that society was not prepared to deal with yet. That spell to phase through matter could cause a lot of trouble. Government security has enough issues dealing with unicorns teleporting to places they shouldn't be and pegasi flying over fences; we don't need to add earth ponies walking through walls or sinking into basements to the mix. As a thief, I think you have every incentive to keep your trade secret a secret. If we turn you over to the authorities, that increases the risk your secret gets out. Even if they don't instruct anyone on how to do the spell, earth ponies, knowing it is possible, will try to figure out how to do it, and, sooner or later, someone will. The floodgates are open after that."
"Yet she never stopped developing potentially dangerous spells," Jordan said.
"True," Andrea agreed. "She did so because spells are tools, and she wanted those tools available if they were needed-or if someone else developed them and we needed a firm understanding of what they were using in order to counter it. She also developed many spells she deemed safe for public use that she shared with the government to do as they wished with that knowledge."
Andrea frowned at Carmen. "Oh...and if Sunset were here, she'd probably not let our prisoner go until she had a firm understanding of how this magic works, even if the knowledge ended up in the vaults. She'd go to great lengths to figure it out-possibly unpleasant lengths. My sister was reformed, but she still could be a bit morally gray sometimes, and her forgiveness rarely extended to anyone who invaded our home. Too many bad experiences for that. You'd live through it, but she'd link her taking the time to properly free you before you lost the full use of your legs to your cooperation with her research and say it was your fault for breaking and entering."
Carmen shivered.
A guard stuck his head in the room. "Miss Gilmore? The actual auctioneer has arrived, along with the appraiser. Their IDs check out."
She hadn't even asked if Carmen had shown any sort of ID. Now, she was feeling dumber than ever.
"Have someone escort them in," Andrea instructed before Jordan could respond. That was yet another thing she hadn't considered that seemed obvious now-having people escorted in so they couldn't wander off.
Jordan looked at Carmen. "She can't walk right now. What do we do with her? We can't just dump her on the street when she's like this."
"The Dreamwardens promised me aid if I got caught!" Carmen shouted. "I demand you contact them!"
"Heh," Andrea said, shaking her head. "I should have guessed they'd pull something. Either them, the government, or both. They're testing us now that you're in charge."
Jordan shrank back. "Phobia is my sister, the Marshmallow is my friend, and Yinyu has spent a lot of time showing me... forget I mentioned that last one; why would they do this to me?"
Andrea rolled her eyes. "Oh, to be eighteen again. I'd be happy with being forty again at this point. To answer your question, they want to be sure the vaults are secure even with Sunset gone. I think this demonstrates that my sister's defenses are good enough to hold even if you make a few slip-ups."
"Oh," Jordan whispered.
"Stop pouting!" Andrea snapped. "Amicus yelled at me because she thought I was being too mean to you, so I'm doing my best to be more sociable. Unlike my sisters, I'm not a liar."
"Amicus lies?" Jordan whimpered.
"She's a lawyer! What do you think? She doesn't so much lie, per se; it is more like she says truth-adjacent things," Andrea growled. She then went wide-eyed. "But she doesn't lie to you or tell you anything truth-adjacent."
Jordan sniffled. "You're terrible at this, you know that?"
"I know!" Andrea yelled. "Why do you think my kids and grandkids never visit, and my husband was so ready to dump me when I transformed!"
They sat staring at each other. Jordan wondered if she should say something but didn't have a clue what to say in response to that. On the plus side, Andrea wasn't just unpleasant to her. She should feel bad, but it was somehow comforting. Did that make her a bad person? Only bad people felt comfort from something like that. Oh, no, she was a bad person! Did she need to go to church? No, Auntie Sunset went downhill after joining a church. Maybe she should mentor a young foal or something.
"Should I be listening to this?" Carmen asked. "This sounds like a lot of personal business that has nothing to do with me."
"Cover your ears," Andrea instructed.
"I can't. My limbs don't work," Carmen replied.
"The auctioneer is going to be in here in a minute. We should do something with her," Jordan said.
"Go dump her in the chapel. I'll send a pair of guards to watch her," Andrea said.
"Or we could put her in the guard room," Jordan suggested.
Andrea rolled her eyes. "Fine, but we throw a sheet over her head so she can't see the cameras."
"Aren't you going to contact the Dreamwardens?!" Carmen protested.
Andrea waved a hoof. "We'll get around to it. Miss Gilmore has an auction to do, and I kind of want to get rid of this junk, too."
Luna sat, saddlebag on, watching the Marshmallow dance along to some Earth song with two people singing about a whole new world. It sounded like it was meant to be romantic, but it was hard to get that vibe when the Marshmallow was doing ballet. The fact that such a fat pony could stand on the tips of her hind hooves like that while prancing around with her forelegs held high above her head was almost a bewildering enough sight to distract her from their surroundings. Almost.
She turned her gaze upward at the ship's bridge window to see the two soldiers watching from above. They seemed to be as amazed by the display of the Marshmallow's agility as Luna should have been feeling. She turned her head and saw the Marshmallow's projection floating just above the ship. It would be invisible to the soldiers, but keeping the projection invisible wouldn't work on the Princess of the Night. The Marshmallow's projection was having a very animated discussion-likely with the other Dreamwardens. It seemed being across the universe didn't interfere with their ability to see through her projection. The dream realm was not defined by physical distance, but she had briefly wondered if this place would block their gaze. It had already done the impossible many times over. What was one more impossibility?
Tearing her eyes away, she looked at the buildings in the distance. Her vision had always been better than her sister's or Twilight's. She believed it came with having been born a pegasus rather than gaining pegasus magic upon ascension. Cadence had excellent vision as well, so it tracked. She knew that none of her companions could make out the details as well as she could. The windows of the buildings were strangely shadowed, and she felt like there were hundreds of eyes staring at her. Even the doors of the buildings felt like eyes rather than mouths. If it weren't for the ship blocking the view in one direction, she would have hundreds of eyes staring at her from all sides. Now, she had hundreds of eyes staring at her from three sides.
She took a deep breath, then another, then one more, just to be sure. The Marshmallow said she needed to maintain a positive attitude and that this place could tell if she had a non-positive attitude. She needed to think of happy things-foals on Nightmare Night, pineapples, possums, post offices, the opera, poetry, picnics, and PowerPoint presentations with the fancy clipart that flipped. She would ignore the hundreds of eyes watching her.
The Marshmallow suddenly stopped dancing while still balanced on one hoof and immediately fell over, flat on her face. The music cut off at that same instant.
"Ow."
Luna rushed over. "Goodness, Marshmallow, are you hurt?"
The chubby pegasus sat up and tapped a hoof to her muzzle before looking at her hoof. "No blood! I'm good to go, and you can call me Rebecca or Becky. There's no need to be so formal. We're practically family. I'm like your non-blood-related granddaughter."
Luna smirked. "I'm sure you know, but the Bluebloods claim me as an ancestor, even though I most certainly am not. I was a godmother to one of Princess Platinum's great grandfoals, and that somehow turned into me being their grandmother in their minds. I suppose you have a closer to a legitimate claim to the title of a granddaughter, considering I was two before you in Dreamwarden succession."
The Marshmallow tilted one ear. "How did Prince Blueblood getting stripped of titles make you feel when it happened?"
She shrugged. "Prince Blueblood is over a thousand years removed from the dear foals I was granted that title for, so there is practically no connection. He got what he deserved, and I feel no remorse for it. He was an entitled brat. His ancestors would feel nothing but shame at his actions. If this had been earlier in Equestrian history, he would have faced far worse consequences, and I would have endorsed such punishments- kindness was never one of my primary elements; they were loyalty, honesty, and laughter, all things he betrayed."
The Marshmallow giggled. "Yet you have Sunset Blessing as a personal student who sucks at two of those things."
Luna tilted her head slightly. "True, though she has improved somewhat. A second round of motherhood seems to have done wonders for her weaker elements. I can't say she is an honest pony, but she does laugh more than she once did, and having escaped Earth's expectations seems to have lightened her heart even further." She refocused. "How did your siblings react to seeing this place? Were they as giddy as you?"
"Eh...it was a mixed bag, and by that, I mean I'm the only one giddy about it," the Marshmallow answered with disappointment. "Arbiter, in particular, despises this place with a passion, and the rest are kind of somber about it. We aren't a monolithic group, no matter what anyone thinks. I guess I just have more fond memories from here than sad. I like to focus on the happy stuff, not the gloomy stuff-even if I did inherit a lot of not-so-happy memories along with the happy ones. Still, they're glad we arrived safely. Ready to go look for some rocks?"
She looked out at the buildings again. Happy thoughts. She then turned and smiled at the Marshmallow.
"Of course, Becky. We shall search the city and return with a triumphant load!" Luna asserted.
The youngest Dreamwarden smiled gently up at her. "You don't have to try to fake it so hard, you know. I'm not oblivious to how others are feeling, even if I act like I am. I think I might get that perception from you, and I'm happy to be spending some time with you. Let's walk and talk."
It sometimes unnerved her how much wisdom and perception these Dreamwardens had, not to mention the level of knowledge. They were her creations, a mere fraction of her age and magical might, yet they possessed insight and learning far more ancient than hers, along with much of her knowledge. Not that any of them, nor her, were immune to the occasional bout of foolishness or lapse in judgment. Every time she looked at them, she was reminded of one of her most significant lapses in judgment, appointing Sha'am Maut a Dreamwarden. She always wondered how much of a shadow the dread mare cast over their minds.
They walked together towards the buildings the bridge window faced. It was a massive plaza, and it would take them at least five minutes to reach them. It was curious that any city would need a plaza of such grand size, but this city covered a planet, so everything was on a more colossal scale.
"Tell me, Becky, what do you believe you inherited from Sha'am Maut?" Luna finally built up the courage to ask.
The Marshmallow pursed her lips. "It's hardly something I can say for sure, but I think she reinforced my love of children and foals. I also could never cook well before becoming a Dreamwarden but became an excellent baker of cookies and pastries after, which Sha'am is the only Dreamwarden in recent history who had a true knack for-no offense intended to you or the others. Phobia bakes, but she's pretty sure she inherited that from Sha'am, too. I cried when I realized I lifted a skill directly from the old meanie pants, but I got over it. It's part of me now, and it's something I can bring joy with." she lowered her head. "And...I confess I might have inherited some darker elements from her as well, although I can't confirm it was specifically her."
Luna tensed, hearing her fear given validation. "What darker elements would you be referring to? I shall keep anything you say to me in confidence."
"I know you will," the Marshmallow quietly replied. "It takes a lot to make me really mad; I mean a lot. Way more than any of my siblings. I might get annoyed sometimes, but that isn't the same as in a rage. You have to do something extremely despicable to piss me off...but when someone does push me to that limit...let's just say I'm not very nice at all."
The tenseness did not lessen. "What do you do?"
"There haven't been many, but there have been a few people that hurt kids...I mean, really hurt kids and then got away with it," the Marshmallow said in a pained tone laced with bitterness. "I think it is the getting away with it that is the thing that finally pushes me over the edge. I try to let the police and the courts take care of things. I do! But sometimes, the system fails, and those bastards get to keep on doing what they are doing. That's when I decide enough is enough, and I make sure they hurt. Maybe I get it from Sha'am, maybe it is Ghadab or one of the others, or a combination, but I decide I'm going to deliver the justice the system failed to deliver, and I get flat-out sadistic about it because I'm that furious. I don't like myself when I'm like that, but I can't let it go or even think straight when it happens. I can't stand for someone to hurt kids and keep getting away with it."
The Marshmallow cried. "I know it isn't right. I know I should let the law continue to try, but when it gets to that point, there's this all-consuming rage, and all I can think about is kids are going to keep getting hurt if I don't do something. It's like my brain shuts off. The others have criticized me for it, I've criticized myself for it, and so have my bodyguards-even if they end up doing the dirty work. They say I'm going to get them in trouble. I might have already done so. The government has formed this task force in response to Dreamwardens stepping over the line on things, and my siblings look at me, knowing that it is me and my vigilantism that's triggering this. I don't know what to do. Do you have advice?"
Luna silently considered what was said for a few seconds before replying. The shadow of Sha'am might be there, or it could be having so many night ponies in the Marshmallow's line had some impact, or it could even be Luna herself who this was inherited from, for she knew she would take swift justice in the Marshmallow's position, but this was not something acceptable on Earth. There was, however, something that stood the Marshmallow apart, remorse. Perhaps the Marshmallow inherited that from Krik or Phobia, who also felt guilt at turning to violence despite being night ponies, or maybe the horror at such action was in the Marshmallow all along. From what she knew of the pegasus, the latter seemed most likely. One thing was clear: the Marshmallow did not share Sha'am's greatest flaw. Sha'am never questioned her own actions or felt any shred of remorse for the terror she inflicted. The Marshmallow might be more ruled by emotion than many of her siblings, but she was also more willing to question whether they were right and felt more conflicted than any. Sha'am was unworthy, but the Marshmallow's concerns showed that the Dreamwardens made the right call in selecting her. Those with power should always be willing to question their own actions.
"This is something I have a hard time expressing good advice for," she said. "As co-ruler of Equestria, if I decide to take action against some brigand, it is my right. If the same happened in Equestria, I too would take action, and none would fault me."
"But Earth is not Equestria, and I'm not that kind of authority figure. I'm crossing a line," the Marshmallow replied.
"Indeed," Luna agreed. "Yet, my rights as Princess of the Night have been with me for so long, I don't know if I can fully appreciate what it is like not to have the right to take action. I don't condone what you have done, but I understand the drive and don't know what other action to suggest you take. Taking no action seems as much a crime, if not more. You should respect the systems your world has put in place, for they are there for a reason, but something must be done, even if what you are doing isn't it. I don't know what that is if your system is failing. I do not know what advice to give, Rebecca."
"Things are easier when it's clear what the right thing to do is," the Marshmallow agreed, sounding sad. "I want to do the right thing. I wish I knew what that was."
"These are not happy thoughts," Luna said grimly.
"But it's friendship, family, and comradery," the Marshmallow replied, drying her tears with a wing. "Jeg'galla'gamp'pi sees, and it understands. Thank you for being my friend and talking to me about the things about myself I'm not proud of, even if you don't have the answers."
Jessica ran her hand along the wall of the closest building. It was perfectly smooth, without a bump to be felt, and cool to the touch. Straining her hearing, she heard no ground settling, no groaning in the wall under its weight, despite the building she was standing next to extending what had to be at least a hundred stories upward. This was what ultra-dense thaumic matter felt like? How was this ever shaped and formed? Who shaped and created this, and what happened to them? The level of advancement needed to do it was mind-boggling. Rebecca was an architect. She wondered what Rebecca thought of these buildings.
Charlotte grumbled in frustration. "Finding anything?"
"No," Jessica answered, removing her hand from the wall and looking upward at the countless windows of the building. They all seemed to be staring down at her, even if she knew that was an impossibility. It had to be a trick of light mixed with paranoia.
"Me neither," Charlotte said with exasperation. "There's not even dust! We're standing in a bunch of ancient ruins, and it is like it was just cleaned minutes ago. If cleanliness is next to godliness, this place is fucking Heaven."
Jessica rubbed her arms. It sure didn't feel like Heaven. The sense of being watched made her fur stand on end. She didn't believe in ghosts, but this place made her question that assertion.
She pointed to their left. "Let's try in that direction."
"Any particular reason why?" Charlotte asked.
She shook her head. "None at all. I have no more lead on what to do than you do. One direction is as good as another as long as we go that way together."
"Sounds good," Charlotte replied and walked up beside her. If they were beside each other as they headed anywhere, they could be seen together by anything watching.
"Still feeling your sister?" Jessica asked as they started walking.
Charlotte pointed a wing vaguely off to a spot opposite the direction of the star. "She's somewhere that way. The sensation of her is faint, but I can still tell. I wonder how she's feeling right now. She has to be feeling the same weaker sensation. Maybe she's worried. She didn't know about this mission. So, she has no explanation for why our bond feels weaker. She could think I'm hurt or dying."
"Your mom will talk to her, I'm sure," Jessica replied.
"You never know with our mom," Charlotte said. "Mom keeps a lot of secrets. I don't resent her for that. I'm in the military, so I keep my own secrets."
"She has to at least tell your sister you're safe," Jessica insisted.
Charlotte shook her head. "Mom wouldn't do that. Mom doesn't lie. Rebecca might try to sugar-coat things, but I heard a lot of potential danger involving this place. Don't worry, I'll dreamwalk my sister when I go to sleep, and Arbiter can get you in contact with your family while you sleep. That way, you can tell them you made it here and are still alive and well. At least you can tell Robby."
"I can tell my parents, too," Jessica corrected. "Your grandma used her necklace on them a few years back. Someone had advocated that the Dreamwardens should be able to contact them, just in case someone tried to kidnap them."
Charlotte glanced up at her with a raised brow. "Really? I hadn't heard. They must have kept it very low-key. What tribes did they turn out to be?"
"They did keep it low-key," Jessica confirmed. "My mom was a unicorn, and my dad was an earth pony. They each didn't keep the necklace on long, and they never developed any abilities. Their PREQUES numbers are so low that it is hard for crystal ponies to even register them, but they're enough for Aunt Arbiter to contact."
"I heard the Warden of Order has a PREQUES number like that. It's how he keeps under everyone's radar. No one expects a Dreamwarden with essentially no magic," Charlotte replied. She suddenly stopped walking, forcing Jessica to come to a halt.
"What is it?" Jessica asked.
Charlotte pointed with a wing. "Window over there. There's something in it."
Jessica looked in the direction indicated. Something was sitting in a lower window. It was hard to tell what it was, but there was definitely something. The pair of them walked towards it to get a better look.
It was a dodecahedron that seemed made of the same material as everything else around here. Actually, it looked like its shape was slightly off as if it had been squished. Each facing was unadorned, and there was no coloring anywhere to be seen on it. It was just sitting there, like someone who had set a pie on a windowsill to cool. The sensation of being watched felt more pronounced now as if the planet was waiting with great anticipation to see how they would react to this find.
"Rebecca said to grab anything we can find and bring it back. Pretty sure that qualifies as anything," Charlotte said. "You want to grab it, or do you want me to?"
"Is it just me, or did the feeling of being watched just go up several decibels?" Jessica asked.
"I think it's just you."
Jessica swallowed and reached for the object, unsure if she fully trusted Rebecca knew what she was talking about when the Dreamwarden said nothing they found could hurt them. She should be wearing gloves or have some sort of tongs to collect this.
The second she touched her fingers to the object, it started to glow, and she yanked her hand back.
"Whoa! I guess that one is meant for you. The puffball is going to be dancing about this," Charlotte said, bemused. "You have to be the one to take it now."
"You try touching it," Jessica instructed.
Charlotte rolled her eyes and flapped her wings to get into the air. While hovering, the night pony reached out a hoof and laid it on the object. There was no reaction.
"See, it's meant for you, not me. Dreamwardens don't lie," Charlotte said as she took her hoof away and landed. "Take it. We don't want to refuse a gift and offend the planet that can make us poof out of existence."
Jessica hesitated. "We don't even know what these things do. Why is the planet giving me a gift?"
"I don't know. Maybe it wants to make friends," Charlotte suggested. "We have our orders. Grab it so we can head back to the ship. We can radio Rebecca that we found something, and then maybe she can explain what the hell it is and what it does."
She gulped and reached out for the object again. It immediately started glowing once more when she touched it, and, once again, she yanked her hand back, and the glow ended. She then touched it again, and the light resumed, making her again pull her hand back.
"Stop poking it and just grab it," Charlotte said in frustration. "We've already established that it glows when you touch it. Stop being a chicken-shit."
For some reason, the image that entered her mind was the glowing forms of the crystal ponies that had hunted them during the day of the Cataclysm of Riverview, which did not help her bravery.
She took a deep breath and placed her hand entirely on the object. It started to glow once more. This time, she didn't yank her hand back but didn't grab either. Unlike the buildings, this thing felt warm to the touch. It wasn't hot, more a pleasant warmth, like clothes straight out of the dryer. There was something else...not something she could put into words well. It was like she was more aware of the stone.
She removed her hand once more, and Charlotte let off an aggravated sigh. Before her friend could scold her, she started pulling off her shirt.
"Why are you stripping?" Charlotte asked in confusion.
Jessica took her shirt and wrapped it around the object. Not being in direct contact with her seemed to prevent the glow. She bundled the object carefully in the shirt and then picked it up. She quickly checked her bra to ensure she wasn't popping out anywhere, not wanting to give anyone a peep show, especially since her abdomen and chest were essentially fur-free, and then smiled at her friend.
"There. Now we can head back to the ship," Jessica replied, feeling pleased with herself. |
Partial | Chapter 29: The Stones of Jeg'galla'gamp'pi | "Hiya, Jess!" Rebecca greeted them as they reached the ship. "Showing your midriff, interesting look. I'm not an expert on human stuff, but I hear that it is supposed to be sexy. Should we ask Terrance or Jonathan if you are pulling it off well? I'm sure they can give better feedback than I can."
Jessica blushed and started trying to cover her front with her arms, but then remembered she was holding the object wrapped in her shirt, and she didn't want that thing any closer to her body than it currently was, so she put her arms back down.
"Don't ask them that. I'd rather they not see me like this," Jessica replied. She then held out the bundle. "Here's the sample."
Rebecca tilted her head. "You may be confused; that's your shirt. Is the stress getting to you?"
"Bundled up in my shirt," Jessica hissed through gritted teeth. She then undid the bundle and held the dodecahedron cupped in her hands, keeping the shirt between her skin and it.
The pegasus gasped and started hopping. "Ooohh! Fancy! Why are you keeping it in your shirt? I told you it won't hurt you, and you can't break it."
"It glows when it comes in contact with my skin," Jessica answered.
"Yeah, it freaks her out," Charlotte confirmed. "She spent like five minutes poking the damned thing like something else was going to happen before she got the nerve to pick it up."
"It wasn't five minutes!" Jessica snapped.
Charlotte gave an aggravated flap of her wings. "Felt like it."
Luna was staring at the object with a deep frown. "Marshmallow, what secret have thou been holding back from me?"
Rebecca sighed. "I thought we were done with the formalities. Secrets I have been keeping back, let me see. When I was sixteen, I crashed into my mom's car when trying to land from a flight and put a dent in it. Then, I lied and told my mom someone slammed their bike into it. Last Halloween, I got hungry and ate all the candy that we were supposed to give out to trick-or-treaters; then I panicked and shut off the porch light, along with all the lights in the house, and hid in the closet because I was afraid the trick-or-treaters would teepee the house if they knew. I still keep my vibrator in my pillow, even though I'm married. I forgot to empty the feather bin at my house before going on this trip. My weight has increased by fifteen pounds since I was eighteen-"
"MARSHMALLOW! THOU KNOWS WHAT I MEAN!" Luna yelled.
Rebecca fluttered her lips. "Beat it out of me, why don't ya? Don't take that as a serious suggestion. It was a turn of phrase. You want to know about the Sunstone."
Luna flared her wings. "Yes, what do you know that we do not know about the Sunstone."
Charlotte raised a wing. "What are we even talking about?"
Jessica wanted to know that as well but believed that her asking would be redundant at this point. Better to listen.
Rebecca sat down. "I don't know anything more than you do for certain. We only speculate."
Luna's frown turned into a grimace. "And what do you speculate?"
Rebecca grinned. "You dropped the formality, hooray! We speculate that the Sunstone is one of these stones like Jess is holding. Sometime deep in the past, it made its way to Equestria and found its person, or it and its person went to Equestria together. It is tough to say."
"What do you mean, its person? What does it mean to be its person? Is this thing a pet??" Jessica demanded to know.
Rebecca giggled. "No, silly. It isn't a pet rock. It's an extension and enhancement of your magic! It learns your magic so that it can do it. You can use it to accomplish great feats, and eventually, very eventually, it can do your magic for anyone...provided they don't upset it or the stone doesn't vanish sometime after you're gone. It can also sometimes just keep doing whatever it is that it does, even without anyone actively using it if it is locked into a routine by its owner."
Luna's eyes bulged. "The Sunstone can just vanish!?"
"Remember, we haven't established the Sunstone is one of these, but if it is, we think the fact it is in another universe might be protecting it from that," Rebecca answered. "Maybe being in another universe makes it so Jeg'galla'gamp'pi can't find it and take it back as it did with all the other stones."
"What does this Sunstone thing do?" Charlotte asked. "I assume something with the sun."
Luna let out a long breath. "Before my sister and I came along, and before the pony tribes started fighting one another, it was what moved the sun and moon in Equestria until the unicorns broke it with their meddling. This forced them to do the job themselves, at great cost, and led to disharmony among the pony tribes."
Rebecca raised a hoof. "They didn't break it. They upset it. You can't break these things."
"Well, if that's the case, my sister and I only recently were able to calm it down so it could be used again, should something happen to us. It had been upset for more than a thousand years!" Luna exclaimed.
"That's a long temper tantrum. Those unicorns must have been real assholes to the thing," Charlotte muttered.
Jessica stared in horror at the thing in her hands. "Are you saying this thing can move the Sun??!!! Why would we ever want something like this? It could end all life as we know it!"
Rebecca tilted her head. "Why would you think your stone can move the Sun?"
"You were just talking about what that other stone does!" Jessica yelled.
"Oh! I see the misunderstanding," Rebecca said with a nod. "That was someone else's stone...presumably. It was replicating and enhancing their magic and their nature. Unless you have been holding out on us, your magic doesn't move the Sun and Moon."
"What do you mean by their nature?" Charlotte asked in confusion.
Rebecca shrugged. "That one's a bit more hard to describe. I can't adequately describe it since it can mean many things, depending on who owns a stone. It's learning about you, just like your magic. It depends on what it learns. The stone is your friend, your helper."
"You just said it isn't a pet!" Jessica said, debating whether to drop this thing and forget it existed.
"It isn't! It is an extension of you!" Rebecca insisted.
Luna stepped closer to Jessica, still examining the dodecahedron. "And this stone will eventually allow anyone to replicate Jessica Middleton's magic?"
"That takes a long time to get to, maybe too long for a mortal human, but, yeah, enhanced even if it gets that far," Rebecca confirmed. "And her nature, whatever that may entail. Jeg'galla'gamp'pi will probably take it back whenever she dies. That's what normally happens. The person dies, and the stone just ceases to be; absorbed back into Jeg'gala'gamp'pi. The Junk Peddlers' entire economy revolved around finding these stones and trading them to people back on their homeworld. Everyone wanted to find their special stone, but they didn't want to come here to do it. You might not have noticed, but Jeg'galla'gamp'pi likes to hang out pretty close to stars. It makes journeying to it a weeee bit difficult. Triss's race's solution was just to gather up a lot of poor people and dump them here to gather stones, and those people depended on trading stones to get the supplies they needed to keep on living here. There's not a lot of food and drink around here, and if you don't remember me warning you, you don't want to try eating these stones. Eating unbreakable things is bad for your tummy!"
"That sounds like a lot of exploitation for what was supposed to be a highly advanced civilization," Charlotte observed.
"Every civilization has issues that need fixing. There's no such thing as a perfect system because civilizations are made up of people, and people aren't perfect. In fact, people are downright self-destructive. Regardless of the government or economy, they all fall prey to the three G's-greed, gullibility, and grumpiness. Sooner or later, those three things get so bad that nations will collapse under the weight if they don't get wiped out by something else first. No nation can stand forever," Rebecca replied knowingly.
"And what if the stone doesn't ever reach its special person?" Jessica asked, ignoring Rebecca's commentary on the downfall of civilization.
"They still give off lots of thaumic energy. Nothing that will hurt anyone, but it can be used to power some things," Rebecca explained.
"Like holding all the power of a black hole," Jessica said in amazement. Everyone looked at her. "These things are super-dense thaumic matter. It's like all the combined thaumic energy that would normally be in the world condensed down into an object that fits in your hand-even more energy than that, more like all the energy in the solar system. If thaumic energy could be used as a power source for machines, this one stone could power everything on Earth. It could power spacecraft that would make ours look like a wooden sled."
"Now I'm getting why you were so interested in this place," Charlotte said thoughtfully. "If you told us how to utilize these stones for power, we could power an entire fleet of craft to confront the Devourers in space. They'd have enough power to outmaneuver the Devourers-assuming Devourers can't move faster than light on a dime."
Rebecca nodded. "They can't do that. Faster-than-light travel requires a pretty big clearance of space in front of you. Trying to do that within a solar system is a good way of ramming into something, and even small somethings can mess you up at that speed." The Dreamwarden's ears perked. "Oh, Jess! I forgot to mention that you are safe from vanishing now! Once you've found your personal stone, you're pretty much free to wander wherever you like unaccompanied."
"That's-" Jessica started to reply but stopped when Luna suddenly spread her wings and looked around as if startled. Rebecca shivered at the same time.
"Wow, that was big enough for even my puny weather senses to pick up, and they barely ever pick up on anything," Rebecca said in wonder.
"What happened?"Jessica asked.
"Clearly, something with the weather," Charlotte replied.
Luna took a few deliberate flaps of her wings and then folded them to her sides. "There's been a major shift in the environment an hour's flight southeast of here. It encompasses a small area, perhaps a few city blocks, but it is dramatic. I don't think we can survive in the conditions that now exist in that area. There was no warning, no buildup. It simply changed. It also seems to be contained and does not affect conditions outside its radius. It is like it is contained in an invisible fence."
Rebecca nodded. "It should stay put, and we should avoid it. If I had to make a guess, Triss just arrived in the flesh. Jeg'galla'gamp'pi is accommodating her without hurting us, which is very nice of it. We shall continue to look for rocks and give her space. I like air I can breathe and the right amount of air pressure and gravity. I think we all do."
Jessica blinked. "She's here? She's here in the flesh? Not a projection or something like that? She has a physical body?"
"Why is she here?" Charlotte asked. "Seems a big coincidence that she'd show up here right after we do."
Rebecca shook her head and took on a severe expression. "She's likely here to guard her stone. If a bunch of scavengers showed up near where you kept your most precious possession, wouldn't you be mildly concerned? We'll leave her and her stone alone. We don't need or want hers. We don't need that kind of power. It would be opening Pandora's box, and we'd most likely upset it if we tried to use it. Anyway, she'd not give it up without a fight, and even with Luna, we're nowhere near qualified to take her on. Triss could crush us all like bugs, and she would in order to defend that stone. Plus, the Dreamwardens and Triss have a truce, and we honor our agreements."
Luna frowned. "We most certainly don't want to fight her nor take something that belongs to her. We aren't villains. However, it seems odd that we do not attempt to speak with her."
Rebecca shook her head again. "If she wants to talk to us, she knows we're here, and the Dreamwardens have also given her permission to communicate with others through the dream realm-which is easier since we need very different environments to live. She is not our mission. Our mission is to get as many stones as we can. So far, we have collected zero for the mission."
Jessica lifted the one in her hands. "Hello?! I'm holding one right here!"
The pegasus giggled. "Silly girl, that's your personal stone. That's for you, not the mission. Taking someone's personal stone from them is just not right-it's like taking an extension of their soul. That's wrong! So very very wrong! Technically, every stone is someone in the universe's stone, but they are fair game to use until when and if they connect with their owner. We need to find more stones, ones that don't light up when anyone here touches them."
"You said the Sunstone was someone's personal stone," Luna said, sounding uncomfortable. "Is it an extension of someone's soul as well?"
"Well, yeah," Rebecca admitted. "But I'm ninety-nine point nine-nine-nine-bunch of nines percent certain that person is dead, so that's okay for you Equestrians to have."
All their radios collectively beeped in chorus.
"Rebecca, it's Jonathan. Ashley and I found two oddly shaped stones. We are heading back to the ship."
The pegasus touched her radio button. "Good job! Nothing's glowing, right?"
"No, neither glows when touched," Jonathan answered.
"Great to hear!" Rebecca said happily. "Oh, avoid the area southeast of the ship. It would be very very bad if you wandered too far that way. Triss is down that way, and the environment shifted there to be comfortable to her but deadly to us."
"You couldn't tell us that earlier?!" Ashley yelled over the line.
Rebecca blushed. "I just found out a few seconds ago. I was going to get to it. I promise!"
"Maybe try to have a little more urgency about telling us about such hazards in the future," Jonathan calmly replied. Jessica didn't feel like being calm. Rebecca's insouciant approach to everything could get someone killed!
"I'll definitely try!" Rebecca exclaimed. "See you soon!" She then looked at Jessica and Charlotte. "Jess, you can put your stone away and find another shirt before you two go back out. Charlotte, you can either wait with us while she does or follow her around, but even though Jess can be alone now, you still need to stay in sight of someone."
"When do I get to sleep?" Charlotte asked. "I know we are outside anything resembling proper time zones, but I've been awake for a long while. How long is the day here anyway?"
Rebecca pursed her lips. "Not sure how long a day is-long, I know that. It takes a long time for a planet this size to complete a spin. I suppose you can go to sleep on the bridge. Smiley and Terrence would be in sight of you then."
Jessica swished her tail nervously. Charlotte would need to be accompanied to the bridge, but that left her having to return down here by herself. Even if she ran, that would be at least a minute alone.
Rebecca frowned. "How about Luna and I accompany you up to the bridge? We could stand to check on the guys up there. See if they are going a little stir-crazy. Maybe they'll want their chance to go out and explore."
Relief flooded her. Maybe Rebecca was paying attention. It was hard to tell with the chubby pegasus if her seeming carelessness, forgetfulness, and indelicate behavior was an act or legitimate. Rebecca had failed to think her actions through frequently before becoming a Dreamwarden. It stood to reason that she still did that. People changed when they became Dreamwardens, but they were still themselves at their core, and Rebecca, at her core, was impulsive and disorganized, at least from Jessica's experiences. Rebecca wasn't a bad person-she was kind, loving, and cheerful; the kind of person who was great to hang around when you wanted to have fun or needed a sympathetic ear to talk to. She was just not someone you wanted in charge of...well...anything, at least not anything dangerous.
Rebecca waited, patiently watching Jess put on a fresh shirt, and she considered the situation. The stone was still bundled up and now under Jess's cot. The young woman had seemed annoyed it wasn't being put in one of the storage containers in the hold, but Rebecca put her hoof down that the stone was to stay with her things. Jess was clearly uneasy with her stone, being alone, and even revealing skin. All of her confident assurances didn't seem to do much to ease Jess's fears, and keeping anxiety among the group to a minimum was crucial since too much fear could upset the planet. Trying to put a chipper mood on things didn't work on the girl. If anything, it seemed to be having a detrimental effect. Luna, Charlotte, Jonathan, and Ashley understood how Rebecca did things, and they didn't seem to be that troubled, but there needed to be some course correction with Jess. What to do? What to do?
"Hey, Jess, how do you feel about Luna and guys going together for a bit and you and I staying at the ship to do some scientific investigation?" Rebecca asked.
Jess's finished putting on her shirt, and her ears perked. "Scientific investigation?"
Rebecca nodded. "Your stone. I think you'd feel better about it if you got to approach it from a scientific angle. It is meant for you. You should try to understand it, but we need to do that in a way that you're most comfortable with. So...science!"
"No offense, but do you know the first thing about science?" Jess asked skeptically.
"You forget, I'm no dummy; I'm an architect! I'm the one who drew up the plans for the ship we're on, and it got us here safely, didn't it?" Rebecca answered cheerfully. "I might not be a scientist, but I do understand math, and although I'm no physicist, I likely understand physics concepts more than anyone here but you. I have also picked up more than a few little things as a Dreamwarden, things even you don't know. You can devise some tests for your stone, and I can assist. I can suggest a few things, and you can decide on how you want to go about doing them. We also have a fair amount of equipment built into this ship to identify all kinds of information for you."
Jess looked around. "You designed this ship?"
Rebecca nodded. "I design lots of things. I'm not just the Dreamwarden jester and PR face. I'm the Dreamwarden architect and engineer! The others, they don't have the head for these kinds of things. Math and science aren't part of who they are. Yinyu dropped out of school as a young teen. Many of the others know about psychology, but that doesn't build bridges over rivers. Others are great administrators, but they have others deal with science stuff. That includes the Warden of Order, who understands accounting but has no idea how to ensure something has structural integrity. They can't make sense of the knowledge we have, but I can. That's part of my job, and we each bring unique skills and perspectives to the table. Along with art, math, and science were my best subjects in school, and those three are what I need for my career."
Jess seemed skeptical still. "I know Dreamwardens don't lie, but do you have any verification of this? Did you do anything other than design this ship?"
Rebecca nodded again and paced a little, keeping Jess in sight. "I assisted your Auntie Sunset in designing her vaults at Wabash Manor and the defenses for them. I drew up sketches of Devourers and details on how they operate-as best I could, anyway; a few things elude me. I've helped design several OMMR facilities-they aren't my favorite work, too strictly utilitarian for my taste, without much flare or art, but they're good, structurally sound buildings. I've also designed starcraft for the Pentagon, even if they think Jonathan is the one doing it. I won't pretend to be the most brilliant person ever because I'm not, but I'm not just a silly chubby pegasus. I'm the Silly Chubby Pegasus, and I'm at least moderately intelligent."
"Okay, you convinced me," Jess said with resignation, but there did seem to be some sliver of eagerness. The prospect of engaging in science experiments must have worked. This entire thing was mostly a charade on Rebecca's part. She already knew everything Jess would discover with her science experiments, and she could tell the girl all those details, but Jess would feel better discovering those things herself and trust those facts more. Once they finished that, they could start trying to get Jess to bond with the stone. It was manipulative, but that was part of the Dreamwarden job description, and it was manipulating for good.
Hmm...stray thought...she wondered how the break-in at Wabash Manor went. That was supposed to be today. She was confident in the defenses she helped old SB set up, so she wasn't worried, but she hoped it didn't freak Jordan out. Oops...another stray thought...she wondered how Russell was doing with her so far away. This would be the longest they'd been separated since they were wed, and one of the few times she wished dreamwalking to him was an option. Yet another stray thought: she needed to check on Blanche and Josie soon. Their mission worried her a little.
Her radio crackled. "Rebecca, we're here. Where are you?" Jonathan asked.
"Everyone's upstairs," Rebecca answered as she sat and touched the button. "Come on up so we can see your stones, and give everyone a chance to touch them, just to make sure neither of the stones belongs to anyone here. Jess and I need to do that for some experiments anyway, and we need controls for that."
"Understood, we'll be right up," Jonathan replied.
Rebecca touched her radio button again. "Everyone to the common room slash kitchen! We have stones to touch, and it's a good time for a snack and some water. Need to keep your energy up. No hungry or dehydrated people allowed on this mission!"
Jess frowned. "What do we do if those stones have owners here?" Jessica asked. "Could the planet be so starved for company that it just decides to give everyone here one of its gifts?"
"Hmmm," Rebecca considered. "Interesting idea. I guess we keep looking for more stones that don't belong to us. That's all we can do. I mean, if it wants more company, it has to let more stones out into the world to encourage people to want to come here."
Jess sat down and looked at the bundle under her bed. "Have you considered these stones are probes?"
Rebecca blinked. "Probes?"
The girl nodded. "You say they learn about their owners. Everything about their magic and their personality and nature, and, eventually, the planet takes them back when the person dies. That would be like it is absorbing that knowledge back into itself. These stones seem like the planet's way of learning about people. It incentivizes them to keep the stone near them by giving them power, and with the stone near them, it achieves the goal of learning."
"Another interesting hypothesis," Rebecca replied. She then shrugged. "I don't know, and I don't know any way of testing that. Still, that must make you feel better if it were true. That would mean you are dealing with another scientist, right? Jeg'galla'gamp'pi would be studying you, and it wants to keep its subject alive."
"I'm not sure if that makes me feel better," Jess confessed. "Knowing what kind of intelligence is studying me would make me feel more at ease. It could just as well want to know what occurs when I die."
"Oh, it will find that out eventually," Rebecca said. "Jeg'galla'gamp'pi has all the time in the universe, and none of us will live that long. It can be patient."
One thing Rebecca hadn't mentioned and decided to keep to herself, for now at least, was the stones tended to extend the lifespans of their owners significantly, provided nothing terrible happened to the owner. Not immortal, not by any stretch, but Triss's people had been known to have lifespans doubled, tripled, quadrupled, or, in rare cases, made tenfold what they'd have been otherwise. Dropping the bombshell that Jess's lifespan might have just jumped by anywhere from an additional eighty to a thousand years might not be the best thing to put her at ease, at least not yet. The Devourers were still coming, and longer lifespans were an issue to sort out after worrying about whether life would end much sooner and much more abruptly. |
Partial | Chapter 30: Extra Value | "Well, we have one stone at least for our mission," Rebecca said, then lightly petted the stone that looked like a small child's attempt to make a pretzel that turned out deformed. "Don't worry, stone. You weren't what we were looking for, but I love you. I'm sure we'll be great friends." The stone glowed with each stroke.
Jessica shivered at how casually Rebecca touched that thing, knowing how much power it had to contain. What was that stone learning from the pegasus? Rebecca's projection powers were already very unique. And what of her nature? It was still unclear what duplicating her nature meant. Was the stone learning to be cheerful and bubbly?
She took a sip of water from her canteen.
That last thought made her think of these stones as children learning from their parents. That made her think of Mark and what he would learn from her if she adopted him. Realistically, it was unfair to expect Mark to follow her career path or even be capable of doing so. She did want to teach him to be curious about the world around him and to try to understand it. He was very timid, and she wanted to teach him to be less so. Living in constant fear was not a proper life, not one that would make him happy. She had to set an example worth following.
"So, Luna, Smiley, and Terrance, all of you will go out as a group to search. Ashley and Jonathan can continue together in their search. Jess and I will stay here and run some tests while keeping Charlotte company while she sleeps. That also makes it so I don't have to come running back every time someone finds something," Rebecca instructed as she took a bite of her protein bar. She chewed for a moment, then swallowed. "After this round of searching, we can all relax, eat some more, and sleep. I know we have these nice quarters, but we'll all need to sleep out here unless you want to pair up in rooms. Well, aside from me and Jess, we can sleep and go potty in private."
Ashley snorted. "Why even have quarters then?"
"This ship is getting donated, so it is more for the army's sake," Rebecca said with a shrug.
Ashley rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm not going to complain about not having to watch you shit again. As for whoever will watch me, I'm sorry, I had a lot of beans this morning."
"Again?" Smiley asked.
"She and I, along with several other mares, used to share a bathroom when we were in college," Ashley explained. "Six mares sharing one bathroom got a little chaotic at times. I suppose it isn't too different for you guys in the military. I'm used to dealing with her. In case you're wondering, she's always been like this, even before she was a Dreamwarden. She has since developed that I-say-you-do attitude that all the Dreamwardens have, but that's to be expected. A Dreamwarden tells you to do something; they expect you to do it."
"It is hard having absolute authority in the dream realm and then submitting to the authority of another. It is our nature to command," Luna said as she examined her protein bar, turning it in the air with her magic as if unsure it was food.
"You seem to do it well enough," Jonathan pointed out.
Luna sighed and put the bar down. "Not always, but I am more practiced at it than your wardens. I know I am not in my universe or the master of this dream realm, so I understand there are other authorities, such as the Marshmallow, who are to be obeyed here, as I expect them to do when they come to my realm. Still, it can be hard. They may have access to knowledge I do not, but there is something to be said for lived experience, and that experience makes it a little easier. I also have made...regretful decisions, trying to assert my authority. That tempers my behavior somewhat and makes me more sympathetic to those trying to reform themselves after doing things they regret."
"Which is why you were so ready to take Sunset Blessing as a student," Jonathan said.
Luna nodded, looking sad. "I see myself in ponies such as Starlight Glimmer and Sunset Blessing, even Trixie Lulamoon. We have done dreadful things and have nothing but regret and shame for those actions. It seems sometimes as if our entire lives are spent trying to atone for past actions. This is not a healthy way of thinking, but it is hard to keep such thoughts at bay. It helps to have friends who understand how it feels."
Rebecca went back to stroking her stone. "The Dreamwardens of Earth understand that feeling. We have this guy named Joss stuck in our memories. Sha'am is there too, but she's got nothing on Joss or the primordials."
"I have my own memories of primordials," Luna whispered. "So much death. The fear of such a being coming into existence here is part of what made me act with so much haste and disregard for authorities to get a Dreamwarden active here. I stepped into this universe's dream realm and could feel it forming. Those of you who are not Dreamwardens are lucky; you do not know the terror of a primordial. There are monsters that no one can fight."
"Triss survived them; this place survived them," Jonathan pointed out.
Rebecca shook her head. "Nothing that sleeps and has magic can survive a primordial. All it takes is for it to be in a bad mood, and every dreamer is dead. Jeg'galla'gamp'pi does not sleep, and Triss can escape to another plane of existence beyond the physical or dream realms, a place where she needs no sleep and the monsters can't find her. That is how she survived countless primordials and how she survived the Devourers. Unfortunately, that plane can only be touched by those worthy of ascension and glimpsed by some Storytellers. Only Luna could touch that place from those of us gathered here. That is what Triss seeks. She seeks the worthy, or those who could become worthy, all so she can save them from the monsters in the dark and not be alone anymore. Not everyone has it in them to be worthy, and even those that do don't usually achieve it. Triss wouldn't be so alone if it were an easy thing."
"Seems like the best defense is to have a race that does not sleep," Terrance observed.
"I have known a fiend that did not sleep," Luna replied, gritting her teeth angrily. "His name was King Sombra, and he was wicked. He mind-controlled ponies to be his slaves, and while under his control, they did not sleep either. To have such a monster doing such things to my subjects and not being able to do anything about it filled me with rage, the likes of which you cannot imagine. He ruled over the Crystal Empire, and when it returned, my sister had to restrain me from charging in to slay the tyrant! She said Twilight and Cadence would deal with it. I was hardly reassured, and it took great restraint to let them try while keeping a calm face."
"How did the Crystal Empire vanish to begin with?" Smiley asked. "I remember being taught about it returning in school, but no one ever says why it was gone to begin with."
Rebecca suddenly stood up. "I think we have had enough downtime for the moment. It's time to get back to work."
Everyone looked at one another, save for Rebecca, who looked like she wouldn't accept any objections, and Luna, who was staring downward, not meeting anyone's eyes. The answer to Smiley's question may not be spoken, but everyone now knew the truth of the matter. The hows weren't important; they knew the who, and they knew the why. Luna had much in her past that she regretted. Jessica wasn't the sentimental type, but she wanted to hug the alicorn.
Everyone stood up, unsure what else to do but obey the person in charge of the mission. When Luna stood, Rebecca walked over to her and pulled her into the hug Jessica had been considering.
"I love you, and I forgive you for the Crystal Empire. I forgive you for Nightmare Moon. I forgive you for Sha'am Maut. I even forgive you for the Hollow Shades. No one is perfect; everyone ends up doing things they regret. Sometimes, it is huge regrets, and you've had more time than the rest of us to have regrets. It's all in the past. You are loved, and you're our friend," Rebecca whispered to Luna.
You know what? What the hell? I already wanted to do the same thing, Jessica thought to herself.
Not putting too much thought into it, she walked over and joined Rebecca in hugging Luna. There was no shame in showing compassion. Ashley and Jonathan quickly followed. Smiley followed, perhaps unable to resist a group hug, and Terrance followed after that, maybe not wanting to be the only one not involved. That released the floodgates, and Luna broke down crying.
Sometimes, everyone needed a hug.
"And for our final piece, we have something special, donated directly from Miss Gilmore!"
Andrea raised an eyebrow at Jordan, but Jordan just shrugged. She wasn't expecting this last thing to bring much, and she was already delighted with how the auction had gone. The total proceeds were over eleven million dollars! Once she refurnished the house, she would pay for any tuition she couldn't get covered by scholarships. What remained, she was going to donate. She didn't need that much money.
The auctioneer put a chunk of burnt wood on display. "We have legitimate Skytree wood! Weighing in at three point four pounds. Bidding starts at seventy-five thousand dollars!"
Jordan's eyes bulged. She had been sitting on seventy-five thousand dollars for years? Surely, no one would pay that much for a burnt chunk of wood.
Someone raised a sign.
"I see seventy-five! Do we have eighty?" the auctioneer asked
Someone raised a sign.
Someone raised another sign. "Ninety!" the bidder yelled.
"Ninety-five!" another bidder shouted.
"One-hundred-five!"
"One-twenty!"
"One-forty!"
Jordan couldn't believe it. It wouldn't add much to the overall total, but she couldn't believe her little chunk of wood was worth that much. It wasn't even good wood; it was at least half char! She listened in amazement as the bids grew higher and higher.
"Five hundred thousand!" a woman with a Russian accent thundered. That was a full hundred and fifty thousand higher than the last bid. Everyone who had been in the bidding war suddenly seemed far less eager.
"Any further bids?" the auctioneer asked. "Going once...going twice...sold, for five hundred thousand!"
The appraiser stepped forward. "That concludes today's auction. Your purchases will be packed and waiting for you at the gate."
The crowd began to exit the area, heading to cars. Guards oversaw each person.
"Expensive piece of wood," Andrea observed as she stood up. "That thing was yours. I think you should put that money in a personal account. The rest of this was my sister's, so that's the household's, but that money should be yours and yours alone."
"A good suggestion," the Russian woman said as she approached them. She pulled an ID from her shirt and held it out. "Stephanie Adams, OMMR, elite bodyguard of Arbiter."
Jordan blinked. "What does Arbiter need with a bodyguard? She's kinda already dead."
The woman passed her ID to a nearby guard, who started checking it.
"It tis more formality to be called bodyguard, more personal agent," Stephanie confessed. "I am one of the elite; each Dreamwarden has at least two, some more. I believe twenty of us are in total, last checked. I do as my Dreamwarden commands. Those that serve the living are better fighters. Those who serve the dead fill other roles. Forgive my accent; I hope tis not too much. I spend much of my last month in Russia. My magic lets me have local language and flavor become my own after a few days of immersion. I will be thinking in Russian for another week and will then revert back to English and speak my native language more naturally. You may not believe, but I am from Wisconsin."
"Someone with magic that helps them better communicate with the local populace and feel more like a native rather than a foreigner; sounds like something a Dreamwarden named Arbiter would value," Andrea said and looked at the guard who was checking the ID.
"ID checks out, ma'am, and she is on Miss Blessing's list to be allowed in," the guard informed them.
"Why pay so much for my chunk of wood?" Jordan asked.
"Arbiter and the Dreamwardens desire items of great power, and such things are hard to find. Skytree wood is an item of great power. Most Skytree wood, except that are still in living trees, is now held in private collections," Stephanie answered. "Obtaining it was not my goal when coming, just bonus. I have more discretionary allowance than some of my comrades for such things. I am here for the mare, Carmen Sandiego. Promises were made. Dreamwardens honor their contracts."
Andrea nodded. "I'm confident Miss Gilmore has no complaints to that. Am I right, filly?"
"Yes! Of course, she can take our intruder away," Jordan said. Then her ears flattened. "You aren't going to hurt her, are you?"
Stephanie shook her head. "We shall pay her for her efforts, take her somewhere that she gets medical treatment while she recovers, and send her on her way. It seem that defenses are good. The Marshmallow shall be pleased. The Marshmallow helped design them."
That pointed to the OMMR as Auntie Sunset's secret funder for the vaults. All those fines they gave out for lesser dreamwalking rule violations, private meetings they hosted, and unbreakable NDA contracts they had businesses and the governments pay them for must have added up to a lot of funding. That was Arbiter's doing. She had reformed the OMMR into a money-making machine by emphasizing the services Dreamwardens could provide beyond counseling and maintaining order in the dream realm, then charging for those side services with little overhead costs beyond record keeping. Before that, the Dreamwardens had a fraction of the funds and depended on government and private donations to pay the bills. Now, the OMMR could pay for all kinds of side projects and purchases they could never pay for when Jordan was a little filly, like throwing half a million dollars out to buy a burnt piece of wood.
Andrea looked around to make sure there were enough guards on duty. "Come along then. Let's go get Miss I-Wanna-Be-A-Kids-Educational-Game."
"Why do you call her that?" Jordan asked in confusion.
"I am also curious," Stephanie said.
"Young people," Andrea lamented. "Her name is based on a late-twentieth-century video game character who was always stealing historical artifacts and even sometimes stealing the entire historic site. The players had to track her down and catch her. It was a fun way to educate kids about geography and history. Amicus used to play it all the time when we were teens, and she roped me into playing with her on and off. It had a cartoon that Sunset watched and had the most infuriatingly catchy theme song. Urgh! Now I've got it in my head. I'm glad the Marshmallow isn't here; that damn blob would be singing it; I know it."
"Where is Carmen Sandiego, Carmen Sandiego? Where on Earth can she be?" Rebecca sang as Jessica wrote down her plans for experiments.
Jessica paused and stared at the fat Dreamwarden. "What the heck are you doing?"
"Singing," Rebecca answered with a grin.
"Why?" Jessica asked.
"Because I feel like it."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Can you do it a little quieter? I'm trying to think."
"Sure thing!" Rebecca answered, then started humming. "Hmmm hm hmmhmm hmmhmhmhm, hmmhmm hmmhmhmhm. Hmmmm hm hmmm hm hm hm."
That wasn't exactly what Jessica had meant, but she could ignore the noise. It wasn't the worst distraction Rebecca could be doing, and being around Rebecca, you had to accept that nothing would be calm and quiet. She wanted to adopt a kid, so she needed to learn to deal with a bit of noise. Mark made very little noise, but it would be unlikely he would stay that quiet; at least, she hoped he got a little louder. Kids were supposed to make noise. Auntie Sunset had once told her she should be more worried if a kid were quiet than loud; those keeping quiet were trying not to be noticed, and if they were trying to be unnoticed, it rarely meant anything good.
"Do you think I would be a good mother?" she asked.
Rebecca stopped humming. "That's an odd question to ask for your experiments. The stone isn't a baby. You can't accidentally starve it like you could a child, and it won't wake up crying at night. No worries about that!"
Jessica's ears flattened. "You think I would starve a child?!"
Rebecca pursed her lips. "Well...maybe not on purpose, but I have heard about your cooking. You might end up poisoning a kid by accident. If you want, I could give you cooking lessons. I'm a great cook! You might have fun. Cooking is chemistry and physics. You love those things."
Viewing it in that light, it did seem strange she was terrible at cooking. Maybe a few lessons would help her out. Not lessons with Rebecca. She could find someone else who was a little more focused.
"The reason I'm asking if I would be a good mother is that I'm trying to adopt a partial child named Mark. He's four," Jessica explained.
"I suppose you would understand him better than others, and that's a good thing," Rebecca answered, sounding hesitant.
Jessica bit her lip briefly. "I hear an unsaid but in that."
Rebecca sadly nodded. "You need to do some work on yourself first. I don't want to be disrespectful. I want to give you an honest answer so you can be a great mother. I love kids, and you are my friend. I want the best for everyone. Please, don't take my feedback as anything other than me trying to help you and Mark be that happy family."
"Okay, I accept that," Jessica agreed. "And I do appreciate the honest feedback. I want what's best for Mark as well."
"Wanting what's best for Mark is the best starting point in doing right by him," Rebecca replied with a grin. Her grin quickly faded. "I need to explain some things; otherwise, you might get the wrong impressions. Anything you have discussed with anyone or anything involving this situation, I can't use any of that information if I learned it in the dream realm. So, assume I don't know what you have said to anyone or whatever other advice you may have already gotten. If I know that stuff, I must behave as if I don't until you tell me. I can be more forthcoming in the dream realm if you permit me to read your mind, but I know you don't care much for that. Honestly, I don't either. I hate knowing what's happening in others' heads--especially friends and family. I don't think any Dreamwardens like it."
Jessica nodded. "I understand how Dreamwardens rules work. I'm still open to any advice you might have."
"Good," Rebecca replied. "First thing is that you need to lighten up. You're way too serious all the time. You don't have to be Miss Non-Stop-Fun, but you have to relax and be playful sometimes. I know you can do it because I've seen you with your brothers. You're like a whole other person when interacting with them. You're warm. You joke around. You even get silly sometimes. Your relationship as a mother to a child would be much different than with your siblings--you are their caretaker and the person who has to lay down structure and order for the kid, but Mark needs to see that lighter side, too. No one is going to accuse Sunset Blessing of being the Element of Laughter, and she can get very bossy and strict with her kids, but she does lighten up around her sons in private. If Sunset Blessing can do it, I know you can too."
Jessica nodded. "Alright, that seems reasonable."
"Next...sarcasm...I know you use it when joking around. It would be best not to use sarcasm with a young child," Rebecca instructed. "When Mark gets older, like a teen or preteen, using sarcasm is something you can do, but young kids just don't get it, and it can make them get the wrong idea or feel bad. Be careful what you say in general. Young kids are very literal about everything. If you say something, they will hold to exactly what you said, regardless of what you meant. You can use analogies and metaphors, but you have to explain what they mean immediately. Also, most people aren't as smart as you, so you shouldn't assume the kid learned it after you explained it to them that one time. If it comes up again, you should explain it again. Repetition of the same lesson helps it set in. That goes for any lesson you give him about anything. You can ease up on the explaining once it is clear they have absorbed it, but be ready for a lot of repeating yourself over multiple sessions. Teaching a child anything takes patience."
"This seems like good advice..." Jessica said slowly. "...but...this sounds like things you might say to anyone. What is getting in the way of me being a good parent?"
Rebecca sighed. "Well, the lighten up thing was specific to you, along with telling you about laying off sarcasm and reminding you to have patience with others learning things--the biggest thing you would need to have more confidence in yourself for more than your smarts. You have to show the world and Mark that you are someone to be proud of. So he has someone to look up to--so he knows he can be proud of himself too."
"You sound like Violet," Jessica muttered. Adam had said as much as well. If people were telling her the same thing about her repeatedly, it was worth paying attention to it.
"Oh! You met Violet?" Rebecca asked cheerfully. "She's great. Miss Seapony might think she's a tease with the whole, I look sexy, but you can't touch thing Violet has going on, but if that were a big deal, I'd be in trouble. I mean, look how sexy I am! Anyway, I met her when I passed through Denver--physically. She doesn't know I'm the Marshmallow, but she likes the way I carry myself. You work at the same school, don't you? She could be a good friend."
Jessica rubbed her arm. "She says she's going to try to help me out." She looked down at her stone. "Let's get back on track. I have some experiments plotted out. You said this ship can take various readings. You've already demonstrated many of those when you were getting readings on this planet. I want to start with getting readings on this thing's mass and thaumic output. I also want to weigh it. Thaumic matter, in theory, shouldn't have weight or personal gravity, yet we're standing on a planet that clearly has both, and this stone isn't just floating off into space. I'm curious where its weight comes from. We've never had access to thaumic matter on such a scale, only trace amounts artificially made in a lab, which is not behaving as expected. That tells me that either there's something else at work, or our current understanding of how thaumic matter should work is in error. Perhaps when it reaches a certain level of mass, it starts behaving more like non-thaumic matter. I will publish a paper on this when I'm done."
Rebecca rolled her eyes and softly smiled. "We can check that. I'm assuming you want to check my stone and the neutral stone as well?"
"Yes!" Jessica replied. "I hope the others find plenty of other stones. We need as many examples to study as possible. We also need plenty of non-bonded stones to compare against the bonded stones for comparison."
"Whatever makes you happy," Rebecca said. |
Partial | Chapter 31: Nostalgia | Amicus looked out at the expanse of stars and breathed. She rarely visited the dream realm, even though the Dreamwardens had granted her dreamwalking abilities. She honestly had no clue how to use those abilities, even though she'd had them for years. However, she could pull herself into the general realm and request services. Again, that wasn't something she often did, but a mood had overtaken her, and she could afford to splurge a few dollars on an experience.
"Arbiter, I'm feeling nostalgic now that we have this new young mare in the house. It makes me want to remember when I was young. Can you pull up one of my memories of me, Andrea, and Sunset when we were young? I know we fought a lot back then, and good memories might be a stretch, but can it be something where we were getting along?" she asked. "You don't have to give me the full disclaimer and explanation of terms. I know them, and accept them."
The scene shifted to their house they lived in when they were in South Carolina, or at least, its backyard. It was a sunny day. Amicus's younger self was laying back in a a pool chair, sunning herself in a string bikini, reading a biography of Jimmy Carter, while smoking a cigarette. An open can of soda sat on the ground beside her. If she had to guess, she was fifteen or sixteen at the time. She'd forgotten how vain she used to be about her appearance.
Andrea's younger self, wearing blue jeans and a red flannel shirt, stepped out the backdoor and lit up her own cigarette. Andrea took a few puffs before walking over, leaning down to get a look at what Amicus was reading, then laughed.
"Kristin, you are such a dork. You're reading about Jimmy Carter?" Andrea asked with amusement. "Is that for some class? If it isn't, that just makes you even more of a dork."
Amicus's younger self glared up at her older sister and took a long draw from her cigarette. "He is a great man and humanitarian. I respect him and look up to him. Plus, it is always good to educate yourself about US history. You could stand to study more."
In Amicus's humble opinion, her sister still could stand to study more.
Andrea shrugged. "I'll study in college when it's stuff that matters. This is my senior year. It only comes once. I'm going to have as much fun as I can. For the rest of this year I am only studying enough to coast through my classes. I'm not stressing myself out."
Her younger self rolled her eyes, brushed out her cigarette, and flicked it out into the yard. Andrea scowled and marched out to where the butt had landed, and picked it up. Then Andrea returned to the back patio and put the cigarette butt in the soda can.
"Hey! I was drinking that!" Amicus's younger self protested as she slammed her book shut.
"Who cares?" Andrea replied and took another puff. "Don't flick your shit into the backyard. It will make the backyard look trashy."
On this one, Amicus had to agree with her sister. Amazing what several decades can do for a perspective. Honestly, the fact the younger versions of themselves were smoking at all was kind of disgusting.
"I thought you weren't going to stress yourself out. Why are you having a cow about this?" Kristin grumbled.
"Messes stress me out," Andrea answered as she took another long draw and then put her own into the can as she let out her plume. She then sighed. "Actually, I wanted to ask a favor."
"Help with what?" Kristin asked.
Andrea scratched her arm. "I've got a date coming up. Would you help me with my makeup? You're better at that stuff than me." She spread her arms. "Look at me. Do I look like I know anything about eye blush and lipstick and whatnot? I'm not fuckin' Cindy Crawford like you."
Was Cindy Crawford even still alive? It seemed probable, but she must have dropped off the map into obscurity in her old age.
Kristin smiled. "You think I look like Cindy Crawford? That's the nicest thing you've ever said about me. It's eyeliner, by the way. Blush you put on your cheeks."
"See, I had no idea! Anyway, don't let it get to your head, or I'll tell your boyfriend you spend like an hour every day playing Mortal Kombat," Andrea snapped back.
Kristin laughed. "For starters, I play Mortal Kombat 2 for about an hour every day. The first Mortal Kombat was sooo last year. You need to keep up with the times. Second, Danny knows I play. He likes that his girlfriend can actually put up a fight against him in a video game. I even let him win, most of the time. I can't let him win all the time, or he'll know I'm letting him. Boys don't like that."
Amicus rolled her eyes. Guess she had to please the patriarchy. She was going to miss having Meng around. He was the only person in the house she could sit down and play that original Street Fighter 2 arcade machine with. The whippersnapper had learned the hard way that even as a pony, she still had the translated muscle memory to pull moves off without effort. She'd tried getting Sunset and the other colts to try, but they quickly got frustrated with the controls and called the game unbalanced and unfair-the unicorns saying that to an earth pony seemed very ironic. As for her husband... poor Legal Brief was a lost cause at any gaming past Pong, and he was even bad at that. Meng had taken a while to get good, but he eventually became a fairly even opponent to face off against, depending on character matchups. Maybe Jordan might be willing to play...if she didn't auction off the arcade machine. Amicus hoped she hadn't auctioned off that machine.
Charlotte walked out the backdoor at that moment, wearing black...everything. Oh, yeah, this phase. The phase that Sunset had gone to great lengths to destroy all photographic evidence of ever having gone through. The fact that Sunset's thirteen year old self was wearing a pentagram necklace was downright hilarious. Sunset would never live down this phase...ever.
"Hey, look, Wednesday Addams has arrived," Andrea said snidely. "What are you doing outside? I thought getting sun was against your religion or something."
"Can I get a cigarette from one of you two?" Charlotte asked.
"No! These are ours. Steal one of Mom's," Andrea snapped.
"She doesn't have any open packs laying around," Charlotte countered, stompping a foot.
"Just grab a whole pack from the carton. Believe me, unless it is like one of the last three packs, she won't notice. I used to pull that all the time when I first started. You'd better hurry if you're going to do it. Mom and Dad should be both getting home in the next hour or so," Kristin said, seemingly unconcerned she was advocating stealing another person's property or promoting delinquency in a minor. Amicus wanted to cover her face in shame.
"What if she catches me doing it?" Charlotte whined.
Kristin shrugged. "Then the cats out of the bag. She lets me and Andrea smoke; she'll probably let you. Yeah, she'll probably yell, but can she really be that surprised between the whole goth thing you've got going on and having two older sisters who smoke? It's like a given that you'll be smoking. She probably already knows and hasn't said anything. Mom's not stupid."
That had ended up being true. She wasn't sure how long it had taken for Charlotte to get caught in the act, but what followed had gone as her younger self had described. There was some yelling, lots of declarations of how disappointed their parents were with Charlotte, then they just let her do it because stopping her was going to be next to impossible and holding her easy access to cigarettes as leverage for maintaining good grades and keeping her room clean was too effective a tactic not to use-they'd done the exact same thing to Amicus and Andrea. Well, they had tried to stop Andrea for a while, then gave up after it was clear that wasn't working, then barely put up a fight about it with Amicus, since they'd already conceded with one kid and couldn't let one get away with it and not the other. Was it the best parenting tactic? That was debatable, but sometimes you just had to assess the situation and do your best to find something that works. It doesn't always work out to an ideal solution, but sometimes there are no ideal situations to be had. All three of them had ended up quitting long before their mother.
"Earth to Kristin! Are you going to help me or not?" Andrea fumed.
Kristin waved a hand at her. "Okay, okay. I'll help you with your makeup. Maybe we can do something about your wardrobe too. You look like a dyke."
"I can help with makeup," Charlotte offered.
"I don't want to go to my date looking like the Bride of Frankenstein, thank you," Andrea said. Charlotte frowned and looked away. "Hey! No retort? Did I hit a nerve? What gives? Have those girls been picking on you again?"
"Don't worry about it," Charlotte mumbled.
"Bullshit! Nobody picks on my sisters!" Andrea growled.
Sunset always ended up rubbing people the wrong way and making people want to come after her. In Sunset's younger self's defense, the abrasive additude normally came after she'd already been targeted for bullying. However, the abrasiveness made the bullies more insistent on repeatedly targeting her.
"You literally pick on Charlotte all the time, including right before you asked her if those girls were picking on her again," Kristin said dryly.
How Andrea managed to keep out of the same situation as their youngest sister, Amicus never understood. Andrea was always abrasive, then and now.
"That's different," Andrea countered. "I'll go beat those girls' skinny asses."
"No, you're old enough that you get tried as an adult if you do that and they decide to press charges. So you can't," Kristin reminded her.
Andrea pointed at her. "Then you'll have to go do it."
Kristin pointed at herself. "Me?! What the hell am I supposed to do?"
"Something," Andrea answered flippantly.
Charlotte stomped. "I can deal with my own problems. I don't need you two getting tangled up in them and getting in trouble!"
Andrea walked over to Charlotte and hugged her. "We're family. Your problems are our problems. Don't you ever forget that. Family stands or falls together."
Kristin fluttered her lips. "Fine. I'll do something, but it won't be kick their asses. Maybe I can scrounge up some dirt on them. That's how you beat popular snots. You hit them where it really hurts, their popularity and egos. Charlotte can help me help you with the makeup. She does know what she's doing, and has a steady hand. I doubt she'll try to goth you up. It can be her way of paying me back for helping her out with those bitches."
"Fine," Andrea conceded. "I do appreciate you two helping."
"What's family for?" Kristin answered.
The memory faded, leaving her again I'm the starry expanse. It wasn't the most heartwarming or special memory, but in terms of her and her sisters when they were teens, it was as close to the best she was going to get. There were flickers there of who they would become, and things they always were, despite the change in species. Sunset had been the one to change the most, but she was always the most adaptable of them, and there had still been echoes of her present self back in this memory. Still, it was hard to remember them being like that...the perils of becoming a pony and of getting old.
"Thank you, Arbiter. I'd like to get back to regular dreaming now."
The starry expanse faded, and so did the awareness she was asleep.
Jordan yawned as she poured herself a glass of orange juice. Today hadn't been so bad. She'd made half-a-million dollars for herself. Despite her messing up letting Carmen onto the property, it was hard to be sad after that. Plus, the auction had made a lot more money than that.
Tomorrow, she would go out scouting for new furniture. She could maybe bring Amicus along with her to help pick things out. Perhaps she could go scout the college and speak with the admissions office after Jessie got back in town. Getting admitted shouldn't be an issue. She'd made mostly A's in high school, her SATs scores had been fairly high, and although she had dropped out of Winthrop, there had been an excellent reason, and she hadn't had time to fail anything there-not that she would.
She took a sip of her drink. Things had started off kind of rocky when she arrived, but they were looking up. It was an adjustment period. She had this.
Her phone started ringing, and she looked to see who it was. It was Jackie. A quick tap answered it.
"Jackie, what are you doing calling this late?" Jordan asked as she answered. "You're two hours ahead of me. You should be in bed."
"I've been at the hospital the last four hours," Jackie answered, sounding exhausted. "Dad had an episode. He started coughing and it just wouldn't stop, and he was struggling to breathe at all. Don't worry, they took care of it. He's on oxygen right now and resting."
Jordan's eyes bulged. "Four hours?! Why are you just now calling to tell me?"
"What were you going to do when you're halfway across the country?" Jackie asked. "The anxiety about Dad was making Mom act crazy, and I had to focus on watching her. She just fell asleep. This is my first free moment tonight. I'm calling to let you know what happened, and to tell you he's okay, at least for now."
Jordan felt her stomach tighten. "What do you mean by for now?"
Jackie sighed. "Dad's going to have to have regular oxygen treatments from now on, likely for the rest of his life. His lungs are never going to get better The Cataclysm just did too much of a number on them. He shouldn't have ever gone out searching for us in all that smoke."
"He was worried about us," Jordan reminded her.
"And now we have to be worried about him because of that," Jackie said bitterly. "Jordan...I can't do this. Mom isn't taking this well, and I'm not sure she can help him if something goes wrong. Her mind gets all screwy as the stress goes up, and she can't function. It's been like dealing with a toddler dealing with her today. Heck, I think a toddler would have been easier to deal with. If she doesn't get her head back together, she's not going to be able to work, and Dad really shouldn't be working. That's no income for either of them, and I can't support them. I would have to drop out of college and take two jobs working full time to support them, especially with Dad's medical expenses and if Mom needs therapy-which she does, believe me."
"So...what are you going to do?" Jordan asked.
Jackie sighed. "I'm sorry for asking this, but do you still have that chunk of wood? Skytree wood is super expensive, more expensive than platinum. If I could sell that, I could pay for all this stuff, and get nurses to do at-home visits for Mom and Dad. I can set aside some to help cover food and their utilities. I'm not sure what either of them have for retirement, and now isn't a great time to be trying to question them about it-I honestly don't even understand how all that crap works; I'm nineteen, retirement funds shouldn't be on my mind. I know they both still have some time to go before social security kicks in."
Jordan blushed. "I kinda already sold it. I was auctioning off a bunch of Auntie Sunset's stuff today, and I felt like I should auction at least something of mine, so I did, but I can give you the proceeds. It was a lot more than I thought it would be for that wood. half-a-million dollars. I was thinking a few thousand at best, since it was all burnt up."
"Half-a-million? Really" Jackie asked in amazement. "If only we knew that stuff was going to be worth a lot. Everyone would have been out gathering it after the Cataclysm. It was everywhere."
Jordan took a deep breath. "Would it be better if they were moved here? I have all these guards who can keep an eye on them. You shouldn't have to be watching them all the time."
"I'm the eldest kid, it should be my responsibility," Jackie said, sounding flustered.
"Phobia's the eldest, not you," Jordan reminded her.
"She was grown-up and out on her own before Dad married Mom or you or I were in the picture, so she doesn't count," Jackie asserted.
"Well, both Phobia and I have resources you don't, and you were just saying you couldn't do this," Jordan countered. "I'm the best choice to do something. I have this big mansion and guards who can keep an eye on Mom and Dad. Even Phobia wouldn't already have an easy solution ready to go."
"But you're the youngest," Jackie pouted.
Jordan flicked an ear. "Is this a pegasus pride thing? I might be your little sister, but I'm not that much younger than you. I'm not even a full year younger than you; for the dozen days between our birthdays we're the same age. I'm in the best position to handle this; let me do it. I've got extra support here with the guards. I have two lawyers living with me who can help me make sense of what is going on with the medical bills, retirement, and all that if I need help figuring that out-which I probably will because I don't know any more about that stuff than you. I have lots of support. The support you have is going to me or Phobia, and even with that support, you could end up having to make big sacrifices that could impact you for the rest of your life, especially if you have to drop out of college to take care of Mom and Dad."
"I don't know. Mom and Dad might not even agree to doing it," Jackie said.
"Then that's how you can help out most, by convincing them that moving in with me is for the best," Jordan replied.
Jackie let out a long sigh. "Fine, let me see what I can do. Let me get some sleep. I'm exhausted. I just wanted make sure I called you before bed."
Jordan smiled. "Okay, sis. I love you."
"Love you too. Good night ."
"Good night."
Andrea stepped into the room as Jordan disconnected the call. "Did I hear that right? You are trying to move your parents here?"
Jordan frowned. "My dad isn't well, and my mom might have some mental issues going on. They need to be somewhere they can be taken care of."
The old crystal pony grimaced. "I only met Tom once when Sunset married him. I didn't like him."
Jordan quirked an eyebrow at the crystal pony. "You don't like anyone, and I'm sure my dad has changed a lot since you met him. I'm told he mellowed out a lot after he became a pony. He hurt his lungs back during the Cataclysm by spending too much time out in the smoke and fire, and made it worse by trying to head towards the heart of the blaze before the police forced him back. He was trying to find me and Jackie and save us."
"They are on the welcomed list, though I have no idea why," Andrea remarked.
"Mom and Auntie Sunset never got along, but Dad got along with Auntie Sunset," Jordan replied. "Seems weird, honestly. I figured a divorced couple would hate each other more."
"Phobia," Andrea answered. "They both loved your older sister, and both wanted to be there for her. Plus, they had each gotten involved with someone else before they finalized the divorce. Your dad was still married to my sister when you were conceived. You're technically a foal born from an affair."
Jordan blinked. She had never really known exactly when her dad and Auntie Sunset divorced. She had just figured they were already divorced by the time she was conceived.
Andrea looked at her expression and her expression softened. "Well, it is a technicality. I think that their divorce happening was a moot point after ETS. That's when Sunset finally admitted what Amicus and I had known since we were kids-that she was a lesbian. Believe me, it was so god-awfully obvious to us, even if our parents didn't see it, and Sunset would never admit to it. The nineties and turn of the millennium were a different time, and unless you were living in a very liberal part of California or something, you didn't ever admit you were attracted to the same sex. I'm not even sure our parents would have accepted it back then, and after Sunset got caught up in all that church stuff, she sure as hell wasn't going to come out. That makes her refusal to admit to it understandable. Anyway, South Carolina has weird laws about you have to be separated for so long before finalizing a divorce, but my sister sped up the process by submitting pictures of her and Tonya doing the dirty to prove she had cheated on him. Pretty sure your mom showing up to court heavily pregnant showed that your dad hadn't been faithful either."
"Can we not talk about this?" Jordan said, feeling uncomfortable.
She didn't know why this made her uncomfortable. Nothing was changed about her relationship to anyone in her family by it, but the idea that her dad had still been married to Sunset Blessing when she was conceived just felt...she didn't know what to say it felt like, only uncomfortable. Maybe it felt like she was more directly tied to Sunset Blessing than she thought. Even though there was no reason to feel that, it still did. Maybe the fact that there was infidelity going on made her uncomfortable, even if that marriage had been over in everything but name. She probably wouldn't care about any of this, only count it as gossip, but she was made during all this, so it felt personal.
"Okay, filly. If that's what you want," Andrea replied. "I need to get to bed anyway." The old mare turned and left.
Jordan shook her head to clear it. She was getting worked up over nothing. This was something she should have realized years ago, if she'd bothered to put two and two together. It was just the shock of having someone else point it out to her.
It was time for bed.
Paul stood on the balcony of his sister's temple, looking out at the green rolling hills, pristine forests, and clean rushing rivers, waiting for his daughter to fall asleep. There was a massive full moon, yet no sun in the cloudless blue sky, and the area still seemed filled with daylight. Devon and Robby waited along with him, standing close to the pillars. Oil lamps hung on many pillars, glowing softly in the daylight. Why his sister chose to have these when she let the area be filled with sunlight, he did not know. Tonya was not visibly present; her golden throne sat empty on its dias, but this entire temple existed at her will, and she was present in everything in the dream realm.
"Amazing that Tonya can make all of this," Paul said wistfully.
"Not that big a deal, Dad," Robby said as he walked over and joined Paul at the balcony. "You know my talent is for making dreamscapes. I could do something like this. It would take some work, but I could do it. As a Dreamwarden, Aunt Tonya is barely even trying with this," Robby looked up. "But she must be feeling a bit anxious."
Paul frowned down at his son. "Why do you say that?"
Robby gestured with a wing at the sky. "No clouds in the sky. Aunt Tonya is still a pegasus at heart, and pegasi enjoy clouds. She's in a mood-not a bad one, not a good one, just a mood. Moods get complicated. You learn to read the symbolism of dreams as a dreamwalker, and you pay closer attention to those details when dealing with Dreamwardens."
Devon joined them on the balcony. "We could guess she was in a mood because she's hiding. You'd think she would be more eager to talk to us since she never gets to see us. She isn't even paying attention to us."
"She sees you every time you sleep, even if she doesn't interact," Robby reminded her. "A lot of the Dreamwardens do this. They don't make themselves appear present unless there's some need, but Arbiter, Yinyu, and Ghadab are always watching and listening." He pointed a wing at a river. "Hey, Aunt Tonya, can you please put a rainbow over that river?"
A rainbow immediately appeared over the river, and Robby lowered his wing.
"See, she's listening."
Paul still wanted to actually see his sister. "Tonya, can you please appear and talk to us? I rarely get to see you."
The entire field of view reoriented itself, and now they were standing before Tonya's golden throne. On the throne sat Tonya, in her Dreamwarden form, towering over them like the Statue of Zeus, her copper staff in one hand and a wooden bowl filled with fruit cupped in the other. The sky beyond the temple's pillars had darkened, and the lamps glowed brighter.
"This wasn't exactly what I meant," Paul muttered.
She smiled down at him. "This is a reminder of who you're dealing with, brother. I may be your sister, but I am also the Warden of Song and the Bringer of Death's Dream, and this is my domain, and I appear when and how I choose. While I try to accommodate those who seek an audience with me, I am at no one's beck and call, even yours."
A fire sparked, and a pony consumed by flames appeared. "You forgot to mention most full of yourself, Sychopate." The fiery pony looked around. "Whore! You were supposed to join me in making quips! We are supposed to be a team when it comes to this! Are you going to force me to team up with the gluttonous blob for quipping? I will, if it comes to it. Stop moping about!"
"Let Yinyu have her space," Arbiter instructed. "She's still depressed about her foals leaving for Equestria. She'll recover."
Ghadab turned his head towards Arbiter. "You aren't moping...as much."
Arbiter grimaced. "I've gotten more used to the idea of Sunset not being there. I've been quietly trying to get her to cut the chord for a decade-now she has. Her not being here hurts, but I've been bracing myself for it for a while. Even after a decade of getting myself ready, it still hurts, and Yinyu must be feeling much worse."
Devon stepped forward. "Not to be disrespectful for how you are feeling, but when do we get to see my daughter?"
Arbiter's grimace intensified and so did the darkness. "I have no control over when she falls asleep. I can only have you prepared to meet her. I understand your eagerness to see her. I'm eager as well. Like us, all you can do is wait. Waiting is what we do when the dreamers are awake, and every time we have to wonder if the dreamer will ever sleep again."
Paul rubbed his arms. He didn't want to think about Jessie not ever falling asleep again because she was dead, lost on some alien world where they would never even know what happened.
"Tonya, you guys have memories of many alien worlds. What are...were...they like?" Paul asked.
The pair of Dreamwardens looked at one another before looking back at him.
"Alien," Ghadab said bluntly.
"Yet strangely familiar," Arbiter added. "Life tends to evolve similar types of creatures. If a design works, and isn't overly complicated to evolve towards,, it is likely life will evolve toward it. Call it convergent evolution. Wings are a useful way of getting around, so creatures evolve wings. Legs are useful for getting around on dry ground, so things evolve legs. Typically, it makes sense to develop an even number of limbs, and then some of those limbs may specialize. Fur and feathers are useful adaptations against the cold and protecting the flesh underneath. You may look at some alien, and think it is alien, but the longer you look, the more you see a reflection of something that could have evolved on Earth."
"Not all things," Ghadab corrected.
Arbiter shook her head. "True, there are some creatures that defy everything we understand about body plans or how life works, but most creatures that have risen and died follow the same basic rules. Even intelligent life tends to follow the same general path. Humanity is kind of an outlier, since it didn't develop magic early on, but if you look at types of shelters they make and the tools they use, it is basically the same range of stuff, despite some different cultural styles. The same goes with societal styles, and you can see this same thing play out in Earth's history. Ancient cultures on Earth that never had contact with one another often developed similar societies, even built simulate monuments and buildings, like pyramids, but it wasn't because of some cross-cultural contact; it was because certain ideas just work. You'll see the same comparing alien cultures to Earth's."
Jessie appeared in the air and then fell flat on her face to the ground.
"Speaking of creatures that defy understanding, hello, niece," Arbiter said.
Jess rolled over with a groan and glared at Arbiter. "Was that really necessary?"
Arbiter smugly grinned. "No, it wasn't, but as some have mentioned, I'm in a mood."
"Take your BEEP mood out on someone else," Jessie said as she sat up. "Did you just censor me?!"
"I prefer less cursing in my dreams. I like to think of my dreams as family friendly. If you wanted the non-family friendly, have Phobia cook you up a nightmare, have Ghadab make an adventure, or deal with one of Yinyu's errotic dreams, and you never know what the Marshmallow is going to give you," Arbiter answered, then gestured at her. "There you go. She's here. I will remove this avatar so you can have some semblance of privacy. Ghadab, I suggest you do the same."
The flaming pony flickered and vanished. Arbiter vanished without the flicker, taking her throne with her.
Paul walked over to his daughter to help her up. "Are you okay?"
Before he could lay his hands on her to help her up her form flickered and shifted to a yellow earth pony mare.
"What?" Paul gasped in confusion.
Jessie looked at herself and groaned, closed her eyes for a second, and then shifted back to her normal form. She then reopened her eyes and, looked herself over, nodded, and stood up on her own.
"Sorry, you saw that. That happens here, at least for me. I go full human as well. The shifts happen without me even noticing half the time," Jessie explained.
"An unstable sense of self," Robby explained. "The dream realm can be sensitive to that type of thing. She tends to shift with her mood. Several people have offered to try to help-"
"They don't need any explanation of it beyond it happens sometimes," Jessie said, maybe a little snappishly. "It happens, and then I correct it. It isn't anything to worry about."
"She can shift ages too, just to warn you," Robby added.
Jessie gave him a dirty look. "I haven't done that in a while."
Robby shrugged. "Just giving them the heads up, just in case. It can be a little weird watching it happen, and they've never had to deal with you here. It can catch people off-guard. You aren't the only person I have ever seen it happen with. It isn't extremely common, but it's common enough that most experienced dreamwalkers have encountered it happening to less experienced dreamwalker at least once."
Jessie shifted again, this time losing her pony ears in favor of regular human ears, as well as having her hair shift from blue to brown and her fur on her legs vanishing. She seemed to notice the shift and was just as dissatisfied with this as the pony shift. After giving herself a shake, her features shifted back to her typical ones again.
She glared at her brother as she stood up. "Not a word."
"I didn't say nothin'," Robby said, shaking his head.
Paul really wanted to say something about it, but Jessie had a prideful stubborn streak at times, and this seemed like it was going to be one of those times.
"So...you're safe and sound?" he asked instead.
"Safe as I can be on a sentient planet that can just choose to poof me out of existence at a moment's notice," she replied.
"A planet that can what??!" Devon exclaimed, rushing over to their daughter and poking her with a finger, which wasildly comical, since Devon didn't even stand as high as Jessie's shoulders. "You told us this was going to be a simple scientific expedition! You didn't say anything about being poofed out of existence!"
"Well, the Dreamwardens didn't give that detail until we were already several galaxies over," Jessie replied.
They heard Arbiter cough. "As a reminder, anything information learned here cannot be shared with anyone in the waking world. You may discuss it amongst yourselves in the waking world, but please be careful not to be overheard."
Jessie looked upward. "I can give them permission to share it."
"Not if we choose to restrict it," Arbiter replied.
Jessie shifted to earth pony form again, but didn't seem to notice as she continued to glare upwards in anger. "Since when?! I know the rules. If I give them permission, it is free game for them to discuss what I said. It's always been that way."
"We are changing the terms for this arrangement, pray we do not change them further," Ghadab said. "This is information transmitted across the dream realm, we have jurisdiction to put any restriction we want. Jeg'galla'gamp'pi is very sensitive information."
"We could always just censor you when discussing it," Arbiter added in. "I could treat you talking about it like I treat curse words, and don't think you can find some clever way of getting around it. I can read your mind, and I'm very experienced dealing with clever dream walkers who think they can find loopholes. We have a lot more experience looking for loopholes than you. We can spot you trying."
A floating white blob appeared. "Oh, Miss Angel Lady, you're making this waaayy too complicated. We can just have them make one of our super special promises not to talk about it. We do that with everything else that's classified. What's with all this talk of censoring them talking together about it here and whatever? It's just making this stressful. Do the easy thing if you're worried about it. I think you've got too much bureaucrat in you."
"I'm trying not to bring those types of agreements on my brother," Arbiter grumbled.
"Aww, I never realized you were so considerate of me," Ghadab said.
"Not you, flames-for-brains," Arbiter snapped.
"Hmm, and here I was considering easing up on the quips," Ghadab replied. "Gluttonous Slob, do you wish to be my new quipping buddy? The whore is not being very active right now."
"Mister Grumpypants! Are you trying to cheat on Miss Seapony?" the Marshmallow gasped.
"Well, she's not cooperating!" Ghadab said, sounding flustered.
"And you want me to be your quipping harlot?!" the Marshmallow shouted. "For shame!"
"I didn't hear a no in that. Please, don't be his quipping harlot. I have a hard enough time dealing with just your nonsense without you teaming up with him," Arbiter lamented.
Robby held a wing up to the side of his mouth and whispered. "They're like this all the time, at least when you get two or more of them together. You just wait them out, and they'll get back to paying attention to you eventually. I think it has to do with the fact they can't read each others' minds, so they seem more real to each other, while we're like background noise."
The disembodied voices continued. "I'm only saying that we need to quip at these stuck up prigs like the sycophant, the Queen of Nightmares, and the germaphobe. They are so full of themselves and try to take themselves so seriously--like some sort of royalty."
"I'm not serious all the time or treat myself like royalty!" Arbiter protested.
"You literally make dreamers greet you on your golden throne!" Ghadab yelled..
"He's got a point," the Marshmallow said. "Don't get me wrong, it is a very nice throne, very spiffy, but it is a bit much. Plus, you're always bonking us on the heads like Little Bunny Foo Foo."
"You are pretty handy with that staff of yours," a new voice chimed in.
"Oh! Now the whore decides to be included in our discussions!" Ghadab shouted. "Why weren't you assisting me with my quips!"
"Wait, does this mean I don't have to be your quip harlot now?" the Marshmallow asked.
"You still do; you've been drafted," Ghadab asserted.
"Man, I don't even remember signing selective service paperwork," the Marshmallow said in confusion.
Jessie sat back down, ignoring the debate above them. "So, how is life back on Earth?"
Paul looked upward, as if he would be able to glimpse the conversation above, but only the white glob that was the Marshmallow was visible.
"Um, Dusk is already missing you since you moved out of the house. He's been pouting, but you didn't hear that from me if he asks," Paul said with caution, afraid the Dreamwardens would cut him off. "Mark seems to be getting along okay with his foster family. He apparently said a few full sentences, though he is still very reserved with saying much. He took the time to ask me when you were coming back."
"I'll be seeing Mark as soon as I can on Monday, and I'll see about dropping in to visit Dusk as well," Jessie said. She just then took notice that shape had shifted to pony. She closed her eyes for a second and it went back to normal. How did she not take quick notice of that?
"We've agreed to letting you do a Dreamwardens contract to secrecy," Ghadab announced.
Paul looked upward again. "When? You four have been squabbling like children up there the entire time."
"We were having more than one conversation, actually, we were having several, but we only allowed you to hear the one," Yinyu explained.
"Not counting the ones we are individually having with other dreamers right now," the Marshmallow added in. "I'm currently having fifty-two conversations as we speak."
"Only fifty-two?!" Ghadab fumed.."You are such a lazy sloth! I'm having one-thousand thirty-four!"
Tonya appeared and raised a hand. "Nine-thousand seven-hundred and nine here--make that nine-thousand seven-hundred and thirteen...urgh, back to nine-thousand seven-hundred and twelve...that dude was so rude. He won't be speaking to me again anytime soon."
"I'm doing even more than that," Yinyu said. "I won't say anything exact number, since the figure is fluctuating too fast, but it's staying in the five digits."
"I consider it quality over quantity," the Marshmallow replied to them. "Plus, I can only do a few hundred max. You undead wardens have higher limits."
Phobia's shadow appeared and looked around. "What are we discussing?"
"Number of conversations we're having," Yinyu answered. "How many are you having?"
"Counting the five we have going, I have eighteen," Phobia answered.
"Eighteen?!" Ghadab scoffed.
The shadow shrugged. "I just fell asleep again, and it is only going to be for a few minutes, So I do not plan on initiating much and hope there is little urgent I need to take care of. Do you really prefer that more people have more of my crafted nightmares or have recurring nightmares of their own that are so bad I feel the need to step in and help them work through them?"
"Suppose not," Ghadab grumbled.
"Anyway," Tonya cut in. "You may speak freely and we'll do the contracts later. We'll leave you in peace, for now."
Even the white blob vanished after that.
"Well, with that said," Jessie began, then took a deep breath. "Where I'm at isn't what I was expecting. The planet is alive, and I don't mean that in any figurative sense, or that it has life forms living on it. I mean the planet actually is alive. It thinks, it reacts, it changes its environment by choice. The entire planet is covered in ruins of some prehistoric civilization. It is one massive city, but no markings or decorations anywhere."
Robby grinned. "Sounds like you have been waiting for the second you could get that all out."
"You have no idea," Jessie replied. "Still, there isn't much to see here. The buildings might vary in size, and there is the occasional tower or bridge to break up the monotony, everything looks the same alabaster white every which way you look. Even the ground is the same thing. It is all one object, you can't even find pebbles laying around." She paused. "That last part isn't entirely true. We have found nine of these strangely shaped stones. They look like they are purposely shaped, since I can't imagine anything shaped like they are forming naturally. One of those stones glows when the Marshmallow touches it...and another one glows when I do."
"So what does it glowing mean? What are these stones?" Devon asked.
Jessie shook her head. "They are super-dense thaumic matter. Essentially, they are the thaumic equivalent of a black hole--the entire planet technically is, only on a much more massive scale. Thaumic matter behaves differently than regular matter. It doesn't...or shouldn't...except any gravity. So, despite the fact they are so dense and full of mass that if they were regular matter I would be spaghettified if I got within a million miles of one of them, they can be picked up and handled. They emit a massive amount of thaumic energy."
"But what does it glowing when you touch it mean?" Paul asked.
"The Marshmallow says that stone is meant for me," Jessie answered. "She's insisting I keep it. It supposedly will learn about me and my magic, and can enhance my magic and my nature."
""Your nature?" Devon asked in confusion.
"I have no clue what that means either," Jessie said with a sigh. "I performed tests on it. It doesn't seem to be harmful, but it needs more testing. So far, all it has primarily done is glue. It is also warm to the touch for me, where every other stone and the planet is cool to the touch. When any of the others touch my stone, they say it is cool to the touch. When I get back I'm going to hide it away in my apartment."
"Just be careful, Jessie," Paul said.
She nodded. |
Partial | Chapter 32: Visitation | It was Sunday morning, or, it was Sunday morning on Earth..Jessica sat, watching Jonathan carefully label each stone that had been found. Well, every stone but the one bonded to her and the one bonded to Rebecca.
While many stones had been found, only those two had reacted to any of the crew..There were thirty-six unreactive stones, every one them a different shape, although all of them were roughly hand-sized. They were waiting to find their owners, but it was unlikely the Dreamwardens or the government would allow people to test to see if a stone reacted to them. Those stones would provide more power than every power plant on Earth combined, if they could find a way of harnassing them It would be an insane task to figure that out who the stones belonged to anyway. There were roughly a billion people who had some magic, even if over half those had so little that it didn't equate to any ability. You couldn't have that many people trying each stone out to see who it belonged to. The fact they had found two that reacted with crew members was such an improbability that it only reaffirmed the planet was deliberately taking action.
Why just her and Rebecca? Why not Luna or one of the others? Luna was certainly more deserving of such power than her. You could argue Charlotte was more deserving. Charlotte at least was a soldier who defended people. Giving one to Rebecca was off too. Rebecca was a Dreamwarden, they weren't supposed to have power in the waking world. Sure, Luna did, but she already was a princess and alicorn before becoming a Dreamwarden. Plus, Rebecca's sanity might be questionable. It at least seemed questionable from where Jessica stood. The fat pegasus took next to nothing seriously. Was it a good idea to give such an unstable individual that kind of power? Maybe it wasn't a huge deal. Just because Rebecca had a stone didn't mean she would ever be able to use it to its full potential.
Who was she to question a living planet that was older than the universe?
Well, she wouldn't be doing much with her stone. If the planet had some sort of plan, it could figure that out without her. If it had been around at least fourteen billion years or more--actually, now that she thought about it, how long it had to be around in the previous universe before the previous universe died was an unfathomable amount of time, considering it would have had to have been created before the dark era of the previous universe; billions of years weren't even a blink of an eye in that case, and that was assuming it hadn't survived more than one cycle of universes being born and dying. They could be measuring time in googols and googolplexs if that were the case. That was shiver inducing. Anyway, if it had been around that long, what anyone did or didn't do with its gifts were meaningless. She had no desire to have her sound powers become stronger. They were inconvenient enough.
Thinking of her sound powers made her think of another thing that made her uncomfortable about this place--the silence. Aside from the sounds the crew and the ship made, there was no sound at all on the planet. There was no wind, no sound of ground settling, no insects, no trickle of water, no sounds of rocks falling, nothing at all. Their footsteps didn't even make a sound. She's figured the fact that there were different atmospheric conditions just a short distance away would stir up something resembling wind or some sort of storm that she could hear, but there was nothing--cause without effect. Jeg'galla'gamp'pi defied all logic. She should be happy being here, but the fact this place was not somewhere that expanded the knowledge of how the universe worked, but instead defied all universal laws. It made her skin crawl. What kind of force did it take to even make this kind of place and who could ever accomplish such a feat? She wasn't religious. However, it would take not a mere ascended being, or even large collection of ascended beings, but a true god to create something like this. Whoever had done it, it was difficult enough that the accomplishment had never been replicated before or after. There was only one Jeg'galla'gamp'pi.
"Is him cataloging those stones really that interesting?"
She turned and saw Charlotte and Ashley approaching her. It had been Charlotte who had spoken.
"Maybe she's got the hots for Jonathan. They're both massive nerds" Ashley suggested. "He's available, by the way. He's Rebecca's red herring, and I bodyguard her through bodyguarding him, so I can say without a shadow of doubt that he hasn't been on a date before."
"He's not Jessie's type," Charlotte remarked. "She likes macho types or completely girly prisses. We're more her type than that dude." She held up her tattooed wings. "l do technically swing that way, but she's not my type. I'm not sure what my type is, but definitely not Jessie. Sleeping with a human is just...yeck! Listening to the Marshmallow carry on about her love life in detail makes me want to vomit."
Well, I wasn't interested in you either, but you didn't have to stress how disgusting it is to you,Jessica thought bitterly.
"I found most ponies born after ETS are against bedding a human, yet ponies that were born before ETS, even if they were only a few weeks old when they got it, are more open to human relationships. I never understood why. Maybe it has to do with the fact we were once human ourselves, while ponies like you never were. We older ponies still have some small background part of our minds that see humans as the same species as us that you younger ponies lack," Ashley mused.
"Could be," Charlotte agreed. "You're right about not seeing them as same species. The thought of bedding a human is like agreeing to beastiality when I think about it. I try not to be judgemental, but part of me always cringes when I see a human and pony kissing."
"Do you have to go into so much detail about how disgusted you are by the idea?" Jessica snapped.
Charlotte gave an agitated flap. "Sorry. That wasn't very tactful, and probably hurtful. I should have kept that to myself. if it makes you feel any better, the idea of sleeping with a stallion also makes me feel that way. I'm not saying those relationships shouldn't exist. I just don't want to visualize it. Does that help?"
Jessica crossed her arms. "Not really, but I'll let it slide as long as you are more respectful about others when expressing your feelings about that stuff. Saying you wouldn't be comfortable or able to have those sorts of relationships and don't want the finer details about them said around you is enough. I can be sensitive to your feelings, knowing the subject makes you uneasy."
"Will do," Charlotte agreed. "I respect you; you respect me. To clarify, it is mainly the Marshmallow carrying on about her sex life. She has no filter."
"Yinyu was her mentor," Ashley reminded them.
"Oh, we can definitely tell," Charlotte muttered.
Ashley shook her head "Anyway, I'm strictly into guys myself, even open to humans, although most guys get turned off by my face," Ashley remarked. "If they don't get turned off by that, they get turned off by hearing how I got my scars. I mean, explaining how I nearly got tortured to death by a psychopath when I was a filly isn't the most romantic discussion."
"It's a good opening to show a little vulnerability," Charlotte said.
"I'm not vulnerable," Ashley said with a scowl.
"All the more reason to take what little openings you have to show some vulnerability. Hard to open up and be vulnerable to someone who never shows any vulnerability themselves," Charlotte replied.
Jessica licked her lips. "I might have a date coming up."
Charlotte tilted her head. "You? On a date?"
"Is that so hard to believe?" Jessica snapped, offended again.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but yes," Charlotte answered with a shrug. "I mean, out of our core group of friends and family, I would rank you last on putting yourself out there in that way--aside from possibly me. You and I are the only two who have shown zero interest in romance. My sister is married and has a kid. In the last two years, Jackie has had several relationships that last a few weeks to a month or two, and I'm confident at least one of those had a roll in the grass happen--maybe more than one. Jordan might still be single, but she's horny as hell and not afraid to express it, so it's just a matter of time before her single days are over. We don't even have to mention my brother and his growing brood. You and I were the only two who didn't have relationships on the radar. So, yeah, it's shocking, but I'm happy for you. It's good to hear."
"Um...you guys might want to come out here...now!" Smiley yelled from outside the ship.
They all looked at each other before turning and heading outside. Jessica could hear the elevator was on the move, indicating Rebecca and Luna were on their way as well.
Smiley and Terrance were standing, staring in shock at something just put of sight around the corner of the ship. Jessica stepped cautiously closer before stopping and gaping.
What could be best described as a silvery dragon sat, although it was no Equestrian dragon. This was clearly an unrelated species to those known. It watched them from a short distance from them. It was roughly the size of a horse...not a pony...a horse, it was straight silver and had some sort of metal armor over its legs and chest, as well as a golden crown. It seemed calm, watching them with eyes that matched the crown.
Triss had decided to visit them. Wait, how was Triss surviving in their environment?
"I see the question in your eyes, child. I am not actually here. This is a mere shadow of my true self. It is helpful, for I would struggle to replicate your language in the flesh, as you would mine. My magical limitations are few, but my physical limitations are many," Triss said. She then went back to watching the group, not anyone in particular, just the group as a whole. Jessica didn't appreciate being called child. She might be billions of years younger than Triss, but she was still an adult.
Did the dragon just smile? It was hard to say, but she could swear Triss had reacted to her thoughts. Was the dragon reading her thoughts? She better not do that in front of Rebecca. The Dreamwarden would throw a fit.
"So...you decided you couldn't leave well enough alone. You had to come visit," Rebecca said as she come around the corner. There was an uncommon undercurrent of hostility in the Dreamwarden's voice. Maybe Rebecca had noticed the mind reading.
Triss blinked, it was hard to say what that blink meant, as the rest of her features did not shift.
"Are you shocked, Dreamwarden?" Triss asked. "I wish to see the first beings, other than myself, who have been to this world since before your planet formed. I was born and raised here, even if I ceased to think of this place as home long before the Devourer Cataclysm came, favoring my species's true home world, but Jeg'galla'gamp'pi still holds a special place in my heart." Her eyes focused on Luna as Luna stepped into view. "Greetings, alicorn princess. It is good to see you."
Luna nodded. "And good to see you as well, Queen Triss. I admit, I had thought you'd be taller."
"I have no need to make my form grander than it is. I am not defined by my physical attributes. This is my true size and shape," Triss replied. The dragon looked up at the ship. "Impressive. Somewhat crude, but given your limited resources and technology, this is a wonder, as it would have been for my people. It is based off the ship Joss designed, is it not?"
"It is," Rebecca said, watching Triss with suspicion.
"It was an excellent design," Triss said. "The Hall of Teachers did not appreciate much of what Joss had conceived. We had already been well underway in exploring the farthest reaches of our galaxy and meeting many other intelligent species. With Joss's design, we could have spread out across the universe, far beyond our galaxy. His efforts were always underappreciated. To my shame, I think I was most guilty of underappreciating him, not just in this design, but in all things. Not until his bitterness and loathing had already grown to a point of no return did I realize how little he felt he was valued or loved. I was so focused on bringing about our species's ascension that I failed to see how great his works were, and my people followed my example. I was the Great Mage and Teacher, queen of my people and most admired and loved, but he was the Great Engineer, and deserved more praise than he ever received. My vision was clouded to anything outside my goals. I realized my folly too late."
"A tale that I can empathize with," Luna replied, looking away.
Triss nodded. "What occurred with you and your sister mirrors what occurred between me and my soulfriend. Luckily, you did not have the despair for living that Joss had, not access to the Thinkers and their weapons. I wonder if I could have saved him from himself if it weren't for the Devourers. You feel love and appreciation now, do you not? Perhaps Joss could have as well. Even with him giving them the last piece the Thinkers needed to bring about their Devourer Cataclysm, I still love him. My mourning for him is no less than for all those that he brought an end, even after all this time and death."
The dragon stood up and walked towards them. Jessica tensed a little, even though she knew this was a projection that shouldn't be able to touch them. This might be a projection, but it was also Triss, and her magic was on a whole other level, even beyond the alicorns. With magic like that, there was no telling what exactly the dragon was capable of doing.
Triss walked in front of Terrance looked him over for a second, then moved immediately on to Smiley. She looked at Smiley's cutie mark, a gold trophy mug with ice cream in it, and then moved onto Jonathan.
"You have the feel of another universe on you, other than this or Equestria," Triss stated.
Jonathan nodded. "I journeyed once to another universe. Discord decided to drop my friend Blanche and I, along with a former bodyguard of one of the Dreamwarden, into another universe plagued by war. It seemed a short time had passed for everyone else, but for us, it had been about a year."
Luna's ears flattened. "Discord did what?! I was not informed of this."
Jonathan shrugged. "None of us wanted to spend a lot of time discussing what had happened."
The alicorns did not seem placated by the explanation. "I shall have a very long talk with him. This is not acceptable!"
Triss blinked. "Fascinating. And what is your name, child of three universes?"
"Jonathan, ma'am," Jonathan answered.
Triss nodded. "I am saddened that you do not wish to speak of this third universe, yet I pleased to meet you, Jonathan. I shall have to question the chaos creature when I have a chance, although he is quite difficult to catch, as your Dreamwardens can attest," The dragon then moved on to Charlotte. "You are the daughter of one of the current Dreamwardens, are you not, child?"
Charlotte scowled. "Phobia Remedy is my mom, not my birth mother, but still my mom, along with my mama. I don't like being defined by my relationship to her. I'm my own person, not just the daughter of Phobia Remedy, ma'am."
"A position I can respect your wishes on," Triss agreed. She moved on without asking Charlotte her name.
Triss examined Ashley for a moment or two, eyes taking in the unicorn's scars and examining Ashley's cutie mark. She moved on without comment to Jessica. Triss looked at Jessica's ears, legs, tail, before locking her golden eyes on Jessica's face.
"Neither pony nor human, but with aspects of both. Not unheard of, but still interesting. I sense your magic is stronger than most like yourself, save your world's Prime Storyteller. I also know one of the stones of this place bonded with you. What is your name, child?"
"Doctor Jessica Middleton," Jessica answered. She didn't know if there was any proper formality she was supposed to follow, but no one else had shown much formality. "Ma'am." She tacked the last word on to be safe. Charlotte and Jonathan had said ma'am.
Triss nodded. "I am pleased to meet you, Doctor Jessica Middleton." She then moved on to stand before Rebecca.
"You're being fined ten thousand American dollars for mind reading!" Rebecca said before Triss could speak.
Triss blinked. "Is this one of your jokes, The Marshmallow? I may not understand your humor as well as I thought."
Rebecca shook her head. "Nope! You mind read my friend. I saw it happen. You owe a fine."
"You are aware that I do not have any of your currency, correct?" Triss asked.
Rebecca sat down. "Then you face upwards of a month in jail."
Wow. Talk about audacity. Telling the most powerful magic user in the universe to pay a fine or get jailed. How was Rebecca even supposed to enforce something like that?
Triss must have thought the same thing. "You would jail me? How would you accomplish such a thing?"
"I'm creative; I'll think of something," Rebecca answered, not backing down. She seemed dead serious.
Triss stared, unblinking, then a huge diamond materialized in the air and dropped down to the ground between the two of them. "Would this cover my fine?"
Rebecca didn't blink or look down at the diamond, instead keeping her eyes locked to Triss's. "Jonathan, will that cover it?"
Jonathan walked cautiously over and picked it up, adjusted his glasses, then nodded. "This would more than cover the fine." He then quickly retreated to his previous position.
"Very well, you're good," Rebecca answered. "Just don't do it again!"
"You may be much more diminutive and weak in the waking world, but that does not cause you to lack boldness, The Marshmallow. I did not wish to put to the test whether you could do what you threatened. It seemed unlikely, but I have been surprised before. I see one of the stones has come to you. Use it well," Triss replied. She then looked at Luna. "And we have already exchanged greetings, alicorn princess, Luna."
Rebecca stepped forward, wings spread wide. "You've met everyone now. Do you have any further reason for being here?"
Triss turned to look at Rebecca. "The Marshmallow, does the Dreamwarden hate for me run so deep that you can't let it go even in the waking world? You know my regrets. You know how much I loved your forbearer. Why must Joss's hate for me run so true with every one of you?"
"He never hated you," Rebecca replied. "Even in the end, he told you to flee. He wanted you to live. I remember it clearly."
"Wanted me to live with the sorrow and pain," Triss said.
"Wanted you to live so you could bring an end to what he started," Rebecca said bitterly. "And what have you done? You have continued to do the same things you've always done. Even just now, you stand there judging how worthy different people are. I saw how quickly you dismissed half this team as not worth your time. You are supposed to be trying to help us stop this, but you can't even bother to learn the names of people. They are beneath you. We don't hate you because of how you failed Joss in his life, we know your remorse, we can forgive that, but you fail him still after his death. You fail everyone. How can someone with so much power and so much supposed wisdom have so little love for others? Get out of my sight until you can get your head out of your ass!" Rebecca then rapidly clicked and gagged out something that seemed too ordered not to be a language, but nothing resembling anything spoken on Earth or Equestria.
Triss actually flinched back then stared silently at Rebecca. Everyone held their breath.
Then Triss disappeared.
Luna rounded on Rebecca. "That was unca--"
"I need a few minutes by myself," Rebecca said in a whisper, sounding like she was ready to cry. She then walked off, head held low, ears sagging, and tail dragging the ground. |
Partial | Chapter 33: Sisters | Rebecca sat, staring up at the sky. Had she been too harsh? It was hard to say. Just looking at Triss made her so mad--mad, hurt, sad, disappointed, wistful. There were so many emotions bound in her feelings about Triss. It felt different for her than for the other Dreamwardens. Most Dreamwardens looked upon their memories of Joss and felt nothing but loathing and shame for him. That same shame was something she felt too, but unlike the others, she embraced her memories of Joss. He wasn't evil...well, he did do something incredibly evil, probably the most evil thing ever done, but it wasn't something in his nature. Joss was just sad, lonely, and tired. He had deeply loved Triss. He loved the people, and they had ignored him and all he tried to do. They had thought terrible things about how unworthy he was compared to Triss, and after hearing it enough in people's dreams, he came to believe it. Hate and malice weren't part of Joss. He had been a creative type who tried his best to make things better for everyone around him--like she did, but that had faded due to the constant hurt and dismissal of his efforts. What had defined Joss in the end had been despair. She couldn't hate Joss. He was the darkest reflection of herself. If he could become that, so could she. Sure, she wouldn't have to live as long as him, and she had an exit that he didn't from being stuck hearing all those terrible thoughts, but the fact remained that if her circumstances were similar, she could see it in herself to go down that road. She wished she could have given him a hug. A hug could have saved so much suffering.
"Rebecca?" Luna said from behind her. "We need to discuss what occurred between you and Queen Triss."
She glanced back and saw Luna and Jess approaching her. This was probably Luna's idea and Jess was following along so Luna wouldn't have to go out of sight to reach her.
Turning her head away, she kept her voice low. "Why do we need to discuss it?"
"Because she is our ally against the Devourers, and you, a major representative of our forces against the Devourers, were unprovokedly rude to her," Luna stated. "I know the Dreamwardens and Triss have a history of hostility, but that was uncalled for."
"You have no idea," Rebecca growled. "Do you have any idea what it is like to be part of failed after failed civilization. To be murdered over and over again by the Devourers, and watch her be more concerned about getting another ascended being than she is about saving the civilization as a whole? What has she done to help us? Given Princess Twilight some clues to thwart Sunset Shimmer? Spent time with a few key ponies she thinks might be potential alicorn material? The help she gave Twilight Sparkle was more than she's given just about anyone else, I'll give her that, but you saw her. You watched how she examined out friends, and then if she decided they weren't potential ascended being material, she moved on without a word! Maybe they don't have it in them to be fancy great people who can change the world on their own, but they matter! I get so tired of her dismissing people as if they don't matter!"
She started to cry. "And is making ascended beings even a good thing? She never questions it. Joss would never have reached his point of sorrow if he hadn't ascended. I know I don't want it. I don't want the opportunity to reach that level of despair. Death is a part of life, an important part of life. The Devourers bring too much of it, but death should never be brought to a total end. We need our chance to move on. people aren't supposed to just keep going until life stops feeling meaningful anymore. Even as a mortal Dreamwarden who will hopefully retire to Equestria someday, I struggle at times to keep my zeal for things. Do you know what it's like to be all about creativity when you have memories of what everyone has ever done? Do you have any idea how hard it is to have a truly original idea?"
"I'm sure most would not realize your ideas bear resemblance to others if what was done before was done on some alien world a billion years prior," Luna said.
"I would know," Rebecca replied. She wanted to make some great architecture achievement, but every idea she could think of had been done by someone at some point--maybe not on Earth, but still done at some point.
"I think this is stuff you should be saying to her rather than telling her to get her head out of her ass," Jess suggested. "Explaining yourself like this to her might be a little more productive. It also sounds like you have been holding onto some anxieties and frustrations and not talking about them with anyone. I know I'm not the best about talking about my feelings, but I'm also not some dream-demi-god that people really need to worry about the mental state of."
"I'll be okay," Rebecca assured them. "Everyone gets down once and a while. Seeing Triss just kind of set something off in me. I think it's because I'm more like Joss than the others. He might never have been as bouncy and cheerful as me, but he was the creative type as well. His frustrations with Triss were...they were a lot. Count that as baggage I inherited."
"You owe her an apology," Luna asserted. "You say you want her to be better. You need to be better with her. Show her that your words aren't merely angry spite, but honest concerns. I'm confident you hurt her feelings with your outburst. You have never seemed like a pony who tries to hurt another's feelings."
Had she been too harsh? She'd already questioned herself about that. Her friends said so. If her friends said so and she was wondering the same thing, it may be true. Another question was did it matter if she hadn't been too harsh? Someone had to step up and reach out a hoof. She had more of Joss in her than the others, but that also meant she had more of a longing for Triss's friendship...along with his anger and frustration at Triss. Why did feelings have to be so complicated?
She sighed and tapped the phone on her wrist to start some music. She tapped it a few more times till she finally landed on Stand By Me. It was at least hopeful for what she wanted with Triss. She then started to sway with the music. It didn't take long to get her projection going.
"A final time projecting?" Arbiter asked. "I thought you would be preparing to return home."
"I've got things I need to settle with Triss," Rebecca explained.
"What possible business do you have with that dragon, Glutton?" Ghadab asked.
"I was rude and mean. I need to apologize," Rebecca replied.
"If Triss cannot handle someone saying mean things about her, then she had no business surviving all these years," Ghadab scoffed.
Rebecca shook her head. "Can I get some privacy while I do this?"
"No," Arbiter answered. "But we will do our best to be quiet."
That was good enough. She zoomed to the area where the climate had changed to accommodate the its other guest.
It didn't take long to find the dragon. Triss was sitting outside a building, looking the same in flesh in blood as she did as she appeared as a projection just minutes before, except maybe looking a bit more tired. The dragon statuette sat between her forelegs, glowing without even needing to be touched. Triss's muzzle was lifted to the sky as the dragon sang a dirge for what all had been lost.
Rebecca did not speak as she brought her projection down in front of the dragon. She simply sat before Triss and waited.
Triss sang a few more notes then lowered her muzzle so she could look down on Rebecca. "What do you wish of me, The Marshmallow? You condemn me for visiting you, but you come to disturb my peace. Why should I not banish your shadow?"
Triss spoke in her native language, which sounded like a bunch of snaps, chittering, whines, and growls said at such a rapid pace with so many syllables it would be impossible for any normal person to follow--hundreds of syllables said in a few seconds. Normally, Triss would speak much slower to a non-native speaker, even if it took an eternity to say anything that way, but Rebecca was able to translate it while projecting. Triss had to know that.
"I came to say I'm sorry for things coming out the way they did," Rebecca answered. "It wasn't very friendly or cheerful of me, and I'm supposed to be the friendly and cheerful one."
"But not sorry for the meaning of what you said," Triss said. It wasn't a question.
Rebecca shook her head. "No, not for that, but I could have been nicer about it. You were Joss's soulfriend, and I still feel the desire to be that. It makes us like distance sisters."
Triss snorted and shook her head. "Sisters? Such on odd concept. Why did you let Sunset Blessing leave Earth?"
That was an out of nowhere question. "Um, I didn't let her do anything. She did what she thought was best. It's not my place to have stopped her. Why are you even asking me about that? It has nothing to do with how rude I was to you."
Triss leveled her eyes on Rebecca. "You say I don't try to help, yet you let her leave. I told Luna and all of you on more than one occasion that she is important, yet you let her leave. I helped, and you disregard me."
Rebecca grit her teeth. "I'm not really interested in indulging your quest for an ascended being, and certainly not Sunset Blessing as an alicorn. One great thing I can say for old SB is that she wouldn't indulge your quest either. We've had one who could so far, and they're holding it back--subconsciously, but they're doing it. Earth doesn't need an ascended being."
Triss shook her head. "She did not need to ascend to be important. She sees patterns and puzzles and solutions others do not. I do think that is a quality that could lead to ascension down the line, if she could get other things about herself in order, but those skills are important on their own. You need her if you are to combat the Devourers, and you let her walk away. Now you yell at me for not trying to help."
It was Rebecca's turn to shake her head. "Yeah, she's good at that stuff, but she isn't the only one who is clever and can find solutions. In fact, we have all these humans on Earth, and one thing you can count on humans for, it is ingenuity. Most of them might not have magic, so that might have slipped your notice."
"I had a vision, more than once," Triss stated. "Yes, you need your humans for this endeavor, but you also need the Sunrise and the Sunset. She is the Sunset. I'm sure of it. It is no promise that you shall win, but it is a chance. It is more than I have seen on any world to this point."
Rebecca tilted her head. "And did your vision tell you what the Sunrise and Sunset were supposed to do?"
Triss shook her head.
Rebecca sighed. "Of course it didn't, because when would a vision ever give us a straightforward answer? Information from Storytellers and visions from you are so vague it makes them hardly useful," She took an unnecessary breath. "I'll see what can be done to convince her to come back, but I make no promises. It took a lot for her to decide to go, and she only went because she felt she had no other choice for the safety of her family. She's not going to change her mind easily. Maybe, whatever she needs to do can happen in Equestria. She can think just as well there as she can on Earth. She can probably think more clearly there, since she has less people trying to kill her in Equestria. Trying to dodge assassination attempts can be very distracting when you're trying to focus."
Triss blinked. "Possible. I still prefer her in this universe."
"Look..." Rebecca began. "I've got more of Joss in me than the others do, That makes dealing with you difficult. I don't hate you, but I'm angry. Just like Joss was angry. I don't agree with your goals, just like Joss did not. You heard all the arguments already from him, although I'm unsure if you ever truly listened to what he was saying. We need to be able to pass on, everyone does, in their own time. I honestly don't know why you haven't just let the Devourers take you. You must be so tired. I don't know how you aren't insane. Maybe you are."
Triss looked away. "I have considered letting them take me, more than once," the dragon confessed. "You do not know the loneliness I feel. I have only my missions, and I wish to see the end of this Cataclysm--however long that may take. You criticize me for not learning the unworthy names. How much more would I have to mourn if I took the time to know them all? It is hard enough knowing the names I do, names for me to sing when the world fails. My songs are long enough."
"We Dreamwardens know all the names," Rebecca said..
"Luckily for you, you don't ever have to be around to sing their song afterward," Triss replied. "Yet I will sing your names."
Jordan put one last book on a bookcase and smiled at the new furniture in the rec room. This all felt a little more like her. There were several cushy couches, all done out in a violet that matched her fur, along with a few low tables and stools. There were three large bookcases that went all the way up to the ceiling, and filled with all the classics. There was a large group hookah next to one of the couches. She didn't intend to use that much, especially after she vomited after using one on her eighteenth birthday (that was extremely embarrassing), but it was a very Skytree-type item, and she wanted things to remind her of Skytree. The one thing that wasn't really her thing was an vintage arcade machine in the corner, Pac-Man. Amicus had insisted on them getting it. That was fine. This was Amicus's home too, and if she wanted a Pac-Man machine, they were going to have a Pac-Man machine. Andrea and Legal Brief hadn't ask for any particular inclusions for themselves, they were happy just getting furniture that fit ponies.
The rest of the house was decked out in similar furniture. She was shocked at how much it had cost to buy all this stuff. It was a full house worth of furniture, and it was a big house, but it had still been a shocking price tag. Her same day deliveries had spilled over to this morning because there had been so many, and she had only just finished setting up the rec room. There was still room after room of stuff she still had to set up, and she was tired from staging teleports of items directly to rooms (after Amicus and the guards had inspected each package to make sure nothing sinister had been put in). The only rooms that had been completely set up were this room, the dining room, and her bedroom. Luckily, most of the other rooms were guest rooms and studies; the sisters' bedrooms had already been set up for them prior to all this, as had Sinker's currently unoccupied room.
Her phone started ringing. She glanced at it to see Jackie's name displayed and gave it a quick tap.
"Hi, Jackie. What's up?" she asked.
"Hey, Jor. I wanted to tell you that I had a long talk with Mom and Dad, and I was able to convince them that moving in with you might be the best option. It took a lot of convincing, and me cornering them both privately to give different arguments about why it is a good idea. Mom was the harder one to convince. She's calmed down from where she was a few days ago, so she's mostly sane and reasonable, aside from a few oddities here and there, but I had to give up on convincing her that she might have a problem and focus on her thinking about Dad and what's good for him. Dad believes me that Mom has a problem, but he doesn't think it's as bad as I make it out to be. He didn't see her much while he was intensive care and was too drugged up to notice much when he did, so he didn't get to experience what she was like and dismissed it as her just being stressed out. I know what I'm talking about. I was stressed out; she was something else entirely. In between babbling worry about Dad, it was like her mark had control of her brain. She was trying to dig for treasure!"
"Dig for treasure?" Jordan asked in confusion "I thought you two were waiting at the hospital."
"We were. She was trying to dig through the floor," Jackie said flatly. "Do you know how much damage a middle-aged earth pony can do to a hospital's floor? By the way, I need a loan to cover damages. They haven't sent me the bill yet, but I expect it's going to be a lot."
Jordan's ears sagged. "I'll see what I can do. Um, her trying to dig through the floor could be an issue. Auntie Sunset left all kinds of defenses. If you do the wrong things, this place is a death trap. I actually caught a pony in the ground a few days ago--like, her legs were actually phased into the ground, couldn't move, and her legs lost blood circulation."
"You're the one who pushed to bring them there!" Jackie yelled. "Now you're saying that they could die by accident there!"
"I know! I know! But I didn't know she could be digging like a madmare when I made the suggestion," Jordan yelled. "I'll talk to Andrea and Amicus to see what they think and see if they have suggestions. There has to be a workable solution to it if we know what to expect. We'll figure something out."
"Do that quickly," Jackie replied. "Both of them need to settle things with their jobs. I think Dad being done with his was a given, but the school year just started with Mom. She's been there almost twenty years. She was even my third grade teacher. I don't see her leaving abruptly without properly saying goodbye to her students and coworkers. They're like a second family to her. Plus, it's going to take time to pack everything. Still, I want to get them moving ASAP."
Jordan frowned. They'd need to rent a storage space or something. Her parents moving in was fine and all, but she'd just fixed this place up to be a reflection of her. How many rooms could she portion off for them? Could she give them their own hallway? That was an idea. One hallway of this place had more space than their old house. Hmm, but there was the kitchen, and there was only one kitchen and dining room. How would that work out? It felt a little wrong thinking about this kind of stuff, but this was her space, and while she loved her parents, she wanted this to remain feeling like her house, not theirs. She didn't want them taking over the place. She already felt like she was at the mercy of Andrea half the time--more than half the time. Adding her parents into it could feel like getting pushed out. This was her independence.
She shook her head. Thinking such things was selfish. It wasn't wrong to want to protect her independence, but being paranoid about it was a sign of insecurity. She wasn't coming off as an independent adult if she constantly worried about guarding her independence. She needed to show more confidence.
"I'll do everything I can to get things ready for them," Jordan assured her sister. "Did you miss class because of the thing with Dad?"
"No, but I had to cancel a date," Jackie answered. "Don't worry. I was only half-interested in the guy."
"Why were you going on a date with him then?" Jordan asked.
"Just looking for a good time. And before you ask, yes, I'm on my pill, and was going to carry protection for him, just in case he didn't have any," Jackie answered.
"I wasn't going to ask. I know you're careful," Jordan replied. "Honestly, I'm jealous. You can get any guy to hang off your tail."
"Muscle gives my flanks tone, and I've got a larger than average wingspan. Pegasus stallions go nuts for those types of things," Jackie said smugly. "Don't worry so much about that stuff. You'll meet someone. I might have more of the stuff that impresses pegasi guys, but you are prettier than me, not to mention smarter. Now you're living in a big mansion and have tons of money. I should be jealous of you. I have basically being more athletic over you and that's it. At some point, I'm going to stop working out and let myself go. After that, you beat me on all fronts."
"Don't say things that. It sounds like you're putting yourself down," Jordan replied. "You're intelligent. It takes a lot of split-second thinking to do all the tricks you do in the air. You have to constantly be judging air pressure, wind speed, your velocity, humidity, making pinpoint calculations on how to change your speed and trajectory, noticing everything on the ground and in the air around you, and likely even more things I have no idea about. It's like trying to follow Auntie Sunset or Princess Twilight working a complex spell--there's just too much going on at once for me to follow, but you can manage all those things at once. I don't think most unicorns are as smart as pegasi and Earth ponies, to be honest. Most of us can only figure out how to keep track of a few things at once, but the other tribes can do way more. Maybe it's some sort of safeguard so we don't get overpowered with our spellcasting. If you had a horn, I'm sure you'd be better at doing spells than me."
"I heard you got the better of Crystal recently with some split-second thinking," Jackie reminded her. "I'd have loved to have seen her face when you pulled that. Especially after how many times during our training sessions she sapped my flying magic and made me faceplant in the grass."
Jordan scowled. "Well, she deserved it! I get my own place, and they immediately come here and put me through another one of their sessions! That was such horseshit!"
"I'm in your corner when it comes to that," Jackie laughed. "I need to go. There's a book I was supposed to have read for class, and I haven't even started. You wouldn't happen to have read some book called Cloud Atlas and be able to summarize what happens in a few sentences, would you?"
Jordan stared at her phone in disbelief. "You want me to summarize everything that happens in Cloud Atlas in a few sentences?"
"Well, that had been the idea, but now you're replying like I'm insane, and I'm wondering exactly how much shit I am in," Jackie replied.
"When are you supposed to have read this book by?" Jordan asked.
"Tomorrow."
"Then you are in a lot of shit," Jordan said flatly.
"Is there a movie?"
"Yeah...but-"
"Oh! Then I'll just watch that," Jackie said cheerfully.
Jordan shook her head. "You're such a jock."
"Never claimed to be anything else," Jackie said. Jordan could practically hear the grin on her sister's voice. "Anyway, I'm gonna let you go. I've got a movie to stream. I'll talk to you later. Love you, Sis!"
"Love you, too, Sis," Jordan replied.
The call ended. What should she be doing? Probably talking to Andrea about what to do if her mom started digging on the property. Jessie should be returning from her trip today. Maybe she could try calling her later and see about setting up a visit with the college.
She turned and headed towards the guard room. Andrea first. Then doing some more setting up rooms. |
Partial | Chapter 34: Back from Jeg'galla'gamp'pi | Jessica stepped out of the secret farm bunker and smiled as she felt the sun on her face. It was good to be back. Returning to Earth took considerably less time than getting to Jeg'galla'gamp'pi, but Jessica wasn't going to complain that the travel time back was shorter than expected.
The others were with her. Ulga, Phobia, Rosetta, Russell, Patches, and Moses were all there to greet them as they stepped out of the bunker.
Rebecca went zooming through the air towards her husband, crashed straight into his chest, brought them both down to the ground, and proceeded to rain kisses down on his face.
"If you're happy and you know it, kiss your man!" Rebecca sang, then gave Russell two quick smooches. "If you're happy and you know it, kiss your man!" She kissed him twice more. "If you're happy and you know it, your flagging tail will surely show it. If you're happy and you know it--find a room and get him to mount you!"
Okay,...not exactly musical genius.
Ulga immediately instructed Moses and Patches to make themselves scarce, maybe afraid that Rebecca and Russell would do it right there. With Rebecca, you could never know what to expect. The two foals promptly left. Phobia leaned over and whispered to Rosetta. Jessica blinked at what she heard. So did Rosetta.
"Now?!" Rosetta asked in shock. Phobia nodded. Rosetta gave Charlotte an apologetic look. "Sorry, Mija. I meant to listen to you about your trip, but you know I have to take my opportunities when possible. Come on, Phobia, I'm sure Ulga has a spare room."
The pair of night ponies hurried off towards the farmhouse.
Ashley stared at their retreating forms. "What was that about?"
"You don't want to know," Jessica answered...or didn't answer, as it was.
"My mothers are going to go screw," Charlotte said flatly. "Mom is practically asexual, and she has standing orders from Mama to tell her right away if she has any urges to have sex. Since it so rarely comes up, when it does, Mama all but drags Mom off to the bedroom immediately. If she waits, the urge could pass and might not come again for months or possibly even a year or more."
Ashley snorted. "Okay, Jess was right. I didn't want to know."
Rebecca giggled. "Sounds like a good idea to me. Come on, Babe!" She started headbutting her husband to get him to move. Russell laughed but did not object to her prompting.
Jessica rolled her eyes as Russell picked Rebecca up and carried her to the farmhouse.
"Dreamwardens have no shame," Terrence observed.
"They do. It just depends on what you want to shame them about. I'm the expert, believe me," Charlotte said with a yawn, then glared at the human. "And show some respect to officials, soldier! You are a representative of the US Army!"
"Sorry, sir," Terrence said quickly. He then asked. "But speaking frankly, and as Dreamwarden Phobia Remedy as an individual who is your parent. Doesn't the idea that your parents are running off to do that gross you out, sir? Or does it bother you that they are going to do that rather than see how your trip went?"
Charlotte stretched her wings and then folded them to her sides. "Not really. They rarely do it, and it makes them happy. It isn't like my mom wasn't monitoring the trip through the Marshmallow anyway. You two are free to do what you wish until you are to report back to base. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir!" Terrence and Smiley said in unison and took off towards the farmhouse.
Jessica grunted. "Not exactly how I pictured our return. I expected some sort of debriefing or something. When do I go home?"
"I'll be taking you back to Wabash Manor, but it shall be a few hours before I do," Luna said as she yawned as well and squinted as she glanced at the sunny sky. "This trip already disrupted my sleep schedule, and while I normally don't grow weary from magic use, the teleports to the far reaches of this universe require far more than I am accustomed to using. Even moving the moon requires less magic. I require a nap to refresh myself."
Charlotte nudged Jessica's leg as Luna became the latest to take the popular choice of wandering off towards the farmhouse. "I'm not due to report back to base until tomorrow evening. Do you want to come with me to meet my new niece? I do want to see her, and while I don't care about my sister stressing about my absence on its own, she might have been making life difficult for others because of it, and seeing me again would calm her down for their sakes."
"I'm not sure I'm eager to listen to you and your sister fight," Jessica replied.
Charlotte chuckled. "Arachne won't fight me. We're normally closely matched. I win some; she wins some. However, she's still recovering from her pregnancy. Arachne fighting me when she isn't in her best condition would only lead to me easily trouncing her. Arachne wouldn't risk the shame of looking completely outmatched. It would mean being second best. She'd never stand for that."
Jessica curled an eyebrow at her friend. "I meant yelling. I didn't mean you physically fighting each other. Although, I should've guessed."
"She might yell at me. She may even slap me since she told me she would, but she isn't going to get so bad," Charlotte assured her. "She and I already had a...discussion...via the dream realm. She got most of it out of her system there. You said you might have a date coming up. Much as I loathe advising anyone to go to my sister for advice, she does know more about getting all dolled up for a special occasion than anyone I know. She might be helpful. I don't do dating, but you're one of my oldest friends, and I want it to go well for you. If I wanted advice on that kind of thing, I'd swallow my pride and ask her."
Jessica bit her lip. "Do I need it? I mean, am I not good enough as is?"
Ashley laughed. "Sorry to eavesdrop or laugh, but it doesn't matter if you are good enough as is. Technically, the guy already thinks you're good enough if he decided to go on a date with you, so that's just stupid to ask. You getting all prettied up is meant to entice him further. It also means you're showing you actually care about the date. If you show up to a date without putting any extra effort into your appearance, even a little, it shows you aren't really that invested in it. That sends the signal you aren't really interested in him, which starts you out the gate on the wrong foot. Some ponies can get away with not putting an extra effort in. Rebecca never did, but with humans, it is part of the courtship ritual....um I'm assuming it's a human you are going on a date with and a guy. I hadn't asked. Forgive me if I made too many assumptions."
"Yeah, he's very much human," Jessica confirmed. "Okay, I'll go with you to see Arachne. It's always best to ask an expert about things. I want to see the baby anyway."
Charlotte looked at the blond Earth pony across the way. "Hey, Ulga, does the farm have a pony car I can borrow? I promise to bring it back in a few hours."
Ulga shook her head. "No, but we have human ones. One of the farmhands can give you a ride wherever you wish. Provided it is in the city or very close by. Any further and Moses's power won't work to keep the farmhand active."
"That works," Charlotte said.
"Is it okay for them to go into town?" Jessica asked skeptically.
Ulga nodded. "They drive very safely, and if anything happens, they've got a contact for Dreamwarden Phobia Remedy for her to resolve the issue, for she has considerable influence over much in Skytree. Only Wild Growth is more honored. They go to pick up orders for the farm from time to time, and they drive Moses to school. I certainly cannot drive. My hearing and smell may be excellent, but they aren't enough to compensate for my lack of vision."
"We definitely don't want blind ponies driving," Ashley agreed.
"Although it would be awe-inspiring if she could," Jonathan decided to chime in. "I think you and I should head to the local OMMR office to report. It's time for me to get back to nominally directing OMMR all affairs. There are a few operations in progress that I want to get status updates for."
Ashley flicked her tail. "Whatever you say. Charlotte, will you be good without us here to give you a ride?"
Charlotte spread her tattooed wings. "Do these look broken? I'll be fine. I'll fly somewhere close to the airport and walk the rest of the way when it comes time to go."
"Ulga, can you have the farmhands begin unloading the ship?" Jonathan asked.
"Yes, I'll make sure everything is secure and that everyone's personal belongings are brought to the house," Ulga replied. She then walked towards the bunker, where one of the zombie farmhands touched a hand to her back, perhaps to help guide her.
"You said nominally directing," Jessica said to Jonathan. "Do the Dreamwardens actually do everything?"
"They make all major decisions and give guidance on what they want us doing, but I do supervise things to make sure those things happen. I'm not a complete figurehead," Jonathan answered. "Consider me the top end of middle-management. They give me orders; I direct others to fulfill those orders, as well as help deal with a lot of the more mundane tasks."
"When the Warden of Order isn't doing it instead," Charlotte said with a snort. "You guys like to keep him in the background without talking about him much, but I know he has a lot of influence on the day-to-day operations of the OMMR."
"Not as much as of late," Jonathan corrected. "His impending retirement has been his primary focus. He has personal affairs to get in order before he goes. He is also the primary one monitoring the current batch of candidates to replace him, much like Phobia Remedy had done when the last batch went through and Krik for the batch before that. The closest local Dreamwarden to the candidates normally deals with most of the waking world things involved in succession, even if the others are monitoring the candidates' progress from afar. That reminds me, I need to follow up on the arrangements for Phobia and Rebecca to travel to visit the candidates in person."
"Busy, busy, busy," Ashley said before fluttering her lips. "Let's make sure Rebecca doesn't go sneaking any contraband across borders this time around. I don't know how she always manages to do it. I sometimes wonder if it is a game to her. At some point, someone will take major issues with it."
"Rebecca has always been lax about following rules and had very loose interpretations of rules when she does. At least she literally can't break her Oaths and isn't malicious like Sha'am was," Jonathan said with a sigh. "Oh, we need to process the paperwork on Josie's most recent fine from when Rebecca told her to flat-out break a regulation. If I were Josie, I'd have Rebecca start paying these fines for her."
"I'd normally tell you it isn't a good idea to discuss this around me since I'm on the counter-Dreamwarden task force, but I already knew the flubber-gut was fast and loose with rules," Charlotte said dryly.
Jonathan shrugged. "The Dreamwardens need a variety of personalities, that includes mavericks who don't see things as strictly as the rest. The goal is not to be monolithic but to have differing points of view. It keeps them flexible to face different types of situations, allows them to more adequately find a Dreamwarden who can fit a dreamer's needs--as not every Dreamwarden is a good fit to aid every dreamer experiencing problems, and it also keeps any single one from dominating the group. Rebecca being fast and loose with the rules is as important as Arbiter being a regular tyrant when it comes to rules."
"It's ironic that someone who stood trial before the Dreamwardens ended up becoming the current most strict about following the rules after becoming a Dreamwarden," Ashley said with a chuckle.
Jessica rubbed her arms. "Let's stop discussing Dreamwardens. I'm glad I'm finally done dealing with them after today."
"You're getting into the dating world. You should expect a visit from Yinyu. She can never resist suggesting what you can do if things progress," Jonathan replied, then adjusted his glasses. "Still, we need to get a move on. Good speaking with you, Doctor Middleton."
Jonathan walked away with Ashley hot on his heels.
"He's right. Yinyu will try at least once," Charlotte said. "I say, let her go through her full explanation, probably with explicit visuals, and then tell her thank you for her time, but you can figure the rest out on your own. Her services are no longer needed. She'll leave you be after that."
Jessica blushed at what kinds of visuals Yinyu might provide. She'd already endured Yinyu's initial sex education dream when she was younger, including the infamous song and dance. What she might get in a sex ed class in high school, minus the jubilant singing about fallopian tubes, urethras, and gonads that made her want to cringe. That hadn't been too graphic, at least in terms of pornographic content. Still, it had a very uncomfortable and detailed biological explanations and verbal descriptions of how things work. Yet somehow, listening to all that stuff and seeing the visuals had made her feel sick to her stomach, even in a dream. Was that a typical reaction to exposure to that kind of material? She didn't know. It wasn't a subject she discussed with others, even close friends or family. Now that she was an adult, she expected Yinyu would get much more detailed. Would her reaction be worse?
She took a deep breath. She was an adult. She could endure one dream.
"Come along," Charlotte instructed as she headed towards the farmhouse. "Any of the farmhands should be able to direct us to the car."
"I could have driven it," Jessica said as she followed.
"You could have spoken up," Charlotte replied. "Plus, they don't know you like they know me. Would you loan your car out to a stranger?"
*I suppose not," Jessica conceded. She looked at Charlotte's wings. "Did getting those hurt?"
"Along the membrane, no, but close to the bone, that hurt like hell," Charlotte answered. "Why do you ask? Thinking of getting a tattoo?"
Jessica rubbed her arm. "I met a rehumanized woman who the process left with more pony features than is typical. She had gotten a tattoo of what she thought her cutie mark might have been. It might sound silly, it's illogical, but the idea appealed to me-kind of a way of asserting who I am."
"Woooo, getting a little wild and getting a tattoo," Charlotte cooed. "I like the idea. It kinda pays homage to who you were while still being who you are. We shouldn't try to live in the past, or glamorize the past, because the past is often shittier than we remember, but we should remember it." She spotted a woman farmhand and waved a wing. "Hey, you, Ulga said one of you could give us a ride where we needed to go."
The zombie woman nodded. "This one can drive you."
"Great. What's your name?" Charlotte asked.
"This one is The Fifth Morning After The Ninth Moon," the woman answered.
"Very...timekeepery. Was that when you were born?" Charlotte asked.
"No," the woman said flatly.
"Okay...why that?" Charlotte asked.
"Because this one's sibling was Twelfth After Forth Sunrise."
"I think we have some sort of cultural disconnect here," Charlotte said.
"It would seem so," the zombie agreed. "Shall we board the vehicle now, or do you wish to delay?"
"Sorry, now would be fine," Jessica cut in. "It's a very nice name."
"It is just a name," the zombie replied. "Follow us."
Zombies were clearly not all as sociable as Patches.
Zipper watched several grey threshers pecking for seeds near a nearby bush. He wasn't sure where they'd be nesting or why they were this far from any notable tree growth. This particular area was scrubland, not an ideal location for that type of bird. Bird populations had been expanding everywhere; perhaps their regular territory's population had grown too large and was now looking for new areas.
He took a sip from his canteen. They were stopped while they let the solar cell on the van recharge. They'd been traveling offroad for a long time, and it was much slower going than traveling by road and more taxing on the vehicle's power. His companions seemed to have anticipated this, and they were not significantly bothered by it. Crystal was doing routine maintenance on the van-airing up the tired, checking fluids, that sort of thing. She'd had him on top of the van wiping down the solar panels daily since they kicked up a lot of dust and dirt traveling the way they were, and keeping the panels clean meant they worked better. Tempest and Blanche we're standing a short distance away, discussing something or other in private. Josie was asleep inside the van since it was extremely bright and sunny outside. Arturo sat with Zipper at their small makeshift camp, eating some sort of salted meat.
"What are the birds saying?"
Zipper jumped, startled that Arturo had said something in English. He'd said little all trip, and what he had spoken to this point had been in Russian.
"You ask the help a question in English, but you won't say anything in English to me?!" Crystal yelled in outrage.
"Tupoy poni!" Arturo yelled at her, then laughed. He looked at Zipper again. "What do the birds say?"
Zipper looked at the threshers. "They aren't saying anything. Threshers aren't the smartest birds on their own, unlike crows, ravens, or birds of prey. They have a kind of hive intelligence when you get a bunch of them together, but there aren't enough of them over there for that. They're looking for food, judging if this is a suitable place for the main flock to come to."
"They are scouts," Arturo stated.
"I suppose that's one way of looking at it," Zipper confirmed with a nod.
"If we find the flock, will flock be able to say how many guards at the base?"
Zipper shook his head. "They don't have a concept of numbers like that, at least, these ones don't-some other types are better at it. Their understanding of numbers is basically there's one, there's two, then there's more than two. They can't tell the difference between five and fifty; it's all just more than two. They couldn't even tell how many birds are in their flock, although they can tell if they are missing some."
"Birds not too smart, like crystal pony," Arturo observed.
"Hey!" Crystal objected. She stomped and then yelped as she lost her balance and fell off the van. "Ow!"
"Tupoy poni," Arturo muttered.
Zipper stood up and walked towards Crystal. "Are you okay?"
Crystal waved him off. "I might be named Crystal and may be a crystal pony, but I'm not made of crystal. I'm fine."
"If you say so," Zipper said, retreating to his spot.
"How will birds help us if can't count?" Arturo asked, seeming completely uninterested whether Crystal was injured or not.
"I've got a little camera that I can attach to a bird, and we can get a bird's eye view with it," Zipper explained. "It's very tiny. Nobody will be able to tell the bird is wearing it from a distance."
"And bird will let you put camera on them?" Arturo asked, sounding skeptical.
"If I'm nice to it and make friends," Zipper said with a smile.
Arturo stared for a minute, then shook his head. "This is dumb plan."
Zipper wasn't very happy about having his role called stupid, even if he wasn't sure himself how much help he was going to be. "Well, can you tell me why it's taking so long for us to get where we are going? We follow your directions, but you've had us zigging and zagging all over the place."
"Tracking trails, trails not go straight," Arturo explained. "Partials ran from place years ago. Not know which way to go. Near death from exhaustion when they reach Denver, one die along way, other not long after arriving, but deliver baby into care of old woman first. They wander in desert for long time. We follow trail as they walked it. We arrive at start, eventually."
Zipper's ears sagged. "They died making this trip? How? Illegal immigrants make the trip all the time."
"Human and pony immigrants bring more supplies. Human and pony immigrants can walk right, not with bad gait. Take partials longer to walk, with less food or water. Very bad for them," Arturo said, then took a sip of his water.
That was so sad. If there was a baby, they probably gave more of their food and water to it, leaving less for themselves when they were already short on what they needed. He very vaguely remembered parts of his transformation, and he did recall that during the late stages, when his body was trying to shift towards being a quadruped from a biped that moving from place to place was very difficult and slow. The idea of trying to travel cross-country like that in the burning heat with little to drink or eat was insane, practically suicide, especially if they didn't have a clear idea of what path to follow. How bad was the place they were running from to drive them to attempt that?
"How much longer do we have to travel?" Zipper asked.
Arturo shrugged. "We get there when we get there."
"Soon, within the next day or two," Tempest said as she and Blanche walked over. "We have seen tire tracks, and there's no known settlement nearby. It is likely connected to where we are going. We shall camp here for the night, and Josie can do some scouting."
"If she can scout, why do you need me and the birds?" Zipper asked
"She only dares get so close to the base once locating it," Blanche explained. "We know they have crystal ponies, and if she gets too close, they'll spot her, even if she's shadowmelded. A pony of Josie's power stands out like a beacon to crystal ponies-shadowmelding might make her stand out even more to them. We need more detailed information on their numbers, base layout, etc. All these things require a closer look than Josie can get from a safe distance. We're counting on them ignoring birds."
"They aren't going to hurt the birds, are they?" Zipper asked with worry.
"I doubt they will give the birds a second glance," Blanche said.
"And what do we do once we have the information? Do we head back and call the authorities?" Zipper asked.
Tempest shook her head. "Law enforcement will not come. Once we have the information on the base layout, the number of guards, and where they are located, we make a plan of attack. When we attack, you'll stay in the van. You shall not want to see what happens, and we do not need the distraction of guarding you. This will be bloody, brutal, and with luck, we will suffer no casualties among us or the prisoners."
"Hopefully, we can take one or two of the guards prisoner to get information from them," Blanche said. "It depends on how difficult they make this. It's easier to land killing blows with certainty than blows that are sure will incapacitate them enough that we don't have to worry about some half-dazed guard we thought was out for the count shooting us in the back. I've had that happen far too many times not to have learned my lesson."
"You just keep out of sight and out of the way," Tempest reiterated.
Zipper felt sick to his stomach. |
Partial | Chapter 35: Three Pauses | The zombie let them out at a townhome in a gated community. Thankfully, Charlotte had known the password to get through the gate. If Jessica had to guess, these were not what most people would consider affordable. She knew Arachne had some start-up business she ran, but she was only eighteen, and her husband was not much older. This seemed beyond the price point of someone just out of high school. Maybe her aunt helped her get it.
"Is she even going to be awake?" Jessica asked, just realizing it was past noon. Her ears immediately twitched as she heard a baby crying within.
Charlotte chuckled. "With a newborn foal? Yep, she's going to be awake. I happen to know Madison has already started surging, so this should be fun. I feel sorry for Street Lamp, though. I'm sure my sister is having him deal with that."
"She must be helping at least a little," Jessica assured her friend.
Charlotte looked doubtful but said nothing as they walked to the front door. The zombie stayed in the car in front of the house, not going anywhere.
Jessica decided to do the honors and knocked on the front door. This close, she could hear everything going on in the house. The baby had stopped crying and was on the move, although she couldn't place what floor it was on, which was odd. It seemed to be between the two floors. It took her a second to remember that one of the various things night pony foals sometimes did while surging was run on the ceiling, an ability ninety-nine percent of them would never be able to accomplish again after the surging was done, which made it all the worse for parents who also couldn't replicate the feat but had to get the foal down. She heard male grunts of frustration and the beating of wings in pursuit of the infant; another set of hooves descended from upstairs towards them.
"Madison sounds very active. She seems to be moving fast along the ceiling, at least based on what I'm hearing," Jessica informed Charlotte.
"Hmm, another reason for me never to have foals. I would have no patience for that. I'd be arrested for filicide," Charlotte replied dryly.
"Your parents put up with you and your siblings being wild," Jessica reminded her.
"My parents deserve sainthood," Charlotte said with a snort.
The door opened, revealing a very disheveled-looking Arachne. She had bags under her eyes, her mane and tail looked like neither had been brushed lately, and both looked knotted. Her fur had an uneven quality, which meant it was also unbrushed. Her belly hung a bit looser than usual, and Jessica was sure that if she stepped back far enough, Arachne's teets would be on display-something most normally wouldn't see on a mare unless they turned her over and searched because they remained small nubs covered by fur when not swollen with milk. The mammaries were only casually visible on nursing mares or recently pregnant mares. Arachne hadn't looked too bad the last time she had seen her and was only showing minor signs of pregnancy at the time, but she certainly looked rough now. Even her wings looked dirty.
"You look like crap," Charlotte said to her sister.
Arachne sneered and immediately swung with a wing that collided loudly with Charlotte's face. The army pony barely flinched and raised an eyebrow at her sister.
"And you must be feeling like crap too. Jordan can strike me harder. That was just embarrassing," Charlotte said, although she didn't sound very snide.
A stallion went flying by behind Arache, chasing a dark blur that was zooming along the ceiling. Arachne stood rigid and silent for a second, then sighed.
"Come on in," Arachne said, stepping out of the doorway.
"If this isn't a good time-" Jessica began.
"There isn't going to be a good time," Arachne interrupted. "Just come in and watch out for random yellow spray and brown droppings falling from the ceiling."
Eww, that was not something she had anticipated or wanted to think about. She stepped in, raising an arm above her head to shield herself from inbound fecal matter.
The entire house floor had clear plastic draped over it, including much of the furniture. Yellow pools had formed in more than one spot but weren't everywhere. Did Madison have preferred places to pee?
Charlotte whistled. "Wow, I doubt Mom and Mama went through this much effort to keep us from making messes, and there were three of us to manage instead of just one. You can't manage just one?"
"Shut your muzzle! They did things their way. I'll do things my way," Arachne snapped as she shut the door.
"Why don't you just get diapers on her?" Jessica asked.
Arachne huffed. "You think we don't? She sheds them. She also tends to fight Street when he tries to put them on her. About the only time we can get one on her without trouble is when she has finally exhausted herself and fallen asleep."
"So, dealing with a foal is more trouble than you thought it would be?" Charlotte asked.
"Surging only lasts a week or so. It may be over tomorrow," Arachne replied calmly.
"It's only been one day. The doctor said at least five more!" Street yelled as he flew by after the black blur.
Arachne covered her face with a wing.
Jessica watched Street Lamp continue to chase Madison around. Night ponies weren't good at gently catching moving things in the air. They were trained to knock things down and to do short sprints. With that in mind, why even chase her around like that? Street wasn't about to try to knock his daughter off the ceiling; that would hurt her. Maybe he was hoping she would stop and sit still long enough that he could grab her.
It did make her think about Mark and made her wonder if she fully appreciated what she might be getting herself into. Sure, Mark couldn't run around on the ceiling-she hoped he couldn't, anyway, but he did bring unique challenges, many of which would no doubt catch her off guard. He likely had some sort of magic. What that entailed was anyone's guess. His grandmother might know if he had gone through a surging period when he was small, but she wasn't available to talk to. That meant it might be years until they found out. He'd already demonstrated his talent at hiding and getting into small spaces; while not as troublesome as running on the ceiling, it could still cause some headaches. Perhaps she should try talking to Arachne about being a new mother.
She looked at Arachne's disheveled state again. Maybe now wasn't the best time to inquire about that.
"So...I came to see my new niece. It looks like that may be a challenge," Charlotte said as the blur whipped across the ceiling again with Street Lamp in pursuit.
Archive removed the wing from her face. "She'll tire herself out eventually, then you can get a look at her-pitch black fur with a hot pink mane."
"Doesn't sound like Street Lamp's colors," Jessica replied.
"Nor mine," Arachne stated, spreading her wings and folding them. "Who can say how color inheritance works? Moon doesn't look a thing like Mom, and I hear he looks nothing like the bastard who raped her, so I'm not shocked Madison doesn't look like me or her father. She's definitely mine. I won't forget carrying her weight around for most of a year and painfully pushing her out. Street's the only one who has mounted me, so she's his daughter."
"Well, she's very healthy," Jessica said as she listened to the continued pursuit.
Arachne nodded. "It took her about two hours after birth to figure out standing. It took her another hour after that to figure out how to walk, with some frequent tripping. She was mostly calm the first few days with a few small bursts of running here and there; she just followed me or Street around, investigated her nearby surroundings, and suckled me when she was hungry; then this started. I could deal with her current activity level, provided she stays out of the spider room, except for the fact she doesn't have the decency to go to sleep when it's past noon. It's noisy, and she keeps me awake. I need to get my sleep to manage the spiders properly."
"Spider room? Spiders?" Jessica asked in confusion. She knew Arachne had an obvious obsession with arachnids, but she had a room for them?
"How do you think we can afford this?" Arachne said, spreading her wings wide to indicate her home. "Spider silk sells well. Most companies that produce spider silk have to immobilize the spiders and force them to spin straight threads, which then have to be carefully put together as yarn and then turned into garments much later. However, I can direct the spiders to spin as I like. I can make custom fabrics and garments directly spun by the spiders. A single dress can net me tens of thousands of dollars. I paid the entire year's rent on this place with my last garment."
"And how many garments a year are you making?" Jessica asked. It seemed like it would still take a long time to make anything.
"I'm on pace for three this year," Arachne answered. "But I hope to get more spiders and a better place to house them with funds from the next garment; that should increase my output. If I can do that, I can be making millions by next year. At this rate, I'll be richer than Titi in a decade or so."
Titi was the trio of night ponies' pet name for their aunt, Wild Growth, who was arguably the wealthiest pony alive, at least, the richest pony known. There were some other contenders for the title. Still, Wild Growth was the only one people knew how much she had-one hundred and ninety billion dollars. However, the total was slowly declining because of Wild Growth's philanthropy and the fact her income had fallen dramatically after she went into government. She was still in the top twenty richest for sure with that amount. Wild Growth had amassed that wealth by getting stock cheap for many companies selling to ponies, primarily PonyCo, which gave her huge amounts of stock to entice her to be a spokesperson when they were first starting up. It had been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Arachne thinking she could surpass that wealth was a lofty ambition. It didn't seem a realistic goal, but who knew, maybe Arachne could do it. Jessica didn't care much about money. If she had enough to pay for what she needed, that was enough. What would she even do with that much cash?
"Well, the other reason we came by is Jessie's got a hot date, and she could use some beauty tips," Charlotte informed her sister.
Arachne scowled at her sister. "Sure, and I'm the Queen of England. Don't play games. I know you just wanted to see me in this state."
Charlotte smirked. "I didn't realize that I was related to royalty. Does that make me a Duchess? Just to be clear, I'm very much enjoying seeing you look like this, but Jessie actually does have a date coming up. Could you be helpful and give a few suggestions for her appearance?"
"You're pushing this joke," Arachne mumbled.
Jessica sighed. "Is it that hard to believe I'm going on a date?"
Arachne gave her a blank look.
"I'm going on a date with a man. He's also a doctor of physics at the same university I teach at," Jessica said flatly.
Arachne blinked. "I guess some people just have odd tastes." She waved a wing dismissively. "Sorry, I can't help you. I don't know how to make a human more attractive to humans. It's like trying to judge what's attractive to a bear. My suggestion is to find a human to help you or a pony who used to be human and is old enough to know how to apply makeup and do the hair for a human."
"Your mom then?" Jessica asked.
Arachne shook her head. "Mom never cared about that stuff until after she became a pony, and Mama still doesn't care about that stuff. Surely you know some human woman who can tell you. Your mother might be a decent start."
The thought of letting her mom give her advice after how much her mom had pushed her about relationships made her want to crawl under her bed. She was not going to her mom for advice.
"I know another coworker who might help," Jessica replied. Violet might help, and she was definitely attractive, but Violet's ideas of beauty might be pushing farther than what Jessica would be comfortable with. There were limits to that. That would be figuratively running before walking.
"Hmm, maybe you can try Great Aunt Amicus," Charlotte suggested. "Grandma always said Amicus was a priss when she was our age. She might have some ideas. You'd have the benefit of keeping it private since she'd be giving you advice at Wabash. Going to a coworker for help spreads gossip."
"I agree," Arachne said, then briefly stuck her tongue out as if disgusted to be agreeing with her sister. Charlotte mimicked the gesture.
The galloping blur stopped above them, revealing a pitch-black night pony filly with a very wild and bushy pink mane. The filly cooed, and the surge decided to stop-at least for the moment-at that moment, and the filly let off a high-pitched screech as she fell from the ceiling.
Arachne jumped and caught the filly on her back. "Got you!"
"Wahwa!" the filly said happily and hugged her mother.
Arachne rolled her eyes and carefully pulled the filly off her back and into her forelegs as she sat down. "Street! Can you come get Madison and put a diaper on her before she shits on something?"
Street came down next to Arachne and took the filly into his hooves. "Come here, you wild thing," Street said tiredly but lovingly. "You give me quite the workout. Are you tired now? Ready to sleep for a while?"
The filly yawned on cue. She was kinda cute, in a wild animal sort of way.
Street held Madison out to her mother. "Let your mommy kiss you, and we'll get a diaper on you and get you back in your crib."
Arachne grudgingly kissed the filly on the head and then waved Street away. "Hurry up and get her taken care of. We need to find a lid that locks onto the top of her crib tomorrow."
Street's ears sagged. "I don't like that. It's like putting her in a cage."
"Don't be so dramatic," Arachne snapped. "Until this surging is over, we must ensure she's contained. She'll disrupt my spiders, making it harder for us to make money and pay the bills. Being contained isn't going to hurt her."
Street lowered his head. "Yes, dear." He then put Madison on his back and walked away.
Charlotte grimaced. "I think we should go and let Arachne get her much-needed beauty sleep. I need to get some sleep, too."
"Good idea," Arachne replied. She nodded to Jessica. "Good to see you again, Jessie. Feel free to visit again; just make sure it is night."
They made their goodbyes and then exited the house. The zombie and the car were still in the driveway, waiting patiently for them. They walked towards the car.
"Kinda what I expected. Arachne treating her foal as an inconvenience rather than with love," Charlotte grumbled.
"That's not fair to say," Jessica scolded. "She's overtired, and having a foal run around the ceiling when she should have been in bed hours ago has to be stressful. That doesn't mean she doesn't adore her baby."
"Street showed much more affection, and he's dealing with the same situation," Charlotte countered.
"He's not recovering from being pregnant, and how much has Arachne ever shown affection?" Jessica countered back. "You already verified she cares deeply for you, even though you two are snapping and growling at each other all the time. She's not the best at showing how much she loves and cares. You aren't the best at it, either. You also said you'd have a hard time dealing with a foal doing all that stuff. Why are you being critical of your sister for her having a hard time?"
"Because I know my sister," Charlotte replied. "Do you think she gives a damn about Street Lamp? She picked the most attractive eligible night pony stallion because, of course, she had the most attractive to parade around, and she took him as a trophy. Then she let him get her pregnant because she felt like she had to add a family to her collection. To her, Madison is just another trophy to show off, not someone to love. At least Street Lamp legitimately loves his kid, so Madison has someone there for her."
"You're being too harsh," Jessica insisted as they got into the car's back seat. "Phobia was always kind of distant with you and your siblings, but everyone knows she loves all of you. Maybe Arachne takes after her in that regard."
"There is an easy way to determine if the mother loves the child," their driver informed them.
They both looked at the driver as the driver pulled the car out of the driveway.
"What is that?" Jessica asked, curious about what ancient wisdom this zombie might have.
"If the parent finds the firstborn defective, they will feed the firstborn heavily, so the firstborn grows fat, then, when the brood of many is born, the parent will feed the fattened firstborn to the newly born. If this Arachne does not care for this child, she shall be overfeeding it so the next batch of siblings may devour it," the zombie explained calmly. .... ... .. .
What?
"There is wisdom in what she says," Charlotte said in a lofty tone. "Maybe mom should have done something like that with Miss I'm-The-Eldest-Because-I-Came-Out-Thirty-Seconds-Earlier. I might have vomited her up, but I'd have chewed her up. It be worth it."
"I'm never asking a zombie for parenting advice," Jessica replied. What the hell kind of culture did this thing come from? The zombie seemed to have gotten the idea and gave no further recommendations. That was good. She didn't want the zombie to start suggesting recipes.
"Luckily, you can't get pregnant," Charlotte replied.
Jessica bit her lip. "I'm looking into adopting. I met a partial boy who had just been taken into social services. I'm told people may not want him because he's partial, and he'll struggle to find a parent who understands what he goes through. I understand. I want him. I'm going to try to adopt him. His name is Mark, and he's four years old."
Charlotte blinked. "You've got a lot going on. I'm guessing finding Jeg'galla'gamp'pi finally cleared your schedule, and you're filling it-no judgments, just observation. Well...if you're going to try to talk to Amicus about beauty tips for a date, you might want to talk to her about the trials and tribulations of adoption. Grandma is the only person I personally know who has adopted, and she's not on Earth anymore, but Amicus and Andrea were there through almost all of it. Great Aunt Amicus is the easier one to talk to and the one who understands all the legal stuff involved. If you're trying to adopt, you probably should have a lawyer, and she happens to be a good one."
"Sounds like a reasonable plan, and I have to go through Wabash to return home anyway," Jessica agreed. "Going to another world wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. Yes, it was strange, it was dangerous, and there were moments of wonder that I'll never forget, but I think my real adventure is going to be adopting Mark and trying to make a life for us. Does that make me lame?"
Charlotte smiled and shook her head. "Not lame at all. There's still Devourers out there, but you've played your part. It's time for you to get a chance to appreciate what we're fighting to save. Adopt the kid, go on dates, heck, get married, and settle into domestic life. If we don't win, you'll regret it if you never got to do those things before the end; if we do win, you get to experience them even longer."
She held out a fist to the night pony, and Charlotte raised a hoof and bumped it. "Thanks, Char. You're rough around the edges, but you're a good friend."
Rebecca wandered out of the farmhouse bathroom and nearly ran right into Phobia. The night pomy gave a startled jump, but it was minor.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," Rebecca apologized.
Phobia took a deep breath. "It is okay, sister. I should have anticipated you were in the bathroom. I was not paying attention. The fault is mine, and the fright was minor."
"Have a fun time with your wife?" Rebecca asked slyly.
The elder Dreamwarden nodded. "It is infrequent, but it is good to have times like these. Did you leave enough hot water for me to take a shower? Much as I don't mind getting messy when Rosetta and I have our time together, I don't enjoy having gunk stay stuck in my fur for a long time after. I'm having difficulty sleeping anyway, so I figured I'd have a shower."
Rebecca rolled her eyes. "That's because you take so many micronaps through the night and morning that your body doesn't know when to sleep anymore. You need a good eight hours straight of sleep. It would help if you lay off the work. Work is bad for your health. Um...as for hot water, you might want to wait five minutes. I won't say I did an extended rendition of singing in the bathtub with a hip-hop beat, but I won't say I didn't either."
Phobia sighed. "Very well. When do you intend to start working with your truestone?"
"Is that really what we are going with for a name?" Rebecca whined. "It's sooo boring a name."
"It is the roughest translation of what they were called back in the day," Phobia reminded her.
"Well, no, the roughest translation is alabaster colored stone of many shapes that do not break, unblemished, has both existed and not existed since before time and after time, gives off-," Rebecca started to recite.
"We're calling them truestones," Phobia said flatly.
"Hey! I still had about thirty more descriptions to go through!" Rebecca protested.
"We are not calling them by all those descriptions. We are boiling it down to truestones, which is the best one word term we can translate from that," Phobia asserted.
"I don't like it," Rebecca asserted.
Phobia tilted her head. "We could put it to a vote. What do you think your chances of winning that vote will be? You're better at math and statistics than me. Tell me what your odds are."
Not very good. She decided to go for her final tactic.
"You realize this is going to invoke an epic pouty face. Are you prepared to endure the pout? Are you?!" Rebecca declared, then proceeded to give her best puppy dog eyes.
Phobia stared at her for a few seconds. "I think that is a sacrifice I can endure. They're being called truestones."
Darn it.
"I'll start working with the boringly-named truestone later today," she answered. "I'm hoping it can help me push my range to do a visual check-in on my bodyguards. They should be close, or getting close, to their destination. I hope they're going to be alright. I'm worried about this."
"You volunteered them for this mission," Phobia reminded her. "Yours are also among our most adept fighters, and you regularly employ them to do unsavory things to people that do unsavory things."
"I know!" Rebecca replied, feeling more distraught. "But they normally aren't going in and taking on a full battalion of armed guards who know what they're doing with their guns! Normally, they stealthy strike one bad dude or beat up many thugs with muscle but no skill. They also are normally unlikely to actually kill anyone, just hurt them real bad. This is different."
Phobia sighed. "I'd prefer to avoid violence altogether, not even to speak of killing, but I see little way of avoiding it in this circumstance. We have our contract with Sha'am, and we honor our contracts. It was you, Arbiter, and Ghadab that got us into this contract. The other three of us were opposed."
"Well, don't forget the Mexican government, who was our tiebreaker," Rebecca reminded the night pony. "I was kinda hoping they'd help out after getting the tie-breaking vote. We don't give them a chance to be the tie-breaker much."
"That was never going to happen. Mexico has never adequately been able to assert control over its territory, and they are currently moving towards another civil war, one that may lead to multiple breakaway nations forming, at least one of those directly across the Rio Grande that will be a massive headache for us all if it comes about. They were never going to help us. They hoped we would deal with their problem for them. If you paid more attention to international politics, you'd have known that," Phobia said calmly. "I'm not going to be around forever. At some point, you'll be the eldest living Dreamwarden on Earth, and you need to be able to step up and lead our waking world operations. You need to start paying attention to these things."
"I think being the eldest is a bad way of choosing who is nominally in charge," Rebecca countered. "I don't want to lead. I have my bodyguards, and that is plenty for me to lead. I just want to do my thing, helping people who don't have a friend, cheering up foals, and inspiring the creative types to take risks and be bold with their ideas. I hated being in charge during this mission we just did, but I was the one with the needed side skills, so I went along with it. I like being one of six who votes. Being in charge of anything isn't ever going to be my thing. It makes me grumpy, and I don't like being grumpy."
Phobia snorted. "Very well. I still think you could stand to pay more attention to such things. What about the truestone that Jess found? I find it interesting that Jeg'galla'gamp'pi gave her one."
Rebecca shook her head. "She doesn't seem thrilled with it. I'll try giving her a few pushes to get her to explore what it can do. The scientist in her will have difficulty keeping her curiosity at bay."
"Good," Phobia said with a nod. "It was an unexpected boon to have found truestones that bonded with someone; two is extremely lucky. We want those stones to reach their best capacity. I'm not sure if we will need them, but it is best to have their potential realized if we can."
"You sound like your mother-never abandon a potential resource, even if you don't know what you'll use it for," Rebecca observed.
"With the fate of life on the line, we need every possible resource we can," Phobia replied.
"Speaking of which...Triss was kinda cross about your mother leaving for Equestria," Rebecca said. "I told her that I would try to convince her to come back, but I'm not exactly sure how to go about that."
Phobia frowned. "That's your agreement and problem, not mine. I want my mother off the table. I have had to worry about her well-being for far too long. While her primary antagonist has ceased direct operations to kill her, they have stirred the pot so much that the Shimmerists who want to kill her will never go away. You can try speaking to Luna if you want to pursue what Triss wants, but you'll get no help from me. I'm more than willing to let the dragon be unhappy."
"She said she had a vision and that Sunset Blessing was going to be necessary to defeat the Devourers," Rebecca added.
Phobia raised an eyebrow. "And we both know how unreliable visions are as a source. Did she give any further details?"
Rebecca shook her head. "Just that we need the Sunrise and Sunset. Sunset Blessing is the Sunset. I'd assume Sunrise Storm might be the Sunrise, but she didn't specifically say that, so it could be another Sunrise. She didn't give any further details."
Phobia sighed. "I hate cryptic visions. We can't ignore them, but they give so little detail on anything, and we can end up doing the wrong thing while trying to fulfill what we think the vision wants. I'll look into Sunrise Storm and any other Sunrises that I can find and see if there is anything worth nudging. Do what you will with my mother."
"Maybe I can see if Sunflower has had anything that relates to this-see if we have some other vision that can clarify things, or maybe Jennifer," Rebecca suggested.
"Not her," Phobia said. "She still has standing orders; we can't contact her unless she specifically requests it. We agreed to her request. That's a contract. We honor our contracts."
"I never agreed to that. You entered that agreement way before my time," Rebecca said.
Phobia narrowed her eyes. "Do not violate our agreement. If you do, I'll see you get censored. Do you want to be censored?"
Rebecca's ears fell. "Fine. I'll honor that agreement I didn't make. You're so pushy. Um...I think the hot water should be back. I suggest singing Singing in the Bathtub. Their shower has great acoustics."
"I don't think I will," Phobia politely declined.
"Aww, come on! Do it with a hip-hop beat," Rebecca said.
Phobia shook her head. "Definitely not."
"Rock ballad?" Rebecca tentatively suggested.
Phonia frowned. "Rock ballad?"
"Like Meatloaf! Will you rinse me up, will you hose me down?" Rebecca sang.
Phobia stared blankly at her.
Rebecca grinned back. .... ... .. .
"Will you get me out of this grime-encrusted gown?" Phobia sang.
Rebecca cheered. "You got it!"
"Will you make the water a little less cool? I can do thaaa-aaat. Oh, I can do that!" the pair sang in chorus.
The chorus got louder. "Oh, I would do anything for suds! I would do anything for suds! I would do anything for sure! But I won't go splat! No, I won't go splat!"
Her bedroom door opened, and Russell looked at the pair of them. They stared back at him. Silence stretched on for several seconds. .... ... .. .
Russell turned around. "I didn't hear nothin'." He shut the door behind him.
Phobia coughed. "I'll be getting in the shower now."
"Good idea," Rebecca replied and then followed after her husband. |
Partial | Chapter 36: Stones May Break My Bones | Jessica stood outside the farmhouse, luggage at her side, watching Luna stretch and yawn. No one was around but them, even the zombies were nowhere to be seen, but she heard activity nearby. They were probably doing farm-related activities. Well, not every zombie was absent. It had come as a shock that the mounted heads and various other taxidermy around the farmhouse were also technically zombies, even if they couldn't move around or talk. They could see, and that was all the zombies needed these to do. She was happy that she was leaving this place for good. It was creepy, and she'd had more than her fair share of creepy this weekend.
Luna put on a necklace from her saddlebag. The design clashed heavily with her regalia.
"There, I'm now ready to return you to Wabash Manor," Luna said, giving herself one last body stretch. "I may impose on young Miss Gilmore for a room once we arrive. I'm rested enough to do this teleport, but I still require more sleep."
"I doubt Jordan will mind," Jessica replied. "What's with the necklace? Another of Auntie's talismans?"
Luna nodded. "It was a gift from my student. It allows me to bypass her defenses so I may come and go to Wabash as I please. It isn't necessary when I am alone, for I'm not normally troubled by my teleport putting me far too high above the mansion-as I can fly, something most unicorn invaders can't do. However, the defense also causes some disorientation after the teleport, and that means I might end up dropping you and being unable to catch you before I can recover. For your safety, it's best to wear the necklace."
She definitely didn't want to fall immediately after the teleport.
"Are you up to this?" Jessica asked. "You said you're still tired, and you used a lot of magic getting us home."
"This is hardly going to be an effort compared to that. Everything will be well," Luna assured her with a smile.
Jessica pulled out her phone from her pocket. "Let me call Jordan so she knows we're coming. We don't want the guards freaking out when we arrive."
"That would be advisable. I don't wish to cause a disturbance," Luna agreed.
The phone rang twice before Jordan picked up. "Jessie!"
She smiled. "Hi, Jor. Luna's going to be teleporting us to Wabash in a moment or two. I wanted to make sure your guards were expecting us."
"Oh, yeah. I can make sure of....Hey! Andrea! Luna and Jessie are going to be teleporting here in a moment. Let the guards know. Oh, real mature! Sorry! Sorry! You doing that just ticked me off a lot for some reason. Thank you for all you do! .....Um...okay, Andrea just rolled her eyes at me about it, but she's taking care of it."
"Thanks, Jor. I'll see you in a few minutes," Jessica said. She hung up the call and looked at Luna again. "Everything should be good to go."
Luna nodded and put her saddlebag on before walking beside Jessica and her luggage.
"While this may not disorient me much, you may...no...you will feel quite ill. It is a defense that the necklace does not bypass, so brace yourself," Luma warned.
Jessica grunted. "Thank you for the warning."
Luna lit her horn, and there was a blinding flash. Jessica's stomach lurched. She fell to her knees and hacked. She hadn't eaten or drank anything in the last few hours, so there was nothing to vomit up but a little bit of stomach bile, which dribbled out of her mouth. She was sitting in grass, at least she thought she was. Her ears were ringing, probably from the very sudden elevation change. Denver was much higher above sea level than Skytree.
"Take a moment to recover," Luna said, sounding breathless.
"She couldn't give you something that bypasses that?!" Jessica asked in disbelief.
"She was concerned that the necklace might get stolen and still wanted some defense," Luna explained. "Only Miss Gilmore's talismans completely bypass the defenses."
"Why does she have to be so paranoid?" Jessica said as she started to recover.
"Survival," someone nearby said. Jessica looked up and saw Andrea standing there. Andrea smiled. "This is my first time seeing this defense in use-very effective. It even downs an alicorn for at least a second, which is more than just about anything else can do to an alicorn. I can appreciate a good defensive tactic, particularly a non-lethal one. The real question is, why couldn't my sister have intensified this rather than go through the whole lethal drop while they were feeling too sick to do anything about it?"
"Because she hates torture, and that would be torture. After her capture by the Shimmerists, she would rather see someone dead than torture them," Luna answered.
"How kind of her," Andrea grumbled.
"She is far from perfect, but she tries her best," Luna replied.
Jessica stood to her feet, still feeling a bit woozy. A pony collided with her legs and hugged her no sooner than she stood up, nearly knocking her back down.
"Oh! It's good to see you again!" Jordan said happily.
She smiled as she put her hand on Jordan's back. "It's only been a few days."
"But a lot happened! I had an intruder!" Jordan exclaimed.
She stepped back. "You had someone break in? Is everything okay?"
Jordan nodded. "Yeah, she got caught right away. Nothing gets through the defenses here. We also had the auction, and I redecorated the entire place. How was your trip? Anything fun and exciting happen?"
"I got a funky glowing stone, got to see some stars up close, found the ruins of a prehistoric civilization, and met Triss," Jessica listed off
Jordan gaped. "Um...did I mention I redecorated? Yeah, exciting stuff. Okay, you had a more eventful weekend."
Jessica laughed. "I didn't mention the zombie foal or that I saw Rebecca get serious."
Jordan started laughing. "Okay, you had me going until you mentioned that last one. I can believe all the rest if it was you who told me it, but I can't believe that last one."
Jessica stared. "That was the most unbelievable thing? Seriously?"
Jordan nodded. "Um...don't you know her?! She can't be serious to save her life!"
Jessica crossed her arms. "Well, she was. She was in command of the mission, and I watched her tell off Triss-which was weird because she was just kinda hostile to Triss, without anything to provoke her. I've never seen her get that way. There were a few other moments where she abandoned all the silliness and got direct. She was still primarily the cloud-headed buffoon that she normally is, but those moments did happen. There's more to her than I thought."
"I had an opportunity to converse with the young Dreamwarden while on our journey. My conversations with the Marshmallow demonstrated a much more complex and multifaceted individual than she presents. I will not reveal things she told me in confidence, but they were enlightening. She may be impulsive and sometimes absent-minded, but it would be foolhardy to dismiss her intelligence and wisdom just because she is cheerful and encourages nonsense. She reminds me of Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie maintains a cheerful and playful persona as well, but most don't understand that the party pony has intelligence that surpasses Twilight's. Pinkie Pie might be the most intelligent pony alive, but she is only interested in tasks and subjects to assist her in making others happy rather than broader fields. The Marshmallow may not match Pinkie Pie in intelligence, but she is not without it, and she has a broader group of interests," Luna stoically commented. "I can also verify that Doctor Middleton is not speaking in jest about what we encountered, and I request you keep such information private. We do not wish this knowledge to become widespread."
Jordan stared at Luna for a few seconds. "So...you are where Phobia gets it."
Luna's ears flicked. "Where Phobia gets what?"
"Being long-winded," Jessica explained.
Luna frowned and snorted, flicking her tail. "I prefer to say it is being eloquent. May I trouble you for a room with a bed? I'm tired and need more sleep."
"Oh, um...sure," Jordan replied. "I guess you know your way around. Feel free to take any room you want. I recently redecorated, so many beds might be smaller, but we still have some bigger ones."
"I can make do with almost any bed on Earth. You make them so big here," Luna replied. She then yawned. "Thank you for your hospitality. I'll leave you two to catch up." Luna then walked away towards the house.
Andrea must have wandered off at some point. The guards were at their usual stations, with one near the front door, a pair out near the gate, and one walking around the yard. Luna's teleport had brought them to the front of the house, a stone's throw from that angel statue that sat right in front of the main door. Jessica's car still sat beside the statue with a cover pulled over it.
Jordan saw her gaze. "Some of the people here for the auction looked under the cover. They tried to get me to put your car on auction. They were offering a lot of money."
"Well, thanks for not letting them get my car. The body was a gift from Wild Growth for when I earned my first Masters, but the engine is all my work," Jessica replied. "I honestly don't know what it's worth to others, and I don't care. A lot of work went into getting that thing roadworthy. I count it as my number three great accomplishment."
"Number three?" Jordan asked. "I'm guessing that Middleton's Law is your top accomplishment you're proud of; what's number two?"
Jessica shook her head. "Middleton's Law is number two. Someone else would have figured that out; I just beat them to the punch, maybe by mere months. What I'm most proud of is helping save all my friends during the Cataclysm of Riverview-primarily you."
Jordan turned a much deeper shade of purple. "You're making me blush!"
"Well, it's true," Jessica said with a grin as she grabbed the handle of her luggage. "I might not have done it all-it was a group effort, but I bought us time for Wild Growth to come to our rescue, and I specifically saved you. I'd have never been able to live with myself if my best friend died."
"You almost died doing it," Jordan said. "If I'd been braver and jumped when you told me to, Bill would never have gotten on the same branch as me. You'd have stayed a pony, and don't give me excuses about how happy you are you didn't. We all know why the spell wasn't able to make you completely human. You didn't want it."
Jessica involuntarily started to ball her free hand into a fist and gripped her luggage tighter with her other. If it were anyone other than Jordan who said that, she'd be screaming at them right now. Even her family couldn't get away with saying something like that, but this was Jordan, and Jordan could get away with a lot more.
"Feelings change," she replied, deciding to not commit to saying anything concrete about it. "But one feeling that won't change is I don't regret what I did and would do it again."
Jordan must not have seen the fists, or maybe she failed to recognize the gesture for what it was-ponies, at least, younger ponies, sometimes missed that kind of thing. Jordan was practically beaming.
"Aww, thank you, Jessie," Jordan said happily.
She took a deep breath, trying to hide her unpleasant feelings. She wasn't going to let herself be mad at Jordan.
"How about we get out of the yard, and you can show me how you redecorated?" Jessica suggested. "I also wanted to talk to Amicus if she's available."
"Yeah, she should be," Jordan replied. "Why do you need to talk to Amicus? Need a lawyer?"
"Yes, I do," Jessica said with a nod as they started walking to the door, pulling her luggage along with her. "I was also told she might know how to do makeup and hair for humans. It would be nice to know something about that before going on a date with Adam."
Jordan flicked an ear. "Amicus? Really? But she's so old. Are you sure?"
"She was young once upon a time," Jessica reminded her. "Maybe her beauty standards are outdated, but she knows at least the basics. Unless you think you know what you're doing with human makeup and hair?"
"Um, not really," Jordan said, frowning slightly. "I mean, it can't be that different, but you're right; it's probably better to trust someone who has actually dealt with it before."
"She's the easiest to get in touch with. I could try Bev or Jenny, but Bev you have to make an appointment to even have lunch with, and Jenny is often on the road. I'm not even sure where she's at right now. That makes me kind of a cruddy friend," Jessica replied.
Jordan shook her head. "They're both older than you; you're like a kid to them. It would be like if Drizzle kept constant tabs on me. I wouldn't expect her to do something like that-I would be a little weirded out by it, honestly. She has friends her own age to hang out with. She is a friend, but she's just a kid too. I'd expect they feel the same about you."
"As someone who was six years of age displaced, I don't see it quite that way. Drizzle's closer to our age than Jenny and Bev, close to the physical age difference between you and me, so what you said is a little unfair to her, but I get what you're saying," Jessica said.
Jordan laid a single ear back as we reached the front door. "Was it hard for you...dealing with me while you were growing up? We are only a year apart in age, but we were at two different stages of our life. It must have been annoying dealing with a seven-year-old filly when you were dealing with full puberty and all the other stuff you were going through."
"I admit, if you were around all the time back then, I'd have probably told you a bunch of hurtful things that I didn't mean," Jessica said with a sigh. "It got easier when you got to be a teenager, and we were close to the same wavelength on the emotional maturity spectrum. My early teen years, the physical early teen years, were...not great. You adapted to being a teen faster than I did. It took me forever to get things straight. I think we emotionally matured somewhere around the same time."
"I don't claim to be perfect when it comes to being emotionally mature," Jordan replied. "Then again, have you met Andrea? I think some people never emotionally mature."
Jordan opened opened the front door, and Andrea was standing there.
"Oh...um...hi, Andrea," Jordan sheepishly said. "Did you hear any of that?"
Andrea's ears flattened, but she ignored Jordan and looked at Jessica's luggage. "What is in your luggage? I initially thought it was Luna alone giving me a headache, but you've got something in there that makes me sick to my stomach when I focus on it."
Fudge, that rock could be detected by crystal ponies. What would happen if she kept it in her apartment? Every crystal pony that walked by would notice. How far away could they detect it from? The closest example to compare it to would be crystal ponies feeling an alicorn. How close to an alicorn did crystal ponies have to be to detect them? There needed to be a solution for this. Why had Rebecca insisted she keep the thing?
"It's something I picked up on my trip," Jessica replied. "It is highly concentrated thaumic matter. It's not dangerous. It is specifically keyed to me, and it has to be in physical contact with my skin to become active, and I have no intention of pressing any bare skin against that thing."
Andrea grimaced as she continued to stare at the luggage. "You'd fucking better figure out some sort of plan for that thing. That's the kind of thing Sunset would have locked super-deep in the vaults. My sister ever tell you about something she made called the Chorus?"
"No...." Jessica said, uncertain she wanted to know where this was going, but sure she'd find out anyway. "What the fudge is the Chorus?"
"Really powerful stone that she made years ago," Andrea answered. "Like most of her brilliant ideas, it was the culmination of a lot of stolen research from different people that she put together into something they could never dream of. She thought she could figure out how to use it to power the entire state, maybe the whole East Coast, and kept it deep inside the Bastion. My dumbass sister was always good at outwitting herself. That fuck-face, Poly Glot, wanted to use it to spread an unstable version of her temporary transformation spell, you know, the lovely version that makes people nutcases like those crystal ponies that tried to kill you two and your friends, across the continent. That would have caused anarchy worse than the original ETS. I don't know what the hell went on in the last minutes before that place blew the fuck up, but I know that the Chorus had to be part of what caused it. Things like that are bad news. My recommendation is to destroy that thing."
Maybe her original assertion that the stone could move the Sun and end all life on Earth wasn't as improbable as Rebecca made it out to be. No, it couldn't move the Sun, but unless she had something to demonstrate otherwise, this stone made this Chorus thing that Auntie had made look like a piece of coal sitting next to an equal-sized hunk of uranium, and now there were a dozen such hunks on Earth. The Chorus alone might not have caused the Cataclysm of Riverview, but it certainly provided the power for it. What could these twelve stones do in a similar situation? They could take out the entire planet.
"You aren't going to scare Jessie with that talk!" Jordan declared, oblivious that Jessica was very much scared. "Jessie is smart. She can figure out how to make it safe."
Andrea sneered at Jordan. "Just like my smart sister kept the Chorus safe? Ha! Your friend is a genius, but she doesn't understand practicality. She's one of those people who live in theories and math, not figuring out what to do with that stuff. My sister, she was the opposite. She might not have been able to figure out the theory, but she'd find a dozen applications to anything people like your friend dreamed up faster than she could consider whether any of it was a good idea or not. I don't trust smart idiots to keep us safe."
She was smart, and she could prove she wasn't a fool. The first thing to do was figure out how to hide the damn thing so crystal ponies couldn't detect it.
"Hold a minute; I need to make a call," she told the two ponies as she stopped and searched for her phone.
"Kansas never experienced droughts on this level in the last hundred years. The only major thing that has changed is earth ponies working the land. Any fool can tell they are at fault!"
Wild Growth's tail flicked as she sat and listened to this pompous windbag speak. They were supposed to be listening to experts, but someone had decided to include this corporate hack who only saw numbers on a ledger and didn't have a clue about botany, ecology, climatology, geology, or any number of fields that would assist in coming up with solutions for the groundwater crisis in the Great Plains. Well, to be fair, he could be helpful if he were willing to discuss his company providing a way of effectively rationing their water usage, but, no, he couldn't be bothered to care about science. It had to be someone else's fault, and it had to be the earth ponies, not the vast corporations that directed them.
Connie pushed a handwritten note to her. Don't let the jackass get under your fur. Wild nodded to the note. She had nothing to say to this man. It was already clear he wouldn't help produce solutions, and he would deny any responsibility for the crisis that was even now leading to deserts starting to form in parts of Kansas and Oklahoma.
"Just give us more rain! Talk to the CCS and negotiate more rain!" the idiot yelled.
They'd already negotiated that, and more rain was coming with the last tropical depression of the season. It wouldn't be as much as he wanted. The Confederated Caribbean States only had the water of the storms to work with; they'd yet to get to where they could form their own depressions-although that was only a matter of time. Taking the water to Kansas and Oklahoma meant other places weren't getting as much, which put strain on other areas. The only way to get more than had already been negotiated would be for the CCS to take the rain promised for Mexico, which wasn't going to happen. Mexico couldn't afford a weak rainy season with its current political climate. Not getting that rain would be the last straw that set off the violence, and they were already struggling to keep the Mexican government stable. Also, negotiating the change in rain had meant giving in to more demands from the CCS, more American-made ships to extend their control into Atlantic waters further. Giving the CCS even more control over the weather was not a good thing. It gave them far too much leverage to pressure the USA into doing what they wanted.
After centuries of being at the United States' mercy, the islands had found something to unite them and make them a significant power. They controlled hurricane season, and in time, they'd likely control almost all the rain that came in the western hemisphere. People seemed to forget too soon how much power Saudi Arabia once held over other nations by dominating control over one vital resource. The CCS were poised to dominate a different essential resource, and water wasn't something countries could wean their economies away from like they had oil.
Her phone started vibrating on her leg, and she lifted her leg to glance at who was calling. Jess? Why would Jess be calling her? Jess never just called her for no reason.
She stood up, attracting all eyes to her and briefly silencing the shithead. "Sorry, I have a call I must take. If I'm not back in time, I concede my time to the gentlewoman from Colorado."
"Oh, the great Wild Growth, running away from responsibility again," the corporate shithead sneered. "She could fix all our problems if she weren't so lazy. Nobody believes you're really burnt out."
She did her best to ignore him. If she were eighteen years younger, she'd likely have thrown something at him or stomped and seriously damaged the chamber, but she had learned how to control her temper over the years and limited her reaction to flattened ears and a strong flick of her tail. The chairman was yelling at the douche, telling him he was out of line, and so was Connie. She gave no further response and exited the chamber out a side door.
The phone had stopped ringing, but once out of the chamber, she called Jess back. It only took a single ring for the girl to pick up.
"Wild? Thank you for calling me back so quickly," Jess said, sounding relieved.
"I was in the middle of a Senate committee meeting, but it wasn't going anywhere," Wild explained. "What's the problem? I'm assuming it is either money or something very big. Actually, before you tell me that, tell me where you are at."
"I'm with Jordan and Andrea at Wabash Manor," Jess answered.
Wild rolled her eyes. Of course, there was always some issue at Wabash. "Do me a favor; walk out the front gate and tell me when you're at the sidewalk."
"Why?" Jess asked in confusion.
"Because while you are inside the grounds of Wabash, this call is being monitored. I don't know what you are calling about, it could be completely innocent, but I prefer not to have the FBI listening in. It makes me paranoid," Wild answered. "Go ahead and walk out the gate. I know it takes a few minutes; I'll wait."
And wait she did. While she waited, she took two more pain pills, and screw it if anyone saw her taking them and tried to say she had an addiction to pain medication. They didn't have to deal with their insides constantly ripping themselves apart and healing right back again at rapid speeds. Damn Sunset Blessing never found a solution to it...or at least...nothing that was a good idea according to her, though she hadn't said what the bad idea was. If it was a bad enough idea Sunset Blessing to have her believe it bad, it was safe to say it was an extremely bad idea she wanted no part of. However, some days, she felt like she could entertain whatever bad idea it was.
It took Jess about two minutes to speak again.
"Okay, I'm outside the gate, and I'm shielding this conversation from being overheard on both ends," Jess announced.
How did she manage to use her powers over the phone? They were across the continent from one another. Human magic tended to do weird things with electronics, so there was no telling.
"So...money or favor?" Wild asked.
"Favor, I guess," Jess replied. "I went on an expedition to Jeg'galla'gamp'pi with Luna, Rebecca, and some others. While there, I acquired super dense thaumic matter. It isn't very big, about the size of a textbook-a little smaller, but crystal ponies can feel it when they get near it. It gives off a lot of energy. A lot of energy, like the crystal ponies would feel around you or one of the alicorns. Rebecca insists I keep this damn thing. I need some way of shielding that energy from being detected. I know there are ways, but they're way too expensive for me. I don't need a whole room, like a box, maybe?"
Her mind immediately went to thinking of the Chorus, even though she'd tried not thinking about that thing ever again, but the Chorus wasn't small. That thing had been an enormous crystal. Now they had carry-sized versions of that?
"I think we are better off destroying it," Wild said firmly. "There are things that no one should have access to."
"We literally can't," Jess replied. "It is super dense thaumic matter. It is indestructible. This thing could survive a nuclear blast or being thrown into a black hole. Rebecca explained the only way to destroy it is to kill me, and I hope you don't think of that as an option."
Wild's brow creased. "Why would killing you get rid of it?"
"It's got a connection to me. I'm still trying to figure out how that works, but it is my stone. It only reacts to me. It glows when I touch it, but not when anyone else does."
The similarities to the Chorus continued to make her nervous. The Chorus had been tied to Tonya, but that didn't mean its power couldn't be accessed by others. She and the Dreamwardens needed to have a long talk about this thing and why they thought it was a good thing to give to a nineteen-year-old girl.
She took a deep breath. "I'll get you a box. I'd say bury the box, but someone might dig it up. If I knew how to get into Sunset's vaults, I would have you put it in there. Give me a day or two to see what I can do; then we can box this thing up and figure out where the hell to put the box."
What the hell were the Dreamwardens up to? |
Partial | Chapter 37: Assessment | Jessica sat with her legs folded beneath her at the now much lower dining table, a glass of sweet tea in front of her...ginseng sweet tea, an odd flavor that seemed exclusive to Wabash Manor. Jordan and Amicus sat at the table with her, but they had mugs instead of glasses. Amicus had the same tea as her, but Jordan had milk. It was soy milk, which was a considerable risk. You never knew when Rebecca might pop up, and while it wasn't skim, it was unknown how the pudgy pegasus might feel about soy.
Amicus took a sip of her tea and set the mug down. "It is nice having a table where I don't have to strain to look over. Now, I'd be more than happy to help you with your foster case. It will be a nice change of pace from the normal civil rights cases-not that I mind them, they're very fulfilling but exhausting."
"Does that mean this should be easy?" Jessica asked, hopeful.
"Oh, I don't want to give the wrong impression. It is still a lot of work, but there's a different dynamic," Amicus answered. "These offices, they want the kids to end up being adopted. They aren't out to try to stop you. They want to ensure the best situation for the kid, and that means certain standards have to be met. They aren't going to compromise on his safety and well-being, so they need you to be able to meet those standards. The burden is on us to demonstrate that you can be a good parent who can provide a happy and safe home, free from want, with a parent capable of caring for his basic and emotional needs."
"I can provide all that," Jessica replied confidently.
"And now you just need to prove it," Amicus said. "I'll visit your apartment this week to see how it stacks up to what they require."
Jessica frowned. "What kind of requirements for the apartment?"
Amicus finished another sip of her tea. "Well, it needs to be fully furnished, have a room set up for the kid, the proper number of ways of exiting if there is a fire, windows have to be a certain size and can be opened fully, clean, well-stocked with food, welcoming environment, a few other small details."
"Sure...I have those things," Jessica replied. "How much furniture?"
Amicus raised an eyebrow at her. "How about I come over Wednesday after you've gotten it set up better to look at what you've got? Then I can give you some guidance. I'll be leaving town for a few days after that to visit my grandfoal, and you can take that time to make my suggested adjustments. Our goal is for me to get you in proper order so that when they come around and look, they see everything is great."
"Thank you, Amicus. I appreciate it," Jessica said, genuinely feeling grateful.
Amicus nodded. "I'll help with the paperwork and drill you with what kinds of questions they will ask you. However, I have to tell you, this is not purely charity on my behalf. I do charge by the hour. We can count this as a free consultation today, but as we advance, I will need to be paid."
"I suppose that's fair," Jessica agreed. "How much will you be charging?"
"I can give you a discounted rate. Let's say...four-hundred thirty-five an hour," Amicus replied.
Jessica started gagging on her tea. "That's the discounted rate?!"
Amicus nodded. "The average going rate is over six hundred an hour. Don't worry. I only charge for the hours I'm actually working. This should be a three-to-five-hour job if there are no complications. Even if it gets complicated, the most I could see it going to is ten. That's my side of things; for you, this will take weeks, possibly months. You must be ready to set aside a lot of time for this."
She supposed that the bill wasn't too bad, especially if it was spread out over time. She'd been expecting Amicus to personally be putting a lot more hours into this when she heard that dollars-per-hour figure and that was what had scared her. The idea of paying out twenty or so hours of that a week for who knew how many weeks would have been impossible, not unless Wild Growth bailed her out, but one or two hours here and there at that rate she could easily manage.
She sighed. "Thank you. I can manage that. I also wanted to ask your advice on some beauty tips. I'm possibly pursuing my first-ever relationship, and I know nothing about all of that stuff. I tried asking Arachne, but she claims she doesn't have a clue what to do with a human. Jordan isn't exactly confident either, and most of my human friends are hard to get in touch with. Arachne suggested you."
Amicus smiled. "My bratty grandniece actually paid attention to my stories. I don't know if I should be overjoyed or worried that she bothered to learn about me. I can help you some. I was no salon stylist, but I had a decent amount of experience with makeup and hair when I was young, and I also remember the struggles I went through figuring out how to convert those things to being a pony. You have some pony features, so some of that figuring out could come in handy. Human hair doesn't sit quite the same with ears like that."
"Um, you aren't going to charge her for the help, are you?" Jordan asked.
"No. This would be just something to do for a friend," Amicus replied. She raised an eyebrow at Jordan. "We need to break you of that habit."
Jordan blinked. "What habit?"
"You say um way too often. It makes you sound less confident," Amicus answered. "You're the lady of the house, the Mistress of Wabash Manor, and you're both intelligent and talented-if you weren't, my little sister wouldn't have left Wabash to you. It would be best if you sounded confident in your role, or people will try to walk all over you and not take you seriously. How you speak reflects on how people perceive you."
Jordan lowered her ears. "Oh, well, alright then. I'll try to do better."
"No pouting," Amicus chided. She then finished her tea and looked back at Jessica. "Now, beauty techniques between humans and ponies are more similar than you may think. The primary thing is we need different types of products to accomplish the same goals, with only a few that don't have a corresponding product-for instance, ponies don't use blush, and humans don't use fur glamor. A few things are applied differently as well."
"What's fur glamor?" Jessica asked, feeling ignorant.
"It makes your fur color look more vibrant and shiny," Jordan answered.
"We might try a little of it with you on your legs, but humans don't normally need it," Amicus said. "Do you own any makeup?"
"My mother bought some for me for my birthday last year. I don't have a clue where it's at. I tossed it in a drawer after getting it, and I have no clue where that drawer's contents are in all the boxes," Jessica answered.
"We'll pretend that doesn't exist then. I can go out with you tomorrow and see if we can find some makeup, styling products, and nice clothes," Amicus replied.
"Um-" Jordan began, then immediately realized she'd just committed the verbal sin again. She nodded before continuing, "I wanted to see if you were willing to take me to your university tomorrow and show me around."
Jessica frowned. She wanted to visit Mark tomorrow. She also needed to focus on unpacking because if Amicus saw her apartment as it was now, she'd declare Jessica had no hope of adopting. She did want to hang out with Jordan, and she did need some help from Amicus, and the old earth pony would be out of town by the end of the week. She also wanted to fit some time in with her little brother. It was a lot to fit in.
"I'm going to visit Mark tomorrow, but I'll pick you two up after I'm done," she said, deciding on a course of action. "That is if you don't mind spending a little time at the university, Amicus."
"Oh, I don't mind. It gives me more time to stretch my legs. I spend way too much time cooped up in this house. Old people need exercise, or their legs stop working right," Amicus said fondly. "Maybe I can convince Andrea to come along with us. She could stand to get out more often. She hasn't gone anywhere in weeks. Security is tight enough here for her to go out for a few hours without it being an issue."
Jessica took note of Jordan's frown and wondered how bad things were going between her and Andrea. The old crystal pony was a pain to deal with, primarily because she always judged the security and how people were disrupting it by living their lives. Maybe Andrea would be more civil once away from the mansion.
"That would be alright if she wants to come," Jessica replied. "Where is she now? I haven't seen her since I called Wild Growth."
Amicus waved a hoof. "Well, she was going to go lie down because your stone and Luna make her feel ill, but Luna apparently took the suggestion of any bed in the house literally and decided to lay down in Andrea's bed. So, Andrea has a sleeping alicorn occupying her bedroom right now. She decided to go out back and feed her critters instead."
"She keeps bats," Jordan explained.
"Well, she encourages bats to come, anyway," Amicus corrected. "It isn't just bats. She feeds squirrels and a host of birds as well. She's no wildlife expert, so It took her a while to figure out how to set up the bat feeders and bird feeders so they weren't poaching the other's food. They've grown quite used to seeing her and now know seeing her usually means food, so they will come right up beside her without fear." Amicus shook her head. "I think she enjoys having creatures eager to see her. She might be as prickly as a cactus, but that doesn't mean she isn't sensitive as well. Everyone wants to feel loved and wanted. Asking her along on this excursion will be a good thing. I'd see if Brief wanted to come, too, but I doubt he'll be interested in shopping for makeup and clothes. He'd probably insist we go look at power tools for an hour if he came, not because he likes power tools, but because he'd feel the need to do something stereotypical manly after being around so much girliness."
"I like power tools," Jessica mumbled. The other two looked at her. "Well, I do! I like working with my hands and making things. I'm a licensed mechanic. That doesn't make me a tomboy or anything like that."
"Didn't say you were," Amicus replied with amusement. "Don't worry about such labels. They were outdated even when I was young. I was the prissiest of my siblings, and even I got that label thrown at me because I dared to be good with electronics and like video games, as if a girl couldn't like those things, too. I'm surprised you young people even still use terms like that."
"You liked electronics, really?" Jordan asked. "How'd you end up in law then?"
Amicus narrowed her eyes at Jordan. "Because we can't all be defined by one thing. That would be pretty boring. I see so many ponies that think the mark on their flank defines everything about them. We're more than our cutie marks. I chose this path that got me my mark, but it isn't all of who I am."
Jordan lowered her head. "Sorry, that was inconsiderate of me to say. Speaking about marks defining ponies...have you and Andrea thought of any solutions for my mom being here? I was reading on the internet, and it does seem like the early stages of cutie-mark madness."
Jessica's ears flicked. "Wait, what's going on with your mom?"
Jordan shrugged and looked away. "When she gets stressed, she starts acting all crazy and starts digging for treasure. She's been hoarding as well. Her mark is about finding things. Dad's lungs are getting worse, too. I was going to move them here, but we can't have my mom trying to dig here. Bad things could happen."
Amicus sighed. "Looking things up on the internet is not the way to make a diagnosis. You need to get an expert to work with her. As for if she starts digging here, we do have a solution. There's a side house on the grounds. The old groundskeeper used to live there before he retired. It's a small house, cozy and in good shape. It's not big enough to deal with a growing family, but it is suitable for two ponies who aren't going to be having any more foals, and Sunset made sure there's nothing directly below it if you try to dig underneath it because she was paranoid about someone hiding out there and doing just that-we've had some creative intruders over the years. We can have your parents live there. They can still take meals and everything with us, but if your mom is not at her best at any point, we can confine her to the house until the episode passes. We can set up camera feeds inside that house to be safe."
"I'll want to go look at it. I don't want my parents living in a shack," Jordan said.
"It's your house; you're free to check it out," Amicus replied.
Jessica stood up. "Thanks for the tea and hospitality, but I need to get home. I haven't had a shower in days, and my panties are in desperate need of changing-I don't want to end up with a yeast infection; one time was enough with that."
"Too much information," Amicus said, scrunching up her nose.
"What does not washing your clothes have to do with yeast?" Jordan asked in confusion.
"Look it up," Amicus replied, sounding exasperated. She then smiled at Jessica. "Thank you for spending time with me and inviting me to hang out with you tomorrow. It feels good to be included. I'll do everything I can to assist you in this adoption process. It has a few challenges, but they aren't insurmountable, and we'll work through them."
Jessica held out a fist to Amicus, and the earth pony raised a hoof and bumped the fist.
While driving out, she noticed a small crowd had formed across the street from Wabash Manor. There were a lot of drones in the air of varying sizes, many more than usual, although none of those drones dared cross the boundary of the fence. People must be well aware of what became of their drones when they trespassed. It was easy to guess why. Luna must have been spotted by one of the various drones that typically circled the property, and now interested people had swarmed in for a chance to see the alicorn princess-even if it was just from a drone feed.
She paused by the gate to put the hood of her car up. She had a long-standing uneasiness about crowds gathered outside houses that went back to her days in Riverview. She could remember the mob gathered outside her Auntie's mansion during that final Thanksgiving before the Cataclysm. The angry mobs had played their role in what had eventually happened, evolving into riots over that fateful week that had drawn guards out of the Bastion and into the street, making it much easier for Poly Glot to break free from his cell. She still recalled their screamed obscenities at those gathered for a family meal. These people weren't an angry mob, just curious onlookers, but they still the fur on her legs bristling. The retractable hood wasn't much of a barrier between her and them, but it was something.
While still parked, she set her phone in its holder and set it to voice command and speaker. "Phone, call Adam," she instructed.
"Calling Adam," the phone responded.
It took him a moment to pick up. "Doctor Middleton! You're back!"
She smiled. "You can call me Jess."
"Is that what your friends call you?" Adam asked, sounding a bit hopeful.
"Some of them," she confirmed. "Some call me Jess, some get to call me Jessie."
"Is Jessie better than Jess?" Adam asked.
Her smile faded slightly. "Sorry, you aren't to that level yet. I'm very stingy about who I allow to call me that. Maybe you'll get there. Speaking of which, I will be busy today and tomorrow, but I was wondering if you wanted to go for some more coffee together on Tuesday afternoon? We can discuss my findings from the trip. I promised to share everything with you."
"Yes, of course!" Adam said excitedly. "We might want to go somewhere more private than the faulty bar if you're going to be sharing that information with me. I know a jazz lounge that has private booths if you're interested. They've got nice music if you like jazz."
"Jazz?" she replied, uncertain. Did she have any particular feelings about jazz? Did she have any particular feelings about any type of music? Now that she thought about it, had she ever just put music on to listen to? She typically just listened to whatever her family or friends were listening to...or tuned it out because she wanted to focus on something else. At any given time, she could hear someone's music playing somewhere. At that moment, there were at least six different types of music playing within her hearing range. It was noise to be tuned out, not listened to.
"A jazz lounge sounds great," she answered. She was honestly more or less neutral about it, but she decided it wouldn't hurt to show some enthusiasm for it. She was supposed to be getting out and experiencing things. "Is there any sort of dress code?"
"Just dress nicely, and if you have anything with a jazzy feel to it, wear that," Adam replied.
Jazzy feel? What was a jazzy feel? Amicus better have some clue what that meant when they went shopping tomorrow because she had no idea what a jazzy feel meant.
"Alright, see you Tuesday," she said, trying to sound cheerful.
"It's a date. See you then," he replied, then hung up.
A date? This was a date? She didn't agree to this being a date. She wasn't ready for a date. She thought she would be broaching the idea of a date over coffee, and if that went well, there might be something the coming weekend. She wasn't ready for this! Why'd he hang up before she could object to this being a date?! Could she reject it? Would that ruin everything if she did? She didn't know what the proper ways of handling these things were.
Slow breaths. Don't work yourself up and have a panic attack happen, she chided herself in her head.
Turning around to return to Wabash to seek the immediate help of Jordan and Amicus was tempting, or maybe call up Phobia for the Dreamwarden to walk her through her anxieties. Phobia certainly owed it to her to give her a few one-on-one therapy sessions after all the Dreamwarden had put her through. She did need a shower...a bath might be better, something to relax and soothe her. No, she would not go immediately running to anyone for advice so they could laugh at how foolish she must be. Fudge that! Well, maybe she would talk to someone later before she went to bed. She needed someone to calm her before she inevitably had to deal with the horrors of an excited Yinyu Wu Yan. Just thinking of what might be coming in her dreams was enough to make her stomach unsettled...more unsettled since it already was.
There was a crystal pony staring right at her from across the street. She still had that damn stone in her luggage. What was she supposed to do about it before Wild came up with a solution for it? Could she leave it unattended at her apartment? It seemed a very dangerous thing to leave unattended, especially if it would attract the attention of every crystal pony who got within a certain radius of it. That also meant carrying it around with her everywhere also was a bad idea. She should have asked Andrea to help her figure out how far a crystal pony could detect the thing from. Too late for that now...though she could still turn around. No! She'd already decided she was going home and taking a bath.
The pony wouldn't stop staring, and it was making her nervous. She shifted gears and drove away.
The crystal pony stallion watched as the antique car drove away. He normally wouldn't care about the filthy Middleton girl who had willingly abandoned her ponydom, but something had been seriously off about what he had been feeling from her direction. She wasn't that impressive with her magical strength. They'd scouted her for years and knew it only took one crystal pony to neutralize her if she ever got in the way. There'd been something else in the car with her. It wasn't the Equestrian princess. He could still feel her if he strained his senses toward the Apostate's home. Something that significant could be felt at a distance if you were looking for it. No, this was something else, something of similar power, yet the Middleton girl had been alone in that car.
He took a short stroll down the street, away from the gawkers. He'd been the only one on that curb that he knew of who wasn't just there to try to catch a glimpse of royalty. The Apostate might be gone, but Wabash Manor remained under guard; it continued to get visits from Luna and the Dreamwardens' minions. That meant that Wabash Manor still held secrets, possibly the secrets of ETS. The new mare in charge seemed weak on the surface, but there were now plenty of videos swimming around the internet of her downing a crystal pony-not just a crystal pony, but the Warden of Fear's pet crystal pony. Unicorns typically were no match for crystal ponies and beating a crystal pony trained as well as the Dreamwarden's guard was a ludicrous proposition unless you had obscene levels of magical strength. That filly was not what she seemed; her fighting prowess, skill, and visitors declared that loud and clear. She was the new guardian of the Apostate's stronghold, possibly there to continue the Apostate's work, and she was not to be underestimated.
Now, something powerful just exited that stronghold with the Middleton girl. Although Sunset Blessing was hated, any sane pony understood she was still one of the greatest mages. She'd unlocked the secrets of ETS when it had been theorized that it would take centuries. Nopony other than her had even come close to that feat. Her other works, while not nearly as important, were also rarely rivaled by the work of others. She'd also murdered Royal Bearing during a magic duel; Royal Bearing had been a very powerful unicorn. No, the Apostate should never be underestimated. There were sometimes outlandish tales of what the Apostate had created years ago in the depths of the Bastion, and one of those said she had once made a stone to rival the power of alicorns. Something with the strength of an alicorn had just driven by in the Middleton girl's car.
His superiors were going to be very interested in this news. |
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