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The Gamer; Displaced Equestria | 6- Unintentional Avoidance | It was rather uneventful as my three new friends -and I say that with as much suspension of disbelief as I can manage. They may be nice, but I know next to nothing about these girls other than the fact that they like exploring dangerous places and seem to think I was a charity case,- led the way to Fluttershy's.
Fluttershy's cottage, whatever the hell that meant. I had to assume she just had a smaller house than most of the ones I'd seen in town.
Which made literally NO sense, if what these three were telling me was true. Apparently she not only took care of any animals in town that were brought over by their owners -like some sort of veterinary service slash kennel- but she took on a myriad of animals from the forest as well. SHE HAD BEARS she took care of, if these three could be believed.
Not that that would be the most unbelievable thing I would have come across today.
So if she had to take care of all these different sorts of creatures, surely she had a larger house or dwelling as well? Or maybe the word 'cottage' just referred to the type of house she had. Maybe it was all sticks and straw and that sort.
"-and she even has a quaking cockatoo!" Scootaloo exclaimed, momentarily drawing my attention away from my internal musings.
'Quaking' cockatoo. What next, leaping llama's, reaching rats, bouncing baboons and patchwork parrots?
Actually, I probably shouldn't tempt fate and just wait to see what she has for myself. Wouldn't do to undersell her and find out she keeps... dragons or something. ...
God I hope she had dragons. If I could get something like 'Dragon Master' to go along with my pack leader skill, that would be soooo fucking awesome.
"This may be a stupid question," I started, rubbing the back of my head with my left hand -would have used my right, but Hax was sitting on that shoulder, didn't want to accidentally knock him off,- "But would it be in the realm of likelihood for Fluttershy to have... dragons, maybe? I will admit, if they are real here I'd be very interested in at least seeing one..." I stopped, the sound of muffled laughter hitting my ears as all three of them cupped their hands over their mouths. Hax cocked his head to the side, letting out a slight whine of confusion.
"Am... I missing something here?" I asked, cocking my head to the opposite side as Hax's, so I wouldn't hit his head with my own.
They all kept trying to muffle their merriment, until Applebloom responded between breaths.
"Mistah Colton... ya do realize Dragons aint like animals, right? They're like us, like ponies," she stated pointedly, a bark of laughter escaping from Scootaloo as she interjected.
"You know, aside from all the scales, fangs, breathing fire and stuff, leathery wings, tail-"
"Yah know what ah meant, Scoots!" Applebloom exclaimed in a huff.
"Thestrals have leathery wings and fangs and they're ponies..." Sweetiebelle supplied.
"Kinda like ponies, but also kinda not," Scootaloo argued, flaring her wings before tucking them tight to her back.
Okay then. Social blunder aside, this was good information. Apparently dragons were actual people. Whatever the hell thestrals were here -I remember that they were the invisible skeletal horse things in the Harry Potter series, but I figure they would be about as similar to that version as real ponies were to these three girls,- they at the very least had fangs and leathery wings I could hopefully identify them by.
"So... not only are dragons real, but if I had asked my previous question within earshot they probably would have taken offense?"
All laughter was gone and they each fixed me with a serious gaze. "Oh, they'd beat the hay outta yah for sayin' somethin' like that, mistah Colton, probably," Applebloom said in a sage tone of voice.
"Most," Sweetiebelle added, "not all though, remember that drake that came through town about a year back?"
"The jerk that ignored you if you tried to talk to him?" Scootaloo snapped angrily, resting her hands behind her head. "That guy was so rude! I wanted to belt him for it so bad!" she shook her head slightly, "But that wouldn't be very polite, and would probably have just made him mad. My dad already has me walking on eggshells from the broken nose I gave Diamond Tiara, if he learned I got into a fight not only with a dragon," she gave a little shudder, momentarily halting, "but a visitor to town? He'd box my ears for even thinking about it. Probably say it was hypo something or other."
"Hypocritical," Sweetiebelle supplied.
"Gesundheit," Scootaloo responded.
"That's not... ah, look! There it is!" Applebloom called out, pointing ahead of us.
Over the lip of the hill a house came into view. And my previous assessment went out the window. This house... it was definitely a skewed assumption of what someone would refer to as a cottage. Whereas my library was definitely a tree, this more looked like... a large mound of the earth itself had risen up, taking on a house like shape. There was grassy covering everywhere, wood only visible on the scant few walls I could see, and the large red door at the front. There was a myriad of windows dotting the dwelling, as well as an almost obscene amount of birdhouses scattered around.
Looked like a hobbit hole, right out of lord of the rings.
"Race ya!" Scootaloo crowed, taking off, "Last one there's a cockatrice egg!"
"No fair!" Sweetiebelle whined, hiking up her dress and following after. Applebloom hadn't even said anything, simply accepting Scootaloos challenge and following her step for step.
I had a split second of complacency, before a wild spike of competitiveness flared to the forefront of my mind.
I wanted to win. I was already a couple seconds behind, but if I started right now... I was a little bit taller than them, they were only children after all... my stride would be longer, which would mean I would have a better chance of catching up and overtaking-
I had started running before I even finished that thought, a hand pulling Hax from his perch and settling him into a football carry. Nestled into the crook of my arm as I tried to get into a proper running rhythm, he let out a small huff before relaxing against me.
I had to be careful with how I stepped, -my eyes racing across the ground, searching for any potential gopher holes for example- this wasn't a flat field like I remembered in school.
Right arm up, almost touch forehead while left leg rises. Lower both, extend with right leg, forego left arm because carrying Hax... Really running is quite simple. You just have to think of your arms and legs like pulleys. Your left arm is connected to your right leg, and vice versa. if you follow your rhythm -and if you're actually in good shape, which admittedly I was not the best- with proper breathing, that's running.
I flat out sprinted after the girls, the wind whipping past my face. Hax poked his head past my elbow, tongue waggling as well. I quickly overtook Sweetiebelle, and I could hear her let out a low cry of frustration as I passed her.
"Sorry!" I called out over my shoulder, setting my sights on the two before me.
Applebloom took a quick peek over her shoulder at me, her face breaking into an even bigger grin as she tried to overtake Scootaloo. For Scootaloo, she didn't even look back.
And I was still too slow.
I was maybe doing the same speed as they were, tops. Ever since Applebloom saw I was there, she and Scootaloo actually seemed to get faster. Made me think they were probably keeping their speed relatively low, so they didn't exempt their friend from the fun.
With each step they were getting that much farther away, I needed to do SOMETHING or else I wouldn't even be close to them when they finished. I frantically put every bit of strength I could into every step, willing myself to go faster. It still wasn't enough. I angled my body lower to maximize the push off, I carefully marshaled my breathing, I...
Through a willful act of desperation, an ability to run faster, (Sprint) has been learned.
Sprint(active) LV1 EXP: 0.00% COST 50MP
Channel the users mana to their legs, to allow them to run faster than they would be able to normally.
+100% maximum running speed for (3) seconds.
+10% stamina regen after (Sprint) has been activated for the next (1) minute(s). Only one stamina regen buff can be active currently from trick (Sprint).
+5 DEX for (3) seconds.
While (Sprint) is active, the user has an increased +5% chance to avoid falling or succumbing to treacherous footing.
I CAN'T FUCKING SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
The fucking text boxes covered my field of view, which considering I was in a breakneck dash over unfamiliar ground was quite unfortunate. I didn't even get a chance to slow down, such was my gait that carried me past both Scootaloo and Applebloom -both of them letting out a squawk of surprise as I passed them, if only I could have seen the looks on their faces...- before I was even aware of doing so. A whole two seconds passed as I tried to slow down, before my foot decided it wanted me dead.
The traitorous appendage stuck itself right down deep into a hole of some sort -gophers. Its always fucking gophers...- and I went flying. Not a graceful flight like one might expect of a swan, no no no.
This was more akin to if someone had duct taped a jetpack to a mole, and let it go. I skidded across the ground, my momentum carrying me onward like some sort of demented ground borne skipping stone. My cries of protest were mostly cut off as I spun in a beautiful pirouette, slowly spinning about whilst my face dug a groove into the landscape for a few yards. My continued movement suddenly halted, the bottom half of my body suspended above me over the lip of a bank as I lounged in a shallow creek-bed.
An object impacted with my chest, making me release my captured breath -and several clods of dirt- in a pained gasp.
"Roff!" Hax barked, perched ontop of me. Damn, the little pup must have gone flying when I went for my communal with the dirt. I hadn't even noticed that I lost him, thank god it didn't look like he was hurt...
"Are you dead?" Scootaloo called out, standing somewhere up above me on solid ground. As solid as it could be riddled with all of those freaking gopher holes. Effing gophers.
"Scootaloo!" I heard from both Sweetiebelle and Applebloom as they chastised her.
"What? You saw him, he was sandbagging and then he blew past us, and then he was in the air and it was funny as hay," she exclaimed, audibly holding back a gale of laughter. So fucking glad my pain caused someone some joy.
Physical Endurance has gone up one level!
Fuck off. Well, I mean I guess that is good. Eventually all this tortuous pain will be little more than pinpricks. Isn't that a cheery thought.
"Uhm fiiiiiine," I drawled, trying to get to my feet. Unsucsessfully. My legs were stuck up above me, it was harder than you'd think to right myself.
"Are you sure?" Scootaloo joked. "From this angle it could go either way. What was with the magic running anyway?" she asked, "I mean it was pretty cool and all, but it was also pretty obvious you had next to no idea what you were doing."
"As 'evidanced' by the fact that at the first little 'ole bump he went flyin' 'cross the ground like last time Pinkie Pie tried coffee?" Applebloom posited with a chuckle. She reached down and grabbed one of my flailing arms, Scootaloo grabbing the other as they heaved Hax and me up onto dry ground.
"I think her question still was kinda good though," Sweetiebelle said as she brushed off a coat of dirt from my shoulders. Guess her sisters' mannerisms brushed off on her. "You alright? I mean, obviously you aren't dead, but that looked like a pretty bad fall..."
"I'm fine," I replied, "I heal fast, remember? But yes, that hurt, a lot. That was not fun. As for 'what was with that', I dunno. Sorta. I wasn't trying to do that, anyway. It just sorta... happened. Suddenly I was going really fast, and then all of a sudden I wasn't again. And then I was doing my best impression of a tumbleweed."
"Well at least you put on a good show," Scootaloo joked, making a sweeping gesture with her arm. I followed her movements, seeing that an audience had grown during my inattention. A fully non human audience. Well, ponies and shit, I guess they aren't human either. A completely non humanoid audience, then. God. Give me a fucking break.
Who the hell am I talking to, myself? Shit, guess I am. I should stop doing that. Doesn't give me a good leg to stand on when asserting the fact that I am, in fact, perfectly sound of mind. Of course, given my current surroundings, I think my mind went on vacation quite some time ago.
Animals. You never really give them any thought, do you? They're just these things you sometimes have to share your world with, most notably whenever you go to a zoo or when you're trying to get home and Bambi and his entire twenty deer family decided to walk ON the road, down it. So either they are out of sight, out of mind, or directly in sight, and a tremendous pain due to the fact that they don't understand your human shit and don't much care to conform to it.
It was going to be hard to ignore these animals. They were EVERYWHERE. Birds, otters, raccoons, beavers, squirrels, chipmunks, bunnies -a SHITTON of bunnies,- a couple seals and even a few cats and goats wandering around. There was certainly a great deal of variety, I'll give Fluttershy that. Why she didn't have any problems with the cats eating any of the smaller critters? And I didn't see a bear. They said she had a bear. The fact that I didn't see a bear made me worry a little bit. Knowing there's a bear in the area but being unable to see it... not exactly the best feeling.
"Uhh... I didn't trip on any of them, did I?" I joked. I expected to get a reaction out of my three new friends. What I did not expect, was to get one from every single animal there. Heads turned to and fro, squirrels chattered quickly to otters, and then they all turned back towards us. And then they gave me a negative shake of their heads. From pretty much every single animal.
"Guess that's a no," Scootaloo stated dryly. As if this wasn't a marvel onto itself. As if this was simply a day to day occurrence. Spoiled little kids.
Each of the animals had a name hovering above their heads, but I found myself unable to use observe on them. The only thing that did was show me a descriptor screen similar to when I was checking out the trees and stuff before I found Hax.
"Any of you know if Fluttershy is in?" Sweetiebelle asked.
A flurry of movement. A low buzz of back and forth chattering. And then a single white bunny broke from the pack, and hopped its way off towards the cabin. For shits and giggles, I decided to 'observe' it too. Maybe it would have a funny description denoting it as the 'find Fluttershy' rabbit or something.
Angel Bunny LV18
<Evil Incarnate>
HP: 540
MP: 170
-LV18
STR: 21
VIT: 33
DEX: 28
INT: 17
WIS: 45
LUK: 11
Status: Beast/Rabbit; +1 to STR, VIT and DEX. +1 to VIT per LV.
-'Evil'; -50% resistance to Holy/Solar aligned attacks.
-Dumb Animal?; +10 to WIS.
-Unseen, Ignored; +10 to WIS
-Just a Little Cottontail; +10 to WIS.
-Carrot Eater; +20% to all sneaking skills, tricks, spells and otherwise.
-Vitamin A; +20% to all perception based skills, tricks, spells and otherwise.
-She's MINE; +20 Damage when protecting (Fluttershy).
-Small; -5 to STR.
What the fuck. What the actual FUCK. Even a fucking rabbit was a higher level than me? And what the hell was with all those passive stats? All those little boosts to WIS, dear god. Even with his strength getting curbed by his size, he was still stronger than me. And his DEX and VIT were frankly scary for a creature his size. Thankfully he didn't seem too threatening -title of 'evil incarnate' non withstanding,- and it didn't seem like he payed me much mind.
"That rabbit... I don't know why, but he sets my hair on end," I muttered, trying to deflect three inquisitive glances pointed my way. Guess I had been paying too much attention to the freak of a lupine, went silent for too long.
"He's just a little bunny," Applebloom argued. "What could he possibly do?"
"Right, it just creeps me out. So, enough about bunnies and how threatening they might or might not appear to certain individuals. Training! Yes. That. Or literally anything else that doesn't paint me as a worrywart over nothing. What exactly was the plan? Did we have a plan? If we don't, can we make one?" I queried. Hopefully I could get them talking and ignore my verbal stumble regarding the 'bunny'.
"We already got the clothes and the weights thing sorted out," Sweetiebelle mused, prodding at her lower lip with a dainty finger.
"Yeah, so we can just skip straight to testing him!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"Ah thought that was step five," Applebloom interjected.
"So what? Three and four are totally boring, better to just skip right to the exciting stuff." Scootaloo argued with a derisive snort.
"You just want to fight him," Sweetiebelle posited, her eyelids drooping in a knowing look. "Getting tired of losing to Applebloom?"
"As if!" Scootaloo cried out defensively, placing her hands on her hips in a 'peter-panish' manner as she glowered at her friend. "I'm telling you, those were just flukes, I totally wouldn't have lost if I wasn't so worn out from all the training I've been doing..."
"Uhm... if you're so worn out from your training, maybe you should consider cutting it back a little bit..." I barely heard her speak, and I didn't even so much as notice her walk up. But low and behold, -regardless of my attentiveness- a certain yellow winged Pegasus stood off to the side, a white rabbit perched on her shoulder as she looked on at the three of us.
"Fluttershy!" Applebloom and Sweetiebelle called out enthusiastically, Scootaloo also joining in but with far less volume and excitement lacing her voice. What followed was a mish-mash of vocal stimuli, all three of them speaking at the same time in overlapping tones.
"Girls, girls," Fluttershy 'called out' in a voice as loud as she could muster. "Please, one at a time, I can't understand when you all talk at once..."
"Mister Colton here-" Applebloom started, before being cut off by Scootaloo.
"Colt already has one but he wants-" Scootaloo got out before Sweetiebelles' voice drowned her out.
"Colton wants another dog!" Sweetiebelle managed to get out, ignoring the pseudo glares her friends were giving her. "What? If you wanted to say it then you should have just said it..."
Her friends cutely pouted at her, but didn't say anything. It was then I noticed something. My hair standing on end. Turning to see just what the hell was setting me off, I saw it.
Fluttershy.
Smiling.
REEEEEEAAAAALLY FUCKING CREEPILY.
"You want another pet?" she crowed, crowding my personal space and wearing a radiant smile. "Oh that is so wonderful! I have so many wonderful choices for you to choose from!"
Aaaaaaaaaand I think she just went and immediately blanked out the 'dog' portion of Sweetiebelles comment. In fact, this suspicion was almost immediately confirmed, seeing as she leaned down and snagged something off the ground before thrusting it into my face.
"Awww, look, I think this little puddy likes you~" she said sweetly, as the cat outstretched in her hands took a few tentative sniffs of my nose.
Crap, I didn't want a fucking cat. They didn't do what you wanted to, and this little furball would be absolutely rubbish in a fight. Maybe I could get a skill that would allow me to train cats? Pffffhah, fuck no, no one can train a cat. They just do what they want, and occasionally what you want them to do is what they were already going to do.
Thankfully, Hax got me out of that particular situation by letting loose a terse growl.
Fluttershy hurriedly pulled the cat back, sheepishly smiling as she placed it back down on the ground. "I... guess not..."
"Sorry about that," I stated, tapping Hax on the forehead to get him to stop growling. "I think it might be best if I were to acquire another canine. My main reason," I paused, trying to formulate my reason. I hadn't thought about it beyond 'I want another attack dog I can use to fight stuff with'. I had a feeling she'd take offense to that. Might not let me have another dog from her 'collection', and might even pressure other pet dealers in the area -if there WERE any- into rejecting my business. "Well, I'm just worried about Hax here," I gave him a reassuring pat on the head. "My work tends to cause me to block out the world around me, and I don't fancy the thought of this little guy being ignored whilst my heads stuck in my job. So the best thing I thought, would be if I could get another dog to keep him company while I work."
Fluttershy 'hmmed', a thoughtful look on her face.
"I... well... I only currently have one dog staying with me at the moment..." she looked off past her cottage, along a dirt path that traced its way around her hobbit hole. "He's a bit of a shy one, he tends to stay near his pond..."
With that, she gave us a beckoning wave, trotting off past her house to follow the treeline. A couple minutes of walking later, and we had arrived at the 'pond'. It was almost entirely encircled by growth, leaving a small entrance where I could probably squeeze through. If I had an insane desire to swim in an almost pitch black body of water, where literally any number of disgusting organisms could be swimming about.
So... he guarded the water hole? Or something? Good feral instincts, I guess. Control the water source, and your pack will live. Personal water source, anyway.
Fluttershy strode over to the pony, before turning to me. "Just... give me a second. Scruffaluss is kinda skittish around anypony new," she explained, kneeling down by the waters edge. "Scruffaluss, here boy, somepony here wants to see you~" she trilled softly, dragging her fingers back and forth through the water.
The fuck was she doing? Maybe it was the only way to get the dogs attention, messing with it's water. Great, that probably meant he'd be super attached to it, and come out here whenever the fuck he wanted. Would make leveling him up harder, if he just up and left without warning.
His name would certainly explain why he was so against meeting new people, if someone introduced me with that name I know I sure as fuck wouldn't want to show my face.
The surface of the water suddenly broke, two diminutive hands covered in smooth, reptilian skin slowly grasping at the edge of the bank. They pulled out their owned just as methodically, slowly shedding the water to peer out at me in an owlish manner. It was some sort of... reptile... dog. It looked almost like a whippet breed, all sleek and smooth elongated features.
But... you know.
Lizard skin. Like a snake. Perfect for if its occupant was a water dwelling animal, like this one so god damn obviously was. Seeing a dog with hands was still creepy though.
It was... it's hard to describe the gradiating color scheme for its main body. It was a dark blue, almost navy as it shifted to a lighter color the farther back from its head.
Bands of red and yellow circled both of its eyes, curling upwards to end at the tips of his ears. Looking back further, I could see his tail. And the third hand sprouting from the tip of it. All three of the hands had only four fingers, and if the tail hand was any indicator they were double jointed. It kept on grasping slowly, first one side, then the other. Kinda hypnotic.
Last but not least, it didn't have a name floating over its head, much less that of 'scrufaluss'. Only a single string of '???'.
"There you are mister Scruffaluss," Fluttershy cooed, patting it on the head. "I want you to meet somepony special. This is Mister Colt...on." she added on, shooting me a worried glance.
'Scruffy' took one look at me, then spat out a stream of water from its mouth. You wanna guess where that was directed? Ding ding ding, right at my face. Drenched in a single second.
"Scruffaluss!" Fluttershy belted out in a chastising tone. "That was very rude of you! Apologize!"
'Scruffy' gave me a snort of disdain, his ears flattering against his head as he gave me a short nod.
"I'm so sorry Colton, Mister Scruffaluss just doesn't like you being so close to his water..."
I kneeled down, wiping water out of my eyes. "Hey there," I started, trying to show a non toothy grin. Dogs think teeth mean you're trying to intimidate them, so I had better keep it as tame as I could. "My name is Colton. I'd like you to come home with me-" another gout of water cut off my further words, forcing me to wipe my face clear again. "Now, I'm not asking you to give up your little pond here," I paused, waiting to see if he'd try to blast me in the face again.
"If you really wanted to, you could come back and check up on it any time you wanted. I just really need your help," I said, patting Hax on the head. This in turn drew 'Scruffys' attention, who peered up at Hax with wide eyes. With a single gurgled bark, he drew himself fully out of the pool.
"Oh, how nice! I think Mister Scruffaluss wants to go with you!" Fluttershy cooed, along with the three girls. I swear, I was beginning to have friggin girl overload. There's only so much I can freaking take.
LORE TIME WITH SHY
There are some very noticeable differences between the three pony tribes.
A unicorn has of course, their horn. This organ allows greater control of arcane forces, with exception of earth and wind type magics.
Their diet -like pegasi- is an omnivorous one, but due to shipping costs regarding meat from the minotaur provinces most unicorn and pegasi supplement this part of their diet with magically bred flowers and fish.
I lay there for a second, cradling my aching ribs. Plus, not moving didn't hurt. The bark against my back was kinda rough, but at least I had the forethought to take my shirt off. Wouldn't want to have to get it fixed TWICE in a single day...
"Scootaloo!" Sweetiebelle belted out, just out of eyeshot.
"It's not my fault! I didn't even hit him that hard!" Scootaloo protested.
"Ya kicked him straight in the gut!" Applebloom stated forcefully.
"I didn't get him that hard!" Scootaloo replied again, "I even pulled the kick, it shouldn't have sent him flying so far!"
"Shouldn't but did, Scoots."
"Should we check on him?"
"He's... just freakishly light..."
After leaving Fluttershys, we eventually came to an abandoned area. A fair bit away from the edge of the forest, the ground was covered in lush grass. Seeing we had arrived, Scootaloo immediately challenged me to a fight, to 'see what I was made of'. I didn't really want to, but anything she could have done would be easily slept off. Hopefully. Even though they were higher level than me, they shouldn't be able to do thatmuch damage to me.
I threw my first punch right at her head, accompanied with maybe the shortsided comment of 'No one expects the FACE PUNCH!'. Yeah, calling out your attack is stupid. But I hadn't figured out how to silently activate them yet. So, 'FACE PUNCH!' would have to do.
Needless to say, it didn't hit her. My fist was thrust to the side with an open palm, then she roundhouse kicked me right in the chest. I could never have foreseen that such a little girl would be able to have such a powerful kick. Or that said kick would have sent me flying nearly a hundred feet across the field, straight into a tree.
A hundred and twenty six damage, all from a single kick. Friggin BS. I was left with only twenty four health, leaving me in a very dangerous position.
"I... you know what?" I asked, lurching to my feet with my hand on my midsection. "I think I'm gonna call it a day. Obviously I'm nowhere near being able to fight toe to toe with you girls, and I really just wanna go take a nap. Sleep this off." I needed time to heal the HP she had gotten rid of, and I doubt they would be willing to sit back while I tried to massage myself. I had yet to find a healing spell, so 'massage' was the only thing I currently could think of that would help with my HP regen.
I received a round of 'awwwwwwwwws' for my deceit, followed up with each of them flashing me puppy dog eyes. Funny, seeing as both '???/Scruffaluss" and Hax were barely paying us any mind, lounging in the shade of a tree. Hax was sitting on the larger dogs head, tongue lolling.
"Aw, c'mon mistah Colton," Applebloom pleaded, her eyes somehow getting larger by the second, "Ya can't leave yet, we haven't even teached you anythin'."
"Yeah!" Sweetiebelle affirmed"
"What can we teach him?" Scootaloo groused. "He's gonna need to get at least a little bit more fit before we can fight him..."
"Fightin' aint the only thing we do, Scoots," Applebloom stated, admonishing the pegasi with a hard look. "Ah'd like to ask a question though. Colton, sir? Why didn't ya use your grounding?"
I stared at her for a couple seconds, trying to figure out what the hell she was asking. "I... don't exactly know what you mean by that," I admitted finally, choking back my pride. What little there was left after being knocked tea over kettle by a little girl I should easily be able to bench.
"How kin ya not know what grounding is?" she said in confusion, "Ah've never met an earth pony that didn't know what grounding was..."
Not a pony. Couldn't very well say that to them, however.
"Lets just chalk it up to cultural differences," I said, trying to get her mind off the topic. "So what is grounding? Is it something difficult to learn?"
"No, no," Applebloom laughed, "An earth pony what can't ground ain't an earth pony," she stated with a chuckle.
Shit. Fuck. Balls. Bast- Okay. I could bluff my way through this. If it was a species trait I'd be shit out of luck, but if it counted as a skill... I might just be able to pick up whatever the hell 'grounding' was. Probably just made you harder to move, but if you had an impenetrable shield that would be damned useful.
Not that I had any such shield, but I digress.
"It's easy," she stated, but my attention was elsewhere for the moment. A blue box had popped up in front of me, prompting action.
The CMC would like to become your teachers!
Teacher; Applebloom
Teacher; Sweetiebelle
Teacher; Scootaloo
New abilities, skills, tricks and otherwise will become available to learn from (Teacher; CMC)
+5% EXP gain to all abilities, skill, tricks and otherwise learned from (Teacher; CMC) for the duration that (CMC) is assigned as your teacher.
+5% chance to be covered in tree sap per day.
-50% Reputation with Diamond Tiara.
1/2 Reputation gain for Diamond Tiara.
-30% Reputation with Silver Spoon.
1/2 Reputation gain for Silver Spoon.
Do you accept?
YES|NO
Huh. No clue who these 'Diamond Tiara' and 'Silver Spoon' people were, but their names marked them as pretentious. I didn't think losing 'reputation' or whatever would faze me all that badly. Fuck em.
I hurriedly tapped the 'yes' box, free exp gain didn't sound like that bad of an idea. That 'tree sap' blurb worried me a bit, but it was probably just a joke.
"Colton?" Applebloom asked, and I realized I hadn't listened to her at all. Fuuuuuuuuuuuck.
"What? Yes. Sorry. I... didn't hear any of that. Would it be too much to ask you to repeat it?" I asked, trying to keep my tone kinda tired sounding. I already got kicked into a tree, I had plenty of reason to be spacey. Now if I could just sell it...
"Oh, yeah, k. Just listen up, alright? Don't wanna have to say this again," she huffed.
"The earth... speaks to us. Its everywhere anypony goes, and its very rare for ya to get someplace without it. It reaches out to us, imbues us with its strength, if we but give it a chance to."
I stared at her uncomprehendingly, as she continued.
"Just... close yer eyes, k?" she said, gesturing at me to follow her direction. I closed my eyes with nary a huff, eager to get this over with. The less time I stand around looking like an idiot, the better. "Now, ya can do magic, right?" I nodded, flinching as I felt her cup a hand against the back of my neck. Her other hand grabbed mine, and gently lowered it down towards the ground. "Do the same thing ya do to get yer magic workin', but reach out to the earth underneath us instead."
I tried to follow her commands, blindly gripping the loose dirt underneath me. I stayed that way for maybe a minute, wondering what the hell I was doing wrong. Then... I felt something... different. It was similarto the magic energy I managed to corral within myself, but this felt... large. I felt it seeping into me as I knelt, slowly filling me to the brim. I opened my eyes, noting another box had appeared before me.
More important than that however was the face breaking grin Applebloom was giving me.
"Ya see? Easy as pie!" she claimed, helping me back to my feet.
Through careful application of an understanding teaching hand, an ability has been learned!
Grounding(Active) LV 1 EXP: 0.00%
Grip the earth and draw power from it.
+2 to STR and DEX for every second of inaction.
Movement beyond 1 foot of starting position negates (Grounding)
(Grounding) can currently only stack up to (5) times.
"Ch-...yeah," I muttered, slowly flexing my hands. "I can't really explain this feeling... but feels... filling?" I guessed, to which Applebloom gave me a short nod. I took a single step see if my feet had actually become part of the ground like they had partially felt, only to note that the ability abruptly vanished.
At my confused expression, Applebloom let a brief laugh escape her.
"Ya can't move around while grounding, Mistah Colton," she explained. "You have to keep full connection with the earth. Ya can't prance about like a flighty pegasus-"
"Hey!" Scootaloo pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I... Thank you," I said, bowing my head slightly. "But I still feel a mite tired. I hope you won't assume I'm trying to avoid you if I still say I wish to return to my place and take a nap?"
A sigh came out of all of them simultaniously.
"Fiiiiiiine..."
LORE TIME WITH SHY
There are some very noticeable differences between the three pony tribes.
While an earth pony doesn't have any outwardly physical attributes to distinguish itself from the other two tribes, this lack of wings or a horn is a distinction in itself as an identifier. To add to this, an earth pony is verydifferent physically from the other two tribes. Completely herbivorous, an earth pony can't consume meat or other products the other two tribes can without severe gastric distress.
An Earth ponys' body is much denser than either a pegasus or a unicorn, resulting in drastic weight differences. An earth pony can be more than twice the weight of a unicorn their own size, and almost three times the weight of an equitably sized pegasus!
After I ditched the trio, I headed back to the treehouse. Library house tree thing. That. Once I was safely secluded away inside, I drew all three of us into an empty ID.
"Okay newbie, listen up. I'm gonna try to treat you like you aren't a dumb mutt, so I'll try to be frank with you here," I stated, causing the water dogs' head to cock to the side. "My name is Colton. I don't give a shit if you don't respect me. I really don't care. What I do care about, is getting stronger. One way I've figured out how to do that is by getting dogs," I waved to both him and Hax, who gave a happy wuff from my shoulder. "And then adding my strength to theirs. And theirs to mine. So you can stay, you can leave, go back to your little pond or whatever. But if you stay with me..." I paused for effect, "I promise you'll get stronger. Strong enough to protect your pond from anything, Strong enough to protect anything. This I swear to you. So do you understand anything I've said, or are you just a dumb mutt like everyone probably thinks you are?"
He gave me a long hard stare, eyes unblinking. FInally, he gave a short nod of his head as Hax let out a happy sounding bark.
"Cool. So first things first, I would like to give you a new name," I said, noting with satisfaction as his ears perked up. "I couldn't help but notice you don't seem all that attached to 'scruff'-" I couldn't even finish the name, water blasting me in the face. "...Pfffeeeeh. Okay. I see you really don't like it. Mind If I suggest something?"
He cocked his head to the side, giving me a long look.
"Argos. In an ancient language it literally translates out to 'swift'. It was also the name of a mythological boat, which sailed all over the world and battled monsters and stuff," I continued, watching as both his ears slowly crept up to stand at attention."So c'mon buddy, yes? No? GImmie some input here..."
A few more seconds passed before he let out a jovial, burbling sound woof. THe question marks slowly faded from view from above his head, replacing themselves with a title and a name.
<Argos>
<Ahuizotl Whelp>
"Cool, guess you actually do like it. Welcome to the team, Argos..."
After that I got to 'training'. Running around in a circle around my new tree house, occasionally stopping to take a break. I almost immediately got the massage skill-
Massage (active) LV 1 EXP: 0.00%
An ancient skill that allows you to take the fatigue away from the flesh of a human. And so it is possible for you to cure body or joint related negative effects.
Your targets fatigue recovery increases significantly
Gets rid of 0.05% fatigue per second.
-which was going to help out a LOT in the long term. With this I could effectively say 'FUCK YOU' to sleep. All those hours wasted, lying around and not doing anything. I kept having to reactivate (Spirit Technique Of the Lunar Sister) and (Starswirls Shortcoming) because I kept losing focus on them. So that was annoying. Both Hax and Argos kept at my heels for the most part, until he got bored and took a nap by the side of the tree. I decided to try and get Hax to level up some of his abilities as well as running alongside me, and before we knew it he had his overgrowth skill at level two, along with his (Magic Siphon) all the way up to level four! Having your magic drained feels hella weird.
It was like getting a shot, but painless. You know there's a needle in your arm even if it doesn't hurt you can just feel it.
I figured something else out. I have a clock. IN MY MENU. It's the stupidest thing ever, but surprisingly useful. I kept at it long after Hax gave up to go lay on top of Argos, slowly raising up my VIT. by the time I was finished, it had raised seven whole points! Just from running around! I had also slightly raised my (Mana Bolt) skill as well, blasting it off over the empty houses each time my MP filled back up enough to use. Level seven, hell yeah.
LORE TIME WITH SHY
There are some very noticeable differences between the three pony tribes.
A pegasus is the most easily identified pony tribe, with their large wings that jut out even when folded against their backs. Counter to their earth pony siblings, a pegasi's internal organs are actually lighter, and more flexible. This flexibility supplements their ability to bounce back from what to the other tribes might very well cause a broken limb, which is very useful when taking all those tiny wing bones into consideration. As such, even when compared to an earth pony or a unicorn of equal size, one will always find the pegasus to weigh less.
Finally I was done. It was indicating 5:37 on my menus clock, so I decided to call it a day. Or night. Or whatever. I carefully picked up Argos -Hax lazily lying on top of him, his little twig body actually snoring every few seconds- and entered my house, careful not to wake either of them. I shunted us back out to the real world, taking a couple minutes to draw a bath and lower Argos into it. Not deep enough to submerge him, but he had gills so I don't think that would matter. I was more worried about Hax than I was him, so I picked him up and gave him his own towel bed. Thankfully he didn't wake up.
Making my way downstairs however, revealed something very odd. My living space was overtaken by unconscious people. Ponies. Whatever. They were sprawled everywhere, and it almost looked like a party had gone off in here while I was gone. Trash was strewn about, along with plates of half eaten food.
I wasn't going to fucking clean this mess up.
I stood there for a minute, trying to figure out what the hell I was supposed to do. I had to wake them up, obviously. But how? Shouting and making a fuss was out, as much as I wanted to start walking around kicking heads and demanding that they get the fuck out of my tree, I knew that wouldn't be a viable long term solution. I had to get them up carefully, but how...
An idea lodged itself in the forefront of my brain, and I smiled a devilish grin. I could come out of this looking like a good guy. I'd have them eating out of my palm. Eating being the important word, here.
I carefully took a step around piles of ponies, trying not to wake anyone up. My progress was momentarily halted however, as a hand had latched onto my ankle while I wasn't paying attention. The hand belonged to a girl, curled up and laying over another lady wearing a long trenchcoat who smelled strongly of booze. Which was weird, seeing as I could quite plainly see there weren't any alcohol containers lying anywhere. Where ever she had gotten drunk, she hadn't gotten that way here.
The girl was small, petite. She had an acrobats physique, long legs with a strong looking back. She was wearing the most ridiculous outfit ever, like something a jester would wear at a ren fair. Bright and colorful.
I tried to lightly shake my leg loose, to which the sleeping girl only tightened her grip.
"Mmmmm," she mumbled, a line of drool escaping the side of her mouth. Trenchcoat lady was going to be mad when she woke up. "Dibs..."
I stood there for a couple more seconds, before I carefully pried her hand off. "No, mine," I whispered, half to myself. "I got permadibs. For infinity."
I finally made my way to the kitchen, opening a cabinet to reveal what I remembered seeing the day previous.
Pancake mix. YUSH. There were ten individually marked boxes of the stuff, whomever had lived here previously obviously had a fondness for pancakes. I got the magic grill thing heated up -don't ask. And no, I didn't burn myself, thank you for asking.- and the batter mixed, before I started getting a fresh pot of coffee started up. 'Zebrican' blend, whatever the fuck that meant.
Another box popped up as soon as the first pancake was ready, and I suppressed a grin as I slid it off onto a plate.
Through a diligent act, a skill has been learned
Cooking LV 1 EXP: 0.00%
Food for the body, food for the soul. Everybody needs to eat.
+1% chance for cooked item to contain temporary additional properties beyond what normal cooking would allow.
I fought back down my maniacal grin, before I started cackling to myself.
What better way to say 'get the fuck up', than with a plate full of steaming hotcakes, and the scent of coffee wafting through the air?
Name: Colton Niscon
Class: Displaced Gamer
Level: LV 06
HP: 220
MP: 200
STR:10
VIT:15
DEX:7
INT:20
WIS:7
LUK:12
Point: 4
Money: 58 Cents, 15 Bits
Status; Human. -25% Stamina drain. +25% Stamina Regen. +10% Total HP Regen. +10% Total MP Regen. +1% EXP gain.
Title
1-Unassigned
2-Unassigned
3-Unassigned
4-Unassigned
5-Unassigned
-Teacher
1-The CMC
2-Unassigned
3-Unassigned
Displaced; Dimensional magnetism draws other Displaced Tokens to the users dimensional plane.
Homeowner; +5% EXP gain while within the confines of the 'Golden Oaks' library.
Cloth Shirt; Repaired by local seamstress Rarity, there's not much else to note about this article of clothing besides its bland coloring. +1 DEF
Denim Jeans; Bought from a soulless corporate store. They provide more defense than a standard pair of cloth pants, but can't offer anything else.
Rainbow Dash's Sandals; A pair of petite sandals. They don't provide much defense, but they were never really designed with that purpose in mind. +5 SPD
Sprint(active) LV1 EXP: 17.09% COST 50MP
Channel the users mana to their legs, to allow them to run faster than they would be able to normally.
+100% maximum running speed for (3) seconds.
+10% stamina regen after (Sprint) has been activated for the next (1) minute(s). Only one stamina regen buff can be active currently from trick (Sprint).
+5 DEX for (3) seconds.
While (Sprint) is active, the user has an increased +5% chance to avoid falling or succumbing to treacherous footing.
Observe LV 1 EXP 24.10%
Allows the Gamer to more intimately observe world around them.
Allows the Gamer to see Total HP and MP.
Allows the Gamer to see additional information written up by management.
Physical Endurance(passive) LV 4 EXP: 42.08%
The Bodies Physical Endurance Increases, And You Take Less Damage.
7% decrease in damage from physical attacks
Face Punch(active) LV1 EXP: 5.9% MP COST; 15
Against all odds, an unarmed, untrained strike directly in the face.
5% chance to ignore all armor and defense buffs.
3% Attack Damage increase when attacking a targets face directly, without a weapon.
3% Speed increase when directing an attack towards a targets face.
5% Critical hit Chance increase when attacking a targets face directly, without a weapon.
Listening(passive) LV4 EXP: 94.20%
All conversation lower than an audible level is amplified by 6%
Pack Leader(passive) LV3 EXP: 21.29%
+4% Damage for all Canid type creatures in the pack
+4% Damage reduction for all Canid type creatures in the pack
+4% HP Regen for all Canid type creatures in the pack
+4% MP Regen for all Canid type creatures in the pack
+30 HP for all Canid type creatures in the pack
+10 MP for all Canid type creatures in the pack
+1 to Pack Size
Mana Bolt (Active) LV3 EXP:9.13%
A skill that attacks by emitting mana.
Attack power increases by INT
Range 25 m.
Spirit Technique Of the Lunar Sister(active&passive) LV 1 EXP: 82.37%
A basic inner Mana technique developed by the Sister of the Moon. It purifies Mana and allows the user to store it within their Mana center, enabling the user to freely manipulate the power.
After the development of the inner Mana techniques, Ponies have become able to overcome the limits of the Equine species.
The increase amount depends on the amount of inner Mana. Inner Mana level (MP) permanently increases from inner Mana training.
Passively increases STR by 10%.
Passively increases DEX by 10%.
Passively increases VIT by 10%.
Passively increases INT by 10%.
Passively increases WIS by 10%.
Additional 30% increase in STR when active.
Additional 30% increase in DEX when active.
Able to use Mana Strike when active
Starswirls Shortcoming(passive) LV 1 EXP: 82.37%
Basic mana technique developed by Starswirl himself. Starswirls Shortcoming is based off observing the Earth Pony form in comparison to his own Unicorn physiology. Makes the body strong and increases the body's defense power.
Increases STR by 10%.
Increases DEX by 10%.
Increases VIT by 10%.
Increases VIT recovery rate by 10%.
Increases stamina recovery rate by 10%. |
The Gamer; Displaced Equestria | 7- A Moooooot Revelation | Authors Note: Despite this being a 12k chapter, it is NOT a displaced crossover chapter. It kinda just got away from me while I was writing. Enjoy!~
"-and then I had to help Mrs. Punch up, because she had been hitting the sauce a bit too hard, if you know what I mean," The girl in the jesters outfit with the pink mass of hair babbled on, as she had pretty much from the instant she woke up.
I shouldn't have given her any coffee. I should have known what would happen by the fact that she almost immediately sprang up, bright and bushy tailed, the moment I walked back into the living room with a platter piled high with pancakes. She then offered to help wake 'everypony' else up.
And help hand out pancakes. It was... weird, to say the least. You wouldn't know it by looking at her, that she was even asleep only a minute prior.
I wish she was still asleep. BECAUSE SHE WOULD NOT FUCKING SHUT UP. Apparently her name is 'Pinkamena Diane Pie' according to the name floating above her head, but she prefers to be called 'Pinkie Pie'. She threw a party for me last night, and was very disappointed when I didn't show up to my own house.
Serves her right for throwing a party in my new house without getting my permission. When asked where I had gone that had kept me out all night, I simply stated I was 'out walking my dogs'. She seemed to accept that.
She then launched into a one sided discussion regarding everything that they had done at the party in my absence, so I 'wouldn't feel left out'. She wanted to tell me everything.
EVERYTHING. By god was she fucking thorough. Every single last party game they had started up, even the ones she hadn't participated in, she told me the outcome. Some lady named Cloudkicker won the apple bobbing contest. Somehow that was relevant.
If a person had a drink, she knew about it, and kept tabs. It was honestly kind of scary. Freaky that she'd be watching everyone so closely.
Apparently they had kept partying long into the morning, hoping to catch me once I finally made my way home. Eventually they had succumbed to their merriment, not even bothering to go home to fall asleep. Apparently this town and society has a far more lax view on privacy. If someone can just up and camp in your living room with no one pitching a fit, I would assume that such a society would be a slightly more peaceful one than mine. Ours. Whatever. This view would immediately be challenged by the fact that everyone went around carrying weapons in full view, but oh well. They even wore them while they slept, if this group was anything to go by.
Oh good god, even the fucking mayor was here, I could see her spooning a guy with wings over in the corner. A rapier poked up out of her belt, jutting outwards to prop up someone elses arm.
They certainly were friendly, if the various pile were anything to go by. At least they seemed to be civilized enough not to have a fucking orgy in my living room. If that was something they did.
It actually reminded me of my older sisters slumber parties. There was never enough places for them to sleep, so they always just set up their sleeping bags wherever. Organized chaos.
And me having just given up on sleep as a past time of the weak. My loss. Looked fun. Of course, if this 'Pinkie Pie' was being as genuine as she claimed, I'd have to sit through a similar party tonight. I wouldn't be able to train, and I'd have to succumb to sleep just like everyone else. I couldn't very well massage myself in plain view of everyone. And if I wasn't showing signs of fatigue, others might try to stay awake, simply so they wouldn't miss out on anything.
What a fucking bother.
Pinkie looked like she had some interesting abilities, even if I could never outright catch her in the act. She cooked up another batch of pancakes seemingly instantly, without me even noticing. Seriously, an entire batch of thirty seven hotcakes, in less than a minute and a half. I could have sworn she never left the room.
Every time I took my eyes off of her, she seemed to teleport around the room. She certainly moved around faster than she should have been able to. I never actually caught her movement, whenever I turned back to look at her she just turned to smile and wave at me. When she wasn't burning my ear off with her never ending spiel regarding what happened during the party last night.
It was slow going, but eventually the piles of people eventually started filing out, off to go live their lives and do whatever the hell their jobs denoted for them. They partook of the pancakes, and I even got a couple winged and horned people asking if I had any eggs. I didn't have any. Wouldn't have made them even if I had them.
I made them fucking pancakes. They can stuff that in their maw.
Eventually I was left alone. 'Alone', meaning that my three new teachers and a few other people decided to stick around.
Rainbow Dash. Her name was floating above her head, which was the main reason I knew who she was. She didn't introduce herself, she just stuffed her face with a couple pancakes and went back to sleep. Bitch is taking up my couch.
Her hair... I can certainly see how she got her name. It was a mop of unruly rainbow tinged hair, streaked through like... wait for it... a rainbow. Not all that surprising, I know.
The other people left were female as well. Along with Pinkie Pie -who would not fucking leave, even after everyone else had left- I was left with someone named 'Carrot Top', 'Ditzy Doo', and another girl the same age as Applebloom and the rest named Twist.
Twists title stated she was a 'confectioner'. I guess that meant she made confections. Or something. I dunno.
"Can I help you with something?" I asked the new girl, who at this point hadn't said a word to me. She'd been talking to the other three girls for a bit, but again, not a word to me.
Seeing as she had been asleep in my living room not five minutes previous, I would be well within my rights to assume that as a bit rude. She definitely looked a bit startled by my question.
"Uh, I wath wondering," she began, lisping all the way. I'm sure she had an interesting story to go along with that, seeing as no one else around here had a lisp. Or maybe they did. I'd spoken to precious few people so far. The sleepy people didn't count, they were barely coherent as they shoveled food into their mouths. "Uh... I kinda thtill have a book from the library, and itth three dayth late?" she fixed me with a 'cute' look, eyes wide and 'puppy dog-ish'.
"I see no problem with a late book, as long as it's returned," I replied succinctly. I'd have to see what the hell the procedure for late books was. If they didn't have late fees, I could try to set something up with the mayor. If she handled stuff like that. Being my own boss was kinda weird.
"I have seventeen books checked out," Pinkie Pie oh so helpfully added, leaning on the girls shoulder, "only one of them involves cooking," she added in a loud whisper.
"Delightful," I stated with false cheer. "It always does my heart good to see folks with a passion for reading."
I was well versed in the bullshit public face technique. Smile, pretend that you actually enjoy the presence of others and they'll come back again to eventually give your place of business additional portions of money on a regular basis. Employers don't give a shit if you have a bad attitude. They just don't want you to show it while you're working. As long as you pretend to be enjoying yourself, they're happy.
"How come you weren't back for the party last night?" Scootaloo questioned, as Twist fell back into line beside Applebloom.
"I took Argos and Hax for a walk," I lied, spreading my hands wide to give off an unconscious sense of 'I'm telling the truth'. Body language is just as important as the words when you lie. "We kinda got lost, spent a fair bit longer out than I would have liked."
Appleblooms face scrunched up in thought, "Who's Argos?" she asked, tilting her head.
Crap. Just my luck, I now had to explain how I changed his name. How could I say this as simply as possible, without irritating myself?
"Uh, Mr. Scruffaluss didn't seem to like his name all that much," I started, glad that Argos was still snoring away in the tub upstairs. It was just water, but you pressurize it enough and it stings like a bitch. "So... I kinda just listed off names until he gave me a happy sounding bark."
The three each gave an understanding nod, whereas the others each had varying looks of non-understanding. Well, Pinkie still had this stupid grin on her face. But the other two didn't really look like they were part of the conversation.
"And you, miss?" I asked, directing my attention to one of the last of my 'guests' -that still wouldn't fucking leave for some reason- "It seems my couch was comfortable enough to lure one mare back to sleep," I nearly slipped over the word 'mare', but Pinkie had been vigilant upon using it when referring to nearly half the people that had been asleep in the living room. "-and perhaps concerns regarding books kept yet another," I eyed Twist, noting that she avoided my gaze as she blushed. Interesting. New guy in town, guess *I* was marginally as well. "And as far as I can tell, Pinkie just wants to make sure I don't feel left out... but surely I'm not handsome enough to keep yet another mare such as yourself from whatever duties you might yet have this fine morning?" I ended, carefully observing her reaction.
What? Her tits were nice. Didn't want to be caught staring, though. The leather jerkin she wore strained visibly under the strain, only partially hidden beneath the folds of a long billowing cloak.
She gave me a subdued smile, the action reaching her eyes as she said, "My, and such a gentlemane? As it so happens, Applebloom informed me you might be looking for some odd jobs? I might have a few things you could take of..."
Hmmm. Well I did need a few bits. And I couldn't just disappear during the day, especially after bugging out so soon. Someone was bound to notice. I wasn't nearly smart enough yet to bamboozle everyone around me like I wanted to. Their entire culture was different than what I was used to, I'd have to do some research. Hopefully this small town library would have a history book or two.
Okay. Plan. I'd get rid of the remainder of my guests and find a book or two to hopefully clue me into common things around here. Landmark names, frequently evoked deities, if I could figure out who the heck ran things around here...
If there was some sort of king or emperor, I sure as fuck didn't want to make a complete fool out of myself by doing something that would right away clue others in to the fact I didn't know anything about anything.
Maybe there was a president. As unlikely as that was, regarding the fantasy surroundings.
After that, I'd spend a little more time leveling up power strike or something. Then I'd go ahead and head over to Carrot Tops'... house or whatever, and earn a little money so I could eventually buy my new clothes off of Rarity.
"Hello there," holy fucking shit where did she come from. Ditzy Doo. I completely forgot about her. I didn't even notice when she snuck up and dominated my whole field of vision. I was doing that a lot recently. Not paying attention to my surroundings, anyway.
She had a messy mop of dandelion yellow hair sprouting from her head, cascading over her shoulders and down her back in a large swathe. She wore a set of dull grey robes adorned with a motif of a pattern of bubbles that curled up over her shoulder, which swallowed up her form and hid it from view. This made her bright golden eyes stand out even more than they already did, what with how they were both looking off in opposite directions.
Her right eye stared straight at me, while her left eye wandered around to ponder a wall somewhere behind me. I barely resisted the urge to look behind me, to see if she was actually focusing on something other than me.
I wasn't fast enough to react as she grabbed my hand, and pumped it up and down in a handshake. She tilted her head and gave me a smile, tightening her grip as she did so. It quickly became painful, almost unbearably so.
"Your words are as pure as the expression on your face," she claimed, the smile refusing to leave her lips. She finally let go, and it was all I could do to keep myself from wringing it in pain. At least I managed to keep my own smile. She was obviously trying to get a rise out of me, and I couldn't risk her actually getting mad.
She had to be at least fifty levels above me, if the question marks where her level should be over her head were any notification. God knows how strong she actually was. Worst thing was she obviously knew I was lying, and putting on a false air to ingratiate everyone around me.
Why didn't she simply say so, if she knew? Did she not want others to know for some reason? If so, why?
I didn't get a chance to ask her, even if I wanted to. After saying her piece, she turned on a heel and left. Chuckling all the while. The moment was kinda tarnished however, by the fact that she trod on the excess of her voluminous robe and careened into the doorway. She bonked off the door frame, landing on her back as she cradled her face in her hands.
"I'm okay!" she called out suddenly, thrusting a closed fist upwards. She quickly got to her feet, brushing herself off before she made her escape.
"That mare," Carrot Top sighed.
"Yeah," Scootaloo agreed, shaking her head in amusement. "Is it just me, or is Ditzy Doo acting more derpy than usual?"
"Can never tell with that mare," Applebloom added. "Seems like most days her head's in the clouds, but... you never can tell with her..."
"She was really sweet, though," Sweetiebelle stated, cooing softly, "She said mister Colt was pure! Even she can see it!~"
I think she was romanticizing it. Oh well, at least as long as the rest of them didn't pick up on the undertones of what she had said.
"Now now," I started, drawing their attention, "Even if the mare is... 'derpy', one shouldn't gossip on such topics. It's quite rude, and unbecoming of fine young ladies such as yourselves," I chastised. My to my delight, each of them had varying degrees of embarrassment stamped on their faces.
"Geez, you almost sound like Sweetiebelles sister," Scootaloo complained, her wings fluffing slightly behind her.
I assume that was an insult. The winged one did give off the air of a tomboy, acting proper around her might end up in diminished returns in regards to how she viewed me. If she viewed me as something undesirable, I might lose that bonus EXP I was getting with them as my teachers. I distinctly remembered something about minus reputation regarding two other people in the description, so I had to assume that I could potentially put her off and dip below the required reputation cap or something.
If there was a required reputation cap. I was still guessing as I went along... and I couldn't risk coming up with a wrong answer this early in the game.
Not if I wanted... to be able to stand my ground if...
It didn't help to dwell on that now. I'd grow stronger, and tackle that problem once I came to it.
"Miss...Top? Was it?" I asked, turning my attention back to my fiery haired guest. "I would much appreciate the chance to get out and do some old fashioned work today, so your offer is very much desirable."
I turned back to the trio -sans confectioner, who had buggered off when I wasn't paying attention- , giving them a short nod, "My apologies, as much as I would love to spend my morning learning something new from you, I really must start cataloging the library and taking stock of what I've been left with. If wanted, you could assist me in-"
"Gah, that sounds hecka boring," Scootaloo groaned, her wings slumping in irritation.
"I actually just wanted to wish you a happy morning seeing as I had to go home from the party early. Plus I have to help my mom in the shop today," Sweetiebelle groused, drawing a groan from Applebloom as well.
"Yeah, I still have a bunch of chores on the farm ah gotta do," Applebloom stated tiredly. "I can come back once I'm done, though! Not sure how much help ah'd be regardin'... catalogin' or whatever, but I'd still be willing to help!"
"Call me once you're doing something interesting, k?" Scootaloo asked, giving a small wave as she backed out of the front door. "Laters!"
"Scoots!" Sweetiebelle protested, following closely on her heels. Applebloom also followed swiftly, leaving me alone with the carrot themed lady.
And Rainbow Dash. She was still snoring away on my couch. I'd kick her out eventually, if it got too distracting. Or if she loitered for too long.
"Miss Top, seeing as I'm currently unaware as to where you currently reside, would you mind coming back later to escort me?" I asked, quirking my eyebrow.
"Ooh ooh ooh!" Pinkie Pie squealed, waving her arm in the air above her head. "I can do that, I can do iiiit! I don't have anywhere to be today so I can just hang out and help him with stuff then when he's ready I can show him around town and introduce to everypony so he can have looooooots of friends!~" she crowed, a wide smile stretched across her face.
"Oh, would you Pinkie?" Carrot Top prompted, matching her smile in turn. "That would definitely help me out, I don't think I'll have time to come back and show him what all I want him to do, I just have so much to do today..."
"Don't chu worry Toppy, I'll get him there, no problem!"
Hey... wait... I... didn't agree to this...
Physical Endurance has gone up a level!
Kinda fucking late to the party, aren't you? If that was from the handshake the perceptive one had given me. I couldn't see anything else I could have gotten from it. This newest revelation was more of a mental attack. I don't think I could stand this girl for long periods of time.
She just had that personality. Hyper, and bubbly. The kind of person that always wants to be involved in everything you're doing, leaving you without a shred of privacy. If I couldn't shake her loose soon, I might be left with a limpet for the rest of the day.
Reeeeeeaaaaaaally regretting giving her a cup of coffee.
Maybe she'd power through the caffeine, and end up tired? I could hope, for all the good that would do.
"Thank you Pinkie, you're a lifesaver!" Carrot Top declared, giving me another smile as she turned to leave. "Mr. Nice son," she said to me as she gave me a nod. Niscon. Not 'nice son'. Why the fuck does everyone around here sound it out like its multiple words?
I was left alone with the pink terror, said nuisance looping an arm over my shoulder. Oh well, as annoying as she was, her chest felt surprisingly nice pressed against my arm. Reminded me of my ex, similar size.
And there go my warm and fuzzies. Fucking bitch. Even in nothing more than memory she was robbing me of lifes little pleasures.
"Please miss, don't touch me," I stated, sliding out of her grasp. I flinched at the hurt expression that flitted across her face, quickly amending that with, "Sorry, just... bad memories. If you wouldn't mind?"
The hurt in her expression quickly disappeared, replaced with her signature grin. "Hmmm... kay!"
A bit too quick for me to count it as normal. Who knew what was going on in her dome. If there was room in her head with her friggin smile taking up so much space. I gave what I hoped was a warm smile, tilting my head slightly as I did so. Body language, remember.
"So whats first? Are you going to make more pancakes? Ooh, maybe we can make it a game! Like, if you had this one thing, and then I started from the other side, and we both had a score thingy and they held it on the other side of the bridge by softly so it doesn't tangle and then you just sorta jumped over it like hop scotch and-"
I stopped listening to her. I had no fucking clue what she was talking about. I fear listening any further might have invited permanent brain damage. Or at the very least, a persistent migraine.
Making it a game... if she only knew how close that term applied to everything I was involved in recently. Her hair bounces when she talks.
I couldn't really do all of what I wanted with an outside observer standing there, watching me. She might ask questions, like 'why are those books disappearing?' or 'why are you shouting out "power strike" while swinging around that cudgel?' How annoying. And she seemed to have a fetish for parties, god only knew what she'd think of if I told her about my party ability. Oh good god no. No no no no no. Not if her current attitude was anything to go by. I wasn't sure if this girl was the kind I wanted to encourage to stick around me. Maybe if she was slightly calmer, but... agh, she was STILL talking.
"-and I said that's not a banana, that's my mother!" with this, she clutched her sides and stifled a snort.
"I... yes. Quite humorous," I lied, turning away to regard the sleeping pegasus.
Still asleep. Even with Pinkie Pie being... dare I even assume that she's like this on a daily basis? We weren't being quiet, that's for sure. Her wings curled behind her, one draping off the side and sweeping against the floor, while the other acted as a blanket on top of her. It actually looked kinda comfortable...
No, wait, I'm still trying to be mad at her. Stealing my couch without even asking. Loitering. Sleeping... peacefully. Actually looked kinda cute, when she wasn't awake to make all those tired looking expressions I'd seen as she tore into her pancakes...
Bah, whatever. One thing I'd noticed pretty quickly, almost every single chick I saw here was pretty attractive. Hadn't seen anyone less than a six yet, at least.
"If she isn't awake by the time I want to leave, should I try to get her up and kick her out?" I asked, eyeing her carefully. Her chest rose and fell peacefully, oblivious to my concerns.
"Dashy?" she asked, giving her an oblivious once over before returning her attention to me. Lucky me. "She's slept on that old couch so many times I'd be surprised if she hadn't worn an impression into it by now. Old Cinnamon Swirl always let her sleep on it whenever she wanted. She's always had a bit of a habit of napping in trees, heehee~" she snickered to herself, leaning against my shoulder before I took a step to the side and shrugged her off.
"Quite. Perhaps I should just give her that one and buy a new one for myself," I mused, ignoring the look that flashed across her face. She was obviously a touchy feely kind of person. I didn't really feel like being felt up by some random person I didn't really know, though. "Maybe then I'll be able to keep my living room to myself... That reminds me. Pinkie."
"Yep!" she belted out, striking a pose.
"I don't know exactly how things worked around here before, but for now and the foreseeable future this library is going to be my personal residence. If you plan to throw a party in here, I would appreciate if you would at the very least get my permission."
Pinkie didn't look like she payed that much attention to my words, seeing as her expression -a wide smile, something I think might be the universal constant for this girl...- didn't shift for a second. "Kay!"
At least she still seemed to be listening to me. Sorta.
While she continued to dance around and ramble on regarding topics I didn't bother to become invested in, I searched the library for any documentation. If I could find a folder full of papers telling me exactly every single book that the library had, that would have been wonderful.
Sadly, after about an hour I finally interrupted Pinkie Pie to ask her a question. She had been talking about something regarding trombones and ... 'parites' or something, but I couldn't tell you 100% for sure. After asking if she knew if the last guy had kept a list or anything she knew about, I learned my entire last hour had been wasted.
Cinnamon Swirl had fucking eidetic memory. The old bastard had kept everything in his head, he NEVER put anything down on paper. I mean yeah, he did have paper, he had forms and stuff for acquisition and so on I could potentially use to order more books from some place called 'Canterlot'.
And Manehatton. And Las Pegasus. Chicoltgo. All the fucking towns here were horse puns. I didn't know whether to laugh or scratch out my eyes in indignation.
So I would have to catalogue everything myself. Fan-friiiickin-tastic. From scratch. My was not is happies.
Swirl hadn't kept his shit in alphabetical order, title or author. I couldn't really get a feel for whatever the hell his system had been, if he even had had a system and didn't just put the books back up on the shelf at random. I wouldn't be surprised.
Would you like to learn (Basic Plumbing)?
Seventh book and it turned out to be a skill book. Yay. Too bad it was only a non combat skill. I wrote the title down on my list, added the author name and put a smiley mark next to it. I'd come back and use it later, once I was rid of Pinkie Pie.
"What's the smiley for?"
"Just keeping tabs of especially interesting looking tomes. I want to be sure I don't forget about them."
And so it went.
Basic Plumbing. Individual Magic Effect Identifier. Pigment Shift. Basic Repair. Dust Begone. Wing Brace. Aileron Roll. Barrel Roll. Warm. Cool. Cleanse. Soothe. Target. Basic Fishing. Alter Odor. Beginners Summon Marked Item. Beginners Telekinesis. Light. Nightlight. Alter Flavor. High Pitch. Featherfall. Muffle. Detect Animosity. Detect Decay. Detect Pie.
Out of all the potential skills I was able to find and keep track of, 'detect pie' definitely sounded like the most useful. I don't know whether I'm joking about that or not. I suppose the tk spell might eventually become useful, but that 'beginner' tag on the front of it pissed me off.
Regardless, the spells or whatever in this library just seemed to be weak, pointless spells. I don't know what I was expecting from a rustic, nowhere seeming town, but at the very least I was hoping for something cool.
Nothing says 'badass spellcaster' like a guy running across a field screaming 'detect pie!' as he waves his arms around.
I couldn't even risk trying to learn any of the skills, the girl never left me alone for a second. She seemed to be placated with my intermittent replies of 'mmhmm' and 'huh' well enough, so I didn't have to listen to her all that closely.
I gave up on cataloguing the rest of the library, I couldn't really do what I wanted with the pink haired girl staring over my shoulder. I went back upstairs, waking up Hax and Argos as I did so. Hax happily leaped back up on my shoulder, but Argos replied with a gout of water when I asked if he wanted to come along with me to my little 'job' or whatever Carrot Top had for me.
Spiteful little brat. I let him turn back over and go back to sleep, I'd just have to make him run more later.
Lore Time with Shy
Discord
Discords First Curse.
A thousand years before the appearance of Nightmare Moon, a draconequus by the name of Discord ruled the land. He twisted the world with chaotic magics, forcing ponies to serve him and be as his playthings.
All was not hopeless as it appeared, as salvation came in the form of a group of alicorns. They pitted their magic against the draconequus, a valiant effort that eventually drove Discord off.
He left, but not before he cursed the family that had fought him. "Yours will be the last," he stated, "Ne'er again shall an alicorn be born. And all who come after... may they die just as swiftly, bereft and in torment.
The years passed in relative peace, and the family learned that indeed the draconequus' words proved true. They were incapable of birthing new life, and a worrying event had occurred.
An ascended alicorn, by name of 'Periwinkle Portier' had realized the depths and extent of loyalty, and become the protector of his village. The family had been ecstatic to hear of the ponies success, but heartbroken when merely a month later they returned to find his village burned to the ground. Bones of the villagers were found, chewed clean by monsters unknown. The bones of an alicorn were prominently displayed in the center of the corpses.
Setting out did nothing to curb Pinkies endless rant on anything and everything, instead adding another annoyance to her bottomless source of air. She kept on pulling me aside every few steps, introducing me to new people. Ponies. Whatever.
"This is Junebug," she stated, pulling me off the street and forcing my hand into another handshake with another person, "She's as pretty as a picture, as warm as the warmest hug!" she declared happily. The lady blushed slightly at Pinkies words, but we were gone before I could even utter a 'pleasure to meet you'.
"This is Lotus Blossom and her sister Aloe! They run the Ponyville Spa!"
"This is Mane Goodal, she runs the Pet Vet Emporium and Ink Pot with Silver Quill."
"This is Roma, she mostly grows tomatoes, but she also works with Toppy and grows carrots-"
"This is Torch song, she sings in the Pony Tones with Rarity and Big Macintosh!"
"This is Cheese Sandwich! He's not supposed to be here for a few more seasons and I'm going to deny my knowledge of him in the future for story purposes!"
"This is Mrs. Cake! I work for her!"
"This is Candy Mane! She works with me part time and makes her own stuff all the other time!"
"This is Doseydotes, she works for the flower trio and can grow a magnolia so scrumptious it will melt in your mouth," she crooned, stopping for a mere second to let me catch my breath. Well, not completely a whole second. Like a quarter of one before we shot off once more and I found my hand thrust into another one in so many seconds.
"This is Doc Top! He's a pediatrician! He used to make house calls back when I was an itty bitty little Twinkie Pinkie!"
"Wait, wait wait wait," I pleaded, saving my hand as I tried to catch my breath. I had to distract her for a few seconds, get her to concentrate on something besides me... Wait... we were...
"Why are we back at the library?" I asked, screwing my eyebrow up to better portray my confusion and irritation. We were standing right back where we had started, regardless of all the traveling we had done in the past few minutes. "I thought you were showing me the way to Carrot Tops place?"
She gave me a wide smile. Was starting to get annoyed at that. "Well how are you supposed to make new friends if I don't let you meet them?"
Great. Wonderful. "I don't need you to introduce me to new ponies, Pinkie," I assured her. I could damned well do that shit on my own. "That limits the interaction especially seeing as you only allowed me to see each of them for a few seconds, and cheapens the relationship seeing as I didn't initiate it myself."
She seemed to deflate for a couple seconds, staring at me as her smile slowly waned. And then like a switch flipped, her smile went back to normal.
"Kay!"
... I... shit, well I guess 'kay' is better than nothing. She wasn't dragging me around and trying to drown me in introductions after that, so that was pleasant.
She actually took me to Carrot Tops after that, so I guess miracles do come true. Occasionally. To add on that, she seemed to catch onto my wanting her to leave me alone, leaving me to fend for myself at Carrot Tops. Surprisingly, it turns out that the scary lady from before lived with her, and had a tendency to... Offer food.
I don't know why.
"Muffin?" She had asked, an innocent smile stretched across her face as she stared at me and a pot off to the side. I accepted the muffin. It had blueberries. It was yummy. Still no idea why she offered it, though.
I painted a room. She was initially going to have Ditzy Doo do it, but apparently she was sensitive to the fumes or something. Apparently the 'pros' had asked for an outrageous fee for the project, simply because she lived slightly near the edge of town and would have 'taken them longer to get there'.
As it was, the quest window that popped up promised me twenty five bits and seventeen EXP, as well as a skill called 'Painter'. After I was done, Carrot Top came back in from tending her plant beds and gave me thirty bits. Apparently outrageous is somewhere upwards of 'sixty' bits. She seemed pleased with the job, anyway.
Painting is easy, if tedious. Putting down plastic, taping shit up, and then repetitive movements. It took longer than I thought it would because Hax kept on lapping up the paint. Guess he liked the taste. I couldn't really let him eat it as he pleased though, in case I ran out. So regardless, I finally finished.
Got the money and EXP the quest promised me, but it got screwy once I got to the skill it said it would give me. Apparently it wasn't a skill at all, and was what my Gamer ability called a 'title'.
Painter
Quality of jobs done while title (Painter) is active have a 10% chance to be 2X greater quality.
+20% EXP gain to skill (Painting).
5% chance per brush stroke to not use up applied paint.
Paint will last twice as long once applied.
Quests that involve the skill (Painting) have a greater chance of being generated.
Cutiemarks that involve the skill (Painting) have a greater chance of being gained.
Does not apply to the skill/title (Artist).
Interesting. Thankfully, after the message about the title faded away another one popped up saying I had gained a skill called 'painting'. All it did was give me an additional 5% chance to not use up paint per stroke. So I guess that was good, but it was a little pointless. Unless I wanted to seek out painting jobs specifically, which I didn't really think I would be with my 'odd jobs' search still going on. I could... but I really didn't want to become a one trick pony. I'd ultimately prefer to find a set of jobs that required me to move around more, let me use up physical skills without anyone noticing. Couldn't really use up MP on 'power strike' during painting...
An image flashed through my head, of me swinging a paintbrush around like a hammer with a scowl on my face as I attacked a wall. Heh, I highly doubt that would end well.
I had been using Starswirls meditation thingy during my activity, but I hadn't seemed to gain quite as much EXP as I had previously. I assume it was the situation in context that caused the variance, but I honestly have no idea.
Whatever. It is as it is.
LORE TIME WITH SHY
Discord
Discords Second Curse
The family tracked down the draconequus, eager to force him to right the wrongs he had placed on the heads of those uninvolved. He had set up in a neighboring land, tormenting the inhabitants there as he had those before. The family saw their folly, knowing they must be rid of the draconequus so that all might live in peace.
He laughed at their appearance, mocking them and their 'so called strength'. Using his powers, he cast yet another curse upon them, and all ponies he could imagine.
"You shall never have harmony with others. You and all those you protect shall ever be segregated for naught but appearance alone!"
With but a cackle and wave of his claw, the draconequus disappeared.
The family looked upon themselves in wonderment and horror, disgusted by their new appearances. Pale flesh stretched where once fur had covered, and upon their return they found that those they protected were in similar straights.
They searched tirelessly for the draconequus past that day, but the family grew worried. With all their strength, all they had managed was driving the creature off. They needed something more.
After I got through inspecting my new skill, Carrot Top came back in and gave me another quest. Milk run. As I was led to believe there was a herd of cows living in the fields next to a farm called 'Sweet Apple Acres'. After she gave me directions, I set off with the bits she gave me to buy two jars of milk. One normal, the other bottle 'enhanced'. Whatever that meant. She had given me ten bits for regular, then fifty for the enhanced, so maybe it really was 'enhanced'. Somehow. I was supposed to ask for someone named named 'Bessie'.
Once I was pointed in the right direction, I naturally set off. About twenty minutes of walking off into the outskirts of town, and I met up with someone I was... 'happy', I guess, to meet again.
"Big Mac," I greeted, stretching a smile across my face as he quirked an eyebrow in retaliation. "A pleasure to see you!"
"Colt," he replied evenly, adjusting the harness that led back to the large cart filled with barrels. I think I saw mounds of apples peeking over the tops of them, but it could very well have been any fruit at this angle. "Out for a walk?"
"Kinda. I'm doing odd jobs. Milk run for Carrot Top," I explained, gesturing with the two empty jugs in my hands. Hax gave a happy bark at the movement, fixing Big Mac with a dopey grin. "I'm supposed to go talk to some lady named 'Bessie'? Know who I'm talking about?"
Macs slightly antagonistic expression slowly faded as he pondered my words. One of veiled amusement slowly overtook his features as he gave his response.
"Eeeeyup."
I waited for a couple seconds for him to expound further, only to receive silence. Oh. So he was this type of smartass. Wonderful.
"Okay, so you know who I'm talking about, do you know where I can find her?"
"...Eeeeyup."
"You know," I started in a simpering tone, trying to give him an earnest look. "I can't read your mind, Mac. Add to that I don't quite know you well enough yet to properly gauge the unspoken information you think you're portraying with your single word answers. Mind not making fun of me for a minute or two so I can properly do the job someone is counting on me to do for them?"
Hax nipped at my ear, causing me to drop my forced expression as I danced around in sudden pain. With one last yelp, I held him out at arms length. Little jerk didn't even look apologetic, tongue flopping out as he panted away happily.
"You're lucky you're cute," I mumbled, placing him back on my shoulder. Big Mac had been watching me make a fool of myself, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Keep followin' the road," he stated suddenly, jerking his head behind him. "Once ya get to the orchards, jes follow the sounds of applebuckin'. Tell mah sis ya need to buy some milk."
"Oh. K. Thanks."
With a shove of his shoulders, he made the cart he was fastened to lurch forward as he continued on his merry way. The wheels of his cart groaned in protest, belying just how heavy his load was. And he didn't even have a fucking horse or anything to pull it for him, he just went up and pulled it along himself, like some kind of humanoid ox on drugs. In full armor, too. If I was pulling a cart, I'd be taking off every scrap of metal I could. Didn't seem to bother him all that much, though.
The title thingy that the painting job had given me was pretty darned useless, looking back on it. It gave me bonuses to painting, which was good I guess. If I found myself continuously painting. Which I really didn't see myself actively seeking out any time in the future.
I trundled down the road for a couple minutes, glad to be rid of his presence. Then something occurred to me. Something I should have asked about the second I heard it.
"What the hell is an applebuck, and what the fuck does it sound like!?" I yelled in frustration back down the road where Big Mac had since disappeared.
Smug jerk.
LORE TIME WITH SHY
Discord
Excerpt from 'Our Lost Heritage; A Historians Musings; by Lyra Heartstrings.
-which is why congenital traits can still be found in our bodies to this date. Any mortician or teacher with a prop skeleton can tell you a key similarity we share with other races on Equus. They'll tell you the same that I am, that attached to your spine? Right down at the bottom is what is known as a 'tail bone'. That's right, even with the pre-established curse of Discord, our bodies still yearn for what was. Even though we no longer have tails like our ancestors, like our pony cousins of today, our bodies still desire to return to what was. In a discussion I had with a scholar from Bitbridge regarding why ponies still refer to hooves as hooves despite no longer having cloven-
'Applebucking' apparently was the sound of a person kicking a tree. Roundhouse kicking it to boot. I'd mock how silly it looked, for this chick in full armor -just like her brother, I guess- to be kicking trees with the hope that the shock would cause them to drop their fruit, but for one specific fact.
It was working. With each twist of her hips to thrust out her leg, her cowboy boot covered foot smacked into the trees with the force of a truck. She aimed high, weaving her kick in between low hanging branches. I could feel the impact in my teeth, sending me a shudder through my spine each time. Even at a distance it was jarring.
You want to know the weirdest thing? Every time she kicked a tree, every fruit in the tree fell, perfectly landing in the baskets that were placed around each tree.
If anything was magic, that sure fucking was.
Introducing myself proved to be an exercise in patience similar to dealing with Pinkie Pie. She was stupidly friendly, and sure as fuck didn't know her own strength. Got another burst of EXP towards 'endurance', what with her crushing my hand in a handshake and pumping my arm so hard it felt like she was going to tear my arm out of the socket...
Gave me a welcome to 'their farm', after I told her that her brother had given me directions. Told her I was here on a milk run, and that I was supposed to ask for someone named 'Bessie'. She offered to introduce me, saying she could use a little break.
She trailed me out of the orchards, leading me out into a wide open field.
And right when I thought my day couldn't get any fucking weirder. Bessie was not a person. She wasn't a pony either, far from it.
Centaurs.
Cows were fucking centaurs in this crazy fucked up world. They had the normal main body of a cow, right up until the body got to the neck. Then out of where a normal head should grow, the upper body of a human popped out. It was seriously the goofiest, most disturbing thing I've ever seen. Made even more disturbing by the realization that the reason I was here was for milk.
Their upper bodies were distinctly human, but they didn't seem to be much enthused in the concept of clothing. Like the zebra lady I had met, a simple wrap around the breasts seemed to be enough for them.
I didn't see any guys. Bulls. Whatever. I didn't see any. Maybe they were off at work. I honestly knew nothing about them or their culture. Worse, if I didn't want to fail my current quest, I'd have to dance around on eggshells and act like nothing was wrong.
Nothing at all. With the cow human abominations that were hanging out in a field with two headed cow things.
Oh yeah, did I forget to mention the two headed freaks of nature that were grazing every few yards? The 'cow-taurs' treated them as if they were pets, patting one on the side or even talking to them in 'baby voice'. The quick observe I flashed said they were called 'brahmin'. Which was weird, seeing as I distinctly remember hearing that name from a video game. From what game, I couldn't remember.
Their description was even stranger, saying they weren't kept for their meat. They were kept to 'promote life energy around a farmland'. Whatever the fuck that meant.
"Ooooh, Carrot Top?" Bessie droned, staring at me with unfocused eyes. Looking at them up close, they weren't particularly dirty, persay. They stank, definitely. But it wasn't sharp, filth musk you get from horses or other farm animals. It actually smelled kind of sweet, and mixed well with the scent of grass. They... didn't seem to put a lot of effort into their hair, though. Each and every single one of them had dreadlocks, matted hair that hung past their waists. Necks. Cow necks, human waists.
God, cows were going to be a fucking pain to refer to, I just know it.
"She's such a dear," Bessie continued, giving me a slow smile. "And you are too, helping her out when she has so much stuff on her plate..." she trailed off, smiling happily off into the distance.
It wasn't that I thought of her as... well, stupid, but she definitely gave off that specific vibe. You know what I'm talking about. Hippies. They aren't dumb, but they have that feeling of detachment from their surroundings. Like they're pondering stuff inside their heads and don't see fit to share with the rest of us.
She waved her hand, flagging down some guy I didn't see before. The name tag above his head said his name was 'Azure Berry', but beside that he didn't look all that impressive. Level sixteen, normal guy with no wings or horn.
"This young lad is working for Carrot Top," she explained to the guy as he got closer, " You have the containers?" she directed at me.
I gave her a breathless nod, holding out the jars as I contemplated whether to make a run for it or not. I didn't see any barrels or anything sitting out here in the field, and it wasn't like she was just going to produce the milk out in the middle of a field. And it certainly wasn't going to be her giving the milk, she was obviously the boss or coordinator.
They probably kept stores in one of the barns over there. Placed in refrigerators or something to make sure it didn't go bad.
My assumptions were shattered as she handed a jar to the guy, he gave me a sharp nod, knelt down, gave a couple heavy breaths on his hands to warm them up and started milking her.
Just... right the fuck in front of me. Like it wasn't completely, unutterable fucking crazy to not feel the slightest bit of shame at such a thing to happen out in the open. To compound on my self preservations' silent screaming, Bessie went ahead and popped one of her massive tits out of her bra-sling-thing. And then she just started milking herself into the other jar.
The fuck was wrong with this place.
"Hoooweee, yer face done gotten redder than one o' our apples," Applejack trumpeted, drawing a motherly smile from Bessie as she continued her ministrations. "Wassamatter city-colt? Never seen a cow give milk before?"
"Never actually seen a cow before today," I choked out, averting my eyes. I'd seen NORMAL fucking cows before. Back in elementary our class went down to a farm, I actually got to milk a cow for a few minutes. It was a WHOLE nother situation when you attached human intelligence to the fucking thing.
"Well, no wonder yer actin so antsy. It's perfectly natural, it's where milk comes from after all," she explained, snaking an arm around my shoulder. She was taller than me. "Can't have milk iffin ya don't pay the cow!" She slowly wrenched me back into a position where I was forced to watch. "See? Aint nuthin' wrong with it."
I was seriously tempted to punch her in the face and run while I could. I highly doubt I could give her one good enough to knock her off her feet though, seeing as she she was level 31, six levels below her brother. Still a crappton higher than my sorry ass.
"Yes," I stated dully, trying to force my body to stop shoving blood up into my face.
"Gee Colt-"
"Colton," I interrupted, an unconscious effect that was becoming more and more common as time went on.
"-yer stiffer than a fence post! Ya need to loosen up, else-wise the heat will go straight through to yer bones," she continued as if she hadn't heard my outburst. "In fact..."
Bessie had by this point finished filling up the jar in her hands. Azure was still at work on her... udders. I don't even want to speculate as to why that was taking him longer.
"Ey Bessie, you carry extra jars just in case, right?" Applejack asked, a smile filtering its way across her face. At Bessies nod, she continued. "Ah know ya just gave, but do ya think ya could fill up another? I'll add the money for it to the chest."
Bessie gave her a warm smile, bobbing her head. She reached behind her, picking through a pair of saddlebags that were draped over her cow... body. She pulled out a jar and turned back to us.
"It's no trouble at all dearie, just give me a minute." With this she tucked the breast she had been milking back into her sling. And then she took out her other one. I won't regale you with what she did to it. I think you know.
God, damn this was uncomfortable. The sooner I could get the jars and fucking leave the better. Averting my eyes helped a little, seeing as Applejack stifled Bessies slight moans by telling me exactly what it was she ate to help make the best tasting milk.
I couldn't pay attention all that well. I wasn't trying to at this point, humming a song inside my head to distract myself.
Finally she stopped doing... eeurgh. Things. The guy went off back into the fields. giving me another nod as he pushed the filled jar into my hands.
Applejack took both of the jars from Bessie, taking a hard swig from one of them.
"...hoooo! That's the good stuff. Ya'll outdone yourself with this batch," she told Bessie, who wore a bright smile at the praise. Applejack wiped a hand across her upper lip, thrusting the jar into my face with her other.
"Go on, take a swig! Best milk y'all ever done taste, I guarantee it!"
Shit. I felt... kinda bad. Nauseous. I really didn't want to swallow that, that was NOT my fucking fetish.
"I," I opened my mouth, intent on letting her know I wasn't all that thirsty. This proved to be a lapse in judgement, seeing as she took this opportunity to shove the jar in my face and tip the liquid down my throat.
I sputtered, swallowing half of it as the other half dribbled down my shirt front. It was... it actually tasted pretty damned good. it wasn't anything like milk in the stores, it was sweet and... I don't know how to describe it. I tasted good.
"So," whaddaya think?" Applejack crowed, snickering at my coughing fit. "Better'n water, am ah right?"
"It's... " my complaints died on my lips at Bessies expectant look. "This is honestly the best milk I've ever had. It's flavor is far more robust than that which I'm used to... and it's actually really sweet."
"Yep!" Applejack confirmed, pushing the jar into my hand after she took another drought. "You jes keep that, ya hear? Finish it at yer leisure, then ya'll can jes come back for a refill! Bessie here specializes in sweet milk, but iffin ya want somethin' more tart, there are others..."
I nodded, slowly raising the jar to my lips for another sip. It was really good.
LORE TIME WITH SHY
Discord
Discords Final Curse
They had found the tree. It's fruits in their grasp, they found Discord for the final time.
He laughed at their appearance, and yet even harder at the weapons they had brought with them.
The Sunrise held the fruit of Generosity.
The Dawn held the fruit of Kindness.
The Noon held the fruit of Magic.
The Twilight held the fruit of Laughter.
The Dusk held the fruit of Loyalty.
The Moonrise held the fruit of Honesty.
The beast of chaos laughed with even greater abandon as he recognized the fruits they had brought before him, and recognized that they barely even knew of what they held. He knew he could not flee, could not fight the power of the tree. He held his head high, and slammed his claw into the ground. Blackened bile rose up from the spot in a blighted spring, and encroached on the land around it.
He raised his head towards the family and laughed.
"Blight of the body," he stated, as his body turned to stone, "And blight of the mind!" he declared, leaving his final curse upon the familys heads.
Life continued, and in time the family forgot the draconequus' words. But it was not to be.
Noon was the first to fall. His body twisted yet further over the years, leaving him in torment and misery. When finally confronted with what he was becoming, a draconequus like the beast who had cursed him, the last vestiges of his sanity snapped. Noon was never seen again.
Dawn was the second to fall. She found her kindness stifled, overwhelmed by a tremendous hate that continued to flood her body. She was left as nothing more than a raging husk, and the remains of her family were forced to act. They used their magic to force her to sleep, and sealed her under the plains. Her rage emanated from her resting place, torching the land above her. In the years to come, all that was left was a desert, winds raging in attempt to mimic what lay beneath.
Dusk was the next to feel the effects of the curse. He heard hoofsteps behind him when nopony was there, and grew progressively more withdrawn. He assaulted his family when they tried to comfort him, claiming they were trying to kill him instead. He fled, digging a massive hole in the ground in his haste. He continued digging, e'er trying to get as far away as he could of others. The hole he made was eventually renamed 'Tartarus', in memory of Dusks late pet Tarranadontula.
Twilight was the next to fall. She was beset by a torpor of the body and mind, refusing to act. Refusing to laugh. Refusing to eat. Refusing to live. She faded away, her laughter on the wind the only reminder that she had ever existed.
The Sunrise and the Moonrise were left alone, mourning the fates of their family. But the beasts curse had not yet finally run its course. The Moonrise saw the ponies they watched over, and the honesty within her was twisted. She saw with jealousy that the ponies adored her final sister more than her, and attempted to right this perceived wrong.
The final two siblings fought, their magic ripping great canyons in the landscape in their fervor. The Sunrise grew worried that she wouldn't be able to save her sister, and saw what she eventually would become.
The Sunrise reached deep within herself, connecting with the fruit of Generosity, and through it the other fruits. She thrust their power into her sister, using them to seal her within her namesake. Sealed with a promise. With Generosity, she placed a blessing as much as she could upon her tormented sister. That her sleep would be peaceful, and that she would be given something that the Sunrise would be bereft of.
A chance.
And so the Sunrise sat alone.
Waiting.
After I delivered the milk, I made my way back home. I found myself once more unwillingly engrouped, a certain girl with bright pink fluffy hair refusing to leave me alone.
"No, Pinkie," I stated, denying her request for me to go back out and make a few more friends. "I made a few bits today, but I really must figure out what all I have to work with here," I pushed open the door I hadn't gone through yet, wincing as it creaked ominously inwards.
"Ooooh, sssssspooky!" she trilled, ignoring my veiled request for her to leave.
"Indeed," I muttered as I peered down the darkened stairwell.
"You know, we can still go out and make some new friends for you if you want..." she prompted.
"It's not like Equestria will implode if I don't make any friends, Pinkie," I groaned. I learned what the country was called. She talks a lot. And if her ramblings are to be believed, somehow her birth and her receiving something called a 'cutiemark' is how Equestria was 'saved'. I counted my blessings that I seemed to be able to drown her out most of the time.
Wait... that painter skill title thingy said it would make getting 'cutiemarks' easier or something.
"Hey Pinkie, I heard someone talk about something earlier, and then you used the word again recently," I prompted, muttering 'mana bolt' under my breath. The glowy ball of energy appeared in my hand, illuminating the dark stairway. It immediately tried to escape from its position above my hand, but I somehow managed to force it to stay static. Actually that was a stupid idea, now what the hell was I going to do with it? Whatever, I could just pop over to the ID and throw it at a wall or something.
"Ooooh, shiiiiny~," she crowed, poking her finger at it.
"No!" I belted out, moving it out of her range. "This is... explosive. I don't currently know any light spells, and this one seems to let off it's own glow..."
"Don't touch, got it. Don't want gooey bits from Pinkie Pie all over the place, do you?" she joked, nudging me with her shoulder. "What word?"
"...What?" I competently responded. What what word.
"The one! The one you were just going to ask me about, before you made a splodeyball!" she responded enthusiastically as she slowly followed me down the stairs. They creaked with age, although I was never afraid they would break under my weight.
"Oh. It might just be cultural differences, but I've heard you and others use a word that doesn't have any context to me. Can you explain to me what a 'cutiemark' is?" I asked, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. I heard Pinkie freeze up behind me, causing me to whip my head back towards her in confusion. She was standing stock still, staring at me in what I can only call complete and utter bafflement.
"You don't know what a cutiemark is?" she asked, her eyes wide and tears threatening to spill forth.
"Hey hey hey now, as I said my culture might just call it something different. Can you just tell me what it is?" I asked, refusing to let her devolve into hysterics. That was my job, goddamnit.
She gave a single sniff, then she was all smiles again. This little brat... "Weeeeeeell, it's that thing that comes to you once you find what you're reeeeeally good at, what your destined to fit in among the rest of the world, lets everypony know you're a true adult and ready to join the world and usually shows up as an image on your flanks and back?" she stated hopefully, drilling me with eyes threatening to burst into tears once again. God.
I had to say something, I really didn't want to deal with her theatrics.
"Oh, the Gedwey ignasia," I stated, thinking quickly. Originally what the hand mark thing had been called in the 'Eragon' series, it was thankfully a familiar enough title I could just whip it out and have it sound halfway believable. Don't look at me like that. The book series was entertaining. The name just stuck with me, that's all. "Literally means 'mark of magic'. Guess I should have picked up on it from the fact they both have mark in them... wait," I stated, faking confusion as I looked around the cramped basement. "How does your gaining your gedwey have anything to do with Equestria being saved? I don't think you illuminated that point very well."
The basement had a thick musty smell, that of paper and ink trapped in a cramped space. He had run a library, not surprising this Cinnamon guy had devoted an entire room to that sort of stuff. The walls were blanketed with bookshelves, their shelves sadly empty. He must have taken his private collection with him when he moved. Despite that, he seemed to have left me an old clothing dummy in the corner beside thick looking desk. Wonderful. I could use that as target practice, I guess.
There was a couple tools leaned up against the wall, a hoe, a sledgehammer and a spade shovel.
"Ooooh, look!" Pinkie crowed enthusiastically, picking a black looking rock off of the desk and shoving it in my face. These people really had to stop fucking doing that. "A kindle stone! We can use this to light everything up!" she pursed her lips, a thankful reprieve from her endless conversation. She almost went cross-eyed staring at the rock, as it slowly lit up and cast a white ghostly light on the room that mixed and combated the mana bolts light.
"Guess we don't need this anymore," I muttered, whispering 'ID Create' under my breath. The world briefly swam around me, returning to focus. Pinkie Pie was gone. Thank the lord, hallelujah! Praise be onto the human looking ponies! I quickly threw the mana bolt at the wall, wincing as my stupidity created a cloud of dust that choked me quite effectively. I withdrew, fruitlessly waving at the blackened air as I stumbled around in the now dark room. The back of my legs hit the edge of the desk, and I caught myself on its surface. My hand slid on a book, accidentally knocking it to the floor. I could feel two other books... shit I'd just pick up later.
Through A Careful Application Of Control, A New Skill Has Been Learned!
The Skill To Remotely Control the skill Mana Bolt, [Remote Mana Bolt], Has Been Created
Remote Mana Bolt(active & passive) LV 1 EXP: 0.00%
A skill that allows the user to remotely control the sphere made by (Mana Bolt)
Speed increases by WIS
.03MPH per point in WIS.
Huh. Cool. I hadn't even though about that, I had just been trying to keep the thing from blowing off and wrecking one of my walls. Like the powdered one I was currently inhaling. I waved the box away, eyeing the ratting clothes encircling the dummy in the box's ambient light before it disappeared.
"ID escape," I stated, coughing a little.
I was disappointed however, when I didn't immediately pop back into the real world.
"ID... escape," I stated again, more forcefully this time. Same result. "Oh you bogus fucking skill," I muttered to myself, placing a hand over my mouth as I made my way to the stairs. Like I was going to stand here and suffer. "Can't even fucking work when I need you to. ID escape," I coughed again, pleasantly surprised when I popped back.
"Colt!" Pinkie Pie gushed, still holding the crystal. The sudden light hurt my eyes, they were almost adjusted to the gloom of the other world. She crossed from where she had been standing in front of the desk, embracing me in a hug. I shrugged myself out of it as quickly as I could, eyeing the space she had been occupying.
She had been standing right where I had. Right when I had been trying to get back... Oh. Ooohhh~
ID escape wouldn't let me come back if my body was overlapping someones in the real world. That was good to know. I'd have to experiment, see if the same applied to random things. like doors.
"I thought you left without me," she pouted, fixing me with a glum look.
"No, just disposing of my... 'light'. Hey, where did the other books go?" I asked, pointing over to the desk. "They must have fallen off... screw it, this basement is creepy I'm going back up," I stated, making my way up the first few steps.
"No wait!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, grabbing my arm. "I have to ask you a question, and I have to ask it before you go back upstairs."
Bollocks, the fuck was she up to now?
"Okay," I said, carefully prying my hand free. "Go ahead, ask."
"Okay! SO, you remember how you were kinda irritated earlier and made me semi promise to ask you before I threw a party in the library again?"
"What do you mean, 'semi' promise?" I groused, fixing her with a sour look. She didn't seem to take notice, continuing as if she hadn't.
"Well I didn't Pinkie Promise-"
"What's that," I cut in, defying my desire to put the words 'the' and 'fuck' between what and that with a titanic effort.
"It's a Pinkie Promise! You know, cross my heart, hope to fly," she said, following the words with physical actions. "Put a cupcake in my eye! It's an absolute promise that can never be broken, and I didn't really give you a concrete answer back before. Not setting up parties, whatever the context kinda leaves me frazzled."
"Okay," I prompted, eager for her to get on with it so I could stop standing at the bottom of the creep, creaky stairs."So what are you getting at?"
"Well, I said I wouldn't throw a party without asking you, so I won't."
I waited for a couple seconds, waiting for her to continue. She didn't.
"And?"
"Would you mind if I threw you a party again tonight, this time an actual one you attend?"
Ehn. More socializing. Gaahhhh, here I was thinking I'd be able to grind some of my skills, alone, in the peace of my own home. Nope! Silly me, in the end all this ridiculous friend-making has kept me from it. Fuck. It could be worse I guess. She could have simply done it without my permission.
"Fine," I muttered, making my way back up the stairs.
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" she gushed, hugging/molesting me from behind. I tried to wriggle out of it, to not avail. With a low sigh, I slowly trudged my way up the stairs. She wasn't trying to pull me down them, so it wasn't that hard. What the fuck was with how everyone was so fucking grabby, though?
I grabbed the doorknob, opening my way back into the library proper.
"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie yelled at me from the other side of the door, along with a shitton of people I didn't recognize.
"Aaagh!" I screamed, recoiling. My foot slipped, sending me tumbling down the stairs.
"Fuck!"
"Shit!"
"Goddamnit!"
"Monkey fucking!"
"Christ!"
"Fucking!"
"Ass!"
"Fuck!" ...
"You okay, Colt?" Pinkie called down the stairs.
"...Peachy." |
The Gamer; Displaced Equestria | 8- Unwanted Attention | Authors Note;
Before I even start, I would like to apologize. In the previous chapter I had Colton note that the cowtaurs wore their hair in dreadlocks, and that such a hairstyle was 'disgusting' and 'didn't take any effort'. Apparently some people took offense to this, and I got more than a couple angry messages from people laying into me and insulting my intelligence since I didn't know how hard it was to upkeep dreadlocks.
I'm sorry. I didn't properly take into account how much work or time went into dreadlocks, or how my description of it would be taken. Please stop sending me hate mail.
Physical Endurance Has Gone Up A Level!
NNNNFRRRRRGAFGLRRRRNNNNNNNNnnnnnnnnnn...
"You sure you're okay?" Pinkie asked, probably picking up on my frustration.
"Nothing broken," I mumbled, leaning back into the couch.
I have no fucking idea how she did that. She was grabbing me from behind, I opened the door... up until the split second I saw her standing on the other side, she was touching me. I would have noticed if she let go! She just... teleported? I guess? It wasn't impossible, especially with this setting. No one else seemed surprised by her sudden appearance in my split second of surprise before I took my tumble.
"You shouldda seen your face!" the rainbow haired one guffawed, YET AGAIN. Apparently my pain was the most amusing thing she had ever experienced.
Once I made my way back up the stairs, -pausing momentarily to marvel at the fact that the fall only did seven damage to me,- I thankfully managed to avoid Pinkies no doubt immediate plan to introduce me to every single person that had bothered to show up. Which, looking around, might just be the entire friggin city. Town. Whatever. I recognized a few faces from this morning, but I couldn't place names to them despite Pinkies rambling.
Much to my own chagrin, I did recognize a few faces I hadn't actually met before. Doc Top. Aloe. Junebug. As much as I would like to hate Pinkie, the people she had 'introduced' me to stuck in my mind for some unforeseeable reason. Count your blessings where they come.
How the hell did she set all this up, though? As soon as I got back, she was there, right at my side the whole fucking time. These streamers weren't up, all those tables with food weren't set up, and there's no way I didn't notice that life sized statue of me with a wide smile before. It was more than life sized. The damned thing was taller than me. It was paper mache, so I can't really claim that there was no way it could have been made in time to... you know.... be here. I still found it rather improbable.
I should probably figure out who made it. And why they made it. It didn't really seem to have any purpose, besides to just stand there. Looking happy. Making me more pissy every time I glanced at it.
"You were like, 'bwah!', and then you fell and it was... -snrrrrk-"
Rainbow Dash was kinda a bitch.
Okay, so that was a bit harsh. She had looked worried as I trudged back up the stairs just like everyone around her, but as soon as she saw I was 'unharmed' it was open season on my fragile ego.
And yes, she had already remarked on the fact that I was wearing a pair of her old sandles. 'I was wondering where I left those', indeed. I saw a couple guys trying to hold in a laugh when they heard that, but after I shot them a quick glare they remained straight faced.
There was actually... relatively few guys here. I could see about five guys milling around... as opposed to the thirty to maybe forty or fifty girls in immediate view.
Weird. Maybe Pinkie assumed I'd rather be surrounded by females and mostly invited girls? Threw in a few guys so I wouldn't get suspicious. Maybe. I dunno. I'm probably just projecting my fantasy without having the facts. More girls showed up than guys simply because the guys had better things to do than show up for the new guys party.
Why she wanted to throw me a party at all was a mystery, I could see organizing a welcoming committee or something but a full blown party, for someone you don't know? She had to have ulterior motives.
Or maybe she was just weird.
Again, I'm hesitant to attribute Pinkies behavior as 'her being her'. I hope she doesn't act like this all the time.
'Dashy' went off to bob apples with Applejack when she figured out I wouldn't rise to her baiting, saying I was 'a riot'. Not surprised she and Applejack were friends, both of them were entirely too excitable for my tastes. Not as bad as Pinkie Pie, but they were high up on the list. They were all pretty excitable, all trying to catch my eye with friendly waves as they went about having fun. Rarity was doing 'pin the tail on the brahmin', having forgone the provided blindfold for one she brought out of her own satchel. Why she was carrying around her own blindfold, I don't know. I don't care. I don't want to think about why a grown woman is carrying around a silky black blindfold inlaid with lace in her purse. That way leads to madness. So I'd prefer to just leave it alone.
I saw a couple girls playing with a knife, having taken my kitchen cutting board and placed it on the floor. I'd have to clean that thoroughly once this was all over. The silver haired girl with the silly looking tiara (anyone surprised that her name is in fact, 'Diamond Tiara'? No one? Yeah I wasn't that surprised either by this point.) started bouncing the tip of the knife around her fingers, letting out a sing song laced tempo as she did so. I'd seen videos of people playing the knife game before, but never in person. She seemed to know what she was doing though, going fast enough that her two boyfriends (a thin, dopey looking guy, as well as a chubby dopey fellow. I wasn't going to mock her on her choice, they actually looked concerned with her safety. But come on, two guys, one named Snips, the other Snails? God damn, I half expected to see another dopey looking kid named 'Puppy Dog Tails'.) cringed each time the knife collided with the cutting board.
I levered myself off of the couch, ignoring Pinkies offer to help. I could damn well walk on my own, thank you very much. I crossed to the refreshments table, dipping a ladle in the second bowl to fill up a paper cup. Apple cider. Yummy. The other bowl had what looked like fruit punch. Don't know for sure, never got a chance to try it.
After a few cups, I noticed I was getting a few... amused glances. I wasn't going to admit I had no idea WHY they were acting so fidgety, so I kept quiet. It was by my seventh cup that someone finally came up and let me know what was on everyones minds.
"Hey, uhh Colt?" Rainbow Dash started, pointing at my cup. "Ya think maybe you shouldn't go so fast? I'm all for blasting through the blessed goodness that is Cider, but if you don't pace yourself you're gonna get drunk and pass out..."
I stared at the cup in my hand, then back to Rainbow Dash. "What?" I stated intelligently, my eyebrows arching in surprise. They thought cider was going to get me drunk? "I can't get drunk off of cider, it barely has any alcoholic content in it to begin with. It barely qualifies as alcohol at all!" I scoffed, enjoying her flabbergasted expression. I mean seriously, cider? I could get more buzz off a bottle of 'hard lemonade'.
"Huh," she grunted, a dangerous look flashing across her eyes. "How bout you put your bits where your mouth is? You and me, drink off, now!" she declared, gathering a fair bit of attention from everyone in the room.
I had very little reason to disagree to her challenge, after a quick 'observe' stated that the cider only had a '.005%' alcohol content. I already knew that earth ponies apparently had denser bodies than me, (due to everyone and their mother telling me how fucking light I was...) so if they actually thought someone could get drunk off of seven piddly little cups of this stuff... They probably could. Even if I could barely fathom that.
I immediately got Rainbow Dash to match my own number, she had already had three cups so an additional four set her off nicely. She was already starting to look kinda unfocused. My win was practically in the bag already!
To add to that, I had gotten a quest when she challenged me. It said I had to beat her at the contest, and if I won I would get an immediate +3 to VIT! It was a sure fire win, and all I had to do was drink her under the table!
"Urp, ya know, you can quit any time you like, I won't blame you," Rainbow Dash burped after belting down her seventeenth cup, gaining a disapproving titter from Rarity.
"What, are you growing tired of cider already Dashy?" I jibed, smirking in amusement as a look of indignation flashed across her face.
"I'm not tired, you're tired!" she shot back, gulping down one cup, then another one in quick succession. She looked proud of accomplishment, giving me a 'bet you can't do that' look as she set the second cup down.
"If you say so," I replied, drinking one cup. "I mean, I could go on like this for hours," another cup of golden drink slid down my gullet. "But I can understand if the poor little pegasi can't hold her drink," a third drink followed the first two, "So feel free to quit anytime, featherweight." A fourth cup ended my angatgonization, the empty vessel plopping down upon the table between us.
She actually looked fairly impressed, amid the rankled expression at my needling. I used to have drink offs with my buddies, I could throw insults with the best of them.
Her next two drinks to match mine followed slowly, her eyes looking glassy and unfocused. I wasn't even buzzed yet, and it looked like she was almost full on drunk already! I was however, starting to feel a bit full. One cannot drink indefinitely, after all.
"Thatsh not fair," she slurred, slightly leaning from side to side. "You cannt be... cannt be not... not drunk. Drunk. Drrrunk."
"Hoooooey, looks like yall finally met a stomach you can't match, huh 'featherweight'," Applejack remarked, reusing my own line.
"You," Rainbow dash stated vehemently, looking around as if she wasn't sure who called her out. "You be quiet Mr. muscles," she slurred out. Who she was talking to I have no idea. "I can beat him. Anno I can beat him. I gots a zecret weapon," she giggled, reaching into her belt pouch.
She pulled out a bottle of clear, pink liquid, and a small shot glass.
"You thinks yer so hooooot," she grumbled, sliding off of her seat, before scrambling her way back up. "Ya thinkz ya can outdrink me? You don't knows nuthin'. So how bout this?" she hiccuped, one eye twitching slightly. "Yer probably just about to crack, I can smells it on you," she remarked, letting loose another hiccup. "This here's the good stuff. If you... if you... if you..." trailed off, staring at the wall with a happy expression. Man, she must have a horrible tolerance if this was how bad she was already!
"Dashy!" I snapped, also snapping my fingers in front of her face a couple times.
"What? Yer not Mr. Muscles..." she stated skeptically, eyeing me before I pointed at the glass and bottle she had brought out. "Oh! zuh secret weapon," she cackled, "so you... you admit you don't think you can win? Not 'gainst mah sec-"
"Oh come on already," I grumbled, snatching the bottle and glass out from in front of her. She stared dumbly at the empty spot in front of her, as if she wasn't sure where her stuff had gone. I had already poured myself a glass, and pulled it.
God but that was fucking dry going down! This was the good stuff, pure ecstasy going into my belly. I almost stopped, thinking about the three coins in my pocket. Was I going to throw three whole years away? I had treated this as basically a joke up till this point, seeing as it seemed all ponies were lightweights by nature. There wasn't even a chance of me getting drunk. But this... nah, it couldn't be that bad. They thought cider could get you drunk! This probably was along the same lines, being nothing more than watered down drink designed for those that couldn't handle it.
So I poured myself another glass, to the astonished silence that permeated the room around me. And another. And another.
And just one more.
Lore time with Shy
Ancient History;The Magog
The Magog was an ancient warrior that came 'of the earth'. Although her true pony type has been lost to time, all legends still state this important fact about her. In the times before the alicorn, the lands of this world were beset by a demon. A goat with otherworldly powers by the name of Grogar. This fiend ruled ruled over the land, absorbing poor ponies souls and magic after they had become too weak to serve within his vast armies.
The ponies of this land despaired, sure they would be killed to the last pony in this mad goats attempt at world domination. A rainbow Pegasi who set the sky on fire behind her when she flew said 'no more'. She gathered the magic of the remainder of her tribe, and set out to find a pony that could help save their dying race. She disappeared, and for years her tribe believed her to have joined the ranks of the dead.
Finally, the Great Magog appeared from the heavens upon a rainbow of glistening light. She reached out above her head, and turned the rainbow into a radiant necklace she wore round her neck. She proclaimed herself as Magog, and stated that she would no longer sit back and watch as Grogar tormented her little ponies.
She met the goat in glorious battle, the sky above rent open with their ferocity. The rainbow she wore bent to her will, at once being a whip and another moment being a gleaming shield. She eventually wove the rainbow into a noose, and tightened it around the goats neck. Grogars fury was staggering, and destruction he wrought with his struggles formed fissures and valleys in the ground. The rainbow tightened ever more, and e'er so the goat was defeated.
This was not the end of the goat, however. Some tales say Grogar died that day... others say that an immortal can never truly be killed. Those tales say that the Magog ripped a hole in the sky, and used the rainbow to sew the goat inside of it.
But who can say for sure which tale rings true?
I woke slowly, blinking the sleep from my eyes. When the hell did I fall asleep? What happened? And why was I half smothered in a pile of pony people?
I slowly wiggled my way out of the pile ( I had been laying on Big Mac, using him as an impromptu futon. Various other individuals were also in that particular mound, Pinkie being one that had claimed me as a pillow.) careful not to wake anyone.
Once I had extricated myself I tried to locate Hax and Argos. Argos was easy enough to find, asleep once more in the tub upstairs. Hax however... it took me a couple passes to finally find him, asleep on the chest of the yellow winged druid lady, Fluttershy. When the fuck she showed up, I haven't the foggiest.
I was pretty foggy on a lot of stuff, actually. I remembered getting into a drinking contest with the blue winged birdbrain, and then nothing. I couldn't have been drunk, because as of now I didn't have a hangover. No pain behind my eyes, no grogginess, no cotton mouth, just slight confusion.
So I had no idea why I was missing a huge blank after my drink off.
"Oy, Hax," I muttered, picking him up carefully. I accidentally brushed against Fluttershys chest as I did so, but thankfully she didn't wake up. She just turned over, and snuggled into the prone form of a large pegasus with short cropped hair. He actually had the shortest hair I'd seen since coming here, even shorter than mine! His wings were smaller than Fluttershys, though. Not sure if there was a dick correlation or not, but I still felt kinda bad for 'ol 'Bulk Biceps', as the name above his head denoted.
I quickly made my way down into the basement, Hax in tow as he slowly woke up. Letting out adorable little yawns as he did so. I couldn't outright guarantee that I wouldn't be disturbed down here, but it was better than nothing.
I cringed at the squeak the door hinges let out, certain that the sound would wake a few of them up. A couple seconds of no one perking up and demanding food as I had given the day before, and I made my way downstairs, carefully closing the door behind me.
"Okay Hax, it's time we actually got some training in," I told him, his ears slowly poking up in excitement. "I think we should make a zombie run, don't you?"
He barked in affirmation. Good enough for me.
I shunted us across into a zombie ID, wincing as the scent of mildew and mold rocketed up as the walls visibly sagged inwards with age.
"Ugh, gross," I muttered, quickly making my way back upstairs. The rest of the library was in similar disarray, large holes worn through the walls and the remains of books piled in every corner.
No piles of pony people, though. So, silver line. A single person wandered around the ground floor, their flesh fetid and stinking. One of their wings was missing, nothing but a broken stump remaining a few inches out from their back. The other wing hung limp, dragging across the ground. The only other thing to note about their appearance was that half the flesh on their face was missing, showing the dirty bone underneath.
"Level fourteen," I mused, accidentally drawing its attention. "Hax, root that ugly mother fucker!" I demanded, watching in satisfaction as several strands of plant matter grew from the floor and encircled her legs.
The zombie groaned at me, reaching out once it figured out it couldn't move any closer under its own power.
It was then that I realized a particular problem. I didn't have a weapon. I had never really picked one up. I should have filched one from the pony pile, it wasn't like they would have noticed. I'd have just made sure I got it back before they woke up.
So without a weapon, I decided to test out my face punching prowess.
"Face Punch!" I yelled out, closing the distance and landing into its face with a meaty thud. And then I stopped, trying to get my hand free.
Punching a zombie in the face is apparently a very STUPID thing to do. As was evident by the fact that said lady zombie was busy chewing on my knuckles. It had simply let me punch it in the face, quite content to let the food deliver itself straight to her waiting maw.
I checked her in the side of the head with another face punch (which, although it didn't connect with her face, apparently any punch to the head counted.) and let loose with another ten or so before I ran out of mana. Then I just continued to wail on her with my free hand, shaking my hand free once she had broken apart into dust.
"Son of a bitch," I cursed while nursing my hand, quickly making my way back downstairs before I exited the ID.
She had quite handily nibbled me down to half of my HP, prompting a reevaluation of my current tactics. If I couldn't take down a single baddie without losing half my health, this would be a VERY long endeavor. I hadn't even gotten halfway to my next level off the exp she gave.
"The fuck do I do now?" I groused, looking around the room. Wait, the books! There were books on the desk down here, maybe they were actually fucking useful...
Hax let out a chipper bark as I trundled over to the desk, looking around it for the absent books. They weren't there. I got down on my knees to look all around on the ground, but there was nothing more than a layer of dust.
"She had to have come down last night, and taken them upstairs," I reasoned, Hax barking in confirmation. Or maybe he was disagreeing. 'Bark bark' doesn't really give me much.
"Taken the clothes off the dummy, too," I remarked, noting the newly naked dummy stashed away in the corner. I hadn't gotten a good look at them, but I thought I saw a pair of boots at the foot of it. No big loss, but I wish they hadn't decided to just steal my new stuff before I could. The books was more of a loss, I hope she hadn't lost them.
One thing I got out of coming back here, I found a brand new, sparkly, glittering, old and used shovel. It was on the floor with a couple of other tools, all of which looked like I could potentially use them to bash a zombie skull inwards. A hoe and a sledgehammer? I should be able to find some use from those!
And then I realized something that made me feel like a complete and total moron. I had the bat. I forgot about the bat. The bat had forsaken me. And I had forsaken the bat.
I mean, when all you have to attack a creature that 'lives' to eat your flesh is your closed fists, you'd think you would remember having a weapon that would possibly mitigate that. Just possibly.
So I hit myself over the head for that stupidity. I 'equipped' the shovel, just holding it in my hands and swinging it around to try to get the feel for it so I didn't end up braining myself on accident.
"Why the hell did I forget I had the bat though?" I mused, half to myself, half to the hyperactive ball of... fur like wood. Hax did little to help me out in this scenario, simply letting out a short 'wuff'.
"Status."
Name: Colton Niscon
Class: Displaced Gamer
Level: LV 06
HP: 113/of/250
MP: 27/of/200
STR:10
VIT:18
DEX:7
INT:20
WIS:7
LUK:14
Point: 4
Money: 58 Cents, 15 Bits
Status; Human. -25% Stamina drain. +25% Stamina Regen. +10% Total HP Regen. +10% Total MP Regen. +1% EXP gain.
Solar Affinity; +5% EXP towards all solar aligned abilities, skills, tricks, spells and otherwise, provided said abilities, skills, tricks, spells and otherwise are performed during a period of daylight.
Title
1-Unassigned
2-Unassigned
3-Unassigned
4-Unassigned
5-Unassigned
-Teacher
1-The CMC
2-Unassigned
3-Unassigned
Displaced; Dimensional magnetism draws other Displaced Tokens to the users dimensional plane.
Homeowner; +5% EXP gain while within the confines of the 'Golden Oaks' library.
Hung Over; -3 WIS, -5 INT. User will randomly forget pertinent information, based on luck. -20% to ALL EXP gain. Duration, (4) hours, (37) minutes.
Celestially Lucky; +5 LUK. All Solar aligned abilities, skills, tricks, spells and otherwise are increased by 5%.
Cloth Shirt; Repaired by local seamstress Rarity, there's not much else to note about this article of clothing besides its bland coloring. +1 DEF
Denim Jeans; Bought from a soulless corporate store. They provide more protection than a standard pair of cloth pants, but can't offer anything else beyond that. +1 DEF
Rainbow Dash's Sandals; A pair of particularly pretty petite pumps. They don't provide much defense, but they were never really designed with that purpose in mind. +5 SPD
Well Worn Shovel; A shovel that seems to have had some use. You gonna dig a hole to hide in? 5 ATK
I snapped my eyes to the newest status effect that had popped up on my screen, my eyes narrowing in barely contained frustration. It said I was hung over! But I wasn't! I could probably go out and run a mile if I had to, I felt great! What the hell did it mean, 'would forget stuff'? I hadn't forgotten anything!
...Except the fact that I already had a melee weapon, and decided to attack using only my fists under the assumption that I didn't...
A cold sweat ran down the nape of my neck, my blood cooling as I tried to stare the status ailment into submission. I would forget important stuff. Based off of luck. Wonderful. So there was basically nothing I could do about it.
I sighed, shaking my head in resignation. I'd work through it. I'd try not to anything as spectacularly stupid as punching a zombie in the face until I had made it sure it couldn't immediately nom on my digits.
Looking over my stat sheet once again I noticed I must have actually won the drink off last night. My VIT was higher than last time I had checked, anyway. And by the three points the quest window said it would award me! Looking further though... my luck was higher than it was last time. And only by two points, so that weird status that had been added wasn't to blame for it. It SAID it added five to luck, anyway. I hadn't even figured out a way to 'train' it yet, so the fact that it had raised seemingly by... well, 'luck' was kinda annoying.
What the fuck was with those strange new status's, anyway? Solar affinity and Celestially Lucky? Obviously the second was associated with why my luck had risen without me noticing, but how the hell had I gotten them? I highly doubt the books that were downstairs would have just arbitrarily given me a luck increase and two new statuses. Would explain why they weren't down there, but I can't say for sure until I ask Pinkie about it.
I sat down and waited for about ten minutes, carefully massaging myself as best I could while I waited for my HP to refill. Wouldn't do to go charging back in at half health.
If only I knew how the hell those new abilities popped up...
Lore time with Shy
Ancient History; The Witches of Gloome
Most forget of the tale of the witches of Gloome, a kingdom that used to reside to the south of Equestria's borders. Used to. Envying the bounty that Equestrians held within their borders, a coven of witches did plot to defile the land and thus cursed an unending swarm of sting-ed insects upon the ponies of Flutter Valley. The one who hides sent her two daughter for this heinous task, and to completion did they almost manage.
The ponies of Flutter Valley almost fell under this new onslaught, but not for the Magog. She fell to Equestria once more, and with her powers wrought the creation of the Diamond Dogs. She instructed the diamond dogs to create a cavern under the valley for the ponies to recover safely from their wounds.
The Magog told them to rest in safety, and departed e'er deeper into the earth. For weeks she was unseen, until the ponies despaired to e'er see her again. But then...
The Magog strode out of the darkness and cloying earth, holding aloft a stone. This stone caught the rays of the sun, holding them within itself and radiating its glory to the very corners of the valley. The swarm was dispersed, driving the One who Reeks and the One who Drags from Flutter Valley with their tails between their legs. Their mother was displeased with their failure, but did not order a second attack on the valley.
Some say Flutter Valley is yet another lost landmark, while others claim that Canterlot now rests above it.
As for the stone... well some say that it rests firmly in the crown of Celestia.
Celestia sat upon her throne, eyes bleary as she carefully cradled a mug of coffee easily the size of the average ponies head. It wasn't that she disliked mornings, far from it. But having to ceaselessly, throughout the millennia, be the one to rise BEFORE it? To awake before the roosters crow, and raise the sun as nopony else could? It tended to leave her rather... tired. Not that she'd ever burden her precious little ponies minds with such trivial concerns, or let the more vocal to see her in such a state.
Which is why only her personal hoofmaiden was currently allowed to cater her for the next hour or so. Others may complain, some nobles might protest, but to see her before she woke up fully would only fill her poor impressionable ponies heads with worry.
"Quarter," Celestia half groaned from around the lip of her mug. Said pony leapt to attention, holding an armful of papers within her grasp. "What is all that?"
Usually Quarter Master would only bring her the days most prevalent reports, those delivered directly by the numerous information networks she had long since sown and spread across Equestria. Usually, these were sifted through until only a few remained, only those most requiring her almost immediate attention. It seemed however, that her usual aides had forgotten about such a fact, seeing as her hoofmaidens arms were full near to the point where she couldn't hold them all.
She'd suggest simply carrying the mass with her magic, but Quarter firmly believed that anything worth carrying with her horn was something she could 'darned well carry with the arms her parents gifted her'.
"Reports from Ponyville, your grace. We had a deluge of missives over the last few days, which almost doubled in number sometime last night," she remarked, coming to stand at Celestia's knee as she awkwardly sifted through the multitude of paper. She finally settled on one in particular, hoisting it over her head to wave it closer to Celestias waiting grasp.
It wasn't the common ponies fault that at their tallest, they tended to barely reach over two thirds of Celestia's height!
As Celestia took the note in her hand, she carefully applied a burst of magic to expand the material until she could more easily hold it. She had no need for a chant with such a simple spell, having long since mastered such things aeons ago.
Quarter continued as she looked through the stack for the next piece of parchment to be handed up, "The parsers have been up for hours, while there is some repeat information, most of this is... unique."
Celestia eyed the letter in her hand with renewed interest, noting the name that the writer had repeated several times throughout her account.
"Colt... Nice-Son?" |
The Gamer; Displaced Equestria | The Gamer; Displaced Equestria Kai! Episode 1 | Last time on Dragon Ball- Oh crap wrong story. Quick recap for any newcomers, come to see their favorite (or only available) hero in Townsvill- Ponyville.
This story began as many other such stories do.
The author experienced a certain series, and decided; Imma mix that with MLP!
So the author then thought up the main character.
The main character was just wandering around, minding his own business when the author came by and was like "Hey, hey you! You got gamer powers now!"
The main character was like, "What? Oh. Ok, cool, I guess."
"And now your name's Colton, cause I need some sort of horse pun," The author declared.
"Wait, what?" Colton asked, "No, FUCK no, I am NOT cool with that."
Then the author dumped him in Equestria.
"The fuck!" Colton stated calmly. "Where am I?"
Then he was attacked by a timberwolf. Through dumb luck, he managed to not only avoid getting his face gnawed off by the local wildlife, but somehow managed to create a little treedog pet out of it.
"Cool," Zecora stated.
"Agh, why the fuck aren't you rhyming?" Colton asked.
"Fuck if I know," Zecora responded. "Wanna guide back to town?"
And then they went to the town place cause that's where stuff happens and stuff.
Walking through the town, Colton realized he looked dumb since he came to Equestria in only his socks-
"And whose fucking fault is that?!!?"
Yours, Colton. Yours. Definitely no fault at all of the illustrious author.
"Fuck you."
Love you too, you ornery little booger.
So anyway, he decided to go and get some kicks, cause his feetsies were sore and covered in booboos. Arriving at a clothing shop, he realized he had no monies. The bum. Thankfully the nice unicorn lady who owned the shop fixed his shirt and gave him a leftover pair of someone elses smelly sandles.
He then told the lady he would go out and find her little sister. Maybe she asked him to, who knows. Anyway, he went off, and decided to use a function of the map that probably shouldn't have been possible.
Coming to the top of an empty hill, he decided to jump up and down like an imbecile. Predictably, he fell through the thin cover of earth, falling once more through several stories of a subterranean dungeon. At the bottom of this hole, he found three young adventurers self titled the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders'.
"Holy crap, your ankle doesn't look good," one of them bellowed in agony.
"Fuck it hurts," Colton howled in ear breaking pain. The pain was so bad, he even forgot to use exclamation points.
"How are you going to get out of here with your ankle like that?" another one of them asked.
"I got better," he affirmed, his ankle breaking all rules of logic and becoming whole once more.
"Well that's convenient," Scootaloo managed to belt out before Colton tossed her out the hole he had made coming in.
Once they were back in town, The Mayor of Townsvill- I mean, Ponyville was all pissed off that someone had found a dungeon and stuff, so she was like "Go back and check it for peeps and stuff."
"She didn't fucking say that."
Yes she did. Anyway, Colton went back with Big Pony and Shy Pony, and had much dialogues with them. They found Coltons hole, at which point Big Pony and Shy Pony promptly inserted themselves in said hole.
"Why the fuck are you trying to make it sound so sexual?"
They found SKURLUTONS down in Coltons hole, with as many bones as possible.
"Seriously, fucking stop that."
Big Pony whacked the bones down in Coltons hole-
"FUCKING STOP."
-and Shy Pony decided that Coltons hole was simply too darned scary for a young, impressionable young lass like herself. So they went back to town.
Mayor pony was happy about finding bones down in Coltons hole for some reason, while Colton was trying to cheat the system even further by making it so his silly little wood dog could level up somehow as well.
Mayor Pony gave the library to Colton, roping him into psuedo-indentured service. Colton decided he wanted to have monies, so he went and did stuff.
PonksiePei decided Colton could use a friend, so she glued herself to his side. After many protests, Colton decided to simply enjoy her presence.
"What? The fuck that's not what happened!"
So enamored with his companion, he decided to go to a party she set up herself for him. He had many good times and-
"She sprang that on me! It's not like I had a fucking choice..."
So anyway, Colton decided to throw the last few years of commitment of being alcohol free down the proverbial hole (maybe down the aforementioned Coltons hole, who knows) and guzzled ALL the booze.
Wait... something doesn't seem right...
"You skipped over a day, dumbass."
Don't be racist. Oh yeah, TOTALLY forgot about the day when he went and earned monies by painting some guys house. Riveting plot development, don't you agree? Then he went and got up in some cows joober juice.
Where was I? Oh yeah, Colton was being a jackass by drinking all the booze-
"Why's it ok when you're fucking saying it?!!?" Colton whined like a little child. "Quit messing with my fucking sentence descriptors!" he trailed off, forgetting that he was such a monumental crybaby.
So he drank all the booze, and then tried to punch a Zambie. The Zambie decided his knuckle were tasty, and that he was an idiot.
Then we had a cliffhanger of 'ol Sunbutt finding out about the vagrant degenerate!
And that's pretty much all the time we have today on The Gamer; Displaced Equestria Kai!
Come and meet us back here next time, and you readers stay classy!~ |
The Gamer; Displaced Equestria | 9 -Letters | The air was heavy with silence, and the soft fluttering of paper as it was perused. Celestia was a paragon of refinement, carefully peering over every letter as it passed her deft fingers. With grace befitting-
*Snort*
Quarter started, confused. What the hay was that? Celestia still read on, already on the fourth missive before she handed it back to Quarter Master to place in a tidy pile. It must have been a trick of her ears, for the room only held the two of them. Add to that, no window remained yet open to allow such a sound to enter the chamber. It must have been Quarter herself, she must have not realized it-
*pfffff*
A wary eye tracked the noise, glancing upwards. A delicate grin alit upon Celestias features, betraying her inner emotions.
"Miss?"
With a speed that was near frightening, Celestias' head whipped over to look down on Quarter Master. Her expression now held that of shock, as if surprised that she had been caught making such a crude noise.
"Are these... reports all that entertaining, miss?" Quarter asked, genuinely curious. It wasn't her place to ask, but for her lady to make such noises over a collection of documents as serious as these tended to be was most unusual.
Celestia was silent for a few more moments, answering once she had finished poring over the letter in her grasp.
"Entertaining..." she muttered, a slight smile flitting across her lips. "I guess one could say that. These missives... mind taking a look? See if you notice anything... odd?" she asked, a sly smile curling at the corners of her mouth as she held a letter out for Quarter Master to take. She flipped the parchment around to read, scanning down the page. It was rather odd at the first glance, it didn't even look like a standard field report. In fact, it almost looked like...
"Is this... someponys letter?" Quarter asked, momentarily confused.
"It certainly looks like that, doesn't it? Celestia returned, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Makes you wonder, since last I checked the Hidden Eye didn't intercept personal letters. You should keep reading."
Dear Mayor Mare,
Just got back in town last night, and as you probably know the local party planner was throwing a bash. Heard she had one the night before...
Last nights party was... enjoyable. So sad to see that you couldn't make it, but understandable seeing as I heard Pinkie sprung back to back parties on everypony. It isn't the first time she's done this... but it does still surprise me each consecutive time.
Pies questionable soirees -even odder seeing as the guest of honor didn't even bothering to show up for the first one- aside, the stallion that Pinkie Pie was holding it for turned out to be... an unusual sort. The party started out normally, and I barely saw hide or hair from him. Wasn't looking that hard for him, to be honest. Wanted to meet him, but it wasn't my top priority. You know how I am. Honestly, I only wanted to get home and curl up with Vinyl... but one must keep up appearances.
So the night progressed and eventually I caught sight of the mysterious lad. Drunk off his rocker and belting out shanties. I think I know who was responsible for that as well. Rainbow Dash was nearby, weakly humming along when she could. Wavering about like she was ready to go down at a moments notice. I honestly couldn't tell which one of them was looking more under the weather.
So anyway, eventually one of the colts songs caught my ear. It wasn't masterfully sung, but the subject matter was more than enough to pique my interest. And after you read a few of these lines, you will most likely find it as interesting as I did.
'This man is dead, he is no more, he died a little each day. Like a thief, the chateau d'if has stolen him away.'
A verse most somber passed the lips of the new stallion as he lay down to sleep off his inebriation. A small tear rolled its way from mine eyes at the emotion in his voice, and after parsing the words he left me with my heart feels ever more burdened.
Chateau d'if. My Prench is admittedly rusty, but I remember the words for 'house' and 'of the yew' perfectly well. The house of the yew being a prominent Minotaur clan stationed within the borders of Prance, his words weave a very worrying tapestry, if only one takes the time to look.
Of course, the small line I have started with at the top of my letter might be brushed aside as mere fiddle faddle, the product of a drunken mind and be left at that. If only it was at that. If only there was not more that I have yet to write down 'pon this parchment.
'Dead and cold, the story told, by those he trusted, those he loved, and those who then moved on.'
'I am a ghost, just a mirage, who chases traces of you, dark and familiar, and deep as the sea.'
By those he loved, those he trusted, who then moved on. These words alone depict a terrifying truth of this stallions past. Was he truly a humble librarian as he claims, or was he more as I suspect? My suspicions are thus. He was involved with one or more members of the house of D'if. Whether he was a concubine of one of the line, or so removed as a true lover, his words are clear. He trusted somepony or more of the house of D'if, and they returned his faithfulness with naught but treachery.
They discarded him once they used him up and viewed him as nothing more than refuse, which would plainly explain his haggard appearance upon entering Ponyville. Despite his lack of gear or supplies, the cloth he did wear was of high quality, furthering this suspicion. We should extend a full citizenship to this 'Colt Nice Son' as soon soon as possible. If the house of D'if learns he has successfully traveled to Equestria proper, they may attempt to reclaim him as house property. As is currently their right upon a consort of their house.
I won't stand back and watch as this stallion grasps tenuously at happiness just out of reach. For his sake, I put my badge behind his reputation and vouch for him as one of mine own family.
Wishing a warm evening to my dear friend Mayor Mare,
-Baroness Octavia Melody, of the third seat of Meadow Over Yonder.
"The subject matter seems... alarming," Quarter Master admitted, slightly worried. How did the princess find something like this funny? The tale the ink on the spun felt vivid in her mind, almost tragic.
Celestia snorted in amusement, chuckling softly to herself.
"Your grace?" inquired Quarter, quirking her eyebrow in surprise.
"What? Oh, yes, sorry Quarter Master. This one, while well written, obviously has missed some important facts the author should have researched beforehoof. Such as this line regarding the minotauran house of D'if," Celestia handed down the letter, allowing Quarter to read it freely. "Anypony who kept up with recent events would surely attribute this letter as plausible fact. For one who personally helped arrange the marriage between the current head of the house of D'if and his beloved," Celestia smiled at the astonished look that passed her hoofmaidens face. While most ponies saw her as infallible, it was truly her work behind the scenes which wrought the greatest fruits. "Yes, indeed. For one who knows them personally like I do, the very idea that they would condone behavior as is hinted at within in this letter beneath the eaves of their own house? Bise Lo D'if and his lovely heiffer G'rass Lo D'if would never raise their own to so callously treat others. The very idea is quite laughable, you see..." she paused, allowing Quarter to read it in full as well as she digested her words. "Quite well thought up, but missing important facts. Want to bet me a bit these other missives hold similar content?" she asked mischievously.
"I might as well simply give you a bit, your grace," Quarter evenly replied. She had hoped far too many times that this time would be the one that she would win the inconsequential bet set before her. Her grace was simply too wily, she saw all the varriables set before her and made her 'bets' accordingly. To bet against Celestia was pure fallacy.
"Then note the fact that once again, this is a letter," Celestia continued, bobbing the letter back and forth in her magical grip. "While it is possible that a service pony might have waylaid a particular letter out of potential threat, the fact that this one in particular was taken strikes me as a bit odd."
Quarter Master stared at her liege blankly, unsure as to where she was heading with this line of thought.
"Come now Quarter," Celestia chortled, mirth blinking at the edges of her eyes, "Think. The letter is obviously addressed to the mayor of Ponyville, from the Baroness of Meadow Over Yonder. What is the correct protocal for seizing missives from those of 'troublesome' rank?"
It was simple. Nobles liked to complain, but usually they were quite tame. Problem was, if you infringed on a single perceived right -which, according to the laws written up for the current rule they didn't really have, they were more like 'privileges' really- they would usually raise such a stink that everyone invloved would end up metaphorically smelling to high heavens. In the regard of seizing possessions of any nature from those of 'troublesome' nature or rank, the smart choice was to make sure they never found out in the first place. This was easily achieved -in regard to letters, specifically- by simply copying any letters and leaving the original copies where they were.
Celestia nodded in smug satisfaction as she saw her hoof maiden mentally work through the question.
"I see that you're following me so far. How about we jump to another letter? This one is actually an official report, but I'm sure you'll see the problem with it right away," she said in a conspiratory tone, levitating another sheet of paper into Quarters waiting hands. Her eyes trailed down the document, noting the displatches title. She was a well recognized agent, through deed and reputation. Sadly, she was also known for being a mad, erratic individual that many were glad was stationed at a relatively small settlement such as Ponyville.
"The berserker?" Quarter Master asked for clarification.
"Is that misnomer still floating around? Really, they were perfectly justified in their actions. If some pony tried to stab your mother through the chest, how would you react?"
Quarter started, thinking on it for a scant second. "I would tear them limb from limb, then set the remains on fire."
Celestia hummed, remembering the violent little filly her hoofmaiden used to be. Truly, she had come a long way.
"Has the population of Ponyville truly climbed into the thousands?" Quarter asked, peering down at the paper in her hands.
"Oh yes, they had their thousandth resident retire to the town sometime last year," Celestia clarified, taking a swig of her coffee. "I believe the festivities lasted well into the fortnight..."
4th of the Sandover of Magog, Agent 34DPP regarding introductory Ponyville citizen 1337 (Colton Nice Son)
I believe I have deduced a clue regarding the reason for 1337's reluctance to speak of his previous life and relations. I sadly suspect 1337 might be disjointed from Equestria's magical field. At 1337's 'Welcome To Ponyville' party, he was witnessed consuming an exorbitant amount of cider (supplied by our very own -442- Applejack, bless her cute little nose!~) having claimed that it was 'barely enough to even qualify as actual alcohol'. Following this statement, resident -613- (Rainbow Dash) replaced 1337's drink with a stronger venue. Minotauran blood wine. Where -613- managed to acquire such a contraband substance should be looked into, regarding that it is a class seven illegal substance. Said substance did not function as previously noted, requiring 1337 to consume four mugs before he started to show signs of inebriation.
Four. I didn't misspell that, not only did 1337 manage to consume more than a measured cup of blood wine with... no deleterious effects, but went on to drink an additional three mugs before he even started to show a sign of inebriation. (Also, side note. Requesting permission to test 1337 for resistances to known poisons. If he can withstand a substance like blood wine, 1337 might have been trained as a potions brewer at some point in the past. Testing might provide additional information regarding 1337's past)
By the point 1337 had become drunk (a point upon which he had consumed enough alcohol to effectively kill everypony at the party twice over) he... started to sing. Enough emotion and magical energy were supplied to start a heartsong, as evidenced by the background of musical instruments to accompany...
But 1337 is disjointed from the heartsong. His singing is passionate enough to start a heartsong (also note that this could have been simply spellsong, but all magical signatures point to heartsong as of this report. Additional investigation is required) but 1337's actual singing is... bad.
I hesitate to call it that. But it is bad. He's off tone, out of tune, and discordant. He doesn't harmonize with the music of the heartsong.
I hypothesize that 1337 might have been ostracized from his community due to his inability to truly connect to the magic of Equestria. This might have precluded banishment or precipitated his simply leaving for a fresh start.
Will continue to observe and report.
Sincerely yours, Agent 34DPP
"... The fourth of Sandover?" Quarter questioned, looking back at the header of the letter, "But it's only the second, as of today..."
"Indeed," Celestia smiled, nodding her head in agreement. "So unless somepony recently unwound the conundrum of Starswirls gates and managed stable, workable time travel... Somepony got overzealous and accidentally sent out their collection... early~"
"Early, miss?" Quarter repeated back at the princess.
"Before I unload my theory on you, why don't you look at a couple others?" Celestia prodded, floating another page into Quarters grasp.
Been having a cruddy week, mum. I swear Mr Grotto has never heard of the phrase 'taking it easy'. He's been wearing me down to the grindstone, I swear I'm this close to just up and screaming at the pompous twit. Not that it would do much good, as much as he growls and rants I doubt he'd hear me over himself.
Anyway, went to one of Pinkie Pies parties a few night ago. Remember Swirl? The librarian? Well, apparently he took off a couple months ago, to go live with his kids or something. Nice as he was, I can't say he made that big of an impact on me. He was almost intentionally dull, never seemed to stick out for me. So, with the library open, the mayor went and hired on a new arrival to work there.
No idea how long he's been in town, at the least I don't think I've seen him around till now. The party was apparently his 'welcome' party, so he can't have been here long. No offense to Pinkie, but she's got the patience of a rabbit on rageweed. If it had been longer than a week she'd have probably tied him to one of the rafters.
So ponies got drunk, some more than others. This one Pegasus pulled out this weird stuff -no idea what it was, I've never seen it before- and the new guy drank down a few shots of it. Apparently that was impressive? You know how I am with wine, one glass and I'm out. So I avoided all available sources, enjoying my fruit juice and the knowledge I would be waking up the next day without a headache unlike some of my neighbors.
Dancing bears, painted wings. Things I almost remember. And a song, someone sings. 'Once upon a December'.
One of the songs the new guy was half mumbling, half humming tonight sounded weird. I wrote the one part he kept repeating, but there were other verses I can't quite remember. Wait... yeah, there was this one part > 'Far away long ago, glowing dim as an ember, things my heart used to know, things it yearns to remember.'
Now mum, I know you don't like me putting myself down, but you know I aint the sharpest thorn in the bush or nothing. But doesn't that sound like he used to be in a relationship with some mare named 'December'? Her name sounds almost... cold. Certainly isn't a common name you'd find around hereparts. Can't say for sure, most the night I was hanging with my sis. New guy didn't really seem like he wanted to talk to anyone, and when he was talking I almost always was out of earshot.
Maybe he had a friend, long ago. Sounds like it didn't end well to me. Might explain how he ended up here.
Crud, I'm running out of paper, I love you mum,
Salutations and good tidings,
-Lily~
"It seems a fair few of these focus on the newcomers usage of heart song, or his lack of ability thereof..." Celestia drawled, drawing Quarter from her reading. "This and a few other points of focus draw a picture of the stallions character, but if you look closer you'll see that he seems almost... Transparent. The longer you look, the greater the disparities that are revealed."
Quarter Master nodded, holding up the most recent paper in her hand.
"Another personal letter," she noted. "I think it's just from a random citizen, though..."
"Hmmm, once upon a December..." Celestia hummed, plucking the letter out of her friends hands. "Once again, another reference to his singing abilities, yet this one at the very least didn't devolve into platitudes describing the average quality of it. You'll notice that most instances of descriptions regarding his singing," she paused, guiding a yellow tinged letter towards Quarter, "either claim he started off sounding substandard or simply downright horrible, or say that they witnessed a notable improvement as he went on. A majority try to stress this point, without being obvious. The fact that they focus on this so singlemindedly however, draws ones attention to it even more so and highlights it for what it truly is."
"My Lady?" Quarter questioned, still unsure as to the direction her princesses thoughts were taking.
"And what of his name, do you think?" Celestia continued, seemingly ignoring her hoofmaidens query.
I don't know what to make of the new stallion. His name is apparently 'Colt Nice Son' -and yes, I realize just how ridiculous his name sounds, but thats what everypony keeps calling him...- and his personality is... very hard to gauge properly. Pinkie Pie invited myself and nearly half the town to a party for him at the town library, twice. The first time he didn't show up, and from what I hear he apparently got lost while walking his dogs. And then slept outside, I guess.
So last night, I finally got to meet the mystery stallion. Right after Pinkie Pie scared him so bad he took a tumble down a flight of stairs. Yeah, she can be slightly... unthinking when it comes to the durability of others. Seeing as she has that berserker side though... I guess scaring a stallion down a flight of stairs and having him walk back up relatively unharmed is a pretty good compromise. So he was... kinda withdrawn after that for a while, but I talked to him for a bit. He seemed polite, if soft spoken.
It was only after the addition of Ponyvilles resident clown of a pegasus, Rainbow Dash, that he seemed to loosen up a bit and start letting loose. For better or worse. She challenged him to a drinking contest, and he spanked her flank so hard. It wasn't even a fair shot, whatever training he's been through made all the cider he drank only affect him as much as a glass of water! And then Rainbow Dash decided to cheat. I know what the hay she brought out, even if she kept it in an unmarked flask. It was Minotauran blood wine. She should be arrested, that stuffs supposed to be illegal! Well, it turns out Colts tolerances were... stupidly high. He drank more than a single shot of the stuff, and then kept on partying the rest of the night. I've had blood wine before, back when I visited my grandmother in Labryne. I only had a single sip, and I was out till morning. I also had a headache that felt like my head was split in two, but I just saw Colt a few minutes ago and he didn't look like he had the slightest bit of a headache. Lucky jerk.
So anyway, he was a lot more... 'open' after that. Laughing, playing along with the various activities that Pinkie had set up. At one point I noticed him crying for a few minutes that the library didn't have a piano, but a few minutes after that it was like he didn't even remember that.
His singing is bad. Way bad. Like... intentionally bad, without being intentional. It might have just been the alcohol. He actually started to sound better the longer the night went, but that might just have been my imagination.
I've never seen a stallion turn down Cloudkicker so fast. And by puking on her to boot! Geez, I mean, I don't hate her, but she can be a little pushy sometimes. It gave me a little bit of perverse pleasure, I will admit. I don't think she'll be propositioning him again any time soon.
Who am I kidding, I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to get him again today.
Okay so... I guess that's it for now.
Sincerely-
Acasia Rock
"I... dont know what to think about it," Quarter admitted. "It is certainly an odd name, either of the iterations that the letters seem to hold on. It might be a bit on the nose, to be honest..."
Celestia laughed, a tinkling gurgle that echoed in the room.
"Indeed. Colt, nice, son. Or 'Colton' as some of the participants have taken to writing his name to avoid immediate detection..."
"My Lady?" Quarter repeated, knowing full well that Celestia was just as likely to ignore her empty query once more in order to continue in her deductions of the surrounding matter.
"Colt. A young stallion. Innocent, unassuming, delicate. Rambunctious at times, a blank slate that any number of personalities can spring from. A perfect name... for a fictional character~" Celestias smile nearly oozed from her face, infectious and growing.
"Of course, I wouldn't envy the poor colt that would actually have to grow up with the name of 'Colt'. It would be the same as some poor addle brained mare deciding to name her filly 'Filly'. It might work for their younger years, but as they grow it would become a cruel collar. An uninspired title used towards those whose names you don't truly remember."
Okay, so like, it totally wasn't my fault! I challenged the new guy to a drink off, and the colt was actually almost passably keeping up with me. He was riding my flank something fierce, so I decided to bring out the big guns. My good hooch, the stuff I always bring along to parties but never get a chance to try because everypony is such a lightweight.
Soooo, I plunked it down on the table and what does the little upstart do? He slams back an entire shot of my heavy stuff! Like it was nothing! Not even a careful sip to see if it wouldn't lay him out, just tip back *GLUG* and it was gone. It didn't even seem to affect him! I mean, of course he isn't anywhere as awesome as yours truly, but I will give him some consideration for having an iron stomach. That sort of tolerance is WAY rare.
And he only got more fun after that, caterwauling on like a drunken cat, lurching from one party game to the next, you should have seen it this new stallion is a freaking riot!
Too bad he isn't a pegasus, that kind of energy is wasted on an earth pony. Not to say earth ponies are undeserving of having that kind of energy but... I mean... crap can I just start over? He's kinda thin for an earth pony, I think he'd look better as a pegasus. There. No tribal bull manure.
I will say this about Colt Nice Son, his singing actually started sounding kinda good later on in the night. Maybe he was getting into his groove, I dunno.
Soon to be Wonderbolt, the awesome and amazing Rainbow Dash!
"An 'official' report," Celestia mused breezily. "Wherein the author directly informs their superior that she not only possessed a certain item that is vaguely illegal, but that she administered said beverage to an unaware pony. Sound... suspect to you, my dear?" She trailed off in a joking tone.
"I get it," Quearter Master griped, hanging her head. "The letters and reports are weaving a story. Why bother, if they were so transparent? What was the point?"
Celestia simply hummed, a middling transient bars that hopped and skipped their way across the room. "Well, now this is an interesting one," she mused, holding up a sheaf of paper that had been stapled together. "A mind healer..."
"One of those mind walkers?" Quarter gasped, "I don't trust any pony that can just traipse throughout ones mind, without you even knowing..."
"The last page, and consequently the last 'memory' she wrote down..." Celestia stated connivingly, holding out a singular page.
One such memory was of an assortment of mages working in tandem to defeat another sect of mages. The second group were cruel and evil, aiming for killing blows and spewing forth derogatory commentary.
There were no unicorn or pegasi to be had within the memory... but some of the earth ponies were... 'disfigured', for lack of a better word. They sported abnormal skin tone and body shapes, a couple even having horns similar to the Nara.
Despite their appearance, each and every single member was a warrior, fighting to the utmost of their abilities. Some flinging magic forth from their hands in a brilliant display of light, while in another group I saw a young filly transform her skin to crystal so that her lover could use her like a club.
A pair of colts could enhance their speed to almost imperceptible levels simply by touching the palms of their hands together. I noted them speaking Espmaneol, so it could be this memory took place somewhere near Mexicolt.
There was an incident of a witch facing off a golem of living mud, where the witch performed some form of spirit walk. She sent a black tinged echo of herself outside of her body, sinking into the mass of mud that made up the golem. The golem almost immediately fell under this attack, dispersing into a mound which I could see an unconscious stallion immersed within. I believe the stallion to have been controlling the golem from within.
Each mage wore a costume similar to what one may find within the pages of a Power Ponies comic, and their powers and abilities were of such a wide range I must question the inspiration for such a comic. I hereby request that 'Kirby Dotts' be questioned about the nature and authenticity of his 'fictional' series. If he is drawing inspiration from real world events outside of Equestria and then passing them off as fictional, then we could be looking at a huge security breach.
-Amethyst Star, Mind Healer; Ponyville Branch 34IB
"While yes, the mind walkers we have stationed in Ponyville are granted the capacity to scan any newcomers to the town for safety reasons, trying to use such an art on an inebriated pony is well known to 'muddy the waters', as it were," Celestia explained slowly, "If she were truly trying to gain information from a target, she would have approached the stallion before he had started ingesting any alcoholic beverages. So what does that tell you, from a narrative point of view?"
Quarter Master thought carefully, mulling over the information that had been relayed to her. "...She was instructed to concoct a fanciful recounting. Designed to make the pony in question out to be a stereotypical hero? She doesn't even focus much on Colt in any of these entries," she offhandedly mentioned, cycling through the various 'memories' that she ha described. "She just focuses on the fanciful events that took place near him. But why?"
Celestia laughed, a deep and echoing call that bounced around the room. "To amuse me, I suppose. It's not a secret that the summer sun celebration is fast approaching..."
Quarter nodded her understanding. "It's not the best kept secret to start with-"
"Thankfully most believe the tales of mine sister to be not more than that. Tales." She sighed, looking over one of the pages that floated around her. "But some still know of my pain. Some, who apparently took it in their own hands to try and cheer me up... Colt Nice Son. A barebones, romanticized charicachure. A hero, from a far off land... You know, I think I'm starting to like this young Colt," she giggled.
"Ma'am?"
"Send a reply to the relay office. Let them know that I find their reports regarding their newest citizen to be extremely interesting," She let out another laugh, imagining the looks on their faces. "In fact, how about you get one of the accountants to write up an official citizenship for this Colt Nice Son? Send it on down to Ponyville, see how they respond..."
Quarter Master choked down the mirth that was threatening to spill from her own lips, instead bobbing her head in agreement.
"If such a character were actually real..." Celestia started, peering off into the distance, "I bet they'd be a true hero. With the poise and dignity to match."
"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!" I snarled out, barely pausing in between breaths in my attempts to run full out carried me onwards.
The first zombie had gone down like a chump. The second one as well. It was at the third I had fucked up. I hit something metal they were wearing with my bat -some sort of breastplate, who knows- and like some sort of demented feeding time bell every single zombie in the area decided it wanted to come over and give me a smooch.
"Yeah, suuuure, zombies are easy, low level monsters," I groused to myself as I ducked down an alleyway, "Couple whacks, they'll go down like chumps! Riiiiight."
"You could try picking them off one by one," Hax offered, following along closely behind me.
"Oh yeah, sure! Good idea, brain!" I groused harder. "Just pick them off, one by one, would be easy, if they weren't all on my ass like a shitstain on a fat mans drawers..."
"Geez, testy much?" Hax rebutted.
"Of course I'm testy! Zambros! Dead things that smell worse... than a... dead hooker..." I trailed off as an errant thought occurred to me. I hadn't said that.
I whipped my head down as I tried to keep up my pace.
Hax smiled up at me with an adorable doggo grin.
"What, you've never seen a wolf talk before?" SHE stated jokingly. |
The Gamer; Displaced Equestria | 10- Hunter? | Name: Colton Niscon
Class: Displaced Gamer
Level: LV 07
HP: 213/of/280
MP: 98/of/200
STR:12
VIT:18
DEX:10
INT:20
WIS:10
LUK:15
Point: 4
Money: 58 Cents, 27 Bits
Status; Human. -25% Stamina drain. +25% Stamina Regen. +10% Total HP Regen. +10% Total MP Regen. +1% EXP gain.
Solar Affinity; +5% EXP towards all solar aligned abilities, skills, tricks, spells and otherwise, provided said abilities, skills, tricks, spells and otherwise are performed during a period of daylight.
Title
1-Novice Dogkeeper
-+1% EXP gain to all Canine Companion skills-
2-Unassigned
3-Unassigned
4-Unassigned
5-Unassigned
-Teacher
1-The CMC
2-Hax
3-Unassigned
Displaced; Dimensional magnetism draws other Displaced Tokens to the users dimensional plane.
Homeowner; +5% EXP gain while within the confines of the 'Golden Oaks' library.
Dog Owner; +5% EXP gain to canine companions (Hax) and (Argos). EXP share of (0.30 to 1 EXP) from all actions taken by canine companions (Hax) and (Argos) +1 ATK, +1 DEF, +10% to all base stats of canine companions (Hax) and (Argos).
Celestially Lucky; +5 LUK. All Solar aligned abilities, skills, tricks, spells and otherwise are increased by 5%.
Local Legend; +5 CHA -1 PER.
Cloth Shirt; Repaired by local seamstress Rarity, there's not much else to note about this article of clothing besides its bland coloring. +1 DEF
Denim Jeans; Bought from a soulless corporate store. They provide more protection than a standard pair of cloth pants, but can't offer anything else beyond that. +1 DEF
Rainbow Dash's Sandals; A pair of particularly pretty petite pumps. They don't provide much defense, but they were never really designed with that purpose in mind. +5 SPD
Well Worn Shovel; A shovel that seems to have had some use. You gonna dig a hole to hide in? 5 ATK [/hr]
I had gained a couple points of strength and dexterity through my various fumbles against the shambling hordes for the past couple hours. I had gained enough experience to go up a level, but I was sick and tired of staring at rotting corpses. Even more so of the stench. According to the manga a boss monster building sized zombro would show up after killing fifty of the normal ones... So I stayed well the hell away from that number.
I could barely beat down a single zombie as is, even with Hax distracting them and rooting them in place. Something for the future, I guess. The FAR future, when I could hopefully shoot giant balls of 'fuck you' out of my hands as well. Hopefully not that far of a future. I wanna be badass, and fire fireballs made of fire so I can set things on fire with fireballs made out of fire.
Going against my previous promise to myself, I used up this levels worth of points rounding out my stats immediately. Raised my dexterity and wisdom to ten, then put a single point into luck. No idea what that would do, but it could only be something good, right?
My HP had gone up, but I wasn't really sure that mathed itself out. As far as I could fathom maybe it was that it started with vitality, multiplied that by ten? Then it added that to dexterity times ten. I think. So far, that was the only thing that made any sense. My MP hadn't increased any, which given the fact that I hadn't increased my wisdom any made that stat pretty easy to puzzle out. The gamer system seemed to like the whole 'multiply by ten' aspect, is all I'm saying.
Due to thinking carefully on a system relating to your now inherent powers, you've gained +1 WIS
Smug asshole game.
Checking back on my screen showed that my MP had indeed risen with that pity payout, increasing to two hundred and ten. Well, the maximum had, anyway. Sadly it seems that managing to increase my HP or MP pools didn't necessarily refill them to full.
My 'hung over' status had long disappeared, only to be replaced by a few dog related things. Both the status and the new title. Dogkeeper. Hax had laughed at that, as if the idea that I was keeping her and not the other way around was something to scoff at. Couldn't really argue that, at least not yet. Kinda sad when your dog is more badass than you are...
Soooo... My dog could talk.
And was a girl. Fancy that.
I mean, I was kinda hoping for the 'talking' bit when I was dumping points into her intelligence, but I hadn't been expecting it out of nowhere. Also, how was I supposed to know she was, well, a she? It wasn't like she had a set of twig and berries, -literally- but how the hell was I realistically supposed to tell? For all I had known, all timberwolves were just genderless tumbles of leafy forestry.
And god does she had a sharp tongue on her. You ever have a friend who just knows what to say in a few words that can shut you down just like that? Well that was her. A scathing and witty retort at the end of every turn.
She reamed into me for not even really thinking of exploring the extents of my gamer power. Something was up with her memories, having access to words and concepts I know I never once muttered in her presence. She seems to think that due to our bond, she's been getting snippets of my memories piecemeal. The names of comic book characters, the smell of certain foods, websites and so much more. At the very least I wouldn't have to worry about saying something she didn't understand.
One thing she told me to do immediately was to check and see if the gamer system had any other accessible screens. 'Menu' 'Start' 'Select' 'Load' and 'Save' hadn't elicited any noticeable reaction, but then I called out the word 'Options'.
->SETTINGS->
->VIDEO->
->MUSIC/SOUND->
->DIFFICULTY->
->MAP->
->SPECIAL->
Virtual Console
Virtual Simulator
"Can you see this?" I asked, grabbing the edges of the floating screen and holding it so that Hax could see it.
"Ooh~" she tittered, "Words.~"
"Ha. Ha."
"Settings isn't opening," I complained, poking at the greyed out text. "Neither is difficulty..." What? You think the first thing I would do upon seeing that I could potentially change how hard fighting monsters and leveling up would be to not hammer on the button? Alas, my easy life would have to be postponed. Until I could figure out how to cheat this game out of whatever difficulty it had started me on.
"Oh no, what ever will we do?" Hax drawled in an amused tone. "Woe is us, for all we have to make our way in this world is overpowered bullshit cheat powers. Truly we are bereft of fair circumstances, and are downtrodden by fate!"
"You done?" I let out.
Clicking on video only revealed two options, 'First Person' and 'Third Person'. Nothing like what I had assumed. Clicking on the second one I was hit by a strange sense of vertigo as I stared down at the back of my head from a disembodied perspective.
"Oh god that's weird," I groaned, turning my head from side to side as my vision trailed along behind me sluggishly. "I honestly can't see how this would ever be useful. Unless I was sneaking around and wanted to see above a counter or around a corner," I joked. Keeping it on for about another minute, I figured out that I could spin the 'camera' around my body independent from my heads motions. Felt super odd, though. It was with a sigh of relief that remote poked my hand into the 'First Person' selection.
"What about music/sound?" Hax asked.
"What about special?" I shot back, bypassing the remaining map option. It dropped down into another menu. Only two selections showed up, with a long line of '?'s underneath them. "Virtual console, and virtual simulation," I spoke aloud for Haxs' benefit, having taken the screen back. I clicked on the first one, a long line of names appearing in a list. "Video games? I think these are video games."
My eyes trailed down the list, noting that each title I saw was one I had personally owned at one point or another. Was it just some kind of 'virtual' emulation or something? Just a way to play games I had already played, without access to the consoles I had left behind?
"Monster Hunter," I read from the list, poking at the title. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, to be specific. A game on the psp I had played for literal hours, before my buddies psp had broken and thus we hadn't been able to play the multiplayer anymore.
A shame that they weren't sorted by system, that was setting my latent OCD off something fierce. At least the titles were alphabetized.
A flash of light coalesced in the palm of my hands, dimming until the unmistakable shape of a psp lay between my palms. I stared at the device, noting the scratches and scuffs on its frame. Exactly the same, down to the trace air bubbles underneath the screen protector. This was my psp. Which seeing as it should have been stuck in a cardboard box with a plethora of my other personal belongings back home on earth in my parents garage, was something to note.
Text flashed on the handheld devices screen.
Unpause?
"Sure, what the fuck ever," I scoffed to myself, hitting the start button.
My vision faded to black, just to as quickly be overtaken by the glaring might of pure sunlight. Surrounding me on all sides, it took several swear laden seconds for my eyes to readjust. Gone were the walls inside my treebrary, replaced by a bright outdoors. Trees, rocks, birds chirping and bugs being loud buzzy assholes.
"The hell?" I muttered to myself, stumbling back and tripping over a raised tree root. "Damn it. Hax?"
I received no spoken response, but I got a verbal one all the same. A deep rumbling growl, piercing through my skin and permeating deep into my bones. My eyes grew wide, tracking the source of the fierce sound. Standing behind me was what looked like a dinosaur. Upright, it towered at least a couple feet over me.
The last quest I had been on when I last played this game. The easiest monster to hunt in the game, a beginner subjugation quest. The Great Jaggi.
A pittance to dispatch with my decently kitted out character I had played for hours, not so much for my currently normal shovel lugging self.
I barely got off the beginning of a scream before it leaped forward, whirling around to crush my chest inwards with its fearsome and heavily muscled tail. |
Blessings | pre | "Cadance!"
"Twilight!"
"Mom! Dad!"
"Luna!" shouted Luna.
Everypony stopped.
All eyes were on Luna, and considering how many ponies now populated the kitchen - some of them giants - there was hardly the room to put them all there. The air was cloistered with colourful horns and wings. "I was feeling left out..." she mumbled meekly. She thrust out a hoof at the rulers of the Crystal Empire, nearly toppling poor Night Light in the process and declared, "If these two get to go sneaking off to spy on this auspicious occasion, then surely I do as well!"
"We weren't spying!" said Shining. "Not really spying. Not like, your actual spying. It was just, you know, concerned spying. Concern-ing."
"We just wanted to make sure everything went smoothly," said Cadance through a smile of clenched teeth. "There was shouting."
Twilight Sparkle knew what they meant. She wasn't impressed. "Potted plants?" she asked, managing to put in three syllables a potent cocktail mix of snark, grudge and irony. "Really?"
Shining Armour gave a less than instantaneous and total denial. So she provided it for him. "It was one time!" she shouted. "One time!"
"So was the living room!"
"We got watered," Twilight Velvet mused nostalgically.
"I remember that. It was one of your teachers, I think. It means a lot, to a potted plant."
"We've always been very considerate of our own plants since, you know. Having been a mile in their horseshoes, figuratively speaking."
"Your mom keeps a lovely garden," said Night Light. "Luna, be sure to visit the front yard before you go."
"Certainly," the alicorn of the night said pleasantly.
Cadance waved desperately to clear the air of its present insanity. "Wait wait wait. Luna. When did you get here?"
The dark alicorn cleared her throat in a haughty fashion. "I left right when the both of you did. I felt it was wise to watch the two of you, considering my sister's request of me. That decision proved wise indeed," she said with heavy reproach.
Shining Armour was pouting. "You were spying on us?"
"Better than you were spying on our sister, yes indeed. Celestia, dost thou have anything to say?"
Again all eyes settled on one pony. Celestia took a moment to consider. "Oh no," she said meekly, managing to pull something of a Fluttershy and hide demurely behind her little coffee mug. "You all just carry on. Don't worry about me."
Taking her opportunity from the renewed argument of Crystal Empire versus The Night, Twilight Sparkle leaned over, craning her neck to whisper to Celestia "Are you okay?"
"I am," came the quiet reply. Celestia was smiling, Twilight saw, and her eyes shone bright. "More than fine, in fact. Is this normal, in a family?" Twilight Sparkle had never seen her former mentor wonderstruck before, but she recognized the expression now.
"For a given value of normal...probably not. But maybe it is. I suppose that, whether it is or isn't, it's the life we're living regardless?"
"That's a very philosophic answer, Twilight."
Twilight had been denying herself all morning, not wanting to seem to her parents clingy and needy with Celestia. It wouldn't have helped the argument she felt she needed to make, that this relationship wasn't founded on infatuation and obsession. Twilight Sparkle indulged herself now, leaning herself against the bigger alicorn. Celestia was warm, and soft, and steady. A hundred positive adjectives and more ambled in a rolling procession through Twilight's mind. Celestia was great. Really great. "I learned a lot," Twilight murmured into her warm coat.
Celestia leaned gently on Twilight and the warmth between their bodies became better. "That you did. I just hope I'm learning as much now."
"I'm sure we will." Twilight closed her eyes and they cuddled like that for a quiet moment.
After a moment of perfection, the silence was spoiled by a sniffle. They looked from their cozy corner. Cadance's eyes were wet and trembling. "Don't let us interrupt," she whimpered. Shining was even worse; tears were already coursing down his reddened cheeks. Only great resolve held him back from all-out blubbering.
Luna watched with interest. She nudged a tissue box towards the others.
"Thank you," Cadance said in a quivering voice, drippy-nosed and full of emotion. Her voice. Not her nose.
Her nose was full of teary-eyed boogers.
Twilight Sparkle turned and asked. "Are...are you all okay?" To all appearances Shining Armour looked like he was actually about to start wailing.
"We're fine, Twiley, we're fine," he managed to choke out around stifled sobs. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry!"
Celestia and Twilight Sparkle both felt rather self-conscious. They didn't break off their embrace, it was just hard to focus on enjoying it when it was under so much attention. Night Light and Twilight Velvet looked more bemused than anything, but pride and amusement lit up their features, too.
After a while of quiet, Night Light spoke. "Luna," he said suddenly, turning to address the alicorn by the back door, "if you had to pick between us, that being Twilight Velvet or myself, which would you choose?"
"Choose in what manner?"
"As a romantic or sexual partner."
"That is an unusual proposition."
"It's for science."
"Well," Pondered the dark princess. "If it's for science..."
The warm fuzzy bubble they'd been in, Celestia and her, burst all at once. Dad could not have killed the mood more aptly if he'd bombarded it from high orbit, Twilight Velvet thought.
"Oh, Night Light," Cadance gently rebuked.
"Not your best timing, dear," Twilight Velvet said wearily. Shining just kept on crying.
It took on new appropriate-ness.
"It was an important question." His voice was prickly. "Sorry," he said at last. "You can tell us the answer later. It might not be the best time just now."
Luna was frowning, eyeing them both. She nibbled her lip thoughtfully, leaving a considerable number of world leaders hanging on her next words. Then she announced, "I will."
"Let's not get involved," Twilight Sparkle suggested into Celestia's ear.
"Indeed." There was a trace worry and uncertainty there, but also fascination. Then it hid and Celestia was as Celestia always had been. "Luna, if you are here, then who's in the castle?"
Luna turned her nose up. "I called recess." She held the haughty, offended poise for a moment, but eventually it was cracked from within by smile. She stamped a hoof and insisted, "I could not sit by and miss you and Twilight declare thy amorous intent for one another before her parents!"
Without pause the night princess dropped all semblance of excitement and leaned towards said parents. Her eyes were locked to Celestia's with impish mirth as she said, "I often raid their dreams, my sister's and your daughter's. It is gleeful. Would you like to know more?"
"Y-"
Night Light was just about to raise his hoof when his wife held it down. Her eyes went to Twilight Sparkle's. "No."
"No?"
"No."
"Ah, um, no. That's quite alright."
"That's right."
Twilight the mother gave Twilight the daughter a knowing smile, as if to remind her that alicorn princess she may be now, and full to bursting with pride they as parents were for that, but mom was still Mom and mother knew best. "Thanks, mom."
"As for you, princess, that was mean, and you should know better. You shouldn't go sharing the dreams of ponies that don't want them shared. It's not appropriate."
Luna, who was quite capable of levelling a city, listened to the words of the middled-aged writer. Then she bowed her head in a sulk. " 'twas not really going to spoil them."
Twilight Velvet was merciless. Twilight Sparkle kept smiling, trying to keep camouflaged best as possible while doing nothing at all, but her very soul felt as if it were steadily trying to slink away from her. It was something in that stern voice, a command harmonic, perhaps a mom thing. It brought every reprimand and chastisement from Twilight Sparkle's childhood out of retirement and sent them pushing against her mind. And she wasn't even the one being addressed!
"Then you shouldn't have said that you were going to."
Luna had her wings hung limp and head somewhere down by her knees, lips pouted. It occurred to Twilight Sparkle that Luna might be doing this for fun. Twilight knew the alicorn to be very expressive, but this struck her as overacting the part. It occurred to her again, with no less shock, that maybe her own mother was having just as much fun with it.
It gave Twilight Sparkle no conclusive answer and something new to ponder, but Luna brightened up quickly. She addressed her directly. "Forgive my mischief. You actually have sweet dreams. Wonderful and kind. May your bond with Celestia prove as gentle in the waking world as it is in the dreaming one. It is time for me to go; I believe I already know what the official response of the family here to be."
Proud as polished silver, Luna hoisted herself high and marched to the backdoor. She paused, her hoof caught mid step. She turned and put it down with a decided click. "Ah, one final thing. Twilight Velvet. It is a bold mare indeed who would chastise my conduct as unbecoming when her own husband has petitioned Us for amorous relations not two minutes before! Luna's laughs were as loud as lion roars, each a separate, hearty and distinct Ha! Ha! Ha!
Twilight Velvet's polite smile was fixed in place and her eyes were bright with the joy of competition. Night Light looked deep in thought. "It's an open question," he mused, probably not even realizing he spoke the thought aloud.
Luna had the gumption to pat him on the head. "Sleep on it, both of you," she suggested with the utmost sweetness.
That did it.
Twilight Velvet's eyes widened as the suggestion unfurled itself for her. Her cheeks filled with colour and Twilight Sparkle's mom was rocked with the effort of not cursing or laughing, her composure broken.
Luna winked. She punched the air, coming just shy of destroying the ceiling. "I win!" she declared. She was already vanishing out the door and beating the air with her wings.
Twilight Sparkle was not sure how to feel, far from it. Celestia was smiling with playful humour. She took her cue from that, confident in her belief that seeing Celestia smile was one of the single greatest things. Every hesitation and doubt she had seemed silly and adorable now. There was a whole lot Twilight Sparkle didn't know, but she had one thing she was certain of.
"I love you."
She felt the faintest jolt go through Celestia. She saw Celestia's fear, here and gone in an instant. "It scares me," she confessed, "to love. To love like this." Celestia raised her voice and it did not falter. "I love you, Twilight Sparkle. I love you.
"Twilight Velvet. Night Light," she addressed them each with respectful bows, as if they were the royalty here and not she. "All diversions aside, all silliness aside, that is what I came here to proclaim. That I love your daughter. I have for a long time denied it, rationalized it, bargained with it and found a thousand and one hundred and ten more dispassionate reasons why I should not love her like this.
"And yet... I do. It terrifies me even to admit it, and even more to feel it. Even now I fear that I should not have this, that I do not deserve this." Now their eyes were locked together, though Celestia addressed them all. "But I look at Twilight Sparkle and I feel I can be braver than ever I thought possible."
"Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her right now, damnit!" hissed Cadance, bouncing in place. She looked ready to crawl over the table and physically mash their faces together to assure this happening; Shining Armour held her back.
Celestia gave no sign that she'd noticed the exchange, but took the suggestion all the same. Twilight Sparkle saw the signs and met her halfway, one head lowered, one raised. Together, their lips met, tender and gentle.
"Yes, yes!"
"Cadance!" chided Shining. A slender, deceptively powerful foreleg drew the stallion into a tight embrace. "Mmph!" he squawked as she locked lips hungrily with his.
Night Light caught a glimmer at the edge of sight. The floor was beginning to crystallize. Crystals were already crawling up on his chair leg. He shuffled his hooves quietly out of the way. A warm summer breeze seemed to be blowing across the table from his daughter and her lover.
Night Light turned to his wife. They supped their coffees. "Alicorns."
Twilight Velvet repeated the sigh, maybe emphasizing the pleasure and humour in it just a little. She always had expressed himself better than he did. "Alicorns," she agreed.
Night Light let the kissy-kissy carry on for a little while. Not long - these were his children after all, and his kitchen, the breeze was getting decidedly warmer and if he left it any longer he was fairly certain his butt was going to begin crystallizing also.
Night Light cleared his throat with due noisiness. The quiet moans went away reluctantly. He spoke with low severity. "Twilight. When your brother and Mi Amore came to us with their intentions-" The former blushed, the latter clamped down on a silly grin and Twilight Velvet cast her husband a crafty sidelong glance, "Came to us with their intentions," he repeated more firmly, "Your mother and I were shocked."
"Shocked," agreed Twilight Velvet, eyeing her daughter meaningfully. "They were quite the intentions, you realize." She wiggled her eyebrows and Twilight Sparkle grew flustered.
Night Light paused to sip his coffee, then forged ahead. "We were shocked. But we weren't surprised.
"You have to remember, we've known Mi Amore for many years. It was your mother who first pointed out to me the way our son and our babysitter looked at one another."
"More so when they thought we couldn't see them," chimed Twilight Velvet, who not only had a sense for such things but had built a career on it. Dad might have been romantically naive, Twilight knew - she'd inherited that one from him - but mom had enough romantic guile for two or three ponies.
"We lent our heart to their relationship-"
"and still do."
"And still do, because at the end we know they care deeply for one another."
"It's true," said Shining Armour. Cadance pecked him a quick kiss.
Twilight Velvet said, "your case isn't entirely different, Twilight. More extreme," she admitted, "but not entirely different."
"We've known Celestia for years, and while I know I can say your mother and I have some concerns about how soon it seems this has happened between you, I don't think either of us are entirely surprised. You are younger than Shining was and, forgive me for saying say, Princess, you are older than Cadance was."
"It helped that they were of an age."
Cadance buffeted her wings and raised her voice. "But they really love each other! Nopony has to be me to see that."
"Let us finish," Twilight Velvet said calmly. "Celestia...in some ways you've been closer to my daughter through her childhood than we have. I'm not sure how I feel about that. We both know that if this relationship with Twilight is based on a fault, we would consider it your experience to blame far more than her naivete."
"Mom!"
"Twilight Sparkle do not interrupt me."
"But-"
"No buts!" Twilight Velvet shouted. "Sit yours down, sweetie." She sighed and regarded the two alicorns. Her daughter had always been a pony given to strong passions, though always denying it. "Celestia, I look at you and her and I find myself hoping and believing that you have always been wholesome and good regarding our child when she was in your tutelage. And now our child is an adult - albeit a very young one - and we couldn't stop her in pursuing this if we wanted to. But I expect our regard means enough to you, Celestia, to end this."
Mom and dad shared a wordless exchange. Cadance held her breath. Shining Armour couldn't watch, hid his eyes then peeked from under his hoof. "We don't want to," Night Light at last said to the sounds of relieved breaths. "Celestia, you've been at the centre of Twilight's life for many years. Many things have changed in that time but that fact, we know, has not. If this is the way forwards in making her happy, in each of you making one another happy, then so be it. You have our blessing and support in pursuing this relationship."
Twilight Velvet held her princess' eyes and did not blink or turn away. "Celestia, what a strange and charmed life you lead. Be good to our daughter, as you were before." After a moment her smile flickered to life. "I know she'll prove a loving companion."
Twilight Sparkle didn't know what to say. The silence that fell over the kitchen was absolute. This was it. The approval they had come for, and been so afraid of seeking out. She trembled and realized that Celestia was crying. Glittering tears trailed down and fell from her face. She brushed on away. It was hot on her hoof. "Celestia?"
"I don't know what to say. I'm overwhelmed. This...this has meant so much to me. Twilight, to be loved, to be the object of your love, to be accepted... it is wonderful. Night Light, Twilight Velvet, thank you."
Twilight Sparkle put her hooves around Celestia and held her as she cried. "Let's go," she suggested after a time, "it's a beautiful day. We have time, Luna will cover for us."
"Yes," Celestia said, letting Twilight lead her to her to the door. "Cadance. Shining. Despite going against our wishes...I am glad you were here. Thank you."
"Any time you need us," said Shining Armour.
"Go," urged Cadance, "enjoy yourselves. I'd like to stay and visit. We haven't visited for a while."
"Night and I would love that."
"See you," Twilight Sparkle said. "And thank you." There'd be time to talk at length. Just not now. They had made their milestone. Now they were outside, at the back of the house of Twilight's family home. It was sunny and bright and at once both very different and very familiar to how she recalled it. "What would you like to do now?"
Celestia had stopped crying. Her tears were drying quickly in the sunlight. "I would like very much to walk around the city and simply be for a while."
Twilight pressed against her as they walked. She flicked her horn and the discretion spell was once more upon them. "Like a couple?"
"Like a couple." They were on the sidewalk. The city centre was an instant away for them whether by horn or by wing, but they both enjoyed the simplicity of walking there. They parted around ponies that never saw them and came together again as a pair.
"They'll be talking about us, back at the house."
"I'm sure they will be." Celestia paused. An earth pony was up a tree, pruning the branches into a tidy shape. Across the street a group of ponies - grown and foals alike - crowded at an ice cream vendor. "They mean well."
"Did I ever show you my favourite bookstore?
"I don't believe you did."
"That's it there."
"It looks very nice."
"It gets better," said Twilight. "Come on, I'll show you!"
Twilight took Celestia's hoof and lead her inside. She was right. It did get better. |
In the broad daylight | pre | Diamond Tiara could only listen, the older mare looked feral and frightening at the moment. After a bit more glowering the anger seemed to vanish from the white pony. The sinister grin returned and she raised her head.
"But you are going to help make up for all that. If your father wants to see his precious little princess again, he's going to be forking out the bits. He is going to suffer for what you did to me," the mare chuckled.
"My father is going to have you exiled for this!" Tiara growled but fell silent when a hoof kicked the cage. The shaking caused the filly to fall down. That really hurt.
"All your father is going to be doing is paying up, he owes me a lot of back pay," Snow Heart snorted, she watched the disoriented girl in the cage for a moment before looking at Paul.
"Give me the key to the cage," she ordered the Gryphon who began searching his chest feathers. He pulled out a string hidden under them holding a small key. Paul took it off and gave it to his boss.
Snow Heart's brow wrinkled in hard concentration and a white glow came on her stub and the key glowed too as she took it via levitating magic. This was clearly a struggle for her with a broken horn and the sweat poured down her head. But the mare stubbornly turned around and used the key to open the cage.
Diamond Tiara was still dizzy after the kick and trying to orient herself. She didn't notice the cage door open until Snow Heart reached in and grabbed her tiara with her mouth and pulled it off.
"Hey!" the girl began to rise up again but the mare was already locking the cage.
"Give me back my tiara!" the filly shouted and tried to reach for it through the bars but was ignored.
The old mare tried to levitate the key back to Paul but finally lost what little concentration she had. The horn stopped glowing and the key fell to the ground, but the Gryphon walked over and picked it up, replacing it on the string. The Unicorn rubbed her forehead tiredly for a moment before spitting the tiara to the floor.
"Give it back!" Diamond Tiara reached as far as possible through her prison. She could almost touch it, it was so close. But a white hoof came crushing down and smashed it to pieces.
The young filly's eyes bugged out and the jaw hung loose at the sight. Her precious tiara was gone, only smashed pieces of metal and pearls remained. Slowly she sunk down with one leg still reaching out from the bars. The girl looked up, a cruel face stared right back down at her with an evil smirk.
"What? No 'daddy is going to do something to me' for this?" Snow Heart asked and laughed mockingly.
"My... tiara..." Diamond Tiara whispered. Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes.
"Aw did I break the crown of the poor precious princess?" The mare continued to mock the filly.
"I could keep this up all day; alas I must get going again. Paul, you sweep up the remains into an envelope, it will go with our next note to her dear old daddy." Snow Heart turned around and began walking away. She grabbed up her cloak and swept it around herself, pulling the hood over the head.
"Yes Ma'am," the Gryphon saluted, his beak forming a solid grin. He had enjoyed the show very much. He rescued an envelope from an old table and began using the end of his own tail to sweep up the tiara remains.
"You boys behave now and keep an eye on our meal ticket," Snow Heart ordered and glanced back from the cottage exit. "I'll be making sure we get our first payment."
"So do we send the next note before or after we get the money?" the Gryphon asked.
"We'll send it after we get the first pay, unless Mr. Rich needs further encouragement. I'll notify you boys when the times come. For now just keep watch," Snow Heart explained to him before leaving the cottage.
Paul nodded and finished sweeping up the remains. He put the envelope on the table and proceeded to lie back down. He took one last glance at the cage and chuckled. Diamond Tiara was still lying down, one leg reaching out from the bars and the tears crawling down her cheeks.
"Not so mouthy now you stupid little brat," he muttered and stretched with a big yawn. The Gryphon curled up and proceeded to make full use of the blessed silence and take a nap.
Silver Axe had watched the whole thing in silence, mostly due to his inability to talk. He looked at the cage, Diamond Tiara was still not moving from her position. The stallion wondered why the filly was so heartbroken over a simple tiara. He figured she had a closet full of the things back home.
He glanced at the dresser and saw he had one last muffin left. Using one wing he grabbed it up and walked over to the cage, the Pegasus dropped it down within reach of the filly. The girl stirred and looked up. There was no sneer, no haughty look. Her lips were trembling and the eyes showed genuine distress.
The large pony stared back, first with his usual hard almost unfriendly expression. Then for a brief second a flicker of a smile crossed his lips. Silver Axe turned around and walked away. He glanced back and saw that Diamond Tiara had pulled the muffin closer and was nibbling at it through the bars.
Rainbow Dash groaned in frustration and took to the skies once more, leaving the house she had been at behind. The Pegasus had spent a good portion of last night flying to where she originally thought her old friend lived, but the female Gryphon had moved away. Dash then found a cloud to nap for the night before resuming her search in the morning.
She had then been going from one place to another for most of the day. Dash couldn't at first understand it; it seemed the Gryphon never lived for very long at any house or apartment. It didn't look like she was trying to disappear since she always did leave a forwarding address for her mail and/or any family.
"Or friends if she has any left," the light blue pony snorted. At the last location she was now racing away from she had finally figured out why Gilda was always moving.
"That's the tenth house I've been at. Why is she always moving!" she had shouted in frustration.
"Probably because she is a very bad tenant," The landlord pony had bluntly stated.
It turned out Gilda was always so loud and rude that complaints piled up against her in matter of weeks, forcing any landlord to finally evict her. Rainbow Dash couldn't believe she hadn't figure that out sooner. Other landlords had always frowned and scowled when the Pegasus had brought the Gryphon up and then flatly stated she didn't live there anymore.
"Oh horse apples, I forgot to ask for her forwarding address," Dash groaned and took a sharp turn back.
But if she isn't at that address I'm quitting this, she seems to be bouncing around all of Equestria, the Pegasus thought and found herself quickly back at the big house.
"Hey, I forgot to ask if Gilda left a forwarding address," she addressed the maroon colored Earth stallion who was painting the building.
"She didn't," the landlord said with a shrug. Dash's face fell, looked like her search had come to a dead stop.
"She hasn't sent it yet, so she probably hasn't found a new place to live in. I think she said something about going to Las Pegasus before taking off," he added.
"Great, if she hasn't found a place yet I might still find her there," Rainbow pumped one hoof in the air before speeding off again calling thanks back to the landlord.
"Wonder why she's going to Las Pegasus," she wondered as she left Fillydelphia behind and headed for the gambling capital of Equestria.
The flight took few hours, even for a pony as quick as Rainbow Dash, but finally she could see the first tall buildings of the city in the distance. The pony grinned and figured Gilda was good as found. She didn't even bother with avoiding few small clouds in her way, smashing right through and pulverizing them.
Aha, a challenge. The Pegasus smiled even wider when a particularly large cloud appeared in her way. "I will show you who the boss is."
She went right through, the cloud was too large to disappear that way, so the Pegasus intended to fly up and do a back flip back into it to make more holes. That was at least the original plan, unfortunately the moment she reached the other end she crashed right into someone.
"Hey watch it, I'm flying..." a rough female voice began growling but it changed into mild surprise. "Dash?"
"Whoa what the ..." Rainbow managed to untangle herself away; they weren't falling since the crash had landed them on another cloud that fortunately held them. The pony flew back up and realized she had barreled right into her former friend from Junior Speedster Flight Camp.
Gilda's surprised expression quickly changed into annoyed one and she too took to the air. The Gryphon snorted and folded her front legs, glaring at the Pegasus who was doing the same now.
"Oh great, that's just what I needed. I'm kicked out, again, have to find a new place to live in and now you show up!" she snapped and prepared to fly off, much to her frustration Rainbow Dash immediately followed her.
"Hold it right there, Gilda we have to talk," the pony shouted.
"About what? You chose to live with those dweebs back in Lameville," the Gryphon snorted and quickly found herself nose to beak with Rainbow Dash who gave her a stinging glare.
"Hey! You don't call Ponyville lame or my friends' dweebs. If anything I should be mad at you for how you treated them. Oh wait, I am mad at you for that," the Pegasus pony snapped.
"Whatever!" Gilda grunted. She pulled herself back and tried to fly around but Dash immediately zipped right back in front of her.
"Leave me alone Rainbow Dash, it's been a very long bad week for me and I'm in no mood for you," the Gryphon snarled and again tried to get past the pony.
"I will leave you alone if you tell me about your cousin or uncle or whatever, the one with the glass eye that visited you back in flight camp," the Pegasus flew right back into her former friend's flight path.
"Cousin Paul? Huh, he's even lamer than your Ponyville," the half lion/half eagle female snorted.
"What did I tell you about calling Ponyville lame?!" Dash growled and poked her hoof harshly into Gilda's feathered chest.
"Whatever Dash..." the Gryphon snapped and pushed the hoof away. She didn't try to escape this time, she folded her arms again. "What do you care about Paul anyway?"
"Because he is involved in a foalnapping in Ponyville and attacked a filly that is now in the hospital," the Pegasus said. "I need to know how we can find him."
"Cousin Paul a foalnapper?" Gilda blinked before she started to laugh.
"Hey, what's so funny?" Rainbow asked scowling.
"That geek would never have the guts to pulls something off like that. He's all talk and no brawn." The Gryphon continued to chuckle.
"Well I don't know that many Gryphons and the one who attacked the fillies matches his description," Dash pointed out. Gilda snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Look Dash, I know Paul. He's always pretending to be tougher than he really is. Always talking about finding work with somepony who could get him easy money, always thinking he is such a gangster. He even made up a street name for himself. Glass-Eye Paul, laaaame," she explained and snorted again.
"What if he has?" Rainbow asked frowning heavily. "When is the last time you met him? Gilda, your cousin has badly injured a young girl and foalnapped another. Is that cool even by your standards?"
Gilda opened her beak to say something but fell silent. Her eyes shifted down as she seemed to be considering something.
"Gilda, I'm not here to demand an apology for what you did to my friends back in Ponyville. I know you are far too stubborn and proud to do that. But if you really did consider me your friend once, could you please tell me where I can find your cousin." The Pegasus eased her frown a bit and watched her former Gryphon friend who seemed to be having some inner debate.
"Sorry Dash, haven't seen him in years." Gilda finally spoke after a while. She flew around the pony and headed towards the city.
Drat, I really thought I was on to something, Rainbow Dash thought and watched the Gryphon disappear into Las Pegasus. With a sigh she turned and headed back for Ponyville.
Applejack followed the sound of music coming from among the trees. She had been doing a routine checking of the fields when the tunes reached her ears. The farm pony knew exactly where it was coming from and just couldn't resist checking on things. As she had suspected the Cutie Mark Crusader's clubhouse was soon in view. By the sounds of things the three little fillies were having the time of their lives inside dancing to some upbeat tunes.
The Earth Pony chuckled and was convinced now that her sister's friends weren't letting yesterday's events bother them too much. If anything Apple Bloom was probably not allowing them to dwell too much on it. She was about to head back when hearing a rustle and hoof steps approaching.
Now who the hay could that be? She thought and stood still, watching the direction the new sound was coming from. The farmer got her answer soon enough, Rarity came into view looking nervous and worried.
"Hey Rarity, what brings ya to these parts? Checkin' on your sister?" AJ addressed her friend. The Unicorn almost jumped, she hadn't noticed the other pony.
"Why, uh yes. That's exactly what I'm doing," Rarity chuckled nervously.
"Or where ya maybe always followin' them from discreet distance and were first now catching up?" Applejack peered at the fashion designer as she trotted closer, a knowing smile crossing her lips.
"I um... why do you say that... I wouldn't spy on my sister..." the white pony tried her best to look innocent as ever. The farm pony chuckled and shook her head.
"'Cause Sugar Cube, almost everypony in Ponyville is doin' the same with their own youngins, either keepin' them close or followin' from a distance," she pointed out. "This whole foalnappin' case has everyone rattled."
"I... well yes I guess it is true." Rarity relented. "It's just such a dreadful thought, Applejack. I can only imagine how Mr. Rich is feeling. I was surprised that you allowed Apple Bloom to stay with us for the night."
"Well, gotta admit that Ah did have an uneasy feelin'. But Ah trust ya Rarity and figured Apple Bloom would be just as safe in yer house as she would be at Sweet Apple Acres," Applejack told her friend. She then nodded towards the clubhouse. "An' Ah feel a bit safer knowing she's on the farm now. This is a secluded and private."
"True enough." The Unicorn agreed. The music continued playing from the clubhouse, intermixed were happy giggles of young fillies.
"I probably should return to my shop," Rarity said, feeling less worried.
"Ya do that and have no fear; we'll keep an eye on her while she is on the farm," Applejack assured her. "Want me to walk with ya back to Ponyville?"
"I would be very glad with your company," her friend nodded. After taking one last glance at the clubhouse the white pony left with the orange one the way she had come.
The two mares weren't gone long when the music stopped. Inside the Cutie Mark Crusader's headquarters Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stopped spinning and dropped down to sit. The two fillies laughed lightly as they caught their breaths again.
"That was fun." The yellow pony smiled, her Unicorn friend nodded furiously in agreement. They both twisted around to check their flanks and groaned when nothing appeared.
"It doesn't look like we will have cutie marks in wild dancing. Anything on you Scoo..." Sweetie stopped and looked around. She had been so involved with her dance number that the girl had lost track of the Pegasus. Scootaloo hadn't gone far, she was sitting by the table with one hoof under her chin, the gloomy look returned.
"Oh not again," Apple Bloom sighed and rose up. She walked over followed by the white filly.
"Scoot, what's really botherin' you?" the Earth pony asked and sat beside her glum friend.
"Um..." Scootaloo dropped her hoof and tapped it nervously together with her other one.
"Yeah, it's not just that everypony is feeling sorry for Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara but you're not is it?" Sweetie Belle wondered. The orange filly shook her head.
"Then what is it?" Apple Bloom was starting to wonder if they would ever manage to pull the reason out of her.
"Remember earlier when I asked you if I was awful for not feeling sorry for them?" Scootaloo whispered, tears threatened to come from the corner of her eyes. The Pegasus quickly dried them off but knew there was no use hiding it, her friends had seen it.
"Yeah and we said we didn't mind... wait did someone call ya awful for it?" the yellow pony asked frowning heavily when her friend nodded, Sweetie Belle's jaw dropped.
"Well no, not call me awful but... I didn't just blow off on you guys... you see the police ponies came this morning to ask me about what happened yesterday. After I had told them what I remembered, I heard mom tell the police that we were all shocked over what happened and felt deeply sorry for them..." Scootaloo sighed and dropped her head to the table.
"That's when I knew I did not agree with that. I did not feel sorry for them and... I said it and argued with mom about it and that's when I said I hated them and didn't care what happened to them. Mom said I shouldn't be saying such awful things..." the Pegasus lifted her head. "I was told to go to my room to think about what I had said. But I snuck out the window and sped around Ponyville on my scooter until I saw you girls."
"Wow," Sweetie Belle said.
"Well yer mom shouldn't be saying ya feel sorry for someone if ya don't feel sorry for 'em," Apple Bloom stated. "Ah mean why do adult ponies always try to say we say sumthin' we didn't?"
"Yeah and if we try to correct them they just hush us," the unicorn agreed.
"Adults sure are weird, huh?" Scootaloo chuckled weakly and so did her friends.
"Apple Bloom?" a deep voice called from the outside. "Ya in there?"
"Huh, wonder what Big Mac wants." The yellow filly turned a bit to look at the entrance to the clubhouse. "Ah'll be right back."
"Comin' big brother," she yelled while galloping outside. The girl rushed for the railing and leaned half on it as she looked down. Down on the ground stood her older brother Big Macintosh, chewing lazily on a straw. But the large red stallion wasn't alone, a light yellow Pegasus with a light purplish mane and three parasols on her flank stood beside him with a worried expression.
"Oh howdy there Parasol." Apple Bloom blinked when recognizing Scootaloo's mother. She wasn't a common guest around Sweet Apple Acres.
"Hello Apple Bloom," the Pegasus mare greeted her back.
"Parasol here is lookin' for Scootaloo, she up in there with ya?" Big Mac asked.
Apple Bloom hesitated to answer knowing that her friend was upset with her mother right now. But the Earth filly's silence was all the answer Parasol needed; she unfolded her wings, flew up and stopped to hover in front of the railing.
"Scootaloo," she called, the concern in her voice was very evident. "I know you are in there, please come talk with me."
"Why? What's there to talk about?" The orange filly peeked out of the window with an angry frown. "I'm not taking back what I said about them."
"No, no of course not," Parasol said knowing too well how independent and willful her daughter was. She ascended a bit to get over the railing and landed on the wooden platform surrounding the tree house.
Apple Bloom in the meantime glanced back to the ground when hearing Big Macintosh clearing his throat. The large red stallion was nodding to her to come down. The yellow filly nodded but knew she would have to get Sweetie Belle out first. The young Earth pony tip toed over to the entrance and waved to the Unicorn to come. Scootaloo didn't notice as her attention was fully on her mother.
"Why don't we all go an' take lil' walk while they speak with one another?" Big Mac suggested when the two fillies came down. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle reluctantly agreed and walked away from the club house with the stallion.
End chapter 4. |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 5 | Chapter 5.
"Scootaloo, I'm sorry I was cross with you this morning," Parasol said. She sat by the window her daughter peeked out of. The orange filly still stared at her with an annoyed angry face.
"I just don't want to think I raised you to be hateful. Hate is such a strong emotion honey, if it's allowed to fester deep within it can cause you to do things you will later regret," the mare continued and reached to touch her daughter on the cheek with a hoof
Scootaloo didn't say anything, her eyes trailed downwards and the scowl eased a little. The filly still looked unhappy but she didn't move her head to remove the hoof from her cheek. Her mother sighed slightly and edged herself as close as she could and began gently caressing the girl's mane.
"Dear, I'm not asking you to like them. I realize that Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara are not your friends, not by a long shot. But I want to ask you to consider their families. If someone attacked you and threw you into a dumpster or foalnapped you I would be horrified and heartbroken. I'm not sure I would be able to eat or sleep until you were brought back to me," the mare explained. Her daughter's unhappy face slowly became sadder.
"I... guess they would be feeling pretty awful," Scootaloo whispered and slowly traced circles with her hoof on the wall under the window. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."
"You have nothing to apologize for my little Wonderbolt," Parasol assured her and kissed the filly on the forehead before mock glaring at her. "Except for almost killing your mother with worry by disappearing out of your room like that."
"Heh, yeah... sorry about that," her daughter giggled and blushed slightly in embarrassment.
"It's alright, just as long as you are safe," the mare said and reached through the window to give her daughter a one leg hug. Scootaloo hugged her mother back. "We still friends?"
"Yes mom." The Pegasus filly nodded and the two parted.
Parasol rose to her feet and unfolded her wings. For a moment mother and daughter stared at each other, both smiling and a feeling of relief washing over them, especially Scootaloo who felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her mind.
"I won't disrupt your time with your friends any longer, just remember not to stay out too late," the yellow Pegasus said.
"I won't mom." Scoot said and waved her mother goodbye when the mare flew off with a wave of her own.
Now where have the girls gone off too? the orange filly wondered and looked around. She scurried out to the platform and looked down from the railing. The girl thought she heard distant chatter and jumped down from the clubhouse. Spreading her little wings the best she could the young Pegasus managed to glide for the most part down before crashing to the ground.
"Still need to work on the landing, ugh," she complained and rose up. While dusting off herself the filly was certain she heard chatter come from the picnic table further off.
Scootaloo headed over there and found her suspicions to be true. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle sat by the table and spoke with each other. They looked up when hearing their friend arrive.
"Howdy Scoot, how did yer chat with ya mom go?" the Earth filly asked.
"Great," the orange filly jumped to sit beside Sweetie Belle. Her friends could clearly hear on both her voice and see it on her that the Pegasus was really feeling great now.
"Super, how about we get some proper crusading going then?" the Unicorn suggested and was met with sound agreement from her friends.
"So what should we do?" Scootaloo asked excited.
"Um, Ah dunno. Let's go to the farm, maybe Applejack has any ideas she can give us." Apple Bloom shrugged. Since the other Crusaders couldn't come up with anything better they jumped down from the table and headed off to the farm proper.
After a bit of walk through the trees they finally arrived on the dirt road leading to the farmhouse. But the fillies didn't need to look for Applejack long; the orange Earth pony was already heading down it, since this road also went to Ponyville. The Crusaders rushed over to the farmer once they spotted her.
"Hey Applejack, where ya goin' sis?" Apple Bloom asked curiously.
"Howdy Crusaders," Applejack greeted the girls with a small grin. "Ah was just headin' over to Mr. Rich, wanted to offer him mah condolences and see if he be needin' anythin'. Ah was goin' to do it when Ah walked with Rarity to town, but plum forgot and was already at Sweet Apple Acres when Ah remembered so Ah was just turnin' around and headin' back."
"Rarity was here?" Sweetie Belle asked cocking one eyebrow.
"Yes, she was just checkin' if you were around these parts with yer friends," Applejack told her with a wink. The little Unicorn tilted her head as she considered the answer but shrugged it off.
"Ya all can tag along if ya want," the mare then offered the Crusaders.
"Might as well, until we get an idea for a cutie mark crusade," Apple Bloom whispered to her friends who agreed. They hurried to catch up with Applejack again who had gotten ahead of them.
"Ah take it they haven't found Diamond Tiara yet?" the yellow filly addressed her big sister.
"No, it's not very easy and it only happened yesterday. The two hoodlums Scoot and Sweetie saw could fly and thus could be anywhere in Equestria," Applejack explained. "Ah heard Silver Spoon's parents came back to Ponyville via the midnight train, so at least she has her parents now with her. Heard also that her mother had a very bad case of hysteria."
"What, she was laughing?" Sweetie Belle frowned in confusion.
"No, it means she panicked Sweetie Belle," the mare corrected her. "And Ah don't blame her, don't reckon ya want to hear yer little girl was attacked while yer outta town."
"True, that must have been awful for her," Appla Bloom nodded and her friends agreed.
As they arrived near Ponyville and saw the first buildings of the little town, the four ponies immediately noticed something different. Several large white Pegasus ponies in golden armor were flying around in the air above.
"What in tarnation?" Applejack raised her brow.
"Wow look at all those royal guards," Scootaloo gasped in awe.
"What are they all doing here?" Sweetie Belle wondered.
"Ah reckon we'll find out once we get into town," AJ said and resumed her trot, the fillies following.
When they reached the town center, they spotted Twilight Sparkle come out of town hall. Applejack immediately headed towards her but the Crusaders stopped for a moment to look at the royal guard ponies that were walking around town.
"Hey Twi, what the hay is goin' on? What's up with all these guards?" the orange Earth Pony asked when catching up with the Unicorn.
"They were sent by the Princess. They are here to assist the Ponyville police searching for the kidnappers," Twilight explained. "She's also sent her guards to other places in Equestria to search."
"Sounds like she is taking this foalnapping case pretty seriously," the farm pony nodded and looked around.
"She is, the Pegasus guards were only the first ones to arrive since they could fly straight to Ponyville, we are expecting the non-flight guards with the train later today," the librarian explained.
"At the very least the presence of the guards will help ease some of the parents' worries," Applejack remarked.
"You noticed the increased amount of hovering parents too?" Twilight chuckled, her friend nodded.
"Can't fault 'em for it though, this whole ugly business has everypony shakin'," the Earth Pony looked around and spotted where the Crusaders where still admiring all the shiny armored ponies. She glanced back at the purple Unicorn. "Well Ah better git goin', was goin' to drop by at Mr. Rich's to offer him my condolences."
"Oh I think I saw him heading for the hospital. He was with Silver Spoon's father, they are probably going to check on her and her mother," the purple mare informed her.
"Well that saves me the trip to the other side of Ponyville," Applejack chuckled and glanced over where the Crusaders had managed to corner a hapless guard and were raining him with questions.
"Crusaders, Am a goin'," she called and had to hold down a laugh when seeing the guard breathe a sigh of relief when the three fillies darted away from him.
"Say, what were ya buggin' the guard about?" Applejack asked, peering at the girls when they arrived.
"Just how he got his cutie mark big sis," Apple Bloom grinned innocently as did her two friends. Her older sister and Twilight looked at each other before shaking their heads.
"Hey Axe, you got any of those muffins left?" Paul asked and stretched, newly awoken from his nap. He looked at the burly Pegasus and grunted in disappointment when seeing him shake the head no.
"Great," he scratched his back with his talons and stretched the wings. "What time is it?"
Silver Axe just shrugged his shoulder. The large pony hadn't really moved much for the past hour or so. He was rather content on just staying by the dresser. The Gryphon frowned and walked over to the door to peek out, but it was hard to make out the sun past the trees. The best he could gather was that it was daytime.
"I need to stretch my wings, watch the brat." Paul disappeared out without even looking at the annoyed Pegasus.
That is what I have been doing anyway, he thought. The pony glanced towards the cage. Diamond Tiara had finished her muffin and now lay down with her forehead resting on the bars. Her front legs stuck out between the bars, resting on the wooden floor. The filly looked angry again but there was more sadness over her, she didn't look at him and only stared down.
Wish I could talk, Silver Axe silently sighed and raised one hoof up to touch his throat. The coat concealed the scars from his old injury that robbed him off his speech. Not everyone understood the hoof signals and sometimes he just didn't bother with them.
Being the literally silent one could get quite annoying and frustrating. Clicking your hooves on the ground or together in complicated signals wasn't always very effective way to communicate when only many understood it.
"Excuse me," a small voice brought the Pegasus partly out of his thoughts. The prisoner had turned her attention to him once again.
"I was just wondering..." Tiara nervously clicked her hooves on the ground. "When will you let me go home?"
Still half lost in his thoughts; Silver Axe just automatically began signaling by clicking his right hoof on the ground. He stopped when realizing that but the filly didn't look at him with a blank confused expression.
"Well, go on," she urged gesturing to him with a hoof.
'Wait you understand hoof signals?' Silver Axe signaled mildly surprised.
"Well... yeah. Dad always feels you must understand everypony, so I've been learning to understand hoof signals in private classes," Diamond Tiara admitted and looked down for moment.
Huh, that made things conveniently easier, the Pegasus thought but shrugged it off. He instead returned to his previous explanation:
'As I was saying, it all depends on how quickly your father pays your ransom.'
"And what makes you think you'll get away with this?" The girl frowned; she felt a little better to talk with someone, even if it was one of her jailors. And at least he doesn't seem as hostile as the Gryphon... or Snow Heart.
'I don't know,' Axe responded to her question. The stallion was beginning to wonder if he should be "speaking" with the prisoner. Then again Snow Heart hadn't said they couldn't.
"You don't know? I thought your type were always so confident in your schemes, convinced that the authorities would never grab you," Diamond Tiara said with a raised eyebrow.
'Snow Heart is the one with the plan, I just implement it,' the Pegasus simply said.
"Well that was insightful," the filly muttered sarcastically.
"Should I even bother asking why you are working for that witch?" she asked. Silver Axe didn't respond and just assumed his usual silent unfriendly expression. They were interrupted by the Gryphon who looked inside from the entrance of the cottage.
"Hey Axe. I have to quickly fly back to my apartment and pick something up. Snow Heart wanted it for this job. I completely forgot about it until just now," Paul explained and left without a further word. Silver Axe scowled, snorted and glared at the entrance.
Do I really want to know what he is getting? Diamond Tiara wondered worried. Anything that horrible Snow Heart wants can't be too good for me.
She glanced towards Silver Axe who was in the process of lying down. The Pegasus stretched out one wing and began preening the feathers. Now the filly couldn't help but watch. She had never seen a Pegasus in the process of grooming the wings.
I would have thought they would use a brush though, Diamond Tiara made a face; the thought of using her mouth to groom herself was not appealing.
The Earth filly watched for a bit before her eyes drifted once more to the floor. She sighed sadly and wished she was home. The girl had been looking so forward to spend an entire weekend with Silver Spoon; they had even been preparing a small private party.
I hope Silver Spoon is alright, she thought allowing a small tinge of worry towards her friend to slip through. Diamond Tiara hadn't really seen what happened to her, having been stuffed into a bag very quickly.
Something shining on the floor caught her attention. The sun was on a downward move outside and managed to send few extra beams through the cracks on the boards covering the windows. Some of the light landed on the floor near the cage and reflected on a small thin strip of metal.
The girl held down her breath and eyed the stallion that was still busy with his wing. Slowly the filly reached for the strip and managed to drag it over. She almost squealed in delight when recognizing it as a piece of her old tiara. Carefully the girl managed to maneuver it into her cage without Silver Axe noticing.
All that is left, but at least it is something, Diamond Tiara thought as she balanced the metal on her hoof.
Sorry mom... it's broken now... the filly sighed and hugged the metal to her chest. Small tears began crawling down her cheeks. After a moment she reached for her tail and pulled it closer, carefully the girl weaved the metal strip into it and made sure it was secure and hidden.
Having concealed what was left of her precious tiara, she glanced back to Silver Axe. He didn't appear to have noticed anything and was now working on his other wing. He had already gathered a bit of brown feathers around himself.
"Is there anything more to eat?" she asked. The muffin had helped a bit but it wasn't exactly a proper meal.
Silver Axe stopped preening and eyed the girl. The stallion rose up scattering the feathers as he moved. He walked over to a closet on the other side of the cottage and opened it. After rummaging through it for a bit he pulled out two carrots. Those he took over to the cage and dropped them in front of it.
Diamond Tiara reached for the vegetables and pulled them in. Two carrots weren't much and she almost opened her mouth to voice it. But the filly fell silent, Snow Heart had already demonstrated to her that no amount of whining and complaining would work. Instead the girl began munching on the food, though she really wished they were cleaned, steam boiled and served with mashed potatoes and parsley.
End chapter 5. |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 6 | Chapter 6.
It was getting late when Rainbow Dash finally returned to Ponyville, the sun was just about to disappear down the horizon in the west. The speedster Pegasus was tired after a long flight and disappointed that her one possible lead hadn't taken her anywhere. She had been so positive that Gilda would tell where her cousin was.
The light blue pony descended as she neared the town, debating whether she should head home and crash down for the night or talk with someone first. Dash had mentioned she was going to talk with an old friend to Twilight; the purple Unicorn would probably begin asking her about it anyway tomorrow.
Rainbow was still debating this when she noticed the royal guards flying around town, most were either coming or going. The Pegasus stopped and hovered while taking in the sight. She didn't recall Twilight saying the Princess was coming for a visit; why else would there be so many guards around?
Right, now I have to know. She decided and headed straight into Ponyville with the direction to the library. While doing so she took the opportunity to glance some more at the various guard ponies.
Almost as cool as the Wonderbolts. Wonder how I would look like in armor? she thought grinning a bit.
Although tired the mare still flew fast and was soon at the library. The lights were on and one window was open so she simply flew right through it and inside. Twilight was sitting by a table reading and books were piled up around her.
"Hey Twilight, I'm back," Rainbow announced causing her friend to jump.
"Rainbow!" The Unicorn glared up at the grinning Pegasus. "Don't startle me like that. I have a door, can't you knock next time?"
"Now where would be the fun in that?" Dash laughed and flew closer to the ground.
"Very funny," Twilight Sparkle grunted before assuming a more inquisitive expression. "So where did you go?"
"To find Gilda," the Pegasus answered and grumbled something inaudible aimed at her former Gryphon friend.
"Really?" the unicorn cocked an eyebrow. "Why? To ask her about this relative of hers you recalled?"
"Yes and after searching almost all day I finally found her, you wouldn't believe how many places she's been kicked out of," Dash told her and spread out her legs to emphasis just how many they had been.
"Well, could she tell you anything?" Twilight wondered, shelving for now her worries about Dash meeting her old friend again. They hadn't parted on the best of terms.
"Nothing," the Pegasus grunted. "Except that his name is Paul and apparently likes to talk big and consider himself some sort of a dangerous guy. Gilda didn't believe he was able to pull off a foalnapping, said he didn't have the guts."
"Well either this Paul managed to gather up those guts, or someone who just happens to match his description foalnapped Diamond Tiara," Twilight said, her brow dropped in a frown. "You are sure that their descriptions match right?"
"Jet black feathers except for the chest and head, dark tan fur, glass eye, that's the Gryphon I saw back in Junior Speedster Camp," Dash stated firmly.
"What about that other guy? You seemed to recognize him too," the purple mare inquired.
"Silver Axe? Well I considered checking on him too," the Pegasus landed and sat down. "But I really only heard this one story about him, long ago way back in Flight Camp. It was really supposed to be a cautionary tale you know, to tell us Pegasi to be careful in thunderstorms."
"Guess that makes sense. Mrs. Cake did confirm that this big Pegasus the girls saw first came to Sugar Cube Corner. He couldn't talk and had to use hoof signals to let her know what he wanted," Twilight told her.
Rainbow Dash nodded and wrinkled her brow while thinking. She was trying to remember the exact details from the story, but about all the Pegasus could recall was what she had already told Twilight.
Guess I should have paid closer attention back in camp, Dash thought and glanced towards the window she had flown in from. "Say, what's up with all the guards?"
"The Princess sent them to help the police search for the foalnappers and Diamond Tiara," the Unicorn responded. She was levitating a quill and writing on a scroll what Rainbow had told her.
"Wow, looks like we are going all out in this search." The Pegasus rose up and stretched. "Do they have any ideas where they could possibly be?"
"None, both having wings they had a pretty good head start, even if one was weighted down with Diamond Tiara." Twilight shook her head.
"Nuts," Dash snorted. "I'm going home to rest a bit then I'll join the search."
"If you want to know what areas have already been searched, drop by town hall. The guards regularly report those in," the purple pony informed her as she took off to the air.
"Will do," Rainbow Dash saluted before darting out through the window.
Twilight rolled up the scroll and put it away. She was about to return to the books when footsteps from the steps leading down to the main library caught her attention. Soon enough her assistant Spike came up holding a large book.
"I found it," he proclaimed proudly and hurried over to the librarian with it. "Weather related disasters and accidents in Equestria over the past twenty years."
"Great work Spike, Rainbow Dash might not be able to recall enough about this Silver Axe guy, but this will hopefully lead to some clues about him," Twilight said, her horn began to glow and the book was enveloped in the purple magic aura as she grabbed it from the dragon.
"So why do we need to find anything about him and how will that help finding the foalnappers?" Spike wondered.
"Rainbow Dash is probably right about the Gryphon and she has managed to bring up both his name and who he is related too. But we need to look into all possible leads and if we can find out more about Silver Axe it could be very helpful in locating them. We must not leave any stone unturned Spike," the purple Unicorn explained to him while shifting through the book.
Scootaloo scrunched her face while examining the board in front of her. The pieces were in place and everything should be set. The filly didn't want to make the wrong move at the worst possible moment. A piece in the incorrect place could spell disaster and the whole game would be ruined.
What to do? What to do? The orange Pegasus tapped her snout with a hoof. This could be the crucial move that could win her the...
"Just make a move ALREADY!" Sweetie Belle shouted waving her legs in agitation.
"Don't rush me," Scootaloo pointed at her friend, determination on her face
"Scoot, we have hardly even started." The white Unicorn pointed at the chess board. She was playing black while the orange filly played white and had the opening move which the girl hadn't done yet.
"I know, I know..." the Pegasus grunted and in the end chose to move a pawn.
"Finally!" Sweetie Belle snorted and moved pawn as well. She sighed when seeing that Scootaloo became indecisive again about what move to make, examining the row of pieces carefully.
"Ya gals haven't played further than this?" Apple Bloom entered the room.
"We would if Scootaloo didn't take a long time to decide what to do," the white filly grumbled.
"Looks like chess isn't one of our special talents either," the yellow filly chuckled and sat down near them.
"Nope, what did your sister want?" Scootaloo asked.
"Just wonderin' if Ah had seen Granny's glasses and asked me to search for 'em in the laundry room just in case," Apple Bloom shrugged.
The three fillies had decided on another more proper sleepover, this time including Scootaloo. None of the parents or Applejack objected to this idea and this time the location would be at Sweet Apple Acres.
"So girls..." the Pegasus filly put another pawn forward on the board. "Where any of you bothered by how Mr. Rich looked like at the hospital?"
"Well he's obviously worried about his daughter," Sweetie shrugged and moved a knight.
"Ya aren't gonna funk on us again are ya?" Apple Bloom peered at her orange coated friend.
"No, no, but I am a little worried," Scootaloo admitted. "Mom said if something similar happened to me, she wouldn't eat or sleep until I was returned to her."
"You don't think Mr. Rich is doing that is he?" the yellow filly gasped.
"No probably not, guess my talk with mom was just high on my mind," the Pegasus said while hovering a hoof over a chess piece, preparing to move it. But Apple Bloom suddenly jumped right on top of the board, scattering everything all over the floor. "Hey."
"But what if he really is doin' it," the Earth filly cried in agitation. "What if they don't find Diamond Tiara? What if Mr. Rich starves to death over his lost daughter?"
"Uh, Apple Bloom, she's only been foalnapped for a day or so," Sweetie Belle pointed out. She jumped when her yellow friend turned towards her with eyes wide open in terror.
"And they haven't found her yet. Ya know what will happen if Mr. Rich dies of starvation? We lose our most valuable business pony. Mr. Rich always buys the first hundred jars of the zap apple jam. If we lose him we lose hundred jars of profit. Our farm would be ruined," Apple Bloom rambled on looking more and more terrified with each word.
For a moment Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle just stared unsure at their rambling friend. They traded glances with each other and could really only shrug. Apple Bloom did have a strange flare for drama and huge imagination sometimes.
"You are way to easily overexcited," The Pegasus claimed
"Besides what can we do about it?" the Unicorn asked. The Earth filly stopped her rambling and sat down on the chessboard as she considered the question.
"Ah know, we'll search for Diamond Tiara," she then declared striking into the air with a leg.
"What!" her friends shouted in unison.
"Isn't this something we better leave to the adult ponies?" Scootaloo scratched the back of her head.
"Yeah, besides the Gryphon and the pony who foalnapped her were so big and mean looking. What could we do against them?" Sweetie Belle frowned heavily.
"Oh sillies, Ah said search for her. When we find her we will lead the guards to where they are and they will take care of the hoodlums," Apple Bloom laughed.
"Ooooh, yeah that makes more sense," the Unicorn nodded, the frown replaced with a smile.
"Yeah I think I can handle that," Scootaloo nodded. The fillies fell silent when there was a knock on the bedroom door and it opened.
"Ah heard shoutin', everythin' okay in here?" Applejack looked inside.
"Yes AJ," all three girls declared.
Applejack's brow rose slightly at the quick response and the smiling faces. Somehow that raised her suspicion that something was up. She noticed the chess board her sister was sitting on and the scattered pieces on the floor.
Ah hope they aren't thinkin' of a cutie mark in makin' messes, she thought. "Well alright then, just don't forget to pick up the pieces. Ah'll be downstairs if ya need anythin'."
"Yes AJ," the fillies responded and watched her leave.
"So how do we actually search for her," Scootaloo wondered, the three fillies rose up and began rounding up the scattered chess pieces. "I mean the guards have probably scoured most of the area around Ponyville we could reach on foot."
"True," Apple Bloom agreed but then had a thought. "What about Silver Spoon. Ya think she heard somethin'?"
"If she did, the police probably already asked her," Sweetie Belle pointed out while sweeping chess pieces towards the board with her tail. "Maybe we shouldn't do this; the adult ponies probably have everything under control."
"Gals, like Ah said we will just search for their location. Then we will hurry back to find guards and lead them to it, they will handle the rest," Apple Bloom explained again.
"I'm down with that, but where do we search? For all we know they could be in the Everfree Forest or something or even somewhere much further," the Pegasus responded, she began gathering a pile of pieces into a box.
"Ah still think we should ask Silver Spoon, didn't ya say that the Gryphon was talking a lot? He could have said something before ya'll came and overheard him," the yellow filly said.
"And I still think it is a bad idea, but guess we can try," Sweetie Belle relented.
"Then it's settled, we go ask Silver Spoon tomorrow at the hospital." Apple Bloom grinned; she was only met with half hearted enthusiasm from her friends.
Shower never felt so good, Gilda thought and allowed the spraying water to run all over her. She felt really tired from the long flight and a bit on the edge after meeting Rainbow Dash.
After a while she reluctantly turned off the faucet and stepped out and grabbed a towel to dry herself with. The whole time the encounter with the rainbow Pegasus played in her mind.
Accusing Paul of foalnapping, she snorted. As if, he couldn't even steal a candy from a baby Gryphon.
Gilda searched the cabinets and found a brush made for feathers. She began on her chest feathers and would work herself to the wings. She glanced around the bathroom; it wasn't too big and while brushing had to sit to really fit properly.
Speaking of the geek, where is he? He said I could crash in his apartment if I was ever flying in Las Pegasus. The Gryphon put the brush back once she was done.
She left the bathroom and almost immediately entered a small living room with an old worn sofa. Aside from the exit and the bathroom, there was only one other door that lead to the bedroom. Gilda trotted over to the small kitchen corner and opened the fridge. Much to her dismay there wasn't much in it at all.
Typical, she grunted and checked all the cupboards and cabinets available. No food at all. Jeez does the guy eat on the run?
"Looks like I better just lie down," Gilda muttered. "I'm taking the bed, if Paul comes back while I'm sleeping, he can sleep on the sofa."
The Gryphon entered the bedroom and closed the door with a slam. She dove for the ratty old bed, twisted and turned while finding a comfortable position to lie on before drifting off to sleep.
"Damn, did I leave the lights on? Oh well."
Gilda tiredly opened her eyes as a voice and a noise outside disturbed her rest. She glanced at the clock but couldn't remember when she had gone to bed. The darkness outside did indicate it was nighttime, but it had already been dark when she arrived in the apartment.
"Now where did I put that camera?"
"Ugh, guess the dofus of the house has arrived," the female Gryphon muttered and glanced at the bedroom door. She could hear movement outside and someone rummaging around.
"I could have sworn I left it here."
Guess I'm not going to be getting much sleep until he finds that thing. She crawled out of the bed and started for the entrance of the room.
"Aha, there it is. Now we can take those pictures Snow Heart wanted us to take of the snooty brat," the triumphant voice of her cousin shouted. Gilda stopped just as she was about to turn the knob of the door when hearing it.
What? She bent down to peer through the keyhole. Sure enough there was her cousin Paul holding a camera in one talon, the male Gryphon was heading for the exit.
"When we get that money we're bleeding out of the father, I am so getting some bigger space and selling this dump. Heck might just hand it over to Gilda." Paul stopped for a moment to glance over the apartment.
You got to be kidding me. Rainbow Dash was right? Paul did foalnap someone? Gilda's jaw dropped down to her chest. Meanwhile her cousin was half out of the apartment already. But then he stopped and snapped two claws on his right talon.
"Oh wait, I probably should take extra batteries with me. I think I have some in the bedroom." He turned around and headed right over there.
Oh shit, Gilda looked around but saw nothing big enough to hide her. She suddenly had no desire to let her cousin find her in the apartment.
Having only seconds to make the decision, the female Gryphon dived for the window, opened it and flew out. Her tail was barely through the frame when her cousin walked in. Using her claws, Gilda hung on the wall just outside. She saw the lights turn on in the room and heard Paul talk while rummaging through the bedroom.
Dammit Paul, what kind of crap have you gotten yourself tangled in? Gilda thought and for a brief moment considered reentering the apartment and confront her cousin.
"Did I leave the window open too?" Paul remarked. His talons appeared in the frame as he reached to close the window.
Crap, Gilda was now stuck outside; she had taken the spare key into the apartment.
The female Gryphon let go of her grip on the wall and spread her wings to fly up. She landed on the roof of the building and sat down; letting out a breath Gilda hadn't even realized she was holding.
"Okay, stealing an item or two from a shop, eh who cares, nobody misses one or two misplaced things," she muttered. "But foalnapping a foal and put another in the hospital..."
"To Tartarus with it, Rainbow is right. That is not cool, not even by my standards," Gilda growled and rubbed her forehead.
"Who would have thought, geeky old Paul actually doing something big," she stood up and walked over to the edge of the roof. "And maybe it's something too big."
She saw movement down on the pavement; the figure unfolded its wings and took to the air. Gilda recognized it as her cousin. He was heading straight out of Las Pegasus, flying discreet as possible.
"Dammit Dash, you just had to be right." Gilda spread out her wings and took off, heading straight after her cousin. Whatever you are doing Paul. I'm putting a stop to it.
End Chapter 6. |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 7 | Chapter 7.
Sunday morning arrived bright and sunny. The only real cloud was the dark figuratively speaking one that hung over many ponies in Ponyville regarding the still unsolved foalnapping case.
At Sweet Apple Acres, The Cutie Mark Crusaders hurried with their breakfast so they could sooner head to town. As the fillies rushed out of the house, they noticed Applejack and Big Mac speaking with one another. While listening in on what the two adult ponies were saying, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle climbed into the wagon and Scootaloo prepared the scooter.
"They need more local volunteers? Huh guess that makes sense," Applejack remarked.
"Eeeyup," her brother agreed.
"A local could show 'em areas they hadn't thought of yet. But what makes 'em think the hoodlums are still around here?" the orange Earth Pony wondered. Big Macintosh only shrugged.
"Well Ah hope they don't need ya all day, there is a lot to do on the farm as ya know," she said.
"Eeeyup," the red stallion replied nodding. "No need to worry AJ. Ah doubt they'll need me all day."
"Come on, let's go," Apple Bloom said since it was obvious this conversation was near its end. Scootaloo stepped up on her scooter and took off flapping her wings.
"We are goin' to Ponyville sis, see ya!" the yellow filly called just as they passed Applejack and Big Mac.
"Alright, Ah'll be at the apples stand in the market around lunch," the farm pony shouted after the Crusaders who were already turning into a distant dot on the road thanks to Scootaloo's speed.
"You think they will let us in to see Silver Spoon? We aren't exactly her friends nor are we family," Sweetie Belle asked while the Crusaders sped towards Ponyville.
"The ponies at the hospital don't have to know that we aren't strictly speakin' her friends," Apple Bloom told her. "We just have to say we are uh acquaintances from school."
"I'm not sure they will buy that." The Unicorn didn't hide her skepticism.
"Don't worry Sweetie Belle, Ah'm sure they will let in worried classmates," The Earthy Filly assured her.
Sweetie was about to respond but suddenly the wagon began swerving. Scootaloo was trying to break and prevent them from hitting a pony that had appeared on the road near the bridge leading into town. The Pegasus had been going so fast that she hadn't noticed the new obstacle until a bit late. Her two passengers held on for dear life and screamed.
The scooter hit a rock in the attempt to prevent collision. Scootaloo flew high into the air before crashing head first in a bush. The remaining Crusaders were thrown off and landed harshly on the road.
"Oh my, are you girls alright?" the pony they had almost crashed into asked and approached them.
"Peeeyu, the road does not taste nice," Apple Bloom spat dirt out of her mouth and struggled to her feet. She was disoriented after the hard fall and had few bruises.
"I'll be fine once the world stops dancing," Sweetie Belle remarked, she was still lying on the ground feeling dizzy.
"Somepony get me OUTTA HERE!" Scootaloo shouted and struggled to get out of the bush but was all tangled into it.
Sweetie Belle began to rise and was offered white hoof. She looked up and saw it was the adult pony. The little Unicorn accepted it and was helped to stand. Apple Bloom went to try and pull their Pegasus friend out of the bush.
"Uh thanks miss, sorry we almost crashed into you," the white filly apologized.
"Oh think nothing of it dear. I'm just glad to see that none of you hurt yourself," the mare said and drew back the hood on her black and white cloak, revealing her dark-gray and white mane and broken unicorn horn.
"Just Scoot's pride I wager," Apple Bloom giggled and dragged Scootaloo out of the bush. The orange filly grumbled. She was covered in leaves and twigs and did have a slight cut on her left front leg. The yellow pony helped her friend brush off.
"Are you new here?" Sweetie asked the mare curiously. "I have never seen you around here before."
"Well I use to live here in Ponyville, but that was many years ago. I'm just visiting now, returning after a long absence," the mare answered with a warm smile.
"I'm Sweetie Belle and those are my friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo," the young Unicorn introduced herself and the rest of her friends as the two other fillies approached. "And together we are..."
"The Cutie Mark Crusaders!" all three girls finished in unison.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders," the mare giggled in amusement. "How charming, I am Snow Heart."
"Nice to meet ya Miss Snow Heart, are ya going to stay long here in Ponyville?" Apple Bloom inquired, she tried desperately not to stare at the broken horn of the adult unicorn.
"Oh I'm really just passing through. Maybe for a couple of days or so, see how much has changed and catch up with old friends," Snow Heart told the girls. There was an odd emphasis on the last two words.
"What happened to your horn?" Scootaloo asked cocking an eyebrow.
"Scootaloo," Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle hissed at their friend. Fortunately the mare took no offense and just laughed lightly.
"Oh it's alright girls; I guess my stub is rather obvious. I had a little accident and couldn't afford having it fixed," the adult pony and pulled her hood back over her head. "But I better get going, you three be careful now not to bump into any other ponies."
The girls waved bye and watched Snow Heart head across the bridge and into Ponyville. Once she was out of earshot two of the Crusaders glared at the Pegasus member of the group.
"Scoot, you don't just ask people like that about obvious old injuries," Sweetie Belle scolded her.
"Yeah, ya never know if it somethin' they don't like talkin' about," Apple Bloom concurred.
"Sorry, it just dropped out by accident. I was really just thinking out loud," Scootaloo grunted and went to pick up her scooter. The other girls fetched the turned over wagon and hooked it back to their ride.
"You know, I got a nagging feeling I've heard that name before," the Unicorn Filly commented and climbed back into the wagon.
"You too?" the Pegasus glanced back at her fellow crusaders.
"Now that Ah think about it, the name does ring a bell. Then again she said she used to live in Ponyville, maybe we've heard our relatives mention her?" Apple Bloom suggested while fixing her helmet. She jumped up into the wagon.
"That's probably it yeah." Sweetie nodded and Scootaloo did as well.
"Well off we go to the hospital," Apple Bloom declared.
"Hold on," the Pegasus said and once again took off.
The speed of the orange filly quickly brought them to Ponyville Hospital. The scooter and wagon was parked near the front steps and hurried inside. But only few seconds passed before all three of them walked back out with their heads hung.
"Aw she's already checked out and gone home," Sweetie Belle sighed.
"Guess they figured she needed the familiarity of her own house." Apple Bloom shrugged.
"So do we go home to her? You think her parents will let us talk to her?" Scootaloo asked while stepping on to her scooter.
"We can try, but we don't know where she lives. I only know where Diamond Tiara lives because I live in the street next to hers," Sweetie Belle pointed out.
"Actually, Ah know where she lives," the Earth filly corrected the Unicorn.
"You do?" both her friends exclaimed.
"Yeah, I mean Mr. Rich isn't the only important business pony who deals with the farm. He's just the one who buys the most zap apple jam," Apple Bloom explained.
"Well let's go then." Scootaloo flapped her wings and once again the three Crusaders were off.
Charming girls, quite different than Mr. Rich's little devil spawn, Snow Heart thought and held back a slight chuckle. She was near town hall and noticed all the guards coming in and out of it. Hm, looks like the search for the little princess is in full swing.
"Excuse me miss," a rough sounding voice addressed her. The mare looked back and saw a Unicorn guard approach with a dead serious expression.
"Yes?" she asked and pulled down her hood.
"We noticed you were arriving into Ponyville. You wouldn't happen to have identification on you? I apologize for the intrusion but we must screen all new ponies entering the town," the dark gray pony explained to her.
"Oh it's no trouble, yes I have identification," Snow Heart answered and reached into her cloak.
She pulled out a small I.D card and showed it to the guard. The stallion used his horn to levitate it from her so he could get a closer look. At the same time he pulled a large sheet of paper and compared the ponies listed on it to the card. The Unicorn guard frowned slightly in thought and for a moment the mare wondered if all her plans had just fallen through in one swoop.
"Everything seems to be in order. I apologize again for the intrusion Miss Snow Heart," the stallion said and eased a bit his expression as he gave her back the card.
"I don't suppose you could tell me why new ponies are being screened?" the white Unicorn wondered while replacing her card in the cloak.
"A young filly was foalnapped from the town on Friday, the search is still ongoing for the perpetrators," the guard explained.
"Oh my how horrible. I guess since you are screening new ponies you do not know who they are?" the mare asked.
"Well we do know actually..." the dark gray Unicorn was silenced by the sound of someone clearing his throat. Another guard, this time a Pegasus with the same coat color, was approaching.
"Excuse me private, but we do not discuss the cases so openly with civilians," the newly arrived growled.
"Oh... um right," other stallion grinned nervously.
"I apologize, miss, but this case is very sensitive and we can't talk about it too openly. All you need to know for now is that we are searching for the foalnappers," the Pegasus addressed Snow Heart.
"Oh it's quite alright, I need to get going anyway," the mare said. She quickly turned around and walked away, she could hear the superior guard continuing to scold the other one.
Well that was interesting to hear, it does seem they have some idea who did the foalnapping, she thought and narrowed her eyes. So the idiots were seen. Oh I am going to have to give them an earful for this.
"HI!"
Snow Heart reeled back when Pinke Pie suddenly appeared right in front of her. The party pony was smiling ear to ear and her eyes held a clear recognition.
"Is that you Snow Heart? Really? You're back to Ponyville?" the Earth Pony squealed in excitement. She then began dancing around the surprised Unicorn. "Snow Heart is back. Snow Heart is back. Back. Back. Back. Back. Back."
"Hello Pinkie Pie... I see you haven't changed much," Snow Heart chuckled nervously. So much for discreet entrance into Ponyville.
"Of course I haven't changed and it's always super exciting to meet old friends," Pinkie said and grabbed the mare in an air chocking hug. "We gotta throw a welcome back party!"
"Oh wait, you don't like parties." The pink pony released Snow Heart who had to take a moment to regain composure after the embrace.
Thank Celestia she remembered that. The Unicorn fixed her cloak and eyed the hyper pony who was frowning in thought for a moment before springing back to her feet grinning eagerly again.
"Then a welcome back song will have to do," she declared.
Oh no, the mare palmed her face with one hoof.
"Hey Pinkie, who is this?" Twilight's voice interrupted the Earth Pony before she burst into one of her on-the-whim songs.
"Oh hi Twilight," Pinkie waved the purple unicorn who approached carrying a saddlebag on her back.
"This is Snow Heart, she used to live here in Ponyville few years ago, she used to work..." suddenly the pink mare fell silent and cringed. She eyed the white pony with an apologetic look. "Oh right... you moved out for a reason..."
"It's alright," Snow Heart said with a strain in her voice. "I try not to think about it."
"Are you alright?" Twilight asked raising one eyebrow. The other Unicorn was digging one hoof hard into the ground.
"Ah..." the white mare stopped and lifted her hoof. "I will be fine, I'll just go to the cafe and have something to drink and calm down."
With that Snow Heart trotted off muttering under her breath. Twilight eyed Pinkie who seemed embarrassed and was rubbing the back of her head. Before she could say anything the party pony gestured to her to follow in the other direction.
"So what was that all about?" the purple pony wondered as they walked away.
"Snow Heart worked as a housekeeper at Mr. Rich's house," Pinkie whispered, glancing carefully in the direction the white unicorn had gone into.
"It was about a year, no two years before you came to Ponyville. Something happened at Mr. Rich's; there was this big mess around his daughter. Snow Heart was accused of attacking Diamond Tiara. She was found innocent but the whole situation really made Snow Heart snap and she went really mad and stuff and was found trashing everything at the park. She was so mad she even broke her horn on a rock," she explained.
"Wow," Twilight remarked.
"Yeah I know. It took Big Mac to hold her down until she finally calmed down. They tried to take her to the hospital but she broke free and ran out of Ponyville, not to be seen again until today," Pinkie shook her head sadly.
"Wonder what has prompted her to finally return. You think she came to make amends?" the Unicorn wondered.
"Oooh maybe I should throw a 'Snow Heart makes amends' party," the Earth Pony bounced in excitement for second before she remembered a crucial detail again. "Oh wait no, she never liked parties."
"Maybe we should just give her some space. By what you told me already and from what I saw she may still have some issues," Twilight suggested. Pinkie considered for a moment before nodding in agreement. She considered another topic to talk about and noticed her friend's saddlebag.
"Where are you going?" she asked, but the question was almost immediately answered as town hall came into view.
"I discovered some new information about one of the foalnappers, Silver Axe," Twilight said and used her magic to open the bag and pulled out a book. Still using the levitating aura the Unicorn opened the volume and turned to a page and showed it to her friend.
"Huh. 'A Pegasus is badly injured in a thunderstorm near Cloudsdale'," Pinkie read. "Hey Twilight, it says this happened many, many, many, many, many years ago."
"Read further," her friend instructed.
"Okay. 'A local of Cloudsdale, the Pegasus Silver Axe was badly injured after flying through a thunderstorm while searching for his daughter who had gone missing. A lightning struck him, causing him to crash to the ground. Doctors say that most of his wounds will heal but he may never speak again as his throat was badly injured in the crash'," the party pony kept reading. "I don't get it. What has this to do with him today?"
"Pinkie, it says he had a daughter that went missing," Twilight reminded her and closed the book. "He clearly loved her enough to risk flying through a storm to search for her. Can you imagine somepony like that foalnapping?"
"Huh, I guess it does sound a little strange. I mean, he would know how painful it is to lose a child," Pinkie said thoughtfully. The purple pony nodded in agreement.
"There isn't a lot more info about him, at least not much I can get in the library, the police or the guards will have to handle that. But from this small piece of information, he doesn't seem like the pony to foalnap, unless the loss of his child and his injuries snapped him," the Unicorn said and replaced the book in the saddlebag.
"You think this will help find Diamond Tiara though?" the Earth Pony wondered.
Twilight had to consider this question. It was true that the information wasn't exactly anything more than an expansion of what Rainbow Dash had told her. It didn't contain information on where the Pegasus in question was now. At best it just gave possible insight on his psyche.
"I don't know Pinkie. But every bit of information we can get could be helpful. You never know what could come in handy later," the librarian finally answered.
End chapter 7. |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 8 | Chapter 8.
"Whose idea was it again to ask Silver Spoon?" Scootaloo complained as she pulled the crusader wagon away from a big white mansion with her scooter.
"How was Ah supposed to know they would immediately take her away from Ponyville to recover somewhere else," Apple Bloom shot right back, she wasn't feeling too happy about their lack of luck either.
They had arrived at the Mansion few minutes earlier, only to discover that Silver Spoon's family had never returned there after fetching the filly from the hospital. A pony on the house keeping staff informed the three girls that Spoon's parents had immediately decided to take their daughter on a trip, hoping to take her mind away from the whole attack.
Scootaloo stopped once they were clear off the gate. She glanced back at her two friends sitting in the wagon. They both looked as annoyed as her. Apple Bloom grunted and looked around while she considered the next move. There were still plenty of guard ponies around, a lot where Pegasi flying in or out of town.
"Well without Silver Spoon to ask, how are we going to do this search? They could be anywhere now and we can only cover so much ground on foot," Sweetie Belle wondered.
There was no response, it did seem like their planned search was a bust before it even really began. The Unicorn noticed that the Earth Filly was still watching the guards with a faraway look on her face.
"You okay Apple Bloom?" she asked concerned. Her yellow friend blinked back to reality and looked at her.
"They are flying," Apple Bloom stated and pointed up at the guards.
"Uh yeah, so?" Scootaloo raised an eyebrow and so did Sweetie Belle.
"The foalnappers could fly," the Earth Filly was oblivious to the confusion she was currently causing.
"Yeah, which is why they could be anywhere by now," the Pegasus Filly pointed out.
"Not just anywhere. What direction did they go in? Do ya remember that?" Apple Bloom looked at Scootaloo.
"I didn't notice," the Unicorn shook her head.
"Why does that matter anyway?" Scootaloo grunted in annoyance. "They would probably have changed direction anyway."
"Not if they don't think they aren't being watched. The search didn't start until yesterday mornin', they foalnapped Diamond Tiara on Friday afternoon," Apple Bloom stated and again looked intently at the orange filly. "Do ya remember what direction they went in?"
"Well, if I were to guess because I'm not sure mind you," Scootaloo frowned as she thought back to Friday. "They did go in the general direction of Whitetail Woods."
Apple Bloom gasped when hearing that. Her friends weren't sure what to think about the excitement that suddenly shone in her eyes. But she didn't say anything just yet, the yellow Earth Filly instead signaled Scootaloo to start moving. The Pegasus did so reluctantly and charged up her wings to move the scooter.
"Are we going somewhere specific?" the orange pony asked.
"The old Claymore Cottage in Whitetail Woods," Apple Bloom informed her with a broad grin. She and Sweetie Belle barely managed to remain on the wagon when Scootaloo halted the wagon immediately.
"Claymore Cottage?" she groaned. "I have no idea where in Whitetail Woods it is."
"No one knows, it's been lost and abandoned for years. In fact do we even know for sure it exist?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I've heard people talk about it but nobody I know has any idea where exactly it is."
"Ah've heard it is very deep in Whitetail Woods, far away from the regular road they use in Runnin' of the Leaves," Apple Bloom told them. "That is why the cottage would be the perfect place to hide."
"Apple Bloom, they are probably scouring Whitetail Woods anyway. They would have probably found it by now," the Unicorn pointed out.
"Not if what Ah hear is true. Applejack told me that there are pockets in Whitetail Woods that are so thick with trees and bushes that ya could hide a whole house there without anyone noticin' it. Ya could walk right past one without even knowin' it," the Earth Filly claimed.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shared the same unimpressed expression while they eyed their friend.
"Got to admit, at least it isn't Everfree Forest and it is close enough to Ponyville," the Pegasus relented and took off again.
"I'm still not sure this cottage is real," Sweetie Belle said. Apple Bloom didn't respond and just kept smiling.
Diamond Tiara woke up with a start. Her night had been haunted by the events of last Friday and when she had met Snow Heart again. She looked around and felt a pit in her stomach form when seeing this whole ordeal wasn't just all a bad dream. The bars of the cage still surrounded her and by his post near the dresser was Silver Axe.
The filly whimpered and pulled her tail closer to herself to hug it with her front legs. The only real comfort she felt was seeing the glint of metal she had carefully hidden in it. The last piece she had left of her precious tiara.
Dad will buy me a new one, I know, she thought, burying her face in the mass of hair that formed her tail. But it won't be the same.
Diamond lay like this for a while and might just have drifted back to sleep if the sounds of loud hoof steps hadn't invaded her ears. First she thought that the large Pegasus was just walking over to another place in the cottage, but when the noise didn't let up she finally looked. Axe was pacing and would occasionally glare impatiently at the front entrance.
How can someone who is mute be so loud? The filly tried covering her ears in her tail but failed. Her fear and distress became momentarily replaced with annoyance.
"Excuse me," she glared through the bars. The pacing stopped and the Pegasus looked at her. "Would you mind? You pace so loudly."
Oh wait, why should he care if he's annoying his prisoner with loud pacing? The bars of the cage reminded the girl of her actual status and position in the cottage.
She half expected the pacing to resume but there was nothing but silence. Silver Axe had sat down and now just stared at the door. The filly raised an eye-brow wondering why the Pegasus had listened to her at all.
"Why are you so different?" she dared herself to ask.
Axe removed his attention from the door and turned to glance at the prisoner. Tiara sat up and dropped her brow in a thoughtful frown. The filly wondered when she would eventually wear his patience out. So far the only one he had shown any distain to was Paul.
"You don't act like this Paul and you're definitely not..." Diamond Tiara paused and shuddered. "Snow Heart."
Nothing but silence met her. Silver Axe didn't raise one hoof for a signal. He turned his head back towards the door and remained like that. The girl sighed and lay back down. She hadn't really been expecting an answer.
Guess he's just in it for the money, she thought and examined one of her front hooves. It was in a serious need for a hooficure.
The door to the cottage swung open marking the return of Paul. The one-eyed Gryphon waltzed inside with a broad grin on his beak, around his neck dangled a camera. He ignored the glare Silver Axe gave him and walked over to the old table.
"Sorry it took so long," the Gryphon said not sounding very sincere. He removed the camera and put it on the table. "There were lots of ponies flying around. Guess they are searching like mad for us."
Silver Axe rolled his eyes at the obvious statement. Paul paid no heed to it and stretched his body before lying down. He seemed to be ready to go to sleep right there, but impatient stomping forced him to look at the Pegasus. The large pony was still glaring at him. The Gryphon groaned in frustration and could somehow guess what his partner in crime wanted.
"No I wasn't followed. I evaded everyone who was searching," he said with a smug smile. "I do know how to use my brain after all."
Well, someone is full of himself, Diamond Tiara thought and rolled her eyes. The Pegasus didn't appear too impressed himself and snorted in disgust.
Paul yawned while examining his talons for a moment before looking at Silver Axe again. He grunted when seeing that this had not been a good enough explanation for the burly pony.
"I checked several times on my way here, I heard nothing and saw nothing. I wasn't followed," he claimed.
Call it timing or coincidence, but the moment Paul let go of those last words the door burst open. The Gryphon was so startled that he leaped up and remained hovering in midair. Silver Axe quickly rose up but didn't take flight. Instead he prepared himself for trouble as he glared at the intruder in the doorway.
"Paul! What in Tartarus do you think you're doing?" Gilda snarled. Her face was disfigured in a heavy scowl and her tail swished back and forth angrily.
"Gilda?! What? How? When? What are you doing here?" Paul somehow managed to quickly find his voice despite his shock when recognizing his relative.
"I followed you from your shitty apartment, that you were going to saddle me with once you got rich from..." the female Gryphon stopped and quickly eyed the large Pegasus who had began approaching. But he stopped when hearing her explanation. Slowly he glared up towards Gilda's cousin.
"What? You were in my apartment?" Paul shouted and landed on the floor. He didn't approach and even took a step back.
Gilda didn't respond just yet and was taking in the scene in front of her. She saw where Diamond Tiara watched this newest development with wide eyes from her cage. The female Gryphon took further notes of the large Pegasus. He did not look like someone to mess around with.
She cringed and realized that bursting in just like that may not have been a bright idea. Gilda figured she could handle her cousin if he was alone but the Gryphon hadn't exactly counted on him having backup.
"Yes I was in your apartment. You said yourself I could use if I needed." She quickly hid her worry and reassumed her scowl. "I can't believe you would sink this low you stupid dork!"
"I'm not stupid and I'm NOT a DORK!" Paul roared and almost made as if he was going to charge. He quickly changed his mind and just glowered at his cousin. "You are one to talk Miss 'Let's see what I can shoplift today'."
"Stealing a lousy two bit item from a store is far cry from foalnapping!" Gilda growled.
"Don't you try to preach morals to me you stupid bully! You aren't exactly the saint in the family!" her cousin snapped. "How many apartments have you been kicked out this time just for being a complete jerk?"
"Well I..." Gilda had to stop as these words sunk in.
"Axe, can you take care of her already? You know what the boss said, no witnesses," Paul growled at the Pegasus since his cousin had become tongue tied.
Silver Axe looked at the male Gryphon and then at the female one. Gilda was still composing herself and her focus was not on him. The Pegasus glanced at the cage where the young filly stared at them unsure and confused.
"Well?" Paul shouted. His face fell when the large pony simply sat down.
"What are you doing Axe? Take care of her!" the glass-eyed Gryphon snapped and gestured to his cousin.
The only response he got was tapping. Silver Axe began tapping hoof signals on the floor. Paul stared at him in utter confusion; he didn't understand this language at all. At best he had managed to learn reading the pony's expressions.
Diamond Tiara blinked and realized the Pegasus had meant for her to translate when he glanced at her earlier.
"He's saying, 'she followed you here. She's your problem'," she peeped from her cage.
"My problem? But... I...aaaarg," Paul groaned loudly and spread his wings. The Gryphon took off charging for Gilda.
Fortunately for his cousin she had already managed to regain her senses. She quickly ducked when the male Gryphon came and he went sailing right out of the cottage. There was a loud crash outside; looking over her shoulder Gilda saw that Paul had smacked right into a tree.
"You're such a dork Paul, can't you remember that I was always too quick for you," she remarked with a chuckle. Her cousin didn't respond since he was still sinking to the ground and not quite recovered from the crash.
Gilda turned back only to see a silver colored hoof arriving right for her face. The Gryphon was not quick enough to avoid the kick and was thrown back outside, landing hard on another tree not far away from her cousin's. She groaned in pain and slowly glanced up seeing Silver Axe walking out. The Pegasus was rolling his eyes at Paul who was struggling to stand up.
"Alright, that was a lucky shot," Gilda snorted and scrambled back to her feet. She almost fell back down when a dizzy spell came over her, the left side of the face really hurt. The pony was clearly a heavy hitter.
The female Gryphon was going to rush back and attack Silver Axe, but Paul had by now recovered from his crash and leaped for her with a snarl. The male began slashing like mad with his talons, forcing Gilda to back away and defend herself with her own.
Silver Axe watched the two Gryphons lock into heated battle; it was difficult to see who was angrier. At first they just slashed with their talons but then Gilda tried to use her wings to hit her cousin over the head. He managed to duck but that made him vulnerable to a hard punch that sent him back a bit.
Gilda leaped with a shrill shriek for Paul and he couldn't react quickly enough as she grabbed him in a tight wrestling grip. He struggled to free himself, causing them to roll for a bit on the ground, tearing up parts of the undergrowth on the forest floor with them.
Finally Paul did manage to break free and using his back legs kicked his cousin as hard as he could. That did send Gilda away but not very far. She tried to jump for him again but this time the male Gryphon was quick enough to roll out of the way. He leaped up into the air and dove for the female intending to slash into her with his talons. She saw it coming and jumped to avoid it, what also helped was her cousin's poor depth perception due to lacking one eye.
Once again the battle turned into simple slashing and punching with the talons. Gilda clearly had the upper hand, Paul was maybe bigger but his handicap and his lack of fitness was working against him. His cousin had years of flight exercises and other training behind her and it showed well.
Paul finally dodged a slash and didn't see another punch coming since it came from his blind side. His cousin immediately followed that punch with another and another. The male Gryphon could do little but have his head smacked right and left before finally a really hard hit caused his head to snap up. With a groan he crumbled to the ground and was out for the count.
"Aha, teaches you cousin. You should have known better than to tussle with me!" Gilda remarked triumphant, but reality quickly came to her when seeing the burly Pegasus Pony watching from the front steps. Crap! Forgot him!
She took a moment to look at herself; she had few cuts and bruises from the fight. The left side of her face still stung and her back was smarting. The Pegasus's contribution to the fight had been one punch and somehow the Gryphon doubted that had been tiresome for him.
Keep it cool Gilda, I mean it's just like in video games, one boss fight after another... he's probably dumber than he look... Gilda tried to reassure herself.
"You aren't going to cause me any trouble are you?" she said trying to sound intimidating. It didn't really work to well, she was tired from the last fight and it was beginning affect her.
"Alright tough guy, let's see what you got," the Gryphon jumped up and leaped for Silver Axe.
As she prepared to slash with her talons a jolt of pain came over the left side of her face. Gilda winched and due to this it cause her to miss Silver Axe and she fell to the ground at his feet. She tried to quickly rise up again but something hit her head hard, knocking her back to the ground. The Gryphon moaned in pain and slowly looked up; the last thing she saw in a while was the Pegasus raising his right front hoof for another hit. Then everything went black.
Silver Axe sighed and lowered his hoof. His strike a second earlier had been enough and the female was now unconscious. The pony looked over at Paul and shook his head in dismay. He trotted over and grabbed the scruff of the male Gryphon's neck in his mouth. Axe then proceeded to drag the unconscious carcass of his partner in crime back into the cottage.
After throwing Paul into one corner the Pegasus returned outside. He spread his wings and flew up into the skies. Axe looked around for a suitable cloud and found one not that far away drifting above the forest. Using his front hooves the pony grabbed it and pulled it with him back to the ground.
She's lucky Gryphons can walk on clouds like us Pegasi, Silver Axe thought when he returned to the cottage with the cloud.
After making sure it wouldn't float away from him, the Pegasus pulled Gilda up and placed her on top of it. He then flew up and pushed the cloud with him skywards. Once they were high enough the pony stopped pushing and moved to hover in front of it. Silver Axe started to beat his wings faster, creating strong wind currents that moved the cloud.
Someone should find her eventually. Silver Axe eased up on the wing power and watched for a moment the cloud carrying Gilda drift away before returning to the cottage.
End chapter 8. |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 9 | Chapter 9.
Snow Heart carefully observed her surroundings while drinking tea at Ponyville Cafe. She sat by an outside table with view over town center. She had few times been hesitantly greeted by ponies that recognized her again. The Unicorn would usually greet back but broke off any attempts at conversation with claims of wanting to be alone.
The white mare also kept an eye out for a certain pink pony. Just in case that one decided to return and act on that welcome back song. But Pinkie Pie remained away for now, much to Snow Heart's relief.
I need to find out somehow if he's made the first payment without suspicion being drawn to me, she thought and sipped her tea.
"So it's true, you really are back," someone said, there was a slight gust of wind as a Pegasus landed by the table.
"Hello Parasol and yes it is true," Snow Heart greeted half heartily. She was beginning to wonder if it had been a good idea at all to oversee the money transfer herself. I'm not ready for this phase yet.
"Is this any way to greet an old friend? I've been worried sick about you since you disappeared." Parasol sat down uninvited much to the Unicorn's annoyance.
"I had my reasons," she responded to the Pegasus looking down at her tea.
"I guess I can see that, but you could at least have sent a letter or something. Let us know you were alright," the yellowish pony pointed out.
Snow Heart narrowed her eyes and sipped her drink. When she glanced up, her old friend was still watching with concerned eyes. The white mare sighed and put the cup down. She looked around and noticed that more ponies were sitting down by the outside tables as the day grew older.
"I did not want to be found," she stated but didn't turn her head back to her old friend.
"Then why come back now to Ponyville?" Parasol asked confused.
Why indeed, Snow Heart was really regretting this part of her plan. "I guess... I was hoping everyone had forgotten me."
"Forgotten you?" Parasol was hurt by those words. "I always keep an eye out for you every time I fly to work in Cloudsdale's Weather Factory. Scootaloo doesn't even remember you anymore and you used to love her to pieces. You used to amuse her with your ma..."
Parasol cringed and shut her mouth immediately. She eyed the stub on Snow Heart's forehead. The Unicorn glared at her old friend for a second but said nothing; she instead just drank her tea. The Pegasus swallowed nervously and took a moment to consider what to say next. She did remember the white mare having quite a temper.
"I'm sorry Snow, it's just that Scoot loved you too and after the... incident she kept asking about you and it was hard that I couldn't really answer her where you had disappeared to. She stopped asking in the end and seems to have forgotten all about you," the yellow pony said quietly.
Snow Heart put the cup down and remained silent. It was a bit awkward silence now at the table, neither pony was sure really how to break it. Parasol glanced at the other tables but fortunately none of the other guests seemed to be paying too much attention to them.
"I... hate to admit it, but I had forgotten her too," the Unicorn finally spoke up, recalling when she had almost been run over by the orange filly and her friends.
"She hasn't changed much, still the same little speed demon. Just now armed with a scooter," Parasol chuckled weakly and was glad to see that cracked a smile on her old friend.
"I noticed," Snow Heart finally turned her head fully back to the Pegasus. "I sort of literally ran into them as I was coming into town."
"Oh my, did she happen to be pulling a wagon with two other fillies riding it?" the Pegasus asked and had to hold back laughter when the Unicorn nodded.
"And they had this really charming name for themselves, Cutie Mark Crusaders," the white pony mentioned and giggled slightly.
"That's them alright," Parasol now laughed. "They are literally searching for their cutie marks, doing everything they can think of. You should hear what they did in the bowling alley."
"Dare I ask?" Snow Heart asked but the curiosity in her eyes indicated that she dared.
Parasol opened her mouth to tell the tale but nothing came out. Instead the Pegasus's eyes opened wide in alarm. The Unicorn raised an eyebrow wondering what was going on and was even more confused when her friend began quickly shaking her head as if to signal someone to stop.
Then a voice addressed the white mare that caused her eyes to twitch. Slowly, as a sneer was forming on her snout, Snow Heart turned her head and saw Filthy Rich slowly approaching. The stallion didn't look too good, his mane was unkempt and his eyes shone with tiredness and worry.
"You!" Snow Heart snarled and rose up quickly.
"Snow Heart... I-I heard you were back..." Mr. Rich said.
"Mr. Rich this really isn't a good..." Parasol began saying but was cut short by the Unicorn.
"Yes I'm back! So what?" the white mare snapped. "Is something wrong with that? Do you have a problem with that? Are you worried that I will do something to your precious little Princess again?"
"No, no, not at all Snow Heart I..." the stallion tried to explain.
"Mr. Rich!" Parasol flew over the table and landed right between him and her friend. Ponies were beginning to crowd around watching the event unfold.
"I know you are having a difficult time right now Mr. Rich but please, she does not want to talk with you," the Pegasus said and stood strategically to prevent either of them to approach one another.
"I-I just wanted to..." the Earth Pony said quietly and cringed when Snow Heart began shouting:
"You have NOTHING to say that I WANT to hear!"
With that Snow Heart turned around to leave. She couldn't get far right away since there were many ponies in her way. But the moment the Unicorn glared at them, they immediately parted to make a path for her.
Parasol took one last sad look at Mr. Rich before flying straight after Snow Heart who was already galloping away. The stallion sighed mournfully and dropped his head; he turned around and headed in the other direction.
"Snow Heart!" Parasol called as she caught up with the white unicorn. "Please don't run away again."
Snow Heart didn't respond at first but she couldn't gallop fast enough to lose a fast flying Pegasus. The Unicorn slowed down her pace until she was trotting, Parasol matched her speed and for a moment the two just continued on in silence.
"Sorry about that," the white pony apologized, the scowl didn't disappear. That was close, I almost blew it.
"No, no it's alright. He did hurt you after all and your anger towards him is understandable," Parasol told her with a friendly smile. "Guess you forgot that he still lives here too."
Not quite, Snow Heart thought and eased up her expression. "I knew I might run into him... just wasn't sure how prepared for it I was."
"He's having some troubles though. His daughter was foalnapped," Parasol explained and shook her head sadly.
"Oh really?" the white mare feigned a surprise.
"Yes, they are still searching for them but nothing's been found yet," the Pegasus continued. "I think he's paid the ransom or at least so I've heard, but I don't know all the details about it."
Hm, he's paid the first payment. Perfect and this little scene at the Cafe might actually work in my favor too, Snow Heart thought. Maybe I should play along for a little bit. I must admit it's been nice catching up with Parasol. I can't believe I forgot all about Scootaloo.
"Look Parasol, I... I do appreciate your help there and I must admit I have missed my friends here in Ponyville." The Unicorn looked at the Pegasus and smiled faintly.
"And we have missed you." Parasol landed so she could walk beside her friend. "Are you staying somewhere in Ponyville?"
"I hadn't really managed make any arrangement, this trip was rather spontaneous," Snow Heart admitted.
"Not a problem, you can stay in our guestroom as long as you wish. I'm sure Scootaloo will be happy to meet her Snowy again," the Pegasus offered immediately.
"You're too kind," the white pony claimed and on the outside she smiled in relief. Inside the mare was laughing. Looks like the next part of the plan will work wonderfully. Let's just hope the idiots didn't blow it by being spotted.
"We are off the main road, now what?" Scootaloo wondered.
The Crusaders had arrived in Whitetail Woods. They had followed the road through it at first before heading off into the forest itself. The woods were green and thick due to the late spring season and the sun only managed to send some faint glimmers of light through the canopy.
"Look for Claymore Cottage of course," Apple Bloom responded to her friend and climbed out of the wagon. The undergrowth prevented them to use it anymore.
"The wagon will serve as a marker, so we know this is the way back to the main road," Sweetie Belle stated and pushed the wagon to a tree. Scootaloo put her scooter up against it as well.
"Sensible, now let's git searchin'." The Earth Filly nodded and removed her helmet, her friends followed suit.
The girls put their head gear in the wagon before starting off further into the woods. Whitetail Woods was not as thick or dark like Everfree Forest, but it still proved to be a challenge to get through when not walking the roads.
"How can we even be sure we will find anything," Scootaloo grunted and jumped over a gnarled tree root.
"Well we need to search first before we know for sure don't we?" Apple Bloom pointed out.
"I still think this cottage doesn't exist," Sweetie Belle claimed. It didn't matter in what direction she looked in, all the little Unicorn saw were trees.
The yellow filly turned her head towards the white one to respond but instead she walked right into something. Or somepony was more correct, the girl had walked right into a stallion with a light brown coat and darker brown spiky mane and tail. An hourglass cutie mark adorned his flank and he was carrying saddlebags on his back.
"I'm so sorry," the Earth Stallion said with a chuckle. "I didn't see you there."
"Oh it's no trouble," Apple Bloom said and stood back up, having fallen down to sit after the impact.
"Doctor Whooves? What are you doing here?" Sweetie Belle asked, the stallion sighed.
"It's Time Turner..." he muttered. "Why does everypony insist on calling me Doctor Whooves?"
He looked at the three fillies who just stared back at him, waiting for him to answer the question the Unicorn had asked. Time Turner sighed again and wondered if anyone actually cared at all about his real name.
"I'm just collecting plants for my collection." He decided to brush it aside; he had been doing it so far.
"You're a plant collector?" Scootaloo raised an eyebrow.
"Oh it's just a hobby really," the stallion admitted and opened his left saddlebag to show some of the plants in it. "Whitetail Woods is abundant with plants that don't grow elsewhere in Equestria."
"So ya come here often?" Apple Bloom asked.
"First time this year actually," Turner admitted. "Been here all weekend as a matter of fact."
"All weekend? When did you go?" the Pegasus filly inquired.
"Friday morning, why?" the stallion admitted and couldn't but wonder about the surprised expressions coming on the three fillies.
"So you haven't heard about the foalnapping?" Sweetie Belle gasped.
"Foalnapping?" Time Turner blinked and almost regretted asking because all three girls began immediately telling him about it. "Oh my, that doesn't sound good."
"No and everypony is searchin' everywhere. We came here because we think the foalnappers took Diamond Tiara to Claymore Cottage," Apple Bloom explained why the Crusaders where in the forest.
"No, she thinks they are there, we are just with her," Scootaloo corrected immediately.
"And I still say that cottage is just an old pony tale," Sweetie Belle stated.
"Oh Claymore Cottage, it's exist alright. I know where it is," the stallion claimed causing jaw drops in all three fillies. "But I was there on Friday and I didn't see anything out of the ordinary."
Apple Bloom hung her head and groaned in disappointment. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and Sweetie Belle shook her head. The three fillies were about to thank the stallion and turn away, but noticed that the male pony appeared to be considering something.
"Then again I was there Friday around lunch; you said this foalnapping happened in the afternoon. I usually take a circle in my journey and Claymore Cottage is just one of my many points to know I'm going in the right direction. So I haven't been there since then," he explained.
"So it's still possible they are there," Apple Bloom jumped feeling all hopeful again.
"Well I suppose..." Time Turner agreed unsure.
"Can you take us there?" Scootaloo asked and was starting to catch her friend's excitement, now that there was a real possibility that they were getting somewhere with the search.
"We just want to make sure they are there and then we will go right to the guards searching and tell them," Sweetie Belle told him, remembering the original plan of the Crusaders.
"Well I'm not sure it's such a good idea, if those foalnappers are there," the stallion protested.
"We'll be quiet, they won't even know where there and then before they know it, we'll have the entire Canterlot Royal Guard on their door steps," the orange Pegasus declared, then she gasped as an idea hit her. "Wait here I'll get my scooter."
"But..." Time Turner began but Scootaloo was off before he could say more. He looked uncertain down at the other fillies who both grinned eagerly.
"Well Ah'm glad to see ya two are gettin' into this finally," Apple Bloom chuckled at Sweetie Belle.
"But now wait..." the male pony was getting a tad worried about the rising enthusiasm he was witnessing.
"I was only unsure because we had no idea where to begin to search." Scootaloo returned propelling herself on the scooter. It was easier for her to maneuver in the woods now that she didn't need to pull the wagon after her.
"Girls..." the adult Earth Pony tried again to cut in.
"Yes and I said I would do this too, even if it is kinda dangerous." The Unicorn nodded.
"GIRLS!" Time Turner finally shouted loudly, the fillies immediately looked at him startled.
"Girls, we don't even know yet if these foalnappers are at Claymore Cottage. Even if they are, they probably have a guard about so this could be very dangerous. It would be very irresponsible of me to take you there," he told them sharply. The male pony didn't like the blank look he was receiving from the girls.
"Look I could get my hide tanned if I put you into danger," the stallion claimed.
"But you're already tan," Sweetie Belle said and gestured to him with a hoof.
"That's not tan," Time Turner stated and looked at his coat indignant. "That's light brown or grayish amber... anyway my point is I can't take you somewhere potentially dangerous."
"But we will only take a peek from the bushes, see if anyone is there and then high tail back to Ponyville and get the guards," Apple Bloom told him.
"Yes and I'll be even quicker there on my scooter." Scootaloo grinned and reared her scooter to make the point.
"But..." the stallion began protesting again.
"Pleaaaaaase?" all three fillies put on their most endearing faces and cutest smiles.
"This is all going to end in tears, I just know it," the brown Earth Pony muttered before he finally relented. "Alright, alright!"
"Yay!" the girls shouted in unison.
"But we are only going to Claymore Cottage to take a quick look, if there is anyone there we are not approaching," Time Turner reminded them.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders Foal Rescuers are go!" the fillies shouted and rushed off past the stallion.
"Wait, wait!" the male pony shouted and ran after them. "It's the other direction!"
Paul groaned as he twisted and turned on the floor, his head banged on the wall. He yelped and rolled himself to the other direction. Slowly the Gryphon rose to sit. Just about every spot on his body stung and hurt. He felt for his face and learned he had lost the glass eye in the fight.
"When I get my hands on that..." Paul slowly glanced at Silver Axe who as usual sat by the dresser. The large Pegasus didn't look too impressed. "Where is she?"
Axe looked at Diamond Tiara before he began tapping on the floor. The stallion was taking full advantage that he actually had a translator for his hoof signals. He was though still on guard just in case the filly tried to be smart and mistranslate on purpose.
"I knocked her out and then sent her floating away on a cloud. Someone is bound to find her eventually," Tiara translated. She had already figured that since Silver Axe had treated her kindly she might as well return the favor. The girl was kind of amused at Paul's predicament, even if the fight hadn't ended in her rescue from her prison.
"You let her go?!" Paul shouted but regretted it almost immediately; a sharp pain in his head told him that loud noises were not an option. He groaned and grabbed his head in his talons.
To the question Silver Axe only shrugged and watched the Gryphon mutter and groan in his corner. The stallion rose up shaking his head. With a quick signal he told Tiara that he was going out to the well. Despite its age it still produced drinkable water.
The Pegasus walked past Paul who just lay flat on the ground with his talons wrapped tightly around his head. The Gryphon didn't say anything, just groaned. Axe opened the door to the cottage and headed out. He walked around to get to the old stone well beside the left side of the building.
The pony grabbed a bucket in his mouth and made sure the rope was still attached to it. He then threw it down the well and could hear faint splash as it hit the water below. Axe began pulling the rope up, using his front hooves to keep the rope from slipping back down. The bucket was almost up when the stallion thought he heard something.
Silver Axe stopped his work and looked around. Seeing nothing he grabbed the bucket handle and pulled the bucked out and put it down on the ground. The Pegasus glanced around again, almost certain that he had heard something. A suspicious frown came on him and he spread his wings to take into air. The pony didn't go too high but enough so he could glide towards where the sound came from.
He couldn't land too softly due to his weight, but the stallion acted quickly enough to push away the bush he had dropped down in front of. The Pegasus narrowed his eyes on the four startled and surprised ponies hiding behind it.
"Ah... uh..." Time Turner gulped and grinned nervously. Slowly the Earth Pony gestured to his saddle bags. "Um I'm selling these fine snack plants?"
End Chapter 9. |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 10 | Chapter 10.
"Hey big guy." Rainbow Dash descended down until she was hovering just above Big Macintosh.
The large Earth Stallion was walking on the road just west of Whitetail Woods. He nodded a greeting to the Pegasus who lazily swung back and forth above him. Dash glanced casually around. She could see a Unicorn guard pony bit further off closer to Ponyville, otherwise they were completely alone on the road.
"You searching too?" she asked to break the silence that had commenced.
"Eeeyup," Big Mac simply responded.
"Yeah, I was just coming from scouring around the edges of Everfree Forest. We haven't searched Whitetail Woods yet?" Rainbow Dash looked up and did notice the general direction they were headed in was towards that particular forest.
"Not all of it. The denser northern parts are left," the stallion answered. "Ah want to show them Claymore Cottage, it's difficult to see from air an' easier to git to it on foot."
"Wow you know the way to Claymore Cottage? I could never find it, but I guess you have a point if it's not easy to find from the air," the Pegasus shrugged.
"Not many know exactly where it is an' some think it doesn't exist," Big Mac told her. "It's a rundown place anyway an' nopony has lived there for years."
Rainbow Dash nodded in response and continued to hover just above the stallion, matching his walking speed. She noticed few Pegasus guards flying in the air but they were all headed for Ponyville. The Unicorn she saw earlier was long disappeared from view.
"I sure wish to get my hooves on those bastards," she muttered.
"I would advise you let us handle the perpetrators," a commanding voice said from behind her causing the mare to turn around.
Two Pegasi Guards came flying from behind. They didn't stop their approach until both were flying on either side of Big Macintosh. The red stallion glanced at either of them neutrally.
"Mister Macintosh, we have searched the areas you have suggested. Unfortunately it provided with no results. We will need to return to Ponyville to report those areas as searched," one of the guards said, it was the one who addressed Rainbow earlier.
"Not a problem. Ah'll be waitin' for ya by the entrance of Whitetail Woods to show ya'll the cottage," the red stallion told them. The guards simply saluted and flew off towards the town.
"All business huh?" Dash snorted and flew up a bit so she could do a circle in the air. She did few more rather casually before descending down to be almost face to face with Big Mac. "You don't mind the company, do you?"
"Nope," the stallion said.
"Great, I'm empty of ideas where to search and need some time to think and consider. Besides the Royal guards are everywhere anyway, we'll probably have entire Equestria searched by the end of the week," Rainbow Dash ascended a bit and assumed her previous position of hovering just above the red pony.
"You know now that I think about it, Claymore Cottage would be a perfect place to hide. It's well hidden, few know where it is and others don't think it even exists. Why didn't we think of going there first?" The Pegasus began to wonder. As she considered this, she unknowingly descended to land right on top of Big Macintosh.
"Ah recon everypony figured they would go further away from Ponyville. But we don't know if they are at Claymore Cottage yet," the stallion responded, he made no comment on the mare perching on his back.
"Yeah true..." Dash gently rubbed a hoof on her snout in thought. The blue pony frowned when noticing she moved forward without walking or flying. Looking down she raised her brow high when seeing the red backside of the large male Pony. The Pegasus immediately flew back up, blushing in embarrassment. "Woops sorry, wasn't thinking there."
"It's a'right. If yer tired ya can hitch a ride," Big Mac offered kindly.
"I'm not tired," Rainbow grumped and folded her front legs. The Earth Pony only shrugged, not going to argue.
Then again, not every day you get to ride... A cloud drifting high in the sky away from the woods interrupted her train of thoughts.
Rainbow Dash knew clouds well and as one of the main weather ponies of Ponyville she knew when one was not in its proper place. The weather of Whitetail Woods fell under her weather team's jurisdiction and she was pretty sure this cloud was not supposed to be there.
"Hang on, gotta check something," she announced and took off towards the cloud, leaving a rainbow trail behind her.
It didn't take her long to reach it, but she came to a dead halt and the pony's jaw dropped in shock as her eyes took in the sight of badly beaten up Gilda. The Gryphon groaned in pain and was slowly regaining consciousness.
"Sweet Celestia, what happened to you?" Dash shouted but the only response the Gryphon gave was another groan.
"Miss Dash? Is everythin' a'right up there?" Big Mac called from the ground.
"It's Gilda!" Rainbow shouted back down. "She's hurt bad, she looks like she's been in a fight and lost."
"Then take her to the hospital," the stallion advised.
"Right of course, the hospital." The Pegasus grabbed the cloud but before she could begin pushing it to Ponyville a talon grabbed her right leg.
"No!" Gilda hissed wearily and began to rise so she could sit. "No hospitals."
"Gilda, don't be stupid you are hurt," Rainbow argued and gestured to the cuts and bruises riddling the Gryphon's body.
"It's nothing" her former friend snapped and gingerly touched the left side of her face. "Ow."
"Gilda, your face is swollen on the left. You look like you just went through Tartarus. What happened to you?" the Pegasus asked.
"You just had to be right," Gilda grunted and looked down. Rainbow Dash tilted her head in confusion.
"Miss Dash?" Big Mac called again from the ground.
"Uh, you go on ahead Big Mac, I'll take care of Gilda," the blue pony responded before returning turning back to her old flight camp friend. "What happened, Gilda?"
Gilda didn't respond at first. She looked down from the cloud and watched Big Macintosh who hesitated for a moment before proceeding towards the forest. The Gryphon snorted and rubbed one front leg gingerly. Her entire body was aching, her head was ringing and the left side of her face was feeling numb.
"Gilda," Rainbow Dash said impatiently and narrowed her eyes.
"You were right," Gilda snapped and looked at the Pegasus. "About Paul I mean."
"I didn't believe you when we met yesterday. Anyone who knows Paul wouldn't believe you. He was a dweeb, bigger mouth than anything else. Always liked to talk big and think he was the smartest thing this side of Cloudsdale," she growled and cringed when a pain came over her head.
"I was heading to his apartment in Las Pegasus to crash down while I got back on my feet. He was family and I wasn't going to snitch on my family no matter what a loser he was, especially when you came with a wild accusation like that on him."
Rainbow Dash listened with a frown. The pony guessed she couldn't blame Gilda for showing loyalty to a member of her family. She was still bit miffed that the Gryphon hadn't told her where she was going. Who knew, Dash could have caught Paul or at least had him grabbed by the guards.
"Anyway, he wasn't there when I came and I just made myself at home. He had told me I could do that. I went to sleep and he came during the night I think and didn't notice me since I was in the bedroom. I overheard him talking about the foalnapping," Gilda continued to explain.
"And he caught you in the apartment?" Dash asked.
"No, he never saw me and I followed him to where he was keeping the filly with his partner, a big Pegasus, dark brown, silver mane and tail and axe cutie mark," Gilda grunted and looked down again. "I kind of burst in on them."
"And let me guess, they kicked your tail," Rainbow Dash looked her friend over; she was surprised the Gryphon began laughing.
"More like I kicked Paul's tail. He's still a wimp with just a big mouth," she snorted and gestured to her cuts and bruises. "Those are minor annoyances. No it was the Pegasus who knocked me out but not until after I had smeared the forest ground with Paul."
"And knocked you good, we think that Pegasus is Silver Axe. You remember the story from flight camp?" the blue pony asked and received a hesitant nod from Gilda.
"So, my idiot cousin Paul has teamed up with a big brute that is the origin of the fright story we were told back in camp about flying in uncontrolled thunderstorms," the Gryphon grunted.
"So it seems, now about that hospital," Rainbow Dash took back to the air, her old friend growled.
"I'm not going to any hospital. I'm going back and get some payback," Gilda snapped and spread her own wings to fly. It took some effort but she managed to take off from the cloud.
"Gilda, you are in no condition to do anything," Dash snorted. She reached quickly with her right hoof to shut Gilda's beak when the Gryphon opened it to protest some more.
"At least not without help, let's go," she said and let go of the beak. "Where is it?"
"Wait what?" Gilda blinked for a moment in confusion.
"Come on, there is no time to lose. Where is it they are keeping Diamond Tiara?" Rainbow Dash asked again.
"In some old rundown cottage, I think in these woods," the Gryphon pointed towards Whitetail Woods.
"Claymore Cottage," Dash gasped. "Gilda quick, you use the cloud to fly back there unnoticed. I'm going to let Big Mac know, I'll be right back."
Before her old camp friend could say anything the rainbow mane pony was gone in a multicolored flash. Rainbow Dash dove for the ground at top speed and just before she reached the road she took a sharp turn to go forward above it. The Pegasus headed straight for the entrance of Whitetail Woods and could already see Big Macintosh standing there waiting for the royal guards.
"Big Mac, you were right, they are in Whitetail Woods at Claymore Cottage," she shouted and screeched in the air to halt right in front of the big red stallion.
"We have no time to lose. Gilda was fighting them, she took care of the Gryphon but the big Pegasus is still unaccounted for and it was he who knocked her out. But who knows they might decide to bail since their location is known," Rainbow Dash quickly explained to Big Mac.
"That does not sound good at all. Ah better head over there and see if Ah can't do somethin'. You git some of the guards and tell 'em to head over to Whitetail woods," the large Earth Pony said and nodded his head in the northeastern direction. "Claymore Cottage should be this way in the air, but it is difficult to see from there so keep yer eyes open."
"But there is..." Dash couldn't speak further as Big Mac was already running straight into the woods.
No time for guards, better go up and get Gilda to go in the right direction, she thought and headed straight up. She spotted the cloud and that the female Gryphon was on top of it and steering it.
"Wrong direction Gilda, we have to go northeast," Rainbow Dash flew straight behind the cloud and put her front hooves on it. "Hold on."
"Hey what..." Gilda had barely realized that the Pegasus had arrived before the cloud was off with her on it at top speed. "AAAAAAH!!!"
"Now see here sir, I am sure you are wondering why a stallion..." Time Turner paused for a second to take in the sight in front of him and cringed. "A smaller stallion that is... is here with three young fillies hiding in the bushes and spying on you as you get a pail of water."
"As I'm sure you also have a reason to be here all sinister looking and staying at an abandoned cottage... that nopony has lived in for years," The Earth Pony grinned nervously as the much larger Pegasus came closer and was almost snout to snout with him.
"Oh we are in trouble now," Apple Bloom whispered where she huddled together with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. The Unicorn and Pegasus filly recognized Silver Axe again.
"Maybe we should run," Sweetie Belle suggested.
"We can't leave Doctor Whooves all alone," Scootaloo said though the filly didn't sound as determined as she had hoped.
"That is an excellent idea, RUN!" Time Turner snapped, ignoring that he had again been called by a wrong name.
"But..." Apple Bloom protested.
"RUN!" the adult Earth Pony screamed and proceeded to grab a hold on Silver Axe with his front legs. "I'll hold him back. You get out of here!"
After moment's hesitation the three little fillies took off. Time Turner waited until they were gone before looking at Pegasus who hadn't budged. Silver Axe was staring right down at him and didn't appear too impressed by the Earth Pony's attempt of keeping him back.
"Uh, surrender?" the smaller stallion asked and grinned weakly when all the response he got was a roll of the eyes from the larger one.
Time Turner let go of his hold and backed slightly away. Silver Axe stamped one hoof on the ground and snorted. The Earth Pony took that as a cue and darted off hoping that the Pegasus's larger body was a hindrance to run in the woods.
Why am I doing this for her? Silver Axe sighed in resignation before he charged right after Time Turner and the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"Are we even going in the right direction?" Sweetie Belle called as She and her friends ran through the woods.
"Ah don't know," Apple Bloom responded.
"Hurry up girls!" Scootaloo shouted. She was just ahead of the others on her scooter.
Right now the three fillies were simply putting as much distance between themselves and the cottage. It wasn't easy; the undergrowth here was much thicker than where they had entered the woods.
"Ow!" Sweetie Belle fell hard when her right hind leg got caught in a root of a bush. Apple Bloom skidded to halt and returned right to her.
"Scoot, go ahead of us. Ya are the quickest!" the yellow filly called while she helped the Unicorn to untangle her leg.
"No way am I leaving you behind," Scootaloo snapped and turned around. She ditched her scooter and ran over to her friends.
The young Pegasus and the Earth Filly worked quickly to get the root off Sweetie Belle and helped the Unicorn to rise up. But when the white pony put weight on her hind leg she felt a sharp pain and would have fallen back down if her friends weren't supporting her.
"I think it's twisted," Sweetie sniffed holding back her tears and gingerly held the injured leg up, standing only on three.
Apple Bloom had her friend lean on Scootaloo so she could turn around to check the injured limb. The root had managed to scrape her a bit but there was no open wound. The yellow filly frowned and took a closer look but was careful not to touch anything.
"Yer probably right, come on we'll support ya," she said and resumed her previous position to help Scootaloo hold the Unicorn upright.
The three fillies began walking but very slowly. Sweetie Belle tried not to cry but couldn't help but give a whimper if she accidentally moved her offending leg too much. Scootaloo meanwhile spotted her scooter and an idea hit her.
"Hey, Sweetie can sit on the scooter and we'll push her on it, we should go faster," she suggested.
"Worth a shot," Apple Bloom nodded and they steered their friend towards the small vehicle.
"Sorry girls," Sweetie Belle whimpered.
"Ya had an accident, ya got nothin' to be sorry about," the yellow filly assured her.
"Yeah we..." Scootaloo fell silent when a shadow passed over them from somewhere above the canopy.
The fillies looked at each other before their eyes drifted skywards. They gasped when down from the trees Silver Axe descended, cracking and breaking tree branches on his way down. The large Pegasus landed with a heavy thud that sent a slight tremor through the ground. He was right in the way to the scooter.
"We are so sunk," the orange Pegasus cringed and huddled closer to her friends.
Silver Axe looked down at the filles with a hard expression. The girls slowly backed away. It was difficult for Sweetie Belle on only three legs and she only managed it thanks to the other two Crusaders. They whimpered when the big Pegasus began approaching.
An amber colored flash jumped over them and suddenly Time Turner stood there between Silver Axe and the Crusaders. The Earth Pony had lost his saddlebags in the run but at the moment that was the least of his concerns. He held up one front hoof towards Axe who had stopped his advance.
"Aha, thought you were pretty clever to go ahead of me and go for the girls first since they were further away already," the smaller stallion said.
Silver Axe sighed and rolled his eyes again before scowling down at Time Turner. He reared up to his hind legs and spread out his wings in a threatening manner. This caused the Earth Pony to shrink back a bit.
"And it was very, very clever indeed," Turner conceded and closed his eyes expecting to be struck hard. This is so going to hurt.
Nothing happened; there was a heavy thud and a crash. Behind him the three fillies gasped in astonishment. Time Turner dared himself to open one eye and then both, before his jaw dropped at the scene in front of him.
Silver Axe had been thrown away by a sudden impact from another pony. The large Pegasus had connected with a tree that cracked under the weight. He silently groaned and rolled back to his feet, but a yellowish hoof was put on his right wing to prevent him to get up.
"Ah would kindly advice ya to stay down if ya don't mind," Big Mac snorted down at him.
The Pegasus glared at the red stallion before jerking hard at his wing and managed to pull it free. He rose up and was face to face with the equally large Earth Pony. While Silver Axe was scowling, Big Macintosh only had a slight frown and still chewed his straw from one corner of his lips.
"Ah'm not the violent sort, but don't think Ah won't prevent ya from harming mah sister and her friends," Big Mac claimed calmly.
The only answer Silver Axe gave was a hard hit with his right hoof. The punch was good enough that the red pony staggered back a bit shaking his head at the sudden impact. But he recovered quickly and narrowed his eyes on the Pegasus who was stomping the ground and readying himself for a charge.
"A'right if that is how it got to be," Big Mac grunted and spit his straw out. He braced for impact as Silver Axe came charging.
End chapter 10. |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 11 | Chapter 11.
Time Turner quickly turned to face the Cutie Mark Crusaders when the two larger stallions clashed together. The Earth Pony noted Sweetie Belle's injury and realized ordering them to run again wasn't going to work well for her.
"Quick, get her on my back, then we must run like crazy and find the royal guards," he whispered and crouched down in front of them.
"B-but..." Apple Bloom stammered. Her attention was mostly on the fight.
Turner didn't wait for her to snap out of it. He quickly reached and grabbed Sweetie Belle by the scruff of her neck and swiftly slung her to his back, causing the filly to squeak in surprise. He rose up and using his front hooves managed to usher the other two fillies away from the battle.
Unlike the Gryphon fight, this one was far more equal. Both stallions weighed the same and were the same size. Silver Axe main advantage was his ability to fly, but in the woods that didn't do much good. For now this was a ground battle and that was Big Mac's strongest advantage.
They kicked and punched, but both barely budged from their positions. Sometimes one managed a charge that caused the other to back a step but he immediately came right back. So the fight really hadn't moved much except in a small circle. Big Macintosh was focused on keeping Silver Axe away from the others. For all he knew the Pegasus had every intention of harming them.
Why am I doing this? Silver Axe thought as he dodged strike. He quickly used his own head to butt it against Big Mac, but it didn't do much and the Pegasus had to duck another blow.
Is it really worth it? He reared up and struck with his front hooves but his opponent matched the move and the strikes only hit the red pony's legs.
A hard blow hit Silver Axe in the head causing the Pegasus to back a bit shaking it. But his inner thoughts had distracted him enough so he didn't immediately charge back. He looked up when realizing that Big Mac hadn't followed up either, just stood there and blocked his way back to the cottage.
"Had enough yet?" the red pony asked. "Ah can do this all day."
So can I. Have to do it, have to for her. Silver Axe narrowed his eyes. Glancing around him he saw there was just enough space. The Pegasus reared up, spread his wings and began flapping them hard and fast.
Big Mac was nearly caught off guard by this move. The gust of wind that hit his face was really strong and forced him to back few steps. He tried to struggle against the air current produced by the other pony but found it was taking a lot just to stand his ground. Soil and plants they had kicked loose during their struggle were thrown around and some hit him.
This got to stop. The red pony managed to eye around and noticed a particularly large rock half buried in the ground. Big Mac started to move over; it was a little easier as he wasn't working up the wind.
Silver Axe frowned and wondered what the Earth Pony was up to. He was becoming frustrated that the wind hadn't knocked his opponent off yet, he increased the tempo of his wings and was now flapping so hard that he was hovering a foot above the ground.
Oh pony feathers. The Pegasus suddenly realized what Big Mac was doing when the red stallion was behind the rock. Had there been more distance between them he would probably have had time to react when his opponent kicked the boulder with all his might. But as it was he was too close and the projectile hit him square in the stomach, sending both him and the rock flying up and through the canopy.
Big Mac took a moment to catch his breath when the wind finally let down. He glanced back and could easily see in what direction the Pegasus had been sent by the broken branches on the trees.
Mister Turner has taken the fillies away. Good. Ah better go make sure this feller is down, somehow Ah don't think one rock is goin' to keep him down, he thought frowning. Then the pony galloped in the direction Silver Axe had been thrown into.
"Oh no, I took wrong turn." Time Turner cringed when he and the girls were right back at the cottage, this time facing the still open front door.
"Yeah, that Gryphon is probably still there," Sweetie Belle gulped, she clung to the stallion's neck.
The four ponies moved to turn around but Apple Bloom glanced back and gasped when seeing Paul come walking around the corner. The male Gryphon was just returning from checking where Silver Axe had gone off too.
"Hey!" Paul shouted when spotting them.
"Hey, we are just passing through," Time Turner responded. He and the fillies ran right back into the woods.
Paul growled and had every intention to fly up and cut their escape short. But his body reminded him that he had recently been in a fight and the Gryphon crashed right back to the ground. Snarling and cursing he rose back up and simply began running after the escaping ponies.
He didn't run too far either, there was a thud and something landed hard on his tail. The Gryphon yelped and crumbled back to the ground. He looked back only to see Rainbow Dash had come crushing down from the sky and landed right on his tail.
"Oh no you don't," the Pegasus snapped.
"Why you little..." Paul began rising up only to see something else come from the sky and land right beside him, it was Gilda.
"Hello again cuz," the female Gryphon hissed and raised her talons for a strike.
"Oh you got to be kidding me," her cousin groaned, barely ducking punch. He pulled quickly at his tail and managed to get it free from Rainbow; in the same move he slashed his own talons at Gilda who avoided it easily.
"Forget this, I'm outta here!" Paul declared and darted off.
"Not so tough when you don't have your Pegasus friend around cousin?" Gilda immediately gave a chase followed by Rainbow Dash.
Paul growled but ignored the insult for now. At the moment the male Gryphon just wanted to get distance between himself and his cousin. Neither ran very far, their injuries from the fight were once again irritated too much and both almost at the same time tripped and fell to the ground.
"You alright Gilda?" Dash stopped first by her old friend who just nodded and immediately began rising up. The Pegasus nodded and trotted over to Paul who still lay groaning on the ground.
"And you stay down if you know what's good for you!" Rainbow Dash snapped at Gilda's cousin and threatened to hit him with one hoof.
"No, no I give up," Paul whimpered and covered his face with his front legs.
"Told you he was all talk and no guts," Gilda chuckled while slowly approaching. The pony grinned and put her hoof down again.
It didn't take too long to find the rock. It had crashed into a big clearing and ripped up a bit of the grass and dirt in the process. Big Mac walked over, keeping an eye out for the Pegasus that had been sent with the boulder. But walking around it revealed no sign of Silver Axe's body.
The Earth Pony frowned and took a closer look at the ground. He saw something heavy had laid there and the stallion noticed faint hoofmarks in the dirt. They were roughly his size so his opponent most likely had been here.
Oh shoot, he's a Pegasus. Big Mac's realization came just a second too late. He was thrown forward when something heavy barreled right into him from the air.
Big Macintosh grunted as he landed harshly on the ground, skidding few meters on it in the process. He slowly looked up and wasn't too surprised to see Silver Axe hovering by the rock and glaring at him. The dark brown Pegasus had both dirt and tree leaves sticking out of his coat and mane.
"Ah take it ya are not here to surrender." The red pony rose up.
Silver Axe sneered and ascended slightly before dive bombing for Big Mac. The Earth Stallion sighed and jumped out of the way just before his opponent landed with a loud thud, sending dirt and grass scattering and visible cracks formed on the ground. The Pegasus didn't stay long and immediately jumped right for the other pony.
Again they began trading punches and kicks. But this time there was more fury in Silver Axe's punches, forcing Big Mac to be more on the defensive. It didn't help the red pony either that they were now in the open. The Pegasus had the option of aerial assault.
Silver Axe finally realized that as well and broke away from the close contact fight. He took to the air and began swooping at Big Mac who could do little now except ducking and trying to throw himself away. The red stallion tried his best rearing up and scoring a hit that way. It helped and was easier to do than try kicking into the air. Silver Axe was maneuverable enough to avoid the kicks.
Big Mac was just glad that the Pegasus was clearly not a fast flyer and relied on his weight. He still had the advantage of flight and the Earth Pony wondered if he could trick Silver Axe back into the woods. So far the dark brown pony was scoring more hits and was beginning to bump forcefully into his opponent.
Ompf, Big Mac grunted when his opponent threw him off his feet. The pony spit grass and dirt out of his mouth and started to rise up only to be forcefully slammed back down. Silver Axe had dive bombed right on top of him.
The Earth Pony groaned and for a moment was too disoriented to realize that he began to move. When Big Mac came to his senses he saw the ground far below and realized two strong front legs were held firmly around him. Silver Axe had picked him up and taken to the air. Before the red stallion could struggle, the Pegasus spun suddenly in several circles before letting go of his hold and sending his opponent towards the woods.
There wasn't much Big Macintosh could do except take the unexpected and uncontrolled flight through the air. It wouldn't last for too long though and the pony braced himself for impact as his body began to descend down towards the canopy. He didn't go through, something caught him and suddenly he was going straight forward just above the tree line.
The red pony looked up and was surprised to see it was his opponent who had caught him and saved him from certain serious injuries. He might have lived but it would probably have involved a long stay in Ponyville Hospital. The flight didn't last long though, Silver Axe was going more on momentum than his own wing power and soon they were at the edge of White Tail woods. Once there he let go and Big Mac fell to the dirt road below them.
Ow that hurt, the red stallion groaned as he rolled on the road. Though this is nothing compared to if I had fallen through the trees at the speed Ah was goin'.
He could have finished me off with that first throw, why did he save me? Big Mac rose to his feet and saw that Silver Axe was preparing for another assault from the air. Why am Ah having a funny feeling he's as reluctant about this fight as Ah am.
Sweetie Belle held on to Time Turner for dear life, it was a bumpy ride because the stallion was running fast as he could and had to jump a lot due to the trees and undergrowth. This wasn't doing her injured leg any favors.
She wondered how well her friends were keeping up and tried her best to look to the sides. The Unicorn frowned and twisted her head to look back. Sweetie gasped and quickly tapped at Time Turner's neck.
"Doctor, Doctor!" she cried.
"It's Time Tu... oh never mind, what is it?" the stallion asked.
"Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, they aren't following us," the filly told him.
"What?!" Time Turner screeched to a halt and Sweetie Belle was almost thrown off him. Fortunately she managed to bite into his mane and had a tight grip around his neck.
"Where... ack... loosen your hold a bit," Turner choked and the girl did as he asked.
"Sorry," Sweetie Belle apologized, but stallion was already looking frantically around.
"Where are the girls, oh no they weren't captured where they?" he asked no one in particular, it was almost as if he had forgotten the Unicorn girl on his back.
"What should we do?" Sweetie asked and was starting to become scared. The stallion turned his head so he could see her.
"Well..." he chewed on his lips for a moment. "I probably should get you to safety first and alert the guards. We know where they are and the guards are everywhere right now so it shouldn't take too long."
"Are you sure?" the filly asked unsure.
"We don't have a choice, you at least need that leg looked at and besides this is a job for the guards." Time Turner reluctantly began trotting the route he had been going in previously, before he broke into a full gallop.
"Thinking the same as I?" Scootaloo asked when seeing Apple Bloom catching up with her.
The Pegasus filly had deliberately slowed downed on their escape and allowed Time Turner to get too far ahead of her. Then she had high tailed back the way they had come. But her Earth Filly friend had noticed and followed.
"That Diamond Tiara must be in that cottage, eeyup," Apple Bloom responded, mimicking her brother's trademark positive answer.
"Yeah, figured Time Turner could get Sweetie Belle away and I could sneak in and get Diamond out of there," the orange filly said.
"You sound more determined to help than before, why the change of heart?" her friend asked.
"I dunno, something my mom said. Something about hating and she was right, she didn't raise me to hate. I don't like Diamond Tiara mind you, but helping her get out feels more right than just leaving her there," Scootaloo explained and Apple Bloom nodded.
"Say, wasn't that Gryphon supposed to be following us?" the Pegasus then asked. "I was all ready to jump and avoid him in the bushes."
"Yeah, we should be almost back to the cottage now," Apple Bloom commented and just then the two fillies ran into the small clearing the cottage was in. They stopped when seeing Rainbow Dash busy tying up Paul and Gilda standing nearby watching. An old bucket near them indicated where they had produced the rope from.
"Hey!" the blue Pegasus immediately spotted them. She threw the rest of the rope to the female Gryphon who finished tying her cousin up.
Rainbow Dash swiftly flew to the fillies, but the girls didn't wait for her to arrive. They both shouted Diamond Tiara's name and ran for the cottage. The mare raised an eyebrow and followed them.
"What? What are you doing here?" the half startled and confused voice of the foalnapped girl asked.
Dash entered the cottage and saw the two Crusaders by a small cage in one corner. In it was Diamond Tiara; the filly seemed to be deciding if she should be relieved or annoyed over who were rescuing her.
"We're rescuing ya, what does it look like?" Apple Bloom explained.
"You?" now Tiara really showed an expression of disbelief.
"Stand back girls," Rainbow Dash pushed Scootaloo and Apple Bloom out of the way. She faced away from the cage and raised one hind leg and quickly kicked the lock of the cage. It didn't break. The Pegasus grunted in annoyance. "Oh come on."
"Please don't do that again!" Tiara begged, the cage had been rattled in the process and thrown the filly around. "The Gryphon has the key."
"I'm on it," Scootaloo declared and rushed out.
The orange Pegasus ran straight to where Gilda stood guard over her cousin. The filly jumped right on top of Paul who winched in pain as she hit some of his still tender bruises. His only eye then had a full view of Scootaloo's frowning face.
"Where is the key to the cage?" she demanded.
"You have got to be kidding me," Paul grunted unimpressed but then Gilda appeared above Scoot's head and raised her left talons.
"You heard the girl, where is the key," she snapped.
"Hidden in my chest fur," the male Gryphon muttered meekly.
"Here let me shave that for you, kid." Gilda pushed Scootaloo back a bit and began slashing at Paul's chest feathers, revealing the key.
Scootaloo grabbed it in her mouth, breaking the string it was tied on and ran back into the cottage. Meanwhile Gilda was looking questionably at her cousin. Paul had let out a chuckle once the filly was gone.
"Why are you laughing?" she demanded.
"The fact that you think you won just because you have freed the filly," Paul grinned and didn't drop it when his cousin grabbed his neck with her right talons.
"What are you talking about Paul?" she growled but now the male Gryphon just laughed.
"Beat me up as much as you wish cousin, I'm not talking. I'm maybe all talk and no guts but I'm no sneak," he claimed.
Big Mac felt a bit of pain in his ribs. The pony would have wondered if he had cracked one or two in the rough landing on the dirt road if he wasn't in a middle of a fight. Silver Axe was again using the advantage of flight to either dive bomb or bump hard into him.
Got to take his flight away somehow, he thought and ducked another dive.
He spotted some large rocks further down the road and headed for them. Silver Axe might not fall for the same trick again but at least this might cause the Pegasus to be the one to dodge for a while. The red stallion jumped behind one large rock and with all his might kicked it hard. It flew into the air but his opponent was now far enough away to avoid it.
Another rock was sent through the air forcing the dark brown pony to back away. Big Mac took notice and started to kick rock after rock, sending a volley of stony projectile towards Silver Axe. This gave the Earth Pony a bit more time to think things over since his opponent was busy staying out of the way of the boulders.
He should be slightly distracted now. Big Mac sent one more rock before running for a moderately sized tree. With a mighty kick the stallion broke it and as it began falling he ran into a better position and raised both hind legs.
Silver Axe ducked the last rock and began searching the ground for his opponent but couldn't spot him right away. Instead he saw a large tree trunk head his way. The Pegasus gasped for a moment before diving to the ground to avoid it.
That was what Big Macintosh needed. The moment the Pegasus was close enough, the red stallion charged and jumped for the other one. They collided and fell to the ground with a loud thud, the ground shook lightly at the impact.
The two ponies rolled on the ground for a bit before they began hitting each other again with their hooves. Big Mac did his best to prevent Silver Axe from flying by holding on to the Pegasus who tried to break free.
Axe tried to head butt his opponent, it was hard enough that Big Mac's grip loosened and the Pegasus began prying himself loose. The Earth Pony recovered but saw it wouldn't be quickly enough to regain his hold. He instead quickly managed to give the dark brown stallion a hard kick in the head.
Silver Axe broke free and staggered away. He was too disoriented to fly and walked right into something. The Pegasus shook his head and tried to focus on what he had bumped into. His eyes shot wide open when face to face with a white head covered with a golden helmet.
Oh crap, the Pegasus quickly backed away from the Royal Guard only to bump into another one.
"Are you alright Mister Macintosh?" the first guard addressed the red stallion who sat on the ground catching his breath. He had been about to followed up with his kick when the guards came flying down.
"Eeyup," he only responded.
"This would be one of the foalnappers correct?" the other guard inquired.
Silver Axe stood between the two guards but he wasn't concentrating on them. He was still disoriented after the kick and now that the fight was over the pony was starting to feel tired. He collapsed to the ground breathing heavily. He glanced slowly towards Big Mac and stamped his hoof on the ground before losing consciousness.
"Curious," one of the guards commented and approached the worn out Pegasus.
"What was that all about?" Big Mac asked confused.
"That was a hoof signal I believe," the same guard looked at the red pony. "If it was, he said 'you win' I think."
"Oh," Big Macintosh said before he crumbled to the ground himself, he didn't slip into unconsciousness but right now he was too tired to make any further comments.
End Chapter 11 |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 12 | Chapter 12
It was quiet in the town hall at the moment. Most of the royal guards were currently out searching, the last pair of searchers had reported in about ten minutes earlier. Twilight Sparkle was going through a small stack of papers with Tango and Mulberry who were Ponyville's only two police officers and the lieutenant who was in charge of the guards.
"Very little on our only suspect who has a name," Twilight remarked with disappointment.
"Worked various small jobs for a while after his accident until he completely disappeared five years ago," Mulberry said, the Earth Pony was stocky and only a bit taller than the librarian.
"That is until he popped up in our town and foalnapped a filly," Tango grunted. "Still think we need more excitement in this job?"
"Well considering that most major disasters happening in this town have been handled by others, no offense Twilight, yes I do," Mulberry claimed. Twilight blushed a bit in embarrassment while the lieutenant raised an eyebrow at the sudden bickering of the two Earth Ponies.
"Well I like it quiet, Mulberry. I'm happy we work in a town that's so quiet," the taller officer snorted and tried to return back to the papers in front of him.
"Wait Tango, are you calling witnessing the return of Nightmare Moon, attack by a Ursa Minor, Dragon in the mountains nearly chocking us with his snoring smoke, invasion of Parasprites that nearly ate the whole town, our local Librarian going so crazy that she enchanted her doll so everypony went nuts after it, again no offense Twilight, several disasters happening during that Mare-Do-Well incident, our local dragon growing up and going on a rampage, two con-ponies trying to drive our local apple farmer out of the town and various other things I'm probably forgetting, quiet?" Officer Mulberry asked astonished.
"No I'm not, what I mean is that we have a low crime rate," Officer Tango clarified.
"Guys," Twilight tried to intervene but the two dark gray Earth Ponies either didn't hear her or ignored her.
"That almost begs the question why we have police in this town at all, even having two seems to be overdoing it." Mulberry rolled his eyes.
"Officer Mulberry! Officer Tango!"
The sharp voice of the mayor rang in the room. Soon enough Mayor Mare came storming out of her office not looking too pleased. The two bickering police officers hung their heads and their ears lowered.
"Are you two arguing? Again?" she asked annoyed stomping towards the four ponies, her entire focus on the Earth Stallions.
"Well I..." Mulberry started.
"We were just..." Tango tried to say but both ponies were waved off by the mayor.
"Do I need to remind you that we have been honored by the presence of the Royal Guards of Canterlot. Who are helping us finding the foalnappers and their lieutenant doesn't need to see what our local police force seems to be best at. Arguing over petty things," she ranted while pacing right in front of Tango and Mulberry.
"Ah, she does know I'm standing right here doesn't she?" the lieutenant whispered to Twilight.
"She's in speech mode, don't worry about it," the Unicorn told the Pegasus who nodded in understanding.
Their attention was brought to the door when Spike came running inside and seemed to be in quite a hurry. Twilight and the lieutenant looked at Mayor Mare who continued chewing out the officers. They shrugged and trotted over to the young dragon still catching his breath, allowing the mayor finish with Tango and Mulberry.
"Hey Spike what's up?" Twilight asked.
"Foal...nappers... caught... hospital now... fight...Big Mac..." Spike said between each breath. He was nearly thrown off balance when four surprised voices shouted:
"WHAT?"
Before Spike could really elaborate further, purple aura surrounded him and he was flung onto Twilight's back. The Unicorn galloped out of town hall, followed by the lieutenant, Mayor Mare and the two officers. But they had not been the only ones informed of the current events, several ponies were also heading for the hospital and there were many already crowding up in front the building.
The royal guards had managed to create a perimeter by the front entrance, making sure that the citizens of Ponyville wouldn't overflow the hospital. When Twilight and the others arrived the lieutenant immediately flew up past the crowd and the line and ordered the guards to let the group he came with through.
Inside in the waiting room, they were met with Applejack pacing in front of Apple Bloom. The farm pony had a mix of relief, worry and anger in her expression as she seemed to be both scolding and congratulating her sister simultaneously.
"Ah don't know if Ah should spank the livin' daylight outta ya or hug and congratulate ya. What in tarnation where you thinkin' goin' off to actually look for the foalnappers?" Applejack ranted
"But sis we weren't gonna do anythin', just find Claymore Cottage and let the guards know," Apple Bloom explained.
"An' see where that got ya, Big Mac is being treated for injuries and Sweetie Belle has a sprained ankle," her older sister immediately pointed out, causing the yellow filly to cringe a bit.
"Applejack," Twilight interrupted as she, Spike, the lieutenant, Mayor Mare and the two officers approached.
"Oh hey Twi, ya heard? They got the foalnappers," Applejack greeted her friend.
"Yes, what can you tell us?" the purple Unicorn asked.
"Nothin' too much to tell, the Crusaders went off to Claymore Cottage, met up with Time Turner and somehow convinced him to take them to it. There they ran into the foalnappers, one chased after them but Big Mac who was helpin' with the search managed to stop him after big fight. Mister Turner managed to get Sweetie Belle back to town only to realize that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had snuck off and gone back to the cottage and ran into the other thug but luckily Rainbow Dash and... can you believe it... Gilda took care of him. They found Diamond Tiara in the cottage and got her out of there and then finally alerted the guards to take care of the hoodlums," the farm mare explained.
"Mr. Rich is already with Tiara, they are giving her a checkup. I think there are guards with the foalnappers, they needed to be patched up too. Rainbow Dash is with Gilda who also needed to be checked for injuries," she added.
The lieutenant nodded after Applejack seemed to be finished. He walked to the front desk and asked to be allowed to go in along with two officers. Twilight and Spike decided to remain in the waiting room with their friends, but the mayor accompanied the others. The dragon used the opportunity to jump off the purple Unicorn's back and to the floor.
"Right now Ah'm deciding whether to punish or reward my sister for her little stunt." The orange Earth Pony glanced down at her sister who tried to smile innocently.
"Well I guess she meant well. How is Sweetie Belle, you mentioned something about a sprained ankle?" Twilight asked.
"She's at Rarity's and doing fine all things considerin'. Scootaloo had to go home since her mother sent for her, apparently they have a visitor she wants her to meet." Applejack finally sat down, putting future punishment/reward for her little sister on hold.
Twilight was about to sit down as well when the doors opened and a nurse looked in. She smiled at the two Apple sisters and walked over to them. The farm mare figured this must be about their brother and rose up again. Apple Bloom shuffled closer to stand beside her sister.
"Big Macintosh is doing fine, he does have a cracked rib and has a mild concussion, otherwise it's just bumps, bruises and minor cuts," the nurse told them.
"Will he be here long?" Applejack wondered but didn't frown since the nurse almost immediately shook her head.
"We just want to keep him overnight for observation but he should be good to go tomorrow," she said.
"Can we go see him?" Apple Bloom asked feeling more perky now that she knew her brother was alright.
"Of course come with me." The nurse beckoned them to follow and the two sisters, Twilight and Spike followed her into the corridor beyond the door.
She led them to a room where Big Mac lay on a bed. The stallion was awake but did look tired; he had rib bandages on his body and some band-aids for some of the cuts he had received in the fight. He looked up when his sisters, Twilight and Spike walked in and smiled a little.
"Jeez big brother, can't ya do anythin' without hurtin' yerself?" Applejack joshed as she approached the bed. Big Mac chuckled weakly but said nothing.
"Ah'm awful sorry big brother that you got into a fight on mah account." Apple Bloom raised herself up, placing the front hooves on the edge of the bed. The stallion smiled and reached to ruffle gently his little sister's mane.
"Think nothin' of it Apple Bloom. Ah'm just glad to see ya and yer friends safe," he said. Then he looked at Applejack and Twilight and his expression became a bit more serious.
"But Ah could almost swear the pony was as reluctant to fight as Ah was. Heck he could have easily done me in easy at one point but he didn't and saved me from a very bad fall," he told the two mares.
"That's curious." Twilight furrowed her brow in thought, Applejack nodded in agreement.
Rainbow Dash tried not to snicker too much when she was finally let into the room Gilda was in. The female gryphon had several bandages on her body and due to her head feathers almost looked completely white with few brown spots.
"I still can't believe you managed to talk me into going here," Gilda complained and jumped out of the bed. She cringed a bit when stressing some of her wounds too much.
"I don't recall I had to talk you into anything," the Pegasus reminded her.
The Gryphon grunted and hung her head. It was true and she had in fact just woken a while go in the hospital and saw ponies busy mending her wounds. The last thing she recalled was trying to interrogate her cousin after his rather cryptic remark, everything was blank after that.
"So what happened?" Gilda asked and walked over to the window with Dash following.
"They say you probably collapsed from exhaustion, no adrenaline left to keep you up. When I came back out with the Crusaders and Diamond Tiara you were out cold right on top of your cousin. He was still awake whining and complaining since you weren't doing his wounds any favors," the Pegasus explained.
"Huh, serves him right," her old friend snorted.
"And shortly after that royal guards arrived and they took you and your cousin to Ponyville Hospital. Your cousin's room is currently under guard though I'm not sure you want to pay him a visit," Rainbow Dash shrugged, she wasn't too surprised Gilda snorted again.
"Seen enough of that idiot to last me a good while," she growled and opened the window. The Pegasus's brow rose high when the Gryphon prepared to climb out through it.
"Hey wait where are you going?" Dash raised one leg, prepared to halt her.
"I'm not staying here a minute longer, besides I'm not so sure I'm very welcome here... after last time..." Gilda said and glanced back at the pony.
"Well... no guess not," the Pegasus agreed. "Maybe if you apologized?"
"Not going to happen. Look it's probably just better this way anyway," the Gryphon claimed and managed to climb fully out and was now hovering just outside the window.
"Well I know you well enough that nothing I will say will convince you otherwise," Dash said and poked her head out of the window. "But I am still going to say I think you are wrong about that. My friends can be pretty forgiving if you are really sincere."
"Whatever," Gilda waved her talons dismissively.
"So where are you going?" Dash asked since it was obvious, just as she suspected, that the Gryphon wouldn't be talked out of this.
"Well it's crummy, but I don't think my cousin needs this apartment right now, so I'll be there," her old friend answered and began ascending. "Bye Dash, this was fun."
"Bye Gilda, thanks for the help," Rainbow Dash called back and watched Gilda fly away for a moment before turning around shaking her head.
Diamond Tiara couldn't be happier at the moment. She was no longer in the small uncomfortable cage or in the musty old cottage. The filly was still in the hospital but had been given a clean bill of health, except for some minor bruises. The doctor said she only needed a good proper meal and she would be fine.
Her father had arrived very shortly after she was brought back and for a while it was questionable if he would ever stop hugging his daughter. Tiara was much the same and even as the doctor gave her a checkup she remained close to Filthy Rich.
"We can most definitely arrange the meal, we'll go to your favorite restaurant and order whatever you want," Rich told her after the doctor had left the room to allow them to be alone. They were momentarily waiting because either the royal guards or the police would probably like to question the filly.
"I've been dying all weekend to go there dad. It was horrible, they only gave me carrots, well one muffin, but there was almost nothing else to eat," Diamond Tiara complained and hugged her father again.
"Don't worry Tiara, you'll get much better food now and I'm sorry this had to happen to you," Rich said and returned the embrace again.
"By the way, how is Silver Spoon?" his daughter asked, remembering her friend.
"Oh she is fine, she had quite a scare and had a nasty bump on her head. But her parents took her away for the weekend to help her recover from the ordeal," the Earth Stallion explained.
"Can we go somewhere for a while?" Tiara pleaded. Her father smiled warmly and nodded.
"I'll need to arrange it but I'm sure we can go somewhere later this week," he assured her.
Diamond Tiara frowned and almost considered pleading they go immediately after the visit to the restaurant. But then she remembered something else and let go of Rich and began searching furiously through her tail. Her father could only watch, wait and wonder what his daughter was up to until she finally drew forth the metal piece she had hidden there.
"Look dad, she broke my tiara, the one mom gave me," Tiara sniffed and presented the metal strip to him.
"She?" Filthy Rich frowned, he was pretty sure they had told him both foalnappers were male.
"Snow Heart. She had me foalnapped, she even kicked the cage I was in and broke my tiara," his daughter explained and tears began forming in her eyes.
"Snow Heart?" Rich blinked in surprise.
"Yeah, but she wasn't in the cottage when they rescued me, I don't know where she is," Diamond Tiara said and leaned on her dad again.
"Tiara, are you..." her father was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Ah come in."
Into the room peeked Officer Tango, the gray Earth Pony walked fully in and with him came one of the royal guards. The police officer smiled gently at father and daughter but the guard remained rigid as a statue.
"We have just finished speaking with the suspects, that is, the one who was the most willing to talk and actually could talk. Is it alright if we ask your daughter few questions as well? Just to wrap things up," Tango wondered.
Filthy Rich looked down at his daughter who nodded slowly. The officer came closer and sat down in front of them. He managed to produce both a notebook and a pencil from his uniform.
"Well Miss Tiara, can you tell me about what happened ever since Friday?" Tango asked.
The filly hesitated a bit before she began recounting the best she could the events from the weekend. At first all Tango did was hum and nod but when she reached the part with Snow Heart, the officer frowned in confusion and looked at her father.
"Wait hold on, Snow Heart as in your old house keeper?" he asked.
"I think so, Tiara are you sure it was her?" Rich looked at his daughter who nodded furiously.
"She was horrible, she laughed at me, kicked the cage I was in and broke the tiara mom gave me," the filly told them and showed the metal strip again.
"I see," Tango's brow sunk heavily and he began shifting through his notebook, even the guard showed a curious expression.
"Is something wrong officer Tango?" Filthy Rich asked impatiently.
"Hold that thought, why don't you finish Tiara?" Tango looked at the filly who shrugged and finished telling the rest. When she was done the police officer didn't look any less confused.
"Your story almost matches except for one thing, the Gryphon, Paul, is claiming full credit for the whole foalnapping," he told them.
"WHAT?" Diamond Tiara shouted.
"He mentioned no Snow Heart, said he only really hired Silver Axe to help him keep everything safe until he got the money. He would then give the Pegasus a cut in the ransom," Tango explained.
"But...but..." the filly protested.
"Now don't worry, we will look into it and talk with Snow Heart and hear what she has to say," the officer assured her.
"What? You know where she is?" Tiara blinked.
"Tiara, Snow Heart returned to Ponyville earlier today, I made the mistake of approaching her at the Cafe while feeling a bit distressed over your abduction. She has not quite forgiven us for the last time she was here," her father explained.
"Arrest her! She had me foalnapped. She broke mom's tiara. Dad she's evil!" the filly shouted and waved her legs in agitation.
"Tiara, please calm down," Rich tried his best to hold her still.
"Like I said, we will have a word with her," Officer Tango repeated, he began backing away and nodded to the guard to head out with him. "We'll um, leave you two be for now."
Filthy Rich didn't really notice as he was still busy trying to calm his daughter down. He was inclined to believe his daughter, but there was still small tinge of doubt in the stallion. Having met Snow Heart at the Cafe earlier didn't help much either. If she was responsible for foalnapping Diamond Tiara, why would she return to Ponyville?
It just doesn't make sense, he thought.
End Chapter 12. |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 13 | Chapter 13
Scootaloo could hear voices coming from the kitchen when she arrived home. The filly hadn't been too happy to be pulled away from her friends so soon after helping catching the foalnappers, but figured she might at least humor her mother and meet this guest before heading out again. She unstrapped the helmet from her head and tossed it to the floor before leaving the small front hall of the house.
"Scootaloo, is that you?" she heard her mother call.
"Yes mom, I got your message," the girl answered and started towards the kitchen.
"Pick your helmet off the floor and hang it up properly," Parasol ordered.
The filly halted and glanced back to where her helmet lay. The Pegasus sighed, trotted back to the discarded headgear, picked it up and hung it on the nearby coat hanger. She then resumed her course back to the kitchen, wondering how her mother always knew even if she wasn't even present.
"Hey Scoot, look who has returned," Parasol greeted her daughter when she entered.
Scootaloo blinked when seeing Snow Heart by the kitchen table with her mother. She did remember the white mare from earlier today when she almost ran her over on her scooter. But what she was doing here in her home the filly couldn't even begin to understand.
"Uh... hi?" The orange Pegasus carefully approached, not quite sure what to think. Snow Heart didn't look angry so maybe this wasn't about this morning's incident.
"Hello Scootaloo, I must apologize for not recognizing you this morning. You've grown so much since I last saw you," Snow Heart said and smiled warmly to the girl.
"It's Snow Heart, Scootaloo," Parasol said as if that answered everything, but the blank look on her daughter said otherwise. "You really don't remember her."
"Oh I can't blame her; it's been several years since we last saw each other." Snow Heart shrugged and sipped on her tea cup. "It's not like I was any better when we almost crashed into each other today."
"True," Parasol nodded. Her daughter climbed to a chair and sat down on it, still bit confused about this visit.
"Scootaloo, it's Snowy. Remember Snowy?" the yellow Pegasus tried again and now there came a glimmer of recognition in the girl's eyes.
"Vaguely, I recall someone called Snowy. Wait that's you?" Scootaloo gasped and her eyes grew even wider when the white unicorn nodded.
"You two used to be such good friends, Snow Heart even sometimes foalsat you," Parasol continued to remind her daughter.
"Ooh," the filly thought she understood now. "So I guess we are the old friends you were going to catch up with?"
"Well... uh..." Snow Heart fumbled a bit with her words. Parasol looked at her questionably.
"You told me you were hoping everyone had forgotten you," the yellow Pegasus reminded her.
"That is true and what Scootaloo said is true as well," the Unicorn said once she had regained her composure again. "I must admit I haven't been entirely honest with you Parasol."
Parasol raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Scootaloo tilted her head wondering why the Unicorn would say two different things. Snow Heart appeared calm on the outside but mentally she was banging her head against an imaginary wall.
I knew I should have waited with this and prepared myself more properly, she thought.
"Oh wait I think I get it," suddenly the Pegasus Mare spoke up and smiled knowingly. Snow Heart closed her mouth, having been about to speak and only stared half confused at her friend.
"Ah, you do?" the Unicorn asked and wasn't sure what possible conclusion Parasol could have arrived at.
"You came back because you were hoping to see Mulberry again," the Pegasus accused and pointed straight at her friend with a hoof.
"Of all the..." Snow Heart couldn't believe her ears and looked truly indignant. "What an idea! Think that I would even be remotely interested in that idiot. Besides it was Tango that I was infatuated with."
Silence commenced in the kitchen. Scootaloo looked between the two mares all confused. Her mother was still smiling but triumphantly, Snow Heart's expression had changed from disgust to utter horror as if she had realized a terrible error on her part. Then the Unicorn decided her forehead needed a closer and more intimate look at the top of the kitchen table.
"I did... not just say that," Snow Heart's muffled voice groaned.
"Yes you did," Parasol chuckled. Slowly her friend looked up, resignation plastered on her face.
"You intentionally mentioned the wrong officer because you knew I can't stand Mulberry," she claimed and it was no surprise to her that the other mare nodded.
Bless your romantic heart Parasol, you just saved me from having to come up with something myself, Snow Heart sat up properly and composed herself once again. "Alright, I admit it. I did come to see if I could talk with Tango in private."
"I knew it," Parasol cheered and pumped the air with one front leg. Scootaloo rolled her eyes at her mother's antics.
"Well you are in luck; he is still working here in Ponyville. Though he might be tad busy as he's working on the foalnapping case," the yellow Pegasus told her, this snapped her daughter to life.
"Oh right, mom they have caught the foalnappers," Scootaloo declared. Snow Heart nearly spit out her mouthful of tea, Parasol didn't notice as she was looking at the filly in surprise.
"What?" the older Pegasus rose up from her seat and rushed to the window to look out, just at that moment ponies were running around announcing the news outside. A large crowd of them were rushing off into the direction of the hospital.
Those idiots! Snow Heart thought but somehow managed to retain her calm frontal appearance.
"How?" Parasol turned away from the window to look at her daughter.
"Oh you're going to love this mom," Scootaloo grinned proudly before she told exactly what happened since after she and the other Crusaders crashed into Snow Heart. The two older mares listened to the story, both with astonished expression. Even the Unicorn had to admit this was quite impressive.
I'm not ready for this phase yet, I wasn't going to implement it for another week. Snow Heart resisted the urge to palm her face or bang her forehead on the kitchen table again.
"Wait, you three actually went to look for the foalnappers?" Parasol asked, the realization of what exactly her daughter had done was slowly sinking in.
"Well strictly speaking we only went to search for their hideout then we were going to alert the guards," the girl clarified.
"You have any idea how dangerous that stunt was?" her mother asked sharply.
"Well... uh kind of..." Scootaloo sunk a little in her seat.
"And you still did it?" Parasol approached the table and the just the sound of her hoof steps indicated how displeased she was with her daughter.
"Now Parasol, can you really blame her? I mean we searched high and low ourselves for Claymore Cottage when we were little, I'm sure the girls really didn't expect to find anything there even if they did find it," Snow Heart finally spoke up again stepping in Scootaloo's defense.
"Yeah, uh I never thought they were really there at all," the filly nodded in agreement.
"I really should ground you for this young lady," Parasol said and still glared at her daughter before eyeing Snow Heart. "But I suppose I can't look past the fact that it did result in this awful foalnapping case being finished."
"There is that too," the Unicorn nodded and looked at Scootaloo. "I take it Diamond Tiara is a friend of yours, since you risked so much finding her?"
"Oh no, no, no," the filly shook her head quickly. "She's annoying and drives me and my friends crazy; she bullies us for being blank flanks."
"Oh?" Snow Heart's brow rose high, but it was only a brief surprise. Inside in her mind the Unicorn began grinning deviously.
"We did it mostly just to help Apple Bloom and maybe in vain hope to get a cutie mark in foal rescuing," Scootaloo smiled innocently. Her mother groaned and put a hoof on her own forehead, Snow Heart couldn't but chuckle.
"Yeah, Apple Bloom was worried that Mr. Rich would kind of die if Tiara wasn't brought back, the Rich family does big business with the Apple family," the filly explained.
"Ah I see," the Unicorn nodded.
"And of course cutie marks were involved as well," Parasol sighed and sat down again.
This might work to my advantage, as long as Paul did what he was supposed to do, Snow Heart thought.
"By the way Scoot, between that and your regular crusading this weekend, did you finish that school report you're supposed to turn in for Monday?" Parasol asked.
Scootaloo's jaw dropped and for a moment the filly just sat there frozen in terror. Then she sprang up with such force that the chair was kicked down from under her, but the girl was already gliding back to the floor. The mares could then only watch as she sprinted out of the kitchen and took a sharp turn for the front hall, yelling as she went:
"Gotta go! The girls were going to help me with that!"
"I do believe that was 'no I have not finished that school report'," Snow Heart commented on the abrupt departure of the filly and both ponies giggled.
The mares returned to their conversation before Scootaloo arrived. Parasol had mostly been filling her old friend in on what had been going on in Ponyville since she disappeared. Snow Heart did listen with mild interest and became so lost in it she momentarily forgot her previous scheming. But she was brought back to reality when the Pegasus asked:
"So where have you been all these years Snow Heart?"
"Ah..." the Unicorn hesitated and quickly began scrambling her brain back into focus. "I did sort of wander north, far north."
"Past Canterlot?" Parasol wondered and received a positive nod.
"Almost all the way to the Crystal Mountains," Snow Heart admitted in a low tone, trying not to tell too much.
"That is far north," her friend commented with a slight frown. "And what did you do with yourself all this time?"
"I..." again Snow Heart hesitated for a moment. "I was taken in by this Pegasus who lived alone just by the mountains. He was rather solitary and didn't seem to like company too much. But he allowed me to stay."
"Wow, that was kind of him," Parasol nodded.
Hm, I need to jumpstart on phase 2. Paul better have done what I told him to do or this will be very hard to explain later, Snow Heart mulled in her mind before she finally hung her head. "Oh Parasol, I'm sorry to have lied to you."
"Huh?" her friend frowned in confusion.
"I didn't come here to see Tango... I'm over him, long time ago," the Unicorn looked up and put on a distressed expression. "I came here because I'm looking for him, the Pegasus who took me in. He disappeared few weeks ago I don't know why."
"Wha... but why didn't you just say that?" Parasol asked feeling mildly hurt that her old friend didn't think she could be open with her.
"I didn't want anyone to get involved, I guess I was just too used to doing things on my own by now," Snow Heart sighed. "I was only going to quickly pass through Ponyville see if anyone had heard of him here and then head back out."
"Alright, alright. I won't pretend to understand your reasoning Snow, but you really should just have come to us with this immediately. Have you talked with the authorities?" Parasol wondered.
"No. Like I said, I didn't want anyone else involved," Snow Heart repeated and pushed her empty cup away.
"What's his name, the Pegasus that is?" the yellow mare asked.
"He called himself Silver Axe," the Unicorn answered and tilted her head when her friend's eyes opened wide in shock.
"Did you say Silver Axe?" she whispered, hesitantly Snow Heart nodded. Then as if on cue there was knock on the front door.
"I'll just be a second," Parasol said and rushed out of the kitchen.
While she was now unseen by others, Snow Heart's brow sunk in a scowl as she thought things over. She remained alert though and could hear Parasol address someone and the Unicorn heard a voice she found vaguely familiar. Her Pegasus friend hesitated before almost reluctantly inviting someone in. The white mare quickly assumed a neutral expression as the yellow pony escorted both Officer Tango and Officer Mulberry into the kitchen.
"Hello Snow Heart, nice to see you again," Tango addressed her half smiling.
"Uh... yeah hi Snow Heart," Mulberry didn't sound as happy.
"Hello yourself," Snow Heart greeted them warily; she looked at Parasol who looked back with an apologetic smile.
"I wish the circumstances were better though, we really must take a statement from you," Tango continued.
"Oh really," the Unicorn's brow dropped heavily. The Pegasus cringed.
"Yes, you have been named in our current foalnapping case," Mulberry explained and was lightly kicked by Tango. The stocky stallion glared at his partner who glared back.
"We agreed I would do this and I would break it to her more gently," the thin stallion whispered between his teeth.
"I've been what?" Snow Heart's eyes began to twitch. Ooh I'm going to stomp that Gryphon to the ground when I get my hooves on him.
"Look now, don't get upset Snow Heart," Tango quickly said and raised one hoof as if to try and calm the mare down from the distance. "You see we have conflicting statements from our suspects and the victim."
Snow Heart narrowed her eyes a bit but the twitching stopped. The Unicorn hardly dared to hope how those statements conflicted with each other. Tango cleared his throat before carefully approaching; he also gave his partner a signal to just stay where he was.
"You see, it's rather embarrassing. I mean we do know why you left Ponyville and it sounds almost ludicrous that the moment you return you... are almost immediately accused...um..." the Earth Stallion fell silent when Snow Heart's eyes began twitching again.
"Snow, look can you just tell us where you have been for the past week or so?" he then whispered.
"I CAN'T!" Snow Heart snarled causing Tango to back quickly away, Parasol winched and Mulberry braced himself.
"Let me guess, the conflict of statement is that Diamond Tiara is blaming me for being foalnapped and the thugs who did it don't know what she's talking about. Well I CAN'T tell exactly where I have been because you can't verify it anyway. I have no witnesses that can confirm it. You want to know why? Because I've been on the road for the past several weeks, I've not been in contact with anypony and nopony can probably verify my locations!" the Unicorn snapped and hammered her hoof on the kitchen table.
"Snow Heart, please calm down," Tango pleaded. "Look yes you are right, Diamond Tiara did accuse you but one of the foalnappers has contradicted that statement by saying he and his partner where working alone."
"How did you know it was Diamond Tiara who was foalnapped?" Mulberry asked.
"Because I told her," Parasol stated dryly as she approached the kitchen table and walked over to her friend. Tango eyed back to his partner who cleared his throat in embarrassment.
"Well here is my statement. I had nothing to do with it, I've been spending weeks looking for somepony who is very dear to me," Snow Heart barked and ignored Parasol's attempt to calm her by placing a hoof on her back.
"Well then we will take that statement," Tango nodded quickly and looked at the other officer. "Mulberry, take that statement."
"Yes right," the stocky officer produced his notebook and began writing in it, the pencil firmly placed in his mouth.
"Of all the nerve..." Snow Heart fumed, but deep inside she was laughing. Oh dear Paul, I must apologize for my silent threat. You have done well.
"Snow Heart..." Parasol began but then looked at Tango. "Tango, tell her the names of the foalnappers."
"What? Uh sure, it's a Gryphon named Paul, he's the one claiming the credit and a Pegasus named Silver Axe," the thin stallion told them.
Why didn't I just become an actress? Snow Heart thought as she immediately changed her enraged expression to one of utter shock.
"Is he a large pony, with brown coat, silver mane and tail and silver axe cutie mark?" she asked and jumped down from her seat.
"Yes as a matter of fact he is, ah you know him?" Tango asked with a worried frown. Mulberry scowled but said nothing at the moment.
"Where is he?" Snow Heart demanded, changing back to anger. She stomped one hoof hard on the floor.
"He's currently detained at Ponyville Hospital, he was in a fi..." the thin Earth Stallion had to watch as the Unicorn galloped out before he could finish. Parasol jumped up and flew after her friend, leaving the two officers in the kitchen.
"Is it just me or is this thing getting more complicated by the minute," Mulberry muttered.
"She hasn't changed one bit," Tango commented with a smile, ignoring what the other officer said.
"Yes, jumps between three different emotions in a single leap," his partner snorted.
"It gives her character," the thin pony snorted and started towards the kitchen entrance. "Come on, we better go after them and see how she knows this Silver Axe. I wonder he's the somepony she was looking for."
"Yes it gives her character, a psycho character," the stocky officer remarked as he followed.
"She's not a psycho," Tango snapped.
"May I remind you that in fit of rage she broke her own horn on a rock," Mulberry said.
"Shut up!" the other officer grumbled.
End chapter 13. |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 14 | Chapter 14.
Parasol was sitting outside the hospital room Silver Axe was kept in when the two police ponies arrived. With her was also the royal guard appointed with guarding the room. Both of them glanced towards the incoming officers. Mulberry slowed down his approach before they fully arrived, but Tango didn't stop until he was right with the two Pegasus Ponies.
"Where is she?" Tango inquired about Snow Heart.
"In there." Parasol indicated to the closed room. "She's talking with Silver Axe."
"Alone?" Mulberry asked frowning; he didn't like that idea much.
"Yes alone, she's been searching for the guy for weeks and finally finds him here in Ponyville hospitalized and under arrest for foalnapping. He took her in and apparently she cares enough about him, I think she deserves to be allowed to talk with him in private," the yellow Pegasus stated sharply.
"Yes of course, that is quite understandable," Tango nodded and ignored the questionable glare he got from his working partner.
"Tango, do I need to remind you that Snow Heart was named by Diamond Tiara as well in this case?" Mulberry pointed out.
"And we got contradicting statements about that," the thinner Earth Stallion countered. "It doesn't help either that Snow and Tiara's histories together aren't exactly in Tiara's favor. She has already accused Snow wrongly before and the Gryphon is already taking all the credit for the foalnapping."
"But...." Mulberry protested but was cut short by Tango's stern look.
"You read too many crime novels Mulberry. The fact of the matter is nopony can back up Tiara's statement. Her own foalnappers say it was only them and so far Snow Heart has stated she's been on the road for weeks. We need something more solid and even a witness that can confirm Tiara's account before Snow Heart can be put under suspicion," he told him.
Mulberry dropped down to his haunches and made no attempt to respond to his partner. He now only watched as Tango began quietly talking with Parasol, the guard appeared to be listening as well but didn't really partake much in the conversation.
"Ah'm gonna check on Sweetie Belle, see ya later sis."
The police pony looked back over his shoulder when hearing the child's voice. He saw Apple Bloom trot quickly out of another corridor and head for the door leading downstairs. Shortly after the girl was gone Applejack and Twilight Sparkle came walking from the same corridor. Spike was riding on the librarian's back.
The stocky Earth Pony glanced back to where Tango and Parasol were talking before standing up and headed over to the two mares and the dragon. They noticed his approach and all three greeted him.
"So how is the case going with the foalnappers caught?" Twilight asked then she added with a wink. "I don't expect you'll need my help any further."
Mulberry cleared his throat in embarrassment knowing what she was referring to. He truly didn't mind the help she and her friends had done for the town; his desire was far more to solve real criminal case rather than dealing with dragons and parasprites.
"Hold that thought Twilight. This is case has become more complicated than we thought it would," he said. Applejack raised an eyebrow while Twilight frowned in confusion. Spike scratched his head.
"What do you mean more complicated?" he asked what the two mares were thinking.
"First of all, the Gryphon is claiming full credit for the foalnapping, stating he only hired Silver Axe as a muscle to help him. Diamond Tiara has stated that Snow Heart is the one behind it all. Snow Heart meanwhile claims she's been on the road for the past several weeks looking for somepony that took her in. That somepony turns out to be Silver Axe," Mulberry explained.
"Huh, Ah heard Snow Heart was back in town," Applejack remarked. Twilight nodded and opened her mouth to say something but a multicolored flash interrupted her. Suddenly Rainbow Dash was there staring intently at Mulberry.
"What was that about taking credit?" she asked.
"Ah the Gryphon, Paul is claiming credit for the whole foalnapping and that he hired Silver Axe as his muscle," the officer repeated. All eyes were now on Dash who was scowling, something didn't make sense to the rainbow mane Pegasus.
"If Silver Axe is the hired muscle and Paul was his boss, then why would Silver Axe let Paul be beaten up by Gilda? Why didn't he do what he was hired for?" she asked.
Mulberry blinked, so did Applejack and Twilight. Again Spike scratched his head looking very confused. They looked over to Silver Axe's room and saw that Snow Heart had emerged from it and was speaking with Parasol and Tango.
"Something is not right here," Twilight remarked. "And it is an odd coincidence that Tiara would name Snow Heart and then she arrives in Ponyville the day Diamond Tiara is rescued."
"That's what I thought," Mulberry grunted. "But Tango as usual can't see any wrong on Snow Heart. I think he's still embarrassed over the incident few years ago when Tiara first accused Snow Heart."
"Maybe we should just ask her," Rainbow Dash grunted and prepared to head straight to the other group, she was quickly stopped by an orange hoof stepping on her tail.
"Hold it there Sally, if something is up and Snow Heart already has made a statement that is conflicting with Tiara's," Applejack said to the annoyed Pegasus.
"Then she's not going to confess anything incriminating when she has no reason too," Twilight finished.
"Yeah, currently the only one who can name her is Tiara and her foalnappers are not agreeing with her." Mulberry nodded.
"So what will we do?" Dash asked.
"We need to carefully ask around," Twilight explained. "Is Gilda still in her room?"
"No she has already left," the blue Pegasus told her. "She's going to claim her cousin's apartment in Los Pegasus."
"If I recall correctly she was the last one with Paul, go after her and ask if Paul said something out of the ordinary," the Unicorn instructed. Rainbow Dash frowned but then shrugged and took to the air and flew to the stairs.
"We need to keep a close but subtle eye on Snow Heart and hope she slips up somehow. Maybe we should talk with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle again, they did witness the tail end of the foalnapping, maybe they overheard Paul say something," Twilight said.
"I can do that," Mulberry claimed.
"Good, Applejack did you know Snow Heart back when she used to live here?" The Unicorn looked at the farm pony.
"Not really. Knew of her and remember the ruckus that caused her to leave, but Ah can't say we were much acquainted. Pinkie knew her better, but then again she knows everypony, Parasol over there was her main friend if I recall correctly," Applejack responded with a slight shrug.
"I wouldn't bother talking with Parasol, she's already shown that she'll stick with Snow Heart," the police officer grunted.
"Friends tend to do that, she has no reason to suspect someone she calls a friend," Twiligh told Mulberry with half a smile.
"But what if Snow Heart is innocent after all?" Spike asked.
"That is still possibility Spike," the Unicorn said and turned her head to look at the young dragon. "But there is still enough reasonable doubt to at least investigate. There are few questions unanswered and her arrival seems rather convenient."
The group fell silent when sounds of hoof steps indicated that Snow Heart, Parasol and Tango were approaching. The guard remained outside Silver Axe's room. The white Unicorn and the yellow Pegasus just politely greeted the three ponies and dragon before heading down the stairs. Tango halted and looked at his partner.
"You coming, Mulberry? The mayor probably wants us to finish up this case and give her a report," he said.
"I guess," Mulberry grunted. While Tango turned towards the downstairs entrance and headed for it, the other stallion leaned closer to Twilight but kept an eye on his partner.
"I'll drop by the library later to talk about this extra investigation, I don't think Tango is too open for any discussion on it," he whispered. Twilight nodded her head and with Applejack and Spike watched the officer depart after the other one.
"Well Ah better head home and update Granny on Big Mac," the farm pony spoke up and started towards the stairs.
"We'll come with you," Twilight said and followed.
Apple Bloom noticed Scootaloo's scooter parked just outside the door of Carousel Boutique. She didn't think much of it and figured the Pegasus filly had finished with whatever her mother wanted and had dropped by to check on Sweetie Belle. The girl opened the door and peeked inside.
Rarity was working with a client who was in need of a new hat. The white unicorn had a stack of headwear nearby and her customer stood in front of a mirror putting them on and taking them off to see how they looked on her.
"I'm also sure darling we could also get a fine gown to match the hat you will pick," Rarity assured the gray Pegasus.
"No thanks, I just need a hat," the mare said.
"Good day, Rarity." Apple Bloom entered the store fully when not spotting Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo right off the bat from her vantage point. "Good Day, Derpy."
"Oh hello Apple Bloom, how is your brother doing?" Rarity turned around and so did her client.
"He's fine, just bumps and bruises, he'll be out tomorrow," the yellow filly informed her with a nod.
"Well that's good to hear, if you are looking for Sweetie Belle, she is upstairs with Scootaloo," the white Unicorn said.
"A'right, thanks," Apple Bloom took a beeline for the stairs. Rarity and Derpy in the meantime turned back to the matters of hats.
"Dear, if you pick this one," she gestured to the dark blue wide brimmed hat the Pegasus was currently wearing. "I have a dazzling cape that would go right with it."
"Oooh, that does sound neat," Derpy nodded in excitement.
Meanwhile Apple Bloom reached the second floor and walked over to the room Sweetie Belle made use of when visiting her older sister. She could already hear faint almost frantic voices of her friends and frowned in confusion. It didn't help at all when she opened the door to see what was going on.
Sweetie Belle lay on the bed and madly flipped through a book, her sprained leg was properly wrapped and propped up so not to disturb it. Scootaloo was quickly skimming through a stack of books, tossing the ones she finished with behind herself. Already a pile of books was forming there.
"We are doomed, we are doomed," the orange filly complained as she continued to toss books away after skimming them.
"We are in so much trouble," Sweetie Belle cried, her voice cracking a bit.
Wow, and they say I overreact, Apple Bloom blinked at this peculiar scene. "Hey gals, what's the trouble?"
"Apple Bloom," Scootaloo jumped away from her pile of books and rushed over to the newly arrived filly. She grabbed her friend and began shaking her frantically. "We forgot the school assignment for tomorrow."
"W-w-w-h-h-h-a-a-a-t-t-t?" the Earth Filly could only stammer as she was shaken, she managed to break free mostly because the Pegasus was letting go and began pacing back and forth.
"Our writing assignment, an important pony through pony history and I can't write about Rainbow Dash again," she explained.
"We were so busy with the foalnappers we forgot to even find anypony to write about," Sweetie Belle waved the book from her position.
For a moment Apple Bloom just stood there as the realization hit her. Slowly the lower jaw began descending towards the ground, her eyes shrunk and she felt cold sweat coming all over her body. Scootaloo stopped pacing to look at her friend and Sweetie Belle was watching too.
"Yer right, we are doomed," the yellow filly whispered, she grabbed Scootaloo and began shaking her this time. "What are we going do to? What are we going to do??"
"We are trying to work on it," the orange filly pulled herself loose. "We just can't find anything; Sweetie Belle doesn't have many history books here."
"Well then, why don't we go to the library?" Apple Bloom wondered.
"I dunno if Rarity will let me," the Unicorn sounded unsure. "I'm supposed to stay here until our parents come and pick me up."
"Alright, Apple Bloom and I will go to the library and get books, we'll come back here and if you have already been picked up we'll come to your home," Scootaloo suggested, that prompted positive nods from both her friends.
"Sounds good to me, we better skedaddle though and hope Twilight is back there by now," Apple Bloom said.
"Okay, see you again soon," Sweetie Belle waved.
The two other fillies darted out of the room and galloped down the stairs. Derpy was still trying on hats and had added a cape too. Rarity turned her head sharply when the two girls came running past them.
"Girls, no running in the house!" the Unicorn snapped.
"Sorry Rarity, we're just going to the library to get books for a school assignment!" both fillies shouted as they disappeared out of the boutique.
"Children," Rarity sighed and shook her head; she then turned back to her customer. "So Derpy, you never told me why you needed a new hat."
"So what did he say?" Parasol asked while she walked back home with Snow Heart trotting beside her.
"Well he didn't really say that much, he's mute dear," the Unicorn told her and chuckled at the 'you know what I meant' glare she got from her old friend.
"He admitted he liked me, liked me very much and he wanted to help me a get a horn operation," she explained and sighed slightly. "But those are terribly expensive and he didn't really work anymore."
"So he decided to help foalnap a filly?" Parasol scowled.
"He was desperate, he did say he only agreed to this as long as the filly would not be hurt and returned immediately to her parents once the ransom was paid," Snow Heart shook her head.
"Well the ransom was paid or so I heard, but I guess Mr. Rich will get that money back since they got caught," the yellow Pegasus said.
Indeed, a slight chink in the plan, I had hoped to at least get the first payment. Oh well, the plan is pretty much on inprov right now, we are too soon in it, Snow Heart thought as she nodded to what her friend was saying.
"Well I guess I'll be staying a bit longer than planned, I'll want to see Silver Axe's trial and where he'll be taken," she mentioned.
"You can stay with us as long as you need," Parasol assured her.
Their route took them close to town hall and the two mares noticed a large gathering of ponies in front of it. Mayor Mare was stepping up to a podium and seemed to be preparing a speech. Snow Heart and Parasol looked at each other half confused then curiosity spurred them to take a closer look.
"Citizens of Ponyville," the mayor started. "I am pleased to announce that the dreadful foalnapping case is over with the capture of the two foalnappers and Diamond Tiara's safe return to her father Mr. Filthy Rich."
"I see the mayor hasn't changed much," Snow Heart murmured. Around her the crowd was cheering the news.
"We naturally thank the Royal Guards for their valuable help in apprehending the criminals, but we can also take pride in it that our very own citizens participated in the search and rescue. A proper celebration will be held in due time and you'll hear the announcement of that soon."
Yak, yak, yak, still loves the sound of her own voice, the unicorn snorted and turned to leave.
Parasol waited a bit to listen more to the speech but lost interest when it just went on to congratulate those who participated in the search. She headed after Snow Heart who waited for her outside the crowd. The Unicorn looked at the arriving Pegasus but a thrill shout then caught her attention.
"You should be in jail!"
Diamond Tiara appeared on the run with a new tiara on her head. The filly stopped right in front of Snow Heart and glared up at her. The mare only took a step back and raised an eyebrow. Mr. Rich appeared soon after looking apologetic but didn't get a chance to speak either as his daughter was rambling on.
"You foalnapped me. You broke the tiara mom gave me. You should be arrested!" she cried and pointed an accusing hoof at the mare.
Parasol winched and wondered if she should step in. Snow Heart's eyes were beginning to twitch, a sure sign that the Unicorn's temper was rising. Rich was trying to reach and drag his daughter back but Tiara kept evading him.
"I-I'm sorry Ms. Heart, she is just still recovering from her ordeal," he tried to explain.
So she is, deep in her mind Snow Heart was laughing. And playing right into what I had in mind for her all along.
The Unicorn took a moment to eye around; it hadn't escaped her that the mayor had fallen silent. The entire crowd of ponies and Mayor Mare were watching the spectacle, all appearing unsure what to think of what they were witnessing.
"I see," Snow Heart snorted glaring daggers at Mr. Rich. "I see your daughter hasn't changed much, throwing wild accusations around as per usual."
"Snow, maybe we should just go." Parasol finally made the decision to try and get her friend away and approached.
"I should be demanding an apology here," the Unicorn ignored her friend for now, stomping her hoof hard on the ground. Some of the ponies in the crowd cringed and seemed to fear the worst.
"But." All anger suddenly vanished from her face and she looked away with an indignant expression. "I suppose I can understand and forgive that the child is confused after her ordeal."
"What... but... Daaad!" Diamond Tiara looked at her father who just shook his head and gave her a stern look.
"We don't exactly have the best history together Diamond Tiara and I. I suppose it's just natural for her to think of me as some bad scary mare, especially after her frightful experience this weekend," Snow Heart continued, appearing more indifferent now.
There were murmurs from the crowd. Ponies were now nodding in approval and some looked sympathetically at both Snow Heart and Diamond Tiara. The mayor was smiling and approached the podium again.
"Well it does seem we have two happy occasions today. A dreadful criminal case over and a return of an old friend, welcome back to Ponyville Snow Heart," Mayor Mare declared.
This caused the crowd to break into cheers and greetings. The ponies gathered around both Snow Heart and Parasol and soon enough both were being escorted to the Mayor. The Unicorn at first pretended to protest this sudden overwhelming welcome, but relented soon enough.
Mr. Rich and Diamond Tiara were left behind. The stallion was sighing in silent relief that nothing disastrous had happened. His daughter on the other hand was watching with her mouth agape and eyes bulging out in shock and disbelief. She just could not believe that her tormentor was being welcomed so readily and now was shaking hooves with the mayor.
"Come along Tiara, let's go to the restaurant like we were planning to do," Filthy Rich gently began ushering his daughter away from the crowd.
The filly didn't resist as she was just too shocked to do it with any conscious effort. But as they passed the crowd, the girl did take one last look towards the stage. Her eyes met with the golden colored eyes of Snow Heart who was staring right back at her, smirking slightly before the mare turned back to the mayor and resumed a more normal smile.
Why does nopony believe me? Tiara was almost tempted to run back and challenge the Unicorn again, but the crowd was too thick and her father kept prodding her onward.
End Chapter 14. |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 15 | Chapter 15.
The sun was already well on its way down beyond the horizon when Apple Bloom returned to Sweet Apple Acres. She and Scootaloo had come to the library closed, locked and neither Twilight nor Spike anywhere in sight. They had spent a while to go all over Ponyville to search for the librarian but no avail. Finally they both had to admit defeat and return to their respective homes for dinner.
The young Earth Pony was trying to think up all kinds of excuses to give Cheerilee tomorrow about why she hadn't finished her homework. The girl sat down on the front porch with a sigh, trying to find the foalnappers sounded legitimate enough but would her teacher accept that?
"Apple Bloom?" Applejack appeared in the window calling, it took the mare a moment to realize that her sister was sitting right there on the porch. "Oh you're there, dinner is ready."
"Coming," the filly said and rose up. She entered the house and just missed her older sister returning to the kitchen. The girl followed, still mulling over what to do about her homework.
"Hi Apple Bloom."
The familiar voice snapped Apple Bloom out of her thoughts. Looking up the girl blinked when seeing both Twilight Sparkle and Spike sitting by the dinner table. Granny Smith was putting the last tray with food on the table.
"What? Ya where here all along?" the filly groaned in frustration. Twilight, Spike and Applejack shared confused glances.
"You were looking for me?" the Unicorn asked uncertainly.
"Yes, Scootaloo and Ah came to the library to borrow history book to finish our homework for tomorrow," the filly explained and almost regretted it when her older sister scowled.
"What the hay, ya haven't finished yer homework yet?" the orange Earth Pony snapped.
Apple Bloom realized she had to explain more quickly or Applejack would send her right to her room to finish her homework, even if she right now had no reference material. The filly opened her mouth and sped out:
"Yes ya see, Sweetie Belle and Ah promised Scootaloo to help her with her homework, which is to write about an important pony through pony history. Sweetie Belle didn't have any history books, Ah know Scootaloo don't have any and she can't write about Rainbow Dash again. But then we got all caught up in the whole searchin' for the foalnappers and the whole mess around that and we didn't realize we hadn't written anything until just now and so Scootaloo and Ah went to the library to get history books and take them back to Sweetie Belle and finish our reports with her, but Twilight wasn't there so we gave up and went home because it was almost dinner time anyway."
When Apple Bloom finished she closed her mouth and waited. Everyone in the kitchen had been listening without a word. Applejack's scowl did ease a bit much to the girl's relief, though it still could mean anything at the moment.
"If I think I got that all right, you three need some reference material to be able to finish your homework," Twilight spoke up, she sighed when receiving a blank look from the filly. "You need a book about important ponies from pony history to finish your homework."
"Yes exactly." Apple Bloom bounced on the floor.
"Well I think we can fix that, we can go to the library after dinner if Applejack doesn't mind," the librarian offered.
"None at all," Applejack shook her head and gave her sister a strict look. "As long as this does not happen again."
"Yes sis, Ah promise," the filly assured her sister with a furious nod.
"Well that's settled then, let's dig in," Granny Smith declared and those still standing sat down around the dinner table.
They hadn't been eating for too long when there was a knock on the front door. Applejack excused herself and rose up, but didn't really need to go out to see who it was. Rainbow Dash suddenly popped up in the half open kitchen window.
"Hey guys," she greeted them. "I found Gilda and talked with her again."
"Rainbow, we were just sittin' down to eat, ya wanna join us? We can talk about Gilda after that." Applejack offered.
"Don't mind if I do," the Pegasus Pony accepted, not one to turn down a dinner invitation at Sweet Apple Acres with its reputation of good food. She opened the window fully and simply flew through it before the farm pony could protest this way of entering the house.
Applejack grunted but said nothing, knowing she had pretty much asked for it when inviting Dash inside. Twilight just shook her head with a smile, Apple Bloom and Spike chuckled and Granny Smith seemed to have fallen asleep. A gentle nudge from the orange Earth Pony woke the elder back up.
With no further interruptions the ponies and one dragon finished eating. When they were done Applejack told Apple Bloom to help Granny clean up, Spike also offered to help. The three remaining mares headed out to the front porch to talk there.
"So I found Gilda bit outside Ponyville, she couldn't get too far in her condition really and was resting on a cloud," Rainbow Dash began telling her friends.
"I talked with her about her cousin and she did say he said something funny before she passed out. Something along the lines of 'that you think you won even if you rescued the filly' or something like that." The Pegasus shrugged, she couldn't recall the Gryphon's exact words.
"Now that is strange," Twilight said thoughtfully, tapping her muzzle with a hoof. "Now why would he say something like that... unless Diamond Tiara was meant to be found?"
"Maybe he figured he won because he was paid the ransom?" Applejack suggested.
"No, the ransom was given back to Mr. Rich after Tiara was returned to him since nopony came to claim it," the Unicorn shook her head.
"Well this guy is claiming the credit; even if it makes no sense that he's the brains behind it. Gilda had free run beating him up, she said Silver Axe barely raised a hoof to help him," Dash mentioned, her friends both nodded.
"I'll run this by Officer Mulberry when he comes over to the library, I'll maybe get a chance to ask either Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo about what they overheard when I help Apple Bloom with the books as well," Twilight said.
"Huh? What books?" Rainbow Dash asked. The purple pony explained the homework dilemma of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"What? She can't write about me again? That's straight A+ material there," the Pegasus Pony huffed but only received amused giggles from the other mares.
"So this is your room?" Snow Heart looked around questionably.
Scootaloo had been given the task of showing the Unicorn around the house after dinner. Right now they were in the filly's bedroom. It was an obvious shrine to the girl's adoration to a certain rainbow maned Pegasus. There were homemade posters of Rainbow Dash and various other smaller drawings hung up on the wall, some even depicted Scootaloo flying alongside her hero and on the bedpost hung a blue colored headwear with a rainbow colored mane decoration.
There were some exceptions, the bedding was official Wonderbolt merchandise and there were some posters depicting the famous air show team around. It was still minimal compared to all the items the filly seemed to have on her idol.
"Yeah," Scootaloo responded, her mind was a bit absent as she was still wondering what to do about her homework, without letting her mother know she hadn't really finished it yet.
They walked back out and headed to the living room where Parasol was just sitting down after finishing in the kitchen. Scootaloo's bedroom had been the last stop on the tour.
"It's certainly a nice house you have got here Parasol," Snow Heart complimented.
"Yes it is, but we still need to work our tails off to pay for it. Silver Script had to go yesterday to Canterlot to help with a play there and won't be back until next week," the Pegasus Mare explained.
"Dad writes plays and is sometimes asked to be an extra too if they can't fill all the roles," Scootaloo clarified.
"Yes I recall," Snow nodded while she got seated.
Scootaloo turned away and headed back out of the living room. She figured the two adult mares would begin talking about various adult subjects she was not interested in so the filly intended to go back to her room and see if she could salvage her homework somehow.
I wonder if someone from the Wonderbolts would count, she mused. If the Pegasus couldn't write about Rainbow Dash, maybe she could at least write about another subject she liked.
The filly was about to enter her room when she heard a knock on the front door. Almost immediately her mother's voice rang out:
"Scootaloo, can you see who it is?"
"Fine," Scootaloo grumbled and changed course to the front hall.
The young Pegasus opened the door a crack and peeked outside. The filly had expected many to be there but not Officer Tango. The skinny gray Earth Stallion was out of uniform now and his baton Cutie Mark was thus clearly visible on his flanks. He smiled nervously at Scootaloo and hesitated before speaking.
"Hello Scootaloo, is Snow Heart in?" he asked.
"Yeah I guess," the girl responded and opened the door fully. She turned around and trotted out of the front hall and to the living room. Tango waited on the front porch, glancing around as if he was afraid someone was watching him.
"It's Officer Tango, he wants to talk with Snow Heart," meanwhile the filly was informing the mares who had arrived.
"Oh?" Snow Heart raised an eyebrow and rose up. Parasol frowned in confusion and tilted her head.
"You want me to come with you?" she offered but the Unicorn shook her head.
"I'll handle this," Snow Heart assured her and left for the front door.
The white mare assumed a questionable expression when seeing the stallion. She glanced back and saw that everything was wide open to the living room. The Unicorn snorted before returning her attention to the officer.
"Yes?" she finally asked.
"Hey Snow Heart, I'm not here on business. I just wanted to um... talk with you, maybe in private? We could take short walk," Tango said, furtively eyeing to his sides as he mentioned the walk.
"I guess there is no harm in that," Snow shrugged and glanced back into the house and called. "Parasol, Tango wants to talk with me in private, we are going to take a short walk. I won't be long."
"Alright," the yellow Pegasus responded before adding with a slyer tone of voice. "Have fuuun."
"Oh hush you!" the Unicorn snorted and did have to suppress a giggle before she walked out, closing the door behind her.
"Let's go this way, it's the most quiet and private at this time of the night," Tango instructed and lead the way from the house. Snow Heart followed without word, holding her head high and with a confident expression.
They walked for a bit in silence; Tango kept looking around as if he expected something to leap at them from every shadow. Snow Heart's brow began sinking into a scowl as they entered the more secluded and sparsely populated area of Ponyville
Tango finally stopped near some bushes and began walking in circles while checking to make absolutely sure they were alone. The stallion then faced Snow Heart and cringed when seeing her scowl, he huddled down under the stinging glare the mare was giving him.
"I thought you were going to be making sure the search parties stayed clear of Whitetail Woods until we were ready," the Unicorn hissed.
"I was, but the mayor began gushing so much over how Princess Celestia sent royal guards to help us that she just gave them free reign. They even began recruiting civilians from the town to help with the search instead of just using designated rescue workers," Tango whispered.
"Ugh, just great. I was going to torment that little brat for at least two more weeks before allowing them to find her," Snow Heart snorted and restrained from stomping on the ground.
"I'm sorry, I tried everything I could. The best I've managed is keeping the reins on Mulberry, he's suspicious of you but we have closed the case and the investigation," the police officer apologized and hung his head.
"Good and Paul had enough brains to do what he was supposed to do when captured; Silver Axe seems to be on the level too so this operation can still be salvaged. Diamond Tiara is going to have to watch as I'm welcomed and adored here in the town despite her knowing I ripped her away from the comfort and security of her home. She'll suffer that much at least," the Unicorn smirked nastily.
"Yes, yes and you'll forgive me for... um you know... accusing you of that crime you never committed years ago?" Tango slowly looked up with a hopeful smile.
"Why of course I will," Snow Heart purred and approached the stallion.
The Earth Pony held down his breath as the Unicorn reached forward with her head and gently rubbed it against his. He felt a tingle go across his spine and didn't breathe out until the mare pulled herself back slowly.
"Once I've found new place here to live in, I believe I will need some help to warm the place up," she said with a very suggestive tone in her voice.
"Uh huh..." Tango nodded smiling wider but then dropped it as he remembered something. "Uh... about Silver Axe... there isn't anything between you... is there?"
Tango wasn't quite sure how to interpret it when Snow Heart laughed heartily. He did feel a small tinge of hope though when the mare began shaking her head.
"No, no dear, nothing at all. I'll be giving the sob story that he was so in love with me that he stooped down to foalnapping to try and help me get a horn operation, but that's about it. The guy is just means to an end, heck he didn't even know he was being hired to a foalnapping until it was too late to back out," the Unicorn explained. The stallion sighed in relief and became more relaxed.
"How did you manage to get him to agree to it?" the officer asked. "What we found out about him doesn't exactly point to a typical foalnapper."
"I flashed enough money at him, that seemed to do it and he turned out to be surprisingly reliable so far," Snow Heart shrugged and turned around. "I better head back before Parasol begins to worry, she's been rather protective of me since I returned."
"Well the two of you were the best friends," Tango pointed out, the mare nodded in agreement.
The two ponies began trotting back the way they came, once more in silence. Snow Heart was once again with her head high and confidence both in walk and face. Tango was more relaxed and didn't look around nervously anymore. As they approached Parasol's house they heard voices.
"Hey Scootaloo, here is a book that should help you finish your homework." The stallion recognized the voice of Twilight Sparkle.
Snow Heart halted before they turned the corner and were revealed to the librarian, the two ponies continued to listen in.
"Oooh thanks Twilight, what are you going to do Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo's excited voice responded.
"Twilight suggested Ah do Smart Cookie, ya know the advisor of Chancellor Puddinghead the leader of the Earth Pony tribes," Apple Boom answered.
"Have you been to Sweetie Belle yet?" Scootaloo asked.
"Not yet, say Scootaloo while I got you here. Remember back on Friday when you and Sweetie Belle witnessed the foalnapping?" Twilight's voice got lower but not low enough to be missed by the two eavesdroppers.
"Yeah," the Pegasus filly said.
"You don't remember the Gryphon saying anything strange, like say that he and his partner might be working for someone else?" the librarian asked.
"Huh...nooo not that I remember, Sweetie Belle might have heard, I think she was closer," Scootaloo said.
Snow Heart turned her head to Tango who was mentally cursing. "Shut off the case, hm?"
"Mulberry must have decided to continue on his own with Twilight's help," Tango whispered and seemed just as annoyed as the mare. "Don't worry, I'll deal with him."
"You better," the white Unicorn narrowed her eyes before returning her attention back to the conversation they were listening on.
"Well we are headed to Sweetie Belle next, goodbye Scootaloo, good luck with your homework," Twilight said.
"Yeah see ya tomorrow Scoot," Apple Bloom said.
"Alright, they are going, you go deal with that idiot. I'll see what I can do here," Snow Heart whispered to Tango when hearing the hoof steps going away. The officer nodded and didn't follow as the mare turned around the corner and headed to Parasol's house.
The Unicorn saw Scootaloo on the front porch examining an old book. The filly looked up when the mare approached and put the book down.
"Hey, where is Officer Tango?" she asked.
"Oh he's gone home, we were just catching up on old times. We were old friends too back when I lived here," Snow Heart told her, "What is that book?"
"Just old history book Twilight Sparkle loaned me," Scootaloo sighed and looked down at the old tome with disinterest. "I'm supposed to write one page about a famous pony in pony history for school tomorrow."
"Ah I see," the Unicorn nodded, she could easily see that this was not a subject of great interest to the filly. She would rather be doing something else, anything else. "You know, I could help you with that, I do like history."
"You could?" Scootaloo perked up.
"Sure, sure, but let's go inside and see what we can find in this book." Snow Heart reached down to pick up the book into her mouth.
The filly nodded and sprang to her feet and lead the way back in. The Unicorn followed but before she closed the door she glanced back. She frowned and could almost have sworn seeing something in the shadows across the street. But nothing was moving so Snow Heart shrugged and shut the front door with a back hoof.
Mulberry jumped out of the bushes and galloped away the moment the front door shut. The stocky Earth Pony headed straight for Twilight's Library with a panicked look and deep in his mind he could only repeat: Oh crud, oh crud, oh crud.
End Chapter 15.
Quick Author's note: Silver Script is apparently the placeholder name for the background pony that appears with Parasol in the Heart's and Hooves Day episode, so due to that he gets to be Scootaloo's father in this story. I really do love how I can just pick up background ponies to use when writing pony stories. |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 16 | Chapter 16.
Silver Axe groaned when he woke up and his body reminded him of why he was lying in a hospital bed. The medication he had been given had mostly worn off so he didn't feel as groggy or out of it.
The Pegasus frowned as he glanced around and wondered for a brief moment when and how he got here and how much time had passed. He really couldn't recall much after passing out after the fight, though his foggy memories recalled hearing Snow Heart's voice talking with him.
Wait, he thought focused a bit more on that memory, she had probably been here when he was still too hopped up on medication to response properly. And no doubt used that to her advantage.
Glancing at the window only revealed that it was still night, the Pegasus then took note of the rest of the room. He was alone in it and first now did the stallion notice that he was in fact restrained to the bed, though in his current condition escape was the furthest thing away from Axe's mind.
I don't recall what I was meant to do if I was caught, not that it matters. He frowned; events of the weekend were slowly coming back to him.
The Pegasus's ears perked up when hearing faint voices. Ponies were talking outside his room but he couldn't quite make them out. He didn't need to wonder for long, the door opened and a yellowish mare with blue striped mane and tail came walking in. Silver Axe could just glimpse a guard standing outside through the open doorway.
"Oh, I see you are awake," the nurse pony said and smiled. "I just wanted to check and make sure you hadn't disturbed any of your bandages."
Silver Axe raised an eyebrow but it wasn't as if he was in any position to protest. The nurse removed his blanket to reveal more of his bandaged body. She then carefully inspected the wrappings but nothing was out of order and the Pegasus was soon covered again with his blanket.
"Now do you feel like you need more pain medication?" the nurse asked. "The doze we gave you should be worn out by now."
Rather not, that batch really knocked me out, Axe thought and quickly shook his head.
"I'm sorry about the restraints, but the guards insisted on them since you are under arrest," the mare explained and smiled more sympathetically. The guard outside cleared his throat rather audibly but the nurse ignored him.
"It will be morning soon, if you feel up for some breakfast I can note it for the next shift so they bring it to you," she offered. Silver Axe considered it for a moment before nodding.
"Splendid, well it's still few hours before dawn so you can rest a bit before breakfast," the nurse said before heading out.
Silver Axe shook his head and doubted he would fall asleep again anytime soon. He watched the nurse leave and began to close the door, but it stopped half way and the Pegasus could hear her address someone:
"Big Macintosh, you really should stay in your room."
"Ah know, but Ah really need to talk to that feller I fought," Big Mac said.
"It's highly irregular, you both need your rest," the nurse protested.
"Ah'm aware of that and Ah'll take full responsibility for it," the red stallion assured her.
"Well... what do you think?" the nurse addressed the guard now.
"Very well, but don't be long," the guard grunted.
Why would he want to speak with me? Silver Axe brow rose and he watched as the door opened fully again and Big Macintosh entered. He was only slightly less bandaged as the Pegasus.
"Now Ah understand that ya can't speak?" Big Mac addressed him while approaching the bed. Silver Axe nodded in confirmation.
"Well that's alright, Ah'm not much of a speaker mahself," the red stallion explained and sat down.
Silence commenced for a brief moment. The guard had closed the door so the two big ponies were pretty much alone in the room. Silver Axe kept his gaze on the ceiling waiting to find out what exactly the Earth Pony was after. Big Mac was contemplating how to begin.
"Why did ya not finish me off?" the red pony finally asked. Silver Axe slowly glanced towards him. "Oh right, that's difficult to answer when ya can't talk and Ah don't understand hoofsignals."
"Alright, let me just be blunt then Mister Silver Axe. A lot about ya right now don't make lick of sense. Ah admit Ah went face first into the fight because Ah figured you were going to harm mah sister and her friends. But now that Ah've had time to think, ya never really tried to break off from the fight at all. Ya had plenty of chances to break off and run, even go and warn yer partner. Ya both had the advantage of wing power. Then when ya threw me, ya could have easily just let me crash land and Ah would be far worse off than Ah'm right now," Big Mac started on his theory, speaking probably more now than he had for the past several months.
"Now stop me if Ah'm wrong but why do Ah have a feeling that ya wanted to be captured?"
Well it wasn't supposed to be quite like this but no you aren't wrong so to speak, Silver Axe thought before simply nodding.
"Ya wanted to be captured?" Big Mac asked again though it was more in surprise that he had been correct. Silver Axe nodded the second time.
"Ya are not really working with the foalnapper are ya?" the red stallion's brow rose high when the Pegasus shook his head.
"Alright, if Ah find somepony who understands signals, will ya explain now what exactly yer part in this is?" Big Macintosh asked and he immediately rose up when Silver Axe nodded. The Earth Pony trotted as quickly as his injuries allowed to the door and peeked outside.
"Hey, do ya understand hoofsignals?" he asked the guard standing outside. The white Unicorn guard looked at him questionably.
"Uh a bit, why?" he asked.
"Yer prisoner wants to explain something," the red stallion told him.
Might as well explain what I'm really up to now, maybe that will get the ball rolling, Silver Axe waited until Big Mac returned with the guard. Soon enough both were sitting on either side of his bed.
"Alright, talk, well signal, what is it you have to say?" the guard asked.
The Pegasus carefully raised his right hoof and began tapping it on the bed railing, forming his thoughts into clicking signals as long as you understood them. The guard translated every word.
I fully confess that I'm guilty of assisting with the foalnapping of Diamond Tiara. I had honestly hoped to be able to stop things in its birth but things moved faster than I anticipated. You see, I had been living in solitude near the Crystal Mountains for many years when a mare calling herself Snow Heart arrived on my doorsteps, Silver Axe began his tale.
At the time she looked like she had been traveling for weeks nonstop and was both hungry and thirsty. I allowed her to stay for few days to recover until she could on her own continue whatever journey she was on. She did leave after a week and I thought that was the end of that, she never asked anything of me and seemed just as eager to get going.
Then few weeks ago she returned with a Gryphon named Paul. She asked me if I needed a job, I informed her that I wasn't really looking but she turned very insistent. She said it was an easy job and all I needed to do was make sure Paul did what he was supposed to do. I almost threw them right out when the job was revealed to be foalnapping.
Silver Axe stopped for a moment to rest his hoof. He was still weak and tired so this was more laborious than usual. Both the guard and Big Mac waited patiently for him to continue.
Something struck me about this, you may or may not know but years ago I lost my daughter in a terrible storm. I know how it is to lose a foal and I would never wish that on anypony else. I realized that these two would just go and find somepony else to work for them, maybe even a pony far more willing to foalnap for easy money. I figured if I played along I could unravel their plans and expose them before the foalnapping took place.
I just didn't take into account what a good strategist Snow Heart turned out to be. First of all Paul and I were supposed to do all the hard work. Snow Heart would come to the hiding place later and only stop there for a short while then go and collect the ransom money. Paul was then in event of capture to claim full credit for the foalnapping and I was simply the hired thug.
The day the foalnapping took place I attempted to bungle things up; I took my time to arrive to the meeting point with Paul and even stopped in the local bakery. Unfortunately Paul didn't turn out to be as incompetent as I thought and succeeded in getting Diamond Tiara without anypony noticing.
Once again the Pegasus stopped both to rest and because he looked almost embarrassed. Big Mac wondered if Silver Axe felt he had done more harm than good. The Guard also used the opportunity to go to a nearby sink to drink some water, since he was doing the translation. When both were ready the pony on the bed continued his tale.
After that I was pretty much at loss what to do. The plan had gone mostly without a hitch. I could have alerted someone to our presence but Paul would then just claim the sole credit for this and Snow Heart would escape and she sounded like the type to try again no matter what. But after seeing what that mare really had in mind for the poor girl, I decided to Tartarus with it, at first opportunity I was exposing us.
If I really was going to be doing my job I would not have allowed Paul to go back to his apartment, but I did and as I suspected would happen he was followed, by his own cousin who proceeded to beat him up. I took some mild satisfaction in watching him being used as a mop on the Forest floor. I figured his cousin would do to lead search parties to us and thus knocked her out and sent her away on a cloud in the general direction of the town.
Things didn't quite happen in the order I wanted, first just these kids and a stallion arrived. I tried to scare them off in hope they would also get a search party into the area, of course I had to act as if I was chasing them just in case Paul was watching. Then Big Macintosh came and we had our brawl. At that point I was so frustrated that things didn't happen like I wanted them too that I honestly stopped seeing Big Macintosh and kept seeing Paul and that I was beating him up.
That's why I didn't let you crash, I got too carried away imagining I was beating up Paul and realized my error when I sent you flying. When I dropped you off outside the woods and within view of the town, I realized this was perfect to finally alert myself to the search parties so I kept the fight going as long as possible. Of course Big Macintosh turned out to be the better fighter anyway.
Silver Axe finally finished. The guard and Big Mac were staring at him looking both surprised and mildly confused. The Unicorn finally opened his mouth to say something but the Pegasus began tapping again with his hoof.
There is one more thing.
"Oh please, do go on," the guard allowed him.
While I reluctantly allowed Snow Heart to formulate her plan in my cabin, she did receive letters from somepony. I don't know who and if either Paul or I asked, we didn't get much in response.
Snow Heart wrote letters too and sent them regularly. When Paul voiced his concern how close our hiding place would be to the town, she told him not to worry and that it was covered. I don't know about you guys, but it almost sounded like Paul and I weren't the only pony and Gryphon in her employment.
I mean, when I arrived at the forest line I was surprised to see how close the woods were to the town. Any good searching party would have no trouble finding the cottage we were hiding in. It was almost as if this was deliberate, like it would be ensured by somepony that we wouldn't be found.
I honestly think Snow Heart had somepony on the inside, probably whoever it was she was writing letters too.
"So let me get this straight, you were trying to sabotage the foalnapping efforts from the inside?" Guard asked and Silver Axe nodded. The Unicorn glanced skeptically towards Big Macintosh.
"Well he was confirmed to enter Sugarcube Corner by Mrs. Cake before the foalnapping took place and Ah find it strange he would not just let me crash after throwing me, not to mention he never really tried to chase mah sister and her friends," the Earth Stallion pointed out.
"And yes, he did allow this Gilda to beat up on Paul without interference and then just sent her off to be easily found," the Guard looked back at Silver Axe who just shrugged.
For the record I'm not trying to deny my involvement. I fully realize I should have had this stopped much sooner, I just wanted to try and ensure Snow Heart be caught as well and hopefully find whoever accomplice she has in this town, the Pegasus added.
"Um... I probably should report this to my superior," the Unicorn Guard glanced unsure back to the door.
"Eeeyup," Big Macintosh agreed.
End Chapter 16. |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 17 | Chapter 17.
Tango entered Town Hall on Monday morning and the first thing he saw was the lieutenant Pegasus who was in charge of the royal guards. There was no sign of Mulberry or anyone else.
"Where is Officer Mulberry? I need to talk with him," Tango asked.
"I don't know, I was just arriving myself," the Pegasus shrugged. "I'm expecting a report from my guards at the hospital."
"I'm sure Vigilance has appreciated the help, he's never had two criminals in the hospital before, well he's never had criminals in there at all," the Earth Pony said and sat down.
The lieutenant nodded and glanced at the clock, it was still very early. Tango eyed the door; he had been counting on Mulberry arriving early as usual. The stocky little pony did take his job seriously enough despite his many complaints.
"Maybe he's sick?" the lieutenant suggested.
When I'm through with him, he's going to wish he was, the officer thought. "Maybe."
When the door began to open, Tango rose up and prepared to berate his working partner for continuing the investigation. The stallion scowled, raised one hoof and opened his mouth. Only to see two royal guards, a white unicorn and a black one enter Town Hall.
The police officer slunk back down and lowered his hoof again, feeling mildly embarrassed and annoyed that this hadn't been Mulberry. The two newly arrived guards raised their brows then looked questionably at their lieutenant who was trying not to snicker.
"Are you alright Officer Tango, you seem tense?" the Pegasus asked.
"I'm fine," Tango grumbled, mentally strangling the absent Mulberry now.
The lieutenant shrugged and walked over to the two guards who both straightened up. The Pegasus saluted them before giving them a signal to be at ease, the two ponies relaxed their stance.
"We have a very important report from the hospital, sir," the white unicorn guard spoke when given a nod to begin.
"What is it?" the Pegasus asked. "Is it about the prisoners?"
Tango stopped grumbling to himself when hearing the word prisoners. Slowly the Earth Pony rose up and casually got a bit closer to the three royal guards but didn't stand too close. They didn't seem to mind and ignored the officer completely.
"Yes sir, the one called Silver Axe has made a rather interesting confession just few hours ago," the black Unicorn continued and his partner nodded in agreement.
What? Tango made every effort not to show any outward signs of his confusion. He resisted the temptation to frown.
"It seems he was not as in the whole foalnapping case as we thought he was," the white Unicorn said. "Turns out he was apparently actively trying to sabotage it from the inside of the group."
It was only by miracle that Tango wasn't already galloping out of Town Hall to warn Snow Heart. The officer knew he hadn't heard the whole thing so he had to wait and listen more, but deep down his heart was beginning to beat faster in panic. The officer tried to appear as if he was just casually listening and mildly interested due to this being his job. It was really hard.
"That is interesting, how exactly was he allegedly doing that?" the lieutenant asked and seemed to put an emphasis on that question.
Tango didn't notice the odd weight the Pegasus had put on the question, but he did listen intently when the white Unicorn began telling Silver Axe's entire confession from few hours ago. The gray pony's eyes shrunk in utter shock, his jaw dropped and his coat actually got paler as sweat began pouring down his brow.
"You know you're right Mulberry is probably sick I better go check on him!" Tango sped out of his mouth before charging for the front door and left Town Hall on as much speed as his four legs permitted.
The guards watched him leave but weren't surprised. The lieutenant glanced back to the office door of the mayor, it was slowly opening and out peeked Twilight Sparkle, Mulberry and Mayor Mare.
"You think this will work?" Mulberry whispered. He looked frightened.
"We'll soon find out," Twilight said and trotted out of the office. "It was a good thing the guards actually reported Silver Axe's confession a lot sooner so we could properly stage this little show."
"I... I still can't believe it." The mayor followed the librarian, a look of disgust on her face. "Tango involved in this dreadful business?"
"I told you I saw them talk with each other last night," Mulberry furtively sneaked out of the office. "Then I saw them listening in when Twilight was talking with Scootaloo. I just knew then Tango would know we were still investigating and I just couldn't go home after that because I knew Tango would try and find me and who knew what he would do too me..."
"Yes we know, Spike found you hiding in my pantry," Twilight glanced down at the officer; he was walking so low he appeared smaller than her.
"Well you weren't home, I had to hide somewhere," Mulberry muttered.
"In my pantry?" The purple Unicorn peered at the gray pony.
"Alright, I was hungry too," the officer confessed.
"Well this is all well and good but we probably should head after Tango now," the lieutenant pointed out.
"Right, Spike should be hiding near Parasol's house so at least we have a lookout if anything happens," Twilight nodded and assumed a thoughtful expression as if something had occurred to her.
"Good, I have guards stationed near Mr. Rich's house just in case as well," the Pegasus nodded, he and the two unicorn guards headed for the front door.
The mayor, Twilight and Mulberry watched the guards leave. The officer had finally calmed down enough to stand up normally; he glanced at the librarian who hadn't moved at all after them.
"Weren't you going too?" he asked.
"I was, but I think they can handle this. You and I are going to the hospital," she said and started for the door.
"What? Why?" Mulberry asked and followed.
"Something just occurred to me, I'll tell you on the way," Twilight answered and waved the mayor.
"Good luck, keep me informed," Mayor Mare waved the two ponies leaving the building. She then sighed and shook her head before returning to her office.
Spike peeked out from the bushes but nothing was happening yet. The young dragon pulled his head back in and sat down. He was starting to get a bit bored; it's been several hours already and nothing had happened. He had seen Scootaloo head to school an hour ago and that was probably the most activity around the house. Parasol and Snow Heart had waved the filly bye but then both gone back inside.
The dragon's stomach grumbled, reminding him that he hadn't really eaten breakfast yet. Things had been happened so quickly after he found Officer Mulberry hiding in the pantry. Before Spike knew it, he was put on spying duty near Scootaloo's home.
"Spike? Why are you hiding in a bush in front of my house?" Suddenly the orange filly was there in the bush with him, behind her peeked Apple Bloom.
"Aaah!" This had happened so suddenly that Spike jumped and accidentally let out a wisp of green fire that singed parts of the leaves around them.
"I'm sp... shouldn't you three be in school?" the baby dragon asked, he knew he hadn't been waiting for that long for something to happen.
"We were but Miss Cheerilee only took our weekend assignments and then gave all of us the rest of the day off, she said we probably could use the extra day after the whole foalnappin' stuff this weekend," Apple Bloom explained.
"So we were coming here to get my scooter and the wagon and then we were going to pick up Sweetie Belle since she can't walk due to her sprained ankle, when we saw you peek out of the bushes," Scootaloo finished and then eyed the dragon intently. "Which brings me back to why are you hiding in a bush?"
"Well you see," Spike began to explain and carefully glanced out to see if anybody else was there.
The dragon was about to pull himself back down when he saw Tango appear in the distance heading straight for the house. Spike gasped and quickly grabbed Apple Bloom, who was only half inside the bush, by the tail and dragged her in to hide.
"Hey!" Apple Bloom protested but she and Scootaloo quickly got a shush signal from Spike, the dragon looked worried and now listened intently as Tango's galloping hoof steps came closer.
"What's going on? Why are you hiding from Tango?" Scootaloo whispered but was just shushed again by the young dragon.
They heard Tango knock on the door and then shift back and forth on the front porch while waiting for an answer. Spike very carefully shifted one branch of the bush so they could see. The stallion had stopped when Parasol finally appeared in entrance.
"Hi, can I speak with Snow Heart?" the officer asked, trying to look calm as he could.
"Sure, just a moment," the yellow Pegasus said and went back in. Tango again began shifting back and forth and reassumed his panicked look.
"Yes?" When Snow Heart arrived so suddenly, he almost jumped and galloped away. He managed though to turn around to face her.
"I have bad news, very bad news," he whispered. The Unicorn mare frowned and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.
"What is it?" she asked with a frown. Tango leaned closer to whisper; Spike and the fillies had to strain their ears to hear what he was saying.
"Silver Axe just made a confession where he apparently was not on your side at all and was actively trying to sabotage the entire thing," the officer told her and quickly backed a step when he was done.
Snow Heart stared right at him, a scowl slowly forming on her face, the eyes were twitching and her mouth started to form a sneer. Tango braced himself for whatever storm was coming.
"What!!?" she hissed and dug her front hooves hard in the ground.
"Like I said, Silver Axe confessed few hours ago..." the stallion fell silent and shrunk down when Snow Heart was right in his face looking just about ready to commit murder.
"Few hours ago?! Why didn't you come sooner!" she snapped.
"I didn't get the report until just a few minutes ago. The guards didn't come until then," Tango said meekly, he closed his eyes when the mare raised one hoof as if to hit him. When nothing happened, the officer opened one eye. Snow Heart had stopped in mid swing, rage gone from her face and instead she was cringing and staring past him.
Tango followed her gaze and saw Scootaloo stand by a slightly singed bush, one hoof raised and with a sad frightened expression. Spike was half way out himself in a failed attempt to grab the filly, Apple Bloom head peeked out from the bush looking startled. Then to top it all Parasol stood in the front entrance of the house, one hoof covering her mouth in shock.
"There they are! Grab them!" the bellowing voice of the Pegasus lieutenant rang across the area.
Snow Heart quickly looked over and saw the two Unicorn guards and their commanding officer coming towards them on stop speed. She looked back at Tango who seemed just as surprised by their arrival. The mare turned her head towards Scootaloo then Parasol for a brief moment before taking off.
Tango rose up and was about to follow but the black Unicorn guard arrived and quickly tackled and pinned him down.
"You are under arrest officer," the guard snorted.
"Scootaloo," the voice of Apple Bloom shouted. The guard glanced back and saw the orange filly take off after Snow Heart with her friend right behind her. Spike followed and so did Parasol. After them then went the Pegasus lieutenant and the white Unicorn guard.
Twilight and Mulberry entered the hospital lobby and went straight to the front counter. The nurse manning it put her book away and sat up when seeing them coming.
"Hello, we would like to speak with Silver Axe if possible," Twilight addressed the white mare.
"Just a moment, I'll see if it's possible," the nurse said and left the counter.
"You really think he's not telling everything?" Mulberry whispered while they waited.
"He left something out in his confession, Mulberry. Diamond Tiara was yes the foalnapping victim, but she wasn't the only victim. She wasn't alone when this Gryphon Paul attacked her. Silver Spoon was with her, I want to know what Silver Axe has to say about that," the unicorn explained.
"Oh right, of course," the officer nodded.
The nurse returned and with her was the brown security guard pony of the hospital, Vigilance. He didn't look all too happy, the Mohawk mane stallion was frowning hard and it just seemed to get harder when seeing both Officer Mulberry and Twilight.
"Well it's about time somepony came around," he snapped. "I thought those royal guards were going to help me keep the prisoners in check!"
"What? They didn't put replacements when they left?" Twilight asked surprised.
"No, they just immediately left and told me that they needed to report something to their superior, said they wouldn't be long and now it's been several hours!" Vigilance growled.
"Oh they probably thought they wouldn't be long, but the lieutenant dragged them over to my library to speak with me and then we went home to the Mayor and then we cooked up a plan to catch Tango and Snow Heart in a trap. I'm sorry Vigilance, we completely forgot to send replacements," the Librarian cringed and face hoofed herself.
"Has there been any problems?" Mulberry asked worried.
"Fortunately not, but I'm only one pony and these two are in two separate rooms even if they are restrained," the security guard grunted and glanced back. "You were going to talk with Silver Axe right? Very well come with me."
Vigilance turned around and escorted the two into the hospital proper. They took the stairs to the second floor and took the corridor leading to Silver Axe's room. The security guard's mood seemed to have mellowed a little on the way, he wasn't frowning anymore. Twilight mentally berated herself again for forgetting about the guards.
They entered the room the large Pegasus was in but stopped short when seeing the empty bed. The restraints had been snapped in two. Three mouths were agape as the ponies took in the scene in front of them, the question of how and when started to rush through their heads.
A scream pulled them out of their shock. Vigilance was the quickest to react and rushed off, Mulberry and Twilight followed soon after. They galloped to another corridor where a nurse was backing away from a doorway and had dropped the tray holding a patient's breakfast to the floor.
The three ponies rushed over and when the nurse saw them she could only point at the room and babbled nonsensically. They all three carefully peeked into the room and once again their mouths hung open.
Paul lay completely still on his hospital bed, but his head was not in a natural angle and his tongue lolled out of his beak. There was no sign of life in his only eye and the Gryphon was not breathing. His talons were slightly bloodied, a sign that he had tried to defend himself but clearly not succeeded. Two notes lay on his blanket covered boy.
Twilight took one step inside but was halted by Vigilance. He had noticed Silver Axe. The large Pegasus was sitting by a window staring out; there were scratches on his front legs, possibly after talons from a Gryphon. The remains of his restraints where still fastened on him.
The Pegasus didn't even glance over to them. Instead he just raised one hoof slightly and began signaling. Vigilance and Mulberry looked at Twilight who had gasped while listening to the hoof signals.
"Oh my..." the unicorn blinked.
"What did he say?" Mulberry asked.
"He said: 'I should not have tried to bungle it up. Again I could have prevented a filly being hurt but instead I did something stupid. Had I just done my job my daughter would still be alive and I could still talk. Had I just met Paul when I was supposed to, I could have prevented him from harming that filly he dumped in the dumpster to die. I waited for the right moment. I couldn't do it at the cottage, then I would have had to explain myself to Snow Heart. No it had to be when he was helpless. Helpless like that filly, so he could feel how it was to be helpless.'" Twilight translated.
"Did he have to... kill him?" Mulberry cringed and took a step in. He almost jumped back when Silver Axe turned his head to look at them.
Twilight reacted on instincts. Quickly her horn began to glow and suddenly a purple force field bubble surrounded the large Pegasus. Silver Axe looked up and around but otherwise didn't move.
"Vigilance, get Big Macintosh, I know he's technically a patient but right now he's the only one strong enough to handle this pony. Mulberry, you help the nurse," the librarian ordered.
Neither stallion argued, the security guard quickly disappeared down the corridor and Mulberry went to tend to the nurse pony that still huddled up against the wall opposite the door. Twilight entered the room and kept a careful eye on the force field around Silver Axe.
"Look Silver Axe, I'm sorry about your daughter. But the other filly, the one Paul attacked; she was found right away and brought to the hospital, just so you know. She is alive, her parents took her on a trip to help her recover," she addressed the Pegasus, he only hung his head.
Twilight frowned; it was puzzling that the stallion would react this violently regarding a filly he didn't even know. She glanced at the bed and saw the notes, using a levitation spell she picked them up and brought them closer. One had a lot written on it.
"Rain Dove was the most beautiful little filly ever born in Cloudsdale. Her little dove like wings always flapping in excitement when it rained, her beautiful gray coat always shimmering in the sunlight, her silver gray mane and tail were always well kempt and often braided up by her mother. Despite her problems with learning, she was always a bundle of optimistic joy and never let anything bring her down. She loved playing in the rain and making big splashes in the puddles. She loved flying in the rain too and was always mesmerized in wonder when there was a scheduled thunderstorm."
The purple pony looked over at Silver Axe, it was rather mood to say that he was silent since he was mute, but he was looking a whole lot sadder. The librarian noticed that more was written on the other side of the first note and flipped it over.
"Rain Dove did have problems learning and never understood why she couldn't fly in thunderstorms. She always wanted to go closer to what she called 'the pretty lights'. We always had to keep a close eye on her during storms, or she would try and sneak out to fly. One day we made a mistake, we dropped our guards. The storm was not even scheduled; it was an accident from the weather factory and storm clouds escaped out of control from it. It took dozens of Pegasi to get everything back under control. I was one of them until my wife arrived and told me that Rain had managed to sneak out and she couldn't find her. I raced away to search for her and who knows, if I had just continued to gather up the clouds things might have gone fine. The worst moment of my life happened when I found my daughter's charred body and had to bring her back home to my wife."
Twilight sighed sadly, there was no denying it that this was a sad tale but it didn't really answer a question that still burned on her mind. Why had he finally killed Paul and even waited with it until an opportunity arose. She looked at the other note and expected more written on it, but instead it was a drawing of a filly placed in a dumpster.
The librarian turned the note around and raised an eyebrow when seeing a drawing of a small filly flying in what apparently was supposed to be a storm. The mare turned the note around few times before looking back at the first note and gasped when rereading the description.
"Oh... she reminded you of your daughter," the Unicorn whispered startled. She glanced at the force field and saw that Silver Axe was in the process of nodding, tears in his eyes.
I should have helped her, but I didn't! I should have helped them both! The Pegasus signaled with his hooves.
End chapter 17. |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 18 | Chapter 18.
Scootaloo wasn't really sure why she ran after fleeing Snow Heart. It was not like they had just bonded overnight even if the mare had helped her last night with her homework. The filly still only had vague memories of the unicorn from her early childhood. Maybe it was because she had seen how happy her mother was to have her old friend back?
"Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom caught up with her since the young Pegasus wasn't on her scooter. "Do ya know what is goin' on?"
"No," the orange filly answered.
"Well yer mom is right behind us, as are two royal guards. Ah don't know about ya but Ah for one want to know what's goin' on here and why Snow Heart was about to hit Tango and then ran off," the Earth Filly stated.
The Pegasus girl glanced back and saw Parasol flying behind them and approaching rapidly. The mare wasn't looking at her or Apple Bloom; she looked past them towards fleeing Snow Heart. Only slightly further behind was the lieutenant Pegasus and on the ground but closing in was the Unicorn royal guard with Spike on his back. The baby dragon had fallen behind only to be picked up by the white stallion.
"Where is she going?" Scootaloo wondered.
Apple Bloom glanced around, there was something familiar about the route they were chasing the Unicorn mare. It hit her when they suddenly ran past Sweetie Belle's parents' house. The injured crusader was peeking out of her bedroom window and stared wide eyed at the group racing past her home.
"I think she's headed for Mr. Rich's house," the yellow filly answered, but as they approached the street Snow Heart suddenly took an immediate right turn away.
The two Crusaders noticed that a little too late and didn't manage to stop themselves until they were in the street leading to Mr. Rich's mansion. Parasol and the two guards on the other hand were just further enough back to be able to turn and continue the chase without stopping.
"Why did she..." Apple Bloom fell silent when Scootaloo pointed at all the royal guards around Mr. Rich's mansion.
"Come on or we'll lose them," the Pegasus filly took off to resume the chase.
"What the hay is goin' on around here," the farm filly complained as she followed her friend.
"We won't find out until we catch up with the others," Scootaloo told her and ran as fast as she could to catch up at least with the white Unicorn guard.
Meanwhile her mother had caught up with Snow Heart. Parasol matched the speed of the running Unicorn so she would be flying just above her. She considered forcibly stopping her friend by tackling her, but decided to try first to talk.
"Snow, what is going on?" she asked.
There was no response, Snow Heart completely ignored her and was muttering something angrily. Her brow was in a heavy scowl and her muzzle twisted in a sneer. Still Parasol tried to press on.
"Snow Heart, you know you can talk to me, please tell me what is going on. Why were you going to hit Tango and what was this all about Silver Axe?" the Pegasus raised her voice.
Snow Heart still didn't listen and ducked into a side street, Parasol barely managed to follow. They had entered one of the few parts of Ponyville that could turn into a bit of a maze with all the buildings around.
Wait Snow Heart isn't familiar with this part of Ponyville, it was built after she left, the Pegasus thought but wasn't sure if she should warn the fleeing Unicorn. She did want the chase to end and hear some real answers.
"Snow... will you please talk with me," Parasol pleaded and sighed in frustration when still there was no answer.
As the yellow mare suspected, the chase was soon over. Snow Heart ran into an alley between two houses that had a wall built between, forming a dead end. The Unicorn skidded to a halt but didn't turn around; instead breathing heavily she glared at the brick wall. Parasol landed and folded her wings; she glanced back when hearing a heavy thud behind her. It was the Pegasus Lieutenant who had had followed from a higher altitude, once they stopped he dove in to land.
"There is nowhere to run now Snow, please, what is going on?" the yellow Pegasus asked once again.
"Ma'am, I am sorry to tell you this, but your friend is after all apparently involved in the foalnapping case. One of her accomplices, Silver Axe, has in fact confirmed Diamond Tiara's words," the lieutenant informed Parasol.
"W-what?" she gasped in shock. "That... I can't... that just isn't possible..."
"Officer Mulberry also witnessed Officer Tango and Snow Heart talk last night, we have the third confirmation of her involvement," the stallion added.
Parasol fell silent and looked back at her friend who still faced the wall. She wasn't sure what to say. Right now the Pegasus mare was feeling numb; this was just a bit too much to take in so suddenly. She could only watch as the lieutenant took a step towards the Unicorn, preparing to place her under arrest.
Before the Pegasus got too close to Snow Heart, the mare suddenly stomped the ground hard with one hoof. This caused the stallion to halt and Parasol flinched a bit. The Unicorn finally turned to face them, mad glint in her eyes and still the same angry sneer in on her muzzle.
"This was all so perfect!" she snapped, frothing at the mouth.
"I found an idiot who wanted to make a name for himself in the criminal underground and a stupid mute brute with insecurity issues to do all the dirty work and take the fall when they got captured. I planned for everything!" Snow Heart kicked the wall with her right hind hoof, leaving a crack in it.
"I even had a pony on the inside that would sabotage all search efforts until I was ready to allow that stupid brat to be found. But no, these idiots had to be captured the same weekend, forcing me to go to next step too soon and then that stupid mute idiot goes on and blurts everything away!" The Unicorn was growing angrier and angrier with each sentence.
The Pegasus lieutenant braced himself for anything, Parasol was now sitting and just staring slack jawed at Snow Heart. They didn't notice that behind them the Unicorn guard, Spike, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had finally caught up. The four newly arrived could only stop and watch much like them.
"But... w-why?" Parasol dared asking when nothing more came from Snow Heart.
"Because I wanted that filthy bastard and his obnoxious brat to SUFFER!" the Unicorn snarled.
"They wanted to make a villain out of me, FINE. I showed them what I really can do! Diamond Tiara got to see just how badly I really can treat her. If I have to be accused of something, at least now I'm actually GUILTY of something!" Snow Heart snarled and kicked the wall again.
"What is she talking about?" the lieutenant asked confused.
"An event that was full of both misunderstandings and miscommunications," Parasol sighed and looked sadly at her old friend. "Snow Heart, stop please, listen to me."
Surprisingly Snow Heart did halt and stared right at the yellow Pegasus. It wasn't a glare even though the anger was still emitting from the Unicorn. Parasol took a deep breath rose up.
"Snow Heart, your biggest fault has always been your temper, it has clouded your judgment often enough. The only one to really accuse you of anything years ago was Diamond Tiara and she was just a much younger filly than she is now. Yes Mr. Rich has coddled her and she hasn't exactly grown to be a fine understanding girl, but the fact remains that she is still just a young filly used to get her way," the Pegasus began, she could only hope her friend would listen since Snow Heart's eyes were narrowing.
"Try to remember Snow Heart, yes Diamond Tiara did slip in the living room and yes in your process to try and stop her she was accidentally sent skating even further in causing even a bigger mess. She was upset naturally and did accuse you of trying to kill her. Mr. Rich sent you home after he arrived on the scene not because he believed his daughter like you thought, but because he saw you were about to lose your temper. He knew it was better to give you the rest of the day off," Parasol continued.
"As you know this isn't a big town and news fly fast. Rumors and gossip began going around but nopony really accused you of anything. Tango never accused you; he came around as a friend to just ask you about what happened. But you were upset and your fierce temper probably didn't help much either. Mr. Rich never even pressed charges, even though some ponies often seem to remember otherwise."
Parasol watched for further reactions from Snow Heart, she still hadn't reacted to the Pegasus's long explanation. The Unicorn looked just as angry as before, she dug her hooves into the ground hard like she was restraining herself. Finally she gave the wall a hard kick with both her hind hooves.
The brick wall cracked quite a bit, but the mare wasn't strong enough to tear it down if that was her intention. The Unicorn snorted and stomped towards others, the lieutenant got ready in case Snow Heart was actually intending to do more than just kick inanimate objects. But she just stopped immediately in front of Parasol, the sneer was gone but she wasn't smiling either.
"Your biggest fault Parasol is how naïve you have always been," she snorted before glaring at the lieutenant. "Well!? Isn't the jig up as they say? I am under arrest right?"
"Right, private, take her away," the lieutenant ordered after a slight hesitation, you didn't often hear the criminal requesting to be arrested.
Spike jumped down from the Unicorn guard as the stallion moved forward. The dragon glanced at Scootaloo and Apple Bloom who had both just stared wide eyed and unsure at the whole scene. He stepped out of the way when the guard walked back as he escorted grumbling Snow Heart out of the alley. The mare halted for a moment when seeing Scootaloo, she stopped grumbling and sighed before resuming her walk. The dragon could have sworn he heard her whisper 'what have I done'.
"Huh, that's interesting," he mused.
"Spike, do ya know what the hay is goin' on?" Apple Bloom addressed the baby dragon; she had finally shaken the surprise out of her.
"Well it seems that Snow Heart had this big convoluted plan to foalnap Diamond Tiara, hired Silver Axe and Paul the Gryphon to do it and had Officer Tango on the payroll as well to sabotage any search efforts, it all went down the drains when Silver Axe actually confessed against her. That's the gist of it I think," the dragon told her.
"Wait hold on, ya telling me the pony that almost beat mah brother was on our side?" the farm filly blinked.
"Yeah appears so," Spike nodded.
They looked at Scootaloo who hadn't given any input into the conversation. The orange Pegasus wasn't really paying attention to them. She was staring at her mother who had sat down with her head hung. The lieutenant had already flown away, probably to oversee the imprisonment of the new prisoners.
"Uh Spike, maybe we should go check on Sweetie Belle, bet she's wonderin' what is going on too since we ran past her home," Apple Bloom whispered to the dragon when the Pegasus filly rose up and walked over to Parasol.
"Yeah we should do that," Spike agreed. The Earth Filly and the baby dragon then made a quiet exit out of the alley.
Scootaloo meanwhile was sitting down beside her mother but didn't say a word. She wasn't sure what to say or what to feel, things had happened so fast. The young Pegasus looked up at Parasol when hearing a sniffle.
The yellow mare was silently crying but a small sob had managed to escape her lips. Scootaloo's ears dropped and the filly reached with one hoof to place it gently on her mother's leg. Parasol looked over and when seeing her daughter, the mare wrapped her front legs around girl in a hug.
"Mom, are you alright?" Scootaloo quietly asked as she returned the embrace.
"I will be," Parasol responded.
"Is Snow Heart what you meant about what hate could do to you?" the filly wondered.
"I..." the yellow mare hesitated and hugged her daughter a bit closer, resting her cheek on top of the girl's head. "I didn't really... didn't have her in mind no. But I guess she does fit with it yes."
"She seemed so nice," Scootaloo said, thinking back how Snow Heart had reacted to the Crusaders and how she had helped her with her homework last night.
"Yes," Parasol sighed and raised her head again. "She was."
The lieutenant headed towards Town Hall since he knew that both guards would bring Tango and Snow Heart there. He was already half way over when he noticed a Pegasus guard heading towards him from the distance at great speed. He stopped to hover while peering towards the incoming guard.
Hm, isn't that one of the guards I sent north yesterday to search Silver Axe's cabin? he thought.
"Lieutenant Knight! Lieutenant Knight!" the guard shouted when seeing he was headed towards his superior officer.
"He seems to be in a hurry and sounds alarmed," the lieutenant frowned, he didn't need to wait for much longer, the guard at his speed was soon right in front of him and saluting.
"Sir!" the newly arrived Pegasus addressed him.
"At ease, private, I take it you found the cabin and have searched it?" Knight asked. One eyebrow rose when the guard cringed and nodded furiously.
"Sir, yes sir, we did. Found it. Yes... been flying all night to get back to tell you. We found it," the private sped out and was shaking.
Lieutenant Knight tilted his head and wondered how this guard made it out of boot camp. He just couldn't imagine what they could have possibly found in the cabin to leave one of his guards this shaken.
"Calm down soldier!" he ordered sharply and somehow the private did manage to stop shaking. "Now tell me, what in Equestria did you find there that is leaving you trembling in your armor?"
The guard took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second as he prepared himself. Then he leaned closer to Knight and whispered everything to him. The lieutenant found this rather peculiar but as he listened his eyes grew wider and wider. Soon his jaw was making an attempt to reach the ground.
"Come with me!" Lieutenant Knight ordered and darted off towards Town Hall with the guard right on his tail.
They were very soon there and just arriving as well was the white Unicorn guard escorting Snow Heart. The lieutenant immediately headed for them and landed so suddenly right in front of the two earthbound ponies that the mare jumped a bit back, the Unicorn stallion seemed more used to this kind of entrance and didn't even flinch.
"You!" Knight's whole attention was on the mare.
"Um yes?" Snow Heart responded. Surely she couldn't be in more trouble than she already was since all her schemes and plans had fallen apart.
"Silver Axe, how much do you actually know about your mute lackey?" the lieutenant asked.
"What? Honestly, didn't he tell you all everything anyway? I didn't know we were going to be doing the interrogations out here," the mare frowned.
"Just answer!" Knight demanded spreading out his wings in irritation.
"Fine. Not much honestly, he was mute, lived in a cabin in the woods between the Crystal Mountains and Manehattan. He agreed to play the muscle for Paul for money, that's honestly all I know about him. Oh sure I first met him few years ago and he allowed me to stay a week until I found my way to Manehattan, but other than that honestly nothing," the mare snorted.
"Did he ever act strange? Was there an area in the cabin he did not allow you to enter?" Knight asked.
"Seriously? I mean you caught me already. What is so relevant about these questions?" The mare and the Unicorn guard shared the same confused expression.
"Please, Snow Heart. I am in a hurry, answer me," the lieutenant snapped.
"Alright, alright. I didn't go into his bedroom if that is what you want to know. When I first met him, I wasn't exactly in a good mood. I was still stewing after the first scene I caused in this town. Didn't notice anything strange about him because I was too busy feeling sorry for myself, he didn't seem sorry to see me go when I left," Snow Heart shrugged. "And afterwards I was rather busy planning for what I'm currently under arrest for."
Knight turned his head towards the Pegasus guard who leaned closer and whispered something to him. The lieutenant nodded and returned his attention to the two Unicorns.
"Alright, you take her in. Who did you have replace you guarding the prisoners in the hospital?" the lieutenant addressed the Unicorn guard who blinked then slapped his face with a hoof.
"Oh horse apples, we forgot, we were only going to be away for few minutes," he confessed.
"What?! The prisoners are unguarded?" Knight shouted.
Without further word the lieutenant took off, flying straight for Ponyville Hospital. The private ranked Pegasus quickly followed. Snow Heart watched them leave then glanced at the Unicorn who was still berating himself for his error.
"Am I the only one feeling like I'm missing something here?" she asked. "I mean, I'm the big villain here right? I dared to have a filly foalnapped, had a pony on the inside and everything."
"I have no idea to be honest," the Unicorn stallion shrugged.
End chapter 18.
Quicky author's note: Yay I finally gave the Lieutenant Pegasus a name. No he was not a character I forgot a name, he was never intended to have a name, but then I figured ah what the heck. Unfortunately his full name is very unoriginal, it's Golden Knight. If somebody already has a character with that name, please let me know and I'll change it.
Oh and by the way, not much left of this story. |
In the broad daylight | Chapter 19 | Chapter 19
"Well, this has been rather enlightening," Twilight put the notes down.
The Unicorn mare hesitantly glanced at the hospital bed still containing Paul's body. A doctor had finally arrived but all he really could confirm was that the Gryphon was no more to this world and then covered the body with a sheet. Then Vigilance helped the doctor wheel out Paul's bed.
Big Macintosh stood near the force field bubble that still surrounded Silver Axe, by him was also Officer Mulberry. Neither Earth Pony needed to be there, but both felt they probably should be on guard just in case.
"Silver Axe, you did well by confessing and confirming that Snow Heart was actually the real mastermind behind the whole foalnapping incident. But you didn't have to kill Paul," the librarian addressed the large Pegasus.
Silver Axe made no move to response. He had resumed watching out the window. Twilight leaned to the side to try and see his face. The Pegasus's expression was neutral but his eyes still looked misty after the crying earlier.
"I guess we better lower this force field and take you back to your room. We are going to have to restrain you again to your bed," Twilight said, her horn began glowing as she prepared to dispel the bubble.
"Hold on, Twilight," Big Mac suddenly spoke up and approached the Unicorn. The large Earth Pony sounded mildly concerned.
"Yes, what is it Big Mac?" she asked curiously.
"Don't ya find anythin' off about this here whole scenario?" the red stallion lowered his voice to whisper.
"What do you mean?" Twilight glanced between Big Mac and Silver Axe who appeared to be paying no attention to anyone.
"That pony just upright killed someone, Twilight," Big Mac said.
"Ah yes, I know, Big Macintosh. I kind of saw the body and all," Twilight reminded him.
"Twilight, he broke free of his restraints, came over to that Gryphon's room, snapped his neck and then sat down all calm like in front of the window," the Earth Pony counted up and first now his brow sunk into a slight scowl.
"Huh, he does have a good point there. Silver Axe looked awfully calm when we found him here." Mulberry agreed from his spot near the force field.
"What are you guys saying?" Twilight asked but already in her mind she was trying to work it out. Now that I think about it...
"Ah'm saying, we should probably consider that this might not be an unknown territory for him," Big Macintosh responded, the Unicorn didn't seem to be listening as she was examining the notes again.
"Wait a minute," Twilight flipped the picture note around. Both fillies have wings, but Silver Spoon is an Earth Pony.
Twilight looked up from the note, first she stared at Big Mac before slowly leaning sideways to see Silver Axe who still hadn't moved. Using levitation she picked up the written note and read it again, over and over.
"Silver Axe, you say you brought the charred body of your daughter to your wife. But according to the reports from Cloudsdale I read, you crashed in that thunderstorm too." Twilight put the note back down.
This time she got a slight reaction. Silver Axe hung his head before glancing ever so slightly back at her. He looked sadder but there was something off about it. Twilight couldn't quite put her hoof on what it was.
They were interrupted when Lieutenant Knight burst into the hospital room, followed by the private ranked Pegasus guard and Vigilance. The senior guard came to an abrupt halt when seeing that Silver Axe was encased in a force field bubble, almost causing the private and Vigilance to crash into him.
"Do NOT drop that force field Twilight Sparkle!" Knight ordered, raising one armored hoof in alarm.
"Alright, you're the second pony to tell me to not do that," the purple Unicorn shook her head. "I take it you are here with something new to tell?"
Knight took a moment to catch his breath. He had first charged straight for Silver Axe's room and had quite a fright when seeing that the large Pegasus was gone. But Vigilance spotted him and the other guard and told them were the prisoner was so he had raced immediately over hoping he wasn't too late.
"Miss Sparkle, you know that I sent few guards north to check Silver Axe's cabin, the private here has just returned and reported to me their findings. In fact he flew all night to report what he found," the lieutenant began.
Twilight raised an eyebrow when noticing how Knight was staring with contempt at Silver Axe and the private guard eyed the force field worried. Mulberry as well glanced back and forth between the guards and the prisoner.
"They found bodies Twilight Sparkle, down in a basement that was accessed through the bedroom. Bodies of young foals all charred as if struck by lightning. They also found a backroom in the basement with small graves. That pony is a serial killer!" Knight snapped.
"And pictures sir, the pictures on the wall," the private whispered. "And the writings..."
Twilight Sparkle couldn't say a single word. Her eyes were wide as saucers and she grimaced while the new information sunk in. Mulberry's gray coat actually seemed to grow paler and he looked as if Nightmare Moon, Discord and Queen Chrysalis had all three materialized right in front of him. Quickly the small stocky stallion scrambled away from the force field bubble, staring horrified at the large prisoner.
"Well, Ah'll be darned," Big Macintosh's brow rose slightly and his were eyes fully open now.
"He's...he's..." Twilight stammered. Her attention was brought back to the prisoner when a steady stream of tapping reached her ears.
Silver Axe was signaling with his hooves. His eyes were narrow and looked more intense. The mouth was just a straight line. He didn't stop tapping, just kept going and going like he was saying the same thing over and over again.
"W-what is he saying?" Mulberry asked. He found the constant stream of knocking unnerving.
"He's repeating 'I tried to save her' over and over again," Knight frowned.
"Just like he wrote on the walls in red ink," the private guard whispered in disgust.
"I don't think that was red ink, private," the lieutenant cleared his throat before he looked straight at the royal guard Pegasus.
"Private, I want you to head immediately to Canterlot and request for the prison train to be sent here immediately. We are shipping this pony straight there to face trial, he's going to be under maximum security from now on," Knight ordered the guard who saluted quickly and disappeared quickly out of the room.
"I'm not risking anything with that thing," The lieutenant glanced over to the force field. Silver Axe stance hadn't changed much but it was almost as if his eyes looked more insane.
"I-I'll maintain the force field around him, only powerful magic can dispel it," Twilight immediately assured him.
"Good to know, by the looks of it our regular restraints aren't good enough," Knight nodded, glancing at the remains that still hung on Silver Axe.
"So wait let me get this straight," Vigilance looked at the Knight. "This guy has been killing ponies... foals... regularly?"
"I dare say we have just solved several missing foal cases in one fell swoop," the lieutenant muttered, glaring at the prisoner darkly.
Twilight picked up the notes once again with a levitation spell and stepped over to Knight and Vigilance. She showed the papers to the guard, making sure to flip them over when he was done with one side. The security stallion also stole a glance at the notes.
"You may want to take those with you to Canterlot. That pony needs psychiatrist care, it is obvious now that losing his daughter really sent him over the edge," the Unicorn told him.
Knight nodded and took the notes. Mulberry now approached having recovered from his shock. The stocky stallion still looked disturbed. He was seriously reconsidering his stance of having more criminal cases in Ponyville. Big Macintosh still kept an eye on the force field trapped Pegasus, just in case since the pony had already surprised them few times.
"I'm going down to Town Hall... no wait Tango is no longer... wait, I'm the only officer left in Ponyville..." Mulberry groaned and hung his head.
"What were you going to do?" Twilight wondered, gently patting the stallion on the back.
"Ask Tango what to do next," Mulberry muttered, he hated to admit it right now but it was usually his former work partner who knew what to do.
"Well you can still do that, you probably just can't take anything seriously he says," Twilight chuckled. Then an idea hit her. "Hold on, you should probably search his house, there might be more there regarding his connection to Snow Heart."
"Of course, I'll go do that," the stallion nodded eagerly. Before he left, he gave Silver Axe a one last unsure glance. "Sounds more what I had in mind for police work than..."
"He does know that dealing with deadly criminals is actually regular for police officers right?" Knight asked when Mulberry was gone.
"You'll have to excuse him; usually the most excitement he gets is when Rarity's cat gets stuck up a tree. This isn't exactly high crime area after all," Twilight chuckled.
Tango wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel embarrassed or disappointed in himself. This was quite a bit of a downfall for someone who had been a pony of law and order for the town. The stallion was also starting to regret his involvement a bit, but knew there was nothing to do about it and all he could do was face the music.
He glanced around the empty room. It was one of the rooms in the Town Hall that the Mayor was going to change into more office space. Due to nothing being in it at the moment and since the building also doubled as the police station this served as his and Snow Heart's jail cell. They had never gotten around installing a proper one as it had never been needed before.
"I don't suppose you had any plans for this?" he asked though not expecting an answer. Snow Heart had been stewing in one corner of the room since she was brought in and not even bothered looking at him.
"Well I suppose Mulberry got his wish, a real criminal case in Ponyville," the stallion walked over to the window and glanced out, standing below it was the black Unicorn guard who had arrested him.
Tango could see the clock tower from his vantage point. It was late afternoon by now so he had been here for big portion of the day already. He watched Time Turner leave the tower and head off towards Ponyville garden. He saw the local mail mare Derpy Hooves fly past the tower, she carried her mail bags but instead of mail it carried her daughter Dinky who waved her hooves in excitement.
Yeah... I have a feeling it will be a while before I can watch this sight again, He shook his head in dismay.
The former officer backed away when he saw a Pegasus guard land in front of the Unicorn one and began talking with him in a hurried voice. Tango strained his ears to try and hear what they were saying, but mostly only managed to make something about the Gryphon dead and other prisoner going to be shipped to Canterlot.
Huh, wonder what's going on? Tango frowned; the Pegasus looked to be in quite a hurry.
"Snow, I think they said Paul is dead." The stallion looked at the mare.
"What?" Snow Heart looked up and sounded genuinely surprised.
"The guards outside," the Earth Pony looked back out but the Pegasus was gone by now. "They mentioned something about the Gryphon was dead and that the other prisoner will be moved to Canterlot."
"Other prisoner? In singular, not plural?" Snow Heart frowned in confusion.
"I think so," Tango shrugged.
"Can't be Silver Axe, they'll probably give him a medal for confessing my involvement," the mare grunted and lay down.
Tango didn't respond and looked at the door that was opening. Snow Heart glanced back too and the two ponies watched as Lieutenant Knight and Mayor Mare entered the room. The former officer turned to fully face them, but the Unicorn didn't move any more than she already had.
"Snow Heart, I need to ask one more time," Knight addressed the white mare. "Where you aware of anything odd about Silver Axe or did you see anything strange in his cabin?"
"Oh for the love of... NO!" Snow Heart snapped. The mare rose up and turned around. "I already told you. I was barely in the main area of his cabin for a week and only returned later to hire him to help me."
"So you never went into his bedroom?" Knight asked and quickly added when seeing the indignant expression arrive on the mare. "And access the basement?"
"What? What basement?" Snow Heart blinked in confusion. "There wasn't even an attic; this was a single story cabin. I think there was a shed outside."
"So you never saw the bodies, or the writings or the pictures he kept?" Knight asked in deadpan voice.
"No I... what?" Snow Heart stopped when she realized exactly what the Pegasus had just said. Tango was already ahead of her with a truly shocked expression and his jaw trying to make a break for the ground.
"It turns out that this Silver Axe quite literally had a few skeletons in his closet," Mayor Mare told them, the way she spoke indicated she too was only recently informed of the grizzly revelation.
"Congratulation Snow Heart, you hired a child serial killer to foalnap a filly," the lieutenant said in a voice heavily laden with sarcasm.
"I...huh?" Snow Heart plumped down to sit, her mouth wide open and her eyes shining both shock and confusion.
"I... never... no...wait..." the Unicorn mare couldn't form a complete sentence; this had just been a bit too much even for her.
Knight turned to leave without further word, feeling he had pretty much confirmed that Snow Heart had been in the dark about Silver Axe. The mayor followed at first but stopped in the doorway and glanced back.
"We are still going through few things, but I'll be talking with the judge soon about a trial date. Don't think you'll be waiting for too long though," she told the two ponies, but they were still both just too shocked to respond.
The door closed and locked, leaving Tango and Snow Heart where they sat. The stallion did eventually manage to regain some of his senses and glanced towards the Unicorn. He bit his lips when seeing the tears that were forming in her eyes. The mare closed her mouth and swallowed something before slowly looking at him.
"I-I'm a monster," she whispered, her voice broken.
"No, I think Silver Axe turned out to be that one," Tango tried to helpfully point out.
"Yes and I HIRED him!" Snow Heart snapped at him. "I hired a serial killer to foalnap, nopony was supposed to die or risk dying. I was going to scare them yes, not kill them!"
"Is this a bad time to point out that Paul attacked Silver Spoon and dumped her injured into a dumpster?" Tango mentioned and cringed when seeing Snow Heart's enraged expression arrive.
"HE. DID. WHAAAAT!?" Snow Heart screamed at the top of her lungs.
"No, no, NO. This was not supposed to happen!" the mare ranted and began pacing around, switching between as if she was about to cry or looking like she was ready to stomp someone to the ground.
Finally she just slumped down to the floor and covered her head with her front legs. Tango hesitated to approach, knowing that with her temper the mare might just well began raging again.
"I guess he took the 'no witnesses' a bit too literally," the stallion said.
"I never said 'no witnesses'. I told him to make sure nopony saw him foal nap her, I meant he was supposed to grab her when she was alone... oh what am I saying, who cares what I meant?" Snow Heart cried.
"I care?" Tango suggested but there was no response from the mare, she just continued to cry on the floor.
End chapter 19. |
In the broad daylight | Epilogue | Epilogue.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Gilda shouted and stumbled from the bedroom. She had been woken up by constant knocking on the apartment door. She stretched but was mindful of her bandages.
Grumbling the Gryphon wondered who it could possibly be at this time, ignoring the fact that outside it was quite clearly day time. She opened the door and peered outside, it took her a minute to recognize the light blue and rainbow maned Pegasus standing there.
"Hey Gilda," Rainbow Dash greeted her.
"Dash? What are you doing here?" Gilda grunted and debated for a second if she should let the pony inside.
"Look I know we can't say we are bosom buds anymore, but hey you helped out down in Ponyville, finding where your cousin was and all," the Pegasus started and rubbed the back of her head. "And you kind of left in a hurry after that. Figured I should come around and thank you and all that jazz."
"Eh, I was just making sure Paul stopped being stupid," Gilda grunted.
"Yeah sure," Dash nodded though she didn't quite believe the female Gryphon. She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a piece of paper and gave it to her.
"What is this?" Gilda eyed the paper questionably.
"Check from Filthy Rich, Diamond Tiara's father. He gave rewards to everyone who was involved in rescuing her daughter, I offered to bring yours to you," the Pegasus explained but now started to twitch a bit. She was not sure how to tell the next bit of news.
"Wow, Filthy Rich is a right name for the dude," Gilda eyed the check. "I could buy a new apartment for this."
"Yeah... uh can I come inside, I got some more news," Rainbow Dash looked back to make sure nobody else was around.
Gilda stepped aside without a word, still working her brain round the amount of money on the check. She closed the door once the pony was inside and walked to the sitting area, Dash followed silently trying to come up with a way to gently say the next part.
"Man, Paul must be stewing; I bet this is more than his employer was going to pay him," the Gryphon snickered and grinned wide when she looked back at the pony. It dropped when seeing the solemn face Rainbow Dash was sporting.
"Uh Gilda... about your cousin," the Pegasus sighed and shifted a bit on her legs.
"Yeah?" Gilda frowned, she half expected to hear that Paul had escaped imprisonment and was on the loose.
"He's dead." Dash could not think of any other way to say it. Best just be blunt and take whatever reaction her old friend would show.
"Oh..." the Gryphon wasn't really prepared for that and unsure how to really respond. She sat down and just stared at Dash for a moment before looking down at the floor.
"How?" she asked quietly.
"Silver Axe killed him... turned out he's a complete wackjob who uh, kept recreating the accident that killed his daughter using other fillies as substitutes. Neither Paul nor this Snow Heart who hired them knew anything about it," the Pegasus told her.
Gilda didn't respond, just stared at the floor. Rainbow Dash started to walk over but the Gryphon turned away. Her talons were digging into the floorboard and the tail twitched. But so far she remained silent.
"I'm sorry Gilda." Dash could obviously see that her old friend had cared about her cousin, despite his rather idiotic criminal behavior. "If there is anything I can..."
"Just go... I want to be alone," Gilda tried to growl but as she was already trying to suppress most of her emotion it came more out as a raspy sob.
"Your family still lives in Cloudsdale right? Want me to contact them?" Rainbow Dash asked, she was not going to leave just like that unless she could at least make sure the Gryphon was alright.
"Whatever!" Gilda rose up and hurriedly walked into the bedroom slamming the door shut.
Rainbow Dash let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. The mare hadn't expected this to go well and this almost matched how Pegasus had pictured things going. She glanced at check that had fallen to the floor. Dash picked it up and placed it on top of the coffee table before heading for the front door.
"Gilda, I'm going. I'm sorry what happened, I'll contact your family in Cloudsdale," Rainbow Dash called. There was no response so all she could do was leave the apartment and her old friend behind.
"How is your leg?" Apple Bloom asked and slurped on her milkshake.
"Better, I can walk now without it hurting too much," Sweetie Belle responded munching on a cookie.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were in Sugarcube Corner, seated by a round table. All three fillies had a milkshake each and several cookies and muffin to snack on. Another weekend was approaching and hopefully with less excitement than the last one.
"I bought new roller skates with my reward money, what did you girls use it for?" Scootaloo wondered.
"Oooh, I got lots of new toys, mom helped me mail order them from Fillydelphia since our toy store here in Ponyville didn't carry what the catalogue showed," Sweetie Belle beamed.
"Right, then next on our agenda is invading Sweetie Belle's room to hog her toys," Apple Bloom jested. Her friends giggled though the Unicorn added blowing a raspberry towards the Earth Filly.
"As for me Ah haven't really decided yet what to buy, Applejack suggested Ah save it for something special," she then responded to the reward question.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nodded. The fillies were quite content right now and hacked away their sweets and drunk their shakes. Apple Bloom looked over to the door when it opened and saw Twilight Sparkle enter. The purple Unicorn went straight to the counter and struck up a conversation with Pinkie Pie who was manning it.
"It's been wonderfully quiet week since Mr. Rich took Diamond Tiara on a trip," Scootaloo commented, she lazily spun the straw in her milkshake. Both her friends nodded in agreement.
"You think she and Silver Spoon will act nicer now after what happened to them?" Sweetie Belle wondered.
For a moment the crusaders fell silent as this thought sunk in. But it didn't take them long to burst into giggles. Scootaloo almost snorted out a mouthful blend of both milkshake and cookies.
"As if, I have a feeling all we bought from them is a temporary truce," the orange Pegasus rolled her eyes.
"Yeah," Apple Bloom nodded in agreement.
"Hey girls," Twilight had arrived at their table, on her back balanced a box filled with goodies she had just bought. The fillies all greeted cheerfully. "How are you three doing?"
"Good!" they responded in unison.
"Twilight, is it true what they said about that Silver Axe character?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Well..." the librarian cringed slightly, it was no secret. Ponies everywhere were talking about this shocking twist in the foalnapping case and it was in all the papers.
"Yes it is true I'm afraid. Don't worry about it, he's far away now and locked in," she said.
"Twilight, what about Snow Heart and Tango?" Scootaloo questioned and frowned slightly.
"They are going to jail as well. They will be there for a while I imagine," Twilight explained with a nod.
"But can you believe it? Tango involved as well?" Sweetie Belle asked with an audible gasp.
"Yeah, he always looked so prim and proper," Apple Bloom nodded.
"It was quite a revelation yes, we did find out that they have been keeping correspondence with each other ever since the time Snow Heart first ran off. Mulberry found so many letters we are still going through most of them," Twilight told them and looked at Scootaloo.
"Incidentally, Scootaloo, how is your mother?" she wondered.
"Oh, she's fine I guess," the orange filly shrugged.
"Still think she is a bit sad over what happened," she then added. Twilight nodded in understanding.
"Well I better get going, you three enjoy your weekend. No trying to find foalnappers this time around," the purple Unicorn winked at them.
"We promise!" All three crusaders grinned innocently.
Twilight chuckled and left the fillies to their munching and waved Pinkie bye before leaving the bakery. The librarian entered the busy Ponyville street with ponies either selling things on stands or just walking around attending to their private businesses.
Up in the clouds above the town Rainbow Dash took her afternoon nap, though the rainbow mane mare still felt a bit uneasy and worried about her old Gryphon friend. She could only hope Gilda's family could help her, they had been more than ready to head to Las Pegasus after she contacted them.
Inside the bakery the crusaders continued their little feast, planning their next cutie mark acquiring plans for the weekend. This time keeping it safe like bungee jumping or juggling bowling pins while balancing on a beach ball. So life in Ponyville returned mostly back to normal.
Until next time.
The End. |
Schultz Knows Nothing | pre | *** *** ***
While Newkirk and Le Beau were attempting to finish the Strudel filling, Schultz and Kinch were busy conversing with each other about life before the war and their own relationships. Turns out when Schultz is not busy not seeing something, he can be quite an intelligent and even more philosophical man. Now, even though Colonel Hogan was quite intelligent, Kinch found more in Schultz as both men were more in common than they knew
Meanwhile amidst all of the chaos, Carter and Pinkie Pie were going at it like a couple that just met and were asking each other about their hobbies and careers.
"So, what got you into baking Pinkie?"
"Well, I used to live on a rock farm and it was reeeeaaallllly boring but I found my passion in candy and parties so I moved out and landed myself in Ponyville! Soon, I finally managed to get a job here at this place and I have enjoyed it ever since!"
"Seems like you got your dream to come true." Carter said rather cynically.
"What's the matter Carter? Did you have a hobby?"
"Well, yeah I did. See, I like chemistry a while lot and back in my old town, I owned a pharmacy. God, living in Muncie was great. Back then in the Midwest, you could climb trees, swim in lakes, explore the wilderness, the whole world was your backyard!"
"What happened to your old life then Carter?" With this question, Carter's head drooped town at the floor.
"Well, it is kinda hard to explain, but basically the war came along and I decided to join the army and serve my country. A little while after my first few missions, I was finally shot down and captured. That's how I ended up in Stalag 13 and met the guys."
"Aw, at least you got to make friends!" With this comment, Carter looked back at the bickering English and Frenchman and the philosophical African American and German.
"Yeah... I guess I did." He said with a slight grin on his face.
At this point, this was the most calm that the kitchen was to ever experience, and that was all about to change thanks to a clumsy move. Le Beau had finally finished the filling and as he and Newkirk finally set the pan into the oven, it happened.
"Uh, Le Beau?" Newkirk asked quite nervously.
"Can it wait Newkirk? I am trying to figure out how this oven works" Le Beau nonchalantly says.
"Le Beau, look at the bloody oven?"
"Can it...."
"For gods sake look at the bloody oven!" Newkirk yelled. Now he was fuming.
"WHAT? WHAT IS WRO..." Le Beau cut his sentence off when he saw the inside of the oven smoking.
"WHY ARE YOU STANDING THERE! TAKE IT OUT NOW!" Le Beau yelled. By this point, he had the spoon in his hand.
"YOU PUT THE BLOODY SPOON DOWN RIGHT NOW BEFORE I TAKE IT AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR RUDDY ASS!
"WHY YOU..." As Le Beau lifted the spoon high above his head, Newkirk was one step ahead and managed to grab a few pans and through it at the angry Frenchman, knocking him down. He cursed as he fell back on his back and by that time, Carter was making his way towards Newkirk's behind along with Schultz and Kinch.
"OW! THAT HURT NEWKIRK!" Le Beau yelled. After a few seconds, Le Beau finally got back up on his feet but before he could do anything, he began to smell smoke and suddenly found himself outside the bakery. A few seconds later, he found himself outside with everyone else. Within seconds, what seemed to be the kitchen annex of the gingerbread building caught fire and Le Beau found himself eyeballing Newkirk.
"What the hell are you looking at me for? I tried to bloody warn you so don't blame me." Newkirk said with a hint of annoyance.
"Espece d'idiot, tu aurais dû m'avertir!" Le Beau yelled. By now, his temper had reached it's breaking point and he lunged over towards Newkirk, spoon in hand. Surprisingly enough while all that was happening, Pinkie managed to pull some popcorn out of her mane and she shared it with Carter, Kinch, and Schultz as they watched the fight while they waited for the fire department to show up. For a while, it was quite amusing seeing the Frenchman and Englishman try to through punches at each other. They only intervened when Le Beau managed to pin Newkirk down and was about to actually stick the spoon up Newkirk's ass. Hogan, while all of that was occurring, was sitting down on a nearby bench (which was a bit small for him) with his head down in his hand, clearly pissed off on how such a thing could happen. But enough of that, now back to the present.
*** *** ***
"Carter, that was actually underwhelming." Hogan said, still mad about all that he heard.
"Well, I can't lie to you Colonel. If I were to..." Hogan shot him a glare which shut Carter up.
"Alright, at least we know what happened. Question is, what the hell do we do now? There is no way in hell those two are staying together while we are here." Kinch said. Hogan could not help but nod to his second in command. As much as Hogan liked to be in-charge, sometimes he needed Kinch to just take over for him, even if it meant saying his words. "What say you Miss Twilight?" Kinch asked, facing towards Twilight.
"I... um... well, I really don't want to separate you all right now before the Princesses come and help sort your situation out, but I don't see any other choice." She said nervously. Looks like the day was gonna be even longer, but at least Hogan knew what happened.
"Kinch?"
"Yeah Colonel?"
"Remind me to get Klink to fireproof the barracks if we ever get back."
"You got it Colonel." |
Schultz Knows Nothing | Short: Meanwhile at Stalag 13 | "Wilson, where the hell are they? They should've been back a while ago, all Colonel Hogan said he was gonna put the general on a plane with the other pilots. It shouldn't had taken them long!" Sergeant Baker frantically asked.
"Look Baker, did you not listen to the god damn briefing again? Colonel Hogan also mentioned the refinery." Camp Medic Wilson replied.
"Keep your damn voice down or the guards will hear!" Baker nearly yelled. As worried as he was, he was somewhat over exaggerating.
"Christ, give it a break man. Langenscheidt's in charge while Schultz is with Hogan. Besides, both Klink and Burkhalter are fast asleep. You happy now?" He asked as he tries to calm down his friend.
"Oh... fine... Should we at least check on those two sleeping beauties anyway?"
"Say that again and I will have god damn nightmares."
"At least it ain't like seeing Goering in swimming trunks."
"Great.... I cannot un-see that now. Thanks a lot asshole."
*** *** ***
Inside the room, it was all quite. Cigar smoke hung low as the two German officers were fast asleep with cards spread out all over their table. By the looks of it, it looked like Hogan was winning but his hand looked weak.
"Shit, looks like Le Beau did it again." Baker chirped cheerfully.
"Yeah, I guess he did. I hope I don't have to examine Burkhalter though if he wakes up with a headache." With that, the two PoWs chuckle. Their chuckle however is short lived when the sound of jackboots marching up the wooden steps is heard. Immediately, they try to make it back to the tunnel under Klink's stove but don't even reach the door when Langenscheidt walks in.
"Herr Kommandant, I am just wond...." He paused when he saw Baker and Wilson freeze on their way to the kitchen and Klink and Burkhalter fast asleep. Knowing the jig was up, Baker and Wilson quickly glanced at each other and then Baker spoke.
"Hey there Langenscheidt... heh... we were just uh... checking on the Kommandant and..." Before he could finish the lie, Langenscheidt holds his index finger up in the air to shut him up. Soon after, a few groans are heard coming from Klink's half opened mouth, followed by some drunken sounding words.
"Fraulein Hilda, please get me Sergeant Schultz for roll call." Immediately, Klink begins to (rather sloppily) try to get himself out of the chair. What came next though was quite shocking. When Klink was getting up, Langenscheidt simply hit Klink rather firmly with the butt of his rifle and immediately Klink fell back in his seat with his head resting on the table. As soon as the deed was done, Langenscheidt turned to Wilson and Baker and said the most shocking words they would ever expect to hear from Langenscheidt.
"Go, get out of here. I see nothing, and I know nothing." He said with a smile. With that, Langenscheidt exited to building and Baker and Wilson made it back into the tunnel, still somewhat shocked from the ordeal. |
Schultz Knows Nothing | Preparations | Mornings in Canterlot were usually calm. What made them very hectic was Day Court. Now normally, the nobles would not bother try to throw useless nonsense up onto the docket, but today... today they nearly crossed the line. Now in the one rare moment where Blueblood actually showed actual competence, he openly argued with the noble who sought to push his legislation for the nationalisation of the Manehattan industrial sector in front of both Celestia and Luna. Needless to say, it was quite a funny scene to see. Thankfully, Blueblood's moment to shine took over a few hours and by the time the argument was over (which could've ended if Celestia automatically turned it down, which she waited to do so), so much time had been taken and most of the other nobles decided to go get some food so Day Court was officially put on recess. And recess was the perfect time to take a trip to see 6 certain ponies in Ponyville.
Getting into the Royal Carriage as soon as all the nobles had left, Celestia and Luna quickly had the Pegasi take off to avoid anymore pestering. In the air, Luna and Celestia finally had the chance to talk about their new visitors.
"So tell me Luna, what did you find out about our 6 new guests?" Celestia asked with curiosity.
"Well sister, I only managed to speak with one of the in his dreams. He was actually not their commander but rather a guard assigned to guard them in some sort of Prisoner of War camp." Luna replied.
"What is this guard like?"
"Well for one, his name is Hans Schultz. From our little conversation we had, he seemed quite kind and very intelligent. Back in his world before he became a guard, he was actually the owner of a toy company. From the looks of it, he seemed to be well liked and quite successful as well Sister. I think you would like him."
"What of the others? Did he mention them?"
"He did not mention the others with him other than their commanding officer. A Colonel Hogan. Be careful though, Hans said that he is quite the manipulator."
"How is that?"
"I do not know, all he mentioned was that this Colonel Hogan and his men pull "Monkey Business" in and around the area of their prison camp."
Luna watched as her sister took time to think. Knowing Celestia, Luna knew that she planning something diplomatic. That was her specialty, diplomacy. Centuries of dealing with Nobles taught Celestia very well on how to be diplomatic, especially with manipulators.
"Well, did Twilight tell you where they were staying by any chance?" Celestia finally answered.
"She said that they were staying in Sugarcube Corner until we arrived. Knowing Pinkie, she probably made some sort of feast and already threw them their party." With that, the two sisters had a good laugh. For the next 30 minutes, the rest of the flight was calm..
That is until they reached Ponyville.
"Sister, do you see that?" Luna asked. For a second, Celestia took a glance at where Luna was looking before finally answering.
"You mean the smoke Luna?" She answered.
"Yes, where do you think it is coming from?"
"Well, it sort of looks like.... Sugarcube Corner..."
Buck.
*** *** ***
"Twilight, the Royal Carriage just landed at Sugarcube Corner!" Spike yelled.
Curious, Hogan went up to where the young dragon was calling out. When he finally made it to the balcony, he had to duck his head to make sure he did not hit his head of the frame.
"Whatcha looking at Spike?" He asked. Nearly surprised by the towering man over him, Spike jumped back against the wall before regaining his courage.
"Uh... Well... The Royal Carriage just touched down near... Sugarcube Corner." He said. Hogan could sense a hint of either fear or worry in Spike's voice and decided to not ask too many questions.
"Easy their kiddo, I ain't gonna do any harm." He said soothingly.
"Mr Hogan, may I call you that?" He got a nod from Hogan. "It's just well... your men kinda..." With that, Hogan decided to cut him off.
"Yeah... Well, would you trust me if I tell you that Newkirk and Le Beau will face the required punishment for their actions on my part?"
Spike nervously nodded "Yes" to Hogan and now Hogan knew he could begin to ask questions.
"Alright, now I got a question for you Spike, who is coming out of that carriage?" He asked soothingly.
"Well... the princesses Mr Hogan. Both Princess Celestia and Luna. You see, Celestia raises the sun and Luna raises the moon each day." Spike explained.
"Great..." Hogan thought, "I am now dealing with all powerful beings that can move two celestial bodies that they are ironically named after... just great."
"Alright, thanks Spike." He said, giving the little dragon a friendly salute.
Making his way downstairs, he knew he had only a limited amount of time to get things ready so he needed to act fast.
"Kinch! I need you over here pronto!" He called out.
"Whatcha need Colonel?" Kinch asked.
"Alright, we don't got much time but I need the boys looking somewhat presentable. It looks like we are going to have Royal guests."
"Sir, what about Le Beau and..."
"Untie their legs and ungag them, but keep their hands tied together. I want Schultz and Carter behind them making sure they don't pull shit. Clear?"
"Crystal Sir." With that, the two men saluted quickly and Kinch got to work while Hogan looked for a mirror to try and straighten up his uniform. Thankfully, another one of Twilight's friends (who was rather someone posh and ironically named Rarity) came over and she just happened to be carrying a little pocket mirror with her. Once he saw that he looked somewhat presentable, Hogan thanked the posh little pony for the mirror and made his way back to his men. Just as he had ordered, both Le Beau and Newkirk were untied and ungaged (minus the hand restraints) and Carter and Schultz were behind them making sure they did not try to pull anything. Normally, Schultz and Carter were quite lax (unless Carter was pulling off one of his little impressions) but the look on their faces showed that they were both quite serious about what Newkirk and Le Beau did and trying to prevent another incident happening again. Kinch was beside Twilight and her friends whispering something info the latter's ear. They seemed to both nod in agreement about something and Kinch made his way over to Hogan.
"Sir, I just spoke with Ms Sparkle over there and she said she could put a mute spell on those two."
"A mute spell?"
"Yes Sir, a mute spell."
Christ, Hogan knew he needed a break from this as soon as possible.
"Alright, let her cast it."
"I'll let her know."
"Oh, and Kinch..."
"Yes Colonel?"
"... Thanks for putting up with all of this for the past few months."
"It's all part of the job Sir, and besides, I'd rather do it with you other than anybody else." Kinch said with a smile as he went back over to Twilight.
It was a few more minutes before the door was knocked upon. When Twilight opened it up, in came some sort of extravagant looking pony adorned in gold armor.
"Please make way for their Majesties Princesses Celestia and Luna." He said in rather official voice. A few moments later, he made way for the two royals to make their way inside. |
Schultz Knows Nothing | The Princess, The Colonel, and the Oddly Familiar Major | Whatever Luna was thinking before she walked into Twilight's library, it all went away like the wind when she saw Hans Schultz and five other humans standing at attention in front of her and Celestia. Unlike how she saw Schultz in his dream, she fully saw the pudgy man in his uniform. Looking at the rest of the group, she noticed that two of the humans, one of whom was rather short, both had faces of held up rage. Their faces reminded her of Blueblood's face before he broke out into his competent rant against the noble earlier that day. The other humans in the group still looked quite cautious, especially one wearing a peaked cap with an Eagle and a Shield with stars and stripes on it. This was probably the Colonel Hogan Schultz was talking about in their little dream talk over the night. From one look, it was clear that this Colonel was either mad, suspicious, or both. The suspicion was quite warranted but the anger that seemed to show strain in his face seemed uncalled for. Whatever he was angry about, it looked like it was going to have to wait.
When the formalities were set aside, the questions began with Celestia taking the lead.
"Good Morning to all of you. My name is Celestia, Princess of the Sun and Co-Ruler of Equestria. To my left is my sister Luna, Princess of the Moon and also Co-Ruler of Equestria." With that, Luna nodded silently, still trying to analyze the rest of the men.
"Now, if I may ask, what might be your names?" Celestia asked.
Immediately, the Colonel walked up smoothly, saluted both of the princesses, and began to state his name and rank quite officially.
"Good Morning Princesses, my name is Colonel Robert Hogan, Senior Prisoner of War at Stalag 13 and former CO of the 504th Bombing Group."
"Bombing Group?" Celestia asked puzzled.
"Just extra details, now I think you'd like to meet the boys, would you?" He asked quite swiftly.
"Erm... of course. Please, do so." Celestia reluctantly agreed. Though she could see that her sister was puzzled, Luna knew all too well what game the Colonel was playing. Skipping to the point to draw attention away from a different topic. It was not exactly manipulative, but it was an easy way to get out of something. Most normal ponies who have not experienced this yet would not notice it. Other ponies would simply be naive to it, Celestia included.
One by one, Hogans's men and Schultz were introduced to the Princesses. The two humans she noticed earlier, named Le Beau and Newkirk, seemed to be uncomfortable when the two Alicorn's came up. When Luna passed them, she took a subtle note to see that both men's... hands as they are called... were bound together by rope and held together by Schultz and another human named Carter. Both of them showed a friendly face when the Princesses passed by but then turned serious as soon as Luna and Celestia were passed them. When all was said and done, Luna and Celestia knew all their names. Hogan was their commander, Kinchloe was Hogan's second in command and radio operator, Carter was a demolitions expert, Newkirk was a tailor, and Le Beau was their chef. Like Luna before she got deep into her conversation with Schultz, Celestia was surprised to hear that Schultz was actually the chief of the guards that guarded Hogan and his men at their Prison Camp. But the details regarding that were lost when Twilight asked that they all sit down.
Making their way to the center of the library, all of them sat down in more of a circle and really just began to talk about each other and ask questions. Carter proved to be somewhat similar to Pinkie Pie as he tended to ramble on with his explanations and stories. It was quite amusing though when Hogan, Schultz, and the others just stared at him which told him "Shut up Carter". Hogan however proved to be quite suspicious. Luna noticed that he would ask quite a lot of questions and seemed quite tense. Once again, everypony else did not notice that but Luna. She made a mental note to enter the Colonel's dreams when night fell.
The nicest part of the morning though was when Pinkie Pie brought Schultz some Apple Strudel. When he saw the dessert on the plate, his eyes sparkled with joy as a big smile appeared on his rather chubby looking face. He was a gentlecolt though and courteously thanked Pinkie for the gesture. He even shared it with all the others. Le Beau and Newkirk however glared at each other when the Strudel was passed out. Clearly something happened earlier so Luna decided to ask after they had finished. However, that was not meant to be as the door to Twilight's library crashed open and a certain pony investigator walked in fuming with rage.
*** *** ***
Deja Vu is something that seems to only happen on rare occasions. This was one such occasion. When Hogan turned to see who nearly busted down the door, a brown pony wearing a suit, overcoat, and black fedora, with a jet black mane and an oddly familiar thin mustache firmly walked in with a face of held up rage clearly showing. Immediately, he turned to Hogan and then to the pony nearest to him.
"WHO IS THIS CREATURE?" He yelled at Rainbow Dash. As soon as Hogan heard the voice, he nearly fainted.
Hochstetter... Of all people Hochstetter... he thought. When he looked around, he saw that Schultz had turned pale white while Kinch held his head in the palm of his hand. Carter had already fainted and was being resuscitated by Twilight and Newkirk and Le Beau just stared at each other in shock.
Before this pony Hochstetter could get an answer out Rainbow Dash, Celestia stepped in.
"Major, I did not expect to see you here." She said diplomatically.
"Princess, the Equestrian Investigation Service is always on top of things." He retorted back at her. Now, in the time Hogan was in Equestria, he had some time to learn about a bit of recent history. And seeing how many villains had attacked this nation, he decided to retort back.
"Clearly recent history shows otherwise Major." That set it off.
"WHO IS THIS CREATURE?" The pony Major yelled, his voice louder than before. Now Luna decided to get in.
"MAJOR HOOFSTETTER, KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN OR I WILL HAVE THE ROYAL GUARD REMOVE YOU FROM THE BUILDING!"
She yelled. Well, it was not exactly a yell, but more of a very loud and official voice. But like Hochstetter, Hoofstetter would not let up.
"I will get to the bottom of this! I will surround this town with a ring of iron if I must!" He yelled. Now it was just getting too easy for Hogan.
"Oh, just like you did all those other times?"
Right on queue, Hoofstetter reached his peak.
"BAHHH!" The irate pony major yelled as he stormed out of the door in a fit of rage.
Hogan was too busy snickering when Newkirk spoke up.
"Ey there Colonel? Is it me, or does that ruddy Major seem oddly and scarily familiar?" He asked.
"You know Major Hoofstetter?" Twilight asked.
"Well, we don't know him, but I am pretty sure we know his counterpart in our world." Hogan responded.
When the color returned to Schultz's face, the round Sergeant got up and made sure to look out the window and lock the door before he sat down. Unbeknownst to Hogan, he had no idea that Schultz was absently wishing for his rifle right there with him... loaded. |
Schultz Knows Nothing | Major Hoofstetter | The Equestrian Investigation Service, or EIS, was a respectable organization. For years, ever since a little incident with the Griffons, the Investigation service had served Equestria greatly. Even before it existed, the ancestors of the organization's founders had done similar jobs during the times of Starswirl. But now, in the nearly 1000 years of somewhat undisturbed peace, the service had found inself focused on mainly internal and external threats or crimes. One notable example was when Prince Blueblood was caught attempting to embezzle funds from the budget. Needless to say, that stupid noble learned his lesson after 10 minutes with Hoofstetter.
Working for the service was an honor that Hoofstetter took great pride in doing. Even since he was a Colt, he dreamed of serving Equestria to his highest ability. When he came of age, he attempted to try out for the Royal Guard. Needless to say though, his short stature did not help him in any way. However, he was spotted out by a recruiter from the service, and putting his already good investigational mind to good use, he passed his entrance exam with flying colors. So for nearly the last decade, Hoofstetter was a well respected, and well feared, investigator for the EIS.
Recent years though have not done good for the reputation of the service though. It all started with Nightmare Moon. Hoofstetter and his colleagues were the first to try to notify Celestia, but she for some reason brushed it all off. And even though Luna was forgiven, many blamed the service for not taking precautions, especially when the documents surrounding the whole debacle got leaked out by some Manehattan reporters. It took a few months for that to be brushed under the rug. The next issue came with Discord... Oh Discord...
When that creature broke free from his statue, the first thing he did was go to Hoofstetter's office, and simply make a mess of the entire building. Needless to say, he had to snap his way out before Hoofstetter could get his hooves on him when he was surrounded by the Major's "Ring of Iron". The fact of the matter was, nopony was safe near Hoofstetter. It took quite a few sleeping spells to get Hoofstetter to calm down before Hoofstetter was able to personally head to Ponyville with a large amount of investigators with him. However, by the time he got there, the whole issue was sorted out, and it left the Major fuming even more. When Discord's statue was returned to Canterlot, Celestia herself had to post guards in front of the gates to his podium so Hoofstetter would not destroy Discord. Needless to say, even though Discord is now "reformed", Hoofstetter was still planning his revenge. And now the crown jewel on top, this Colonel Hogan.
The day he had met the... human... Colonel, it had started out quite normally. Ever the efficient investigator, Hoofstetter woke up before dawn, ate his regular haybacon, eggs, and black coffee, and made his way over to the main EIS office in Canterlot. The walk there was calm as usual with the occasional fearful glares from the other early bird citizens walking down the streets. When he got to the office, he say down for his morning paperwork and as per usual, ignoring the sunrise coming in through his office window. As sentimental as other Ponies were, Hoofstetter could care less for such things. He had a job to do after all.
He had just gotten to the files regarding mob activity in Manehattan when one of his subordinates, Lieutenant Feldclop came in with a report of a fire at Sugarcube Corner and strange creatures present at the scene. Normally, one would dismiss it as utter nonsense, but Hoofstetter pounced on the report. He was always suspicious of that mare Pinkie Pie. Her file was one of the largest in his filing cabinet. It was always expanding. There was just something off about her, something weird. The fact that she hung out with Rainbow Dash made things even more suspicious. Rainbow Dash actually was nearly arrested multiple times for her shenanigans. The only thing that stopped the Major was the personal intervention of Celestia. But all it did was serve to make his temper boil.
Immediately, he threw on his overcoat over his suit and fedora and rushed his way to the Canterlot train station. The first time he had to do something like this, the ticket booth operator and conductor nearly tried to shun the Major. They learned their lesson immediately when the Major threatened arrest, imprisonment, and possible decapitation for interference in an EIS investigation. Needless to say, no more problems had been encountered. Train rides for work related reasons always made Hochstetter impatient. For as advanced as Equestria was, they still did not make a fast train for the national railways. Even Manhattan had more modern, faster, sleeker trains. And yet for some reason, he was stuck riding some sort of piston engine relic named the "Friendship Express". He had a feeling some budget issues and bureaucratic nobles who wished to curtail modernization efforts had a say in this and he made a mental note to look into it.
Of all places Hoofstetter despised, Ponyville was the town he hated the most. First of all, it was as if the Mayor was too incompetent to even make a uniformed police force and relied on the "Elements of Harmony" to protect the town. Secondly, it was like the entirety of the town was afflicted by some sort of mental disorder that prevented them from using common sense. All they knew how to do was run when there was danger, give into the danger, remain oblivious to the danger, be extremely xenophobic (as shown in the Zecora case file), or act like drugged up Yaks that are high on "friendship". It was sickening, the idea of friendship. Now, friendship and comradery was great and all, but the citizens of Ponyville took it to a whole new annoying level. Not to mention the fact that it was essentially sponsored by Celestia herself. But was could an EIS Major do, threaten his monarch? Sure he could scare the Princess but other than that, he was powerless. Princess Luna however, she was the only pony he could respect. She was the no nonsense type, and her use of the "Royal Canterlot Voice" was just enough to shut somepony down.
Making his way towards the burning bakery, he managed to get through the mound of reporters to see that Pinkie, Princess Twilight, and the creatures had apparently gone. It did not take long to find them though considering that just a few blocks down the road, a sizeable Royal Guard contingent was guarding the area around Princess Twilight's library so it was clear that the creatures were inside. He knew he did not have backup so Hoofstetter put on his regular interrogation face and made his way over to the guards. One flash of his ID and a very... VERY stern look into the eyes of the guards later, he found himself nearly bursting through the door.
When Hoofstetter got inside, it was clear everypony was surprised by his presence. Even the crea... humans were. A big fat one in a helmet nearly turned pale while another one fainted. He knew he had the floor.
Hoofstetter then turned to the nearest pony, ironically Rainbow Dash, and began his questioning. After one short outburst, reprimand from the princesses, and embarrassment from the Colonel, Hoofstetter was outside again, plotting his next move. This time, the EIS would not be humiliated. He would get to the bottom of the entire debacle, even if it meant surrounding the entire miserable town with a ring of EIS agents. He would get that Colonel, one way or another. But for now, he looked at his pocket watch and saw that it was nearly noon. Almost time for those blasted migraine pills he thought as he made his way to the nearest diner. |
Schultz Knows Nothing | The Mind of Robert Hogan; Part 1 | It looked as if Hochstetter was right, nobody could escape the clutches of the Gestapo... even if you were in another world. This Major Hoofstetter was a near exact copy of Hochstetter in nearly every single way possible, minus the trifling fact that he wasn't human. For all that Hogan had dealt with Hochstetter, the man still scared him. And if the two rulers of this nation look worried about the Major, it was clear that the usual stunts would not work.
If this were Stalag 13, it would be an entirely different story, thanks to three factors: Klink, Schultz and Langenscheidt, and the Underground. Klink was too much of a chicken to do anything, Schultz and Langenscheidt always kept their mouths shut, and the Underground always kept tabs on the friendly local Hammelburg Gestapo Chief. But this was uncharted territory in uncharted waters. No Klink to make a mess for Hogan to hide behind, no prison guards to see nothing, and no Underground for logistical support. The only support Hogan could possibly rely on was the six so-called "Elements of Harmony" and their two rulers. But even then, Hogan was still suspicious of them all, and he had a right to be. Especially that Princess Luna... something was off about her, he just knew it. But such musings would have to wait for the next day. Rubbing his eyes, he climbed into the sleeping bag and slowly but surely drifted off to sleep.
*** *** ***
Night had once again fallen. This time, however, the pain of Night Court was not present. After finishing up her dream rounds in Vanhoover, Luna made her way back to Ponyville. The night was still young, and luckily not a lot of nightmares were about so there was plenty of time for Luna to observe a certain suspicious figure, Colonel Hogan.
Well, okay, he was not that suspicious, but he seemed secretive and was clearly a manipulator. Their little encounter with the good Major earlier that day showed it pretty well. However, it was clear something was bothering the Colonel. Better to solve a problem before it gets worse, or even before it happens.
Finally reaching Ponyville, Luna made her way into the library and soon found herself in front of the sleeping soldiers. Newkirk and Le Beau both had their legs chained to the wall while the rest slept on the floor covered in blankets and pillows. They all seemed so peaceful, their dreams calm. Well, all except for the Colonel. His dream, while not exactly bad, definitely looked unsettling. Once again, just as she had with Schultz, Luna prepared herself to enter the mind of Robert Hogan. And just like that, she was in his dream.
*** *** ***
All was quiet when Luna entered Hogan's mind. Until she heard a slight rumbling noise. When she looked around, she found herself by the side of a black paved road. Unlike Schultz's dream, Hogan's did not seem to take place in a city, but rather in a rural or suburban area of some sort, judging by the surroundings. But back to that noise.
For a few seconds it grew louder until Luna finally spotted lights coming down one end of the road. But as fast as this -- apparition -- had appeared, it kept on moving towards its destination. However, Luna did get a good look at it. It seemed like one of those mechanical carriages that she had seen in Schultz's dream, although this one seemed slightly modified.
But there was no time to track all these details. Luna knew she needed to find Colonel Hogan, so her best bet was to follow the mechanical carriage. She could sense that it would lead her to the Colonel.
Taking flight, she quickly caught up with the speeding carriage and followed it for what seemed like a few miles, not stopping a moment, even for breath. After a while, lights began to appear in the distance, and as she flew closer, she could make out what seemed like a large city in the distance, rather like Manehattan, if on a smaller scale. Large floodlights were high in the the sky as she followed the carriage onto a large wide road with other carriages of different sizes.
Finally, the carriage slowed down as traffic grew heavier. Cloaking herself to match the darkness of the night, Luna flew down to get a good view of the passenger inside the mysterious mechanism. Inside, it was nearly pitch black, but she could somewhat make out two figures in the dark. Behind the glass window, Luna could see two humans in the carriage, sitting in the front seats. The one on the right side was clearly female while the male on the left was the one controlling the carriage. Trying not to reveal herself, Luna waited until a nearby large carriage passed by and one of the electric lights in its front shone through the window, giving Luna a good view of her target. Before her eyes sat a quite younger looking Colonel Hogan.
His facial features were relatively the same, albeit a bit more defined with youth. He seemed to be wearing regular clothing, not the uniform Luna had seen on him in the waking world. But something else was different... he seemed calm and happy. He did not seem as tense as he was in the library, especially after Major Hoofstetter's visit.
But before Luna could analyze the situation any further, traffic began to move again and she was forced to resume chasing the car. After a few miles of stop and go traffic, Luna found herself next to a large sign illuminated by small floodlights. On it was the city's name:
Welcome to Indianapolis
Indianapolis, the name sounded somewhat familiar but was probably not so important just then. She still needed to follow Colonel Hogan to his destination.
Hogan had maneuvered his car off the road and made his way through the city with his lady friend alongside. The shining lights and bustling city streets made it look like Manehattan during the Noir days. While Luna was busy admiring the city around her, she nearly failed to notice Hogan and his lady friend stop and get out of their carriage and head into a building. When she finally took her eyes off the buildings, Hogan had already walked inside. She almost went in through the front door until she remembered she could just walk through the wall since it was a dream. When she made it inside, she was greeted by some energetic jazz music and dancing humans. The night was looking to be a long one for Luna. |
Schultz Knows Nothing | The Mind of Robert Hogan; Part 2 | All around the dance floor, there was music and laughter. The humans seemed to be drowning in euphoria, so much so that they failed to notice the dark blue alicorn standing beside the entrance. Well... That would not be entirely true. The only sentient minds in the dream belonged to Colonel Hogan and Luna. All the other humans were either constructs of Hogan's mind or simple memories.
Making her way through the happy crowd of lightly sozzled men and women, Luna checked every corner of the dance floor until she found the Colonel. He and his date were keeping pace to the music. Their dancing did not slow and the smiles on their faces kept growing wider. Eventually, the music stopped and Hogan and his lady friend refreshed themselves at the bar before returning for the next song.
Unlike the previous song, this one was slower in its tempo. By now, the room had quieted down as the couples began to file back onto the dance floor for the slow dance. At one moment, Luna nearly paused Hogan's dream so she could finally be able to speak with him, but an odd development came up that she needed to see.
About halfway through the song, a man walked up to Hogan and his lady friend. From the looks of it, he was pestering them about something. Luna decided to get a closer look and listen in on the conversation.
"God dammit Rob, I told you to stay away from her, she's my girl," Luna heard a gruff voice say.
"Oh for God's sake Mike, just drop it. We are done." a female's voice said.
"Lisa, you don't know what you're talking about, God dammit! Now go and wait in the car!" the gruff voice yelled.
"Mike, look here... let's just cool off, talk it over, maybe have a beer..." Luna heard Hogan say.
"I don't give a damn about talking, just gimme back my damn girl before I bust your rear end," Mike said with a slight slur of the word rear.
"For God's sake, Mike, are you drunk?" Hogan asked.
"Oh what the hell do you care Rob? I don't have time for your bullshit any..."
"Mike, just stop it now!" Lisa screamed.
"Lisa I said wait in the God damn car!" Mike yelled, curling his hand into a fist. Just before he could take a swing, Hogan's hand intercepted it.
"Mike, just cool your ass down... you're making a godawful scene," Hogan calmly said.
"Listen here Rob, I don't give a damn about what you have to say. I will take what is MINE and mine alone! Am I God damn clear? Or do I have to do something else to get it through your thick skull?"
"Mike... you don't want to do that."
"Or what Rob? Tell me, what the hell are you gonna do eh? Is poor Robby Hogan gonna run home to Colonel Eddy Hogan to chase the bullies away? Poor Robby Hogan..."
"Mike, I will ask you once, please leave now."
"I don't care about what you have to say to me Rob... you had your chance and now I am done with your God damn games." With that, Mike pulled out of his pocket a small silver object. It looked like a miniaturized cannon with a trigger on it. Mike pointed it towards Robert's head. When the crowd saw it, they began to run and scream in panic.
"Put the gun down Mike, please!" Lisa pleaded. As she cried, Hogan still kept up a brave face somehow, not faltering even though the (apparent) weapon was pointed straight at his head.
"You know what... I just realized something Robby..." Mike said, lowering the weapon. Luna could hear Hogan whisper to himself C'mon Mike, just keep lowering the gun. but what happened next shocked him. "I don't need Lisa" Mike said, and pointing the gun at her.
As soon as he pulled the trigger, Hogan tried to push Lisa out of the way and stand in front of her. After the first shot rang out, Mike looked at Hogan in shock before firing again. Mike managed to fire a couple shots into Hogan's thigh and hip before the other man knocked him to the ground. They kept throwing punches at each other until Hogan took the gun from Mike's hand and fired it once into Mike's chest, not killing the man outright but still putting Mike in immediate danger of bleeding out and drowning in his own blood.
With that, there was only silence as a bleeding Hogan and Mike stared at each other. Hogan finally broke eye contact as he tried to get to Lisa's side. Finally managing to crawl his way to Lisa, Hogan saw a sight he would never un-see. Right in front of him on the ground, Lisa lay bleeding from her gut. When she saw Hogan, they spoke to each other in whispers but the conversation was lost to Luna, too shocked to try and focus. Suddenly, sirens began to wail and soon enough, police and paramedics poured into the building, taking a wounded Mike away cuffed on a stretcher. Hogan however, just kept hugging Lisa. It took four paramedics to tear a crying Hogan away from her. They were loaded onto stretchers and taken away.
As Hogan was put into the back of a large mechanical carriage, Luna could see that he was nearly hysterical, calling out the name "Lisa" every time pressure was applied to his wound. He never stopped crying, all the way to Indianapolis City Hospital. Once there, he was rushed into intensive care for severe blood loss. At this point the entire dream shifted.
Reorienting herself from the dream shift, Luna found she was perched on a cloud in the middle of the night, Hogan nowhere to be found. Once again, Luna began to hear a faint humming noise. She thought it was one of the mechanical carriages until the noise came closer. When the noise became almost deafening, Luna cast a noise buffering spell and looked down from her cloud. Large mechanical beasts with wings droned below her. She knew Hogan was probably in one of them as soon as they all passed by. She took flight in pursuit, soaring in between the giants. There must be hundreds of them she thought as she made her way through the endless stream of Flying Fortresses.
Finally, Luna reached the lead airship. Her eyes caught the writing on its nose ...
Goldilocks
On a whim, she decided to take a look inside the cockpit and sure enough, there sat Robert Hogan, flying the beast. Before she could teleport in though, large blooms of smoke began to explode all around her. Hogan flew his machine well through it until one lucky shot saw his right wing catch fire. The flying machine was headed for a crash landing. And once again, the dream shifted. This time though, there was no broad setting, but rather a small, damp, concrete cell. Inside that cell, was a disheveled, unshaven, and beaten Colonel Hogan. Bruises and cut marks covered his entire body, his clothing torn at the seams. Only his cap was untouched, sitting nearly clean beside the unbroken but tortured man. Luna began to brace herself for what looked to be her worst memory encounter in centuries. |
Schultz Knows Nothing | The Mind of Robert Hogan; Part 3 | Luna knew what prisons were like. For centuries, she had sentenced countless ponies to be sent to the dungeons of Canterlot. But this... this was a whole new experience for her. There was not much to take in, just simply damp, bare walls. There was a bed, but it was quite bare. The mattress was so thin that it could double up as a blanket, the blanket itself wasn't even a blanket, it was just a large rag. There was not even a pillow in the cell.
Taking in the atmosphere, Luna began to look back at what she had just witnessed. She had witnessed many sides of humanity. Happiness, greed, tragedy, shock, sadness, and war. But now she was about to witness something worse than them all. Torture.
Torture was a word that never went around even the darkest of Equestrian alleys. Even mobsters in Manehattan never stooped down to this level, they maintained their own, twisted sense of honor. But here in this cell, wherever Hogan was... it was as if humanity had lost its... humanity. As much as Luna wanted to get Colonel Hogan out of the cell, she knew she couldn't because it was all a memory. She could stop the memory, but she still needed to learn more about Hogan.
Just as she was about to try and see where she was, Luna heard the faint sounds of polished boots clicking their way towards the cell. When Hogan heard this, he immediately put on his cap and stood up as straight as he could, still attempting to maintain his military discipline. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the door finally swung open and two men dressed in black uniforms with peaked caps walked in, their faces not betraying whatever their true emotions were. When they finally shut the door, Hogan's face let out a faint smile.
"Are you guys room service? If you are, good... I was about to ask for a refund." He said, earning him a punch to the gut.
"Silence you American pig. You are lucky you aren't dead yet." Said the man who punched him.
"Oh, your too kind." Hogan replied, once again earning him a punch the gut.
"Are you ready to speak Colonel Hogan, or would you like the chair again?" The other man said, his accented voice giving a hint of annoyance.
"That's what they said last time. You know, you guys should really work on your methods. If you want, I can take you over to London so you c..." This time, a fist landed straight in Hogan's face, finally causing the Colonel to collapse.
"You know Colonel Hogan, we have our methods." The man who punched Hogan said.
"Yeah yeah, y'know you should really refine them. I know a few guys back is Ohio that could help you out Captain... Bauer was it?" Hogan said, clenching his bleeding nose.
"Bag him up, and take him to the chair Krauss. I am just about ready to take him the Oflag." Bauer whispered into his colleague's ear.
"An Oflag is too good for this fool, if anything lets take him to a Stalag." Krauss said back.
"Oh, and what Stalag would accept an officer?" Bauer asked suspiciously.
Before Krauss could answer, the cell door swung open and a large man wearing a grey overcoat with a scar on in right cheek walked in. His face serious to the point where when both of the Gestapo officers saw him, their faces went pale and they both immediately snapped into attention.
"G-General Burkhalter Sir! We were not expecting you to be here!" Bauer nervously said.
"And I did not expect an allied officer to be held in Gestapo confinement for over 2 months Hauptmann!" Burkhalter replied. His eyes glared at the Captain with a fire gaze to the point where Bauer began to visibly sweat.
"Herr General... this is a Gestapo m-matter. I must pro..." Krauss tried to say before he was cut off by Burkhalter's glare.
"This has been a Gestapo matter for 2 months and no progress has been made! And now I have the International Red Cross breathing down my neck for this officer's whereabouts! If today's interrogation does not end with any information, you will hand over custody of this prisoner to me! Have I made myself clear gentlemen?"
"J-jawohl, Herr General." Both men said in defeat.
"Good, I expect to be notified when this is over." With that, Burkhalter turned around swiftly and walked out of the cell leaving Hogan and the two Gestapo officers alone.
"Heh, you guys need to grow a pair." Hogan said with a smug grin on his bleeding face. Immediately, Krauss grabbed the pistol on his side and whipped it on Hogan's forehead, knocking him out.
Wiping the blood off the Luger's hilt, Krauss holstered it back in his waist clip and together with Bauer, lifted the unconscious Colonel off the ground and carried him down the hall to another room. Luna, against her better judgement, decided to follow them inside the room.
Once inside the two Gestapo officers closed the door and set Hogan's still unconscious body into a chair with leather straps. When they strapped Hogan's arms and legs to the chair, Bauer took a bucket of water from the corner of the room and splashed Hogan's face with it, causing the Colonel to wake up coughing.
"So Colonel Hogan, we get to play this game again. If you want out, tell us about the Norden!" Bauer said while Krauss was preparing some sort of electrical wires in the back room.
"Oh, well I used the Norden back at the Pentagon. One of the best vacuums I have ever used." Hogan dryly said. When that response came, Bauer pushed the chair back and dipped Hogan's head into a bucket of water.
"Shall I start at low power?" Krauss asked.
"No, go to medium... I am tired of his games." Bauer said, rage teeming in his eyes.
With that Krauss took the two wires and dipped them simultaneously into the water causing Hogan to begin to scream in pain. This process was repeated a few times before Hogan was finally removed from the electrical torture bath and back upright in the chair.
"I will ask again Colonel, what do you know about the Norden?" Bauer once again asked.
"The Norden is a great machine. The dustbag is quite durable I must say." Hogan casually replied. It was odd, how he could remain calm and collected while still being tortured. But once again, he was dipped back into the water and the electricity began to surge through the water at a higher power this time.
When Hogan was finally pulled out of the bucket, Krauss looked at his watch.
"Burkhalter comes back in 20 minutes Bauer."
"He can have his prisoner for all I care. But I think the good Colonel deserves a little parting gift, don't you?" Bauer asked his colleague.
"Yes, I think he does." Krauss replied, an even smile forming on his face.
The next 20 minutes were sights Luna could not bare to watch. The finally stopped torturing Hogan with the water and electricity, but now they were beating the man up. They tore off his shirt and began to whip Hogan's back, painful screams coming out of his mouth with each painful whip making contact. By the time Burkhalter arrived, Hogan was in such a bad shape he needed to be carried out in a stretcher. When Hogan was finally loaded onto the ambulance, the dream once again shifted. ***
When the shift finally stabilized, Luna found herself in the ambulance with Colonel Hogan. By now, he looked somewhat stable but the injuries still showed heavily as he laid on the stretcher unconscious. He looked oddly peaceful though, despite everything she had seen him go through.
After about 10 minutes, the ambulance finally slowed to a stock and noises could be heard outside.
"Ah, General Burkhalter, such a pleasure to see you Sir!" A somewhat egotistical voice said from outside.
"Klink, if it is a pleasure for you, why is it not for me." Burkhalter replied.
With that, the voice shut up for a few seconds before another question pipped up.
"Forgive me Here General, but what is the meaning of this ambulance here? There was not supposed to be any new prisoners here."
"Klink, shut up and let me speak."
"Yes Herr General, shutting up."
"Now, inside is a new prisoner, a Colonel to be exact." Burkhalter began to explain.
"An officer? Herr General, why is this man not at an Oflag?"
"These orders came from the Gestapo Klink. I think you know it wise not to disobey Gestapo orders. But moving on. I would've taken him to a hospital but it appears the Gestapo was not very fond of him. He seemed to annoy them quite a lot." Burkhalter casually explained.
"Rest assured Herr General, he will not be a problem here."
"For your sake Klink, that better be the case. Or else there will be a new opening in the Russian Front for you."
"Yes Herr General." The voice said with a somewhat fearful tone.
Finally, the ambulance doors opened and Luna got a look at what she was facing. In front of her stood General Burkhalter with another officer beside him. The officer beside him wore a uniform similar to Schultz, but it looked more official in terms of tank, and it also had a cap similar to Burkhalter's. The human in question though was devoid of hair on the top of his skull and wore a monocle on his left eye. From the way he presented himself, he looked quite bumbling.
"Schultz! Get Sergeant Wilson here at once." The man yelled.
"Jawohl Here Kommandant!" A voice called back. Looking out of the back of the ambulance, Luna saw the figure of Sergeant Schultz dash off somewhere within the compound. Everything was odd to her at first, but then Luna remembered what she was told. This was Stalag 13.
For a prison camp, it looked surprisingly well kept. Other humans dotted around all corner of the camp, each wearing similar uniforms with divulging ranks. When she looked to her right, Luna caught the eye of Kinch, Le Beau, and Newkirk standing outside one of the barracks looking at the ambulance inside their compound. From the looks of it, they were just as puzzled as the man with the monocle was.
After a few minutes of waiting, Schultz came back with someone Luna could only think was the medic stationed at the camp. By now, Hogan was taken out of the ambulance and his stretcher was on the ground. When Schultz finally saw Hogan, he wore a face of shock and disgust at the Colonel's condition. Finally, he motioned for the medic to help pick up the stretcher and take him over to the medical barracks.
When they began to make their way to the infirmary, Luna overheard Schultz and Wilson talking about something and decided to listen in.
"Jesus Christ Schultz, this guy is in pretty bad shape. I am not sure he will even make it." Wilson said with a whisper so they wouldn't be heard.
"Sergeant Wilson, this is the Gestapo's doing. Most likely, he did not talk. The fact that he is alive after whatever they put him through gives him my respect." Schultz said, trying to focus on trying to keep Hogan's head from falling from his grip.
"I didn't know the enemy could respect one another Schultz."
"Sergeant, let this be between you and I. I despise the Gestapo and their methods along with the National Socialists. If I were younger and did not have a family to manage, I would fight them."
"I figured as much Schultz, your different than the others."
"Thank you Sergeant. Now, I think we best find a bed for my newest headache."
"What makes you think that Schultz?" Wilson asked, genuinely curious.
"I know nothing for now, but I just have a feeling." Schultz said. Finally, both of them disappeared into the building they entered.
When all was said and done, Luna stood shocked. She had seen what humanity was like, kindness, happiness, sadness, grief, pain, and respect. With all she had seen slowly flowing back into her mind, she began to slowly breakdown into sobbing on the camp grounds. She laid their for a while before finally stifling off the last tears before she got up to freeze the dream.
As she lit her horn to freeze the dream, she called out to Hogan.
"Colonel Hogan, can you hear me?" She asked. No answer came. She tried to look around only to find Hogan sitting in a chair in full dress uniform, drinking something from a bottle.
"You called?" He asked, his face emotionless.
"Y-yes..." Luna tried to say before she was cut off by Hogan's index finger.
"Before you stumble upon your own words, at least sit down so we can talk... assuming that is why you entered my mind." He ordered, gesturing towards the chair across from him. He was not threatening, but Luna still felt compelled to follow what he said, not wanting to push it. When Luna sat down, Hogan took another swig of his drink before finally starting off his questions.
"So, I assume you have been watching this all night, is this true?" He sternly asked.
"Y-yes, I have Colonel." Luna shakily replied.
"Christ..." Hogan said under his breath, rubbing his head with his forehead before taking another drink.
"You know... That peculiar drink of yours is not real."
"I like to think of it being real in here. And for your information, it is a beer."
"I-I am sorry to..."
"Don't say anything... please..." Hogan said. From the look in his eyes, he was clearly thinking about something unpleasant.
"Please pardon me for asking... are... are you thinking about... about her?" Luna tried to ask. Her question got it's intended effect though as when Hogan heard about "her", his eyes darted up towards Luna.
"Yes... I am thinking about Lisa..." Hogan said softly. For a moment, the dream shifted back to the dance floor for only a few seconds. Once again, the fight between Mike and Hogan played out before them with both Hogan and Luna turning their heads away from the scene. When the dream finally shifted back to Stalag 13, Luna decided to ask the question lingering on her mind.
"Colonel... Did Lisa... Is she still..." Luna's voice trailed off as Hogan looked up to her wearing a face of sorrow.
"To answer your question... she did survive... but from what I know she was or still is paralyzed from the waist down..."
"Have.... Have you seen her yet?" Luna asked.
"I saw her everyday as soon as I was out of the hospital. I tried to stay with her until she woke up, but well... The service calls." He said, looking down at his uniform. "I was eventually transferred out of the Midwest and got shipped over to the East Coast."
"When was the last you saw her?"
"If I remember correctly... It was the summer of '35... Almost a decade ago..." He said, drifting off into his thoughts.
For a while, he did not speak... His face looking down on the ground. His only movements were to take sips out of his beer. Seeing Hogan in such a mood had Luna trying to think of a response. But all she could think of was useless, it was as if the words wouldn't come to her. Before she could get another thought off, Hogan looked up at her slowly. He wasn't crying, but his eyes were bloodshot red.
"I'm guessing she probably wouldn't want to see me to be honest..." He slowly said.
"Wh-why do you think that Colonel?" Luna asked.
"Well, think... Put yourself in her position. Would you want to see the guy who caused you to be paralyzed?" He stated.
"Colonel Hogan, it is not your fault that Mike did that." Luna said trying to help Hogan see her side.
"No, it is my fault... It is my fault that Lisa is probably still in a wheelchair and Mike is probably in some sort of loony bin."
"Then tell me Colonel, why did Lisa leave Mike?"
"Why do y... Fine. She left Mike because the idiot was a drunken bastard and never could pull his own weight or even get a damn job."
"And how did you treat Lisa."
"I treated her like how any woman should be treated, with respect and compassion. But I should've known god damn better than to piss with that jackass." He said, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.
"Colonel Hogan, look at me. It is. It your fault that Mike decided to do what he did. Even if Lisa did blame you, I am sure she would still forgive you considering how you treated her." Luna said with a conciliatory tone in her voice. She thought she had beaten Hogan, but she was wrong.
"You don't understand... Even if she did forgive me, I still live with that guilt. Every day of my life. You probably don't even know what that feels like do you. You never gone through emotional and physical torture like I have. You have the liberty of living in a good world devoid of what is found normally in my world... well... Minus your version of Hochstetter... But still... You wouldn't know." That statement Hogan made lit a fuse he should've been wise not to light.
"Hogan, you know nothing of me. Did Twilight ever tell you in your short history lesson of my own experiences? I will tell you this right now, I tried to take over Equestria, I hurt thousands of my ponies just because of my own jealousy towards my own sister! And for that, I spent 1000 years trapped on a solitary prison on the moon! You think that I know nothing about guilt? You think the world of Equis is devoid of all things tragic in your world? You think that you and I are different? You are entirely wrong. Yes, you went through severe torture in the hands of the black uniformed humans, but you do not know what it is like to spend 1000 years alone, trapped on the moon with nopony to give you company, and then once released, try to rebuild 1000 years of broken relationships with your former subjects. You know NONE OF THAT!" She yelled, even going so far as to use the Royal Canterlot Voice.
Her response got the effect she wanted. Hogan immediately sat down back in his chair, the flames of rage in his eyes slowly dying down. Now, there sat the one wise-crack Colonel Robert Hogan, diminished, and full of regret. For what seemed like an eternity, they did not speak. After a while, the dream once again shifted. This time though, instead of big cities, suburbs, prison camps, or the night sky... All there was were sprawling green plains, and one solitary tree in the middle of it all with Colonel Hogan nowhere in sight. When Luna got up from the table, it immediately disappeared. A slight breeze began to blow as Luna walked up to the tree.
When Luna finally made it to the tree, she found Hogan sitting on it's side, staring off into the endless plains of grass and flowers. For a while, Luna stood there, unsure of what to do or what to say. She knew what Hogan was thinking about though... atonement. It was clear he was trying to think of some clever way to make up for his past mistakes and he needed to be alone. Without looking back, Luna left Hogan's mind and entered the dreamrealm. Before she left the library to continue the night's work, she looked back at Colonel Hogan. As he slept, she could see that there were faint tears running down his eyes, and his face had a neutral expression surprisingly. It was a good start, getting to know the mysterious Colonel, but she still had gone too deep. All Luna could now do was hope that Hogan would still be open to talk with her. Regardless though, she was not going to enter his dreams as long as he was still here. |
Schultz Knows Nothing | Carter, Coffee, and Hoofstetter | Morning came quickly for Schultz; he'd slept as well as he had the previous night. To his surprise, he actually found Newkirk and LeBeau still tied up. It was almost as if they hadn't even moved during the night. Well... one could never be too sure at Stalag 13. Schultz knew that all too well.
Getting up from his spot in the room, Schultz took off his helmet and ran his hand through his ever thinning hair. Langenscheidt always questioned Schultz on how he could sleep with his helmet on, but the former teacher never got an answer. It was a habit Schultz had gotten into after spending many hours outside of Barracks 2 while Klink was asleep and monkey business was being perpetrated. One day he will fully learn the art of my methods, he thought to himself. Schultz saw the young Corporal as rather like his old self: Strong, fit, young... but those days were long gone. Schultz knew the war was coming to an end soon; time to start thinking about going back to his Toy Company. He could probably hire Klink as a bookkeeper or general finance chief; it was the only job the Big Shot was competent at. Langenscheidt probably could be a floor manager at the factory assembly line. The kid was jovial and friendly so he would get on well with the workers.
He contemplted a rosy future for a few minutes before his stomach began to growl. I wish the cockroach hadn't messed up yesterday, he could've made a good breakfast today. He looked back at the previous day's events. From LeBeau nearly sticking a spoon up Newkirk's rear to the appearance of a four-legged Hochstetter. The thought of the Major made Schultz shudder with disgust and fear. As if he had just encountered the man again, the close encounters he had had with Hochstetter flowed back into him.
To Schultz's gratitude, his awful memories were interrupted by the noise of someone yawning. Turning around, Schultz saw Spike walking down the stairs, rubbing his eyes.
"Oh, hey there, Mr Schultz... I didn't think you'd be awake by now," Spike said with a yawn.
"Ach, I am a prison guard, I have to wake up early," Schultz responded to the youth.
"Huh... Mr Newkirk said that you fell asleep outside their barracks at night all the time," Spike said with a cheery sound in his voice.
"Jolly Jokers," Schultz muttered under his breath.
"Jolly Jokers? Who?" Spike asked.
"How did you hear what I said?"
"Uh... dragon... heightened sense of hearing and all that," Spike said nonchalantly.
"Oh... I see," grimaced Schultz.
"Well, can I get you anything, Mr Schultz?" Spike asked.
"Ah, I am fine. Danke though," Schultz said as he heard his stomach growl.
"Are you sure Mr Schultz?" Spike asked with a raised eyebrow.
Schultz would've downplayed his stomach if it hadn't growled again. Slowly, he resigned himself to the fact that he needed food. Thankfully, as if his prayers were heard, Hogan and his men began to wake up, the Colonel appearing especially groggy.
*** *** ***
There was many things that Hoofstetter had to juggle in his life. And for every item he had to juggle, an extra pill was added to his daily intake. His colleagues in Canterlot probably thought that the medicine is what causes the Major's personality, but they were wrong. Even before he joined the EIS, Hoofstetter was known to not put up with nonsense. He always seemed to have a short fuse.
Many ponies feared him for his temper, especially when somepony tried to put him off or gave a lousy excuse. That was especially true with certain members in the Royal Guard, doubly so for those in charge of the Pegasus Regiment in Cloudsdale. Luckily Hoofstetter had his own connections there. Back when Hoofstetter was still a first class inspector, he caught wind of certain funds from the Cloudsdale Regiment turning up in the oddest of places. So, when he decided to pay a visit to their administration office, the Colonel in charge claimed no wrongdoing and his own documentation seemed to prove it. But of course, Hoofstetter knew he was lying because he was already keeping tabs on the Administrator General of the Cloudsdale Regiment after some of his forms had been mucked up. So, the next step for Hoofstetter twas to go lower down the chain of command. And there he met Lieutenant Colonel Iron Eagle.
From his first impression, Iron Eagle seemed to be overly pompous, sometimes quite jovial, almost aristocratic if not as arrogant as, say, Blueblood. The ego was very much in evidence. But then when Hoofstetter snapped at the Lieutenant Colonel, immediately this attitude changed to one of compliance and fear. How the Pegasus ever became an officer was beyond Hoofstetter. However, the seemingly incompetent officer was quite a good administrator, especially with finances. He kept everything... really, everything, as in every financial record, requisition, sign outs, three-day passes... Anything one could think of, the Pegasus kept tabs on all of it. So it was even more of a surprise to Hoofstetter when he found all the financial records for the embezzled funds in Eagle's folders. Needless to say, the Colonel was court-martialed and Eagle found himself promoted, with of course Hoofstetter keeping tabs on him as well so that the seemingly cavalier officer didn't try anything funny.
But back to the present day. Whenever Hoofstetter needed to think and deliberate, coffee was an essential part to his sanity. So here he was, outside, as menacing as ever, looking for good coffee. He settled on a diner with coffee which, though nowhere as good as the Manehattan coffee blends he had on his kitchen shelf, still did the job rather well. So there he sat in a booth, wondering what to do with the new creatures at Sugarcube Corner. While he sat in deep thought with his face dug deep into his newspaper. He was so focused that he did not notice the diner's door open and Hogan, Carter, and Twilight entering.
*** *** ***
"Uh, why are we here Colonel?" Carter asked, looking up at the diner sign.
"Because, I need a fresh cup of coffee... last night was not one of my better ones," Hogan replied, rubbing his face. From what Carter could tell, the Colonel did look a bit more tired than he would at Stalag 13.
"Alright boy... I mean uh... Colonel," Carter replied as they walked inside.
"You know Mr. Hogan, maybe Princess Luna can help with your sleep issues," Twilight suggested. For a second, Hogan froze when he heard that statement but decided to wave it off.
"I'll consider the offer, but right now I am not in the mood," he replied, a hint of grimace in his voice.
"Oh, it's all right... I understand, really," Twilight replied. It was clear to Hogan she had no idea what had happened during the night so he decided to leave the conversation at that.
When they got up to the counter, Carter and Hogan were surprised at the menu choices. Hayburgers, haysalad, hay-everything. They watched as Twilight ordered all of these things while they deliberated on what to order for themselves, Kinch, Schultz, and the still bound Newkirk and LeBeau.
"Uh... Colonel?" Carter asked.
"Yeah, Carter?"
"Why didn't we bring the rest of the guys with us again?"
Hogan sighed... Normally he would tolerate Carter's sometimes forgetful persona but after last night, he was mentally strained. But for now, he let it pass.
"Because Carter... I don't want those two causing a problem while we get the food." Hogan responded.
"I understand that but uh... why'd you bring me then, Sir? I mean, you could've brought Schultz or Kinch instead of me." Hogan knew the answer all too well.
"Because Carter, I don't want you to let them out accidentally," Hogan lied.
"And why would I ever do that boy... I mean Colonel."
"Remember when you enlisted in the German Army?" With that, Carter fell silent, he knew he had been dealt the coup de grace.
"Hey, it's all right. We all make mistakes. At least you never stuck a spoon up someone's rear," Hogan said with a reassuring tone. With that, a big smile grew across Carter's face.
"Um, you guys ready to order?" Twilight asked, somewhat impatiently.
"Uh... I think we should just get coffee, that sound good to you Carter?" Hogan asked, still gazing at the menu.
"Yeah... Oh, what about some tea for Newark?"
"Newkirk's tea privileges have been suspended until we get back to camp, Carter. And even when we get back, his tea privileges will be suspended for another 3 weeks. I am half tempted to force him and LeBeau into the cooler myself..." Hogan grimaced, remembering watching the bakery catch fire.
*** *** ***
Unbeknownst to him, while they were ordering, Major Hoofstetter had finally noticed the humans and was lurking behind the trio, waiting for them to turn around. He had caught wind of their conversation and decided that it was time to begin asking questions. When they finally turned around, Hoofstetter inwardly laughed as he saw the look on their faces when they saw him. After a few seconds, he began the script.
"WHO IS THIS CREATURE?" Hoofstetter yelled, causing the diner to focus their attention on the four of them.
"M-m-major Hoofstetter, I believe you m-met Colonel Hogan yesterday at the l-library..." Twilight sputtered out, somewhat trembling in fear.
"WHAT IS THIS CREATURE DOING HERE?" He yelled once again.
"M-major... we w-were just getting some f-food for him and his men..." Twilight said, her voice still trembling.
"Bahhh! For all we know, this creature might be the greatest threat in all of Equestria!" he stated. However, his statement was answered not by Twilight but by a seemingly-shocked Hogan.
"Major, I protest these insinuations. Me and my men haven't done anything wrong since we got here... well, save for the little incident at the bakery. But the owners forgave us." Hogan stated, his eyes not darting from Hoofstetter's.
"If you are so confident, then please... come sit down with me so that we may... talk..." Hoofstetter said, malice setting in his eyes. He had known that there was something off about Hogan from the start, especially his demeanor. He watched as the trio looked at each other and then nodded. After getting their coffee, they sat down at Hoofstetter's booth and he began the questioning.
"You... what is your name?" Hoofstetter asked Carter.
"Technical Sergeant Andrew Carter, United States Army Air Forces, Serial Numb..." Carter was cut off by Hogan.
"It's alright Carter... just tell him everything." Hogan said with a smile on his face.
"Everything Colonel?" Carter asked, shocked by the order.
"Yes, I mean everything Carter, from the very beginning." Hogan once again said. It took Carter a while, but he finally figured out what Hogan meant, and a wide grin appeared on his face. Hoofstetter, ever calculating as he was, had no idea what torture he was in for.
*** *** ***
For the next hour, Twilight sat and watched as Carter went on with his statement, well... rather life-story at this point. It had gone on for so long that the Major's ears started fuming, literally. The Major's sanity eventually did snap under the consistent rambling. He threw his wadded up newspaper at Carter and Hogan and vowed to return, barging out of the diner in a fit of rage.
When Hoofstetter finally left, Hogan and Carter began to laugh hysterically, much to Twilight's perplexity.
"Why are you two laughing? You know that the Major will come back and continue his questioning," Twilight stated.
"You see... We have dealt with your dear Major's counterpart in our world. I never thought I'd get a reaction like that though!" Hogan said still laughing.
"You... you have?" Twilight asked, quite surprised at the revelation.
"A story for another time... and don't worry, I won't have Carter tell it." Hogan laughed out. Carter, still snickering, came to (at least some of) his senses.
"Uh, Colonel... what about the coffee?" He asked, looking at all the stale, cold coffee.
When Hogan finally realized that the coffee had gone cold and mumbled under his breath.
Christ...
All he could hope now was that Schultz hadn't eaten anybody in his desperation for food as they went back to the counter to order refills. |
Schultz Knows Nothing | Apologies and Planning | There is a point in time where everypony bucks up. Right now, Luna knew she had bucked up and bucked up hard. When she had ventured into Hogan's mind, she never expected to see what she saw... Let alone witness the horror of it all without being able to do anything about it. If anything, she was naive... Something she hadn't been in a long time.
When she entered Hogan's mind, she thought that she was going to experience a memory similar to that of Schultz's memory. An era bygone through time, only left as a memory in his mind. What she got was a memory... Or well, set of memories... But they were not pleasant. If anything, they were ones of regret and angst, something she never really expected from a p... Male with Hogan's personality and apparent self-assurance.
All throughout the morning, Luna paced in her room and pondered what to do when she and Celestia were to return to Ponyville later in the day. She knew she had to say sorry... But she didn't know how. This simply wasn't a pony she was dealing with for ponies were typically naive and forgiving (yet also quite xenophobic). She was dealing with unknown territory here and she didn't know what to do. Her mind was simply trapped in the thought of it all... Screaming for an answer to be given.
Too deep in thought to pay attention to her surroundings, Luna did not notice her sister tiphoof her way into Luna's room with a silver tray of breakfast being levitated towards her reading table along with a rather dusty and ancient looking book. It was only when her sister came over and tapped her shoulder that Luna was broken from the near trance she was in.
"Sister, please do not scare me like that... You are lucky I did not have the axe with me." Luna said, still somewhat surprised by her sister.
"Oh, and which axe would that be Luna?" Celestia asked.
"The axe used during the wars of griphon unification of course." Luna replied nonchalantly.
"THAT axe... You always said it was your favorite." Celestia said with a chuckle.
"Well... The memory of the glory of it all never leaves me... But I am thankful that the era of such violence has long passed us now." Luna said, her mind drifting back to that first battle on the border.
"Indeed... That was a rather unpleasant time for both of us... But then again, you are the better fighter." Celestia admitted.
"Yes, that may be... But you were the one with the smoothest words. If it weren't for you... I think I would've gained a bloodlust if that war had not ended." Luna replied.
"Well... Let's be thankful that harmony reigns." Celestia said, pouring a cup of tea for herself and Luna.
"Indeed..." Luna said with a sigh.
"Luna, what is wrong? Did you make a mistake?" Her sister asked.
"How do you know that is what happened?" Luna asked.
"Easy, you always make that face when you regret a decision you see as a mistake." Celestia deadpanned, levitating Luna a cup of tea.
"Well, I cannot say you are wrong there sister... My... I have never felt so embarrassed before... Even after all I did that millennia ago." Luna admitted.
"Tell me Luna, what did you do that is... That is giving you this regret." Celestia asked, her face of sympathy washing over her.
"Well... Last night, I looked into the mind of our dear guest Colonel Hogan..." Luna began.
"Well... Was it anything but what I expected after looking into Mr Schultz's mind. Sister... Of all the terrible things I committed during my time, I have never scene such misery... Cruelty... And sadness before in somepony's dream. I should've never even gone into his mind... I should've..." Luna said, nearly beginning to hyperventilate.
"Luna... You don't need to worry too hard over this. You saw that Colonel Hogan is not a being to hold a personal grudge, especially after what his own soldiers did yesterday. I am sure that if you say it to his face that you are sorry, he would forgive you." Celestia advised. For a moment, Luna just stared at her sister, unsure of what to say.
"Do you... You really think that sister?" She asked.
"If I did not, I would've suggested the letter Luna. Now come on... Let's at least have breakfast before we go over the spell that I found in the library." Celestia said, gesturing towards the tray and book on the table.
"Pray tell... How did you find the book so quickly sister?" Luna asked curiously.
"It was quite simple really... Turns out Starswirl had left an entire section on apparent inter-dimensional travel in there. It was just do dusty, nopony knew it was there." Celestia said with a slight chuckle under her breath.
*** *** ***
The walk back from the coffee shop was uneventful to say the least. They group still got looks from the onlooking ponies but it was nothing unexpected. On the plus side, Hoofstetter was off their backs and was probably fuming in some corner so that he would calm down after Carter's "explanation".
When they finally returned to the library with the coffee, they opened the door to find the interior relatively calm. Le Beau and Newkirk were still... restrained. Kinch was reading one of the many books from the library's selection and surprisingly seemed drawn into the one he was currently reading. Schultz was... Schultz... he was nowhere to be found. How could anyone loose a man as fat as Goering and as tall as Heydrich?
Suddenly, the smell of food being cooked began to fill the room and everybody (and pony) looked up when the smell reached their noses. A few minutes later, Spike came out carrying a few plates of food along with Schultz and set it on a makeshift table in the middle of the room.
" 'Ey, what's all this Schultzie?" Newkirk asked.
"All of THIS would be breakfast Mr Newkirk!" Spike suddenly said before Schultz even had the chance to open his mouth.
"You bloody cooked all of this?" Newkirk asked in a somewhat state of shock.
"Yep!" Spike confirmed with a wide smile on his face.
"Bloody hell, I think I'd like to stay here for a little while longer Colonel, if that's alright with you." Newkirk said. With that, the whole room had a good laugh but inwardly, a few of their hearts skipped a beat when Newkirk said that, especially Twilight's.
"Let's not talk about that right now... I need my morning coffee." Hogan said before setting the coffee down and picking up one of the freshly baked breakfast cakes from the pile to eat.
*** *** ***
Headaches were nearly never ending whenever Hoofstetter got them. Whether it was from dealing with Colonel Iron Eagle, General WindBreaker, or Prince Blueblood... Hoofstetter could never seem to drop the headache quickly. This time though with that creature... Colonel Hogan... His head felt like it was going to split itself open in half. Seeing as the usual pill probably would not even numb the pain from this headache, Hoofstetter decided to take one of the extra strength sleeping pills he had "on tab" in case of situations like this. Slowly, he felt himself drift away until he was fast asleep, forgetting that he even had a headache.
*** *** ***
Breakfast was quite uneventful for the group. As per usual with any sort of delicacy, Schultz nearly shoved his face full of food and praised Spike with each bite, making the little dragon... Blush... Gleam... Eh, the word was unimportant. Spike just seemed extra happy that he succeeded with such a large breakfast. Kinch and Twilight talked about the subject of the book he was reading (Hogan could only imagine what it was) while Carter, Newkirk, and Le Beau simply talked amongst themselves, the previous day's malice seemingly behind them. It was odd sure... But a nice change of pace from trying to stop one or the other from shoving a spoon up each other's ass. It was all nice and calm until a knock on the door broke the harmony within the building.
Seeing that he was the only one who was not seemingly occupied, Hogan decided that he would go see who was at the door. To his surprise when he opened it, he was met by the Diarchs of Equestria, lacking the ceremonial guard. It was almost quite casual if they weren't two heads of state.
"Oh, Colonel Hogan... It is good to see you. Sorry for coming on such short notice but we have something to reveal to you and your... Subordinates. May we enter?" Celestia asked, wearing her usual smile.
"This isn't my house but I bet the owner would agree." He said with a slight chuckle under his breath, stepping aside to let the two princesses in.
"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna! I wasn't expecting you to come back so soon... I would've prepared..." Twilight began.
"Please Twilight, it is alright. You mustn't worry about such things. Besides, you are a Princess as well, you shouldn't be worked up over this. Besides, this is more of a casual visit anyways... No flashy introductions required or such... Paparazzi can be annoying sometimes." Celestia reassured.
"Sorry..." Twilight said, somewhat blushing and putting her head down.
"It is alright but to settle matters quickly, we will inform you all this." Celestia began, looking towards Luna.
"We have found a spell to return you to your world. It turns out it was already in our archives and was stored long ago..." Luna said, her mind thinking back to the dusty spellbook.
"That's bloody terrific, ain't it boys!" Newkirk said.
"Oui, now I can go back to cooking on a regular stove." Let Beau said.
"Not so fast Le Beau... When we get back to camp... We are fireproofing the barracks before anyone else decides to use the stove." Hogan said, earning a snicker from Carter and the princesses.
"Sorry Mon Colonel, it won't happen again." Le Beau apologized.
"Apology accepted, now... How long before we can get back, I feel like this world may be having a bad influence on all of us." Hogan asked.
"See... There is the tricky part that we really must discuss. You all know of Major Hoofstetter and his current ongoing investigation so to simply put it... We need to remove the files he has on all of you." Celestia stated.
"Wait... Hold up a moment, since your a ruddy princess, can't you just personally request the files and then destroy them?" Newkirk asked.
"Now there is the very tricky part... It seems as during my absence, my dear sister thought it wise to limit her own affairs in the matters of documents pertaining to each and every pony within the EIS. Now, this does not remove her and my own pardon powers but knowing the bureaucratic mess these things are... It will take quite a while before everything is formed up so legally, you'd all have to stay here for quite some time." Luna stated, giving a stink eye to her sister. This response made Hogan's men frown with discontent but understanding.
"Ach, it would not be so bad here. The food here is Wunderbar!" Schultz said with a smile on his face.
"No offense Schultz but if we leave you here... By the time we get back we will have to cart you around Stalag 13." Kinch pointed out, earning a Jolly Joker from Schultz.
"Okay, I see the problem, but where else do we fit in this." Hogan asked curiously.
"Well... To put it lightly, we want you guys to break into EIS headquarters and well... Steal the documents." Celestia said, trying to keep her smile from turning into a frown.
"Excuse me but why would we do that... From what we have heard, it may as well be Gestapo headquarters we are breaking into." Hogan inquired, earning nods from all his men.
"Excuse me Colonel Hogan but... May we speak in private?" Luna asked suddenly, earning a strange look from Hogan. He pondered on the request for a few seconds before accepting it. Within a minute, he found himself in a quiet corner within the library speaking to Princess Luna.
"Alright, what is it that you need princess? I am sort of running on a clock, trying to figure out a plan to break into the equivalent of Gestapo headquarters before nightfall." He said rather impatiently.
"Well... I would um... I would like to say sorry Colonel Hogan." She finally spat out.
"Sorry for what?" He asked.
"I am sorry for what I did last night... Looking into your dreams and such... I really should have and I was quite naive..." Luna began before she was cut off by Hogan.
"You don't need to say anything else princess. If it helps, I already forgave you. Sure... Having somebody look inside my head literally is very... Disturbing and also an invasion of privacy, but I cannot blame you. You are a head of state after all and your first duty is to protect your people. Besides... After all that my team have done... I have learnt to forgive. It is sometimes hard, but things happen and you just gotta forgive one another for their mistakes." Hogan said, a sympathetic look dawning his face.
He could tell that his answer has an effect on Luna as she was speechless for a minute before regaining her senses.
"Th-thank you. I must be honest, I did not expect that Colonel Hogan." She said.
"Well, life is always full of unexpected things, that's the beauty of it... Now, I believe we have a plan to make before nightfall?" He said, gesturing towards the main enclave of the library.
"Yes... I believe we do." Luna said before walking back into the main room where everyone was huddled around, already talking about the details and what the plan required.
*** *** ***
The plan was simple... Almost too simple and nearly alike to all their other plans back on Earth. How simple one might ask... Well, it was jokingly simple, especially when Schultz heard the comparisons made between their current plan and the older plans the boys of Barracks 2 had concocted before. Of course, he would know nothing about these plans but for as long as he was in Equestria, he did know something.
The plan was trademark.... Simply lure out Hoofstetter and break into his room and documents safe with the help of Twilight and her friends. How to lure Hoofstetter out? Simple, use Klink's counterpart, Iron Eagle. Apparently, Hoofstetter keeps close tabs on this Colonel and his aptly named superior, General Windbreaker, for financial reasons and competence questions. It made sense... Schultz knew of what Klink sometimes do with camp funds (albeit Klink never abused it to severity as Iron Eagle's counterpart apparently had in this world). If Klink was a banker, he could scam millions if he wanted to.
Anyways, while Hoofstetter was too busy yelling at Iron Eagle for false claims of misappropriation of funds and also being hounded by General Windbreaker (Burkhalter's counterpart), they would sneak into Hoofstetter's office and retrieve the documents. It was so simple it was too good to be true. All they had to do now was simply wait until they arrived in Canterlot the next day. |
Schultz Knows Nothing | The Safecracker Suite: Déjà vu Edition | The day was going pretty good for Colonel Iron Eagle. For once, all of his paperwork was finished and complete on time and he was able to simply sit back and relax for once by the window of his office. The day was calm and clear, numerous new flyers soaring through the sky as they practiced their maneuvering and skills. The sight made him think back to his own younger days but he shuddered the thought immediately. The early times were good... But after that, it was a downward spiral from there.
Sitting back in his chair, his wings stretched comfortably on his back as he lounged, he simply began to dose off but was interrupted by the sound of his door crashing down from it's hinges.
"EAGLE!" A very familiar voice yelled. Immediately, his heart sank when he opened his eyes and saw who was standing in a fit of rage at the front of his former doorway... Major Hoofstetter.
"Ah, Major Hoofstetter, such a pleasure to see you! To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the EIS?" He managed to stammer out as he quickly sat up in his chair.
"You know very well why I am here Colonel Eagle! Do not act like you do not know, the EIS knows everything!" Hoofstetter yelled back.
"M-major Hoofstetter, I have no idea what this is all about. I can assure you that I have done nothing wrong at all! My office has a perfect administrative record and you know that very well." Eagle bravely said, shaking his hoof in the air.
"Eagle, shut up before I make you take a trip to EIS headquarters." Hoofstetter threatened.
"Yes Major, shutting up right now." Eagle conceded, fearful of Hoofstetter's threat.
"Now Eagle... The reason why I am here is concerning your administrative record... If it was as clear as you say it is, then why did I get a tip off saying that you were dipping your hooves into the office's funds... EXACTLY WHAT GOT YOUR PREVIOUS OFFICE HOLDER REMOVED!" Hoofstetter yelled.
"How can that be Major. Are you sure your sources are sound? I can prove that this is all a lie to destroy my record. I can have my secretary pull up the records for you ri..." Eagle began confidentiality, only to be cut off by Hoofstetter.
"Bahh! The EIS's sources are never wrong. I can assure you Eagle that heads will roll as I WILL get to the bottom of this." Hoofstetter said before turning around to leave the office. He probably would've done so if it weren't for a certain large figure blocking the door.
"Hoofstetter! What is the meaning of this? Why are you present in an Equestrian Military Base berating one of my subordinates and tearing down their doors as well?" The voice of Iron Eagle's superior, General Windbreaker, yelled out.
"General Windbreaker, this is an EIS matter and does not concern the likes of you!" Hoofstetter said confidently.
"When it involves one of my own officers as well as the destruction of base property, it definitely involves me Hoofstetter!" Windbreaker retorted, his will as strong and stiff as his gait.
"Fine then... If the general wishes to know, recently, the EIS received a tip regarding suspicious activity in the area concerning the job of the dear Colonel right here." Hoofstetter began. "I would also like to remind the General that this matter is the exact same matter which saw the previous commander of this office be removed and sent off to EIS headquarters for advanced interrogation in regards to the sting that was being pulled."
"Hoofstetter you idiot, if Eagle was spending funds from the budget for personal use, then he certainly wouldn't have gotten far without ME noticing." Windbreaker said.
"Thank you General Windbreaker, as I was saying before to the Major here, I can provide all the paperwork..." Eagle began to ramble.
"Eagle, shut up before I send you to the Changeling Front." Windbreaker said, immediately making Iron Eagle shudder at the thought of the front, his greatest fear.
"Yes General, shutting up General." Eagle said with a quick salute to his superior.
"Now Major Hoofstetter, about your so called source... I am sure you are aware of my own contacts within Canterlot..." Windbreaker began.
While nopony was looking, Iron Eagle managed to slip a drink of Neighpa Valley wine to calm his nerves, sensing that the day was going to be a long one.
*** *** ***
The journey to Canterlot was quite quick even though they had to move under the cover of darkness in order to arrive there and avoid the paparazzi. Still though, the feeling of watching the rolling hills through the window of the Private Train car reminded Schultz of Germany, specifically Bavaria and Wurttemberg. When they got to Canterlot though, Schultz's (and every other human in the group) jaw dropped at the marvelous sight of the city on the mountain side. The beautiful white castle structures combined with the beauty of the night was astounding and quite mesmerising. If anyone of them had a camera, they would've gone through a whole roll of film before they even pulled up into the station.
But that was all simply 12 hours ago. Now, Schultz, Hogan's men, and Twilight and her friends were all gathered in a back alley behind the EIS headquarters. Inwardly, Schultz thanked God for teleportation in Equestria as he was sure that we was not going to be able to fit through the sewer man (or pony) hole. Looking up at the imposing white structure, Schultz almost forgot to hear about the rundown of the plan.
"Alright, so... This is the final rundown of the plan before we begin... I want everyone... And pony, to memorize it if you haven't already. Got it?" Hogan stated, getting nods from everyone.
"Alright, so, while we enter by teleporting into Hoofstetter's office, Schultz, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity will keep watch on the outside while we crack the safe. It's simple, but it'll work. Got it everyone?" Hogan asked as confirmation.
"Colonel Hogan, what happens if I am spotted? I cannot simply fit inside that manhole quickly." Schultz pointed out getting a thoughtful look from Hogan. Before Hogan could answer, Rainbow Dash decided she had the better answer.
"Don't worry Schultzie, I'll knock whoever comes near us do they don't spot you." She said confidently. She was quite hotheaded and headstrong... The direct opposite of Colonel Klink.
"Alright... We'll go with that... Any other questions or comments to point out?" Hogan got no answer from that.
"Alright then guys, let's get to work."
*** *** ***
The whole basis of teleportation was very... VERY... Disorienting. And that is counting the fact that they had all bailed out of a plane before. Getting their bearings after teleporting nearly 5 stories up, Hogan, his men, and their pony companions, found themselves within a very... Drab office. There was some quite nice teak paneling and the walls above them were painted in a deep red... Everything else was bland and devoid of hu... Pony touch. But that was Hoofstetter, the pony copy of Hochstetter.
Following the information that they learned from Celestia and Luna, they found the safe tucked away and hidden in a compartment under the carpeting and floorboards. This was apparently a rather recent change as they used to be kept in an secured filing cabinet until an incident happened involving a chaotic entity known as Discord. Apparently, that was Hoofstetter at his worst and even his own underlings had to get him under control before he reached his peak.
While Twilight and Rarity kept watching, Pinkie Pie and Newkirk got to work cracking the safe, the former somehow pulling a stethoscope from her mane, much to the disbelief of them all but to the humor of the other two mares. After a few minutes, Newkirk's face formed a frown when he looked up from the safe.
"Erm... Colonel, we got ourselves a problem." The corporal said.
"Alright, lemme guess... Can't crack the safe?" Hogan said.
"That bloody safe 'as got some sort of weird hex on in. I can't bloody crack it." Newkirk said in defeat.
"Damn... Wait, Princess, can you come over here?" Hogan said, calling out to Twilight.
"Oh... Yes, what is it you need?" She asked.
"Newkirk says the safe can't be cracked by hand... Seems there is some sort of hex on it. Do you think explosives would work on it?" Hogan asked.
"E-ex.... Explosives?" Twilight asked with a very puzzled look on her face.
"Well... Nothing major of course. I mean something like uh... Thermite." Hogan said.
"Well, given the charm that the safe has, I doubt it would be explosive proof... But wouldn't the thermite burn the documents?" She asked.
"Well, if this Hoofstetter is smart, he would've put them in a fireproof case. Besides, isn't that what we are here to do anyways?"
"Right... Sorry. But how are you going to get thermite in here?" She just gave Hogan the means to play his trump card.
"Carter, do you still have some left over thermite in your pockets?" He asked the Sergeant.
"Hm... Oh uh... No, Sorry Boy... I mean Colonel. We used it all up on that safe job we did a few weeks ago. Besides, I doubt we can find iron oxide and aluminum powder right now, considering the circumstances." Carter admitted.
"Leave that to me!" Pinkie Pie suddenly said out of the blue, reaching into her mane and slowly pulling out the required materials for the thermite, leaving Hogan and the others stunned.
"Hey Kinch... I think a trip to Klink's wine cabinet is needed when we get back." Hogan whispered into his XO's ear.
"With all due respect Colonel, I don't think the wine is gonna cut it. We may have to send Schultz out on a supply run after this..." Kinch whispered back, earning a soft chuckle from Hogan.
Within 30 minutes, they had all the documents and after Twilight cast a reconstruction spell, they left the office with surprisingly relative ease and no sort of incidents with any EIS officers inside the building. Now all that was left was to burn the documents. |
Schultz Knows Nothing | For you, The Investigation is Over! | Would he just shut up! Hoofstetter thought as he had to go through another one of Iron Eagle's famous (and annoying) ramblings.
Hoofstetter was currently sifting through his filing cabinet to look for Iron Eagle's file while the Colonel was orally reciting his official "statement". The whole ordeal was visibly annoying his superior officer, General Windbreaker, but surprisingly, Windbreaker did not tell Iron Eagle to shut up as he usually did whenever the idiot would begin rambling. Maybe it was because he was waiting for something to happen, maybe the tub of lard was simply too tired to even tell Eagle to shut up. Either way... it was still very annoying to Hoofstetter and his already thin nerves were running even thinner.
"Are you done Major Hoofstetter? It is clear that this will not be going anywhere if you keep on searching for the supposed 'documentation' that you have on my subordinate right here." Windbreaker finally said.
"Bah... I intend to get to the very bottom of this. Trust me General, heads will roll..." Hoofstetter replied, giving the overweight General a glare that would scare most ponies to death. But Windbreaker remain unphased by the threat.
"And where have I heard that before?" Windbreaker asked, clearly annoyed by the Major's "promises". Hoofstetter didn't care though. All he cared about was nailing Eagle after the tip was given off to him.
"Major... you are clearly wasting your time here. I have done nothing wrong. My record at the administrative office is spotless. Besides, you clearly can't even find my file because I have done nothing wrong! What, do you happen to have it in some secret compartment that nopony knows about?" Iron Eagle suddenly said. From then on... the room went silent with both Windbreaker and Hoofstetter staring at Eagle in shock. How could he know? was the question going through Hoofstetter's mind. From the look on Windbreaker's face, he could tell that the General was simply shocked due to the fact Iron Eagle was never so assertive. It was as if the pony that everyone knew had simply disappear.
Iron Eagle though... he was just sitting there. "What, was it something I said?" He calmly asked.
"Eagle... for all of our sakes, shut up." Windbreaker simply said, still in shock.
"No General, let him speak. Tell me Colonel, why do you think I would have a secret compartment?" Hoofstetter asked, maneuvering himself around his desk to Iron Eagle's side. Almost immediately, any sort of confidence Iron Eagle had disappeared.
"Hehe, well you see Major... you seem like, the uh... the type of pony tell well, have a secret compartment... hehe. One can never be too trustful. Is that not the way of the EIS?" The Colonel sputtered out.
"Colonel Eagle..." Hoofstetter said.
"Yes Major?"
"Shut up."
"Yes Major, shutting up." Iron Eagle replied, shaking his head in his usual over-emphasized way.
Now done with that headache, Hoofstetter moved to open the safe under his office floor. Little did he know what surprise he was in for.
*** *** ***
While Hoofstetter was unleashing his full fury on whoever was in front of him (which so happened to be Iron Eagle and Windbreaker, much to their dismay), the grand Halls of Canterlot Castle were filled with the aroma of fresh French cuisine.
Granted, Hogan had Kinch watch over Le Beau so that no one started any more fires but it was really a needless precaution apparently due to somebody's (or somepony's in this case) attempt at making a home made cake. Needless to say, the entire kitchen was fire proofed and would not burn down like the Normandie.
The grand dining room that they were all sitting in was full of peace and happiness in light of their recent success in destroying the documents within Hoofstetter's safe. Carter was once again deep into one of his childhood stories/ramblings and managed to attract a crowd in the form of Pinkie and Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Kinch was discussing something with Twilight and seemed pretty engaged in the conversation so Hogan decided not to barge in and ask what it was all about. Newkirk was speaking with Rarity about some sort of thing about tailoring and such and Fluttershy was speaking with the Princesses about something. That merely left Hogan and Schultz out of the loop, confined to their own thoughts and musings.
There was a silence between them, but if one looked upon both men from afar, they could tell that a conversation was about to happen. It would be just a matter of who would start it. But before that could happen, a triumphant looking Le Beau came out of the kitchen with a rather large amount of servants announcing that dinner was complete.
To say that it was dinner was an understatement... the size of it all looked like a typical buffet multiplied by 10 with the added bonus of it all being french cuisine. Le Beau made some good meals, but to see all of this without the restrictions of having to send Schultz in for food runs at the supply depot or in town... it was truly a full on french feast.
All that was left to do was to dig in.
*** *** ***
Hoofstetter was furious... no... he was more than furious. Many words could describe anger, but for Windbreaker, he was lost for words. And for that such reason, he found himself trying to call the nearby army garrison to arrive and subdue the Major with minimal casualties, both militarily and civilian. He was a balloon waiting to pop essentially.
Looking to his side, he saw his somewhat friend Iron Eagle cowering before Hoofstetter's presence as the 3 of the walked through the streets of Canterlot. By this time, night had fallen but it would not stop Hoofstetter from walking towards the train station back to Ponyville. He kept on rambling about some "Hogan" persona or whatever it was as they walked. Every now and then, one of them would (at the risk of their own life) try to at least get Hoofstetter to slow down with some sort of question or (in Iron Eagle's place) plea. They knew they could not stop him, but the least that they could do was slow him down so that the nearby army garrison could arrive in time.
"G-general... when did they say they would arrive again?" Iron Eagle whispered.
"When I called them, they said that they would arrive in 30 minutes." He responded.
"30 minutes? It has nearly been 25! May Celestia have mercy on our souls if they do not get here in time."
"For once, I am inclined to agree with you Eagle, as hard as that was for me to say." Windbreaker responded.
*** *** ***
Dinner was going quite fine up until it happened. Nobody knew what it was, but for some odd reason, Pinkie's tail began to twitch and she went as stiff as a statue for a minute. As soon as it stopped, she immediately dashed off out of the dining room with nearly everyone else following her.
"Hey Colonel, you got any idea what that was all about?" Kinch asked as they all tried to catch up to Pinkie.
"Kinch my boy... I'm broke." Hogan admitted. Frankly, all explanations he would have had would've been rational, but based on everything they had all been through, rationality went out the window.
"That's just a thing that happens to Pinkie. Usually it is very serious when something is about to go down." Twilight explained as they dashed through the near endless corridors of the castle.
"Wait a bloody minute. If that's the case miss, how did she not know when Schultz came crashing down through her bloody roof?" Newkirk asked.
"Newkirk darling, if there is anything that you learn after being friends with Pinkie Pie, you learn to not question her. She has her reasons, no matter how weird or outrageous they are." Rarity replied.
"Well, whatever it is, it seems pretty important." Carter inquired.
"That, I can agree with." Hogan said as he continued his dash.
*** *** ***
"Major Hoofstetter please, you really do not have to go down to Ponyville. I am sure that your documents were just misplaced." Iron Eagle pleaded.
"Bahhh, the EIS never misplaces anything!" The irate Major responded as he neared the train station.
However, just as he turned across the street corner, his eyes met the sight of numerous soldiers from the nearby army garrison as well as... Pinke Pie? What was she doing here? he thought as he slowed his pace down.
"Major, you will stop this right now." A voice from behind his back said. Only one pony had a voice as commanding as that. Turning around slowly, he was met with the appearance of Princess Luna and behind her, Princess Celestia.
"Princess, this is a matter of national security of the highest order! Documents pertaining to the illegal aliens that burned down a registered establishment within Ponyville! I must get past these soldiers if I am to-" He suddenly shut his mouth as soon as Princess Celestia raised up her hoof. Luna said nothing as she let her sister handle the situation.
"Major Hoofstetter, to solve this problem immediately, I am here to inform you that you have been transferred of the case off the 5 humans as that is now a matter of the crown." Celestia calmly stated.
"T-t-transferred? But I have evidence!" He said.
"Well, it would do you good to present such evidence now if you do then Major." Her trap card was played, and Hoofstetter knew he was defeated.
"Are you done Major?" Luna asked.
"I... I shall rescind myself. If I may ask though, where am I being transferred to?" He asked in defeat.
"Well Major, your new supervisor is here presently so I will let her deal with that. Pinke Pie, can you please come over here now?"
"P-p.... PINKIE PIE?"
*** *** ***
Hogan and his men had seen some pretty funny things during their time at Stalag 13. However, this... this was priceless.
When Pinkie told them to stay inside the castle, they did protest but some sort of weird spell that Twilight was able to cast allowed them to witness the entire ordeal from the comfort of one of the many castle lounges. Needless to say, it was a sight that should've been recorded on film.
The many different emotions that went through Hoofstetter's face was truly priceless, so much so that even Schultz joined in and could not stop laughing himself. He looked like a laughing Santa Claus during the whole performance, minus the white beard and with the added Luftwaffe uniform. But the whole ordeal was well... warming.
After the Major's near murderous rampage turned near heart-attack was over, the two Princesses and Pinkie Pie simply teleported back to within the castle and broke down themselves into near maddening laughter. But like all good things, it had to come to an end. Hogan and his men had to return to earth and tonight would be their last day in Equestria. But like anyone trying to make the best of things before heading back to war, they made sure that the night was at least memorable, in their own Stalag 13 way. |
Snippet of Messages | pre | System Preparation Done...
Commence Teleportation in T Minus 300 Seconds ...
299 Seconds...
298 Seconds...
"Let me get this straight" Twilight Sparkle, who was paling by the second, stared directly at the Everfree Forest "You mean to tell me that this is what our future is going to be?!" She started pacing around while occasionally raising her front hooves to the air for emphasis "Who or what is capable of doing this?! What about the Elements of Harmony?! What have they, I mean we, been doing all this time?!" Twilight continued.
Celestia looked down sadly while a tear fell from her eye. "I know what you are thinking Twilight, also you Dusk, but the risks of having both of you here, in this timeline, is nothing to what the world is facing now." Celestia looked up with conviction. "No, things will be different. I made a promise to him that I will do things right this time."
Twilight Sparkle tilted her head "Him? Who's him?"
Dusk Shine, who was still stunned from what he saw, shook his head and slowly approached the princess. "Uhmm... Not to be rude, princess, but you still never told us why you brought us here. Not to mention you didn't answer my counterpart's question yet"
"I have a name, you know..." Twilight muttered.
Celestia smiled kindly at him. "Yes, I am sure all of you have questions but first, an explanation is in order"
Teleportation Complete...
Calculating Distance from Source...
Three Hundred Meters...
Scanning for Possible Magika Source...
Scanning...
Scan Complete...
Possible Magika Source Found...
Identification Confirmed...
Scanning Hostility Level...
Scan Complete...
Hostility Level High...
Preparing Attack Sequence...
The figure was standing at the foot mountain, bright red eyes stared unblinkingly towards the destroyed castle of Canterlot. Without any indication, the figure rose both of it's forelegs and stomped them on the ground, burying his hooves an inch deeper. The figure once again focused his red eyes directly at the castle.
Everything around the figure was quiet and all of the animals living around the castle all ran away from the unwelcomed visitor. Nopony, not even ursa majors, would stand there and looked at the figure in the eye.
"Current Magika Level, ninety percent..." the figure sounded mechanical. "Calculating magika needed to eliminate target... Calculating... Calculation Complete... Magika needed, five percent..."
The figure lowered it's head and pointed it's horn towards the castle. "Launch sequence... started..."
Light began to gather at the tip of the figure's horn and it formed a little ball of white light. If one was to stand close to the light then they could feel the intensity of it. Just by touching the light would cause three-degree burns but for some strange reason, the figure felt nothing of it.
Celestia inhaled deeply, this was the most difficult part of their little meeting. "We only have a limited time here so listen carefully because I'm just going to explain this once." Everypony there nodded "My summoning of the 8 of you was actually a last resort. The magic needed for the spell I used requires me weeks if not months to get it back. Now, I'm only half as strong as I was before I used the spell."
Everypony's eyes widened after being notified of the current situation. How much danger was this world in if the princess herself needed to sacrifice most of her magic just to summon majority of the Elements of Harmony?
Celestia sighed as she looked back outside "That was the how and now I must answer the why. The reason I summoned you is beca-LOOK OUT!" Celestia suddenly flew in front of everypony and erected a shield just in time to intercept a single beem of energy piercing the wall and made it's way towards Celestia.
All eyes were wide as the two magical forces clashed with each other, fighting for dominance for a few seconds before a huge explosion occured.
Twilight coughed as smoke covered the whole room "Is everypony all right?!"
There was a chorus of "I'm fine", "We're good!" and "My tails is extra poofy right now!" "Mine too!"
Maybe not all of them.
Twilight squinted her eyes and tried to see past the dust and smoke that altered her vision. She didn't need to squint longer though because Celestia used her magic to blow away most of the dust.
Everypony gasped as they saw that one of the walls practically crumbled by the blast and standing there was a figure that made chills ran down their spines, even the pink ponies. Both of the party ponies knew that this wasn't a laughing matter.
The figure in front of them was obviously a kind of horse by the way it was standing and the horn was a dead giveaway. One of the major differences of this horse with the rest of them was it's appearance. The figure was wearing a full body suit, it was built from some kind of black metal. The figure's head sans the horn was completely covered by the same thing covering it's whole body. They couldn't tell if the horn was naturally black or was dyed. Bright red eyes stared unblinkingly at them. Around it's legs were black metal boots that did nothing to hinder it's movements. All in all, this was the kind of horse that nopony should mess around with.
The figure lowered it's head and pointed it's horn at Celestia and light started to gather around at the tip of it.
Celestia's eyes grew wide as she saw what it was doing. "All of you, run away now!"
"But-"
"I said NOW!" Celestia boomed as she erected another magical barrier to counter the beam.
Another explosion occurred and Twilight took that as cue to run away. She turned towards the others since they were still gaping at the figure "Guys! You heard the princess! We need to go!" that broke the spell and everypony scrambled towards the exit.
As soon as every last of them was out of the room, Celestia glared at the unflinching enemy. "Let's end this. Now."
The figure's body suit released some steam as it readied it's body to charge. "Calculating Success Rate, seventy-three percent..." the figure said mechanically.
Celestia used that little bit of distraction to charge a beam herself and fired it at the figure. A huge explosion engulfed the figure and Celestia panted as her energy was starting to deplete. At least the distraction gave her time to catch her breath.
As the smoke cleared, the figure could be seen standing at the same spot as it was hit from Celestia's beam. "Calculating Damage, five percent..."
Celestia gritted her teeth. This was going to be harder than she thought. With that, she shouted at the top her lungs and charged at the figure. |
Snippet of Messages | Chapter 7: Monstrosity | Celestia gritted her teeth as she dove to the side as another surge of energy blasted her way. This is ridiculous! Celestia thought as she charged her own beam and fired at the... machine... in front of her. That thing is unstoppable! Even if I was in my full strength it would take most of my power to stand a chance against it!
Celestia realized beforehand that she wasn't fighting somepony but something else entirely. The machine or monstrosity, as Celestia would like to call it, was not actually in a full-body suit but instead, it was actually made of metal! Instead of leg-guards, metal clasps were around it's hooves and spikes on it's knees. Instead of armor, different kinds of metal plating and tubes were around it's body. Last but certainly not the least was it's head. Instead of a mask, it wore a full face helmet with red rounded spectacles as eyes, a tube was connected from it's snout towards the front of it's chest. Even it's horn was covered in armor. All in all, Celestia thought that the name she gave it fitted it well.
Celestia paled as she saw that the figure was expelling steam, meaning that it was ready to release another energy-based attack! Note to self, thank Twilight later for all the reports she sent about her experiments in the past
The figure once again lowered it's head and aimed it's horn at Celestia. Before it could fire though, a huge rock was thrown at it but the projectile did little to no damage. The rock did it's purpose and disrupted it's concentration. The figure looked towards the source of the attack and saw two cyan pegasi glaring at it.
"Hey!" Blitz shouted "Yeah you! Why don't you pick somepony your own size?!"
"Yeah!" Dash shouted beside him "What he said!"
Without any retort, the figure turned towards them and fired the energy beam gathered on it's horn.
Earlier...
"Twilight!" Dash shouted as she flew through the halls of the castle with the others "Why didn't you try and help the princess?!"
Thinking that they were already far away enough from the fighting, the group stopped and tried to catch their breaths.
"Well?" Dash asked with a raised eyebrow
Twilight would've answered but she was still busy hyperventilating. Note to self, try exercising. It helps. She thought to herself. It was a good thing that her counterpart had more stamina than her because he was able to give an explanation.
"It's because we can't use our magic" Dusk Shine explained while panting a little. "I don't know how that happened but if me and Twilight stayed there then we would been sitting ducks."
"Well this sucks!" Blitz groaned as he landed on the ground. "Not only is the princess fighting somepony obviously strong but we can't even do anything to help!"
"Speaking of help" Twilight said as she finally regained her breathing and looked towards her pink friend "Pinkie, why didn't you warn us? Your Pinkie Sense should've been able to notice that thing heading towards us"
Pinkie Pie looked down sadly "I'm sorry Twi-Twi but ever since we arrived at this scary place, my Pinkie-winkie Sense is not, well, sensing anything!"
Berry nodded his head as he turned towards his friends "She's right. Things have been falling apart from this castle but my tail didn't even twitch once"
"W-what's going t-to happen to u-us?" For the first time since arriving at the castle, Fluttershy finally asked "And m-more importantly, wh-what about the p-p-princess?" eyes brimming with tears. "Wh-what are w-we gonna d-do?"
Blitz brought his hooves together with a determined look on his face. Everypony focused their gaze on him as he called their attention.
"I know what I'm gonna do." He looked back towards where explosions could be heard "I'm not just gonna stand here and do nothing while the princess is doing all she can to protect us. I'm going to help her whether you guys would like it or not" he started flying away when he felt a hoof on his shoulder. He turned and realized that the hoof belonged to his counterpart.
Dash was smiling as she returned Blitz' look "I'm coming with you! Two heads are better than one, after all!" Blitz returned the smile and nodded his head. Both cyan pegasi bolted away from the hallway towards the throne room where the fighting was taking place.
Back at the present...
"Look out!" Blitz warned as he and Dash narrowly dodged the incoming beam.
"What should we do?! That pony looks unstoppable" Dash turned to his stallion counterpart.
Blitz had a thoughtful look on his face for a moment before his eyes widened and turned towards Dash with a smile. "Divide and conquer" was the only thing Blitz said before flying towards the figure.
Dash, who already figured out what the stallion meant, flew towards the figure.
Celestia was just standing up when she saw the scene in front of her. Two cyan pegasi attacking and dodging the sole enemy there that neither flinched or got hurt from the constant barrage attacks.
"Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Blitz!" Celestia shouted. Both pegasi looked at her curiously "Hit it as hard as you can!"
Both nodded their heads and turned towards each other. They had a silent conversation between themselves before nodding and Blitz flew away from the castle, up to the clouds while Dash continued her assaults at the unflinching machine.
When Blitz felt that he was high enough, he turned back towards the castle and focused his gaze on the black menace. He then reared back before launching himself towards the castle. A cone of air was around him as he flew faster and faster. Before reaching his maximum speed, he positioned himself where his backlegs were pointing downwards.
Just as Rainbow Dash threw another rock at the figure, she heard it. She looked up and a huge smile occupied her face. A sonic rainboom. The figure looked up just in time for see Blitz dive bombing towards it.
A direct hit.
Blitz's hooves connected with the figure's head and sent it flying, hitting a wall and went straight through it. And then another. And another. The figure went through four walls in total.
Blitz shouted in glee as he and Dash hoof bumped. Celestia trudged towards them but with a smile on her face.
"That was amazing of you two to work together like that!" Celestia praised "Who knew what would've happened if you two didn't come to aid me"
Blitz scratched the back of his neck with blush on his face "It's no problem, actually. Just doing what's right, you know. I am the Element of Loyalty after all"
Celestia laughed lightly "That you are." Before she could continue her praise, her wings tensed and she turned towards where the figure was thrown over.
Clouds of dust was blocking their view but they could just faintly see a red unblinking orb staring directly at them accompanied by a purple one.
"We can't stay here" Celestia said, all business again "We must leave. Now!"
Her horn glowed and both she and the two pegasi faded away, just in time to escape another energy beam from the figure.
The figure walked out of the shattered walls back towards the throne room without a miss in it's steps. It looked just as menacing at it had before but this time a part of it's helmet was broken. Instead of a red glowing one, a purple calculating eye was looking where the three ponies teleported from. It should be noted that the iris was in fact glowing purple.
"System check..." the figure said mechanically "Damage percentage... 23.37 percent..." Her body started releasing some steam "Commencing system cool down. Preparing for teleportation..."
"Destination... Heart..." |
Snippet of Messages | Chapter 8: Fillies Before Bronies | Twilight and Dusk were pacing around the room where they waited for the princess and the two cyan pegasi to return. While the two were busy pacing, the others looked at them amusingly. Dusk Shine was pacing one way while Twilight Sparkle was going the other, never bumping to each other. It was like they knew where the other was going.
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" Twilight quickly exhaled, eyes wide. "What if something happened to them? What if that... that thing was able to defeat the princess and is now attacking both Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Blitz?!" strands of her mane already started pointing out in different directions.
"I mean, you saw that thing, right?! It was huge! Huge I tell you! It was at least a head taller than the rest of us! Not to mention those red, unblinking, cold eyes! It was like it was staring into my soul!" Twilight unconsciously shivered by the mere thought of the creature staring her down.
Dusk Shine was also having his own episode. "This does not compute! I repeat, this does not compute! What if the three of them aren't enough to defeat it?! What if Blitz did something stupid like show off in front of the princess and her counterpart which costed him his life and since Rainbow Dash is busy grieving for him she wouldn't notice the thing getting closer to her and BAM she would also bite the dust!" He dragged his hooves across his face "Or, what if the creature isn't alone?! What if it has backup with it?! Oh sweet Solaris' mane! What if there is a whole army waiting for us outside?!"
Before anypony could tell the two frantic unicorns how those theories were highly doubtful to some of their theories happen, a brief flash of light blinded them. As the light faded, princess Celestia, Rainbow Blitz and Rainbow dash stood in the middle of the room. A tense few seconds with nopony doing anything before the room up roared with "Are you ok?!", "Princess, what happened?!" and the one that made everypony there silent again was when Pinkie Pie somberly asked "Is it dead?"
Princess Celestia released a huge sigh before she shook her head which earned a gasp from everypony there except for the cyan pegasi.
"D-did I made a m-mistake?" Blitz whispered as he sat on the hall with his head down. "W-was I not strong enough?"
"Rainbow Dash?" Rainbow Dash realized that Dusk was next to her who looked worried "Can you tell us what happened?"
Rainbow Dash nodded slowly "When me and Blitz reached the room, the thing-"
"Machine..." Celestia interrupted, still panting. She was still tired from the fight and she was still trying to catch her breath.
Rainbow Dash nodded silently "The machine was busy charging it's horn and was about to fire at the princess when Blitz quickly reacted and threw a rock at it. To our luck, it's concentration broke and started focusing on us. "
Twilight raised an eyebrow "How is that lucky?! You just got the attention of something that doesn't even blink and could fire beams of light!"
Rainbow Dash nodded her head towards Celestia and smiled "Weeeelll, if we didn't interrupt it then the princess wouldn't be here now, would she? "
Twilight tried to counter her but nothing came out of her mouth. Rainbow Dash was right, if they didn't throw that rock then who knows what would've happened to the princess. Twilight closed her eyes and sighed. "I guess you're right." She raised her head with a stern look on her face "But that still doesn't excuse your recklessness, both of you!"
Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes "Yes mom. Could I please continue with the story? Thanks. Like I said, as we got it's attention, it started firing lasers at us. We dodged the lasers and started our counterattacks but it proved to be very tough since it didn't even flinch as we threw kicks and punches at it!"
"That was when the princess told us to give it our best shot." Blitz said as he stood tall and walked next to Rainbow Dash "We both knew what we were gonna do so we went with our guts." He chuckled lightly at this "I don't think it was mere coincidence when we both had the same idea, that we needed to use our secret weapon."
"What was that?" Dusk asked curiously
Blitz frowned "A sonic rainboom"
Everypony there gasped. "I know it was a bit too much but we were pressed for time so I nodded towards Rainbow Dash and flew out of the castle."
Rainbow Dash continued "While he was busy gaining altitude, I did my part by distracting the thing. I gotta tell you though that that thing was harder than breaking a rock with an egg"
Rainbow Blitz stepped in once again "After gaining height, I measured the distance that would probably give the maximum effect of the rainboom and I started flying down towards it. When the rainboom finally came out, I turned around until my backlegs were in front of me."
"What happened next?"
Blitz smiled but it was empty "It was a direct hit. The machine went flying and smashed through five walls before coming to a stop. We were celebrating when the princess limped towards us and congratulated us for saving her." Blitz sighed as he once again bowed his head and frowned "But it was too good to be true since the thing stood up and once again glared unblinkingly at us. That was when princess Celestia teleported us and we are here."
Silence enveloped the room before Blitz walked away.
"I'm weak!" he shouted to himself "I hit it with a rainboom but that only made it even angrier at us!"
"Hey, you're not weak!" Pinkie said as she tried to comfort him
Blitz just scoffed and smiled dryly at her "Oh yeah? How would you know? You weren't there! Even if you were, you are just an air headed nincompo-!" but before he could finish his insult, a hoof struck his face and he was pushed back from the force. His mouth was bleeding as he looked up and glared at the assailant. His eyes widened when he realized that the pony who punched him was actually a pink stallion.
"B-berry? Why?"
Berry just glared at him while he was standing protectively in front of Pinkie Pie, his size easily hiding the pink mare "Just because you think that you made a mistake doesn't give you the right to insult anypony, especially the ponies I deeply cared about." The pink stallion walked towards the cyan pegasus with a stern gaze "I know it hurts when you disappoint those who are important to you but that doesn't mean you should stop doing what's right and hurt those that did not fault." He smiled sadly as he raised a hoof to Blitz "Like Rainbow Dash said, if it weren't for you guys then the princess wouldn't be here in the first place"
Blitz stared at the hoof for a few seconds before laughing lightly and giving his best coltfriend a brohoof. "Thanks dude. I don't know what I would do without your brand of craziness around."
Berry smiled brightly before giving the pegasus a crushing hug that made Dusk Shine wince in pain. He knew first hand experience how much force the big stallion exerted when he hugged anypony. He shivered unconsciously as he remembered being bed-ridden for days after telling the pink stallion that he was once of his closest friends.
Twilight turned towards the princess "So... what now princess? I don't think this is a safe place to stay."
Celestia smiled at her prized student "You're right. I think it's time for you to meet the others."
Everypony blinked "Others?" |
Snippet of Messages | Chapter 9: Do You Even Lift | Twilight laughed uneasily as she looked at her teacher "What do you mean by others? Are you saying that there are more us hiding somewhere?"
Celestia's smile just widen and she winked at Twilight "You'll see. Now stand back. I need to gather my remaining magic for this." She sighed while muttered "I miss the times where I can use my magic all willy-nilly."
While the other ponies complied, the alicorn spread her wings apart and started glowing. She closed her eyes and focused her mind. She was mentally envisioning the Everfree Forest as her mind began to wander. After a while, her vision was in the forest itself and everywhere she looked, wild roots of various shapes and sizes were wrapping around the trees and rocks, carnivorous animals were lurking in the dark, waiting for prey to come along, and the water was as black as void. Celestia was used to that, living for years in a world like this did that to a pony, so she continued moving forward until she saw what she was looking for, a dome of roots which was as large as Ponyville. She mentally smiled to herself as she found what she wanted. Huh... I've been gone for weeks but that thing still looks the same... she mentally chuckled.
Without any warning, Celestia opened her eyes and they were glowing so bright that everypony there flinched and turned their heads away. Before long, the whole room was engulfed in light and in a few seconds later it vanished, along with everypony else.
Twilight blinked her eyes as she surveyed her surroundings. The first thing she noticed were the trees, then the roots, and then finally the roots surrounding the trees. She realized they were currently in the Everfree forest and around them were huge black roots and vines that have blue thorns on them. Just outside of her vision, she could see things lurking around in the trees surrounding them. Probably the local inhabitants trying to search for food. Do they count as food?
Twilight gulped as she stood on guard "U-um princess? I think we have a problem" when she didn't get a reply, she looked towards the others and noticed that there was one pony missing from their group.
An alicorn.
A magical alicorn.
A magical alicorn princess who was the only pony in their vicinity who was knowledgeable about the whole situation they were in.
"Uhh..." Twilight's mouth was wide open while her left eye was twitching.
Pinkie waved a hoof on Twilight's face but failed to get any reaction from her. Pinkie turned towards the other mares and shrugged her shoulders. "Girls, I think Twi-twi is broken, again"
None of the mares knew what to do because they tried in the past but none of their ideas worked.
Dusk Shine sighed as he trotted next to Twilight.
"I got this." they had to thank the divines when Dusk Shine stepped in and offered to help. In fact, all he had to do to release Twilight off her funk was to tell her that she forgot to make a list for next month. The next couple of seconds was composed of Twilight putting her forehooves on Dusk's shoulders and shook him to death while berating herself for being careless. It took about a minute for the other mares to pry the purple mare off the stallion.
"Ok everypony" Dusk Shine started as he looked at each one of them with determination "We are currently in the Everfree Forest and we are seemed to be surrounded by dangerous plants and carnivorous animals and with no shelter, no food and, more importantly, no princess to guide us. Any questions?"
Berry raised a hoof. Everypony sans him and Pinkie raised an eyebrow.
"Yes Berry?"
"I volunteer to scout ahead and see if I can either find food or shelter" he said seriously.
Dusk Shine's eyes widened "A-are you sure? I mean, not that I'm happy that you're volunteering or anything but aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself? Those things look dangerous and I don't think that going out there alone is going to ease my mind."
"I'll go with him" Pinkie Pie said as she hopped next to the pink stallion.
Fluttershy trotted towards Pinkie and asked her softly "P-P-Pinkie? I-it looks really s-scary out there a-and a-aren't you a-afraid?"
Pinkie shook her head vigorously "Nopie-dopie-lopie!" She then nudged the pink stallion beside her "Somebody has to keep an eye on the big guy" she said with a wink. He grinned and responded by flexing his muscles. Pinkie Pie just giggled at that.
Rainbow Dash leaned towards Twilight and whispered "Somepony sure is acting like a schoolfilly."
Twilight just shook her head in amusement at the two pink ponies' antics.
Dusk nodded his head, clearly not noticing the chemistry between the two. "Alright, while the both of them do that, the rest of us are going to stay here and search the area for any clues as to where the princess is. I'm sure that she has teleported near us."
"Uhhmm... C-can I make a s-suggestion? I mean, if it's ok with you guys" Butterscotch stuttered while he was dragging his front hoof on the ground.
"Sure Scotch, what's on your mind?"
"Wh-what if we uhmm ask the a-animals..? I mean, since she is very powerful then maybe they can feel her magic?"
Dusk blinked his eyes as he registered the question in his head "That is actually very good suggestion. If anything can find the princess in this forest then the animals are our best choice! Good going Butterscotch!"
The timid stallion just smiled shyly while the yellow pegasus mare beside Pinkie looked at him with admiration for his bravery.
Berry raised a hoof again.
"Yes Berry?"
"Does that animal over there count as something we should ask?" Berry pointed towards a shaded area where two blinking eyes were staring blankly right at them from inside a bush. They blinked back at it.
Then out of nowhere, a rabbit came out from another bush and was hopping it's way in the clearing. When it got closer to the bush where they saw the first animal though, a huge claw rose above the bush and slammed it at the rabbit. The small rabbit tried to get away but the grip was too tight before it was dragged in the bush and munching sounds could be heard inside followed by a burp.
Everypony there blinked at the spectacle before they turned towards each other again. It was obvious that they didn't want to remember what they have just seen.
Dusk shook his head and coughed "Alright, come on guys let's do this!"
"Yeah!"
Dusk Shine walked towards his mare double and nudged her shoulder "So Twilight Sparkle, which direction do you think we should go?"
Twilight looked quizzically at him "You mean the two of us?" Dusk Shine nodded. Twilight furrowed her eyebrows, which Dusk Shine found cute, and asked "Why?"
Dusk Shine just raised an eyebrow "Why? Isn't it obvious with the two of us together, nothing can distract us from our objective."
Twilight nodded. "I guess that is true..."
"So... which direction, miss Sparkle?"
Twilight rubbed her chin in concentration "Hmm... I think we should go North!"
"North? Now that I think about it... I have this feeling that going North is going to be quite fruitful for our search! Let's go!"
So the two purple unicorns ventured North, not even bothering to look at the bush behind them where the princess was unconscious from using her magic too much.
None of the ponies there actually thought of looking through the bush as they also paired up and went their ways.
You sure do know how to pick them princess.
With Berry and Pinkie...
It was strange how the two pink ponies looked alike while at the same time looked so different. If somepony other than their group was asked to comment about the two, they would probably think that they were siblings. A big brother trying to protect his innocent little sister.
Mentally, the two pink ponies had the same track of mind. They both loved parties, both loved eating cakes and, most of all, both loved showing their affection by hugging.
Physically though, that's where the difference come to mind, mostly since one is a mare and the other is a stallion. The stallion was huge, almost as big as Big Macintosh, while the mare was almost half his size. While the mare kept bouncing around, the stallion on the other hoof was just walking. Another difference were their builds. The stallion was buffed, which was obvious at first glance, while the mare looked flexible, enough to bend her body in awkward angles. But the one thing that the two of them always shared was their huge million-watt miles directed at each other.
Pinkie suddenly stopped bouncing and dropped to the ground slowly while facing the stallion, prompting him to stop on his tracks.
Berry raised an eyebrow, still with a smile on his face as he looked down at the pink mare "What's up Pinks?"
Pinkie just smiled even brighter at the nickname he gave her and softly said "I just wanted to thank you. You know, back in the castle when you defended me from Blitz! I know that he was just mad for what happened but you still stepped in for me"
Berry just scratched the back of his neck and blushed "Of course I would do that. I mean, you are, that is, important to me. I would do anything just to see you smile"
Pinkie's smile turned soft before she raised her head and kissed Berry on the lips. It was a quick kiss but was still a kiss nonetheless.
"Likewise" Pinkie said before she started bouncing again.
Berry just stood there with a huge blush on his face before he shook his head and followed the pink mare albeit he was trotting since his body was too heavy to copy the movements of his counterpart.
"So Berry, what kind of work do you do? You know, aside from being a baker in Sugarcube Corner?" Pinkie asked as she kept bouncing.
"Well... Like you said, I am a baker but I also work as a part-time construction stallion."
"Construction stallion? What's that?"
Berry furrowed his brows "Hmm... You know, somepony who builds stuff like houses, fountains and those other huge structures you see in town."
"Ohhhh... That's neat! No wonder you look so huge!" she giggled.
Berry grinned at her. Looks like his work finally paid off "Thanks. It's hard to maintain a body like this."
Berry and Pinkie continued their small talks, completely forgetting about the fact that their mission was to scout around, when they came across the most peculiar sight they'd ever seen. A dome like structure made up of roots and vines all around them. It was huge. Both of the ponies ooh'd at the dome and turned to each other with a smile.
"You know what this calls for?" Berry asked.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Only if you're thinking what I'm thinking!"
"Then I guess you do know what I'm thinking since I know what I'm thinking!"
"It's time for..."
"A party!"
Before they could even start cheering, something came out from the dome like structure.
"Yeah... I wouldn't do that if I were you..." the approaching figure said with a somewhat raspy voice
Pinkie looked towards the source of the voice "GAAAASP! I know you!" |
Snippet of Messages | Chapter 10: Enough For Everyone | With Fluttershy and Butterscotch...
"S-so Fluttershy..." Fluttershy slightly turned her head towards the male pegasus "D-do you think that Dusk Shine m-meant what he said about me? I mean, if you don't mind me asking..." Butterscotch stuttered as he peered down a hole. When he removed his head from it, he shook his head signifying that nothing was currently down there.
"Hm? About what?" Fluttershy was currently asking a little red bird if it saw an alicorn but to her dismay it shook it's head and flew away.
"Uhmm... you know. About my idea being great... I mean, maybe he was just being nice to me..." He started dragging his hoof to the ground as he got sadder. "I know that Dusk is a nice guy and maybe he was just looking out for me b-but I can't help but f-feel he was just being n-nice to me to reserve my f-feelings..." He was in fact on the verge of tears.
Fluttershy knew all this too well. This was his insecurities acting up. She smiled softly and slowly trotted towards the him. He was still looking down so he didn't noticed the yellow mare standing next to him. Without thinking, Fluttershy wrapped her wing around Butterscotch who raised his head in alarm at the sudden feeling of warmth around him but to her relief, he didn't shy away.
"There, there" Fluttershy soothingly said "I know how you feel..."
Butterscotch sniffed as he leaned on the smaller mare beside him. It was still strange how such a big stallion was leaning on such a small mare being as he was a foot taller than her "Y-you do?"
Fluttershy nodded as she rubbed her head on his neck since she was too short to nuzzle his cheek "Of course I do. I also know that you are a brave big pony."
"No I'm not..."
"Yes you are and don't your forget it. Oh, and about what you asked earlier, of course it was a great idea even I didn't thought about it and according to Twilight we are all the same. Well except we are mares and you and your friends are stallions."
"Thanks... You really are something... and I'm not just saying that because we are the same." They both laughed at the little joke he made.
Both of them jumped when a third more menacing laugh joined them.
Part of the bushes in front of them rustled before a towering four-legged figure stalked outside of it. It had brown fur all over it's body with razor sharp claws on all of it's giant paws. It had pointy ears and a large black nose. It's eyes were bloodshot with hint of madness in them. It was lean and if one looked closely, they could see it's muscles tighten as it breathed in and out. At the moment, it was staring at the ponies with a dangerous grin on it's face.
Butterscotch's eyes widened "O-oh my... It's a w-wolf!"
Fluttershy looked closely at it before she gasped "N-not just any w-w-wolf... it's an alpha!"
The wolf laughed again while it circled around the two scared ponies "Right you are little pony. It's quite rare to see somebody able to distinguish us from each other." The wolf said in raspy male voice. His smile widened when he added "and fewer left alive."
What he said was in fact true. There were actually three types of wolves in a pack: alpha, beta and grunt. The alphas were obviously the so called leaders while the betas were the ones who would be in charge if the current alpha of the group was missing or unavailable albeit they were less intelligent and smaller than the alphas. That left the grunts which were the most savage of the pack. They mostly listen to their instincts and didn't think rationally. They relied on the alphas to give them orders or risked being killed for insubordination.
"U-uhmm... we don't mean any t-t-trouble or anything... W-we are just l-looking f-for somepony..."
Upon hearing the last word, the wolf's ears perked up "Oh? Somepony?" He narrowed his eyes for a second before his grin returned "Say... Maybe I know of this 'pony' you speak of. I could escort you two towards that certain pony if you'd like" he snickered slowly with his raspy voice.
"If it's not too much to ask, can you please sit down for a little while? Watching you walking around is making me dizzy..." Fluttershy asked politely.
Without thinking, the wolf sat down. It was only a second later when he realized what he did. What am I doing?! Why am I following orders from kids?! He berated himself but he didn't stood back up and just continued staring at the two in front of him, malicious grin still in place.
"So about my proposition, as a wolf I do have a very sensitive nose and I could find that lost pony of yours in no time at all" he bragged with a toothy grin.
To his surprise and confusion both ponies agreed to him without a second thought.
"Really? That is just wonderful! We would be oh so grateful if you help us!" Fluttershy said as she clasped both of her hooves together.
"A-are you sure? I-I mean, we just met and you already trust me?" The wolf stuttered. He mentally cursed himself. He was an alpha! He wasn't supposed to be caught surprised by anything especially from two ponies who looked like they were afraid of their own shadows.
"Absolutely" Butterscotch said with a nod "If there is one animal in this forest that we could trust, it's you guys! We know how loyal you are to anypony you deem worthy!"
The wolf winced at that. These two just kept surprising him. How did they know about that? The only ones who knew about that secret were-
"Uhmm... Mr. wolf?" the wolf's train of thought was interrupted as Fluttershy called for him "A-are you ok? You l-look troubled..." she gasped as she realized something "Oh my, are we actually bothering you? I'm so sorry..."
The wolf blinked. He turned towards the male pegasus and noticed that he also had the same apologetic look on the mare's face. These two... His eyes suddenly widened when something in his mind clicked. No wonder this mare looked familiar!
"You two..." the wolf said slowly as he furrowed his eyebrows "Do you happen to know some princess name Celestia?"
"Gaasp! Oh my, yes! She's the pony we've been looking for!" Fluttershy said excitedly
The fox just continued to look at the yellow pegasus critically "Tell me... what is your name?"
"M-my name?" the fox nodded "I'm Fluttershy..." she said bashfully while her mane hid her face.
The wolf stared at her for a few seconds before nodding again and started walking away before stopping and looking back at the two pegasi. "Follow me. There is someone else I need to introduce you two to."
"Uhmm..." Butterscotch spoke up and got the wolf's attention "C-can we go tell our friends... I-I think it would be better if w-we stick together..."
The wolf stared blankly at them for a minute before a grinned a grin appeared on his face while he said "Why not? The more the merrier"
With Dusk Shine and Twilight Sparkle
"I'm telling you, sir Shine, our Applejack would clearly win the race since she is lighter and more maneuverable when turning in tight corners!" Twilight Sparkle stated matter-of-factly with a challenging look in her eyes towards her counterpart.
"And I'm telling you, miss Sparkle, that our Applejack would win the race since he has more endurance and strength to gain the upper-hoof during a race in a straight line!" Dusk Shine countered.
Ever since separating from the group, the two of them have been bickering on who's friends were better. So far, it was a tie with 0-0 since nopony wanted to admit the other was better.
"Ugh!" Twilight smacked her hooves on her face as she sat on her haunches with a thump "You are completely unreasonable!"
Dusk did the same thing as he glared at his counterpart "Well, so are you! And by the way, you are just insulting yourself!"
"Nuh-uh! You are a stallion and everypony knows that stallions have meat for brains! Hah take that!"
Dusk rolled his eyes "Oh real mature... Well if you wanna play it that way then all you mares care about are your looks! Just one tiny pimple on your face and all of you go crazy! And don't get me started on clothes shopping!"
"Hey! I have you know that I care nothing with how I look and I don't even wear clothes!" Twilight gestured to herself. "Oh, another thing, you stallions always stink! What, you guys too lazy to take a bath?"
"At least we don't waste our time taking a shower for an hour!"
"At least we do smell good after taking a bath!"
"At least we don't need make up to make ourselves look better!"
"Neat freak!"
"Bookworm!"
Twilight smirked "Egghead!"
Dusk Shine gasped dramatically as his eyes narrowed into slits "You. take. that. back."
Twilight huffed as she turned her head away from Dusk "No."
"Take it back!"
"No!"
Dusk Shine gritted his teeth and was about to retort when a third voice announced it's presence.
"Geez. Just wake up the whole forest why don't you? You two are louder than two ursa majors mating!"
Twilight was about to give the intruder a piece of her mind but stopped when she saw who it was. Her mouth fell open and she pointed a shaking hoof at her.
The mare grinned while she tossed her light blue mane behind her "Hello Twilight. I didn't expect to see you after all these years."
Dusk Shine just looked back and forth between the two mares, clearly not recognizing the new comer.
Twilight knew that voice quite well. She may be older but Twilight could recognize that voice accompanied with that grin anywhere.
"T-trixie?!"
Trixie's grin widened "The one and only!" |
Snippet of Messages | Chapter 11: In Need of Support | With Dusk Shine, Twilight Sparkle and Trixie
"Hey" Dusk Shine tapped Twilight Sparkle and she looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.
They were actually following Trixie as she led them towards her hideout. Earlier when Trixie introduced herself to Dusk Shine, she proposed that they should continue their introduction somewhere nopony would bother them. Twilight Sparkle wanted to reject her offer right away but Dusk Shine beat her to it and agreed. Nopony could blame the purple stallion though since he really didn't know who he was currently talking to. And since Twilight wasn't in the mood to have another argument with the obviously oblivious stallion, she decided to play along.
"May I inquire why you're being all quiet right now?" Dusk Shine asked "I mean, not that I don't appreciate it or anything but usually this is the moment that I, and obviously you, start to question what's this mare's motive, why's she trying to helps us, and does she have an ulterior motive, those kinds of things."
Twilight stole a glance at the blue mare in front of her before leaning towards Dusk Shine and whispering "Oh, I don't trust her alright. I'm also positive that she's hiding something from us."
Dusk Shine raised his eyebrow curiously and whispered back "Why?"
"Are you seriously telling me that you don't even recognize her? Not even a little bit?"
Dusk Shine furrowed his as he concentrated at the mare in front of him "Hmmm... Now that I think about it. She does look like a certain colt from my dimension."
"Here's a hint, she claimed to have vanquished an ursa major and she humiliated Rarity, Rainbow Dash and AppleJack one by one."
Something clicked in Dusk Shine's mind and his eyes widened when he returned his gaze at the blue mare in recognition.
"Are you serious?! That's Trixster?!"
Twilight smiled brightly at his double "Sure, whatever her name is in your dimension. And since you accepted her offer we should follow her to her hideout and there's nothing we could do about it!"
Dusk Shine just gave his counterpart a blank look "I hate you."
Twilight giggled "The feeling is quite mutual, mr Shine."
"If you two are done flirting with each other then I should probably tell you that we've arrived."
The two librarians would've argued about them flirting but it fell short when they saw the building in front of them. More like a castle really.
"I-is that w-what I think it i-is?" Dusk Shine stuttered as he openly gaped at the structure.
Twilight had the audacity of raising her hoof and closing Dusk's mouth even though hers was still open. "I-I think it is. How in Celestia's mane d-did you find this?!"
Trixie just rolled her eyes "Oh please. After all that has happened to Equestria, finding this was like finding an apple on an apple tree."
Dusk Shine shook his head vigorously "That does not compute! The probability of finding this castle is about 0.0314 percent and I've done the calculations myself!"
Trixie glared at Dusk and gritted her teeth "Are you saying that I don't have the capabilities of finding these kinds of places?"
"Yes!" Twilight shouted. "Either it was pure coincidence or enormous amounts of luck that you were able to find this place!"
Trixie would have denied Twilight's accusation but she was cut off by a voice.
"Help...bzzzt...need...bzzt...as...bzzzt...tance...bzzzt...near...bo...bzzt...der...bzzzt...ambu...bzzzt.griffi...bzzzt"
Trixie's eyes widened when she took a strange device from her saddlebag. Twilight and Dusk would've asked what it was but Trixie looked like she was currently busy.
"Hello?! Anypony there?! This is Trixie!" she said in a tone that made Twilight do a double take. She never heard Trixie sound so... worried.
Dusk Shine almost jumped when the device responded to the blue unicorn "bzzzt...Trixie? Is tha...bzzt...ou?"
"Of course it's me!" Trixie barked at the strange device. "There is no time for explanations! You said something about griffins in the border right?"
There was a long silence accompanied by scratching sounds "bzzzt...yes...bzzt...nee...bzzzt...sistance"
"We're on our way! Hold on tight!" Trixie turned towards the two confused unicorns. "Change of plans. We are going on a rescue mission!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Dusk Shine waved a hoof around for emphasis "We've never agreed with that! You can't make our decisions for us without our consents!"
Trixie just growled while she started galloping towards the opposite direction. "I don't have time for this! Whether you help me or not I'm going there now!"
Twilight nudged Dusk Shine and said "I don't know about you mr Shine but I'm with her on this one. Somepony is in trouble and it's our job to help them!" She started galloping as well, following the frantic blue unicorn behind.
Dusk Shine just groaned and ran a hoof on his face "For the love of-" he cut himself off before chasing after the two mares.
With Fluttershy, Butterscotch and the alpha wolf
"Like I said, just because I was the strongest member of the pack didn't mean that none of the grunts would ambush me because they were influenced by one of the betas." The alpha wolf explained as he and the two yellow pegasi were headed towards the wolf's hideout.
Fluttershy gasped "On my... But why? Didn't they trust you? Did they think that you weren't doing a good job as an alpha?"
The wolf just chuckled. It was good to know that there were some ponies in this world naive enough to make those kinds of questions.
"They did trust me, with their lives in fact. It was just that betas would do anything just to get the position of the alpha no matter what the cost."
Butterscotch furrowed his eyebrows as he floated next to Fluttershy "I never thought of it that way. I always thought that all wolves were honorable. You have given me a new insight towards your kind, thank you." He turned towards the wolf and nodded his head with a new found respect for him.
The wolf blinked at him, surprised by the sudden gratitude, before slowly snickering to himself until it turned into full-blown laughter. The two pegasi just stared at him weirdly until the wolf sighed and chuckled a few times before things started being quiet again.
The wolf turned to them with a huge grin showing off his rows and rows of sharp teeth. "Sorry about that. It's been too long since somebody said that to me without any hidden meaning behind them."
Fluttershy and Butterscotch looked at each other for an explanation before turning back to the wolf.
"What do you mean?" Butterscotch asked.
The wolf sighed and shook his head "Never mind. Shall we continue walking? We're almost there. We just have to walk for about thirty minu-" The wolf abruptly stopped in attention and his head jerked to the right with his ears twitching in the same direction.
"Wha-" Butterscotch asked before Fluttershy put a hoof on his mouth to keep him quiet. She was also curious but it was better if they waited until the wolf talked to them. She should also probably ask the wolf's name while they were together.
The wolf closed his eyes as he listened. It wasn't until two minutes later before the wolf turned to them with a serious expression on his face. "Tell me" he said slowly, all business now. "How fast can you two fly?"
"U-uhm... not fast enough if you're implying what I think you're implying..." Butterscotch said.
The wolf nodded and closed his eyes, probably thinking about something. When he opened his eyes, he turned his back towards them and lied down on his stomach. He turned his head sideways and stared one of his eyes at them "Quickly, sit on my back and hold on tight."
"Wh-what?"
The wolf gritted his teeth. "I said quickly! We don't have much time!"
The two pegasi didn't need to be told twice before they both flew towards the alpha and sat on his back. The alpha was big enough to hold both ponies with room to spare. The wolf stood up, easily carrying the two pegasi behind him. He once again turned his head towards them with a grin on his face. "Better hold your lunches kids because this is going to be a bumpy ride." He reared on his hind legs and, before Butterscotch could voice out his concerns, bolted off and ran as fast as his claws could take him in the direction that caught his attention. |
Snippet of Messages | Chapter 12: Commander What? | With Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Blitz
"Sigh..."
"Sigh..."
Rainbow Dash glanced at Rainbow Blitz as he released a sigh of his own. Both of the cyan pegasi were now flying around lazily the forest with no direction in their minds, completely forgetting about their task of finding the princess.
It was only a few minutes later when...
"Sigh..."
"Sigh..."
Rainbow Dash's eye twitched as she glared at Blitz. Blitz, sensing he was stared at, glanced at Rainbow Dash questioningly.
"Stop that" Rainbow Dash said after a light glaring contest with her counterpart.
Blitz raised an eyebrow. "Stop what?"
Rainbow Dash groaned. "Stop following what I do." she said with gritted teeth. She scratched her knee.
Blitz furrowed his eyebrows "I'm not." He scratched his knee.
"There! You're doing it again! Stop that!" Dash shouted.
"Stop what?! Could you be quiet?! You're so loud!" Blitz shouted back.
"Not as loud as you!"
"No, you're louder!"
"No, you!"
"You!"
"I think it would be best if both of you shut your mouth before I make them" said a third calm voice behind them.
Both pegasi blinked at each other before turning around and came face to face with a brown pegasus with a yellow mane, pointing some sort kind of thingamajig at them. They couldn't see his cutie mark since he was wearing some kind of armor.
"Oh yeah?" Blitz snorted. "Are you going to make me? With what? That?" Blitz laughed, thinking that his joke was funny.
The brown pegasus narrowed his eyes before pointing the strange device on a tree and pulled the trigger. Laser came out of it and sliced the tree in half like it was paper. The tree fell down with a crash and animals scattered around from the impact. The brown pegasus then focused his gaze back at Blitz with the strange contraption pointing at the cyan stallion's head.
Blitz visibly paled as he raised his hooves above his head in surrender. He nervously chuckled as sweat dripped from his forehead "Ohhh... That[/i! Why didn't you say earlier?" he then turned to Rainbow Dash and whispered "Psst... what are you doing?"
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow "What?" she whispered back "I wasn't the one making fun of him, was I?"
Blitz just glared at her before turning back to the stallion with an apologetic look on his face.
The brown pegasus noticed the mare wasn't following the stallion's actions so he turned his gun at her. He was about to order the mare to cease and desist when his eyes widened and his mouth fell open.
"C-c-commander Rush?!" the brown pegasus shook his head vigorously before he straightened his body and raise his right hoof to a salute and lowering the strange device "Sir, it is an honor to see you alive, sir!"
Rainbow Dash blinked. She turned towards Rainbow Blitz with a questioning gaze but she was answered with a shrug while the rainbow maned stallion still had his hooves in the air. Rainbow Dash turned back towards the brown pegasus and noticed that he still didn't move from his previous position.
It was then Rainbow Dash realized that he was waiting for her command. Years in learning the ways of the wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash knew how to respond to the saluting stallion.
"Uhmm... At ease...?"
Sort of.
The stallion continued to salute as he started to talk, more like shout, towards the confused cyan mare. "Sir, permission to speak freely, sir!"
Rainbow Dash thought hard about how to respond when she finally remembered "Permission granted."
The stallion finally removed his hand from his head before speaking normally again "Sir, it is my understanding that two years ago you were captured during a skirmish near Ponytopolis along with the other two remaining Elements of Justice! May I inquire in how you escaped, sir?" He said with no hesitance in his voice.
Rainbow Dashed blinked again. Ponytopolis? Captured? Elements of Justice?! This was the part where the brown pegasus completely lost Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her neck "Uhmm... Believe it or not, I have no idea what the hay you're talking about. The thing is... I'm actually not from here and all those things you just said have nothing to with me."
The brown pegasus tilted his head in confusion "Here? What do you mean?" He shook his head again before glaring ahead. "I mean, Commander Rush sir, can you please elaborate, sir!"
Rainbow Dash waves her hooves around "Can we stop with this sir stuff for a sec! And who is this Commander Rush pony and why do you keep calling me that?"
This time, the brown pegasus carefully stared at Rainbow Dash before his eyes widened in realization. "You're right... Now that I look closely, you're too young to be Commander Rush... but that can't be right." He paced back and forth. "You look like her, sound like her, and, help the divines, you have the same color scheme for your mane, and tail! How can you not be her?!" he said while pointing a hoof at her but he stopped abruptly when he finally noticed her cutie mark "Although your cutie marks are different from each other. Far different actually..."
Rainbow Dash shrugged "Simple. I don't remember enlisting in the army."
The brown pegasus would've asked more questions but he was cut off by a squawk from above. The three pegasi looked up and made the brown one pale at the sight. Griffins were circling around them.
Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes. There was something odd about those griffins. It was only a minute later did she realized what.
All of them had black feathers. Normally, they would be hard to see at a moonless night but being the sky as red as blood, they were as clear a black stain in a white room. When one of them flew near, Rainbow instantly noticed it's eyes. They were as red as the night sky. It's beak and talons were sharpen to the point that Rainbow Dash winced in the idea of being grazed by them. Lastly, it was wearing some sort of silver armor. Unlike the machine pony they faced, the griffin was actually wearing the armor and was not part of it.
Silence enveloped the area as the pegasi were waiting for the griffins to make their move. The tension was high as the brown pegasus was gripping his gun tightly. He gritted his teeth in frustration. They were clearly outnumbered by ten to one. He looked around the forest slowly, not wanting to get the griffins' attention. He was looking for a place for them to hide or for him to call for reinforcements. All he needed was a few minutes. His eyes widened when he saw a familiar structure in the distance.
"Psst... Hey, you two." He whispered. The two cyan pegasi perked their ears. He smiled at that. That meant that they knew that the situation was dire. "See that building over there? On my signal, I want you two to bolt towards that direction as fast as you can. Don't look back. No matter what you hear, don't stop and just keep going. Understand?"
The two cyan pegasi subtlety nodded their heads as they looked at the tower. Both of them knew that trusting the pegasus with the strange device was a bad idea but waiting for the armor wearing, black feathered, red eyed griffins was worse.
"Ready? GO!" in a blink of an eye, he raised his gun and fired at the closest griffin his eyes caught. It was a clear shot and the griffin fell to it's death. That did the trick since all the circling griffins started dive bombing at him.
Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Blitz quickly followed the other pegasus' orders and flew as fast as they could towards the tower. They could hear flapping wings catching up to them and they didn't know whether it was the brown pegasus or the griffins and they didn't plan on finding out. They didn't plan on creating a rainboom because it risked in also hitting their ally. When they were close enough, Rainbow Dash openly gaped as she looked up at the tower.
It was massive. It looked like it once belonged to the Border Guard. It was gray in color and had a square shape. The four corners stood as high as the roof and it looked like it was impenetrable from land. It looked like the tower was used as some kind of watchtower.
Both of them flew over the wall towards an open window and Rainbow Blitz did a one eighty and kicked an approaching griffin on the face. The griffin was thrown back and hit another one behind him before the two of them were thrown out the window.
Both cyan pegasi briefly looked at each other and gave a nod before bringing their focus back at the approaching griffins and released a battle cry before intercepting them. There was a shuffle where both sides tried to get a hit on the other. Blitz and Dash were currently backed at a wall since both of them were not as experienced as the griffins. It was then one of the griffin's head was hit with a laser and a hole bore through it. The griffin fell with a thud as the other's turned their gaze towards the open window where the brown pegasus was currently standing, pointing his gun at another griffin.
One of the griffin's squawked at the brown pegasus and was about to tackle him when a laser hit it straight in the chest and, like the other one, fell with a thud on the floor. One by one, the brown pegasus expertly aimed his gun at the panicking griffins until all of them were dead, only leaving a panting cyan pegasus stallion standing protectively in front of an equally panting cyan mare.
"That was a close one." the brown pegasus said monotonously. He reached for some kind of device from his saddlebag and held it in front of his face. "Mayday, we are in need of assistance! I repeat, we are in need of assistance!" to his annoyance, there was no response.
"Help, we are in need of assistance! We are currently near the border between Ponytopolis and The Heart! We were ambushed by the griffins and I fear that their reinforcements are coming!"
To his relief, there was actually a reply. "Hello?! Anypony there?! This is Trixie!" the voice replied, much to the surprise of the two cyan pegasi listening in.
The brown pegasus only raised an eyebrow "Trixie? Is that you?"
There was static before another reply sounded from the strange device "Of course it's me! There is no time for explanations! You said something about griffins in the border right?"
The brown pegasus hesitated for a few moments before he raised the device once again "Yes, we are currently in need of assistance!"
"We're on our way! Hold on tight!" Trixie said before completely cutting off the connection between them.
The brown pegasus sighed as he sat on the floor. He suddenly felt tired from all the action that day.
It wasn't only a few minutes later when they heard a familiar squawked outside the tower. The brown pegasus shushed them as he crouched down on the floor and crawled his way towards the window. He peered outside and saw that they were now surrounded by more griffins, all of them circling around the tower, searching for them.
There was nothing they could do but wait for the reinforcements. He wished that they would arrive sooner. |
Snippet of Messages | Chapter 13: Lean, Mean, Killing Pony Machine | With Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Blitz
They were still inside the tower, hiding from the increasing number of griffins outside. The two cyan pegasi were lying on their stomachs on the floor while the brown pegasus was making sure that no griffins were approaching them.
"Hey" Rainbow Dash whispered towards the brown pony. He turned his head and motioned for Rainbow Dash to continue "You never told us your name."
The brown pony shrugged his shoulders and peered back out the window "You can call me... Ace."
"Ace?" Rainbow Blitz raised an eyebrow "You sure don't look like an Ace. You look more like a... hmm..." he rubbed his chin as he thought it over "Aha! Streak!"
"Streak? Why Streak?" Rainbow Dash asked her double.
"Duh! Isn't it obvious? You saw how fast he caught up to us when we flew towards here! I mean, he was busy going zap zap zap with those other griffins that I'm still surprised that he was able to save us on time!"
"Fine, fine... You can call me Streak but please be quiet! We are in a delicate position right now and you are not helping!" Streak scolded in a hushed tone as he once again peered outside the tower. He looked back to his device and turned it on. "This is Ace. Me and two civilians are currently inside the Border Watchtower and we are currently surrounded by flyers, please respond."
Silence followed suite so he turned the device back on and repeated what he said earlier. "I repeat, me and two civilians are currently in the Border Watchtower and we are currently surrounded by flyers. We are outnumbered by ten to one with no possible escape routes. We are in need of backup ASAP."
Once again, they were enveloped by silence. Ace cursed under his breath. He just couldn't believe his luck. He knew it was a bad idea to go patrolling without somepony to back him up but he was just too confident in himself.
Buzzing sound came from the device from his hoof and hope returned to his eyes. A voice came out from the device in a very calm tone. "Ace. I received your distress call. What is your current status?" said a rough voice. If Ace listened closely, he could probably hear a second voice behind the first one. The second voice sounded feminine and energetic.
Ace grinned as he told the other pony behind the device their current situation. He told them that none of them were hurt badly except for some scratches from the shuffle they had with the griffins.
"Understood. I've already dispatched a pon... wait what? You let them go with her?! Sigh... It doesn't matter... make that rescue team and they're on their way towards the tower. Expect them to arrive at five minutes. Hold off the griffins until then." The line was cut off after that and only static was left coming out from the device. Ace turned the device off and grinned widely as he turned towards the two pegasi. "Looks like backup is on the way! Although there seems to a problem with our backup if the commander's voice has anything to say about it." his gaze turned towards the window when he notice some movements coming their way. "And just in time too because things are getting lively again." He narrowed his eyes as he raised his gun and pointed it at a griffin. "Get ready... Things are about to get messy..."
Rainbow Dash and Blitz nodded their heads as they readied themselves for the coming fight. Rainbow Dash looked at the ground where the dead griffins were and her eyes widened. She was going to tell Blitz about it but was interrupted as a griffin swooped in from another open window towards the two pegasi with it's claws out. Blitz evaded the attack and countered with a kick on the gut.
"You! Catch!" Ace called Blitz and he was just able to turn just in time to catch a strange device on his hoof. It was the same weapon that Ace was currently using. "Use that to defend yourselves!" Ace said as he shot the downed griffin on the head. It was safe to assume that it won't be moving again.
Blitz nodded and he followed Ace's movements. He was terrible at using the gun. All his attacks missed and the recoil only made it worse. The only time that he was able to hit was when a griffin was right in front of him which he then used as his new strategy. While Blitz was busy blasting the griffins, Rainbow Dash was busy protecting his sides and backside. She used her natural reflex to evade and counter incoming kicks and talons heading towards her.
It was obvious that they were slowly getting overwhelmed by the attacks since the griffins never seemed to run out and some of them were now wielding weapons of their own from swords to shields to short spears.
It didn't take long before the three of them were slowly backing away while the griffins were surrounding them. They held their guns at the ready and focused them on the first griffin that would fly towards them. It was too late when they realized that they were backed to a wall with no possible escape since everywhere they looked, griffins were pointing their weapons at them.
Before anything else could happen, a roar sounded behind the griffins and a dark blur started tearing it's way through them with ferociousness. The creature was using it's teeth and claws to slash, bite and, tear the helpless griffins limb from limb.
Dash and Blitz were terrified by the spectacle in front of them while Ace sighed in relief.
Before anypony could blink, a yellow blur smacked itself right at Rainbow Dash and held on for dear life. Rainbow Dash squirmed in place before relaxing when she realized who tackled her.
"Flutters?! Am I glad to see you!" Dash laughed as she returned the hug enthusiastically.
"I'm so happy that none of you are hurt!" Butterscotch sighed in relief when he landed next to them. "When mr. Wolf told us that you were in trouble, we were getting worried and... and..." he couldn't continue as tears were building on his eyes.
Blitz draped a hoof around the yellow stallion. "Don't worry brony. We're fine. Thanks to Streak over there." he motioned his head towards the brown pegasus who was helping the wolf finish off the griffins with his gun.
Fluttershy was still clinging to Rainbow Dash and had her eyes closed tightly.
"What's wrong Flutters?"
Fluttershy sniffed "I-it's just that... A-all this v-v-violence... W-why are they k-ki-killing each other?!" she shouted as she bawled her eyes out and drenched Rainbow Dash's coat with her tears.
Rainbow Dash also closed her eyes and frowned. She also didn't like what she saw and experienced that day. She knew it was wrong to take a life of another but there was no other way. It was either them or her.
"I hate to break this little reunion but we have to go!" Ace shouted as he stood next to them. "More griffins are coming this way and I don't think we can hold them off any longer!" He turned his attention at the giant wolf currently slashing his sharp claws at a griffin. "Sir, we need to get going!"
The wolf turned his head and nodded at Ace before throwing the now dead griffin towards it's companions. The ponies nodded to each other before Ace blasted a hole on the wall beside them. They flew inside the hallway and made their way down the tower.
As they flew, Ace turned towards the running wolf with an appreciative smile. "By the way, thanks for the backup sir. I knew that backup was coming but I didn't think they would send you and new recruits. They weren't any trouble, were they?"
The wolf just raised a furry eyebrow. "Backup? I wasn't in the base before coming here. I was also doing some patrolling when I stumbled up those two yellow pegasi over there. In fact, I didn't even bring my radio with me. I just followed the sounds."
Ace furrowed his eyebrows "Wait... If you're not the backup then who is?"
The wolf just shrugged his huge shoulders as he continued running next to the flying pegasi.
"Do you trust them?" Ace asked low enough so that only the wolf could hear.
The wolf grinned, showing his sharp fangs "I think you need to be more specific than that."
Ace just glared at the wolf and he was responded with a silent laugh. "I do" the wolf said as he focused his gaze on the yellow mare. "There's just something about them that makes me feel that we still have a chance in winning."
Ace just raised an eyebrow before chuckling. "You do realize that you sound so crazy right now, don't you?"
The wolf just shook his head "As much as I want to agree with you, I can't. There's just something about those two." He pointed his snout towards Fluttershy and Butterscotch. "When they saw me, I couldn't feel any fear or anxiety emitting from them. In fact, one of the things I smelled from them was curiosity and friendliness." he chuckled once again "Can you imagine a small mare trying to make friends with a vicious looking wolf like me?"
Ace just blinked at the wolf before turning his gaze towards the yellow mare. She couldn't be, could she?
Ace would've asked the wolf for the name of the yellow mare when they came across a dead end.
"Shit" Ace cursed as he and the others was forced to stop. He turned around and immediately released another curse when dozens of griffins were hot on their tail.
"Well... I guess this is it" Ace sighed as he smirked at the giant wolf beside him. "It is an honor working side by side with you, Commander Lone Claw."
Lone Claw once again grinned and showed his fangs "Same to you ace."
The four pegasi behind the two veteran were shivering in fear, awaiting their doom when the wall beside them exploded. They shielded their faces when concrete and rocks flew across the air as dust covered the whole hallway. The griffins stopped from their tracks and waited, staring blankly at the intruders.
It was only a few seconds later when a hoof stepped out from the other side of the wall. The hoof made a sort of metallic sound and was followed with another as the figure stepped inside. As the metallic figure stepped outside, two more figures came out, this time clopping could be heard.
As the dust cleared, the yellow and cyan pegasi gasped as they saw the figures standing in front of them. One looked like one of Twilight's machines coming to life while the other two were very familiar to them. The gray pony was covered in all sorts of silver metal and only the legs, cutie mark, which was a picture of gray bubbles, and face were visible. Not to mention that this pony twice their size. The other two ponies were composed of a stallion and a mare. Both have identical grins on them. The mare was bouncing in place while the stallion was busy stretching his muscles. The most notable parts about these two ponies was that their mane colors were both pink.
The pink mare glanced behind her and when she saw the pegasi she closed her eyes and her grin widened as she waved at them enthusiastically. "Hiya guys! Reinforcements are here! Hope we weren't too late for the fun!"
The gray pony just grinned and raised a hoof which sprouted some kind of giant laser from under it. "I hope not because I didn't come here just to play escort." said a familiar feminine voice.
Rainbow Dash's eyes widened when she finally realized who the voice belonged to. "D-derpy?!" |
Snippet of Messages | Chapter 14: Love? | "D-derpy?!"
The gray mare slightly turned her head to peer at the cyan pegasus with her right eye. It widened when she realized who she was looking at before she returned her gaze back at the approaching griffins. "It's good to see you again, Commander Rush, but I don't think now's the time for us to have a chitchat while these flyers are out to kill us."
Derpy smiled as she then turned to Berry who looked back at her with a wide smile on his face. "Here, catch!" she said as she tossed him a curved sword while she raised her right foreleg and it transformed into a giant blade.
Everyone there sans Ace and Lone Claw was shocked when the blade replaced her foreleg with a sharp giant sword. Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Blitz were the first to recover from their shock and then took a closer look at the gray mare.
Rainbow Dash noticed that this Derpy was twice as large as her counterpart and she was wearing some kind of metal plating around her body. Each of her legs were now turned into metal. In fact, only her head was the only part of her body that wasn't completely metallic.
Berry Bubble caught the blade expertly and then return his gaze back at the griffins with a confident smile on his face. "This is going to be so much fun! Aren't you excited Pinkie?! I know I am!"
Pinkie Pie nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yiperee-do! How about you guys?! Don't you think this is going to be fun?!"
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow "Fun?! You call killing griffins fun?!"
"Actually" Ace spoke up as he reloaded his gun with small crystals. "Those aren't griffins aren't really alive. I'll explain later. Now, we fight!" He shouted as he once again fired his gun towards an approaching griffin.
"OOOHHH YYYYYEEEEAAAAHHHH!!" Derpy shouted with sadistic glee while she dove headfirst towards the enemy. She slashed her giant sword in a horizontal arc, decapitating griffins and cutting them in half. She repeated the movement several times while butchering the helpless griffins to bits. "HAHAHAHA I WANT TO SEE YOU BEG FOR YOUR LIVES!" She raged on.
The four pegasi were hugging each other in fear. They didn't know which was safer, the griffins or the crazed mare in front of them. As another griffin was sliced in half by Derpy, the four then thought that the former was a safer choice.
Pinkie and Berry were also fairing well. Pinkie Pie was using her natural bounciness to evade her enemies while using her powerful earth pony legs to kick the griffins back. Berry Bubble was expertly using his sword to parry and strike griffins as they approach him from every side.
Rainbow Blitz winced as Berry sliced a griffin across the chess with a smile on his face. Blitz leaned towards Dash and whispered "They are having way too much fun, don't you think?"
Rainbow Dash just nodded her head as she continued to gape at the bouncing pink mare. Not once did the griffins were able to land a hit at her. Not once did the pink mare made a mistake in her hoovesteps. Not once did the pink mare remove the huge smile on her face. It was then did Rainbow Dash swore never, and she meant never, to make fun or challenge Pinkie Pie in anything.
Rainbow Blitz was having the same thoughts as his counterpart. Blitz watched his pink friend carefully and would continuously wince in pain when Berry killed another griffin without any remorse. He couldn't tell whether he should be glad or worried that he was friends with this kind of pony. Not that he would tell that to Berry though. Blitz gulped. Even Berry had limits and he wasn't crazy enough to find out by how much.
Even though they were killing griffins left and right, their number didn't seem to decrease. In fact, the longer they fought the harder it was to defend themselves. Even the unstoppable force that was Derpy was starting to sweat.
"How many are there anyway?!" Derpy asked Ace while she continued to slice her way through random griffins. "Where are thy coming from?!"
Ace ducked as a griffin tried to swipe at his face with it's sharp talons. "I don't know! But that is not important right now! We need to find a way out of here!" Ace rolled away as another griffin tried to slice his head off. Ace aimed his gun and pulled the trigger but nothing came out. He cursed and tried to reload his gun when he realized that he was out of crystals filled with magic.
"Shit! I'm out of ammo! Hey Derpy, do you have a spare?!" Ace shouted as he resorted to use his gun as a some kind of melee weapon.
"Negative!" Derpy grunted as he blocked another attack. She was starting to get slow since her body couldn't last very long in a fast-paced battle. "We were in a hurry so we didn't have time to prepare for ammunition thinking that it wasn't going to be needed!" She shouted as she dragged her sword towards several griffins. "Die you bucking birds!"
It was then when Ace's communication device started stirring. "Ace....bzzt....are yo....bzzt....there?"
Ace pushed back a griffin before he flew behind Berry for some cover. "Trixie?! We're in a tight position right now so you better get to the point!"
"Ar....bzzt...ou inside th....bzzt...Border Watchtower?"
"Affirmative! We are in the second floor of the building, backed to a wall and no other means of escape other than a flight of stairs towards the first floor!"
"Perfec....bzzt....I need you gu....bzzt....to go down the baseme....bzzt....now!"
"Are you crazy?! It's a dead end down there! We are going to get killed if we get trapped!"
"Trus....bzzt....me!"
"You bucking know this is crazy but this is the only plan we have!"
Ace could hear the chuckling behind the device "I know" Trixie said before the feed cut off.
"Guys! Change of plans! Instead of staying here and slowly get tired, Trixie suggested we go down to the first floor."
"Trixie?!" Derpy said with a growl. "You mean to tell me that you just talked to that traitor and you didn't tell any of us!" she snapped with a glare towards Ace. She would've turned around and pinned Ace to the wall if she wasn't busy fending off the griffins.
Ace returned her glare "She didn't betray us! Just because she made a mistake doesn't mean that she betrayed us!"
"Accidentally killing dozens of our friends by leading them into an ambush is not warranted to be called betrayal?" Lone Claw snorted as he continued to bite off griffins' heads off. "You can't be seriously thinking that it was an accident right? What, you have feelings for her or something?" Lone Claw joked but his eyes widened when Ace just looked down and a visible blush appeared on his face. "By the moon..."
"Enough of this for now, let's get out of here!" Derpy shouted as she threw a crystal in the middle of the hall and it started to brighten to the point that it blinded everypony there. Before any of them could protest, the crystal exploded and engulfed the part of the hallway the crystal was placed and the walls collapsed around the griffins.
"Alright everyone! Move, move, move!" Lone Claw shouted as all of them snapped from their shock and entered the hole where Derpy and the two pink ponies emerged from.
It was only a few minutes later before they arrived at their destination and gave them a chance to breathe. They knew that the griffins would eventually catch up to them so they savored the moment of peace.
Most of them anyway.
"I still can't believe that you're in love with that traitor!" Derpy shouted at Ace. "What? She seduced you or something? Did she promise you a good life if she accidentally kills all of us?! Huh?! Answer me!"
"She isn't a traitor and It was an accident! I was there! You don't know what happened back then! You weren't there when she bawled her eyes out! You weren't there when she begged the Commander to banish her!" Ace gritted his teeth and he was glaring daggers at Lone Claw and Derpy, respectively. "And most important of all, you weren't there when she tried to commit suicide by pointing a gun at her head. And no, she wasn't faking it because if I didn't intervene in time, she would've blown a hole in her head. Tell me, does a traitor do that?"
Everypony there sans Lone Claw were huddled together. They didn't want to get involved in the argument, afraid of what might happen to them. Even the two pink ponies were uncharacteristically quiet towards the whole ordeal.
Derpy glared back at Ace and lowered her head so that they were face to face. "Let me tell you something about love. I once loved somepony a few years back. Back when this whole mess just started. In fact, we were lovers." She laughed dryly as all the eyes there widened at the new information. "Surprised? Even I never thought of finding somepony to love but then she came along. That's right. The pony I was involved with was a mare. At that time, nopony cared who or what we showed affection to. We only had each other to cope with the world around us crumbling. I was so happy with her. She was like an angel that was made just for me."
She then suddenly slammed a metallic hoof on the ground and created a hole from the sheer force. "But it was just wishful thinking since from the beginning, she was just acting. Her true goal was to lure me out in the open and get me captured." She turned her gaze towards the other ponies in the room and they gasped when they finally had a close look at the gray pony. Her left eye was completely made of metal and a red unblinking light was staring right at them. "If you guys don't know it yet, I used to be a pegasus." She raised a hoof and pointed it at her back. "Once I was captured by the walkers, they brought me to some kind of white room with different utensils on a table next to a bed. I was strapped to the bed and was position face down. I begged them to release me but the pony who was in the room with me at that moment was laughing. The first thing I felt was something injecting in my body then the real pain started." |
Snippet of Messages | Chapter 15: The Doctor is In | "Please! I didn't do anything!" Derpy shouted hysterically as she struggled from her bindings. She felt a hoof on the top of her head and heard a feminine voice talk to her.
"I'm sorry." the voice said sincerely. "I wish that I can help you but there is nothing I can do."
"Y-you can s-set me f-free..." Derpy begged desperately.
The voice sighed sadly. "I'm sorry but that is beyond what I can do freely. Believe me, if I could I would." She could hear the mare walking away while muttering "In fact, you're lucky that you got sent here." before the door slammed shut.
Derpy lowered her head on the mechanical table and cried her eyes out. She couldn't believe it. Betrayed by the one she loved. She didn't want to believe it at first but the evidence smacked her right on her face. The way she laughed, full of sadistic glee.
It was only a few minutes later when the door opened an a set of hooves walked in.
"Sorry for the wait but more important matters needed to be attended." The voice sounded feminine and intellectual. She could hear the mare walking around and grabbing some papers from somewhere "Now... Let's see who we have here." She heard the rustling of paper as the mare flipped through them. "Derpy Hooves... Wait... Derpy?" The mare laughed "Oh divines! Do you know how long I've waited for you?!"
"W-what?" Derpy said in hoarse voice from crying too much.
The mare wasn't listening to her since she continued to laugh joyously "Oh this is the best day ever!" The mare hugged Derpy from behind. "We are going to have so much fun!" the mare squealed in delight.
"W-what are you g-going to d-do with m-m-me?!" Derpy demanded.
The mare tsked her three times "Sorry. That's confidential. You'll find out in a minute though." Derpy then heard sounds of metal clashing with each other. "Now... first order of business... Let's replace that eye of yours."
Derpy screamed as a scalpel pierced through her eyelids and she tried to squirm away but a hoof was holding her head down.
"Hold still! This is a delicate procedure and I need to concentrate! I would've used some anesthesia but that's just not my style!"
Screams could be heard inside the room as blood spilled from Derpy's face and the mare continued to laugh sadistically.
"O-oh my..." Fluttershy mumbled as she cried openly.
The other mares were not fairing well and were also crying. This was too much. Nopony should experience something like that.
Derpy shrugged her massive shoulders sadly "It's ok. Past is past. Anyway, after she replaced my eye, she then started removing my limbs and replaced them with mechanical parts. This went on for about a few months. In between, she would replace them with stronger and sturdier parts until I am what I am today. I was always used to test those parts in some kind of arena with some of the grounders."
"Do you know what the mare looked like? The one who did the operation, I mean."
Derpy shook her head as she glared at a wall. "No. I don't know how she did it but I just can't seem to remember her face. It's like she blocked herself from my memory."
Ace furrowed his eyebrows. "Is that even possible? Removing oneself from the memories of others. Quite intriguing if I do say so myself."
"So how did you escape?" Rainbow Blitz asked. "I mean, you did say that the mare found you important."
Derpy opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out. "I... I can't remember... It was just like any other day. I was sent back to my cell to rest for the night and the next thing I knew, I woke up in the forest."
"And that's when we found you." Ace said.
"Yeah... you and that traitor." Derpy muttered but Ace heard her.
Ace would've retorted but they heard something click and the floor in front of them opened. All eyes were locked on the floor and some of them readied their weapons in case it was an ambush. Everypony sighed in relief though when the head of Trixie popped from under the floor.
"Hey guys!" Trixie said happily as she climbed inside the room followed by a purple unicorn mare.
"Twilight!" shouted all the of her mare friends as they jumped on her and gave her a group hug. Twilight laughed as she returned the hug enthusiastically.
The next pony to climb up was another purple unicorn stallion. This time though, the only one who jumped on him was a big muscled pink stallion.
"Dusk!" Berry shouted gleefully as he hugged Dusk Shine tightly. "It's great to see you!"
Dusk shine could feel his ribs cracking as he weakly returned the greeting. Berry had the sense to let him go and Dusk gasped for air as he dropped on the ground. He then felt somepony pat him on the back and when he turned around he smiled as Dash and Butterscotch stood behind him huge grins on their faces.
Ace walked next to Trixie and gave her a hug. She returned the hug and smiled coyly at him after he released her. Ace was about to ask her what was with the smile when Trixie leaned forward and kissed him. She released it only a few seconds later and she giggled when Ace just stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"Wh-wh-whaaa?" Ace asked intelligently.
Trixie giggled again before she leaned towards his ear and whispered "It's because I missed you."
Ace just nodded his head absentmindedly.
Trixie then cleared her throat loudly, effectively getting everyone's attention "So... everypony ready? Good! Now, let's go!"
She motioned everyone there to get inside the hole and one by one they jumped in until Trixie was the last one to go down and cover the hole with the floor board she raised beforehand.
"So Trixie... How did you know about this passageway?" Lone claw asked as they slowly walked inside the cave under the tower.
"Actually, I was here when this tower was still built and I specifically advised the architect to build some kind of escape route in case of ambushes. At first he laughed at me for making such a suggestion but I then told him that if ever something happened to the tower and he failed to protect it then it would be on his head. It came to no surprise months later when he showed me this when the tower was finished being built." Trixie laughed wholeheartedly "In fact, he personally thanked me years ago when the tower was overridden with flyers and their only means of escape was the this tunnel."
"So that's how they escaped! And here I thought they muscled their way through!" Ace nodded satisfied with this new information.
At the back, the four dimension traveling mares were having their own serious conversation.
"Did you two kiss?" Rainbow Dash asked Pinkie Pie excitedly.
"Rainbow! You can't just ask her like that! It's private!" Twilight scolded. She then looked looked at Pinkie uncomfortably. "So... did you kiss?"
Pinkie put a hoof on her chin and thought "Hmmm..." The three mares looked at her expectantly. Pinkie looked back with a huge smile on her face accompanied with a blush. "Yes!"
Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at each other and squealed like school-fillies while Fluttershy just smiled at Pinkie.
"You go girl! Who would've thought that the first pony in our group to have a coltfriend would be you!" Rainbow Dash said proudly.
"Y-yeah..." Fluttershy agreed but with less enthusiasm. "I-I mean, I thought that you w-would be too busy with hosting parties and not have time for, you know, getting that special somepony."
Pinkie looked at Berry longingly and then back to her friends. "I thought so too but after meeting him and getting to know him better, I think I finally found what I've been missing my whole life. My dream has always been seeing everypony smile but I also felt that something was missing." She smiled softly unlike her other smiles that were full of energy. "But after coming here, I finally found out what was missing. Somepony to share it with."
Pinkie once again glanced at Berry and caught his attention. She gave him a soft smile and a little wave. Berry waved back and she then turned her focus back to the other mares.
Blitz saw this exchange so he decided that he needed to intervene. "Hey brony" Blitz said as he tapped the pink stallion on his shoulder. When Berry turned his head towards Blitz, he started talking again. "I've been wondering for a while now. What's up with you and Pinkie there?"
That question got both of Dusk Shine and Butterscotch's attentions and they stopped talking to each other to listen.
Berry smiled but unlike his other beaming smiles. This one was soft as he once again glanced at the pink mare. "I don't know." He answered simply without his usual bubbleness. "We're friends but at the same time I feel like we're something closer."
"Y-you mean like s-somepony s-s-special?" Butterscotch supplied quietly.
Berry nodded slowly. "Yeah... Something like that. It's just that, I feel this some sort of connection with her. Like, it's something I've been missing all my life but at the same time, it's something that I just realized that I needed all my life." Berry once again glanced at Blitz. "Confusing right?"
"Uh-huh..." Blitz nodded absentmindedly, clearly not listening to everything Berry said. "Tell me, what are your feelings for her?"
"Feelings? Like Scotch said, I think, to me, she's somepony special..." he trailed off.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Blitz said as she flew in front of Berry and made all the dimension travelling stallions stop in their tracks. "Back up. Are you telling me that you lo-" he had trouble saying the word. "Have deep feelings for her?"
Berry nodded.
Blitz shook his head "Ok, Bubs, rule number 1 in dating mares. Never, and I mean never, have deep feelings for them. That only spells disaster. Trust me, been there done that."
"B-but Rainbow!" Butterscotch protested albeit he was whispering. "Y-you can't just tell Berry to s-stop loving her!"
Blitz glared at the yellow pegasus making him wince. "Why not?"
"Because this isn't about you." Dusk Shine spoke as he glared at the cyan pegasus. "This about Berry and miss Pie. Just because you don't approve of their relationship doesn't mean that they should stop it."
Blitz winced as Dusk's words sank in. "I-I never said that I didn't approve. It's just that... that..." before he could find a way to escape, Butterscotch cut him off again.
"Is it because you're afraid to lose your best friend?"
Berry eyes widened as he looked at Blitz "Is that true?"
Blitz looked down, defeated, and nodded his head slowly. It was just a moment later when he felt a powerful foreleg wrap around his neck and he was given a noogy.
"What are you talking about brony? Just because me and Pinkie have our special moments doesn't mean that I will forget about my bestest of best friends!" He grinned brighter and turned his head towards the other two stallions before his forelegs stretched and grabbed them for a group hug. "I love you guys!"
Dusk Shine laughed as well. "Yeah, yeah... We love you too big guy. Come on, we're lagging behind."
Border Watchtower Underground
The floorboard where Twilight and the others climbed down from was destroyed as a hoof smashed through it.
A moment later, a black coated stallion with red beaming eyes jumped down, followed by another pony who looked just like the first one, Then another and another.
Hooves could be heard as the herd of black coated ponies marched towards the dimension travelers. |
Snippet of Messages | Chapter 16: Sacrifices Must Be Done | Outside the Border Tower
Ponies and griffins everywhere.
Griffins with black feathers and blood red eyes were circling the tower like vultures circling a dead animal. These griffins were wearing silver armor from head to talons.
While the griffins were occupying the skies, the ponies were busy on the ground. These ponies had jet-black coats, black tails and mane, and, just like the griffins, had blood red eyes.
What these two species had in common were the symbols on their armor and their blank faces. The symbol on the griffins was a head like theirs only it was colored gold while the symbol on the ponies consisted of a blue crescent moon with a curved ending and an identical colored broken wand on the middle.
The ponies busted holes in the wall and entered through there to get inside the tower while the griffins were flying inside by entering the open windows on the third floor.
A single griffon was currently floating above the black griffins with a stony look on his face. This griffon was different from the others however since his feathers on his chest to head was white while the rest of his body was colored brown. The griffon was currently wearing a black armored suit but he didn't have a helmet on and his talons were bare. The griffon narrowed his eyes and floated there, waiting.
Without any indication, the griffon pressed a button on his suit and talked on it. "Are you sure that they are here?" the griffon asked in a very feminine voice.
A second voice sounded from the griffon's suit but this one sounded machine-like. "Affirmative. I can still trace their magic signatures all over the place. Your task is to at least get one of them. Understood?"
The female griffon grinned and her yellow eyes stared at the tower maliciously. "Crystal."
With the dimension travelers
Currently, the dimension travelers, one brown pegasus stallion, one blue unicorn mare, one male alpha wolf, and one hybrid mechanical pegasus mare were resting as they were walking for the past hour or so. The blue unicorn failed to mention that running inside the cave was both risky and stupid since they could easily get lost because of the darkness and because of all the other passageways that goes deeper inside the cave system.
The dimension travelers, the mares specifically, were about to have a very serious conversation concerning a mare and a stallion.
"So Pinkie..." Twilight started. "What are your plans with Berry Bubbles, if you don't mind me asking."
Pinkie just smiled at the purple unicorn. "I don't mind at all, Twily. So what do you mean about my plan about Berry Werry?"
Twilight just ignored Pinkie's nickname for the pink stallion and continued. "Well... It seems to me that you two are serious about this... relationship... and I want to know what you two are going to do in the near future."
"About what?" PInkie tilted her head in confusion.
Twilight sighed. It should probably be better if she got to the point. "I'm asking what are the two of you going to do if we get home."
Pinkie just scoffed and waved a hoof at the unicorn. "Pfft that's easy! I mean, duh! I'll just visit him whenever I can and he'll do the same! It's not like we're always busy since the Cakes usually gives us a week off when we ask! Easy as pie!"
Twilight just raised an eyebrow at Pinkie's simple logic. "Uh-huh... and how, per tell, are you going to accomplish that?"
"Weeelll... we could... uhmm..." Pinkie furrowed her eyebrows as she couldn't think of anything. "We could ride the train? No, wait... there's no train that leads to other Ponyville. I know, we could-wait, that's also not possible..."
Pinkie was lost in her thoughts for about a few minutes before her mane deflated and she looked at Berry sadly.
"Y-you're right, Twily... After all this... I won't be able to see him again..." she sniffed as tears were gathering in her eyes.
"Oh Pinkie!" Twilight gasped as she hugged the tearful pink party mare. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked that! It was not right of me to ask that question."
Pinkie shook her head as she rubbed her nuzzle with her foreleg. "No, it's ok... I-I should've realized this from the beginning... I-I need to talk to him about this."
Twilight sighed sadly as she once again hugged the pink mare tightly "I just wish that I didn't have to bring that up but it's for your own good, both of you. I... I just don't want you two to get hurt. You're are my friend, my best friend to be exact, so it's in my best interest to see you smile. And I know that you will also do the same for me."
Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash joined in the hug after Twilight's little speech and all of them wished that both Rarity and Applejack were with them at that moment.
The dimension travelling stallions were watching the mares curiously.
"What's with fillies and their hugs?" Blitz asked as he rubbed a hoof on his mane.
Dusk Shine shrugged his shoulders. "Don't ask me. For all I know I think it has to do with miss Pie."
"Why do you say that?" Blitz asked again.
"For starters, she's in the center, and the most obvious clue is because her mane flattened just like Berry's when he feels sad."
Berry looked at the pink mare worriedly. He should probably talk to her later.
"So..." Blitz looked at Berry with a knowing grin. "When are you going to pop her balloon?" he waggled his eyebrows.
Berry looked at him in confusion for a second before his eyes widened and his blushed while he shook his vehemently.
Dusk Shine once again raised an eyebrow. "What? What does a balloon have to do with their relationship?"
"You know... uhmm..." Blitz said while scratching his head. "This is harder than I thought... Berry, a little help here." but to his dismay, the pink stallion was still blushing wildly and was in no condition in helping him explain to their innocent purple unicorn friend about the bees and the bird. "Scotch?" Blitz asked the yellow pegasus and to his relief he nodded his head.
"U-uhmm... Dusk... I-if you could come here for a second, if you don't mind..."
Dusk Shine shrugged his shoulders before he walked a little way with Butterscotch while he whispered some things to the curious unicorn. It wasn't a minute later when the two of them went back to their little group and the purple unicorn eyes widened and had a visible blush on his face.
Dusk coughed on his hoof awkwardly. "Now that I'm properly debriefed... I guess Blitz does have a point. I mean, if you two plan to take this relationship to a new level..." he trailed off as he looked at Berry expectantly.
Fun fact: Their dimensions might be the exact copy of each other but being the opposite gender has its... quirks... So it can't be helped that even Twilight's Sparkles, the most innocent of all the Mane 6, other dimension self sometimes thinks with his other horn.
Berry scratched the back of his head. "Uhmm..." Much to his friends' surprise, he starting tapping his hooves together. "Me and Pinkie already talked about that and... well... we both promised each other that we won't do those kinds of things until we've dated for a few months and know each other a little more."
The stallions sans Butterscotch looked at him like he grew a second head.
"You do realize that the two of you are near identical to each other, right?" Dusk Shine said slowly.
Berry shook his head "Actually, no. In their Ponyville, Pinkie is not a part-time construction pony and she doesn't lift weights. Another thing, colts doesn't swarm her like mares do to us in our Ponyville. Lastly" he looked at Blitz straight in the eye. "Rainbow Dash didn't play with a stallion's heart and stole their purity."
Dusk Shine's eyes widened. That was a word he knew. He looked at Blitz and hoped against all hope that Berry was just joking but to his dismay, Blitz glared at Berry and grounded his teeth.
"You said you weren't going to tell anypony." Blitz growled.
Berry glared back and stood to his full height, completely dwarfing the cyan pegasus by a head. "You forgot, I didn't Berry Promise."
Silenced engulfed the four stallions as Berry and Blitz continued their stare down, neither one backing out.
"Well?" Berry asked, breaking the silence. "Aren't you going to tell them who you done the deed to?"
Blitz's glare intensified. "They don't need to know."
"Why not?" Berry challenged.
"Because... because it's none of their business!" he shouted, loud enough that he caught everyone's attention.
"None of their business?! Are you hearing yourself?! Either you tell Dusk Shine or I will!"
"Me? Tell me what?" Dusk Shine alternated between looking at Berry and Blitz. "Blitz, what is he talking about?!"
Berry grinned humorlessly "Dusk, tell me, when was the last time you talked to your sister?"
"Why are you bringing that up now?!" Blitz shouted, clearly pissed off at the pink stallion.
"Because you told me months ago that you were going to tell Dusk and I think this is obviously the perfect time since we won't know what will happen to any of us in the near future!" Berry shouted back.
"I told you that I was going to wait for the right moment!"
"And like I said, you said that months ago!"
Blitz gritted his teeth and was about to pounce on the pink stallion when Dusk Shine suddenly stood in front of them.
"I know what you two are talking about, at least, I think I do." Dusk sighed as his gaze fell on Blitz. "Blitz, Glistening Shield told me about it. About you two."
Blitz, shocked from the news he'd heard, fell from his hovering position on to his haunches. "Sh-she did...? Dusk... I-" he was going to apologize when, once again, Dusk interrupted him.
"I know. It was an accident. You just got rejected from being accepted in the wondercolts, Glistening Shield broke up with her fiance, prince Cancer, and Berry celebrated his 21st birthday with some apple cider. You two were an emotional wreck while also being drunk." Dusk Shine once again sighed. "I can never find it in my heart to get mad at you. You were just there trying to comfort her."
"Still... I just want to say sorry for taking advantage of her. It may have looked like I did it because I pitied her but the truth is, your sister is pretty hot."
"Uhmm... thank you? I guess..."
It was then everyone present there heard a deep growl. They turned towards the sound and were shocked to see that Lone Claw was currently crouched down with a deep sneer on his face. He was completely still except for the occasional twitch of an ear or tail.
It was Trixie who recovered first and shook her head "How many." It was a command.
Lone Claw didn't show that he acknowledge her question. "Too many." his growls deepened and became more animalistic. "Grounders"
Derpy growled as she raised her right foreleg and released the giant sword earlier. "We can take them. There's nopony out there who can take me!"
Lone Claw looked at Trixie intently and said coldly "They're getting closer, fast."
Trixie's eyes widened. "Shit! We've got to move!" she turned towards the dimension travelers since it was obvious that they were still entranced by the growling alpha. "NOW!" she shouted and everyone there snapped from their trance and followed her lead as she ran as fast as she could towards the mouth of the cave.
Hooves could be heard as the unicorns and earth ponies started running as fast as they could while the pegasi flew at the sides. In the lead was Trixie since she was the one who knew the way out.
Trixie needed to slow down though since some of the ponies with her were slow like Derpy because of her sheer size. Derpy may be the strongest pony there, being able to punch a hole through a wall like it was paper, but she was also the slowest. With all the metal over her body, it was no surprise that they were wearing her down.
The cave wasn't a simple one. It was a cave system. It branched out at every direction. A different pathway leads to other pathways and anybody can get lost easily inside. Not to mention that the sides of the caves were pitch black. It was a spiderweb where a path could lead to certain death.
"Ok ponies and wolf! We need to pick the pace up because I dropped an overloaded gem back there and it's going to blow up in a minute!"
"How long is it gonna take us to get to the entrance?!" Twilight asked currently calculating their chances of survival.
Trixie turned to her with a grin. "Longer than the time for the gem to explode!"
"Seriously?!" Blitz shouted as she flew as fast as he could but he still was slower than the running blue unicorn. "Why would you do that?!"
Trixie slightly turned her head towards Blitz and glared at him "So that they won't have a chance to follow us and reveal our location! It's also to lessen their army. The more grounders we kill the better."
Pinkie Pie gasped "B-but... but that's so..."
"Brutal?" Trixie mocked asked "Well... That's what happens when you live in a world where your friends die left and right..."
"They're almost here!" Lone Claw once again shouted as he ran behind them.
"What?! That's not possible! There's no way somepony could run that fast!" Dusk shouted hysterically.
Ace laughed at his naivety "It's possible alright! As possible as bringing the dead back to life!"
Before Dusk Shine could retort, they could hear hooves galloping behind them followed by a huge explosion and the whole cave started shaking.
Trixie gritted her teeth "Right on time. Come on everypony! Pick up the pace!"
Fluttershy screamed as a spear whizzed past her head.
"Evasive maneuver!" Ace shouted as another spear flew at them.
"They're catching up to us!" Berry said as he jumped, barely dodging the spear that flew under him.
"I'll distract them!" Ace shouted as he turned around.
"Wait, don't!" Trixie stopped on her tracks and ran towards Ace. "Don't you dare! We're almost there!"
Twilight also stopped as she turned towards the blue unicorn "Trixie?! Come back you guys!"
"They're going to catch up to us and you know it!" Ace shouted back.
"I order you to get out of here now!"
Ace shook his head as he rubbed a hoof on Trixie's face. "This is the only time that I'm going to defy your orders."
Trixie leaned on his hoof as she said "If that's what you want then I'm staying with you."
"Hurry up!" Twilight shouted frantically with wide eyes. "They're almost here!"
Ace glared at her. "No! You are going with them and that is final!"
Trixie smiled grimly at him. "I outrank you. I'm staying and there's nothing you can do about it."
Ace sighed as he turned towards the approaching Grounders "Fine. If we're going down then I'm happy that I'm going down with you."
Twilight looked at them for a few more moments before she shook her head and turned around to exit the cave.
"Actually" Trixie said which made Ace turn to her. "Only one of us is going down and it's not you."
Ace didn't know what she was talking about before her horn started glowing. Ace's eyes widened when he realized what she was going to do. But what really surprised him was "Y-you can use magic?!"
Trixie smiled sadly "Tada..." before Ace could argue, he was surrounded by a blinding light and when he opened his eyes, he was already outside with everyone else.
"Trixie?" he turned his head around frantically, before turning his gaze back at the cave, eyes alarmed "Trixie!" he ran back to the cave but was stopped by Lone Claw when the mouth of the cave collapsed on itself. "No! NO! Trixie!" |
Snippet of Messages | Chapter 17: Stranger Than Usual | Ace stood there, mouth quivering, as he stared at the cave longingly, hoping against all hope that Trixie would magically appear in front of him. It was five minutes later when he collapsed on the ground and started crying.
Derpy slowly approached the brown pegasus and rested her hoof on his shoulder. Ace looked up with tears in his eyes.
"Hey, for all that it's worth, if she was given the chance, she would gladly sacrifice herself again for your sake" Derpy said, smiling sadly.
Ace returned her smile while half-metallic mare helped him up on his hooves "Yeah, I guess you're right." He then steeled himself while wearing a mask of determination "Ok everypony, Trixie has given us a few minutes of breathing space before those walkers could dig their way through the tunnels"
"Woah! Wait a second!" Blitz flailed his hooves around for emphasis "Are you telling me that those things are still going after us?! There's no way they survived that cave in!"
"Unless they're already dead, right?" Ace chuckled humorlessly "Listen up everypony. Most of you here are new to this place. So let me give you a brief introduction to our little team before we head on towards the base. This big mare over here" he pointed a hoof on Derpy " as some of you already know, is Derpy. She's half machine, and half pegasus. As she said earlier, her wings were ripped away from her but that didn't stop her from being who she is now. Usually, her job is to balance the tides of opposing forces. All of you probably already realize that her position in the team is usually on the front. This "he then pointed a hoof towards the alpha "is commander Lone Claw. Most of you here probably didn't know but he is an alpha. An alpha is considered the strongest, fastest, biggest, and most of all, most clever wolf in a pack. Unlike Derpy, his job always involves ambushes. He usually works alone to avoid detection. And finally, me, I am Ace Striker. my part in the team is usually being the gunpony of the group. Most of the time, I will be positioned inside a bush or on top of a tree to snipe on unsuspecting grounders and/or flyers. Any questions?"
Twilight raised a hoof "Yeah... I'll start with the most obvious, who are these flyers and grounders you guys keep talking about? I already deduced that they are the enemy but I still don't what they are considering they don't seem to care what happens to them."
Before Ace could open his mouth, Lone Claw beat him to it "I know that all of you would like an answer for that but we don't have much right now. I could already sense them digging their way through."
Ace cursed and reached inside his saddlebag. A second later, he brought out a gem, this time it was colored yellow "Ok everypony, the moment I break this gem, you run as fast as you can. Just follow Lone Claw as he will lead you to base, got it?" Everypony present nodded "Good, now go!" The moment he threw the gem, everypony there ran for their lives, Ace quickly followed.
It was only a few minutes later when a grounder able to dig his way through the cave, only to be greeted by a growling ursa major. The grounder stood no chance as the giant beast roared and bit the grounder's head off.
"Aaaand that's the last of them!" Ace grunted as he smashed another yellow gem. It was actually the fourth one now and they were a considerable amount of distance away from the Border Watchtower.
"Why the hey is he breaking those crystals like that? And why is some sort of juice coming out of it?" Rainbow Dash asked as she and the other pegasi flew together.
Butterscotch shook his head "Oh that's not juice. That's actually an ursa major bodily excretion"
Rainbow Dash just blinked and turned her head towards Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus immediately knew what her cyan friend wanted because she blushed and tapped her front hooves together "What he meant to say was... those crystals contained ursa major urine"
"Woah, woah, woah... Back up a second" Blitz flew next to the yellow pegasus which she found uncomfortable "Are you telling me that he has piss inside those bags of his?" he asked with an amused smirk on his face.
Fluttershy's blush deepened as she realized that she was staring deep in his pink eyes but was able to nod her head a little.
Blitz couldn't take it anymore and laughed his head off, Raibow Dash quickly followed suit.
"Wh-what's so funny?" Butterscotch asked which only made Blitz and Dash laugh louder.
"Anyways... I think it's now safe for us to walk our way back to base." Lone Claw said.
"Oh oh!" Pinkie Pie started bouncing "You mean that giant dome root thingy me and BB saw earlier?!"
Lone Claw raised an eyebrow "Uh yeah... How did you know that?"
It was Berry that answered "Weeeelll... Me and Pinkie were having a wonderful time strolling around when we come across this giant dome made out of roots! We were gonna go back to the others so that we could have our very first root dome themed party but we were stopped by this lizard guy who was holding some kind of weird toy that shoots lasers at us. It lasted for a few minutes before we heard talking from inside his pocket which is weird because nopony could fit in a pocket. Then he started talking and that's when Derpy over there bolted outside from the root dome and since the lizard guy was ignoring us we decided to follow her and then we met you guys!"
Everyone there just stared blankly at the pink stallion as he finished his rambling.
"Uhh... what he said" Derpy added helpfully.
Lone Claw cleared his throat, effectively getting everyone's attention again "Right, like I said, we should probably be heading back now before they catch up to us."
Everyone there nodded before they started walking their way towards the root dome.
"So..." Ace started as he hovered next to Dusk Shine
"Dusk Shine"
"Thanks. So Dusk Shine, aren't you going to introduce yourselves?"
"Oh you're right! My apologies, we were so caught up with the situation that we completely forgot to tell you our names!"
Ace just waved him off "Don't worry. That happens all the time. You were saying?"
"Ahh right. My name is Dusk Shine, student of prince Solaris, and current librarian of the only library of Ponyville." Dusk Shine said proudly.
"Cool. So is she your sister?" Ace pointed towards Twilight Sparkle.
"Miss Sparkle? Solaris forbid that to happen!" Dusk Shine laughed "Believe it or not, she is actually from another dimension from myself. She is what you call... my other self. She is the student of princess Celestia, in her world at least, and she is also the librarian of the only library in her Ponyville."
"Uh-huh..."
"Anyways, let me introduce you to my friends" Dusk Shine pointed a hoof to the two cyan pegasi "That stallion over there is Rainbow Blitz and the mare next to hims is Rainbow Dash. Their jobs are to clear clouds and moved them round" Dusk Shine then pointed his hoof towards the two yellow pegasi currently giving each other shy glances with noticeable blushes on their muzzles "Those two over there are Fluttershy and Butterscotch. They are probably the shyest ponies you'll ever meet. It is Butterscotch's job to take care of the animals in our world so I probably think that Fluttershy does the same" He finally pointed his hoof towards the last member of his friends "And that over there next to the bouncing mare is Bubble Berry, he throws parties."
"He... throws parties..." Ace looked at Berry then at Dusk again then at Berry again "Is that some kind of code for surprise attacks because that pony looks like he could lift a house and throw it at anypony that pissed him. As for the mare, well, except for the fact that that excessive bouncing must be bad for her health, she does look like your typical party-thrower. As for that stallion... not so much."
Dusk chuckled awkwardly, remembering the time when Applejack broke his Berry Promise and almost got hit by a cabin, courtesy of a raging Berry "Well, he does work as a part-time construction pony."
"Really? If you ask me, I would've thought that he worked at the Apple farm."
"Technically, he is part Apple" Dusk offered
"I wouldn't doubt that" Ace said as he watched amusingly at the pink stallion flexing his muscle in front of the mare. Ace chuckled at the display "He sure is trying hard to get that mare's attention"
Dusk nodded his head "Yeah... I've been wondering about something actually. Usually, Berry is the kind of pony that would spontaneously spout random facts and be as random as he could but today, well, he is acting normal. Normal for him that is"
Dusk Shine couldn't get his mind off what Ace said. Berry was acting stranger than usual. Why is he forcing himself. It's quite obvious that miss Pie is infatuated with him. Dusk Shine narrowed his eyes when he realized that there were still some things he didn't know about his best friend I should probably ask him about that later. |
I Run from the Monster | pre | Who Can I Trust?
Who Can I Believe?"
-Am I by Linda - A
"So; what are we going to do today?"
"Inform, reassure, present!"
"What are we going to inform them of?"
"Her return!"
"How are we going to reassure them?
"We have beaten her before!"
"What are we going to present?"
"The Elements of Harmony and the bearers!"
"And?"
"Cadance, Shining Armor, the Military, and the Guard!"
"And?"
"Twilight Sparkle?"
"Close enough!" Celestia answered her sister, as she walked around the younger alicorn. They were preparing themselves, both physically and mentally, for their announcement and meetings that were about to commence. "We need to show them that we've been going through a time of prosperity- two new alicorns in such a short time is welcoming, and gives us a better chance. We are one of the most powerful nations, something that will hopefully give our subjects confidence that we will come out victorious,"
"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Luna shouted jokingly, and they both erupted in small giggles. They had found that over the ages, mirth is a good distraction from nervousness.
"Luna," Celestia began, in a more serious tone than before, "you must make sure that you are fully prepared for the topic. Some may think..."
"It's ok, big sister," she said with a smile, "I'll be fine. Last night... I was just surprised is all,"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure,"
"Then I suppose we must get going," she was smiling again.
"Yes, let's g-"
She was interrupted by somepony knocking at Celestia's chamber's door.
"You may enter," Celestia called in her usual formal voice. A Solar guard enter, his green eyes tinged with worry, panting ever so slightly.
"Your Highnesses," he addressed them, clearly surprised to see Luna, "The Bearer of the Element of Kindness and Spike the dragon were just found at the outskirts of the city. Neither showed any injuries, except maybe some extended wing use, but it did look as if they had crashed, Spike the dragon being a passenger. They were both unconscious, and were taken to the hospital immediately,"
"Fluttershy?" Luna asked, taking in the surprising and large amount of information in.
"Have they awoken yet?" the elder sister asked, and the guard shook his head, steely expression back on his face, "We must got to them immediately. Send for the rest of the Elements." He gave them a swift nod before dashing away, off to do what he was told.
Using her magic, Celestia picked up a cylindrical piece off the wall, and proceeded to speak into it.
"Prepare a carriage for Luna and I, we are going out. I need a room prepared for Princess Cadance and her husband, Earl of the Crystal Empire and Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor. We will welcome them later today, at precisely 4:30." she levitated it back to its post on the wall.
"Come, Luna," she said to her sister as she walked out into the hall. Both sisters made their way down to the carriage, Celestia stopping here and there to answer questions and give orders. Luna was also asked a few things, but mostly about her appearance wardrobe for the announcement that they would be making soon.
They soon made it to their carriage, the one specifically used for the both of them, with was made up of pure white ivory on one side, and fine obsidian on the other. The ivory was crested with gold and inlaid with diamonds, while the other held silver and sapphires. The four wheels were all identical, each being crafted of iron, and coated in silver and gold paints. The inside was filled with cloud cushions, the finest of Cloudsdale, making it quite comfortable for the two alicorns.
This was the carriage of the Two Alicorn Sisters, a relic so rarely used that the Lunar and Solar guards who were assigned to pull it were as excited as four foals with energy drinks in a candy store.
But they couldn't show it of course.
They were given orders to take the Princesses to the Hospital at once, and they saluted before taking off.
Now, you'd think a carriage built almost entirely of metals would be much too heavy to carry, and you'd be right. But the sisters' method of transportation was heavily enchanted with weight deduction spells, balance distribution spells, and spells that increased its over all aerodynamics, making it easier to pull than an empty cart on the ground.
Celestia had long since forgotten just how many spells had been cast on the thing.
They made it to the Hospital in no time, and the two alicorns stepped out of the carriage and through the doors without a word. This left the guards and carriage to be viewed by the public, a marvelous sight to see. But to some, who knew what it was, they realized that something important was happening. Something big.
But the guards were happy.
-oOo-
Fluttershy awoke with a loud gasp, catching the attention of a nearby unicorn nurse.
"Oh.. oh my..." she panted, eyes darting this way and that, trying to figure out where she was. The nurse rushed over, carrying a clipboard with her magic.
"You're awake!" she greeted the pegasus cheerily, a bright smile on her face, "It's ok; you're just at the Royal Canterlot Hospital!"
"Th-the hospital..?"
"Yes, but don't worry; you don't have any injuries or sicknesses or anything. You were just found unconscious somewhere, and your wings showed a little stress," her words sped out quickly, "So, we deducted that you collapsed from exhaustion from attempting to fly here from Ponyville, and that that little baby dragon was just asleep--he woke up right away the little dear--but we left you here just in case!"
"Um... thanks...? Ms..."
"Periwinkle," she answered, "but you can just call me 'Wink' for short!" she offered, giving her a wink to emphasize.
"O-ok, Ms. Wink ma'am," she said quietly, eyes searching for somewhere else to look. This mare was making her quite uncomfortable.
Wink gave a giddy laugh as Fluttershy spoke her nickname, and clapped her hooves.
"Nurse Periwinkle," a stern voice said from the hallway, causing the said nurse to freeze, "are you bothering the patient?"
"N-no Doctor Thin Needle," she called back, slowly scooting away from Fluttershy as she did, "just checking up on the Element Bearer..."
"Ah! The Element Bearer! I almost forgot!," a grey stallion walked in, a pegasus, with a darker grey mane. As he walked in, Wink mouthed 'oh my Celestia' in an exaggerated manner to Fluttershy. "How are you feeling?"
"Oh! Umm, fine.. "
"Thank goodness! When the ambulance brought you he-"
"An ambulance?"
"Ah, yes. When it broug-"
"Why?"
"Er, I.. it was an emergency, an I-"
"What if somepony else had needed it more than I did?" she stood up on her bed, looking down on the doctor.
"Well, erm,"
"I was only exhausted!" she was hovering above him now, a disappointed expression on her face.
"But you ar-"
"Yes, I am an Element of Harmony, but that doesn't make me better than everypony else,"
"I uh.."
"Now I know that this may not be your fault, but you will make sure that emergency transportation like this is used correctly in the future, yes?"
"What were they supposed to do? Carry y-"
"Yes?"
"Yes, ma'am," he sighed reluctantly. Lady doesn't know what the hay she's talking about. For all we knew, she'd had a concussion! And I'm not even the one who sent the ambulance!
Satisfied that she'd done some good, she floated down to the floor.
"Thank you, sir," she smiled, "now, I mean if you don't mind me asking, where's Spike?"
"The dragon? Out in the lobby,"
"Oh, ok," she gave him a thankful nod, and turned towards the door. But before she could even reach for the handle, the door flew open, making way for two alicorns.
"Fluttershy! Are you alright?" Luna, who'd been the one to open the door, called out in the Royal Canterlot Voice, holding a look of concern on her face.
"Luna, you might want to quiet down a bit; some patients are trying to sleep," Celestia whispered into her sister's ear in amusement, causing her to blush slightly. "I'm glad to see that you are well, Fluttershy," she said, turning to the pegasus, "but may I ask what caused you to collapse like that?"
"Well, you see-"
"Fluttershy!" the voice of a young dragon yelled, following the dragon himself as he rushed in from behind the Princesses, "You're ok!"
"Of course she's ok; she's at the best hospital for miles around! We did everything we could," Thin Needle boasted, bowing to the Royal Sisters.
"She didn't need any medical attention," Nurse Periwinkle reminded him, rolling her eyes, "we didn't do anything."
"You still want that raise?" he said through his teeth as he kept up his smile.
"Yep, we're the best!"
"I'm sure you are, my little ponies, but I think we should hear what Fluttershy here has to say," Celestia said evenly.
"Your Highnesses," two guards had appeared, one Solar and one Lunar, "We were assigned to accompany you."
"Of course," Luna sighed.
"..I.. uh.." Fluttershy mumbled.
"Yes?" Celestia asked.
"The reason I tried to fly here is-"
"Princess Luna, please don't touch that... "
"Why not? I want to see the x-ray of my body!"
"But... I'd better get somepony over here..."
"I..." Oh, why won't anypony let me talk?
"Ahah! The fun has been doubled!"
"No! That's not supposed to work like that!"
"Princess Celestia! All the Elements, besides Fluttershy, have been foalnapped!" Spike suddenly errupted, seeing as Fluttershy would probably never get a word in.
This exclamation silenced everypony in the room, and all eyes looked to the small dragon.
"Did you say foalnapped" Luna asked, returning from the x-ray machine. She was followed by a frazzled Periwinkle with a smoking coat.
Celestia had her eyes closed, and seemed to be concentrating.
"Yeah, last night... Fluttershy and I were lucky to get out of there!" Spike continued, "She went to all of their houses, and everypony was gone--all our friends I mean--and she took me with her to go check on Apple Jack, and even she had been foalnapped, right under the Apple Family's noses! After talking to Big Mac for a little bit, Fluttershy took off for Canterlot to tell you guys, erm, Princesses I mean. With me riding on her back,"
"It sounds like she left her house at just the right time..." Luna thought outloud, "Tell me, Fluttershy, what made you leave your cottage at such an hour?"
"Well.. I uh..." she fidgeted with her hooves as she started to blush, "Rainbow dash left her modeling magazines and Soarin photos at my house, and I was too embarrassed to leave them there, so I just had to take them to her!"
"What?" everpony--except Celestia--in the room asked, her fast spoken sentence to quiet to be heard.
"Rainbow left some, ah, important things at my cottage that I just had to return immediately," she revised her previous statement, "but when I got there, her house was a mess! And she was gone..."
"And that is when you went to check on your friends, correct?" Celestia asked, opening her eyes again.
"Y-yes.. Rarity first, then Pinkie Pie, then Twilight, then Applejack. They were, are, all missing..."
"I see..." her tone was steady as she nodded her head, closing her eyes once more.
"Sister... could it be..?"
"Yes, it seems as if it is,"
"What, Princess?" Spike asked, looking up to the tall Alicorn.
"Fluttershy, Spike; I think it would be best if you came with us," her eyes snapped open and a blinding flash was sent through the room.
"They're gone!" Thin Needle exclaimed, seeing as the Princesses, the guards, Fluttershy, and Spike were all missing from the room.
"It's called a teleportation spell, genius," Nurse Periwinkle muttered under her breath.
"What?"
"Nothing," |
The Sphere | pre | "Finally, all done!"
Rarity put away the final dress she made into a box, where it would later be sent to fill Sapphire Shore's order.
"I hope the others had more fun with the Princess than I have been having in here." she thought darkly, as she heard a hoof knock on her door.
"Be right there!" called Rarity as she made her way to the front of her shop and opened the door, only to see her friend Applejack on the other side.
"You know Applejack, the store is still open. You could have just walked in."
"Oh, uh, right. Anyway, I've spoken to Princess Celestia with the others, and they have come to a decision about what to do with the sphere."
"Sphere? What sphere? Did something happen?" asked Rarity, looking nervous at the thought.
"Oh, you haven't seen it yet? There's a great big hunk of rock cut into a perfect orb shape out on the Whitetail Woods that just appeared recently."
"I'm sorry Applejack, but I don't know to what stone orb you are referring."
"Well, I guess it don't matter much, but Princess Celestia found a gateway to another world, and Rainbow Dash went thought it."
Now Rarity was looking quite a bit alarmed. "A gateway? Like in the stories? And you said the Rainbow Dash is stuck on the other side?!"
"No Rarity, RD is fine. She was brought back, and told us that she appeared underground in some other world. Now Twilight wants to dig to the surface to see that other world, and we need to find some skilled diggers. I figured since you buy a lot of gems, that you might know some ponies who are a skilled hoof as busting up rocks."
"Well, Applejack, I'm glad to hear that Rainbow Dash is okay, but I'm sorry to tell you that I don't know very many miners. Most of the gems I have a find myself in the fields using my gem finding spell, and my dear friend Spike usually helps with the digging. There's really something to be said about a dragon's endurance, you know."
"Aw shoot, I hadn't even thought of Spike. He would be great for this project." said Applejack. "I gotta go ask Twilight to see if Spike can left a hoof with digging through granite, and since he's a dragon, she should be able to handle the heat just fine. Thank you so much Rarity, you've probably just made this job a whole lot easier."
"Oh, it was nothing Applejack, you know I would love to do my part in this grand undertaking."
Applejack then left the shop and headed towards Twilight's palace. |
The Sphere | The Dig Begins | Whitetail Woods was bustling with activity today. It had only been two weeks since the sphere arrived, and already the area where it was found was packed with supplies such as crates of pickaxes, canisters of compressed air, dynamite, electric lanterns, and most unusual of all, a dozen or so neon blue crystal shards.
There were also miners milling about, most of whom were earth ponies, waiting for instructions from the foreman, who was waiting for Princess Celestia's signal to brief the workforce.
The foreman, Stone Heart, looked over at Celestia, who finally gave her nod of approval. Now was the time to tell everyone what was going on.
"Alright everypony, listen up!" bellowed Stone, as he looked over the gathered workers. "Today we begin an assignment never before attempted in Equestrian history. Today we venture into a new world, and begin our long dig to the surface."
Some of the workers had already begun muttering amongst themselves, mostly with incredulity, but Stone Heart continued his speech regardless.
"Most of you might not believe what I'm saying, but here's the deal. A portal discovered near here by Princess Celestia has revealed that it leads to the underground of a new realm. A few things you should all know about this place: First, when you arrive there, you will have no ability to use your magic. That means for most of you, you will be unable to increase your strength and endurance."
At this point, most of the crowd's expressions had turned to worry, and one of the miners spoke up, "If we won't be able to use our magic, then why are we going to this world in the first place?"
Stone Heart looked disapprovingly at the pony who had spoken out of turn. "What is your name?"
"Uh, my name is Dig Deep." he said, suddenly trying to hide behind his orange mane.
"Well Dig Deep, all I know is that we are doing this because Princess Celestia said she needed a mining workforce, and we were the ones who took the job. I promise that we will be well compensated for our time once our work here is done."
Stone Heart turned back to the rest of the crowd. "Now, as I was saying, you will have no access to your magic, plus, I've been told that the conditions will be quite hot when we get there."
None of the ponies assembled looked worried at that. They were all used to digging at high temperatures.
"Our objective is to reach the surface of this new world any way we can. Before anypony goes through the portal, I will be sending a lit container of dynamite through first to clear out a larger area. After which, all the debris will be brought back through. Once the area is cleared, we can enter the portal, no more than two by two, and begin our work. Any questions?"
Several hooves shot into the air. Stone Heart picked one at random.
"Uh sir, you haven't told us where the portal is yet, plus, you haven't told us what those are for yet." he said, pointing at the neon blue crystals.
"Ah, well, the portal is currently closed, and therefore invisible. It is right over there," said Stone Heart, pointing at the depression where the sphere came through, "and from what I have been told, the crystals are called aeon crystals. Now I'm no unicorn, but from what I gather, these shards are almost alive in their own way. They gather and store magical energy from Equestria's magical field, much like a pony does, and that energy can be used by any unicorn who triggers them."
Most of the miners were looking confused at this point, so Stone Heart decided to keep things simple.
"Basically, these crystals will be gathering the necessary energy to open the portal over and over again. It only opens for a short time, and all who want to travel between worlds must be standing within it. Once we are all through, the crystals will be arranged in the proper formation so that when triggered, the portal will open automatically every 30 minutes."
At this point, most of the gathered ponies had put their hooves down, and Stone Heart nodded towards Princess Celestia.
"My little ponies," she spoke to the crowd, "if you are ready, we shall begin at once. I will have the dynamite sent through first to clear some area, then I shall start sending you all over."
Nopony objected, so Stone Heart took that as his cue to go over to the dynamite cart. As he pushed it into the area of the portal, he turned to Celestia before saying, "I hope you find what you seek when this is over, Princess, for all our sakes."
Celestia nodded, and began to focus. With her magic, she quickly lit the fuse of the dynamite, then cast the spell to open the portal. With the cart now out of sight. All they could do was wait.
"WAIT!!!" yelled a framiliar voice, as a purple alicorn with a dragon on her back flew beneath the canopy and towards the group of assembled workers. "Don't start without me! Oh no, am I too late? Did I not get to see history in the making?"
"Relax Twilight," said Spike, sliding off of her back, "everypony is still here. It looks like the operation hasn't even started yet."
"Actually Spike," said Princess Celestia, "I've sent the dynamite through to the other side to clear the area. I think it's time I brought back whatever's left after the blast. Also, I'm glad you could come to help with this endeavor."
Celestia then lowered her horn, and once more, cast the spell to open the gateway. A sphere of fragmented granite shards, as well as bits of the cart the dynamite was in appeared, before immediately succumbing to gravity and collapsing into a heap.
Stone Heart took that as his cue to begin miner's part of the operation. "Alright everypony, clear away that rubble. I'm betting it will take a few more castings of that spell before all of that rubble is safely on this side. Then, we're going in."
As earth ponies began loading the fragmented granite onto their carts with looks of distaste on their faces, Celestia turned back to her former student.
"I'm so glad you could join us Twilight, but could any of your other friends come as well?"
"Sorry Princess, they were all too tied up in their work to come today. It's hard to believe it's only been two weeks since this all started. It feels like a lifetime ago that I saw that sphere. Speaking of," Twilight looked around, "where is the sphere? I thought you left it in a ditch."
"Oh, the sphere? I had it buried somewhere of the corner of the woods. I wouldn't want it to distract anypony here while they are working."
Celestia looked up, and saw that the rubble had been cleared away. She lit her horn again, and cast the spell only for another ball of rubble to appear. Even as it collapsed into a heap, the miners were already clearing it away in their carts.
"I wish I could help them, Princess. This would go so much more quickly if I could just use my magic to move the debris."
"It's fine, Twilight. Everypony here came knowing that it was going to be a lot of hard work, and that magic wasn't going to help them."
The miners seemed to get even more efficient as they continued their work. Already the second mound of debris was cleared away. When Celestia saw this, she concentrated once again, and opened the portal, bringing in a much smaller pile of debris."
"I think that's all of it. Once this is cleared away, the workers can go through the portal themselves." said Twilight.
At this point, it only took a few miners to quickly clear away the last of the rubble.
"Alright, time to send over our first brave soul. Who's it going to be?" asked Stone Heart as he looked over the workforce of ponies.
"I volunteer to go first." said Dig Deep, as he came forwards.
"Alright, have it your way." said Stone Heart. "Just step into the depression, and Princess Celestia will take you through the portal.
Dig gathered any supplies he might need from the nearby crates, including a pickaxe, and an electric lamp. Then he made his way over to the portal and stepped into the depression. After a quick nod towards the Princess, Celestia began to cast the spell once again.
"Here goes nothing" thought Dig as light consumed his vision.
"Well, this doesn't seem all that alien. It's just a hole. I've been in plenty of holes." thought Dig Deep as he lit his lantern and looked around.
The battery on the lantern would only last a couple of hours before he would need a new one. He looked down, and saw that he was standing in a depression, just like the one he was in that brought him here, but the walls of the hole were fragmented and broken.
"The dynamite clearly did its job." he said aloud with a small chuckle as he stepped off the depression and headed towards a wall.
"Well, I'm supposed to be digging up here, so I guess I'd better start now." he thought as he swung his pickaxe into the granite wall.
No sooner had he begun to chip away at the wall, than another pony appeared, carrying a pickaxe and a tank of compressed air.
"it's not so hot down here." said the new pony as he looked around. "I expected it to be at least as hot as those coal mines I used to work in."
"I dunno," replied Dig Deep, "It is quite warm I think, and is it just me, or is it getting warmer?"
"Well, it looks like you've already started your work, so you're bound to work up a sweat."
"You better get off of that depression, more ponies are going to be coming through."
From that point onwards, the work continued quite systematically and without interruption for a few more hours. Ponies came and went, bringing debris back through the portal once it opened. The crystals had taken over for Princess Celestia, and were now opening the portal like clockwork, once every thirty minutes.
"Who knew venturing into an alien world would be just as boring as mining in any old tunnel? Except now it's going to take a lot longer, as I'm not as strong here." Said Dig Deep from the edge of the considerably larger cavern, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Well get used to it." said Stone Heart, who had come through the gateway the last time it opened. "We still have a job to do, and we aren't quitting until it's done."
"Yes, yes, I know. I just thought that being in an alien world would be more, I dunno, sci-fi, like in the comics."
"Well, it might get interesting soon. Just before I came over, Princess Twilight said she would be coming here the next time the portal opened."
Just then, there was a flash of light at the portal, at this point, not even a bother to the toiling ponies, and a purple alicorn with a dragon atop her back appeared.
"Well, here we are Spike! Isn't this exciting to be in a completely new world?" asked Twilight enthusiastically.
"I don't know. To me it just looks like another cave." said Spike, looking around. "I thought we were supposed to be digging upwards. How come everypony is digging sideways?"
"Well Spike, the chamber has to be wide enough for all of the equipment and supplies to come through. Once it is, then the ponies can start digging upwards." Said Stone Heart, approaching the pair. "But if you want to start tunneling upwards now, then be my guest."
Spike got off of Twilight's back and stepped towards the far wall of the cavern. "Watch this Twilight, I'll make short work of this rock."
Spike began swinging his claws at the granite wall, beginning to chip away at the stone much more quickly that any individual miner had done so far.
"Something's wrong, Twilight. This should be easier." said Spike after a good 15 minutes of digging and chipping through the stone.
"What are you talking about Spike? You're doing great!" said Twilight, sweating profusely. "I can see that you would also be able to withstand the intense heat down here with no problem."
"Intense? Twilight, it's hardly more than room temperature down here, and I'm the one who has been doing all the work."
Spike turned back to look at Twilight, only to see that her fur had become matted with sweat, and she was blinking a lot more than was necessary.
"Twilight, are you okay? You don't look well." Asked Spike, looking concerned.
"I'm fine Spike, I just need some water, that's all." But even as Twilight opened her canteen of water to take a drink, she collapsed to a sitting position.
"Twilight!" yelled Spike, rushing over to Twilight's side. Spike instinctively put a claw over Twilight's forehead, and felt that she was much warmer than he remembered. "Oh Twilight, you're sick! We need to get you back to Equestria now!"
Spike rushed to the side of one of the miners. "Excuse me, can you help me friend? I need to get Twilight back to the portal. Do you know when it opens next?"
"It still has about 10 minutes before it opens. You came here with Princess Twilight, right?"
"Yeah, she's over there," said Spike, pointing with a claw at his fallen friend, "she's sick or something, we need to get her home."
The two wasted no time on getting Twilight back to the depression of stone where they knew the portal would soon open and take them to safety.
"Come on Twilight hang in there," said Spike, trying to get Twilight to drink some water out of her canteen. "You'll be home soon. By the way," he said, looking over to the pony who helped him, "I never caught your name."
"My name is Dig Deep. I was the first once through the portal." he said, looking Spike in the eye.
"What happened to your eyes? They look all greyish. Are you blind by any chance?" asked Spike, slightly taken aback by the pony's gaze.
"No, my eyes, have always been green. They only turned grey that one time when Tirek stole my magic that one time. Unless..."
Dig Deep looked over his shoulder and at his flank. Blank.
"What the?! My cutie mark! What happened? I had it when I came here. Do ponies lose their cutie marks when they come here or something?"
Dig Deep and Spike looked at the unconscious form of Twilight. The familiar six pointed star was still there, but it was somehow duller, and more muted than he was used to seeing it. And Twilight was still heating up...
...Until a bright flash obscured the vision of the trio, and they found themselves back in Equestria.
"Somepony, get some cold water, quick!" shouted Dig at some of the miners who were on break.
A full canteen of freshly chilled water was brought, and Spike took it, quickly unscrewed it, and tried to tip the contents into Twilight's mouth.
"Come on Twilight, you've got to drink. Last winter you kept on telling me not to eat the snow because it would chill me much faster than having the snow just touch my scales. So come on, please Twilight, please wake up!"
Twilight's eyes fluttered for a second before managing to swallow some of the icy water.
"I think her fever broke. She's not getting any warmer." Said Dig Deep, forgetting all about his blank flank, his mind solely on the sleeping alicorn at his hooves.
Spike sighed in relief. "I don't think she'll be going back to that world any time soon." |
The Sphere | The Revelation | Twilight slowly became aware that she was lying on a bed. Her eyes fluttered open, and she saw that she was back in her room in her palace in Ponyville.
"Oh thank goodness you're alright." said a familiar voice. Twilight turned her head to see Spike, as well as her friend Rainbow Dash standing by her bedside.
"What happened to you?" asked Spike. "You looked fine for a while in that cave, then, next thing I know, you're collapsed on the floor with your body temperature getting higher and higher."
Twilight strained her memory. "I'm not sure, Spike. At first I thought the heat of the cave was getting to me, but if what you say is true, then the heat was coming from within me."
"Well it's okay now," said Rainbow Dash, "You don't have to go back to that world ever again now."
"What are you talking about Rainbow? Of course I have to go back there. It's only because of me that this whole operation started. I have to see this through to conclusion. Besides, what are you even doing here?"
"Well, I was at home chillin' after today's work, when I heard Spike calling up to me. He said that you had gotten sick or something, and you needed to get home. Obviously, I couldn't leave one of my friends hanging, so I followed him to where you were, then carried you back here."
"Well thanks for that, Rainbow, but now I need to send a letter to Princess Celestia explaining what happened."
"I already sent it." said Spike, looking proud for being on top of things. "I also included the details about that pony, Dig Deep, who helped you out of the cave. He apparently lost his cutie mark and eye color while in that other world. Your cutie mark was fading as well."
Suddenly, Twilight heard a knock at the front door.
"I'll get it." announced Spike as he made his way down the stairs.
As Spike opened the door, he was met with a face he was starting to get used to seeing in this town. "Princess Celestia, come in."
"I came as soon as I got your letter. Is Twilight alright?" asked Celestia, looking unsure for once.
"Yes, she's awake, and I bet she would like to speak with you about some of the new things we have learned about that other world."
Spike led Celestia upstairs to Twilight's room, where Twilight was sitting upright in her bed.
"Princess Celestia!" exclaimed Twilight, "What are you doing here?"
"When I got Spike's letter about how you had fallen ill from going to that other world, I came as quickly as I could, to make sure that you were alright."
"Well, I think I'm alright now. I don't feel any worse off, and it seems that my fever is gone too."
"I'm glad to hear that, replied Celestia, "but I need you to tell me exactly what happened in that cave that put you into this state."
"Well Princess, I'm not exactly sure. I was just standing there, surrounded by the miners, watching Spike claw his way through the stone."
"I still think that it should have been a lot easier than it was." Spike cut in.
"Spike, you were doing great. You were doing better than any one individual miner, and you didn't even have a pickaxe. But anyways Princess, as I watched Spike dig, it was getting warmer and warmer. I thought the heat of the cave was getting to me, but Spike says that the heat was coming from within me."
"Hmm, and Rainbow Dash," said Celestia, now looking towards the pegasus, "you said that it got very hot in that world for you as well, didn't you?"
"Well Princess, it did get hot, but only after I started flapping my wings." said Rainbow Dash, slightly taken aback to being addressed.
"Are there any other clues that might be useful as to why this happened?" asked Celestia to the group.
"Well Princess," Spike began, "there was this pony who helped Twilight get out of the cave and back to Equestria, and he has lost his cutie mark. When we both looked at twilight, we saw that her cutie mark was getting fainter as well, and the fainter it got, the warmer Twilight became."
"This is troublesome. It's like the magic is burned right out of any pony who enters that world, and the more magic a pony has, or uses, then the faster it burns."
"So Princess, what you're saying is that I can never survive going back there?" asked Twilight, looking at the bed sheet disappointedly.
"Perhaps you may be able to." said Celestia, "Do you remember when this project was first started? I asked you if you would be willing to give up your magic to see that other world."
"Yes, I remember," replied Twilight, looking up into Celestia's gaze, "but I don't see what that has to do with- Oh! I get it! I don't need to burn out all my magic, because I can just give it to somepony else."
"If you would be so willing, I can keep your magic safe for you while you go back through the portal."
"I think that would be a good idea, Princess, but this operation could still take days to complete. Perhaps I should wait until the miners near the surface before returning."
"Very well then. If there is nothing more to be said here and now, I must return to Canterlot. Please notify me when the workforce of miners near the surface of that other world."
And with that, Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Spike had to shut their eyes as the flash of a teleportation spell filled the room.
"So, do you think we're going to see any aliens when we reach the surface?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"First off, Rainbow, the word "alien" literally means "foreigner". We would be the foreigners on that new world, so that makes us the aliens. Second off, without magic, I can't see how intelligent life could have evolved. Perhaps we will find strange plants and animals, but the odds of finding a race of beings is incredibly low."
"Aw, so no super high tech space age equipment?"
"Sorry Rainbow, this is reality. Not a comic book."
In the days that followed, the ponies continued their work, digging ever upwards through the stone. They had left the granite layer, and were now digging much more quickly through some other rock layers. Some metal ores had been discovered, but no gemstones. Rarity finally got around to seeing what all the fuss was about, although she didn't take to the idea of visiting a cave, because as she put it, "I've become more than familiar with caves and tunnels in the past, and I would not care to repeat those experinces."
Rumors had been spreading steadily over the small town of Ponyville. Everypony was noticing the sounds of work coming from Whitetail Woods, although by order of the foreman of the operation, nopony was allowed in to the work area without his approval.
"Twilight, I have a message for you." said Spike, walking into the kitchen while Twilight was having lunch. He opened the scroll and began reading the note. "It's from the foreman of the mining operation. He said that they are nearing the surface, as the rocks are becoming less dense, and there is dirt which is becoming increasingly more moist as they go upwards."
"Oh good. Spike, please take a letter for me." Said Twilight as she finished her last mouthful of oats.
No sooner had Twilight made her request than Spike already had a quill and parchment ready to go. Spike began to write as Twilight spoke.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today, the mining operation is almost complete. As I would like to be one of the first ponies to break through the surface of an alien world, I request that I keep my magic safe with you. I hope that you will be able to come soon.
Your former student,
Twilight Sparkle
As soon as Twilight had finished, Spike sent the letter on its way to Canterlot.
"Now all we have to do is wait for a reply." said Twilight.
Twilight and Spike ended up just sitting in the kitchen, waiting. They didn't have to wait long, however, as not even six minutes later, Spike ended up belching out a scroll with Celestia's seal on it.
Dear Twilight,
It seems that this endeavor of yours is finally about to pay off. I shall be waiting for you near the portal, so that you may transfer your magic to me before going through.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
Twilight wasted no time in getting out the front door, and making her way into Whitetail Woods. Finally, today many new discoveries would be made about a completely new plane of existence. Sure, the rocks that were found already provided some information, but the surface is where observations can be truly made.
As Twilight approached the work site, she spotted Princess Celestia speaking to Stone Heart. Celestia caught her eye, and nodded her in.
"So Twilight, the portal is going to be opening in another four minutes. Are you ready to do this?" asked Celestia.
"I'm ready, Princess." said Twilight, looking determined. "Just tell me what to do."
"Simply touch your horn to mine, and prepare yourself."
Twilight nodded, and touched her horn to Celestia's. Suddenly, Twilight felt weak, like a layer of material that had been holding her up had just been stripped off. As Twilight steadied herself, she looked over her shoulder to her flank. Not seeing a cutie mark there caused her a brief moment of panic, but then she remembered what she was to do.
"Alright Princess, it's time to see this other world." Said Twilight, stepping into the depression where the portal was.
Twilight didn't have to wait long, as the aeon crystals discharged their magic, and Twilight was sucked to the other side of the gateway. She then found herself back in the cave she had visited before, though much had changed in the past few days. The chamber was much wider than it was before, and iron structural supports sprouted up here and there. The entire place smelled of sweat, and Twilight could see a tunnel sloping upwards at the far side of the room.
Twilight went straight up the tunnel, where she found three earth ponies with shovels digging through the soil. A quick glance at their flanks confirmed that they had lost all their magic while here.
"So guys, how are we doing? Are we close to the surface?"
The one still digging up at the front replied with, "By our estimates, we should reach the surface within 2 hours." He then turned his head towards one of the Earth ponies who was securing another structural support. "Hey, could you bring this dirt back down the tunnel?"
"Sure thing." Said the other pony, as he began scooping dirt into a small cart.
The digging pony turned back to Twilight. "Oh yeah, it's almost time for us to get our well deserved paym-"
*Clang*
The miner stopped dead as the metal end of the shovel had struck a hard metal surface. Confused, she brushed away some of the dirt, and shone his lantern straight at the offending object.
A sliver of solid iron met his vision. He cleared away more dirt with his shovel, and revealed a thick iron tube running straight through the ground.
Twilight was flabbergasted as she looked closer at the iron tube. She was able to make out strange blocky symbols painted upon the object in yellow paint. She couldn't understand what the symbols meant, but she knew it implied one thing.
This world was occupied as well. |
Leatherbound Shadows | pre | Good job, Sunset Shimmer, Sugarcoat thought, but you're not going to get me to reveal myself that easily.
Sugarcoat pulled on the leash again. It felt so wonderfully tight, she was sorely tempted to play with it. But she resisted the temptation.
Taking a moment to stop, take a breath, and calm down, Sugarcoat reevaluated her situation. Focusing with a razor-sharp concentration only a Crystal Prep student could have, she popped the collar off over her head and made for the door.
She wiggled the knob, but it just clicked away uselessly.
"How did they lock it from the outside!?" Sugarcoat exclaimed. She heard feet shuffling from the door. She decided it would be best to go back to the bed and put the collar over her head so her tormentors didn't know she had tried to escape.
The door clicked and swung open. Sunset stood by the door with a satisfied smirk and bowed. Twilight appeared, barefoot and dressed in a see-through purple negligee.
"You look fantastic, Twilight," Sunset said.
"Really?" Twilight said, blushing.
"No," Sugarcoat said. "Purple really isn't your color."
Sunset glared at her. "And this, students, is Sugarcoat generously offering us an example of what is known as 'being wrong.'"
"It's not!" Sugarcoat insisted. "A light blue would be a much better color with her complexion!"
"And this, class, is an example of being stubbornly wrong," Sunset said.
"No worries, Sunset," Twilight said, her expression suggesting she couldn't wait to punish Sugarcoat. "I'll take it from here. Leave her to me."
"Of course," Sunset closed the door.
"So, what's the plan?" Sugarcoat asked.
"It's simple," Twilight said, producing a book and a CD player. "I'm going to listen to some music and read a book. You ... are going to escape and get out of the collar."
"What?" Sugarcoat asked. "Really?"
"Well, you're going to try," Twilight said. "I'm going to be holding the leash the entire time in one hand while I read with the other."
Sugarcoat was about to say something. Twilight pressed a finger to her lips.
"No more questions," Twilight said. "I'm sure it will all become clear soon. Let's get started."
Twilight set the CD player down on her nightstand and pressed play. She laid on her stomach on the bed, opening the book to a random page. She untied the leash and held it in her hand.
Sugarcoat felt the leash around her neck. It was much looser fitting now Twilight had untied it.
Sugarcoat looked over her shoulder at Twilight. She seemed entranced by her book, holding the leash idly in her other hand. It seemed like it should be an easy matter to move fast enough without her noticing that the leash simply slipped out of her hand.
Sugarcoat dashed for the door, but the collar pulled taut around her neck, sending her crashing onto her ass.
Sugarcoat breathed heavily. She felt the tight collar around her neck. Twilight's grip on it was deceptively strong.
Sugarcoat felt a flush of arousal shoot through her snatch, and she cursed herself for being so weak. She wasn't going to let Twilight see her like this. She wasn't going to let Twilight see her on her knees and panting like - well, like a dog.
Sugarcoat gripped the bed post and clambered to her feet. She tried to make another dash, but the collar pulled tight again and threw her onto her face.
"Had enough?" Twilight asked.
"Hardly," Sugarcoat said. She pushed herself up and stepped back to give herself a running start. She sprinted, and she could feel the leash move on Twilight's hand. But Twilight felt it too, and took steps to correct, tightening her grip and pulling on the leash.
Sugarcoat's feet went out from under her, and she fell on her bum again, the collar tighter than ever now on her neck. To make matters worse for, Twilight's 'music' had started up, and it wasn't music at all; it was a recording track of a woman moaning and Sugarcoat couldn't tell for sure, but she also sounded like she was being choked.
Oh no, Sugarcoat thought. She totally knows.
Sugarcoat gagged when Twilight gave a yank on the leash.
"Pets should not try to escape from their mistresses," Twilight growled.
"You're not my mistress!" Sugarcoat snapped, a tear rolling from her eye, but it was more from the choking rather than emotions.
Sunset burst into the room. "Twilight, wait! I just realized we didn't establish safe words!"
Twilight and Sugarcoat glared at Sunset oddly.
"Safe ... word?"
"You know!" Sunset said. "A safe word for if it starts to actually hurt and you want to stop!"
Twilight and Sugarcoat continued staring oddly.
"You ... you don't know what a safe word is? Goodness, the state of sex in this world is really poor compared to Equestria, isn't it? Oh, whatever. Just ... shout "Sunset, help me" if something goes ... horribly wrong." Sunset closed the door.
"Well, that was weird," Sugacoat said.
Twilight snapped right back into the swing of things, pulling and tugging on Sugarcoat's leash and choking her, making her gag and gasp for air.
"Say I'm your mistress!" Twilight shouted.
"N-never!" Sugarcoat choked.
Twilight gave the leash a yank and smacked Sugarcoat's head against the side of the mattress. "Say it!"
"No!" Oh, goodness, this collar is so tight! Sugarcoat was losing air. She was getting wet. She was beginning to love every second of this, but she still didn't want Twilight to know. She was reminded of why she was into being choked. It was the excitement, the thrill, the rush from being put into a dangerous position while being sexually pleasured, which made the pleasure that much greater, made sweeter by the fact one would still be able to get out of in time if it proved too much and someone got actually hurt instead of play hurt, provided one had a proper partner.
Sugarcoat did not think Twilight would be a proper partner, but that said more about her dim view of everyone who wasn't herself or a Shadowbolt than it did about Twilight's fitness as a bondage partner.
"Say ... I'm ... your mistress!" Twilight growled, coiling the leash around both her wrists like cuffs and using that to pull tighter.
"N-no!" Sugarcoat whimpered, moaning and breathing sharply, her chest rising rapidly. She was so wet. Her vagina was winking so much. The moaning on the recording filled the room. Her face was turning blue.
"Say it!" Twilight gave the leash another mighty pull, possibly leaving an impression on Sugarcoat's neck by now.
"N ..." Sugarcoat gasped. She was close now, too close to stop. She was going to cum. She could feel it. She choked and gasped for air one more time. "Yes! YES! ... You're my mistress! You're ... my mistress! I'm sorry I didn't realize it ... sooner, but ... y-you are m-my ... OH!"
Sugarcoat moaned, tilting her head back. Her body shook as she climaxed. Her vagina winked rapidly, cum pouring out and escaping from under her skirt, leaving a puddle on Twilight's flooring. After she finished cumming, she lay limp against the side of Twilight's bed.
" ... fantastic ... mistress," Sugarcoat muttered. Her neck rolled like a ragdoll, and she closed her eyes.
Twilight reached down and put a hand on Sugarcoat's neck to check her pulse. She was still breathing. Her recovery assured, Twilight went to celebrating herself.
"Ooh! That was fun!" Twilight squealed, holding the leash tightly in her hands. She looked at the sleeping Sugarcoat resting on her bed and twirled the leash idly around her fingers, a grin spreading across her face like an infection.
"I wonder what kind of crazy fun I can come up with for the others." |
Leatherbound Shadows | Sweet and Sour Milk | Twilight reached down and brushed the back of her palm across Sugarcoat's cheek.
"She's so cute when she's asleep," Twilight said. She unclasped the collar around Sugarcoat's neck and took it off.
Twilight jumped off her bed and stretched her arms, doing a bit of a side crunch for each. She walked out the door, leash in hand.
"So, who do we want to do next?" Twilight asked.
"Up to you. It's your call." Sunset said. She glanced at the window. "Though it is still daylight, so we're going to have to wait until tomorrow before we call in it,"
"Oh, damn, that's right," Twilight said, looking at the window and casting a spiteful glare at the sun, resenting it for keeping her from playing with her next playmate.
"Well, given that's the case, I'm going to need something to do to kill the time until tomorrow," Any ideas in mind?" Twilight said.
"We could go out for ice cream," Sunset suggested, wagging an eyebrow.
Twilight pursed her lips. "I was hoping for something a little more ..." she glanced at the bedroom, where the sleeping Sugarcoat still laid by her bed. "Spicy."
"Come on, Twilight," Sunset wrapped an arm around Twilight's shoulder and pulled her close. "You can't be all sexy, all the time, or you'll ended up spoiling all the fun out of it!"
"Really?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, really!" Sunset answered. "Imagine there was an expensive cafe we like to go, with great coffee and fantastic whipped cream. But it was so expensive, we could only go there once a month, so we have to make the most of it every time we go. Sex is kind of like that."
"Okay," Twilight said. She looked at Sunset with a warm smile. "I'm sure you know best, Sunset Shimmer."
"Yeah," Sunset nodded, smiling awkwardly. "I know best."
"Oh!" Twilight perked up. "I know! Let's do Sour Sweet next." Twilight tapped her fingers wickedly. "She was so mean to me on the bus. I'm gonna pay her back so hard." She looked down at her cleavage exposed by the nightie. Somehow, her cup discrepancy no longer bothered her.
Sunset chuckled airily. "Maybe ease back on the revenge angle a little bit. After all, we're doing this to help them and test their dedication, not to hurt them."
"Can't we hurt them a little bit?" Twilight asked.
"Yes," Sunset said, "so long as we follow proper bondage protocol and establish safe words before doing anything with the capacity to do serious harm and properly do aftercare."
"What's aftercare?" Twilight asked.
"I'll tell you more over ice cream, but basically, it works like this..." Sunset began, walking Twilight down the stairs.
"Wait," Twilight said. "We should wait until Sugarcoat wakes up. I don't trust her not to do something if we leave her alone in my house."
"But she just went through our whole day - well, half a day - of embarrassment and pulling her by a collar."
"That's why I don't trust not to do something nasty," Twilight said.
"We should get her some ice cream too," Sunset said. "She's been through a lot today."
"Yeah," Twilight said. "Whatever you say, Sunset." She gave Sunset another smile, and Sunset rolled her eyes.
Twilight and Sunset arranged to meet with the Shadowbolts over by the mall the next day. Sugarcoat returned to the group in better spirits than when she had left them.
Indigo Zap exchanged looks with Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare.
"Sugarcoat, are you okay?" Indigo asked. "You seem a bit ... happier than when we saw you last yesterday."
"Okay?" Sugarcoat asked, bouncing idly on her heels. "Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be okay?"
"I mean, you've been smiling all day," Indigo said. "That's not normal."
"That's one thing I've learned from Twilight and Sunset," Sugarcoat said haughtily. "You shouldn't be afraid to smile. Being happy isn't something to be ashamed of."
"Uh-huh," Indigo narrowed her eyes.
"I'm serious, Indigo," Sugarcoat said. "And if you don't believe me, you're going to have a very difficult time getting anything valuable out of the day you'll have to spend wearing a dog collar."
"Yeah," Sunny Flare said, "You're not mad about that?"
"Not anymore!" Sugarcoat said. "Not after what Twilight did to me ..." Sugarcoat giggled and blushed. She realized she was saying too much and quickly reined herself in before the rest of the Shadowbolts asked her questions she didn't want to answer.
The Shadowbolts all gave her odd looks, though they seemed more concerned about the fact that Sugarcoat wasn't angry with Twilight for the embarrassment she put Sugarcoat through than anything.
"Hey, girls!" Sunset waved at the Shadowbolts as she and Twilight approached.
"So, who's going to swallow their pride and volunteer first?" Indigo asked, sweeping her eyes over the group. "Because it's not gonna be me."
"Not yet, but you're going to have to take a turn anyway to fulfill the terms of the agreement, either that, or not do it and back out of the deal and miss out on your Friendship Lessons," Sugarcoat said. "So technically it doesn't matter who goes first as long as everyone goes eventually."
"Maybe I don't want my friendship lesson anymore," Indigo said.
"Ladies, ladies, please, calm down," Sunset said, "If Indigo Zap doesn't want to do it, we can deal with that later. For right now, Twilight and I have already decided that the next lucky lady to get to spend the day with us is ... pause for effect ... Sour Sweet!"
"Did you just say, 'pause for effect'?" Indigo asked.
"Don't question my flair for the dramatic, Indigo," Sunset said.
"Oh, me?" Sour Sweet said. "I'm flattered you would make me your first second pick! You're up to something, aren't you?" She glared suspiciously at the two of them.
"No, we're not up to something," Twilight said. "At least, nothing outside of the collar." She held the collar up for Sour Sweet to see.
"That's another thing you're going to have to learn if you want to be good friends," Sunset said. "Not everyone is out to get you or has an ulterior motive for picking you or trying to help you."
"But everyone does have an ulterior motive," Lemon Zest said as if this was the most matter of fact statement in the world.
"Ooh, boy," Sunset facepalmed and turned to Twilight. "Looks we got a lot of work to do, Twilight. A lot."
"Just put the collar on, Sour Sweet," Twilight said.
Sour Sweet eyed the collar suspiciously. "No way. I'm wise to your tricks, Twilight Sparkle. I'm gonna put that collar on, and then you're gonna inject me with something! Maybe some kind of drug. Maybe poison!"
"Okay," Sunny Flare said, "maybe dial back on the paranoia there, Sour Sweet, just a smidge."
"Sour Sweet, I promise that this collar is not going to spike you with drugs, or poison, or any kind of chemical substance," Twilight said. "Now will you please just put it on?"
Sour Sweet grabbed the collar. She held it up and inspected with a discerning and scornful look on her face.
"I am watching you," Sour Sweet said, pointing at her eyes and pointing at Twilight. She slipped the collar over her neck.
"Yes, yes," Twilight said drearily as she, Sunset and Sour Sweet walked away from the Shadowbolts, "you're very smart."
"Wait, I have another idea," Sour Sweet said, "this collar is gonna let you drain my magic and let you turn into that demon form of yours again, isn't it!?"
"You don't ... have any magic," Twilight said.
Sunset chuckled nervously. "Yeah, Sour Sweet! Don't be ridiculous! I mean, what are the odds that Twilight would turn into Midnight Sparkle again? It's ... it's ludicrous," she wiped a laughter-induced tear from her face.
"Tell you what, Sour Sweet, I'll make you a deal," Twilight said, "If you won't turn into a demon, I won't turn into a demon. Deal?" She offered her hand to Sour Sweet.
Sour Sweet looked at Twilight's hand before taking it and shaking it, with one hand behind her back. "Deal."
"Uncross your fingers," Twilight said dryly.
Sour Sweet pursed her lips.
"Take your hand out from behind your back," Twilight instructed. Sour Sweet sighed, but complained. "Now, let's try this again. No finger crossing or double crossing this time, okay?"
"Fine," Sour Sweet muttered. She shook hands with Twilight again, this time keeping her other hand in clear view and her fingers spread apart where they could see them.
"That's another thing you'll need to learn," Twilight said, "to stop being so distrustful of people and planning on betraying them."
"I'm only planning on betraying them because I know they're planning on betraying me first!" Sour Sweet hissed. "At least, I think so," she added unsurely.
Twilight looked at Sunset Shimmer for approval.
"Do it," Sunset answered.
"Do what?" Sour Sweet asked.
Twilight jerked hard on the leash, making it constrict around Sour Sweet's neck, making her choke and gag and gasp for air.
"I knew it!" Sour Sweet shouted hoarsely, reaching one hand around the collar and one hand up in the air to either flag attention for help from a bystander or grab at Twilight's face. Neither Twilight or Sunset were sure. "I knew you two were out to get me from day one! From the moment you laid your eyes on me!"
"Should we stop?" Twilight asked.
"Eh, probably," Sunset said. "We wouldn't want people coming by and getting the wrong idea. Plus, she really doesn't seem like she likes it the way Sugarcoat did."
Twilight eased up her grip. Sour Sweet slowly recovered her breath. She turned around and glared at Twilight, placing a hands-on-hips posture.
"You just tried to kill me!" Sour Sweet shouted.
"Ah, not kill you, choke you," Twilight said. "There is a very fine difference."
"Whatever. I'm glad and very appreciative that you stopped before you hurt me." Sour Sweet said. She grabbed the leash and tugged on it, pulling Twilight towards her. She grabbed Twilight by the shirt and lifted her up. "Just don't do it again, or so help me I will unleash a thousand plagues upon your house!"
"Ahem," Sunset cleared her throat and glared at Sour Sweet.
"What?" Sour Sweet asked. She looked at Twilight. "Sorry about invading your personal space. Now get away from me!" She pushed Twilight away, nearly taking herself down to the floor as the leash traveled with Twilight and nearly brought her down with it.
"I admit, Twilight pulled the collar on you a little too tight," Sunset said, "we shouldn't have done that, and we're sorry. But that doesn't let you off the hook. Our lapses in judgment does not excuse you for your bad behavior. Friends do not grab each other by the shirt like that. They especially don't do that when they're making a request, otherwise it becomes a threat."
"Oh, does it?" Sour Sweet asked sweetly. She chuckled darkly. "What if I was making a threat?"
In a hypocritical (but entirely justifiable) display, Sunset grabbed Sour Sweet by the shirt and raised a fist. "Then I would have to beat the everloving snot out of you for threatening to hurt my friend." She pushed Sour Sweet away, and Sour Sweet seemed shaken.
"I'll be good," Sour Sweet squeaked out meekly. She narrowed her eyes and looked away. "For a little awhile, at least."
"That's all we need," Sunset said. "Just a little awhile."
"Oh, hey, girls!" Fluttershy greeted them, walking up to them next to Rarity, both of them carrying shopping bags.
"Hey, Fluttershy," Sunset smiled casually and waved at them. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I was just helping Rarity pick out some new materials," Fluttershy hefted the bags to show up. "What are you ..." she trailed off at the sight of Sour Sweet standing next to Twilight with a collar on her neck and her arms crossed.
"What?" Twilight asked.
Fluttershy shook her head as she tried to process this. "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting to see ... this." She gestured to Sour Sweet. "Rarity told me about seeing you in the park with Sugarcoat yesterday, but I thought she was exaggerating!"
"See?" Rarity asked. "What did I tell you, darling? Don't question me when I tell you I see someone wearing a collar. I know about these types of things." She huffed haughtily as a show-off, then blushed when she realized she'd said too much.
"What are you doing with her?" Fluttershy asked, baffled.
"It's simple," Twilight replied. "Sour Sweet and the other Shadowbolts ..." She glanced at Sour Sweet, making a second evaluation of her statement. "Well, the other Shadowbolts all said they want to improve themselves and become better friends. This ... is just a test to make sure they're being honest with their commitment."
"How do you know they're not being dishonest, and are just going through with the test to make sure you buy it?" Fluttershy asked.
"Ooh, Fluttershy! That's a good question, and not one I would have expected you to ask," Rarity said. "Kudos, darling."
"Ooh, after what we put Sugarcoat through?" Twilight asked with a devious smirk. "Trust me. They're honest."
"Okay. If you say so," Fluttershy went up to Sour Sweet, leaning forward and putting her hands on her knees.
"Hello, Sour Sweet," Fluttershy offered her hand. "I'm Fluttershy."
"I know who you are," Sour Sweet said sweetly, before sourly adding, "wallflower."
Fluttershy pursed her lips. "That's not very nice, Sour Sweet. You shouldn't call people names."
"I shouldn't?" Sour Sweet said like this was a genuine surprise. "Yeah, well, maybe I would take that a little more seriously if I wasn't getting social advice from someone who literally has 'shy' in their name."
"You are very rude, Sour Sweet," Fluttershy said.
"Am I?" Sour Sweet asked. "Take a hike, tree hugger."
"Excuse you!" Fluttershy stamped her foot. The others grimaced. It wasn't like Fluttershy to get this angry this quickly. Sour Sweet must have really been getting under her skin. "I volunteer at the animal shelter and local garden! I help take care of wounded or abandoned animals and help grow locally sourced non-GMO crops to feed children living in poverty! I do a lot of very good work, and I won't stand to see you disrespect it!"
"Wow," Sour Sweet rolled her eyes, "I thought you hippies were all about peace and love? Why don't you go get out your bong and take a hit of weed to calm down, hippie?"
"Oh! You ... you ... meanie!" Fluttershy turned and stormed away in a huff, a tear rolling down her cheek. Rarity looked at Twilight and Sunset with concern before running after Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy! Fluttershy, darling, wait up!" Rarity caught up with her and put a hand on Fluttershy's shoulder.
"I'm not a hippie," Fluttershy grumbled.
Twilight and Sunset turned to Sour Sweet with disapproving glares.
"What?" Sour Sweet asked.
"That was not cool, Sour Sweet," Sunset said. "You should go apologize."
"As if! To that hippie? No way."
Sunset growled, snorting like a bull.
"Uh, I mean, of course, Sunset!"
Twilight walked Sour Sweet over to Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy!" Sour Sweet called.
Fluttershy stopped. She turned and glared at Sour Sweet with a burning intensity in her eyes that unnerved all three of them.
"I'm ... sorry," Sour Sweet forced out, sounding like she was about vomit. Her face twitched.
Fluttershy turned and huffed her head. "Don't say it unless you mean it."
She and Rarity walked on.
"Wow," Sunset said. "I've never seen Fluttershy snub anybody quite that hard. You must have really upset her. Good job!" She smacked Sour Sweet on the shoulder. "First day of your friendship test, and you've already hurt the feelings one of the most sensitive people I know. A++, really. Ten out of ten." She clapped sarcastically.
Sour Sweet glared at Sunset. "Don't patronize me."
"I wouldn't patronize you if you didn't clearly need a patron goddess to keep you from shooting your mouth off," Sunset snappd.
Sour Sweet stammered, unable to come up with a good comeback for that.
"Come on," Twilight softly tugged at the leash. "Why don't we go back to my house before she insults all of our friends?"
"Twilight, I'm offended you would think that of me!" Sour Sweet said sweetly. "Your friends are lame enough they don't need to be insulted by me."
"If that's the case, why do you keep insulting them then?" Sunset asked dryly.
"Uh, well ..." Sour Sweet stammered.
"Shh." Sunset put a finger to Sour Sweet's mouth before Sour Sweet could stick her foot in it again. "See, if you're going to be a good friend, you really need to stop saying these kinds of things without being able to offer a good reason why. No, scratch that, even if you can offer a good reason why, you still shouldn't say them."
Twilight awkwardly walked alongside them.
Rarity and Fluttershy walked along the street.
"Darling, I'm awfully sorry about that," Rarity said. "I would have never brought you to the mall today if I had known Sour Sweet was going to be there and be so awful to you. I do wish Twilight and Sunset would have give us some sort of warning that the Shadowbolts would be there. "
"It's fine, Rarity," Fluttershy said. "I ..." she looked away from Rarity. She came to a stop.
"Fluttershy?" Rarity asked.
"You know what, no," Fluttershy said. "No, it is not fine! Here. Can you make it back holding all of these?" Fluttershy gestured to the bags.
"Of course, darling," Rarity slipped the bags onto her shoulder. Fluttershy remained oblivious as the strain of carrying all of the bags made its way on Rarity's face.
Fluttershy began walking away.
"Darling, whatever are you up to?"
"I'm going to give Sour Sweet a piece of my mind," Fluttershy snarled. "That girl could use a lesson in what it's like to care for others!" She slammed a fist into her palm.
"Okay!" Rarity said as Fluttershy got smaller and smaller in her vision. "Sounds good! Have a good time righting wrongs and getting retribution! I mean, it sounds like revenge, but that's not a very Fluttershy thing. I'll be fine! Right here! Carrying ... all of these ... heavy, heavy bags all the way to my house ... all by myself!" Rarity waddled, overburdened by the weight of the bags. She didn't want to let it show and keep Fluttershy from doing she wanted. She was generous like that. But all the generosity in the world couldn't keep the bags from being as heavy as they were, and they pulled her hard enough to make her fall off her feet, burying her beneath them.
A passerby stopped. "You alright?"
Rarity shoved her hand out of the pile of bags and gave a thumbs-up. She groaned and her arm gave out.
Twilight and Sunset sat awkwardly on the couch with Sour Sweet between them.
"So, Sour Sweet," Sunset said, "what do you like to do for fun? You know, besides insulting people and hurting their feelings?"
"Hurting people and insulting their feelings," Sour Sweet answered.
Sunset did a double facepalm. "Twilight, it's hopeless. I don't think we can do anything with her. We should send her back and ask for another Shadowbolt."
"Mm," Twilight pursed her lips. There was a pounding, rattling knock on the door.
"I'll get it," Twilight volunteered. She handed the leash over to Sunset before getting off the couch. She opened the front door.
"Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"I want in, Twilight," Fluttershy said, an anger burning in her green eyes. "It's about Sour Sweet. I want to help you ..." Fluttershy made a fist. "Break her. I will make her see the point in helping animals and that it is a good and worthwhile cause!" Her veins bulged along her neck.
"Break her?" Twilight adjusted her glasses. "The point isn't to break her, Fluttershy, it's to ... actually." Twilight looked over her shoulder at the couch. Sour Sweet had her arms crossed and facing away from Sunset. Sunset looked like she was trying to restrain the urge to strangle and murder Sour Sweet and toss her body into a dumpster.
"There may not be any other choice," Twilight said.
"Before you make up your mind," Fluttershy said, "could you at least listen to my suggestion? You don't have to go through with it if you don't like."
"Sure."
Fluttershy leaned in close and whispered into Twilight's ear.
"Ooh, I like that idea!" Twilight said, clapping her hands. "I like it a lot! Let me make sure Sunset is on board."
Twilight went over to Sunset. "Sunset, Fluttershy has an idea, but I want your permission before we do it."
"Shoot," Sunset said.
"Uh, actually, it's kind of ... a surprise, so we'll need to get rid of Sour Sweet."
"Get rid of me?" Sour Sweet said. "I knew it!" She jumped on the couch, resting her foot on the back of it and pointing at Twilight. "I knew you were out to get me!"
"Sit down," Sunset demanded, pulling on the leash and bringing Sour Sweet down, "and get your dirty shoes off the couch! She meant temporarily!" Sunset looked at Twilight. "You did mean temporarily, right?"
"Yes," Twilight answered.
"Here," Sour Sweet put her hands over her ears. "Why don't I just do this and then you can talk?"
"Sure," Sunset paused. She moved Sour Sweet's hands and replaced them with her own over Sour Sweet's ears. "Since you've demonstrated how ... unreliable you can be, why don't I do it? What's the idea, Twilight?"
Twilight explained the idea. Sour Sweet wished she could hear what they were saying. She thought about trying to get push Sunset's hands off, but something about her told her that was a bad idea. Sunset practically radiated heat and those black jackets she always wore made her look pretty tough. She glanced over and tried to lip-read Sunset, but it happened that she didn't really know how to do that.
Sunset took her hands off Sour Sweet's ears.
"Okay!" Sunset smiled brightly. "Sour Sweet, we're going upstairs."
"Why?" Sour Sweet asked. "You gotta some kind kind of torture chamber you're going to put me in?"
"What? No! Well, maybe, depending on how you look at it - no! What am I saying? No! Sour Sweet, I think you need therapy. Anyway, we're going upstairs," Sunset said.
Twilight and Fluttershy giggled. They scurried into the kitchen.
Sunset walked Sour Sweet around the room.
"I thought you said we were going upstairs?" Sour Sweet said.
"We are," Sunset said, "but we needed to kill a little time first."
Sour Sweet heard creaking from the stairs and a door being shut.
"Now we can go," Sunset said. She dragged Sour Sweet by the leash up the stairs and they headed into Twilight's room.
Sunset opened the door and pushed Sour Sweet in first.
"Hey!" Sour Sweet shouted. "What's the big idea?" She noticed the light wasn't on and the blinds were covered with a dark curtain. "Why's it so dark in here?"
Sour Sweet blushed when she felt someone grab her shirt and vest from behind and pulled both off her head, exposing her bra. Someone else grabbed her and forced a pair of pills into her mouth, then held her chin until she swallowed.
"Get her bra," Twilight ordered from the darkness.
Sunset unhooked the bra in record time and took it off. Sour Sweet wondered what Sunset got up to that she was such an expert at bra removal.
Two bottle-like pumps were attached to Sour Sweet's nipples.
"What is this? What the hell?" Sour Sweet looked down. "Breast pumps?"
She felt a strip of nylon wrap around her cheeks. A red ball appeared in front of her face, and a purple finger emerged from the darkness and pushed it into her mouth.
"Mm? Mmh!" Sour Sweet protested.
"Since you've established you can't be trusted not to mouth off, we decided to fix that for you," Twilight said.
Sunset flicked the light switch on with a devious smirk.
If Sour Sweet could drop her jaw, she would, but it was impossible with the gag keeping her mouth shut.
Fluttershy was laying on Twilight's bed, wearing a sexy bunny costume, with a sequined, sparkling leotard, fishnets, bunny-themed slippers, and a pair of plastic rabbit ears on her head.
"Mm?" Sour Sweet grunted out in a question.
"This is a lost bunny,*" Twilight gestured to Fluttershy. Fluttershy waved, wiggling her fingers before blowing a kiss. "She's been separated from her mother before she was fully weaned, and now, if she doesn't get enough milk in time, she'll die! That's where you come in."
"Mmmh?" Sour Sweet raised an eyebrow.
"Those pills you took? Well, that I made you take?" Twilight said. "They should be kicking in right about ... now."
"Mm-hmm?!" Sour Sweet grunted, startled when milk began leaking out of her nipples into the pumps. She glared at Twilight with confusion.
"Come on, Sour Sweet," Fluttershy brushed one of her bunny ears, "don't you want to save the cute little bunny?"
Sour Sweet shook her head.
"Too bad," Sunset said, and she pushed Sour Sweet forward. "You're gonna do it anyway."
Sour Sweet groaned. Twilight grabbed her by the shoulders and forced onto her knees on the bed.
Fluttershy giggled. She took the pumps off Sour Sweet's boobs and gently set them aside on the pillow. She poked one of Sour Sweet's nipples, testing it for how much milk came out of it. When it leaked and produced an apparently satisfactory amount of milk, Fluttershy placed her lips on it and began to suck.
Sour Sweet rolled her eyes. She pushed Fluttershy off. Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. She grabbed onto Sour Sweet's boob hard.
"Don't you want to save the cute little bunny, Sour Sweet?" Fluttershy growled harshly, and Sour Sweet was, if only a moment, cowed. She nodded.
"Good." Fluttershy said. "Now let me drink your milk." She licked at Sour Sweet's nipple before latching on again and sucking.
"I want in," Twilight said. She flopped onto the bed and latched onto Sour Sweet's other nipple.
Sour Sweet groaned at first, but as they continued on, she began to enjoy it. The sensation of her warm, precious milk flowing out of her tits ... the sense (however artificial) that Twilight and Fluttershy were really, truly, utterly dependent on her and her milk just to live. It was empowering. It might not have melted her icy heart, but did it appeal to the part of that craved power and control over others.
Sour Sweet plopped her tits out of their mouths and pinched her nipples, spritzing milk on their faces.
"That's the spirit," Fluttershy said, giggling as the milk slid down her cheek, "now you're getting into it." They resumed suckling on Sour Sweet.
Sour Sweet wrapped her arms around them and pulled them closer. She moaned, taking a deep breath. She reached over and groped one of Fluttershy's tits and closed her eyes.
"Come on, girls," Sunset walked over to the bed. "You can't leave me out of all the fun." She stood behind Sour Sweet and wrapped her arms around Sour Sweet's waist, startling Sour Sweet. Sunset reached her hands up and felt around the underside of Sour Sweet's tits, squeezing them and rolling them up and down. Every so often, Sunset would reach further up and pinch Sour Sweet's nipple, making them spray milk into Twilight and Fluttershy's mouths.
"Mm," Fluttershy drew away. She wiped off the milk trailing down her chin with her arm. "I feel better already. I think I might live!" She chuckled and resumed suckling.
Sour Sweet moaned, letting herself melt into the sensation. This felt nice. She didn't think it would, but it did. It also felt nice to keep her mouth shut for once. For the first time in she couldn't remember how long, she wasn't upsetting everyone she talked to with some sarcastic or distrusting remark.
I could stand to be like this more often, Sour Sweet thought. Hmm? She flinched when she felt her cunt twitch and wink.
Sunset apparently had a sense for when a girl was close, as she stopped attending Sour Sweet's tits and made her way down into Sour Sweet's skirt, getting access to her vagina and sticking her fingers inside Sour Sweet's hole.
Oh yeah, Sour Sweet thought, there is no way she hasn't had sex with girls before.
Sour Sweet gasped, taking a sharp breath as Sunset fingerblasted her. Sunset seemed to know just where to touch for the best effect. She was so gentle, yet firm.
Sunset parted Sour Sweet's walls and put just the tip of two fingers in from either side. She rubbed Sour Sweet's snatch up and down, pumping her fingers just a little bit.
Sour Sweet jerked. Her vagina twitched. She could feel it coming on. She just needed a little more.
She grabbed Twilight and Fluttershy's hands and guided them up to her boobs. Getting the message, Twilight and Fluttershy played with her tits, jiggling them and sucking hard, occasionally licking her nipples with their tongues.
Sour Sweet thrusted her hips, feeling the sensations in her cunt.
"Mmm!" Sour Sweet's eyes rolled into the back of her head as her climax finally happened. Cum poured out of her cunt and got all over Sunset's fingers. Milk flowed freely and easily out of her nipples, spritzing Twilight and Fluttershy's cheeks again.
Sunset slowly took her fingers out from Sour Sweet's skirt. She looked at her fingers and without hesitating, like a vampire drinking blood from an exposed neck of a hobo nobody would miss, Sunset stuck her fingers into her mouth and sucked the cum off.
"Mmm," Sunset moaned, making slurping noises as she cleaned her fingers up. She took her fingers out and gasped for air. "Not bad," she smacked her lips.
"Good for you, Sour Sweet!" Fluttershy cheered, her breasts bouncing slightly as she did. "Do you see the value in what it's like to care for animals, now?"
Sour Sweet nodded.
"Are you ready to take your gag off now, Sour Sweet?"
Sour Sweet shook her head. They had such a good thing going. She didn't want to ruin it if she couldn't keep herself from being rude. Maybe Sunset was right and she did need therapy.
"If you say so," Sunset said. She examined her fingers, now coated with saliva instead of cum.
Fluttershy and Twilight began moving off the bed, but Sour Sweet reached out and grabbed their boobs.
Fluttershy and Twilight looked to each other.
"I could go another round, sure," Twilight said. They pounced on Sour Sweet, adjusting themselves and letting Sour Sweet lay down on the bed while they got on her top of her and resumed sucking her tits.
"I'll leave you to it," Sunset said, and left to go wash her hands. |
Leatherbound Shadows | Breakfast Buffet: Sunny Side Down | Sunny Flare biked all the way from her home to Twilight's street. The Shadowbolts forewent the idea of meeting up at the mall again today, instead leaving Sunny Flare to get there by herself and suffer her humiliation alone.
Left out to dry, Sunny Flare ruefully thought. She found a bike rack and chained up her bike nice and neat to discourage thieves.
Sunny Flare stood, looking at the chains with a blink. She wondered if she was going to end up chained the way her bike her was bound. Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet had been coy about the exact details of what their treatment entailed, but from what Sunny Flare could infer, it wasn't the most ... everyday thing. Sunset and Twilight must have been just a touch kinky.
Sunny Flare went up to the house and banged on the door. "Open up! It's Sunny Flare, from the Shadowbolts. I'm here for my turn!"
Twilight opened the door, getting Sunny Flare with a big smile. "Welcome! I'm so glad to see you again, Sunny Flare! Now that you're here, we can -"
"Yeah, yeah, cut the crap, Twilight," Sunny Flare. "Where's the collar? Let me see the collar." She held out her hand.
Twilight blushed and cleared her throat. "Of course." She moved away from the door and returned with the collar and leashed draped over her wrists.
"Give it here." Sunny Flare snatched the assembly from Twilight's hands and put the collar around her neck herself. She would be damned if she would let Twilight embarrass her and degrade her the same way she had done to Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet, and taking the collar and putting it first - her choice, not Twilight's - was the first step in that.
"Gosh, Sunny Flare." Twilight adjusted her glasses and spoke in a patronizing tone, seeing the obvious power play for what it was. "I'm so glad you're cooperating on this. Usually I have to fight to get the collar on."
"Well, that's because unlike me, the others aren't smart," Sunny Flare hissed. "Now let me in."
Twilight moved aside and let Sunny Flare in. She glared at the back of her.
"So, what comes next?" Sunny Flare asked.
Twilight slammed the door shut, startling Sunny Flare. Twilight hung her head and sighed, adjusting her glasses. The light reflected off the lenses and obscured her eyes, making her look soulless. The entire room darkened, or so Sunny Flare thought.
Twilight raised her head and chuckled, and the room brightened up.
"Normally, we'll do something with our 'pet' before we get around to the main event,' Twilight said. "Like go out for a walk or try to discipline them."
"You're not going to discipline me," Sunny Flare said, pointing to herself proudly. "I, for one, do not need disciplining. If anything, I'd say it's you and Sunset that need to be disciplined, after what freakshow you put Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet through." Sunny Flare looked around the living room. She went to sit down on the couch. "You got any snacks?"
Twilight's eye twitched. "Sure. Just gimme a second."
"Make it quick," Sunny Flare said, crossing her arms and putting a leg on the coffee table. "I get into a bad mood when I'm hungry."
"No, really?" Twilight said dryly. "I never would have guessed."
Twilight whipped out her phone and sent out a brief text.
Sunset, get down here. Sunny Flare's insufferable. I don't know how much more of this I can take by myself.
"All right, all right," Sunset came down from the stairs. "What's going on, Twilight? I'm sure it can't be that bad." She put her hands on Twilight's shoulds and patted Twilight to assure her.
Twilight pointed to Sunny Flare in silence. Sunny Flare was looking back at them over her shoulder.
"Before you two take your panties off and start fucking, would you mind getting me my snacks?" Sunny Flare said. "Some cookies or crackers would be. Maybe even goldfish."
"Whoa!" Sunset said. "Who said anything about fucking?"
"Oh, please. Look at yourselves," Sunny Flare said. "There is obviously something going on between you. I can practically smell it from here. You're hot for each other. But that's not really my problem. What is my problem is, where are my damn snacks?"
"I see what you mean," Sunset whispered to Twilight. "Here. I'll go talk to her."
Sunset went up to the couch, shyly rolling her hands together to appear non-threatening. "Now, Sunny Flare, you really shouldn't talk to your friends like that."
"Ah," Sunny Flare interrupted her, holding out her hand. "I can't think on an empty stomach. Either go get my snacks, or talk to the hand. You know what, never mind, I'll go get myself." Sunny Flare moved to get up off the couch.
"No, no, please!" Sunset said. "That's not necessary. We'll go get your snacks for you. Does a bagel and some cream cheese sound acceptable?"
Sunny Flare mulled it over. "Acceptable, yes. Now hurry up." Sunny Flare leaned back into the couch. "The sooner you get food into me, the sooner I can stop being nasty."
"Oh. Ooh, so that's something you can control, is it?" Sunset said. "Or rather, can't?" she added harshly. Before Sunny Flare could reply, Sunset spoke to Twilight. "Come on, Twilight. Help me in the kitchen. I don't know where you keep everything."
"Sure thing," Twilight said, and followed Sunset into the kitchen.
After they got in, Sunset peeked over the corner to make sure Sunny Flare wasn't paying attention to them.
"She's insufferable!" Sunset whispered. "I see what you mean! It's like you can't do anything without her contesting you on it!"
"Yeah," Twilight said. "Any idea on what to do?"
"No," Sunset put a hand to her forehead. "No, I'm sorry to say, Twilight, I have no ideas about what to do. Sugarcoat gave us her own idea. Fluttershy helped us out with Sour Sweet ... but it's almost like she doesn't want to be dominated, and she doesn't want our friendship lesson. Why is she even here in the first place?"
"Wait," Twilight snapped her fingers. "That's it." She got out her phone and began typing.
"What's it?" Sunset asked.
"Fluttershy helped us with Sour Sweet," Twilight said. "So that means the next thing we should do is get help from one of our other friends with Sunny Flare."
"Where is that bagel!?" Sunny Flare shouted from the other room.
"Coming! We just haven't been able to find everything. Twilight's brother sure made a mess." Sunset shouted back, her voice as sweet as it could be. "Which one of our friends would possibly want to help us with this!?"
"I know just the gal," Twilight answered, putting her phone up to her ear.
Sunset sighed. "Fine. You do that. I'll go get her stupid bagel." Sunset rummaged through the kitchen, opening up the upper cabinets and setting the bagels down on the kitchen table.
Twilight faced away from Sunset as her call went through. Confusion ensued as she heard what she knew was Rarity's phone ringing in the house, though quiet.
"Rarity?" Twilight spoke.
"Twilight, darling," Rarity said. "I was just about to call you."
"About what?" Twilight said. "Where are you?"
"About that. I'm outside your door, darling."
"What!?" Twilight exclaimed, then checked the door to see if she drew Sunny Flare's attention. Sunny Flare only had a quizzical look to throw Twilight's away before turning her attention to the TV.
Twilight hunched down and spoke softly.
"Why are you outside my house?"
"Come to the front door and I'll show you."
Twilight tiptoed across the living room. "Sunset will be right out with your bagel," she assured Sunny Flare.
"She better be," Sunny Flare muttered. "It feels like this has been taking forever."
"Do you mind if we have a guest over?" Twilight asked. "Wait, don't answer that, this is my house."
Twilight went up to the door and opened it. Rarity stood on the front porch, and Twilight couldn't believe her eyes when she saw what Rarity was wearing.
A leather suit, complete with a halter top, some studs down her right shoulder, a skirt and books that reached up to her thighs, and a riding crop resting across her arms.
"Rarity?" Twilight exclaimed.
"Ah," Rarity put a finger to Twilight's mouth. "Save the shouting for later, Twilight. There's no need to fret." She stuck the riding crop down Twilight's shirt and pulled her close. "Your mistress is here."
Twilight wiggled her way out and tossed the riding crop off. "I can't deal with this right now. I need to go deal with Sunny Flare."
"Oh, but Twilight, don't you see?" Rarity asked, grabbing Twilight's shoulder to keep her from running inside. "This is a perfect opportunity. You need help dealing with Sunny Flare, and I ..." Rarity pressed the end of the riding crop against Twilight's chin. "Need someone to dominate."
Twilight blushed. She squinted at Rarity. "How long have you been planning this?"
"A few days," Rarity said. "It all started when I saw you with Sugarcoat in the park. Seeing that made me realize that I wasn't alone, that I wasn't a freak just because I was into bondage. I'd have come by to join the fun sooner, but making your own dominatrix outfit takes time, especially when you have to custom order the leather. Shall we go inside?"
"I think we shall," Twilight cleared her throat. "Sunny Flare! I brought one of my friends over."
A resounding "Whatever!" came from the living room.
Twilight went back inside the house. She looked at Rarity, who remained outside. "Aren't you going to come in?"
"And spoil my big debut? No, no, darling! I need to savor the moment. I need to make an entrance!"
Twilight gave a questioning glare.
Rarity sighed. "One day, if you ever get into the fashion world, you'll understand."
"Right." Twilight returned to inside. "So, Sunny Flare, do you want to meet my friend?"
"No," Sunny Flare answered.
"At least turn around and look, just for a second?" Twilight said. "I promise I'll leave you alone after this."
That was an offer too good for Sunny Flare to pass up. She threw her her head and shoulder on the back of the couch.
"Ta-dah!" Twilight threw her hands in the air as Rarity hopped into the room, doing a pirouette and twirling around before coming to a rest, snapping the riding crop by her thigh.
"Well, darling?" Rarity asked, holding her high in arrogance. "What do you think?"
"Meh." Sunny Flare returned to her resting state on the couch. "I've seen better leather outfits."
Her words deflated Rarity like a dart through a balloon.
Rarity self-consciously rolled the handle of the crop in her hands. "I suppose you could consider it a work in progress."
They both heard Sunny Flare's stomach grumble.
"Damn it, people! I'm hungry! Where is my snack?" Sunny Flare clutched at her belly. "At this rate, I'm going to need a full four-course meal!"
"Ta-dah!" Sunset entered the room, holding up a platter.
Twilight's jaw dropped. Rarity was in a questionable outfit, but Sunset had her beat.
"Twilight?" Rarity asked. "Darling, whatever are you staring at? You shouldn't let your mouth hang like that." She made a soft gasp when she saw what made Twilight lose control herself.
Sunset was wearing a kitchen apron ... and absolutely nothing else. Her cleavage and thighs were exposed, as well as her back and her ass.
"That's certainly something," Rarity muttered.
"I don't think I even have an apron," Twilight whispered back.
Sunset brought her platter over to the couch. On it were a number of bagels, each with different spreads on them, including cream cheese and blueberry jam.
"Here you are, my lady," Sunset placed the platter down on the coffee table. "Bagels, as requested."
"It's about time," Sunny Flare said eagerly. She picked a bagel and took a big bite, chewing it rapidly and swallowing it with a loud gulp. "That's better." She finished the bagel. When she was done, she wiped the crumbs off her face with a napkin, the way a proper lady should, at least as far as Rarity was concerned.
Sunny Flare noticed Sunset Shimmer hovering over her.
"Can I help you?" Sunny Flare asked.
"Come on, Sunny Flare," Sunset brushed a hand through her hair. "You don't notice anything ... different?" She waved her hand down her face, gesturing to her cleavage.
Sunny Flare took one look at her and said "No." with a completely straight face. She went back to eating her bagels.
Sunset frowned. Her eye twitched. Her fingers wiggled. She thought undressing and wearing nothing but an apron was the perfect power move, but Sunny Flare had shut it down with a single word.
"Sunset?" Twilight asked, feeling the tension rising in the room. The heat from Sunset's temper floated all the way over from Sunset to Twilight, and it turned Twilight on, for some odd reason, like she wanted to lay down and let Sunset pin her down beneath her foot like a sex toy. But
Twilight controlled her desire and recognized someone should probably talk Sunset down for the greater good.
"That does it," Sunset hissed, storming out of the room.
"Does what? You know what, if it doesn't concern me, I don't care."
Sunset came back into the room, still naked, but trading the apron for her jacket. She clutched something in her hand.
She marched in front of the couch. Sunny Flare looked at her.
"Oh, for Pete's sake, what now?" Sunny Flare wailed. "Can't you let me eat my bagels in peace?"
"No," Sunset said. "No more Ms. Nice Gal, Sunny Flare. I've had enough of your crap."
"Really?" Sunny Flare asked with a grin. "That's too bad."
"Yes, it is." Sunset held out her fist. She opened it, revealing a geode.
"What do you have there?" Sunny Flare asked.
"Look, Sunny Flare," Sunset said. "Just look."
"I'm looking," Sunny Flare said impatiently as nothing happened.
"Keep looking," Sunset said.
"When does something interesting happen?" Sunny Flare asked. "Because if doesn't happen soon, I'm going back to my bagels."
"Right about now," Sunset said. The geode glowed, pulsating out different colors, rotating between all the colors of the rainbow, starting with red and going to violet.
"What are you ..." Sunny Flare asked. Her eyelids felt heavy. She couldn't keep them open. "What is ... how are you?"
"Shh," Sunset put a finger to her lips. "Relax, Sunny Flare. Relax."
"Re ... lax," Sunny Flare repeated on a delay.
"Listen to the sound of my voice," Sunset said. "Let it pierce through you. Let it penetrate - and dominate - your mind."
"Penetrate ... dominate my mind," Sunny Flare repeated, her pupils becoming featureless except for a single color that matched whatever color the geode was producing.
"Speaking of penetrate," Sunset said, "you're so high and mighty, aren't you? So much better than all the rest of us. Is that what you think? That's what you think, isn't it?"
"Yes," Sunny Flare admitted.
"I'm going to fix that for you.." Sunset moved the geode closer to Sunny Flare's face. "You're not better than anyone else, Sunny Flare. In fact, I'd almost say you're worse."
"Uh, Sunset?" Rarity said.
"Quiet," Sunset snapped. "But there is something you can do, Sunny Flare, to bring yourself back up to others' level. You can help them. If you help people, that makes you a better person, got it? Not acting like you're better - being better, and being better means helping other people with their problems, even if it's hard, or gets your makeup dirty."
Sunny Flare groaned, and to Sunset, it sounded like a protest.
Sunset tapped a finger on the geode, and the glow it emitted intensified.
"Repeat after me," Sunset said. "I will help others"
"I will help others," Sunny Flare repeated.
"No matter what it takes."
"No matter what it takes,," Sunny Flare repeated, nodding solemnly.
"Close your eyes," Sunset said. Sunny Flare did so. Sunset reached into her jacket and pulled out a night mask, which she put around Sunny Flare's eyes.
"I'm going to snap my fingers. When I do, Sunny Flare, I want you to wake up as an eager helper, ready to help anyone with anything without asking too many questions." Without waiting for an answer, Sunset snapped her fingers.
Sunny Flare jerked awake. She bit her lip and shifted on the couch, taking on a docile sitting position.
"So! Sunset! What can I help you with today?" Sunny Flare asked, rolling her hands together.
"I have some friends who need your help," Sunset said. "Rarity, Twilight, come on. Help me get her to the garage."
Rarity looked at Twilight. Twilight shrugged and gestured for Rarity to roll with it.
Sunset guided Sunny Flare into the garage and set out a stool for her to sit on.
"Sit," Sunset commanded, patting the stool.
Sunny Flare giggled and obeyed. Sunset pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and tied it around Sunny Flare's eyes as a blindfold.
"Also, take your clothes off," Sunset said. "All of them."
Sunny Flare turned to the direction of Sunset's with a questioning expression. "Um ... I'm not sure about that."
"It's for a good cause," Sunset said, "we're going to donate the clothes to charity."
"Oh! Well, in that case ..." Sunny Flare happily set about taking off her clothes, stripping down until her pale body stood completely nude.
"So, Sunset," Rarity asked, tapping her chin, "now that we have Sunny Flare in this position, what are we to do with her?"
"Wait here one sec," Sunset left the garage and returned with her backpage. She set it on the floor, unzipped, then dumped its contents out onto the garage floor, which included a variety of dildos and microphones.
"And you just happened to be carrying all these things on you?" Rarity asked.
"What? No. Don't be silly. I wasn't carrying them until at last after we finished with Sugarcoat," Sunset answered, as if this was a satisfactory explanation that precluded any other questions, some of which Rarity had that were valid. "Here. Voice changers and functioning dildos. We'll tell her they're students Twilight's tutoring who need with some relief before they can focus on their studies. We're gonna make her think she's being used by like, nine different men."
"Isn't that a tad extreme?" Rarity asked.
"Rarity, did you come here to dominate someone, or not?" Sunset asked.
Rarity pursed her lips and made warbling non committal noises with her mouth before answering. "Yes."
Sunset thrusted a voice changer and a dildo into Rarity's arms. "Then dominate. You take the first turn."
"If you insist, darling," Rarity went around to the back of Sunny Flare. She examined Sunny Flare's position on the stool.
"This needs a little ... something, it's so plain," Rarity said. "I know." She snapped her fingers. She grabbed hold of Sunny Flare and adjusted her position, then whipped out some fuzzy handcuffs and attached Sunny Flare's wrist to the stool's leg with her cuffs.
That done, Rarity turned her attention back to the toys.
"Now, Sunset, when you say functioning dildo, what does that mean?" Rarity asked, fumbling with the toy. She accidentally squeezed the end of it and caused what looked seemed to be jizz to shoot out. "Oh my! Sunset, what did you do to get this?"
"Not what you're thinking," Sunset said. "It's just water that's been slightly salted and dyed white with some coloring. Now, put the mic to your mouth, pick a setting, then shove it up her ass. Now pretend you're a student Twilight is tutoring." She rolled her hand around in a circle. "Go!"
Rarity adjusted the dial on the microphone and put it up to her mouth to speak. "Hello?" She was taken back when her voice came out as a deep-voice man. She looked at Sunset with surprise.
Sunset, frustrated, made a hole with her fingers and plugged her finger into it.
Rarity nodded. "So, Sunny Flare," Rarity said with the mic, "how are you feeling today?"
"Like helping," Sunny Flare answered with relish.
"Are you now?" Rarity asked. "Why don't you prove it to me and bend over? Lean lover and let me have a look of that cute ass of yours. I've been so distracted with my studies lately. I haven't been able to focus on anything but sex lately."
"Sure thing!" Sunny Flare leaned forward on the stool, putting her ass crack where Rarity could access it easily. "My goodness, you have such a sexy voice."
"I get that all the time," Rarity said proudly, as if this was her real voice. She pressed the dildo up against Sunny Flare's asshole and twisted it as she shoved it up. "Tell me about yourself, Sunny Flare."
Rarity pumped the plastic cock in and out while Sunny Flare moaned from the intrusion.
"I'm a Shadowbolt from Crystal Prep," Sunny Flare said. "I'm friends with Lemon Zest, Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat and I like to help people. I've been brought here to help - um. What am I helping with again? Ah!" She moaned and panted as Rarity continued working.
"Some guys Twilight's been tutoring," Sunset whispered, cupping Sunny Flare's chin. "They've been hormonal to the point they can't focus, so you're helping them get some sexual relief. Remember?"
"Oh, that's right!" Sunny Flare said happily. "Take as long as you need, Mister!"
"Are you sure about that?" Rarity jerked the dildo, and Sunny Flare grunted. "I could take an awful long time if you let me. I like to take things slow."
A bead of sweat ran down Sunny Flare's face. "Well, maybe not too slow. Your cock is kind of uncomfortable in my butt like that."
"Is that right?" Rarity said, pumping the dildo slightly. "I guess maybe I can finish it early, if that helps."
"Whatever helps you the most!" Sunny Flare said happily.
Rarity squeezed the end of the shaft, squirting salted water all over the inside of Sunny Flare's ass crack, making a mess and painting it white.
"It's so wonderful!" Sunny Flare moaned as the fake jizz seeped out of her bottom and onto the garage floor. "Doesn't helping others feel great?" Sunny Flare said.
"Oh yes, it does," Rarity agreed.
"Out of the way, Rarity," Twilight said, and Rarity thought she heard an almost predatory note of malice in her voice. "It's my turn." Twilight picked up a mic and a dildo and bumped Rarity out of the way with her hip.
"Howdy," Twilight said, speaking into a mic that made her voice sound deeper and vaguely southern. "Mind telling me who you are, sweet thaaang?" Twilight asked.
"Sunny Flare," Sunny Flare answered, panting. "Crystal Prep's resident helper. I love helping people! Even if ... " she winced slightly. "Even if it means getting cum up my butt."
"Do ya now?" Twilight asked, shoving the toy right up in Sunny Flare's butt-hole, the leftover dredges of the previous toy allowing it to slide in with ease. "I say, that's mighty interesting to hear. Mind telling me how you long you've been a helper like this, sugar?"
"For as long as I can remember," Sunny Flare said.
"Memory is so unreliable, isn't it?" Sunset quipped under her breath, and Rarity felt awkward, thinking about certain events that occurred recently.
"I remember the first time I really enjoyed helping someone," Sunny Flare said. "It was Sugarcoat. She wanted some help coming up with insults, especially for this one girl named Twilight Sparkle. She really wanted to knock her down for some reason. I don't remember why. Something about some games or something?"
"Knock down, huh?" Twilight said. "That sounds like a good idea." She enunciated 'idea' as though it had an r on the end. She curled up her fingers around the mic to protect it, then punched Sunny Flare in the back, knocking her off the stool and onto her knees.
"Ow!"
"Bend over," Twilight said, almost snarling.
"No! That hurt! I need a moment!"
Twilight raised her feet and pressed it into Sunny Flare's back. "Do it."
Sunny Flare whimpered, but submitted, letting Twilight push her down until she was standing like a four legged animal.
"Sunset?" Rarity asked, alarmed by Twilight's display of viciousness. "Does Twilight seem all right to you?"
"Yeah, she's fine," Sunset said. "She gets like this sometimes when she's in the mood and turned on. She just gets really into it."
"Huh," Rarity said.
"On your hands and knees, slut," Twilight said into the mic. "I'm gonna ride you harder than a stallion in heat rides a mule."
"Oh, yes! Sure!" Sunny Flare pressed her hands into the floor and leaned forward to give Twilight better access to her bum. "Whatever you need help with!"
"Whatever I need, huh? If that gets you off, happy to oblige!" She rammed the dildo as far in as it would go, then took it back out and rammed inside again before squeezing the base and making it shoot its synthetic cum all over Sunny Flare's insides.
"Oh wow!" Sunny Flare answered, moaning and shaking. "I can almost taste it."
"Do you want to taste it?" Twilight asked as she took the wet dildo out. "Cuz I make it you taste right now, sweet thang."
"No, no!" Sunny Flare answered, dropping to her stomach. "This is fine! Whatever you want is fine. I am here to help you. For you."
"Whatever I want, huh?" Twilight rubbed her chin with a contemplative look. "Maybe I'll ..." She looked over to see Sunset gesturing to her to cut it short.
"My mistake, sugar," Twilight said. "Looks like one of my friends will have to be the one to take care of you."
"Friends?" Sunny Flare said with surprise, her eyes going wide. "Friends, plural? Lots of friends?
Friends who need help? All at the same time?"
"Oh, there's an idea," Sunset said. She hummed pleasantly as she grabbed two dildos in one hand, then picked up a third and handed it to Rarity.
"Come on, help me with this one," Sunset shoved one dildo up into Sunny Flare's buttocks, then a second one, plugging it in such a way that it made Sunny Flare's ass look like a storage compartment.
Rarity made an unsure hmm.
"It'll be fine," Sunset assured her. "Stop worrying. If we ever get too far, I'll pull you and Twilight back."
"That's what worries me, darling. How do you decide what's too far?"
"Look, do you want to help, or not?"
Rarity chewed on her lip for a moment before deciding yes, and plugged the seventh dildo into Sunny Flare's ass as well.
"Ooh!" Sunny Flare moaned. "There's so many men inside me!"
"Yes," Sunset said, then realized she wasn't using the mic. She grabbed one from off the floor and spoke into it. "Yes, Sunny Flare. You've got a whole lot of men inside you, just the way a good slut like you likes it, right?" She grabbed one dildo and gently rocked in and out, careful not to knock the others out of place.
"Yes!" Sunny Flare moaned. "I like it! I love having so many men inside me at once!" Sunny Flare guffawed and giggled. "It's so nice to help the most people you can at the same time!"
Sunset adjusted a dial on the mic, changing her voice. "Soon, sweet thang, soon," Sunset said, now sounding like a pawn shop owner.
"When we ..." Rarity began, making the same mistake as Sunset. She grabbed a mic.
"Are you guys okay?" Sunny Flare asked. "Your voices sound funny... "
"We're fine," Rarity assured her, now speaking into the mic.
"Besides, a slut like you shouldn't worry herself about our well-being," Sunset growled. "You should only worry about how many of us are in you at once, and how that makes you feel."
"It makes me feel wonderful!" Sunny Flare said, her smile returning. "Sweet heavens, I would love it if you would all cum into my ass at the same time!"
"Not yet," Sunset answered on the southern setting. "We need to have our fun with ya first."
"What if - what if I do this?" Sunny Flare asked, begging and desperate. Her ass clenched, sucking the dildos in further.
Sunset pretended to moan. "Oh my! That is mighty fine. Maybe if you do that a few more times, we might just let you have it."
"Oh yes, oh please, please," Sunny Flare begged, clenching and unclenching her buttocks, the dildos pumping in and out.
"I say," Rarity said, adjusting the dial to where she sounded Russian, "they certainly make their sluts ready and willing around these parts, don't they?"
"I'm ready! I'm willing!" Sunny Flare said. "I want to help!" She moaned and panted. Sunset was sure her eyes had rolled to the back of her head by now.
Sunset and Rarity squeezed the dildos softly, letting Sunny Flare's ass have a little bit of fake cum from each one before taking the dildos and replacing them with a different set - this time of four, two for Rarity and two for Sunset. They pumped the toys in and out of her and stirred them around, mimicking the sensation of aggressive, territorial men fighting each other for the coveted space that was her slutty asshole.
"Oh yes!" Sunny Flare moaned, exhaling sharply. Her vagina twitched and leaked out a drop of pre-cum. "So many ... I'm such a good ... helper ... slut ... oh, I can't track of them all! How many students is that now?"
"A lot," Rarity hissed.
Twilight noticed the state Sunny Flare's vagina was in. She picked up one of the dildos and turned it over in her hand. She got a devious grin on her face and walked in front of Sunny Flare.
"Twilight?" Rarity asked with the Russian voice still on. She moved the microphone away from her face. "Twilight, what are you doing?"
"No way am I going to let you two have all of the fun," Twilight answered, and raised the dildo up high, spreading her legs like she was a gunslinger in an old western movie. She aimed it at Sunny Flare's face.
"Now, Sunny Flare, you love getting it in the ass, right?" Twilight asked.
"Use the mic!" Sunset hissed, and tossed a mic to Twilight. Sunny Flare didn't seem to notice this time, to Sunset's relief.
"Sure!" Sunny Flare said. "As long it helps, I'm - aah! - down for whatever. Ooh!"
The mic gave out screechy feedback when Twilight turned it on. "But ... you wouldn't be opposed to trying something else, would you?"
"No!," Sunny Flare said. "Not at all! Not if it will help! What do you have in mind?"
"Cum," Twilight answered. She got on her knees and stroked Sunny Flare's chin. "Thick, heavy cum splattering all over your cute, chubby little face ... would you like that?" Twilight pinched Sunny Flare's face. "I'm sure you would. A slut like you doesn't have a lot of standards, does she?"
"No," Sunny Flare said, "she doesn't! Okay. Lay it on me, you hot stud!"
Twilight nodded to Sunset and Rarity. Sunset understood grabbed the base of two of the dildos in Sunny Flare's ass, but Rarity took a minute to grasp what was being communicated. She grabbed the third one.
Twilight resumed her western stance, aiming the dildo square at Sunny Flare's face.
"On three," Twilight said. "One, two ... three!"
She, Sunset Shimmer, and Rarity all squeezed the base of the toys at the same, producing an enormous bath of fake cum for Sunny Flare that in her hypnotized state, she was so turned on by she then produced real cum, squirting into her panties as her snatched twitched in joy. Her face was given an even white coat, Twilight moving the dildo back and forth as to cover every inch of Sunny Flare's cheeks. Fake cum from the dildos piled up and leaked out of Sunny Flare's ass like wax from an expired candle knocked on its side. It slid between her ass cheeks and dripped to the floor.
"Oh my goodness, I'm such a slut!" Sunny Flare moaned as squirts of cum shot out from her vagina onto the garage floor. "I can't believe that I would let myself be creamed by so many men at once, but here I am, loving every second of it, because that's what it takes to help others! And I ... love helping ... ooh ..." she panted and stuck her tongue out as her orgasm slowed to a halt, though not before making a big splash on the floor.
"I assume, darlings, you have something to clean that up with?" Rarity asked.
"I think we'll manage," Twilight said, licking her lips. She tapped Sunny Flare on the cheek like Sunny Flare was a beer bottle she was assessing the emptiness of. "I think she's about done, Sunset. Why don't we clean her off and send her home?"
"Because I want to give her a present," Sunset said. She rooted around Sunny Flare's skirt and pulled out Sunny Flare's phone. "Something to remember us by."
Sunset pulled up Sunny Flare's blindfold and held the phone in front of her. Sunny Flare turned to face her and looked at Sunset as if she had never seen another human being before.
"Sunny Flare, can you unlock your phone for me?" Sunset asked.
"Sure," Sunny Flare answered, still giggling. A drop of leftover cum oozed down her slit. She took the phone and unlocked it, then moved to give it back to Sunset.
"Hold onto it for a just a second, will you?" Sunset asked. She grabbed Sunny Flare's hand and raised it up, angling it so that it looked straight down at Sunny Flare's cum-soaked ass. Sunset got into the camera app and snapped a few pictures.
"There," Sunset said. She replaced the phone into its proper place. "Whenever you start thinking you're too good for others, Sunny Flare, I want you to pull your phone and look at those pictures, and think fondly about this time. The time you were a low-down, good-for-nothing-but-sex slut who let guy after guy take his turn with you and had nine men cum straight into your ass in a row, because that was you needed to do, to be, to help others. Remember that, and be humbled."
"Okay," Sunny Flare said, not really thinking about what she was agreeing to.
"Let's get you cleaned up," Sunset said, helping Sunny Flare to her feet. She guided Sunny Flare to the bathroom, took off her clothes, and helped Sunny Flare to wash the cum (real and fake alike) off her body.
After that was done, Sunset dressed Sunny Flare in a towel and bade her to wait in the living room while she ran Sunny Flare's clothes through a wash to make sure there wasn't a trace of what they'd done to her on them. When the clothes were finished, Sunset redressed Sunny Flare, sat her on the couch, and brought out her geode.
"Okay, Sunny Flare," Sunset said. "Look at the geode."
"I'm looking," Sunny Flare said, her eyes transfixed on the geode.
Sunset rocked the geode back and forth, spinning it and rolling it between her fingers. "I'm going to count to three and snap my fingers. When I do, I want you to wake up from your trance and not remember anything that happened while you were hypnotized. Except for one thing. Whenever you catch yourself acting high and mighty, like you're so much better than everyone else ... I want you to remember and think about that time you let nine men ride your ass in a row. Because what was you needed to do to help them out. Maybe, once you do that, you'll start acting a little nicer and helping others instead of just yourself."
"But I doubt it," Sunset muttered in an aside. "Ready?"
"I'm ready, mistress."
"Mistress," Twilight said. "It sounds good on you, Sunset. Mistress Sunset. Sounds like the name of one of the better pornos."
"If you say so!" Sunset said nervously, like she didn't fancy her name being attached to a porno. "One, two, three." Snap went Sunset's fingers, and Sunny Flare jerked as she went back into her pre -hypnotized state.
"Where am I?" Sunny Flare asked, taking a look around the room. "What happened?" Her eyes fell on Sunset and she remembered what she was doing there. Most of it, anyway. "Oh, that's right. It's you." She rubbed at her stomach. "Huh. I'm not hungry anymore."
"Yeah, that will happen once you've had one of my patented bagels," Sunset said cheerily.
"Good," Sunny Flare got to her feet, pressing her knuckles to her hips. "I don't know what is you two think you're trying to pull here, but I'm not gonna let you do the same thing to me as you did to Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet. I'm ... too good ... for ..." she trailed off and rubbed her head.
"Anyway," Sunny Flare said, her voice and posture softening, "I should probably be going now."
"If you feel you must," Sunset said, as if she was sad to see her go.
"Ow," Sunny Flare, touching the spot where Twilight had pressed a foot into her back and wondering why she was sore there. Her knees hurt, too, come to think of it.
Sunny Flare left the house. Once she was outside of its boundaries, she whipped out her phone and searched through the pictures on it. She found the one of her ass leaking cum and blushed, finding it to turn her on more than anything. She checked to make sure no was watching her, then pressed the button to copy the picture she could have a backup. She went home.
"All things considered," Rarity said. "That was quite an impressive showing, girls. I didn't think you had it in you to be on top like that. Well, maybe Sunset, but Twilight? That's quite a surprise."
"Watch out for the quiet ones," Twilight said, adjusting her glasses.
"There's just one thing that's bothering me, though," Rarity said.
"Oh?" Sunset answered as she brought the tray of bagels from the couch to the kitchen. "What would that be?"
"Since when and how do you know how to hypnotize people, Sunset Shimmer?" Rarity asked. "And how do I know you haven't used on me, or Fluttershy, or any of our friends?"
Sunset chuckled. She grabbed Rarity's shoulders and pushed her out the door. "Gee, Rarity, it's been so great having you over, but Twilight and I have a lot of chores to do and when we can't focus with you in that top, so bye-bye! Have a good day! TTYL!"
Sunset threw Rarity out the door, then slammed the door and locked it.
Rarity was disturbed. Not only had Sunset not answered her question, but far as she could tell, every room in the house was spotless. There was no need for chores.
What was Sunset hiding? |
Leatherbound Shadows | 3 Course Meal, Set to Bach | Lemon Zest dressed up for her outing with Sunset and Twilight. Sunny Flare had spilled all the beans - something about 'helping others' - and let Lemon Zest know what was really in store for her. Not sitting around in a circle talking about feelings or whatever, or making arts and crafts, but getting down and dirty with some sex until that (somehow) translated into an actionable lesson for being a better friend.
Lemon Zest was cool with that. She was a party girl, after all. Getting freaky was right up her alley. She texted Sunset for more details, and Sunset wouldn't provide any, but she did say they'd be doing at a different place than usual - Lemon Zest would meet them at Sunset's house instead of Twilight's for this occasion. That was also fine with her.
As long as she could listen to her rock music, preferably through a loudspeaker, (though she wasn't picky) Lemon Zest was fine with whatever they decided to do to her.
Lemon Zest got on her bike and rode to Sunset's house. She was wearing special underwear for the occasion, which made her skirt feel looser than she liked and felt bizarre against the padded leather of her bicycle seat. Still, she pressed on.
She arrived on Sunset's house, dismounted the bike, and walked up to the door. She rang the doorbell.
"Hello!" Lemon Zest called. She rang the doorbell several times. "Anybody home? It's Lemon Zest from Crystal Prep! I'm here, and I'm ready to get down and-"
The door snapped open and Sunset came flying out. She clamped her hand around Lemon Zest's mouth.
"Shh!" Sunset snapped. "Do you want the whole neighborhood to hear what we're up to?"
Lemon Zest shrugged. It made no difference to her whether or not the rest of the neighborhood knew.
Sunset sighed and rolled her eyes. She took her hand off Lemon Zest's mouth.
"Just come inside," Sunset said dourly.
"Is there somewhere I can park my bike?" Lemon asked.
"Here," Sunset exited the house and took hold of the bike. "I'll take it to the garage."
Lemon Zest smiled and nodded. She went inside the house.
Twilight was standing in the living room waiting to greet her. She was just dressed in a lab coat with her hair tied back in a bun.
She adjusted her glasses and looked up at Lemon Zest. Lemon didn't know why, but something about the way the light hit the lenses made Twilight look menacing.
"Hello, Lemon Zest," Twilight said coldly.
"Hi, Twilight," Lemon said, waving at Twilight and not really picking up on the passive-aggression in Twilight's voice. "What's up?"
"Not much," Twilight said. "Do you know why you're here?"
"I'm here to be a sex doll for you and Sunset to play with while you two work out the exact nature of your relationship," Lemon Zest said coolly, making finger guns. "At least, that's how Sunny Flare put it."
"Of course she did," Twilight said, rolling her eyes again. "How charming. That's partly correct, Lemon Zest. But we're going to be something special with you today."
"You are?" Lemon Zest asked.
"Yes, we are," Twilight said. "We're going to be running an experiment about the effects of music on the human body."
"Ooh!" Lemon Zest clapped. "I love music!"
"Yes," Twilight said. "I'm aware. I can still hear that rock music you subjected me to, ringing in my ears." She glared at Lemon Zest, hunching her shoulders up like a disgruntled owl.
"Okay!" Sunset walked into the room, patting her hands back and forth. "Your bicycle's all locked up, Lemon Zest." Lemon Zest hadn't noticed the negative energy radiating out from Twilight, but Sunset did. "Whoa there, Twilight. You feeling okay?"
"Just fine," Twilight said.
"You sure? I'm picking up some bad vibes from you about this girl." She looked back and forth between Twilight and Lemon Zest. "Are you two exes or something?"
"Exes!" Lemon Zest laughed. "As if I would be caught dead dating a nerdy science dork like Twilight Sparkle!"
Twilight narrowed her eyes and grunted.
"There, there," Sunset said, taking Twilight's hand and patting her on the shoulder. "It's okay. Lemon Zest, most people, nice people, don't insult their friends by calling them dorks like that."
"Right, right," Lemon Zest said, wiping a tear of laughter from her eyes. "Whatever you say." She looked at Sunset and Twilight's posture. "Man. Sunny Flare was right. You two really are in a relationship."
At this, both Twilight and Sunset looked at themselves. They saw how the way Sunset had taken hold of Twilight's hand could easily be mistaken for the posture of many a happily married couple holding hands together, then quickly broke away from each other, facing away with blushes on their cheeks.
"Anyway," Twilight cleared her throat, trying to maintain some semblance of control over the situation before Lemon Zest had a chance to embarrass her any further. "Why don't we head downstairs?"
"Downstairs?" Lemon Zest asked, looking around the room. "How can we go downstairs? We're already on the first floor."
"To the basement," Twilight said impatiently.
"Easy, Twilight," Sunset said, patting Twilight's shoulder.
"Oh, duh, right," Lemon Zest. "Lead the way, you sexy bitches!"
Twilight rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Twilight," Sunset said, "you have to give her that much. We are sexy bitches."
"Well," Twilight said, "maybe you are." She looked at Sunset with a smile and blushed, then turned away when she heard Lemon Zest laughing again at how obvious her affection for Sunset was.
"Come on, Lemon Zest," Twilight said. She and Sunset turned around.
"Lemon Zest?" Twilight asked when she didn't hear a third set of footsteps behind them.
"I'm coming, just give me a second. I'm getting ready."
"Ready?" Twilight asked. She and Sunset turned back around to see Lemon Zest had half-pulled her shirt off.
"What are you doing?" Twilight asked with dismay. "Keep your shirt on!"
"But aren't you just going to make me take it off anyway?" Lemon Zest asked.
"Yes," Twilight answered, "after we get you away from the windows."
Lemon Zest's half-covered head turned towards the side of the house. "Oh yeah, good point."
She pulled the shirt back down and followed Twilight and Sunset down the hall.
Sunset brought the other two to a pair of cellar doors and threw them open.
She led down the steps and brought them inside the basement.
Sunset flicked the switch and light filled the room.
"Whoa," Lemon Zest oohed and aahed.
Sunset's basement was tricked out. There were a pair of loudspeakers on end of the room, joined by several other types of sound equipment, all of which Lemon Zest recognized, including a subwoofer and a tweeter, along with an amp for guitars and a record table, the kind used by DJ's at rave bars. There was also a few other various knick-knacks, including a large lava lamp, but Lemon Zest didn't care about those.
"Where did you get all this stuff, Sunset?" Lemon Zest asked, wandering around the room like someone in a supermarket for the first time.
"Oh, you know," Sunset said, examine her knuckles, "various odd jobs. Saving up money. Scavenging from the junkyard and the scrap shops. I'm pretty handy with a wrench, if I do say so myself." She smiled.
"So, what's the plan?" Lemon Zest asked.
'The plan?" Twilight replied with a plan. She held up a cord. "The plan is for you to learn to appreciate the taste of others," Twilight explained. She went up to Lemon Zest and took Lemon's headphones off her neck. "You won't be needing these."
"With all the sweet equipment you've got around here?" Lemon asked. "I definitely won't."
Twilight deposited Lemon Zest's headphones over on the mixing table.
"You may strip now, if you wish," Twilight said, adjusting her glasses.
"Sweet." Lemon Zest pulled her shirt off with gusto, ready and eager. She threw it down to the floor and headbanged, whipping her hair around. She added her skirt to the pile.
She was wearing a half cup corset to keep her breasts plump and steady, and some crotchless panties that looked like garters to Sunset.
"What are you wearing?" Sunset asked.
"You don't like it?" Lemon Zest asked, sounding hurt. "I knew we were gonna be in for sexy fun times, so I thought I'd dress for the occasion." She gestured her hands to herself proudly. "Are you sure you don't like it?"
"It's fine," Sunset said. "I'm just surprised, that's all. All of the other Shadowbolts hated being drawn into the sexy parts."
"Those are my favorite parts," Twilight said unprompted. "Lemon Zest, turn around, if you would."
"Sure! What'chu got for me?" Lemon Zest asked. She was puzzled when Twilight plugged a wire with a suction cup and an alligator clip into a jack, clipping it onto her nipple while attaching the suction cup to her breast. Twilight repeated the process with the other side of Lemon Zest's chest.
"What's all this?" Lemon Zest fiddled with the cord.
"You'll see," Twilight said. "Come on. This way. On the wooden horse" She grabbed hold of the cord and yanked, pulling Lemon Zest along.
"A wooden horse?" Lemon Zest scoffed. "What do you guys think I am, some dumb kid?"
"No," Twilight said, and Lemon Zest was surprised to see something that was not a toy horse. Rather, it was a large triangular block of wood with four legs out from underneath it, like a misshapen bench. A leg spreader dangled on the underside from a chain.
"Sit on the horse, Lemon Zest," Twilight said patiently. "We can't get started until you do."
"All right, if you insist," Lemon Zest said. She reluctantly saddled up, sitting on the horse and throwing her legs over each side.
Twilight set about tying Lemon Zest's hands behind her back and securing her to the horse. She picked up the leg spreader and clipped it onto Lemon Zest's ankles, brining her weight down on the sloped part of the triangle and putting pressure on Lemon Zest's crotch.
"Is this necessary?" Lemon Zest asked, feeling a little uncomfortable with being restricted.
"Yes," Twilight said. "This is absolutely necessary for what we're going to do today. The safeword for me to untie is 'Cloaca', unless you'd prefer some other word, in which case, now is the time to speak up."
"Okay. 'Cloaca' is fine," Lemon Zest said. "Say, speaking of, what are we going to do today? I'm still not entirely sure." She tapped her chin and searched the room for clues.
"Listen to music," Twilight said.
"That's it?"
A thin object firmly inserted into her ass told Lemon Zest no, that was not it.
Twilight went over to the other side of Lemon Zest and lifted another wire with a rectangle strip of metal on the end of it. She inserted the strip into Lemon Zest's vagina, wiggling it inside until it was taut.
"There we go." Twilight said. She fiddled with the chain on the leg spreader to be sure it was working properly.
"Um, okay," Lemon Zest said.
Twilight went back over to the mixing table. Sunset joined her there.
"I'm going to enjoy this," Twilight said with a snarl.
Sunset patted Twilight on the shoulder. "Dial back on the dom throttle there, Snidely Whiplash. There's no need to sound so evil."
"Right, of course," Twilight said. She'd been growling a minute ago, but when she turned to Sunset, she was all sunshine and rainbows. "Still, you have to admit, it's nice to ... make things right."
Lemon Zest inferred from her tone that Twilight was going to say something nastier than 'make things right' before catching and correcting herself.
Twilight fed commands into the mixing table, adjusting dials, buttons and switches.
The sound equipment in the room came to life. Sound waves blared and traveled across the room, putting out intense guitar chords and screaming vocals from heavy metal.
"Yeah!" Lemon Zest cheered, rocking. As the sound equipment vibrated, so did the materials on her erogenous zones. The strip in her vagina shook, pleasuring her. The plug in her ass pumped in and out like a piston, rocking in tune with the music. The 'horse' vibrated, the music pulsing through its frame, adding additional pleasure to her crotch.
"I love this song!" Lemon Zest said, looking to Twilight with a big grin on her face. "How did you know!?"
"Call it a hunch!" Twilight shouted, raising her voice to speak over the amps.
"Whoo!" Lemon Zest cheered, rocking wildly on the horse. "This is awesome!"
Twilight rubbed her hands together with anticipation. She fed another set of commands into the controls.
All of a sudden, at least sudden to Lemon Zest, the music stopped.
"Hey," Lemon Zest said, searching around. "What's the big deal? I was having fun?"
Music started up again, only it wasn't Lemon Zest's music. Lemon Zest's music was all loud and power chords, guitar solos, and angry vocals about the system and the Man keeping them down.
This new music ... it was slow and quiet at first, but it grew in volume, though it remained slow and steady.
Lemon Zest's eyes widened. She reared her head back in dismay. It couldn't be ...
She couldn't believe Twilight would subject to something this, this awful, this horrible, but here it was. When the violins sounded through the stereos, Lemon Zest was freed of all doubt.
"Is this classical!?" Lemon Zest shouted.
"Yup!" Twilight informed with a malicious glee. "Bach's concerto #9."
"I hate classical music!" Lemon Zest struggling to break out of her restraints and escape this tasteless, guitar-less things that losers and old geezers called music.
"Stop struggling, Lemon Zest, or you'll never learn the lesson," Twilight said.
"No!" Lemon Zest snapped. "I don't want to learn the lesson if it means I have to listen to this garbage!"
"Bach is a highly respected composer," Twilight said, adjusting her glasses again. "You would do well to stay awhile and listen. See what you can learn from him."
"No," Lemon Zest said. She turned her head. "I won't."
Lemon Zest didn't think this could get any worse, but it did. The plugs in her butt, nipples, and snatch started up again, moving and pleasuring her in tune with the slow tempo of the classical ballad.
"Oh, come on!" Lemon Zest groaned.
"You signed on for this," Twilight said. "You all did."
"I know, I know, but ... Twilight, please! This is torture. Don't make me listen to this."
"You're overreacting," Twilight said. "Besides, this isn't torture ... it's BDSM."
"Kind of stretching the definition there a bit, but yeah," Sunset said. "Please, Lemon Zest? Hold on for just a few more minutes? Five minutes. That's all I ask. If it's still too much for you, we'll let you go."
"I'm not sure I can take another five seconds of this!"
But Sunset pouted and made puppy dog eyes at Lemon Zest, who, despite her rocker nature which should by rights have balked at anything cute, Sunset's face was too adorable for her to say no.
"Fine," Lemon Zest said. "Five minutes. And not a second longer!"
"Of course," Twilight said with a giggle. She turned the volume up, and Lemon Zest had to contend with the strip in her vagina going harder and faster than before, all the while in tune with that blasted music.
Lemon Zest grimaced at the conflicting signals in her brain. She felt good. The strip, the plugs, everything vibrating in her body felt good, pleasant and pleasurable. But she hated the music. Loathed it. Detested it with the kind of disdain-for-authority, rebelling against "The Man" attitude exclusively available to punk rock-loving rock and roll punks, like a high-level spell in a game of Dungeons and Dragons.
Lemon Zest bit her lip, her shoulders tensing up as she was rocked back and forth on the 'horse'.
Her cunt grew wet as the metal strip whipped her erogenous zone up into a frenzy.
"Twilight!" Lemon Zest shouted, lurching over and clutching at her stomach. "I think I'm close now!"
"Oh, are you?" Twilight asked with interest.
"Yes!" Lemon Zest shouted. She shivered and moaned at the pleasure, before groaning as the violins in the piece took center stage and filled her ears up with the sound of violin bows running across their matching strings.
Twilight adjusted a dial and turned up the volume.
The music blasted through the room, and through Lemon Zest. She was vibrating so hard she felt double, like she was in two places at once. The horse shook furiously, its legs clattering against the floor.
"Twilight!" Lemon Zest screamed. "I'm gonna - I'm gonna-"
"Your sweet screams are like ... like ... hmm, what am I thinking of Sunset?" Twilight said. "I can't seem to remember. It's like, a word, starts with an M? Five letters? Two syllables? I can't think of it, but whatever that word it is, that's what Lemon Zest's screams remind me of."
Sunset rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, you were saying, Lemon Zest?" Twilight said. "You're gonna what?"
"I'm going to - to!"
Lemon Zest's eyes rolled to the back of her head as she climaxed, her cunt squirting juices all over that ran down her thighs and dripped down the sides of the horse, forming a small puddle on the floor.
Lemon Zest collapsing, throwing her upper body forward on the horse and coming to rest with her head against chest, throwing her legs backwards and using the spreader as a counterweight.
Twilight, recognizing that Lemon Zest had a lot taken out of her, turned the volume down to the point where the room was near silent, except for the tiny little dah-dah-dah of classical brass and wind instruments.
Lemon Zest laid where she was, panting and tired. She could still hear that awful music. But she didn't hear it for long, as Twilight turned the volume from 1 to 3. Loud enough to really listen to, but not the earthquake levels of vibration it had been before. And it turned back into rock and roll music, with a guitar solo and power riffs becoming the background noise of the room.
Energized by her beloved rock and roll, Lemon Zest righted herself on the wooden board, dangling the spreader beneath her. "Are ... are we done?" She panted out. "Can I go home now?"
Twilight rubbed at her chin. "I don't know, Lemon Zest. Have you learned your lesson about appreciating the taste of others?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Lemon Zest. "I've learned my lesson. Other people don't like rock and roll, and that doesn't mean they're evil. Just that they're losers."
Twilight turned to Sunset. "What do you think, Sunset?"
"I don't know," Sunset said. "It doesn't sound to me like she's learned her lesson. Sounds to me like she just wants to get out of here. I think we should teach it again."
"What?" Lemon Zest asked. "How? What could you possibly do to me?"
Twilight turned the volume again, this time to a 7. Guitars and drums and lyrics about doing drugs and sticking it to the man and standing up for yourself blared through the speakers.
Lemon Zest sighed and relaxed, comforted by the familiar tune and voices of her favorite genre of music.
She grimaced when Twilight turned it back to the Bach piece.
They got me with that trick twice! Lemon Zest cursed in her head. In hindsight, she really should have seen it coming.
The violins and brass resumed, as did the vibrations in Lemon Zest's body. Lemon Zest pumped automatically as the tingling strip in her vagina shook and rattled.
"Twilight!" Lemon Zest complained. "You can't do this to me!"
"I can do whatever I want," Twilight said, "as long as Sunset Shimmer approves and you don't say the safe word. Isn't that right, Sunset?"
"I don't know about that," Sunset said. "But it is true that you and the Shadowbolts agreed to this. In exchange for the friendship lessons, remember?"
"I know, I know," Lemon Zest said. "But can't we learn friendship with the rock and roll music on? Can't you teach me about something else?"
"This is actually a very good Friendship Lesson unto itself," Sunset said. "Friendship isn't always easy. Or comfortable. Sometimes, to be a good friend, you're going to have to do things that make you uncomfortable. Or pretend to like something you actually don't so you don't hurt your friends' feelings. At least until you can figure out how to tell them you don't like it in a way that doesn't hurt their feelings."
"I don't like this music!" Lemon Zest said. "I hate it! It's awful!"
"I like this music," Twilight said, adjusting her glasses and glaring at Lemon Zest over their rims. "I think it's a very well constructed piece that understands several key aspects of what makes music work, like timing, tune, tempo, melody, notes."
"See?" Sunset said. "There. Just there. You failed spectacularly, Lemon Zest. Try explaining to Twilight why you don't like this music without being rude or nasty. Then, maybe, we'll let you go."
"I don't like it ... because ... because ..." Lemon Zest covered her ears. She couldn't think straight with all that awful violin and cello and clarinets playing. "Because it's like broken guitars having sex in my ear!"
"Guitars?" Sunset was distracted by the concept of guitars having sex. There was probably an anime about it.
Twilight shook her head in disapproval. "Uh-uh. Nope. You failed it again, Lemon Zest. F minus. F minus minus. I'm turning the volume up."
"No!" Lemon Zest whined as Twilight's fingers touched the dial and she felt the Bach coursing through her body, vibrating her to the bones. She could see her skin jiggle and warble under the powerful thrum.
"Twilight!" Lemon Zest cried as the horse rocked back and forth, her nipples, clit and butt all stimulated in perfect harmony with the dreadful, terrible Bach piece. "What did I ever do to deserve this?"
"Oh, you don't remember?" Twilight said, turning her in a huff. "I just wanted to let you know how some of us don't always approve of getting rock music blasted into our ears!"
"You're still upset over that?" Lemon Zest said. "That was ages ago!"
"It was a few months," Twilight said. "And I'm still not too happy about you and the other Shadowbolts pressuring me into becoming a reality-destroying monster either!"
"We didn't know that was going to happen!"
"Ignorance of the law is no excuse."
"What?" Lemon Zest said. She rolled her eyes. "Oh, forget it." She slumped forward on the horse and resigned herself to her fate. She scanned the room and looked at Twilight and Sunset.
"So, how long have you two been dating?"
Twilight and Sunset blushed.
"We're not dating!" Twilight insisted. She turned to Sunset. "Are - are we? Are we dating, Sunset? Is that what we've been doing?"
"I like to think of it more as friends with benefits," Sunset said.
"See? There you go, we're not dating." Twilight said. She sound self-conscious about the idea of dating Sunset.
"Sunny Flare says different," Lemon Zest answered.
"Oh, of course," Twilight said. "Because Sunny Flare is such an expert, reliable character witness." She fiddled with her fingers and looked at Sunset.
"Yes, Twilight?" Sunset asked.
Twilight squeaked and looked away.
"Hey," Sunset placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "You know you can tell me anything, right? I'm your friend." She gestured to her chest. "You can trust me."
Twilight smiled. "Thanks, Sunset Shimmer. I know that. It's just ... it's still ... awkward, sometimes. Trying to ask for what I want." Twilight took in a deep breath.
"Sunset, I would ... like to date you. Would that be all right? Do you think you could see yourself with a girl like me?"
Sunset gave Twilight a comforting smile. "I'll think about it. Why don't you ask me once we're done with the Shadowbolts' lessons? I wouldn't want us to get our close and have our feelings for each other cloud our judgment."
"You're right," Twilight said. She straightened up her posture and focused on Lemon Zest with a laser-like, scientific intensity. "Back to science."
"Aww," Lemon Zest. "You two are so cute together! You should totally date. You'd make a great couple." Their cuteness had distracted Lemon Zest from her torment, but now the moment had passed, her attention returned to how pleasurable vibrations were mixing with unpleasant violins screeching into her ears.
"Can't you make it stop!?" Lemon Zest snapped. "I hate this piece. I hate it so, so much."
"Why do you hate it, Lemon Zest? It's a good piece," Twilight said. "And no, you can't just say that it sucks or that it's too 'conforming' or whatever buzzwords rock and roll people use these days."
Lemon Zest tucked in her lip. To Twilight, it was obvious Lemon Zest was fighting off the urge to say those exact things with those very words.
"Ooh," Lemon Zest moaned. The strip in her vagina twitched and tingled.
Why? Lemon Zest whined in her head, coming to terms with the fact her words would not move Twilight to sympathy, no matter how much she might beg and plead.
Lemon Zest thought about what Sunny Flare told her and got an idea. Perhaps if she were to lean into the sexual aspect of her situation, she might be able to appease the cruel goddesses that called themselves Sunset and Twilight.
Lemon straightened her posture. She inhaled sharply to relax her body, then proceeded to buck and thrust, leaning into the sexually stimulating bits and bobs as much as she could. Maybe, if she orgasmed a second time, it would be enough to make Twilight happy and they would let her go, let her jump off the horse, and release from having to listen to blasted Bach.
Lemon Zest moaned, her bucks and thrusts working. The pleasure increased, even though she still hated the music. Her twitching, throbbing vagina pulled the strip further in, and it vibrated so much Lemon Zest could almost feel it in her thigh bones.
"Looks like she wants to go a little faster," Sunset observed.
"Faster, eh?" Twilight said. "I think we can do that."
Twilight turned the volume up to 8.
"Ooh!" Lemon Zest moaned and groaned, her teeth chattering inside her skull as she experienced the sensation of vibrating to the point of feeling double again.
"T-T-Twilight!" Lemon Zest shouted. "It feels so good! But I - I still hate this music! AH!"
Lemon Zest lurched over, cumming again, her juices leaking down her thighs a second time. They coated over the first layer and created a slick, shiny sheen on her pink thighs. The music died down, as if matched to her sexual highs and lows.
"Now are we done?" Lemon Zest. "Please tell me we're done."
"Do you appreciate the taste of others?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah. Sure. Whatever. Just stop subjecting me to that awful dreck!"
Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes. "You're still not getting it."
Lemon Zest's eyes widened when she heard the rock and roll guitars and power riffs again. Twilight wasn't going to get her this time. She knew this trick. This was to lull her into a false sense of comfort and security. Any minute now, Twilight would flip the switch and turn it back into boring Bach with his boring violins and clarinets and blast it into her ears and fill her body with negative vibes instead of the refreshing sense she got from good old rock and roll.
Lemon Zest tensed up. Any minute ... any minute now.
Twilight and Sunset found themselves chairs and sat down. They read newspaper and drank while the rock and roll was set at a comfortable level, enough to hear, but quiet enough to speak over easily.
They sat there for so long Lemon Zest thought they had forgot about her.
Seeking to test the theory, Lemon Zest swung her legs back and forth, trying to touch her feet to the floor.
The minute she did so, Twilight leapt into action, jumping out of her chair, tossing aside the newspaper, and hopping over to the console. She switched it from the rock to Bach, and turned up the volume to 7. Lemon Zest was so startled she tried to jump up into the air, but the leg spreader pulled her back down.
"Twilight! Come on!" Lemon Zest begged.
"What do you think, Twilight?" Sunset said. "Should we call it off?"
Twilight looked at Sunset as if expecting her to decide.
"Your call," Sunset said, waving her hands and expecting Twilight to think for herself.
"Let's do one more," Twilight said. "And let's make it a good one, too."
Twilight turned down the volume, and thus the vibrations in Lemon Zest's body. Lemon Zest was left with a pleasant but largely unsatisfying thrum in her clit.
"Oh come on!" Lemon Zest complained, gesturing a furious hand to the stereos. "It's not enough you make me listen to this awful music string vomit and make me cum, but now you gotta make me edge too!?"
"Yes," Twilight said, grinning crazily. "Yes, I do have to make you edge."
"Ugh," Lemon Zest groaned and rolled her eyes, throwing herself backwards on the horse. "Fine. Fine. Just ... do whatever you want. Just get it over with. Make it end."
"Quit being so dramatic," Twilight said, adjusting a dial. "It's not like I'm hurting you."
The grin Twilight had on her face after saying that worried Lemon Zest to no end.
Lemon Zest yelped. It felt like the clamps around her nipples had just delivered an electric current which hopped from one nipple to the other.
"Oh, great, now I gotta deal ... whatever this is, too!?" Lemon Zest said.
"Remember, you and the Shadowbolts did agree to this!" Sunset said, though she sounded worried and more she was trying to reassure herself rather than Lemon Zest.
"That's right," Twilight said. "You agreed to this."
"I'm not sure that what I agreed to includes being experimented on like some science project,"
Lemon Zest said, looking down at her breasts for any sign of more electric currents.
"W-what is that?" Lemon Zest asked, turning her head back and forth to search the room. "What is that noise?"
"I don't hear anything," Twilight said.
"You can't hear it?" Lemon Zest asked. "It's ... little voices. It sounds like ... Oh no. Oh, come on, you gotta be kidding me!"
The Bach piece was now accompanied by vocals. German opera, if Lemon Zest had to guess.
"Why?" Lemon Zest whined, squeezing her eyes shut. "Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this?"
"I thought we already answered that question?" Twilight said.
"Twilight," Sunset said, "she seems really upset by this. Maybe we should stop?"
Twilight looked back and forth between Lemon Zest and Sunset Shimmer, as if torn between an instinct to obey Sunset's suggestion and the desire to inflict further torture and revenge upon Lemon Zest for subjecting Twilight to her tunes.
Twilight hung her head and sighed. She came to a compromise solution. "One more orgasm, and then we'll stop. Sound all right by you, Sunset Shimmer?"
"All right," Sunset said. She pointed a finger and narrowed her eyes at Twilight. "But just one. No more."
"Just one," Twilight agreed. She fiddled with the controls, then stroked at her chin. "I have an idea. Come on."
At Twilight's urging, Sunset followed her and the two of them left the room, leaving Lemon Zest alone.
Lemon Zest looked cautiously around the room, not sure if the two of them were really gone.
She made an attempt to wiggle herself off the wooden construct, but another electric shock ran through her nipples and discouraged the idea.
"Yowch!" Lemon Zest cried out. She looked down at her much-abused breasts. "I never realized Twilight Sparkle of all people could be so ... so extra. Huh?"
Lemon Zest looked around the room again, even though what she was now trying to confirm was hearing-based.
The music had stopped. Completely. It was all gone. There was no Bach, violins, harps, or rock and roll guitars, or anything in between. It was total silence.
"Twilight?" Lemon Zest called out. She was an extrovert and a loud party rocker - silence made her uneasy in a way she could not, ironically, put into words. "Sunset Shimmer? Anyone? Come on, girls. Don't leave me here all alone. I don't like being alone with all this ... quiet."
Lemon Zest shivered, teeth chattering. Maybe she was imagining it and it was all in her head, but the room seemed to grow colder as it grew quieter.
"Come on, girls!" Lemon Zest shouted again. "Say something! Anything! Even it's something like, 'oh gee wow, Lemon Zest, you should really stop complaining and let me take out my anger on you!' I'd settle for that."
She received no answer.
Before, Lemon Zest had loved the stereos Sunset owned. There were so large and so loud they'd be perfect for a rave or a rock and roll concert, plus Sunset had this other sound equipment like the tweeter and subwoofers and more to catch some of the more subtle sounds in rock and roll than a simple loudspeaker would have been capable of catching and recreating accurately. But now ... now their largeness seemed imposing and frightening. These massive metallic structures, towers made as a tribute and testament to the wonders of sound, and they were so so quiet.
An endless mesh covered the front of a speaker, full of tiny microfibers intended to receive signals and then recreate the vibrations of sound at the loudest volumes possible. And now it remained still as a statue, immobile and inaudible. It made Lemon Zest think of a bottomless pit or a black hole.
Desiring something, anything to take the edge off, Lemon Zest rocked back and forth, hoping it would creak and fill the room with something for her listen to.
No such luck. The wooden horse was as quiet as everything else in the room.
"Twilight? Sunset?" Lemon Zest called. "Okay, girls, you can stop now. Jump out from behind the speaker and yell 'boo!' or whatever it is you're planning on doing! I'm ... I'm scared now, all right? Girls? Girls?"
What was that damn safe word again? I can't remember. Cloak-a? Clocker?
Lemon Zest squeaked and whined. She shivered again, this time not out of an imagined coldness, but real fear.
"Ugh!" Lemon Zest tore at her hair. "I can't take it anymore!"
Lemon Zest wiggled and tried to break free of her restraints. She rubbed her wrists against each other and swung the leg spreader back and forth.
There was a beep like a forklift turning on, and the latches on the leg spreader came undone, allowing Lemon Zest an increased freedom in her movement.
Taking a risk, Lemon Zest tilted over to one side and set her foot down on the floor. This time no electric shock came. She jerked her other leg, tilting inch by inch until she fell off the horse and hit the floor, only to spring right back up to her feet.
Lemon Zest raised an eyebrow at this. Hands still tied, she tried to scrape the things clipped onto her nipples off by pushing her chest against the edge of the wooden horse block, but they wouldn't budge no matter how she pushed.
"Guess I'll just have to get Sour Sweet to saw it off or something," Lemon Zest mused, rolling
her eyes.
She put another foot on the floor and held steady for a moment, waiting for a trap to spring, but none did.
"Okay," Lemon Zest said. "Girls, I'm leaving! Is that okay with you? I'm doing it anyway!" Lemon Zest shook her head. "Wish I could remember the safeword ..."
Lemon Zest made her way towards the stairs, keeping an eye on the room and watching out for any traps. As she was unable to remove the cords attached to her body with her hands tied, she simply continued walking with them still attached.
Lemon Zest reached the base of the stairs. She stepped up one, waited, then stepped up the second.
Something about this didn't feel right, but Lemon Zest couldn't place a finger on exactly what it was. She'd been stopped the last two times she tried to get off the horse. What was different about this time? Did Twilight and Sunset go upstairs to bang and, in the throes of their ecstasy, forget about her?
Lemon Zest took another step and the cords attached to her went taut and pulled her back. She turned around and saw the cords were still attached to the horse.
Damn, Lemon Zest thought. She'd been expecting the cords to simply release and fall off once she got far enough away and stretched them out enough.
"Come on, you! I'm leaving this place and you're coming with me!" Lemon Zest continued walking up the stairs, using her cords to tow the wooden horse. It made a horrible scraping noise against the floor as Lemon Zest dragged it, but the more she thought about, the more Lemon Zest decided she preferred it over the sound of Bach.
Lemon Zest grunted and hauled the horse behind her as she went up the stairs. She wasn't sure how she would get the horse up the stairs, but she wanted to get herself out of the basement first before worrying about this. Maybe she was pulling a Rube Goldberg and making this more complicated than it needed to be.
Looking at the wooden horse again made Lemon Zest rethink her previous thought. The thing was big and shaped like a bench. Even if it was light enough for her to lift by herself, it would probably be too awkward to handle and require at least two people to haul it by the edges. Besides, her hands were tied behind her back.
With that thought in mind, Lemon Zest felt it reasonable to continue pulling on the horse rather than try something else.
She made it to the top of the stairs, dragging the uncomfortable weight behind her, and halted. Getting up the stairs with the horse weighing her down and pulling against her most sensitive areas had left her out of breath and panting in a mix of exhaustion and arousal.
Lemon Zest groaned again. Sunset's windows were opened. Lemon Zest was normally pretty open-minded about getting freaky and wild, but she hated the idea of someone seeing her - one of her fellow Shadowbolts that she could loosely call a friend - seeing her, and needing to explain to them why she looked like she just escaped a top secret government research facility, being all naked and covered in wires and cords.
Right at the exact moment Lemon Zest took another step towards freedom, sounds came from the basement again. Loud rock and roll blared up through the basement and into the house, making the floor vibrate beneath Lemon Zest's feet.
"Oh no you don't!" Lemon Zest snapped. "You're not going to get me that easily!" She would not go back into the basement. She would not fall for the siren song of her beloved rock and roll. She was getting out of here, hobby horse and all. She'd get some pliers or scissors, maybe a chainsaw, to cut the cords, then she'd put her clothes on, go back home, then settle in to listen to some Led Zeppelin while loafing in a bean bag chair.
At least, that's what she thought, before a mechanical grabber arm dropped out a panel in the ceiling and pinched the cords, dragging Lemon Zest back, winding up like a winch wheel, dragging her through the air and back down the stairs with an elastic speed, and reattaching her to the wooden horse, which in of itself was snapped back to its original position by a similar winding cord.
Bach blared through the sound systems, the tools on Lemon Zest's body all vibrated furiously, and Lemon Zest's snatch winked as the vibrator inside rumbled.
Before, Lemon Zest had felt double. Now she felt quintuple, like she was in five places at once, there were five wooden horses, and five sets of speakers. She closed her eyes. The quintuple vision was giving her a headache.
The bass and the treble in the Bach piece was emphasized, and with it, more electric shocks to
her nipples which stung, but also felt oddly pleasurable in their numbing effect, in much the same way an illegal substance that numbs one's body is pleasurable.
"Ooh! Ooh! Ah! Eee!" Lemon Zest squealed and squeaked and whined from the stimulation. There were so many things happening to her body at once she couldn't keep track of them all. Electricity going into her nipples, vibratons in her butt and her clit, the wooden horse rattling, digging into her cunt and making it wink and leak while her body shook.
Lemon Zest felt the edge of a climax coming. As she did, the sound equipment grounded to a dead halt.
"What?" Lemon Zest whined. "Come on! No fair!"
She regretted her protest, as the Bach piece started right back up, shaking and quaking her body with an assault of vibrations and violins, pumping her cunt with the toy inserted there and bringing her up right to the edge, and then stopping again.
Lemon Zest collapsed against the head of the hobby horse, panting and out of breath once more.
"Yeah ..." Lemon said. "Yeah, okay. I see how it is. You get me up just to the edge, then you stop, edge, stop. I get it."
The fact she cottoned on seem to be all the permission the machine needed to stop the game and cease toying with her, as it started up the Bach again and vibrated her body, and this time, it did not stop until she came, and she came hard, howling and moaning. Her cunt winked and squirted, shooting an arc of thin cum right over the horse's front and onto the floor, getting it onto some of the wires.
Lemon Zest hoped that would clean up. She didn't want to have to reimburse Sunset for the cost of such large, expensive machines because she couldn't control what direction her squirts went in.
The machines at last satisfied with her performance, the cords detached from Lemon Zest. Lemon Zest fell off the horse and landed on the floor, still panting and with her cunt still leaking cum.
Lemon Zest tilted her head up to see Twilight and Sunset coming down the stairs, though she was oriented in such a way that made it seem like the two of them were walking on the ceiling.
"Waiter, I'll take my my order now," Lemon Zest said, her head a delirious mess after the intensity of what she just experienced. "I want ... monkey ... with a side of pickles, and an ice cream Saturday."
Lemon Zest closed her eyes and passed out. Before she did, she thought she saw Sunset and Twilight giggle, and heard the soothing chimes of a rock and roll guitar coming through the speaker.
Twilight and Sunset removed the bindings on Lemon Zest's wrists and then lifted her unconscious body up and carried her to the bath to clean her up and wash the cum off her body.
But Twilight's experiment was successful; when Lemon Zest woke a few hours later, she did have a new appreciation for classical music ... even if it wasn't necessarily for its musical value. |
Leatherbound Shadows | Denial Diet | The Shadowbolts met up again at the mall, all but one of them tapping their fingers together, musing on their recent experiences.
Indigo Zap sat with her arms crossed around her chest and a grumpy expression on her face, brows furrowed and resentment in her eyes. They all knew what she was thinking. No way am I going to be trussed up like a sex doll for those two freaks.
Certain that talking to Indigo and trying to convince her to work with Twilight and Sunset would be a fool's errand, the rest of them turned away from her and continued to think to themselves.
Twilight and Sunset arrived. All they needed was one look at the atmosphere of the table to
understand Indigo was going to prove challenging.
"Indigo," Sunset said, "it's your turn."
"No, it's not," Indigo insisted. "I don't want to, and you can't make me."
"That's true," Twilight said. "We can't force you to do anything you don't want to do. We can only persuade you."
"Good luck with that, because you're not gonna persuade me to do anything. I've talked with the others. I know how you get your kicks."
"Please, Indigo?" Sunset said. "We just want to help you ... and maybe experience some benefits in the process, but mostly just help, and if you don't come with us, we'll have to leave you out of the follow-up friendship lessons."
"You mean follow-up kink sessions," Indigo replied, getting her sass on.
"Maybe we can persuade you?" Twilight said. She nudged Sunset in the elbow.
"What - oh, right. Look away, girls."
"What are you doing?" Indigo asked as Sunset approached her end of the table. Indigo hopped to her feet. "Don't come near me, you freak!"
"Can't you stop with the freak thing?" Sunset said, tiredly. "It's getting a little old. I mean, you could at least vary up your insults a little."
"I'm warning you!" Indigo raised a fist. "If you so much as touch me, I'll - I'll ... what ... what is that?"
Sunset produced her geode. It gave off a strong, rainbow-colored aura, pulsing faintly under the mall's harsh fluorescent lighting, which reduced some of its impact, but it was enough to subdue
Indigo and turn her more agreeable.
"It's whatever you want it to be, Indigo," Sunset said. "Now, why don't you come with me and Twilight? That way, you can keep looking at the pretty light."
"Yes," Indigo nodded, her eyelids fluttering. Sunset waved the geode around like a fishing lure, and Indigo followed her and Twilight out of the mall.
Once Indigo was gone, the Shadowbolts turned to each and spoke about their experiences quite frankly and cheerfully.
"I have never had an orgasm that intense before," Lemon Zest said.
"So you were lactating?" Lemon Zest asked Sour Sweet with interest. "Like, actually lactating with actual breast milk?" Sour Sweet nodded to confirm. "That is so hot. Do you think you could do that with me sometime?"
"Every time I see black leather, I start getting flashbacks and feeling flushed," Sugarcoat said, waving herself with her hand while she blushed, thinking about the collar around her neck and the feelings it induced in her.
Indigo was brought to Sunset's house and released from her trance.
She blinked several times, trying to process where she was and how she got here.
"Where am I?" Indigo asked. "How did I get here?"
"You're in my house," Sunset said. "For your challenge."
Indigo glared at Sunset. "What challenge?"
"That depends on you," Sunset said. "You're obviously pretty uncomfortable with what we do around here-"
"Uncomfortable? I'm not uncomfortable with anything, I'm just better than to let myself be used by lameos like you!"
"As I was saying, since you're not comfortable, we were thinking we would give you the chance to opt out."
"Opt out?" Indigo asked. "What do you mean, opt out?"
Sunset gestured to Twilight, who held up a Canterlot High cheerleader uniform on a hanger.
"Put on this uniform, do a cheer for CHS while we record it, and you can skip whatever perverted game we had planned for you," Sunset explained, though the smile on her face suggested she knew Indigo would never agree to this offer.
"Uh-huh. Absolutely not. No way. You wouldn't get me to wear Canterlot High's slutty cheerleader outfit in a million years."
Twilight held the outfit close to her chest and mumbled, pouting. "It's not slutty.".
"Are you sure we can't convince you to change your mind?" Sunset asked.
"Absolutely. Positive," Indigo said with disgust, arching her brow and regarding Sunset with
suspicion.
"Indigo, I think this would go a lot faster and a lot easier for all of us if you would just agree to wear the outfit and record the video."
"Are your ears plugged up or something? I said, no! I wouldn't be caught dead in that outfit. Plus, do you think I would ever let myself be seen in one of your school outfits? There's no way I'm letting the other Shadowbolts see me in anything other than a Crystal Prep uniform. Unlike some people, I'm not a traitor to my school." She glared at Twilight.
Twilight glared right back. "You might want to watch your mouth, you sack of filth. I'm not someone an expert on peer pressure has any room go mouthing off about traitors."
"Okay!" Sunset said, subtly adjusting her position so it looked like she was just walking around, but in actuality she was placing herself between Twilight and Indigo. "I think that's enough catty insults for now. What matters now is that we know Indigo Zap doesn't want to take the easy way out. And that's fine."
Sunset's worried smile relaxed into a more pleased and perverted one.
"The other way may not be easy, but it sure is more fun!"
"What kind of fun would that be, you-" Indigo's latest insult was cut off by a distraction in form of all the lights going out in the house - including the ones from outside which should been coming from the sun.
"Hey!" Indigo shouted. "Who -" there were several clinks and clanks as somebody slapped something onto Indigo's body. She felt someone nimbly slip her clothes off with her barely feeling it, like some kind of clothes ninja, and felt metal objects clapped onto her body, including her tits, vagina, and ass. Something thin and long entered into her orifices and stayed there.
She heard chains rattling. Someone grabbed the chain, yanked on it, and dragged her forward.
Indigo pursed her lips, mumbling under her breath. She heard doors squeak, and saw a bright, harsh white and purple lighting emerge from what the light revealed was a cellar door.
She could make out it was Sunset who was holding her by the chin, and that her wrists were stuck inside metal collars with a chain tying them together.
Sunset and Twilight descended down the staircase, bringing Indigo with them.
At the bottom of the steps, Indigo was finally able to take stock of her new attire with the light coming from the open basement door.
"What the..." She gasped. Indigo confirmed that every stitch of clothing, from her top down to her socks, had been removed and been replaced with a set of silvery metal bra cups, a matching metal codpiece, and the cuffs on her wrists that she had noticed earlier with similar restraints on her thighs and ankles, all connected to each other with locks and lengths of chain. As she stumbled forward into the basement, Indigo pieced together the full feeling in both her ass and cunt were vibrators.
The inside of the basement looked like an entertainment center, with a number of different activities set up around them. There was an arcade machine with harsh neon lighting coming from it. Occasionally it would make an obnoxious noise, like "Play to win!" and
"You're a winner!" There were also a few wooden structures like those in a gym, like a balance beam and hoops hanging from bars.
"What is this?" Indigo asked, already frustrated and tired of being here.
"Welcome to the playroom," Sunset said. Indigo turned around and was exasperated, but not surprised to see Sunset was now wearing see through robe, beneath which she wore a dominatrix outfit, wearing nothing but a black corset with matching silk panties, gloves, and thigh high boots with flame patterns to them. And oddly, a top hat.
"The playroom," Indigo repeated, annoyed. "How many brain cells do you expend thinking up that? Fifty? One hundred? More?"
"More than you expend in a day, that's for sure," Twilight remarked cattily.
"Ooh, and the wallflower gets in a good one!"
"I'll get in a lot more if you don't shut up and let my girlfriend - I mean, friend with benefits explain the rules to you."
"The rules are simple," Sunset said. "Inside the chastity set on your breasts and vagina are stimulators that turn on automatically, and that I can activate with this remote."
Sunset raised the remote up. Indigo, acting on instinct and clearly not thinking, lunged for it, but Sunset repelled her with a kick to the gut, followed by one to the thigh. Indigo stumbled and groaned in pain. What, was Sunset a regular ninja in addition to being a clothes ninja? Those kicks hurt. If she wasn't a ninja, she definitely knew martial arts.
"As I was saying," Sunset said, "I can control the vibrators with this remote. When I push the
button, it will stimulate you slightly."
Sunset pressed the red button with her thumb. Indigo was unprepared for the stimulating tingling sensations that appeared on her nipples and crotch, even less so for the twin rhythmic buzzing rods inside her crotch and as.
"I can make the vibrations more and more intense by adjusting the dials here," Sunset pointed to the side of the remote. "The machine will make you edge closer and closer but just shy of orgasm, and we're not going to let you get any further than the edge, we're not even going to let you come down from it. What you have to do, Indigo, is complete these challenges and get tickets. When you earn enough tickets ... I will let you cum."
"You don't 'let' me do anything," Indigo said. "I do what I want! But, if it'll get you, your sick girlfriend, and the rest of those idiot friends of mine that you've brainwashed off my back, I
guess I'll play your dumb game."
"Oh dear," Twilight said. "You shouldn't talk about your friends like that. She's hopeless, isn't she?"
"Maybe, maybe not," Sunset said. "We'll never know unless we try."
"All right, all right," Indigo Zap said, casting her gaze through the various challenges throughout the room. "So, which one of these lame games do you perverts want me to do first?"
"Your choice," Sunset said with a bow.
"Spare me your false humility." Indigo reviewed her options. "There. That one."
The dart board. She'd always been good at darts. Especially when she taped a picture of someone she hated to the board.
"Coming right up," Sunset said, as she escorted Indigo towards the board. And, Indigo noticed,
away from Twilight. Twilight stayed near the entrance.
"Hey firebrand," Zap said, "you're leaving your other half behind,"
"Is that what she is? Don't you worry your pretty little head about it," Sunset.
"Don't call me pretty. I have no interest in being part of your harem."
"That's a shame," Sunset said. "I take good care of my harem."
That was enough levity in her tone to make Indigo think she might be joking ... but Indigo wasn't going to ask.
"Now, to be fair, we're having to undo this part for the darts," Sunset applied a key to the braces around Indigo's wrists and removed them.
Indigo flexed her fingers and Sunset loaded her up with darts in hand.
Indigo shuffled the darts around, taking one into her right hand and leaving the others in her left. She reared her arm back and lined up a good throw.
When she tried to hurl the dart, the vibrator in her vagina turned on, delivering a slight bzzt that distracted her and broke her focus, making her drop the dart, where it rolled pitifully in front of her.
Indigo's jaw hung open in shock.
She never lost at darts.
Indigo turned to glare at Sunset Shimmer. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Sunset asked. "We didn't do anything that we didn't tell you that we were going to do."
Indigo's eye twitched. "Fine. Fine. Just stay out of my way for this next one."
Indigo slipped another dart to her right hand. She tensed up and forced her vagina to wink, preparing for the little vibration that would that disrupt her aim.
She moved to throw again, but was unprepared for the vibrator in her ass to start up, destroying her yet aim again.
"Ooh!" Indigo blushed when she realized a moan had escaped her mouth. She glanced over at Sunset, who had a proud smirk of victory on her face.
"You like anal, huh, Indigo? No wonder you're such a pain in the ass."
"Shut up," Indigo said. She went to throw the third dart and was surprised when no vibrations occured and she landed a bullseye. It was only 100 points, though, and she needed 300 to win, according the rules paper pinned on the wall.
She looked at the two remaining darts in her hand, then down at the metal underwear. It was probably too much to hope it had simply broken on her.
"Let's ..." Indigo said, "let's try something else."
"Right this way," Sunset said. "Anything strike your fancy?"
"The dance machine," Indigo said. If she couldn't work out a win with her hands, she might fare better with her legs, was her thought process.
Sunset brought her over, reapplied the wrist braces, then took off the ankle braces.
"Try and keep up,"Sunset said as she started up the machine.
"Please," Zap said. "I move faster on my worst day than you do on your best."
"I highly doubt that," Sunset picked a mode for the machine. "Get 50000 points to win."
"I suppose I shouldn't even bothering mentioning I'm the DDR champ between the Shadowbolts," Zap said with a smirk.
"Oh, the best of that poorly coordinated group? Gosh, what a shock."
Zap growled.
"Game's started. You're losing points."
"Crap!" Indigo redirected her attention on the screen and danced in tune with the prompts on the screen. Right, left, up, down, down, left, right, up, down ...
Indigo soon found herself easing into a steady, ease, relaxed groove.
This was DDR. This was a dance machine. It'd be a cakewalk. She had this in the bag, no matter what that haughty, prissy Sunset Shimmer thought.
Indigo got a combo going and the screen flashed and cheered whens he reached the 10000 point mark.
"Ha! Take that!" Indigo taunted while not taking her eyes off the screen.
"Oh, you're one-fifth of the way there! I'm so impressed."
"You just wait," Zap said. "I'll have ten million points by the time I'm done."
"Somehow I doubt that," Sunset said.
Indigo continued dancing, getting up to 20000 points with ease, then 30000, then ...
"Hrk." Indigo lunched when the vibrator in her ass revved up. It felt like a drill was spinning through her. She missed several steps as a result of the interruption.
"No, no, no," Zap wailed as her high score went down. She stuck her tongue out and tried to dance through the stimulation. As her score went down, the vibrations eased up, whenever she looked to be in reach of passing the 30000 mark, they acted up again.
"You can't beat me, Sunset!" Indigo shouted with defiance. "Not like this!"
She managed to ignore the vibrations and get all the way up to 40000, but then the vibrator in her pussy turned on along with, to her surprise, one positioned right on top of her clit. She felt just on the brink of orgasm and like her hips were going to vibrate out of alignment.
She moaned and panted. Her cunt was winking now, wet, but it wouldn't give her the satisfaction of orgasm. It wouldn't let her get over the edge.
"Had enough?" Sunset asked.
"Never," Indigo growled, though any intimidation factor she might have was undone by the panting her voice.
"I'll give you a minute before the next one, if you need it," Sunset said. "And some water, too. We're perverted and unusual, but we're not cruel."
"Are you sure?" Twilight asked.
"Twilight!" Sunset snapped.
"I'm just saying, maybe an energy drink would be better."
"No, Twilight, because we want her to stay hydrated, not have to spend the next fours in the
bathroom."
Twilight gave a sheepish grin. It had something Indigo didn't like about it more so than usual.
"Argh!" Indigo cried out, placing her face into her hands as the machine timed out and gave her best high score as a measly 35000 points.
"If you want to give up now, I'm giving you the opportunity to do so," Sunset said, leaning against the side of the machine with her damned smirk on her face.
Indigo heaved her breath out to control her temper. She wanted to throttle Sunset, but something, likely the lingering soreness at her stomach and thigh, told her that would be a bad idea. Most people who wore leather blazers regularly knew a thing or two about fighting, and Twilight could easily sneak up on her and hit over the head with a pipe or something.
"No," Indigo answered. "No, I'm not ready to give yet. What were the other challenges again?"
"We have a balance beam and a push up mat, and a stationary bike."
"Take me to the mat."
"With pleasure."
"And knock that off," Indigo said. "I don't care for your whole false humility act."
"Oh, all right. If you insist."
Sunset grabbed Indigo by the shoulders and steered her towards the exercise mat. She reattached the ankle braces, but removed the ones on Zap's hands.
"So what's the trick here, huh?" Indigo asked. "It is the mat coated with slime? Does it have some kind of aphrodisiac on it that will turn me into a horny slut?"
"No, no, it's just a mat. A mat you have to do pushups on while dealing with the vibrators. Twilight! Write that aphrodisiac thing down, though, I want to use that in the future."
"Can do."
Indigo rolled her eyes. "Don't you two ever get tired of being freaks?"
"Don't you ever get tired of being a sarcastic jackass whose friends barely tolerate her?"
"Touche."
Indigo took a deep breath. She moved to get down on the mat.
"Wait!" Sunset said.
"Oh for Pete's sake, what now?" Indigo snapped.
"You'll want to do some stretching and warm up exercises before doing the pushups. Remember, we don't want to hurt you, just tease you for a bit."
"Oh, shoot, yeah, that's a good point." Indigo corrected her posture and did some stretches with her free arms and a few crunches and twists. She then got back down on the mat.
"So, how long have you two been dating?" Indigo asked as she positioned herself for push-ups.
"We're not really dating per se. Not yet," Twilight said.
"Mh-hmm," Indigo lowered herself, her chin touching the floor. She raised herself up with minimal difficulty, sticking her tongue as she focused.
"How many of these do I have to do to win?"
"Twenty-five."
"Oh. That's easy. Prepare to be amazed."
"I'll believe it when I see it," Sunset said.
Indigo easily got up to five, ten, pushups, but when she got to number eleven, the vibrators in her outfit turned again, stimulating her clit, ass, and nipples.
Indigo yelped when the vibrations went through her. Her hands shook unsteadily underneath her.
She looked up at Sunset with a defiant glare, her desire to win only increased by the smug, satisfied look in Sunset's face.
Stupid Sunset, Indigo thought. Thinks she's so great and so smart. Well, I'll show her. Her and Twilight. I'll beat this challenge and then-
Indigo's thoughts were interrupted when the vibrations near her breasts traveled to the rest of her chest and made her arms fall out from under her, dropping her and making her eat a face full of mat.
"I would ask if you've had enough of this, but I think we both know what the answer to that is going to be at this point," Sunset said.
"Not a chance," Indigo said. "Where was I? Twelve?"
"Eleven, actually. Don't go and try to change the numbers on me."
"Worth a shot," Indigo grunted. She lowered herself. Her eyes twitched from the vibrators in her abdomen. It felt like a drill was going through her ass. She wondered how in the heck she was supposed to focus when she had this distracting her. It wasn't even that pleasant ... yet.
With a mighty grunt, Indigo pushed herself up. As she did, the vibrators increased in intensity, and Indigo felt her snatch winking again.
She dropped again, but completed the pushup, moving her count up to eleven.
Just focus, Indigo thought. That's all you have to do, just focus.
She managed to work her way through the next eight pushups, getting all the way up to
nineteen while the vibrators stimulated her.
She got to nineteen and they slowed to a near stop.
This made her wary. She glanced at Sunset again, who didn't seem to notice the vibrators had
changed their speed.
Indigo pushed up again. The vibrators turned back on when she reached the peak of her pushup, threatening to knock her back, delivering pulsing, intense stimulation to various areas of her body. They turned themselves off a few minutes, then back on again, alternating the pleasure in rhythmic beats. The gaps between made the vibration so much
more pleasurable, and she couldn't handle it.
She dropped again, her arms splaying out to the side, panting as she was stimulated.
"Oh, please, please," Indigo groaned, reaching for her crotch to help it along, only to be thwarted by the metal underwear. "Oh, please. I want to cum already ..."
"Do you give up?" Sunset teased with a grin.
Indigo panted a bit, then focused her gaze on Sunset and the grin she had that just made Indigo angry.
"No," Indigo groaned, pushing herself into an upright position. She was unsteady on her face, but she made eye contact with Sunset. The vibrators died down, and she could focus better. "No way. Not in a million years."
"At the rate you're going, we're going to be here for that long," Sunset quipped. "Oh, but
look at that. You failed to beat three out of five of the challenges, so we're going to have to start over for a second round."
"Bring it on," Indigo said defiantly, resting a hand on her thigh, close to where she had recently been pleased. Sunset observed the hand, and how close it was to the crotch, with interest.
"If you say so," Sunset said. "Which one do you want to try next?"
"Darts. I've always been good at darts."
"I'm sure you are," Sunset said as she helped Zap towards the goal. "Maybe when all this is over, we can play a normal match against each other."
"Please. Once I get these chains off, I'd beat you easily."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Sunset said. "I do know my way around sharp objects."
Indigo looked at Sunset with concern, and perhaps a hint of fear.
"I'm kidding... Mostly."
"You're not actually like, a serial killer or something, are you?"
"No! Though I suppose I might be a vampire or a succubus ... Indigo, I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Sunset added when she saw the disgusted look in Indigo's eyes.
"No more jokes," Indigo said. "This time, I'm beating these challenges."
"Sure you are," Twilight remarked from the other side of the room.
Sunset set Indigo up, giving her the same five darts as before. Indigo reared her arm back, feinted a throw, then threw for real, getting a bullseye on the first hit.
"That's more like it," Indigo remarked. She grunted when the vibrators on her nipples turned
on to distract her.
"No. No. Not this time. This time, I'm ... winning!"
Indigo heaved with all her might to throw another bullseye, but the anal vibrator buzzed loudly between her buttcheeks, throwing her arm of so bad the dart hit the wall instead of the board.
Indigo's eye twitched. She pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I don't suppose you'll be wanting me to pay to fix any damages I might do to your wall?"
Indigo asked.
"Now that just wouldn't be fair. Don't worry about it. We'll fix it. But, I'll give you a gift card if
you can make a sculpture of Twilight's face using the darts."
"I'm good, but I'm not that good. Plus, gift cards are a lame gift anyway."
"True," Sunset nodded thoughtfully, glancing at Indigo's left hand, and seeing that there were only two darts in it. "Looks like you dropped a dart.".
"Where did it go?" Indigo looked around and saw the missing dart had rolled by her feet.
She must have dropped it when she got buzzed in the arse again.
Sighing, she picked the dart up and moved to throw it again, bracing herself for her inevitable failure.
She feigned a throw, and then feigned twice. She thought, maybe, if she kept it up, she could trick whatever triggers the vibrators used to judge when they should turn on. If she could pull that off, maybe she could actually start beating the challenges.
She feigned thrice, four, five times. Sunset noticed, staring at Indigo with confusion.
Ha, Indigo thought. She thinks she's so in control, but she's got no idea what I'm up to.
Indigo moved for the final feint and for her first real, actual throw, but seconds before the dart left her hand, her vaginal vibrator turned on high, throwing her aim off again.
Worse than that, she'd been expecting the anal vibrator to be the one. She'd been bracing
herself for that and probably could have muscled through that distraction. But the suit almost seemed alive, like it was sensing her movements, learning her patterns, reacting and adaptiving its own patterns to suit the needs of any given situation.
"Hup ... but ... I ... how did it ..." Indigo clutched the sides of her head. She rounded on Sunset. "You. You cheated somehow! I faked this suit out like six times and somehow it still knew when I was going to throw for real!"
"Does that count as cheating?" Sunset asked. "It sounds like it's just got a really smart AI to me. Or maybe magic." She waved her hands in the air, just to rub in the insufferable indignity for Indigo.
"Heck of a thing for a Shadowbolt to accuse someone of cheating," Twilight remarked. "Gosh, I wonder where she might have gotten that idea from."
"Don't you start with me, Twilight," Indigo said. "I've got better things to do than to be lectured by a traitor about fairness."
"And I've gotten better things to do than sit around in Sunset's musty old basement trying to teach a smart-mouthed sore loser like you about friendship, yet here I am anyway!"
"Ladies, ladies!" Sunset said. "Can't we all just ... calm down and ... try to get through this without being at each other's throats?"
"I'll try," Twilight said, leaning against the wall. "If Solomon the Wise over here can learn to dial it back a little."
"I cannot guarantee that I will not possibly throw a dart in Twilight's direction," Indigo said.
"Indigo, I've done my best to be patient with you, but so you so much as suggest pointing a sharp object at Twilight or any of my friends again, I swear to Celestia that I will rip out your spleen with my bare hands."
"Ha! That's a good one, Sun ... set," Indigo said, only to look Sunset in the face and tell she wasn't joking.
"Let's try the DDR machine again," Indigo said, deciding to forgo the exercise bike.
"Aren't you just going in the same loop you did before?" Twilight said. "Haven't you heard the definition of insanity is trying the same thing twice and expecting a different result?"
"Okay, okay. The balance beam, then."
Sunset brought Indigo off, adjusted the chains to the appropriate setup to give her a fighting chance.
Indigo climbed on the balance beam and walked a few steps.
She was surprised when they were no caveats or perverted additions to the challenge, just walk from one end of the beam to the other without falling off.
Sunset watching her made Indigo nervous, but she was supposed it was better than having no around to catch her if she fell.
Indigo made it through most of the beam without incidents, but the anal vibrator turned up when she got close to the finish.
"Grr." Indigo gritted her teeth.
"Come on, Indigo!" Sunset cheered, and for a moment it seemed like she was really in Indigo's camp and wanted her to win. "You can do it!"
"I can do it," Indigo said. But she took another step was forced to deal with the odd sensation of only one of her nipple vibrators turning on, making her boob fat jiggle under the metal cup.
"Come on!" Sunset cheered.
Indigo's next step, the other nipple turned, and the next, the vaginal and clitoral ones. She panted, getting close to the edge.
"Oh, please," Indigo was reduced to begging again. She walked forward, but lost her balance and fell off.
Sunset was there to catch her.
"Unf!" Indigo groaned, hoping the vibrators would end her torment and just - just let her cum, damn it.
But no. The vibrators turned off the moment Sunset caught her arms.
"Okay." Indigo said. "I admit it. I can't do it. I can't beat this challenge. Not when these damn vibrators keep almost making me cum, but not getting quite there. I ... I give up."
Indigo slumped to the floor in defeat.
"Well, I'm glad you've learned your lesson," Sunset said.
"What lesson?" Indigo asked. She wanted to add something sarcastic along the lines, that you two are freaks? but she was so tired and horny at this point she just wanted to get it over with.
"That sometimes, being stubborn doesn't pay off," Sunset said.
"I thought we were supposed to teach that loyalty has its price?" Twilight asked.
"What? No. How does that at all relate to what we put her through?" Sunset said.
Twilight shrugged. "I'm just glad to finally get to the good part. Unchain her for me, would you?"
Twilight dropped her skirt, and Indigo was taken aback to see her a large, golden, gawdy strap-on wrapped around her crotch.
Indigo looked up at Sunset expecting her to have stripped and wear the same strap-on, but instead Sunset was just staring with a slack-jawed expression. Apparently Twilight hadn't pre-cleared the strap-on with her.
"How long have you been wearing that?" Sunset asked.
"Few hours. Why?"
"Never mind," Sunset said.
"Okay, Indigo," Twilight said. "Now that you've been thoroughly ... let's say tamed, I want to get on your knees for me."
"Yes, mistress," Indigo said, easing into the role of the sub rather breezily given her defiance till now. She presented her ass to Twilight, standing on all fours like a dog.
"Come here, you," Twilight said, grabbing Indigo by the buttcheeks and slowly, teasingly inserting her strapon inside.
Indigo's eyes fluttered. After all the teasing and vibration and denial from the metal suit, it was such a relief for Twilight to just give her a straightforward pounding, no games, no strings attached, just their flesh rubbing against each other in carnal desire.
'Carnal desire'? Indigo thought. When I did I get so flowery?
She grunted from Twilight's thrusting her hips forward.
"Care to join me, Sunset?" Twilight asked with a flirtatious look at Sunset.
"I don't know," Sunset said. "You look like you have pretty well handled ... oh, what the heck. What's the harm?" Sunset got on her knees and cupped Indigo's chin. "The only question, do I want to eat out your pussy, or do I want you to eat out mine?"
"I don't suppose I get a say in this?" Indigo asked.
"Your suggestions will be taken under advisement," Sunset said, smiling.
"I'd much rather you eat out my pussy," Indigo said.
"All the more reason for Sunset to make you eat our hers," Twilight said. "Come on, Sunset! Make circus ringleader swallow your cum like the whore she is!" On the W-word, Twilight jerked hard, pressing her strap-on deep into Indigo's ass.
"I think I'll pass," Sunset said. "I think she's suffered enough. She deserves a reward for managing to go through with all of this, even though she kinda didn't want to and complained the whole way through. She did it, didn't she?"
"Getting to swallow your cum is a reward," Twilight said moonfully.
"Please stop," Indigo said. "You're just embarrassing yourself now."
"I don't remember asking for your advice," Twilight said, thrusting harshly into Indigo's ass.
"Actually, Twilight ... I think she's right," Sunset said. "You have a little ... rowdier than usual today."
"I'm sorry, Sunset," Twilight said. "I guess I just can't get over how beautiful you are. And ... maybe I am savoring the element of revenge to this a little more than is healthy." She jerked against Indigo Zap again, then pulled out, to Indigo's displeasure.
"Oh, come on!" Indigo cried out indignantly. "It's not enough for you to tease me while I'm doing your challenge, but now you have to do it afterwards as well!?"
"Don't worry, Indigo," Sunset said, crawling underneath Indigo. "Just relax and let Sunset Shimmer make all your dreams come true."
"My dream is to be over and done with this," Indigo said, getting a little of her fire back.
"We're almost there," Sunset assured her, patting the inside of Indigo's thighs while Twilight lightly prodded her puckered entrance with the tip of the strap-on. "Just hold on a little longer, and then we'll finish, and you can go on home."
"About time," Indigo said, sounding bitter, but she gave a pleased moan when Sunset's tongue pierced into her vagina.
Sunset's tongue swished back and forth like it was a cleaner looking for dirt. Sunset pressed it up into Indigo's cunt as far as it would go, and when she hit a stop, she took her fingers and parted Indigo's folds to get just that extra millimeter in as Twilight resumed pumping into Indigo's ass.
Indigo panted, her cunt winking from the pleasure brought by Twilight riding her ass and Sunset eating her out. Sunset seemed to know just where to touch, where to press with both her fingers and tongue, to get the most amount of pleasure for the least amount of effort.
Sugarcoat is right, Indigo thought. She's had to have done this before.
Indigo panted, eyelids fluttering, as Twilight continued ride her, teasing her by sometimes taking out the strap-on completely, sometimes driving as far as in as she could, sometimes entering, but only halfway, before pulling out again.
Sunset remained mostly consistent. But just like the vibrators, she stopped when she sensed Indigo getting too close to the edge.
Damn it, Indigo thought. What is with this girl and making me suffer so much!?
She'd been teased and tortured by the vibrators she was desperate for some kind of release, any release at all. If it would get her to orgasm, to cum, she would get down on her knees and clean Sunset's kitchen floor with her tongue at this point.
Sunset reached up and grabbed Indigo by the thighs, then pressed her tongue back in. Indigo hoped that was a sign they were nearing the end.
Twilight went in and out and in and out a few more times, before entering again and going slowly ... slowly, inching the strap-on into Indigo's ass inch by inch, rotating her hips to grind the shaft all along her inner walls.
"Okay," Twilight said. "She's close, Sunset Shimmer. Real close. I'm going to wait for your signal for when you think she's ready, and then I'll finish her off, okay?"
Sunset didn't reply, making Indigo wonder if she heard Twilight, and, in turn, if this blasted torment was ever going to end. Maybe she was actually in a supernatural illusion, and this was to be her eternal punishment for some misdeed done against a fairy or sprite or something.
Indigo's entire body contracted when Sunset found a sensitive spot inside her vagina. She contracted again when Sunset ran over it a second and third time.
Sunset's hand left her thigh, and Indigo didn't know where it went. She was half afraid to know.
Twilight resumed riding her hard, pushing the strap-on deep again and jockeying around, treating Indigo like she was a horse.
Oh! Yes, yes, please, please! Indigo thought. I'm going to ... I'm finally going to ...
That was the last conscious thought Indigo had, as her mind went blank alongside her vision while she came and passed out with a silent scream, her body locked up and her jaw opened as if to scream, but all that came out was a pitiful rasping noise. Her teased and abused cunt squirted furiously into Sunset's face, drenching cum all over it and giving it a slick, shiny appearance. Twilight blushed out of jealousy, thinking it should be her cum painted on Sunset's face.
But she had to put those feelings aside, as Indigo, unconscious, collapsed, landing on
Sunset, who grunted from the impact. Indigo's wet vagina rubbed the tip of Sunset's nose, which was an unusual sensation for Sunset, and not one she thought she would look to have again.
Twilight rolled Indigo off of Sunset, and working together, they carried her up to Sunset's bathroom and set her down in the tub to wash her off. |
The Sunlight Theory | pre | "'Remind your potential mate of how virile you are by asserting your awesome traits via speech within ten seconds of making eye contact.'" Lemon winced. "Ugh, the machismo in this sentence alone is giving me a testosterone rush."
"See?" Sunny leaned in. "If you stuck with this doorstopper posing as a published work, you'd be standing on the dinner table and flexing before the main course is even served."
I crossed my arms and leaned back into the swivel chair. "I get it. I should've come to you guys."
"Damn straight," Sugarcoat added.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
I found myself reviewing both the flashcards from the Rainbooms and the notes from my Crystal Prep friends on the walk home. Thumbing through the cards, I couldn't help but feel that this may have been a little excessive. Key words being "a little."
When I got home, I was met with a call from the basement.
"Twilight!" I knew that tone of voice. It was my dad, and he most likely needed help. I dropped my bag and marched down the stairs to the basement. Sure enough, my father was hunched over a tiny model in the center of the room. While some people had model trains or war reenactments, my father made a replica of the set of whatever movie he was directing.
"Hey, Dad," I said, looking over the basement step railing at my father's newest problem. Whatever he was doing, it was still early on in the planning phase from the look of the scattered notes on the table.
"I need help, sweetheart."
"Yeah, sure. What's up?" I asked, hopping off the bottom step.
"This scene," my father said, motioning towards the model. "For some reason, I'm having trouble blocking it properly."
The film definition of "blocking" refers to the position and actions of actors in relation to the camera. If done well, the character's movements on screen subtly influence the audience's thoughts. My father recognized this and made an effort to act out the scenes himself (or with his unsuspecting family). However, now that computers and 3D printers became easily accessible, I had lost my lead roles to small pieces of plastic.
Still, even with the advancement of technology, my dad had his struggles with shooting certain scenes, which was where I often came as a fresh set of eyes.
My father's creative bankruptcy often meant that I got my name on the credits of whatever movie my father was making. It definitely looked good on my resume to be an "assistant consulting creative director" or whatever that meant.
All I had to do to get my name on the silver screen was give my dad some advice on how characters in a scene should move. I'm directing the director.
Excited, I walked over to the tiny model on the table. It was a recreation of a high class restaurant, and there seemed to be a group of soldiers waiting in the model kitchen. But there was one figure that caught my attention. It was a small, stiff figure that was clad in an explorer's get-up and an unmistakeable pith helmet.
"Is this..."
"Daring Do," my father answered.
"You didn't."
"I did. Well, your mother did. She smooth-talked Yearling into selling us the film rights... under the condition that we have A.K. on set during all shoots, list her as producer and story consultant, and only your mother and I can work on the script."
"She must be very protective of her books. I would be too," I said coolly, but inside my mind was a fireworks show. "So... was this the secret project you and Mom were working on?"
My father chuckled. "This is the secret project that you are working on. Depending on how well this scene turns out, I'll have the NDA in your room by the morning. From this point on, I'll refer to it by the codename 'Bravely Blue' in all future discussions, public or private. What'd ya say, Twily?"
"Only if I'm listed as a full on consulting creative director."
"Sweetie," my father grinned. "I'll make you the director if this goes well."
"Seriously?"
"Well, of course not, but I really do need the help."
"So what's this scene?" It took all my self-control not to bounce up and down like an excitable kid at the realization that I was working on the film adaptation of Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone. "No, wait. I know. It's the opening scene where Daring talks her way onto a lead for the Sapphire Stone!"
"That's exactly the one," my father beamed.
"It's exactly how I had it in my mind, right down the fountain in the shape of the Stone... the scarlet carpet with the gold, heart-shaped accents--even the diamond shaped napkin holders!" I bent over and stuck my head into the miniature building, inspecting every single awe inspiring detail.
"I had the model set approved by Yearling herself when she came over."
I lost all self-control at the comment. "You mean she was here... today?"
"Yeah, she's in your mother's book club."
"She's..." At this point, I was weak in the knees, and I had to grip the table for support. "C-can I meet her?"
"You've already met," my father answered nonchalantly, straightening a miniature dining table until it was placed perfectly in the desired shot. "She was the one who personally gave you a first edition copy of Sapphire Stone at your sixth birthday party. Of course, that was before she blew up in the literary world and became a virtual recluse."
"T-that was h-her?" I was salivating, my mind completely blown by the information bomb. "And I'm just hearing this now?"
"Maybe we should work on the scene later--"
"No! Now!"
"Alrighty then, Twily. Give it a go."
Before I even was ready, I was at the creative helm of Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone. I just had to say it again to make sure it was real. Somewhere in its credits, my name would come up.
I nearly fainted at the thought.
"So if this is Daring," I said, looking over the other plastic figure in the set, "this must be--"
"Dr. Cabelleron," my father answered with a light chuckle. "Of course--"
"--We don't know it's him until Razor of Dreams, where he makes his full debut as an antagonist."
"Exactly," my father said with short laugh. "So it's the opening scene where--"
I was breathing heavily. "I know the one, Dad. So! In this scene, Daring had an escape route handy because she knew she was being set up. The owners also happened to owe her a favor, so she made a codeword and preparations with the staff in case she needed the escape."
"Uh-huh," was my dad's reply. His focus entirely on me and the notepad in his hands.
"You could set it up like a dance. After all, Daring's escape codeword was 'Tango.'"
"Go on."
I jumped forward and grabbed the figurines. Thinking about it for a moment, I brought Daring to the center table and held the other figure a short distance away.
"So the conversation plays out like this: Daring is sitting down, sipping her drink, while Dr. Caballeron is standing, lecturing, droning, seemingly in control--leading the dance."
I brought them both to the model table. "So then Caballeron sits down, and they're both on an equal playing field. This is where the momentum shifts and Daring starts to lead the dance. She pries the information from him and says the line, 'it takes two to tango,' and then she makes her escape through the chaos caused by her plan. You could even have the music be a calm, suave tango to juxtapose the anarchy with how composed Daring is."
My father raised his eyebrow, "And how will we shoot the escape?"
"A tracking, slowed down, heavily-chaotic long uncut take following Daring. We can get really good fight choreographer and stunt people, considering the property."
"A long take? For this scene? Those things are crazy to shoot. Just one mistake can set back filming for days."
"Trust me, Dad. The audience will love the commitment and attention to detail, especially if it's made obvious this early."
My father nodded. "I'll tell Yearling about the scene. I'm just sure she'll love it." He grabbed a pencil and began to write down what I had just gushed about for the past few minutes.
I felt my heart swell up with pride. "Thanks, Dad! You don't know how much you've made my day. I've just been so anxious and worried about my date tomorrow."
Surprised, my father dropped his pencil, and it hit the ground with a resounding click. |
The Sunlight Theory | Control Theory | All it took was a simple text message from Sunset Shimmer to send my mind into hyperdrive. The message wasn't even that complicated. It was just a simple "On my way," but this caused me to suddenly forget how to walk, think, or even breathe.
Okay.
Left foot, right foot.
Left lung... wait.
Aside from my legs being just a tad sturdier than jelly, I felt like I was ready.
I rushed down the stairs, gripping the handrail so hard that I felt my hands burn from the friction. My parents sat on the dinner table, carefully dissecting the paper in front of them. They were in full concentration mode, and I was sure that nothing was going to break their focus.
"Hey, Mom, Dad, date's here--gotta go--bye!"
"Hold on now, young lady," my father called.
I stopped. "Yes, father?"
He smiled, and waved for me to come over. "Give him a chance to be chivalrous and come to the door himself."
I probably should have mentioned I'm gay.
"Actually..." I trailed off. That was when I noticed the sheet of paper, a list of actresses with pros and cons next to each name. "Wait, are you guys working on Bravely Blue?"
"Have a seat," my mother spoke up, tapping on the dining chair next to her. "We need a little help, so we're consulting our Consulting Creative Director."
"Y'know," my dad hummed. "I've been in the business for nearly thirty years, and I'm still not sure if it's a real position."
"It's the consulting part," my mom teased. "You can just add it to anything and pretend it's a real job."
"Be easy on her, dear," Dad chuckled. "She actually helps. Like now, for instance. We've pretty much got everyone cast. Well, everyone but Daring. Yearling tossed out our list." My father chewed at his own pen and tapped the metallic tip against his chin.
I thought about it for a minute. I had a shortlist of people I thought would be good, but now that I was on the spot, my mind was suddenly drawing a blank. "How about Coloratura? She was good in The Main Attraction."
My mother sighed, "She was, but her tour's when we start shooting."
"Of course, just our luck that the one pop star who can act is unavailable," he grumbled. Frustrated, he furrowed his brows slightly before he crossed out something on the paper.
"How about Wild Fire?" I asked. "Critic's darling, best actress nominated, and she just wrapped up on Ne'er Do Well. Do you think we can get her?"
Mother perked up and exchanged a quick glance with my father. She looked down at her list and then to the paper in front of my dad. Seemingly satisfied, she clicked her tongue before writing the name down. "Uh, I think so. I can give her a call and bring her in to screen test with Time Turner."
Father nodded. "Good, go ahead and do that; set it up for next week. But for now, we'll put her down as a maybe."
"Great work, Twilight," my mother commented. "Give it another five or so years, and we can talk about getting the consulting part removed."
Although it was a joke, it was yet another one of my parents' hardly subtle attempts at getting me to follow in their footsteps. Sure, I had some fun working with them, but I preferred to pursue science. The two often made joking comments that I was the one girl on the planet who'd rather be an engineer than an actress.
The kicker was that an acting career was actually a valid option thanks to the magic of nepotism.
There was a knock at the door, and every bit of confidence I thought I had disappeared. Sunset Shimmer was outside, and we were about to go out on our first date. I had to repeat that statement several times in my head for it to finally register.
Brought back to reality, I jumped from my seat and made my way over to the door.
"Wait," my mother said, grabbing my arm. "Let me answer the door. It's tradition that the parent always answers."
This was a less than ideal situation.
Not wanting to disobey, I did what I was told--albeit reluctantly--and sat at the table.
I gritted my teeth as I heard the door click open.
"Oh, hello," Sunset greeted. "You must be Mrs..."
"Velvet," my mom answered. "And you must be my little Twily's date."
This was worse than I ever thought it could be.
Sunset chuckled. "Twily, huh? Cute."
Just kill me now.
"Oh!"
I knew that tone. It was the exact same lilt my mother had when Cadence came over for my brother Shining's first date.
That hadn't ended well.
"Where are my manners?" my mother asked rhetorically. "Come in... my, forgive me for not asking your name..."
"Sunset Shimmer," she answered with a polite smile.
"Oh, what a lovely name. Come in!" My mother turned toward me. "Twily, your date's here!"
"Hello," my father greeted. "Twilight and I were just talking about the movie you're going to tonight. Y'know, I met the director in a coffeeshop on Second Street. I'm not into the whole superhero thing, but the film looks promising given--"
"We should probably get going," I cut in.
"Surely you can stay for just a little. Have a seat." My stomach dropped as I heard him tap against the dining chair.
Nauseous, I tugged at my turtleneck, immediately regretting my choice of attire because now it felt suffocating.
Sunset took a seat next to me. "Hi." There was a slight hesitance in her voice.
"Hello," I forced out.
"I wasn't aware that Twilight liked girls," my father commented. "Then again, I didn't think she liked anyone."
Sunset laughed, a little awkwardly this time. "I could say the same. I was a little surprised when I found out... especially when I found out she liked me."
My parents both laughed, but I just stared down at the table.
Why am I letting this happen?
"That's our Twily, alright," my mother hummed. "Always unable to assert herself until it's too late."
"You're telling me," Sunset said, her tone a lot more comfortable than before.
My mother laughed. "Oh, Nighty, remember the dress? Go get the picture, Hon. I'll tell Sunset the story."
Before I could stop my parents, my dad jumped up from the table and went over to grab a small picture frame off the wall. He came back and handed the photo off to my mom.
My mother brandished the picture. "Our little Twily was adamant to have constellations on her Miss Summer Sun Pageant dress, and then she threw a fit when Orion's belt had four stars instead of three."
Well... that was true, but that was the least of the dress' problems.
I'm also hilariously unphotogenic. I mentioned that, right? The braces and the baby fat didn't help either.
"My," Sunset wheezed, politely holding back a laugh. "That... certainly is a dress."
"Oh, don't be so polite," my father dismissed. "It's terrible."
"Hey!" I chirped, my face heating up. "We should probably get going now."
My mom only chuckled. "What's the rush? You said the movie doesn't start until seven-thirty, and I made that ricotta bucatini you love. I'd hate to see it go to waste."
Oh, that's low, Mother. She knew I was going to order that at the Bianca Bistro like I did all the time. Knowing her, she probably called in and got the exact recipe. Then I'd have to get something else, or else I'd look like a jerk.
Plus, staying at home and having dinner with my parents was probably the worst idea in the history of mankind.
Sunset perked up. "That sounds--"
"Whelp!" I cut in, "It's really unfortunate that I already made reservations--that sounds delicious, but we'd better get going. Bye, Mom and Dad. Don't forget to save me some leftovers!"
Seeing this as the only opportunity to get out, I grabbed Sunset by the hand and led her out the front door.
"They seem nice," Sunset said, stuffing her newly freed hands into her leather jacket's pockets.
I only hummed in agreement because I knew that if I opened my mouth, I would have no control over the rambling excuses. Forcing myself to forget the previous events, I followed Sunset down the path and hesitated as she hopped onto the motorcycle.
All this planning and preparation and I still felt like I wasn't ready. I took a large, reassuring breath and joined Sunset on the bike seat, holding onto her tightly.
Although I knew that the accident had been my fault, I still felt uneasy as we sped down the road.
Sunset stopped at a red light and turned to face me. "Hey, Twilight."
"Yeah?"
"I didn't know you were a pageant girl." Without another word, Sunset sped off the second the light turned green.
I had survived swerving the motorcycle once before. Surely it wouldn't hurt if I just...
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"So you won anyway, despite that awful dress?"
"Yup," I answered, taking a sip from a cup of water. "I swept the talent and the Q and A portions. Apparently, they've never actually seen a concise answer to solving world hunger. It was, and I quote, 'economic, tactful, and well-thought-out.'"
"Twilight Sparkle, ending world hunger at the tender age of nine."
I laughed. "Well, they haven't really implemented it."
"I'm curious," Sunset said. "What did you say?"
I chewed on an ice cube. "It's nothing, really. I just proposed that we subsidize local producers to donate 'ugly' fruits and vegetables to local food banks. Perfectly edible, 'ugly' food was wasted because they were 'unsellable' due to our arbitrary aesthetic requirements for produce. A simple two-cent tax on unhealthy soft drinks could also easily pay for the subsidies that cover the packaging cost most farmers couldn't afford."
"Wow."
"Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away." Sheepishly, I tugged at my turtleneck again, feeling the temperature in the room suddenly spike.
"No, no," Sunset said. "It's totally cool."
According to The Big Book of Body Language, the date was going okay so far. There was sufficient eye contact, and Sunset's body language tended to be open. She only crossed her arms once, and that was to emphasize how cold she was after the maître d' insisted on taking her jacket.
Things were going well, and I could go as far to say that I was feeling comfortable. I was, quite literally, in my element. My parents were close friends with the proprietors, which meant the staff knew who I was. That's how I was able to call in a favor for a reservation.
"Ah, Miss Sparkle--nice to see that you're dining with us again," the waiter said, passing over a pair of menus. "Would you like your usual prepared? The ricotta bucatini?"
"N-no!" I stammered, "I think I'll try something new this time."
I swear, if my mother called to ask him to say that...
Calm down, Twilight. You're just being paranoid. Your mother's not out to embarrass you anymore. Just pick up the menu and look through it like any normal person would. Who knows--maybe you'll find something you'd never thought you'd like.
Maybe throwing caution to the wind at a moment like this could be the spark of spontaneity that turns things around.
"Eheh... what would you recommend?" I asked, pretending to flip through the menu..
"Well, the bucatini is one of ou--"
"Besides that," I cut in.
"Maybe you could try--"
"I trust your judgement," I interrupted. Wanting to end the conversation, I pushed the foldable menu back and looked up at my date. "What about you, Sunset?"
The girl in question only shrugged and passed over the menu. "I'll have whatever she's having."
This could either go one of two ways. The first would be that we have two perfectly wonderful meals that would eventually serve as a conversation topic during the dinner. The other involved forced smiles, dishonest praise for the food, and a bathroom trip that would never end due to my leaving via the bathroom window.
I was one-hundred percent ready for the latter. Thanks to the aforementioned benefits of knowing the owners of the restaurant and a certain spark of creativity from helping my dad, I had a contingency plan in case anything major went wrong.
With the codeword, "kiosk," a busboy would come over and spill a glass of water on me and, more notably, my clothes. Following the flurry of staged apologies, I'd excuse myself to the bathroom and disappear into the night forever. Then, using the bus ticket I had pre-purchased online, I would move to Manehattan with my aunt and uncle under the new alias "Twilight Twinkle."
It was a plan that would make Yearling herself proud, considering that it lived up to the unofficial series mantra of "What would Daring Do?"
Of course, since the universe loves to let a good plan go to waste, none of that ended up needing to happen.
What a shame. I was beginning to warm up to Twilight Twinkle.
"The gnocchi's really good," Sunset said, "The tomato sauce has just the right amount of kick to it."
"No kidding." I picked at the pasta with my fork. "It's not my favorite, but I couldn't gnocchi-t until I tried it."
She didn't laugh.
The word "kiosk" also came into mind.
The universe and the dinner carried on in spite of the failed joke, and I decided it was better to keep the food puns off the table... starting now.
I spun my fork through the spaghetti, my server's safe yet agreeable choice for the main course. The string quartet played off in the distance and I began to feel a bit more relaxed now that I shifted the conversation away from the food itself.
"So, I'm curious. Have you, by any chance, read the Daring Do series?"
Sunset's face lit up at the mention. "You've read those? I loved those books as a filly."
Filly. For a moment, I had forgotten that Sunset was a trans-dimensional unicorn. Six-year-old me would be jumping in her seat. Not only was I dating a unicorn, but said unicorn was also proof of the Multiverse Theory.
"So, was Daring a pony back in..."
"Equestria, and yeah, she was a pegasus."
"Oh, cool," I said. "Though wouldn't Daring just be able to fly her way out of everything?"
Sunset chuckled. "Oh, yeah, but Yearling usually finds a way to write around it. In books three and four, Daring was nursing a broken wing."
"That's so weird. She did the same with her left arm. That was also when she switched dominant--"
"Wings and started using a whip," Sunset finished. "Sorry. I'm dorking out right now."
"No, it's fine. Dork away," I said, taking another drink of water. "So... who is it?"
"What?"
"Dream casting." I put the cup down. "Come on, everybody has someone in mind to play Daring. Y'know, in case they ever made a movie."
Sunset clicked her tongue. "Well, I guess someone like Spitfire. She's been my celeb crush both here and in Equestria."
That was actually not a bad fancasting--Spitfire was fourth on my list. The Wonderbolts captain had the charisma and athleticism to tackle the role, plus she had the name recognition to bring in an audience. It also didn't hurt that she often played a healthy amount of supporting roles, but I still had doubts on whether she could carry a massive film franchise as the lead. And as far as I knew, her name wasn't on either of my parents' casting sheets. Maybe she was just the person we needed.
I also couldn't help but be a little curious at the mention of her home dimension.
"I never really got the chance to ask what it was like... you know, in Equestria... and how you got here, of all places."
Sunset took a long drink from her cup. "It's a long story. Maybe some other time."
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. Not a good sign; crossed arms mean that a person is closed off. It was one of the easier bits of body language to read, but it was also one you didn't want to see. I gritted my teeth and attempted to think of an out.
"So how about them Clydesdales?" I asked, changing the subject.
"How 'bout them?"
That was as far as I had planned. I was grasping at straws at this point. I was behind in the count, against the ropes, or any other string of sports metaphors. Love, at the moment, was a game.
And I wasn't very good at it.
When it was all said and done, the dinner was fine. Not good, not great, and definitely not stellar--just fine. We skipped dessert, deciding the ice cream after the movie would be enough. Of course, the next problem was the bill.
"No, no, I got it," I said, pulling out my wallet from my purse.
"Come on, at least let me get the tip."
The jury was still out on who was supposed to pay for the first date. Some sources argued that the parties involved pay for what they ordered individually, but others stated that the the person who initiated the date should be the one to pay. Or, at the very least, offer to pay. It would then be up to the invited to decide on whether or not to split.
I wasn't sure why there was no clear answer to who pays for the date. The only thing I could think of was that it started a very low-stakes argument, which could determine how well the couple can deal with a difference in agendas in the future.
"You already drove me here," I countered. "It's the least I can do."
Not willing to take no for an answer, Sunset paid her half of the bill and stared back at me with a look that dared me to oppose it. The slight smirk and the wink was enough to tell me that the argument was over.
"So, do you have the tickets?" Sunset asked, slipping on her leather jacket.
"Nah, I have the confirmation code on my phone. I'm just going to print it out at the kiosk when we get there."
The thing about contingency plans is that you'll probably need a contingency plan in case of a misfire.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
Sunset, being the amazing person she was, let me wear her leather jacket after my turtleneck had been reduced to a sopping mess. Somehow, the busboy forgot that it was supposed to be water. It was actually kind of surprising how much soda, wine, and a little bit of tomato sauce could soak through clothes.
The date was a trainwreck so far but I figured there was no way to mess up sitting in front of a screen for two hours.
I kept my hands stuffed in Sunset's jacket, attempting to keep warm as we walked up the steps leading to the movie theater. Thankfully, the ride there was short, and at least Sunset seemed to be in better spirits than I was. The date was alive--horribly disfigured, but alive and salvageable.
There was also the ice cream to look forward to.
We took our seats in what I believed to be the optimal seats for getting the best screen-to-theater ratio. This was also the first time I took a full breath since the whole "kiosk" incident.
"Hey, do you want anything from the concessions?" I asked, dropping my bag in the chair.
"Could you get me some jelly beans, please?"
I nodded and stuck out my thumb like an overeager Girl Scout. "You got it, dude."
The faint smell of buttered popcorn was warm, enticing, and always led to the concession stand full of criminally overpriced treats. The rational part of me knew that movie theater chains made most of their profits from the food rather than ticket sales, but I couldn't help but feel the slightest bit annoyed.
"It's the experience," my father would say. "Nothing beats a sharing silver screen, a gallon of soda, and a bucket of popcorn with your best girl."
Of course said bucket of popcorn carried a 1,275% markup with it.
I stood in line and toyed with my phone to pass the time. Apparently, The Elements had moved from an eighty-nine percent approval to eighty-seven. The two percent drop, while small, made me even more anxious.
When I got to the front, I dug into my pockets. "Uh, can I get a box of jelly beans, medium popcorn, and a small soda?"
"I don't know," the guy behind the counter said, an amused grin on his face. "Can you?"
I gritted my teeth but quickly realized that this was most likely his only hope of entertainment for the night. Simply ignoring it and dropping a handful of money on the counter seemed like the best, non-confrontational course of action.
The clerk picked through the money. "You're five short. It's twenty-five sixteen."
Starswirl on a bike! That's expensive.
I dug in my pocket and dropped another five on the stack.
"Enjoy your movie."
"You too," I said, immediately realizing my mistake. The guy behind the counter snickered before depositing the cash in the register.
"You too," he mumbled under his breath.
Trying to forget the exchange, I walked into the still-lit theater. I looked up to the aisles, noticing some boy roughly my age sitting right next to Sunset. Her arms were crossed and she had her feet on top of the seat in front of her. Even I didn't need a whole book on body language to figure out that she wasn't the least bit interested in the conversation.
I made my way over to the top and the boy caught sight of me.
"Is he bothering you?" I asked, attempting to sound cool as I placed the drink in a cupholder.
"Nope, not really," Sunset dismissed nonchalantly. "Meet my girlfriend, Twilight."
My heart skipped a beat. Girlfriend?
The color drained from the boys face. "G-girlfriend?"
Sunset chuckled. "Yep. You never had a chance, buddy."
"Y-you lead me on!"
"Nah, I just sat here. It's you who tried to flirt."
Indignant, the boy balled his hands into fists and stormed off.
"What was that all about?" I asked, taking my seat next to Sunset.
"I dunno," she said while reaching for the box of candy. "I guess some people can't take a hint."
She popped a jelly bean into her mouth as the lights dimmed. As the previews played, I found myself unable to really focus on them. Instead, I kept wondering if Sunset's use of the word "girlfriend" was legitimate or just something she said to get the guy to back off.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
Sunset jammed her spoon into her ice cream. "The villain was probably my favorite part."
"Oh yeah, definitely. The first movie was a solid stepping stone, but I'm glad I was finally able to see Discord on the silver screen. I wasn't disappointed."
"There was a first?" Sunset asked.
"Oh yeah, it was cute, tightly paced, and pretty funny, but I don't think it had much staying power. But I will admit that it was definitely better than it had any right to be. The sequel on the other hand..."
"The best," Sunset cheered, swirling her ice cream with the plastic spoon.
"Well, yeah. It definitely rehashes some ideas from the first, but at least it's trying something new."
"Do you think there will be a third?"
"Doubt it," I said, taking a rather large spoonful of chocolate ice cream. "Unless it does really well at the box office."
I broke into a coughing fit.
"Oh, horseapples! Are you okay, Twilight?"
"I'm fine," I answered with a gasping wheeze.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
When Sunset got to my place, I realized that still wanted to be with her despite all the catastrophes that went on during the date. When she stopped at the driveway, I was still holding on to her, not wanting to let go.
"It's getting pretty late," she said as she helped me off the bike.
I nodded, failing to hide my eager smile. With a short bounce in my step, I let Sunset walk me to the front door, and we were standing under the dim porch light.
In all the movies and in all the shows, the characters discussed a short review of the date and ultimately decided whether the relationship would continue on. It was the moment of truth, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't anxious. But still, holding Sunset's hand kept me calm.
We were smiling, almost basking in the moment. After everything, the world was still spinning, and Sunset and I were okay. We stood out in the porch, both silent as neither of us wanted to be the first to speak.
It started with a stifled chortle, which grew with a hesitant giggle, and finally we exploded into a fit of laughter.
"That was..." Sunset trailed off.
"A disaster," I finished.
"It was... interesting--but a good interesting," she said with a breathy chuckle. "I had fun, Twilight."
"I did too." I felt my heart flutter. "D-do you think we can... do it again?"
"In your dreams," she said. Not sure what to think, I stared down at my shoes. Her face flared in surprise, and she bit her lip. "I meant that in the sense that we're going to bed soon."
"Oh."
There was a short lull, and we just stood there, not knowing what to say, not wanting to acknowledge the inevitable.
"Goodnight," she whispered, hesitantly, under her breath.
I nodded. "Goodnight."
The moment was perfect. It was a cool, breezy night and we were under the glow of the moon and stars, the soft hum of Sunset's motorcycle in the distance. She was smiling, inching in closer, leaning forward.
It was perfect...
Up until I shook her hand and ducked inside the safety of my house. |
The Sunlight Theory | Symbolic Interactionism | "You shook her hand?!"
Somehow, Rarity's emphasis on the word "shook" made it seem like I had personally attacked her.
"I shook her hand," I repeated, staring sheepishly at the ground.
Out of nowhere, Rarity collapsed, her fall broken by Rainbow Dash and Applejack, both visibly annoyed at the fashionista's melodramatic display of shock.
"This is bad!" Rarity shrieked as the two lifted her back up. "You can't just end a date on a handshake!"
She kept talking, but her words began to blur until they faded away into the background. For some inexplicable reason, the scuff on my left shoe seemed like the most interesting thing in the world. My dad had a shoe-cleaning kit somewhere in the garage, and I made a mental note to ask him for it when I got home.
"Twilight, are you even listening to me?"
My head snapped back up, and Rarity rolled her eyes.
"Sorry," I said. "I was just thinking."
It wasn't a lie. I was thinking, but I figured omitting the rest was the best course of action.
The fashionista's eyes flared. "Just thinking? Just thinking! You're gonna need more than thinking, if you want to make this up to Sunset." She was on the verge of fainting again before Applejack intervened and brought her to the nearest chair.
Rarity's boutique, which was really just her parent's guest room, was a small, cramped workshop. Broken-down mannequins lined the walls, and rolls of fabrics were tossed in a corner to make room for the rest of the Rainbooms.
"Quit bein' such a drama queen, Rare," Applejack scolded. "It's not that bad."
"Not that bad?" Rarity asked. "Not even serenading Sunset with a boombox belting 'In Your Eyes' is going to fix this."
"Oh come on. I know I've done worse on first dates!" Pinkie piped up, jumping into the conversation. "I think I might have even kissed the guy one time!"
Applejack crossed her arms. "That's exactly the problem, Pinkie. Twilight didn't kiss Sunset. She didn't even hug her."
"Oh," the party girl hummed. "Well, was it a friendly 'I'm not interested' handshake, or was it an 'I'm investing in our relationship; here's to being business partners' handshake?"
"W-what?" I stammered. "I don't know. How can you even tell?"
Rainbow Dash cackled. "Well, was Sunset a limp fish or did she have a clammy palm when you shook her hand?"
"Neither," I answered. "She had a firm, dry grip."
Apparently, that was a joke. I only found that out when Rainbow snorted and added, "So, what was the commission on the timeshare you sold Sunset?"
"It's not funny, Rainbow," the farm girl scolded. She turned back to me, looking past a mannequin statue in the way. "Twi, all ya have to do is tell her how you feel."
"Easier said than done," I said under my breath.
Fluttershy leaned in and brought her hand to my shoulder. "I'm pretty sure Sunset will understand that you were probably just nervous."
"Yeah," I said, sighing. "I guess you're right."
It was simple, really, but I couldn't help but still feel reluctant. I just didn't know what to tell her. Articulating my feelings wasn't my strong suit, and I really only opened up to other people when I was backed into a corner.
"We can talk to her and ask her how she felt about it." Rarity offered, coming down from her hysterical panic. "We won't mention anything you told us, but Sunset's probably in the same situation you're in. So, as her friends, we need to support her too."
"Yeah!" Pinkie cheered. "I just have to know how one of my bestest friends in the whole world thought about going on a date with one of my other bestest friends in the world!" She bounced up on the platforms of her feet, and her smile grew exponentially. "I never thought I'd see the day where my girl friends become girlfriends!"
I chuckled, letting Pinkie's extreme optimism lift my spirits a little.
"Just promise us that you'll actually talk to Sunset Shimmer openly," Rarity said. "We all know what happened last time you refused to voice your feelings."
I nodded and winced at the thought, instinctively rotating my ankle.
"I'll try," I said hesitantly.
Rarity, noticing the slight waver in my voice, inched closer.
"Hey, Twilight," she said gently. "You shouldn't feel so sorry for yourself. It's bad for your complexion."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"You shook her hand?!"
I must have really screwed up.
"I'll get the boom box," Lemon Zest announced as she slid off from the bed in her dorm. Slipping on her shoes, she turned to the group of girls in the room. "Hey, Indy, does your dad still have the ride-on lawnmower?"
Indigo Zap shrugged. "Probably."
Sugarcoat, sitting off across from me on a swivel chair, simply scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You guys watch too many movies."
"And you don't watch enough," Indigo shot back.
"Do you really think re-enacting eighties movies is the right thing to do?" Sugarcoat sat up straight and crossed her arms. "Like, what if she doesn't get the reference? All Twilight's gonna do is look like an idiot holding a boombox while riding on a lawnmower."
"Given that she doesn't drop it or crash into a wall first," Sour Sweet added.
Thinking about what Sugarcoat just said, I realized that Sunset probably hasn't even seen either Say Anything or Can't Buy Me Love, something that I'd have to fix myself--unless they also had versions of those movies in Equestria. I let out an amused huff as the name Neigh Anything came into mind.
The others were still arguing about the merits of recreating coming of age films, so I coughed loudly and brought attention to the fact that I was still in the room. The rest of the Shadowbolts, pausing their argument, turned to me and smiled sheepishly.
"Look," Sugarcoat continued. "What Twilight needs to do is simple: just sit down and talk about her feelings in a constructive and meaningful way like any adult would."
Easier said than done, I thought.
"Thanks, Mom," snorted Indigo. "Are you going to supervise her playdate too?"
"Fight me," Sugarcoat quipped.
"You wanna go?"
Before the two could actually make a move, Sunny Flare butted in. "As much as I'd love to see you two flail around, we're here to help Twilight, remember?"
The two girls turned their attention toward me again and nodded sheepishly.
"Have you talked to her since?" Sugarcoat asked.
I shook my head.
"Did she try to contact you?"
I nodded.
"Did you say anything back?"
I shook my head and immediately winced. From their reactions, I didn't need to guess that I had made the wrong decision.
"Yeah..." Sunny Flare sighed. "You're gonna want to talk to her."
Anxious, I stared at the wall. "B-but..."
"I know what's going on," Sugarcoat announced. Abruptly, she stood up and made her way toward me. Without hesitating, she sat next to me. "I get it. You're afraid of screwing things up. You get tense and curl up into a fetal position like the one you're in right now."
"I'm... not..." I looked to the ground and quickly realized that I was hugging my knees. "Okay, fine."
"You're shutting yourself off because you're afraid of getting the big rejection when you know you're so close." Sugarcoat paused, most likely to phrase her next words. "All you have to do is go for it and let her know you still like her."
"Yeah," I said quietly. "You're right."
Sugarcoat huffed. "And will you quit feeling sorry for yourself?"
"It's bad for your complexion," Lemon Zest added, holding back a laugh at the reference of another eighties film--Sixteen Candles, the exact same movie and line Rarity had recited.
"Can you not?" Sugarcoat snapped.
I thought about what Sugarcoat said. Her verbal lashing was all true--it hurt, but she had a point. Admittedly, the psychoanalysis made me feel more self-conscious, but it definitely gave me a starting point to make myself better.
It was my own nervous energy that caused this whole problem to begin with. I just needed to admit it, move on, and hopefully be able to talk to Sunset Shimmer without falling apart.
I bit the side of my cheek. "Why can't my life play out like an eighties teen romance?"
Sugarcoat chuckled. "'Cause this is real life, and it doesn't wrap up neatly in an hour and a half. Plus, the people in those movies have a team of writers behind them."
"Well, mine are out to spite me," I groaned.
Sighing, I let go of my knees and moved to a lying position. Not really knowing what to do, I stared at the ceiling. It took some serious thought, but I had finally resolved to talk to Sunset when school started up in two days. But still, I needed to figure out how to make it up to her.
"Have you figured out what to do?" Indigo asked.
Sitting up to face her, I shook my head. "Not exactly, but I'll think of something."
"Twilight," Sour Sweet called soothingly. She inched closer and brought a reassuring hand to my shoulder. "You know, if it doesn't work out, you can always run away to Mexicolt."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
For some reason, Cadance's house managed to capture the warm, cozy feeling of a grandmother's home while still having the modern interior design and amenities of the twenty-first century. It may have had something to do with the bowl of hard candy on the coffee table, the fact that tea was always brewing, or maybe it was because of the porcelain unicorns littered around the living room.
I also couldn't really explain why I felt more comfortable there than in my own room.
I sank deep into the absurdly soft sofa, knowing full well that I'd have to be pulled out by force when it was time to go home. Cadance was off in the kitchen, tending to the perpetually brewing tea while humming a show tune to herself.
The phone in my pocket vibrated. As expected, Rarity had sent me a text.
"She said she had fun, but she really wants to talk with you."
I stared at the message, rereading it over and over. I sent her, "Anything else?" but Rarity's responses after that didn't really help much. She probably kept the same promise of secrecy with Sunset like she did with me, and I couldn't ask her to play favorites. Still, I couldn't help but wish I was in the room when they talked.
Suddenly feeling anxious, I toyed around with my phone, visiting the Cute Critter Corner page on MyStable as an escape from my whole blunder at the end of my first date. A video of bathing baby sloths was exactly what I needed to get my mind off things.
But even still, I'd have to talk to Sunset eventually.
Or I could get another bus ticket. Running away wasn't really in my mind after the whole "Kiosk Incident," but Sour Sweet's suggestion had made it seem like a viable option. Although instead of Mexicolt, I'd still rather go to Manehattan, where I had family and a place to stay.
In the end, I decided to put everything off to watch a herd of cows play in the sun, nuzzling the grass after a winter spent inside a barn.
Cadance shuffled in and carefully set down the tray of tea onto the coffee table.
"So, how's life, Twilight?" she asked, joining me on the couch.
I shrugged. "Okay, I guess."
"Twilight," she called softly. "Is something wrong?"
"Not really."
She nodded and grabbed a cup from the table. Taking a sip, she hummed skeptically. "You do realize I was your babysitter and your guidance counselor before I became a dean? I can tell when you're upset."
I clicked on another video and sunk deeper into the couch, hoping to disappear completely.
Scooting closer, Cadance peered over my shoulder. "Are those baby pigs? Is it really that bad?"
"Look, they're running an obstacle course," I said feebly, passing over my phone in an attempt to change the subject.
"Twilight," she said sternly. "You're dodging my questions."
"This one's playing with a puppy."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No thanks."
Cadance sighed. "I'll buy you a little piglet if you tell me."
I scoffed. "I've done the research. They're huge when they grow up and ridiculously expensive."
"The offer still stands."
I chuckled halfheartedly and let the conversation fade out from there. Cadance, ever so patient, stayed with me, sipping her tea. After a minute or so of uncomfortable silence, she stood up from the couch and left the room. She came back, holding a rather large picture book.
"Well," she started, "if I can't help you with your problems, maybe you can help with mine."
Falling back onto the sofa, Cadance flipped over to a marked page. There were several assortments of flowers printed on it, along with their names, scientific genus, and their symbolic meanings. On the top of the page was the phrase, "Wedding Flowers," written in metallic blue.
"Is this for the bouquet?" I asked.
"The centerpieces, actually," she answered. "I'm going traditional and getting a bouquet of roses for the bouquet." She passed over the book. "Here, point out what catches your eye."
"Neat." I thumbed through the following pages.
I pointed toward a group of pink peonies, part of the Paeoniaceae family. Its symbolic meaning revolves around a prosperous, happy marriage, so it seemed like the best fit.
"These are cute," I remarked superficially. "They're also going to be in season in the summer."
"Good call," she said, reaching for a marker and circling the picture. "Maybe I should bring you on as a consulting wedding planner."
Ignoring her teasing laugh, I rolled my eyes and sunk back into the couch. "Did my parents tell you about that?"
"Yes, yes they did," she said, an amused smile forming on her lips. "Your mother also told me you fell for the 'parent always answers the door' trick."
"Yeah, I guess."
She leaned over and jerked my shoulder playfully. "Come on, Twily. You were there when she pulled that on Shining. You should've known better."
"I know."
"Although," she started, "I'm kind of glad she did that back then."
I clawed myself out from the couch's depths. "What? Why? She did nothing but embarrass everyone involved."
"At the moment, yes," she admitted. "But afterward, I realized that she did it to break the ice."
"With a jackhammer," I muttered under my breath.
"True, but it was still broken nonetheless." She toyed around with her engagement ring. "Plus, she gave us something real to talk about. I don't know what we would have talked about if it wasn't for the video of your brother's third-grade band concert."
In that moment, my mother had ascended from plain evil to an evil genius. I remembered sitting on the couch when Cadance showed up for their first date. My mother sat her down and put on the video, and I watched both Cadance's amusement and Shining's utter horror at every cracked note his younger self made.
Little did I know that my mom was planning the same thing for me at the time.
The fact that the picture of my pageant dress actually sparked a conversation made me unsure whether to include my mother in any future relationship problems.
I thought about what she was saying. "How was your first date with my brother?"
"Terrible," she answered abruptly, laughing a bit afterward. "But I wouldn't change a single moment."
I wondered if Sunset was thinking the same thing. It was a possibility, especially since most of the embarrassing events were at my expense. But still, I had to make up for the handshake.
It had to be something personal, meaningful, something that says both "I'm sorry" and "I am still interested in dating you."
As if fate took mercy on me, the exact answer was right under my nose.
Like, literally under my nose.
I looked down at the book in my hands, almost kicking myself at how obvious it was. Flowers are a staple gift for people in relationships. How did I not think of it?
Say It with Flowers was a book that detailed the hidden symbolism of flowers and many other plants. This was the sort of thing I could get behind. It was personal yet indirect, which I quickly realized was my style of communication. Plus, I could voice my feelings without actually voicing them.
For example, roses had the most meanings attached to them, having different representations based on both color and number. A single rose meant devotion, two (intertwined) meant "marry me," six was the need to be loved, and thirteen meant a secret admirer.
If only I knew the last meaning a month ago.
At first, I considered getting Sunset a rose, but that thought quickly spiraled into a circle of doubt; I couldn't decide on the color. Red, meaning love, was the obvious choice, but it could be interpreted as desperate or clingy on my part. Yellow symbolized friendship, but in Victorian times it represented jealousy. The last thing I wanted was some sort of miscommunication.
The abundance of choices made it hard to decide. Plus roses had a deeply romantic meaning that carried too much weight behind them. I couldn't risk scaring her away if she accidentally interpreted a rose as a declaration of love right after the first date.
Examining the book again, I decided it was best to research it some more and give it some real thought before I committed to putting my heart out there.
"Hey, Cadance," I called, holding up the book for her to see. "Can I borrow this?"
She nodded. "Of course--I'm all done with it. The only reason I kept it around was because I had hoped Shining would stumble upon it and surprise me with flowers."
Chuckling, I stuffed the book in my bag. "Please, he wouldn't get the hint if you told him yourself."
"Well then maybe you should tell him for me," she proposed playfully.
"Even when you're getting married, I'm still playing the wingwoman for the two of you."
Cadance laughed. "I'd repay the favor if you'd let me."
I smiled and gestured to the book in my bag. "Thanks, but I think I'm good."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
Stepping off the city bus, I slung my backpack over my shoulder, careful not to jostle my gift for Sunset. I had spent the night reading the book, looking for a plant that said what I needed to say. After a few hours of reading, I finally decided on the flower with the perfect combination of originality, subtlety, and meaning to present my feelings.
The morning was spent dodging Sunset. Wanting to delay my talk with her, I took the long way to my first period English class, walking through the school library and even hiding in the hallway that was never properly lit. It was all worth it to ensure that neither Sunset nor the girls caught me with my choice of flower.
Staring down at the ground, I shuffled slowly into the classroom. I knew Sunset was sitting in the back left of the room as usual, but I pretended not to notice her. For once, I thanked the fact that Mrs. Harshwhinny preferred assigned seats.
Droning on about the proper use of dangling modifiers, the teacher wrote across the white board. I followed along, taking notes to keep my mind off of Sunset. About halfway through the class, I felt the phone in my pocket vibrate, but I chose to ignore it because it might have been Sunset. I knew I was delaying the inevitable, but I couldn't help it.
I cringed as the bell rang. Unable to think of anything else, I pretended to look through my backpack. As I had suspected, Sunset stopped at my side, taking a seat on top of the desk to my right.
"Hey, Twilight," she said softly.
In the moment, I wanted to tell her how sorry I was, how much I wanted to take the handshake back. I wanted to tell her that I had fun on the date and that I wanted to be around her more. I wanted to tell her that I should have kissed her. I wanted to ask her to be my girlfriend.
Instead, I just simply said, "Hi."
She huffed through her nose and rubbed at her elbow. "So, how's life?"
"Good," I answered plainly. We let the conversation lull, or at least what little there was of one, and I assumed that she was just as hesitant to speak as I was.
Welp, here goes nothing.
"I got you something," I said, rather stiffly.
Sunset gripped the edges of the desk she was sitting on. "You did?"
"Yeah. It's to make up for the way our date ended..."
"Oh," she hummed. "You didn't have to."
"I don't really know how else to say it... so here." Without another word, I dug into my backpack, carefully pulling out a smaller paper bag. As I pulled out the clay pot, I watched Sunset's eyes flare in surprise.
"Oh, wow, it's a... cactus," she announced, her voice sounding unsure. "No offense, but why?"
I placed the potted plant onto the desk before turning back to her. "The cactus, due to its thriving in its harsh environment, symbolizes endurance."
"Endurance, huh?" She lightly swung her legs from the edge of the desk.
Feeling my stomach tighten, I lightly tugged at one of the white flowers on top of the tiny round plant. "Despite all the hardships of the desert, it endures. No matter how difficult it is, its flowers bloom and the cactus thrives."
I stared at the ground, studying the tiles. My heart was pounding, and my face was heating up. I gritted my teeth, hoping she wasn't weirded out by the metaphor.
"Twilight, are you... asking me to go steady with you?"
I winced before nodding. "Yes... in a sense."
She put her hand on my shoulder, and I immediately turned to face her. I expected a slight frown or even a furrowed brow, but there was a light smile on her face.
"All you had to do was ask."
The answer immediately lifted all the nervous weight from my body. "Does that mean..."
"Yes," she said. "Yes, it does."
"Huh..." |
The Sunlight Theory | Literary Theory | "So you and Sunset are a thing now, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked as she messed around with her guitar's tuning pegs.
I nodded, albeit a little too enthusiastically. Sunset, my girlfriend--which felt great to say--did the same, except hers was a small, gentle nod of acknowledgement. She sat to my right, the Rainbooms' songbook on her lap. The rehearsal was slow, plodding along as Sunset helped me catch up with my vocal parts. She hummed along with the notes as I deciphered the lyrics that were written in chicken scratch.
"Uh, why is the only lyric in my part, 'Hey'?" I asked, taking the book. Looking over the rest of the song, I found myself biting my tongue to keep from commenting on the weak lyrics and rhyme structure.
Rainbow Dash leaned in closer, almost getting in my face. "Just what are you getting at? You're not going to try to split up the band with your 'artistic input,' are ya?"
"You do realize she's in the band, right?" Rarity cut in. "She has a right to give any input she wants."
Rainbow Dash strummed her instrument, only to cringe once she realized the guitar was still painfully out of tune. "And whose idea was it to get her to join?"
"Yours, dear," Rarity said, snatching away the guitar from Rainbow to adjust the tuning. "Remember, you put it up to a vote last week?"
"Oh, yeah..." she conceded. With a cautious glare, she turned to me. "Just don't get any ideas, newbie!"
Sunset Shimmer shot me a playful wink. "That reminds me. Twilight and I have decided to cut 'Awesome as I Wanna Be.'"
Rainbow Dash balled her hands up into fists. "You can't just do that! We need to vote on these kinds of things."
Setting down her bass, Applejack chuckled before patting Rainbow's back. "Ya do realize they're joking, right?"
"Of course I do!" Rainbow Dash said, defensively glancing at the others. "I was just playing along."
"Although," Rarity cut in, "I do have some ideas for a tune we could play instead."
Rainbow scowled. "You know we can't cut it."
"We can't, or you won't?"
"Both, either, take your pick."
Giving up on the argument, Rarity rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Rainbow Dash's guitar, comparing the out of tune notes to her own keytar, which couldn't go out of tune. "I'd like to get something productive done today."
"Or!" Pinkie Pie cut in, slamming down her sticks against the snare drum. "We could just take the period off on the occasion that we just have to celebrate CHS' new cutest couple!"
"I don't think we need to do that," I said, forcing myself to stare at the ground to hide any sudden blush that may have appeared. "It's nothing, really."
"Oh," Sunset chimed. "So, I'm nothing, am I?"
"What?!" I shot up, my heart nearly stopping. "That's not what I--"
The smirk on Sunset's face told me everything I needed to know Flustered, I crossed my arms. "C-can we just start rehearsing or something?"
Sunset, sitting down to my right, wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "I'm only kidding."
"She's right, though," Rainbow said. "The sooner we finish, the sooner I can start Harshwhinny's book report."
Rarity pursed her lips. "Isn't that due tomorrow?"
"Yeah, and? All I have to do is BS a thousand or so words that the tree is really a--"
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"A penis," Lemon Zest said, her voice deadpan and her face scrunched up. "You practically gave her a penis as a gift."
"What?" I asked, feeling my face heat up. "How? What are you even talking about?"
Lemon pursed her lips, looking over at the other Shadowbolts who were trying their best to keep composed. "You do realize that a cactus is a phallic symbol, right?"
"W-what?" I stammered, feeling my stomach tighten.
"You ever read poetry?" Sugarcoat asked. "It's, like, there all the time."
Lemon hummed. "Sug's got a point. Anything with fruit, trees, or flowers has a sexual connotation to it. It's basic literary theory."
"It's in art, too," Sugarcoat added, "like that one artist who paints roses that look like hoo-has."
Sunny Flare rolled her eyes. "You guys are looking too deep into this."
"Yeah, Sunny's right. Sometimes a cactus is just a cactus," Sour Sweet argued. "It's not like Twilight's telling her girlfriend that she wants to ride her like a stallion."
"Only implying," Sugarcoat cut in.
The rest of the girls laughed at the comment. However, I found myself looking away from them, choosing to admire the Crystal Prep rose garden, one of the few gorgeous areas the school had, which was also now completely ruined by my literary sexual awakening.
Still, I found myself admiring the beauty of the pink roses and the thick, intricate folding of the petals. They swayed gently in the wind, intertwining and basking in the radiant glow of the sunlight.
"As the fainting bee, Reaching late his flower, Round her chamber hums, Counts his nectars --enters, And is lost in balms!" recited Lemon Zest.
If I remembered correctly, she was reciting "Come Slowly--Eden!" Judging from the way my face heated up, I was blushing furiously, only fueling the laughter from the other girls.
"I hate you all," I muttered under my breath facetiously.
"We're only teasing, Twilight," Lemon said. "But you have every right to blame Crystal Prep's poetry unit. I just had to find a way to apply it to life. It also helps that you are so fun to tease."
"What do you mean?" I asked, immediately biting my tongue.
Lemon laughed." It's just that you have the cutest little blush whenever you get bashful."
"I what?" Instinctively, I covered my face, trying to figure out what exactly she meant by that.
"You get all red and doe-eyed," Sunny Flare chimed in. "It's actually kind of endearing to see you get all worked up like that."
I held my hand to my face, not really knowing what to do. There was a slight lull in the conversation, which was most likely my fault since I had no idea what to say.
Indigo Zap slapped my back "But look at you, Twilight! You've got yourself a smokin' hot girlfriend. You're certainly doing better than some of us here."
Sunny scoffed. "I told you guys that I'm waiting until college."
"Likely story," Sour Sweet commented. "Still doesn't explain your blog posts."
"That's the last time I let you borrow my computer," Sunny groaned, shooting a glare at Sour Sweet, who only stuck her tongue out in return.
"Hey, be grateful," Sugarcoat cut in. "She probably found your stash but decided to keep it to herself."
"In more ways than one," Sour Sweet added. "It's all in a flash drive named the 'Spank Bank.'"
It was at that point where I began to tune out the others. I chose to look at my phone, only to find out that Sunset had sent me a text:
"I found a good place for the cactus. Tho I wouldn't mind if u checked it out. Maybe Saturday?"
"Why do you have that doofy look, Twilight?" Indigo Zap asked. I looked up only to catch her cheeky grin just as she punched me on the shoulder lightly. "Come on, girl. Spill the tea!"
I passed over the phone. "My girlfriend invited me to her place Saturday."
Lemon Zest snatched my phone from my fingers, looking over the text message. "Oh, yeah, she totally wants to have sex with you."
"What?!" I tried to reach for it, only to have my hand swatted away.
"Look, she brought up the cactus. She clearly knows what's up." Lemon smirked. "It's basic litera--"
"Can you not?" Sunny Flare quipped.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
There was a slight bounce in my step as I made my way to my parents' home office. It was a small, compact room where my mom and dad kept a massive media library. I found myself getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices.
It was no surprise that my second date with Sunset would only piggyback off the success of the first. But this time, Sunset and I decided to play it safe and have a simple movie night. She would supply food and a TV, and I was in charge of movies.
Now if only I could pick just one.
Years of collecting films led to a shelf that most likely had a collective running time that rivaled the hours I was alive. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but it was still a lot of movies to pick from, and that was not even counting the movies I kept on a flash drive where I kept everything.
I decided on narrowing it down by genre. I was too squeamish for horror movies, so that was out. Romance was a bit too on the nose. Comedies were a safe bet, something mindless for a late night sleepover.
Maybe I could get away with a romantic comedy.
I decided on two comedies and a drama, and I only picked the last one because it was my favorite movie that my parents had written together.
Cosmic Conversations was a quiet, understated movie about a crew of six of astronauts stationed on the International Space Station. Although it was an ensemble cast, it focused on Starry Skies, a recently divorced flight engineer who isolates herself from society, believing that there's no place left for her on Earth. Eventually, she's coaxed out by Commander Gaea, learning to open up and eventually deciding to travel the world to find a place to fit in.
Needless to say, it was more of an art house film than a blockbuster. Still, it was a critics' darling, netting my parents Academy award for "Best Original Screenplay."
It also didn't hurt that I was born sometime during the movie's filming stage, earning my name in the "Production Babies" credits.
Although, I would have been fine without the newspaper with the headline "A Star is Born" hanging in the office.
I stuffed the DVDs into my backpack and slung it over my shoulders. Satisfied with my choices, I made my way down the hall and the stairs, my hands squeaking on the handrails from the friction. Stopping just short of the living room, I caught parts of a hushed conversation--a rather tense one--and I found myself eavesdropping on the conversation, leaning over just enough to see what was going on without getting spotted.
"Yes, I understand," my father said, his brow creasing. "No, it's not a problem. We can find someone else."
Hanging up the phone, my dad sighed heavily and turned toward my mother, who had her hands held against her forehead.
"Principal photography starts in three weeks, hon," my mom scolded.
My father sighed. "I know, Vel, but you of all people should know how much of a perfectionist Yearling is." He reached for a coffee cup and groaned once he realized it was empty. "She'd rather tank the whole production than get a Daring she doesn't like."
I stood at the base of the stairs, watching as my parents argued back and forth. Gripping the railing, I kept silent, too afraid to ask for a ride to Sunset's apartment given their stress.
"Where in the world are we going to find another Daring?"
"An open casting call?" he suggested. "It blows the surprise, but I don't think we have a choice."
"I think I know someone," I piped, a slight crack in my voice. "How about Spitfire?"
My mother jumped up from her seat. "Oh, Twilight! I didn't catch you there. Your father and I were just talking business."
"Is the movie in trouble?" I asked.
"Nah," my father answered calmly, sitting up and easing off a slouch. "I mean, it's a setback I'd rather avoid, but we'll manage if we play our cards right. So... why Spitfire?
" I know she hasn't really done much, acting-wise, but I think she can pull it off." I stared down at my shoes. "She's funny, charismatic, has drawing power, and, best of all, she's a huge fan of the books."
I pulled my phone from my pocket and rushed over to my parents as I pulled up a screenshot of Spitfire's MyStable page where she donned a Daring Do costume for Nightmare Night. It was actually a pretty intricate costume despite being homemade. The comments section even blew up as people pieced together sentences across all the books with the details on the costume.
My father looked towards my mom. "It's worth looking into."
"I'll send Yearling the picture," my mother said. "What was Spitfire in again? Just so we can get some samples to send. I'd rather get an okay from Yearling before we make any more commitments."
I bit my lip. "Uh... voicework as Zapp in the Power Ponies cartoon. She was also Special Agent Blaze in Mareami Vice. It's a supporting role, but she was really funny in the episodes she's in."
"We'll use that one," my mother said, bringing in her laptop closer. "We've been looking for an excuse to watch it, right, Lighty? We can call it research."
My father only chuckled. "At least set up a meeting first. At this point, we're a little pressed for time."
"Already done," she said. "Sent an email to her agent." My mother smiled cheekily before turning the screen for us to see. "Opportunity of a lifetime. Audition tape due tomorrow by six. Info attached. Don't mess this up."
"Good," my father said. "The last thing we want to do is look desperate."
"Aren't we?" I asked, skeptically raising an eyebrow.
He nodded. "Well, of course, but they don't need to know that."
I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and immediately remembered what I was here for. Sure enough, Sunset texted me, confirming our order of pizza and whether or not we could get it carried out or delivered. I sent my response, letting her take her pick and turned back to my parents.
"Hey, Mom, Dad, I'm going to Sunset's now."
"Have fun, sweetie," my mom answered back.
I cocked my head, "That's it?"
"What? Do you need a ride?"
I bit my cheek. "I'm going to my girlfriend's apartment to stay the night. Y'know, just two unsupervised teenagers. This is the part where you tell me to stay safe, say no to drugs, and not come back pregnant or something."
"Well there you go," she said, chuckling. "You seem to have it all figured out. Now about that ride..."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"Oh," Sunset hummed. "I was expecting the pizza guy."
"Great to see you too, Sunset."
Chuckling, Sunset brought me into a tight hug before ushering me into the apartment.
For our second "date," we decided to keep it just as casual and relaxed as Sunset looked in her sleepwear, a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. Her hair was tied up, a sort of messier version of the bun I usually wore.
"So where's the cactus?" I asked, holding back a chuckle.
She chuckled lightly before pointing out the window, where the cactus sat out on the fire escape, basking in the remaining light before the dusk settled in.
"I was going to put it on my bedside table, but then I realized it was right next to my alarm clock, and that was basically an accident waiting to happen."
I laughed, which came out as a slight wheeze and a snort.
"So what'd you pick?" she asked, making her way over to the couch.
"Oh, just some comedies and another movie I hold close to me. It's not as funny as the other two, though, but I have some more on a flash drive if you don't like any of the choices."
"Neato," she said, gesturing for me to join her on the couch. "Just put on whatever you want. I'll just go along for the ride." --☀--
"Just once I want my life to be like an '80s movie."
You and me both, I thought, responding to the movie's leading actress.
"Preferably one with a really awesome musical number... for no apparent reason."
"Ugh, same," I said, earning a slight giggle from Sunset. She sat off on my side, strangely sitting on her haunches. I tried to do the same but quickly found my legs falling asleep. A plastic bowl of popcorn sat in front of her, and she would lazily reach in, grab a handful, and shovel it into her mouth, not caring about the loose pieces falling from her grip.
I found myself watching Sunset's reactions to the film, barely making out the scowl on her face as the queen bee archetype harassed the protagonist under the soft glow of the TV. She shifted in her seat before leaving the room and coming back with a can of soda.
Just a little while after, Sunset's phone rang, and she immediately dove toward it, turning off the stock ringtone. She smiled sheepishly before muttering under her breath.
"Did you say something?" I asked.
"It's eleven-eleven," she said, her voice low. "Make a wish."
The second half was barely a whisper.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing," she dismissed. "Just some stupid thing Pinkie showed me. It's stupid."
"It's not stupid," I said, leaning over closer to her. "You set a reminder for some reason."
"Just to... get Pinkie to stop texting me at this hour." She fiddled around with her phone. "Although sometimes, I find myself making a wish... you know... 'cause I feel like she can tell if I don't. It's silly."
"It's not," I reassured. "I think it's nice." --☀--
Yawning, I placed the second movie of the night back in its box. "What time is it?"
Sunset, sprawled out on the couch, lazily groped around for her phone. There was a small, almost painful ray of light, which caused her to wince as she checked the time. "Half past midnight."
"Wow, it's late. We should probably go to sleep."
Sunset groaned. "Come on, we could do one more."
"I don't know," I said. "I don't think I can stay up any longer."
"Neither can I," she said. "It's just... the background noise helps me sleep."
Unsure if I could power through another movie, I thought about it. There was really no harm in watching another movie, so I simply just shrugged and went along with it, digging into my bag for the last movie of the night.
I had always loved the disc art for Cosmic Conversations. It was a simple, elegant design of the two leads, Starry Skies and Gaea, floating off on opposite sides of the disc.
Despite my legs falling asleep a minute ago, I stumbled to the DVD player again, putting in the last movie for the night and fully knowing that we had no chance of finishing it before we succumbed to the inevitable embrace of sleep.
"I bet I can stay up longer than you," she said, powering through a yawn.
"You're on," I answered back, hitting play on the remote before slumping down on a recliner next to the couch, forcing it into a laying position.
She lost. Or, at least I thought she did. It was hard to tell because I was fighting my own battle against sleep. In the end, it didn't really matter.
But what I knew for sure was that neither of us got through the opening credits.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
Sunset must really like oatmeal.
Like, really like oatmeal.
Sunset's pantry was bare, and I began to wonder where she got the time to go grocery shopping while balancing school and the Rainbooms. I dug around the stockpile, pushing past the pasta bags, soup cans, and the abundant boxes of cereal (most of which oat-based). Finding nothing else, I grabbed a container of instant oatmeal and went back to preparing breakfast for the both of us.
My parents often joked that my cooking skills, combined with my eating habits would serve me well through college. And as it turned out, they were referring to the fact that I only ate to keep myself alive, and when I did eat, it was mostly cereal, instant ramen, and the occasional pizza delivery if pressed for time.
They also said that I would leave the world at forty years old, due to cholesterol problems, but not without making a monumental discovery that advances humankind as a whole.
I still don't know how to take that.
Stirring the oatmeal, I looked over to the living room, where Sunset Shimmer was still sleeping. Sometime in the middle of the night, she had rolled onto the floor--or halfway on the floor as her legs were still somewhat on the couch.
I had considered waking her up but decided against it, choosing to instead surprise her with breakfast as a subtle thank you. After a few minutes of cooking, I shut off the heater and let the oatmeal cool down while I dug around the fridge for something to drink, settling on a half-full carton of orange juice.
"Cooking me breakfast?" Sunset hummed. "And I didn't even sleep with you yet."
Shooting up from the fridge, I stammered, "S-Sunset! Good morning!"
"Morning," she said, turning to tend to the pot of oatmeal. "So, was it good for you?"
"W-what?"
"Nevermind." She chuckled to herself and then gestured to the oatmeal. "Eh, it's a little vanilla for me. I like to add stuff to spice it up a little."
"Um, there's blueberries in the fridge, or are you looking for cinnamon? I didn't find any, but I'm sure you kn--"
Sunset huffed, a smirk on her face. "You're too cute, Twilight."
I brought my hand to my face, trying to hide the slight blush at the comment. Closing the fridge, I turned my attention toward the cupboards, raiding the tiny kitchen again for bowls.
After the slight creak of the cupboard door, I caught a tiny dark splotch. It landed on my arm, skittering down to my wrist. I screamed, flailed my arms, and jumped backward. It, in return, ran across the counter and ducked beneath the microwave.
The it in question was a cockroach, a grimy, disgusting cockroach.
Sunset, a look of pain on her face, rushed over to my side and cupped my hand. "Twilight, I'm so, so, sorry about that. I could have sworn they were all gone."
I wheezed. "It's fine. It just caught me off guard."
She bit her lip and looked at me apologetically, her hands now interlocked with mine. I couldn't help but be comforted by her touch.
"I... I know a good diner down the street," Sunset said, breaking the silence. "I can just toss out the oatmeal, and we could get something to eat there."
I nodded, not really knowing what to think. --☀--
The scent of still-sizzling bacon wafted into my nose as the waitress placed the plates in front of us, clattering against the table with a soft clink. Sunset looked up at her, putting on a polite smile and muttering soft words of thanks before pouring a generous amount of syrup on her short stack of pancakes. Lazily, she began to spread the syrup with a plastic butter knife. Her smile was gone, replaced by a blank stare as she avoided eye contact, instead choosing to focus on the food.
We sat in silence, listening to a loud upbeat jazz tune play on the nearby jukebox. Sunset tapped her fingers on the counter and played with her hair, stopping every once in a while to take sips of her coffee.
I, however, could not keep myself from talking. "Have you talked to the landlord about getting an exterminator?"
Sunset scowled. "There's no way he'd spring up the money for it."
"Have you thought about moving?"
"Where?" she asked. "I'm a unicorn from another dimension. I don't necessarily have the best credit. I might as well be one of those aliens in that space movie."
"There weren't any aliens, but I get your point."
"The only reason I got that apartment was because I spotted the roaches." With a slight grimace, she dug her butter knife into her short stack, unenthusiastically tearing apart the pancake. "He figured he'd rent it off to me a little bit cheaper, so he wouldn't have to get pest control. You know, save a quick buck."
"Sorry." I stared down at the table sheepishly, almost resorting to counting the pepper grains to keep from having to look Sunset in the eye.
"Don't be. I'm a young adult. I'm supposed to have a terrible apartment."
I laughed, but it wasn't enough to keep the conversation alive. Instead, we turned back to the food, and I found myself regretting bringing up the topic. It wasn't her fault, and I should have figured that. I probably came off as some unempathetic rich girl who was out of touch, whining about a short encounter with a bug while she dealt with them everyday.
"I really liked the movies we saw last night," she said, breaking me from my thoughts. "I kind of feel bad for falling asleep during the last one... you know, what little we got through." She chuckled, but it faltered quickly.
"It's a good one," I said numbly. "It's one of my favorites."
"Oh," she hummed, staring down at her food. "C-could I borrow it? Please?"
I dug into my bag. "Sure! I've also got a flash drive full of movies I keep around if you'd like to borrow that. Of course, it'll take a while to sift through. I kinda just dump everything from schoolwork to music and such."
"Hopefully, I don't burn through it."
"You won't," I said confidently, a hint of pride in my voice. "I mean, that there's just a lot in there, but even if you do, I have a whole movie library in my house. My dad's a bit of a film buff."
That may have been a bit of an understatement.
The conversation died down, and we turned our attention back to our food that was just beginning to cool down. The scrambled eggs were fine, a fluffy mass of yellow, complemented by the crispy bacon that sort of resembled Sunset's hair. Although it was probably better to keep that thought to myself.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I instinctively jumped in response. Sheepishly, I dug into my pocket, pulled out the cell phone, and shut off the alarm.
"It's eleven-eleven," I said, sliding the phone across the table.
Sunset glanced down at the phone and looked back to me.
And then she smiled. |
The Sunlight Theory | The Triangular Theory of Love | "Are you sure you and your father will be fine without me?" my mother asked. "I can cancel my meeting with Yearling and come back--"
"We'll be fine, Mom," I answered, my cell phone wedged between my head and shoulder and my hands busy with film equipment. "Dad's just busy setting up the 'perfect' arrangement of couch pillows for the shot, and I'm just moving equipment around and pretending I belong."
"That's good to hear," she said. "I can't thank you enough for helping out your father today."
"It's no big deal, really," I replied nonchalantly. "I'm basically an overpaid intern anyway." I paused. "I'm getting paid, right?"
There was a curt chuckle from the speaker. "Room, board, clothing, and I think your father and I threw some love in on the side." She paused. "Although, you should ask him because I'm not so sure about that."
I rolled my eyes. "Very funny, Mom." Our conversation slowed for a moment--long enough for me to set down a pair of light stands and watch as a production assistant set them up. "So what'cha meeting with Yearling about?"
"NDA," she said with a slight chuckle.
I huffed. "Walked right into that one."
"I'm kidding," she explained. "Yearling's still not a hundred percent sold on Spitfire, so I'm attempting to convince her that it's just not viable for her to play the role herself, no matter how much she insists. I swear, the old hag won't listen to reason when it comes to her work."
"Didn't you two go to college together?"
"Don't think I didn't catch what you were implying," she shot back. "I'm her peer and best friend, so I can call her what I want. You're my child, so you call me 'Mom.'" She paused. "Wait, who told you?"
"Dad did on the drive here," I answered, "but I'm kind of hurt that you didn't tell me that my favorite author is your best friend."
My mother sighed. "Yearling's not easy to like, and that's the nicest way I can put it. There's a reason why they tell you to never meet your heroes." She paused. "On that note, have you met Spitfire?"
"What do you mean by that?"
I could practically hear my mother shrug through the phone. "I don't know," she answered snarkily. "I think I might have been implying something."
"I'm never going to win any of our conversations, aren't I?"
She scoffed. "Well, not if you still see it as a game. It won't help your confidence at all, dear."
"Sure, okay," I said, trailing off. "You weren't serious about Spitfire, right?"
My mother laughed. "I was kidding. She's a total sweetie, and you should actually meet her."
"You're not setting me up?"
"Me?" she asked facetiously. "Never. But seriously, you should probably meet her while the schedule allows it."
Unsure if she was still joking, I thought about what she said while I dug around in my pockets until I found a neatly folded slip of paper. She was right. There was only a little over a half an hour before Spitfire was whisked away to makeup and then placed on set for the rest of the day.
"Hey, Mom," I called. "If I were to sneak away to meet Spitfire, do you think my dad would notice?"
She hummed. "Probably not. What's he going to do? Fire you? You're not even on the payroll."
"Wow," I said, nonplussed. "Well, I'm gonna go before you rack up a few more points."
"Bye, hun."
"Bye, Mom. Love you."
My mother chuckled. "I know, sweetie."
Grimacing, I hung up. "She just always has to get the last word in," I grumbled to myself.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
I stopped just short of Spitfire's trailer, standing a little taller and taking deep breaths. I had met a few celebrities while working with my parents, but it didn't keep me from being nervous. For every day spent discussing books and movies over tea with Coloratura, there were two days of waiting on her manager as he rants about how his coffee isn't brewed at his preferred two-hundred and two degrees, as if the extra one-point-two degrees would scald his tongue. He even threatened to fire me a couple of times before he found out who my parents were.
Looking down, I eyed the schedule in my hands. There was about half an hour before Spitfire was needed on set, but I'd learned the hard way to prep the talent before. My parents actually had to pretend to fire me just to keep Blueblood from walking off set.
Breath held, I knocked on the door and waited for a response. There was none. I grimaced, knowing that she was most likely asleep in her trailer. Knocking again, I called out her name.
"Come in!"
As I walked inside, I caught Spitfire looking up from the corner of the room. Her hair was dyed shades of smoky gray and black. It was a sight some of her diehard fans would have called blasphemous, since it replaced her "iconic" fiery hair. But still, the hair color suited her really well and she was a near spitting image of Daring as described in the books.
She held a book in her hands, a copy of Daring Do and the Griffon's Goblet with most of the page highlighted and annotated. Smiling, she sat up from her bed and set the book at her side.
"Um, Miss Spitfire," I said politely. "I was just checking in to see if you needed anything before we start."
Humming, she stretched out her arms and pressed at her back as if to straighten it some more. "Nah, I'm good. Just don't call me 'Miss.' You're making me feel old." She cracked her neck and let out a groan. "It doesn't help that all this stunt training and fight choreography is putting me through the wringer."
"Sorry about that." I stared down at my shoes. "We've sort of been rushing to get you up to speed before shooting begins."
"Are you kidding me?" she asked with a bright lilt. "I'm having the time of my life. I haven't been this sore since my first week at WCW."
"WC..."
"Wonderbolt Championship Wrestling," she answered with a singsong lilt. "I've got a lot of fun stories about training camp like the time I gave a moonsault to Moonsault herself." She sighed, a smile plastered on her face. "Good ti--oh, hey, where are my manners?! I never got your name."
"T-Twilight," I answered, coughing out my name. "Twilight Sparkle."
"Twilight Sparkle, eh?" she hummed, rubbing her chin. "It'll look good on a titantron. You ever think of being a Wonderbolt?"
I laughed. Well, it wasn't much of a laugh--more like an entertained exhale through the nose. "Please, there's no way I'd make it. They'll break me in half."
"Oh, come on. You're giving us too much credit, kid," she said, laughing. "It's not like we're actually fighting. I could put you in a submission hold, and it wouldn't hurt a bit."
"And I believe you," I said coolly, hoping to drop it there.
"Yeah, but you totally don't, though." Spitfire stood up from her bed. "Come on, I'll show you." She held her hands up and curled her fingers inward, gesturing for me to come closer.
Believe it or not, it wasn't the strangest request I had ever received from a talent. That honor went to Sapphire Shores and her pre-performance ritual involving a bowl of only blue Skittles, a recently crocheted dolphin, and a karaoke machine full of her own songs.
Needless to say, I let Spitfire put me in a headlock because it was part of my thankless (and apparently pay-less) job. Though I wasn't expecting her to sweep my leg and take me to the ground. I let out slight groan but was cut off as she sat on top of my back, holding my head up between her arms. Surprisingly, there was no pain--a little uncomfortable, sure--but it was harmless just like she had promised. Not too mention a bit disappointing.
"See?" Spitfire asked. "It doesn't hurt unless I apply pressure. Plus, my head's right by your ear, so I can conveniently whisper sweet, sweet nothings."
"Srsly?" My voice was muffled through her headlock.
"Sort of," she said nonchalantly. "I mostly tell my 'opponent' what we're gonna do next in terms of moves and spots. Although, Fleetfoot and I have a game going on to see if we can make each other laugh during our matches. She's way better at keeping it in than I am."
"C'n you let me go?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry," she said sheepishly. "I spend so much time applying this during training that I forget I'm doing it half the time."
She released the submission hold, and I wasted no time in getting back up. "Thanks," I said, dusting off my clothes.
"No--thank you," she responded, cracking her knuckles. "I honestly miss doing shows a li'l bit, but then again, how could I possibly turn down being Daring Do?"
"I'm glad you're excited," I said. "And we're very happy to have you."
"It's funny because the email I got from Mrs. Velvet seemed like she was ready to get someone else at a moment's notice. I never thought I'd get the gig." Spitfire sat back down on her bed and took a deep breath. "It's a little surreal, actually. I have no idea how in the world I got it."
"Would it help if I told you that I kinda threw your name in during casting?" I couldn't resist telling her. It just came out.
Her eyes went wide. "No way! How?!"
I shook my head. "It's not that interesting. My parents were scouting people, and I felt you were a good fit."
"I... owe you," she said, her eyes still wide and a smile plastered over her face. She reached forward, grabbed my hands, and stared into my eyes. "Anything, just name it. Autographs, tickets to WCW, anything."
I bit the inside of my cheek. "I don't know. I'll keep it in mind."
"Please, it's the least I can do," she said, letting go. "So what are we doing today?" she asked, her voice rising. She clapped her hands together excitedly. "Are we filming the scene where I escape from the Fortress of Talacon as it crumbles around me, or are we doing the Tenochtitlan car chase?"
I fished around my pockets for my schedule and gave it short once over. "Neither, actually," I said, ignoring her groan of protest. "We're doing all the apartment scenes and interior shots this week. We can't really take the filming out in public until we announce, so we're keeping things discreet for now."
"Boo," Spitfire whined, falling backward onto her bed and staring up at the ceiling. "I haven't even gotten to try on the costume yet."
"There's a very good reason for that," I explained. "The costume from the Ne'er Do Well show kept getting stolen from the set, so we kind of have it under lock and key. Plus, the internet would go crazy if the costume leaked."
"Everything's so secretive," Spitfire groaned, crossing her arms. "You know I'm not even allowed to tell my own mom what I'm doing? Heck, the studio hired a ghostwriter to take over my blog until the news is out."
I stared down at my shoes. "Sorry about that, but hey, it won't be for long. We're prepping the announcement soon, so you won't have to lie to your loved ones for much longer."
"Good," she said, sitting back up. "The sooner I can be an open book again, the better. But enough about me." She shot a finger gun in my direction. "You do anything interesting? Sky diving, backpacking around the world, a hot date?"
I perked up at the last one, my heart leaping at the thought of Sunset. "Well, kinda."
"Oh?" Spitfire purred. "Do tell. I've got time."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"You're tired, stressed. You've just been told that your tenure is on the line if you don't produce your thesis." My father paused and looked down at his script notes. "But most of all, you're frustrated because you know that the Sapphire Stone is hidden somewhere within the ruins of The Impossible City. All this potential, but here you are, stuck in a miserable apartment in the bad side of Manehattan."
Spitfire nodded. "Got it, boss." Smiling, she saluted enthusiastically before walking back towards the set, disappearing behind a prop door.
"Just go when you're ready," my father said. He made a quick gesture, raising a hand over his head. Just as he put his hand down, the lights dimmed and the surrounding chatter dissipated.
After a short pause, Spitfire entered the apartment, eyes sullen and breathing stiff. She kicked off her boots and tore off her jacket, not caring where either landed. She scanned the apartment, still dark, and sighed before slumping down on her couch, an ugly brown piece of junk that the set designers had picked up at a yardsale.
She turned on the TV and kicked her feet up on the coffee table, sitting there with an intense scowl before my father called for the lights to come back on.
"Alrighty!" my father cheered, clapping his hands. "That was good, Spitfire. Care to run it through again before we get the cameras set up and do it for real?"
Spitfire pursed her lips. "Mm, it wouldn't hurt to get a few more reps through."
My father nodded, raised his hand again, and Spitfire took position. About halfway through the movements, my phone rang, a loud, cheery chiptune.
"Sorry!" I piped, immediately silencing the phone. Rushing past the death-stares from the crew, I made my way out of the soundstage, still apologizing. I looked down at my phone, my heart lifting a little after seeing Sunset's name across the screen. "Hey, Sunset."
"This is not the Sunset you're looking for," she said, stifling a giggle.
"I see you've made it to Star Wars." I was kind of looking forward to watching that with her; I didn't think she'd get there that fast. At that rate, she'd burn through the rest of the flash drive in week or two.
"Eh," she hummed. "I've been kind of skipping around. Though, I added the hours up, and I'm a little ashamed of myself, to say the least."
"Oh, don't be," I dismissed, scratching at my head with my free hand. "I think I've watched each movie on that drive at least twice--three or four for some of them. Wow, that's kind of sad now that I say that out loud."
"I know, right?" Sunset asked. "I swear I felt my grip on reality fade a little bit."
I laughed and leaned against the soundstage door. "That's pretty much how my last summer went."
"Speaking of summer," she said coyly. "I found a little something special around the 'S' section."
I froze. "Uh, what did you find?"
"Oh, nothing, I think just some school stuff, essays... and some more Summer Sun Pageant pictures."
My face immediately heated up. "O-oh," I stammered. "D-did you?"
"Oh yeah, totally." She paused. "It's a much better replacement to the photo we took on the Iron Pegasus."
"H-heh, right."
"You were a total cutie with braces," she added.
"S-so! Why'd you call?" I asked, forcing a change in subject.
"Right," she hummed. "Got a little distracted there. I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out later today."
I bit my lip. "Um... I'm kind of tied up right now. I won't be home until it's late."
"Oh, okay," she said, her voice faltering.
I bit my cheek. "Yeah, sorry."
"No biggie." She let out a breathy chuckle. "It's cool. We can do something another day then."
"Yeah," I said. "That sounds good. Maybe tomorrow."
"Yeah, tomorrow."
The conversation had hit a wall. "See you tomorrow then."
"Bye, Twilight," she said.
"Bye," I said back. "Love you."
Sunset squeaked. "Did you--"
I hung up.
By the time I realized what I had done, it was too late. I stood there, either in shock or just plain abject terror. It was a mistake, clearly a force a habit when it comes to phone conversations. But even then, it felt off to call it a mistake. I mean, it was a mistake, but still...
"Yo, Twilight!" a voice called.
I jumped, whipping my head around. "H-hey, Sp-Spitfire," I said, the phone still pressed tightly against my ear. "What's up?"
"You tell me, champ," she said. "I just caught you frozen in place for the past minute. Is something wrong?"
She put her hand on my shoulder, but I pried myself away. "S-sorry," I stammered. "I just need some time to think on my own."
My phone buzzed again, but I immediately shut it off.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
Sunday mornings at Crystal Prep were spent one of two ways:
The first was to get as far away from the campus as possible after breakfast, wreaking havoc in downtown Canterlot. The second was to hide inside the dorms, only to come out for food and bathroom breaks.
Luckily, I could always count on fellow shut-ins to always be where I needed them.
"I need relationship advice," I announced the moment Sunny Flare opened the door. She only nodded and gestured for me to come in.
"When don't you?" called a voice with a low groan. In the far left corner of the room Sugarcoat clawed her way out of her bedsheets, stretching her arms and yawning. She lazily groped around the nearby drawer for her glasses before turning her attention back to me. "I don't know if it's just me, but it's starting to get old."
"Don't mind her," Sunny Flare said. "She doesn't like to wake up until noon on weekends. Just sit down and tell us what happened."
Reassured, I nodded before slumping down on Sunny Flare's bed. Once again, I found myself in a familiar position of dealing with the fallout of one of my many mistakes. Maybe I was just cursed to constantly screw up.
"I told Sunset that I love her." It came out quick, like ripping off a bandage.
Sunny smiled. "That's great!" She put her arm around my shoulder. "What'd she say?"
I turned away. "Um, I don't know. I kind of... hung up."
"Oh," was all Sunny Flare said. "That's, um... well, did you mean it?"
I stared at the ground, following the carpet's pattern down the room. "I don't know. It was one of those goodbye-on-the-phone kind of things."
Sugarcoat shifted in her bed. "Right." She paused. "But would you take it back?"
"I..." The words wouldn't come out. Instead I just sat there, doing nothing but letting my mouth hang open as I tried to form together any string of syllables. When I realized it was going nowhere, I decided it was better to just stay silent. "Should I?"
"Listen, Twilight," Sugarcoat said, "we're not going to be around to give you the right answer all the time. You have to decide this on your own."
I knew she was right, but it wasn't what I wanted to hear. Then again, I didn't really know what I wanted to hear. I bit into my cheek, racking my brain for something to say.
The lump in my throat got bigger, refusing to go down. I tried to speak up, but I found myself trailing off.
"W-what if she--"
"It doesn't matter what she thinks if you keep beating yourself up for everything you do." Sugarcoat rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I get that you're scared and all, but if she's anything like you told us, she'll understand."
Sunny Flare chuckled and then patted my back.
"What?" I asked.
"It's sort of cliche, isn't it?" Sunny smiled. "I mean, it's in all the sitcoms, and it's been done to death in movies, but it's a real experience. No one's ever sure when it's the right time to say those three little words."
"It's just words," Sugarcoat remarked. "You do realize that we, as the abstract thinking apes we are, arbitrarily assigned all this weight and meaning to those words, right?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Sugarcoat scoffed. "It means that 'I love you' doesn't really mean more than 'cyborg chicken attack' or any other stupid sequence of syllables unless you want it to."
I forced a chuckle. "I guess you're right."
"Of course I'm right," Sugarcoat cut in. "But still, you're going to have to decide if those three words mean anything." She paused. "Do they?"
"I don't..."
She sighed. "Okay, we'll take things smaller. Just answer me with simple yes or no. Nothing more, got it?"
"I don't--"
"I said yes or no," Sugarcoat snapped.
"Yes."
"Okay, good," she said, clapping her hands together. She looked around before digging in her bedside table, pulling out a notepad. "Do you find yourself wanting to spend more time with her?"
"Yes."
"Even now?" She raised an eyebrow.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. "Yes."
"Do you care for her?"
"Yes." I didn't hesitate.
"Do you see yourself growing old with her in the Prench Riviera?"
"Where's this going, Sug?" Sunny Flare cut in, scowling.
Sugarcoat pursed her lips and adjusted her glasses. "Just trust me." She turned back to me. "Do you?"
I thought about it for a bit. "Yes."
"How about mildly successful artisanal winemakers in the Roam?"
"Yes?" I bit my lip. "I don't see how this ties into anything."
"Shut up," she said, still writing. "How about running a terrible bed and breakfast in the bad side of Detrot?"
"Okay, " Sunny interrupted. "We get it. Just move on."
"Fine, fine." Sugarcoat grumbled as she scribbled down in her notes. She looked to Sunny Flare and stuck out her tongue. After she was finished writing, she turned back to me. "Are you and her close?"
"Yes."
Sugarcoat bit on her pen. "Would you call it intimate?"
"I guess."
Sugarcoat paused for a moment, looked at her notes, and the and turned back to me, still stone faced. "Are you physically intimate?"
I hesitated, suddenly choking on my words. "N-no."
Sugarcoat kept writing. "Do you want to be?"
The question caught me off guard. I hadn't thought about it much before. Sure, physical intimacy was important in relationships, but I wasn't exactly sure if I was ready. The thought of actually doing any sort of physical contact was intimidating on its own.
"I don't..." I looked away, choosing to focus on the wall on the other side of the dorm.
"Whoomp, there it is," Sugarcoat remarked. "You're scared of intimacy, Twilight. Which, in hindsight, makes a lot of sense. You try to avoid it, but you're just making things tougher for yourself."
I gritted my teeth. "Oh."
"Don't get me wrong; it's perfectly fine to be nervous about intimacy," Sugarcoat reassured. "But eventually, you're going to have to take the jump, or else she's going to feel like the relationship isn't serious."
Sunny Flare nodded. "She's right, Twilight."
I sighed. "I guess, but I don't really know how to be intimate."
Sugarcoat smirked. "Have you tried consulting the Kama Sutra?"
"Seriously?!" Glaring, Sunny backhanded Sugarcoat's arm, connecting with a dull thud.
"Come on, just let me have this one," Sugarcoat said, holding back a laugh
Scoffing, Sunny rolled her eyes before turning back towards me. "Instead of referring to a literal sex manual, Twilight, you could try something small, like holding hands, or even just a peck on the cheek. You know, baby steps."
"The thing is," I said, trailing off. I crossed my arms, my nails digging into my skin. "I've never really kissed anyone before." There was no response. Instead, the two turned and glanced at each other. I balled my hands into fists. "What?" My voice cracked.
"Were we supposed to flip out or something?" Sugarcoat asked. "Honestly, I'd be surprised if you did anything beyond a friendly pat on the back."
I pursed my lips, holding back a frown "Yeah, but I still don't know what to do."
Sugarcoat huffed. "Twilight, we've been your training wheels for what, a month now? It's about time we take them off and see if you can ride on your own." She paused. "Or you know, you could also just crash into a fire hydrant across the street, which is perfectly fine too."
"Right..." I said.
"I wouldn't be so discouraged," Sunny reassured me. "At least you know a bit more about yourself, and knowing is half the battle."
"The other half is actual warfare, if you think about it," Sugarcoat quipped, tapping her pen against her cheek. "They never tell you that in the cartoon or on the toy boxes, but--"
"Okay!" I interrupted as I shot up from the bed and began to make my way out the dorm. "Thanks for everything, I guess. It was fun and all, but I think I need to mentally prepare for the inevitable fallout that stems from my accidental profession of love and my inability to deal with intimacy."
"Atta girl," Sugarcoat cheered. "But seriously--and I'm not being facetious this time--answer one last question for me. It's a simple yes or no. You don't even have to say it out loud. Just consider everything else I asked as well."
I stopped just short of the door and turned around. "Okay, fine."
"Do you love her?"
I thought about it for a moment and then opened my mouth to respond.
There was a short buzz in my pocket, and I jumped, immediately grasping for it. Sunset's name came across the little notification box, along with a message that read, "Are we still on for tonight?"
I thought about it for a moment and then sent in my response.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"Hey, Mom, can I ask you something?"
My mother stopped and turned to me. She looked like she was dressing up in a hurry, but she dropped everything the moment I spoke up. "Is something wrong?" she asked, taking a seat next to me on the living room couch.
I shook my head. "I just wanted to ask when was the first time my dad told you that he loved you."
"Huh." She pursed her lips. "I think he told me via cocktail napkin."
"Seriously, Mom," I groaned, lightly punching at her arm.
"Oh, alright," she hummed. "I believe I was working on my second novel at the time. It took me quite longer than the first because your father would often steal me away."
"What'd he do?"
"He'd throw a pebble at my window. That always really annoyed Yearling, who was still my roommate at that point. She was also my editor, you know... even after college and up until your father and I moved in with each other."
I crossed my arms. "Focus, Mom."
"Okay, okay. Serves me right for trying to tell a story." She smiled, her eyes lighting up. "We always went to see movies. He'd claim it was for research for his next film, but he just really liked taking me to see all the sappy movies at the time because of how I would just gush about it afterward."
"You still haven't answered my question."
"I'm getting to it," she reassured, waving her hand around dismissively. "After the movie, we took a walk in the park." She paused and stared off into the wall for a moment. "We were holding hands, sitting on the edge of the fountain when he said, 'Vel, I think I love you.'"
"What'd you do?" I asked, leaning in.
"I pushed him into the fountain," she said with a light chuckle.
"No."
"Yes," she said. "He pulled me in right after, and we were splashing each other. He made me feel like a giddy high schooler even though we were in our late twenties. I honestly thought we'd be taken home to our parents. Imagine my surprise when we got to the police station."
I felt my eyes widen and my jaw drop. "You spent the night in jail?"
"Well, not really. Yearling posted the bail, but she wasn't too happy about it."
"And you never bothered to tell me any of this?"
She laughed. "Well, it didn't have a moral then, but now it does."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Your father said 'I love you', and we were both jailed for disorderly conduct," she answered facetiously. "As long as I don't get a call from the police saying that they have you in custody, you're doing better than your father and I."
I laughed. "Thanks, Mom. You don't know how much it means."
"Glad to hear it," she hummed, standing up from the couch. "You don't even want to know what happened when he proposed."
"Quit while you're ahead, Mom."
"Alright, fine." She laughed before ruffling my hair. There was a slight beep that caused her to grimace and check her phone. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I should probably get going. Your father and I have a dinner meeting to woo investors with the Daring Do theme park ride rights."
"So I'm home alone, again?" I asked. "How convenient."
"I heard that," she snapped, holding back a laugh. "I'm onto you, young lady. Don't do anything that will get me a call from the police."
"I'll make no promises," I shot back. She only smiled and planted a kiss on my forehead before making her way toward the front door.
After she left, I found myself sitting in silence. I checked my phone and grimaced. The string of short text messages said she'd be here in a half-hour, and I found myself with an uncomfortable amount of free time.
But I still had no idea what to do.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
We stood at the doorway, completely silent. She smiled, albeit weakly, and I tried to do the same. I didn't know why, but it was reassuring to just stand there for a moment. As far as I knew, Sunset didn't even care about what I said over the phone. It never happened. We were back to where we were.
But it didn't feel quite right. It wasn't enough anymore. Then again, I wasn't sure what I wanted or what even was right. It was all just confusing. Do I apologize? Do I even bring it up? Do I double down and put everything out there?
Forcing the thoughts out of my head, I invited her inside, and we both sat in silence for another minute. Neither of us addressed the elephant in the room, instead choosing to let it sit in the corner and in the back of our minds. Eventually, the elephant began to grow, encroaching on the rest of the room and pushing us out of the way.
I took a sharp breath and held it, my lungs nearly collapsing as the elephant pinned me against the wall.
"Is that a new jacket?" I finally asked in a short gasp. It wasn't. I just needed something to talk about. Thankfully, I could breathe again, but it was forced.
"No," she said. "Same as always."
"Oh," I hummed, as if I were surprised. "Cause from this angle it looked--"
"Twilight," she said curtly. She put her arm on my shoulder, and I flinched. With a slight nod, she backed off, giving me some space to breathe. "Do you want to talk about it?"
I held my breath. "I don't know..." I trailed off. "I know it sounds stupid, but I'm not sure if I meant what I said or not."
She chuckled and then averted her eyes. "I get it. It's fine."
"You do?" I asked. I leaned forward from the couch.
"Yeah," she sighed. "I made a similar mistake like that a while ago."
"Please," I dismissed. "What I did was stupid. As if you'd do something like--"
"I accidentally called Celestia 'Mom' once," she said, cutting me off. "I was so afraid of what she might say that I avoided her any chance I could."
"You? Scared?" I almost scoffed.
"Oh, I'm scared of a lot of things," Sunset said nonchalantly. "I just try not to let it get to me anymore. It's better for me to grit my teeth and face it. If I didn't, I would be a nervous wreck by now."
And here I was, too afraid to talk about my feelings.
Gosh, I'm such a coward. I stared at the ground, wishing I could have vacuumed the living room before Sunset came over. Fighting the urge to hug my knees, I forced myself to speak up. "I... Ugh, it was easier thinking about it in my head. I swear I had something to say, but it's all coming out like... word vomit"
"Look, Twilight," Sunset continued, "you don't have to say anything if--"
"But I want to," I cut in, "and I don't. I don't know. It's all so overwhelming." More silence. My fingers locked, and I found myself quickly playing with my thumbs. I took deep breaths.
"If it makes you uncomf--"
"I care about you," I said, laying it out in the open. "I want you to know that I really, really want to be with you." I felt my face heat up. "And whenever I think about you, I get all flustered." She kept quiet, and I wasn't sure if I should have continued. "I want to hold you close, and I want to whisper all the... um... sweet nothings I can think of into your ear, but the thought of actually doing it makes me... queasy and anxious."
My heart was racing, chest aching. I gritted my teeth and kept my eyes planted on the ground.
She put her hand on my side again, and I managed to keep myself from flinching this time. Without a word she squeezed my shoulder, slowly massaging my back with her thumb. My breathing finally began to slow, and she rubbed down my arm and locked hands with me, gently rubbing her thumb on the back of my hand.
"Twi," she said, moving in closer. "I don't want you to feel that way. I'm willing to go as fast as you think you're ready to go. Just don't overthink it too much, okay?"
I nodded and processed what she had said. When I finally looked back up, we met eyes, and her lips curled in a reassuring smile. We held hands some more, finally enjoying the silence of the room again.
Just don't think about it. Do what feels right.
Then I kissed her.
And a thousand violins began to play.
I wanted them to play forever, to be stuck in the perfect moment as the strings resonated throughout my heart, mind, and soul. The perfect end to a chapter. A satisfying cut to black. I'd even take a commercial break.
But no, life never has any perfect endings. In all the movies, the moment ends and the credits roll, but life goes on. The movies just never show the heroes go back home and live the rest of their lives.
We broke away. Sunset smiled, let out a breathy little laugh, and bit her bottom lip. "So that's where we are."
"Yeah," I hummed dreamily, feeling completely weightless. "I guess so."
"So... what now?"
"I don't know," I said. "I didn't really think about it all that much."
"Good." She dug her head into the side of my arm, laying down on the rest of the couch and getting comfortable. "Although, since I'm here, I guess we could hang out and watch a movie or something."
"S-sounds good," I said, still recovering from my high.
Refusing to get up from the couch and ruin a good thing, I grasped around for the TV remote with my free hand. Sunset curled in closer as I turned on the TV and switched it over to the DVD player, letting it play whatever was inside. She kept her head against my side, cradling my arm.
"You know," she spoke up, her voice soft, "for stumbling around in the dark a lot, I think we're doing good."
"Y-yeah," I said, holding back a laugh.
"Though," she started, "there's just one thing that I'm a little curious about."
"Go for it," I responded confidently. "It feels good being an open book for a little bit."
I looked over to her, and she smiled back.
"What's 'The Sunlight Project?'" |
The Sunlight Theory | Equity Theory | Everything was perfect for a total of twelve seconds.
Story of my life, I guess. So much for being an open book. Though I did have some explaining to do... if only I could just string together a coherent set of syllables. But no, my tongue was a traitor. It had planned a coup with my brain behind my back and went on strike the moment I needed it to be at least semi-functional.
"I... uh, eh-heh. About that..." I swallowed, nearly choking on my own spit. "Where did... How... Um..."
"I figured as much," Sunset said, her voice dropping. She rubbed at her neck and looked away for a brief second before mumbling, "and here I was hoping you snuck it in the flash drive on purpose."
Oh. The flash drive. Of course it was that. I handed it off to her without thinking anything of it, and now she most likely saw everything. Oh gods, what else was in it?
Finally powering through my initial shock, I forced myself to laugh--except it came out as a coughing, choppy gurgle. It took a few seconds after that to work up the courage to speak up again. "How much did you read?"
"Not much," she answered, her voice a bit more confident than before but still shaky. "I got to the thesis statement and took a peek at some of the comparative charts."
I gritted my teeth. "Oh."
She let out a soft chuckle. "I should have figured there was more to it."
"More to what?"
"The detailed schedule on asking me out," she said.
"Oh, right... that," I said, remembering the night spent in the hospital room where she had found only a small fraction of the plan itself. But now, she had everything: the thesis, the research, and even the extensive series of charts. "I... uh, I can explain."
She sat up. "You don't have to," she said, her voice firm. Without hesitating, she took my hands and rubbed them with her thumb. "Twilight, I've known you for months now, and I'm not the least bit surprised about this."
"You're not?" I asked, feeling my chest loosen up. I could breathe comfortably again.
"No," she said, rubbing her knees. "I'd write an essay on how great I am, too."
I punched her shoulder, and she laughed in response.
"But seriously," she continued, "it's a little weird and all, but it's kind of endearing coming from you." She draped her arm around my shoulder, and I let out a small sigh of relief. "Although, I'm expecting a two page essay tomorrow on my desk. Single-spaced, size twelve font, Times New Roamin. And don't even think about messing with the margins."
I smiled, digging my head into the nook of her neck. "I won't, Miss Shimmer."
She moaned, tugging at my hair. "Oh, that kinda gets me going. Do it again."
"S-stop," I stuttered, my face flaring up.
Sunset grinned. "I can't help it. You just have the cutest little blush." Giggling, she pinched my cheeks. "It almost makes me want to write an entire essay about it."
I groaned. "You're not going to let me live this down, are you?"
"Not a chance," she said, sinking deeper into the couch. "Although, can I ask you one more thing? It's about the data collected."
I gritted my teeth. "Sure."
"How'd you get my bra size?"
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
Grinning, Rainbow Dash slapped a stack of papers onto the cafeteria table. "Look at this," she said, pointing at the paper on the top of the stack. The other girls sat up from the bench and leaned over the documents.
"What's this?" Applejack asked. Her face scrunched up as she pulled a stray sheet of paper off her lunch tray.
"I'm glad you asked, AJ," Rainbow said, a smirk creeping up on her lips. "You see, on January 21st, the website for DaringDoTheMovie.com was registered by a certain movie studio. That means that we might be able to see Daring on the big screen soon."
"So what?" I asked, cutting her off. "Movie studios do that all the time. They do it to keep squatters from stealing the domain and forcing them to pay thousands for the website. Just because they registered the site doesn't mean that--"
"But that's where you're wrong, egghead," Rainbow interrupted, flashing me a smug smirk. "I have the proof right here." She dove forward, moving around the papers until they nearly filled the surface of the table. Digging around, she isolated a printed out web article and pointed at it with an emphatic hum. "You see this?"
"'Wonderbolt World Champion Spitfire forced to drop title due to shoulder injury,'" I read aloud. "What about it?"
Rainbow scoffed. "'What about it?'" she mocked, imitating me in a deep voice. Rolling her eyes, she explained: "Spitfire has been known for taking time off to shoot new seasons of Mareami Vice in the summer, but she has never, ever, vacated the title for it. They always book it for her to lose the title at least a month in advance."
"So?" Rarity butted in. "Maybe she's actually hurt."
"Except she's not!" Rainbow declared, shuffling around some more papers. "Here, look, on her blog, The Fireside Chats. Last year, she posted a picture of her X-rays of her broken wrist. Three years ago..." She paused, looking around for more evidence. "Ah! Here she is at the hospital for her cracked ribs."
"My..." Fluttershy gasped. "You'd think it'd be safe. You know, because it's fak--"
"Hey!" Rainbow cut in. "It's not fake. It's predetermined. There's a difference."
"Yeah, it's sooooo dangerous!" Pinkie jumped in, bobbing up and down in her seat. "My sister, Limestone, once suplexed me through a table at my tenth birthday! It was awesome! We had my birthday cake in the emergency room. But I totally got her back the next year when I drop-kicked her off a--"
"My point is," Rainbow continued, clamping Pinkie Pie's mouth shut with her free hand. "By now, Spitfire would have totally posted an update on what happened, but her blog never mentioned anything about her injury especially since--ugh! Pinkie!"
Rainbow let go of Pinkie's face and wiped her hand off on her shirt. Pinkie giggled, her tongue sticking out.
"I think you're grasping at straws," I said. "I don't see any correlation between this and--"
"Then let me show you... the piece de resistance!" She pulled out a photo from her pocket. It was a picture of a hooded figure, walking out of a bookstore with a box set of the Daring Do series. "This photo of Spitty was taken here, in Canterlot, about half a mile away from the local movie studio. Now, I direct your attention to this!"
She planted her index finger right at the figure's wrist, where a stylized flame tattoo was printed around her wrist like a bracelet.
"Spitfire got this custom tattoo on an episode of Wonderbolt Ink about a month ago. I remember this because she talked about her favorite books and movies. One of them was Daring Do because she's awesome."
Rarity huffed. "If only you researched this much for school."
"Shut up," Rainbow quipped, glaring. "And the final piece of the puzzle. Look at her hair! It's black and gray! This can't be a coincidence."
"Wow, that's..." Rarity trailed off.
"Impressive?" Rainbow asked, grinning. "Thanks. Me and my online buddy spent weeks on the Daring-Dominion forums cracking this."
I looked down at the assortment of papers, including an extensive series of chat logs between a SentonRainbomb and a QuibbleMania96.
"Seems a little excessive, isn't it?" I asked, thumbing through the sheets.
Sunset giggled. "Says the girl who wrote an entire thesis paper on courting me."
"S-stop!" I gasped, my face heating up. She laughed some more before hugging my side. "You're not going let me live this down, are you?"
"I dunno, now that I've slept on it..." She stalled, pretending to think about it before planting a quick peck on my cheek. "Nah."
I looked down at the tabletop, but I felt the stares from the other girls. Sure enough, when I looked up, I was met with all the girls' attention. Some, like Rarity and Fluttershy, tried to hide their reactions behind behind a hand to the mouth. However, Rainbow was much less considerate as she slammed her fist on the table in an attempt to hold back laughter.
"So she found out about the thing?" Rainbow asked, biting her lip.
"Yeah..." I said, groaning as Sunset squeezed tighter. "She saw everything."
"Well, I haven't looked at everything yet," she mused, finally letting go of her hug. "I'm trying to savor it the best I can. It's not every day your girlfriend hands you a paper on why she loves you."
I slammed my head against the table. The others giggled. Thankfully, the bell came to my rescue, and I was able to quickly excuse myself to my locker and prepare for class.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"Page thirty, paragraph twelve."
This can't be good.
"What about it?" I bit the inside of my cheek and looked up from my locker, turning to face Sunset. She flashed a cheeky smile and brandished her cell phone, where there was a highlighted bit of text.
"November sixteenth, approx one fifteen AM," Sunset said, reciting what was written on the phone. "'At the night of Pinkie's party for her sister, I shared bed with Sunset. One seventeen: Sunset tossed her bra in the corner of Pinkie's room.'"
"Oh no."
"Oh yes," Sunset sang, nodding vigorously. "It was then, wasn't it?"
"I told you I don't remember," I answered, dropping off a pair of textbooks in the locker. "I was collecting a lot of data that might have proved useful at the time."
Sunset arched an eyebrow. "What use would my bra size be?"
I shrugged and made the "I don't know" sound, which only seemed to make her laugh. "Honestly, it's all one big, misguided blur."
"No kidding," Sunset said. "I mean, no offense, but the whole thing is kind of ridiculous."
I gritted my teeth and forced a laugh. "Yeah, I guess it is."
"Well, it's good to see that you can look back at it and laugh." Sunset paused for a moment. "And hey, it worked... sort of." She draped her arm over my shoulders and smiled. "Can I walk you to class?"
"Oh, how romantic," I hummed. "But aren't we supposed to be holding hands?"
"If you want to be a square," Sunset teased. "Only cheesy rom-coms do that." She pulled me in closer, and I let out a surprised squeak. "This is much better."
I didn't argue with her, mostly because I found myself liking the way she held me. As we walked, I dug my head against her arm. She played with the collar of my shirt, mindlessly tugging at the fabric. Immediately after, I felt a chill up my spine as Sunset's nails rubbed against my neck and shoulder.
"Uh, what are you doing?" I asked.
"Just collecting data," she said, playfully tugging at my bra strap.
I pried myself from her arms. "Why?"
She shrugged before shooting me a cheeky grin. "Dunno. It might prove useful."
I felt my face heat up. "You could have asked."
"You could've, too."
At that point, I stopped trying to argue. It felt like I was stepping into every trap she set. "Fine," I mumbled. "I get it. I went too far."
"Still," she started, "it's only fair that I get to know yours."
"S-Sunset..."
"Fine, fine, I'll drop it," she said, half laughing. "I'll pick you up after school, sound good?"
I nodded, thankful that it wouldn't be brought up again.
"I'll be waiting up front," she said, giving me a kiss on the cheek before heading off to her next class.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
Every day, the ride up the hill to my house became more and more tolerable. It also helped that Sunset was accommodating when it came to her speed on the bike. Still, I couldn't help but stare at the curb where I broke my ankle each time Sunset drove me home.
"Hey, Sunset," I started, stepping off the bike and onto the driveway. "Would you like to come inside and hangout?" I felt my chest tighten as I waited for an answer.
She shook her head. "Nah, I have some errands to run right now. Catch you another time?"
"Yeah, definitely," I said, pulling off my helmet and handing it back to her. "See you tomorrow then."
"See ya." Sunset gave a mock salute before fearlessly speeding off down the hill.
I watched her drive until she disappeared and then made my way inside the house. The heater was on, which was welcomed since Spring was still a few weeks off. I kicked off my shoes and let out a relaxed sigh as the warmth began to settle in my skin.
I caught Spike laying on the couch, something my parents still didn't like despite the fact that he's asked and bargained for the privilege several times.
"Oh, hey, Twilight," he said, popping up from the couch's cushions. He ran over and stopped right in from of me, his tail wagging.
"Hi, Spike," I said, stooping low to greet him. He jumped in my hands, and I carried him back to the couch, where he then got comfortable on my lap. "What's up?"
"Nothing much," he answered. "I've just been watching TV all day since you've abandoned me."
I rolled my eyes and laughed. "For the last time, Spike, I got a girlfriend. I didn't abandon you."
"Same difference," he shot back smugly. He pawed at my shirt. "By the way, I watched the first three seasons of Ne'er Do Well without you."
"Spike," I huffed. "We were supposed to watch that together."
"But you're almost always gone with your girlfriend," he retorted. "And when you do come back, you hog the TV with her."
"Oh, I get it," I started, lifting him up into the air. I couldn't help but baby-talk at him. "Someone's feeling a wittle lonely." Smiling, I brought him into a tight hug for a few seconds before putting him on the couch next to me. "I guess I should be balancing my time out with you some more."
"That'd be nice." Spike slumped down on the cushion. "Though, you're probably busy all the time--what with your girlfriend, your band, your two sets of friends, school, whatever you do with your parents..."
"You know, when you say it like that, I have a lot going on. I think I might not be able to make time for you."
"Don't even joke about that," Spike said, nestling into my side.
"I'm kidding," I reassured, massaging Spike's back. He seemed to appreciate it. "But you know what? You're getting my all of my attention for the rest of today."
Spike's ears lifted up. "Seriously."
I nodded and rubbed at the back of his head. "Yup. Just you and me."
"Did Sunset turn you down or something?"
"Rude," I huffed. Although, I couldn't really tell him that he was right. "No, she didn't."
Spike seemed pleased with the answer as he hopped back onto my lap. "Well then, what do you want to do?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever you want." --☀--
"One! Two! Three!"
"Your winner, and still Wonderbolt Champion... Misty Fly!"
Apparently, Spike watches the Wonderbolts while I'm away. Still, watching the wrestling show with him gave me some more context behind what Spitfire did for a living besides acting. The matches were fun, nothing I'd be into on my own, but watching Spike react to everything made things much more enjoyable. Although, with all the amount of flips and flashy, impractical moves, it made me wonder how anyone could think it was real combat like the show presented it to be.
Spike groaned. "Of course she cheats to win again." He snarled and barked at the TV screen. "Her feet were clearly up on the ropes."
"Is that bad?" I asked.
"It gives her unfair leverage while going for the pin, and the stupid referee didn't even see it!" He pawed at his face.
I hummed. "Well, I guess they're doing their jobs right. I'm sure the scripting is supposed to make you feel frustrated."
"Scripting?"
"Yeah," I continued, without even thinking, "the referee knows how the match ends, so he pretends not to see that."
Spike looked up at me and cocked his head. "What do you mean the ref knows how it ends? It's illegal to rig a fight."
Oh, no. He thinks it's...
I figured I had to tell him. "Um... Spike, it's not exactly... real."
"It's not?" His voice faltered, and his posture lowered. "Well, that's kinda disappointing. Next thing you're gonna tell me is that Spitfire isn't really injured, and she dropped her title for nothing."
I'll just let him have that one.
"I'm gonna grab something to eat," I said, standing up from the couch. "You want anything?"
"My innocence back?"
"Sorry, Spike," I mumbled as I patted his head. "I thought you knew."
He rolled onto his back and rested on a throw pillow. "It's fine, I guess. Though some of the fun is kind of taken out of it. Now I have to question everything on whether it's real or a total lie."
At that point, I figured it was just him being dramatic. I simply scratched at his belly and all seemed to be forgiven. Still, I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about shattering his perception despite how unrealistic they were.
I made my way into the kitchen and searched around the pantry. Too lazy to make anything that required effort, I settled for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I felt a squeeze on my shoulder and turned see my mother opening the fridge.
"Hi, Mom," I said, muffled somewhat by half a sandwich still in my mouth.
My mother pulled out a pitcher of iced tea. "Hey, Twily."
"Where's Dad?"
"Busy," she answered, joining me at the kitchen counter. "He's prepping for the announcement tomorrow."
"Announcement?"
"Yeah, for the movie." She poured a glass and offered it to me. I shook my head. "Right now, he's arguing with Yearling on which poster to use tomorrow. I swear, they're like a match and a fireworks factory."
"Which one's which?"
She took a sip from her drink. "Today, your father's the match." She rubbed at my shoulder again. "So what's going on in your life? I hardly ever get to check in on you now that we're in production."
I shrugged. "Nothing much, I guess. I'm in a band now. I don't think I've told you that yet."
"Oh," she hummed taking another drink. "You joined your school's orchestra?"
"Actually, it's a rock band."
"Oh." She leaned on the counter. "That doesn't sound like you."
"My girlfriend's in it," I explained.
"Ah. Makes sense." She patted my shoulder one last time before making her way out the kitchen. "Well, if I have the time, I'd love to see your band play."
"It won't be as good as you think it is!" I yelled out into the hallway.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"Do we ever get any gigs?" I asked, looking over the Rainbooms' songbook.
Rarity shook her head. "Not really. We sort of just do this for fun."
"What about the one time we played at Sugarcube Corner?" Fluttershy asked, tapping her fingers against her tambourine.
"I wouldn't necessarily count that, dear." Rarity slung her keytar over her shoulder. "We played for about ten minutes before the Cakes made us leave because we weren't exactly 'easy listening.'"
"Who would have guessed that the people at coffee shops don't want unrelenting power chords?" Sunset said.
Rarity sighed. "That's why I keep insisting that we try out a few of the ballads I wrote, but Rainbow Dash keeps saying that we're exclusively power rock--whatever that is."
"Speakin' of Rainbow," Applejack cut in. "Where is she? It's not like her to be late to rehearsals.
"I'm here!" Rainbow shouted, kicking in the band room door. "Was busy at the library, printing this baby out." Grinning, she waved a piece of paper over her head triumphantly.
"You at the library?" Sunset teased. "Must be something really important."
"Oh, it is, bacon hair," Rainbow shot back, arching an eyebrow. She turned to me, a smirk plastered on her face. "Suck it, Sparkle! I was right," she cheered, dropping a sheet of paper on my lap.
Daring Do Movie Announced, Spitfire Announced in Lead Role.
No amount of warning could prepare me for the sheer amount of pelvic thrusts in my face. Rainbow, with a grin plastered on her face, played a short guitar riff, still pumping her midsection at me. I rolled my eyes, which only seemed to make her even more cocky.
Rainbow Dash smiled. "So what do you say now?" she asked. "Admit it. Say you were wrong, egghead."
"Lay off her," Sunset interjected playfully, giggling.
"No, no," I dismissed, shrugging nonchalantly. "I was wrong. I can admit that."
Rainbow scowled. "It's no fun if you go along with it."
I bit the inside of my cheek. "Um, was I supposed to say something else?"
Sunset chuckled. "Just leave her be, Rainbow. She doesn't know how to be wrong." She held my hand. "You're supposed to get angry and whine."
"Oh, okay then," I said, playing along. I scrunched my face and grunted, earning an amused chuckle from the others.
"Can y'all stop goofing around?" Applejack cut in, powering on her bass amp. "I'd rather not waste another rehearsal just talking about nothing."
Rainbow scoffed. "Fine, fine. Just give me a sec to get my guitar out." --☀--
"One, two, three, four!"
It started with a quick rhythmic line, Sunset on guitar and Applejack on bass. The driving bass line set the chords for Rainbow Dash to play an aggressive, commanding melody commanding attention. Once the percussion hit, the music carried us away. We got lost. There was something about the energy in the room; the bass resonated in my chest, striking like lightning, roaring like thunder. I almost forgot my part until Rainbow's raspy voice kicked in. I jumped awake and joined in, singing a simple harmonic part.
Something clicked. It wasn't like the other rehearsals. No starting and stopping after two bars. No arguments. Nothing. Just pure music.
I looked to the others, meeting their eyes and seeing the same spirit I was feeling. They were all smiling, powering on as the volume rose to a fever pitch.
Rays of light shot from the other Rainbooms. I stopped singing, shielding my eyes from the light. Once the light was gone, pony ears appeared on the heads of everyone else; their hair grew longer, and Fluttershy and Rainbow sprouted large, feathery wings. I could recall something like this happening during the Friendship Games, but it still caught me off guard.
It wasn't until I saw Sunset that I noticed the warm glow. Something about it made her seem more... comfortable. I couldn't explain it, but she looked happier surrounded by the magic.
I stepped back, watching the rest of the Rainbooms as they continued on. Applejack stared back at me and shot me a confused look. She stopped playing, and then the rhythmic drive disappeared. Soon after, the music fell apart, and the pony parts quickly disappeared. It was like all the air had left the room.
The dust settled, and the magic was gone. Now all the girls' attention was on me.
"That's weird," Sunset commented, walking up to me. "You didn't pony up at all."
"'Pony up?' H-how often does that happen?"
She shrugged. "More than you'd think. I'm surprised it took this long." She turned to the other girls. "But man, that really felt good." Smiling, she rotated her shoulders and stretched out her back. "Didn't it?"
The Rainbooms nodded. "Shame we couldn't hold onto it a little longer," Rarity said, rubbing her head where her pony ears used to be.
"Should I be worried about this?" I asked.
Sunset shook her head. "Nah, not really. It's mostly a cosmetic thing at this point."
"Oh." I tried to come up with a decent response. "It makes quite an impact. Very marketable."
"Yup! We'll look great on a T-shirt!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "Maybe hats with pony ears, a toy line--ooh! How about a series of commemorative souvenir cups?"
"As cool as it would be to be on a T-shirt..." Rainbow started, "I think we're better off being underground for a while. Let the success roll in after a few months of indie gigs."
Rolling her eyes, Sunset strummed at her guitar. "Okay, sure." Pick it up from the top?" Sunset asked. There were various murmurs of agreement as everyone lifted their instruments.
"One, two, three, four!"
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
After another hour of starting and stopping, we weren't able to recreate the magic--both literally and figuratively. So, instead of forcing it, we decided to call it a day.
"Hey, Twi, wanna go grab a bite?" Sunset asked, slipping her guitar off her shoulder.
I nodded. "Yeah, sure."
"Oh!" Pinkie squealed. "Can I come I know a good pla--"
"Don't you have a shift at Sugarcube Corner?" Rarity asked, cutting her friend off. She shot a wink in my direction, and I stifled a giggle.
"Oh, right, yeah," Pinkie said, giggling as she twirled her drumsticks.
"I'm gonna go get the bike. You fine waiting here?" Sunset asked, locking her guitar away in its case. I nodded, and she planted a small kiss on my cheek before leaving. I brought my hand up to my face, rubbing at the spot as I watched her walk out the door. I turned towards the others, who were all staring back at me.
"So," Rarity droned, "you two seem close."
"Yeah," I said dreamily, my hand still on the spot where Sunset had kissed me. "I guess we are."
"When'd you get all lovey dovey?" Rainbow asked, gagging. "It's kinda gross."
I'm the one who's gross? I rolled my eyes, still trying my best to forget Rainbow's pelvic thrusts from earlier.
Pinkie Pie squealed, bouncing up and down on the drum pedal, which in turn set off the bass drum. "You two--cute--gether!" She let out a happy chirp. "I jus--ly want to--" As she spoke, the drum beat got faster until it drowned out her voice. Eventually, the beat slowed, and Pinkie looked at me with big, expectant eyes. I only nodded in response, which seemed to please her.
"Valentine's is coming up," Rarity said coyly. "I tried getting Sunset to tell me something about your plans, but she won't say anything. So I was wondering if you knew--"
"Mind yer business," Applejack interrupted. "Ah'm sure the two want to keep their private lives, ya know, private?"
Rarity scoffed and crossed her arms. "Can't a girl just vicariously live through her friends?"
"It's fine," I said, taking control of the conversation. "Sunset and I haven't really talked about it yet."
"You haven't?!" Rarity's eyes went wide. "But it's the day for couples. It's the day for big gestures of love, romantic walks in the park, rides on a ferris wheel that gets stuck on the top so it overlooks the sun setting over the ocean. A day that--"
"We get it," Rainbow cut in, rolling her eyes. "I expected them to be the ones to shove their relationship down our throat, not you." She paused, staring Rarity down. "Though, knowing you, I dunno why I'm surprised."
"What?" Rarity asked. "There's nothing wrong with wishing that my friends have a great day celebrating their relationship." She turned to me, a cartoonish smile drawn on her face. "Although it wouldn't hurt to hear something. Come on, who kissed who first?"
I felt my face heat up and my chest swell. "I did."
"No way," Rainbow exclaimed. "I call bull."
"Pay up, Dash," Applejack teased, holding out her hand.
Grumbling, Rainbow fished around in her pocket before dropping a crumpled bill onto her friend's palm. With a smirk, Applejack took the money and stuffed it down her shirt.
"How... did it happen? If you don't mind me asking, that is." Fluttershy looked away and hid behind her hair.
I bit my lip, suddenly feeling light. "I don't know... I just sort of went for it."
Rarity squealed and brought her hands to her mouth, muffling her sounds of approval. "Ohmygosh, I never would have guessed you'd be the one to make the move."
"Well I did, and honestly it--" My phone buzzed. Jumping from my seat, I took it out and checked it. "Gotta go, girls. Sunset's outside." Without another word, I made my way out the band room.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
Sunset sipped at her soda, idly tapping at her phone as I joined her in the restaurant booth with our food. I passed Sunset her meal, and she responded with a simple, "Thanks, babe."
I'm a babe.
"N-no problem," I said, trying not to melt after being called the pet-name. I sat down and laid out my meal on the little paper wrapper. I wasn't much of a fan of veggie burgers, but my eating habits seemed to match Sunset's, which made me a somewhat of a vegetarian.
At least fries count. I could take solace in that.
"Valentine's is coming up," I said nonchalantly. I bit at the corner of a ketchup packet, pretending that it deserved more of my attention. "Don't wanna make a big deal about it, but I wanted to know if you want to do something."
"Oh yeah," she said, chewing on the tip of her straw. "We should probably do something."
I nodded. "It's been a while since we've been on a date."
She tilted her head. "Depends on what you call a date. If a date is going out and making a day of it, then yes, it's been a while. Although..." She tapped her chin. "This is technically a date, isn't it?"
"Are we going to argue semantics?" I asked, rolling my eyes.
She shrugged. "Why not? I think it'll be fun." Smirking, she shook her empty drink, rattling the ice on the inside. "Loser gets refills?"
I let out an amused huff. "No need--I got it," I said, grabbing her drink. "Orange?"
She nodded, holding her hands out in the shape of a heart. I laughed and walked off to refill the drinks. I found myself thinking about her comments. Sunset was right. This technically was a date--definitely one not as glamorous as our first, but it was a date nonetheless. I guess I just imagined something more... romantic, for lack of a better word. There was nothing romantic about a soda machine running out of ice.
I slid back into the booth and handed Sunset her drink. She nodded with a slight smile before taking a sip from her drink. I tapped my fingers, struggling to come up with something to talk about.
Sunset hummed. "So... how'd I look with the magic ears?"
The question caught me off guard. "Oh, um, well, they were kinda cute."
She leaned forward. "They freaked you out a bit, didn't they? I saw you staring."
"I wasn't expecting it, so yeah." I paused and tried to think of something else to talk about. "Though, I don't know what's weirder, the magic ears or Rainbow being right about Spitfire."
Sunset laughed. "Definitely Rainbow." She dug into her fries. "Although, I'm a bit embarrassed because I totally thought Spitfire got hurt on TV. She took a really bad hit a few weeks ago."
"Oh, I never took you as a wrestling fan," I said, tapping my fingers against the tabletop.
Laughing weakly, Sunset averted her gaze and tugged at a loose strand of hair. "I know, it's kind of lame and dorky, but the Wonderbolts were my heroes when I was little." She paused for a moment. "I got to see them a few times when I was back home, and I sort of kept up with them here."
"No, no, you don't have to justify it," I said, hoping to make her feel a bit easier. "I can see the appeal. The flashy, flippy fighting can be pretty exciting."
"It is." Sunset nodded and chuckled. She looked at her hands and avoided eye contact."It's a bit embarrassing to say this, but I thought it was real."
"No way."
"I seriously thought it was a vicious combat sport." She smiled, her face turning a little red as she scratched the back of her head. "Though, the only reason I'm letting you know is because of all the gems in your flash drive."
I felt like I had to know more. If anything, the flash drive was a small price to pay to get some information like this. I couldn't just drop it here. Curious, I leaned in closer. "When did you first find out it was fake?"
She winced. "A few months ago, I think."
"No."
"Yes..." she said with a half-chuckle.
"Well, at least I have something over you now," I chided, unwrapping my veggie-burger. "I guess we're even now. I have my thesis papers, and you have your wrasslin'."
"Don't forget, I have your Summer Sun pictures as well."
"Of course you do," I groaned. I still wasn't sure if I wanted her to keep looking through the thumb drive, but I was also too scared to ask for it back. "What wasn't in that flash drive?"
"I don't know, but we'll both find out," she said, a wide smile plastered on her face.
I crossed my arms. "Can we at least agree that we don't bring any of this up to the others?"
"Deal," Sunset agreed. "That wrestling thing stays between us. The last thing I want is Rainbow making fun of me for it. That honor goes to you and you alone."
Once we had made the pact, we let the conversation breathe for a moment. Our eyes met. I smiled. She smiled back. We both just sat there and enjoyed the silence. It was perfect... for about twelve or so seconds.
"Did you really think wrestling was real?" I asked, laughing. I just couldn't resist.
Sunset took a sip of her drink, shrugging. "I was adjusting to the human world, mind you. The Wonderbolts in Equestria were elite stunt flying pegasi. Very real flying."
"Pegasi? Oh, right, Equestria..." I mumbled. "I keep forgetting."
"Well, keep forgetting then," she said nonchalantly, taking a bite of her veggie-burger. "Mm, this ish good," she mumbled, pointing at her meal. "You wan' some?"
"No thanks," I said, shaking my head. I had the same meal, and I knew she was just trying to change the subject. I didn't call her out on it. Instead, I picked at my food, taking small bites.
"You know," I started, "I actually ran into Spitfire the other day." It was a half-truth, but it helped kickstart the conversation again.
She sat up. "You did?"
"Yeah," I droned. "At the bookstore on Seventh." Okay, that one was a straight-up lie. "Of course, I didn't recognize her with her hair dyed."
Chuckling, Sunset picked at her fries. "You must be kicking yourself."
"Oh, totally," I agreed, playing along. I faked a laugh. "We made some small talk, and I actually recommended a few books to her."
Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?" She fell back and reclined in her seat. "Man, I'd kill to meet her."
"Would you really?" I asked facetiously.
"Duh, of course I would," she joked, chuckling. "Spitfire was kind of my anchor to Equestria," she said in between bites of food. "She was on TV every Monday, and the show was something everyone at the shelter--"
She stopped talking and immediately stuffed a handful of fries in her mouth.
"Shelter?" I gasped. "As in... a homeless shelter?"
"Forget I said anything." Sunset shifted in her seat. She dug around her tray and grimaced at the lack of fries.
Not knowing what else to do, I passed forward my tray. I wasn't all that hungry, anyways. She looked up and me and smiled weakly. "Thanks," she said, her voice cold as she reached for the paper tub.
I thought about what she said for a moment. And as much as I tried to avoid it, every thought about Sunset and her past made me want to know even more. It was like every little bit of information I learned about her wasn't enough. Unfortunately, I barely knew anything about Sunset's life in Equestria. I didn't even know much of her life before I met her.
She was only letting me in on what she wanted to reveal, and that was frustrating because she knew everything about The Sunlight Project. |
The Sunlight Theory | Uncertainty Reduction Theory | "Winter's almost over, Lyra."
"And?"
"Spring?"
"What about it, Bon?"
"Well, you know, the Spring Fling Pageant."
"What about it?"
"Goddess, Lyra, are you this frustrating on purpose?"
"For you, yeah."
I bit down on the cap of my pen to keep myself from laughing. I couldn't help but overhear them no matter how much I tried to focus on yesterday's notes.
"What I'm saying is that you should sign up for it, Ly."
"Yeah right."
"I'm serious. You're smart, talented, super cool, and I'd love to be able to say that I took Miss Wondercolt to the Spring Fling dance."
"And what about Sunset Shimmer? She always wins."
I sat up straight, suddenly interested in their conversation. It just felt nice to be proud of her. Other students always seemed to take notice of her whenever she entered the room.
"Come on, she's changed. It's not like she's gonna pull the stuff she did the other years. I think you have a real shot this time."
Changed? What exactly did Sunset do the other years?
I fought the urge to just turn around to ask them. I almost did, but Mr. Neigh had just entered the room, and I didn't feel like causing a disruption. Even then, I quickly regretted not speaking up. No matter how much I tried to listen to the lecture and take notes, the lingering thoughts nagged in the back of my mind. Sunset Shimmer was all over my thoughts again. This time it wasn't as fun.
After class, I followed the two out into the halls, trailing them as I built up the courage to speak up. It actually took a bit longer than I expected as I found myself following them outside the main building and towards the soccer field. Thankfully lunch had just started, so I didn't have to worry about showing up to class next.
They ducked behind the small bathroom building meant for visiting schools during games, and I spent a considerable amount of time rethinking if it was even a good idea to approach them. Considering their choice of hangout spot, it seemed like they did not want to be found.
I took a deep breath and quickly realized that I shouldn't have. Forcing myself around the corner, I found them sitting against the wall. Lyra was on her phone while Bon Bon was smoking a cigarette.
Gross.
I felt a lump in my throat as I made myself known. I had to just power through it all. "Um, excuse me."
Bon Bon recoiled and let out a yelp. She threw the cigarette at her feet and stomped on it before burying her face in her hands. Lyra quickly jumped up and stepped towards me.
"Shit, Twilight. Uh, what're you doing here?"
"I... uh." I stepped back.
She dropped a fist at her hip. "Before you start, we've heard it all from Principal Celestia already."
"What? I wasn't going to." I was grasping at things to say. "I mean, she's right. Those things are basically poison, laced with ammonia and cyanide. I don't see how anyone could willingly--"
Bon Bon hugged her knees. Lyra stuffed her hands into her pockets.
"What are you doing here, Twilight?"
From the way she said it, I knew that it was in my best interest to make sure she didn't ask it a third time. I pulled at my bag's strap. "I, um, overheard you talking about the Spring pageant in physics."
They glanced at each other. "Oh, you did?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I didn't mean to, but I heard you say something about Sunset and the other pageants."
Bon Bon, still sitting down, tugged at her girlfriend's skirt. "Lyra..."
Lyra brushed her off with her wrist. "Yeah. In a sec." She turned her attention to me. "Listen, I know you're dating Sunset Shimmer and stuff, but I don't think you should be asking around about this. It's going to bring up a lot of bad memories."
Her answer was painfully cryptic. How could I not want to know more? Any of my attempts to ask Sunset herself were dodged, and the other girls were just as tight-lipped. Now it seemed like a whole school-wide conspiracy.
"Just be glad she's different now," Bon Bon said with a kind but uncertain smile. The way she said it made it sound like she thought it made it better, but she really just made it so much worse. She finally stood up and grabbed her girlfriend by the arm. "See you later, Twilight."
I stood there and just thought about what they said as Bon Bon dragged her girlfriend away (most likely to find a new hiding spot). By the time I had come up with more questions, they were already gone.
I made my way back to our regular lunch table just in time for Sunset to pull me away to hang out on our own. We sat on the front steps of the school, and the first thing she did once we were in private was kiss me.
Small tangent, but I always found it weird how in romance novels, they described what kisses tasted like (don't ask me how I know). It always felt like a weird (not to mention gross and creepy), unnecessary detail.
But! If I had to describe what Sunset Shimmer kisses tasted like, I would say that they were surprisingly cool and minty, like any spearmint gum you could buy at a convenience store. All it did was make me wonder if I should invest in mints to mask my own breath.
We spent most of lunch talking about absolutely nothing. I didn't mind. It was what couples did, after all. Just talk about nothing and enjoy being near each other. We were finally doing couple things.
We even shared our lunches! I gave Sunset some of the spinach pasta salad my mom made, and she gave me some of her tater tots. (Considering this school didn't have many vegetarian options, this was a big deal.)
I thought about mentioning the Spring Fling, but I bit my tongue first. The comments I overheard earlier made me want to approach the subject with some tact. I still wasn't even sure if I wanted to know what those bad memories were.
"So," I hummed, leaning against Sunset's arm. "Winter's almost over."
"I guess so," she said back. She rubbed at her sleeves. "I hope it stays cold, so I can keep wearing my jacket."
"I overheard someone mention that there's a school dance coming up."
"Oh. Yeah. The spring thing." Sunset tugged at a lock of curly hair. "That's still a few weeks away."
"They said something about a pageant as well."
Sunset stared down at her boots. "Right. That, too." She perked up and flashed a smile. "You interested in signing up, Miss Summer Sun Celebration?"
"No, but I think you should," I countered with a shake of the head. At this point, I could tell Sunset didn't want to talk about it. Even I could see that she found pulling the laces of her boots more interesting than the topic.
"You figure out what we're doing for Valentine's?" Sunset asked, running from the subject. That seemed to confirm my suspicions. I sighed, figuring I could try some other time.
"Just leave it to me." I said.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"'Just leave it to me,' I said!" I buried my face in my arms.
If it wasn't obvious enough, I had no idea what I was going to do for our big Valentine's date. I looked down at my notepad and groaned, disappointed with every idea I had.
Cadance entered the dining room with a bowl of chicken soup in tow. She slid it in front of me, and in return I let out a slight gurgle of appreciation. "Put that away and eat before it gets cold." She peered over my shoulder. "Coming up with date ideas?"
"Everything just sounds so done before."
"Twily," Cadance hummed, nudging the bowl of soup closer to me. "It's not your fault that you were born millions of years after the first ever romance. You're just going to have to settle with not being original." Her eyes lit up. "Oh, I know! How about we help each other with our dates?"
She ducked out the room without giving me a chance to answer, returning about half a minute later with a pair of dresses.
"The blue..." Cadance started, draping it over her shoulder and striking a pose, her back towards me. "Or the yellow?" She hung the other dress out, pouting her lips like a model in a magazine.
I looked up from my notes, twirling my pen in my hand. "The yellow."
She scanned the dress and nodded. "You're a regular problem solver, you."
"If only I could solve my own problems."
"Is something up?"
"No." I sunk into my seat and thought about it for a moment. Surely, I was just blowing things up. If anything, it wasn't even worth mentioning. Just me freaking out about nothing. As usual. "Well, I dunno. It sounds stupid."
"Try me," she hummed, setting aside the dresses and sitting next to me. "I just sat through a pile of Crystal Prep admissions essays. There was only two that I found worthwhile. Two. In a four hour reading session. That's around forty papers.
I forced out a breathy laugh. She was probably exaggerating, but it did help to hear that. "It's just." I bit my cheek. "Sunset's a little... guarded. I don't really know how else to put it. It just feels like she's purposefully keeping me in the dark about herself. I thought it was cool at first, but now it's just... frustrating."
Cadance shifted in her seat. "Oh. Well." She paused and smoothed out the crinkles in her skirt. "I'm sure she has a perfectly good reason to be private right now. Though if she really cares about you, she'll let you in when she's ready."
"What if she never does?" It just flew out of my mouth.
She didn't answer back immediately. Usually she had an answer. She always had an answer. Am I expecting too much from her? Oh gosh, what if she doesn't know what to do? What was I supposed to do when the love expert had no idea what to do?
Cadance giggled.
"What?" I leaned over the table, the soup steaming my glasses.
"I remember being exactly in your position," she said, nudging me back into my seat. "Trust me, it's probably not as interesting as you think it is."
I bit my lip. "How can you be so sure?"
"Remember when I first moved in with your brother?"
"Yeah," I said. "What about it?"
"It was about then when I realized just how much time he spent at work." She leaned back against the back of her chair. "I'd stay up all night, worried sick that something happened. I was a nervous wreck--especially since every time I asked him about his job, he wouldn't say much."
"And then?"
"I sat in with him during a twenty-four hour shift at the fire station, and he did nothing but paperwork all day." She rubbed my shoulder. "Now, I'm not an idiot. I'm sure his boss made him do that while I was there. Maybe it was to make me feel better. Maybe it was to keep me out of the know.
"But now that I have that image of him, sitting there doing paperwork, his job doesn't worry me as much." She paused for a moment, putting her hand on my back. "Things just aren't as dramatic as you think it is."
"Thanks, Cadance."
"Now go and eat your soup. Trust me, it's good."
I figured she was right. She always was.
And yeah, she was right about the soup, too.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
I decided to follow Cadance's advice and settle with not being original. Well, technically, I came up with the idea myself, considering this was Princess Twilight's idea of a perfect date.
The Canterlot Museum of Art was already busy, which I had anticipated. Even though we arrived about a half hour before opening, the lobby was full, and a line stretched from the ticket booths out to the outside of the building. Sunset and I shared a glance but said nothing about the wait. Instead, we took our place in the back of the line as I assured her that it was worth it.
A gentle piano tune played over the speakers, and I found myself tapping my foot with the rhythm as the artist mused about paper moons and cardboard seas.
I recognized the song, but I couldn't remember where I had heard it. Maybe I had played its piano part in one of Crystal Prep's concerts? No matter where my conversation with Sunset went, that song was stuck in the back of my head.
"Twilight?" Sunset asked. "You okay? You seem distracted."
"Hmm? Oh, nothing--just zoning out, is all."
Sunset chuckled. "I know. This line's taking forever."
"At least it's moving," I said, shuffling in place. I looked over the line. It barely shortened. "Somewhat."
It took a while, but we reached the front of the line and bought our tickets. I held Sunset's hand as I led her inside the museum.
A marble sculpture of a man and woman intertwined sat in the center of the museum's atrium. It was one of the many works of Star Swirl the Bearded. Each lock of hair, fold of skin, and touching imprints of the embracing couple was meticulously defined. I always found myself staring at the way the man's thumb pulled his lover's cheek into a smile. Even if they were made of stone, I swore that I could feel the warmth and softness of her face.
"Every time I come here, I still get blown away by this sculpture," I said, rushing up to the base of the statue. Sunset followed along and looked over the work. "Believe it or not, Star Swirl was twenty-four when he made this."
Sunset rubbed her arm. "Holy."
"It really makes you want to improve yourself," I said, leaning in to admire the precise curls in the woman's hair. I waited for a moment, feeling my heart speed up just a little. I kissed the tips of my fingers and touched them at the base of the sculpture. "It's perfect."
Sunset chuckled. "What are you doing?"
"It's for good luck," I answered, reaching for Sunset's hand. "It's a local tradition for couples to kiss in front of The Lovers."
Sure enough, there were already a few couples professing their love.
"Oh, is that why you brought me here?"
"Part of it." I leaned in. She took my lead and went for the kiss, and we felt as ancient as the art on display.
After we parted, Sunset squeezed my hand. "You know, we could've skipped the line and just kissed outside. Would've saved us about an hour and twenty bucks."
"Hush, you. I like my museums." I pulled at her hands and gestured to a hallway in the back corner of the main room. "Come on, I want to show you more stuff. I have a whole itinerary planned out."
"Of course you do," she said with a laugh as she rushed to keep up. --☀--
"Clover the Clever was one of Star Swirl's more well-known apprentices from his workshop in Roam," I explained as I dragged Sunset through the exhibit dedicated to Clover's oeuvre. "She wrote poetry, mostly, but she's much more famous for her paintings." I breezed passed most of the exhibit and stopped right in front of one of my favorite pieces on display.
The painting was based on figures from classical mythology: The Sirens of Roam. Three beautiful women surrounded a man in the center of a busy market square. A necklace with a giant ruby hung around each of their necks.(The symbolism of the gem was often the subject of contentious debate, either representing lust or greed [there was also cowardly opinion that it stood for both]).
The siren in the foreground, the orange haired leader, had the man's attention all to herself while the other two in the background picked his pockets.
"The Sirens," Sunset said under her breath.
"Oh, so you know this one?" I felt a grin tug at my cheeks.
"What? Oh, yeah, sure. Definitely." Sunset said, nodding vigorously. She kept staring at the painting as if it bothered her. As much as I wanted to pry further, I decided to drop the questions and went back to talking about the painting.
"Art historians say that Clover based the appearance of the sirens on three real women. The stories say that they kept luring Star Swirl away from his workshop during her lessons with him. That also explained why Star Swirl noted that this was his favorite work of Clover's in one of his diaries."
"Is that so?" she asked. "You seem to know a lot."
"Oh, well I come here quite a bit, and I like to read up about the stuff on display." I started playing with the strap of my bag, opening and closing the button locks. "It also helps that this is one of my favorite pieces here."
"I never took you for an art person, especially with all your science stuff."
"Oh, you know, the humanities are a valid field of study--even if I prefer math and science." I trailed off, shifting my weight between my feet. "There's an art to science and a science to art."
"You get that off a fortune cookie?"
"Motivational poster, actually."
"Ah." There was a slight pause before Sunset locked her fingers with mine."So," she hummed. "Think you can tell me more about the painting?"
"Well, uh," It was at that point where I noticed how much spit had been forming in my mouth and how slow my tongue was slow to move. I swallowed nervously. "The Roamin myth they're based on usually portrays them as devious, evil tricksters who sap the emotions from their victims."
"Sounds familiar."
I didn't know what she meant by that. "I wrote a paper on this painting for my art history class back at Crystal Prep. I'll spare you the details and get to the main thesis behind it."
"Which was?"
"The common interpretation is that the guy's too enamored to realize what's going on around him," I began, locking my fingers with Sunset's. "I like to imagine they both are."
"Maybe they're better off that way," Sunset mused. "Love is blinding."
"Huh." I bit the inside of my cheek. "Never thought about it that way." --☀--
"Aside from being an inventor and a scholar, Star Swirl the Bearded was also a world-renowned artist. Of course, he preferred being an inventor, but the New Holy Solar Empire commissioned him constantly. Although, that didn't stop him from his research since he put most of the money he made back into his--" I cut myself off when I noticed Sunset lagging far behind.
She just stood there, staring at a painting directly in front of her. She held her hand to her mouth, and it almost seemed like she was shaking.
"Is something wrong?" I asked, walking back to her side.
She shook her head. "No." Her voice was low. "It's just."
She didn't elaborate. I kept waiting for her to continue, but she didn't.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" That wasn't the reason, but I wanted to give her something to latch onto.
"Yeah," she nodded before sitting down on a small bench nearby. I joined her and held her hand. She squeezed. Her nails dug into my skin, but I didn't mention it. I'd gotten used to her not wanting to talk.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded again.
I leaned my head against her shoulder. She seemed to appreciate it as her breathing slowed just a little.
I tried to guess what about the painting struck her. It was one of Starswirl's later paintings, definitely during his patronage period. Like all works of art from the New Holy Solar Empire era, it was religious. I recognized the painting from my art history class. We spent a whole day on it.
Star Swirl's The Banishment of Lune.
It was a haunting piece and was his only painitng on the subject. Even then, Star Swirl's depiction of The Sisters as galaxy bending equines became the standard for all representations from then on. It was just that important. The way he presented golden goddess, an imposing sovereign becoming the sun itself through her wrath, made it feel as if you were the target of her fury.
"Tell me about this one," she said, holding on to my side. "Just ramble, please. I like hearing you talk about art."
"Oh, um," I gritted my teeth, trying to recall that day's lecture. "Well, it was completed in 1510--on the Winter Solstice, supposedly five hundred years after the goddess Celestine banished her sister Lune and five hundred years before Lune's supposed return."
"She come back yet?" she joked, her voice muffled by the sleeve of my dress.
"No," I answered. "She was supposed to bring eternal night. It never happened."
"I can tell." She tried to laugh, but it came out weak.
I squeezed her arm, trying to make her feel better. We held like that for a little bit, just taking in the painting together. While I had never experienced it myself, I had heard that witnessing classic works of art in person had a paralyzing effect on people. I hoped that it was the case with Sunset.
"Oh," I hummed. "I got something for you. I was saving it for later, but now works, too." I dug in my bag again and pulled out a bit of carefully wrapped yellow flowers. "They're tulips."
Sunset took the flowers. "And what do they mean?" she asked, her lips curling upwards.
"You have sunshine in your smile. I'd like to see it more."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better."
"Is it working?"
She giggled and pulled me in for another kiss. "Yes."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"Can you at least give me a hint about where we're going?" Sunset asked.
"It's a secret," I said as I led her down the sidewalk. I had Sunset park about a block away from our next stop. It had the added benefit of building suspense. "I mean it. That's the hint. You're going to have to sign a contract that won't let you talk about what happens here."
"Ooh, mysterious," she hummed, seemingly accepting the answer. "What kind of contract are you talking about?"
There was a weird huskiness to her voice, but I ignored it. Why was she trying to make contracts sound hot?
Thankfully, I didn't have to think much of it since the walk wasn't very long. We cut through the parking lot and stopped just in front of the security booth, leading into the studios where Codename: Bravely Blue was filming. "Weird question, but you have your ID with you, right?"
"Yeah." She nodded and dug inside her leather jacket.
"Okay, cool, cool." I pulled out my credentials from my backpack. "Come with me." --☀--
"And action!"
Not a second after, the rain began, which was really just a set of sprinklers rigged around the set. A camera hooked up to a crane arm faced the rigged apartment window where a stuntman was quickly thrown out, landing on an inflatable crash-pad.
Then, out of the same window, Daring Do, clad in pajamas and her signature brown leather jacket and hat, emerged clutching a wad of documents and, more importantly, the map for the Sapphire Stone close to her chest, shielding it from the rain under her jacket. With one hand, she climbed out the window and onto the fire escape.
A second stunt man armed with a prop rifle bashed through a window near her. He fired at her, only missing as Daring dropped down a flight. One by one, more stuntmen dressed as henchmen began following her down the fire escape, firing at her based on the timing cues that was worked out and rehearsed for weeks. Daring ducked. Sparks flew as blanks were fired.
Daring rushed a henchman blocking her way, grabbing his rifle and bashing him in the face with it. The simulated rain continued to be a hinderance as the adventurer had trouble getting a good grip on the slick steel bars as she tried to jump another flight. She was hanging with no other options as more enemies spilled from her apartment window. She looked down then back up at the rows of oncoming thugs.
Without hesitating, she let go.
Daring landed in a prop dumpster, the crash pads obscured by a layer of garbage bags full of foam. After a half second to catch her breath, she flopped out of the dumpster and scrambled to her feet, rushing out the alley and turning the corner into the streets.
"And cut!" My father jumped up from his position behind the camera as the technicians working behind the scenes broke into mild applause. All the actors and the stuntmen got up from their final positions, helping each other down the slippery set. "Let's break while the crew resets! We'll start from the top when we get back."
I turned towards Sunset, who had been clutching the armrests of her chair. "Pretty intense, right?"
Sunset nodded. "Seems pretty crazy to see how it's all put together."
"I know right. When it's all done, you won't even see any of the seams. You see exactly what the movie wants you to see. Movie magic!" I threw my hands up and smiled. "It's exciting, but I bet it can't even hold a candle to real Equestrian magic."
It seemed like Sunset didn't appreciate that comment. She only squirmed in her seat and mumbled something that I couldn't catch. I didn't bother following up. I then kicked myself for thinking it was something good to say. Why couldn't she just humor me once?
"C'mon," I spoke up, changing the subject. "Follow me. We're gonna see Spitfire."
Sunset tilted her head, as if expecting some kind of go-ahead from someone else. I figured the meeting with the lawyers scared her. "We could do that? Won't we get in trouble?"
"As long as we don't tell anyone what happened here, no," I answered. "So do you want to meet her?"
I couldn't possibly describe the way Sunset's face lit up.
So I won't. --☀--
I led Sunset over to Spitfire's trailer. Everyone else was busy prepping the next shot, figuring out the next placement of the camera, tightening up the lighting. A lot of an actor's day on set was really just sitting around and waiting for the next take (especially on big, elaborate productions such as this one), so that gave me time to introduce Sunset to Daring Do herself.
I knocked at the door, and there was a muffled "Come in!" from the other side of the door.
This time, I will elaborate on the way Sunset's face lit up. In great detail.
As it turned out, she only had one dimple on her face. That explained why she smirked a lot. She also had a chipped tooth in the left side of her mouth, opposite of the dimple. It was a full blown, childishly toothy smile that I wanted to see everyday. I hung onto the genuine excitement in her eyes, its corners slightly wrinkled.
"Is this your girl?" Spitfire asked, gesturing towards Sunset. I nodded. Spitfire chuckled approvingly. "She looks a bit like me."
I laughed awkwardly. "Really? I don't see the resem--"
"I get that a lot," Sunset chimed in, cutting me off. She twirled a lock of hair with her finger. "I just want to say that I'm a big fan. Seeing you on TV every week gave me something to look forward to."
Spitfire smiled but seemed a little caught off guard. "That's humbling. I appreciate you telling me that." Just a moment later, her sly expression returned. "Helps keep the ego healthy."
Sunset made a noise that was caught halfway between a laugh and a hum. I had never seen her get this way before. Then again, it wasn't often that she wasn't undeniably the coolest person in the room. (She was to me, but still). Spitfire was a tough act to beat, yet I found myself just watching Sunset gush on about something called a burning hammer. I didn't know what a thing they were saying meant, but the way Sunset was excited made me excited.
"You weren't kidding when you said your girl was a fan," she said, patting my back a little too roughly. I rubbed at it to ease the pain. "You both have great taste."
It was my turn to get flustered as I barely managed to let out an embarrassed, "Thanks."
Sunset thrust her phone into my chest. "Twilight, Twilight, take our picture!"
I did as I was told, holding up the phone and laughing as Spitfire put her in a headlock. If Spitfire hadn't dyed her hair gray for the role, I would have guessed they were sisters.
It took a few minutes of being their photographer before I realized that this was supposed to be my date with Sunset.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
Sunset drove me home. We rode on her bike, and for once, I didn't mind riding up the hill. The wind blowing against me felt nice--a bit chilly, but nice.
We stopped at the driveway, and Sunset helped me dismount (even though I didn't need it). We made our way inside my house where I had dinner waiting in a slow cooker. It was a simple sweet potato soup, which was souped up with lentils and red bell peppers. It was even vegan!
I led Sunset to the dinner table, which I had painstakingly set up and decorated like a fancy restaurant. An unlit candle sat in the center of the table, and there were no waiters in sight. The utensils were set, wrapped up in a cloth napkin. The table cloth had an ornate looking design that I picked up at a local thrift shop.
Everything was perfect.
Sunset took a seat at the table while I made my way into the kitchen.
I mentioned once before that I wasn't much of a chef. So, of course, I had a little help preparing our meal for the evening. My mom spent the morning teaching me how to operate the slow cooker, which meant she pretty much did most of the work while I watched and took notes.
If everything was timed correctly, then I would just have a little bit left on my end.
Sunset sat off on the dinner table, tapping her fingers idly. I smiled and hummed along to the music playing on a stereo. It was pretty much just ambiance to set the mood. It worked. At least I thought it worked. Sunset didn't seem to mind at least.
I looked over to the slow cooker. It was steaming, which was a good sign according to my notes and what my mom told me. Everything seemed to slot perfectly in place for the moment, so I joined Sunset back at the table to talk while we waited.
"Hey."
"Hi." I found myself not really knowing what to do with my hands. I put them on the table, balled them into fists, and when that didn't help, I laid them back out flat on the table. Then I brought them to my legs and squeezed at my kneecaps. I had to think of something to talk about otherwise I would have kept fiddling with my hands for a while.
"Today was fun," she said, smiling.
It felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I let out a breath, which Sunset thankfully didn't notice. I was in the homestretch with just a lovely candlelit dinner to cap the night off.
It was textbook romance.
"So," I said, my voice trailing off.
"So," she responded, mimicking my inflection. "You said your dad was a movie buff, right? I think that claim might have been too modest."
I nodded, grateful for the conversational life raft she threw me. "Yup! Though, in my defense, I was legally bound to keep his current project a secret. And now you are, too."
"It's our secret then," she mused, playing with a lock of her hair. "What should I tell the other girls?"
"NDA," I answered. "Or if you want to be mysterious, tell them you're contractually obligated not to tell them about our date."
Sunset laughed. "That's going to drive Rarity wild."
"Oh gosh, you're right." I wasn't sure if it was okay to laugh. "I don't think I can keep it from her all too long. She has a way of prying information from people. Still, it's kinda fun to have our little secret, right?"
"Right. Secrets." She looked down at the floor for a moment as if looking for something. "Can I at least show Rainbow Dash the picture? I need to see her reaction. She's gonna be so jealous when she sees I met her heroes."
"One day," I said. "My mom will let me know when we're allowed to post set photos."
"Your mom?"
"Yeah, she's producing the film. And she wrote the screenplay... and apparently maybe had a hand in editing A.K. Yearling's manuscripts."
"Shut up. You're lying." Sunset was leaning in. "So you're telling me you know the people who wrote my fillyhood--childhood! Childhood." The excitement left her eyes in an instant.
"You can talk about Equestria," I said. "I'd like to hear it."
"I don't want to." It was articulated tightly. She looked off towards a counter, where my parents kept a ton of framed family pictures. I had a feeling that she would act that way. It didn't help that I felt myself getting frustrated. "Just... stop asking about it, please. And don't ask about the Spring Fling."
Where did that come from? She wasn't even trying to be subtle anymore.
Neither was I.
"Why? I overheard the other day that you won it last year--and the year before that, and your freshman year, too."
"I did." Her voice was a whisper.
"How'd you win?"
"Popularity. It's a popularity contest."
"As a freshman?" I asked, the disbelief clear in my voice. "The Fall Formal and the Spring Fling?"
I didn't even know why I kept pressing her. Maybe it was because I was frustrated. Who knows? It just felt unfair that she knew all about my embarrassing past and The Sunlight Project. She'd seen it all, but I knew next to nothing about her. She wouldn't even give me this.
"I thought she would have been proud of this sort of thing. What do you have to be ashamed of? It's not like you cheated or anything."
Sunset glared right through me but didn't deny it. She laid her hands out on the table.
"Oh, my goddess, you cheated didn't you?" I asked. My voice was flat. It wasn't even an accusation, just an ill-timed realization. In that moment, I regretted what I said. I didn't even know how that thought entered my mind. From the look in her eyes, I knew I opened some door that she didn't appreciate me opening.
"Just... leave it alone, okay?"
This time, I just couldn't let it go. "But everyone else knows you but me. You know a lot more about me than I do about you. I'm your girlfriend, but I feel like I barely know you."
"Maybe you shouldn't."
Without another word, Sunset stood up and left the dining room. I followed her only to hesitate and watch as she forced on her jacket and rushed out the house. The door hung open, and a cold breeze entered the room. I watched her jump on her bike and drive away.
I could have chased her. I should have chased her. Wasn't I supposed to do that?
Instead, I just sat on the couch and ate alone. |
The Sunlight Theory | Social Penetration Theory | "Aww, baby's first fight."
"Not funny, Sour Sweet."
Sunny Flare crossed her arms and scowled, a gesture that came naturally to every student at Crystal Prep. She paced back and forth along the steps leading up to the girls' dorms. Her boots scratched against the bricks, echoing across the near silent courtyard. In my attempt to take my mind off from everything, I hung onto the noise. It didn't work.
I thought about the date and how it ended. Even then, I still didn't know what made it all go wrong. I could recall the slight bend in her brow as the argument grew intense, the way her fingernails dug into the palm of her hand, draining the color from her skin. I could pick apart every single detail in the room, but I just had no idea what happened.
I needed help. Again. I know.
After Sunset left, I called my Shadowbolt friends. It was an emergency. I needed someone to talk to, and I didn't want to drag my CHS friends in the middle of it. Because... they were in the middle of it. The last thing I wanted was for them to pick sides, but I knew they were Sunset's friends before they were ever mine. It could only get messy.
At least I was lucky to have these girls. I couldn't imagine having to go through the night without someone to help me out of my headspace.
"So she just bailed?" Lemon Zest asked.
I nodded. "I don't even know how it started."
"What do you mean?" Sunny asked, finally stopping her pacing and taking a seat on the step next to me.
"It's stupid," I said, not lying, but I did keep some choice details out. There was no way that they would believe the whole magic horse universe part of the story. "I think she might be hiding some things about herself from me."
"Spill the tea, girl," Lemon said.
"Yeah," Sugarcoat sang along. "You know we feed on drama."
I groaned. "I left Crystal Prep to get away from the drama."
"You're a Shadowbolt," Indigo Zap pointed out. "Drama's in your blood."
"Integrity, excellence, drama, and a healthy dose of elitism," Sugarcoat said, doing her best impression of Principal Cinch. "Expectations. Expectations."
"What? No!" I felt my face twist up. "Just forget I said anything. It was a bad idea to even come here. It's late."
I checked my phone. Nine-thirty. Crystal Prep's campus would close for visitors soon once curfew came around at ten. I didn't really plan to stay here long anyway. I just needed to vent and possibly cry.
Lemon Zest took my hand, as if she sensed I was tensing up. "C'mon, we can at least make your visit worth the effort."
"I don't know if I should..."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
We made our way to the dorm building's common room, the one part of the campus open to students late at night. I sat down in the old seat I used to occupy during my time at Crystal Prep. It was comforting to be somewhere familiar, even if I hadn't been there in a while. It still felt like my own space where I could curl up and spend the weekend with a good book.
I put my head down, closed my eyes, and tried to think about literally anything else. I'd find a way to make up for it. I just needed the time away.
"So this is where you sat all this time, huh?"
I yelped as I found Lemon Zest standing over my shoulder. "What?"
Lemon gestured towards my seat. "You're basically hiding in the corner."
"Oh," I hummed, still a bit out of it.
It wasn't worth arguing, so I decided to just stay quiet as the other girls took their seats at the table. Sugarcoat passed out small cups of coffee. The lounge's coffee machine was the only thing students at Crystal Prep didn't mind sharing.
Sugarcoat passed a cup to me, and I shook my head. "No thanks. I don't like coffee." I could feel several glares pointed at me.
"You don't?" Sunny flare asked. "Then what did you drink during all nighters in The Hovel?"
"I never needed to do one," I explained. "I'm pretty good at managing time."
"How are we friends?" Sugarcoat lazily took a sip of her drink.
I shrugged, and she smiled back at me.
"We're in the same boat, Twilight," Lemon said, putting her arm around my shoulder. "It makes me feel a little on edge, but I need it if I'm gonna get any homework done."
"I just don't like the taste," I admitted. "I don't see the appeal. And I never really liked how people normalize caffeine dependency."
"Already looking down at us on our caffeine addiction," Sugarcoat said, shaking her head. "So judgy, despite her immature palate."
"So judgy," Sour Sweet echoed.
I raised my voice. "I'm not judgy." I looked over to the coffee cup in Sugarcoat's hands and watched a cloud of steam waft from the opening. "Actually, I wish I could enjoy it. I love the smell, and there's a really sophisticated aesthetic that comes with coffee and cafes that I really like."
"Like those starving artist types and smoking." Lemon mimed taking a puff from a cigarette. "So hot."
"So hot," Sour Sweet echoed.
"Ugh." Sunny Flare groaned and stuck out her tongue. "My sister's a smoker."
"You know why smoking is associated with the whole starving artist thing?" Sugarcoat said, barreling over Sunny's comment.
"Why?" Indigo asked, humoring Sugarcoat as she took a sip of her own drink.
"It curbs appetite," Sunny answered.
"Ouch." Indigo rubbed her arm.
"Yeah, that," Sugarcoat said before taking a swig of coffee. "Don't look into it. It gets really sad."
"So sad," Sour Sweet echoed.
"You know what else is sad?" Lemon spoke up, pounding her fist on the table. She gestured to me. "Twilight."
I just realized I was staring at the tabletop. "Hmm?"
"I'm just saying," Lemon continued. "We've been dicking around doing what we like to do. We never even asked Twilight what she wants to do."
"You're right," Indigo said, playfully shoving at my shoulder. "So? What d'ya wanna do, champ?"
"I want to go home."
"That's the spirit!" Sour Sweet cheered. "Anyone else have a better idea?"
Sunny Flare grinned. I didn't like the sign of that.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
One by one, my Shadowbolt friends jumped into the Crystal Prep swimming pool. They cheered and called out choice phrases as they leapt into the water. I had no interest in joining them. Instead, I just dipped my feet in the pool and watched the girls play around the crystal clear waters. I bobbed my head to the music playing on a radio Sunny apparently had stashed behind a set of bleachers.
"C'mon, Twilight!" Sunny Flare yelled. "You're not gonna get over it if you just sit there all by yourself."
The other Shadowbolts nodded, which looked kind of funny since only their heads stuck out from the surface.
"You just gonna sit there and throw yourself a pity party?" Lemon swam up to the edge of the pool. She tugged at my ankle as she leaned one arm over the the lip.
"At least make it a pity pool party!" Sour Sweet cheered, her voice way too sugary as she floated onto her back and lazily kicked her way to the center of the pool.
"What if we get in trouble?" I asked, eying the door, half expecting someone to burst through and drag us into the security center, leaving a trail of incriminating pool water in our wake.
"Oh, relax," Sour Sweet hummed. "We get caught, we get a slap on the wrist, my daddy donates enough to build a new wing of the library, and we all go get ice cream after. It'll be great."
That explained a lot.
"We do this like once every few months," Sugarcoat explained. "Usually we order food, rent a DJ, invite some other guys and gals, and make a whole night of it."
"Either security gave up after the first few or stopped caring," Indigo Zap added. "As long as Cinch doesn't find out, no one cares."
Even if that was the reigning attitude at Crystal Prep, I still didn't feel right about it. Lemon seemed to sense it as he hopped up on the lip of the pool and wrapped her soaking arm around my shoulder. Had I not changed into a loaner set of gym clothes, I would have been less appreciative.
"You came to us to forget about what happened, right?" She already reeked of chlorine. "You're only making it worse if you refuse to have fun."
"Take the plunge, Twilight!"
"Do it! Do it! Do it!"
The rest of the girls joined Indigo's chant, and I found myself put on the spot as they rallied under the power of peer pressure. I was already here, and maybe letting go of everything would be good for me.
I took off my glasses and set it to the side. The girls disappeared into blurs, colorful shapes that seemed to approve of my decision to join. I stood up and took a few steps back before charging straight towards the pool and jumping in. The water was freezing, and after the shock, I felt my tensions slip into the water. With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and let myself sink into the depths like a stone.
I dropped to the bottom, and the music got more muffled the deeper I went until I was sitting crosslegged on the pool's floor. On particularly stressful days, I'd do the same in the pool at home. However, the one here was much, much deeper. Still, it felt nice.
During my impromptu meditation session, I realized that I never really used the pool here. It was open on weekends and during P.E. periods. However, I was just content to sit in the bleachers or walk laps.
Now, I was sneaking in at the middle of the night when I didn't even go here anymore.
Floating back to the top, I rejoined the others back in the real world. I gasped for air, only to be met with a wave of water thrown in my face.
"Didn't think you'd try to drown yourself already," Sugarcoat joked.
I shoved the water back. Not funny.
The rest of the girls joined in. Indigo splashed at Sugarcoat while Lemon dragged Sunny under the surface in a display that looked like they were trying to drown each other.
I accidentally caught a mouthful of pool water as Sour Sweet ambushed me. I coughed it out. My eyes stung, leaving me open to further attack.
My defensive maneuver was simple. I ducked back down into the water, watching the battle below as flailing limbs went everywhere. I barely avoided getting hit in the head by a stray knee as I dove deeper, retreating into the depths.
The girls seemed so focused on each other, so I swam away to the edge of the pool and climbed out, taking a seat and watching the action from a safe distance. Eventually, the girls seemed to tire themselves out and returned to coasting. Sour was back to floating in the water as if she hadn't just tried to drown someone.
"What are we gonna do when we graduate?" Lemon asked. "I'm gonna miss these pool parties."
"I'm not gonna miss this school," Sunny added. "We can always find some poor sucker's pool to bum off."
"I have a pool," I said, kicking at the water. "I can host it at my place. Where it's legal."
"Low blow, Twilight!" Lemon laughed and tapped her temple. "Besides, you can't trespass if you never left the campus."
It was some flawed reasoning, but I didn't argue.
Sugarcoat joined me outside the water and began wringing out her hair. "With that logic, Twilight's the only one breaking the law."
"Well, if she's in deep, might as well go all in," Sunny said, drying herself off. "I got an idea I always wanted to do."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
I didn't know why or how I had let them talk me into this. The trip to Cadance's office was nerve-racking. At any moment, I felt like I was about to trip an alarm or walk past a camera. The only reassurance I had was a "chill, Twi," from the others and the confidence they had while walking the halls. Though, I wasn't sure if that made it more off putting.
After a harrowing two hours (really about half minute) of Lemon Zest picking the lock, we all stepped inside the empty office. The girls went straight for the filing cabinet tucked in the corner of the room by her desk. I, meanwhile, lingered around and took in the office.
It had been a while since I was in Cadance's office. In fact, the last time I was here was when I was still drafting The Sunlight Project. It felt like a lifetime ago, but it had only been about four or so months. And dating Sunset only really took about half of that time. Maybe even less.
The girls dug into the filing cabinet. And if I were to guess, they were looking for each other's student files. Unfortunately, I was proven right as Sugarcoat was the first to emerge with Indigo Zap's folder and a mischievous glint in her eye as she flipped through it.
"Holy shit, your GPA's a two-point-three?" Sugarcoat shamed, flipping through the sheets.
"Gimme that!" Indigo cried as she swiped the folder from her hands. "Dick."
"Sour, you bitch," Lemon hummed with a lilt, getting everyone's attention while digging through Sour Sweet's file. "You never told me you were from Manehattan. I've always wanted to go there."
Sour Sweet stuck out her tongue playfully. "You should totally come over to my place some day." Her expression immediately soured. "Though, you can hang out with the rats in the boiler room, and it'd be the same thing."
I tuned them out as I sat in Cadance's chair and sunk right into the leather. It seemed that even her chair had a comforting presence to it. I looked over her desk and found a stack of papers: nothing interesting--CPA admissions papers, student transcripts. Then, on the corner of the desk, I noticed a framed picture of her and my brother. I couldn't help but smile.
"You're overthinking it," I whispered to myself. "Maybe it isn't all that important."
My thoughts were quickly interrupted the moment I realized they were reading into my file.
"Twilight Sparkle, perfect GPA, no disciplinary action." Sunny Flare scoffed. "How the hell do you have a clean sheet? So boring."
"So boring," Sour Sweet echoed.
"Hey!" I yelped, reaching for the folder. I barely managed to grab it. "Don't look at that."
"What? Afraid I'm gonna find something embarrassing?" Sunny asked. "The worst thing I found was asthma."
Sour Sweet pointed at me. "Ha-ha, your lungs suck."
It quickly devolved into a fast paced insult session as they picked up choice details about the others from their student records. In rapid succession, I learned that Lemon ditched class often, Indigo Zap had been suspended for getting into a fight, and Sugarcoat had been caught with contraband in her dorm several times. i didn't catch what it was exactly, but I hoped to never find out.
Are these the kind of people I should be hanging out with?
I was perfectly fine sitting back and avoiding the mudslinging, but then I felt a jab on my shoulder and turned to see that Lemon handed me Sunny Flare's file.
"Looks like Twilight's getting in on the fun," Lemon exclaimed, and I noticed that all the girls were looking at me to say something.
Sunny laughed. "Can she even get it out with her asthma?"
I wasn't sure if it was spite or the feeling of wanting to be included, but I flipped open the folder and read the first thing under the medical section. "I wouldn't be talking for someone who was put in the infirmary for..." My stomach dropped as I read the words on the page. "Oh, gods..."
"What?" Lemon asked as she bumped into my shoulder to get a better look at the page. The other girls did the same. "Holy shit."
The color drained from Sunny's face. "They put that on there!?"
"Oh, my goddess, I'm so sorry," I managed to squeak out. Sunny didn't respond.
"Oh shit," Indigo said as she looked to the others.
"Yeah, this stopped being funny real fast," Sugarcoat noted.
Lemon turned to face Sunny, looking just as hurt as she was. "When was this?"
Sunny stared at the floor. "Sophomore year."
"Wait," Lemon said as if on the verge of remembering something. She put her hand over her mouth. "You told me you had mono." She stepped back. "Why didn't you tell me ? I could've--"
Sugarcoat stepped in between the two. "Not here. Calm down and just breathe."
Lemon and Sunny nodded. Sugarcoat volunteered in collecting the folders and placing them back in the cabinet.
"Sunny," I called before she stepped out of the room. She stopped, turned to me, and I could see the pain in her eyes. I didn't know what to do, what to say. I just felt awful about it. "I'm sorry."
She didn't say anything. --☀--
With the mood brutally murdered by yours truly, we made our way back to the dorm rooms. Surprisingly, there were a few other students still hanging out around the dorm's halls at this hour. Sour Sweet led me to her room. About a minute or two later, Lemon entered and took a seat at her desk.
"Sunny's not mad," Lemon said, somehow reading my mind. "It kinda caught us all off guard."
"I still feel bad." I sighed.
"You should," Sour Sweet commented. "Though, none of us could have known."
Lemon Zest rolled her eyes. The room was still quiet until the rest of the girls entered the dorm. Sunny Flare entered last, wrapped in a blanket. She took a seat on the bed across from me.
"Sunny, I'm--"
"None of this leaves this room," Sunny said, looking the others in the eye. Everyone nodded. She looked at me last, and I did the same.
She took a minute to start talking again after a few false starts. "I hate my sister." She let the statement hang in the air as she took a breath. It seemed as if she had finally been able to take one again. "She doesn't know I feel this way, but I do."
I looked to the others. Everyone just kept quiet. I followed their lead.
"She's a model, one with great grades--a fucking unicorn, I know," Sunny continued. "And everyone loved her here, teachers too. You girls know how stupid this school is. If you're related to someone, you have to be just like them or better."
She was right. Cinch had used my brother to strong-arm me into joining the Friendship Games. And that was only the latest in said incidents. I was just lucky that I turned out to be a better student than he was.
"And I know Dean Cadenza says I shouldn't blame my sister, but--" Sunny gritted her teeth. "It's because of my sis that I feel this way. I'm not her. I'm not as pretty. I'm not as smart. I'm not..." Sunny bit down on her fist, and I could barely make out the tears in her eyes. Lemon rubbed her back before bringing her in for a side hug.
"Cadance helped you out?" I asked.
Sunny nodded, taking her fist out from her mouth. Her teeth had dug into her knuckles, and I stared at them for way too long. "She helped me get through it all." She didn't have to say it. "We even still meet up for counseling every other week even though she's the dean now. When I get out of this hellhole, I want to be a counselor like she was."
The room fell quiet again. Lemon continued to gently rub Sunny's shoulder. "If it means anything, I hate your sister, too," Lemon said, earning a weak laugh from Sunny. "And I'll beat up her and anyone who makes you feel that way." She leaned closer into Sunny's face. "Including you, Sunny. So quit being mean to my best friend. I won't let this stupid school win, and you shouldn't either."
Sunny Flare bobbed her head, finally smiling.
"Soccer's the only thing I have going for me," Indigo Zap said with brutal honesty. "I tweaked my ankle last season, and that's all I could think about. My grades suck, and if I get hurt real bad again, any scholarships offers I have are gonna dry up. The worst part is that everyone thinks I'm not trying."
Sugarcoat put her hand on Indigo's knee. "I can tutor you. I'm not a miracle worker, but it's not too late to build up some good habits."
"Thanks."
"My step-mom's the reason I'm here," Sour Sweet spoke out, a hint of vitriol in her tone. "She's only five years older than me, but she won and convinced my dad to ship me across the country. "
"Oof, that's rough," Lemon said.
Sour Sweet shrugged. "At least it worked out in the end since I'm friends with you assholes."
Indigo Zap laughed, and the other girls joined her.
"What about you, Sug?" Sunny asked. "There's got to be something bothering you."
"I got nada." Sugarcoat shrugged. "I'm well adjusted," she said, emphasizing her usual smugness with a sharp breath through her nose. "You're the ones that are messed up."
"Lucky you," Sour Sweet said. "But it wouldn't hurt to open up."
"Open up." Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. "The only reason we're doing this because we've all seen The Breakfast Club."
Indigo Zap crossed her arms. "You can stop being so defensive."
"Can it, Sporto," Sugarcoat snapped, her pigtails whipping in the air.
"Ooh, can I be the nympho?" Lemon Zest asked.
"She wasn't a nympho. She was just weird," Sunny said.
Lemon smiled. "I'll take it as long as you're the super cool princess."
Sunny Flare nestled into the blanket around her shoulders, seemingly receptive to the compliment.
Sugarcoat pointed to Sour Sweet. "The Criminal." Then to me. "The Nerd."
I didn't protest, despite the heat on my face. It seemed like they needed the laugh.
With that, the air of the conversation had completely changed. It seemed like the girls had forgotten about everything, already as they laughing and joking with each other again. I just sat there, dumbfounded that they could even do something like that as the entire tone in the room changed in only a few seconds.
Once the conversations ended, the girls made their ways back to their own dorms. When it was just me, Sour Sweet, and Lemon left in the dorm room, I spoke up, "So, are we just gonna forget what happened with Sunny?"
"No. I'll keep an eye on her," Lemon said as she stared at the door. "But I know her, and the last thing she'd want is any one of us treating her like a different person or that she's any lesser. She's our friend. She's your friend. Remember that."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
I woke up in Lemon Zest's bed.
No, nothing happened last night. The girls just didn't want me walking home that late. Taking a bus wasn't an option either, so that left crashing in Lemon and Sour's dorm room.
"Good morning, Twily."
The voice was familiar, but in my groggy state, I couldn't piece together who it was. None of my Crystal Prep friends knew that nickname, so that only left.
Oh, jeez.
Cadance!
"H-hey, Sis?" I stammered, sitting up and looking my future sister in law in the eyes. Wait, was this the first time I called her that?
"Don't Sis me." Cadance crossed her arms. I could tell she wasn't really mad, just a little annoyed and mostly disappointed, the guidance counselor special.
I heard an entertained snort. Scanning the room, I spotted Lemon Zest and Sour Sweet sitting off in a corner, grins on their faces.
"Sorry, Twi," Sour said, a clear lack of sincerity in her voice. "The R.A. snitched."
"Thank gods they told Dean Cadenza," Lemon commented. "I'd rather not deal with Cinch or detention."
"We'll be discussing that later," Cadance said.
"Shit."
"Language, Miss Zest," Cadance sighed, throwing a quick side-eye in their direction.
"Sorry, Dean Cadenza."
Cadance turned her attention towards me. "What are you even doing here?"
I hesitated, remembering everything that happened yesterday. "I just needed to talk."
She didn't seem to accept that answer. "And what's wrong with talking over the phone? Or with your other friends?"
There was an unsaid: "Why didn't you come to me?" but I didn't have an answer to that one either. Instead, I shrugged.
Cadance sighed. "Just grab your stuff. I'll drive you home before anyone else sees you here."
I forced on my shoes and put on my sweater. I waved goodbye to the girls before following Cadance out the door and into the hall. I got a few looks from some of the students hanging out in the dorm building who remembered me, but I didn't pay all too much attention to them.
Once we got to the parking lot, Cadance sighed. "Do your parent's know you're sneaking out at night?"
I shook my head. "No, they're out of town for work."
"And that makes it okay?" The Dean Cadenza voice returned again.
I stared at the asphalt and kicked at a pebble. "No."
"So why'd you do it?" she asked, putting her hand on her hip.
I bit my lip, and I felt my breaths get a little unstable as I looked up at her. "Sunset and I got in a fight."
Her stern expression melted. "Oh, Twilight," she hummed as she brought me in for a tight hug. I sunk into her shoulder.
"Sorry," I said, remembering exactly why I didn't come to her in the first place. Whether it was intentional or not, she always made me feel like a child. And here I was, blubbering to her about my problems again.
After a night of teenage angsty soul searching, I still didn't know who was in the wrong. Why did everything have to be so complicated? I didn't have any of the answers I came here for. However at the very least, I knew I could confide in my Shadowbolt friends.
Even with their issues, they were the type of girls I should be friends with. |
The Sunlight Theory | Relative Deprivation Theory | "Do you want something to eat?" Cadance asked, breaking the silence in the car.
I shrugged. "Sure."
Cadance nodded, turning into the parking lot of a diner on the side of the road. I kept quiet, following her in mopey silence as we entered the restaurant. We took a booth at the end of the building, right by a window. Outside was a rather unassuming collection of businesses: liquor stores, a laundromat, and tax services. Totally uninteresting aside from it being somewhat near Sunset's apartment.
"Twily? Are you alright? You're spacing out."
"Oh, um, sleepy." I gave her a tight lipped smile.
Cadance nodded in understanding as a waitress came around.
"Hey there." The waitress flipped open her little notepad. "Can I get ya started on something to drink?"
"A coffee for me please." Cadance put on a sweet voice. She glanced over at me. "And an orange juice?"
"Coffee actually," I said, completely on a whim. The waitress nodded and walked away, leaving me and Cadance alone again.
"Since when did you drink coffee?"
"I don't," I said, a bit too matter-of-factly. I slapped my cheek. "I just need to wake up."
"Right." Cadance averted her eyes, seemingly remembering why I was with her in the first place. Last night felt like it was another life. Like I was a different person with my Crystal Prep friends.
Maybe I changed somehow. Maybe I came out of it a cool coffee person.
As it turned out, I did not. Coffee was still terrible. Although, I couldn't really differentiate between bad or good coffee. It all tasted the same. I simply took a sip, felt my face instinctively shrivel up, and pushed it towards the center of the table.
I could feel my future sister-in-law judging me from behind her own cup. "Well, at least you're awake."
"Yeah," I said, turning my gaze out the window. I watched a few cars go down the street. Even if it was the weekend, they were still buzzing around like worker bees getting where they needed.
A man in a motorcycle passed the diner, and I briefly wondered if Sunset would ever teach me how to ride her bike.
I wasn't sure if it was the coffee's aftertaste, but everything felt bitter at the thought of Sunset. The sting of last night came back, and I found myself desperately wanting to forget it even happened.
Cadance tapped her fingers against the table. It took a while for me to notice that I was staring at her engagement ring. I knew that it took years of dating for my brother to finally give her that, but I couldn't help but be jealous of that simple declaration of eternal love. Sure, Sunset and I were still feeling things out, but it would feel really nice to just know.
I considered asking if she ever got into any big arguments with my brother but decided against it. If they stung anything like the one I had last night, it was better off that I didn't bring up that topic.
Thankfully, my savior came in the form of a stack of fluffy pancakes. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I attacked the pile, tearing through it without syrup. It didn't take long before my mouth went dry. I reached for my coffee, only to forget that the drink was served stupidly hot.
With my tongue burnt, I choked on the traitorous pancakes that had kept my mind off Sunset. Cadance leapt to my side and hit my back until I had hacked and coughed it out, a sloppy chunk spilling out onto the table. It was then when I noticed that I had caused a scene in the half empty restaurant. Critical eyes and stolen glances were sent in my direction from all sides.
"Twilight," Dean Cadenza began. "You're the smartest girl I know, but sometimes I wonder how you're still alive."
I didn't answer her right away. Instead, I mopped up my puddle of coffee and picked up the offending piece of breakfast with a napkin. "Sorry, I was trying to think about literally anything other than--"
"Than?"
Right out the window, I noticed Sunset Shimmer standing right across the street.
I found it funny how life seemed to wrap things together neatly. Just as I was thinking about Sunset, she reappeared in my life. I didn't even bother explaining to Cadance what I was doing, instead giving her a halfhearted mumble with a mouthful of pancakes. Though, I probably should have said something more intelligible before I decided to run into traffic.
I rushed out of the diner and fought the urge to call Sunset's name until I was within earshot. I could barely make out the look of surprise on her face. Though, I knew she was caught off guard as she dropped whatever she was eating. In her surprise, she stepped on it. Unfortunate, but kinda funny.
"Sunset!"
"Twilight?"
I was half out of breath when I stopped in front of her. I adjusted my glasses, and I could feel a goofy grin slide up my face.
She rubbed her hands down on her stained sweatpants, as if she were attempting to clean it off with a few swipes. She coughed as she pulled the bottom of her tank top back down over her stomach. It rode back up, but she kept pinching at it.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, beating me to the punch.
I giggled. "I was just about to ask the same thing. I was out grabbing breakfast with my brother's fiancee."
She pivoted on the ball of her foot and half gestured over to the inside of the laundromat, where about a couple dozen washing machines and dryers sat. "Just taking care of stuff."
"Must be a drag," I said, leading the conversation. "Coming all the way here from your apartment just to do your laundry."
"Helps me think," she said, a bit nonplussed.
"Oh, cool, cool." This conversation wasn't going anywhere. "Got anything interesting coming up?"
Sunset shot me a unimpressed look. "I'm going grocery shopping later. It's going to be a rager."
I laughed politely. I knew she was being facetious, but it stung a little. I decided to just play along. "Sounds like fun."
"Want to come with?"
"Uh, sure," I said, bobbing my head.
"Great," she hummed. "This time, you can pick me up. Getting groceries is kind of a pain. Gotta haul a cart there and back. It's a whole day operation."
"I, uh, don't drive."
"You don't drive?"
"Never needed to," I said, suddenly feeling sheepish. "Everyone sorta just gives me a ride when I need it. Hey about last night."
I didn't really know how else to bring it up. The band-aid method would do. Sunset looked back at the row of washers inside the laundromat.
"It didn't happen," she said. "NDA, remember?"
"Right." It stung a little to know all that effort and planning went to nothing, but if that's what it took. "I'll forget it if you do."
"Good," she pinched at her tank top again. "I'll pick you up later so we can go grocery shopping. It'll make up for doing nothing yesterday."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"I thought you said you were just gonna get one thing for yourself." Sunset crossed her arms as I dropped a few loaves of bread into a cart.
Something about grocery shopping turned us into an old married couple. Suddenly we bickered about which brand of dish soap was better or whether one or two carton of eggs would do. Perhaps my true calling in life was coupon clipping and grabbing the freshest jug of milk from the back.
"I was," I said, bouncing on my heels. "Then I remembered how empty your kitchen was. When was the last time you had a chance to go grocery shopping?"
Sunset chuckled stiffly while she looked at the aisle of packaged food. "Guess I'm just too lazy."
"Well, now you have me to help you out." I grinned as I led the charge down the aisle, dragging the cart behind me while I scanned the rows and rows of food.
Sunset lagged behind, letting me fill up the cart on my own. While I only knew the basics of a decent nutrition, it wasn't all that hard to find stuff to fill the cart.
The cereal aisle also came with a short debate. Sunset seemed to be a fan of the plain cereals they kept in a giant bag, while I preferred the ones with cute cartoons on the box.
"They're the same thing," Sunset said, dropping the sack of bland, flaky cereal creatively named 'Cereal Flakes' onto the cart. The price clearly didn't go into the presentation. "You can just add sugar to it, and you get more cereal than the one in the box."
"There's a difference," I insisted, tracing the maze printed on the back. The tiger needed my help to get out of the labyrinth and promised me a prize if I helped him.
"I thought you'd be objective about this."
"Look, this one comes with a toy." I shoved the box at her. "Ooh, and temporary tattoos! We can get matching ones."
"I know a guy who can do it for real," she said as if it wasn't a big deal. "He owes me one if you're down."
I froze. The thought of getting a real tattoo sounded horrifically, excruciatingly painful. All those needles. What would my mother even say? "No. No, thanks. I'll stick to the ones you can apply with water."
We continued to kill time exploring the supermarket. Sunset gravitated towards the wine aisle. I humored her and rode the cart down to meet her, letting it slow down to a stop next to her. She eyed a particular bottle.
"This was the one Rarity's mom poured us at Hearth's Warming," she hummed, recalling a party I didn't attend nor approve of. She dropped it onto the cart.
"Absolutely not." I grabbed the bottle and placed it back on the aisle.
She laughed. "Relax, it's not like I can just walk out with it." She glanced to the side before lifting up her jacket and tucking the bottle under her arm. "Unless."
I shot her a glare.
"Kidding," she said, removing the bottle and placing it back on the shelf. I took the cart and rolled it over to the front of the store.
When the time came to get in line, I noticed Sunset eying the cart packed with food.
"I can't possibly--" Sunset hesitated. "--eat all of this. Or carry it back.."
I looked over the pile of food. It did seem like a bit much. "I guess you're right. Help me put some stuff back."
We spent the better part of an hour placing some of the more unnecessary items back where we found them. Sunset was more aggressive, and I had to assure her that it was okay to splurge a bit on things like ice cream. It took some convincing. Though it wasn't too hard as I was pretty sure I could get Pinkie Pie to testify that ice cream was part of a major food group.
"One for you," I hummed, dropping a pint of her favorite ice cream into the cart. I dropped a pint of my favorite. "One for me. We can treat ourselves."
"Chocosplosion with fudge and brownie-bits?" Sunset read, she looked to me with a smirk. There's that dimple again. "I take it you like chocolate."
"Is it obvious?" I asked. I may or may not have gotten a cocoa dependency after The Sunlight Incident. "It could use a little more chocolate, though." I swiped a bottle of chocolate sauce. "There."
Sunset grabbed my arm and led me down to the next aisle. "Let's move on before you see the five pound sack of chocolate chips."
"The what?"
Sunset made sure to keep me on leash as we went through the rest of the aisles. Sure enough, she took hold of the cart and made the final decisions. I didn't mind, since it was all going to her apartment anyway.
However, her choices of food were kind of alarming. I winced as I watched her throw two twelve-packs of instant ramen into the cart. It joined other boxed products like macaroni and cheese, and a pile of spaghetti bags. Just oodles of noodles.
"Do you know how much salt they put into that?"
Sunset replied with an unimpressed look. "Relax, It's not like I'm gonna eat it for every meal."
"Well, of course not." I caught my tone.
Oh, goddess. They were right. I am judgy.
"Never mind," I said, scratching at the back of my neck. "I shouldn't boss you around like that."
Even then, I caught Sunset putting the packs of healthier things back out of the corner of my eye. I decided to just let it go and bite my tongue.
Once we got to the front of the supermarket, I helped Sunset set the groceries on the little conveyor belt and watched it slowly glide across the surface. Little beeps rang out as the woman at the register scanned the items. I found myself staring at the tabloids on the shelves.
According to the magazine on the top shelf, the reason Spitfire has been out of the public eye was because she's pregnant. That probably would have hurt her chances to keep the Daring Do role had it not been a total lie.
My thoughts were cut off as I heard a much more alarming beep. I turned to see Sunset hovering over the card reader. She swiped her card, and the same noise came out from it.
"Must be something with the bank," Sunset explained, trying the card again. Same thing. Sunset chuckled. "I probably have cash or another card," she mumbled, looking in her bag. She seemed to search for a while for her wallet.
"I got it." I gestured behind me as I dug into my own bag. "There's a line."
"Y-you don't have to," Sunset stammered. "It's a lot."
I glanced at the register. It was only about a hundred bucks worth of groceries. If anything, I don't think it was enough. She was probably just being modest.
"It's fine. You can pay me back later." I reached over her and swiped my own debit card.
We helped the clerk bag up the items and I helped Sunset load her groceries into the same cart she used for groceries. However, I couldn't help but notice how quiet Sunset was while we packed the food.
"Something up?"
Sunset shook her head. "No."
The walk back to her apartment was pretty quiet.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
I played some music on my phone as Sunset and I packed away her grocery haul. There was some dancing involved. I slipped a sack of cereal into the cupboard, my shoulders popping to the beat. Sunset squeezed past me with a little shimmy to drop a jug of milk into the fridge. She blew past me again and bounced on the tips of her feet, mumbling along with the tune. With tubs of ice cream in tow, she bumped her hip against mine to push through and laughed as she threw them into the top freezer.
"I like this," I said with a hum. "I feel like an adult."
"I am an adult." Her voice was flat. "Though, it is nice to do adult things with someone."
"Adult things," I repeated. "You mean errands?"
"Yeah that," Sunset said. "Errands."
"Errands." I scanned the floors of her living room. It could use some vacuuming. "Got any more?"
Sunset gestured towards a pile of envelopes on the counter. "Want to pay my bills?"
"Do you need money?" The room got quiet, and I felt stupid for asking.
"No." Sunset's curls shook with her head. "It was a joke."
"Right." I forced a laugh. "So how about dry cleaning?"
"Dry cleaning?" She cocked her head and pointed to her later jacket hanging on the back of a chair. "I guess my jacket."
I snapped my fingers. "Yes! That!" I rushed over to it and lifted it high into the air.
"H-hey wait!" She ran after me.
I caught a weird smell. "Oh, jeez, when was the last time you got it cleaned?"
Sunset laughed awkwardly as she swiped the jacket back and slipped it on. "Uh..."
"Please don't tell me you haven't washed it since you bought it." There I was being judgy again. Stop, Twilight.
"Of course not." She sniffed the inside of her jacket and winced. "Though, I guess it wouldn't hurt to get it cleaned."
"Oh!" I hopped in place. "We can make a checklist of things that need to get done around your place!" I scrambled for my bag, pulling out a little notepad just for checklists. I clicked my pen repeatedly.
Sunset plucked the pen from my grip. "I did laundry and went grocery shopping on the same day. I'm all chored out."
"We can prep for next time," I said.
"Alright, go for it," she said, handing back the pen. "Who am I to get between you and your checklists?"
I let out a squee as I scanned her apartment. It was a fixer-upper of course, but now that I was here, we could make it feel more cozy. "One. Deep clean the apartment. Vacuuming, dusting, getting rid of junk."
"Yeah, that's not happening today."
"Two," I tapped the pen again my chin. I noticed a textbook propping up a chair's uneven leg. "Throw out that chair."
"It's still good." As if to prove her point, she took a seat on it and smirked. That dimple was her best argument.
I still added it to the list. "Are you going to fight me on everything?"
"I thought you liked debate." She stuck her tongue out, and I did it back.
From then on, she didn't really protest when I jotted down on the list. It was simple stuff really, all subsets of deep cleaning--stuff like washing windows, scrubbing down the kitchen. Even her bathroom was remarkably clean. Though, Sunset admitted to a bad habit of leaving her towels on the floor for too long. I continued my way down the cramped apartment, making my way to her bedroom.
It hadn't changed all that much since I was last here. Sunset was still sleeping on an air mattress. I hadn't noticed until now, but the dresser was pretty beat up, and the one bookshelf didn't even match the only other piece of furniture.
"Bedroom makeover," I noted. "It's got a lot of potential. Have you ever thought about getting an actual bed and bedframe?"
"Why?"
"It'll make your room look so much better," I explained, gesturing towards the room in general. "Even some curtains would go a long way."
Sunset scoffed. "I don't need it. I only come in here to sleep." She kicked at the air mattress. It wobbled in place. "Even then, I like sleeping on my couch better. It's comfier, and the TVs there."
"It is comfy once you position yourself around the lumps," I said with a nod. My nose scrunched. "Can you open the window? Something smells."
"The neighbors," Sunset said, nearly cutting me off with her quick response. "They smoke like crazy. And the walls are hella thin."
"Oh, right. Gross." I responded, remembering that Sunset didn't have the nicest of apartments in the nicest of areas. Still, it was very impressive that she was this independent at her age. For some reason, everyone seemed to coddle me. "Totally get it."
"How about we go to your place?" Sunset suggested, leading me out of her room, practically dragging me out. "It'll let the apartment air out."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"Oh, hey, my parents left some money," I jumped towards the kitchen counter, pocketing the envelope they usually filled with cash whenever they left town for work. "Dinner's on me. Pizza?"
"Sounds great." Sunset collapsed onto my couch. "Oh, sweet Celestia, your couch is so much comfier than mine. It's not faaaaaair."
"Plain cheese sound good?"
"It reclines!" Sunset kicked her feet up. "Oh, and cupholders! This couch is mine now. Expect it to go missing."
Spike jumped up onto her lap. "Yeah, pizza's good for me, too."
"Spike." I took a seat next to them, tapping away at the order on my phone. "I said no more human food for you. My parents spoiled you enough already. We need to slim you down."
He whimpered and pawed at the air. "I promise I'll start tomorrow. I can't have eaten my last slice of pizza without knowing it was my last."
"You and me both, buddy." Sunset rubbed at his fat belly. "You're outnumbered, Twi."
"Don't listen to him. He's done this before."
Sunset held Spike up by the forelegs. "Look this little cutie in the eyes and tell him he's not allowed to eat."
Spike put on his best set of puppy-dog eyes, and Sunset mimicked his expression.
"Fine. One slice." I sent in the order. "Savor it, Spike. We're restarting the vet's workout plan, tomorrow."
"You're so mean." Sunset laughed, setting him back down. "If I had a puppy, I'd spoil it so much until it's a big fat blob that I'd have to carry from room to room."
"You know what?" Spike jumped off her lap and onto mine. "That workout plan's starting to sound real good right now."
I scratched at his ear. "Have you thought about getting a pet?"
"For sure." She nodded. "But getting a pet's a pretty big commitment."
"Am I a commitment, Twilight?" Spike asked.
"You're more than a commitment, Spike."
"Uh, thanks?" He scrunched his nose. I didn't blame him. Even I wasn't too sure what that was supposed to mean.
I put on a movie to pass the time until the pizza arrived. Just as it was getting good, there was a knock at the door. I groaned but forced myself off the couch. I paid, tipped well, and now had dinner for the three of us.
"Hey, Sunset, can you grab some sparkling water from the fridge?"
She slid off the couch. "Sparkling water for Ms. Sparkle coming up."
She disappeared into the kitchen while I set the pizza on the coffee table. It was a lovely margherita pizza from my favorite place downtown. A little pricey--actually, very pricey--but today seemed like a splurging kind of night. Plus, I had to make yesterday up to Sunset somehow. The best pizza in Canterlot was a good start.
"Dude, you could've told me you already had a bunch of food at home," Sunset said as she made her way back to the living room. "I could have made us some--The heck is that?"
"Pizza!" I backed away from the pie, its heat steaming my glasses. Thankfully the subject changed before I had to admit that I couldn't cook to save my life.
"That's not pizza." She took a sip of sparkling water before waving her bottle around. "Where's all the cheese, the grease, the excessive portions?! It's not pizza unless you're eating it for leftovers for the next few days."
She had a point.
"Don't write it off just yet." I grabbed a slice and held it to her mouth. "Eat before you judge. It's the perfect pizza. "
Sunset took a bite, and I watched her eyes light up to the taste. "Okay you win," she said, mouth still full. A bit of sauce dribbled from her lip.
I grinned. "See?"
"Now I'm a bit jealous that one of those beautiful, beautiful slices is going to a dog."
"I'll have you know I'm more than a dog." Spike gnawed at his own slice, stretching out a long string of cheese. "I'm a commitment."
We spent the rest of the night watching musicals, the highest form of art.
And once again, we pushed our bodies in how long we could stay awake. I hadn't bothered to check the time. I didn't have anything going on tomorrow--or was it today?--Sunday. I had nothing going on Sunday except maybe spending the entire day with her.
"My daydream," Sunset hummed, sounding as if she was fighting sleep herself.
"Hmm?"
She nestled into my shoulder, still sounding sleepy. "You called me that in your project. 'My angel. My daydream.'"
"Oh! Um..." I felt my cheeks heat up. "I meant it. After the Games, you gave me something to look forward to, someone to look up to."
"Can you... Can you say it out loud?"
"You're my angel, Sunset Shimmer," I said as I felt her breath shorten. "My daydream."
"I spent all last night reading that part." She sighed and melted into my side. "I think I just needed to hear it in your voice."
Even if it was the drowsiness getting to her, it felt nice for her to hold onto me for once. I hoped she felt as safe as I did when I held onto her.
She took in a quick breath and shut her eyes. "I want to take you to the Spring Fling. Will you go with me?"
"Of course." I held her tighter. "I'd love to."
"And I want you to be wearing the crown."
"You deserve it," I said back.
I could feel her hesitation. "I'll think about it," she said. "Just know I'm trying to be better. I just don't know if it will be on time to earn it for the Fling."
"You're already perfect."
Sunset didn't respond, and I figured she had fallen asleep.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
I woke up the next morning to my phone's latest alarm. It was 11:11 on a lazy Sunday morning, and it certainly felt that way. There was a gross feeling in my mouth that was unique to going to sleep without brushing. I tried to wash it away with a quick sip of whatever was left of my water, but most of it seemed to fall on my shirt.
I reached around for my glasses and felt myself ease as I slowly slipped them on.
Everything was perfectly still. Spike lay on the floor, nestled into the rug like it was a blanket. I found Sunset curled up into the couch, and I was content to just watch her sleep for a little bit. Spike eventually woke up and jumped up next to me.
"Don't you feel a little creepy just watching her sleep?" he asked, yawning as he stretched out his legs.
"We're dating. That makes it cute now."
"Ah, I think I get it now. It's like when I'd watch over you when you slept. Protecting you and stuff."
"Yes, it's just like that." I giggled and rubbed at his head. "Except that she doesn't need protecting. She just floats above it all."
Spike hummed sleepily. "Like an angel."
"Like an angel," I repeated. "I'm glad you're finally seeing what I am."
Sunset took in a sharp breath, but she seemed to still be asleep. A bit of drool hung from her lip, and she crinkled her nose before burying it deeper into the pillow.
"What time is it?" Her face was scrunched into a cute squint.
"Eleven."
That shocked her awake. She dragged her palms down her face. "Oh, damn it, I'm gonna be late for work." She forced herself up and rushed to slip on her boots that she left by the door. She checked her phone and combed through her hair with her free hand. "Should have just enough time to run home and change."
"Work?"
She cocked her head. "Yeah, how do you think I pay for rent?"
I hummed. "I guess I never really thought about it."
"Lucky you."
I couldn't quite read her tone. I decided to move past it. "So, where do you work?"
"NDA." She had the most smug grin.
"That doesn't even apply here!" I tossed a throw pillow at her. "Seriously, I'd love to drop by one day."
"That's exactly why I won't tell you. Because whatever you think it is, it's much lamer," Sunset answered. She came back to the couch to claim her jacket (but not before planting a quick kiss on my forehead)."I'd rather keep the mystery alive."
"Please let me have this one?" I put my hands together in a mock prayer and spilled over the arm of the couch.
"Fine." Sunset had her hands in her pockets. "I'm a waitress."
"Uniform?"
Sunset was already halfway out the door. "Yes. It's adorable, and no you can't see me in it."
She winked as she left the house, and I spent the rest of the day doodling Sunset in waitress uniforms. |
The Sunlight Theory | The Looking Glass Self | "Good morning, Wondercolts! It's time for today's morning announcements."
There was a collective groan across the cafeteria. It wasn't often that Vice Principal Luna did the morning updates, but when she did, it came with the same booming radio voice everyone hated and was always followed by some terrible news. We probably hated the voice more.
Now that I thought about it, that wasn't all that bad of a strategy to deliver bad news.
"Effective today, snacks and sugary drinks are temporarily banned in the classrooms. As such, we will be conducting locker room searches throughout the day for any more contraband."
"What!?" Pinkie Pie jumped from her seat, her daily breakfast lollipop hanging out of her mouth. That didn't stop her from speaking her piece. "The school handbook clearly states that students are to be given a minimum twenty-four hours of notice before any changes to snacking privileges!"
"She can't hear you," Rainbow heckled from across the table.
"This change to snacking privileges came after an emergency call from weekend custodial staff regarding an ant infestation in certain student's lockers filled with Valentine's Candy. Your notice was posted on the Wondercolts MyStable page Saturday morning in accordance to the school handbook."
"Who the heckie reads the school MyStable?" Pinkie Pie stuck her tongue out at the speaker. I fought the urge to let her know that I did, which was why I had switched to water this morning instead of my usual orange juice.
Vice Principal Luna clicked her tongue.
"On an unrelated note, Pinkamena Diane Pie please report to the principal's office."
Pinkie bit down on her lollipop and chewed. "Yeah, that's fair."
"Oooh, you're in trouble," Rainbow hummed through a snide grin. Pinkie shot back with finger guns as she flicked the lollipop stick into the trash and moonwalked away from our table.
Rarity stepped up to the table and took a sip of a plastic cup of coffee that was almost certainly the reason why she was nearly late. "Shouldn't you be emptying your locker, Rainbow?" The whipped cream threatened to spill out her cup's domed lid.
Rainbow Dash scooped the excess cream with her finger then licked it. She scrunched her nose. "Your fancy coffee probably has more sugar than my locker."
"I wasn't talking about sugar."
"Oof, you're right." Rainbow stood up, spilling her carton of chocolate milk over. "Uh, bathroom," she announced to the rest of us before grabbing her backpack and rushing out the cafeteria.
"Degenerates, the lot of them," said my bi, biker girlfriend as she wiped up the spill with a napkin.
Rarity turned her attention back to the table, specifically staring down both me and Sunset. She slid onto the bench and leaned in, holding her head up with both her hands. "So! How did it go?"
"Ask Twilight, she had an itinerary planned down to the minute."
Rarity's head whipped towards me, and I felt like I had been thrown under a spotlight. Luckily, I had come to school prepared for the inevitable interrogation. I reached into my bag and pulled out a little printed schedule. (A copy of course. The real one was taped inside my diary.)
She snatched the sheet from my fingertips, ripping the paper slightly with her awe-inspiring speed and force. Fluttershy and Applejack leaned over her shoulders.
Rarity slapped her palms against the table. "Wait, why does this whole section say 'redacted'!?"
Sunset only laughed, and Rarity looked through me like she was trying to decipher the secrets of the universe in my eyes. "Girls, you can't just not tell me these things!"
"Sorry." Sunset said with a shrug, her tone betraying her entirely. "I wish I could, but Twilight made me sign a contract."
"A contract?" Rarity's face finally had a color to it. "T-Twilight, I would have never guessed you were the type of woman to--on the second date?"
"Whatever you're thinking," Sunset put her arm around my shoulder, "it was that and more."
"Ahah-haaah."
If I had just met Rarity now, I would have assumed her natural skin tone was red.
Applejack hooked her arm around Rarity's. "I'm gonna take her to the nurse's office. Think she might've popped a vein or something."
"Here, let me help," Fluttershy said, taking Rarity's other shoulder. "I know which smelling salt she likes."
That left me and Sunset alone. If the cafeteria bench had a back to it, she'd be leaning on it. "She took it a lot better than I thought she would."
"What exactly was she imagining?" I asked.
Before I got an answer, Principal Luna continued. "For the final announcement, I'd like to remind everyone that the Spring Fling Pageant sign-ups begin this week. Any students interested have until five PM on Friday to register in the Principal's office."
I looked over to Sunset and vaguely gestured towards the speaker. I didn't even need to say anything as she simply said, "I'm still thinking on it."
I nodded, even if it was a little frustrating, but I reminded myself that she was genuine. "Which way are you leaning?"
"A hard maybe."
"I'll sign up if you do." I flashed her a smile that I hoped was reassuring. "If it's bad as you make it out to be, we'll suffer through it together."
She chuckled and looked away, but she seemed to really consider it that time. "Strong perhaps."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"Oh, you exist!"
My brother laughed. "As if I don't hear it enough from Cady."
"Sorry, couldn't resist," I said as I nearly leapt into my BBBFF's arms. If it wasn't for the giant box of food, I would have let him fireman's carry me back into the living room. "What's all this for? Mom and Dad are only out for a few days."
"You know her. Any excuse to feed people. Better you get some before it all goes to me," Shining said as he breezed past me and set my next month's worth of meals on the kitchen counter. He turned to me and put his hands on his hips. "So, my fiancee's a narc and asked me to put the fear of Celestine in you."
I nodded, quickly piecing together where this conversation was heading. I patted the couch cushion next to me, and he took the offer. "It was just one night."
From the smile on his face, I could tell he was proud. "One night, sure. Unless you put it in context."
"Which was?"
He started counting on his fingers, which I figured was the only way he could count (judgy!). "Transfers out of prep school, suddenly likes chicks on motorbikes, breaks her leg in a motorcycle accident, joins a rock band, starts sneaking out at night."
"Okay, I get it." I pushed his shoulder. "When you put it that way..."
"It sounds like I have a cool little sister."
"You think I'm cool?"
"Nah, I know better."
This time I punched him, and he laughed it off. Although to be fair, he was a firefighter, and I still didn't think he was cool.
"Okay, serious big brother here." He swiped his palm down over his face, brushing off his smile. "Cadance is concerned that you might be hanging around some bad influences."
"She said that?"
"You know how she worries." He gestured back to my rations for the year. "She thought you'd starve if I didn't bring you food."
At least I had meals I could use to impress Sunset for the week. "Well, thank you for looking out for me, I guess."
"Just promise me you won't get into too much trouble." He sunk deeper into the couch and chuckled. "This is probably my first parenting test."
"A for effort," I answered, reclining against the arm of the couch and intentionally hogging up as much space as I could. "Wait, does that mean?"
He nodded. "After the wedding, me and Cadance will be trying. Gates'll be open."
I cringed and kicked at his shoulder. "The point of a euphemism is to make it less gross. Could you have phrased it any worse?"
"Yeah, actually."
I continued to kick at him and pointed towards the door. "Out. Out of my house!"
"Fine." Shining was slow as he rose to his feet, seemingly satisfied with his attempt to rein me in and annoyingly unbothered by my attacks. "I'll go to my own house, where the gates are open."
"Out!" I tossed a throw pillow at him. "And don't forget to call Mom.You'll probably be back at work by the time they get back."
Shining gave me a quick thumbs up as he swiped one of my tupperware meals to go. My phone buzzed in my pockets, and I jumped to reach for it.
"Your girlfriend?" he teased, mouthful of chicken carbonara.
"It's probably one of my bad influences," I countered, only realizing just then that it might have been a little too mean. He was only looking out for what he thought was best for me. That's all I could ever ask from my BBBFF.
I gave him a quick salute, which he took as his signal to leave. I focused back on my phone and felt all my defenses melt as I saw that it was Sunset.
Then I quickly realized it was a mistake as I read the message.
A campfire, shielding me from midnight. My daydream. I'll always be dreaming.
Oh, dear goddess she found the poetry.
On instinct, I screamed and threw my phone across the room. A few seconds after, I buried my head in my hands once I processed what I had just done.
I crawled over to my phone and scanned the damage. Sure enough, the corner was chipped, and a long crack trailed down the side of the screen. I took a deep breath. I could get it repaired with the money my parents left me. If I dipped into the money I saved from my allowance, I could even buy a new one, and no one would have to know.
Another message came in, and I strained to read it.
First thing tmrw I'll sign up
I held my phone to my chest. She was doing it for me. When I pulled it away to look at the message again, the broken glass stabbed into my finger. Yeah, I needed to at least get it fixed.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"Dean Cadenza thinks Sunset might be a bad influence."
I took a sip from my smoothie, giving Lemon Zest and Sunny Flare a chance to respond. They had been kind enough to come with me to the mall and keep me company while I got my phone repaired.
"Dude," Lemon Zest leaned in, "your girlfriend's an awesome influence. Just follow her lead, and you'll be so much cooler."
"What do you mean by that?" I already knew the answer. I couldn't help but be a little annoyed that this was the second time today someone called me uncool.
"Your girl rides a motorcycle, plays in a rock band..." Lemon glanced over to Sunny Flare, "...gay."
"She's bi, actually," I corrected.
Lemon grinned. "Even better. That, like, checks all of Sunny's boxes."
Sunny rolled her eyes. "My standards are not that low."
"How come I fit the first two then?" Lemon flashed a grin. "Working on the third. The other day, Sugarcoat's hand accidentally brushed against my knee in chem, and I didn't hate it."
"First of all: no." Sunny huffed. "Second, mopeds don't count. And third, your emo band has to at least release one song before they break up."
"We're not emo," Lemon protested, pointing her finger in the air. "Self Titled Band is a punk band that talks about their feelings sometimes."
"Big difference," I said, nodding.
Sunny groaned. "No difference. And your band's name is stupid."
Lemon clutched her chest and gasped. "I'll have you know 'Self Titled Band's Self Titled Single from Self Titled Band's Self Titled Album: Self Titled Band's Self Titled Album' is a chart topper waiting to happen."
Sunny pinched her nose. "Twilight, why don't you go check to see if your phone's ready? I don't want you to be a witness for when I kill Lemon Zest."
"Avenge me, Twilight." Lemon Zest gave me one last smile to remember her by.
I made sure to take my smoothie with me as I left the crime scene. No need to leave DNA evidence. By the time I got to the little electronics shop in the corner of the mall, my phone was ready and looked like I hadn't smashed it into pieces. Had to keep up appearances as breaking my first smartphone while I only had it for a few months was not a good look.
The first thing I did when I got my phone back was text Sunset.
Hey, do you think you can teach me to ride your bike?
I didn't get her response until I joined back up with Lemon and Sunny.
Yea no. I'd rather u live, was her answer
But it'd make me look so cool.
Get a car license first then we'll see
I smiled down at my phone. It wasn't a no.
Can't talk anymore, at work rn.
See you tomorrow, I sent back. Bright and early.
Brite n early, she responded.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
Sunset made sure to pick me up bright and early alright. The revving of her bike's engine was my alarm clock, beating mine by a good half hour. I slipped out of bed and ambled to the window, groaning as I stared down at my girlfriend, who was happily waiting in my driveway.
"You're going to wake the neighborhood."
"Bright and early!" Sunset yelled back. Even under her helmet, I could tell she was grinning. "First thing in the morning. CHS opens its doors in thirty."
I slammed the window shut. Two could play at that game. I slipped back under the covers and retreated under its warmth. She could wait out in the cold for all I cared. I had a sleep schedule to keep consistent.
Of course, that plan backfired rather quickly. My power nap ended prematurely as I was forced awake by someone shaking my shoulder.
It was Sunset.
Oh, dear goddess. It was Sunset.
I sat up, meeting face to face with her. She was wearing my glasses. She was cute. Cute, but blurry.
She laughed. "Yeah, there's no way I'm trusting you with my bike. You're practically blind."
I swiped my glasses off her face. "Contacts are a thing."
"Honestly, I don't see why you're so eager to break that other leg."
I shoved her off the bed with my good leg as she cackled all the way to the ground. Then I noticed that she was spending a suspicious amount of time on the floor.
"What are you doing?" I asked, slipping on my glasses.
"Where's the hard copy?" she asked from under my bed.
"Of?" I groaned once I realized what she was getting at. "Shredded, and recycled in the proper receptacle."
"Boo." Sunset popped up at the edge of the bed and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Hurry up and get ready before I change my mind. I'll be waiting downstairs on my couch."
After I took care of the abridged version of my morning routine, I met Sunset downstairs. She was toying with her phone and making herself at home on the couch.
"What made you want to sign up?" I paused for a moment as I jumped the last step. "And do not say the poetry."
"It was the poetry," she answered, and I unfortunately had to take that as the truth, as embarrassing as it was. "And a bunch of other things."
"Like?"
From the way she bit down on her lip, I knew she was debating on answering. "I wanted to do something for you. Y'know, after you put so much effort into our Valentine's date, I felt so guilty storming out like that. And I know it doesn't seem like much, but trust me, if you knew."
I held her hands and braced myself for when the walls came up. "You can tell me."
"Someday." The answer came out like a sigh, as if it took every bit of willpower to say it. "Someday," she said again, this time with a little more firmness in her voice.
She was trying, and she was doing it for me. That was all I needed to know at the moment.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
Sunset stopped in front of Principal's Celestia's office. She looked to me like she was expecting me to give her permission or an excuse to back out. We stood there for about a minute. I watched her roll her shoulders as she took in air through her nose. Was she... nervous?
No. Never.
She opened the door and waited for me to enter first. Inside, Principal Celestia hovered over a fresh cup of coffee. From the her slouched position, it seemed like she needed the morning pick me up.
"Oh, Twilight, Sunset." Principal Celestia put on a smile, powering through her morning grogginess. "May I help you with anything?"
Sunset matched her with her own polite smile. She stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Yeah, actually... Twilight and I were thinking about signing up for the Spring Fling pageant."
Principal Celestia seemed to brighten up at her answer. "Oh, wonderful." She clapped her hands together before shuffling the messy assortment of papers on her desk as she dug around for signup sheet. You'd think the principal would have everything in order. But for a woman named after the sun herself, she seemed to not be a morning person. (Stop. Being. Judgy!) "I was worried that neither of you would sign up. Having former princesses makes the competition all the more interesting."
She gestured to the wall of photos, and I quickly realized they were pictures of the previous winners. One of them was me (well, the princess version of me), and there was a story there, one that I only knew part of. Even then, I wasn't sure if anyone would ever tell me the full story. Someday, I had to remind myself.
Then I realized that there were a lot of pictures of Sunset, and I couldn't not investigate.
"Oh my gosh." I stepped up to a particular picture. "Is that you as a freshman?"
Sunset dropped onto the seat across from the principal's desk. "Yeah, pretty cute, huh?"
"Those cheeks! That dress!" I traced the golden sash with my finger. The sophomore and junior photos were fine--but baby Sunset! I couldn't help but take a picture on my phone. I needed it, and it would make us even. Pageant pic for pageant pic.
Sunset only sank deeper into the chair, likely from embarrassment.
"It was the first time in school history a freshman was crowned Fall Formal Princess," Principal Celestia noted. "It was a unanimous vote, too. Also unprecedented."
With those eyes how could it not? It looked like she was genuinely touched to be named princess by her peers. With the absolute surprise in her eyes, there was no way she could have expected winning.
"Found it!" Sunset announced, dragging out the sign up sheet from under a stack of papers.
"Thank you, Sunset," the principal said. "As I was saying, today's the last day for signups, and I'm glad you two are here. I'd like to have as many quality candidates I can get to bolster the current line up."
"Lyra Heartstrings and Trixie Lulamoon," Sunset read. She looked to me. "Can we not sign up? Honestly, seeing those two face off would be a riot."
I sent her a look. "Sunset."
"Fine." She scribbled her name down and pushed it over to me. Even her handwriting was perfect. I signed my name just under hers and set it back on the desk. "I'm not going easy on you, just so you know, Miss Summer Sun."
I laughed. "Bring it on."
"I'm expecting good things from the both of you," Principal Celestia said."Especially you, Sunset Shimmer."
Sunset Stood up, and I could tell she wanted to leave. "Yeah, of course."
"Don't think I haven't noticed that you've been making an honest effort since last semester," the principal said. This time her smile was genuine. "I'm sure the rest of the student body would agree."
Sunset nodded. We met eyes for a moment before she addressed Celestia. "You can thank Twilight and the girls. They see the best in me."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"So a little birdie told me you've signed up for the Spring Fling Pageant." Rarity slid in next to me on the lunch table.
Fluttershy sat to my right. "Well, the birdie told me. Then I told Rarity."
"Word travels fast." I looked down at my lunch. There was a corner of food that I left for Sunset to sample, but she seemed to be running late. Rainbow was usually last to show up, and even she beat Sunset here. "What else did you hear?"
"Sunset's also running," Rarity said. "Which, after the Fall Formal, I'm surprised she has any desire to... Is there something you wanted, Trixie dear?"
There was a presence hanging behind me, and I would have jumped if it didn't mean accidentally uppercutting Trixie with my shoulder. Instead, I recoiled to the side, brushing into Fluttershy.
"Trixie is simply scouting the new competition." She analyzed every inch of me, and I felt the need to put on a sweater. Her brows contorted, and I wasn't sure if I needed to say anything to get her to stop.
"Afraid Twilight's gonna give you some stiff competition?" Applejack asked.
Trixie shook her head. "No, she poses no threat. Trixie is more concerned with Twilight Sparkle's..." She paused, and her brow bent again like she was searching for the right word. "Lover."
That was probably the worst word.
"Dude, you're making it weird." Rainbow's face scrunched up.
"It is only prudent to be concerned with any..." Trixie paused again, and I feared the next word. "...collusion affecting Trixie's chances of earning her rightful title as Miss Wondercolt."
Rainbow shrugged. "Take it up with the Spring Fling planning committee."
"Whomst is?"
Pinkie Pie's hand shot up. "Oh, oh, she's me! And I see no problem with it. Sunset Shimmer is, like, suuuuper-duuuuuuper competitive, so there's no way she's just gonna let Twilight win.
"And Twilight once tried to return a juice box when Lunch Lady Smith accidentally gave her two, which is, like, the most self-control I've ever seen--because: Two. Juice. Boxes! Who could ever turn that down? So there's no way she'd try to cheat. She just doesn't have it in her.
"Oh, and just the idea of two girlfriends competing, womano-a-womano, for Ms. Wondercolt is just so-so-soooo cute. They could make cute little bets like 'loser pays for lunch' or 'loser kisses the winner.' How could I not allow it?"
"This whole thing is rigged," Trixie concluded with a huff. She balled her hands into fists. "No matter. It'll just make my victory all the sweeter, and The Great and Powerful Trixie will be the greatest and most powerful-est Spring Fling Princess the school's ever had." She stuck her nose up and stomped away.
"For just one day, I'd love to feel the confidence she has in herself," Rarity commented. "Where were we?"
"Sunset versus Twilight, round two" Applejack answered.
"The Dusk Bowl!" Rainbow Dash punched at the air.
"The Sunlight Series!" Pinkie cheered. She swung an imaginary bat and grinned.
"Right. That." Rarity laid her palms on the table. "Considering the pageant is a competition, based on popularity..." She held her arm out and rolled her wrist, expecting me to extrapolate for her.
"Oh. Makes sense." I nodded. "I guess I'm on my own."
Rarity put her hands on mine. "Goodness, no. Of course you'll have our support, darling. It's just that Sunset will, too. Though I suppose the only appropriate action would be to abstain entirely."
Rainbow Dash snickered. "Prude."
Rarity glanced down at the plastic knife on her tray. "Besides, I've already started sketching up what you'll be wearing for the formal wear category. It'll be equally as fabulous as the one I'm drawing up for Sunset. You get what I'm saying, dear?"
"Yeah, I think I do." I slouched a bit. "But Sunset's Sunset. She doesn't need the help."
"It still ain't right picking favorites anyways," Applejack added."We'll support ya, but it's not like we'll pull out all the stops and do a whole musical number."
"Yep. Totally." Pinkie bounced in her seat. "Also, we kinda already blew our best material on the other you at the Fall Formal."
"It was a wicked-sweet flashmob, though." Rainbow pounded a beat on the tabletop with her fists.
I nearly choked. "The other me got a musical number!?"
Life wasn't fair.
Fluttershy smiled. "Oh, yes. It was lovely seeing the whole school come together and join in."
"The whole school did it?"
"I think I might still have the video," Fluttershy said, digging into her bag for her phone.
"No thanks." I shook my head. "I don't think I can handle the jealousy right now. Did Sunset get one, too?"
Rarity smiled awkwardly. "Uh, it's a complicated story."
"Sorry I'm late, girls." Sunset Shimmer stopped at the edge of the table, and everyone turned to greet her. She smiled at us as she chewed through a mouthful of gum. "Had to move my bike. Did I miss anything?"
Rarity lifted herself up from the table with her hands, grabbing control of the conversation. "Oh, you came right at the perfect time. I was just telling Twilight how I was already planning your formal wear for the Spring Fling Pageant."
Sunset stepped back. "Oh, seriously? Rare, you don't have to."
"Oh, it's nothing," Rarity waved her wrist. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a few designs burning in my sketchpads since freshman year's Spring Fling."
Sunset stared at her shoes. "Of course."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
Since I couldn't rely on the girls to advise me through the pageant process, I decided to consult the one person who I could always trust:
Myself.
Summoning Princess Twilight was a surprisingly, almost insultingly simple process. I waited till most of the other students had gone home for the day. Then I grabbed a rock from the school's lawn and threw it into the base of the still broken Wondercolt statue. It was my little method of letting the other me know that I wished for an audience with the princess.
Most of the time, the rock just bounced off the marble, but it didn't take long before I figured out the exact hours the portal was open by tracking the lunar phases from my telescope at home. It was simple pattern recognition, really, but it seemed to impress the other me for a moment before she told me that she could open it literally any time she wanted via magic.
I took a seat and passed the time watching puppies fail at running obstacle courses on my phone. Usually, I attached a note to the rock for a later meeting time and place, but I only wanted a quick chat. Sunset was also at work, and I didn't have anything going on after school, so I didn't mind waiting for our much needed Twilight Time.
The other me eventually emerged from the portal, and I jumped up to meet her. I swiped the dirt off the back of my skirts just glad that she didn't toss the rock back, which was her way of letting me know she was too busy to talk. Of course, I could never blame her, she was a busy princess after all.
"Spike says to start under-handing the rocks when you throw them into the portal."
"He said hands?"
"Claws, actually, and I had to practice not saying hoof a couple times."
She cracked a smile, and I mirrored her. Then we hugged it out for a moment to catch up for the lost time. I didn't want to say it out loud, but it felt more like getting hugged by an older sister than myself, which I figured made it feel less weird.
"So, how did your date with Sunset go?" She asked, eyes lit.
"It went great. Actually, we're--"
"Girlfriends now, I know," she interrupted, seemingly just as excited as I was. "Sorry, it's just that Sunset already told me everything."
Right. The magic journal. Sunset Shimmer could write to the other me any time she wanted. She had access to the literal perfect pony princess version of myself--the one she knew for longer and was from her home dimension--yet she still said yes to the "me" me.
Why?
Even more baffling was that Sunset would talk about me to the other me.
"Everything? Oh jeez, I hope not."
She shrugged. "It's not that bad. Sunset just comes to me for advice sometimes. Like any of my other students. And I'd be lying if I wasn't curious about you two."
"Don't you find it kind of... weird she's telling you about yourself."
She waved it off. "Well, it was odd at first. But I got over it once I figured out that we're basically different people."
That was possibly the worst thing I could have heard from her. My shoulders sunk. "Actually, that's part of the reason why I called you over."
"Oh, okay," Twilight led me over to the stairs leading up to the school and sat down. "What's up?"
"Sunset and I signed up for the Spring Fling Pageant."
"Oh, that's wonderful," she said. "I know it'll be good for Sunset--oh, and you too, of course. It's just that she's come so far since the Fall Formal."
"Principal Celestia said the same thing." I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to ask, but I did it anyway. "Did something happen last semester?"
Princess Twilight's face scrunched, and I closely watched the mind of a friendship master at work. Though I did wonder if I made the same face when I was thinking. "Did she not tell you?"
"No one wants to talk about it. Even the girls. They just say it's for the better. All I know was that there was magic involved, and that it was kind of like when I..."
I still didn't want to say it out loud. Princess Twilight rubbed my shoulder and squeezed at the same place where my mom would when she'd comfort me. I appreciated the fact that she knew exactly what to do.
"As hard as it is for you to talk about it, I'm sure it's just as hard for her," she said, absolute wisdom in her voice. "Part of being a good friend--girlfriend included--is just being there for when they're ready. Until then, just try to understand her."
Someday, I reminded myself. Even then, her answer told me all I needed to know. I had so much to learn.
"Teach me how to be you!" I grabbed her hands and looked her straight in the eyes. Hers were wide, taken aback by my sudden aggression.
"You are me." She set my hands back down at my lap.
"But earlier you said I wasn't!"
She laughed. "Okay, let me amend what I just said." She paused for a moment, most likely to phrase it a bit more carefully. "We might as well be different because we're in different stages of our lives. I'm still adjusting to what it means to be a princess, and you're currently me when I was a teenager--which by the way, sweet Celestia, I'm so sorry, you poor, innocent baby."
She gave me another hug, this time holding it for much longer.
"What was that for?"
"I just thought you needed it," she said, still smiling. I hated the fact that she was right. "I know your mind must be racing with overthinking and hormones."
I cringed and clawed at my face. "Oh, gods, please don't. You should know how much I hate that word."
"Oh, I do, but I grew out of it." She grinned, and I shoved her shoulder. "And you will, too. If you're anything like me, you're gonna grow up to do great things."
I giggled. "I wanna be just like you when I grow up."
I couldn't resist. Even then, I meant it. She was like me, but if I had everything figured out. She was a princess, and whatever that meant in this world was kind of exciting to think about. I just wished that I had a small chance to even live up to her example.
She smiled again and pulled at my scrunchie, letting my hair fall down my back. "You're already on your way." |
The Sunlight Theory | Game Theory | "A beauty pageant, huh?" Sugarcoat asked. The judgement was clear in her tone as she typed on her phone, not even bothering to look up. Even then, that didn't stop her from drinking her lemonade as she leaned over the plastic table to drink. "Doesn't sound like you. Is it for a scholarship or something?"
"For fun," I said, picking at at the ice cream I ordered. I didn't want to be the only one at the table that didn't grab anything from the food court. "I'm doing it alongside my girlfriend."
"Cute!" Lemon chirped, putting her hands to her cheeks.
Sugarcoat leaned in. "How serious is it?"
I turned my head. "The competition or my relationship?"
"The pageant, dummy."
"Oh," I said. "I'd like to win, just so I can lord it over Sunset. She'd probably do the same if she won."
Sugarcoat nodded, still staring down at her screen and seemingly dictating the words of the goddess on her phone. "So you want dirt?"
"Dirt?"
"I was the head of opposition research for Fleur de Lis' class president campaign, remember?" Sugarcoat finally looked up from her phone. "You brought this up to me for a reason, didn't you?"
"What? N-no!" I stammered. "I won't do that to her."
Sugarcoat shrugged. "So? Fleur ran against her beau. We found he was cheating on her with a girl from CHS. That was..." She smiled wistfully, intertwining her fingers together. "The best."
I wiped my hands off in the lap. "No thanks, none of that, please."
Sugarcoat pouted. "Boo, your girl would have been such a fun mark. She has to have some skeletons in her closet." She snapped and pointed at the air. "I bet she smokes."
I sneered. "No she doesn't."
"A bisexual, leather jacket wearing biker chick who's in a rock band and has a preppy girlfriend," Sugarcoat listed off the cuff. "If she's not smoking something, she's not reaching her full potential."
"Thank. You." Lemon Zest clapped out both words. "Just last week, I was telling Twilight how cool her girlfriend is. She probably even has a tattoo on her ass."
"That's a given," Sugarcoat said. "The only question is what?"
"Something trashy, I bet," Indigo Zap piled on. "A butterfly. Maybe an ex's name."
"My stepmom has her ex-boyfriend's name tattooed on her back," Sour Sweet added. "It's hilarious."
"Dude, if I had a tattoo for every ex-boyfriend I had, I'd have a whole freakin' sleeve." Lemon Zest stretched her arm out and cocked her head. "Actually, that sounds pretty dope. Sunny, let me borrow your pen."
Sunny Flare rolled her eyes but humored her anyway. The rest of us just watched as Lemon started writing on her wrist.
"Jet Set, Fancy Pants, Neon Lights..."
Sugarcoat turned to me. "If you decide you want to take winning seriously. The offer still stands."
"...Rising Star, Royal Pin, Zephyr Breeze..." Lemon Zest scrunched her nose and scribbled over the last name. "Trenderhoof..."
"I don't know..." I bit my tongue then used some ice cream to soothe the pain. I wanted to know, but I'd rather Sunset tell me herself. Going behind her back wasn't right.
"Mr. Bathos..." Everyone turned to Lemon, who only looked back at us as if we were the ones who'd admitted to dating a teacher. "What?"
"The literature teacher?" Sunny Flare asked, jaw hanging.
Lemon shrugged. "Used to have the biggest crush on him freshman year. I had detention with him once during lunch, so I'm counting that as a date." She snapped her fingers as if trying to recall more names. "Sunny Flare--just future proofing here."
"You're not even into girls." Sunny crossed her arms.
"I'm into you, baby." Lemon flashed her the cheesiest grin, coupled with finger guns. "And done!" Lemon announced. Sure enough, her arm was covered in inky names written in cursive.
"That's a lot of exes," I noted, covering the obvious. Even then, I was just being judgy again. I shouldn't have even said anything.
"Don't slut shame me, dude." She showed off her arm to the others. "I think it's pretty empowering. All the boys I've told to get bent." She rubbed at a specific spot on her arm. "Except for you, Ragamuffin, you tragically fleeting, foreign exchange hottie, you."
All the other girls giggled. We spent the rest of our little hangout letting Lemon explain her dating life and how she fell in and out of love so easily. Everything from awkward matches online to perfect nights at summer camp.
Eventually, my phone went off. It was Sunset, and I suddenly remembered that I had other plans today than to experience Lemon Zest's love life.
I slung my bag over my shoulder. "Have to go, girls. I promised Sunset that we'd go together to get fitted for our pageant dresses."
"You are living your best gay life, and I'm so jealous," Sunny Flare said. She grabbed my wrist and stared me straight in the eyes. "How?"
"I asked."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"Who would have thought I'd be making you a dress for the Spring Fling again?" Rarity mused, her voice muffled slightly as she bit down on a piece of measuring tape.
Sunset winced. "Please don't remind me."
I looked up from my phone and caught a pair of unsure glances between the two. It was all I could really see from the other side of the partition.
"Water under the bridge," Rarity said with a nod, which I figured was some sort of acknowledgement of a previous conversation. "Besides, it was a hideous dress."
"Rarity."
"Sunset, don't tense up like that." Rarity stretched the tape around Sunset's shoulders. "I want this to be accurate. You've put on a healthy weight since then. Oh, you should have seen her, Twilight, such a rail thin little thing."
"Thanks, mom," Sunset said with a bite. "Care to tell her about my cutie mark?"
That's a weird term to call a birthmark.
I fought the urge to ask what happened. There was a story there, clearly. However, it seemed like neither were willing to open up that well. Actually, it was more like Sunset didn't want to talk about it. Someday was beginning to seem a lot farther off than I thought.
"Still, I'm very proud of you, Sunset." Rarity scribbled down on her note pad. "It's courageous of you to put yourself out for judgment in front of your peers again."
Comments like that only worked to dig its way into my mind. I tried my best to ignore it, but it had likely already found its place deep into some part of my subconscious.
"It's not a big deal." Sunset rolled her shoulders and raised her arms as Rarity continued to make measurements. She glanced over the partition. "Hey, Twi, you still curious about my measurements?"
I buried my face in my hands. "Sunset..."
"Inside joke, I presume?" Rarity asked.
"Yeah, you know how Twilight was when she was crushing on me."
"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad."
"You weren't exactly subtle." Sunset laughed as she turned to me. "You had it real bad for me."
I laughed defensively. "What?"
"You were like a lost little puppy following someone home," Rarity said, joining in on the teasing. "It really was obvious to everyone."
"Okay, I've officially had enough of this topic."
"Good." Sunset emerged from the partition. "Cause it's your turn to get measured up." She slipped on her jacket. "I'm gonna go out for a walk while you get fitted. I need the air." She smirked over to Rarity. "Keep it professional. She's mine."
My legs supported me a little less when she called me hers.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
I had a vague idea of what I was going to do for my performance at the Spring Fling. I was going to play piano and sing. About what, I didn't know. That became even more obvious as I sat down at the keys, something I hadn't done in a long time.
Thankfully, it felt natural to play again, even if the the last time I really sat down and practiced was before I even transferred to Canterlot High.
Most of the songs I played were love songs, unsurprisingly. They lent themselves well to the piano. It could be performed solo, for all your lonely and pining pieces. In duet, four hands dancing around and with each other. Or even accompaniment with another instrument, like the guitar, for a totally random example.
Okay, I wanted to sing love songs with my girlfriend. Sue me. If I could (trust me, I asked), I would have performed the talent portion of the pageant with Sunset. Maybe we could have "ponied up" together. Maybe I could feel what she felt.
The door to the study flew open, and my father practically dragged himself to the large recliner in the corner. As a good luck charm, he made it a habit to not shave or cut his hair while in production, but he looked much more beat up than usual.
"Welcome back!"
"Am I interrupting anything?"
I tapped a quick string of chords. "No, not really."
"Oh, you're playing again. Lovely." I could hear his smile through his beard. "Thought you dropped it after you joined your new band."
Annoyed chords. "I just had trouble finding time to practice. Now I have a good reason."
"Which is?"
"Got a new performance coming up," I answered, dancing around whether I should mention the pageant. I decided not to. "So, how's the movie coming along?"
He groaned. "I've had... a week."
I chuckled. "Sounds intense. Was it the big Mexicolt shoot?"
"No, those two months of torture are another few weeks off." His laugh was riddled with pain. He ran a hand through his greasy hair. "Every project's cursed in its own way. This one is named Yearling."
"Ouch." I closed the cover over the piano's keys. "I know she's Mom's friend and all, but if it's that bad..."
He shrugged. "Trust me, it was worse when we were younger. We've only gotten kinder with age. Besides, she's more than just a family friend. She's also your godmother."
Wait, what?
"Okay, how'd the heck did Mom talk you into that?"
"It's a long story," he said. He rubbed at his chin for a moment but continued, thankfully. "Yearling cut us out from her life when she found out your mother and I were getting married. It was ugly."
I didn't know how to process the idea of one of my favorite authors hating my parents.
He rubbed at the top of his thigh. "She shut us out because she was afraid we'd leave her behind. Of course, your mother would never let that happen, but any attempts to reconnect were shutdown."
"So what happened?" I was leaning on the piano.
"Then we had you. Your mother got the idea to ask Yearling to be your godmother. It was perfect, really. You know how writers love their symbols. Yearling took it as a declaration that she always has a spot in the family."
"Wait." Something clicked. I jumped from the piano and towards the bookshelf. I didn't have to search long to find my copy of the first Daring Do book--the one that apparently Yearling herself gave me for my birthday. I tore through to the dedication at the front: "To my goddaughter, my new light. That's me!?"
"Yeah?"
I hit him with the book. "And you never thought to bring it up!?"
He laughed. "Your mother made me swear not to share the story until you were old enough to appreciate it. Apparently, you don't yet."
"Then why now?"
He sunk deeper into the chair. "I needed the reminder. I trusted her with my baby, and she's trusting me with hers. Daring Do's a very personal character for her if you read between the lines."
I thought about it: Daring Do was fiercely independent and had trouble letting people in, mostly because they'd betray her at some point in the story. Yearling milked it for all it was worth in book four, when Daring refused to rely on others even with her broken arm.
It kind of reminded me of Sunset with how headstrong they both were.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"What'cha doin', babe?"
"Gah!" I nearly jumped from my desk, and I was also very close to throwing electronics parts everywhere. I swiveled from my chair to face her. "How'd you get in?"
"Your parent's let me in," she answered. "They look busy."
I nodded. I was surprised they even noticed Sunset coming in. They were leaving for Mexicolt soon for the on location scenes.
"Your turn to answer," she said.
"Oh, I was just tinkering."
"Is that your phone?" Sunset leaned over my shoulder and examined the neatly organized parts of what was my cellphone. "So that's why you haven't replied to any of my texts."
I offered a sheepish laugh and turned back to my project. "Sorry, I might've gotten a little carried away. I just got curious about the internal engineering after I... watched this video. Then I figured I could take my phone apart and study it myself.
"There's actually a lot of really neat tech jammed into this thing that I can incorporate in my own designs for spatial efficiency. There's a gyroscope, an accelerometer--both of which work together for the GPS--a barometer for weather apps--I don't really know why I'd need an infrared sensor on my phone, but I guess it's nice to have. Unfortunately, most of the computing parts like the memory and processor are soldered onto the motherboard, which makes it a little annoying that I can't really upgrade anything other than the battery and maybe the antenna. That's not even getting into the software.
"Like, most phones have roughly the same internals, but it's software that makes the true difference." I leaned over and carefully lifted the camera unit between two fingers and showed it to Sunset. "Take the camera, for example. The lens are made by the same few companies, but the proprietary post-processing software decides aesthetics like sharpness, color saturation, and of course, the portrait mode for all the selfies we take together. So some consumers prefer the look of one phone's pictures over the other.
"But I'm getting off-course," I said, placing the lens down. "What I found really interesting during my research about these being the same phones on the inside is that that the phone manufacturers play a strategic game with each other in terms of innovation. That's why phone screens have been getting bigger by the year. It creates the illusion of innovation.
"However, if you remember from Econ class, the question of whether to actually innovate kind of plays like the Equilibrium Problem in game theory, which I find endlessly fascinating. All the phone companies were fine with bigger screens and faster processors. Then the uPhone suddenly removed the headphone jack to push bluetooth products like wireless headphones.
"This left the other manufacturers at an impasse. Do they cooperate and keep the headphone port, position themselves as consumer friendly brands, and offer a legitimate hardware alternative to make sales since they're losing the software war? Or do they follow Citrus' example and position themselves early for the growing wireless audio market? Reminder, if they stay unified, in equilibrium, the industry-wide resistance might be enough for Citrus to course correct and return to using the jack, keeping them from gaining an advantage and the markets the same. So what did they do?
"They did the worst thing, which was act in their self interest. Some companies kept the jack and hurt themselves by losing an opportunity at market share in the bluetooth industry. The others removed the jack but didn't come close to gaining a leg up in the markets because if consumers were going to buy a jack-less phone, then they'd go with... you guessed it, the one with the most familiar software suite and operating system.
"Now all phones are slowly removing it, and the big winner in all this is Citrus as they now lead in wireless headphone sales and keep their grip on cellphone market share. Of course, this glosses over other factors like Citrus' effort into marketing itself as a luxury brand rather than just a tech comp... What?"
Sunset chuckled. It was breathy and unfocused. She shook her head, and her curls bounced with her. "Sorry, I got lost once I started thinking about how much I loved hearing you talk. You get really cute when you're excited and rambly."
"I, uh, heh, eeee, yeah. Very thank." My face burned, and all the breath left my body.
Sunset laughed again and took my hands. "That speech was the second most impressive thing you could've done with your mouth."
"What's the first?" I asked. Then she whispered impure words into my ear, and I immediately regretted it. I pushed her off. "Sunset!"
She cackled this time and took a deep breath. "Okay, but seriously, piece your phone back together. I missed texting my girlfriend." She retreated to my bed and flopped down onto it. "Sweet Cel... do you sleep on a cloud? It's been forever since I've slept on a bed this nice."
I wasn't sure how to respond, so I chose to focus on putting my phone back together instead. "So, tomorrow's the big day. You nervous?"
"Nah, odds are in our favor, right?" she responded. "I would definitely not mind losing to you."
"I wouldn't mind losing to you either."
"Sounds like a plan," she joked, nestling into my bed. "If we're still talking game theory, we can both throw the pageant and let Trixie win." She yawned. "She deserves it more than me."
"You deserve it."
"I deserve this nap," she countered. "Work nearly broke me." She rolled over onto her stomach and hugged one of my pillows. "Text me when you're done."
"Sure." I focused back onto the desk and lowered the volume of the engineering podcast I had playing on my laptop.
"Keep it on," she hummed. "It helps me sleep."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"Gah! Not so tight!"
I bit my cheek as Rarity continued to tighten the dress around me. Cutting off my blood flow certainly was one way to keep my heart from racing. The Miss. Wondercolt Pageant was about to start, and I was half-naked in the school's band room.
"Sorry, dear, I just need to make sure it's on right."
I could feel my organs slide up into my chest as she tied the back. I let out another pained yelp along with the last bit of air in my body, but that did nothing to stop her from making sure my waistline was unrealistically shapely.
"Is it being this tight really going to help me win?"
"Not at all, not that you need the help," she answered. "I'm confident that either you or Sunset will be crowned princess next week."
"What about the other girls? Surely they have a shot."
"They're not wearing my dresses," Rarity said with a smirk. "And I'm not one to gossip, but I've heard other students find Lyra a bit abrasive. The whole school also just humors Trixie's little magic tricks. They never seem to go right."
"Right." It was reassuring to hear that I at least had a shot.
"Alright." Rarity stepped back and surveyed her work, holding her chin. "Sit tight while I go help Sunset with her dress."
"You can bring her in here," I said. "You don't have to run between rooms."
Rarity shook her head. "Nope. I want to preserve some surprise for when you two step up onto the stage. I don't want either of you to see the other before it's time. I must preserve that 'whoa' moment."
"Rarity, we're not getting married."
"Funny that your thoughts went there, dear." Rarity poked at my intricately styled hair. "Besides, these dresses have nothing on the one I have sketched up for your wedding."
"M-my wedding!?" I stammered. My face felt warm. "Sunset and I haven't thought that far."
Rarity giggled. "Again, your mind went there, not mine. I just meant to say that I've sketched up a wedding dress for every one of the girls, not just you and Sunset. It's great practice, and it fills out my portfolio."
"Oh," I said sheepishly. "Okay."
She rubbed my shoulder. "Though, I suppose, I could always tweak the design in case you two do tie the knot."
My face felt like it was on fire. Rarity only giggled before ducking out the room. I wasn't sure if the blood rushing to my head was from her comments or the dress forcing it up to my cheeks like a rolled up tube of toothpaste.
Then my phone buzzed, and I awkwardly stooped over to dig it out from my bag. It was the girls from Crystal Prep, all wishing me luck at the pageant. I thanked them all before realizing that Sugarcoat had sent something different:
There's something about your girl I think you should know.
I threw my phone back into my bag, immediately knowing that I wanted nothing to do with whatever dirt she found. It buzzed again, but I just ignored it. If I lost without it, then so be it. If Sugarcoat was acting in my interest, fine I could have a talk about it with her later, but I was acting in mine.
"Trixie thought she would never leave."
My head whipped towards the source of the noise. Apparently, there was a rather large and conspicuous blue box sitting in the corner of the room. A half-second later, Trixie emerged, posing dramatically to accentuate her entrance.
"How long have you been in there?"
"Forty-five minutes."
"Oh." I hugged myself out of modesty. "Oh."
Trixie walked over to the dress on display, sized it up, and clicked her tongue.
"Uh, what are you doing?" I asked.
"Trixie is scouting the competition. Again." She pinched the shoulder of the gown and studied the fabric. "She is not impressed."
I looked over her choice of wear for the pageant's opening ceremony. "Is that what you're wearing?" I asked, too late to catch the catty judgement in my tone. I hate that they pointed it out.
"Trixie designed it herself," she said, striking another pose, stretching her arms out. The sleeves were a few inches short from her wrist, and I noticed a tear under her right arm. I hid a smirk under my hand.
"Why the sleeves?" I couldn't help it.
"Though the winter may be waning, I still prefer to keep warm." She pinched at her cuff and winked.
Nodding, I rolled my shoulders, still trying to loosen the gown. "So I take it you don't have any tricks up your sleeve?"
"Of course not. Any magic comes purely from Trixie's natural connection to the mystical forces."
"Right," I said. I leaned back into my seat. "Can you do one for me?"
"Of course." She pointed her nose to the air, keeping her chin held high. "I'll give you a taste of my routine for tonight. Perhaps it will inspire you to drop out of the competition."
She stood still for a moment and closed her eyes. She flicked her wrist, and a foul smelling liquid squirted out from her sleeve and onto the floor.
"That's it?"
"There was supposed to be smoke and fire," Trixie said, rubbing her forearm. "Certain kinks need to be ironed out. Thank you for the practice. Now if you'll excuse Trixie." She rushed towards the door. "It appears that I may have misplaced my mice."
She left the room, and I immediately brought my feet up to the seat and hugged my knees. About five or so minutes later, Rarity returned. Her nose immediately crinkled at the scent of lighter fluid.
"What's that smell?"
"Magic."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
After Rarity helped me slip on my dress (and a quick photo shoot for her portfolio), she led me down the halls and towards the back entrance of the auditorium. She held my hand the entire way through as I struggled to balance on the high heels she insisted I wear. They were much too tall for my liking, but I couldn't say no.
She brought me in for a quick hug before flicking her fingers as if she was sprinkling off drops of water. "Sending good vibes your way, dear. Best of luck."
Backstage was dim, and I could barely make out the immediate area. A lot of it was just tucked away props and lights for the school plays. Though, I did see one of the stagehands waving me over. I hobbled towards him, slowly getting better at walking.
"You're gonna stand here and enter towards center stage when they call out your name," he said in a low whisper.
"Thank you," I said, taking a deep breath.
I stood there for a few minutes as the master of ceremonies droned on about the evening's events. It was standard pageant fare with the whole formal wear, talent, and Q&A. There was no swimsuit portion, thankfully. Though, I couldn't help but wonder what Sunset would have worn.
I didn't have much time to think on it as the emcee began to call out our names. Lyra was first, then Trixie, then Sunset, and then me. I took a breath, and did my best attempt to walk out with grace and meet the others.
Whoa.
My eyes gravitated towards Sunset, who was already looking back at me. I stalled in place, which I figured was the exact reaction that Rarity was hoping for. It took me a full few seconds to continue walking as I shook my thoughts away and joined her at the front of the stage.
As the emcee droned on, I glanced towards Sunset and felt my heart speed up. I noticed she was looking back at me. We both looked at each others' dresses, admiring the outfit and the person inside it. Then I realized just how evil Rarity was: we were wearing each other's colors.
I rubbed at my elbow. "Rarity did a great job with your dress."
"I was just about to say the same thing," she whispered back. "She found a way to really bring out your curves."
My curves?
I glanced down at my dress, trying to figure out what she was talking about. I found nothing. Looking back up at Sunset, I noticed the sly smirk on her face and a stifled laugh. She winked, and I felt my face flare up. The tightness of my corset didn't even let me take in a decent breath to calm down.
"Can you two not do this on stage?" Lyra snapped, talking out the side of her mouth.
"Trixie agrees and suggests you two get a room."
I balled my hands into fists and bit the inside of my cheek. They were right. I would have much preferred to have this conversation in the privacy of a closed room. But no. My blush was on display for everyone in the auditorium to see.
These are just mind games Sunset told you straight to your face that she'd do this. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.
I looked to the audience. The rest of the girls were already in the front row. And of course, Rarity had already began snapping pictures with her phone, immortalizing my flustered face for her portfolio.
"Now that we've met out latest class of lovely ladies, let's get to know them a little better with a little Q&A!"
Okay. We were starting off simple. That I could appreciate. In my experience, I had won pageants off the Q&A portion alone. Sure, it had been a while--a long while, actually--but it couldn't have been much different. Besides, the person I wanted to like me the most was already my girlfriend. This was just for fun. Sunset seemed to be taking it in stride.
I followed the rest of the candidates towards a table set at the center of the stage and took a seat next to Sunset only to find Pinkie Pie waiting for us with a handful of flashcards in her hands (because of course she was). She bounced in place,
"Pinkie?"
"Yep, yep!" she answered with a lilt. "Get ready, cause these questions are some doozies."
"Oh, gods, not again." Lyra sunk into her seat.
"SO!" Pinkie chirped, flipping through her cards. "Let's start with some off super duper, easy-peasy questions. Everyone, why did you decide to sign up for a chance to be this year's Ms. Wondercolt?" She leaned forward and practically shoved the microphone into Lyra's face.
"My girlfriend made me do it," Lyra answered, staring daggers at her partner, who sat in the front row next to my group of friends. Bon Bon only held her hands up into a heart and grinned.
"How 'bout you, Sunset Shimmer?"
Sunset shrugged and gestured to me. "My girlfriend made me do it."
Then the spotlight was on me. "Uh, my girlfriend made me do it?"
Trixie tugged at her collar and swallowed as she leaned into the microphone. "Trixie made... Trixie do it." She put her hands down on her lap. "We are very close."
There was a small bit of laughter from the audience. I found myself slouching in my seat to avoid the secondhand embarrassment. If it continued like this, it was going to feel more like an interrogation for the poor girl.
"Great! All very lovely answers." Pinkie shuffled her cards and hummed. Her smile went wide as she stopped at a card. "LyLy, If you were an ice cream flavor, what would you be and why?"
Lyra scrunched her nose. "What kind of stupid question is that?"
I could hear Bon Bon's palm connect with her forehead all the way from here and even through the quick round of laughter.
Pinkie only shook off the insult and scribbled down in her notes. "I'm gonna put down Coffee because you're bitter but have a spunky energy to you."
"Sure, that works," Lyra said, leaning back into her seat.
"Hey, Sunny," Pinkie called, knocking onto the table. "Same question, if you were an ice cream flavor, which would you be?"
Sunset glanced over at me and smirked. "Chocolate, because it's Twilight's favorite." As if rehearsed, she leaned onto my shoulder as a resonant "aww" went through the auditorium.
Oh jeez, she's good.
She then said under her breath, "Also cause I'd like you to eat me."
I let out a yelp.
"You two are the worst." Lyra groaned.
"Trixie agrees."
The spotlight's heat was beginning to wear down on me. I tugged at the straps of my dress. Hopefully no one in the audience could tell I was starting to sweat. Then I realized Sunset probably could, and it only made me more self-aware. She knew what she was doing. She flashed another grin, and from then I knew Sunset Shimmer wasn't trying to lose.
"Oh, Twily," Pinkie sang. "Your answer?"
I was still reeling from Sunset's comment. Her hand was on my knee--Cheater!--and I slapped it away. "Vanilla! Vanilla's good! Everyone loves a classic. It's nice, sweet, and... plain."
There was a mild applause from the audience. Sunset hid her laugh behind her hand. At least she got the message.
"Lulamooooooooon??"
"Also chocolate," Trixie said flatly before holding up a finger to elaborate. "However, with that hot chocolate sauce that hardens in seconds because Trixie finds it utterly confusing, yet enchanting."
There was a noticeably louder applause, with a rather boisterous "YEAH!" from the back row.
Well I blew that round.
Pinkie turned to her cards again, which gave me a few seconds to breathe (and I would have if the dress allowed it). "Alrighty, since you're all seniors, what's everyone planning on doing once they graduate? Let's start with TwiTwi."
"Uh, I've already committed to Everton--early decision--for their independent study program in mechanical engineering." More polite applause. Sunset looked at me like she was caught off guard by my answer. She held onto my hand, as Pinkie moved on.
"Trixie's taking the first bus straight to Las Pegasus--" Her answer was interrupted by a loud applause and cheers. "--to follow her dreams and be a stage magician." The audience seemed to quiet down, and Trixie tugged at her sleeves. "Though, I did apply as a hospitality major at the University of Neighvada, Las Pegasus."
"Vanhoover U, majoring in An--" Lyra took a sip of water. "Analytical statistics. Go Hoovers."
All eyes were on Sunset now, and I was genuinely curious about her answer. I never thought to ask where she was going after CHS.
"I dunno," she said, looking down at her hands on the table. "I'll figure something out. Maybe take a gap year or something. I don't think college is right for me anyways."
The room was silent after her response.
"Same answer as last year," Lyra noted, her voice low.
That had to be a lie. It just didn't make sense. Sunset could get into any school she wanted to. Was it a money issue? It couldn't have been. With her grades, she could even get a free ride through scholarships.
From the sound of it, it seemed like she didn't even want to try. There was no way she'd just throw away her future like that.
"Twilight!"
I yelped.
"What scares you?" Pinkie asked.
Don't say quesadillas. Don't say quesadillas. Don'tsayquesadillas.
"Uh, ques--questions! Unanswered questions." I forced a laugh, and it came out like a cough. "Uncertainty. Is. Terrifying."
Satisfied with scaring me half to death, Pinkie turned away. "Lyra, Lyra, Bo-Byra, Banana Fanna Fo--"
"Heights!"
Pinkie pouted but moved on. "Trixie?"
The magician stared off into the distance. "Trixie fears that after she becomes the greatest and most powerful stage magician, famed across the country, the loneliness she feels inside will not go away. Oh, and also heights."
Everyone seemed to be thankful to move on--but not before Pinkie smiled and squeezed Trixie's hand that seemed that said more than words could possibly accomplish.
Then all the attention was on Sunset again, and I could feel every pair of eyes in the room. I just was glad that I got my answer over with, but it wasn't all that surprising to see that she didn't want to answer.
Sunset crossed her arms, and the silence began to grate on everyone in the room. "Yeah, hard pass."
"Well if that question's too scary for you..." Pinkie teased as she looked through her cards. "Oh! What's your favorite thing about your girlfriend? The mushier your answer, the better."
Sunset looked at me, and I watched the sharp, guarded look in her eyes soften. A smile tugged at her lips. It was subtle, but it was there, and I knew she was struggling to find a place to start.
"When she knows who she is and what she wants, Twilight's unstoppable." The way she said it, it seemed like we were the only two people in the room. "You should see the way her eyes light up when she's rambling about whatever she finds interesting. It's amazing. It shows up in flashes, but it's that kind of self-confidence I'd love to see more of."
The dress had to be cutting off airflow to my brain because I was giggling like an idiot in front of everyone. I didn't care. --☀--
Intermission came after a few more rounds of painful questioning. I felt that I did alright in endearing myself to the audience, but Sunset was as captivating as ever. Perfect as always. Trixie was also surprisingly charming in all her awkward glory. I felt myself rooting for her the most, despite the fact that I was dating another contestant.
Trixie was on first as her routine had the most set up, which left the rest of us to wait in the back. From what I saw from behind the curtain, it seemed to be going well.
"That was quite the stunt," I said, taking a seat next to Sunset. "Pretty good mind-games you had going on. Almost had me there."
She laughed and brought her hand to her chest. "I don't know what you're talking about. I meant every word that I said." She held both my hands. "Every word."
"I'm going to vomit." Lyra pointed at her throat and gagged. "Hear that? That's bile."
Bon Bon held her girlfriend's hand and smiled apologetically. "Don't mind her. She's coffee."
"I'm coffee," Lyra repeated, sinking into her partner's shoulder.
Bon Bon giggled. "I would have loved to see what you would have said if you got Sunset's question."
"Better I didn't," Lyra answered with a shrug. "I don't think you'd appreciate me telling everyone at school how much I like your butt."
Bon Bon backhanded her girlfriend's shoulder. "Don't be gross."
I hid my laugh behind my hand right before I felt something furry brush past my ankles.
"Copperfield, no!" Trixie cried, running past us and chasing after a stray rabbit. "You were supposed to hold still!"
Sunset laughed. "I guess that's our cue."
"Still keeping your performance a secret?"
She nodded. "Don't worry, you'll see soon enough."
Sure enough, Sunset's name was called next. I followed her as close as I could without stepping out on stage.
I gave Sunset a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good luck,"
"Thanks," she said with a smile before walking out on stage. I couldn't help notice how confident she was. She made it look easy to step out and let herself be watched and judged by others. Even in my experience, I had to mentally prepare myself.
Sunset stood center stage, hand wrapped around a microphone. There was a half second of silence before the music began. The composition was simple, something Sunset might have written on her own. It was a song about a phoenix, ashes, transformation.
From her voice, I could tell she was singing about something personal. There was a strained tone to it, like she was pleading for others to listen to her. As the song went on, her voice grew grainy.
Then I noticed a faint glow. A thin aura wrapped around her and then quickly enveloped the stage. I shielded my eyes for a moment. When I looked back up, Sunset had transformed.
She was an angel again.
A pair of wings made of light lifted her into the air, and I could hear a collective gasp in the room. Her hair defied gravity, twirling upwards like the flickers of a flame. The glow gave off a hazy feeling in the air as summer came early.
She was beautiful.
And I felt so small.
I was honestly afraid that I would never get to see her like this again. My knees gave up on me. I stopped breathing, and the pounding in my chest joined her song.
Slowly, Sunset floated back down to earth. Her voice trailed off, and there was a peaceful stillness. Her eyes were closed, and she took deep, ragged breaths. The glow disappeared along with her wings and horn, and the room felt much colder than before.
Then came the applause. It was earthshaking, and the whole school was just as in love with her as I was.
The first thing Sunset did when she opened her eyes was look back at me. |
The Sunlight Theory | Labeling Theory | The girls rushed the stage and swarmed Sunset in hugs and and cheers and congratulations. I had to force myself to step out from behind the curtain to join them. Once I was close enough, Sunset grabbed me by the waist and brought me in for a kiss.
The crowd reacted exactly how I thought it would. We pulled apart, and the spotlight sparkled in her eyes.
"That was amazing," I said, my voice breathy.
"The kiss or the performance?"
"Both?"
Rainbow Dash clapped my back. "Good luck following that, Twilight!"
My stomach dropped, dragging me down with it, and I felt nauseous. I looked to the others for guidance, but they were still high up in the clouds after Sunset's performance. Back on Earth, it felt like my throat had closed up on me, and I couldn't ask for help.
I only had a few minutes to prepare myself as the stage crew already began to roll in the piano from its place backstage. There was no way I could even compare myself to Sunset, let alone match her performance. I didn't even realize I was shaking until Sunset put her hand on mine.
"You alright, Twi?" She rubbed her thumb across the back of my hand.
"I... I'll be fine," I said, my voice weak and unconvincing. All it took was one performance for her to turn me into that same blubbering idiot that first fell in love with her. I hadn't changed at all, yet she was just as supportive and wonderful as ever.
This time, Sunset brought both hands on mine. "You got this, Twilight," she said. And for a moment, I believed her.
I don't deserve her.
I shook that thought away as I forced myself up. There was no use getting in my own head. If I was going to have any chance of impressing the audience, I needed to be just as good as Sunset. I needed to be just like her: confident, collected, perfect. She saw it in me somewhere.
My name was called, and I was only ready because I had to be. I kept my chin up and focused on my steps, praying that I didn't roll my ankle in the heels as I walked out onto the stage, under the lights, and in front of a hundred pairs of eyes. No matter. I had this. I totally got this. Yeah.
I immediately crumbled.
I took a seat at the piano and played a quick note. It was out of tune. I hadn't bothered to account for the fact that there was a nonzero chance that school's piano wouldn't be in tune. Canterlot High was a public school, after all. I shouldn't have expected that the exorbitant cost of getting a piano tuned to be in the yearly budget. I was so used to the one at home. Why did I expect it to be perfect?
I took a deep breath. It came out loud over the speaker, and I immediately grew conscious of my own breathing. I was already off to a horrible start, and I knew it could only get worse.
Just breathe, Twilight. Breathing isn't hard.
And then I glanced over to the audience. I shouldn't have. Expectant eyes were all trained on me, and I felt like a specimen under a microscope.
How did Sunset do this so easily?
I licked my lips. They were painfully dry. A layer of sweat sat on my forehead. The stage lights might as well have been cooking me alive.
Focus.
I let out another deep breath. Then I began to sing.
The lack of confidence was clear in my voice. I just hoped it was a case of me being too critical of myself and that the audience wouldn't notice.
But what was Sunset thinking?
The thought of tanking in front of Sunset scared me more than anything. I continued to sing, hours of rehearsal pushing me to get it done. My voice was weak, but at least I was hitting the notes. Though, from the short glances I took to gauge the reactions, I knew I wasn't impressing anyone.
My gaze drifted towards Sunset, the latest in a long series of mistakes. I could see the pity in her eyes.
I stopped singing. Instead, I just got up and ran off stage, ignoring Sunset as she called my name. --☀--
I didn't know how to describe how I felt. Small. Unimportant. Insignificant. I don't even know why I felt that way. I just did.
The pageant was almost over, and the next week would be spent voting for Miss Wondercolt. Then at the dance, whoever won would be crowned Spring Fling Princess. It didn't matter. Sunset was going to win. Like she always did, apparently
And I was happy for her. At least I thought I was.
I don't know.
To be honest, I wanted to do the pageant because I thought it'd be a fun thing to do with her. Unfortunately, all it did was remind me why she felt so unapproachable in the first place.
She was perfect, and I didn't deserve her.
I rushed back into the dressing room, just glad I didn't twist my ankle off in my heels before I kicked them off. Every bit of air left my body in a heavy sigh as I slumped down on the first chair I could find. I just needed to be alone. That I knew.
"Ah, Trixie remembers the first time Sunset Shimmer crushed her dreams." Her voice came from the inside of her magician's box. "You come here to cry, too, Sparkle?"
I rolled my eyes as I slipped on a sweatshirt over my dress. At this point, I just wanted to go home. "Not now, Trixie."
"Truth be told, this wasn't as painful as the other years." She said it so casually, like she had been expecting it.
"The other years?"
Trixie laughed, muffled slightly from the cabinet. "Someone had to try to end her reign of terror all those years. I'm just surprised she didn't try cheating again. No blackmail. No intimidation in that spooky hallway with the light that never works. Nothing."
Again? Blackmail? It all just sounded so wrong.
"What are you talking about?" I couldn't process what she was saying. It couldn't be true. I didn't know why, but I thought of the photo of Sunset as a freshman. There was no way she cheated. The tears in her eyes when she was named princess were real. There was just no way. "I'm sure she earned it."
"Earned it?" There was a quick beat of silence before Trixie emerged from her box, hands tight, eyes puffy, and brows bent. "Do you really think she won that many times because everyone at school liked her? Sparkle, even I'm not that naive."
"Then you tell me what happened!" I blew up at her, and Trixie seemed to jump back.
Trixie rubbed at her wrists. "She'd threaten anyone that ran against her. If they didn't drop out, she'd sabotage them."
"That doesn't sound like her. She's been nothing but kind to me."
"Kind!? She humiliated me in front of everyone sophomore year." The pain in Trixie's eyes was just as real. "She doused one of my props in lighter fluid, and..." She held her arms out like any performer would. The fire-sparklers in her sleeves worked this time. "Now everyone thinks me and my dreams are a joke."
"No..." As much as I didn't want to believe her, I didn't have the heart to call Trixie a liar, either.
"Ask her yourself."
I reached for my phone and winced when I saw the messages from Sunset waiting for me.
--Hey are you ok?
-- where are you?
I didn't text her back. Instead, my fingers hovered over Sugarcoat's message from earlier: There's some things about your girl I think you should know.
Right under it was a link to Canterlot city hall's website.
I did the worst thing and clicked it. I just had to know.
Some sort of official court document with Sunset's name on it. I didn't even want to know how Sugarcoat found it. And I knew that she most likely had my best interest at heart, but it stung, and I hated her for it.
It still didn't feel real.
It said that Sunset Shimmer went to juvenile hall for assault.
It was right there in legal paper, but I still didn't believe it. The document was dated right at the end of Sunset's freshman year. It couldn't have been that same little girl. It just couldn't.
It had to be the other Sunset Shimmer--the one originally from this universe. She was still out somewhere in the world, right? It couldn't have been my Sunset. That wasn't the Sunset I knew.
Trixie brushed past me. "The closing ceremony starts soon." She stepped up to the door and held it open. "Might as well see it through till the end. You coming?"
"I'll catch up with you." That was a lie. I couldn't go back.
Trixie paused halfway out the door. "I hope she's kind to you," she said. "Really, I do, Sparkle. It's better for everyone that she's changed, but that doesn't take back what she's done."
Once she was gone. I forced on shoes and grabbed my bag. I was never a runner, but I rushed out the school until my chest was heaving from either exhaustion or the choked sobs I forced back so I could breathe.
The night air was freezing, and the sharp breaths I took invited thousands of tiny needles into my lungs. I stumbled down the steps and dropped to my knees, scuffing the dress Rarity spent all her free time on the past few weeks. I tried to brush it off, but I had other things to worry about.
Another deep breath, then I stood back up, right in front of the Wondercolt statue.
Princess Twilight would know what to do.
I didn't have any other options, so I stepped to the grass, grabbed a pebble, and threw it at the Wondercolt statue.
It bounced off the marble.
The cold bit at my face. I was alone in this. I could either ask Sunset about it, or I could go back inside and pretend like nothing happened. The only thing I really wanted to do was go home.
"There you are, Twilight!" It was Sunset, and my body went rigid hearing her voice. She was breathing heavily, and I figured she must have been running around looking for me.
"Hey, Sunset." I turned to face her but found myself staring at the ground as she rushed down the steps.
She brought me in for a hug, and I tried to return it with limp arms. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." I nodded. It was a lie. She held onto me as I tried to pull away.
She squeezed my wrists. "It's okay. You don't have to be fine."
I nodded again. I was looking through her, and I swallowed any would-be sobs. "I'll be fine."
"You were great, Twilight."
I shook my head. "I just collapsed in front of everyone."
"Who cares what they think?" Sunset took in a deep breath, and I could see in the way she winced that she was debating something. "We don't have to stay. The girls know we're meeting at Sugarcube Corner after. We can just... go. "
"What?" There was still the closing ceremony. Running off would mean... "No. You deserve it. Everyone loved you out there."
"Who cares what they think?" It was strained the second time. She rubbed at her arm. "And I don't deserve anything."
"Don't say that!" My voice warbled, but I meant it, and I think she knew it, too. "You don't have to give that up for me."
"Are you sure you'll be okay back in there?"
I nodded again. I finally had the strength to look her back in the eyes, and I didn't know who I was looking at.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
"Coming in hot!" Rainbow warned as she dumped a few trays of food onto the table. She slid into the booth, bumping into Rarity from her momentum before passing out everyone's meals. Applejack followed, carrying a mountain of sweets that Pinkie Pie insisted on ordering.
I sulked in the corner of the booth and hoped no one would notice me until it was time to go home. The closing ceremony was a painful blur, but having Sunset next to me helped me get through it. I would've died from embarrassment if I had to face the crowd alone as I got polite applause for doing the bare minimum of getting back on stage.
There was an awkward tension in the air. It stung, mostly cause it seemed like everyone but me wanted to celebrate. Sunset squeezed my hand again, and I felt lucky to have her. At least I thought I felt that way. Maybe I just wanted to feel that way. My thoughts were a mess anyway. Sugarcoat's text and what Trixie had said earlier were dominating my thoughts.
All that should really matter anyway was that Sunset had only been wonderful to me since I met her, right? I kept telling myself that at least. Did I even have the right to know who she was before I met her?
I didn't rejoin reality until I noticed that I had a bit of cupcake frosting on the tip of my nose. I also only just then realized that Pinkie had been waiting for me to accept the cupcake that she had just shoved into my face.
Sunset wiped the frosting off my nose with her thumb and smiled at me. I tried to return it, but I quickly became self conscious about the way I was forcing myself. Instead, I picked at the cupcake's wrapper and tried to zone out again.
"So," Rarity began, sipping away at her drink, "how are the two of you feeling?"
"Exhausted," I answered. It was probably the best lie I ever pulled off.
"Same," Sunset answered. "I think ponying-up took a lot more out of me than it would."
Rainbow leaned over the table, planting her hands. "That wasn't ponying-up. That was something else!"
"Yeah, it was like you were on fire," Applejack added. "You just about lit up the whole room with your magic."
"Simply radiant, darling."
Fluttershy seemed to notice me moping and put a hand on my shoulder. "Oh, and Twilight was good, too."
Rarity was the first to catch on, placing her hand on mine. "Right. Of course. Your performance was lovely as well, Twilight. I thought it was a beautiful ballad."
"Thanks," I said--though it was unconvincing. It would have been better if they hadn't said anything. Instead, I just felt like an afterthought.
"That reminds me." Rarity returned her hand back to the table. "We should probably discuss how we're voting for Spring Fling Princess."
I sunk further into the plastic cushion of the booth. "Just give it all to Sunset."
"Isn't coordinating like this cheating?" Applejack asked, gesturing to both me and Sunset. "Don't feel quite honest."
Not that Sunset's a stranger to cheating-- I couldn't believe I thought that. Now I just felt even worse about myself.
Rarity looked through Applejack "Do you intend on voting for anyone other than Sunset or Twilight?"
"Well, no, but it still ain't right."
Rarity rolled her eyes and dug into her bag, eventually pulling out a notepad. "Okay, Applejack, who do you want to vote for?"
"I ain't helpin' ya fix the votes." She crossed her arms.
"I just want to know for whom you're voting." Rarity clicked her pen. "So I can vote for the other. I'm entitled to vote any way I choose, and you're not voting for anyone you don't want to."
"Fine, I guess I'll vote for Sunset," Applejack answered. Rarity scribbled down the answer.
I felt a hollow pang in my chest. It was obvious they all would choose Sunset if they weren't obligated to humor me.
"Wait there's seven of us," Rainbow Dash pointed out.
Rarity shrugged. "We balance out the votes, and then Pinkie Pie votes for herself, and no one thinks twice."
Pinkie wiped off a layer of frosting off her mouth. "Who said I wasn't already gonna to vote for myself?"
"See?" Rarity hummed. "We help the both of you get votes, and it's balanced."
"Right," I said, my back rigid. The whole conversation made me anxious. We were floating around an unasked question for a while now--one that was around before we even signed up for the pageant, but I just had to know. "Although, if you had to pick one of us to win..."
"I don't think I need to know the answer," Sunset said, suddenly just as uncomfortable.
"Yeah, Twilight," Rarity said, "you know we can't choose--"
"Sunset, easily," Rainbow Dash answered, earning a sharp elbow to the ribcage from Rarity. "What!? She deserves it."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
The ride home was quiet. My pressing had only made things awkward between everyone from the unsure attempts to keep me content to the uncomfortable reality that they, in all likelihood, would also pick Sunset over me if there was a split between us.
Sunset walked me up the driveway and to the porch. I would've invited her inside, but the lights were off, and I figured that my parents had turned in early for their flight to Mexicolt. I didn't want to wake them unless I absolutely had to. Sunset didn't seem to want to stay long, either.
"Are you going to be alright?" Sunset asked again.
The answer was the same, "I'll be fine," from hours ago.
"If you need anything..."
I paused at the door, mentally preparing to ask the question on my mind the whole ride home. I winced. "Do you... actually plan on telling me about yourself?"
"What made you ask that?"
"I just... heard things."
Sunset sighed and straightened out a few curls in her hair. "It's late, Twilight. I think we both just need some sleep."
"Oh. Okay." I gave her a small nod, and she took that as a sign to leave. I watched her return to her bike and drive down the hill.
If someday were to ever come, it would be because I made it.
I decided it would be tonight.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
No more uncertainties.
The bus dropped me off about a block away from Sunset's apartment building. And for some reason, the area felt a lot worse at night. My pace quickened around the corner to her place. I figured it just wasn't as well lit as my neighborhood.
I hurried down the street and ducked inside her apartment complex. When I reached her door, I found myself tracing the stains in the carpet with the tip of my shoe.
I checked my phone. 11:11. I knocked at the door and waited for Sunset to show.
There was a bit of rustling behind the door. "Look, I get paid next Friday. I'll have the rent then. You don't have to keep--"
The door whipped open, and I saw Sunset with a scowl on her face and a cigarette in her mouth.
I don't know why, but that just made it all real.
"Twilight?" Her face shriveled, and she hung her head. I watched embers fall from her lips. "Oh, fuck. Twilight."
The expression on her face changed. I wasn't sure how to describe it, disgusted, maybe. But I wasn't sure if she was mad at me for showing up or at herself for getting caught. I didn't even know which would have been the better option.
Sunset tried to slam the door shut, but I didn't let her, instead lodging my foot in the gap before it closed. I ignored the spike of pain in my ankle as I pushed my way into her apartment. It was full of smoke. It wasn't the neighbors nor the thin walls. It was her. She wasn't just being secretive. She was lying to me.
"So this is what you do when I'm not around. You know that stuff's poison, right?" My voice was quiet. I found myself staring at the ashy stains on her sweatpants. So that's what they were. "What else have you been hiding?" I couldn't even look her in the eye.
Sunset crossed her arms. "Would it change anything?"
"I don't know."
She took a long drag from her cigarette, as if out of spite. No apologies. "Do you want to know?" The words left her mouth with a cloud of smoke. "You're not going to like what you see."
I coughed and brushed toxic cloud away. Just gross. "Yes."
Sunset left, disappearing into her bedroom. She came back with a shoebox. "I started stashing it all once you started coming over more."
So she was hiding it. I bit the inside of my cheek, completely unsure if I wanted to continue. The casual admission seemed bad enough. However, I just had to know.
I just had to know.
Boxes of cigarettes, a bottle of liquor, and cannabis all densely packed together. It was worse than I thought.
She rubbed her arm. "This is me. Judge all you like."
I looked through the box. I pulled out the bottle. "You're not even old enough to drink."
"Aren't I?" She asked with raised eyes. "Have you seen my driver's license?"
"Don't joke." My face felt hot with embarrassment as I just now pieced together that her ID was likely illegitimate. I shook my head and put the bottle back before pointing at the bag of marijuana and winced. "And this is illegal."
"It's just a plant," she said dismissively. "I don't even know why it's illegal here. Because in Equestria, plants aren't illegal unless it's poison--"
"Oh, now you want to talk about Equestria?" I balled my hands into fists. "When it's convenient? When it enables you?"
"We're not having this conversation again."
"Why not? You're perfectly fine showing me your stash." I turned to face the window. "I need some air." I stepped away from her and forced my head out the window, taking in all the clean air I could get. It took a while for me to gather the strength to face her again.
"Twilight..." Sunset took in a breath. "What's in that box -- that's the least of it."
I swallowed. "I just want to know who you are. Because I've heard..."
"Where do I even start?" There was grit and smoke in her voice as she threw her hands up. "Because the further back you go, the worse it gets. Whatever you heard, it's all true."
I felt something hollow within me. "What?"
"I've done some awful things I can't take back." She looked past me. "I don't expect forgiveness. I just want to move on and do right."
I thought of Trixie, then of the assault, and I felt an awful pang in my chest. "I didn't want to believe them. I thought you were better than this, Sunset."
She scoffed and crossed her arms. "Better than what?"
"I don't know." I rubbed at the spot between my eyes. "A liar? A criminal?"
"Is that how you see me now?"
"Are you anything else?" I was hurt, and I wanted to hurt her back.
Sunset winced, but that quickly faded as her glare came back. "You think I'm proud of who I am? I'm sorry for not being sheltered and well-adjusted like you."
I pushed back. "How is this my fault?"
"Everything has to be perfect with you." Sunset threw her hands up. "You had our dates planned to the minute because it all had to live up to your expectations."
"What do you mean?" I shrunk away a bit.
"Oh, grow up, Twilight." She rolled her eyes. "You can't even handle that I smoke when you're not around. I don't need you to tell me that it's bad for me or that it's illegal or that my groceries have too much salt in them.
"I don't need you to fix me!" Sunset stared me down. "I've--I've been doing alright on my own."
"Who even are you?" I asked. "I don't even see why I--"
"Why you what?" Sunset interrupted with a bite, stepping forwards and pressuring me to the wall. "Fell for me?"
There was a painful silence in the room. My mouth went dry. "I don't know."
Sunset's face changed. The anger in it was gone. She looked away, and I followed her gaze to the cactus I gave her. "Did you fall in love with me or the girl you made up in your project?"
I don't know.
I didn't answer. Instead, I rushed past her and out the door.
I was halfway down the hall when I heard glass shattering behind me. I looked back to see new stains in the carpet and a broken bottle. I kept running, rushing down the staircase. The entire way down, I felt numb. My body was moving mechanically, getting me out of there as my mind went blank.
Then I was out in the street. In the dark. I tore into my bag, grabbed my phone, and called my mom. "Please pick up. Please pick up. Mom, please..."
There was a click, and I hear my mother's tired voice. "Twilight?"
I swallowed back a sob. "Mom I'm at S-Sunset's."
"At this hour?"
"Mom, please." I didn't want to hear anything. "I'm outside. Just come pick me up."
"R-right," her voice was more urgent. "I'll be right there. Just stay somewhere with light."
Sunset's apartment went dark, and I wondered what she was doing. I was alone in the cold, waiting for a ride home and resisting crying as I refused to let her hear me like this.
I took deep, slow breaths until I found my mom's car down the street. Jumping up, I rushed inside and found myself staring off into space once I sat down.
"Twily?"
It was then when I broke. I started crying, and I leaned into my mom's arms. I felt like a child again as she rubbed my back. A dumb, stupid child who fell fast and hard on her face. We stayed like that for a while as I cried into her shoulder.
"I want you to stay over with your brother and Cadance. I don't want you to be alone."
I pulled away as I wiped a stray tear from my cheek. "No, I'll be fine."
We were halfway through the ride home before I said, "Actually, I think I want to go with you to Mexicolt." |
The Sunlight Theory | Appraisal Theory of Emotion | I spent the morning moving equipment just like yesterday and the day before and the rest of the week before that.
I made sure everyone drank water. I set up camera rigs. I handed out the shooting scripts. I delivered dailies. I helped the caterers. I sandbagged a lot of things. I made sure everyone knew what they were doing for the day and handed out call sheets. It was numbing, exhausting work.
I did it all because I didn't want to think.
The desert sun over Mexicolt was unforgiving, and I only noticed how hot it was when I sat down on a rock to take a breather. I fanned out the collar of my shirt and let out a sigh as I felt the slightly colder air against my skin.
As far as I knew, we were about a quarter through the day's shoot. Today was scheduled to be more interesting than the others, at least. It was the first part of a big action set-piece where Daring Do, with the Sapphire Stone in hand, attempted to evade a seemingly endless amount of pursuers on trucks and motorcycles.
In reality, it was much less exciting than it sounded. The entire shoot was stop-start as we got certain shots done. It was a master class in scheduling, but interesting filmmaking it was not. This one scene alone was scheduled to take two weeks to shoot.
I took a drink from my water bottle and thanked everything that there was still ice inside the thing.
"Hey, Twilight."
I looked up and noticed Spitfire standing in front of me, holding a plastic gallon of water.
"Hi," I said back. "How are you holding up so far?"
"Thirsty," she said with a slight chuckle. She slapped the jug, and it jiggled in response. "And at the same time, I need to pee. You?"
"A little exhausted from all this running around, but I don't envy your job," I said, earning a polite laugh from her. While I was busy behind the scenes, she was dangling off the back of a pickup truck, her legs dragging against the ground, and somehow she had to act at the same time. "I have no idea how you're not a nervous wreck."
"A little bit of a death wish would do that for you," she joked. "I don't know what was more intense: today's shoot or the time I did a four-fifty splash off a steel cage."
I didn't say anything back mostly because I didn't know what she meant by that.
"That's wrestling speak for a flip off a really high place," she explained.
"Oh. Neat."
"So, how's your girlfriend doing?" she asked.
My mood immediately soured. "Not good. We had a fight. I think it's over now." I didn't even know why I blurted that out. Maybe it was the heat, or maybe it was the need for sympathy from someone other than my parents.
"Oh, man, I'm sorry for even bringing it up." Her face winced and she shifted her weight between her legs.
"Don't," I said. "You didn't know."
"So what happened? If you don't mind me asking."
I sighed as I stared down at the ground. "She wasn't who I thought she was. I caught her hiding stuff from me."
"Heavy," Spitfire responded. "What kind of stuff was she hiding?"
"Alcohol, cigarettes," I answered, keeping the more damning things to myself.
Spitfire tilted her head. "That's it? Sounds like a party..." It hung in heavy silence. "Tough crowd. Sorry."
I scrunched my face up. "What do you mean, that's it? She was keeping stuff like that a secret from me. Making up lies and excuses, hiding it all in a box."
"It sounds to me like she wasn't all too proud of it," Spitfire said. She sat down next to me and put a hand on my shoulder.
"That doesn't explain why she shoved everything in my face when I found out," I said, kicking at the dirt. "It's like she wanted me to see it all."
"Think on it some more. Use that brain of yours, girl." Spitfire paused for a moment. "Here's a story that's not too uncommon in my industry: Fake fights come with real pain. That pain is so real, it takes painkillers to function normally. You're on the road everyday, so resting up at home isn't an option. Eventually, that someone needs more and more just to be able to get through the day."
"Sounds like that someone has a problem," I said.
Spitfire smiled. "And you'd be right. Of course, stuffing your face with pain pills doesn't look good when you're supposed to be a hero to children everywhere, so you hide it."
I thought about it. "Does that happen often?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Spitfire nodded. "It's why I'm not on cereal boxes anymore."
My body went rigid. "You?"
"I'm clean now, but it took the help of the people around me." Spitfire sighed. "The hardest part was looking my ma in the eyes and telling her that her baby wasn't okay. It takes real strength to admit it--even more to ask for help."
She dropped her fist against her knee and looked away.
"What I'm saying here is that having a vice doesn't make you any less of a person," she said. "Most of them are a terrible, incredibly shitty thing that should be kicked, but we do what we have to to get by.
"I just think you were more concerned that they were doing it instead of thinking about why they turned to it in the first place. Get out of your own head and try to understand theirs."
"Right," I said, still trying to process everything. I hung onto the silence.
"Does my ugly secret change what you think of me?" she asked.
"A little," I said. "But it's a good change. I know you a bit better now."
"Does it change the times we hung out together?"
"Not really, no."
Spitfire smiled and clapped my back. "Then it shouldn't affect the good times you had with your girlfriend. You seemed really happy the day you brought her on set. It'd suck for all to go to nothing."
I brought my hand to my cheek, thinking about what she said. "I guess you're right."
"Of course I'm right," she said with a cheery grin. "Anyways, I gotta hurry. Seems like everyone but me works hourly." She patted my shoulder before waddling in her many safety harnesses towards the line of portable toilets.
Once I was alone again, I did what she told me and spent the time just thinking on what happened and why. I caught Sunset smoking. Why did she tell me about the rest?
Get out of your own head.
Then I realized why. It was a cry for help. She wanted me to stand with her and maybe tell her that I accepted her as she was, but I just walked away. I felt a sudden weight on my shoulders. It was pure guilt. I let her down.
She needed a friend. And a girlfriend was still a friend.
My phone vibrated. 11:11 again. I never bothered to remove the alarm. I checked the date. The Spring Fling Dance was tonight, and I felt... mixed. I was still mad at her. She lied, and hid things about herself, and I thought she would trust me. A part of me wanted nothing to do with it, wanted nothing to do with Sunset. But at the same time, I wanted nothing more than to be on that stage as they called out her name. I wanted to be with her.
The realization lifted everything hanging in my chest.
After everything, I still wanted to be with her.
Actually, I wanted to be there for her. And that made the difference.
"You okay, dear? You look troubled."
Looking up, I met eyes with an older woman I didn't recognize. Her hair was graying. I could see the slight wrinkles in the corners of her eyes through her thick, red-rimmed glasses. She sat next to me, removing a large shawl before fanning herself with her hand.
I shrugged like the indecisive teenager I was. "I'm kind of regretting coming out here."
"Same here." The woman nodded. "Seems they couldn't find a colder desert like I'd asked," she added dryly.
Given my mother's stories of her standoffish sense of humor and my father's accounts of unreasonable demands, there was only one person who this could have been. "You're A.K. Yearling."
"The one and only." The corners of her mouth lifted slightly. Just slightly. "I take it you're Vel's girl. You look just like her."
I nodded, my head whipping up and down. "Y-yeah! Nice to meet you."
"We've met before," she snapped back matter-of-factly. "Though, I suppose you were much too young to remember it."
"I guess so," I said, not really knowing how to respond. I decided to just steer the conversation somewhere else. "So, what do you think about the movie so far? It must be great seeing your words come to life."
"Terrible." Yearling let out a rude snerk. "Spitfire's much too tall to play Daring, the Sapphire Stone's not the right shade of blue, and the costume just isn't right. It's not at all like I had envisioned it."
I didn't know why, but I felt the need to get defensive. My parents had been stressing about it for years, and I couldn't just sit there and let her bad mouth it. "But adjustments have to be made. Books and movies are completely different mediums. You can't healthily expect things to always be the way you imagined..."
I trailed off.
Now Yearling had a wide grin. "I suppose we all have things to learn, don't we?"
"I guess so." At this point, I realized that Yearling and my mother had only sharpened their wit against each other as roommates all those years. "I take it you've been talking to my mom."
Yearling nodded. "Yes I have. We've always been ones for gossip. Though, all she's told me now is that you and your girlfriend had a falling out. She won't tell me anything else, so I'm here for the source. Forgive me for eavesdropping just now."
I let out a pained chuckle. "We're just not in a good spot right now. She's not the person I fell in love with. Or at least, not the person I thought she was."
"Then who did you think she was?"
"I don't know," I said, staring down at the ground. "Someone better than me. Someone..."
"Perfect?"
"I guess..." I took a deep breath, knowing what happened. "I think... I fell with the idea of her." It hurt to say, but I messed up, and I had to admit it.
"Young love," Yearling said after a quick scoff. "A topic I never personally cared about, but your mother loved to write about it. She has this way of words that's just--"
"Romantic? Idealistic?"
"Naive," Yearling corrected. "Which explains a lot, young lady. Did you really let Vel embarrass you in front your date?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Though, I think it was supposed to be endearing."
Yearling clicked her tongue. "You watch too many movies. That was a cliche in all of them when your parents were first dating." She trailed off for a moment as if she'd just returned to those times. "You know, I blame your father. I just knew he'd steal your mother away from novels with his newfangled moving pictures."
"Moving pictures?"
"It's a joke, dear," Yearling clarified. "I'm not that old."
I let out a belated giggle. She seemed satisfied. There was a pause in the conversation as Yearling took a drink of water.
"See, if this was one of those movies, your girl would have driven here in a big gesture just to see you and wrap it up in under an hour and a half." She placed the water down at her side. "But this is life. You have to live every minute on your own. Though, a book wouldn't be as pressed for time. You can have a long elaborate sequence, pages and pages long, where--"
"I don't see how this is helping."
Yearling pursed her lips and leaned in closer to me. "Well, since subtext isn't working, let me spell it out for you. There's two choices. Sit here and mope because the pedestal you put her on is broken, or you can go to her now and meet her on her level, warts and all, and help her pick up the pieces and work it out. Y'know, like adults."
"But she's back in Canterlot."
"That doesn't matter. It's not too late if you go to her now. You're young, and you're in love. It's supposed to be stupid and messy." She waved her hand around dismissively. "Make mistakes, and make every grand gesture before you get too old for that nonsense."
I thought about it some more. She was right. I came here to hide and wish none of this never happened. Sunset was not coming to fix a problem I created.
I stood up and took a deep breath. "I need to make this right."
"Atta girl," Yearling hummed.
I turned to face Yearling. "Why did you help me?"
She smiled. "There's this light. I saw it in your mother's eyes, and I see it in yours. The last thing I wanted was to see it go out, even if they were never meant for me."
I paused for a moment. She isn't talking about me, is she?
Without a word, I ran off, ready to make things right.
Then I ran right back to Yearling. "S-sorry! I forgot to say thanks! Is there any way I can repay you?"
Yearling chuckled. "Get your mother to start writing novels again. I'm getting tired of rereading." She paused for a moment, a smile creeping up on her face. "Or better yet, give it some time and write your own."
I nodded and this time ran off without a word. --☀--
I knew how to make things right. I'm decided to surprise her. With a plane ticket booked to Canterlot in the next hour, I should be able to reach CHS by the pageant winner ceremony at eight.
When they call her name, I'll be right there to hand her the crown.
Within minutes, I was packed. Just the essentials for a carry on. I made use of my dad's trailer office, printing out the plane ticket. Then I was out the door, running through the bustling set.
All I needed was a ride to the airport, which turned out to be a bigger problem than expected.
My parents were too busy. The whole production revolved around them, and they couldn't exactly leave. I found myself running all around the set in search of a ride.
Then, my saving grace came from the door to a porta-potty swinging open and hitting my face. I fell to the ground, landing on my back. When I looked up, I found Spitfire standing over me.
"Crap, kid, you okay?" she asked, bending down and extending a hand out. I took it, letter her help me up.
"Y-yeah," I said hurriedly, suddenly out of breath. "Need... Airport... Ride..."
"Breathe, kid," Spitfire instructed. I did my best to comply. I fumbled for the inhaler in my bag and took a quick hit. "Now what's wrong?"
I tried my best to explain what was going on. "I need a ride to the airport, but I can't find someone to take me."
Spitfire smiled. "All you gotta do is ask."
"Seriously, you'd do that?"
She nodded. "I've been itching to get into some kind of trouble." She gestured behind her, towards the stunt jeep that had been dragging her earlier in the shoot. "I even know just the ride."
She raced off to it, and I chased behind.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
It was surprisingly easy to hotwire a car.
I found that out by looking it up on my phone. However, it was easier, but ultimately less exciting to use the keys already in the ignition. Still, the adrenaline rush of stealing a jeep from the set was incomparable to anything else I've done, except maybe asking Sunset to be my girlfriend.
I guess she was a bad influence after all.
Spitfire drove the car off set, much to the screaming and yelling of all the producers and crew who chased after the speeding vehicle. Within seconds we were on the dirt roads leading into the nearby city. The wind whipped at my hair, and I couldn't help but let out a yell of pure joy. I was going home. But more importantly, I was going to be with Sunset.
Spitfire sped the entire way down until we hit the outskirts of Mexicolt City. The last thing we needed was to be arrested and sent to a Mexicoltan prison. However, as the car turned down towards the major road leading to the airport, we ran into a bit of a roadblock.
In fact, it was a literal roadblock. As it turned out, there was a Spring Equinox festival going on today.
"No bueno," Spitfire groaned, looking at the road full of people, floats, and markets. "What now?" She brought the jeep to the side of the road and slammed her head against the steering wheel.
I looked around. There was traffic in all directions. There was no way we were getting out in a timely manner with the car. I checked my phone. My flight was coming up fast.
We were stuck. Until a thought came into my mind.
"What would Daring do?"
Spitfire looked up. "Book four, Curse of the Lycanthrope. Chapter Eight."
"The Scramble!" I hopped off the jeep and grabbed my duffel bag from the back. "Daring, with the Werewolf's Amulet, escapes chase from Dr. Caballero by passing through a local festival. Her seaplane waits at the airport on the other side of the city."
Spitfire tipped her hat. "Well, you have Daring herself to get you across. I always wanted to be a method actor."
Without hesitating, Spitfire grabbed my arm, and we ran into the thick of the festival.
Surprisingly, compared to most of the costumed festival goers, who were dressed in bright feathers and masks, we were mostly inconspicuous. We ran as fast as we could, pushing past concerts, cutting through dance squad performances.
We hopped onto a parade float adorned in spring flowers to cut through the crowds some more. I choked on a cloud of pollen. The band on stage stopped playing, drawing more attention to ourselves. Spitfire only tipped her hat to them before pulling me off the other side of the float with her.
This, obviously, caught the attention of a few security guards. The chase was on. Spitfire led the charge, ducking through alleys. Compared to movies in general, the guards were much less motivated to catch us. Spitfire noticed this and took the initiative as she grabbed a fruit cart and used it to block the street. Piles of oranges, mangoes, and apples hit the ground, tripping up those on our tail.
"It actually worked!" Spitfire remarked. I turned around to watch the security guards struggling to push it out of the way without knocking everything over while the owner of the cart yelled at them.
There was another guard ahead of us. Spitfire grabbed my arm and ducked into the nearest shop. It was a bakery. The regular patrons looked at us as we ducked down from the windows. The guards ran by the shop, not knowing where we went.
It was only then when I noticed how ridiculous we looked. Apparently, during our run, we were bombarded with colored smoke powder, silly string, and feathers from the costumes. I hadn't noticed because I was having too much fun running towards my problems.
The airport was in sight. I was almost there. My lungs burned, and my legs tightened, but I kept running. Thankfully we were uncontested as the two of us stopped at the airport's entrance. I doubled over, taking in all the precious air I could get while I heard Spitfire laugh. I took a deep puff from my inhaler.
"You look ridiculous," Spitfire said.
"You do, too."
I grabbed an old t-shirt from my bag and did my best to wipe myself off. It got most of the string and feathers off, but the powder was stuck to my skin. As long as they let me on the plane, I didn't care.
We ran inside, stopping at the gate, gasping for breath and covered in what I assumed whatever filled Pinkie's party cannons.
"The two o'clock flight to Canterlot," I said to the counter. "Can I board?"
The woman typed a bit at the keyboard. "Flight 314 departed fifteen minutes ago."
My heart sank. I checked my watch. She was right. For once, in the millions of years of human evolution and a hundred or so years in aviation innovation, a plane departed on time.
Just my luck.
Spitfire rubbed my shoulder. "When's the next flight to Canterlot?"
The woman typed at her computer. "Tomorrow morning at ten. All the others are booked."
"Not good enough," I muttered under my breath. "I need to be there by tonight."
"It's alright, kid," Spitfire reassured, squeezing my shoulder. "We'll get you there tomorrow."
I pushed her off me. "The Spring Fling's tonight. I have to be there with her. For her."
I stormed out of the airport. Spitfire didn't follow me. I felt bad for lashing out at her. She did everything she could, and I just yelled at her for not getting me there faster. I sat at the curb and held my head in my hands. After a while, Spitfire joined me, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"So, you missed out," she said. "That's just one night. I can assure you the moon will come up again."
"But it's the Spring Fling," I said childishly.
"And?"
"We're seniors. There won't be another one," I explained.
Spitfire chuckled. "Just because your school does it once a year doesn't mean you can't take your girlfriend out for a night of dancing. As much as it sucks to say, perfect endings are hard to come by."
"But I can make one."
I stood up and scanned my surroundings. Then I checked my phone, searching around for any sign of hope. I found one. And thanks to my many contingency plans, I did something I always envisioned myself doing:
I bought a bus ticket. |
The Sunlight Theory | The Sunlight Theory | When stuck on a coach bus for nearly an entire day, you have time to think whether you want to or not. There was only enough times you can listen to "Mrs. Robinson" on loop before it got tired. Coo coo cachoo.
On the hours and hours of the trip, I had to come up with something. I needed the perfect plan to patch things up with Sunset. I needed to make my happy ending.
I had a few phone calls to make, but it would all be worth it if I could pull it off.
I let out an overjoyed squeal as a single bar appeared at the top of the phone. I had earned a few awkward looks from my fellow sardines in the can, but I ignored them. What mattered was that I got into contact with everyone that propped me up during my experiments with love.
I dialed Lemon Zest first.
"Yo, Twilight, what's up?" Lemon said, bright hum and everything.
"I need your help," I said, urgency in my voice. "I'm in Mexicolt, and--"
"Say no more," Lemon interrupted. "My big sis was arrested in Cantercun on spring break last yea--"
"No, it's not that!" I shot back, cutting her off. "I just need you and the rest of the girls to do something for me."
Lemon hummed. "Yeah, sure, anything? What'cha need, girl?"
"I know it's a lot to ask, but remember that night we snuck around Crystal Prep?" --☀--
"Hey, Rarity?"
"Oh, Twilight!" she practically gasped into the speaker. "Are you okay, dear? I've been trying to get a hold of you since you left. Sunset was just absolutely devastated when we told her you ran away to Mexicolt."
I winced, staring out the window. The only thing I found was the endless expanse of desert on the other side. "Oh, jeez. Tell her--actually, don't tell her anything yet. I don't know."
"You can't just ghost her like that," Rarity countered, frustration in her voice. "In case you forgot, dear, she's my friend, too."
"I know." I sighed into the speaker. "Listen, I'm coming home, like, right now. I just want it to be a surprise."
I could hear the excitement jump back in Rarity's voice. "Are you going to be able to make it in time for the Spring Fling?"
I grimaced. "No. The bus I'm on won't arrive until after midnight."
Rarity sighed. "Well, I suppose everything can't just wrap itself up neatly."
"No, it won't," I said curtly. "But that's not stopping me."
"I appreciate the sentiment, but I think Sunset's going to want you here for the Spring Fling princess crowning," Rarity responded. I gritted my teeth, just realizing I was going to miss that as well. "It means a lot to her."
"Just be there for her when it happens," I said, shifting in my seat. "If she asks about me... tell her I just need some time to think. I want to surprise her when I get back."
"...Okay, dear, but--"
"And one last thing," I said, clutching the phone against my cheek.
"Yes?" she asked in a hum.
I paused for a moment. "Get the other Rainbooms. I have a gig for them." --☀--
After carefully detailing my plan to Rarity, I called Pinkie Pie. I should have held the phone away from my ear.
"Twilight!" Pinkie screamed into the speaker. "I was worried you'd never come back after you ghosted Sunset! I thought that you would be in a small farm raising alpacas!"
I chuckled politely and fought the urge to tell her alpacas aren't native to Mexicolt. "I'm fine, Pinkie. I just needed time away from-- well, everything."
"I feel that, girl," she responded, chipper as always. "Sometimes, I just wanna climb into my party cannon and fire myself off in a random direction. Let the wind carry me and the confetti anywhere."
"That's almost profound, Pinkie."
"Thanks!"
Shaking my head, I focused as to why I called her in the first place. "Listen, Pinkie, I need a favor."
"Oki-doki, what is it?" --☀--
I looked down at my phone and winced at the missed calls from my mom, dad, my brother, Cadance, and even my friends. Sending a quick few texts to confirm I hadn't been left to die in the desert somewhere only seemed to make the calls even more frequent. I shut off my phone and tried not to think about how much trouble I was in after this was all over.
The bus stopped to refuel in a small town just past the Mexicolt border. I was almost home. One more leg of a few hours, and I would be there at around twelve thirty in the morning. I took a look at my phone. It was five after six, and I had over twenty missed calls. By now, the Spring Fling was officially on inside the CHS gym.
I imagined arriving just in time to catch Sunset at the entrance to Canterlot High. If I had made the flight, I would have made it. I'd be jumping out the bus and leaping into her arms, breathless but happy.
Instead, I was in a desert town, waiting for a bus to fuel up.
At this moment in time, I was hundreds of miles away from Canterlot, but I was hundreds of miles closer than when I started the day.
I swiped away all the missed calls and texts but found myself looking at a string of messages from Rainbow Dash. It was a picture of me and Spitfire from our earlier rush through Mexicolt City with a message under it that read, "EXPLAIN."
I shut my phone off again.
In the distance, the sun began to fall over the horizon. Orange shades rose up from the ground in the distance, meeting the dark purple of the sky.
Sunset, Twilight.
Everything was still, save for the chatter of the other riders and the hum of the engine. I watched the wind blow at a row of desert trees. Despite how much the plant bent, it never broke, resilient to whatever nature threw at it. An arid environment nor the desert winds could snap its resolve.
Then my gaze fell on a single cactus, a lonely looking barrel that sat alone off the side of the road. Its harsh exterior of spikes was there only to protect the precious water it held inside. At the top of the cactus grew a single flower, bright red--growing strong despite the dry environment.
The roar of the bus coming back to life cut me off from my thoughts, and we were heading northwest.
I was chasing sunsets.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
It was past midnight by the time the bus arrived in Canterlot. Once I got past the city limits, I texted Cadance to pick me up at the bus station. The battery was low, so I shut my phone off, which spared me from any potential lectures.
I had never expected my phone to be this useful, especially during that day a few months back when my Crystal Prep friends badgered me to get one. I made a mental note to thank them because none of this would happen without them. I couldn't help but laugh at how quickly things changed.
I stepped off the bus, only to get immediately tackled by Cadance.
"Oh, thank goddess you're safe!" she cried, bringing me in for a tight hug. "What the heck were you thinking just hopping on a bus from a different country like that!?"
"I wasn't," I answered. "For once, I'm happy I didn't think."
Cadance perp-walked me to her car, and I shuffled into the back after noticing a familiar face in the driver's seat.
"Someone's in trouble," teased my brother, stretching out the last word childishly. The situation must have been bad if it was enough to get him off from work. I simply just ignored him and plugged my phone into the car's charger. "I was worried, too, you know." His tone didn't make it feel like a lecture, which I appreciated. "You're supposed to be the good one."
The good one. Those were the same expectations I ran from at Crystal Prep. They were the same ones I forced on Sunset.
"Your parents aren't happy, Twilight," Cadance said, using her 'Dean Cadenza' voice. "Just call them and tell them you're safe."
"Okay," I said with a little nod. I stared at my phone, dreading the last phone call of the night I had to make. With a deep breath, I called my dad. He was always a bit softer with me. I stared out the window as the phone rang.
"Nice try," said my mother from my dad's phone. Shining laughed, and Cadance smacked his shoulder. "You're grounded until you deliver me grandkids. Until my grandkids have grandkids!"
"Yeah, I thought so." There was something oddly freeing about being in trouble. "Though, to be fair, I'm gay."
"Exactly," was her response. She always knew just what to say. "Now tell me, who gave you the bright idea to steal a stunt car, and my leading actress off my set just to bum a ride, so you can hop on the first bus home? I'm not above firing your father. And if it was Spitfire, I'm getting a new Daring right--"
"Yearling did, Mom."
"Of course she did!" She let out a frustrated grunt. "The one person on this set I can't replace."
Cadance put her hand on my shoulder, lending silent support.
"Get some sleep, Mom," I said. "You can yell at me in the morning."
She sighed, and I felt the tension drain from her. "I was scared, Twilight." Her voice warbled. "Don't worry me like that, and promise me not to ever do anything that stupid again."
"I won't." That was a complete lie. "Night, Mom." I had one big dumb stupid rebellious teenager thing left to get out of my system. I looked to Cadance and Shining, waiting a minute or two before asking: "Can you drive me to CHS?"
"At this hour?" asked Dean Cadenza. She shook her head. "Absolutely not, Twilight. You've tempted fate enough already. You're getting into trouble, sneaking out at night. What could possibly make the brightest girl I know be such a mess sometimes?"
Shining chuckled. "I think that's a question Cadance knows the answer to, not the Dean."
She looked at him with a glare that was more confused than annoyed. "What are you talking about?"
"I thought you'd understand more than anyone, Counselor Matchmaker." Shining smiled, the same boyish grin that won her over every time. "She's in love."
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
I tried to convince Shining and Cadance that it was okay to just drop me off and go, but they insisted on parking just up the street and watching in case anything happened, which, after considering my behavior these past few months, wasn't totally uncalled for.
I walked down the Canterlot High sidewalk until I was right in front of the Wondercolt statue. I took a seat in front of it and pulled out my phone. This time, I didn't overthink what I was going to say.
-I'm sorry. Can I see you?
My hands shook as I sent it. I came all this way, so I had to commit to it. I wanted to, but that didn't make the nerves go away.
-I'm at CHS right now. I want to make things right with you.
I watched the little text dots for what felt like hours. My chest burned, and I had to force myself to breathe. Please.
Then the dots stopped. My body felt hollow, and I stuffed my phone into my pocket and took a deep breath. I told myself that she was just having trouble responding. But as the minutes went on, dread began to set in. I screwed up. There was no getting around that. She had the right to be upset.
I could already tell that Shining and Cadance were getting a little antsy. I looked at my phone again. Still no message. I decided to give her a few more minutes.
Deep breaths. Don't think. I closed my eyes, mostly to try to snuff out the tears forming.
By the time I was sure she wasn't coming, I saw a text from Rarity.
-Sunset's with me
-We're on our way.
I nodded, hugging the phone close to me, and I was okay to wait however long it took. Then I tried to get my brother to drive off by letting him know I had a ride home with Rarity.
They waited as I did, and didn't seem content to leave until Rarity pulled in in front of the school in her mom's minivan. She was the first to get out, and I didn't blame Sunset for not jumping out to see me.
Rarity rushed to me, and I knew I deserved whatever she told me.
"How is she?" I asked, a bit ashamed, but I needed to feel that.
"You're lucky she had me and the girls with her tonight." Her arms were crossed, and she glanced back at Sunset in her car. "I know you did what was right for you, but that affects her, too."
"Yeah, I know," I sighed. "Thanks for being there for her. I'm grateful to have you and the girls. And thank you for helping set this up. I hope I didn't ask too much from you."
"We love you both," she said, letting it sit there. "There isn't anything we won't do." She looked back to Sunset for a moment, just as I was noticing she's been in there for a while. "Should I leave you two alone?"
"Yeah, I've held it off long enough."
Rarity squeezed my arm as she began to step past me. "I'll be waiting for you inside."
I nodded, and took in a breath as I stepped to the car, where Sunset had waited.
It was her. She seemed to almost hesitate leaving the car, but she stepped out anyway. It was her. Her hair, once perfectly styled for the Spring Fling in an intricate weaving, had loosened over the night. She had thrown on her jacket over her dress, but I still caught a glimpse at the sash around her. She won, and I was glad for her.
It was still her.
I came all this way--through deserts, parades, across countries-- and I didn't know what to say.
Sunset spoke first. "Twilight, I--"
"Shh," I hummed. "Let's do something stupid. Right now. We can talk about it soon. I just want to be with you."
"Okay." She wasn't confident in her answer, and that was okay.
I took her hand and led her across the campus. An eerie silence surrounded the school, but I didn't care. No one would bother us here. I rushed up to the steps of the school and simply pulled the door open. I didn't care if Cadance and my brother were still watching.
"How did you?"
"I called some friends for a favor," I said, my shoulders relaxing. Thankfully, my Crystal Prep friends delivered in unlocking the school and disabling the alarms. Part one of the plan went off without a hitch.
I led Sunset down the quiet halls. The school was creepier at night. It felt like something would jump out from around the corner at any moment. And the hallway with the perpetually broken lights looked even darker somehow. However, it was the same school as always, which made it easier to navigate with just my phone's flashlight.
Eventually, we reached the entrance to the gym.
"Twilight," she called. "Why are we here?"
"I rode on a bus for hours, so I could get my dance with you," I answered, pushing open the door. "I'm getting my dance."
I took her hand, and we walked inside. It was dark, and I felt my legs trudge through the leftover streamers and confetti from the Spring Fling.
We were a few steps into the gym before a spotlight centered on us both. Shielding my eyes for a moment, I was able to make out Indigo Zap manning the spotlight. She gave me an excited pair of thumbs up.
Right after, the entire room lit up. I turned to the door and caught Lemon Zest, leaning against the wall, the gym's light switch to her left. And on her right, draped on her arm--to my surprise--was Sunny Flare, her own hand locked with Lemon's.
"Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet are on lookout, Twi. You've got this place 'til five, then we gotta dip," Lemon said, completely not acknowledging her holding Sunny's hand.
I grinned at them. "How'd this happen?"
"I asked!" Sunny said, beaming.
I giggled at the response , then led Sunset to the center of the gym, the spotlight following us all the way.
The stage sat on the other side of the gym, which had been set up for the Spring Fling earlier in the night. Rarity and the rest of the Rainbooms were there, on their instruments and ready to play.
Then a dreamy chord resonated through the room.
Rarity had written one song for the Rainbooms. It sat in the back of their songbook, purposefully ignored by Rainbow Dash, who insisted on sticking to rock. I simply just gave them an excuse to play it, one that Rainbow couldn't say no to.
Pinkie, showing some restraint, slowly dragged her hand across the wind chimes, filling the room with an airy sound.
Finally free from her keytar, Rarity sat at a real piano, playing a simple, listless melody. She sang into the microphone in a way that sounded like she was whispering into your ear. And she sang it just for us.
"Thank you for this," Sunset said into the nape of my neck.
I held Sunset in my arms as we slowly danced to the song. One moment felt like forever, and I almost wanted it to go on, but life never gives you that option to just end moments cleanly. Eventually, we had to break away, and the song had to end.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
Sunset and I sat at the steps leading into CHS. The sky had taken on a rosy color as the morning slowly came around. Streaks of light passed through the cracks of buildings. The party had ended, and the rest of the girls went home. It was just the two of us sitting there.
"I used to get up just before the sun would rise." Sunset's voice was soft.
I looked over to her. "Hmm?"
"Back when I was a filly, I would wake up and race to the castle's balcony every morning, just so I could watch Princess Celestia raise the sun," she continued. A ray of sun fell across her cheeks. She squinted, her eyes tearing up before she blinked it away. "The way the morning light shined through her mane was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
I sat there, deciding to just stay quiet and listen.
"After bringing light to millions of ponies across the world, her next order of business was to brush my mane--since I'd always forget to do it on my rush to see her." Sunset forced a laugh. "I never actually forgot. I think she knew that, too."
I couldn't help but laugh.
"That's the first story you shared with me about your past," I said, mostly noting it to myself. "It's cute."
Sunset hugged her knees. "I... haven't been too honest about that time in my life. It wasn't right to keep avoiding it like it didn't happen, but I thought if I could learn from it and be a better person, I could move on."
I nodded. "I haven't been right to you, either." I slowly swiped my hand against the steps and felt the cool stone against my palm. "I shouldn't have forced you talk about it, and I was wrong to pry. And I'm sorry I made you feel like you had to tell me or hide it. Whatever happened before I met you, you don't have to tell me."
I set my hand on hers, and she accepted it.
"Thank you." Sunset seemed to drop her shoulders.
I held her hand for a moment and bit my cheek as I knew where the conversation had to go next. "I'm sorry for leaving you like that, the night of the pageant. I freaked out and said some really hurtful things, and I'm sorry. You deserved better." Sunset kept quiet, and I continued.
"It's just, coming from Crystal Prep, they hold you to such a high standard. And I transferred out, and I thought I left that behind, but this last week, I realized that I was still holding myself and everything around me to those standards. Especially you. It wasn't fair to you at all."
It felt good to say. In fact, it felt so good to say aloud that I wasn't sure if it made any sense. "I just have a lot to unlearn about how judgmental I am."
Sunset kneaded her thumb across my hand. "I get it. I'm not too proud of that night either."
"I should have been here earlier tonight, too. I should've been the first one there to congratulate you for winning the Spring Fling. And I shouldn't have left you like that."
She seemed to finally remember that she still had the Spring Fling Princess sash on under her jacket. She picked at the little flowers strung across the lining. "You know, this is the first time I actually felt like I won any of these things."
"Really, in all four years?" My tone was curious, but this time I didn't need to know more.
"Really. You already know this, but I wasn't a good person before you met me." Sunset trailed off, and I could hear the shakiness in her voice.
"Sunset, you don't have t--"
"I want to." She put on a smile for me but it was still unsure. "I want to. It's still a part of me that I have to accept."
I nodded.
"There was a time where everyone at CHS was afraid of me. I was entitled, spiteful, cruel." She winced and rubbed at her arm. "It actually lasted longer than I'd like to think about. I won because people were afraid of what I'd do if I didn't."
Everything was starting to make a little more sense now. "Even by your first year here?"
"That was worse." Sunset let out a pained chuckle as she squeezed my hand. "Everyone just pitied the little homeless girl."
"Right," I said, remembering the moment she let it that fact about herself slip. "That must have been a hard time for you."
"It only got worse." She nodded. "Even I didn't feel like I earned it then. One of the seniors that lost to me let me know why I won, and I got so upset that I hit her. Then the whole school found out, and I just leaned into it. It's a lot easier to get what you need if they're scared of you. Food, money, cigarettes.
"But this year was different." Her voice was a bit grainy, but hopeful. "They chose me." I could feel in her voice how much it meant to her, and I sank a bit for having missed it. I could be here for her now, at least.
"And you deserve it," I said, looking her in the eye. "I still wish I was here for you. But I'm glad the school finally saw the person I was lucky to always have known."
"I don't think I even wanted to do the Fling, but I think I needed it," she said.
The conversation lulled, and I figured we just sat in our thoughts for a moment. Just processing it all. I felt like I was beginning to understand her. The real her.
Sunset chuckled. "I should have said no."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
She laughed again. "Back at the hospital, when I saw just how far you went in getting me to ask you out. Everything told me to say no, and I wanted to say no, and I probably should have said no and that it was wrong and weird and kind of creepy of you for stalking me like that."
I winced. "You did?"
"Yeah..." She stared away, down the steps and up the path leading to the street. "Maybe I was just lonely at the time, but I realized you were the only person that looked at me like that." She slumped a little. "Not exactly the healthiest mindset to take into a relationship."
"You're right." It hurt, but she was right. And I needed to work on that obsessive side of me, too.
"You were the only one at CHS who didn't know what I used to be. And when you looked at me, I could tell that you saw someone better, and I wanted to be that." She ran her hand through her hair. "That project of yours didn't help. I'm not that Sunset. And I probably won't be. I just want you to know that I'm trying, Twilight."
I took in her answer for a moment, and I remembered something she said when we last saw each other. "That's okay. It took me too long to realize this, but maybe it only seems like you get worse the further back you go because you're getting better."
She stared back at me, and I could see a hint of a smile. "All this time, I was scared of what you'd think when you found out who I was and that you'd forget who I am now."
Scared of me? I never thought about it that way.
Sunset looked down at her boots. All the mystique behind her was gone. And in that moment, I didn't see the angel that saved me at the Friendship Games. I didn't even see the unreachable mystery girl that was full of the confidence I never had.
I saw Sunset Shimmer, someone flawed, someone who didn't want to be alone anymore. Someone who was getting better everyday.
I still loved her.
"You were my fresh start," she said into her arms.
I took her hand. "I still am."
She looked up at me. Her eyes were watering, and I saw the sun in them.
"I love you, Sunset." I let it hang there. Full stop. "And when I'm holding onto you when we drive through town, it feels like the safest place in the world--even though it's clearly not."
Sunset chuckled.
I leaned into her. "I want you to feel that way around me. If I was kinder to you, you would have. But now, I just want to be here for you. Girlfriend, friend, it doesn't matter. I'm just excited to see the person you're becoming." I felt my chest squeeze tight. "And knowing what we know now, do you... maybe want to give it another chance?"
Sunset blinked through the tears. "Yeah, I think I'd like that."
We spent the rest of the morning watching the sunrise. I put my arm around her, and we just enjoyed the silence. The city eventually sprang to life around us as the new day bloomed. Not too long after that, cars and people were passing by. It was about time we got up, too.
I stood up, brushed off my skirt, and held my hand out. "Come on. We should get going."
She took it, and I helped her stand. "Where are we heading?"
"Sugarcube Corner should be opening soon," I answered, leading the way. "We can get some coffee." |
The Mystery of the Iron Bird Festival | pre | The tall mare leaned towards the young officer with a devil's own grin.
"S-remember: if this colt refuses to come to me, then feel free to cut his throat, as well as anyone else who decides to resist..."
"That's right, my princess. Kill anyone who resists."despite the awe and fear of her, his voice did not waver.
Nodding contentedly, Twilight teleported in front of the lieutenant a letter with an impression of red sealing wax in the form of a royal cutie mark and a tablet with detailed maps.
"This is everything you need. Now go away."as a sign of her words, Alicorn turned her back to the soldiers, thus ending the conversation.
The Harmony squad left the main hall, preparing to immediately march into the Badlands. ***
The light of an alien moon flooded the pilot's room. The feeling of peace did not leave him, as if it had always been so. In the semi-darkness, his washed clothes could be seen hanging on the door. Thanks to these cute ponies.
Quickly putting on his undershirt and underpants, he left the bedroom barefoot. I really wanted to get some fresh night air. Without breaking the silence, the pilot overcame a creaking staircase and a corridor dimly lit by magical lights.
The garden greeted the pilot with a rustling of leaves, and the chirping of crickets. Squatting under a young apple tree and bending his legs, Kramarenko looked at the Moon, so beautiful and close, only a hand is worth stretching out. Thoughts flowed slowly, slowly. Everything was there: the past hard life under the tracers of messers, and the new one in Korea, and the current situation in the world of ponies, dragons and other myths. Here, too, there are those who dislike the Soviet officer, whom fate-the villain threw here. But are there also friends here to entrust life into their hands?
And so the man sat, looking at the night sky and not counting the moments that had passed, merging into long minutes. At one point, he wasn't the only one in the garden. Turning his head, changing his position, the pilot looked at the blue pony, so inconspicuous even in the blue light of the satellite of the planet. ***
Luna looked with mixed feelings at her Son, who was sitting under a tree and smiling affably at her. Dressed in his white shirt, he looked more and more like a faded star. Sadness and loneliness devoured the young celestial.
He patted invitingly next to him, inviting her to admire this warm, serene night. Sitting down next to him, the mare felt her Son snuggle up to her blue side and hugged her. In response, her wing covered her back, agreeing to these hugs. It was all she could give him now.
So gentle and good--natured, unlike his death-bearing Parents, he could have been raised by his sisters on the basis of the Elements of Harmony: honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty and the magic of friendship. He is a child, albeit unusual, but also alien to pain and suffering.
The moon was moving further and further away from the canons and stereotypes of Iron Birds, further and further away from her sister.
Usually silent, the Son began to sing softly. Other people's words were only a few lines like that when the blue mare heard them in her head:
"Kak ya lyublyu glubinu tvoikh laskovykh glaz!" (How I love the depth of your tender eyes!)
"Kak ya khochu k nim prizhatsya seychas gubami!" (How I want to press my lips to them now!)
"Temnaya noch razdelyayet, lyubimaya, nas." (The dark night divides us, my love,)
"I trevozhnaya, chernaya step prolegla mezhdu nami." (And an alarming, black steppe lay between us.)
Pony's heart beat faster and her breathing quickened, and her lips already picked up the tune and words themselves, clearly singing them:
"Veryu v tebya, v doroguyu podrugu moyu." (I believe in you, my dear friend,)
"Eta vera ot puli menya temnoy nochyu khranila." (This faith kept me safe from a bullet on a dark night.)
"Radostno mne, Ya spokoyen v smertelnom boyu." (I am happy, I am calm in mortal combat,)
"Znayu. vstretish s lyubovyu menya, chto b so mnoy ni sluchilos." (I know you will meet me with love, no matter what happens to me.)
Now, in trembling admiration, the Son opened his mouth in surprise. These were not Russian words, but the miracle of music allowed him to hear them as his native speech. His eyes met the moon, tears glistening on them. The mare pulled him in, wrapping both wings around him now. The head fell on the soft breast and the Moon kissed him on the top of his head, like a loving mother of a foal. Her foal. Pony was ready to cry. How many years of dreams, how many heavy loads of eternal life behind fragile shoulders. Now she is ready to forget, reset everything and start from scratch.
"I... I love you... you won't be alone anymore." the moon sniffed, smiling through tears of happiness.
From a dark room, through a panoramic window, Celestia looked at it without expressing any emotions. After seeing enough, she lowered her head and wandered back into the room.
Dark night (Тёмная ночь) ***
Dawn found the Harmony squad at a halt in the Barren Lands. Two scouts returned with good news: there is a secret passage to the lair through the old temple of dragons. According to one of the pegasus, it has not been used for several decades.
The lieutenant immediately ordered to act. Tired, but ready to atone for their past failure, the warriors moved forward. They won't disappoint their princess anymore. |
The Mystery of the Iron Bird Festival | Sabotage and division | In the semi-darkness of the corridors pierced in the mountain, the whole group of guards was walking. Even the light of the magical fireflies of unicorns could not completely disperse the old darkness. Every now and then the poorly hewn walls took on the bizarre shapes of ancient dragons.
Soon, the outlines of an oak door, bound with rusted metal, appeared. By someone's carelessness, the door was not locked, but it was still heavy and unoiled, which made the three Earth ponies have to sweat a lot before they could move it for free passage. And again the corridor. It is not often seen in this part of the lair and the torches have long been covered with dust.
At the end of the way they were met by a bas-relief with the head of the king of the old dragons above the gate. Once painted blood-red, and now with peeling paint, he looked with empty eyes at a dozen ponies, opening his mouth in an angry growl.
The lieutenant silently lifted up a hoof, ordering everyone to stop. Removing the saddlebags, the squad took out gray cloaks. One of the tasks set by the princess was as follows:
Force the Order of the Red Dragon to mistake the Harmony Squad for their opponents, the Order of the Iron Bird.
After changing clothes and preparing weapons for battle, one of the unicorns teleported to the other side of the small gate. There was a thud and a soft moan. After a couple of seconds, the pony opened the gate. There was a diamond dog lying at the entrance with a dent in his helmet. That's what the lack of discipline in the guard of calm and relatively safe places leads to.
"Go ahead," the young lieutenant said in an undertone, and the first one moved to the center of the lair.
The unicorns threw magic blunt spears at the two guards who appeared around the corner until they had time to wake up and raise the alarm. One of them was still conscious. After quickly interrogating the guard about a certain Blood Tyuf, the commander of the Harmony squad changed direction, hoping to take a prisoner first.
The guards who encountered singles and twos were dealt with as quickly as the first ones, without encountering much resistance.
Apparently, none of the leadership counted on sabotage by opponents. Well, the information will be really important for drawing up a complete picture in the future report, the lieutenant reasoned sensibly, climbing another twisted staircase.
The wooden door that appeared should become the final destination, according to the words of the interrogated guard. And he was not deceived: when the guards burst in, they saw a gray earth pony at a large table with a lot of papers and a typewriter. His round-rimmed glasses were askew and his eyes were bloodshot.
"Who dared to disturb me while working?!" and he shut his mouth, realizing who was standing on his doorstep.
An evil grin lit up the lieutenant's muzzle as Blood Tyuf trembled at the sight of soldiers in silver cloaks.
"Take him!"
Two pegasus deftly threw a magic collar on the prisoner and dragged him to the exit of the office made in the Order's favorite red tones. Then an earth pony approached the lieutenant and reported the approach of the soldiers of the Order of the Red Dragon who had recovered.
"Attention! Squad! Line up for a breakthrough!" ***
For the rest of the night, Luna sat with her Son in the open sky, and only with the sunrise they disappeared into the manor, in the dim room of the blue mare. A large bed made in the form of a crescent moon, several lockers and nightstands with a large silver mirror, that's all that the younger sister of alicorn had. She always retained a love of minimalism, unlike Celestia, who was accustomed to the richest decorations. The guest did not sit on the perfectly made bed, remaining standing at the door while Luna rummaged through one of the lockers. She returned already with the medallion of the pale Moon, bound with silver and gold.
Handing it to her Son, she clearly whispered:
"No matter where you are, no matter what happens, a piece of my magic will always be there for you."
As if knowing the meaning of the words spoken by the Moon, he carefully put the medallion around his neck. Getting down on one knee, the Son tenderly embraced the mare, expressing his "thank you". The blue pony's eyes began to fill with tears of maternal love again, but a light knock on the door broke the moment of unity of such dissimilar creatures.
"Sister?"
Celestia was standing on the other side of the door.
"Luna... um, could you spare a little of your time--there's a conversation."
"Of course. What do you want to talk about, Tia?"
The white mare who entered began to shift from one foot to the other, chewing her lip.
"You see, it would be better to do it alone, without my Son."
After taking a close look at her older sister, Luna replied a little coolly:
"I have no secrets from my foal. Say it here and now."
Thrown into a stupor by these words, Celestia quickly admitted defeat.
"Okay." ***
Kramarenko was standing between two mares arguing about something. The cool metal of the medallion reminded of itself. Without removing it from his neck, the pilot raised it to his eyes, examining the blue-white moon and the inscription engraved on the edge. Let the captain of the downed MiG still did not fully understand the essence of what was happening, but from the colors already available, so to speak, he could paint a picture with his understanding of these incomplete days.
Having put the medallion back under his undershirt, Kramarenko returned his attention to the mares. From their tone, it could be understood that the man who had recently appeared in the manor had greatly influenced their relationship. They resembled two sisters, one of whom was the eldest and experienced, and the second was very sensual, relying more on the call of the heart.
The night turned out to be even more interesting: the pilot, deep in himself, despite the language barrier, was able to "connect" himself with the blue pony with a close relationship similar to a younger brother and a loving older sister or mother and child.
Bad or good, it can show the behavior of a white pony. Her attitude to such fraternization is clearly not positive. The captain is seen here as a kind of demigod child, albeit weak, but still a celestial being. Bows, smiles, help, all this is only respectful, unlike the "younger sister" with bright emotions.
Their conversation ended rather quickly, having reached some kind of compromise in tone. Of course, it may not be quite so, because this is only the judgment of one person who understands little.
The mares finally turned their attention to the pilot and the white one waved her wing and let them follow her. On the right side, a blue one stood up and put her head under her arm, pressed her warm side.
The path turned out to be familiar, leading to the underground rooms of the house. There they were met by the already familiar unicorn Lyra. Bowing, she took out a bunch of keys and handed them to the white mare. No one else met Kramarenko on the way. When they reached the cherished doors and fiddled with the locks, the ponies opened them with their magic. In the great hall, in the illumination of many magical lights, lay the skeleton of a downed Mig and on a stand the dropped parachute and winter clothes of the pilot. |
The Mystery of the Iron Bird Festival | Remains of an Iron Bird | The fuselage is almost in tatters, the engine is completely destroyed, as are the fuel tanks... Kramarenko stated to himself, walking around his plane.
Two ponies carefully, with a spark of regret, watched the man's movements.
"Even if there is something useful left, there will be little sense in it. But it's worth checking." -- the pilot turned back to the mistresses of the estate.
The idea of mares for the pilot was understandable, but how immoral would it be for fans if the "child" decides to dig into the insides of his "parent"? If you don't check, you won't find out.
The blue mare came up to the pilot and hugged him with her wings. Still unaccustomed to tenderness, he patted her on the soft back in a friendly way.
I'm attached, poor thing. In vain you are so, it will be more difficult to part with me. the pilot thought sadly, responding to the hug.
Calming down, pony released the man, looking at him encouragingly. Kramarenko's stomach rumbled treacherously, demanding to fill the empty space in his stomach. A smile slid across the filly's muzzle. Her love for the only person in this world grew by the hour and he did not doubt the sincerity of her feelings.
Returning back to the surface, the pilot was taken to the dining room. The round table in the center was simply bursting with a large number of various dishes. Like a caring mother, the blue pony made her wash her hands and face. If not for the circumstances, Kramarenko just stayed by her side until the end of his days. But a house is a house. One can only be touched by her assumed severity when she checked him for cleanliness.
While the pilot was washing, the second pony brought a chair upholstered with something soft. During all the time spent here, Kramarenko also learned that ponies never sit on chairs. But it is also correct, they are not supposed to be anatomically.
After the conversation in the room, the white mare no longer smiled as she had done before. The hands reached out to her by themselves, while the head was thinking of something of its own. Pulling her to his chest and gently, without touching the wings, stroked her silky fur. The pony shuddered at the touch and wanted to recoil, but the pilot squeezed his arms a little tighter, not letting go. After a little reflection on what was happening, the big filly responded to the tenderness from the pilot, letting out a heavy sigh. After standing in this position for a minute, Kramarenko released her. If this is not an everyday mask, then the pony really got better: a thoughtful and gloomy look left, and his eyes shone.
Before the pilot could move away, a blue one jumped on them from behind with a cheerful squeal. Now they were in an embrace, involuntarily clinging to each other. The feeling of family happiness also gripped the person. Laughter burst out, causing the others to laugh contagiously. ***
The family idyll is so close and so far away. One has only to stretch out a hoof and you will touch it, but at the same time your touch will crumble into dust, what your soul so desires. While Luna hugged her treasure and her sister, the fears matured and grew faster. His Son's laughter, sincere and good-natured, went against the ideas of all the legends of the Iron Birds. Now it was the turn of Celestia, the sister, to understand this.
A recent conversation gave away all her thoughts about all these too close relationships with her Son. For Tia, he remained an unattainable, unfeeling celestial being, whom one should fear and respect. For Luna to stay only with her sister was like death. She loved this creature so much. For several days now, none of the gods or celestial Iron Birds had come to Equestria for him. Then why should we give up the adopted foal is not quite a pony? Maybe the Iron Bird was expelled from its high clouds and no one should be expected. This idea was given by Luna to her older sister. It was difficult to challenge her, but she did not change her opinion. Changed all the sudden embraces on the part of the Son, settling doubts in Celestia.
"See, Sister, he's just like us. Luna whispered in Tia's ear.
"Not really, but love and friendship are not alien to him," the sister agreed.
Having finished hugging and untangled, pony and Son sat down at the table. Celestia's eyes were immediately riveted to the cakes and pies proudly standing in the center of all the dishes. Following this look, Luna indignantly said:
"No. Knowing you, you will eat all the sweets again and neither me nor my Son will get it. You've already eaten your croup."
"It's not true, I have a toned croup." the older sister replied with fake resentment in her voice.
The son only grinned at the playfully-minded mares and began, as it should be, according to etiquette, to fill his plate with different dishes. Celestia began to understand more why her sister became so attached and motherly in love with the Celestial. But it is impossible to take into account everything -- her former student Twilight, now the beautiful ruler of all Equestria, has proved this in practice.
I wonder how Tway is now. Is she looking for a Son or has she already given up this idea? No, it's unlikely, she's stubborn and getting to the bottom of it is part of her character. Maybe we'll even see each other and I'll be proud to say that she solved another mystery and legend about the Iron Bird Festival. -- thought Celestia, devouring the salad and looking regretfully at the sweets.
Today she showed her Son the remains of the Iron Bird, the Celestial Empire and his parent. There was a feeling that he was not sorry or sad at all, but even examined her with some composure. You can put it down to the fact that he was only recently born, but somehow does not fit with his knowledge and skills. Only one thing justifies everything that is happening -- its unearthly origin. ***
The Guards steadfastly took blow after blow, and then counterattacked themselves, gradually moving towards the exit. Poorly disciplined soldiers of the Order could not break the soldiers of the Harmony squad who were prepared for almost everything. The whole dozen acted as a single organism: the spears of the Earth ponies did not allow them to get too close, the pegasi attacked the weakened flanks and, in case of danger, avoided a direct collision, and the unicorns could hold the dome of protection from the fire of young dragons and magicians of the Order or disable strong opponents themselves.
A small group of ponies managed to escape from the branched passages of the lair outside, leaving behind angry and beaten soldiers. Now the squad had to gallop and break away from their pursuers, which was not so easy: dragons, griffins and pegasus watched every step of the guards, sometimes attacking them in a dive attack. But the Harmony squad is elite enough to be able to go through such difficulties. And this case was no exception. The Guards skillfully repelled the attacks, increasing the distance between them and the main enemy forces.
Soon, the winged raids stopped and the soldiers were able to breathe more freely. My strength was at the limit, but my anger and thirst to regain my invincibility turned out to be higher. They were able to go out to a previously found cave in the Barren Lands and exhale. The lieutenant ordered to block the entrance with stones and announced a rest. Having posted sentries, everyone went to bed, only one could not sleep, the one who is responsible for the entire diversion.
It was hard, but not impossible. It's a small matter -- to wait for the night and return to Canterlot under the cover of darkness. the commander of Harmony reflected, looking at the small flames of the already dying fire. |
The Mystery of the Iron Bird Festival | Your name is Sunrise | "It's hard, damn it..." the pilot groaned, pulling the plane apart piece by piece.
It turned out to be more difficult to explain than Kramarenko imagined in theory.
Who knows, maybe I look like an immoral creature now, rummaging in the entrails of my mother?
But the thought of the integrity of at least some cannon and a couple of shells did not allow him to sit freely for the whole breakfast, more like a small feast of bellies. Well, what else can you expect from nobles, even if they are kind and a little inhuman?
The first twenty-three millimeter gun was found very soon, but the mangled barrel is not subject to repair. In a word, scrap metal. The larger gun was also unlucky -- it froze in the shape of a flower with uneven iron petals. The last gun. It's covered in soot and scratches, but in theory it should shoot.
Tired, the pilot sat down on more or less a whole piece of the fuselage and only then noticed that he was not alone in the hall. Lyra, a light green unicorn, has been watching all this for some time. Strange actions and sometimes expletives made her thoughtfully tap her chin with her hoof.
And what are you doing here, little thing? wiping the perspiration, the man asked a rhetorical question.
"Lyra, come here, please," and as a sign of incomprehensible words for her, he patted the iron with a dirty hand.
With a timid step, she approached him, but did not sit on the remains of the downed MiG, as Kramarenko wanted.
Oh, he respects his sanctity, he does not accept blasphemy.
Getting up from the cold iron, the pilot again began to pull out the difficult trunk, but the strength of one person was clearly not enough. Casting a pleading glance at the unicorn and pointing at the cannon with his hand, he achieved only a questioningly tilted head of the mare and uncomprehending yellow eyes.
"Eh, I won't wait for help from you," the pilot grumbled aloud, giving up trying to explain his idea.
Suddenly, with a flash of blue light, a blue mare appeared out of nowhere and joyfully saw something, jumped up to a very exhausted and frightened pilot. Ignoring Lyra, who was sitting next to her, she poked the disgruntled man and called him "Sunrise", and then pointed to herself as "Vuna".
"So. Vuna-the moon is a blue star. Stop scaring me like that, or you'll bring me to a heart attack soon!"
But, for obvious reasons, she did not understand him and also tilted her head with a questioning look. The pilot's discontent turned into irritation and he, not in a gentlemanly manner, lifted the mare in his arms. She only squeaked in surprise, but did not resist. After carrying her to the exit and putting her out the door, he turned around and went back to the business, which was not moving fast.
You see, there are all sorts of distractions here. ***
Flapping her eyes in surprise, Luna discovered that she had been kicked out. Turning around, she looked at her Son, again starting to work incomprehensibly for everyone. Maybe it was a special ritual for a funeral, and a cheerful mood is not allowed? Or did he not like the name invented by the former princesses?
Without bothering her Son, who is still nameless, Luna returned back to her sister, finding her reading romantic books.
"Was he dissatisfied with your offer?" Celestia asked without looking up from her book.
"Well, to be honest, I don't know. He was so tense and focused. It seems to me that he really grieves the death of the Iron Bird, he just hides it deep in his heart."
"Maybe," the older Alicorn muttered.
Stamping her hoof, Luna deliberately loudly protested:
"Sister! Take a little break from your romances!"
Rising, Celestia went to her younger sister and hugged her, saying:
"Come on, you said yourself that he's not a pony and he needs a special approach in education. Or did you think that everything would be like clockwork?"
"No, but..."
"So don't get upset in vain!" comfortingly ruffling the mane of the moon.
After sitting in silence for a while, enjoying each other's closeness, the white alicorn asked her question:
"And what was he doing in the hall with the remains of the Iron Bird?"
"I don't know," Luna replied sincerely.
Having finished hugging, as soon as the blue alicorn calmed down, they sat down to come up with new names to offer them to their Son to choose from again. At some point, a scroll materialized in the air and fell in front of Celestia's nose. Without hesitation, she opened it and was delighted to find the familiar handwriting of her former student.
Noticing the curious look of her sister, the white mare began to read the letter aloud:
"Dear Tia. I apologize in advance for keeping you unanswered for so long, but state affairs are sometimes urgent. You know that yourself. Last time I talked about a dead Iron Bird that recently fell in the fields and about unknown ponies who stole its remains. My guess was that the Order of the Iron Bird could do this, so dutifully loving and praising her. My personal investigation came to a dead end and on the advice of my friends, former carriers of the elements of harmony, I left the case. Knowing you and the moon, you can know more about celestial beings. If this is the case, then I will be glad to hear any hints. Twilight."
When she finished reading, Celestia looked at her thoughtful sister.
"I won't give her my foal. My memory obligingly suggests that her unhealthy curiosity may harm him."
"Well, in a way you're right, she gets to know him early. By the way, isn't it time for him to go to bed?"
Luna gratefully looked at this display of guardianship and nodded in agreement.
Without further violating the personal space of their Son, the mares went down to him on foot. After knocking, they entered the hall. He was still picking at the remains. His once-white clothes were dirty, as was he. Tired, but already in high spirits, he was sitting by a long pipe, cleaning off the carbon from it. The sisters could not afford this, but they are not celestial beings, and only one Son knows what to do with the remains.
Finally paying attention to them, he got up from the floor with a guilty smile and approached them. Guiltily bowing his head and squatting down, the Son took the hoof of the Moon in his nimble paws. Stroking the fur, he whispered one word, but understandable to everyone: sorry.
Well, how can you hold a grudge against him? With a smile on her face, Luna dived under his paw and buried her face in his broad chest.
"I forgive you," his foster mother replied just as quietly.
Pulling away, the Son pointed to himself and said:
"Seryozha."
Giggling at such an invented and stupid name, the Moon touched him again:
"Sunrise?"
Waving his paw, he sighed in displeasure.
"Sunrise, Sunrise."
Squealing joyfully, Luna quickly pulled him in and kissed him on the forehead, to which the newly minted Sunrise grinned and kissed her on the top of her head himself. Watching these endearments, Celestia almost burst into tears with emotion. All her bad hopes evaporated, leaving only the good.
"And now it's time for him to sleep and gain strength," the older sister attracted her attention, playfully pushing the Luna.
Taking him under their control, they led Sunrise into the bedroom, ignoring his resistance and attempts to stay in the hall with the remains. After all, sometimes strictness is needed in education. ***
Twilight's tail was darting from side to side, waiting for at least some action. The squad has not returned yet, and Celestia, a nasty mare and definitely a knowing mare, remains silent. For a moment, the princess wondered why it was for her that she became nasty? After all, she is a wonderful mentor who has kept the balance in Equestria for thousands of years.
An evil voice from the depths disrupted her attempts to understand what was happening, reminding her that she was the princess here and it was up to her to decide the fate of those living on these lands. That Celestia only seems good, secretly protecting her terrible skeleton in the closet. Her silly antics and eating sweets are only worthy of ridicule.
With a satisfied nod to his inner voice, which appeared recently, but so diligently forgotten by someone from what. Soon everything will change, very soon. |
The Mystery of the Iron Bird Festival | The Night Killer | Kramarenko did not like to leave things unfinished, even if his strength was at the limit. Such a case was the abandoned parts of an unfinished cannon of a broken MiG. The mares simply ignored his indignation and dragged him to bed, deciding that their child needed rest. They even came up with a name, having laughed at the real one before. Now officially the name Sunrise will be with the pilot until the end of these adventures.
No matter how hazy the future was, he hoped for one outcome -- returning home. And that hope will die with the fighter pilot.
But before going to bed, Vuna and Tia, as the white pony introduced herself, thoroughly washed the dirty man. Fatigue, coupled with a hot bath, gave its effect and the body itself demanded a good rest in the crib. They put him to bed in a motherly way, after giving him a final kiss on the head, the ponies left him alone.
"Just like nannies," the pilot said, pulling a feather-light blanket up to his neck.
Soon, the dream found Kramarenko, plunging him into beautiful and colorful visions. The foliage rustled softly outside the open window, fresh air with notes of flowers pleasantly hovered in the room. The pilot was awakened by a knock on the door. Turning his head sleepily and discovering that it was still the middle of the night, he muttered something unintelligible about ponies and their excessive guardianship. The knocking was repeated, and this time louder. Someone did not wait for the door to be opened to him and entered the bedroom of a foreign guest himself. Vuna was standing on the threshold. Her usual mane, gathered in a ponytail, was loose and fell to the floor.
"..." she said.
Her voice was irritable and impatient, but the pilot failed to understand the essence of what was said. She usually behaved respectfully and lovingly, without giving out too malicious intonations towards her adopted child.
Sitting on the bed and leaning his hands on the soft mattress, Kramarenko waited for more understandable explanations from the night guest. She stood opposite and spoke again. Wearily rubbing his eyes, the pilot shrugged, hoping for an understanding of this gesture of the body. In the falling light of the moon, it seemed to the man as the once beautiful blue eyes flickered with a sickly green light. Blinking, everything was gone, but there was an unpleasant aftertaste. Vuna frowned again, her lips trembled and it was as if a chasm had formed between the two beings. There was silence, so ominous and loud, as if death itself was treading on the ground. Under the undershirt, near the neck, it became violently hot. Looking away from the strange Vuna, the pilot saw how the medallion with the symbol of the Moon, presented to her, glowed with a dim light and was restlessly heated by the presence of...
No, it's not Vuna. This incomprehensible and terrible creation was not her. What's going on here?.
The pilot did not have time to raise his eyes back to contemplate the pseudo-Vuna again, as a heavy hoof was rushing towards the person's face. Having managed to deviate a little on reflexes and the blow went tangentially, hitting the nose and jaw, instantly caused dull but tolerable pain. The legs instantly tensed and with the effort of the pilot pushed a certain creature that took the form of a Vuna. Compared to the horses of the human world, she was light enough to tip over and fall to the floor. The hand shot up like an arrow under the pillow, where the cherished pistol lay. Having raised his TT, Kramarenko prepared to pull the trigger, but the created magic of the green shade turned out to be faster and the first shot was left for the creature. A green translucent clot grazed his arm and hit the wall behind him without stopping. Cold and cramp gripped the limb. The pistol fell with a loud thud next to its owner, writhing in pain.
The creature's gaze ceased to portray at least something of emotion, which made her look like a cold-blooded killer, and this was not far from the truth: From the lush hair, the night killer took out his weapon, a small stiletto. Taking him comfortably in her magical grip, she prepared to deliver the final blow.
Not used to giving up so easily and parting with his life, the pilot, with a cry of pain and rage, threw a pillow at her, hoping to gain at least a little time. The trick worked and the creature switched its attention to an unexpected object stuffed with down. But those few seconds would not have been enough to pick up his gun. Then, following the improvised projectile, Kramarenko jumped, leaning with all his weight. Pinning his killer to the floor, the man did not aim a blow at the muzzle, but because of the poor sensitivity of the hand missed and hit the horn. This was his salvation. Hissing in pain, pseudo-Vuna lost control of her weapons and magic.
The creature's front legs began to move and kicked the pilot in the chest with great force. Frozen for a moment, he immediately curled up, falling on his side. The air knocked out of the lungs, with a hoarse moan, seemed to burn through the airways. It was possible to breathe only on the second attempt, and a dry cough accompanied any attempts to re-fill the lungs with precious oxygen. During this period of time, the enemy managed to recover, standing up to his full height. A dropped stiletto gleamed in his left hoof.
That's it. This is the kind of death that was waiting for me, sparing me in the sky and protecting me from a splinter with a bullet, so that some creature from another world took my life? Kramarenko had an unpleasant thought.
But fate, if it really exists, ordered otherwise. A bright ray of blue magic hit the night killer so hard that it slammed him into the wall. Lowering his head and looking, the pilot was relieved to see her on the threshold. Spreading her legs wide apart and lowering her horn-tipped head threateningly, Vuna let out a low roar of primal rage, a lightning sword from her eyes. The horn was ready to light up again with blue magic, in order now to incinerate the creature that had encroached on her child. Having overcome meters in a second, Vuna pressed her opponent into the wall with her powerful hooves. His bones cracked, breaking and turning into fragments from the living press.
Moaning, the pilot sat up, leaning on his elbows, watching the unfolding scene of violence. Awareness of the danger came with the withdrawal of adrenaline, drowning out the pain and the bright taste of brackish blood. From behind, someone pressed down and gently tried to lay Kramarenko on the floor. White hooves and Tia's familiar worried face appeared. She was whispering something reassuringly, while trying to assess the damage to the human body. Without resisting the help, he relaxed as much as he could, giving full access to the groping and her magic. Emotions have completely subsided, leaving a little fatigue. ***
The moon stood in front of the shattered muzzle of the changeling, who took her form. The disguise fell off and now everyone could see the real green and empty eyes. The yellow chitin crunched with every pressure, and the leaky legs dangled limply in the air, unable to somehow resist the former Equestria princess. Anger and fear for her Sunrise "screamed" about the murder of this bastard, but keeping her thoughts sober, the mare also wanted to interrogate the night killer.
While Luna gnashed her teeth, Celestia examined Sunrise's injuries with secret fear. I felt better when his whole body was in order, except for a broken nose and lip, as well as large bruises in the chest area. He was very lucky and his ribs withstood the blow, and his agility and strength did not allow him to die in the first seconds of the attack. No matter how much she said that the Son of the Iron Bird is not a foal, she also had worries, fears and the same maternal love as her sister.
Having calmed Sunrise, the white mare approached her sister, calmed down a little after a short fight.
"Tia, can you take this... This changeling to the basement. And put a guard on him; I don't want him to try to harm my foal again. Luna said, spitting out the words angrily.
Nodding in response, Celestia bound the assassin with her magic and led him into the custody of the Order. It was necessary to create patrols and protection of the estate with the adjacent territory. Something terrible happened and the truce concluded two hundred years ago ended. The two Orders are again in a state of real, not cold war.
Left alone with Sunrise, Luna knelt helplessly beside him. Tears gushed out of the pony's big and beautiful blue eyes, dripping onto Her Son's torn clothes. He was breathing calmly, without causing apprehension. Maybe a little tired, his gaze was directed at the ceiling.
How could I be so careless as to put him in danger. What a fool I was, the blue pony reproached herself, sniffing her nose.
As if recognizing her thoughts, Sunrise smiled encouragingly and stretched out his paw to the muzzle. The amazing five-fingered limb brushed away the drops and began stroking the soft fur.
He believes that everything will be fine and I will believe. I will not let our family break up because of difficulties and misfortunes. We will be able to overcome them all together! the Luna was inspired, burying her nose in his. ***
In the palace of Canterlot, well after midnight, there were a dozen of the best guards in Equestria. Their appearance was shabby, but the military spirit was on top. A few steps ahead lay bound Blood Tuf, one of the most prominent figures in the Order of the Red Dragon.
Twilight, sitting on the golden throne, as befits a great princess, held a proud posture and smiled a little. That smile didn't bode well.
"You've done a great job, Harmony Warriors. You are all free!"
After saluting and bowing, the group left the throne room. Today they will get drunk and have fun in the bars of ancient Canterlot!
The lying pegasus of the Order looked with a shudder into the lavender eyes of the princess.
"Now lie still. S-now you're going to tell me everything..." Twilight said with a hiss, descending from the throne with the gait of a predator.
"N-no... You won't get anything from me. You have violated an ancient treaty and will soon regret it, Princess Twilight Sparkle." trembling with fear and stuttering, Blood Tuf spoke uncertainly.
"Who s-told you we were Twilight S-Sparkle?" she bared a row of sharp teeth.
Without waiting for the prisoner's answer, the princess said in a Canterlot voice as powerful as a thunderclap:
"We are the Great Twilight Eclipse!" |
The Mystery of the Iron Bird Festival | The end of the Cold War | No one slept a wink until dawn. The sisters never left Sunrise's side while the others patrolled the perimeter and guarded the house. Everyone felt guilty before the Son of the lost Iron Bird; so to let down his celestial, his idol...
The long night ended and the first rays of the Sun illuminated the tired and tense creatures. One of the Pegasus went to negotiate with the Order of the Red Dragon. Many understood that this was the beginning of the war. They will have to take up arms again, like their predecessors hundreds of years ago.
Celestia was sitting by the window, watching the rising yellow ball. For thousands of years she raised it, for thousands of years she did not know rest. After leaving the post of ruler of Equestria, she lost not only the shackles, but also the ways to influence the world. Alicorn did not want blood and slaughter, but only the current princess, Twilight, could prevent the dragons from providing at least some help to the Order of the Red Dragon.
Taking out a pen, ink and parchment, Celestia began to write a letter to her former student. It's time to give her the answers to get help in return. ***
This is a good thing -- magic.
Kramarenko was sitting on the bed in the company of a white pony, watching her scribble something in her letter. My chest no longer hurt, but the dark spot of the bruise still reminded me of a "fun" night. Nervously stroking the pistol, taking out the clip and checking the operability of his personal weapon again, the pilot thought about no, no, yes about a bony old woman with a scythe. Even though he wasn't an empath and couldn't read minds, he knew the tension of the ongoing war perfectly well. But this time the pilot was without his winged car, and he was not protecting him, but him. Moreover, knowing that it is his person who is the reason for active actions.
Inserting the missing cartridges into the clip, the pilot put the TT back into the holster. The knife was now also hanging on his belt, in the same expectation of a new day. Smoothing his unruly hair, Kramarenko stood up. Clean, but slightly crumpled tunic and trousers complemented the image of a serious-minded person. He tapped the bones of the officer's boots in a military manner and turned to Tia, touching the white shoulder. She, still not finished with the letter, raised her head questioningly looking at the pilot who had disturbed her.
Again I had to explain my wishes on the "fingers". Understanding him, Tia shook her head negatively, which angered the pilot a little. Ponies can also be understood: for them, he is the only one who needs to be protected from everyone and everything. But Kramarenko was sure that everything would be different now; now he is ready for emergency situations. And who will attack in broad daylight, where all the "airplane worshippers" go armed to the teeth? It was too risky, especially after the night's failure.
But we still need to somehow persuade them to use magic electricity for my gun. If it doesn't work out, then all this fuss with the plane will be meaningless.
After taking another look at the busy mare, the man quietly left the room and moved from memory to the hall with the remains of the plane. ***
A bound changeling from the Order of the Red Dragon was sitting in a small room full of various junk. The moon, cold and sharp as steel itself, asked again:
"Either you tell Us the whole truth, or..."
Before the mare could voice her threat, the prisoner laughed and coughed up green blood.
"Never. I will never betray my idea and my brothers! The Order..."
A hoof strike silenced the changeling and groaned in pain.
"Then I have no other choice. The moon whispered softly and ominously.
Her horn lit up with a blue light, blinding almost anyone who dared to look. A mental spell burst from the tip of the horn, plastering the unsuccessful killer. Green blood flowed from the eyes, nose and ears of the blue alicorn's personal enemy struggling with the spell. The prisoner could no longer scream, he was controlled by the Moon. The mortal's knowledge flowed like a river into Pony's mind, but her ability to pull memories out of her head is still as good after a thousand years. Skillfully finding the right bits of information from the countless stream, Luna stopped her spell. The Changeling fell like a sack on the floor, into his pool of blood. The killer's organs of vision were burned out. He's dead. A side effect of such a convenient interrogation, forbidden by Celestia many hundreds of years ago.
Putting the details into one, the Moon sat down from the realization that now she saw: the Order of the Red Dragon is going to war on them. Someone provoked them by stealing a valuable member, a certain pony Blood Tyuf.
"But who would do such a thing?" |
The Mystery of the Iron Bird Festival | The Battle of the Two Orders | Kramarenko looked at his wrist: the commander's watch showed five o'clock exactly. The sun disappeared behind the clouds, giving the endless steppe even more golden shades on the horizon. The officer's personal weapon rested in a holster and scabbard. There are only fourteen rounds left. Not much here and you can fight with a gun. Therefore, a large scabbard with a silver sword hung behind his back, and the body was protected by the same chain mail and a hastily sewn, but not bad, poddospeshnik, very similar to a quilted jacket.
Changing his position so that the blood would disperse through the body, the pilot lay down next to the airbag. The four shells found were pleasing to the eye, glittering in the sometimes peeking rays of the Sun. Now he is temporarily the commander and gunner of the artillery crew of a small-caliber cannon. Lyra became the loader. The light green unicorn could not understand for a long time what was required of her, but only with the proper skill and perseverance of a Soviet pilot, she took on the role of electricity to supply shells. And now, sitting by her side, in her invariable raincoat, the mare was looking out of the window with concentration.
Well done the pilot thought, Hope for exploration, but don't do it yourself.
The Pegasi had to warn in advance about the approach of the enemy. If the pilot understood everything correctly, he will have to deal with two dragons. Why they don't make up the majority in the squad is unclear.
They didn't let me get bored. The blue pegasus barked something at Lyra and sped off.
"They're coming, bastards. Kramarenko whispered angrily and once again checked the makeshift fastenings of the cannon to the window frame and floor.
After making sure that the gun would not fly out from the recoil into the room, the pilot raised his hand up, signaling Lyra to be ready to fire. The Gorynychs will be here any minute. And this time Kramarenko does not have a weighty argument in the form of a jet fighter. ***
Celestia stood in golden armor, next to her sister, holding a halberd in a magical grip. She hoped never to get them again, but, apparently, not fate. Twilight will not come to the rescue, you can only hope for yourself.
The moon saw in the upcoming battle the shadow of the former battles of the first centuries, after their becoming Alicorns. Only one thing had changed: not only the existence of the entire Order was at stake, but also the fate of Sunrise. Iron Birds never arrive just like that. In a way, the Son of the Messiah, changing everyone he met on his way. And the Moon will do everything so that this path does not end.
"Sister, Tia. If I fall, accept Sunrise as your own colt and raise him."
"No, the Moon. We'll raise him together."
A sad smile flashed across the mare's cold-blooded muzzle. The warm words of the elder sister warmed her heart, but the thought of death did not go far, still sitting in the darkness of her mind.
"They're coming. Luna said and took out a long sword from its scabbard.
The procedure was planned in advance. The big house turned into a fortress. Sunrise and Lyra were sitting behind a wall with a thunder-fang of a dead Bird. Their task was two middle-aged dragons. Not so much, but not so little. Their natural immunity to magic and strong scales prevented them from being struck down with an ordinary sword or spell. The other members of the Order had to keep a circular defense at home and, having exhausted the enemy, rush to the attack. If everything goes wrong, Luna and Celestia will fight the dragons while the others distract the remaining ones.
"Are we starting?"
Celestia nodded and together with her sister began to conjure a shield from the fire of dragons and other people's magic. ***
Two dots appeared in the field of vision, rapidly approaching. Two mighty dragons flew straight at Kramarenko and his charging Lyra.
Early the pilot estimated the distance, remaining in ambush.
The unicorn twitched, feeling the strong tension of the pilot. The big lizards were approaching with great speed and they could already be hit, but there was no shot. The thought turned out to be correct: the dragons spat fire and turned around for the next approach. At that moment, they lost speed and maneuverability.
There was no time and shells to shoot, and the pilot aimed at the barrel.
"Come on!" he yelled and jumped away from the cannon.
The light green mare did not disappoint, quickly lit the horn and directed it towards the cannon. A spark and a small discharge of current found its way. A loud and sharp shot rang out. The gun jerked back from the powder gases, but a kind of fastening made of chains, ropes and junk withstood, while not falling apart. A small projectile pierced the rather large wing of the fire-breathing lizard, leaving a laceration. A roar of pain echoed over the field, inspiring the defenders.
The dragon landed on the ground, where the forces of other motley creatures that had just come up were waiting. Kramarenko even noticed dog faces that had never been seen before. Without becoming fixated and rejoicing at the successful start of the battle, the pilot again fell to heavy weapons. The goal was the same. The second dragon gained altitude and disappeared from sight. It is unlikely that he will fall into the same trap.
"Come on," the man shouted once again, having previously removed his face from the trunk.
And again a thunderous shot. By. The shell passed nearby and buried itself in the ground. Correction and fire. Only the last, the fourth, killed the dragon.
"That's it. I'm empty." the pilot spoke and took out his sword.
The second dragon was still pouring fire from afar, sometimes missing. It was clear that he was very afraid of such an end. The main part of the enemy's forces has already come within firing distance. The defenders of the house shot what they could: some with magic rays, some with arrows, and darts. The attackers snapped, firing continuously.
Suddenly two figures flashed by, immediately soaring up. It was Tia and Vuna. If you fail to get all the dragons out of standing, then they will finish this business.
Kramarenko rushed to the exit, holding a silver sword at the ready. The doors were already open: some of the fans of the Migar had time to rush into the melee. Several more creatures and ponies were behind the pilot.
Loudly shouting "Hurrah", Kramarenko himself moved towards the enemy. Everyone took part in the battle and he did not want to be an exception because of his foreign origin.
The first to get in the way was an upright dog, slightly below the average height of a man, in leather armor and a spear. A short red raincoat completed the scanty uniforms. The pilot jumped away from the spear thrust, reducing the distance to a couple of steps. With a dissecting blow from the shoulder, the man inflicted a wound in the place of the collarbone. The dog fell to the ground, moaning in pain. The second swing of the sword landed in the neck, instantly stopping the torment of the creature. A black ray flashed over Kramarenko's head.
Turning to the new threat on the left, he saw a black unicorn five meters away. A sinister grin flashed across his face and another ray slid off his horn. The pilot did not have time to dodge, but the unicorn did not succeed either. The magic hit the yellow translucent shield. And the next moment, the black wizard was struck by a yellow ray, frying his muzzle. Lyra was standing next to her in light scaled armor. With a grateful nod to the unicorn who saved him, the pilot took out a pistol and transferred it to his left hand. Having looked over the boiling battle, Kramarenko's gaze caught on two pegasuses in red raincoats. They stood with their backs to him, mercilessly attacking the grey-cloaked griffin. It turned out to be fatal for them. Taking aim, the pilot put his finger on the trigger and pressed immediately.
Three shots and two more opponents lie lifeless. The griffin got up and flew up to meet a pony beetle, the same one that came at night to make an attempt. Their blades crossed. The bird-beast blinded the white beetle with its beak, and then finished it off with curved blades.
The next target was a simple pony, walking like a battering ram on Kramarenko. Letting him get closer, the pilot fired one shot and rushed towards the wounded enemy. And then he stabbed the pony's head with a stabbing blow.
The hand-to-hand slaughter was clearly on the side of the "grey cloaks". They won battles here and there, instilling fear in their enemies. The personal participation of the pilot raised their spirits, inspiring them to their victories. ***
At a safe distance, standing on the hill of Twilight Eclipse. Her coat color has become darker, almost black, and the mane developing in the magic wind has acquired the same dark shades. The cat's pupils watched with amusement what was happening below and in the air battles. |
The Mystery of the Iron Bird Festival | The final | Kramarenko saw the second and last dragon, beaten by the alicorns, descend. He didn't have long to live and spit fire. Distracted for a couple of moments, the pilot almost got an arrow in the chest. He was saved by a lilac magic bubble, about which the arrow just bounced to the side.
The battle was boiling everywhere, everything was mixed up, he could not immediately make out who helped him. Holding a bloody sword at the ready and examining all the unicorns nearby, the pilot still missed the moment when the familiar lavender pony hornwing appeared. She has undergone some changes since the last meeting, starting to look a little ominous.
You can't judge a book by its cover, the thought flashed through. But this 'book' is not credible.
The man prepared to shoot to kill at the first signs of hostility, fortunately he realized that there are those who can try on someone else's face like clothes. But pony didn't show any evil intentions.
"What do you want?" the pilot asked in an incredulous tone.
The purple bubble around them began to gain color, sometimes pulsating. Immersed in the semi-darkness and silence, the pilot did not take the barrel of the pistol off the target, ready to press it.
Suddenly, a dark purple mare fell on her front legs in front of the pilot, spreading her wings in a special bow. Her head was almost touching the ground, but her eyes were still looking at him.
"We are Twilight Eclipse-s, Princes of Equestria. I recognize you, sir, O Great Mass!" pony answered in Russian with a hiss and a strong accent in her voice.
Kramarenko looked at Twilight Eclipse in surprise, not believing his ears.
"How do you know my language?"
She giggled and answered with obvious pleasure, getting back to her feet:
"This is only a small part of my abilities, Messiah. If you allow me to become your patron and come under my wing, I will give you whatever you want!"
Her eulogies and enticement were not for nothing and the pilot understood that the fee for this would be disproportionately large.
"But in return?" the man raised an eyebrow.
"In return, you, Mass-siya, share your knowledge of the celestial, the Son of the Iron Bird!" the mare exclaimed with fire in her eyes.
After a little thought, the pilot expressed his decision:
"I think I will refuse such a generous offer, Twilight Eclipse. The knowledge of the Iron Birds must be kept secret. No one will receive them under any pretext."
This answer angered the lilac pony.
"Are you sure about this?"What is it?" she asked angrily, straining her muscles.
Having assessed the situation, the pilot nodded and added in an impassive, firm voice:
"Yes. This is my final verdict. And if you don't like something, I'll shoot you right here. My hand will not waver."
Twilight just laughed loudly and stupidly at the pilot's threats. There was something out of this world in her and the pilot wanted to find out.
"And what?" she snarled, "Will you kill me? And then what?"
"I will live," Kramarenko replied without a shadow of a smile, "Better tell me who you really are? I've met this mare before and I can clearly see your differences. Stop prevaricating"
"You can call me Eclipse-s or Darkness, as a few foolishly called me. But I'm not Darkness, oh no. I am something more perfect than stupid anger and bloodlust. During my life in the carrier, I share with-power and knowledge. I give them everything they crave."
"And you take the body." rudely interrupted the pilot praising himself Eclipse.
"There is such a thing," someone in the mare's body did not deny. "I like to feel the blood filling me, the storm of emotions and the desire of the bearer..."
"Having fun, then?" a man asked a rhetorical question.
Nodding affirmatively, she slowly, like a cat, approached the pilot, exposing her new body to be torn to pieces. She wasn't afraid of death and pain, it amused her. It was possible to find and subdue almost any pony.
Seeing the pilot's inaction, she continued:
"If the c-death of this shell doesn't mean much to you, then why don't you c-do it? Kill her and you'll get your freedom. It's not my desire to get a job, which means I have no complaints, Eclipse."
She lay down under the man's feet and turned over, exposing her unprotected stomach to be torn to pieces. If Kramarenko wanted to, he could do it with his bare hands.
"No."
She looked in fake surprise at the man who did not want to commit another murder.
"Your decision, Great Mass and Son of the Iron Bird, will still be rewarded. Love, power and wealth are waiting for you." Twilight Eclipse began to be crucified again.
"No," he said again.
"Then what?!" pony began to lose her temper with this behavior of the pilot.
"I want to make a deal with you. You leave this mare alone and become a part of me. I'm sure you've never been in the mind of the Son of the Iron Bird before."
Kramarenko's proposal genuinely interested Eclipse.
"Well, I'm true to my word and I only come to the one who wants it." the mare smiled slyly and stretched out her hoof.
Thrusting the sword into the ground and gripping the pony's limb tightly with white fingers, the pilot closed his eyes in humility. Something cold and hot at the same time went through the body and dug into the brain, pressing down with its invisible force. Gritting his teeth from the surging pain, the man on weak legs sat down on the ground covered with someone's scarlet blood. And after a couple of seconds, everything went quiet. Opening his eyes, Kramarenko saw a lavender pony unconscious. Her fur and mane were old colors.
Shield. The dome, which hid the two from the whole world, began to be covered with cracks. Bursting noiselessly, it brought back sunlight and sounds. Turning his head slowly, he noticed Tia and Wuna. Both immediately rushed into a strong embrace. They were saying something without stopping, large drops of tears were flowing down onto the chest of the pilot, who was suddenly tired of everything. Stroking their heads, he smiled at the burden of responsibility for an innocent death. Killing her was the easy way, but as they say: they don't look for easy ways. What will happen later will not happen now.
Having reassured the mares of their value and safety, Kramarenko examined the battlefield in more detail. The dead lay here and there, the wounded were picked up or bandaged right here. In the distance lay a dead dragon, killed by Tia and Vuna. The hilt of Tia's gilded halberd protruded from his skull. The attackers could be recognized only in the wounded and dead, the rest apparently fled with all their legs and paws. Vuna, sitting next to her, had a bandaged wound on her front leg, and her right wing was twisted at an unnatural angle. But she did not consider these injuries to be anything really important than the fate and health of her pilot. Tia, relatively, looked whole, only a couple of scars and scratches stood out on the white fur.
After sitting down and resting for a while, Kramarenko took off his chain mail and undershirt, revealing himself to the cool breeze that was walking on the steppe. The sun was sinking to the horizon. Everyone who could still move approached the man. Battered, they bowed before the two ponies and the pilot. Their loyalty to the MiGs, who were here a long time ago, not only did not fade, but also strengthened. Neither fear nor blind fanaticism led them after the Son of the Iron Bird, but love and respect. In response, the pilot also bowed his head in gratitude to them.
In the distance, under the soft rays of the Sun, a thick fog began to gather. The unusual phenomenon alarmed everyone except Kramarenko. Something told him about the end of his adventures in this world. Staggering, he stood up and straightened up. Holstering his pistol, he wanted to move towards the fog, towards his home, but stopped and looked at the pony. Vuna and Tia guessed about the last way and now looked at him with sadness. Wiping away her tears, the blue mare limped up to the pilot and kissed him goodbye. But Tia did not follow her sister's example and lay down on the ground, pointing at her back. Without refusing to give up one more help, the pilot sat on top of her. She, getting used to his weight, moved forward with a measured step.
After going the way she was supposed to, the white pony stopped next to a difficult thick fog. Dismounting from the mare, the pilot hugged her. During these couple of days, she and Vuna have become very close and dear to the hard human heart. After saying goodbye to her, he entered the fog.
The pilot walked along it for a short time and soon came out on the cold land of Korea. Somewhere in the hollow was a dilapidated village. Meeting a Korean man on the way in a hay cart, he shouted:
"Kim Il Sung Ho!"
"Kim Il Sung Ho."the peasant replied.
A couple of hours later, a search party arrived in the village and took Kramarenko to the base. The business trip to Korea ended and Captain Sergei Makarovich Kramarenko left for home, to the Soviet Union. ***
The Order of the Iron Bird remained under the guidance of the wise sisters of the Alicorns. After Sunrise left, they collected the remains of the Iron Bird and buried it on the very field where the battle took place. The dead followers of the Order also lay there, next to the Celestial Empire.
Twilight walked aloof for a long time, her memories were clear, she remembered everything to the last detail. The Mission that saved her left before she woke up. The mystery of the ancient holiday has remained unsolved. Only her former mentor knew about something else, but she always skillfully translated the conversation with a sly smile.
The moon, dreaming of her own son, looked at the sky for a long time. The wound in his soul was healing, and the thought that he was back where he belonged warmed his heart. Even time will not have power over her dear memories of him. ***
After returning home, Kramarenko thought about his adventures for a long time. He did not even think about the fictitiousness of the fairy-tale world. Eclipse, who made a deal with him, lost -- there was no magic in the world of people from the word at all and she just went into hibernation until better times. But not only the memories of the pony remained, but also the medallion with the Moon symbol presented by Vuna evoked warm memories, bypassing the heavy ones.
"The two worlds are so different, but love and friendship are the same." the pilot said with a grin and smiled sincerely. |
Chronicles of Cody | pre | Ivory sat up, then stared down at her stomach in horror. Her mouth was hung open, and she could hear the muffled screaming. This wasn't supposed to happen. Observe only is what she was told. Mocha would be upset, but not even close to how furious her highness would be. She ate Cody, and without permission from her. She needed a plan, and fast.
"I'll get you out Cody! Just don't panic!"
She needed a plan before her highness found out this happened. She raised her front right hoof, and slammed it into her stomach. She felt her stomach lurch, but Cody was still trapped inside. She was panicking too much to focus her magic to pull him out. Cody was going to digest, and she would face a punishment she couldn't even fathom.
As she was slamming her hoof tirelessly, a burning sensation filled her stomach. Whatever was happening to Cody, it was strong enough to make her fall over. She continued to slam her hoof into her stomach over and over, despite Cody's screams slowly fading. If she didn't get him out, she would fail both Mocha and her highness.
The burning in her stomach began to intensify. With her open mouth, she saw a bright white glow emanate from inside her. She felt as if she would burst into flames from the inside. She was shaking. She was scared. Was Cody gone, and was this her punishment? Ivory tried to stand back up, but couldn't. The burning inside her stomach was too much to do anything.
It was subtle. A sound akin to somepony using a teleportation spell, but much quieter. The light that came from inside her, was gone. The burning feeling was fading quickly. She stood up, and almost fell down again.
There he was. Cody was in the center of Mocha's bed, unconscious and seemingly unharmed. Save for her saliva covering him, it was as if he was never in her stomach. She ran out of the bedroom and to the couch. She looked around in her bag, and pulled out a small human-sized towel. She went back to the bedroom, and carefully tried her best to wipe off as much of her saliva as possible. How would she explain that she accidentally ate him? She couldn't. She had to think of something.
It wasn't supposed to happen this early. He wasn't supposed to be able to do this for at least another few months. This put things far ahead of schedule. She needed to make sure Cody was okay, then immediately report in.
Nothing would prepare her for what would happen next. ---
Cody opened his eyes. He sat up and saw that he was in the center of Mocha's bed. At the edge of the bed stood Ivory, who was telekinetically moving a small towel all around him. She stopped, then immediately climbed onto the bed. She sat herself inches from Cody, her face taking up his entire view. Tears were streaming down her face.
"Sweet Celestia Cody are you okay?"
"I'm fine. What happened?"
"You lost your grip climbing down, and fell into my mouth."
"Your mouth!?"
"Yes, but you're safe now. You hit your head on my teeth, and passed out for a few minutes. I spit you out onto the bed and tried to clean you up the best I could."
Cody jumped up and hugged her nose. She was always looking out for him. While Mocha was his best friend, Ivory was so much more. In his life on Earth, he never met anyone like her. No one cared about him the way she did. A giant like her, caring so much about someone as small as him. So powerful, yet so gentle. Up until now, he never had the courage to admit his feelings for her. They're so different. Why would a giant mare as perfect as her, want someone that's considered food to every other pony in this world?
He couldn't just tell her, he needed to show her how he felt. He let go from her nose. He took a deep breath. It was now, or never. He looked up to her. She seemed to have stopped crying.
"I need to say something. Something I haven't had the courage to tell you until now."
"W-What Cody?"
With shaky hands, he ran his fingers through her perfect, dark turquoise fur right above her lips. He looked up to her beautiful bright turquoise eyes, then looked at her perfect brown hair. He closed his eyes, pursed his lips, and pressed them against her upper lip. He then pulled away, opened his eyes, and looked up to a very shocked Ivory. He stood up.
"I love you Ivory Swirl. I've felt this way for awhile, but I've always been too scared to tell you. I don't know if a mare as perfect as you could have feelings for me. You're perfect in every way. You've done so much-."
He found himself cut off as Ivory pressed her lips against him. Her top lip covered his head, her bottom lip pressed against his chest and stomach. Her kiss pushed him into the soft bed. He felt his body peel off of her lips as she pulled away. She rested her head within arms reach of him.
"I...I love you too. You're different than all the stallions in Equestria. You don't boast about your strength. You don't brag about your skills. You're content with being yourself. Mocha and I worry so much about your safety, but you've been so strong the whole month you've been here."
Cody scooched forward, and rested his forehead against her upper lip. He was beyond elated she loved him too.
"Some days you make me forget I'm so small. I can never repay you for that."
Ivory shifted her lower lip, and surrounded Cody's face with her lips. She moved his head back and forth as she kissed him. He felt the weight shift as she pinned him under her. She moved her legs to hold herself up enough so she wouldn't press down too hard. He began moving his hands back and forth across the part of her lips that wasn't covering his whole face.
According to Mocha's clock, the kissing continued for another twenty minutes. That left them about forty minutes before Mocha would return. They laid there in her bed. Cody was snuggled up against Ivory's chest, using her hair as a blanket. One question burned in their minds.
"Would you like to tell Mocha? You're her best friend after all Ivory."
"Well my lovely Cody, you're her roommate."
They agreed on telling her together. Keeping her in the dark would be a waste of time. Mocha was an open minded pony after all. Deciding on who told her was easy. The conversation that came next, proved to be a bit more difficult.
"Where do we go from here? I've never dated a human before."
"I don't think there's a single pony in Equestria that has."
"Well, what do dating humans do?"
"Spend time together mostly. Enjoy each other's company, have meals together, and going out on dates."
Ivory lowered her head, and nuzzled her nose against Cody. He wrapped his arms around her nose in an attempt to hug her.
"Once it's safe for you out there, taking you out on a date sounds like a wonderful idea."
The two would simply enjoy their company and let the time pass. It was when they saw the sun set, that they got out of the bed. Ivory levitated Cody onto her back, then walked out to the living room couch. Mocha would be on her way home. ---
Mocha had already set her basket down on the counter. Her massive amount of bits were levitated into the kitchen, being left to deal with later. She trotted her way upstairs. She sold so many cupcakes, she had to conjure up more while at the market. She had so many customers, and just as many placing cake orders. She was magically, physically, and mentally exhausted. She was looking forward to Cody's last exercise. Her hooves being used as punching bags made for a great massage.
However, she was not expecting to see Ivory and Cody on the living room couch, kissing. Ivory had Cody's face between her lips while he laid on the couch pillow. It wasn't a kiss between friends. This was the kissing of lovers. Her mouth hung open as she watched her two best friends make out on her couch.
"Sweet Celestia, what are you two doing!?"
Ivory pulled back from kissing Mocha's tiny roommate, who was dazed and smiling. Both Cody and her looked over to a very confused mare. She got off the couch, and levitated him down to the coffee table.
"Mocha dear, we have to tell you something. Something most wonderful."
"You two were kissing!"
"Yes my dear. Couples tend to do that when they're in love."
"Or to pass time."
"Indeed my love. Lots of time to pass."
"Ok. Ok. Back up a second. Couple? You two are dating!?"
"Yes Mocha. I'm dating Ivory."
Ivory sat down, and got Mocha to sit down on the couch as well. Cody sat on the coffee table, looking up. Mocha was still trying to process what she first saw and heard. She had a million questions in her head, and could barely focus on any of them. She got her first question out somehow.
"So you two...like each other? Like, love love? I...wow. I mean, she's huge compared to you! And you're so small!"
Ivory gently wrapped a hoof around Mocha's shoulder. Mocha's confusion was very much visible.
"Mocha. I know this is a lot to take in. Cody and I had these feelings for each other for some time now, but neither of us had the courage to approach the other. At least until today."
"So...you two are a couple? The kissing, going out to eat, sleep in the same bed kinda couple?"
Ivory held up her other hoof that wasn't wrapped around her friend's shoulder, then levitated Cody up so he could stand on it. He seemed nervous, but stood confident.
"I love her Mocha. I've never felt this way about another person, or in this case pony."
"We're the only ponies you know Cody."
"It doesn't change the fact that I love Ivory."
Mocha was still struggling a bit to believe it. Her small human friend Cody, was head over hooves for her lifelong best friend Ivory Swirl. What was she supposed to actually say? She looked to the two of them. Ivory had the look a mare gets when they meet the stallion of their dreams. Cody's smile was the biggest she had ever seen, even when he was back on Earth. She took a deep breath.
"Cody, if this makes you happy, I'm glad for you both."
She hugged Ivory, and the three got off the couch. She was still a bit confused on the concept of them dating. As strange as it was, she wouldn't let any of her own bias get in the way. They were her friends. The fact that they're dating is just something that she'll have to get used to.
While she didn't fully understand the interspecies dating, watching the two of them eat salad while staring at each other was super adorable. She would hold a piece out with her teeth, and he would pull off a piece for himself to eat. Even during dessert they were cute together. They shared a piece of apple pie, and the sight was beautiful. The way they stared into each other's eyes. You could almost feel the love. With the right spell, you could probably see it too, though she didn't want to flood the house tonight.
Mocha went downstairs to prep for tomorrow, and the happy couple went back to where they were first discovered by her. While she was moving her bits into the safe, she could faintly hear them kissing. Since they kiss with her sticking his face between her lips, one couldn't help but wonder if she'll accidentally kiss too hard and swallow him. After a lot of counting, she moved onto prepping all the dough for tomorrow. They were still kissing. She thought for a guy of his size, Ivory would wear him out quick, but no. After fifteen minutes of work, she returned upstairs. They were still kissing.
"Um. Ivory? Don't you think it's getting a little late?"
Ivory pulled out of her kiss for a moment to look at the window above the couch. She got off the couch, then levitated her bag from off the floor, onto her back. She walked towards the top of the stairs beside Mocha. She turned, and levitated Cody towards her.
"Until tomorrow my sweet Cody."
"I'll miss you Ivory."
The two began to kiss again. Not wanting to lose another ten minutes of her life, Mocha interrupted them by slightly shifting Cody back from Ivory's lips.
"Alright Juliet, how about we let Romeo here breathe? He'll be here tomorrow I promise."
Ivory gave a wink before leaving. Mocha looked at Cody, who had the goofiest smile on his face. ---
He never knew what walking on sunshine meant before today. Cody never understood all the lovey dovey couples back on Earth. He couldn't fathom why people would enjoy sucking each other's faces for a seemingly endless amount of time. Ivory changed all of that.
They reached the bedroom, and the two sat down in front of the bed. Mocha sat on her backside, leaning against the bed, and her hind legs sat before Cody. He stood before her left hoof. Pressing his hand into it, he could feel a day's worth of stress. He squared up his shoulders, balled up his fists, and began to throw punches at the bottom of her hoof. It had very little give when his fist connected. Despite his strong hits, Mocha always said it didn't hurt her. In fact, she said it felt like a small massage. His exercise was her relaxation. This was also when they had good talks.
"Cody I need to ask something."
"Ask away Mocha."
"Why Ivory? Just a week ago, you said we were the big sisters you never had."
"Well, I meant more you than her."
"I just want to know if you have a plan for this relationship with her."
Cody stopped his boxing, and stepped out from behind her hoof to look up at Mocha. Despite how open she was initially, a shred of doubt could be seen in her eyes.
"I love her Mocha. She makes me more than happy. I'm glad you're concerned about my safety though."
Mocha crossed her upper legs across her torso, and looked down at Cody with a smirk.
"As your unofficial big sister, I have to keep you safe."
Cody chuckled, and went back to boxing Mocha's hooves. A small part of him did wonder where the relationship would go. That's what made it so exciting.
The boxing continued for another half hour. Cody punched all the stress out of Mocha's hooves. The two went to the bathroom. He took his bath, then Mocha took hers. It was a long day, and both were ready to get some sleep. Mocha flopped onto her bed after Cody was gently levitated to his. Heads on pillows, and bodies covered by blankets. Sleep was taking over.
"Night Mocha."
"Night lil' bro."
"Wait, forgetting something?"
"Oh, right."
Mocha's horn glowed, and the curtain was pulled shut. Cody slowly closed his eyes, letting his body float off to dreamland. Thoughts of Ivory danced in his head. His body lain against her perfect turquoise coat. His body blanketed by her beautiful brown hair. His face pressed against her soft lips.
It was an endless expanse of white. Cody sat in the center of a round, black table meant for a pony. He had a feeling he was waiting for someone, but he didn't know who. He knew it was someone very important. He looked over to a giant floating clock, whose actual hands were rotating in different directions. He walked over to the edge of the table, ready to jump off and move on from this.
"Wait!"
Cody turned around to see a pony at the other end of the table. This pony was larger than any pony he had seen. She was dark blue, the darkest blue he had ever seen. Behind her horn was a small, black crown. Her hair was a lighter blue, with white dots similar to stars all over it. It also had a light purple outline around all of it. On her chest, rested some type of moon emblem. The same mark was also her cutie mark. She stared at Cody with her deep blue eyes. A look of confusion could be seen.
"All this time, and you're the first human whose dreams I've been able to enter."
The table faded from existence, and Cody began floating towards the giant mare.
"It is an honor to finally meet one of your kind in the dream realm."
"Finally? You mean I'm the first."
"Yes. The entrance to each dream is a door, and the doors for humans are far too small. Yours was the first I was able to enter. I am Princess Luna."
"I'm Cody."
To his left, Cody could see a white blob emerging from the floor, and quickly solidified into the shape of a pony. The fur changed to turquoise, then the hair changed to brown. It became Ivory. She winked at him, chuckled, and walked around. Princess Luna looked to her right, saw Ivory, then looked back to see Cody smiling.
"You love her don't you?"
"Very much. I've never felt the way I do about anyone else."
"Two vastly different creatures, so enthralled by each other. Fascinating."
Cody looked away, remembering how ponies were being punished for harboring humans. He didn't want that punishment to befall his friends. He hoped this Princess Luna was understanding.
"Your highness. I do have a humble request."
"Yes Cody?"
"I have lived with Mocha Sprinkles since coming to Equestria. I ask that her, as well as Ivory Swirl not be charged with harboring a human. They've done nothing but keep me safe."
Cody floated down to the ground, and stood at the hooves of the gargantuan princess. He looked up and saw her looking down at him.
"I will discuss this request with my sister. A human living safely in Equestria was...unheard of before you."
"Thank you, your highness."
"Now wake up." ---
Mocha just finished her breakfast. She was sipping her morning hot cider when she saw Cody out of the corner of her eye. He was walking out of the bedroom, very groggy. He waved towards her. He was levitated up, and onto the table. He sat down at his human-sized table, and drank the cup of cider she already poured for him.
"Mornin' Cody. Seems you slept well."
"I did. Had a dream about meetin' someone called Princess Luna."
Mocha froze. If the actual Princess Luna met with Cody in his dreams, was she in trouble?
"Princess Luna huh? W-What did you two talk about?"
"Not much. Asked her if she could pardon you for harboring me. Told her about Ivory and me as well."
Mocha nervously drank her morning cider. She nearly dropped it when someone knocked on the door downstairs. Not wanting Cody to see her nervous, she went downstairs quickly to answer it. Slowly, she opened the door. It was two of Celestia's castle guard. Donning their shiny armor, and grim demeanor. The pegasus looked down at Mocha. The unicorn levitated a scroll in front of him.
"Mocha Sprinkles, Ivory Swirl, and Cody have been summoned to Canterlot to speak with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. More information will be given on your arrival."
"Y-Yes sir. I-Is Ivory already there?"
"She is not at her residence."
"She visits me everyday. We can wait for her if-."
"No. You must meet the princesses as soon as possible. Where is Cody? His presence is required."
"He's...unavailable. I can leave your message upstairs for when both Cody and Ivory get back."
Both mares grumbled a bit, but gave the message to Mocha, who hurried upstairs. She placed the note on the coffee table, then went over to a confused Cody at the kitchen table.
"Who was that?"
"Castle guard. You, Ivory, and I have been summoned to the castle. Wait here for Ivory, then get there as soon as possible."
Mocha left before Cody could respond. Can't let the guards be more suspicious than they already are. She walked outside, and followed them after she closed the door. The pegasus took a couple steps ahead of them and spread his wings. The unicorn stood by Mocha.
"I will fly ahead to Canterlot. The train is waiting." ---
Cody had already slammed down his breakfast and clambered down from the giant table. He put his jogging exercise to work, and got to the bedroom in a couple minutes of running. Climbing the bed and getting to his room took another five minutes. He looked all through his dresser drawers. He was going to a castle. That meant meeting royalty. The last time he met a princess, was in a dream. He needed to look his best.
He tried on outfit after outfit. Unfortunately, all Ivory had procured for him was shorts and short sleeve shirts. He chose a pair of denim jean shorts that went to his mid-shin. He grabbed a smooth gray shirt. He hoped his outfit would present well in front of royalty.
"My my my, you do look handsome today."
A startled Cody turned around to see a smirking Ivory, who managed to get into the house, up the stairs, and onto the bed without him noticing. She gently pressed her lips against his face.
"Mornin' beautiful. You look amazing today."
"You as well Cody. You are prepared as can be to meet royalty."
Cody was levitated onto Ivory's back after she got off the bed. They made their way down the stairs, and almost got to the door when Ivory stopped. He looked up, and saw that her head was shaking a bit. Whatever made her stop, it was standing in the doorway, and was out of his view.
"Hello Ivory."
"Wh-Wh-What are you doing here Force?"
Ivory was backing up to the counter. When she got to the counter, Cody took the opportunity and hopped off from her back. He was in a sparse section of the counter, nothing around him. Whoever this Force was, he was scaring Ivory. That was enough to stay out of sight for now.
"We both know the answer to that. You've been avoiding me."
"N-No I haven-."
"Shut up! You cut off all contact since yesterday. I demand to know why."
Cody's fists were shaking. His face was burning with rage. No one talked to Ivory like that. Not even if they were a hundred times his size. Running out from behind Ivory, he looked at the one called Force. A dark gray coat of fur with short, red hair. His mark was a pair of wings. He was a pegasus. He stood a little taller than Ivory.
"Hey!"
Ivory gasped. Force stepped around Ivory to stand at the counter and down at Cody.
"Leave her alone!"
"And who do you think you are human?"
"Cody! I'm her boyfriend you jerk!"
Force's eyes widened, then his head snapped to the right. He gave Ivory a cold stare. She took a tender step back and lowered her head.
"Boyfriend? You're dating this thing?"
"Well...um..."
"Yes! She is! You need to just back off!"
Force looked back to Cody. He sniffed a bit, giving the small human a smell. His eyes widened again, and he flexed his wings. His right wing struck Ivory, who was pushed to the wall, and fell limp. She wasn't moving.
"Ivory!"
"She won't be saving you, bug."
Cody looked up at Force, who was licking his lips. He ran left, and was blocked by his right hoof. He ran right, and was blocked by his left hoof. He heard the smacking of lips. Cody tried to think of a plan, but Force was too fast. His world went dark, except for a triangle of light on either side of him. He was in the stallion's mouth.
Suddenly, Force's tongue pinned Cody against the roof of his mouth. The mouth slowly closed. He was trapped in darkness. He tried to push against it, but the tongue had more muscle than he had. He was turned around, and was pressed against teeth the size of cinder blocks. The tongue pushed him down, then it rested on top of him.
He could hear the thuds of hooves turn from hitting wood, to pressing into grass. Force was taking him outside. He could hear the flapping of wings. The vibrato of his voice vibrated Cody a little bit.
"Count yourself lucky bug. I was ordered to not harm you. Resist however, and I won't hesitate to drop you from the sky."
The tongue began to move around. It kept rubbing Cody's face. He was being tasted.
"You're...palatable. I might as well buy some more humans. You wouldn't last the trip anyways. You'll at least last the flight to Canterlot." ---
Ivory woke in a daze. She slowly stood up. She shook her head a few times, trying to gain focus. She didn't see Cody or Force Wind. She ran outside. Looking up, she saw that Force was just flying off the ground. She was about to pull him down with all her magic, but she couldn't. He was moving something around in his mouth. Something about Cody's size. She couldn't touch him, not without hurting her dear love.
The fact that Cody escaped from being inside her before was nothing short of luck. His power reacted on its own. Ivory had to save him. If her highness got her hooves on him, things would get much worse for all humans. Ivory sprinted like mad towards the train station. She needed help, and getting Mocha was the only pony she could think of.
One quick, exhausted sprint later, and she saw Mocha. She was walking with a castle guard. She needed to tell her what happened, but she couldn't compromise herself. Withholding her connection with Force Wind was her planned approach. Mocha turned towards Ivory as she was approaching.
"Hey Ivory. Where's-."
"Cody's been kidnapped!"
The guard stopped in his tracks and turned to Ivory. The grim facade of the usual castle guard was gone, and he held a face of concern.
"Who took him?"
"A pegasus. He was dark gray with short red hair. He...overpowered me, stuck Cody in his mouth, and flew away before I could came to."
"This Cody is a human?"
"Y-Yes."
The guard looked at Ivory, then to Mocha. He took a deep breath. He raised his hoof, and pointed towards the train station. His grim facade returned.
"Head to Canterlot immediately. Your meeting with Princess Celestia cannot wait. I will organize any available guards to search the skies." ---
Cody laid inside Force's mouth. He was pinned under a massive tongue in a dark, slimy place. All this stallion did was rub Cody with his tongue. He needed to think of something.
"Let me go! My friends will find me and you'll be sorry!"
Force pressed his tongue against Cody's face, likely an attempt to shut him up. He managed to push it off his face a small amount.
"Her highness never mentioned how annoying you were."
"Princess Celestia and Luna are waiting for me! They'll-."
"Somepony more important than either princess has been waiting for you. Our highness has plans for you, little human. You should be grateful my orders are to take you alive."
Suddenly, Cody heard the loud flapping of wings. His whole world shook a bit. He heard hooves. More than just Force's. Multiple voices.
"Hmmm. Let's see who's selling some snacks today. I need enough humans to last our long trip." ---
Mocha and Ivory were escorted into the main hall, both scared for Cody's safety. They stood before Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. They looked at the terrified mares with confusion. Princess Celestia looked to Ivory, then Mocha.
"I am glad the both of you are here. Where is Cody?"
"Your highness. Cody was kidnapped! Ivory came to me right after it happened."
Princess Luna took a step forward, standing by her sister.
"Kidnapped? What do you mean? By who?"
Ivory retold what had happened. She had carried Cody downstairs, and a pegasus by the name of Force Wind, was there. He managed to knock her out before she could react. When she came to, he was already flying away, with Cody in his mouth. Ivory hung her head low.
"I could have saved him. I hesitated."
"You hesitated because you care about him very much."
Ivory looked up to see Princess Celestia looking at her with a soft smile. Mocha could swear she saw a slight smile from Princess Luna.
"My sister had told me of your relationship with Cody. It is why I asked to speak to the both of you. Now however, finding Cody is the priority."
"Celestia. Perhaps if we knew where this Force Wind has gone, we could find Cody as well."
"Yes Luna. Lieutenant!"
One of the guards stepped forward from where he stood next to Mocha.
"Yes your highness?"
"I want every available guard searching for this Force Wind."
"As you command!" ---
He was starting to lose hope. Cody was inside a mouth. He could be swallowed at any moment. This Force, he was toying with him.
"Ten bits? A fair price."
Force's massive tongue ceased its tasting of Cody. It pulled back, pushed under him, and pressed him into the roof of his captor's mouth. He saw the stallion's teeth separate. His body was pushed against the inside of the massive lips. Suddenly, Cody found himself blinded by light. Force was releasing him! He pushed him out of his mouth, and onto a cold surface.
It was all glass. Some type of glass tube. It reminded Cody of a test tube, but wide enough for him to move around a bit. The top was open, but was twice his height. A gray glow placed a cap on top. Luckily it had holes in it. Looking behind him, he saw Force's chest. He had gone from human, to snack, to necklace accessory.
"This won't only preserve ya human's taste, but keep 'em from runnin' too."
"Great. Know anyone that sells decent humans? I'm taking a long trip and I need a lot."
"Hmmm. I can get my friend to sell you half a dozen at a cheap price. He's out for lunch, but he'll be back soon. Trust me, he's worth the wait."
Cody sat down in his glass prison. He had no way out, and his friends didn't know where he was.
"Mocha, Ivory. Please find me." ---
The main doors of the hall opened again. Mocha and Ivory turned to see the lieutenant walk in, followed by a dark gray blue stallion. His silver white mane went down to his legs. It was Hoity Toity! Though his mane wasn't as poofy as it once seemed. His fur coat as a whole seemed not as well cared for. He was reminiscent of the sick ponies Princess Celestia had shown a month ago to scare others into quitting their human addiction.
"Your highness! We found him trying to break into the human quarters. He mentioned something about a black market."
"They kicked me out! I ate too many! My own home! I need more! I need!"
"What shall we do with him your highness?"
"Take him to the treatment center. His home however, requires investigation. Send a squadron to Hoity Toity's home."
"Your highness!"
Another guard had come into the hall. He was exasperated. He took a moment to catch his breath before continuing.
"A pegasus matching Force Wind's description was seen entering the home of Hoity Toity."
Ivory's head shot up. She bolted towards the door. Mocha soon ran after her.
"I'm coming for you my love!"
"Slow down Ivory!" ---
Cody was being displayed as a mere trinket. His entrapment was too large to escape. He could do nothing but sit, and watch as Force chose humans to devour. Picking and analyzing them, as if they were produce at the market. He had already chosen three males, and two females. He was looking over a third female. A brunette in her thirties by Cody's guess.
"They look to be in perfect health."
"I keep 'em well fed."
"How is their taste?"
"Try it and see."
Cody watched in horror as Force opened his mouth. The brunette tried to struggle, but the vendor's magical hold was too great. She slowly floated towards the open mouth that awaited her. The begging and pleading from her fell on deaf ears as she entered the stallion's mouth. Cody could barely hear her as the mouth closed. Force began to move the brunette around in his mouth. He was tasting her!
"Delicious! I'll take these six."
"Three hundred bits."
"Seriously?"
"Humans ain't as easy to come by these days ya know?"
Force grumbled as he fished around for the bits. Cody still looked up, watching the woman making a small bulge in the equine's cheek. He was powerless to help. He kicked the glass wall in frustration. Everything was jostled as his perspective changed. Force was walking.
"I have my little snacks, and a way to keep you contained Cody. This day couldn't get much better."
Everything shook too much to get a clear idea of where he was going. A bright blue sky was a solid indicator he was outside. An open area, where numerous ponies were walking around. Cody wanted to yell, to scream. He didn't want to leave. He couldn't bear to leave Mocha and all the kind things she did for him. He couldn't leave Ivory, the love of his life.
Outside had a few buildings in a semicircle. Large windows into various shops. In the center was a grand water fountain. A few ponies were milling around. Force spread his wings. Cody was all out of ideas. He curled up into a ball. He lost.
The feeling didn't start slow like last time. The burning sensation started in his chest. Like a pulse, it spread to his arms, legs, and his face. A powerful white light came from his mouth, then white light became all he could see. The burning and near blinding became so intense he thought he would scream.
Then just like that, the feelings were gone. The surface felt different. Cody's eyes slowly adjusted as the light faded. The surface was red, and very soft. It was almost hairlike. He stood up, and saw a plane of dark gray that came to a blunt point. He could feel a decent breeze.
Cody was on top of Force's head! He didn't know how he got out. He needed to get down before takeoff. He waded through the red hair, and slid down the back while having a loose grip on the hair. He landed on the stallion's back, and started to climb down the front right leg.
"What?! How!?"
Force gave his leg a light shake, which sent Cody to the ground. He immediately got back up, and scrambled towards the first thing he saw. The outside wall of the fountain. It was the height of a two story house. He went to the wall at a full sprint. It took Force a few steps.
"After this, you won't run ever again."
"Cody? Sweetheart where are you?"
Cody tried to run towards the voice, but one strong step from Force was enough to make him fall again. He rolled over to see his kidnapper. He held a hoof high above. Its shadow covered him entirely. As the giant hoof rushed towards Cody, he put his hands in front of himself instinctively.
The burning sensation returned. This time it felt as if he held white hot coals in his hands. A white light enveloped his hands. It felt as if Cody's hands were being stretched apart as the light expanded. The light slowly grew into a disk. It grew, and grew, and grew. It was wide enough for Force's hoof. Though when it touched the disk of light, it didn't come through.
"What!? No, you shouldn't be able to do this! Impossible!"
The light began to rise. As more of Force passed through the disk of light, more of him disappeared. It rapidly expanded, eventually being large enough to envelop all of him. The pegasus opened his mouth, but his head was gone before he could speak. The disk quickly took up all of Cody's captor.
The glowing and pain were gone. Cody's moved his hands from his face. Force was nowhere to be seen. He stood up against the wall. Numerous ponies were staring down at Cody.
"He's gone!"
"What did the human do?"
"It can't be. Humans can't do magic."
"Cody!"
"Sweetheart!"
Bursting through the crowd was Mocha and Ivory. Cody didn't know what happened and he didn't care. Force was gone, and he was safe again. Ivory had lowered her head to nuzzle him. He took a step forward, but fell to his knees. It felt as if all the stress of the day had piled on all at once. He could barely lift his arms. He fell the ground, and everything went black. ---
Impatience and fear. A dangerous mix to have in a waiting room at the Ponyville hospital. Princess Celestia arrived right after Cody passed out, and gave two orders. Her guards were to take Cody to the nearest hospital, and Ivory was to collect every note she had on humans that would help the doctors treat him. Mocha sat in a chair. The double doors that led to the rooms of patients swung open, and Ivory stepped out with her notes floating behind her. Mocha hopped out of her seat and ran to her.
"Ivory! Is he okay? Is Cody alright?"
"I can answer that."
Behind Ivory, Nurse Redheart stepped out. She lifted a clipboard that she had hanging from her neck.
"Our small patient seems to have an extreme case of magical exhaustion. He's showing the same symptoms an average unicorn would show after pushing their magic far beyond its normal limits. The only issue is that we're talking about a human here, and none of Ivory's notes talk about magic in the slightest. It seems that these creatures weren't made to use magic at all! His body couldn't take it and he collapsed, but he's stable for now. He should be fine after some rest, but I'll keep an eye on him. You can see him tomorrow when he's rested."
"Come on Mocha, let's get Cody's room spruced up. I got some furniture he might like." ---
The portal opened, and Force fell out. Five of the humans he bought tried to run away, but were snatched up by the others before he even stood up. He had that little freak in a necklace, and he still got away! He angrily swallowed the human he had in his mouth, and enjoyed the brief moment of the creature that struggled down his throat. If it wasn't for learning how to manipulate the portals, who knows where he would've ended up. He stood up and walked. He saw numerous changelings fighting each other over his dropped humans.
"Outplayed by that speck! That bug!"
"You failed me?"
Force looked up to see the queen had approached. He quickly bowed his head. A sickly green energy washed over him, changing his body from a gray pegasus, to his true changeling form.
"I apologize my queen."
"I see you are without the human."
"Our spy has fallen in love with him my queen! He can use his powers earlier than we anticipated!"
The queen walked over to a ball of energy that was observing the resting human. She smiled a twisted smile.
"The prophecy is true then. He does fall in love. This makes things...different."
The queen's horn glowed, and she plucked a human from the fighting changelings. It floated towards her, and into her open mouth. She held the creature under her tongue.
"Fear...despair...and a hint of hopelessness. Such delicious emotions."
She felt the squirms and screams as the human was drained of emotions. She slowly swallowed the human before facing her legion. She raised the ball of energy high above them all. It shifted from observing Cody, to a small version of the human's home world.
"This new world will be enough to feed us all, my children. We will no longer live in the darkness. Soon, we shall make their world ours!" |
Chronicles of Cody | The Excitement | Celestia's mind was in two places that day. Her first focus was on her students. Equestria's most magically gifted were nearing the end of their lesson. The rest of her mind was focused on her private lesson coming up next. She looked to her students.
"...and that will be all class. You're free to go."
She had finished her explanation on how magic works for unicorns, and why their horns are so important for channeling the magic. She looked at her class before letting out a small sigh. None of them were leaving. Of course not. Why would they? They wanted to see the human! She made a huge mistake in telling one of her students that she'd personally train him. The training had only started a week ago, and they only learned a few days ago. Word spread quickly through the kingdom.
"Alright. You may only stay if Cody is comfortable with it. This is his private lesson after all."
As soon as Cody recovered from his kidnapping, Princess Celestia had decided to train him. The first human to have magical abilities. He needed to master his power. He was able to open a portal large enough to engulf Force Wind, who was still missing. He had so much potential for so much power. She wondered if he would eventually be able to open a portal to his home world.
"Your highness?"
"Yes Twilight?"
"May I ask what Cody's training is about today?"
"Simple practice Twilight."
There was a knock at the door. She magically turned the handle, and opened it. It was her lieutenant.
"Yes Lieutenant?"
"Cody is here ma'am."
"Wonderful. Send him in."
As the lieutenant left to retrieve Cody, Princess Celestia turned her focus to her class.
"As you may all know by now, I will be helping a human train his powers. Yes, the very same you saw in the newspaper some days ago. I need to ask all of you to treat him with respect. Humans are no longer food. They're to be treated like any other Unicorn, Pegasi, or Earth pony. I will not tolerate any of you doing or saying anything harmful to him. Do you understand?" ---
Cody had started out fairly relaxed. Then the lieutenant told him that he heard Celestia's students were going to watch his lesson. He had never used his newfound talents in front of an audience. Only in front of her highness, Mocha, and Ivory. He sat there on the lieutenant's back, nervous as he approached the door. The guard levitated him to the ground, saluted, and walked away.
"Good morning Cody."
"Good morning your highness."
"As you can see, my students wished to observe your lesson. I can dismiss them if you feel uncomfortable."
"It's fine. They can watch."
Cody took a step forward, but was levitated back to the doorway. Princess Celestia shook her head. She pointed her hoof at her desk.
"Why don't we start out with trying to teleport to my desk?"
Numerous ponies looked from above. They all sat at their desks, waiting to see his abilities in action. Cody took a deep breath, and another. He stared intensely at Princess Celestia's desk. He tensed his torso. He felt the burning in his stomach. The glowing white light swirled in front of his stomach. It slowly spread across his body like sunshine on all sides of him. He felt the warmth spread to his shoulders, neck, then face.
Like jumping from the hot tub to the pool, a sudden chill covered Cody. He felt like he was floating. Everything went dark, and he was on his back. He could hear voices, but they were muffled.
"Woah."
"He did it."
"Where is he?"
The darkness around Cody shifted a bit, revealing some light. He saw a shade of purple fur. He tenderly pressed his hand against the soft surface, and it shifted again. Then, he heard a muffled squeak. The mass suddenly moved, and light flooded Cody's face. He looked around, seeing he was in a giant chair. Looking to his left, he saw a purple alicorn. Said alicorn had a very red face. It took Cody a moment, but he realized what had happened. His face became just as red.
"I'm so sorry! I swear I didn't mean...I would never..."
Snickering was heard throughout the room from the the students. Cody saw a purple glow surround him. He was levitated up, and onto the desk. The purple alicorn sat down, glaring at Cody. Cody turned around, seeing a slightly shocked Princess Celestia.
Pointing at the desk with his right forefinger, a white sphere of light shot out of it. The sphere ended up in the middle of Princess Celestia's desk. It expanded into a vertical disk that matched his height. Another white sphere shot out of his finger, and another vertical disk appeared in front of him. He stepped through it. He looked up to Princess Celestia, who had glared the class into silence.
"Well...um...it seems we still need to practice your teleportation. Your portaling skills are still superb."
Next Cody was pointed towards a small glass of water only a little taller than him. Princess Celestia wanted him to try and teleport the object. Any direction he wanted. He pointed at the glass, letting the energy build into a sphere the size of a grapefruit. It shot forward and struck the glass, making the whole thing glow. When the light was gone, the glass was still there. It seemed he didn't teleport anything.
A splash. A few drops fell on Cody. He looked up, and realized that he managed to teleport the water inside the glass. Teleported it above Princess Celestia. As she glared down at him, he could hear the clattering of many hooves. Students rushed out of the room. The princess lowered her head to be at eye level with him. Her face melted into concern.
"Cody, I can not help you if you are not honest with me. The first few days of your training were going so well, but now it is like your mind has no focus here."
Cody sat down. It was such a stupid thing to be thinking about. It was throwing his focus off worse than he thought. He needed to tell her. He needed to tell someone.
"Your highness, I've been bothered because-."
"Your highness! Numerous ponies have broken into the human quarters!"
The lieutenant had burst into the room with his message. Princess Celestia gave her head a quick shake to get some water off, and quickly followed her lieutenant out. He vaguely heard her tell someone to come in and watch him for his own safety. He laid down on his back. It was probably a guard.
"Cody?"
Looking to his left, Cody saw her approaching. The purple alicorn from earlier. She wasn't as upset as she seemed earlier. He saw a bit of a smile. He waved her down, then she approached the desk. The desk was high, so only her head and neck were visible. She was so close to him. It reminded him of his first encounter with Ivory.
"I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, but call me Twilight."
"Well Twilight, I wish our first encounter was as professional as this."
Twilight thought for a moment before blushing extremely hard. It seemed the princess was not used to these types of encounters. She had the same mix of curiosity and joy almost every single pony Cody had met. He sat up.
"I do apologize for what happened earlier. I've been a bit distracted."
"Distracted?"
"Yeah. My birthday is coming up in two days and I don't want it to be a big deal."
Cody was half lying to Twilight and himself. His birthday was coming up in two days, but he didn't want to celebrate it. His first birthday not on his home planet. The idea of it bothered him a lot.
"If my girlfriend ever finds out, she'll make a huge deal out of it."
"You mean Ivory Swirl the human expert right?"
Cody sighed. Despite efforts of Princess Celestia, many newspapers still found out about his relationship with Ivory. Ivory faced some ridicule from Canterlot's elite, who still held the belief that humans were lesser beings. After the Force Wind incident, humans were declared equal members of society. This Princess Twilight seemed to mean well, despite a rough first meeting.
"I'm sorry, was that too forward?"
"No. It's fine."
"I can't imagine how tough an interspecies relationship must be. You must really love her."
"With all my heart."
"That...that is very nice. I can see you're being honest with me, and she is a lucky mare. She has someone that really cares about her. This is so interesting. There's so much about the humans that I still don't know. I'll have to see if I can get my hooves on Ivory's infamous notes. She's fairly secretive about them."
"I'll ask her for ya."
"Really?"
"Well I can try." ---
Even with his new powers, Ivory still worried about her sweet Cody. She used an observation spell to listen in on the castle guards from time to time. As soon as she heard about the human addicts breaking into the castle, she was on the next train to Canterlot. Princess Celestia never had a guard away from Cody, but she needed to be sure. Since he sent Force Wind into that portal, she's heard nothing from her highness. That's what worried her the most.
She sat in her seat on the train in silence. She felt the glares of numerous ponies on her when she boarded. For some, her relationship with Cody was taboo. Most of the ponies went back to their conversations, which Ivory couldn't help but listen to. Two unicorn mares in particular.
"Small and pathetic creatures, they're nothing but snacks! Why should we even treat them with respect? They're useless!"
"I heard Prince Blueblood hired a dozen humans to massage him every day. A dozen!"
"What will happen to the rest that don't get jobs? I don't want them free around town! They'll steal our food!"
"Did you hear about the human village construction Princess Twilight is overseeing in Ponyville? Houses smaller than a foal!"
"A village? Well I do love my snacks free range."
The two mares began to laugh. As the train stopped, Ivory exited with a face of disgust. These humans were intelligent creatures capable of amazing feats. Yet these ponies were speaking of them as if they were mindless insects. It seemed most Canterlot ponies didn't want to let go of the notion that humans were lesser beings.
She was barely halfway to the castle. The two mares from earlier had seemed to get ahead of her. They had sneering looks. She knew what was going to happen. Somepony always does it whenever she's in Canterlot.
"Hey Ivory! Where's your insect of a boyfriend?"
"I'm hungry, think I can have your lover for a snack?"
"Maybe she already has."
She quickly trotted to the castle. The insults bothered Ivory a lot at first, but she began to ignore most of them. The only thing that bothered her more than what Cody called 'uppity snobs' was what laid ahead at the castle entrance.
Camera after camera, flashing. Numerous journalists from all over. When they weren't trying to get pictures of Cody, they were trying to get to the human quarters.
She kept her head down as she pushed her way through the crowd. She gave the guard a glance, and he let her through. She was quickly past the doors. She trotted through the main hall, and went over to the lieutenant. He was stood outside the human quarters.
"Lieutenant! I heard about the break-in. Is Cody alright? Were any humans harmed?"
"Cody's safe ma'am. He's in the classroom. Princess Twilight is watching over him. As for the other humans, we're still counting to see how many are missing."
"Those poor humans. I better check on Cody. Thank you Lieutenant."
Ivory quickly made her way down the hallway to her right. She saw a couple of young unicorns milling around in the hallway. If her memory was correct, they were Princess Celestia's students. A mare and stallion were having a good laugh about something.
"Did you see Twilight's face? I've never seen it that red before!"
"I know right? I can't believe she actually sat on that little human."
"I'm surprised he wasn't flattened."
She walked into the classroom, prepared for the worst. Instead, she saw Princess Twilight. Her head was on the desk, mere inches from Cody. She was laughing with him. Ivory approached the desk to a slightly surprised boyfriend.
"Ivory! Um...you're here."
"Yes dear. I heard about the break-in. I came to check on you."
Ivory turned her head towards Princess Twilight. She seemed a mix of happy and nervous.
"Your highness. I am thankful you watched over my dear Cody."
"It was wonderful meeting him."
"I do have one small question for you Princess Twilight."
"Yes?"
"Why did you sit on him?" ---
Awkward situations wasn't Cody's area of expertise. Neither was dealing with a giant upset girlfriend. Princess Twilight acting guilty didn't help much.
"He just teleported there! I didn't mean to do it! He got himself there! And I couldn't move much so I just got up and-!"
"Sweetheart. It was an accident."
Ivory rested her head right in front of Cody. Her subtle anger subsided. He rested his left hand on her right cheek.
"It was?"
"Yes. Teleporting under Princess Twilight's butt was an accident. Would you feel better if I teleported under yours?"
Now it was Ivory's turn to feel awkward. She pouted and stuck out her lower lip.
"No...maybe."
Cody planted a quick kiss on Ivory's cheek. He took a few steps back, and tensed his lower torso. He focused on where he wanted to go. His vision went blurry. The light swirled around him. The warmth spread, and a chill came just as quick. His vision came back into focus. He sat down on the plush fur of his girlfriend's back. Twilight took a few steps towards him.
"Amazing."
"Yeah, he is."
The three made their way through the castle, and into the main hall. Cody noticed Ivory and Twilight completely avoided talking to the Lieutenant. He was still guarding the human quarters. Ivory stopped, as if she knew he was staring.
"You haven't even tried talking to them, have you?"
"You know I can't do that."
"Can't, or won't?"
Cody didn't answer. As the three walked, he thought about what Ivory said. He hasn't spoken to a single human in all the time he's been here. A part of him just wanted to avoid humans overall. Another part longed for human contact. One of those desires would have to win out.
Soon. ---
Twilight was taking careful notes with every question she asked. The three were waiting while the guards were trying to disperse the journalists. Her and Ivory sat on a small couch by the door. Cody sat between the two.
"How do you focus your magic without a horn? I've never seen a creature without a horn do magic."
"I focus with my hands."
"But when you teleported before, you weren't using your hands."
"If I see where I'm going, I can teleport there."
"Fascinating."
Twilight took down more notes. It was near impossible to talk to Cody this in depth. Princess Celestia practically kept the human away from everyone. He was a magical marvel, but she was actively hiding him from the world. This alicorn was still kicking herself for not shifting her research to humans when she had the chance. Every other pony was playing catch up to Ivory. Her desire to research these interesting creatures was at an all time high.
"Hey Cody."
"Yes?"
"Do you think you could ask Ivory about what we discussed earlier?"
"Ask me what?"
"Oh yes. I almost forgot. Dear, Princess Twilight was hoping to get a look at your notes."
Ivory raised a hoof in protest, but Cody's practice paid off. He teleported to the top of her hoof as it passed in front of her face. Twilight was impressed.
"It's Princess Twilight asking. Who else is more trustworthy than a princess?
Before Ivory could respond, a guard came by to lead the couple out. They had managed to distract the journalists by having the Lieutenant talk about the break-in. Twilight followed, as she wanted to catch the next train to Ponyville as well.
"May I ask why the guards go through so much effort to keep the journalists away?"
"Celestia insisted. Said that Ivory and I deserve privacy."
The three had walked outside. The train station wasn't too far away. All the journalists were talking to the Lieutenant, looking away from them. It was strange. Princess Celestia was doing all these things for this small, small creature. When these humans were first discovered, Twilight distinctly remembered she had little interest in the humans. Even when they were a health issue for ponies, her concern was only getting the humans away from everypony. It was a complete turnaround when this Cody showed up.
As they walked past the journalists, one of them stopped taking pictures. He let his camera hang from his neck as he sniffed the air around him. His head snapped in their direction.Twilight shook her head, hoping he would ignore them. One after another, the journalists circled Ivory and Cody. Twilight was cut off by numerous journalists trying to get a picture of the human. She was outside the circle as many cameras flashed. They spouted off numerous questions
"Ivory! How does Cody use his magic? Does it hurt? Does he feel tired? Can he use other spells? How powerful is he?"
"Uh..."
"What about his relationship? Did he have someone back home? How does it feel dating another creature? Is this relationship based on politics?"
"Um..."
"Cody! Why did you pick Ivory? What about the size difference? Are you still scared that somepony could eat you or crush you? What about other animals?"
"I..."
"Have you interacted with other humans? Are all humans able to use powers?"
"No I-."
"No? Why you? Does magic exist in your world?"
Twilight watched in silent shock as Cody was bombarded with questions. The flashing of cameras was a lot for the little one. As more and more questions piled on, he answered less. He pressed his hands on both sides of his head. He closed his eyes, and fell to his knees.
It was obvious he was being overwhelmed. They continued to take pictures. The familiar white glow began to emanate from his hands. Cody looked down at his hands. He was scared. He had the fear of a caged animal.
"Ivory! I-It's happening again! Get them away from me!"
Twilight heard the rumors. Both hands glowing was a lead up to how Force Wind disappeared. Ivory's horn glowed bright as she tried to levitate Cody away. As he rose above the group, his hands glowed brighter and brighter. The journalists stopped taking pictures. Everypony took a step back. The area went quiet.
It was like an explosion. The glow from the tiny human's hands expanded rapidly. A glowing sphere enveloped him. Ivory was enveloped by the light second. As Twilight backed up, the journalists were enveloped as well. Before Twilight could react, the warmth of the sphere took her as well. All she could see was white. She saw the others floating in the sea of white. The sight of Canterlot quickly disappeared. ---
A week. Mocha managed to go a week without something happening to Cody. She was just leaving for the market when a pile of ponies fell out of a fairly large portal that appeared in front of her house. Most of them were journalists, and they all ran away screaming. The infamous Princess Twilight who looked genuinely terrified, ran off in silence. Then there was Ivory, who was levitating an unconscious Cody.
So now they sat in the waiting room of the Ponyville hospital. Mocha and Ivory were hoping for good news. One of the doors opened. It was Princess Celestia, followed by Nurse Redheart.
"Princess Twilight sent an urgent message, but she wasn't very clear. I came here as soon as I could. It seems that he's stable, but he's still unconscious. What exactly happened?"
"It was the journalists! They didn't stop asking him questions and taking pictures. They treated him like some kind of object, they wouldn't leave him alone! Cody couldn't take anymore and his powers kicked in...but it was too much for him."
Ivory hung her head low, tears streamed down her face. Mocha wrapped her forelegs around her friend and brought her close. As she cried, she kept mumbling how she failed Cody. Nurse Redheart took a look at her clipboard before stepping forward.
"His current situation is worse than his previous. His magical exhaustion is the worst I've seen in a long time, ponies included. According to Ivory's notes on patterns of human unconsciousness, he should be awake by tonight at the latest. He should be able to go home tomorrow if he recovers. However, I have one thing I must ask you Mocha."
"What is that?"
"You are the closest he has to a primary caretaker. I would like your permission to place an inhibitor ring on him. Temporarily shutting down his magic would be best for his-."
"No!"
Ivory shot up from Mocha's embrace. She marched over to Nurse Redheart, and gave an intense stare.
"My love is not a criminal and he does not need to wear the ring of one!"
"I only mean to protect him."
"Next you'll say he needs to be caged up for his own protection!"
Mocha stood up and walked over in front of Ivory. Her love for Cody was clearly clouding her judgement. He had a power none of them completely understood. He was in a hospital bed, unconscious from using it.
"Ivory, listen. You just saw what happened. He can't control it yet. He needs this to keep himself safe for now. What if he accidentally teleports somewhere else and we can't help him? Anything could happen to him if we don't keep an eye on him! This is for his own safety!"
Her anger seemed to lessen. Ivory was not happy by any stretch, but she took a few steps back from Nurse Redheart. Mocha looked over to the nurse.
"Go ahead Nurse. Just do anything you must to keep him safe."
The nurse nodded, and gestured for them all to follow. Ivory followed, then Mocha. She turned to see that Princess Celestia stood still.
"You're not coming your highness?"
"I am afraid I must go. I will have a guard sent to watch over him during his stay. I will be speaking with the newspapers, and make sure their journalists do not make a repeat of this incident."
Mocha nodded as the princess left, then trotted to catch up to her friend and the nurse. The nurse walked behind a counter, and reached below. She brought up a small gray box that she held between her hooves. She gingerly opened it, revealing a few inhibitor rings. Both Mocha and Ivory took an instinctive step back. It didn't matter if you were a unicorn or an alicorn. If that ring landed on your horn, your magic was completely shut down until it was removed. It was reserved for criminals, under normal circumstances.
"We rarely use these on patients. Usually, my unicorn assistant applies these. Unfortunately, she's out for the day. Seeing how important Cody is to you, would either of you help me apply it to him?"
Ivory immediately levitated a ring out of the box. It floated next to her as she walked ahead of them, into the room where Cody slept.
"I need to do this. For him." ---
It was dark. She stood outside the hospital. He was inside. Thanks to one of her children disguised as a journalist, they learned from the nurse he was wearing an inhibitor ring. She could sense one of her children approaching, and turned to them. It was the failure that couldn't capture her destiny before.
"Why do you bother me?"
"My queen, I wish to retrieve the human for you."
"Retrieve? He is useless in his weakened state. I have no need for him yet."
Queen Chrysalis took a deep breath, as she let the familiar green energy wash over her. She had not used her shapeshifting abilities in quite some time, but she knew she still had it. The nurse had already gone to bed. She looked up to Force, who was now a bit taller than her. It was difficult becoming a smaller pony, but she managed.
"However, I would like to have some fun."
Queen Chrysalis walked towards the hospital. It was late. Residents of Ponyville were all asleep. As she walked through the halls, she sniffed for his scent. His room was the only one with a guard at the door. Most likely had the orders to let no one inside. Said guard however, was fast asleep on the floor. She chuckled softly as she slipped into the room.
It was a little adorable. Such a small creature in a massive bed. Most of his tiny frame laid against the pillow. As she approached the side of his bed, she saw it. His inhibitor ring was still on him. The dark gray metal sat around his waist.
The future. Her path to ultimate power. The salvation of her children. All of it, sleeping in a hospital bed. She didn't want him in her possession. Not until he was at his full power again.
For now, it was time for some fun. ---
Odd feeling, waking up at night. The last thing Cody remembered was floating above a bunch of journalists. He only hoped no one was hurt this time.
"You are awake."
To his right, it was Nurse Redheart. She had a soft smile. The moonlight gave the room decent light.
"Did I hurt anyone?"
"Bumps and bruises, nothing else. However, we inhibited your magic for the time being."
Cody looked down at his waist. A large band of metal wrapped around. It felt admittedly odd, being stripped of his powers. Nurse Redheart seemed to notice his confusion.
"It will feel odd. No magic will feel like losing a part of you."
"I feel, weaker."
"The all powerful Cody feeling weak? How ironic."
To Cody's surprise, Nurse Redheart climbed onto the bed, and rested her head right next to his feet. He tried to back up, but her weight on the bed caused him to slide down. She would inhale deeply through her nose, and he would feel his clothes lightly pull towards her. Her exhales washed him in hot breath. If the inhibitor ring wasn't stuck, he would've made his way as far away as possible. He couldn't. He was helpless. He was trapped with a nurse gone crazy.
Nurse Redheart shifted her mouth forward, and pinned Cody's legs under her powerful lower jaw. He desperately tried to push her, despite knowing it wouldn't work. She chuckled.
"Nurse Redheart, stop! You're scaring me!"
"Small. So pathetically small and weak."
Her mouth opened wide. Cody could see every detail of her mouth. The dripping saliva. Her teeth were almost as big as Force Wind's. He heard a deep gurgling erupt from her mouth. He was frozen in fear. Her breath continued to wash over him.
"What can do to stop me, little bug? You're nothing without your power."
When Nurse Redheart lifted her jaw, Cody immediately stood up. She pursed her lips, and blew a strong breath. He was knocked back down. She brought her left foreleg forward, hoof side up. She pressed it into the pillow, and scooped him up. She brought up her right hoof. Cody found himself pressed between hooves as big as he.
Cody was up to his shoulders in giant hooves. The crazy nurse wasn't pressing hard. It seemed she was getting a feel for how comparatively soft he was.
"Oh, it'd be so easy to crush you right now. You humans are so weak. I could squeeze the life out of you with no effort. But alas, we have plans for you and your fellow humans."
The nurse's eyes began to glow a dark green. She pressed Cody between her hooves with more pressure. He felt all the air leave his lungs.
He blacked out. ---
As Mocha walked with Ivory down the hallway to the front desk, she remembered the time Cody told her about a liquid his kind invented for stress relief. With word of another incident, that liquid sounded like a great idea. The two approached the desk where Nurse Redheart was going over paperwork. She seemed a bit stressed. She glanced up.
"I apologize for being blunt, but please get Cody out of here."
"What's happened with my sweetheart?"
"Well..."
"Nurse he's runnin' again!"
"Get back here!"
Two other nurses ran into the room. A small ball of white light kept darting around the room. It appeared on Ivory's back. The light faded, and they saw Cody. He crawled under her long brown hair. He looked absolutely terrified. Mocha turned to Nurse Redheart. Ivory glared at her as well.
"What in Celestia's name have you done to him?"
"Yes. What have you done to my poor little Cody?"
"He claims I attacked him last night. He managed to get his ring off, and was teleporting around since this morning."
"He would never lie! You must have done something to upset him!"
"Ivory, please calm down."
"You need to do a better job!"
"Ivory!"
One of the few times Mocha ever raised her voice. Ivory looked over to her. Cody was so wrapped up in her friend's hair, it was almost impossible to see him. The last thing she wanted was to scare him. She took a deep breath.
"Please take Cody outside. I need to talk to the nurse."
Ivory was cooing at Cody as she walked out, hoping to calm the both of them down. She looked over to an exasperated Nurse. The other two nurses left the room to resume their duties.
"Nurse, what happened?"
"The guard assigned to him had left for the castle when I arrived. I checked on Cody right after my morning cider. His bed had been disturbed by something larger than him. My unicorn assistant lifted his shirt, and we did see some bruising. We removed his ring to check his neck, but he woke up and was teleporting around for the past two hours."
"Is he hurt at all?"
"Besides a bad reaction to grumpy nurses, he's fine. You can take him home."
"Thank you Nurse."
Mocha turned around, and made her way outside the hospital. She walked up to her friends, who were under a tree. She looked over to Cody, who was still cuddled up in Ivory's hair. He seemed to be a lot more calm.
Before she could open her mouth, Mocha could see a familiar mare approaching out of the corner of her eye. It was Princess Twilight. With what just happened, the last thing she wanted was to have Cody be berated by more questions. She looked over to Ivory.
"Ivory, why don't you take Cody back to the house? I'll catch up in a bit."
"Alright. See you soon."
As Ivory walked away, Mocha saw Twilight begin to follow them. She couldn't exactly tell a princess no, but she needed to do something. She trotted over to the princess and stood in front of her path to Cody. Both seemed nervous about something.
"Princess Twilight."
"Mocha. I was hoping we could talk."
"About what?"
"About Cody. I'm concerned about him."
Mocha calmed herself a bit. Twilight seemed genuine about her concern. The least she could do was listen to the princess. She just hoped it wouldn't be another request to talk to Cody.
"Concerned?"
"He was able to teleport eight ponies from Canterlot, to Ponyville in a matter of seconds. Last night, I read every book I have on teleportation. I couldn't find a single record of a pony being able to do that, not even Princess Celestia or Princess Luna."
"I see."
"Cody is able to do something no pony ever had the power to do. What he learned in a week will take me a lifetime to even begin to understand."
"Thank you for the information princess."
"There is one more thing I wanted to speak to you about Cody. It is minor in comparison, but so very important."
Now Mocha was confused. What could be more important than Princess Twilight of all ponies being concerned, and albeit a bit scared of Cody? Did she learn something about his powers? Was there some sort of weird prophecy about him?
"He confided in me. His birthday is tomorrow. I thought you should know." ---
Cody often wondered if he was just a magnet for trouble. He wondered if the stress of Equestria was getting to him. He sat on the counter in Mocha's shop, sitting against the register. Her and Ivory went upstairs to talk about something. Since they left the hospital, he was a lot more relaxed. The counter wasn't as sparse as usual. The counter had a stack of white boxes that took up most of the space. On top of the stack was a corner of a piece of paper.
After ending up on the floo, Cody managed to get on top of the box via teleportation. It was Mocha's writing on the paper. It listed two chocolate cakes, and a dozen chocolate cupcakes. It was totaled at sixty bits for the Leaf brothers. He figured it was a pickup order. There was also a box labeled for two dozen chocolate chip cookies, and another for a dozen chocolate muffins.
As if on cue, the front door swung open. Cody looked up from the paper to see two ponies enter. Two unicorn stallions, both light green with a dark shade of green for hair. They were twins. As they approached the counter, he couldn't help but notice something. Both ponies were a bit chubby. Not by much, but noticeable nonetheless with slightly swaying bellies. Mocha was still busy with Ivory. He figured it was time to put his old job experience to work.
"Greetings gentlemen! How can I help you today?"
The stallions looked around before Cody waved them down. The twins looked over to him, and became floored with excitement. Standing on top of the boxes roughly put him at eye level with the two. The one on the right was the most excited.
"Oh my gooooooodness brother! Isn't he simply adoooooooooooorable? Seems Mocha hired a little helper!"
"I'm Cody. Are you here for your order?"
"Why yes we are. My highly excited brother and I are picking up our order. I believe it's under the Leaf brothers."
Cody glanced over the list again. The stack of three boxes were tied together with twine. As he climbed down using the rope, he would check each box's contents. All was accounted for. As he looked up at the brothers, he felt fairly relaxed. Working in Mocha's shop felt familiar. It was nice.
"A dozen cupcakes, and two chocolate cakes. Your total is sixty bits."
The quiet brother removed a bag from his satchel, and let it float next to Cody. It was about as big as a large garbage bag. It was filled with a lot of small gold coins. He smiled up to the customers.
"Alright. Everything seems set. Anything else today?"
"Wellllllll, I was hoping to try one of those deliiiiiiiicious cupcakes before leaving."
"Brother, must you be so impatient?"
"It's ok. I'll get it for him."
Pointing to the bottom box, Cody took a deep breath. A white light shot out of his finger, and penetrated the cardboard. Another light appeared in front of him. It expanded into a disk. It was darkness for a split second before the natural light flooded the portal inside of the box. The talkative brother was shocked.
"My gooooooodness brother! He's that maaaagical human we've read about in the papers!"
Cody smiled to himself as he walked through the portal into the cupcake box. These Leaf brothers seemed to mean well, if albeit a little excited to see a human. He carefully moved past a cupcake, then braced himself against it as he pushed. He pointed at the portal with his finger, then spread his hand. The portals expanded enough to fit the cupcake. When the cupcake went through, pushing on the smooth wood surface was a lot easier. He looked over the side as he pushed, and stopped at the edge. A green glow immediately surrounded the dessert, and levitated towards a very excited stallion.
"Ohhhhhhhhhh this is going to be deliiiiiiicious!"
The brother opened his mouth, and bit into the cupcake. His bite was enough to take out a large chunk of the dessert. The icing on the cupcake slid a bit with each bite. As the last bite was taken, some icing hung on the lower lip. Cody looked up. The icing fell off the stallion's lip. Before he could move, everything went chocolate brown. Cody wiped some icing from his eyes.
"Ewwww. Not again!"
"O-Oh my."
Cody looked up to the loud brother, who was now relatively quieter. As a bit of drool dripped from his mouth, a familiar look of hunger was in his eyes. As he licked his lips, the quieter brother shoved his way between Cody and the hungry stallion.
"Brother no! Remember what the doctor said!"
"B-B-But he looks soooooooo deliiiicious!"
"No humans! They're friends, not food! We're doing fine brother, we'll just eat more sweets!"
The brother levitated their stack of boxes, and took the other three boxes as well. A bag twice as tall as Cody landed next to him.
"Here, don't say anything!"
He kept pushing his brother that kept licking his lips at a very confused chocolate-covered Cody. ---
"Why my darling told Twilight before us still eludes me."
"I'm sure he had his reasons."
Ivory knew Cody had something bothering him lately. She pestered herself for not remembering how important it was to celebrate human birthdays. She was going over birthday details with Mocha. She needed to keep her sweetheart out of the house while her friend prepared tomorrow. Since it was the early afternoon still, she would go to Princess Celestia and see if she would permit him to miss his lessons tomorrow.
"Cody! What happened to you?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
Ivory turned to see Cody at the top of the stairs. A white light shot towards the bathroom door, and another appeared in front of Cody. The two made their way over to the bathroom door in a couple steps as he stepped through his portal. He stood at the entrance to the bathroom, and looked up to his roommate.
"Mocha, could you please open the door? As you can see, I need to clean up. The sink should do for this."
Mocha opened the door, and Cody immediately teleported up to the sink edge. Ivory's icing-covered boyfriend stood out amongst the white porcelain. She turned on the sink, then left to get clothes and a towel for him. The drain was covered, so there was no concern when he slid in. He stood under the water, and began to rinse off the icing.
"Are you sure you're ok honey?"
"I'm relatively fine."
"Cody? Did you serve a customer?"
Mocha had come back with clothes, a human-sized towel, and two small bags, both filled to the brim with bits. Ivory knew she had an order, but not one big enough for that many bits.
"Yeah. The Leaf brothers came by for their order. You two were busy, so I handled it."
"Why did they give you this much? This is well over two hundred bits"
"They...really liked me?"
Mocha left the towel and clothes on the sink's edge. She gave her little human brother a lecture on not serving customers while she's not around, and left to put the bits in the safe. Ivory turned off the water when Cody stepped out from under it. A quick flash of white, and he was on the sink edge. He pulled off his wet shirt, and Ivory took a step towards the door.
"I will leave you to change."
"You don't have to."
Ivory turned around, and smiled. She walked up to the sink, and leaned down to kiss Cody. She could still taste a hint of chocolate.
"Remember the last time your sister caught us?"
"Didn't stop us before."
"Very true." ---
Mocha was angry with herself. With her desperation to organize a birthday party, she left Cody alone! She was still impressed however. Whatever happened, he managed to get two hundred bits from the Leaf brothers. The thought of him working the register seemed nice. His job back on his homeworld was most of the training covered. His teleportation made things even easier.
No. He needed to be safe. The little brother she never had, has been in so much danger. Almost eaten, nearly stepped on, kidnapped, and a girlfriend a hundred times his size. There was also the time he accidentally teleported into Mocha's morning cider and was almost drank by her. She still kicked herself for that, despite him apologizing.
After counting the bits, she placed them into the safe. She walked out to see Ivory coming downstairs, Cody in tow. Mocha walked over as the two kissed. Dating over a week, and they still don't kiss outside her house. It was understandable, given all the recent incidents. She really needed to stop treating him like a glass doll. He wasn't exactly helpless.
"I must go my dear, but I still have a surprise for you tomorrow. Be dressed before noon."
"Yes dear."
Cody teleported to Mocha's back, then Ivory left. The two went to the counter. After accidentally teleporting onto the floor, he managed to get onto the counter. She walked behind the counter as he sat against the register.
Before she could say anything, a customer walked in. Mocha exhaled through her nose sharply. It was Perra Putan. A yellow unicorn with unbelievably pink hair. She was a semi-frequent customer, always wanting a fresh baked batch of cupcakes every other week. Back when most of the customers wanted humans added to their desserts, she didn't. In fact, she hated humans. One of the more hateful of humans among Cantherlot's elite. Now here she was, while Cody was in the same room. She looked down at him with her grim guise, which turned to a look of disgust.
"Ugh. You let vermin work here now I see."
"Will that be a problem?"
"No, but he better be clean. I don't want any diseases on my cupcakes."
"He may not have hooves and a horn, but Cody is just as good at this job as anypony else would be."
"Well, I need my dozen cupcakes."
"Twenty bits please."
"Twenty? I should get a discount!"
"Why is that?"
"I should never pay full price for a pony that lets disgusting creatures walk freely around their establishment."
Now Mocha had enough. She put up with Perra before because she was a repeat customer when things were slow. With her business booming, she didn't have to put up with this treatment. She pointed her hoof towards the door.
"Perra Putan. I will not allow myself or Cody to be spoken to in such a way. Please leave now."
"How dare you! I happen to know Princess Celestia, and she would not appreciate me being treated this way!"
"And?"
Despite Mocha's handle on the situation, Cody piped in. He had already teleported on top of the register. He was staring down Perra intensely.
"I know Princess Celestia and Princess Luna personally. You're not special. Now leave, or I'll open a portal and make you leave!" ---
"The prophecy comes to fruition, and you simply stare at the sunset?"
Princess Celestia turned to see her sister. She took one more look at the kingdom before coming back inside from the balcony. A certain human to cause her a fair amount of stress lately.
"He gained his powers and fell in love. That is all that has happened Luna."
"I can sense her coming for him. I know you can too."
"I can. I only wish we reacted faster when we first found Cody."
"We need to send these humans home like we-."
"No! Portals to Earth take so much power, even for us. We can not use Cody to open a portal. I will not risk him being harmed."
"Then we need to protect Cody ourselves. Not let him live in the house of a common baker."
Before Princess Celestia could respond, there was a knock at the door. Her horn glowed, and the door opened. It was her lieutenant. He walked in, followed by Ivory Swirl.
"Thank you Lieutenant. How can I help you Ivory?"
"Your highness. I apologize for being here so late in the day. I have a humble request."
"What is your request?"
"I ask that Cody be excused from his training tomorrow. It is his birthday tomorrow, and Mocha wants to surprise him with a party. Mocha and I are all he has. We want tomorrow to be special for him."
Princess Celestia thought for a moment. This seemed very important to Ivory. Her concern for Cody's well being was one of the many reasons she was the expert on humans. Her desire to learn so much about humans was respectable. She smiled to her sister before looking back to the unicorn.
"He is excused. There is one condition however."
"May I ask what that condition is your highness?"
"My sister and I get to attend the party."
Ivory's eyes lit up akin to a sunrise. She rambled on her thanks, said when the party was, then ran off. She looked over to her sister, who chuckled.
"She came all the way here just to ask you that. She really cares about him."
"She really does. Which is why we shall tell them of the prophecy tomorrow. No more secrets. Lieutenant!"
"Yes your highness?"
"I require the best clothing designer in the kingdom immediately."
"I will need the best craftspony available."
"Yes your highnesses! It will be done!" ---
It was a grueling week of hard work, but it paid off. Every single human not under Princess Celestia's personal protection, was here. There were also a couple dozen or so from the castle break-in she organized. A little over a hundred of the little things. Deep in the cavern was a mostly dried up lake bed. It wasn't very deep. For the humans however, it was enough to keep them from escaping. They would occasionally throw them some oats they stole from Ponyville.
Queen Chrysalis stood before the gathering of humans. They were huddled in groups. They truly feared her. She could make them do anything she wanted. If they weren't such delicious balls of emotion, these humans here would make fantastic subjects to rule over. However, they wouldn't be lasting for very long. Soon she would have a world of these creatures to rule over. Their emotions gave her a surge of power. It made the love of ponies feel like nothing. Just a few humans made her feel like a one pony army.
"Don't be scared little humans. Your lives will serve a great purpose. You may not understand, but you will give us the power to make your world ours."
Some of the humans argued, but she didn't bother to listen. She turned to her children. They stood at the edge of the lake bed. They were hungry. She stomped her hoof, and they all stepped back. Not yet. One more night. One more night of waiting.
"Tomorrow is the day of our destiny. Tomorrow, we will tear Ponyville apart to find the human that will bring us to their world. Tomorrow you shall feed upon these humans, and have power you have never felt before. So sleep my children. For tomorrow, will lead us to a never ending feast!" ---
"Oh goodness I hope my hair is perfect. I should check the food again."
Ivory was nervous as she stood outside Mocha's house. She was taking Cody on a date. Their first lunch date outside the house, as a couple. The two had eaten together plenty of times, but never in public. She had rebrushed her hair at least half a dozen times on the way here. She took one last deep breath before raising her hoof and knocking on the door. After a moment, Mocha opened the door.
"Hey Ivory! Ready for a lunch date with my little brother?"
"About as ready as one can be."
The two walked upstairs. Cody was sitting at his dining table on top of the regular table. He was sipping some cider when he turned to see the two of them approaching. Ivory leaned over to kiss him, and got butterflies in her stomach when he kissed her back. He wore his usual attire of shorts and a shirt.
"You're here early."
"Well darling, I wanted to surprise you."
"A surprise?"
"You and I are going on a date. A picnic at Ponyville Park."
Cody had managed to stand up from his chair right before he was levitated onto Ivory's back. She was nervous, and he wasn't ready. All three of them walked downstairs. Mocha gleefully waved from the door as the two walked out.
"You two have fun!"
Ivory had Cody sitting on her back, so she levitated the picnic basket in front of her. Ponyville Park wasn't too far. Seeing Princess Twilight was a possibility. Since the construction of the newly announced human village was overseen by her. The area had gotten busier with excited ponies wanting an early look.
"Any particular reason we're going on our first date in public?"
"Cody dear. You've been cooped up inside so long. Things are a lot safer for humans since you first came here. Despite how nervous I am, I want to try and be more public with our relationship."
The walk wasn't too long. The park was in view. There was a small crowd of ponies by a spot just off the usual walking path. About a head taller than the crowd was the top of a wooden wall. It wasn't very large and could've been easily looked over by a pony as tall as Princess Celestia. From first glance, it was about the size of a small bedroom. Two guards stood at the front to keep most of the crowd back. Ivory had heard Princess Twilight had requested the humans' village be built near her old home. Ivory had no qualms about it. She was glad the humans had a place to call their own, rather than a big room in a castle. Humans did prefer to live in open spaces after all.
"Sweetie. I have to stop at the humans' village for a moment."
"Oh?"
"Dropping off my notes for Princess Twilight. I just want to be quick and hope the crowd doesn't see you."
Ivory glanced at the guards, who let her pass through. A few ponies got excited at the sight of Cody, but the guards held them back. Twilight was looking over a few notes. When the princess turned around, she had a massive grin on her face.
"Ivory! Cody! So glad to see you!"
"You as well your highness. I brought something for you."
Ivory levitated a stack of papers out of her picnic basket, and let Princess Twilight grab them with her magic. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth hung agape.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! The notes of Ivory Swirl. The greatest source of information on humans in the whole world! This will help me make sure the village is perfect for the humans!"
"Now if only my dear Ivory would publish her notes."
"In due time sweetie. We must be going your highness. A lunch date awaits. Feel free to hold onto the notes until you are done reading them. Just drop them off at Mocha's house when you finish."
"I'ill take care of them well. I hope you have a pleasant picnic together." ---
Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were very excited. The two had heard rumors of a village just for humans being built right by the park. They had squeezed their way past the older ponies to watch the construction. It was exciting to see the tiny buildings they would bring in, and funny to see the adults try to put down the houses without breaking them. The two were hoping to see some of the cute humans. After a bit of waiting, they left the crowd into the open area.
"I don't think they'll bring out any humans today Sweetie."
"It seems so. We should-."
Sweetie Belle! Applebloom!"
Scootaloo came running from the park. She was giddy with excitement. She was eagerly pointing towards the park.
"I saw him! I saw Cody!"
"Scootaloo, are you absolutely sure it was Cody?"
"Yeah! He's on a picnic with Ivory Swirl!"
"What are we waitin' for?"
The three ran off towards the park. Seeing a human village was an exciting thing. Seeing the magic human however, was a rare event indeed. He was almost never seen outside his house. The three fillies saw Ivory under a tree, and they darted into a bush. She was having a picnic. With a bit of squinting, they roughly saw where Cody was. He was sitting close to her, eating something.
"He's so tiny next to her! The humans are really cute!"
"Well, I wanna say hi to 'im."
"Me too."
"That would be rude. He's busy with his lunch."
"But I really wanna see 'im!"
"Yeah! We may not get another chance like this!"
Scootaloo and Applebloom argued with Sweetie Belle. The two really wanted to see the magical human. Sweetie wanted to respect his privacy.
"Remember girls. He's not an object to be paraded around for our enjoyment."
"But Applebloom and I want to meet him. He's so cool."
The three continued to argue. They didn't notice that Ivory began to chuckle. A small ball of white light hovered right above them. They looked up in silence. The ball expanded into a disk. It dropped down before any of them could react. The three fillies floated through a seemingly endless expanse of white. Then just as quickly as it happened, they were back the park. However, they were now standing in front of Ivory. She was looking over at Cody, who was laughing.
"Cody, why would you do that to these young fillies? They must be terrified."
"It was your idea since they were staring at us."
Ivory stood up while Cody continued to eat a human-sized sandwich. All three fillies were fascinated at the sight of him. This was the first time they had been this close to a human that didn't run away.
"I apologize for my dear Cody. He does not like being stared at by those he does not know."
All three hung their heads. They were so excited to see Cody, they didn't bother to think about his privacy. They looked at each other and realized how they could fix this.
"I'm Sweetie Belle!"
"I'm Scootaloo!"
"I'm Applebloom!"
Cody had just polished off his sandwich, and stood up. In a small flash of white, he was suddenly standing on Ivory's back. All three stared in awe. Sweetie Belle was the first to talk again.
"Cody, sir. I was wondering if you were excited about the new village?"
"I am indeed. I think it's great my fellow humans are being treated with such equality."
"Will you ever move there?"
"Me? Well...Um..."
"Cody has considered it, but he's quite happy living with Mocha Sprinkles."
"Yes. She's like the big sister I never had."
"Cool! I may have Applejack and Big Mac, but I wish I could have a little human brother."
"When I learn how to fly, I wanna take humans flying! Too bad they're all at the castle."
Cody teleported from Ivory's back, to the ground in front of the three fillies. They lowered their heads to the ground so they could look at and hear him.
"Well, not all humans are at the castle. Some of them are hidden around Equestria, brought here before the portal closed, and now abandoned. Many right here in Ponyville. Lost and scared."
"Humans?"
"Lost?"
"Scared?"
"Yes. Somepony needs to find them before they get eaten, or worse!"
Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom looked at each other. This was a serious problem. None of the adults would notice a small human running around. Those that do would want to eat the poor things! They knew what they had to do. They looked back to Cody.
"No job is too big, and no human is too small! The Cutie Mark Crusaders will find these humans and get them to safety!" ---
An actual date out in public with his girlfriend. It was nice. It was a short picnic, but it was still enjoyable. They were already heading home.
"Those fillies really seemed to like you."
"I'm a magical human Ivory. It might have something to do with the that."
"Nonetheless, I think you inspired them."
"I just wanted to finish our date. Figured catching humans would keep 'em busy."
The house was just in sight. There were a few ponies around the area. There was a journalist, snapping away with his camera. Since the accidental teleportation a few days ago, just about every journalist kept their distance. Still, they were annoying.
"Ivory sweetie?"
"Yes Cody?"
"What do you think it'll take for those journalists to leave us alone?"
"A picture to put on their front pages most likely."
"Well then, let's give 'em one."
Ivory stopped in place, and levitated Cody in front of her. She had a look of concern. If they were to do what he was thinking, it would the first time they did it in public.
"A-Are you sure?"
"Trust me. I love you Ivory. So much."
As Cody's face was pressed against Ivory's lips, the area went silent. The only sound being the snapping of the camera and a few ponies saying 'awww'. After a moment, he was pulled away. He saw his girlfriend in a slight daze as he was placed on her back again. She resumed walking. He could hear a few ponies make comments.
"That was so cute!"
"They're so adorable together!"
"Now I want a little human!"
The adorable responses were expected. The middle class ponies of Ponyville seemed to like the social aspect of humans when they stopped eating them. Most of the hatred for humans came from the upper class after all. Cody hoped this trend of liking humans stayed strong.
Ivory approached the house, and levitated Cody next to her head. Through the window of the door, it seemed all the lights were off. He wondered if Mocha went out to the market early. As they entered, he wondered why there was no sign on the door. Suddenly, the lights flashed on. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Mocha were standing in front of the counter, shouting in unison.
"Surprise! Happy birthday Cody!"
It was pure shock. Streamers hung around, and his name hung from a homemade sign. It was a sight to behold. Cody was quickly levitated to the counter, where four ponies stared down gleefully. He was genuinely taken aback. Mocha lowered her head to lay on the counter in front of her shocked little brother.
"H-How?"
"Princess Twilight told me. As your big sister, it was my duty to make this happen."
Cody teared up. He hugged Mocha's muzzle. She did so much. She made all this for him. He was nudged into a chair by her. His table and chair from upstairs was already brought down.
"Don't get all sappy on me yet. I have my next surprise for you. It wasn't easy to pull off. Took me a couple tries."
From behind the counter, Mocha produced a cake. This wasn't a cake meant for the ponies. It was a cake for his size! It carefully floated down to his table. It was a small, round cake. Single layer, chocolate all over. Rather than a candle, there was a sliver of a wood in the center lit at the top. All four ponies looked down with excitement. Mocha's grin was massive.
"Go ahead bro! Make a wish!" ---
Some days she envied the other ponies. Whenever they hungered, they ate food. When they thirst, they drank water. Queen Chrysalis had no such luxury. Her children as well as her, could only live off of emotions. The love of ponies could only sustain them for so long. When humans were first discovered, one of her undercover children had eaten a human. He later told of how his stomach was filled with so many delicious emotions. How he felt more power than the love of a pony could ever provide.
As she towered above the crowd of small humans, she looked back to her children. She could hear the groans from hunger. Her horn glowed, and a ball of light appeared high above. It flashed to view Cody eating cake, then to the house he was inside.
"This is who we must find my children! This is our savior! He who will lead us to salvation! He who will take us to a world where we shall rule all!"
The queen looked towards the humans, who all huddled in a small crowd. She stepped down into the open area in front of them. Whimpers were heard. Their fear was delectably intoxicating. The glow of her magic surrounded a few humans, and she brought them through the air to her awaiting lips. Two males, and a young female. All three were scared.
"Shhh. Be calm little ones. You will become part of something great."
Before the humans spoke, Queen Chrysalis magically tossed the three humans in her mouth. She chuckled as they feebly pushed at her cheeks and lips in hope to escape. She could almost taste their emotions as they screamed in terror. She simply tilted her head back, and let the humans rest at the back of her throat for a moment before swallowing. After they ended in her stomach, she could feel the energy of their emotions surge through her body. Her horn glowed even brighter.
She turned to her children. She smiled, and pointed her hoof to the humans. They descended upon the screaming humans. One after another, the little creatures were eaten. Her children had not had any emotions to truly feast upon in so long. The muffled screams of terror were music to her ears.
"Feed my children! Feed so you may have the power to tear Ponyville apart! Feed so you can find Cody, our hero! Feed!" ---
It was a sight to see. Cody had already eaten his cake. Ivory and the other ponies brought their presents forward. Mocha said the cake she made for his size took an enormous amount of effort. Princess Luna produced her present out of the box. She got him a new bed, and it was the same circular shape as Mocha's.
"A good night's rest is a requirement for good dreams."
The present from Princess Celestia was a much smaller box for Cody. He laid it out on his table, and it took up all of the space. He opened it, and lifted out a very nice suit. It was all black. The black tie went down to the waist. Ivory imagined him wearing it while they went out to a fancy dinner. It made her realize she did not own a dress herself.
"The clothing designer had never made a suit for a human before, so I hope it fits you."
Ivory was up now. From behind the counter, she levitated her present next to Cody. It was a long, wooden box. It was painted a metallic gray, and it had a human-sized door on the side. It took him a moment to realize what it was.
"Is...Is this what I think it is?"
"A replica of your house? Yes."
"How did you do this? I thought the portals to Earth were permanently closed."
"A lot of details came from Mocha. I have been working on it since we first met."
Cody opened the door, and walked inside. Mocha and Ivory walked up to the counter. They lifted the roof, and it turned on its hinge. As it rested upright, they watched him traverse the replica. It was not easy getting all of the details of his old trailer. It was all from Mocha's memory, and careful questioning of Cody.
"Seems empty, but you got almost everything right."
"The plan was to move your current living space into this. That way, you can feel more independent. I am still working on the running water situation."
"Ivory, this is amazing."
Cody milled around his new house. While he was doing that, Ivory could hear the two princesses whispering to each other. They seemed concerned about something.
"Sister! You must tell them!"
"But Luna, look how happy they are. I could not bring myself to ruin this moment."
"The prophecy!"
How did they know of the prophecy? Her highness said no one would know of the prophecy. She said she removed the prophecy from the old scroll before allowing it to be discovered. Ivory turned around, but couldn't even get a word out. The door had burst open. It was Princess Celestia's lieutenant.
"The changelings are tearing Ponyville apart! They're coming here! We need to-!"
The lieutenant was cut off as a blast of sickly dark green energy hit him, and he was knocked out of the doorway. A changeling swooped into the bakery, but was quickly blasted out by all four ponies. Ivory quickly shut the roof to Cody's house. She was finally coming for him.
All their horns glowed bright, ready to defend themselves. A dark green energy surrounded them all, and forced them the the ground. Even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were overpowered by this energy. All four of them were stuck flat to the floor.
She walked in. If the lights were still off, she could have lit up the whole room herself with how bright her horn was glowing. She did not show any struggle to restrain two unicorns and two alicorns. How did Queen Chrysalis have so much power?
"Greetings. I am here with a simple request. Give me Cody, and I will leave."
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were struggling to stand up, hoping to break free of the hold the queen had on them. It was futile, her new power was too great.
"We will never hand him over! Luna and I will not allow it."
"Right dear sister! He is not yours to have Chrysalis!"
"I believe otherwise."
Queen Chrysalis had made it clear that she had no intention of leaving without Cody. Ivory only hoped he was still hiding inside his new house. If he stayed out of sight, maybe they all had a chance.
"Oh Cody darling? You might as well come out. I would hate to harm anypony here out of anger."
Silence. Ivory wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. Cody was still hiding. When it was apparent the queen was frustrated, Queen Chrysalis stood before her.
"Perhaps hearing somepony you care about in pain might change your mind."
Ivory felt the queen's energy wrap around tighter than before. Tighter and tighter. An immense force compressing around her. She tried to keep quiet. She tried to bite her tongue. Any sound of pain, and Cody would beg her to stop. He did not know why he had to hide from her. He had no clue what was at stake. She felt a sharp pain in her midsection. A yelp of pain slipped out before she could stop herself.
"Stop!"
"Cody no!"
The one thing Ivory wanted to avoid. Cody must have ran out of his house. Queen Chrysalis almost completely loosened her grip on her. She looked up to see her staring down at him.
"If I come with you, will you leave them unharmed?"
"Yes of course. Just one small thing to do."
Ivory saw her produce an inhibitor ring. A very small one that was cut in half. She heard the two halves clack together, and saw a levitating Cody with it around his neck. Queen Chrysalis had gone through the trouble of creating a special inhibitor ring just for him.
"Thank you for cooperating. Now, my new kingdom awaits!"
A blast of green energy was the last thing Ivory saw before being knocked out. ---
"Wake up my little Cody."
He shook his head, still a bit groggy from the energy blast. It was a cold, yet well lit cavern. The cave had a few crystals in the walls, lighting up the cave with a sky blue glow. Cody found himself still levitating next to Chrysalis. To the right, it was a mostly dried up lake bed. To his left was a mostly flat area. As far as caves go, it wasn't very impressive. He was finally placed on solid ground. A few bumps, but mostly flat.
"A pleasure to finally meet you Cody. I am Queen Chrysalis, the true ruler of Equestria."
This was the first queen Cody had met in person. She was mostly black. Her hair was a kind of dark sky blue. It had holes throughout. Her eyes were a bright green that felt familiar. Her horn was akin to a twisted burnt stick. She had wings, and he had no idea how she could fly with them. They were like bug wings. She even had holes in her legs. He saw fangs when her mouth opened. This Queen Chrysalis was strange.
"Do you know why I brought you here?"
"You tried to harm the love of my life."
"Ah yes. Ivory Swirl. The supposed love of yours."
"I do love her!"
She gave a hearty chuckle. It was as if Cody had told a joke. Either the notion of a human and pony dating was hilarious to her, or she thought he was pathetic.
"That is adorable."
"What do you mean?"
"I find it entertaining that you think your relationship with her will last."
Before he could respond, the rustling of a dozen ponies echoed into the cave. They both turned to see a flurry of ponies fly into the cave. Light blue eyes with no pupils, holes throughout their bodies, white fangs, all black bodies.
"Wonderful, all my children are here! They can keep you company while I get prepared. I must look my best for my new kingdom!"
Without a second thought, Cody found himself levitated in the air. He was placed down in front of Queen Chrysalis' 'children'. They stared down at him, twisted smiles all around. He looked back to the queen, who had walked out of sight. Looking back to the ponies, one of them licked their lips.
"I wonder what it tastes like."
"Let's squash it like the bug it is."
"I wanna hear it scream!"
Cody felt the same fear from when Force Wind tried to kidnap him. What sent a shiver down his spine wasn't the thought of what was going to happen to him.
It was that he was on his own this time. ---
It had been awhile since the home was silent. Mocha was so used to coming home to Cody. Whether he was going around the house, talking to a customer, or being with Ivory. The house was rarely quiet. She didn't realize how much of a difference it made until now.
Princess Luna had left to interrogate captured changelings. Princess Celestia left to check on the human village. Mocha stood at the front door, hoping someone would come back with good news. She looked back towards Ivory. After they all woke up from the blast an hour ago, she had been silently staring at Cody's tiny table on the counter. Mocha walked over, and gently pressed her head against Ivory's.
"I was going to ask him to move in with me Mocha."
Mocha wrapped her foreleg around her friend. While she would jokingly refer to Cody as her little brother, Ivory's relationship with him was much deeper. Her friend was much more distraught then her.
"They'll find him Ivory. I know it."
"It is all my fault this happened."
"It isn't! We simply couldn't do anything to stop her. We'll find him, and we'll get him home!"
Ivory pushed Mocha away and stared at her, tears streaming down her face. It was the most upset she had ever seen her.
"Cody is in danger! The queen only knew of him because of me!"
"W-What?"
"I can not keep this secret anymore. It was a week after the portal first opened. I was experimenting human durability, when she came into my house. Queen Chrysalis said unless I wanted to become a changeling, I had to do as she ordered. I was to inform her on every human I met and studied. I was told if I ever met a shirtless human named Cody, I had to take him to her."
"W-Wha?"
"Falling in love with him was not part of the plan and-."
"Plan? He loved you!"
"I know. I wish I said no to her."
"You betrayed him! Betrayed me!"
Furious didn't describe how she felt. The mare she had known since she was a foal. Cody was scared and alone. Mocha felt an anger she had never felt before. There was a knock at the door. Both took a few deep breaths. Things were very tense. She magically opened the door. It was Princess Celestia.
"Your highness. How is the human village?"
"The village is partially destroyed, but the humans were still at the castle during the attack. It seems most of the attack was focused here. Many of my guards are injured. Queen Chrysalis used all of her resources, just to capture Cody."
"Why would she do that? What does she have to gain from Cody?"
"She wants to invade the human world."
Princess Celestia and Mocha turned to Ivory. The princess stepped forward. The tears were gone, and her face showed little expression.
"I am a traitor your highness. I betrayed Equestria and-."
"I know."
"You knew?"
"Yes. Your endangerment of humans and your fellow ponies is a discussion we will have later. For now, tell me what you know."
"Cody can open portals. With a location and observation spell, you can use Cody's powers to open a portal to anywhere. That includes the humans' world. What makes this a problem, is what humans do to the queen and her children. All those emotions in a body small enough to be swallowed whole. The power a changeling gets. The power the queen gets from eating humans. Unlimited power. If we do not find Cody, things will get very bad very fast." ---
A massive hoof had him pinned to the cold stone floor. Cody could feel the weight pressed down on him. He attempted to sneak away when the changelings started to fight amongst
themselves over him. A changeling had caught him just as he had made his way past the crowd.
"Who said you could leave?"
The hoof was removed, and Cody rolled over. He was looking up to the changeling that stopped his escape. He seemed familiar somehow, despite how he looked like all the others.
"You made me a failure in the eyes of the queen. I'm going to enjoy hurting you."
The hoof raised over him again. Everything below his neck was under the hoof. The two locked eyes. Cody could see the hoof shift, and then he felt the pressure. He knew what was about to happen. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of him crying or begging. He took one last deep breath. He closed his eyes.
He didn't feel crushed, nor did he feel harmed. Instead he felt like he was floating. Cody opened his eyes, and saw he was floating high above the changelings. Looking behind him, he saw Queen Chrysalis. He was levitated towards her, and she looked at him with an endearing look.
"It's okay dear. I will not allow my children to hurt you. I will keep you close, and safe."
The queen then stared at her children with a furious stare. She bared her fangs. They all backed up a few steps. Seeing this anger from her sent a chill down Cody's spine.
"How dare you! Fatal harm of Cody was forbidden. You failed me again. As punishment, you will stay behind."
The changeling had no response. He hung his head as the queen walked away, taking Cody with her.
They went farther into the cave, out of sight from the others. There sat a few stalactites with flattened tops, and Cody was placed on top of one. The towering queen sat down on the stone floor. They were now at eye level.
"Just because you got me away from them, doesn't mean I trust you."
"Why would you not trust me? I saved you."
"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were willing to fight to keep me away from you. I trust them in their judgement."
"You think Celestia and Luna were protecting you? They do not care about you, or any human. They only care about their own kind. I care about you Cody. I need you."
Now Cody was confused. Why would this all-powerful queen need him? Did she want a magical pet? Did she want his powers to herself? She could most likely see his confusion, and showed a soft smile.
"I need more humans dear. You all are so small, so...full of emotion. The power you creatures give me...it's unlike anything I have ever known in all my life. I never want that feeling to end my sweet Cody. That is why I need you. That is why I want your world, to be mine." ---
The silence was deafening. Ivory was glad the door opened, and Princess Twilight walked in. Princess Celestia was not happy to see her however.
"Twilight! You are supposed to be at the hospital for your wounds!"
"It's only a few bruises your highness. I heard of Cody's kidnapping from the guards. I wanted to see how Mocha and Ivory were holding up."
"Mocha and I are fine. I just wish we could find Cody."
Princess Twilight rubbed her hoof against her head, as if trying to think of a solution. If anypony could figure out how to help, it would be her.
"Have you tried a location and observation spell?"
Ivory had never smacked herself with her hoof as hard as that moment. All the self-loathing from not protecting Cody had blinded her to the simplest solution.
"I am such a fool. I should have thought of that ages ago."
"You're stressed Ivory. If Queen Chrysalis abducted somepony as close to me as Cody is to you, I would feel just as distracted."
"You are right. Thank you Princess Twilight. We should get started on the spell."
"But Princess Twilight will be heading to the hospital. Now."
It was clear Princess Twilight wanted to help, but Princess Celestia was firm on her statement. With a nod and a mention of good luck, Princess Twilight was off to the hospital. Mocha immediately spoke up.
"I can do the location spell. I'm well practiced with it."
"Very well. I will check on the injured soldiers at the hospital."
Princess Celestia left, leaving the two alone. Mocha walked up the stairs. She was gone for a moment, but came back down with her enchanted mirror. She sat against the counter with the mirror in front of her.
Ivory couldn't think of much to say. Just a few moments ago, she told her best friend and the princess that she was a traitor. Her boyfriend Cody was the captive of the evil queen.
"Mocha, I-."
"I need silence to focus." ---
"Why won't you help me Cody? I will give you anything!"
"I won't do it!"
"Everything you could ever ask for can be yours!"
"No!"
Cody had repeatedly denied a request from Queen Chrysalis. She wanted him to open a portal. She said it was all she needed, and she could use her magic to make it a portal to Earth. After what she said about human emotions giving her power, he couldn't do it. Enough people had to endure what these giants did to them. No more.
"What do you owe to the other humans? You do not need to deny my simple request."
"For the two months I've been here, Mocha and Ivory kept me pretty sheltered from this world. However, I knew what was happening to my fellow humans. I remember the day I watched a human be devoured, and I couldn't do anything to help her. On Earth, I was so apathetic to my own kind. That followed me to Equestria. Two giants took care of me at a time I was barely taking care of myself. They reminded me how to care about others. Now that I have the power to make the world a better place for humans, I have a choice. A choice no one else in this world can make."
There was a brief silence. Cody had never given a speech before. A small part of him regretted the speech. He was on top of a rock high off the ground. Staring at him was a smiling queen. Why was Queen Chrysalis smiling?
"You want choice? I can give you choice."
She stomped her hoof three times. After it echoed, the clatter of a dozen hooves could be heard. Three changelings quickly walked in. Cody looked over to the queen.
"What is this?"
Queen Chrysalis said nothing. She stomped her hoof three more times. The three changelings were suddenly enveloped by a green energy. After a brief moment, the energy dissipated. The changelings were gone. In their place was Mocha, Ivory, and Princess Twilight. All three had mischievous grins. Every part of him wished it was them, but he knew it was a lie.
"Look at them Cody. I can have my children be whomever you desire."
"But Ivory..."
"You don't need her anymore. You have me. If I rule your world with you by my side, I could give you anything you wanted. No need for friends, or family. Just desire."
Anything he wanted. All he had to do was open a portal. Did he truly mean anything he said? Cody's mind swirled with thoughts of having these shapeshifters at his beck and call. Did he really owe anything to his home planet? All he had was a trailer, family that never talked to him, and a dead end job.
He thought of Ivory. He thought back to when they first met, and how weirdly obsessive she was about helping him. He remembered the times he would visit her, and how she would stay up late working on her research. The lunches they would share. He thought of their first kiss. He almost shedded a tear.
"I can't do it. I love Ivory, not an imitation of her."
Queen Chrysalis stomped her hoof, and the changelings left. Before he could say anything, a ball of light appeared in front of him. It expanded into a disk. On the disk, a picture appeared. It was Mocha, Ivory, and himself sitting on the couch. The three of them looked happy. The picture blurred for a moment, but came back into focus. The spot where he was in the picture was now taken by a pony. This stallion had fur that matched his skin tone. Hair that shared the same color as his. On his hind was two white ovals. The back half of a pony was sticking out one end, and the front half was sticking out the other.
"Is...Is that...?"
"With one spell, I could make you a stallion. You wouldn't be so small or weak. You wouldn't need anypony to take care of you! How much safer would you feel if you weren't so different?"
Cody didn't respond. He had no idea how to answer that. All he could think of, was how easier life would be in Equestria if he was the same as them. The image faded away, and the queen sat down.
"This is not an opportunity to take lightly. I will give you a moment to think." ---
"The answer is no Lieutenant."
"But your highness, I-."
"You can barely stand. You will stay at the hospital."
The lieutenant nodded, then he was walked away with the help of a nurse. Princess Celestia sighed deeply. Many soldiers came to the bakery when the attack began. Most of the soldiers were injured from the attack. The rest were too busy helping around. The attack made a rescue effort very difficult. Cody wouldn't last very long if the queen got her way.
After a short walk, Princess Celestia was back at the bakery. She was hoping Mocha was successful with the spell to find Cody. She slowly opened the door. Both ponies turned to her.
"Did you find him?"
"It took some time, but we found him. The queen is holding him in a cavern east of here. The cavern is based in a small mountain range."
"I thank you for finding him Mocha. As soon as the soldiers recover, I will mobilize them."
"Based on what I saw, she wants to open the portal today."
"Hmm. Ivory, is it possible for Queen Chrysalis to force Cody to open a portal?"
"With the difference in size, yes. Her magic could easily overpower him."
"Time is of the essence then."
The door opened again. Princess turned around to see her sister. She was hoping for some more good news. From behind her sister, Princess Twilight. That mare can be so stubborn sometimes. Her heart is in the right place, but she really needed to prioritize her health.
"Twilight. I told you to go to the hospital."
"I tried to go your highness, but I couldn't shake this feeling that Cody needed my help."
"I had the same feeling as well sister."
Princess Celestia was quiet for a moment. Everything was coming to fruition. She needed a plan. She needed something. The prophecy said he would be saved by those he affected. Would the five of them have to take on the queen alone? Before she could say what was on her mind, a sudden chill came over the room. A white disk rapidly expanded under all their hooves. Before any of them with wings could fly up to safety, they fell in. She had never went through one of Cody's portals before. It was dissimilar to flying. She felt nothing pulling her in any direction. Just floating in a white space that was the same shade as her fur.
The scenery changed in an instant. The five ponies dropped onto a cold, hard surface. The white portal above dissipated. In front of them, Princess Celestia saw Cody. Something was off however. He was surrounded by green energy. He was floating, and he was unconscious.
"How silly of me. I made the portal too big."
A portal enveloped the three princesses before they could react. ---
It was a dingy cave, lit up with a few crystals dotted about. Mocha stood up and saw the white energy come off the floor. It floated back towards Cody, and dissipated with the green glow surrounding him. He was completely unconscious, only being held in the air by the magic of Queen Chrysalis. He was inside a glass vial with a metal cap. The inhibitor ring around his neck was by his feet in the vial. The green glow disappeared, and the vial hung from the queen's neck. It was an unsettling sight.
"What did you do to him?"
"I decided I no longer needed to ask for his help."
"You...You monster!"
Mocha looked over to see Ivory had stood up. She had a few tears going down her face. She was clearly distraught seeing Cody like this. Changelings came into where they were. They stood in front of the queen.
"You can not just use Cody as a living conduit to open a portal! The effects on him could be devastating, even lethal!"
"The only one to blame here is yourself Ivory. I offered him the world, but all he wanted was you. Love, such a useless and distracting emotion, now that I have his kind."
"Why did you bring Ivory and I here?"
"Oh Mocha. I wanted the two of you to be the last thing he saw before he went home."
"His home is with me!"
"Some tiny furniture on a windowsill for two and half months? He was on his home world for well over twenty years. I will be doing him a service."
"By conquering his world?"
"You see a world of innocent creatures. I see a world where my children will never starve again. Now if you do not mind, I have a portal to open." ---
Kevin's tiny, rickety, rusty gray car sputtered on the highway. He was on his way to his new job in New York City. On the highway, he could see the city in the distance. Skyscrapers that lived up to the name. Millions of people in that one city, and he was gonna join them. Today was the start of the rest of his life.
Ahead, all the cars weren't moving. Kevin grumbled at the sight, and stopped his car. Ahead of the cars, was a bright light. People were getting out of their cars. He got out and followed the crowd. A few car lengths ahead the light got brighter. There were no cars where the light was. People kept their distance. It was a white sphere with rainbow swirls, and a reflective silver circle moving around the surface. They all recognized it as the sphere from a couple months ago that made people disappear.
A deep crackling sound was heard from the sphere, and everyone backed up. It crackled more, and stretched into the air. The sphere expanded into a disk. It almost took up the width of the four lane highway. There was a strange low pitch sound coming from the other side of the white disk. A few people inched around the disk to see what was going on. Kevin stayed behind it, not knowing what could be coming out on the other side.
Before he could run and go to the safety of his tiny car, Kevin felt the ground shake. The people on the other side gasped, and he heard a few run. His curiosity got the better of him. He carefully peeked around the disk to see what happened.
It was a sight no one would ever believe. It was a horse, and an unfathomably large one at that. It was all black, and fifty feet tall at the least. Kevin almost missed the horn and wings because he was still mentally registering the size of the horse. Her voice was soft, but sent a chill down his spine.
"Greetings humans! I am Queen Chrysalis. I come from a far away land. I am here to inform you that your world is now part of our kingdom. Do not fear, for I am a peaceful ruler. I only ask for two things. The first is your loyalty."
After she spoke, a massive dark blur shot out of the white disk. Suddenly, there were more black horses. They were a bit shorter. Thirty feet tall give or take. There were a few dozen of them at the least. It was a brief uneasy moment when they all licked their lips while looking at the people.
"The second is a difficult, but necessary request. Offering yourselves to feed my children." ---
When Cody gained consciousness, he wished he didn't. It was a horrifying sight. He was back on Earth. He was in the glass prison Force Wind once held him in. Looking around he saw he was now hanging from Queen Chrysalis' neck. Through the air holes of the metal lid, he could hear screaming. Her children were running about a highway, trying to get people out of their cars. The few people who were outside the vehicles, were all herded together in front of the queen. He could see absolute fear in their eyes.
"I want to thank my dearest Cody. If not for this human, I would not be in your world. I have him to thank for all of this."
Cody shut his eyes. He couldn't bear to look at all the people. They knew it was his fault. The fall of Earth was his fault. Humans being reduced to sentient food, was his fault. His inhibitor collar was off, so he could teleport away. It didn't matter anymore. She won. Queen Chrysalis won. He couldn't stop her. He curled into a ball. Tears streamed down his face. He failed.
"I can't do it!"
Cody opened his eyes. He was floating in a strange fog. A small hole in the fog was showing himself. He saw himself standing on Princess Celestia's desk. It was a memory! He remembered it was the day after he got out of the hospital. It was his first training session with the princess. They had tried for a half hour to get his powers to do something, anything. His past self threw up his hands in defeat. The princess gave a soft smile.
"Cody, I can show you why it is not working if you are willing to listen."
Without another word, the princess raised her left hoof, and tried to stomp on Cody. His past self was gone in a flash of white, and reappeared on the other side of the desk, unharmed. Princess Celestia smiled, and lowered her left hoof.
"Your powers are just like that of any other pony. Your instincts will control them until you are ready. If you truly want to control your powers, you must do more than just thinking and focusing. Now try again."
After a brief silence, Cody watched his past self stand back up. Clenched his fists, and took a deep breath. He glowed white, and was gone. He then reappeared on the other side of the desk. His past self jumped and cheered. Princess Celestia lowered her head to his level.
"Believe in yourself Cody. You have more power than you think. When you are ready, your abilities will have no limits."
The fog lifted, and Cody was back in the glass tube. Princess Celestia was right. He needed to stop the pity party. He had to believe in himself. He had to believe he could stop the queen. He took a deep breath.
His vision went white. ---
Ivory sat in silence alongside Mocha in the cave. The portal had closed, and they were alone. One changeling that was there for reasons unknown had left. The two friends simply sat in the cave, and stared at where the portal once was. Ivory turned to her friend.
"Mocha. I wish saying I am sorry could make up for what I did. Cody is gone, his world is doomed, and it is all my fault."
"Ivory, I-."
A flash of light, and Mocha disappeared into thin air. Ivory stood up and looked around. Did Cody do it somehow? As her vision turned white and she felt a floating sensation, the question was answered. When she felt like she was back on solid ground, she saw she was no longer in the cave. The land around her was unfamiliar. It did not look like anywhere in Equestria she was familiar with.
The grass under her hooves was unbelievably short. Was that Manehattan in the distance? There were strange objects lining an elevated road of some kind. The road came up to her neck. There were humans inside them. Everything felt so, small. The objects the humans were inside looked like the 'cars' she had heard about from other humans in her research.
Ivory was on Earth! Her mind was aflutter with a dozen ideas, but her thoughts were cut short. The road was swarmed with changelings, all trying to get into the cars. To her right, two of them were trying to get to one dark green car in particular. An adult male, an adult female, and a young boy. One changeling was laying down in front of the car, and the other stood above it. The one laying down was licking its lips.
"I want the small fry in the back. Bet he tastes better."
"You might as well eat 'em all. The last family wouldn't give up their kids either."
"Then let's scare 'em a bit before I eat."
Ivory watched in horror as the standing changeling raised his hoof, and pressed it down on the car. They were gonna crush those little humans! The glass windows of the car shattered under the weight of the hoof pressing down. She could hear them screaming!
"Leave those humans alone!"
Almost instinctively, the unicorn blasted the changeling that had his hoof pressed on the car. He fell off the road, and hit the ground with a light thud. The other changeling stood up to defend himself, but he was blasted as well. Both changelings ran off. Ivory walked up to see if the humans were okay, but they ran past her towards the city before she could.
Looking around, she saw numerous changelings chasing around humans. Farther down the road, Ivory saw a wandering Mocha. She ran over to her.
"Ivory! Where are we? There's humans everywhere!"
"Can you not recognize it? We are on Earth! The human world Mocha!" ---
The human world looked much larger through the enchanted mirror. It felt strange almost everything being smaller than her. Mocha looked over to Ivory, who was a bit excited. While the presence of changelings made for a tense situation, she couldn't deny the excitement. Both of them had an interest in the human world, and being here was a dream come true.
Their mesmerizing was cut short when they heard a loud boom. They both looked up, and saw a portal open in the air above them. They took a step back, and watched as three ponies came through. It was Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Twilight! They managed to land on top of each other. They quickly stood up, and looked over to Mocha and Ivory.
"Are you harmed Luna?"
"I am not dear sister."
"I trust you are not harmed Twilight?"
"No your highness. You and your sister made for a soft landing."
"Very well then. Now to figure out where we are. Mocha?"
"We are on Earth, the human world. Ivory told me shortly after she found me."
Princess Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but all five ponies were blinded by a flash of white light. They found themselves still on the ground. They were a bit separated now by the elevated road. Queen Chrysalis stood in the middle of them. The road had collapsed, not being able to hold her weight. The vial that held Cody was on the ground, and the inhibitor collar was as well. Her horn was glowing bright, but not as bright as earlier in the day. The humans she ate were wearing off. She was shaking, struggling to hold onto something with her magic. Above them was Cody, but something was much different.
His eyes were glowing! The spheres of light in his hands were normal for Cody, but the glowing eyes were new. Mocha could swear she heard screaming. It was like his voice was mixed with electricity. It sounded painful, and it was hard to watch. Ivory stepped towards Queen Chrysalis.
"Your highness, you must release Cody. He is trying to use his full power, and that is something no pony can contain. He-."
"I control Cody now. I do! His power is nothing compared to mine."
"You do not know what he is truly capable of. Nopony knows."
"I..vory."
Mocha looked up to see that Cody had his eyes locked onto Ivory. Queen Chrysalis tried to tighten the magical energy that contained him, but it was in vain. He vanished in a flash of white, and reappeared in front of Ivory on the ground. The glow in his eyes lessened. It was a brief moment of calm. Then Queen Chrysalis walked up behind him.
"Just because your friends are here, does not mean you may leave."
Cody didn't speak. He slowly turned around and looked up. The glow in his eyes had brightened again. He bared his teeth, and held a blank expression on his face. This was something Mocha had not seen before. Something in her little brother had broke. He wasn't himself.
"You belong to me human!"
Queen Chrysalis shot a beam of energy from her horn at Cody. In the blink of an eye, he opened a portal, and another one opened behind her head. She was struck by her own energy, and fell to the ground in front of him. All five ponies were frozen in shock. He just took down the queen by himself in one move. A feat no pony in history could ever claim. A small white disk lowered onto her horn, which made it disappear.
"Move an inch and no one will see you ever again." ---
Twilight was in shock. Cody. This sweet male human. Always smiling the few times they would see each other. Despite everything happening back home, he would always take things in stride. As he held a portal enveloping Queen Chrysalis' horn, it was clear something was different. Maybe being on his home planet changed the situation. Even Ivory, the one he was closest to, was at a loss for words. Twilight stepped closer to him.
"Cody. You removed her horn. She's not a threat to anypony now."
"She is a threat Twilight. A threat to every human here on Earth. A threat to every human on Equestria."
"If we imprison her-."
"Every pony is a threat Twilight!"
"What? No!"
Cody stared at her, fury in his glowing eyes. It was clear to Twilight. His full power had awakened before he was ready. He was not in control. He was running on instinct and subconscious thoughts. He needed to calm down before he did something drastic. Even with the knowledge of Ivory's notes, human anger of this level was still somewhat unpredictable. She let him continue, hoping that all this talking would help him calm down.
"With one step, a pony could crush any human! Even a foal could swallow a human with no effort! You really mean to tell me that my kind are safe in your world of giants?"
"We treat humans as equals now Cody."
"Because of me! Celestia wouldn't have lifted a hoof to help us if I never got my powers. If I never became a threat! Now I'll get rid of this threat, and all the others like her."
Cody raised his hand towards Queen Chrysalis, and a white sphere emanated from his hand. The queen's look of defiance was gone. All ponies knew Cody was serious. Right before the sphere left his hand, a metal clack was heard. Everypony looked towards Ivory, who had placed the inhibitor collar on Cody. The queen's horn came back, and the glow in his eyes was gone.
Ivory dropped to the ground as Cody turned around. He looked at his hands, shaking. He dropped to his knees, and she pushed her snout forward as he grabbed onto it. Twilight heard a faint sobbing.
"I'm sorry Ivory. I don't know what came over me."
"Your power tried to control you dear. I am sorry I had to use the collar."
"This is far from over!"
A furious Queen Chrysalis stood up. Before they could react, a strong blast of energy from the queen knocked all five ponies to the ground. They watched as Cody was rapidly levitated towards the queen's face.
"If I cannot have you, nopony can!"
Her jaw opened. The ponies stood up as Cody was forced inside the queen's mouth. Twilight saw her teeth slam shut with such force. She could hear his muffled screams through the queen's mouth.
"Ivory! Help me-." ---
Princess Celestia had seen humans devoured dozens of times by her subjects. It was disheartening, but it was something that happened. Even after her declaration of equality, she knew deep down it still happened. However, she had never felt so affected by it as she had right now. Queen Celestia was flying off to the city, with a powerless Cody in her stomach. The changelings were still loose on the innocent humans. If Cody wasn't saved from her stomach, they would all be trapped in the human world forever. She looked over to Ivory. She was inconsolable, despite Mocha's best efforts.
"I lost him! I lost him again! My fault! All my fault!"
"Ivory!"
It had been awhile since the princess had to raise her voice at somepony. It seemed to do the trick, since Ivory calmed down relatively. All the other ponies were looking at her. The humans on the road were still being attacked by changelings. They needed to save Cody. They needed a plan. She took a deep breath.
"Mocha, Ivory, and Twilight. I need you three to get the humans on this road away from the changelings. Get them to safety. Luna and I will go to the city and retrieve Cody from Queen Chrysalis. Time is of the essence!"
With a few strong flaps of their wings, Celestia and Luna were in the air. They looked ahead to see Queen Celestia had made it quite a fair distance into the city. She seemed to have made it to a large grassy clearing. Surrounded by trees and buildings, it made her stand out quite easily.
"Sister, what is our plan? We cannot simply attack her without risking harm to Cody."
"I know Luna."
"If we do not act however, we could lose him to digestion with her next spell."
"I know. Once we restrain her, we will have to figure out a solution as fast as we can." ---
It was warm, wet, and dark. This was the second stomach Cody had been inside. It was the first time he was calm inside one. He assumed it was the shock that was keeping him calm. He sat close to the hole he came in from, his back against the fleshy wall. A slight burning sensation filled his nostrils. There was no light, but it could be heard. The sloshing of stomach juices. A little bit of it splashed onto his legs, but it didn't burn horribly. It was more of a strong tingling sensation. It seemed giant pony stomachs couldn't immediately handle a human body. He knew it didn't mean he was safe. It only meant he had more time than a chewed up carrot would.
The metal collar wasn't a help either. Despite feeling it all over, Cody couldn't find a single part. It was smooth all over, despite being in two parts originally. He figured it was sealed with magic. That meant he needed help to get out.
"Two princesses chasing me down for one little human?"
Queen Chrysalis' voice echoed into the stomach. Cody could vaguely hear more voices. The others came to help!
"If he is gone, we will all be trapped here!"
"I fail to see the problem with that Celestia."
"This is their world Chrysalis, not ours!"
It was Princess Celestia and Princess Luna! They found him! Before he could shout for help, the floor of the stomach rose below him. The roof of the stomach quickly approached. It was within arm's reach for him.
"I think I can still feel him in there. If I do not use any spells, you might have a chance to save him." ---
Most people expect to be late to work from something like heavy traffic. Some are late to work from medical problems. A few are late from family emergencies. Kevin wasn't sure if being trapped in a dome by a thirty foot purple unicorn with wings while two other equally giant unicorns fought off other giant black horses counted as a reason to be late.
Within the dome was almost everyone off the highway. Every few minutes they would bring a few more people. It was nearly enough people to fill a lecture hall. Everyone huddled away from the giant purple unicorn. Everyone else in the dome didn't know which giant ponies to trust. Kevin was the only person in the dome that was close to the giant black pony queen. These colorful ponies wanted to help. The guy the queen had in her necklace was probably important to them. If all this was for one guy, he must've been real important. He took a few steps forward, away from the crowd, and towards the purple unicorn. There were some murmurs from the crowd. He was visibly nervous.
"H-Hello?"
The giant purple unicorn turned around, and looked straight at him. The crowd behind him backed up even more. A hole opened in the dome. The unicorn lowered her head, and it still hovered above them. Kevin's nervousness was turning to fear. She opened her mouth, and spoke in a soft, caring tone.
"I know you're all scared and confused. I promise, my friends and I are not here to hurt you. We're trying to stop these other ponies from conquering this world. Please trust-."
"Twilight look out!"
A blast of green energy struck the purple unicorn, and she fell to the ground with a shaking thud. She was knocked out. The dome disappeared. A black horse was fast approaching. With nowhere to run, everyone hid behind the purple unicorn. Kevin ran to the front of her head, hoping to wake her up. He looked at her flow of purple hair. He grabbed a tuft in his hands, and gave a strong yank. It seemed to have worked. The purple unicorn giantess lightly shook her head. As she quickly raised herself off the ground, Kevin was swept off his feet. As he was raised into the air, everything went purple. His foot was caught in her hair!
Kevin tried to call out, but her hair kept getting caught in his mouth before he could make a sound. He saw the large black horse that was approaching, run away. No one in the crowd of people looking up could see him. He saw the two other unicorns approach. One was a brownish pink, while the other was a dark turquoise.
"This is the last of the humans."
"Great Mocha. Now we need to get to the city. Hopefully Cody is safe by now. I'll fly ahead. You two take the humans."
As he felt the giant unicorn lift herself off the ground with her wings, Kevin hoped holding on to the hair would be safe. He gasped when he looked down. He wasn't a fan of heights.
"Hm?"
It was hard to describe the shock Kevin had when he started floating in the air. It was even weirder when he found himself in front of the purple unicorn's face.
"How did you get in my hair?"
"My um...foot got stuck."
"Terribly sorry. I'll let you down in the city when we get there."
At least his problem had a peaceful resolution. He just hoped his boss would understand why he was late. ---
Stressed wouldn't describe it. Ivory's feelings at the moment were much more than that. Mocha was back at the edge of the city, making sure the humans got to safety. This mare was trying to walk in the city without stepping on anything. The road was wide enough for her, but it was littered with cars. Most abandoned after she appeared. She would occasionally levitate a car or two for room to walk. She wanted to run to get to where the queen landed. Unfortunately, this human city was not built to handle a running pony. So she had to walk.
The princesses were in sight. There was a grassy clearing just ahead. She maneuvered her way there. Princesses Twilight, Luna, and Celestia were standing together across from Queen Chrysalis. The queen noticed her approaching, and gave a light chuckle. She rubbed her stomach with her right forehoof as Ivory stood by the princesses.
"Ivory. Here to see your boyfriend disappear?"
"Cody! If you can hear me, everything will be okay!"
"Oh my dear Ivory. You really need to stop keeping promises you cannot keep."
Princess Celestia stepped towards Queen Chrysalis, but stopped when her horn glowed. She stepped back with the others, and the glow subsided.
"Do not test me Celestia!"
"This is not our world. We never should have opened portals here."
"Well I...ugh."
Ivory watched in shock as the queen that held back four ponies by herself, was now struggling to stand up. Her legs were shaking. She took a few steps forward, but stumbled and fell with a hard thud. Queen Chrysalis was slumped on her side. A sickly green energy covered her body. The energy dissipated to reveal a very pale gray queen. Her tattered hair looked even worse. It took a moment to realize what was going on. Ivory called out to Princess Celestia.
"Your highness! Her human addiction! It's weakened her!"
"Then now may be our only chance!"
A beam of energy shot from Princess Celestia's horn. It slid into Queen Chrysalis' mouth. She didn't fight back or struggle. It seemed she was too weak. Ivory watched in quiet fear. Even Mocha was silent as she walked up beside her. A sound akin to suction was heard. A saliva drenched Cody appeared, levitated by the princess. Ivory and Mocha sprinted forward, a few trees shaking as they did.
"Cody!"
"Sweetheart!" ---
The split second after Princess Celestia removed the collar, Cody found himself mashed between the cheeks of two ecstatic ponies. Ivory and Mocha would not stop rubbing their faces all over him. Joyful couldn't describe it.
"My love you are never leaving our side again!"
"You're never leaving the house!"
Cody found himself being levitated and kissed all over his face by Ivory. He went from being coated in saliva, to having lip marks all over his upper torso and face. He was sure it looked weird to the few people around. As he was placed on her back, the reunion was cut short.
"I...can...still..."
A worse for wear Queen Chrysalis desperately tried to stand. She was now a pale gray, and looked like some of the addicted ponies he saw once in the castle. A green glow emanated from her horn, but it dissipated when a clack of metal was heard. The very collar that restrained his powers, now restricted that of the evil queen. Princess Celestia steeped between the queen and the others.
"It is over Queen Chrysalis. We will make a portal to our home, and you will face charges for your crimes against humans."
"Never...Never!"
To all their shock, Queen Chrysalis reared back, and slammed her front hooves to the ground with a loud boom. There was a strange silence. Then it could be heard faintly. The flapping from dozens of wings. They all looked up to see an army of changelings coming down from the sky. The queen cackled with an exasperated breath.
"Destroy him!"
Cody saw Mocha move closer to Ivory's side. He looked around. Five ponies, three of which were princesses, came to another world. They did it to save him. He felt it was time to return the favor. He looked up at his girlfriend's horn. He had a plan. It was a long shot though.
"Ivory. When I tell you, location spell on the cave we were in earlier."
"What?"
"Trust me!"
A deep breath. Another. Focus. He couldn't let his emotions cloud his judgement anymore. Cody felt the warmth of his power come to his hands. He could see the white energy come to the edges of his sight. As the changelings came closer by the second, he knew he had one shot. The open palms of his hands were pointed to Ivory's horn. Two sphere of white, one target.
"Now!"
The two white spheres left his hands as a turquoise energy appeared around Ivory's horn. When they struck her horn, it turned into a glowing white. The energy blasted upward, and expanded. Before they could stop themselves, the changelings all funneled into the portal. The few who tried to fly away were shot into the portal by the princesses. It was over in seconds Cody's arms dropped to his sides.
"Well, that's the hard part done." ---
Mocha still felt a little bad, leaving the human world so abruptly yesterday. Princess Celestia did say she and her sister would come back on more diplomatic terms after they took care of the queen. Though it would be nice to go back soon. Ivory mentioned wanting to go back to the city they were at. One couldn't deny how fun it was to be in the human world. Maybe one day.
The shop was closed for the day. There were no pickups today either. Ivory and Mocha were laid on the bed. They were watching Cody move his stuff around his new trailer. Yesterday was nothing but the trial for Queen Chrysalis, so he was doing it today. They both insisted on helping, but he refused.
"I can handle moving this stuff. You two have helped me plenty."
Mocha was about to protest, when there was a knock at the door downstairs. There was a muffled shout of it being the castle guard. Mocha and Ivory got off the bed, with Cody teleporting onto his girlfriend. They went downstairs, and opened the door. It was two stallion unicorns, donning the usual armor of the castle guard. The one on the right opened a scroll.
"Cody, you have been summoned to castle. We have numerous humans requesting to return to Earth. You have also been asked to help bring the remaining humans to the new human village."
Mocha looked over to see Ivory giving Cody a kiss. It never got old to see.
"I will see you at the village dear."
"Can't wait."
Cody teleported onto the back of one of the guards. He held out his hand, and a ball of energy shot out behind them. Mocha blasted it with a location spell, setting the portal for the castle. The three were quickly gone, and the portal dissipated.
"Ivory, could I join you at the human village?"
"Of course!" ---
It was nice. The humans that wanted to go home were gone. There were still a decent amount that wanted to stay. They all had a consensus of wanting to start new lives. The others didn't know much about Cody and his powers, except for what little they heard in passing from guards. So it was a bit weird for them when he opened a portal. Princess Celestia had the portal set for the village.
After the last human walked through to the village, Cody closed the portal. His arms fell to his sides. He was exhausted. Princess Celestia smiled as she looked down at him.
"Thank you for your assistance. This was much faster than our original plan."
"Always glad to help."
"Since you are much too exhausted to make another portal, would you like to fly with me to the commencement celebration of the new human village?"
"I would love to, but I would like to take another look at the scroll if you have it."
"Cody. You have looked over that scroll two times. My experts have gone over it almost a hundred times. We do not know if the scroll will ever tell you about your powers. Since you insist however..."
In a flash of light, Princess Celestia produced a torn, frayed sheet of extremely yellowed paper. She held it in front of him, letting it levitate just off the ground. Cody stared at it for a moment.
"We have done everything short of striking it with your magic."
"If this doesn't work, I'm out of ideas."
Though being a bit exhausted, Cody struck the scroll with a small sphere of his power. The text lit up. ---
A small creature will have great power
He will find love in a dark hour
His weakness, his greatest strength
To save his kind, shall go any length
From royalty, he must be protected
He will be saved by those he affected
Cody.
You're not alone.
Find us. |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | pre | I initiate the program and it takes over my body momentarily. Two shots goes off at the leader, one of them hits him in the eye and he jerks quickly, throwing off the second shot which hits his rifle sending it flying from his muzzle.
The next two shots hit the other stallion in the head one after the other. Punching two holes through his skull. As time quickly catches up he falls to the ground limply and the leader is grabbing his eye in agony. I turn as fast as I can towards the other two, barely dodging the board one swings at me.
Once I'm facing them, I pull up SATS again. I attempt to que up shots on them like before, however it won't let me. "CORA, what's going on? Why can't I shoot at them?" I ask her with both confusion and worry in my voice.
"You used up all your Action Points. See the meter in the bottom right? That shows how many points an action will cost. It seems you can only shoot your pistol four times before it runs out. They will regenerate over time, however. But until then, you're on your own," she informs me, a hint of worry in her voice.
With that option gone, I take a moment to evaluate the situation. One is dead, their leader is incapacitated atm, and two remain. One has just swung at me and will take a few moments to recover, and the other one has gone wide eyed at his dead companion. I decide my next course of action will be to run at him.
Canceling SATS, I push my hooves off the ground and charge at my target, tackling him to the ground. However, his wooden plank's nails scrape across my sides, cutting me and catching me off guard. He flails around for a moment before swinging the plank at me and batting me off of him, sending me sprawling to the ground.
I regain my senses just as his friend swings his plank for my head. I quickly roll to the side and scramble to my hooves as the first one does the same. I quickly shoot off three shots towards him, catching him in the leg and chest and sending him back to the ground. I can tell he is still alive however.
Wasting no time, his friend swings for me again, but I can't dodge this time and he hits me in the side, stabbing the nails into me. I let out a scream as I tense up into SATS again. As I do so, the pain fades away a bit. "Ratchet! Are you OK!?" CORA shouts out as soon as I enter it.
"It's not too bad, better than a gunshot, I think. Though, I wouldn't know how that feels either. I've certainly never fought anypony before..." I respond, flinching slightly at the pain. I look at my Action Points and see they have recovered slightly. I try to que up a shot on my attacker again, succeeding this time. However, I only manage to que up one.
I confirm and close SATS, sending the bullet at his head. It catches him in the jaw as he finishes his swing into me, ripping his jaw completely off and leaving the wooden plank hanging in my side. He stumbles back wide eyed as I use my magic and tear the plank from my side and follow through with the force of it, smacking him in the head with it before it falls from my magic.
After ripping it from my side, I suddenly feel the full pain of it and fall to my knees, slipping into SATS once more. Time slows to a crawl as I feel the pain slowly subsides temporarily. Wincing slightly, I look around at what's going on with my opponents.
The stallion I just shot and hit is lying on the ground barely moving. The other melee fighter is trying to stop his bleeding. One is dead, and finally their leader is...missing? I don't see him in my scope of vision and he isn't where I shot him at. Panic wells up in me as I decide to deactivate SATS and look around.
As soon as I do the pain returns, accompanied by a loud shout, "YOU BITCH!" I am then tackled to the ground, my bags and gun sent flying. On top me of is the leader of the group, blood streaming from his right eye and a hole on the right side of his head. It then dawns upon me that I must have just hit his eye and passed the bullet through the side of his head instead of delivering a defeating blow.
He quickly starts to pound away at my head with his hooves. "I don't know how you did this, you witch, but you'll pay for it. You shoot me, destroy my favorite rifle, kill my best friend, and injure two of my underlings? Oh, you will know pain now. I'm going to keep you alive and play with you until you're begging for death!" He shouts at me while pinning my hooves down.
His blood begins to drip down onto my face as he leans over me. I look at him in fear as I try desperately to use my magic to grab something, anything from my bags. I find something and quickly pull it out and point it at him. But he sees it coming and starts laughing.
"What are you going to do with that pen? Write me a letter?" He mocks me. Too late do I notice I have the pen from my bags instead of something I could use to actually fight him off with. I look up at him defiantly for a moment and I thought strikes me.
I don't know what made me think of this but I suddenly remember a quote, "W-Well, you know what they say," I choke out, a small grin spreading on my muzzle, "The pen is mightier than the sword."
He looks at me with a stoic expression on his face before bursting into laughter. "You know what? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. No simple pen is going to-" However, before he can finish there is suddenly a loud gunshot. I hear the sound of impact and the thump of a body in the direction of one of the stallion's companions.
Immediately after another gunshot and another impact sounds from the other gangster I had injured. "What in the fuck?" The stallion holding me down exclaims as he looks around. "You had friends?" He seems to notice something in the distance as his eyes grow wide as he says, "Oh shit, those are-" but can't finish his sentence as a bullet finds it way through his skull.
He falls on top of me, but my vision has started to darken as the blood loss and strikes to my head catch up to me. I try to push him off me and see who killed him, but I can't find the strength to do so. As my vision grows darker I can barely hear CORA calling out my name.
"Ratchet! Ratchet!"
===~+~===
Level Up! (Level 2)
+10 Small Guns
+8 Lockpicking
New Perk:
Swift Learner: +10% XP whenever XP is earned. |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 4: Steel | Chapter 4: Steel
"In the fires of Tartarus, the flesh of the weak becomes steel."
===~+~===
The first thing that I am aware of is the bumpiness of what i'm laying on. The next thing is the clopping of hooves against dirt. I soon realize that I'm moving and not actually laying on something bumpy, but rather on the back of a moving pony. A hard pony, at that.
I lift up my head and see the telltale armor of the Steel Rangers on a few ponies in my sight. As I look at the pony carrying me, I notice that they are also wearing it. "Um, uh, hey?" I stammer out in shock and disbelief. They all stop moving and look at me, including the one carrying me. "Would you mind, putting me down?" I ask tentatively.
"Of course miss," the buck carrying me says as he lets me off his back. "Can you walk on your own?" He asks as I wobble a bit after getting down. I quickly notice my sides and face have been bandaged up and that I'm wearing my saddle bags. They must have collected them and picked up my things.
"Yea, I'm just a bit," I pause for a moment, "confused?" I make a guess at what i'm feeling. "You're all Steel Rangers, right?" I ask, a bit a hope rising up inside me. There are four of them in total, all armed properly and clad in ranger armor.
"Indeed," the earth pony buck who carried me answers. "We were running a scouting expedition when we saw you in trouble. Or, more precisely our sniper here, Arrow, saw you." One of them with a mounted sniper waves at me slightly. Judging by the armor, she was a unicorn mare. "She doesn't talk much, don't mind her. Anyway, she saw you fighting off those raiders, did fairly well for yourself till the end, or so she says."
"Anyway, we should keep moving. There is only a few hours left of light and we need to make it back to base before nightfall. You're welcome to come with us, if you have no other obligations," he offers.
"Of course!" I reply right away. "My name is Ratchet, by the way," I inform them, "it is nice to meet you all. You have no idea how much I wanted to find you. Well, not you exactly, but the rangers in general." I realize that i've gotten really excited, like when one meets a celebrity. The four of them begin to laugh, causing me blush.
"We know, Ratchet. Your friend informed us all about you. CORA, I think her name was. Says you created her and what not. She filled us in on what you've been through lately. Though, she didn't say much about where you came from," the buck who carried me informs me. "By the way, since we'll be traveling together, I'm Crusader Iron, leader of Lynx Squad, and these are my Knights."
The mare known as Arrow waves at me again while the other two step closer. "I'm Thunder," the earth pony stallion on the right says and then gestures towards the ranger next to him, "and this is my twin brother Lightning. Before you ask, its because we have a lightning bolt pattern in our fur." Iron lets out a chuckle.
"Thunder, you know no one ever asks. I don't know why you always say that," Iron says shaking his head while smirking slightly. "But that aside, let's get moving. We've got ground to cover." Saying that Iron begins to walk away as the others follow suit.
I'm left standing there thinking for a moment before CORA speaks up, "Ratchet, let's get going! We don't want to be left behind." I clear my thoughts as I trot to catch up to them.
"By the way," I ask as we walk, "Where are we now? How long was I out?" It looks like it is slightly darker out and I don't really recognize this area. Although, granted that I'm used to lush green fields and hills it isn't all that surprising.
"We just passed through the mountains west of Canterlot and are now in the Unicorn Range. You were out for a few hours. And to answer your next inevitable question, our base is roughly halfway between Canterlot and the Cloudsdale ruins," Iron answers me.
"I see. Oh! Where are my manners, I was so caught up in everything, I forgot to thank you all for helping me. Thank you, I don't know what would have happened if you all didn't show up," I thank them.
This rouses some light chuckles from Thunder and Lightning as Iron waves my apology away, "Don't mention it Ratchet. It is our duty as Steel Rangers to protect the citizens of Equestria. Even if it seems like the world has changed, we are still in Equestria."
I nod at his words. He's right, this is still Equestria no matter how it looks now. Those gangsters were probably even once citizens. Thinking this, another question rises into my mind. "By the way," I ask, "Were you all around before the Megaspells fell or were you born after?"
Answering for everyone again Iron replies, "Arrow, Thunder, and Lightning were all born about 10 years after. I, however, was around twenty at the time. I was just an Initiate at the time. Things have changed, but us Steel Rangers have to stay strong. After surviving the fires of Tartarus, we've been prepared for this world."
His words hold a hint of sadness in them. Memories of the old world, I'm sure. I contemplate telling him I'm from the past as well, but CORA didn't when I was unconscious and that fact holds me back. My research was a secret, after all. But does that really matter now that the Megaspells already fell?
I decide to just keep it to myself for now and pass the time with small talk. Asking more questions about the wasteland, I determine that Bottle Caps are the new form of currency and that quite a few new settlements have sprung up. Mostly around scavengable places. I learn that most of the larger cities are completely destroyed, but most of the radiation has returned to safe levels recently.
One of the most interesting things I discover is a large settlement has been created inside the Statue of Friendship that they call Friendship City. While it is far from perfect at the moment, it is a bastion for some to rest their hooves while traveling. It has been constructed using scrap materials from the ruins of Manehatten.
The more I talk with the rangers, the more I can feel my hope returning. And after little over two hours, and after crossing the tracks that run west from Canterlot, the sun has begun to set and we arrive at the Steel Rangers' base. However, I must say I'm surprised by what I see. It is a small two story farmhouse.
I want to ask them if this is really their base, but I also don't want to offend them, so I just follow as they lead me around the back of it and into the cellar. The cellar is a bit more what I expected, as piles of sandbags make barriers which two more Steel Rangers stand behind with their weapons focused on us.
"Remove your helmets. State your names and ranks," One of them says in a flat tone. Behind them is a steel door with the Steel Ranger emblem painted on it. There also appears to be a camera just above the door and an intercom to the left of it.
The rangers I came in with slowly remove their helmets and state their names and ranks. "Crusader Iron, returning from a scouting mission. We've brought a survivor called Ratchet as well for debriefing," Iron says. I now see that he has a brown coat with a gray mane and blue eyes.
"Knight Arrow," Arrow says in an adorable, yet cold voice. I notice she has cream colored coat, a brown mane that is short like mine, and blue eyes. Her appearance matches her voice, cute but expressionless.
"Knight Thunder, and this here's-" Thunder begins, but is cut off by his brother. Thunder has a dark blue coat, a buzzed blonde mane, and golden eyes.
"Knight Lightning," Lightning says, shaking his head at his brother's effort to try and talk for him. Similar to his brother, Lightning has a dark blue coat, golden eyes, and has a short, well kept blonde mane.
The two guards lower their weapons and the one who spoke says, "Welcome home. Report to Elder Archimedes for your debriefing." Putting their helmets back on, Iron and his group start walking towards the door as the guard on the left hoofs the intercom and says, "Five coming in." A moment later the door suddenly opens and the five of us pass through into a surprisingly bright hallway.
The hallway is almost like the halls of my lab, before the Megaspells, that is. It looks like it gets cleaned often. As I look past the rangers, I see that the hallway turns to the right at the end, and in the corner, hanging from the ceiling, is a turret. It follows us as we approach and turn the corner.
However, after turning in the hallway, I no longer care about it's strange cleanness or am curious why the rangers chose this place as their base. At the end of this hallway is larger room with two more turrets on the ceiling and between them in the back wall is a large gear shaped door with the number 36 on it.
Upon approaching it, the loud scraping of steel began and the door opens. I stand there staring like a foal for a few moments before Iron chuckles and says, "Welcome to Stable 36, our home." With that he, and the others, walk inside of the Stable.
Standing there in shock, CORA once again snaps me out of my daze, "Ratchet! Go in!" Shaking my head to regain my senses, I follow them into the Stable.
As each of them enter a computerized voice welcomes them back, "Welcome, Crusader Iron. Welcome, Knight Arrow. Welcome, Knight Thunder. Welcome, Knight Lightning." I hesitate as I approach the threshold of the doorway, thinking that it can somehow analyze DNA or something. However, I finally enter and the voice says nothing as I do so.
"Don't worry, it just uses recognition software and the Steel Ranger personnel database to identify those who enter. It won't have any information on you, Ratchet," Iron says with a slight smirk on his muzzle. "You don't have to-" but he is cut off as the computerized voice speaks up suddenly.
"Welcome, Scribe Crusader Ratchet," it says. The four Steel Rangers around me all turn to look at me with...well with their helmets on, let's go with surprise since that is also the emotion I'm feeling right now.
"CORA, what in tartarus was that? Do you know anything about this? Why did it call me Scribe Crusader Ratchet?" I ask her in shock as her face seems to be unsurprised by this event at all. In fact, she appears to be laughing quite a bit.
"Surprise!" She says to my questions. "You were bestowed this rank by Miss Applejack herself while you were...sleeping," she tells everyone. "You know how you were always tinkering with the Steel Ranger armor and helping them with their maintenance? Well, they apparently told her and she was quite impressed with the tweaks you made to them. So, she decided to make you an honorary member of the Steel Rangers."
After a moment of silence from both the Rangers and myself I shout at her, "Really? Why didn't you tell me sooner? Geez. Is there anything else that happened while I was asleep? Did I become a princess too?" I ask her sarcastically.
She puts on a straight face and says, "That would ruin the surprises. I think it would be more fun to inform you of things when you need to know them. Besides, this is a nice surprise after wandering through the wasteland, right?" She asks me.
I shake my head. "I don't know. I've never even heard of the rank Scribe Crusader before. What am I supposed to do now? Am I a member of the Steel Rangers or am I a scientist?" I begin getting anxious and start prancing around on my hooves.
Iron clears his throat and says, "Why don't we go talk with Elder Archimedes? We have to get debriefed anyway, might as well determine what your rank is exactly. Follow us." He motions for me to follow him as he turns and begins walking away. The others keep looking at me for a moment before following after Iron.
I hesitate, but follow along. Not wanting to get into any trouble after having finally found the Steel Rangers. I follow them through the entryway of the Stable and the door closes behind us shortly after we move away from it.
We pass through a few hallways with large windows in them and I can see some of the rooms. There is an extremely large room that appears to have a track inside it. Some Rangers are running around it both with and without armor. The room across from it is another large room filled with weights and exercise equipment.
We continue through a few more hallways and I begin to hear gunfire. We soon pass through another hallway and I see the source of the gunfire. An enormous two story target range is filled with ponies shooting various weapons at targets. Across the hall there are various ponies in another room fighting each other with their bare hooves or using melee weapons like knives.
"Our training facilities are fairly top notch," Iron says suddenly. "Each ranger undergoes monthly fitness and combat tests to ensure their combat readiness. Those who fail are punished with grueling fitness and combat schedules until they can pass the tests," he explains as we continue walking.
As we continue, we pass medical areas, barracks, and finally arrive in a large circular room with various large screens on the walls. One unicorn buck is sitting on a raised platform in the middle surrounded by a circular desk with a terminal on it. Around the room, in front of the large screens and set into the floor are similar desks with ponies working at them.
"Welcome to the command center," Iron says as we approach the center. "Elder Archimedes, Crusader Iron here for debriefing," he addresses the pony in the center. The pony, cloaked in a dark blue robe looks up from the terminal and smiles. He is an older buck, probably in his sixties, with a gray coat and a white mane and beard.
"Ah, Iron, how's my favorite scout and his team doing?" Elder Archimedes says with a playful tone. His tone surprises me since I felt most elders were usually serious and uptight. But this one seems, a bit lax.
"Really sir, you've been at this for thirty years and you are still way too relaxed about it," Iron replies back to him. "The Ponyville area is still crawling with raiders, the ones that call themselves the Track Gang. We engaged with four of them today, killing them all after they refused to surrender or acted threateningly. This mare, Ratchet, killed a fifth before we rescued her from the rest of her attackers, bringing their casualties to eight."
He pauses for a moment as Elder Archimedes pouts, but nods for him to continue. "We brought her along for debriefing and to question her about anything she might have discovered about them. Our scouting yielding no other significant details about their numbers or defences," Iron finishes up.
The elder nods again before he says, "Good work as always. So then, Miss Ratchet, is it? Did you learn anything about their defences or numbers?" He addresses me, causing me to freeze up for a moment before responding.
"Nothing that would be too important," I say, but think for a moment and continue, "However, judging by the fact only two of the ones I encountered were armed with guns while the other two had planks of wood, I would guess that they aren't very well equipped. They also captured a mare while I was there. I...I couldn't help her though," I trail off with guilt in my voice.
"Well of course not," The elder says abruptly. "You are just one mare against...four of them, i'm assuming?" I look at him with surprise. How did he know there were four of them? "Don't look so surprised. We've been scouting them frequently and they always seem to travel in groups of four. And it is as you said, they appear to be poorly equipped. Anything we have scavenged from them has been in poor condition."
"Well then, assuming there is nothing else, you can send her on her way after she rests up for the night. Give her some food and tend to any wounds she has as well," Elder Archimedes says dismissively. However Iron speaks up before the elder goes back to his original task.
"There is another matter that requires your attention. Upon entering the base, the automated greeting recognized Ratchet. It identified her as Scribe Crusader Ratchet. According to Ratchet's AI companion, this rank was granted to her by Miss Applejack herself," Iron explains.
The elder seems to perk up at this news and addresses me, "Is this true Miss Ratchet? Miss Applejack herself? You do not look over thirty, so you must have encountered her recently, correct? Does she still live? Where is she? We must return to her side immediately." Elder Archimedes' relaxed tone changes into a serious one. Even Iron appears to be confused by this sudden change.
I hesitate before answering his questions, thinking of what exactly to say. "I never actually met her. However I heard that she was in Stable 2, and went there to find her and other Steel Rangers. But when I got there, they refused to open the door and said she had died," I say apologetically.
The elder's face twists into an odd expression as he says, "That's it then. We are the last functioning Steel Rangers in the wasteland. Without her authority, we can't rally the others. To think that our group would be the only rangers capable of helping Equestria."
Confusion rises up in me as i'm forced to ask, "What do you mean the last? Surely there are others in other Stables or elsewhere in the wasteland?" He couldn't mean that they were literally the last ones left, could he? "How many of there are you here anyway?" I ask.
His voice turns grave as he replies, "We number around sixty. Twelve are children and fifteen are scribes who are poor at combat. Our current fighting strength is thirty-three. However, I rarely venture out anymore, as my leadership is needed here. We barely have a full platoon, so our offensive capabilities are limited since we must defend our home as well."
He then shakes his head and puts on a sour expression. "As for the other rangers," he pauses for a moment, "There are other contingents. However the most of them have kept themselves sealed in their Stables and apparently aren't going to open up any time soon. There are a few that exist in the wasteland, however they can barely be called Steel Rangers."
I'm about to ask what he means but he elaborates before I can. "Apparently they have tossed aside the oaths of the Steel Rangers and attack anyone who possesses technology. Even civilians. We have never made contact with them, but travelers have told us tales of being attacked unprovoked."
I think on his words for a moment before asking, "Couldn't you go to the other Stables, open them up and regroup with the others?" They could also open Stable 2 and see if a new Ministry Mare for the Ministry of Wartime Technology has been decided. However he shakes his head.
"We received orders that we are not to open any Stables. Only the inhabitants can do that," he explains. "Unlike our twisted clones on the surface, we follow our orders and oaths. And if Stable 2 refused to open its doors to you, we cannot make them."
"But that doesn't make any sense!" I yell at him. "What if they need help, or something bad happened inside of them?" I ask as anger wells up inside of me. I can understand following orders, but the surface is safe now, to an extent. If all the Steel Rangers worked together, they could remake Equestria what it once was.
Elder Archimedes lets out a sigh before addressing Iron, "Iron, you and your squad can go. I'll speak to miss Ratchet in private. Ratchet, follow me to my private quarters." He then looks towards one of the others in the room and says, "Bishop, you're in charge while i'm gone." He then starts walking towards a door opposite the one we came in.
Iron and the others head back the way we came. Arrow waves to me as she walks by and the twins give me a nod. Iron tells me something as he walks away, "I'll see you when you're done." I hesitate but quickly follow the elder.
He leads me through a few hallways and soon enters through a door labeled as Elder's Quarters. As we enter, I see the room is similar in style to the rest of the Stable. It has a desk with a terminal on it against one wall and a coffee table sits between two couches in the middle of the room.
Various shelves filled with books and equipment line the walls and an open door seemingly leads to a bedroom. Elder Archimedes sits on one of the couches and gestures for me to sit across from him. I do so and welcome the softness of the couch compared to the dirt I've been sleeping on. As I get comfortable, the elder begins to speak.
"I hope you are comfortable, because this might take some time to explain. About this Stable and about you. Since you previously asked why we wouldn't open Stables, I'll start with our history. It begins before the Megaspells fell," he begins.
"There are twenty-six of us in Stable 36, including Iron and myself, who were Initiates in the Steel Rangers. We came from different locations and backgrounds, both mares and stallions, earth ponies and unicorns, future Scribes and future Knights. A random assortment of Initiates who knew absolutely nothing about each other, let alone what it meant to be a Steel Ranger. We were all around twenty years old, I was one of the oldest at twenty-five," he explains.
"The twenty-six of us were gathered here shortly before the Megaspells fell and we were sealed inside this Stable. We were told nothing and no leadership or guidance was given to us. A few hours after we entered a pre-recorded message was played over the system. Here, i will play it for you," he says as he gets up.
He walks from the couch to the terminal and presses a few buttons on it with his magic before he returns to the couch and a voice starts to play.
===~+~===
Attention Steel Ranger Initiates of Stable 36. You have been selected as part of a Stable-Tec experiment. You are all Initiates of equal standing within the Steel Rangers. Some of you were training to be Scribes and some of you Knights. However, starting today you will begin determining which of you will be a Steel Ranger Elder.
Around this Elder a command structure must be erected like any normal Steel Ranger chapter. You may use any means necessary to decide which among you will be Elder. You may determine your Elder using democracy, tests, combat, or any other methods. While in this Stable, you will not be held responsible for any actions you commit.
Once an Elder has been determined, they can enter the Elder's Chambers and register their DNA with the system. This system will monitor your vitals. In the event of an Elder's death, a new one must be selected. This Stable will remain locked until a single Elder remains in their position for thirty years.
Additionally, various hidden parameters have been put in place to ensure the system is not cheated. The only rule is that the Elder must be alive and have free will for thirty years. Good luck, and enjoy your new top of the line Stable by Stable-Tec! Message will repeat.
===~+~===
Elder Archimedes switches the recording off before it plays again. "As you can see, we were pit against each other. However, while the others were arguing amongst themselves for the first few weeks, I explored the facility and began maintaining it. I honestly had no interest in becoming the Elder back then," he tells me.
"As time continued, I began to get recognized around the Stable as the one who wasn't fighting to be Elder and was instead maintaining our weapons, armor, and facilities. They would let me work around them instead of treating me with suspicion. Up to this point, we had managed to stay relatively civilized and avoided throwing any punches," his tone gets bitter.
"About two months had passed and I had begun to pass the time when I wasn't cleaning or maintaining the facility by reading the Steel Ranger Charter that details all of our rules and regulations. However the others continued to bicker among themselves. Some were getting especially heated in their arguments," he explains as his face twists into a look of disgust.
"Shortly after, while I was cleaning in the armory, I heard a few gunshots and some screams. Almost without thinking I put on a suit of our armor the way our books instructed and grabbed a rifle, loading it before heading to the source of the gunshots," at this moment, his face has a look of sorrow on it.
"When I arrived in the mess hall, I saw every other Initiate gathered near the middle. Somepony was shouting threats as the others looked on, but I couldn't see who it was past the crowd. I began walking towards them, as I neared a few towards the back of the crowd turned and saw me," he shakes his head.
"It was like one of those moments you hear about. The crowd slowly parted to let me through and into the center. Some gasped, others simply stood aside. When I reached the center, I saw one of us standing over the bodies of two more, a snarl on his muzzle. I looked at my dead comrades and back at the one with the gun," Elder Archimedes let out a sigh.
"I asked him if he killed them, and he said that he did. He then demanded my loyalty and that he be made Elder. Instead, I repeated the words in our charter regarding the killing of fellow Steel Rangers. If any shall kill a comrade, the punishment is execution," he pauses for a moment before continuing.
"I raised my rifle and shot him in the head. There was no hesitation in my actions, it was as though I was on autopilot. I turned around from his body and walked through the crowd. Before leaving the mess hall I gave my first command. Incinerate the two he killed, and leave his body to rot somewhere," he shakes his head.
"I don't know why, but a few days later they elected me Elder unanimously. I don't know if it was because of the brutal display I put on, my knowledge of our charter, or the fact I saved them. However, I was granted full access to the Elder's Chambers on that day," his expression softens a bit.
"From that day everyone grew closer, however. There was no more bickering and everyone began working together. Some even formed romantic relationships. We began training in and learning the ways of the Steel Rangers. In my spare time, I read the logs on the Elder's terminal. Stable-Tec had included information for after an Elder had been elected," he gestures towards the terminal on the desk.
"It had a roster of everyone in the Stable, as well as information regarding Steel Ranger tactics and how Elders normally operated things. It was like an Elder training manual. It also had a countdown that started from thirty years for when the Stable would unlock," the elder shrugs.
"Things went on for thirty years peacefully. When the time ran out, a single word was played over the PA system: Congratulations. Some sounds like confetti and firecrackers went off as it said this. Then, a single command appeared on my terminal: Allow Stable entry/exit."
"However, a few other documents appeared on my terminal. The first was a command to never open another Stable. The other documents that appeared were the rosters of the other Steel Ranger chapters and the statuses of their facilities," the elder let out another sigh.
"As I said previously, most have the status of Lockdown. I don't know their locations anyway. However, I told you this story to explain why we will not open the Stables and disregard that order. Our Stable experienced what it is like to have no orders, to have no one in charge. Once I become Elder, we decided to follow our leaders and our orders, regardless of our feelings of them. We do not want to repeat the chaos we once lived in," Elder Archimedes explains.
After having listened to his story, I can sort of understand his thoughts. I don't necessarily agree with them, but I can understand. However, if these are the only Steel Rangers I can meet who won't kill me outright, I have no choice but to seek their help. "Thank you for telling me," I say to him.
"Not at all. Remembering our history helps us to keep from repeating it," he says. "Without keeping to our oaths we are nothing more than the raiders we try to wipe out. However, enough about us for now. I'm sure you are curious about your rank and what happens next."
I nod while saying, "Yes Elder. I had no idea until today that I was given an honorary rank in the Steel Rangers. But, now that I know about it, I'm not sure what I should do, or have to do."
Elder Archimedes gets up from the couch again and goes to his terminal, sitting in the chair at the desk. "In the command center, I searched for your name after hearing this news. Our database has access to every Steel Ranger rosters. If you are a member, it would have you listed, and I did in fact find you listed. However, I didn't have the time to look at it there in too much depth," he says as he types in some commands to the terminal.
I get up from the couch and go stand beside him so I can see the terminal screen. "So I am actually a member? Does it give any more details?" I ask, suddenly filled with curiosity.
After punching in a few more commands, the Elder brings up an information screen that has my picture in the upper right of it. "Here is your dossier. It will have all the information regarding your current status. Let's take a look, shall we?" He looks at me as if asking permission and I give him a nod.
"Let's see. It says here that you are...sixty-two years old?" He says as his eyes go wide and he turns to look at me. "You don't look a day over thirty. Interesting. Well, you can explain that later. Let's keep reading."
We both look at the screen and read the information that has been collected about me. It has some slight background information, where I was born, the schools I attended, and when I began to work for the Ministry of Magic. It also starts to talk about my time working for the Ministry of Magic, however most of the information has been censored out with a message saying, "Ministry Mare Access Only" in various places.
Some of the last information is related to the Steel Rangers. It mentions the fact that I would work on the armor that belonged to the rangers assigned to me and that quite a few of the upgrades were interesting. It mentioned a few of them and also that the rangers' assigned to me recommended me for honorary status.
The last bit of information is in regards to my specific function within the Steel Rangers and is as follows, "The mare known as Ratchet is to be given the special rank of Scribe Crusader, coming with the combined privileges of both Scribes and Crusaders, including the ability to lead a squad of up to eight Knights."
It goes on to say, "In addition, Scribe Crusader Ratchet is granted the ability to work autonomously and is not bound to any specific Steel Ranger contingent. With the exception that an Elder must first approve her command of any rangers assigned to her as well as equipment acquisition. As such, she has the same freedom of a Star Paladin, however none of the authority or access privileges."
Elder Archimedes puts a hoof to his chin, scratching his beard. "Interesting," he says. "A special rank combining the privileges of two. Unoriginal name, just combining them together, but if Miss Applejack came up with it..." he trails off for a moment.
"Very well," he says suddenly. "As it says, you are free to do as you want. I'll grant you access to any equipment you want, assuming you can buy or trade for it. However, I suppose I should give you some basic gear to help you survive free of charge..." he trails off again as he scratches his beard.
I interject abruptly, "I couldn't sir! I'll buy or trade for anything I need. Given the state of the wasteland, i'm assuming there is no way to create new equipment, right? I would feel bad taking them for free." A thought strikes me suddenly. "Actually, instead of giving me equipment, would you mind letting me stay here for a while and train with it? If today was an indication, I need more training with weapons."
Elder Archimedes takes his hoof from his chin and says, "If you're certain you don't want anything and would rather train, I won't be opposed to that. In fact, I can have Iron and his squad help you with your training. He can also teach you how to command those under you, should you ever want to command a squad."
I nod. "That would be great. I would also like to help you fight the Track Gang in Ponyville. That mare they captured...I want to save her," I explain to him. "I'll also work while i'm here to earn my keep. I can maintain your armor and weapons, clean, or anything else you need done."
The Elder waves his hoof. "I appreciate your enthusiasm and your determination to save that mare. You certainly are a good fit for the Steel Rangers," he lets out a chuckle. However his expression quickly turns serious. "I have just met you today. I cannot say if I completely trust you yet, but time will tell. Stable 36 is fitted with security cameras covering most of the public space. Know that we will be watching you."
I nod, acknowledging his concern. "I don't mean for this to come off as rude, but for the same reason I can't yet tell you why I look so young. I hope that we can earn each other's trust and in time I can tell you."
Elder Archimedes narrows his eyes for a moment before a smile appears on his muzzle. "I'm glad we have an understanding. I shall make the necessary arrangements for you to live here for a while. You should go find Iron, he will show you around. Despite his rank, he is one of my most trusted friends. He just cannot lead large numbers."
I let out a slight chuckle at his remark about Iron before I thank him for his time and exit his chambers. Now then, my next issue is where in this facility is Iron going to be?
===~+~===
No Levels Gained.
New Quest Acquired: "Prisoner Rescue" |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 5: Insight | Chapter 5 - Insight
"In my life, I've had regrets. I've done things that I wish I'd never done. But my deepest regrets are things that I didn't do."
===~+~===
Two weeks pass while I remain with the Steel Rangers of Stable 36. Iron and his squad help me to adjust and begin to teach me how to properly care for weapons and to shoot properly. During one on one sessions, Iron teaches me the ins and outs of commanding a squad and the importance of knowing each member's strengths and weaknesses.
Despite all their help, however, the only thing I pick up with any decency is how to repair weapons better. My aim is still horrible with them, regardless of what kind of gun I use, and I often hesitate when giving commands in battle simulations. However, Arrow and the twins make up for my lack of leadership ability with their amazing teamwork and initiative.
While training with them, I learn about their strengths and weaknesses. Arrow is their sniper and is an ace shot, her quiet demeanor also makes her a good candidate for stealth. However, she lacks any ability to hold off multiple enemies if they get too close.
Thunder and Lightning help make up for her weakness, however. Thunder is their demolition expert, no surprise given his loud mouth. His weapon of choice is a minigun, but also carries grenades and mines. Due to this, he is weighed down and doesn't move too fast.
Lightning on the other hoof, favors a submachine gun and is quick on his hooves. He also uses knives. Tending to lead the charges to get his weapons in range, he often gets into the thick of things. This wouldn't be so bad, except he tends to overextend himself, forcing Thunder and Arrow to cover for him. Despite this seemingly brutish fighting style, Lightning also happens to be their technology specialist.
Combine them with their original leader, Iron, who uses a standard assault rifle, and you have one of the best squads of Stable 36, second only to the Star Paladin's personal squad. I have yet to meet the Star Paladin, as she and her squad are on an extended scouting mission to Friendship City.
In the two weeks I spend training, I also go out scouting with Iron to Ponyville. We begin to notice that the Track Gang is getting better weaponry. Instead of some having melee weapons, almost all of them are now armed with rifles. They are also becoming more active. We have a few altercations, but take no casualties or injuries.
I also take up the Elder's offer of trading supplies. I decide that since I've gotten better with weapon maintenance, I can afford to sell my spare pistols. I choose to keep the revolver and sell the 10 mm pistols and their remaining ammo. I sell some of the random items I had collected, such as the scalpel and scissors, and also the radiation suit I was still carrying.
Judging by the wasteland so far, I won't have much use for the radiation suit anyway. I buy enough extra .32 caliber rounds to get me up to thirty-six spare rounds, and also buy two magical bandages and a health potion. After trading back and forth, I'm left with a spare 500 or so caps. I think they might have given me a good deal, but I'm not sure considering I am still new to this currency system.
In my spare time, I talk with Elder Archimedes to try and learn more about this wasteland and those under his command. I also recall what CORA said about restoring my PipBuck's features using a computer, and ask the Elder about it. However, he says that Stable 36's computers aren't linked to any database that would have what I need. I also find out that, besides the Steel Ranger rosters from other contingents, Stable 36 has no way of communicating with anyone or accessing exterior information.
It explains a lot, given that Stable 36 was an experiment that relied on the inhabitants' isolation. The Elder explains that they even tried linking outside terminals with their Stable, however not even their most tech savvy Scribe was able to link them. Being cut off from the outside world helps to spur the Elder's desire for patrols and knowledge of the wasteland.
As such, half of the battle capable rangers go out on patrols, leaving eightteen to defend the stable and react to immediate threats. However, with the relative seclusion of Stable 36 and the unassuming appearance of the house above, this area doesn't get much traffic. Just the occasional trader or wanderer.
Speaking of traders, as Iron, his Knights, and I are about to leave on another patrol to Ponyville, we meet one of our usual traders named Grimoire who is sell his wares. He is a cunning and charismatic buck, probably only a little older than I appear to be. His light brown coat helps him blend into the wasteland, but his ivory mane gives him away easily.
We meet him in the cellar entrance the rangers let him set up in while he trades with them, allowing him to bring his brahmin in as well. A few of the other rangers are talking with him and looking over his wares as we pass by. While shuffling past him, I notice the tell-tale barrel of a gauss rifle sticking out of one of the bags on his brahmin. It has a custom paint job, black with red stripes, similar to zebra stripes.
As we're about to leave the cellar Grimoire begins his typical salesman talk. "Come friends, I have plenty of wares of every sort, all to help the good ponies of the wasteland. I rather do enjoy helping the Steel Rangers, the ones that don't shoot at me, that is," he says with a chuckle.
He notices me looking at the rifle and smiles, "Hey there miss, eyeing the custom Gauss Rifle? Beauty isn't she? Got it from a Talon merc who called it Raptor Blood. She even augmented it to fire a red projectile, instead of the usual blue. Though, it has fallen into a state of poor condition. It's yours for 450 caps."
I shake my head as I say, "No thank you. I'm not that good at aiming larger weapons yet. You should get it into the hands of someone who can use it to help the wasteland. I'll stick to my revolver for now."
He shrugs and then says, "Suit yourself. Are you rangers going out on patrol? I don't suppose you'd mind waiting a few minutes and escorting me a ways, would you? Those raiders in Ponyville have gotten pretty active lately. I think I've done most of the business here I can already."
When it comes to trading, the rangers do it quick. They always have a list of things they need and a stockpile of things to sell. Most of the rangers around the trader now are just looking for their own enjoyment and soon the small group around him breaks up and returns back into the base.
Iron nods and answers, "Of course, Grimoire. It is our duty to protect the citizens of Equestria. We can only escort you as far as our paths take us together, however. Once you leave our patrol route, we'll go our separate ways." Grimoire begins packing up his things once Iron agrees.
"I just need to get to the west side of Ponyville, after that I can get along on my own. I appreciate the assistance," he gives us a toothy grin as he finishes packing his wares up and begins leading his brahman towards the exit. "Shall we?" He asks.
"Let's be off," Iron says with a smile as he pushes open the cellar doors and leads us out. The early morning air is a bit brisk, but considering I'm wearing normal barding and the others, except Grimoire, are in insulated power suits, I bear with it. We begin the journey to Ponyville, which will take us a few hours.
===~+~===
Our patrol takes us around Ponyville and the areas surrounding it that border the river to the east and the forest to the north and the Everfree in the south. The furthest west we go is the rail intersection a short ways out of town. Since Grimoire is with us, Iron decides to patrol the west side first, so we can send the trader on his way and avoid getting him caught up in any firefights.
After reaching the intersection Grimoire speaks up before leaving us, "Last chance at Raptor Blood, miss. By the time I'm around again, I might have already sold it." He gives me a smile, but I politely turn down his offer. "Very well then. Well, thank you all for the escort. I hope to see you all next time I make my way up here."
Saying this he turns and begins heading south away from Ponyville. "Our pleasure," Iron calls after him. "Safe travels, Grimoire. May prosperity find you." Grimoire waves his hoof back at us without turning around as he walks away with his brahman trailing behind him.
"Now then, let's get moving. We have ground to cover." Iron begins leading us back towards Ponyville along our usual route. We head east and slightly south, keeping a good distance from the town so that we can stay mostly hidden in the hills. At certain key points, we stop and let Arrow use her sniper's scope to check in on the Track Gang.
For the most part she only sees a few sporadically at first. She notices that they have increased the quality and the quantity of their weapons, however. Most of them now carry rifles and a rare few have energy weapons and larger guns. She also notes that they have set up a few more barricades between the buildings.
From what Arrow says and what we notice about their movements, they seem to have fortified the area surrounding the Town Hall into their main camp. It wouldn't be too far off to assume their leader resides there. Only one of the bridges across the nearby river is unblocked, the rest have guarded barricades. A gate can be seen on the central bridge with another on the north side of the plaza.
Compared with what I saw here a few weeks ago, they have militarized extremely quickly. There were almost no defences previously as well. They appear to be going in for the long haul. Seeing all this makes me concerned for the abducted mare. Considering the buck who had initially abducted her was killed, I worry what might have happened.
Did they get rid of her or keep her around? What could she be going through right now? Was she even still alive? These questions and more race through my mind. "This isn't good," CORA suddenly speaks up. She has been quiet for a while now. "They've build up incredibly fast and reports of their actions against travelers have increased as well," she points out.
"Indeed," Iron nods his head in agreement. "We should hurry our patrol and report to the Elder. We might have to take action sooner rather than later. If we allow this to go on, we might not have the numbers to do anything about it," he says with concern evident in his voice. He starts walking again and we follow him.
We continue our patrol without any encounters with the enemy and soon make our way to the north-east of Ponyville. Passing over the rails near the bridge I first crossed when I arrived here, I can't help but think back to coming through that tunnel and meeting the rangers. I also remember those bat creatures I encountered in the tunnel.
I decide to ask Iron and the others about them. "Hey, when I first came here, I went through that railway tunnel that runs through Canterlot's mountains. I encountered these large bat things that tried to attack me. What do you know about them?" I ask.
Thunder speaks up before anyone else, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You went through the Bloodwing tunnel? Didn't you see the warning signs we put up at the entrances? You've got to be crazy, Ratchet. I'm in full armor and even I wouldn't go through there."
I'm shocked by his sudden outburst, but manage to stammer out, "Yea. I saw a sign, but it only said 'wings', it looked kind of like the top was broken off though." I pause for a moment. "And you call them Bloodwings? They are mutated bats, right?" I ask.
Iron speaks up this time. "Damn it. Something must have broken the sign. But yes, the travelers of the wasteland called them Bloodwings due to their taste for blood. We believe they mutated from bats, but not sure which species of bat," Iron says as he lets out a sigh. "We'll have to replace that sign as well. Don't want any travelers to be attacked by them."
"I see," I say, "interesting..." I trail off in thought as we begin climbing a large hill. We remain in silence for a few moments as we come to the top of the hill. Right at that moment, however, a group of the Track Gang reach the top as well. We stare at each other for a few moments, my eyes, along with theirs, growing wide.
In seconds chaos erupts as our two groups clash. The raiders raise their rifles, one of them pulling the trigger before bringing it level with us. It is pointed in my direction and I quickly throw myself to the right, just barely avoiding the shots. As I recover, Lightning charges towards them while shooting his SMG at the closest one.
As I put on hooves back onto the ground I hear Thunder's minigun spinning up and see Arrow run past me, putting more distance between them and her. As I unholster my revolver, I see bullets ricocheting off of Iron's armor as he shoots his rifle back at them. Thunder's minigun begins to buzz and lets loose on one of the raiders as I level my revolver at the closest one.
When my revolver goes off, I hear Arrow's hooves grind into the ground as she spins around to level her rifle at them. I fire again and I hear Arrow's sniper as it launches its .308 round through the air. In a matter of moments, Lightning and Thunder make swiss cheese out of one of the raiders, Arrow's bullet flies through the skull of another, and Iron and I take down third.
To be fair, however, only one of my shots hit. Before I can aim at the last remaining raider, Lightning quickly throws his SMG at their face, throwing them off balance. Just as quickly, Lightning charges over to the raider, who begins to panic and shoot his rifle blindly. A few rounds ping off of Iron and Lightning's armor, but one grazes across my back.
I scream out in pain, but then I notice Iron has tensed up and is hunching over slightly. I begin trotting up to him as Lightning picks his SMG back, holds it under the raider's chin, and pulls the trigger, sending bullets through his head and causing his body to drop with a meaty thump. With all the raiders dead, I relax a bit as I get closer to Iron.
Arrow runs back up to us and notices the blood on my back. "Ratchet, you ok?" She asks with her usual emotionless tone. She gets closer and puts a hoof on my back, looking over my wound.
I nod as I answer her, "Yea, it just grazed me, I shouldn't even need a bandage. But Iron seems like he might be hurt." When I say this they all look towards Iron, who lets out a slight chuckle as he turns towards us.
The front of his armor is covered in scratches and dings, but what's most noticeable is one small hole on his right leg. "Take enough bullets, you're bound to be penetrated eventually. It isn't anything vital, just took a hit in the leg is all." He looks around at the raiders before looking back to us.
"We made a lot of noise, we should leave quickly. Arrow, help me patch this up. The rest of you grab what you can from their bodies. We'll continue our patrol once my leg is bandaged." He begins taking off his armor, exposing a bleeding hole in his leg as a bullet falls out of the armor. "Luckily, it went straight through," he says.
Arrow takes out some bandages and quickly wraps Iron's leg as Lightning, Thunder, and I begin to look over the raiders' bodies. We grab their rifles and any spare ammo they have. Even though it isn't my first time out here with Iron and the others looting raiders, I still don't like the idea of taking things from another pony's body.
Especially when they are covered in blood and gore. I try to stick away from the raider Thunder took down, as he is covered in a lot more blood than the others. In only a few minutes, Iron is bandaged up and we have looted most of the raiders' stuff. Other than weapons and ammo, we find a few medical supplies and some drugs.
The weapons and drugs will be sold the next time a trader comes by, but we'll be keeping the ammo and medical supplies. Unfortunately, I don't earn any caps from the items we scavenge. I'm given ammo and supplies to replace what I use, but my payment is the training and knowledge I'm getting. I also made an arrangement with the Elder to borrow some equipment to clear the tunnels in my lab when I decide to leave.
It turns out that Stable 36 has a mining harness in case it needed to be expanded. Stable-Tec really didn't think it was going to open right away, and the Elder believes they thought the stable would have to be expanded before an Elder was actually determined. Regardless, the first step of getting the mining harness is helping Iron and his squad.
I don't plan to leave the rangers until I rescue that mare, however. Until then, I'll be helping the rangers however I can. Iron sealing his helmet on again snaps me from my thoughts. "Alright, let's move. We only have a little way left to go, then it is back to base," Iron says as he begins walking.
We follow behind him and resume our patrol. It isn't long before we finish up and head back to Stable 36. Luckily, nothing else exciting happens, as Iron's leg seems to be giving him some trouble.
===~+~===
Once we arrive back in Stable 36, we report to Elder Archimedes for debriefing. "Good work as always Lynx Squad," Elder Archimedes says as he enter the command center. "Anything new to report?" He asks as he rests his head on his hoof.
"Sir. The raiders have build up fast around the Town Hall and as previous reports have stated, they are getting better equipped as well. Thunder, show Elder Archimedes one of their guns," Iron says. Thunder steps forward and hoofs the Elder a rifle, which he takes in his magic.
The Elder turns it over and examines it before giving it back to Thunder. "This quality is troublesome. And you're saying they have been gaining energy weapons as well? They can't be finding this weaponry themselves, someone has to be providing them with it. Well, this is going to be a pain..." Elder Archimedes drops his head to the desk and sighs.
"Elder!" Iron yells at him. "I tell you this every time, behave properly. Those of us who have grown up with you understand you, but some of the younger ones might get the wrong idea. You're demeanor aside, we have to attack them soon and in force," Iron informs him.
Elder Archimedes sighs again as he picks his head up from his desk. "Yeah, yeah, and every time I tell you it is better to be relaxed than tense all the time. As for attacking them...Star Paladin Lily and her squad is away, as you know. Senior Paladin Twinkle is also away with her squad, however..." he trails off for a moment before he turns his attention to one of the other ponies in the room.
"Paladin Echo, see if you can raise Senior Paladin Twinkle on the radio," he says to the mare sitting at one of the desks in front of him.
"Sir!" she replies as she punches a few commands into her terminal and turns some knobs on the radio next to her and speaks into it, "Nova Squad, this is command. Are you receiving?" She repeats this once more before there is a reply from the radio.
"Receiving command, this is Nova Squad." The gruff voice of a stallion replies. Paladin Echo hits a button on the radio and signals Elder Archimedes with a hoof. The Elder picks up the microphone from his desk and addresses the stallion.
"This is Elder Archimedes. Nova Squad, what is your status?" He asks the stallion on the other end of the radio.
"The expedition to Vanhoover has been completed without incident. We are on our way back for debriefing. Our ETA is one day," the stallion explains. The Elder nods his head.
"Very good. A situation has developed in Ponyville, we will be assaulting the raiders as soon as your squad has returned and rested. Tell Senior Paladin Twinkle to double time it and march through the night. See you soon." The Elder says as he puts the microphone down.
"Yes sir! Senior Paladin Twinkle says we will be back before morning." The stallion says before Paladin Echo closes down the connection. Elder Archimedes nods to her before turning back towards us.
"Crusader Iron," Elder Archimedes' tone becomes serious. "You and your squad take today off and get that wound of yours looked at. Tomorrow, once Nova Squad's debriefing is complete and they have food in their bellies, you will be briefing them and the others I select for this mission."
He thinks for a moment before continuing, "After you finish briefing them on the situation, you, Senior Paladin Twinkle, and I will be discussing a strategy. Everyone else will be resting in preparation for the attack. Once we determine a plan, we with gather the troops and do a final briefing on our strategy. We will be attacking at sunrise the day after tomorrow. Until then, rest up."
He dismisses us, but Iron speaks up again, "Sir, I'd recommend Arrow join our strategy meeting as well, her keen eyes saw more than I did. She can help to more accurately describe their fortifications."
Elder Archimedes nods and says, "Very well, she can attend." He goes back to looking the terminal and papers on his desk. Having said what he wanted, Iron begins to leave the command center and we follow him out.
"As the Elder said, you're all free to do as you like until the briefings. Eat, sleep, do as you want. Arrow, I'll send for you when the strategy meeting begins. Until then, Ratchet and I will be heading to medical to get our wounds looked at," Iron tells us. Thunder, Lightning, and Arrow start to walk down another hallway as they go about their business.
"But Iron, I'm fine. It was just a scratch," I tell him, not wanting to waste any of our medics' time or medical supplies. "You get yourself looked at and I'll meet up with you at the briefings," I tell him. However, he just shakes his head.
"Absolutely not," he says. "Even a slight scratch is prone to infection and I don't want to see it becoming a hindrance when we are out in the field. If nothing else, just get it looked at to put my mind at ease, will you?" he asks.
I let out a sigh as I say, "If you insist, but you are the one you should be worrying about. You actually got shot, not just grazed." He lets out a slight chuckle as I tell him this. He turns to me as we walk to the clinic.
"It isn't the first time, and I doubt it will be the last," he tells me. My face must look worried, because he adds, "It is my duty as a Steel Ranger to protect others. If I must get shot in defense of another, I'll gladly take the bullet. Especially if I have a choice between myself being shot and someone else." It is barely noticeable, but his voice hardens a bit at that last sentence.
I'm about to press him further when we arrive at the clinic and one of the medics notice us enter. "Well, if it isn't our most frequent patient, Crusader Iron. What seems to be the problem this time? Some cuts, bullet wounds, fire and/or plasma burns?" The unicorn stallion, wearing the white robes with a red cross on the shoulder most medics in the clinic wear, asks.
"Oh it isn't anything major, Knight Venom, just a single bullet wound this time," Iron says nonchalantly as he walks towards one of the medical treatment chairs. "It should be a simple patch job. Scribe Crusader Ratchet here had a bullet graze her back as well. Take a look at that too, if you wouldn't mind."
Knight Venom smiles as he approaches the chair Iron is now sitting in. "Well, that is definitely some good news. Compared with the other injuries you've sustained since the Stable opened, it might just be the least noteworthy. Now then, off with your armor," Venom says as he levitates over some bandages and a healing potion.
Iron begins taking his armor off, starting with the helmet. I think this is the first time since I met him that I'll see him without his armor on. Now that I think of it, he is usually always in his power armor, despite the fact many others take their armor off while in the Stable. I find myself staring more than I should.
As he slips out of the armor, my eyes get wider and wider the more of his flesh I see. The bullet hole in the leg is just the most recent of wounds I see. It is as Knight Venom said, it might be his least noteworthy. Covering his body are various scars and burns. There is actually very little of his coat left. It is strange how pristine his neck and head appear to be compared to the rest of his body.
His left front leg is covered in scar tissue from burns from the hoof up to the shoulder. I can also see that it has a few scars from bullets on it as well. His hind legs have a decent amount of fur covering them, but are marred with various cuts where it refuses to grow. His torso itself is a patchwork of scars from bullets, cuts, and the occasional burn.
The cutie mark on his left side is completely gone due to the scar tissue, but his right side only has a single slash across it. The cutie mark itself is a kite shield, but the scar across it looks almost like the arch of a sword being swung against it.
Iron smiles at me before he says, "Ratchet, I think you're one of the few to have seen me without armor on. Most of the others who have are medics, like Knight Venom. I don't hide in my armor because I'm not proud of my scars. It is just that given my lack of fur, I get quite cold without it." Both Iron and Venom laugh at this remark.
"Besides," Iron continues. "Each scar represents a pony I've saved, or tried to at least." Iron's tone sounds a bit regretful as he says that last bit, and now that I can see his face it noticeably hardens. Venom as well has stopped smiling and is instead working dutifully on Iron's wound.
Venom pours some of the healing potion his Iron's wound before passing the potion to him and saying, "Take a sip." He then begins wrapping Iron's leg with some new bandages. As Iron takes a swig from the potion, Venom finishes bandages his leg and levitates the remaining bandages to a nearby counter, then takes the potion from Iron. "There you go. It will be good as new soon. Now then, Scribe Crusader Ratchet, let's take a look at you," Venom says.
He motions to the chair Iron is in, as Iron gets up from it and begins putting his armor back on. I walk over and sit on it so Venom can look at my back. "Alright, let's see..." Venom says, inspecting my back. "As Iron says, it is just a graze. Let me disinfect it, and you'll be fine, no need for bandages. It shouldn't scar either."
He floats over some alcohol and pours a bit on my back, causing me to squeal at the slight burning sensation. "There you go," he says as he wipes up the excess. "Now, the both of you take care. Though, in your case Iron, I suppose I should say just don't get seriously injured," Venom gives Iron a wry smile.
"That's always my plan. Thanks, as always Venom," Iron says as we begin to walk out of the clinic. Once back in the hallway, Iron turns to me and says, "Well, now that that's taken care of, how about we go get a drink? We have some time to kill, after all."
"Sure. I've got a bottle of whiskey, if you're interested. It isn't exactly to my taste, but I can suffer through it with someone else," I tell him. He smiles at this suggestion.
"Are you sure? I saw it before. It is a pretty good brand and has yet to be opened. You could save it for a special occasion," he tells me. "But, if you're offering it up, I won't turn it away."
"Of course. What better time than now? We're about to have a large battle and take out the Track Gang in Ponyville, and rescue that mare. I think this is a good enough occasion. This will be our last chance to relax until after the attack, why not make it count?" I say.
He lets out a laugh and says, "Good point, Ratchet. Let's grab some glasses from the mess hall then and get to drinking. I'll need time to sober up before the briefings and what not." After saying this, we begin heading towards the mess hall.
It isn't long before we arrive, and it is almost empty, most of the rangers having eaten earlier. Iron tells me to go wait at a table off in the corner of the hall as he goes to get glasses. After sitting at the table, Iron comes up a few moments later with two glasses.
He sits down and I open the whisky, then pour it into the glasses. We raise our glasses before taking the first drink. It burns my throat as it goes down, causing me to cough a bit, but Iron finishes off his glass and lets out a sigh, "Ahhh, that's good stuff." I pour him another as I gingerly take another swig of mine.
After a while, we get two-thirds of the way through the bottle. Iron has drank more than I have by far, but seems to hold his alcohol better than I do. We begin to drunkenly reminisce about Equestria before the war and after a bout of laughter, he suddenly says, "You know, you don't look a day over thirty and Archimedes said you were sixty-two or something. You also know a lot of the old world. How is that?"
I pause at the question for a moment, but answer him. "You see, back then I used to work for..." before I can explain further, however, CORA speaks up and stops me.
"Ratchet! I don't think you should be talking about that yet. You're drunk, you should stop drinking, both of you," she tells us. I just shake my head and hoof at the mute button on my PipBuck. It takes me a few tries, and she realizes what I'm doing. "Ratchet! Stop! Listen to me, don't press that mute button! I'll..." She is cut off when I finally hit the button.
"Shhh, it's alright CORA, I'll unmute you later. Besides, Iron is trustworthy. However..." I trail off in thought for a moment, focusing on CORA's face as it looks at me angrily. As I do so, Iron pours himself another drink. Before I can say anything else, he speaks up.
"You want to know how I got these scars?" Iron says as he hold his glass of whiskey up, looking through it to me. "You tell me your secret, I'll tell you," he offers, taking another swig from his glass.
"Sure, I guess. The truth is I worked for the Ministry of Magic and made a cryogenic chamber. While testing it, the Megaspells fell and I was stuck in it for thirty-five years until CORA woke me up," I tell him with a shrug.
He stares at me for a moment before he says, "Huh. I had my caps on you being immortal. Lightning and Thunder seemed to think you were a robot, but looks like Arrow won our bet. Who knew cryogenic stuff was real?" He takes another sip from his glass.
"Now then, back before the Stable was opened, we had developed our command hierarchy. I was made the Star Paladin and took my position very seriously. In place of the Elder, I had command of the entire population. I followed the instructions left for us on how to train and taught the others the way of the Steel Rangers, after learning them myself," he smiles, remembering the time fondly.
"However, when the Stable opened and we went out into the wasteland, we encountered large groups of raiders, the Track Gang is only the latest. We had small confrontations with them quite frequently and when diplomacy failed, Archimedes decided it best of we take them out," Iron continues.
"We found the location of the largest group of raiders, and I led the assault on them. The Elder stayed behind along with a handful of defenders. I led a group of roughly thirty rangers in the assault, many hadn't seen any combat. We started the attack off fine and began to cut down the raiders," he says as his voice turns grim.
"However, a group of the raiders flanked us and hit a few of our Knights. In the following chaos, I lost control of those under my command as they broke off into their own groups to defend themselves. I tried to coordinate them together, however I couldn't multitask on that scale. It wasn't long before they started to sustain injuries," Iron pauses and takes a large drink.
"A few died, a few were severely injured, and the rest were scared and looking for leadership, however I just shut down. I had never seen death before, I had never led ponies in battle. My experience was all theoretical. I couldn't deal with it and just sat there, staring at the fighting," Iron shakes his head and looks sadly at his drink.
"In all this chaos, a voice soon rose above the gunfire. Paladin Lily, who is now Star Paladin, began to address the rangers and take over my command. She continued and led us to victory, but after the dust settled five of us had fallen, and over half the rest had sustained injuries. The five deaths were my fault, the lack of my leadership," he pauses and he finishes his drink and pours another.
"I was demoted and Lily took my place. No one blamed me, however. We were all inexperienced. Since then, however, I've been trying my hardest to ensure no one else dies because of me. In the following attacks on the smaller raider bands, I began to get my collection of scars," he raises his left leg as he continues.
"This leg was burned when I dashed in front of a Knight who was about to be engulfed in the flames of flamethrower. My armor protected me for a time, but it soon began to heat up and scalded my skin. It took me a while to recover after the battle, but my wound didn't deter me," he took a swig of his drink.
"Another time we were fighting raiders, one was armed with a plasma rifle. They had a group of us pinned down, and their cover was slowly disintegrating. I threw myself at the raider, who proceeded to melt through my armor with the plasma, burning various parts of my torso," Iron continues.
"After the raiders had been mostly dealt with and we began exploring, we encountered a group of manticores. We didn't have the firepower to bring them all down and I had run out of ammo. To buy the others time and give them a less quick target, I turned and bucked one, which proceeded to cut into my legs with its fangs and claws. My armor provided little protection and turned into shrapnel, slicing into my legs along with the manticore before the others brought it down," Iron swirls the whiskey in his glass around as he stares at it.
"For the most part, those were the major incidents. There were others, lots of gunshot wounds, some knifes, spears, and other sharp objects piercing my armor to slice at my skin. I don't know how I haven't gotten any wounds on my head or neck, however. Perhaps the Goddesses are still looking out for me, in their own way. But, as long as I can save someone else, what happens to me is of little consequence," he tells me with a smile.
He finishes his drink and looks at the bottle, which by now is almost empty. Iron picks it up and finishes it off before he sets it back down. "No one blamed me for the five that died under my command, but I've lived with my regret every day since. I can't bring them back, but the least I can do is keep those who still live alive, you know?" He says while looking at me.
"It is why I fight at the front. BUT!" he suddenly shouts. "The whiskey is gone, and we've got to be up in a few hours. Finish your drink and let's hit the hay," he tells me. I drink down the last of my whiskey and stand up as he does so. However, Iron staggers and I catch him before he falls.
"Maybe I should help you?" I suggest. He gives me a nod and I put his right leg around my shoulders. As we begin to walk out of the mess hall, I levitate the empty bottle into the trash and the glasses over to the cook, who smiles at me with a nod before picking them up.
As I make my way through the facility with Iron, I'm suddenly aware of the behavior of the other rangers as I take Iron to his bed. I never noticed it before, but they always seem to make room for him as he walks through the facility. It is like they are respectfully acknowledging all he has done for them. A few even offer me help, but I turn them down.
It isn't long before we get to his bed, just one of many in the barracks. I put his helmet on his footlocker after laying him on his bed. He is almost asleep at this point, so I go take take off his armor. However, he lifts his hoof to mine and says, "Leave it on, it gets cold without it." I nod and tell him good night.
The only sound that responds is his quiet snoring. I smile at this sleeping form before heading to my own bed and settling in for the night. It isn't long before I find myself in the embrace of sleep as well.
===~+~===
Level Up! - Level 3
+1 Big Guns
+7 Small Guns
+5 Unarmed
+5 Repair |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 6 - Assault | Chapter 6 - Assault
"No amount of training or preparation can fully prepare you for reality. Somethings can only be learned through experience."
===~+~===
In the early hours of the morning, Senior Paladin Twinkle's squad returns from their mission. They are quickly debriefed and allowed to eat and rest momentarily. During this time, I attempt to deal with my mild hangover. However, CORA doesn't help it in the slightest. I don't remember doing it, but I muted her as she was talking to me last night. Because of this, she has had the entire night to boil with rage.
"HOW DARE YOU MUTE ME LIKE THAT!" She yells, causing my head to throb. I consider muting her again until my hangover is gone and move my hoof towards the button. "DON'T YOU DARE!" She screams as she notices my intention. "I already installed a work around so you can't mute me again! Geez Ratchet. Drinking before a large fight? Muting me, your precious assistant? What's come over you?" She asks me with puppy dog eyes.
I grimace as I reply, "I was just going along with Iron. You know I can't hold my alcohol...I just didn't realize what I was doing. Sorry, CORA." I try to sound as apologetic as possible. She narrows her eyes at me and thinks for a few moments. I'm personally thankful for the brief silence.
"Very well. Apology accepted. However!" She declares, "Don't do anything like that again. I won't forgive you so easily the next time." After saying that, she settles down and lets me deal with my hangover in peace.
After the debriefing, Twinkle's squad, us from Iron's squad, and a few others meet in the assembly hall. Iron quickly goes over the situation in Ponyville and tells us briefly about their defences and numbers. He concludes by tell us to rest up until 4:00 am, when we will gather again for the final briefing and assault.
After the meeting, Iron, Arrow, the Elder, and Senior Paladin Twinkle, who I have yet to meet, exit and leave to discuss plans for the battle. All of the other Knights and Paladins go about their business and most, especially those who just returned, sleep. I, however, don't find myself all that tired.
Since it is still only a little after nine in the morning, I decide to check my gear and make sure it is all functioning properly. I look over my barding and ensure that it doesn't need to be patched up at all. I then begin taking apart my revolver like I learned to so I could clean it.
I still haven't gotten the hang of it, so by the time I finish and finally get it put back together properly, it is already noon. Feeling a bit hungry, I decide to head to the mess hall and eat a bit. Upon arriving there and collecting some food, I notice Thunder and Lightning sitting at the corner table Iron and I were at last night.
I walk over to them, levitating my tray of food in front of me. They notice as I approach and make room for me on the bench. Neither are wearing the armor and you can see their lightning bolt fur pattern Thunder always talks about. Lightning's is on his left side, near shoulder and Thunder's is just the opposite on his right side.
"So Ratchet, you ready for the assault tomorrow morning?" Thunder asks with a sly grin. "You could always stay behind, you know, since you don't have much combat experience. No point having you slow us down," he sticks his tongue out at me.
Lightning lets out a chuckle and says, "At least her combat tactics are better than yours, mr. blow everything up. Ratchet has been with us for a while now, she'll be ready." As he says that, he pats me on the back with his hoof.
"Thanks, Lightning and you're damn right I'm ready Thunder," I say, throwing him a playful grin. "You all taught me after all, if I'm not, whose fault is it, really?" This gets a laugh from Lightning while Thunder rolls his eyes.
"You know this won't be like the previous fights we've had, right?" He asks me. "This is an all out assault, not a five on four squabble. We'll be fighting in the town, potentially surrounded by enemies. We'll be ready, but will you?" He asks as he hardens his stare at me.
"Oh like you actually took part in an assault before either, Thunder," Lightning says. shaking his head. The both of us were a bit too young to go out on the initial assaults when the Stable opened. We've only been fighting in small squabbles ourselves."
"Yea, but we have our time with Iron on our side. I mean, you heard all the stories about him, right? He was solely responsible for saving many lives, multiple times! I don't think I've heard any stories about anyone dying while under his command. Honestly, the fact we are part of his squad is," Thunder is cut off by Lightning striking his hoof on the table.
"Thunder! Come on, don't get carried away. I know that our contingent has only lost five rangers thanks to his heroics, but restrain yourself, geez little brother," Lightning says with a slight chuckle while shaking his head.
"Hey, I'm only like a few minutes younger than you at the most. That barely counts as me bring your, 'little' brother," Thunder emphasises the word little with air quotes. Lightning is about to say something back, but notices the grim expression on my face.
"Hey, what's wrong Ratchet? Have you heard the stories about Iron? You probably shouldn't believe all the things you hear. Sometimes the others like to exaggerate. He has done good work though," Lightning says.
I shake my head and reply, "He told me about the first assaults last night." Thunder and Lightning both chuckle and Thunder shakes his head.
"He was probably being modest," Thunder says. "He's done great things. He even stepped down as Star Paladin after the first assault so he could focus on supporting the smaller squads. He was a great Star Paladin, I mean, there's nothing wrong with Star Paladin Lily but..." he trails off.
"Yea," Lightning agrees. "No one ever really talks about the first assault, but I'm sure that's just because we lost a group. He would have gone on to be an amazing Star Paladin if he didn't step down," lightning concludes.
"Wait a moment," I suddenly speak up, looking between the two of them. "He stepped down after the first assault? But he said..." I trail off, which causes both of them to focus on me with wide eyes.
"Woah, woah!" Thunder says quickly. "He told you about the first assault, didn't he? Holy fuck! We need details! What did he do? How many lives did he save? Come on Ratchet, no one ever talks about it! Hook us up!" Both Thunder and his brother are looking to me eagerly.
I look between the two of them for a moment before I suddenly say, "I've gotta go." I pick up my, now empty, tray and proceed to leave the mess hall, as they call out after me. All the while, I can't help but think about the conversation I just had.
Was Iron really responsible, like he said, or did he just think he was? There were two possibilities going through my mind right now. The first, is that the trauma of losing those under his command caused Iron to reimagine what really happened and he stepped down. The second, is that he is telling the truth and the rangers who were there are covering for him so the younger generation still respects him.
While lost in thought, I had somehow wander into the armory and begin tinkering with armor. I shake my head clear of thoughts for a moment as I collect myself. Regardless of which possibility is true, it isn't my place to say anything. Iron seems to genuinely care about helping ponies, and that is more than enough for me.
I nod, confirming this thought in my head as I continue to do some maintenance on the armor in front of me. Time quickly passes and I soon find my PipBuck reads 8:00 pm. Suddenly feeling tired, I finish up with the armor I'm working on and head to my bed to sleep till the briefing starts.
===~+~===
"Alright, listen up rangers!" Senior Paladin Twinkle addresses the crowd that has gathered in the assembly hall for the briefing. "Today, we are going to war. Our enemy is the Track Gang raider group that has taken up residence in Ponyville. You all know the basic details from yesterday's briefing. Right now, we will be going over the plan of attack," she pauses to look over the ponies gathered in front of her.
She is wearing her armor, minus the helmet. She is an earth pony with a lavender coat and a blood red mane, which is cut short and parted to one side of her face. Her authoritative blue eyes pierce into each of us as she looks over us all. After she looks over the entire crowd thoroughly, she puts on a twisted smile.
"We will destroy all of them! Each and every single raider will know death before we are through today!" As she shouts this, I hear a few ponies chuckle and see some shake their heads. "They go around terrorising the citizens of the wasteland? Well we shall go and terrorise them! We will drive them from Ponyville and straight into the flames of Tartarus!" She raises a hoof into the air to punctuate this.
As she does so, a fraction of the ponies in the crowd do so as well and let out a yell. I notice almost all of them are from her squad. Lightning comes up beside me suddenly as says, "She's always like this when it comes to fighting raiders, and her squad is more like adoring fans than soldiers. She's quite popular with the stallions, if you get my meaning. I personally like my mares a little less," he pauses, looking for the right word, "bloodthirsty?"
"Don't worry though," he adds. "She is a capable leader and will lead us to a sure victory. Next to Star Paladin Lily, she is our most brilliant tactician," he says with a smirk before returning his attention to the raised platform she is standing on.
Senior Paladin Twinkle raises her hoof to her muzzle and coughs before she continues, in a much more normal tone, "As you all know, they have created a stronghold out of the town Plaza centered around the town hall. There are two entrances into the stronghold, one of the bridges and a makeshift gate."
"We will break into two groups a primary assault group and a small group that will flank them. The primary group will attack from the bridge at the south, while the small group will sneak in through the gate at the north," she says as Iron unrolls a map and attaches it to the board behind her.
Using her hoof, she points to the map that I recognize as Ponyville. "The assault group will initiate the battle to pull enemies from the flanking force. We will position snipers on the other side of the river to provide cover while we forge our way across. Keep an eye of the rooftops and windows," she tells us.
"It is assumed that their leader is in the town hall and it is known that they have at least one hostage. However, given that this is an assault hostage rescue is a secondary objective. Unlike our normal engagement, we will not offer surrender to any who are armed. If you encounter an unarmed pony, check them for weapons and tell them to stay put," Twinkle says.
"Once the dust settles, anyone who has stayed alive will be rounded up and brought back for debriefing. Now then, as for who will go with what group...Iron has volunteered his squad to be the flanking group. The rest of us will be assaulting the bridge. Now then, are there any questions?" She asks.
After looking around the crowd for a few moments, she nods her head. "Very well then!" She shouts, her twisted smile appearing again. "Get your gear and prepare for the assault! You have fifteen minutes or I'll come find you myself and drag you to the battlefield! Dismissed!" She quickly flings her leg through the air, dismissing us.
The crowd salutes and quickly disperses, however everyone in Iron's squad stays behind, including myself. As everyone else exits, Senior Paladin Twinkle and Iron walk over towards the rest of us. Senior Paladin Twinkle looks at me normally, before she quickly switches her expression to her twisted grin.
"Well! Scribe Crusader Ratchet!" She shouts suddenly, "I do believe this is the first time we've met. But I've heard about you plenty already, I hear Iron here has taken you under his wing, so to speak, anyway." She lets out a giggle at that.
"But who cares about that, I hear you've taken out some of those raider scumbags we'll be fighting! So tell me, do they put up a fight? How ugly are the fuckers? Do they scream when they die? Oh Luna, I've missed combat, I'm getting all giddy," she declares.
I'm slightly taken aback by her questions and overall attitude. "I...I don't know," I manage to stammer out. I don't recall any of them screaming and I never paid attention to their looks. I'm sure she was informed of their combat effectiveness already though.
She rolls her eyes and says, "I do hope you fight better than you speak. Don't become a liability for Crusader Iron, you hear me? He's got some sort of hero complex, so don't cause him undue trouble." She begins to trot past me and pats me on the shoulder. "Prepare yourself, Eberron the God of Death demands sacrifice, and he will have his fill of raider blood today!"
She shoots me one last, particularly twisted smile as she leaves the room. "Eberron...? That's a name I haven't heard in a while. The old...well, i suppose old, old world's God of Death. What does she mean he demands sacrifice though?" I ask to no one in particular.
Iron shrugs. "Don't pay her any mind. She read about him in an old book years ago and took a liking to him. She practically worships him and says all of her kills are sacrifices in his name and honor. Of course, she only kills criminals. I know she doesn't act like it, but she values justice and dislikes random violence," he explains.
"Anyhow," Iron says with more determination in his voice. "All of you get geared up and meet up at the entrance. Today is the day we end the Track Gang's presence in the Ponyville area." He nods to us as he leaves the room as well. The others follow suit, leaving me alone in the room to think.
===~+~===
Fifteen minutes later, we gather in the entryway and begin marching to Ponyville. It isn't long before we reach the outskirts and our forces separate. Senior Paladin Twinkle takes her assault team and crosses the railway bridge to circle around to the bridge entrance.
Iron leads us into town and we set up camp in a house a short ways from the gate up north. We wait around, staying on guard while we wait for the assault team to begin their attack. The minutes slowly crawl by and isn't helped by the fact we aren't talking in order to keep our location concealed.
From the house, I can see the wall surrounding the city clearly. It is composed of a patchwork of lumber and scrap metal, and I can see major parts of it are made up by cars and skywagons. The gate itself is two cars attached together with their fronts hanging an inch off the ground. They are suspended from chains and pulleys and are set between what looks like a makeshift track to prevent them from swinging much.
The entire wall seems to have a walkway around the top with makeshift covered towers spaced in a few places. I notice each tower has at least one raider in it looking over a section of the city. It kind of reminds me of the old castles from long ago, just made out of scrap supplies.
Suddenly, we hear loud explosions coming from the south where the bridges are, signaling the start of the assault. Iron nods to us as we all prepare to begin our attack. Iron explained to us earlier on the way here that we were to wait for a while after the fighting began, to give the raiders on this side of town a chance to leave.
A little while later, Iron waves his hoof and opens the door. We file out into the street and cautiously move towards the gate. Once it gets in sight, we notice two stallions standing on the gate, guarding it. We divide into two groups to take cover behind buildings on opposite sides of the street.
Iron, Thunder, and Lightning are behind the building across from Arrow and I. Iron and Arrow are the closest to the corners and Iron motions to her with a signal I don't recognize. In a quick movement, both Iron and Arrow step out of cover and shoot at the stallions on the gate. A few seconds later, I hear the thuds of their bodies as they fall to the ground below.
With a nod, Iron leads us back into the street and up to the gate. "Ok Thunder, you're up," he says, stepping aside and letting Thunder approach the gate. Thunder takes out what I recognize as explosives and places them along the sides of the heavy gate. He nods to us as we back up and he joins us.
A moment later he hoofs a button he's holding in his mouth and the gate erupts into a series of loud, fiery explosions. With a loud sound of shearing metal the gate slides to the ground, wobbles for a moment, and then tips over to lay completely flat on the ground. Thunder smiles broadly throughout the show.
With the gate fallen, Iron leads us inside. Across the mostly open expanse of the plaza, I can see that the assault team blasted through their gate as well and are using the remains of it as cover. I can also just make out a few of them across the river laying down suppressive fire with what I assume are sniper rifles and missile launchers.
Frequent explosions and gunshots resound throughout the plaza as the raiders and assault team clash. We skirt around the plaza which has been filled with various makeshift barricades the raiders are using as cover against the ranger assault. We peek in a few of the houses that the walls have been made part of the walls looking for any hidden raiders that might try to catch us or the assault group by surprise.
Most of the houses appear to be empty, and it shows in the amount of Track Gang members that are in the plaza. If I had to guess by the amount I can see so far, they have almost three times as many ponies as we do. However, most of them are only armed with assault rifles whereas the rangers are armed with better, higher quality weapons.
I do notice, however, a few of the raiders wielding large weapons. At least one is using a minigun, another I notice is using a plasma rifle, and I think one has a rocket launcher. I don't think they have much ammunition for those guns, though, as I don't hear them firing very often. What I do hear frequently, are screams and shouts from the raiders as the rangers advance on them.
I turn my attention away from the fight in the plaza and back to the houses we are checking. So far, we have looked through three of them and they were all devoid of life. The interiors however look lived in. Tables have partially eaten food and drink on them, some spilled over as their owners no doubt ran out in a panic.
We continue checking the houses on the north west side of the plaza and Iron looks in the window of the next house. After a quick peek, he looks back to us and knocks his hoof on the old cobblestones three times as he motions his head towards the house. His signal for telling us there are three ponies in the house.
We stack up around the door with Lightning and I aiming our guns at the hinges of the door. Iron nods and we blow the hinges off the door. Immediately, Thunder slams into the door and sends it into the house. Iron follows in after him and begins opening fire. Lightning and Arrow take cover on opposite sides of the door frame as I enter in after Iron.
As I enter, I notice the door lying on the stairs to the second floor which are directly in front of the entryway. "Shit, what the fuck!?" One of the raiders shouts as he attempts to grab his gun from a nearby table before getting shot by Iron and falling to the ground. The other two in the room are already armed and begin opening fire at us.
I quickly dive behind a wall separating the entryway from the living room they are in. A few bullets penetrate the wall just inches above my head. I hear Thunder's minigun spinning up as I float my revolver around the wall and fire a few shots in the raiders general direction. I get two off before Thunder's gun opens fire and silences the raiders' fire.
As his guns spin down and the bullet casings fall to the ground, Iron walks up to the raiders' bodies. "What the fuck is going on down there?" A stallion shouts down from the second floor. I hear hoofbeats on the ceiling and a groan from one of the raiders Iron is near, before Iron's gun fires again and silences it.
The hoofbeats reach the stairs as Thunder and I turn towards them. I swing my revolver around as the raider comes into view and says, "Son of a-" but gets cut off as I start shooting at him. Thunder's gun begins spinning up even before he fully turns around. One of my shots catches the raider in the front left leg and causes him to trip down the stairs.
Right then, Thunder's gun opens fire and begins hitting the wall to the left of the stallion as it slowly moves towards him. In a few seconds, his shots perforate the side of the raider and sends him slamming into the wall as he continues tumbling down the stairs, coming to rest on the landing halfway down the staircase. He doesn't move or make anymore sounds as his blood begins to run down the stairs.
Iron comes back into the entryway and says, "This floor is clear. Let's check the second and move on." I levitate the door from the stairs and set it against the wall. After I do so, Iron starts up the stairs with Thunder and I following behind him.
As we crest the top of the stairs, I hear a few whimpers. Once we enter the next room I can see that it seems to have been made into a holding area of sorts. Five ponies have been put into cages and they look cautiously up at us as we enter.
In one cage I notice a stallion and what I assume is his foal huddled together. Another has two mares that are laying against opposite sides of the cage. The last occupied cage contains a familiar brown coated mare with a blonde mane. My eyes go wide as I mumble out, "It's her!" I'm about to gallop over to her cage as Iron speaks up.
"Don't worry, you'll all be safe now. We are Steel Rangers, and here to help. However, we are in the middle of an assault, so you will need to wait here a little longer. Sit tight, and we'll come for you," he tells them, nodding to each one as he does so. "Thunder, Ratchet, let's keep moving," Iron says as he turns to leave.
I look at him, then back at the captives. "Can't we let them out first at least?" I ask him. He shakes his head without turning around.
"If we did, they might panic and try to make a run for it. If they were to grab a weapon...well, remember what Senior Paladin Twinkle said? We are to kill on sight all armed ponies. They'll be safer if we leave them caged up," he says as he continues walking out of the room.
Thunder nods in agreement as he follows Iron out of the room. I hesitate for a moment and look back at the captives and the mare I watched get captured. I take a deep breath and say, "I'll be back for you, all of you. I promise." I nod, affirming my decision and trot to catch up with Iron and Thunder.
We continue to check a few more of the houses on this side of the plaza, but all of them are empty like the first ones we checked. Iron leads us into one and begins checking his gun's ammunition as he addresses us.
"Alright, our first objective is done. We've cleared this side of any reinforcements to prevent them from flanking us. Check your ammo and get ready for our next push. We'll push into the town hall and capture it, then use it to rain down fire on the remaining raiders fighting the assault force," Iron tells us.
"This house has a roof access," he continues. "Arrow, I'd like you up there to provide cover for us as we cross the plaza. You'll be alone, so clear off the wall first and check your surroundings frequently. Thunder, once we clear the first floor of the town hall, you'll guard the door and prevent any of them from coming in after us."
"Lightning, Ratchet, and I will then proceed to clear out the rest of the building and get out on the balcony, where we will signal Arrow. She will then regroup with us. The four of us will then provide support for the assault group from the balcony while Thunder guards the door," Iron explains.
"Now, remember, their leader is supposed to be in there so expect heavy resistance. We'll mop them up once their leader is gone and take Ponyville! Tread carefully and let's dispose of these raiders and free those captive ponies," he says.
We all finish reloading our guns and checking our equipment as Arrow begins climbing the stairs to go to the roof. Iron opens the door and leads the rest of us out into the plaza. We begin making our way slowly across the plaza, taking cover behind their makeshift barricades to hide from any prying eyes.
Once we make it about a few feet from the door, I hear the sound of Arrow's sniper going off and notice a few ponies beginning to fall off of the wall. After a few moments, her gun goes silent and I look back to see her giving me a wave.
We continue towards the town hall and make it about halfway before we run into any raiders. A group of three are taking cover behind a barricade in front of us as one of them notices us. He lets out a shout and aims his rifle towards us before his head explodes into meaty chunks as Arrow's rifle goes off.
The other two look over at us, now covered in the blood and brain of their friend and open fire. As they do so, Iron and Lightning begin firing as well. The raiders' bullets ping off their armor while the raiders take a few shots and scramble behind cover.
We take cover as well, but Lightning carefully dashes to some cover that has a line of sight on them. He moves to shoot them, but more gunfire from in front of us causes him to get back into cover. Five more raiders are charging towards us and take up cover behind a few different barricades around us.
While we are partially surrounded, Arrow attempts to take a few of them out, but they manage to hide from her shots. Four raiders are taking cover between us and the town hall, the two wounded ones are on our left, and one is on our right. All of them begin shooting shooting at us and our cover begins to chip away.
"Alright, we need to move quick," Iron suddenly speaks up. "Thunder, you take the one on the right. Ratchet, Lightning, the two on the left. I'll distract the ones in front of us till you're done." He makes a signal towards Arrow and she shoots at the cover the four in front of us are hiding behind. "Let's go!"
We all nod and scramble out of cover. Lightning and I dive behind the closest cover to our left and attempt to get sight on our targets. I look over to see Iron shooting at his targets, but I can't see Thunder from here, though I can hear his minigun. "Provide me some cover, I'll take them out," Lightning tells me.
"Alright, I'll cover you," I tell him and he dashes out of cover. I lean out of my cover to line up a shot on them as one of them leans out to shoot at Lightning. However, I shot at him twice and he gets back behind cover. This gives Lightning the chance he needs to flank them and spray them with his SMG. With our targets taken care of, we go to regroup with Iron.
We lay down some fire on the four he is shooting at as we get back at about the same time Thunder does. However, once we do so two more raiders show up to support the four we are already fighting. "Shit, we're getting nowhere," Iron says. He thinks for a moment as we brace ourselves against the bullets flying towards us.
I hear the sound of a minigun spinning up before one begins shredding our cover. "Damn it! Ratchet, what spells can you use? Any offence or defence spells?" Iron asks me.
I think for a moment before I reply, "My only offensive spell is a pretty weak fireball and the only defencive spell is a minor shield. I can let us shoot through it, but not them. However, I can only make one large enough to cover one of us, and it won't last long against this kind of gunfire." I shout over the gunfire quickly cutting down our cover.
Iron thinks for a moment before he says, "Alright. Surround me with your shield. I'll charge at them and try to take them out. Lightning, Thunder, you two flank them and finish them off. Ratchet, you concentrate on the shield, stay behind cover. If it falls, don't worry. With this armor, I'll be fine for a while."
We all nod in confirmation as we reload our weapons. "Let's do this then! For Equestria!" Iron shouts as I cast my shield spell around him and he dashes out directly into the line of fire. The raiders take the bait and focus their fire on him. With each bullet I can feel the strain on my magic increasing. Even a few seconds into using the shield I can feel my magical reserves depleting rapidly.
Lightning and Thunder dash out shortly after Iron and begin opening fire. Slowly, the amount of bullets hitting the shield decrease as they take out the raiders. I hear at least three of them scream out before I can't keep the shield up any longer. That means there are only three left. I peek out around the cover, breathing heavily from the exertion of using my magic.
I can see three raiders continuing to shoot at Iron, including the one with the minigun. I float my gun from my holster and shot a few round towards the one with the minigun to distract him, but my aim is thrown off a bit since I used so much of my magic.
Thunder and Lightning are closing in on the remaining raiders, however and two more go down a few seconds later. Iron keeps firing at the remaining raider, closing the distance to him. Iron hits the raider a few times in the chest, but at the same time I see a red beam flying towards him. My eyes go wide as I shout, "Look out!"
However, my warning comes too late as the projectile strikes Iron in the head and explodes, knocking him to the ground and destroying the right half of his helmet. I hear him call out in pain as the shards of steel from his helmet dig into his face. His screaming doesn't last long, however as another beam finds the gap in his helmet and explodes again.
Seemingly in slow motion, the remainders of Iron's helmet explode outward, sending shards to steel, blood, skull, and brain everywhere. His body thumbs completely on the ground, blood pouring from his neck. I stand in shock staring at the sight I just witnessed. I'm acutely aware of the shouts of Lightning and Thunder as I walk towards Iron.
CORA says something I don't hear as a red beam hits the ground next to me. I can hear Arrow's rifle go off as another red beam misses me horribly. I keep walking forward, however, ignoring the world around me, focusing only on Iron's body. Thunder and Lightning run to me and begin dragging me backwards away from Iron.
"Let me go!" I yell at them. "I-I need to, I'll..." I trail off, not sure what to do next. They get me back into cover and set me against it as I fall to my haunches. I look between the two of them, eyes wide as I continue to stammer out, "I...I...we...we...Iron..."
"Ratchet! Snap out of it!" Lightning yells at me. "You're in command now, we need to go! We can't stay out in the open like this! Ratchet!" I hear his words but can't stop staring blankly ahead and recalling the scene that just played out.
Suddenly a bullet strikes the cover right above my head, causing me to jump. I look around quickly but see no one other than Arrow on the rooftop, rifle aimed at us, just watching. "Shit! Was that Arrow?" Lightning says. "What's she thinking? She could have hit one of us."
"She's right," Thunder says. He stands over me and as I start to look up at him, he punches me in the face. "Get your shit together, Ratchet!" He yells. "Iron is dead! You are our leader now! If you don't do something, we are going to die. Was I right back there in the mess hall? Are you going to become a liability?"
His punch knock me to my senses and I look between them as I calm down a bit and take a deep breath. As I do so, I notice that they are shaken up as well. I remember our conversation in the mess hall, how they were new to this kind of fighting as well. How no Steel Rangers have died since the first assault...until today.
I get to my hooves as CORA speaks up, "Ratchet, we have to keep going. It's what he would have wanted. You have to lead us to victory now." I nod in agreement with her.
"You're right CORA. You too Thunder. I'm leading now and we..." I take a deep breath. "We still have a mission to complete. The plan stays the same, let's get moving." They nod in agreement as I give Arrow a small wave. She waves back before looking back down her scope.
The rest of the way to the town hall we only encounter one more raider, which Arrow takes out for us. The rest we manage to avoid. As we stand on the porch surrounding the town hall, I glance at the bridge the assault force should be at. I notice they have stopped advancing and are pinned down on the bridge.
"We need to get this place under control quickly," I say as we prepare to enter the town hall. Thunder and I are on one side of the double doors and Lightning is on other. I give Lightning a nod and he opens the door closest to him. Immediately after, Thunder and I charge in, with Lightning close behind.
Thunder's gun spins up in anticipation of a fight, however we find the lobby surprisingly empty. Lightning closes the door after us once we realize this. "We should check the rest of this floor," I tell them. They give a nod and follow me as I begin to check the other rooms.
Like most of the buildings in the wasteland now, the town hall shows signs of destruction. The floors are covered in dust and grime, the wallpaper is flaking off, and the furniture is in a ragged state. After checking all of the rooms on the first floor, we find it completely deserted.
"Perhaps they all went to defend?" Lightning suggests. I shake my head, however. Something just doesn't seem right.
"It could be a trap," I say. "However, trap or not, we still need to take this place over. Thunder, you'll stay here and guard the door. Stay behind the reception desk so you have some cover. I'll send Lightning down when we're done, so you know to expect Arrow's arrival."
"Right. You two, stay alive. Also..." Thunder pauses for a moment. "That fuck who killed Iron is somewhere in here. Make sure you give him an exceptionally painful death," he tells me with an angry look on his muzzle. "No one will get past me, aside from Arrow. Now go." He gets behind the reception desk and faces the door.
"Let's put an end to this, Ratchet," Lightning tells me as we head to the stairs. "And my brother is right, for once. That bastard who shot Iron is going to pay." I nod in agreement with him as we reach the stairs.
"They will, but we need to be careful. It's only the two of us from here on," I tell him. He nods in agreement as we check our ammo and begin to climb the staircase. As we do so, I can't help but realize the sudden quiet of the place. I mean, there are still gunshots and explosions happening outside, but they are muted a bit. There is also no one trying to stop us, which is pretty odd.
We reach the door to the second floor and I tell Lightning to follow my lead. I open the door and look around inside. The room appears to have been made into an office. A desk sits in the middle with a few chairs in front of it. A terminal is on the desk and a chair facing the opposite direction sits behind it.
As I continue to look around the room, I see numerous places ponies could be hiding. "Stay on your guard," I tell Lightning. He nods, eyeing the room suspiciously.
"Indeed, you should stay on your guard." A stallion's voice says suddenly. He sounds angry, yet confident. The chair behind the desk slowly turns around to reveal a black unicorn with long red mane. He has a cigarette in his mouth and a long scar that crosses his left eye.
He sets his hooves on the desk, takes a puff from his cigarette, and then taking it from his muzzle with his magic. Exhaling the smoke, he says, "You know, I've always wanted to do that whole, spinning chair reveal thing." He lets out a chuckle. "So! You Steel Rangers decided to attack us, the infamous Track Gang? You should have brought more soldiers. We have your troops stopped at our gate."
He laughs again. "And you're not even wearing any power armor!" He addresses me. "Did you rangers run out of supplies? It's no wonder you couldn't get past blowing up our gate," he says as the grin on his muzzle changes into an annoyed glare.
"Come on out boys," he says. At these words, six ponies emerge from hiding places, each of them pointing guns at us. Most are wielding assault rifles, but one has a plasma rifle. "Before you die, I suppose I should tell you my name so you know exactly who you messed with," he says as a smile returns to his face.
"I am the leader of the Track Gang, Railspike, and you are interrupting my operations. The sentence for that is death. Kill them," as he says this I tense up into SATS. I look around at the ponies around me and decide I should focus on the one using the plasma rifle.
With an 87% chance to hit at this range, I line up two shots on him and one shot on another, both of which are on my right. Lightning is on my left, and I trust him to get those closest to him. However, assuming I can hit these two and Lightning manages to take out one in that time, that still leaves three armed ponies and Railspike.
I get a random idea and decide to use it. "Hey CORA, think you can help us out here?" I ask her. "Once I exit here, shout something as loud as you can. Maybe it'll distract them enough to throw off their aim temporarily," I explain.
"What should I shout?" CORA asks as she walks around my vision looking at the ponies who ambushed us.
"I don't know, anything will work, I guess. Just shout it as loud as the volume will allow you," I tell her. She nods her head as I confirm my selections and SATS takes over my body. The shots go off and all three hit. The raider with the plasma rifle thumps to the floor and the other raider recoils from the hit and hits the wall behind him.
Almost instantly after the shot CORA shouts out, "I LIKE SCIENCE!" which actually helps to throw off the aim of the other raiders and all of their shots miss. I hear Lightning's SMG go off and hear his targets scream out before thumping to the ground.
At the same time, I turn to my next target and shoot off the rest of my shots at hitting him twice in the chest and once in the head. As the raider I shot earlier staggers to his hooves, I grab the plasma rifle from the first raider in my magic and point it at him. As I pull the trigger, I holster my revolver. When the bolt of plasma hits the raider, disintegrates into green goo.
I turn around to help Lightning, only to find him standing over two dead raiders while pulling his knife out of a third's neck. He notices me looking at him and says, "Damn, I thought for sure I'd beat you. I bet you used that cheating PipBuck of yours."
I roll my eyes as we both turn to face Railspike. "And your armor isn't cheating?" I reply back to him. He just lets out a laugh. While keeping the plasma rifle trained on Railspike, I reload my revolver. Railspike just stares us down with an angry glare.
"I suppose I must commend you for taking out my personal guards. I should have just killed you myself to begin with. No matter, I won't have to pay them now. But you're both still going to die," He says with a smirk as his horn lights up and levitates up a familiar looking gauss rifle from behind his desk.
It is the black and red, custom gauss rifle Grimoire tried to sell me before we left on our last patrol. Raptor Blood. My eyes go wide as I realize this and ask him, "Where did you get that?" Did they kill Grimoire and take his supplies? I thought we got him out of danger.
"Oh, this beauty?" He says, looking the gun over. "I bought it from our supplier, some random trader. He's been supplying us with some great weaponry, assuming we pay up the caps. But, I do believe it is time for you both to die," he says with a grin.
Lightning's SMG is out of ammo, so I float my revolver over to him. "He's the one, Lightning. That gun fires a red beam," I tell him as I do so. Lightning drops his knife and takes my revolver. "Do you really think you can take us both out, Railspike?" I ask him.
"Well, I don't really have a choice, now do I? But, as you've already seen, this gun doesn't really care about your fancy armor. It'll only take me two shots to take you both out," he declares with a smirk.
I was glad he was stalling for time, seeing as SATS had a chance to recharge. We stare each other down for a few moments before he makes his move. However, right before he manages it, a bullet flies through one of the windows and strikes his horn, knocking the gauss rifle from his magic and sending him reeling in pain.
"Son of a bitch! There was another one of you?" He growls out, clenching his horn. "Fuck, I think it's chipped," he mutters. You'll pay for that!" He starts to charge us, but Lightning quick on the trigger and puts a bullet in each of his front legs. Railspike stumbles and falls onto his muzzle.
"Hey Ratchet, I think you should go signal Arrow and tell Thunder she's coming. I'll take care of this guy," Lightning says. "I'll be borrowing your revolver for the moment." I nod to him as I make my way to the steps that lead up to the balcony. Once outside, I hear a few screams from the second floor and I wave over to Arrow.
She waves back and then begins to leave the rooftop. I head back down to the second floor and see that Lightning has shot Railspike's other two legs as well and is twisting his hoof on the bullet wounds. "I'll be sure to finish up here before you get back, Ratchet," Lightning tells me without sparing me a glance.
I continue downstairs and tell Thunder we've finished up. As I do so, I notice the five or so raider bodies that are around the doorway. "You doing ok here?" I ask him.
"Yea, I've got plenty of ammo left and they haven't even made a scratch on me yet. You get the bastard who killed Iron?" he asks.
I nod, "Yea. Lightning is up there dealing with him now. He won't be a problem." As if on cue, a scream comes from the second floor. Thunder noticeably tense from this.
"Lightning, eh?" He says in an odd voice. "Yea, that will be...fine." I'm about to ask him what he means when Arrow enters through the doors. Thunder's gun spins up momentarily before he recognises her.
Arrow waves at me before she begins walking over towards the stairs. "Alright, hang tight Thunder, we'll turn the tide of the fight and be done here soon," I tell him. He nods as I follow Arrow up the stairs.
When we reach the second floor, I see Lightning sitting behind the desk using the terminal. I notice his knife, which is covered in blood, is stabbed into the desk as well. He notices us and looks up from the terminal. "Railspike wasn't lying. He kept records of his trades with Grimoire. I never thought he'd trade with raiders..." Lightning trails off.
"Nether did I," I respond. "But, we can deal with that issue later. For now, we need to provide support for the assault force. Let's get to the balcony," I tell them. They both nod as Lightning picks up his knife, wipes it on one of the dead raider's barding, and puts it away. He then tosses me my revolver. I catch it in my magic and put it in my holster.
As we head for the stairs, I see Railspike's body behind the desk. He is in a pool of his own blood and covered with knife wounds, including a stab wound in his unscarred eye. Most of the blood seems to have come from a single cut across his neck however. I can feel myself getting nauseous just looking at this corpse.
I barely manage to keep from vomiting as I say, "You didn't have to go so far, Lightning." Is this what Thunder meant when he said it would be fine? Lightning stops for a moment as he turns to me.
"He killed Iron, he deserved worse than I gave him. Let's finish this and give Iron a proper send off," he says with both anger and sorrow evident in his voice. I nod as we continue up the stairs and out onto the balcony.
Not much changed since I was up here last time. The rangers are still pinned down on the bridge and the raiders are taking shots at them from behind cover. Lucky for us, their backs are exposed to us now. "Alright, spread out and take them down. Thunder will stop any who try to come up to us. Watch out for returning shots," I tell them.
"Right," Lighting says as he and Arrow walk in opposite directions along the balcony. Once we are all in place, I aim my revolver and take the first shot. From this distance, however, I don't hit anyone. Arrow and Lightning open up and take out two raiders immediately. Arrow ejects the round from her rifle and readies her next shot as I try to aim more carefully.
This time, I shoot off three rounds and manage to hit the raider I'm aiming for. She doesn't go down, but stops firing at the rangers. Arrow, Lightning and I continue to take out a few raiders before they realize what's happening.
A few of them turn and head into the town hall, which is quickly followed by the sound of Thunder's minigun and the screams and curses of a number of raiders. Once the rest of the raiders hear this, more start looking up for us. They notice we aren't part of their gang and begin to open fire.
Numerous shots fly past my head and I can see Lightning and Arrow duck down for a moment as well. Once the volley of shots subsides, I poke my head back up and fire off a few rounds, before my gun is empty and I have to reload.
I poke my head up again and slip into SATS and line up a few shots that have the highest chances, only 43%. A thought occurs to me and I share it with CORA. "Hey CORA, when I exit SATS and regain control of my body, I'm going to cast a sound amplification spell on the PipBuck. When I do so, address the raiders and tell them their leader is dead. Let's see if we can demoralize them."
CORA nods in agreement as I exit SATS and take the shots, which miss. I then immediately cast the spell and CORA yells, "Attention Track Gang! This is Scribe Crusader Ratchet of the Steel Rangers. We have captured the town hall and your leader, Railspike lies dead. Victory will be ours!"
I stop the spell as she finishes up. "Nicely done. But, I know you sound like me and all, but did you have to use my name?" I ask her. She just laughs and sticks her tongue out at me. I roll my eyes and continue shooting at the raiders on the ground.
After a few minutes, the tide of the battle doesn't change and the rangers are still pinned down. Suddenly, a familiar voice yells out, "This is taking too long! Get up there and kill them all! Spill their blood and leave none alive!" I cringe as I recognize the voice as Senior Paladin Twinkle's.
I'm actually impressed I can hear her over the gunfire. She continues on, "Fine! Paladin Flora, Paladin Glint, give me your fucking guns!" I can't hear the Paladins' reply, but Twinkle says, "Just put them on my back and take mine! You two not doing anything with it! Hurry up!" A few moments pass before I hear her voice again.
"Finally! Now then, if you all don't want me to haunt you, move up and cover me!" She yells at the other rangers. "For Eberron! May he feast on many souls this day!" From the balcony, I can see a single ranger running from the bridge directly towards the raiders. All the while I can hear Senior Paladin Twinkle's maniacal laughter.
The ranger I assume is Senior Paladin Twinkle stops halfway between the bridge and the closest raiders and turns her body to one side. As she got closer, I manage to make out her newly acquired guns. She has two dual minigun battlesaddles on her back and both their bits in her mouth.
"She's crazy..." I mutter out. As I do so, she bites down on the bits and the four miniguns spin to life and let loose their firepower against the raiders and their cover. As the guns fire, Senior Paladin Twinkle slowly turns to face the other way, sweeping the guns across the raiders' defensive lines.
The raiders firing at her suddenly stop and the battlefield quiets down for a moment once her guns spin down. She looks around for a moment before she yells, "If you're trying to surrender, don't bother! I can't hear you with this ringing in my ears! Not that I'd let you surrender even if I could..." She lets out a laugh as the rest of the rangers move up to where the first line of raiders were.
Most of the raiders in the first line of barricades are now dead, a few try to crawl away, but the rangers that reach them put an end to their misery. "My name is Senior Paladin Twinkle of the Steel Rangers! When Eberron comes for your pathetic souls, tell him that I sent you!" The rangers take cover behind their new cover as the raiders begin to return fire.
On the balcony, we continue to fire down at the remaining raiders. Quite a few of them have stopped fighting completely and are instead in the fetal position. I can't bring myself to shoot them, so I only aim at the ones that are still shooting. I'm about to take a shot when I see a rocket flying towards the town hall.
I turn my focus to it and see it heading straight between Lightning and me. He notices it too, and we both scramble to run away from the coming explosion. The rocket strikes the balcony, which tears in half and begins to collapse.
Looking back at the destruction behind me, I see the collapsing balcony dropping off closer and closer to me. I turn back towards Arrow's direction and gallop as fast as I can, but I suddenly feel the wood beneath my hooves give way. "Oh fuck, Oh Fuck, OH FUCK!" I call out as I grab onto one of the rungs on the railing.
I begin dropping down towards the ground as Arrow reaching out to me when the balcony stops falling and leaves me hanging off the end of it. Hanging on for dear life, Arrow sets her rifle against the railing and wraps her right hoof around a rung further up from me.
She then stretches her left hoof down towards me. "Grab on, Ratchet," she says with only the slightest hint of worry in her voice. I make sure I have a good hold on the rung I'm clinging to before I reach out my right hoof to her. We are just barely touch, but it isn't enough to get a good grip. Arrow stretches further and I try to swing towards her waiting hoof.
We manage to link our hooves, but as we do so a few bullets strike the wood next to us, sending splinters of wood into us and causing our grips to loosen. Instantly, we are both sliding down the floor of the balcony trying to make a grab for any rung we can.
Hoofbeats from further along the balcony near us in a matter of seconds and Lightning dives and grabs Arrow's right hoof in his as his legs catch the rungs of the balcony. Our sliding stops as most of my body hangs off the jagged edge. I can feel the splinters of wood digging into my stomach and chest as I swing back and forth.
Slowly, Lightning starts to pull us up till Arrow can stand on her own. Then Lightning takes my hooves in his and helps to pull me the rest of the way. Once we all make it back onto solid ground, we fall against the wall, panting. "T...Thank...you," I manage to tell them.
Arrow nods as she gets up and grabs her rifle in her magic again. "Don't...mention it," Lightning says. "I'm just...glad I got...there in...time." Arrow's rifle goes off and she ejects the round.
"We should get back...to it," I say as I get my breathing under control. I'm still shaking a bit from the experience, but we have a job we need to do. It shouldn't be too long now since the rangers managed to move up. I get to my hooves and join Arrow at the railing. Lightning joins us moments later.
In the time we spent staying alive, the rangers have managed to push up the line considerably. Raider corpses are strewn about behind the advancing ranger line. The three of us continue to shoot down at the remaining raiders and dodge their return fire until we can no longer see the ones under us.
We walk around the remaining balcony and make sure no raiders are trying to make a run for it. In the distance, I see a raider running towards the northern gate. Seconds later, Arrow takes them out. "Ok, you two stay up here and watch the plaza exits. I'm going to check on Thunder and the status below us," I tell them.
The gunfire has tapered off for the most part and now only a few shots can be heard every now and then. I quickly make my way to Thunder on the first floor and see a pile of spent 5 mm cartridges on the ground next to him. His armor is covered in scratches, dings, and has a few holes. A small pile of blood is under him.
"Thunder!" I call out as I approach him. "Are you alright? You're bleeding!" I ask him worriedly. He doesn't shift his gaze from the door as I speak.
"I'm fine," he says. "Just small wound in the shoulder and a few scrapes on my sides. Cleaning my armor is going to be a pain though. I am running low on ammo though," he informs me.
It is only when he says this that I look at the doorway. At least fifteen dead raiders surround the entrance and the walls are covered in blood and bullet holes. The door itself is hanging by one hinge and is perpurated with bullet holes.
While I inspect Thunder's handiwork, the door opens and chooses that moment to break off the hinge and fall to the floor. Standing in doorway is Senior Paladin Twinkle, still carrying around the two minigun saddles. A single gunshot punctuates her entry.
"Good work, the raiders in the plaza are all dead. Eberron has been appeased. The assault group will clear the rest of the surrounding houses," Senior Paladin Twinkle says. She looks around and says, "Where is Crusader Iron? Is he still topside?"
Thunder falls to his haunches and lets out a barely audible curse. I bite my lip and look down at the floor. "He...he fell in combat," I tell her sadly. Upon uttering these words, she stomps up to me and looks me directly in the eyes.
"Show me," she says with a hint of hesitation in her voice. I look between her and Thunder for a few times as I think.
"Ma'am, Thunder is injured. And we should probably tell Arrow and Lightning they can come down now. I think-" I begin to say but she interrupts me with a stomp of her hoof.
"Now!" She says weakly despite her volume. I hesitate for a moment, but lead her outside and towards Iron's body. As we walk, she calls out, "Paladin Glint! Get the medics to see to Knight Thunder in the town hall."
We reach Iron's body and she glares at it for a long moment. "Which of them did this?" She asks. "You killed them, correct? Because if they are still alive...not even Eberron himself can stop me from extracting my vengeance on them," she says as anger grows in her voice.
"Their leader, Railspike got him with a gauss rifle. Lightning killed him. I saw his corpse...It wasn't pretty," I inform her as we both stare at Iron's body.
"Good," she says as her anger seems to fade slightly. "Where is Iron's head?" She asks me.
"There's...nothing left of it," I tell her. She tenses up for a moment, but then stomps her hoof before rearing up and shaking the minigun saddles off her back.
Wordlessly, she approaches Iron's body and begins to put him on her back. I attempt to use my magic to help, but she says, "No! I'll do this myself." I let my magic fade and watch as she gets his body onto her back. "Those miniguns were heavy," she says sadly, "but this burden feels so much heavier."
She turns to walk back towards the bridge, but I speak up, "Senior Paladin Twinkle, we found some captives. Can I set them free?" She stops and I can see her legs quiver for a moment.
"Yes. Get your squad and do so," she tells me. Her voice is barely audible, and I think I can almost hear her crying. She continues towards the bridge as I follow behind her silently to meet up with the others.
After regrouping with Arrow and Lightning, we return to the room the captives are in. Thunder stayed with the medics to patch him up and the other rangers have started piling up the dead raiders. We quickly set about freeing the captives, who are more than thankful to be out of the cages.
Arrow and Lightning tend to the buck, his foal, and the two other mares, while I help the mare I saw get captured long ago. Compared to the others, she is in poor shape. Her front right leg has been broken and a harness has been put on it.
"Miss, are you able to stand?" I ask her. She nods slightly as she struggles to get to her hooves, keeping her broken leg elevated.
"I...I think so," she tells me as she hobbles out of the cage. As she does so, she stumbles on the lip of the entrance. Right before she falls, I catch her and put her good leg around my shoulders. "Thanks," she says with a hint of guilt in her voice.
"Think nothing of it. My name is Ratchet, by the way. We'll have our medics look you, and everyone else over," I tell her as we all begin to leave the room. The other captives are able to walk on their own, so Arrow and Lightning just stick close to them.
"My name is Rose. I don't think I can ever thank you enough, Ratchet. I had given up hope of ever escaping here," she says as she looks at Arrow and Lightning. "But, you're all Steel Rangers, aren't you? I didn't think they helped others?" She asks.
I frown as I say, "I'm actually new to their ranks. From what I understand, a lot of other Steel Rangers have become corrupted. Our group, however, still holds true to the original values of the rangers. You're safe now." She smiles, looking relieved.
As our group continues out and across the plaza, CORA suddenly speaks up as we near the town hall again. "Hey Ratchet, Lightning said that the terminal up there was working, right?" She says. "It might be possible that we can download the rest of the updates for your PipBuck from it!" She announces excitedly.
"What? Really?" I ask curiously. "Stable 36 was cut off from the outside, but you think that random terminal would have the updates?" She nods her head vigorously.
"It is the town hall, so if it is the mayor's terminal it would make sense it would be connected to the update servers. It is worth a try, at the least," she tells me. I think for a moment as we are passing the building.
"Lightning," I say quickly, "would you mind helping Rose? I'm going to look at the terminal in the town hall quick." Lightning stops walking towards the bridge and turns towards me.
"Not a problem," he says as he trots over to us and takes Rose from my shoulders. "I've got you miss," he says as he settles her on his shoulders.
"Thank you," I tell him. "You two see that they reach the medics, alright? I'll catch up with you in a bit." Lightning and Arrow nod to me before they continue on with the group. As they begin to walk off, I gallop into the town hall and quickly climb to the second floor.
Once I'm at the terminal, I use my PipBuck's cable to hook into the computer. "Ok, now what CORA?" I ask her. There are various options on the terminal, but nothing that looks like what I need.
"It seems Railspike changed a lot of things on this terminal. But, I should be able to find the update server. I'll also download the entries Railspike made, so we can show it to the Elder when we get back," she announces. Her face disappears from my vision and appears on the terminal.
"Ok, let me see..." she says as she moves around on the terminal screen. "Here maybe? No...maybe here?" As she goes around, a message flashes on my screen that says 'Download Complete'. "Ah, good!" she says, "his files are all downloaded. Now then..." She trails off with a look of determination on her face.
After a few moments she exclaims, "Eureka!" A new message appears on my PipBuck that says 'Update In Progress'. CORA then disappears from the terminal and reappears in my vision. "I found the update servers!" She tells me, "It should only take a few minutes to finish."
A few minutes go by with CORA's eyes moving like she is reading something before a new message flashes into my vision. 'COMPATIBILITY ERROR, UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO SERVERS DETECTED.' CORA's eyes go wide as she begins looking around wildly.
"Oh no, this isn't good," she says. "Is it because it's a custom model? No...then why...Oh no..." she trails off as a new message appears in my vision. 'TROJAN DETECTED.' CORA looks around wildly as she says, "The terminal had a trojan type virus on it. When we connected to the terminal, it jumped over to us."
"Hold on Ratchet, let me see if I can contain it," she says as her face disappears. My PipBuck screen is filled with status bars, error codes, and lines of information. A few moments later, CORA reappears. "Ratchet, this is going to be tricky. It will take a while, but I might-" she's cut off as her face again disappears from vision.
A moment later, she reappears screaming, "NO! GET OUT OF ME!" Her face is contorted into a look of terror and pain. "STOP IT!" She shouts. Once again, her face disappears, however this time it is replaced by a black skull that appears to be laughing.
As quickly as it appears, it is gone. A moment later, my PipBuck shuts down completely. I frantically try to turn it back on. "CORA! CORA are you alright?" I yell. With the power refusing to turn back on, I rip the cord from the terminal and begin pressing all of the buttons on the PipBuck.
"Come on CORA, speak to me! Don't let this virus win! CORA! CORA!" I shout at the PipBuck. However, no matter what I say or do nothing happens and the PipBuck remains dark and lifeless. Falling to my haunches and staring blankly at the empty screen I mutter out, "CORA...you can't be gone...not you too..."
===~+~===
Level Up!
+2 Energy Weapons
+12 Small Guns
+4 Speech
New Perk:
--Educated: 2 extra skill points per level
Quest Completed: "Prisoner Rescue" |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 7 - Scavenge | Chapter 7 - Scavenge
"Sometimes all that you can do is attempt to scavenge what you have left."
===~+~===
"Rangers! We stand here in honor of our fallen brother, Crusader Iron! Iron was an honorable buck who put others before himself. You have all heard the stories and some of you have even had the privilege to see him in action. If everypony in the wastes were as selfless as Iron, it would be a better place and maybe we wouldn't need to go into battle," Elder Archimedes addresses every ranger from Stable 36.
We are all gathered outside the back of the farmhouse around a freshly dug grave. Three older graves lay beside it. Every ranger is clad in their armor and robes, standing at attention as we listen to the Elder talk. I can only watch blankly as he talks.
When we returned from Ponyville yesterday, Iron's body was cleaned and prepared for this funeral. After the debriefing I had taken refuge on my cot, soaking it with my tears and regrets. I kept thinking about how this was somehow my fault and the moment of his death ran through my mind over and over again.
I had been inconsolable up until the funeral when Arrow came to get me. CORA and my PipBuck had also remained silent, and this only added to my despair. However, by the time Iron's funeral came around, I had no more tears to shed and could only look on sadly.
"The raiders of the Track Gang are no more and their hostages have been rescued," the Elder continues, "This accomplishment is thanks in no small part to Crusader Iron. A lot of us grew up with Iron, and he will not soon be forgotten. We will tell tales of him for generations to come. Keeping him in your memories, let us observe a moment of silence for our fallen brother."
The rangers bow their heads as silence follow the Elder's words. After a few moments pass the Elder speaks up again, "Alright rangers, at ease." The rangers relax a bit as the Elder continues, "I think we should hear from Scribe Crusader Ratchet before we end Iron's service. We have all known Iron for a long time, but she had only met him. Ratchet, if you would?"
Caught off guard, I hesitantly take a step forward as Elder Archimedes motions me up. After I take a place beside him, he nods his head for me to begin. I think for a moment and swallow the lump in my throat as I look out at the rangers before me.
"I didn't know Crusader Iron for very long," I begin. "However, in that small time I learned what kind of pony he was. He stood up for what he believed and tried to carry everything on his shoulders. The night before the battle, Iron told me about his exploits, about how he earned his scars. Everything from the very first battle once the Stable opened," I pause for a moment to collect myself.
"Elder Archimedes said that if everyone was like Iron, the wasteland would be a better place. However, we shouldn't try to be like Iron." As I say this, I notice a lot of the rangers glaring at me. I take a breath and continue, "He wouldn't want us to be like him. He told me about the things he has seen and done, and after getting to know him, I know he wouldn't wish those things on anyone."
I shake my head. "We shouldn't try to be like him, but aim to be better than him. Iron tried to carry all of our lives on his shoulders. But each of us should help to carry that burden and protect each other like Iron protected all of us. He never thought of himself as a hero, but simply as somepony doing what was right. But to me, he is a hero."
I can't think of anything else to say so I look to the Elder, who nods and begins clapping his hooves together. The other rangers quickly follow in clapping until he motions for them to stop and addresses them once again.
"Rangers, Ratchet's words could not have been any truer. In her short time with us, she had truly become one of us. This concludes Iron's funeral service. Take the next few days to remember him however you wish. Guards will still need to be posted, however," Elder Archimedes announces.
As he finishes up, and the rangers start to leave, something wet hits my nose. I recoil for a moment before I look up. Snow has started to fall. I look at it mournfully until I notice the Elder step up beside me.
"The heavens themselves are remembering Iron," he says. "When you are ready, come by my room. No hurry," he tells me as he pats me on the shoulder. I don't move my gaze from the falling snow even as he beings to walk away.
===~+~===
"Ah! Ratchet, good. I think it is time we talk," Elder Archimedes says as soon as I step inside. He motions towards the couches as he sits on one of them. I walk over and sit across from him.
"Do you remember our talk about trust a while ago?" He asks me. I nod in response. "Good. I wanted to say that I think I trust. It isn't just from watching you and hearing about how you carried yourself in the field, either. I just have to ask you one thing. What did Iron tell you about our first battle?"
I raise an eyebrow and say, "He told me a lot. About finding the raiders, about losing control of the situation, and about Lily taking over for us. He also mentioned the three rangers and died in the fight. He said that is why he always risked himself for others."
Elder Archimedes nods as I finish telling him. "Very good. Iron wouldn't have told you about that if he didn't trust you. Not many know about it." I raise my hoof to object since Iron was drunk at the time, but the Elder waves his hoof dismissively. "I know what you're thinking. And even drunk, Iron would never have told anyone unless he trusted them."
"However, now that you have gained my trust there is the question of if I have yours. I would like to think that I have, and moving forward I would like for us to trust each other," Elder Archimedes explains.
"Elder," I tell him, "you haven't done anything that would lead me to distrust you. In fact, you have been quite helpful and more than accommodating. To show that I trust you, I will tell you about my past and why I look so young."
I take a breath before going on. "I lived before the Megaspells fell and used to work for the Ministry of Arcane Sciences. I was working on a system to preserve ponies who would later be brought back when they were needed using cryogenics. On the day of our first test, I climbed into the chamber. When I woke up, the Megaspells had fallen and my lab was in a poor state."
"That is why I want to borrow you're mining equipment to clear the tunnels of my lab and begin restoring it. If nothing else, I might find something that can still be of use to the ponies of the wasteland," I explain.
"Oh," The Elder says with an odd lack of surprise, "looks like Arrow won the bet. My caps were on genetic modification." he lets out a chuckle as he says this.
I recall Iron's words regarding a bet on how I looked so young. "Seriously?" I exclaim. "Even you took a stake in the bet? Just how many others were betting on this?" I ask him, astonished.
"Oh you know, it became a running thing throughout the ranks. Kept other things off their minds, you know? But, now that we trust each other, let's get to a bit of business, shall we?" Elder Archimedes asks rhetorically. "So. The hostages from Ponyville have all left, aside from Rose. Her leg was fairly mangled, as you know. While we did what we could, it will take her some time until she recovers enough to leave."
"About that, Elder," I speak up. "When she does recover, I would like to escort her to her next destination. It would give me a good reason to see the rest of what Equestria has become. I also want to make sure she gets there safely," I tell him.
"Indeed..." The Elder thinks for a moment then says, "Very well. I will let you know when she has recovered. Now, on to another subject. I do not currently have anyone qualified to take Iron's place as a Crusader. As such, Lynx Squad will be broken up and set to work under other Crusaders." He pauses for a moment before continuing.
"However, I would like them to stick together as they work well together. That leaves me with one option, and that is to put them under your command," Elder Archimedes says. "Now, before you answer, I know you don't have much experience leading soldiers. So it is entirely up to you. I won't force you into any battles," he tells me.
His offer renders me speechless for a few moments before I manage to say, "But wouldn't having three of your soldiers out of the fight be detrimental? I mean, what if you face another large, well armed force? You are already short on combatants as it is."
He nods, acknowledging my concerns. "To be honest Ratchet, for many of those born in this Stable, they have no idea what the outside world contains. Most long range scouting is done by older, more trained rangers. Very few of the young ones have gone further than Ponyville," Elder Archimedes explains.
"I'm willing to let these three young ones leave, under your command so that all of you can attain a mutually beneficial growth. They will learn of the wasteland and you will learn to lead. I fear for the future of our contingent if our future generations know nothing about the vast expanses of Equestria," he says with a sigh.
"With so many already established squads, getting new fighters experience is a challenge I have been pondering for a few months now. I plan to begin mixing up the squads, but I think in you particular case I would prefer to keep Lynx Squad together," Elder Archimedes tells me. "So, what do you say?"
"What would I do? Just lead them around aimlessly?" I ask him. To be honest, I would like to have some company since CORA has appeared to have....Regardless, help is always good. However, after losing Iron and CORA, I'm not sure I can handle losing anyone else.
"You have the same freedoms of a Star Paladin. What you do is entirely up to you. I'm sure you had some other plans if you didn't find us. If nothing else, go see other cities, meet the inhabitants of the wasteland, and help out where you can," he says with a smile. "We are Steel Rangers, after all, helping Equestria's citizens is what we do."
I think about what he has said and about my feelings on the matter. After weighing the pros and cons I decide, "Ok. I'll lead Lynx Squad. For our first mission, we will begin to fix up my lab. Our second mission will begin when you contact us after Rose has recovered, we will escort her to her destination." As I explain my plan to him, I begin to gain confidence in my choice.
"Very good!" He says with a wide grin, taking on his more cheerful tone he usually has. "Now then, I expect you will be heading out to your lab tomorrow, correct? Oh yes, speaking of, where is it located?" He asks, floating over a map as he does so. He unfurls it on the table between us.
I look over the map for a moment before pointing to a place just west of Canterlot. "Right here," I say, placing my hoof on the map. "The entrance to it is under a steel shack along the road. There are a few run down buildings around it as well. You'll know you found it if you see the graves beside the shack," I tell him.
"Graves?" Elder Archimedes asks as he makes a mark on the map where I indicated.
"When I woke up, CORA told me a few of my lab members tried to leave the Stable before the radiation went down. They died right outside one of the bulkheads. I buried their remains before I left," I explain sadly, recalling the task.
"I see," He says as he puts the map away. "Well, you aren't too far from us. You will definitely be in radio range. We will definitely equip you with one, perhaps two, since they can sometimes be buggy. In addition to your honorary armor," the Elder says with a slight sadness in his voice.
"Wait, what armor? I told you I didn't want any before," I remind him. More specifically, I didn't want to take something they could use better without giving them something in return.
"I know," he says with a sigh. "However, I'm talking about Iron's armor. It has been patched up, and I know he would want you to have it, especially as the new leader of Lynx Squad. Though, we will need a new..." he pauses for a moment before saying, "helmet. And, your squad will be the first to get their armor marked."
"What do you mean marked?" I ask him.
"I thought that when I get the new squads worked out, branding the armors with their squad insignias would help build a sense of comradery. Lynx Squad's armor will bear the print of a Lynx paw. These insignia will also help us stand out from the...other...Steel Rangers," He says with a hint of malice in his voice.
I sigh before replying, "If it is Iron's armor, I'll accept it. However, I might not wear it all the time and I'll probably make various upgrades to it. Especially to integrate it with my," I look sadly at my PipBuck as I continue, "Pipbuck..."
Elder Archimedes sighs, "It still hasn't turned back on, has it? I'd offer our help in looking at it, but I think that you have more experience with PipBucks than anyone here. You said that CORA is based off your own personality, right? If that is the case, don't rule her out just yet."
I nod in agreement with his words. "Right. If anyone can fight the virus, it's her. I tried looking at the coding when I got back, but it was a complete mess and unreadable. I made sure to isolate the terminal I used, by the way," I tell him.
He gives me a smile as he says, "Of course. Now then, rest up. Today I will prepare your squad's armor, radios, and the mining equipment you want to barrow. Come morning, you can set off for your lab. I suppose I should also notify your squad about your leadership, as well." Elder Archimedes lets out a long sigh. "Back to work, I suppose."
He gets up from the couch and motions for me to follow him to the door. Standing next to it, he nods for me to leave. Once I exit the room, he calls after me as I walk down the hallway, "Ratchet, we will fight in Iron's memory, like the others who fell before him. Equestria will become peaceful again."
===~+~===
The following morning, Lynx Squad gathers its gear and meets up at the entrance. I begrudgingly wear the Power Armor, minus the leg armor that my PipBuck is on. Sure, I could have just taken the PipBuck off, but doing so feels...odd now. I also keep the helmet off and in my bag, since I'm not that use to wearing it yet. Having something covering my horn just feels wrong to me.
Thunder has all of his equipment, in addition to the mining drill the Elder is lending us. Lightning is carrying our radios and a portion of the equipment the Elder says all scouting parties get. Bedrolls, a supply of food, and a map. What Lightning isn't carrying, Arrow and I split up between ourselves.
As we are about to set out, Elder Archimedes calls out to us. "One more thing, Ratchet," He says as I turn back to look at him, barely catching Raptor Blood in my magic before it hit me in the muzzle. "I don't want this here. I know you're not good with larger weapons yet, so destroy it, use it, sell it, do with it what you will. I just do not want it in my Stable any longer," he tells me.
"Thank you," I reply, "I'll figure something out for it. Just remember Elder, radio us when Rose is healed and ready to set out. We'll come and escort her home." The Elder smiles at me as he raises a hoof to wave us goodbye.
"Of course. The instant she is ready, you'll know," The Elder says with a chuckle. "Well, don't let me keep you, we'll see you soon." I give him a nod before turning and leading everyone else out of the basement.
After we get a good distance from the house I speak up, "The walk won't be too long, my lab is only about an hour southeast of here. I'm pretty sure I can find it without my PipBuck's marker."
"Pretty sure?" Thunder says with a groan. "In other words, we are going to be wandering around between here and Canterlot till we stumble upon it, right?" He asks letting out a sigh.
"No," I tell him, rolling my eyes. "It is along a road and should be hard to miss in the daylight." As I say this I realize that the snow that fell during Iron's funeral is nowhere to be seen. It was a bit early in the year for snowfall, usually we have about a month before the first snowfall. At least, in the old world we did.
"Say what you will, Ratchet," Thunder retorts, "but you aren't the one carrying the heavy ass drill." He groans again as he shifts the weight of the drill.
Lightning snarks back at him, "Oh please, you are the one who volunteered to carry it. Claiming you were the strongest out of all of us and such. And Scribe Crusader Ratchet is our leader now, you should address her as such.
I shake my head, "No, please. Ratchet is just fine, no need for formalities. I'm your leader, but also your friend, right? There is no need to be so strict." Iron hadn't used titles and I wasn't really much for them myself, even my old lab assistants just called me Ratchet.
"...Ratchet..." I barely hear Arrow mutter. It makes me smile for some reason.
"Anyhow, I've never broken a bone. How long do you think Rose will take to heal?" I ask them. While want her to get better fast, I also want to see if I can get my lab working.
"Well, her leg was in pretty bad shape. The raiders cared for it poorly. There is only so much we can do with the medical technology left, and we refuse to use drugs like hydra which can have negative effects if used frequently," Lightning says rather matter-of-factly.
"Honestly, I'd say we have around two weeks for her leg to heal and then another week or so until she can use it properly," he continues. "So we can expect just less than a month to get your lab working."
Thunder groans and says, "Why do you even want to fix it? Didn't you say it was just a pre-apocalypse experiment? Seems our time might be better used elsewhere."
"Well," I reply, "with the whole apocalypse happening, it is really the only place I can call home now. The rangers have been friendly to me, but Stable 36 feels unfamiliar to me. Also, some of my worker's bodies are still trapped behind the rubble. I owe them a proper burial at the least."
As I tell them this, another thought occurs to me. "Besides, my lab has a generator that can provide a lot of power for a long time. It also has facilities to create new things, assuming its stock of materials hasn't been destroyed," I tell them.
"Fair enough," Thunder says. "At least you aren't going to use it to escape into like the other rangers." The malice in his voice when mentioning the other rangers is very obvious.
"Of course I wouldn't hide in my lab. I want to help the wasteland, not-" I stop mid sentence as I hear a faint sound. It sounded like a voice. Coming to a stop, I perk my ears up and listen for a few moments.
"...chet..." I hear it again. It started out barely audible but louder as if it had gotten closer. I look around for the source of the voice, but find nothing.
"Ra-a-a-atche-e-e-et, I-I-I..." The voice says again. It has an almost synthetic sound to it and appears to be glitching up. A sudden realization strikes me as I bring my PipBuck up to my face. Its screen is flickering between off and the normal icy blue it displays.
"CORA?!" I almost shout into the PipBuck. "That's you, right? Are you ok?" I frantically press at a few buttons trying to get the PipBuck to stay on like normal. After a moment, the display flashing blue and stays lit up.
"Ratch-ch-chet-t-t..." a loud static pop follows what I hope is CORA's voice and my PipBuck goes quiet for a few panic filled moments. However the voice comes out again after a while, sounding less synthetic and without any glitches. "Ratchet! I'm back!" CORA shouts triumphantly.
"CORA!" I shout gleefully back at her. "I thought you were gone! What happened? Are you ok now?" I ask her.
"I'm alright!" She declares. "But, i can't say the same about your PipBuck's functions," she tells me with a hint of guilt in her voice. "Unfortunately, I couldn't save all of its functions from the virus," she says.
I shake my head. "That's fine, CORA. All that matters is that you are alright. We are heading back to the lab, right now. Why don't you tell us about what happened while we walk?" I ask her.
"Sure! You see, when the virus attacked, it put me on the defensive. It began corrupting systems and began attempting to assault my coding. It was at that moment I began screaming out and ultimately shut down the PipBuck systems in an attempt to isolate it from me," she states.
We continue walking and after a short time my vision suddenly flashing a blinding white. "Ah! What the hell was that?" I yell. But the others don't seem to be acting like anything is wrong. "Wait a moment...was that..." I begin to ask, but CORA jumps in with an answer.
"That's correct! I booted up your HUD. But, like I said, when the virus attacked, it corrupted a lot of the remaining systems. You'll notice the only thing you see in your vision now is the EFS compass and me," CORA tells me with a wave of her hoof.
"The inventory management system was beyond recovery, so it cannot list your ammo anymore. Also, the EFS will no longer display any living entities. It has become an ordinary compass," she adds.
"Anyhow, once I was able to begin fighting the virus, I set up a firewall around myself and then attempted to contain the other systems as well. It hadn't focused on one specific system, but spread out the damage among most of them. By the time I got to the EFS and the Data Storage systems, much of the code had already been corrupted," she says with a scowl on her face.
"I destroyed the corrupted code I couldn't salvage and then firewalled what remained. Most of the files we got from Railspike's terminal were lost. I prioritized the proof of his dealings with Grimoire, however. Additionally, I saved the systems that light up the PipBuck so you can see better and that held your map data, so it should still be functioning about the same as it was before," she says as she nods her head.
"When I managed to firewall everything that was left, I trapped the virus where it currently was, the SATS coding. I blocked it off and completely purged that section of coding from the system. I've been trying to restore the remaining functions since then," CORA tells me as she yawns.
"I'll summarize your remaining systems, then i'm going to sleep. Well, the AP equivalent of sleep anyhow. You currently have the Compass, Light, Data Storage, Radio, and myself! Everything else has been corrupted, purged, or destroyed. Anyhow, I'm going to sleep now. I'll see you all later!" She declares and then her face disappears from my vision.
"Well, that was interesting. But I'm glad she's safe," I say with a smile. CORA still being here makes me feel a lot better than before. This is also the first time she has mentioned sleeping though. I wonder if that's what she was doing all those times when she was oddly quiet.
"Yea..how much further?" Thunder asks for what feels like the hundredth time. He groans and shifts the drill on his back.
"Actually..." I pull up the PipBuck's map and take a look. "It should be just over this hill," I tell him. After a few moments we make it up the hill we were climbing and look down at the road that runs to Canterlot and goes past the shed my lab's entrance is hidden in.
"It's right there," I tell them as I point of hoof at the shed. They begin walking past me as my hoof is sticking out. I however am stuck standing there looking over the three structures in front of me.
The shed I came out of, the house I found that family in, and the house that nearly collapsed on top of me. It seems like forever ago and compared to how I was back then, I'm almost like a different person. I hadn't used a gun before, but now I've killed ponies. I've seen ponies die in front of me.
I shake my head to clear my thoughts and catch up with the others. "I hope it looks better on the inside," Thunder remarks.
Lightning rolls his eyes, "It is a lab, brother, of course it will look better inside. The outside is just to make it look inconspicuous."
"Actually, the inside is kind of a mess right now. A few decades of dust, a hallway collapse, and my associates made a bit of a mess before they died. But, it won't take much to clean it up," I tell them.
We reach the shed and I open the hidden hatch in the floor. As we climb down, they turn on their head lamps and illuminate the pitch black tunnel. "Holy fuck, it really is like a Stable down here. And that bulkhead, for Luna's sake, it's been blown off it' hinges," Thunder remarks.
"Yea, that was the Rangers that tried to leave the lab before the radiation went down. They made it to the next door, but died there," I tell him. We continue past the broken bulkhead and begin walking down the longer part of the tunnel. As we near the next one, Lightning speaks up.
"That armor over there, that's ranger armor. They are the part of your staff, right?" Lightning asks.
"Yea, it is just armor now though. I buried their remains in the graves outside the shed," I answer. Compared to the last time I was in here with only my PipBuck to light it up, I don't feel the strange terror and unease I felt while alone.
As we get closer to them I say, "Once we drop off our gear, we should really collect the armor and bring it in with us. I didn't have time to look it over when I left, but it might have something useful."
Thunder nods but says, "That's if we can even get in. These doors are powered, aren't they? We going to blow it like the previous door?"
"Actually," I speak up to stop Thunder from shooting the door. "I think there is a mechanical release on the panel," I say as I walk up to the control panel. "I just have to input the code for it...and..." I magically put in the code and hit the release button. As I do so, a loud hiss emits from the door.
"Ok, let's push it open," I tell them as I walk up to the bulkhead and brace myself to push it open. The others take their places against the door and we begin to push it open. For a few moments, the door doesn't move, but after few tries it begins to push back into the hallway.
Once we get it as far back as it will go, we begin rolling it into the slot in the wall. We push it just far enough of the way to get through it. "Celestia those doors are heavy," Thunder pants. "I mean, I knew they were but geez. Thank Luna for power armor. That would have been impossible otherwise."
"This is one of the few times we agree on something," Lightning says, panting as well. "Now then let's unload...our...gear..." He trails off as he walks through the gap we made and gets into the next part of the hallway. "There is another bulkhead!? Are you kidding me!" He shouts.
With no small amount of complaining about the architect's decision to put in so many bulkheads, we repeat the process on this one as well. Once we get this one however, we all collapse onto the floor gasping for breath.
"I'm really glad...I have you all...with me..." I tell them between breaths. After a few moments of recuperating, we pick ourselves up and continue into my lab. As we wind through the halls, nothing has really changed since I left. Which is probably a good thing.
Soon, we reach the clinic and unload our gear. "Thank Luna..." Thunder says as he sets the drill on the ground. "That fucker was heavy."
"We know," Lightning replies snarkily, "you told us that countless times." Thunder shoots him a glare as he chuckles.
"Ok everypony, this will be our home for a while. Pick a cot and take a breather. I hope you don't mind the dark, since we don't have any power for lights yet. When we are all rested up, we can bring in that armor, start clearing the hallways, and cleaning up around here," I tell them.
"My goal is to have the lab running before the Elder contacts us. We have about month, so let's see what we can do. Our priority is power, everything else is secondary. Let me tell you the layout quick," I tell them as we unpack.
"Out of the clinic and to the left is the armory, experiment chamber, and the Canterlot exit. With Canterlot irradiated, don't go down that hallway. It is the one that branches to the left. Out of the clinic and to the right is the entrance we came from and a collapsed tunnel," I begin explaining.
"Through that tunnel if you keep going straight, you will find the power room. Along that route on your left will be the workshop and on your right will be the chemical and material storage and experimentation lab," I continue.
"If you turn down the only other hallway, it will lead you to the offices and sleeping quarters. I have my own office at the end of the hallway, and right before it is a hallway leading to the other offices and the sleeping quarters," I finish up the mental tour.
"Ah, I see," Lightning says. "Keeping the main experiment chamber as far from the generator and other labs as possible. Good idea, unlike the bulkheads." Arrow giggles at that remark as Thunder nods in agreement.
"Exactly!" I reply. "So, let's get to work, shall we?" |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 8 - Let There Be Light | Chapter 8 - Let There Be Light
"With power, comes progress."
===~+~===
With the sound of drilling ever constant in my ears, focusing on reworking my suit's new wiring was hard. Considering Thunder was now drilling right on the other side of the wall from me now, it was no surprise at just how loud it was, even with the workshop's door closed. I began to think about how far we had come in restoring the lab to distract myself from the noise.
After breaking through the initial pile of rubble, we gained access to the workshop and material storage rooms. However, more rubble blocked the way to the generator and the offices. It had taken only a few more days to gain access to the generator, and luckily it was a quick fix. Just had to replace a blown gasket, replace a fuse, and and undo the failsafe both those issues triggered.
Once the power was restored, we set about thoroughly cleaning the lab of dust and debris. It was a challenge, but we also got most of the cameras, PA system, and turrets working again as well. With the visuals restored, I put CORA back into the system so she could monitor it for us.
Due to the neglect of the generator, CORA reported the efficiency dropped by 13%. However, it would still provide us constant power for another few hundred years. With nothing to worry about in terms of sustainability, I began to focus on tinkering in the workshop, which brings us to this moment.
Thankfully, the lifts used to support the empty power armor of my previous crew still functions and I have their armor and my own suspended from them. I don't like the current power armor that I have, and I am determined to customize it. Especially so it can fit around my PipBuck.
I drew up some plans for the modifications I want to make and began pulling the suits apart. A fair amount of the armor my crew wore when they went outside had rusted from time. However, most of the interior components remain functional. Only after completely dismantling all the suits and laying the usable components in front of me to see, taking up most of the floor space I might add, did I begin building my new armor.
I melted down the spare armor and metal from storage to form new components and armor segments. I kept most of Iron's old armor the same, only cutting through parts of it to create more segmentation.
One thing that bugs me about the ranger armor is how hard it is to put on. Even with magic it can take a good few minutes to get it all situated. I decided to resolve this issue by splitting the most of the suit in half down to the hooves. I welded the helmet on the body of the armor as well before doing this.
Now, the armor is one whole piece instead of multiple. The underside, legs, and neck remained whole, up to the helmet anyhow. The suit would essentially split open along the back and allow me to slip in and out of it, trigger a switch, and have it close tightly around me. Once I got the wiring correct, anyhow.
I'd simply slide my legs into the leg holes just like socks, aside from my front left leg armor, which swings out so my PipBuck can fit inside a screen sized hole I cut in it. It then secures shut like the rest of the armor does.
And speaking of armor, using the extra metal I added on a bunch! Such as fortifying the front and having plates slide down over the seam of the armor to prevent weak points. Of course, I doubled the weight of the regular armor in doing so. But I manage to cancel that out when wearing it by adding an extra strength talisman to the armor.
I did, however, leave a hole for my horn, instead of encapsulating it. Call me odd, but I just really do not like the feeling of my horn being surrounded by metal. Once in the suit, it is the only part of me that is still visible.
To deal with the addition of the extra armor and components, quite a few things were scraped from the original armor. The waste disposal, voice amplification, the HUD, mainly since I have my own, and quite a few of the other non-essential systems.
I added quite a few things other than armor, however. Like the extra strength talisman, I added an extra auto repair talisman for extra recovery during battles. Taking a note from Senior Paladin Twinkle, and making use of my old crews' miniguns, I mounted two on each side for a total of four.
Due to this, a large portion of the interior space I had to work with was converted into ammunition storage for the guns. In total, the suit can carry about a thousand rounds per gun. To make use of my other weapons, I welded what is essentially a pocket onto the left side of the armor for my revolver. The major issue came with Raptor Blood.
With my poor usage of larger guns, I had thought to just leave it off. But CORA had a brilliant idea. She said to mount it on the back of the armor on a swivel and integrate it with the circuitry of the armor so she could use it. And solving just how to do that was a headache in itself.
But that brings me to my current headache, the suit's wiring. If I could just run the wires on the top side of the armor, it would be fine and dandy, but no, I had to cut a seam down the top. Therefore, all the wires must cross from the left side to the right side, or vice versa, by going across the underside or neck.
I honestly could just run them across, that isn't the problem, there is space for them all. My issue is, doing that looks horrendous. I am a stickler for cable management. I refuse to have cables criss-crossing and wrapping around each other if I can help it. Sometimes being this meticulous is a curse.
It has taken me two weeks to create the armor as it is now. These last two days I've been trying to run the cables so i can at least test it out. I've dealt with these wires for so long, I had a nightmare about wires last night.
I'm focusing so intently on the wires, that I don't even realize that the drilling has stopped until Thunder suddenly says from right behind me, "Tunnel's clear." I nearly hit the ceiling I jumped so high. With my heart beating in my chest, I turn to him with a glare.
"Did you have to sneak up on me like that?" I ask him, giving him an annoyed look. He rolls his eyes as he points to the suit.
"I called your name five times, I even knocked on the door. You were just too busy with your suit to notice," he lets out a chuckle. "Your reaction was priceless, however. Remind me to scare you some more later. Actually, don't. It'll ruin the surprise," he tells me with a grin.
"Yea, yea, very funny. Anyhow, did you find any other blocks in the hallways?" I ask him as I turn my attention from the suit to him.
The grin disappears from his face as he says, "No, that was the last one. And I, uh...found the rest of your crew." As he says this I feel my heart skip a beat as my eyes go wide. "They are in the living quarters," he tells me.
The words barely leave his muzzle before I'm out of my chair and heading for the living quarters. As I reach the section of hallway where the rubble once stood, the stark difference between the clean section and the other side stood out to me. I stop at the precipice, surrounded by the remains of the rubble.
CORA's explanation of what happened to the rest of my crew plays in my mind again. How they turned on each other and how she ultimately killed them. But what is really stopping me, is the fact that until I see their corpses, I can still remember them as flesh and blood ponies. It isn't that I will forget what they looked like, but rather I won't be able to forget what they have become.
It happened with the crew I already buried. Whenever I think back to their faces, I can't help but to see the skeletons they have become, with lifeless eye sockets staring back at me. I can still think back on the rest of my crew without this fear, but once I see them now I'll no longer be able to do that.
I can feel that my hooves have begun shaking and my breathing has become shallow, rapid breaths, but I can't bring myself to move. It is CORA's voice that finally causes me to take a normal breath as she says, "Ratchet, I can't see anything past this point. I don't know what's wrong, but if you need me I'm here."
"R-right..." I say at a whisper. I shake my head and take a deep breath as I hear Thunder approaching from behind. "Nothing's wrong, CORA. Let's see if I can restore the cameras in this section for you," I tell her in a more normal sounding voice.
I take the first step into the newly uncovered section of my lab, then another, and another. As I walk, I can hear the sound of Thunder and I's hooves. The only other sound is the slight buzzing of the lights.
After a few moments, we reach an intersection. Continuing forward would put us in my office and turning right will take us to the living quarters and other offices. I turn down the right hallway and push down the dust covered hall.
I pass the doorway to the offices and continue further into the hall. A few moments later, I arrive at the doorway to the living quarters. I stand in front of it for a time before I turn and continue to the end of the hallway.
At the end of the hallway is the breaker box for this area. I open it and look for the camera breaker. I quickly spot them and flip them from off to on. "Ah, there we go Ratchet," CORA says. "I can see you now. All cameras appear to be functioning properly." I nod as I close the box and return to the living quarter door.
Once again I find myself standing outside of it, unable to continue on. I close my eyes as Thunder watches silently. After a moment, I grab ahold of the door with my magic and open it. I step through the door and look around the room.
The layout is like a normal military barrack with beds lined along the walls, each with a locker at the foot of the bed. Fourteen beds in total, including my own. Two of the beds are occupied and have Steel Ranger armor resting atop the lockers. As I look at the far wall, I see two beds that have been flipped on their sides, forming somewhat of a barricade.
As I walk down the aisle between the rows of beds and towards the barricade, I remember that the turret in this room is on the side opposite the barricade. I turn around to look at the turret and then the floor beneath it. Littering the floor are dozens of spent 7.62 cartridges. Turning back towards the barricade, I can see bullet holes in the beds and walls.
I continue down the aisle and stop at the occupied beds which are side by side. Between them on the ground is a single rusted knife. I can feel anger rise up within me for a moment before it quickly fades. I turn my head back to the barricade and continue walking with a sigh. In a matter of moments I am standing between the beds.
As I look behind them, I see shredded clothing. The labcoats and mechanic jumpsuits my staff wore. Among the scraps, I also see the bones of my six remaining crew members. I look them over for a few moments before turning to Thunder.
"Get the others," I say in a shallow voice. "Start collecting their remains. Keep them separate if you can. I'm going to...start digging. Bring them up when you can," I tell him. Without waiting for an answer, I turn around and begin walking out of the room.
"Of course, Ratchet," I hear Thunder say as I walk out.
I continue walking until I am outside the lab and in the shed. I pick up the shovel in my magic and go outside. It is about mid-afternoon as I begin digging a hole beside the graves I dug before.
'Eight more,' I think to myself as I take another shovel-full of dirt from the hole. 'Eight more, and my staff can finally rest.'
===~+~===
By sundown, I finish burying the rest of my crew. Arrow, Thunder, and Lightning join me as I look over the thirteen graves. I had put a cross above each of them, and dug each grave myself, despite offers of help. I felt this was something I had to do myself.
I took a breath and look at each grave as I say, "Flora, Clank, Whistle, Dusky, Lemon Cream, Crimson, Feld Grau, Grell, Sawblade, Serenity, Lyric, Waning, and Lilac." The names of my staff. It was hard to tell who was who from their bones alone, but I think I managed.
"I am sorry it took me so long to lay you all to rest. I am sorry that you all had to die for a project that was never put to actual use. But most of all, I am sorry for what each of you had to do in your last moments alive," I say.
"I cannot begin to imagine what it was like for any of you. I want to say that I forgive you, and I hope that you can forgive each other if you meet in the afterlife. I have seen many horrible things in the wasteland and I'm sure I will see more before I am gone," I continue.
"But there is one thing I want to promise each of you. You all helped me with my experiment, and I will make sure you didn't die in vain. I will do what I can to help the wasteland and ensure something like this never happens again," I tell them.
I renew the promise I made when I buried the first five members of my staff. Not only so I could make it to the ones who are newly laid to rest, but so I can reaffirm it in myself. With how the wasteland is now, there may be times that I want to give up or hide. But I mustn't do that. I'm not only working in the memory of my crew, but for myself and for the future of Equestria.
I will ensure that Equestria recovers from this, somehow. And I will make sure that this mistake is never made again. As long as I am alive to prevent it, that is.
"Come on," I say to the others. "Let's get cleaning again. We don't have much time left until the Elder contacts us."
===~+~===
We spend the next two days cleaning the newly uncovered part of the lab. Once everything is clean and functioning properly again, I decide to log into my terminal for the first time in decades. I don't know what I expect to find, but I wanted to take a break from the wiring.
I boot the terminal up and the fan inside of it spins to life, sending dust all over the desk I had just cleaned moments ago. "I'll just clean that up later..." I sigh out. I type in my credentials and hit the return key.
Welcome back Miss Ratchet.
It has been 35 years since your last log in.
Would you like to view your unread messages? Y/N
Unread messages? What new messages could I have received since the war ended? I key in the Y button and hit return.
Displaying unread messages, oldest first:
MoAS Internal Communications - Weekly Newsletter
MoAS Internal Communications - THE END IS NIGH!
MoAS Internal Communications - Disregard Previous Message
MoAS Internal Communications - Evacuation Procedures and You!
Twilight Sparkle - I'm Sorry.
Most of them are what I expect, but the one from Twilight is a surprise. Saving that one for last, I briefly look at the others. The weekly newsletter is the same as the previously set out messages detailing the unclassified work of the MoAS and updates on the war effort.
The second is what you'd expect, some madpony must have gotten hold of the account and wrote things like "repent" and "we are all going to die". That sort of thing. The following message was sent minutes after and says to continue business as usual, the employee who sent the previous message has been let go, and reassures that nothing is wrong.
Thirty minutes later the last MoAS message was received and says the first megaspell had gone off and lists the general evacuation procedures and what to do in case of emergencies. Twilight's message arrived about two days later.
I open it up and read the two words in the message, "I'm sorry." Below these words is an audio recording. I hesitate for a moment before I open the recording and play it.
===~+~===
"Ratchet, it's Twilight. This is an automated message that is set to be set to you if I don't check in with it every few days. I do not know why I stopped it from being sent. Perhaps I finally decided to tell you the truth. Maybe I was killed or captured. I do not know what the reason is, but there is one thing I have to say to you, and that is that I am sorry.
I have betrayed you. More specifically, your trust. From the moment I looked over your plans, I knew that it could work. As such, I began researching it alone and improving upon it. I never told you anything I discovered, or shared my notes with you. But this isn't why I am sorry. Listen Ratchet. I didn't help you with your research as much as I could have because I wanted to see what you could do. Your project works, and I hope that you can forgive me for finding that out before you.
I know you are aware of the fact we have many classified projects. Some of these projects didn't go the way we wanted them to. I took the liberty of perfecting your project and putting it to use to contain these projects. Because of your familiarity with this project, I am going to disclose the details of each of the projects I contained using yours. I will send you another message after this one with the details."
Oh no. This is the last message I received. Does that mean that the other message go corrupted or failed to send?
"Not all of the projects are harmful, but a few could be dangerous if they got out. One such is a clone of Pinkie that went crazy. But there are good ones as well, such as a filly that shares the DNA of all the ministry mares. I know this might be a lot for you to take in, but if I don't make it I need you to deal with these projects if you can.
Destroy them, maintain their sleep, or help them as needed. I am sorry I am forcing all this onto you. I am sorry that I kept the use of your project from you. But most importantly, I am sorry that I could not have been better.
I can't make up for this, but I have promoted you and granted you access to specific MoAS classified information. As of this moment, you hold the rank of a high tier researcher. While you will not have access to Celestia Tier classified information, you will have access to all information regarding the cryogenic projects.
All Equestrian facilities owned by the MoAS and others we have access to have been updated with your credentials. You have helped Equestria more than you know. Once again, I am sorry."
===~+~===
The audio recording stops as I sit in my chair trying to take it all in. In a bit of a daze, I ask CORA, "CORA, did you hear that? Did you know? That she promoted me, I mean."
"I heard and I knew," CORA says sadly. "I wanted to save it as a surprise but I didn't know she sent that message. I received an update on your rank while you were in the cryopod."
"Oh goddess...oh goddess..." I say, starting to hyperventilate. "No, no, no...First I get put in command of some Steel Rangers, now I am a high ranking member of the MoAS? Twilight's and the others might be dead...CORA! Do you know the status of any MoAS facilities?" I shout at her.
"No, Ratchet. Any knowledge I'd have of them was lost when we lost outside communication. Even now, we don't have any outside access. But, Twilight might have survived, right? She used teleportation to travel large distances, right?"
I nod at her words. "You have a point. I hope she managed to get to safety..." I trail off.
"Ratchet, I don't really know what became of her. However, none of the ministries seem to have a presence in the wasteland. If she is still around, I think she must be busy with something of extreme importance," CORA explains.
"I...I guess," I say. "Yea, you're right. Besides, this doesn't change anything. We are still going to help the wasteland regardless. However...do you know anything about the other projects mine was used to contain?" I ask her.
"Unfortunately no. I'm as surprised as you are to find out Miss Twilight did that," CORA answers.
"Well, I guess that is all the more reason that we explore the wasteland. I should be able to recognize the technology. But, figuring out which are good or bad will be a guessing game unless there is any documentation left in the facilities," I say, gaining confidence again.
"Indeed! Oh that note, Ratchet. Lightning told me to tell you the Elder radioed us. Rose is ready to go home now," she informs me.
"What, now? But my suit isn't ready and...why didn't you tell me sooner?" I ask her in a panic.
"Well, you were listening to the audio log and then were kind of depressed, so I thought it wasn't the time to do so. As for your suit, like I've told you before, even with the three spark battery adapters you added, they will only power the suit for about two hours. It isn't efficient at all," she tells me.
"Yea, yea. You keep saying that after I perfect it," I tell her, rolling my eyes. Such negativity. I knew it would be a power hog to run all the systems. And, I knew I'd have to switch out new spark batteries every so often. "Anyhow, tell everyone to get ready. We'll head back to Stable 36 once we've gathered our things."
"Will do!" CORA says with an upbeat tone. "Don't forget to download me before you go, either!" She says in a pouty voice.
"What? Never!" I say, acting offended. We both let out a laugh as I turn off the terminal and head out of my office to gather my things.
A few minutes later we are all at the entrance and CORA is securely back in my PipBuck. We set out for the Steel Ranger's Stable after locking the doors behind us. "It's great to finally be back outside and not constantly cleaning..." Thunder says as we exit the shed.
"I agree, but we still have a bit of cleaning and restoration to do before things are up to Ratchet's specifications," Lightning says with a chuckle. We begin walking as we talk.
"My specifications aren't that bad you two...I mean, Arrow isn't complaining," I tell them. I motion over towards Arrow, but she looks away as I do so. "What? Not you too Arrow..." I trail off as Thunder and Lightning laugh in unison.
"Arrow rarely talks as it is. She isn't one to complain, either. We all understand why you're so strict with how clean it needs to be, but it isn't like we are researching any new technology or anything," Lightning explains.
I puff out my cheeks stubbornly as I say, "Yea, but I still like to tinker with things...And what's wrong with having a clean and functioning home? Besides, it isn't like we had anything else to do until now."
As we continue on we continue to discuss the merits of keeping a clean and tidy home. Surprisingly, we manage to talk on the subject until we reach Stable 36. As soon as we enter, I already notice the change in the Stable.
The armor they are wearing has been painted with the symbols of their squads. It also seems like there is more activity than before. Ponies are rushing to and fro as we head towards the command center.
Once we enter, it is a buzz of activity. "Radio Apple Squad and check their status," Elder Archimedes says with an uncharacteristically loud and authoritative voice. "Then, order Saber Squad back to base," he calls out again. After giving a few more commands, he notices us approaching.
Almost immediately he switches back to his normal personality. "Ah! If it isn't my favorite squad! Don't tell the others I said that though," he says with a wink. He rests his head on his hoof as he continues, "How did the lab restoration go?"
"Fine sir. We didn't encounter too much trouble with it. Power has been restored and it has been cleared of collapses. I'd say we only have a few days worth of work left to get it where I want it to be," I tell him, eliciting a groan from Thunder.
"Good, good!" Elder Archimedes says flailing his free hoof in the air for emphasis. "But, I suppose you'll be wanting to get down to business. Rose is in the mess hall, I believe. She has been given some basic supplies, and should be ready to leave when you are," he informs me.
"Thank you," I tell him. "But first, I have a question. Why do things seem so...busy?" I ask him. He lets out a sigh and lets his head fall to the desk.
"Well, with the takeover of Ponyville, some citizens have moved in there. But at the same time, raider activity has increased as well. I've been sending out patrols to both protect the newly forming town and to attempt to discover why raider activity seems to have increased," he explains.
Elder Archimedes lets out a long sigh. "However, we haven't found anything out. They seem organized, though. Like somepony is leading them in their attacks. It certainly doesn't seem random like normal raiders. So far, we haven't had any encounters that led to anything more than small skirmishes. But, for how long we can avoid a large scale encounter I do not know."
His mood suddenly changes as he lifts up his head and throws up his hooves, "Anyhow! I suppose you want to head out. So I'll spare you the details until you get back. Go find Rose and make sure she gets home safely. We'll hold things down here."
I nod as I say, "Right. We should get moving while it is still light out." We bid the elder farewell and go to leave the room. However before I leave I turn back to the Elder and tell him, "You and everyone else be careful, alright?"
I see the Elder smile and nod to me before he goes back to calling out orders. Outside the command center, we head towards the mess hall, where Elder Archimedes said Rose might be. As we walk, I think about just how much more lively the base seems now compared to when I was here last time. Ponies rushing everywhere and almost every room is abuzz with activity.
The pounding of hooves on the metal floors is continuous the entire way to the mess hall. Stepping inside the room, the sound of hooves dies down while the sound of voices increases as the eating ponies talk. It was an odd time of day for a meal, but I suppose with all the patrols the Elder is running, you have to eat when you can.
Looking around the room, I soon spot Rose sitting at a table eating with a few rangers. As we get closer, I can make out their conversation. "...is Friendship City? I've never been there, but I hear it is expanding nicely," one of the ranger mares says.
Rose nods and replies, "The city has been doing fine. The guard keeps the majority of the raiders and riff-raff away from the city. And most of the monsters stick to the ruins. Though, it helps having a natural barrier of water between the island and the Manehatten ruins. As for growth, we'd been getting new citizens almost weekly."
A ranger buck speaks up next, "And is it true you are actually building into the statue itself? How does that work?" The rangers around her seem to be really curious about Friendship City.
Thinking for a moment, Rose answers, "Well, we started out just building around it, from what I'm told. But as the population increased, we needed more room. Instead of expanding across the water, someone had the idea to expand up and into the statue. We have some crews that scavenge scrap materials from the ruins and we then use them to build proper structures in and around the statue's framework."
I wait until the conversation dies down a bit before I clear my throat. Rose and the rangers at the table turn to me as I do so. "Excuse me, Rose if you are ready, we are prepared to escort you home whenever," I tell her.
She looks at me for a moment before she exclaims, "I remember you! You were there when we were freed from the cages. And you helped me get comfortable here too. Ratchet, correct?" She asks. I nod in confirmation. "I knew it! Well, it has been fun rangers, but I should probably be getting home. If any of you are ever in the area, come say hello!"
After a few 'awws' and farewells from the rangers, Rose gets up, throws a bag on her back, and walks up to me. "I'm ready to go when you are," she says with a smile. "I can't wait to get back to Friendship City and see everyone again!" With that we make our way out of the Stable and set off to Friendship City.
===~+~===
After hours of walking and the others exhausting all their questions about Friendship City, the sun has almost set upon the horizon. "We should probably find a place to hunker down for the night. Anyone know of a ruin or anything around here?" I ask.
Lightning is the first to speak up, "You know none of us Rangers have gone this far to the northeast. Before the end, I think there were a few rest stops along this route, but who knows if they are still standing now. Rose, you have any idea?"
Rose shakes her head. "I went south to Fillydelphia and followed the rails here. Now, we are on the north side of foal mountain. I haven't been out this way," she explains.
"Ratchet," CORA chimes in, "If I remember correctly, Hollow Shades is about a day's walk from where we are at. But, between here and there I don't remember many buildings. We might have to set up camp out in the open."
"While that wouldn't be the best idea, given the increase in raider activity, I don't think we have a choice," Lightning says. "I should also mention that Hollow Shades is all but ghostly ruins. Scouting parties have reported as much."
I nod my head. "So, camping outside it is. Let's keep an eye out for an easily defendable place off the rails. We won't start a fire to avoid any unwanted attention and we will take watch in shifts. Sound good?" I ask apprehensively.
"Sounds good boss!" Thunder says, almost too enthusiastically. "Also, you should act take more confidence in your decisions. Aside from marching through the night, which would be an awful idea, this is the only logical choice at the moment."
Almost collectively, the rest of us stop, turn, and look at Thunder. Lightning is the first to say, "What is wrong with you? What have you done with my brother?" We all collectively laugh as Thunder just rolls eyes.
"Hey, even I can sometimes be supportive. Now, quit your staring and lets find a place to bed down for the night," Thunder says as he starts walking again. The rest of us contain ourselves and follow suit.
After a few minutes, we find a place to rest for the night. We decide the order of the watch and I take the first one. While the others lay down to rest, I look over my inventory and PipBuck systems again.
As I do so, I periodically look around to ensure nothing is approaching us. After tinkering with my PipBuck systems and discovering nothing has changed since the last time I looked, I focus on keeping an eye out.
It isn't long before the shifting of the others' bodies quiets down and I catch snoring coming from Thunder. Even in his sleep, he's loud, I chuckle quietly to myself. Though, it is nice to have some noise in the otherwise odd quietness of the wasteland.
Compared to how it was before the end, things are much quieter, and a lot less bright out at night. I suppose the lack of electricity and the dense cloud layer can be attributed to the darkness. But the lack of sounds really shows just how desolate Equestria has become.
Though I feel as if I only just started my watch, as I look at the time, I notice that it is now Lightning's shift. I want to give him more time to sleep, but it is for the best if we all get as much sleep as we can, and that includes me.
I walk over to his side as quietly as I can and gently wake him up. "Lightning, it's your shift now," I say in a whisper, trying not to wake the others. After a few moments he rouses from his sleep.
"That time already?" He says as he gets to his hooves. "I take it nothing happened? That's good. You get some sleep, I'll keep us safe." I would like nothing more than to lay down and sleep, but I have other business that must be attended to first.
"Actually, I have some...business...I need to take care of first. If you know what I mean," I tell him. He looks at me curiously for a moment without realising what I mean, and I try again. "You know...business?"
CORA chimes in abruptly, "She means she has to pee." I let out a sigh. Not delicate at all, CORA. And she is suppose to be me? Sometimes I wonder. Lightning of course, is trying to hold back a laugh,
"Yea, that. I'm just going to go over that hill quick and be back," I tell him as i begin to walk up the hill.
"Be careful, and shout if anything happens," he says. "As always, I will guard the night," he follows up with a grin. I facehoof as I continue to scale the hill.
I crest the hill and get out of sight of the others before settling in to empty my bladder. This was the trouble in the wasteland, lack of bathrooms. I quickly finish up and begin to make my way back towards the others.
Before I make it even a few steps, however, I hear some hoofsteps. Did Lightning follow me up here to sneak a peek? Ugh, the perv. I turn towards the sound of the hoofsteps only to be greeted by a beaming white smile and piercing red eyes.
What happens next catches me off guard as it gets closer in an instant and I feel a cloth pressed against my muzzle. At the same time, I sense a hoof hitting buttons on my PipBuck. I can feel myself losing consciousness as I see CORA's face contort into a look of worry.
A speech bubble appears next to her face that reads, "They muted me!" It is the last thing I see before my vision goes black and I sleep away into unconsciousness. |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 9 - Abduction | Chapter 9 - Abduction
"Are ponies inherently prone to fight one another? Is it in our nature to seek out confrontation and war? I like to think it isn't so, but sometimes I can't help but think it is actually the case."
===~+~===
The rapping of a hoof on wood brings me out of my sleep. My head is pounding and when I open my eyes the world is blurry. I blink a few times and my vision gradually clears, I then try to get up, but find that my legs won't move.
Panic begins to rise in me as I remember what happened last night. As I fight against my bonds, the hoof that was rapping suddenly slams down hard on what I assume is the floor. "Finally awake, are you? Good, I was tired of watching over your stupid ass. Hey Shrill! Get the boss, i'm tired of sitting here," a gruff sounding stallion calls out.
I hear movement in another room as I try to turn to look at the stallion who just spoke. My eyes fall upon a brown coated stallion with a red mane. He leers at me as I look him over. He has a number of scars on his face and is wearing some standard armored barding with a holstered pistol at his side.
He clicks his tongue at me and I begin to look around at the rest of the room. It appears to be a bedroom. Like most of the buildings it is fairly run down and the wallpaper is peeling off the walls. Dust and dirt covers the furniture and windows. This must not be a building the ponies who took me frequent. Perhaps it is just a stop along the way somewhere else.
After a moment, I hear hoofsteps entering the room. "Well done Snarl," an oddly familiar voice says. "I'll take things from here. But first, is this any way to treat a guest? Undo her bindings. She's not a fighter, that much is obvious," the familiar voice commands.
"You got it boss," the stallion known as Snarl says as he gets up and walks over to me. He takes a knife in his teeth before cutting a few ropes and loosening my bindings. After he steps back, I sit up on the bed and rub my limbs where the robes were. As I do so, I look up at the ponies in the room.
Two, I don't recognize. The stallion known as Snarl, and a white mare with a red mane, who I guess is named Shrill. The third and final causes me to go pale as I place his voice to his face. Grimoire, the trader I met back at Stable 36. The one who sold arms to the raiders in Ponyville, the one who caused Iron's murder.
Despite the anger rising up in me, I know I cannot take on the three of them, even if I was armed. So I simply stare at them, waiting for them to make their next move. Grimoire doesn't keep me waiting as he tells the other two, "Leave us, she won't cause me any trouble." Shrill and Snarl move to leave the room, but hesitate at the doorway. It is like they were worried about me hurting Grimoire, but it seem different. Definitely less friendly, as though they were mercenaries worried they wouldn't get paid if he died.
Once they leave the room, Grimoire sits down in the char Snarl had been using and smiles at me. For a good minute he just stares at me before saying, "I take it you remember me, Ratchet." His voice drips with venom as he spits out my name. "I can't say you were very notable, just another random wastelander. But, even the best machines can grind to a halt if dirt gets into their workings."
"You have ruined my business. Towns turn me away, guards attempt to capture me, and I have been forced into the shadows," he says the last bit with a laugh. "My ponies watched the battle at Ponyville, saw what you did in the town hall. I take it Railspike left sensitive information on that terminal of his," malice fills his voice as he mentions Railspike.
"That fool was never careful enough. And now, because he couldn't kill you and those pitiful rangers he jeopardised my operation. So, I decided to have my ponies watch over the ranger hideout and wait for you to leave," he tells me. "But they tell me that you arrived there yesterday and quickly left again, with that mare as an addition to your little group. Meaning, you were gone for about a month," he explains.
"Now, I don't care what you were doing, but you kept me waiting. You are going to die today, your rangers have no idea where you are and you can't hope to escape from us here. So, I am going to take my time and tell you exactly why you are going to die," he states.
Before he continues I speak up, "You're going to kill me just because I ruined your business? Because you were trading with raiders? It was your own fault." I don't know what i'm saying. If he was trading with raiders, of course he would have no qualms killing me. But I felt I had to buy as much time as possible. I had hope that Lightning, Thunder, and Arrow would come for me.
Despite this, I was shaking in fear. I couldn't see any of my gear or anything I could use to get the upper hand and I knew I wasn't strong enough or skilled enough to take them out with my bare hooves. As Grimoire goes to respond, CORA pops up in my vision with a worried, but hopeful expression on her face.
"Do you think me so petty?" Grimoire begins as a speech bubble appears from CORA's mouth and text begins to appear inside of it. "I don't care about my business. I care about what my business was for," he continues as CORA moves her mouth and text continues to appear.
I look at what she is writing and begin reading, 'Ratchet! I sent an SOS to Lightning. They are on their way. Stall him as long as you can!' I am about to smile, but I fight to stop it. I can't let him think anything was wrong. I just have to keep my wits about me and do what I can to keep him talking and myself alive.
"You see, my merchant business was just a cover for me to secure arms and discover the defences towns had. I would sell poor quality weaponry and faulty ammunition to towns I intended to attack and keep the good quality stuff for my gang," Grimoire explains with a wry grin on his face. It looks like he like to monologue, so I shouldn't have too much trouble keeping him talking.
"But of course, I couldn't always sell poor quality weapons. If I did, they wouldn't trade me. So I conducted normal trade business with targets I didn't plan to attack at the time," he tells me.
I think of a question and interrupt him quick. "Then why did you do business with Ponyville? They were raiders, not a town. Wouldn't they be your rivals or competition? They had some good quality gear on them," I ask.
"That is because of the other reason I posed as a merchant. I have been trying to unite the raider gangs under a single banner, metaphorically speaking. I want an army and civilians aren't exactly lining up to fight for me. But raiders? They understand me, and their loyalty can be bought with arms or fear," Grimoire informs me.
He wants an army? What for? Besides the rangers of Stable 36 there wasn't a large, unified force that could stand against him. Does he want to take control of everything? What was his endgame?
"I had planned on using Railspike as a puppet, killing him, and bringing his gang into my own. But he was oddly strong willed and his followers highly devoted. I would thank you and the rangers for killing him and his gang, had he not been so stupid as to leave information about me behind," he snarls.
I take this moment to ask my next question, "But what do you need an army for? Do you plan to become some sort of ruler? If you plan to rule through fear and force, it won't work."
Grimoire lets out a loud, hearty laugh. When he finally stops he says, "Me? A ruler? Oh, nothing that grand, love. I just want to cause some chaos. You know there are Stables all over right? I want to break them all open, slaughter the inhabitants, check out their experiments. You know, see what kind of interesting things I can find."
His answer catches me off guard. "You...you just want to cause chaos? To kill innocents? But, that's..." I'm cut off as he laughs once more.
"I was always a bit of an anarchist. This wasteland, this is a paradise to me. I can do what I want, when I want, and no one can stop me! I mean, look at you. I abducted you and no one stopped me. So, i'll kill you, i'll continue to build up my army, and we'll loot the Stables. Hell, maybe I'll find some tech to let us fly above the clouds and I can do the same to the cities the Pegasi are hiding in," he says with a toothy smile.
"You're insane," I tell him. There is no way he can be sane, it isn't acceptable. A pony like him shouldn't exist. "Why do ponies even follow you?" I ask, "Surely they don't agree with your ideas?"
Grimoire laughs once more and shakes his head. "That's the beauty of working with raiders. They already have low morals. Some are enthusiastic about it, but no, they don't all agree with what i'm doing. But those that don't only care about earning money and getting loot, and trust me when I say I can promise so very much of what they desire," he explains.
I take a breath and ask, "Ok, so let's say you succeed in your plans and end up razing the Pegasi cities. What then? What's your endgame? When there is no one left to raid, to kill, what will you do?"
He tilts his head and shoots me a smile. "Oh, of course i'll have to keep some survivors. Pawns that will create more pawns and live in the chaos that I will rule over for all eternity! You strike me as a knowledgeable mare, surely you remember Discord, the spirit of chaos?" He asks me.
I narrow my eyes and nod. "Very good! Well, he probably died along with the Princesses, meaning that he won't challenge my rise to take his place. Now, before you ask how I plan on doing that, you should know there are strong magical items in this world. I'll spend a good amount of time searching for those," he explains.
"Terrifying weapons and mystic tomes let this chaos happen, and rumors have it that many still exist. Such as a certain Black Book somewhere in Equestria. With the aid of one or more of these items, I shall become immortal and take up the mantle of God of Chaos! But, Discord was a joke compared to what I have planned," Grimoire's smile twists and his eyes gleam in the light coming through the window.
"My chaos will be so much more beautiful. But, unfortunately for you, you will not be around to see it," he says, looking me over. "You know, I was going to kill you myself, that's why I came here. But seeing how pathetic you are without your friends or the weapons you can barely use, I think i'll just let Snarl deal with you, I'm quite busy after all," he says as he gets up from the chair.
He turns to leave as I say, "W-wait! I...I..." I can't think of anything else to say to stall for time, and he doesn't even look back as he walks out of the door. A few seconds later, I hear another door open, then close. Immediately afterwards, Snarl enters the room again with my bags and gear on his back.
"Welp," he says with a smirk, "boss says I get to deal with you. He told me to take my time and do what I feel like. You're lucky he took Shrill with him, she would have fucked you before doing the deed. Me? I'm a simple stallion, I prefer screams over moans. Unlike my sister, I like torture," he takes the pistol from his holster and points it at me.
"Wait!" I yell at him, "Don't do this! I...I can..." Shit! Why can I never think of anything in situations like this. I can see his lips twists into a grin around the handle of the gun. He pulls the trigger and shoots me in the rear left leg. I cry out in pain and collapse onto the bed. My eyes begin to water as I see him holster the gun and draw his knife.
He walks closer and gets on the bed with me. I try to punch at him, but he easily avoids my punches and pins my legs down with his own. His head nears my wounded leg and he stabs the knife into the bullet hole. I scream out sharply before he starts twisting the knife and digging it around in the wound. With every movement of the knife, my screams change in pitch and volume as i struggle fruitlessly under his hold.
After what feels like an eternity, I feel something come out of the wound and then he pulls the knife out. For a moment, I'm able to catch my breath and attempt to cope with the pain. However it is short-lived as he stabs the knife straight into my cutie mark. I call out again as he lets go of the knife and lets out a chuckle.
"Adorable screams, miss. Hope you don't mind, I wanted to get my bullet back. The material is always useful to have around. Now then, where were we..." He says before grabbing the knife in his mouth again. He pulls it from my wound and places the point against my leg again before beginning to lightly cut down its length.
Gradually, he increases the pressure on the knife and the cut gets deeper. I squeeze my eyes shut in an attempt to shut out the pain. Just as he is about to reach my knee I hear the sound of glass shattering followed by a fleshy squelch. The pressure on my leg increases before letting up completely as I get sprayed with a warm fluid.
As I open my eyes Snarl falls on top of me completely. I blink a few times to clear the tears from my eyes as my coat continues to get wet from the fluid. When i'm able to focus, I see it. The top of Snarl's head has been blown clean off. I'm shaking as I push off and put a hoof to my wounded leg.
The last cut wasn't too deep, but the other two wounds are definitely going to be something to worry about. I look over at Snarl's body and use my magic to open my bags. I should still have some. I poke around in them for a moment before I pull out my only healing potion and my regular bandages. I pour a bit of the potion on the wounds, take a sip, and then wrap my leg in the bandages as best I can.
It might not be the best job, but it will have to do for now. I put the bandages and the rest of the potion back into my bag. As I get up off the bed and gently apply weight to my wounded leg, I find my barding and holster in my bag. I carefully put on my barding and strap on the holster, then quickly put my revolver in it.
I take bags off Snarl and put them on, and quickly look over Snarl's body. I still don't know who shot Snarl, but CORA hasn't said anything else yet. I should get ready for anything. I manage to find some 9mm rounds on his body, and I also pick up his knife, attaching its sheath to my barding. Lastly, I pick up his pistol with my magic and limp over to the wall by the window.
Peeking around to look out the window, I don't see anything. It looks to be late afternoon, however. I begin moving towards the door. As I reach it, I remember that CORA is muted, and quickly unmute her, but she is still silent. "CORA, anything?" I ask, but don't get a response.
Taking a gulp, I put my hoof on the door and begin to push it open. Right as I do so, I hear the door on the other side of mine burst open and slam against the floor. Hoofsteps quickly follow, at least two ponies, I think. I take a deep breath as I push open the door as quickly as I can and prepare to fight whoever is in the other room.
As soon as I get the door open, I raise the gun directly at one of the ponies in the other room. However, before I pull the trigger CORA screams, "STOP!" and I freeze mid pull. As the adrenaline clears I see who is in the room.
"T-Thunder? Lightning?" I ask as I drop the gun. Clad in their armor, the twins lower their weapons as well. "I'm so glad to see you two!" I practically jump at them and wrap my hooves around them, much to the displeasure of my wounded leg.
"Damnit Ratchet," Lightning says, "we were worried sick. When you didn't come back after a few minutes, and I couldn't find you..." He trails off as he returns my hug.
"Lightning here woke us up, frantically trying to explain what happened," Thunder continues for Lightning, "We spent the better part of the night running around looking for you, but didn't find anything."
I release them from the hug and ask, "But how did you find me then? CORA?" I see CORA's face beaming a smile.
"You got it Ratchet!" She declares. "But, since they muted me, I was unable to use the radio properly." She puffs out her cheeks as she says, "First chance we get, we are disabling the mute feature."
We all laugh for a moment before curiosity creeps up on me. "So, how did you contact them then?" I ask. If she couldn't broadcast over the radio, it would be quite the challenge.
"Morse code," Lightning says. "At first we didn't notice it, just some beeps over the radio, it happens sometimes. But then we noticed the pattern, and it took us a while to decode what was said. It took even longer for CORA to give us detailed directions to where you were when we finally responded."
Of course. And that would mean..."Arrow is the one who shot that raider?" I ask. "Where is she, by the way? And Rose for that matter" Rose is our priority, after all.
"As soon as we saw this building, Arrow setup." Thunder explains. "She's about half a mile away with Rose. She said she would wait as long as possible before shooting, to give us time to get close. But, was it only that one raider?" He asks.
I shake my head. "No, there were two more, including Grimoire. They didn't leave too long ago, did you see anything?" I ask them. Both of them shake their heads. Shit. I run out of the door as quickly as I'm able to, ignoring the protests of the twins. I look around quickly, and spot a large hill. I run to the top of it as quickly as I can.
As I'm about to reach the top, Thunder and Lightning catch up to me. I quickly look around at the surrounding landscape as I catch my breath. It isn't that hilly anymore, and there isn't much cover. In fact, I can see Arrow and Rose coming towards us in the distance.
"Where the fuck did they go!?" I yell, "They left only a few minutes ago! This isn't right, there is no way they could cover this much ground already!" No, they could have. If they had a vehicle or...if Grimoire already knows some powerful spells, like teleportation. I fall to my haunches.
Lightning puts a hoof on my shoulder. "Let's wait for Arrow, and then you can tell us everything." I nod and we head back to the building.
===~+~===
After Arrow and Rose join us, I explain what happened. Arrow also takes a look at my wounded leg, patching it up a bit better. Once I finish the explanation however, a bit of gloom hangs over our party.
"We need to inform the Elder," Lightning says. Arrow nods in agreement. "Thunder, get on the radio and..." before Lightning can finish his brother cuts him off, shaking his head.
"Already tried, we are out of range," Thunder informs us. "We'll have to go back, at least far enough to get in range. Unfortunately, the range isn't that great. It will take us at least a day. Thanks to this incident, we are already halfway to Friendship City, Ratchet it's your decision. Do we continue forward, or go back?" He asks.
As much as I want to get Rose home as soon as possible, Grimoire is more of an issue at the moment. "We go back. I'm sorry Rose, but you'll have to wait a little longer to get home." I turn us towards home and we begin to walk.
"I don't mind. If Grimoire is as much of a threat as you have all said he is, this is more important. I just hope I don't get in your way," Rose tells us.
"You'll be fine Rose," I tell her. Our pace is a bit slower than usual due to my leg, and the sun quickly sets. I decide that we should push on for a little longer and we continue on in the darkness.
I'm about to give the order to stop for the night when lights suddenly appear around us. Compared to the darkness, it is blinding. "Shit!" I mutter under my breath. I pull out my revolver and I hear the others get into position around Rose. Looking around, I see six light sources.
"To the Rangers and others, drop your weapons immediately. Surrender and identify yourselves or things will get messy," a mare's voice calls out. So many thoughts are running through my head, that I almost fail to notice Arrow dropping her rifle.
"Wait, is that..." Thunder says and he and Lightning drop their weapons as well. "Ratchet, just do it. Trust us," he tells me. I grit my teeth and drop my revolver.
"A good choice!" The mare declares. "Now, identify yourselves." The lights begin to slowly inch closer to us. As they do, I begin to notice they are in Ranger armor.
"Lightning, Thunder, and Arrow, of Lynx Squad," Lightning tells the mare.
"Who is your elder?" the mare asks with less of an edge to her words.
"Why, old man Archimedes, of course," Lightning chuckles. "Come on Lily, don't make us stand here all night." Lily? Wait, wasn't that...
"Stand down Rangers, they're friendlies," The mare orders. The blinding headlamps go out and my eyes are able to adjust back to the darkness. "So, where's Iron at? He let you rascals go out alone?" She lets out a laugh.
"Um, actually..." Lightning begins, but Lily cuts him off.
"What are you all standing around for?" She shouts. "Set up camp!" The Rangers under her command set about unloading gear and lighting a fire. She turns her attention back to Lightning. "Now then, where were we? Let's chat."
She leads us next to the fire and begins asking Lightning questions. He answers, with Thunder interjecting occasionally. The subject switches back to Iron, and Lightning tells her what happened.
"Fuck," she says, shaking her head. "He was the best of us. I always thought he would be too stubborn to die, guess I was wrong. How's everyone holding up? And who's leading your squad now?" She asks.
Lightning tells her the status of the base, and says, "As for our leader, let me introduce you to our newest member, Scribe Crusader Ratchet. Yea, I know, it is an odd rank." With a sudden realization, he turns his attention to me, "Oh yea, Ratchet. In case you don't realize, this is our Star Paladin, Lily. She was on mission to Friendship City."
"It is nice to finally meet you, Star Paladin," I say with a smile. Lily looks me over with an expressionless gaze. Without saying anything back, she turns back to Lightning.
"So what is her deal?" She asks. "Who is she, where did she come from, why does she lack power armor? Why is she leading Lynx Squad?" Her tone is dead serious and her gaze doesn't leave Lightning's.
"Uh, well...let's see, where to begin..." Lightning begins giving her the short version of my story in the wasteland and about my time with them. "So, yea. That's about it," he finishes up.
"So let me get this straight. A mere scientist was granted a rank in the Rangers, almost equal to my own, is tampering with our armor, is, well, from your account, quite bad in combat, and she was given leadership of one of the most efficient squads in the Rangers?" She says.
"Wait, what do you mean by 'one of the most efficient squads'?" I ask. I raise an eyebrow, no one had told me anything about that.
"Oh Goddesses, she doesn't even know what Lynx Squad is? Oh the Elder is going to get an ear full when I get back..." She says, shaking her head.
"Hey," Thunder speaks up. "She has come a long way from where she started. We follow her, not because we were ordered to, but because we want to. Who cares if she doesn't know what Lynx Squad is? That doesn't matter. She is doing what she can." Arrow nods vigorously in agreement.
"Be that as it may, a novice leading Lynx Squad is unacceptable. None of you told her what your squad is? How dangerous it is?" She looks right at me, Lightning tries to stop her, but she ignores him. "Lynx Squad is essentially a suicide squad. A squad comprised of troublemakers who don't work well with others," she tells me.
"A suicide squad?" I ask. "You mean, they are used like they are expendable?" That didn't seem right. From what I saw, all the Rangers more or less got along. Why would such a squad exist?
"Indeed. Formerly led by Iron, who was basically suicidal in battle." Lily says. "Thunder, an over the top loudmouth who doesn't like stealth. Lightning, basically normal but violently refuses to be on a separate squad from his brother. And Arrow, the mare who doesn't communicate. I suppose now you as well, the unknown factor."
"Do not get me wrong, they are all valued as Rangers. Fuck, I think of Thunder and Lightning as little brothers. But some squad has to be the one to take the dangerous missions. They are very good, that is why they are still around. Any other ranger would probably have died from the combat they've been in," she tells me.
"But, I thought you all said you were relatively new to combat when we met? I mean, that does explain why you all work so well together, but..." I trail off. They all look down at the ground.
"We had no clue who you were, why you were there. By the time we trusted you, we decided to just keep up the lie," Lightning explains. "We're sorry Ratchet, for lying. About that, and what Lynx Squad is." Thunder and Arrow nod in agreement with Lightning.
Lily is quietly watching our discussion, which seems odd to me since she started it. I take a breath and shake my head. "It doesn't matter. You lied to me, but I understand. I still trust you all, and I want us to stay friends. After all, I didn't tell you about my past right away either. But, moving forward, let's be honest with each other."
The three of them smile and nod. Lily smirks as well. "You know, Ratchet. I didn't like you. I still kind of don't. I just don't like it, this whole thing. But, i'm willing to trust you. As a Ranger, and as leader of Lynx Squad. So, with formalities out of the way, what is your mission?" She asks.
I quickly explain to her about Rose, then about Grimoire. As I finish, she let's out a chuckle. "You're lucky Lynx Squad is so talented, and that this Grimoire didn't stick around. You made the right choice, in turning around. But...come morning, continue to Friendship City. My squad is already heading back to base, we can inform the Elder."
"Really?" I ask her, excitedly. "That's great! We can get Rose home, and inform the Elder of Grimoire at the same time!"
"Indeed," Lily says. "Just, one thing about Friendship City. Some snooty ponies are hanging around near the entrance. They asked us to do something, but I didn't like their attitude, so I blew them off. But, if you are going there, you can hear them out. I think they mentioned something about capturing a building, or something." Lily shrugs her shoulders.
"I don't really recall, but if that is the case, and we help them, they might be inclined to let us use that building as a rest stop for future operations. Might be the perfect job for you after you get Rose home safely. We might not be able to move on Grimoire right away, and it is good to stay busy," she tells me.
"Right, we'll hear them out," I tell her. "Oh, that's right. I think I should go into more detail about exactly what Grimoire said. Are you able to record it?" I ask her.
"Of course," she says. "Begin whenever you are ready."
"Alright. This is Scribe Crusader Ratchet, and Grimoire needs to be stopped..."
===~+~===
Level Up!
-Level 5-
+6 Medicine
+10 Small Guns
+4 Speech
New Quest(s):
-The Chaos Crusade
Location: Unknown
Goal: Stop Grimoire
Current Objective: Return to Stable 36
-An Arrogant Request
Location: Friendship City
Goal: Talk to the ponies near the entrance |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 10 - Mixed Signals | Chapter 10 - Mixed Signals
"The good nature of ponies has been all but extinguished. I can't do much, but i'll do my part to ensure that those who want to be good ponies, are given a fighting chance."
===~+~===
After recording the description of my encounter with Grimoire, sleeping through the night, and parting ways with Star Paladin Lily's squad, Lynx Squad, Rose, and I make good progress towards Friendship City.
The path we walk must be the exact one Star Paladin Lily came from, as there is no sign of hostile creatures, or ponies anywhere. A few times, we enter ruined buildings expecting to find a fight, but only find recently killed raiders. I'd expect nothing less from Star Paladin Lily though.
We walk for the better half of the day before we encounter our first obstacle. A small town echoing of depraved laughter and shouting. Without a doubt, it is a group of raiders. The town itself appears to be heavily fortified, and the raiders I can see are well armed. With just the four of us, and Rose, we decide to make a detour and give the town a wide berth.
The detour will add a few hours to our journey, but it will be worth not risking ourselves, or Rose. After an hour or so of walking, CORA speaks up, "Hey Ratchet, I'm picking up a signal on the radio! I think I can pinpoint its source too. Here, I'll turn it on for you." A second later, my PipBuck's radio comes to life and plays the last few chords of a song I somewhat recognize.
After a few seconds of silence, a stallion's voice comes over the radio, "Helloooo Manehatten! This is your ever watchful eye and source of news here in the wasteland, DJ Pon3! Bringing you pre-war hits to break the dreariness of the day! Now here's the news!" Wait, what? A radio DJ? And DJ Pon3, none-the-less? But, DJ Pon3 was a mare...and would definitely be dead by now.
"I've received reports that the raider gang that was terrorizing the Ponyville area has been taken care of. Sources say some Steel Rangers took the fight to them and reclaimed the city. Perhaps there are still some good Rangers out there, fighting the good fight, but reports continue to come in about less than reputable Rangers attacking wastelanders and settlements. Do yourself a favor, and if you see a Ranger coming towards you, turn tail and run. Hide if you can, just don't let them catch you because the odds aren't in your favor," The stallion says.
"In other news," he continues, "Some wastelanders have decided to set up shop in Ponyville, and it is slowly but surely becoming a town once again. So if you are ever out that way, stop in and say hello. But watch out, because raider activity all throughout the wasteland has become increasingly active. Are more ponies turning to crime? Are the current gangs becoming bolder? Or is there something more sinister going on behind the scenes? Whatever the case is, watch yourselves out there. That's all for the news, my little ponies, until next time."
His voice fades and after a moment is replaced with music once again. I turn it back off and turn to the others. "DJ Pon3? Have you heard of them before?" I ask. Lightning, Thunder, and Arrow shake their heads, but Rose smiles and nods vigorously.
"Of course!" She proclaims. "He plays music nonstop and during the day he makes news reports about the wasteland. Though, I guess he only broadcasts to Manehatten. No one knows who he is or where he's at. But, that's probably for the best."
"I see," I hold a hoof to my chin in thought. If possible, I'd like to meet them. CORA said she could find where he is, but if it is out of the way, I want to get Rose home first. I decide I should ask CORA about her progress. "CORA, have you managed to find out where he's broadcasting from?"
"Yes I have! Here, let me ping your map...and done! His location is only a short ways from our current route. At the most, it will only add 30 minutes to our travel time. Unless we decide to stop and chat, that is," she informs me.
I look at the location on my map. She's right, it isn't too far from where we are at now. In fact, we should be able to reach it before sundown. "Alright folks, we're going to make a detour and pay a visit to the DJ." Rose is clearly ecstatic about my decision, but the others look a bit skeptical.
"You know we'll follow you, Ratchet, but why?" Lightning asks as we begin walking towards the DJ's residence. I can understand why the others don't get my intentions. They never had public radio while growing up and their radios have only ever told them orders.
"Because," I explain, "if he gets information about the wasteland, he might know something about Grimoire. Even if he doesn't, we should tell him about the situation, so innocent ponies don't fall into Grimoire's nefarious plans."
"I suppose that makes sense," Lightning says. "The more people who know about Grimoire, the harder it will be for him to make a move. Sound decision as always, boss." I roll my eyes. Again with the 'boss' stuff.
===~+~===
We make good progress, but the closer we get to the DJ, the more anxious I get. What am I going to do, just burst in through the door and say hello? I don't think that's something that ponies do in the wasteland. After a lot of thought, I decide to go with knocking on the door. That's always good, right?
However, as we get the building in sight, that plan crumbles. The building rests upon a hill in the middle of a clearing of dead trees. It is a small, one story house with a large antenna on the top of it. While the building itself looks mostly intact it fits in perfectly with the wasteland. The windows are boarded up and the paint is flaking from the side of the walls. But what deters me from the knocking plan, is the guard standing out front.
"Well shit," I mutter under my breath. Plan B, let's walk up and just say hi. I begin leading us out of the cover of the trees and directly towards the front door, and the guard. It isn't long before he sees us and readies his weapon. Once we are about halfway between the edge of the clearing and the building, he raises his rifle and calls out to us.
"Stop! Don't come any closer! Turn around and go back the way you came," the guard stallion shouts. I bring us to a stop so I can attempt to talk with the guard.
"I want to talk to the DJ, we don't mean any harm," I tell him. Unsurprisingly, he doesn't seem to accept that. He tells us to turn around once again. As I refuse, a second guard comes out from the building and joins the first one. Well, this just keeps getting better.
"Please, I just want to talk with the DJ. It is important!" I plead to them. But they don't seem to be budging. I'm about to say something again, when CORA turns my radio on.
"--but, ah...excuse me, my little ponies. Seems that I have some visitors. I'll cut this news section short so I can make sure my guards don't get into too much trouble. Here's some music for you in the meantime," he says, and shortly after music begins playing. CORA turns the radio off, and a few seconds later, another stallion comes out of the door.
He's wear lighter armor and carrying only a pistol in his magic. "Alright, I'm sure my guards here have made it clear that you shouldn't be here. Since you still are, I want to assure you, we don't have any valuables. The only thing here, is broadcasting equipment. If that is what you are looking for, i'm sorry, but i'm using it. Now, please, turn around and go on with your lives."
He has to be the DJ, maybe I can get somewhere now. "I don't want anything, I just walk to talk to you, Mr. DJ. I know you aren't the real DJ Pon3, but I want to ask you about some things. It is important," I tell him.
I see him raise an eyebrow as he replies, "Of course I'm the real DJ Pon3, why do you think i'm not?" Uh, ok. This isn't going exactly the way I thought it would.
"Because the real DJ Pon3 was a mare? I mean, that's my primary reason why you aren't the real one. That, and she has probably died of old age by now," I tell him. What were we talking about? This wasn't important.
His eyes go wide for a moment before he says, "No one...knows that anymore. How do you know about her?" He has an odd expression on his face. Like a mix between confusion and suspicion.
"I uh...kind of knew her, well not knew, knew her, but knew of her back when she was...well...uh..." Shit. Come on Ratchet, use your words. I couldn't think of how to explain it without sounding crazy.
After a long pause, he says, "You and you alone, come in. I want to talk to you, give any weapons you have to my guards. If your friends try anything, it's over. Got that?" I nod in agreement before slowly walking up the hill and giving my weapons to the guards.
The DJ leads me inside and motions for me to sit on a chair across the room from him, all the while not taking his gun off me. Once i'm seated, he sits down on the other side of the room. "Alright. Tell me how you know about DJ Pon3, and be honest. I'll know if you are lying to me."
I don't know what makes me tell him the truth. Perhaps it is the gun, or perhaps it is something else entirely. But for some reason, I tell him everything. How I knew about DJ Pon3, Vinyl Scratch, in the past and about how I was frozen and am here now. As I finish, I am almost certain he is going to kick me out, maybe even kill me.
"I believe you," he says. "It is an odd story, but not many ponies now know her real name. It's been lost to time. You even described her appearance. It is quite a bit to wrap my head around, but I believe you," he tells me as he lowers his gun.
"Wait here," he tells me as he gets up and exits the building again. After a moment, he enters again followed shortly after by a guard and after a minute or two, my friends. "Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable. You're all welcome to stay the night. Ratchet, you had something to discuss with me, right? Oh, and Slick, give her her weapons back, will ya?" he says.
"Sure thing boss," Slick says as he floats my things back to me. "I'm heading back to bed boss, I'll be up when it's my shift again." With that, Slick walks into another room and shuts the door.
"Alright Ratchet, let's go into my room and we can talk. Your friends can stay here and get some rest," he nods at them and gestures me towards another door. I follow him and he closes the door after us.
The room is small. It is a broadcast room that has a bed and table in it. The table has an assorted collection of things on it, but like the DJ said, nothing valuable. The room looks like the pictures i've seen of radio rooms, with soundproof walls and the like. The broadcasting switchboard itself is a complex thing with hundreds of buttons, switches, and dials. It has a record player and a microphone wired into it.
"Sorry it's so cramped, I don't usually have visitors. If I remember correctly, this place was an old forest ranger station," as he says this, he takes off the light barding he was wearing and the helmet. I'm able to see more clearly see his black coat and dark blue mane. And, fittingly enough, his cutie mark is a microphone and turntable.
"Oh, it's fine," I tell him as he sits on the stool in front of the broadcast table. He motions me to sit on the bed, and I do so, trying not to make a mess of anything.
"Now then, you said you had some important things to discuss?" he asks me. Wow, straight to business. That caught me a little off guard. He seems so trusting now that we discussed DJ Pon3. Speaking of...
"Before that, can we talk about the whole, you being DJ Pon3 thing? Are you just using the name, or what? You definitely could have been alive during her time, but you'd have been a teenager, right?" I ask him.
He chuckles a little before saying, "Yea, I suppose you would want to know about that. Well, back before the Megaspells hit, when I was around 10 or so, I ran away from home. I'll save you the minor details, but one day I met Vinyl. I quickly became obsessed with her and her music, and after a year or so, I met her again."
With a wide smile he continues, "I begged her to make me her apprentice. I followed her around for about a week before she finally agreed. She taught me, fed me, and basically raised me. For five short years, until the Megaspells hit. I don't know what happened to her, but we didn't make it to the same Stable."
He shakes his head. "When my Stable opened a few years ago, I began journeying the wasteland. Seeing the chaos, the carnage. After a while, I settled down here to do what I can to help the innocent wastelanders stay informed. I found guards, and used my connections to form an information network. I have runners who go from town to town and collect info for me."
"I decided to pick up Vinyl's monocure as DJ Pon3, and be the voice this wasteland needed. After all, without her, I wouldn't know how to do half of this stuff. It is my way of showing respect and honoring a great mare," he tells me. "But, enough about me. You had something to discuss?"
"Oh, yes." I was so wrapped up in his story I forgot the whole reason I came here. "Have you ever heard of a trader named Grimoire?" I ask. DJ Pon3 shakes his head. "Ok, so, here's the thing...he's kind of..." What? A crazy pony bent on turning the world into chaos incarnate? Sadistic? Just plain insane? I decide to settle for, "an evil villain. Not like in the comic sense though! Wait, maybe actually a little bit, but not so much like..." I start losing traction as the DJ holds up his hoof.
"Settle down Ratchet, we have all night," he tells me. "Why don't you start from the beginning? Don't gloss over anything." Once again, I don't know what compels me to tell him the truth of exactly what happened, but I do. I tell him everything.
How I exited the lab, met the Rangers, fought against the Rail Gang, discovered Grimoire's underhanded deals, and how he later abducted me and told me everything he was planning. DJ Pon3 only sits across from me nodding every so often for me to continue. When I finish, I realize what all I said to him.
"You...uh...wouldn't happen to be using some sort of truth magic on me, would you?" I ask him, half joking. I didn't even tell the Rangers about my past this quickly, but I'm telling some DJ who claims to have known the original DJ Pon3. What was wrong with me?
He chuckles and waves a hoof, "Nothing of the sort," he says with a smile. "Apparently a lot of ponies get that impression from talking with me. Ponies tend to really open up to me for some reason. Well, aside from raiders and the like." He crosses his hooves, "That aside, that is one grand tale you have. If you were anyone else, I'm not sure I'd believe it."
The DJ puts a hoof to his chin and smiles at me, "But you being you, I have no reason to doubt it. So, now that you've told me this, what do you plan to do?" His smile fades and a look of contemplation replaces it.
"Well, I was sort of hoping you could warn ponies of him, using your radio and what not. As for me, i'm escorting Rose home to Friendship City. But, other than that, i'm not really sure what to do. Wait for Grimoire to make a mistake or for the Rangers to catch him, I guess," I explain.
The DJ nods. "I suppose if you don't know where he's at it would be sort of hard to deal with him. I'll do what you ask, And if I find any information on this Grimoire fellow I'll be sure to broadcast it over the radio, just make sure you're listening," he tells me.
CORA speaks up, "I can monitor the radio even if you are not listening to it, Ratchet. So if I hear anything important I'll be sure to let you know. There's no need to worry about missing anything."
"Ah, so she finally speaks," DJ Pon3 says with a smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you miss CORA. Though, there is one issue and as the range of my broadcasting equipment. unfortunately I'm limited to the Manehatten area. Anything further to the south or east and my signal can't be picked up."
"Why didn't you select a place I could broadcast to a wider audience then?" CORA asks him. The DJ just shrugs and lets out a sigh.
"When I first emerged into the wasteland I did a bit of exploring. Finding out what's what and what was left of Equestria. Through my journeys this is the best broadcasting station I found, one that works anyway. There were a few other possibilities, even some that had a larger range. However those were not as secure as this location, or they tended to be overrun with Raiders and other wasteland monsters."
The DJ put on a smile, "But it's not all bad, I did manage to get a large population center inside the scope of my broadcast. So as long as the people of Friendship City can hear me I don't think I'm doing too bad."
"That makes sense," CORA replies, "I suppose any of the old military relay stations would also be a bit of a pain to get into, what with all the guards and security systems."
"Right you are miss," The DJ confirms. "So for as long as you're in the area I can provide you with any information that I receive. But since you live in the east and say you're heading back that way soon I don't think I'll be able to keep in touch for long," he tells us.
"Not a problem," I tell him. "Any help at all is better than no help, can you warning ponies will do a great deal of good," I add, causing him to grin even wider than before.
"Very good point. If there's one thing I aim to do, it's to do a great deal of good. As much as possible anyway, sitting behind this radio. I just wish I could do more, it is quite nightmarish out there. I just hope I'm bringing a little bit of hope to everyone's life in the bleak wasteland," he says.
"Well I can't speak for everyone but Rose seems to enjoy your work. She practically freaked out when I mentioned we were going to see you," I tell him, smiling back.
"You don't say?" DJ Pon3 says with a chuckle. "Well, perhaps I'll give her an autograph or something before you all leave. Speaking of, I assume you'll be leaving in the morning?" he asks.
"Yes, I'd like to get Rose home as soon as possible and return home to see if the Elder has found anything out about Grimoire yet," I say.
"I understand. Well then, unless you wish to talk about something else, i'll let you get to sleep. Your arrival interrupted my last broadcast of the night, so i'll have to throw something together before I turn in myself," he tells me with a sly grin.
After a bit more talking, and exchanging good nights, I leave his room and rejoin the others. Rose is already asleep on one of the couches and my friends are all clustered on the other one.
"Ah, Ratchet," Lightning says as I close the door behind me. "How did things go with the DJ? What is a DJ anyway? You said he uses a radio? Does that mean he is like the Elder and has a group of ponies he relays orders to?" I chuckle as I walk over to them and take a seat at an empty chair.
As I explain to them the finer points of what a radio DJ is and that he doesn't order anyone around, I also take the time to examine the room. It isn't anything lavish, but seems to be in fairly good condition compared to the rest of the wasteland.
The carpeting and wallpaper is a bit discolored and damaged in places, but it seems to be holding out fairly well. Aside from the broadcasting room and the room the guard went into, there seems to be another smaller room that has a tarnished restroom label on the door. The main room consists of two couches positioned in a L shape with a coffee table in the center of them. Across from the couch my friends are on, are two chairs, one of which i'm sitting on.
In addition, there are a few lockers, crates, and a card table that has its own chairs. Before the war, the main room was probably used by the forest rangers as a lounge in their downtime. I assume the room the guard is in has a few bunks that they would have slept in as well.
Once I wrap up my explanation of what a DJ is what detail all I told him, I tell the others we should get some sleep while we can. After assuring them that none of us have to keep watch, Arrow and I sleep on the couch while Thunder and Lightning sleep in the chairs. It wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, but it sure beat sleeping on the floor or outside.
After a few minutes, I can hear the others snoring softly. I fiddle with my PipBuck a bit before turning on the radio to a quiet volume and catching the end of a song. After a moment, the DJ's voice comes on.
"Hello Manehatten! This is DJ Pon3, and it is time for the last news of the day. Previously, I was interrupted by some visitors. Turns out, they were friendly and are staying the night with me. What's more, is they appear to belong to the Steel Rangers, the very ones that reclaimed Ponyville! I spoke to their leader, an odd, but lovely mare named Ratchet, and my little ponies, she told me a story," he announces.
"It turns out, these Steel Rangers are here to help. They are from a Stable, number 36. They have been taking the fight to as many raiders as they can and trying to make the wasteland a safer place. But in their fight to take back Ponyville, they uncovered a devious plot. A trader by the name of Grimoire is attempting to put together an army of the raider gangs and bring chaos to Equestria, and the world," he continues.
"Ratchet asked me if I could help spread this information, and warn everyone listening of this crazy buck. So do me a favor, tell everyone you know about this madpony, tell them of the Rangers of Stable 36, and stay safe out there. That's all for tonight, my little ponies. Make sure to wake up bright and early to catch the morning news," he concludes.
After a moment, the music starts back up and I can feel my eyelids growing heavy. As the radio continues to play, I quickly descend into slumber.
===~+~===
The following morning, we thank DJ Pon3 for his hospitality and bid him farewell. He gives Rose a signed piece of paper, and she surprises him with a hug in return. After a few minutes, we get ourselves back on the road to Friendship City. If you can call the woods a road. After a few hours without anything eventful happening, we reach the edge of the forest.
For the first time in a while, I bring up my PipBuck's map. Surprisingly, new locations have been added. Three back the way we came and three more in front of us. One was the raider town we passed around noon yesterday, marked Raider Camp. Another in the middle of the forest read Hollow Shades Irradiated Zone, it was just a bit southwest of the location called Ranger Station Delta. I assumed Delta was the DJ's radio station.
In front of us were Manehatten Ruins and Friendship City. South of us is the Fillydelphia Crater. I was a bit curious how all these locations showed up without me having gone there. "Hey CORA, why are all these new locations here?" I ask her.
"Oh, well, the major cities were easy enough to mark. And ponies have said that Friendship City was on the Statue of Friendship," she explains, beaming me a smile in my vision.
"What about the descriptive names? Manehatten 'Ruins', Fillydelphia 'Crater', Hollow Shades 'Irradiated Zone'?" I ask. That really seems more like a visual description of a location.
"Manehatten Ruins was an easy one, after all, some of the Rangers mentioned it as being in ruins. But for Fillydelphia and Hollow Shades, it was a bit more challenging. I was playing with some Spritebots and went to investigate them," CORA explains.
"What do you mean, you were playing with Spritebots?" I ask her as I turn off my PipBuck screen and continue walking towards the Manehatten Ruins.
"Using radio signals, I was able to hijack them and move them around. Even getting close to Hollow Shades sent my geiger counter off the scale. Fillydelphia did as well, but the most notable thing about it was the giant crater. I did look at Manehatten a bit, and aside from some small pockets of extreme radiation, most of it seems pretty low on radiation," CORA tells me with a smile.
"So, is that why you are so quiet all the time? You're riding around on Spritebots? I thought you were just being shy or something," I tell her.
"Yep! You asked about information on MAS research facilities that might house projects that used your technology a while ago, after all. I thought I might be able to find some. If nothing else, it's good to know our surroundings. I also have been getting to know some of your PipBuck's programs, just so you know. I DO have a social life," she says, rolling her eyes.
"Wait, what? You have a social life with my PipBuck's programs?" I ask, curiously and slightly concerned.
"Ugh, you remember our conversation on senses and how you couldn't explain them to me? This is kind of like that. You just wouldn't understand," she says, nodding her head as if affirming her own logic.
"Alright then," I say, not sure what else I could say. "Anyhow, good work. If you do find any of those facilities, just let me know!"
"Of course," CORA says with a smile. "But I think it is going to be more difficult than either of us realizes. After all, they were secret research projects. Honestly, I wouldn't expect anything. In all probability, we are more likely to stumble across them than I am to find them by looking," she explains.
"Noted," I tell her as we continue walking. "So, what do you all think," I address my friends, "another day until we reach the Manehatten Ruins?"
"I'd say, at the pace we are going, we'll reach them by nightfall," Lightning answers. Arrow nods in agreement.
"Yea, lucky for us Star Paladin Lily tends to clear out a large path when she travels. It should be a bit before creatures fill in the gap she carved out," Thunder says.
"Now that you mention it, I have noticed quite a few dead things since we meet with her," I realize. "She really kills everything in her path, doesn't she?"
"Anything that's a threat," Thunder explains. "However, once we enter the Ruins, that's another story. From what the other Rangers say, that place is full of creatures and raiders. Lily could be five minutes in front of us, and we would be encountering new enemies," he says.
"Is it that bad?" I ask. The wasteland itself was crazy with all the raiders and random creatures wanting to attack you. Were the Manehatten Ruins even worse?
"Well, to put it in perspective, there are multitudes more places to hide and breed in the Ruins than there are out here in the wasteland. More sources of loot and sustenance as well," Lightning tells me. "We just have to make sure to avoid Manticores. They like to nest in the city and the last time the Rangers ran into them, it was only thanks to Iron that we escaped," he explains.
Oh yea, I remember Iron saying some of his scars were from Manticores. If even Iron had to run from them, I surely don't want to meet them. I'd like it if we could just make it through the city without any fighting, but if what Thunder and Lightning says is true, this will be a fight for survival.
===~+~===
As the sun begins to set, we near the edge of the Manehatten Ruins. We stay a fair distance away to avoid drawing unwanted attention and prepare ourselves for the night. My plan is to spend the night here and enter the city in the morning, instead of risking entering in the darkness.
Darkness could be both good and bad for us. It would hide us from some enemies, but the worst of them, predators, wouldn't care about the darkness and we wouldn't see them coming. Luckily, no one has any arguments with my decision, in fact the seem to wholeheartedly agree with it.
As we settle around the small fire, and pass around the remains of my box of Sugar Apple Bombs and drink some water, I draw the 9mm pistol from my bags. I look it over a bit before I replace the missing bullet and fish out the remaining 16 bullets. Then, I float the pistol over to Rose. "Take it," I tell her.
"But I've never really used a gun before, you should keep it," Rose says, shaking her hooves in front of her.
"Just take it," I tell her again, "I have another gun, I like the other one better anyway. Besides, you are unarmed. That's been fine up until now, but if the Manehatten Ruins are as dangerous as everyone says they are, you should carry a gun."
"I...I suppose," She says, grabbing the gun in her hooves. Nodding with approval, I float the ammo into her bag. "I hope I don't have to use this," She says as she stares at it.
"Same here," I tell her. "You only have about two clips for it, so don't use it unless you absolutely have to. We'll try to do all of the fighting," I say, looking to the others who nod in agreement. "Just pull it out if we get into a fight, but don't fire unless you are in danger. Oh, and Lightning, can you show her the finer points of it?" I ask him.
He nods and sets about telling Rose about the safety, how to properly shoot the weapon, and how to effectively reload. I honestly hope she doesn't have to, but it is better to be safe than sorry. As the final bit of light fades from the wasteland, I turn to look at the Manehatten Ruins.
The once thriving city of Manehatten, reduced to ruins. The famous skyline had been turned into a mar on the horizon. It used to be a place full of life, but now was a place of death. What would happen in those ruins tomorrow? Would we come out the other side together, or be destroyed in the process? |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 11 - Ruin | Chapter 11 - Ruin
"Follow the plan...just follow the plan."
===~+~===
Two hours. That is how long we have been in the Manehatten Ruins. I wish I could say that we've made good progress, but we have barely made it three blocks into the city. In the first hour, we encountered a group of six raiders, about four bloodwings, twelve bloatsprites, and three sentry bots. Luckily, not all at once and we managed to fight through them easily enough. Managed to score some good loot as well.
In hour two, we found out that the raiders had friends. Apparently, we wandered into the middle of raider territory. During this second hour, we were set upon multiple times by the raiders of this territory, we managed to fight off the first few, but eventually they halted our advance. Now, we are holed up in a two story apartment building hoping that the raiders get bored of looking for us and wander off.
Miraculously, we have sustained no injuries. Though I think that is mostly due in part to most of us wearing power armor. Rose and I were clinging to cover like our lives depended on it. Speaking of Rose, she appears to be quite shaken, but hasn't had to fire a single shot yet. Which is good, considering my revolver was out of ammo within the first hour.
Thank the Goddesses that between Lightning, Thunder, and Arrow, they had an armory worth of ammo for their own weapons. A perk of being born in the Rangers, I suppose. But, they did let me keep any loot we came across, which means I now have quite a few spare guns with plenty of ammo. At least, for now.
The six raiders we took out used two shotguns, two assault rifles, a 10mm submachine gun, and a machete. After loading all the weapons while holeing up in the apartments, I have 67 shells, 35 5.56 bullets, and 13 10mm bullets to spare. I also picked up some medical bandages, food, and some Sparkle Cola from the raiders. And around 100 caps, can't forget the caps.
"Well, they are tenacious, i'll give them that," Thunder mutters, checking over his weapons. Lightning and Arrow are doing the same. Outside, I can hear the echoing calls of the raiders as they shout derogatory remarks while looking for us.
"Yea, and such a cheery bunch," Lightning adds. Some random gunfire in the distance followed by more shouting. How did ponies live on the other side of all this? It was like never ending chaos. Did we just pick a lousy route? I let out a sigh as I take a moment to look at the inside of the apartment we are in.
As you would expect from a city hit by a Megaspell, half the building was crumbling, the paint on the walls has all but peeled off, and there is so much dirt and dust everywhere I wasn't sure if it could ever be clean again. This particular apartment, which would have consisted of three rooms, has had its interior walls destroyed, allowing the bedroom and bathroom to be seen from the living area and kitchen. Any personality or furniture the room might have had was either reduced to rubble or buried.
It certainly wasn't the most luxurious apartment building, even before the war. But, I bet it was cheap and served its purpose. As i finish surveying the room, my eyes fall on Rose, who is shakily looking at the floor a little bit apart from the others. I quietly move over to her and put my hoof on her shoulder.
"It's going to be alright, Rose. Sure, things have been chaotic so far, but no one's been injured yet. We have that going for us, right? We'll make it to Friendship City," I tell her with a small smile.
Rose looks up at me nods her head and says, "Y-Yea...I'm just not...used to all this, I suppose." I can completely understand that. I, myself don't know how I'm handling this as well as I am. Perhaps my inquizitive spirit is keeping me going?
"Right?" I reply with a brighter smile. "While we are stuck here, let's come up with a plan," I declare. I open up my PipBuck's map screen as the others gather around. I switch to the Local Map setting and zoom out as far as possible. Even though most of the area not to our west is missing from my map's data, it does show a good two blocks in every direction from our current location.
"Ok, let me see...I wonder if I can..." I trail off for a moment as I concentrate my magic on my PipBuck. After a moment, a larger projection of the map appears above the PipBuck. "Awesome! It worked! Alright, so, using my magic to make it easier to see, we are currently here," I put a blue colored dot on the magical projection where we are currently at.
"Now, judging by the direction the raiders were chasing us from, and the sound of their voices, I'm guessing they are around, here, here, and here," I say, as I add three new red dots to the north of the blue one. "Of course, these aren't exact locations. My EFS doesn't work, remember," I add.
"Since Friendship City is quite a bit south and a little ways east of us, them being in the north works for us. Assuming that door leads to a hallway and more of the building, we should be able to find an exit on the south side, or use a window if nothing else," I tell them.
"From there, judging by the terrain mapping, a lot of the surrounding streets are blocked by rubble. So, I think we should follow this path," I pause for a moment and draw a blue arrow on the magical projection. "Going through as many buildings as we can and only using the streets if necessary. This way, it will cut down on our exposure to anything hostile," I decide.
"Assuming there is nothing hostile inside the buildings," Thunder says with a hint of concern in his voice. "This also assumes we'll be able to find entrances and exits in those buildings to follow this path. I don't know anything about architecture, but i'm pretty sure not every building has an entrance on each side," he says.
"True," I reply with a nod, "but most have windows we can use. As for hostiles, I think i'd rather take our chances inside than outside. Especially if any of the raiders have a sniper rifle. That'd spell the end for Rose or me. If they had a high enough caliber, you three might be in trouble as well."
"Fair enough," Thunder nods. I look over the projection one more time and confirm everything in my mind.
"Alright then. As soon as the raiders settle down, we'll move. This building here," I mark a building with a blue X, "will be our destination. Once there, we'll come up with another plan and move again." After receiving nods from everyone, I continue, "By the way, Rose, how did you make it through these ruins the first time? Some sort of special route?"
Rose tilts her head and puts a hoof to her chin. "Something like that," she says. "A few of us planned to head west to see if we could make contact with any other settlements. We had some guards who knew the city well guide us through it. The way we took, it was about two days, but we managed to avoid a lot of combat," she informs us.
"But, I don't remember it well enough, and with everyone else who came with me having..." she trails off for a moment, "...died...I..." I hold up a hoof to stop her. It looks like she is about to start crying, and that is something we can't afford right now. Sadness can wait.
"That's fine," I tell her. "I was just curious, is all. We'll get you back home safely," I say, giving her a broad smile. She wipes a tear from her eye then nods and smiles back at me. Right, now I just need to make sure I can keep that promise.
===~+~===
"Let's move!" I declare after the raider activity has died down a bit. We exit the apartment through a door opposite the gaping hole in the wall that we came through and enter a hallway with multiple doors along it. Moving southward, we enter through an unlocked door and enter another apartment.
This side of the building appears to be in better condition than the other, but is still a complete mess. Since the wall is intact, we break a window and carefully exit the building into a narrow alleyway. Directly across from us is a brick building, but the only entrance is windows about a pony's height off the ground. "I got this," Lightning says as he takes position under one of the windows. "Climb on up!"
Thunder is the first to climb up, break the remaining glass around the window and climb inside. After a moment, he sticks his head out again, "All clear, let's go." Arrow is next, followed by Rose and then myself.
Once inside, I look down to Lightning. "How do you plan on getting up here?" I ask him. Even if Thunder and Arrow use their power armor to attempt to pull him in, the position of the window would make it difficult to get a good grip.
"Just stand back away from the window," he says as he turns his back to us and faces the wall opposite. I look at him in confusion for a moment before I see him run directly at the wall, jump at it, twist himself around and plant his rear hooves on it. A split second later, I dash to the side as he flies through the remains of the window and lands on his hooves with a metallic crash.
"Gotta love the extra power the suits give, right?" He says, surely hiding a smirk under his helmet. I roll my eyes and survey the room. It looks like some sort of filing room. Cabinets line all available wall space except for a door leading out. Papers have been scattered on the floor long since forgotten.
"Right, we must be in an office building of some sort," I mutter. "Let's keep going." Opening the door leads to another hallway and the door across from us leads to a meeting room of sorts. A large table is in the center with numerous chairs around it. Resting in each chair, is a skeleton. Ignoring them as best I can, i approach the large bay window that has long since had its glass busted out.
After busting through some of the remaining rotted wood to make room for us to exit, we dash across the street and stand against the next building. A multiple story office building. The doors are locked, but against the power of Thunder's armor, they splintered into a thousand pieces with minimal effort on his part.
The inside is a large open lobby with a decayed fountain in the middle. Between us and it was a reception desk. I could just make out the words 'Humble Law Firm' engraved on the front of it. I think I remember hearing about them. I never had much use for lawyers though. The first floor had a few doors to our left and right, and on either side of the fountain was a curved staircase leading to the second floor.
"If I remember correctly, the building south of us was rubble on the map, so we should probably try heading east for now. Wait a moment..." I say as I pull up my map. Just like I thought. "There appears to be a walkway linking this building with the one across the street. Let's head upstairs and look for it," I tell the others. After scaling the staircase and turning down a hall, we find the door to the walkway.
Carefully, I push it open and take a look. Towards the center, half of the walkway has been blown away, but the rest looks solid enough. However, sitting in the midst of a pile of sandbags holding a sniper and looking out the gaping hole is a raider. Even without an EFS, I can tell. They were covered in similar armor the raiders wear and clearly had blood smeared on his face and body.
"Those fucks, how did they lose the targets? Well, they won't get past me. I'll kill them and take all their loot for myself!" The raider says with a laugh, clearing any doubts that they were in fact, a raider. I hold up a hoof to the others, draw my knife, and make my way towards him.
About halfway there I suddenly hear a beeping. Without skipping a beat, I charge at the raider who begins turning towards me. The beeping stops as I magically throw my knife at the raider and pierce his eye before he has a chance to get a single shot off or yell. His head jerks back and then falls forward to rest on the sandbags.
I turn back towards the others, only to see a landmine magically floating near where the beeping started. Arrow is waving at me happily. She floats the mine to me as the others walk up. "You know, you're lucky Arrow is good at disarming mines with her magic," Lightning says. "Otherwise, you'd have been blown to bits," he adds, unnecessarily.
"Yea, yea," I tell him while rolling my eyes. Facing Arrow, I say, "Thanks, saved me again." I give her a smile as she falls to her haunches and frantically waves her hooves in front of her. "No, no, seriously. Thank you Arrow. I should pay more attention to my surroundings," I say, feeling slightly disappointed in myself.
"That you should," Lightning chimes in. I roll my eyes again as I begin to loot the raider. His sniper is the same as Arrow's, although in worse condition. He also has a few caps on him, but no spare ammo. As I'm about to move on, I notice a box under him. I push him aside and discover an ammo box. Inside, I find a large amount of .308 bullets for the rifle.
I pick up the case and hold it up to Arrow. "Here, it's the same type of ammo as your rifle," I tell her. She shakes her head. I frown. "Look, I know you all have your own supply, and you're letting me have all the loot we find, but seriously. You use this ammo, and you just saved my life. Take it," I repeat.
She stares at it for a moment. "...half..." she says quietly. I set the case on the ground and roll my eyes.
"Fine!" I say, as I scoop out about half of the rounds and add them to my bags. My inventory reads I got 43. "Happy? Now, take the rest," I tell her. She nods and picks up the case in her magic then adds it to her bag. "Alright, let's move," I say and begin to walk to the other side of the walkway.
Suddenly, a frag mine floats directly into my face. I stop before I smack into it. The magic around it disappears and I quickly pick it up with my own. As i do so, Arrow walks past me and floats up another mine near the door. Like the other one, she deactivates it and floats it over to me. I let out a sigh as I put them both in my bag. "Thanks...again," I mutter as we continue through the door.
Into another hallway of what looks like more offices. While looking for the stairs down to the first floor, we pass an open door. As I look inside, I lock eyes with one of three raiders playing cards around a table. "Oh come one!" I shout as I draw the shotgun and level it at one of the raiders.
As they go for their guns on the table, I pull the trigger and send buckshot at my target. However, despite the close range and the spread of the shotgun, the raider only gets nicked as I quickly move to get out of the doorway as gunfire erupts from the room. I take up position right around the corner and Lightning takes the side opposite. The others stay a good distance back.
"Gee Ratchet, you always us something good, don't ya?" Lightning says sarcastically just as the raiders' storm of bullets stops. Simultaneously, Lightning and I peek around the corner and open fire. His shots inevitably hit his target while I still manage to only lightly pepper mine. Well, that's six wasted shells. We fall back against the wall as the raiders finish reloading and open up on us again.
"Yea, yea. Less snark and more shooting," I tell him. A moment later, their fire stops and we fold around the doorway once again. Again, Lightning drops his target, while I waste my shotguns remaining clip. "Are you kidding me!?" I yell as I throw the empty shotgun at the raider. By some odd stroke of luck, it knocks the gun from his grip and catches him off guard.
"Really Ratchet?" Lightning says as he charges into the room. "Who throws their weapon at the enemy?" He drops his SMG and draws his knife, ending the raider moments later. With the threat dealt with, I enter the room as well and retrieve my shotgun.
"It was empty!" I say, blushing slightly. "But I mean really, how did I manage to miss at this range with all eight shots! Well, not miss, but only slightly hit him. Ugh, guns and their shitty accuracy!" I declare.
"Well, first of all you just suck," Lightning says in his usual snarky tone. "It isn't the gun's fault you can't aim it properly," he adds with a laugh. "But, you actually hit him quite a bit. It just seemed like you didn't," he says, picking up an odd looking needle contraption. "He was using Stampede."
"Stampede?" I ask stupidly. "Wait, no, don't tell me. I think it was...a combat enhancing drug developed before the war?" I suggest, looking at the empty drug casing before going back to looting the bodies.
"Very good!" Lightning says. "It's effects include increased aggression and a numbing of pain. He just didn't seem like he got hit, when in reality, you did quite a number on him." I finish looting the first two raiders and finally get a look at the one i'd been shooting at. His left side looks like it had been through a grinder.
"So I don't suck!" I say with a smile as I proceed to loot him. Lightning just chuckles. "Hey, what's that laugh for? Are you saying I still do?" I question. He just shakes his head and walks out of the room. "No, seriously! You think I do, don't you!" I call after him.
I finish looting and return to the others outside the room. "...so she throws the shotgun at him," Lightning says, getting a laugh from Thunder and a quiet giggle from Arrow as she holds a hoof to her helmeted muzzle.
"Yea, yea, laugh it up," I say, as I reload the shotgun. Eight shells and I didn't even bring down one. Yet Lightning brings down two with a single clip of his SMG and a third with his knife. I let out a sigh. "Alright, let's keep moving," I say as I start leading us down the hallway once again.
"They have anything good on them?" Thunder asks.
"I wouldn't say good. Just some poor quality SMGs. I did get a good sum of bullets for them though. I suppose I can sell these three and use the good quality one I already have, if necessary," I tell him. "I also found some more of that Stampede drug on them, and some Dash."
"Since the other two had the Stampede, I think they might each be carrying one, at least. The others didn't take it though," I say. "Even during the war it was highly addictive and dangerous. I expect this crude looking manufacturing hasn't done it any..." I'm cut off as some shouting echos down the hallway.
Hoofbeats quickly follow the voices and I begin to make out what they are saying, "Like I said, I heard shooting from up here. The fucks must have found a way inside behind us," a mare's voice calls out.
"Good!" shouts a buck. "I hope the others didn't finish them off, i've been itching to kill something all day!" The sounds get closer until they seem just around the corner from us. I motion for everyone to hug the walls, except for Thunder who I have stand in the center. In this formation with Thunder at the center, Arrow, Rose and I are on his left and Lightning is on the right.
"Hey, don't kill them all! I want to have some fun with them first!" Calls another mare. Shit, how many were there? In seconds, the first one comes around the corner, followed by four others. "Oh shit!" the mare in front calls out as Thunder's minigun spins up.
Arrow shields Rose with her body as I drop to the floor and make myself as small a target as possible. Meanwhile, Lightning and Arrow open fire. Arrow's bullet finds a buck's left legs, piercing through both unarmored hunks of flesh.
Lightning sprays the pair closest to him as they fumble to bring their weapons to bear on us. I aim into the center of them and start pulling the trigger right as Thunder's gun begins to roar to life. Arrow's target falls on his side and receives a second bullet through his skull. One of Lightning's falls to the ground with a thump as the other starts shooting madly at him.
The remaining two see Rose and myself, unarmored and focus their efforts on us, but as they do so my buckshot and Thunder's swarm of bullets plows into them, causing them to shoot wildly as they trip over each other to get back around the corner.
Arrow sends a bullet through the rear leg of one right before they disappear from sight along with the one that was shooting at Lightning. "Fuckers!" I hear one call out from around the corner. A moment later, three metal apples fly around the corner and land in front of us. "How do you like them apples?" Another of the raiders calls out.
"Oh shit!" I scream as I drop my shotgun from my magic and scoop up the nearest grenade. I throw it out the nearest window. Arrow picks one up with her magic and throws it back around the corner. The third grenade is in the middle of us right in front of Thunder. Without hesitation, he throws his side onto the grenade.
Immediately after, all three blow up. Mine sends glass and brick spraying back into the hall, Arrow's receives a chorus of "FUCK!" as red splashing into the hall and against the walls. The grenade under Thunder explodes, launching him a few inches in the air. I hear him call out as he crashes back down and red starts to seep out around him.
"Thunder!" I call out as I rush over to him. The others follow immediately after me. Surrounding Thunder, Arrow takes off his helmet and Lightning tries to help his brother up to his haunches. Thunder's face is twisted in pain as he gets into a sitting position.
At this moment, I can see the slight smile on his face. "What? You think a grenade is going to take me out?" He says. "Grenades are my thing, remember?" Despite his encouraging words, the entire right side of his armor is crushed inwards, and from the cracks seeps blood. The minigun mounted on his side has been ruined, its barrels twisted at odd angles.
Arrow begins stripping the armor off his side and bandaging him up. Lightning separates the destroyed gun from his brother's armor, and slams his hooves down in the dented metal, popping it back out the way it should be. While not in peak condition, it wouldn't stab at Thunder's side this way.
Somehow, Thunder manages to only have some cuts from the jagged edges of his armor when it got dented. Unfortunately, his only plausible weapon has been destroyed. But, it is a minor sacrifice as long as he is still alive. "Don't do something like that again, alright?" I tell him. "There's no need to sacrifice yourself for us."
"It wasn't a sacrifice," Thunder replies while wincing from Arrow's treatment. "Our armor is made to be able to take a grenade or two. Though, a rocket might be a different story. I wasn't in any real danger."
"He's got a point, though I will agree, it was rash to do," Lightning adds, finishing with his brother's armor. "Good as new," he says, kicking it back towards Thunder.
Arrow finishes up and Thunder gets to his hooves with a grunt. "Thanks," he says as he puts his armor back on, except for his helmet, which he puts in his bag. "Sorry, Ratchet, but I think i'll be needing to take one of their guns. I think i'll take...this one," he says, as he picks up a fairly good condition assault rifle and continues to loot the raider for more ammo.
"If you find any 5.56 on the others, toss it to me, will ya?" he says as he puts the rest of the raiders ammo into his bags and kicks me over a dose of Stampede. I pick it up, and proceed to loot the others. Two others have rifles and a good sum of 5.56 on them. I float it into Thunder's bags and take everything else.
Like the others before, each one has a dose of Stampede on them, i'm up to seven now. Other than that, I find some caps, another SMG, two 10mm pistols, and plenty of 10mm ammo. As I get it all together and stand up, I say, "You know, I appreciate you letting me take all the loot, but honestly, I don't think I can carry much more. Rose, you want anything?"
She shakes her head as she says, "If you can't carry something, i'll carry it for you. My bags are pretty light at the moment. But I don't need anything." I shrug my shoulders as we continue on, finding the stairs right around the corner.
===~+~===
We make it to our first stop without any more issues. I project the map once again, and plot us a course through the ruins. If we keep following my plan, we should reach the city in a few more hours. As we proceed through building after building, and cross street after street, we only find minor resistance from mutated animals such as bloatsprites.
We repeat my mapping process three times before coming to a large, crumbling overpass. It is a larger road than we've crossed before. "Stay sharp, we'll be more exposed than usual crossing this road," I say as I begin to lead us across.
Halfway across, and nothing has jumped out as us yet. Three-fourths of the way there, and nothing. Two feet from the next building, and a loud crack echoes through the city. An instant later a bullet pierces through my rear right leg. I trip mid-step and fall flat on my face as the others run to shield Rose and I as we move to the side of the building. Lightning grabs me with a hoof and drags me to my hooves, pulling me along.
Limping, I make it to the building with the others. Another loud crack, followed by a chunk of concrete exploding right next to my head, sending it cutting across my face. I flinch as the concrete dust gets in my eyes and the fresh cuts begin to send blood running down my muzzle.
Without wasting a moment, Thunder kicks in the door to the building and Lightning drags me inside while I remain dazed. The others follow and shut the door as best they can. I'm rubbing my eyes trying to clear them of dust as Arrow attempts to work on my wounded leg. "Shit, you good Ratchet?" Lightning asks as he looks around the room.
"Y-yea, i think so," I reply. "Well, kind of. I can keep going," I tell him. I mean, I did just get shot, but we can't afford to sit around, they know where we are at. "Let's keep moving," I say as Arrow finished up on my leg, tying the magical bandage neatly around the wound. Down to one of those, I suppose. I hope I won't need more.
The cuts on my face aren't too bad, they should stop bleeding pretty quick. I frantically look around at the destroyed building we are in, some sort of hotel I think. I get my bearings, and begin to lead us south through the building, and into the alley between this building and the next. As soon as we are outside, however, a rocket detonates a foot away from us.
Lightning is closest to where it detonated, and as the dust settles, I can tell he is alright. "Keep moving!" I yell, as we smash through a window while another rocket is on its way. We pile in through the window seconds before it detonates, sending glass and mortar cascading down upon us.
"Well, this is going from bad to worse," Thunder mutters as we run through the building. I thought we lost the raiders, what happened? Are they the same ones we lost earlier, or a new group?
We crash through the door leading to the street, only to be ambushed by four raiders. Thunder, Lightning, and Arrow quickly stand between Rose and I and the raiders. I peak around Lightning and fire a few shots of buckshot at a pair of the raiders. It strikes them and staggers them, allowing Lightning and Arrow to finish them off.
As I look to the other side, I see Thunder and Arrow just drop their opponents as well. Meanwhile, Rose is shaking behind Arrow, gun drawn and eyes wide. No time to loot, "Across the street!" I call out and begin charging towards the building across the street.
Gunfire begins to break out as we break into a department store and slam the door behind us. "Fuck! Do we just have bad luck, or do they know where we are going," I say as I look around quickly. "We have to go, now!" I begin walking to the back of the store with the others close behind.
I reach the other side and start to open an employee entrance to the street beyond. Before I even get the door fully open, a hail of bullets start to ping off the door. I slam it shut and step away from it. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I scream. This wasn't good. Did they have us trapped? "We might be stuck here," I tell the others.
I stare at the door for a moment, eyes wide in panic, before Arrow puts a hoof on my shoulder. I turn to look at my friends, two wearing helmets with unreadable expressions, the terrified Rose, and Thunder, looking ready for orders. I relax for a moment and take a deep breath.
I close my eyes and think. After a moment, I open my eyes and give them a determined look. "Alright, they have us trapped. But, we aren't done. Thunder, watch this door," I say as I float out one of the mines, arm it, and place it in front of the door. Thunder nods, throws a table on its side and takes up position behind it.
"Lightning, watch the door we came from. Put this in front of the door," I tell him, as I float the other mine over to him. He nods and takes off for the other entrance. "Rose, I think there is a circular sales desk in the middle of this floor. I want you to go and hide behind it. No matter what direction they come from, you'll have protection," I tell her.
She stares blankly at me for a moment, before blinking, nodding, and running off. "Arrow, you take the west side and make sure there are no other entrances there. I'll look to the east. If you find one, yell...or, well, give me a signal or something I guess," I say to her. She gives me a salute and takes off.
Alright, we can do this. We'll hold this position, get our bearings, and take out any that try to get in. We need to rest, to catch our breath. Get our hooves under us again. I nod to myself, confirming my plan and begin to search the east for any other entrances.
After a quick trot along the wall, I confirm that there are no windows or doors. As I recall the map, that makes sense. No doubt Arrow found the same. If I remember correctly, this building is attached to the ones on either side of it. I return to Rose in the center. A few moments later, Arrow comes back and confirms that there are no entrances.
"Alright, they have two ways to get in. If we watch them, we should be fine," I declare. I turn my attention to Rose, who looks quite shaken. "Rose, everything will be alright. We'll make it. Just a few blocks more, and we'll be there," I tell her. She shakily nods, but doesn't say anything. "Arrow, stay with her. I'm going to check in with the others," I say as I begin walking over towards Thunder's position at the south.
As I approach, I notice he has overturned a few more tables and fortified his position. I go over the plan with him, he gives me his approval and I head north of talk with Lightning. Similar to his brother, Lightning agrees and has fortified his position. Multiple tables overturned. Though, Lightning's has a little more finesse in its design than his brother's.
I return to Arrow and Rose in the center of the building and give Rose a bottle of Sparkle Cola. She takes it gratefully and begins sipping it. I pocket the bottle cap, of course. We sit in silence as we wait.
===~+~===
After two hours, the raiders still have not made an attempt to enter the store. They do, however, continue to holler at us. Thinks like, "Just come on out, we only want to play!", "You'll have to come out eventually!", or even "Get out here you fucks!" A large variety of obscenities have been thrown at us, but nothing more.
From the amount of voices I manage to distinguish, I estimate at least a dozen at each entrance. An hour ago, Arrow and I went to the second floor windows in an attempt to find their positions and take a few out with our rifles. However, as soon as we approached the windows their snipers kept us from looking outside for more than a few seconds.
"Fuck..." I sigh as I slump against the desk. I figured they would at least try to come in and we could thin some of them out. But, it seems they are attempting to put us under siege. I roll my head back and look up at the ceiling, losing myself in thought.
My wounded leg was starting to hurt, causing me to snap back to reality. "Alright. Hey, Lightning," I call over to him. "Come here. It's not like they are going to come in anyway. Even if they do, we'll know right away," I say in a more relaxed tone that I should have in this situation. After a moment, Lightning hops over the desk with us.
"What's up?" he asks. I look at him with a blank expression and shrug my shoulders. "What does that mean? You called me over, remember?" He says with a hint of irritation in his voice.
"I got a plan. A stupid plan," I say, as I roll my head to the side. "Let's go meet up with Thunder, I'll explain it then," I say, rising to my hooves and climbing over the desk. After a few moments of hesitation, the others follow.
"Hey Thunder," I say as I approach. "I think it's time we leave," I say with little emotion in my voice. I sigh. It is almost like I am depressed. But, I know I'm feeling this way because this is a really stupid plan, and I really don't want to do this.
"Whenever you're ready boss," Thunder replies. "But, how do you plan on doing that?" He asks. I nod my head as everyone gathers around. I let out another sigh as I prepare the details in my head.
"We go out guns blazing," I tell them flatly. Well, that's part of the plan anyhow. Now, for the sucky part. "But first, lend me some of your grenades, Thunder. About five will do. I'd like six, but I don't think I could pull that off," I say, muttering the last part quieter than the rest.
"Sure thing, but what do you plan to do with them?" He asks, digging out five grenades from his bags and setting them in front of me. I pick them up in my magic and float them beside me.
"I'm going out first," I say as I draw the poor quality shotgun from my bag along with two doses of Dash. "I'll shoot off the door's hinges, drop this shotgun, grab the door in my telekinesis, and use it as a shield as I charge outside. Once outside, I'll take one of the Dash and then find out where the raiders are positioned. I'll then use the grenades to attempt to kill them, or catch them off guard," I declare.
If I could see their faces, besides Rose's, which was looking at me in shock, I bet they would be wearing the same expression. But I wasn't done explaining yet. "Once I toss the grenades, I'll slam the door into the ground and use it as cover, freeing up my magic to use my SMG. At this point, the Dash should wear off, which is where the second dose comes in," I pause as I look them over.
"As soon as I pick up the door, you four will count to seven and follow me out. Keep Rose between you. Rose, pick up the shotgun I drop, if you can. Once in the street, engage any raiders you see while moving towards me. Once we are together, I'll pick the door back up and use it as a shield for us as we move across the street and into the next building. Got it?" I ask.
Lightning is the first to speak up, "You are fucking crazy if you think that we'll..."
"Shut up!" I yell at him. "I know, this is going to suck. I could even die, in fact, if I don't i'll be surprised. So listen, whatever it takes, I will make sure you all make it across the street safely. So do as I say," I say, almost pleading with them.
Lightning sits and crosses his front legs. "No," he says simply. However, Thunder and Arrow walk past me towards the door, Arrow deactivates the mine and floats it back into my bag. They take up positions on either side of the door.
"Whenever you're ready boss," Thunder says in a pained tone. Arrow nods in agreement.
Lightning lets out a sigh. "Idiots. But," he rises to his hooves, "when they are like this, there's no talking sense into them. He walks up to me and mutters, "I won't forgive you if you die, Ratchet," before taking his place next to Thunder.
Rose looks confused between us before she runs over to Arrow's side. I walk a few feet from the door, close my eyes and take a deep breath. Slowly, I open them again and look at the ponies next to the door, looking at me, waiting for me. I grit my teeth, and float the shotgun up next to the bottom hinge.
Now! I pull the trigger, shattering the rusted hinge as I float the gun up to the top one and repeat the process. As soon as the door is free, I charge at it, drop the shotgun from my magic and pick up the door up. Heavier than I expect, but that just means it will be a good shield.
Already, bullets are bouncing off the door and building as I sprint through the doorway. One second, I make it a foot from the building. Two seconds, I take the first dose of Dash. Two and a half seconds, I pull the pins from all five grenades. Three seconds, I toss the first grenade at a pair of raiders to my left. Three and a half seconds, I toss the second grenade at three raiders at my 10 o'clock. Four seconds, the third grenade flies at a four of ponies behind some sandbags directly across the street.
Four and a half seconds, the fourth grenade is sent express to a pair nearing 3 o'clock. Five seconds, the fifth grenade soars for three raiders to my right. Six seconds, I reach the middle of the street. Six and a half seconds, I jam the door in the road horizontally. Seven seconds, the others charge out and begin shooting as I feel a bullet penetrate my flank. Seven and a half seconds, the grenades explode as I draw my SMG.
Eight seconds, I open fire at the ponies across the road from me as the flee the explosion. Nine seconds, I confirm the grenades killed five as I shoot to my right. Ten seconds, my friend make it a third of the way to me and have taken out two raiders. Eleven seconds, I feel the Dash about to wear off and put the second dose in my muzzle, pushing down on the injector.
Eleven and a half seconds, I toss aside the empty dose as I exhale a pink mist and level my SMG at my 3 o'clock. Thirteen seconds, I finish off the pair at my 3 o'clock. Fifteen seconds, I feel another round punch into my left foreleg as I reload the SMG. Seventeen seconds, I finish off the group in front of me as my friends reach me.
Nineteen seconds, and I turn my head just in time to have a bullet fly through my mane. Nineteen and a half seconds, and I point the sniper out to Arrow. Twenty one seconds, Arrow takes out the sniper as my second dose of Dash wears off. "FUCK!" I cry out as the pain of my wounds finally reaching my brain.
I wince as i pick the door up once again and swing it to our left. It seems all the raiders on our right have been dealt with and only four raiders remain. With the metal door between us and the raiders, we reach the building without further injury while the others take shots at them. I move to open the door, but find it to be a metal door chained shut with a sturdy lock.
I raise my shotgun to shoot off the lock as I hear the raiders from the north side of the previous building just reaching this street. I pull the trigger, but the buckshot only ricochets off the lock and hits me in the chest with a few pellets. I call out as I drop the shotgun from my magic and stagger back.
Shaking my head, I look behind us, from both sides of the street, more raiders have appeared. Thunder, Arrow, and Lightning move to stand between Rose and I and the raiders on the side opposite the makeshift door cover. "I can't get the door open!" I say as I hold a hoof to my bleeding chest.
Fuck, could this get any worse? I think to myself. As if on cue, a loud roar echoes through the street. I hear the beating of wings right as a giant beast lands in the middle of the street. A lion's head, wings of a bat, and the tail of a scorpion. "Oh fuck," I mutter under my breath as my eyes go wide.
"Don't move," Lightning says as our group stops shooting all together. At the same time, the raiders stop shooting at us, and begin to shoot at the manticore. It lets out another roar and charges towards the nearest group, slashing its mighty claws and cleaving two raiders in half instantly.
I swallow hard as I watch it mercilessly attack the raiders. Within seconds, it kills the raiders on that side of the road and with a mighty rush of its wings, flies across the street into the other group. I keep watching until a metal hoot strikes my cheek.
Blinking a few times, I realize that Arrow hit me. I shake my head to collect myself and think. "Get away from the door," I say, as I float out the remaining frag mine and set it on the chains holding the door closed. I arm it and back away from the door before covering my face and shooting it with my shotgun.
A metal rending explosion resounds before quickly dying down. As i look at where the door once stood, now a gaping entryway remained. "Inside, now!" I yell as I look towards the manticore. It has finished with the raiders and is now flying towards us.
I sprint through the doorway, followed by Rose, Arrow, Thunder, and...Lightning! Right as he is about halfway through the doorway, the manticore reaches out with its claws and catches him in the rear legs. I watch in horror as chunks of metal fly from the beast's claws and Lightning is sent flying into the building and against a wall.
For a moment, I think the monster is about to descend upon us, but then I realize it is too big to fit in the doorway. It flails its claws around just inside the doorway and growls at us, but makes it no further. I fall to my haunches along with Rose and Arrow and Thunder run over to help Lightning.
I want to join them, but I can't bring myself to move right now. I look down and see the blood pooling under me. Oh yea, I had been shot. My head begins to spin as I fish out the remains of the healing potion from my bags. I drink it as quickly as i can and then use my remaining regular bandage to wrap my injured foreleg.
It is a pretty shitty job, and Arrow would have done much better, but considering my vision kept flashing white, I think I did a pretty good job. White, normal, white, normal, white, and then darkness.
===~+~===
Level Up! x2
+17 Small Guns
+13 Medicine
+9 Explosives
+3 Melee Weapons
New Perk!
-Skittish - You've proven to be quite unpredictable under pressure. When under the effects of Dash, you have a 25% chance to enter a SATS-like state |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 12 - New Magic | Chapter 12 - New Magic
"In order to win this war, we must challenge the fundamentals of magic. We must change it, and make it something new."
===~+~===
My eyes shoot open and I look frantically around. Lightning is laying next to me with Arrow sitting next to him. Thunder and Rose are on my other side. I steady my breathing and ask, "What happened?"
"You passed out from blood loss," Thunder informs me. "Luckily, while we were dealing with Lightning, you managed to patch yourself up to stop from losing any more. We've haven't moved from this building since then. The sun has already set, so it looks like we are spending the night here," he concludes.
"What about Lightning," I ask. "Is he alright?" I look over at Lightning's sleeping form. His chest rises and falls steadily. It looks like they took his armor off and patched him up. His rear legs are covered in bandages and his armor's rear leggings have been completely shredded.
"Well, he'll be gimping along for a while, but it isn't anything too bad. Iron had similar injuries the first time he encountered a manticore and the only lasting sign of that was some scarring. He's lucky he got as far through the doorway as he did," Thunder sighs.
"I see," I mutter, recalling Lightning being tossed through the air by the manticore. I shake my head and look around to distract me from the thought. It appears as if we are in an office. It has a sturdy metal door and a reinforced glass window looking out into the rest of the building. The office itself consists of a metal desk with a wooden chair and a single filing cabinet.
On top of the desk is a terminal, a worn calendar, and a few sheets of yellowed paper. "Have you looked at anything in this office yet?" I ask them.
"No, we've just been watching over you two," Thunder replies. "If you want to loot, go right ahead, we saved it just for you," he says with a smirk. I roll my eyes, but turn my attention to the filing cabinet.
I'm still a bit shaky as I get to my hooves and walk over to it. However, upon opening it I find it oddly empty. "Huh, not even files," I mutter. I look at the papers on the desk, but they are just are too worn out to decipher. Then I notice the metal wastebasket next to the desk. It is full of ashes. "Did they burn all the files? Why would they do that?" I question, though to no one in particular.
Next, I begin digging through the desk drawers. I find a whole lot of nothing, aside from a keyring with two keys on it. I pocket them and plop down in the wooden chair, inspecting the terminal. Other than a bunch of dust, it doesn't seem damaged. I hit the power button and wipe away some of the dust on the screen with my hoof.
As it boots up, I stretch my limbs. I let out a soft moan while doing so. "Damn, I don't think i've ever felt this bad," I mutter. Two wounded legs, a bunch of buckshot in my chest, and a bunch of small cuts on my face and body. What I wouldn't give to just sleep for a week.
The logo of the M.A.S. flashes on the screen momentarily before going to a list of options. "Wait, MAS? Hey CORA, you there?" I ask, looking at my PipBuck. I don't see her in my vision at the moment. "CORA, can you hear me? I have a question," I say again.
After a few moments, her face appears in my vision. "Hey Ratchet, sorry, I was over near Fillydelphia. Nothing to report! Though, I do think someone else is using the Spritebots, but that isn't too important. Anyone with a decent knowledge of them and radio signals could do so," she says with a dismissive smile. "So, what's up?" She asks.
"This terminal had a MAS logo on startup. Can you tell if this is an MAS facility?" I ask her, using my PipBuck's cable to hook into the terminal. Her face moves from my vision onto the terminal. It looks around for a moment before smiling.
"It appears so," CORA reports. "Oh yea, since it is night, I suspect you'll be staying here, right?" She asks. I nod, and she rolls her eyes. "You know I can't normally see gestures, right? Luckily, the facility has multiple cameras throughout. Anyway, boop!" she declares as an option highlights.
The option marked 'Facility Operations' is selected which brings up another list I barely read 'Lockdown' before it is selected and lights begin flashing through the window. I hear grating metal as the lights flash for a few moments and a voice comes over an intercom, "Facility Lockdown has been initiated. All exits have been sealed." The flashing lights turn off once again.
"If you don't plan on leaving, and since you left a gaping hole in the facility, I thought a lockdown would be effective at keeping you all safe," CORA says as she returns the terminal's selections back to the main menu.
Thunder gets up and walks over beside me. "But that also means that we are trapped with anything still in here. If this is a MAS facility like you say, i'm sure there are defences and the like, correct?" he says, concern clearly visible on his face.
"Indeed! However, I've already overwritten their targeting parameters. There shouldn't be anything hostile to you in here. Even if there do happen to be the odd raider or radroach lurking around, the turrets will take them out for you," CORA replies.
"Nice work," I tell her. "So, what all does the facility consist of? Because it looks like a normal factory on this level," I ask. That's not to say that a simple factory couldn't be a MAS facility. In fact, the MAS owned, or took over, quite a few factories to produce specific items for them during the war.
CORA scrunches up her muzzle as she quickly changes directories on the terminals faster than I can read them. "It says the factory was used to make water talismans. Though, this report states they shut down production a week before the war ended. No stock remains of them either, so no loot there," she says sadly.
I roll my eyes, "You know, i'm not obsessed with loot." Geez, what was with everypony. They are all, 'Oh hey, here's some loot, better give it to Ratchet.' "What else you got," I ask CORA.
"Hmmmmm," she says, flicking through more files. "There are two levels below us, but I can't find any information on them. They don't even show up on the building schematics. But, I'm able to access their cameras and turrets, so I know they are there," she answers, confused. "There's also a large dark spot I can't access at the center of the bottom level. A large cylindrical area in the middle of it," she says.
"Do you know how we can get down to those levels?" I ask her.
"There appears to be a freight elevator at the far end of this floor. But according to this, it only goes up to the roof for deliveries and shipments. Nothing of note up there, either," she tells me.
"I see. I'll go take a look," I say, getting up off the chair. "You coming back into my PipBuck, or are you going to hang out in there for a while?" I ask CORA.
"I'll stay in here. I can keep an eye on you with the cameras. If I change my mind, you just have to find another linked terminal. I'll talk to you over the intercom system," she says. I remove my PipBuck's cable from the terminal and open the door to the factory floor. Thunder gets up to come with me.
"You stay here," I tell him. "CORA can cover me with turrets if anything happens. Since the only entrances are up here, I'd feel better if you are up here with everyone else if something decides to try and break in," I say, giving him a reassuring smile.
"Whatever you say, boss," Thunder replies, sitting back down. "Stay safe down there," he tells me as I walk out of the door.
Now that I have time to look around at the factory floor properly, it looks like a normal factory. Large machines with conveyor belts take up much of the space, including an arcane imprinter used to imprint the talismans with magic. Empty crates line the sides of the building. They probably used to hold raw materials for the talismans before production was shut down.
I make my way towards the back of the factory, and find a large freight elevator, like CORA said. It is essentially a large platform with four large beams going up to the ceiling, where a sealed hatch would normally be. Now, a thick steel door has closed over it.
I get onto the elevator and look at the single button on the raised console. Beside the button, is a keyhole. "Well, worth a shot," I mutter, drawing out the keyring and trying the first key. Not even close. The try the second key, and after some negotiating, it slides into place. I turn the key and nothing happens.
I wait for a moment and then shrug and press the button. The platform lurches and rises up a few inches. I think it is going to keep rising, but it stops. Suddenly, the concrete below the elevator moves down and slides back into the floor revealing a dark hole. Once the floor is out of the way, the elevator moves back down and proceeds into the darkness.
After a moment, lights begin to kick on and illuminate a rectangular concrete room with a single door. Once the elevator reaches the bottom, I notice the two turrets on either side of the door. I take the keys with me as I get off the elevator and walk up to the door. Locked. I try the other key, and it opens.
Beyond the door is a long concrete hallway with various doors along it. As I begin to walk down the hall, I peek in a few of the doors. They look like bedrooms. The entire hall is filled with bedrooms. As I reach the end and make a right turn the hallway continues. I notice a few cameras and turrets on the ceiling as I walk.
"CORA, how big is this level?" I ask her. It seems like just a bunch of living quarters.
"This floor isn't that big. The one below is about four times as big. You'll reach another corner up here," she says, and right as she does, I take another right turn. "At the end of this hall, you'll find a staircase. This level is all living quarters, it looks like," She tells me.
After a few minutes, I reach the stairs she mentioned. It is a long metal staircase. I begin to descend and my hoofs echo loudly on the metal stairs with each step. One flight, two flights, three flights. "I HATE STAIRS!" I yell, receiving a resounding echo in return. Climbing back up these was going to be a pain.
Two more flights later, I reach the bottom. I open the door to exit the staircase and the concrete surroundings I had gotten used to turn into an almost blinding white. I say almost, because with all the dust it has dulled quite a bit. The semi-circular room is filled with desks, terminals, and chairs. It looks like an office, but a lot more scientific. On the opposite side of the room, a rounded convex wall exists. On my left and right, as the room rounds, I can see doors on both sides.
Seeing nothing spectacular in this room, I decide to head to the door on my right. As I walk towards it, I look around the room. Random papers scattered everywhere, empty filing cabinets, and bins full of ash. "More destruction of files?" I mutter. Even some of the terminals appear to have been destroyed.
I'd expected to see bones somewhere, but i've not seen a single one since entering, not even in the factory. It is like this whole place was abandoned, but left running. It has power and everything. I reach the door and proceed through it. This room is less like an office and more like a library. Various desks full of books lay scattered about and shelves lined the room. The left wall, was also convex.
It was like CORA said, there is a cylindrical shape in the middle of this floor. I look at some of the books, wondering why they weren't destroyed along with the files. But they are just random books on magic. Even some on zebra magic and other magic i've never heard of. Just then I recall Grimoire's plan. Finding ancient and destructive magics.
"Oh no, I'm going to have to destroy all these, aren't I?" I ask no one in particular, setting down a book I was looking at called 'Imagination and You!'. I resolve to deal with the books later, and head through the next door. Judging by the length of these rooms, the next room would be directly across from the first one.
I open the door and take in the next room. It appears to be a medical room of sorts. There are shelves that would have probably contained medical goods, but they are now bare. In the center of the room, is a single padded chair that was more than likely used for treatment. I riffled through some drawers, but they are all empty. Not even a single bandage remains.
As I near the door on the other side of a room, I notice an odd looking metal case to the door's right. It looks to be some sort of dispenser. There is a button on the front of it, with a retrieval tray near the bottom. I shrug, and push the bottom. After some whirring of gears the sound of plastic crumpling reaches my ears. I reach down with a hoof and pick up whatever it is the machine dropped.
Wrapped in plastic, preserved from before the war, is one, beautiful, sexy, brilliantly white, lab coat. I let out a squee of delight as I tear the plastic open with my magic while throwing off my bags. I pull the lab coat from the plastic, unfold it, and quickly slip my front legs into the sleeves. I look around frantically for a mirror and find one, though a bit dusty to the right of the machine.
I rear up on my rear hooves and put my front hooves in the coat's pockets while striking my most badass scientist pose in front of the mirror. I look at myself in the mirror, beautiful white lab coat, blood covered barding, dirty silver coat, singed ice blue mane, and a face full of small cuts, caked with blood. My smile disappears as I slowly fall back onto my front hooves.
I sigh and look back over the room. Specifically at a small rectangular room I overlooked that is marked 'Restroom'. I walk over to it, open the door, and walk inside. A toilet, a sink, and a mirror. Simple, but good enough. I turn a knob on the sink. "Please, please, please..." I mutter. The faucet sputters to life and spits out some brown gunk before it runs slightly dirty water.
My PipBuck clicks softly and I hold my hooves under the water and splash water on my face, being careful not to make a mess of my new coat. I wipe my face with my hooves for a while before I'm satisfied with my reflection in the mirror. It want to strip down and take the time to clean my entire body, but I don't want to keep the others waiting longer than I have to. A clean face will have to do, for now.
I exit the bathroom, return to the machine, and put my bags back on. I'm about to go through the next door, when I look back at the machine. I look suspiciously back and forth before hammering the button a few times. The machine spits out three more lab coats before a red 'Out of Stock' light comes on. Whistling to myself, I put them in my bag and head into the next room.
This room, I would equate to a classroom. There was a single desk in the middle and two chalkboards in front of it. A few chairs sat at the other side of the room, facing the desk. I also see numerous chests behind the chalkboards. My attention is drawn to something on top of one of these chests. I walk over and inspect it.
It was armored barding, heavier than the one I was currently wearing. The armor was dusty, but other than that it appears to be perfectly fine. As I pick it up, a piece of paper falls from it. I float the paper up to read it. 'Instructor use only,' it read. I toss the paper aside along with my bags. I then take off my lab coat and very carefully make sure to keep it grasped in my magic and not touching anything as I take off my current armor and put on the new set.
I put my coat back on, along with my bags, and look over my old armor. Covered in blood, multiple holes in the front from when the buckshot hit me, and a few holes elsewhere. It served me well up until now, but it wasn't designed to be used in prolonged combat. Originally, it was supposed to be used in the event my lab was attacked.
That being said, it wasn't in horrible condition. It might be worth keeping to sell at some point. I put it in my already bulging bags and open the chests. Empty. No surprise there. The rest of this facility has been starkly devoid of loot. I turn my attention back to the rest of the room. The door opposite I came in would just lead back to the first room. However, this room has a third door. This door leads into the center area. I walk past the chalkboards and the desk and up to the door.
It is far sturdier than the other doors, and appears to be locked. To the left of it, is a terminal set into the wall. I look back at the desk for a moment, wondering if there might be a password laying around somewhere. That's when I notice the chalkboard's contents. Diagrams of weaponry. Not just simple drawings either.
One was a 10mm SMG, shown torn down into its individual parts. Each part was then broken down into the specific materials that make up the part. On the other board, was a diagram of a 10mm bullet. Like the SMG, it was torn down into parts, and then those parts broken into specific materials. It was like, what you would need to know to make the items from scrap.
I turn away from the strangely specific diagrams and look in the desk. Nothing, no passwords. Turning back to the terminal, i hit a few keys to wake it up. After a moment the displays a login screen.
>Hello M.A.S. Personnel
>Only Authorized Individuals Are Allowed Beyond This Point
>Please Input Credentials >
>Username: _
For some reason, I shrug and go with it. Typing in my name and pressing enter.
>Username: Ratchet
>Password: _
Again, I type in my M.A.S. password and hit the enter key.
>Access Granted.
>Welcome, Chief Researcher Ratchet
>Unlock Door
With there only being one option, I unlock the door. As i do so, I hear the sound of metal grinding on metal and the hiss of air. I pull the door open and step inside the center room. My eyes go wide in surprise.
Inside the cylindrical room, right in the center, is a cryogenic pod similar to my own. While slightly different in design, I can tell what it is immediately. "Is this one of those projects, Twilight?" I mutter as i step further into the room. Other than the pod, I notice a desk with a terminal on it as the only other furniture in the room.
But the room itself is crazy in design. It isn't made of the same material as the rest of the rooms were, but is instead thick reinforced concrete covered in some sort of rubbery black material. In places, large chunks of this black material have been blown away, almost as if something explosive hit it. There are also various bullet holes of varying size all over the room. "What is this?" I question.
I swallow as I approach the terminal and turn it on. There are two options.
>Research Records
>Chamber Operations
I open the records entry and a large amount of files are displayed. The one at the top is titled 'READ FIRST'. I open it and begin reading.
===~+~===
Years! No, decades of work for nothing! We were making progress, but now the higher-ups have declared this project "Too dangerous". Can you believe that? Our project has the ability to change the tide of this war. No more need to manufacture weapons, no need for unicorns with magic megaspells, with our research, anything is possible!
But no, here I am, being told to write a final log. Why, I don't even know. Bureaucracy at work. It isn't enough that they shut down my facility a week ago and removed my subject to the Fluttershy Medical Center to be kept in stasis while they did SOMETHING to my facility. Now, I can't even get into the central chamber. OF MY OWN FACILITY!
The last time I saw my subject, when they brought him back here after renovations to my facility, he wasn't happy. Those stasis chambers are insane. Keeping a pony alive indefinitely, but all the while they are still conscious? He must have heard something about what they planned on doing, because he had to be sedated, and even then he was kept gagged.
No matter what he did, he didn't mean to. He just couldn't control it yet. I told them I only needed time. But, apparently three deaths was too many. Even though hundreds, thousands more die in the war. I don't know what they are planning for him, they aren't telling me anything. I will get him back, I will get my facility back. Even if I have to take this up with Miss Twilight Sparkle herself!
Consider this my last entry, UNTIL I GET MY FACILITY BACK!
-Doctor Andromeda
===~+~===
Ok, that didn't really tell me too much. I begin to read entry after entry.
Entry #1 - I've been granted funding for my research! This is the greatest moment of my life! I really hope my wife never sees this. Anyhow, my research seeks to find a way to combine various ideas of magic in order to create a new type of magic that can create anything and give it physical, if temporary form.
Entry #21 - My original theory to create anything, is a bit much. I have revised it to creating anything that exists currently, as it is hard to imagine that which does not already exist in a physical form. Harder yet to give said imaginary item actual, physical form.
Entry #57 - I have determined that it is impossible to simply learn this new form of magic. Despite how many spell matrices and inscriptions I create, nothing works how I want it to. I have recently obtained some Zebra books, as well as some, strange, foreign books about types of magic i've never heard about. According to some of these, it is possible to infuse body parts with magic. I will begin testing immediately.
Entry #60 - Despite attempts to infuse my own body with various magics, I have failed. My body rejects it, and the effects wear off almost instantly. There is one thing I have left to try. It may take a few years, but I think I might be onto something. Using my own DNA, I will create a clone, so to speak. I will infuse this clone with this magic while it is still developing. Hopefully in the developmental stages, the cells will be more likely to accept inscription.
Entry #81 - The inscription process has been a success! The cells are retaining the magic and developing. I wonder about how I can enable my clone to control this magic, but I will begin working on that while they develop.
Entry #227 - Today is my clone's fifth "birthday". Cygnus has grown up healthy, despite not developing a horn. Odd, considering he is made from my DNA. He is more Earth Pony than Unicorn, but he seems to understand how magic works when it is explained to him, despite being able to do any himself. Tomorrow, we will begin testing my theory which will allow him to control his latent magical ability.
Entry #231 - The runes have been tattooed and infused with the proper magic. It took a while, especially the one on his tongue. Cygnus was quite brave, however. Despite how much it must have hurt, he toughed it out. Like father, like son, I suppose? Once he recovers a bit, we shall begin testing.
Entry #235 - A spark! A brilliant spark! I don't know how, but when Cygnus stuck out his tongue, electricity seemed to crackle around it. In front of him, something was taking shape, I saw the ghost of a doll we were using as a test subject, but it remained transparent and never took form. The whole event only lasted for a few seconds. But still, it is progress.
Entry #257 - Words! Words! Oh, I have been blind! It was all in that foreign book! Words ARE power! But words only seem to be part of it. While attempting the doll test again, I had Cygnus describe the doll as he focused on forming it. What color it was, how big it was, if it had a smile, that sort of thing. The doll became more opaque than usual, but my hoof passed right through it. There has to be something else.
Entry #301 - Of course, it was so simple. I can't believe I didn't see it earlier. Words and descriptions are only part of it. What he needs to know is KNOW an object. Not just what it is, what it is made out of. Down to the last detail. Is it iron or steel? Exactly how heavy is it? A doll might be too complex. I am going to start him off simpler tomorrow.
Entry #302 - Success! Cygnus was able to create a sheet of paper! After telling him the weight, dimensions, and the materials that made it, he was able to make an exact copy while reciting the information. I picked it up, wrote on it, and even cut my leg with it. However, after a short time, it disappeared. The lead from my pencil fell to dust and remained, as did the cut on my leg, however the paper itself was gone.
Entry #371 - Despite countless attempts, we have been unable to permanently keep an item Cygnus creates. We even attempted to constantly infuse it with magic, but to no avail. Instead, we are working on his endurance, as making a single item takes a large toll on him.
Entry #503 - Given that Cygnus is now in his late teens, we have begun teaching him the makeup of weaponry. He is able to create knives and armor, and the time these items exists in our world is getting longer and longer.
Entry #505 - Tragedy has occurred. While summoning a grenade, Cygnus mistakenly added a volatile component, it exploded instantly, killing the Tulip, who was observing the test today. Cygnus was horribly shocked and kept apologizing over and over again. I will give him a while to rest, while I deal with arrangements for Tulip.
Entry #-621 - A second death has happened. During a live fire exercise in the central chamber, Cygnes appeared to have lost control while shooting a rocket launcher. The blast did significant damage to the wall, but the destruction from the blast sent chunks of concrete flying at Pond, who was struck in the head and killed instantly. Cygnus was inconsolable. We have decided to ban tests on explosives for now.
Entry #679 - We are being shut down. A third death occurred while Cygnus and Static were in the central chamber today. The details are unknown. We heard a scream and found Static dead with multiple bullet holes in her chest and Cygnus was holding his head, rocking back and forth in the center of the room. For whatever reason, he had the strangest expression on his face. It was almost like a smile, but I think I was seeing things, as tears were streaming down his face. He wouldn't talk about what happened. Regardless, when the higher-ups found out about it, they declared my testing over, and took control of my facility and Cygnus. I'll fight them on this. Three deaths are a small price to pay for the key to winning the war.
===~+~===
That is the final entry. Luckily, most of the entries were short, but I still manage to eat up a large chunk of the night. I had to go out and assure CORA I was safe at one point, though. She started calling for me, worried since I had been in the room for so long. I stretch my limbs as I exit to the main menu of the terminal. I select Pod Operations and two options display.
>Open Pod
>Purge Pod
I swallow. Purge as in...kill? I recall Twilight's words about the projects. Some were dangerous, some were not. But if there was a kill switch for a dangerous project, why not dispose of it in the first place? Why keep it frozen in time? I shake my head. "No point thinking about that now, this comes first," I decide.
Cygnus, that was the name of this subject, this pony. From the logs, he didn't sound bad, just unable to properly control his ability or making mistakes. But that last entry was of some concern to me. What happened that last time? Did Cygnus do it on purpose? Or, was it actually an accident?
I take a breath and close my eyes, thinking things over. Opening my eyes, I select 'Open Pod'. I get up from the chair and walk towards the pod. I couldn't just kill a pony without seeing them myself, I also couldn't just walk away. Anxiety rose in me as the pod swung open, and after a moment a sharp breath came from the pod.
A hoof reached over the edge, then another. After a moment, Cygnus got to his hooves, shaking his head and blinking his eyes. After a moment, he looks at me. "H-Hey, I know this is going to sound odd, but," I trail off as he sticks out his tongue. Electricity begins to spark around it as he glares at me.
"Tempered steel, flat, sharpened to a point. Handle, bound in leather from cowhide. Total weight, 28.34 grams. Total length, 22.86 centimeters," Cygnus says so fast I barely catch it all. As he does so, a combat knife begins to take shape and solidifies in front of his muzzle. I take a step back as he bites down on the handle.
He charges at me, so quick I can't move in time. He plants the knife right against my neck, his right eye inches from my face, but stops. I can feel the blade cut me and blood dribbling down my neck. "Who are you," he says through the handle.
"R-Ratchet. My name is Ratchet," I tell him, staring into his eye and not daring to move.
"Why are you here?" Cygnus asks without skipping a beat, applying more pressure to the knife.
"I want to help," I say, regaining my composure.
"Where is my father?" he asks.
"You mean, Doctor Andromeda? He's..." I hesitate for a moment before saying, "dead. I'm sorry."
He applies more pressure to the knife. "Did you kill him?" he says with anger apparent in his voice.
"No, but.." I start to say, but he cuts me off.
"Then why are you apologising?" he counters.
"Because...you've been frozen," I tell him, giving him a serious look. "For a few decades, using technology I originally made. If you, put the knife down, I can explain further," I suggest.
He continues looking into my eye for a few moments before he blinks for the first time and pulls the knife away from my neck. He takes a few steps back and the knife disappears completely. I fall to my haunches and lift a hood to rub the cut on my neck.
"Alright. Start talking," he demands. |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 13 - Frantic | Fallout Equestria: Icicle
Chapter 13 - Frantic
"Run, run as fast as you can. Don't look back, just focus all your strength on moving forward."
===~+~===
"So, Cygnus, was it?" Thunder asks, receiving a nod from Cygnus. "Can you, uh...do the thing?" Thunder smiles brightly. Cygnus lets out a sigh, sticks out his tongue, and says a few words. In a moment, a knife appears. He hoofs it to Thunder.
Thunder takes it in his hooves, and even bites down on the blade. "Huh, it is real. That's crazy," He says, continuing to inspect it. "So, you can make anything?" Thunder asks.
"As long as I know what it is made out of and how it goes together, yes," Cygnus answers. "I can't make something I've seen for the first time, or things that don't exist. But, as long as I can take the time to figure out what an object is made of, I can recreate it," saying this, the knife disappears from Thunder's grasp.
"I can also make them disappear whenever I want. Though, after a time, they disappear anyway. Also, if I go unconscious while an object is summoned, it will disappear as well," Cygnus explains.
"I see," Thunder says, rubbing his chin. "What if you make ammo for a weapon, and I use that ammo in a weapon that you didn't create? Would that work? And what happens when you shoot someone with bullets you make anyway?" Thunder asks.
"My ammo will work with any weapon. It is actually physical, after all. Though, once the time limit is reached, it will vanish. Similarly, if a pony is shot with ammo I create, they will be injured, however, any bullets that remain inside them will vanish when the time runs out," Cygnus answers.
"What is this time limit you keep mentioning? How long can your objects exist in physical form?" Thunder asks. A good question, one I wanted to ask myself.
"The longest I've managed to keep an item manifested is ten minutes. However, the more items I create at the same time, the less time they can exist. For example, a single knife will exist for ten minutes. However, ten knives will exist for less," Cygnus explains to us.
"And before you ask," Cygnus continues, "I don't know if there is some sort of math behind the time in relation to the quantity of the objects, we never got that far in testing. For all I know, it is a random time. Though, I can tell when an object is going to vanish before it does."
"That's good," I say. "It gives you time to prepare something else and doesn't leave you out in the cold, so to speak" Cygnus nods in agreement. "Anyhow, if we are done with all the questions," I look over to Thunder, "I think we should get some sleep before morning. The few hours we have left, anyway."
"I've got plenty more questions, but sleep does sound good," Thunder says. "Though, are you even tired, Cygnus? After being frozen all these years? It is just like sleeping, basically, right?" He asks.
"Basically," Cygnus answers. "It is like I just woke up. I'll keep watch, though with the lockdown in place, it hardly seems necessary. Besides, I can keep miss CORA company," he says, smiling at the terminal.
"Oh you charmer, you," CORA says. Charmer? I can't even begin to imagine that sort of relationship. "I'll be happy to tell you anything you want to know. You've been asleep for a while after all," she explains.
"Alright you two, we'll see you in the morning then. Stay out of trouble," I tell them as I lay down beside the already sleeping form of Arrow. I close my eyes and think of sleep. As CORA and Cygnus talk about what the world outside is like now, I slowly drift off into unconsciousness.
===~+~===
The following morning, Lightning got the surprise of meeting our newest member. Like Thunder last night, Lightning was as interested about Cygnus's ability. While they all got acquainted, I borrow a few grenades from Thunder and head back into the facility, specifically the room with all the books.
I glance at a poster of Twilight that says, "Knowledge is Power", and mutter an apology as I pull the pins from the grenades and toss them into the room, closing the door behind me and walking back up to rejoin the others. It was a shame to lose so many books in such good condition, but I couldn't risk such books falling to Grimoire's hooves.
I offer my old barding to Cygnus, but he declines. Saying he can make his own if necessary and stating, "It is covered in way too much of your blood, anyway." I really couldn't argue with him there. But it was just strange to have a member of our little group completely unclothed.
Without even bags, Cygnus's spotless black coat and gray mane were a stark comparison to the rest of the wasteland. Though, undoubtedly he would be covered in filth like the rest of us soon enough. But, his odd markings really stood out.
Instead of a cutiemark, large runes adorned his flanks. A line of runes ran down his spine from mane to tail, and more circled each of his legs near the hooves. I haven't the slightest idea what the red runes that almost seem to glow mean, but they look, well, fucking awesome. The black rune on his tongue was also undecipherable.
I once again attach my PipBuck to the terminal and pull CORA out of it while lifting the lockdown. As the system did its work, I look us over. Me, with my wounded legs, Lightning, leaning against Arrow due to his rear legs, and Thunder with his messed up side.
Though none of us three complained, it was clear our injuries were putting a strain on us. If we get into a fight like yesterday...I'm not sure what will happen. With Lightning's speed all but nullified, Thunder's minigun out of commission, and my own body aching with each movement, I hope that we'll be able to get through anything we come across.
We set out from the facility following the path determined yesterday. After going through a few buildings without running into anything, I feel like the worst is over. Which is of course, why the wasteland just had to shit all over my hopes and dreams. Inside the next building, gunfire suddenly erupts.
At first, I'm not sure we are the ones being shot at, but then bullets start hitting the floor around us. We are standing in the atrium of a two story library. Two pony tall shelves surround us, along with tables and chairs. Most of the shelves have fallen into one another and their books have been scattered.
The second floor, which is essentially a balcony that runs all around the building allows those on the second floor to look down at the first. In each corner of the building is a staircase leading to the second floor. This second floor, is precisely where we are being shot at from. Not just from one side, but from all four sides. It seems we walked right into an ambush.
Arrow and Lightning quickly take cover under one of the bookcases resting against another. Rose and Thunder find a similar position on the other side of the aisle of books. As for Cygnus and I, we sprint towards the checkout desk a few feet in front of us and dive behind it. While we run, I hear Cygnus muttering behind me.
Once we are safe behind the desk, I notice he is wearing armored barding. The shooting around us dies off to a few shots at a time. I pull out my SMG and check the clip. About half the bullets are left. I hear Cygnus whispering again, "10 millimeter steel barrel..." A few sentences later, an SMG of his own appears.
He looks over to me, and I nod over to the left. He nods, and together, we peek out over the desk and start shooting at the enemies to our left. I confirm two raider there and start shooting at one of them. After emptying the clip at my target, they are unscathed. Cygnus manages to take out his target without issue. However, my target begins to return fire and we both duck back behind the desk.
I begin to reload my SMG when I notice Cygnus staring at me. "What?" I ask him, a little defensively.
"Your aim is terrible," He explains. "You didn't even come close. I'm just wondering how you've survived this long."
"Well sorry!" I exclaim. "Not all of us were trained to use weapons from when we were young," I tell him as the raider continues to riddle our cover with bullets. I hear the others returning fire as well.
Cygnus's empty clip disappears, he says something I don't catch and another one appears. "You know what, here...10 millimeter drum magazine..." Another barrage of bullets causes me to miss the rest of what he says. As the raider reloads, a drum magazine appears and he hoofs it over to me.
"Since your aim sucks, use this. Mind the recoil, these rounds will kick more than normal," he explains before I jam the magazine into my SMG. A moment later, more bullets rain upon our cover. The raider must be using an assault rifle, judging by the accuracy and rate of fire.
Once they reload again, Cygnus and I pop up and shoot once again. This time, he takes the remaining one shooting at us, and I aim at three new targets directly across from us. I line up on the middle one and let loose a burst of fire. My shots go just over them and strike the bookshelves behind them.
What happens next catches me off guard. The shelves explode where my bullets hit and begin to start on fire. Cygnus looks over after finishing his target off and sees my jaw practically on the floor. He chuckles and says, "High-explosive incendiary rounds. They aren't normally used for infantry, but seeing as you miss so much, I figured you could at least scare them a little."
Like he said, the raiders turn around and are looking at the flames crawling over the shelves and books. "Ok, these are pretty cool. But, you do realize we are in a very flammable library, right?" I tell him. As I do so, the fire continues to spread and the raiders begin running for the stairs.
"Yes. Well, let's try to deal with them before we burn up, shall we?" He counters. "Though, with your aim it might take a while. I hope your friends can hit their targets." He turns away from me and shoots at one of the running raiders, catching them in the leg and sending them crashing through the railing and falling to our level.
A large billow of dust erupts from where the raider lands. I turn my attention to the other two fleeing in the opposite direction and open fire on them. Going fully automatic was a bad idea, as it bounces up faster than I can correct it, sending a trail of explosions and fire arcing up and onto the ceiling.
Flaming debris falls from the ceiling and rains upon the very flammable library below. "I told you it kicks. Are you trying to burn us alive?" Cygnus says, putting a hoof to his face. "Maybe I shouldn't have given you those rounds..."
"You think?" I yell at him. First he gives me this crazy ammo, and then he yells at me for using it. Sheesh. There was no pleasing him. I look around at the second floor as Cygnus shoots at the two I was aiming at. It looks like the others have managed to take out a few of the others. I count three more in addition to the two Cygnus is shooting at. There are also a few above us, but I can't see them at the moment.
The ones above us don't seem to be moving, and they have Arrow and the others stuck under their cover. "Time for a stupid idea," I mutter as I point my SMG directly up at the second floor where the raiders are shooting from. I pull the trigger and riddle the floor with bullets. Explosions ripple across it and flames begin to eat away at it.
"Cygnus, move!" I call out as I just out from behind the desk. The raiders above us have stopped shooting, but they are too late to flee. Right as Cygnus climbs out from behind the desk, the floor collapses and three raiders fall through onto the ground into a pile of flaming rubble. I look back over the desk and take aim at them before they have a chance to recover.
I pull the trigger, but nothing happens. "Yes, right. Enough of that," Cygnus says, walking up to me and shooting the fallen raiders. "No more special ammo for you," he tells me, turning around and reloading his SMG.
I puff out my cheeks like a filly who has had their favorite toy taken away. "That's not fair," I say, as reload my SMG with normal, safe, ammo. Well, safe in a relative sense. "I didn't even get halfway through the drum," I complain.
"Yes, well, I would like to leave before we burn to a crisp," Cygnus replies. "Just look around at the flames already eating away at everything." I look around at the library, and as he says flames are everywhere. I didn't notice with all the gunfire, but the sound of the flames has turned into a roaring inferno.
"Ok, point taken," I tell him. "So, we should probably get the others and leave." He turns to look at expressionlessly, blinks a few times, and then turns to look at where the others are at. "What?" I ask.
"Yes, let's leave, quickly," Cygnus says somewhat irritatedly. "Hey, you folk, you good to move? We'll lay down cover fire, get over here," he shouts out towards the others. He begins shooting at the four remaining raiders in the far corner of the second floor, near the stairs. After a moment, I join him.
We shoot as we move into the cover of a bookcase. The four raiders turn their attention to us and I see the others making their way towards us. We take out one of the raiders before Thunder and the others make it to the case across the aisle from us.
By this time, a great deal of the library has been engulfed in flames. I peek around my cover to shoot at the raiders, only to see them jumping out of a window on the second floor. "Alright, that simplifies things," I mutter. "Ok! Let's get out of here! To the back door, quickly now!" I call out to the others.
We begin sprinting for the door, avoid the roaring flames and dropping debris. Thunder reaches the door first and bucks it open. The fresh rush of air into the building fans the flames higher as we run outside one by one. Without skipping a beat, we run across the street and catch our breath in the alcove entrance way of the next building.
"Alright Ratchet, Cygnus gave you something, didn't he?" Thunder asks. "I know he didn't do that himself, because only you have such shit aim," he adds. I roll my eyes.
"Yes, he did," I answer, "but he was the one who gave me incendiary ammunition in a Celestia-damned library! And my aim isn't shit!" Sure, I miss a bit. Ok, maybe more than a bit. Fine, I can't aim. I'm a scientist damnit!
"I thought you aim had gotten better when we were crossing the street into the MAS facility, but apparently that was just luck and an effect of the Dash," Thunder says, shaking his head.
"Anyhow," Lightning says while leaning against Arrow. "We should keep moving. This fire is going to attract unnecessary attention. Being out in the open isn't good, considering our current situation." He motions to the door and Thunder kicks it open a moment later.
"Right, let's go. Quickly and quietly," I say as we shuffle into the building. Cygnus and I are the last two to enter.
As he passes me to enter the building, he turns and says, "You know, your aim does suck. If you ever want a lesson, let me know." He winks and continues into the building. Yes, we all get it, my aim sucks.
===~+~===
Lightning was right. The library fire is attracting a lot of unwanted attention. Drawn by the smoke, raider activity has increased. We begin moving at a snail's pace to avoid unnecessary combat. With only Arrow and Cygnus at full strength, and Arrow looking after Lightning, we aren't in any state for a firefight.
Rose has been relatively quiet, sticking close to Thunder. She hasn't put the pistol away since we entered the MAS facility. Not that I can blame her. Cygnus on the other hoof, seems rather chipper. He is looking around like a foal in a candy store, taking in every little detail.
"The world has really gone to shit, hu?" He says nonchalantly, almost as if it doesn't really involve him. He doesn't really seem to grasp working as a group or stealth operations either. It is like he isn't worried in the slightest about being attacked, like this is just a game.
Most ponies I've met so far seem to be afraid of everything, worried about what will happen next. I can't say I blame them, I quickly became the same way once in the wasteland. It is a natural reaction, given that at any moment you can be attacked. You are never really safe. But Cygnus doesn't seem to feel like the rest of us.
"If you keep staring, Ratchet, a buck might get ideas," Cygnus says, looking back at me. "Something on your mind?" He asks.
"Nothing particular, it is just that you seem rather calm and composed," I tell him. He lets out a sigh and shakes his head.
"No reaction at all, no fun," I hear him mutter. "Well, when you are a test subject for a secret government project, you don't have much freedom," Cygnus explains. "I wasn't allowed to leave the facility much. My father only took me out a few times, mostly when I was younger."
"So, after being cooped up in that facility for twenty-two years, well, I suppose it is around sixty now, isn't it? I'm quite happy to be outside, even if we do occasionally get shot at. Even if a sniper were to put a bullet through my skull, at least I would have had some freedom before I died," Cygnus tells us.
"All in all, I would rather enjoy the present than worry about the future. Otherwise, it would be hard to enjoy my freedom," he concludes. "Being free with worth anything this, wasteland, can throw at me."
I nod. "I can understand that. But, you could stand to be a bit quieter when we are trying to sneak around," I tell him with a smile. At that moment, an object crashes through a window next to us. We stop and I move to see what it was. It is a small cylindrical object with holes around the middle, it looks like another cylinder is inside.
"Ratchet, look away!" Lightning yells as a blinding flash of light and an insanely loud bang occurs. I immediately fall on my ass and begin rubbing my eyes, trying to regain my sight while my ears ring. I blink a few times and the world around me is filled with white spots, seeming to move in slow motion.
At this moment, I feel a force pushing me into the wall on our left and i'm pelted with brick and mortar. I shake my head to regain my senses and look around. A large hole has appeared in the wall that was on our right side, leading out to the street. Despite the ringing in my ears, I can barely make out the others calling out, but i'm unable to tell what they are saying.
Arrow is taking Lightning down the hall the way we were going, Thunder is shielding Rose and pointing for her to go after them. Cygnus is bent over me, trying to help me up. He lifts me and sets me on my hooves. I sway slightly, and look out of the new hole.
Raiders. At least ten of them, one appears to be holding a rocket launcher. I keep blinking, trying to get my vision to clear fully. Cygnus starts pushing me down the hall after the others, and I wobbily go in that direction. "...o...atch...ee....ovin...!" I hear Thunder saying. It is broken and I can't make it out properly.
Cygnus keeps pushing me and Thunder starts to follow us. "Go! ...ep...ving" He calls again, shooting his rifle through the windows we pass. I keep walking, not fully able to grasp what is happening. I look around at the others in a daze.
Thunder overtakes Cygnus and I and catches up to Rose, who is a few feet behind Arrow and Lightning. A moment later, another rocket slams into the hallway next to Arrow and Lightning, sending them sprawling against the wall. Thunder cuts in front of Rose and shields her from the blast and rubble. I stop.
Cygnus runs into me and stumbles, but catches himself and gets in front of me, looking directly into my eyes. I stare at him blankly. "Snap...t...it!" I yells and slaps me across the muzzle. I shake my head, blink at him a few times, and then begin to dart my eyes around the room.
"Right, yes, um," I say, the ringing in my ears almost gone, but still causing me to talk slightly weird. "Thanks," I tell him. Cygnus nods and turns back towards the others. "Arrow, Lightning, are you two alright?" I call out as they struggle to get to their hooves. Thunder moves up to the newest hole in the wall and starts laying down fire with Rose hiding behind him.
"I...Think so..." Lightning says. He looks at Arrow. "Arrow, you..." But he is cut off.
"Fine," Arrow says bluntly. She puts Lightning's arm around her shoulders and continues towards the doorway. Cygnus and I catch up to Thunder and help keep the raiders pinned while Rose crosses over to the other side. The three of us follow after her as Thunder tosses out a few grenades at the raiders. From the screams, a few got taken out.
We enter the door after Arrow and Lightning into the rear of the building. It is storage of some kind, with two large bay doors for loading and unloading. A number of pallets filled with large crates line the walls and large iron shelves.
Once inside, with the door closed firmly behind us, we gather near one of the bay doors. "Ok, I think the pallets against the walls should provide us with a bit of time if they decide to rocket the walls. The door behind us is of concern, however. We can hole up here and try to deal with the remaining raiders, or we can make a run for the next building," I tell them.
"I think we should try to get to the next building. We should be able to make it and better fortify our location," I say.
Lightning gets to his hooves and turns to me. "No, we need to hold here. At least for a bit," he says. "Arrow needs to," again, she cuts him off.
"Let's go," Arrow says without looking at us. She stares at the bay door, waiting to leave.
Lightning stumbles over to her, grabs her shoulder, and turns her to look at us. She fights him, but eventually she faces us. The left side of her helmet is dented up. I couldn't imagine how her head could fit in it like that.
Cracks ran across various places and blood seeped from them. It ran down her helmet and drips onto the floor. Looking at the floor, there is a visible trail from where we came from leading to her. I turn my eyes back to her. "Arrow, we can't continue with you like this, we need to stop the bleeding, at least!" I tell her.
She shakes her head, sending blood flying off her helmet. "No," She says.
I slam my hoof down. "Arrow! I will not let you continue on in the state you are in. We are all injured enough as it is, we need you at your best, not wounded and bleeding!" I yell at her. "Thunder, Cygnus, find a way to block that door, and any other entrances. Lightning, Rose, help me with Arrow," I command them.
"Ratchet...we need to, no, stop," Arrow says as we corner her and Lightning takes off her helmet. Cuts cover her face and her left eye is swollen closed with a large gash across it. Using some alcohol and bandages from her bag, we patch her up.
Lightning secures her helmet back on and helps her back to her hooves. She appears a little woozy, she has probably lost a bit too much blood. Suddenly a rocket hits the wall sending some brick and mortar raining down into the storeroom. Luckily, one of the crates is between us and the hole, and it appears to hold up pretty well. A bit of the wood has splintered on our side and sand is pouring from the crate.
"Sand?" I mutter, staring at the crate. Turning my focus elsewhere, I see that Thunder and Cygnus have blocked the door with a smaller crate and piled a few others in the middle of the room to use as cover. The two of them are standing behind it, facing the door. Their cover extends to protect their left from the side the raiders are currently shooting rockets at.
The rest of us move behind one of the large shelves in the middle of the room, into an aisle between two of them. From here, we can see Thunder's and Cygnus's exposed side and the wall that is currently being attacked. I find a few smaller crates and pile them up on our left, to provide cover should the raiders decide to break in through the large bay doors.
With our cover as good as it is going to get, we wait. Another rocket slams into the damaged crate and sand blows into the room, showering Thunder and Cygnus as it pours into the floor. The more sand that pours out, I see more and more of the dimming light of outside. Once half the sand is out, I can see the raiders smiling in at us.
As the first raider mare steps in through the create, she yells, "Now!" A moment later, another rocket slams into the door we came from, blowing the light metal door off its hinges. However, due to the crate blocking it is pushed back a few inches, but then falls over and continues to block the doorway. It leaves the top half of the doorway open, and the raiders use this to begin shooting into the room from there as well.
Arrow is the first one of us to shoot back, her bullet grazing the first mare's cheek. Normally, she would have killed her immediately. Arrow's injuries must be throwing off her aim. The others begin to return fire a moment later, peeking around their cover and targeting the nearest raider. My group has to aim carefully, as Cygnus and Thunder are in front of us.
I see heavy barding appear on Cygnus as he slumps behind his cover. I aim my SMG at the hole in the crate and unload the remains of my clip into the raiders attempting to enter. Given the narrow tunnel they have to enter through, a manage to actually hit a few of them. As usual however, quite a few of my shots hit the wall or pass through the hole without hitting anything.
As I reload, I notice Cygnus summon an odd looking weapon, point it at the doorway, and begin spewing flames at the raiders. Screams mix with the smell of burnt hair as fire from the doorway stops abruptly. He shoots the flames in small bursts while Thunder takes alternates with him between the bursts.
With that entrance covered, Lightning, Arrow, and myself focus on the hole in the wall. The raiders, having learned from their failed attempts, have taken cover outside and are shooting in towards us instead of trying to enter. They shoot at us a few times, then there is a break in the fire. A new raider appears in the doorway with a rocket launcher. Arrow attempts to take them down, but her bullet grazes off the launcher.
The raider fires, but the impact from Arrow's bullet diverts the rocket from hitting our cover, and it instead impacts Cygnus and Thunder's. The crates of sand explode into wooden shrapnel and a sandstorm, sending the two of them falling towards us. Cygnus's flamethrower vanishes and a moment later raiders appear at the doorway again.
With their cover from the hole in the wall gone, Cygnus and Thunder scramble to join up with us. "You two alright?" I ask as they come around the corner.
"Yea, just got knocked down," Thunder replies. "The sand seems to have cushioned the impact." He aims through a gap between crates are fires at a raider who was attempting to climb over the busted door, only to fall down dead from Thunder's shots.
"You know, as much as that rocket launcher is giving us trouble," Thunder says as he shoots, "I fucking want it. I call dibs, sorry Ratchet," he says with a smile. I roll my eyes, of course he did.
"Sure, whatever. It isn't like I could carry it anyway," I reply, joining the others in shooting at the raiders. "How many more of them are there? We've killed what, like seven already? In this group anyway," I ask. I've lost track of exactly how many raiders we've put down just trying to go through the ruins.
Cygnus, having summoned up an assault rifle, shoots at the raiders and answers, "I counted at least five more in the hallway. Assuming there are at least two on either side of that hole in the wall, and that one using the rockets, eight more? Though, I'd round up to ten for the sake of always expecting more."
"It was a rhetorical question, Cygnus," I say, shaking my head. The raiders continue taking shots at us and we return fire. "Toss some grenades?" I suggest to Thunder.
"I've got three left. You want me to use them?" Thunder replies, a hint of concern in his voice.
"Use one for each entrance. Besides, we might find more on them once we take them out, and you'll be getting a rocket launcher, anyhow," I answer. Assuming the launcher has any ammo for it left.
"Alright, sounds good," Thunder says as he throws a grenade into the doorway and one through the hole in the wall. A second or so later, they both explode and we are rewarded with a fair amount of screams. "Sounds like we took down a fair amount," Thunder mutters.
"Indeed, good work!" I tell him. Just as i finish, a rocket slams into one of the bay doors. The sound of rending metal reaches my ears as gunfire follows from the new, gaping hole. "Great, another entrance. I've got it," I say to the others as I move to take cover behind the crates I set down earlier.
A few raiders manage to get in before I'm in position, but before they can find cover of their own I empty my clip into them. As more gunfire streams in through the hole, I reload my SMG. I'm running real low on ammo for it, I note. Given the proximity to the doorway, I put the SMG away and pull out my shotgun.
"This is getting us nowhere," I call over to the others. "We are just wasting ammo, we need to either draw them in, or go to them." I look back at the others and then through the gaps in the crates towards the other entrances. "Hey Lightning, take over for me for a moment," I tell him.
He staggers over to me and I walk to the center of the aisle. I set down the shotgun, and concentrate on the large crate at the top of the shelf. After a moment, I begin floating it through the air and towards the gaping hole in the wall. I place it directly in front of it, sealing up the hole. I repeat the process for the door to the hallway, except first I pry the top off the crate and dump the sand in front of the doorway, making it inaccessible.
"Ok, that should buy us some time. Let's get out into the street!" I call as I hit the buttons on the wall that should open the two large bay doors. They both begin to lift up, distracting the raiders as we break from our cover and run to the wall the doors are on.
The damaged door as a passenger, however. A raider who was halfway through the hole is stuck in it as it lifts up. Slowly, the buck is lifted further into the air until his back reaches the top of the entryway. The door, not fully open, continues trying to open. The motors lifting up the door whirl loudly as it fights against the blockage and in moments the raider splits into two as the door finishes opening fully.
Blood rains down from above in a shower, but the raiders pay it little mind as a few enter through the opening only to be gunned down by Cygnus. "Ok, out the other door then!" I say as I start for the opening. Once outside, I quickly see three more raiders and shoot some buckshot at them. A bit catches one of them, but luckily Thunder is behind me and finishes them all off moments after they begin returning fire.
One of them is the one that has been using the rocket launcher. As Thunder walks over to it, I survey the street. Nothing around us, but there could be more raiders around the corner. Thunder picks over the raider's body as I walk past him and peak around the corner. Four more raiders heading towards us.
I poke my shotgun around and take a few shots, sending them scrambling but not hitting any of them. As Cygnus comes up to join me, he puts a few rounds into them and they fall over dead. "You make it look so easy," I mutter.
"I just aim, that's all," Cygnus says with a chuckle, before he walks around the corner and over to them. "Let's see...I think i'll be taking these," he mutters, pulling some bags off of one of the raiders and dumping out all the useless junk. "My kills, my loot. Find your own, Ratchet," he turns and tells me with a wink.
I roll my eyes and walk up to him, searching the other raiders that he didn't kill. Large splatters of blood and body parts lay around the hole the raiders blew in the wall, but I manage to find a few guns that aren't damaged. Some of the raiders have an assortment of ammo that I picket. I also find four Stampede, six Dash, nine bobby pins, and a single roll of bandages.
I linger outside the hole in the hallway, but given the amount of blood and the smell of burning hair and flesh, I decide not to take a look inside. Any loot there, I don't want to deal with. I turn back around as Cygnus finishes up his looting and we walk around the corner together with the others. "What did you find?" I ask Thunder as I begin to pick over the bodies.
"The rocket launcher is in ok condition. It isn't great, but it won't break after a bit of use. She had two rockets left, and I found a single grenade on one of the others. I should be able to mount the rocket launcher where my minigun was," Thunder answers.
"Better than nothing," I say with a shrug. Picking over the rest of the raiders yields a bit of ammunition. The others' weapons are basically falling apart, so I elect to leave them to the ruins. I look at the sky and surroundings and realize it is getting dark outside. Our stealthy detour really ate up a lot of time. But, we are only two blocks from the city, we should make it before night fall. "Let's keep moving," I tell them.
===~+~===
There were times that I hated to be wrong. When I spent all night working on a theory only to have it turn out to be useless. When CORA corrects me on her programming, that I wrote myself. This time, it was when I thought we would reach the city before nightfall. We came close, in fact I could see the city from this building's window.
I can also see around thirty raiders. On this side of the building. In front of us was a harbor area with a good thirty feet or so of flat land with no cover. Behind us, a street with probably around twenty more raiders that chased us in here. The sides of this building probably has even more raiders hanging around, waiting for us to go out.
The longer we wait, the more raiders seem to be joining up with the rest. Some fires have been lit and the raiders are gathered around them. They seem to be watching our building in shifts. We need to move, now before more come. Yet we have been fighting another battle other than the raiders.
Lightning, Arrow, and Thunder's wounds are beginning to take their toll. Thunder has been coughing, leading me to believe something is messed up inside him. Arrow is clearly getting dizzy, she probably has a killer headache as well. Lightning's legs appear to be getting stiffer and causing him more pain.
I personally, am not doing so hot either. The blood loss from yesterday has me tired, and my shot up legs were quite stiff. Add on to that the shot in my ass, the cuts on my face, and the buckshot wounds in my chest, and I'm quite sore. I want a bed, a doctor, and well, I want a lot of things right now. Equestria to not be such a shitty place is pretty high on my list.
But for now, I am determined to get that bed. In order to do that, we need to leave right now, before more raiders show up. "Let's go," I say, getting to my hooves. "We can't stay here any longer. I'll take point, you all follow me out. I will try to draw their attention, you all stay in a wedge formation," I pause for a moment, thinking.
"Arrow, Lightning, you will be at the front. Thunder, take the left side, Cygnus the right. Rose, you'll be in the middle," I tell them. With Thunder's right side torn up, having his good side facing the enemy will be best. Arrow's and Lightning's combined firepower should be sufficient to protect the front. Having them set the pace will also work in to keep the group together.
"You're going to do what you did last time, aren't you?" Lightning asks with a note of concern in his voice.
"Three of you are injured, Cygnus is the only one who can fight at his full potential, and I made a promise to Rose to get her home safely," I answer.
"You are injured too, Ratchet," Lightning replies. "You'll be torn to pieces if you rush out alone!"
"Not quite," I say, floating out an injector of Stampede and an inhaler of Dash. "I have plenty, and I seem to actually be able to hit things when I use Dash," I add. Lightning starts to reply, but I raise a hoof and stop him. "This isn't open for discussion. If we don't do it this way, I'll basically be useless, and we will be an even larger target. I'll distract as many as I can, and you guys will make a run for the city," I tell him.
Lightning lets out a sigh. "We'll be talking about this later, so don't you dare think about letting them kill you," he says, shooting me a glare. I nod, resigning myself to a lecture later. We check our weapons and take position at the door.
I kick it open and charge out into the area. It seems to catch the raiders by surprise. I inject the Stampede and after a moment, I'm overcome with a boiling rage. I find myself grinning as I yell, "Time to die!" I grasp my shotgun in my magic as I inhale my first dose of Dash. Time slows to a crawl and I aim at the closest raider. Pulling the trigger, I blow his head into tiny pieces.
The other raiders quickly turn their attention to me as my friends begin to make their way out of the building. Three raiders run at me with pool cues, three shots later and they are taking a dirt nap without heads. By this time, the raiders have begun shooting at me, but I can easily see their bullets and avoid them.
Another raider nearby gets a chest full of buckshot and I aim at another and pull the trigger, empty. That's right, I didn't reload the last time I used it. The raider I was about to shoot, shoots me instead as the Dash wears off. His shot hits my barding, knocking the wind out of me, but not penetrating.
I quickly use another Dash and begin reloading my shotgun as I float out my SMG as well. I pump a few SMG rounds into the raider and put him down as I finish reloading the shotgun. Aiming at two different raiders, I unleash a hail of lead and buckshot at them. Two more dead raiders. Not as accurate as the last dose of Dash, but at least I still hit.
My friends are full out of the building and have begun to engage the raiders as well. Without any cover, it is nothing but an exchange of bullets. The ones with the better guns and armor will last longer. Thunder throws a grenade, killing a group of three raiders. Cygnus appears to be shooting an assault rifle and wearing heavier barding than I am. It looks similar to military grade riot gear. Arrow and Lightning do their best to stagger forward while shooting as well.
With them moving forward, I mostly ignore the few stragglers at the sides and charge straight ahead. I empty my shotgun into two raiders while spraying a burst at a raider coming at me with a knife. I quickly reload the shotgun as I empty the rest of the SMG's clip into a raider carrying a hunting rifle.
At this point, the raiders are beginning to keep away from me. I see most of them using Stampede of their own. The initial surprise I had seems to be wearing off and they are getting more organized and focused. My Dash wears off and I catch a burst of bullets on my left side. Luckily, none of them penetrate.
Taking another dose of Dash I just manage to avoid a sniper's round as it whizzes past my head. I look around the few rooftops and find a few raiders. Unslinging my sniper from my back, I take aim at the first one. As I do so, I spray the SMG in an arch at the ponies on the ground to keep them off me for a moment. I fire a round at the sniper, and take his head clean off.
I spin to look at the other snipers, and see Arrow shooting at one. Her aim is off, but it is keeping that one from looking up over the ledge he's behind. I aim at the other one, and put a round directly into his chest, arching with the SMG again as I do so. I pull the rifle's bolt back and eject the spent cartridge and cycle in a new one. Aiming at the barely exposed top of the last sniper's head, I pull the trigger, sending the bullet into the back of his skull. A mist of blood explodes, indicating his death.
I put the rifle back onto my back and quickly reload the SMG, only half a clip left. I turn back to the ponies in front of me, apparently I hit a few of them with my random shots, but nothing lethal. The Dash wears off, so I take another dose and pull my knife from its sheath. I charge into the ponies in front of me, using the remaining SMG ammo to keep them from shooting me as I approach.
I manage to take one out with my remaining ammo, and quickly stab my knife into the closest raider's throat. Out of ammo, I put my SMG away and draw out two of the shitty ones I looted earlier. I unload them into the crowd of ponies, dodging bullets and stabbing another raider in the eye. With those SMGs spent, I put them away and draw out the last two I picked up. I empty them into a few raiders as my Dash wears off.
Quickly, I draw out another inhaler and put the SMGs away. I come really close to getting my head taken off by a sword but manage to duck just in time and jab my knife into its owner's gut. "Come on you fucks! You can do better than that!" I yell at the raiders around me. I pull out my shotgun again and begin unloading it into the closest raiders.
Halfway through the shells, I hear Thunder yell for me. "Ratchet, we have a situation here!" I carve out a path back to them, using up the rest of my shotgun's clip. I then notice the stream of raiders coming from the sides of the building we were just in. Around ten from each side. More appear in the building itself, probably having come through from the other side.
By this time, we are about half way into the clearing and the raiders are surrounding us. With them flanking us like that, Rose will be exposed. Gritting my teeth, I run past my friends and take up position behind her, turning my attention to the raiders coming in behind us. "Keep moving!" I call out.
Thunder throws out his remaining two grenades and the rest of us pour ammo into the crowd of raiders surrounding us. "I'm down to my last clip," Lightning mutters.
"Ha, you too, eh bro?" Thunder says in response. "I could start using the rockets, but at this range, it might hurt us more than help us."
"Same," Arrow chimes in.
"Well, I could summon us all some ammo, but given the quantity I doubt we'd have the chance to use," Cygnus tells us. He keeps shooting all the while.
My Dash wears off along with the Stampede. "Out," Thunder and Lightning say in unison. I hear a click from Arrow's rifle, I guess she's out as well. Fuck. The raiders don't relent and continue shooting at us. I hear the bullets pinging off my friend's armor as we group up tighter around Rose.
After a few moments, I hear Thunder grunt and mutter, "Shit, I think some of them have armor piercing rounds." Seconds after he says this, I feel a round impact my chest, penetrating my armor. I stagger for a second, but I don't think it hits anything vital. The longer we stand there, the more bullets find their way into or through us. The raider's gunfire lights up the night so much, it could almost be day.
Suddenly, I hear a whistling in the air and seconds later a large explosion erupts from the raiders between us and Friendship City. The raiders stop shooting as spotlights illuminate the ground. There is silence for a few moments before a buck's loud voice comes out of thin air.
"Attention raiders! You are on the doorstep of Friendship City, our guns are trained on your position. Cease any hostile actions, and withdraw or be blown to bits like some of your friends just were. You have ten seconds to comply. Ten...Nine...Eight..." The buck counts down.
When he reaches seven, the raiders begin to frantically run away and back into the ruins of Manehatten. The six of us remain where we are standing as the last raider leaves the area and the buck stops counting at two. After a moment, he speaks up again.
"The six of you, stay where you are, and lower your weapons. Security is coming out to check you in," he says. Not wanting to bring down the wrath of the gun that killed around fifteen raiders, we don't move. I wish I can say the same for the blood flowing from our wounds. I am getting light headed again.
After around five minutes, a group of ten ponies come into the light. They are armored in barding similar to my own and wearing riot helmets. Each one of them carries an assault rifle. They stop at the edge of the light, and one steps forward. "My name is Wrecker, chief of security," a buck with the same voice as before says. "Welcome to Friendship City."
It is at this moment that my body decides that it has lost enough blood and I pass out.
===~+~===
Level Up!
-Level 8-
+10 Small Guns
+7 Melee Weapons
+7 Sneak |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 14 - The Veil of Death | Chapter 14 - The Veil of Death
"What would you do if you knew somepony was going to die? Help them? Ignore them? What if I told you, your actions are of no consequence. They will die, and you can do nothing."
===~+~===
I begin to regain consciousness and blink a few times at the ceiling of...my lab? I was laying on one of the beds, but how did I get here? There was no way I have been unconscious the entire time it would have taken to carry me here. I sit up in the bed and my eyes fall upon a figure cloaked in a spotless black robe standing at the end of my bed.
I feel my pulse speed up as the figure just stares at me. "Who...who are you?" I ask it. For what feels like minutes the figure doesn't say or do anything, it just stares at me blankly. But then it finally speaks with the voice of a stallion.
"I am known by many names, but you know me best as Death," he says with a steady tone. "Do not worry, you are not dead. I just wish to take a moment to speak with you. It is easiest when a pony is at my door, and your recent escapade in former Manehatten put you there," he tells me.
Clearly, this buck is crazy. Death isn't a physical being, just a fact of life. My skepticism must be showing, as he continues. "Of course, you are skeptical, but I assure you," he says, enveloping his hood in magic and pulling it back. My mouth hangs agape at the sight before me.
He isn't like the traditional representations of Death, all skeletal, but instead only his muzzle is. Where the skin begins, it is jagged, as though having been eaten away by an acid of some sort. His eyes are almost glowing red and his horn is long and white horn. He then pulls off the rest of the robe and unfurls his...wings?
The tips of them are bone but they are mostly covered in black feathers. Getting a better look at the rest of him, I see that his legs are skeletal as well up to around the thigh, where the skin begins resembling that of his muzzle. His black torso is mostly intact aside from some scars here and there and other than the singed look of his tail, it and his white mane look normal. His cutie mark is that of a two serpents slithering up a staff with a skull adorning the top.
"I am the Alicorn of Death," he says, his jaw snapping open and closed as he speaks "This is not the real world, just a place for us to talk. In reality, you are in the clinic of Friendship City, very much alive," Death informs me.
I swallow before I say, "Ok, let's say you are Death. What do you want with me, other than my soul?"
"You interest me, Ratchet," Death tells me. "You see, I am able to tell when every single living being is going to die. Do you want to know when you are going to die?" He asks me, but I quickly shake my head. "Even if you want to, I cannot tell you. Before the Megaspells fell, you were supposed to die with the rest of your staff. But, that time is past," he says, narrowing his eyes.
"You are an abnormality, someone whose death I cannot see. Your machine should have failed, yet here you are and it is still functional. Everypony wishes to cheat Death, but you actually did it. Was it a fluke? Dumb luck? Past, present, and future, I've never been wrong about a death before," he says with a...grin?
"I could just take you now, be done with it, but I see promise in you. When the balefire fell, I expected any living beings left after the blasts would die off after a hundred years or so. My sight foretold it. But now," he says, sounding excited, "even thousands of years from now ponies continue to die."
"My sight stopped until your miracle happened. I have seen everything there is to see from the beginning of time, to the end, but I have never experienced a miracle like this," Death says. "I suppose you can say, I'm rooting for you. I want to see what you do, how you will help shape the future."
His grin disappears as he says, "But do not fool yourself into thinking I will not take you when your time comes. You have a little bit more leeway than others, since I cannot see the moment of your death. I will keep my eyes on you and should you cross the line, your soul is mine. However, my sight is blurry enough that you might be able to take a bit more than other ponies before you actually cross that line."
"Shape the future?" I ask. "What do you mean? Am I supposed to do something great or what?" Help shape the future, he says. I want to, I plan to. But, so far it is like i'm playing catch up with a lead jacket on.
"I cannot see your future, Ratchet, but by glancing into the future, I can see holes. Little pockets I know nothing of. I suspect you are the cause, at key moments throughout the near future," he tells me.
"You will change nothing alone, but others will help you cause change, even if it is indirectly," he says. "I believe I have time for one more question, so think hard."
I can think of all sorts of things to ask. But something he said earlier has me curious. "If the world was going to end, why didn't you try to stop it?" I ask. His expression shifts back into a grin, of sorts.
"Excellent question. I am one of four ponies, the Apocalypse Ponies, I believe most of you have called us," he explains. "We have two jobs, ferry souls to the afterlife, and prevent this world from ending. The emphasis is on 'World'. The races and species on it, are of no consequence, the planet itself is what matters," Death tells me.
"When you ponies began your war with the zebras, you began an arms race that would have ended with this world's destruction. Through subtle coaxing and manipulation, we orchestrated the use of the Megaspells to wipe the slate clean, so to speak," he says.
"With everything in the world dead, nature could return balance and start anew. Though, I have to say, the Megaspells weren't all our idea. Your ministry mares certainly were inventive. They began this road, we merely guided their hooves. Our plan was for everything to die off shortly after unleashing the spells," he explains.
"However," he says with a chuckle, "you've made things interesting. Perhaps nature can recover alongside the races of this world? Time will tell, and we can always usher in another apocalypse if things head down the wrong path once again."
Death lets out a sigh, "Well, time is up. This little experience will have some effects on you. You may see me or the others in your world, but we will be like ghosts to you. When you near death, you may even hear our voices. And should you end up like this again, perhaps we can talk again. Until then, Ratchet."
He pulls a scythe out of nowhere and pokes me in the forehead with it. Once again, my world fades into the darkness.
===~+~===
I awake staring up at a scrap metal ceiling. It is rusted and full of holes, and judging from the water entering through them, it must be raining. My body aches as I try to sit up in the...bed? Oh, right. I should be in Friendship City now.
"Ah, so you are awake," an old buck's voice says. A moment later, a buck wearing a patchy leather jacket comes around a corner. "Ratchet, right? I was wondering when you'd finally decide to come to. You've been asleep for a day and a half," he informs me.
I sit up properly and take a look around the room. It appears to be a cobbled together structure made of wood and metal. I see a few chairs along the opposite wall and on my left is a nightstand and curtain separating me from the rest of the room. I can see the end of a bed around the other side of the curtain, and judging by a groan, it is occupied.
Clearing my throat, I ask, "I take it I am in a clinic of some sort and you're the doctor?" The buck gives me a smile as he approaches the side of my bed.
"You are correct," he replies. "Welcome to the Friendship City Clinic, I'm the resident doctor, Clamp. Now then, since you were out for a while, let me ask you a few questions to make sure your memory remains intact."
I nod, and he continues, "First of all, your name is Ratchet, correct?" I nod. "Very good. Moving on, how many were in your group, and what were their names?" He asks.
"Five," I tell him. "Arrow, Lightning, Thunder, Cygnus, and Rose." He nods in approval.
"Alright, it would seem that your memory remains intact. If you find you have any issues with it, any fuzzy bits, let me know. It isn't often I get to take a look at a pony's brain, and I would hate to waste an opportunity," he says with a casual smile. Ok, creepy. But he seems normal enough besides the whole brain remark.
"Speaking of my group," I start, "where are they? Are they alright?" He lets out a chuckle and gives me another smile.
"They are all perfectly fine. Well, maybe not 100%, but they have been up and about longer than you," he tells me. "Miraculously, Rose managed to escape unscathed. I suppose we should thank you and your friends for that," he says, giving me a grateful smile.
"Think nothing of it," I reply, shaking my head. "I promised to get her here safely, I'm glad I did just that. But, can you tell me a bit more about my friends' conditions? Last i knew, we were all pretty banged up."
He grimaces a bit, but nods. "All of you had numerous bullet wounds, scratches, and the like. Given the condition you were all in, I'm surprised you managed to stay on your hooves for as long as you did. You all practically collapsed from exhaustion once you set hoof in my clinic."
Continuing, he tells me, "The left side of Arrow's face was a mess. I managed to clean it up, dress most of the wounds, and save her eye from complete blindness. However, she'll be left with numerous scars and the sight in her left eye will never fully recover."
How aweful. Given that she is a sniper, I hope it doesn't effect her aim too much. She takes such pride in it, it could destroy her if she was unable to shoot properly.
"Your friend Lightning is...cocky. Despite his mangled rear legs, he expects a full recovery. I can promise no such thing, especially since he refuses hydra to heal them. I did what I could, but he'll more than likely never move as fast as he did before and may even have a permanent limp," Clamp explains.
I figured his legs would be bad news. He always prided himself on his speed and agility, something a frontline soldier needs to survive. I hope his cockiness isn't an act to hide how scared he is.
"Thunder had a few broken ribs, a broken leg, and a large gash in his right side. How he was still standing, let alone walking around, I'll not know. Unlike his brother, he accepted hydra and his bones reformed. But, they'll be a bit brittle for a week or so," Clamp says with a nod. "He's a hearty fellow."
Honestly, I was expecting worse. I didn't know he had a broken leg, however. How long was he walking and running around on it without showing any sign? Thunder is built like a tank, but for him to essentially walk away from this unscathed I'm honestly surprised. Though, knowing him, he'll be upset he couldn't have done more.
"Now then," Clamp continues, "The final member of your group, and the luckiest of them all, Cygnus. From what he says, he joined up with you all halfway through. Even so, he only had a few bullet wounds on him. For someone without armor, I'm quite surprised."
I let out a slight chuckle. Cygnus' conjured armor must have disappeared before he got here. To normal folk, he must seem quite lucky indeed.
"And then there is you," Clamp says with a sigh. "Addictions to Dash and Stampede, major blood loss, so many bullet holes you were practically swiss cheese, buckshot covering your chest and neck, and a few minor sprains. Honestly speaking, you should not be alive, let alone conscious."
I crack a slight smile. "But, I am alive. I guess I just got lucky," I tell him. He shakes his head and lets out a sigh.
"Yes, something of a guardian angel. But Ratchet, this is serious. I did what I could, but you need rest. You should remain in town for a while so I can monitor you. And make sure you don't do anymore drugs. It would appear as if you become easily addicted," he tells me with a look of concern.
I let out a defeated chuckle, "Yea, before today, the worst drug I ever took was Mintals. And only when I needed a little extra umph for my research. But I understand, i'll rest up and take a look around town for a while."
"Good," he tells me. "Now then, get some rest for now. I'll let you leave here tomorrow morning. If you need me, i'll just be in the other room."
I nod and tell him, "Alright, thanks." I slowly lay back down on the bed, running what Clamp told me over and over in my head. We all survived, somehow, and Rose is safe. My body is sore, and despite just waking up, I find myself quite tired. After a few minutes, I eventually fall asleep.
===~+~===
My friends stop by while I am in bed, after hearing I am awake. They all appear to be fine, but don't stay around very long.
As it turns out, the Rangers paid for all their own medical treatment. However, Cygnus being capless, I have to pay for our patch up job. But Rose and her father come to see me, her father says he will cover the cost of our treatment and give me an additional 100 caps. I thank him, and he says he only wishes he could give me more. His name is Slick, he tells me.
He doesn't stick around for long, but tells me I should stop by his bar for a drink before I leave. I agree and the two leave me to sleep for the rest of the night. The following morning, Clamp lets me leave. He shows me to my belongings and I sadly pull on my bullet hole-riddled labcoat. At least someone washed most of the blood from it, but a few stains linger.
As I'm about to leave, Clamp tells me the chief of security wants to talk to me. Wrecker, I believe his name is. I thank Clamp for all he's done, but pause as I glance at another patient. It is a buck who is coughing. I've seen him a few times while I've been awake, and he frequently coughs up blood.
But what draws my attention is the translucent figure cloaked in green that follows him around. I think to say something, but remember Death's words, 'You may be me or the others in the world, but we will be like ghosts,' and keep my mouth shut. Instead, I decide to ask Clamp about the buck.
"Hey Clamp, what's wrong with him?" I ask, motioning towards the sickly buck. Clamp grimaces and lets out a sigh.
"Cancer," he mutters. "Caused by prolonged exposure to radiation. Sadly, it is progressed too far for me to do anything about it. All I can do is make him comfortable, but I fear his time is running short," Clamp tells me, shaking his head.
"I see," I say quietly, furrowing my brow. So, disease? I suppose that would make that figure...what is the name? Pestilence, I think it is. If he's there, the poor buck must be on the verge of death. I swallow, turning away from the figure. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep seeing them without losing my mind...I walk out of the door.
Once it shuts behind me, I look up, only to see Pestilence's ghostly figure before me. "When you see us, you may feel that you can prevent a pony's death, Ratchet. But let me dissuade you from wasting your time. Deaths are set in stone, you cannot prevent them." He tells me before walking through me and back into the clinic.
My breathing has gone ragged. Yes, I will definitely never get used to this. If what Pestilence says is true, that I can't prevent deaths, but I can see their ghosts lingering behind them...To know a pony is going to die and not be able to stop it? Can I...handle this?
I shake the thought from my head and compose myself. I take a deep breath, and continue walking, looking around the town. It is little more than a collection of shacks at the moment, but as I look at the piles of building materials around me, I can tell they have big things planned.
The statue itself has been cut into and some buildings constructed inside, from the archway leading inside, I can see the bar and a few shops, including a restaurant of some sort. Looking up the statue, I see various platforms and staircases leading up it. Some of the platforms have sparks coming from them. Judging by the shouting and the sounds, they are cutting into the statue and welding more supports.
They really are trying to create a bastion in the wasteland. Raising a town up around the statue...I can't wait to see how it progresses. I smile up at the statue as I continue on my way around town. After passing a large amount of wood and scrap metal shacks, I finally come to what appears to be the security barracks.
I enter through the front door and am greeted by a mare sitting behind a desk. "Hey there miss, how can I help you?" She asks. I look around the building. To my left are more desks with ponies in armor sitting behind them writing on papers. Beyond them, are two doors. I see one labeled "bunkhouse" and the other "armory". On my right is a wooden door with the words "chief" scrawled into it.
"Uh..." I begin. "My name is Ratchet, I heard Chief Wrecker wanted to talk to me, or something?" I tell her. She looks up from a book she was reading while I was looking around.
"Ratchet you say? Just a moment," she gets up and knocks on the chief's door. "Chief, Ratchet is here to see you," she says. Then turns back around and sits down again. After a moment, the door swings open and an Earth Pony buck, who I assume is Wrecker, steps out.
"Thank you Dolly," he says to the mare. Then he looks back over at me, "Ratchet, right? Come on in, I've been waiting for you." He turns and head back in the door, waiting till I am inside before shutting the door. "In case you don't recall, my name is Wrecker," he tells me as he sits behind his desk. He gestures at a chair opposite his for me to sit in.
"I remember," I tell him. "You saved us from the raiders, right before I passed out. Thanks, for that, by the way," I say, giving him a slight smile.
He shakes his head. "Think nothing of it!" He says, "What kind of security chief would I be if I let guests be attacked right outside my town? But, I digress. We have some business to take care of."
"Business?" I ask, unsure what exactly he means. I can't think of anything he would need from me.
"Indeed," Wrecker mutters. "First of all, thank you for escorting Rose back to town. And, unscathed none-the-less. But, I must say, you are either stupid or brave," he chuckles. "Perhaps both. You went straight though raider alley, so I take it you aren't from around here," she says with a smirk.
"Raider alley?" I ask. "And no, I'm not from around here. It is actually my first time here since...yeah..." I trail off.
"I getcha. Raider alley," he pauses, making a grand gesture with a hoof. "The southwestern area of the Manehatten Ruins. It reaches from the edge of the wasteland to a few blocks from us. And that's only because they fear our artillery, but they do poke at us occasionally," he says with a wry smile.
"Yea," I mutter. "That was some impressive artillery. I'm surprised we didn't get caught in the blast. You and your guards must be good at aiming. Where did you get those guns at anyway?" I ask him.
"Ha, thanks for the compliment. As for where we got them, the Manehatten Ruins. Mainly from fallen military vehicles. We have only one howitzer working at the moment, but we plan to get the rest of what we scavenged working soon. We managed to get some more howitzers, cannons and flak, in case those Pegasi bastards ever decide to come back down," Wrecker informs me with malice in his voice.
"Wait, what do you mean if the Pegasi ever come back down? Come to think of it, I haven't seen a single Pegasi," I mutter. "And why aren't they taking care of the clouds?" Grimoire also mentioned something about razing their cities and what not.
"You really aren't from around here, are you?" He says, narrowing his eyes for a moment. "Living under a rock, were you? Once the balefire fell, the closed up the skies and haven't come down since. The whole Enclave is up there. I've heard rumors though, of some descending from the cloud cover and abducting ponies, but no solid proof on that," He tells me.
"They...are still up in the clouds and won't come down?" I confirm, confused.
"Are you going deaf? That's what I said, so much for their loyalty, you do see the occasional Pegasi down here on the surface, however. Some ain't so bad, but watch yourself around them. You never know which might be Enclave spies," Wrecker tells me.
"But, why wouldn't the Enclave come and help us?" I ask him.
He shakes his head. "I'm the wrong person to ask. I've never actually met one, only heard rumors. They are cowards, they think they are better than us, they don't trust us, all rumors. Find one and ask them yourself, if you are so curious," he tells me.
"Right," I mutter. It doesn't make any sense. Why would the Pegasi not help out the surface? Looks like I'll have to find someone who knows more about them.
"Anyhow," Wrecker continues, clearing his throat. "On to the business at hoof, from Rose's account, you took out dozens of raiders on your way here. You also took their gear when you could, which is always a plus. Less equipment for those left alive. They aren't the best equipped, but the fewer guns they have, the better," he says with a sly smile.
"So, taking your work into consideration, and you returning Rose to us, I'd like to give you 500 caps," he says, picking a bag up off the floor and setting it on the desk. "You are probably low on ammo and other supplies, think of this as a reward for clearing out some of the raiders. It will make scavenging easier for us," he gives me a beaming smile.
"Thank you!" I tell him, floating the bag of caps into my bags. "But, there are a lot more raiders where those came from," I tell him with a look of concern.
"True, but a few dozen is nothing to shake a stick at. The last order of business I have with you, is your sleeping arrangements. The council rented your group out a few rooms at the hotel, as long as you're in town," he tells me. "Just let the front desk know who you are, and they'll show you to your room."
"This is...more than I could ask for," I tell him. I'm unsure how I should react to this, it seems like they are giving me a lot.
"Nonsense," Wrecker tells me with a shake of his head. "You'll still have to pay for your food and supplies while you are here. And if you ever come back, you'll have to pay for your own room," he says with a chuckle. "Kind and helpful folk are a rarity these days, many simply turn to crime and take what they want. The council has seen what you've done and is thankful," He informs me.
"You keep talking about a council," I say. "Does that mean a council governs Friendship City?" I ask.
"Indeed," he tells me. "Us founders decided it was the best way to keep things civil. Doc Clamp, Rose's father Slick, and myself are among its members. Rose is set to take over for Slick, which is why it is so great a feat that you returned her to us," Wrecker informs me.
"I see," I mutter. "I didn't know she was so important." To think, Rose is a councilor's daughter.
"Everyone who doesn't try to kill you or steal from you, is important," Wrecker mutters. "But, yes, she is important to the future of Friendship City. She is quite popular around town, if a bit sheltered."
"Yea...Speaking of," I begin. "You may want consider training her in the use of a firearm. If something should happen like this again, her being able to defend herself will be useful. Hopefully, she can aim better than me though," I chuckle.
"You are right," Wrecker agrees. "This incident has shown us as much. Especially if she is to lead, she should know how to defend herself. I'll begin training her myself soon. Well, that concludes our business," he states. "When you wish to leave, let me know. I'll draw you a map of the safe ways in and out of the city. Well, safer than raider alley, at least," he tells me.
"That sounds great," I say with a smile. "For now, I'll focus on recovery and explore the town a bit. I think we could all use a little rest anyhow."
"I do not doubt it," he agrees. "If you have any more questions, feel free to drop by. I'm usually here."
I make my way over to the door. "Sounds good," I tell him. "See you around," I say as I close the door behind me.
===~+~===
Quest Complete:
-Prisoner Rescue
New Perk:
-Junkie - You have discovered you have a low tolerance for drugs and become easily addicted. You are now 50% more like to become addicted to Chems. |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 15 - Recovery | Chapter 15 - Recovery
"Everyone needs a moment to catch their breath every once and awhile."
===~+~===
I quickly got the lay of the town after exploring it for a few hours. Over the next few days, my friends and I spend most of our time in Slick's bar, playing cards and listening to the scavengers and other visitors of the town. Occasionally, one of us will leave and return to Clamp's clinic so he can replace our bandages and look us over. Our bodies are recovering at a good rate. Cygnus is recovering rapidly, probably an effect of the magic in his cells.
It feels good to get a break from the constant walking around and training I've been doing since I woke up in my lab. I can tell the others feel the same, with the exception of Cygnus. He seems a little stir crazy, but I suppose that is natural, given that he just woke up a few days ago after being locked away for decades.
On one particular day, Cygnus decides to sleep in so it is just the Rangers and I in the bar. After a while, Arrow and Lightning leave for the clinic, leaving Thunder and I alone. I decide this is as good a time as any to ask how he and the others are doing. "So," I begin, "how are you holding up?"
Thunder rubs his chin for a moment before saying simply, "Better than the others." I can hear the concern in his voice, but he cracks a grin and adds, "Besides that Cygnus fellow. He sure does heal fast. Another day, and I think he'll be at one hundred percent."
I bite my lip. So, the others aren't doing so well after all. They've been acting so cheery, I have been concerned about them. "Nothing on your end then? No lingering pain or concerns about anything?" I ask him, wondering if he can be hiding something like the others.
"Nah. You know me Ratchet," he says. "I say what's on my mind and my body's tough. Thanks to the Hydra, I should be ready for combat at the end of the week. I just wish I could have been of more use once my gun got destroyed," he mutters.
I knew it, beating himself up over not being able to do more. Despite his blunt crudeness, he is a team player. "Don't worry about it," I tell him. "We all made it here and are still standing. You were even walking around on a broken leg. We couldn't have asked anymore of you. You fought valiantly."
He smiles, rubbing the back of his neck with a chuckle. "Thanks. I guess I feel a bit better," he says.
"Good. I know if I had a broken leg, I'd have been a big foal about it the whole time. You'd probably have to carry me," I tell him, grinning like an idiot. This gets a laugh out of him.
"Yea, you sure can't take pain, can you?" He teases me.
I roll my eyes and sigh dramatically. "Please Thunder, I'm a scientist, not a soldier. The worst pain I had to deal with until recently was getting a cavity filled," I tell him with a grin.
We banter back and forth about my low pain tolerance for a few minutes. After a round of laughter, Thunder composes himself and puts on a serious look. "In all seriousnes Ratchet, I'm worried about the others. They act fine, but I've seen Arrow glancing at the mirror a little bit too long and caught Lightning staring at his rear legs in disgust. They might be getting better physically, but mentally, they are still pained. I don't know what to do, Ratchet. I'm not good with words. Do you think you can talk with them?" He asks me.
I can tell by the look on his face, that it pains him that he can't help them himself. He's good at humor and cheering them up, but he isn't the type to help sort out delicate situations. I'm worried about them myself, so my answer is obvious. "Of course. I'll do everything I can for them," I tell him.
He relaxes and puts on a weak smile. "Thank you, Ratchet," He tells me. After a few more words, we join a few scavengers playing poker. A few hands later, and Lightning and Arrow return. We deal them in as a few of the scavengers leave for the ruins. I decide that I should talk to them one-on-one, and we continue the game as Cygnus arrives and joins us as well.
The night progresses, and after talking with Thunder, I've been watching Arrow and Lightning closely. Little things do appear to be off with them. Quick, little frowns when no one else is looking. Arrow staring at her reflection in her drink. Lightning, occasionally glancing down under the table at his legs.
I make a note of all of this as the night goes on. Eventually, we decide to turn in for the night. We head to the hotel and go to our respective rooms. Thunder, Lightning, and Cygnus to theirs, and Arrow and I to ours. It is the perfect opportunity.
As I bid goodnight to the others, I enter the room and catch Arrow looking into the mirror. She lets out a sigh and takes off the rest of her armor and climbs onto her side of the king-sized bed. I take off my armor and do the same. She is laying on her side, facing away from me.
"Hey Arrow, could we talk for a bit?" I ask her, still sitting up in the bed. She doesn't say anything or turn towards me, but she nods her head. I hesitate, thinking about how to continue. "I, uh, well...I've noticed that you haven't quite been your usual self lately, Arrow," I tell her, watching her for any movement.
After a few moments of silence, she hesitantly nods her head. "I want to help you," I tell her. "However I can, with whatever you need. I've seen how you look at yourself in the mirror, with a look of forlorn disgust. I know that you are worried about how you look, and if your aim will be affected, but you are still you," I say, putting a hoof on her shoulder.
I can feel her start to shake and can hear a few sobs coming from her. I really hope I'm not making her feel worse. She nods again. "Listen Arrow, even if your face is a bit scarred up, you're still adorable. Even if your aim is off, you're an expert, you'll adapt and be back to normal soon!" I tell her, trying to convey my sincerity.
She shakes her head, causing me to frown. "Arrow, I can only tell so much from shakes and nods. You've got to talk to me. How can I help you?" I ask her. She takes in a few shaky breaths before she sits up and turns to face me.
Tears are running down the right side of her face, but not the left side. "You can't," she says quietly. "My eye...it's not...my face...I can't...you'll never..." Arrow falls into a fit of sobbing. I can't do anything but wrap my hoof around her and pull her in close for a hug. She cries into my shoulder, tears staining my coat.
"I'm here for you," I whisper into her ear. "I'll help you. We can go practice shooting with the guards tomorrow, I'm sure they won't mind. Cheer up, Arrow. You'll get through this, and I'll be there every step of the way. So be yourself, don't worry about how you look, or if you can't hit your targets right away. I'll be there for you whenever you need me," I tell her.
I feel her nodding her head as she continues to cry. The minutes pass and the two of us remain in an embrace. Her crying fades to sniffles as we both lay down to go to sleep. She continues to hold onto my hoof with her own as we both drift off to sleep.
===~+~===
The following afternoon, Arrow and I head over to see Chief Wrecker and ask his permission to use their shooting range. He agrees instantly and says we are welcome to it any time. With his approval, we head into the firing range and Arrow takes position with her rifle. "Ok, just do what you normally do," I tell her.
Arrow aims through her scope with her good eye and after a moment, puts a bullet through the target at the end of the range, fifty feet away. She looks unhappy with it. "What's wrong? You hit the target," I ask her.
"Missed," she says simply. I furrow my brow. I guess a sniper's definition of hitting a target, and my own are different. "Non-lethal," she adds. I blink in confusion for a second, looking at the target. It is an outline of the side of a pony with a hole through the body. I look a bit closer and think about anatomy for a moment, and realize she's right. It passed through an area with no vital organs.
"Oh, I see," I mutter. Then follow up with, "Where were you aiming at?" She might not be that far off if she was aiming at the heart, or something.
"Head," Arrow answers. I flinch. Ok, that was definitely a miss then. I scratch the back of my head with a hoof.
"Well, it was just one shot, try again," I suggest. She nods, and readies another shot, I keep a close eye on her as she fires and I notice something. I look down the range, and don't see any indication of a hit anywhere. She must have missed completely. "Hey Arrow, why are you shooting with both your eyes open?" I ask her. "Shouldn't you only be keeping the eye looking through the scope open?" I suggest.
She shakes her head. "No, hu?" I mutter. "But given that your left eye can't see as good anymore, does it matter?" I ask. She shakes her head again, looking down at her rifle. After a moment, one of the guards walks over to us.
"Your friend is right, Miss Ratchet. The proper way to shoot is with both eyes open," the buck tells me. "My name is Lock, by the way miss, nice to meet you," he says with a smile.
I nod with a smile. "Nice to meet you too. So, why does it matter? Keeping both eyes open, I mean," I ask him.
"Well, for one thing it puts strain on the open eye and can change the way that it sees. If you are just shooting once and a while, it's fine. But, when it comes to extended periods of shooting, or precision, it matters," Lock explains.
"Not only that, " he continues, "but with both eyes open, you can keep an eye on your peripherals so you are aware of what is happening around you and your target. Given that your friend here is a sniper, she needs to keep her eyes opens."
"If a sniper focuses on their target alone, they are easy to sneak up on. It is also easy to lose a target without keeping an eye on the target's surroundings. Even if you aren't a sniper, keeping an eye open to pick out your next target is a good idea," Lock concludes.
Nodding, I say, "I see. Thank you, Lock." I turn to look at Arrow, who is still looking at her rifle. "I'm sorry Arrow, you're doing fine. Just keep at it!" I encourage her. I catch Lock frowning while looking at Arrow.
"Miss Arrow," Lock addresses her. "Shoot the target once more for me, if you'd be so kind," she asks her. Arrow nods, and prepares to shoot. Lock's eyes don't leave her, nor do they blink. Arrow fires, and hits the target in the rear leg.
"Can I see your gun?" Lock asks. Arrow nods, and Lock picks it up. He inspects it, then points it at the target. In rapid succession, he shoots it, ejects the cartridge, and does this two more time. All of his shots hit the target directly in the head, close together.
"As I thought," Lock mutters. "Miss Arrow, your problem isn't your gun, and it isn't your eyes. You are hesitating, you are questioning if you bullet will hit where you are aiming. Your doubts are causing you to miss," he tells her.
Arrow looks at him in shock, then quickly at the ground. "Miss Arrow, I am a sniper as well. You have good instinct, good eyes, and you are more than likely a better shot than me. But you have lost confidence. If you think losing a little bit of sight in your eye is a reason to quit being a sniper, then you should quit. Because if you keep hesitating, if you keep missing, your friends will die," Lock glares at her, pushing her rifle into her chest.
Shakily, Arrow grabs the rifle and falls to her haunches, cradling it. Lock shakes his head and walks away. I stand there with my mouth open, shocked and unsure what to do. I look from Arrow, to Lock as he walks away. "Stay here, Arrow. I'll be right back," I tell her, as I chase after Lock.
I catch up to him in their locker room. "Lock!" I call out at his back. "What the fuck was that?" I ask, anger blazing inside of me. "How could you tell her that? You asshole!" I yell at him.
He turns around to face me with a stoic expression on his face. "Because she needs to hear it," Lock says. "Because it is the truth, and it is the only thing that can help her," he tells me.
"Bullshit!" I snarl. "You tell her she should quit? That her friends are going to die? How is that suppose to help her?" I question. My hooves are shaking under me as my anger continues to rise. Other guards that were in the locker room begin to watch us.
"She's a soldier," Lock replies. "Her actions carry weight, she needs to remember that. If she continues to hesitate, and stubbornly continue to snipe with that hesitation, either you, or your friends, or Arrow will die. It isn't a matter of if, it is a matter of when," he explains.
"How can you say that? You know nothing about her! About us!" I shout at him. "You don't know what she's going through!" He flinches for a moment, and then gets angry himself.
"You don't know anything," Lock mutters. "If you were actually her friend, if you actually cared about her and the others, you'd understand why she needs the truth," he tells me. His words hit me like a lead pipe.
"Of course I care about them! But this is just cruel!" I yell. He shakes his head and lets out a sigh.
"You are the cruel one, Ratchet," He tells me. "Right now, she has forgotten that others depend on her, that she is part of a team. She's focused on what she lost, and what she's going through. That's why she needed the truth, harsh as it may be. To make her realize she can't hesitate!" He growls at me.
I take a step back from him. "H...How do you know it will work?" I ask him, my anger starting to wane.
He lowers his head, and calms his voice. "Because I've been where she's been. I've experienced it first-hoof. I was dealing with my own issues, I hesitated, and a friend died because of it. So trust me, I know what i'm talking about," Lock says with a sigh, shaking his head.
I fall to my haunches. "I...I'm sorry," I tell him as I look down at the floor.
Lock shakes his head. "No, I understand, Ratchet. You really do care about her, about your friends. She'll need you to get through this, but you can't coddle her. You have to tell her the truth when she needs it. Now go," he says with a smile, "help her."
I look up at him, at the others watching us, smiling themselves, and I smile back. "Of course," I say with a nod, rising to my hooves. "Thank you," I tell him, as I turn and leave the locker room.
Returning to the shooting range, I see Arrow still sitting while clinging onto her rifle. She isn't crying though, but seems to be in thought, which I hope is a good thing. I walk up to her and sit down in front of her. "Are you ready to keep going?" I ask her. She nods, and stands up. I do the same.
She sets up her rifle, and aims down the sight. I take a deep breath, wondering if this will really work. "Remember what Lock said, Arrow. Imagine the bullet hitting, don't hesitate. Don't shoot for yourself, shoot for us. That target wants to hurt us, to take us from you, you're going to stop it," I tell her, not looking at her, but at the target.
Arrow lets out her breath, and a moment later she pulls the trigger and her bullet strikes the target, just below the ear. She looks up from her scope at the target, smiling. I smile as well. Perhaps she just needed the proper motivation to get her mind off things.
"Good job," I tell her. "But, you can do better. I'm pretty sure that's not where you were aiming," I say. "Let's keep going, now that you've got things down again, you can refine your aim." I look at her with a smile. She smiles back, looking determined, and nods. "Alright, just like last time."
===~+~===
After another few hours, Arrow is confident in her aim again. She hits every spot she is aiming for and even begins to shoot at the further targets. Her accuracy still amazes me. The sun is beginning to set and Arrow shoos me away saying simply, "Night practice." I guess she wants to make sure she can still hit things in the dark, as well.
I bid her goodnight and head back to the hotel. I'm glad she's gotten her confidence back, even more so than her getting her aim back. Even if she couldn't shoot, I'd still want the normal Arrow keeping me silent company. I do wish she's talk more though, sometimes communication is hard.
As I near the hotel, I see Lightning standing alone on the second floor balcony. I wave at him, but he either doesn't see me or is lost in thought. With no one else around him, I decide now would be a good time to talk to him. I make my way though the hotel and onto the balcony. I walk over to him and join him leaning over the balcony railing.
"Enjoying the night air?" I ask him. He jerks, like he didn't hear me arrive. Recovering quickly, he puts on an easy smile.
"Indeed," Lightning says, looking up at the statue. "They work around the clock, you know? Constantly expanding the city...it's quite the sight to behold," he mutters.
"Really?" I say with surprise. "That's impressive," I agree. There is a pregnant silence as I'm unsure how to jump into the discussion. Luckily, Lightning sets me up perfectly.
Letting out a sigh, he asks, "What do you want, Ratchet?" I let out a light-hearted chuckle.
"That's obvious, hu?" I ask. He rolls his eyes. "You know, I spent the afternoon with Arrow today. Helping her with some target practice. At first, she was doing pretty bad. But now, she's gotten her aim back. She's actually going to spend the night shooting, making sure she can do it properly in the dark," I tell him with a smile.
"Is that so?" He mutters. "That's good, she was looking pretty down recently," Lightning points out.
I nod in agreement. "She's doing much better now. So, how are you doing, Lightning?" I ask him, hoping that he'll be open about it.
He smiles. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. "Doing fine, Ratchet. Still recovering a bit, but I'll get there. I'll be ready to head out when you are," Lightning tells me.
I let out a sigh. "Don't lie Lightning, it won't help anyone. I've been watching you, looking concerned and staring off into space, glaring at your legs, I can tell something isn't right. Thunder suspects as much as well," I tell him.
Lightning shakes his head and sighs. "Makes sense he'd know, bring my brother and all. Well Ratchet, you want the truth?" He asks, turning to me. I nod. "I'm terrified. I'm sure the Clamp told you, my legs might not fully recover. But it is more than that. My legs...they shake sometimes. I can't control it, but being in power armor makes it a bit more bearable," he confesses.
"They...shake? Does it hurt when they do so?" I ask him as concern builds up inside of me.
He smiles slightly. "No, thankfully. It is just annoying, for the most part. As the day progresses though, my legs get tired and ache because of it, and all I've been doing lately is lounging around. Once we actually start moving, and fighting, I don't think I'll be able to keep up," Lightning says, looking down from the railing.
"What does Clamp say about it? Have you told him?" I ask.
"Of course, but the only thing he can determine is that it might go away eventually. He says it might be nerve damage, or it could be a mental thing. Me subconsciously recalling the manticore attack," he says. "I don't know, Ratchet. I just don't know. But, I don't think you can help," he tells me with a sad expression on his face.
"Bullshit," I tell him. This rouses a surprised expression from him. "We are friends, a team, it is our job to help each other. So you know what? If your legs are giving you trouble, let us know. If we have to take a few more breaks on our journeys, so be it. If we have to throw you on our back, we'll do it," I explain.
He smirks, but says, "I don't want to be a burden to you all. I'll keep up, you don't have to coddle me." You idiot Lightning. You just don't understand.
Lock's words run though my mind, 'you have to tell her the truth when she needs it.' I'm sure that can be applied to Lightning as well, and he needs the same truth as Arrow needed. "Shut up," I tell him. "You understand that if you ignore your issue, if you push yourself for us, that we could all die because of it, right?" I say, giving him a serious look.
He's taken aback, that much I can see. His eyes go wide for a moment and he mutters, "W-What?"
"If you push yourself, and we don't know it, and we get caught in a battle unaware of that, it could cost us our lives. Not only yours, but your brother's, Arrow's, Cygnus's, and mine," I say, locking my eyes onto his. "If we know, we can work around it. We can be ready. This isn't just your problem, it is our problem," I tell him.
When I finish, Lightning looks away, out into the night. He rubs his face with a hoof for a moment before turning back towards me. "I suppose you are right. I would be a burden if I decide to be stubborn about things. I'm sorry. It's just...my legs were my pride and joy," he mutters.
"About that," I begin. "Don't hate your legs now, don't be disgusted with them. They served you well, and they probably saved your life from the manticore. Just because they might be a bit slower, and shake occasionally, you shouldn't be upset with them. You're still standing, they are still strong, and they are the only ones you got," I tell him with a smile.
He stares at me blankly for a moment before erupting into laughter. "The only ones I've got, hu, Ratchet?" Lightning says, laughing some more. "That's so...so...corny," he tells me, continuing to laugh.
I puff out my cheek and glare at him. "I thought it was good..." I mutter, giving him a smile.
Lightning pulls himself together enough to say, "Yea, yea. Oh Celestia, Ratchet. Thank you. I...I feel much better now. Tomorrow, I'll tell everyone about my legs. You are right though, they are the only ones I have. I'm going to think about things for a little longer. You should get some sleep, it is getting late."
"I suppose you are right," I say with a smile. "I'm glad you are feeling better, Lightning. Remember, if there's ever something you need to talk about, we're here for you," I tell him.
"I know, thanks," He says with a smile. I return inside and leave Lightning to his thoughts. He probably needs some time to get things straight in his head. I decide to take his advice, and head to my room for the night.
===~+~===
The next day, Lightning tells us all about his legs. He also mentions that after our talk, the frequency of their shaking seems to have gone down. It might be a mental thing after all, at least part of it. I hope that once they fully recover, the shaking goes away completely.
My friends and I spend the better part of the morning playing cards. Both Lightning and Arrow seem a lot better. I don't notice either one of them spacing out or frowning, unless they get a bad hand. Around mid-afternoon, I get a bit bored of cards and decide to go for a walk around the town. The others keep playing, wanting to get to know Cygnus better.
On the northern side of the town, is a sort of clearing. From what I hear, traveling traders set up here to sell their wares. Now, however, it is empty aside from the occasional citizen walking through it. I decide to sit on a bench facing the statue to watch the construction for a while.
As I watch the workers move steel beams into place and weld them, I can't help but smile. There are various systems of pulleys that lift the beams up into place. Earth Ponies on the ground haul them up, and Unicorns guide them precisely where they need to go. It is a beautiful thing to see.
The wasteland is a barren and desolate place. Seeing a brand new city rising in front of my very eyes in defiance of the wasteland makes me hopeful for the future. Maybe things will get better. As long as ponies work hard, and are good to each other, the future will always have hope.
While I continue to watch, one buck on the ground catches my eye. He is walking under the construction. But what really draws my attention and moves me to action, is the ghostly figure behind them, cloaked in black. I leap from the bench and run towards the buck.
I glance above him, seeing one of the steel beams being lifted directly above him. As I get closer, I see a small part of the rope holding it is beginning to fray. No one else seems to notice as I run towards the buck. I see it snap as I'm a few feet from him and a Unicorn tries to hold it up with their magic, but it seems to be too heavy for them.
The beam breaks free of their magic and hurtles towards the ground. I leap at the buck just as the beam is about to strike him, tackling him out of the way. The beam falls just inches behind us. He stares at it wide eyed as I pant for breath. Not this one, Death, I think with a smile, looking at his ghostly figure.
Death just stares back at me as the buck thanks me vigorously and goes on his way. Death walks up to me, looking at the back of the buck that got away. "Pestilence told you, right?" He asks. "Deaths are set in stone, and you can't prevent them," he says.
I smile. "I just saved that buck, didn't I? I guess you wasted a trip here," I tell him.
"Keep watching," Death says, still looking at the buck. I turn from him, and look at the buck as well. He looks fine.
But then I see it, from one of the platforms the workers are on, a tool falls off the ledge, heading straight for the buck. "Look out!" I scream at him, but it is too late. The tool hits the buck square on the head, dropping him instantly.
I run over to him and feel for a pulse, but get nothing. I call to my haunches, muttering, "No...How..." Death walks up behind me.
"Had you not saved him, the steel beam would have killed him. But since you intervened, he was killed by a falling tool. If you had known about that, and saved him again, something else would have got him," Death explains. "When it is a pony's time, it is their time," he tells me.
"You can't save them, Ratchet," he says as he brings out his scythe. "Save yourself the trouble and heartache, just let it happen," he advises me as he slices something I cannot see. He turns to me and says, "Stay strong, Ratchet." Before he disappears. A few moments later a few of the workers on the ground arrive.
I'm too stunned to talk or react, so I just kind of wander off while they are distracted. This isn't going to work. I'll go mad...I saved him, only for him to die. How many more times will something like this happen? Can I just turn a blind eye to it, like Death suggested? Or will I keep trying to save them?
===~+~===
A week goes by, and luckily I don't witness any more deaths. My friends and I make a speedy recovery, and decide we will leave tomorrow morning. Today, we will stock up on supplies and get ready. We go our separate ways to get what we need, but I end up giving Cygnus 500 caps so he can get some gear.
I've cut up my soiled lab coat and make some bandages out of it. They aren't magical or anything, but they'll help stop some bleeding if we get into a tight stop. Putting on one of the pristine coats, I make my way to the gun store.
The gun store, which is a good sized shack inside the bottom of the statue, is owned by a buck named Bloodshot. He's got a...peculiar attitude, keeps trying to get me to buy explosives. But, I decide to leave those up to Thunder. I really didn't want to miss with something that could really cause some damage.
First, I decide to sell Bloodshot my excess guns and ammunition. As I pull gun after gun out of my bags, he doesn't seem surprised, it is like ponies bring in a ton of guns to sell all the time. I sell all the spare guns I looted and the 9mm I got back from Rose. He gives me 470 caps for the lot of them. I try to haggle, but, he says, "Most of these are shit. Nothing but parts."
I begrudgingly accept the caps, just grateful for the bag space they freed up. I look over what I have left. The sniper, shotgun, SMG, and revolver. Given my record for hitting my target, I decide to sell the sniper and SMG, along with all their ammo and the 5.56mm I have as well. He gives me 133 more caps for them.
He won't buy my old armor or the machete I have though. Since I'm done selling things, I decide to stock up on ammo. I buy enough shotgun shells to get me to 56 extra, and 108 .32 caliber for my revolver. This sets me back 331 caps.
I'm about to leave the store when he calls out to me, saying he can sell me a drum magazine for my shotgun, and possibly improve my revolver a bit. I ask for the drum magazine as I give him my revolver to look at. The drum magazine is another 200 caps.
He inspects the revolver for a moment, then gives it back to me, telling me to, "Aim it for me, let me get a look at you." I raise an eyebrow, but do as he says and aim it like I usually do with my magic. He nods and takes it back. He disappears into the back of his shop for a few minutes, then returns and asks me if I want to name it.
I think for a moment, and smile as I say, "Forgiveness." He raises an eyebrow, but shrugs and returns to the back. After a few more minutes, he returns with my revolver and sits it on the counter. It looks...different.
"Since you use magic, I lightened it and decreased the amount of pressure needed to pull the trigger. The new grip should feel better in your magic as well. And the name," he says, showing me the left side of the gun, "is inscribed on the barrel." He smiles and concludes, "450 caps."
My eyes go wide at the price, but he gives it to me to test out. It definitely feels...better. I let out a sigh and mutter, "Here." As I count out the caps. He smiles, and thanks me for my business as I leave his store.
I was really not expecting to spend so much there. I have 400 caps left, hope that is enough for medical supplies. But first, I need to sell this extra stuff. I head into the general store, hoping they'll buy my old armor and machete. I'm in luck, and gain an additional 73 caps. Why was everything so damn inexpensive when I sell it?
Next, I make my way to the drugstore to stock up on medical supplies. As I approach the counter, I see Lightning standing there. "Oh, hey Ratchet," he says as he notices me. "Stocking up as well? I made sure to leave some for you," he tells me with a grin.
"Here you go sir," a gravely voice says from under the counter. From behind the counter, rises a...
"ZOMBIE!" I yell, drawing my revolver. Lightning quickly puts a hoof out in front of me.
"She's alright Ratchet, she isn't a zombie. I guess she's the first ghoul you've seen, hu?" Lightning says with a chuckle. He turns to the zombie, "Sorry about her, first time for her, ya know? Here's the caps, you two play nice now." Lightning then walks out of the shop without another word.
The zombie shakes its head and grabs the caps from the counter. "Every time with you smoothskins," it says.
"Uh...so..." I stammer. "You're a...ghoul? Not a...Zombie?" I ask stupidly.
"Yea," it says. Though, it resembles a mare, so I guess...she says? "Though you smoothskins usually don't care about the difference. The name's Scarlet," she informs me.
"Nice to...meet you, Scarlet," I tell her with apprehensive smile. "Sorry about the whole, trying to shoot you thing," I appologize.
"Oh, no worries. It happens with you smoothskins sometimes," Scarlet says with a shrug. "So, I'm your first ghoul hu? I bet you have questions, go ahead and ask so I can start trading with you," she says.
"Oh, uh. Let's see. What is a ghoul, I guess?" I ask her.
"Fair enough. We are normal ponies who got exposed to just the right amount of radiation. Not enough to kill us, but enough to turn us into this. Some of us have been around since before the war, though I came after that," she explains.
"I see. Does that mean you have longer lifespans due to the radiation exposure?" I ask, my curiosity piqued.
"Who's to say. Hasn't been that much time to know for sure. Though I know a few that are over 100 years old, and still doing fine. We might be able to live forever, assuming we don't rot away into nothing," Scarlet says with a raspy chuckle.
"Right...Does it hurt? Are you physically the same, or did you mutate?" I ask, getting excited.
"Oh naw, it feels pretty normal. Aside from our looks, our ability to heal with radiation, and our lack of needing sustenance, we're pretty much the same," she explains.
"That's interesting. So, are there any negative effects to being a ghoul?" I ask, adding, "Aside from ponies thinking you are zombies and trying to kill you."
"Yea," she says with a sigh. "We can go feral, lose our minds. Once that happens, we might as well be zombies. So not all of us are safe to be around. But!" Scarlet declares, "That doesn't mean you should go around shooting every ghoul. Ferals, sure. But not those with intelligence left."
"Ferals, hu? Good to know. I'll try to refrain from shooting ghouls just for being ghouls," I say, giving her a reassuring smile. "I think that's all the questions I have for now, thanks."
"Good. Now, you here to buy?" She asks. I nod, and tell her what I need. She tells me the prices, and I tell her what I can afford. Scarlet shakes her head and pulls out two healing potions. I think for a moment, considering if i have anything else to sell.
I remember I have drugs i should probably get rid of. I bring out the stampede and dash, but hesitate for a moment. I put the dash back in my bags, deciding to hang onto it for emergencies, since I can actually manage to hit things while using it.
With the stampede I have, she agrees to sell me a total of 3 healing potions and one magical bandage for the cost of 450 caps. I agree to the price, and pack up the items and give her the caps.
With 23 caps to my name, I leave the store and head back to the hotel to wait for the others. Tomorrow, we'll head back out into the Manehatten Ruins. I hope we are prepared.
===~+~===
New Perk!
Companionship - When your companions are in your presence, they gain +10 to their Damage Threshold. |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 16 - The Request | Chapter 16 - The Request
"Let's retake the old world."
===~+~===
The following morning, gather in the hotel lobby. As I look us over, you wouldn't guess we came so close to dying almost two weeks ago. The Ranger's armor looks clean and shiny, no damage to it anywhere. There is some welding marks where I can tell it has been repaired, however.
Thunder once again has a minigun at his side, but he's also added that missile launcher to his other side. It looks belt-fed from inside his armor too, like his minigun. Lightning and Arrow also seem ready to head out.
Cygnus, thankfully, has a new set of light armor. I told him that I wanted him to at least have some protection if we get caught off guard. He also seems to have picked up a 10mm pistol and is wearing the holster at his side. Last, but not least, he exchanged his makeshift bag for actual saddlebags.
That leaves me, clad in my stitched up barding and wrapped ever so lovingly in my lab coat, with Forgiveness at my side. I join up with the others, having just returned from talking with Chief Wrecker regarding the safer routes though the ruins. He offered to send some guards with us, but I turned him down.
We are a team, and if we get attacked, we need to make sure we can handle it before we get too far. Lightning's legs are still occasionally giving him trouble, but they seem a lot better, and Arrow's aim isn't as precise as she'd like it to be. However, we can't put off returning any longer and we are as healthy as we are going to get.
After double checking we have all our gear, we thank the Hotel staff and leave. We walk though the town towards the dock the ferry sits at that will take us back across the water and into the ruins. As we near the dock, I see a few finely dressed ponies standing around.
We approach them when one of them calls out to us. "You there, Steel Rangers," a buck says. He sounds really...prissy. We stop and turn towards him and two associates. "Ah, yes, good. We have a job for you, yes," he tells us.
"Yes, yes, just for you," a mare at his side says in a sing-songy voice. "We do hope that you will accept," she says with a smile.
"Yes, darling, we do," the buck coos at the mare. "You see, my good ponies, we need you to clear out a building for us. Just that, remove the inhabitants and tell us when the job is done," he informs us.
"They are a bunch of ne'er-do-wells. Monsters, really," the second mare chimes in. "Positively dreadful, disgusting," she says, turning up her muzzle.
"Oh quite!" The buck agrees. "You'd be doing both us, and society a favor by removing them really," he tells us. "We won't even make you clean up after you are done, we have ponies for that," he says with a smile.
They are kind of...obnoxious. We haven't been able to get a word in edgewise, until now. "What exactly, do you want us to do?" I ask them, raising an eyebrow. They all roll their eyes.
"We just told you, clear out Tenpony for us," the second mare says with a sigh. "This is why commoners are so dreadful," she mutters.
"But you never said..." I begin, but am cut off by the buck.
"Yes, Tenpony Tower, you know it, right? Only building in Manehatten still standing in pristine condition?" He says as though talking to foals.
"Actually, that's the..." Again, I'm cut off, this time, by the first mare.
"Of course they know, Darling. Everyone knows," she says, shaking her head. "They are just being difficult."
"Ah yes my love, I'm sure," the buck says to her. "Will you do it or are you like the rest of these commoners in this so called town, content with this sad excuse for living arrangements?" He says.
"Why don't you clear it yourselves?" Cygnus asks, clearly getting annoyed by them.
They all scoff and look horrified at the though. "Us?" The buck says. "Are you saying we should get our hooves dirty when you commoners can do it for us?" He asks us. And with that, there is no doubt in my mind these are the ponies Star Paladin Lily was talking about.
"We've sent ponies there before," the second mare says, shaking her head. "Of course, we paid them a portion of the caps ahead of time, but they never returned. Common thieves, they are. Cut and run, no doubt," She says, shaking her head as the other two do the same.
"Alright, I'm out. These ponies are pissing me off," Cygnus says, walking down to the dock. The others go to follow him, but I stay there, thinking. They said, Tenpony, right?
"Just a moment everyone," I call after them, then turn to the prissy ponies and say, "Give me just a moment, I need to find something out." They roll their eyes as I walk a short distance away and pull my PipBuck up.
"Hey CORA, you remember anything about Tenpony? Could it have survived a Megaspell?" I ask her. I don't recall it having any sort of defences like that.
After a moment, CORA appears in my vision. "Hmmm, I don't think so, Ratchet. If it is still standing, and in pristine condition like they say, I can't say why," CORA tells me.
"That is what I thought. But if it is...it could be useful as an outpost in the ruins, right?" I mutter. Then thought strikes me. "Hey CORA, Tenpony has broadcasting equipment, right? It should cover a large area, shouldn't it?" I ask her.
She's quiet for a moment, but answers, "I believe so, if it remains functional. It may even cover a good portion of Equestira. The signal could also be bounced around using other towers to expand the range," she informs me.
"Ok, good. Thanks, CORA," I tell her. She smiles, then blinks out of my vision again. I turn back to the prissy ponies and walk over to them.
"I'll help you," I tell them. They roll their eyes again. They seem a little, ungrateful that I agreed to help.
"It took you long enough. Very well, return to us when Tenpony is safe, and collect your 2,000 caps," the buck tells me. "And don't try to lie about it, we have a mercenary watching the building, so we will know if you do," he says, narrowing his eyes.
"Yea, yea," I tell him. "But I have one condition," I begin. "Once I clear it out, you let DJ Pon3 move into the broadcasting station up top," I say.
They look between each other, and the buck shrugs. "We have no use for that equipment, and the DJ seems like a decent follow. We agree to your condition," he agrees.
"And just so we are clear, he is a permanent resident as long as he wants to be, right? You can't just kick him out on a whim," I tell them. They roll their eyes, but nod. "Good. Well then, we'll return once we have some good news," I say with a smile.
"Yes, yes, on your way. If you don't hurry, we'll hire someone else. We have waited long enough," the second mare calls after me as I join the others at the dock.
Cygnus glares at me as I catch up. "Really? We're going to help those stuck up snobs?" He asks.
"Well, helping to secure a safe haven in the midst of the Manehatten Ruins will be helpful for future travel. Not to mention, it will give the DJ a wider audience. Tenpony is outfitted with a broadcasting station, so he'll be able to give the news to more ponies, and that means things can be safer," I explain.
"Yes, but," Lightning cuts in. "If those ponies are going to be in charge, I don't see things going as smoothly as you think. They might try to set up their own personal paradise," he suggests.
I furrow my brow. "That is always a possibility. But, even if they were to do that, they'd be hiring security to protect the tower and themselves. Meaning, the area around Tenpony should get safer," I say, trying to find a silver lining.
"Anyhow," I say as we board the ferry, "we should probably check it out first."
===~+~===
The route Wrecker gave me is completely uneventful. I guess since the scavengers use it frequently, they clear away most of the threats. Because of this, we make good time though the city. We approach a fallen highway, that slopes up and has a pretty good sight over the surrounding buildings. I think Tenpony is only a few blocks away now.
"Let's go up this highway and scope out Tenpony, see what we are up against," I suggest. We walk up the road and look out across the destroyed city. Just as the prissy ponies said, a lone tower rises above the other collapsing buildings. It looks almost pristine, aside from the decay of time. It is like the Megaspell blast didn't touch it at all.
"Can I borrow your rifle, Arrow?" I ask her. She nods, and hoofs it over to me. Cygnus summons a rifle of his own and the two of us look through the scopes at the tower. "Let's see..." I mutter, looking around. "The outside looks pretty clear, nothing there. Oh damn, are those...ghouls in the first floor?" I ask.
"Ratchet," Cygnus says in a serious tone, "look at the second floor." I move the rifle scope up and look at the second floor.
"There's no way," I mutter. "There has to be a dozen ghouls in there," I say in disbelief. "That's just what I can see, too." From where we are, we are looking at a corner of the building, so we can see though windows on two sides of it.
"Keeping looking up," Cygnus tells me. I move the scope up and look at floor after floor of the tower.
"Every floor!?" I call out. "How are there that many on each floor?" I ask, not expecting an answer. "There as to be at least one hundred of them in total. I think we might need more firepower," I tell them. I let each of the Rangers take a look through the scope as well.
"Even with this new missile launcher, this will be a bit of a workout," Thunder mutters. "What's the plan, boss?" He asks me.
I look out towards the tower, thinking about it. "It's not going anywhere, let's go back to Stable 36, see if they have anything on Grimoire yet. Then, I can also finish up my armor and that will give us a good edge," I decide. They nod in agreement, and we begin walking back down the ruined highway.
The rest of the journey out of the ruins is relatively uneventful. We spot a few creatures here and there, but nothing that poses an actual threat. With such a smooth journey, I fear we might get too lax. Remembering the raider-town we encountered on our way here, I decide we should check it out, and possibly clear the raiders from it.
When we arrive on the outskirt of the city, something seems off about it. A lot more smoke is rising from the city than there was before. We climb a nearby hill and peak over the wall. What we see, none of us expect.
The town's buildings are on fire and dead raiders cover the streets. Other raiders hang from the flaming roofs and some are dangling from spikes planted in the ground. Often, the raiders have been decapitated or disemboweled. It is a gruesome sight, and no one seems to be alive in the town.
"Let's make sure no one is still alive," I tell the others as we make our way down the hill towards the town. "They could have had captives, like the raiders from Ponyville," I add. The town's gates are open and we walk through without an issue.
We split up to search what buildings we can, but it soon becomes apparent that there are no survivors. As we begin to regroup, I notice Cygnus off on his own, staring at the side of a building. The rest of us head over to him.
As I near the building, I can see words on the building. Once fully in sight, I can read them properly, "They refused to join. -Discordia". As I look over the characters painted in red, it become apparently they were written with the blood of the raiders.
"What in Tartarus..." I mutter as I contemplate the words, the dead raiders, and the burning town.
"What is, Discordia?" Cygnus asks suddenly. He brings up a good point. Was it some name? A pony? A gang? No, wait...
"I think it might be what Grimoire calls his army. He said he wants to replace Discord, so it is kind of fitting," I suggest.
"If that's the case," Lightning begins, "I don't think it is his army's name. It sounds more like a nation, like Equestria. Didn't you say he wants to take everything over and what not? You don't take over the world as an army, but as a nation. An army is just part of it."
"So, Grimoire's Discordia, hu?" I mutter. "Well, I think it is safe to assume he was attempting to get these raiders to join him, but they refused and killed them all," I conclude.
"Seems that way," Thunder agrees. "Why burn the town, though? Wouldn't he want this message to be seen? This building isn't on fire yet, but it won't be long with all these embers." He states.
I look closer at the building with the words on it, the only building in town not yet on fire. It looks almost...wet. I though a hoof to the wooden building, and my hoof grows damp. "They covered the building in water, or something. It's completely wet, they must have done it to keep it from burning down, or at least keep it around long enough for someone to see the message," I tell them as I wipe my hoof on my barding.
"They wasted water just so they could send a message?" Lightning mutters, appalled by the thought.
Thunder chuckles. "Ratchet did say, 'or something', they could have spit or pissed on it. Anything to get it wet, right?" He says with a grin.
Lightning rolls his eyes. "Whatever the case, this had to have been done recently. The town hasn't burned up too bad yet. I'd guess they left less than an hour ago," Lightning says. "What should we do, Ratchet? Burn this building too?" He asks.
"What do you mean?" I ask him.
"Well, this is meant as a scare tactic, something to intimidate ponies into joining up with Grimoire. Do we want to leave it and let knowledge of him, and his intimidation spread? Or, should we destroy it to keep ponies from panicking?" Lightning elaborates.
I contemplate this for a moment. Not many know of Grimoire or is plans yet, this might help get the word out. But, it might also move ponies to join him. However..."The DJ's reach covers this area. He agreed to tell his listeners about Grimoire, so they won't need this warning. Let's get rid of this," I decide.
"Alright boss," Thunder says. "How we gona do it? Whole building, or just the words?" He asks.
Cygnus coughs, and mutters something way too fast for me to catch. "I got this," He says, as a flamethrower appears in his hooves. "I'll pour on the flames till the message is gone, then what happens to the building, happens. You sure about this, Ratchet?," He asks, glancing at me and waiting for confirmation.
I nod and tell him, "Burn it down." He nods, and flames erupt from his flamethrower, covering the words on the wall. After a few minutes, the wood dries and begins to catch fire. As we leave the town, the building has a flaming hole where the words once were.
===~+~===
"And now the news!" DJ Pon3's voice comes over my radio. We are nearing the edge of his range, and I wanted to listen a bit before we left it. "Remember the mare I met a week or so back? The one who strolled through Raider Alley and came out on the other side? Well, my sources say she's heading back into the wasteland, and no raider is going to stand in her way. You remember that town of raiders, off to the west of the Manehatten Ruins? Our friend has apparently cleared the raiders out and burned their town to the ground!" He declares.
What? I didn't do that, and we just left there a few hours ago, how did I know about it already?
"Not only that, but she did it in style, sporting a spotless white labcoat. Labcoat...hey, I like that. I think I just found her new nickname folks! So, if you are traveling west of Manehatten and come across the ashy remains of a town, thank Labcoat for making your travels just a little bit safer. That's all for the news, my little ponies. Stay safe out there," he concludes.
"Why did he say that? And he didn't mention any of you either..." I mutter in confusion.
Cygnus shrugs. "I can only assume, but from what he's been broadcasting, and what you've told me of him, he is trying to give ponies hope. It is possible that he missed Discordia's display in the town, and only saw us walk out of it. Putting two and two together, it would make sense if we were the ones who did it," he tells me.
"I guess, but why not say 'her and her friends' or something? It make it seem like you all aren't here," I ask.
Lightning chuckles. "What sounds better," he asks, "a lone pony taking out a town of raiders, or a group of ponies including three Steel Rangers? I can see why he does it, and you are the leader here."
I furrow my brow. "It still doesn't feel right," I mutter. "He's making me out to be some sort of...hero. Some amazing pony that I'm not. I can barely hit my shots!" I point out. "I wish he would just tell ponies about Grimoire, like I asked," I shake my head with a sigh.
"What you seem to be forgetting," Cygnus says, "is that we are barely one generation from when the world almost ended. Some of us are old enough to remember what it was like before. I only knew a small part of the world, but for others, it might seem like this world is hopeless."
Thunder nods. "He has a point," He agrees. "The three of us were born after, so we are used to this. But the elders, our parents, sometimes they look like they are slowly losing hope. I'm sure plenty of raiders turned to crime because they thought normal life was hopeless. The DJ seems to get it, ponies need hope," Thunder states.
I blink at him in shock. "Thunder...that was...unusually deep for you," I say, giving him a teasing grin.
He smirks and shakes his head. "Even I can get lucky with words sometimes, Ratchet. But, don't worry about the whole DJ thing. It isn't anything you should fret over, Labcoat," he says the nickname teasingly.
The others laugh as I put a hoof to my face. "Labcoat...really? That's just an observation on what I'm wearing..." I say, puffing out my cheeks.
"But a fitting name, never-the-less," Lightning tells me. "You were a scientist before, right? And your labcoat does make you stand out. Seeing it might even make some raiders run away, if they heard the DJ's broadcast," he suggests.
"I guess..." I mutter as we keep walking. Resigned to the fate of the nickname Labcoat, we continue on with only the sound of the music from the radio between us. After a bit, the music starts to get staticy, and soon turns into complete static.
===~+~===
Our trip is long, but relatively uneventful. We never see another pony as we make our way back to Stable 36, and only run into a few easily dealt with creatures. It is as though we are the only ones in the wasteland. But I can't help fighting off a growing feeling of dread.
Are we alone because no one is here, or did Grimoire kill or assimilate everyone already? I really hope that Grimoire has nothing to do with this, and I'm just being paranoid. Lost in thought, I barely realize we are about to pass my lab.
I shake myself from my thoughts and bring us to a halt. "Hey, do you think you guys can go on ahead to let the Elder know our status and see if he's found out anything about Grimoire? I'd like to finish my armor quickly so we can clear out Tenpony. I'll bring Cygnus with me, the other Rangers might not like us bringing another stranger home," I say.
"Not a problem," Lightning says, nodding his head. "We'll head to your lab if Elder Archimedes hasn't found anything on Grimoire yet. If he has, we'll radio you and you can head over to us. Sound good?" He asks.
"Perfect," I agree. I bid them goodbye and lead Cygnus to the nearby shed. We enter the lab's tunnel entrance and pass through the bulkheads.
"Huh, this is a lot more fortified than my lab is," Cygnus points out. We continue and eventually end up in the chamber with my cryo-pod. "This is...one of those, isn't it?" He asks, stopping at the room's entrance.
"Yea, my prototype. The one you were in was modified and improved by Miss Sparkle, but the concept is similar," I tell him as I plug my PipBuck into the system. "Hey CORA, we're home. You want to take control while we're here?" I ask her.
After a moment, the system's monitors all display her smiling face. "Ahh, it's good to be home!" She declares as she smiles at us. "I'll run the routine checks and make sure everything is up to code!" She declares as text starts scrolling behind her face.
"Thanks, as always," I tell her, and turn back to Cygnus, who is still standing in the doorway. To be honest, I want CORA in the system as a security precaution. This is the first time I've been alone with Cygnus since getting him out. I still am not sure if I fully trust him, the last incident in his lab lingering in my mind.
This will be a good opportunity to clear that up, but first, he looks a bit, uncomfortable, and I think I know why. "Don't worry, I'm not going to put you in there. If you want to sleep, we have sleeping quarters. Besides, this pod is mine, and mine alone," I declare, putting a hoof to my chest, proudly.
He smiles a bit at that. "Thanks, those pods kind of make me...nervous." Cygnus tells me.
"Understandable, since you were put into one by force. I got into mine of my own volition. For now," I suggest, "let's go to my workshop. I want to get started on my armor." He nods, and I lead us though the halls, pointing out the various rooms along the way, until we get to the workshop. I sit down on my stool and point to another for Cygnus to use. I look over the armor for a moment, before facing him.
"Say Cygnus," I begin, "I can trust you, right?" I ask him, raising an eyebrow as I look at him. He tilts his head, looking surprised.
"Of course, you are the one who let me out, after all. And I'm following you because I want to," Cygnus explains.
I let out a sigh and purse my lips for a moment. "It's just..." I trail off for a moment. "I read about the incidents that led to your project being shut down. The first two seemed like accidents, but the last one was different," I say. Cygnus shifts on his stool uncomfortably. He clearly doesn't like this subject.
"I don't like to talk about them..." Cygnus tells me, looking away.
I nod. "I understand, but I'm not sure I can trust you unless I clarify something. Your father said it seemed like you, were happy after the last incident. You were smiling, but still crying. He wrote it off as him imagining things, but I'm curious if that is the case," I tell him. "Cygnus, what really happened?" I ask.
"And you won't...trust me...unless I tell you?" Cygnus asks, looking at me sheepishly. I nod and he looks at the ground between us, taking a deep breath. "I killed Static, on purpose. I was happy that she was dead," he tells me, not moving his eyes off the floor.
I swallow. I thought this might be the case, but what comes next is what's important. "Why?" I ask him. He shakes momentarily at the question.
"She..." Cygnus pauses, taking another breath. "She was one of the initial staff. Everything was fine at first, when I was physically young. But, after a few years, once my body and mind matured to what would roughly be a teenager, things changed," he says with a shaky voice.
"Static...she was always so kind, probably because she was the youngest of the staff, in her late twenties. But one night she...forced herself on me," Cygnus tells me. My eyes grow wide as I process this information.
I clear my throat. "So, she raped you?" I ask him. He nods.
"I was young and naive, I had no idea what was going on. But as I learned more, I realized what she was doing. I asked her to stop a few times, but she got angry, threatened to start giving me bad reviews on my tests if I refused or told anyone, and if I didn't do what she wanted, she would hit me. But, she never left any marks," he tells me.
"The first incident is when I learned about what she was actually doing to me. The second, is when she began threatening me. I couldn't think straight, and lost control. Finally, when I was no longer able to deal with it, I killed her. I knew father would think it just another accident," Cygnus explains, never taking his eyes off the ground.
"I can understand if you don't trust me anymore," He tells me. I get to my hooves and walk over to him. "And if you think I should be killed for what I've done, I'll let you," he adds. I put my hooves around his head, and pull him into a hug.
"I'm sorry," I whisper to him. "I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have asked, I should have just trusted you. But it is alright now, I trust you. Everything will be alright now, it wasn't your fault," I tell him, hugging him tighter.
"Ratchet..." Cygnus mutters. "Thank...thank you," he says, hugging me back. After a few moments, and a bit of awkwardness, we finally get back to normal.
"So," Cygnus says, clapping his front hooves together, "what are you working on exactly?"
"Power Armor," I reply. "More precisely, a custom model for me. The framework is done, I just need to finish the wiring and then test the system to see if there are any bugs in the coding. I'll also have to get CORA so we can test out Raptor Blood," I explain.
"Raptor Blood?" Cygnus asks, raising an eyebrow.
"It is the name of that gauss rifle mounted on the back. Well, that plate on your side that should swing over the back and set into place along with the rest of the armor," I tell him.
"Huh, so, this all folds up to look like the other Rangers?" He asks. I nod, gluing in some of the wires along the armor's interior. "Are you sure it will, you know, fit together?" He asks. I roll my eyes.
"Of course!" I say, but add, "Probably. I started out with it being a whole suit that I modified, and just cut it apart so it could close around me and my PipBuck. But, I've not tested it closing yet," I admit.
"Uh-hu. Don't you think, you know, you should test that before you deal with all the wiring?" Cygnus asks. Geez, was he always this full of questions?
"I could, but I am 99% sure it will work. I have a knack for this sort of thing," I tell him.
He seems to ponder this for a moment. "Well, you did make the cryo-pods..." Cygnus mutters. "It just seems like a waste of time and effort wiring the whole thing up if it isn't going to close properly. Just saying," he comments.
"I told you, I'm like 90% sure it will work. Seriously, let it go," I tell him, getting annoyed.
"Didn't you just say you were 99% sure? Are you starting to doubt yourself? Maybe you really should test it before..." Cygnus mutters.
"Alright! That's it!" I yell. "Why don't you like, go...do...that...well....ANYTHING ELSE!" I shout. "Clean or something, poke around, make something useful, I don't know. You're not helping," I tell him as I glare at him.
He tosses up his hooves and slides off his stool onto the ground. "Alright, I'll go find something to do, maybe I'll take a nap. Good luck with your armor, Ratchet," Cygnus tells me as he walks away.
I shake my head and keep working. "It is going to work! You'll see!" I call after him.
"Whatever you say!" Cygnus calls back. Oh. It. Is. On. I can't mess this up now, time to work twice, no, thrice as hard! I pour myself into my work.
===~+~===
A few hours pass, and I'm close to finishing up. As I'm about to, Lightning pokes his head in. "We're back, Ratchet. No word on Grimoire's movements yet. Though, Elder Archimedes confirmed our theory about Discordia being his nation. He sent Senior Paladin Twinkle out with her squad to search for more clues to his plans or location," he informs me.
I stop working and turn to face him. "I see. Well, that gives us time to deal with Tenpony," I say.
"Indeed," Lightning agrees. "Elder says good initiative on that, by the way. Anyhow, about Discordia, apparently their influence has spread quite a bit. No large areas so far, but pockets of them here and there. From Los Pegasus to Baltimare, a number of raider gangs have joined him. Others have simply disappeared completely," he tells me.
"That means he will be hard to pinpoint," I mutter. "If it was centered around a certain area, we would at least have a place to start," I sigh.
"Yea. Twinkle suggested we attack the nearest group and interrogate them, but Lily made the argument we would be showing our hand too early. As you can see, the Elder agreed with Lily. It will be rough, but we'll find something," Lightning says with a smile.
"Of course!" I smile back. "Now, would you mind getting everyone together here? I'm almost done with the armor, and I want to show it off. Especially to that neigh-sayer Cygnus," I ask him with a slightly sadistic smile.
Lightning lets out a chuckle. "No problem, I'll be right back," he tells me, turning and walking down the hall.
Excellent. Now, first thing's first. I need CORA. I walk over to the nearby terminal and bring her back into my PipBuck. "You ready for this?" I ask her as I sit down on the stool once again.
"Of course Ratchet! I estimate you have an 89% chance of success!" CORA tells me with a smile. I flinch, the percentage went down again...
I quickly finish the interior, covering the wiring with padding and checking over everything one last time. I nod at my handiwork as the others arrive. "Ah, just in time!" I declare, as I turn to greet them. "Prepare to witness the amazing technology of the great and brilliant Ratchet!" I yell as they gather around me and the armor.
"Here we go!" I say as I put my rear hooves into the back of the armor and fall forward into the rest of it. My torso falls into the padded chestpiece and my front legs slip into their places. "Alright, and..." I say as I put my head into the bottom half of the helmet and press a button with my tongue.
Suddenly, the armor begins to move as it is supplied with power. First, the top two halves of the helmet snap together, followed by the neck plates. Since the right front leg isn't in multiple pieces, only the other three legs move as they cover my limbs. The front left fits snuggly around my PipBuck. Finally, the back sides up from the sides and connects everything together.
For a moment, nothing else happens. Then, my visor kicks on and displays me a pantheon of new information. Briefly, text scrolls across my vision regarding the firmware/software versions and it even displays the status of my various armor pieces. This information disappears and is replaced with what is the visor's actual HUD.
In addition to what my PipBuck normally displays, I see a power gauge for the current spark batteries, and remaining ammo for my miniguns and Raptor Blood. The PipBuck's compass feature also now shows four blue, friendly bars, thanks to the armor's targeting spell matrix.
"CORA, status check," I order her.
"All systems green, spark power seems stable, sort of, and my manual overrides appear functional. Unlocking Raptor Blood," CORA announces, her voice amplified through the armor's speaker.
"Thank you CORA," I tell her as I begin to move around the room. "Let me know of any power fluctuations or any other abnormalities," I tell her. While I test out the mobility and flexibility of the armor, CORA tests out the range of Raptor Blood, rotating it as I move to make sure she can avoid hitting me with it.
"Ratchet, duck!" CORA says, and I lower my head to the ground as she sweeps the barrel over my head. "Perfect. 360 degree horizontal mobility is confirmed. Angle of elevation is 63 degrees. Angle of depression is 41 degrees. All within estimated parameters," she concludes.
"Good," I tell her. Things seem good on my end. "Now then, one last thing to test out. CORA, begin manual transition." I command her.
"Manual transition initiated," CORA states. "Download complete, ejecting pilot," She says as the armor opens and I step out of it. It closes once again and a blue glow shines from the visor. "Manual transition successful, I have complete control," CORA says as the armor moves around.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Lightning calls out. "How it is moving on it's own?" He asks.
"Oh, that's easy," I tell him as I walk up along side everyone, turning to face the moving armor. "CORA's moving it. As you can see, she can't move it as freely as I can," I nod to the armor, moving around slowly.
"I went ahead and added in some basic robotics to it so she could move it. But, due to the lack of proper space for both me and the components, I had to sacrifice the ability for her to be able to move it quickly or in difficult positions," I explain. "She can walk, climb stairs, and recover from a fall, but she won't be able to run or jump," I inform them.
"I see, that's impressive," Lightning says, blinking at CORA walking around. The others appear to be in just as much shock as him.
"This addition was actually CORA's idea. She wanted to be able to help us out more. She did most of the coding and design, I just put it together," I tell them. "Ok CORA," I call out to her, "Let's leave it at that for now."
"Aww, ok Ratchet. Pilot Transition initiated," She says sadly as the armor opens back up. I attach my PipBuck to it and retrieve CORA from the armor.
"Ok," I say. "Let's go over what we learned. First," I look over as Cygnus, "is that I rock," I tell him. He rolls his eyes with a chuckle. "Second, due to the weight as size, I will be less mobile than you three in your armor, but I will be more protected and pack more firepower. Lastly, CORA, what was that about the power stability?" I ask her.
"Well, we go through power quite quickly. Almost quadruple what we estimated. The usage is stable, but it is just excessive. I can't seem to find the cause of it yet, but with time, I think I can get to the bottom of it," CORA replies.
"Quadruple? Any idea how long it will take to fix?" I ask her.
She shakes her head. "No, it looks like it will be tough. Perhaps a week or two?" She suggests. "Given the current power usage, and the state of our spark batteries, we can power the armor for two hours," CORA tells me.
"Two hours hu?" I mutter. "Well, that might be just enough to clear out Tenpony," I conjecture.
Thunder clears his throat. "Yes, aside from the fact it takes a few days to walk there," he points out. "Unless you course you plan on having one of us carry...it...for...you do, don't you?" He asks me with a stoic expression.
I smile at him. "Thank's for volunteering Thunder! That's just the kind of can-do attitude I like! We'll head out the day after tomorrow, so take tonight and tomorrow to rest up. CORA and I will tinker with the armor, see if we can get some better energy useage out of it," I tell them.
Thunder sighs, resigned to his fate. "Fine, but you owe me," he says.
"Of course!" I tell him, beaming a smile. "Anything you want, as long as you don't drop it," I add. After a few more questions about the armor's innerworkings, the others to back to what they were doing.
"Alright CORA, let's get the armor ready for its field test. I think we need some nice detail work on it. I'm thinking...an icy blue stripe down the middle? Maybe touch up the Lynx Squad logo a bit too? Hehehe, this is going to be fun..."
===~+~===
Quest Updated!
An Arrogant Request:
Target: Tenpony Tower
Goal: Clear the Tower of Hostiles |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 17 - Annihilation | Chapter 17 - Annihilation
"They all fall down."
===~+~===
"I can't believe you actually made me carry your armor all this way," Thunder complains for practically the hundredth time.
"Oh please," I tell him. "You're the strongest and toughest, of us," I say. "If you couldn't handle it, I wouldn't have suggested it. Besides, you could have asked Arrow or Lightning to carry it for a while, you didn't have to carry it this whole way alone," I inform him.
I stares blankly at me, well, I think. It is hard to tell with his helmet on. "You never told me that!" He yells. "You told me to carry your armor and not to drop it, that's what you said," Thunder declares.
"Well, yes, I did say that," I tell him. "But I never said you couldn't give it to someone else for a bit," I say with a shrug. "Regardless, we are here now," I point out. "There is no need to argue about what's already done."
"Yea, fine, whatever," Thunder grumbles. "So, remind me why we are on the highway we scoped the building out on before and not at the front door?" He asks.
I roll my eyes. "I told all of you before, remember? Since it will be close quarters, Arrow and Cygnus will stay up here and provide us with sniper support where they can. Meanwhile, Lightning and the two of us will clear the building floor by floor," I remind him.
"Alright. But why leave Cygnus up here? He doesn't have a rifle...oh yea, he can do that whole summoning thing he does," Thunder mutters.
"Indeed. Not only that, but leaving Arrow here alone doesn't sit well with me. Raiders or creatures could sneak up on her. Cygnus can help cover her if that should happen," I inform him.
Lightning chuckles. "You're finally getting the hang of this whole leadership thing, aren't you, Ratchet?" He says.
"I guess," I mutter. "But really, it is just logical thinking. It is like chess, you want to use your pieces to attack, while also keeping them safe from your opponent. In this case, Arrow would be a queen, and Cygnus a knight," I state. Cygnus nods, but the other three just stare at me blankly.
I facehoof. "Chess? You three don't know what chess is? Really? You rangers didn't have a chess board in that Stable of yours?" I ask. They shake their heads. "I'll explain that latter, then..." I grumble.
"So, if Arrow is a queen, and I a knight, what does that make you three?" Cygnus asks.
I think about it for a moment. "Well, Thunder is strong but not very mobile, so a rook? And Lightning is mobile and can get around opponents, so a bishop?" I suggest. "I would be a...pawn, I think. Given my inability to really hit anything," I mutter.
Cygnus laughs. "Of course you think yourself a pawn. But, I suppose it does fit. Though, I think it would be better to call you the player, than an actual piece," He tells me.
"Well, chess comparisons aside, are we ready to begin?" I ask them. They all nod. "Very well, Cygnus, Arrow, you two get set up, Thunder, Lightning, let's go knock on the door," I say, walking back down the highway's slope.
The three of us make our way to the edge of the plaza that surrounds Tenpony. No ghouls appear to be outside, but through the glass doors I can see quite a few of them staggering about. "Well, at least they don't appear to be intelligent," I mutter.
We walk though the plaza and reach the stairs. "Let's try to do things quietly for as long as we can," I suggest. "No point having them swarm us, and there don't seem to be many on the first floor. We should be able to take them out without guns," I think.
"That's great and all, Ratchet, but what do you want me to do with your armor?" Thunder asks, shifting under the armor weight.
"Just set it right inside the doors for now," I tell him. "I don't want to use power unnecessarily," I say. He nods and we walk though the first set of doors, and then the next, being as quiet as possible.
Thunder sets the armor on the floor as Lightning and I stab the two closest ghouls in the head. Luckily, they aren't aware of us yet. "HELLO NEW TEST SUBJECTS!" A gravely, buck's voice calls out. The voice seems to be playing over a PA system. It is causing the ghouls to get stirred up. It seems like our luck is out.
Ghouls begin to rush at us and Thunder and Lightning start shooting. I dash for my armor and start to get in. "My name is Doctor Hearty, and you might be thinking, 'Doc Hearty, how did you know we were here?' and that is a good question!" The buck continues.
"Sensors, my dear visitors, sensors rigged to the doors and every other entrance to my tower!" Hearty explains. "My subjects seem a bit hungry, but if you surrender now, I'll stop them from devouring you! Not only will it save you from a gruesome death, but I will be able to run tests on living subjects!" he proclaims.
My armor seals and I join Thunder and Lightning in dispatching the encroaching ghouls. Mixing in with our bullets is Raptor Blood's red beam, blowing holes into the ghoul and dismembering them. "No, no, no! My precious subjects!" Hearty screams out. "How dare you! Fine, no holding back then, get them, kill them all!" He shouts.
The ghouls that until now seemed to be hesitating begin swarming towards us with vicious ferocity. My miniguns whirl to life and cut a small group down. "I'll just run my tests on your dead, rotting flesh! Either way works for me! Die, die, die!" Hearty curses at us through the PA system.
After a minute or so, the lobby is empty of ghouls trying to attack us. "What!? You're still standing? I might get to experiment on your living tissues after all!" The doctor laughs at us. We spread out and check the rest of this floor, but all the ghouls appear to be dead. "Here, here, let me welcome you up to the second floor!" he calls out, and I hear the sound of an elevator ding.
The three of us gather around it. "This seems like a complete trap," Thunder mutters. I wholeheartedly agree with him, but...
"I didn't see any other way up," Lightning says, echoing my own thoughts. "The stairs are barricaded and it would take far too long to clear them, even with explosives. Not to mention, we should try not to do too much damage to the building," he adds.
I nod. "So then, into the Doctor Hearty's elevator, I guess..." I mutter, stepping inside. The brothers file in behind me. I stand near the front of the doors, my armor being the strongest.
"Excellent! Excellent!" Hearty proclaims as the elevator doors shut and it begins to rise. "Now, try your hooves at floor two! Do me a favor and die fast, I have tests to run!" He says, and the doors begin to open. I spin up my miniguns, but as the doors fully open, no ghouls are on the other side.
I stop my guns and hesitantly walk out into the second floor. The hall I walk into is empty of ghouls. Before we leave the elevator, we try to go further up, but it seems to be locked out. We begin walking down the hall at random. Shortly, we emerge into a large, open area. A lounge, of some sort it looks like.
It is dusty, but well preserved furniture is placed around the room and on the walls hang a few paintings, most of which aren't too badly damaged. One side of the lounge has large ceiling to floor windows. Still no ghouls. We reach the center of the room and look around. "Now my minions! Kill them, kill them all!" Hearty's voice yells out.
Suddenly, I hear the beating of hooves from all around us. After a moment, I see ghouls approaching from the various halls branching off from the lounge. The three of us waste no time as we begin to put them down. The number of ghouls appears to be greater than those on the first floor, and they seem more organized.
It is almost as though Hearty is somehow controlling them, having them focus on us. My miniguns make short work of a group charging down a narrow hallway, and Thunder cover another hall equally well. Lightning is taking the remaining hall we came from, but I can tell he is getting overwhelmed.
With more ghouls pouring from the halls, Thunder and I are unable to help. A few ghouls make it into the room and near Lightning, but before they can get too close, one of the windows shatters and two of the ghouls drop immediately. Seems like Arrow and Cygnus can see us now. I really doubt those stuck up ponies are going to like the fact we broke a window, but that's an acceptable loss.
Ghouls continue to come at us for a few minutes, but they eventually stop completely. Hearty let's out an irritated growl. "You bastards! How dare you kill my minions! Just die already! Do you have any idea how long it took to get this many minions?!" He shouts. "Get back in the elevator, the next floor will finish you off!" He commands.
We ignore him and search the second floor for anymore ghouls or another way up. When we discover the stairs once again blocked, we reluctantly return to the elevator and ascend to the next floor. We progress up the tower in a similar fashion. The number of ghouls increasing at each floor along with their ferocity. All the while, Hearty talks over the PA system.
Third Floor: "The stray scavenger would wonder in every so often, and I would experiment on them. Years and years passed as I continued my tests!" Hearty explains. "Soon, mercenaries began to show up trying to kill me and my minions," he adds. For whatever reason, Hearty was rather chatty. But we mostly ignore him and kill the ghouls. "Blast! Curse you lot, the next floor will get you!" He calls out as we proceed to the fourth floor.
Fourth Floor: "Most mercenaries found themselves in over their heads, and my ghouls managed to kill them without too much damage to themselves. As a result, my minions have grown in number exponentially!" Hearty yells in triumph as we kill the last ghoul on the floor. "Ack, again!?" He curses as we enter the elevator once again.
Fifth Floor: "As time went by, my tests yielded results, but not what I wanted. The first of my ghouls grew more powerful! Thus the mercenaries and scavengers began to shy away from my tower," Hearty says with a hint of sadness in his voice. His voice quickly turns to anger as we clear the fifth floor and use the elevator to go up to the sixth.
Sixth Floor: "With new flesh to experiment on dwindling, I sent my ghouls out to abduct ponies for my tests! And so I spent years experimenting while my ghouls would bring me new subjects," The doctor says with a crazed laugh, which cuts off abruptly as his minions on the sixth floor stop moving.
For the next few floors, Hearty is rather quiet, only ordering us to the elevator when we finish killing the ghouls on the current floor. Undoubtedly, he is getting nervous with us encroaching on his position. We file into the elevator to proceed to the next floor.
"Well, this is going smoothly," Lightning mutters as the doors close. "Though, with each of us covered in armor, it is hardly fair," He adds.
"I guess none of the mercs before were Steel Rangers," Thunder chuckles. "What can ghouls really do against us? Beat themselves to a pulp on our armor?"
I look us over. A few dents here and there on our armor from when the ghouls got a bit too close, but nothing major. We are covered in quite a bit of blood, ichor, and bits of flesh. "Cleaning our armor is going to be a pain," I mutter, thinking about all the small parts of my armor that I'll have to painstakingly look over.
The elevator stops and lets out a 'ding' as the doors open. "Alright, let's get this one done," I say as I take a step out of the elevator. Like the rest of the floors, nothing. Hearty will probably wait for us to fall into his 'trap' before we see any ghouls.
We wonder around and eventually Hearty springs his trap on us. Like the other floors, the ghouls swarm at us. CORA and I dispatch any that come our way, but I hear Thunder mutter, "What the fuck?" I turn to see what he's looking at while CORA keeps the ghouls coming towards us.
A short distance from Thunder is a ghoul like the others, but emitting a slightly glowing aura. It has numerous bullet holes in it already and Thunder focuses fire on it. The ghoul barely reacts and continues charging towards him. It lunges at him as I spin up my miniguns. Thunder dodges to the left and the ghoul lands on the ground just beside him.
It seems dazed for a second, but quickly gets back up as my guns start hitting it with lead. The ghoul gets closer to Thunder, and I stop my guns to avoid hitting him, but the ghoul grabs onto Thunder despite his minigun hitting it point blank in the abdomen. Thunder headbutts the ghoul and punches it with his hooves, but it clings onto him tightly.
After about a minute, the ghoul's body rips in two and the rear half falls to the ground limply. Just seeing it with the entrails hanging from the front half is enough to make me gag. "Not in the armor Ratchet!" CORA yells at me. I fight down my urge to vomit as the ghoul hangs around Thunder's neck trying to bite his armor.
"Damn it, get...off...of...me," Thunder yells at it, punctuating each word with a punch to its head. After a second, Lightning walks over with his knife and stabs the ghoul in the head. The ghoul lurches a bit and attempts to bite Thunder weakly a few more times before it slides to the floor with a thump.
Thunder stomps on its skull. "That one just refused to die," He says, breathing heavily. I look around us, and it seems that all of the ghouls are dead.
"Ahahahaha!" Hearty laughs. "How did you like fighting a Reaver? It is one of the more ferocious and durable ghouls. Enough radiation, and some unknown factors, and ghouls get a whole lot more powerful!" He declares, laughing some more. "Quickly now, into the elevator, let me turn the tables on you!" He shouts.
As usual, we ignore him and search the rest of the floor. Finding it empty, and the stairs blocked, we reluctantly get into the elevator once more. We quickly clear two more floors, encountering even more Reavers. It also seems like Hearty has realized we have snipers outside, as the last few floors we've been ambushed in rooms without windows.
"I must congratulate you," Hearty says as the doors open to the next floor. "You're the only ones who have reached this far. Since I blocked up the stairs, anyway. But this floor will spell your death! No escape from this nightmare you foals!" His laughing punctuates his point.
"Is it just me, or does it seem like he is getting cocky?" Lightning asks.
"Oh no, he definitely is," I agree. "Ever since those 'Reavers' of his. Are there Reavers elsewhere in the wasteland?" I ask them.
"First time I've seen one," Thunder answers. "But, we have had reports of some ferals being stronger than others. Just never really a name for them," he explains.
"I see. I really hope new kinds of ghouls doesn't become a thing, those Reavers are difficult enough to deal with. What's next? Ferals that can use guns, or breath fire?" I mutter.
Lightning chuckles. "I'm pretty sure they can't use guns anymore. Feral unicorns don't seem to have control over their magic, and the others sometimes lack jaws and the like to work them," he says.
"Good point, I guess," I agree as we continue walking. We pass by a locked door that seems to lead into a hall with stairs at the end of it. I can see though the glass that it seems to lead to the upper and lower floors. There also appears to be windows on one side of it, and I think the others are on that side. I've gotten sort of turned around since entering the tower.
"Hey," I say as I stop. "I don't think he blocked these stairs, maybe we can get up from here, without having to deal with his elevator business. If we can sneak around and take him out, the ghouls might lose their organization," I suggest.
Lightning inspects the door. "We might as well try," he agrees. "But the door looks pretty sturdy and the lock is pretty complex. Unless you can pick it, we won't be able to get through without blowing the door, and I doubt our clients would like that," he tells me.
"Yea, let me try the lock," I say as I fish out a bobby pin and begin to work my magic. "Cover me, this might take a bit." We are standing in a hall, so there are only two directions the ghouls can come from, if they do at all. I begin working on the lock.
"Hey!" Hearty suddenly calls out. "Stop that! That is against the rules, don't open that door!" He yells. He sounds panicked, which must mean that the stairs really aren't blocked. I chuckle a bit. Did he only block the stairs up so far, expecting no one to get this far up?
"I mean it! Uh, er...Minions, get them!" He yells. In moments, ghouls begin swarming down the halls towards us. Thunder and Lightning start shooting and CORA helps out with Raptor Blood when any of the ghouls get too close.
"Anytime you're ready, Ratchet," Thunder calls back at me. "You know, this would be a whole lot easier if you let me use my rockets," he adds.
"Don't even think about it," Lightning cuts in. "That would make an even bigger mess of the place," he explains.
"Almost...almost..." *snap* "Whoops," I mutter as I float out another bobby pin and get back to work. I've narrowed things down a bit, but I'm having difficulty getting it just right in the lock. I adjust the bobby pin and twist the lock with my magic and...*snap* "Oh come one!" I yell as I pull out another pin.
"Third time's the charm," I mutter as I carefully turn the pin and then slowly twist the lock. Nope, not there...I release the lock and move the pin a smidge to the left. "How about..." *click* "Ah ha!" I exclaim as the lock opens. I put the bobby pin away as I open the door.
"It's open, let's go!" I tell the others as I head inside the hall and trot over to the stairs. Lightning is the first to follow, and then Thunder. The hall is so narrow, Lightning can barely shoot around the mass of Thunder's armor. The brothers slowly back into the hall and to the stairs as I check to make sure they are unblocked.
"Looks like the Doc didn't barricade up any further," I tell them. "But the stairs going down are blocked up," I add. I look back from the stairs at the ghouls that are continuing to pool into the hallway. Thunder's minigun cuts them down only for more to enter into the room.
"You two keep going," Thunder tells us. "This hallway is narrow enough, I can keep them from getting past. If we all go up, they will just start coming up behind us," he explains.
"He's got a point," Lightning adds. "The number of ghouls and their ferocity is increasing. Our armor is keeping us safe for now, but if we start letting them come up behind us, we might get overwhelmed."
I think about it for a moment. They do have valid points. "Alright, hold them back here Thunder. Hearty might also try to send some down in the elevator to come up behind us. Lightning and I will clear out the rest on the upper floors. I don't think we have far to go," I tell him.
Lightning and I start up the stairs, but I pause and call back down, "You can use grenades if you have to, but no rockets!" I hear him laugh as we reach the next floor and open the door.
We are immediately set upon by ghouls and shoot our way though the doorway. After killing six, nothing else is moving. The two of us start exploring the floor, being extra careful since it is now just the two of us. We find a few more ghouls, but none are Reavers so things go suspiciously smooth.
As we walk back towards the stairs, I ask CORA a question. "CORA, we're near the top now, right? That crazy doctor has to be in some sort of security closet where he can see cameras and what not. You recall anything about Tenpony's construction that would tell us what floor he's on?" I ask.
"It would make sense, but I'm not sure where he would be exactly. I think Tenpony has a few security rooms, but the ones we've passed were empty. The top floor is the broadcasting station, so he'll be somewhere on the next three floors," CORA suggests.
I blink. "We are that high already? Only three floors left, excluding the roof and radio floor?" I ask. CORA mutters confirmation. "Alright then, let's finish this up!" I say with enthusiasm as we enter the staircase again.
I can still hear Thunder's minigun shooting ghouls. Were there that many ghouls on that floor, or did Hearty send more down after us? "Thunder!" I call down. "The next floor is clear, we're moving up!"
"Sounds good, I got this covered!" Thunder's voice returns from below. I nod and we continue up to the next floor. The door to this floor isn't even locked. Seems like Hearty never expected anyone to make it up this far. We exit the stairway and begin searching the floor.
The lighting on this floor seems to have gone pretty bad. Dark spots are all over and only a bit of light illuminates the halls. Fading light comes through the windows we pass, it seems like the sun is beginning to set. If we waste anymore time, Arrow and Cygnus won't be able to provide us with support. Not to mention my suit's power is starting to get really low.
We check room after empty room, but find nothing on this floor so far. When we reach the elevator lobby however, the room is pitch black aside from a green glow. For whatever reason, no windows are in this lobby. Unable to find the source of the glow from the hall, we enter the lobby cautiously, our lights cutting into the darkness.
Nearing the center of the room, I hear a faint, but frequent clicking. "Is that...the geiger?" I mutter, and look at my HUD's radiation monitor. Something is causing the needle to rise almost halfway up the meter! I look around for the source and my eyes fall on a glowing green lump along the wall.
Despite my light on it, I can't make out what exactly it is. "GET THEM NOW!" Hearty yells suddenly. Instantly, I hear snarls and guttural sounds all around us. I quickly look around and see ghouls surrounding us. Were they hiding behind the furniture and along the walls? Lightning and I flank each other as the ghouls slowly circle around us, as though they are waiting for something.
I can see a few Reavers in the group of ghouls as well. "Open fire!" I yell as I spin up my miniguns. I hear CORA and Lightning begin shooting, and a moment later lead starts flying from my guns. The ghouls instantly charge at us, the only thing illuminating them is our headlamps and the flash of our guns.
The normal ferals go down easy, but as usual the Reavers are the issue. Raptor Blood punches holes through them, and my minigun tears off their limbs, but they keep coming. "Ratchet, we are running low on ammo," CORA informs me. "Spark batteries are also nearly exhausted, using the lamp isn't helping," she adds.
Just as the words fade away, the lump of glowing radioactivity suddenly moves. It stands up and I am able to see the outline of a pony, a glowing, ghoulish pony. It stares directly at me, takes a few steps towards me, and then lets out a loud, horrible scream. At the same time, radiation seems to explode from it, causing my needle to spike even further.
"What the hell is that?" Lightning says in surprise from behind me. I'm about to reply, but stop as I notice the dead ghouls start to move again. Most of them are lacking limbs, but they start to pull themselves across the floor towards me.
I let out a scream as I open fire at the newly revived ghouls, tearing their bodies to shreds before focusing my guns on the glowing ghoul. It takes my hits like a Reaver would, and I even see it's body slowly healing the bullet holes. CORA stops shooting the other ghouls, and focuses on my target.
One of her shots takes the ghoul's right legs off mid charge, causing it to fall and skid to a stop directly in front of me. I keep both my guns on it as I get closer to get better accuracy and keep pouring more lead into the monster. After a few moments, it's head bursts into a spray of blood and brain and it seems to go still. I keep shooting for a few seconds to make absolutely sure.
While I'm distracted shooting the hopefully dead ghoul, CORA shoots a few of the other ghouls around me. When I finally stop firing, everything is silent except for my heavy breathing. I slowly look around the room. Dead ghouls are everywhere, torn limb from limb with blood and gore sprayed all over the walls.
Lightning is covered in even more gore, and I assume the same of myself. "What the FUCK, was that?" Lightning yells. "Did that thing somehow revive the ghouls we already killed?" He asks.
"I...I think so," I mutter in shock. "It was even healing itself as I was shooting it..." The light around the glowing ghoul dies down and along with it so does the chirping of my geiger counter. "Radiation...?" I question.
"I hear ghouls can heal with radiation," Lightning says. "Did that ghoul absorb so much radiation that it could heal others around it though? Even bringing them back from the read?" He stammers.
"I have no idea, I just really, never, want to fight another one of those," I say with a sigh as we step over the bodies and start to check the rest of the floor.
Our search turns up nothing, so we head back into the staircase. I don't hear gunfire from below. Did Thunder finish them all up? "Thunder, are things alright down there?" I call down as we start to walk up the stairs to the next floor.
After a moment, he calls back with, "Just fine! They've stopped coming in a bit ago. I'll keep guard here, you two keep going!"
"Alright, be careful!" I reply as we reach the next floor's doorway. "Let's do this, just three more floors and then the roof and we'll be done," I tell Lightning as we open the door. Two floors, the broadcasting station, and the roof. We got this. I'll have to be extra careful around the broadcasting equipment.
"Let's," Lightning agrees as we walk into the hall. It looks pretty identical to the last few floors and we begin going door to door like usual and checking all the rooms. Empty, one after the other. "Seems that doctor has run out of things to say," Lightning mutters.
"Yea. Either that, or he left and ran away," I say with a grin. I let out a forced chuckle as I realize Lightning can't see the grin through my helmet. Still not used to wearing a helmet. We finish up one room and step back into the hallway. Immediately, hoofsteps approach us from both sides of the hallway. "Oh," I mutter.
Ghouls have us surrounded, trapped in the center of this hallway. "Ambushing us in a narrow hall? He realizes that our guns will tear through them since they can only come at us from two directions, right?" Lightning says as he begins shooting at the ghouls the way we came from.
"Looks like he is getting desperate," I say as I spin up my miniguns and start cutting down the ghouls in front of us. "You know, this carpet is going to be really gross once we're done," I yell over the roar of my guns.
"No kidding," Lightning agrees. "Maybe they'll pull it all up and just use whatever is under it?" He suggests as he takes out another ghoul. "Hey, Ratchet, a thought occurs to me. Why are these ghouls coming up from behind us?" he asks. I can tell there is a hint of worry in his voice.
"Maybe Hearty sent them down a floor using the elevator and they came up the stairs behind us without Thunder knowing?" I suggest. "If Thunder saw them, he'd have put a lot more holes in them than these have."
"Good point," Lightning agrees. "I hope they aren't attacking him from two sides then," he mutters.
"He'll be fine, Arrow and Cygnus are cover--Reavers!" I yell as two appear in front of me. I push myself to the left side of the hall as CORA swings Raptor Blood at the nearest one. Lightning spins around and the three of us quickly dispatch the two Reavers before he spins around again.
"They seem a lot more desperate this time," I say, as empty 5mm casings rain down from my guns.
"Perhaps Hearty is on this floor then," CORA suggests, taking a ghoul's head clean off with her gun. "He might be pooling his resources in a last ditch effort to take us out," she explains.
"Well then," I begin, as I cause a ghoul to lose its right legs, "let's go say hello." I begin walking down the hall and Lightning walks backwards after me. "Careful of the bodies," I tell him as I carefully step over them.
We make our way down the hall, pausing to occasionally open doors we pass to check if Hearty is lurking inside one of the rooms. The empty rooms continue as the ghouls keep coming at us from both sides and we reach the elevator.
The elevator opens and a glowing ghoul steps out of it. It looks at us curiously as I turn to shoot at it. "Ratchet!" CORA yells just before the glowing ghoul screams, sending a shockwave of radiation towards us and the ghouls. The already dead ghouls begin to rise once again, and those we've hit begin to heal their wounds.
"Ratchet, your..." CORA tries to say again, but the sound of my miniguns firing drown out the sound of her voice. After a few seconds her face appears on my screen along with a flashing phrase, 'LOW AMMO'. I read the text and glance down at my ammo readings right as both of them reach zero and my miniguns start spinning without shooting anything out.
"Fuck," I mutter, taking a step back from the glowing ghoul as CORA shoots at it. This is bad, I don't think I can get a gun out through the armor, like I could a bobby pin. With the ghouls getting close to us and only CORA and Lightning shooting, I start to panic.
I clench my eyes shut and reach out with my magic. I grab a ghoul missing its lower body that is crawling towards me and throw it at the glowing one. The glowing ghoul is knocked over and the other one can't seem to get off of it. The glowing one bites at the other, trying to pull it off.
I look at the room of ghouls and find a severed leg. Picking it up in my magic, I start smacking the closest ghouls and beating them back while the CORA and Lightning finish them off. Before the glowing one can recover, we manage to dispose of most of them.
"Quick! Kill it, kill it now!" I yell as I start hitting the glowing ghoul on the head with the severed leg. The other two shoot it and eventually it stops moving. I keep hitting the ghoul with the leg for a bit longer, just to make absolutely sure it won't be getting up again.
"I HATE THESE THINGS!" I yell as I drop the leg from my magic. The rest of the ghouls are dead and no more seem to be coming for us. I clear my throat. "Ok, now them. Let's find Hearty," I say as I continue down the hall.
"Uh, Ratchet, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but..." CORA starts to say, but is interrupted when a message flashes up on my screen, 'insufficient power, ejecting pilot'. A moment later, the armor stops moving mid-step and opens up.
"Oh come on!" I shout as I get out of the armor. "Seriously, we are so close to being done! Damn glowing ghouls kept us too long..." I growl angrily. I grind my teeth. "Fuck it, let's just go," I sigh.
"I'll take point now," Lightning says, stepping up in front of me. "If anymore ghouls come, you'll be vulnerable now, so just stay behind me if you can." I grumble, but agree and let him take the lead. We search a few more rooms before we reach the end of the hall and the last door.
The door seems sturdier than the others, and is made of metal instead of wood. I try the handle, but it is locked. I float out a bobby pin and knock on the door. "Hearty! Just open the door and give it up!" I call through the door. "Make this easier on yourself!"
No response, so I begin picking the lock. After a few moments, the lock lets out a satisfying *click*. "Alright Hearty, we're coming in!" I say and begin to open the door, but Lightning stops me.
"Let me go first," He mutters and pushes me aside. "Armor, and all, you know," he explains. I nod and he opens the door. As soon as the door is fully open, I hear the sound of a shotgun fire, followed by the buckshot hitting Lightning's armor. "Bad idea," Lightning says, and another shot is fired at him. "Come on in Ratchet, he's out of ammo," Lightning calls back.
I enter the room, it is little bigger than a usual closet, but contains a desk with a terminal on top of it, a microphone, and numerous monitors. The room itself has plain walls and a linoleum floor. Sitting with his back against the far wall, clenching a double barrel shotgun, is presumably Hearty.
"S-stay back!" Hearty orders us, waving the empty shotgun between us. "I'll...i'll summon more...yes, more minions! Stronger, more ferocious!" He yells, grinning sheepishly.
"You're out of ammo, and if you had more ghouls, I think you'd have already summoned them here," Lightning says, walking over to the ghoul, taking the shotgun in his mouth, and throwing it across the room.
"My friend has a point," I tell him. "This is checkmate." Lightning looks back, probably wondering what I just said means. I roll my eyes, "We win," I explain. He nods and turns back to look at Hearty. "So, you're a ghoul too?" I ask him.
"Y-yes, of course! How else would I control and experiment on the others?" Hearty replies. "You fools, you ruined all of my research, decades of tests, ruined!" He yells. "What's a few lives in comparison to my research!? You could have just left me in peace!" Hearty says with a snarl.
"No research is worth the lives of innocents," I tell him. "No matter what you were doing." He gives me a nasty look, then laughs.
"Even if it could reverse or prevent ghoulification?" He asks. "My research could have stopped it, perhaps. At the very least, it might have stopped us from going feral!" Hearty explains. "Mr. Tenpony is going to be quite upset with you lot," He grins at us.
"Mr. Tenpony? So, someone else other than you is still alive?" I ask him. Mr. Tenpony, the owner of Tenpony Tower. He was still alive? If he was, he would have to be a ghoul.
"Of course! I'm the Tower's resident doctor, it is my duty to serve Mr. Tenpony and he wants a cure to our ailment," Hearty explains. "He will be quite cross with you, might even kill you himself because of the trouble you caused," he laughs.
"If that army of ghouls didn't get us, what makes you think he can do that?" Lightning asks. Doctor Hearty only laughs. "I'm pretty sure the doctor is losing it, Ratchet," Lighting says, turning to me. "Shall we take him out and finish up?" he asks.
"No, we shouldn't kill him, he isn't a feral. We can have Friendship City punish him or something, we aren't here to kill unarmed ponies. Do you have any rope? We can tie him up for now," I suggest.
"Of course," Lightning says and brings out some rope from his bags. "Now then, stay still Hearty, or I'll have to hurt you," he says as Hearty backs further into the wall. After some grunting and swearing, Lightning gets Hearty tied up to the desk in the room. While he does that, I take a look at the terminal, and return manual control to the elevator.
"Alright, let's make sure the rest of the tower is clear, and then we can leave," I say. We exit the security closet and make our way back to my armor. "And get my armor before we leave, of course," I add before continuing on.
"Sorry we couldn't get the power working better, Ratchet," CORA says, popping up with a sad face in my vision.
"No worries, I was working on it too, after all. We'll have time to tinker with it once we get back," I tell her. We reach the stairs and walk up to the next floor. Once I open the door, I can immediately tell this floor is different than the others.
"Wow, this floor is pretty swanky, don't you think?" I ask. The other floors weren't unimpressive or anything, but this floor is a lot more posh and high-class looking. Fancy red carpeting, numerous portraits, occasional busts or vases on marble pillars. Even the doors appear to be elegantly carved wood.
"Indeed, it is like stepping into a completely different world," Lightning agrees. We check the first few rooms, much bigger than the rooms on the lower floors. They also look mostly untouched due to the dust, almost like no ghouls have wondered into them.
The next room we come to, I faintly hear something on the other side. I signal to Lightning, and he carefully opens the door and enters through first. "It's fine," he calls back. "You might want to see this," he says as I enter the room.
It is another apartment like the rest of the rooms, but multiple times more extravagant, even compared to the other rooms on this floor. On the bed on the far side of the room, is a fancy dressed ghoul, chained to the bed with a collar. It stares at us, growling and making sickening noises.
"That looks like..." I walk closer to the bed. His skin is rotting, a lot of his hair is missing, and he lacks any form of manners, but... "Mr. Tenpony?" I ask. The ghoul tilts its head at me, before lurching forward and snapping his jaws. The only thing keeping it from biting into me, is the chain keeping it on the bed.
"Someone important?" Lightning asks, as he approaches the bed.
I nod. "He was rich, back before the war. He is the one who owns and built this tower. In the past, he was an influential member of the Manehatten social elite, and held sway over various decisions and businesses. But..." I trail off.
Lightning looks at me for a moment, and finishes what I am thinking. "Why wasn't he in a Stable? If he was that influential, shouldn't he have been high on the list of admittance to one?" he asks.
"That's what I thought. But, given the state of the tower, I don't think the Megaspells even damaged it. Time did this, not any sort of attack," I say, scratching my head in thought. "But how? As far as I knew, it was just a normal high-rise building. Could he have done something to it that saved it?"
"Hmm. Well, never mind how the building still stands, we should probably, you know," Lightning says, nodding his head at the ghoul of Mr. Tenpony.
I blink a few times, but then nod. "Yea, yea. Of course," I say and pull out Forgiveness. "Sorry, Mr. Tenpony," I mutter and pull the trigger. Mr. Tenpony's head jerks and he falls limp on the bed. I put Forgiveness away and turn back to the door.
"Let's finish this floor, then make sure the broadcasting equipment is good," I tell Lightning and we exit the room. The rest of the floor is uneventful. It seems that Hearty kept the other ghouls off this floor in respect for Mr. Tenpony.
I wonder if Hearty knows Tenpony is feral, or if he is so far gone himself he can't tell the difference anymore. Either way, Hearty is insane, using innocents to conduct research. I understand his want to help others, but that isn't the way to go about it.
Lightning and I reach the final floor before the roof, the broadcasting floor. We enter into a large lobby with a huge fountain in the middle of it. The water has stagnated, the fountain looks magnificent. This floor looks just as untouched as the previous, and after searching through the rooms, my assumption is confirmed.
"So, that's it then," Lightning mutters as we look over the large switch board in the recording room. "All this looks is good condition, it should function properly," he tells me.
"Good, let's just make sure nothing is on the roof, and then we can head back down," I tell him. After making our way to the roof, we discover the roof is empty of hostiles. We turn around begin to head back down to my armor.
"I should tell Arrow and Cygnus we're done so they can meet up with us at the entrance," I mutter as we walk. "CORA, tune the radio, would you?" I ask her. She nods and switches the radio over. "Hey Arrow, Cygnus, you two there? The tower is clear, you can meet us down at the entrance," I say over the radio.
Static greets me in return, and I can faintly hear something within it. Breathing, but heavy and jittery. "Arrow, Cygnus, are you two alright?" I ask again, worry welling up within me. I wait a few moments, and say again, "You two there?"
A second later, Cygnus's voice comes over the radio. "We're fine, Ratchet. We'll meet you at the entrance," He says in an odd voice. Nothing else comes over the radio. I shrug and we continue to my armor.
Lightning picks up my armor, and we make our way down to the floor Thunder is on. We hit the landing and I announce, "All clear Thunder, let's..." but I trail off when I don't see him in the hall. Dozens of ghouls litter the hall, including a few reavers and a glowing one.
Countless bullet casings are on the ground and I can see a number of holes in the wall across from the windows where Cygnus and Arrow were shooting into the hall. I can tell a few explosives have gone off in the hall and the attached hallway to this floor.
"Where do you think he went?" I ask Lightning. But he doesn't respond, instead he stares at a large hole in the windows. He slowly walks over to it, and after a moment's hesitation, he peeks over the edge down to the ground.
"No...no, no, no, no, no," Lightning mutters as he stumbles away from the window and falls against the wall. He sits with his front hooves clenching his head.
"Lightning, what's the matter?" I ask him, as I look out the window. I see a few ghouls laying dead on the ground, and the setting sun is reflecting off of another object. I squint at the object, "What is..." My blood runs cold. "No way..." I mutter.
I take a step back from the window. The image flashing into my mind again and again. Steel Ranger armor, crumpled and broken. "It can't be...Maybe he, got out and used it as a decoy?" I mutter.
"No, I saw the blood coming from his armor, he is inside," Lightning says as he stares blankly. "My brother...Thunder...He's gone..." He stammers. "I'm going to...I need a bit, Ratchet. Just let me...think...for a moment," he tells me.
I nod. "I'll be in the elevator, take your time," I tell him and leave the hallway. I walk to the elevator deep in thought. What happened? Did the ghouls rush him and force him out the window? Could I have prevented this? I sit in the elevator, and cry, as undoubtedly Lightning is as well.
After a few moments, I get angry. Hearty did this, he is the one who sicked his ghouls on us. It is his fault, his, that Thunder is dead. Forget having Friendship City punish him, we should do it. I glance at the elevator buttons and press the one for Hearty's floor. The doors close and the elevator rises.
The elevator stops and the doors open. Immediately I shoot out of the elevator at a brisk trot towards the security closet. My anger and determination rising with every step. I kick open the security door and draw Forgiveness from its holster. Hearty's eyes fly open and stare at me as I advance towards him, pressing the barrel against his head.
Hearty begins to make noises through the gag we put in his mouth and attempts to move away from me to no avail. I stare into his eyes with hatred as I start to pull the trigger. But I stop shy of fully depressing the trigger. Forgiveness trembles in my magic as I feel my eye twitching.
"No," I mutter, pulling the gun away from his head. "You don't deserve it," I tell him with a sigh. I put Forgiveness back in its holster. Hearty seems to relax a bit and his eyes go back to normal. I dig through my bags and pull out my shotgun.
I put the shotgun to his head. "You don't deserve Forgiveness," I say as I glare at him expressionlessly. His eyes start to go wide again, but with a pull of the shotgun's trigger, any expression he makes is wiped away forever. The wall is painted with his blood and brain, and I feel something wet hit my face.
I place the shotgun back in my bags as I wipe my face with a hoof. "Forgiveness is a courtesy," I say to his corpse. "Something that you don't get to have." I turn and head back towards the elevator, closing the door behind me.
===~+~===
Level Up!
-Level 9
+15 Big Guns
+10 Lockpicking
+3 Repair |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 18 - Deeper Despair | Chapter 18 - Deeper Despair
"They fell like dominos, one after the other."
===~+~===
When Lightning and I finally make our way down to the ground floor, Cygnus and Arrow are near Thunder's body. I can tell that Arrow is just as torn up about Thunder's death as Lightning is. No doubt, Arrow was crying while waiting for us. "All clear then?" Cygnus asks as we approach them.
"Yea," I nod and glance at Thunder's body. The armor is bent and twisted in horrible ways. I'm afraid to imagine what his body looks like inside it. Lightning walks over to him, and sits down beside him after setting my armor aside.
Arrow approaches him after a moment. "I...I'm sorry..." She mutters. "It's my...fault. I was suppose to...cover him..." I can tell by her voice she is really shaken up by his death. Lightning shakes his head without looking at her.
"It isn't your fault, Arrow," Lightning tells her. "I saw that glowing ghoul in the hall, I saw the amount of bodies. There was no way you two could have done anything more. He should have retreated up after us. Thunder was always prideful when it came to holding the line."
I step up to them. "If it is any consolation, I killed Hearty," I tell him. Lightning turns abruptly to look at me, I'm sure his face is showing surprise. "Turned his head into mincemeat," I explain. "He caused Thunder's death, it was our duty to judge him for it."
Lightning nods and turns back to his brother's body. "Thank you," he mutters. After a few moments, he speaks up again. "Arrow, can you carry Ratchet's armor? I...I should carry Thunder," Lightning asks. Arrow nods as Lightning puts Thunder's body on his back.
Once Lightning and Arrow get situation under their burdens, Lightning turns to me again. "What now, boss?" He asks sadly. "We...I want to bring his body back to the base as soon as possible." I think for a moment, but the answer is obvious.
"We should split up," I state. "You and Arrow head back to the base, Cygnus and I will let those ponies know the job is done and meet up with you. CORA can use a spritebot to keep an eye on you two. Cygnus and I should be able to catch up with you two before you get home," I explain.
Arrow and Lightning nod, but Cygnus just looks on in concern. "Arrow," I start, "if you two run into trouble, drop my armor if you need to. CORA can track its location if necessary." I think for a moment and add, "I should also probably stop by the DJ's and let him know about the radio station in the tower." They both nod and we go our separate ways.
After Arrow and Lightning are out of sight, I finally ask Cygnus, "What?" The question seems to catch him off guard. "You were looking at us worriedly earlier, and you've been awfully quiet this whole time," I say.
Cygnus looks deep in thought for a moment before saying, "Are you sure it is wise to send them off on their own? I know they are Rangers, but it could still be dangerous," he tells me.
"They need some time alone. Those three were comrades even before I came into the picture, so I'm sure they have some things they want to discuss in private. If they get into a fight, they'll win. Not because they are Rangers, but because they are angry. They won't fall before they get Thunder home, of that, I am certain," I tell him.
"If you say so," Cygnus mutters. "I don't know how I should feel at the moment," he says. "Thunder was a decent buck, but I didn't really get to know him well enough to feel sadness over his death. I suppose all I can do is honor him by remembering him," he explains.
I nod as we walk. "I kind of understand. I've only been with them for about a month, which is why I let the others be alone. Thunder was a good friend, and an important member of the team. Which is why..." I trail off.
"You killed Hearty?" Cygnus asks. I nod. "Did killing him make you feel better?" He asks.
"I'm...not sure. My anger subsided, but I still feel...empty," I explain. "I keep thinking about kill him too. Was it the right thing to do? Should I have let Lightning or Arrow decide, or at least asked them about it?"
"All valid questions," Cygnus mutters. "But I think killing him was the right thing to do, I'm sure the others would agree. Perhaps you are upset with how you killed him?" Cygnus asks. "You did say you turned his head into mincemeat, and he was unarmed after all."
I furrow my brow. "He deserved it, he was a monster," I explain. "Conducting experiments on ponies, trying to get ghouls to kill us..." I trail off.
"He did deserve it," Cygnus confirms. "But the method of his demise is what is wrong. He was unarmed, non-combative, and you just put him down. I'm not condemning you for it," he explains. "I did the same to Static, after all. Killing her was liberating, justified, but killing her the way I did was wrong."
I think about what he just told me and think about how I killed Hearty. He was bound and unable to defend himself, not even able to beg for his life. I just decided that he should die, no trial, no discussion. I even gave him a moment of hope, only to dash it in the blink of an eye. I was cruel, hateful, and no different than a murderer.
I've only been in the wasteland for little over a month, and I've killed so many ponies, but never any that weren't trying to kill him, until now. Has the wasteland corrupted me? Made me so self righteous in my own thinking that I thought I could justify cold blooded murder?
I stop walking and fall to my haunches. "What...have I done?" I mutter, staring blankly at the ground. Cygnus stops and looks down at me.
"What you thought was right, Ratchet," Cygnus states simply. "No one will fault you for what you did, especially anyone in the wasteland. You just need to remember what you're feeling now, keep your head about you, and keep going. If you dwell on it, it will consume you, trust me," he says, offering me a hoof.
I look up at him, the slight smile on his face. "Cygnus..." I mutter. I nod, and take his hoof. He pulls me to my hooves. "You're right," I agree. "I'll remember, and try to keep my wits about me. I'm trying to help the wasteland recover, killing ponies who aren't a threat anymore isn't the way I will do that. But, Cygnus...I'll need your help," I tell him, returning his smile.
"And I will be there to help you," Cygnus replies. "We'll help each other," he adds. "The wasteland might consume us if we are alone, but together I think we have enough sense about us that we can change things." With our immediate mental issues taken care of, we continue on our way to Friendship City.
===~+~===
Cygnus and I cross the water on the barge and enter the city as the sun finally finishes setting. As we walk around the entrance, I wonder if those prissy ponies will be here this late. But soon my question is answered as I see the same three standing next to a wall. They seem to be talking to a rugged looking buck wearing decent leather armor.
As we approach, they notice us and the buck steps aside. "Ah, and so the mare in the labcoat returns!" The fancy buck declares. "Knot here just finished informing us of the completion of your job. Very good, very good," he says with glee.
"Indeed, and it took them long enough too," The mare, who I assume is his wife mutters, looking rather unpleased. "Tenpony isn't that far from here, I bet they went and slacked off," She says.
"I had to pick up some gear," I tell her, trying to maintain a positive attitude and really hoping to finish things up here quick. She rolls her eyes.
"Now, now, darling, the fact of the matter is that the job is done and the tower is ours now," the buck says, putting his hoof around her. "Now then, I do believe we agreed on two thousand caps?" he asks, addressing me.
"That was the plan," I confirm. He looks over to Knot, who nods back at him.
"Well, Knot here informs us that in the process you shot out quite a few windows and made a complete mess disposing of those monsters," The buck tells me. "You'll understand if I can't offer your the full amount, yes? After all, we must replace the windows, very hard to find, mind you, and hire workers to clean up the mess you made. We will give you half the agreed upon amount," He says flatly.
I hear Cygnus let out a sigh and I can't blame him. These ponies really piss me off. "Of course we made a mess, how else were we supposed to get rid of all those feral ghouls?" I ask them. "The windows, I can understand, but the mess is hardly our fault. Look, I'll settle for 1,500, will that work?" I suggest.
The other mare rolls her eyes and mutters, "Typical uncivilized ponies, always wanting more than they should receive." I narrow my eyes at her, and she flinches.
"That is hardly our problem, you could have led them all outside," The buck tells me. "We will give you 1,100 caps, and honestly that is uncomfortable for me," he says. My anger rises, I can't help it.
"Uncomfortable? Paying a fair price makes you uncomfortable?" I ask, raising my voice. "One of us fucking died! Even the full amount can't make up for that," I growl at them. Knot steps up between us and them, glaring at me threateningly.
The buck coughs. "It is fine Knot, I understand. Look miss, we are sorry for your loss, and we will offer your 1,250 caps. You knew the risk that the job carried, just one death is fortunate," he says with a smug expression.
I am about to lose it. "One thousand two hundred and fifty caps!?" I yell at him. "Thunder's death isn't..." Cygnus steps in front of me and cuts me off.
"We will take your offer and conclude our business," Cygnus tells the buck, who pulls a small bag from a pocket and gives it to Knot. Knot then gives the bag to Cygnus. "Thank you, we'll be leaving now," Cygnus says and begins to walk away.
I stare at his back and then at the other ponies, narrow my eyes and mutter, "Don't forget the other part of our deal, the DJ is moving in." With that, I turn and catch up with Cygnus who is already halfway back to the barge.
"Why did you do that?" I ask him, my anger still bubbling.
Cygnus sighs. "You saw them, right? Not a speck of dirt on them, other than their bodyguard, Knot. Expensive looking clothing too, before the war. And the way they acted, as though they were nobility? Not to mention they never gave us their names," He tells me.
"Yea, so what? Does that mean they can be cheap and rude?" I ask.
"It means they think they can be," Cygnus says. "They don't care about ponies like us, 'commoners', as they say. I doubt they would ever agree to a price you suggested, they wanted to have the last word because they think they are better than us. You could have been the only survivor, and they wouldn't take pity on your, they'd still fight to keep as many caps as they could," he explains.
"And we are going to give them control over a place like Tenpony?" I ask him, considering returning the caps and giving the tower to the DJ alone.
"We are, because if we go back on our word, we would be no better than them," Cygnus says. "Like them or not, they might be best suited to running Tenpony. More than likely, those three were just a few of a collection of ponies like them, ponies with resources to restore and keep Tenpony working," He yells me.
"But if they were that rude and indifferent to us, do you think they will help anyone, or just stay locked in the tower, safe from the world around them?" I ask him, trying to see his reasoning.
"They don't seem that stupid, and their resources aren't limitless. They will more than likely allow trade and new residents to live in the tower. It won't necessarily be the best place ever for those who aren't one of them, but it will be one less hostile place," Cygnus tells me.
I let out a sigh. "I guess you are right," I say with resignation. "We'll have to see what happens as time goes on. Maybe I'll have to go yell at them later on," I chuckle. "Now then, let's go tell the DJ the good news."
===~+~===
The two of us make our way back through the ruins along the safe routes and reach the DJ without incident. We inform him of the good news, which he is pleasantly surprised by. He says he will send someone there to check the place out before he move over there himself. With that taken care of, Cygnus and I begin heading towards the lab.
After about half the night, we catch up with Arrow and Lightning, who given their burdens, aren't walking as fast as usual. Once we are all together again, we rest for the rest of the night.
In the morning, we forge ahead. At around mid-afternoon, CORA gets my attention. "Ratchet, I'm picking up a radio signal, you should listen to it," she says as she adjusts the radio. The DJ is in Tenpony already? That was fast. I wonder what he has to say now.
CORA gets the radio on the right frequency and it starts playing. "five seconds," it says, before stopping. I'm about to ask her what it was, when it continues. "This is Elder Archimedes of the Stable 36 Steel Rangers. This message is for all Steel Ranger operatives within range. We are under attack. All Rangers within range are to return immediately. Message repeats in five seconds."
I feel my blood run cold, my face going pale. "You all...heard that as well, right?" I ask the others. Arrow and Lightning have frozen on the stop, and Cygnus looks on in concern. "We need to go, Arrow, drop my armor. We can't have you lugging it around if we get into a fight," I tell her.
She nods and drops it. "Lightning, move as quickly as you can, Arrow, provide him with cover as we get closer. Cygnus and I will run up ahead and scout things out," I say, and the others nod. I begin running towards the stable with Cygnus right on my hooves.
After a while, I see the farmhouse that the stable lies under. However, the farmhouse is burned to the ground and still smoldering. I scan the horizon, but don't see any signs of life. "Let's go, keep your eyes open," I say as we move closer to the ruins. Within moments, we are standing right beside them.
The foundation looks solid, and the cellar entrance looks functional. I don't think the basement collapsed. They must have made it extra reinforced. "Ok, looks like we can still get in," I mutter. "Let's wait for the others," I tell Cygnus, who nods in agreement.
Roughly ten minutes later, Arrow and Lightning catch up with us. Lightning looks a bit out of breath. "We should be able to get in, Lightning, I think you should set Thunder's body down before we enter. There is no telling how many enemies we are going to find," I say. He nods, and carefully sets Thunder down beside the entrance.
After giving him a moment to catch his breath, I pull open the cellar doors with my magic. A wave of stench strikes us, a mix of iron and gunpowder. Carefully, we enter the cellar. At the bottom of the stairs, I stop dead.
Corpses are everywhere, at least a dozen. Many are raiders, but a few Rangers lay slain in the basement entrance. Blood is on every surface and spent casings litter the ground. In a few places on the walls 'Discordia' is been painted in blood. The door to the hallway has been blown off its hinges.
The others are equally caught off guard. "We need to get inside, now," Lightning says, anxiety evident in his voice. I nod, and we carefully make our way across the bloodstained floor. It is hard to avoid stepping on anything as we reach the hallway.
More raiders are dead in the hallway, the turret at the corner clearly gave them some trouble, but the turret now lies smoking on the floor. We turn the corner and see the Stable entrance. The large gear-shaped door has fallen back into the Stable, explosives were clearly used to open it.
In the entranceway, a few more raiders lay dead with another Rangers among them. Judging by the scorch marks and the state of the bodies, both sides are using explosives and laser weaponry. "These raiders are way too well armed," I mutter. "Is this what Grimoire has been up to?"
"They appear to have poor armor and training though," Cygnus says. "Numbers are the only thing giving them an advantage here," he adds. We continue deeper into the stable, finding more bodies as we go. The raider corpses outnumber the Rangers.
"This is bad," Lightning says. "We haven't seen anyone or heard any sign of fighting. They couldn't have...killed everyone, could they?" He asks.
"No, we just haven't found them yet," I tell him, more trying to reassure myself than him. "We just need to keep looking." The armory is locked up tight, which seems like a good sign. If the Rangers were all dead, the raiders would have tried to get into it. We have already searched most of the Stable. All that remains is the command center, the residential area, and medical.
We quickly move through the halls and approach the command center. Dead rangers are outside the door along with a number of raiders. "This is bad," Lightning mutters. "If they've made it this far..." He trails off as we enter the room.
The monitors and terminals in the room have all been destroyed, the largest monitor has the word 'Discordia' scrawled across it in blood. The command center's staff looks to have fought valiantly to defend the room, but since many were scribes they were easily overwhelmed. We approach the Elder's desk.
Peeking over the top, I see Elder Archimedes's body, full of bullet holes. A final shot placed in his forehead. Beside him lies a 10mm pistol and countless spent rounds. He went out fighting, doing all that he could. He even recorded that message and broadcasted it. As I look down at the Elder, I hear Lightning walking off towards the hall.
I turn and look after him. He is walking at a brisk pace. "Wait, Lightning. Don't go off on your own!" I call after him. Arrow looks between me and him before trotting after Lightning. "Damn it, come on you two, we can't get separated, what if there are still more raiders lurking around?" I ask as I begin to follow after them.
Cygnus follows after me. "I don't think they are going to listen to reason, Ratchet," He says. "No doubt, they are seeking vengence. This will be bad if we get into a fight," Cygnus tells me.
"I know, I know..." I bite my lip. "We'll just have to let them take the lead and cover them as best we can," I say. Cygnus lets out a sigh, but we keep following after the others. As we go through the residences, we find nothing but death and destruction. 'Discordia' is painted in various places. After a few minutes, we reach the doors to medical. The last place we haven't checked.
Lightning works the door controls and slowly the doors slide open. We stare down the barrels of multiple guns and return those stares with our own guns. But slowly, realisation dawns on both parties. "Lynx Squad?" Star Paladin Lily asks as she lowers her gun. "You're alive?" She says shakily before adding in a much sterner voice, "Did you encounter any raiders in the Stable?"
"None that were alive," Lightning replies. At this point, everyone else has lowered their weapons and we enter the room and close the door behind us. Once we get the details of our arrival out of the way, Lightning asks, "How did this happen?" Lily removes her helmet and sets it on her back.
While she does so, I look around the room. Besides Lightning and Arrow, I count twelve Rangers. Seven of which are lying on cots without armor and bandaged up pretty heavily. The other five, including Lily, look like they've been put through the ringer as well. As Lily begins, Senior Paladin Twinkle joins us.
"The raiders attacked in mass and with a ferocity we've never seen before. It was like they did not care if they died. The guards gave us warning and we went into lockdown, the Stable was sealed and we armed ourselves," Lily explains.
"Our guards were instantly overwhelmed," She continues. "The raiders crowded into the basement and began mutilating the guards, writing on the walls. Some began to set explosives on the door and within minutes, they were in the hall. The turret gave them some pause, but one of them finally shot it with a missile."
"The Stable door held them back for an hour, they tried various ways to enter, but none worked until Grimoire showed up," Lily scowls in anger. "He took some C4, teleported on the other side of the door, and destroyed the mechanism. It was easy enough for the raiders to push it open after that," She explains.
"What's crazy, is that we were there when Grimoire appeared on our side, but none of our weapons did anything to him. They hit him, but he instantly regenerated from our attacks. But at that point, everything went south. The raiders quickly spread through the Stable, and no matter how many we killed more would take their place," Lily says.
She lets out a sigh. "We kept being pushed back, and soon arrived at the command center. Elder Archimedes recorded an SOS for the rangers who were away at the time, Senior Paladin Twinkle's squad, Paladin Beam's squad, and your squad. He then used his override to deadlock the armory, filtration, and reactor chambers. At that point, the raiders reached us again," Lily took a deep breath.
"Elder Archimedes ordered me to fall back with non-essential command center personnel. I didn't want to, but he simply told me that he had a duty as Elder to remain in the room. He knew he would die, but he just kept shooting. I was the last to leave the command center. I saw him bleeding, bent over his desk, but still shooting. I saw when another bullet caught him in the chest and he fell to the ground..." Lily trails off.
"I saw him get back up, and put in a command on his terminal. I saw the Scribes do so as well. The Elder hit a final button, and all of the terminals and monitors exploded. He coughed up blood, turned back to the raiders, and began shooting, along with all the scribes. They fell, one by one, but no matter how much they show him, Elder Archimedes kept shooting back," Lily says, choking up a bit. But I could tell she had pride in her voice, for the Elder, and her fellow Rangers.
"Before I closed the door, I saw a bullet catch him in the shoulder and he fell behind the desk. Those of us that remained, kept fighting, creating choke points, firing lines, and traps where we could. But they kept coming, and never stopped. Half of us were dead, and our injuries increased by the minute. Then, Paladin Beam and Senior Paladin Twinkle returned," Lily says with a nod to Twinkle.
"Their squads began hitting the raiders from the rear, forcing them into a two-sided fight. An hour passed before our two sides met up in the command center. Paladin Beam had fallen along with most of her squad, but only a dozen raiders remained. Grimoire was sitting in the Elder's chair the whole time as we killed the rest of the raiders and circled around him," Lily tells us, but doesn't seem pleased.
"That bastard muttered something about how he should have brought more of his troops, laughed, and then teleported away. Those of us remaining combed over the Stable and brought anyone still breathing here. We fifteen are all that remain," Lily concludes. A realization seems to dawn on her and she asks, "Where is Thunder, by the way?" I can see Lightning's features darken, and Arrow hangs her head.
This seemed to be enough for Lily and she let out a sigh. "Thunder too? We are down to fourteen then," She mutters. "We need to bury our dead and treat our wounded, the rest of the base is secure, yes?" She asks Lightning. He nods. "Good."
Lily looks over at Twinkle, who nods and walks over to her squad. "Come on boys," Twinkle tells them, "It is time to dig graves and burn the raiders. They might try to attack us again, so keep your eyes open for anything on the horizon while we're out." She sounds content, not like how I'd expect someone who lost more most of their friends and family to sound.
As Twinkle and her squad leaves medical, I hear her saying happily, "Eberron has had his fill this day. Now, we must honor our fallen." With them gone, ten of us remain in medical, more than half wounded.
Lightning looks after Twinkle and says quietly, "I'll join her, I want to bury Thunder myself." Lily nods and Lightning leaves after them.
"Now then, Arrow, will you help tend the wounded?" Lily asks and Arrow nods. Lily then glances at Cygnus and I. "You two do what you like," She says with a hint of disgust in her voice. Lily turns begins tending to the injured as well.
Cygnus steps up beside me as I stand in the middle of the room. "She didn't acknowledge our presence until just now. Is she always this indifferent to you?" He asks.
I shake my head. "This is only the second time I've met her. The last time, she was suspicious of me. This time, most of her friends have been killed or injured. I can't blame her. We should go help Twinkle and Lightning outside, give her some space," I tell him.
He nods and we head out to join the others. Cygnus, Lightning, Twinkle, her five squad members and I split into two groups. Twinkle, Cygnus, Lighting, and I start digging graves while her squad members begin carrying out their dead. We dig next to the graves already present, including Iron's.
It is hard work, digging so many graves. The first Ranger we lay to rest, is Thunder. His body and armor are too twisted together to separate completely, so we bury him in his armor. Lightning waves the rest of us away as he slowly shovels dirt over his brother's body. Once finished, Lightning sits beside the grave for a few minutes, head hung. None of us bother him.
As night falls, we aren't even half done. We do not stop, however. The Rangers turn on their headlamps, Cygnus summons a lantern, and I turn on my PipBuck's blue light. With only our lights illuminating the darkness, we continue digging and bringing out the fallen. By midnight, all the fallen Rangers are outside, waiting to be laid to rest.
The others that were bringing them out, begin digging as well. The nine of us dig and bury as quickly as we can, but exhaustion is apparent in each of us. As the sun rises, we manage to bury the last of the Rangers. Each of us nearly collapses from exhaustion, but we enter the base once more.
We return to the living quarters to rest, while Twinkle reports our progress to Lily. I sleep for a few hours before I wake up once more. Some of the other Rangers have woken up before me, and have started to carry the raider bodies out of the Stable. Others are still sleeping, including Lightning. Cygnus is awake and talking to one of the Rangers that is showing him one of their weapons.
I decide to help get the raider corpses outside. Without power armor, it is tough, especially since I'm running on only a few hours of sleep. Since we aren't digging graves however, just tossing the bodies in a pile, it doesn't take nearly as long, despite their numbers. By noon we get most of them out, and have started four pyres ablaze. The stench is awful. I have never smelt the stench of burning flesh before, and I really hope I never do so again.
While heading back into the base, I see Senior Paladin Twinkle standing outside, looking at the burning bodies and smiling at them. I walk up and join her, as much as I don't like the sight of burning ponies, I feel like I should talk with her. "Hey Senior Paladin, how are you holding up?" I ask her.
"Gloriously, Scribe Crusader. This combat, this fight, my lord Eberron is pleased at all this death," Twinkle says with glee. "I would say it is a shame we lost so many of our own, but lord Eberron does not discriminate in his choosing of victims, and regretting the deaths of my comrades would diminish their sacrifice and the honor of their deaths," She tells me, adding, "By the way, it isn't Senior Paladin anymore. It's Star Paladin."
I raise an eyebrow. "But isn't Lily Star Paladin?" I ask her. If I remember correctly, there could only be one Star Paladin per Ranger division, but there could be multiple Senior Paladins.
Twinkle shakes her head. "Lily is the Elder now, never thought I'd be calling her 'Elder Lily'," Twinkle says with a chuckle. "I was the logical choice to become Star, and she Elder. Old man Archimedes would be pleased with his replacement, but..." Twinkle trails off, her smile shrinking slightly.
"But what?" I ask.
"Lily doesn't understand the glory of Eberron, she sees this combat, and despairs in it. I think it might have changed her, and despite my attempts to adviser her, she has ignored me. She plans to destroy the stable and have us leave our home. Says it is compromised," Twinkle shakes her head.
"I told her we should say, keep fighting, not shrink down from Grimoire and his army," Twinkle smirks. "She wants to stop pursuit of Grimoire, to lay low, to survive. There is no honor in running away. Eberron would not approve, but, she is my Elder, and I will follow her, till it is my time to replace her, and I will lead till it is time for another to replace me," Twinkle explains.
"By the way, she doesn't think of you very favorably. Lily thinks you are the one who brought this down upon us, but she's wrong. It is our duty to protect, one way or another, we would have gotten into this ourselves," Twinkle tells me. "I just have one question for you, you who lead Lynx Squad when Thunder fell. Did he die with honor?" She asks.
I nod. "He protected Lightning and I from a swarm of ghouls. Stopped them from getting behind us. You should have seen how many he took out before he fell. He died with honor, he was brave, loyal, and he will be missed," I tell her, choking up a little.
Twinkle closes her eyes as she listens, and nods her head. "Eberron will see Thunder honored, and I shall remember him to the moment I join him. You are alright in my book, Ratchet. I'm sure lord Eberron looks favorably upon you as well," She says with a smile, looking at the burning corpses once more.
It has been bugging me for a while, since the first time I met her. "Why do you follow Eberron? An old god? Most ponies believe in Celestia and Luna now," I ask her.
She smiles even wider. "Celestia and Luna," Twinkle chuckles. "They aren't Goddesses, anypony who was alive before the war ended knows that. Just powerful magical beings with extremely long lives. I might not have been born before things went to shit, but I've read books, heard stories. The assassination attempt at Shattered Hoof Ridge is enough proof that they aren't Goddesses," She explains.
"A Goddess can't be assassinated, they wouldn't fear death. But the old gods, lord Eberron, they exist," Twinkle tells me. "If Goddesses or Gods were truly upon this earth with us, they would not have allowed those Megaspells to fall. No, the gods don't live in our world, but they help us occasionally," She says.
She really seems to believe that. "I agree that Celestia and Luna weren't Goddesses," I tell her. "But, why do you believe so completely that the old gods exist?" I ask.
She turns to look at me, giving me an odd smile. "They talk to me, sometimes," Twinkle says. "Eberron especially. He grants me power in exchange for the evil I wipe from this world. Some of the others think I'm crazy, imagining things. Lily told me I suffer some multiple personalities and that's the reason. But I know better," She explains.
"When you walk through a battlefield, bullets, grenades, and rockets flying around you, but nothing hits you, nothing hurts you, you keep walking out in the open, expecting to be hit, but you aren't...that is how you know you are protected by the powers of a god," Twinkle says.
"In all the battles I've fought, I can count the number of times I've been hit on my hooves. Bullets might ping off my armor, but nothing ever penetrates," She tells me. "You can doubt me, if you want. But I can tell, lord Eberron, the God of Death, watches over you."
I could feel a shiver go up my spine. I recall the bony figure cloaked in black, Death. I recall his words about watching me, supporting me. I wonder if Death ever went by the name Eberron. "I...believe you," I tell Twinkle, who smiles back at me.
"I knew I liked you, Ratchet. Now then, we should return to the others. I think Lily is getting restless to leave," She says and turns to head back inside. I follow after her, and we walk through the halls until we reach medical.
Other the last few days, going through healing potions, drugs, and a lot of bandages, all the injured are now on their hooves. Twinkle and I enter just as they are putting their armor back on. They seem sore still, and it takes them awhile, but they eventually squeeze into their armor.
"That's right, everyone get armored up, we are moving out tonight," Lily declares, standing in the center of the room. "Under the cover of darkness, we will destroy anything we cannot carry, and leave," She states, watching as the Rangers put on their armor. Lily notices Twinkle and I approaching.
"Ah, good, Twinkle. Have your squad rig explosives in the armory, the cellar basement, the Elder quarters, and the Maneframe and other Stable systems. We don't want raiders moving in after we leave. We will destroy everything," Lily orders.
Some of the others look skeptical about leaving, but they follow their orders never-the-less. "We are leaving, so soon?" Twinkle asks. "Our injured could use a bit more rest, there is no honor in fighting so wounded. Please, reconsider, Lily-" Twinkle begins, but is cut off by Lily.
"Elder, Lily," Lily emphasises, glaring at Twinkle. "And no, I have told you already, we need to leave. The enemy knows where we are, they know our defences. If they attack again, we will be wiped out," She says harshly.
I step up. "If you want, you can all come to my lab. It has plenty of room, and it isn't too far away. We can even transport all of your equipment there, so you don't have to destroy it all," I offer.
Lily looks disgusted at the thought. "Absolutely not. I have had enough of your help, Scribe Crusader," She says, saying my title with venom in her voice. "I want nothing more to do with you, and from henceforth, you are no longer leader of Lynx Squad. Arrow and Lightning will leave with us," Lily declares.
This snaps Arrow and Lightning to attention, and they walk over. "Elder Lily, Ratchet has been a huge help," Lightning explains. "She is one of us, we can't just abandon her," He says.
Lily shoots him a glare. "Remember she is the one who got Thunder killed, she was leading. Not even trained to lead, yet we gave her a squad. Elder Archimedes was too trusting, she is nothing but a civilian," Lily spits. "No, we will have nothing more to do with her, and the two of you will be coming with us. We can not spare anyone now, not that I would even if we were greater in number," She says.
"But what about Grimoire?" I ask. "You're still going to help stop him, right?"
Lily rolls her eyes. "I want nothing more to do with him, it was a mistake to get involved in the first place," Lily says.
Twinkle takes a step closer. "A mistake? Grimoire is responsible for Iron's death, for the death of most of our friends!" Twinkle declares. "Are we going to just turn a blind eye on what he's done to us? Are we going to run and hide?" She asks.
"Yes." Lily says adamantly. "We cannot stand against him, he has hundreds more. We are but fourteen. We must survive, continue fighting where we can. But if we fight against him, it is suicide," She hisses.
The other Rangers hang their heads. We've become quite the spectacle, standing in the middle of everyone. "She's right," one of them mutters. From there, the murmuring spreads and echoes of agreement can be heard. Only Twinkle, Arrow, and Lighting seem opposed.
"This is cowardice, Eberron will frown upon this!" Twinkle shouts, but once Lily glares at her, Twinkle just grits her teeth and says. "You are our Elder, we will follow you, but know that I do not support this decision," Twinkle says.
Lily nods. "Now, you two, follow orders and get ready," Lily says, addressing Arrow and Lightning. "And you two," She says, looking at Cygnus and I, "get out of here now."
Cygnus stands motionless beside me, Arrow shifts around nervously, her eyes darting between me and Lily, and Lightning scowls, clenching his teeth. "Ratchet," Lightning finally says. "We have to. We are Rangers. I don't want to, I know Arrow doesn't either, and Thunder wouldn't like this, but we have to. Just know, we will always be friends, comrades. If you need us, you know our frequency. It was an honor, Ratchet," he says and puts his helmet on, sealing it with a hiss.
Arrow looks between him and me, then glances at Lily, who glares at her. Arrow looks at the ground for a moment, then rushes to me and embraces me in a hug. It catches me off guard, but after a moment I return the hug. "Take care, Arrow," I mutter. She nods, and pulls away slightly.
Arrow bites her lip, and then suddenly kisses me. My eyes go wide in surprise, and she stops after a moment and mutters, "I love you." Before pulling away and putting her helmet on. I didn't think she felt that way, she was always hard to read though. I regain my senses and feel Lily's glare on me.
I let out a sigh. "Lily, this is the wrong course of action," I tell her, staring back into her eyes. "But I understand why you feel this way. If you change your mind, if you need my help, anything, you know where I live," I tell her. "I'll stop Grimoire, with or without your help," I add.
Lily just shakes her head. I give one last smile at Arrow and Lightning, and give a slight nod to Twinkle before heading to the door. I stop just before I leave, and turn to the Rangers. "Thank you all, for everything," I tell them, and leave. Cygnus follows silently, and after a while, we are in the openness of the wasteland.
Halfway to my lab, I hear the sounds of multiple explosions, and I know, Stable 36 has been sealed forever.
===~+~===
Quest Complete: An Arrogant Request
Quest Updated: The Chaos Crusade - Current Objective: Search for more information on Grimoire.
New Perk! - Protected by Eberron - You are favored by the God of Death. Sometimes in battle, bullets that seem destined to hit you will miss completely. |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 19 - Doubt | Chapter 19 - Doubt
"Do my choices even matter? If I just disappeared, would anyone even notice?"
===~+~===
Choices. We all have them and the magnitude of them varies. Some choices are as inconsequential as what should I eat for breakfast? What color ribbon should I wear in my hair today? Choices that don't really effect much at all. Other choices, choices no one is ever ready to make, can shatter the lives of dozens, hundreds, thousands, even millions.
The choices of the Ministry Mares and the Princesses, of the Zebra Caesar, had led to the destruction of Equestria, if not the rest of the world as well. We don't always see the outcomes of our choices. There is no doubt in my mind that they made the decisions they felt best. If the Princesses and the Ministry Mares, ponies greater than I, could ultimately fail in their decisions, am I making the right ones?
Did the choices I made lead to the slaughter in Stable 36? To the fall of the only Steel Rangers that wanted to help the wasteland? Is Thunder's blood on my hooves? What about Iron's? Eventually, will my choices catch up Lightning? Arrow? Cygnus? Any of the countless others I've met in my travels?
I am terrified. As terrified as I was when I first awoke in the wasteland. The Steel Rangers will no longer help me, Elder Lily wants nothing to do with me. My friends were forced to go with her, and I don't blame them for that. The Rangers are their family. Now, Cygnus and CORA are my only support in this wretched wasteland.
Only two of us have bodies, and neither Cygnus nor I are actual soldiers. Grimoire has an army. I know he has to be stopped, but can I do anything? The only force that was capable to opposing him was the Rangers. With Stable 36 destroyed, and the other Rangers hiding in their bunkers or just hoarding technology, I doubt I can get the kind of sizable force that is required.
Such thoughts distract me as Cygnus and I work on getting my armor back to my lab. We try dragging it for a few minutes, but eventually Cygnus summons a sort of cart. It makes things easier, aside from having to haul the armor onto the cart. Which we have to do multiple times, as the cart would disappear once his magic wore off.
After much of the day wastes away, we get it back safely. I download CORA into the system once again and Cygnus and I take a well deserved nap. I wake up after a while, and realize I've been asleep for around fourteen hours. My PipBuck tells me it is just after noon. As I stretch and rub the sleep from my eyes, I notice Cygnus hunched over sitting on his bed.
I walk over and glance over his shoulder. He's looking at some notes in a book. It looks like technical specifications. Measurements, materials, and more are listed along with rough drawings. The two I see are a rocket launcher and a rocket. "What's all that?" I ask him.
He turns his head to look at me. "Oh, finally awake? This here," Cygnus says, closing the book and tapping it with a hoof, "is a book I've made. It is where I keep specifications of various equipment I can summon. I study it from time to time, keep the information fresh in my mind. One slip up, and my summons fail. In battle, that can be fatal. If I mess up a length, miss an ingredient, nothing will happen."
I look at the book. "So, what kind of stuff is in that book?" I ask him.
"A lot. It holds info on things from knives to miniguns, small carts to large field artillery pieces. I even have the schematics for a Balefire Bomb. It would take almost two hours straight to speak the words to summon that, though," Cygnus explains. "It is too powerful to be summoned by material description alone. I have to describe the magic, the effects, the changes it will cause to the landscape."
I raise an eyebrow at that. "The strength of what you summon effects what you have to say to summon it?" I ask him.
"Indeed. The more complicated an object is, the harder it is to summon. For example, Iron Ingot," Cygnus says, and an iron ingot appears, falling to the floor with a clang. "For a simple object, no description is needed. I can manifest it with thought alone and call it forth using its name. Similarly, Combat Knife," he says and a knife appears in his mouth. He smirks around the handle before he sends it away.
I blink at him in surprise. "But when you first woke up, you had to describe that before it was summoned," I stammer.
He nods. "When I first woke, I was groggy, confused, unfocused. But now, in perfect condition, the name is all I need. More complex items, like ammunition, guns, and chemicals, require descriptions. Basically, if it is a synthetically manufactured item, I need to describe it. This knife? Iron and hide, two things that appear normally in nature, just molded into a shape. Understand?" He asks.
I nod. "Great," Cygnus says, setting the book on his bed. "So, now I have a question for you. What are we going to do now?" He asks.
I frown. "I have no idea. I'm not sure I should do anything. The two of us can't fight Grimoire alone," I tell him.
"The three of us!" CORA declares over the PA system.
I chuckle. "But you can't really help us fight, you don't have a body, after all. Even if you did, three of us against an army wouldn't work out," I tell her.
"About that...I have some...plans...for things. I don't want to ruin the surprise, so come to the workshop!" CORA says happily. I exchange a glance with Cygnus, and the two of us walk to the workshop. Upon entering, CORA says, "Alright! Now, turn your attention to the monitor." We turn to look at the terminal that flickers to life and begins running through lines of code.
After a moment, it displays an image of my power armor. Then it slowly deconstructs it until only the components that provide power remain. Suddenly, all the wires, circuitry, and spell matrices shift. I look at the picture, but can't make sense of it. I don't understand how this would work at all. "CORA, what is this?" I ask her.
"This is a more efficient arrangement that will yield a fifteen times spark battery life!" She declares with glee.
"But, it doesn't make any sense. Why would you route power like that and use a matrix there? And that circuit near the tail? What is this?" I question her.
"It makes perfect sense! When I was in the armor last time, I asked the matrices how to increase efficiency, and I did like they said! Do you really not get it?" CORA asks.
"You talked to the matrices? As in, the spell matrices? Is that more of that, you talking to computers thing?" I ask.
"Yep!" She replies happily.
"Of course. Well, I suppose we can try it, if nothing else," I say, looking over the plans. I have no idea how this will work, but if I just follow the plans, it should work, according to CORA.
"I have a few other ideas," CORA speaks up, stopping me as I'm about to start gutting the armor.
Cygnus clears his throat. "I'm going to go...do something else. This is confusing as hell," He says, and leaves the workshop. He can memorize all sorts of materials that make weapons and armor, but a little tech talk confuses him? Well, I suppose it is easy to learn things that already exist, but things that are brand new? Heck, I'm even confused.
"Anyhow," CORA continues, "since you are going to gut the armor anyway, and we'll need to hammer out the dents anyway, I was thinking we should lighten it up, make it less bulky and hard to move. Maybe exchange some armor for some more joints, for when I'm the only one inside, allowing me to be more maneuverable?" She suggests.
I shrug. "I suppose. Without someone else in power armor to carry it around, making it lighter would be ideal. But...you seem to have an ulterior motive. What is it?" I ask her.
She giggles. "We really are the same, you know me so well. The lighter weight will help the power last longer. With the modifications I have in mind, a single spark battery will last approximately two and a half days," CORA informs me.
"That is a heck of an increase," I tell her. "From going through a few batteries in a matter of hours to going days on one." I look at the armor, then up at the camera in the room as I let out a sigh. "There's a catch, isn't there?" I ask her.
CORA laughs nervously. "That obvious, hu? Yea. Two and a half days, is if the armor is piloted by me. If you are inside, well, the single battery will last just twelve hours," She tells me.
"Twelve hours!?" I shout. "Am I that heavy? My weight drops the time by two whole days?" I ask.
"Yea..." She replies. "I also want to remove a minigun, or both, and possibly add on a simple rifle, maybe a sniper," She suggests.
"What? But the whole purpose of the armor was originally to provide overwhelming fire support! Like when Twinkle used four miniguns at once!" I tell her. "Wait..." I narrow my eyes at the camera. "You want this armor to be your body, don't you?" I ask.
"What!?" She stammers. "No, what would make you...yes..." CORA admits. Well, that explains her determination to extend the battery life as long as she can. And her suggested mobility upgrades.
I let out a sigh. "Alright, it is yours. As long as I can still get inside when I need to," I tell her. "So, no doubt you have plenty more suggestions. Tell me what you want," I say with a smirk.
"Well...I'll need to work the other guns as well, not just Raptor Blood. Additionally, I'll need a way to connect to terminals. And I have some plans for a rechargeable spark battery, though I think we only have the supplies to make one. Also, the paint job..." She trails off.
"What? But we picked out the paint job together! You liked it! Right?" I ask her.
"Well...I was kind of just going along with what you wanted. But now, I'd like some individuality in it. I've never had a body of my own, you know," She says sounding slightly guilty.
I sigh. "It's alright. So, weapon integration won't be too hard. I think we still have some rifles lying around. We should also have some cabling I can use to allow you to connect to terminals, that shouldn't be a problem. Paint is still left over from last time, too. About that rechargeable spark battery then, what do we need?" I ask her.
"That's the issue," CORA tells me. She flashes some things up on the terminal. Most of which we have. Ports for recharging using unicorn magic and recharging from syphoning generators. A few spare spell matrices I'll have to rework. But, the crucial component is missing. A spark battery that still has charge, and here we are fresh out.
"Well, aren't ponies moving into Ponyville again? Maybe one of them has one they can trade us," I ponder. "I'll start on the other upgrades for now. We can do the spark battery thing last. Ready for some work?" I ask her with a smirk.
"Of course!" She replies. "By the way," she starts, "that DJ seems to be broadcasting again. He's just been playing music so far, want me to broadcast the radio? This song is just about over."
"Sure, why not. Some music while we work would be nice," I reply. A moment later, music starts playing over the system. It is a song I vaguely remember from my teenage days, though the name of both the song and artist escape me. After a few more seconds, the song ends.
"Good Afternoon Wasteland!" DJ Pon3 says with a chuckle. "You can't believe how long I've been waiting to say that. Today is the first of many that I broadcast to not just the Manehatten area, but to all corners of Equestria! I owe it all to one gal, so if you are listening in, thank you, Labcoat!" He declares.
"Now, let's get on to the news! For those of you who aren't from Manehatten, I have news of a buck who wishes all of the wasteland harm. Grimoire is his name and he brings trouble with him. He poses as a trader, but don't let him fool you, he commands an army of raiders and he is hell bent on destroying everything in his path," DJ Pon3 says with a snarl.
"If you know him, you should stay away. If he's been to your town, arm yourselves. Cuz' he isn't there for your caps, he's just scouting for when he'll take your lives. And if you meet a mare in a white labcoat, do yourself a favor, and help her if you can. She's taking the fight to Grimoire. Watch yourselves out there," he says with concern.
"In the Manehatten area," He continues in a more relaxed tone, "civilization is rising from the ashes. Friendship City continues to expand and not too long ago, Labcoat tore through Raider Alley taking out a few dozen raiders in her path. Not only that, but I hear she's responsible for wiping out the ghouls that inhabited Tenpony Tower. Dozens, if not hundreds of ghouls inhabited the building, now, Tenpony is becoming a new haven in the wasteland. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello. Though if you're a raider or there for trouble, all you'll get is a bullet in return."
There he does talking me up again. Though, it does make Manehatten sound like a safer place, and from the sound of things, those snobby ponies that took over Tenpony plan to allow visitors. Perhaps things will work out up there after all.
"In other news, the former raider town of Ponyville is turning into a thriving little town. So if you have been steering clear of it, concerned about raiders, put those worries to rest. Stop by, give the town some business," DJ Pon3 says.
That's good. I'm glad the town is still there and hasn't been taken over by raiders again. All the more reason for me to stop by and see if I can trade anything.
"I've also heard reports of explosions to the north of Ponyville, across the mountains. While this area is mostly barren ruins of former croplands, it would be wise to steer clear of this area for the time being. Let whatever caused the explosions settle down. That's all for now, children. Stay safe out there. Here's classic from Sweetie Belle," He finishes and the voice of Sweetie Belle replaces him.
Well, it is good to know the DJ has settled in. Now then, let's settle in and work my magic on this suit of armor. I have a lot of work to do.
===~+~===
Many hours later, the armor is completely gutted and the frame of it has been reworked to be lighter. A few servos and gyros have been added to increase the mobility. All that is left now, is to add some of the other upgrades, and then it is off to Ponyville to get a spark battery, hopefully. But for now, it is time for a nap.
I go to the living quarters and plop down on my bed. Cygnus is already sound asleep on his bed. From the look of things, he fell asleep studying that book of his. Well, I am more than ready to join him in sleep, and in moments I do just that.
The following day, I go through the process of hooking up the armor's interior wiring and add the new upgrades to the armor. A terminal access port for it, allowing her control over the other guns, which have been replaced with a belt-fed assault rifle and and .308 sniper. Neither are the best quality, and ammo for either is low currently. Just need to pick some more up in Ponyville, I suppose.
I spend most of the day referencing the schematics on the terminal so I get the wiring right. A few times I catch myself doing what seems right, but then I look at the diagram again and see just how wrong I am. I end up having to undo my work multiple times and continue again. But finally, I get it right. "That should do it," I say, stretching my limbs. They've gotten quite still from hunching over the armor all day. "So, what kind of paint do you want on it?" I ask CORA.
"I was thinking a nice light brown or tan. Something that will blend in with the wasteland easy enough. It would be nice to paint the mane and tail of it a similar shade to your own, as well. And...let's keep the lynx paw. Though, we'll need to add another color around it to prevent it from being obscured by the tan paint we will add," CORA says.
I nod in agreement. "Sounds good, I think we should have enough tan paint. As for the blue, I'll have to mix some white in and make it a bit lighter. We'll use some of the black to outline the paw, make it stand out," I tell her.
I go to the supply room and get all the paint I need. I use some turpentine to remove the old paint we added, all except for the Lynx mark. Then, it is just a matter of making sure it looks good while I'm painting it. About an hour later, I take a step back and look over my handiwork. "I think it looks nice, what about you, CORA?" I ask her.
"Perfect!" She declares. "Now we just need to get a spark battery and work on the upgrade for that!" She says happily.
"Yes, and see if we can get some more ammo for your guns. How is Raptor Blood doing on 2mm EC rounds?" I ask her.
"It's good. Still have around 300 rounds. Railspike certainly stocked up on them when he bought the gun from Grimoire. Also, I've been thinking, my designation is kind of...outdated. Cryogenic Observer and Rehabilitation Assistant. We don't do much observing or helping with rehabilitation anymore." CORA says.
"In fact, once I have this body, I'll be able to support you in combat. I think a new designation is required. I would like to suggest Combat Operations and Research Assistant. Same acronym, so it won't be too confusing," She suggests.
I think about it for a moment. She does have a point, and with her body she will be able to help us in combat. Not only that, but she thought up these plans for the armor and its wiring, so the research part fits as well. "Alright," I tell her. "It sounds good, and we can still call you Cora anyway."
"Now then, I suppose I should get some rest before we set out to Ponyville tomorrow. No sense in going out now and having to spend the night there. I'm not sure we could afford a room to spend the night in," I mutter. A spark battery and ammo will be hard enough to swing. "I'll download you into the PipBuck in the morning and we'll set off," I tell her, as I leave the workshop.
"Sounds good, Ratchet!" She replies. "I'll run diagnostics on the lab's systems and think of more ways to further increase the efficiency of the armor in the meantime."
"Good, good. Keep up the good work, Cora," I say with a yawn. I wonder if we'll find a battery in Ponyville. I should also probably ask around for info on Grimoire. At the very least, maybe they have a problem I can help with. I need something to do other than staying cooped up in my lab. The longer I stay in here with my own thoughts, the more I'll start doubting myself. I need to stay strong, keep after Grimoire.
I prepare my things so we can leave for Ponyville tomorrow, and lay down to sleep.
===~+~===
Cygnus, Cora, and I set off to Ponyville in the morning. After a few hours, we reach the town. Much of the fortifications the raiders put up remain, but the townsfolk seem to have fortified them a bit more and repaired what the Rangers destroyed in their assault. The gates to the town are open and a single guard is standing watch on top of the wall.
They don't say anything as we enter, but keep an eye on us. It seems like only the area inside the walls is inhabited, I didn't see any one wondering around outside. But inside the walls, it is just like a normal town. Well, a normal wasteland town. I see a few guards, at least ponies with armor and weapons, walking around amidst the others.
A few are standing around talking. I approach one of the guards. "Excuse me, do you have a moment?" I ask the buck. He stops walking and turns to me, looking me over.
"How can I help you miss?" He asks. "You're a traveler, right? Or perhaps you are looking for residence?"
"Just a traveler. Does anyone in town trade? I'm looking for ammo and a spark battery," I tell him.
He nods and gestures toward a building. It has a...cap? Painted on the front, near the doorway. "Ingot is currently our only trader. He sells a little bit of everything. Not sure if he has any spark batteries, but if anyone does, it will be him," he tells me.
"Thanks," I reply. "Also, who's in charge here? Like, a guard captain or town leader?" I ask. "I need to get some information."
"Gunsmoke is who you want then. He's in the town hall, organizes the guard and is the defacto leader," he tells me.
"Alright, thank you very much," I say and begin to walk away. But he speaks up again before I get too far.
"Miss, mind your manners. We might be a small town, but each one of us serves in the guard. All of us are trained to fight and protect the town, even the children. They just don't serve in the guard yet. So if you are thinking of starting any trouble, think twice," He tells me sternly.
Now that he mentions it, all the ponies I've seen don't seem like normal civilians. They have a certain air about them, like they are keeping an eye out for trouble. "Don't worry," I tell him, "I'm just here for trade and information." He nods and continues on his way.
So, Gunsmoke and Ingot. I suppose I should see Gunsmoke first, see if there is anything I can do to earn some quick caps. Not to mention, I want to get information as soon as possible. Cygnus and I make our way to the town hall. It is a lot cleaner and less filled with bodies than when I last visited. Though, I'd be concerned if they left things as they were.
A unicorn mare is sitting behind the desk in the lobby and I notice a guard standing near the stairs. They both turn their attention to us as we walk in. I approach the mare and say, "Hey, I was wondering if I could talk to Gunsmoke?" She eyes me carefully with her blue eyes.
"Applying for residence, or are you here for something else?" The crimson coated mare replies.
"I was looking to get some info, and perhaps see if I can help out any?" I suggest. She narrows her eyes, but nods.
"Very well, go on up. I'll let him know you are coming," She tells me, gesturing to the stairs.
"Thank you," I say and head for the stairs. Cygnus and I make our way up to the mayor's office, and I knock on the door.
"Come in," A gruff voice calls from inside the room. I open the door and we step inside. The office is much like I left it, aside from a new, relatively speaking, couch in the room. A gray earth pony buck sits behind the desk and glares at us as we approach. We get about halfway to him and he says, "That's far enough."
He looks each of us over in turn, lingering on me the longest. After a moment, he speaks up again, "Eve tells me you want some info and are looking for work. Is that so?" I nod. He adjusts his sitting position placing a hoof to his chin. "You wouldn't happen to be Labcoat, would you?" He asks.
"I prefer Ratchet, but that's what the DJ calls me. I take it you've listened to him on the radio?" I ask.
"You could say that. Well, Ratchet, you and your associate, take a seat," He tells me, nodding to the couch. As we make our way to it, he continues. "That DJ's broadcasts are a double edged sword. Sure they get us more traffic from ponies looking for trade or a place to call home, but it also tells raiders where to find us," He says, shaking his head.
"Has that been much of an issue?" I ask him as I sit down.
"Not particularly, only a hoofful of raiders have come so far, and the whole town is trained in combat. But, enough about that. I'm Gunsmoke, the...leader, chief, whatever you want to call it, of Ponyville now. I suppose I somewhat owe you for clearing this place out," Gunsmoke says with a smirk.
"Not at all," I tell him. "They were raiders, I couldn't just let them continue hurting ponies." He chuckles at that.
"Too bad not everyone shares your sentiment. Plenty just run the other way instead of helping another. But, you want info, and a job perhaps? So, how can I help you?" He says with a serious expression.
"Well, before we jump into that, I'm curious how you all found your way to Ponyville in the first place," I ask him.
"Not a pleasant story, but what the hay. Most of us lived in a town out west near a railway junction, we called it Railyard. Was essentially where maintenance was done on trains before the war. Well, one day some raiders came in force. Gave us an ultimatum. Join them, or die. Well, we didn't rightly want to join them, and we didn't want to die. So we hunkered down and fought," Gunsmoke explains.
"Though back then, I was only in charge of a hoofful of guards, and the mayor and I never saw eye to eye. Long story short, most of the town got slaughtered when the raiders broke through the rear. I managed to rally the guards that remained and we got away with a few civilians," He tells me.
"We went east from there, and eventually got here. Once we found this place, I took charge and threw down a declaration that everyone who lives here must know how to fight. With the small amount of us left, we would need everyone to do just to keep watch around the clock. No one argued, I think they learned the mistake of having only specific ponies knowing how to fight," Gunsmoke shakes his head.
"Place was gruesome when we got here though, but I think you know that. We cleaned it up, and fortified it a bit, and here we are now. But you're not here for a history lesson. Shall we get down to business?" He asks.
I nod. "First of all, you've heard of Grimoire, right?" I ask, he nods. "I'm looking for information on him and his army. 'Discordia' he calls it. Have you heard or seen anything about them?" I ask. Gunsmoke raises an eyebrow.
"Discordia, you say?" He asks. "If I remember correctly, the raiders that attacked our town yelled something like that. Never heard the name Grimoire mentioned by them though. He might not have been there himself," He mutters.
I blink in surprise. I didn't expect him to have run directly into Discordia. "And you said Railyard was west of here?" I ask, he nods. "I wonder. Does that mean his base of operations is west of Canterlot?" I mutter.
"I don't know," Cygnus chimes in. "If that is the case, his army went pretty far to hit that town near Hollow Shades. As of this moment, we know four locations he has attacked. Railyard, Ponyville, Stable 36, and that town near Hollow Shades. Most are west, but it is hard to say with just four places," He says.
Gunsmoke nods. "Your friend is right. For all we know, he could be inside Canterlot mountain, up north, down south, Everfree maybe. But they are too spread out. Unless he has enough raiders to cover almost all the wasteland, he has to be based somewhere," Gunsmoke says.
Thinking back to the raider dead in 36, and the fact Grimoire said he could have brought more, I really hope he doesn't have a massive army covering the wasteland. "Maybe they were just the gangs he has absorbed, and not his primary force?" I suggest. "He does pose as a trader, so he has gotten around. Maybe all the gangs he absorbs doesn't necessarily join with his main force, but remains in their area to strengthen his hold there?"
"If that is the case, he will be even harder to pin down," Gunsmoke says. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help. I want this bastard dead for what he did to Railyard, but we aren't an army or anything. We can ask travelers about him, but we don't have the resources to search around," He says.
I shake my head. "Yea, that is for the best. I don't expect you to help fight him, I just want to know where he's at," I tell him.
Gunsmoke rubs his chin. "Keep listening to that DJ. His informants come through here often enough. If I get any info on Grimoire or Discordia, I can pass it along to him. You'll be able to hear it that way," he tells me.
"Right," I say. This isn't a huge step to finding Grimoire, but it is a step in the right direction. I didn't expect to find his location right away, so finding any information is better than none. "Switching subjects, would you happen to have any work? I could use some caps for some ammo and what not," I ask him.
Gunsmoke looks thoughtful for a moment. "There isn't much, but I think Ingot, our trader is working on a couple of automated turrets. We managed to bring two with us from Railyard, both pretty damaged. If you think you can help him out with those, I'm sure he'll give you a discount or something," He informs me.
I nod. "That sounds just up my alley. I need to see Ingot anyhow, so that'll work out. Alright," I get up from the couch. "I'll be going now, but I'll stop by another time," I tell him.
"Sounds good. Just let Eve know when you stop by, I've got plenty of work to do here, between fixing things up, managing resources, and training the guards, so I won't always be in the office," Gunsmoke tells me.
"Of course," I nod. "Till next time," I say and Cygnus and I make our way to the door. Gunsmoke bids us a final farewell as I close it behind us. "Alright, to Ingot's I guess," I mutter as we descend the stairs.
"Gunsmoke seems like a decent buck," Cynus says. "Has a tactful mind as well. Though, I'd find his willingness to help us odd, if not for his previous town being overrun."
I nod in agreement. "Yea, Grimoire is a threat, and Gunsmoke knows it. I'm not entirely sure of his intentions, but if he's willing to help us look for Grimoire, I don't mind too much. Anyhow, let's go fix up some turrets!" I declare. Cygnus just chuckles in reply.
===~+~===
"You're here about the turrets then?" Ingot asks in confirmation. He is an eccentric older buck. His mane and beard gray with age and his brown coat is shedding in places. "Very well, come and take a look. Can't figure them out myself, but if you think you can get them running have at 'em," He says, leading us to the back of his shop.
Ingot's shop is a regular home, just with tables full of stuff in the living room that is right inside the door. Behind a few tables made to look like a counter, we enter into the kitchen. I doubt anything is actually cooked here anymore, however. Parts and tools cover the counters, and on the table in the center of the room are two turrets.
Honestly, it is more of a workshop than a kitchen. I can see odd combinations of guns and strange machines on the counter, all half built, or half taken apart? I can't really tell which. "What is all this....stuff?" I ask him, avoiding calling it junk.
"Just some of my tinkerings," Ingot explains. "I'm something of an inventor. Though, when it comes to high-tech fancy gizmos like magical components or complicated electronics, I'm a bit out of my element."
"Why are you working on the turrets then? Isn't someone else more qualified?" I ask. Ingot walks over to the turrets, eyeing them suspiciously.
"Used to be, back in Railyard. But now, I'm the only folk in town who's good with his hooves, when it comes to tinkering, anyhow," He replies. "I fixed up most of the hull damage, but the inner working really get my goat, so to speak."
"I see," I mutter, stepping up to the turrets and looking at them. I've never seen this model of turret before. It is basically a cylinder on a tripod with a barrel pointing out of one side. Though, my experience with turrets is pretty minimal to begin with. Mostly ceiling mounted turrets, really.
Ingot opens a compartment on one of the turrets, exposing the interior components. Lots of wires, a few spell matrices, that's the targeting talisman...I look more closely at the wiring. "Did you happen to rewire this one?" I ask him.
"Yes ma'am. Was a hell of a job too, this turret got shot up quite a bit, cut most of the wires in half. No idea if they are going where they need to be, or if I added extra wires," He replies. Yea, that makes sense.
"Ok, let me see here..." I trail off as I grab some wires in my magic and begin to trace them. I run into ends that aren't hooked up a few times. After a few minutes, I basically start pulling out useless wires. "Did you just throw wires in here?" I ask him with irritation.
"Well, I wasn't exactly sure when a wire was split in two or when it was just disconnected. So I kind of took all the lengths of wire and replaced them with a new one," ingot explains.
"Yea...I'm pretty sure half of these aren't even," I pause as I yank out a ball of wires. Not attached to anything, mind you. "Scratch that, most of these wires aren't even necessary," I finish. "Can you get me some glue?" I ask, looking at the roomy interior. "And some tape, perhaps?"
Ingot goes to a counter and gets a bottle of wonderglue and some duct tape. "Thanks," I say. "Now then, this goes here...and this one here, I think this goes here. Cora, any thoughts? No? Ok. Uhh..." I trail off as I glue and tape some wires, making them run more efficiently through the casing.
After a few minutes, I think I'm finished. "Ok, try switching it on?" I suggest. Ingot nods, and hits a button on it. It shudders and begins to vibrate. Then, it slows down and starts to sweep the barrel back and forth. "I think it's working. Right?" I ask him in confirmation.
"Should be. We'll need to hook it to a terminal and add some targeting info to it, but that's Gunsmoke's knowledge base. He's also got the ammo," Ingot chuckles. "Dono why he didn't trust me with it." I can't imagine why.
"On to the next one then," I mutter and open the casing of the other turret. I narrow my eyes as I look inside. "Did you take wires from this one and put them in the other one?" I ask Ingot.
"Yep. I figured if I couldn't get them both working, I might as well try for one," He replies.
"Well, that explains why there are no wires in here at all. I look at the working turret's insides and compare them with the empty one. "At least all the major components are here. Though...Do you have any circuit boards?" I ask him.
He looks around the kitchen, wanders back into the living room and shouts back, "Got two!"
"Bring me one," I call back out to him. "What a pain," I mutter. The first turret was just a wiring issue, this one seems to just be missing a circuit board and all of its wires. Ingot brings in the circuit board and I hook it into the turret. "Ok, give me like 30 minutes and I'll have this one working too," I declare and set to work.
Thirty minutes later, filled with a lot of comparing the other turret to this one, and I manage to get this one running as well. "Alright Ingot, the turrets are up and running!" I declare. He inspects the work and nods in approval.
"Now, I think you mentioned Gunsmoke said I should give you a discount?" He asks, I nod. "Alright, 10% off everything," Ingot says.
"Ten percent?" I ask disappointedly. Well, I mean it wasn't like the job was that hard.
Ingot looks at me curiously, pulling at his beard. "I suppose I can also part with one item for free, if ya want. Regardless of price. Help yourself," he tells me with a slight grin.
Well, that is better than nothing, I suppose. I nod and begin poking around the tables. Spark battery, spark battery...Here! Wait, not, that one's dead. I look through the contents of three more tables before I find one. "I'll take this," I tell him, holding up the spark battery.
"Very well," Ingot nods. "Anything else I can help ya with?" He asks. I explain I'm looking for ammo of the 5.56 and .308 variety. He pulls out some ammo cases from under one of the tables and opens them up. Tons of bullets are in both, thankfully sorted according to type, unlike the tables with stuff laying on them randomly.
"How much for each round?" I ask him, hoping that it isn't too expensive.
"Well, a 10% discount is fairly hard to apply to ammo, unless they are rockets. I'll just take a cap off each. That'll be 3 caps per 5.56 round and 5 caps per .308 round," Ingot decides with a nod.
That's not too awfully bad. Shouldn't need a lot of .308, and Cora should be more accurate than me anyhow, I hope anyway. "I'll go with forty rounds of .308 and, let's say three hundred rounds of 5.56?" I tell him. He nods and starts counting them out, one by one.
"One...two...three...four..." Ingot says, setting them on the counter as he goes. It is agonizingly slow. After a while though, he reaches 40 rounds of .308. I give him the 200 caps and he gives me the ammo. He then starts counting out the 5.56 rounds.
I stop him as he gets to three. "Say, how much for just the entire case of 5.56?" I ask him, really not wanting to stand around waiting for him to count to three hundred. I pulls at his beard as he inspects the case.
"I'd put it around five thousand caps," he tells me with a nod.
"Five thousand? There is no way there are one thousand five hundred some rounds in that case," I shout. He just raises an eyebrow.
"Well, you said you wanted the whole case. Ammo is 3 caps each, but the case itself is more than three thousand," he says.
"Wait, wait, wait, you were figuring the cost of the case into the total? I don't want the case, just all the ammo in it. And why is the case worth that much?" I stammer.
"It is a very nice case," Ingot mutters. I hear Cygnus snicker behind me. "You should have said you only wanted the ammo in the first place," he tells me, looking at the case once more. "I guess around one thousand two hundred for all the rounds?" He says. "That's with the discount," he adds.
That would amount to around 400 rounds, if we cost each one at 3 caps each. "Deal," I tell him. I give him the caps, and pour the rounds into my bags. Using my PipBuck's inventory manager, I see the number of rounds is 413. I think for a moment, and count out 39 more caps, and give them to Ingot. "There were 413 rounds in the case, don't want to rip you off, you know," I tell him.
He gives me a smile and he sweeps of caps into a sack. Well, now I'm basically broke. I'll have to find some place to loot, or some way to earn some caps. But for now, I got all I need to fix up that armor! I bid Ingot farewell and Cygnus and I leave his shop.
"Well, this was a pretty productive day. Relatively normal, compared to the previous week," Cygnus says. "We didn't get shot at, do any shooting, nor did we discover the scene of a massacre."
I groan. "Don't jinx it. I mean come on, who points out how normal a day has been? Especially now. Hell, especially since our definition of normal is back before the war. Something bad is going to happen now, I just know it," I mutter, shaking my head.
Cygnus chuckles. "I didn't take you for the superstitious type," he teases. "Black cats creep you out too? What about walking under ladders?"
"Yea, keep laughing. But I'd rather not tempt the wasteland. With all the crazy stuff we've seen, who knows, maybe some of those superstitions came true," I tell him as we exit Ponyville.
He smirks. "I'll tell you what, if something happens, I'll buy you a drink or something," Cygnus says.
I snort. "Yea, with whose caps? I don't remember you picking any up, nor selling stuff," I reply.
"I could always just summon some stuff to sell and make some caps that way," He chuckles.
I frown at him. "Absolutely not. That's basically stealing," I tell him sternly.
He sticks out his tongue. "I was only joking, Ratchet. No need to get so heated," He says. We keep chatting as we walk, and soon reach the foothills of the mountain. We start climbing our way up, when a bright light suddenly blinds me.
I raise my left leg to shield my eyes as I yell, "Damn it Cygnus, what did you do?"
"You mean that wasn't you?" Cygnus replies. "I can't see shit." For a few moments we argue back and forth, but a deep laugh suddenly erupts from close by. I blink a few times as my vision begins to clear and return to normal. It is still a bit spotty, but I can make out another figure near us.
The outline is that of a pony. My vision slowly gets better as the figure approaches. I quickly realize this isn't good and begin to draw my pistol from its holster. But as I do so, the figure get right up in front of me, causing me to hesitate. At that moment, my vision clears enough to see the figure.
Brown coat, gray mane, and the red piercing eyes. "Grimoire..." I mutter as my eyes grow wide. His mouth twists into a smile.
"Hello, Ratchet," Grimoire replies venomously. With those words, his horn flashes again, but instead of blinding light, all I see is darkness.
===~+~===
Quest Updated:
The Chaos Crusade - New Objective: Escape. |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 20 - Tongue Twister (Dirty Version) | Chapter 20 - Tongue Twister
"I bet you can't say that ten time fast."
===~+~===
When I wake up, I'm...tied to a fucking bed again. Ugh, my head is killing me. "Hey, Cora, what happened?" I ask her. Her face appears looking concerned.
She doesn't speak, but instead pops up speech bubbles, "You were abducted...again. I saw Grimoire among them. This building is a lot bigger and has a lot more raiders in it, with only Cygnus looking for us...It doesn't look good."
"Lovely," I mutter. "You able to hack into a spritebot and lead him here? If I can somehow find my way out of these ropes, maybe together we can fight our way out?" I ask her.
Cora nods, "There are a few bots nearby I can use. I'll find him and get him close. I'll be back when we're in position. Be careful, Ratchet." With that, she disappears from my vision.
"Ok," I mutter. Now then, let's just untie these ropes and..." I'm unable to use my magic. It seems...fuzzy. Did they drug me with something? Shit. Plan...B? I try and stretch my neck to the ropes around my forehooves, but I can't quite reach them. Fuck. Now I need to come up with a Plan C...
While thinking, I tug at my bindings and survey the room. I'm on an oddly clean and comfortable bed, each of my limbs tied to one of the bedposts. Undoubtedly, this is a bedroom. Opposite the bed is a window with a dresser underneath it. A few lit candles are on top of it. Some tattered paintings are on the walls, and a door is to my right.
Speaking of which, I hear hoofsteps on the other side of it. "Oh ho, she's finally awake, is she?" A mare's voice asks.
"Sounds like it," a buck responds. "I take it you will want to have your...fun now?" He asks.
"Indeed," the mare says with a hint of excitement in her voice. "So, be a good buck and get lost. And make sure to remind anyone who would peek what happened to the last poor fellow, will you?" She says with a giggle.
"Y-yes ma'am. T-take your time," the buck replies nervously. I hear his hoofsteps leaving the door as it slowly swings open.
A familiar mare enters the room with a beaming smile on her face. "Remember me?" She says as she closes the door silently. Shit, I do remember her. "The look on your face tells me you do! Oh, I'm so glad. You recall my brother too, right? Snarl? The one you and your friends killed?"
Oh yes, this was bad. The buck who wanted to torture me to death last time, Snarl. Which means, this must be his sister, "Shrill, right?" I ask, attempting to buy time like I did before with Grimoire.
"Oh you do remember me! And just between us girls, Snarl wasn't really my brother. We just grew up together in the same orphanage. Everyone just thought we were siblings because of how close we were. You know how siblings are, giving each other a hard time and the like," Shrill explains.
"But, while his teasing and tomfoolery was playful, mine was genuine hate. I never really liked him, so you did me a favor getting rid of him. And I wanted to play with you too, so it all works out!" She tells me, fidgeting on her hooves.
"How did Grimoire even find out I was still alive?" I ask her.
She rolls her eyes, "Well, Snarl not coming back was a good indication, not to mention that DJ Pon3 seems to be singing your praises. You're asking the wrong question. You should ask, why are you still alive now, if anything."
I give her a slight smile, "Ok then, why am I still alive?" She lets out a giggle, stepping up to the bedside.
"That was my doing. Grimoire wants you dead, he wants to study your physiology. Thinks you might have something special inside you that keeps you alive," Shrills says with a shake of her head. "But I said I wanted revenge for Snarl. Truthfully, I just wanted a chance to play with you. So, I'll play with you and then turn your body over to Grimoire!"
"What, you're going to torture me to death like Snarl?" I ask her, my pulse starting to rise.
She scoffs. "Of course not, I'm nothing like that barbarian. I have a refined taste, miss Ratchet," she says, drawing out my name as she climbs onto the bed. She gets on top of me, bringing her muzzle inches from mine. "You see, I like pleasure as opposed to pain. The two of us are going to have some fun together," she tells me before licking my cheek.
Keeping her tongue on my body, she moves it down my neck and onto my chest. I swallow, "You don't mean..." I trail off as her tongue continues down my abdomen.
"Oh yes, Ratchet," she says, with a heavy breath as her head positions itself between my thighs. She brings her head close and licks me. In reflex I try to close my legs and keep her away, but I'm unable to move them any measurable distance. "Where Snarl liked torture, I like rape," she mutters before continuing to lick me.
I fight it for a few minutes, but after a while a moan slips from my lips. "Oh ho, I knew you'd have a cute voice, Ratchet," Shrill teases. She draws her head from between my thighs and turns around over me, putting her flank in my face.
"Now, I know you can't use your magic, but I assume you can still use your tongue, right? You've been talking with me, after all. So, lick," she says with a giggle. I stare at her rump as she begins licking again.
"You want me to..." I start, but she cuts me off.
"Ratchet, lick. I don't like inflicting pain, but if you don't do as you're told, I'll make this unpleasant for you," she tells me. "So, lick." She sways her hips above me. "Come on Ratchet, I'm waiting," she sings.
I close my eyes as I contemplate this and mentally prepare myself for either pain or performing cunnilingus. I feel drops of liquid strike my muzzle. I open my eyes sheepishly, and stare up at her. She is excessively wet. "Last chance, Ratchet. Get licking," She coos, sounding slightly irritated.
I swallow and stick out my tongue. I tentatively give her one, long, lick. She moans as I do so, and her hips shake. "Good girl, keep going!" Shrill tells me, lowering her herself closer to me. I continue, apprehensively.
After a few minutes, my body can't take anymore and I shake uncontrollably and Shrill proclaims, "Ah ha! It looks like I win round one! Though, I've had plenty of practice." She's panting fairly heavily. "It was, a...a close one though," she comments.
"You...your...too good..." I tell her, trying to catch my breath. Somewhere along the way, I got really into it. At first, I was just trying to buy some time...but damn, it has been a while.
Shrill giggles and says, "Damn right I am. You're not too bad yourself, so, let's jump right into round two!" And with that she begins licking again.
"N-No fair!" I call out as my legs continue to tremble. Despite this, I start licking her again.
"Oh ho, someone's determined!" She says in a sultry voice, redoubling her own efforts.
After another hour of trading orgasms back and forth, she finally collapses on top of me, twitching. "Oh my..." she says, sounding dazed. "You've certainly improved. Who's in the lead now?" She says.
"I...I don't even know..." I reply. "But, I'm pretty sure it is me," I tell her.
She lets out a giggle and gives me another lick. "You wish. But, I think you've gotten into this. I don't think you need these anymore," she says as she undoes my bindings. "There, now...oh! I almost forgot, you still can't use your magic, can you?" She asks.
"No, it is like a fuzziness is blocking it," I tell her. She rolls off of me and onto the floor. I retract my limbs and rub where the ropes were holding me, watching her curiously.
Shrill uses her magic and floats a syringe out from under the bed. "Here's the antidote," she tells me as she injects me with it. Immediately, I can feel my magic returning. "Now then..." she says, climbing back into the bed next to me.
"Let's start the count over and continue, shall we?" She asks with a sly grin.
I've still not heard back from Cora, so... "Let's," I answer.
===~+~===
After a few more hours, Cora finally appears in my vision. But, she quickly disappears without saying anything. It might have been my imagination, but I think she was blushing too. A few minutes later, Shrill and I finish together and lay under the bed sheets, panting.
"Oh Celestia, Ratchet. I think...I think you're the one I've been looking for," Shrill says, glancing over at me.
"What do you mean?" I ask her.
"The whole reason I got into this business, the whole reason I rape. I've been looking for someone who could properly please me," she replies.
"What? I find it hard to believe no one has ever gotten you off before," I tell her.
"Oh Goddesses no. But they've all felt very...lackluster. Like something was missing. I've been at this for years. Started back when I was a filly. Bedding any colt or filly I could. Of course, when I matured, I began going after mares and bucks," Shrill explains.
"Though," she continues, "I soon learned that bucks would use you just for sex or use sex as a means to steal from you. Mares were more trustworthy, but suspicious of my advances. So I had to keep forming relationships before bedding anyone."
"But that soon proved tedious and not worth it. Not to mention, I often forgot the faces and names of those I previously screwed. Once I realized this, I decided to join Snarl, who was already working with a gang. I decided that I'd just force ponies into sex and when I finished, I'd just off them," Shrill says.
"Wait wait wait," I say, confused. "So, you rape and kill ponies just so you can find someone who can properly please you?" I ask her.
"Well, yes. But before you jump to conclusions, they were bad ponies...mostly. Opposing gang members and the like. It was kind of hard getting innocent ponies into my bed, since most of them knew me already," She explains.
"So, you never killed any innocent ponies?" I ask her, accusation evident in my voice.
"I never had the time to kill innocents. Once we merged into Grimoire's organization, I became too busy. Honestly, this is the first time I've done this in a while. Grimoire keeps me busy with diplomatic work between gangs, mostly. Or assassination leaders of gangs that won't join us," She tells me.
"Not even the Rangers in Stable 36?" I ask.
"No!" She says, "I was out west talking with one of the gangs out that way. Heavy fighting isn't my thing. Look Ratchet, I know this might be hard to believe, but I'm not a bad pony. Just...misguided, I suppose. But with you, I could..." She begins, but I cut her off.
"What do you mean? You're going to kill me and give my corpse to Grimoire, remember?" I tell her, anger rising in my voice.
"Well...Ratchet...I uh...was thinking and...well...I kind of want to...join you?" Shrill asks.
I look at her in shocked confusion. "Join me? After working for Grimoire?" I shout.
"Ratchet, like I said, I'm not bad, I was just looking for someone...for you. I just kind of got sucked into this whole Grimoire thing once he absorbed Snarl's gang...I didn't really want to, but I didn't know what else to do, how else to live..." she trails off. Her face is a mix of sadness, shame, and a bit of...hope?
I pause, thinking for a moment. "Let's say I do let you join me, even if I say yes, how would we get out of here? I'm unarmed and this place is crawling with raiders, isn't it?" I ask.
Shrill lets out a sigh. "Well, I could probably get your gear and load up my stuff. Together, we might be able to sneak out, or fight our way out, if things get messy. And...if necessary...I'll hold them off when you escape," She says.
Most of what she just said was hesitant and skeptical, but that last sentence...She said it confidently and without hesitation. She'd actually be willing to die for me? Just because I...pleasured her to her liking?
While thinking, gunfire suddenly starts erupting from below us. Does that mean Cygnus is here? Why didn't Cora tell me?
"What is..." Shrill says, looking towards the door. "Hold on a second Ratchet, I'll..." She starts to get up, but I hold out a hoof.
"Let's just wait here. I'm pretty sure that's Cygnus, and if it is, I doubt he'd charge in without a decent plan," I tell her. We both sit up in the bed.
"Alright, if you say so..." Shrill says.
For the next few minutes, the two of us sit silently in the bed as the building echoes gunfire, screams, and shouts. Just when we think it is over, another round of shooting and yelling begins.
Suddenly, the door to the room is kicked in and Cygnus emerges into the room. "Ratch..." he stops mid shout, pointing the gun at us.
"Don't shoot!" I yell at him. "She's alright, she's safe!"
He slowly lowers his gun and seems like he wants to say something. But his mouth just keeps opening and closing as he looks at us. After about a minute of him just standing there, his gun and armor disappear and that seems to snap him out of his daze.
He clears his throat. "Uh yes. The building's clear, so uh, I'll be...uh, downstairs...uh, looting?" I says and immediately turns around.
"Oh ho," Shrill says after he leaves. "That was a neat trick with the gun and armor. But he seemed odd, does he always act that strange?" She asks.
I chuckle. Everyone is always intrigued by Cygnus' magic. "I don't know why he was acting that way..." I tell her. But as I look over us and the bed...the sheets basically soaked with sweat and fluids, our manes and coats a complete mess...yea, I get it now.
Clearing my throat I say, "We should uh, probably straighten ourselves up."
"What for?" She says, looking at me. Then at herself. "Oh ho, I get it now. How cute of him...what a shy buck." We both get to our hooves and get our manes and coats in order.
"Right then, let's get you two introduced," I tell her as I start walking over to the door.
"Of course!" Shrill declares. "I should get to know my new comrade."
As we walk though the hall, I feel I have to say something. I feel like I'm misleading her. "So, uh...Shrill...I'm not exactly, you know...into mares," I tell her.
She stops and looks at me with a shocked expression. "What!? After what you did in the bedroom...so, you prefer bucks then?" She asks.
"Well, no, not exactly. I'm not really into anyone," I tell her. "It is kind of hard to explain..."
She stares at me for a few moments with an eyebrow raised. "Ah! I see, so you aren't attracted to males or females?" She asks, with a tiny smirk.
"I suppose that's a way to look at it. I've just never really had the urge to be together with anyone," I explain.
Her eyes widen. "Oh ho...So that means that you were...Oh my...a virgin?" she shouts. "I took your first time? Oh ho...lucky me! Well, I suppose I didn't exactly take it properly, did I? Your hymen is still intact, is it not?" She asks.
"Hu? What?" I stammer. "Yes, but...I don't think you get me. I'm not looking for a relationship or anything," I tell her.
"Oh yes, I know. You just haven't properly fallen for me yet," Shrill says with a beaming smile. "I understand. Well, well, I'll win over your love and affection and take your virginity properly! Mark my words, Ratchet," she says, giving me a wink before continuing on down the hallway ahead of me.
I look after her, confused. "What the fuck just happened..." I mutter as I follow her downstairs.
Once we rejoin Cygnus, I introduce him and Shrill. Cora also appears in my vision again, so I get the opportunity to introduce them too. I explain, more or less, that she'll be joining up with us. I leave out the racy details. Turns out, Cora thought, rightly so, that I was being raped, and told Cygnus to attack.
Cygnus charged in the building in full military-grade riot gear armed with a combat shotgun loaded with explosive shells. Needless to say, the building now looks like a slaughterhouse, painted red and littered with body parts.
With the introductions and pleasantries out of the way, Cygnus finally drops the bomb. "You two smell like sex. It is disgusting, will you two go clean off or something? This place has a bathroom, right?" He asks.
I blush, but Shrill smiles and says, "Indeed it does. Let's go Ratchet, I'll show you the way. You can go first while I gather your things for you. It will give me time to get my things together before we leave. No telling when Grimoire will be back," she says.
I get enter the bathroom and Shrill goes about her business. I fill the tub with more than likely irradiated water, and hop in it, thankful for the chance to bathe.
===~+~===
"By the way, what's with your cutie mark?" I ask Shrill. It looks like a tongue dripping venom. "Also, what's your fighting style?" It would be good to know before we get into a fight.
Shrill smiles and says, "The explanation is one and the same. My cutie mark signifies my deadly tongue." She winks at me. "More precisely, my ability to talk my way into and out of situations. Those situations being, assassinations."
Her magic grabs her knife and pistol from her holster. The knife is a sleek black piece that looks easy to conceal. The pistol is a custom, black, 10mm with a silencer on it. "I talk my way into my target's bed, and kill them. Then, I talk my way out of the building. Raiders are stupid, so I usually pin the blame on one of them," she explains.
"So, stealth," Cygnus summarizes. Shrill rolls her eyes.
"Sure, yes, stealth. If you want to be simplistic about it," she replies. Cygnus chuckles.
"Well, I doubt you'll be doing much of the whole, talking your way into a target's bed thing with us. We tend to get caught up in large, chaotic battles," Cygnus explains. "Besides, I doubt Ratchet would like it if you go sleeping around," He teases.
"Actually, I don't ca..." I start, but Shrill cuts me off.
"Oh my, you're absolutely right! Sorry Ratchet, I won't sleep around. You're the only one I'll give myself to!" Shrill exclaims. Cygnus chuckles, which causes Shrill to shoot him a glare. "Does this one have to accompany us, Ratchet?" She asks.
I sigh. This is my life now. "Yes Shrill, he's the only one out of the three of us who can actually fight. I miss all the time, and you're the stealthy type, so...he stays," I tell her.
"Looks like you're stuck with me, Shrill," Cygnus teases her. He then looks at me. "Ratchet, can I have a word?" He asks, glancing at Shrill. "In private?" Shrill rolls her eyes and starts walking on ahead of us. After she is out of earshot, we start walking slowly after her.
"You trust her? Just like that? Was she really that good, or is it something else?" He asks me.
Letting out a sigh, I begin, "Like I've been saying, I'm not really into all that relationship junk. I don't think she's that bad. I thought about it, and I don't think she's trying to trick us. Why would she? Even if she is working for Grimoire, why join with us? He wants me dead, he could have killed me outright. There is no reason for him to send Shrill to spy on or or something," I explain.
"I guess you have a point," Cygnus mutters. "We should keep an eye on her, for a whole, at least. She might not be working for Grimoire anymore, but she might have an ulterior motive."
I nod in agreement. "Could be. She is a trickster. But I don't think she means us any harm. Might be using us to get something she wants. But, let's keep our suspicions between us. No need to ostracise her. We'll need her watching our backs, and we'll have to watch hers," I tell him.
Cygnus sighs. "I know, I know. Trust between comrades is important. If you mistrust the ones watching your back, you're bound to fail. Anyhow, we should catch up to her. Don't want her wandering into a fight without us."
"Yea, that would be bad. She has info on Discordia and Grimoire we won't find anywhere else," I say as we quicken our pace. We catch up to her in a few minutes.
"Finally, I thought I lost you two," Shrill says as we catch up. "So, where are we going?" She asks.
I stop walking, causing both her and Cygnus to stop as well. "I thought you were leading us back to where I was taken from?" I ask her.
She looks at me in surprise. "I don't know where Grimoire snagged you from. I was following you," She replies, and then glares at Cygnus.
"I was just walking," Cygnus says with a smirk. "You two just happened to be where I was walking." Shrill rolls her eyes as I shake my head.
"Cora, where the hell are we?" I ask her, looking at my PipBuck. I pull up the map screen and look around.
"We are just south of Foal Mountain, a ways across the river," Cora answers.
"Well, at least we aren't too far. I guess we can go through the canterlot mountain train tunnel to get back to the lab. Wait...is that tunnel filled with those bat things as well?" I ask, looking at Shrill.
"Bat things?" She asks. "You mean, bloodwings? I don't think so. I think that is only the north-south tunnel. East-west should be fine."
"Right, let's go that way then," I say, looking at my map one last time. "And of course," I sigh, "we've been walking in the wrong direction. Seriously Cygnus, this is why you don't go around saying 'this has been normal today', temping fate and junk," I say, giving him a look.
"Oh," Shrill says with a smile. "Are you superstitious Ratchet?" She asks with a hint of laughter in her voice. I immediately regret saying anything. This is going to be a thing now, isn't it?
"Yes she is," Cygnus says with a smile. "Scared of black cats, ladders, and all that."
"Oh come on, I am not!" I yell. Both of them snicker. "Seriously. I mean it. You just don't go around saying certain phrases though. 'Could this get any worse?', 'today has been pretty normal', 'that could never happen', that sort of stuff."
"Ok, Ratchet. I understand," Shrill says as she stops laughing and goes back to normal. Then she looks behind me and her eyes go wide as she points a hoof and yells, "Look out Ratchet! Salt! Don't spill it!" And burst out into laughter again, joined by Cygnus.
I roll my head and let out a groan. "Ughhhh, let's goooo," I say and I begin to walk away. I hear them walking after me, but they are laughing so hard their steps are uneven.
"Wait Ratchet!" Cygnus calls out, "Don't step on a crack!" Oh Celestia, this is my life now. Just keep walking, ignore them...just keep walking.
===~+~===
After an excruciatingly long journey, mainly due to all the snickering and jokes at my expense, we reach my lab. It is odd how two ponies who started off suspicious of each other got so close, so quickly. You'd almost not know that Shrill was trying to win my affection and Cygnus thinks he owes me for letting him out.
But thankfully, as soon as the door opens to the lab, Shrill is left speechless. Well, for a while at least. "This is...where you life?" She says in amazement.
"Yep. It's no stable, but it is home. Complete with living quarters, a medical area, and a bathroom," I say with a smile.
"A bathroom you say? Such luxury. I've seen bathrooms though, nothing special there," Shrill says, looking around.
"Hey Cygnus, want to show her around, let her pick out a bed and what not? I want to get to work on Cora's armor," I ask him. Cygnus nods, but Shrill raises an eyebrow.
"Cora's armor? Does an AI need armor?" She asks.
"You'll see," I tell her with a smile. "Show her the workshop last, and take your time. I might be able to finish up before you get to me."
"Sure thing, come along Shrill, we'll start in medical," Cygnus says and he starts to walk away with Shrill trotting excitedly after him. Given how excited she seems, I don't think Grimoire lives in the most luxurious of locations. Not like that narrows down the search much.
I head to the workshop and begin tinkering on the spark battery according to Cora's designs. As I build it, I hear Shrill shout, "IT'S SO CLEAN!" I can't help but snicker.
It takes a bit, but I manage to produce the rechargeable battery. "Now then, let's charge it up and hook it in," I mutter as I use the magic charging port and focus my magic into it. After a few minutes, my strength is sapped, but the battery is full.
"You ready, Cora?" I ask as I plug the battery into the armor.
"Of course, Ratchet!" Cora replies. "But, let's wait a moment. Cygnus and Shrill are heading our way."
A few moments later, the door opens and the two enter. "The bathroom...it is so clean..." Shrill says as she enters. "How?" She asks.
Cygnus and I chuckle. "I'm kind of a stickler for cleanliness. When I first woke up and got back here, all of us cleaned it once we cleared out some rubble blocking the tunnels," I tell her. "But now, you asked earlier about Cora's armor? Well, I finished so it is time to feast your eyes on my genius!" I cough and make a correction, "Cora's genius, she made the plans. I just did the work."
I plug into the armor and transfer Cora in. "Alright Cora, go ahead with start up procedures!" I declare.
"Sounds good!" She replies. "Initial system diagnostics...complete. Systems online. Running power diagnostics...98.7% efficiency. Initiating AI override, assuming control." The armor's visor glows a icy blue and the armor trembles for a moment. "Full control has been transferred, executing movement diagnostics."
Cora begins walking around the room, crouching, jumping, and balancing at various angles. "It's moving...on its own?" Shrill says, staring on in amazement. "But, it is just ranger armor, right? Not a robot?"
I chuckle. "Correct, it is just armor that Cora and I have modified. Added some systems to allow her to move the armor, use the weapons, that kind of thing. I can still get in it if I want as well. It is hollow, after all," I tell her.
"Movement diagnostics complete. All servos, gyros, and pistons functioning at acceptable thresholds. Beginning weapon diagnostics." Cora says, and begins moving Raptor Blood around along with the other weapons. The sniper and assault rifle have a much smaller field of movement, but just enough for precision aiming.
"Retracting ammo belts. Testing firing sequences." Her guns click a few times. "Firing sequence successful. Initiating final test, complex wide range movement." She shakes and stretches before striking a variety of poses. Laying down, rotating her upper and lower body separately, and finally standing on her rear hooves. It looks really odd and her guns won't be able to hit anything in front of her that way.
"Testing complete," Cora says. "It is perfect, Ratchet! I love it!"
"That's good," I say with a smile. "You can stay in it as long as you want. You should be able to just hook into the lab's system yourself and power off the armor when you want. You can also probably enter it similarly, assuming it is hooked in and still has enough power to start up."
Cora nods. "Of course. I want to run some more tests. I'll be walking around the lab, getting used to the feeling of having my own body," She says happily. It is kind of bizarre having a suit of armor talk to you happily, knowing that nothing inside of it is physically smiling.
"We'll charge the battery again before we go anywhere. But for now, it is getting late. Those of us who need it should probably get some sleep. Today was...an adventure. Not our usual kind, but an adventure never-the-less," I mutter, stretching my limbs.
Cygnus frowns. "I was the one who did all the work this time, how are you tired?" He asks.
"Oh," Shrill chimes in, "she is tired for an entirely different reason, right?" She says, giving me a wink. I feel my mane prickle a bit. Cygnus just lets out a sigh and leaves the room. Once he's gone, Shrill adds, "Shall we go to bed too, darling?"
"Yeahhhh...I guess," I mutter uncomfortably. "Hey Cora, don't make too much noise, ok?"
"I'll try not to!" She declares as she walks around in a circle. Shrill and I leave the workshop and head to the living quarters. Cygnus is already in his bed, and I begin walking over to mine, which curiously has another one push right up against it.
Shrill happily trots over the the bed adjoining mine and beams me a broad smile. "No," I say simply as I walk over. She pouts, and pulls her bed back to where it was originally. We both climb under our covers, and I turn to face her.
"Hey Shrill," I call to her.
"Change your mind?" She says with glee.
"No. Tomorrow, I want to ask you about Grimoire and Discordia. I need as much information I can get about them," I tell her.
"Oh," Shrill says disappointedly. "Fine, I don't mind," She says, pulling her blankets up. "Good night, Ratchet."
"Good night, Shrill," I tell her. "Night Cygnus," I call over to him, halfway across the room.
"Night," He calls back.
"Night Cygnus!" Shrill calls out playfully.
Cygnus sighs. "Night Shrill," He replies. The three of us then remain quiet as I hit the light switch with my magic. A few minutes later, there is a loud bang from somewhere in the lab.
"I'm OK!" Cora yells, "Just fell!" She seems to realize she's yelling, and remembers I told her to be quiet. "Oops! Sorry!" She calls again. "Sorry!" She calls again, in a quieter voice. "Sorry!" She calls again, even quieter. I think she's done as it is quiet for about a minute. Then a blue glow lights up the room and I turn to see Cora's head peaking in the room. "Sorry," She says in a normal level of volume.
"We get it!" I call over to her. I hear Shrill giggling behind me.
Yep. This is my life now.
===~+~===
Quest Updated!
The Chaos Crusade - Ask Shrill about Grimoire and Discordia. |
Fallout Equestria: Icicle | Chapter 20 - Tongue Twister (Clean Version) | Chapter 20 - Tongue Twister
"I bet you can't say that ten time fast."
===~+~===
When I wake up, I'm...tied to a fucking bed again. Ugh, my head is killing me. "Hey, Cora, what happened?" I ask her. Her face appears looking concerned.
She doesn't speak, but instead pops up speech bubbles, "You were abducted...again. I saw Grimoire among them. This building is a lot bigger and has a lot more raiders in it, with only Cygnus looking for us...It doesn't look good."
"Lovely," I mutter. "You able to hack into a spritebot and lead him here? If I can somehow find my way out of these ropes, maybe together we can fight our way out?" I ask her.
Cora nods, "There are a few bots nearby I can use. I'll find him and get him close. I'll be back when we're in position. Be careful, Ratchet." With that, she disappears from my vision.
"Ok," I mutter. Now then, let's just untie these ropes and..." I'm unable to use my magic. It seems...fuzzy. Did they drug me with something? Shit. Plan...B? I try and stretch my neck to the ropes around my forehooves, but I can't quite reach them. Fuck. Now I need to come up with a Plan C...
While thinking, I tug at my bindings and survey the room. I'm on an oddly clean and comfortable bed, each of my limbs tied to one of the bedposts. Undoubtedly, this is a bedroom. Opposite the bed is a window with a dresser underneath it. A few lit candles are on top of it. Some tattered paintings are on the walls, and a door is to my right.
Speaking of which, I hear hoofsteps on the other side of it. "Oh ho, she's finally awake, is she?" A mare's voice asks.
"Sounds like it," a buck responds. "I take it you will want to have your...fun now?" He asks.
"Indeed," the mare says with a hint of excitement in her voice. "So, be a good buck and get lost. And make sure to remind anyone who would peek what happened to the last poor fellow, will you?" She says with a giggle.
"Y-yes ma'am. T-take your time," the buck replies nervously. I hear his hoofsteps leaving the door as it slowly swings open.
A familiar mare enters the room with a beaming smile on her face. "Remember me?" She says as she closes the door silently. Shit, I do remember her. "The look on your face tells me you do! Oh, I'm so glad. You recall my brother too, right? Snarl? The one you and your friends killed?"
Oh yes, this was bad. The buck who wanted to torture me to death last time, Snarl. Which means, this must be his sister, "Shrill, right?" I ask, attempting to buy time like I did before with Grimoire.
"Oh you do remember me! And just between us girls, Snarl wasn't really my brother. We just grew up together in the same orphanage. Everyone just thought we were siblings because of how close we were. You know how siblings are, giving each other a hard time and the like," Shrill explains.
"But, while his teasing and tomfoolery was playful, mine was genuine hate. I never really liked him, so you did me a favor getting rid of him. And I wanted to play with you too, so it all works out!" She tells me, fidgeting on her hooves.
"How did Grimoire even find out I was still alive?" I ask her.
She rolls her eyes, "Well, Snarl not coming back was a good indication, not to mention that DJ Pon3 seems to be singing your praises. You're asking the wrong question. You should ask, why are you still alive now, if anything."
I give her a slight smile, "Ok then, why am I still alive?" She lets out a giggle, stepping up to the bedside.
"That was my doing. Grimoire wants you dead, he wants to study your physiology. Thinks you might have something special inside you that keeps you alive," Shrills says with a shake of her head. "But I said I wanted revenge for Snarl. Truthfully, I just wanted a chance to play with you. So, I'll play with you and then turn your body over to Grimoire!"
"What, you're going to torture me to death like Snarl?" I ask her, my pulse starting to rise.
She scoffs. "Of course not, I'm nothing like that barbarian. I have a refined taste, miss Ratchet," she says, drawing out my name as she climbs onto the bed. She gets on top of me, bringing her muzzle inches from mine. "You see, I like pleasure as opposed to pain. The two of us are going to have some fun together," she tells me before licking my cheek.
Keeping her tongue on my body, she moves it down my neck and onto my chest. I swallow, "You don't mean..." I trail off as her tongue continues down my abdomen.
"Oh yes, Ratchet," she says, with a heavy breath and grinning playfully as she lowers her head even further. "Where Snarl liked torture, I like rape," she coos with a giggle.
===~+~===
After a number of hours, Cora finally appears in my vision. But, she quickly disappears without saying anything. It might have been my imagination, but I think she was blushing too. A few minutes later, Shrill and I finish together and lay under the bed sheets, panting.
"Oh Celestia, Ratchet. I think...I think you're the one I've been looking for," Shrill says, glancing over at me.
"What do you mean?" I ask her.
"The whole reason I got into this business, the whole reason I rape. I've been looking for someone who could properly please me," she replies.
"What? I find it hard to believe no one has ever gotten you off before," I tell her.
"Oh Goddesses no. But they've all felt very...lackluster. Like something was missing. I've been at this for years. Started back when I was a filly. Bedding any colt or filly I could. Of course, when I matured, I began going after mares and bucks," Shrill explains.
"Though," she continues, "I soon learned that bucks would use you just for sex or use sex as a means to steal from you. Mares were more trustworthy, but suspicious of my advances. So I had to keep forming relationships before bedding anyone."
"But that soon proved tedious and not worth it. Not to mention, I often forgot the faces and names of those I previously screwed. Once I realized this, I decided to join Snarl, who was already working with a gang. I decided that I'd just force ponies into sex and when I finished, I'd just off them," Shrill says.
"Wait wait wait," I say, confused. "So, you rape and kill ponies just so you can find someone who can properly please you?" I ask her.
"Well, yes. But before you jump to conclusions, they were bad ponies...mostly. Opposing gang members and the like. It was kind of hard getting innocent ponies into my bed, since most of them knew me already," She explains.
"So, you never killed any innocent ponies?" I ask her, accusation evident in my voice.
"I never had the time to kill innocents. Once we merged into Grimoire's organization, I became too busy. Honestly, this is the first time I've done this in a while. Grimoire keeps me busy with diplomatic work between gangs, mostly. Or assassination leaders of gangs that won't join us," She tells me.
"Not even the Rangers in Stable 36?" I ask.
"No!" She says, "I was out west talking with one of the gangs out that way. Heavy fighting isn't my thing. Look Ratchet, I know this might be hard to believe, but I'm not a bad pony. Just...misguided, I suppose. But with you, I could..." She begins, but I cut her off.
"What do you mean? You're going to kill me and give my corpse to Grimoire, remember?" I tell her, anger rising in my voice.
"Well...Ratchet...I uh...was thinking and...well...I kind of want to...join you?" Shrill asks.
I look at her in shocked confusion. "Join me? After working for Grimoire?" I shout.
"Ratchet, like I said, I'm not bad, I was just looking for someone...for you. I just kind of got sucked into this whole Grimoire thing once he absorbed Snarl's gang...I didn't really want to, but I didn't know what else to do, how else to live..." she trails off. Her face is a mix of sadness, shame, and a bit of...hope?
I pause, thinking for a moment. "Let's say I do let you join me, even if I say yes, how would we get out of here? I'm unarmed and this place is crawling with raiders, isn't it?" I ask.
Shrill lets out a sigh. "Well, I could probably get your gear and load up my stuff. Together, we might be able to sneak out, or fight our way out, if things get messy. And...if necessary...I'll hold them off when you escape," She says.
Most of what she just said was hesitant and skeptical, but that last sentence...She said it confidently and without hesitation. She'd actually be willing to die for me? Just because I...pleasured her to her liking?
While thinking, gunfire suddenly starts erupting from below us. Does that mean Cygnus is here? Why didn't Cora tell me?
"What is..." Shrill says, looking towards the door. "Hold on a second Ratchet, I'll..." She starts to get up, but I hold out a hoof.
"Let's just wait here. I'm pretty sure that's Cygnus, and if it is, I doubt he'd charge in without a decent plan," I tell her. We both sit up in the bed.
"Alright, if you say so..." Shrill says.
For the next few minutes, the two of us sit silently in the bed as the building echoes gunfire, screams, and shouts. Just when we think it is over, another round of shooting and yelling begins.
Suddenly, the door to the room is kicked in and Cygnus emerges into the room. "Ratch..." he stops mid shout, pointing the gun at us.
"Don't shoot!" I yell at him. "She's alright, she's safe!"
He slowly lowers his gun and seems like he wants to say something. But his mouth just keeps opening and closing as he looks at us. After about a minute of him just standing there, his gun and armor disappear and that seems to snap him out of his daze.
He clears his throat. "Uh yes. The building's clear, so uh, I'll be...uh, downstairs...uh, looting?" I says and immediately turns around.
"Oh ho," Shrill says after he leaves. "That was a neat trick with the gun and armor. But he seemed odd, does he always act that strange?" She asks.
I chuckle. Everyone is always intrigued by Cygnus' magic. "I don't know why he was acting that way..." I tell her. But as I look over us and the bed...the sheets basically soaked with sweat and fluids, our manes and coats a complete mess...yea, I get it now.
Clearing my throat I say, "We should uh, probably straighten ourselves up."
"What for?" She says, looking at me. Then at herself. "Oh ho, I get it now. How cute of him...what a shy buck." We both get to our hooves and get our manes and coats in order.
"Right then, let's get you two introduced," I tell her as I start walking over to the door.
"Of course!" Shrill declares. "I should get to know my new comrade."
As we walk though the hall, I feel I have to say something. I feel like I'm misleading her. "So, uh...Shrill...I'm not exactly, you know...into mares," I tell her.
She stops and looks at me with a shocked expression. "What!? After what you did in the bedroom...so, you prefer bucks then?" She asks.
"Well, no, not exactly. I'm not really into anyone," I tell her. "It is kind of hard to explain..."
She stares at me for a few moments with an eyebrow raised. "Ah! I see, so you aren't attracted to males or females?" She asks, with a tiny smirk.
"I suppose that's a way to look at it. I've just never really had the urge to be together with anyone," I explain.
Her eyes widen. "Oh ho...So that means that you were...Oh my...a virgin?" she shouts. "I took your first time? Oh ho...lucky me! Well, I suppose I didn't exactly take it properly, did I? Your hymen is still intact, is it not?" She asks.
"Hu? What?" I stammer. "Yes, but...I don't think you get me. I'm not looking for a relationship or anything," I tell her.
"Oh yes, I know. You just haven't properly fallen for me yet," Shrill says with a beaming smile. "I understand. Well, well, I'll win over your love and affection and take your virginity properly! Mark my words, Ratchet," she says, giving me a wink before continuing on down the hallway ahead of me.
I look after her, confused. "What the fuck just happened..." I mutter as I follow her downstairs.
Once we rejoin Cygnus, I introduce him and Shrill. Cora also appears in my vision again, so I get the opportunity to introduce them too. I explain, more or less, that she'll be joining up with us. I leave out the racy details. Turns out, Cora thought, rightly so, that I was being raped, and told Cygnus to attack.
Cygnus charged in the building in full military-grade riot gear armed with a combat shotgun loaded with explosive shells. Needless to say, the building now looks like a slaughterhouse, painted red and littered with body parts.
With the introductions and pleasantries out of the way, Cygnus finally drops the bomb. "You two smell like sex. It is disgusting, will you two go clean off or something? This place has a bathroom, right?" He asks.
I blush, but Shrill smiles and says, "Indeed it does. Let's go Ratchet, I'll show you the way. You can go first while I gather your things for you. It will give me time to get my things together before we leave. No telling when Grimoire will be back," she says.
I get enter the bathroom and Shrill goes about her business. I fill the tub with more than likely irradiated water, and hop in it, thankful for the chance to bathe.
===~+~===
"By the way, what's with your cutie mark?" I ask Shrill. It looks like a tongue dripping venom. "Also, what's your fighting style?" It would be good to know before we get into a fight.
Shrill smiles and says, "The explanation is one and the same. My cutie mark signifies my deadly tongue." She winks at me. "More precisely, my ability to talk my way into and out of situations. Those situations being, assassinations."
Her magic grabs her knife and pistol from her holster. The knife is a sleek black piece that looks easy to conceal. The pistol is a custom, black, 10mm with a silencer on it. "I talk my way into my target's bed, and kill them. Then, I talk my way out of the building. Raiders are stupid, so I usually pin the blame on one of them," she explains.
"So, stealth," Cygnus summarizes. Shrill rolls her eyes.
"Sure, yes, stealth. If you want to be simplistic about it," she replies. Cygnus chuckles.
"Well, I doubt you'll be doing much of the whole, talking your way into a target's bed thing with us. We tend to get caught up in large, chaotic battles," Cygnus explains. "Besides, I doubt Ratchet would like it if you go sleeping around," He teases.
"Actually, I don't ca..." I start, but Shrill cuts me off.
"Oh my, you're absolutely right! Sorry Ratchet, I won't sleep around. You're the only one I'll give myself to!" Shrill exclaims. Cygnus chuckles, which causes Shrill to shoot him a glare. "Does this one have to accompany us, Ratchet?" She asks.
I sigh. This is my life now. "Yes Shrill, he's the only one out of the three of us who can actually fight. I miss all the time, and you're the stealthy type, so...he stays," I tell her.
"Looks like you're stuck with me, Shrill," Cygnus teases her. He then looks at me. "Ratchet, can I have a word?" He asks, glancing at Shrill. "In private?" Shrill rolls her eyes and starts walking on ahead of us. After she is out of earshot, we start walking slowly after her.
"You trust her? Just like that? Was she really that good, or is it something else?" He asks me.
Letting out a sigh, I begin, "Like I've been saying, I'm not really into all that relationship junk. I don't think she's that bad. I thought about it, and I don't think she's trying to trick us. Why would she? Even if she is working for Grimoire, why join with us? He wants me dead, he could have killed me outright. There is no reason for him to send Shrill to spy on or or something," I explain.
"I guess you have a point," Cygnus mutters. "We should keep an eye on her, for a whole, at least. She might not be working for Grimoire anymore, but she might have an ulterior motive."
I nod in agreement. "Could be. She is a trickster. But I don't think she means us any harm. Might be using us to get something she wants. But, let's keep our suspicions between us. No need to ostracise her. We'll need her watching our backs, and we'll have to watch hers," I tell him.
Cygnus sighs. "I know, I know. Trust between comrades is important. If you mistrust the ones watching your back, you're bound to fail. Anyhow, we should catch up to her. Don't want her wandering into a fight without us."
"Yea, that would be bad. She has info on Discordia and Grimoire we won't find anywhere else," I say as we quicken our pace. We catch up to her in a few minutes.
"Finally, I thought I lost you two," Shrill says as we catch up. "So, where are we going?" She asks.
I stop walking, causing both her and Cygnus to stop as well. "I thought you were leading us back to where I was taken from?" I ask her.
She looks at me in surprise. "I don't know where Grimoire snagged you from. I was following you," She replies, and then glares at Cygnus.
"I was just walking," Cygnus says with a smirk. "You two just happened to be where I was walking." Shrill rolls her eyes as I shake my head.
"Cora, where the hell are we?" I ask her, looking at my PipBuck. I pull up the map screen and look around.
"We are just south of Foal Mountain, a ways across the river," Cora answers.
"Well, at least we aren't too far. I guess we can go through the canterlot mountain train tunnel to get back to the lab. Wait...is that tunnel filled with those bat things as well?" I ask, looking at Shrill.
"Bat things?" She asks. "You mean, bloodwings? I don't think so. I think that is only the north-south tunnel. East-west should be fine."
"Right, let's go that way then," I say, looking at my map one last time. "And of course," I sigh, "we've been walking in the wrong direction. Seriously Cygnus, this is why you don't go around saying 'this has been normal today', temping fate and junk," I say, giving him a look.
"Oh," Shrill says with a smile. "Are you superstitious Ratchet?" She asks with a hint of laughter in her voice. I immediately regret saying anything. This is going to be a thing now, isn't it?
"Yes she is," Cygnus says with a smile. "Scared of black cats, ladders, and all that."
"Oh come on, I am not!" I yell. Both of them snicker. "Seriously. I mean it. You just don't go around saying certain phrases though. 'Could this get any worse?', 'today has been pretty normal', 'that could never happen', that sort of stuff."
"Ok, Ratchet. I understand," Shrill says as she stops laughing and goes back to normal. Then she looks behind me and her eyes go wide as she points a hoof and yells, "Look out Ratchet! Salt! Don't spill it!" And burst out into laughter again, joined by Cygnus.
I roll my head and let out a groan. "Ughhhh, let's goooo," I say and I begin to walk away. I hear them walking after me, but they are laughing so hard their steps are uneven.
"Wait Ratchet!" Cygnus calls out, "Don't step on a crack!" Oh Celestia, this is my life now. Just keep walking, ignore them...just keep walking.
===~+~===
After an excruciatingly long journey, mainly due to all the snickering and jokes at my expense, we reach my lab. It is odd how two ponies who started off suspicious of each other got so close, so quickly. You'd almost not know that Shrill was trying to win my affection and Cygnus thinks he owes me for letting him out.
But thankfully, as soon as the door opens to the lab, Shrill is left speechless. Well, for a while at least. "This is...where you life?" She says in amazement.
"Yep. It's no stable, but it is home. Complete with living quarters, a medical area, and a bathroom," I say with a smile.
"A bathroom you say? Such luxury. I've seen bathrooms though, nothing special there," Shrill says, looking around.
"Hey Cygnus, want to show her around, let her pick out a bed and what not? I want to get to work on Cora's armor," I ask him. Cygnus nods, but Shrill raises an eyebrow.
"Cora's armor? Does an AI need armor?" She asks.
"You'll see," I tell her with a smile. "Show her the workshop last, and take your time. I might be able to finish up before you get to me."
"Sure thing, come along Shrill, we'll start in medical," Cygnus says and he starts to walk away with Shrill trotting excitedly after him. Given how excited she seems, I don't think Grimoire lives in the most luxurious of locations. Not like that narrows down the search much.
I head to the workshop and begin tinkering on the spark battery according to Cora's designs. As I build it, I hear Shrill shout, "IT'S SO CLEAN!" I can't help but snicker.
It takes a bit, but I manage to produce the rechargeable battery. "Now then, let's charge it up and hook it in," I mutter as I use the magic charging port and focus my magic into it. After a few minutes, my strength is sapped, but the battery is full.
"You ready, Cora?" I ask as I plug the battery into the armor.
"Of course, Ratchet!" Cora replies. "But, let's wait a moment. Cygnus and Shrill are heading our way."
A few moments later, the door opens and the two enter. "The bathroom...it is so clean..." Shrill says as she enters. "How?" She asks.
Cygnus and I chuckle. "I'm kind of a stickler for cleanliness. When I first woke up and got back here, all of us cleaned it once we cleared out some rubble blocking the tunnels," I tell her. "But now, you asked earlier about Cora's armor? Well, I finished so it is time to feast your eyes on my genius!" I cough and make a correction, "Cora's genius, she made the plans. I just did the work."
I plug into the armor and transfer Cora in. "Alright Cora, go ahead with start up procedures!" I declare.
"Sounds good!" She replies. "Initial system diagnostics...complete. Systems online. Running power diagnostics...98.7% efficiency. Initiating AI override, assuming control." The armor's visor glows a icy blue and the armor trembles for a moment. "Full control has been transferred, executing movement diagnostics."
Cora begins walking around the room, crouching, jumping, and balancing at various angles. "It's moving...on its own?" Shrill says, staring on in amazement. "But, it is just ranger armor, right? Not a robot?"
I chuckle. "Correct, it is just armor that Cora and I have modified. Added some systems to allow her to move the armor, use the weapons, that kind of thing. I can still get in it if I want as well. It is hollow, after all," I tell her.
"Movement diagnostics complete. All servos, gyros, and pistons functioning at acceptable thresholds. Beginning weapon diagnostics." Cora says, and begins moving Raptor Blood around along with the other weapons. The sniper and assault rifle have a much smaller field of movement, but just enough for precision aiming.
"Retracting ammo belts. Testing firing sequences." Her guns click a few times. "Firing sequence successful. Initiating final test, complex wide range movement." She shakes and stretches before striking a variety of poses. Laying down, rotating her upper and lower body separately, and finally standing on her rear hooves. It looks really odd and her guns won't be able to hit anything in front of her that way.
"Testing complete," Cora says. "It is perfect, Ratchet! I love it!"
"That's good," I say with a smile. "You can stay in it as long as you want. You should be able to just hook into the lab's system yourself and power off the armor when you want. You can also probably enter it similarly, assuming it is hooked in and still has enough power to start up."
Cora nods. "Of course. I want to run some more tests. I'll be walking around the lab, getting used to the feeling of having my own body," She says happily. It is kind of bizarre having a suit of armor talk to you happily, knowing that nothing inside of it is physically smiling.
"We'll charge the battery again before we go anywhere. But for now, it is getting late. Those of us who need it should probably get some sleep. Today was...an adventure. Not our usual kind, but an adventure never-the-less," I mutter, stretching my limbs.
Cygnus frowns. "I was the one who did all the work this time, how are you tired?" He asks.
"Oh," Shrill chimes in, "she is tired for an entirely different reason, right?" She says, giving me a wink. I feel my mane prickle a bit. Cygnus just lets out a sigh and leaves the room. Once he's gone, Shrill adds, "Shall we go to bed too, darling?"
"Yeahhhh...I guess," I mutter uncomfortably. "Hey Cora, don't make too much noise, ok?"
"I'll try not to!" She declares as she walks around in a circle. Shrill and I leave the workshop and head to the living quarters. Cygnus is already in his bed, and I begin walking over to mine, which curiously has another one push right up against it.
Shrill happily trots over the the bed adjoining mine and beams me a broad smile. "No," I say simply as I walk over. She pouts, and pulls her bed back to where it was originally. We both climb under our covers, and I turn to face her.
"Hey Shrill," I call to her.
"Change your mind?" She says with glee.
"No. Tomorrow, I want to ask you about Grimoire and Discordia. I need as much information I can get about them," I tell her.
"Oh," Shrill says disappointedly. "Fine, I don't mind," She says, pulling her blankets up. "Good night, Ratchet."
"Good night, Shrill," I tell her. "Night Cygnus," I call over to him, halfway across the room.
"Night," He calls back.
"Night Cygnus!" Shrill calls out playfully.
Cygnus sighs. "Night Shrill," He replies. The three of us then remain quiet as I hit the light switch with my magic. A few minutes later, there is a loud bang from somewhere in the lab.
"I'm OK!" Cora yells, "Just fell!" She seems to realize she's yelling, and remembers I told her to be quiet. "Oops! Sorry!" She calls again. "Sorry!" She calls again, in a quieter voice. "Sorry!" She calls again, even quieter. I think she's done as it is quiet for about a minute. Then a blue glow lights up the room and I turn to see Cora's head peaking in the room. "Sorry," She says in a normal level of volume.
"We get it!" I call over to her. I hear Shrill giggling behind me.
Yep. This is my life now.
===~+~===
Quest Updated!
The Chaos Crusade - Ask Shrill about Grimoire and Discordia. |
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