Chapter 27 - Alliances II
Part 1: Battle of Marelin - Counter Attack
TIME: 08:00 GRT
DATE: War Day 196
LOCATION: Marelin, Germaneigh
My unit advanced up the twisting streets of Marelin, looking around constantly for whatever might be out there to want to take a shot at us. This wasn't what I wanted in a counter-attack - this was more like a reconnaisence-in-force - but I needed to know what the situation was here. I'd been considering the concept of armed airships this entire time - it was an interesting idea. Then again, I had a lot of technological things on my mind. New weapons systems, new armaments, vehicles.. everything.
Mac: *Sssst!* He nodded ahead of us, at a small square.
Six Duregars, just standing around. This didn't fit with what Grundle told us - they were supposedly instinct-driven, mindless animals. Then again, mindless animals operating sub-machine guns wasn't fitting in the first place. But patience? There was a far cry from a Mongol-like raiding force given firearms, and something resembling military strategy.
K: *Whisper* "I want one. Alive." I needed answers, right? "Mac, Brae, make it happen. We'll cover you." I braced my Patton on the edge of a stone fence, covering the small group.
Mac: "Right. Brae, rope." He nodded.
Braeburn: "Right, Cuz." He pulled his lariat out of his saddle bag, and prepped it, letting his Zhukov dangle on its strap.
Braeburn snuck into position with Big Mac right next to him. Rarity climbed up to an overlooking balcony using a vine ladder on the side of a house, and took a knee, bracing her Sniper Sherman on the edge of the rail. Colgate got into position with her Mark II Pershing, ready to hose the group down. Braeburn gave his lariat a short twirl, before heaving it over one of the Duregars and giving a hard yank backwards.
K: "OPEN UP!" I ordered, and in a very short quick burst of fire, the other five were down. "Vigilance, recover weapons. Colgate, cover him."
Vigilance: "Movin' up." He had a Zhukov, too. And up he moved, Colgate covering him.
While they did that, I moved over to where Braeburn and Mac had the Duregar all tied up. All except his mouth. And he was being very calm - he wasn't frothing at the mouth, or screaming. He was just sitting there.. looking at me..
K: "Got a name?" I asked, casually.
Duregar: "..."
K: "Can you speak?" I asked, directly looking him in the eye.
Duregar: "Eh!" He spat at my foot - not on the foot, but towards it. I had to hold Mac's arm to keep him from hoof-punching the guy.
K: "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?" I made hand gestures to go along with it.
Duregar: "Ffft! 'Es!" He gutterally responded. "Sey nuttin'!" That was the most I'd gotten out of him.
K: "Well, that proves they can talk." I shrugged casually.
Turning away, feigning disinterest, I spun back around with my hunting knife out and brought it rapidly up to the Duregar's nose. I could have shanked him, killed him. And he didn't flinch. I leaned my head back with a respectful smile.
K: "Either he's too dumb to care about death, or he's brave enough not to fear it." Or he just plain didn't care.
Duregar: "C'ward!" He snorted at me. "Kill m'h. Git o'er wit'."
His accent was.. gutteral. Not any national accent I'd ever heard. He also referred to himself in the first person - a MAJOR note, as Grundles NEVER referred to themselves in the familiar, always in third person, and always disassociated.
K: "You refer to yourself in the first person. Grundles never do that." I cocked a brow at him.
Duregar: "N't Grundle n'more. N't nuffin'!" He growled.
K: "Well, I've taken to calling you Duregars." I shrugged. "What does Tirek call you?"
Duregar: "Tirek? F'h." He snorted again. "Fights f'r Tirek, dies f'r Tirek. Tirek took us in. Tirek saves us. We Tirek's soldiers." He snarled at me. "Alw'y'z, Tirek. Heart, Tirek. Soul, Tirek. All, Tirek!"
Great. Fanatics. Probably thoroughly brainwashed, too, by the sound of it.
K: "Then why bother talking to me?" I cocked a brow at him.
Duregar: "Tirek c'n seez whut we seez! He gunn'a bu'k you up, hyoomin!" He sneered at me with a dark snicker.
K: "And how is he going to do that?" I put a fist on my shoulder.
Vigilance: "GENERAL!" I was tackled.
A large magical burst of energy landed square where I'd been standing. The explosion of magical energy was such that the house beside me collapsed, and the Duregar was evaporated into nothingness. The crater was huge - at least ten feet across. And I now had a stallion on me, and rubble on him.
K: "Note to self - Tirek is an asshole. You okay, Vig?"
Vigilance: *grnt* "That's another hospital stay.." He muttered.
K: "Bad?" I asked, trying to feel him up for wounds as I tried to make sure my limbs still worked. "REPORT IN!"
Mac: "Okay!"
Colgate: "JUST FINE!"
Webley: "Alive and pissed!"
Rarity: "Quite fine, darling!"
Braeburn: "Nothin' major!"
Sunshine: "Alive. I'm good!"
I could feel a piece of wood, and traced it to Vigilance's back. There was warm wetness - blood. I couldn't tell how deep.
K: "GOT A WOUNDED MAN HERE! COLGATE! GET OVER HERE!"
Colgate: "Be right there!"
After a minute, I saw my future brother-in-law's face as a piece of building was pushed off of me.
Mac: "You okay?" He was concerned - and it struck me how funny that was, considering that two years ago, he wanted to kill me.
K: "Vigilance is hurt." I nodded to him. "Give me a hand. I don't know how bad it is."
Vigilance: "Nothin' major, General." *Grunt*
Colgate: "Alright, alright, just relax." She came up and pulled out her.. well, it's a dental kit, but.. anyway, she checked the wound and gently pulled the piece of wood out-
Vigilance: *RRRGH!* "CAREFUL, girl! That's a piece'a shrapnel, not a tooth!" He tensed up, I could feel it.
Colgate removed the shrapnel from his hide, and stuffed it with gauze to stem the bleeding. Gauze sized for teeth. So, she used a handful (hoof-full) and put a bandage over it.
K: "Best guess." I asked her.
Colgate: "I'd like to get him back to the Train Yard." She shrugged. "He needs a doctor. But I don't think it's serious."
K: "Alright. Radio." I held my hand out to Braeburn. "Call it in."
Brabeurn: "On it." C> "This is Alpha Leader ta' Base..? Over." He handed me the handset.
Cheerilee: C> "Go ahead Alpha. Over."
K: C> "Base, this is Alpha Leader Actual. I need a Litter Team on Falke Strasse, north of the Plaza. Got a wounded man. Leaving someone behind to cover them."
Cheerilee: C> "Roger that, Alpha."
K: C> "Alpha Leader Actual, out." I looked to Colgate. "Stay with him. Vig? You gonna be okay, there, bud?"
Vigilance: "Be fine. So long as I don't need a tooth pulled!" *Chuckle* "Ah'm just pullin' your leg, Colgate." He pulled himself into a seated position, and hefted his Zhukov. "Be fine, General - get goin'." He nodded ahead.
Colgate: *Huff* "You kiss our foals with that mouth, mister?" She gave him a playful sneer.
The rest of us headed off. I was worried about Vigilance, but it'd have to wait. Rarity took his Walker Rockets and moved up to me.
Rarity: "What was that, that hit us?" She shook her head. "A magical blast of some kind, of course, but from where?"
K: "I don't think that was Tirek. I think it was someone else. Grogar, maybe. Either way, the Duregars are a lost cause. Fluttershy won't be happy when she hears this - of course, neither will Grundle. It means his race truly is dead. They may be sentient, but they're not negotiable..."
Braeburn: "What'ya mean, Pardner?" He asked, moving up to the left and covering the forward-left.
K: "Religious Zealots. We.. we had problems with that in my world. Still do. Did. Whatever." No matter what the faith, they had their extremists. "You don't reason with people like that. They don't really listen. Ever. The only way to deal with them is to kill them before they kill you. It's worse than someone like Trixie.." I still held out a slim hope she could be negotiated with. "..Extremists like this can only be eradicated, there's no other way to go about it. With sword and book."
Braeburn: "Sword an' book..?" He gave a puzzled look.
Mac: "Mah brother means you kill the ones that fight, an' educates the ones too young ta hurt 'ya." He nodded to me with a smirk.
K: "Exactly." I shrugged. "If they have a civilization. It'll take a generation or two of constant occupation and forced re-education, but it can be done - you just have to have the stones for it." I shrugged as we got to the edge of the next square.
Marelin was laid out like a Germanic or Central European castle city that kept expanding - it was a series of small squares and plazas connected by narrow roads and the occasional wide street deliminating where the old walls used to be. Not Roman-style, which was more centralized. No, this was more like multiple smaller villages stitched together.
Sunshine: "So.. any thoughts about who was behind the magic shot?" He asked, as he moved up and to the right.
K: "You guys see a shot heading our way?" I asked them - I'd been watching the prisoner.
Webley: "Well.. sort of. It was a really fast-moving ball. Magic that powerful usually travels slower." She shrugged.
Rarity: "Webley has a point, darling. A powerful blast like that had no business moving that quickly." She nodded.
K: "Alright, well, if it was like a strike from the skies.. Grogar can't fly, last I checked. And neither can Rep. That leaves Trixie." I shrugged. "Or someone we haven't met, yet."
Rarity: "Trixie.." She grinded her teeth a little. "She's caused us such pain.." Then she glanced at the ground, as we cleared the square.
K: "Problem, Rarity?"
Rarity: "Last I checked, I'm the only Unicorn here, darling. And I'm nothing compared to Twilight." She was a little embarrassed here. Ashamed, even. "If it is Trixie, I honestly don't stand a chance against her." She looked right at me.
K: "I suppose." I conceded. "But you have to have faith in yourself, Rarity - you're stronger than you think." I reminded her.
We managed to make it to the northern edge of the city without further incident - the Duregars were either elsewhere, or had withdrawn. We didn't know. The northern edge of the city had a proper wall around it, with a Gate Tower structure (Torturm). The gate itself was blown open - and it was certainly wide enough to drive armored vehicles through - and there were a few city guards and civilians dead laying around the area. We figured the rest of the civilians had fled the area at the first chance they got, or were hiding in basements.
The North Gate Square was smaller than the Royal Plaza, but it was still pretty decently sized. Larger than we could properly secure.
Braeburn: "Place looks empty.." He went about checking some of the bodies for a pulse.
Mac: "Mhm.. looks like they hit it 'n quit it.." He set his Pershing Mark II on a stone tree planter.
Rarity: "So horrible.."
Webley: "No kidding.." She moved up and scanned the store fronts. "Seems clear, General."
Sunshine: "Square seems clear, General." He set his Patton against an overturned timber as a rifle rest. "Orders?"
K: "Rarity, Webley, take the left side of the Gate Tower. Give me eyes on the field outside of town. Brae, Mac, set up over there." I pointed at the stone planter that Mac was already at. "Sunshine, with me." I handed my Walker over to Braeburn. "Just in case."
Sunshine: "Right."
Sunshine and I moved up to the gate itself while Rarity and Webley scaled the Torturm. I scanned the field outside of town as best I could in the morning light - sure enough, I could see evidence of troop movements. Shattered ranks of Duregars, pushed back by both their failed assaults on the Training Field and by the hard defense we put up at the Train Yard - and possibly actions from the other two squads I sent out - had pretty much shredded the inexperienced (so I thought) Duregar ranks.
However, I counted no less than six APC's that were trying to withdraw. And what looked like a command vehicle - an APC without a turret. I was using my Patton's scope to scan the area. I wasn't a Unicorn, so I couldn't get that instinctive magnification and aiming reticle going, but it was still a low-powered scope - SOME magnification.
K: "Sunshine.." I nodded at the fleeing enemy forces.
Sunshine: "Yeah. Looks like they brought the equivalent of two battalions here. Armed, with armored support.. yeah, that would've been enough to take the city, if we hadn't been here. And it would have been almost impossible to dislodge them if they'd managed to take it." He laid flat, examining the field. "Seems like about.. a battalion left, maybe? Probably less. I wonder how many APC's they had, and lost."
K: "Looks like the command vehicle is stopping.." I squinted to try and see some detail.
I caught sight of a whisp of powder blue. That could only mean one person - er, pony. Trixie Lulamoon.
K: "Trixie!" I hissed. "She's here. I knew it! Fucking bitch!"
Sunshine: "We can't let her live. She's learning too much - she's going to adapt to our tactics."
Our biggest advantage, really, was experience and technological superiority giving us an element of surprise. In almost every battle, we've been outnumbered. Sometimes severely. Even the Canternooga County Militia's major battle against the Raptorians a couple months ago, they were outnumbered almost three to one. The saving grace had been that only about half the Raptorians had firearms, and they had a woefully inexperienced commader that acted like a fool.
Trixie was dangerous, because she understood Pony mentality. Moreso that she'd survived at least three major battles at this point, and was learning quickly what we could and could not accomplish. She was learning our limitations - and that was dangerous. Trixie? I gave her credit as being at LEAST Twilight's equal in intelligence - possibly greater. She'd also died once, and now, she had this Alicorn Amulet..? Her magic was on par with Luna, at the very least. Which made her, as a single unit, possibly strong enough to take out Celestia, if she caught her off guard.
Still, there was no way that five ponies and a human could fight a battalion of Duregars, six cannon-armed APC's, and a command vehicle, and still have enough strength left over to take out an Alicorn.
K: "Sunshine, get on the horn. I want reinforcements here. Anything we can get. If the other Squads are clear and there's no enemy forces left in the city, and these are the only ones outside it, I want to organize a counter-attack before Trixie can consolidate her units. Have the artillery move up to the Royal Plaza.."
Sunshine: "A counter-attack?"
K: "Last thing Trixie would expect me to do with a mass of untrained volunteers and a handful of officers - she probably doesn't know Luna is here with her guards. She's probably sleeping by now, but still.." I looked at him. "..who exactly all came with you?"
Sunshine: "Doc Allcome, most of the Rangers, a company of Royal Army." He shrugged. "Basically, whomever we could grab. Luna.. her highness had a strong feeling that her Filly was in danger. And her Stallion. Sir." He smirked a little.
K: "Well, good. A whole company?" I asked, cocking a brow.
Sunshine: "Minus the Reserve Squad. So, nine out of ten squads." He shrugged.
K: "Works. Get to it." I nodded.
We had a chance - if we could just move fast enough, we could get another shot at Trixie. And if we could kill her for good, Tirek would be deprived of his best field commander - whether he realised it or not.
{End of Part 1}
Part 2: Battle of Marelin - Desperate Assault
TIME: 08:37 GRT
LOCATION: Nord Torturm (North Gate Tower), Marelin, Germaneigh
Troops were trailing in, and being hidden in the houses and inside the wall's interior hallways. Civilians found hiding in the basements were being systematically evacuated from the north side of the city. I got reports from the other two squads I'd sent out - Luna's troops and Forest Spirit. As I suspected, the Duregars were evacuating the city, seeing as their initial attempt to kill their targets here, failed miserably. If I was to guess, I would place full credit on the existance of the Landwehr - their few hours of basic instruction gave us numbers, and in a defensive position that, thanks to Forest Spirit's planning, was almost impossible to dislodge.
We had them under close observation - and as far as we could tell, Trixie was planning on a consolidated offenseive. Exactly what I would do. Gather what I've got, and smash the enemy. The problem was, if we let them attack us, we would probably be overrun, even given our good defensive position. They had, after all, mobile cannon on those APC's, and even if we had Walkers, we were down to a dozen rockets. We would have to rely on artillery strikes to kill them - and we only had one experienced gun crew.
Thus, my plan was to attack them before they were ready. I spread out my experienced personnel somewhat - those without commands, like Forest Spirit and Sigmask - were put in command of Landwehr units. I kept what I had of the 1st Royal Rangers together. We were short about a squad (with Rarity and myself, we rounded out one of the Squads) - not everyone had been in Canterlot when Luna decided to mount her unrequested rescue operation. Even then, some of them weren't out of the hospital yet. I reorganized the squads a little - Rarity and I were in a squad with Lyra, Vy, Bon-Bon and Nurse Sweetheart. Octavia was still laid up, and Derpy, of course, was still pregnant.
Forest Spirit: "We're ready when you are, General." He nodded to his Landwehr unit.
K: "Alright. We'll attack under cover of artillery fire. Call it in, I want a barrage lasting two minutes on that field out there. As far as I can tell, Trixie doesn't know we're here. Whatever the artillery blows up, is a bonus. As soon as the first shells hit the ground, we charge. Make sure your Landwehr know their lines of advance and stick to them. First Royal Rangers will take the spearhead." I nodded.
Forest Spirit: "And if we get a shot at Trixie?" He asked, knowing the answer already.
K: "Kill her. Just.. kill her. No questions, no hesitation. Kill her and make it fucking stick." I snorted.
Forest Spirit: "Got it, anything else?" He tilted his head to the side.
K: "You're promoted to Major." I gave him a look. "I'm also installing you as Senior Officer of the Royal Marines. You've done so much - your command of those inexperienced Landwehr was insane. You and they.. saved Marelin." Shaking my head I nodded to the Landwehr. "Take your place, Major."
Forest Spirit: "Yes, General." He moved over to the Landwehr, and got on the radio.
Rarity: "We could lose a lot of people today." She patted my arm.
K: "We could. But if we kill Trixie, it'll be worth it. I suppose. Every person here has family that loves them, that's never out of my mind. People care about them.." I gave her a half-hug. "You've got Sweetie Belle and the girls.." I trailed off. "..me, too, I suppose."
Rarity: "I won't let you die here, K." She said suddenly. "I won't. I.. I care too much about you."
K: "I'll be fine." I reassured her. "Really, Rarity, I-" I turned to look at her. She was crying.. she hugged me tightly.
Rarity: "I don't know if Pinkie will ever be okay again.. we've already lost dear friends in this war.. I.." She squeezed. "..you mean so much to so many ponies. Do you even realize that? Do you realize how ponies talk about you?"
K: "I'm not that special."
That's honestly how I felt. I wasn't Jesus, I didn't have any right to think of myself that way. I was just a man doing a job. A tough job, but a job. And when this was all over, I'd retire to an apple farm on a government pension. Maybe raise my daughter, if she's not already grown up..
Rarity: "But you are! You're the reason we haven't been destroyed yet-"
K: "No, Rarity. I just provided the tools - ponies like Forest Spirit, Campanula, Gaze, Norfy, Cosmic.. you, the girls.. you're the reason we're not dead yet. I didn't do very much. I just led you. And I haven't even been there for every single battle." I shrugged. "Mind on the task at hand."
Rarity: "R-Right." She stepped back, wiping her face.
Cheerilee: "ARTILLERY INCOMING!"
K: "You're just as important as me.."
Webley: "SECOND COMPANY STAND READY!"
K: "..maybe more.."
Forest Spirit: "FIRST COMPANY STAND READY!"
K: "..all of you are.."
Cheerilee: "RANGERS, READY!"
K: "..after all.."
*Artillery rounds screeching overhead*
K: "..I'm just a human."
*Artillery rounds explode in the distance*
K: "ADVANCE NOW!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, as I charged forwards with the Rangers.
I could feel Rarity at my side. I knew she was there. I didn't think about what other people thought about me, my only concern was everyone else. After all, I was the alien here. They belonged here, I didn't. I just wanted them to be safe. For the hurting to stop.
We moved over the small rise that acted like a water barrier during heavy rains, just outside the gate. As soon as we did, they saw us. The shells were impacting all through their ranks - Forest Spirit called it in expertly. I could hear nothing but the roar of ponies, and the sounds of explosions. I watched as a whole cluster of Duregars was turned into a fine red mist when a shell landed right on top of them. An APC was hit right on the turret, and detonated like one huge explosive charge.
That's when I caught sight of her. Trixie. Being tossed aside by the explosion. And her eyes locked with mine for a brief instant. That instant was interrupted by a Duregar trying to knock me off my feet. I beat him aside with the stock of my Patton, cracking its skull. The artillery barrage managed to take out two more APC's before it ceased - just as we got within close range to them. Both sides opened fire at almost the same time, but while the Duregars were staying put, we were still charging.
I was going to kill her if that was the last thing I would ever do.
I heaved myself over a group of three Duregars, landing and rolling as I did. One of the APC's passed right next to me. I reached out and grabbed it - it was close and slow enough - and pulled myself up on top. I climbed up to the turret's hatch, and opened it. There was no lock on them, only a two-way closing bar. A Duregar looked up to me at the very instant I put a 6.5mm round in his head, top down. I threw him out, and climbed in, firing at the rest of the crew.
Now, I know nothing about operating a tank. But the gun? That's easy - figure out which doohickey opens the breach and closes it, and which button shoots it. The turret traversed by hydraulics, not electronics, meaning it was slow, but it was mechanical. I turned the turret, looking for a target. I opened the breech, and loaded a round (it was set up as a two-person turret, so this wasn't an easy task). Then the gun sight turned right on to the target I wanted most..
I pulled the trigger.
*PCHUMM!*
I watched the round sail through the air.. then stop. Trixie was looking at me. At the APC. I didn't wait to see why, I bailed out by diving down through the turret and climbing out the back.
Which was just in time - she used her magic to crush it like a soda can under a semi-truck.
Rolling to a stop, I could see the battle all around me. Fighitng, killing, shooting, stabbing - blood everywhere. I grabbed the nearest gun - a Zhukov copy from a dead Duregar - and charged at her, screaming. I was going to kill her. One way or another.
The last undamaged APC exploded a few feet from me, sending me to the ground. I could feel ache everywhere, I ignored it. Scrambling to my feet, I managed to get in range of Trixie the Great and Powerful..
Trixie: "YOU MUST DIE! DIEEE!!" She shrieked. It echoed in my head, like a breaking mirror.
I didn't respond, I moved. I dodged her magical bolts as best I could - I wasn't going to attack her, that wasn't my goal. I was drawing her attention away from everyone else. Away from the battle. Away from her forces being chopped down like the worthless rabble they were. Holding her attention wasn't easy - I'd fire a few shots here and there, while she hurled magical energy at me. Each shot of hers got closer and closer - I wasn't sure how long I could keep this up..
Trixie: "STUPID HUMAN! NO MAGIC! WORTHLESS SPECIES!" She shrieked at me, just as she summoned up an extra big ball of magic, and slammed it into the ground.
I fell on my ass, and the reflex of grabbing tighter on the weapon in my had, caused it to fire off the rest of its magazine. The ground cracked around me, eminating from the source of the impact. Everything was blurry. I fought to clear my vision - and there was Trixie. Her irises were blood red, almost dripping.. like her eyes were made of lost souls screaming to escape.
I was about to feel her wrath, when a giant green, magical hand slapped her shit across the field, sending her into an APC hulk.
Lyra: "YE LEAVE ME FRIEND ALONE!" She screamed. Only to be buffalo'ed by a magic bolt the size of a baseball.
Trixie: "Think FAST, you FREAK!" *Insane cackle* "There's NO challenge here AT ALL. There isn't a mage here worth my time! Nothing! This is FEEBLE!"
She used telekinesis magic and tossed me along the ground, causing me to land in an artillery shell hole. I cut my arms on gem shards as I landed.
Gem shards.
Laying flat on my back, my head spinning, I tried to grab for my hunting knife. To get it off my belt, and ready to attack her. Or at least distract her. She hovered over the edge of the crater, summoning up a basketball-sized ball of energy. I could see her mouth moving, laughing..
..then I felt the ground rise all around me. No, not the ground, the GEMS!
Rarity: "FOR MY FRIENDS, TODAY, YOU DIE!"
Like shards of blades, they rose from the earth. I looked up and there was Rarity, her eyes almost glowing, her horn pulsating with magic. The shards all around me floated.. and I watched Trixie try to heave the magic ball at Rarity instead. The gem shards realigned themselves into a very fancy-looking shield (time enough for vanity, I guess). The shield soaked the energy up, causing the shards to shatter into dust. As soon as the ball hit, other shards started flinging themselves at Trixie at the speed of a machine gun.
Trixie deflected most of them with a magical shield, but one of them found its mark - her shoulder, and carved along her back, almost to her flank. It was deep enough at the initial point of impact that it flayed open a huge chunk of skin, and caused her blood to spurt like a fountain.
Trixie immediately grabbed her arm, held it tight, and squealed in pain before levitating into the air, and vanishing in a huge cloud of pink mist.
Rarity: "That was anti-climactic." She slid down the edge of the crater and helped me up. "Are you alright?"
K: "No. I'm beat to crap." I was woozy, my head was in a daze, everything was blurry.. yeah, I was messed up. "How are we doing?"
Rarity: "Winning."
K: "Good. Get me to a medic. I'm bleeding." I looked at my arms.. I was oozng pretty good.
Rarity: "Yes, darling.. you're staining my coat." She smiled as she helped me out of the crater, with her Sherman hefted in one hoof. A quick shot and she dropped a Duregar.
They were in retreat. We were winning indeed. But where had they come from?
Lyra: "Ach!" She pulled herself off the ground. "Tha's insane! Whae'd you do!? Go straight FER her!?" She shook off the hit, and ducked as a Duregar tried to bash her over the head. She countered with a magical punch to the face, sending him flying.
K: "Yeah. I did." I staggered through the advancing lines.. until the area was clear. Behind the line. "It was the only thing I was thinking about - stop her. No matter the cost."
Rarity: "And once again, you nearly died!" She huffed, dragging me back towards the Torturm.
K: "But.. my friends saved me. I know you guys.. you always will." I smiled.
Lyra: "Aye. If we're around." She smirked.
K: "Only reason I did it. I knew you were with me." I turned to have a look at the battle.
And even though I was no longer there - just as I'd told Rarity - everyone else was making the battle a success. It was glorious. Really. The battle was virtually over, and we'd won - we'd really, really won. Now, we needed to worry about the problems we already had. Germaneigh would be fine - we had to concern ourselves with the problems already at had. Pinkie, the Rainbow, and the enemies we had that were running around, trying to kill us.
It was time to clean house - after another hospital stay - and we'd be busy. But we could do it.
{End of Part 2}
Part 3: Cleaning House - The Case of Espionage
TIME: 09:00 Equestria Royal Daylight Time
DATE: War Day 205/29 Decemus, 1002 C.S.
LOCATION: Equestria Royal Hospital, Canterlot, Equestria
Another Hospital stay indeed. A third of the troops that came with me, had been wounded. Fortunately, none died, but the Germane Landwehr lost another 7 Ponies in our counter attack, and managed to soak another 54 wounded. I'd sent a new block of trainers to Germaneigh to handle training the remaining Landwehr and any new volunteers they got - which, after the Battle of Marelin, was astoundingly high. Prince Hoffnungsteher sent me a letter that told me they had over 4,000 volunteers from the entire Province of Stumpfberg around Marelin.
Me? I was in a room, resting. The first night back, Rarity had it out with Applejack. There was screaming, accusations, I'm sure at least one face slap, and some mild wrestling. Then tears, beggings of apology, pleas and sorrow. Guilt. And acceptance. Applejack came in and gave me a long talking-to about what happened, but Dr. Allcome doped me up good enough that I could only remember the basics. The long and short of it was, she was used to this by now, and for the time being, she would have to learn to accept this kind of attention, even if she was insanely jealous (out of loyalty to me). Oh, I was in trouble for it, and on War Day 204, I paid for my transgressions with Rarity, with the same treatment I gave her, from Applejack. That is, a very long session of lust and passion that left me exhausted. Of course, she had me at a disadvantage. She was fully healthy, I wasn't.
Today, though, I was getting discharged. Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy came to see me. Applejack brought me a new set of clothes from Rarity - an apology, I suppose. Black slacks (they felt smooth, but very tough), a new pair of boots (a bit taller than I usually like, but fantastic on the feet), a new black wifebeater (my last one had been soaked in blood and used as a bandage for my arms), a black long-sleeve uniform shirt with epaulettes (it was fall now - same material as the pants) and of course, underthings - I got something resembling boxer-briefs. Hey, it worked.
Fluttershy: "Uhm.. you look very nice." She handed me my cap - the baseball cap-like thing that I wore these days.
K: "Thanks, Flutters." I gave her a pat on the head.
Fluttershy: *Hmm!* "What do you have planned now?" She cocked her head at me.
K: "Twilight? Report on our training activities." I nodded to her.
Unicorn Levitation magic is handy. Especially if, like Twilight, you have stacks and stacks of reports to condense into briefs and read to someone. Twilight had the equivalent of two thick books, separated into multiple stacks, in her saddlebags. They levitated out one at a time for her to brief me.
Twilight Sparkle: "Well, training units have been dispatched to Prance, Germaneigh, Roam, and Poleland. As per the agreement we have with Neighpon and South Cowrea, we will be sending training units by sea from HMS Unicorn and HMS Pegasus once they leave dock, as part of a naval show-of-force with HMS Bellerophon, HMS Alarm and HMS Moonlight (the Ship of the Line we'd captured some time back that Captain Saletine had originally named for Princess Luna).
The Stade Entraîneur Arsenal is being constructed. Mm.. and Prance has sent you diagrams of a rifle they wish to use for their forces - they have no idea how to make it mechanically work, even after looking at the Pattons. Once the design is finalized, they want to produce it at the Stade Entraîneur Arsenal. After that, they'll ship one half of the Pattons we gave them, to whomever we ask them to. The other half would be retained." She handed me the design.
K: "Oh.. a Gas-Delayed Blowback. Not ideal for an assault rifle, but certainly doable." I said, looking at the schematic. It reminded me of an up-scaled P7 in a rifle-sized housing. "I think a straight DI system or a roller-delayed would work better and more simply, though.. but.. nah, I'll get this to work. Let the Prench know I'll have a design out to them soon. A week at best. Anything else?"
Twilight Sparkle: "The Germanes are moving ahead with arms production plans. The Zhukovs that Tirek left on the field from his Duregars have all been handed over to the Landwehr, and the Germane High Command has asked for a status report on the powder issue."
K: "Ah, yes. Got a report on that?"
Twilight Sparkle: "Oh, yes!" She flipped around a few packets. "All the gun powder you sent to Appleloosa Arsenal for identification and testing has come back with results. They can begin production of high quality powder in thirty days."
K: "YES! Yes-yes-yes.." I fist-pumped a little. "Alright, let everyone on the list know that we're moving ahead with the N.E.I.G.H.T.O. (North Equus International Group of Herds Treaty Organization) Standardization Agreement Phase II. That means we'll start exporting weapons as soon as my new designs become standard issue."
Applejack: "T'wern't that long ago, we was usin' nothin' but Shermans." She shrugged.
K: "Well, rapid technological advancement becomes possible with a little help, and we need as big of an edge as we can get." I shrugged. "This means whatever Pattons we have, are all we're getting. We're moving on to the Bradley and its relatives." I looked at Applejack. "How's security been at the farm?"
Applejack: "Day an' night protection. The new Gendarmerie's been doin' its job." She shrugged.
K: "Okay, anything else, Twilight?" I looked back at her.
Twilight Sparkle: "There's a note here from Constable Chemical Splash. She wants to see you." She nodded.
K: "Alright. Send her to my office at the palace." I shrugged. "I'll be heading there anyway, after I'm done here. Casualty and fitness reports?"
Twilight Sparkle: "Everyone injured in Marelin and Chowsin Ridge has been discharged from the hospital. Only one severe injury - one of the Stallions from the infantry company was too badly injured to stay in service. He's sent a request to be transferred to his local Gendarmerie regiment. Personally. To you." She shrugged.
K: "Grant it." I said, finishing getting everything on my belt and signing my discharge papers. I moved to exit the room, the girls following. "Any other battles happen while I wasn't looking?"
Twilight Sparkle: "At the same time as the raid on Marelin, a border checkpoint between Marelin and Prance was attacked. Duregars. Infantry only. Three infantry wounded, none killed. The raid group departed after a spirited defense." She shrugged. "Enemy dead counted at 80 left on the field. They all had Zhukovs."
K: "Alright. Any news on the ships?" I asked this one as I handed one of the nurses my paperwork.
Twilight Sparkle: "Rarity handed me a report indicating that the ships damaged and captured at the island are almost ready to go. The other frigates of the Bellerophon class will be ready in twenty days." She followed close at my side, Applejack at the other side, and Fluttershy behind me.
K: "Excellent. When we get ready to go to South Cowrea and Neighpon, plan for the seven of us.. six.. of us.. to accompany the training group. And make sure we have a company of troops ready to go with." I walked out of the hospital and into the street. Canterlot was almost completley back to normal now, almost every scar of the bombing was gone, save a couple of abandoned buildings off on one side of town, and the lack of a train station.
TIME: 09:30 ERST
LOCATION: Equestria Royal Palace
I went in the rear entrance, so I wouldn't draw a crowd, and headed right for my quarters. Luna joined us, as did Rarity. Rarity shot me an embarrassed look. She was still thinking about 'that' - I couldn't blame her. My attitude towards sex was growing more cavalier by the day. We headed for my quarters for a small strategy meeting. I had orders I wanted to get across, and I needed to see Chemical Splash.
K: "Okay, someone send for Chemical Splash, please." I nodded to one of the staff officers running around and they departed.
I had a seat in my office by a small table and one of the large strategic maps of Equestria. One of the Royal Guards set some food on the table next to me - fruits, vegetables, fresh coffee and a hot sandwich. I looked at the sandwich with suspicion.
Luna: "I went to the trouble to hire a Griffon as Royal Chef. To make sure My General gets the foods he needs to keep him going." She shot a wink to Applejack. "Both on and off the field, My General."
Applejack: "S'long as it keeps him buckin' like a wild bronco in the sack, I say, feed 'em anything ya want, Princess!" She giggled a little.
K: "I'm nothing more than a slab of meat to you, aren't I?" I smirked.
Applejack: "About yay-long, yay-wide, and all night." She seductively measured out my personal size and whispered it, while gently leaning on Luna.
Twilight Sparkle: *Cough* "UHM!!"
Fluttershy: "Oh, my..!" She blushed so deeply, she turned maroon.
Rarity: "Been there, done that, barely walked the next day." She rose to her hind legs and gently filed her right hoof, pretending to be completely disinterested.
Rainbow Dash: "You ain't the only one!" She came walking in with Chemical Splash. "Then again, I only got hand service." She made a gentle snort.
I watched a couple of Luna's command staff uncomfortably shift around, hearing and seeing this. One of them was blushing.
K: "Yeah, can we keep my sexual escapades for later? We've got a war to fight. Constable, report." I nodded to her - she hadn't broke her stride coming across the room, and simply pulled out a pile of papers.
Chemical Splash: "To start with, General.." She acted like the previous conversation hadn't happened. "..I've been able to figure out what species was responsible for the thefts of intelligence data. And you'll be rather surprised by this. It wasn't a Khyang." She shrugged. "It was three individuals - a donkey, a Griffon, and a pony." She looked at Princess Luna. "The pony was the most interesting one. It seemed they all worked as a team on these infiltrations. The Griffon was the lookout, the Pony infiltrated the area to keep watch, and the Donkey did the actual stealing."
K: "Explain."
Chemical Splash: "Donkey hair in the barn, Griffon feathers in the trees that didn't match Captain Gilda, and reports of a Pony in Ponyville that didn't match any of the regular residents around the times of the thefts. Oh, and I've been able to figure out how they copied things so precisely, so quickly." She pulled a broken half of a crystal out of her bags. "This is a Copy Crystal. The Libraries use them to copy old texts and things for later transcription. It's also a component in cameras. But they didn't use a camera for obvious reasons - the flash would have given them away. I found this in the woods about 100 meters from your barn." She set that aside. "There was also blood on it, indicating that it broke in the user's hand. This happens when you try to stuff too much data into one of these. They explode. Or pop. Something like that." She shrugged. "The blood matched donkeys, but the sample was too old to get more precise than that."
K: "Theory."
Chemical Splash: "Having heard of your battle in Marelin, I think this group of thieves are working on their own. They're not dealing directly with Tirek or the Kiagnese, they're selling information to them. I have no idea if either side put them up to this at first, and they're simply double-dealing, or what. But I do have a case of mine that matches this Modus Operandi." She pulled out a file. "Coltago. Five years ago. When I was just starting out. A chef was developing a new recipe for carrot cake that decreased sugar content by half, but maintained flavor, as it used a special ingredient.. that ingredient and the exact recipe was then sold by a rival about a day after he perfected it. The clues were the same, but I never got a line on who did it. The case remains unsolved." She sighed. "The client of mine later moved out of Coltago for some place in the sticks." She shrugged.
K: "Anything on Pinkie?" I looked at the girls.
Chemical Splash: "Yes. However, I have not had time nor inclination to run down this lead as it is outside of my assigned case." She didn't use contractions when she was upset. "I have a location. Baleston (Boston). The Gilded Mare. Room 231." She handed me a slip of paper. "I have nothing else to report at this juncture, General. I will continue my investigation into the identity of the spies, and I will catch them." She narrowed her eyes just slightly.
K: "I'll run down the lead myself." I shrugged. "Has the Baleston Gendarmerie been properly raised and trained?" I asked Luna.
Luna: "Yes, along with their Militia. The Snafflefolk County Militia is led by Major Chestnut Colton. Standard Militia arrangement, two full Regiments, including two Artillery units." She shrugged. "Baleston is one of the largest cities on the coast. It's well defended these days."
K: "Alright." I shrugged. "Book me a train ride, have a couple Gendarmerie assigned to me when I arrive. Keep it low key, though. I don't want half the town turning out for me." I shrugged.
Luna: "Of course, My General." She nodded. "Will you take anyone with you?"
K: "Hey, Dash, want to go to Baleston?" I tilted my head.
Rainbow Dash: "Uh.. the city of three mountains? Are you insane? Of course I do!" She snorted. "And don't worry, Applejack, if I sleep with K, I'll sleep with you, too. IF you can handle it!" She gave Applejack a dark, arrogant sneer.
Applejack: "Shoot! I c'n handle anything y'all throw at me an' then some!" She huffed herself up and got in Dash's face. "I ain't some lil' country flower!"
Rainbow Dash: *HAH!* "A straight arrow like you?! My girlfriend's a Griffon! I can have you begging for mercy in ten. Seconds. Flat!" She was about to follow that up with something else, but AJ locked lips with her, and started hard core making out with her, on the spot.
Three male staff officers in the back turned red. One of them fell over. Two ladies promptly excused themselves from the room grabbing paperwork and leaving hurriedly.
Male Solar Guard: *Wavering stunned voice* "So.. hot!" He was twitching.
Me? I watched this nonplussed. I blamed all the R34 crap that /mlp/ put up all the time. I'd seen Apple-Dash Lesbo Sex before. And in reflection of my increasingly cavalier attitude towards sex these days, I looked at Luna and the others.
K: "And why aren't you turning this into a Royal Orgy?" I smirked, playfully.
Fluttershy: "OH MY!" *Faint* She fell over like a stunned goat.
Rarity: *Snort* "Not with her! Her hooves are all muddy and filthy!" She smirked at the display, though.
Luna: *Giggle* "Perhaps later, My General.." She gave a cutesy grin, though. It was a tease, nothing more.
Twilight Sparkle: "Uhh.. I'll.. get the train tickets lined up.." She got to the door just as Spike was coming through it. She promptly grabbed him and dragged him out.
Spike: "But-But! Why is Dash sucking Applejack's face like that!? Why is Applejack blushing like that!? What's that smell!? Twilight!" *Gahh!*
K: "Are you two quite done?" I finally asked, once the kissing started moving towards groping. I wasn't going to have them fuck in my room with all these witnesses. Well, at least not now that I had business to concern myself with.
They pulled back from each other with an acknowledging blush and hot breaths between them. Perhaps there was a little more here than a dare presented and taken. Which was not my concern - if my Leading Mare wanted a little fun with one of her closest friends, that was fine by me. I wasn't even going to insist on watching or participating. After all, I'd been the 'victim' of more than one unwanted-but-later-accepted sexual interaction, and Applejack hadn't said a thing about it other than to have her 'revenge' later.
Applejack: *Breathy* "Yeah.." *Cough* "You take care of mah stallion, ya hear!?" She poked her chest.
Rainbow Dash: *Flustered* "O-Of course! Promise. I won't let anything happen to him, I swear." She was beet red in the cheeks.
K: "Excellent." I got up and started assembling a travel bag. "If you ladies will pardon me."
I filled my M-19 and its speed loaders, packed extra ammunition, and took a good look at the sword Celestia gave me during Second Ponyville. I stuck that on my hip. Multitool, too. Extra clothes, and a couple other things I thought I'd need. I heard Fluttershy get pulled out by Applejack and Rarity, and Luna come up to me.
Luna: "We will miss you." She nuzzled me. I kissed her. Casually.
K: "I'll miss you, too. Could you let Mint know Daddy's home? I'd like to see her before I go." Time enough for family.
Luna: "Of course." And off she went.
I looked up at the remaining couple of Staff officers that hadn't fled at the sight of the lesbian display.
K: "Leave us. I wish to see my daughter without being reminded of reality." Such as it was.
Staff Officer #1: "Of course, General." The stallion dragged his companion out by his tail.
Staff Officer #2: "HEY! I was-" He looked at me. "Sorry, General!" And just kind of stopped resisting.
Starlight Mint came bounding into the room, and tackled me. Of course.
Starlight Mint: "DADDY!!" *MegaSqee!* "Are you all better now, Daddy? I was worried about you!" She huggled me. Tightly. Strong for a Filly.
K: "I missed you, too, sweetheart." I hugged her back. "Daddy has to go to Baleston to help Pinkie Pie. I'll be back in a few days. I can't bring you with.."
Starlight Mint: "Awww!"
K: "But, I'd like to get you something while I'm there." I knew material objects could never replace time spent with one's kids, but..
Starlight Mint: "A snow globe!" An immediate response.
Luna: "She asked for a Snow Globe of Marelin, too. And every other place you've been - she's been collecting them."
Starlight Mint: "Yup! I wanna visit all those places later." She kissed my cheek. "Visit all the places Daddy has been, where Daddy's fought the bad guys."
Luna: "She's been following you campaign trail." She shrugged.
K: "I'll get you one, honey. Promise." I hugged her. "Want the rest of Daddy's lunch?" I'd eaten the sandwich and drank most of the coffee, that was about it.
Starlight Mint: "Sure, Daddy!" She started on the carrots first.
K: "Don't worry, honey, Daddy will take you to all the places Daddy has ever fought a battle, once this war is over, or you're a bit older. Whichever comes first." I shrugged. "Hopefully, the war will end first." I looked at Luna.
Luna: "Had I the power, this world would be at peace and Tirek's crimes never happened." She smiled at me.
Starlight Mint: "It's okay. I know, Mommy Luna." She hugged Luna's leg.
Luna: "I love you, too, sweetheart." She beamed. It wasn't her Selene.. but Mint was hers, none the less.
K: "Alright, time to get going, Dash." I grabbed her from playing with some of the miniatures over on the sand table.
Dash: *Pew!*Pew!* *BAM!* "Gah!" She was startled as I grabbed her and dragged her out of the room.
Off to Baleston.. and there, I hoped, I would find Pinkie's sister. And with any luck, get our Party Girl back. I missed her energy, her happiness, and her unique look at the world. It was like a part of me was gone, and I wanted that part back.
{End of Part 3}
Part 4: Cleaning House - The Gilded Mare
TIME: 21:47 Equestrian Royal Daylight Time
DATE: War Day 206/30 Decemus, 1002 C.S.
LOCATION: Baleston, Maresechussets, Equestria
Coming to Beantown was sort of a change for me. I wasn't looking for war here, I was looking for a person. Dash spent most of the trip bouncing around the private car Twilight had arranged for us. I took my personal Zhukov - just in case - and during the trip, worked on the FA MASE F1 rifle. Theoretically, the Delayed Blowback system should work, but it'd be.. well, I had more faith in Pistons and M-1 Carbine type Direct Impingement designs.
Anyway, we arrived in Baleston and were met at the station by Detective-Corporal Steel Willpole and Detective-Constable Mane Houlihoop of the Baleston Committee of Safety, Gendarmerie Division. They were "victims" of the NEIGHTO Standardized rank Structure that was being implemented - it was less than a week old and provided for a standard rank structure within all the militaries in NEIGHTO.
DCpl. Steel Willpole: "General K." He nodded to me.
He and Houlihoop were dressed almost the same. Trench coats and fedoras. Now, I didn't create a uniform standard for detectives in the Gendarmerie - they did this on their own. The difference was Mane was a mare, and wore a very feminine but offical looking skirt and top combo, while Steel wore a suit. I was in my black uniform shirt, slacks, and a tan trench coat. It was cool in Baleston and it looked like rain was possible, so I wanted a coat.
D/C Mane Houlihoop: "We know tha' Gilded Mare, General. Are.. you aware of its reputation?"
K: "Not at all, Detectives." I shrugged. "This is my first time in Baleston."
DCpl. Willpole: "Da place is crawlin' wit' hoods." He shrugged. "What crime we got here in Baleston, the Gilded Mare comes up sooner or later. It's basically a huge flophouse."
D/C Houlihoop: "Yeah. Not tha' sort'a place I'd hear one a' the relatives of the Elements of Harmony'd be shackin' up." She walked to my left.
Rainbow Dash was wearing her REAF leather jacket and pants, with her General Staff shirt. No hat. Morgan pistol on her side (another new weapon). She stayed between me and Houlihoop. Houlihoop.. like Houlihan.. she was Irish. Or the nearest equivalent. Willpole? Ambleion. Obviosuly. Willpole was close to Whipple, which was an old English surname. Basically, the demographics of Baleston was very similar to Boston, Massachusetts. Which was, besides Chicago, an old Gangland town.
Dash: "So.. what kinda of person is she?" She looked at the detectives.
D/C Houlihoop: "I dunno - she hasn't come up in anything yet." She shrugged. "So, all's I can tell you, is she ain't a criminal." She shrugged.
The Gilded Mare wasn't that far from the Train Station, but the second you got into that part of town, you just knew it wasn't Roses and Butterflies any longer - this was a, to be perfectly honest, crappy part of town. Dirty streets, run-down buildings, the works. It was like being back home, honestly, and the refreshing sight of urban decay put a spring in my step - and I reflexively pulled the retention loop from my M-19.
DCpl. Willpole: "You seem ta like this place, General." He shrugged. "Whats'up wit' dat?"
K: "The place I was living looked like this. Dirty. Lived in. It smelled of people far too busy working their asses off to keep food on the table to care if there was litter in their lawns - besides, that's more the landlord's concern." I smirked. "This time, though, I'm armed." Big difference.
DCpl. Willpole: "Hmm.. bad home life.." He was making notes - I wasn't sure if I should be offended or complimented, but I realized the enterprising detective here was building a profile on me.
K: "Not at all, Detective. Though keep in mind that human social standards are very different from your own. We are, to put it mildly, the most dominant species on the planet because we're the most violent collection of monkeys to ever crawl out of the jungle. We won our dominance in blood, by exterminating the competing human ancestors and relatives. If we hadn't, we never would have evolved socially as a species. Though, appearances aside, we've become more sedentary as the centuries moved on, despite being better and better armed as time has gone on. If you want a theory in violence, think about this - more humans have been armed or have had access to arms of instantly lethal force for about two hundred and some years. And in that time, as more arms have spread into private hands, the actual amount of violence has decreased. So much so that incidents of violence become exceptional, almost enshrined, and endlessly debated." Try 'every war since forever' - and the endless debate part arising only in the last 50 or so years.
DCpl. Willpole: "...huh!" Furious scribbling. I caught his interest.
D/C Houlihoop: "The Gilded Mare is over there, General." She nodded to a particularly run-down building across the street from us.
K: "Alright, you two stay here. Dash? Let's go." I led Dash across the street, and she stayed close to me. The streets were fairly empty of ponies - a few had even gone inside on seeing the detectives coming, likely fearing a raid.
We entered the building and I took note that the Manager's Desk was actually behind a cage. Granted the cage was supposed to be decorative, but it was clear it was very functional. Actual violence and crime in Equestria? Perish the thought! But the signs of it were here. It made me wonder if Willpole and Houlihoop were detectives on the Committee of Safety before the war - and if they were, as they appeared, very veteraned in criminal investigation.
Up the stairs we went to the second floor. The room numbers were clearly marked, though faded and aged terribly. The place was definately a flophouse - the rates were probably by the day, with discounts for shared rooms. The whole place felt like home. But the worst parts of it. I spotted Room #231 right off the bat.
K: "Watch the hall, Dash, okay? Just in case." I nodded to her.
Dash: "No problem!" Out came her Morgan.
Ah, yes, the Morgan Pistol. An evolution of the Lee Pistol, the Morgan was a more modern design that I more or less created from scratch. It was chambered for 9x23mm and vaguely resembled a Colt Commander with ballistics matching .38 Super Automatic.
I walked up to the door and knocked. I don't know what I was expecting..
???: "Come in." I heard. And obeyed, opening the door and stepping into the room.
K: "Uhm.. Maud?" I looked around.. everything seemed to be.. plain. Logical, almost. To a fault.
Maud: "..yes, that is my name." She was as unemotional as Chemical Splash, but.. different, somehow.
K: "I'm General K, commander of Equestria's military." I nodded to her.
Maud: "I see." She fixed me with a gaze, and blinked. "This is about my sister, isn't it?"
K: "Yes.. it is." I found myself a seat, and gestured for her to sit down. "You should si-"
Maud: "Is Pinkie alive?" She asked, flatly.
K: "She.. is, yes." I nodded. "But, she's.." I stopped. "Maud.. Trixie.. Trixie Lulamoon burned Hayseed to the ground. I.. your sisters.. your father.. mother.. they're all dead."
Maud: "Good." She blinked, and nodded slightly to me. "They never approved, anyway."
K: "GOOD!? That.. that was your family!" I waved a hand. "Your sisters! One of them fell in love with Prince Blueblood!"
Maud: "Yes. I'm sure father put her up to that." She didn't move, much.
K: "What?!" I was stunned.
Maud: "Father was.. always ashamed of his station in life. He would never show it. He detested Royals. For what his motivation was, I could not say." She shrugged. "If Blueblood came to Hayseed, I am certain that father encouraged one of my sisters to get close to him. That he may inherit fortune, and simply leave." She paced over to a few trays.. it was then that I realized her bed had blood on it.
K: "You're a Street Doc." I said, flatly.
Maud: "I am what I can be." She said, unemotionally.
K: "Let me guess.. you couldn't afford to finish Medical School." I crossed my arms.
Maud: "Accurate." She slid a tray to the side, and lifted a small colt from a baby bassinet. She set him on a changing table, and began to change his diaper.
K: "Who's kid is that?" I nodded to the baby.
Maud: "Mudbriar." She stated, flatly.
K: "...Corporal, 2nd Squad, 15th Infant...ry.." I trailed off, stunned. "Dear Celestia, you must hate me.." I lowered my head.
Maud: "I'm not capable of hatred." She stated, her voice flat as granite.
K: "You are. You just repress it." I up-nodded to her. "Do you blame me for his death?"
Maud: "No. I blame Tirek." She finished, and stuck a bottle in his mouth. "His name is Spunky."
K: "Maud.. I'm.." I rubbed my face. "..listen, Pinkie thinks you're all dead. All of you. She.. she loved you.."
Maud: "I love her, too." She said, flatly. "I'm not able to express it, however." She turned to me. "General, my father's previous actions as a ponybeing were reprehensible. We, his daughters, were abused and used. At times, sexually. He took his anger and frustration out on us. As a result, I purged myself of my ability to express emotions. Only Pinkie could ever detect them from me properly." She was stone cold.
K: "She needs you." I nodded to her. "Please. She needs to know that someone in her family is still alive, and still loves her."
Maud: "I cannot be that pony." She stated. "I cannot help her."
K: "Please, Maud." I begged. "Pinkie means a lot to me, too.. more than words can properly express.. I.." I threw my head into my hands.. and then looked up, and nodded to her. "Logic."
Maud: "Make your argument." She stated.
K: "Without her as the Element of Laughter, Tirek will destroy us all." I nodded.
Maud: "Impeccable assessment." She nodded. "This still leaves the situation with two problems, General. First, my sister is in great emotional distress and cannot function for the defense of our planet. Second, I am a single mother, and ill equipped to raise a child - financially or emotionally - and am in a situation where I deal with questionable individuals requiring medical care. Desperate individuals." She paced forwards and put Spunky in my lap.
K: "What's this?" I hefted him.. he smiled at me.
Maud: "The logical solution to our problems, General. Pinkie, I am certain, will be elated to meet her nephew. Likewise, I can now effectively disappear." She blinked once.
K: "Disappear?" I tilted my head.
Maud: "Pinkie.. is the only individual I truly care for. However, I must break with my past. All of it. And start anew." She nodded to me. "It is the only solution. I do not want attention drawn to me. I wish to live my life in my own way."
K: "That.. makes sense." I nodded, bouncing the tot on my hip.
Maud: "Pinkie is different. She was from the very beginning. I do not think she is truly a Pie. Not from our bloodline. I am uncertain what this means, but I do know, that, despite my care for her, we are not sisters. We cannot be." She nodded. "It would be best if she believed I was dead. It will give her a clean break from all of us, and allow her to.. evolve. Into whatever form or function fate has laid out for her."
K: "Logical." I nodded. "I have to know.. the Sonic Rainboom.."
Maud: "Was lovely." She nodded. "It is also the last thing of beauty I allowed myself to enjoy."
K: "Something here.. doesn't feel right." I looked down.
Maud: "It may be that events began spiralling out of control long before your arrival, General, and your being brought here was a corrective action. Not corruptive." She blinked.
K: "Dash!" I called to the door.
She came in.. and looked at Maud strangely.
Dash: "I.. have we met?" She looked over at Spunky, and squee'd a bit. "Oh, he's so cute!"
K: "This is the pony that pulled it off, years ago." I nodded to Maud.
Maud: "I am aware." She looked at Rainbow Dash. "She may not be the smartest of your companions, but she is a talented flyer."
Dash: "I-" She froze up.
K: "You-"
Maud: "I am blunt, yes. It's an emotional defensive mechanism that keeps me from forming attachments. Mudbriar saw through them." She looked at Dash. "You, cannot."
Dash: "L-Look, I never claimed to be a genius or anything..!" She started, and looked down, then to me. "..this is Pinkie's sister?!"
K: "Somehow." I nodded. "I wanted you to see this."
Maud: "My other sisters were not as detached as I, but they were far more grounded than Pinkie. She.. is different. She is not one of us. I do not know how, or why, but she is different." She nodded very slightly. "I can be of no further assistance to her, for both our sakes."
Dash: "..yeah, she's.. kinda out there. But, we care about-"
Maud: "I'm aware." She raised her head a little. "Your actions awoke something inside of her. Before her Mark appeared, she was still quite odd. She could look through a person's barriers, into the core of whom they were. She also occasionally performed acts of unprecedented - but not unexplained - violence. Marble was once attacked by a bully. Pinkie beat him nearly to death, with her pet rock." She blinked, evenly. "The rock broke. She cried for the rock."
K: "Was her hair flat like yours, when she was younger?" I asked.
Maud: "Of course it was. Her hair only became like that, when she got her Mark. Before that, like the rest of us, she knew only pain and suffering." She raised her head straighter. "There is something there.. that appeared that day. Were I to guess, I would say that this is her true self that was unchained, after so long being locked away." She nodded to Rainbow Dash. "You did it. You.. saved her. For that, you have my gratitude." She walked over to a dresser and opened it. "There is one tradition that I wish to encourage be passed on. A small source of joy."
She came back over to Dash, and put a very odd necklace around her neck. It looked like a bunch of tiny rocks, wrapped in wax paper.
K: "What's that?" I nodded to it.
Maud: "Rock Candy. We used to exchange them." She put her right forehoof on Dash's shoulder. "You unlocked her. I ask you help her." She nodded to the baby.
Dash: "..you have my word." She blinked, and looked down. "I know I'm not.. the smartest.. but when I give my word, that's it. Nothing breaks it." She looked her in the eye.
K: "You.. were studying psychology?" I put the pieces together.
Maud: "Yes. To better understand myself. And her." She looked at the instruments. "Pre-Med and Medical School are required before picking a specialty." She lowered her head. "I believe I've given you all the information that's relevant."
K: "We'll see ourselves out." I nodded. "Come on, Dash."
Dash: "..but!"
With that, I just got up and started walking out.
Dash: "B-but! You.. and.. Pinkie.. uh.. the kid.. and.."
I grabbed her by the tail and dragged her across the floor on her hooves. Once we got outside, I shut the door behind me. Listening a moment, I could hear Maud gathering things up.
Dash: "What the hell was that?!" She huffed.
K: "We're going to tell Pinkie that Maud died in the hospital here in Baleston, and Spunky here is her son." I started. "Maud'll probably make up a new name for herself and move out in a week or so, to somewhere else, far away from the war and any chance of seeing her sister. Maud wants no part of her family and she's brave enough to want a better life for her son. She also wants Pinkie to recover. Pinkie made a new person of herself, a new existence, let her keep that. It's who she is now. Pinkamena? That's a manifestation of her pain, and a pain she inflicts on her enemies. Its her way of using her pain to help others. Pinkie.. is probably the most noble pony I've ever met. She's continually impaling herself on the worst pain imaginable, for her friends, for everyone, and she's doing it with a smile. I don't know - maybe Pinkamena is dangerous and she knows it. That it's like.. something that if she releases it too much, it'll take over, and she's aware of that. Or it's a trigger. Something. Either way, Pinkie is Pinkie, and we have to get that back." I looked at Spunky. He was sleeping now. "This is the key. This will give her a reason to live. Maybe the reason she said she sent money home was to bribe her dad to keep him from molesting her sisters - I don't know, and we will never know the truth. I think it's better that way."
Dash: "I guess you're right.." She shook it off and nuzzled Spunky. "Hey, Kiddo. I'm your Auntie Rainbow Dash." She smiled. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of you."
Dash was smiling as we exited the building and met with the Detectives.
D/C Houlihoop: "So?"
K: "I'm ordering both of you to forget this ever happened. You will file a report that an Maud Pie died in the hospital twenty-five days ago, and her son, Spunky, survived. That Spunky was picked up by myself and Miss Dash, and returned to the foal's only living relative - General Staff Officer Pinkamena Diane Pie. No mention of the Guilded Mare. Nothing. Got me?"
DCpl. Willpole: "You know-"
K: "You know that if you don't comply with my orders - and I mean destroying all of your personal notes as well - that I'll simply turn you over to Princess Celestia. She's very particular about her Elements of Harmony. She did banish her own sister to the moon for a millenium. You two are just a pair of nameless gumshoes to her..." I took a stern tone. Dash backed me up with her 'too awesome for you' stance.
DCpl. Willpole: "Uh.. yeah.. I understand. Come on, Mane, we better get back to the station and file that death report." He handed over his entire notepad to me. And a spare one.
D/C Houlihoop: "Right. Of course, Steel. Come on." She handed over her notepads to Dash and they both took off at a fast trot.
Dash: "That made me feel slimy." She said.
K: "Necessary. I'm glad I didn't insist on a full protection detail - two detectives, we can silence. I'd rather not try to swear a whole Militia to silence." Politics as usual. Just like home. We headed for the train station.
On the four hour train ride back, Dash busied herself with Spunky. He was.. really cute. Watching her with Spunky, told me she'd be a really good mother, one day.
TIME: 07:27 ERST
DATE: War Day 207/1 Solarius, 1002 C.S.
LOCATION: Equestria Royal Hosptial, Mental Health Wing
When we got back to Ponyville, Dash and I explained to the girls what we could. I left details out. Like.. Maud being alive, for one. Our version of the story was that Maud was on her deathbed when we arrived, and she explained how Pinkie was different, before handing over Spunky. Dash agreed to keep Maud's existence a secret.. she didn't like lying to her friends like this.. but it was necessary. Maud needed to make a clean break from everything, for her own sake.
Together, we went to Pinkie's room.
Dr. Stat: "There's really no change in her condition.. did you locate one of her relatives?"
K: "Her last sister died twenty-five days ago in a hospital in Baleston.. this is her son." I was still holding Spunky. "I hope this works. Open the door, Doctor."
Dr. Stat: "Understood." He opened the door to Pinkie's room.
In the room was a pink pony, sitting on the ground, her face sullen. As I stepped in, I held Spunky up so that she could see him.
K: "Pinkie? This is your nephew, Spunky Pie..."
{End of Chapter 27}
