Chapter 34: Element of Love
Part 1: Preparations for Crystal Hearts
TIME: 06:22
DATE: War Day 335/4 Tertious, 1003 C.S.
LOCATION: Edge of Crystal Kingdom Lands
Well, it was time. We had to secure the Crystal Heart before either Sombra or Tirek. We didn't know if the spell over the core of the Crystal Kingdom had "worn off" yet, or if the place was going to suck our souls out, but we had to do this. If we didn't, of course, Sombra might regain control of the Crystal Kingdom - and possibly control of the Crystal Ponies through some magical means.
I had Celestia explain to everyone exactly what she knew of him. It wasn't much - she hadn't asked many questions, just fought. She explained that one of his primary abilities was control of shadow crystals, which can disrupt magic, prevent flying, and most importantly, corrupt the individual, allowing Sombra to drain them of their emotions. Unlike the Changelings, which fed on love, Sombra takes these emotions and powers and uses them to increase his own ability. His ultimate goal seems to be the conquest of all of the disparate pony herds and nations, to be the unquestioned ruler of North Equus. This didn't seem to be in line with Tirek's own goals, so I actually expected Tirek to send a task force here, if he could, to try and take the Crystal Heart for himself.
When I left, there were only internet rumors about him. I was, in a sense, entering unknown territory.
Since I felt the need to be fully prepared - and over both Luna and Celestia's objections - I deployed military assets to the region. Royal Army 1st Battalion, 2nd (Infantry) and 4th (Cavalry) Company, plus 1st Royal Rangers 1st and 3rd Squads, plus Royal Air Force Fighter Command 3rd Squadron, Bomber Command 3rd Squadron, and 1st Para's (Webley Weaver's unit). They feared that Sombra might take them over, or something. I needed the fire power, plain and simple. For all I knew, Sombra had spent the last thousand years learning new tricks.
Coming directly with me was Sunshine Smile, Cadence, and my Staff (which now included both Toola Roola and Dr. Allcome).
The assembly area had been nicknamed "Camp Crystal" - someone had a sense of humor.
Overall commander of the Royal Army unit was Colonel Featherstone Green, a pegasus pony of good reputation.
K: "Colonel Green." I nodded to him as I approached.
Col. Green: "General. All is ready."
K: "Good. If I need help, I'm going to need it fast. Paras go in first, followed by the army."
Col. Green: "Of course."
K: "Derpy." I nodded to her. She was back on the field - and I'd promoted her to Major.
Derpy: "K." She gave me a hug. "We'll be ready." She looked back to Mac's squad, and her own. "Just say the word."
K: "Alright. I will." I gave her a smile, and walked back to my team. "Alright, everyone. Let's get this show on the road."
Cadence: "Remember, the key is to get the Crystal Heart. We get that, and turn its power over to the Crystal Ponies, Sombra's power is gone." She adjusted the Chaffee on her shoulder.
K: "Exactly. And barring that, we kill him. If we capture him, he's to be taken in for trial." I was toting a Bradley/Gavin combo again.
Toola: "We're not really expecting to fight anything besides him, are we?" She had a Ridgway - she LOVED subguns, and the Ridgway especially.
Rainbow Dash: "Nah. And we can take him! We can do anything!" She was in her usual leather jacket, and toting a DMR Bradley.
Twilight: "I hope so. I mean, it'd be disasterous if he managed to find some way to summon his own army - even worse if he's managed to brainwash or hypnotize the Crystal Ponies." She was toting a Merrill Commando. Applejack was acting as her assistant machine gunner, carrying four extra belts.
Applejack: "Well, either way, we're gonna buck him up, if he starts anythin'." She gave me a confident look. Besides the four extra belts, she was also carrying a Chaffee.
K: "Guaranteed, he will." I gave her an affirmative nod. "It'll take a few days to get there, since we're going on hoof. And foot." I shrugged.
There was a rail line that leads to the region, but the tracks outside of the border towns hadn't been tended-to in years. Apparently, there was a small city closer to the core of the kingdom, and its capital, but contact had been lost with it about three hundred years ago. Like, people simply forgot it was there, or something.
Our first stop on our trip was the primary border town of Emerald City. This was where any and all business for the remnants of the Crystal Kingdom were conducted. It was also not enterable without Royal Permit. Not that it mattered - we were here on official business.
The trip to the border took about an hour. There was a checkpoint here - six Gendarmes, at a small house. Two were outside manning the gate, and the other four were inside. I suddenly got an idea.
K: "Cover! Cover!" I whispered harshly.
The team got to cover on the sides of the road - we were about 200 meters from the checkpoint. It was time to see if they were actually paying attention.
Twilight: "What is it?"
K: "Magazines out - show chamber clear." I instructed.
Everypony unloaded their guns, and showed me empty chambers. Sidearms, too.
K: "We're going to attempt a training exercise. Doc, stay here. Sunshine?" I nodded to him.
Sunshine: "Yeah?"
K: "Lead the team. Six ponies. Safety Kills Only. See how many you can get." I smirked.
Sunshine: "Ohh.. unscheduled check-ups are my favourite." A smirk from him.
He grabbed Applejack, Fluttershy, Dash, Cadence, and Toola. Odd choices, but I would let him run this thing his way. It was a test both for his own leadership skills, and to see if the Gendarmes at the checkpoint were paying attention. I was interested to see how this played out.
After ten minutes of going over the plan, I watched them sneak over towards the checkpoint. After a bit, it was like they weren't even there. Slow, steady infiltration towards the target. I just watched. Sunshine's later testimony went something like this:
-
We infiltrated towards the target as soon as possible. The longer you stand around, the greater the chance the enemy can detect you. So, we moved in at a low crawl, taking a wide angle around the side of the house. I found that the area around the house was littered with concealment options. Several trees, some large rocks, and bushes and other tall grass.
I also discovered that the other four guards were sleeping or otherwise not paying attention.
I had Cadence come with me, while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy went over the top of the house. Applejack and Toola were sent around to the side entrance, while Cadence and I went for the front. Just as timed, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy came over the top of the house and managed to Safety Kill both guards.
Applejack and Toola were next. They entered the side of the structure through an open window, and Safety Killed two guards that were playing cards.
Myself and Cadence were next. We simply walked right in to the front of the building, and I walked up to the two guards that were sitting there - one was asleep, the other was reading a comic book. We put our weapons to the backs of their heads and announced Safety Kill. The one reading was rather frustrated, but the one that was asleep woke up and apologised.
-
I came over once I heard him call 'All Clear' - Sunshine had taken the weapons from the guards and stood them up against the side of the building.
K: "Casualties?"
Sunshine: "Only them, sir." He nodded.
K: "That was horrible." I pointed at all six guards. "Call their Commanding Officer. I want them retrained, then assigned elsewhere." I nodded to Sunshine and off he went to use the radio in the guard shack. "Which one of you is in charge?" I looked between them.
Wst. Shuffler: "Watchstander Shuffler, Genera-"
K: "Corporal." I walked over and removed his stripes. "You're demoted. If we had been Goblins, you would be dead instead."
Cpl. Shuffler: "...yes, sir.." His head drooped.
K: "Did any of them even try to resist?" I asked Sunshine as he came out of the house.
Sunshine: "No, sir." He shrugged.
K: "Disgraceful. I don't like being hard on ponies, but without discipline and good order, you could wind up dead. Your lives are all my responsibility, but you have to be responsible for yourselves, too. That's why you're trained - so you have the tools, mentally, to take that responsibility."
Cpl. Shuffler: "Yes.. yes, sir." He nodded. "I'll do better, I promise."
K: "Alright, then. I expect you all to remain vigilant until your replacements arrive. I want two of you to start clearing the rocks and bushes around the sides of the house. When your replacements get here, I want a clear, flat field for one hundred meters on all sides of our side of the border. That means getting shovels out, and levelling off terrain."
Cpl. Shuffler: "Yes, sir." He didn't object.
K: "Now, here's our passes." I handed them over. "Inform your replacements that Camp Crystal has authorization for emergency cross-border incursion. If we call for help, they're not to be held up under any circumstances."
Cpl. Shuffler: "Yes, sir." He nodded.
K: "Alright, everyone, let's go." And through the border gate we went.
A little while later, Toola inquired about the situation.
Toola: "Wasn't that a little harsh?"
Twilight: "Actually, I agree with K. They need to be retrained. What kind of impression did that give Princess Cadence, that she was able to infiltrate the border station at her own homeland?" She shrugged.
Cadence: "Actually, I'm not surprised. We.. we aren't of the mentality to fight, or guard, or.. do any of the things that seem so natural to K. We're bound to have failures." A shake of the head. "But, K is right - they need to be retrained, to have the tools they need to protect things. Maybe once this mess gets cleared up, the Crystal Kingdom can join NEIGHTO, and we can start to contribute."
Toola: "I suppose.." She shrugged. "I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm in the military - though I love the fashion." She was wearing a beret that Rarity had made.
K: "I'll welcome the man - er, horse - power." I nodded. "Is it just me, or does it feel like the land has.. given up? Applejack?"
Applejack: "Hrmm.." She examined a nearby bush, liftng it up, checking the leaves and the branches.. "..soil seems'ta be pretty poor."
Cadence: "It doesn't surprise me. Sombra might be draining everything from the land - not just power from the Crystal Heart, but the energy of the land itself." *Sigh* "It's all so depressing."
K: "Keep your spirits up." I nodded. "Emerald City should be up ahead."
Sunshine: "I have this.. strange feeling that we're being watched.." He kept darting his eyes to the bushes.
Finally, he unslung his Bradley and carried it in front of him - now, this is very uncomfortable for a pony to do, because when you're marching on all fours, with the weapon straight across the top of your chest, it tends to bang against the face. Carry it slung partially under the dominant foreleg (I had not yet met a left-hoofed pony), and it chafes and rubs, or makes walking difficult without making odd steps. This is why Cavalry Braces allow a bayonet-equipped rifle to rest in a special slot on the belt, that transfers the force of an impact towards the hip bones and the flanks - almost straight back, but at enough of an angle that the whole rig doesn't tear off. And of course it's padded.
But Sunshine had the stock fully collapsed, and his sling just so, that the back of the stock was right against his shoulder, and only the barrel swung free. Intersting idea, though it made him keep his head up a little higher than he probably would have liked.
K: "We have no idea what to expect, so.." I shrugged. "Caution is warranted." Having hands and being an upright-walking creature, I simply had the sling set so the rifle was under my dominant shoulder. I could just swing it up and come to target - a hunter's stance. Very effective.
Dash: "Right. Air time. Come on, Fluttershy." She tapped her partner on the shoulder and flapped a few times.
Dash and Fluttershy got some air and started in a scouting circuit around our immediate area. Wonderful girl - I didn't even have to tell her. She just automatically knew what to do. At least some parts of my military were acting on instinct at this point. Perhaps being the General-in-Charge (General-Field Marshal) wasn't going to be so bad after all.
{End of Part 1}
Part 2: Shadow Walker
TIME: 12:01
DATE: War Day 335
LOCATION: Crystal Kingdom, 20km south-west of Emerald City
We walked along a land that seemed.. browner than Equestria. You know the saying 'The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence'? Well, in our case, this was completely true. The grass was noticably greener on the Equestria side of the border. You could tell exactly where the grass stopped being so lush - it was a rough pattern, not a straight geometric line, but it was easy to pick out.
Sunshine: "I know you don't need protecting, but stay close to me, please, Princess." He cautioned. "Protecting Princess Luna was my job, at one point." He was also one of my best soldiers.
Cadence: "I.. appreciate the sentiment, Sunshine." She got a little smile on her face.
K: "Someone.. eh.. check the grass for edibility?" I shrugged. There were certain things humans could not do. Digest grass as well as a horse was one of them.
Applejack: "Ah gawt it." She bent down as we walked..
Rarity: "It figures YOU'D be the one to try it first." She cocked a brow.
Twilight: "Really, Rarity?" She shot her a look.
Applejack: "Mm.." *Pitoui!* "Tastes horrible! Ah s'pose you could eat it if'n you had to, but i't'ain't somethin' I'd go around munchin' up." She wiped her mouth and took a swig of water.
K: "This is leading into the theory that the land itself is suffering." I shrugged, deliberately ignoring Rarity's comment and Twilight's retort. "Come to think of it, I don't see any flowers or anything."
It was true - I couldn't see anything growing besides the grass. And it wasn't growing very high at all. Grazed? No.. no, more like stunted. It looked weird, honestly.
Pinkie: "..this place stinks.." She suddenly had her head down. Like, something was bothering her.
K: "You okay, Pinkie?" I slowed up, so she'd end up next to me.
Pinkie: "I.." She said that.. almost breathlessly. Not her normal tone. "This place just.. it's off. It's wrong. I really want to go back home.." She NEVER says anything like that.
Toola Roola: "Yeah.. I've got that feeling, too.. like the land itself wants to suck in all my color.." She pulled her hoof back, suddenly, and pawed at the ground. "Actually, I'm not kidding, I just felt like something was pulling at me-"
Pinkie: "You feel it, too, huh?" She turned to look at Toola.
K: "I don't seem to be affected.. not that I can tell." I shrugged. I didn't feel strange. Then again, perhaps my apparent vulnerability to magic had something to do with this? Maybe things that have an effect on moods.. don't affect me? "Maybe it's because I'm human?" I cocked a brow, and I took a really good look at the girls.
Applejack was walking with her eyes half shut, which she does when she's bored. She never acts like that on a battlefield.
Twilight was looking defensive. She's usually much more level-headed. Actually, it looked like, if I hadn't ignored Rarity's comment, she would have sniped at her for it.
Rarity was doing her 'haughty strut' - she doesn't do that unless she's in a bad mood, or really horny. Her ass was tight. Bad mood. No reason - we were in good spirits a bit ago.
Pinkie just seemed.. unnerved. She's never unnerved - she's either happy and joking, joking but serious, murderous in her alter-ego, or depressed in her alter-ego.
Toola Roola was acting similar to Pinkie, but she seemed actually nervous. That might be her inexperience. I hadn't known her very long, but this didn't seem LIKE her.
Cadence and Sunshine seemed to be okay, though. Maybe this was just something that acted on the Elements of Harmony? A hidden pitfall? Or a carefully-placed spell trap?
K: "Twilight, how good are you at detecting magical curses and traps?" I inquired, trying to make my tone as innocent as possible.
Twilight: "You should know - I've gotten us THIS far. Like with the crystal skull!" She nodded, but her tone was very defensive, like I'd insulted her.
Rarity: "You weren't alone in that, you know!" She shot Twilight a look.
K: "That's all the proof I need." I muttered to myself and marched faster, catching up with Cadence.
As soon as I touched her shoulder, though, I felt.. a bit more reassured. Yep, this was magic, and I wasn't the canary in the coal mine, this time.
K: "Cadence, I think there's a mood altering, or mood twisting curse around us. I theorize - though I have no evidence - that this is specific to the Elements of Harmony, or that it may be affecting everyone, but those who are physically closest to you. Like, you're putting off some kind of aura that repels it."
Cadence: "I think you're right." She stopped in the middle of the road, and turned to the girls. "Hold up." She stated.
Twilight: *Taken aback!* "You're not my babysitter any more, you know!" She stopped, one hoof raised as though to guard herself.
Rarity: "TWILIGHT! That's NO way for a LADY to speak to a PRINCESS!" She held one hoof up to her mouth in shock.
Applejack: *Snort* "S'not like you could talk any better, there, fancy-britches.." She just kept walking, until she reached near us, then just sat down.
Rarity: "How DARE you!" She whipped around to face her. "I've had a piece of my mind to give you for a while, now!"
Applejack: "Careful.. it's yer only piece, an' i't'ain't that big." She let her hat brim tilt forwards and just sat there.
Rarity: "YOU UNCOUTH BUMPKIN!" She shrieked.
K: "EVERYONE. SETTLE. DOWN." I called attention to myself. "Weapons down. Everyone. Drop them. Put them down right now." I motioned. Rarity hadn't gone for hers, YET.
The girls looked at them, and discarded their weapons without even asking me why. In a nice little unprofessional pile off to the side. Then, the real bitching started.
Rarity: "I don't understand WHY you can't just GROW UP and accept a little CULTURE!" She snorted at Applejack.
Applejack: "Been th'ar, dun that.. y'all fancy-pants stuff jes' bores me.. 'cuz it's borin'." She waved a hoof at Rarity.
I paused a moment, and whispered into Cadence's ear. Then, with her permission, I kissed her, full on the lips, making sure Applejack could see. What I didn't see was the slightly jealous look I got from Sunshine.
K: "Look, honey, I'm going to end up with a Royal Flush at this point!" I said, in the most off-beat voice I could muster.
Applejack: "..whutev'ar.." She just shrugged, and rolled back on her ass, tipping her hat down.
K: "Yeah, you know what, you're all under a spell, that's whatever." I stated. I was being ignored.
Pinkie had shrunk back with Toola Roola, while Rarity and Twilight started going at it, hard core. Nasty words, nasty insults, and it was all flying faster than I could catch the conversation. Applejack would throw in the occasional barb for either of them, but that was about it.
K: "Cadence.." I nodded.
Cadence: "I'll see what I can do.. but it may not be much." She said, focusing her power on her horn.
Dr. Allcome: "Uh, K?" He said, toddling up. "I think there's something you ought to know."
K: "Yes, Doc?"
Dr. Allcome: "While you were busy trying to determine what was going on with the girls, I'd done an analysis on the grass and soil." He shrugged. So THAT'S where he disappeared to! "It's not good. The grasses are physically fine, but some of the alchemic ingredients I have, reacted poorly to them. Specifically, Wortnester's Serum. It's a compound that helps determine the mystical properties of various things. Very basic component. It turned the oddest color - I had to consult my field guide. Apparently.." He held up a small vial with some partly dissolved grass in it. The fluid was a sickly poop color. "..it's some indeterminable form of Disharmony. I fear we may all be affected, but the ELEMENTS of Harmony, especially."
K: "Hypothesis confirmed." I nodded. "Good work, Doctor. Now, how do we fix it?"
Rarity: "THAT'S THE LAST STRAW!" *MRREEEEEEEAOOW!* She tackled Twilight to the ground.
Dr. Allcome: "..oh, my!" He got a little flushed, seeing the two ladies writhe around in the dirt, making cat-fighting noises. *AHEM!* "I.. don't know. I know the disease, as it were, but not the cause. Does this help you any, Princess?" He turned to Cadence.
Cadence: "A little.." She started flipping through her spells, her horn changing colors. "..need a barrier!"
*FWASHOOOOOOOM!*
I nearly flew off my feet. Before I knew what she was talking about, there was a huge burst of red light, and we were suddenly inside a magical field. It made my head swim, but at the same time, everyone just suddenly stopped what they were doing, and all looked at Cadence.
Twilight: "What's going on?" She was on the ground, with Rarity on top of her. "Rarity..?"
Rarity: "OH! OH! My GOODness! I'm so sorry, Twilight!" She helped her up and IMMEDIATELY went for her beauty supplies, and started fixing Twilight's hair. "I feel HORRIBLE.. how utterly terrible of me!"
Applejack: "Ah'm sorry, too." Applejack said, suddenly getting up and pushing her hat back. She then came over to me and whapped me in the ass with her tail.
K: "YEOW!" I had to rub it - that STUNG!
Applejack: "THAT'S fer makin' me jealous!" She smirked, got up on her hind legs, and kissed me. Deeply. *Dreamily* "That's fer caring.."
Pinkie and Toola came walking up closer, they seemed to be talking. I found it interesting that those two, of all people, would make a connection. Then again, Toola was pretty chaotic on her own. Dr. Allcome blushed again, seeing me and Applejack kiss like that.
K: "OKAY! Well.. now we know that the land itself is cursed." I shrugged. "Cadence, how long can you keep this up?"
Cadence: "I.. I'm not sure. Without my other half, my powers aren't nearly what they should be. I should be alright.. for a while."
Sunshine: "Don't worry, I've got your back." He put a hoof on her shoulder.
K: "Alright, let's get to Emerald City. Everyone, stay close.. I know that's not proper, but we don't have a choice." I shrugged, and started walking.
For the rest of the trip, everyone started expressing their friendship and sisterly love for each other - I think because they hoped it would 'feed' Cadence a little. But, after a few hours..
TIME: 17:22
LOCATION: Emerald City
We arrived at Emerald City, and noticed the place seemed fairly normal. There were ponies running around - well, walking - and almost none had gem-cut eyes. As we walked into town, though, they all looked at us. And Princess Cadence.
Crystal Pony #1: "THE PRINCESS!"
Crystal Pony #2: "WE'RE SAVED!"
Crystal Pony #3: "OVER HERE, EVERYONE! THE PRINCESS IS HERE! SHE'S HERE!"
And we were suddenly swamped by Ponies. Mind you, they looked normal enough, except for the few with polygon irises. They croweded close to us, clamoring for our attention, or, to pet Cadence's mane. I had to physically get in front of Cadence, while the girls formed a ring around her to keep the crowd back. I, right then, wished I'd developed proper Less-than-Lethal Shotgun Shells.
K: "EVERYPONY GET THE BUCK BACK, RIGHT NOW!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, and to accentuate my point, fired a single round from my Bradley into the air.
They stopped. I mean, they stopped dead in their tracks, and looked at me, as if they'd just noticed I was standing there. Given that I'm a good bit taller than them, and I'm the only human in Equus, and I'm the only one wearing black.. yeah.
Crystal Pony #4: "What's this thing?"
Crystal Pony #5: "I dunno. Looks like a furless creature."
Crystal Pony #7 (older female): "Oh, the poor dear! He must be freezing!"
K: "MY NAME IS.." I called to get their attention. "..K, General-Field Marshal of the Combined Military Forces of Equestria. I am here under orders of Princesses Celestia and Luna to bring Princess Cadence to the capital of the Crystal Kingdom and restore the Crystal Heart." I had their full attention. "You rushing us is counterintuitve to our objective. The Princess is tired, now, you're perfectly free to look at her and all, but please make a hole. Come on, come on, make a hole."
But, I was ignored. How rude!
Cadence: *Ahem* "Please move."
And they immediately parted like the Red Sea before Moses. OF ALL THE NERVE!
Cadence: "I'm going to have to give you my symbol, if you're to be recognized as an authority in these lands, it seems."
As if my epaulette didn't already have enough on it. Ah, well..
Applejack: "Seems she got the magic touch.." She put a hoof on my hip, as if to apologise to me.
K: "Let's.. let's find a hotel or something, eh?" I shrugged.
Sunshine: *Chuckle* "Man, if I hadn't SEEN it.." He looked at Cadence, their eyes met a moment, and he looked away. *Ahem* "Let's go." He stayed very close to her, like a bodyguard.
After a bit, we managed to find the Traveler's Lodge. It was a.. very ordinary structure. Actually, now that I had a chance to look around, the structures were ALL ordinary. Mainly stone, it seemed. No wood, anywhere. No decorative roofing, no nothing. Just.. grey stone, everywhere. The Lodge had green drapes in the windows, though. That.. that was how you could tell things apart at a glance. Restaurants had red curtains, the Lodge had green, and shops had blue. It was all so very ordinary and boring.
Was this what it was like? The feeling of total lost purpose? That you're existing just to exist, and living just to be alive? And they'd been like this for generations? Generations growing up without any real hope, confined to a dying land, with nothing to look at but four cold walls of stone. Even the coats on the ponies around here seemed dull, listless.. pastel colors, instead of the vibrant colors on us.
Maybe Sombra's curse was going to be a little harder to deal with, than I thought.
{End of Part 2}
Part 3: Emerald City
TIME: 00:02
DATE: War Day 336
LOCATION: Traveler's Lodge, Emerald City
Dash and Fluttershy finally came back around nine and reported in. When the fighting started, they hadn't been affected, and decided it was best to scout the area more carefully, rather than rashly fly down there and try to stop it (SMART girls, avoiding the obvious Hero Mistake there), and look for someone that might be casting a spell. Well, they'd seen something alright, and chased it. However, when night fell, it finally gave them the slip. They'd just headed towards the first source of light they could pick out - Emerald City.
Honestly, I thought they'd flown back to Camp Crystal to report in, that something was happening to us and the land seemed to be poisoned. You know, get themselves out of danger, rather than risk ALL the Elements.. as I'd rather asked them to do at some point. But, oh well. At least they had some intel for me.
The figure they saw was bipedal, not quadrupedal. That limited the possible enemies, if this was one of the ones we had already encountered. Somnambula came to mind. This sort of thing - fucking with people/ponies like this - wasn't quite her usual M.O., but TRICKING them? That was - she had a bird that she used to hypnotize her victims. Seems she didn't have it any longer. No matter.
The Lodge was designed for dignitaries and merchants from other lands. Authorized visitors - and that wasn't a long list. It was, however, very well constructed. Everyone got their own room. Even though AJ was here, I chose to take my own room away from the girls. Part of it was for tactical reasons - if something came to kill the Princess or the Elements, I wanted to be in between them (and not a target). And part of it was because Rarity insisted on grooming the girls as her way of saying 'sorry' and I didn't want to end up with my hair in braids.
I was asleep in my bed - which, interestingly enough, was oversized and, for once, fit me perfectly - when I was joined by someone sliding up under my blanket and curling up underneath my chin. I woke up just enough to put my arm around them and hug. Ah, my dear Leading Mare, always so thoughtful, despite my tactical assessment. Probably got tired of the Beauty Salon treatment.
Then I felt activity below the equator. Enough to get me started. I was so tired, though, I didn't even open my eyes or try to fight it. I just let it happen. The feeling of a warm, loving mouth.. the feeling of a tight, inviting hole.. the breeze of air as wings fl-
WINGS!?
Eyes open, and I was looking at a flush-faced Rainbow Dash stuffing my prick in her marehole, her wings fully erect, and flapping slighlty. She even moaned as it went in. And it felt so.. warm.. moist.. inviting.. my hips and back arched as I felt her hymen give-way. She must be getting revenge for the Hospital incident. I didn't care. Actually, when I thought about it later, I realized how LITTLE it mattered to me at that moment - the reasons why, or any thought of consequences. I reached up, got my hands under her wings, and rolled her over on to her back.
Dash: "Mm..-*MMH!*
K: *Shh*
I reached over and covered her mouth with one hand, while my other arm wrapped itself around her back, pulling her wings in. With my arms in a wrap around her, I proceeded to drill the rainbow with all the energy I suddenly had, holding her mouth shut. She looked a little surprised at first, then she really got into it, and her eyes lolled into the back of her head.
We took a couple hours.. or more.
TIME: 07:05
I woke up with Skittle-Lightning in my bed. Exhausted, happy.. still sticky. I shrugged, and just laid there until Twilight came into the room. See, the rooms are so warm - just under (90 degrees F/32 degrees C) - that I honestly couldn't tell that the sheet was most of the way off of me. So, she saw me naked for the first time.
Twilight: "UH!" She immediately turned beet red.
K: "Oh, Twilight.." I said, casually, looking down and realizing my flag pole was still up. "Sorry." I moved Rainbow Dash's left rear leg to cover it. "Get Applejack, would you be a dear?" I asked.
Twilight: "Y-Yes.. Uh-huh.." She tiptoed back out and shut the door.
K: "You're going to be in trouble in a minute." I cautioned.
Dash: "Mm.. just add it to the list.." She was still mostly asleep.
I watched AJ enter the room, half asleep herself, see Rainbow Dash - her dear friend and fierce rival - laying on HER MAN. She trotted in, grabbed Dash by the tail in her mouth, and flung her into the wall.
*WHOCK!*
Dash: "...owwww..." She slid down the wall, and hit the floor. *THUMP!*
Applejack: *Sleepily* "Yer gettin' it now.." She just climbed on top of me, and held me in place.
TIME: 11:22
Cadence herself came into the room - she was ALREADY flushed in the face. And she just looked at what was going on in my room, and looked about ready to cry. Mind you, I'd just kinda.. fell asleep after AJ got done with me.. ah.. and Dash. Yes, that happened.
Cadence: "I'm SO SORRY!" She cried. "This is all my fault!"
Sunshine came into the room right behind her. Like her, he ignored my state of undress and the fact that I'd just had a three-way with both Applejack and Rainbow Dash.
Sunshine: "General.." He started, then looked to Cadence.
K: "Speak, people.." I nudged them both. "Okay, come on, you two, heave off, eh?"
Two sleepy mares made objections on my chest and waist, but managed to climb off. They were both a huge mess.
Cadence: "I think when I made the barrier.. I made it too tight. Too.. nonpourous. It's.." She shook her head. "All the feelings of love we all had for each other? They bounced back inside the barrier, magnified, and.." She shrugged. "Saturated everyone. The Elements were the most affected. And.. eh.." She lowered her head.
Behind her, Sunshine gave me a very brief beaming grin and a quick hoof's-up (thumb's up). AT LEAST THAT'S ONE PRINCESS I WON'T HAVE TO FUCK! He then resumed his 'neutral' look.
Cadence: "I didn't think it would be this bad. I'm so terribly sorry." She shrugged. "I hope it didn't spoil anything."
K: "I'm just glad Spike's not here to see this." I smirked. "And I think AJ and Dash are.. a little closer friends, now." I diverted my eyes to Sunshine for a moment, only to get a wink from him in return. Had we been alone, this was a High Fives and Cider occasion. Truly, he was a Bro. "Everyone get dressed - we're starting much later than I want to, but we'll get as much done as we can."
TIME: 12:02
I needed a shower after that. Neither AJ nor Dash said a word about what happened. Me? I was surprisngly neutral about all this. They both wanted.. well, what they wanted. I love Applejack and I adore Dash, how could I deny them? Of course, they both acted horrible, raunchy, and said some things I think they were both trying to forget, but they enjoyed it. And making your significant other, and one of your best friends happy.. well, that's what it's all about, isn't it?
After that, we went out and explored the town. The 'curse' didn't seem to be active here, so we split up. For the most part, the Crystal Ponies ignored us. Cadence had to stay in the Lodge with Sunshine - otherwise she would have been mobbed. Our mission was investigation and research. Dr. Allcome and Fluttershy went to the town's clinic. Twilight hit up the Library. Applejack and I went towards the large farm on one side of town. Rarity hit the shops. Rainbow Dash hit the town's tavern. Pinkie went around asking questions at random. Toola? Toola painted. She was being a recorder-of-events, a living camera. And what surprised me was that she was pretty damned fast at it.
I wished she had been around to meet Grundle.
The farm seemed to be a normal farm - standard vegetables grown here, some chickens, pigs.. one of the farmhands, strangely enough, was a Griffon. So, I walked over to have a word with him. I noted he also had a scar on his beak. Was this how some Outcasts were marked?
K: "Excuse me." I started, as I approached.
Griffon: "Mm.." He didn't look up from his work, digging a trench line. "..help ya?"
K: "What's your name?" I asked.
Griffon: "Not like-" He turned to face me, and just about fell over himself. "DON'T KILL ME!" His arms were up - he'd dropped the shovel. Then, I saw the bullet wound scar. Right there, on the leg.
K: "You're.. one of the Griffons from the skirmish near Manehattan!" I pointed to him.
Griffon: "Please! Please!" He was on his back.. "I-I'm sorry!" And he curled up in a little ball, like a surrendering kitten.
Applejack: *Tch* "Sorry 'scuse fer a Griffon you are.." She nodded at him, and poked the bullet scar. "..I thought y'all'd kill't all'a them?"
K: "Apparently not. Remember - one got away. I think we found him." I knelt down. "Just so you know, the pony that your ex-boss wounded, didn't die. Though one of her friends sacrificed herself to save my life, later, because of that incident."
Griffon: *Snif* "A-Are you going to-?"
K: "If I was going to kill you, I would have done it already." I pulled him up to his feet. Strange for a nearly seven-foot-tall (on his hind legs) Griffon to cower before a human. Before Science. As I'm famous for saying, science will fuck you. "How bad's the leg?"
Griffon: "Still hurts.. some days.." He shrugged, his head drooped. "I don't walk quite right in the mornings, it gets stiff."
K: "Scar tissue in the muscle. It contracts at night. It must've hit one of the primary muscle groups." I patted him on the shoulder. "You want Redemption? I want information. Let's start with a name."
Gorcat: "Gorcat. Of the Gorelon Clan." He nodded.
K: "You know Gorosbif?" I asked. Any information was good information.
Gorcat: "Yeah. He was Goreham's cousin. Technically, we all were." He shrugged a little. "After you killed Goreham, the Clan nearly broke up, but Gorosbif managed to pull in some new Griffons from his Nest Ground - more cousins of ours - and reformed us. He.. he kicked me out." He fingered the scar. Come to think of it, Gorlamb didn't have one.
K: "That scar.." I pointed. "I've seen other Griffons with it."
Gorcat: "It's.. what you get for betraying your Clan as an Exile or an Outcast. Just being Exiled.. no one really cares much - you can travel, make a living in an Outcast's Town somewhere, whatever. You join an Outcast Clan? You do until you die." He shook his head. "Gorosbif didn't want me - he said I was a cripple, so.. he slashed my face. With this scar, I can't ever go back home. It's a mark of supreme shame." He shrugged.
K: "How long have you been here?" I was taking notes, now.
Gorcat: "Year and a half or so." He shrugged. "These Crystal Ponies, man.."
K: "That's what I want to ask about." I nodded.
Gorcat: "They're wierd. It's like they're permanently depressed or something. They just never seem happy. I guess.. it felt like Drachma to me, so.. I felt this was the right place for me."
K: "Drachma?"
Gorcat: "The Inbetween Place. Neither Hidora, The Golden Clouds, nor Tarjas, The Undercaves."
K: "Purgatory. Heaven. And Hell." Seems the Griffons had a right proper religion going on. Not that worshipping a LIVING Sun Goddess wasn't a religion.. "So, you felt like this place was Purgatory.."
Gorcat: "Yeah. Like.. with our belief, if you've.. if you haven't broken one of the Seven Edicts, but you've done other shameful acts, you go to Drachma to serve your time.. you're put to work tending the fields for Hidora, or carving the rocks for their grand nests, or something. Hard, back-breaking labor. And if you serve your time without failing again, you may be able to cleanse your misdeeds from your Inner Self. Then, if you pass, you're permitted to enter. The Spirits of the Damned bring us dirt and boulders and things from Tarjas.. then The Ascended Ones take what we finish to Hidora." He was trying to remember this all.. meaning he was rather secular, and probably not a serious practicioner.
K: "Sounds like my religion, a bit. But you actually get to see the rewards for sin, and the rewards for piety.. a constant reminder, for those stuck in the middle, but not damned. Interesting." I shook my head. "What else can you tell me about them?"
Gorcat: "They're very passive. There's no crime or hatred or anything.. but there's also no love." He shrugged. "Like, there's a couple that works on the farm here, yeah? Okay, they worked together a while before I arrived. Then, all of a sudden, I heard the guy say 'We should mate, we're both strong workers' and all she said was 'Yeah' and they did it right there in the field. They just.. did it. No noise, no hot-and-sweaty, they just.. did it, then got back to work. She got bigger and bigger.. and she gave birth right over there.." He pointed. "..while she was on her lunch break. She didn't move, she didn't scream, she just.. plopped it out, cleaned it up, fed it, and went right back to working." He shrugged. "Oh, she put the kid in a basket. Kid.. didn't cry or anything. I asked her what she wanted to name it, and she said Carrot. It.. it was the sign she was looking at, at the time." He looked at the ground again. "This place is closer to Tarjas, really.. it's like, no one here even cares. They don't even seem to love their kids. I mean, I haven't once seen a kid run around, or play with toys, or anything. They go to a.. I wouldn't even call it a school.. it's more like.. a place they go where they're taught some basic stuff, sized up for a job, and put to work once they're old enough." He made a humming sound with his beak that sounded like a held-in sigh. "I deserve it, though, I suppose."
K: "I don't think you do. You've given your penance - *I* forgive you. And my word carries Celestia and Luna's combined weight. And now, apparently, Princess Cadence's as well." I put a hand on his shoulder. "We're fighting a war. Against things of a greater evil than you've done. Things driven only by greed and hatred. Come with us, eh? Put your past truly behind you, and accept forgiveness. These ponies are particularly good at forgiving others." I looked at Applejack.
Applejack: "Fer whut it's werth, I fergive's ya, too." She shrugged. Well, Berry had been one of her friends. Octavia was.
Gorcat: "You'd take me in? A shamed Griffon?" He seemed surprised.
K: "Of course we would. You seem serious about your penence, your regret. You could have gone anywhere, and your size would've given you a great many options to cause mischief. But you CHOSE to stay HERE and REPENT." I layed it out for him. Faith wasn't something I usually put much stock in - I've said before, I'm barely a casual Catholic - but Gorcat had a religious experience. One that I can identify with. His pain seemed genuine enough, his desire seemed genuine enough. I thought he deserved another chance. "You've earned another chance, Gorcat. We took in Gorlamb, too - he came willingly, because Gorosbif was slaughtering innocents, and eating them."
Gorcat: "Which is technically against the First Edict - 'Spill not the innocent blood.' The.. uh.. full edict is something like 'Spill not the innocent blood, yet save your own, with all the courage in your beak.' - Basically, don't just needlessly kill, but protect your Flock or Clan or whatever." He shrugged. "There is a big thing later about Griffon superiority, but.." He shook his head.
K: "Are you telling me.." I cocked a brow and tilted my head. "..that there are religious extremists that pervert your teachings to justify killing non-Griffons?" Gee, THIS sounded familiar!
Gorcat: "Yeah.. but it's a really, really small sect. They call themselves Revitalists. Most Griffs don't pay them any attention, though." He shrugged again.
K: "Well, come on. We can interview you more at the Lodge."
Despite a rocky start, we were going to end up finding out a LOT about the Crystal Kingdom.. and at least ONE of our key enemies.
{End of Part 3}
Part 4: Emeralds to Rubies
TIME: 18:33
DATE: War Day 336
LOCATION: Emerald City
Gorcat had been more informative than I thought he'd be. He'd been here for over a year and knew everything there was to know about Emerald City. It seemed the ponies here were like automatons given flesh. They got up every morning, ate, worked, consumed goods, went home, went to sleep, and repeated the cycle. Consumerism was actually part of their culture, but it was more something they did out of habit, rather than something they took joy in. And - according to him - they seemed to segregate their purchasing habits according to their station. Farmers bought rural-type-things and lower-end goods, Merchants and the 'middle class' bought kitchy stuff and knicknacks.
Gorcat: "This stuff, I mean.." He shrugged. "..there's no emotion here. That fear I got? When I first saw you? It was the first real emotion I'd felt in ages."
Rarity: "Well, you're welcome to express yourself around us, darling." She patted a hoof on his shoulder.
Toola Roola: "How does this look?" She flipped her painting around and showed him. It was Gorcat, sitting on the bed, in 'The Thinker' pose, talking.
Gorcat: "Whoa.." He blinked. "I've never been painted before." He shrugged. "I love it!"
Toola: "Keep it. Eh.. just let it dry first, hm?" She grinned and started on her next canvas.
Gorcat: "Wow. Thanks." He blinked. "No one's ever been this nice to me, before."
Twilight: "Sometimes, people just need a little kindness." She shrugged.
K: "Anyone else find anything?" I asked, looking around the room.
Dr. Allcome: "The Clinic is amazingly clean. Though I noted they have a large stock of euthenasia drugs. It seems.. they don't prattle around with terminal or seemingly-terminal cases. They just.. end them." He shrugged. "Again, goes towards their emotional detachment."
Fluttershy: "There were people in the clinc.. the nurses there treated them.. like.." She looked at the ground. "Like they were machines that needed fixing. They didn't seem to care if they were hurting. Oh! They did give them pain medication, but.. that was it. They didn't sit and talk to them, they didn't.. care." She shrugged.
K: "Horrible." I shook my head. "If there's any field that needs a show of love, it's the medical field. When people are most vulnerable."
Twilight: "The library was very.. large. But utilitarian. They looked over the books like it was a duty.. very quiet. None of the books, though, were any kind of fiction. It was all textbooks and things." She shrugged. "I checked them over. Most of it was modern - last hundred or so years. All imported. General knowledge stuff. Farming techniques, business theory, math.." She dug into her saddle bag. "This was the only book that looked interesting. It's a history book, but it only covers a two hundred year period. It starts about fifty years after the core of the kingdom became unreachable." She flipped it open. "For the most part, after about fifty years, it just gets boring - ponies that were born and died, leaders that were selected, notations of major merchant expeditions from other lands. That sort of thing. The first fifty years are pretty in-depth, though."
K: "Summarize." I nodded to her.
Twilight: "From the beginning, it reviews the basics of the conflict between Sombra, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Like.. there was supposed to be another book?" She shrugged again. "Anyway. Besides that, it goes on about the happenings over those first fifty years. How Pony Society adapted to the loss of the center of the kingdom, the loss of their royalty, things like that. Most of it went over how Home Rule was adopted. Local governance, election of officials from the populace, establishment of republican principles.. then towards the end of those first fifty years, it mentions off-hand in one paragraph that it all started to become routine, and that for no apparent reason.. creativity seemed to just.. stop. After that, it just turns into a sort of population registry. I think this book was written by more than one author, as the events unfolded."
K: "Basically.. the fire went out in their bellies. Those that survived the initial loss of their capital and everything, they still had drive. Desire. A need to make things better instead of just 'make do'. I wonder if it was a generational thing - ponies born afterwards being the ones affected - or if it was a sort of creeping doom that just spilled over the land?" I shrugged. "Like the curse we encountered."
Cadence: "The curse doesn't seem to affect this area."
Of note, she was RIGHT NEXT to Sunshine.
Sunshine: "Still, K's got a point. What if this was.. like a reverse of that first Sonic Rainboom?" He nodded.
Dr. Allcome: "As likely a theory as any." He shrugged.
K: "Come to think of it.. does anyone KNOW what the name of the capital of the Crystal Kingdom even IS?"
They all looked at me, dumbstruck. I don't think the idea ever entered their minds.
Cadence: "I.. I don't." She blinked.
K: "It needs a name." I shrugged. "What's the naming convention of the active settlements?" I looked to Cadence and Twilight.
Twilight: "Emerald City, Ruby City - that's the one that went dark, Sapphireburg, and Diamondville." She shrugged. "Those are the ones on the map. There are smaller towns around the area.. Opalton, Onyx Town, Agate Village.."
K: "Everything named for gems." I nodded. "We'll see if anyone in the capital remembers its name. If they don't, how about Crystalpolis?" I asked, with an upturned hand.
Cadence: "I like that name." She gave a grin.
K: "Alright.. food and rest, I suppose. If there's no more interruptions for me this evening.." I looked at ALL of them. "..we can get an early start in the morning."
Applejack: *A-heh..*
Dash: *Hah-hah..ehh..*
Rarity: *Silence* She rolled her eyes, innocently, though. Then her cheeks started flushing.
Fluttershy: "Oh.. my.. uhm.." She cowered a little. "I-I'd.. never.."
Pinkie: *Giggle!* "Not like you wouldn't ENJOY it!"
K: "..you'd wear my ass out. I BET you're just WILD in the sack. That and I'd rather not have frosting in odd places." I shrugged.
Twilight: *Ahem* "Well, I wouldn't, either!" She nodded, her eyes shut, a firm expression on her face. "I mean, what's the point? You just get dirty and sweaty for nothing more than a minute or so of momentary pleasure." She shrugged, a hoof upturned.
Applejack: "Ahh. Twailaight.." She drawled. "..K here's good fer a few hours."
Dash: "..and.. uhm.. at least.. two mares in one night.." *COFF*
Rarity: "And he's quite passionate about it." She put in, at the end, giving me a wink.
Twilight: "Uh.. oh..!" She had a surprised look on her face, and she was blushing. "Still! I-I never would."
TIME: 22:07
K: "Ahh..! FUCK!" *Grunt*Grunt* "SOOoo.. tight."
Twilight: "Ahh-AHH!"
TIME: 23:13
Twilight: *Nnnnnnnghhhh!* "I.. I.."
K: *Lusty voice* "Let it out.." *Grhn* "..it's good to scream."
Twilight: *AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh!!*
TIME: 00:05
DATE: War Day 337/6 Tertious, 1003 C.S.
K: "You're a terrible hypocrite." I said, laying back finally. "And you taste vaguely like grapes.." I smirked.
Twilight: *Mrrr* "My horn's all slobbery.." She was trying to straighten her hair.
K: "You weren't complaining when I was giving you that fuckawesome hornlatio." I shrugged, and let her snuggle closer. It was a long bed, not a wide one.
Twilight: "I can't believe I just did that." She looked a little ashamed. "I.. thought.. you know.. I'd save my marehood for.. someone special."
K: "I'm not going to verbally entrap you with those words." I smirked.
Twilight: "Please don't. You know I care about you, K. As much as any of the girls. Or Spike, or Princess Celestia, or Luna.." She shrugged a little. "But.. I mean.. you know.. the Stallion I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."
K: "Well, look at it this way. Now you know what you do, and don't, like done to you, you know how to make a man happy.. you know some very interesting techniques to spice up your bed-life.. and you can't get pregnant, no matter how much spunk I just put into you. Or you swallowed." *Snicker*
Twilight: "You're terrible." She nuzzled. "But Applejack was right.. that was.. incredible!" She put a foreleg over my chest.
K: "She put you up to it, did she?" I looked at her.
Twilight: "Uhm.. well.. sort of. She told me I needed to stop being so uptight about it, and.. you were the perfect stallion.. uh-man.. for the job." She shrugged. "Just don't tell Spike, hm? I don't want to have to explain it to him."
K: "No problem. Let's get some sleep, hm?" I rolled over a little, spooning with her.
Twilight: "I'm kinda surprised you're so cavalier about this. You used to be ashamed."
K: "Eh. Part of it, is, I stopped caring. The other part is, I care about you girls, and sex is a big part of life, so.. if you girls need it that bad, I don't mind being there for you." I stroked her chest fur a little. "And in your case, you had no experience at all. Not even idle thoughts. Better it be me, and I show you what it's like, than you get with a man later, it sucks, and you think that's all there is, and you're unhappy *because* you think that's all there is."
Twilight: "Mmm.." She tilted her horn back towards my mouth. "You have a point."
K: *Sigh* "Round four?"
Twilight: *Lusty* "Round four."
TIME: 09:00
DATE: War Day 337
I got enough sleep that night, trust me. It was fun, though, and the next day, Twilight went on like nothing happened. Not even strange looks or uncomfortable accidental double-entendres. And I was serious about what I'd said. I plainly don't give a fuck any longer. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen, and this world seems to not give one single fuck what I think in the matter, so I may as well accept it and enjoy it. Especially with those I cared most about. The girls were.. more than friends, but not like.. family. It was something else. My Herd? I suppose. Something like that.
We were headed towards Ruby City. If they 'went dark' about three hundred years ago, there might be clues there that may help us deal with Sombra at Crystalpolis. Given that Cadence didn't have her other half any more, I didn't know if she'd be strong enough to hold him off or fight him. Or if her night with Sunshine Smile really meant anything besides the sex they had. If it was giving her power.
She changed the makeup of the barrier as we marched out of town. You know, to make sure we didn't go from a military expedition to an orgy in the field. It still seemed to protect us - and the grass was still wilty and sick looking, which was all the proof I needed to keep it raised - so, that was all I was concerned with. Besides, it was the girls, and not me, that seemed most affected by the barrier.
Sunshine: "Seems we'll have to bivouac somewhere.. if I'm reading this map right." He was holding it in one hoof and walking on three.
K: "You are. The trip to Ruby City should take three days. We'll have to bivouac twice." I nodded as we marched. "Keep your eyes peeled, everyone." Two-beat-pause, without looking. "Pinkie, put away the vegetable peeler."
Pinkie: "Bu-But.. I haven't got it!"
Rarity: *Lighthearted* "For once!"
Toola: *Laugh*
K: "Toola.." Still not looking.
Toola: "Alright, alright."
Gorcat: "Are they always like this?" He shrugged.
K: "Yeah, pretty much." I shrugged. "You get used to it. At least you won't be bored!" I pointed out.
Gorcat: "Yeah, good point." He shrugged a little. "Thanks again, for taking me with."
K: "I said I would." A quick glance around. There was a forest coming up to one side of the road - the other side was an empty field. "Watch the trees. I want eyes on at all times." I said, directing.
Gorcat: "Finally, a chance to be useful.." He scanned the trees.. squinting a little every so often.
K: "Yeah, predator vision.. you've got good acuity for moving objects, huh?" I said, turning my head to him, just a little.
Gorcat: "Sure do. Bit out of practice, though.." He scratched his lower beak a moment, and held his hand back. "I know I just saw something move. Something.. pony sized, at least.."
K: "Dash. Flutters." I pointed.
Dash: *Quietly* "On it!" And off she darted.
Fluttershy went high, Dash went low. After a few moments, I could hear a few shots ring out. I motioned for everyone to drop their field packs, and move up, guns ready. Applejack got over by Twilight and got her pack off for her, and threw hers and Twilight's in the pile. We could really only move as a unit - Cadence's barrier and all. I didn't want to overstretch it. We got to a small rise in the terrain at the edge of the wood, and went prone. AJ and Twilight set up the Merrill.
K: *Harsh whisper* "Flash!"
No response. No further shooting, either. That could be good, or bad.
K: "I'm going in. Everyone else stay here." Since I was more or less immune to the mood-altering effects of the area..
Sunshine: "Be careful, sir." He nodded.
K: "I'll be fine." And off I went.
I went from tree to tree, taking a knee behind one every ten paces or so, eyes scanning the quiet woods. It wasn't too terribly dark in here, but then again.. it was a forest. I couldn't really hear anything - of course, the lack of animal sounds was pretty common in the Crystal Kingdom. I put it out of my head, and focused on what I could hear. Trying to get all Zen with it, didn't help. I couldn't hear anything.
I was about 70 paces in - about 35 meters - when it appeared. That cloaked, hooded figure I saw over two years ago, that robbed Rose's cafe. I'd recognise that cloak and physical stature anywhere. And it made itself known to me. It appeared before me. And it just stood there.
I raised my weapon.
K: "Hold it right there.." I stated, firmly. "..don't even flinch."
The hooded figure's glowy eyes narrowed at me, and it held its arms out to its sides. A blade appeared from the right sleeve - as long as this thing's arm. The head tilted at me, as if to ask, 'Do you get the message'?
K: "..loud and clear." I hit the mag release, pulled the chamber, and discarded the Bradley. The inferred message was 'Bullets won't work here.' As is typical of mystical places, firearms aren't the sole answer. I pulled Celestia's Short Sword. The eyes seemed to perk up, as if surprised to see that blade in my hands. "You want to go?" I held the sword in one hand, off to my side, to answer their challenge, but not to be the first one to show aggression. "Or would you rather stand here all day?"
{End of Part 4}
Part 5: Forest Clash
TIME: 11:01 Equestria Royal Time
DATE: War Day 337
LOCATION: Forest zone north of Emerald City.
They moved first, charging right towards me. Now, I don't pretend to be a good swordsman - I had a little casual instruction in foil fencing, but that was it. And they played by rules. This was a fight, it didn't have any.
I fell back. I had the thought that it could teleport, and I was right. It did, just as it was about to make contact with my sword, so, I threw myself to the ground, rolled right, and pulled myself up a tree, in time to see it complete the teleported slash, which would have hit me in the back.
I countered with a swing towards their midsection - a low cut, and given the height difference, closer to a golf club swing. Again, it teleported away. I swung around completely, blade out, only for my blade to come into contact with its sword, about halfway around. I was anticipating it to teleport, now. Anticipating where it would, and what angle it'd come in from.
It pushed off of my blade, and ricocheted off the tree behind it, and off the next one..
K: "No way I'm keeping up with that." I decided my main advantage was size - IT had speed. I needed to get my hands on it, use my superior size to my advantage.
It ricocheted off one last tree, right for me. I just knew it was going to teleport again, so, I ducked at the last second. It DIDN'T teleport - it wasn't going to - and it sailed right past me. I reached up, seeing that it hadn't teleported, just as it managed to turn end-over-end and get its hooves on the tree behind me. I grabbed cloak, and pulled. HARD.
*THUMP!*
Down to the ground it went, and it wriggled out of the cloak. This revealed a five-and-a-half-foot-tall Satyr. A WHAT!?
K: "Who are you!?" I pointed my blade at it, holding the cloak in my other hand.
Satyr: "Trouble!" The voice was feminine. It was dressed in close-fitting clothing that was a mish-mash of Western and Eastern styles... and something very foreign.
K: "You're just a kid!" I carefully slid the cloak down my arm..
Satyr: "I'm an adult! Thank you." *Snort!* "Troublesome human. I was warned about you." She pointed at me with her sword.
K: "Keep this up, you're going down." I warned. "Give up. We won't harm you."
Satyr: "In your DREAMS!" She launched herself off the ground..
..and I caught her in the cloak, whipping it lengthwise along my arm, and into her flight path. She became entangled, and I whipped her to the ground.
*THWHAMP!*
Satyr: *Cough* "Is.. that the best you can do!?" She got up, and shook it off. Tough little shit.
K: "I could have stabbed you instead." I cautioned.
Satyr: "You better, next time, 'cuz I'm not going to be so nice!" She shifted to the side, and flung that purple energy wave towards me.
Which I deflected with Celestia's sword, and as soon as it made contact with the blade, my thought was 'Back to HER' - now, I did a dismissing swipe off to the side. The SWORD deflected the energy wave back to its caster.
*WHACK*
She stumbled, as she was about to jump again.
Satyr: "You're going to pay for that!" She charged right for me.
I took a step back, ready with the cloak again, but she came in towards my sword side, expecting me to abort to avoid hurting her, perhaps. I flung the cloak across me, and managed to get her with it again, just as she made impact with me. I could hear the sword tearing cloth, and with her weight, I fell backwards. Right to the ground, which cracked underneath us, and fell away.
The ground collapse sent us careening into a cavern, now exposed to the light. I fell on some of the larger chunks of loosely packed dirt, which crumbed beneath my weight. She managed to jump off my body and ricochet off the wall, to land on her feet. I got up, and she took off, down the cavern.
Her sword had cut through her own cloak.
K: "You're not getting away again!" I charged after her. Foolish, in retrospect.
We ended up going along a cavern area for some time. It was a straight chase the whole way through. The caverns were barely lit at all, but there was enough light from the ceiling - which was full of odd holes here and there - to see by. I tracked her along these tunnels for a good ten or so minutes, until I ended up in some kind of a cistern. It was artificial - the walls were taken over by plants, but there was stone visible. Or was it poured concrete? I couldn't tell. There was a skylight of some kind in the ceiling, also wrapped in vines.
There was also only one way out - behind me. One side had suffered some kind of collapse, and the other was completely obstructed by a giant spider's web. That gave me pause, but I set my sights on the Satyr.
Satyr: "Seems you've trapped me.." She saw the same situation I did. "..fine!" She held her sword at the ready. "Let's go!"
K: "You trapped yourself." I shook my head. "But, fine. Let's finish this."
I was the aggressor this time. I had to play a close game - she wanted distance to pull off her speed moves, and I couldn't allow that. Distance would give her time to cast magic. I couldn't allow that, either. So, I charged right into her, and just as I was about to lock blades, I swung with my other arm (I still had her cloak), and entwined HER arms. I then kicked her between the legs, and bashed her over the head with the pommel of the sword, and kicked her away.
I came off with her sword. She.. the groin kick seemed to hurt more than the bash to the noggin. In fact, it didn't seem to phase her much. She fell to her knees - and for someone with digitigrade legs, this is an awkward position. But, she got back up.
Satyr: "DIRTY FIGHTER!"
K: "What am I supposed to do, let you flay me open?" I shrugged. "Give!" I demanded.
Satyr: "In your DREAMS!"
She managed to flick her arm up and send a small purple bolt at me. I flicked it away with Celestia's sword, it hit her, and sent her flying back. That bolt had more power than it seemed - she'd probably been 'charging' it the whole time.
Bad for her? She landed right on the spider web. And she was stuck.
Satyr: *NGH!*GAAH!* "NO!" She tried her best.. she even tried her magic, but it wouldn't work. *Whine* "I lost! How could I lose!?" She yelled, then looked at me. "Alright, filthy human! I'm ready!" She shut her eyes and just.. hung there.
There was a minute or so of pregnant pause.
K: "Ready for what??" I asked, finally.
Satyr: "For you to carve me up and eat me! Come on! Or do you want to beat me first, and tenderize the meat!? Come on! DO IT!" She yelled. "I was told what humans do! I was told! You can't lie to me! My fa-.. ah.."
K: "If you say your father is Tirek, I'm going to laugh." I cocked a brow at her.
Satyr: "..no, stupid. He was a wizard." THE JEWEL WIZARD!
K: "The Jewel Wizard?" Now how in the hell did he find someone to MATE with?!
Satyr: "Yes!" She nodded, firmly. "Your sworn enemy! And so am I!"
K: "..why?" I asked, plainly, my face painted with disbelief.
Satyr: "Because he told me humans were evil! They eat Satyr! We taste like goat! And they like to beat us, and enslave us to plow their farms, and.. and.. HORRIBLE things like that! Well, I'm not going to be your slave! So you may as well kill me! GO ON! I hope you choke on my-"
K: "First of all.." I interrupted. "..humans don't eat Satyr. We eat cows, pigs, and chickens. Satyr are too close to humans, it may as well be cannibalism." I nodded. "Second of all, I'm the least of your worries, because THAT IS ONE FUCKING HUGE-ASS SPIDER!!"
Indeed, a spider at least ten feet long was coming out of the tunnel/pipe behind her. And it looked VERY hungry.. from above, though, came a voice.
Rainbow Dash: "K! IS THAT YOU!?"
K: "DASH! GET DOWN HERE, I NEED BACKUP! I DON'T HAVE MY RIFLE! HURRY!" I yelled up to her.
Satyr: *SHRIEK* "AHHHH! I HATE SPIDERS!" She looked at me. "KILL ME! PLEASE! SHOW MERCY, YOU HORRIBLE CREATURE! DON'T LET IT EAT ME ALIVE!"
I blinked. She was really brainwashed.
I put Celestia's sword away, and pulled my Hickok Revolver. Yes, I was running a Hickok for this mission. I moved over to her, and reached up to cut the spider's web with her sword.
Satyr: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" She shrieked.
K: "Saving your life. Thank me later." I got the first few strands over her left arm loose. The spider got too close for comfort, so, I reached in, and put two rounds into its eye-spots.
Satyr: "SAVING ME!?" She shrieked, again.
I managed to cut her free, the spider having backed off a bit. I pulled her away from the rest of the web, and put her sword in her hand.
K: "HERE!" I turned, intending to make good my retreat, when I saw another spider - smaller - come through the same entrance the Satyr and I came through.
Satyr: "NICE JOB, MORON! NOW YOU'RE DEAD, TOO!" She yelled as I set her down.
K: "We aren't dead, yet, and my friends know where we are. We will survive this." I stated, calmly. "Now, hit the big one with your magic." I pointed.
Satyr: "I only have three Gems left, you know!" She snorted. "All small ones!" She grabbed one, and flung it towards the large spider. It hit the monster, and blew off a small chunk of leg.
K: "Aim for the joints." I pointed with the barrel of my Hickok.
Satyr: "Y-You don't have to tell me!" She flung her last two, and managed to blow off its front right leg completely.
K: "So that's how you use magic.. and that must be why you robbed Rose's Cafe all those months ago! You needed money for spell components!" It made sense, now!
Satyr: "No kidding!" She hissed at me.
We backed up nearly into a corner.
K: "Yeah, no, not dying today."
I fired the last four rounds in my Hickok at the right second leg on the largest spider. The 10x24mm rounds blew out nice chunks of it - and I managed to make it snap off under its own weight. I pressed the catch, flipped the thing open and let the spent moonclip fly out as I reached for the next one in my belt pouch, slid it in place, and closed the weapon.
Satyr: "Whoa.. that's some magic!"
K: "It is science. And Science will fuck you."
I took aim on the smaller spider, and fired all six shots rapidly into its head, advancing on it, and quickly reloading again. Its head blown open - a nice baseball sized hole that gave me a good look at the squishy parts, I dumped six more rounds into this opening. That dropped it. I once again, broke the gun open, and got another moon clip in place - my last one - and as I shut the revolver, I pulled her hand. Time to get out of here. Only, it wasn't going to be that easy.
More spiders. They must've felt the vibrations from my shooting. The way out was cut off, so I dragged the satyr towards the webbed-up tunnel.
Satyr: "NO WAY!" She pulled back - she was STRONG, damnit.
K: "It's that or we're lunch!" I commanded. "Now, let's go!" I took a moment to drop one of my Bradley magazines at the entrance. Bread crumbs.
Satyr: "ALRIGHT, ALREADY!" She yelled, as we made our way through the webbed-up tunnel.
I could faintly hear shooting behind us - seems the girls found the collapsed entrance. I only hoped they could find their way here. Deeper into the tunnel we went. The webs back here weren't as strong as the webs at the tunnel entrance, thankfully. We managed to get another.. I want to say fifty feet into the tunnel before we encountered a fully-webbed-over dead end.
Satyr: "NOW what, Mister Science?!" She snorted at me, again.
K: "Fire." I said, pulling out my flint and tinder.
Oh, yes, I carried this shit religiously, now. A magnesium stick, scraper, and striker. I gathered some roots and branches, pulled it into a small bundle, and lit it up, having set it in front of us. I then pulled her as far back as I dared, held my Hickok out, and waited.
Satyr: "We're going to DIE. We're going to get EATEN ALIVE by those things!" *Whimper* "I wanted to die in battle!" She huffed.
K: "..what's your name?" Above all else, I had to remain calm.
Satyr: "WHAT?! How could you ask me that!?"
K: "Now's'a good of a time as any." I shrugged.
Satyr: "..Jade." She shrugged. "Dad was a bit obsessed with jewels and stuff."
K: "Jade." I nodded. "I'm K----. Call me K. Everyone else does."
Jade: "Alright, K. I hope you know my beautiful young blood is on your hands!" She gave me a bit of a push. "I'm going to die a torturous death because of you!" *Sniffle* *Murmur* "Save the last two for us, yeah?" She curled up in a ball, hugging her knees.
K: "We will be fine." I said, in a calm voice. "How old are you?"
Jade: "Uh.. 19." She blushed a little. "I'm not a kid anymore!" She said, stubbornly.
K: "You know your father was working for Tirek, right? He was going to help him rule the world and end millions of innocent lives."
Jade: "Wh.." She sounded perplexed. "..that explains a lot." She finally said. "I still think you're going to eat me, though!" She huffed.
K: "You knew he was evil." I nodded. "What about your mother?" Getting her mind off of things..
Jade: "Never met her, that I know. It's always been me and Dad. And he was so obsessed with jewels and things.." She shrugged. "I taught myself how to read and stuff. Learn magic. I guess.. when I realized he was going to give me to that thing.." She shut her eyes. "Scorpo or something."
K: "Scorpan. He was going to give you to Scorpan?" I questioned.
Jade: "Yeah." she shrugged. "To be his woman." She didn't seem thrilled with this.
K: "So, he was going to sell you for.. what, exactly?" I shrugged, looking away for a moment.
Jade: "More jewels to do his magic with, I guess." She scowled.
K: "It's not easy when your only parent wants to sell you for money and power." I gave her a look. "I would never do such a thing. I want to save lives, not ruin them."
Right about then, I could hear another spider making its way up the tunnel.
K: "..when we get out of here." I nodded. There was no doubt in my mind.
Jade: "Y-yeah.." She got into a sort-of kneel, with her ankle joints striaght out, and her knees wide apart. She held the sword out in front of her.
K: "Here it comes. Aim for the fangs." I instructed. No fangs, no poison, no eating! Hopefully.
It came around the bend with bullet holes in it already. It was trying to get AWAY from something..
*PACHOOM!*
And an 11mm round went right through it. End to end. It was dead. That had to be Rarity.
K: "RARITY! IN HERE!" I looked at her. "See? I told you we'd be fine."
Rarity: "I'm coming!" She came around the corner, seeing the fire. "OH! K! You're alright!" She looked behind her. "He's alright! Up here!"
After we got out of this tunnel system, I was curious to find out its real purpose. I mean, it looked like a partially collapsed sewer or water system - very complex, too. Who made it? When? Was it the Crystal Ponies, or someone else?
Either way, as expected, we managed to crawl out of the tunnel without further incident. And in the Cistern was no less than a dozen large spiders.
K: "What the hell ARE these things!?" I shook my head. "I seriosuly DO NOT remember giant fucking SPIDERS as part of the mythos.." I stared at one. "Can we go, now?" I looked at Jade. "Well.."
Jade: "I better go with you!" She started. "T-To make sure you don't do any evil human things, like eat babies!" She pointed at me.
Applejack: *SNORT*Snicker*
Rarity: *GUFFAW* How unladylike!
Twilight: *Cackles!*
Toola Roola: "Oh, DEAR!" *HAHA!*
Jade: "W-What are you all laughing at!?" She gave them a look.
Pinkie: "Why, it's because K-"
Applejack tackled her to the ground.
Applejack: "Ain't evil. And he's MAH Stallion. Got it, toots!?" She gave her about the hardest look I've ever seen.
Jade: *Snort!* "I wouldn't be interested in that ugly creature, anyway!"
Dr. Allcome: "..you have so much to learn, my dear.." He gave me a look. Sunshine gave me a LOOK. Like.. 'ya know, General, you keep racking up bedpost notches like this, you're going to lose the bedpost.'
K: *Coff* "Let's get out of here before more show up." I nodded.
Well, the trip to Ruby City was off to a GREAT start. A few days in, and we'd already need to call for a Supply Drop. I was going to call for a few extra hands, too.. this shit was more dangerous than I first thought.
{End of Chapter 34}
