Chapter 65: Ascention
Part 1: Bug Parts
TIME: 00:04 ERST
DATE: War Day 605/1 Lunarus 1003, C.S.
LOCATION: Throne Room, Canterlot
I was holding her in my arms as Twilight and the others - ALL the others - came charging up from all over the place, having recovered or been freed.
Twilight: *Gasp!* "C-Chrysalis!?"
Chrysalis: "I never said I wasn't giving up.." She had her lids half closed. "..as long as K is around, I know I'll never win. More.. I.. can't have him."
K: "Chrys." I gently stroked her mane.
Chrysalis: "My terms." She stated, looking at Twilight. "If I.. I'm allowed to.. I'll.. watch over him.." She was struggling to speak.
Twilight: "NO! Y-You can't die! You're the Bug Queen!" She got up next to her, and hugged her. "You loved my brother! You can't die on me!"
Chrysalis: "Twilight.. so.. special." She nuzzled her. "One day.." She looked at Luna and Celestia, who was awake despite herself. "You.. chose well.." She looked at me, her lips pursing a bit.
I kissed her. Despite myself.
When I pulled back, she was gone. Really, truly gone.
K: "She expended all of her energy - every drop of it - to free you all. Even the energy she used to keep her and her brood alive." I blinked, numb. "I didn't realize what she was going to do until I was already casting her power into the sword. I make a connection - you know that - and all I could see was her, wanting forgiveness, and at the same time, wanting me, and knowing she could never have me, not the way she wanted. Just like.." I pressed my forehead to Twilight's horn. "..Shining."
Fluttershy: "We never even knew she was our friend." She sniffled.
Twilight: "N-No.. NO!" *Sniffle* "NO! NO! NO! WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING!?" She sobbed, hard..
Celestia: "I.." She paced over, and nudged Chrysalis' limp body. "I'm so sorry. I.." She sniffled.
Gaze: "She dun sav'd us all, she did.." He stood at attention. "..Royel Guard! Stand at a'tenshun! Salute, Queen Chrysalis!"
They immediately stood to attention, clicking their hooves on the palace floor.
I felt her limbs curl up, like a bug's, in my arms. I laid her down, and stood up.
K: "Tirek took another friend from us, today. A friend we didn't even realize we had." I looked at everyone. "She may have started out as our enemy, but she died an ally. Tirek will never be forgiven for this, or any OTHER insult he's given us!" I waved my arm at them. "She gave her life to free you - all of you - from that vampire's control! Remember her the same as we remember every soldier, every civilian, that's fallen in this war! With honor! And with love!"
I heard cheers from the crowd. Chrysalis.. who would have imagined she'd redeem herself like this? I sure didn't.
TIME: 07:04 ERST
DATE: War Day 612/8 Lunarius, 1003 C.S.
LOCATION: Sweet Apple Acres, Haltimer County, Equestria
As I expected, a lot of people mentioned something about dressing up as Changelings next year for Nightmare Night. Chrysalis had been laid to rest in the Royal Crypt - Luna demanded it.
Today, I was playing in the fall leaves with Koringo. She was so tiny, she was vanishing inside of leaf piles. Her big sisters were helping her. My two older daughters.. and Starlight was looking more grown by the day. We had Sweetie and Scoots over as well.
Applejack: "Ah never did.." She nudged me. "..say I dun blame'ya fer what'cha did." She shrugged. "Ah know mah stallion's special.. an y'done gave her what she always wanted." She shrugged.
K: "I still.. well, I felt bad at the time. After what she did, though, I don't." I slowly shook my head. "I had no idea such things existed." I sighed. "I would have issued silver ammo, if that was the case."
Applejack: "It's okay, Honeybun!" She hugged on me. "Y'ain't perfect. Ain't none of us is!" She kissed me. "But'cher mine. An' that's what matters. T'me."
K: "You know I'm going to feel like I failed." I shrugged, letting her embrace me, and embracing her in return. "Like I didn't do my job."
Mac: "You did fine, Brother." He paced up next to me, all bundled up. "You saved us all."
K: "Yeah, but at what cost?" I shook my head. "It should have just been me."
Applejack: "Aw, Honeybun, we know how y'all feel." She nuzzled me softly. "We'll end this, all of it. No matter what."
Mac: "Mm. Expedition's due to leave soon." He nodded slowly. "Havoc's ready to go. His Rangers're gonna take you an' your team the whole way."
K: "Yeah. Mind on the job." I looked up, seeing Koringo rolling into a huge leaf pile, and Pomme trying to dig her out. "I'd swear Tirek put us in that position on purpose, to get rid of her."
Mac: "Wouldn't shock me." He twitched his mouth. "Force her't'a die, git rid of the competition if he wins, he don't have t'do a thing, 'cept resurrect that vampire."
K: "Sounds like him." I grit my teeth a bit, Applejack was sliding a hoof up my bare back. "Erm, Mac, bro, watch the kids, eh-h-h-h-!"
I was hauled over her back, and I wasn't about to argue. We hadn't been intimate since Chrysalis' death - part of me just didn't have the drive to. Applejack was going to change that, and I had no say in the matter.
The bed-squeaking, roof-raising action we did in the barn? Would have done her proud.
No matter what Tirek threw at us, or anyone else for that matter, we always managed to win, somehow. Their victories temporary and fleeting. Because we had friends, were friends, and our friendship and trust could overcome their fear and lies.
[End of Part 1]
Part 2: Returning Gloom
TIME: 11:22 ERDT
DATE: War Day 614/10 Lunaris, 1003 C.S.
LOCATION: Gloom Mountain Region
The Girls were with me, along with Spike, Sgt. Yanjiro, Jade, Katrina, Teddy, and Havoc's Ranger platoon.
Sacquet was in eastern Equestria, heading towards Prance and Germaneigh, on the trail of the kidnap ring, with Dusty, and Wide Lens.
Everyone else that was part of my "General Staff" was headed to Cowrea - in fact, they should be there, and I should be getting word back about their progress, soon. Despite better judgment, I'd sent Norfy and the lads to Cowrea. Being down one senior officer, and with the casualties the Marines took at the palace, I thought it necessary to have my three top advisors on station, just in case.
We'd be meeting up with a company (each) of Aero Marines and Equestrian Paratroopers that had taken up position at my old artillery position for the Gloom Mountain battle - they were under orders to observe the region, and be watchful for any activity, but not engage, lest they tangle with magics they couldn't counter.
They'd sent back reports of activity indeed.. and we were on the way to see what this was.
Capt. Agate: "General K? Captain Agate, 1st Company, Aero Marines." She was a beige pony under her arctic uniform, with a lighter beige mane, and purplish cut iris eyes, making her one of the residents of Crystalpolis. "My opposite number from Equestria."
Capt. Iron Dart: "Captain Iron Dart, General. I believe you know my father and sister." He nodded. Seems a sharp lad - dark blue coat, reddish mane, dark eyes.
K: "We met at Carousel Island, Captain." I nodded back. "Report."
Agate: "We've witnessed hooded figures bringing things to the ruins of the castle. Close-in observation always loses them soon after they enter. We think they're going into a basement or something. This morning, they brought something that seemed to be struggling to get away from them - it was wrapped up." She shrugged. "I almost wanted to take a shot at rescuing whomever it was, but.."
K: "Best you didn't - if they have high power magic, what defenses have you against it?" I looked over the troops - precious few Unicorns.
Katrina: "You might've been in serious trouble." She nodded.
Agate: "That's what we concluded, ma'am." She shrugged a bit. "Your orders, General?"
K: "We're going to move in on the site. Be ready to back us up." I pointed to the mountain. "Right down there is the old field HQ for the Ponyville Militia. There's a nice dugout and some overhanging rocks. Good defensive terrain. Take that position and hold it. Make sure you distribute lookouts in any nook and cranny. Free fire authorized - if it's not friendly, kill it." I nodded.
Agate: "Aye, sir." She moade hoof motions to her unit, and they started getting ready to move out.
K: "Also, call Crystal Palace. I want Superb and Swiftsure here. Just in case. Should take them about four hours." I nodded.
Agate: "Aye, sir. The Aero Cruiser Centaur is also complete, now, and would be available." She updated me.
K: "Good. Yes, have them come. And I want the XY's on standby."
Agate: "Aye, General."
Rarity: "Mm.. be nice to have the greater firepower, K." She tapped her chin a second.
K: "Indeed. The Centaur was supposed to be completed with six 90mm guns and ten 76mm guns, plus machine guns, and room for an Aero Marine platoon." I shrugged.
Spike: "Lots of guns.. I hope we don't really need them." He shrugged a bit.
We made our way down to the Ponyville Militia's old field HQ. From there, we separated. The Paras and the Aero Marines spread out like experts. These Paras were the ones that fought the Kiangese at Paradise Estates.. unfortunately, the other formation, mostly lost at Neighpon, were made up of Ponyville veterans and fresh recruits.
As we ascended the mountain, I reflected on the losses at Miaco. It certainly wasn't trivial. Veterans, experts in fighting, had died in numbers. Yes, we crushed everything Tirek had in Neighpon, but we did it in the worst possible way - on Tirek's terms.
As we ascended towards the castle, I expected to see the airships approaching.. I didn't, not at first.
Spike: "HEY! LOOK!" He pointed at the sky.
K: "Are those.. dragons?" I furrowed my brow a bit. "That's.. a lot of dragons.." I counted two companies, no weapons besides whatever Breath Weapons that they might have. "They're heading for the castle! Come on!"
I charged up the hill, and our team made it just ahead of them. A thin-ish light blue female landed in front of us. Next to her was a larger red dragon, with visible wounds, not bandaged.
K: "Fluttershy." I nodded to the wounded dragon. "I'm General K, commander of Equestria's military and Supreme Allied Commander of NEIGHTO." I shouldered my weapon and showed empty hands to her. "Who are you, and why are you here?"
Ember: "Princess E.. QUEEN Ember." She narrowed her eyes at me.
Garble: "Hoofs off me, woman!" He tried shoo'ing Fluttershy away.
K: "You have a wounded Dragon, there." I looked her straight in the eye. "He needs help. She's qualified." I lowered my head slightly, and softened my tone. "Please. I have a feeling we're here for the same reasons. Let us help."
Ember: "How can YOU help!? I can smell - you don't have a lick of mag-" She locked eyes with Spike. "OH, TARTARUS, NO!" She pointed right at him. "What in Tartarus is HE doing here!?"
Twilight: "He's my son!" She protested, stepping up to her.
Spike: "Uh, Twilight.." He tried to tug at her, to no avail.
Ember: "I'm aware of who the halfbreed's parents are!" She snorted a bit of flame.
K: "He's a member of my General Staff." I stepped between Twilight and Ember. "He's one of my soldiers." I tapped my chest. "He's ALREADY suffered injuries because of this war - he's shed his blood, and he's shed the enemy's blood. He's got every right to stand with us - with ME." I narrowed my eyes at her.
Ember: "Oh, you're a tough one." She leaned her head back a bit. "Not bothering with the trappings of my office, huh?" She tilted her head.
K: "You're acting as a field commander - I'll treat you as such. Your highness." I nodded. "Now, please, let my medic treat your wounded man."
Ember narrowed her eyes a bit, snorted, and nodded to Garble. He wanted to protest, but didn't. Instead, he let Fluttershy start patching him up.
K: "That's better. Now, then, I'm guessing someone got kidnapped?" I looked at the dragons.
Ember: "Garble's younger sister." She nodded. "That's not the only reason we're here."
K: "What, then?" I shrugged, palms out.
Ember: "REVENGE!" The dragons behind her roared a bit. "Tirek murdered my father!"
Twilight: "WHAT!? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" She shrieked. "Torch was th-" She pulled me to face her. "Torch is - was - the most powerful dragon in the world! There's no way Tirek should have-"
Ember: "He used what he called 'The Rainbow of Darkness.'" She growled.
K: "Oh, fuck!" I spat. "We heard Tirek was working on something like that over a year ago. With everything he's thrown at us, and our limited forces, we never had time to investigate it." I shook my head. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what we could have done to stop him, but..." I lowered my head. "..I should have been able to kill him on Mount Frost, but I failed."
Ember: "You fought him and lived?!" She widened her eyes.
K: "We all did." I looked at the girls. "Afterwards, we fell into Herdiet hands for several months."
Ember: "Oh, I have a special place in Tartarus reserved for THEM!" She sneered.
Applejack: "Thay tor'cher'd us somethin' awful." She looked down and away.
Fluttershy: "..they raped me repeatedly, impregnated me, then aborted the foal with violence." She finished patching up Garble's wounds, and put a bunny band-aid over a small cut on his face, which she gave a gentle kiss.
Ember: "..I'm going to be sick.." She held her mouth a moment.
K: "I'm sorry-"
Ember: "No, human, don't.. don't apologize. I.. got lost in my anger, there. I forgot that others were suffering because of Tirek. If you hadn't fought him.." She tapped my right arm with her claw. "You, me, let us speak." She nodded to the side.
K: "Secure the area." I told my team, and paced off with her.
Ember: "Tiamat told me that a brave human was trying to save this world." She started right in. "I'm sorry. I was.." She looked back at her troops. "..I thought this matter was Dragon business only. I was wrong." She looked up at me. "Dragons and ponies don't get along well. Spike's father thought differently, and went to the Magic Academy to prove us wrong. He was.. expelled. We didn't take too kindly to that." She shrugged. "I'm sorry, General."
K: "My friends call me K." I nodded to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. "How long has it been since Torch was killed?"
Ember: "Not even a week." She sniffled a little. "I want my daddy back, K." She embraced me and started crying softly - the first time she'd broken down since it happened, not daring to show weakness before her own kind.
K: "It's okay." I pet her.. scales? Gently. "I've lost a lot, too. I understand. My father died when I was nine - that's very young for a human. I was lucky that I had a stepfather that taught me things my first father couldn't."
(And for those wondering, my stepfather passed in 2020, but remember, that for me, it's roughly 2014 there)
Ember: "The pain never goes away, does it." That wasn't a question.
K: "No, not really." I shrugged. "Ember." I raised her chin a bit. "We have a chance to rekindle the friendship between Dragons and Ponies that existed ten thousand years ago. Don't let your father have died in vain - I guarantee Tirek's troops in there are waiting specifically for you, for Dragons. And everything I've learned about Tirek tells me he's always a step ahead. You go in there alone, your people will be slaughtered. Look, this war is a terrible thing, but we can't win it if we don't act together. The power of friendship is stronger than fear - it's through that friendship and alliances that we've been able to score victories against Tirek at all. I'm not just asking for you to let us help you here - I'm asking the Dragon Kingdom to join NEIGHTO. Tirek has at least a dozen races helping him - each different, each with their own strengths. But they follow him out of fear or radical cultist devotion, not out of friendship and love. That's what we need." I gently held her head in my hands.
Ember: "..okay. Help us get back Smolder, and we'll talk about an alliance." She hugged me. "Tiamat was right. You're a nice human."
K: "Thanks. Now, come on." I nodded back towards the others. "We have to plan this smartly."
So, we were about to make another friend! Amazingly enough, this friend was a Dragon. Maybe this was Tiamat's way of paying me back? It would fit - help the Goddess of Dragons be freed, earn the potential support of her kin. Considering she likely came from the D&D Cartoon universe, this not being a sure thing, fit perfectly. Like a GM presenting players with a choice.. an opportunity.
Strange how that works, isn't it?
[End of Part 2]
Part 3: Bad Castle
TIME: 15:42 ERDT
DATE: War Day 614/10 Lunarius, 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Hydia's Castle, Gloom Mountain
Garble: "..and you're not stopping me! That's my little sister in there!"
He had me by the shoulder straps.. and he had people ready to pull guns on him.
K: "I understand. Now. Put me down." I didn't react with fear, I reacted evenly.
He set me down, but Havoc was keeping an eye on him.
K: "If you go in, you stay next to me. You don't so much as fart without my okay." I held a finger up, gently, pointing mostly upwards, but about to his face. He was about my height.
Garble: "..alright." He shook his head, crossed his arms, and shuffled his feet.
K: "Now, this is the plan. Ember, you, Garble, and a couple of your best and smartest fighters come with us. We infiltrate the objective. Slow, careful, watching for traps and ambushes." I looked at the other dragons. "You'll stay out here with Lieutenant Barker and the Canidan Rangers. If we need help, they'll lead you to where the fighting is."
Ember: "You really think they're planning an ambush." She twitched her mouth a bit.
K: "They took a dragon, they're going to either be expecting you to come rescue her, or they're stupid. Tirek isn't stupid." I shrugged.
Ember: "You have the experience, General." She shrugged back. "Filament and Wick, come here." She pointed to a bulky yellow dragon, and a skinny green one. "This is Filament and Wick. Wick's a-"
Garble: "Wick's a nerd." He snorted a bit. "Why him?"
Ember: "Because he's short and nimble." She looked ready to thunk him. "And Filament is tough and strong." A hand-gesture.
K: "Got it. Havoc, Bella, you're with me, the girls, and Spike. And I mean all the girls." I looked at Jade.
Jade: "Sure! Fine! Like teaming up with Dragons isn't any worse than humans!" She was soft in her tones, though. "Uncle."
K: "Hah. Yeah." I shrugged, and hefted my Bradley. "Alright, then, let's move."
Our first stop in the castle was Hydia's old enchanting room. With her curse broken, the dank of the walls had been burnt away into brillant light greyness, like clean stone. I pointed out the sights.
K: "Hydia kept Necrooze in that pit, there." I pointed. "She used it to resurrect things.. and turn the living into her undead monsters." Over to the wall that had been blown out.
Dash: "I remember when we breached that wall.." She shivered a bit. "..that was scary." She shook her head a bit, and gently peered through. "K? Gonna wanna see this."
I paced over, and looked out the hole. Sure enough, I could see some kind of an altar, there. Huge, recently assembled.. from.. dragon bones?
K: "Oh, My God.." I barely got the words out.
Dash: "Those bones are HUGE a-"
Ember: "THEY DIDN'T!" She pushed Dash aside, and I had to hold her around the waist to keep her from flying out there. "THAT'S--!"
K: "Your father's corpse. They're using it as a magical foci." I scowled.
Twilight: "Oh, no! If they do THAT.. the magic in those bones.. could.."
K: "They're resurrecting Lavan. For sure." I shook my head. "We have to stop them. Come on."
As soon as we started trying to get to the lower levels, though, the problems started..
Havoc: "Hold up!" He got ahead of me, and sniffed at the stair I was about to step on. "Tripwire. Bella?"
Bella: "Got another one two steps down." She shone her flashlight on it, and I could just make out the wire.
Havoc: "There's more at head level." He raised up a bit, and jutted his nose at one, between the two we'd spotted. "This whole stairwell is all boobytrapped."
Garble: "Why don't we just burn it?" He snorted, impatiently.
K: "Because they could be rigged to explosives. You wanna be painted on the walls like an antique historical record?" I shot a look back at him.
Ember: "What do we do, then? Time isn't on our side, here." She growled.
K: "Havoc. Options." I nodded to him.
Havoc: "I can disarm these." He shrugged a bit. "It'll take some time."
K: "Go for the ones at foot level. There'll be fewer of them - they'll expect the dragons to fly down here. As we move, people? Get down, way down, below my waist level. Crawl if you have to."
Katrina: "Mmrrr.." She scowled a bit. "These walls are too slick for me to just climb them, too. One thing I can do, though.." She got herself a bit of room, and summoned up a sigil in mid air, and then cast it into the stairwell. This illuminated all the traps - and there WERE a lot of them. "Truesight. Lasts about twenty minutes." She smirked.
Ember: "Amazing.." She seemed impressed.
Katrina: "Name's Katrina." She patted her on the shoulder. "THE Katrina. I'm sure dragons remember the Witchweed Witch."
Ember: "Shouldn't you be dead?" She furrowed her brow.
Katrina: "Eh, I got better." She struck a bit of a pose, and filed one of her claws. "No more witchweed, either - that stuff's poison. My former assistant Rep is one of Tirek's lieutenants, though - he used me as a tool to keep some slaves in check."
Ember: "Everyone seems to have a story.."
K: "The great wizard Somnambula, Jade here, King Sombra.. lots of so-called bad guys have switched sides. Power of friendship, like I said." I shrugged. "Others, we've killed - Grogar being one."
Fluttershy made a noise when I mentioned him, but didn't say anything.
Havoc: "I got the steps clear. But, K's right, keep REALLY low.. better let us go first, K." He got down like a dog, and dog-crawled ahead.
I got down on my hands and knees, then lower, almost crawling down the stairs. Everyone else was just as careful.
Toola Roola: "I think I can blow some chalk dust on these wires safely.. if my bomb disposal class is any guess." She smirked. "Be easier to see them if we have to come back this way."
K: "Do it." I said, not looking.
Ember: "You work together so well." She was impressed by this, too.
Pinkie: "It's really because of friendship! And K! K---- is extra special - he thinks he hasn't got any magic, but boy does he have magic! He's got the magic of friendship and loooots of talents and things he can do. Which makes all the mares hot and bothered because most pony males don't have that kind of knowledge. That and they last, like seconds in bed, and K here-"
Twilight: "Pinkie! HUSH!" She swatted her behind. "K has enough trouble with that!"
Applejack: "Mah Husband." She defensively put in. "Paws off, sister." She gave Ember a shot across the bow.
Ember: "Oh!" I couldn't see it, but she was blushing. HARD.
Havoc: "K! I smell Porcine! And.." He paused. "..lizard?"
Katrina: "REP!" She hissed.
Havoc: "Antechamber up ahead.. some good cover.. crates, lots of crates."
K: "Move in quietly. Take position, but no one do anything until I say so."
Was this going to be the final confrontation with Rep? It made sense he was here - he should know most of Katrina's encantations and writable spells...
[End of Part 3]
Part 4: Lizard
TIME: 16:07 ERDT
DATE: War Day 614/10 Lunarius, 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Hydia's Castle, Gloom Mountain
We moved in on the antechamber. The far end was guarded by Porcine, and.. lots of Raptorians in blue and purple robes. Magi Raptorians. Some Gizmonks were here, too, in military uniforms, toting Zhukovs. No Duregars, though. No Goblins, either.
At the far side of the circular antechamber was a hallway, and on the north side was an opening that seemed to lead outside. My guess, anyway, as cold air was coming from there.
Rep: "We get the other hostages in a minute." He was sorting through scrolls. "We almost ready for last phase - sacrifice."
Raptorian Magi #1: "Then what, O' Great Leader?"
Rep: "We cut 'em open. Spill fire sac. Lavan awake, Lavan kill ponies, me get big rewards from Tirek." He tapped his chest. "Me get reward, you get reward. Simple simple."
Garble: *Whispering in my ear* "We need to get them!"
K: "We need to know where the hostages are, first." I held him back.
A dozen Porcine came out from the hallway, with a line of hostages. They were of all kinds - ponies, donkeys, cows, you name it. There was even a yak amongst them, which I found strange.
Rep: "To altar!" He motioned.
Gizmonk #1: "Boss." He held up a hand. "Somethin' stinks."
K: *Very silent whisper* "Rep first, Rarity."
Rarity: *Very silent whisper* "Of course, darling."
Rep, though, was a lot slipperier than that - he ran out the north exit immediately, grabbing two of the hostages, and one of the magi, and without issuing other orders.
Not that the Gizmonks needed them - each one grabbed a hsotage, and held their guns to them.
Gizmonk #2: "COME OUT, HUMAN! I KNOW YOU'RE THERE! COME OUT, NOW, OR THIS PONY DIES!"
K: "Rarity. Bella." I murmured.
Rarity: "Got 'm."
Bella: "Sighted in."
Gizmonk #2: "LAST CHA-"
*THWHACK!* *THWHACK!*
Two sniper shots, perfectly aimed, and both Gizmonks fell dead instantly.
That.. left the Porcines. Who started shooting randomly at our side of the room.
K: "RETURN FIRE!" Like I needed to say it.
When you have two forces in a confined space, and both understand their jobs, the battles are often automatic. Everyone knows what to do, and you don't need to issue orders. The wild cards are the ones that don't know their jobs. Like Garble. He ran for the north exit as soon as the shooting started. Spike ran after him. I followed.
We found ourselves outside after a run up a long hallway, coming to the base of the huge altar made of Torch's bones. Rep was already at the top, and casting.. whatever.
Garble: "SMOLDER! I'M COMING!" He bellowed.
Spike: "DON'T! GARBLE! DON'T GO UP THERE!" He picked off a Porcine with a double blast from his Sagebrush - and with no time to reload, dropped it for his Morgan.
I.. didn't say anything, I just covered Garble as best I could.
The three of us got to the top of the altar - and I realized, we were a few stories in the air at this point. And I can't exactly fly.
Rep: "Oh, good! You come!" He said, the second we crested the top.
I was just finishing reloading, and raising my rifle, when it happened. Rep's voice.. struck a chord with me, how casual it was. Then, I realized far too late what was actually happening - Smolder was bait, Garble was the target.
Then again, the gaping wound that punched through his neck, and impacted me in the midsection, right at the bolt of my Bradley, and sent me to the ground, destroying my rifle, were very good indications that we'd played right into his hands.
Spike? Never faltered. Brave little shit that he is, he charged forwards towards the hostage - the second one.. I don't know where they were. He knew it was Smolder. He mag dumped into the Porcine holding her, that had shot Garble and me, and grabbed her before she could be thrown over the edge.
I recovered, in time to see Spike get the sack off of her.
Spike: "Hey, my name's Spike, we need to get out of here, like, now!" While reloading his Morgan.
Smolder: "Where's my brother!? I heard his voice, I-" She looked over, just as I was standing up, my own Morgan in hand.
Rep: "Oh! Well, no matter. Is too late. Sacrifice? Made!" He giggled. "Lavan.. COME!" He raised his arms out to either side of his body..
..as a massive swell of lava arose from the crater. The lava formed eyes.. then a mouth.
Lavan: "WHAT FOOLISH MORTAL AWAKENS ME!?"
Rep: "Is me, Lavan! Ol buddy! Ol' chummy-chum! Come on! We have work to do! Tirek wants us-"
Katrina: "K! K!"
K: "Up here!"
*KERSPLORTCH!*
She crested the top of the altar in time to see Rep.. buried under Lavan's hand.
Spike and Smolder ran behind us.
Lavan: "..hyoomin?" He growled at me.
I drew the Sword of Rainbow's Light.
K: "Go back to bed, or I'll put you there. Permanently." I sneered at him.
Katrina: "Lavan? Don't! Trust me. You don't want any part of him - he's not a child!" She was acting scared. Of me. "It's been ten thousand years, Lavan! They know! They know exactly how to destroy you permanently!" She waved her hand at him. "And if you make me.. I'll do it myself." She narrowed her eyes at him, and held her arm up, ready to pull a sigil.
Lavan: "Hmpf. Not worth my time." He narrowed his scorching eyes at me. "See I am not disturbed again."
K: "My word. You have it." I tapped my chest.
And down he went, yawning. Just like that, he was gone. And Rep? Was a smoking pile of unidentifyable gunk. Carbonized. DEAD.
I paced forwards, and slowly knelt down next to Garble.
K: "Hey.." I lifted his head, gently. There was no mistaking that wound for anything but mortal. Even if I had Dr. Allcome here, all he could have done was make his last seconds painless.
Garble: "...sis.." He gurgled, weakly.
Smolder: "I'm here." She was right next to me, with Spike on the other side.
Garble: "..t'care.. m'sis.." He looked at Spike.
Spike: "With all my heart." He was choked up.
[End of Part 4]
Part 5: Dragon Scales
TIME: 17:22 ERST
DATE: War Day 614/10 Lunarius, 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Hydia's Castle, Gloom Mountain
Ember: "He.. was brave.." She was running her hand over Garble's face.
K: "Brave but foolish." I turned to Wick and Filament. "Don't ever do what he did." I pointed to Garble. "It's brave, but it gets you dead." I shook my head.
Applejack: "All quiet down below. Ever'one'a'em's dead." She shook her head, and put a foreleg around my hip.
K: "Casualties?" I asked.
Applejack: "Twilight hit her head tryin'a dodge.. Bella got her tail caught. S'nothin' serious.." She looked up, seeing the HCMAS Centaur come into view. "Backup's here."
K: "Signal them. Tell them we need pickup." I nodded.
Applejack: "Raight." Off she walked.
Ember: "..you spoke of an alliance." She said, standing.
K: "I did. Garble died because of Tirek. Tirek has bought and paid for other dragons to do his bidding. He tried to enslave Tiamat. He killed your father. Help us fight him - help us end this war that much sooner, faster, and with fewer dead." I held out my hand to her.
She took it, and stepped close to me.
Ember: "You feel.. warm. Familiar." She hugged me. "You remind me of him." Of Torch.
Better she sees me as a second father, than a walking penis. Perhaps, now that I'm married, the charm/curse of the Gigolo has finally worn off?
K: "I like that." I hugged her back. "Come on. Let's go make this formal, shall we?"
I looked up at the Centaur, and wondered to myself.. how many more tragedies would Tirek be able to inflict on this world before we stopped him?
TIME: 21:35 ERST
DATE: War Day 615/11 Lunarius, 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Crystalpolis, Crystal Kingdom
We were in the Throne Room. Cadence was here, representing NEIGHTO more or less. Sunshine was here, too, along with Sombra and the girls. Ember had sent most of her Dragons back to her lands, which, as we found out, bordered the Herdiet Union, and were a bit to the east of the Empire of Harmony.
Part of these negotiations would involve settling borders with the Crystal Kingdom, and eventually the Empire of Harmony as well. Even if they were reduced to just a small collection of villages, they deserved recognition.
Sunshine: "So, Lavan, huh!?" He was excited. "I bet that was scary."
K: "Katrina talked him down." I shrugged. "More that, she made it clear her and I were on the same side, and if he wanted smoke, he'd have to deal with a whole fire just to get out of bed."
Sunshine: "Man, I wish I'd been there." He patted me on the shoulder.
K: "Hey, don't be so eager, PRINCE Sunshine. Your dear love-"
Sunshine: "She's pregnant." He blurted out.
K: "HEY!!" I hugged him.
Applejack: "Whut's all the commotion?" She paced over.
K: "Sunshine got Cadence pregnant!" I slapped his flank.
Sunshine: "Bahaha!" He hugged Applejack. "You guys helped. I mean.." He shrugged a little.
Applejack: "Whut? Wuz we an influence on y'all?" She acted coy.
K: "We were, honey. A stable relationship begets stable relationships." I grinned a bit. "My.. human wife, J--, and I were often the talk of our social circle for being so stable. I never cheated on her, never ran around, and I treated her like a queen."
Applejack: "Mm.. kinda' lahk how y'all treat me?" She leaned in to her accent.
K: "Ah-heh.. heh.." I shrugged.
Ember: "Ah, General." She paced in to the room, with Wick and Filament.
K: "Just, K, please." I shook my head at her.
Ember: "K." She looked at Applejack. "Maybe if I hadn't lost my father." She was.. kinda.. yielding the field of romantic battle, with that. "We would be compatible, you know. Dragons are able to hybridize with almost any species." She smirked a bit.
K: "Really, now?" I tilted my head at her. "You know, Honey-"
*Th-WACK~!*
Her tail, my ass, ouch. I actually jumped, and rubbed right where she nailed me.
Applejack: "Not another werd, honeybun." She said, sweetly, coyly.
Ember: "Cadence and I have been discussing hard borders." She shrugged. "I wanted to ask you about military training and weapons." She tapped my destroyed Bradley.
K: "The Canidans produce versions of these weapons with proper triggers, since their paws have individual digits. We can hook you up with them." I nodded to Havoc. "Hey, Havoc, show clear and lemme borrow your C-7."
He paced up, and did just that, ejecting the magazine and running the bolt - he was on an empty chamber, anyway, for safety. He handed it to Ember.
Havoc: "Here, look down here, put your hands here, and here."
After a moment, she was in a tactical pose, aiming down the barrel. She tugged the trigger carefully until it clicked.
K: "7mm NEIGHTO. With that low power scope on there, you can hit targets out to 200 meters or better, easily." I nodded to it. "The round will even drop Porcines. Might take a few shots - they're basically living armor."
Havoc: "We have more than just this - there's firearms for every job. Long range, short range, intermediate - like this, volume fire, launching explosives.." He gestured with a paw.
Ember: "I want my Dragons trained." She stated firmly. "We don't have the same kind of coordination that Ponies do. But, I'm volunteering Wick and Filament, and Opalfire over here, to train with you and learn your way of doing things."
Opalfire: "Oh, my! I've never actually seen a human before." She paced over to me - a pink dragon with some random yellow spots and a purple belly, exactly the color some girls would just love. She was also taller than me by about a foot. "Nice to meet you, I'm Opalfire." She stuck her hand out.
I shook it, firmly, businesslike. I could FEEL Applejack's eye lasers on the back of my head.
K: "Just call me K. I'm Equestria's general, and Applejack's husband." I nodded to her, and she had her foreleg possessively around my hip.
Opalfire: "Oh!" She looked at Applejack, and then to me, and then back to her. "I see." Like she was making note of something.
Rarity paced by at that moment, and exchanged looks with Applejack that I didn't see - the girls, at times, didn't need words. Closeness helped, but this was different.
K: "For the sake of ease of use, Opalfire, here, should be about the tallest Dragons we recruit. Once they get over 2.2 meters, they're going to have problems." I shrugged. "Canids are about 7/8ths my size, and Ponies about 3/4ths. Opalfire, here, is about a sixth taller than me." I'm six foot even, she's about a foot taller, so, yeah. "Once you get your own industry going, you can create weapons scaled for dragons of all sizes."
I was thinking, right then, about a very large dragon, wielding an 11mm Browning Heavy Machine Gun like a Bradley. It gave me a tactical stiffy.
Smolder and Spike came up about at this point.. and Spike was beet red in the cheeks.
Smolder: "Your Highness." She bowed, slightly. "I'd like to volunteer to stay with the Equestrians." She stiffened up a bit.
Little did I know, that in this universe's "prime reality" (that is, without me), she would actually have hated this idea.
Ember: "And why, might I ask?" She looked at Smolder, then me.
Smolder: "Call it.. a.. cultural exchange. General K, here, wants us to learn to be friends. I may as well learn from our own cultural liason." She was holding Spike's hand.
Ember: "Uhm.." She looked at me, like a mother might, to a father, expecting them to be the one to say no.
K: "Fine with me, if it's okay with Ember and Twilight. We'll fix you up a room at Twilight's place." I nodded.
Twilight: "I have no objections." She shrugged.
Ember: "Oh, alright!" She huffed a bit.
Speaking of changed fates, Ember should be the one suggesting this in the first place.
Cadence: "Ah, there you all are." She was JUST BARELY showing. She came over to Twilight, and put Twilight's hoof to her belly. "We talked it over. We want you to be their Godmother." She nodded slightly. "That means.. includes.. running a Regency Government in case.." She looked to me, then Sunshine. "..something happens."
K: "Interesting failsafe." I nodded.
Sunshine: "We want you to be the Godfather." He put his hoof to my hip.
K: "Done." I shrugged slightly. "And I want to designate Sombra as my Second." I looked over at him, coming in behind Cadence. "In case all four of us buy the farm."
Twilight: "And Applejack will be mine." She hugged her.
Applejack: "M-Me!? Y'all cain't be serious!? Ah'm jes'a simple country pony! I wouldn't know nothin' 'bout runnin' a Government!" She seemed.. off put.
Sunshine: "As such, you're entitled to call yourselves Sir K and Lady Applejack.. and Lady Twilight." He shrugged.
K: "So, now, my full title is General-Field Marshal Sir K---- K---, Supreme Allied Commander of NEIGHTO, Commander-in-Chief of the Equestrian Armed Forces, and Knight of the Crystal Realm?"
Cadence: "Yes, exactly!" She giggled.
K: "Hoh-hoh.. our Kiangese friend would have a field day with THAT one." I ribbed Sombra, and he chuckled.
Sombra: "Indeed, my friend!" He bowed to Ember. "I am Lord General Sombra, Commander-in-Chief of the Crystal Kingdom Armed Forces."
Ember: "Queen Ember of The Unified Dragon Clans of Dragonshire." She smiled softly at him.
Applejack: "...LADY Applejack.." She was still pondering that.
Rarity: "I shall make you the most beautiful gown, M'Lady!" She giggled, and dragged her away by the tail. "Come! I am inspired, and they have SHOPS here!"
Applejack: "Aw, y'cain't be serious, Rarity!" She was trying to claw her way back, but failing.
Havoc: "You've come a long way, old friend." He gave me a nuzzle.
K: "You, too. CAPTAIN." I smirked.
Sunshine: "Heh.. heh.. Applejack's in trouble." He smirked.
Twilight: "No kidding.. K? You want me to go with and make sure Rarity doesn't go overboard?" She tiled her head at me.
K: "Actually, Twi, I want you and Katrina to go down to the libraries and book repositories and see if you can find any clues about the Rainbow of Light. We never DID get much of a chance to check the Crystal Kingdom's books and things for any clues - we were too focused on other matters." I shrugged a bit.
Twilight: "No problem." She was about to ask Spike to come with, but I tapped her and gently shook my head.
Spike.. was in Dream Land.
K: "Pinkie, Toola, Havoc.. I'd like you to familiarize Wick and Filament with some basic things of ours." I gestured. "Weapons, tactics, things like that."
Pinkie: "Hee-hee.. no problem, K." She smirked, and got the others to follow her.
Cadence had already taken off with Ember, Sunshine, and Sombra.
That left me and Opalfire.
We all know.. ALL know.. where this is going.
{End of Chapter 65}
