Chapter 125: Ambleonian Adventure (II)
Part 1: Ex Parte Pugna
TIME: 15:57 GMT
DATE: War Day 983/14 Lunaris 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Princess College, Londinium, Ambleon
42 conspirators died in the fighting. 1 Constable, and 3 Horse Guards were killed. 12 conspirators were wounded. 8 Horse Guards were wounded. 33 conspirators were captured alive and unharmed. 12 Horse Guards and 7 Constables walked away uninjured. Cosmic was lightly injured by some stone shrapnel. Gaze took a grazing shot, but was fine.
Golden.. managed to get himself hurt again. A piece of stone shrapnel in his right foreleg. Fluttershy was patching him up. I could.. I could see them looking at each other, and I smiled.
Magellan landed on my shoulder.
Magellan: *PIERCHEEP! Chirpa-da-chirpa-chirp-chirp!*
Fluttershy: "He said something to the effect of.." She blushed. "..bitches come half-stepping, get whacked."
K: "I didn't know you knew Bird Ebonics." I shrugged. "Well met, Magellan. Go hug on Broken, he could use it."
Magellan: *Chirp!* Off he flew.
K: "Did you hear?" I looked at the two of them, and in the background, Brigadier Stone being carried away on a stretcher, with a Medic tending to him.
Golden: "Aye! I wuz'there." He looked at Fluttershy, and frowned, looking away. "Th' professor.. buckin' c-" He cleared his throat. "-crabapple. Called out Broken. Called 'im some nasty names."
Fluttershy: "Oh?" She finished bandaging him.
Golden: "K stepped right in tho'" He smiled at me.
Fluttershy: "K's good like that." She smiled at me, too.
K: "Dude was an asshole. He ripped Broken's heart out and stomped on it. He really looked up to that guy." I shrugged. "Then again, he's now kinda in the same club as Twilight and Sunset." I nodded to where those two had pulled him aside to talk. "Twi's dad, and both of Sunset's parents were part of the Equestrian branch of that Unicorn Supremacist Movement." I shrugged, and rubbed my face. "Gah."
Fluttershy: "I can't imagine how things have gotten this bad." She sighed, and casually thunked her head into Golden's shoulder. "I know it'll get better, though." She raised her head, in confidence. "After everything I've been through. I'm still here. I'm still.. me." She smiled a bit. "And I won't the pain change who I am." She tilted her head a bit. "Still, though.." And sighed. "I know how hard you try, K."
K: "Not everyone wants to be friends." I shrugged. "We all know there's something MORE going on here. Something truly metaphysical. The best we can do is.." I shook my head.
Applejack: "..hold our dear ones real close-like?" She slid up next to me, and nuzzled my chest.
K: "Yeah." I nodded.
Fluttershy: "Mm!" She smiled a bit.
I was looking at Golden like.. GO ON, MAN. DO IT.
He did.
Golden: "Aye." He.. slid his foreleg around Fluttershy, and gently let her rest against him. "All the ones dear."
She blushed, but smiled.
TIME: 17:12 GMT
Clean-up from the incident was handled by the Horse Guards and some Londinium Home Guard troops that showed up. Meanwhile, we started searching the campus. The prisoner that Katrina questioned, only had limited knowledge of some of the hidden caches of knowledge.
I was following Broken, Dancer, and Dusk around. Dusk was.. not in his element. Broken kinda was - he was sniffing about for some of the secret passageways that the Gumboodle mentioned. Dancer was - like Twilight might - trying to calculate things.
Broken: "..ah, I.. really appreciate you.." He lowered his head. "..what ye did fer me, K."
I pat his shoulders.
K: "You're a damn good stallion, Broken. War hurts everyone. Not all wounds bleed." I shrugged.
Moon Dancer: "Hm. For sure." She shrugged. "I got my house shot up a bit.. until the Tornado took it." She frowned.
Dusk: "I found.." He pulled one of the decorative book shelves that seemed to be constructed as part of the wall, away. "..aha!"
Broken: "OH!" He blinked rapidly, and peered inside with his flashlight. "BOOKS!"
Moon Dancer: "Boooooooksssss." She drooled a little.
Even I was a bit.. intellectually aroused. I could SMELL the old books and glue smell.. ohh.. intoxicating.
K: C> "Alpha Actual to all callsigns. We found one. Will advise." I gestured. "Go on, take a look."
Broken and Moon Dancer were inside in a flash.
Dusk: "Like kids in a candy store." He smirked.
K: "Yeup." I nodded.
Moon Dancer: "A COMPLETE COLLECTION OF RHODENPONY'S THEOREMS!!!" She screamed.
Broken: "BY CELESTIA'S MANE! COLTISTOTLE! MARECURUS! ALL ORIGINAL SCROLLS!" He yelled in sobbing joy.
K: "Rare stuff?" I shrugged.
Dusk: "Wouldn't know. Guessin' it is, though." He chuckled a bit.
Rarity: "Mmmm..!" She slid up behind him. "Our foal, darling, will very likely take after its father, at this rate." She was practically purring.
K: "Mm!" I smiled broadly.
Dusk: "And you object?" He smirked, letting his scar lift up.
Rarity: "Oh, not at ALL, darling." She hummed. "Just means we'll need another to take after Mommy. Or.. three." She playfully nipped his ear.
K: "Hah! You two!" I chuckled.
Moon Dancer: C> "TWILIGHT! TWILIGHHHHHT!!! I found a COMPLETE COLLECTION of ALL of RHODENPONY'S THEOREMS!" She practically screamed into the radio.
Trixie: C> "REALLY!? AMAZING! I'm coming over there!"
Twilight: C> "Oh, that's nothing. I've found.. MARELIN'S MAGIC BOOK! Well, half of it, anyway. It's the book about the theories of magical forces! The one that no one was ever able to find a good enough copy of to make a proper republishing? You know, the one that the Royal Canterlot Library has that crappy partial transcription of!?"
Sunset: C> "WHAT?! Impossible!"
Katrina: C> "Eh, half his theories were crap. I should know - I dated him. Nice bedside reading, though."
I laughed, hearing the Magic Nerds fill up the radio channel with nerd chatter.
K: "While I'm thinking of it - Dusk, I want you and Rarity to go brief Princess Margaret on exactly what happened here." I shrugged. "I just realized she probably hasn't got the full story." I nodded. "Take Norfy and the lads with you. Just in case there's a few more sneaking around." I looked at Rarity. "AS your former Affair.." I gave her a one-arm hug. "..be careful."
Rarity: "Mm." She put a hoof under my chin, and pecked my forehead. "..you always were a truly wonderful friend, K. I shall be fine." She batted her eyes at her new husband. "I'm well escorted."
Dusk: "Yeah. Heh." He blushed a bit. "C-Come on, before it gets too late."
Trixie arrived with Slapshot. Slapshot herself was reading an old book. Despite her preference for the physical, she still had that Unicorn desire for magic.
Slapshot: "You know, K.. it's pretty interesting, some of the stuff they have, here." She shrugged.
Trixie: "Show me the Rhodenpony!" She zoomed over to Moon Dancer.
Broken: "..ah'm just happy t'have a look at some original Marecurus." He shrugged. "One'a th' lesser known philosophers of the ancient world."
K: "Oh, really?" I tilted my head. "Wasn't he supposed to be Greek? Epicurus, in my world."
Broken: "Differences." He shrugged his wings. "You know, for that matter, ancient Greek pony culture went extinct? We aren't sure exactly when."
K: "Interesting. And interesting that it's the analogue to Epicurus - he LITERALLY preached happiness and peace! Ataraxia - peace and freedom from fear!" I paused, and pondered.
Broken.. actually mimic'd me for a moment.. and so did Magellan.
K: "I'm to presume that Marecurus' writings went missing with time, as Epicurus' did?" I looked over at Broken.
Broken: "AYE!" He blinked. "And what're they doin' HERE of all places?!"
K: "Uhmm." I stopped. Something was clicking into place! I pressed the mic button on my headset. C> "Twilight, this is K. Get over here. Sunset, you too. I don't think the real treasure, here, is magic tomes."
Broken: "A.." He blinked. "A'course! Marecurus!" He looked me in the eye. "Marecurus preaches exactly what we believe. What we SHOULD be. What.. ponies.. forget." He started reading the scrolls he had.
Twilight and Sunset showed up together. They were chatting idly about the Marelin book. They stopped when they saw Broken, and everyone looked at each other.
K: "Twilight. Look at this." I pointed to the Marecurus scrolls. "I know a little about his Earth counterpart.. Marecurus believed - on Earth - that one should conduct one's life with friends and good conversation. A simple diet, and a simple life. Happiness. Ataraxia, he called it. There's.. there's more to it.. something in there about the Gods not mattering.." I gave a wild, dismissive gesture. "But, what does that sound like to you? In general."
Twilight: "..it sounds like the Spell of Carefree." She sat on her haunches. "Or whatever it is that we theorize is affecting Equestria but not so much anywhere else." She looked over at Broken. "We've had this theory since the beginning of the war that.." She shook her head. "..something out there exists that makes everypony forget their trauma and pain enough to carry on. To not get suck in the past, or be troubled by what's hurt them before. So they can focus on the future. And what did we all HAVE before the war? Simple lives surrounded by friends - at least, ideally."
Broken: "Aye." He nodded, rapidly. "An' I were blind as a bat to Professor Climbspotter's intentions, too. Not tha' I had much'a paranoia about it until.. the war startled.. and I began training." He pondered this a moment. "If'n yer right, and the effect is weaker in some places than others.. then.." He shook his head. "..what, ponies are just naturally that way? An' the spell is there to reinforce it?"
K: "That's what we're thinking. More over, when you're inside Equestria, you're less likely to think of the spell itself, even if it's a topic of discussion. There's SOMETHING THERE that enforces the basic ideals that Marecurus speaks on." I tapped the table. "WHAT IF.. Marecurus' vision was.. more of a warning? That.. that we NEED to conduct.." I blinked. "..you need-"
Twilight, Sunset, Moon Dancer, Slapshot: "WE." The girls all looked at me, like, HOW DARE I not think myself a pony?
I held up my hands in surrender.
Broken: "Ah think I agrees with 'em." He said, sheepishly. "Might'a had some doubts before today. No, not any more." He shook his head. "Yer one'a us." He nodded firmly at me.
K: "Okay, okay. I've been told that before." I shrugged. "Anyway. What if Marecurus was warning us all that we need to conduct our lives in harmony and friendship? That we should be free from fear. He theorized - Epicurus, that is - that the fear OF death, of it being painful and final - was something that held us back." I nodded to Broken. "What's that, here?"
Broken: "Fear'a pain." He shrugged. "Marecurus said we should not fear pain, that we should accept it and move on. That a fear'a pain is a hypocrisy. Pain includes death, but he weren't so specific on it." And gestured in wide circles. "It goes on. He theorized tha' friendship in an' of itself was an insulation against suffering."
K: "Exactly. Extrapolate." I had my theory.. was Broken on the same page?
Broken: "Insulation against suffering. Inoculation." He blinked. "As long as we maintain harmony - not FERGET ourselves - th' pain won't come. That pain.. BEIN'.. these Cataclysms!" He slapped his hoof on the table. "Tha's it! He was warnin' us an' givin' us a philosophical prescription to PREVENT the cataclysms!"
K: "I'll bet once you delve into those writings, there's more clues. When was he alive?" I tilted my head.
Broken: "Och.." He blinked. "..by Luna's Tail, it.." He looked up at me, brow furrowed. "..eight thousand years ago."
K: C> "Bright Eyes, you there?" I held my finger up to the mic.
Bright Eyes: C> "Oh, yeah.. yeah. Teddy and I are disembarking from the Bucker, now. I was dropping off some technical data packages to some representatives from Henfield. I hear you had a little fun?"
K: C> "We're about to have more - get to Princess College. There's something you need to see." I looked at Broken. "Homework. Read all this philosophy stuff. Digest it. Generate a summary. I have a feeling THIS is the gold nugget we're looking for, here." I nodded.
Broken: "Aww." He feigned suffering. "Homework? Reading th' works'a the biggest names in Philosophy? Me?" He giggled a bit. "Like I'd turn THAT down!" He nodded, with a big grin.
K: "Right. I'll go get us some tea and something to eat." I nodded to Slapshot. "Come on. No one alone, you know that."
Slapshot: "No problem." She nodded.
Well, we had our lead. And we had EXACTLY the pony needed to CRACK THE CODE.
Fortune smiled upon us.
[End of Part 1]
Part 2: Schrodinger's Breadcrumbs
TIME: 19:22 GMT
DATE: War Day 983/14 Lunaris 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Princess College, Londinium, Ambleon
We had dinner brought to us by some of.. Broken's old students. Seven of them had transferred from Dublin to Londinium, because of the war. All of them were Pegasi or Earth ponies.
Right now, he had them in a circle, going back to (Assistant) Professor Mode, despite the red uniform (he had it off, showing his white shirt and suspenders underneath), and helping him digest the recently found works. Ten scrolls in all from Marecurus, and seven from Coltistotle.
Bright Eyes was here, and helping as well. Teddy and I were milling about the room - it was an interesting little side hall thing in mostly marble and carved stone, with the reading nook area having contained the secret closet.
Teddy: "Crazy scene, man." He shrugged.
Dex: "Totally, dude." He nodded.
K: "There's more here. We've only found eight closets like this, each of them holding something valuable, but not the Grand Prize. No artifacts, no giant books, nothing like that. The Philosophy stuff is very important, as it turns out, but the REST of it.." I shook my head.
Dex: "I getcha." He nodded.
Rapid came pacing up with his Engineer Team - Olivine and Wallflower.
Rapid Bearing: "It's looking like.." He shook his head. "..I know there's more here. I can FEEL it." He shrugged. "Permission to use.." He looked at Olivine. "..unusual methods?"
K: "We have clearance to deconstruct these buildings brick by brick if we have to - so long as we can put it back together." I gestured. "Do whatever you can or need, Rapid. We need to find what the Supremacists have been hiding."
Wallflower: "I have a few ideas." She nodded.
Olivine: "Same." She shrugged her wings.
K: "Alright, be sure you grab a partner or two - no one goes off alone." I wagged a finger at them.
Wallflower: "Ah.. can I borrow a magi?" She looked at all the Unicorns. "I need a strong one."
K: "Trixie!" I called to her.
Trixie: "Yes, K?" She got up from her 'loaf' pose and trotted over. "Hi!" She nodded to Wallflower.
Wallflower: "Hi. Um. I'm Wallflower." She shrugged. "I have an idea, but I need someone skilled in magic."
Trixie: "Alright. Walk and talk." She encouraged, and her and Wallflower took off.
Olivine: "I just need some muscle." She shrugged.
K: "Gotcha." I nodded. "Dusty?" I nodded to her.
Dusty: "No problem, K." She smiled and her and Olivine headed off.
Rapid: "Mmm." He nodded. "I need you, K."
K: "Alright. Theory?" I said, letting him lead as we started heading off - Applejack trotting right up behind us.
Applejack: "Ain't lettin' you outta my sight.." She hissed under her breath.
Rapid: "Something that involves fingers." He scrunched his lips up. "I got told 'bout that one thing in Quirtbeck."
K: "Ooo. Thinking this might be similar?" I tilted my head.
Rapid: "Yup." He nodded.
We went downstairs and out the rear part of the main building, into a courtyard. I spotted Golden and Fluttershy sitting in a small semi-circle of glowing flowers.
K: "Hey, you two." I nodded to them, as we trotted/walked up.
Golden: "OH!" He sat bolt upright, blushing.
Fluttershy: "We were.. just.. talking to some of the.." She looked around, realizing they were alone. "..were, uhm."
K: "..we could use a hoof. Come on." I said, letting them drop the subject.
Applejack gave me a nudge, though, as we fell in behind them. I knew what THAT was about. Matchmaking again. Her little side hustle.
We followed Rapid Bearing through the campus to one of the older buildings. It was, indeed, a bit odd in that it was the only one that had stone gargoyles on it. I was a bit taken aback by the choice in design, but then I realized what Rapid was getting at. Stone gargoyles.. had fingers.
K: "This is an odd one." I nodded.
Applejack: "Feels creepy!" She snorted.
Fluttershy: "We'll be okay." She smiled, and hummed, gently brushing against Golden as she did so.
Golden: "Aye, yeah. We'll be good." He smiled a bit.
Rapid Bearing: "All the same, be on guard. I got the same feeling of strangeness when I got near this thing." He shrugged.
K: "No problem." I nodded.
As we got inside the building, I was immediately overcome with a sense of foreboding. I actually stopped.
Applejack: "Y-Y'all.. okay, hun?" She felt it, too, I could tell.
K: "Heads on a swivel." I said, one hand on the sword.
The upper level was a typical college building - or, the imitation of it. That's what caught me strange. The "Uncanny Valley" feeling that the structure gave me. The internal layout was even more off-putting. There was a desk and lobby area in front, but the area behind the desk was exceedingly cramped. The lobby itself had a couple of benches, but not ones that matched the styles we'd seen. Beyond that was a long hallway, that stretched straight down the middle of the building.
Off the hallway was office spaces, but strange ones. Each office was identical. Right down to the same framed photos on the desks of some happy fillies playing in a field. Each office had a book shelf lining the back wall behind the desk, but each book was blank, save one set of encyclopedias (duplicates), one dictionary, and a complete set of college reference guides outdated by exactly four years - the start of the war.
Rapid Bearing: "Sir, please.. tell me colleges look like this on Earth." That wasn't a request.
K: "I can't. These.. this feels fake. Like, you can take some VIP's on a tour here, and the unobservant won't notice anything off. But it's too perfect, too pat. Making it glaringly uncanny to those of us that've seen strangeness." I shrugged.
Fluttershy: "It.. it DOES feel very artificial. Even the plants - they're silk, not real." She put her hoof on one in the hallway, to show us. "There's nothing NATURAL here." She frowned, and looked down at her tactical vest, to make sure she was fully loaded.
Golden: "Aye, suh. Feels WAAAY creepy, mate. WAAAY creepy." He gestured, nervously. "Rather face a big ugly spider'n this." He scowled.
K: "Let's keep moving." I frowned. C> "Twilight. Comms check."
Twilight: C> "Roger, five by five."
K: "Just in case." I nodded.
Communication with our friends was key.
Finally, we found a room that looked even more out of place. It was largely empty, save a few tables. It looked like a reading room. Problem is, there's very few bookshelves. The floor had a very large, decorative pattern on it.
A large moon, crescent. With the planets about it. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, all of them. All labeled in Greek lettering.
Rapid Bearing: "I've never seen this before." He shook his head.
K: "That's ancient Greek lettering." I nodded. "I know the Greek alphabet. My mother taught it to me - she was in a Sorority in college. They have this niche worship of Greek stuff." I said, pacing around the 'solar system.' I then pointed to the tip of the moon. "Does that wooden bit look out of place to anyone?"
Indeed, at the tip of the upper crescent, there was a wooden plug of light tan wood, that contrasted garishly with the deep blue marble that made up most of the relief, and the lighter marble dots for the planets, as well as the 'yellow-amber' marble of the moon itself.
It also looked both roughly hewn and recently added.
Rapid Bearing: "Sticks out like a sore hoofynail." He produced a small drill on a T-Handle and went to investigate, making sure to fully examine the relief for traps, before drilling a bit into the wood, and pulling the plug out. "Wooden plug, K." He nodded. "Looks like the profile of your sword in there."
K: "Here we go again.." *Sigh* "..alright, step back." I said, as I got the sword out, and plunged it into the hole. "I felt a click. This sword is as much a key as it is a blade." I smirked, thinking of the irony. I then turned, and unlocked the mechanism.
The relief peeled away in sections, revealing a stair case down one level. I could instantly smell formaldehyde and chemicals.
K: "We go take a look, then come right back, got it?" I pointed to them.
They all nodded in agreement.
Down we went, and into a larger chamber beneath the building. Inside this chamber, were capsules about 2 meters high. Glass front capsules. With living creatures within them. I stepped up to the first one, and polished the glass with my sleeve, to look inside.
What I saw.. frightened me.
[End of Part 2]
Part 3: The Last Changeling
TIME: 20:04 GMT
DATE: War Day 983/14 Lunaris 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Princess College, Londinium, Ambleon
Applejack: "BY CELESTIA'S TAIL!" She hissed.
Golden Wattle: "Tha's'a'impossible, mate!" He was flabbergasted.
Fluttershy: "I-Is it still alive?!" She.. actually cowered behind Golden.
Rapid Bearing: "I had no idea..!" He snorted.
K: "It's a Changeling, alright. Drastically changed. Altered." I said, moving over to a nearby desk, and picking up a file folder. "..well, fuck me." I frowned. "Project Deimos. They were trying to create.. a hiveless Changeling monster.." I said, flipping through the notes. "All these capsules are Changelings!" I said gesturing.
Applejack: "A hiveless Changeling?!" She frowned.
K: "According to this, they were trying to come up with a way to create Magi-Organic Weapons. M-O-W's. A new type of soldier for Tirek to mass produce and throw away." I shook my head. "And that.." I pointed to the capsule at the back of the room, larger than the rest. "..was supposed to be the 'next step' in Changeling M-O-W Evolution. The Deimos."
Rapid Bearing: "This is INSANE!" He spat.
K: "No kidding." I paced over to.. a large computer terminal. "OH FUCK ME." I profaned, realizing it was turned on.. and displayed the "BARNDOOR" logo on the desktop background. "Fuuuuuck meeeee..!" I whined.
Applejack: "What is it, hun?" She paced over and saw the computer. "OH LUNA-ON-THE-MOON!" She profaned as well. "Ain't that the same computer gizmo thingy that Bright Eyes had in her lab?!"
K: "It IS!" I frowned. C> "K to Bright Eyes."
Bright Eyes: C> "Right here."
K: C> "We found a laboratory with a large working computer in it - using the Barndoor Operating System." I said, running my hand along the console.
Bright Eyes: C> "IMPOSSIBLE! Ohhh.. where are you!?"
K: C> "I'll send Rapid to go get you. You NEED to SEE this." I said, pointing to Rapid, and then the stairs. "What's your twenty?"
Bright Eyes: C> "I'm up near the cafeteria - Teddy wanted a snack."
Rapid Bearing: "Be there in two shakes." He nodded, and departed.
K: C> "He's on his way. K, out." I shrugged, and placed my hand on the trackball fit for a hoof - I could tell this was adapted from SOMETHING.. but not what. "Strange." I used the trackball and its two clickers to navigate the computer somewhat. "There's files here about Deimos. Lots of them. Photos, too. They look scanned from regular photographs." I looked up.
Applejack: "Y'think Tirek's got a lotta this here technology?" She asked.
K: "Mmm.. no, or we would have seen it at the Smooze Facility. I think this.. is one of a few terminals they still have working, somehow." I shrugged.
Applejack: "Sounds about right." She frowned. C> "Bright Eyes - yew on yer way yet, sugarcube?"
Bright Eyes: C> "Oh, yeah, Rapid's here."
Rapid Bearing: C> "..no, I'm not. I'm only halfwa-"
I heard a distant gunshot.
K: C> "BRIGHT EYES?! TEDDY?!"
Teddy: C> "We're fine - THAT was a CHANGELING!"
K: C> "ALL CALLSIGNS, CODE RED! WE GOT CHANGELING INFILTRATORS! BROKEN, GET YOUR STUDENTS SOMEWHERE SAFE! HORSE GUARDS, LOCK DOWN THE CAMPUS AGAIN! NO ONE IN OR OUT UNTIL I ORDER OTHERWISE! REMEMBER YOUR CODE BOOKS! USE SECTIONS GREEN, YELLOW, MAUVE, AND RED! ONE THROUGH TWENTY! EVERYONE, STAY WITH YOUR PARTNERS! I want all CAG personnel assembled at the Secret Lab, ASAP!" I ordered.
Wonderful. Now we had Changeling spies. Hiveless Changeling spies running around.
PA Voice: "Program Complete. Releasing Deimos.. in five.."
Golden Wattle: "..bloody 'ell!" He pushed Fluttershy behind him, and raised his Grant.
K: "FUCK!" I raised my Grant.
Applejack: "Ya think we c'n kill it?!" She asked, raising her Chaffee. "..good thing ah gots mah reloads.." She muttered.
K: "We can try!" I stepped slowly back, sword out.
The canister obediently slipped open, and at the same time, an alarm went off.
PA Voice: "Warning! Deimos released without Limiter Coat. Initiating Lock-Down!"
K: "..oh, FUCK me!" I hissed.
Broken: "General! Are you alright?!" I heard his voice from the stair well. "HEY! TH' ROOM'S SEALED OFF BEHIND ME, I-" And him tumbling down as the stairs themselves folded back into place.
I turned to see him at the bottom of the stairs with his rifle and a Knox grenade launcher.
K: "THAT HELPS!" I pointed, and we ALL moved back.
Broken: "Ya told me t'get my students t'safety.. I-I got worried, K.." He shrugged his wings apologetically. "..sorry."
K: "No, no, you're fine!" I said, grabbing the Knox and checking the chamber - an HE Contact Fuse shell. Perfect.
Deimos: "...uurghhhhh.." It slid out from the pod, slapping one of its deformed hooves against the side.. and gouging and cracking the case.
Broken: "..how do I GET myself into these sit'cha'ations!?" He said, standing, bracing his rifle. "Ready on yer orders!"
K: "Just lucky, I guess.." I shrugged, and made motions for everyone to fan out.
Deimos: "...LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVEEEEEEEEEEE!!" It bellowed.
K: "Oh. Fuck." I frowned.
So, I'm stuck in an arena-like pod chamber with a giant monster, and I have Applejack, Fluttershy, Golden Wattle, Broken Dawn, and myself.
We ARE well armed..
Deimos: "LOOOOOOOOOOOVEEEEEE!" It paced forwards.. immediately zeroing in on Golden.
Golden: "OI! YA NASTY FLUFF!" He raised his Grant, aimed at its face. "YA KEEPS BACK, YA C-" He looked at Fluttershy, knowing how she dislikes bad language..
..he blushed..
..the Deimos stuttered its movements.
K: "..oh, no fucking way." I muttered under my breath. "GOLDEN! KISS HER!" This can't POSSIBLY be the solution!
Golden: "WHAT?!? YE DAFT!?" He was backing up again.
K: "TRUST ME! FLUTTERSHY! KISS HIM! SHOW GOLDEN HOW YOU REALLY FEEL ABOUT HIM!" If this REALLY WAS the solution..
Fluttershy: "Ohhh..! Ohhh..!" She whined, unsure if she could do it, but she snorted a bit, and nodded firmly, wing-diving over to Golden, and KISSING him.. full lips.. tongue.. her hooves bumping his hat back a bit.. his hooves going into her mane..
..the Deimos looked repulsed. Physically ill. It staggered back from them.
K: "That's the solution, alright." I grabbed Applejack by her shirt, and slid forwards, closer to the monster.
Applejack: "Honeybun! What're y'all thinkin?!" She tried to pull back some.
I grabbed her up, and started sloppy-style making out with her.. ohh.. about five feet from the Monster's face.
The Deimos staggered! The Power of LOVE was affecting it! Causing it PAIN!
I raised the sword, and dropped the Knox.
K: "CADENCE! GIVE! ME! STRENGTH!" I held it aloft. "POWER OF TRUE LOVE'S FIRST KISS!" I pointed it at Golden and Fluttershy (who were still kissing), and was able to absorb a pink sparkly beam from them, then I pointed it at Deimos. "POWER OF TRUE SOULMATES!" I felt the energy come from me and Applejack.. LOTS of it. "TRUE LOVE BLAST!"
The sword exploded energy from the tip in a giant pink, sparkling, satin-shimmering beam.. and hit the Monster so hard, it flew off its buggy hooves. It impacted the canister it had emerged from.. and the power level kept increasing.. more.. more..
..then there was a titanic pink KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
And my world went pink-white.
[End of Part 3]
Part 4: Circuit Curriculum
TIME: 08:24 GMT
DATE: War Day 984/15 Lunaris 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Buckingham Palace, Londinium, Ambleon
K: "YAHH!" I sat bolt upright in bed, and immediately grabbed for my glasses and a weapon.
I sank my hand into Applejack's flank instead.
Applejack: "Mmm?!" She opened her eyes, and rolled over ON TOP of me. "Mmmm.. nope. Not goin' nowhere, honeybun." Kissing ensued.
And.. more.
Much more.
TIME: 10:21 GMT
Dusk: "Are you decent, K?" He trotted in.
K: "No, but I'm covered." I was flat on my back with AJ on top of me.
Dusk: "Well, you two didn't come down for breakfast.." He cleared his throat and motioned for Broken and Golden to wheel in the cart.
K: "Report." I nodded.
Dusk: "All changelings were neutralized. The Love Blast overloaded them and they all.." He shrugged. "..they stopped being changelings."
K: "What?" I sat up, using Applejack's head to cover my bits. "Honeycrisp, wakey-wakey." I prodded her bum.
With.. with my finger this time..
Applejack: *Mmff* She opened her eyes. "Aw'right." And slithered out the other side of the bed, to remain somewhat hidden from the lads.
Golden: "Ah.. K, I.." He shrugged.
Broken: "We brought'ye a Full Ambler." He rolled the cart up to the bed.
This, on Earth, would be a Full English Breakfast. Right down to the use of bacon/ham, and blood sausage. I surmised this would be one of the few dishes in Ambleonian culture that specifically included meat at almost all times.
K: "I've never had this before and I've ALWAYS wanted it." I beamed a grin. "Thanks, g-"
Fluttershy flittered in, as though she was riding a cloud. She zoomed down and kissed me on the forehead, then hugged me tightly. Remembering, of course, that I have laid with her once, and Ponies have very few, if any, hangups about seeing each other naked or mostly so.
K: "What's this for?" I said, as AJ got part of her uniform on.
Fluttershy: "It's a thank you." She hugged tightly again. "I-I don't.. think.. I could have.. expressed myself like that.. if.. you hadn't.. shown me.. I wasn't absolutely disgusting." She blushed in shame.
Me? I hugged her, but set her down on her own hooves.
K: "You have someone else to love on for that, now." I pat her head. "And I'm very happy."
Rarity: "AS am I!" She eased herself in, looking distinctly bloated. "Dear K.. Darling.. Princess Margaret had a look herself." She swatted Dusk on the ass. "It's twins."
Applejack: "HOO Doggies!" She beamed a grin. "A'hm happy t'hear that, Rares! Congratulations!"
K: "Same." I nodded, and smiled at Dusk. "Nice shooting, buddy." I smirked.
Dusk blushed. Honestly blushed. All those walls he'd built himself were coming tumbling down. And I was loving it. I was making a real difference in the lives of the ponies I was getting to know.
K: "Anyway. Continue with the repo-" I blinked, seeing Katrina, now, come in.
Katrina: "GOOD! You're awake." She slithered into the bed like a cat, but wound up on her belly. "I was up all night. Sorry. Warm bed. I -am- a cat."
K: "Yeah." I nodded. "I'm naked under this." I shrugged a bit.
Katrina: "Oh. Eh." She shrugged. "May I?" She asked, looking at Dusk.
Dusk: "Go right ahead." He nodded.
Katrina: "We found out a lot from their computer. This Unicorn Supremacist Group has been working on these changelings for some time, now. Pre-War, actually. Tirek never intended to share anything with Chrysalis. She was always going to be on his dinner menu." She sighed. "Tragic, really.. but.. she died for a good cause." She flexed and stretched. "The good news is, though, these hiveless changelings.. aren't changelings any more. Whatever you did to them, mutated them further, with the Power of Love. You overfed them." She flexed one paw-hand. "And now? They're individuals. Not.. not a hive.. and not monsters." She nodded.
K: "Interesting." I blinked. "So, what are they?"
Katrina: "Civilized, that's what." She purred a bit, pleased with herself. "Also, anything that was down there originally, was moved to other sites - Royal University in Yorkshire, Cirencester Magical College, and the Royal College of Dublin. We need to check those sites."
K: "Lovely." I sighed. "Let me get dressed." I stated. "Out, you. All of you.
Katrina: "..mm, nah. Warm bed. My bed, now." She curled up, kicking off her boots.
K: "Cats!" I snickered, as did Rarity.
Dusk: "Either way, K, the.. uh.. boss of the Changelings wants to meet you." He shrugged. "When you're dressed." He nodded.
K: "Got it." I nodded back as they departed. "Breakfast, hun?"
Applejack: "Sounds great!" She slid next to me, and gently nudged Kat out of the way.
Kat, for her part, didn't mind. She was about to sleep, and felt both safe and comfortable.
TIME: 11:47 GMT
I was in the Guest Quarters area, still, in the "tea room" (more of an informal meeting room). The "delegation" of Changelings wanted to meet with me.
They.. they were.. uhm.. candy colored, now.
No longer black and violent, they were now various rainbow shades. The largest among them was orange-ish, and had some faceted chitin on his chest that resembled gems.
Dr. Allcome: "..and here's the thing. They're unable to reproduce." He had me pulled aside, having given them all a thorough medical examination. "Whatever lifespan they have, that's it."
K: "And there's 36 of them?" I nodded to them.
Dr. Allcome: "Yes." He nodded, with a small frown.
K: "..right, well, do they know?" I shrugged.
Dr. Allcome: "I have told them, yes. They don't seem too troubled that they are.." He gestured. "..all there is. They're just happy they.. ARE." He smiled a bit.
K: "Gotcha." I nodded, and walked over to them. "Greetings, I'm-"
Biggest Bug: "K." He nodded. "K---- K---." He then hugged me.
HUGGED. ME.
But, it was odd. I could feel.. something from him.. something familiar.
K: "..you?" I pushed him back a bit. "You're..?"
Biggest Bug: "When you hit me with the Unlimited Power of Love, I absorbed some of the memories of the love you have for.. everyone. I mean everyone." He smiled, tilted his head to the side a bit, and a tear formed. "Even Mommy."
K: "..Chrysalis." I nodded. "She.."
Thorax: "Gave her life for all of us." He nodded, a bit, trying to regain his composure. "Ah, I'm Thorax." He smiled, finally.
K: "Nice to meet you." I nodded. "Doc Allcome's told you what the deal is, right?" I shrugged.
Thorax: "Yes." He nodded firmly. "We're a.. he said genetic dead end. We can't reproduce. And we're the last Changelings anywhere."
K: "Yeah." I patted his shoulder.
Thorax: "Despite that. I want to help." He nodded firmly. "W-" He paused and looked at the others. "-we aren't the same as the others, but our kind brought pain to the world. We'd like to undo some of that." He nodded.
K: "Alright." I nodded slowly.
Thorax: "It.. doesn't make sense to me to just stand here while Tirek takes over." He shrugged. "What meaning do our lives have if.. we're.. kept in a zoo or something." He nodded to the others, again. "Even if we all die in this. What's the point? If Tirek would kill us anyway - we may as well die for SOMETHING, rather than stand for NOTHING."
K: "I accept." I nodded. "DUSK!" I called.
Dusk: "Yes, K?" He looked at the.. Reformed Ones.
K: "Ranger Training." I nodded. "All of them. Get it done." I patted Thorax on the shoulder. "And make this one a Sergeant once he's done training."
Dusk: "Alright, man." He paced up besides me. "I'll trust you."
K: "I know." I shrugged. "It's a stretch. You lost a few fellow Guards to what they used to be." I gestured to Thorax. "Trixie Paradox. Again."
Dusk: "And I'd be a damn hypocrite myself if I rejected them when they're being honest." He nodded. "Alright. No problem."
Thorax: "Thank you, K." He nodded. "Uhm.." He blushed a bit. "..I have a strange request."
K: "Okay." I shrugged.
Thorax: "Ca.. can we call you dad?" He was about hiding his face at this point.
K: "I can't think of a better son." I hugged him again.
Aaaanndd then I got buried in hug-bugs! Lots of them!
For some reason, the Parental side of me did feel a connection to them. Maybe it was because I'd fucked Chryssy like a damn rutting animal. Maybe it was the Sword. I didn't know, I didn't care, I just.. cared about them.
We would need to head to the other sites in Ambleion to uncover more information. I'd see Princess Margaret about that in a bit. The most efficient way to do this would be to go from London to York by train, then train again to Cirencester, then from Cirencester to Blackpool, then have the fleet pick us up and take us to Dublin.
For those of you following along at home, remember, this "England" is flipped north to south and hangs off BELOW France, not on top of it. The White Cliffs of Dover face Marseille and Nice, not Normandy.
[End of Part 4]
Part 5: Long On Train
TIME: 11:22 GMT
DATE: War Day 985/16 Lunaris 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: South Cave, North Riding of Yorkshire, Ambleon
We'd departed late in the day yesterday. The train stopped at Grantham overnight. We were embarked on a Military Command Train, not unlike my own train back in Equestria, but the accommodations were... tighter.
The track gauge being narrower here meant that train cars were narrower as well. The train itself was set up for riding, not comfort. Not that anyone complained, but we converted tables and train benches into beds last night - while we had been offered the accommodations of the town, EVERYONE KNEW that this would be inviting trouble. So, we stayed together.
It was now coming upon lunch, and the train needed fuel. That was one thing we always had issues with - fuel. From the Navies of the NEIGHTO alliance having surprisingly short legs (this was 90% for safety reasons - we were using Coal for fuel, not oil), to trains having smallish coal reserves on them (as most trains before the war employed Drivers - manual horse power to drag them along tracks).
We'd be stopping in the town of South Cave, by Mount Airy RAAF Airfield.
As the entirety of Yorkshire culturally replaced Australia, I wasn't shocked at all to see.. basically scrub land.. when I got off the train. Indeed, were one to look at a satellite image, it would look like a tiny eastern half of Australia was dangling off of the UK where Yorkshire is. Flipped upside down.
This Yorkshire is divided oddly, too, since a shrunk-down half of Australia is grafted on to it like a lil' tumor. What was originally the West Riding of Yorkshire, here, is called Mowbray or The Vale (official county name Mowbray Vale and Sparrowgate and the City of Sparrowgate - it's not part of "Yorkshire-stralia"). The North Riding and South Riding of Yorkshire are separate - the North Riding being equivalent to the real world East Riding (remembering that everything is flipped north-to-south). Further east is the Yorkshire Outback (which replaces the Australian outback, and has Aerie/Ayers Rock in it), and on the extreme east is the Yorkshire Coast.
Yorkshire's capital is, of course, the City of York, but it also has the "Australian" Cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and the like, on the far eastern side.
It's very strange how this happened, but, considering there was no Continent of Australia/Oceania here, it kinda made sense from the "Universal Laws dictate that all major cultures must be represented" idea.
I did wonder what might happen in a future iteration of pony society, after another epoch of time, and shifting land masses from tectonic activity. Would there be an Australia? Hosstralia? New Zealand? New Sealand? I had no idea.
Our party disembarked the train, with Golden and Broken in the lead. Golden was excited. I could tell. He was returning to his home a hero - a decorated war veteran. If anyone ever doubted him before, they could not, now. Broken was.. more interested in the countryside. Magellan was poised on his shoulder, as they looked this way and that.
Finally, a town official wearing a sash, and a senior police officer, came up, with a greeting party from Mount Airy RAAF Base. The mayor was.. portly, no two ways about it. Earth pony, but one of such station he had time to get FAAAT. The police official was a thin, spritely, almost statuesque Unicorn stallion of clear refinement, but likely not high breeding - he was a stallion that earned his station. The RAAF officers were all Pegasi. The leader - a Group Captain - was thickly built for one of his race. Strong.
Mayor: "AH! General K!" He bowed a bit to me. "I am Mayor Hortense. A pleasure. This is Reeve Pummelsberry, Reeve of the North Riding. And.. ah.." He gestured to the RAAF officer.
GpCpt. Stenton: "Group Captain Diversion Stenton." He bowed his head a bit. "Commander of Mount Airy. These are my Chief of Staff and Chief of Operations - Wing Commander Puffly, and Wing Commander Sphere."
W.C. Sphere: "An honor." She nodded.
Mayor Hortense: "Please, General. Enjoy the charms of our little town!" He swept a hoof across the train platform.
South Cave was.. small. I'd say no more than 1400 ponies. I knew Mount Airy was both a Fighter Command base and the local militia (Home Guard) base as well. It was.. substantial, if a Group Captain was in charge of it. I think 401 and 402 Fighter Squadron and 505 Air Intercept Squadrons were based here. If I recalled correctly.
K: "Sounds lovely, Mister Mayor." I shrugged. "We're really only here for lunch and to refuel." He slid right up next to me and struck a pose as our picture was taken.
Oh, I see where this was going.
K: "Elsie." I nodded to the camerapony.
Elsie: "Sorry, no photos unless you're cleared with the NEIGHTO War Office." She trotted over - I'd let her handle this.
Mayor Hortense: "Oh, dear!" He lamented. "I didn't mean to cause an offense!" Sure he didn't.
K: "It's fine, it's fine." I patted him on the back. "Elsie will sort that out." I then slid over him very carefully and whispered in his ear. "That was as subtle as a rock to the dome. I will not be used as set dressing to help you stay elected. Try that again and I will tell Princess Margaret."
Hortense went stiff, coughed and blubbered in "British Upper Crust" and brushed it off.
Mayor Hortense: "O-Of course!" And nodded. "A-Anyway.. we heard you were coming and we'd hoped to.." He gestured to the main road. "..welcome you proper." He nodded stiffly.
K: "I appreciate it, Mister Mayor." I smiled a bit. "But I'm going to pass this along to local heroes - Golden?"
Golden: "Aye, suh." He stepped up smartly, and nodded - Fluttershy was right next to him.
K: "I have a feeling we're going to be given the Key to the City and other related faff and tat.." I smirked - I knew a bit of Britonic slang. "..and I'd like local heroes like you and Broken Dawn to take the accolades." I gestured. "I'm just one human - it's all of you that have to live through every choice I make. You're the real heroes." I nodded to Fluttershy and Toola. "And why don't you two go with? A couple of the Elements. To show everyone that you're fighting just as hard."
Fluttershy: "..a-as long as.." She blushed jut a bit, but found it MORE embarrassing to be embarrassed, so she put up a slightly braver front. "..Golden's there, I'll be happy."
Toola: "Sounds groovy!" She beamed a grin. "Come on!"
Broken: "O-Okay!" He let Toola tug him along.
This distracted the officials, and I made my escape with the rest of the CAG team.
Dusk: "Strategic sacrifice, General." He snickered a bit.
K: "Needs of the many. Make sure we grab them something to-go. I have a feeling they'll be occupied." I shrugged.
Rarity: "Truly, though, darling, you are right - they're the ones that have to live with our choices. They should be afforded every kindness and award, no matter how chintzy or politically motivated." She smiled a bit - there was her generosity at work.
That.. actually excited Dusk a bit, and he got "that grin" on his face that a man does when -His Woman- does something sexy without realizing it. I nodded and smirked to him, he nodded back with a tiny shrug the girls didn't see. Bro Code. We do not need words.
The four of us (Dusk, Rares, me, and Jackie) broke off from the main party, in search of vittles. Rarity was talking about local Ambleonian cheese culture. Then, it happened.
Wild Pony: "FER IRONLAND!"
K: "Wh-" I barely had time to turn to the side when an explosion went off - followed by another.
Both targeted the stage where the Air Force officers were, and some of my friends. I saw Group Captain Stenton get tossed into the air.. minus his back legs. I couldn't see Broken, Golden, Toola, or Fluttershy.
Dusk: "Ironish Rebels!" He declared.
K: "FUCK ME! NOT NOW! NOT NOW!" I got to my feet, and chamber-checked my Grant.
Then, the gun fire started. The Air Force ponies were all caught off guard - none of them were armed. Everyone started scattering. I distinctly heard four rifles barking from the stage area. We were one block over, our view obscured by buildings, and now, smoke and dust.
K: C> "ALL CALLSIGNS, FALL BACK TO THE AIR BASE! ASSIST WITH EVAC!" I didn't have a full radio pack, I couldn't summon help - the handsets and headsets had less than 700m range.
As I was making the call, I felt my shoulder get used as a rifle support, and a Sherman-Spencer rest on it. I held still for the three shots needed.
Rarity: "..I just wanted lunch, darling." She growled. "I'm pregnant. If they in any so way cause me upset, darling, I will make the rivers run red with their blood."
Dusk: "I'll protect you." He stated, turning to her, blushing, and just letting the emotions come for once. "We're married. But more than that, I.. I feel an urge to protect and love and care about you, more than I've ever felt anything in my life. You are my devotion, now, Rarity. Not Luna."
Rarity: "..then we cannot lose, my darling love." She leaned in and kissed him on the lips, gently.
Just as a round whizzed less than 2cm above their snouts, between them. They both no-look raised their rifles, and fired three shots each, perforating the protestor six times.
Applejack: "Real sweet, y'all, but LET'S GET THE BUCK OUT OF HERE!" She yelled, snapping them out of their lover's delusion.
Rarity: "OH! I-Indeed, darling." She cleared her throat. "Lead on, K."
Now I had a terrorist attack to deal with. Not the lunch I was expecting. But I'd serve up hot lead to my adversaries, that were clearly targeting me and my friends.
None would escape the Sword of Justice.
{End of Chapter 125}
