Chapter 126: Ambleonian Adventure (III)
Part 1: Protecting My Devotion
TIME: 11:27 GMT
DATE: War Day 985/16 Lunaris 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: South Cave, North Riding of Yorkshire, Ambleon
K: "MOVE MOVE!" I called, backpedalling, Grant out and aiming at three incoming terrorists, armed with Sherman Mk I's.
Jackie fired from the hip, her Chaffee cutting them down faster than I could line up proper shots.
Dusk: "WHY HERE?! WHY NOW!?" He shot one off of the roof.
Rarity: "WE are the target, Darling! CAG itself! Why, I do not know." She shrugged.
Applejack: "Yeah. Seems likely." She ejected her empty magazine and reloaded with another one of Shot Shells, then hastily attached the shot diverter to the end of the barrel.
Called "The Duck Bill," the Close Combat Operations Shot Diverter (C-COS-D) was designed to spread the shot from a shotgun out into a fan-like pattern for maximum devastation in exactly this situation.
Unlike the Real World model, this was a screw-in barrel choke, and worked just fine.
We were falling back towards the train tracks. This wasn't my Command Train and wasn't a fortress on wheels. It would be useless in this fight. But, we could follow the tracks to the air base.
I fired three times at a sniper sticking out of one window with a scoped Sherman Mk I. I noted in passing that it was using a locally made rifle scope. These were likely stolen war aid Shermans that had been intended for the Home Guard.
The four of us moved back two more blocks, one block from the train station now, and once there, we could see the town's citizens forming ant-like rows, moving in an orderly fashion out of the city, and down along the tracks to the air base.
Makes sense. British folks love a Queue. Horses are herd creatures, and naturally follow order once trained to. We held right there to cover them.
Dusk: "..didn't know I married such a brave Mare." He smirked.
Rarity: "You have no idea." She smiled. "Darling."
Applejack: "Odd as heck, ah tells ya." She frowned. "The 'why' part's botherin' me, honestly."
K: "Same. Attacking CAG does nothing for the Ironish cause for independence. Violence in general is just a bad look." I shrugged a bit. "I'm guessing this is mostly a false flag, with a few genuine radicals sprinkled in for looks."
Dusk & Rarity: "Tirek?"
All: "TIREK!"
I frowned. It made perfect sense - Tirek disrupts any Ironish independence process with violence, leading to distrust and division within Ambleon in general. The attack on the Unicorn Supremacists was forced - we were about to find their secret lab, they had no choice. This must be a follow up of desperation - they needed to do something, and activating this terror cell was it. It would delay us. Not by much, but it would, and when we got to Dublin, it'd be a very different atmosphere.
Well played, Tirek. Again, he gains something for very little loss. In this case, general distrust in Ambleon towards their Ironish cousins, and a possible derailment of Ironish independence after the war, meaning they might end up split just like Ireland and Northern Ireland/Ulster. Leading to more dissent and bad feelings.
Once the end of the line came, I spotted Olivine, Blizz, and Rapid covering their rear with a few Air Force personnel. The Air Force personnel had Blizz, Olivine, and Rapid's sidearms.
K: "Report!" I nodded to Rapid.
Rapid Bearing: "..you know, I'm getting a LOT more combat than I was hoping for, K." He smirked a bit. "We got five. We were at the other side of the town square when it happened, and we just herded them." He shrugged.
K: "I'm going to make for the town square. Olivine? With me. Rarity?" I looked over.
K & Dusk: "GET TO THE AIR BASE where it's SAFE!"
We looked at each other, and he genuinely chuckled.
Rarity: "Fine!" She swiffed her tail, gently smacking it on her flank in faux butthurt. "A lady knows when she's not wanted." She sauntered over to Dusk, however. "Be my brave Guardspony in shining armor." And planted a very passionate kiss on his lips.
Dusk turned red, and the ladies present giggled a bit.
Rapid and I both gave bro-approving nods.
Dusk: "Of course, My Lady." He bowed ever so slightly.
K: "Come on." I pointed to the town square.
Olivine fell in with us, armed with a Grant Carbine. At this range, it was perfect. There were still some civilians pinned down over there, and gunfire coming from the surrounding buildings. Worse, I could see the stage area was both taking and returning fire, with several pony bodies being used for cover.
K: "Check the windows! The windows!" I pointed.
The scene reminded me of the raid scene from The Devil's Own, a bit, and I'm not on Brad Pitt's end of things.
I tried to get to the stage area, but I immediately took fire from the roof on one side, and a window on the other. There's zero cover.
K: "OLIVINE! SMOKE UP!" I pointed to a halfway point between the stage and our position. "AJ! FLARE!" I pointed to a stack of hay bales off to the left.
Olivine: "ON IT, K!" She nodded.
Applejack: "Yew got it!" She got out a flare shell, and manually loaded it into her Chaffee (not an easy feat for an Earth Pony), firing it into the stack of hay, and starting a fire.
Dusk: "Window! One o'clock, 230!" He called out, zeroing in on it, and taking his shot.
K: "You and me when we move, Dusk." I nodded to him.
Dusk: "Roger."
K: C> "Where is everyone!? Slapshot? Teddy? Cracker? Bright Eyes?" I called.
Teddy: C> "Got our own problems, K! We're getting civilians out the north side of town. We'll double back when we can!"
Webley: C> "East side! Falling back with the civilians! I have Kat, Gilda, Twi, and Flash!"
Kiwi: C> "West side, we're circling around to the tracks!"
Big Mac: C> "I'm coming up on you, Brother! Be there in a sec with Dusty!"
Octavia: C> "I'm with Scratch and Dex! We're at the train, directing traffic! We have a fall back position ready if you need it!"
K: "Alright. We wait for Mac and Dusty." I nodded to them, as the smoke increased. "Olivine, smoke us." I pointed.
Olivine: "Got it!" She gusted her wings up, and started making a pair of smoke tornadoes, using them to spread the smoke over the whole town square.
Mac and Dusty arrived - Mac had an Abrams. He set it down on an overturned cart.
K: "Mac, cover us. Dusty, Dusk, on me. Go right for the stage. Stay low. GO!"
Big Mac: "GO!" He started hosing down both sides of the square as best he could. Applejack helped. At these ranges, her Chaffee was more deadly than an SMG.
Dusty, Dusk, and I charged forwards. We had to get to the stage and give cover to whomever was there. We got right to the edge..
K: "BLUE TEAM! WHO'S UP, WHO'S DOWN!?" I called, sliding against the edge of the stage support.
Broken: "Fluttershy, meself, an' Golden're still okay! Toola's down! Them officers from th' airbase're all dead! So's the mayor!"
K: "Fluttershy!" I called to her.
Fluttershy: "It isn't serious, but I need Cody! We can move her!"
K: "Right. COVER! GIT READY TO MOVE!" I pointed to the only section not covered by smoke - the front.
Dusk: "Ready!" He braced his Sherman-Spencer.
Dusty: "I'm ready, K!" She had her Grant/Gavin set up.
K: "Dusty! Pop smoke!" I pointed. "Broken, get them outta there!" I called up.
Dusty: "SMOKE!" She fired a shell, and it impacted about 20 meters ahead of the stage.
Dusk and I started shooting randomly at whatever window spots we could pick out, as Broken, Golden, and Fluttershy dragged Toola off the stage, and we all fell back.
Once we were back at the carts, I called back to the train.
K: C> "Octavia! Toola's hurt. Where's Cody?"
Octavia: C> "He's got some patients over here!"
K: "How bad is she?" I nodded to Fluttershy.
Fluttershy: "It's not terrible, but she was knocked out in the explosion." She nodded to the bandages over her torso. "I plugged all the bleeders, but I think she has a concussion."
K: "Yeah, let's fall back to the train." I nodded. "Incoming fire is almost nothing. You move - Dusty and I will rear guard. Go." I pointed at Dusk. "You're in charge of 'em."
Dusk: "I'll be fine." He smirked, and motioned for them all to follow, with Golden hefting Toola over his back.
Dusty and I held position for a few minutes. Nothing popped its head up to shoot at, so..
K: "Alright. Back." I nodded.
Dusty: "This is crazy. What was Tirek hoping to do here?!" She raised up and moved backwards with practiced ease - urban combat WAS her specialty.
K: "Disrupt the Ironish independence process. Muddy the waters. Drive Ambleonians further apart. Encourage broken friendship bonds. General cultural malaise and broken trust. In a word: Terrorism." I nodded and fell back with her. C> "All callsigns - if you're not at the Air Base, get to the Train."
Now, we needed to regroup and decide our next move. Whatever it was going to be.
[End of Part 1]
Part 2: Iron Insurrection
TIME: 11:58 GMT
DATE: War Day 985/16 Lunaris 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: South Cave, North Riding of Yorkshire, Ambleon
My command was split, at the moment. Applejack, Toola, and Fluttershy were with me. Besides them, I had Dusk, Dex, Cody, Sweetheart, Broken, Golden, Big Mac, Dusty, Olivine, Octavia, and Vy.
Sunset, Dash, Rarity, Rose, Gilda, Bright Eyes, Teddy, Firecracker, Steela, Blizz, Rapid, Katrina, Radio, Kiwi, Ochre, Dawn, Lyra, Bon-Bon, and Slapshot were at the air base or on their way there.
Trixie and Moon Dancer, troublingly, were both missing.
Webley was taking charge over at the air base, with everyone else that was in CAG, but she was also Senior NEIGHTO Officer present for Mount Airy, now, and was trying to get both the South Cave Home Guard and the Mount Airy RAAF Regiment personnel organized.
K: C> "Webley, be advised, your forces are designated Charlie for CAG and Echo for base personnel."
Webley: C> "Roger that."
K: C> "Dancer and Trixie are both missing. Now, given our track record for trouble, I'm going to guess there IS an actual South Cave, AND something there is important. I'm also going to hazard a guess the enemy force has taken them both prisoner, and their magic skill has something to do with it."
Dusk: "Sounds likely to me." He shrugged. "I'm starting to get this whole 'Universal Laws' and 'Tropes' thing."
Webley: C> "Oh, you know I'm betting you're right! It just fits TOO well. Orders?"
K: C> "Round up what forces you can, sweep and clear the entire town and surrounding countryside. Every farmhouse, every manor, everything in the surrounding area. Contact the Home Guard and North Riding Regional Police at their H.Q. in Hull and get reinforcements - I want the entire North Riding swept for Ironish Separatists and Tirek Agents. He's sent teams here. This is a replay of the stuff he pulled in Equestria, the Griffon Kingdom, and elsewhere. Overwhelming force. We need overwhelming force. We'll hand over command of the operation to the locals once they get started, and we'll get to York to continue our investigation. We can't get bogged down, here."
Webley: C> "Understood. I'll ask the locals if there's a South Cave and where it is. I will report back in an hour."
K: C> "Roger that, Charlie Leader Actual. Alpha Actual, out."
Dusk: "..I'm going to go grab some ration oats and stuff. We still need to eat, and we need to replenish ammo." He said, getting up, and getting into the train. "Broken, come give me a hoof."
Broken: "Aye." He said, with Magellan coming out of the train carriage and greeting him with angry, scared chirps.
Fluttershy: "..he was very worried about you." She interpreted.
Broken: "Aw.." He blushed just a touch, realizing Magellan cared a lot more than he thought. "..dun worry, lad. I'm made'a sterner stuff'n that! You know that." He nodded, with a grin, and followed Dusk.
Magellan: *Chirp-der-chiiiirp!?* He gave him the Evil Eye.
Fluttershy: "He's asking if you're sure about that." She giggled a bit. "He really is worried!"
K: "I've noticed, around here, pets imprint on their masters much the same as they do on Earth. Perhaps with a bit more human emotion." I shrugged. "Don't worry, Magellan." I pet him as Broken passed by. "I like this lil' guy. I'll do everything I can to make sure he comes home alive. And you, too!" I smiled.
Applejack: "Yeah.. 'few times I wish Winona was here." She shrugged a bit.
Broken: "There are no guarantees in war, Magellan - but I will try to come back. And keep you safe, too." He nodded and gently nudged him with his snootle.
Magellan: *Chirp-chirp!* He nodded back and nuzzled back.
Really.. best friends, right there.
Dusk gathered some rations from our packs, and with a wee bit of technological magic, we made a small fire by the tracks to heat water and cook oats.
These oats. I looked right into them - with my usual additions - and reflected on how comforting they were as a nice lump in the stomach. They filled the belly. Despite the disparate needs between some of the NEIGHTO races, it seemed everyone ate oats. It was a universal food. Like bread. Being so easy to pack along, too, just made it all the better.
TIME: 14:00 GMT
Webley: C> "Charlie to Alpha."
K: C> "Go for Actual." I held the mic from Golden's pack.
Webley: C> "The South Cave is on the southern edge of town, under a small hill. It's been forbidden to enter by the Royal Magilogical Society for over a century. Something's there, K. I'd bet my mess kit on it."
K: C> "You're probably right. It tracks with our track record. Alright, you have your orders otherwise. We've taken no additional fire, here, so it's up to you to smoke them out. We'll recon the area and see if we need further assistance. Alpha, out."
Dusk: "That settles that, huh?" He nodded.
K: "Yup." I nodded to everyone present. "Cody? How's Toola and your other patients?"
Dr. Allcome: "Toola will be fine. Bit of a knock on the head, she should rest a few days. I have two critical cases, however." He shrugged a bit.
K: "Take the train to the Air Base with your casualties. We'll head to the Cave. I bet Trixie and Dancer are there." I nodded to him.
Dr. Allcome: "Of course, K. Expect me to return with reinforcements, if I can." He shrugged. "You.. DO get into a lot of trouble."
K: "Indeed. Alright, everypony else, full field packs and combat uniforms. Mount up and get ready to march." I pointed.
Dusk handled the minutiae of the detail, making absolutely certain everyone changed into their combat gear and had full ammo, water, food, and tools.
After that, we headed out.
TIME: 15:47 GMT
We had headed for the south side of town, and finally found the small hill that we were advised of, and the cave beneath. As I expected, the guards outside were Tirek agents - a Gizmonk and three Zebras.
What got me, was, I could see.. something on the ground near them. A torn piece of purple cloth - Trixie's cape.
She was here. I was sure Dancer would be with her.
Dusk: "Mother of the Moon." He frowned.
Octavia: "I think we can get them from here." She nodded.
Dusk: "Rangers are all good shots, right?" He smirked.
Octavia: "Pretty much." She smirked back.
K: "Mac, set up the Abrams over there." I pointed. "We're going to be loud if we have to shoot, but I want it to be a short loud."
Mac: "Right, Brother." He did as instructed, grinning, waiting.
K: "Four guards." I nodded. "Vy, Dex, AJ, on me." I pointed. "We're going to try and get them from behind, nice and silent. Dusk, cover my ass."
Dusk: "Always." He nodded.. he genuinely meant it, too.
Dex: "On you, General-Dude." He smirked.
With that, we slipped into the brush. Knives out (I was using my Bowie, for once) we advanced to the edge of the cave from both sides. We dove down on them from the hill edge above the cave entrance. I ended up taking the Gizmonk - it made sense - while the others got the Zebras.
At the last second, the Gizmonk turned away, just as I landed behind him, and instead of a clean grab and pull-back onto my knife, I ended up grabbing his mouth, but being out of position to pull him in. I switched up, and cracked the butt of the knife handle as hard as I could, on the back of his head, flooring him.
Vy and Dex used their Sonic Magic to muffle their victims, as they did what I was going to - hoof over the muzzle, pull their weight backwards into their blades. They did it in almost perfect synch - as befitting a married power couple.
AJ did her target with her lasso. She flung it around the Zebra's neck, and hauled back with all her might once it was around the Zebra's neck. The Zebra was pretty strong (the seeming strongest of the lot), and managed to jerk away, preventing a broken neck, but leaving them hanging, a tightening noose of rope cutting off their air. Jackie snaked the line and snapped it, sending a curl through the rope, and flicking him up into the air - THIS time, the neck snapped, and he went limp.
I admired our handiwork, and was about to order Dusk and the others to move up, when I saw Dusk raise his Sherman-Spencer, and fire a single suppressed shot. The Gizmonk I thought I'd knocked cold, had started to get up. When I looked over, the Gizmonk had a Custer in his tail, and it was roughly aimed at me.
I gave him a thumb's up. He nodded back. Now, we needed to check the cave.
Trixie and Moon Dancer were in there. I knew it. We'd save them. Friends are always there for friends.
[End of Part 2]
Part 3: Dark South Cave
TIME: 16:01 GMT
DATE: War Day 985/16 Lunaris 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: South Cave, North Riding of Yorkshire, Ambleon
I gestured for everyone to advance into the cave. We did, as low and quiet as we could get away with.
It wasn't too far in, when..
Trixie: "..and you expect me to decipher this instantly?! Are you stupid, or just crazy?"
???: "E-Eh! Just hurry up."
Moon Dancer: "I'm working as fast as I can.."
Trixie: "We'd be working a lot faster without these manacles! What, aren't guns enough?! Dummy!"
???: "Ergh.. f-fine. Get them unlocked."
??? 2: "B-Bu-Bu-But boss! The big boss said we shouldn't trust them!"
???: "This one's a fat nerd. The other one is.. she.. uhm."
??? 3: "A bitch."
???: "She once worked for us. Lord Tirek hopes to renew this alliance."
Trixie: "..you're not being very persuasive. And don't call ME a BITCH! I'm PERFECT, thank you."
K: "Sounds like three of them." I said in low tones.
Moon Dancer: "Mmmm.. there's.. I can open the chamber. But the five of us need to travel in single file."
I noticed Vy's horn was very faintly glowing. She was signaling Moon Dancer. SMART!
I pointed to myself, Dusk, and AJ. We took point. The next chamber of the cave was lit by torches. A Gizmonk Mage was facing the door that Dancer and Trixie were trying to open. Two other Gizmonks were staying close to the prisoners, with Abdul SMG's aimed at them.
I pointed to AJ, then one of the guards. Then Dusk, and the other one. I'd take the Mage.
Dancer: "Got it!" She nodded.. and the door started to slide open.
As she said that, Dusk fired a suppressed shot, blowing the Gizmonk's head open. AJ lasso'd the next one around the neck and jerked, snapping it. I dove on the Mage, and started wrestling with him, twisting his arm behind his back, pressing the other one underneath him, and twisting his tail in one leg, with my knee in the small of his back.
K: "KNOCK IT OFF OR I END YOU!" I yelled into his ear.
Mage Gizmonk: "ALRIGHT! I GIVE! BY TIREK'S HORN, NOT YOU!" He realized who had him, and instantly caved. "Please.. please... not.. don't.." He started crying. "DON'T EAT MY SOUL, MAN!"
I smirked. Fear was fun to play with.
K: "Why are you here?" I demanded.
Mage Gizmonk: "There's.. something sealed in the cave. Orders were to get it and get out. There's a boat waiting for us in Hull." He muttered.
K: "Dusty." I nodded to the POW.
Dusty: "Got him." She moved over and secured him.
Moon Dancer: "..thank you, K." She sighed. "I was really scared!"
Trixie: "How do you think I feel!? I haven't even been re-alive that long, and here I am, getting dragged along to some FILTHY cave, tore my CAPE, and these NASTY monkeys - you're okay, K - demanded we read these ancient runes and open this place up." She snorted, waving a hoof at the open stone door.
K: "Someone sounds like they have some of their self-respect back." I nodded to her, with a small grin.
Trixie: "W-Well!" She was flustered. "Being KIDNAPPED and.. and offered a chance at power again, like that.." She flicked her mane back. "Someone still thinks I've got it. Shame he has no idea I know he stabbed me in the back, last time!" She jerked her muzzle high into the air. "The.. Great and Powerful Trixie.. does not sell out to Evil. She has better standards, than that."
I smiled broadly. Trixie was coming back to us. Much of the old Trixie, and some of the new, were mixing together. She wasn't a scared little foal, any more.
Bad thing is, everyone noticed it. No one seemed to mind.
Applejack: "Awright, honeybun. Now what?" She shrugged. "We waitin' or we goin'?"
K: "Fifty-fifty chance it makes no difference." I gestured. "Tactical Stack!" I called out, and took second position behind AJ, who, after all, had the shotgun.
Trixie and Moon Dancer helped themselves to their former captors' sub-guns and spare mags. Trixie wasn't happy, but she was dealing with it, with a certain grace and acceptance.
The chamber beyond led to stairs. The stairs went down. We followed them, noting that this place was not well lit, and our flashlights had to do the work, here. The cave was unnaturally cold, and very damp.
Dusk: "Got any idea what's here, K?" He asked, from right behind me.
K: "None. Sorry." I shrugged. "All the shows focused on Equestria."
Broken: "Real cold down here." He snorted. "Eh. I can see me breath!"
K: "Yeah. Stay on your guard." I shrugged, as we got to the bottom of the stairs.. and the floor crunched. "Be careful - ice."
Broken: "Lovely!" Another snort.
Trixie: "And our two best Fire Mages are not here." She shrugged a bit.
Moon Dancer: "Neither is our Ice Mage." She frowned. "Trixie, what's your natural alignment?"
Trixie: "Lunar. Lunar-Vacuum, actually." She said, offhand.
Moon Dancer: "That's very strange!" She posited. "Most Unicorns only have one affinity. Mine's Lunar as well."
K: "Someone needs to explain that to me." I nodded, as the cave slowly progressed into one of ice.
Moon Dancer: "There are multiple elements that make up magic. You have the Noble Elements of Fire, Ice, Air, and Thunder. Then, you have the Mystic Elements of Lunar, Solar, Vacuum, Void. Then, there's the Tempering Elements of Light, Dark, Neutral, and Center." She recited.
Applejack: "All way 'bove me." She muttered.
Trixie: "Most non-magic users think Neutral and Center are the same - they're not. Neutral is an absence of Temperament, Center is a balance of Light and Dark. Non-elemental spells are also called Neutral spells." She nodded, with a small grin.
Moon Dancer: "Normally, a Unicorn gets an affinity to one of these. Rarely, two. Usually, they'll get a Noble and a Mystic, if they have two." She looked at Trixie. "Only the strongest get two Mystics." She nodded, pressing ahead. "Tempering Elements are based on the spell or effect itself. I know Cosmic, though, hasn't an Elemental Affinity - he's what we call a True Center."
K: "Interesting." I nodded.
Dusk: "I'm another True Center. All of my magic is based on purely physical effects - like my shield, or my telekinetic jump." He nodded. "I did a lot of meditation and practice. I didn't study like conventional mages do."
K: "Do you make up your own spells, or what?" I turned back to them.
Moon Dancer: "Magic is a force. We move with it. It's a part of us. We focus and detonate it. You can learn some specific ways, conventional ways, of doing this, but in the end, each Mage has to figure out the best way of flowing and focusing the magic themselves, to get the desired effect. It's more that learning conventional magic is a known series of steps to progress from thought to result. As you learn the well known, conventional techniques, you figure out what's best for you." She nodded, smiling.
K: "So, fifty-fifty. You have these specific goals you're trying to reach, but they're more like benchmarks of performance - like being able to shoot a rifle better than a pistol, but the end goal is to put a hole in something. Then you get into the weeds with reloading styles, gear set-up, preferred weapon accessories, and so on." I smirked. "Interesting."
Dusk: "Yeah. In my case, I took the basic magic classes all Unicorns have to get to get basic control over their powers, then from there, found I was naturally best at magic effects that were an extension of myself - like the telekinetic jump. So, I took the basic lessons I learned, and worked with my own magic power to make that possible. At the same time, say, I guarantee both Firecracker and Sunset could cast the same basic Fire spells, but they both have their own twist on it." He stopped, about to explain further, when we came to an ice wall, and he gently tugged me back. "In this case, I think your sword is the answer."
Trixie: "From what I've learned, K, you're going to HAVE to master at least some concept of magic to be able to use that sword correctly. You don't have the ability to store mana like we do.. so.. we're going to have to find something to use as a substitute. I can guarantee that sword's own reserve is very small." She snorted a bit. "For the moment, yes, I think we need it."
K: "Alright. Cover me." I nodded, sliding forwards and past Applejack.
Now I knew the basics of magic and its methodology. Interesting that it could be so individualized, and yet, also universal to some degree. I imagine less talented Unicorns would only ever master the basics, and that Dusk, Moon Dancer, and Trixie must be very strong indeed.
Now, about this ice wall..
[End of Part 3]
Part 4: Cave of Odd Wonder
TIME: 16:21 GMT
DATE: War Day 985/16 Lunaris 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: South Cave, North Riding of Yorkshire, Ambleon
I pressed my hand to the wall.. something felt very off. Like, I knew right away - this was magic. Not environmental.
K: "Dusk, Dancer, Trixie, come here." I motioned for them.
Dex: "Looks.. real strange, dude." He chimed in.
Trixie: "Mmm." She put her hoof on the ice wall. "Yeah. I don't get this." She looked at Moon Dancer. "You?"
Moon Dancer: "Ehh.. it's not really ice. Not even magical ice. It just looks like ice." She snorted a bit.
Dusk: "Mmmmmmmmm..." He scrunched his nose and traced along the edges. "...trust me, K?"
K: "Any time." I nodded.
He took my hand in his hoof, and grabbed Dex as well.
Dusk: "I'm going to focus a kinetic blast through the Sword of Rainbow's Light. Dex, sonic shock from you. Use the sword as a foci." He nodded.
Dex: "You got it, Duskical." He smirked.
I could feel the magic flow through me like a live wire. From them, through one arm, through my core, down the sword, and into the so-called ice wall.
It exploded inwards with the force of a hand grenade.. and a resulting wind tunnel sucked the three of us straight through. At the last second, Trixie leapt forwards and bit down on my dump pouch, pulling her in as well.
We slid through an icy tunnel that was as slick as oiled-up teflon. We did yell - we're not perfect! And it was SCARY.. as the whole tunnel was lit up in unnatural light blue light. Finally, the tunnel spat us out at the bottom of a cistern, and into some surprisingly warm water..
..as we breached the surface, the scent of cool moss met our noses.
K: "WELL FUCK!" I thrashed a bit, and.. stood up. The pool was about 5 feet (152cm) deep.
Everyone else had to doggy paddle. Trixie thrashed the most, struggling to get to the edge, until Dusk gave her a horn magic push towards the rocks. Dex didn't have any problems, even with all his gear. Dusk just took it in stride.
Once on shore, I looked around at the unnaturally lit cave.
K: "Holy shit." I blinked, wiping my face off.
Dex: "Oh, my DUDE.." He shook his head.
Dusk: "Amazing." He said, patting a coughing Trixie on the back.
Trixie: "Gah-huk-*COOUGH!* STUPID WATER!" She shook herself off like a dog. "I.."
Dusk: "Can't swim, huh?" He asked, nonplussed.
Trixie: "..no." She shrugged a bit.
Dex: "Oh, wow. Dudette, I will teach you." He bowed a bit to her.
Trixie: "..thanks, Dex." She gave a small smile at being accepted like this.
K: C> "Actual to Alpha. We're okay." I called back.
Applejack: C> "Whut'chew want us t'do, Honeybun?"
K: C> "Rope and tackle. I don't see another way out of here." I said, looking around.
Applejack: C> "Yew got it."
Dusk: "I wonder what's here, that's so important? I mean, I can feel a magic pull, but.." He shook his head. "Nothing specific, K."
K: "It's fine." I said, wringing out my shirt after taking it off. This left me in my A-Frame and tactical suspenders.
Trixie: "I-I think we should wait." She nodded.
Dex: "Oh, yeah, Dudette. Totally." He grinned a bit.
Dusk: "Hm." He nodded. "As you reminded us, splitting up can be bad."
I sat down on a flat rock and tried to wick out as much wetness from my pants as I could. I couldn't disagree. As I sat, I tapped the stone a bit, with the heel of my boot, and noticed it sounded.. flat.
K: "HUH..!" I motioned for Dex to come over. "Try this."
He did as I had, with his right forehoof, and got a dull thud as well.
Dex: "Somethin' about this cave absorbs noise." He frowned. "Bummer, dude."
I pointed to Dusk.
He got what I meant, and fired a suppressed shot at some lascivious lichen.. we couldn't hear it, even a few feet away. Even a suppressed 8mm round produces a dulled report. We could barely hear the bolt working.
K: "And yet, we can talk just fine." I shook my head.
Dusk: "Not my area of expertise." He shrugged, getting a loose round back into the magazine with his unicorn magic.
Dex: "Mine, though." He started tracing the walls. "Dudes, it's the moss.. the moss itself! It's ECHO MOSS!" He was suddenly excited. "Oh, RADICAL, dudes and dudette!" He pulled some off the wall, gently, and brought it over to me. "Watch this, K-Dude."
He whipped out his mini boom box that was powered by his Unicorn magic, and started playing a tune. I recognized it immediately as a pony version of "Stomp" by The Brothers Johnson.
The moss reacted, very faintly glowing, and seeming to grow just a tiny fraction, as the music played. He held the moss up between me and the boom box with his horn magic, and when it was directly between me and it (with an air gap of ~150mm/5 inches on either side), I could hear nothing.
Absolutely nothing. The moss ATE all the sound waves that would have tried to pass through it.
And FED on them.
K: "Trixie? Dusk?" I gestured to it.
Dex: "It should be extinct, is what." He nodded, and pressed the moss back on to the stone he took it from, letting the music "heal" it back in place.
Trixie: "He's right." She shrugged.
Dusk: "I've heard of the stuff. Like, vaguely, in passing. I know nothing about it." He shrugged.
Dex: "It's, like, supposed to be able to cling to anything, and feeds on sounds. Even the smallest ones. The bigger the sound, the better it grows. These caves got echoes and running water and stuff." He pointed around. "Plenty of sound."
Trixie: "And this lichen is what we called Lantern Lichen back in the old days." She pointed to some of it.
Dusk: "THAT.. I know. We have a few Lichen Lanterns at the palace for emergencies. Charge them with a bit of magic, they produce light." He pointed to the Echo Moss. "Dex, would it be correct to assume the Echo Moss is feeding the Lantern Lichen?"
Dex: "Sounds about right to me, Duskical." He nodded with a grin, flipping his shades down as he did.
Dusk: "..Duskical?" He chuckled a bit.
K: "He's.. old fashioned." I shrugged. "Him and Vy represent two eras of DJ'ing. He prefers the old stuff." I nodded.
Dex: "You know it, K-Dude. She's my Co-MC for life." He beamed a grin.
Dusk: "Heh. Kinda.. kinda familiar. Like, when I was a filly." He shrugged a bit.
Dex: "Yup." He beamed a grin as we saw a rope finally emerge from the tunnel above us - our friends were about to reach us.
K: C> "Be careful - there's a -"
At the last second, several ponies slipped on the last few feet of slick rock and plunged into the pool below, making multiple loud splashes. Only Golden, Fluttershy, and Broken, remained dry. As.. they immediately caught wing and hovered.
Broken: "We're here!" He grinned a bit.
I went over to help them all out of the water, though my dear pony wife was already at the edge of the pool.
Dusk: "Get another length of rope tied off to that, and secured over here." He pointed, and hefted his rope up to the fliers.
Golden: "Oi.. what a cave, mates!" He seemed genuinely fascinated. "Nevah seen anythin' like this b'fore! Criiiikeyyy.." But, he did as directed.
Once the ropes were secured, I started looking more around this chamber. It was a large, bulbous cistern. Covered in this magical lichen, of various colors (green and yellow the most prominent, but there was red, purple, pink, and other colors) clung to what was clearly rock somewhere in the Granite families. I wasn't sure exactly what, but it was very hard and very smooth in sections.
There was also a pathway heading deeper into the cavern. A large, wide one. More moss adorned the walls. It was alluringly peaceful.
We saw some nearly translucent gecko-like things skittering about, catching tiny insects. Fluttershy somehow wound up with a vole-like creature on her head, and climbing through her mane, chatting with Harmony Bunny.
Fluttershy: "Uhm.. she says we're the first ones down here in a very long time.. thousands of years." She said, quietly.
K: "Interesting. Does she know anything else?" I just accepted this.
Fluttershy: "..not really." She smiled, though, and fed the small creature a bit of biscuit from her ration tin.
We traveled at least a MILE under the earth, along a gently twisting gallery chamber.. so many different species of moss and other rock-clinging plants adorned the walls in an amazing and myriad display of colors and wonderful smells.
Trixie: "I'm quite happy it's so peaceful down here, but.. where ARE we?" She snorted.
K: "By my reckoning, I think we're headed towards the Air Base." I nodded.
Finally, we reached the end.. a large stone door. There were carvings all over it. Quickly deciphered by Vy, Dex, and Moon Dancer, they got the door open with a small sonic spell cast in absolute harmony.
The chamber beyond, however...
[End of Part 4]
Part 5: Daring.. WHAT?!
TIME: 16:43 GMT
DATE: War Day 985/16 Lunaris 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: South Cave, North Riding of Yorkshire, Ambleon
A. K. Yearling: "Oh, no.. if they-"
K: "...fuck me." I cleared my throat.
Dusk: "What-" He squinted his eyes, but Applejack pushed past him.
Applejack: "YEW PROMISED!!" She yelled, angrily. "YEW MADE US A DURN PROMISE, AN' YA BROKE IT!"
Dusty: "What's going on, here?" She blinked.
K: "Miss Yearling." I nodded, stepping forwards - she was dressed as Daring Do, but not totally. Her shirt was a standard polo, not her adventuring shirt, and her pants were ankle length. She was also wearing hoofed casual shoes, not her hiking boots. She was also unarmed. "Explain."
A. K. Yearling: "I.. was on vacation! HONEST! And.. I saw them heading for the South Cave.. and.. I've.. I was HERE before, I.. this was the site of my first real adventure as a filly.." She looked down. "..I knew about the treasure here.."
Dr. Caballeron: "Ahhhhhhhh! So, you DID know!" He came from the shadows, with three Gizmonks and a Zebra beside him, and a Porcine behind him.
Everyone drew down on him immediately, and I grabbed Yearling by the tail, YANKED HARD, and flung her behind me.
K: "DROP YOUR WEAPONS, NOW! DON'T FUCKING MOVE!" I had my Grant aimed right at his head.
Dr. Caballeron: "W-What?! Are you MAD!? This isn't how this-"
I pulled the trigger. Everyone followed suit. We slaughtered them right then and there. No speeches, no second chances. We mag-dumped. I knelt, flicked my magazine out, held it in one hand, and reloaded, slapping the bolt home. I then turned to Yearling and threw the empty magazine at her.
K: "I want you to remember your rival." I said, coldly. "If you hadn't been here, I wouldn't have been forced to shoot him."
Dusk: "Universal Laws, Miss Yearling." Most of CAG knew she was Daring Do.. most of CAG also knew that she promised to stay out of the war. "You here, your rival here, if we hadn't shot him, he would have-"
Yearling: "-summoned the Sonic Monster." She lowered her head.. and started gently crying. "I wanted to stop them-"
Applejack: "YEW SHOULD'A KNOWN YEW CAIN'T!" She turned and stormed at her. "Yew should'a known.. yew gittin' involved means ever-thing'll go REAL BAD if'n it's allow'd'ta! Even if y'all win in the end! Don't matter! Somepony'll git hurt! OR WORSE!" She threw her arm wide. "WHY'D YA DO IT!?"
Yearling: "BECAUSE..!" She stood, and even through tears, was determined. "..I can't STOP being ME just because of a WAR!"
Dusk: "Even though that war and that 'being you' could endanger a lot of ponies?" He cocked a brow.
Yearling: "YES! It'd be.. like.." She gestured with one hoof. "..asking a Pegasus not to fly! Or, or, asking a Unicorn to give up their magic, or-"
Trixie stomped over and SLAPPED THAT BITCH COLD!
Trixie: "ENOUGH OUT OF YOU, YOU SECOND RATE DIME STORE DOYLE! YOU HAVE NO IDEA! NONE! WHAT YOUR ACTIONS COULD DO! I WAS -DEAD- UNTIL JUST RECENTLY, AND BECAUSE.. OOOOHHHHOOOO.. THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE JUST.. HAAAASSS TO HAAAAAVE THE MOOOOST POWER, I LET MYSELF GET IN BED WITH TIREK! AND I KILLED! I KILLED A LOT OF PONIES! I RAPED K! I DID HORRIBLE, TERRIBLE THINGS, BECAUSE I COULDN'T STOP FOR ONE BUCKING SECOND AND THINK ABOUT OTHERS OVER MYSELF!!" She snorted steam, furious at her. "YOU NEED TO START DOING JUST THAT, OR ELSE YOU'RE GOING TO FIND YOURSELF IN A DUNGEON!"
Everyone was silent. Everyone.
Fluttershy: "..it's a very bad thing if Trixie has to be the voice of reason.." She said, flatly, sliding into Golden. "..you don't even know, Golden."
Golden: "Aye. But I gotta clue." He shrugged.
K: "Up to you, Broken. This is your country, and you're technically senior to Golden since you're in an Honourable Regiment." I nodded to him.
Broken: "..I don't want to do this." He sighed.. slowly letting out all his breath, and then inhaling sharply. "Miss Yearling, I place you under arrest for violating the Natural Treasures Act." He nodded to her. "You are to be detained by the Crown until such time as you can appear in court."
Yearling: "..I don't believe this." She slumped to the ground.
Broken: "YOU?!" He was suddenly taken aback. "YOU don't!? I-I.. I'm NOT a SOLDIER, Miss Yearling! I'm a PHILOSOPHER!" He sniffled a bit. "This.. this war has killed so many ponies. I've seen it. I've hated it, but I've seen what Tirek and his ill-begotten ilk can do!" He was on the verge of tears. "Even turning against me.. a.. a stallion that was like a second father to me!" He waved his foreleg. "No. I can't. I can't stand idly by an' let another tragedy happen when I can prevent it. Your intentions may be PURE Miss Yearling, but.. your actions cause a lot of pain. Alls I can do, now, is.. put ye in a cage where ye can't hurt anypony else."
K: "Now you've really gone and done it." I nodded. "I was going to let you retire temporarily. Now you'll be in the tabloids." I shook my head. "Elsie will make sure you get good copy, too."
Yearling: "I'm ruined." She looked sullen.
K: "You did this to yourself. You made a promise and broke it." I nodded to her.
Dusty went over and cuffed her. Yearling didn't resist at all. She just slid over on her side, and.. basically went catatonic. Her life, as she knew it, was over. The War had set the stage, but her own hubris and ego had been her downfall. She cared - perhaps too much - and, against every advice, had set about doing things as she always had.
Her way.
The rest of us learned something - re-learned, really. That breaking a promise can bring disaster. Not to make one if you know you can't keep it.That nopony is an island. And that even "the good guys" make mistakes, in their desire to do the right thing.
The Road to Tartarus is paved with good intentions.
The entire chamber was searched, and we found the thing they were both looking for. A solid piece of crystalline stone about the size of a golf ball.
Moon Dancer: "This stone is amazing. The magic focused into it is.. very, very powerful. It's sound magic, too - like Dex and Vy." She handed it to Vinyl.
Vy: "Yeah, totally." She harmonized with it, and made it levitate. "Woooow, dudes. This is.." She looked at Octavia and Dex. "..help me. I think it's actually a lock for something."
K: "Be careful." I cautioned.
Vy: "Oh, fer sure." She nodded, and the three of them harmonized their voices and magic together..
..the music they made, I caught it on my cell phone. I would later discover that because of the magical property of the music, digital recording was impossible, and the song was to be heard only this one time. It was the most beautiful song I'd ever heard. My ears would have cried if they could. Everyone cuddled in as they made those sounds.
When the song ended, the rock opened up.
K: "..harmony." I nodded, and drew the Sword of Rainbow's Light. "This is the magic of harmony." I held out my sword, and let the magical essence flow into it. "Yes.. I.. I can feel it."
I flicked the sword a few times. I could feel something here that I couldn't before. There was a magic power in here that.. I was sure.. would allow me to harmonize with the Elements of Harmony. Their magic blast would now be in synch with me.. I could strengthen it. I could.. harmonize the power of those elements together with the Sword, and with every Alicorn I could call.
My status as a Glass Cannon only grew.
I was sure that even with this, Tirek would be stronger. But this might - if used in extreme situations - just be barely enough to neutralize a short blast from the Rainbow of Darkness. Guaranteed, all the Elements would be totally drained, as would all the Alicorns I called on, not to mention myself.
But, now, even without the Elevated Eminence.. we had a defense.
{End of Chapter 126}
