Chapter 136: Olympians, Magic, and Mares
Part 1: Jack Pot's Big Bucks
TIME: 11:31 EET
DATE: War Day 1039/7 Secundus, 1005 C.S.
LOCATION: Athens, Principality of Vulpesylvania
We followed Trixie. She was just running - galloping, really. And I soon realized... that my human legs could not keep up. No matter what strength I had gained, horses were still twice my land speed or better. So, I stopped, and motioned AJ to go on ahead.
I.. went back to the stage.
There were several National Police officers around the stage and carriage when I returned. The leading sergeant saluted me as I approached.
Police Sergeant Tertiary Sable Windfellow: "General K." She held her salute.
K: "At-ease." I saluted back casually. "Problem?"
PST Windfellow: "Prime Minister Sentry made it rather clear that these two are undesirables. We're making sure they depart the city." She nodded to me, dropping her salute.
K: "No. On the contrary, I want them to stay until I get to the bottom of this." I gestured to them. "Leave them be."
PST Windfellow: "..of course, General. As you command." She snapped to attention, and departed with her squad.
I went over to where Jack and Big were. Jack was seated on a crate, crying silently. Big was hugging him. It immediately struck me that this was more than a simple friendly hug.
K: "..how did you make Trixie, if you're.. you prefer the company of stallions?" I got right to it.
Jack: "Ah!" He looked up, startled. "Eh." He drooped his head. "I fell in love with a mare, once. It's.. before Big and I got.. together." He leaned into the larger stallion.
K: "Mm. Hadn't figured everything out, yet, or..?" I glanced between them - Big was giving me a bit of a stare-down. Protectively.
Jack: "I.. it's more that.. she was so special.." He smiled a bit, remembering, reminiscing. "..I just wanted to be with her. Had to be with her." He nuzzled Big's foreleg a bit. "Same with this big guy."
K: "I get it. It's like I've seen - ponies react to what's inside, more strongly than anything else. That orange mare I was with? My wife. It doesn't even matter the species. Your hearts reach out, and seek other hearts. And.." I shrugged, and shook my head a bit. "..it just happens."
Jack: "Yeah..." He looked down and away. "..you're my daughter's friend?"
K: "Sort of." I shrugged a bit.
Jack: "I know what she did. I heard.. stories.. of her leading Tirek's soldiers. Some.. people. Survivors. Families. Came to see me in Las Pegasus. They.. they wanted to know how I could raise an evil mare like her." He looked sullen. "The Trixie I knew, I helped raise.. wasn't.. wasn't evil." He hiccupped a bit.
Big: "I told him we had to leave. I was afraid someone would.. do more than just shout at us." He sighed. "So, we started a tour of Europe.. to stay out of the.. get the target off our backs." He scowled. "I love this stallion. With all my heart."
I cocked a brow at him.
K: "And.." I squinted. "..do you have a personal issue with me?" I asked Big.
Big: "You killed my niece." He gave me a flat look.
K: "Relation?" I nodded - we both knew who we meant. Starlight Glimmer.
Big: "I'm her mother's brother." He shrugged a tiny bit. "She got her coat color from our side of the family."
K: "I confess, I did it. However, I was not in control of my body at the time - and in a way, she caused her own death." I put my hand to my chest. "That's not an excuse. I did kill her, and she was killed without a trial or being a designated enemy combatant. She deserved due process. She got none. That's a sin that should rightly be pinned to me for all time."
Big: "You.. you're taking responsibility?" He cocked a brow. "I half expected you to say she deserved it." He shrugged. "She was.. very egotistical, very self-focused. Maybe if there wasn't a war, there might've been a safe way to.. reach her." He shook his head. "I just want to know - for my sake - what did she do?"
K: "Put simply, first, she took over a town and stole everyone's Cutie Marks, and deprived them of their skills. Some were cultists of hers, others were innocent victims. We stopped her. But, she desired revenge. She went back in time with magic, and stopped a major event from happening, that caused the entire timeline of the war to change. That.. timeline.. was one where Tirek essentially won, and killed hundreds of millions of ponies. When the timelines were.. reunited.. I was.. both of myselves at the same time, but that other me.. that me that had seen so much pain and suffering, was controlling my body. He.. that me.. killed her.. for revenge, and to protect everyone if she decided to do something worse." I shrugged a bit, looking down. "As I said, though, she deserved due process, and she didn't get it. And I should rightly have that attached to my history in the future, as a warning, to not let yourself get taken to revenge, and lose yourself in your own pain."
Big: "..." He looked down. "I'm not.. really angry at you, General. You.. what happened.. if you're right.." He sighed. "..it was bad, and.. we should be careful, as you said, to not let ourselves get wrapped up in revenge."
Jack: "Trixie, though.." He finally stopped sobbing enough to look at me.
K: "Trixie isn't the Trixie you heard about." I nodded to the distance, roughly, the directions he ran. "Trixie did something totally forbidden - she created a backup copy of herself, that was triggered by the events I just described. THAT Trixie is the Trixie from about five years ago. As though nothing had happened." I shrugged. "She.. she found out what the other her had done, and was disgusted. She begged to join us. I accepted. She's been pretty useful - and she's getting married to that Lunar Guard that was standing next to her. His name's Dusk Seeker -"
Brindle Spindle: "My son." He paced up, panting. "Can't keep up with them young colts and fillies, any more. Brindle Spindle - Dusk's father." He chuckled, and extended his hoof to Jack.
Jack looked at it a moment, then up to Brindle, and slowly accepted the hoof-shake.
Brindle Spindle: "If I've learned anything in the last few months - there's two sides to this story. I want to hear yours." He smiled a bit. "You could say I have some experience with father-child problems. Right, K?" He smiled at me.
K: "Oh!" I chuckled. "Just a bit!"
It was really nice to see that Brindle himself had healed almost all the pain that the past decades had put him through. That he wasn't just opening up, he was getting back to his "old self" again. That his undying love for his son, combined with good friendship, had managed to rebuild the bridge that he and Dusk had mutually burned down, so long ago.
If THEY could do it, I was SURE that Jack and Trixie could, too.
Brindle: "So. Tell me what happened." He nodded to his future brother-in-law.
Jack: "..her name was Showcase Spectacle. She was.." He smiled a bit. "..better than I deserved. She was honest, she was warm, she was kind, she was caring." He looked down again. "We fell in love. We never doubted that love for a minute. I was just starting out, doing stage shows, and she had approached me to be my magical assistant in cute outfits, you know?" He smirked a bit.. then sighed sadly. "I.. I messed up. Badly. We were married for about a year. Trixie came along into our lives, and I was so.. so happy." He gestured. "But, I couldn't help myself. I was.. I was a stagepony." He shrugged and looked up to Brindle (not me). "It was my nature to be a charlatan and a cheat. I cheated with cards, I cheated with my so-called magic items I sold.. still do.. you name it. I sucker them in with flashy displays, and.." He shook his head. "..mister Spindle, I'll admit it, my magic is very weak. I'm purely a Neutral user, and.." He shook his head. "..my power level has never been very high. My father? Dynamo Lulamoon? He was one of the best magicians of his age." He chuckled derisively. "He hated me. As soon as he saw how weak I was, he disowned me. I was supposed to attend Celestia's school almost as a birthright. But, no. No, I was born weak." He shuffled his hooves in his seated position and drew inwards.
Big: "His dad didn't approve of him being with a stallion, either. When we went and tried to mend bridges and we said we were together, he dropped dead of a heart attack." He frowned, scowled. "While calling us every name in the book, and inventing a few."
K: "I'm so sorry to hear that." I put a hand on Big's shoulder. "Don't think humans are any better - when I was in High School, I knew of three kids that got kicked to the streets by their parents for that. While they were still technically children." I looked down a bit. "It's a hurdle of acceptance that every civilization seems to deal with."
Big: "Hm." He gave me a wry smile, as though he 'got it' - and knew that I, personally, didn't care who loved who. After all, he hadn't met Dash and Gilda, yet.
Brindle: "So, you made your living tricking ponies into thinking you were a better mage than you were?" He nodded to him.
Jack: "Yeah. I managed to help get her into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.. she dropped out, though." He lowered his head, then raised it to look at both of us. "What she said is true, though. After a certain point, I.. wasn't there any more. Showcase got sick of my cheating.. I got worse, I got greedy.. I was trying to get all the money I could, so Trixie would have all the things I never had. Including a dad that loved her. She.. confronted me. She told me that.. she didn't care how weak my magic really was, it didn't matter.. but I needed to get a different line of work other than being a cheat and a showpony. Something stable." He twitch-shrugged a bit. "It was a bad fight. I stood my ground. I knew I could get plenty of income through my shows, and traveling. More than we'd ever need." He frowned again. "She left me. I got the divorce papers through the mail. I just signed them. Trixie was 6." He made a very sour face. "I found out that.. she died.. when Trixie was 15. I tried to reconnect with her.. then.. and.. she called me all kinds of names. I told her I got her a place in Celestia's school, but.. she called it a bribe for her love, and.. she said everything I ever did was all about bribing her for love." He made a few stuttering movements. "The problem is, I taught her how to be a showpony, like me. Most of it, anyway. I guess... when she started doing it.. she realized, or thought, she was no better than me. And she hates me."
K: "I get it." I nodded. "Trixie's felt like a screw-up as long as I've known her - that was the reason her other self got involved with Tirek. She wanted recognition on her own four hooves, no matter who or with what. Now, I know why - her whole showpony act.. she was doing the same thing her father, that she hated, had done. And she hated herself that she - in her eyes - was brought so low, as to have to survive as the same sort of charlatan as her hated father." I shrugged. "I'm not going to insult you, Jack Pot. You're driven by your talents and your Mark. You put on a show that DOES entertain others." I looked at Big. "And you found true love. Twice." I nodded to him. "That's a winner in my book.. though, I'd maybe change the wording on your little magic trick packs." I gave him a sympathetic smile.
Now, I had his story. I needed Trixie's half of things. I had a feeling, as with many situations like this, the truth lie somewhere between them. I knew, as ponies, they would WANT to seek a resolution to this.
We just needed to figure things out, that's all.
[End of Part 1]
Part 2: The Great and Powerful Fraud?
TIME: 11:47 EET
DATE: War Day 1039/7 Secundus, 1005 C.S.
LOCATION: Athens, Principality of Vulpesylvania
We finally caught up to where Trixie was. Rarity, Dusk, and Twilight were with her. They'd located an ice cream shoppe, and she was currently drowning her sorrows in a monster banana split. Rarity and the others had ice creams as well, but smaller ones.
I slid in next to Dusk.
K: "Your dad was instrumental in getting Jack Pot to open up." I nodded. "You two must be doing better."
Dusk: "A lot." He looked down at the table. "Thanks, K. You got me my mares, and helped fix that.. pain.. with my dad."
K: "What are friends for?" I patted him on the back, then looked at Trixie. "Alright, let's hear it. All of it."
Trixie: "What's there to tell?" She said, glumly, scooping up another bite. "Jack's a fraud. Mom used to talk about it all the time. How he cheated ponies and made non-unicorns think they could do magic if they bought his stuff. How his magic is.. is.. w-weak.." She started shuddering again, and of all Ponies, Twilight was the one to wing-hug her.
K: "You're afraid you're weak, too. And you already thought you were no better than him - because you became a charlatan showpony just like he did." I nodded to her.
Trixie's cheeks flushed in humiliation and anger. They puffed up as she started tearing up again.
Trixie: "YES! That's w.." She looked down at her ice cream. "..I know for a fact that's why Tirek was able to get me to come over to his side. I-I wanted recognition as something other than Jack Pot's daughter." She sniffled. "And the daughter of a whore." She looked down at the ground. "Mom wasn't much better than Dad. Her special talent was looking pretty and being charming. You know what kind of a JOB she GOT with that, K!?" She looked at me, then looked at Dusk, completely ashamed. "I'm a poor kid." She sunk into herself, only to have Dusk slide up next to her (moving Twilight out of the way) and hug her tightly.
K: "How bad?" I nodded to her.
Trixie: "I grew up in a.. a.. stable park." She sniffled, mewled, and sunk herself into the grip of her stallion and her co-wife. Her face looked so horribly ashamed to even exist.
K: "Stable Park?" I looked at Applejack.
Applejack: "Basically, whur ya hitch a trailer or somethin' - or rent a stable to sleep in." She shrugged. "Better'n bein' homeless." Her voice was very sympathetic, though.
Trixie: "And my mom.. s-sh-she.." She swallowed hard. "..the only work she could get was stage dancing."
Dusty: "She was a stripper?" She leaned over. "Like Sunshine's sister was..!" She looked at Twilight.
Trixie: "Y-Yeah.. I.." She blinked, and frowned. "That's why I.. kinda kept my distance from you, Dusty. I thought.. you.. might know who she was." She frowned, and hugged herself. "I'm so ashamed."
K: "No wonder you acted the way you used to." I shrugged. "You were overcompensating."
Dusty: "..hm.. Sundance?" Her head turned to Trixie, and Trixie just shrank down in her seat more. Bingo - that must've been her stage name.
Trixie: "I remember Jack came by sometimes and tried to talk to me, but Mom always got in his way and.. and.. she didn't let him come near me. She used to say we didn't need his filthy, fake, liar money." She frowned deeply. "We got by, but.. I-I mean.. I would've loved to have a little extra. I didn't get too many birthdays with cake and ice cream, you know?" She mewled out, feeling so incredibly vulnerable.
Dusk: "Trixie, for what it's worth, I don't care." He shrugged. "I love you. As much as I love Rarity."
Rarity: "Indeed, Darling." Her tone was unnaturally soft. "We will make up for all of it. Together. As a family."
Trixie: "..thank you." She sighed, and scooped more ice cream into her mouth.
K: "Jack, for his part.. he knows what he is." I shrugged. "That doesn't make it better. But, he does love you very much. He wished none of that stuff ever happened. He really did, honestly, want you to be better than him." I nodded to her. "Just like A.K. Yearling can't stop being Daring Do, your dad can't stop being Jack Pot." I shrugged. "He desperately wanted you to have a better childhood than he did.. his dad didn't love him at all, and saw him as a huge failure."
Trixie: "..Really?" She perked up. "H-He REALLY loves me?" She started to smile.
K: "I give you my word as your friend." I nodded. "He wanted nothing more than to be a dad. And a good one. He knew his money wasn't clean, but his love for you was absolute. And he wanted to make sure you grew up happy. He sees himself as a failure on that, too." I gestured a bit. "He wants to make peace. He wants to genuinely be a part of your life."
Brindle: "I was there, young daughter-in-law-to-be." He paced in, nodding. "I guarantee you, the love is there. Do you think you can meet him half way? Accept who he is, but accept that he only wants to see you happy?"
Trixie: *Sniffle*Hiccup* "I.. I think so." She smiled a bit.
K: "Then come on." I nodded, and gestured to the door. "Let's get you that happy ending."
Trixie: "..hang on, lemme finish this." She scooped the rest of the ice cream into her mouth real fast, and wiped off. "One.. one thing.. I-I still have from back then. I don't waste food." She shrugged, sheepishly. "Especially with the war and all."
K: "I get it." I nodded.
Raven: "Oh, HERE you all are!" She trotted in, and looked at us all. "So, this is where you ended up after that display. Are you alright, Trixie?" She tilted her head, sympathetically.
Trixie: "Yeah, I'll.. I'll be okay." She finished the bananas. "I'm about to go make peace with my dad." She smiled a bit.
Raven: "Great! But.. you better hurry. He's packed up and loading his cart on a train." She shrugged.
K: "Figures. He wants an escape route if this goes bad - I don't blame him." I nodded to her. "Come on."
Trixie: "Just a sec." She slurped the last of it down, and finished her drink, with a nice belch afterwards.
Dusk: "Oh! Good one." He smirked.
Rarity: "So unladylike, Darling." She was teasing.
Trixie: "Yeap. Great and Powerful all around." She flicked her tail under BOTH of their chins, and led the way. "Come on!"
Now, we'd have some healing. And given Trixie's past, she needed this.
[End of Part 2]
Part 3: Great and Powerful Jackpot
TIME: 12:09 EET
DATE: War Day 1039/7 Secundus, 1005 C.S.
LOCATION: Military Train Yard, Athens, Principality of Vulpesylvania
The edge of the military part of the train yard had a civilian cargo train getting ready to depart. Destination? Away from here. That was the point.
Big Bucks and Jack Pot Lulamoon were finishing getting their wagon on a flatbed and tied down when we approached. The train yard was very busy - and of interesting note, this world's Roam still controls Dalmatia, so there is a land link between Roam and Vulpesylvania.
Trixie: "...Dad!" She just ran up, with all of us in tow. "I-I.."
Jack: "Trixie." He nodded a little to her. "You came."
Trixie: "Of course I came!" She sneered a bit, but it softened immediately. "You know I don't run from my problems for long." She shrugged. "It.. it's just such a shock, you know?"
They had to pause a moment as another train pulled alongside the one about to depart, and tooted its horn.
Jack: "Yeah.." He looked down. "..listen, Trixie.."
Trixie: "Yeah, dad?"
Time slowed to a crawl.
We all saw it from behind Jack Pot. The doors to the train next to his, opening. All of them. At once. Cattle cars throwing open their sliding doors.. and soldiers inside.
NOT. OUR. SOLDIERS.
Behind them was an Octopus. A huge, angry octopus. He saw Trixie and Twilight first, and immediately pegged them as a threat.
As the soldiers jumped out, and we started drawing our weapons, the Octopus raised an amulet above his head. Just as our Mages were trying to erect a shield, Jack turned to see him.
Just as the energy fired from the Amulet, it impacted a MASSIVE shield, and at its center was not Twilight.. it was not Trixie or Rarity..
..it was Jack.
Jack Pot: "YOU. SHALL NOT. PASS." His eyes glowed.. even his coltfriend was cowering behind him.
The shield HELD.
Time caught up with us.
K: "FALL BACK, FALL BACK, COVERING FIRE! RARITY, SHOOT THAT CALAMARI!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
We all started returning fire, just as the enemy soldiers started opening up on us.
Enemy Officer: "FOR MACEDONKIA! UUUUUUURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
I was the one to run forwards, grab Jack around the waist, and CARRY HIM OFF.
Meanwhile, everyone at the train yard was returning fire on the enemy soldiers. With a train that size, they might have sent a whole Battalion - but that wouldn't make sense without support.
I then heard shouting at the naval port.. and in an instant, a gigantic explosion rocked the Prince Orlando, and broke her in half. The Hermes suffered two massive detonations and started to go down by the starboard side. More explosions.
Frogdonks.
With Limpett Mines.
We'd been played.
Sergeant Prime Lightel Whittfield: "GENERAL K! SERGEANT LIGHTEL WHITTFIELD, MP's!" He motioned for us to get over to the cast concrete blockhouse at the edge of the military train yard. "GET OVER HERE!"
Trixie: "Daaaaaaaaaad?! WHAT WAS THAT?!" She screeched.
K: "Sergeant, you got Comms?" I pointed to him as we slid into the Blockhouse. His partner was pulling out an ammo can with spare 7mm mags, while the Sergeant was priming their Dionysus machine gun.
Jack: "Trixie, listen-"
SGTP Whittfield: "Here, sir!" He handed me a mic.
K: C> "Alpha to Sunstone!"
Sargasso: C> "Alpha! We've taken three major hits! She's going down! I've ordered abandon ship!"
K: C> "Understood. Disregard. Ablemarle, come in!"
Capt. Hay Penny: C> "General! We shot three SCUBA attackers! What's going on!?"
K: C> "Call the rest of the fleet - these are saboteurs with Magnetic Mines! And I need support at the Train Yard, NOW! Marines, Tac Air, anything! How copy!?"
Capt. Hay Penny: C> "Solid Copy, Alpha!"
Rarity: "Darling, more immediately, WE CANNOT HOLD OUT HERE!" She tugged my sleeve.
Brindle: "Son? Is this what you do EVERY DAY?" He was incredulous, somewhat amused, a bit frustrated, but not scared.
Dusk: "Oohhh.. only on days that end in "Y" Dad, now, stay down!"
K: "Yeah, come on - Sergeant, grab that belt-fed, everyone grab ammo, and let's get out of here before we're overrun - fall back to the Naval Port!" I said, grabbing some magazines from the ammo box.
Jack: "General, that's Squirk out there, you know! He has the Flashstone!" He threw a foreleg back towards the trains.
K: "I KNOW that!" I said, as I started to pull back. "How do YOU know!?" I motioned for everyone to run, as I took a knee and started shooting.
Trixie: "DAD! WHAT. IS. GOING. ON!?" She screamed.
Rarity: "LATER, Trixie! RETURN FIRE!" She directed.
We lay down some heavy fire volume, then broke contact, and ran, leapfrogging through the train yard until we got to the archway leading to the port. When we got there, I saw the damage.
The Battleship Sunstone was settling into the mud up past C-Deck, she was flooded and counter-flooded to settle as flat as possible. The Aircraft Carrier Hermes was sunk to starboard, and was almost capsized. Cruisers Marechester and Buffalo were also sunk in harbor - Buffalo had sustained a magazine explosion.
Prince Orlando was broken in half and sunk fore-and-aft. Mount Athos was flipped on her starboard side completely, and burning. Arcadia and Larisa were also both sunk, with Larisa sustaining a boiler explosion.
Infiltrators had wrecked EIGHT CAPITAL SHIPS with SCUBA attackers using MAGNETIC MINES.
I had been humiliated. Never before had such an attack been so successful.
Once we got to where the Equestrian Marines had started to assemble, Blinda ran over.
Blinda: "It's bad, K. Real bad. We lost a lot of our Marine equipment and took about 10% casualties." She shrugged.
K: "Organize what's left, dish out gear and ammo as best you can - we can get ammo from the Vulpes, but you can't use their guns. Get some of the 11mm's off the sunken ships and get them mounted to their tripod egress kits." I pointed.
Blinda: "You got it." She nodded. "No CAG casualties, K - everyone was ashore, and they're headed this way to regroup." She nodded.
K: "Good. Get it done, Marine." I nodded to her, and she was off like a shot.
I turned to Jack Pot.
Trixie: "Okay, Dad.. NOW tell me!" She hissed.
Jack: "Trixie.. the reason.. the reason.. I hide as a stage pony is.." He shrugged a little, then sunk forwards in defeat. "I'm a War Mage."
Everyone was silent for a moment.
Raven: "A.. WAR MAGE?!" She broke the silence.
K: "Uhhh... for the cheap seats, Raven?" I poked her.
Jack: "It means, General, that I was raised by a secret society to protect Equestria at all costs with my magic." He looked at me, level eyes. "I'm.. my magic is almost entirely focused on causing harm. My magic is a weapon." He flapped his forelegs, and turned to his daughter. "THAT'S WHY she left me! That's why your mother said those things. She.." He looked ashamed. "..she despised me for what I was. That I'd lied to her about what I was. Do you even remember what happened right before she took you away from me?" He slowly shook his head.
Trixie: "..no.. I-I was six.. and.." She blinked.
Jack: "You probably made yourself forget. No, Trixie, some Diamond Dogs kidnapped you for ransom. And.." He shrugged a little. "I.. fought them.. killed two of them." He looked even more ashamed. "When Showcase saw that.. she.. she freaked out. She was so angry with me. Trixie, your mother was a Hippie. A complete pacifist. She told me we should have just paid them the ransom. She didn't understand.."
Dusty: "YOU NEVER pay the Ransom. They usually kill the subject and take the money or whatever." She shrugged. "Sorry."
Jack: "That's why she left me. That's why she never wanted me to see you. She was afraid I'd turn YOU into a living weapon, too! Trixie.." He desperately hugged her. "..I NEVER WANTED THIS FOR YOU!!" And started crying. "I never wanted you to have to fight, like I did, for so long! I never.." He pulled back a bit, looking her in the eyes. "..all I wanted was for you to grow up happy. Not ever once worrying about having to hurt another."
Trixie: "Oh, DAD!" She hugged him back. "I guess Tirek bucked that all up, huh?" She was sob-talking.
Jack: "I guess he did!" He was sniffling and crying, too.
K: "How powerful ARE you?" I looked right at him.
Jack: *Sniffle* "I.. could probably beat Starswirl the Bearded." He shrugged, twitchingly.
Twilight: "HOLY HAY BALES! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" She was shocked.
Jack: "I come from a very strong line, Prime Minister. When has a strong line like ours EVER produced a dud? Never. It's not possible." He pointed to her, Trixie still hugging him.
Twilight: "Then.. Trixie.." She looked at her. "..you were at LEAST my EQUAL!" She looked shocked.
Trixie: "Oh! NO WONDER my stage magic was s-" She stopped herself, and looked down, bitterly. "-uch a flop. I'm not a stage mare.. I'm a War Mage." She blinked, realizing her power. "I'm a.. WAR MAGE." She snorted steam.. and looked back towards our attackers. "Oohhh.. I'm going to-"
Jack: "Trixie, wait, please.." He pulled back from her. "..are you sure? Are you sure you want to go down that path?"
Trixie: "Dad, I'm going to MARRY this one!" She pointed to Dusk. "And right now, I'm going to have a co-foal to protect. OF COURSE I DO!" She sniffled a bit. "I have a family of my own, now, Dad.. and I'll do ANYTHING to protect them."
K: "This explains a lot." I said, looking thoughtful. "Why your magic, when you were with Tirek, seemed so strong, yet held back - you didn't KNOW you could cast TRUE attack spells!" I pointed.
Twilight: "Well, yeah, if you don't know what you can cast, you can't cast it!" She shrugged, like it was Kindergartner stuff.
Applejack: "K wouldn't know that, Sugarcube." She prodded her flank.
Twilight: "S-Sorry." She shrugged her wings as the rest of CAG got assembled by us.
K: "Alright, everyone! Same horse manure, different day! The Enemy kicked us when we didn't expect it! Time to show them what we can do!" I pointed to all of them. "Get armed, get ready, we're going to counter-attack!"
And so, we would deal with this invasion like every other. By kicking the flanks of our enemy. Because we have plenty of friends to do it with.. and friendship is magic.
[End of Part 3]
Part 4: Hollow Victory/Battle of Athens Pt. 1
TIME: 12:21 EET
DATE: War Day 1039/7 Secundus, 1005 C.S.
LOCATION: Athens, Principality of Vulpesylvania
All around us, the Vulpines were reacting to the attack. They had their own procedures - they had to secure the harbor, now. Small craft were running lines of depth charges close to the remaining docked ships, to kill any Frogmen (or, in this case, Frogdonkeys) that might still be there. The naval personnel were assembling with arms. Vulpine Marines were pouring out of their barracks. Aircraft were already overhead - mine and theirs.
I had CAG.
We had experience.
They knew this.
Brigadier Ouranós Choréftria: "Brigadier Ouranós Choréftria, General K! Assistant Commander, 1st Marines." A Pegasi Vulpe with a striking orange coat and fox gloves, she slid up to me with an Athena rifle in her paws. "We.. I ask you to direct us! I have no combat experience, sir!"
K: "Wise of you." I nodded. "LADS! GET OVER HERE!" I called to my most trusted officers.
Blinda: "I'll take our Marines and Sailors and start pushing back to the train yard, K." She tapped my hip.
K: "Do it." I said, as Norfy, Cosmic, Gaze, and Forest Spirit galloped up. "Each of you take a Marine Detachment, and move in on the train yard - they probably have the military train yard captured at this point, but it's not a very defensible position. Blinda's coming up the center, I want Forest and Norfy on the right flank, Cosmic and Gaze on the left. Cosmic.. you hold the line. Anvil. Forest, send Norfy in when Blinda makes her push, but you hold once you have defensible positions. Remember - these are all green troops. Keep the orders simple." I pointed to each of them in turn, as I handed my rifle to Forest Spirit (since it was a full Equestrian rifle with a horse-style trigger bar).
Bgdr. Choréftria: "And me, sir?" She tilted her head to me.
K: "You're with me and my team." I nodded. "Sunset, you and the girls - Jewelry Time. We see Squirk, we blast him with a Rainbow. Trixie, you and your Dad cover them. Twilight, you, Raven, Slapshot, Lyra, Bon-Bon, Dex, Octavia, and Vy go with Seven and Havoc's teams and secure the Prince." I pointed. "Cody, Well, stay here and set up a Triage with the medical personnel from the ships." I nodded to them. "Steela, Dusty, Broken, Golden, Teddy, Sweetheart, Dusk, Webley - you're with me, too."
Bgdr. Choréftria: "A moment - you need a weapon. And you have fingers." She whistled to a detail of sailors running by with a cart of arms being handed out, and they came over. She handed me something that looked like an FN P-90. "Please take this. It is the Apollo."
I hefted it, and as I unloaded my 7mm mags to Forest Spirit, I replaced them with 48-round 9x23mm magazines. I normally carried 6 rifle mags - I was now carrying 12 SMG mags.
K: "This'll do." I motioned to my team. "Alright, come on."
We moved right back towards the entrance to the Train Yard. There was already shooting - the advanced scout element of the Macedonkians had reached the gate between the Train Yard and the Naval Base. Blinda was plugging the hole with the help of Vulpian MP's and Shore Patrol, along with a few National Police.
K: "Blinda! This is our axis of advance!" I pointed.
Blinda: "Right! FIRST COMPANY, ADVANCE WITH THE GENERAL! SECOND AND THIRD, COVER THE FLANKS!" She directed.
We advanced with 1st Company. Almost instantly, four of them went down. Teddy and Dusk responded, spotting the Sniper, and eliminating them. We moved. I noticed the Apollo had a simple colliminator sight.. and it was very handy at lining up shots. The recoil was as expected, but the compact size of the weapon made it easy to handle.
We pushed through the first section of the train yard, and I was about to order 1st Company to move to our right, when the 1st Company Commander was stitched up by an emplaced machine gun.
K: "DUSK! TAKE OVER FIRST COMPANY!" I ordered. "MOVE RIGHT!"
Dusk: "ON IT! BROKEN, GOLDEN, WITH ME!" He ordered.
Broken: "Right on ye!" He slid up next to him, as Golden came to the other side.
Dusk: "Take over First and Second Platoons." He directed. "Move far right, and middle right." He pointed. "REST OF FIRST COMPANY, WITH ME!"
I raised up and we gave them cover fire. Jack Pot was not using a firearm, but Trixie had him holding her spare belts. The two of them were firing off attack spells - one from Jack caused a Donkey to just about explode.. massive bursts from its chest and gut where the bolts hit him, and the blood and organs that flowed out of those massive holes. Trixie wasn't trained, but she knew how to fire off standard magic bolts - she COULD, however, now that she understood her magic could HURT creatures, use those bolts as piercing lasers instead of impact spells.
Rarity: "Seems I'll have to get some more magic training in, Darling, if I'm to keep up with my co-Wife." She nudged me.
K: "You will - though, if I recall, you once blocked one of her most powerful impact spells with a Gem Shield." I smirked - Marelin.
Rarity: "Oh, inDEED, Darling!" She said, pulling coal (for lack of anything else) from one of the train cars, and pulling it over to her to use - after all, Coal is just unpacked/unaligned carbon, and when compressed properly, becomes diamonds.. which she could do (with notable effort).
We moved left-ish, and made a miniature pincer's movement out of the advance, with my team moving to a set of military flat cars, with armored vehicles loaded on them.
Rapid Bearing: "..ah, General? They've attached explosives to the tanks, sir." He came up from behind me, and handed me a TNT block with some kind of adhesive on the back, that he'd ripped off. "This one didn't have the detonator put in, but it's clear they're trying to take out the armored vehicles here."
K: "That's bad.. that's bad, right?" I looked at Brigadier Choréftria.
Bgdr. Choréftria: "VERY BAD! This is our first major shipment of them! If they destroy these, they'll take out sixty percent of the armored vehicles we HAVE! And almost all of our tanks!" She hissed.
K: C> "Alpha to All Callsigns - watch for sabotage and demo charges on the armored vehicles! Tear them off or neutralize them!" I said, one-handing the Apollo and firing a burst. Reloading was unusual, as once I hit the magazine release, the magazine popped up and fell out (the reverse of a normal mag). I had to grab a fresh one, and slide it forwards and down, not up and in, THEN run the bolt. Interesting. "Rapid, get anyone with EOD experience to help you - save these tanks!"
Rapid Bearing: "You gotcha, boss." Off he went, dragging Wallflower and Olivine with him.
I watched as Dusk directed Broken's platoon to capture a hastily erected machine gun bunker made of rail ties, then directed Golden to lay enfilading fire on the blockhouse at the far side of the train yard with grenades (his specialty).
Dusty: "Mmmmm..!" She hummed in an admiring tone. "He DOES have command talent!"
K: "Better than we thought." I nodded. "He knows their strengths. ALIRGHT! COME ON! WE'RE ALMOST THERE!"
The only thing that worried me was.. we hadn't met Squirk, yet. Where WAS he?
We advanced, now three quarters of the length of the Military Train Yard. We did hear some demolition charges go off, but not a lot of them. That was good.
At the far edge, we were all able to take cover at a set of raised rails that were on a slight embankment, that had a solid concrete skirt. It was low cover - I had to be on my belly - but it was solid cover. Ricochets were skimming all around us, but we maintained concentrated fire. Dusk, off to the right, spotted an opening...
Dusk: C> "Alpha, this is Lunar Three-Five. We can cut them off from here. Cover us."
K: C> "Take it!" I called back. "COVERING FIRE, EVERYTHING WE HAVE!" I ordered.
Jack Pot and Trixie took this as an instruction to start RAINING MAGIC LASERS down on the terrain, in a semi-C pattern, encroaching slowly on the enemy positions, but blocking them from falling all the way straight back.
Dusk? Advanced with 1st Company, and in short order, took back the checkpoint between the two train yards, and put fire to the rear left (from the enemy's perspective) flank of the Macedonkians.
Suddenly, I could hear one crying out, and saw their outgoing fire cease.. a white flag!
K: C> "ALL CALLSIGNS - CEASE FIRE! WE GOT'EM!"
Well.. that was stage one. Stage two? Finding that monster.
[End of Part 4]
Part 5: Recognition/Battle of Athens, Pt. 2
TIME: 12:47 EET
DATE: War Day 1039/7 Secundus, 1005 C.S.
LOCATION: Athens, Principality of Vulpesylvania
We advanced slowly towards the surrendering enemy. There were only 7 Donkeys left, and 4 were seriously wounded.
K: "Fluttershy." I pointed. "Golden, cover her." I directed.
Dusk: "Hmpf. They were very tough - very well trained." He shrugged. "I haven't heard about Macedonkians being this aggressive.. though, I think I know who's to blame for that." He spat on the ground.
K: "No kidding." I looked over at him. "Chief Altern." And I kept walking.
Dusk: "WHAT?! PROMOTION!?" He was flabbergasted.
K: "You directed an entire unit, and sustained only one minor casualty after taking command - that's not the performance of a Major equivalent, that's a Colonel." Or, more specifically, equal to a Lieutenant Colonel, but superior to all but other Chief Alterns.
Rarity: "Mmm.. your retirement pay grows, my darling.." She flicked her tail under his chin. "..not that - between us - we've anything to fear on that. It's still nice to know that my love for fashion could be a mere hobby, should I more desire to.." She swayed her hips. "..rear foals."
Trixie: "HEY! Don't leave ME out!" She snickered. "At least now, the GRRREAT! (she trilled) and POWERFUL! Trrrixie! Can be assured a very comfortable, and early, retirement from my adoring fans.." She flicked HER tail as well. "..and spent plenty of time with my family." She said that last part softly.
I moved over to the surrendering soldiers. One of them was clearly an officer. He threw a sheathed sabre to my feet.
Majop Dolgo Kopito: "Majop Dolgo Kopito." (Note that "Majop" is pronounced "Mayjour" - this is just the Macedonkian spelling of the word) He bowed to me, holding his left foreleg. "Surrender. I beg. For our lifes."
K: "You are.." I nodded to Dusk.
Dusk: "..my prisoner, sir." He nodded, picking up the sabre in his telekinesis and slipping it in his belt. "Chief Altern Dusk Seeker, NEIGHTO Command Advisory Group." He stood proud, but nodded to him, and levitated over his canteen.
M. Kopito: "S'hef." He nodded slowly to him, and accepted the canteen, which he handed to another of his soldiers. "My.. troops."
K: "Will be treated according to the NEIGHTO Prisoner of War accords. I am to presume that Macedonkia has declared war on Vulpesylvania?" I cocked a brow.
M. Kopito: "Da." He nodded slightly. "Sorry. Equestrian.. not main language. You.. human of legend."
K: "Yes." I nodded.
Fluttershy: "Uhm, K?" She peeked up. "I need to get these two to Doctor Allcome or Doctor Wishes." She indicated the two she had on a stretcher.
I looked at Dusk.
Dusk: "First Company, recover the wounded and the prisoners. Get them to the Aid Station." He nodded. "Broken. You take control of the prisoners directly."
Broken: "Aye, Dusk." He nodded, and helped one of the two critical cases get lifted up and started heading out with him.
Fluttershy addressed Major Kopito last.
Fluttershy: "His wound isn't so bad, but he will need surgery." She said, bandaging the wound as best she could.. she smiled to him. "You should be fine."
M. Kopito: "Thank you, gentle one." He nodded.
K: "I want to know. Why?" I shrugged to him.
M. Kopito: "Tirek promise us all of Fox lands." He looked down at the ground. "I am soldier. I follow order." He twitched the side of his mouth. "Not matter how I thinks of it. Not paid to think. Paid to follow order."
K: "And the octopus?" I gestured.
M. Kopito: "Head to Olympus. Has power to challenge gods, kill them, stop you." He shrugged. "Our goal sink ship and blow up.. machine." He pointed to the tanks in the military train yard. "Cripple Fox army, then invade." He shrugged. "I think we fail."
K: "I think you did." I nodded. "Come along - let's have my personal surgeon look at you." I gestured, and helped him out of the small crater.
M. Kopito: "You are.. rumor to have.. mercy. Is truth." He grunted a bit. "I am fortunate."
K: "I'm guessing if we were to exchange you with Fox prisoners, you'd just be executed?" I asked.
M. Kopito: "..yes." He frowned.
Dusk: "You are MY prisoner, sir. I will not allow that to happen." He nodded to him. "Your troops fought very bravely. You should be proud. You went up against.. the third most combat experienced unit in all of NEIGHTO." He shrugged. "And the first-most. Us. And you sent us running."
M. Kopito: "Heh.. I thank you. Soldier to Soldier." He nodded to Dusk.
We swept up quickly - no sign of Squirk. As expected, there was some.. consternation...
Ordained Knight Sienna Sharpeye: "..General K!" She came trotting up with her retinue. "Thank you for diverting forces to cover the Prince, but it wasn't necessary."
Raven came almost galloping up right behind her.
Raven: "K!" She hissed at me - again, very unlike her.
K: "Just a moment, Knight." I nodded to Sienna and stepped aside with Raven.. WAY aside.
Raven: "K.. this.." She nodded to the harbor. "..I overheard some of the foxes talking. They were going on about how lax security was at the port. That they'd warned her about this but she did nothing." She shrugged.
K: "Where's Chemical Lens?" I cocked a brow. "And her husband?"
Raven: "Gathering those witnesses, sir." She nodded.
K: C> "Alpha to Sierra Mike."
Chemical Lens: C> "Go, Alpha."
K: C> "ETA?" I didn't need to ask anything else.
Chemical Lens: C> "En route, now. The evidence.. is damning." Her voice was ice.
K: C> "Roger. Bring the Prince, if you can."
Chemical Lens: C> "As I said. En route." Still ice.
K: C> "Roger, Sierra Mike." I looked over at Seven Devils, and motioned him to come closer.
Seven: "Yeah, K?" He nodded to me.
K: "Me or them?" I asked, quietly.
Seven: "Mmm." He lilted his head, then pointed his nose at Villanova Foxglove, then to Knight Sienna.
Before I knew it, Seven's Special Forces Squadron was PREDATORIALLY CIRCLING Knight Sienna and her retinue.
I raised a finger. Teddy, Dusk, Rarity, Sunset, Vy, and Octavia were very quickly in position.
Sienna caught on.
O.K. Sienna Sharpeye: "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" She suddenly felt very scared, and ducked her head, backing up a bit, and running into another Royal Guard, who was also trying to back up from the advancing circle.
K: "Simple." I cocked a brow. "You, it seems, cost me two Capital Ships and however many casualties." I shrugged. "Jet Set was the Captain of First Company - I've known him since just after First Ponyville. Now, he's dead, along with several of his troops, and I have no idea how many sailors. And now, I'm down HALF OF MY BATTLESHIP FORCE!" I became animated. "And my Sheriff is on the way with proof."
O.K. Sienna Sharpeye: "Malfeasance?! HOW DARE YOU!" She tried to puff herself up.
HAVOC got in between us, and GROWLED.
Sienna let out a fox whine, and ducked back.
Havoc: "You watch your tone with my best friends, FOX. And REMEMBER who's ahead of who on the FOOD CHAIN." He leaned in a bit, with Bella to one side, and Barker on the other.
After another moment, Prince Andreas Stavros and his personal retinue came over.. along with several members of the National Police, Ambassador Vineworthy, Chemical Lens, and her husband, Wide Lens.
Prince Stavros: "General K!" He.. bowed to me. "I beg humbly for your forgiveness." And looked at Sienna. "Arrest her." He pointed.
Chief of Police Intelligence Makara Totonni: "General K." She nodded, then paced over to Sienna. "YOU are under arrest! The charges include but are not limited to dereliction of duty, conduct unbecoming a knight of the Order of Olympus, official malfeasance, and attempted murder of foreign royal officials by means of depraved indifference. Your rights under the royal charter are as follows. You may refuse to give a statement verbal or written. You may refuse to answer the questions of the National Police or any other investigating agency. You have the right to legal counsel. Do you understand?"
Sienna: "I.." She snorted, furious. "I AM TO BE BLAMED FOR THIS ATTACK BY OUR ANCIENT ENEMIES?!"
Out of nowhere, Boulder impacted her head next to her horn.. PITCHED at 105 MPH (169kph)!
Sienna went limp and fell to the ground instantly, knocked clean out.
Maud: "..worse. You are part of them." She paced over to the knocked-out Fox, and picked Boulder back up. "Check her, K. She has money on her that she should not."
I didn't question it, I just did it. There, in her pocket, was a small sack of gold coins. Gold coins with no faces. I showed them to Prince Stavros.
Prince Stavros: "What is the meaning of this?!"
Maud: "Those are blank gold coins. Ask yourself, your highness, why would she carry blank coins? Obviously, to obscure their origin." She blinked twice - she was MAD. "That origin being Macedonkia or Tirek himself." She petted Boulder. "Boulder is tired. I'm going, now." She paced away.
Chemical Lens: "Add Treason to the list, ma'am." She addressed Makara.
C.P.I. Makara Totonni: "I shall!" She snorted.
Prince Stavros: "And I.. create you to the position of Director of the National Police. I expect you to interface well with General K, Seven Devils, and the rest of NEIGHTO." He nodded.
Makara: "MY PRINCE!" She bowed. "I-I shall do so! I swear on the throne and the grave of our King!"
K: "I like her, anyway." I shrugged. "Ambassador."
Amb. Vineworthy: "General. I'm so sorry your visit here brought so much pain. It was NOT our intention." He shrugged.
K: "It's fine. This is war. Treason happens. And these great betrayals and stabs in the back, never comes from the enemy you know." I shrugged. "Sargasso? Call back to Fillydelphia. We need another fleet." I frowned.
So, now, I had half of my capital units out of action. I sustained 476 killed, 302 wounded. We, together, killed 1017 of the enemy. Squirk escaped. And we had a traitor.
Great start to this unexpected phase of the war. But, we had a solid foundation to build from, even if we were kinda stranded. Oh, well. Another problem Tirek decides to throw at us? Fine. We would win. Because we had friends.
And friendship.. is Magic.
{End of Chapter 136}
