//------------------------------// // 18: Good Intentions // Story: Pony of the Gears // by TheFoxern //------------------------------// “What am I doing?” It was a valid question, but unfortunately the obvious answer was not what he wanted to hear. “What will this even accomplish? Who will this better... Who will this worsen...” Thoughts were running wild now and Copper couldn't get himself to calm down. “What am I doing? Toppling a regime that has most of its citizens living happy lives? What am I about to destroy...” He leaned heavily against the window. It was raining heavily. That had taken a bit of work, but strings were pulled and eventually it happened. As far as he knew, it had never rained this hard in Canterlot. It was odd to be back there and so secretively. What would she do to cover up his death, a second time, if he were to come out into the open? What atrocities would she- no, it... He had to remember it. Not she. Though it didn't really matter what he thought of it. It had to be stopped. “Would things be better if I fail?” He wished that he knew what plans it had. What if it was working for the better? Sacrifices must be made for the good of all...but...that kind of thinking always ends badly. Even if it has good intentions, murder is not the appropriate way to go about doing things. “Remember Manehatten,” came a voice from the other side of the room and he looked vaguely in the direction of the Doctor. “It destroyed a city just to test its new weapon. A city that it ruled.” “How long have you been sitting there?” He hesitated. “Long enough. I understand your worry, but things are only good for ponies in Equestria and that's probably because it doesn't want any resistance inside.” “Weil tis tae late fur that,” Pots said as he came into the room. “Does nopony understand the concept of wanting to be left alone?” Copper said with a sigh. “I mean honestly...I asked to be left alone.” “Cannae dae that. Nae this claise tae th' finish,” Pots moved closer to him and looked past him out the window. “We need ye concentratit, Copper. Ye cannae be doubting yersel' nou o' a' times.” “Pop Pots is right. Everypony needs to stay focused. We can't go against it without full focus.” It almost annoyed Copper as Whooves spoke. Copper stared out the window a moment and then sighed before getting up. “All right. Let's do this. Is Chrysalis ready?” She was the most important piece in Copper's chess game. He had thought of the whole thing as a chess game over the past few days, as that was what he had been playing a lot the past few days to kill time. The Doctor was the only one who could truly beat him, but he had not won every match. It just made sense in his head to think of it as a chess game. Chrysalis was the Queen. It was fitting. “I think so, though she is not happy about it.” The Doctor was the black Bishop. He would be the edge Copper needs if Pots couldn't do it. “Guid. Tis tae cramped in 'ere. It'll be crakin' tae blaw something up.” He supposed that Pots was a Rook. Straightforward. He nodded to them both as he headed out of the small room that had been his room for the past week. “I am quite annoyed at this, I'll have you know,” Chrysalis said when seeing Copper. She had the appearance of Chestnut, who was a pony now associated with Copper. From the papers Copper had been reading, people were calling Copper some kind of renegade of sorts. The non-Equestrian papers said that he was fighting against Celestia and local papers said he's fighting for her. Either way, Copper could now go anywhere and ponies would clamber over one another to help him- barring those that knew the truth. “I know. But Chestnut disguising herself as me and is heading to Trotland. It's the best cover possible. And-” he paused and looked around. “Where's Spyglass?” She waved a hoof vaguely in the air. “Somewhere. He's really taken to this whole...mail delivery thing.” “Well it does give us a very good cover and lots of information, as well as food and shelter,” the Doctor said as he hefted a bag over himself. Copper found himself thinking more of him as the Doctor, rather than Doctor Whooves. Apparently that was what most ponies referred to him as and he had become an invaluable asset. He knew more ponies than Copper did, which he had thought impossible. And it always seemed that he knew everypony that he did and longer than he had, too. “Yes...and it is quite close to the castle,” Copper said before taking a deep breath and walking towards the door. “We will have to do this without Spyglass then. It's probably better that he's not here, now that I think about it...” Just another pawn that I don't have to worry about. They all looked at him and watched as he pulled his new cloak over him. It was another of Rarity's and he was quite happy to be able to wear it. It still felt as though people were looking at his lack of wing, rather than at him. That annoyed him. But he wasn't sure if he was annoyed more at the fact that was what he thought, or that he wasn't actually sure if that was the case. “I thought he was important to your plan?” the Doctor said as he came up beside Copper, beating him to the door. “And he has been. He was very important. But we can work without him...if what Corser told us was true, he'd...” Copper hesitated, trying to find the right words. “He'd get in the way,” Chrysalis said, standing behind Copper. There was a few seconds of silence, before Copper spoke, “I would have worded it a little less harshly. He is a crucial asset,” and a good friend, “but the four of us is all that's needed.” He pulled his hood over his head and added with a slight smirk, “And if I could get away with it, it'd be just me and the Doctor.” She scoffed, getting her own cloak on. “As if your plan could work without me.” “'N' dinnae be forgetting aboot me. Yi''ll need me as weil,” Pots added and Copper could just make out the grin under his cloak. Copper had noticed the slight change to his accent when they entered Equestria, but as of yet had refused to address it. He sounded as though he were from a different part of Trotland, more towards the middle if Copper had to guess. But that didn't matter and Copper merely nodded in response, before turning to the Doctor. “Let's go,” he said as he grabbed a bag beside the door. It had been packed since they had gotten there and Copper had fussed over it at least once a day. “Yes. Let's.” ~ The streets of Canterlot were deserted. Sunrise was a few hours away and if the plan went accordingly, Celestia would be asleep and Luna would not rouse her. He had realized how much he was depending on other ponies. Luna to not tell Celestia. Corser to not arrest them. Pots to not double cross them. Chrysalis to not take things too far. And the Doctor, to follow Copper's instructions. But there was no sudden appearance of guards when they came to the side of the castle and there was Corser, standing quite nonchalantly in front of the door. “Finally,” he said with a sigh of relief. “Is everything set up?” Copper said, glancing at his group quickly making note of the Queen, the Bishop and the Rook. And now he had the Knight. Corser rolled his eyes and nodded. “Yes. Clear shot straight to the main room, where Celestia will come across you and your little band, rather than Luna.” “And our guest?” He had to make a conscious effort to ignore the stares from everypony. “Yes, all fine,” he said with a glance around. He knew Copper well enough that he would not risk telling everypony the whole plan and was fine with being left out of the loop for the majority himself. “Good...” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Then it begins...” Corser nodded as he opened the door and hurried them inside. He closed it behind them, gave a quick nod to them before trotting off down a side passage. The Knight goes to join the white Bishop. “What guest?” Chrysalis snapped once she was sure he was out of earshot. “Somepony who needs to see this happen,” and can be relied on to assist if needed. “Tis Copper. A'm sure he's git a langer list o' backup script then maist ponies hae oan a monthly to-do list,” Pots said giving Copper a slight nudge and another grin. “If it whaur onypony else a'd be offended.” Copper smiled a bit. “We can't discuss this here. Let's go,” he said as he trotted down the hallway. In his head, he was counting hallways. When he got to seven, he stopped and handed the Doctor the bag. “This is it.” The Doctor took the bag and nodded. “Alright- dang this thing is heavy...” “I didn't have time to make it any lighter,” Copper said with a slight chuckle. “But it won’t matter.” He glanced at Chrysalis, who was frowning, and Pots, who was grinning. He nodded in response. “Right then... I'll see you all later then,” and with that he trotted down the hall. Copper waited a moment and then continued forward. “You are an annoying pony to go up against,” Chrysalis mumbled; with her hood pulled down Copper could not catch her expression. “So many plans all at once...” “Usually it's not this many...but I've never had this much riding on success...” He slowed down as they came out into the center of the large pillared room. Canterlot's grand hall. It was more impressive then Copper could remember it being. Large stain-glass windows lining the hall, telling the history of Equestria. That's where he hesitated. That's where he saw it. There, was him. It was him in his moment of 'glory' as he pushed the helm down. As he forced the False God into a plummet that saved countless ponies and cost him his own life. He pulled his hood back to look better at it. Why had nopony mentioned this? He had seen the statue of himself in the gardens and it paled in comparison. This was an acceptable way to be remembered. No words. No cold gray stone. Nothing but sheer color showing the pain and effort of his sacrifice. “Do you like it?” And it all came crashing down as he heard that voice. The voice he had dreaded most in his life, since he was sent upon his first job. “I believe that it captures you quite well... Not like that statue. But, statues of heroes are popular.” Copper turned to look at her and found her sitting at the end of the hallway where one would expect the ruler to be. There, looking as she had always done, with that kind smile on her face. Suddenly he was faced with the greatest opponent he could ever imagine. One that could beat him endlessly and never bat an eye. Somepony who could not be stopped. Himself. “Why?” was all he could manage. “Why what, my dear Copper?” The look of puzzlement on her face caused his stomach to knot in several hundred different ways. “Why did you do it?” He was taking deep breaths, trying to focus. She was- It was not truly Celestia. It was not her. It was not her. It was not her. The look of puzzlement increased. “Why did I do what, Copper?” It is not her. “You're not making much sense...” It is not her. “Perhaps you need to lay down for a bit...” It is not her. “You look like you have had quite a hard time.” There was no way it was her. “How could you kill so many ponies. Just to test a stupid weapon? Why did Manehatten have to burn!?” For the first time he could remember, he was truly angry. The thoughts of regret and doubt pushed aside by pure rage. Her face turned to one of concern. “What in Equestria are you talking about? Manehatten was a terrible loss... One that I have done my best to undo.” “You could have stopped it!” He shoved his hoof accusingly at her. Only now did he realize, now that he had stopped, that he had been moving towards her. “I tried, Copper. But even my power-” “Shut up!” He could feel his eyes burning. “It would have been so easy! I have seen you do things insurmountably more powerful than merely taking down one airship!” He could feel Chrysalis and Pots coming up to his side. Pots was practically shaking beside him. Copper thought it might be fear, but no. Not Pots. He was excited. How often do you get the chance to assassinate someone like Celestia? “Copper... There was nothing I could do. They were shielded from my-” “No they were not,” Copper said, his confidence raising further. “You forget that I was on that ship for quite a while. There were no unicorns on that ship. And no shield.” He took a deep breath, almost missing the slight flicker on its face. “They would not have needed one. You were the only alicorn who would dare go up against it... You also forget that I was taken by your guards. Your damn guards.” This flicker was obvious, it was enough to show he was getting to her. “I suppose you didn't bother remembering those details too closely, since everypony who was close enough to see that was killed.” He felt out of breath at this point and awaited her rebuttal. “How did you come back? Not in all my records did I find any way to bring you back...” Her tone had not changed, she was still holding that concerned tone. But Copper was done listening to that. She had not been quick enough to cover herself. “I have friends. Many friends now, who helped me. I am no unicorn, so I don't know what exactly went into it...” Her gaze turned to Pots, who despite a hood, could not hide the fact that he was indeed a unicorn. “Him?” Copper smirked. “Oh I'm afraid not him. Though he is a friend of mine...” He couldn't help himself, even though he tried not to, the line seemed to spring from his mouth. “Allow me to introduce him. Celestia?” He smiled at Pots and nodded. “Meet Pots.” At the point he ended the word meet, Pots fired. It was quite an impressive thing to be seen from this side. There was the draw of energy, the feeling as if time itself were slowing down and then a force which caused Copper to slide a few hooves away and Pots's hood to be blown back. Even as the word Pots had left his mouth, the beam was already heading at Celestia. And he watched, as it curved around Celestia in a wide ark and blew away most of the left corner. She grinned and for the first time, Copper saw it. The madness of whatever it was that gripped her. “Nice to meet you Pots. I've heard so much about you. But this doesn't concern you,” and with that Pots hit the wall at the other end of the hall with enough force to knock a hole into it. Copper turned, looking at the hole that had been where Pots went through. Thus toppled the rook. “Pots...” He wanted to go and check on him, but knew he couldn't. He turned back to Celestia, who seemed to have regained her composure. “Copper...hanging around with murderers? That is unlike you...” She had adopted some sort of mock scolding tone. “And this changeling you have taken to... What was her name? Hazelnut? Some sort of brown nut...” “Her name is Chestnut-” “And I'm not her!” There was a green flash, followed immediately by the beam. Celestia set her footing and locked beams for the second time with Chrysalis. For a moment Celestia looked concerned, but regained the upper hand quite slowly. The Power of Celestia’s beam increased rapidly, until Chrysalis toppled backwards in a large flash. “Ah, Chrysalis... I would have killed you the first time if you had not caught me off guard... I had not expected such power...” She walked slowly down towards them. Copper stepped between them. The Queen has fallen. “What did you expect her to do? You've been butchering changelings without reason...” “Without reason? Copper, they're a parasite. They feed off of the love of others.” She stopped walking, staring at him. “Have you honestly fallen for her, Copper?” She twitched. He could see something happening, but was unsure of what. “You are her source of power...and though abundant, it is not enough. Nothing on this world could stop my power.” Again that grin lit up her face. “You saw to that when you destroyed the gear.” “The Gem Cog?” Copper said, slightly caught off guard. “Yes you idiot. With that I could have ruled everything while sitting so comfortably from here... But I simply could not find it. And my attempt to wring the information from Nightmare led to her fleeing into my so called sister.” “Stop acting like you're Celestia,” Copper said, deciding to call an end to the charade. “You are not Celestia.” She stared blankly at him. “I don't see why it would matter if I was or not. That didn't stop you from attempting to murder me. Which you have failed at twice now...” She continued to move closer to him and Copper had no choice but to back away. What could he hope to do against it? “Who cares if I'm not Celestia. Who cares if I destroyed Manehatten and countless other cities. In fact, I have some new underwater toys I think I'll plan on testing on Aquis next...” “No!” “No?” She leaned down towards Copper. “How are you going to stop me? What other plans do you have, Copper. Hm? What have you left?” “Me.” They both looked to see Corser coming from a side hallway. “Oh Corser... I had wondered how he got inside with no fuss...but I should have expected that from you. You have always hated me,” she said as she straightened up, grinning. “But no matter. You are easily dealt with.” There was a flash and Corser flinched, but nothing happened. “He isn't alone,” Twilight said as she came out from behind Corser. “Ah, Twilight. My...my most faithful student...” She moved towards them, stumbling slightly. But Twilight shifted slightly behind Corser. Celestia stopped. “So you heard...” There was a flash and Copper was sent skidding across the floor. “I worked so hard on this one... She was your replacement, Copper...” He struggled slightly to get back to his feet. “Yeah... I...I heard...” “So this is your plan. Turn everypony against me... Let them all gang up on me and watch as my empire crumbles. Quite the plan...” She stood over him, glaring down at him. “Clever.” He coughed and her hoof connected with his ribs, sending him sliding against the wall. “And to think... I had thought killing you was a bad idea. I guess I just didn't kill you enough.” Her hoof connected again and again. “You and your damned plans! Now I have to kill you, Corser and Twilight. Thankfully it'll be easy enough to just blame Pots. See? I can come up with plans too!” “Mine's not done...” he mumbled into the floor, through the pain. That stopped the kicking. “Oh how you lie Copper. You won’t have time to come up with some new plan. Twilight and Corser will be of no help to you.” Copper looked in time to see the hallway where Twilight and Corser were crumble. Whatever it had done to Copper had hit them as well. White Bishop and Knight, taken. Slowly he managed to get to his feet, using the wall to help. “But my you are tough... I suppose getting beaten so many times has toughened you up so much.” “You just don't understand...” he said, coughing. “Then explain it to me,” she said as she leaned in close. “Explain to me this little plan... How you're planning to beat me...” He looked at her and smiled. “I'm a Pawn.” She stared blankly at him. “What?” “It's chess... You don't win the game without sacrificing a few pawns... But...if you you do it correctly...you can expose the king...” “And I do believe this, is checkmate,” said the Doctor. ~ “So you're expecting Pots to fail?” Doctor Whooves said, staring at Copper. “I'm actually hoping on it... Look.” He flattened a large piece of paper out on the table. “I've been working on this from memory, so it's a bit sketchy but you get the general idea. When we get in, you're going to take this-” he heaved a large bag onto the table, "and head to this point here. I'll teach you how to put it on and charge it... Then all you have to do is wait for an opening and hit her with the discharge.” He looked into the bag. “Will it kill her?” Copper hesitated and shook his head. “No... I...I can't go through with it, all right? Evil or not...we can't just kill her. We need her to confess to the things she's done. This will knock her out cold or at least paralyze her for an extended period of time. It'll also give her third degree burns on the entry point, so just try not to hit her in the chest, as it could fry an internal organ...” Whooves looked at him. “When's the last time you slept, Copper?” There was a brief hesitation. “Last week? I think? I don't know... I just-” “Copper. Stop. You need sleep. I...I have news.” He looked at him. “What kind of news?” “News that will make you glad that you're thinking of a non-lethal way to end this...” ~ The Charged Gauntlet, as Copper had called it, was quite impressive. It was a tad bulky and the battery pack on the back could use a few more straps to make traveling with it long distances even feasible. But it was necessary to get the appropriate amount of charge and had taken Copper weeks to perfect. And when it went off, it meant business. The large flash, the crack of thunder, and the taste of electricity in the air made one feel lightning had struck. “Oh crap! It's hot!” The Doctor scrambled to get the Charged Gauntlet off. “Sorry... I'll make note to get some kinda heat protection... Where did it-” he paused as he looked over. She had gone quite a distance from them from the shock, and laid motionless aside from the slow raise of her chest from the breaths she desperately took in. They both moved slowly towards her, and Copper unceremoniously prodded her with his hoof. “Well... She's alive...” “Probably not going to be happy when she wakes up...” the Doctor said with a smile. “But hopefully we can figure out whatever is inside her and get it out...” “Yeah that would-” a pulse sent both of them flying back. Copper hit a pillar and glanced off, sliding across the floor. The Doctor continued back, smashing through a window. “That...hurt...” It rose slowly, rigidly. But not under physical power. It floated up, unable to move limbs. “You honestly think that that could stop me? Me? King Sombra!?” That's when Copper saw it. The silhouette of King Sombra, encasing Celestia. “I have done so much in a mere thousand years...” “I... How...” Copper struggled to get up, staring up at translucent red eyes. “How what? I have transcended a physical body. I had long ago when I was destroyed by Celestia and Luna upon their arrival in Equestria. They toppled my kingdom, but I am not so easily defeated. She hid my Crystal Empire from me and I have not been able to reclaim it as of yet. But with technology like this...” A ghostly hoof floated upwards, the Charged Gauntlet raising from where the Doctor had dropped it. “This will be more then enough...” Copper coughed, starring up at King Sombra. This was impossible. “But...” King Sombra looked at him and smiled slightly. “Oh Copper, you were always so useful. But I could not allow you to roam freely, especially after discovering the Gem Cog. But once again, you solve all my problems...” He looked wistfully at the device. “Such power...and no magical protection I had could stop it. It's so perfect...” Copper slumped to the floor. It was getting harder and harder to move and he was sure he was losing consciousness. His vision was fuzzing and slowly darkening. “Damn...” “Don't worry Copper. Once I've dealt with your...friends...I will take care of you.” ~ His eyes opened and suddenly all the pain was gone. He stood up quickly, only to find himself in the land of gears. “Damn it!” he screamed and slammed his hooves down on the gear. “My goodness. King Sombra...who could have predicted that.” Nightmare was grinning down at him. He paused and glared up at her. “You knew.” It was not a question. “You knew it was King Sombra...that...” He shook his head. “Come now... He is weakened.” Copper felt the pull of the moon increase immensely. “I can beat him. It would be so easy... Just give me one chance. You will rise and he will fall...” It was a tempting offer. The most tempting it had ever been. Would Nightmare be worse than King Sombra? That was a very tough decision, one that he didn't feel like he should make. Copper stared into the distance. From here he could see the clock tower, the area around it shimmering from the water. “Could it be that simple?” he mumbled and then, he flew. He made the distance in moments, Nightmare following him the entire time. “Oh come now. You will not find anything that can help you in there. I am here... I can do it... I can save you all...” The little door was right where he knew it would be and he pushed it open, going inside. “Empty...” he muttered and slumped to the floor. It would never be that easy. It never had been, why should it be now? “Why do you seek the Gem Cog?” Copper’s eyes snapped open, he hadn't even realized he closed them. He looked around, but the voice seemed to come from everywhere. “Why do you seek the Gem Cog?” “I...” He hesitated, remembering something Nightmare had said. “I seek a way to save the life of my friends.” “And what of your own life?” He shook his head. “I sacrificed that already... No pony I have ever heard of has gotten a chance to do it twice.” “We are aware.” “We?” Again Copper looked around. “We were The Pony of Gears.” Copper slowly stood up once again, he suddenly felt tired, weak. “I don't understand that title...” “It is not a title.” “Then what is it?” There was no answer for what felt like minutes. “It is you.” “I don't understand...” Copper said as he sat down. It was odd talking to an empty room, but it was not the weirdest thing he'd done. “We do not expect you to. Nopony knows anymore.” “Can...you tell me?” Copper tried to hold the hopeful tone from his voice, but failed miserably. There was again a silence. “Before the Gem Cog... The Pony of Gears, or Pony of the Gears as it is now called, which we believe is more fitting, was one part of a whole. It was us, we who were built to serve. Built to help. Built to hurt. We were a machine. A machine with life.” “I am not...a machine,” he said, feeling the need to slightly defend himself. “No... But you are of machines. They speak to you, though you do not listen, you hear. You hear those machines that wish to be built. The ones that were broken. Unfinished. Merely paper in a drawer. You are the Pony of the Gears That Turn.” “I...I want to save my friends,” he said as he tried to regain focus. Time was different in his head, but he was sure that this all must be happening fast. “Then save them.” There was a bright flash and there, in the center of the room, sat the Gem Cog. He stared at it for several moments, before placing both hooves on it and pressing it into the floor. ~ His eyes opened and the pain rushed back. He could hear faintly inside his head a scream of rage from Nightmare and felt her leave. Even in pain, he felt invigorated. This was it. Everything made sense now. He had been where the power had shifted. He stood up surprisingly easy and looked at King Sombra, who was attempting to get the Charged Gauntlet to work. He walked towards him slowly. “It won’t work. It only has enough power for one shot. Slight drawback.” “Ah... So you are still alive,” King Sombra turned and froze. “Yes. I am alive.” He felt the glow, the tingling of power. The sheer might of it all flooding him to the point he felt he would burst. He walked slowly towards him, his gaze locking King Sombra in that spot, not allowing him to move. “It is one thing to hurt me...but I will not allow you to hurt my friends.” He swung with all his force, hitting the shade of King Sombra. He forced every ounce of the power he had into him; it needed to be over. Copper could not do anymore, as King Sombra shattered into a shower of sparkling little gems. Laying in the middle was Celestia, who looked much smaller then she had before and seemed to be having trouble breathing. He laid down beside her, watching the gems turn to dust. “A dog to the end...loyal to it's master.”