//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 - Marephy's Law // Story: Cloudsdale Dash and The Revenge of Dr. Negative // by Lapis-Lazuli and Stitch //------------------------------// ~~~~Outside Manehatten University~~~~ The sun shone down brightly from the sky, illuminating the beautiful campus of Manehatten U. Dash’s dad had wanted her to go here to study weather management like he had, but she’d gone to Cloudsdale Academy instead. Mostly to keep her eye on Fluttershy, but also because CA had the best athletic facilities in all of Equestria. There, she’d trained herself for years on the academic dime while just barely managing to scrape by on her classes. She’d graduated, but it had been a formality. The train of thoughts that had brought her to that moment were distinctly odd, but so far the entirety of the past two days had been like that. Odd thoughts and memories warring with an entirely new set of them, and leaving her confused and vaguely annoyed. Because now, in addition to remembering what she’d actually been through… “Nngh!” She winced, putting her hoof to her head as the stupid memories lanced through her brain. A mixture of jumbled images about how she’d come to Manehatten young and met a young archeology student named Daring Do… No! Cloudsdale! Fluttershy! Dash turned and smacked her head against the shiny body of the motor-car. Elements of Harmony, you featherbrain! Get your head out of the clouds! It was hard, but she managed to finally stuff all the other memories back into the box she’d put at the back of her mind. Just in time for Twilight to appear right in front of her and give her a concerned look. She shook her head and put on her very best Rainbow Dash smile, hoping she could keep Twilight from worrying her egghead into scrambled egghead. Twilight brightened a bit at her smile, and after a moment of fiddling pulled the door to the vehicle open with a proud grin. “Fascinating technology.” She squee’d, and was probably one more doohickey away from bouncing around the place like Pinkie Pie. She slipped into the comfortable enough seat in the back, and Dash scrambled up after her. The cushions were covered in some kind of smooth, soft material that made her think of velvet. Then the door on the other side of the car swung open, and in stepped the living embodiment of everything that was weird with this world. Apple Bloom looked… fancy. Almost Rarity levels of fancy, point of fact. Dash wasn’t an expert on fabrics, but she did know the good stuff when she saw it and this was Canterlot grade material. Her suit was sharp, stylish, and edgy enough to even make Dash of all the ponies in the world kinda want one. She was also hauling a massive metallic object, almost the size of her teenaged mare body, slung over one shoulder as casually as Dash might hold a sandwich. There was a massive wooden stock on one end of the thing, which transitioned into a blackened steel with a big loop and what looked like a little curved lever inside of it. A big circular drum was attached a bit further down, but before the big, thick pipe that seemed to go the length of the device. Whatever it was, every single one of Rainbow Dash’s keenly honed senses of danger were telling her this thing was bad news. Apple Bloom herself smirked as she glanced over at Dash. A smirk of confidence, arrogance, and total self-assuredness. She was even still wearing her bright red bow behind her snappy looking hat. “Ya’ll look like ya never seen me before, Cloudbutt.” Apple Bloom cooed sarcastically, then chuckled richly. “Gotta admit though, it’s good t’see y’all ain’t dead. Ah missed teasing ya’ll.” Her hoof shot out and socked Dash hard in the shoulder, but it was a friendly sort of smack. Dash rubbed at it and flashed her best confident grin. The last thing she wanted was everypony to start getting wise to the fact that she wasn’t from here, and that meant she had to fake it till she could get back home. “Yeah, I just bet you did. What, you don’t get enough practice in on your sister?” It was a gamble, risking bringing up Applejack in a world where practically nothing seemed to make sense…. But Apple Bloom just snorted and laughed. “Yeah, right! Like ah’m gonna give her the same bullpucky I give you. I’m nuts, not suicidal, Cloudbutt. “ She rolled her eyes and settled her metallic thing across her lap, leaning back into the seat with a sigh of happiness. For just a moment, she looked like regular old Apple Bloom… Just a little older. Then Scooter hopped into the drivers seat of the car, and Apple Bloom’s smile turned into a half scowl, half grin. “Well if it isn’t DD’s personal penguin.” Dash didn’t know what a penguin was, but the way Scooter stiffened up made it clear it was some kind of insult. “Keep your trap shut, you treebucker. I’m not in the mood today.” Scooter scolwed past the back of her seat, then tugged a belt over her chest and snapped it into place with a safety catch. Dash blinked a bit at that, then shook her head. No different than any flight harness, if she was looking at it the right way. Apple Bloom just sniggered, then Daring finally got into the car. “You know where to go, Scooter. Drive casual.” Daring glanced into the back seat, eyeballing the three ponies there for a moment. “Donna Apple, we’ve got a guest with us. Would you mind explaining the basic etiquette to Miss Twilight?” Her eyes darted to Dash, and she made the most minute of nods. The message was clear that she’d better pay attention too… in case she’d ‘forgotten’ anything. “Not like it’s hard.” Apple Bloom grumbled, then turned specifically to Twilight. “Look, th’ Boss is pretty laid back. Jes’ treat her with the same respect ya’ll would give anypony important. Miss is fine, an don’ get too fancy with the titles.” Apple Bloom paused, then reluctantly continued. “An I wouldn’t refuse any hospitality she might offer ya. She’s a stickler ‘bout that sorta thing.” Apple Bloom went silent and turned back to stare outside the car. The vehicle itself was in motion, and the wind blowing through Dash’s mane was distracting enough that she didn’t much mind the lack of conversation. Of all the ponies in the world, the one they were going to see was the one Dash was sure would be alright. No matter what weird crap went on, Rainbow Dash couldn’t imagine Applejack being anypony but herself. ~~~~~~ Twilight soaked in every inch of the city as the sun slowly creeped higher in the skies. Manehatten was just as impressive during the day as it was during the night. She marveled at the soaring skyscraper towers and the ancient roaman architecture merged with modern design aesthetics. The streets were packed with other ponies on hoof and on a myriad of vehicles, but in spite of all that everypony seemed relaxed in enough in getting to wherever they were going. The crowds began to thin as their journey continued, and were replaced with scenes of ponies living out everyday lives. Working on construction, fillies and colts going to school, sharing a moment with a neighbor. It was all so… ordinary. It was like looking through the glass of a science exhibit, and seeing the outside world. Would she ever have a life as ordinary as this ever again? It was a thought that had troubled her, long before they’d come to this world. But never before had the difference between her old life and her new one been so starkly different. The vehicle began to slow, and Twilight sharpened her wits. They were pulling up to what looked like a fairly well-to-do drinking establishment, built in a Dodge Junction style. The sign out front read “Sweet Apple Acres Bar”, and right on the porch stood Big Macintosh, sweeping imaginary dust off of it with a slightly dour look on his face. He glanced up at the approaching car, and leaned on his broom with his eyes following them as they pulled up and to a stop. Apple Bloom was out of the car first, hoisting her strange weapon over her shoulder and shouting with a cheerful tone. “Heyla, big brother!” She waved her free hoof and trotted up the porch. “When are y’all gonna stop lookin’ so glum all th’ time?” She was obviously teasing him, but there was a distinct note of concern in her voice that Twilight was pretty certain only she had caught. Big Mac shook his head, watching as they all piled out of the wondrous vehicle before responding. “When you an yer sister come back t’ the farm, Apple Bloom. Y’all know that.” His voice was as quiet as it had ever been, but somehow rougher. He turned to the rest of them, as Twilight, Daring and Dash all mounted the porch. “Howdy y’all. Mah darnfool sister is waitin inside for ya.” He tipped a plain looking bowler hat towards Daring. “Miss Doo. Sorry fer everythin’.” “Not your fault, Big Macintosh.” Daring’s voice was surprisingly warm, and she patted his shoulder gently. Apple Bloom just rolled her eyes and trotted past the open front door to vanish inside. Daring watched her cautiously before speaking in a low voice. “I’m sorry too. You’re a damn fine pony, and shouldn’t have to put up with this.” But Big Mac just shook his head. “Family’s family, miss Doo. Don’ matter what they get up to.” Then waved them off to keep sweeping. Dash’s mouth opened, and Twilight immediately slapped a hoof over it. The last thing any of them needed was to start interfering with this world’s status quo. There was already no telling what the ramifications of her arrival here were going to be, and she needed to make sure the damage was minimal. Stepping past the doors was like stepping into a strange dimension. The place looked like it could have come straight off the Apple Family farm, and it even smelled the same inside. But no Apple Family residence had been full of strange suited ponies cleaning even stranger weapons, drinking liquor and watching them cautiously. “If I might ask, Daring…” Twilight began hesitantly, wondering how to breach the subject. Daring shook her head. “It’s no secret. Me and the Big Apple haven’t ever really gotten along. We’ve been competing with one another since I met her at Manehatten University.” She snorted derisively as they passed a large group of earth ponies playing cards. “She was an upper-crust trust fund filly, an’ I was the scrappy kid who’d gotten in on luck and skill. We kinda rubbed each other the wrong way, mostly on account of me not giving her any respect.” She grinned broadly, her eyes sparkling. “We’ve both kinda grown up a bit since then, but truth be told? She still annoys the crap out of me.” Daring shoved her way past a burly pair of earth ponies standing outside a private dining room, and there she was. Her hat was still there, like some kind of universal fixed point that would make sense to nopony except Twilight. But the rest? She came off as a completely different pony. Applejack had always had a certain amount of humility to go with her self confidence, but here all of that had been replaced by a powerful self assurance that dominated the room. Her personality loomed, larger than life in every respect, as she stood quietly chatting with Applebloom. Her suit was of the very finest materials, and not for the first time today Twilight wished Rarity had been there to see it. Twilight had learned a thing or two about fashion just by being in close proximity to the fashionista, and she knew that Applejack’s clothes wouldn’t have disgraced a Canterlot social function. That she wore them with such total ease and familiarity was doubly disconcerting. And when she looked up… Twilight could only stare into those infinite green eyes. Somewhere deep inside of herself, where the power of Harmony and magic lived inside her body, she knew that this was still Applejack. There might be dozens of layers of a different life lived in a different way over that core, but this was still the same pony who’d felt so guilty that she hadn’t won a prize that she’d been determined to earn the money before coming home. Instantly, Twilight could feel her whole body relax as a little voice whispered in the back of her mind. Everything is going to be just fine. “Well, howdy there, Miz Daring Doo.” ~~~~~~~ “We have confirmed their location. It is not good news.” The Stormpony, behind his face obscuring helmet, spoke in crisp and decisive tones. “They have gone to visit one of our enemies, and they are now surrounded by armed ponies.” He stood at rigid attention, which made Iron Resolve nod approvingly. It took guts to deliver bad news to the commanders, and it took a lot more of those to do so without losing one’s cool. “Doctor Doo is nopony’s fool, Kommandant.” Lady Butterfly spoke in her quiet voice, tossing her mane over her shoulder. “She is obviously arranging for better security for herself and her guests until her friends from Canterlot can arrive.” The news that a coded transmission had been sent earlier this morning to Canterlot had been nigh-on panic inducing. If they came to Manehatten, there would be no possible way to extract the pegasus from under their protection. The Kommandant nodded shortly. “Which means we are left with no choice. We shall have to assault them directly.” He sighed heavily, pointing at the Stormpony. “Have our soldiers prepare their weapons. We won’t have time to secure motor vehicles. We shall have to drop in from the air.” The Stormpony saluted and quickly ran off into the back compartments of the transport. Once alone again with the pilot and the Lady, the Kommandant sighed. “This is going to greatly complicate matters. I had hoped to resolve this without leaving signs of violence.” He snorted, and Iron Resolve had to agree with that sentiment. Violence would leave indelible signs of their passing, and if they were involved, it would be only a matter of time before they were traced back to their origins. One could not hide a fleet of warships in the sky, no matter how much one tried. The Lady nodded once, then blew out her own sigh of frustration. “It cannot be helped. I can but hope our pegasus is not so weak hearted that she cannot forgive us the blood that will be shed.” Then she giggled faintly, a hoof daintily pressing to her lips. “Perhaps we shall be able to convince them to deliver her without conflict. Surely none of them wish to die.” The Kommandant actually chuckled at that suggestion, shaking his head once before pulling open the arms locker with his magic. “I think that you are being a trifle too hopeful there, Butterfly.” Within the locker, the matte finish of the Kommandant’s battle armor gleamed in the dim light of the morning sun. The Kommandant doffed his uniform cap and shook out his mane before tossing off his jacket to follow it. “Rarely are we so blessed to have violence turn out to be unnecessary.” The Kommandant glanced at him, and Iron Resolve turned to his own weapons locker. His gear was a great deal heavier than the Kommandant’s, but such was a necessity for a body guard. The sound of whirring mechanical gears filled his ears as he neatly divested himself of his cloth uniform before stepping into the solid-steel boots of his armor. Darkness closed in around him while the machine slowly bolted the plating to his sides, and he put his mind towards the mission to come. ~~~~~ The folder hit the table with all the grace of a filly hitting the couch cushions after a long day. “Th’ Doctor’s been a pain in our flanks for months now. His crazyponies have been harassing our runners and trying to intimidate our neighborhoods.” Applejack’s crisp delivery was so unlike her that it gave Dash a bit of whiplash every time she spoke, but the accent was the same at least. “We’ve been tracking his goons back to the old Manehatten University labs outside the city. Near as we can tell the Doc himself ain’t there, but we know they’ve been sending out regular shipments of…” Applejack waved her hoof. “Whatever they’ve been stealing recently. We tried following them, but we’ve not had much luck.” Dash licked her lips and slowly drained the last of the cider out of her mug while Rosetta eyeballed the contents of the folder. Twilight scooted over to add her eyes to it, and Dash trusted Twilight enough to tell her whatever she needed to know. For now, Dash simply poured herself another mug of the delicious cider. Granted it wasn’t quite the cider of home, but it was close enough that Dash genuinely didn’t care. Applejack planted her hooves on the table and leaned over it like an overpaid executive. “Miz Doo, I hope you can accept my apologies in regards to the behavior of certain members of the family. I told them not to take jobs from that madpony, but it seems he’s been waving big sacks of bits around town and a few of my boys thought they could get in on the action without getting caught.” She sighed gustily, sounding a little too much like Rarity for Dash’s liking. Daring snorted, then sipped her own cider… she’d had more than a few mugfulls too, Dash had noted. “So long as you understand that I’m not going to hesitate to beat them down if they come at me again.” Daring muttered, but she did look a little less pissed off than before. “Then yeah, we’re square. Rosie, what’ve we got?” She quickly moved to change the discussion, and AJ looked pretty happy to be doing that herself. Rosetta adjusted her spectacles in the same way all nerds did when they wanted to make a point. “Given the direction the trucks were heading, we’re probably going to have to raid the old labs to know for sure where they might be going.” Rosetta tapped the paper, her eyes narrowed. She’d arrived a few minutes after they had. How she’d known where to find them… Dash shook her head. She needed to be here somehow, so she was. Simple as that. “That’s not going to be an easy job, Daring. I was there when they decommissioned those labs, they’re a labyrinth of old construction and Harmony only knows what might’ve been hidden behind false walls and old staircases.” AJ pursed her lips and looked pensive. “I’d rather you not go there alone, Miss Doo. I’d feel a mite responsible if you got yourself killed.” She glanced around the room, and Dash noted Daring’s eyebrows going up into her helmet… then. “Apple Bloom. I want you to go with ‘em.” Applejack’s tone was firm and decisive, and it was enough to get a look of shock both from Apple Bloom and Scooter. Apple Bloom had barely gotten her mouth open to object when AJ slapped the table. “No buts. They’ll need somepony who can handle a gun if things get hairy, an I wanna know what’s goin on there myself. You’re going, and that’s final.” “As though I don’t know how to handle a pistol.” Rosetta muttered, but there was a smile on her face. “We’d appreciate the help, Miss Applejack. We’ll do our best to make certain she stays out of trouble.” And she grinned at Daring, her mouth going wide. “And of course, she’ll help me keep poor Daring out of trouble as well.” Applejack nodded, Daring Doo groaned, and Twilight giggled. Dash shook her head with a wry smile, then went to sip her cider again…thumpthump Her ears swiveled in place, and she paused at the edge of her mug. ThumpThump The noise was louder, and she set down her mug. “What was that?” She half said, half muttered under her breath. The room went instantly silent, and Apple Bloom sat up straight in her chair. THUMPTHUMP Those sounds were loud enough to be heard by everypony present. Applejack eyeballed her sister, then nodded. “Somepony check upstairs!” Apple Bloom shouted into the next room, swiveling her strange device - probably that ‘gun’ AJ had spoken of - and aiming it in the vague direction of the hallway. Outside the hall, Dash could hear dozens of hooves milling around and the sound of mechanical devices working with clack-clack noises. For an instant, the world was still with an almost electrical tension… then BANGBANGBANG! The sound ripped through Dash’s ears like a dozen massive crates all hitting the ground in cadence. Applejack snarled and pulled an instrument like her sister’s from under the table, and worked a sliding mechanism for an ominous clack-CLACK before speaking. “Daring, get the buck out of here!” She screamed, as another rattle of sound ripped through the building. Dash moved on instinct. She grabbed Twilight around the waist, getting an ‘eep’ of sound out of her just before Dash took off like a shot. She had to make sure Twilight was safe, above everything else. Daring was right behind her with Rosetta equally in tow. Scooter was still out with the car, supposedly. Applejack ran out behind them and towards the front door at a speed Dash knew all too well was fast even by pegasus standards. Dash turned the corner towards the front of the establishment… where looming, dark figures stood outside the windows with strange devices strapped to their sides. Only instinct probably saved her in that moment. She peeled off of her flightpath and dove behind a thick wooden post just in time for a barrage of sound to assault her ears from the front windows. The sound of breaking glass and splintering wood cascaded through the front of the bar, as something shot out of those things started tearing up wood, tables, chairs, and even the main Bar. Twilight was yelling something, but Dash couldn’t make it out amidst the noise. The banging sounds stopped, and she took that moment to move. The bar seemed to have weathered the assault pretty well, so she went there next and found Daring and Rosetta huddling there too. A quick glance up and Dash felt her eyebrows raise at the sight of a thick steel plate embedded in the side of the bar, and all the way down. Oh. Right. Gangsters. Her mind reminded her, just in time for Twilight to grab her by the neck. “I can make a shield, you know!” She hissed into Dash’s ear, and Rainbow Dash felt her ears flop over in embarrassment. Twilight just huffed and glanced at Daring. “How do we get out of here?” She yelled, as another barrage of sounds assaulted Dash’s poor ears. Daring pointed with her hoof towards what looked like a swinging door just past the end of the bar. Dash couldn’t see much else from here, but that was enough for her. “Fuckin’ Neightzis!” Applejack’s voice screamed over the din, and a different cadence of noises came from the other direction. Heavy thuds, like something hitting the floor followed the noise. “GIT YER FUCKIN’ FLANKS OUTTA MAH BAR!” Ah. THERE was the AJ Dash knew and loved. “Go!” Rosetta whispered over the sudden quiet, and Dash nodded. She grabbed Twilight again, if a bit more politely this time, and quickly pulled her past the bar and through the swing door as subtly as any pegasus flying at speed could. The room turned out to be a supply hallway leading back into the kitchen, and Dash was sure there had to be a door back there somewhere. Daring and Rosetta appeared moments later, and Twilight shoved herself to her own hooves. She began to speak in her very bossiest of tones, “Sheesh, Rainbow. It’s like you think I haven’t been through this nonsense befor-” Then a crashing sound interrupted her. A very loud, very wood-splintery and glass-breakingly loud sound that was swiftly followed by all of them getting knocked off their hooves by something impacting the building. A dozen louder such sounds, all of these single BANG’s filled the room they had just left with a cacophony of sound and bright flashes of light. And then… An oddly familiar male voice rang through the bar. “Fraulein Apple! We have been told you have guests that are of interest to us!” Dash blinked. She felt like she ought to know who that was, but there was something distinctly off about it. Maybe it was the germaneic accent, or maybe it was the fact that her head was ringing from all of the ridiculous noises that it’d been subjected to. “Y’all coulda knocked!” AJ Snarled back at the voice from somewhere, and was followed by a torrent of moving hooves and clattering weapons. Dash glanced at Rosetta and Daring… and Rosetta had gone deathly pale. Daring was swallowing nervously, and Twilight just looked very confused. Then… the soft beat of pegasus wings. Gentle hoofsteps upon the wood that seemed to echo through the room, and a voice Rainbow Dash would have known anywhere. “Frau Applejack. Our apologies for the violence, but I am afraid I must ask you to surrender the rainbow maned one immediately.” She sounded oh-so-reasonable, and oh-so-polite…. And oh, buck me… What’s Fluttershy doing here, looking for me?!