//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 - Stranger than Fiction // Story: Cloudsdale Dash and The Revenge of Dr. Negative // by Lapis-Lazuli and Stitch //------------------------------// ~~~~~Sweet Apple Acre’s Bar~~~~~ Breathe in. Breathe out. Just like Cadence taught you. In. Out. Twilight forced her chest to stop heaving. She forced herself to be calm. She had to be calm. Rainbow Dash was on the edge of panic, and if she panicked they were going to be seriously screwed. She needed to focus. So deep breaths in, deep exhales. The sound of gentle hoofsteps were echoing through the bar, and Daring and Rosetta were exchanging horrified looks. Twilight didn’t want to believe the source of that voice was who her brain was telling her it was, but something told her she’d better stop being so naive. The pony spoke again, still gently enough to have been the original. “I will ask again, Capo Apple. Where is the one with the rainbow mane?” Silence answered her at first, then a shuffling of hooves and the sound of many mechanical clackings and crackings. The mare sighed softly, then her hooves shuffled. “Kommandant Panzer, would you be so kind as to assist me in the negotiations?” Her voice rose to carry to the outside, and Twilight raised an eyebrow at a confused looking Dash. “Panzer?” Dash whispered, her eyes going a little cross. She took on a thoughtful look at first, and then looked up in pure shock. “Wait. Isn’t Panzer germane for-” She began, only to be cut off by heavy, floor rattling hoofsteps. “The buck!?” Dash nearly swore loud enough to be heard, but clamped her hoof over her mouth to keep it from being much more than a squeak. Luckily, the heavy hoofsteps drowned her out. “Panzer.” Rosetta half whispered, her eyes going wide and her pupils dilating to tiny points. Her voice rushed out in soft, hushed tones that were moving at the speed of real fear. “Daring, we need to get Miss Twilight out of here right now. Take her out the back, I’ll get out with Apple Bloom. Go.” She shoved Daring in the shoulder, who had an incredulous look on her face at Rosetta’s command. Suddenly, the academic pony’s voice became very sharp, hard and strangely familiar. “If you don’t go right now, I’m going to tell everypony what your real name is.” Daring went suddenly stiff. “You wouldn’t…” She began, then went deadpan at Rosettas smirk. “Of course you would. Fuck me.” She quickly scrambled over to her, and gave her a severe look. “Miss Twilight, there’s an extremely dangerous pony out there. I know you’ve got power to spare, but he’s like almost nopony else. We can’t risk them getting a hold of you and…” She swallowed, visibly. “Look, those are really nasty someponies out there. They’re not going to treat you nicely. I can smuggle you and Dash out of here, but we’ve gotta go now.” Twilight couldn’t help but hesitate. She wanted to get out of here too, and keeping Dash and the vital information they’d collected safe was a top priority. But… but she couldn’t just leave Rosetta behind. Not if these ponies were as nasty as Daring had said. Somepony’s got to stand up and do something about them, before somepony else gets hurt. The voice in her mind whispered softly, and even if it wasn’t a voice she knew well… she knew that it was telling the truth. “No.” It was a reverberant word, one that seemed to stun poor Daring Do and leave her other friends staring at her. “I’m not going to leave a friend behind if they’re as nasty as you say.” Twilight could hear her voice go deadly quiet, though she wasn’t quite sure why it had. She stood up, and all of the adrenalin and fear generated by the attack seemed to have vanished. “I’m going to go out there,” She began, turning on her heel and summoning her magic into her. “And I’m going to politely ask them to leave before I get cross with them.” She marched slowly, assuredly to the door. She heard a soft snort and a sharp laugh behind her. “That’s my Twilight.” Rainbow Dash said, her voice ringing with pride. A moment later, she fell into step alongside her with a cocky grin on her face. “These guys are nothing compared to Discord. Am I right, Twi?” Somewhere along the line, Dash had pulled a baseball cap onto her head and had tilted it to a jaunty angle. It made her look bold, and just a little flippant. Twilight had to admit, she liked the effect. “Right. Or Chrysalis.” She felt a smirk curl across her face, and the sound of Rosetta choking down a cough only made her grin grow wider. “I’m sure they’ll be reasonable once we’ve talked to them. That’s worked before, I’m sure of it.” She mused aloud as they reached the doorway, feeling a little giggle bubble up. Dash laughed, and cracked her neck. “Well, it eventually works. Usually after we’ve kicked some flank.” She glanced at Twilight, and for the first time since they’d arrived in this world, things felt right. So long as she had her friends, there wasn’t anything they couldn’t do together. “Now now, Dashie.” She murmured softly, making sure her illusion was wrapped tightly before pushing open the door. “Who knows? Maybe it’ll work right away this time.” She suggested with a quiet grin, and shoved the door aside. The main bar area was full of splintered wooden columns and wrecked tables, overturned chairs were strewn across the floor, and a dozen pony head turned to stare at her as she sauntered out into the open. They were wearing full gas masks over their faces, and solid steel helmets painted pitch black. All of them wore long black coats over bulky looking and angular armor, and carried the same strange weapons that she’d seen so many of this world’s inhabitants holding. What had Scooter called them? Guns? Odd word. She’d have to investigate its exact meaning later. “Mein Kommandant!” One of them called out, his voice muffled by his facemask. Twilight did not wait. She summoned up her power into a crystaline purple, perfectly spherical shield and planted it right around herself and Rainbow Dash. It was a shield she’d learned from her brother, and she was certain he would have been proud of her for producing it. She glanced to the side to the tune of yet another massive shock this world had in store for her. Fluttershy. She was wearing a sleek, shiny coat that wrapped tightly around her body but left her pegasus wings exposed and free. Her mane was streaked with black highlights and her eyes were nothing like the Fluttershy she knew. She walked with a purpose and a confidence that looked utterly alien on her, as though she was the mistress of all she surveyed. She marched swiftly into the room, and her eyes passed over the pair of them to stop on Rainbow Dash. And in that instant, for just an instant, everything about her changed. Her eyes softened, and the barest hint of tears filled them. Her posture spoke of unfathomable relief and happiness, and the iron-hard control vanished from her face. Her lips parted, and she spoke in a gentle, loving voice. “Rainbow Dash.” It had been the first time in this world that anypony had called Dash by her given name. In that single moment, Twilight could believe that this was the Fluttershy she knew and loved so dearly. Then the mask came back, though less severe than before, as she took a second look at Twilight. Her jaw fell open, and her pupils reduced to pinpoints. “You! You are- Impossible! KOMMANDANT!” Her voice rose to a clarion yell, and heavy hoofsteps came scrambling from one of the back rooms. Then the second shock hit her, like when she’d had her first hard crash landing after getting wings. His armor was different in many ways. It was far heavier, more angular and covered more of him, but the purple sparkle on his chest that was her cutie mark was still there. His eyes were more sunken and had dark rings, but they were the same bright blue she’d been looking up to for her entire life. And his mane still rebelled against every single form of styling he tried to put into it, and was tousled under the brisk peaked cap he wore. His steps slowed as their gazes met, and then stopped altogether. The silence stretched across the room like a blanket, and nopony seemed willing to move or speak. Dash was staring at Fluttershy, and Twilight had to admit she couldn’t blame her. The two ponies they had been individually close to were standing across the room in the uniform of those Daring Do had said were the enemies of good ponies like them. It was so utterly absurd that for a moment, Twilight couldn’t possibly believe it was really him. Then he opened his mouth. “Twily?” He said quietly, pulling off his cap and letting it fall with a muffled thud to the floor. He took a step forward, slowly moving towards the center of the room and Twilight felt herself stepping forward to meet him. The masked ponies backed away quickly, as she left her bubble shield behind to protect Dash and moved opposite of him. “Is that really you?” His voice descended into a whisper, full of disbelief. She couldn’t hide all of her new height, so she was almost eye to eye with him as they stopped, mere feet away from one another. Emotions ran hot across his face, starting with disbelief and slowly transforming into awe and joy, tempered by a strong undercurrent of disbelief. “Major!” His voice snapped out, cracking like a whip. “Is there any sign of fakery? Is this a changeling? An illusion?!” His voice was strangled, almost begging the ‘major’ to tell him what he wanted to hear. But why? What had become of Twilight Sparkle? “There is a faint aura, Herr Kommandant.” A heavily armored pony spoke in a crackling, almost hissy voice. “But it only conceals cosmetic differences. Cutie Marks and magical auras do not lie. She is related to you directly.” His head turned, and Twilight could have sworn she heard the faint whine of some kind of mechanical device as he did so. “Of course, the power of her aura is frighteningly strong.” he half muttered, as if under her breath. But Kommandant Panzer was no longer paying attention to him. All hesitation vanished, and his muscles tensed as though he was preparing to throw himself across the room. Then he stopped himself, and shook his head. “You were dead,” He began, his voice cracked. “You… She told me there had been nothing they could do. A betrayal within the agency.” His steps were timid, as he came inches closer to her. For some reason, she felt both drawn to him and frightened… he was speaking madness. She had been killed here? What agency? He stopped, then shook his head. “You do not remember,” His voice turned bitter, but it was not anger at her. “I should never have stopped watching over you. I do not know what that-” He bit off the word suddenly, and took a deep breath. “Whatever has happened to you Twilight, you must come with me.” His eyes turned to Rainbow Dash, and his eyes narrowed. “You and your friend.” Twilight took a deep breath, and forced herself to remain still. “How do I know you’re not a threat to her, Shiny? You haven’t exactly given me a lot of reason to believe you’re here to be helpful.” She gestured to the projectile ridden bar around them. Shining Armor, to his credit, did look a trifle embarrassed at that. “And what in the name of Equestria is with that armor? I might be fuzzy, but I know you treasured your Royal Guard regalia like nothing else.” She kept her voice sharp, and tried to keep her emotions from getting out of hoof. Shining Armor ducked his head, his eyes hidden by his tousled mane. “I gave up that armor when I lost you, Twily. I had lost the right… and the desire to wear it.” He took a deep breath and looked up into her eyes. “I swear to you, Twilight. Neither of you will be molested or harmed in any way. We will find out what was done to you.” His voice became hard, but it was still Shiny. “Please, Twilight… I cannot..” His voice broke suddenly, and he closed his eyes. “I cannot lose you again. You must trust me.” Twilight stared him straight into his eye, then took a slow breath. “If you want my trust, Shining Armor, then you need to let me leave here with Rainbow.” She kept her voice cautious, and her magic on the very edge of use. “We have to go find our other friend, Shiny. We need to figure out what’s going on ourselves, and we can’t do that if we’re mewed up behind legions of guards.” Shining Armor’s eyes had narrowed, but he hadn’t taken on that stubborn jut of his chin yet. He was listening to her, at least. “I don’t know entirely what’s going on here, Shiny.” She admitted, letting some of her own quiet desperation show, “But if you’re the BBBFF I remember, I know you’ll trust me enough to let me figure this out first.” Shining opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. He shook his head slowly, ruefully, and a faint smile crossed his face. “All these years, and you haven’t changed one bit…” He said, with a fondness that was all too familiar to her. He sighed gustily, then licked at his lips while his face became a study of thinking. Then he nodded, as though to himself. “I will speak personally to the Fuhrerin. The situation has changed enough that we must consider this new information carefully before proceeding.” Twilight could feel a surge of hope run through her, and it only grew stronger as Fluttershy nodded. “Something more is going on here. Should we move without care, we may stumble into a bramblebush.” Her voice was calm and clear, but her gaze never left Rainbow’s face. She took a step forward, and spoke in a clear voice. “Rainbow… I know it has been a long time since we have seen each other, but… “ For just the tiniest moment, she hesitated, then kept going in her almost unrelenting voice. “I swear to you, I will explain everything soon.” She turned her gaze to Twilight, and once again there was a snap of all too familiar energy there.. “You will keep her safe for me, Agent Sparkle. Else I shall become quite cross with you.” It sounded all too odd to hear her speak like that, and yet… it was strangely suitable for her. For just an instant, Twilight was certain things were going to work out. Then… “TRAITORS!” A high pitched voice screamed, and then - “KILL THEM! SEIZE THE RAINBOW ONE!” The voice yelled again, and all tartarus broke loose. Shining Armor tried to yell something in Germane, but it was drowned out by a sudden hail of weapon fire. Twilight flung up a brand new shield in a single instant, and tiny metal projectiles ricocheted off of it in every direction. “Kommandant!” The mechanical voice of the heavily armored pony cut through the sound, and Shining and Fluttershy were soon being dragged out of the room physically by the armored pony. Moments later, they were gone, and the entire room was a sea of confusing bodies and ricocheting projectiles. Twilight hesitated for a moment, remembering the effects of her power on those poor ponies back in the Blue Note. She had no idea how much juice it would take to keep her bolts safe. Just the idea paralyzed her for ten agonizing seconds, as Dash huddled near to her and her shield… another barrage of fire hit the bar, splintering the wood all around her and shattering what little glass remained standing. “Panzerfaust!” a voice screamed, and Twilight could just barely make out the silhouette of a large metal tube with some kind of shield mounted on the side. Moments later, a massive column of smoke and flame rocketed past her and struck the wall a few feet to her right…and exploded with enough force to nearly send her sprawling to the ground. Out of the smoke and rubble, a voice screamed. “Rosie!” And just like that, all of her hesitation vanished. She stood up straight, and let the illusion of her normal self fall away. She could just envision her body growing taller before her attackers eyes, her mane sparkling and lengthening into an ethereal energy that slowly undulated in an invisible breeze. She could imagine their fear, as her horn lengthened to the full mightiness of an Alicorn. Her wings grew longer and larger than ever, as she took upon her the visage of a Goddess of Magic. “Get them.” She half growled, and Her shield vanished for just a moment… and a blur of Rainbow in her vision was all she could see of Rainbow Dash as she bolted outside the bar. She drew up her shield again, and planted her hooves into the wood. The world shook around her, and shards of wood and glass began to lift from the floor around her as she summoned the full might of her power. These ponies cared nothing for the safety and lives of others. They had threatened her friends. They had threatened her brother. They were spraying deadly projectiles everywhere with no regards for the consequences. No matter what the cost to herself, they had to be stopped. She dug down deep into her knowledge of the arcane. Countless hours studying in the Canterlot Library. Countless hours studying at Golden Oaks. Countless nights spent practising, memorizing, and honing her skills, limited only by her own unicorn power. A unicorn power that now had seemingly no limits at all. She opened her mouth, and did something she had never dared to do before in her entire life: She spoke a Word of Power. “ǼþER!” For a single instant, the entire world went still. Time seemed to stop completely, as the tip of her horn turned into a spot of light with the power and brightness of a star. The world silently screamed as she forced one of the fundamental forces of magic itself to bow to her will, and although it struggled mightily with her… it was no match. She was the Alicorn of Magic, and this power was her right. Time swung back into motion, as tiny motes of power slowly seeped into the air around her and began to sparkle in six distinct colors. Colors she knew well. Colors that lived in her heart, no matter where she went or what challenges she faced. The sound of crashing metal and lightning strikes filled the air outside, but it was but a minor dustup compared to the maelstrom she was about to unleash. An instant later, she could feel her power surge and the world was filled with an endless white light. She felt her hooves leave the ground without the need for wings, and then the spell unleashed itself. It was a Rainbow. Just like she knew it would be. A beam of power that spiraled out of her horn and struck one of the armored soldiers square in the chest… and he fell to the ground in a heap as it obliterated his armor and left only an unconscious pegasus pony in its wake. The rainbow beam split into six colors, all of which she knew all too well - and spread out like the tendrils of an inescapable octopus. It spread all throughout the building, and struck down those who were trying to harm the innocent ponies within it. It happened in just a few seconds, and culminated with a massive rainbow column shooting up into the sky and then vanishing into nothingness with a shower of sparkles all around. The magic receded, achingly slowly, where it had once filled her entire body. Her hooves hit the ground with a gentle thud and she felt her knees buckle as utter exhaustion waved over her. An instant later, Dash was by her side and supporting her weight, holding her up with a concerned and astonished look on her face. But within her, the power of Harmony sang like a thousand pony choir. It resonated deep in her soul, where the memories and love of her friends lived. “Sweet Celestia.” A gentle, hushed voice spoke to her right, and there stood Applejack. Her suit in tatters, and her body cut and bloodied, but her hat stubbornly stuck to her head. Gone was the sophisticated mob boss. Gone was the pretensions towards lack of Apple Family accent. She doffed her hat, holding it across her chest as she stared at Twilight. “Ah… Ah know you.” She half whispered, as if she was struggling with the words. “or… Or I feel like Ah ought’a know you somehow.” She took a hesitant step forward, then another. “How… why?” Then she stopped, and swallowed visibly before speaking one more time. “Sweet Lord ‘n Lady, will somepony please tell me what’n tarnation is goin on here?” ~~~~The Airship ”Forward Unto Dawn”, Somewhere along the eastern coast of Equestria~~~~ Celestia grabbed at the railing as the wave of power hit her like a cresting tide, smashing into her body with all the physical force of a wave of the sea. Solaris too staggered under the force of it, his eyes lighting up with an enthusiasm she had rarely seen in him over these last thousand years. “It is her.” He whispered in a voice so full of childlike glee that she couldn’t restrain the smile on her face. He started prancing around on deck with all the limitless joy a young colt could produce when something exciting had happened. “HA HA!” He burst into happy laughter, thrusting his hooves skyward.”It is her! It could be nopony else! What intense power she has!” His hooves hit the deck of the airship, and he breathed in astonishment. “It must be the Alicorn that Rosie spoke of. How she has ascended without our noticing, though…” Celestia shook her head once. “That is the mystery. I am beginning to believe that it is tied in with those disturbances we have been sensing. It may be that she is not from this world at all.” It was a sobering thought, but as Celestia gazed out over the fluffy white clouds below her, she found that she really did not care. Wherever she had come from, she was now here in a world that desperately needed her. Solaris sobered up a bit himself, nodding sagely. “We must advance with caution then. If she can call upon the forces of magic like that, she may very well be our equal in sheer strength.” He blew out a deep breath, then a deep belly laugh rumbled out of him. “Faust preserve me, I wonder if she’s cute.” Celestia couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that, and smacked her tail across his flank. “Keep it in your armor, Solly.” She scolded him in a mothering voice. “The last thing we need is you putting the moves on that poor filly when she could be incredibly scared and confused right now! Besides.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “We had an agreement. I get first dibs.” “Only because you cheat at scrabble.” He stuck his tongue out at her, and smacked his own tail against her flank, sending a rush of pain up her spine and making her giggle. He shook his head slowly. “We should be more sober, Celestia. Something drove her to draw deeply upon the power of Harmony and Magic itself. I fear that if she feels threatened enough to do that, what might she do the next time she is put into a dangerous situation?” Celestia hadn’t considered that. And now that she had… “Solly, would you be so kind as to tell the captain to put on some speed,” She said, quietly. “I have a feeling we will be needed in Manehatten very soon.” ~~~~~ “Who gave that order!? I’m going to have him drawn, quartered, and strung up as an example!” The Kommandant snarled in the angriest voice Iron Resolve had ever heard him use. He was beyond angry - he was furious in a way that made Iron Resolve tremble in his armor. The Kommandant was in the kind of rage he had never seen before, and it terrified him. Nopony in the Stormkorps had reached the prestigious fighting force without hearing the tale of what the Kommandant had done to those who had supposedly murdered his sister. But now, that very sister had reappeared alive. Alive, and incredibly powerful to boot. Something had happened. Something had been concealed from the Kommandant. And then, somepony had been foolish enough to attack her just when it seemed as though his sister had been restored to him. But whoever the fool was, Iron Resolve did not doubt that said pony was long since gone. “Peace, Panzer.” Lady Butterfly soothed, touching his foreleg gently and focusing her legendary gaze upon him. The Kommandant swallowed and nodded once, much of the tension rushing out of him. “She undoubtedly has already dispatched her assailants. Surely you felt that wave of magic as well.” Her eyes cast back through the window of the airship as they made haste away from the site of the attack. The Equestrian Air Corps was tolerant of their presence here, but after that debacle there would likely be far less tolerance. Months of bribes and careful diplomatic maneuverings ruined due to the foolish pony who had opened fire. The Kommandant nodded once. “I saw. I felt it.” He shivered, and took a deep breath, staring up into the iron-wrought cieling of the troop compartment. “What have they done to her?” His voice was wrought with agony, and filled with grief. “Did that damnable Celestia turn her into some kind of weapon? Was her death staged, so that she could be transformed into some kind of abomination?” His hooves came up, and for the first time in many years, the Kommandant wept openly. His shoulders heaved and the tears struck the wooden slats beneath his hooves. Had there been a single other Stormpony around them, likely he would have not indulged… but the remaining living troops were below, waiting in fear to see what wrath the Kommandant would visit upon the traitors. Lady Butterfly cast him a glance, and when their eyes met Iron Resolve could feel himself paralyzed by her gaze. “Leave us. Ensure nopony enters this room until I give the word. Go. Now.” Her voice brooked no disagreement. And for all of his willpower and strength, not even Iron Resolve could refuse the direct orders of the Lady. He turned on his hoof and left, pushing the compartment door shut just in time to see the Lady’s lips touch the Kommandant’s tenderly, and her hooves start to remove his armor. It was a piece of information he would need to sit on, like so many others he had.