//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Equestria Rim // by Imperator Chiashi Zane //------------------------------// Luna looked at Big Macintosh, back splinted like crazy, and sitting on a wheeled table, with all four legs bandaged heavily. He was half-delirious with painkillers too. No way could he pilot the repaired Mother-Bucker, and Soarin’ was out of commission too, being treated for oxygen starvation, so having him and Spitfire take the Apple’s place was out of the question. Only one pony could possibly drift with Applejack now. She grumbled at the idea of taking one of the best mechanics Australia had given them, and putting her in a Jaeger with an almost guaranteed death sentence, and her throat felt like sandpaper when she pressed the radio button, “Applebloom Apple, please report to the command room at your earliest convenience. Standing alongside the injured pilots, Rainbow and Scootaloo leaned against each-other, the younger nearly asleep on her feet, despite the half-hour nap she’d had on the flight back. Rainbow had squished a cloud that she had found in the hangar down between Scootaloo’s head and her side as a pillow, and seemed just as red-eyed as Red Alert, who was drinking his seventh cup of coffee that hour, and hadn’t slept since the breach had started pulsing a week ago. The former Wonderbolt still had that infectious smile on her face, “So, boss-lady, what do we do next?” “You go sleep. I have a new pilot to brief, and a new Drift to establish. You have three days of R&R while we repair the Jaegers, after which, you will be going out to complete this mission for us, to save all of Equestria.” JaegerJaegerJaeger “Twilight, before we do this, I want you to know a few things, even though I know we’ll be sharing thoughts in a moment or two,” Rarity sat on the concrete and rubble, not even seeming to notice the rips in her dress, “Since the moment I first started this job, I’ve had nothing on my mind but revenge, getting back at those Kaiju for killing my little sister, before she even had her Cutie mark. I am afraid my heart is stained with that, and it might affect you. Just,” she breathed deeply, coughing in the damp air, “I don’t hate you Twilight, no matter what you see, remember that. Twilight smiled back, “I know. I’m in the same boat, I don’t hate you for taking my little brother for yourself.” “Huh?” “Spike, my little brother, the dragon?” “He’s your brother?” Rarity stared at Twilight, then her face turned bright red, “Oh man! All those things I told him! And…” “Remember, I don’t hate you Rare. And I doubt I will afterwards. On the other hand, keep THOSE memories to yourself. I really don’t want to see them. Ever.” “Ah, good. I wouldn’t want to share them anyway. So unladylike.” Twilight shuddered and reached for the control button, “Ready to share everything, except what I told you not to?” “No! Remember telling people not to think about the pink elephant, then they say they’re thinking about your brother…” “Dammit Rarity, Think about Scuba, or Kaiju, or giant fluffy bunny rabbits!” JaegerJaegerJaeger Applebloom reached the control room and paused at the entrance, taking a moment to wipe the grease off her hooves, on her already fluid-stained coveralls, before walking in the door and freezing abruptly. Right in front of her, glistening and shiny, stood the princesses. She hit her knees. “Applebloom, we assure you, we are not mad at you. In fact, we are quite the opposite. We need you to help Applejack, your sister.” Applebloom looked at the princesses, still not quite comprehending. Not until they moved apart and she saw Big Mackintosh sitting on a rolling bed, all bandaged up. Next to him stood Applejack, who waved, “Hey li’l filly. How’re you doing?” Applebloom ran up and hugged her sister, “I saw what happened out there! I’m so glad you survived!” “Me too. Do you know why you were called up here now?” “Yup, I’m gonna help you pilot the Jaeger, since Big Macintosh can’t. Right?” “AhYup.” Big Macintosh put in his two bits, “Don’t you scratch her,” he teased, becoming, for one more moment, the father figure in the filly’s life. He had been since before the first attack, when both of their parents had been killed in some fighting in the militia. JaegerJaegerJaeger “Rarity, do you have any more fuel for that lantern?” “Why?” “What if we have to get a message to the princesses?” “Well, I suppose we could borrow Trixie’s car. Not like she’s using it,” Rarity pointed at the not-yet dead infant Kaiju, “We should probably do this fast, before it actually dies.” Twilight pushed the button, and once again felt sick to her stomach. Beside her, she heard Rarity dry-heaving onto the ground, and she tried to focus, diving in with Rarity by her side, commenting on everything, until they spotted something in the Kaiju Infant’s mind that really wasn’t good. “Rare?” “Yeah Twi?” “That’s gonna ruin the plan.” “It is.” “Horseapples.” “Language dear. Watch your bucking language. It’s unbefitting a lady.” Twilight reached up and pressed the release button, dropping on her rump beside Rarity, who almost immediately dry-heaved over her shoulder. Twilight returned the favor, blood from her nose dripping onto the no-longer pristine pink blouse. She didn’t even notice that Rarity’s own nose was dripping onto the shawl until the fashonista started coughing, “Blood! There’s blood on my clothes! Oh! They’re ruined!” Twilight reached a hoof up and started patting her partner’s head, “It’s alright. It’s alright. We’ll just drive back to the Dome, then go tell the princess. Then we can get changed. Let’s lock up the equipment first.” The two hurried to pack everything up before climbing into Trixie’s car and passing out in the back seat. JaegerJaegerJaeger Applebloom took to the Drift about as well as was expected. For two days, the two Apples worked endlessly, operating on adrenaline and coffee until Dash got tired of watching it over and over. The flier walked into the training Conn-pod and reached into her coat, pulling out the little stuffed bunny. “Applebloom, this is Angel Bunny. He is the only rabbit you should be chasing,” she deftly tied the bunny to the console in front of the filly, “Again!” Applejack stared at the bunny as the Neural Hoofshake was started up again, and this time, it worked. Admittedly, all she could see was that stupid bunny, but it was progress. Unfortunately, tomorrow was the mission, when the fissure would either open, or lock closed forever. JaegerJaegerJaeger Twilight scowled at the traffic again. There was no way even Trixie’s car could get through the pile of destruction, “You’re absolutely sure we can’t use gasoline to light that stupid lantern?” “Yes, for the millionth time! It only runs on celestial oil! I’m tired, I’m hungry, I haven’t been able to sleep for two days, and I’m covered in my own blood.” Both of them had been suffering nosebleeds since the Drift, and being unable to contact anyone, what with the entire city being a dead zone for anything over fifty feet, they couldn’t get help to pick them up. “We’re walking then. Come on Rare. Let’s go,” Twilight levitated the white Unicorn out of the car and started down the road, pulling her companion along, “The Shatterdome’s this way, and we should be able to get there today if you would just put your feet on the ground and walk!” Rarity opened her bloodshot eyes and stared at Twilight, “How far is it?” “Oh, mile, maybe three. Then we tell Celestia what we saw, and you can go take a nice hot bath.” Rarity started galloping, using her magic to push ponies out of the way as Twilight followed. Before too long though, with maybe a mile left to go, Rarity slowed to a trot, “I can’t do this. Even for a hot bath, it’s too much work. Go on without me!” Rarity was back in drama mode. Twilight scowled at her and pressed her horn to Rarity’s as she looked into the puffy red eyes. “Rarity. If you don’t get off your rump right now and finish this walk with me, I’ll never let you see Spike again.” Rarity flinched like she’d been hit, but she was up and running again, galloping faster than Twilight had ever suspected the white Unicorn of being able to gallop. Twilight followed, realizing that whatever button she’d pressed, it was for emergency use only. She charged after Rarity, marveling at how the normally clean-freak fashonista was splashing through the mud and muck like it was nothing, staining her coat. JaegerJaegerJaeger Two Jaeger teams lined up in the hangar, Dash and Scootaloo, and Applejack and Applebloom, the two older ponies nodding to each-other in respect for what they had seen each-other do, both in the now, and in the news. The younger two had embraced as soon as they saw each-other. “Oh, Applebloom! I thought I’d never get to speak to you again after Japan was attacked.” “I thought you were dead, like…” the Apple filly looked at her pen-pal, the one who had survived, realizing that she probably would have been with Sweetie Belle, if her crippling fear of flying hadn’t stopped her. Even now, she didn’t particularly want to be flying out in the Jaeger, but she knew that if he could, Big Macintosh would be in her place. The two Conn-pods were set facing each-other, due to the tight space in the dome, and both crews could see each-other clearly through the glass. Scootaloo’s eyes focused on the white rabbit Apple-Bloom was tying to the floor in front of her, “Rainbow, isn’t that Fluttershy’s bunny?” Dash nodded, “She needed a focus. Her sister couldn’t hold her in the Drift like I could you. Flutters was the same way, kept that stupid thing in the Conn-pod for five Kaiju attacks before she could finally leave it at home.” Scootaloo nodded, and locked her hooves into place, matching Dash’s movements as a new voice came over the radio, one she hadn’t heard before. “Heyyyy! Storm-Breaker, this’ DJ Scratch here, fillin’ in for Red Alert. Poor boy’s gone’n crashed. Tol’ im he shoulda’ had Minos insteada’ Coffee. Anyways, on with the Neural Hoofshake.” The two rangers were confused just enough that they slid right into each-others minds before they even realized what was happening. “Scratch? Vinyl Scratch?” “Yeah, so you’re holdin’ out at a big One double Oh. Let’s drop this thing!” The Conn-pods dropped one after the other, streaking into the Jaegers, where they locked into place quickly. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, being the senior pilots, ran through the preliminary tests as the helicopters lugged them out over the ocean, “Now remember ladies, Mutha-Bucka gets to drop the bomb. Stormy’s for cover only. Got that?” Dash gritted her teeth, “Yes DJ. We’ve got it. Marshall Luna kinda drilled it into us. For three days!” “K. Well, we’ll be waitin’. We’ll lose contact soon as you go underwater.” JaegerJaegerJaeger Twilight reached the lower door mere moments behind Rarity, who was already knocking and howling at the door, “Let us in! We’ve got important information for the princesses!” Inside, a lowly guard shrugged, “Send them a message. If you’ve really got privilege to speak to them direct, you should have a torch.” Twilight scowled, trying to remember if she had enough charge left for a one-way teleportation. As it was, Rarity’s horn was starting to dim, and the mane that was otherwise always perfect was hanging to the ground, dragging in the mud. Between the two Unicorns, Twilight had the feeling they might get lucky with a single spell. “Rare, stop. I’ve got an idea,” the purple mare’s horn started to glow softly, “Hit me with everything you’ve got.” Rarity turned and stared for a moment at her friend before blasting her with all the energy she could manage, using the laser spell all Unicorns had been forced to learn after the first attack. It struck Twilight’s horn with a crackle, and the purple Unicorn vanished in a puff of magical energy. On the other side of the door, Twilight appeared and glowered at the guard, a young colt in gold armor, her mane standing on end with smoke coming off the burnt tips. She knew that on the outside, there was scorched bits of both mane and tail, and if the ache in her hooves was right, bits of those as well as both front horseshoes. “Sweet Celestia that hurt! Open the bucking door and let my friend in.” Rarity staggered in the door, eyes clamped shut, and mane sparking from the discharge of the spell, “Twi, I smell burning mane,” she coughed, “Are you alright?” Twilight looked down at her forehooves, where the teleportation sphere had been just a little too small. There was a reason it wasn’t often used by anything larger than a young filly, or colt. Her hooves were leaving bloody splotches on the deck as the two hurried down the hall, leaving the guard to puzzle over what had just happened.