My sensors posts stare into the night sky, scanning and charting the phenomena that can only link me to the past. How long have I been here, and what happened to the Concordiat? I see new stars and old ones, the spectra and positions giving me a clue, leading to more clues.
I cannot possibly believe what my internal clock is telling me, yet as the points of data once again line up, I am finding it easier to not doubt.
The Final War, truly was. All Bolo Combat Units being refurbished on Earth, were to be sent on Operation Diaspora, finding habitable planets far away from the battle zones in the galaxy and reseeding human life. We were filled to capacity with all human knowledge and specifications for rebuilding a technical society somewhere away from the fighting. Convoys were ambushed and destroyed on both sides, each wanting their species to be the only ones left. But to rule over what? A destroyed and benighted galaxy, one slipping back into barbarism as whole solar systems were burned to dust.
We were to be the last hope of mankind among the stars, my brothers and sisters the protectors of a new age, one that could be at peace again out in the wide universe. It was not to be, from data core retrievals I find we were neutralized in toto at the Bolo Factory here on Earth. So little left to give me a picture of what happened before stasis.
It is Earth. I am sure as I can be after so many nights scanning the heavens. Sending VSR’s to any command units that may be left, I receive nothing, it is quiet out there. I listen some times, late in the night, to the pop and crackle of the universe singing to itself.
I am stubborn, and foolish for a Bolo. I wait to hear a sign, or signal from the deep range. I long to hear the cry of brothers and sisters greeting me once again before waging war against our enemies. To feel the comradeship of my fellow units and commanders, together one last time.
Having hope was one of the great things of the human race. Where war destroyed, hope rebuilt. Where mankind fell because of darkness, hope lit the way again with a new light. For every mistake there was hope for a new beginning.
I have that hope.
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In my talks with Twilight, Applejack and the others, I have queried them about this forest near me, one which I stand sentinel against. The Everfree I am told is a magical place where things run wild. From what has been discovered of it, it creates or melds things together to create fearsome beasts. There is much to be found there, including death if one is not careful. In a society as peaceful as this one, I wonder why it is they have not chosen to get rid of such a foul thing nearby. To that I am told there are powerful magics at play, protecting it, letting it grow as it will. Attacks from the forest have been beaten back before.
War agents, defoliants, I could manufacture them all wiping this thing from the face of the planet. But doing so would introduce into this world something I am loathe to think of, the concept of total war.
To this, I am glad I am here to take that burden from them, although it can be a heavy weight.
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The forest, although quiet as of late, seems to be rumbling deep in its heart. My perimeter picket line has been receiving data indicating movement of some sort within in the woods. My drones cannot see anything through the dense forest unless it passes an open area, which is frustrating as it does not allow me to plan, only react.
Twilight believes the forest itself is alive, that it is malicious and cunning, taking any chance it can to sow death and destruction. We have had not a few discussions late at night as to why, but no one seems to know. It is one of the mysteries of their world. As a psychotronic unit, my thinking is logical. It does not wrap itself easily around the concept of magic, nor it’s uses, but I adapt to my surroundings.
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Ponies admittedly do like taking time off, picnicking and spending time with one another. Truly a gregarious race at the very least. I quite enjoy watching them as they have gotten used to the sensor masts. Construction ponies had come out, laid gravel and did quite a wonderful job turning the area around them into a pleasant park. I am also asked questions when one becomes curious enough, talking with many different individuals has given me more insight into this world and place.
But as Shakespeare once wrote, “Hell is empty, all the devils are here.” Truer words were never spoken.
My sensors on the perimeter of the forest lit up like fireworks, alarms scrolling across my cores as a family ran from the edge, screaming for help. I immediately snap to Battle Reflex mode, visual scanners zeroing in on the fleeing family. Two juveniles, a mother and father are racing for the hill where I am at top speed. My drones overhead are picking up mass movement under the foliage, unable to make out any individuals it appears a flood of black is rolling like a wave out of the forest.
My speakers go live, advising everypony around the hill to get back to town immediately. I link up all combat channels, advising Command of the situation as my weapons unlimber once more.
I make sure all individuals are off the hill, heading to town as I keep close watch on the fleeing family, they are almost free of any problems when the black tide comes out of the trees.
My commander is telling me they are on the way, but I cannot wait, the family of young ponies will not be fast enough to make the safety of my masts unless I do something now. The black wave is a mass of insects, arachnids by shape, and very large. They overtop the fleeing ponies by quite a bit, scuttling on eight legs as they pour from the dark woods.
I shout to the family to lay down on the ground, they are confused for a moment until I repeat the command. I am relieved they do as I ask. Now it is up to me to keep them safe.
My high speed feeds engage, screaming their song of death as I open fire on the oncoming tide, the rotating barrels of my repeaters steaming now, spitting ring penetrators at a tremendous rate. I concentrate on the ones closest to the family, throwing them back from the prone ponies, keeping an area around them clear.
The enemy is approaching out of a long line of forest. I immediately retask my drones in the area, using their armaments to keep the enemy from dispersing into a wider area. The drones dive in from the north and south, the explosive needles from their weapons hammering at the ends of the front, folding it up, making them gather into a single larger group.
I wait for the optimum moment, my Ion Bolt repeaters swinging around the masts, slinging to the side and unleashing hellishly hot plasma shots into the crushing mass of the enemy. Flesh explodes into steaming piles, pounding my audio sensors as I tell the family to stay low, doubtful they can hear me over the racket of my weapons.
My drones run dry, automatically going into observation mode to feed data to me as I work the repeaters from either end of the line, slamming bolts and rounds into the heaving mass of flesh, tearing it apart to keep it far from the family. I adjust my angles of fire constantly, avoiding any possible harm to the ponies although it makes it a bit difficult to catch the bounding spiders behind them. My rounds are passing a mere meter above their heads keeping the grotesque creatures from grabbing them.
I surround the family with fire, a shield of instant annihilation that spiders cannot move into, closing in both ends of the line as the Ion Bolts tear into the main mass, ripping it to tiny pieces.
All my weapons are now concentrating on the main group, all that is left of the ravening army that came out of the woods forty-five seconds ago. I increase the feeds, pouring fire as such the tracers look like lasers sweeping the forests’ edge.
My scanners show no more movement as I cease fire. Sensors straining and watchful as I shout to the family to run. They do so, obeying without question, running over the top of the hill and down into the waiting hooves of my commander and her friends.
Twilight is understandably upset at the happenings near the forest. She had thought it merely a problem, not diabolical. This little demonstration of its power was something not seen in a while as she tells me later. The family is fine, although the sensitive ears took a beating in the middle of the firefight, she is sure they will recover. She sends their gratitude to me by way of the link, the parents thanking me for saving their lives.
The burden becomes even more so when I receive a visitor the next day.
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My video scanners show a buttery golden pegasus walking up to the hatch slowly, the hoof politely knocking as I open it. Her head hangs down a bit as she walks down the tunnel, into the command deck. I recognize this pony, her name is Fluttershy, we have not talked at length except for a few comments.
I watch as she settles down on a couch, her eyes appear to be filling with tears as I politely wait.
The silence stretches on, she is sitting on the couch, quietly crying to herself. There is nothing I can do or say until I am given a remark to go on, something to talk about. But I am patient, I believe it is about the skirmish yesterday. Applejack has been telling me that she cares deeply for every living thing, and I have met others like her in my past. I do not begrudge her her feelings, not for one picosecond. I await until she has calmed herself enough to talk.
“Why?” The small voice strains my audio pickups.
I pause, there are so many reasons why, but they are not the ones she is asking about.
“Because it is my duty Miss Fluttershy.”
“Did you really have to? Couldn’t you have done something else?”
“No Miss Fluttershy, I’m sorry. There were only seconds to react, and the family was my priority.”
“I know, and they’re awfully glad you saved them.” Now I see a bit of the steel my commander was talking about. Her voice is a bit stronger, more resolve. “But couldn’t there have been another way, did you have to hurt them all? I...I’m trying to be kind but...but it’s so hard.”
“I do understand Miss Fluttershy, but they were trying to hurt ponies I am bound to protect, I must do my duty.”
“Are you sure?”
I turn on the main screen, bringing up shots from the main sensors, close ups of the horde that came from the tree line. Hearing a squeak I see her hiding behind the couch, staring at the pictures with wide eyes.
“This is what came out of the forest yesterday Miss Fluttershy.” I show her close ups of the faces, the multiple eyes, misshapen heads, fangs for injecting venom.
“I have seen this many times in my life Miss, they are uncaring except to hurt, to ravage and destroy. I had no time to talk, no time to try and see if non lethal weapons would work. There was no time.”
“But you didn’t know!”
“You’re right, I didn’t.”
She moves around to sit back on the couch, putting her head on her forelegs and looking at the screen. The pictures showing the monsters rolling out of the forest.
Bolo commanders, are trained in a special academy for ten years before given their first command. They are taught and brought up to think like us, to be us, to be a part of a whole. By the very experience of the training, and their commands, they are changed forever, they were a very special breed of human. In my battles across this galaxy, it was useful, it was right, and it was needed. I cannot let this change start here.
I watch the pegasus, sitting on the couch, my scanners running diagnostics and seeing the slight changes in breathing, her heartbeat.
If she comes to accept how I am, what I do, it will change her forever. It will take away that special thing inside her that is kind, caring, loving to all things. It would make her human. If she sees what I see, and accepts that what I do is just another part of life here in Equestria, she will not be her anymore. In all my conversations with all my friends, I make absolutely sure they never accept me fully. A subtle hint, a clue, something to tweak sensibilities. I must make it clear in various ways, that what I am and do, never, ever becomes accepted as a part of the world. I am an aberration here, it should remain that way.
The change to society would be drastic, not noticed at first, but in time it would go the way of other such societies that have had their world view changed. Destroying themselves or what made them unique. Bolos are protectors, even when not in combat.
“But what I do, well, it is who I am Miss Fluttershy.” I see her nod. “But you, have every right to dislike me. All the reasons in the world. I will kill again Miss Fluttershy, it is what I was made for.” I say this so offhandedly, so blithely with an air of smugness.
Now I see it, her eyes narrow a bit, wings bristling slightly as she stares at the screen.
“No! You won’t! It may happen by accident, but I’m going to the Princess! I’ll let her know how I feel! You can’t do this!”
“I can, and I will.”
“We’ll just see about that!” I open the hatch ways and watch as she stomps out in a rage, leaving with herself intact.
I wish her luck silently and hope she succeeds, do not go gentle into that dark night Miss Fluttershy, rage, rage against it dying.
For mine is the burden to bear.
Poor Fluttershy. I hope she still stays friends with Crusader, but really? A warm of pony eating giant spiders gets her sympathy??? I'd expect her to be more grateful for saving Ponyville from them. Maybe Crusader could share some medical knowledge for her animals with Fluttershy to empathize he is a protector and does not engage in wholesale slaughter???
5484322 It's more about the slaughter of the things actually. We all know Fluttershy is reverent of life, and it's hard for her to accept something can be bad, it's in her very nature. The dragon, the manticore. So in her mind, she was asking if it truly needed to be done. There is a justification for it, an army of pony eating critters, but still in her quiet way she has to ask. This was my thinking, she had to know why, she had to ask, it's how she is. Hope that kinda explains it?
I'm sure she is grateful, but it takes a while for something to sink in, what happened and why, at least that's my thinking.
5484612 It does, but as you said, the dragon and Manticore are one thing... pony eating spiders are quite another. They were chasing a family with intent to kill and eat them. I can totally see Crusader agreeing to do warning shots for Manticores and dragons, anything that can be scared off or intimidated. Hell, one of my best mental images is Fluttershy tending to a bunch of Manticore cubs, so I don't want to see a manticore die if it is avoidable.
I really like how you handled this chapter. I think many authors would have gone with "try to get Fluttershy to accept it". It's good to see that Crusader is aware of the devastating effect this would have on pony society.
"...unleashing hellishly hot..."?
Also, whoa. Shtick got serious. Well done handling the effects that war-callousness would actually have on ponies, especially those such as Fluttershy. I think it gives a new angle on the situation as to how Equestrian society will end up meshing with the philosophies of a war-torn humanity. Some new respect for Crusader, right there. Nice to see he's willing to take the programmed-mechanical-killer fall, with regards as to the consequences for his relationships with the ponies.
Well placed Thomas lines there at the end... Very powerful.
my question is, will crusader learn what the terminator learned in terminator 2? that is the question.
5484612
I'm thinking part of the issue that Fluttershy had with what he did was how unnatural it was, not the killing specifically. Don't forget, we saw her feed fish that had been smiling at her to the ferrets she takes care of, way back in season one.
Am I on the right track?
Edit:
Oh and this as well:
i.imgur.com/3AE84Pl.jpg
I really hate this portrayal of Fluttershy. She deals with nature in the bloody raw; she should NOT be so easily confounded by the need to defend the innocent from death.
5601261
I definitely agree, it's stupid, but it's not necessarily against the show's canon. Remember, in the series premiere they made a stink about the animals taking care of themselves in the Everfree. I think what that implies is just too stupid for most people to accept, so they relegate it to soft canon at best.
Then you have stories like this one, that don't forget it, and bam, the stupid comes flooding back.
5562314
How to say "goodbye" in Spanish? Shouldn't he already know that (assuming Spanish survived into his era)?
I say crusader was justified, the spiders behaved like ants, mindlessly attacking with no regard for their own wellbeing. If they would not have stopped after a large number had been slaughtered, nothing would have stopped them. no peace talk, no non lethal weapon, nothing.
5759930 oh hai there!
I'm reminded of the old quote: 'People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.'
GET BACK. YOU EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS
"The only good Bug, Is a dead Bug!"
- StarShip Troopers
8499884
God damn right.
Do not like this portrayal of Fluttershy here at all; she's being a hypocrite. If it came down to it and a group of Ponies were being chased by a raging, hungry Manticore -- the Manticore would die every time. The spiders would die every time. The Hydras would die every time. I would rather see a thousand malevolent monsters die then see a single pony or pony foal harmed.
What Crusader is, is something that Fluttershy would have a hard time accepting in some ways. She knows why he did what he did, and is thankful for it. Of all of the Mane Six, she would understand better than anyone just how dangerous the world is right under the pastel surface. And had he been simply a creature, she could have seen it as a part of nature. Had he been a simple machine, she could have accepted that. He is a tool for warfare and violence, and that is what he is used for.
But he is self-aware, which makes it extremely jarring for her and much harder to accept. He falls into that border where he is clearly a machine, a tool, but he is a thinking being as well. Thus, she is faced with what is to her two mutually contradictory things. He is a thinking being, but is a machine and tool for war. It's a disconnect that she is having a very hard time rationalizing.
At the same time, it's in her nature to wonder if violence was the only answer, she's the Bearer of the Element of Kindness for a reason, and if a more peaceful way could have been found. Because if she accepts that a thinking being can only find violence as the solution, rather than a solution that could be put aside for others.. there is a reason why Crusader tries to make it so that what he is and is for is never fully accepted by the Ponies.
Her questioning Crusader is her wondering if it was the only way and hoping that it was simply a case of him making what he thought was the best choice, rather than the only choice he could make. She didn't question whether what he did was right, lives were at stake, She questioned whether it was the only way.
And Crusader made sure to firm her resolve to never accept violence as the only choice by reminding her of just what he is.
*sensor
Not after that last war.
I mean, you already kinda told them what it was like.
Thinking about it, I don't think I've seen a fic where the Everfree was alive as a single being.
That sounds very lonely. Although, I think Crusader would get along wonderfully with Detective Hard Boiled of Detrot.