Chapter Seventeen
Unity
Chapter Seventeen
"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!!!!!" Twilight Sparkle kept repeating the same three word phrase as she galloped through town towards the Sheriff's Office and its small jail facility. Word had come to her, through Rainbow Dash, of the captured alien now being held there. And she was in a hurry to learn its language and try to reach some sort of understanding.
As she ran, humans and ponies dodged out of her way, some just barely managing to move in time, and she even noticed a couple of Goblins with packs spread out on the ground, seeking trade. For the most part, things were still working out well in the new community. If she could get these squid-beings to see the logic of peace, they would all benefit.
"Twilight! Slow down already!" Spike exclaimed, panting as he tried to keep up. "It'll still be there!"
Chastised, the unicorn mare slowed a bit, but didn't stop. "I'm sorry Spike, but this is important!"
"I know, I know... Gotta make friends with the big calamari."
"Spike! For all we know calamari could be an insult to these beings!"
"Oh yeah, I wouldn't wanna hurt the feelings of the guys who killed one pony and put several other people in the hospital." Spike snarked.
That comment finally bought Twilight to a halt. She turned to face her assistant and said "Yeah... Yeah Spike, I know... But there's still a chance that this is all some kind of misunderstanding. And even if it's not, they're still victims here too."
"Assuming us being here isn't their fault."
"Yes. Assuming that." Twilight conceded.
Spike said "Look, I'm not saying you shouldn't try. Of course you should. Just... Be careful okay? These things sound pretty nasty."
Nodding, Twilight turned and continued on her way, at a more measured pace this time, and reached her destination in another five minutes. Armed Guards stood outside the doors to the jail, but they were expecting the unicorn and let her in. Another quartet of guards, two unicorns and a pair of humans with rifles, stood just inside.
Trotting up to Bert, Twilight asked "Is it awake?"
"Not yet," The survivalist answered, "But its tentacles are starting to twitch." He frowned. "We've got Sword Breaker and Lyra in there using magic to restrain them so it can't lash out when it's awake."
Stepping past Bert, Twilight and Spike walked to the cell. Another pair of guards were there, along with Sword Breaker, Lyra, Reginald and Nigel Bakker, and a team of human and pony doctors and nurses studying the creature's physiology.
The unicorn's first thoughts were that, if anything, it was even more hideous than reading Well's book and listening to eyewitness accounts had prepared her for; there was a damp sheen over the flesh of the alien's body. It's tentacles, sixteen of them in two bunches of eight, quivered continually. And a wheezing sound came and went from its trembling mouth. It was, as the novel had described, little more than a head; an enormously oversized head, with too-big even by pony standards eyes. Twilight felt slightly nauseous just looking at it.
"Ahh good, you're here." Reginald said when he noticed them.
"Yes. What have you learned?"
A pony doctor answered "We've run a number of tests, which seem to support expectations based off of the human's book about these beings. In spite of it's enormous size, over eighty-five percent of it's interior anatomy is brain. There is a single lung, just big enough to do the job. No heart, we suspect the blood is moved by peristillic muscle motions. No liver, not even sure how that's possible, and no digestive tract. Its blood has no immune cells whatsoever. And as Mister Gumbal surmised, its already showing signs of illness. If we can't help it, it'll probably be dead in a week."
"You keep saying 'it.'" Spike said. "Haven't you figured out if it's a boy or girl yet?"
"Neither. Again, as in the book, these beings have no gender."
Twilight said "In the book they reproduce by budding."
A human doctor nodded. "We think that'll be what we find here."
"Or what we would find if we could keep it alive." The pony doctor added. "We've tested all of the antibiotics available on the blood samples... The reactions indicate they would kill the patient along with the disease. And healing magics are out too; they don't do anything without at least some immune response to work with."
"That's terrible." Twilight said.
"Terrible!?" Sword Breaker exclaimed. "They tried to kill us all for no reason. I call it karma."
"I might too." Lyra said, "But to die like that..."
Twilight looked confused. "Like what? What exactly is it sick with?"
"That's the horror of it." Nigel said. "It's not dying of a pathogen in the usual sense. What its got inside is... ...necrotic bacteria."
"Necro-whatsis?" Spike asked.
"Bacteria that normally don't start eating things until they're already dead." Twilight explained. "They have no defenses against any kind of immune response, no matter how weak. But in this case..."
"...In this case," Reginald finished, "This poor bastard is being eaten alive by bacteria that think it's already dead."
"They probably all are." Nigel said. "And there's nothing we can do. They'll all be dead in a few more days."
From the side of the alien, where she was helping to keep its tentacles bound, Lyra asked "What about us? Doesn't this mean we could be wiped out by some local disease we have no protection against?"
"It's not impossible." A doctor replied, "But it's far less likely for us since we do have immune systems."
"Are you sure of that?" Bert asked, joining the group.
Nigel said "Reasonably. You see, there's a big difference between this situation, and say, what happened to Native American tribes when they were exposed to smallpox. In that case, the virus had an unfair advantage: Native American immune systems had no experience with the disease and didn't know how to handle it, while the disease had tons of experience with human immune systems and knew how to counter them."
Twilight said "But here, while our immunity has no experience with the new microbes, they also have no experience with us. I'm sure we'll have issues with illness; I'm amazed we haven't already. But in general, between sanitation, medicines, and healing magic we should be okay."
Everyone spun around to face the alien as it began to make a moaning sound. And it's eyes opened wide...
XXXX
Gerolt perched in the upper branches of a tree, as close as he could get to the town without being detected. A changling sat to either side of the gryphon, neither disguised. "Ponies." He said. "I guess maybe we've found out what happened to Ponyville."
"Maybe..." The changeling Xix-xax said. "I don't recognize those other beings though."
"No..." Gerolt agreed. "Still, if you two are comfortable with it we can proceed."
"We need intelligence." The changelings agreed. "We will proceed." Green flames flared around them, and faded to reveal their pony disguises. "You will wait here?"
Gerolt nodded. "Yeah. Listen, both of you... Get in, get info, get out. I want to be on our way home before nightfall."
"Understood." The changelings spread their pegasus disguised wings and flew off towards the town...
xx
Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie's back itched. Itched in that one place her hooves just couldn't reach no matter how she flexed. Her back itched and now her tail was twitching, and yep, there went the eyes crossed. "More new friends in town!" She exclaimed.
"What was that dear?" Rarity asked from the other side of the counter.
"Oh, just another Pinkie-Sense tell. Second one today!"
"Truly? What was the first one?"
"Funnily enough, it was the same tell, the 'new friends' one." Pinkie replied. "I got it this morning when the new group of humans showed up."
Rarity nodded. "Oh yes, I met them earlier, Twilight bought them around for sizing. They seemed nice enough, if a bit shell-shocked. Though I suppose that's to be expected... But dear, you say you're having the same feeling again?"
"Yeppers! I wonder who or what else has shown up?"
"Good question." Rarity thought. Her eyes narrowed. She said "Pinkie, how much longer is your work shift?"
"Oh, I'm over now, I can go whenever."
"Then let's do so. I want to investigate these new arrivals."
"Sounds fun!" Pinkie agreed. "Gimme a minute..." She trotted off towards the kitchen, looking for the Cakes...
xx
Xix-xax and Bzzz were busily exploring the town and seeking information. They had quickly determined that the unknown bipeds were not hostile, nor were they in any way exploiting the ponies. Both species seemed to be working in harmony with each other. "It seems safe." Xix thought to her companion. "We should split up."
"Agreed. Let us meet back here in two hours."
Separating, the changelings moved through the town, paying attention to everything they saw and heard: "I'm telling you the two of them are dating!" "Awful ugly thing, they've got it in the jail..." "Now Miss Wallace, what kind of job qualifications do you have?" "As far as I'm concerned, all humans are blank-flanks." "Prepare to be amazed, as the Great and Powerful Trixie pulls a hat out of a rabbit!" "So I sez t' the guy, I sez..." "Cutie Mark Crusaders! Mythbusters! Yaaay!!!!!!!!" "These new things really will kill us all!" "HI! I'M PINKIE PIE! WHAT'S YOUR NAME!?!?!?"
Bzzz fell over backwards at this last, shocked by the bright pink pony that had sprung up directly in her path. "Aw crap, pony names..." the changling thought. She said "Um, Mythril Wind... I'm Mythril Wind."
"Cool name! So where you from?" The pink mare asked.
"Oh, right here in town you know." Bzzz lied.
"Oh now that's a fibby-fib! I know every pony and human in town and I've never seen you before!"
"Crap!" Bzzz turned and ran. "Abort!" She thought frantically to Xix. "They're on to us!"
"Damn. Okay, meet back with Gerolt. I'll see you there shortly." Xix answered.
xx
"How rude!" Pinkie complained to Rarity.
"Yes darling, but it confirms my suspicions... Something's not right here."
"But... Pinkie Sense... Says they're friends..."
Rarity shook her head. "Perhaps they are. But they're hiding something. You said there's another one?"
"Yep! Come on!"
Pinkie started to trot away, but Rarity stopped her. "Hold on a moment dear... Let's think this through..."
XXXX
The alien tried to break free, but between the magic of two unicorns, the heavier than normal for it gravity, and it's own sickness, it didn't have the strength. As it calmed, Twilight stepped before it and cast the translation spell. "Can you understand me?"
"Equine. I have. Comprehension." It replied. "I am. Captured?"
"That's right." Sword Breaker said. "What happens next is up to you."
"Elaborate. Meaning."
Bert said "What he means is, in spite of us getting off badly, with the fighting and all, we're willing to be reasonable. We just want peace."
"Peace? Negative subcreature. No peace."
"Subcreature!?" Bert shouted.
"Yes. Equine. Hominid. Reptile. Inferior. We are. The Mor-tax. We are. The pinnacle. Of evolution. We are. Superior. You are. Food."
"What a jerk!" Lyra exclaimed.
"If you're so superior why are you the ones dying?" Nigel asked.
"Dying?" The alien said. "Yes... Feel deathcoming. Explain."
"Bacteria." Twilight said. "You're sick. We would cure you if we could, but none of the things that work on us would work on you. I'm sorry."
"Too long." the Mor-tax said. "Too long. Since we had. Pathogens. Malacandra. Dying. All life. Dead. In three centuries. Sun too old. No bacteria. In ages. No defense."
Everyone else in the cell looked around at each other. Twilight finally said "If I understood that right, you're saying that your entire planet is dying? That's horrible. But it doesn't give you the right to attack us."
"No need. Of rights. Food has. No rights."
"We aren't food you big jerk!" Lyra insisted, "And for the record I refuse to be called inferior by a species that didn't even figure out the stinking wheel!"
"Wheel? Unknown term. Clarify."
Lyra smirked. "I rest my case."
"Let's cut to the chase." Bert said. "Are you the ones who bought us here? Was this some kind of big master plan? Your planet's dying so you come here, then bring us here as a food supply?"
"Would have. If could have. But no. Transit. Was not us."
Twilight asked "Transit? Do you know anything at all about the force responsible for us all being bought here?"
"Know artificial. Purposeful. Nothing more."
Twilight turned her back to the alien, huddled together with Reginald and Nigel. "Well that's something we didn't know for sure." She whispered.
"Assuming its telling the truth." Reginald said.
"Yeah, but still..."
Nigel said "Here's my question: It's being awfully generous with answers. Why?"
"Let's find out." Twilight turned back around, and asked Nigel's question.
"No reason. To not. Results. The same. Either way." The Mor-tax was silent for a moment, then said "Hunger feel. Need food. Blood."
"We could pull some plasma from the blood banks." One of the doctors said. "But, what if it's needed in an emergency?"
"Not like we'd need much, no longer than it'll live."
Bert said to the alien "Do you have a name?"
"Yes. My name. G'drik."
"Okay then G'drik, here's the deal... We can't save your life. But we can keep you fed and comfortable until the end. All we want in return is for you to keep answering whatever questions we have."
"Offer. Acceptable." G'drik agreed...
XXXX
Even after receiving Bzzz's warning, Xix was determined to investigate one more thing before leaving town. She had heard, from several sources, word of some dangerous monster being held in the town jail. And she wanted a look. "After all," the changeling reasoned to Bzzz, "Either it really is dangerous in which case we need to know about it, or it's a victim of paranoia in which case it might make a good ally if we help it."
Flying out of town, Bzzz thought back to her hive-mate "Victim of paranoia?"
"Sure. Like how ponies are so terrified of all changelings even when we've never had anything to do with Chrysalis."
"In fairness, after the Canterlot invasion they've got reason to be a little jittery."
"I know, I know... It still bugs me. We could be a part of society, but no! One queen does something stupid and we all pay!" Xix thought, anger in her tone. "Anyway, I'm here. I'll check it out real quick, then come join you." Closing the mental link, Xix fluttered her wings and flew a short distance up, landing atop a tarp-covered stack of supplies against the back jail wall. Rearing up on her hind legs, bracing her forehooves against the wall, she peered in through the cell window.
Inside, surrounded by ponies and humans, was the 'monster.' And Xix had to admit, even she couldn't see it as anything else but monstrous. She watched and listened as the being was interrogated, disgusted at the thought that it consumed blood, quickly seeing that it really was the bad guy, not a victim. Nodding to herself in silent confirmation, she turned to leave. A pink earth pony was standing right behind her, and he let out a scream as she fell backwards to the ground.
xx
"Are you okay!?" Pinkie asked as she looked down over the edge at the fallen pony.
"My pride is terminally wounded but the rest of me will be fine." the stranger replied. "What are you doing sneaking up on ponies like that?"
Stepping into the newcomer's view from around the corner, Rarity said "The question, darling, is what you were doing spying into the jail. And, also, who you and your friend Mythril Wind really are."
"I'm quite sure I don't know what you're talking about." The new pony huffed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have places to be." She spread her wings and started to fly away, only to be intercepted by Rainbow Dash.
"Going somewhere?" The pegasus asked.
"As a matter of fact, yes!"
"Well then we've got a problem. See, you just dissed my friends, and I don't like that!"
xx
"Rainbow Dash!" Xix thought, recognizing the pegasus. "I've had it now, no way I'm outrunning her!"
"Xix? Do you need help?" Bzzz thought.
"No, get to Gerolt, get back to Shetland Crossing, let the mayor know what we've learned."
Worry tinged Bzzz's thoughts, as she asked "What about you?"
"There's only one thing for me to do..."
Xix-xax lowered herself to the ground and looked the three ponies in the eyes. "Okay, fine. I'll explain myself. Just promise, please promise, that you'll hear me out instead of judging me right out of the gate."
Pinkie nodded and swore a pinkie promise to that effect, but Rainbow Dash asked "Why would we judge you like that?"
Xix lowered her head. "Because this." Green magic flared around her, revealing the true changeling.
"Changeling!!!!!!" Rarity screamed. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes and dropped into a combat stance. But Pinkie just stood there.
"Pinks, what are you doing? Get ready to back me up here!" Rainbow shouted.
Pinkie shook her head. "If I have to Dashie... But I made a promise, so..." She looked at the Changeling. "Okay. Tell us why you're here."
Xix let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Thank you."
"Hold on!" Rainbow interrupted. "You really don't want to fight?"
"I'm of Hive Xenax, not Hive Chrysalis. Our queen prefers drones that can think on their own. And we don't fight unless we have to..." Xix looked around. "Look, the jail's right here. If it helps, we can go around front and I'll turn myself in."
"That might be best." Rarity agreed. "But, put your disguise back up first, no reason to panic people seeing you in the streets."
"Okay, you're right." Xix agreed.
As the changeling's pegasus disguise reasserted itself, Pinkie asked "Was Mythril Wind one of you?"
"That's not her real name, but yes."
"So hold on, how many..."
"About thirty. We're a small part of the town's population."
"Wait what town?" Rainbow asked.
"Shetland Crossing, from the Gryphonican border." Xix said. "You're not the only ones from Equus here now."
Three ponies looked at each other in surprise...
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6014595 Evolution has no goal.
Evolution is all about momentary advantage of each animals offspring.
Eyes have a nice evolutionary path from light sensitive patches to somewhat enclosed eye-cups, ... all the way to 'proper' eyes.
At all steps through this process there is advantage.
However, if you already have sonar - perhaps the creatures evolved undersea - then developing more than a simple light sensitive patch may not have a clear advantage, if you already have a decent image-forming sonar.
Evolution is very prone to finding local minima that it can't get out of without making the offspring less fit.
loving every minute of this story.
6006657
Oh, what sweet irony. You used the wrong word there, whilst critiquing grammar. The word's "then." "Than" is for comparisons such as "larger than."
6016012 It's also prone to eliminating species with such defects. Species with sensory deficiencies tend to die from predators or competition. We can also rule out a quick evolution from deep sea life -- the operating principles between open air echolocation and underwater echolocation may be near identical, but the structures necessary to get an accurate image are very different. Like you said, evolution doesn't follow a path that requires generations of unfit creatures.
The CMC are trying to be the Mythbusters?! Someone pass that off stat, there could be a major problem coming up with how these fillies go about things. Overall great chapter, nice to have a better idea around what episode this story began. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail when dealing with the changelings.
For some reason I keep imagining them like the Beholders from WoW.
What's a changling?
What.
WORST infiltrators ever. Methinks they were kicked out of Chryssy's hive for incompetence.
Creepy bugger.
I'd call it gutsy.
Well let's be fair, we don't exactly see swarms of changelings coming out to denounce her.
Eh, not my favorite interpretation of Best Changeling but she's not relevant in this story, so meh. Besides, the changelings in the wedding were clearly displaying individuality.
6016050
See also: Muphry's law
6016050
*Fixed*
Hey, I wasn't putting forth a whole lot of effort to correct the entire story; just wanted to help prevent some mistakes in the future, so sue me for not proof reading my own comment. Hopefully the author actually takes my advice into account for future chapters.
Anyway, I stopped reading after ponies and humans had their little exposition chapter. This isn't a bad story, but it doesn't catch my attention very well. Plus the whole Blue Blood and Trixie coincidentally being in Ponyville at the time of the storm was bugging me anyway.
I don't like how quickly goblins have integrated with no fuss whatsoever ; and they have to be mentioned to be trading every time. I know there isn't many of them but are they all so single minded? No human has a problem with goblins running around? Fine they trust a magical talking tiny pegasus / unicorn / pony, they had a good few chapters working that out.
I'd draw the line at goblins who are always devious cheating backstabbing little monsters, especially since the portal is dumping other literary bad guys at me. There isn't much explication on them at all; What story are they from? Did they come with a big stash of explosives , or are they making them? Do they have carts or set up, or some kind of market, or are they just selling whatever junk is in their comparatively tiny backpacks?
Are people bartering with goblins? People and Ponies had to work that stuff out and see what they each needed. Goblins just get on with it trading their nondescript "supplies". How are they moving their "large stash of supplies" back and forth if their town is so crap as a "'town' or even 'village' would be pushing the limits of definitions"?
The splinter group of humans should raid their poor shitty little town if its just piles of gear protected by a few goblins. Killing them and looting their gear is basically the first thing you do in any rpg I can think of.
6016179 "What's a changling?"
They're like a changeling only they're smaller and are most often found hanging from keyrings.
6017041
I forgot, but aren't these gobos from Final Fantasy? One of the online ones (which I don't play as I loathe grinding).
6017109
Does it mention that in the story? They where quick to recognize the war of the worlds aliens and share that around. I don't remember a similar scene when everyone gets together and said "No these guys are cool, they're from Final Fantasy, we trust them to just wander about the town as they please. They are defiantly not from the other dozen or so other popular stories where goblins are evil."
It's like letting Kobolds or Skaven in without batting an eye. They are going to wake up and all the children will have been eaten.
"Today we'll be testing the myth that the three of us can't do anything offscreen without getting covered in tree sap! Wait, Apple Bloom, careful with that - "
-splash-
6017694 "All right Crusaders, listen up. I'll build a montage. Sweetie, you sing a song. And Scoots, you get the tree sap!"
"Why do I always have to-"
"Cutie Mark Crusaders! Let's go!"
"-get the tree oh buck my life."
It's a pitty that in the latest canon Chrysalis is the only changeling queen.
YEEEESSSSS!
Thank you!
Keeping that thing alive is a mistake. It will eventually do something horrible. I say kill it now and put it out of its misery, then do the same to those others of its kind. It's like talking to a machine, it has no soul and no remorse. It is pure evil and needs to be destroyed.
6030257
I am actually aware that one of my weaknesses in writing is complex villains. That said:
Carl Harner: As the story continues, I have tried to give him a bit more depth. Trouble is, depth usually means relatibility, and how relatable do we really want the racist xenophobe to be?
Blueblood: Not sure how out of character he is, but he's intended less as an antagonist than comic relief. I see him in this story as essentially a 'Pony Kardashian:' Lots of wealth, lots of fame, lots of power... little to no sense. Yes he lacks depth, but in his case that's intentional because he's an idiot.
The creatures: Semi-sentient is probably the best description for them. They're not as smart or self-aware as humans or ponies, but more so than pretty much any real-life non-human on Earth, with the possible exception of dolphins and chimps. You are, of course, correct in saying that no predator would choose to hunt a dangerous unknown over known safer prey. And indeed after this one attack, when they see just how dangerous we can be, they back off and don't cause any more problems.
Thing is, the attack on the towns isn't really hunting, in the sense of seeking food. It's an instinctive attempt to remove a major threat. The adrenalin response is called 'fight or flight' rather than just 'flight' for a reason. When frightened, creatures of any intelligence level can decide to attack rather than run.
In any case, the creatures are a one-off threat, and the other two on again off again occasional troublemakers. The only ongoing threat ii the story is indeed the difficulties of being cut off from civilization, having to make it without outside support, and the eventual arrival of more refugees.
I admit that I may have gone a little too heavy on the comedy for a story that's supposed to be mostly serious. But, that too is intentional. Funny things happen in real life, all the time, often at seemingly inappropriate moments. Leave that out, and the truth of the tale suffers.
6032029
6030257
Personally for me Blueblood has been a great comic relief villain, much like Starscream back in G1. The funny part is if you look at Starscream's stats he is pretty darn dangerous except he is an utter coward. Blueblood had just enough pull to fool some ponies but once they realize that he is full of hot air they will leave him very fast.
Harner may be a xenophobic idiot, but he has enough brains to keep him a threat as an obstacle more then harmful. I want to see where the story takes him.
The real story conflict will come from the different cultures clashing together. Right now the pony and humans are existing together out of necessity and each has issues that need to brought to light.
I just realized how much the WotW aliens have in common with the Daleks, physically.
In more ways than one, I guess.
(Speaking of which, it's a big universe. One of those storms might well bring something nasty from Doctor Who.)
(No pun intended.)
Again, loving how this is going, nicely done!
6019740 that was in one of the comics, right? If I recall, the writers of MLP have said that it is up to the reader/viewer whether or not to consider the comics canon.
6016133
If I might interject weeks later- they're only unfit by our standards because we commonly have sight. In point of fact, all life on our planet is unfit by their standards, because we don't use their hearing. The echolocation doesn't have to have been an "offshoot", it's an entirely different world, for whatever reason they developed the means of sensing distortions in the air before they developed proper eyes. Above water eyes are different from below water eyes, and we still had species develop out of the water onto land on earth, and for a very simple reason- you don't need to be ideal for your environment when nothing exists to challenge you. So something with basic underwater echolocation comes up on land, but has very poor sensory input as a result. That slowly improves over generations as the ones who can't perceive their environment are picked off by random chance, but the species as a whole thrives due to a lack of predators and an abundance of uncontested food. They spread, and become the first successful land creatures. Eventually they begin to diverge in their evolution, and we get hundreds of species descended from this one. then thousands. Then millions.
Haven't finished the chapter yet but have to comment.
Okay I'm no longer afraid of the Mor-tax. That sentence there... now that is terrifying!
Oh god, anything but the CMC being mythbusters!
6412724
This needs to be written.
It's uncanny how well the available smileies for those characters match those quote.
6937758 Uncanny ... or scary
8011728
Sad though that Mythbusters end its series. Wonder what Adam and Hyneman doing right now.
That was actual gold quality content right there. Sick burns from the mint green lyre pony!
8215556
Well, i do know Adam has a youtube channel called SavageBuilds where he makes cool stuff.
Well, you actually managed to use "its" correctly in this chapter, for once. Story's fine, but still has grammar or flow issues.