Sleeping in the Light

by Wheller

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

In the blink of an eye, Kelso and company found themselves on the bridge of the airship that had crested the northern mountains, as they looked around, they could see a mishmash of computer systems, each of them connected with each other by a series of long, thick cables that ran across the floor. They had been on airships before, but not quite one as this.

Kelso turned around, the captain’s seat in the centre of the room was facing away from her, and she let out a frown in annoyance, she turned her head towards the window, but when she did, she caught glimpse of something else. Sparky had shut her eyes tightly and was mumbling something to herself. ‘Sparky?’ Kelso asked, cocking her head to the side as she looked at her friend.

Dizzy turned her head too, and a look of terror appeared on her face. ‘Sparky!’ she cried out, and quickly wrapped her foreleg around her friend for support, which was more or less difficult for her thanks to the fact that Dizzy was at least ten centimetres shorter than Sparky was. ‘Sparky! Shh, it’s okay! We’re not actually here! It’s just a memory, breath deep!’

Sparky was afraid of airships. She had been since she was young, and her parents had been killed in a midair collision between the airship Diamond, and a Republican Navy heavy cruiser ERS Fillydelphia. The Fillydelphia had made it through the collision without a scratch, but the Diamond was not so lucky. All one hundred and thirteen passengers and crew, Sparky’s parents included, were killed.

Sparky did not reply, but slowly opened her eyes, taking care not to look out any of the windows, lest she be sick. Dizzy looked up at her and offered her a smile, gently nuzzling her friend for moral support. Sparky took a deep breath, and closed her eyes once more. She stood silently for a moment and then opened her eyes and offered Dizzy a small smile, leaning forward and planting a gentle kiss on the shorter mare’s forehead. ‘Thank you’, she said softly and turned to face the interior of the room, making sure to keep her eyes off the windows.

‘We are coming into range now’, came a voice from the far side of the room, Kelso and company looked up to discover an earth pony wearing nephite riot barding sitting at a control console with an old style radar screen, he was typing away at an equally old style physical keyboard that was practically the size of him. Sparky couldn’t help but sigh and shake her head as she looked at this scene. Physical keyboards had always been large, cumbersome, and difficult to fit into small spaces, and these ones were no less than that. The actual keys had to be made to work with the average hoof size, which significantly limited how small the keyboards could actually be. Too small, and a hoof would hit multiple keys at the same time, and not necessarily the ones that you wanted. The advent of adjustable size holographic keyboards revolutionised modern computing, and their introduction into AppleTec’s Micro Information Processor, turning them from a cumbersome niche market product to an everyday must have.

‘Activate defence grid and prepare countermeasure flares’, came a voice from the centre of the room. The captain’s seat rotated around to reveal none other than Graham Cracker sitting in it.

‘Graham! We have incoming missiles heading right for us!’ an elderly unicorn stallion called out.

'Moses Marening!' Dizzy said as a smile formed on her face.

'Who?' Viola asked as she turned to look at the ageing unicorn, causing Dizzy to roll her eyes in disappointment.

'Moses Marening was New Maneaan's chief gunsmith, he designed all of the weapons that we use today, and while they're all anywhere from 80-100 years old, they still outclass any weapon designed by the Equestrian Republic', Dizzy said proudly. 'And for a time, he was the only unicorn nephite, at least, until my Grandmother's conversion'.

‘Deploy countermeasures and get us under the missile base’s radar grid, if you can’, the burned pony said as he looked over the flight instruments. ‘We can’t afford to take even a single hit or this whole thing will go up in flames’.

Sparky turned her head towards Graham Cracker, raising an eyebrow at his statement, and then her eyes widened. ‘Dizzy... is this airship...?’

‘’Hydrogen lifted?’ Dizzy asked in return, interrupting her friend. ‘More likely than not, yes, helium was hard to come by in this day and age...’

To the nephites’ fortune, the seeker missiles changed direction and headed for the flares instead, the pony at the helm pushed the controls forward, sending the airship into a deep dive, and causing all of the passive observers to stumble and fall to the ground, in a few seconds they were below the Missile Bases’ radar field and touching down on the ground.

‘I’m going in’, Graham Cracker said as she rose to his hooves from his centre chair. ‘Moses, take command, give us cover!’

Moses Marening rose to his hooves and nodded his head in understanding; he crossed over to the centre seat and took his place. Using his telekinesis, he pulled a miniature keyboard over to him, and at the same time, pulled the rest of the command console around him. The miniature keyboard began to tap from his telekinetic input as he entered several commands into the command line interface.

‘Moses! We’re off the airship! Take her back up and hope these Cult wireless packs are as reliable as they claim!’ Graham Cracker’s voice said over several loud speakers after a few moments of unloading.

‘Understood’, Moses said with a nod as he rotated his chair to face towards the radar station. ‘Scanners? How low does hostile radar extend?’

‘They can’t see us below five hundred metres’, the radar operator said.

‘Helm, rise to four hundred and fifty metres, let’s show these bastards what it means to be nephite!’ Moses said with a grin.

...

The scene changed as Kelso and Company found themselves in the middle of the nephite advance. Several platoon sized units charged forwards towards the EPMB combots, firing off their weapons as they went. The combot horde turned their attention towards the nephites, but it was far too late, they were already upon them and they lashed out with a fury of automatic weapons fire.

Combot after combot dropped before their eyes as the assault on Ponyville began to collapse in on itself, the tide was turning.

Kelso threw her hooves over her ears as the sound of a rip roaring rotary cannon burst overhead from the zeppelin engaging the combots as they began to pull back.

...

The image changed again, and Kelso and company were standing in the launch control room of the Everfree Plains Missile Base. Before them sat the omnipresent computer terminal, displaying the image of Emerald Sparkle, the image was a pleasant looking one, identical to the one they had seen upon the combot’s telescreens, but it did not take a genius to figure out that she was not happy.

A pneumatic door opened behind them, and they turned to watch as Twilight Sparkle entered the room, levitating her revolver besides her head.

‘I figured you would come. Are you happy? You won’, Emerald Sparkle said emotionlessly.

‘Yes, yes we did’, Twilight said, nodding her head as she slowly approached the computer terminal. ‘It was a bold move you made. I can only wonder how many ponies died today because of you’.

‘Sacrifices, necessary sacrifices for the sake of progress’, Emerald Sparkle said, washing her hooves of all guilt. ‘I was close, so close... had my combots made their way up the mountain...’

‘They still wouldn’t have been able to kill the princesses’, Twilight said calmly. ‘They’re a little bit tougher than that’.

‘Oh, I know, the combots wouldn't have been able to do it, not on their own, I had something to take care of them’, Emerald Sparkle said, her artificial voice remaining completely emotionless. ‘I know them better than you think. I know them better than you do. When I was a child, my parents died, and I became the student of Queen Gaia. Celestia and Luna were my friends, my playmates, I loved them dearly’.

‘And then you tried to kill them’, Twilight said plainly.

‘Times are different now’, Emerald Sparkle said. ‘The princesses are dangerous. Twilight, you have to realise; you have to have at least had the idea enter your mind! The princesses, both of them, do not have pony societies’ best interests at heart! They only care about their own agendas!’

‘And you don’t?’ Twilight asked.

‘I admit, I have an agenda, with me in charge of the Republic of Equestria, we would have entered a golden age of science and technology! Give me twenty years; I will put ponies on the moon! Give me fifty, and we’ll be exploring the other planets in our star system, a hundred years?! We’ll be out among the stars, Princess Celestia stays in charge? We’ll be lucky if she hasn’t outlawed the thermionic valve in a hundred years’, Emerald Sparkle said. ‘You cannot trust Princess Celestia to do what is best for pony kind!’

‘I know’, Twilight said, closing her eyes and breathing out a sigh. ‘But I can’t very well trust you either’, Twilight added as she snapped open the break of her revolver and checked the ammunition and looked back up at Emerald Sparkle’s terminal, a look of determination forming on her face.

‘So you’re going to kill me then? I wouldn’t do that if I were you’, Emerald said. While her voice was still emotionless, the passive observers were able to detect a hint of smugness in it. ‘I have a failsafe system; you kill me, this base's nuclear warheads will all go off!’

Twilight smirked at her ancestor and set the revolver on the floor, kicking it gently and letting it slide backwards towards the door. ‘I’m not going to kill you, Emerald. No, that would be me stooping to your level. No, instead, I’m going to disconnect you from the mainframe’.

‘... Twilight! No!’ Emerald Sparkle said. As with the smugness that they could hear with her previous statement, Kelso could clearly detect the fear in the elder pony’s speech. ‘I lied! I lied, there is no failsafe! Please, don’t disconnect me from the mainframe! I’d rather you just killed me!’

Twilight did not reply, instead, she trotted over to the mainframe terminal and began to punch a few buttons. The wall opened up and revealed a secret lift to a lower level. Emerald continued to call out to her, pleading that she abandon her course of action, but the pleas fell upon deaf ears.

Kelso and company followed Twilight into the cramped lift and rode down with her to the lower level. As the door opened again, it revealed a large room, with a second terminal identical to the one on the other level, and a life support tube at the far end.

'Do you guys think that this stuff might still be here?' Kelso asked.

'Who knows?' Sparky said. ‘I know what I’m doing when we’re done with all this!'

The second terminal flickered to life, and Emerald Sparkle's picture came upon it. ‘Twilight! I beg of you. Do not disconnect me from the mainframe!’ the aged mare cried out.

Twilight ignored her and trotted over the console at the front of the life support tube, with the tap of a few keys on the keyboard, she pulled up the correct menu. She smiled slightly as she contemplated what she was about to do, and then looked up at the mainframe terminal. ‘Goodbye Emerald Sparkle. The world doesn’t need you anymore’, Twilight said softly as she hit the execute key.

‘NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!’ Emerald cried out, as the image on the mainframe began to flicker. Eventually it flickered out completely, and the room fell silent, the mainframe terminal displayed only a single message: Connection Lost...

Twilight let out a small sigh, what she had just done clearly troubled her deeply, but she turned around, and trotted back towards the lift, and rode it back up.

...

The scene changed again, this time, they were back in Canterlot in Princess Celestia’s bedroom. The sun was setting, and as they looked out the window, the passive observers could see cleaning crews pulling the wrecks of spritebots into large bins, they were cleaning up the town from the day’s battle.

Princess Celestia looked down upon the city, watching sadly as the cleaning crews finished their work. She must have known what became of her one time friend, Emerald Sparkle.

‘Tia?’ a voice called out from behind her. Princess Celestia turned to face the speaker, and she trotted away from the balcony and back into the room. Kelso and Company made it a point to step aside as she did. They discovered that Princess Luna was standing in the middle of the room, and she did not look happy.

‘Luna I...’ Celestia began as she approached her sister, but was quickly interrupted as Luna’s fore hoof smacked her across the face.

‘Don’t you dare speak... you have no words to justify your actions today’, Luna said coldly.

‘What are you talking about?’ Celestia asked as she gently rubbed her face. ‘I haven’t done anything...’

‘That is my point exactly! Emerald Sparkle and her machine army attack Canterlot in full force, and what do you do? You sit up here and do nothing! Just like you have always done!’ Luna cried out, her voice filled with anger.

‘Luna...’ Celestia began again, but was quickly interrupted once more.

‘No, you cannot justify that, you are a leader! Your job is to lead! And you have shown time, and time again, that you cannot lead!’ Luna said.

Princess Celestia lowered her head in shame, as a tear began to roll from her eye. ‘I wasn’t ready to take over for mother and father’, she said softly.

‘That’, Princess Luna said. ‘Is very apparent. Let me make myself perfectly clear, I am in charge now, you are clearly unable to lead this nation, and I will not allow you to continue on this path’.

Princess Celestia’s head rose. She said nothing, she made no objection, and she merely sat down upon the ground and looked up at her sister. ‘Are you going to kill me, Luna?’ she asked.

‘I don’t have to’, Luna said emotionlessly. ‘You were always the push over. You’re no threat to me now, not after this’.

Princess Celestia let out a small sigh, but she did not protest.

‘There are going to be changes, dear sister, Equestria will be great again!’ Princess Luna cried out, a small smile forming upon her face. ‘Whether you like it or not!’

Comments

[Titus Hooves]

Uh oh. I think I can see where the name Luna the Mad came from. You always seem to leave me with the hunger for more. I will have to go on a diet until the next chapter comes out. Keep up the amazing work!

[DreadedCandiru2]

Good thing for everyone that Twilight was willing to kill as many princesses as necessary.

[KingOfTheMuffins]

And now Emerald knows how House felt when I disconnected him from the mainframe. At least I had a save file that I reloaded, as I was only curious what would happen. Emerald's not so lucky. Also, why the F*** would you make the mainframe so accessible? I would make disconnection kill me, or at least make it extremely hard.

[Wheller]

722972

Emerald didn't build the place. The Everfree Plains Missile Base was built by the Gaian Area Equestrian Army, she just kind of took the place over and made it her own little workshop.

[KingOfTheMuffins]

723017

Despite all the intelligence she had, she didn't remodel it at all? Man, she could've used an adviser, or some massive defensive turret defending her terminal and cryogenic pod. I, for one, would have a crap-ton of security robots defending me. The worst mistake in battle you can make is using ALL your forces in a risky gamble. The house always wins, and if you aren't sure you're the house, than chances are, you need a fallback plan. Mine? I'd rage-quit and launch a shit-ton of nukes at Equestria. If I knew I was going down (and you wonder why no one gives me the authority to press the red button in times of crisis, you do now.), I'd go out with a bang. Or I'd copy my conscience and put it in a robot... (if that's even possible with the events of this story) and of course, proceed to adorn a top hat and a stylish cane, complete with a well-articulated British accent and a sense of class. Everyone knows it's a crime punishable by eternal damnation for killing a Boss!

Did I really get that random?

[Wheller]

723155

Most of her efforts were focused on the creation of her combot and combat-model spritebot army. EPMB's minifacturing plant was incredibly limited to the slow production and use of resources to create them. Her problem wasn't that she was unprepared, her issue was that there were too many variables, she formulated her plan of action 1000 years ago, a lot can change in a thousand years. Not to say that she didn't take notice of everything going on around her, far from it, she's been spying on Equestria for years. There were too many variables for her to adapt to with the limited resources she had access too. Do remember her wonder technology is still the equivalent of the world in 1945.

[KingOfTheMuffins]

723219

Still more advanced than Equestria itself... why did she attack when all the foreign ambassadors and kingdoms were there? Ugh, variables and the equations... long-term stuff doesn't work out. I feel so bad for her, because it's not like she'll die from exposure like House does in New Vegas, so I hope she's doing fine (I'm guessing she'll still play a role in the future as well, because I doubt she's dead...). I'd never wish a terrible fate like that on any enemy, not to mention I can relate to her love for Science. Seriously, Celestia? You could've just outlawed the bombs, but instead you annihilate the entirety of technology. With these words said, back to the Miami Heat game. If they don't win, then a few variables in my Finals equation are gonna be changed themselves :|.

[Low-quality memes]

Shao Kahn voice: Round 1, FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SuperPinkBrony12]

Luna does realize that Celestia and Emerald Sparkle knew each other right, I think that justifies why Celestia didn't do anything because she didn't want to hurt her friend.

[StatusQo]

Even though I have a feeling Luna gona go mad shes still better than Celestia.

[Apocalypse Pony]

So THAT'S when Celestia became Luna's bitch! Now I sorta get it.

[kooarbiter]

723219

I must have missed something, or I am really dense, why pray tell is being "disconnected" worse than dying? worst case scenario, whatever sprite/combots left will be disabled and the power to the facility will be cut down, right? right? please tell me I'm RIGHT!!!!

sorry for that, randomness happens when it happens, have a good day

[Cpt Celti]

Maybe... Celestia isn't dead! She's just in exile!

[Gerald Greytalon V]

1374768 You clearly haven't read any of the previous stories. You can see everything that happens in this one there.