Touchdown
++ENGAGING CORE FUNCTIONS++
++UPDATING MISSION PARAMETERS++
++MISSION STATUS: INCOMPLETE++
++CURRENT MISSION PROGRESS TIME: TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THREE YEARS. NINE MONTHS. SIXTEEN DAYS. TWO HOURS. THIRTY SIX MINUTES. TWELVE SECONDS++
++SUBJECT BLAZE CURRENTLY IN MID DEPLOYMENT++
++LOCATION: DROP POD FOUR EIGHT SEVEN. CURRENT VELOCITY: THREE MILES A MINUTE++
++ALL VITALS NOMINAL. ALL SYNTHETIC SYSTEMS: NOMINAL++
++ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PROGRAMME "ANGEL" ONLINE++
++SUBJECT BLAZE EXPECTED TO MAKE PLANETFALL IN TWELVE MINUTES++
++DESTINATION: NEW TROTTINGHAM. GLOBAL CAPITAL OF THRENOR PRIME++
++ RECEIVING IMAGE FILE++
++OPENING AND DISPLAYING IMAGE FILE++
++TARGET IS LOCATED WITHIN CENTRAL SPIRE. EXPECT HIGH LEVELS OF RESISTANCE++
++MOTTO FOR THE DAY: WITH THE SIX BY OUR SIDE, VICTORY IS ASSURED++
++STANDBY++
≤ΘΘΘ≥
You can never truly know the sensation of fear until you put your life in the hooves of someone else; you can never truly be helpless until you have no control over you fate.
As his drop pod plummeted through space towards the waiting world of Threnor prime below, Blaze truly knew both of these things. All around him where the drop pods of his battle brothers, soldiers, marines and special ops, all were with him as they came down like comets of fire, bringing death to the world below.
All around them space was filled with fire and debris, lances of pulsing plasma charges sliced through them onto the world below, piercing through the clouds and causing the surface of the planet to glow orange as they came into contact with their targets, causing them to melt.
The frigates of the fleet had also opened fire, raining down beams of energy and cyclonic torpedoes, each capable of killing an entire city block. The planet wasn't sitting idle under this punishment however, and balls of debris and severed limbs and body parts floated through space, all that remained of the marines whose pods had been hit by the return fire. As Blaze watched a missile from the surface came rocketing up through the clouds and into the thick of the pods, impacting into one and turning it into a fiery ball of death, no less than twenty meters in front of him.
Blaze gritted his teeth as he fell through the debris, and angel screamed when a hoof splattered against the view port of the pod, slowly streaking across it and leaving a trail of blood in its wake before it was suddenly gone. Blaze gulped and reflexively made the shape of the horseshoe over his heart for the dead pony, but the cables held him firmly in the chair, and he couldn't move a muscle.
"WE'RE GETTING HAMMERED!" a ponies voice screamed into the intercom, so loud it caused his voice to turn into an illegible crackle "WHY THE HELL ARE THE DEFENCES STILL ONLINE! THEY SHOULD B-" there was a loud crack that sounded like an explosion and the intercom fell silent. 'And another one's dead' Blaze thought.
He knew he didn't have as much to fear as all the others, the pods of the special ops teams where equipped with scramblers and deflection shields, meaning that they were capable of warding off any missiles and that any who got close weren't likely to cause any damage. High command had to invest in these measures, any mission that a specialist team was deployed on was vital to the war effort, and so the teams safe deployment had to be ensured. There was another explosion and a warning alarm went off as the force of the explosion caused the pod to veer off course, above his head the RAM jets screamed into life and altered the pods trajectory, bringing it back into line with its destination.
"LYRA, WHAT THE HELLS GOING ON!" Blaze shouted into his visor, suppressed fear being to worm its way through his body, causing him to tense up and his heart level to rise. "THE DEFENCE SYSTEMS SHOULD BE OFFLINE, WHY IN CELESTIAS NAME ARE THEY STILL FIRING?" there was nothing but silence "Dammit, all this debris must be interfering with communications" beside him Angel was whimpering quietly, her head in her hooves.
Angel was connected to Blazes mind in as much the same way as his head was attached to his neck. If she was feeling fear, it could only mean blaze was feeling it as well. "Hey, we're going to get through this ok?" he told her, the sound of his own voice subdued compared to the screaming of rockets and the rattling of metal that was filling the pod. Angel looked at him with golden round eyes that where filled with fear, and she slowly nodded. Blaze gave her a reassuring smile and then Lyras voice filled his head, crackling and cutting off occasionally, but still there.
"Blaze, commands going craz-something about shie-we're try-deal with-contact on plan-all" the few fragments of data echoed around inside his head, and then they were gone.
"LYRA? LYRA!" Blaze screamed "DAMMIT!" he stamped a hoof, frustration lending the blow extra strength and causing the metal plating beneath him to buckle, a rivet came loose and floated through the zero gravity of the pod, Blaze wanted to rip it from the air and crush it. "JESTER? WONDER BREAD? SUGARCANE?" silence. Blazes heart, or what organic material was left, was pounding in his chest. A beeping went through his head and once again the blue graph appeared. This time there was a reading of his heart beat, and the line zigzagged across its face, spiking and plunging erratically. "Warning, heart level critical, administering sedative" Blaze wanted to scream.
"NO, NOT NOW, WE'RE GOING INTO A WAR ZONE!" going into battle with sedative drugs running through his system would only slow him down, and increase the likelihood of him dying from a gun round. It was beyond his control however, and he could only roar in frustration as he felt tiny needles pierce his skin up and down the length of his spine, within a few seconds he felt his heart begin to slow, and a deadly lethargy ran through his body, filling him with sleep. He fought it however, and turned to Angel. "Initiate the override, I can't go after Cadence asleep, he felt a jaw cracking yawn at the back of his throat "quickly!"
Angel nodded, and then her projection flickered as she reached into the armours systems, searching for the program that controlled his combat drugs. She found it, and swiftly altered the sequencing to the adrenal injectors. Blaze felt the needles re-enter his skin, and instantly he felt the weariness fall from him as his body was pumped full of synthetic adrenaline. His heart beat began to rise once again, and the fear it his head was replaced with drug fuelled aggression. "I'M COMING FOR YOU CADENCE!" he roared, his lips peeling back to reveal his canines, sharp and deadly "CAN YOU FEEL ME COMING? I'M GOING TO FIND YOU AND RIP YOU TO SHREDS FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" beside him Angels own fear dissipated, and she smiled aggressively, fire now burning in her eyes.
"YOU TELL HER BLAZE!" wonder breads voice spoke over the intercom, buzzing like he was made of bees "LET'S FIND THIS BITCH AND GET PAID!" he roared, before he cackled loudly "I FEEL LIKE ADDING REGICIDE TO MY CV!" Blazes smile widened. They were almost to the planet, only a few miles between them and the outer atmosphere. This close he could make out the lights of a huge city, hundreds of miles across, shining bright through the clouds, painting them in a deep orange. The lines of huge boulevards and highways stretching out across the worlds surface like a massive spider's web. In front of them the first pods where already making planet fall, leaving bright trails of fire in their wake as they pierced the planet's atmosphere.
They still had a hundred or so more miles to go, but they were screaming through space at immense speed, and the wait wouldn't be long. 'Here I come Cadence, this is the revenge I was promised. All those years of waiting, all the pain I had to go through to reach this moment, I'm going to look you in the eyes when I kill you, I'm going to watch the light go out from your eyes' just then a voice came on the intercom again.
"WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT AR-" and then there was a deep boom and the speakers fell silent, Blaze didn't like the sound of that.
"Angel, trace that transmission to its point of origin" he said, if that message had been from one of the front most pods then something was waiting for them below, something that was likely to get them killed. Angel nodded and her projection flickered, then it solidified again, blaze didn't like what he saw in her eyes, the fear had made its return.
"It came from one of the leading pods, specifically the pod of lieutenant Lucia creed from the Adnelteen airborne fifty second division" an image filled Blazes vision, showing a grim looking unicorn. His coat was white, and his eyes a deep violet. On his cheeks was thick stubble and his mane was black, cropped short in a typical military fashion. His horn was scarred and the tip had been snapped off. "his pod entered the atmosphere three minutes ago, onboard external cameras captured this image before being destroyed" the unicorn vanished and in his place was an image of a huge cityscape, the spire at its centre, surrounded by its swarm of defence ships.
A huge ring of fortifications encircled the base of the spire, aegis defence lines and massive ferocrete bastions. There were also massive flak cannons rising into the air, each with four barrels and in the still life of the image their muzzles where flashing yellow as they spewed ammunition skyward. At the base of each battery massive plasma engines glowed purple and blue as they fuelled the cannons, pouring forth thick clouds of black smoke, which rose into the air and mixed with the thick smoke that rose from the burning buildings of the ravaged city.
Behind the lines there where the waiting troops, in a crowd so vast that they could have numbered in their millions, rising from the crush where tanks and bipedial walkers, armed with plasma cannons and beam and pulse weaponry. But towering above them all where massive six legged scorpion mechs, mobile battle fortresses that bristled with guns and had a huge tails rising from their backs, each tipped with a enormous plasma cannon. "I've been over the statistics, even with our pods defences at full strength the likelihood of us making a successful planet fall is nought point zero, zero, zero, zero, three to nine thousand"
"WHY THE HELL ARE THOSE CANNONS AND THE MECHS STILL ONLINE? THE EMPS SHOULD HAVE NEUTRALISED THEM!" Blaze roared in frustration, fear filling his heart.
"The cannons are all fuelled by plasma generators, and so are unsusceptible to EMP fire, the garrison must have caught on to our tactics and switched the power supply to prevent their defence systems from being shut down. The mechs also appear to be plasma powered, they knew we were coming, and they've set us up. It's a trap Blaze, they knew we were reliant upon our EMP strike to knock them out and they neutralised our main form of protection. This isn't a standard deployment; this is a massacre waiting to happen" the pod suddenly began to shake and rattle, the rivet floating in mid air dropped to the floor and began to vibrate on the floor. Outside the viewing port the world was filled with fire, they had entered the atmosphere, and likely on seconds away from death.
"EVERYONE LISTEN UP!" Blaze shouted into his intercom, activating a vox link with the other members of his team. "THE NLR KNEW WE WHERE COMING AND MOST OF THEIR DEFENSES ARE STILL ONLINE, ONCE WE MAKE PLANETFALL REGROUP AND REQUEST IMMEDIATE EXTRACTION, THERE'S NO WAY WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET TO CADENCE THROUGH THOSE DEFENCE LINES!"
"BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MISSION?" he heard Sugarcanes voice crackle "WE CAN'T LET CADENCE GET AWAY; IT TOOK US MONTHS TO TRACK HER!"
"SHE'S IMMORTAL, IT'S NOT LIKE SHE'S GOING ANYWHERE SOON. UNFORTUNATELY WE ONLY LIVE ONCE; I'M NOT RISKING ANY LIVES OVER THIS. WE PULL OUT NOW AND FIND CADENCE LATER" as much as the thought of letting her escape made him sick, Blaze knew nothing would be gained if they went ahead with the mission and all of them died. 'you got lucky this time you bitch' he thought, grinding his teeth together 'but it's not over, not by a long shot. I'm still coming for you' then, with a final shriek the RAM jets at the top of the pod ran out of fuel and fell silent, marking that the descent was at an end. Outside thick grey clouds where all around them, obstructing their view and blocking the rest of the world off, isolating them. "Angel, no matter what happens, it was an honour to serve with you" Angel looked at him, he never talked like this.
"Blaze…I-" The clouds opened up before them, and Blaze felt a lump seize up at the back of his throat. Below them the world was a monotone of grey, rain was lashing down from the clouds and lighting would sporadically cut through the sky and paint the world in black and white. The only exceptions to this where the flak batteries, which were firing up into the sky with abandon, over head the rain of drop pods was so thick that there was no need to aim, they simply pointed their guns upwards and keep firing into the thick of the incoming swarm.
Occasionally smaller plasma cannons would fire, shooting bolts of bright blue energy into the storm wracked sky above their heads, and every time they fired another pod would bloom with fire and explode, incinerating the occupant inside before they'd even had time to scream. There were also stray pulse rounds flying past the windows, as the NLR troops below took pots shots at the helpless invaders. Towering above them was the majestic spire of the cities elite, its point stretching so high up into the air that it disappeared into the clouds and pierced the atmosphere, leaving its upper floors jutting out into space.
On a normal day with the sun shining the spire would have looked beautiful in its shining white skin of metal, but under the monotone grey light of the storm it stood dark and foreboding, its shadow stretching out over the city below like an enormous claw every time a bolt of lightning split the sky.
All around him drop pods where falling from the sky like a hail of steel, RAM jets leaving trails of fire in their wake. Below him the flak batteries had put up a curtain of metal, and as Blaze watched a pod came crashing down through the flak curtain, it was violently buffeted around before exploding into a ball of flames and falling to the ground. It was no use, for every single pod that got through, another ten met fiery deaths.
He gritted his teeth and prepared for the ends, a thousand curse filling his head as he wished that this wasn't the way he was going to die. Then Angel's voice, loud and clear despite the noise of the explosions and the firing of the cannons, rang out loud and clear.
"Twilight: grant us your magical strength so that our own powers may give us the strength to push onwards"
"Applejack: grant us your honesty so that we may open our hearts to the truth, and destroy the barriers lies build between us…"
It was a prayer to the six; a prayer that had been passed from generation to generation, Blaze knew the words. Angel fell silent, her prayer dying on her lips as another dozen pods exploded, the light painting their pods interior orange. Blaze watched the light from the flames die, and then out of reflex, continued Angel's prayer.
"Rarity: grant us your generosity so that we may support one another, and all may share in the joys of life"
He took a breath to say the next line, and when he spoke again, Wonder breads voice crackled over the intercom, its deep and sonorous tone joining in prayer.
"Fluttershy: grant us your kindness so that we may find mercy in the hooves of our friends, and treat all others with the respect they deserve"
Another set of static spits and cracks and Jester and Sugarcane could also be heard, Jesters voice low and pious, Sugarcanes high and light.
"Pinkie pie: grant us you laughter, so that no matter how dire our need we will always know that the dark will vanish before the dawn"
Blaze felt the fear slip from his heart, and in its place was a new kind of strength, a certainty that this wasn't how it was going to end, that this wasn't where his journey finished. As one the team finished the prayer, their voices becoming one. Underneath the voices of his team mate Blaze could hear the voices of other ponies as the marines all around him took up the prayer with them.
"Rainbow dash: grant us your loyalty so that we may never falter, and so that we will never sway from our cause" as the prayer came to an end Blaze felt the urge to speak, and so he did.
"The six will light our way, with them at our sides we will never falter, we will never fail" there was only less than a kilometre to go before his pod reached the deadly flak curtain "we will not die here, we will not fall. This is not how it's meant to end!" shouts of agreement filled the pod, pouring from the intercom, in his head Blaze could hear Lyra shouting, and could imagine the sight of her at her workstation as she watched his pod plummet towards the planet below. "WE WILL NOT FALTER, WE WILL NOT FAIL! WE SHALL GO TO WHERE THE ENEMY LIVE AND BREED AND WE WILL SHOW THEM THE MIGHT OF THE SOLAR EMPIRE! THE REPUBLIC WILL PAY FOR WHAT THEY'VE DONE; LUNA WILL ANSWER FOR HER CRIMES!" Blaze raised his head and roared the battle cry of the Solar Empire "FIRE AND FURY!" and all around him other ponies took up the cry, their voices becoming a bestial roar, thick with ferocity and aggression. They were almost upon the curtain; Blaze tensed and gritted his teeth together. "DEFLECTOR ARRAYS TO MAXIMUM, BRACE FOR IMPACT!" he screamed to himself, and then they hit the flak curtain, punching through the storm of steel.
The pod shook violently, and became filled with a grating roar as shards of metal scraped along the side of the pod, striking against it and stabbing at the viewing port. One shard slammed into the viewing port, causing the glass to crack and sending a spider web of cracks and splits to spread out from the central point where the metal had pierced the glass. Alarms began to scream and within Blazes vision bright red words that spelled "capsule breached" shone out, blood red.
More alarms began to sound and then the floor beneath them shook and the whole pod lurched to the side as a stray round from a flak cannon passed within a few meters of them, the force of its explosion causing the pod to veer wildly off course, spinning through the air like a top and causing Angel to scream in fear yet again. The force of the explosion had caused the viewing port to completely shatter, and bits of broken glass lashed at Blazes armour, causing scratches in the fresh paint.
Outside the storm raged on, and whenever the pods spin brought the viewing port up to the sky the rain fell down on him, running over the cold adamantium of his armour and soaking into the seat beneath him.
The world beneath them was a blur, constantly moving. For a brief second he would glimpse the ground, slick with rain and dark with shadows, the massive guns firing endlessly and the bright blue beams of plasma fire. And then the pod would continue on its spin and he would see the grey skies over head, filled with drop pods and illuminated by flames. An alarm flashed inside his visor "Thirty seconds until impact" the dull red light over head began to flicker, jumping on and off, sending spots across his vision.
The screaming of the RAM jets cycled down to a high pitched whine, and then with a fit of dull coughs fell silent. "Twenty seconds until impact" an explosion from a pod overhead filled the tiny capsule with orange light, and pieces of razor sharp shrapnel pinged off his armour as they shot through the air like bullets. "Ten seconds until impact" this was the end; this was how he was going to die. Falling to the earth in a malfunctioning drop pod whilst all around him soldiers and marines loyal to the empire died for a ruler they'd never seen, for a cause that had never truly been their own.
The sudden futility of the war hit him, how pointless such loss of life was. "Five…four…" he spoke a wordless prayer to Twilight sparkle, but no breathe escaped past his lips "Three…two…" he closed his eyes tight shut, and gritted his teeth "One…impact" The pod crashed into the side of a building, ploughing straight through it and into the street below. It bounced with a dull clung of metal and smashed into the side of another building, sending brick and metal flying. A chunk flew through the viewing port and smacked right into the side of his head, sending stars scattering across his vision. He felt his head reel and then he blacked out.
The last thing he heard was Angel screaming his name.
≤ΘΘΘ≥
"Empress, the invasion has begun" Cadence knelt before the holographic projection of princess Luna, the marble of the floor ice cold beneath her hooves, and slick with water where it dripped off her coat. They were in the centre of a massive circular audience chamber; a cavernous hall a kilometre in length, from the centre ran four aisles, each facing a point of the compass.
The aisles where flanked by massive columns a hundred meters tall carved into the likenesses of saints and heroes, each holding their burdens above them without any sign of fatigue on their ferocrete wrought faces. Along the centre of each aisle ran a thick carpet ten meters in width, each one covered in flowing patterns of vines and stars. Overhead the roof had been painted in a starscape, lights in the ceiling marking out the stars and each connected to the other by faint white lines, mapping out the constellations of the heavens.
In the centre of the hall atop three steps was a raised circular dais, twenty meters across. Along the rims of each step there was the faint twinkling of gemstones, at the centre was a raised plate of metal, ugly in comparison to the rest of the hall, and upon it stood Princess Luna, her silhouette glowing slightly as the holo-projectors beamed out her image.
"As I predicted" Luna nodded in understanding "Celestia has been amassing her forces for months, it was only a matter of time before she decided to strike" it was true, for the past year the outpost facilities up and down the front had been detecting massive amounts of ghost waves, the radiation emitted by phase shields. Though it had been difficult to guess where the forces of the Solar empire where gathering, logistics had pin pointed the epicentre of the gathering storm, the fortress world of Kriegar.
There were few targets within phase distance of Kriegar that where worth any value, save for Threnor prime, a vital civic world that provided the majority of the ammunition used by the new Lunar republic fleets that operated in the galactic north east. If Threnor prime where to fall then the republic fleets would be left without supply lines and no planet with phase distance to jump to, meaning that this section of the galaxy would have to be conceded to the Solar empire, something Luna was not willing to risk.
From here the easily navigable trade routes would provide the empire with a direct path to the core worlds of the republic, and that meant even Aurelia would be at risk to invasion. It was because of this Cadence had been dispatched to Threnor prime, charged with ensuring its successful defence in the face of the assault. "How many ships has my sister sent?" knowing the strength of the enemy would be vital in planning their strategy.
"Auspex scanners have currently tracked four hundred and three frigates, two hundred and ninety seven battle cruisers and five capital ships. We also have confirmed intelligence which leads us to believe that the flagship of the fleet is Celestias grace of the northern war fleets" Celestias grace was a massive capital ship that had been constructed in the imperial shipyards orbiting Equine prime. Armed with several thousand turbo lasers, hundreds of torpedo bays, and four plasma cannons with the power to reduce entire cities to slag, it was not a ship to be dealt with lightly. In fact the only reason new Trottingham was still standing was because the empire needed the urban centres of the planet in one piece to take advantage of the production centres. "Our phase stations have also detected more ghost waves, another wave of ships is inbound, without immediate reinforcement we won't be able to hold them off, they'll grind us down through sheer weight of numbers"
"I have no more ships to spare, nor do I have an aid to give you. The empire has launched an assault on Cadies, and the majority of the southern fleet has been dispatched to repel the invasion. A smart move on my sisters part, she drew us out like moths to a flame" Luna frowned in irritation, the stars in her mane sparkling gently as it floated in an ethereal breeze. "How goes the defence so far?"
"The empire sought to shut down our defence systems with a preliminary EMP bombardment, short sighted fools. I ensured that our flak batteries where plasma powered to negate their initial advantage. We are currently holding off the first wave of pods, but it is only a matter of time before there are too many of them for us to stop" Luna nodded once again, looking down upon cadence with a studious eye, noting her every move.
"You're wet" she stated.
"I was out on the balcony with my commanders and advisors watching the guns, it is raining outside, a storm so strong that the lightening is splitting the skies" as if to reinforce her point a sudden bolt of forked lightening outside illuminated the hall with its glow, pouring through the panelled windows in the walls, followed a few moments afterward with a rolling boom of thunder. "We have placed static engines around the city in order to use the storm to our advantage, the lightening will doubtlessly strike down a few of the drop pods" Cadence had thought of that herself, knowing she would need every weapon at her disposal to repel the invaders. "How goes life upon Aurelia, empress?"
At that Lunas composure momentarily slipped, she sighed and her shoulders seemed to sag ever so slightly "Dull and wearisome, as ever. The council persists in pestering me with demands to end my use of the emergency powers" though Lunas realm was a republic, it was currently only one by name.
Due to the massive war the republic had found itself caught up in, the council, a gathering of all the planetary governors of the new Lunar republic, had decreed that until such a time that peace had been restored Luna was to reign as a supreme autocrat. However this had been a thousand years ago, and the new generation was becoming unruly, claiming that the high taxes and tithes needed to supply the armies and fleets was crushing their world's economies, and that democracy had to be returned to the republic. 'Could they all be so blind?' Cadence wondered to herself 'do they not see that this sacrifice is necessary for them to maintain their freedom?'
For over a thousand years Lunas strategic prowess had held the Solar empire at bay, and no matter how much they begged or pleaded, supreme autocratic power wasn't going to be yielded until the empire had been crushed and the new Lunar republic ruled the galaxy, even if all the presided over was nothing more than the corpse of the ancient Celestial empire.
"They are simply fools blinded by delusions of their own power; the empress shouldn't trouble herself with the likes of them. They are specks of dust suspended in the stream of time, whilst you and I shall live for all of eternity. You should sweep them aside like the dirt they are" Cadence said, anger in her voice, Luna simply smiled sadly.
"Alas I need the dirt's support to maintain control over the republic. If only I could deal with them so easily, my life would be that much simpler" Luna shook her head "I'm afraid that the duties of being an empress must be attended to, but before I go I have a warning for you" Cadence raised her head from the floor, looking Luna in the eye, confusion was written on her face.
"A warning empress?"
"My mastery of prescience has led me to a vision, Cadence; the goddess has given me insight into a fraction of time. I cannot tell you the true meaning of this warning, only the words that where spoken to me. One has come, his mane aflame and his eyes as bright as the stars. He comes seeking vengeance, to collect a debt of blood and misery. Guard yourself well Cadence, for this mysterious stallion has come for you" the holo-projectors began to fade, Lunas image slowly dissipated "beware the wings of white and the broken horn" where the empresses last words before she disappeared completely, leaving Cadence alone in the cavernous hall. 'Wings of white…and a broken horn, what could she mean?' Cadence stood up and pondered on the words her empress had spoken, before turning her head to a shadow by the base of the closest northern pillar.
"You heard every word?" a part of the shadows seemed to thicken and out of the darkness there stepped a huge griffin, his face placid. He nodded; his golden eyes gave away nothing for what was happening behind them. The griffin was Brute, Cadence's personal protector, a bodyguard without equal. Griffins are long lived creatures and for almost one hundred years Brute had protected Cadence from harm, always out of sight, hiding in the shadows only to emerge when his charge was in danger. He'd been given to her as a gift and had served loyally ever since, but Cadence still felt ill at ease when the griffin was close. There was something about his eyes, how one could never tell what he was thinking or feeling that made her feel unnerved. The griffin ruffled the snow white feathers on his neck and scratched at his chin before replying.
"Brute did, little one" though Cadence had been alive for thousands of years before the griffin was even born, and would see the rest of eternity once he was dead, Brute always referred to her as 'little one'. "wings of white and a broken horn" Brutes voice was rough and clipped, more like that of a bird then a pony.
Since the birth of the Celestial Empire the griffins had carved out their own niche in the galactic west, keeping themselves to themselves and shunning outsiders, only venturing out as small bands of mercenaries. As a result of their isolation the griffins had developed their own tongue, a harsh, clipped and blunt language that sounded guttural and barbaric, and there were few griffins, mostly ship captains and mercenary commanders, that could speak the pony tongue. "Brute shall watch for white wings and broken horns night and day, don't fear little one" he raised his right front leg and his claws closed into a fist, which he beat once upon his chest "Brute will protect you and watch over you"
Though Cadence still didn't truly understand of the meaning of the warning itself, the griffins words still gave her a sense of some comfort. "Walk with me Brute, let us see the invasion" the griffin nodded again and followed After Cadence, his tread surprisingly silent on the hard marble floor. Cadence made her way down the northern aisle, towards a set of huge iron doors that were set at the end, as she walked so turned her attention to the columns that lined the aisle, trying to distract herself from the ill prophecy that Luna had laid out before her.
As was demanded by tradition, those pillars closest to the centre of the chamber where of the six saints of the equine race, each with looks of serene calm on their faces, first came Twilight sparkle and Rarity, their columns constructed in such a way that it appeared that the two unicorns where using their magic to keep them levitated in the air. After them followed Rainbow dash and Fluttershy, who were using their wings to keep the pillars aloft, Fluttershys plinth was adorned with stone statues of animals, and upon her back was a small rabbit. Last but not lest there came Applejack and Pinkie pie, with the columns above them supported on their backs.
After them came the other, lesser saints of the galactic populace. The cutie mark crusaders, Applebloom, Sweetie belle and Scootaloo, who'd led the exploratory fleets after the last of the six had fallen in battle. Big-Macintosh, who'd held the breach at Night gate for three days and nights against a hoard of xenos, whose bodies morphed and changed at will. Cherilee, who'd meticulously, recorded the knowledge of each world conquered and explored before imparting the knowledge to the next generation of explorers and navigators.
There were hundreds more, each with a saga that was remembered on a thousand worlds. Each one of these heroes had given their lives for what they believed in, making the ultimate sacrifice to secure a future for the species. 'But when the Solar Empire storms the spire all of them will be put to the torch. The saints will burn and millions will be massacred simply because they chose to follow the true light of the republic rather than walk the hedonistic path of the empire' how many would be dead before the invasion had run its course? How many ponies would lose their whole lives under the iron shod hoof of the Solar Empire? 'We've done the best we could to prepare, the majority of the populace have been evacuated and the rest placed into Cryo-stasis, there will be no needless deaths'
The iron cast doors at the end of the aisle was at least two hundred feet tall, jet black and covered with flecks of light brown where oxidisation had caused parts of the door to rust. Cadence wasn't surprised at that, the spire was several thousand years old, and had dominated the sky line of New Trottingham for longer than living memory. Upon the door was engraved a scene of battle, nightmarish creatures and brave warriors locked in an epic struggle.
On the left door panel where the armies of the equine race, warriors wielding force hammers, power swords and chain blades. Leading them was a carving of the hero Nova, his hammer slamming downwards in a powerful strike. On his face was a look of fierce determination, his lips where pulled back in a snarl showing gritted teeth and his eyes, picked out with emeralds, seemed to glow with fire.
On the right where hoards of changelings, demonic creatures of ancient legend, the creatures themselves where sickly in appearance, their bodies lean to the point of emaciation and they had holes in their flesh, which seemed to ooze a thick viscous fluid that looked poisonous. They were tearing away to the opposition, ripping them to shreds and leaving nothing but scraps of flesh.
Leading them was the dark entity known as Chrysalis, a creature formed of pure magic who was snarling at Nova, her own eyes a sickly green and possessed of a deep malice, lacking the fiery energy of Novas. In her mouth where fangs, razor sharp and glinting in the faint illumination of the stars overhead, the whole scene seemed so real that Cadence paused for a moment to wonder at the doors, behind her Brute watched on, silent as ever.
"Brute doesn't understand your people's obsession with the past" he idly commented, his deep voice breaking the silence of the hall. Cadence gave him a sharp look, frowning in displeasure.
"these legends are what keep the fires of the ponies burning" she gestured to the door, where the frozen image of war raged on "these ponies made great sacrifices to ensure our survival, it's only right to remember them for what they did" she gave the griffin an imperious look "I wouldn't expect a griffin to really understand"
"Brutes people believe that the present is all that matters, the past doesn't change what will come, it only changes what has been" the griffin scratched his chin again "griffins are strong, we don't need legends to keep our people alive" he smiled at Cadence, who was still glaring at his with her purple eyes "Brute doesn't expect the little one to really understand" when Cadence raised an eyebrow and huffed, his smile widened.
"we don't have time to discuss philosophy, let us see the invasion" Cadences' horn glowed and there was the deep clanking of ancient locks sliding from their positions. With a faint clicking noise the double doors slowly swung open, a fierce gale blowing through the now open portal and racing through the hall, the pillars causing it to scream and howl. The harsh rain followed seconds after and before she'd even walked through the doors cadence was soaking wet, water running from her body and dripping down her legs to the floor, her mane and tail plastered to her body.
Outside where the booming sounds of war. The constant 'dak, dak, dak' of the flak batteries, the high pitched wails of plasma cannons, both accompanied by the screaming of RAM jets as the drop pods fell from the sky in a hail of steel, only to be smashed apart by the shrapnel of the batteries and sliced open by the beams of superheated plasma. Along with the pods was the orange glow of cyclonic torpedoes as they pierced through the flak curtain and pummelled the city below, buildings imploded and collapsed in on themselves, entire city blocks where reduced to ash with each salvo.
Fires where lit up all across the city, black plumes of smoke rising to mix with the grey storm clouds overhead The only things to be left untouched where the factories at the city centre around the base of the spire, the primary objectives of the invading fleet. It was because of this that Cadence had deployed her forces in a secure ring within the manufactories, knowing that her forces would be left unscathed after the preliminary bombardment.
Just outside the door there was a large balcony, with room for at least a hundred ponies. It was currently empty, save for the brave few who had ventured out to see the horrors of war for themselves, the storm had driven the rest of them inside to hide in their luxurious, soundproofed chambers and ride out the invasion in comfort and safety. There were only five on the balcony now, they themselves soaking wet from the rain.
To the left a pegausi aristocrat shielded his wife with his wings, the rain running through the feathers to soak them down to the bone. Though the noblepony was silent as he watched the fires burning beneath him, his wife had no such reserve, and was weeping loudly, her face buried in her husbands' neck.
Another, a techno-savant clad in a dark green cloak, watched on silently. On his back was a large power pack with the symbol of the Adeptus mechanicum, a cog with a skull set in the centre, and from it there stretched four mechanical limbs, the front two where a pair of large claps, the rear left was a needle and the rear right a chain blade.
The remaining two where a pair of her generals, both earth ponies, Steelhoof and Shadowmane, both decorated veterans and strategic geniuses.
"my Princess" Steelhoof said as she approached, breaking off his conversation with Shadowmane and bowing low, his mechanical rear right leg for which he was named releasing a hiss of steam as he bowed. Shadowmane nodded by way of greeting and also bowed, his jet black mane plastered to the back of his neck. "Are you sure you wish to see this? War is no easy thing to watch"
"the world under my charge is under assault general, it is only right that I should have the decency to see every transgression that is passed" at that Steelhoof simply nodded and stepped away from Shadowmane, making a gap by the railing for her. Cadence stepped up to the railing and looked down at the assembled army below, from this high up they may as well have been ants. They even moved like the diminutive creatures, snaking around in lines as they collected extra weapons and ammunition before heading to the outer defence lines, prepared to repel any assaults by those who may have made planet fall. "how goes the defence?"
"we currently have the spire under lockdown, no one is to go beyond the defence lines or risk being fired upon. We are currently maintaining a firing rate on the flak batteries of twelve thousand rounds a minute and we have enough supplies to keep the guns firing continuously for nine months provided we can keep the factories going"
"Excellent news. What about the outposts, have there been any reports?" at this Steelhoof seemed to tense, but it was Shadowmane who answered.
"We have eighteen confirmed reports of the invaders making successful deployments across the planets. The city of Blackwater has reported fighting in the streets and the town of Coltsvale has reported of insurrection by hidden loyalists to the Solar Empire, also, we have confirmed intelligence that says outposts nineteen through to eighty six have already been captured"
"damn" Cadence had been hoping that the outposts would have been able to hold at least three days before being captured, forcing the empire to split its resources to prevent an attack from the rear. But with the outposts in the hands of the enemy not only would New Trottingham take the full force of the invasion, but the empires armies had now gained a secure foothold on the world, if their orbital assault failed then it would only be a matter of time before the city came under attack by land.
A siege was the worst outcome Cadence could imagine, they wouldn't survive. If the worst came to the worst they had enough food and ammunition to hold out for at least two years, but the empire was guaranteed to use heavy artillery both from orbit and the ground to bombard the city into submission, and that could be deadly, nothing sapped a soldiers moral like shelling did. "I want those outposts back" as soon as she said the words she knew they were folly.
"Princess, we don't have the resources. In order to hold even the spire alone we need all the soldiers we can gather to defend the base, we simply can't spare any troops to take back a few outposts. Like as not it's highly likely that by now the Solar Empire has the outposts and the surrounding areas well under their control by now, and they'll probably already be using them as staging areas for supply drops and reinforcements. Any attack on them would be suicide" Cadence felt a knot tighten up in her stomach, she turned her head from Shadowmane and looked up to the sky, where drop pods where falling thick and fast.
She needed to do something to stem the tide of empire troops, but there was nothing she could do without sending good ponies so their deaths. One pod out of the hundred caught her for some reason, and she followed its descent as it fell to earth. It pierced through the flak curtain, shrapnel raking at its sides at it fell through, the RAM jets on its roof leaving a trail of fire to mark its path. A shell from one of the batteries exploded off to its right and sent the pod spinning through the air like a chucked rag doll, for a brief moment she fancied she could hear the occupants speed. And then the pod crashed into the side of a building and punched straight through it before disappearing from sight, with no way to tell if the pony inside was dead or alive.
In that brief instant Cadence felt sick of the whole scene, she couldn't stand the sight of so much death for even another second. "I grow weary of seeing so much destruction. Steelhoof, Shadowmane, you have command, relay orders for the defence as you see fit"
"Princess" Steelhoof bowed again, his prosthetic leg whirring and clicking as it processed the movement.
"Princess" Shadowmane bowed as well, his black mane falling in front of his eyes.
Cadence nodded goodbye to them both and turned away from the balconies edge and made her way out of the rain and back into the dry hall of the audience chamber. Once she was through the open portal Brute coalesced from the shadows cast by the door, padding silently across the marble. "The little one doesn't wish to see war?" he asked as they made their way around the perimeter of the chamber.
"You're rather talkative today" Cadence quipped, on most days Brute didn't even open his beak.
"War is enough to set anyone's blood afire, when Brute knows that the boom of guns firing and the roar of cannons coming to life may be the last things Brute hears, he does tend to talk more often than normal"
"How…odd of you" Cadence commented, they where about a quarter of the way to the elevator to the upper chambers "you don't strike me as a griffin that could know fear"
"All things feel fear, this is known" the griffin stated calmly "Brute is no different from the ponies in the sky or the ponies on the ground; since Brute is not different he must feel fear just as everything else must"
"And are you afraid to go out there Brute, are you afraid to fight?"
"No little one, Brute is not. Though Brute must feel fear, that doesn't mean he must let fear master him. If Brute had to, Brute would go out and fight to keep the little one safe, it is Brutes duty" Cadence couldn't help but smile, she always found the queer fatherly affection the griffin had for her to be endearing.
"That is reassuring for me to hear. Will you escort me to my chambers Brute?"
"If the little one wants Brute to, he will" the griffin stated
"Thank you Brute"
"It is an honour for Brute to serve" they were now about two hundred meters from the elevator, Cadence decided to fill the gap with conversation and take advantage of the griffins talkativeness.
"Tell me Brute, do you have any family back on your home?" the griffin ruffled his feathers and gave a quiet 'squawk', his shoulders seemed to sag slightly, but his golden eyes gave nothing away.
"Brute did have a family once, a happy family. Brute had a strong son and beautiful twin girls, Brute had a mate as well, his white feather" for griffins, and to a lesser extent pegausi, the offering of a feather to another was the ultimate sign of love and affection.
"You had a family? I never knew"
"Brute did have a family, but no more. One day Brute was working to feed his family when some sky ponies came, riding in their ships of fire. Brute went home only to find ash and ruin, his son dead, his daughters gone and his white feather was also missing. Brute searched far and wide to find them, but he couldn't find them. Brute doesn't have a family anymore, Brute lost them"
"Oh…" Cadence had never been aware that Brute had ever had some form of life before he'd entered her service, well; she knew he'd had to have had some sort of life, but she'd never imagined he'd ever had a family, or a wife. "I am sorry for your loss"
"The little one doesn't need to be sorry for Brute; Brute has accepted what has happened. The past doesn't change what will come; it only changes what has been. Brute is strong, he lives for the present, not the past" saying the words seemed to lift the weight from his shoulders; he straightened his neck and ruffled his feathers again. They'd arrived at the elevator, a simple disk of polished white metal, only distinguishable from the marble around it by a blue ring that ran around its circumference.
The pair stepped on and stood at its centre, before Cadence used her magic to cause the disk to rise up from the floor, travelling up and up towards the cavernous roof. Once they where past the roof they entered a glass tube the size of the disk, and they could watch the pods fall into the jaws of the deadly flak curtain. Above the curtain the sky was filled with fire, forming a shell of flame over the city.
There was a bang and a pod spun through the air to impact into the side of the spire just above the right of the tube, exploding with great force and sending scraps of metal smashing into the tube. The glass swiftly shattered and deadly shards of glass descended on them. Cadence screamed as the razor sharp pieces of glass fell upon her, but before the shards even touched her Brute swept his wings of her head, shielding her from the deadly hail.
Cadence cringed and Brute grunted as the shards bit deep into the flesh and feathers of the griffins wings with meaty 'thunks'. After a few moments the hail came to an end, and Brute retracted his wings, Cadence looked about her. Below them the pod was tumbling down the steep slopes of the spire, crashing against the white metal with deep clangs and crashes that she could feel through the floor. Brute stretched his wings and surveyed the damage caused by the glass.
"Sky ponies think they can hurt the little one, but Brute protects" he said as he began picking out the shards, much in the same manner as you would flick an insect off your skin. "Only cowards attack from where they can't face revenge, this is known" a particularly large chunk had pierced the feathers at the base of his right wings, and he snapped his beak irritably as he pulled it out with a wet tearing sound.
"You're hurt!"
"The little one doesn't need to worry, when Brute was trained he went through worse than this" the griffin stated in a matter-of-fact tone "this is just a scratch, Brute will sleep it off" at that Cadence giggled, despite the fact that the floor around them was covered in broken glass, most of them stained with Brutes blood.
"If you insist Brute" they rode the rest of the way up in silence, watching the fire of the batteries and pods as hundreds fell to their deaths. Eventually they arrived at the entrance to the royal apartments, about three kilometres above the ground. "Goodnight Brute" cadence said as she stepped off "go to the medical bay and get your wings seen too"
Though the griffin ruffled his feathers and cocked his head slightly, probably because he might have taken it as some sort of insult to his personal pride, he simply nodded his head "if the little one wishes it"
"I know you say that you don't need to go, but it would help me sleep knowing you had yourself looked over" the griffin bobbed his head and then with a thought Cadence lowered the disk, the top of Brutes head soon disappearing from sight, leaving her alone in the small ante-chamber. In front of her was a large white door, a small light overhead glowed red, she approached it and laid a hoof in the centre of the door. There was a whirring sound, followed by a beam of light that seemed to come from within the door that traced the outline of her hoof. Then with a bing the light overhead turned green and the doors slid open silently, revealing her chambers within, cold and covered in shadows.
As she stepped in and the doors closed behind her, the darkness seemed to intensify, the cold itself oozed from the walls and the floor. Cadence hated the dark at the best of times, but tonight the inky blackness of her rooms seemed to be different, almost malefic in it consumption of the world. "lights on" Cadence said, as she did every night, but instead of the rooms flooding with light as normal, the bulbs flickered and barely gave off any illumination, Cadence gasped. The rooms where filled with a thick black fog, that obscured her vision and blocked her sight, she could barely she her own hoof in front of her face. Up by the roof the fog swirled and eddied in the air currents, like black fingers that clawed and scratched at the light, trying to bring the darkness back into dominance.
"You're here, aren't you?" Cadence whispered, her voice choked with fear, in her chest the knot in her stomach pulled itself back together and threatened to squeeze the life from her. From the darkness there came a giggle, like that of a filly. The light in the roof suddenly blew without warning, and darkness washed over her, it was thick and cloyed up at the back of her throat when she breathed in. something moved in the shadows, darting from the room and through a doorway in the direction of her bed chamber, the giggle sounded again.
"Maybe, but you'll have to catch me to really find out" a voice called out, barely more than a whisper. It sounded like Luna, and Celestia, like that of a stallion and a mares, like a newborn foal and an old aged pony, all at the same time. "come and catch me Cadence, I won't bite" the voice giggled again "or maybe I will" Cadence stood stock still, not daring to move a muscle, the…creature had come earlier then she expected, she wasn't prepared to meet it, and now she had to play its game in order for it to leave. Something nipped at her rump, and she squeaked. "Come on Cadence!" the voice said, irritated "I'm getting bored!" the…thing…nipped at her again, biting down into the skin.
Cadence followed the voice, tentatively stepping around where she thought the broken glass of the light lay on the floor. She'd misplaced herself however, and squeaked when she felt a shard of glass go into her hoof; she held it up to her face. She couldn't see it, but she could feel hot blood begin to well up from the cut, she bit down on her bottom lip to keep herself from whimpering. "Did you cut yourself? Aww, that's too bad" the shadows flowed around her hoof like a snake, slowly spiralling up it to reach the cut. Cadence gasped, the things touch was icy cold, and it filled her heart with a mind numbing terror, every inch of her screamed to run, but she couldn't move a muscle.
The shadow hovered over the wound like a cobra waiting to strike, before it gently licked at the blood, its cold causing the blood it missed to freeze instantly, her cut froze shut. "Delicious" the shadow leapt of her and disappeared into the darkness, Cadence was breathing hard and fast. Her body was shuddering in revulsion from the things touch, cold sweat beaded her brow. "Aren't you going to play the game Cadence? We haven't even started yet" the creature asked, Cadence could feel it circling her, the scent of blood drawing it in like a shark.
She swallowed the lump in the back of her throat and took a breath of frigid air before replying "it's a dangerous game you play"
"Dangerous for me? Oh Cadence you truly know nothing" it said, the shadow pooling by her hooves "this is nothing more than a past time for something like me, how could a hobby like this be dangerous?" the shadow ran up her legs and coalesced on her rump like a spider, Cadence shivered. "You see my dear, the thing is" the thing began to crawl up her back "I've played this game before" it nipped at her, drawing more blood "I know the rules. It's only dangerous for you Cadence, it's only dangerous if you get caught, and you know what that would mean don't you?" Cadence nodded, the punishment for an action such as this was mortification, followed by immolation. "that's why you don't call your griffin guard to you when I come to visit" the spider disappeared and she suddenly sensed that another being was right next to her, its breathe was cold and moist on her neck "that's why you can't get to sleep at night" the shadow flowed past her and from the darkness before her a pair of sickly green eyes appeared, shining malevolently at her. "So, what can this humble being do for you this time?"
"I have received a…warning of sorts, from the empress"
"Luna? Ah yes, I remember her, nice blue eyes, and what was this warning?"
"I have a feeling you already know"
The creature giggled "maybe I do" the green eyes receded into the darkness "maybe I don't, it's not wise to go poking your muzzle where it doesn't concern you" the shadow enveloped her, whispering in her ear "isn't that right Cadence? Maybe some things are left untouched" the implication wasn't lost on her.
"I raised you from the pit, I can put you back" she said, trying her best to sound strong.
"Then why don't you? I mean, if I'm such a bother why not just get rid of me?" the words hung in the cold air, as much a challenge as a question, Cadence bit her lips again. "It's because you need me Cadence, I know that and you know that" the shadow swooped up and circled lazily overhead "beware the wings of white and the broken horn, that's what Luna told you" before Cadence could even open her mouth it continued "I should know, I spoke those words to her in her dreams. Well, actually my sister did, but then again we are all one and the same in the realm of magic, it helps mother keep track of her children"
"You gave her the warning…why?"
"Because mother requires you in one piece to complete the task at hand, surely you haven't forgotten? Mother would be very…angry…if you've forgotten" Cadence felt herself tremble.
"I know the terms of the pact Creature, I made them"
"Creature; is that what you call me?" the shadow dispersed from sight, leaving her alone in the bed room. "I do have a name you know, but even if you had a thousand years you could not say it, my name is meant for a more civil tongue" the voice floated through from her study "so I guess Creature will have to suffice, unless you would care to come up with something better"
Cadence followed the voice, taking each step slowly, in the darkness she was blind. She felt the door frame and that the door was open, she stepped through. Normally the study would have been flooded with moon light that poured through the large window in the wall, but in the darkness it was impossible for any light to reach her eyes. "My queen wishes to know if you are ready to go through with your end of the deal, she's getting rather bored with sitting in her palace and waiting"
"Tell your queen I will only go through with this if necessary, she will have to wait a while longer until I am certain there is no alternative" Creature hissed through its teeth.
"Oh Cadence, I don't think you really get it" suddenly a fire began to burn under her skin, hot and fierce; she scratched at her coat, but to no avail.
"What are you doing to me?" she gasped as the fire seized hold of her heart and began to burn it raw, her legs buckled and gave way beneath her.
"well, let's just say my mother told me that I would have to…persuade you if you weren't ready" the shadow pooled around her, trendils rising up to wrap around her body "so Cadence, would you like to rethink your answer?"
"You can't do this!" she gasped.
"Can't? I already am"
"Get off me!"
"Tell you what, we'll make a deal. Begin the preparations for our arrival, and I'll tell you where to find your erstwhile killer. Does that sound like a fair trade?"the trendils began to dig into her skin, so cold that she felt her blood begin to congeal within her veins "think carefully now"
"I'll do it, I'll do it, just get off me" Cadence gasped. The trendils took one last deep bite that caused her to scream before they released her, the shadow flowing away from her like water back into the darkness. "I'll make the preparations, now; show me where he is, show me what my killer looks like"
"Patience, patience Cadence, first I must go and tell my mother the wonderful news, then you shall know"
"You said you'd show me now!"
"I said I would show you, I didn't say I would do it now" the shadow said irritably "when I return, then I shall show you"
"How do I know you'll come back?"
"Oh Cadence, have faith, I'll return, I promise" the darkness began to flow past her like a strong wind, pulling itself together and coalescing into the shape of a pegausi. As the darkness flowed to together the world slowly grew brighter, until she could make out the outline of her 'visitor' in the faint moon light that fell through the window. Its body was corrupt and deformed, holes pierced straight through its chest and its wings where disgusting, torn and broken with feathers missing.
A green light seem to come from its cruel green eyes, and with its faint glow she could see a disgusting, watery discharge running down from the inner corners of its eyes. When it opened its mouth to speak it had sharp fangs in the place of its canines, razor sharp and deadly "don't you know that a changeling always keeps its promises?"
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1144471
duely noted, here's another chapter
I've noted that one of your weaknesses is capitalization and sometimes punctuation. Nothing that's all over the place but it's there.
Otherwise I have to say nice work. Looking forward to reading more of what happens... and I figured we hadn't seen the last of the changlings... personally I'm hoping that they show up and then ponies everywhere unit to drive them back and then they live happily ever after...
Yyeeeeaaah alright so maybe not!
Looking forward to see where you take us. Have to say the prayer was an interesting use of the Mane 6. I personally really liked it and thought it was a clever touch... oh and something that I'm VERY glad that you mentioned was why the Solar Empire didn't just destroy the planet. I had my own ideas but it was nice for it to be touched on. Just one line was all that was needed, and that's what you gave! Keep up the good work!
1147328
in retrospect i did go over the top with the whole "future war destruction" type stuff, i'm gonna head back and tone down the prologue.
hang around by the way, we ain't seen the last of Chrysalis yet
1147874 Alright well then I'll certainly keep that in mind as I read on... and oh I will be hanging around. I'll keep checking in on this story every now and again to see where you lead us.
1181123
all your comments are duly noted, looks like i'm gonna be very busy tonight.
now to answer your questions
1. psycho-projections are the manifestations of AI's. the psycho part relating to the fact that their processors are kept within the host ponies brain. any pony who hosts an AI or is in possesion of projection technology can see a psycho projection. for instance the supervisor of the communications corps has a projection halo around his head which projects data in front of him like a normal projector today, except it doesn't have to project onto a screen or wall. the same goes for Bull, at any point in the story where somepony can see psycho projections, i will point it out. have to say though i haven't really considered using psycho projections to a great extent, i'm gonna look into it.
2. They may be in a war, but that doesn't mean that they all have war like names. Celestia isn't a war like name, neither is cadence or Luna, despite the fact that they are some of the leading members of their factions. Blaze has his name because he chose to change it due to personal reasons, his team mates haven't been through the same situations as him, so they've had no need.
3. whilst they are rare, they aren't so small in number that its an incredible event to meet one. whilst it may seem like their being bossed around, all their orders stem straight from the war office, which are in turn often issued by the highest ranking members of imperial command and possibly even Celestia herself. just because their Alicorns it doesn't necessarily mean that they are superior to everything.
4. noted and edited
Thanks for all the pointers, i'll get on them right now
1181279
Thanks for your explanation.
I misinterpret "projection" in "psycho-projection" as a neuronal projection, like the machine in the brain directly stimulates the host's visual and association cortices to generate vision, I think that's why I can't fathom why others can see a "hallucination" within one's brain.
About the alicorns, it's just in the prologue they are given a very high social status, and now they are mere high ranking soldiers, a little abrupt that's all. Or perhaps this is what war is capable of? Turing the penultimate pony subspecies which represents the viture of ponykind into killing machines?
One last thing, in the prologue you wrote "We could prevent ... and HIV", HIV isn't exactly a disease right? I'm also not sure if equines can be infected by it.
Don't work yourself out. Off to sleep I should.
Will write the last comment later.
1181464
about the HIV thing, i couldn't think of what else to say, so i'm gonna change.
also i'm editing the first chapter to make Blaze a more prestigious presence
also, the whole 'hallucination in the brain thing' never even crossed my mind, true story bro
Thanks for your critique
[Comment on Chapter 3]
(Contains Spoilers)
Best chapter of the first three in my opinion. Intense action, the NLR side of the war, Brute the philosophical griffin and the changelings' scheme. I'm pretty much dragged across the page to see what would happen next. Good job sir!
Things I most enjoyed:
).
1. The prayer to the Six: That's what I call epic, I felt like shouting "FIRE AND FURY" after reading that scene (which I actually did, more than once
2. Brute: Not at all a brute, but a freaking shadow ninja badass philosophical griffin, my favourite character so far.
3. The changeling: Pure evil! That swirling shadow . . . . So awesome
My (Extremely Unprofessional) Suggestions: (I'm not a native speaker, and I don't study literature.)
1. Making the orbital drop look more desperate might make it more appealing. The NLR set the invasion force up, a SET UP! F#@k! Will our heroes make it? I should have been worrying about this, but I was actually not a bit apprehensive. Maybe there's too much action and not enough emotion?
You can consider making separate paragraphs for those sentimental lines.
For example: The paragraph of Angel's explanation goes like this:
It could be rearranged like this:
This may look more dramatic
2. I don't know (and don't want to know until I finish the story) what message are you trying to send to the readers by this story, but I'm relieved to find that nopony who has appeared so far is a simple blood thirsty warmonger, and that both sides, even the supreme commanders of the NLR are getting weary of the war. You know, after reading the prologue and chapter 1 my impression of the princesses was just like that: Cold, calculating tyrants who revels in deaths and would not hesitate a bit to condemn an entire planet if it means gaining an upper edge against the other.
3. What are Cutie Marks in the future? I do not recall you mentioning them.
1186952
Glad you liked the chapter, all notes have been taken into account.
now for your questions
1.if you want to know the message of the tale, then message me, cus it would be a pretty big spoiler. But i'm definitely not trying to paint the princess' as cold and harsh tyrants.
2. i never really considered it before, but i guess more swords and shields would be present, given the nature of the galaxy at the current time
Oh, man.
1-media-cdn.foolz.us/ffuuka/board/tg/image/1337/31/1337317235686.png
Bet the goddess is named Faust.
I am loving this story. I wonder why it isn't a feature