Bolo Combat Unit GNY has been defeated in its primary task and now plummets to a certain destruction. What thoughts go through the metallic mind of a Combat Unit of the Dinochrome Brigade in its last few minutes, a weapon of war now resigned to its ultimate fate?
Done as a challenge from a friend, to write something that covers a subject not directly covered before in FIMfiction. Created during National Pony Writing Week in August 2012, not posted until now because I’m lazy. For more stories in Keith Laumer’s Bolo series, check out the Baen Books Library or the exceptional author William H. Keith (He writes much better than I ever could)
Chapters (1)
And now for something completely different....
(Minor edits 9/14)
Wait one cotton-picking second.
Bolo fic??
Zomg, Bolo fic. You, sir, are awesome. Don't even think, just keep being awesome. What you're doing works great.
One eansie-wiensie nitpicky edit request: Could you add a \[hr\] tag or some similar divider between unit GNY going back to "sleep" and Luna talking to Celestia? I can tell what's going on, but I feel that for didactic reasons there needs to be more of a separation between them than the single newline there currently.
(And those nasty typos can't seem to leave anyone alone, you've got a comma-separated list that ends with a dangling comma. Said list mentions Polynesians, Americans, and Australians.
)
I wanted to add something about the fic itself (you know, on topic and all), but beyond attempting synonyms of various lengths for "it's awesome", I don't actually have anything else to say about it.
You did however manage to remind me that I need to read more Bolo stuff, so thanks for that.
1275386 Corrected, and added horizontal rules (didn't know how to do those before) *and* added links in the description for fellow Bolo fans. Thanks for the happy feedback
My Little Bolo: Supertanks are Noble
A most enjoyable story of technology meeting magic. The best part is that, given the temporal incongruity, this could've easily taken place a thousand years ago and would still work. It slips seemlessly into FiM canon. Somewhere in the desert, there very well could be an alien engine of destruction with a pure heart, waiting for something critical enough for it to notify the only two minds on the planet who know of its existence.
In short? Transcendently epic win.
Your fics have a tendency to be interconnected. 1275436 makes a good point, and now I'm wondering what you're going to come up with for Geanie here in the future...
Georg, I'm so sorry -- I put that whole thing about typos in my prior comment, and I forgot one.
I'm pretty sure Luna means to offer assistance.
1276941 Darned typos. I swear they come crawling out after you hit the "Save" button. Fixed.
No, I'm not planning on crossover-ing Pumpernickel with a multi-thousand ton fusion powered AI controlled Combat Unit armed with nuclear weapons. That's just tempting fate. What could possibly go wrong? (ducks for cover)
Wintastic, this fic lead me to read up on Bolos! Please tell me you have plans to continue this story!
Milscifi crossovers are good news. (I should know...)
HOLY SHIT, Is this a Bolo Tank fanfic? YES IT IS, FUCK YAH FUCK YAH FUCK YES!
*cough*
-Edit It's a bolo mk. 32, nrrrg *drools*
I am deeply impressed with this story, but disappointed that it ends where it does. I want to see GNY brought out of his slumber to defend Equestria, with the Mane 6 as his crew and Twilight as his Commander. It would be Epic.
"I calculate I can improve the probability of my survival 2.56 percent by ejecting my remaining munitions, but I reject that solution. If this society were to find reconstitutable weaponry from my impact, it could have adverse sociological impact on what appears to be a peaceful society."
The selflessness of these noble machines is never lost on me, god I love those books, you're doing an excellent job sir. ^^
Communications with Luna were a bit confusing though I had to reread it a few times to understand that he hadn't landed yet he was just communicating... telepathically I guess?
-edit Please M0ar. ^^
Excellent. Very nice work and I too would love to see more of Sir Bolo. Just him interacting with Luna in dreams would be cool.
I don't even know where to begin beyond that this is great.
Awesome, just awesome. I never thought I'd see this particular crossover.
We need a Reteif in Equestria story.
Also, all my infinite repeaters for a Bolo fic
Excellent Bolo fic.
Kieth Laumer was a fantastic writer.
Thanks for the read.
I want moar now
Just discovered this. And it is full of win. Been a while since I've read a BOLO story! Hat's off to you for tackling it!
Cool story bro.
2616423 (checks statistics) I need to do something nice for the people at Spacebattles.com sometime. I think I'm getting like 2-9 hits a day off them.
2616525
Well, you never specified the time period the Bolo fell to Equestria in.
Perhaps after a thousand years of non-activity, Unit GNY of the Line needs a wakeup call.
And then allow it to make friends with the great and powerfu- Well, at this point, thoroughly ruined and washed up Trixie.
T: What, is THAT thing?
*Turret rotates*
GNY: 'I', am Bolo Unit GNY of the Line, 457th Division.
T: O_O
GNY: Might I be permitted to inquire who YOU are?
T: Y- I- It... You can SPEAK?!
GNY: I am Bolo. Communications is a standard cognitive subroutine. Again, I would like to request your identity. It has been 230 of your years since I last communicated with your leadership.
:
2003222
(Nod Of Agreement) (128-g)
Georg, you honor the Dinochrome brigade.
This story is so amazing. It needs a sequel..... Have you any plans?
I normally don't go for stories with a sad tag, but this deserves ALL OF MY YES. I shed 3 manly tears while reading. Truly, a great story.
Damn.This was a good story. *sniff*
*salutes*
Now to read it again!
Think of him as a MANLY alternative to the Elements of Harmony. Need a Changling hive removed? One Hellbore shot and It's a glassy crater.
That isn't possible for them. At the very least, they would have absolutely no ability to even imagine a Bolo's programming. They would have no spells for it, and no concept of controlling it or even a way to interact with the programming. Programming and such simply doesn't work that way. So, I'll ignore that and put some headcanon in instead saying he doesn't have enough time to change trajectory due to the four counter-grav plates that blew out earlier.
Besides, he is a BOLO! If the princesses could dick with Bolo's programming at range, he would drop all safeties and carpet-nuke their world and blast away with hellbores until its atmosphere boiled away. You think he'd let some aliens who can conceivably (by this fic's "canon") find a way to remotely control Bolos live? Hell no!
My "headcanon" change to this fic in my mind removes the need for that xenocide from happening.
What, princesses, do you think technology is just some side-show gimmick for frauds and carnivals? Given your time-period analogue...probably.
Then you should find away to go to some other galaxy. It isn't a choice when you are attacked whether to be involved or not. You ponies are so naive.
If you mean attract its enemies, then probably. If you mean cultural "poisoning" then no, that isn't how cultural cross-pollenization works.
Don't let him hear you call him "yours" or you may find yourself moving perilously close to the "Enemy" category.
Technically, it should be "species", not "race". Africans and Caucasians are examples of races. Humans are a species. Anyway, yep, I like how she summed up humanity. It makes me feel a little flattered and warm and fuzzy inside.
This is a very good fic! I actually would enjoy seeing a sequel or something of a post-Final War Concordiat of Man coming peacefully to retrieve one of their their knights in shining armor. Also, I have read several contradicting things about the end of the Final War. I have read that Terra was destroyed, but I have also read (and prefer) that the Melconian World Burner destroyed Bolo Prime on Luna but was stopped short of Terra. I figure that most of humanity didn't bother trying to contact Terra until years had passed simply because they all thought the Earth had been destroyed. Then they would find out that wasn't the case and the Concordiat of Man would kick ass once more.
Given Luna could view his "memories" (human history) through his "dreams" (which makes sense as it is Luna + dreams), this could be an interesting facet of any sequel with a reborn Concordiat of Man arriving in Equestria to get their Bolo (possibly giving him a new warhull, psychometric upgrades, and making him some official guardian of that planet).
Anyway, great fic! You really caught the Bolo mentality very nicely!
It's been the better part of a year since I read this story, and I have yet to find any other bolo fics
You get a like and a favorite for that alone!
But it at least means 100% of all pony/bolo fics are good!
Well, this was a welcome surprise! I was working my way through your stories to pick up more threads of the Pumpernickel 'verse, and I come across a Bolo crossover.
A 21-Hellbore salute for you, good sir Georg.
Hmmm... Honesty, generosity, loyalty, kindness, and friendship... Nothing missing but laughter, and that could come later.
Yep, it's a Bolo Bronie!
Reminded me of the ending of one of his stories.
" Why? Why would you attack if you knew it was futile?"
"For the honor of the Regiment."
5195373 you mean: Brolonie?
3715054 Legacy you will not be disapointed
5775774 already been reading it
And you're right, I very much have not been disappointed!
5775766 Argh. Nobody ever sausage a bad pun!
I doubt those repairs would take so long. Maybe one year maximum.
Well, she's in for a hard lesson in basic astronomy. I wonder how she'll take to learning she controls neither the stars nor the moon. Same for her sister and the sun. Perhaps they control the light directly over Equestria, but not anything else.
Like that could a Bolo. Especially one that can fly. Oh, wait, it was a dream again.
That says a lot about Bolos.
They would blow themselves up. They'd have no concept of even the smallest theories behind the least of your technology.
Then them blocking your programming should make them priority targets. Seriously, that is a highly hostile action. The only reason why I wouldn't suggest blasting Luna for invading your historical archives is because it is only history that she looked at and she did nothing else. Given the circumstances, that is acceptable.
If they are so weak-willed that they would abandon their own cultures and take on alien ones just like that, then their cultures need to be destroyed anyway.
They used mind control spells on him in an attempt to keep him from avoiding their attempts to save him. Scary potential but the narrative implies he knows he COULD have overridden the block.
So I'm not seeing a reason to glass the planet. I haven't read BOLO books though.
I loved this - you totally captured the nobility and selflessness of a bolo, and their respect and concern for life. When most people talk about bolos or write about them, it's always their firepower that gets gushed over, but what's really the important thing is their personalities and the mentality behind them which is what's captured here.
It fits really well with the MLP 'verse here, and it's easy to see why Celestia and Luna would offer their kindness to GNY for his efforts to avoid causing destruction unnecessarily as well.
I'd love to see more Bolos in Equestria if they were treated with the same understanding as you've done here. A sequel would be great, but it works so well as a standalone too. Fantastic stuff, well done!
A short story in the same vein as the ones Keith Laumer wrote. Bravo.
you made me tear up with pride, have an upvote.
8538301
*shedding tears* Same.
6183564
No, the question is how everyone else will take to learning she does.
9810980
Assuming the ponies are right. Which is a massive assumption. History is full of cultures that misunderstood what they were doing as something else. Luna herself could believe she manipulates stars but misunderstand what is actually happening. For example, she might be altering their light in her country’s night sky. Believable by MLP standards while still immensely impressive.
I miss Bolo-pony fics... I miss Legacy... I have 3 bolo books sitting in my room because of bolo-pony fics. I want more.