3-9 Recap · 12:07am Nov 30th, 2015
Sorry for the delay in getting this week's chapter up, but this is the first time I've had to really sit down and make sure everything's spic and span. I also needed to watch a certain season finale.
Fasten your seat belts, people. This one's gonna be one hell of a ride! Recap time!
Celestia spoke of the early days of contact between ponies and humans. Things had started off well, Celestia and the Director formed a true friendship over the months. They spent much time sharing their cultures, history, and technology while Sunset Shimmer and the Director’s top men searched high and low for the Forerunner ruins.
“Over the following months, Sunset Shimmer grew more distant as she spent more time in the company of the Counselor and the Freelancers. All the while, the Forerunner ruins proved to be elusive,” Celestia explained. “At the same time, the Director grew more… withdrawn. After a while, he stopped letting me see Alpha, and updates on the progress of the search for the ruins from both him and Sunset Shimmer became more scarce.”
The Princess cleared her throat, composing herself. “But I digress, it was out of interest in saving Luna that I asked Sunset Shimmer to learn as much as she could about human A.I.s while she assisted Project Freelancer. She followed my instructions… all too well.”
Twilight’s hoof shot over her mouth. “You don’t mean to say she….”
“Yes. She helped them break Alpha,” Celestia sighed. “Naturally, I was furious when I learned that she went behind my back to do something so vile. We fought, and I ultimately dismissed her as my student.”
The Monitor 636 Rambling Frequency looked around at the ragtag group around him, and with a cough said, “Very well. Will start from beginning.” 636 coughed again. “In order to stop nigh implacable threat to all life, Forerunners activated an array of weapons designed to kill all sapient life in galaxy, themselves included. However, they did not do so lightly. Activation of Array was last resort, and the Forerunners didn’t activate it without means for life in galaxy to begin anew.
“Thus, they implemented Operation: Genesis. Before activating Array, Forerunners spent time cataloguing data on all affected species. Embryos, DNA, even live specimens, and set in place automated protocols on various planets across the solar system to return each species to beginning of its evolutionary cycle. Humans, Sangheili, even ponies were reborn in this fashion after firing of the Array.
“The facility we are in now contained detailed data about project. Unfortunately, data appears to be all but lost. Well, except for most important data. Records of all species, locations of their homeworlds, and repopulation facilities hidden away there all reside in my own personal memory banks!”
“That Monitor has information that will lead me to another Forerunner site!” CT answered as he and Rarity faced each other. “Perhaps you’ve been there? It is on your homeworld, after all!”
Rarity tilted her head. “What?”
“Apparently, there’s some pretty damning evidence against Project Freelancer there.”
Twilight opened her pocket dimension and brought out their transcription of Recolta Bogada, along with a relatively recent map of the Frozen North. “According to what we found, the Forerunner ruins we’re looking for are at Stonespire Mountain, less than a couple days’ walk from here. We can’t miss it.”
It was barely a few moments later before the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps heralded Tex’s arrival.
“The castle’s guards are rounding up what’s left of the Recovery Agents,” she reported through Osgoode’s helmet. “Where’s Wyoming?”
The others only had to glance behind them where the Pelican was rapidly shrinking into the distance.
“Dammit! Did you at least deactivate the transmitter?”
Sarge crouched to pick up his shotgun. “Well… not exactly….”
Switching the Pelican to auto-pilot, Wyoming stood and made his way from the pilot’s seat to the rear bay. The rows of seats along the walls were empty—it wasn’t like he had time to pick up any of the other Freelancer personnel—but he got the sense that something was there that shouldn’t be. Hearing a second beeping sound underneath the warnings being broadcast by the ship, Wyoming went to one of the overhead compartments and rummaged around. After tossing aside a duffel bag and a medkit, Wyoming found something that made his heart stop.
He pulled the rectangular object down and found himself looking at a very familiar device with a single blinking red light.
“Bollocks,” Wyoming said as he held the orbital strike transmitter in his hand.
Seeing the confused and concerned look on his daughter’s face, Godfrey continued. “These ‘guns’ aren’t the only thing we’re getting for doing this job. Once the priority targets are in our custody and the rest are dead, Sunset Shimmer is going to give us first access to the new weapon she’s making as a form of field testing.
“I don’t have the details just yet, but whatever it is will make us faster, stronger and all around more effective in combat. With that kind of power, we can ensure the Whitewater higher-ups won’t bother either of us.” Godfrey held a talon under Gilda’s chin and raised her head to meet his eyes. “But you must understand, this will only be possible if we complete this job fully.”
Godfrey looked up at the group like his whole world was crashing down around him.
“Face it, you don’t have her loyalty. You never did,” Rainbow said. “You might earn it back one day, but if you kill me, she’ll never forgive you!”
Godfrey Graywing looked from the group across from him to the mare at his feet and the man beside her. The talon holding the gun began to tremble, and slowly, Godfrey started to lower it.
“Inform Sunset Shimmer that all of the targets are dead. I had no choice but to take them all out,” he ordered, and his sellswords moved out.
“Thank you, commander,” Twilight said as behind her, Washington, Simmons, and the Blues lowered their rifles.
“I didn’t do this for you,” Godfrey said as he loaded another magazine into his pistol and put it away. “Now go, before I change my….”
The commander was interrupted by the sound of a single shot from a Battle Rifle. The whole world seemed to go silent as Godfrey’s eye grew wide. He grunted in pain as he clutched his chest, and the snow beneath him turned red. The Whitewater commander staggered backwards as more of his blood started to seep through his talon and onto the snow. With one final desperate gasp for air, the big one-eyed griffon’s hind leg slipped over the side of the cliff, bringing him down on the ground. Twilight and her friends could only watch as Godfrey Graywing slid over the side of the cliff and disappeared from view.
Dizzy and nauseous, Twilight backed away from the edge of the cliff and turned towards her friends. All of them had turned to face the two newcomers standing just down the path that brought them up the mountain. A maize unicorn mare with a red and yellow mane like fire stood beside a human in gray ODST armor with blue detail on his helmet and shoulder pads. The latter held a smoking BR in his hands while the former studied the group with a pair of cold, cyan eyes.
“Thank you, Donovan,” the unicorn said, shaking her head. “What a disappointment. Why did we even hire those idiots in the first place?”
“I believe you said because they were cheap and you needed subjects to field-test your experiment,” the gray soldier—evidently Donovan—stated.
“You…” Twilight said, stepping out in front of her friends and studying the mare across from her with growing realization. “You’re Sunset Shimmer, aren’t you?”
The pony in question grinned. “Very observant. Of course, I’d expect nothing less from you. ‘Twilight Sparkle,’ is it? Hmph. That’s an interesting choice,” Sunset sneered. “I’ve been waiting a very long time to meet you.”
Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “What do you want with me anyway?”
“A few things,” Sunset said nonchalantly. “Mostly I’m curious about what Celestia sees in you. After all, she did pick you as my replacement. I mean, it’s one thing for her to pick a filly from Baltimare’s own House Warmblood as her pupil. But you….”
Sunset gave Twilight a spiteful glare. “To be honest, that still really irks me. Tell me, out of all the ponies in Equestria Celestia could have picked as her new protègè, why did it have to be you?!” Sunset exclaimed, throwing a foreleg in the air. “It’s like the princess is personally trying to spite me!”
“What the hay is that supposed to mean?!” Twilight exclaimed.
“You mean you still don’t know?” Sunset asked, giving Twilight a predatory grin. “Let’s just say we’re connected by more than just my old title.”
Night Light cleared his throat and Twilight prepared herself for a long story.
“A couple of years before we adopted you, there was an especially big Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot with nobles from all over Equestria. At the Gala, we noticed that Princess Celestia was frequently seen in the company of a noblestallion: Sacred Home, of House Warmblood. You’ve probably heard of them, they’re the most influential noble family in Baltimare. Anyway, he and Celestia were together throughout the evening, even spending some time alone afterwards.
“Now, what you need to understand is that back in the time of pre-Luna’s banishment, it wasn’t unusual for the Princess to take on a… consort from time to time. After all, she’s a pony just like the rest of us. Nowadays, it’s a bit more taboo, but if you’re observant enough, you can tell when somepony she’s ‘friends’ with is something… more.”
“Allegedly….” muttered Velvet.
“He wouldn’t have been the first in recent times. Those very signs were on the wall with Celestia and Sacred Home. He stayed in Canterlot for months at a time over the following couple of years, but he didn’t have his own place. He seemed to be living at the castle. And of course, he was almost always seen in the company of Princess Celestia.
“Then one day, both he and the Princess just disappeared from the public eye. No one heard from Sacred Home since, and Princess Celestia only appeared in public again after approximately nine months.”
Twilight’s jaw slowly started to drift toward the ground. “Nine months…?”
Night Light nodded. “That’s right. Around the same time you mysteriously appeared in the Foal Services system… as barely a newborn foal.”
Twilight carefully thought over the conversation she just had, and all of a sudden, a certain detail stuck out in her mind. “Wait, didn’t she mention House Warmblood?”
“I think so,” Applejack said. “Why?”
Twilight remembered why it seemed so familiar. The name Sacred Home returned to the forefront of her mind, and more importantly, the possibility it presented. Suddenly, it clicked, and Twilight gasped. It seemed impossible, but then again, so did much of what else she’d learned over the past few days.
“What is it Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I’d really like to look into this 'House Warmblood' the next chance I get,” she said.
“Why’s that?” Washington asked.
“Because,” Twilight said soberly. “I’d probably be pretty angry too if I found out that Celestia replaced me with my illegitimate half-sister!”
