//------------------------------// // Chapter 38 - The Unspeakable Pinkie Pie // Story: The Pony Dreadfuls // by No one is home //------------------------------// “Are you actually Jimmy Jack’s brother?” Train Wreck trotted and cheerfully addressed Cpt Jackson. “It’s okay if you’re not. But now’s the time to come clean. I have two changeling daughters, one adopted and one mine. And I can sense the plague. So you never had me fooled. But the Lieutenant, well she’s getting edgy, and sooner or later the local patrol is gonna realize that back-up got there really quick.” “Look, I know who you are. That’s proof enough. And your girlfriend hasn’t killed me yet.” Cpt John Jackson fairly snarled. “We’re gonna take a left up here towards Decatur. We need to get the Equestrian vaccinated..” “I've already briefed her on the ferals.” Train Wreck cocked a curious eyebrow. “Even the most retarded rape-horse isn’t gonna take us on.” “Ferals? Are you serious?” Cpt Jackson did a quick double take, “This isn’t the outlands. It only takes one anti-vaxxer with forged paperwork, I know, but I’m talking about the water. Before the vaccine humans couldn’t even enter the city unless they just WANTED to be a pony. Look could you just let the ghost know we’re turning left?” Train Wreck Trotted ahead, “Turning left. They’re all changelings.” “Well of course they’re changelings!” Carrot Plate protested. “So what?” “They’re not UAC.” Lt Pinkamena spoke evenly. “Cpt Jackson is... sort of.” Train Wreck nodded. “You probably know more about him than I do. But he’s Jimmy Jack’s brother, and I still got a debt to pay there.” “There’s an ambush.” Pinkamena grinned. “They’re going to ambush us. US! That’s so adorable. I wish you still had your old body. And me too, really. This feels like using a cheat code.” “So if John turns left he’s with the hive, if he walks straight North he’s with the UAC? Where do we stand?” Dan chuckled nervously.” “We’re with the ATL, like we always were.” Steve nodded sharply. “Queen Cicada wouldn’t take this risk if she didn’t think it was worth it.” “This is where we find out if our diapers are still on or if we were just pissing in the wind this whole time” James gave a haunted, bisected smile. “Turning left.” “So we can trust John then, the hive is the city.” Mary Beth nodded. “And the City IS the hive.” Dan answered with a smile. “Hell, if we’re going to Five Points maybe I could take half a day to hang with Cindy and spend some time with the grubs? She said they’re gonna molt any time now. I bet one of ‘em’s got little segmented fingers.” “I’m totally gonna tell her you were flirting up with Little Miss Equestria.” Mary Beth chided. “Okay, that was totally professional, and you know it. We’ve got an unknown alicorn of unknown type and species. He’s not a rogue, the opposite, he’s official Equestrian Royalty.” “And somehow you didn’t lead with that.” Steve cocked an eyebrow. “Apparently he’s not very...comfortable with it.” Dan grinned sheepishly. “I give exactly two shits.” Train wreck fell back and interjected, “You guys Diane and Captain Jackson have exactly one thing in common. You don’t trust the UAC. So why are we turning left on 76? And if we’re not going to the CDC, then where ARE we going?” “The political situation is… complicated right now.” Steve grumbled. “The UAC isn’t bad on it’s own, But there are conflicting factions.” “So I’m gonna spin and flare my wings in a minute. Cpt. Jackson and his troops are going to drop the act and take to the air and return fire, I imagine. Not my call, though. Diane is going to drop Carrot directly behind me, Use my wings as cover. You're cops, not soldiers. Keep your heads down and return fire only if absolutely necessary.” “Dude, I’m seriously pretty sure you’re not bulletproof.” Dan said flatly. “And I’m pretty sure that I am.” Train Wreck spun and flared his wings as the first shot rang out, eliciting an immediate wince from the beast. “Ow! Okay more bullet resistant. Ow! Goddammit, it’s like being shot with a BB gun! You pricks keep this shit up and I am GONNA come over there!” “Hold your position soldier!” Pinkamena barked her order, suddenly behind him with Carrot Plate in tow. “You hear that!” Train Wreck laughed. “You’re LUCKY my mare’s holding me back!” Cpt Jackson and his fellow changelings had indeed taken to the air and darted about in skillful formations harrying the as yet unseen enemy. “Where the fuck are they?” Dan Screamed above the din. “They're Changeling soldier drones, and their using active camouflage.” Carrot shouted back. “Z showed it to me. If a changeling's good enough at it they can be practically invisible. They’re good but I can make them out.” The human peeked past the cover of Train Wrecks wing only to jump back as a bullet whizzed past his face. “I count three, Diane… OW fuck! I’m kinda shielding the civilians here, could you...FUCK! Okay I’m really about to walk over there!” Train Wrecks screamed over the hail of gunfire. “I just wanted to see what kind of monster you were this time, Charlie.” Diane grinned and spoke in a whisper that silenced the world. “You’re not the only one who came back from the dead with new tricks.” “Locusts, huh?” Pinkamena was gone but her voice rang out. “I guess Ma Belle’s back at Six Flags in a pod? Too bad, I always liked the old Ace Hardware. It reminds me of when I first got here and I thought this world wasn’t so bad. I thought I knew what war and misery were. I tried to stay out of hive war. But Queen Locust just HAD to have the drugs out of Charlie’s hospital. She just HAD to keep the rail lines locked down.” A camouflaged changeling suddenly dropped camouflage as Pinkamena grabbed him by the throat and slammed him to the ground in her powerful jaws. She disappeared in a hail of cross fire only to whisper in another drone’s ear. “I went easy on you drones then. A lot of you were confused. You had to follow a queen and you couldn’t figure out which one wasn’t going to get you killed.” Pinkamena grabbed the hapless changeling to use him as a shield against his comrades assault only to disappear again. “But it’s been two years and you just won’t learn that enslaving ponies is wrong. And yet you follow that creed by CHOICE!” The voice dropped into a whisper, but echoed in the head of the remaining changeling. “I’m not going to kill you, I’m going to show you something. It’s what’s behind the walls, it’s what could have been.” A proud changeling father welcomed his half-unicorn daughter into the world. He watched with pride as she flourished and surpassed his greatest expectations. And the thread slipped and Damocles sword fell. And the changeling instead was dragging a pretty unicorn filly forcefully into a pod. “That was the day you chose this fate.” The Pink Ghost Smiled as she walked away and a single shot echoed in the air. “We need to get to Decatur Station”