Princess Luna - 23rd of Megan, 17 EoHPrincess Luna - 23rd of Megan, 17 EoH
Conflict zone - The Dream Realm
I could write a book on the Dream Realm. I would have years and years ago if the study of Dream Magic wasn’t banned. Thing is, it had been banned for good reason. Very good reasons.
I was talented in the school of magic. I had a knack for each and every aspect of the entire school, thousands of years of experience, and I’d STILL fallen prey to one of the Dream Realm’s denizens. I thought that would remain the worst mistake I’d ever make when wielding dream augmented sorcery.
I had been wrong. So very wrong.
Transporting all of Ponyville to the Dream Realm was now my greatest mistake. It wasn’t even a good idea in hindsight a mere three minutes after doing it. I’d taken the city here to prevent it from being destroyed by a monster, and yet…
The sound of a plasma beam ripping through stone rumbled through the air. Every one of the hundred ponies huddled within the castle’s great hall winced in unison.
The city was now being destroyed by countless monsters.
I’d entirely forgotten that the Dream Realm has factions of creatures. In everlasting war. Ponyville had appeared right in the middle of one of their battlegrounds. In a world of ever-shifting terrain with nothing immutable, an entire city full of creatures appearing from nothing was commonplace, normal. The ‘good’ creatures had thought nothing of it.
On the other hand, the Nightmares wanted the food which had just arrived. Which made the "good" creatures realize that there was in fact food in the "water", thus the battle around us just got that much worse.
Sparkle and I had held them off for some time. We had help, of course, but against truly endless numbers… Even Dusk’s assistance couldn’t do much. Her powers were tied to our own universe. The goddess’s powers didn’t replenish as she used them. At the moment, she was nothing more than the earth pony she enjoyed shaping herself as.
The Trixies were out of ammunition, and there wasn’t enough food to replenish their magical reserves, nor stamina. My knights had fought until they simply couldn’t stand. I’d fought on even longer.
Because it was my fault we were here, the survivors, huddled inside Twilight’s castle while everything outside burned. Waiting for my spell to end as nothing I’d done could reverse it.
I’d nearly gotten everypony I’d tried to save killed. This was far worse than arrogantly assuming I could control a Nightmare's power. Especially with the deal I’d had to strike to save the few ponies we could fill the castle with.
She’d offered to protect one building. Twilight’s castle was the biggest. We’d fit perhaps a quarter of Ponyville into it. Hardly enough… But my knights and I were relatively certain we’d saved eighty percent of those who were trapped outside the castle.
I lifted my head and frowned. I was rested. I had to head back outside now. The waring ethereal creatures could be kept at bay. I had to continue to minimize the disaster I’d caused.
I wonder how Celestia will take it when I tell her I teleported Ponyville into a warzone?
It won't be good. Best case scenario I get the crown stripped from me. Oh, Faust… Did I subconsciously do this in the hopes of her removing my political responsibilities!? Please let that not have been a factor! I-
A golden shimmering light drifted up through the floor in front of me, immediately drawing all of my attention as it warped itself into a pegasus shaped silhouette I’d become so familiar with over the last few days.
The Reverie who refused to be called anything other than Sweet Dreams, a pony name.
“Is there a problem, Dreams?” I asked worriedly, ears falling back slightly.
While I was grateful she’d hidden the castle from her kin, and from her enemies… I was very uneasy about her condition for providing that help.
Dreams shook her head. “No, good news in fact! Your spell is lifting, you can see the very edges of town starting to peel away,” she answered, enlarging her ears and flicking them energetically to substitute the smile she couldn’t make without a mouth.
Ah… Then it was time.
“I understand… I’m not… I’m not fully okay with this,” I admitted with a long sigh.
“Are you backing out? Really!? After I’ve already done my side of the bargain?” Sweet demanded with anger and fear in equal measure.
“No!” I replied instantly. “But I’m certain you can understand why I don’t want to be puppeted, AGAIN.”
“I promise I won't stay in you longer than the trip requires. Nightmare Moon escaped this realm through you, and so I can too. But I don’t want to keep your body, I have other plans,” Dreams said pleadingly.
Again.
“Yes, so you claim, but you haven't even told me what those plans are! I need some reassurance that I’m not unleashing a monster on the whole kingdom to save one town! I agreed to help you out of desperation, I didn’t have time to think,” I explained, my own ears perking as I begun to sense my spell ending as well.
Dreams stood still for a moment, then scuffed the floor with a forehoof in a rather adorable way.
“I… I was born from the dream of a pony in Canterlot. Reveries are created from the most intense positive dreams… We… We follow our creators around. Watch them. Sometimes we visit,” Dreams said bashfully.
Ah. Yes, that was true. One pony could create hundreds, if not thousands, of dream entities through their lifetimes, and they did compete to make their creator experience, well, just them for the rest of time. It's how they fed.
I think I got it now. “And you want to visit your creator in the waking world?” I asked curiously.
Dream’s wings twitched. “N-no. I want to live with her. I um… I’m the product of her dream for the perfect marefriend. Making me the embodiment of the concept of someone who is perfect for her. She lives in the Crystal Empire now. I intend to possess a latex bodysuit and move in with her.”
I felt my brow raise in surprise. “Uh, why a bodysuit?”
“Because I’m perfectly matched to her desires, and that’s what she wants. A mate made of living latex who can be worn if desired. I am that desire made manifest, and I have found a path to deliver it to her as more than a hallucination as she sleeps,” Dreams explained simply. As if I’d asked why the sky was blue. “I don't want to take over your world, our possess your body. I just want to take my creator’s dreams and make them real for her, because nothing else can.”
I paused for a moment, looking over my shoulder at the scared huddled mass of civilians behind me. We had moments left here, but even just one moment of Dreams protection being taken away would be enough to get them all killed. Or for their own dreams to warp them…
And even if it wasn’t, Dream’s goal did seem logical. But-
“If it helps, Nightmare Moon was your Nightmare,” Dreams blurted worriedly.
I blinked. “E-excuse me?”
“Nightmare Moon was your Nightmare. She was born from you. From your fears of hurting ponies, you've protected. Nightmares seek their hosts too. The only reason she turned you into a conquering warlord is because that’s what she was. The embodiment of the concept of you turning evil.
“I’m just a kinky mare’s sexy dream, pretty potent from the emotions involved in my creation, but well, I don't CARE about hurting anything. Or anyone. I couldn't care about that if I wanted to. I don’t want anything to do with you. Except to use you as my door out of this place where I can’t help the only person I care about.”
That likely would have phased me a decade ago. But not now. Not after years of suspecting that the Nightmare was tailored specifically to me. Its torments had been too perfect for anything else.
“Exactly how do you know about Nightmare Moon?” I asked with an accusing glare.
Dreams rolled her head. “How do I know about the most famous dream in all of this realm? Humm, I can’t see why the story of the one of us who escaped would be a thing we all hear at least once,” she snarked.
“Fair enough… Get in,” I said apprehensively.
The golden light dimmed slightly as it moved towards me. I could feel the dream creature sliding into my mind like an oily mass of pinecones. The true insanity of which was that it didn’t hurt, it felt like I should be in debilitating pain, but I was not. The paradox generated almost as much horror as the thought of giving up my free will again.
The spell continued to fade out, I could sense the last few seconds of its duration about to expire. Sweet Dreams had made it inside just in time. If I could look to my left I’d see the energy wave collapse as that wall was closest to the edge of the displaced zone.
I turned my head left to look.
I turned MY head left to look!
“Y-you didn’t take over my mind!” I exclaimed in shock.
<I told you I wouldn’t do that. I just need to be IN here. I don't need to puppet you,> Dreams said gently. <It’s all... Nightmarey in here. I can see why you were so opposed to this. She did some damage here. I’m sorry this happened to you.>
“I’m sorry I doubted you,” I said with a relieved smile. “I honestly wa-
The wall of energy slammed into me as the spell collapsed, washing over the room almost like a tsunami. You could feel the magic slam into you and push, hard! Hard enough to force you through the dimensional wall, to pop back into reality with a sharp snap and a punch to the gut.
Several ponies threw up as we materialized, unable to take the rough transition. I staggered, my weary body almost falling over before I could brace myself upright by pushing against a pillar with my left wing.
“Is everypony alright? We should be back to the waking world now,” I called loudly.
A chorus of sickly moans answered me.
“Stupid question… Sorry,” I apologized, laughing nervously.
It felt odd to be back. Like the disaster should have followed us home.
<That’s actually a thing to check on…> Dreams mused. <Before I hop out, would you please go to a window and make sure nothing was dragged here with us?>
I blinked. “Yes, I can absolutely do that. Also, how much of my thoughts can you see?” I asked while quickly pushing through the crowd of frightened, weary, and uneasy ponies as I moved towards the door.
The closest window was the balcony one floor up from the great hall. Not too far of a walk and I was too tired to teleport.
<All of them,> Dreams replied simply and honestly.
I’d expected that… The Nightmare had been able to see them all too.
“Y-you won’t tell anypony anything, right?” I asked hopefully.
<Luna, I’m a sexual fantasy. It’s not like I’m judging you,> Dreams laughed. <Well, I am. And I like you! You seem fun.>
“It’s more than those thoughts and memories. Everything in my head is to remain private. Please,” I ordered, thought politely.
Sweet Dreams had proven herself to be an ally. Even if she did require payment for her services. There was no need for me to be rude to her.
<Oh! Sure, I won't say a thing… Is that a common fear of pon- Oh. Yes, I can see that it is. May I copy some of your memories? Not personal ones, just basic facts, cultural details, that sort of thing,> Dreams asked politely. <It won't take me any time at all.>
“So long as it’s only those things,” I replied as I pushed the doors open and turned towards the staircase.
My messenger gem suddenly glowed a light blue. I had everypony turn theirs to ‘alert first’ as the Nightmares would come running at the sound of a mortal voice. It’s a good thing somepony called or I would have forgotten to turn that off.
I picked up the gem with a shaky telekinetic grip, and gave it a light squeeze, accepting the message. “This is Moonb-”
“LUNA!” Celestia’s voice exclaimed in a mixture of fear, love, rage, desperation, and joy. “Where have you been! I swear to Faust, if you have been at the Emeralds this entire time to sleep with that mare you like, I will personally slap you into next week! I thought you were dead! I’ve been calling you every hour for the last week! WHERE ARE YOU!?”
Ohhhh… Something bad happened.
Did the Everfree- Of course! The Everfree and that monster would have grown over the Ponyville are after I moved it. Fortunately, anything caught in the displacement area would have been atomized when we returned, leaving us some breathing room. Though admittedly, if she knew or believed I had been in Ponyville it would have looked like I died.
“I’m out of mana, starving, and I need to sleep for at least a full day and night, but I’m alive. I’m in Twilight’s castle,” I answered frowning steeply. “What’s wro-”
“Twilight’s castle? But Ponyville was disintegrated!” Celestia objected.
“No… I stupidly moved it into the Dream Realm to prevent it from being destroyed by a monster… It didn’t work. We materialized in the middle of one of the designated battlegrounds. Most of the city is in ruins… Maybe seventy percent of the population is still alive,” I reported wearily. “We need as many medical personnel as possible. The local hospital is gone. We could also use anyone adept at removing curses. A good number of ponies experienced some… Changes.”
Celestia remained silent for several long moments. With each moment that ticked by, my face pulled into a bigger and bigger grimace. I knew that Celestia had to be livid with me. I’d just caused the most deaths of Equestrians in three hundred years…
“Luna, how long have you been back for?” Celestia asked with an urgency which made the fur on the back of my neck stand up.
This was her war voice. What was going on? What had I missed? If I missed Chrysalis again… Somehow...
“About a minute,” I answered. Keeping things as succinct as I could.
It was critical for me to be quick. I could tell that much by Tia’s tone of voice.
“Listen closely. Twilight’s castle is on the edge of town closest to Canterlot. You might stand a chance,” Celestia said half to me, half to herself. “Gather everypony and run. Head towards Hollow Shades. DO NOT come to Canterlot. White Tail Woods is occupied by a hostile invading army. Get through them as quickly as possible. Do not go to the Gaian’s compound for help. They are under siege.
“I don’t care how dumb you think moving the town was, Luna. You’ve saved the lives of everypony with you because Ponyville was their beachhead for this invasion. You're literally right in the middle of occupied territory right now. Canterlot is currently under siege and the first battle will start at any minute. I can’t help you.
“If you don’t get out of there right now, every single pony will die. Just as they would have if you didn’t move the town. The enemy wants nothing more than to kill us all. Literally. That’s it. This is a war of extermination. Take everypony and run. Now.”
I felt myself turn white as a sheet at my sister's words.
“Tia… I’m sorry,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “No pony here is in any shape to run. Not even me. We’ve been fighting nonstop for the last week. I- I love you, Tia. Goodbye.”
I switched off the gem, blinking tears out of my eyes. We were all going to die.
<Like heck you are,> Sweet Dreams objected. <I said I’d get everypony home safely. They are not yet home safely, now are they?>
That was true. Especially from the perspective of someone who focused more on the spirit of the law and not the letter. Another sign I’d made the right choice. But how could Sweet Dreams help?
“Can you hide the keep from them too?” I asked, my thoughts turning to my knights, who were currently stationed around town outside the keep. Either keeping watch or guarding ponies who would not fit inside the keep, or couldn’t have moved to it even if they wanted to.
<No, that trick will only work on things like me. But there is something I can do for you,> Dreams offered.
“What is it?” I asked suspiciously.
<Calm down. It’s nothing I’ll need more payment for. It’s just that I think you’d object to me remaining in your head for a week or two while I recover,> Dreams half-explained.
My eyes narrowed in irritation, and Dreams responded to my thoughts before I could voice them.
<I could give you my own energy, restore your stamina and magic to…about a quarter of their full capacity. But if I do, I’ll be too tired to leave you, and I won't be at full strength for a week at the soonest, which I will need to be in order to pursue my goal,> Dreams elaborated.
“Is that all?” I asked.
<That’s all,> she answered.
That was a very small price to pay for possibly ensuring no more ponies died this day.
“Do it,” I ordered.
I immediately felt my eyes dilate, widening as far as they could go. I still felt tired, but I also felt like somepony had stuck a cider funnel down my throat and made me chug a six liter espresso followed by a few cans of Manathirst and a bottle of Pega-Speed. The exhaustion was there, but my body didn’t care about such trivial things at the moment.
I was going to pay for this in the morning...
<Done,> Dreams said, her voice a mere whisper laced with a yawn.
“This is NOT a quarter of my power,” I yelped, left eye twitching with the excess energy.
It was more like one and a half times.
<I’m sorry is it less? I’m really bad at math,> Dreams yawned.
I was about to reply when I noticed I could see the balcony ahead of me. I knew it wasn’t safe out there now, but the exact nature of the threat was still a mystery to me. That was some intel I needed to know immediately.
Stepping over to the window, I pushed it open took one look at the mass of enemy tents and war standards made from living crucified ponies, and nodded to myself.
“Yep… This is slightly worse,” I muttered.
<I’d say slightly better,> Dreams disagreed.
While that was debatable, I didn’t have time to argue about it.
I grabbed my messenger gem, ignoring the question. “Lunar Knights: Girls, we’re not out of the woods yet. We’ve gone from one war zone to another. Evacuate EVERYONE to the keep. I’ve got a bit of energy left, but I’m just one mare. I can’t cover you all out there. With any luck, Celestia will send reinforcements. Good luck.”
Dreams may have been bad at math, but she had given us a quarter of a chance at surviving this. At least that twenty-five percent had gone somewhere.
Gone somewhere… Didn’t Sky’s house have a teleport pad?
Rarity - 23rd of Megan, 17 EoH
Space - The Final Frontier
I knew I’d spent at least ten minutes staring out the open airlock at the world below. I knew that I had other things to do, but they felt… Small. Not unworthy of doing, nor unimportant. My mission to return home was just as important as ever but there was a feeling.
I didn’t know how to describe it succinctly. Standing here, above the sky, looking down on the world in its entirety. There were no borders, no nations, no cultures. Just one place, a single unified land. I saw the world as a singular island in an ocean.
Twilight’s lectures on astronomy had given me knowledge of other planets, but I’d never understood the scope before. My entire life had been spent on one small bit of earth, atop a single rock. Every mission, every horror, every honor, all took place there. In a place so small.
The world was infinitely larger than I had ever thought. Then I could have ever understood before.
There was more I could do for the world. More that I should do. I could put my talents to use in other places, places which would help everyone. We all lived such a small distance apart from one another. We are all neighbors. It was the right thing to do.
“Woah!” Indy suddenly exclaimed, his avatar’s face crinkling in surprise. “Uh, Rarity, do your people possess Ifitian Slip Drive technology?”
The question pulled me out of my trance, making me shake my head slightly. “Humm? Whatian slipping?” I asked stupidly.
“Oh… Did you get the full Overview Effect? I’m sorry to break you out of that. I just, I picked up a massive spacial displacement below us,” Indy informed with a confused frown. “The signature is extremely similar to one of the Empire’s allies drive technologies. It sort of punched holes in space to teleport city-sized ships anywhere they wished.”
I shook my head. “No, we don’t have anything like that. We can teleport but the world record for moving things is seven tons of material,” I replied, turning my head to look back out the open airlock. “How is the air staying in here?”
“Forcefield,” Indy said rather distractedly. “I hate my main reactor being offline… These backup sensors are the worst thing ever. Got to get line of sight to anything I want to see close u- Oh.”
The sound of his ‘oh’ was composed with equal measures of hatred, fear, and sadness.
“What happened?” I asked, turning towards his draconic avatar as the projection warped, transforming into a topographical map of- Ponyville!
My eyes widened as I noticed the entire city lay in ruins. Everything but Twilight’s keep, Azur’s clinic, Pinkie’s house, and the Spa was burned, blasted, or otherwise at least half destroyed. The true horror was I could make that out from the fuzzy, still zooming in and resolving image that Indy could display. If it was that bad now, what would it be like to walk the streets? How many lay dead?
“Do you have power plants that use Osmium? This could have been a core breach,” Indy mused with genuine sadness. “If so they’ll need anti-rads. If we wait for another orbit I can fabricate a few thousand doses of- That’s a war camp!”
My eyes pulled away from the blasted remains of my home to the small collection of tents I’d overlooked. They rested on the south side of Ponyville and were arranged in a perfect square around an orange glowing portal.
I blinked. Orange portal? The only time you ever used a portal was to travel between dimensions. Like to the Mirror World, Opposite Equestria, or-
“Tartarus!” I yelped, my tail standing upright in alarm.
“That didn’t translate, was that a curse word?” Indy asked, sounding completely lost.
“Yes! It’s also a place,” I said as I felt a burning anger build up deep within my stomach. “A place full of horrible, evil monsters. Princess Celestia has been banishing the worst criminals there for millennia. Like Tirek! He’s escaped again… And raised Ponyville. Because of Twilight…”
Indy was quiet for several minutes while I stared at the projection.
“This is your home, isn’t it?” He asked apprehensively.
I nodded.
The map projection vanished, replaced by Indy’s brass colored draconic avatar in order for him to pull me into a tight hug. I returned the hug with my mechanical arm, and closed my eyes.
“We need to stop him. Right now. Before anypony else is drained… Last time he almost took over the entire country,” I warned.
“I understand. What is this Tirek capable of?” Indy asked. “We’ll need to formulate a plan of attack. We could just hit him with a Cyclonic torpedo from up here but if we don’t need that much firepower I’d rather not destroy a large chunk of your biosphere.”
I felt the anger in me turn into a steely resolve. I DID have the power to stop him. And I would. I would stop him forever. Imprisoning a monster which could destroy the entire world in the same place he’d escaped from once was a horrible idea. He needed to die. Now. For the safety of everyone, pony or otherwise.
“He’s a fiendish centaur with the ability to steal magic from other creatures and-”
“WAIT!” Indy suddenly exclaimed. “Warcamp ground level now in focus. Potential enemy presence located! Analyzing…”
I turned to look into his face just in time to see it twist into the single most wrathful glower I’d ever seen in my life. The expression was instantly followed by a klaxon’s wailing, the hanger’s lights dimming, and hidden red lights flicking on everywhere.
“It’s not Tirek,” Indy spat. “Red alert! Demonic troops spotted in a civilian area. All pilots scramb… ble… Oh… Yeah…”
The rage melted into pure endless despair as his call to arms trailed off. Righteous didn’t have to say anything, I knew. The things below were the creatures which had driven his people to extinction. And they’d just destroyed Ponyville. Whatever they were. It was our turn.
“You were saying something about torpedos?” I asked encouragingly.
“That won’t matter. When they attacked us they appeared everywhere at once. It’s too late… You’re probably the last,” Indy said, his voice clearly holding in a sob.
“Are you certain?” I asked, a fearful frown pulling my cheeks tight. “Can you look around?”
“I- well yes,” he answered going quiet for a few moments before his draconic muzzle split in a cruel smile. “Well well… It looks like they are only in this town, the nearby settlements are clear, or mounting a defense against them. It would seem like they have to move traditionally.”
I felt my heart lift a little at his words. “Then can we do anything to stop them? I’ll bet that if we dropped Sophia in the middle of their camp we could do more than enough to stop them.”
Indy let go of me and shook his head as she started to pace the hanger deck. “No. The MBTs are long range surface transports, mobile command centers, and field artillery. While they can be used against small numbers of infantry, massed infantry formations will overwhelm them. I have data on these monsters, Miss Rarity. They CAN wear down shields rather quickly and that's Sophia's primary defense.”
Fair enough… “Alright, what about um…” I paused, looking around the hangar before settling on the sleek-needle like aircraft. “Those jets?”
“The Mark CVI Pegasus requires a trained pilot to fly even with an AI’s assistance… It also really should have a different name considering how it’s the hundred and sixth iteration from the original and looks nothing like it. Also, they run on Osmium and yeah… That’s all decayed now,” Righteous grumbled, still pacing.
I nodded again and continued to look around. “Perhaps those boxy looking mechs?” I asked.
I’d seen Sky’s mechs before. Those things could do quite a lot of damage. Even when he wasn’t trying to fight things. It’s why Twilight refused to ask for his help anymore.
“Those would work,” Indy agreed. “But the Madcats are designed for boarding another starship and disabling it from within. Most of their arsenal is nuclear. While certainly not the most dangerous weapons we could have put on them, they do kinda make a mess of planet-sized areas. As in, they are safe in space, but on the ground, they have the unfortunate side effect of rendering large swaths of land uninhabitable for decades. The end result of using their missile racks to depletion would be slightly less destructive than using a torpedo.”
I grimaced. Fluttershy would kill me if I did that to the place her animal friends lived… Well, assuming any were still alive at all. And assuming she was alive.
“D-do we have any other options?” I asked worriedly, realizing that my friends could have BEEN there when Ponyville was attacked. “And I REALLY need to get down there, as quickly as possible! All of my communicators are gone and I have no idea if my friends were back when this happened or not!”
Oh my! My friends likewise had no idea if I was there when this happened! There’s no way Celestia hadn’t seen this from Canterlot! They might think I was dead.
“Option one,” Indy began. “I glass the site from orbit with the space to ground batteries. With the main engines offline I can’t G-pin, meaning I can’t line up perfect shots. There’s no way for me to avoid civilian casualties. Particularly with anyone fleeing the site via the air.”
I winced. “Yes, and my friends could be down there.”
Indy nodded. “I know. Option Two: I shut down all systems save the computer core and one primary turret and try to nail the portal while you chill inside a shuttle because if want to even get close to enough energy to power up the big guns to the minimum required to fire the lowest powered shot, I’ll have to cut life support.”
“Would that destroy the portal?” I asked hopefully.
“Maybe? I expect it would, but it could also just go right through it. Cuz you know, portal. Depends on if the energy of the blast can interfere with the energy of the portal,” Indy elaborated with a shrug.
I frowned. “Right, that’s not the best idea either then…”
He nodded once more. “Option Three, we load some high yield torpedoes and send as much ordinance into the camp as we can without causing too much collateral. Downside we won't destroy any of the demons outside of the camp, and the residue energy, particulates, and any unexploded warheads will make the town uninhabitable for at least forty years if we drop enough of a payload to ensure we kill all of those monsters.”
“None of those are good options,” I sighed rubbing my right temple with a hoof in frustration.
“I know… If I had primary power online we’d have more options,” Indy said flatly. “But I don’t. So we need to work with what we have. If I could power on the Aegis I would, but it ALSO runs on Osmium.”
“The what?” I asked curiously.
“The Aegis. My old Captain’s personal mech. It’s actually intended for mass infantry combat. It’s more of a heavy power armor than a mech. But it doesn't matter because it’s a useless hunk of metal right now,” Indy grumbled. “I HATE not having the right tool…”
I looked around the hanger again, this time even looking up there was anything on the ceiling. Nope, just the same six compartments from before.
“Where is it?” I asked curiously. “I can’t see any other vehicles. Do we have more options than just these?”
“It’s deployed via the torpedo tube like a drop pod, along with its support pods,” Indy explained, pointing with one talon downwards. “It’s under our feet. Talons. Hooves! Ugh! You know what I mean.”
I nodded and went to think back on our three options. Which one would cause the least harm to everypony, but be the most effective? What could we do-
I blinked, the seed of an idea forming in my mind. Wouldn’t a ship have spare power cells for its stuff?
“Indy, what exactly is Osmium? You’ve never told me,” I asked curiously. “Is it a mineral? Or a crystal?”
“It’s a crystalline substance, yes,” he replied hesitantly. “Why? What’s it matter right now?”
“Well, it occurred to me that there HAS to be some spare Osmium onboard. You don’t go on a trip without spare batteries,” I pointed out.
“Sure, there’s plenty,” Indy answered immediately. “Thing is, it’s useless. It decayed. In order to power things, Osmium must be mostly composed of one particular isotope, at least ninety-six percent pure. When it is, you get this harmonic resonance which puts out more energy than you get with an anti-matter reaction.
“Over time that isotope decays into one of the mundane varieties of Osmium and becomes useless unless you want fountain pen tips, instrument pivots, needles, or electrical contacts. Or if you just like a silvery blue metal lump for decoration.”
I blinked and took a step back in surprise. “I but- Does it rust?” I asked quickly.
“No,” he replied, raising one eyebrow. “Why?”
“It’s a very hard, very dense silvery blue metal which doesn't rust and is able to hold and release massive amounts of power?” I asked again just for clarification.
“Yes,” Indy replied again.
“That’s Arcanite!” I exclaimed excitedly.
“So your people DO know about it?” Righteous asked eagerly. “That will make it easier to get some later- Oh! Could your government get some together quickly? We could pick it up in a shuttle, power me up fully and THEN we could-”
“There is absolutely no need for that,” I said shaking my head rapidly. “How much do you need to use? BY mass?”
“Wait, you can make some with magic!?” Indy asked, his eyes almost popping out of his head.
I laughed, despite the dire circumstances the thought of me being that powerful was truly hilarious.
“No! Don’t be silly,” I said, trying to hold back more laughter. “Arcanite in its pure state will act as a well and draw in ambient thaumaturgic current, but less pure grades won't do it without a little prompting. Because it’s ridiculously expensive, even Twilight has problems getting her hooves on pure Arcanite. But even the ‘decayed’ stuff will work just fine, it only needs to be given a bit of a charge every once in awhile.
“My sewing machine uses a tiny sliver of arcanite as the power supply. I need to give it a fresh charge once a month to keep it stable so it can draw in ambient energy. I don't have much power, but if you could work on say, a kilogram, I could charge it for you.”
“I require about a ton to operate,” Indy said, crushing my hopes instantly. “But, the Aegis only needs point six two kilograms to fire up the main reactor, and if the energy arcanite produces can be used to replenish other pieces…”
“You could use me to jumpstart the mech, and the mech to jumpstart you!” I said with a satisfied grin.
Sky would be proud of me for this one!
“Yes… But that would take hours, and we need to act within minutes. The Aegis is the perfect tool for this job. We will deploy in it immediately!” Indy decided only to hesitate and turn to look me in the eyes. “Wait! Will this hurt you?”
I blushed as I saw just how much concern for me was in his eyes. “I won't be able to cast any complex spells for at least twenty-four hours. I might regain telekinesis before then, but this will take everything I have. Aside from feeling physically weak, there’s no danger in depleting your mana.”
That was a bit of an understatement. This was a little dangerous. But I didn’t want the poor drake to worry.
“Other than being vulnerable to harm?” Indy asked with a wince.
I nodded, frowning. “Well yes. But we need to do something other than just kill everything below!”
“I agree. But I can’t accept any lag time if I am both fighting the demons and safeguarding you. Captain, I formally request permission to put my hull into autopilot and board the Aegis with you,” Righteous demanded.
I blinked, but he cut off my question. “Yes. I can do that. I have a physical body of sorts. Remember?” He chuckled.
“Will you be able to get back into this ship?” I asked as worry filled my voice as well.
“Yes. And I can remote control my hull from the Aegis, if necessary, I could dispatch a shuttle to retrieve myself,” he informed.
“Then, if you really think it’s necessary, permission granted,” I decided with a short nod.
“Excellent! The core is not too far from the torpedo tube,” Indy informed, his avatar vanishing as a small hatch in the floor slid open with a sharp hiss. “We’ll likely end up there at the same time. Take that hatch down. Second door on your left. I will be unresponsive while exiting the core. Sorry.”
“That’s alright,” I said as I began to trot to the hatch.
No one replied. That honestly felt terrifying.
“I-Indy?” I asked hesitantly.
Again, nothing.
I slipped inside the hatch with a growing feeling of unease pressing down on me. It wasn’t until I’d reached the somewhat cramped pony-high corridor below the ladder that I realized why.
I actually liked having the constant companionship Indy provided. I’d always been something of an extrovert, and having a person with me for days on end who was nothing but kind and caring had been lovely.
What did it mean when you missed someone after they’d been gone for only a few seconds?
Shaking my head I continued down the corridor, wondering why bipeds would make a hallway so small they would have to crawl through it. Did they have pony sized friends who were afraid of large spaces or-
Or this is a crawlspace… And you’re just tall enough to walk normally in it because they are bigger than you are. That was a bit of a dive into the Pinkie side of ‘logic’, Rarity…
It took me perhaps a minute to reach the second door on my left side. It was easy to spot, the door was open and the large room beyond it was definitely a torpedo bay. I may not have been familiar with military vessels. But there’s only so many things a large device designed to take cylindrical things from a stack and put them into a trough in the floor then slide them into a tube in the wall can possibly be.
I stepped out of the crawlspace and began to look around the room. Most of the space was occupied by stacks of large cylindrical devices of many lengths, secured with simple metal clips to keep them in ordered stacks. I was willing to bet that the perfect tube look of each one was simply a casing to protect the weapon inside from debris, fire, and impacts.
After all, you wanted fins on your missiles. I learned that much from complaining to Sky that his missiles would look much better without fins.
There was, however, three things to truly marvel at. One of which was the large chute which came down from the floor above which had a row of Drop Pods stacked in it. I hadn’t really gotten a good look at one before. They looked like olive green gemstones cut into the shape of a teardrop using as large of a facet as possible.
The next I initially thought were nine different missiles the size of me in different shapes, but quickly realized they were, in fact, three missiles each three times my size. Whatever those were, they were considered too dangerous to store in a completed state. An array of interactive robotic arms rested next to the almost-completed warheads. Ready to finish constructing them just before firing.
The third could only be the Aegis. It didn’t fit with the military industrial look of anything on this undecorated deck. It was big, so big that I was certain I would fit in the chest, with the arms and legs completely mechanical, but not so big that it felt like a mech. There was just enough space for something my size to sit down in its chest. Which now that I thought about it, a pony rearing up was basically the same height a human would have been.
I could see why Indy had called it heavy Power armor. This was an odd thing. Halfway between a suit of armor and a vehicle.
Just like how it a was halfway between a suite of Classical Period full plate and a Neighponese drawing of a robot expressly designed to look "badflank". A thorough mix of functional looking angles and curves designed to deflect projectiles and stop direct strikes mixed with an aesthetic based on what I presumed was human iconic imagery.
At least, I assumed the sculpted clamshell-like pauldrons and sallet helmet meant to evoke an overall minimalist yet elegant look, which combined with the way the armor stood in its rack with its arms crossed over a long sword was meant to be iconic.
It screamed ‘protector’. The stance, the look. The armor also looked vaguely female; graceful, sleek, and curved. It also held a "tough as nails" quality close at heart, as indicated by the sword's edges which looked as if they had been coated in a shimmering, rolling, almost fluid material to look cooler. It worked, it definitely looked cool, and I wasn't into weapons.
The ‘helmet’ helped solidify that impression, as it featured a sculpted in mouth and chin, as if the armor’s head had a helmet of its own, one which covered the head and upper face but left the nose down free. It reminded me of a Zebrican Death Mask, to be honest.
It had to have been modeled in the user’s likeness. Not just the face, but the entire suit. Indy had said that you had to be a noble to be a captain, and this looked like something a wealthy noble would purchase. Especially with it’s white with gold trim color scheme, and the crest painted on the pauldrons.
I reared up to get a better look at the crest, curious as to what exactly it was supposed to be.
To my delight, my mechanical eye zoomed in on the crest, magnifying the image for me, and then quickly remapping it to a flat ‘panel’ so I could see it dead on instead of from this odd angle.
“Okay… I’d be a very foolish pony if I got rid of these enhancements,” I declared.
I would have to get some more elegant pieces designed for me. While I knew Indy could make better things, I’d have to have Sky make me some parts just to see what he could think up. Maybe I could get them to collaborate! Have Indy design the skin, and get Sky to do the rest of it.
After all, if Sky could integrate a teleportation system into a wristwatch-sized device…
Ooo! I could get one of his VR helmets built into my eye and use that to show myself how any part of my projects would look before I'd cut the material. Maybe I could even test designs before making one, to see how they would look in motion!
Yes. I like this plan. Let's make it happen!
A slight squishing sound from the hatch made me jump. Spinning around, eyes wide with fright, I found myself face to face with a pony sized pale blue translucent blob of… Gel?
The gel paused, dipping in on itself slightly as if embarrassed before oozing into the room, moving around me at a respectable distance as it flowed towards the Aegis.
“Um, I-Indy? Is that you?” I asked worriedly.
The gel stopped, contracted twice as if nodding, and then quickly oozed up the side of the Aegis. A small hidden iris hatch hissed open as it reached the belly plate, and the gel quickly oozed its way inside. The Aegis’s eyes flickered, lighting up blue as the iris hatch slid shut.
“Integrating AGI unit. Standby...” A flat synthetic female voice announced.
Huh. So it was Indy.
“I… I have a really hard time as seeing you as anything other than a dragon. I thought you had a dragon shape for everything,” I laughed nervously. “That looked like something out of Invasion of the Space Ooze.”
A few moments passed, and then Indy’s voice came from the light mech. “Sorry! I haven’t been out in… Um… A geological age. I forgot how to form a shaped body. That's not programmed, it's learned. Sorry for walking through the room naked like that,” he chuckled.
“Why would you apologize for that? Most everypony prefers to forego clothing,” I reminded.
“I know, I was trying a joke. But it failed,” Indy explained. “Okay. Here’s how this goes. The core armor here is currently hooked into the ship's power systems to keep it's self repair module online. The reactors which provide shields, flight, and weapon power are housed in the backpack module. It’s on the wall over there.”
The pearlescent white and gold armor hummed slightly as it extended one hand to point across the room.
I looked over to see a large pack with two metallic sculpted feathered wings folded neatly behind it. The pack itself was fairly sleek. Little more than two cubic meters by my best guess, and sculpted to fit onto the back of the armor and have as minimal a profile as possible.
“This looks like a very expensive suit,” I said out loud as the backpack’s outer skin split open, revealing the complex circuitry inside, along with three small chambers which must be the reactors.
“Yes. There were never more than eighty-nine of these made. They were prohibitively expensive even for us,” Indy stated honestly.
“A-and you just happen to have one?” I asked suspiciously.
“No. My captain did. Her family owned all of them,” he said simplistically. “I’ll need you to recharge the central reactor core. I don't open those up. Can you do it through the core’s casing?”
I nodded. “Yes. I don’t have to open my sewing machine to charge it… Why would her family be able to afford all of them? Were they the inventors? Owned the mine which the materials came from?”
“No,” Indy replied as I trotted up to the. “I mentioned how we expected ALL of our nobles to have a record of military service, right?”
I nodded and began to concentrate on the simple recharge spell. It would be trickier than normal since I was putting all of my energy into it. I wasn't Twilight. I couldn't just blast things with a firehose of magic.
“Well, all means all. And my Captain’s mother expected her to not only serve, but to have a glowing combat record full of personal glory, valor, and all that. It's why she got me instead of a battleship. If you win when the deck’s stacked in your favor it’s not a sign of your skill, it’s a sign of your wealth.
“That wasn’t acceptable. But neither was risking her life recklessly. So she got her armor early. Guess what Rachel didn’t take with her aboard the Phoenix?”
I blinked. “It sounds like you’re saying she was the heir to a noble house,” I remarked as I released my spell.
I immediately regretted it. The arcanite was very much depleted in charge. It hungrily gobbled up everything I could possibly give it. Sapping my strength in a matter of moments, leaving me feeling like I hadn’t slept in a full day.
“Ugh…” I groaned, looking up at the core hopefully. And dizzily.
The core hummed lightly. A small green light next to the spherical container winked on.
“Core power… Is at seventy-five percent!” Indy exclaimed excitedly. “You really could do it! This is the most amazing thing I- Oh! Are you alright? Do you need coffee?”
“I’ll be okay,” I reminded, turning to offer Indy a small grin. “Just get me inside please.”
“Of course,” he answered immediately. “Let me just deactivate the biometrics so it doesn't get mad that someone else is climbing in… There we go!”
The armor’s chest split apart, retracting in on itself to reveal a compartment just big enough to sit comfortably in inside the armor’s chest and upper stomach. Indy made the armor kneel, and then gingerly reach out, pick me up, and place me into the state. Immediately a very soft set of restraints crossed over my barrel and chest, tightening to the point where I wouldn’t be able to get free of the seat if I wanted to.
“Eeep!” I yelped reflexively.
“Just a crash harness. Sorry, I figured you’d expect to be buckled in,” Indy apologized as the suit’s hatch closed, plunging me into darkness for a moment before soft white light filled the small cockpit.
I actually had expected to have to buckle in. I just didn’t expect to be buckled in automatically.
“Okay,” Indy said with a worried quaver in his voice as I felt the mech take a few steps forwards, then turn around. “Beginning boot sequence… Just ignore the Aegis’s VI. It’s not a person, it’s just a program with speech synthesis.”
“Okay,” I said, my calm having returned.
“Oh, um, do you have your coral?” Indy asked hopefully.
I nodded and patted the saddlebag at my side. “Yes. Both pieces.”
“Good!” He replied happily. “Now… Report!”
“All systems offline,” the female voice stated.
“Begin start sequence,” Indy ordered. “Attach backpack module.”
I heard something hum outside, then felt something bump into the armor, and click into place.
“Module attached,” the voice reported.
“Internal power to enable,” Indy ordered.
“Enabled,” the voice chimed, as three sharp clicks came from behind my head, followed immediately by three turbines spinning up slightly out of synch with one another.
“External power to disabled.”
“Disabled.”
Indy paused a moment, I felt the mech nod, then he continued the boot sequence, sounding like his confident, playful self again. “Primary weapons to enabled.”
“Enabled.”
“Secondary weapons to enabled and primed.”
“Primed.”
“Navigation systems to enabled.”
“Enabled.”
“Life support to enabled.”
“Enabled.”
“Deflector shields to enable and primed.”
“Primed.”
“Targeting systems to enabled.”
“Enabled.”
“Alpha interface to enable.”
“Enabled,” the voice chimed, the blank wall of the armor in front of me vanishing, replaced by a completely real looking projection of the torpedo bay around us which extended around the cockpit’s entire interior, some simple HUD elements appearing a second later.
“Beta interface to enabled.”
“Enabled,” the voice reported, my mind constantly getting bombarded with new sensory date as the mech became an extension of my body, sending the data from the navigation and targeting systems directly to my brain.
Unlike the tank, this felt like a body. As if I'd been transformed into a completely different being. It felt... Natural.
“Woah!” I whispered in awe.
“Error! System label ‘Woah’ not found,” the voice exclaimed almost worriedly.
“Shhh, Rares, it’s made of stupid. You gotta do the boot sequence just right,” Indy whispered to me, making me blush in embarrassment.
“Monomolecular blade sharpening system to enable,” Indy ordered.
“Enabled.”
“Twin lasers to enable.”
“Enabled.”
“Nova bombs to prime.”
“Primed.”
“Starflight mode to enabled.”
“Enabled.”
“Terrestrial mode to primed.”
“Primed.”
“Squire Drone Link to enable.”
“Enabled.”
“All systems go?” Righteous asked at last.
“All systems go,” the voice said. “Imperial Aegis online. Power reserves at sixty-one percent. Welcome back, Princess Rachel Sophia Sol.”
My eyes widened at the announcement. “O-Ohhh… Okay, NOW this armor makes sense.”
“I- I thought you’d read the nametag on the pauldron,” Indy remarked.
“You distracted me with your nakedness,” I tested with a grin. "Besides, I can't read very much of your language, yet."
Indy laughed. “Whelp, let’s go avenge our friends and family,” he said half proudly, half bitterly.
An instant later he slipped the mech into the launching trough, and with a massive jolt that practically shook me out of the chair, we shot towards the planet below.