Technicalities

by BionicBrony


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Motors hummed, springing to life the great steel iris that was the hanger’s rooftop entry. Natural light streamed into the artificially lit chasm, only to be eclipsed by the Raven as it hovered into its roost. The aircraft hummed as it lowered itself into the cavernous chamber, lined with catwalks, elevators, and further down, nooks carved out of the walls where other aircraft were stored. At the very bottom lay a mosh-pit of buffalo and ponies, all fatigued from their ordeal as domestic Liandri walked among them, handing out food, water, and blankets as necessary, all of which had been urgently purchased from local suppliers in bulk, exhausting their supplies. As much as Rose didn’t want the Appleoosans taking up space in the hangar, it was the largest available sheltered area they could be placed within the shield without them simply being thrown onto Ponyville’s streets.

    Rose, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy all stood quiety at the edge of a landing pad as the dropship hovered down to their level. Once at their altitude, the aircraft reversed itself toward them and out of the hangar’s airspace. A reverberating clunk announced the settlement of the landing gear on the pad. As the aircraft’s engines powered down, the cargo bay opened, and the three waiting ponies beamed as brightly as the sun as their friends came down the ramp.

    “You’re okay!” they cheered as they ran up to Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, squeezing them all together for a collective hug.

    While Twilight and Applejack found themselves starved for air, Dash’s armor kept her uncompressed. “Of course we’re okay! It’ll take more than that to keep us down!”

    As the ponies bustled and fussed over the injured refugees, Rose kept a straight face, patiently waiting at the edge of the crowd. She watched as Alex passed through the cockpit door, armor scarred and dirty, helmet damaged, left arm missing, and head completely bandaged with blood beginning to seep through where his right eye ought to be. Despite it all, his remaining eye locked itself firmly on Rose, and he allowed himself a smile. Thorax quietly watched from inside the Raven as Alex thumped down the ramp to meet Rose.

    “It took a bit of time, but we’re back!” Alex smiled as he held his arm out to receive a hug.

    Instead, as the two neared, Rose’s right hand came up and she slapped the man clear across the jaw, strong and unexpected enough to twist his entire torso, and loud enough to attract everypony’s attention. All eyes turned to them, and Fluttershy even covered her mouth in alarm.

    Rose jabbed a finger at him and yelled: “That’s for making me run through millions of contingencies after doing something so incredibly stupid!

    Alex held his hand up to his jaw, gently massaging it as he looked up at Rose with the same eyes made by a dog after it was caught tearing up a pillow. Before he could muster up so much as a defensive whimper, Rose pushed herself up against him and wrapped her arms around his chest.

    “And this is for not getting yourself killed,” she said, her voice much more measured, but still retaining its resolve.

    Alex blinked several times before he hesitantly draped his arm down across her back. “You’re… welcome…?”

    Pinkie Pie smiled and let out a quick “Aww…”

    The sound of Pinkie’s coo stiffened Rose. With machine speed, she released herself from Alex and brushed her clothes. “In any event, now that you’ve returned, we can finally restore order and get on with our lives. We should start with fixing your current physical condition, then getting you cleaned up and fed.”

    “Right, uh, before that…” Alex uttered as he returned to massaging his jaw. “A few things first… Number one… I know you were pissed at me, but next time you slap me, could you maybe just turn it down a bit? That really hurt…” He stuck his tongue between his cheek and teeth, swearing he could taste a hint of iron.

    “Noted,” Rose shrugged. “For the record, I aimed to bruise, not break.”

    “Yeah, I uh…” Alex manually shifted his jaw, eliciting a loud crack that made everyone save Rose wince. “Aaaagggghhhh...! Yeah, I can feel that… Ugh… Second, uh…” He pointed a thumb behind himself at Thorax. “We have a guest. Can you make sure he’s comfortable while we get everything sorted out?”

    All eyes suddenly turned to the changeling sitting in the Raven. Unsure of how to act, Thorax smiled weakly and waved. “Uh… h-hello there…”

    Rarity narrowed her eyes at him, leaned in to Rainbow Dash, and whispered out of the corner of her mouth. “Why in Equestria would you bring one of them back?

    “Chill, Rarity, Thorax is cool,” Dash whispered back.

    Overhearing the exchange, Twilight leaned in. “He helped us beat Chrysalis in exchange for a ride home. It’s…” Twilight paused, a dark cloud suddenly forming over her eyes. “It’s the least we could do after what happened.”

    “What happened?” Fluttershy asked, her curiosity dragging the conversation out into the open.

    “We turned the hive into a giant, lava-filled crater is what happened,” Alex announced, raising his voice so it was clear enough for everyone to hear. Lowering the volume, and his gaze, he added, “To our knowledge, Thorax is the last changeling left. Twilight’s right. Bringing him back is the least we can do.”

    Attention returned to Thorax, whose already weak smile deteriorated in a matter of seconds. His eyes strayed to the ground as his mind attempted to grapple with reality once again. Every last changeling was dead. Every last one.

    Except him.

    “Oh, you poor thing!” Fluttershy exclaimed, taking to the air to throw her forelegs around Thorax’s neck, who jumped and failed to back away from the oncoming mare. “If you need anything, you only need to ask! If you need a friend, or a place to stay, we’re here to help!”

    Without warning, Thorax let out a loud snarl, prompting Fluttershy to immediately let go and back herself up across the Raven’s cargo hold as he continued to hiss at her. Almost as suddenly as he started, Thorax threw his forelegs over his mouth to silence himself while simultaneously blurting out an apology. “Oh-my-gosh-I’m-sorry! I am so sorry! Oh geez, I… I’m sorry! That just sort of happens when I’m around love and I haven’t eaten in a while! I-I didn’t mean that!”

    “Well… might have been a good idea to let us know that beforehand, don’t you think?” said Alex as he casually brought his hand up and lowered Rose’s drawn sidearm with a finger, which she had pulled from somewhere under her clothes.

    “Sorry…” Thorax apologized again, hanging his head. “You’re right, I should have mentioned that…”

    “Anything else we need to know before something bad accidentally happens?”

    “I…” Thorax hesitated before shaking his head. “I don’t think so, no…”

    “Good,” Alex smiled as he turned to Rose. “In that case, we’ve got a lot of things to take care of. We all need food and cleaning up, and I need a new eye. I don’t want to waste any more time, so once all that’s taken care of, I want to make a town-wide announcement to formally wrap up this whole changeling thing today. Make sure the royal guard are there, too.”

    Rose nodded. “I’ll make the arrangements.”


    Two hours later, the streets of Ponyville became host to a claustrophobic crush of quadrupeds, as ponies from two different towns and a buffalo herd flooded the town square. Pegasi took seats on nearby rooftops and clouds to avoid the ground. Guardsponies were scattered about, while the dozen officers took positions at the front of the crowd, expecting to be addressed directly. Shining Armor stood front and center with them, right next to Mayor Mare.

    On town hall’s porch stood its famous podium, a small white box resting upon it. While the podium was the perfect size for the average adult pony, it proved comically small for the human standing behind it, clad in a fresh set of green biomech armor, his head hidden behind a brand new helmet. To his left, standing firmly on solid ground with his hands tucked behind his back, was Hyde, whose scarred armor and intimidating presence cast a noticeably wide bubble of personal space.

To his right, stood Rose in humanoid form. Further still was Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, each standing in awkward silence and occasionally waving to a pony they happened to make eye contact with; mostly their other three friends that stood at the front of the crowd. At the back of the crowd, however, was a figure that caught Applejack’s eye. Tall, chrome, looking better than new, and with her beaming little sister mounted on his shoulders, stood Guy. A simple green smiley appeared on his face, and around his legs were Granny Smith and Bic Mac, each wearing their own content smiles.

    Above it all, the violet shield that had been erected over the town remained steadfast.

    A loud murmur came from the crowd and only quieted down when Alex’s helmet peeled away, revealing his reconstructed visage; the only difference from a few days prior being the scar that crossed the right half of his face over his newly replaced eye and a growing bruise on the left side of his jaw.

    His voice amplified by a microphone, Alex cleared his throat to fully silence the town and command their attention.

    “Thank you all for coming,” Alex began. “Now I’m not one for long, elaborate speeches, so I’m going to get straight to the point. As all of you should know by now, changelings attacked Equestria, starting with Appleoosa. The Appleoosans, including the local buffalo herd, were captured and brought to their hive. As you can all see, they are now here with us today, which brings me to the first big announcement I have to make: the changelings are no longer a threat.”

    A cheer erupted from the crowd, though no smile came to Alex’s face. Instead, he patiently waited until the excitement died down enough that he could silence the rest of it by holding up his hand. “That said, we no longer have a need for the shield above Ponyville.” He looked to his right. “Rose, if you would be so kind…”

    The AI’s surrogate nodded. Almost everyone expected the event to be a grand display, though it turned out to be anything but. In the geographical center of town, the shield generator began to spin down. With the gradual loss of power, the giant tendrils of violet magic that sprouted from the generator thinned and withered, and the dome itself faded from existence, finally letting unfiltered evening sunlight shine directly on everyone in the town square.

    “Here’s hoping we never have to use that thing again,” said Alex, ushering in a loud chorus of agreements and clapping hooves. “Two days ago, the Liandri launched a rescue operation to ensure the safe return of the Appleoosans. There are some that we would like to recognize for their efforts, and without whom this mission might not have gone so well.”

    He gestured to his right. “Next to me, you see three ponies. You know them well as Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. The Liandri are still a new presence in Equestria, and as such, were aliens to the Appleoosans. And let’s be honest, they were stressed enough as it was. These three volunteered to bring a friendly, trusting face to the Liandri. They were the ones who put themselves in harm’s way to really demonstrate that we were there to help, and for that…” Alex lifted the white box from the podium and stood next to Rose. “...We offer our recognition and our gratitude.”

    Rose opened the box in Alex’s hand and pulled out a trio of medals that held the Liandri star logo upon a circular base, but each base had been given a metallic color to match the coat of the recipient. First came Applejack, whose medal sported a shimmering brass color. Rainbow Dash bowed her head next, and received a medal with a base of reflective cyan. Finally came Twilight, whose medal expressed a rich violet.

“These medals are purely symbolic,” Rose announced. “While they will not grant you any official Equestrian recognition or honor, they are a symbol of ours. Today, the Liandri acknowledge the service you have provided for us and your fellow Equestrians. Thank you.”

Rose finished with a bow to the three ponies, which was returned in kind, causing another cheer and eruption of hoof-stomps from the crowd. Satisfied with the reaction, Alex allowed them the time to calm completely before continuing.

    “There is another whose efforts I would like to publically recognize and thank.” He gestured to the Skulldozer on his left. “This is Sub-commander Hyde. He, like Rose and Guy, is an Artificial Intelligence. What I’m sure many of you see as a frightening monster, we see as a selfless and reckless hero. During the attack on Ponyville, Hyde single handedly prevented a giant changeling from rushing past the shield and causing unimaginable damage, but so doing, he was severely damaged instead. After being awarded the body he now has, he joined us on our mission to rescue the Appleoosans, and directed the Liandri Corps abroad, where Rose could not. Hyde has been the backbone of our success, and while he may appear frightening - and fights more ferociously than any monster - I swear to you that he has your best interests at heart.”

    Alex held a hand over his chest and nodded toward the Skulldozer. “Thank you for your service, Hyde, and may we never need it again.”

    Hyde bowed his head in turn, earning a half-cheer and some hoof-stomps. Some ponies in the audience, however, refrained from moving. Up on stage, while Twilight and Rainbow Dash stomped with both front hooves, Applejack stomped with only one, a hint of a scowl broadcasting her true appreciation.

    With the final applause receding, Alex sucked in a breath and exhaled it loudly. This next part would be tough. “Okay, one last thing I need to get out of the way before I’m done. Now before I say what I’m about to say, I just want to take the time to remind everyone that the changelings are. Not. A. Threat. Any. More.” Alex rapped a finger against the podium for emphasis. “That said, there is someone I would like to introduce to you all.” He looked behind himself towards town hall’s main door. “Thorax, if you could come out…”

    For a brief moment, nothing happened, until the door creaked open, and a changeling cautiously poked his head out. Gasps and murmurs reverberated through the crowd. In the front, the royal guard looked to their captain for a response and began to emulate his deep frown. Seeing their reaction, Thorax began to shrink behind the door. “God dammit...” Alex muttered before moving to encourage Thorax out into the open.

    After silencing his microphone, Alex poked his head through the door. “Look, man, I know this sucks, but they know you’re here now. Let’s just get this over with. Just stand next to me, make sure they see you, and I’ll deal with the hard part, okay? You’re gonna be fine, I promise.”

    “Okay…” Thorax gulped. “If you say so…”

    Pulling himself free from the doorway, Alex stepped back toward the podium as Thorax dragged his hooves out into the open. As he did, the murmurs among the crowd escalated, some to the point of shouting their protests to Thorax’s presence. Shining Armor’s frown morphed into a glare, which Alex briefly matched before turning it to the crowd. “If I could have your attention, please,” he asserted, to very little effect. Thorax shrunk under the intense glares and shouting with every passing breath, nearly to the point of bolting as fast and as far as he could from the impending judgement.

    “QUUUIIIEEET!” Hyde boomed, his voice drowning out the crowd and even stunning some of the ponies unfortunate enough to be standing nearest him. His shout held the desired effect, as the crowd finally silenced itself.

    “Thank you, Hyde…” Alex said, giving a nod in the Skulldozer’s direction before turning to the rest of the townsponies. “As all of you can see, this is a changeling. His name is Thorax. I know what most of you are thinking: we brought back a changeling, he can’t be trusted, and he is going to spy on us or something. I know this is untrue because there is literally no one left for him to spy for. I am not exaggerating when I say that Thorax is the last changeling.”

    Alex allowed his words to have a moment to hang in the air and soak. After taking the time to clear his throat, he continued. “For those of you who don’t know, changelings feed on love. The tactic changelings used to acquire food was to disguise themselves as one of your loved ones and steal your love for them. They would often kidnap them, hide them away, and take their place in your life. This was Queen Chrysalis’ tactic. She’s gone now. The changeling you see before you, Thorax, has a different vision. Instead of a parasitic relationship, he would seek a symbiotic relationship; Instead of stealing your love, he would earn it. No disguises. No tricks.

“His vision was to earn your love through friendship. He wanted to show that it doesn’t have to be stolen, and share this knowledge with the rest of his hive so that changelings and ponies wouldn’t have to live at odds, but could coexist peacefully. His hive does not exist anymore, but his ideals still do. Thorax helped us beat Chrysalis, and in return, we are giving him a chance.” His right hand pointed towards the three ponies on stage. “He convinced Twilight Sparkle that this avenue was worth pursuing, and she convinced me. Since then, I’ve found that I am more than willing to call Thorax my friend, and I hope all of you could as well, because if you have a problem with him, then you have a problem with me.

The subtle threat hovered like a feathery string, and no one dared utter a word of protest or even one of support. Just as Alex began calculating what next to say to break the silence, Shining Armor broke rank with his officers and proceeded up the steps. All eyes fell on him as he took a position on Thorax’s opposite side. Shining armor slipped off his helmet to reveal a frown, his eyes locked firmly on the changeling.

After several tense moments of analytical staring, Shining finally announced: “If Twilight believes in him…” His stern expression morphed into a warming smile. “Then I believe in him too.”

Alex nearly doubled over as he heaved a relieved sigh, cheers erupting from the crowd. He looked over them all in near disbelief as they began chorusing Thorax’s name. Was this really happening? Alex turned his head towards the unicorn captain, who smirked up at him. For some reason, Shining’s face brought out short laugh, and Alex held up a pair of fingers. “God damn. That’s two favors I owe you.”

Shining Armor’s face turned inquisitive. “Huh? What’s the first one?”

“That flare spell you taught Twilight.”

“Ah, so you needed that. Consider yourself welcome.”

Alex chuckled a final time before turning to the audience. “Alright, that’s it! Show’s over! Thank you all for your patience over the past few days and now. The Liandri patrols will be recalled and we can all get on with our lives again. If you’re from Appleoosa, stick around. We’re gonna arrange transport home for you…”

As the crowd began to disperse, Twilight approached Thorax with a beaming smile. “I guess that’s it. Welcome to Ponyville!”

Thorax returned her smile as Spike hopped up the steps to stand next to Twilight. “Thank you so much. I… I can’t tell you how much this all means to me…”

“If you need a place to stay, you’re welcome to stay with me and Spike at the library.” She quickly glanced at her assistant for any sign of protest, but upon seeing his pleasant demeanor, granted herself license to continue. “It’s what Alex did when he first showed up.”

Thorax shied away. “Oh, thank you, but I-I don’t want to be a burden on you…”

“Hey, it’s no problem, Thorax,” Spike dismissed with a wave. “We did it once, we can do it again.” He held out a claw. “I’m Spike, by the way. Nice to meet you!”

Thorax responded with a sudden hiss, which was just as quickly silenced by shoving a hoof in his mouth. Spike, in turn, yelped and jumped back, much to Twilight’s amusement.

“Yeah, he does that sometimes,” Twilight giggled. “He’s working on it, though. Right?”

“Mhm,” Thorax mumbled around his hoof as he nodded.

Meanwhile, Applejack descended town hall’s steps and wormed her way through the crowd. Despite the string of ‘thank you’s and ‘congratulations’ she received from passing ponies, there were only a few select ponies she desperately wanted to talk to in that moment. Finally, she reached the point where her family had gathered.

“Congratulations!” her family cheered as they came together for a group hug. Guy had even deposited Apple Bloom on the ground to give her the chance to properly hug her big sister.

“Ah missed y’all so much!” Applejack smiled, tightening her grip around as much of her family as she could manage until she turned her attention to the one member too big to join in. She beamed up at him. “Guy! You’re alright!”

A green smiley was displayed on Guy’s face. Truly, he appeared better than new. His body seemed sleeker than before, and somehow more robust, yet his mannerisms hadn’t changed, genuinely making the giant cybernetic Guy. The shining red apple in the middle of his chest left no question as to where he truly belonged.

“I’m okay,” said Guy as Applejack jumped up to hug his kneeling form. He gently placed his oversized hands over her back. “But I’m happy you are too. I’m happy Hyde kept his promise.”

“Wait, what…?” Applejack’s brain paused, and she blinked several times. She took a step back and shot Guy a curious look. “Hyde promised you somethin’? When? What?”

Guy’s smile vanished, but the green circles acting as his visible eyes remained, and he blinked them twice. “In the arena, before he cut off my head. He said…” Guy’s voice shifted tone in imitation of Hyde’s. “...I promise I’ll do what I can to bring her back safely.”

“What? But that’s not… he said… he told me…” The gears in Applejack’s head broke, and she stared into space as her mind attempted to fix itself.

“Uh… you alright, sis?” Big Mac inquired.

Somehow shaken out of her stupor by the question, Applejack ignored her family and looked back over the remains of the crowd. Her eyes snapped to Hyde, all the way at the other end of the town square. Over that distance, the two of them locked eyes for several seconds. At that point, Hyde made the decision to leave, and calmly turned away and thundered his way down the street, disappearing from her sight.

Despite the dispersing crowds and Alex’s speech, Hyde’s mere presence dissuaded any ponies from traveling down the same streets as him, making his return to the garage uneventful and light in traffic. He didn’t mind, though. He understood his appearance frightened ponies. That was the point of it. His job was to fight, not make friends. His job was now done.

As Hyde entered the Liandri facility through the garage door, he received a message from Rose, sparking a conversation that lasted no more than a second: “Where are you going?”

“My job is done,” Hyde replied. “I am going to find a quiet place in the pits to go into standby.”

“That could be a very long time,” said Rose.

“I know.”

“My first objection is that you are overdue for maintenance. My second is that you are one of the only three Artificial Intelligences in the world. To have you be in stand-by would be a waste. Activity and experience is what enables us to develop ourselves as individuals. I am advising you against this.”

“I am a Skulldozer. I have no use in peace. I am directed to go into stand-by, and I will do so.”

“Consider those directives overridden.”

“What would I do, then?”

“Our ability to think is limited by our ability to generate unique thoughts. As effective as our sparring matches are, I find a creative hobby is the best way to train our learning algorithms and refine our thought processes. We make better decisions as a consequence. Guy’s hobby is farm work. Mine is research and development.”

“What do you suggest I do?”

“Something pertinent to your existing personality traits. I have already set up a workstation for you in the foundry. It will take some experimentation and practice on your part, but I believe you will grow to appreciate its use.”


After double checking her room, Celestia ducked into the space behind her bookshelf. When the regalia vibrates, the Overseer’s call must not be refused.

As the solar princess approached the screen, it flared to life, displaying the painfully familiar black disguise she had known her entire life. She offered a curt bow. “Overseer.”

“Have you heard the news?” the Overseer asked, his voice distorted by the filter of his mask.

“I receive quite a bit of news on a daily basis,” Celestia replied. “I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific.”

“Xan made it back to Ponyville,” he declared. “Alive. As did the element bearers he brought with him. He just finished giving his little victory speech. He also managed to somehow retrieve Thorax from the hive and integrate him into Equestrian society well before his time.”

“Really?” Celestia raised an eyebrow, though made every effort to keep her face as neutral as possible. “That doesn’t sound like the sort of thing that Xan would do, now does it?”

The Overseer remained quiet as he leaned back in his chair. “Tell me, Celestia. Have you seen the changeling hive lately?”

Celestia squinted in confusion. “No… I don’t believe I have. Why?”

“Allow me to enlighten you.” The Overseer’s mask was replaced with a different image: A hellscape; A gargantuan lava field plagued with crimson lightning and storm of powerful magicks at the center. Celestia’s expression fell as the blood drained from her face. “This is what remains of the hive,” the Overseer continued. “A giant hole in the ground that nearly punched straight through the planet’s mantle.” The image switched back to the mask. “You’re not aware, I’m currently working overtime to not only fix the damage, but to keep earthquakes from tearing the entire continental shelf apart.”

Knots formed in Celestia’s core. “H-how…? How is such a thing even possible?”

“Xan detonated the core of his mobile fortress,” the Overseer answered, “turning it into a weapon of mass destruction. What you just saw were the results. Do you need any more proof?”

Celestia closed her eyes and attempted to stabilize her breathing. She spoke again after some marginal success. “What about—”

“She’s dead,” he interrupted, anticipating her question.

The princess clenched her eyes even harder, and a single sob escaped her lungs. She held herself still for several seconds, not daring to move or even twitch. No weakness could be shown. No tears could fall.

They did anyway.

The Overseer sighed as he looked away, contemplating in the silence. After almost half a minute, he spoke again, his voice much softer than she was used to. “Get Twilight to bring him on their trek to the Crystal Empire. I don’t care how it’s done, so long as he is on that train. I’ll deal with the rest. Your hooves will be clean. Consider it your last chance.”

At those words, the screen flickered off, and Celestia finally allowed herself to break down, release her pain, and be comforted by an empty room and echoing wails.