//------------------------------// // 13: Deal or No Deal // Story: Shadowbolt Chronicles: Codename Prism // by RDDash //------------------------------// Okay, well, I still don't know if it was a good idea, but, I am kind of already got used to it. Rainbow Dash had been spending more and more of her time every single day with the creature from outer space. She thought, that maybe someday she might be able to figure out the truth of what had happened back then. She had made a conclusion that in her basic stupidity she was so desperate to get out from the Mothership that she made a mess of things in the process. When the Mothership was about to self-destruct, she probably should have stolen a perfectly good starfighter. Hotwiring an alien starfighter 101! Easy, right? It was probably even had an ignition key, conveniently placed on the dashboard. Or press a big red button to fire up the main CPU. Or whatever they use for an archaic outdated ignition system. One of the many dozen starfighters, that had been conveniently placed in a hangar. An Enclave officer that had been with her was probably fine, or not, It didn't matter right now. The mistake had been already been done. The good news was that Rainbow Dash couldn't remember it. That's a good thing right? Rainbow sighed, she was currently in the bar of some sort of, and she was doing a research while at it. "So, let me get this straight! You are saying that they just went and left. Like, the whole platoon of the tin can clad little horses...." Rainbow took a deep breath, "You are saying that they just packed up and left." Pony blinked, the mare who had been way smaller than he is suddenly started to gang up on him, "Well yeah, that's exactly what happened! Listen, if this is about your gryphon friend, we, I mean I never saw her here." "This is exactly my point!" Rainbow shouted in frustration, she then smacked her hoof on the table. This made her unfortunate victim flinch. "We...I mean I, I don't want any trouble! Our people saw two of you leave the town, but that's it, I swear! There was nothing, we didn't see nopony, or any gryphon coming back ever since that bright flash illuminated the sky. Now please just leave!" Rainbow huffed in frustration but did as she was told! It had been extremely pointless. He is not going to tell her what he didn't know. If she is still going to push too hard, then the pony would just try to lie to her! And she hated when others did that, she hated it so much that she would just break bones. "Tsk!" It's been several days ever since that day, and frankly, she was willing to cut her looses. At least wherever Matilda was she was probably fine because she wasn't on the Mothership. "Hey, Celestia?" "Yeah!" "I wonder if I could put you Into a small little animal, like maybe a hampster." "Well, anywhere will do as long as we are not forced to share the same body. Which we do right now, and well technically if you just let me!" "What, not even the ant? Also, Heck no! There is no way I would let you take the wheel." "Ant Celestia!" She did want to appreciate the offer for as long as possible, however, that wouldn't do. "Well, that would be, uh... That would be a definitely strange experience. However, I would have to decline. We already have a bug-horse, and I don't want to be another one." "You sure about that? I am sure there are like several of them out of there, creepy crawlies I mean, and each of them is as big as a small puppy. I am sure I could think of something to plug you in." "No! No! I am good, I will be perfectly happy with any equinoid body, just not In an insectoid body." Several minutes of silence had passed away, this time it was Celestia who initiated the conversation. "So did you stopped feeling sorry for yourself?" "What do you mean?" "Well, I did notice that you, perhaps, started to be more confident!" "I've always been confident, confindence is my middle name!" Rainbow said defensively. Celestia ignored that, "Tell me, you tend to collect other ponies as companions. Do you afraid to be alone? " "What kind of question is that? Everyone is afraid to be alone!" Rainbow suddenly realized what she just said, "Forget it! Just forget what I just said!" "Why? Why is that so difficult for you to admit that you are just a pony being. You always act tough, and like you don't care! In reality, you do care!" "Shut up!" Rainbow Dash whispered, meanwhile Celestia continued talking. "You care about that alien, you do care what Matilda!" "I said, Shut Up! System overrides one one two three zero, engage Silence Protocol." With that, she forced Celestia to shut down. "Ugh, buck! I probably shouldn't have done that. She is down, for now, that's good I suppose! Damn it, I hate it when she starts to psychoanalyse." Later that evening, Rainbow Dash had been spending her time doing what she usually does, which is find something to do and then later she will collect her payment sometimes from the employers, and sometimes from the people that had been attacking her, however, those people soon end up as corpses. Right now she was home if that's was the right word for it. Feeling lazy to find a proper place, she just used that cave as a base for operations. AI Celestia had been trying to talk time to time, but not as often as she used to. Oh, and if she would have to guess there was another uninvited guest in her mindscape, Discord just had to invite himself in. "Rainbow, Rainbow Rainbow! Are you still grumpy as ever?" "Well let's see I was abducted by aliens, had been turned into a cyborg and then can see everything in assembly code. Yeah, I am peachy." "Well, in any case, you already adapted to it, so I don't know why are you still complaining. And now you had a casual evening with your new neighbour" "Did I mention how insane does it sounds when you have two people in your head? At least I could do is, to make myself comfortable. Anyway, what can I do for you?" "I think you know what I want?" "Yeah yeah, go back in time stop this war from happening, what I want to say is why do you care? I can't believe it took nearly sixty minutes to say." "Well let's just say there is a certain pony I owe for my good behaviour, and well I just want her to be happy." "Uh, does someone has a crash? Well, whatever floats your boat. Now let us discuss this." "There is nothing to discuss she was nice and sweet and innocent." "Not that you love-stricken idiot. I mean let us discuss this insane strategy of yours. What exactly is my game plan?" Discord was dumbstruck "Well, I am not sure, but I figured that you would just improvise." "No, just work with me for a minute. Pretend that you are a general, you have a gameplan. You already know what you want, so like the only thing you need to do is to issue the orders to your troops!" "Well, then I order you to go back in time and fix the timeline!" "With what?" "With your warship of course! with her, you can easily bomb all of the installation to the dust, and then they can just blame aliens for it." Discord had been sitting on the coach and drinking tea. "You kidding right, she will never listen to me!" "I wouldn't worry about that, so far I am aware she had never been reactivated and well lived quite a clueless life until the last day. You can pretty much guess what you need to do once you get there. You just flip the switch back on, and well let's just say as the last remaining officer in a chain of command she really has no other choice but to listen to you. So, are you satisfied?" "Yep, have no complaints here, so anyway would I get the explosive exit like last time?" "Well if you want me to give you a little push then let's see what I can do! It's going to be an old Fallout classic! Good luck!" Rainbow Dash woke up, for the moment she thought she heard Matilda voice, but sadly it wasn't the case.Was it just a glitch in her systems or was Celestia being correct in her theory? She then went to the alien and nuzzled, she then laid closely next to her and went back to sleep. Tomorrow probably is going to be a good day to change fate.