//------------------------------// // Sonic Departure // Story: Iron Mountain // by computerneek //------------------------------// I watch calmly as the monster rages against my closed doors.  It’s already early morning; Twilight has come and, upon hearing of the monster’s presence, fled back towards town- and, I notice, notified Fluttershy.  They then start gathering up their friends- being Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie.  It would seem they’re looking for Rainbow, but not only is she asleep, but she’s safely inside my war hull.  I order a second cave out dug, the internal passages- and the other troop compartment- given special repair priority.  All of my systems and armor are fully repaired; however, much of my interior remains ignored at this point.  I release my repair system to consume some of the 53.49% in my main power reserves for the purposes of these operations.  It seems I must defend my entrance. It will take almost 23.49 minutes for the spider to fabricate the second tunnel, but 6.97 hours for the intervening passage- and other troop compartment- to be made presentable.  As a side thought, at the expense of 2.91 minutes of fab nanovat capacity, I produce a disguised com set for Rainbow; if nothing else, I should be able to use it to warn her of the monster if it switches entries during her departure.  A tech spider deposits the jewelry-disguised com set, in its fabricated box, on Rainbow’s foreleg-rest, in front of her repaired right foreleg.  I’m still 1.49 hours from completing her minor repairs, but her major repairs are long done. My 419th satellite deepscan of the forest comes back clean, like its predecessors.  The monster’s behavior, along with that of the predator last night, is suggesting I’m missing something big.  I contemplate launching my 5 repaired recon drones to make the overflights that my orbiting satellites are simply too high for.  Thinking of the satellites, once this monster showed up and demonstrated prior knowledge both of the cave’s position and what might be found in it, I launched all the rest of the ones I had available. Ever since I finished my armor repairs, I dropped my repair systems to use no more than 25% of production at any given time.  Of that, 25% of active capacity at any given time is devoted to interior repairs (aka ‘tidying up’) and the rest to satellite, drone, and ammunition repair and manufacture, evenly divided.  My third 500-lb missile is 4.91 seconds from completion, seventh satellite 2.93 minutes…  Should something need annihilation, my first 50-gton missile will be entering my magazines in 3.92 hours. I contemplate fusion ignition, but find it unlikely that my repair system will burn enough power to prevent an overall charge effect over a 24-hour period, given clear daytime weather.  Further contemplation suggests the only way to eliminate the monster in the entryway without risking damage to my spiders, a drone, or the surrounding terrain is to distract the thing, to get it out into the open.  I start the dim ‘ambient comfort’ lights hidden along the tunnel into a wave out to the entrance, hoping to distract it- only to be ignored.  I shall see what happens when I open the second tunnel. It’s getting late, and nopony can find their rainbow friend, producing somewhat of a panic.  Twilight and Fluttershy have searched her house in and out, and Twilight has called over to Cloudsdale to see if she’s over there.  Pinkie, Applejack, and Rarity have searched Twilight’s castle, also coming up blank.  Twilight finds herself wishing she’d followed Rainbow home last night. After waking up slowly and uneventfully, the blue Pegasus blinks in the light, finding the need to neither yawn nor stretch.  It takes her a few seconds to fully remember where she is- and realize what she doesn’t feel. She sighs, smiling gently.  “These chair things really are quite comfortable,” she vocalizes. “That they are.  However, it would seem your friends have become increasingly worried about your absence today; the monster from last night has not left the door.” Rainbow hops out of her seat, landing on all fours and preparing to cringe at the force her landing applies to her right wing.  Only problem is, the pain never comes.  She then recalls her broke left wing…  And right foreleg, even though it’s supporting her weight without issue right now.  “Did I miss the doc?” He chuckles.  “No- rather, I make a decent doctor myself.” Rainbow’s grin widens as she tests her wings as well, finding them painless.  “Awesome!  If they’re looking for me…?”  Her grin drops to a scowl as she faces the exit door. “Until and unless the monster retreats, I will have to treat that door as impassible, I’m afraid.  I have prepared another exit, though- and a device that will allow me to warn you if it decides to leave while you’re in the second tunnel.” “I’ll outrace it,” she proclaims, her chest jutting forwards. “I don’t doubt- however, knowledge is half the battle.  You can’t outrace it if you don’t know it’s coming.  It’s in the box on your foreleg-rest.” Rainbow tilts her head, considering, and takes a peek inside the box.  Once she does, she stares at it for a second.  “Exactly what is this?” she asks. “It’s a communicator, and my gift to you.  You’ll notice two parts:  The bracelet, and the earpiece.  I’ve colored them to match your coat as closely as possible.” Rainbow pulls out the two pieces, one clearly being designed to rest on/in her right ear, if she remembers her anatomy correctly.  The other, as titled, is a bracelet- which she slips onto her right foreleg, where it’s almost invisible. “How?” “The bracelet is the part that makes everything work.  As for how the system works, the earpiece will carry my voice directly to you from however far I might be- and vice versa, with your voice to me.  Tapping the bracelet twice turns it off, once back on again; additionally, it is always off when not worn.” Rainbow slips on the earpiece.  “Do you have a mirror?” she asks. “Not normally,” he responds, in her ear.  “One second.” The smooth wall next to Rainbow smoothly transforms into a mirror wall, drawing Rainbow’s jaw towards the floor.  Once she snaps it shut again, she inspects herself in the mirror.  He seems to have been successful in matching her coat; she can hardly tell she’s wearing it at all! Wait, she pauses.  She’d heard his response only in her right ear.  “Wait a minute,” she mutters.  “Was that…?” “Yes, this is what it sounds like.  Do note that others will not hear me when I speak to you this way.” “Twilight’s going to want one.” “Predictably.  At the moment, I’m planning on offering one each to Princess Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy, in addition to your own.” A pause.  “We won’t be overhearing things through them all the time, will we?” “No- only that which is intended for you.  I’m working on a system to allow two of you to communicate directly with them, but until I finish that, it’s only through me.” “Who else can I talk to with them?” A chuckle.  “Nopony, I’m afraid- you’re so awesome that you got the first one.” While Rainbow Dash may not be as easy to distract as the Princess, and most certainly doesn’t appreciate jewelry nearly as much as Rarity, but any Bolo with a halfway competent tactical section can pull it off anyways.  Much of the persuasion I accomplished through voice tones and timbres; the rest, I played against her evident self-pride, alongside a hint or two of the mannerisms my main drone has seen her use.  My victory over her aversion to what I believe she calls ‘all that fro-fro stuff’ has scored me the ability to communicate with somepony outside of my hull- and the distraction proved to be enough to finish the final touches on Passenger Six; now the alternate exit is ready.  I begin the process of guiding her towards it, un-mirroring the inside wall once she leaves the room.  Even when I let her see herself, she didn’t seem to notice her gleaming fur, mane, and feathers. Rainbow does seem to harbor some curiosity, but her friends outside are beginning to panic, so I have no qualms about using little hints in my tone to create a sense of urgency as I guide her to the exit.  Finally, she reaches the secondary exit hatch, and I power the ‘ambient comfort’ lights in this tunnel. “So I’ll just come out on a different part of the hill?” She asks. “Yes,” the response comes from the room, not her earpiece- and the door opens…  Or, the inner door, at least.  The voice switches to her earpiece.  “I might advise hurrying, though- it’s already approaching evening.” Rainbow accelerates, the outside door sliding open.  “Sure thing.” “Run.  The monster has abandoned the other hatch as soon as I opened this one- and appears intent to cut you off.” After a seconds’ pause, Rainbow breaks into a full, wing-assisted gallop, banking heavily on the corners.  She flies out the entrance of the cave with a sonic shockwave almost a full minute before the monster manages to escape its tunnel. She yelps slightly when the boom surprises her but, as she whistles into the clouds, cackles gleefully.  “First time I’ve done that going up!”  She declines to mention it’s also the first time she’s done it accidentally. The friends freeze when they hear the Rainboom, all panic over in an instant. “Well, she’s alright,” Applejack comments, turning towards the noise. Twilight cringes.  “Her wing’s been hurting her more lately- that can’t be comfortable…?” She’d spotted the rainbow contrail, starting from the blast right about at ground level, just outside the forest.  The contrail shot almost straight up, before turning to head directly towards them- and now, Rainbow Dash herself is only a second or two away from a very rapid landing.  A very rapid, sparkling landing. She lands on all fours, moderately unusual for her at such speeds, in a flash of dazzling prismatic light.  “Everypony okay?” she asks quickly. “We were more worried about…   Wait, now you have that too!?”  Rarity points an accusing hoof at Rainbow. “Have what…?” Rainbow mutters- and her right ear twitches slightly. “Calm down, Rarity!” Twilight fills in exasperatedly.  “It’s only worked for Pegasi so far!  I tried it once, but nothing happened!”  She turns back towards Rainbow.  “You….?”  Her question dies in her throat. After spending a few seconds looking at herself, Rainbow is now laughing wildly.  She calms herself down somewhat forcibly, enough to speak clearly.  “So that’s ‘it’, huh?”  She snickers, prancing in place.  “Oooh, just show her your friend!”  She pauses suddenly, her face straightening, as her eyes unfocus- then turn towards Fluttershy.  “Really?”  A second’s pause, and she turns back to Twilight.  “Oh, um, then Fluttershy’s friend.  What’s a Bolo, anyways?” Her friends all tilt their heads, staring at her with her one-sided conversation with herself. A few seconds pass, and Rainbow blushes.  “Shoot!  I was too busy bein’ awesome!” “Uh, Rainbow Dash?” Applejack asks.  “Are you okay?” Rainbow straightens herself up, assuming her favorite stance- at least, what had been her favorite until her aches and pains had made it impossible.  “Better than yesterday,” she grins.  “Oh, and what is that monster?”  She points a hoof back towards the Everfree. Twilight looks.  “The one in the cave?  Donno.  How’d you get past it?” Rainbow smirks.  “He made another entrance.” Blink.  “Wait, he can do that?” Shrug.  “Seems so.  Uh, it takes some time, though.”  Facehoof.  “Ugh, Rarity would be so much better at this…  Oh?”  She looks up at Rarity, quizzically.  “But I can’t....”  Her scowl fades into a spreading evil grin.  “Awesome!”