//------------------------------// // XXVI. Restraint (unedited) // Story: Replicated Wanderer // by QuartzScale //------------------------------// It took a while to get all the prisoners in one room with an unimportant wall. I had talked Second Stand into tying up everyone somewhat against the wall and placing blinders on each of them. This was something dangerous I had come up with Star Swirl. He didn't have much choice since Celestia turned into a wreck after Luna’s kidnapping. He literally was forced to carry her back to her bedroom leaving me to take charge of the situation. Flint was ushered into Meadowbrook’s care almost immediately. The look in his eyes told me he would force himself to follow me for his sister. “Stand… are you ready?” I looked towards the pegasus who grimly nodded. He knew I was going to interrogate them and he knew I was going to be rough… at least to a point. “Uh… yes. I'm not feeling this plan as the best course of action.” Stand stressed out keeping his wincing eyes off to the side. “I don't know if this will get results.” “Yeah… me either but we don't have all the time in the world. Did you place the things Star Swirl made on their heads?” I questioned Stand as he nodded. “Then leave it to me for now. I need you to keep Aegis away.” “Keep Aegis away? Are you joking? That madpony is dangerous.” Stand whimpered slightly. Even I knew Vicious Aegis was a jerk since the moment he looked at me. I trained my eye on Stand and he bucked up his chest. “I'll do my best. Anything else? Should I get the chains ready? Maybe the hot oil?” Stand snarked though I could tell he was nervous about everything that was going on. “Maybe the hot oil. After all you're coming with me when we figure out which commune they live in.” I deadpanned back and pointed out what was happening after we found the location. He paled slightly and merely nodded at the prospect. After heading off to keep Aegis busy I entered the room in question. Sitting about three feet from the wall were five soldiers each tied to their chairs with blinders placed on their eyes. I wasn't looking forward to doing anything to them but I was on a timer and there was no court alive that could hold it against me when their leaders lives were on the line. The mare I had captured was placed three feet in front of them and all of them were faced the same way. At one edge of the room was a large iron block I had asked one of the soldiers for. It was very thick and seemed impenetrable though my plan would have to hopefully hold through. ‘Fefnir… attach to my buster and disable limiters for one charged shot. Nana is there anything beyond this wall?’ I mentally ordered feeling slightly anxious of the plan now. ‘Yes sir.’ Fefnir answered giggling slightly at the prospect of the plan… the battle maniac was enjoying the rough approach. ‘No one on the other side. We've done some calculations and the shot should dissipate before it gets through the wall. Are… are you certain we shouldn't try something better?’ Nana pleaded though as I waited for her to offer a different solution she relented. ‘Never mind… time is of the essence.’ ‘Honestly this is the best option at the moment. Star Swirl could have invaded their minds but it would be more dangerous. That's what the objects on their heads are for. When we start our plan they will get the truth out.’ Harpuia explained keeping a cold stare on the soldiers we captured. He remained only within my mental landscape but I could tell he was glaring at them. There were no more discussions on the plan and I tossed a bucket of water over the the five soldiers causing them to sputter awake and I tossed the last of the water on my prisoner forcing her to awaken from the shock. They all looked around noting that I was standing before them. A few of them tried to move but as that point they realized what position they were in. “Monster! You'll never take us alive!” One soldier cried out and tried to bite his tongue. He couldn't do that at all as the magic surged through the small emblem that flowed from atop his head. When I had asked Star Swirl for something I specified a preservation spell in case of fanatics. I didn't expect they would be this staunch in keeping their loyalty. I waited until he burned out to actually speak. The bravado this particular soldier held slowly started to wane going from strong belief to whimpering mess. “I won't speak regardless of what you do to me!” The soldier roared as the others near him nodded. I turned the mare around to see all the soldiers as well. “You done.” I coldly stated and dragged the mare next to the other soldier placing her all in a straight line. “I placed blinders on you for a simple reason. I don't need to tell you why I'm certain.” “Heh… monster. You won't get anything from us.” Another soldier, a mare, answered my tone. I saw a cool collected mare but when I looked her in the eyes the Suffering Circuit could tell how much fear was coursing through her entire being. Instead of answering her I switched my right hand into a buster and pointed it at the iron block. I had precharged a full buster shot ready to go. The pink energy bolts streamed out of my buster melting the iron block to slag and piercing through the wall. It left a puddle of molten slag behind. I looked at the soldiers and turned back to them charging up another shot and holding on to it until it was needed. I pulled the mare I knocked out back to the front and she was pale. “I'll ask once. Which commune do you all belong to? Next shot melts a pony.” I glared at all of them. I focused on the mare in front of me… the one I caught personally. She shook as sweat dripped down her forehead. “H-ha… w-we’ll never t-talk.” A stallion voiced out one of the more generic looking ponies with gray coat and dark blue mane. “Be strong everypony.” “Oh good. A volunteer.” I chuckled as I pulled his chair back behind everyone. They tried to turn to look as I leveled my buster against his forehead. “Last chance. Talk or melt.” “I… I'll never… never talk…” The stallion attempted to sound tough though the fear left a veritable trickle of fear puddling on the floor. I know the rest heard it. With a quick blast of my buster a pink wave of energy struck the stallion. He didn't scream since I had placed the limiter back on and boosted the paralysis effect. The stallion hit the wall and settled on the floor completely unconscious from fear as I charged my buster up again. “Five left. Which commune are you from?” I growled out as I stepped back in front of all of them. All of them stared at me shaking and stuttering in fear. “How about you? Will you speak… or do you want to melt?” “We… I… we… “ The mare that sat next to the stallion seemed ready to speak. “Don't talk! We are stronger than him!” Another stallion roared out as I turned to him and faced him. “Are you? Miss mare that I captured what happened when you fought me? How are your legs?” I turned to the one up front. I could hear her sniveling and didn't speak up. I stomped my foot down near her forced her to scream out. “I nearly broke my legs trying to buck you!” She screamed out as I turned to the stallion once again. “I mean that was me just taking a buck but you know that that's probably not that impressive. I mean that Windigo I killed tried to fight against me and I'm still standing while it's not.” I casually bragged as I grabbed his chair and started to drag him behind the other chairs. “No, don't! Corsair, Shade! Help me! Don't let him melt me!” He screamed out as I placed my buster against his head. He seemed ready to scream once again… up until I pulled the trigger and he flew against the wall. I was glad that I kept the limiter on otherwise this would get messier than it was possible. “You monster! You get off of doing this!? Making yourself a tyrant!” A mare, this time, yelled at me. “So says the ruthless kidnappers who takes foals away from their only family.” I countered and knelt down to stare her in the eye. She turned away first. “So commune or melt?” She didn't say a word. She closed her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks and I switched to the next pony. The stallion was shivering from fear before he started wailing. The next mare in line was muttering obscenities all about a mare known as Primrose. “You know… Primrose has no power here. You tell me and I make sure you go back to your life… otherwise, well you know what will happen.” I growled towards the mare whose eyes widened as her jaw slowly moved up and down. “But… but… I… I can't betray… can't die… “ she began to mutter as I looked over at the other ponies. Each were ready to crack and just needed one more push. “I'll never surrender to you!” The other mare screamed out loud trying to bolster the others. The mare I captured lowered her ears and the stallion and mare averted their eyes. I didn't say anything as I grabbed her chair dragging along the floor. I hadn't charged up my buster yet and left the charging up as I dragged her back to pretend to execute her. “No don't please! I'll tell you! I'll tell you!” The mare I dragged screamed out as I stopped and placed the buster against her head. “Go ahead. Tell the truth.” I stared at her and waited. “We… we live in the Badlands Commune. That's where we live.” She quickly yelled and the small object on top of her head blinked red. “So what do these things do Star Swirl?” I muttered as I looked over the small hat objects that he had conjured up for me. “When placed on a pony’s head two spells are placed on the wearer. The first spell keeps them from trying to kill themselves. There is a likely chance their loyalty will help them do what they must to keep their secret.” Star Swirl summarized as he levitated five others into my hand. “And the second spell?” I pocketed the objects into the small compartment on my left arm as I waited for him to answer. “A lie detecting spell. It will light up red for falsehoods and green as truths.” Star Swirl simply stated furrowing his cloak against his back a bit. “You will have to be stern to make sure you get the truth out of these fanatical ponies. I doubt they will give up so easily.” “Yes… Second Stand are they set up already!” I called out to the pegasus who merely nodded. “I don't like this. This is wrong.” Stand growled out. “Do you have a better idea of saving the child!? My apprentice!? Your princess!?” Star Swirl roared out rounding on the guard. Second stood up to the glaring wizard but looked away when he realized that he wasn't going to win the argument. “We’ll get them back.” I mentioned as I walked off towards the interrogation room. “Liar.” I muttered as I released the trigger. The bright flash caused the remaining guards to scream as the mare hit the wall falling with the others unconscious from the paralysis. I carefully stepped up to the remaining three. The stallion and mare both looked broken from the events. I kneeled near the stallion while the one I had captured was a broken mess. “Please… I'll talk. Don't hurt any others.” The mare I captured croaked out… her voice hoarse from crying. I left the two behind who remained sitting lost in their sadness. As I came up to the mare her eyes were burning with hatred. I saw that look long ago in Ruby Geode’s eyes. “Which?” I mentioned as I charged up my buster once again. “Hollow Shade… we are stationed there. That's where we were to handle our mission.” The mare growled out and the small object on her head blinked green. “Good. You're telling me the truth. Since you've been honest with me I guess I can tell you something interesting.” I muttered and dragged her chair back. She started to panic and the other two cried out. By luck she closed her eyes and I turned her towards the fallen ponies. I turned the others as well and they all stopped making noise. I snapped my fingers in front of their faces gaining their attention once again. “So… none of them were melted or dead. My shots only paralyze organic targets. Also a by choice decision. Right now since you are part of the group that kidnapped three important ponies you'll be kept in cells until after I've dealt with the pony who called the shots. I've never killed anyone anyways and I don't count the Windigo as someone.” I mentioned to the three still captive thestrals who all looked at me with differing levels of incredulity. “But-but-but the iron block…!” The mare screamed out. “Intimidation tactic. The fact you couldn't self terminate just helped me get information out of you faster. I do feel bad that I had to employ such tactics but after seeing that one of you would try to bite your tongue out for some level of loyalty… well, I feel justified in following through with my plans.” I muttered as I gripped my hand around my arms wringing them slightly because of my actions. Justification… it is the first step towards doing whatever it takes to get your way. It is a way to follow through on paths which are difficult or impossible. It was something I actually followed through on ever since I had skinned those wolves after they attacked my uncle and I. A justification of either they died… or we died. And throughout that dilemma I chose to live. Now I needed to save others and that justification was creeping its way up my back. I hoped that I wasn't being dragged into a path which there is no return from. “You… you lied to us… “ The mare spoke… though her tone was dead, or tired even. “Yes. I did. Sorry that I had to do that but I did so of my own volition. I got a lot of flak from everyone else that I was taking excessive measures against you lot… but I was the lesser of the two evils in this situation. Had Vicious Aegis gotten his hooves on you… well none of you would have lived. And I am making sure you all survive even after I've handled the mastermind of this kidnapping.” I gently explained. They all stared at me like I was crazy. “You crazy golem! What gives you the right to decide our fates anyways!” The stallion yelled clearly frustrated at the situation. “You think you can decide how we live our lives! We make our own choices! Buck you for doing this!” I pointed my buster in his face at this point. He flinched and closed his eyes realizing what he was doing. “Your anger… frustration… sorrow… I understand it's frustrating but you made your choice and decided to make enemies. You brought this fate with your choices and I decided to let you live. Everyone else in this building would probably have supported me melting you in fire, exploding you from the inside out, slicing you to ribbons, freezing your wings off then your limbs, and many other things. I decided you get a second chance… even if I have to drag your kicking and screaming corpses into a new age. So after I've completed my mission you will be given a choice which I can talk Commander Hurricane into agreeing to… hopefully.” I tempered my anger growling out the entire explanation as I pulled my buster out of his face. “What choice is there?” The mare I captured croaked out. Her stare was that of a broken soldier… someone who had accepted their fate. “Live as a part of Equestria… or be given over to Vicious Aegis. Those are your choices when I get back. Alternatively, if you give me information on your leaders… well that would strengthen your survival odds… and I know you know just how terrifyingly strong I can be.” I mentioned to the mare staring her down. “We’ll live?” She asked as she looked on her comrades… the three unconscious on the ground and the two by her side. I made certain to take off their blinders at this point. She seemed to appreciate the action as she stared at her comrades. She was given a loaded choice… but one that would not let them be executed like Geode had been. I couldn't say the same for whomever their leader was. “Yes. I'll make sure of it before I leave.” I sternly stared at the mare… while I wanted to show a smile… it wasn't the right choice for this moment. A smile could be taken as smug and lording over another which could make them lie once again. Now that my ruse was over I needed to remain a neutral figure in all this. “Okay… our leader Evening Primrose had ordered us to start our ascension after Corundum had fallen. Ever since she got these strange red crystals she has become more dangerous in her plans. She sent Arum and Jet out to handle the coordination though Jet is an idiot. You'll keep your part of this deal, right?” The mare asked almost pleading at this point. “Yes. I keep my word. That's why Corundum is dead.” I bluntly stated making certain to keep my back to them as I said it. No one needed to know the whole truth. No one needed to know I left his execution to someone else. “Right… “ She chuckled darkly at the thought. I quickly placed the ponies I shot back in chains even though their paralysis would last another hour from how I tweaked the settings. After that was done I headed out of the room. I didn't really need any more details than what I was given. When I had met both Diamond Shard and Luna I had taken thaumic measurements of their magic. I had them recorded for archive purposes should I ever needed to find them. As I turned to the thestrals I had left behind I noted that all of them looked out for one another. Each of the conscious ones had tried to rouse the unconscious ones. I placed my hand against my chest… even if it didn't beat I still felt a twinge of self reproach for what I did… what I had to do to save lives. I took a deep breath… a fake one regardless to calm myself. “Where are they?” A voice called out growling like a wild beast. Vicious Aegis had managed to sidestep Second Stand. “Depends why you want them.” I stated back clearly not intimidated. “Golem, you will not involve yourself in our affairs. This is a pony related matter and it is our matter to deal with.” Aegis glared at me when he realized I wasn't intimidated at all. “You will tell me where they are now!” “It doesn't matter. I've already dealt with it and I know where to go.” I stated as I crossed my arms. Aegis flinched as he glared even harder at me. He was about to go off when an exhausted Star Swir and enraged Hurricane came trotting down the hall. “Welcome back you two. I figured out where to go.” “What!? Where!” Both of them screamed out nearly trampling Aegis in their haste. He quickly regained his footing staring me down. “Hollow Shade… I'll be leaving now. I'll be taking Second Stand and Flint Shard with me. I don't want them to realize that I'm heading there until it's too late and a larger group would just be easier to spot.” I summarized my plans to some extent. In truth I was thinking on the spot what to actually do. With Stand and Flint I had options to exploit when I had to search for them. Even if I used Chameleon Sting’s charge function I wouldn't be able to have it infinitely. “Really? And who authorized you golem? You keep prying your stupid limbs into our business! This is a matter to be held by the royal guard!” Aegis screamed out completely forgetting who he was in front of. “Aegis! Shut your Faust damned muzzle!” Hurricane yelled out silencing the haughty earth pony from trying to smugly act superior. “You will not overstate who you are and I frankly don't give a damn about your narrow flanked view. Get out of my sight! Now!” Aegis briefly gritted his teeth before saluting Hurricane and trotting off. His steps were heavy stomping the entire way. I glared at him and as our eyes locked he returned the gaze. Our animosity against each other was growing… but while I could ignore him I needed to make certain that he didn't use his weight against those I made deals with. “X explain… now.” Hurricane growled out rounding on me this time. Luckily I don't think he was trying to intimidate me. Concern was etched on his face. “I managed to get information out of our prisoners. Luna, Clover and Diamond Shard were taken to Hollow Shades. I planned to take Second Stand and Flint Shard as my backup while you prepared your forces for the rescue… if necessary.” I added the last part at the last moment of only because I wasn't sure what he would decide to do. “And you planned this on your own? Did you think to discuss this with any of us?” Hurricane stamped his hoof down though I made certain to keep my eyes locked on his. As much as I respected him it was better that I handled this in a relatively more humane way. From what Star Swirl explained to me about magic, any mental spells were highly dangerous and could result in brain damage at best… or psychotic episodes at worst. Death would have been preferable. I looked at Star Swirl which Hurricane noticed. “I lost my apprentice. I wasn't thinking rationally Hurricane and Luna is also at risk. I assisted in the idea before it got any later.” Star Swirl insisted though his scowl did make it obvious that he hated the idea. “And let me guess… you made a deal with them?” Hurricane glared at me. “Yes. Survival for information. No inequine treatment against them.” I stated directly to Hurricane. “Fine… that can be arranged. Since they told us what we needed to hear. But you need to stop taking charge. This behavior while helpful will only escalate trouble between you and Aegis. I'm old. Really old and I can't keep this up forever. Go. Get these ponies back while I make sure that Aegis isn't going to go off to do something stupid. Star Swirl you need to get someone to keep these POW’s safe. Until Princess Luna and Clover the Clever are safe these ponies aren't.” Hurricane ordered before flapping off… most likely to keep an eye on Aegis. “I'll make certain nothing happens. When Rockhoof and Mistmane return we should be in better hooves. Already this has become a shitshow beyond compare.” Star Swirl sighed before he started casting spells. “X you should head out now. The more time we waste the more likely something horrible will happen.” “Yeah… Second get your weapons and supplies ready. I'll go get Flint from Meadowbrook and meet you at the front door.” I mentioned to the pegasus as he merely nodded and flew off to gather his things. I dashed off leaving Star Swirl behind while he carefully weaved his spells over the room the thestrals were being kept within. I rushed off through the halls using the thaumic sensor to find out where Flint was. I couldn't exactly use Meadowbrook as my beacon though. Given the breadth of how many ponies were injured she wouldn't be in one place for long. In the downtime I received an update to my systems as my armor system finally finished repairing itself. I also found out that my variable weapons system had also gone down. I hadn't even thought of using them during the attack. Most of my weapons would have been useful to stun the enemies or blow away the smoke… though I was rushing through to keep the casualties to the minimum with what I knew at the time. Hindsight, one of the greatest enemies to any plans. “Where the hell is he?” I quietly muttered to myself as the small sensor readings were pinging in one of the larger rooms. Beds were nearly scraping against one another creating chokeholds of where I could actually walk. The pings came somewhere in the center of the mess though every pony whether stallion or mare were patched up to the best of Meadowbrook’s abilities. “X, what are you doing here?” Meadowbrook voiced her concern as she trotted up to me. “Looking at the damage… how badly did it turn out?” I quickly answered not wanting to make our conversation already painted by dismissive tones. “Worse than I thought but better than I hoped. Overall there were no deaths but a lot of broken bones and bruised egos. Flint was the worst of it since he was sliced up almost constantly. It's strange though… “ Meadowbrook trailed off as she trotted over to where Flint was. He was being fed a small red vial carefully by another unicorn wearing a white hat with a red cross atop it. “What do you mean?” I quickly asked while my memories tried to think of why that symbol was known at this point in time... also how far back their history goes. It was anachronistic being all over the place at this point. “After looking over all these ponies and listening to the ones still coherent enough to speak… I think that the thestrals were hunting down unicorns. It's strange because every unicorn guard they appraised said something about a red crystal being shoved near their horn. I think you know what that means.” Meadowbrook shuddered as she realized where this was going. “Corundum… yeah I think I can see where it's going. They were one of the ones who raided the Crystal Empire shipments. The Empire didn't stop them from what I was told… which means that it was Corundum’s plan all along to have them within another’s grasp for some reason. Though why did they take Diamond Shard?” I posited my thoughts out coming to a conclusion I didn't even know if it was reasonable. “Foals can exhibit magical surges at random intervals if put under enough stress. Even if she had her cutie mark already a foal still has random magical surges which can put any adult to shame.” Meadowbrook explained giving me a lot more context to the why. “Then… I've… gotta… go… get… her… “ Flint wheezed out forcing himself up from the bed he was at. He grabbed the vial out of the air with his magic and chugged it down instantly. He started to violently cough as the magic forced the wounds closed though it looked extremely painful. “And I'm going… “ I didn't say anything as Meadowbrook charged ahead examining the stallion. My thoughts were focused on making plans while her voice started to list medical terms on the condition of using a potion such as that so recklessly. He turned out to be lucky that he had already been spoon fed half the bottle or he would have burnt out his cells and died from the sudden cellular regeneration rupturing from the sudden shift in energy. Apparently it acted like radiation in some terms… once again though magic was still far beyond my scope. “I'm leaving then.” I stated as Flint forced himself back to his hooves to the utter chagrin of Meadowbrook. “You need bed rest still!” Meadowbrook shouted before covering her mouth. She ground her teeth as she lowered her volume to harsh whispers. “You have barely been given time to recover. You'll be dead weight on a long trip.” “He can carry me… in fact I know he would. It's part of his deal we made and I'm under his command.” Flint countered as he pushed past her stumbling the entire way. “You can stay if you want. I won't fault you for it.” I looked back at him. While he didn't seem enthused by the idea… I could tell he wasn't thrilled about moving so soon. Even with his eyes staring harshly forward I could feel the gears turning in his mind. I was certain Diamond Shard was his driving force at this moment and he would ignore the pain just because someone had stolen from him something precious: his family. “I will go.” He stated clearly not wanting to be left behind. I looked at Meadowbrook who clearly was annoyed that patients wouldn't listen. Instead of pushing the point she trotted up to me and handed me two more red vials. “At night, spoonful by spoonful. No chugging otherwise he might die because of the effects. These two should get him back to being useful at the very least.” Meadowbrook sighed as she also brought out a spoon as well. “Got it.” I placed the vials in my arm compartment making certain they wouldn't break alongside the spoon. Then I lifted Flint up and started my trek towards the main hall. “Reckless… aren't you?” I muttered to my baggage as he hung limply in the air. “I could say… the same about you.” Flint shuddered as he took a deep breath. His body was still in pain. “I have the ability to withstand much more than you. I can afford to be reckless.” I countered as we came to the main hall where Second Stand was waiting. He also held Hurricane’s lance as well. “There you are. What took so long?” Stand shouted as he attached the lance to his back sheathing it carefully for quick assaults. “Doctor was worried. Why do you have that?” I pointed at the lance. “Ah… Commander said I needed to be strong enough to not get in the way. He also said this saved his life in battle against Corundum.” Stand explained the genuine smile cause by trust from his leader elated him to a good point. “I hope… you know how… to use it.” Flint coughed out making himself known. “Trust me. I'll be useful.” He stated as he opened the main doors and we all races off for Hollow Shades.