Chapter Thirty-Six: In the Company of Goddesses
Ache joined Roaring Thunder and me not long after he’d arrived with his warning. She’d found another way down and the two of us followed her, joining up with Rare when we reached the ground floor of the factory. Our power-armored companion was pinned down by a group of raiders with a magical energy minigun. It would be easy to go back the way she’d come to leave the factory, but Roaring Thunder was certain there was a faster way out past these raiders; it’d be a good idea not to leave them at our backs, anyway.
The pegasus jumped into the air and flew over the magical energy beams. He was constrained by the low ceiling of what looked like a break room, so there wasn’t much space for him to maneuver as the raiders angled the minigun up at him. He swerved to the side as one of the raiders fired a grenade launcher at him, and the grenade detonated at the ceiling, bringing down tiles and hanging lights. I tossed a metal apple across at the raiders while their attention was focused on Roaring Thunder, and the blast knocked their minigun off its pedestal. Ache rushed forward and snapped the neck of the raider with the grenade launcher before he could fire on the rest of us. She ducked as the last surviving raider swung at her with blades attached to her forelegs, but the raider died before she could strike again, her head sliced off by Roaring Thunder’s wing armor as he soared past.
We hurried past the bodies of the fallen raiders and through the hallways of the LuxuriMane factory, following Roaring Thunder’s guidance, since he seemed to know exactly where he was going. I kept my magical energy rifle and metal apples at the ready as more and more red pips appeared on my EFS. However many Black Skulls were coming for us, I was sure it was more than we could reasonably handle. Our best bet would be to try to break past them and disappear into the Stalliongrad ruins, but I wasn’t sure if that would be possible if they had us surrounded.
We emerged from the factory on the opposite side as the one we’d come in, entering a fenced-in yard full of old metal drums. Guard posts had been built up around it, but the guards were already dead, Roaring Thunder’s work judging by the magical energy burns on their corpses. With a blast from the weapons built into his suit, he melted the padlock on the fence and threw the gate open so us landbound ponies could leave.
There was trouble right away. A missile shot past my head and blew apart the fence almost as soon as I was outside. I cast SATS and fired my magical energy rifle at the perpetrator, a Black Skull with a missile launcher battle saddle. He was a good distance away, and most of my shots managed to hit him, but they all glanced off his heavy combat armor. I dashed to the side as he fired another missile at us.
Roaring Thunder took to the skies, his armor shifting color immediately, and he came down on a trio of Black Skulls that emerged around the ruins before they could fire at us. There was a lot of action among the red pips on my EFS, and more mercenaries showed themselves. Energy beams and bullets shot around us, and the three of us on the ground took cover behind various piles of debris. I hid behind a large piece of the LuxuriMane factory’s fallen exhaust stack and fired on any Black Skulls that showed themselves.
The mercenary with the missile launcher continued to be a problem, especially for Rare Sparks, who made an easy target. I crawled inside the exhaust stack and shimmied along until I could see the missile launcher pony through a crack. Ache had returned my sniper rifle to me, and I managed to hold it so that I could fire through the small opening. Using SATS to guide my aim, I fired two shots at the Black Skull, and one of them went straight through his face.
My hiding place quickly became the target of the mercenary attacks as they realized where the shots had come from, and I had to crawl out as quickly as I could. Without the threat of the missile launcher, Rare was liberally spraying the oncoming Black Skulls with fire from her minigun. Unlike raiders, who were likely to just charge in suicidally, these mercenaries were smart, and sought out cover from Rare’s attacks. They didn’t fire back except for token attacks, almost as if they were waiting for something. In a moment, I found out what they were waiting for.
Missiles and magical energy beams streaked toward us from multiple directions, and Rare, Ache, and I sought cover again. Six Black Skulls in power armor were approaching us, three from the right and three from the left. We were forced back, and our cover quickly disintegrated around us from the onslaught. I found myself hoping that the Steel Rangers would save us, as they had the last two times we’d found ourselves facing hopeless odds in Stalliongrad.
Suddenly, a blast of flame came from the sky, engulfing three of the power-armored Black Skulls and roasting them alive in their armor. Once the flames died down, all that was left were three melted piles of power armor fused to the scorched ground. I looked up to try to determine where the flames had come from, wondering if maybe a dragon had shown up and had some bone to pick with the Black Skulls, but I could see nothing out of the ordinary apart from a hole in the cloud cover high above. Roaring Thunder was rapidly winging his way toward us when a second blast came down on the other trio of Black Skulls, immolating them like the first. The remaining Black Skulls ran for it before the flames even ended.
“Run!” Roaring Thunder yelled as he pulled up near us.
“What? What’s going on?” Ache asked as she extricated herself from the rubble she’d been using to shield herself.
“I’ve seen this before! Run!” Roaring Thunder yelled, looking around anxiously.
A purple beam of energy caught the pegasus in his hindquarters as he tried to fly away, and a block of crystal formed around his hindlegs. He struggled to stay aloft with the weight and was quickly hit by a second beam that encased his entire body in crystal. Roaring Thunder fell toward the ground, and I feared he’d shatter on impact, but a warm orange glow covered the crystal block and levitated him just above the concrete. I spotted the source of the levitation spell on the roof of a warehouse not far away; a yellow-coated alicorn.
More alicorns appeared in the area, some flying into view, others literally appearing out of thin air with invisibility or teleportation spells. Out of the frying pan, into the fire. Rare Sparks took aim at the nearest alicorn, a blue-coated stallion who caused frost to appear on the ground as his hooves touched it. A cerulean glow from another alicorn’s magic suffused her, and her armor suddenly deconstructed itself, armor plates, bolts, and wires all flying away from her body, only to reassemble next to her once her now-exposed body was within the grip of another alicorn’s magic.
Ache ran toward the alicorn holding Rare in place, and another glow covered her body. She fought her way out of the magical grip, however, much to the surprise of the alicorn holding her. Another magical field covered her and she suddenly grew heavier, drawn down to the ground until she couldn’t move anymore.
“No!” I yelled as all my companions were immobilized.
I threw a metal apple at one of the alicorns (there were plenty to choose from), but she caught it in her magic and contained the blast. My saddlebags were pulled from my back and my weapons taken away from me as multiple alicorns surrounded me. I turned back and forth, unsure of what I could do to escape. A white-coated alicorn cast an orb of magic at my head, and I suddenly became incredibly tired. I fell to the ground, my eyes closing shut on the sight of alicorns crowding around me.
***
I awoke to a sound I hadn’t heard for months; a working ventilation system. I was in a Stable, a fully functional one like Stable 85 that hadn’t been ransacked, fallen into disrepair, been destroyed by Steel Rangers, or taken over by plant-monsters. Opening my eyes only confirmed what my ears had told me. Bright lights blazed overhead, set into a ceiling painted the utilitarian gray that Stable-Tec was so fond of.
The bed I was laying on was incredibly uncomfortable, completely devoid of sheets, and the mattress was little more than a solid slab. As I rolled off, I examined my new surroundings. I was in a room large enough for a bed, a table, a chair, and little else. Two doors were on opposite corners of the room, but I noticed that only one of them had manual controls for opening it. The door I was able to open led to a bathroom, but the other door wouldn’t open at all, even when I stood right up against it. There were no windows or anything resembling them apart from a little door in the same style as the actual ones on the wall next to the table. So, a prison cell then.
My possessions were nowhere to be found, and I briefly remembered the alicorns taking them from me as I rubbed the back of my head. My memories were a little confused. They’d even taken my clothing, leaving me naked except for my PipBuck (which they couldn’t remove without breaking it or cutting my leg off).
On the table was another PipBuck, this one with the clasp broken, though the damage looked accidental. With nothing better to do until my jailers came to do whatever they’d brought me here for, I trotted over to the table and sat down. I examined the PipBuck and found that I could use it easily, even though it wasn’t on my foreleg and I clearly wasn’t its intended user. Everything had been wiped from the PipBuck except for a set of journal entries. I was beginning to get suspicious why this PipBuck had been left here but began to read them anyway.
10.23.1366
Today is my sixteenth birthday, exactly sixteen years after The Last Day. Strange, I’ve thought before, how the last day for Equestria was my first day. It makes celebration really awkward, since everypony wants to be mourning Equestria instead of celebrating my birthday. I understand, I guess, but this is all I, and those my age or younger, have ever known. The Stable is our home, not some vast, ceiling-less nation ruled by two goddess-like princesses. Much of what the elders tell me when they reminisce, I can’t understand. How could I when Stable 137 is my entire world?
This year is different, though; this year, there’s something for other ponies to celebrate with me. My apprenticeship begins, and I’ve been chosen to work in the secretive Science Department. Dr. Errant Signal came by today to make sure my PipBuck has the correct security to let me into the Science Wing. I’ll be moving there tonight to stay for a while, so I’ve got to clear out my living quarters. I’m sure Mr. and Mrs. Hills will miss me, and I’ll miss them too, but they’ll still have Bloom, their real daughter. Not that I don’t appreciate everything the Hills have done for me over the years, but pretty much everypony in the Stable helped raise me after my mother died. If only she could see me now.
I’ll miss my friends, too, but I’m sure I’ll see them again. Unlike some ponies who go to work in the Science Department, I’ll come back to visit, and not just for Hearth’s Warming or Sun Day. Dr. Signal said I’ll need to stay in the Science Wing for at least six months before I can come back, though, so I can get used to my new role. I’m sure my friends will still be here when I get back, and I’ll have plenty to tell them about when I do. Not secret things, of course, since the Science Department does a lot of classified work, but stuff about my new life.
Gotta go; some of us are getting together for a little birthday party once the Last Day mourning is over.
12.17.1366
What a Hearth’s Warming Eve! I was a little sad at first that I wouldn’t be able to attend the big celebration in the Atrium this year, but the scientists here that don’t go back to visit (most of them) have their own party. That’s where I’m at now, jotting down my thoughts in between carols.
I’d have liked to record this in my quarters after the day’s work, like I usually do, but we went straight to the party, so I’ll try to get as much as I can down with the time I have. Dr. Rose confided in me today the main research of the Science Department, which I’ll soon be helping with. We’re continuing the work of the Ministry of Magic during the War to find a way to turn ordinary ponies into ALICORNS! I almost couldn’t believe my ears when she told me, but it’s all true! The Impelled Metamorphosis Potion is still unfinished, but over the past sixteen years, the Science Department has been working to perfect it, to allow everypony to become one of the goddess-like beings that the elders talk about in hushed tones. No wonder it’s so secretive.
I get to be part of this, to help ponykind rise up. Dr. Rose warned me that I might find some of the research hard to deal with, since the only way to test the IMP is on ponies. It could be unsettling to see that, since it’s never been successful yet, but think of the rewards! This could be much worse or much better than I’m imagining, but it’s probably best to wait and see. I’m still excited to be part of such an ambitious project!
01.19.1367
Subject 193: “Lotus Blossom” – Day 1
Subject Lotus Blossom is a mare in her mid-thirties, originally assigned to work on the Stable’s microspark reactors. She was brought to the Science Wing after a reactor malfunction caused her to suffer severe magical energy burns beyond the ability of the Stable’s doctors to undo. Following standard procedure, it will be announced within a day or two to the Stable that she did not survive. As it is, that might be true if the IMP doesn’t have noticeable effects soon.
I, Crimson Lance, have been assigned to observe the subject during the experiments. Upon arrival in the Science Wing, Lotus Blossom was taken to Observation Room 4 and administered three doses of IMP batch 229.2. So far, there have been no noticeable reactions to the injection.
01.22.1367
Subject 193: “Lotus Blossom” – Day 4
All magical burn scars have vanished, and Lotus Blossom is fully conscious. I communicated with her through the intercom when she continued to demand to speak to somepony. I explained the situation to her, but she seemed unsettled at the prospect of being tested upon, even if it likely saved her life. I’m holding off on releasing sedatives just yet and hope it won’t come to it, unless she becomes aggressive. I’ll consult with Dr. Rose on the matter and trust her judgement.
01.26.1367
Subject 193: “Lotus Blossom” – Day 8
As I’ve been told to expect, internal changes are beginning in Lotus Blossom. I’ve begun releasing sedatives, though for her own good. She appears to be in intense pain, as I imagine I would be if my organs were changing shape, size, and composition. No external changes visible yet, but I’ll continue to observe.
01.29.1367
Subject 193: “Lotus Blossom” – Day 11
Physical changes are progressing for Lotus Blossom. Her coat has fallen out and begun to regrow, coarse but the same color as before. An earth pony before she came here, she has begun to grow a horn and wings. So far, they’re just a bone nub and fleshy protrusions, but soon they’ll grow into full appendages. If all goes well, she’ll be able to fly and cast spells just like any pegasus or unicorn. It may not seem it now, but all the pain she’s going through will be worth it in the end.
02.06.1367
Subject 193: “Lotus Blossom” – Day 19
I’m confident that the Change has completed. Lotus Blossom is now fully alicorn. She’s awkward with her wings and hasn’t cast any spells yet, but that seems likely due more to her unfamiliarity with the additions to her anatomy than anything else. My first subject and already a success!
02.23.1367
Subject 193 – Day 36
Subject 193’s condition continues to deteriorate. Despite initially positive results, the Impelled Metamorphosis Potion has continued to act even after transformation was complete. Muscle mass has increased 321%, wings have grown four extra joints, and feathers have shriveled. Subject’s coat and mane have fallen out again and the exposed flesh is dark and sickly. Experiment is a failure.
02.28.1367
Subject 193 – Day 41
Subject 193 passed away today after multiple internal organs shut down simultaneously. Autopsy to come, followed by incineration. Report will follow. Experiment is a failure.
06.30.1368
This is an outrage! They can’t keep me here! They HAVE to let me out! This morning, I woke up in one of the observation rooms, bandages where I KNOW they injected me with the IMP. Nopony will speak with me through the intercoms, even when they bring me meals. What do they think they’re doing? Promising ponies from the Stable are brought in to the Science Wing to be tested on, sure, I’ve known that for years, but NEVER have I seen or heard of somepony actually part of the Science Department being experimented on against their will! Was this their plan all along? Why bother training me and relying on my help to perfect the potion if they were just going to lock me away and use it on me anyway? We’ve yet to have a single successful transformation, so don’t they realize the risk to my life? Or, maybe they do. Dr. Bulb must’ve convinced them to do it; she’s jealous of me surpassing her! That must be it! I’ll be out of here in no time, and I’ll find some way to reverse the potion before it goes too far. That’s it! I’ve just got to convince them they’ve made a mistake.
07.02.1368
Day 3
I figure I’d better start tracking the days. At least I know what to expect, unlike some of the other test subjects—prisoners, I guess. It’s so different being INSIDE the observation room while to potion works to alter my physiology. Let’s see, if I recall correctly, the timetable from the last batch of IMP went something like this:
Day 4 – subject is in perfect health, prepared for transformation (no affect on me since I was already healthy)
Day 10 – internal changes begin
Day 14 – external changes begin, loss of coat and mane
Day 16/17 – largest growth in muscle/bone tissue
Day 21 – conversion to alicorn appearance complete, though magic is rudimentary and link between brain and wings is weak
Day 30/32? – unchecked transformation begins
Day 40 – subject is dead
I think it’s worse knowing what awaits me. According to Dr. Signal, it’s too late to reverse the process now, but I think he’s lying. If only there were some way to escape, but Stable-Tec built these observation rooms—cells—too well.
07.09.1368
Day 10
Internal changes are occurring right on schedule. I can barely record this; even raising my foreleg to see the PipBuck’s screen is a strain. They’re not sedating me, at least not very heavily; I can feel it all. It’s only going to get worse, and I won’t be able to record anything soon.
07.22.1368
Day 23
The transformation is over. I didn’t take my PipBuck off when the Changes began—stupid—and the expansion of my foreleg broke the clasp. It won’t fit back on now, not with my increased stature. The wings are awkward, as expected; my brain isn’t connected to them properly. I’ve lost most of my magical skill and can barely levitate things anymore. If I hadn’t seen ponies reach this state and then die horrible deaths anyway, I’d be comforted, but I know too much. It’s just a waiting game now, until I die. I hope they at least sedate me for that.
07.30.1368
Day 31
I can feel it coming, right when I expected it to. The second round of Changes are coming, the ones I won’t survive. I don’t want to die! I had so much of my life ahead of me! What did I do to deserve this! Nopony knew about the experiments in Stable 137, but Mom, they said you were an important pony before the megaspells fell. Did you know? Why did you come here?
08.04.1368
Day 36
The Changes were terrible, but now it seems they’ve passed. I’m still in awe that I didn’t die. My wings work; at least, I’m fairly sure that they do. I can’t really fly around in this enclosed space. I could use my magic if they hadn’t activated the suppression field around the room. They’re probably afraid of what I could do with it. Rightly so; I’m afraid myself. Dark thoughts have been coming to me lately. The kind of pain I went through changes a pony, not to mention any other side effects of the IMP that we didn’t know about. I swear my mind works faster than before, and there’s something else, an almost otherworldly perception. If I can find a way out of here, I will. They have to let me out some time, though they’re probably debating what to do with me now that I didn’t die.
08.15.1368
Day 50
They are still keeping me here. Don’t They realize what’s happened? I’m an alicorn now; They must see my superiority, and They tremble because of it. I must escape. I must show Them what I can do and get my revenge for what They’ve done to me.
08.22.1368
Another voice! There is another like me! I can hear it in my head and I can speak back! She says she is Violet Crescent; I remember her, vaguely, from The Time Before. Of course! They could not stop with just ONE alicorn, They must make MORE of me! Let Them, and soon me will be us!
01.23.1369
More! More! More! With each alicorn they create, We become greater, We become stronger! I have convinced the others to act subservient until the time is right, then We shall take our revenge on Them and rebuild this Stable! There are twelve of Us now (even if we are also One), the cells are nearly full. It won’t be long until Our time is right.
02.14.1369
They tried to COLLAR me today! As if WE were to be the slaves! No! They are the ones befitting of servitude! The Time has come! All out of cells, They were going to use a magic-dampening collar to move me to another room. They tried to sedate me before entering, but I am far beyond that now. The two who came for me were dead before they even knew it. I released the rest of Us and We’ve taken over the Science Wing. Finally They are dead and the Impelled Metamorphosis Potion is in Our hooves! They were deserving only of death, but the others in Stable 137 have done nothing to warrant such an end. They will join Us, become more than they are, and We will rule Equestria!
11.04.1415
It’s been so long since I’ve seen this PipBuck, had the will to record. Reading some of what I recorded here, it makes me realize how much things have changed, and for the better. The scientists, who I call “Them,” I hope they can forgive us. We were thrust into new bodies and minds with powers we couldn’t comprehend, and it has taken us a long time to adjust. We were slaves then, not to other ponies who created us in their experiments, but to our emotions. The link between our minds didn’t help, only reinforcing the anger as it traveled between us and grew out of control. What the scientists did, the experiments with IMP they undertook, were monstrous, but I was one of them once, and I can understand. They were trying to create better ponies, and we are the result. Not to brag, but they did a fine job. It just took a while for things to truly come to fruition. We had to untangle our minds, discover ourselves again. Now, we can be the alicorns we were meant to be, not the monsters that destroyed this Stable.
That was the last journal entry on the PipBuck, and I set it back down on the table. It painted a picture of life in Stable 137 and how the alicorns had come about. They’d been created here, artificially been made using Impelled Metamorphosis Potion. I’d known in my heart that something had been wrong about these alicorn-not-goddesses. If the last journal entry was to be believed, however, they were no longer the monsters they’d been upon their creation. I found that hard to believe, given recent encounters with them. Even if it was the most recent, the latest entry had still been recorded nearly a century ago. Something had changed in that time, clearly.
The process the alicorns had gone through to become what they were now sounded hideous and gruesome. Was that the fate in store for me? They’d put me in one of their “observation rooms,” after all. I couldn’t find any signs of injection sites on my body, and my PipBuck confirmed that no potions were in my system, other than the residue from the regenerative potion I’d taken earlier. Strangely, it did detect the faint presence of Taint in the area and warned me to be careful.
If they hadn’t started the process of turning me into an alicorn yet, they probably would eventually, and I needed to get out of here before that. There was also the matter of my friends, who were likely also in observation rooms. I prayed to the real goddesses that they hadn’t been injected with the IMP yet either, though I wasn’t sure what effect it would have on Ache.
As I’d seen before, there were no controls to open the door on this side of the wall. Maybe if I pried the panel next to the door off, though, I could bypass the controls and open the door manually. As I strained to pull the panel free, the door suddenly slid open on its own. I was expecting an alicorn, here to punish me for trying to escape, but instead I was greeted by the friendly face of Rare Sparks (albeit lower than usual since her power armor was missing).
“Doc!” she exclaimed as she saw me.
“Rare!” I replied in kind.
I trotted out of my cell. Clearly, she’d had the same idea for escape as me, but her skills were so much beyond mine when it came to mechanical things that she’d managed to break out before me.
“Are you alright?” I asked, “They didn’t run any experiments on you?”
“Experiments?” Rare asked in confusion.
“I’ll explain later,” I promised, “We need to get out of here.”
“Not just yet,” the ominous voice of an alicorn spoke as she teleported in front of us, blocking our way down the hall.
I’d already thought of a plan in case one of them tried to enter my cell before I’d made my escape, and I put it into action. With SATS cast, I was marginally faster than the alicorn and zipped around to her side before striking out with my hindlegs. Not expecting an attack, she was knocked sideways toward the cell’s door. Rare caught on fast to what I was doing, and while the alicorn was still discombobulated, she joined in, pushing her the rest of the way into the cell. Her hoof slammed against the control panel and the door slammed shut. As the heavy metal began to crumple under alicorn magic, Rare pressed another button on the door’s control panel and a small, blue light next to Magic Suppression Field lit up. The damage to the door stopped, but we wouldn’t be safe for long.
“Where are the others?” I asked, and Rare led the way, away from the cell she’d emerged from, “We have to be fast; the alicorns are able to communicate mentally with each other. More will be here any moment.”
“You don’t say,” an alicorn said wryly as he entered through the door at the end of the hall, two others flanking him.
The lead alicorn stood half a head taller than the rest, his coat a blood red and his mane fiery orange, moving slowly as if the flames were real. He trotted slowly toward us as the purple one on his left and the blue one on his right approached Rare and me respectively. We had no weapons, no way to defend ourselves, so we tried to run for it. The alicorns flanking the red one quickly caught us in our magic and held us immobile.
“Stop running away!” the lead alicorn demanded, his voice booming, “We just want to talk!”
“Yeah, right,” I said as I struggled against the magic holding me while slowly being turned to face the lead alicorn, “Why’d you ambush us and imprison us here if you just wanted to talk?”
“Would you have come if we’d simply asked?” the alicorn inquired.
“I … I suppose not,” I said, “But that doesn’t change the fact that you imprisoned us. Where are our friends?”
“They are safe nearby,” the alicorn said, gesturing to the observation rooms like the ones Rare and I had been in, “They are safer in there than they would be out here with us.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Will you come with me, so we can talk?” the alicorn asked.
“It doesn’t look like I have much of a choice,” I commented, looking at the gap between my hooves and the ground.
“Hmph, you’re partially right,” the alicorn said, “I can drag you along with me and force you to listen, but I can’t force you to reply. A conversation with only one pony talking is dreadfully boring, so I hope you’ll contribute. Will you come with me willingly?”
“Fine,” I said, and the alicorn holding me allowed me to fall to the floor, “What about Rare?”
“It’s you I wish to speak with,” the alicorn said as he turned and led the way down the hallway, “She will be returned to her observation room.”
“Cell,” I corrected him and the alicorn paused.
“Yes,” the alicorn admitted, “But like I said, she will be safer there.”
“If you want to talk to me, you can talk to all four of us,” I protested.
“It’s fine, Doc,” Rare assured me, “Besides, I know how to get out now if it looks like there’s going to be trouble.”
The magical field around the mare disappeared, and two of the alicorns escorted her back to her cell. I followed the leader as he trotted off down the hall. According to the PipBuck journal entries, we were in the Science Wing, and I saw plenty of evidence to back that up. Eventually we entered the Stable proper, though, with its familiar Stable-Tec architecture. There were alicorns everywhere, especially in the Atrium where they had more than enough room to fly around. None of them seemed at all surprised at my presence, which I guessed was the result of their linked minds. My guide led me to Stable 137’s Overmare’s office and took a seat behind the desk there.
“You now know who we are, and how we came to be,” the alicorn said matter-of-factly.
“The PipBuck,” I said as I pieced things together, “You left it there for me to find.”
“Yes, ever since you arrived in Stalliongrad, we’ve been watching you,” the alicorn said, leaning toward me, “We needed some way to explain ourselves to you, and after watching you listen to recording after recording of the Old World and pore through terminal entries, it was an obvious solution.”
“So, you planted it,” I said, miffed at being tricked into believing I was discovering the Stable’s past on my own, “You fabricated those records to convince me to talk to you.”
“No, every journal entry on that PipBuck was legitimate. It belonged to a real pony and you read his story. You know what happened to us, what happened to me,” the alicorn said.
“You’re Crimson Lance?” I asked, watching the alicorn’s mane flow.
“Yes, patient zero, the first northern artificial alicorn, and leader of this Stable,” Crimson Lance said.
“The first northern artificial alicorn?” I asked, picking up on that peculiar qualifier.
“Yes, we are not the only alicorns in the Equestrian Wasteland, but we are unique,” Crimson Lance said, settling back for a long explanation, “As you saw in my journal entries, briefly, we nearly lost that uniqueness at the start. We did not resist the merging of our minds into a unified consciousness. Fortunately, we were each able to pull ourselves free, to maintain the sense of self while remaining linked to the whole, even if it took us many years to do so.”
“Now, though, there is a threat to our uniqueness again. It began several decades ago, the call from the south. There is a persistent voice that grows ever louder in our minds and calls itself the Goddess. She demands Unity from all alicorns, to be absorbed into herself, to share her mind. We refused, but she has not stopped calling to us. At first, we could ignore the voice, as we’d learned to do with each other during the Separation, but it’s grown more insistent with every year.”
“The Goddess is growing stronger, and soon we will be unable to resist. We hardly dare to venture into Stalliongrad anymore, for fear that the Goddess will snag our minds. When she takes control, we remain conscious, but no longer in charge of our action, and often our very forms. The Goddess commands Unity in all things, and that includes limiting our appearance and abilities to her prized set of four alicorns. To change shape unwillingly is unpleasant, but we have no way of escaping her.”
“You’ve seen how strong she’s grown. Not long ago at all, she managed to take control of a large number of us and attack the home of your friend, the Pegasus Who Watches. We have had our … disagreements with him before, but have tried to keep our distance when the Goddess isn’t in control. She forced us into that attack, and to patrol Stalliongrad for her. We’ve been searching the city ourselves for a way to be rid of the Goddess, but it’s not safe, not when she can now reach us even so far north as here. The Stable protects us to a degree, but it won’t for much longer.”
“This Stable was connected to the Ministry of Arcane Sciences during the War, you know this from what I recorded over a century ago. We know that there was work being done in Stalliongrad by the ministry to suppress long-range telepathy, some unfounded concern in the government that the zebras could be reading their minds and learning their secrets. It could help us to block out the Goddess’s voice, but we don’t dare go near Stalliongrad anymore. If you could locate the research for us, likely in the MAS Hub, we would be most grateful.”
Most grateful. I’d been in this situation multiple times before, and I knew that what Crimson Lance was asking was no polite request. Like the MoM and MWT Hubs, the MAS Hub was somewhere within the Ponies’ Republic of Stalliongrad. It seemed everypony in Stalliongrad outside the PRS wanted what was within it, and I was their chosen agent to steal from the PRS. It had worked twice already, but I didn’t know how long that lucky streak could go on.
“My friends?” I asked as I considered what Crimson Lance had said.
“They will stay here until you return, unless you fail, in which case we’ll release them. It’s the least we can do,” Crimson Lance said, even though that was hardly the least they could do, “Do you have an idea of where to look?”
“I do,” I admitted, “The MAS Hub is in the Ponies’ Republic of Stalliongrad.”
“Excellent; you won’t have need of your gear then, other than your visitor pass,” Crimson Lance said.
“Now hold on!” I protested, but it was already too late.
A white light suffused me, and I squeezed my eyes shut. When I could no longer see it even through me eyelids, I opened my eyes tentatively. I was standing in the ruins of Stalliongrad, bereft of everything but the visitor pass that popped into existence in front of me a few moments later. I could easily see the walls of the PRS, and the gate to Traders’ Lane came in sight after trotting over a pile of rubble. I checked my PipBuck when I noticed that Stable 137 had been added to my map, nearly as far away from Stalliongrad as the SOAR Headquarters. To teleport me over such a distance, the alicorns had power beyond imagination. I hoped they’d teleport me back when my work was done, too, otherwise it was going to be a long and perilous walk through the ruins of Stalliongrad to return to them. If it came to it, I’d have to buy some gear in the PRS with my contribution credits, the only form of currency I had now.
I trotted up to Traders’ Lane and into the settlement, getting some stares. For once, the stares weren’t because of my doctor’s coat, but the lack of it and all equipment. No doubt everypony watching me wondered how I’d survived out in the Wasteland with nothing to defend myself. The PRS guards at the entrance to the Western Block didn’t bat an eye at my nakedness; my description in the visitor pass still matched my appearance, and they let me through without question.
I was on my way to speak to Strict Step; he would be able to tell me where the MAS Hub was, I was sure. I just hoped that he wouldn’t get suspicious from me asking for the location of a third ministry hub. There were ponies out in the streets of the Western Block and music was playing from loudspeakers attached to the buildings. It reminded me quite a bit of Enclave Radio, with its overabundance of drums and trumpets and its military tone, and I had to check and make sure it wasn’t Enclave Radio. Some sort of celebration was going on in the Ponies’ Republic of Stalliongrad, and I approached a group of Stalliongraders to ask what was going on.
“You just missed the Ponies’ Liberation Army leaving,” a mare replied when I asked, “We’re finally taking care of Railyard once and for all.”
I took off before she said anything else, in the direction of Primary Square. The ponies of Railyard hadn’t just been paranoid; the PRS truly was coming for them. I had to try to stop this, but there was nothing I could do to help at Railyard the way I was, completely without any of my weapons or friends. Maybe I could convince Chairmare Peach Cream to call off the attack; it was the only chance I had.
A thought came to me as I galloped through the Western Block, that I’d indirectly caused this. Why now would the PRS decide to attack Railyard, after all? Peach Cream had told me that the PRS was running out of food, that they needed more land to grow crops. Most of the land in Stalliongrad was covered in buildings, though, and would take a long time to turn into suitable land for crops, though the work of clearing the land and cleaning the soil could then be done together. I’d handed the chairmare a megaspell, however, a megaspell that could instantly make land ready for farming. With no patience necessary, all they needed was some flat land without buildings, and the closest land that fit the bill was the train yard that Railyard had been built on. The homes of the settlement were also mobile so they could be moved out of the way easily, and tearing up the train tracks would be much easier than demolishing buildings. It was the perfect place for new fields; all they had to do was clear out the locals.
At the entrance to Primary Square, I demanded to speak to Peach Cream and was surprised when the guards complied (after checking my visitor pass). I was escorted all the way to Stable 124 but had to wait outside of the Chairmare’s Office until she was ready to see me. I had calmed down some, but was still furious, by the time I was granted admission.
“Why are you attacking Railyard?” I demanded as soon as I saw Peach Cream.
“Hello to you, too,” she replied sarcastically, “The actions of the Ponies’ Republic of Stalliongrad are of no concern to you.”
“Of course they’re not,” I snorted, “Especially when you had me find you an agricultural megaspell so you can turn another settlement into farmland.”
“You’re far too clever for your own good,” Peach Cream said, her eyes narrowing, “Of course we’re going to use the megaspell there; it’s the ideal location.”
“Except that there are ponies living there,” I protested.
“I really don’t see how this came as a surprise to you. The Ponies’ Republic of Stalliongrad and Railyard have been enemies for a long time. It was inevitable that a final conflict between us would occur eventually.”
“A conflict you’re destined to win,” I said.
“Destined … a fine choice of words,” Peach Cream mused, “Yes, it is the destiny of the Ponies’ Republic of Stalliongrad to win in this and all conflicts. Can’t you see that we are the future, the better way? The settlements of the Wasteland are tiny, corrupt, squabbling entities that rise and fall constantly, but here we have built a real city, a real state. We’re far more than just another settlement, and will become far more still.”
She was right, in a way. The PRS was destined to win every fight because they would always be able to overpower their opponents. No single settlement could ever stand against such a huge entity, but if they joined together … Suddenly, I wondered if this was why so many settlements and raider gangs in Stalliongrad had joined together, to form a force that really could face the PRS. Was this the true purpose of the Northern Lights Coalition?
“That doesn’t just give you the right to take whatever you want,” I said.
“Oh, and what does? A radio announcer bestowing a fancy title upon you, perhaps?” Peach Cream asked with a serious frown, “Perhaps you’re thinking I’m upset about you bullying a high-ranking Party member at Harmony Tower into letting you take property claimed for the Ponies’ Republic, but there’s much more to it than that, isn’t there? Yes, that wasn’t the first thing you’ve stolen from us, was it?”
She knows! She knows about everything, and here I am with nothing to defend myself but a flimsy visitor pass!
“That’s right,” Peach Cream said, reading my expression, “We found the snooper in the Morale Ministry. Did you really think you could get away with something like that?”
Four more PRS soldiers in full combat armor entered the office, joining the two already there. There was no escape, even if I tried to use SATS to slip past them.
“What are you going to do with me?” I asked, fearing the answer.
“Here in the Ponies’ Republic of Stalliongrad, we’ve learned how to make the best use of everypony’s contribution for the good of the state, even misguided criminals and political activists,” Peach Cream announced satisfyingly, “Now you’ll learn why nopony speaks about The Stacks.”
Level Up
New Perk: ‘Tis But a Scratch – Your time in the Wasteland has hardened your body to endure all kinds of stresses and injuries it never should have. +1 to Endurance.
New Quest: Work Sets You Free – Survive in The Stacks.
Endurance +1 (6)
Explosives +3 (90)
Sneak +3 (78)
Speech +14 (93)