A Wolf in Cybernetic Armor

by Shadow Quill


19 - Starting Again

Shadow stayed up the entire night, watching over the slumbering ponies while Bellwood and Goodwill took turns nodding off and rousing their partner for the next watch. Yet the peace that had settled over the room could only last so long, with the morning light of dawn slowly bringing its residents back from the realm of dreams. It was Kelly who awoke first, her muzzle splitting in a huge yawn as she rolled over a couple times, as if trying to escape the sunbeams that were forcing her from her sleep. Finally, with a muttered grumble that might or might not have contained a few choice curses, the newly minted unicorn lifted her head and looked around the room, her bleary eyes taking in her teammates and Shadow before falling on the less than flattering form of Blueblood. In an instant, her body jumped to fully alert, Shadow’s sensors picking up a rapid increase in her heart rate and breathing as her much larger eyes widened.

“What is he doing here?” She hissed as her gaze locked onto Shadow, her voice kept low so as not to wake the drooling stallion.

“He came to pledge his service to you last night,” Shadow replied evenly, “but you were already asleep, so I prevented him from disturbing you.”

This seemed to take Dr. Kelly back for a moment, although her confusion only lasted for a second before her gaze returned to the former noble, “Well tell him that I don’t want him to be in here. I’ve barely gotten used to being in this new body and now I have to deal with an ex-prince acting as my personal servant? No thank you, I have enough headaches as it is.”

“I’m afraid that might be harder than you think.” Shadow retorted, “Blueblood stated something along the lines of there being nowhere else for him to go because of his stripped title and lands. He is literally homeless and without a coin to his name, so if you throw him out, he’ll just end up sitting in the hallway until you give him someplace else to stay.”

Kelly’s eyes closed as a sigh escaped her lips, a hoof managing to find its way to the bridge of her muzzle as she presumably fought back an oncoming headache, “Why do these things always happen to me?” Another sigh sounded out before she lowered her hoof and opened her eyes, “Fine, he can stay, but if he tries anything, I’m going to make sure he hits every single step on the way out the door.”

“Oh, you won’t have to worry about that, Doctor,” Lieutenant Bellwood stated with a smile in her voice, “the Captain and I will be sure to give him the boot if he does anything unprofessional or tries to bring you any harm.” Her weapon hummed with energy as the magnets began to charge within the mass driver, “If he does anything more than look at you wrong then I’m going to pump him full of holes until there’s nothing left but a puddle.”

Apparently, the hum of the guard’s weapon was enough to awaken the stallion from his slumber, his back creaking in several places as he forced himself into a standing position. His mane was a mess and hung over his face as his bleary eyes slowly traveled across the room, slowly locking onto the humming weapon on the other side of the room.

“Do you mind?” His tone was less than polite as he stumbled over to Bellwood, his eyes locked onto the rifle as his ears folded against his head, “Some ponies are trying to sleep, and that infernal humming is preventing me from getting my much-needed beauty rest.”

Bellwood glanced at Shadow for a translation, so he simply replied with, “He wants you to power down your weapon. Apparently, the magnets are making it hard for him to sleep.”

Bellwood nodded, shutting down her weapon as Blueblood nodded, although his attention was quickly dragged to the bed when Kelly cleared her throat. The former prince’s gaze was heated enough to make the former human flinch, although a not-so-subtle growl from Shadow quickly shut down any thoughts Blueblood might have had of harming Kelly.

A roll of his eyes and a sigh helped the stallion to calm himself before walking up to the bedside, allowing Shadow to step between them but keeping his eyes locked on Dr. Kelly as he spoke, “It would seem that there are many things that I will have to get used to in my new life.” Blueblood straightened his posture and his jacket before fixing his mane with a burst of magic, “First of all, I believe that there is the matter of our language to discuss, given I must teach you and your kind how to converse in proper Equish.”

He glanced at Shadow as the mechanical wolf repeated the stallion’s words to Dr. Kelly, the mare nodding in agreement before turning her attention back to Blueblood, “That would be acceptable, although I think the issue of my mobility takes priority over any language lessons. I can’t very well act as an ambassador if I can’t walk, now can I?”

Blueblood sputtered for a moment, his expression one of disdain as he stepped back a few paces, “Then you can learn the specifics of how to walk with the help of your mechanical monstrosity. I will not stoop so low as to teach something that even foals know how to do.”

“Need I remind you that you have been tasked to help Dr. Kelly in any way she requires, no matter what it may be?" Shadow countered as Blueblood turned to leave, “Your punishment was handed down by Princess Celestia herself in order to save you from the executioner’s block. Don’t think for a minute we expect you to enjoy this in any way, but that does not excuse you from having a duty to perform. Now stop acting like an entitled brat, because you don’t have anything to back up that pretentious attitude anymore. Sit down, shut up, and help me teach Dr. Kelly how to walk.”

Blueblood ground his teeth together for several seconds before snorting in frustration, his tail lashing from side to side as he turned back to face Shadow and Kelly. His murderous glare did nothing to faze the mechanical hound as the smaller being stomped his way up to the bedside, causing even Dr. Kelly to roll her eyes at his childish behavior.

“And what was all that about?” Kelly asked as Blueblood sat down next to the bed with Shadow on his right.

“Blueblood was trying to throw his non-existent weight around until I reminded him what Princess Celestia had tasked him with.” Shadow replied, “He was talking about helping a pony learn to walk as being beneath him, so I had to give him a little encouragement.”

A snorted laugh escaped Kelly’s muzzle as she turned her attention to the scowling stallion before her, “More like threatened him with treason if what I know about the Princess’s decree is accurate.” She glanced down at the sheets covering her body, a blush overcoming her cheeks as she replied, “Could you make him turn around please? I would like to get off the bed and I’m not sure how this new body of mine works when it comes to private parts.”

Captain Goodwill simply grunted in agreement as he marched over to the door, grabbing a protesting Blueblood by the scruff of his neck and dragging the poor stallion out of the room while Bellwood tried to hide her laughter behind a string of coughs. There was the sound of a brief scuffle outside the door, but it was quickly brought to a halt as the meaty crack of metal on bone reached those still inside the room.

Goodwill poked his head through the door, “Blueblood is contained so you’re good to go. Please continue as you were.”

Kelly glanced at Bellwood, “Did he really just knock out the poor guy with his rifle?”

Bellwood nodded in return, “He probably wanted to keep him out of trouble so you can get used to moving around without that asshat getting in the way. He might have been some help, but I’m pretty sure Shadow over here is going to be a much better teacher than that pony ever could be.”

Kelly smiled as she finally pulled back the sheets, a deep blush overcoming her features as she pushed herself over to the edge of the bed and glanced at the floor below. Shadow could detect Kelly’s nervousness, so he stepped up to the side of the bed and offered her a paw for support.

“Thank you, Shadow.” Kelly smiled in gratitude as she placed a hoof over his paw, her hind legs slipping off of the bedside as her weight began to carry her forward.

With a slight yelp and the clop of hooves on tile, Kelly was on the floor and standing on her hind hooves, although the vast majority of her weight was settled on her hind legs as she struggled to stand upright. Instinct fought with biology as Kelly did her best to keep her balance, but ultimately, she fell forward, her hoof slipping from Shadow’s grip as she caught herself with her forelegs. For a moment Kelly simply stood there, her center of gravity shifting to her new quadrupedal stance as her head lifted up to a vertical orientation. Her ears shifted back and forth as she turned her head to look over her shoulder, her eyes flickering from one part of her body to the next as her mind got used to her new stance.

“Well, this feels really weird.” She muttered to herself as she glanced down at her hooves, “It’s like I’m standing on my hands and toes, but my back isn’t bending the way I expect it to.” Her head turned once again to look over her shoulder, “And I know my neck never bent this far as a human.”

“Try taking a step or two,” Shadow encouraged, “I’ll guide you if you get stuck.”

Kelly nodded, her front hooves shifting nervously for a second as she muttered under her breath. Finally, her left front hoof stepped forward, her right following soon after. Yet as she tried to move her left hind hoof, her legs knocked against each other, causing the mare to stumble as Shadow shifted forward to catch her.

“Ugh, this is harder than it looks.” Kelly growled as she got her legs in order, “How do you keep track of them all?”

“I was programmed to be quadrupedal, so I don’t have a frame of reference,” Shadow replied, “although I can go through the steps if that would help?”

“Please do,” Kelly replied, “I need to have a step by step system if I’m ever going to get this right.”

Shadow took a moment to go through his motor functions, cataloging the steps for basic walking as he directed Dr. Kelly, “The steps are different for the three forms of locomotion your body is designed to perform, but I think for now all you need to know is how to walk.”

Kelly nodded, “Yeah, that might be for the best. I don’t fancy running headlong into a wall thank you very much.”

“First, you need to pick up your hind left leg and step forward,” Shadow nosed the corresponding leg with his muzzle as Kelly watched him over her shoulder, “then as you bring it down, pick up your front leg on the same side and step with it.” Kelly’s eyes narrowed in confusion as she tried to follow Shadow’s steps, her balance faltering for a moment before the mechanical hound pressed his side against hers, “Don’t try to move the front leg until you get your back leg in contact with the ground. At no point should any two legs be off the ground at the same time.”

Kelly nodded as a bead of sweat began to run down her face, her head bent down so she could watch her legs move as Shadow guided her through another step, “Once the front left leg touches the ground, pick up your hind right leg and then do the same thing you did on the left. Once your front right leg touches the ground, your hind left leg should start the cycle over again.”

Kelly stumbled through another ten minutes of missed steps and hit her face a time or two when Shadow wasn’t fast enough to catch her. Yet she never gave up and soon enough she was managing to walk several steps at a time without stumbling or getting her timing messed up.

“Great job, Doctor!” Bellwood cheered as Kelly managed to walk an entire lap of the room without falling, although the guard’s sudden outburst managed to throw off what little concentration Kelly had managed to create, causing the unicorn to fall flat on her face just as Goodwill opened the door to stick his head in.

The man paused for a moment upon seeing Kelly on her face with her flank high in the air, a chuckle managing to escape him before he called out, “The Princesses and the rest of the team are here to see you. Shall I let them in, or do you need a moment?”

Kelly jumped to her hooves so quickly Shadow nearly missed it, although his assistance wasn’t required as the unicorn turned to face the doorway, “Sure, go ahead, Captain. No need to keep them waiting on my account.”

Goodwill nodded, retracting his head before pushing the door open, allowing Princess Luna and Celestia to enter as the rest of the humans followed behind. Blueblood attempted to interject himself as well, but a quick grab from behind dragged him free of the doorway once again as Goodwill closed the door, the stallion’s muffled protests falling silent a moment later as the hum of the Captain’s rifle could be heard through the wooden barrier.

Celestia smiled as she met Kelly’s eyes, her gaze traveling over the smaller mare as she glanced between the unicorn and Shadow, “I take it she has been learning to move about in our absence?”

Shadow nodded as Kelly rubbed a foreleg with her other hoof, “It’s not been easy, but I’m slowly getting the hang of it, Princess.” Kelly’s gaze traveled upwards as she met Celestia’s gaze, “I never really realized how tiny ponies are compared to you. I used to be able to look you in the eye without having to tilt my head.”

To the surprise of everyone, Luna stepped forward with a smile as she lowered her head to Kelly’s level, “It would not surprise us in the least that you feel that way. After all, we are abnormally tall for our kind, although we weren’t always this grand in stature. Would you believe me if I told you that Celestia and I used to be the same size as any other pony?”
The royal sisters shared a quick laugh at the dumbfounded expressions that followed Luna’s words, “It would seem your rapid learning has confused our guests, dear sister.” Celestia managed to say through a smile.

“Indeed, sister,” the lunar alicorn replied, “although it is to be expected. Most creatures take months if not years to learn a new language. I guess having the gifts of longevity are worth it sometimes.”

“So, I take it you both learn languages quickly due to your advanced age?” Lang asked, “If you’ll pardon my rudeness saying so, Your Highnesses.”

Luna smirked as she glanced up at Celestia, “Hear that, sister? The ambassador called us old.”

“And to our faces, as well.” Celestia added, “Whatever shall we do in the presence of this grave accusation?”

Both mares tittered as Lang blushed and straightened his tie, “Oh forgive us for our fun, Ambassador,” Luna said as she and Celestia got themselves under control, “it is rare that we get to have fun without our subjects believing they have committed some terrible crime.”

“Yes, we simply haven’t had somepony state it in such frank terms before,” Celestia managed to add through her smile, “but to answer your question, we do learn languages faster due to our long lives. We have been around for the creation of most of the modern languages, or at least I have, although Luna was there when the three tribes first learned to speak the same language instead of separate ones for each tribe.”

“Indeed,” Luna replied, “’twas a rather tumultuous time and we struggled to find common ground between the three tribes for years before an agreement was settled upon.” A smirk found its way to the younger alicorn’s face as she turned her gaze on the humans, “Compared to that, learning a new language that has so much in common with our own is trivial. ‘Tis more of a matter of learning new sounds than shaping an entirely new system.”

“Well, I can’t really argue with that logic,” Will said as he tipped his hat upwards, “although that makes me feel a bit jealous given my skills are all centered around languages. It took me several weeks to get a handle on yours and that was barely enough to get through the basics.”

“Not every creature has the benefit of several millennia of experiences to go off of,” Luna countered, “do not downplay your own abilities just because we have several hundred years more to work with.”

“So, how’s the walking coming along, Doc?” Will’s shift of subject was drastic enough it caught the unicorn by surprise, although she managed to recover easily enough.

“I’m managing, for the most part anyway.” She replied, “I still trip over my own feet every fourth step but I’m getting better.”

“Hooves, dear,” Celestia corrected, “you have hooves now that you are a pony.”

Kelly grunted but acknowledged the point, “The main thing that I can’t seem to get over is the fact that ponies walk around naked.” A blush came over her cheeks as she seemed to realize that everyone was well aware of said fact, “I know my tail keeps things hidden but I still feel really weird having nothing on except my fur. It’s kind of uncomfortable, actually.”

“We can look into having the royal seamstress make something for you to wear.” Celestia said with a kind smile, “In the meantime, Luna and I still have your old clothing in storage. The doctors had to cut off the ones that you were wearing at the time of the accident, but the ones in your room were untouched. We might be able to create something that will work in the interim if you would like.”

Kelly’s face lit up in a brilliant smile, “Oh yes please! And I know just the piece that will work. If it’s not too much trouble, could you grab my lab coat? I think that will work the best with my new body type if we can shrink it down a bit.”

Luna and Celestia shared a knowing look before turning back to Kelly, “Why not ask your newest teammate to get it?” Luna asked, “After all, is he not tasked with helping you in any way he can? I think grabbing a lab coat would be a trivial task to complete.”

The smaller mare seemed rather uncomfortable with the idea, but a soft nudge from Shadow’s muzzle against her shoulder seemed to harden her resolve. Kelly took a deep breath and let it out in a long-suffering sigh, “I’m never going to get used to this. Alright, I’ll ask him to get it for me.”

Nodding, Celestia opened the door with her magic, revealing Blueblood as he stumbled into the room from his position leaning against the doorway.

Goodwill simply shook his head at the stallion’s antics as he leaned over to glance at the others, “Need something?”
“No thanks, we were just going to give Blueblood his first task as our newest team member.” Kelly replied, “Shadow, would you mind translating for me?”

Shadow nodded, passing on the mare’s message as Blueblood managed to get his hooves under him. Yet as Kelly’s words registered in the stallion’s mind, his expression morphed with indignation.

“I am not some simple serving mare to come and go as you please.” His voice was near to a growl until he caught the narrowed gazes of both royal sisters, “Um, I mean, right away, I’ll be sure to have it pressed and clean before I bring it along.” A bead of sweat ran down his face as the alicorns’ gazes flickered towards the door, “Well, I, um, I’ll be on my way now. I shall return as quickly as I am able.”

With that, Blueblood made a hasty retreat, leaving Celestia and Luna to sigh as they returned their attention to the others, “Don’t mind him,” Luna clarified, “it’s going to take a while before he gets over his pompous attitude, or at least I would hope as such.”

“He has had years to build his ego, sister,” Celestia interjected, “it will take more than a few errands to make him give up his selfish ways. Although I think serving as an aide to the humans for several years might be just enough to get him to change.”

“Let us hope so, for their sanity if nothing else.” Luna agreed.

“So, while we wait for our former nephew to return,” Celestia shifted her attention back to Kelly, “is there anything you would like to ask of us? I’m certain there are things you would like to know, now that you are a unicorn.”

“When can I learn to use the energy field?” Was her immediate response, “I need to be able to help my team and keep Shadow in top performance as soon as possible.”

“While simple levitation is fairly easy to master,” Luna lit her horn and folded the sheets back where they belonged, “actual spellcasting takes years to learn, and even then, there may be spells that will never be within your reach.”

“Unicorns have an innate limit to how much magic they can use,” Celestia explained as Kelly’s face fell, “as well as an affinity for whatever their special talent ends up being. For example, a unicorn that is skilled in map-making may not ever have the strength to teleport but will have the fine manipulation to wield a dozen quills at a time in order to create what is in their minds.”

“The same can be said for some of the ponies in our military,” Luna added, “Shining Armor is one of the most powerful soldiers we have in our ranks, and yet his skills are almost entirely dedicated to creating shields. He would never have the skill to create a fireball or other offensive spells because his special talent is so dedicated to defense. Does anything we are saying make sense to you?”

Kelly nodded, although her eyes were drawn to the marks on the royals’ flanks, her gaze shifting back to her own bare fur before once again facing the alicorns, “So what exactly is a special talent? I know that your cutie marks, still think that’s a silly name, represent what a pony is skilled in or takes great passion in doing, but how do you go about earning such a thing?”

The sisters shared a laugh as they glanced at their own marks, “That is a mystery even we do not have the answer to.” Celestia replied, “Cutie mark magic is some of the oldest and most mysterious of all magic, and it is still mostly unknown how a pony earns their mark or what happens after they do.”

“Most ponies earn their marks during their formative years,” Luna tapped her chin with a hoof as her gaze traveled towards the ceiling, “if I remember correctly it usually happens right around the beginning of their first heat cycle, for the fillies at least. Yet there have been cases of ‘blank flank’ adults in the past, although it is very rare.”

“The point is,” Celestia said, “we do not know how or when you might earn your mark, although given your affinity for the sciences and your dedication to your team, I think you will find that your mark will come sooner than you think. In the meantime, try your best to learn as much as you can, and we shall do everything in our power to help you along the way.” Celestia stepped forward and placed a hoof on Kelly’s shoulder, the alicorn’s smile lighting up the room as she continued in a softer tone, “We are all in this together, so do what you can and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.”

Kelly nodded, either too stunned or too awed to reply as Celestia and Luna turned to leave.

“We shall return in a moment to help you with your clothing.” Luna called out as she followed Celestia through the door, “We will be waiting in the hall until Blueblood returns. Take some time to reconnect with your team and remember to practice your walking.”

“Alright mom,” Kelly replied with a sarcastic smile, her words catching Luna off guard for a moment before the lunar princess returned the smile and closed the door with her navy magic.

Silence fell over the room for a moment, everyone seemingly content to let the moment last. However, the silence was pushed aside as Will leaned against the wall, his grin catching the attention of everyone else as he spoke to Kelly in a suggestive tone, “So, not going to go nude like the natives, eh? Too bad, I was wondering what it would be like to see you fumble around like an idiot, flashing everyone you walked past when your tail moved out of the way.”

Kelly’s face turned a startling shade of red as her cheeks puffed out in an adorable way, “Watch it, Wilcox. I still sign your pay checks, so you’d better not mess with me.”

Will simply chuckled, walking up and ruffling the mare’s mane with one hand, dodging the pawing motion of Kelly’s forehooves as she tried to push him away. Unfortunately, the lack of support her motion caused left the unicorn with nothing to hold up her front half, her body tipping forward before she could stop herself. Her face impacted the floor with a thud and a muffled curse, causing the others to stiffen as Bellwood stepped forward to help.

Kelly waved off the guard as she pushed herself to her hooves again, rubbing her muzzle with a hoof as she glared at Will, “I’m going to get you for that one later, mark my words, Henry.”

The cowboy apparently knew he had found himself in deep water, so he simply nodded and hid behind the brim of his hat as Bellwood helped Kelly back to the bed. The mare managed to climb onto the mattress with some assistance, although it did nothing to hide the blush that covered her face as the other woman pulled the covers back and tucked her in.

“I feel like I’m a kid again,” Kelly muttered as Bellwood stepped back, “and it’s not a good feeling.”

“Chin up, Doctor,” Lang stated calmly as the energy bled out of the room, “I’m certain you’ll be back in shape in no time at all. Just keep trying and we shall do whatever we can to help. Like the Princesses said, we are all in this together, so it would be stupid of us not to do whatever is necessary to get you back on your feet, er, hooves.”

Kelly smiled as she let out a huge yawn, ‘Thank you Ambassador, although I think our biggest challenge is going to be explaining my new body to the boys back home.” A cringe forced its way onto her face for a moment before it disappeared, “Not something I’m looking forward to.”

“Hey, you let us handle that mess,” Will finally seemed to have regained his voice, “you just focus on being the best unicorn you can be. I’m certain the rest of the guys will, pff, manage to,” he never got the rest out as he fell back in a fit of laughter, his peals of mirth echoing around the room as Kelly did her best to imitate a tomato.

Lang, being the professional that he was, manage to hide his own laughter behind a hand, although his shaking shoulders gave him away as the rest of the team met the same fate.

Finally, Will managed to force the rest of his words out through his laughs, “Y-You look like a little g-girl’s stuffed toy! I-I’m sorry b-but you can’t expect me t-to take you seriously when you h-have the same cute little angry face as a p-puppy!”

Shadow was left in the dark at what was precisely so funny as the rest of the humans cracked their own jokes at Kelly, who was now hiding under the sheets as her vibrant red ears poked up from under the covers. Finally, the group managed to calm back down, just in time for Luna to stick her head in through the door.

“Blueblood has returned with your clothing.” She either didn’t care about or chose not to acknowledge the beet red unicorn on the bed, “Shall we remedy the garment situation, or do you have some more jokes to make about Doctor Kelly’s appearance?”

A collection of shaking heads was her answer, followed by Luna pushing the door open the rest of the way, allowing Celestia and Blueblood to enter before closing the door behind her. With so many beings in the room, it was getting a bit crowded, although none of them seemed to mind as Celestia levitated Kelly’s old lab coat over to the bed.

“Would you mind coming out of there so we can fit your coat?” Celestia asked in a calm but forceful tone.

Kelly immediately shifted the covers off of her body, allowing Celestia to help her fit the oversized white garment over her body as the alicorn closed the buttons with small tweaks of magic. Kelly stood up and managed not to trip on the hanging cloth that was nearly double her size, although that was quickly fixed as Celestia’s horn began to glow. Before their eyes, the lab coat began to shrink, morphing bit by bit as it changed to fit against Kelly’s new frame. Finally, as Celestia’s horn dimmed, the unicorn turned around in a slow circle to get a look at herself.

“Amazing!” Kelly gasped as she finished her self-inspection, “It’s like it was made this way from the beginning!”

The lab coat, once hanging down to the mattress, had shrunk until the buttons ran down the center of Kelly’s belly, coming to a stop just before the curve of her thighs while the twin coattails hung over her flanks on either side of her tail. Her back was completely covered while her chest was left open to the air with the top two buttons undone, allowing for ease of movement for her front legs as the rolled sleeve cuffs ended just before her front hooves. All and all, it fit her new body like a glove, and Shadow was summarily impressed by the amount of energy it had taken to shift the material in such a manner. Either Celestia was just that skilled, or she had used more power than Shadow had been able to detect in order to change Kelly’s clothing.

Blueblood was the only one who wasn’t really impressed by the display, although he wisely kept his mouth shut as the others added in their two cents about Kelly’s new look. Shadow kept an optic on the stallion as he marched out of the room, sitting down outside the door before closing the wooden barrier with his magic. Shadow caught Celestia and Luna watching the retreating unicorn before sharing a look between themselves. Shadow wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw a hint of worry flash through the alicorns’ eyes before they returned their gazes to the gathered humans and mare. One thing was for sure, whether Dr. Kelly was able to get around on her own or not, their challenges had only just begun. And with the international summit just a few days away, things were going to get really interesting really quick, whether they were ready for it or not.

…Power core: 91%...

…Portal Recharge Time: 10:09:28:39…38…37…36…