//------------------------------// // Stand For Everfree (2) // Story: Heart Forged of Iron // by Crack-Fic Casey //------------------------------// Popcap Labs was in better shape than could be expected, in that the facility was intact. There were a lot of companies and think-tanks interested in the Everfree and there was always at least one project in progress somewhere intended to finally be the one to discover its deepest secrets. These tended to end in a mixture of fire, destruction, and tree sap.  Twilight tried to read the inventory again as they trotted up the path, squinting at the glare of the sun. The weather was always uncomfortable around the Everfree no matter what Pegasi tried. “This is the worst checklist I’ve seen in my life,” she grumbled. “Half of these aren’t even dated!” “It can’t be that bad,” Starlight said, “let me try.” Twilight passed the list over as they reached the guard shack. “Twilight Sparkle and guests,” she said. “Agent Shimmer will be patrolling the perimeter while we’re here.”  “Cool!” The guard declared. “I’m Blockhead, it’s nice to meet you! Go right on up, Doctor G wants me to take the VIP’s to her presentation.” Sunset nodded and broke away from the group to head up some stairs. Twilight frowned as they began to follow Blockhead. “What presentation? We’re here to look for something we need for a project.” “Is that the Doctor Gloriosa that’s supposed to be in charge of this list?” Starlight asked. “Because I definitely want to talk to her. What does ‘mostly contained’ mean?” “Is that the Twittermites? Yeah, some of the swarm got out. They’re in the Everfree somewhere.”  “And the rest of the lab animals,” Starlight asked more urgently. “Are they mostly contained—” “Not to worry, we double-checked everything before it went into storage,” Blockhead said, “that was how the Twittermites got out. But nothing else did, so it’s all cool. And even if it did, I’d wrangle it for you!” “That’s great,” Twilight quickly said, “But, uh, what exactly can you tell us about this presentation?” “Absolutely nothing!” Blockhead somehow said proudly. “I think plants were involved? Not sure.” “So,” Twilight tried again. “...It can’t kill us.” “I dunno. But Doctor G is great! You’ll love her.”  They reached the greenhouse doors. Blockhead pulled the lever and slowly opened them, revealing an Earth Pony— presumably Doctor Gloriosa— standing with her back to them facing some kind of enchantment device. It glowed green as it bathed a wall of seeds with magic. “So,” she attempted to begin dramatically. “It’s an unexpected pleasure to have a member of holy crap you’re Twilight Sparkle!” “Most days,” Twilight dryly said. “You want to give some kind of presentation?”  “Um,” The gobsmacked scientist tried as she regained her bearings. Twilight carefully suppressed a sigh. It wasn’t a lethal trap of some kind, it was just another scientist positive they were the first people bold enough to surprise her with an impromptu presentation and request for money.  She didn’t complain, because the mare was clearly nervous enough already, but she did begin checking the exits and changed to Earth pony magic. Last-ditch presentations made by scared scientists were either obsessively perfected or painfully slapdash.  “We could do this after my team’s had time to pick up our materials,” Twilight offered. The mare responded as if Twilight had threatened her with a poker. “No! No, I’m fine. Really.”  Twilight watched the mare prance in place a moment, trying to calm down. Fluttershy and Pinkie were trying to look encouraging, and Starlight wasn’t paying attention. The mare steeled herself and nodded. “Okay! This was inspired by the... “ she visibly sorted through adjectives before settling on “problems the lab has had staying open. Magical defenses need mana to run, and they have to be recharged by ponies every day to function.” She interrupted herself by gripping a watering can and taking it over to one of the plant pots.  As she poured water into the pot, a small green plant began to grow out of it. It was clearly magical, as it bobbed its small head and blinked what looked like eyes as it reached its full size. Gloriosa patted it with her hoof. The little thing flashed white for the briefest of second before turning around and shooting at a makeshift target board on the far wall.  “I named this the Peashooter,” Gloriosa said. “It can metabolize all of its magical power from the air and sun, and grow its own infinite supply of ammunition. It needs to be watered with a potion each night, but the potion also heals it of any injury.”  The Peashooter fired again very slowly. Each pea smacked the board with enough force to crack it, but it only fired about once a second.  “I have lots of plants,” she continued. “Chompers can grab a whole pony and hold them until guards come, Wall-nuts can be used as a temporary barrier, for inside I have so many different mushrooms, so um… yeah.” Gloriosa was trying not to wince, which only really meant the wince traveled much more slowly across her body. “I think this could change the way we design buildings and uh, hope my research can continue! Yep.” It was an awful presentation of an intriguing idea. Twilight checked the Peashooter with her magic, and it wasn’t some kind of trick; while their magic signatures were similar, it was alive and moving independently of Gloriosa. “How are they controlled?” “And can I try?” Pinkie asked.  “Not with this one,” Gloriosa said, confidence increasing with each word. “The potion lets the gardener implant a few commands into each plant and it’s synced to whichever gardener waters it. Or Gaurd-ener, I guess.” She grinned at the four of them, grinning.  When even Pinkie Pie just looked confused at the joke, she just winced and continued, “I created most of these myself,” she said. “My Mark lets me control how plants grow. Some of these are a modification to existing plants, and the Chompers I created by myself.” Twilight nodded. “Does that mean the supply is limited to what you can make?” “Sort of. The plants produce seeds for something like these, but they need to be treated with my magic. The thing behind me is just a really big mana generator I programmed with my field. I give it a big charge in the morning and it fixes the seeds for the rest of the day. I’m not really a mechanical engineer, so I’m not sure how to streamline that process…” Her voice trailed off fearfully, and Twilight pretended not to notice. “I can look at that when we’ve found the things we need,” she said. “I’m trying to stop selling weapons… what kind of other things could you grow?”  “Well,” Gloriosa said slowly, “patches to hold buildings together, in the middle of disasters? Maybe some kind of organic armor… I was really focused on helping this lab, though. I’ve worked here for almost ten years, I just wanted to save this place.” Oh. Twilight tried to hold a neutral expression, but the new hope in Gloriosa’s chipped away at it. “Gloriosa,” she started, “I appreciate that you like this place, but even your project was complete I couldn’t keep the lab open.”  Her voice was gentle, but Gloriosa still looked like she’d been kicked in the ribs. “But— no. No, it worked! My plants could keep this place safe!”  “Probably,” Twilight carefully said. “After we’d finished testing and expanded the kind of plants we could use. But that takes more time than this place has, and people would still be in danger.” “It’s worth it!” Gloriosa snapped. “Don’t you see? There’s so much good this place can do, you can’t just waste it because of some bottom line—” “I’m not!”  Twilight’s voice snapped, making Starlight look up and Pinkie Pie flinch. Gloriosa’s back legs gave out, and she looked like Twilight was going to rip her heart out.  I guess in a way I am. Aloud, she said “You’ll be able to continue your research, I’ll make sure it’s funded properly myself. And if reopening this place becomes viable, then we’ll consider it. But right now the place needs a security staff twice as large as any other lab this size, and I know there were casualties in the past. It’s not worth it.” She thought Gloriosa might faint for a moment, but she kept her forelegs straight and slowly stood. Her gaze was squarely focused off into space. “It’s just not worth it,” she repeated slowly.  Twilight’s mouth opened and closed helplessly. “It’s... “ she tried. “I’m sorry…” “I’m—” Gloriosa said, “It’s— Excuse me.”  She pushed past Twilight and left, breaking into a gallop as soon as she was out of sight.  Twilight flinched as the hoofsteps receded in the distance. She lifted a hoof, trying to decide if she should follow or not when Blockhead stepped forwards. “I’ll go check on her,” he said somberly. “You do whatever your thing is.”  Gloriosa couldn’t let herself cry. Good fillies didn’t cry. She was fine, because if she was fine then she could fix this— It wasn’t worth it. She was in the equipment room, trying not to let tears fall. She reared up and placed her forelegs on the table, laying her head against the cool metal surface.  It didn’t matter. It worked and it didn’t matter. She didn’t care, and this my first job, a job I’ve had my whole life a job my brother got me and I’ll have to leave— A little ways away, the shadow she’d forgotten about perked up.  All my friends, my house— I’ll have to sell the house and move away and how am I supposed to find a place to live before the lab finishes shutting down? The containment glass was enchanted, but the shadow floated through it like there was nothing there. And all the work I put in at this lab, and none of my friends are coming back now and Timber is… wait, what’s... The shadow floated behind Gloriosa, growing bigger and bigger. What’s behind me? She turned and started to scream, but stopped herself. The shadow that stood before her wasn’t formless anymore; in fact, it looked exactly like her. It titled its head inquisitively to one side as it regarded her with a face shaped just like hers, and twitched the tail she was never happy with the same way she did. There was still no texture or color, but it otherwise was precisely the same. It lifted its hoof and stroked the side of her face. Gloriosa didn’t feel a hoof or anything but… comfort. A soothing wave of comfort when it touched her, and a… what? Idea? Intuition? There is something I can do. “What?” She asked desperately. “I did my best and it didn’t mean anything! I just…” It stepped closer and gave her a nuzzle like her brother used to. She wrapped a foreleg around and instinctively pulled it closer. “You… want something? Need something from me? And you can fix everything?” It didn’t want to take something, it wanted to share. It would be a part of Gloriosa and in return... “Power,” she whispered. “Power to make things the way they should be. But…” She heard voices down the corridor. The shadow and fear both gripped her. They’ll want to stop me! They want things to change and to leave me but I can’t let that happen. I’ll do anything if I can just— The shadow swallowed her. Fluttershy felt deeply unsettled as they attempted to sort through the storeroom. She wasn’t sure if she was more worried about Gloriosa or what they’d find in here. Starlight was in charge of pulling out each of the unmarked boxes, and she would help Twilight open them in case whatever was in there was alive and free. She didn’t have a problem with that, It was her Mark, so she couldn’t complain. Twilight wasn’t paying close attention, opening each box automatically and barley glancing inside, which Fluttershy wasn’t sure was safe. Starlight was organizing the marked boxes and Pinkie Pie was writing everything down from a safe distance with strict instruction not to touch anything. Fluttershy watched Twilight disassemble and reassemble the same box, trying to work up the nerve to say something. “Uh,” she started.  Twilight put the lid on the box and shoved it around, before beginning to pull the lid off. “Um,” Fluttershy said, more forcefully.  Twilight hesitated, staring at the box. “Oh,” she said, “Sorry, Fluttershy.” “It… seems like something might be bothering you?” Fluttershy managed to ask. “What makes you say that?” Fluttershy shifted uncomfortably. Before she had a chance to back down, Starlight jumped in. “I don’t know,” she said, “but I think you’ve been going through that one box for a couple minutes now.” Twilight sighed. “What should I have done,” she asked. “I can’t keep the lab open; it’s not safe.” “And no one's saying you should,” Fluttershy said. “I’m sure Gloriosa won’t either, after Blockhead gets her to calm down.” “Fluttershy’s right,” Starlight said, “and if she’s in trouble now it’s her own fault.” “Starlight,” Fluttershy scolded.  “It is,” Starlight continued. “I mean, look at this mess! I’d be surprised if she did anything but work on those plants for months.” “Because she’s scared,” Pinkie said. “She’s allowed to be scared. We don’t get mad at Fluttershy when she hides from things! No offense, Fluttershy.” “...None taken,” she said quietly. “Look,” Twilight brought their attention back around to her, “what can I do now? I agreed to fund her research before she had her breakdown… Maybe some kind of plaque?” “Plaques are dumb,” Pinkie said. “Oh, you could get photos from her friends and make a scrapbook of all the good times?” “I don’t know if anything can make her feel better,” Starlight said. “Sometimes, stuff just happens, and it's awful. Either you find something to pull yourself up with, or you have a breakdown. I had a rough fillyhood, and if I hadn’t gotten out of town there's no telling what would have happened to me.”  Fluttershy watched her look up and wince under the weight of the three gazes. “I don’t want to get into it. Point is, either she’ll be fine or she won’t. There’s just not a lot we can do.”  Fluttershy opened her mouth, ready to offer a real disagreement when she heard it.  Hehehehe ha… All talk in the room vanished as they looked up. The eerie giggles were too far away to make out clearly, but they could all hear them. “What was that?” Pinkie hissed. “No idea,” Starlight whispered, “but I’m sure it's fine, so we should just leave right now.” “We need to check it out,” Twilight said as she stepped forwards. Literally no one followed her.  She flicked her tail at them and took another step forward. “Hello?” She asked. “Anyone?” The door swished open, and something stepped out. It was like someone had taken a picture of Gloriosa and warped it. Her pinkish colors had darkened to a shade of purple and her mane was an eerie blue. Her expression was the worst part; a smile with no connection to reality set above eyes that had turned pitch black.  “...Doctor Gloriosa?” Twilight said. “What happened to you?” She giggled again, the unhinged sound sending shivers down Fluttershy’s spine. “So many things!” She said. “I have power now, look!” A titanic cracking sound sent Fluttershy scurrying away to hide behind the crates. In the other corner she could see Pinkie Pie hiding behind Starlight, who had her horn lit. Another crack broke the cement apart and revealed an enormous vine with small pods up and down its length. “I can control everything about a plant now,” she said, “Not just how they move, but what they grow into! I just have to think of it and they reshape themselves. I can keep the lab safe. I can keep everyone safe, forever!” “Doctor,” Twilight said carefully, “You’ve had an accident. Something, probably from the Everfree, is affecting your mind.” She laughed again. “I knew that’s what you’d do,” she said. “You want to control everything, to make it dance. Well not me, not anymore! I’m free!”  The pods on the vine opened, revealing a blue version of the Peashooter from earlier. It swiveled towards Twilight. Wound up. She could see the ball leave the plant— Fluttershy was flying without thinking, striving forwards with all her meager might. She didn’t keep in shape, but she was moving down and anyway, she could always accelerate well.  Fluttershy tackled Twilight moving at full speed, and for a moment she wasn’t sure she’d hit Twilight hard enough to move her. Then the cold encased her and she slid across the ground. She heard more pods spring open and open fire, and Twilight shouting. “Split up!” She said. “She only wants me!” “Oh that’s not totally true,” and Fluttershy didn’t have to look to see the psychotic smile across her face. “I want you where I can see you, sure; but everyone here is going to see what I can do!”  Fluttershy was pulled into the air, swinging back and forth in the air as the vines carried her. Pinke was dodging all the weapons fire and making a beeline for the outdoor exit while Starlight and Twilight tried to work their way to the hallway. Gloriosa ducked a pulse bolt and actually hissed like she was part cat. “I should have known you’d be violent,” she said. “Gloriosa, please!” Twilight called out. “You can’t do this!” “You have no idea the power you’re dealing with!” She shouted. “I can control every inch of life, right down to the cells.”  A curved wooden board was slowly grown from the hole in the foundation the vines had created. They stretched out and draped it across her chest, and it bent itself around her. More organic armor followed, lashed into place with vines and some kind of grass. A large Peashooter sat on her back, with a longer barrel and some kind of black shell that almost looked like a hat. Thorns grew out from the wooden shell, and a helmet grew across her face. Only her eyes were visible now, the horrible black eyes with only a hint of toxic green where the pupils would be. “I am the Plantmare,” she shouted. “And if the world won’t do anything right, then I’ll force it to!” Twilight raced down the hallway, a small box in her field beside her.  Come on, come on… She didn’t see what happened to Fluttershy, but the mare was good at hiding. Pinkie had made it outside and Starlight had disappeared a while ago. She didn’t have tabs on any of them.  Please do it, no one's looking and you're in danger, just do it… Twilight was staring at her signal interceptor as she ran, waiting for it to pick something up.  AIM loves this sort of thing, and you’ve got an alibi, whichever one you are. Just call them, please… She ducked down a hallway and skidded to a stop as she found a group of purple mushrooms. A purple cloud of smog erupted, forcing her back the way she came. Can you please just give me a break! One of the lights lit up, red bulb strobing urgently. AIM was on its way. And since SHIELD was looking for AIM signals, they'd know AIM was on the way, which meant that no one would wonder why Iron Mage was showing up.