//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 - One of the Team // Story: Flurry in Time // by DuvetofReason //------------------------------// The dark corridors weren’t as intimidating this time around. Swan figured it was partly because she had been here before, but it was most likely because the alicorns had come and taken charge in a rather forceful way. Engineering, at last, was secure. Now, it was just a matter of escorting all these twitchy technicians and mechanics so they could get the ship working again. Despite this, the errand was far from enjoyable for her. For starters, they had to track down the bug named Doppel, as he was the most qualified to treat the chief’s injuries. He also claimed to be able to stabilize the crew that had been fed upon. As unpleasant as it was to accompany this creature, Swan found she was more irritated by the large mustang, who seemed equally disgruntled to be with her. With Swan and Princess taking up the rear, the five ponies of Delta team marched along at the front. They displayed the usual caution that Alpha team had shown, though Princess had assured them that the way was clear. The team tolerated the hushed whispers darting amongst the jittery group of civilians behind them, but they still periodically shushed them in an effort to keep the clopping of hooves to a minimum. Swan was relieved that she hadn’t heard any sounds of combat since they had left. Perhaps the worst really was over, and now it would simply be a matter of mopping up stragglers. Her thoughts drifted to the alicorns. She still could scarcely believe what she had witnessed. It gave her pause as she remembered her long-standing bitter hatred for Last Shadow, now known to her as Flurry Heart. Just earlier today, she had actually believed on some level that she might prevail and either capture or slay the evil mare. Now, all she could think of was how foolish she was. As much as she hated to admit it, she had actually begun to warm up to the alicorn, though it was still a complete mystery to her why Flurry had gone out of her way to save a lowly pegasus slave. Not only that, but her repeated goodwill entirely contradicted everything Swan knew to be true about this mare. Thinking about Flurry helped but ultimately failed to distract her from dwelling on what awaited her return to Harmony station… or the sheer tragedy of so many in her aerie who had been lost today. Her ears flattened and her heart clenched in her chest as she thought of all of the dear friends and comrades that she would never see again. Swan fought off a whimper and wiped her blurring eyes. “What’s up with you?” Princess asked. “Nothing, I’m fine,” Swan replied. “Sure,” Princess snarked, an unladylike snort escaping her muzzle. “This is just what I need—stuck with a bunch of eggheads and an emotional pillow-stuffer.” “I have a name, you know,” Swan snapped, a bit harsher than she intended. Princess shrugged. “What’s your problem with me?” Swan asked, feeling her patience growing thin. “You’ve been like a grumpy old mare ever since we set off.” “My problem? I’m stuck here foalsitting some newbie when we could be out there putting down the rest of those bugs!” Princess grumbled, ignoring the dirty look Doppel was giving her. “This isn’t exactly my first choice of places to be, either,” Swan huffed, looking away. “Oh, of course. I imagine you’re missing all the booze and drugs you get at your wild parties back on the station,” Princess replied. “Don’t give me that look. I’ve heard the stories.” Swan’s wings bristled at her sides. It was as if she had been slapped in the face. “What? You can’t possibly think any of us enjoy that.” “With all the laughter and drunken revelry that goes on down in the hangars? I’m told the sounds of ponies pumping fur can sometimes be heard echoing down the halls all through the night. So I’d say that yeah, it sure sounds like somepony is enjoying it.” Princess shook her head. “It’s disgraceful.” “Listen up, you oversized dirt pony,” Swan hissed, opening her wings and gesturing to her black primaries. “You see these? It means I’m somepony’s property. And the same goes for my entire aerie. We don’t get a choice, so every time you hear the sounds of ‘pumping fur’ just remember some mare or filly is probably wishing she were dead just about then.” The look on Princess’s face actually surprised Swan. First, silenced shock. Then, confusion and maybe a bit of anger. Finally, regret. “I… I had no idea.” Her ears had fallen flat as they continued on their way through the darkened corridors. Swan felt time stretch as the moment lingered and she tried to sweep a hundred terrible memories back into the deep recesses of her mind. She let out a heavy sigh and looked away. “So, Merry Weather owns you?” Princess asked tentatively, sounding bewildered by the concept. “Yeah,” Swan muttered. “Damn. What a creep. Can’t you do something? Fight back, maybe?” Swan considered the risk of admitting what she and Blitz had privately hoped for. Princess didn’t seem the type to rat her out. “If only,” she said finally. “It’s an enchantment only he can remove. He tortures us if we disobey or even for the fun of it. He could kill us all if he wished. But I swear by the winds, I won’t stop looking for a way to be rid of him.” “Right. Well, I sure have a whole breakfast of eggs on my face now, don’t I?” Princess commented. “It’s fine—just forget about it,” Swan dismissed. “Besides, I should thank you for saving my life.” A puzzled look crossed the horse’s muzzle. “I don’t follow.” “On the catwalk. You knocked me down just before one of those bugs would have shot me.” “What, that? No, that’s just—” “I owe you a debt as a matter of honour,” Swan pressed. “Hold on, gonna stop you right there,” Princess interrupted. “You don’t owe me anything. I’d have done the same for anypony in the squad. Besides, if you’d gotten yourself shot under my watch, the paperwork would be a bitch.” Her playful tone brought a small smile to Swan’s face. It was an odd but welcome change coming from the gruff mare after she had been so prickly and standoffish. “Oh, so that’s how it is,” she chuckled. “And here I thought you dirt ponies loved filling out forms.” “Mustang.”  “Dirt… mustang pon—” “Do I look like a pony to you?” Princess reared up, gripping her chaingun while bracing her rear hooves apart. She had to duck to avoid her head hitting the ceiling. She then resumed her stance on all fours as they continued following behind the others. “I… well, no wings and no horn usually means dirt pony,” Swan shrugged. “A mustang is not a pony, you idiot. Don’t go lumping me in with those earth ponies,” Princess huffed, her tail flicking from side to side. Swan had to admit she had no idea what that meant. “Are you from Equus?” “Yep. Born and raised on the open plains,” Princess said with a smile, though there was a hint of sadness in her voice. “You won’t find many of us out here in the colonies. We tend not to like all this fancy technology. I’m sure my family is wandering aimlessly across old Equestria somewhere as we speak.” “So, you’re nomads then?” Swan asked, earning a nod from the mare. She was reminded of the old legends her mother had told her when she was a filly. The aeries of the pegasi would follow the winds across ancient Equus. The thought of simply travelling from place to place with her family brought a smile to her face. “Sounds nice,” she commented. “Nice? I hated it,” Princess snorted. “Imagine constantly moving yet never getting anywhere. You watch the world grow, expand, and change while you’re stuck in the same routine year after year, generation after generation. You stay strangled by tradition that tells you progress is evil.” Princess glared at a few technicians that were listening in. “Evil?” Swan asked. “Technology is a sin and only brings misfortune,” Princess uttered, disdain thick in her voice. “Of course you ponies have your magic, so I get it. Advancing is in your nature.” “You don’t have magic? Like, at all? Even dir— earth ponies can do some crazy things with their hooves.” “I can pick up my gun,” Princess replied. “Huh. Okay, so how did you end up here?” Swan asked tentatively. “In the colonies, I mean.” “Soon as I got the chance, I was outta there,” Princess said. “Of course my dad was furious, as was the rest of my herd. But the stars were calling me.” Swan stared at her, slack-jawed. The thought of turning on your family, let alone your aerie, was absolutely unthinkable. It had been drilled into her since she had first learned to fly. The aerie was life. Without one, a pegasus was nothing. “I could never do that,” she said, her ears flattening. “Trust me, when your father is already picking out a suitor for you, and your mother is talking about how many foals you’re going to have, it’s time to blow that joint,” Princess replied.  Swan fell silent. That sounded just like what had been expected of her before she was branded. It was true she could serve the Republic in the military, but her suitor would have been chosen for her, for the sake of her House. She never even considered the notion that it was wrong. “You and my dad would’ve gotten on well together,” Princess continued. “You pegasi love all that honour and duty stuff.” “Yeah, probably,” Swan replied, though the bitterness towards her own father soured the thought. “How’d you end up with that blackwing thing anyway?” Princess asked carefully. “You’ve got too much fight in you to have been born into it. Was it an honour thing?” Swan hung her head low. “In a way, yes. I was thirteen when they came for me. Dragged me out of my classroom and branded me right there in the school courtyard.” She tried to hide her glistening eyes by shifting her gaze to the side. “They called me the daughter of a traitor. One pony’s shame is their family’s shame.” “That’s ridiculous!” Princess exclaimed. “It’s the way things are,” Swan said with sadness. “Only through servitude can we atone. Eventually, there is freedom. Or death, which is essentially the same thing.” “And how exactly does that make sense?” “For some, our master can decide to free us after a time. Others might redeem themselves in the service of his majesty. Often, a great deed will earn our freedom, or at least, our master’s favour.” “So that’s why you went after Flurry Heart,” Princess concluded. “But surely you didn’t think that would actually work.” “I hoped,” she said, though the mere thought was ridiculous now. “I had to try; I had personal reasons.” Princess nodded. “But that being the case, why are you so chummy with her now?” “We’re not chummy.” “Oh yeah? You were trailing behind her like a lost puppy earlier,” Princess said, a slight smile playing at her lips. “She saved my life. She also…” Swan’s words trailed off, her emotions tugging her one way then the other. “I don’t know what it is. I have every reason to hate her, but… but every time I turn around, she’s done something which makes me feel like everything’s gonna be alright. Somehow.” “Sounds like trust to me,” Princess said. Swan looked to her with incredulity for a second, before her words sank deeper. Trust Last Shadow? It was impossible, ridiculous! And yet, she couldn’t deny that Flurry had not once done anything to earn it—even to the point of putting her own life on the line for the aerie. “Well, this has been a productive session,” a stallion’s voice announced, breaking her out of her thoughts. In front of them was Dr. Doppel, wearing a smug grin as he glanced back. “You’ve both made some real progress today,” he continued. “I’ll give you both a sticker when we get back to Harmony. Shall we meet same time next week?” Swan felt heat rush to her cheeks as her own words got caught on her lips. “Get moving, you stupid bug!” Princess snapped, herding the chuckling doctor away. “Come on, Swan. Let’s get these foals to where they need to be.” It took a moment for Princess’ words to properly sink in before a warm smile crossed Swan’s face. “Right behind you.” <=======ooO Ooo=======> The civilians all breathed a sigh of relief as they approached Engineering with its well-lit interior. Then, that relief turned to gasps of horror as they realized that they had just walked into an abattoir. Swan and Princess knew what they were returning to, of course. But nobody else expected the sheer amount of carnage from the alicorns’ rampage. Blood, viscera, and scattered limbs lay all around the core chamber. Smashed machinery and debris littered the room. A few of the civvies looked like they were going to faint, and some of them vomited on the spot, only adding to the sticky mess. Delta team split up to cover the entrances, including the catwalk. After coming to terms with the scene, everyone else got to work. Earth pony mechanics began sizing up the physical damage to the room while unicorn technicians examined the equipment and terminals. Meanwhile, Echo led Dr. Doppel to Flintlock, who was still lying near the crew who had been victims of Syndicate changelings. For her part, Swan had done what she was told, and now, she had that awkward feeling of being adrift with nothing to contribute. Princess had rejoined the rest of her team, reminding Swan that she was still a stranger among these ponies. Her thoughts drifted to Blitz and the close friends from her aerie. If he were here, she knew he’d be chatting up every mare in sight. Just thinking about it gave her a slight chuckle. Swan wandered over to where Flint was lying on the floor, being tended to by Doppel. In her time on the station, the chief was one of the few non-pegasi who she encountered regularly. Usually, it was over some trouble with the local dirt ponies, so she had gotten to know the thestral just a bit. His unusual way of looking at the world was something she had found strangely comforting in the past. And now, with everything going crazy, she could really use his insight again. As she approached, Swan tried to keep her distance from Doppel, resisting the urge to shoo him off the fallen chief. As much as she hated it, this bug was the only one that could help. “How is he?” she asked. Doppel glanced up enough to acknowledge her. “What, no snide bug-related comment? Do I detect a small degree of tolerance coming from our pegasus guest?” “It was a simple question.” “Well, to be honest, I’ve been asked that so many times, I was thinking of putting up a sign for ponies to read,” Doppel grumbled as he worked on the chief’s wound. He then let out a sigh. “He’s stable, mostly. His armour took most of the hit, but he’s still got a nasty burn and a cracked rib from the impact.” “Can I talk to him?”  “Talk all you want, but he’ll be under sedation for the next few hours. Until then, I wouldn’t expect much of a dialogue.” “Right,” Swan said, her ears flattening. Doppel gave her what could have been a sympathetic smile before turning his attention to the crew laid out nearby. “Can you help them?” she asked tentatively as she followed his gaze. The changeling frowned. “The ones with smiles on their muzzles will be fine once the nectar wears off. Nothing to do but wait. These ones, though…” He stopped to regard a mare with a look of abject horror on her face, her eyes wide and ears pinned. Doppel clopped his hooves together in front of her face, to which there was no response. It was like she was catatonic, lost in some awful nightmare. “I can help her, but it’s going to be a slow recovery. Active feeding does a lot of damage to the victim’s psyche.” “Active? As opposed to what, exactly?” “You really don’t know much about changelings, do you?” he frowned at her. “I know what I’ve seen today, which says quite a lot, thanks,” she replied, trying to keep her tone level. “We’re supposed to passively feed off the emotions you ponies emit into the Lifestream. Call it discipline if you will, but I couldn’t imagine doing this to somepony. Most of us would rather starve to death than eat the very seed of joy out of someone. We have lived among ponies in this way for countless millennia. Still, some of our kind don’t care about the harm they cause if it can get them a far more satisfying meal—or so I’m told.” “The Syndicate.” Doppel nodded. “Their kind is a blight on our race’s public image. But the Conformity has extremely strict rules. You needn’t worry about us, Lieutenant Swan Song.” Doppel walked slowly, tending to each pony with such gentleness it took Swan by surprise. He didn’t use any instruments, simply lowering that crooked horn on his forehead to them. Whatever he did seemed to ease the look of terror on many of the ponies. “What about this one?” Swan asked as Doppel closed the eyes of a stallion lying there with a completely blank look on his face. “Sadly, there’s nothing left to save. He’s been fed upon quite aggressively, by many ferals. He’s just a husk of his former self now—wetware to be plugged into a Shuriken drone, but nothing more.” A rising anger threatened to break free within Swan, but she held it in check. This was the precursor to what she had seen on the cruiser. “I see,” she said, swallowing dryly. Swan followed closely behind the doctor, partly out of lingering distrust, but mostly out of morbid curiosity. Watching him work made her resentment and revulsion fade a little. She could tell that he genuinely cared for these vulnerable ponies and took his job very seriously. Suddenly, Doppel came to a stop next to a stallion dressed in a technician’s uniform. It was a soft-brown dirt pony with a mop of blond mane. He was lying catatonic, like so many before, only Doppel wore an angry scowl on his face as he regarded the pony. “You can get up—you’re not fooling anyone,” he commanded. When the stallion didn’t move, Doppel kicked him in the gut. “—oof! Alright, alright,” the stallion said, suddenly becoming animated and alert. He rose to his hooves, appearing no worse for wear. “Lieutenant, you have an impostor posing as one of the crew. This is a changeling, possibly a feral.” Swan brought her rifle up instinctively, making the stallion wilt and take a few steps backward. “What’s going on?” Echo asked as the members of Alpha team came to check what the fuss was about. “I believe we have captured one of the feral raiding party,” Doppel explained. Swan felt her face heat up as her anger rose. She took aim at the stallion’s head, clenching her teeth. “I ain’t a feral,” the stallion whimpered. Doppel let out an indignant snort. “I suggest you drop this charade immediately. Honestly, show some decency when you’ve been called out.” The stallion opened his mouth to protest, but quickly shut it, giving a sullen nod.  A flash of green fire enveloped the stallion’s body, causing Swan to squint for just a moment. Then, right before her eyes, his form solidified, his fur and mane having vanished, being replaced with a black lattice of thin chitin plates. His eyes were green with slitted irises, and he bore fangs and a crooked horn, exactly like Dr. Doppel. Swan’s eyes widened. He had been one that had butchered all those poor ponies! He was going to pay for what he had done. Swan flipped her weapon’s safety, causing it to emit a faint whine as it charged up. She felt her hoof pressing down on the trigger. “Stand down, soldier,” Echo barked, snapping Swan out of the moment. “But—” Swan began. “He’s our prisoner. Got that?” Swan went to protest, but Princess put a heavy hoof on her shoulder. Looking up, Swan saw the mustang shake her head gently. They were right, of course. Executing prisoners was something Alliance grunts did, not an officer of the Republic. As much as she wanted to tear the changeling apart, she was going to have to let it go. “Now,” Echo began. “How about you give us some answers. What’s going on here? Why did you attack this ship? Talk fast before I change my mind.” “Okay okay, just keep that pegasus away from me, alright? She’s makin’ me queasy,” the changeling begged with a gulp. “Swan, give him some room,” Echo called, gesturing for her to back away. Swan shot him a look before flicking her safety on and backing off. “Now talk,” Echo ordered. “If you cooperate now, it might help your case when the justicars come for you.” Swan had no idea what that meant, but the mere mention of the name was enough to make the changeling go pale. “R-right,” the changeling stammered, his wings buzzing. “The boss told us a juicy prize was passin’ through Dragon’s Head. Somethin’ that could replace that hunk a junk we were usin’,” he said. “And how did you know about that?” Echo asked, her voice calm and non-threatening. “No idea,” he shrugged. “The boss never tells us where she finds this stuff out.” Swan watched Echo closely. The mare was stone-faced, not giving anything away. “Continue,” Echo urged. “So, the Houndrathi would bait this beast in, playin’ all wounded like,” he continued. “The boss said the cap’n alicorn wouldn’t leave nobody in the lurch, ’specially in pirate territory. Then they’d get blown away for their trouble after they attacked.” “Your boss knows about Nyx?” Swan growled, flicking her rifle’s safety off once more. “Say the wrong thing, please…” “I- I…” the changeling stammered. Echo gave Swan a serious look, prompting her to ease off so their prisoner could talk. “We knew the big gun ain’t calibrated for alicorn power yet. All we needed to do was bait her into a single shot and she’d be dead in the water,” he blurted out. “Once the Houndrathi got wasted, we’d watch for a while to make sure she was offline, then we’d take ’er.” “And how do you know so much about a top-secret ship, nevermind her route to Harmony?” “I just do what I’m told. It pays to not ask questions,” the changeling said with a shrug. “But the boss knows a lot about it.” “There’s just one problem with your story,” Echo said, her tone growing serious. “If you were trying to steal this ship for yourselves, why is the power cut off from the engines?” “I don’t know,” the changeling said, shaking his head. “The relays were all torn out when we got here.” Echo rubbed her chin with a hoof. “Show me.” Swan followed behind as the changeling led them to a vast junction box at the base of one of the Nexus cores. She looked to Princess, hoping the mare would have some insight, but she was met with a shrug. They all watched as Echo and the changeling peered inside an open panel. The pair of them were soon exchanging a series of technical jargon with each other. Swan and Princess leaned forward, trying to get a better view of inside.  “What are we looking at?” Fire Hawk asked. “The bug is showing Echo something,” Princess replied. “Nerd stuff.” “Oooh,” Fire Hawk intoned, the note in her voice at odds with her confused frown. Their pondering was broken as Echo stood up, a perturbed look crossing her features. “Don’t keep us in suspense, Echo. What’s going on?” Fire Hawk asked. “These cables are made from a spell-hardened lattice weave, practically unbreakable. They’ve been ripped out like they were nothing,” Echo said grimly. “It wasn’t random damage from the fight. This was quite deliberate.” “If they were going to capture the ship, then why intentionally sabotage it?” Swan queried, feeling her confusion grow as more was revealed. “I don’t know, but all the clues point to Forward Fire Control, where the power is going,” Echo said, looking to her squad. “We need to get there ASAP to support Nyx and Flurry.” “What makes you think they need our help?” Fire Hawk asked, an eyebrow raised. “Call it a bad feeling,” Echo replied. “All of you, check your weapons and get ready to move out.” Princess and Fire Hawk nodded before walking away, whistling for Priest to join them. “What should I do?” Swan asked. “The technicians are going to try and get ship-to-ship comms working again,” Echo said, checking her own rifle. “With luck, you’ll be able to get in touch with your pilots in no time.” Swan felt her spirits soar at the prospect of speaking with her aerie. Yet, something made her hesitate. Her thoughts shifted to the alicorn that had saved her life, then to the ponies of Alpha team, who she was beginning to grow close to. They had tolerated and even trusted her, despite her inexperience. She couldn’t just abandon them now. “I’d like to come with you,” she said quietly, her resolve growing by the moment. “You’ve done enough for us already, Swan,” Echo urged. “This could be quite dangerous, and neither Flurry or the chief would forgive me if you got yourself killed.” “I understand,” she replied. “But I want to see this through to the end.” Echo looked unconvinced, her ears flicking and her jaw working.  “The kid’s good,” Princess suddenly chimed in, earning puzzled looks from both Fire Hawk and Priest. “Besides, we might need a pony with wings.” Swan looked to the mustang with wide eyes. Princess simply nodded in response. “Well then, that settles it,” Echo said, patting Swan on the shoulder. “Since the chief is out of action, we’ve got to fill our diversity quota for flying ponies. Looks like you’re with us for the duration.” “Thank you,” Swan said, giving a humble bow. “Don’t thank me yet; there’s no guarantee we’ll come back with our heads intact,” Echo said as a smile played at her lips. “Hey, glad you’re stickin’ with us,” Fire Hawk grinned, walking over to join her with the others in tow. “Looks like you won’t be getting rid of me just yet,” Swan replied. “Lucky us,” Princess groaned, though her accepting expression gave her away. “Did someone kidnap Princess when we weren’t looking?” Priest chuckled. “Maybe the Doc can check and see if she’s a changeling.” “Yeah, yeah, very funny,” Princess grumbled. Swan checked her rifle, feeling a strange sense of fulfillment swell in her heart. These ponies might not be pegasi, but maybe they weren’t so different from her after all. “Alright team, let’s move out,” Echo announced. Soon, they were trotting into the gloomy corridors, leaving Engineering behind. “I just hope my hunch is wrong.” <=======ooO Ooo=======> “Sounds like it’s coming from the main weapons chamber,” Nyx announced. “Let’s go!” Flurry followed behind Nyx as the two stepped through the large ragged hole in the blast door. She only hoped they could get to the fight before somepony got hurt. On the other side, they found themselves inside an abandoned security checkpoint. Shattered furniture and scanning equipment littered the small room, and smeared blood decorated the floor and walls. Still, there were no bodies, causing a shiver to run down Flurry’s spine. What had happened here? Nyx’s holo-brace buzzed to life just then, and a stallion’s voice came through the comms, mixed with static. “Bravo Lead to whoever just arrived on the tram. Stay away! Repeat, stay aw—” The voice was cut off by a horrific scream of pain, followed by a wet gurgle. Flurry could actually hear the muffled cry coming through the walls, from the chamber beyond, while it sounded sharply from Nyx’s radio. The gunfire had paused for a moment. A few distant voices of anguished disbelief filtered through, and then the sound of weapons fire resumed in earnest. It had a reverberating effect to it, almost like it was coming from a cave or an empty concert hall. Oddly, Flurry could hear no changeling weapons in the exchange. It all seemed very one-sided. Her blood boiled with determination, she had to get in there. In a swift telekinetic blast, Flurry shoved the broken equipment away from the far wall of the security station, clearing the way to another door. This one was round, with a seam down the middle where it would part when opened. The door was more like a bank vault than a standard blast door on a starship. Its face was jet black with golden runes engraved into its outer edge in a circular pattern. Guild tech. “Shit,” Nyx muttered as she worked the security access panel. “I’m locked out.”  Having smashed through many a door in her lifetime, Flurry readied her formidable telekinetic strength to batter down yet another. “Sorry about your ship, but we’ve gotta get through.” At that, the door groaned and protested loudly as its reinforced frame shuddered in her grip. “No no, don’t do that!” Nyx urged. “If you break the mechanism, we’ll really be stuck. I have to run a bypass.” Flurry watched impatiently as Nyx connected a thin cable from her holo-brace to the locking mechanism. “Why do you have Guild tech on your ship?” she asked. “Lots of top-secret stuff in there,” Nyx replied as she worked. “The mirrordrive and half the weapons in there are Unicorn Federation technology. The main cannon? U.F. prototype, custom-built for this ship. Almost nopony outside its design team even knows how it works.” A million questions raced through Flurry’s mind about this ship and Nyx’s mission. The Federation didn’t work with anyone. What was Nyx really doing out here and why was she captaining a ship that, by all accounts, contradicted everything Flurry knew about the pony factions? Another terrifying scream sounded from the chamber beyond. The gunfire was undisciplined and panicked, with continuous full-auto blasts. It was everything Flurry could do to not risk a blind teleport. Nyx needed to hurry. The battle seemed to be moving towards the far end of the chamber as the sounds of weapons fire became even more muffled. “Any day now,” Flurry complained. “Got it!” Nyx shouted as the arcane mechanisms moved a whole lot of unseen pistons in unison, releasing the door’s locks. With a final hiss, the halves parted, revealing the large chamber of Forward Fire Control beyond. Flurry bolted through, unfurled her large wings, and hurtled towards the sound of gunfire with Nyx right on her tail. The room was like an enormous stretched oval, nearly large enough to park the Dream in. It matched the shape she recognized from outside as the bow of the ship. Despite having no time to look around, she could tell the room was full of advanced technology the likes of which she had never seen before. As Flurry sped forward, she rapidly closed on the far wall. The sounds of gunfire were now coming from an open door set into its far-right edge. Another terrible scream erupted from within. It sounded not so much like fighting but like a pony being tortured. The alicorns landed at a gallop. At this point, Flurry only heard the sound of one automatic weapon firing beyond the door. Still no sign of any changelings—not even a body. Something wasn’t right. On the far side of the door, an armored figure spotted the alicorns approaching. “Oh thank goodness!” a mare’s voice called out, practically hysterical. She ran blindly towards them, her armoured hooves pounding on the decking. It was no disciplined retreat; this pony was desperately running for her life. From the looks of her body armour, she was definitely part of Bravo team, having been assigned to this area of the ship. She had abandoned her rifle, and her shoulder guns lay limp in their mounts. Just before she reached the doorway, the open hatch slammed shut so hard the thick metal bent from the impact. They were cut off. “No!” the mare cried out from behind the door, sobbing as her hooves pounded against it. “Open the door!” “We’ll get you out, hold on!” Nyx shouted as she clenched the door in her telekinetic grasp. Instead of being ripped off, the door held and Nyx jerked her head back in surprise. “What’s wrong?” Flurry asked. The black alicorn frowned, spun around and gave the door a solid kick with both rear hooves. Still nothing. The metal buckled but held firm. “Let me try,” Flurry offered quickly, just as a crash sounded from the room beyond. “Please open the door!” the mare cried in terror. “Oh Celestia, it’s coming!” Flurry put everything into her telekinetic strength. The door should have been wrenched right out of its frame, but now she knew what Nyx had reacted to. It was like pouring her energy into a void. Rather than connecting with the door, her power simply vanished without a trace. “Hold on!” Nyx yelled. Both alicorns began beating on the door with their bare hooves, pushing, pulling, and kicking uselessly against the barrier. There was the sound of internal door mechanisms shattering, but it refused to yield even to their combined strength. “I got a glimpse of the room,” Flurry said, backing up a couple steps. “I’m gonna teleport in.” A golden flash came from Flurry’s horn as the space around her body compressed for a second before snapping back, leaving her where she stood. “What the hell?” Just then, the mare tried to cry out for help again, but her voice became a blood-chilling scream. The agonized cry was followed by the sounds of metal and flesh being torn. Her scream carried for a few terrible seconds before becoming a horrible gurgling. Then, there was silence. Both Flurry and Nyx stood before the doorway, wide-eyed and stunned. Only their panting breaths broke the eerie quiet that descended over the room. Flurry backed up to give the door another kick, but Nyx stopped her. “She’s gone, Flurry,” Nyx said softly, her ears flattening. “Damn it! We were right here!” Flurry hissed through clenched teeth. “Did you hear her, Nyx? She was terrified.” “I know,” Nyx replied softly. “What’s with this thing!” Flurry growled, slamming a hoof into the door. “It wasn’t mechanical, that’s for sure. But what I felt shouldn’t be possible. You felt it too?” “You mean like dumping power into a bottomless pit?” Flurry grumbled. “Yeah, that. It felt like something was just… erasing our thaumatic energy. It goes against every law of arcane dynamics,” Nyx stated, the uneasiness in her voice adding to Flurry’s growing anxiety. “What could resist two alicorns?” she asked, the implications of the answer making her shudder. “I didn’t see or hear anything. Where are all the changelings?” “TEI wasn’t picking up anything either,” Nyx said, swallowing. “It’s like there wasn’t anything at all in here except Bravo team.” “Well they were shooting at something,” Flurry said, fluffing her wings. “Something that scared the hell out of them and wiped them out.” She paused to summon her resolve. “Which means we gotta get in there and kill it.” Nyx gave her a firm nod, and together, they focused their telekinetic power on the door. Flurry looked to her with a frown at how easily she was able to grip it now. Bolts popped and flew off before the entire frame crumpled with a screech of rending metal, finally giving up the door as it was tossed aside. Without the door to support it, the armoured form of the unknown mare flopped to the ground before them as a thick stench of fresh blood assaulted their noses. “Shit, look at that!” Flurry gasped, gazing down at the massive hole torn into the back of the mare’s armour. The heavily reinforced spine of the suit had been ripped open from the neck down to the tail. It was like something had simply unzipped the armour, spreading it open to get at what was inside. Of the mare, there was no sign, just splatters of blood and viscera clinging to the jagged edges of the armour. Her helmet’s visor was cracked, dripping crimson onto the decking beneath it. Flurry had never seen anything like this, even in all her years. Even light armour such as this was still spell-hardened plating. It would take a heavy weapon to crack it, let alone simply tear it apart. “What did this? Where is she?” Flurry asked, panic slipping into her voice as she stepped into the room. Nyx said nothing, simply staring at the bloody mess in morbid astonishment. Just then, something moved across the edge of Flurry’s vision. By the time she turned her head, she could only catch a glimpse of a large, leathery wing as it shifted out of sight behind some banks of equipment. A thestral?! She instantly lunged forward in pursuit, only to hit an invisible shield barrier. She turned to Nyx in frustration. “What are you do—” Nyx shushed her. “Could you just… not rush in without engaging your brain this time?” she urged. “There’s a thestral, and a big one from the looks of it.” “Flurry, think. No thestral could have done this.” “Well, what do you think it is then?” Flurry waited for an answer but then saw the look on her cousin’s face. She was frightened, and there were very few things in this galaxy that could frighten Nightmare Moon. “Windigo,” she whispered. Flurry’s blood ran cold. “No. No way. Nobody’s seen a windigo in person. You telling me you’ve seen one?” “I haven’t, no. But some have. There’s not a lot of data—a few scattered accounts here and there. Most of what we know is from the Alcora.” “The Alc— those fuckers can’t be trusted, you know that,” Flurry shot back, angrily. “Nyx, they killed your—” “Don’t,” Nyx stopped her. “I can’t think about that right now. We have a situation we aren’t prepared for, and we can’t just rush in without a plan.” “Fine. But the only thing anyone knows about them is their ships… as in, stay the hell away from them. What are we supposed to do now?” “We get a better look. Come on.” Nyx stepped out into the open, making her way along the narrow room towards where the creature had gone. “Nyx, wait.” “It’s okay. It went back into the main chamber. Come on, I want to get a look at what we’re dealing with.” Flurry was confused. “You better not be saying it can teleport. We had it pinned in here.” “There’s another doorway on the far end. Leads back out.” Flurry felt the urge to put her hoof to her face. “A second door. Where the hell are we, anyway?” “This room is the primary focusing station for the main gun. Out there are workstations for just about every weapons system on the ship, as well as the mirrordrive. The only ponies even allowed in here are those specially trained in using the latest weapons hardware.” “Hence the security room.” “Yeah. Now come on.” Nyx approached the doorway on the far port side of the ship’s bow, leading back into the massive Forward Fire Control chamber. There, she crept forward silently with Flurry right beside her. Having time to take a better look at the chamber, Flurry realized just how big it was. It had to be six decks tall at the centre, sloping in all directions like a giant ellipsoid which had been stretched till it was three times as long as it was tall. The bottom level exposed multiple large, rounded shafts. These were the railgun barrels she had seen running below the tram station, extending all the way to the rear of the ship, nearly two kilocanters aft. Huge power conduits ran along these barrels, flowing into the room beneath their hooves. Everything had that state-of-the-art polished look which was so typical of Unicorn Federation technology. And yet, the layout of the entire place was pegasus-friendly. Truly a Commonwealth design if she ever saw one—still clinging to the hope of tribal unity. And then, she saw it. A large creature lurking at a workstation on one of the lower levels, across the gap from where the alicorns stood. It was facing away from them. The beast was roughly equine in form, quadrupedal with hooves. It had hairless bluish-grey skin and was very bony and gaunt looking. On its back were the large, leathery wings Flurry had noticed earlier. Flurry’s instincts told her she needed to get out of here—right now. “It does kinda look like a thestral,” Nyx whispered. At this, the creature turned slightly and looked straight at them. “Okay, maybe not.” Flurry could feel Nyx tense up, ready to leap at any moment. The monster’s head was like a distorted skull of a mustang. It had two curved horns coming out of its forehead, and a faint greenish glow coming from a pair of eye sockets which trailed into further curved horns that wrapped around its head. Oddly, it had no mouth and was missing a lower jaw. A small tuft of wispy hair hung from the spot where its chin would be. The creature and the alicorns stared at one another for a long moment before the thing simply turned back to what it was doing at the workstation, seemingly unconcerned about them. “I guess we know how Bravo team survived until just now,” Nyx said. “What do you mean?” “Remember what Bravo Lead said on the radio? They heard our tram coming. I’m guessing they were pinned down in this room after losing one or two ponies to the thing earlier. One of them probably opened fire after hearing the tram, trying to make a break for it.” “You telling me that thing is impervious to bullets?” “I don’t know, I just work here,” Nyx replied. “Hardly anything is known about these things. Just…” “What?” “It’s just rumour, really. Maybe. Either way, this is gonna hurt.” Flurry swallowed dryly. “Thanks for that comforting thought. Now are we gonna go kick its ass or what?” “Yeah, that’s exactly what we’re gonna do.”