The second plane took off, banking around to cross the forest, its repair bubble powering up. It only took a minute or so for it to reach the outpost, and by then it was already too late for them to do anything. I zeroed in on the radio tower, aiming at the base of the ruined spire it was situated in. The cannons fired as soon as they were in range, a series of explosions lighting up the ancient masonry.
Small explosions, mind you, as I could only fit the smallest of cannons on the plane.
The reaction was immediate, the outpost practically exploded with activity. Guards ran out from all directions, quickly grouping together to form a defensive line. It was such a shame they were wasting their time.
I banked around for another go at the tower, unloading several more rounds at the base. Cracks began to travel up it, and one of the sides began to crumble. It looked like it was going to fall at any moment, but I had to be thorough.
This time I aimed for the top, where I knew the actual radio equipment was. It blew up spectacularly, the partially destroyed rooftop collapsing fully, creating a cascade of rubble to rain down around it. Another strike at the base caused the whole thing to teeter slightly, then fall off to the side and crash into the ravine below.
Mission accomplished, and the ponies were just barely getting their things in order. Subsequently, that was when the first round of arrows rose to intercept my plane.
Not a single one hit, and I was already flying out of their range. A moment later I touched down on the forest’s edge again, folded up the wings, and drove into the trees.
The first plane then started back up, peeling out of the forest and slipping into the river. I had reorientated the wings along the back in order to better conceal them, and though it messed with my weapon placement, it allowed for a shorter stature, something that was more necessary than combat effectiveness right now. The wheels splashed against the current, easily pushing through it and carrying me upstream. Thankfully it wasn’t too deep, and the flow was quite calm as well, there was also the benefit of finally being able to clean one of my techs.
Even from my low vantage point, I could already tell that the distraction was working. Ponies were rushing across the streets, jumping into their homes or any other nearby structures as guards streamed towards the forest and outpost in droves. Unfortunately that meant we would be crossing paths, but by that time I had already reached a bridge to hide under.
I waited there for a moment, watching as the last of the guards trickled out of the town. Once they were gone, the streets were left completely empty. Perfect. I continued upstream, exited the river near a cluster of buildings, and dipped into the closest alleyway.
It wasn’t very long of course, it being a small town and all, and the layout was hardly uniform. There were a few times I had to cross the streets, but they were just as empty as before, with pretty much all icons on my radar congregated inside the buildings. All the activity had stopped, I guess they were on high alert.
I probably wasn’t helping by doing this either.
The large building near the center of town came into view, and I stopped to get a better look at it from the alley. It was as circular as ever, though the roof extended quite a bit over the actual walls, making the whole thing smaller than I originally thought. Still, it was decently tall, and had an entrance large enough for the compacted plane to fit through. Two balconies wrapped around it, one higher, one lower, both I assume would normally have several guards on watch, but thanks to my earlier actions, were left empty.
Inside was a similar story, as opposed to every other structure nearby, it was almost empty, with just one blip located somewhere inside. I would have to actually go in to check who it was though, so I hurried across the plaza, bounced my way up the stairs, and stopped just outside the front entrance. The doors were closed, and nudging them slightly only caused them to bow backwards a bit, but not open. They were barred or latched, and since my manipulation field wasn’t fine tuned enough nor did I bring an inserter, it was quickly becoming a conundrum.
I didn’t have time for this, but I also didn’t want to cause undue damage, especially if this part was supposed to be stealthy. The best solution I could come up with would be to grab the entire door, apply a slight rotation force, and hope that whatever was keeping it closed would come loose before the entire thing was ripped off its hinges. I did so, and the wood creaked and groaned from the stress, tilting slightly as it pushed against the frame, yet it didn’t open. I tried harder, causing the hinges to shriek as they were stretched and warped.
Finally, the door swung open, although slightly askew, and once one side was open, I could easily work on the other. I pushed into the building, closing the doors behind me as best I could even though they didn’t fit together anymore. Once inside, I got a good look around the interior, which was well lit thanks to the multitude of windows set in the walls. The room was empty, which meant whoever was in here was somewhere in the back, I would have to keep looking.
Their exact location was muddled thanks to the relatively tight space, but there were only a few other doorways at the other end of the room, and since it already took up most of the interior, there wouldn’t be much to search through. Going up to the first doorway, I pulled aside the curtain, revealing a short hallway with a door on each side, both had windows. The first looked like a well decorated office, but was otherwise empty, and the second looked almost like a living area, with a couch and bed tucked away in each corner, also empty. The next doorway revealed a small stage with a multitude of cots lined up on it. There were some small spaces off to the side, but they only held crates and other items such as armor pieces or weapons.
Was this where the guards were staying? Didn’t they have the outpost? I guess it wasn’t large enough to house all of them just yet.
There was little else of importance for me there, so I moved on. The third doorway was similar to the first, a small hallway with two doors, only this one was more cluttered. Filing cabinets, potted plants, and a desk were all situated at the end, just barely leaving enough room for the doors to open. Again, both had windows. The first was obviously a storage room, with boxes upon boxes filling the back, and several cabinets lining the walls. Another desk was on its side in the center, with several other miscellaneous items packed in around it.
The other room was bare, most likely having been hastily cleared out to act as a holding room. That was probably where all the stuff in the hallway came from. Inside, there was a black and white figure sitting dead center on the floor.
“Hey Zecora.”
She shuffled around a bit.
“Who could it be knocking on my door? Didn’t expect you to come around here no more.” Came her muffled reply,
“Yeah… Sorry about that. I didn’t mean for you to get caught up in all this mess.” I checked the door, it was barred across the front, something I could easily undo.
“What could you have done, to make you public enemy number one?” She asked, moving up to the doorway as I opened it.
“A number of things I would imagine, but the only reason I was given specifically was that I’m not from here.”
Zecora huffed, “Does their racism know no bounds? Though that is not what I found profound. They said that you attacked the princesses, and that there were plenty of witnesses.”
“Ah, that. It was self defense, I assure you. They attacked first.”
“They also said you were quite the liar, you must’ve really drawn their ire.” She was squinting at me, keeping her distance even as I moved out of the way.
Oh boy, how do I explain things to someone who thinks I’m a liar. Well I was a bit of a liar, but not a prolific one. Zecora couldn’t have known that however, and I had no way of proving that to her now either.
“Well I hope my actions speak louder than words.” I began,
“You’ve come to free me?” She was taken aback, “Surely doing something like that is not easy.”
“It wasn’t, but if you want the truth, that is not my intention. In fact, I believe it might be better for you to stay here.”
Zecora raised an eyebrow.
“Not to say that you deserve this, but me helping you escape would make you just as wanted as I am. You’re already here because of me, I don’t want you to get in any more trouble just because I am tying up loose ends.”
Her expression hardened, “Am I a loose end? I thought you were my friend.”
She wanted the truth, “You are, but it’s not like I’m here to kill you or anything.”
“Then what are you here for, if not to stop talking to me anymore?”
“Three things. I wanted to make sure you were alright, other associates of mine were caught in the crossfire as well, and you knew me the best. That leads to the second thing, you know more about me than anyone else on this world, that kind of information would be catastrophic to me if it got out. I can’t force you not to talk, but I will ask that you keep it to yourself.”
Zecora finally relaxed, “Thank you, but I am not a little bird, what of the third?”
“The radio I gave you, do you still have it?”
She nodded, “It is by my dwelling, but I would never even think of selling.”
“That is not the problem. The ponies - and I don’t think I can stress this enough - cannot have it. It is not just an issue of them having that technology, but what would happen if my superiors found out. I trust you enough to keep it, but if the ponies have even a chance of getting it before I do, it must be destroyed.”
This time Zecora took a moment to think, “I have hidden it well, they would not even find it with a spell.”
“I can guarantee you they are going to search your whole house.” I stressed,
“Then it is a good thing it is not in my home, rather deep among the loam.”
She buried it, that was a relief. In a forest like that, she really would be the only one that would know where it is. Of course, with the right equipment, I could probably find it easily enough, but the ponies couldn’t.
Still though, I had to be sure, “Then you can keep it, and use it if you must, but can you promise me that you’ll keep it safe or destroy it if necessary?”
“Only if you promise me something as well, somepony’s worries you have to quell.”
“What? Who?” What reason would I have to talk to a pony for?
“Twilight Sparkle, she is conflicted, she was most confused when you were convicted.”
Oh right, I guess I did have other ‘friends’ in the area.
“Why?”
“You were her friend, now you are the enemy. To what end, does she have to experience this dichotomy?”
“I didn’t choose to become her enemy.”
“But you did choose to work with peace, you should strive for the fire to cease.”
“That’s going to be pretty difficult.”
“I didn’t say it would be easy, I hope that doesn’t make you queasy.” Zecora taunted,
I thought about it for a moment. It made sense, not all of the ponies hated me, I technically did have some allies in their ranks, and since Twilight would be so close to the princesses and subsequently the military, it might prove useful to try and win her over. It would also be extremely risky, seeing as getting close to her would probably put me within close proximity to those that truly hated me.
It would also safeguard the radio for now.
“Fine. I’ll talk to her, but don’t get your hopes up.” I eventually said,
Zecora smiled, and took a step back, “Then I will remain, and try not to be put in chain.”
I was then reminded of the situation at whole. I was currently in enemy territory, talking with a prisoner of war, directly after conducting an assault nearby. There was no way there wasn’t going to be consequences, and not just for me either.
“You can still come with me, if you want. You won’t be able to keep living in the forest though.”
Zecora held up a hoof, “I would prefer to do this legally, and I don’t want to cross mountain and valley.”
“I mean, with enough effort I could probably move your whole house-”
“Just go,” she interrupted, “but do try to come back before the snow.”
That was some good advice, I didn’t have a lot of time. There was only so much to investigate after an attack before the alert would spread outwards. Guards could be coming back into town at any moment.
I reversed out of the hallway, making sure to close Zecora’s door and relock it, then I zipped out of the town hall, the front entrance still not closing properly. Almost immediately I could tell that there were ponies in the streets, and several immediately took notice of me as well.
Cue an immediate resurgence in panic, as several screamed and ran. That was not good, civilians were one thing, but word would quickly spread until it reached the guards. I needed to leave. Reassembling the plane so that it could fly, I started the engines, picked up speed in the middle of town, and took off right down the main street.
There was no way I could talk to Twilight now, I would just have to do it later. All I knew was that she also lived in a tree, and with a much closer bird’s eye view of town, I could see another hollowed out tree close to the edge. That was good, it would be easily approachable, even if it was on the complete opposite side of town as the forest.
Why did all my friends live in trees?
I briefly entered the airspace over the outpost again, but by then my shield and repair bubble had already powered up, and I was effectively immune against all forms of attack from the ground. I only spent a few moments in it as well, so it wasn’t like they could even respond by the time I was gone anyway.
“Hey Mr. Fly Guy.” A mysterious voice announced,
Or maybe not. Where did that come from?!
I glanced around frantically, there was nothing in the air around me, but there was something on me. A cyan blue pony stood nonchalantly on my fuselage, easily staying attached despite the rush of air.
All of my guns slowly turned to aim at her, and she didn’t even flinch.
How did she get there? There weren’t any ponies near me when I took off, and there certainly weren’t any pegasi in the air ahead of me while I was flying. Did she come up from behind while I wasn’t paying attention? If so, she would need to be incredibly fast to do that, I was travelling close to top speed the entire time.
“Why were you in Ponyville? And why did you feel the need to blow up those ruins?” She asked inquisitively.
Wait a minute, I recognized her. She was one of the ones with Twilight on top of the dragon’s mountain. It would be hard to forget something that looked like that.
“...” I cut the speaker right before it could say anything. She had seen me before, I was in a plane right now, she was in contact with Twilight.
“WERE. THERE. ANY. CASUALTIES.” I changed my voice.
That certainly gave her pause, “N-No?”
“GOOD.” I did an aileron roll, shunting her off as I dove.
Picking up speed, I levelled out just above the canopy, skirting off the top of some trees. The pony was quick to get back on my tail, and started gaining alarmingly quickly. I began evasive maneuvers, pulling back up and rolling to the side. Every time she neared on one side, I would turn to the other, ascending and descending at random intervals.
Yet I couldn’t shake her.
It occurred to me that I wasn’t dealing with another plane. I was dealing with a living, breathing creature. One that for all intents and purposes, was faster than me. I wouldn’t be able to escape her by normal means, though I could probably outlast her.
I couldn’t waste that much time in an pseudo-dogfight.
Wait a minute. I was dealing with a living, breathing creature. I immediately pulled up, climbing as fast as I could. The pony followed my every move, and pretty soon we were both ascending above the clouds. The landscape faded beneath us, great swaths of land becoming just shapes on a slowly curving horizon. Further and further I continued, and the higher I got, the more and more turbulence affected the plane. The engines started to sputter, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before they stalled.
Looking back, the pony was right there with me, though she was lagging behind a bit more than usual.
It was at that point that my engines finally gave out, and there was a brief moment where the plane floated in the air. The pony caught up a moment later, and joined me at the zenith.
“Did you really think-” She stopped to gasp for breath, “That you could- escape from- the Rainbow Dash? Boy this is high up…” She muttered, then took another deep breath, “You’ve got a lot- to answer for, mister.”
Okay, ‘Rainbow Dash’, seeing as how I can’t realistically escape you yet. I’ll answer some questions.
“VERY. WELL.” I entered a gentle descent, picking up speed and gliding as I waited for my engines to start back up again.
Rainbow Dash looked incredibly relieved at that, and she readily followed me as I made my way back down to the ground. My propellers spun into action again, and though I could’ve probably given her the slip by now, if I wanted to talk to Twilight in the future, this would be a good place to start.
We touched down on the edge of the forest near where the second plane was hiding. I couldn’t have her lead me into town right after I disturbed the hive. She didn’t seem to take issue with this, and once we were both situated, she sat down in front of my tech and tried her best to look intimidating despite being drenched in sweat.
“Alright, what are you doing here?” She began.
How should I respond to this? Whatever I told her would surely be spread to Twilight, the guards, the princesses, and maybe even Zecora, I had to make sure everything I said was in order. Oh wait. “MAKING. SURE. THINGS. ARE. IN. ORDER.”
“Uh huh.” Rainbow Dash eyed me up, “Where’s your sister?”
What sister? I didn’t have any siblings. Well, not real ones anyway. “YOU. MEAN. TECKA.”
“Yeah, her.”
“SHE. IS. GONE. I. FIGURED. YOU. WOULD. KNOW. THAT. ALREADY.”
“Where'd she go?”
She didn't know? What were, or weren’t they telling them? I needed to know more.
“SHE. WAS. DESTROYED.”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened, “But…” She quickly shook her head, “So you decided to terrorize Ponyville as revenge, huh?”
How do I tell her what I was doing without actually telling her what I was doing? “I. WANTED. TO. RECONCILE.”
“By blowing up an old tower?”
“THE. GUARDS. WOULD. HAVE. GOTTEN. IN. THE. WAY.”
She paused to think for a moment, “No casualties…” She muttered, “Who were you looking to talk to? Who’s in town hall that you wanted to speak with? Were you looking to apologize to the mayor for all of the environmental destruction?”
Did she seriously not know that Zecora was locked up in town hall either?
“ZECORA.” I answered plainly.
“What? Zecora’s not in the town-” Her face dropped in realization. “She’s the one that was arrested?!”
“AND. TWILIGHT. SPARKLE.” I continued.
Rainbow Dash just stared at me blankly, “You want to talk to Twilight? Why?”
Now time to give this an emotional spin. “TECKA. SPOKE. OF. HER. BEFORE. SHE. WAS. DESTROYED. I. AM. GETTING. HER. AFFAIRS. IN. ORDER.”
“Oh…” She trailed off, before a frown overtook her face, “Wait, how do I know you’re not lying about any of this?!”
There it was. That’s what was going to make this difficult. A sob story isn’t going to mean anything if the person you’re telling it to doesn’t believe a word you say. What could I do to make Rainbow Dash trust me? I looked at my timeline. Two of the tunnels would be completed in the next few days, which meant I would need to work on setting the drills up elsewhere. Enough of the first tunnel would be cleared to begin a track, and the final few layers of my base would be completed in the meantime. There was also the fact that this area would be white hot with activity for a while thanks to my actions today.
“MEET. ME. HERE. IN. TWO. WEEKS. BRING. TWILIGHT. SPARKLE. IF. POSSIBLE.”
Rainbow Dash eyed my tech suspiciously again, “Two weeks?”
“TWO. WEEKS.” I repeated,
“Right here?”
“OR. CLOSE. BY.”
Rainbow Dash turned slowly, taking in the lay of the land for a moment. She looked at the forest, the gentle hills surrounding us, and finally at the grass that covered the landscape.
“Alright, fine. But you better be here, or else.”
“PLAN. ON. IT.” I finished,
With that, she gave my tech another odd look, then took off and fluttered back over the forest. I watched her leave, making sure she was completely gone and off of my radar before pulling the second plane out of its hiding place.
Taking a bit of time myself, I disassembled both planes and reconstructed the parts into a much larger one. Leaving nothing behind, I took off back in the direction of my base, taking extra care to ensure that nothing else was following me.
There were a lot of things to do in just two weeks.
To Be Continued…