//------------------------------// // Lucky's Seven // Story: How the hell did this happen? Or should that now be hay? // by Lucky424 //------------------------------// The soldiers and Princess Luna walked through the dissolving Changeling structure, and were quite surprised to not only see no bodies, but ponies coming out of their buildings and heading towards the centre of the city. The followed along until it opened out in to the park, where the crowds had parted and allowed them to continue unhindered. They followed the makeshift path to a fountain, and saw a blue unicorn breathing heavily with a bandage wrapped around her chest. There was the fluttering of wings as a teal pegasus hit the floor, and she stowed her sword gauntlets in her wings before bowing down. “Princess Luna, it is an honour to meet you. My name is Swift Gale.” Shining Armour took notice of the name. “Swift Gale? As in the Solar Guard Swift Gale, the only pony for decades to successfully use two swords in battle?” She stood up from her bow and looked to him. “Captain Armour, a pleasure to see you as well, although you are quite late.” “Where is Captain Fire Rain?” “Come, I'll show you.” They followed her around the wall and found two unicorns and a human, all slumped against it. Their armour was dented and they were covered in green blood. In each of their grips was a brown bottle. They looked up at the gathered party and the Captain spoke. “Ma'am, mission accomplished.” “Captain, are you drinking alcohol?” “Yes ma'am I am. Didn't take my medicine today so......want one?” “......you're buying.” “Wouldn't have it any other way ma'am.” The celebrations lasted long in to the night, but I didn't join in with them. After a few hours, I made my way to the hospital along with Strike and Nova to get checked out. Gale hadn't even been hit. I was told to take it easy for the next few days, they even threatened to sedate me if I refused. They did let me walk around though, and it was then that I found myself walking to the room that had two guards outside it. I just nodded to them and walked in. The sight that greeted me was a pitiful one. Trixie looked underfed and haggard, she was hooked up to various machines and she had a tube going in to her mouth. If she had been a prisoner of the Changelings, then it was a good thing that we stopped them here when we did. For some unknown reason I started to stroke her mane, and her eyes fluttered open. “Hey there. How you feeling?” She just closed her eyes and started to cry. “It's okay, you're safe now. You're in the Manehatten hospital." I made to leave, but her hoof shot out and stopped me. I could see by the look in her eyes that she didn't want to be alone. “Okay, I'll stay with you.” I was awoken by a hoof prodding me in the shoulder. “Hey! If you're going to stay with me, then you could at least be awake at the same time!” I just opened my eyes and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “I'm sorry. What I meant to say was......thank you. For saving me.” Trixie not saying 'Trixie'? That must have been a bad experience! “It's all right, I was just doing my job. I am Captain...” “Fire Rain. I know. I have been talking to a mutual friend.” She pointed her hoof over to a couch in the room, and asleep on it was Twilight Sparkle. “She has told me all about you. Everything. She even showed me some pictures.” “She what? She said they were for science......” “They are. The main science university is here in Manehatten. She is going to take them there later today.” “So do you want to talk about what happened, or would you prefer Twilight to be awake?” “Actually, I was wondering if you could get the princesses to come.....they need to hear what I have to say.” I nodded and got up, walking out of the room and taking the elevator down to the lobby. Shining Armour was sat there waiting. “Lucky, how are you feeling?” “Depends on whether you're here as a team mate......or here to arrest me.” “I...apologise for my actions. When Twilight told us that it was your world Celestia saw, I was thinking about what was best for Equestria. I now know that it is with you, not against you, Captain.” “In that case I feel like shit. I feel dizzy.” “Uh, are you going to be okay?” A doctor came trotting over. “He had some blood loss, and blood is pretty important, and he's bound to have some side effects like dizziness, or nausea, or sensitivity to light....” “I think I'm going to stop standing up now.” 'THUD' “Or passing out.” “You mean like that?” “Yeah like that.” “My body is trying to die. Armour, Trixie wants to see the princesses. She has information.” “I'll go get Luna. You, get back in to bed. "Nah...I'm fine here" “They took Manehatten as a staging ground. This was less then a quarter of their full force.” “And how did you come by this information?” Princess Luna and Twilight were recording everything Trixie was saying before deciding on a plan of action. “After my last......trip in to Ponyville, I gave up on trying to best Twilight at everything, and focused on beating her at what I'm good at. Illusion magic. I came here to restart my stage show, using real magic instead of just tricks. There was a rather tasty stallion that came every night, and would always sit in the front row, centre seat. After a couple of months, I invited him backstage. We shared a drink, but I don't remember the rest of the night. When I awoke the next day, I was staring at....myself.” “They impersonate ponies so that we don't know when they are going to strike. No offence, by why would they impersonate you? If they can't perform your shows, then you would no longer....want to be seen by ponies. Oh.” “Precisely. They starved me and forced me to use my magic to convince ponies that the Changelings weren't there. They weren't just going to impersonate them, they wanted to be completely hidden. I tried to fight it, but the hunger won out and I gave in....that's when they put me in that thing and dumped me in the park. The spell was magnified and they started to move in. I couldn't stop my magic from working, and I could see the guards fighting overwhelming odds. There was one trying to get away with a letter, but they stopped him.....I managed to spare some magic and send it to Canterlot.” Twilight got up and walked over to the bed. “Trixie....you saved Manehatten. If it wasn't for you, then we would never have gotten that note. You are a hero, Trixie.” Luna continued the questioning. “But how do you know of their strength?” “They had taken me back to the hive. It was somewhere in the Badlands, and it went deep in to the ground. I remember when I was being moved to that thing I saw a central shaft, and it was thousands of hooves deep. And it's size was much more than that of Manehatten. There were thousands here, there must be millions in the hive.” “Twilight Sparkle stay here. I must speak to my sister.” “Yes, your majesty.” I was stood in the place of honour along side my squad in the park. The mayor was giving a speech thanking us for our efforts, but I had long since zoned out. At the edge of the platform was Trixie in a wheelchair, trying to hide herself away. I nodded to Twilight who walked over to her and smiled. Trixie started to recoil, until Twilight walked up behind her and started pushing her towards the centre stage, next to me. “Trixie, you need to relax. It wasn't your fault, and from what Luna tells me you deserve to be here instead of us.” She just smiled at me before looking out at the gathered ponies. The park was full, I couldn't make out a single piece of grass. The first rows of seats were taken up by the princesses and a few of the officials from Manehatten. I turned my attention back to the mayor as he finished up. “...and now, in honour of their actions, and to remind us of their help, I present this statue.” His horn started to glow and the massive white sheet was removed, revealing said statue. In the centre was a massive ball of what looked like fire. Underneath it with a sphere around his horn was Nova Fusion, Trixie lying on the ground next to him, and Hammer Legstrong was holding it up. Heh, looks like Atlas. In the air in front of it was Swift Gale, in the same position as when I first saw her. Starfyre, Cannon Bolt and Jet Streak were spread evenly around the sphere protecting it with their wings. At the front, rearing up on to their hind hooves with spheres around their horns and facing the sides was White Feather and Lightning Strike. And right at the front, rifle in left arm and saluting with the right in the direction of Canterlot, was me. It was to scale for the size of me to the ponies, but it was massive. I stood about twenty feet tall. The scale of what we had accomplished finally dawned on me as the thunderous stomping set in. We hadn't just saved a few fillies or a princess, but an entire city. And we did it with just one injured human and eight ponies. I walked over to the plaque and inspected what it said. THE MAGE, THE SOLAR GUARD AND LUCKY'S SEVEN THEY SAVED THE CITY WITH NO CONCERN FOR THEIR LIVES, WE SHALL FOREVER OWE THEM OUR THANKS “Lucky's seven, huh?” I turned back to the stage and saw the mayor motioning me to the microphone. I nodded to Twilight who replied in kind as I took the podium. “Fillies and Gentlecolts, I thank you for this. But I'd like to say something about somepony else. I know a few of you probably blame her, but if it was not for her actions, then we would never have got here in time. You call us hero's, but we are just soldiers who did our job. The real hero...” I looked to Twilight who helped Trixie to her feet and led her over. “.....is Trixie Lulamoon.” The stomping set in slowly at first, growing in decibels before it became deafening. There was a shout that stopped all applause as a red unicorn stallion walked down the centre path. “It's all lies!! She's a Changeling!!! You should be arresting her!!” I had seen her blood, I knew she wasn't a Changeling. I looked down at her and she was shaking really hard. “Trixie, are you okay?” She closed her eyes and began to whisper. “That's him. That's the stallion from the theatre.” She may have been whispering, but the microphone had picked it up, and sent it around the park. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and looking up I saw guards moving in to position. And I was still a Guard Captain. “Get him.” I entered the guard station and headed down in to the cells. The stallion wasn't a Changeling, a blood test had confirmed that, but we still needed to find out what he knew. “So, a Changeling spy? What did they promise you?” “I'm not a spy.” “Really? Then why do we have confirmation from the theatre that you purchased a front row centre seat ticket every night that Trixie had a show on?” “Because......she's.....really.....well before I found out she was a Changeling.” “What makes you think she's a Changeling?” “I saw her changing. Before the rest got here. I saw her true form.” “Somehow I don't believe you, and I have no qualms about getting information.....anyway possible.” “You're a guard captain!! You are bound by the laws of Equestria! You can't do anything and you know it.” “Hmm, that's true. Wait here a moment.” I got up and walked outside, closing the door behind me. “Strike, Nova, you may not want to be present for this. I don't want you two linked to this in anyway. Go for a coffee break.” “Yes sir.” “Oh, and take my jacket with you.” I walked back in to the cell and sat down opposite the stallion. “Well, now I'm not a captain. I am a very pissed off human. And I'm pissed off because you upset one of my friends. She refuses to even go to the toilet alone because of you. How do you think that makes me feel?” “GUARDS!!! HELP!!!” “They won't help you.” “Why not?” “Because they aren't there. Now.” I stood up and walked round beside him. “I want information. And you're going to give it to me. The easy way, or the hard way, you can choose. Why did you go and see Trixie's show each night?” He stood up and looked me in the face for the first time. “BECAUSE I LOVE HER!!!!!” Sinking back down, he hung his head. “Or, at least I did till I saw her change. That was after I missed her last show.” “Wait, you missed a show? Why?” “I...had met another mare at the theatre. She said she had noticed me there a few times and she asked me out for a drink. I remember taking her to a fancy restaurant, but I don't remember much else after that......” “If I could prove to you this Trixie wasn't a Changeling, would you still love her?” “I'd do anything to have the real Trixie back. Even if she didn't want me.” “Trixie isn't a Changeling. For a start when we got here she asked for help.” “Did you perform the blood test on her as well?” “Didn't need to.” “Why not?” “I shot her. It was the only way to stop her magic. Technically, Trixie is dead.” “But she was with you this morning!! How?” “A little thing called training. On my world we try to bring them back if it is not their time. It wasn't Trixie's time.” “I want to see her.” “You sure that's a good idea?” “No, it's probably a bad idea. But I still want to see her.” “Good.”