//------------------------------// // Chapter Nine: Dashing // Story: Fallout: Equestria - Gaia Prevails // by John Colt //------------------------------// Charter Nine Dashing “They’ll launch an attack? Where, when, how?” Major Turbulence was shocked, and so was I. I had to try my best to keep a neutral face. Craft, what the hell are you planning? “Well, no, but it is strongly implied that they are in process of making plans to do so. I suggest a preemptive strike.” “Without them having done anything? No, there are innocent ponies down there!” Was he angry. “I mean, you saw that!” Oh, yes he is clearly angry. “You have been down there!” Craft picked up on his emotion too, as she was pausing for a bit. I don’t believe he noticed, but I’m used to watching her. I know that this moment her improvised plan just changed. “There is nopony behind this window, is there?” It was his turn to pause. “No, there aren’t. They have a different clearance.” Just how has she become that good? “Why?” Craft leaned forward. He recognized the gesture of her wanting to whisper into his ear. He could be misinformed, and they might be supposed to watch him, without him knowing that. In the case he gets played by Craft, he couldn’t give something away he doesn’t know himself. Wow, I’m getting good at this stuff myself. “I have thought about dashing too. I know I could do more good that way.” Not what I expected her to whisper. She came up with making a Major of the Enclave go Dashite. I hope you know where this plan is going, Craft. “I... You...” He was stuttering. “Your loyalty has been compromised. I- I have to inform everypony.” Oh, come on, if you would believe that yourself you wouldn’t be whispering too. “No, you don’t, because I made it all up. I have not even circumstantial evidence that would support the theory I just gave you. I also lied about implying I’m Enclave. I’m a conmare, a good one at that. I’ve lied my way up here.” I sure do hope what you are doing, Craft. “You- you are..?” “Yes. I- I am...” She copied his stutter on. “Now how are you planning to proceed?” She smiled devilishly. “I... ahh...” Yes you were just talked into a corner, whatever Craft is planning for you, she will get exactly what she wants from this stallion. “Come here, handsome.” As they are still close together she embraced him. “Close your eyes.” She ignited her horn, and my vision went white. *** *** *** I think I had lost consciousness there for a moment. Well, what do you expect when an insane-as-fuck mare cancels your cloud walking spell? Turbulence was flailing around, not used to adjusting himself with the weight of two mares clinging to him in free-fall. Yep, that’s right. Craft’s foolproof plan, the one she thinks I ‘might’ not like or approve of, consists of her simply dropping us through the cloud. As I was traveling towards the ground with an acceleration of about 9.8 meters per second squared. I could propably calculate when I’m going to decorate the wastelands, but I don’t know how far up we were when we got dropped, and before I am done with the math I’m probably already a nice red splash of gore. Thankfully, Turbulence just managed to adjust himself upright. How did he even fall through the clouds with us..? Ohnono, don’t spread your wings... CRACK Ouch, that has to hurt. Craft had canceled his pegasi magic to get him to fall through the clouds too, he would have probably broken his wings even if he would’ve only had to support his own weight. So much for your foolproof exit-plan, Craft! She engulfed us in her golden magic, and I could feel the wind stop. We were still falling, I could see the ground coming nearer, but... we were getting slower. I believe this is the appropriate point where I stop screaming. I have to admit: With Craft being able to levitate at that advanced level the plan could be considered somewhat foolproof. Unless we would have gotten separated, but then again, Craft could have simply dropped us at that exact point of our separation. Okay, once again I have to admit defeat, she is simply smarter than me. I wasn’t used to being outsmarted all the time. Ponies only win with threats of violence, or violence without threatening me with it first. As I got over that fact I could focus on the fall itself, it was actually quite enjoyable. We had a stunning view, and we were traveling really fast... what? Craft had changed our direction, and we were slipping over the landscape. I recognized where she was taking us, although I, obviously, have never seen it from that angle. “Why here?” “Safest place to treat our patient.” She looked in direction of Turbulence, who had passed out. “Yeah?” I could see the cabin already. “I don’t know how to open that shaft, and what about Nightmare Moon? “You knock and ask if she lets you in and pretty please don’t kill your friends.” “What the hell, Craft? You are willing to take that risk?” Craft hesitated slightly. “Yes, I am.” She slowed us down, then carefully placing us on the ground right in front of the cabin. “Well, I’m not! Craft, I...” What do I even want to say? ‘I need her.’ No, something like that I couldn’t say. “Okay.” Her plan will work; it has to work. Her life is counting on it, and I truly need her, so my life is somewhat counting on it too. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now; Craft seems like a drifter, she might not have a long term plan either, but she’ll figure it out. How I’ll continue now is to enter this cabin. Two weeks ago I had done the same thing, and my life hadn’t just been turned upside-down, but it got completely rewritten. The ‘Go Away’-doormat made me smile for a completely different reason than it did the last time. Just during around and going away? I couldn’t do that. Not anymore. I walked up to the terminal and booted it up. Where had been the shaft again? I have been down there again, but I couldn’t remember where it had been; it’s really well hidden. And where is Craft? I had assumed she followed me. “Craft?” “Yeah?” Her voice came from outside. “What are you still doing outside?” “Making sure we weren’t followed, and I’m not going in there before Nightmare Moon gave her allowance; I’m not suicidal!” “Oh, okay.” I looked at the doormat. For a second there I thought... Nah, that’s ridiculous. I turned to the terminal. “Hmm...” What am I supposed to do? I don’t know the password, and... maybe I could really... I knocked at it twice. “Hello? Can I come in? And can you not kill my friends?” What else was I supposed to say? I waited. Nothing happened, but it didn’t surprise me. “Pretty please?” The shaft opened up. Shit, I hoped nothing would happen, now I have got to go in there again. Craft has been right again. Hmm... Craft... Maybe I could... She is unearthly quick on the uptake. What if she really is... I could try this. “It’s opening.” That should be vague enough, I turned around to see how she will react. I lifted him Turbulence’s body up, and levitated him inside. Now Craft, can you enter? She... was actually nervous..? “Hehe, that’s funny.” She pointed at the doormat, and waited right in front of it for a reaction from me. That ‘Go Away’ was a weak joke, beyond her usual humor. Then she turned around again to search the sky for possible pegasi searching for us. No way! She’s not supposed to actually not be able to enter! It was more like... a joke. “Craft? What’s the matter?” “I, uhmm...” She was searching for an lie. “Nothing, I just don’t want to get trapped in there, if they plan on a siege.” Her voice isn’t her usual one, she could lie way better than this. “Just checking again for followers.” “You aren't able to come inside, right?“ It’s time for me to talk her into a corner. “Just who and/or what are you?” Craft looked down at the ground in defeat. “You are still not able to tell, are you?” Was I supposed to? What do I know about her? “I am...” she gestured me to come closer and then whispered. “I am hilarious.” She walked past me into the cabin. *** *** *** Everything is squeaky clean. Knowing that someone or something took the bodies of my former group away and cleaned up was somehow worse than it would have been to stumble upon two weeks rotting gore. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy not having to smell them, but it did raise a sticky question: Have there been more invaders before us? Craft said I’m overly anxious about this issue. I believe there is no ‘too’ anxious when it came to dealing with an ancient evil like Nightmare Moon. But I could freely venture into the facility now and found it was bigger than I had imagined, there were even some quarters for the ponies to sleep. There were five rooms, two with a king-sized bed. There had to have been more members to this group than only Spellfield and Celestia; if my calculation is right there had to have been seven members. What about Spellfield's family? Would he expose them to the risk of being members of a resistant group? The impression I got from him was that he would do everything to keep his family safe, even sacrificing his entire life, just to stop this war from happening. But then again Equestria has been pretty harsh to their zebra citizens, maybe they have been safer in here. It has been Stable-Tec Technology after all. But it was no long term place for anyone to live. These bedrooms have to be searched thoroughly once I have time for that, but first things first. Turbulence’s broken wings. The facility also had some medical supplies and a few books for patient treatment. It was kinda shocking to know that Equestria had removed the parts about how zebras react to certain kinds of healing magic from their medical books. Equestria had had zebras on their side too! Had they only been a unpleasant minority? Had the racism been worse back then than it is now? Somehow I didn’t want to imagine that, the wasteland is supposed to make everything worse. I wrapped a healing bandage over Turbulence’s wing, but now that we were safe again my anger towards Craft grew. “What the hell were you thinking? Taking a Pegasus with us? We have no idea if we can trust him and now he is in the very facility we try to keep everyone from knowing. And have you noticed that your foolproof plan lost me my saddlebags, and my house too?” Craft has appearantly picked up a sword from the room with the weapons; she was playing with it now, fighting against an imaginary enemy. “It’s called improvising, I don’t know how it will turn out. Don’t you think an ally is more worth than a house, and just look around, there is a shitload of stuff in here, you can buy a new one. Settling down is a bad idea anyway. And as a base of operation this here will do.” “Craft, why... how...” Stop. She was playing with that sword, not even paying full attention to me, and I was stuttering. Focus, Aideen! “What gives you the right to make these kinds of decisions for me? Your actions have consequences. You want me in a good mood? Stop being a jerk, and try to be nice for a change. You... I know you can be nice, I like you in a twisted way, but what I don’t like about you is that constant unfriendliness. You can be a nice pony, I am certain of it. You don’t want to tell me about your past, that’s okay. But our future, the time we will have to spend together, I want to know certain things, you have to include me, and you have to be nice, okay?” “You’re compulsive, has anyone ever told you that?” “I’m what?” “It means everything has to be how you want it to be.” I know what compulsive means... “Order, in your case. That’s how you survived all those years with the Crimson Company, it was orderly. Newsflash, life isn’t orderly, in the wasteland you have to adapt. Survival of the fittest.” Arguing with Craft makes no sense, if I bring something up she doesn’t like she manages to avoid the topic. Something else then. “What about Turbulence? When he regains consciousness, he won’t be happy we ruined his life, why would he ally with us?” “Oh, he is a lot like you. You guys only need a good push in the right direction, and you’ll dance.” “We are not your puppets!” “Of course you are! If you don’t want to be then you should stop doing what I tell you to do, it’s as easy as that. Cut off your strings, my little puppet!” I was not amused. “You are insane.” “I am still everything you want to be.” She tilted her head. “Right?” I really hate her right now. “It’s nothing to be ashamed about, you know.” Craft scratched her head with that... insanely sharp looking sword. “That you think that highly of me is actually flattering. Because I am in fact a shining example of how to survive in the wastelands, I have fun, and I do whatever the hell I want. And I can read ponies, like our new dashite friend.” “Put the sword down, you may hurt yourself.” I simply turned around and walked away from her. “Hey, where are you going?” “I'm going to the control room, see what I can do, and then I’m going to watch a memory, because the Memorhedron has finished loading. Something actually useful, you know.” “Okay, have fun! I know I’m going to have.” I heard her slicing through the air again. “By the way, that was a really good stage-exit. Nice ‘yeah, bitch, whatever’ impression. You have to toss your mane dramatically when turning around next time.” *** *** *** > Memorhedron is fully charged and ready to use. > Next memory in queue: First lesson – September 7, 991 > Length: 0 hours 12 minutes 40 seconds. > Load memory? > load <=======ʌʌɅ Ʌʌʌ=======> The familiar feeling of Spellfield came over me. He was standing before a neatly polished wooden door in a hallway. I believe it is part of Canterlot Castle, everything looked rather... royal. He opened the door, to revealed a class room for me. At least I believe it is a class room, I only know the dull grey ones from the stable and the dirty ones in Colt’s Well. This was just wow. He walked inside this shiny room, too good to be for simple teaching purposes, and positioned himeslf at the teachers desk. Then he waited... And waited... Okay, those were some strange teaching techniques right there. He only observed the room, and did nothing else. I was able to spot filly Twilight Sparkle (squee, how cute!) immediately, but he wasn’t able to show any kind of recognition to her. He only nodded to all the students who were quiet and paid attention too him. Then slowly the room got quieter. I could only identify this situation as power play. He showed he was not willing to teach, if not everypony was quiet and listened. Sure, it took a while, and the students also argued whether or not he was doing that, but as everyone who was quiet got his nod of approval they figured it out. “Good Morning, class! I am Professor Spellfield, I’m going to be your teacher of Magical Theory. The subject is obligatory in every semester. I know what you are thinking: ‘Theory, blah! I want to practice some magic!’ And I guess you are right, theory can be boring at times, but we are not going to simply be reading books in this class. Here you are going to learn how to apply your magic as good as possible to the spell you are using, and even how to make your own spells. Ahhh, yes, and the faces light up. Anyone of you has ever build a tree house? No? Well, I believe you understand anyway when I’m telling you that you need a plan first and don’t just start building something, and this planning is theory. So, I’d like to start our class with a little bit of introduction. In the order of how you seated yourself, please state your name, and everything else you might want to say about yourself.” The students began to rather awkwardly introducing themselves, then it was Twilight Sparkles turn. “My name is Twilight Sparkle! I like to read books and practice magic. Princess Celestia made me her protégé.” “Yes, so I’ve heard.” This was the first time he made a comment to anyone. “I believe this issue will come up a few more times in your educational career. I want to say this more to your classmates than to you. You are not favored by the staff in any way, if anything we might be harsher to you than to anypony else. Your status is an achievement, yes, and you are allowed to be proud of what you achieve, but nopony likes a show-off, remember that. A true magician is humble. Next one please.” He foals finished introducing themselves when he spoke again and said more than just something to reassuring the next one foal to start. “Okay, Nice to meet you all. From the name of the school and from the things growing out of your foreheads I can assume you are all unicorns, is that right?” There was a little bit a confused agreement. “But unicorns aren’t the only species that can use magic. Can anyone tell me another one? Yes, Miss Sparkle?” “An alicorn.” “Very good. An alicorn is like a unicorn capable of manipulating the flows of magic to a certain degree. Any other magical species?” No response. “No? What about having magic inside of them, not manipulating them, I bet you can think of something.” “Like pegasi and earth ponies?” “Yes, exactly. Can anyone tell me what a pegasi’s or an earth ponies magic is like?” He waited a little bit before he started to explain. Though is seems like earth ponies have a disadvantage, they actually do possess their own brand of magic. They have a natural talent of growing plants and animals. Pegasi can fly, although the size of their wings wouldn’t physically allow that, but they are also able to touch clouds and, in succession, control the weather partially. But now that we have ponies out of the way, what about other species? Say, some that soar the sky too?” “Griffins!” “Exactly, Griffins share a few magical traits with pegasi. Another species? A species closely related to ponies even. They can feel the powers of the environment, Gaia, as they call it.” He paused after every sentence to see if somepony spoke up. They have a zebra in front of them, but nopony spoke up. “Hint, hint.” he pointed at himself. Wait, no, Spellfield is not a zebra, he’s a unicorn-zebra hybrid-thingy. “Zebras?” “Yes, quite right, although I am not a zebra.”Called it. Spellfield touched his horn. “I’m not a unicorn either. I’m a hybrid of two pony species, I have both abilities, a zebra's sense to magical flows and a unicorn's to manipulate them.” “Aren’t zebras like earth ponies?” “Aren’t pegasi like unicorns? Yes, of course, if you take away the wings, horns, and type of magic it is down to the same thing. While zebras are not considered ponies those four species are all equines, they are quite able to have kids together, though usually zebras prefer to keep to themselves. Not every offspring of two different equine species results in an hybrid, of course. Does anyone of you have an parent that is not a unicorn? Yes.” “My mom is a pegasus.” “Yes, and your father a unicorn I guess, but you aren’t an alicorn, you’re a unicorn, why do you think that is?” “I... uhm...” “Because it would be a rare mutation. If you have traits of two equine species you are a hybrid, like me. Almost two thirds of all hybrids never even know they are one as there is no physical sign for half earth ponies, they are thought to simply be unicorns or pegasi. Hybrids are quite strong, but not divine. Is there by chance anyone who knows a hybrid? Other than me, of course.” Twilight answered. “Princess Cadance.” Cadance? I thought she had been a goddess too. “That’s right, Princess Cadance is not a goddess like Celestia.” “Then why is she a Princess?” “Hah, being royalty doesn’t automatically makes you a god, even if some of them might want it to be like that.” He looked around, there could easily be the offspring of aristocracy in this room. “Well, while I do know Cadance's story, it is her's to tell, something private. You wouldn’t want me to talk about you behind your back, would you?” <=======vvV Vvv=======> > Save position in queue. > Memorhedron is charging. 1% > Not ready for use. The memory ended rather unexpected. If it would have been about Twilight Sparkle's first magic lesson with Spellfield, shouldn’t the memory have been the whole lesson? No, it had to have served another purpose. The information had been quite helpful for me. I now know what Spellfield is, and why he turned out to be quite powerful, with his intelligence and natural abilities he... would have really had a bright future, if Princess Celestia hadn’t completely ruined his life. I can imagine now what he might have been capable of. With his naturally ability to sense flows of magic even I’m capable of copying every spell he only experiences. I wonder if he ever saw Princess Celestia raise and lower the sun. He has had everything going for him, even natural coincidence. I also now understand better why zebras are afraid of me, I have noticed my magical power increasing since I touched Nightmare Moon's armor. There has changed more in me than a simple reaction to moonlight, I’ve learned a complex spell in no time, this couldn’t simply be ascribed to Spellfield experiencing it. There is no way I could tell for sure what is happening to me, but if I had to take a guess: I already have Nightmare Moon inside of me, and I am already using parts of her power. It scared me that it didn’t scare me more, is my mind already influenced? I don’t feel like I behave differently. Okay, sure, I am also in situations I have never been before. Everything I do at the moment is somewhat awkward, I have to think about it every decision I make consciously. Getting bullied around by Craft is something Nightmare Moon wouldn’t allow. Neither would she be too fond of her host, or whatever the relation is called, being toyed with. She is too... nightmare-moony to allow that... right? When I think about it, I have no idea what she, or Luna for that matter, have actually been like, but if Luna is anything like her bigger sister she wouldn’t let herself be treated like Craft treats me. *** *** *** “Found anything fun?” Craft entered the control room; I have already seen her coming on the security cameras. “It’s the stuff I didn’t find that is really interesting.” “Oh, how so?” She moved the unicorn's remains next to me away to have a good look at the main screen. “Well, let’s start with something obvious: this body.” I pointed at it. “Is ‘to find something’ something philosophical for you?” What is she getting at? “Because it looks to me like you found it, and not, you know, didn’t find it.” “Oh, sure, it’s not gone. The cleanup wasn’t here. All the other bodies are gone, but not this one. Why is that?” “Cleanup program doesn’t account for control room.” Rational answer, but she wasn’t convinced herself. “Maybe? I don’t know. Why would it matter?” “Because the fact that there has been a cleanup in the first place is somewhat unsettling, but moving on. Last time I was in here there was an insane password on this computer, now I have what seems to be full access. There is no password.” “There’s no password, there’s no problem. So what did you find on this thing.” “Well not much. There is no inventory list, which would have been awesome. There is no map either, and the security cameras can only be accessed if I type in the right room. There’s an generator room, although I don’t know how it’s fueled it explains how we have energy, but I don’t know how to get there.” “As long as it works.” “Don’t you... want this facility to keep working? It would be a great hideout, right?” “With Nightmare Moon in here? Thanks, but no thanks.” I couldn’t tell her that Nightmare Moon wasn’t in the facility anymore, but inside of me. Well, okay, technically she is in the facility now too at the moment. Hmm... If Nightmare Moon wasn’t responsible for the cleanup and the computer being insecure now then who was? I couldn’t talk with Craft about this topic, she... Hmm... She what? How would she react to hearing I have Nightmare Moon inside of me? I know I don’t want to talk about it, and that settles my decision. A red lamp lights up on the console. “Huh?” The lamp was labeled ‘intruder alert’. I opened the feed of the security cameras to see another Camera has popped up. It was a feed from... outside. I haven’t seen any cameras outside. Well I haven’t seen any cameras in here either for that matter. The camera was only in greyscales, but I could clearly recognize the pony that broke down in front of the cabin. The high contrast of her coat and mane gave her identity away, although I couldn’t see her face. “Cirrus?” “Are those your saddlebags?” “They are?” I looked closer “They are! What’s going on?” “Looks we made a second dashite. Good Job Aideen, making that mare fall for you to reach your personal goals. You are more like me everyday, I’m proud of you.” I hit her on the back of her head. “Is she... oh!” “What?” “I guess she never landed on solid ground before. You have to bend your legs, my pretty, pretty pegasus! And you came down way too fast.” “We have to bring her in before the Enclave sees where she crashed down.” *** *** *** Footnote: You have reached Level 9! New Perk: Nurse Aideen!: Taking care of your hurt friends using the right books gave you +10 points in Medicine, and you get to wear a nurse-uniform, sexy! Special Perk: Nightmare's Power (1): You can tap into Nightmare Moons power, and gain +5 points in Magic. Skill Note: Medicine has reached 50. Quest complete: Above the clouds [X] Wait until Craft uses her exit plan. [X] Survive Craft’s exit plan. Quest: Gaia Prevails [ ] Investigate every room of the facility. Quest: Memories of the Future [ ] Find out why the Memorhedron has planted on you. [ ] Optional: Watch as much Memories in the Memorhedron as possible (5) New Quest: Emergency room. [X] Render first-aid to Turbulence. [X] Optional: Research Medicine. [X] Diagnose Turbulence. [ ] Render first-aid to Cirrus. [ ] Diagnose Cirrus. [ ] Mend Turbulence. [ ] Mend Cirrus.