Alexia and the others eyed the Mion lying on his back with careful suspicion. Most of the ponies’ breathing was starting to level out from the exertion of their flight from the fire hornets, but this was mostly artificial so they did not show their captive any sign of weakness.
The red skinned humanoid stared at them with neither malice nor joy. Instead he only displayed an intense interest, focusing mostly on what he saw to be a mustard yellow unicorn stallion as he assumed him to be the group’s leader. The Herald had taken the pause in conversation to access the puppet’s recent memories. The recollection of Alexia’s actions only fueled his interest to the point where he broke the unease silence.
Teleportation? Such an extremely rare ability. I remember hearing of its use only once before. In the America west coast if I’m not mistaken. “Tell me your name, for I do not wish to know you by just your color and species.”
Tune wasn’t sure what her appearance was so she danced around the subject. “My color and tribe are all you will get out of me as far as my identity is concerned. But I’ve heard of you.” She said with curiosity of her own. “A so called holy apparition that blesses those by mere speaking with them. The mouthpiece of the gods and the glue that holds the Mions of Earth together. So…” she added with intrigued mirth. “You’re the cause of Earth’s troubles. Yes?”
He regarded her with a twinge of disappointment. “I see my ministers have failed to correctly inform you of our purpose. You will have to forgive their fanaticism, I know it can be grating to some. Nevertheless if you have any love for your homeworld, you would be wise to aid my flock in their efforts to enlighten mankind.”
Crimson stood by her alpha and waved an enraged hoof in the air. “We’ve seen your so called ‘enlightenment’. Washington was in chaos for months, Madrid burned almost down to its foundations. I’ve seen pictures of London that I would have mistaken for World War Two photos were it not for the modern landmarks. You want nothing more than to see the world burn.”
Conrad moved to Alexia’s other side. “Anything this guy says will be lies or half-truths, let’s slit his throat and be done with it.”
The herald was no stranger to fighting uphill battles. “You see our methods, but not the reason behind them. Surely you already know, if my assumption of you being intelligence operatives is correct, that my flock has raided several of the lesser nations’ nuclear stockpiles. If the world’s destruction our aim, I assure you the Earth would have been a radioactive rock by now. Such as it is, I’ve had my children dismantle every nuclear weapon they can get our hands on. I want this world to remain both intact and its biosphere healthy.”
Loki was the one to begrudgingly confirm his claim. She dug a hoof into the sand at the bitter taste of having to confirm part of the Herald’s truth. “Don’t ask how I got it, but I found intel on several stockpiles being raided a few months back. However I’ve got no word on what was done with the nuclear material afterwards.”
The puppet met Tune’s eyes with a challenge. He suspected he would be more successful in weakening her loyalties to humanity if he appealed to her equinity. “You have spent these past years and your previous bipedal lives listening to the flawed ideals humanity triumphs. I can’t blame you really, while this—ponification I believe you call it, has granted you immense purity of form and natural magic at the paltry cost of a couple of thumbs. Now that you have been released from your old species’ defects, you can forge a civilization in your new and better image. Not one steeped in corruption and political backstabbing, but of trust, honor,--and mutual friendship. Surely you cannot be so deluded as to wish to remain shackled by your human masters and defective morality?”
“You have the audacity to try and recruit us?” Conrad was more stunned than angry.
Crimson scoffed at his arguments. “You speak of defects and flaws when all I see are a bunch of red skinned louts that are hell-bent on ravaging human society for the simple crime of existing. Nobody, species or otherwise, is free of faults. And I prefer human and pony faults over the Mions any day of the week. Besides, I would never ask my human family to submit to your enlightenment.”
The herald expected her venom. He had no delusions of being able to turn them on the spot, but to plant ideas in their heads. “They need not join my flock,” he directed his statement to Crimson. “Random humans are turning into ponies yes? If you could direct these changes and turn any friends and family you have into equines, then I assure you they will not be harmed by my crusade against the hairless apes.”
Tune had mused about the idea of intentional ponification in the past, outside of Discord’s magic, but always dismissed it. However his words made a question burn in her mind, but a more pressing one was vocalized first. I want to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. “Tell me this at least, just to set the record straight. Are you an alien consciousness or are you the product of some madcap scientist?”
The puppet adopted a touch of caviler in his attitude. “A little bit of both if you can believe it. Yes. I am as much of an alien as you are, physically anyway. I find it rather peculiar that there is a second nonspacefaring species appearing away from their homeworld.”
Loki was momentarily distracted by his wording. “What do you mean second?”
The Herald inwardly cursed his slip of the tongue, but managed to play it off. “I speak of the Zerdradians, a species native to Tangent Delta nine. A rather brutish people if there ever was one. It is a wonder they managed to get one of their own into space without driving themselves to extinction first.” He spied the hint of a scholar’s curiosity in Alexia’s eye. “Should the salvation of your human family, by means of enlightenment or ponification not be sufficient motivation enough for you, I can uplift the people of Earth to join the Koridost Confederation as full members. With all of the rights and privileges that includes.” He eyed them carefully, trying to gauge their reactions. “The only thing that I ask in return, is the elimination of humanity in its current form. No one needs to die. My masters will be more than welcoming of equines and Mions alike.”
The burning question resurfaced in the silver mare’s mind. “Why single out humanity? If these Koridost were xenophobic and wanted to wipe out all intelligent life but their own, I could understand that. Abhorrent, but understandable. But what makes us ponies worthy of joining this alleged galactic community over humanity?”
Crimson was appalled that the Mion was even still breathing.” Why are we even listening to this reincarnation of Hitler? Switch humans with Jews and both men would be spouting the same filth.”
Conrad pulled her aside to whisper away from the Herald. “Sun Tzu said something along the lines of know your enemy and to learn how to defeat him. We need to learn what we can.”
She pushed him off. “We’ve already learned exactly what we need to know.” She jabbed a hoof in the Herald’s direction. “That monster is responsible for everything!” With hate in her eyes, she reared up and stomped the ground. Before anyone could try and stop it, a spike of sand condensed and impaled the prone Mion through the heart, killing him instantly.
“Good riddance to that asshole!” the pale yellow mare growled at the corpse.
Tune was disappointed that she didn’t get the chance to do that herself. “Did you really have to kill him at that moment? We could have found out why the Mions keep trying to exterminate humanity.”
Crimson spat her disgust into the sand. “He would have lied through his teeth to have our support. I think he and his ilk have made it abundantly clear they don’t want a peaceful solution with humanity, and I bet they’re just lying to the other ponies until they’re not needed anymore.”
Conrad eyed the red crowned pony with a touch of sympathy. “I hope you’re not that naive. Some may have needed lies to join them, but you saw what those pegasi allowed back in the lab. It takes either some serious malice or complete indifference to let that many people get eaten in their cages.”
“Or experiment on people like that,” Loki added with equal repulsion.
Alexia listened in silence as the Mion’s corpse started blackening at a rapid rate of decay. His dead eyes bore into the alicorn with two words in his expression: consider it. Her mates argued behind her as questions filled her head about the Herald’s words. Just how much of what he said was true? Does he really only want humans gone, or is he playing my kind for fools so he can wipe out ponies later? My own kind’s fate aside, why is he so fixated on humanity’s destruction and keeping the Earth habitable? Colonization maybe? I—don’t think so. Seems a little too convoluted when you could just bomb the planet from orbit. Unless… Tune tried to think of a reason why planetary bombardment wasn’t the Koridost’s first choice, but she felt any explanation lacking.
In the end, there was little she could do but sit there and wait for Highwind to arrive with the transport. It left her with plenty of time to think about the future. Even if we succeed against the Mions, can we even hope to fight the Koridost when they arrive?
Yakim Zorin was weary. It was the good kind of weary after a hard day’s work. The sweat on his brow and the ache in his horn told him it was hard, while the equally tired faces of his coworkers and his advance paycheck let him know that his work was appreciated and necessary to the continued growth of Trinity.
He grabbed his time card off the wall with his kinesis and clocked out. It was a new fully computerized model and all his card really had was his employee ID number, but it functioned the same as previous versions. This is the good life no? To work openly and earn honest pay without having to flinch at the police or squatting in a beat up house in the Lowlands waiting for the FSB to find us.
A unicorn mare walked up after him to clock out herself. “Yakim, going anywhere tonight?” She flashed him a flirtatious smile. The arrival of the three Russian stallions grabbed many mares’ interest and the stallions quite enjoyed the reversal.
Even so, he felt it was a strange situation to be in. A city where the woman hunt for men, glory be to my manhood… or is it stallionhood now? He found the mare, Betty Roberts, to be very attractive charcoal grey with a stark contrasting white mane. The fact that she was a unicorn as well only made her more appealing. It wasn’t that he disliked the other tribes, but more that he preferred his own when looking for romance. He shook off his introspective to answer her. “Nothing that can’t wait for tomorrow. What did you have in mind?”
“Well you heard of the new Crave Theater that just opened two days ago. Me and Carline were thinking of watching Dick Dastardly: The Musical and we thought you’d enjoy a good guy movie with us.”
The teal stallion put up an act of giving it some thought by scratching his chin. My English is still rather bad, and I probably wouldn’t understand half of what would be going on. This whole Equish thing is a godsent. Doesn’t make life any easier around humans though. Still—Carline has that nice shade of yellow fur and she's a unicorn to boot. He turned around and nodded. “Sure, it sounds like fun.”
Her eyes lit up and she kissed him on the cheek. “Great! Movie’s at eight ten. See you there!” The mare ran for the exit while pulling her phone out of her saddlebag to call Carline.
Yakim gave her a head start before exiting the warehouse himself. The movie isn’t for a few hours, so I think a meat lover’s pizza is in order. I feel sorry for the earthers and that herbivore diet they have to stick to. Me? I almost wish I was a pegasus so I could have a better excuse to eat meat than just because I can.
Halfway to the pizzeria, a familiar face walked over to him. The newcomer knew the Russian pony’s English was improving, but not sufficiently for his liking so he opened up in Equish. “Mister Zorin my friend. How fair you this fine evening?”
“Doctor Reed,” Yakim said with pleasant surprise at the pale ash colored unicorn. “Get done butchering patients early today?”
The old in mind, yet young in body physician laughed at the verbal jabbing. “Only five died on the table today. A record low for the whole ward.”
Yakim responded with mock congratulations. “Down from eight? I’d tip my hat to you if I was wearing one.”
The joking banter produced a few chuckles before Reed cleared his throat. “Tell me something Zorin. What do you think of Her Highness?”
The teal stallion looked up at the orange tinted evening sky. “Printsessa Alexia?” He remembered the only two times he had seen her: one on the news, and again when he first arrived in Trinity. “She is divinity that walks the Earth.”
“Or flies, whichever suites her fancy,” Reed quipped.
“Ha, that she does,” Zorin replied with a jolly grin before slipping back into reverent tones. “I cannot honestly say I was ever a pilgrim before growing fur, but I have been in a few holy places. Chapels mostly. And I will admit I could feel the sanctity of those places, but the princess? She radiates that godliness as if it was the more natural thing in the world. But I suppose it would be for a goddess.” He stopped himself and laughed sheepishly at the surgeon. “Sorry Doctor. I really shouldn’t speak like that. The princess has made it clear she doesn’t care for such labels.”
Reed nodded sagely as they walked down the street. The pizzeria was two blocks away, and the old soul had time to kill. “She is rather unique in that regard. Don’t you agree?”
The Russian waited for a few passing humans and ponies to walk by before answering. “In that she herself is holy?”
“Quite so,” Reed waved at a few acquaintances of his before speaking again. “I have always been a spiritual person Mister Zorin. The good lord did right by me, but after I grew a horn and my life was tossed to the winds I thought he had abandoned me in that accursed internment camp. But I was a fool. He did not abandon me, not in the slightest. For in was in that very camp that she appeared.”
In both stallions’ minds, there was only one person he could be referring to. “The Printsessa.”
Reed smiled at his walking companion. “The very same. The very moment I first heard her speak I realized what the good lord wanted me to know. He above is the god of mankind, of that there is no doubt in my mind. But Princess Alexia… Goddess Alexia,” he spoke her name reverently, as if it the act of speaking it required the utmost piety to bring her name true devotion. “She is the deity of ponykind—at least for those of us on Earth. While God tends to the souls of men, she watches after ours.”
The surgeon gently nudged Yakim to turn left rather than cross the street for the pizzeria. The teal stallion hesitated a bit before complying. “I guess I can see what you mean. But I have met the Printsessa. She always denounces such claims.”
Reed could sense lingering disappointment in his companion’s voice. “I fully understand your woe my son. But you have to remember, God is ancient beyond history, but dear Alexia has been a goddess for barely two years now. Despite her power, she is barely a foal compared to God. She needs time to mature into herself and requires sustenance worthy of a deity.”
Yakim slowed a bit. The street they were on was less populated at this hour. He briefly acknowledged they were headed towards the eastern farmlands. “You mean prayer and worship?”
“But of course,” Reed replied as if it was obvious. “That is the one factor that every god or deity in our history required. I dare say that Alexia’s growth has been stunted by a hunger she doesn’t know she suffers from.”
“Or is trying to ignore,” Yakim suggested after a moment’s thought.
The physician’s eyes gleamed at the prospect. “I hadn’t thought of that. I hope that’s not the case. The idea of the Princess starving herself out of some attachment to her mortal origins is troubling. In either case, I wanted to bring you in on a solution for that very problem.”
By now, the pair was nearing the closest farmhouse. They passed through rows of grain fields to the two story house that was already brightly lit from within and had a welcoming air to it. Yakim suspected what the old soul was alluding to. “You’ve started a congregation?”
“Indeed I have. I’ve been aware of your reverence for the Princess for some time now, and I felt you would feel right at home with us.”
The teal pony was still weary, but not because of Reed. “She won’t like this if she finds out.”
The would-be clergyman sighed with a mixture of sadness and hope. “I know.” He marched up the two steps and rapped a hoof on the door. Some shouting for patience later, a pink earth mare opened the door and smiled at the sight of the surgeon. “Mister Reed. I was getting worried you might be late.”
He chuckled as Pack Rat led him and Yakim inside. “Have no fear my dear. I would not do our revered princess such a disservice were it not for a noble cause.” He waved a hoof in the Russian’s direction. “I brought another prospective convert.”
Yakim was still a little dubious. “So what are we going to be doing exactly?”
Reed knew he sounded like an aspiring cult leader. Well if I’m going to be honest with myself, I suppose that exactly what I am about to be. Hopefully I can do it right and one day give rise to a proper church. He gave Yakim a sincere smile. “Don’t worry my friend. I will tell everyone all at once. I’m sure we have some Kool-Aid around here somewhere-“
Yakim froze at the offer and gave the old stallion a worried look. To his credit, Reed managed to hold a straight face for ten full seconds before busting out in laughter, Pack Rat joined in a moment later. Yakim nervously joined in the cheer. “You had me going there for a minute.”
The surgeon wiped a tear from his eye. “I apologize, but I couldn’t resist.” He waved toward the living room where well over two dozen ponies mingled in lively chatter. “Why don’t you get to know the others for a bit. I shall join you after I have a quick word with our esteemed host.”
“Sure.” Yakim watched Reed out of the corner of his eye as he left the small greeting room and walked into the large dining room which dominated over half of the house’s ground floor. The furniture had been mostly moved to another room and multiple large pillows had been placed in the corner for those who wished to sit.
As he expected, there were no humans in the mix. Well, I don’t think I’d see any human pray to Alexia anyway.
The teal stallion scanned the crowd, trying to find a familiar face. Most of them he had only seen in passing around town. Nearly every last one of them had a cutie mark making him slightly self-conscious. I must ask one of them later on how to obtain my mark. Perhaps extended prayer might reward me with one or at least insight.
He saw no other distinguishing features in those present. The tribe split was almost in thirds, an understandable disproportionate number of mares were present as well. Not really irregular if that’s our normal ratio. Lots of fine looking mares though…
Yakim spent more time checking out the mares than actually speaking with anyone and it was not long before Reed returned and raised his voice to be heard. “May I have your attention please.” He repeated it once more before the room quieted down to his liking. “Thank you all for coming.”
The surgeon gave a fatherly smile to the others as Pack Rat quietly slipped in to the side of the room. “You all know why we are here. Her Royal Highness, Princess Alexia, is both a goddess and a gift. Unlike man, who’s God or gods have always existed on a higher plane than us mortals, our goddess resides here on the mortal plane with us. While humans can only speak to their chosen deity through prayer, we can talk to ours face to face, over the phone, see her on TV, or even—“ he paused with a smile, “at the dinner table.”
“It’s the natural order of things really. Those on Equis have Celesta, Luna, Mi Amore Cadenza, and most recently Twilight Sparkle as their pantheon. So it was, that when we become ponies, that God knew we would need a patron deity here on Earth. And so he delivered unto us, Alexia Tune.”
Nearly all of the ponies present bowed their heads at her name. A mare in the crowd cocked her head in confusion and spoke out. “Why would God give us a different deity to worship other than himself?”
Reed had been expecting that question. “I asked myself that time and time again to try and understand God’s design, and then it hit me.” He scanned the crowd, searching for those with faith, and finding it present in all of them, Yakim most of all. “All of man’s religions and God himself follow a divine order. That he can only preside over one intelligent species: Man.”
“God is nothing if not loving,” Reed continued with his impassioned speech. “Even after the moment I grew hooves and I was forever out of his light, God still loved me. Alas, he cannot protect us as fully as he once did, so he gave the most deserving of us, Alexia Tune, godhood. So that Man has his god, and we ponies have ours. It was through this epiphany that I realized that every intelligent race has their god, and that by releasing us in Alexia’s wings, the divine order is upheld.”
The earth stallion next to Yakim spoke out. “The Princess doesn’t want to be a god though. I’ve asked her many times and she decries the notion out of hand every time. The last time she was rather—heated in her rejection.” He pawed the carpet in depressed recollection of the event.
Several others murmured similar stories, yet Reed was not dissuaded. “Yes, I myself have received such proclamations of humility. Just as our species here on Earth is new, so is our Princess. While it is true that she is adult mare, the princess is but a newborn babe in terms of her divinity. She does not yet possess the mind of a goddess and that is something we, her devout followers, can help her with.”
Reed pulled a stray chair over so he could prop one hoof on it to raise his head above the crowd while the other foreleg swept over them. “The Princess is a secular goddess. And as such, she needs food, drink, and sleep like everyone else. But, that will only keep her worldly body alive. To help her grow into a proper goddess, she needs worship through piety and prayer. Prayer, devotion, everything done in her name that follows the tenets she champions, will both honor and strengthen her. And as she grows stronger, so will her ability to watch over us in not just the world of the living, but the hereafter as well.”
While Reed’s reasoning was not universally accepted by those in the room, they could all agree that she was worthy of their devotion and faith. Every last one of them had felt the pull of her alicorn magic on numerous occasions. A few like Yakim imagined that they felt echoes of her still lingering on their spirit.
One of the mares in the crowd shouted above the din. “What aspect is she?”
Everyone, Reed included, faced the beige mare with a shared but unspoken question. The beige pegasus recoiled a bit from the attention, but found her voice again after a few seconds. “Well its just that it seems alicorns have an aspect right? Celesta and the Sun, Twilight with magic—“ she trailed off for the others to catch the hint.
Reed lowered his hoof as both he and the crowd threw out a few suggestions, but nothing felt right to everyone until Yakim made his own. “Each alicorn’s aspect is tied to their cutie mark is it not? Our Princess possesses the ankh for a mark, so would her aspect be of life then?”
“Yes. Of course, yes!” Reed cheered at the idea. “Princess Alexia, the Alicorn of Life.”
After the group gave a round of approval at the idea for a few minutes, Reed raised a quieting hoof. “Now, we all know our Princess’s view on worshiping her, so we have the dubious honor of being the only religion where we can touch our god, but can’t let her know we worship her.” He nodded his head in sympathy as many grumbled sadly at such a fate. “To that end, we must keep our devotion hidden. Convert those you think can be both devout and secretive.”
A mare at the back of the room shouted to be heard. “Aren’t we being a little hypocritical? If we truly wish to honor the Princess, shouldn’t we abide her wishes and refrain from worshiping her?”
Reed had a pained expression dance across his face before a fatherly smile replaced it. “Under any other circumstance, obeying the goddess would be paramount above all else. We all know Alexia makes for an excellent leader and princess, but—“ he paused as if the words were difficult to voice. “As a deity she is still young and fallible. I see us as her children,” he said with a hint of reverent mirth, “and sometimes it takes a child to raise a family. I have no doubt that she will accept her role as our goddess in due time. Just as she was hesitant to take up the crown in days passed, so will she one day accept the mantle of goddess. And upon that day we can shout her praises to the heavens and she will look upon us as those who helped her along the path of the benevolent and wise goddess I know she is destine to be.”
The mare’s troubled mine was placated, along with all the others who shared her concerns. Yakim looked upon the large portrait of Alexia hanging behind Reed. It was an oil painting that depicted her lying upon a bench with a sovereign expression and her crown upon her brow. The sight of it stirred feelings of pride, faith, and love. Yes. Printsessa is worthy of us. And it is up to us to make sure she becomes a goddess who will lead our people to a brighter future. He marched up to the front and stood beside Reed before facing the assembled ponies. “Then let us begin working towards that day at this very moment. Let it be known among us that we hold the reverent mother in our hearts and prayers.” He turned to Reed. “You gathered us Preacher. Would you do us the honor of leading the first group prayer?”
A nearby mare interjected. “Wait. We need a name first.”
Reed looked first at Yakim and then to the questioner. “Indeed we do…” His eyes lit up as an idea came to him quickly. “For now, we shall be the Congregation of Life. As our numbers grow, so too will our goddess.” He got off the chair. “Now let us bow our heads, and pray to lend our strength to the goddess. May her heart always lie with us as ours does with hers.”
With Reed leading the way, the nearly three dozen ponies bowed before Alexia’s portrait and joined in prayer.
It was late in the next morning when Alexia awoke feeling extremely sore. Her legs were throbbing, her wings ached, and despite her claims to the contrary, her horn was in pain from the exertions from the previous night. It was her hornache of all things that wounded her pride as it dragged the bleary mare into the waking world.
The first thing she saw was the blue and white striped bottom of the top bunk. The Bush’s captain had offered her an empty officer’s quarters, but none of the free ones had a bed that could fit all four of them. So rather than have two of their number sleep on the floor, or be in separate rooms, the herd decided to sleep in one of the rooms that had six bunks. There had been a few that were unoccupied so the herd was more than happy to claim one for their own. It was not the accommodations Tune was hoping for, but it was the best she was going to get on a warship.
Wish I could call Beth and see how the foals are doing. The silver mare dared not bring a picture of her family. All it would take is that image falling into the wrong hands and Elizabeth, Violet, Aurora, Dusty, and the Andersons could all end up as targets of war. I hope Violet hasn’t burned the house down.
Spark’s smiling face materialized in her mind’s eye. Tune imagined that she was cradling both of her daughters in her forelegs with Dusty Tinker worming his way to be in the center of it all. A sad laugh escaped her lips at knowing it was just her imagination. Even so, the silver mare hugged them closely. She mimicked her imagination in the real world by hugging herself. Alexia smiled at the thought of her children as several longing tears rolled into her fur. Hang on little ones. Momma will come home as soon as she can.
She hugged herself for a few more minutes before acknowledging the cold reality of the foals’ absence. “I love you girls. Don’t drive Beth crazy okay?” The alicorn performed a few breathing exercises to level her emotions to a neutral state. Upon her fifth exercise she started a personal mantra at the inhale. Emotional peace through harmony. Change is inevitable. As life changes, I must adapt or be swept away in the current. She repeated this several times until her racing thoughts and heart slowed to normal. Since she was still on the job, Tune felt it was prudent to recite one last mantra. Get the right information to the right person at the right time or somebody dies.
At that moment, Alexia finished reconstructing herself from the vulnerable mother to that of a special agent of the CIA. Testing her limbs, Tune gingerly leapt from the center of the three bunk high stack of beds to the ground. Putting on a tough show for that bastard Herald didn’t do my body any favors.
She stretched and generally loosened her joints up and gave her wings a few flaps to get the blood flowing. The alicorn glanced about the room, it was compact and spartan as she expected. Alexia’s mates were absent, and their harnesses hung on a nearby rung. “Must be grabbing some breakfast. I should do the same before Mercer’s briefing.”
The mare still preferred to brush her teeth after breakfast, so she took one of the smaller satchels and placed the necessary items within after taking a quick shower, preforming a cursory preen on her feathers, and brushing out her mane, tail, and coat. The activity took too long for her liking. “Bah, I’m too used to preparing for the camera instead of making myself presentable for work.”
She stopped trying to style her bangs to flow around her horn just right and settled on keeping the steel, two toned crimson, and pink stripes on the left side and the solid azure on the right. “Finally done.”
She turned about face just in the nick of time to see Crimson, Conrad, and Loki return from their meal with Conrad carrying a takeout box on his back. Tune didn’t know if she should be miffed about missing a chance to eat in the carrier’s mess hall or be glad that her mates brought breakfast to her. Well there’s always lunch. The silver mare’s mood brightened up and she affectionately nuzzled Loki who was closest. “Hey guys. Sorry I slept in.”
Loki cooed wistfully the physical display of affection. You’re still the mare I love. The green pony closed her eyes while she reciprocated her alpha’s nuzzle. “Don’t worry about it. After what we went through last night, and all the spells you were slinging, you needed a good night’s rest.”
The two mares separated so Alexia could nuzzle Crimson and Conrad before finally getting to her lukewarm breakfast. “Did Mercer tell you when our daily briefing is going to be held?” The silver pony said to no one in particular as she levitated the white styrofoam box over to hover in front of her. Within laid a treasure trove of bacon, scrambled eggs, and buttered toast.
“Said he needed to get word back from the home office about the op last night. As for your breakfast however,” Conrad wore a superior grin at seeing the mare’s jaw hang open and the look of sheer delight in her eyes. “After such a workout last night, I figured your magic could use some extra protein.”
He could not be any closer to the truth. The moment her eyes and nose beheld the meal before her, the floodgates opened and the hunger she had mostly ignored up until now drove itself to the forefront of her mind so fast it caused a headache. Alexia abandoned any pretense of ladylike mannerisms and started wolfing down the eggs and bacon with gusto. “Oh you have no idea,” she said between bites, “how freak’n much I needed bacon right now.”
Crimson fished out a can of apple juice from her small saddlebag and waved it in front of the silver mare’s eyes only to have it snatched away by her kinesis and guzzled down within a minute. Loki took a playful step back as a dollop of egg flew out of the floating box of food and nearly hit the green mare’s leg. “Should we get a second plate?”
The azure crowned pony exhaled in relief as the last bit of toast flew down her gullet. She had a look of mild contentment. “I could use a second plate. Mana doesn’t just pop out of the air for free after all, and I’m still recharging from last night.”
The alicorn was offered a napkin by Crimson who graciously accepted. “The thing is, while I can store an exorbitant amount of mana, I can only produce mana at the same rate I did if I was hovering around twenty percent back when I used to be a unicorn. At least for now,” She added quietly. She shook it off to continue speaking normally. “It’s a lot, but it’ll take more than a night sleep and some bacon to replenish all that I expended last night.”
Loki wrapped a hoof around Alexia’s withers and started dragging her to the door. “Well you didn’t oversleep that much, they’ll still be serving breakfast for another hour or so.”
Right before she left the room, Tune turned back to her harness and levitated the necklace off of it and clasped it around her neck. What is a princess without her crown? “Come on, you can’t imagine how hungry I still am.”
The once filled to the brim takeout box found its way in the trash bin completely bare of food. This caused Loki to eye the silver pony with curiosity. “Eating that much? You’re not pregnant again are you?”
Alexia shared a chuckle with the others until a seed of worry wormed its way in. I was fooling around with Conrad before all this started. Her horn lit up a second later as she cast Inner Sight to be sure, and breathed a sigh of relief. “No baby in me. Just really famished.”
Conrad let out a breath of relief. “I love my kids, but we can barely handle three as it is.”
“At least they’re good company,” Crimson added with fond remembrance of her son. The rest made nonverbal sounds of agreement while they carefully navigated to one of the very steep stairwells of the ship. The two toned red crowned mare grimaced at the cursed steps. “These stairs on the other hand.”
Conrad simply dove down the first flight, as he did before, and flared his wings to break his fall to come to a graceful landing. The two earth mares gingerly crept down them, much to the amusement of the passing sailors. Alexia watched her fellow mares’ difficulties from the top of the first flight. With the stairwell being so close to the wall, my wings are too large to try what Conrad did. I could just blink down, but it might not be the best thing to show that ability off at every opportunity. Not to mention I’d like to preserve as much mana for the next mission as possible so I don’t have to worry about restraint. She didn’t like the images her brain pulled up that depicted her as a giant battery with a comparatively slow recharge.
Dashing such thoughts aside, Alexia mulled over the difficulties of walking down the stairs from the front, so instead she tried to descend backwards. It was a pain, but was far easier on her physiology than trying to descend forwards.
The sole pegasus eyed his alpha with a snide touch of mirth as she made her way down. “And here I thought a larger wingspan would always be an asset.”
“So did I,” she replied with a barely amused snort. “Anyway, lead on to the mess hall.”
As one might expect of a one thousand foot long vessel, the mess hall was still busy with the morning crowd. Unlike an hour ago when the non-alicorns ate, the 82nd paratroopers were present and dining in their own personal corner of the hall.
Buttercup speared a sausage with a fork and bit half of it off in one go. Snake and Loewy sat across from her gnawing on their own meals. “Say what you will about those robots equines, but they can do some mean prep work on a base.”
Snake swallowed his hash brown while nodding his agreement. “I’m sure that’s exactly what they’ve been trained to do. Locking the whole place down and cutting power to everything but the security doors so the opfor was left in the dark. Can’t say the infiltrators could have done any better unless they managed to sabotage all the small arms as well.”
“You got to admit. If we had more joint operations like this with spooks doing the prep work and us the muscle, there’d be nothing that could stop us.”
The woman smirked at her companions. “I told you they were freaking robots. How else could they have hacked a network so fast and take complete control over the facility to the point where it was easier than a milk run?”
Snake exhaled in mild exasperation while rubbing his face. “Didn’t you listen to the after action report? The base was using its secrecy as a defense, so they didn’t bother with extensive network security.”
Loewy was just as miffed, but on a different topic. “And they’re not robots.”
Buttercup eyed him critically. “Got any proof to that?”
“Yeah I do actually. Those hostile ponies who had to be gunned down bled just as red as you or I do.”
She scowled at the news. “Never got to shoot any myself. All the ones my fireteam ran into surrendered.”
Snake cut into his waffles. “Are the rumors about executing them all true? I know we can’t keep a bunch of prisoners with how bad the food crisis is going. What with Nebraska and South Dakota-”
Buttercup stomped on his foot to get his attention and jabbed a finger behind him. “Check it out. The pony princess and her royal guard are here.” The silver alicorn was looking for a free table with a tray piled high with food. With the 82nd and crew of the aircraft carrier together, there wasn’t a single table that fit that criteria so she started looking for one with empty seats. “Why does she get all that food? We barely got a plateful.”
Loewy wasn’t quite as irate as she was. “After the kind of work they did, I don’t mind. Besides, I hear the horned ones need protein to fuel their magic. And in case you didn’t notice, she ain’t got no pancakes, grits, or hash browns on there.”
Finding nothing but single isolated seats, Tune faced her mates. “There doesn’t seem to be any room for all of us to sit. Since I’m the only one eating, why don’t you guys go relax somewhere?”
“Sounds good to me,” Crimson replied while dragging the others away. “I need these two to settle a wager on if we can get free back and head rubs around here.”
Tune was intrigued and cooed at the idea. “Ooh try the rec rooms, I’ll be along after I’m done eating.”
As the other ponies left, Alexia locked eyes on the empty seat next to Snake. Loewy immediately turned back around to his friends. “Shit, she’s coming this way.”
“Aww, does the baby want me to shoo the scary big eyed furry monster?”
“Kiss my ass BC,” he growled right as Alexia reached the table.
“Mind if I join you guys?”
Three sets of eyes fell upon the silver mare. Snake yanked the empty to his left out from the table. “I don’t see why not. I have to hand it to your team. You guys did quite a number on the lab last night.”
Smiling at the warm welcome, Tune levitated the tray onto the table and took the offered chair. “Thanks.”
The three troopers had not had a lot of contact with friendly ponies and none at all with unicorns. Everything they knew was hearsay or from mass media. As such, they eyed the floating tray and subsequent levitating food with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. As much as Buttercup didn’t want anything to do with her, the soldier knew the alicorn was a major figure and adopted the silent soldier demeanor so her mouth wouldn’t get her in trouble.
Loewy and Snake however, were far more interested in learning about the vaunted Princess. “Name’s Snake, combat engineer. This is Loewy, fire support, and Buttercup. Our heavy ordinance specialist.”
The azure haired alicorn offered her hoof to shake each one in turn. “You can call me Tune.”
The four of them lapsed into silence as the three humans tried to think of what to ask her. It was Loewy that spoke up first. “That’s you’re actual last name isn’t it? No secret code name or anything?”
Alexia gave him a deadpanned look. “I specialize in aggressive negotiations, not undercover work. As such I don’t use a code name while not in the field. And besides, I would think my appearance would be enough to let just about any who saw me, know who I was.” She felt it was prudent to not disclose the existence of the perception scrambler enchantment.
Buttercup didn’t believe her for a second. “Wouldn’t that make you a terrible secret agent?”
Alexia snickered. “Ha, it might if we didn’t use camo.”
Snake devoured some ham. “What kind of camo?”
Tune grinned at him while adopting a coy tone of voice. “Very good camo.”
Buttercup felt a trace of confusion by the mare’s meal. “I thought horses were herbivores.”
Snake and Loewy either groaned or tsked at their friend’s lack of tact, while Alexia arched a sardonic eyebrow at her. The alicorn fidgeted with her wings just enough to draw attention to them. “Guess I’d make a terrible horse then. What with the talking and all.”
The woman snorted a short laugh. “Mister Ed talked too, and no one said he was anything but a horse.”
The silver mare smirked. “Of course, of course.”
She got a rise out of Buttercup while the two men cast derisive grins at her discomfort. She shook it off and a sinister smirk crept over her face. “So. How are those wings of yours?”
The strip of bacon in Alexia’s kinesis hesitated before she could bite it and her eyes widened a bit. The three soldiers caught the spark of unease. “I’ll admit it took some getting used to, flying under my own power that is, and feather maintenance can be time consuming, but I’ve grown quite fond of them.” She started idling smoothing a few out of place feathers on the underside of her left wing with a fetlock. “Pretty much a requirement to do so really. They’ve become rather attached to me as you can imagine.”
The female paratrooper pursed her lips as she made sure to word her statement carefully. “Must have been quite the upgrade from having only a horn, wouldn’t you say?”
To her credit, Alexia didn’t show too much surprise. “I never thought I would run into someone who was stationed at The Ranch. But yes, I agree with you. These growths on my back have proven to be quite a helpful upgrade indeed.” Even if they came with some stupid consequences.
She stopped fiddling with her wing and took a moment to make sure it returned to its resting position without having the chair bend the tips of her primaries. Snake looked to Buttercup to see surprise written all over her face. He asked the question she was too stunned to ask. “Shouldn’t you keep something like that a secret or something? I know the brass would be interested to know why you changed twice.”
The alicorn finished a bite before speaking in an even tone. “Its hardly a secret when the entirely of the internment camp I was—resettled at knew I changed from a unicorn to an alicorn. Some secrets aren’t worth keeping.”
“What about what caused it?” Loewy inquired cautiously.
“That is.”
Loewy wanted to veer the topic towards areas that would be more open for conversation, but Buttercup beat him to it. “Why do you go around naked all the time? You too good for clothes or do you just not care about modesty?”
The two men glared at Buttercup for asking such a tactless question while Alexia rotated a ball of egg in her kinesis as she contemplated the question. When did I let that go? Was it really the same moment my hands become hooves and my physical transformation was complete, or did I not care about nudity at the time because I was alone? I didn’t give going to the science fair in the buff a second thought. I didn’t even care that Conrad and Loki were basically nude when I met them as well. Hell neither did they. “If I had to guess,” Tune said at last. The two men thought that she was going to reprimand Buttercup, but couldn’t help but remain curious for the answer. “I’d say my fur coat is clothing enough for my sense of modesty. Besides, clothing can be more fun when you have more freedom of what shape it can take if you don’t have to cover everything. And seeing as I haven’t received a single complaint about it so far, I see no reason to go back to wearing clothes as being mandatory.”
“What if I complained about it right now huh?”
Alexia chewed her sausage slowly while eying Buttercup. The woman’s question held a mocking quality to it and it was something the alicorn wanted to tactfully throw back at her. “Then I’d believe you were doing so out of spite rather than genuine insult.”
Snake wanted to ask a question, but Buttercup punched him in the chest before he could get a word out and she asked one instead. “What about them male ponies then? They get to walk around with their meat flopping around whenever they get a hard on?”
Snake jabbed her in the shoulder. “I thought you weren’t interested in man meat. You going for cross species love on us BC? And here I was about to profess my undying love for you.”
The woman was inches away from slugging his mocking face, but a snickering Alexia waved her right wing out to get their attention. “I don’t mind answering. It’s a more common question than you might think.” Both belligerents held their tongues and fists back to listen. “Of course I don’t know from personal experience, but what stallions have told me is that they know when their aroused, but they can keep themselves hidden until they want to—use it,” She said with a glint in her eye. “They wouldn’t be able to go in the buff if that wasn’t the case.”
Loewy huffed at Buttercup. Satisfied now? “As fascinating as all that is I wanted to know how you guys really come about? What keeps causing people to turn into ponies?”
“Well…” Alexia trailed off while finishing off her orange juice and the last of her bacon. She used the time to contemplate what parts of the truth she could say.
She was spared having to answer when the ship’s intercom made an announcement. “Bravo team Beta niner two. Report to your assigned briefing room at ten hundred hours.”
Tune’s ears swiveled to the source of the announcement and levitated her phone out of her satchel to check the time. “It was great meeting you all, but I gotta split. Maybe I’ll see you around the ship later.”
“I look forward to it,” Snake replied with a friendly nod.
“I hope you like poker,” Loewy added.
“Never tried it before, but I could take it up for our new friendship.” She left the table and waved goodbye at them as she disappeared into the throng of bodies surrounding the exit.
Buttercup grimaced at the alicorn until she couldn’t see her anymore. “Damn spooks. I bet everything she said was a flat out lie.”
Loewy tried to see if Tune would reappear, but she did not. “Friendlier than any spook I know of. A lot more than you are that’s for damn sure.”
“Got that right,” Snake chided. “She makes you look as friendly as a rattlesnake with a cactus shoved up its ass.”
Buttercup punched him hard in the arm. “I bet you’d like to get in her panties if she wore any.”
Snake slugged her back with a right hook in the shoulder. “Not if you don’t beat me to it taco licker.”
She was looking for an excuse to pick a fight ever since Alexia showed up and the verbal sparring was the perfect excuse for a brawl. Buttercup jumped out of her chair and grabbed Snake by the scruff of his uniform. “Say that to my face breeder!”
He was more than willing to beat some diplomacy in her. “I saw you giving her that lewd eye of yours. You want to munch on a carpet that’s all over your lover instead of just a small patch don’t you?”
With a savage growl, Buttercup’s fist went flying and punched Snake out of his chair and onto the floor. Within seconds Loewy interposed himself before the crowd could react to the altercation. He gave Buttercup a stern glare for her to back off. “Hey! You to want to fight? Take it to the sparring room!”
She cast Snake a savage grin as he climbed back to his feet. “Fine by me. You need someone to knock those ugly teeth out of your head anyway.”
The sailors around them saw the fight was averted and returned to their meals. The pair of military police in the room kept a close eye on them, but made no move against the pair thanks to Loewy’s intervention. The other members of the 82nd started wolfing down their food so they could be present for the match. Snake sneered at Buttercup. “And I need to knock the bitch out of you.”
Tune had enough time to finish her morning hygienics before rushing to the briefing room three decks below her quarters. It was a small affair, which hardly came as a surprise given the cramped nature of military vessels. This room was normally used for pilot briefings, as the group did not need the larger rooms. The chamber had ten small desk-chair combinations with Mercer standing at the front with the projector already displaying the cover page of the briefing.
Alexia’s mates were already lounging on the desks waiting for her. Conrad was actually hovering above it all. He was always in the air whenever he had an excuse to do so, and the anatomically incompatible desks were as good of one as any.
Loki repositioned six desks to have the writing surfaces intertwine so she could lay on top and snooze. Crimson was sitting on the ground in quiet contemplation of her son and parents. I hope they’re okay. Paw never was one to show a son physical affection and Dusty craves that more than anything else. I know I told him not to treat Dusty the same way he would a human baby, but I don’t know if it sunk in or not. Conrad’s been really good at showing physical affection and I’d like Paw to keep up that strong male role model while Dusty’s father is away.
The pale yellow mare remembered the first chest to chest hug she ever received from her old man, and that was only after her accepted her as his daughter. Joe didn’t know it at the time, but that first real embrace meant more to Crimson than he could possibly realize. I’m still kinda surprised how touchy feely I’ve become, but I guess its just part of my species’ nature. All the more reason Dusty needs Paw to display that sort of thing.
Mercer took notice of Alexia’s arrival and cleared his throat for attention. “Good, you’re all here.”
Loki snapped out of her snooze as all three herdmates acknowledged Alexia’s entry before facing Mercer. The Case Officer scanned the file on his podium one last time before starting. “As we covered in our debriefing last night, just before your infiltration of the laboratory, four cargo trucks departed the facility.”
A map of Europe and Northern Africa appeared onscreen with a green square fifty miles southwest of Gibraltar marking the location of the Carrier Taskforce. Algeria appeared onscreen with the now defunct research laboratory at its center. One red line emerged from the depot for twenty minutes before splitting into four different directions. “Instead of destroying the transports, we suspected that tracking them would lead us to other critical Mion bases of operation. As it turns out—“
He clicked the computer a few times to have the four lines continue on their destinations. “Each truck split off to four different coastal towns in Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. Oddly enough, they stayed well clear of the Algerian coast.”
“Any idea what was being shipped?” Conrad asked.
“Not as of yet,” Mercer replied with a note of controlled disappointment. “I had expected them to either go south, deeper into Africa, or straight up north to Algiers or Oran. My other field operatives are still relocating to put eyes on the targets. Unfortunately, my eastern most team will not reach Benghazi for another two hours and by then we may lose sight of it completely.”
Crimson looked at the distance between the Bush and Benghazi. “You’re not suggesting us to fly all the way out there, are you? Could we even make it there in two hours?”
He shook his head. “That would not be the best use of your skillset. I’m keeping you in reserve for when we need a repeat of the bio lab. But before I go any further into the briefing, I need to ask.” He directed his attention to Alexia and Crimson. “Are you two going to be able to avoid repeating the same crash as last time? The desert was one thing, but anywhere else might have caused compromising injury.”
Anderson gave Tune an apologetic look. “I’ll do my best to avoid a repeat sir. Although I never expected having to do that in the first place.”
Mercer had to give her that much and accepted it as he turned to hear Alexia speak. “I have been negligent in my flight training. I’ll begin shoring that up immediately.”
It wasn’t what Mercer wanted to hear from Thompson’s top field agents. “Don’t go too overboard with the regimen. I need you able to deploy at a moment’s notice.”
“Yes sir,” Tune replied.
Mercer clicked to have the map vanish. “While I don’t wish to cut into said training time, I did as you requested and had the red pegasus brought to the brig on the Bush instead of being shipped back to the States for interrogation. I trust you have some way of getting some information out of her. But I don’t recall interrogation techniques being on your list of training.”
Alexia hummed in thought. “I might have a unique form of persuasion. She’s still missing a cutie mark right?”
Mercer was unaware of Alexia’s alicorn magic and furrowed his brow while looking at the red mare’s picture. “Yes. But what does that have to do with anything?”
Tune adjusted her necklace which had gotten out of alignment. “If it works, I’ll tell you.”
He wanted more of an answer than that, but Thompson insisted they were to be fully trusted. “Very well. I’ll leave the matter in your hands. Just keep me apprised on your progress.”
“Yes sir.” The briefing ended shortly thereafter, and Tune left for the brig. Conrad heard the two earth mares were going to the central recreation room before he ran after Alexia.
He waited until they were well and clear of the briefing room before talking to her. He feared Tune might lose her temper again. “Are you sure you should be facing her again? Last time you nearly skewered her.”
The memory flashed back in her mind. The anger, the rage, her red rimmed vision. The nameless pegasus begging for her life. Had her mates not intervened, the alicorn would have killed her on the spot. I don’t want to be that person. She answered with a sad smile. “This is as much for my sake, as it is for hers.”
“Just remember she won’t know it was you who captured her.”
“I remember,” she stopped walking and nuzzled him affectionately. “Thanks for looking after me.”
Conrad didn’t care if any passing sailors noticed them and wrapped his wings around her. “I love you Alex, and we always will,” he tousled her alpha colors with a wing for emphasis. “You’re not the only one who can help fight off lunacy.” She smiled at his touch. “But it might be difficult to tell the difference between lunacy and PMS.”
“Ack! Shut up!” She slapped the laughing stallion with her right wing, only to have him duck out of the way. “And I do not PMS that bad.”
“Say that to the kitchen counter. We had to replace the granite slab after that,” he said while letting her wing hit his face after the second attempt.
“Yea well—“ She huffed while trying to let her anger go. Damn it. This was exactly the sort of thing I needed to be able to ignore or laugh at rather than get angry.
The brown pegasus was glad to see Alexia begin her breathing exercises. He feared Tune losing her temper more than any bodily harm she might inflict. Even so, the intensity of the outburst troubled him. If she does that to me, I don’t think she’s ready to speak with the prisoner. “Glad to see you’re staying on your toes.”
The azure crowned pony let out her fourth exhale slowly as her emotions calmed down. “We don’t have toes remember?” She kept her expression forcibly neutral, if only to hide her lingering irritation. “Anyway, go tease Loki about this sort of thing; I need to speak with our potential informant.”
Conrad’s tone switched from playful mockery to serious. “Can you do me a favor and try to keep a cool head. I can come with you if you want.”
She stepped into an empty briefing room to her right to let a few passing sailors walk by with Conrad following her in so they could have some privacy. Alexia closed her eyes and rested her head on the side of the stallion’s neck. She took the moment to take comfort in his touch, scent, and warmth. “Conrad,” she began after a minute of basking in his presence. “You, Loki, and Crimson are my rock and my heart.” She looked at the azure stripe in his mane with reaffirmed adoration. “My life and soul belong with all of you. And I wouldn’t wish it to be any other way.”
Conrad was sensing a ‘but’ in her words and he pulled his head back and cupped her head in his hooves with a worried look upon her pained expression. “Alexia, I’m not dead. Stop mourning over a grave that isn’t there yet.” His works hit the mark and the silver mare’s strong façade broke down completely and she started quietly sobbing. The pegasus wrapped his forelegs and wings around her shaking form. “You’re killing yourself by dwelling on this all the time. Please Alex, enjoy the life we’ll have together and leave the future where it belongs and return to the present.” Conrad tried his best to shield her from the pain in her mind, and cursed himself for only be able to give advice.
She wept for a few long minutes to get everything from her lingering fear of a lonely future, the sickening experiments from the desert laboratory, and the stresses of royalty out of her system. The quivering princess had her face buried in the stallion’s neck, soaking him with her tears to the point where his fur was becoming uncomfortably damp. He endured it quietly and without complaint while rubbing her mane with a fetlock in an attempt to ease her through it.
Alexia leaned against his strength and used it to build herself back up again. “Conrad,” she said shakily while keeping her muzzle buried in his fur. “I want to enjoy our time in this world together, I really do. But one day that time will end, and I’ll be alone. I need to relearn how to be alone and happy at the same time like how I was when I was human, or at least content.”
He hugged her tightly. “You’re not thinking of leaving the herd are you?”
She pulled her head back so she could be eye to eye with him. “No, I could never do that. It—it would kill me to do that. But. The opposite is true too.” Her gaze lowered along with her voice. “If any of you died, I don’t think I could ever recover. That’s why I need to relearn how to be alone. So that when the inevitable happens, it won’t destroy me.”
That’s the mare I love! She wants to work towards a solution rather than wallow in depression. He knew the alpha standing next to him wouldn’t drag her hooves for long. “Is there any way I or the mares can help you?”
“Thank you for the offer Conny.” She leaned forward and kissed him. He turned it around and returned the gesture with lusting passion before she could decline his offer. It surprised her, but Alexia felt it was exactly what she needed. Had it been at any other time, Tune would have let him ravage her until should couldn’t walk right. Yet the interrogation hung in the back of her mind, and kept her from letting their passions take them to their usual conclusions. That didn’t stop her from thoroughly enjoying his affection for a few minutes.
Yet when the time came that Alexia felt that she needed to pull away to get the interrogation she stopped. Mercer only said I have to get it done today, and what the hell, I’ve never had sex on an aircraft carrier before. “Hold on a moment Conny.” Tune’s horn lit up and they were teleported back to their quarters. “There, now we won’t get interrupted by anyone.” The brown stallion recovered from the teleport quickly enough and saw the amorous mare turn around and present herself to him. “You always know how to cheer me up.”
The pegasus saw her hungry eyes fall upon his stiff member. He gazed upon her lustfully. “Believe me honey, I love cheering you up.”
Two hours, a second shower, and a preening session later, Alexia made her way over to the brig. As with the rest of the ship, the jail was so cramped that it would give just about anyone claustrophobia. Even more so for a frightened prisoner of war. Alexia thought to herself as she reached the warden’s desk. She used her magic to straighten out a few strands of hair that had fallen over her eyes.
The jailor was a bored, yet vigilant craggy looking marine. The small desk bore little paperwork, but the man was still glad to have a distraction, even if he showed none of it in his face as he saw the alicorn approach. He had been informed of her visit, but he was a stickler for protocol. “State your name, purpose, and give me verification of your identity.”
Why would I need to show ID? Doesn’t my coloring and cutie mark—Right, the camouflage enchantments. Fortunately, Mercer had given the directive that each agent carry their identification with them at all times while onboard the Bush. Using her magic, she unzipped her black satchel and gave him her CIA badge. Unlike her human counterparts, her cutie mark was emblazoned on the bottom right side instead of a handwritten signature. “Special Agent Tune. I’m here to speak with the prisoner.”
He inspected the badge briefly before giving it back and marking her arrival in his book. He took her nearly emotionless tone as a euphemism for rough questioning. “Everything checks out. Your interrogation shouldn’t be that difficult. She’s been whimpering in solitary since she was brought in by the eighty second.”
“Has she been treated poorly?”
He gave her a questioning look at her gruff tone. “She may or may not have suffered some bruises or a hairline fracture or two in getting here. Most likely when she had to be subdued no doubt. ‘Course, she reeked of piss until one of the guards let her have a shower. Don’t know what makes her so special seeing how all the other personnel were executed on the spot.”
What!? Why? Tune would have voiced those questions, but her status as an intelligence operative kept her from doing so. She needed to appear as if it was old news to her. I’m going to have a word with Mercer about this. I know Command is starting to tighten up on rations, but I didn’t think we were so bad off we’d result to war crimes.
Alexia barely kept her shock hidden under a thin veneer of indifference. “She’s an experiment, nothing more.”
“Sure she is,” thought it was obviously there, Alexia couldn’t detect any sarcasm in his voice. He stood up and jangled his keys to find the right one. “This way.”
She couldn’t help but think about the warden’s nonchalant attitude towards killing prisoners. Have they really thrown Mions out of the protected prisoner’s rights? And what about the ponies who were there? Are they being thrown into the same category because they were helping Mions?
Tune was horribly reminded that she was more than willing to do the very same to the mare she was about to visit. I have no right to judge the soldiers for doing that. Not when I was going to do the same thing if Conrad and Crimson hadn’t stopped me.
The warden banged his fist on the bars, jarring the prisoner out of the modicum of peace she had. “Wake up! You have a visitor.”
The red mare within had not slept at all since her arrival. She had been nearly killed twice that evening. First by Alexia who was disguised as a mustard yellow unicorn stallion at the time, and again by the 82nd until they double checked that mare’s coloring matched the only prisoner they were to bring back alive. She had been blindfolded and tied up and transported to the Bush before being allowed to see and move again. The whole way back, she received extremely rough handling at the very people she had been working to erase from the planet and had several bruises and a few possible hairline fractures to show for it. The pegasus knew it would not take long before the Americans learned about what the lab’s primary purpose. To say the mare was terrified would be putting it mildly.
So when the warden banged on the door, the mare jumped in her cot and cowered at the corner of her bed. She assumed a beating or some other form of torture was about to occur, and that fear was only compounded when Alexia appeared as the warden left to return to his post.
The red pegasus’s pupils dilated enormously at the sight of the silver alicorn. Even in her disoriented state, she took in the silver fur, azure mane, wings, and horn in an instant. She stared at the alicorn in supreme disbelief. “Y-you’re dead.”
Tune fought to keep her irritation for the mare suppressed. Roughed up state or not, she was still a traitor to her species in the alicorn’s eyes; both her former species and current one. “Whoever you mistake me for, I assure you I am very much alive.”
The moment Tune’s voice hit the red pegasus’s ears, she felt a wave of calm wash over her. She knew in an instant who it was. “Princess Alexia?” Hope grew for a moment before it was squashed hard by denial. “No. No, impossible, you’re not real. You died years ago!”
This was not how Alexia wanted to start her questioning and walked fully into the cell, making the pegasus shrink even further. The outburst was in Equish so the government agent knew she didn’t have to worry about a language barrier. “As you can plainly see, that is not true. Why don’t you start by telling me your name?”
The red mare eyed the silver one frightfully, and only answered to avoid harsh treatment. “Buraddi• Marī.”
“Alright Buraddi. Tell me what you did at the facility.”
Marī would have refused to speak, even in the traumatized state that she was in, but the power of Alexia’s alicorn magic loosened her lips and induced a sense of trust. “I was a hematologist.”
The term was familiar to the silver mare, but she never the less pulled out a smartpad to write her notes. “Doing what?”
Marī shrunk at the forceful tone which tinted the alicorn’s magic to leave a slightly bitter taste in the pegasus’s mouth. It made the mare recoil from attempting to worsen Alexia’s mood. “I was one of the staff members working to ensure the Yeta strain inflicted minimal damage to the bone marrow during activation.”
The satisfactory answer made the alicorn unwittingly sweeten the taste of her magic as her mood elevated at the painlessness of her information acquisition. “Do you know enough to create a vaccine?”
Marī’s convictions warred with her desire to keep Alexia, and her magic, placated. “I-I don’t know. I just worked on damage control, not infection vectoring or incubation.”
Alexia wrote her notes on the tablet, but made sure to keep eye contact with the red pony so her innate magic would have a constant effect. “And what is the incubation period?”
“I don’t know. A day or so maybe,” she lied.
Tune marked the response as questionable and moved on to switch topics to throw the captive off balance. “Tell me why you want to participate in specicide.”
Marī’s visage gained some steel and she scowled at the alicorn. “Because they constantly kill our kind. I saw a whole pony community rounded up and slaughtered by citizens of Beijing and the guards did nothing to stop the massacre. If the Mions hadn’t shown up when they did, the humans would have killed me too. They told me atrocities like this were happening in every country worldwide, and that the only way to save ourselves was to abandon every scrap of our humanity and join them in cleansing the planet.”
A dark shadow fell over the alicorn’s face. Even if she’s exaggerating, I doubt that its not happening at least somewhere. Even if humans are capable of both great good and terrible evil, this mare just proved ponies are equally capable. Alexia felt it would be prudent to cast doubt on the mare’s claims. “And you believed that?”
Buraddi flinched at the poisonous anger in Alexia’s voice. The alicorn’s magic felt like it was squeezing her spirit and left her mentally strained. Tune assumed the mare’s pained expression was merely a reaction from accidentally poking one of her previous injuries and the pegasus fidgeted on the cot. “Yes, I do. I saw the videos of slaughter, and almost starred in one of them. There’s no way humanity will accept us, so it was either death or join the Mions and work for a better future.”
Tune lowered the smartpad away from her face, took a slow breath, and continued with a condescending tone of voice. “Have you ever stopped to think that you allying with the Mions is why humans keep trying to kill you? If you make yourself an enemy, then those that would have welcomed you will shun you instead.”
Buraddi averted her eyes as she was unable to meet the alicorn’s gaze. “I was part of a scholars-in-residence program between Japan and China in an effort to smoothen relations between our two peoples. I had been in Xi’an for three months when I started becoming a pony. Instead of letting me return to my homeland, I was rounded up and placed in an internment camp."
The scientist bit back bitter tears of the memories. Imposter or not, she didn’t want to show the alicorn any more weakness. “We were not granted basic human rights simply because we are no longer human. If you know anything about the histories of our peoples, then you don’t need me to tell you that the Chinese were cruel to us. They experimented on any foreign ponies they could get their hands on; doing any depraved thing you can wrap your mind around. I never saw what they did with their own citizens who turned into ponies though.”
Alexia kept a neutral expression while writing in her intent to investigate these claims. If Thompson can help uncover these atrocities, if they actually happened, then we can work towards weakening the Mion’s recruitment campaign. “You think I’m dead. Was that more Mion propaganda?”
“Princess Alexia is dead,” Buraddi replied spitefully. “You mock that holy lady with your pitiful imitation of her.”
Tune’s brow twitched and her left ear flicked in heavy irritation. Oh for fu-- Why do blank flanks always think I’m some kind of messiah? No wonder its so easy for madmen to successfully claim to be prophets. Even so I would think a scientist would be above that sort of thing. Through careful control honed over two years of both passing off and ignoring others’ claims that she was a god, Alexi kept her discontent hidden behind professional indifference. “And what pray tell does the real Princess Alexia look like then?”
Buraddi kept a framed picture of Alexia in her quarters at the desert research station and the silver mare standing in front of her, with a cool almost indifferent expression looked like a carbon copy of her. Even the calming quality of her radiating magic had returned and it made it difficult for the pegasus to keep lying to herself. She slowly crawled off the bed to inch closer to the silver alicorn. “She—looks exactly like you.” Her eyes took on a wild quality. “You’re brand. May I see your brand?”
Alexia regarded the red mare’s shift in demeanor. She’s worked on this Yeta strain and probably has knowledge on the Mion plague itself. If I can get her on my side, she might be able to help engineer a cure or at least a vaccine.
“I don’t see why not.” The alicorn turned ninety degrees to reveal her black ankh. “And its called a cutie mark.”
“Cutie mark?” Marī parroted slowly as realization struck her like a wrecking ball, yet doubt still remained. “May- may I touch it? It be sure its real?”
As much as Tune was trying to build trust, the request was highly suspicious. “S-sure. But if you try anything, I’ll toss you straight through the bulkhead. Understand?”
Marī nodded with her eyes stealing a glance at the alicorn’s horn. “Yes of course.” The red pegasus crossed the short distance at a slow pace so she wouldn’t make Alexia act upon that threat. She brought her face up close to the black ankh and used her hooves to split the fur apart to see if there was evidence of dyeing. Finding none, she sniffed it for trace chemicals, much to Tune’s discomfort.
That wasn’t as awkward as I thought-. Her musings were jarred away as the red mare gave Tune’s cutie mark a long lick, coating her flank in saliva. She jumped away and nearly hit the side of the cell in the process. “Da ‘ell was that for?”
Buraddi backed off and glowered at the alicorn with intense hostility. “As I thought, you have an enchantment on you. I knew you were an imposter!”
That produced an irritated eyebrow from the azure crowned pony, but most of it was from the damp fur that sent disgusted chills down her spine. “What the hell are you talking about, and what possessed you to lick me?”
Marī’s continence was the definition of smugness. “I possess an ability to taste active magic. I wanted to make sure you weren’t using an enchantment to alter your appearance, and lo and behold you have several enchantments upon you.”
Alexia snorted with a hint of mirth. “I suspect you tasted my crown’s magic.” Tune’s kinesis wrapped around the necklace and levitated it to a corner of the room away from the prisoner and gently placed it on a pillow that she took from the cot. This is really going to be uncomfortable, but I need to do this to get her on our side. “Tell you what. If you can taste any active magic on me now, then I will tell the Navy that you were a slave of the Mions and have you released to where ever you want to go. But if you don’t, then you must recognize me for who I am.”
Buraddi narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Does she really think she can try to cover up the enchantments? My taste can detect anything. She decided to play the alicorn’s game, if for nothing else than to have something to do. “It might be interesting to see how much the word of a spy is good for.”
Tune cringed in revolution as the red mare licked her flank a second time. Ohhh damn that is so grooooooss. I need a shower something fierce. A stronger wave of disgust rolled down her spine until the pegasus’s tongue departed.
Aside from the fur, Alexia’s magic had an extremely potent flavor to it. Yet it lacked the same sweat and sour flavor of active magic. “You’re…you’re really her. You’re the Goddess Alexia!”
Tune used her magic to try and pull the spit off her flank rather than let it dry. “I’m not a goddess,” she responded automatically.
Buraddi didn’t register Alexia’s terse reply as she was still trying to make sure her tongue wasn’t lying to her. “But I saw the video. You were assassinated during a speech.” Marī slumped against her cot and looked at the necklace. It looks exactly like the goddess’s sole adornment. So… the video was faked? Did the Mions really lie to me just to keep me from trying to find her?
Alexia saw the pegasus become lost in thought. Might as well give her time to recollect herself and try again later. After a much needed shower. She retrieved her necklace and replaced the pillow upon the cot, then she rapped the cell door. “Warden!” As soon as the man was in earshot she spoke again. “I’ll be continuing the interrogation later today. But I’m done for now.”
“I’ll let the next shift know.” He waited for her to fully exit the cell before closing and locking it. He took a brief glance at the red and black pegasus staring wide eyed at the spot where Alexia had just stood a few seconds prior with a shell-shocked look. Damn. What did she do or say to her in there? Red looks even worse off than before. Probably deserved it anyway.
While Alexia trotted off to take a much needed shower, Conrad found Crimson, Loki, and Gil Highwind embarrassing themselves in the recreation room. Or at least that’s what Conrad thought as he witnessed three sailors, a marine, and two paratroopers petting the two mares, who were laying nose-to-nose on one of the couches, and one stallion slumped on a table.
The three ponies were the very images of tranquility and bliss. Loki practically melted into the cushions as two sets of nimble hands rubbed her mane and back. “Could you scratch behind my ears Philips?”
The strongly built marine looked as if he could crush a boulder with his hands, and would sooner do so for kicks. Yet he was more than happy to accommodate his latest furry friend. “Sure thing little lady.” His compliance elicited a sigh of delight from the green mare.
“Ohhhh, yeah. Philips I think I’m in love.”
The paratrooper who was rubbing Crimson’s back was bemused by the whole thing. “Still don’t know why petting you guys is so relaxing. Feels kind of awkward with you being intelligent and all.”
Anderson waved feebly at his protests. “Nonsense. Humans are hardwired to like rubbing furry critters, and we furry critters like being rubbed.” The sailor rubbing her head followed Philip’s example and switched Crimson’s ears, causing her words to come out as a content sigh. “It’s a win-win for both of us.”
Highwind was in a near Zen state at the pampering the two women were assaulting him with. One was petting his head and mane, while the other scratched the fur around his wing shoulders. “If I could give you ladies a medal I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
The one scratching his back tickled him in a way to make the stallion involuntarily flutter his wings a bit, eliciting a giggle from her. “Are you sure the Misses back home don’t mind us having our fun?”
“Are you kidding? She’d be mad that she didn’t get to join in.”
Conrad left Gil alone trotted over to try and rouse the mares. “Crimmy, Loki we need to talk.”
The green pony opened drowsy eyes. “Hey samurai. You need to get on this petting thing. It feels amaaaaazing.” She drawled out her speech as the mare went limp from the attention.
He looked at the four men, who in turn eyed him. “I don’t think I’d want a bunch of men rubbing me like that.”
One of the sailors glanced at the others. “Can’t say many of us would want to either, but—“ He whistled at three female sailors who playing pool and pointed them at Conrad. The women dropped their game in an instant to walk over. “I’m sure they’d love to get the chance to pet you.”
The brown stallion eyed the eager women with trepidation. He didn’t like the idea of being pacified by simple touch, especially from strangers. “I’ll pass,” he responded diplomatically.
Loki was barely capable of responding due to the petting. “Oh come oooonnnn Conny. This is sooo…” She trailed off as her ability for thinking declined.
The first woman reached the brown pegasus in a hurry. “Hey big guy. Heard about the number you pulled during the last op. Those guys are already rewarding the mares, so its only fair you get the same reward, right?”
Before he could protest further, the woman presumptively started scratching behind his ears. The effect was immediate. His concerns felt like they weren’t so pressing anymore. His ears sagged a little along with his eyes while the mental cotton washed away his worldly troubles. No, I have to help Alexia.
One of the other women pulled a chair over and he didn’t resist being pulled up into it. “Ever since I saw you guys I’ve wanted to pet one of you. And I have to say, I am not disappointed.”
Alex, need to help—you all can go—burn in—oh my, that feels good. Try as he might, he couldn’t fight the euphoria because he had never experienced it being inflicted by nimble human fingers that easily far surpassed hooves.
Any and all attempts to break away were beaten down by the relentless hands that wrapped him in a world of bliss. The real thing that blasted away all resistance was when one of the women found a way to tickle his wings to make him reflexively puff out his feathers. Two of the women found his down feathers just as relaxing to massage as his fur and mane. Conrad laid there for half an hour as his wings were gently scratched along with his mane. This is what I’ve been missing all this time?
Eventually though, the ship sounded a call for shift change and the personnel in the recreation room bid their farewells to the four equines.
With the mind cotton fading, Conrad shook his head to clear the cobwebs loose. “Holy balls I didn’t think that would be so mind numbing. I could barely think after they started.”
Crimson stretched and yawned like a cat while Loki rubbed her eyes with a fetlock. “Nothing like a massage with your mates to recover from a mission right?”
“You said it sister,” Loki clapped hooves with her fellow mare.
Highwind eased his feathers back down and hopped off the table to join them. “If I didn’t already have so much to do, I’d open a bar or something where humans can massage us or vice versa.” The mares cooed at the idea.
Finally remembering why he had come in the first place, Conrad jumped off the chair to approach his mates. “Listen, we have a major problem.”
Crimson’s at ease faded. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
“I tried to, but I couldn’t—look that doesn’t matter. What matters is that we need to talk about—“ He stopped and turned to Gil. “No offense, but this is a personal matter.”
Highwind hummed. “I understand. If you need me though, you know I’ll be ready to help.”
“I know you will good buddy.” The two pegasi slapped their wings together before Highwind departed. Conrad waited for him to leave before turning back to the mares. “Its about Alexia. She’s getting worse. I don’t know how, but we have to help her find a way to be a peace with the fact that she’ll outlive us all. Possibly by thousands of years.” He paused a moment to emphasis his point. “No matter how effective we are at keeping her from falling to lunacy, we can’t keep doing that from the grave.”
Loki frowned while pondering his statement. “Aren’t you the one who keeps telling her not to mourn us until we’re in said grave?”
“No, he’s right,” Crimson answered for him with a cool tone. “Just as our alpha watches over us, so to must we do her the same favor. We owe it to Alex to help prepare her for a prolonged life.”
The green mare didn’t really need much persuasion to help, only to be convinced that it could be done. “Okay, but how do we do that? There isn’t a therapist in the world that could help her with that. Except maybe hop her up on a bunch of pills.”
The stallion tapped his chin in contemplation. “Maybe… We shouldn’t look to this world at all.”